RTHK: Kim's sister slams US, dismisses chance for talks

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed prospects for early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying the US expectations for talks would plunge them into a greater disappointment.

Kim Yo Jong made the comments Tuesday after US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan described as interesting signals Kim Jong Uns recent statement that North Korea will be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, but more for confrontation.

A Korean proverb says that In a dream, what counts most is to read it, not to have it. It seems that the US may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself, Kim Yo Jong said, according to state media.

The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment, she said.

Her statement came as the top US envoy on North Korea affairs, Sung Kim, is visiting South Korea.

Sung Kim said Monday he hoped to see a positive reaction from the North soon on US offers for talks.

The North Korean leader 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 Trumps direct dealings with Kim and President Barack Obamas 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. (AP)

This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Economic support needed to aid post-pandemic recovery

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the African continent needs the support of developed economies to counter the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum on Monday, the President said while the continent has been growing in leaps and bounds, it needed this support to ensure African countries are able to get out of the economic slump brought on by COVID-19.

He reiterated the call for a waiver of COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property provisions, as there is a need for mass production of the jabs to save lives.

We are facing an emergency that is affecting the entire world We are going to continue insisting that there should be a waiver, he said.

President Ramaphosa said meanwhile that the vaccination roll out in South Africa is on course, despite some delays.

We are pleased that Johnson & Johnson have agreed to replace the two million vaccines that we would have received and our vaccination process will get back on track, hopefully will get a lot more faster, President Ramaphosa said.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has a number of advantages for South Africa, including that it is a one shot jab, while others are two doses.

That is preferable for us, particularly because a number of our people are in the rural areas and they have to be reached and it is better if they are reached once rather than twice, President Ramaphosa said.

The Qatar Economic Forum, being held under the theme "Reimagining the World, aims to prepare plans that support the growth of the global economy during the post-pandemic phase and to benefit from the strategic location of the State of Qatar.

Qatar is an important point of connection between the East, the West and Africa regions.

President Ramaphosa participated at the invitation of the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Spain pardons Catalan separatist leaders

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday pardoned all nine Catalan separatist leaders jailed for their role in a failed independence bid in the region in 2017, one of whom reacted with defiance to news of his impending release.

Sanchez announced the pardons in a televised address. They are conditional and a ban on the leaders holding public office remains in place.

They were sentenced in 2019 to between nine and 13 years for crimes of sedition and misuse of public funds, committed in organising a referendum on breaking away from Spain that authorities in Madrid banned but which led to a unilateral and short-lived declaration of independence.

Sanchez has described the pardons, which surveys show that a majority of Spaniards oppose, as a goodwill gesture and a first step towards resolving a bitter political conflict with the wealthy northeastern region, whose government has sought a new referendum on independence under Madrids auspices.

One of the leaders, Raul Romeva, who was sentenced to 12 years for his role as Catalonia's foreign affairs chief, said the region would continue its struggle for self-determination.

"By pardoning nine people, they will not hide the repression they continue exercising against hundreds of separatists. We won't give up the fight: amnesty and self-determination!" he tweeted.

The Catalan leaders should be released from prison after the pardons have been published in the governments official gazette.

Conservative opposition parties in Madrid have said they will challenge the pardons in the courts, while hundreds of separatists protested in Barcelona on Monday, considering Sanchez's plan insufficient and unconditionally demanding a new referendum on the region's independence. (Reuters)

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Aviation's contribution to cutting climate change likely to be small

Although the emissions targets for aviation are in line with the overall goals of the Paris Agreement, there is a high likelihood that the climate impact of aviation will not meet these goals, according to a new study.

Aviation is an important contributor to the global economy, but contributes to climate change by creating carbon dioxide (CO2) as well as non-CO2 effects such as forming nitrogen oxides, ozone and contrailcirrus clouds, which all contribute to global warming.

Researchers believe that, as long as the industry stages a recovery, the restrictions placed on global air travel in response to COVID-19 lockdown will only have a temporary effect on the overall climate impact of aviation.

Publishing their findings today in Nature Communications, an international research team including experts from the University of Birmingham believes that non-CO2 effects will continue to make a major contribution to aviation's climate impact over the coming years.

However, these effects are not included in the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) goal of climate neutral growth and only partly addressed in Flightpath 2050 - the European Commission's vision for aviation.

Although Flightpath 2050 emissions goals are likely to stabilise aviation's climate impact and ICAO's offsetting scheme CORSIA will surpass the climate target set to support the Paris Agreement's 1.5 C goal between 2025 and 2064, the researchers warn that an increasing aviation-induced global warming effect is likely despite the implementation of a range of mitigation options within the sector.

Study co-author Dr Simon Blakey, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, at the University of Birmingham, commented: "Technological improvements to engines and airframes and operations won't be enough to sufficiently reduce the impact of aviation on climate change. We must explore all mitigation options in parallel - including the increased use of sustainable fuels and market based measures in order to limit aviation's impact on the environment.

"Accounting for sustainable fuels must include the impact of non-CO2 emissions in use as well as the CO2 emissions in fuel production. If we base all our calculations on CO2 alone, we miss the large improvements in non-CO2 emissions that these fuels can offer, particularly in reducing particulate matter emissions which contribute to an increased warming effect at cruise conditions."

There is currently significant interest in policies, regulations and research aiming to reduce aviation's climate impact. The researchers modelled the effect of these measures on global warming, analysing potential technical improvements and challenging assumptions of sector targets with a number of scenarios up to 2100.

Their assessment also covered several COVID-19 recovery scenarios, including changes in travel behaviour, as well as including feasible technological advancements and the availability of sustainable aviation fuels.

In order to better understand the possible implications of the pandemic on the climate impact of aviation, the researchers assessed three different pathways for the international recovery from the lock-down of nation states and the associated dramatic reduction in air travel.

They took into account a fast recovery of three years, a slow recovery of 15 years and a change in habits due to experiences during the lock-down, for example, a shift towards web conferences instead of face-to-face meetings.

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For more information, interviews or an embargoed copy of the research paper, please contact Tony Moran, International Communications Manager, University of Birmingham on +44 (0)782 783 2312 or pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk For out-of-hours enquiries, please call +44 (0)7789 921 165.

Notes to Editors

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world's top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.

'Evaluating the climate impact of aviation emission scenarios towards the Paris agreement including COVID-19 effects' - Volker Grewe, Arvind Gangoli Rao, Tomas Gronstedt, Carlos Xisto, Florian Linke, Joris Melkert, Jan Middel, Barbara Ohlenforst, Simon Blakey, Simon Christie, Sigrun Matthes and Katrin Dahlmann is published in Nature Communications.

Partner institutions include Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany; Delft University of Technology, Netherlands; ECATS International Association, Brussels, Belgium; Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden; Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands; University of Birmingham, UK; University of Sheffield, UK; and Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
UCI-led study finds that cancer immunotherapy may self-limit its efficacy

Irvine, Calif., June 21, 2021 -- Cancer immunotherapy involving drugs that inhibit CTLA-4 also activates an unwanted response that may self-limit its efficacy in fighting tumors, according to a new study led by Francesco Marangoni, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology & biophysics and member of the Institute for Immunology at the University of California, Irvine. Study results are published online in the journal Cell.

Using a person's own immune system - immunotherapy - to treat cancer may also stimulate T regulatory cells, which are essential for preventing autoimmunity, in which the body attacks healthy cells and tissue, but limit tumor control. Some anticancer drugs of the checkpoint inhibitor family block the molecule CTLA-4 and activate both the CD8 and CD4 effector T cells, which kill cancer. Using intravital microscopy, a technique that allows imaging of cells within a living organism, researchers found that CTLA-4 blockage also causes the expansion of T regulatory cells, decreasing the effect of immunotherapy.

"Much of our knowledge of the mechanisms by which immunotherapy works is focused on the positive aspects of the body's reaction, but that treatment targets the whole immune system. In this study, we investigated how Treg cells are activated within the tumor mass. We discovered that Treg cells are continuously activated in cancer. In turn, they use CTLA-4 to instruct dendritic cells to become inefficient activators of the immune system. Upon CTLA-4 inhibition, dendritic cells become more active and promote the function of effector and regulatory T cells at the same time. This has the potential of limiting efficacy and may explain the failure of immunotherapy in some patients," said Marangoni, corresponding author on the study.

Future research will focus on identifying and removing unwanted immune reactions in other forms of immunotherapy. In particular, new strategies must be developed to decrease the activation of Treg cells in a controlled manner in order to avoid "fatal autoimmunity," Marangoni said: "The indiscriminate depletion of Treg cells would cause the CD8 and CD4 effector T cells to attack our body and potentially kill us."

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The research team also included physicians and scholars from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and Germany's University of Cologne and University of Lubeck. This work was supported by several National Institutes of Health grants, a Melanoma Research Foundation award and a Sara Elizabeth O'Brien/Charles A. King Trust fellowship.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit http://www. uci. edu .

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.

NOTE TO EDITORS: PHOTO AVAILABLE AT

https:/ / news. uci. edu/ 2021/ 06/ 21/ uci-led-study-finds-that-cancer-immunotherapy-may-self-limit-its-efficacy/

Contact: Pat Harriman

949-501-1008

pharrima@uci.edu

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Crustal block tectonics offer clues to Venus' geology, study finds

WACO, Texas (June 21, 2021) - 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. Published in the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), the study -- which includes contributions by Baylor University planetary physicist Peter James, Ph.D. -- found that 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 have identified a previously unrecognized pattern of tectonic deformation on Venus, one that is driven by interior motion just like on Earth," said Paul Byrne, Ph.D., 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."

Venus had 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.

James, an assistant professor of planetary geophysics and founder of Baylor University's Planetary Research Group, was part of the international group of researchers involved with the study. He has taken part in three NASA missions and specializes in using of spacecraft data to study the crusts and mantles of planets and moons.

"Earth is the only planet in the solar system with plate tectonics, so our planet is quite exceptional in that regard," James said. "That is particularly interesting when it comes to Venus: Why does a planet like Venus -- roughly the same size as Earth and made of the same types of rocks -- not behave the same way as Earth geologically?"

To answer that question, the team 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.

James provided calculations of the various mechanisms that could be responsible for the force driving the geologic activity on Venus. NASA's Magellan spacecraft measured the gravity field of Venus -- the subtle changes in the strength of gravity in different places on the planet. James was able to use this gravity field to demonstrate that viscous mantle flow, or slow churning, is strongly coupled to the crust.

"The mantle inside Venus pushes and pulls on the surface of the planet more strongly than Earth's mantle does. These calculations of the driving forces corroborated the discovery of block motion and helped us have a better understanding of how it works," James said.

The interior mantle flow found by the study's calculations is significant because it hasn't been demonstrated on a global scale previously. The movement of 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 said. "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 recently - perhaps 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.

"One of the neat things about planet research like this is that it helps us understand why our own planet works the way it does," James said. "The theme of our Planetary Research Group at Baylor is a quote from C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity: 'Aim at heaven and you will get Earth thrown in.' That quote is intended in a spiritual context -- we should seek the kingdom of God before all else, and then this kingdom-mindset can even bear fruit in a secular sense. We like the double meaning of using space research to understand our own planet better."

Science related to Venus is especially timely -- NASA recently announced that it would be sending two new spacecrafts to Venus, VERITAS and DAVINCI+. These will be the first NASA missions launched to Venus since the 1980s. Additionally, the European Space Agency announced last week that it would be sending its own spacecraft called Envision to Venus.

"Strategically, this research is positioning Baylor to be involved with upcoming spacecraft missions. Venus is becoming a bigger priority for space agencies around the world, and we're plugged in to the exciting science opportunities that are on the horizon," James said.

Baylor will continue to be part of Venus research through James' lab. Rudger Dame, a Ph.D. candidate in James' lab, is focusing on Venus for his dissertation research. He has an internship this summer with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, under the advisement of Sue Smrekar, the principal investigator for the recently announced VERITAS spacecraft.

In addition, James is collaborating with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to study the planet Mercury's crust. He also led a recent study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters about the discovery of a mysterious huge mass of material on the far side of the Moon -- beneath the largest crater in our solar system. The mass -- at least five times larger than the Big Island of Hawaii -- may contain metal from an asteroid that may have crashed into the Moon and formed the crater.

The South Pole-Aitken basin -- thought to have been created about 4 billion years ago -- is "one of the best natural laboratories for studying catastrophic impact events, an ancient process that shaped all of the rocky planets and moons we see today."

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*Sean Solomon of Columbia University is co-corresponding author. Richard Ghail of the University of London, Surrey; A. M. Celal ?engor of Istanbul Technical University; and Christian Klimczak of the University of Georgia also contributed to the work.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 19,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Analysing volcanoes to predict their awakening

What causes an eruption? Why do some volcanoes erupt regularly, while others remain dormant for thousands of years? A team of geologists and geophysicists, led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has reviewed the literature on the internal and external mechanisms that lead to a volcanic eruption. Analyzing the thermo-mechanics of deep volcanic processes and magma propagation to the surface, together with magma chemistry, the geologists determined that most of the magma rising from depth actually does not cause a volcanic eruption. They also show that older volcanoes tend to produce less frequent, but larger and more dangerous eruptions. Their findings, published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, will help refine models of volcanic processes to reduce the impact of volcanic eruptions on the more than 800 million people living near active volcanoes.

Volcanic activity remains difficult to predict even when it is closely monitored. Why didn't Mount Fuji erupt after the strong earthquake in Tohoku, Japan? Why did the eruption of Eyjafjallajokul generate such a large amount of volcanic ash? In order to determine the causes of volcanic eruptions, geologists and geophysicists led by Luca Caricchi, professor at the Department of Earth Sciences of the Faculty of Science of the UNIGE, have taken up the existing literature and analysed all the stages that precede an eruption.

The path of magma from the depths of the Earth

Magma is molten rock that comes from tens of kilometres depth and rises to the Earth's surface. "During its journey, magma can get trapped in reservoirs within the Earth's crust, where it may stagnate for thousands of years and potentially never erupt", explains Meredith Townsend, a researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Oregon (USA). Specialising in thermomechanical modelling, the American researcher focused on calculating the pressure required for the magma to break up the rocks surrounding the reservoir and rise to the surface. Eleonora Rivalta, a researcher at the Potsdam Research Centre for Geosciences (Germany) and the University of Bologna (Italy), studied the propagation of magma as it rises to the surface: "If it is runny enough, that is if it does not contain too many crystals, magma can rise very quickly by a sort of self-propelled fracking", she continues. If magma crystallises more than 50%, it becomes too viscous and its march towards the surface stops. Magma can also take different paths, vertical, horizontal or inclined. Luca Caricchi specialises in magma chemistry, which provides vital information about the state of the magma before a volcanic eruption occurs. "The chemistry of magma and the crystals it contains provide vital information on the sequence of events leading to a volcanic eruption, which is valuable to better interpret the monitoring signals of active volcanoes and anticipate- whether an eruption might occur", explains the Geneva-based researcher. Finally, Atsuko Namiki, a researcher at the Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Nagoya University (Japan), has analysed the external triggers of an eruption, such as earthquakes, tides or rain: "These alone cannot cause an eruption, the magma has to be ready and awaiting a trigger."

"For an eruption to take place, several conditions must be met simultaneously. Magma with less than 50% crystals must be stored in a reservoir", begins Luca Caricchi. Then this reservoir must be overpressurised. The overpressure can be the result of internal phenomena such as a renewed injection of magma or the exsolution of magmatic gases or it can rise to critical values because of external events such as earthquakes. Finally, once the pressure is sufficient for the magma to start rising, there are still many obstacles that can prevent the magma from erupting.

The age of the volcano as a primary criterion

This comprehensive analysis sheds a light on the behaviour of volcanoes that can change over their lifetime. "When a volcano is just starting to be active, its reservoir is rather small (a few km3) and the surrounding crust is relatively cold, which leads to many frequent, but small and rather predictable eruptions", explains Luca Caricchi. It's a different story with old volcanoes. "Their reservoir is bigger and the rocks around them are hotter. When new magma is injected, it does not generate much overpressure because the rocks around the reservoir deform and the growth continues", says the geologist. As an example Mt St Helens (USA) started erupting 40'000 years ago (a time lapse by geological standards) and its last eruption in 2008 was small and not dangerous. On the contrary, Toba (Indonesia) started erupting explosively about 1.2 million years ago and its last eruption 74000 years ago was cataclysmic. It totally destroyed the surroundings and had an impact on global climate.

Eventually, the accumulation of large amounts of magma will lead to large eruptions. "Moreover, the warning signs are very difficult to detect because the high temperatures decrease seismic activity and the interaction between gases and magma modifies their composition, making it harder to understand what is going on underneath", he says. The higher the rate of magma input, the faster the volcano 'ages'.

Knowing the age of the volcano, which can be dated by analysing the zircon in the rocks, allows geologists to understand the stage of life of the volcanoes. "There are currently 1,500 active volcanoes, and about 50 of them erupt each year. Knowing whether or not to evacuate the population is crucial and we hope that our study will contribute to decrease the impact of volcanic activity on our society", continues Luca Caricchi. "Hopefully our findings will be tested on volcanoes that have been studied extensively, such as those in Italy, USA and Japan, and transferred to other volcanoes for which there are less data, such as in Indonesia or South America."

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This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Ben-Gurion U. develop new measure continuous traumatic stress impact

BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, June 22, 2021 -- Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed the first methodology to assess symptoms associated with continuous exposure to traumatic stress from rocket attacks and other security threats, which are not currently measured by diagnostic criteria.

Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the study identified three distinct factors: exhaustion/detachment, rage/betrayal, and fear/helplessness.

"Exposure to ongoing life risk exists wherever people experience continuous terror, rampant crime and civil war," says lead researcher Dr. Aviva Goral, a graduate of the BGU School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, and a researcher at the PREPARED Center for Emergency Response Research (PREPARED).

"Current scales assess the more commonly known effects of exposure to traumatic stress, mainly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This limits patient assessment and may lead to misdiagnoses and ineffective treatment," says Dr. Goral. "The research was conducted to address this gap by developing a validated, comprehensive assessment tool, the Continuous Traumatic Stress Response (CTSR) Scale."

In the study, researchers sampled 313 adults who were and were not exposed to ongoing security threats between December 2016 and February 2017. Exposed respondents lived in communities bordering the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, where frequent rocket attacks require them to find shelter in 30 seconds or less. Researchers compared the concurrent validity of CTSR relative to the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS).

The findings indicated that the CTSR measures a construct related to, but distinct from PTSD; responses to ongoing exposure to threat are wider and more intensive than those associated with single traumatic exposure and may include cognitive, behavioral, and emotional effects that are not part of traditional PTSD criteria.

Among CTSR criteria, a reduced sense of safety, distrust, and mental exhaustion emerged with ongoing exposure to stressors. Other items including social withdrawal, feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, estrangement, and feelings of constantly being threatened, are also symptoms of ongoing exposure to trauma.

"These findings imply that it is not exposure to ongoing threats per se, but rather the level of perceived threat (i.e., likelihood of injury or harm), that accounts for the difference in the prevalence and severity of CTSR stress symptoms," Dr. Goral says. "Compared with distant communities, border-adjacent communities are much more vulnerable to rockets and tunnel infiltration, creating an atmosphere of tension and fear."

"This study, and the diagnostic tool it yields, could benefit Israel and people around the world who suffer from continuous trauma and related symptoms," says Doug Seserman, chief executive officer of Americans for Ben-Gurion University. "We look forward to seeing new research and development from BGU that continues to build off of this promising work."

"Now, further studies are being conducted with larger samples and in broader populations around the Gaza envelope," says Prof. Limor Aharonson-Daniel, head of PREPARED and Dr. Goral's Ph.D. supervisor. "Future research will include international implementation in various languages, and with other populations exposed to ongoing conflict or persistent civil war (e.g., Syria). This cross-cultural research will help identify the similarities and differences between conflict zones and cultures and facilitate the generalization of the CTSR scale.

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About the Researchers

Other BGU PREPARED researchers that participated in this study include: Prof. Mooli Lahad, Tel-Hai Academic College co-supervisor of Dr. Goral in her PhD research of this topic, Dr. Paula Feder-Bubis, BGU Department of Health Systems Management. In addition, Prof. Norm O'Rourke BGU School of Public Health, and Prof. Sandro Galea. Dean of the School of Public Health at Boston University contributed significantly to the manuscript published.

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 or http://www. bgu. ac. il/ prepared

This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Canada leads charge against China over human rights

More than 40 countries led by Canada voiced grave concerns at the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday about China's actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet -- triggering a fierce backlash from Beijing.

The widely anticipated joint statement had been in the pipeline for several days and was delivered on day two of the 47th session of the council in Geneva.

"We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region," Canada's ambassador Leslie Norton said.

The statement was backed by Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States, among others.

Beijing must allow UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet and other independent observers "immediate, meaningful and unfettered access" to Xinjiang, and end the "arbitrary detention" of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, it said.

"Credible reports indicate that over a million people have been arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang and that there is widespread surveillance disproportionately targeting Uyghurs and members of other minorities and restrictions on fundamental freedoms and Uyghur culture," it said.

The statement cited reports of torture or cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilisation, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children from their parents.

The number of signatories is an increase from the 22 ambassadors who wrote to Bachelet in 2019 condemning China's treatment of the Uyghurs.

China denies mistreating the Uyghurs -- once a clear majority in their ancestral homeland until waves of state-backed migration of ethnic Han Chinese -- and insists it is simply running vocational training centres designed to counter extremism.

Bachelet told the council on Monday that she hoped at last to visit Xinjiang this year and be given "meaningful access".

In a move that was bound to further enrage Beijing, which decries what it says is the interference by foreign powers in its internal affairs, the statement added the group's concerns over the deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong and the human rights situation in Tibet.

The move came after US President Joe Biden's first foreign trip, in which he garnered G7 and Nato unity in pushing back against Beijing, with Washington identifying China as the pre-eminent global challenge.

Agnes Callamard, head of the human rights group Amnesty International, said the statement "sends a crucial message to China's authorities that they are not above international scrutiny."

Countries "must now move beyond handwringing and take real action", she said.

Aware that the statement was coming, China responded -- before it was delivered.

Beijing's representative read out a statement on behalf of a group of countries "deeply concerned about serious human rights violations against the indigenous people in Canada".

Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria and Venezuela were among the other signatories, according to the United Nations.

"Historically, Canada robbed the indigenous people of their land, killed them, and eradicated their culture," the statement said.

It referenced the recent discovery of 215 unmarked graves at a former residential school in western Canada -- one of many boarding schools set up a century ago to forcibly assimilate Canada's indigenous peoples.

"We call for a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases where crimes were committed against the indigenous people, especially children," the statement said.

The representative of Belarus read another joint statement on behalf of 64 countries, supporting China and stressing that Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet were Chinese internal affairs. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
It's true: Stress does turn hair gray (and it's reversible)

Legend has it that Marie Antoinette's hair turned gray overnight just before her beheading in 1791.

Though the legend is inaccurate--hair that has already grown out of the follicle does not change color--a new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is the first to offer quantitative evidence linking psychological stress to graying hair in people.

And while it may seem intuitive that stress can accelerate graying, the researchers were surprised to discover that hair color can be restored when stress is eliminated, a finding that contrasts with a recent study in mice that suggested that stressed-induced gray hairs are permanent.

The study, published June 22 in eLife, has broader significance than confirming age-old speculation about the effects of stress on hair color, says the study's senior author Martin Picard, PhD(link is external and opens in a new window), associate professor of behavioral medicine (in psychiatry and neurology) at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

"Understanding the mechanisms that allow 'old' gray hairs to return to their 'young' pigmented states could yield new clues about the malleability of human aging in general and how it is influenced by stress," Picard says.

"Our data add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that human aging is not a linear, fixed biological process but may, at least in part, be halted or even temporarily reversed."

Studying hair as an avenue to investigate aging

"Just as the rings in a tree trunk hold information about past decades in the life of a tree, our hair contains information about our biological history," Picard says. "When hairs are still under the skin as follicles, they are subject to the influence of stress hormones and other things happening in our mind and body. Once hairs grow out of the scalp, they harden and permanently crystallize these exposures into a stable form."

Though people have long believed that psychological stress can accelerate gray hair, scientists have debated the connection due to the lack of sensitive methods that can precisely correlate times of stress with hair pigmentation at a single-follicle level.

Splitting hairs to document hair pigmentation Ayelet Rosenberg, first author on the study and a student in Picard's laboratory, developed a new method for capturing highly detailed images of tiny slices of human hairs to quantify the extent of pigment loss (graying) in each of those slices. Each slice, about 1/20th of a millimeter wide, represents about an hour of hair growth.

"If you use your eyes to look at a hair, it will seem like it's the same color throughout unless there is a major transition," Picard says. "Under a high-resolution scanner, you see small, subtle variations in color, and that's what we're measuring."

The researchers analyzed individual hairs from 14 volunteers. The results were compared with each volunteer's stress diary, in which individuals were asked to review their calendars and rate each week's level of stress.

The investigators immediately noticed that some gray hairs naturally regain their original color, which had never been quantitatively documented, Picard says.

When hairs were aligned with stress diaries by Shannon Rausser, second author on the paper and a student in Picard's laboratory, striking associations between stress and hair graying were revealed and, in some cases, a reversal of graying with the lifting of stress.

"There was one individual who went on vacation, and five hairs on that person's head reverted back to dark during the vacation, synchronized in time," Picard says.

Blame the mind-mitochondria connection

To better understand how stress causes gray hair, the researchers also measured levels of thousands of proteins in the hairs and how protein levels changed over the length of each hair.

Changes in 300 proteins occurred when hair color changed, and the researchers developed a mathematical model that suggests stress-induced changes in mitochondria may explain how stress turns hair gray.

"We often hear that the mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, but that's not the only role they play," Picard says. "Mitochondria are actually like little antennas inside the cell that respond to a number of different signals, including psychological stress."

The mitochondria connection between stress and hair color differs from that discovered in a recent study of mice, which found that stress-induced graying was caused by an irreversible loss of stem cells in the hair follicle.

"Our data show that graying is reversible in people, which implicates a different mechanism," says co-author Ralf Paus, PhD, professor of dermatology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "Mice have very different hair follicle biology, and this may be an instance where findings in mice don't translate well to people."

Hair re-pigmentation only possible for some

Reducing stress in your life is a good goal, but it won't necessarily turn your hair to a normal color.

"Based on our mathematical modeling, we think hair needs to reach a threshold before it turns gray," Picard says. "In middle age, when the hair is near that threshold because of biological age and other factors, stress will push it over the threshold and it transitions to gray.

"But we don't think that reducing stress in a 70-year-old who's been gray for years will darken their hair or increasing stress in a 10-year-old will be enough to tip their hair over the gray threshold."

###

More information

STUDY LINK: https:/ / elifesciences. org/ articles/ 67437

VIDEO LINK: https:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v= p0K4MDnYD94

The study is titled "Quantitative Mapping of Human Hair Greying and Reversal in Relation to Life Stress."

All contributors (all from Columbia unless noted): Ayelet Rosenberg, Shannon Rausser, Junting Ren, Eugene V. Mosharov, Gabriel Sturm, R. Todd Ogden, Purvi Patel, Rajesh Kumar Soni, Clay Lacefield (New York State Psychiatric Institute), Desmond J. Tobin (University College Dublin), Ralf Paus (University of Miami, University of Manchester, UK, and Monasterium Laboratory, Munster, Germany), and Martin Picard.

The research was funded by grants from the Wharton Fund and the National Institutes of Health (grants GM119793, MH119336, and AG066828).

The authors declare no competing interests.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Study finds common protein in blood enables human fertilization and fighting infection

Irvine, CA - June 22, 2021 - A new University of California, Irvine-led study reveals albumin (Alb), among the most abundant proteins in the body, activates a proton channel (hHv1), also widespread in the body, giving sperm the ability to penetrate and fertilize an egg, and allowing white blood cells to secrete large amounts of inflammatory mediators to fight infection.

The study titled, "Direct activation of the proton channel by albumin leads to human sperm capacitation and sustained release of inflammatory mediators by neutrophils," was published today in Nature Communications.

Researchers examined the physiological connection between Alb and human voltage-gated proton channels (hHv1), which are both essential to cell biology in health and diseases. They also demonstrated the mechanism by which Alb binds directly to hHv1 to activate the channel. This research explains how sperm are triggered to fertilize, and neutrophils are stimulated to release mediators in the innate immune response, describing a new role for Alb in physiology that will operate in the many tissues expressing hHv1.

"We found that the interaction of Alb and hHv1 activates sperm when they leave semen and enter the female reproductive tract because Alb is low in semen and high in the reproductive tract. We now understand why albumin supplementation improves IVF," said first author Ruiming Zhao, PhD, from the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at UCI School of Medicine. "We also found the same Alb/hHv1 interaction allows the white blood cells called neutrophils to produce and secrete the inflammatory mediators that kill bacteria and fight infection. However, it's important to note that the inflammatory response itself can lead to disease."

The essential stimulatory role of Alb in the physiology of sperm and neutrophils via hHv1 suggests that Alb will have as-yet unrecognized enhancing or deleterious roles in the other tissues, including the central nervous system, heart and lungs, and will influence cancers of the breast and gastrointestinal tract.

"It is exciting to discover that a common protein has the power to activate the proton channel. This finding suggests new strategies to block or enhance fertility, and to augment or suppress the innate immune response and inflammation," said senior author Steve A. N. Goldstein, MD, PhD, vice chancellor of Health Affairs at UCI and distinguished professor in the School of Medicine Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology & Biophysics, and in the new School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

hHv1 is implicated in a wide range of biological processes in addition to the capacitation of sperm and the innate immune responses included in the study. The channels have notable roles in proliferation of cancer cells, tissue damage during ischemic stroke, and hypertensive injury of the kidney. Because Alb is ubiquitous at levels that vary in different human compartments in health and disease, the potentiation of hHv1 by Alb described in the paper will be widespread, tissue-dependent, and play both salutary and unfavorable roles in human physiology.

"We have modeled the structural basis for binding of Alb to the channel that leads to activation and changes in cellular function, and we are now conducting in vivo studies of viral and bacterial infections. Our next steps include studies of the effects of inhibitors of the Alb-hHv1 interaction on infection, inflammation and fertility," said Goldstein.

###

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina, Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Argentina, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina, Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Argentina, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Direccion General de Asuntos del Personal Academico, and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Fronteras.

About UCI Health Affairs

UCI Health Affairs comprises the schools, institutes, and centers in the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences and an academic health system, UCI Health. The college unites the disciplines of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, and population and public health to advance a transformative educational and healthcare delivery model that is patient-centered, science-based, transdisciplinary, and team-delivered.

About the UCI School of Medicine

Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, and nearly 150 doctoral and master's students. More than 700 residents and fellows are trained at UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers an MD; a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program; and PhDs and master's degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA, an MD/master's in public health, or an MD/master's degree through one of three mission-based programs: the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC), and the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The UCI School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit som.uci.edu.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Changan Mazda, a 50:50 joint venture between Changan Automobile and Mazda, is trying to raise money by soliciting an eligible investor. According to China Beijing Equity Exchange (CBEX), the funds raised will be used to help the company improve its management quality, perfect its industrial deployment, and enhance its competitiveness.







Mazda3 Axela; photo credit: Changan Mazda



Upon completion of the capital increase, the new shareholder will hold no more than 5% of equity interests in Changan Mazda and the joint venture's registered capital would be increased by $5.84 million, according to CBEX.

Changan Mazda was posting slide in net profit during the past two years. To be specific, its net profit amounted to 1.87 billion yuan ($289.454 million) and 1.476 billion yuan ($228.389 million), dropping 25.96% and 21.12% year on year respectively.

As for sales, the joint venture delivered 136,334 new vehicles in 2019, posting a year-over-year decrease of 16.8%, while the annual deliveries inched up 0.24% to 136,667 units in 2020, according to Mazda Motor (China) Co., Ltd.

Despite the net profit fall and tepid sales growth, Changan Mazda still outperformed FAW-Mazda. Last year, Mazdas China retail sales reached 214,575 units, only 77,908 units (-14.78% YoY) were from the joint venture with FAW Group.

A local media channel reported in April that FAW Group, Mazda and Changan Automobile were in talks with the attempt to make the business of FAW Mazda Motor Sales Co. Ltd. (FMSC) merge with that of Changan Mazda.

Aside from the combination on the level of dealership, the production of vehicle models like the Atenza would be taken over by Changan Mazda as well, and the restructuring was expected to be finished before June 2021, said the media channel, citing sources briefed on the matter.

After being reached for comment, FMSC said it had not received any relevant information yet, while Changan Mazda said it had still been unaware of this matter.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Huawei recently published a patent application related to vehicle summon with body movements, according to public information platform Tianyancha. The patent, described as a vehicle summon method, smart vehicle and device, was submitted in December, 2020.

Photo credit: Huawei

According to the patent applications abstract, the method can be used in intelligent and connected vehicles to avoid open vehicle doors in narrow space, which may bring damage to the vehicle or the nearby one. With the technology, users can summon the vehicle from a certain distance with body movements, thus offering a better user experience.

Ever since the telecoms giants entry into automotive industry, there has been repeated speculation that it will make cars itself. But Huawei has made it clear that it will not be a carmaker or invest in any carmaker, and has been emphasizing its role as a supplier to help automakers build high-quality vehicles with its advanced technologies and products. Its aim is to bring digital to every vehicle.

Meanwhile, Huawei also works respectively with Arcfox, an EV brand under BAIC Group, and Seres, the EV unit of Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, to develop next-generation intelligent vehicles. Production of the Arcfox S with Huawei-Inside has started and both partners expect deliveries will amount to 1,000 vehicles by the end of this year. The SERES SF5, jointly developed by Huawei and SERES, has received over 10,000 orders after the presale started and its deliveries commenced at the end of May.
Update: 22-06-2021 | 14:50:48

Laos Ministry of Health on June 21 reported only one new COVID-19 case in the past 24 hours, an imported patient who has been sent to quarantine right up on arrival.

Laos Ministry of Health on June 21 reported only one new COVID-19 case in the past 24 hours, an imported patient who has been sent to quarantine right up on arrival.



This is the second day the country sees no new infection in the community since the second wave of COVID-19 hit the country in mid-April.



The country is applying measures to speed up COVID-19 vaccination scheme across the country. So far, more than 1 million people in Laos have received at least one vaccine shot, including 260,000 in Vientiane.



Lao authorities expect that 80 percent of population in the capital city will be injected with COVID-19 vaccine this year, thus reducing the risk of an outbreak in the countrys largest economic hub.



To date, Laos has confirmed 2,054 COVID-19 cases, including 1,948 recoveries and three deaths.



Meanwhile, Indonesia has announced that the country will tighten travel restrict measures in some areas in two weeks starting from June 22 in a bid to prevent COVID-19 spreading.



Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that the measures include reducing the number of people working in offices and banning religious activities in worshiping facilities. The curbs will apply to "red zones" where infections have been rising more quickly, he added.



Indonesia reported 13,737 new coronavirus infections on June 20, the highest daily number of cases since January 30, with deaths from the disease also rising. Indonesia has recorded a total of 1.99 million coronavirus cases and more than 54,600 fatalities./.

VNA
Biden's plan to remake U.S. suburbs sparks controversy among homeowners

Xinhua) 08:42, June 21, 2021

Pedestrians walk on the street in Washington, D.C., the United States, June 17, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Critics, however, said loosening restrictions on housing causes homes to lose value, in a nation where a family's entire life savings are often wrapped up in the value of their home.

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Jen Smith, a homeowner in an affluent suburb outside Washington, D.C., is not happy about U.S. President Joe Biden's plan for neighborhoods like hers.

"There's a low-income development a couple of miles down the road," the manager of a small company, in her late 40s, told Xinhua.

That development, a small-scale bid to bring affordable housing to wide open suburban areas, is the source of unruly teenagers who drive recklessly down the local road, she said.

During summer, she said, many of these low-income teens loiter in front of stores in the local town center, "doing nothing. No summer job, no nothing" - in sharp contrast to the more affluent teens in her development, who spend their time at home studying, she said.

She said the last thing she wants is more low-income housing in her area.

Indeed, having a big house with a yard and a white picket fence is part of the American dream. But Biden's infrastructure bill calling for cities to limit single-family zoning to build affordable housing may change that image.

Biden wants to place more multi-family residences, including apartments and garages converted to living spaces, in suburbs that have always been zoned for single-family units. The president wants to make this part of his 2.3 trillion U.S. dollar infrastructure plan, which would permit smaller lots and multi-family units to be constructed next to a single family house.

A runner is seen in Lincoln Park in Chicago, the United States, on June 11, 2021. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

Critics of how traditional suburbs are constructed contend that large suburbs and the zoning laws that govern them hog up much-needed space and trap low-income Americans in crowded urban neighborhoods.

Biden's plan, if passed by Congress, would give tax credits and grants to cities that change zoning laws to provide more affordable housing to people who want to escape cities but who cannot afford to move to expensive suburbs.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge told USA TODAY in April that the White House's plan would undo policies she said discriminate against people of color.

"The result of this sort of investment will be critical to increasing housing options for low- and moderate-income families," Fudge said.

Critics, however, said loosening restrictions on housing causes homes to lose value, in a nation where a family's entire life savings are often wrapped up in the value of their home. They contend that remaking suburbs into higher-density areas would harm schools, clog roads and lead to many quality of life problems such as noise from neighbors.

They also worry about problems that have been rampant in cities, including street racing - and the deadly crashes the illegal sport causes - the pungent smell of marijuana that now seems inescapable in the streets of cities like New York.

"A legitimate reason for regulating density is to assure that the density of the residential environment is appropriate for the existing public infrastructure," argued Gerritt Knapp and Nicholas Finio, two urban planners at the University of Maryland, College Park, in the Journal of the American Planning Association.

People walk in the heat in the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Los Angeles, California, the United States, June 17, 2021. (Xinhua)

Many, like Smith, also worry about crime increases, at a time when violence in urban areas is reverting back to the record levels seen in the early 1990s.

Arleen Snider, in her early 50s and in management at a mid-size company, said she does not approve of Biden's plan.

"I feel it will attract danger to a once quiet and safe neighborhood, I know it does sound like stereotyping, but that's reality," said the homeowner in a quiet DC-area suburb.

Biden has pushed the issue since he came to office.

The president in January signed an executive order that required the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to review the former administration's "Preserving Neighborhood and Community Choice." That rule rolled back a previous rule, during former President Barack Obama's time in office, aimed at preventing housing discrimination.

During his last months in office, former President Donald Trump often said that Democratic-led efforts geared toward low-income housing would "destroy" the suburbs.

Ellie Jefferies, a retiree in the U.S. state of New Jersey in her 70s, said that while the government will try to push middle class suburbs to open up to low-income housing, Washington politicians will not force this on their millionaire friends. Rather, they will force it on the nation's middle class, she said.

"I bet there won't be any of these units in the Hamptons or Malibu," she said, referring to two well-known communities of multi-millionaires.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
China steps up flood control, heavy-rainfall preparedness

Xinhua) 08:52, June 21, 2021

BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- 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.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
98-year-old kung fu grandma becomes internet sensation

People's Daily Online) 17:30, June 21, 2021

Spirited 98-year-old kung fu granny Zhang Hexian recently became a social media sensation after video clips of her showing off her amazing kung fu moves at a martial arts competition, which was held to promote public fitness, in a village in Ninghai county, east Chinas Zhejiang province.

(Photo/CCTV News)

At the event, she also taught some foreign kung fu lovers how to punch, one of the many martial arts moves shes mastered.

Kung fu spirit never gets old, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian tweeted on June 18, extending his praises to her.

You are so great! commented one netizen on Chinese Twitter-like social media platform Weibo.

(Photo/CCTV News)

She is so strong for her age, added another.

According to Zhang, she started to learn martial arts at the age of five. I would box every day, learning movements such as chopping, pushing palm and thrusting palm, she said.

Kung fu has also brought her good health. Even though I am old now, my strength hasnt gone away, Zhang added.

As a martial artist, the grandmother has long been well-known in her hometown, where the tradition of practicing kung fu has endured for more than 500 years.

Zhangs family members have also learned kung fu. We practice kung fu for health reasons. Attacking others is absolutely unacceptable, Zhang said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
Xi calls for greater development of China-Congo Republic relations

Xinhua) 08:13, June 22, 2021

Experts of the Chinese medical team and local medical staff pose for a photo amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo, May 26, 2020. (Xinhua)

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.

File photo taken on June 10, 2018 shows a bridge built with Chinese assistance in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

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.

For his part, Sassou expressed warm congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Under Xi's strong leadership, said Sassou, China has successfully won the battle against poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic and played a pivotal and important role internationally, and the Chinese people are marching forward on the path towards prosperity and development.

Expressing his appreciation for China's invaluable support to his country's battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic and social development, Sassou said that the Republic of the Congo supports China's stance on safeguarding its core interests and opposes interference in China's domestic affairs.

The Republic of the Congo, he added, is willing to work with China to deepen their friendly ties, actively build the Belt and Road, implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, so as to push forward the Congo Republic-China and Africa-China cooperation to achieve more outcomes.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Iran's president-elect says U.S. must lift all "unjust" sanctions

Xinhua) 08:20, June 22, 2021

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.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
U.S. ambassador to return to Moscow this week: state department

Xinhua) 08:22, June 22, 2021

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.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Four human rights tragedies in U.S.

Xinhua) 08:51, June 22, 2021

-- 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.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
People practice yoga at Times Square to welcome summer solstice

Ecns.cn) 09:24, June 22, 2021

People practice yoga at Times Square in New York City, the United States, on June 20, 2021, to welcome the summer solstice, the 12th of the 24 solar terms of a year. Thousands of people took part in a yoga class, an annual Times Square event. It was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's event allowed participants to maintain social distancing. (Photo: China News Service / Liao Pan)

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
Chinese envoy calls for int'l support for South Sudan

Xinhua) 09:31, June 22, 2021

UNITED NATIONS, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for international support for South Sudan to help the country overcome difficulties.

"Next month, South Sudan will celebrate its 10th anniversary of independence. We should seize this as a new starting point to redouble our efforts to achieve the peaceful development of South Sudan. The international community should continue to provide constructive support," said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

Recently, South Sudan's transitional government has overcome numerous difficulties and completed the restructuring of the transitional national legislative assembly, improved the local governance structure, and started constitution-making, among other achievements, he told the Security Council.

He asked all parties in South Sudan to work to build on the achievements, and called on the opposition coalition to reach a peace agreement with the South Sudanese government as soon as possible.

The issue of South Sudan is complex, and the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement cannot be achieved overnight. The international community should fully consider the national conditions of South Sudan, fully respect its leadership in handling its own affairs, support regional organizations in playing an active role, provide targeted assistance instead of only exerting pressure, said Dai.

The Security Council should respond to the appeal of the African Union as soon as possible and lift the sanctions against South Sudan, sending a positive message, he said.

The cease-fire in South Sudan is generally maintained while the security situation remains fragile. Intercommunal conflicts, armed violence, competition for land resources and other issues still exist. China calls on the parties concerned to honor their cease-fire commitments and actively commit themselves to the peace process, he said.

Intercommunal conflict is an old problem. Efforts should be made to strengthen early warning, adopt preventive actions, promote intercommunal reconciliation to eliminate the root causes. The international community should strengthen capacity building of the government of South Sudan and enhance its ability to protect civilians, he said.

At present, South Sudan is facing great economic difficulties, prominent food insecurity, insufficient health care capacity, and huge gap in humanitarian assistance. The international community should continue to increase humanitarian assistance to South Sudan to fight COVID-19 and provide vaccines, he said.

China has sent more than 3,000 tons of food and other humanitarian aid, over 10 batches of supplies in fighting the pandemic, and dispatched medical expert teams. At the same time, China has maintained its support in infrastructure, construction, education, health care and other fields to South Sudan, said Dai.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Lunar soil sent to HK for exhibit, boosts patriotic sentiment

(Global Times) 09:41, June 22, 2021

Visitors take photos of soil samples from moon retrieved by the Chang'e-5 lunar lander in December 2020, which went on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing on Sunday. Scientific and technological objects related to the lunar exploration project are also on display at the exhibition. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Events explaining China's aerospace development, including an exhibition of lunar soil brought back by the Chang'e-5 lunar probe from its epic trip last December, are expected to be put on show in Hong Kong this week. The event will boost locals' patriotic sentiment and spur Hong Kong researchers to become involved in the country's scientific advance, local university professors told the Global Times on Monday.

Samples of the lunar soil that were retrieved from China's first extraterrestrial sample-collecting mission were due to arrive in Hong Kong on Monday, local media hk01.com reported, and they will be put on display at an exhibition center from June 27 until July. A smaller version of the Chang'e-5 lunar probe prototype will also be shown to the public.

Tang Fei, principal of the Heung To Secondary School (Tseung Kwan O) in Hong Kong, confirmed to the Global Times that he had received an important notice about the exhibition from the local education bureau.

A group of chief designers of various national space projects will visit Hong Kong campuses this week, exchanging views and sharing their experience in China's aerospace development with local students, according to a notice released by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Monday.

Among the visiting experts are the country's first chief designer of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft Qi Faren, and deputy chief designer of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System Xie Jun, who will be speaking at the university on Wednesday and Thursday.

As the only research institute in Hong Kong that has taken part in the work of the Chang'e-5 mission, professor Yung Kai-leung and his team played a vital role in the collection of lunar samples, by developing an automatic surface sampling and packing system that collects, packs and seals soil samples from the lunar surface.

Chan Wai-keung, a lecturer at the university's division of social sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that it would be beneficial for local residents to arouse their patriotic sentiment through China's achievements in aerospace.

"It reminded me of the time when the first Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei paid a visit to Hong Kong in 2003, triggering overwhelming cheers as people regarded him as their 'superstar'," Chan said.

He added that Hong Kong should cherish the country's decision to bring such precious items to Hong Kong for exhibition, which will "encourage more Hong Kong scientists to participate in the country's scientific projects" and engage in academic exchanges with the Chinese mainland.

Zhou Jianping, the chief designer of China's manned space engineering project, said on Thursday during media interview that he will definitely include astronauts from Hong Kong in the country's future manned space activities, adding that he had been well-prepared for the selection of candidates in the region.

He noted that while Hong Kong astronauts cannot be taken aboard during the space station's construction, given the task's complexity, they will be included in future missions to the station.

Pei Zhaoyu, a deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration, expressed similar willingness, as he welcomed Hong Kong scientists to participate in the research and study of the lunar soil collected by Chang'e-5 ahead of the mission's successful return, local media reported.

The Shenzhou-12 crew of three astronauts - Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo - is also expected to visit Hong Kong in early October, according to local media hk01.com, after they return to Earth following a three-month stay in China's Tianhe space station core module.

It's a much-anticipated journey as China sends its first batch of residents into space, marking yet another milestone in the country's aerospace program.

In China's first bold quest to retrieve material from an extraterrestrial body and return it to Earth, the Chang'e-5 lunar probe embarked on an epic journey on November 24, 2020 after it was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in South China's Hainan Province.

Some 23 days later, the 11-stage mission was drawn to a perfect conclusion as the re-entry capsule, carrying with it a precious parcel of lunar soil weighing about two kilograms, landed safely in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on December 17, 2020.

The mission made China the third country to have successfully brought lunar materials back to Earth, after the US and the former Soviet Union.

Regarded as one of the most complex and challenging explorations in China's aerospace history, the Chang'e-5 missionrecorded many firsts in the country's space development, including the first-ever takeoff from the lunar surface, first lunar sample retrieval, and the first rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit.

It also achieved multiple technological breakthroughs that laid a solid foundation for future manned mission to Moon and other deep-space projects.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
West humiliates self with Xinjiang smears at UN human rights session

(Global Times) 09:44, June 22, 2021

Photo taken on Feb. 22, 2021 in Brussels, Belgium shows a screen displaying the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held in Geneva, Switzerland.(Photo: Xinhua)

The battles centering on China's human rights record especially on its Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been extended to the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which opened on Monday.

Having no legal basis or evidence, a small group of Western countries - led by Canada, the US and the UK, were determined to continue the groundless "genocide" allegations against China, a move that analysts said only humiliates themselves considering their own notorious record of race genocide.

On Monday, Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also issued a statement, in which she mentioned topics on China's Hong Kong and Xinjiang region and claimed that they have been closely monitoring the application of the National Security Law in Hong Kong and "the chilling impact" it had on the civic and democratic space.

On Xinjiang, she said that she continues to discuss with China modalities for a visit, including meaningful access, to the Xinjiang region, and hopes "this can be achieved this year."

In response to Bachelet's remarks, Liu Yuyin, spokesperson for the Chinese Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said in a statement on Monday that Hong Kong and Xinjiang are inalienable parts of China's territory. Hong Kong and Xinjiang related issues are China's internal affairs which brook no interference by any external forces.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights is urged to respect facts, see through the political attempts of the anti-China forces and act in a just and objective manner. The High Commissioner is advised to stop making erroneous remarks against China, and refrain from interfering in China's sovereignty and judicial independence, said Liu.

Bachelet's remarks, which promotes a particular point of view, have also shown how severely people living in the West have been poisoned by fake news and rumors from Western media against China, Wang Yu, an associate professor from the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Wang noted that a trip to China may help dismiss Bachelet's misunderstanding on China's Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Ambassador Chen Xu,China's Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, said previously that China welcomes the visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to China, including Xinjiang. The two sides are in communication on this matter. This will be a friendly visit rather than the so-call "investigation" under the presumption of guilt. "We firmly oppose anyone using this matter for political manipulation and exerting pressure on China."

The Monday agenda for the 47th session of the UNHRC was about the annual report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and also the High Commissioner's report on the states' response to the COVID-19 pandemics, according to the website of the UNHRC.

Although nothing was mentioned about China's Xinjiang region in the agenda, Canada planned to lead an "international alliance"of more than 20 countries, including Canada's G7 partners and Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, to make a joint statement on China's Xinjiang on Monday, CBC News reported.

Analysts said compared with the groundless accusations against China, more attention should be paid to discussions on the first day of the new UNHRC session over pandemic-related issues, given its enduring shock to the world.

According to the draft of the joint statement seen by CBC News, it said that these countries were "gravely concerned about the human rights situation" in the Xinjiang region and demand China allow "meaningful and unfettered access" to investigate "credible reports" of widespread "human rights violations" against China's Muslims. It also expressed "concerns" on issues of Hong Kong and Tibet regions.

"Out of political concerns, Canada and a small group of Western countries crammed topics on China's Xinjiang in the UNHRC agenda, and this is not the first time for them to play the tricks - misusing UN platforms to hype Xinjiang topics without even considering more urgent global concerns," Wang Jiang, a distinguished research fellow at the Institute for Frontier Region of China of Zhejiang Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday.

Wang Jiang attended the 44th session of the UNHRC in June 2020 as a Chinese speaker and talked about China's social relief measures. He pointed out that in recent years, Western countries led by the US had ramped up efforts to attack China on human rights topics, especially on topics of Xinjiang.

"Before China completed its third Universal Periodic Review at the UNHRC in March 2019, the West attacked China on human rights issues Even though the US had withdrawn from the UNHRC in June 2018, it was behind many political farces made by the West targeting China," Wang said.

Wang Jiang noted that the US may lead a fiercer anti-China campaign at the UNHRC this year since it has returned to the UN human rights body and is wielding its money and influence to oppress China. Overseas separatist groups and anti-China forces are also working hard to keep the "fever" of the topics on Xinjiang to ensure rolling coverage on Western media--for example, by hyping the pseudo-court, the Uyghur Tribunal.

The Biden administration announced the US' return to the UNHRC in February 2020 as an observer, reversing former President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the body in June 2018.

Although the planned joint statement was led by Canada, the US is also behind it. On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called it another "political farce" staged by Canada, the US and the UK.

Even during its absence, the US had also been engaged in several joint statements made by Western countries against China. But each time, they were slammed by more countries that expressed support for China.

For example, in March during the 46th session of the UNHRC, on behalf of 64 countries, Cuba delivered a joint statement to express support to China's policies in its Xinjiang regions. In contrast, on March 22, the US State Department released a statement jointly made by Canada, the UK and the US, expressing concerns over Muslims in China's Xinjiang region.

Similar battles have been seen at the UNHRC, and each time, more than 50 countries stood out to support China while the number of West countries that attacked China remained small, Wang said, noting that the sharp contrast on the numbers of each group displayed the difference of understanding human rights between US-led Western countries and the majority of developing countries.

To better fight back the smear campaign against China, more Chinese experts and nongovernmental organizations came to attend sideline activities of the UNHRC. The Global Times learned that Chinese NGOs, including the China Society for Human Rights Studies, organized six online forums and invited experts from many countries, including Germany, Russia, Nepal and South Africa to communicate with Chinese experts and residents from China's Xinjiang.

West's notorious record

Using the excuse of human rights, the US and the West have hyped Xinjiang topics and so-called "genocide" allegations, but their purpose on using Xinjiang topics to contain China has fully been exposed together with their hypocrisy and double standards on human rights, said Wang Yu.

Wang Yu attended the 46th session in February 2021 and spoke on the US' infamous record on human rights. He said that US discrimination against Muslims has bankrupted its "concerns" for Muslims in China.

According to a survey released by the Pew Research Center in 2017, 74 percent of Muslim respondents said there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims in the US.

The number of anti-Muslim hate groups in the US had nearly tripled since Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015, the Southern Poverty Law Center said in a report in 2017.

Trump's signing of the Muslim ban in January 2017 had also deprived US Muslims' rights on religion exchanges or visiting relatives, Wang said, noting that even if President Joe Biden has overturned the ban, his administration cannot wipe out its negative influence.

US' Stained Human Rights Record Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

Aside from the US, the UK and Canada also have notorious race genocide records, and it is shameless for them to make groundless "genocide" allegations against China, Wang said.

Some members of parliament in Canada blasted Canada as a racist and hypocritical failure and as a country built on the oppression of indigenous people, and whose history is "stained with blood," The Globe and Mail reported on June 16.

The remains of 215 children, some as young as 3 years old, have been found buried on the site of what was once Canada's largest Indigenous residential school  one of the institutions that held children taken from families across the nation, Canadian media reported, making it the latest evidence of the country's culture genocide of indigenous people.

Experts said that the bloody atrocities committed against indigenous peoples that were once buried in the dustbin of history have been uncovered one by one. Western countries played the human rights card with the help of their dominance in public opinion, but their evil past cannot be buried and has exposed their hypocrisy on human rights.

Canada's Stained Human Rights Record. Graphic: Jin Jianyu

UK's Stained Human Rights Record Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
China's central bank summons financial institutions for harder cryptocurrency crackdown

(CGTN) 09:50, June 22, 2021

Photo taken on March 13, 2018 shows the headquarters of the People's Bank of China. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

China's central bank on Monday said it had recently summoned banks and payment institutions, including top state-owned banks and Alibaba-backed Alipay, to order harder crackdowns on cryptocurrency trading.

The institutions cannot provide crypto-related products or services, including account opening and clearing, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC) in a statement, adding they should cut payment channels for cryptocurrency trading.

The move came shortly after the country's crackdown on cryptocurrency "mining" in several provinces, including the most recent one in the southwestern province of Sichuan, where the closure of 26 suspected cryptocurrency mining projects was ordered.

Cryptocurrency has caught the eye of the Chinese government in recent years, and scrutiny over the virtual industry escalated last month when the State Council, China's cabinet, vowed to clamp down on bitcoin mining and trading as part of measures to prevent financial risks.

Days before the move from the State Council, three Chinese financial regulators banned financial institutions from crypto-related businesses.

The PBOC also urged the financial institutions to analyze the characteristics of crypto-related transactions and advance technology to improve monitoring capability.

The central bank did not specify when the summons took place.

Soon after PBOC's notice was published, major state-lenders including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and the Agricultural Bank of China, along with Ant Group's Alipay, announced measures to prevent cryptocurrency trading, in accordance with relevant requirements from the PBOC.

China powers most of the world's bitcoin mining. According to data from the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance, China accounted for over 70 percent of the world's computing power for bitcoin between September 2019 and April 2020.

Bitcoin stood at $32,972 each as of 2:45 p.m. GMT, dipping 3.47 percent in 24 hours. The price is less than half its all-time high in April of over $63,500.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
China ready to join Italy in pushing forward ties in right direction

Xinhua) 09:53, June 22, 2021

Visitors view exhibits during an Italy-themed exhibition held at the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trade Center in east China's Shanghai, May 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China is ready to join Italy in pushing forward bilateral ties in the right direction for the better benefit of the two peoples, and greater contribution to world peace and development.

In his phone talk with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Wang said China appreciates Italy's adherence to its friendly policy towards China, adding that in the face of profound adjustment and transformation of the international situation, the Chinese side is willing to work with Italy to step up strategic communication, consolidate strategic mutual trust and get rid of all distractions.

In the first five months of this year, the trade volume between China and Italy increased by 50 percent year on year, and Italy's exports to China increased by 75 percent, the highest growth rate among major European Union countries, which fully demonstrated the strong resilience and great potential of China-Italy practical cooperation, Wang said.

China will pursue opening-up at a higher level to promote higher quality development, Wang said, adding that China welcomes more Italian companies to invest and do business in China and hopes that Italy will provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.

The Chinese side is willing to conduct closer high-level exchanges, facilitate personnel exchanges and promote the joint Belt and Road construction with Italy, Wang said.

Bottles of wine from Italy are exhibited at the Food and Agricultural Products exhibition area during the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

Wang also urged the two sides to strengthen cooperation in such areas as scientific and technological innovation, aerospace, clean energy, digital economy and third-party markets and push the mutually beneficial cooperation for more outcomes, so as to jointly inject momentum into the global economic recovery.

China supports Italy in assuming the Group of 20 (G20) presidency and making positive contributions to strengthening international anti-epidemic cooperation and global economic governance.

Wang said that in the face of unprecedented global challenges, all countries should insist on cooperation instead of inciting divisions, respect each other instead of launching political attacks, and shoulder due responsibilities instead of shirking them or shifting blames.

It is hoped that the European side will adhere to strategic autonomy, practice true multilateralism, and promote the stability and long-term development of China-Europe relations, he said.

Photo taken on March 1, 2020 shows medical supplies, including masks, gloves and protective suits, donated to Italy by Lishui City, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua)

China and Italy are both countries with a long history, with mutual respect, inclusiveness and mutual learning reflecting the wisdom of their ancient civilizations, Wang said, expressing the hope that Italy will play a constructive role in this regard.

For his part, Di Maio said the relationship between Italy and China is strong and continuous, and the two countries are like two friends, adding that Italy hopes to promote the Belt and Road construction with China, strengthen cooperation in energy, industry and third-party markets, and take the Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism planned for 2022 as an opportunity to enhance the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

China plays a crucial role in facilitating global economic recovery and multilateral cooperation, he said, expressing gratitude to China's support for Italy's G20 presidency.

In the face of a complex and challenging international situation, Italy is ready to conduct effective dialogue and cooperation with China within a multilateral framework to practice multilateralism, which will benefit not only the two peoples, but also the whole world, Di Maio said.

Regarding the upcoming 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Wang also expounded China's solemn position.

Noting that some countries smear China by disregarding the basic facts and politicize human rights issues, Wang said those countries are interfering with the normal agenda of the UNHRC, poisoning international cooperation in the field of human rights, and violating the norm of international relations which stipulates non-interference in internal affairs. He said those countries are doomed to failure.

Justice is in the hearts of the people, Wang said, expressing his confidence that more countries upholding justice will support China's legitimate position at the UNHRC session.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Hongyu)
Farmers in northeast China present beauty of rural life through photography

People's Daily Online) 10:25, June 22, 2021

Farmers from northeast Chinas Jilin province have turned to photography, some even professionally, wowing many with their achievements in representing rural areas artistically.

Photo by Ma Xueyan, a farmer, shows a mountain in Jiaohe, northeast China's Jilin province.

67-year-old Qi Shuang, a farmer from a village in Jiaohe city, had always had a keen interest in photography. Many of Qis pictures have won national photography awards, and inspired by his works, a British female photographer once came to Jiaohe to take pictures of the place.

Photography has been a second career for farmers in Jiaohe since the 1990s. Currently, there are about 80 farmers like Qi, who are using their lens to present rural China to more audiences.

Photo by Qi Shuang, a farmer, shows two farmers on their way back home from a fair.

Despite starting to learn photography in 2012 at the age of 61, later than other farmers did, Ma Xueyan has shown a great deal of talent. Many of Mas works have won national photography competitions, and these achievements made him a member of the China Photographers Association. Besides mountains, rivers, forests and grass, Mas works also capture moments of farmers working in the fields.

The farmer photographers works present audiences with a real picture of rural China that has undergone drastic changes. Tian Yu, director of the culture center of Jiaohe city, said they are witnesses to the achievements China has made in building new villages.

Photo by Qi Shuang, a farmer, shows farmers celebrating the Spring Festival.

The works of the farmer photographers have also helped promote local tourism, said Shi Jianyi, deputy director of the citys cultural, radio, television, and tourism bureau. The pictures presented beautiful sceneries, and peoples lives and production, and have attracted tourists to the city, Shi explained, saying that a valley of enchanting red leaves in Jiaohe city became a hot tourist destination after pictures of it taken by a farmer photographer went viral.

Photo by Ma Xueyan, a farmer photographer, shows farmers working in the fields.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
Chinese brands increase presence on global playing field: report

Xinhua) 10:25, June 22, 2021

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese brands have increased their presence on the global playing field, according to a market-research report released on Monday.

A record high of 18 Chinese companies entered the 2021 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking, compared with 17 in 2020. The top 10 chart saw Tencent outperform Alibaba this year, ranking fifth and seventh in brand value, respectively.

The brand value of Chinese firms grew significantly among international competitors, with TikTok skyrocketing 158 percent to become the second-biggest riser after Tesla.

The social commerce platform Pinduoduo -- a newcomer that was not on last year's list -- saw its brand value surge 131 percent from a year ago.

A prominent advantage of Chinese brands is the ability to react swiftly to changes, including the pandemic and new consumer demands, Doreen Wang, Global Chair of Kantar BrandZ told a press briefing.

"Chinese firms respond faster than local brands anywhere in the world," she said.

This leads Chinese firms to steer innovation, which has changed foreign consumers' perceptions of Chinese brands over the past five years, Wang noted.

The BrandZ Top 100 ranking is commissioned by global communication services provider WPP and conducted by brand equity research consultancy Kantar. It examines market data from over 3.9 million consumer interviews covering more than 18,500 brands across 51 markets.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Hongyu)
Chinese demand for paper industry technologies benefits Finnish providers: report

Xinhua) 13:57, June 22, 2021

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.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Hongyu)
China builds its first PPP high-speed railway

Xinhua) 15:35, June 22, 2021

Aerial photo taken on Feb. 1, 2021 shows the construction site of Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Taizhou inter-city railway in east China's Zhejiang province. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

HANGZHOU, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China's first high-speed railway controlled by private capital has been built to connect several cities in east China's Zhejiang Province.

On Tuesday, the tracks were completed for the Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Taizhou intercity railway, one of China's first group of high-speed railway projects funded by a public-private partnership (PPP), with the private sector having a holding status.

With a total investment of nearly 44.9 billion yuan (about 6.95 billion U.S. dollars), the 266.9 km rail line has been designed with eight stops and a speed of 350 km per hour.

The new rail line will be opened by the end of this year and will be connected to the high-speed railway network in the Yangtze River Delta region. It will halve the travel time between Hangzhou and Taizhou to approximately one hour.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Hongyu)
With over 70 million Euros raised since 2005, Only Watch has not only become a recognised charity auction, but also a momentous event on the international horological calendar.

Thanks to worldwide media support and a tremendous contribution from the high-end watchmakers, the Only Watch community grows with every edition. Collectors and connoisseurs from around the globe wait with anticipation at the beginning of every other year for the presentations of approximately fifty unique watches specially created for this event. Only Watch 2021 will be no exception.

 Only Watch

Under the Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Only Watch, founded and organised by Luc Pettavino, President of the Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies, demonstrates year after year that empathy, altruism and mutual respect embodied in a collective dynamic are an extraordinary driving force for hope in a world of profound mutation.

It is too soon to predict what the international sanitary situation will behold for autumn 2021. Conditions permitting, the collection will depart for its world tour of around ten locations, beginning in Monaco from 22 to 25 September at the Monaco Yacht Show, and ending with the auction on 6 November in Geneva, when the watches will go under the hammer at Christies. Whether physically and/or online, the auction will take place.

As per every edition, according to Only Watchs founding principles, the total funds raised from the auction will be fully dedicated to scientific and medical research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy, for which we thank our loyal partners who offer their expertise and support.
All the new Longines Timepieces for 2021 All the new Longines...

It is rare to see a brand unveil as many new timepieces this early in the year as Longines. Something for her, something for him, vintage... It is rare to see a brand unveil as many...
President has phone talks with leaders of Finland, Tanzania, Republic of the Congo President Xi Jinping underlined on Monday the need for China and the European Union to jointly uphold dialogue and cooperation as the mainstream of bilateral relations and mutual benefit as the main theme for bilateral cooperation. It was a hard-won outcome for China and the EU to secure an uptrend in bilateral relations amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year, and the two sides should make every effort to treasure this outcome, Xi said during a phone conversation with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto. Against the backdrop of a fast-changing global landscape and various new global threats and challenges, Xi called for cooperation instead of confrontation and efforts to seek win-win outcomes rather than a zero-sum game. The president expressed his hope that Finland can play a unique positive role in promoting the healthy and steady development of China-EU relations. He called on both nations to boost their complementary strengths, and scale up and strengthen bilateral trade, saying that Beijing welcomes more Finnish companies to continue to share the dividends from China's growth. Beijing is willing to boost bilateral personnel exchanges and conduct more bilateral cooperation in research, science, education and green, low-carbon development, he said, adding that the two sides should jointly respond to challenges from climate change. China is willing to work with Finland to uphold true multilateralism and jointly cope with global challenges such as public health security and climate change through international cooperation and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, he said. Niinisto said Finland attaches importance to cooperation with China over the Winter Olympics, and the nation will take an active part in the Beijing Winter Olympics. He added that Finland will play a positive role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between the EU and China. Xi also spoke on the phone on Monday with Samia Suluhu Hassan, president of Tanzania, and Denis Sassou Nguesso, president of the Republic of the Congo. In his conversation with Hassan, Xi noted that Tanzania was the first African country he visited in 2013, when he became Chinese president. China has always viewed and steered bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and the nation will resolutely support Tanzania in following a path of development that suits its national conditions, he said. He called for stronger political mutual trust, enhanced mutual support and joint efforts to safeguard the legitimate interests of developing countries. The president also stressed the need to expand bilateral cooperation in sectors including agriculture, transportation, communication, tourism and energy, saying that Beijing will encourage and support more Chinese businesses to invest and start new businesses in the African country. Hassan offered her congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, saying that Tanzania values its traditional friendship with China and appreciates China's support and help. Tanzania resolutely follows a one-China policy and supports Beijing's position on issues concerning its core interests such as Taiwan, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, she said. She also expressed her readiness to jointly promote Belt and Road cooperation with China, strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and infrastructure and boost people-to-people exchanges. Speaking with Sassou Nguesso, president of the Republic of the Congo, Xi said bilateral friendship and cooperation have been deepened and brought forward in the joint fight against COVID-19 and joint efforts to promote the resumption of work and production. Xi expressed China's readiness to deepen political mutual trust, boost exchanges in experience on state governance and enable the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to keep yielding new outcomes. Beijing will encourage more Chinese businesses to invest and start new businesses in the African nation, and is ready to further cooperate in areas such as health, agriculture and public livelihoods, he said. Xi pledged China's vaccine support to the Republic of the Congo, saying that the nation will facilitate its industrialization and economic diversification process. Sassou Nguesso also offered his congratulations on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the CPC, saying that his country appreciates China's precious support in its fight against the pandemic and in its social and economic development. The Republic of the Congo supports China's position on issues concerning its core interests and opposes interference in China's internal affairs, he said.


On June 20, farmers are eradicating weeds besides painting on rice fields in Baihu town in Lujiang county in Chinas Anhui province.



Lujiang county is well known for its strong agriculture. As the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) approaches, local farmers use the land as a canvas, colorful rice as a brush, to paint in the farmland for the Party in gratitude for its good policy to enrich the people.





(By Yang Zixuan)
-- 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)
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday he hopes that the European side will adhere to strategic autonomy, practice true multilateralism and promote the stability and long-term development of China-Europe relations.

In his phone talk with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Wang said he also hopes that Italy will play a constructive role in this regard.

In the face of unprecedented global challenges, all countries should insist on cooperation instead of inciting divisions, respect each other instead of launching political attacks, and shoulder due responsibilities instead of shirking them or shifting blames, he stressed.

On bilateral ties, Wang said the Chinese side is willing to work with Italy to step up strategic communication, consolidate strategic mutual trust and get rid of all distractions.

The Chinese side is willing to conduct closer high-level exchanges, facilitate personnel exchanges and promote the joint Belt and Road construction with Italy, said Wang.

He also urged the two sides to strengthen cooperation in areas such as scientific and technological innovation, aerospace, clean energy, digital economy and third-party markets and push the mutually beneficial cooperation for more outcomes to jointly inject momentum into the global economic recovery.

Speaking of the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which opened on Monday, Wang elaborated on China's position, saying that some countries have disregarded basic facts, carried out smear attacks against China and politicized human rights issues. Their acts interfered with the normal agenda of the UNHRC, poisoned international cooperation in the field of human rights and violated the international relations norm of non-interference in internal affairs, and are destined not to succeed, Wang stressed, adding that he believes more countries that uphold justice will also support China's legitimate position at this meeting.

Di Maio, for his part, said bilateral ties are strong and sustained, just like two friends. Italy is willing to promote the Belt and Road construction with China and enhance cooperation in areas including energy, industry and third-party markets, said the foreign minister.

In the face of the challenging and complex international situation, Italy is ready to cooperate and communicate with China within the multilateral framework and to practice multilateralism, which will benefit not only the two peoples but also the whole world, said Di Maio.
Liu Yuyin, spokesperson for the Chinese Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva, on Monday voiced strong opposition to the remarks made by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet concerning China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

When the 47th session of the Human Rights Council started on Monday, Bachelet talked of issues concerning the two regions and claimed that they have been closely monitoring the application of the national security law in the HKSAR. She also said she hoped to agree on terms for a visit this year to China, including Xinjiang.

In response, Liu said in a statement that the HKSAR and Xinjiang are inalienable parts of China's territory and issues related to them are China's internal affairs that brook no interference by any external forces.

He stressed that some countries and forces have spread "shameless lies" on Xinjiang out of political reasons to smear China's image, interfere in China's internal affairs and curb China's development.

Liu also said China welcomes the UN high commissioner for human rights to visit China and its Xinjiang region, but he made it clear that the visit should be a friendly one, aimed at promoting exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, and not an "investigation" with a presumption of guilt.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet looks on after delivering a speech on global human rights developments during a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, June 21, 2021. /CFP

Speaking of the HKSAR, Liu said the national security law provides strong institutional and legal safeguards to ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of the region as well as the stability and success of "One Country, Two Systems." The law is supported by a majority of the city's residents, he added.

After the law's implementation, the residents no longer have to live under the threat of unrest and violence, the diplomat said, adding that it also ensures that various legal rights and freedoms are better exercised in a safe environment, including the freedoms of speech, press and publication.

"No freedom is border-less and can break through the bottom line of national security, which is clearly stipulated in the relevant international conventions. Hong Kong is a society under the rule of law, where everyone is equal before the law, no one is above the law, and violations of the law will certainly be prosecuted," he stressed.
Noh Kyu-duk (R), the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, talks with Sung Kim (L), U.S. Special Representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, during their bilateral meeting in Seoul, ROK, June 21, 2021. /Reuters

The United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have agreed to consider ending a working group established to coordinate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) policy, the ROK's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for the DPRK, and his ROK counterpart Noh Kyu-duk agreed on Monday to "look into terminating the working group" while reinforcing coordination at other levels, the ministry said in a statement.

On Monday, Kim said he was pleased to meet with DPRK representatives "anywhere, anytime without preconditions" and that he looks forward to a "positive response soon." He was scheduled to meet with ROK Unification Minister Lee In-young, who handles relations with the DPRK, on Tuesday.

The working group was set up in 2018 to help the two allies coordinate their approaches to issues such as denuclearization talks, humanitarian aid, sanctions enforcement and inter-Korean relations amid a flurry of diplomatic engagement with the DPRK at the time.

(With input from Reuters)
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Photo: AFP

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan threatened both China and Russia during his interviews with different media on Sunday. For Russia, he claimed that the US is preparing "another package of sanctions" in the case of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. This has shocked many people's expectations of US-Russia relations after the two leaders' summit. Sullivan also took a coercive tone to request China to cooperate with the further investigation into the origins of COVID-19; otherwise, China will face "isolation in the international community." The US will not "simply accept China saying no," he said.

Sullivan has shown typical American arrogance of calling white black. Perhaps he and his colleagues think that the US' strength can support them to do whatever they want, and they may believe the recent summits held by Western countries prove that the US still maintains the mobilization power to arbitrarily isolate a large country like China. When targeting China in his interview on Sunday, he used the phrase "from that position of strength."

The US is indeed the strongest country in the world. But the US ruling elites have seriously overestimated the international coercive force its national strength can produce. The US is still struggling with the Korean Peninsula and Iran issues, and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars it initiated have ended in chaos. Over the past one or two decades, the US has failed to do anything neatly and cleanly. When Sullivan confidently threatened China and Russia, his gestures were as hilarious as a bad boy in an elementary school class.

China and Russia will undoubtedly refute Sullivan strongly. If Sullivan has normal self-esteem, he should feel a wind relentlessly blowing his spittle back to his own face.

China will not accept any investigation by US intelligence agencies. If we find any trace of US intelligence agencies taking action in China, we will immediately strike heavily. The US does not have the final say on the origins tracing conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO). It must be carried out according to normal procedures. WHO experts have already conducted investigation in China and made their conclusion. The tracing of the COVID-19 origins needs to be done in multiple places in the world, including the US. This order of investigation cannot be changed by the US alone.

Navalny serving jail sentence is Russia's domestic affair. The more the US intervenes in it, the more clearly it shows that this is beyond Washington's ability. On the one hand, the US intends to ease relations with Russia. On the other hand, it wants to bluff over the Navalny issue. When the US' self-contradiction collides with Russia's firm attitude of sticking to its principles, Washington will never take any advantage from it.

The US' advantage in strength cannot support the reckless display of its bad attitude toward China and Russia. The US cannot do anything to China and Russia, and this is the reality that the world can see and understand. The Trump administration made its efforts for years to weaken Beijing and Moscow, and it failed. Now the Biden administration has even fewer resources to flaunt its superiority. It wants to unite its allies to contain China and Russia, but it is ridiculous that it thinks this will have any strategic effect.

What most European allies can contribute to the US is hollow words. They will never offer real benefits. The US wants to use the alliance system of the Cold War era to support a different kind of competition in the era of globalization - this is just like the US needs to build walls but the tool it finds is a cotton machine. China and Russia are not afraid of Washington's new attempt of roping in allies. On the contrary, every move between China and Russia to further strengthen strategic cooperation can frighten many US and Western elites.

The arrogant US ruling elites should curtail their arrogance. China and Russia will not take the initiative in provoking the US and its allies, but if they encounter new serious provocations, the two countries' counterattack will be determined and immediate. In addition, we need to remind the US that it does not own UN agencies such as the WHO, nor can the West represent the international community. Washington needs to have more sense of shame and have a clearer estimation of itself.
By Zhou Rong

Biden administration's rushed withdrawal of troops has left Afghanistan in an increasingly severe situation. US President Biden will meet with visiting Afghani President Ghani this Friday and discuss the surging conflicts between Afghani troops and the Taliban across the country as the US troops are pulling out. The Taliban, however, has predicted that the visit will be useless.

The withdrawal of US troops now somewhat reminds people of its hurried exit from Vietnam in 1973. It originally planned to pull out from Afghanistan on September 11, but now the plan is put forward to mid-July, and there is even news that all American troops and NATOs International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will be withdrawn by early July. Actually, the plan is already half completed.

To accelerate the process, the US has mobilized the Fifth Fleet and the Central Commands aircraft carrier battle group and radar system, with all-out support from combat troops and the Air Force, so as to ensure zero casualties and accidents during the withdrawing process.

First, the Talibans morale is significantly heightened by Americas faster withdrawal. The Taliban soldiers view the withdrawal as a sign that American troops are soon to be kicked out of Afghanistan by them. Therefore, they continuously launch attacks against government forces across the country, to the extent that wherever American troops are pulled out, the Taliban will take their place in the wake.

Second, the accelerated withdrawal reveals how ready the US is to leave its friend high and dry. The current Afghani regime was established after the US occupied the country, so its theoretically an American ally, yet Washington has acted neutral in the struggles between Afghani government forces and the Taliban, neither attacking the old enemy nor helping the ally.

Biden has been vowing to keep assisting Afghani government forces, but thats all his words. The White House doesnt even have a detailed plan for the continued assistance; whats more, it seems it has stopped providing any logistics support for the government forces. The Afghani government has combat forces given its 350,000 security troops and 18,000 special forces, yet all its warplanes are repaired and maintained by American contractors, without whose support, its security troops are unable to keep the fighter jets, armored helicopters, and UAVs in shape for combat.

At the same time, the 18,000 American contractors in Afghanistan didnt know what to do after the order was given to speed up the withdrawal. Nobody told them whether they should stay to help Afghani government forces or leave the country along with American troops, and their letter to the Pentagon explaining the current emergency state has received no reply yet.

Moreover, when American troops were stationed in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan interpreters worked for them, and they are worried about being revenged by the Taliban once it comes back. The White House planned to grant them a US visa and make sure they leave with American troops, but now that the deadline is drawing near, the White House and Department of State still have no plan to bring those Afghani employees to the US. The US embassy in Afghanistan has also closed its offices and shifted to online work on the excuse of COVID-19.

What the world is most concerned about is whether there will be a national ceasefire after the US pulls out all its troops. On February 29 last year, the US and the Taliban reached a phased withdrawal agreement and the Reduction in Violence, but now Washington is so occupied with getting its troops out of Afghanistan decently that it doesnt care anymore whether the Taliban has indeed reduced violence. It would even be satisfied as long as the troops dont get attacked during the withdrawal.

To placate the Afghani government and the Taliban, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad provided an American version of the peace plan to each of them in late April, which, however, was rejected by both because it was neither feasible nor realistic. And America didnt care about their rejection. It turned a blind eye to the adverse effects imposed by its pull-out on the negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban, and contented itself with the act of offering a peace plan, not caring whether the plan was feasible or accepted. It will consider itself winning as long as all American troops are pulled out safe and sound.

(The author is a senior researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.)

Editor's note: This article is originally published on huanqiu.com.cn, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
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)
The start of the workplace program comes just weeks before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics.

Toyota and Suntory are among the companies participating in the workplace program with vaccines provided by the government. Thousands of people are expected to receive shots through the workplace initiative.

Some of the companies had been critical of what they said was the government's slow pace of Japan's COVID-19 inoculation campaign.

Thousands of Japanese companies began the rollout of their workplace vaccine programs Monday, inoculating company workers and their families.

In India, the health ministry reported 53,256 new COVID cases Monday in the previous 24-hour period, the lowest daily number in 88 days, or about 3 months.

Taiwan recorded its lowest number of new COVID-19 infections since May 15. Health officials announced 75 new infections Monday. Sunday Taiwan received 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccines from the United States.

There are more than 178 million global COVID infections as of Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The U.S. has the most with 33.5 million, while Brazil has 18 million.

Brazil became the second country, behind the United States, to record more than half a million COVID-19 deaths, a Health Ministry official said Saturday.

Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tweeted, "500,000 lives lost due to the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the world," according to an the Agence France-Presse. "The third wave is arriving; there's already a change in the case and death curves," Ethel Maciel, an epidemiologist from Espirito Santo University, told AFP. "Our vaccination (program), which could make a difference, is slow and there are no signs of restrictive measures; quite the contrary."

Britain held its first full music festival since all mass events were canceled in March of last year, the start of the pandemic. About 10,000 fans attended a three-day Download Festival held at Donington Park in central England. The event, which ended on Sunday, featured 40 U.K.-based bands.

All of those who attended, which was only about a tenth of the festival's pre-pandemic audience, were required to take COVID-19 tests before the event. Neither masks nor social distancing protocols was required, event organizers said.

Britain has recorded nearly 128,000 COVID-19-related deaths, the fourth most in the world and the worst in Europe. It also ranks seventh in the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 4.6 million. Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed by four weeks a planned lifting of coronavirus-related restrictions.

The restrictions were set to be lifted Monday but will now run through July 19. Britain is battling the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, which was first identified in India.
The parent company of Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily will decide this week whether to shut down the publication.

The newspaper's apparent imminent closure comes just days after authorities froze $2.3 million of its assets last week, shortly after more than 500 police officers raided Apple Daily's offices and arrested its chief editor, Ryan Law, and four other executives with the newspaper and Next Digital.

Mark Simon, an advisor to jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, told news outlets that executives of Next Digital were planning to hold a board meeting Monday to discuss the situation.


Sino-Japanese wellness cultural festival held in Green City International Community

By:Zhao Chunyan | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-06-21 19:05

Recently, the World well-being Green City Sino-Japanese Health Care Charity Cultural Festival was held in Green City (Biyun in Chinese) International Community which accommodates more than 20,000 expats from different countries in Jinqiao, Pudong district, Shanghai. The festival was hosted by the Shanghai Jinchen Green Investment Management Company. During the festival, many activities were held, such as live broadcasts of recreation-related topics, Sino-Japanese recreation trends and round-table seminars, and various Chinese and Japanese cultural performances (Hanfu, Kimono, calligraphy, Guqin, Tai Chi and ikebana).

Chinese and Japanese cultural performances

At the seminar, one person in charge of the Paramount Bed (China), shared the concept of the medical bed and how it can help the bedridden elderly. In addition, Mr. Xiaoxiao Yuhan, from a subsidiary of Shanghai Guosheng Group, shared the model and experience of using farmers idle residence houses as recreation communities in the process of rural revitalization, effectively revitalizing idle rural assets and helping to build a model for rural revitalization.

Seminar

Ms. Courtney, from California, came to China with her husband. My husband and I have been living in Shanghai for 5 years and we like to enjoy health & wellness activities, and experiencing different culture, said Ms. Courtney.

a group photo of the participants
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Woburn, MA (01801)

Today

Cloudy with a few showers. Low 57F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy with a few showers. Low 57F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed into law over the weekend the Second Amendment Preservation Act.

The law (Missouri House Bill 85) defines various federal laws that Missouri considers an inherent violation of its citizens' rights under the Second Amendment:

(1) Any tax, levy, fee, or stamp imposed on firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition not common to all other goods and services and that might reasonably be expected to create a chilling effect on the purchase or ownership of those items by law abiding citizens;

(2) Any registration or tracking of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition;

(3) Any registration or tracking of the ownership of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition;

(4) Any act forbidding the possession, ownership, use, or transfer of a firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition by law-abiding citizens; and

(5) Any act ordering the confiscation of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition from law-abiding citizens.
Teams from Amnesty, Asian Watch, OHCHR, ICJ, ICRC asked to visit town

Srinagar, June 22: The reports gleaning from Sopore have revealed that brutal Indian troops under a sinister plan on Saturday night cordoned off the entire town right from Arampora to Batapora, picked more than 100 teenage boys, made them to stand in a line and started beating them mercilessly.

As per evidences gathered by International Forum for Justice Human Rights Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops from Seelo Watlab and Amargrah camps carried out the plan to intimidate and harass the locals.

Dozens of the boys fell unconscious and they were not given any medical treatment and if anybody asked for shifting them to hospitals they were also beaten.

The boys were forced to chant slogans like Jai Hind and Jai Sia Ram, and were also asked to bad mouth Pakistan. The boys were beaten so ruthlessly that they are unable to lisp down as the wounds are so deep and horrifying that the medical treatment could not subside the pain.

All the boys are bedridden and the fear is so much that the local media blacked out these terror acts of occupational forces.

The boys and their families were threatened with dire consequences if they reported these incidents to anyone.

IFJHRJK Chairman Mohammad Ahsan Untoo in a statement appealed to Amnesty International, Asian Watch, UNOHRC, International Court of Justice, and International Committee of Red Cross, European Parliamentarian Group, European Union and other organisations to visit Sopore and get first hand information.

Every house has an injured person. These kind of state-sponsored terror tactics have failed so for to intimidate and keep people away from demanding their right of self determination.

He demanded an impartial probe by United Nations to punish those involved in state terrorism by the International Court of justice.
Those needing pro bona representation or have questions for an attorney can get the legal help they need at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library.

Each Wednesday through Dec. 29, the library is hosting free legal aid clinics with Pro Bono Indiana, Inc., for income-qualifying individuals. Pro Bona Indiana can assist with topics such as family law, specialized driving privileges, criminal expungements, wills, and estates. Justin Kingery, assistant head of adult and teen services at the library, said hes happy the library is the new home of the service.

Were always happy to provide services whenever we can to people, and one of the things we have never been able to do is provide legal advice, said Kingery. Were happy to help you with forms and get you some information, but were not lawyers. So were very excited that were able to offer this to the community.

The service previously took place at the Howard County courthouse on Fridays, and the service proved popular. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the in-person service was paused and now has resumed at the library.

Kevin Jones, District E Pro Bono plan administrator, said the service is one thats needed.

Theres clearly a need for low-income individuals who need legal assistance. I know we often think of low-income programs helping homeless and all the major impact or major need, if you will, but there are plenty of people in the state of Indiana who need legal representation who, quite frankly, dont have the $1,500 to $2,000 for a retainer fee upfront, Jones said.

District E serves Cass, Fulton, Grant, Miami, Pulaski, Tipton, Wabash, and Howard counties, and attorneys in each county partner with Pro Bono Indiana to assist those in need in their respective counties.

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Jones said the legal aid clinics have helped countless people with various issues. The number-one topic that people seek assistance for, he said, is family law, such as divorces and custody assistance. Other assistance people commonly seek are include having a will written or estate representation. Others have been assisted with name changes and criminal expungements.

Having issues fixed through legal representation, Jones said, can be life-changing.

There are some folks who have financial stipulations or just want to get on with a meaningful life, if you will, and having a divorce filed kind of frees some folks from that, Jones said. Weve had some elderly folks who needed a name change so they could get things together so they can renew their driver's licenses, get something changed on their Social Security, birth certificate, stuff like that.

We have written wills for folks before  and then again with our specialized driving privileges and expungement, those help folks immensely when it comes to getting back in the workforce. I know for a lot of folks with the expungements especially, that helps get rid of some past stigmas or past mistakes they may have made and make it helpful to move on with their life.

While Pro Bono Indiana, Inc., assists with a range of topics, it does not assist with legal issues relating to small claims, lawsuits, fee-generating cases, evictions, or criminal matters.

Aside from last year, Pro Bono Indiana served 300-plus Howard County residents annually at the courthouse. Now, with the location change, Jones is hoping to get the word out to let residents know that the service still is being offered.

Appointments are required and can be made by calling 765-450-9524. The clinics take place Wednesdays from 9 to 12 p.m. at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library main branch, 220 N. Union St., in the second floor study room.
Kokomo, IN (46901)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
As the inmate population at the Howard County jail continues to climb, so too does the cost of sending overflow inmates to facilities outside of the county.

430 inmates were housed at the jail as of last Wednesday, according to Jail Commander Captain Matt Deckard. That far exceeds the 364-bed capacity, forcing officials to offload many inmates to other facilities, including jails in Tipton, Miami, and Hamilton counties. The cost to house inmates in other jails comes at a significant cost. Already this year, the fees have amounted to $217,757.32.

Deckard said that the decision to send inmates out of county is somewhat out of officials hands.

It depends on the jail numbers at the time, Deckard said. If theres no need for us to send somebody out to hold, we wont do that. Well do our own in-house stuff to keep those costs down. And weve done that here lately in the last several months, theres been no need to send more people than what we already have out. We can hold our own. Obviously, when the summertime comes and when our numbers start to climb, which they are now, and I cant tell you what the future would be, there might come a time where I have to do this more than what Ive done so far.

According to the jail commander, 24 inmates were being held out of county as of last week, which Deckard said was lower than normal.

Out of the male inmates, 11 were being held in Tipton, four in Miami, and two in Hamilton County. Out of the eight females, seven were being held in Tipton and one in Hamilton County.

Miami County charges $35 an inmate per day, and Tipton charges $40. Deckard said Hamilton County does not charge Howard County as a good faith gesture. As of last week, 21 of the 24 inmates were being held out of county at a cost.

According to Deckard, Howard County jail transport officers take inmates to and from each facility, as well as to court appearances and to medical professionals in the instances of health issues.

In 2020, the county was charged $253,143.87 for out-of-county placement for inmates, though funds from the CARES Act paid for the majority, resulting in a cost of $99,693.87 to the county last year.

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Deckard cited high inmate populations earlier this year, rising above 500 in January, for example, as the reason for the increased cost this year.

Tipton, for example, sent an invoice earlier this year for between $31,000 to $32,000, Deckard said. The May invoice from Tipton was $21,000.

We were at 430 this morning here of actual inmates in the facility, Deckard said. So thats why the number I think is high because earlier this year we had to house inmates out of the facility. Were just  were very, very full.

County officials long have discussed solutions to the increasing jail population, such as adding onto the jail or building a new jail, but Howard County Councilman Bryan Alexander and Commissioner Paul Wyman both urged patience and spoke to the merits of a female wing for work release as one solution that may alleviate some cost associated with off-loading inmates to other counties.

In particular, Alexander and Wyman pointed to the cost of a jail addition. Wyman said that when compared with the cost for new jail construction, employees, benefits, and more, sending inmates out of county is oftentimes more cost-effective.

According to Wyman, Howard County asked for $600,000 for the hiring of work release employees as part of an annual grant submission to the Indiana Department of Corrections, and if, approved, the womens work release pod will be operational shortly after.

The 40-bed facility would be located on South Berkley Road. Wyman said that the county should know if the grant is approved by Sept. 1.

Still, Alexander said that a jail expansion may be considered, though no formal conversations among council members have occurred.

I dont think were at that point yet, Alexander said. Obviously, were talking a lot of money there, but I think its probably on the table. It has to be on the table looking down the line. But wed like to be able to see if we could avoid doing that if we can, just because of the cost, but it may be on the table down the line I would say. And I cant speak for any of the other council members. I dont know if they would agree or disagree with me on that. We really havent had much conversation about that at all. No formal conversation about that.
Christoph Waltz and Willem Dafoe are to star in 'Dead For a Dollar'.

The pair have been cast in the Western helmed by legendary filmmaker Walter Hill as he gets behind the camera on a film for the first time in five years.

Walter will write and direct the movie, which is set in New Mexico Territory in 1897. The plot follows Max Borlund (Waltz) a famed bounty hunter who is hired to find and return Rachel Price, the politically progressive wife of Santa Fe businessman Nathan Price.

Max is told she has been kidnapped by an African American army deserter, Elijah Jones, and is being held for ransom in Mexico. When Max travels south of the border he soon runs into his sworn enemy Joe Cribbens (Dafoe), who he had tracked down and sent to prison years previously.

Borlund then discovers Rachel and Elijah hiding deep in the Mexican desert and finds that she has willingly fled from her abusive husband. Max is faced with a dilemma  does he return Rachel across the border to the man who hired him or help her bid for freedom while fighting off his enemy and ruthless hired guns.

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Matt Harris has contributed to the script while Jeremy Wall, Kirk D'Amico and Carolyn McMaster are producing.

D'Amico, CEO and Myriad Pictures president, said: "We are extremely pleased to be working with the legendary Walter Hill who has created a Western with contemporary themes and modern feeling characters.

"Award-winning actors Christoph Waltz and Willem Dafoe will embody the extraordinary leading roles which are destined for cinematic history."

The movie marks Waltz's first Western since his role in 'Django Unchained' and will reprise his role as Bond villain Blofeld in the upcoming 007 flick 'No Time To Die'.

Dafoe's upcoming projects include 'The French Dispatch', 'Nightmare Alley' and 'Poor Things'.
Eight Indiana University students filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to have the university's COVID-19 vaccine mandate struck down as an unconstitutional infringement on individual liberty and bodily autonomy.

The plaintiffs, all represented by attorney James Bopp Jr., of Terre Haute, claim various objections to the IU COVID-19 vaccine requirement announced May 21, including religious belief, IU's alleged unwillingness to recognize conflicting health conditions and natural COVID-19 immunity, and opposition to wearing face masks and participating in regular COVID-19 testing in lieu of vaccination.

"IU's mandate violates the constitutional rights of IU's students  it requires all IU students without any meaningful exemptions to take the COVID vaccine," Bopp said.

"In fact, no other government entity, not the FDA, not the CDC, not the state of Indiana, not any county government, and not any other Indiana public university, requires a COVID vaccination."

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The plaintiffs include an incoming freshman from Cook County, Illinois, identified as D.J.B. in court documents due to his age, who said given the minimal risk of serious illness or death due to COVID-19 among people in his age group, he should not be subject to "unnecessary" masking and testing because IU refuses to acknowledge his natural antibodies to the coronavirus.

"Ironically, IU has imposed such a draconian measure at the very time that COVID is being brought under control," Bopp said. "All other federal, state and local governments are lifting their restrictions, while IU is suddenly imposing the most severe requirement of all, mandatory vaccination, that, even at the height of the pandemic, no government authority, including IU, imposed."

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Wayne, also contends IU's obligation for students to provide proof of vaccination still runs afoul of Indiana's newly enacted ban on vaccine "passports"  even though IU changed its process for submitting vaccine documentation following an official opinion issued June 1 by Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Munster native.

In addition, the plaintiffs claim there's no basis for IU to mandate all students get a vaccine that has yet to receive full FDA approval, since federal law requires "complete, informed, and voluntary consent" for the administration of any vaccine that only has emergency use authorization from the FDA, such as the COVID-19 vaccines.

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"The threat of virtual expulsion from school for students who refuse to take the vaccine and who do not qualify for an exemption is not an attempt to garner consent  it is coercion," the lawsuit says. "In other contexts, even subtle, implied threats cannot constitutionally support 'consent.'"

IU spokesman Chuck Carney said the university is confident it will prevail in the lawsuit.

"The requirement for all Indiana University students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated before the return to school in August remains in place. The attorney general's opinion affirmed our right to require the vaccine," he said.

"As part of IU's response to the ongoing pandemic, the vaccine mandate is helping to support a return to safe and more normal operations this fall."

There is no timeline for a ruling in the suit.

Two private institutions of higher education, the University of Notre Dame in South Bend and Butler University in Indianapolis, also are requiring students be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend in-person classes in the fall.

Complaint in Klaassen v. IU Trustees over COVID-19 vaccine mandate

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(The Center Square)  Three teachers union locals in Indiana have filed a lawsuit in federal district court over a new state law that would require teachers to file yearly requests to have union dues automatically deducted from their paychecks.

Senate Bill 251 is supposed to take effect July 1.

The lawsuit claims the bill unfairly targets teachers and makes it more difficult for the unions to collect dues. It was filed by union locals in the Anderson, Avon and Martinsville school districts.

Jeff Macey, an attorney representing the unions, told the Indianapolis Star no other unions or organizations are required to follow the same process.

Why are teachers being singled out for these onerous restrictions? he asked. No other union, no other charity, no other organization in the state has to do this to assign a portion of your wages to them.

Defendants named in the lawsuit are state Attorney General Todd Rokita, Secretary of Education Katie Jenner and Tammy Meyer, chair of the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board.

Rokita released a statement saying the new law supports the rights of teachers to individually authorize a payroll deduction for union dues.

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The unions also say the law is unnecessary because Indiana is a right to work state, meaning no one can be forced to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment.

Indiana passed its RTW law in 2012, making it the 23rd state in the country to pass such a law  there are now 28  and the first in the Midwest.

Union critics, however, contend they only allow a narrow window in which teachers can resign their union membership and that the union does not publicize it.

Teachers are not usually told up front how much those dues will be and oftentimes, deductions are taken without their knowledge or permission, according to the website of Indiana Professional Educators Inc., an association for non-union teachers.

Under the current practice, teachers sign a form to allow dues to be taken out of their paychecks and turn it in to union officers. Dues are around $1,000 a year and includes membership in the local union, the Indiana State Teachers Association and the National Education Association.

The new process would include three steps and supporters of the bill say it ensures school districts will see proof of teachers wanting to pay dues rather than accepting the unions word for it.

Teachers will now have to sign a form created by Rokitas office and submit it to the school district. District staff would then email each teacher to confirm receipt and teachers must respond to the email giving their OK for dues dedu
INDIANAPOLIS, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), Energy Systems Network (ESN) and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), have joined with May Mobility, a leader in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and shuttle operations, to launch a free autonomous shuttle service in Central Indiana.

The free service, a part of TMF's Together in Motion Indiana, began June 1, and serves the downtown Indianapolis and Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) communities. Together in Motion is an initiative bringing stakeholders together to test the interoperability of mobility innovations and facilitate the efficient movement of people and goods. The autonomous shuttle service supports the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Sustainable Cities and Communities goal (No. 11) and Toyota's commitment to providing Mobility for All.

"At May Mobility, our mission is to bring safe, accessible and reliable mobility solutions to communities around the world," said Edwin Olson, co-founder and CEO of May Mobility. "We're excited to bring AV technology to Central Indiana through our partnership with the Toyota Mobility Foundation, Energy Systems Network and IndyGo."

The Together in Motion AV shuttle service runs through Nov. 19, 2021 and operates Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The service is available to the public and features five Lexus RX 450h vehicles and one wheelchair-accessible Polaris GEM shuttle equipped with May Mobility's autonomous technology.

There are nine designated stops in Indianapolis, each identifiable by a sign providing route information and a scannable QR code leading to the Together in Motion Indiana website. Through the QR code, riders can learn more about May Mobility technology and the shuttle route. Shuttles arrive in 10- to 15-minute intervals on a rotating loop. The route was designed to increase mobility options by providing a connection from the Vermont Station  along IndyGo's Red Line  to areas west of downtown. Additionally, the route circles the IU Health University Hospital and the Riley Hospital for Children campuses. Riders can plan their trips on Google Maps and see live updates of a shuttle's location.

"IndyGo exists to connect our community to economic and cultural opportunities through safe, reliable and accessible mobility experiences," said Lesley Gordon, vice president of Communications and Marketing at IndyGo. "We will continue to lend our knowledge and expertise with the team at May Mobility and to work alongside these industry leaders as they seek to improve Central Indiana's mobility ecosystem."

To ensure riders' health and safety, masks are currently required for all passengers and fleet attendants. Shuttles will carry only one household per ride, and all shuttles are equipped with partitions and UVC disinfectant lights that will clean the shuttle interior between rides.

The AV shuttle service is part of the Together in Motion Indiana initiative announced earlier this year by TMF and ESN. It aims to foster innovation through industry partnerships and propel research and development in advanced mobility technologies in Indiana. The initiative supports the deployments of various mobility solutions to better serve the transportation needs of the local communities, to understand the changing ecosystems surrounding these needs, to potentially expand such initiatives into other communities, and to establish networks for the sharing and leveraging of key learnings. As each mobility solution is developed with local community input, this human-centered approach facilitates the implementation of valued activities and the commercialization of an array of cooperative options.

"Indiana is the ideal location to launch the first Together in Motion initiative because of the strong local partnerships with Energy Systems Network and the local communities," said Ryan Klem, director of Programs, Toyota Mobility Foundation. "They have facilitated May Mobility's integration into the local transportation offerings, and we look forward to learning about local use and impact so we can transfer and scale this knowledge to other locations."

Prior to opening the shuttle service to the public, May Mobility provided Indianapolis residents and Indy 500 race week guests free 10-minute-long rides along a special demonstration route near the Indiana Statehouse. More than 60 attendees experienced the AV shuttle service in a Lexus RX 450h equipped with May Mobility's autonomous technology.

"Bringing innovative mobility solutions to Indiana with partners steeped in advancing autonomous technology positions the state as a leader in this in-demand and growing sector," said Dave Roberts, chief innovation officer, Indiana Economic Development Corporation. "Engaging with ESN, Toyota Mobility Foundation and May Mobility to assist in this effort shows the commitment to finding the best technology partners to provide additional transportation resources to residents throughout the state."

In the next phase of the initiative, May Mobility will operate an AV shuttle route in Fishers, Indiana. This service is slated to begin in November 2021.

About Toyota Mobility Foundation

The Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) was established in August 2014 by the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) to support the development of a more mobile society in which everyone can move freely. The Foundation underscores TMC's on-going commitment to continuous improvement and respect for people. It utilizes Toyota's expertise and technologies to support strong mobility systems while eliminating disparities in mobility. TMF works in partnership with universities, governments, non-profits, research institutions and other organizations, creating programs are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address mobility issues around the world.

About Energy Systems Network (ESN)

ESN is an Indianapolis-based nonprofit initiative focused on the development of the advanced energy technology and transportation sectors. Over the last decade, ESN has collaborated with a range of industry, academia, and government partners to deliver sustainable energy and mobility solutions, including electric car sharing, vehicle-to-smart grid communications, mobility-as-a-service, and others. ESN's mission is to leverage its network of global thought leaders to develop integrated energy solutions to increase quality of life for today and tomorrow. The company's focus is to: reduce costs, emissions and waste; influence policy; and advance technological innovation. For more information, visit www.energysystemsnetwork.com.

About May Mobility

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

May Mobility is a leader in autonomous vehicle technology development and deployment. With more than 275,000 autonomous rides to date, May Mobility is committed to delivering safe, efficient and sustainable shuttle solutions designed to complement today's public transportation options. The company's ultimate goal is to realize a world where self-driving systems make transportation more accessible and reliable, the roads safer, and encourage better land use in order to foster more green, vibrant, and livable spaces. For more information, visit maymobility.com.

Media Contacts:

Raquel Bahamonde

Senior Director of Communications, Energy Systems Network

317-319-6875

rbahamonde@cicpindiana.com

Alissa Moceri

Toyota Mobility Foundation

info@toyota-mf.org

Craig Daitch

Telemetry Public Relations for May Mobility

(248) 880-4403

craig@telemetryagency.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toyota-mobility-foundation-energy-systems-network-and-may-mobility-inaugurate-free-autonomous-shuttle-service-in-indianapolis-301317003.html

SOURCE Toyota Mobility Foundation
Press Release

June 22, 2021 Dispatch from Crame No. 1079:

Sen. Leila M. de Lima On Duterte's defense on the non-publication of the Rome Statute Duterte made the flimsy excuse last night that he cannot be placed under the jurisdiction of the ICC and its processes because the Rome Statute was "not published by the Bureau of Printing." That may be the case, but only if Duterte is defending himself from prosecution under a municipal or domestic law enforceable within Philippine jurisdiction. But he is not. He will soon be investigated and prosecuted under an international treaty known as the Rome Statute whose effectivity is governed not by municipal laws, but by its own provisions, i.e., through ratification. Municipal laws of effectivity do not bind a treaty body, such as the ICC. Once the Philippines submitted its instrument of ratification to the Rome Statute, it effectively and fully became a State party to the Rome Statute. To follow Duterte's novel reasoning would now mean that the Philippines has not effectively ratified any international treaty since the enactment of the Civil Code of the Philippines, including ratification of its membership to the UN, ASEAN, and every other international body of importance to the country. The logical consequences of Duterte's defense are unimaginable. Just to save himself and his death squads from ICC investigation, he is willing to obliterate all Philippine instruments of treaty ratification, making it an international pariah of not being a State party to any treaty ever entered into by States of the modern world. DFA Secretary Teddyboy Locsin should tell Presidential Spox Harry Roque to stop putting stupid ideas about international law in Duterte's mind. Roque should be reminded that as a so-called student of international law, he very well knows that treaties become effective by ratification, and not by being sent to the Bureau of Printing. No right-minded bar examinee will answer a question on how treaties become effective by saying they become effective when they are sent to the Bureau of Printing. Duterte of course is excused from such ignorance of international law. After all, he spent most of his lawyering years as a Davao prosecutor, not as a professor of international law like Roque. But if Duterte is to be followed, then the DFA might as well prepare to be stripped of its embassies and consulates abroad, and our ambassadors and consuls shorn of their diplomatic immunity because, after all, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations was never published by the Bureau of Printing before it was ratified by the Philippines. Duterte of course is grasping at straws in last ditch efforts to save himself from investigation and prosecution by the ICC. He very well knows that the ICC can go after him, otherwise he will not devote so much time disparaging and belittling the international tribunal. He might as well, this early, escape to China or, God forbid, expire prematurely, because no amount of ridiculous international law lessons from Roque will stop his world from getting smaller every day that people in The Hague go to work. Duterte told me at the height of the Kangaroo Bilibid hearings held in Congress in 2016 to just kill myself because I am going to jail. Well, I am still here, still fighting and surviving everything that he has thrown at me. I just hope he won't follow his own advice out of his desperation. (Access Dispatch from Crame No. 1079, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_from_crame_no._1079)
Press Release

June 22, 2021 Bong Go applauds the provision of death and burial benefits to indigenous peoples' representatives in barangays Senator Christopher "Bong" Go lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for authorizing payment of death and burial benefits to indigenous peoples mandatory representatives (IPMR) in barangays who die during their term of office, citing that even before he ran for the Senate in 2019, he was at the forefront calling for such benefits to be granted. "Kinokomendahan ko po ang pagpirma ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte noong June 18 ng Executive Order No. 139 na nagbibigay ng awtoridad sa pagbibigay ng death at burial benefits sa Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives o IPMRs sa mga barangay," said Go. "Malaki po ang maitutulong at maidudulot nito sa mga kababayan nating katutubo, lalo na sa mga pamilya ng kanilang mga lider, sa gitna ng kasalukuyang pandemya," he added. "There is a need to recognize the invaluable contribution" of IPMRs in barangays, the President stated in Executive Order No. 139. It tasks the Department of the Interior and Local Government, as well as the Department of Budget and Management and the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples, with determining the amount to be used to cover IPMRs' death and burial benefits. Furthermore, EO 139 asserts that such compensation is in full compliance with the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 8371, also known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. According to the said legislation, Indigenous peoples' representatives in all policy-making bodies and local councils should have the same rights as regular members of the legislative and policy-making bodies they belong to. Even before he became senator, Go had vowed to promote the interests and welfare of the IPs, saying he wants to make sure they are not marginalized in our society. In 2019, Go recommended to the Office of the President the grant of PhP3,000 Christmas incentives to elected barangay officials, including IPMRs, to show appreciation for their hard work in their respective communities. "Wala po kaming ibang hangarin ni Pangulong Duterte kundi ang kabutihan ng bawat Pilipino dahil mahal namin kayo," Go said. The Senator has also been assisting indigenous communities affected by the pandemic. On May 20, Go provided assistance to indigenous communities, former rebels and farmers in Mati City, Davao Oriental amid hardships caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He also expressed his support for the construction of the Masandag Tribal Village in Tagum City, Davao del Norte which will offer proper housing to 400 members of indigenous groups in the area as his team extended additional assistance to the IP community. "Sa wakas, matutupad na rin ang pangarap ng ating mga kapatid na Lumad na magkaroon ng sariling bahay, at inyo na talaga itong mga bahay," Go said in a video message played during the ceremonial Memorandum of Agreement signing, turnover of checks, and groundbreaking of the tribal village housing on May 19. Go said that the project is a testament to the synergy of the Duterte Administration and the whole of society to support communities affected by the pandemic and to ensure that no Filipino is left behind on the path towards recovery and progress. Go also filed Senate Bill No. 391 or the Magna Carta for Barangays which seeks to further strengthen the barangays, recognizing their critical role as the country's basic political unit and frontliner in the delivery of government services. The measure will declare the Punong Barangay, members of the Sangguniang Barangay, chairperson of the Sangguniang Kabataan, barangay secretary and barangay treasurer as regular government employees, and will be entitled to salary, emoluments, and allowances. Go also supported the postponement of the 2019 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to December 2022. He argued that the move would give the next elected president and new barangay officials the opportunity to work and accomplish programs together. Duterte eventually signed into law the bill postponing the elections on December 3, 2019 and was enacted as Republic Act No. 11462.
Press Release

June 22, 2021 Villar calls for wetland protection; pursues initiatives to avert any reclamation near the buffer zone of Las Pinas Paranaque Wetland Park ACKNOWLEDGING the significance of biodiversity conservation, Senator Cynthia Villar, who has been at the forefront of protecting the Las Pinas- Paranaque Wetland Park (LPPWP), yesterday enjoined more advocates, especially the youth, to join her in this endeavor. In her keynote address on webinar during the 3rd Anniversary of LPPWP as a Protected Area, Villar expressed hope to sustain the momentum of what "we have been doing to protect LPPWP all these years. " LPPWP, formerly known as Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), has been included on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance in May 2013. It was declared a protected area by virtue of the enactment of RA No. 11038 or the Expanded NIPAS Act of 2018. "While LPPWP is indeed a showcase of biodiversity conservation in Metro Manila, we envision it to be the premiere learning environment for urban wetlands in the Philippines," stressed Villar, chairperson of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources. According to the senator, a staunch environmentalist, they are exerting all efforts to make LPPWP a model of sustainable eco-tourism at its best, "while ensuring that its natural ecological attributes are not compromised." "I have been involved in the conservation of the wetland park for two decades now. I was taken in by its simple but scenic natural attributes and its functionality. It is the lone natural wetland park in the entire Metro Manila and its lush mangrove cover has been giving the residents of my city protection against flooding, high tides and storm surges," noted the Nacionalista Party senator. But since the wetland park is in the metropolis where development projects abound, Villar said it faced its biggest threat-- the planned reclamation by Alltech Contractors sometime in 2010. To ward off the reclamation, Villar, along with 315,849 residents, filed a Petition for Writ of Kalikasan with the Supreme Court in 2012, insisting it would prejudice residents of Las Pinas, Paranaque and Bacoor, among other reasons. Although the SC has not issued its final decision in the case, Villar said she believes that Alltech's reclamation project was mooted. She said the late DENR Sec. Gina Lopez in 2017 cancelled the ECC for the reclamation project. On June 22, 2018, the then LPPCHEA was declared a legislated protected area. Despite protected area status, Villar conceded the threat of reclamation is far from over. She cited a number of proposed reclamation projects in Cavite, Paranaque City and in other cities in Metro Manila near the wetland park. Due to this, Villar said she is actively pursuing the establishment of substantial area of buffer zones on the waters of Manila Bay that will provide ample protection to the wetland park. The ENIPAS law provides for the establishment of buffer zones surrounding the protected areas, when necessary, for the purpose of providing extra layer of protection to the protected area. Buffer zone refers to identified areas outside the boundaries of designated protected areas that need special development control in order to avoid or minimize harm to the protected area. At present, she said the DENR - ERDB (Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau), under the direction of DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, is conducting its research on the matter which she has been monitoring. "I want to ensure that no reclamation projects should be pursued if it will only threaten the survival of LPPWP. The wetland park, its protection and its functionality should not be compromised because its existence is intended to benefit the present and future generations," she emphasized.
Qatars foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani welcomed Monday Saudi Arabias new ambassador in a sign of full flesh diplomatic detente between the two countries, following early this year agreement to end years-long strained relations.

Sheikh Mohammed assured Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Farhan of all support to advance bilateral relations, state-run news agency QNA noted.

Prince Mansours appointment comes following the January agreement between Qatar on one hand and Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the other hand, to end years of diplomatic row.

Saudi Arabia led from June 2017 until January this year a diplomatic boycott of Qatar over its alleged sponsorship for terrorism.

Qatar denied any wrongdoing and accused the boycotters of a smear campaign.
Malaysia is looking to inject some investment in Egypts Suez Canal Economic Area (SCZone), the Arab Republic announced in a statement on Monday.

Hishamuddin Hussein, the top diplomat of the Asian country met up with President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi and discussed joint cooperation and pump Malaysias investment in industrial sectors targeted by the Economic Zone within its plan during 2020/2025.

The Thai future investments are expected to go in petrochemical manufacturing in Ain Sokhna as well as the rail equipment manufacturing in Port Said.

It is unclear when Malaysia is planning to make the investments.

The Asian country is not the only in the world seeking cooperation with the SCZone.

In June, the SCZone and its counterpart in Polands Katowice signed a deal to establish a Polish industrial zone in Ain Sokhna, Arab Finance reports.

Russia is equally mulling plans to establish its second industrial zone in Egypt in Ain Sokhna, the media notes.
Prime Minister of Georgia congratulates Nikol Pashinyan on victory in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

By Veronika Malinboym

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili congratulated Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on his victory in the early parliamentary elections of June 20 in Armenia. In a post on his official Twitter page, PM Garibashvili writes:I extend the warmest congratulations to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyanon for handling successful elections and victory of the Civil Contract Party according to the preliminary results. I wish all success ahead. I look forward to working closely with the new Armenian Government.Nikol Pashinyans Civil Contract party has won in the snap parliamentary elections in a landslide after obtaining a total of 53,92% of votes, according to the preliminary results released by the countrys Central Election Commission. The second-largest number of votes has been obtained by the opposition Armenia bloc headed by ex-President Robert Kocharyan. The third political party to enter the parliament is the opposition I Have The Honor bloc of another ex-President, Serzh Sargsyan, with a total of 5,23% of votes, and, despite failing to cross the 7% threshold, it will still be able to enter the parliament.Armenia has announced early parliamentary elections in an attempt to overcome a political crisis which has erupted shortly after the countrys defeat in the second Karabakh war. The opposition then demanded Pashinyans immediate resignation, however, he claimed that he had been appointed by the will of the people of Armenia and would not leave upon oppositions demand. Soon after, acting PM Pashinyan reached an agreement with the opposition represented in the Parliament and announced his resignation and the beginning of the dissolution of the Parliament.Pashinyan himself described the victory in the elections as the steel revolution which followed the Velvet revolution of 2018 which he headed. He added in response to his party being too tolerant to the previous authorities that although both revolutions were non-violent, he will make sure to bring to justice those who accumulated wealth at the expense of Armenian citizens who had to suffer in poverty.
The identity and nationality of the prime suspect in the murder of lawyer Elizabeth Koki Musyoki has puzzled Kenyan authorities forcing them to contact the International Criminal Police Organization(Interpol).

The suspect, known by his aliases Christian Baledi Kadima and Eric Kambaye Katalayi, claims he is Congolese but he was caught with multiple travel documents with different names and nationalities.

Last week, the High court dismissed the suspects application to be released on bail saying his identity is not verifiable.

Justice David Kemei ruled that the suspect is a flight risk and his actual identity cannot be verified.

The court also found the accused has neither a fixed place of abode nor familiar ties in Kenya. His friends in Nairobi and Congolese Embassy officials whom he had said were willing to guarantee his bail steered clear of him.

The pre-bail report indicated that the accused provided a list of his Kenyan friends but upon being contacted they shied away claiming that their properties might be sold off in the event the accused absconds court, said Justice Kemei.

The judge also noted that although the accused claimed that the deceased Koki was his wife and he intended to formalise their union, the pre-bail report painted a picture of a person who is always on the move.
A woman has dragged Senate Speaker Kenneth Makelo Lusaka to court demanding that he takes responsibility for their unborn child.

Through her lawyer Danstan Omari, the woman alleges that Ken Lusaka has refused to fulfill his obligation to support her by providing for her and the unborn childs necessities.

In court documents, the woman claims that Lusaka, despite being a man of means, has refused, neglected and ignored to take care of her pre-natal clinics necessary to ensure the wellbeing of the unborn child.

She notes that the Speaker has absconded responsibility perhaps in the hope of stressing the applicant and causing a miscarriage of their unborn child.

The woman claims that she has been experiencing pregnancy complications that potentially threaten the life of their unborn child if unmitigated and largely because she is unable to financially meet the cost of the hospitals.

Lawyer Omari further notes that Lusaka has continually refused his association with her despite the fact that he is well aware that they have been having unprotected carnal knowledge together for years.

Parties have been having a jolly intimate affair punctuated with several instances unprotected carnal knowledge since the year 2018 up until about two months ago (May 2021) when they disagreed strongly after the applicant disclosed that as a consequence of their unprotected sexual encounters, she had conceived a child, reads court papers.

The cause of their disagreement was exacerbated by Lusakas insistence on terminating the pregnancy, a proposal that the applicant declined to accede to and now she is three months pregnant and counting since she discovered that she was expectant of Lusakas child as she has not been intimate with any other man other than the respondent, a fact that can be confirmed through a prenatal paternity test.

The woman is seeking Ksh200,000 per month or an alternative lump sum amount of Ksh25 million if Ken Lusaka is unable to meet his monthly obligations.

Justice James Makau on Monday morning certified the matter as urgent and directed the woman to serve Lusaka.

The case will be heard on July 7.
Kennedy Bosire Nyabwari, a 79-year-old man who was last week rescued from his abductors, says he was so scared that he tried to commit suicide.

Recounting the ordeal, Bosire said he left his home in Kitale on Sunday, June 6 at around 5 pm to visit his ailing aunt in Kisii.

His wife, Rhoda, insisted that he travels the next morning but Bosire badly needed to see his aunt.

He then took a motorbike ride to the Maili Saba stage, but his journey to Kisii was cut short as all the vehicles available were ending their trips in Eldoret.

Instead of returning home, Bosire opted to book a guest room in a bid to catch the earliest matatu out of the town to Kisii.

I had a nice meal and later on requested the attendant to wake me up very early the following morning around 4 am since I had a long journey and wanted to be in Kisii early for the hospital visiting hours, Bosire told the Nation.

At around 3 am, Bosire was already up; he prepared himself ad left the room. At the gate, he asked a security guard if he could get a motorbike to town and was told to walk towards the road where he could easily find one.

When I reached the All Saints Cathedral area near Skynest hotel, I saw a motorbike approaching from the other side of the road. I asked him if he was heading to town, to which the rider agreed at Sh50, he narrated.

Bodaboda Rider Diverted To an Unknown Location

Bosires ordeal started after the bodaboda rider diverted from the main road towards Kitale town to a different direction towards Kenya Forest Service.

When Bosire asked the rider to get back to the right route, the bodaboda operator said he was dropping the other passengers with him, before heading to town through a short route.

After all the other passengers had alighted, two men emerged just as the motorbike was approaching the Kitale Showground.

The men commanded Bosire to switch off his phone. As I was being ordered, one of them covered my head with a sack. That is when I realised that my life was in danger, he recounted.

His abductors then sandwiched him atop the motorbike, one was holding him from behind as the other held the sack covered on his head.

They took off to a house that became his home for a few days. At around 7 pm, the captors gave Bosire his first meal of the day but he refused to eat.

Late in the night, one of the kidnappers placed a knife close to his neck asking him why he had not eaten.
President Uhuru Kenyatta was on Monday afternoon received by King Philippe at the Royal Palace in Brussels at the start of his two-day official visit to the Kingdom of Belgium and the European Union.

The President, who is accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs), Betty Maina (Trade) and Aden Mohammed (EAC), held private talks with King Philippe.

During the two-day visit, the President is scheduled to meet the President of the European Council Charles Michel to discuss Kenya-EU relations and address a Kenya-Belgium business forum.

Also on the Presidents itinerary is a meeting with the Secretary-General of the Organization of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Dr Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti and an address to the organizations Committee of Ambassadors.

President Kenyatta, who arrived in Brussels on Sunday evening aboard a Kenya Airways aircraft, is the President-in-Office of the 79-member OACPS.

Speaking ahead of the Presidents arrival, Kenyas ambassador to Belgium Prof Jacob Kaimenyi said during the visit, the Head of State will address matters related to Kenya-Belgium, and Kenya-EU relations as well as regional agenda in his capacity as the Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC).

In his capacity as the President-in-Office of the OACPS, Prof Kaimenyi said the President will discuss the progress of the post-Cotonou agreement with his European Council counterpart and get an update on the instruments roll out progress from the Secretary-General of the Brussels-based multilateral institution.

Weve had the Cotonou agreement which has been there for 20 years, coming to an end in 2020. We have negotiated another agreement between the European Union and OACPS, 79 countries, called post-Cotonou agreement, post 2020 so to speak, Prof Kaimenyi said.

On Kenya-Belgium relations, Prof Kaimenyi said the Presidents meeting with King Phillipe will help strengthen diplomatic ties between Nairobi and Brussels, while investment and trade matters will be dealt with at the business forum.

He said Kenya is working on growing its trade with Belgium by addressing barriers such as double taxation, and diversifying its exports beyond tea and coffee to include horticultural crops such as a mangoes and other tropical fruits.

Prof Kaimenyi said the Presidents meeting with his European Council counterpart Charles Michel comes at an opportune time when Kenya and the EU are gearing up to start negotiations for a new partnership agreement for the period 2022 to 2027.

Besides the Kenya-EU partnership agreement, Prof Kaimenyi revealed that President Kenyatta and his European Council counterpart will discuss the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), a matter that has been outstanding since 2014.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss the progress of the ongoing development of a strategic dialogue framework between Kenya and the EU. The decision to elevate the Kenya-EU relationship was arrived at during President Michels last visit to Nairobi.

When the President of the Council, Charles Michel met the President at State House, the issue of upping our game in terms of strategic dialogue between EU and Kenya was raised.

We have the relevant ministers, the Minister for Trade CS Maina is going to be here, she will be supported by CS for EAC Adan Mohammed. Theyre going to hold a meeting with requisite officials from the EU to discuss the matter.

Having discussed this matter with EU external service officials, theres a lot of excitement. People are very optimistic, Prof Kaimenyi said in reference to the strategic dialogue framework.

In his meeting with Dr Chikoti and address to the Committee of Ambassadors of the OACPS, Prof Kaimenyi said the President is expected to be appraised on the implementation progress of the 2019 Nairobi Nguvu Ya Pamoja declaration and provide guidance on the next steps.

He (President Kenyatta) will meet the Secretary-General of the OACPS to be briefed on what has transpired since 2019 and pick his brain, as the President-in-Office, on where we should be before he completes his (term of) office next year, Prof Kaimenyi said.
Before joining politics and becoming one of the wealthiest politicians in the country, former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko wanted to become a police officer.

The year was 1993 when an 18-year-old Mike Sonko tried his luck at joining the Kenya police service. This despite being rich enough to build himself a palatial mansion in Mombasa.

At the time, Sonko was supervising the construction of his 14 bedroomed house opposite the Golden guest house in Kwale, Mombasa.

I left my construction site where I was supervising the construction of my 14 bedroomed house and went for police recruitment at Kwale grounds. In the last recruitment stage, we were told to run 150metres, says Sonko, adding that he finished first in the race.

According to Sonko, finishing first didnt help his case as he was disqualified for running very first like a thief and not a police officer.

Disappointed, Sonko returned to his car, a Mercedes Benz, when three curious cops followed him to ask about his expensive car.

As I opened the drivers door 3 cops followed me wakaniuliza hi gari ni yako au ya babako au you have been employed as a drivers incentives. Since nilikuwa na hasira I answered them zote. At this point former Kwale Deputy OCPD a Mr. Gituku ( alikuwa na mvi ya white) akaingilia and told them huyu kijana ni katajiri kahapa ka mashamba, Sonko recalls.

The politician then gave the cops some petty cash. He would later meet the same cops at his local where they told him that he had qualified and was supposed to report to Kiganjo police training college for a full police course.

The following day, Sonko says he shared the good news with some of his friends in the police force, who discouraged him against a career in the service.

Read the full story in Sonkos words below.

SIDENOTE: At this rate, and with all the spare time he has now, Sonko should just start a YouTube channel to share more of his stories. I personally would like to know how he escaped a police dragnet for 11 hours leading to his dramatic arrest in Voi, and what really made him scream as cops handcuffed him.

THE DAY I WANTED TO BECOME A COP. AFADHALI NINGEKUWA KARAO.

A day like today in 1993 I wanted to become a police officer, I left my construction site where I was supervising the construction of my 14 bedroomed house opposite Golden guest house and went for police recruitment at Kwale grounds.

In the last recruitment stage, we were told to run 150metres. Nikajaribu yangu yote and took the first position, nilipomaliza as a winner I was slapped several times na nikakuwa disqualified ati I was running very first like a thief and not a police officer.

I then went to my blue Mercedes benz KUW 008. As I opened the drivers door 3 cops followed me wakaniuliza hi gari ni yako au ya babako au you have been employed as a drivers incentives, since nilikuwa na hasira I answered them zote.

At this point former Kwale Deputy OCPD a Mr. Gituku (alikuwa na mvi ya white) akaingilie and told them huyu kijana ni katajiri kahapa ka mashamba. I opened the dashboard of my car and gave them 3k each in 500s.

Then jioni when I was at my local pub Simba bar kwale town the officers came for a drink in company of Mr. Gituku. I treated them vizuri before they left wakasema imesemekana nimequalify and Im supposed to report to kiganjo for full police course.

The following day I was excited Nika share the good news with my friends Mr. Antony Oyier who was the DO matuga( his father was a PC ), Mzee Githende Gachanja who was the principal Government training institute Matuga, Police constables Chacha, Ngowa, Aden and Muita who were all my best friends wakanidiscourage wakasema unajua ile shida inakuanga kwa training kiganjo, what are you lacking in life that you want to become a police officer, wachana na hiyo mchezo.

Sikujua kumbe God had better plans for me. Imagine had I accepted the offer of going to kiganjo today ningekuwa karao.
Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari today reviewed greenfield expressway and highways projects worth Rs 3.26 lakh crore, currently under various stages of development across various parts of the country.

Gadkari asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure timely implementation as well as have a plan for timely monetisation of the upcoming greenfield projects in place, even as the minister was apprised of the various challenges being faced in implementation such as land acquisition and environment clearances.

The projects that were reviewed by the minister are five greenfield expressways and seventeen access-controlled greenfield highways, which are part of the Bharatmala project. The 22 projects having a total length of 8,000 kilometres are expected to cost Rs 3.26 lakh crore.

"A detailed presentation on the present status of award, bidding, and hindrances related to pre-construction activities especially land acquisition, environmental clearance/forest clearance was made by NHAI before the minister," said a press release from the ministry of road transport and highways. During the review, Gadkari emphasised that issues related to various state governments may be sorted out quickly and wherever required the state specific matter may be taken up at his level.

Also read: The Future Is Electric

The projects that were reviewed are Delhi-Mumbai greenfield expressway, and others like Delhi-Katra, Bengaluru-Chennai, Delhi-Dehradun, Nagpur Vijayawada and Indore-Hyderabad, among others.

All the 22 projects are scheduled to be completed by 2023 and 2025 and the minister asked the authorities to stick to the completion deadline. "Gadkari also laid stress on timely monetisation of projects after completion as well as value capture by developing facilities for road users along the upcoming highways. He directed that stringent monitoring of the target dates of award of projects and scheduled dates of completion be done without any compromise with the quality of work in order to develop world class highway infrastructure," said the ministry release.

As of March 31 this year, highway contracts worth Rs 9,22,404 crore are under implementation. The ministry has constructed 13,298 km in 2020-21, which translates into 36 km per day. Gadkari has earlier said that India will construct highways at a pace of 40 km per day in the current financial year.

Also read: Highways Sans Toll Plazas
Edtech firm Byju's has raised $50 million in its Series F funding round from investors. According to regulatory filings, the amount was raised from IIFL and Maitri Edtech. IIFL invested $35 million, while Maitri Edtech invested $15 million.

This latest round of funding comes a week after a bunch of investors including UBS Group, Blackstone, Abu Dhabi state fund ADQ, Zoom founder Eric Yuan and Phoenix Rising-Beacon Holdings pumped in $350 million into the homegrown edtech giant, taking its valuation to $16.5 billion. Byju's is India's most-valued startup, ahead of digital payments platform Paytm that is valued at $16 billion.

The company, headed by Byju Raveendran, has been raising funds in tranches as part of the Series F investments. Investors including Baron Funds, XN Exponent Holdings and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin's B Capital Group have infused over $1 billion into the company so far. With the latest $50 million, Byju's financing has reached more than $1.5 billion.

Most of the capital raised will drive Byju's acquisition plans. In April, it acquired exam preparation company Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) for nearly $1 billion. It had also acquired children's coding platform WhiteHat Jr for $300 million last year.

The company is backed by some big names including Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, and Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). It is aiming to expand its presence in the US, UK, Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia through its Future School platform.

Also read: Byju's raises $350 million, becomes most-valued Indian startup

Also read: Abu Dhabi's ADQ invests in ed-tech company Byju's
With the super app in the making and expansion of digital business, Tata Sons is looking for investors to pump in money. The company reportedly approached global investors to raise an estimated $2-2.5 billion for its digital business as the company prepares for the pilot launch of its super app in Bengaluru in September.

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran met many investors during his recent US trip in May to showcase the group's new venture, stated a report in The Economic Times. In the initial stage PE funds are likely to be approached, following which strategic investors will be approached after the business sizes up.

Mukesh Bansal, co-founder of fitness startup Curefit who joined Tata Digital as president is one of the key members of the fundraising team, stated the daily. Before Curefit, Bansal was associated with Myntra. After Myntra was acquired by Flipkart in 2014, he was the head of commerce in Flipkart.

Tata aims to expand the company's digital footprint across businesses in order to compete with the likes of Amazon, Flipkart and Reliance's JioMart.

The conglomerate is working on a super app that will be a one-stop platform for ecommerce, financial services, fitness, lifestyle, fashion etc. The app is likely to give loyalty points upon usage which can then be used to book a Vistara flight or stay at a Taj property, stated the daily.

Some of the most popular names including online grocer BigBasket, online pharmacy startup 1mg have been acquired by the company for Tata's super app. Besides, the company will also integrate some of the existing digital businesses of the group including Tata Cliq.

Also read: Multibagger alert: This Tata Group stock zoomed 268% in 12 months, did you miss the rally?

Also read: Tata Digital to invest up to $75 million in CureFit, names Mukesh Bansal as president
The Union Health Ministry has warned Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh about the presence of 'Delta Plus' variant of coronavirus in some districts of the states, and asked them to take appropriate measures.

The Delta Plus variant has been found by INSACOG in genome sequenced samples from Ratnagiri and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra, Palakkad and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala, and Bhopal and Shivpuri districts of Madhya Pradesh, the health ministry said in a statement.

INSACOG is a consortium of 28 laboratories of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Depatment of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for whole genome sequencing in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine in final stages of receiving approval in India: Pfizer CEO

The Delta Plus variant has higher transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells, and potentially reduces monoclonal antibody response, as per INSACOG.

While the measures to be taken by states against the variant will broadly remain the same as those implemented by them earlier, they will have to become more focused and effective, the statement said.

The chief secretaries of the states have been advised to take up immediate containment measures in the districts and clusters, as identified by INSACOG, including preventing crowds and intermingling of people, widespread testing, prompt tracing as well as vaccine coverage on a priority basis.

"They were also advised to ensure that adequate samples of positive persons are promptly sent to the designated laboratories of INSACOG so that clinical epidemiological correlations can be made for further guidance to be provided to states," the ministry said.

Also read: Centre asks ICAI to form 7-member taskforce to look into glitches in new I-T portal
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met with Infosys representatives to review technical issues that plague the new income tax e-filing portal. The new income tax portal e-filing portal had gone live on June 7, 2021. However, since its launch, numerous glitches in the functionality of the app have been detected. Infosys is the vendor that had developed the portal for the government.

In the meeting, Sitharaman expressed concern for the various problems being faced by the stakeholders in the new e-filing portal that was expected to provide a seamless experience to the Indian taxpayers. The Finance Minister has asked Infosys to address all issues without further loss of time. She has told the IT firm to improve its services and redress grievances on priority as issues with the portal are impacting taxpayers adversely. The Finance Minister exhorted Infosys to make the portal more humane and user-friendly.

Apart from the Finance Minister, MoS for Finance Anurag Thakur, Revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj, CBDT chairman Jagannath Mohapatra and other senior ministry officials were also present for the meeting. Infosys was represented by its MD and CEO, Salil Parekh and COO, Shri Praveen Rao among other members of their team.

During the meeting, the Finance Minister emphasised that enhancing services for taxpayers is an important priority for the present government and every effort should be made to achieve this.

Before the meeting, the Finance Ministry had invited suggestions regarding the glitches on the e-filing portal from the general public. "More than 700 emails detailing over 2000 issues including 90 unique issues/problems in the portal were received in response to the same," noted a government press release.

Sitharaman expressed her gratitude to the people who sent inputs and assured them that their suggestions would be taken up and addressed on priority. She appreciated the taxpayers who have kept up with the timelines of compliance despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Infosys has taken note of the issues highlighted by the stakeholders. "They informed that Infosys has been working to fix the technical issues noticed in the functioning of the portal and that they have augmented the resources for execution of the project on the hardware as well as the application side and that some of the issues have already been identified and fixed," noted the release.

Infosys has assured that for the remaining issues, their teams are at work fixing them. Infosys gave the expected timelines within which the issues such as e-proceedings, Form 15CA/15CB, TDS statements, DSC, viewing of past ITRs etc. are expected to be resolved.

(Edited by Mohammad Haaris Beg)

Also Read: Centre asks ICAI to form 7-member taskforce to look into glitches in new I-T portal
The Union health ministry on Monday reiterated there is no scientific evidence of COVID-19 vaccination causing infertility in men and women and asserted the jabs are safe and effective. There have been media reports expressing concern regarding infertility due to COVID-19 vaccination among people of reproductive age, the ministry said in a statement.

Over the last few days, certain media reports have highlighted the prevalence of various superstitions and myths in a section of healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs) including the nurses, it said.

Such misinformation and rumours were spread during the vaccination drives against polio and measles-rubella too, it added.

The ministry said it has clarified in the FAQs (frequently asked questions) posted on the website that none of the available vaccines affect fertility, as all the vaccines and their constituents are tested first on animals and later on humans to assess if they have any such side effects.

Vaccines are authorised for use only after their safety and efficacy is assured, the statement said.

"Furthermore, in order to curb the prevalent myth regarding infertility due to COVID-19 vaccination, the government of India has clarified that there are no scientific evidences suggesting COVID-19 vaccination can cause infertility in men and women. The vaccines have been found to be safe and effective," it stated.

The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) has recommended the COVID-19 vaccination for all lactating women, terming it as safe with no need to stop or pause breastfeeding before or after the vaccination.

Also read: COVID-19: India administers record 80.96 lakh vaccine doses in a single day
Highlights Bitcoin's value dropped further, continuing a two-week-long slump in the market.

Other cryptocurrencies also lose their value in the wake of an increasing crackdown in China.

Banks and payment firms in China have also been instructed to monitor illegal cryptocurrency mining and trading.

Bitcoin continues to tumble as China expands its crackdown on its mining. The downfall comes months after the cryptocurrency experienced a record high in the global markets.

The world's most valued cryptocurrency fell to as low as $31,400 on Monday, dragging others in its wake. The slump continues from a two-week dip triggered by the Chinese crackdown on its mining and trading in a bid to eliminate financial risk for the country's investors.

On Friday, Chinese authorities in the southwest province of Sichuan ordered the shut down of bitcoin mining projects. Following the order, China's central bank summoned some banks and payment firms, including China Construction Bank and Alipay, and urged them to stop cryptocurrency trading.

Citing data from the University of Cambridge, a report by The Guardian points out that bitcoin mining in China accounted for about 65 per cent of global production in 2020. The data also reveals that Sichuan is the second-biggest producer of cryptocurrency.

Crackdown on the operations in the region, thus, was bound to have a global impact on bitcoin's appeal. Agricultural Bank of China (AgBank), China's third-largest lender by assets, confirmed that it would shut down illegal activities involving crypto mining and trading based on the guidance of the People's Bank of China.

In another statement, Ant Group's payment platform Alipay stated that it would set up a regulator monitoring system that will target suspicious websites and accounts to detect illegal crypto transactions.

Bitcoin's price drop reflected in almost all other cryptocurrencies. Ether dropped to a five-week low of $1,890. Similarly, Matic dropped to $1.15 for the first time in the last six weeks.

Investors' trust in cryptocurrency lingers on by a thread as the government's around the world begin regulating their trading and mining. Earlier this month, Thailand banned meme coins, NFTs and exchange tokens in new regulation for its crypto market. Thai SEC directed digital asset exchanges to delist these tokens within 30 days of the effective date of the notice, that is, June 11.

It stated that the new regulatory guideline is meant to protect the interest of digital asset traders.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 22, 2021

2021/06/22

On June 23, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will preside over the Asia and Pacific High-level Conference on Belt and Road Cooperation with the theme of "Promoting Cooperation on Combating the Pandemic for Sustainable Recovery" via video link. More than 30 parties, including foreign ministers or economic ministers of relevant countries in Asia-Pacific and representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations will attend the meeting.

CRI: What is China's consideration behind this High-level Video Conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation in Asia Pacific Region? And what do you expect out of it?

Zhao Lijian: This is a high-level international conference on the Belt and Road Initiative with a wide range of participants, which reflects the high priority all parties attach to and support they lend to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

More and more friends and partners are joining in the BRI. Up to date, altogether 140 countries and 32 international organizations have joined in the initiative with fruitful cooperation results in various fields, making the BRI a popular global public good. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the BRI partners have worked together to strengthen the building of a "Silk Road for health", a "green Silk Road" and a "digital Silk Road", making new progress, and contributing to the fight against the epidemic, economic stability and people's livelihood in all countries.

In his keynote speech at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021, President Xi Jinping said that China would continue to work with other parties on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to build a closer partnership for health cooperation, connectivity, green development, openness and inclusiveness. The purpose of this meeting is to build on President Xi Jinping's important initiative to forge new consensus with countries in the Asia-Pacific region on jointly fighting the epidemic and promoting sustainable economic recovery, advance high-quality development of the BRI, and make greater contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for Asia-Pacific region and the entire mankind.

Xinhua News Agency: On June 21, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that while the global community is looking into the origin of the COVID-19 virus, the US and its allies will "work together to exercise the necessary pressure on China to be a participant and to provide transparent data and access in this case". What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: On the issue of origin-tracing, the US has no right to blackmail and coerce China, nor does it have the right to attack and smear China on behalf of the international community.

China has made clear on many occasions its position on the issue. I also elaborated on it yesterday. China solemnly calls for three thorough investigations on the US side: first, a thorough investigation into the source of the epidemic in the US; second, a thorough investigation into the causes and those responsible for the US failure to fight the epidemic; and third, a thorough investigation into the problems at Fort Detrick and the US' over 200 overseas bio labs. We also call on the international community to work together to urge the US to cooperate with the investigation and provide transparent data and access.

AFP: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said yesterday that she hopes to visit Xinjiang this year and to be given "meaningful access" to look into "reports of serious human rights violations". Does the foreign ministry intend to facilitate such a visit?

Zhao Lijian: The remarks made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Xinjiang-related issues are seriously inconsistent with the facts. Xinjiang enjoys social stability and economic prosperity, and residents in Xinjiang live a peaceful and happy life. The human rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are fully protected. Out of political motives, certain countries and forces have spread lies and disinformation about Xinjiang in an attempt to tarnish China's image, interfere in China's internal affairs and curb China's development. Their scheme will not succeed. We welcome the High Commissioner to travel to China and visit Xinjiang. We already extended invitation to the High Commissioner for visiting Xinjiang and other places in China, and the two sides are in communication on that. At the same time, we have repeatedly stated that the visit should be a friendly visit with the purpose of promoting exchanges and cooperation, rather than carrying out a so-called "investigation" with presumption of guilt. We are firmly opposed to anyone using this issue for political manipulation and to exert pressure on China.

CCTV: We noted that the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations the instrument of acceptance of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Could you offer more information?

Zhao Lijian: In April this year, President Xi Jinping made the solemn pledge that China decided to accept the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This is China's new contribution to protecting the ozone layer and combating climate change. On 17 June 2021, the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations the instrument of acceptance of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. In accordance with relevant provisions, the amendment will come into force for China on September 15, 2021.

The Kigali Amendment was adopted in October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, which decided to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol, thus opening a new chapter in the history of the coordinated response to ozone layer depletion and climate change.

China has always taken an active and constructive part in the global ozone layer governance and the Montreal Protocol process, and played an important role in the conclusion of the Kigali Amendment. China has taken concrete steps to implement the Montreal Protocol and eliminated over 280,000 tons of ozone-depleting substances, accounting for more than half of the total amount eliminated by developing countries. China has also cracked down on illegal production and fulfilled its obligations under the Protocol. China will continue to earnestly implement the Protocol and advance global climate and environmental governance.

Kyodo News: I have a question on the shutdown of the Hong Kong-based Apple Daily. A US State Department spokesman called it an effort to stifle media freedom and called on China to uphold Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: China resolutely rejects the US interference in Hong Kong affairs which fall within China's internal affairs. The HKSAR government, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR and the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR responded to the relevant issue already. The Central Government of China firmly supports the HKSAR government and police in fulfilling their duty in accordance with law and all efforts to safeguard national security and prosperity and stability in Hong Kong.

China News Service: Recent US media reports have revealed that an FBI agent admitted to falsely accusing Professor Anming Hu, who is of Chinese descent, of being a spy for China, causing him to be put on a federal no-fly list and leading to two years of surveillance on him and his son. Does China have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: I have noted relevant reports. US media are saying that this is part of the "China Initiative" launched by the US Department of Justice. Some federal lawmakers have already called for an investigation into the US intelligence agency's inappropriate behavior in this case. The false accusations expose the US intelligence community's usual ploy of investigation based on presumption of guilt, and stand as further evidence to how the US engages in political manipulation through its intelligence agencies.

The US intelligence apparatus stops at nothing to achieve specific political goals. Its credibility has been shattered by this age-old practice. Mike Pompeo's shameless boast "we lied, we cheated, we stole" is a true description and a black signboard of the US intelligence community. Using a test tube of what was suspected to be laundry powder as evidence, they accused Iraq of hiding weapons of mass destruction. They sent out spies disguised as staff for a fake UN hepatitis-B vaccination program to collect Pakistani people's DNA samples. They conducted massive tapping and theft of secrets, not even sparing European allies. Under "Operation Mockingbird", they recruited media and institutions and forced foreign journalists to spy for them through various means including bribery, manipulation and exploitation.

The US should discard the Cold-War zero-sum mentality and ideological bias, cease its political manipulation, and stop disrupting normal exchange and cooperation in scientific, people-to-people and cultural sectors with China.

People's Daily: Since the US announced troops withdrawal from Afghanistan, we've seen worsening turbulence in the security situation there. What's China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: Since the beginning of this year, Afghanistan has seen incessant domestic conflicts and frequent terrorist attacks, making the security situation more grave and complicated. The US, as the largest external factor on the Afghan issue, bears unshirkable responsibility to the current situation.

Twenty years ago, the US sent troops to Afghanistan in the name of counterterrorism. While combating al-Qaeda and the Taliban, they caused high civilian casualties, bring abysmal calamities to the Afghan people. According to reports, over the past two decades, over 30,000 civilians in Afghanistan were killed in shooting and bombing by the US and US-inflicted war. More than 60,000 were wounded and around 11 million became refugees.

Over the past 20 years, the US has committed numerous crimes and it has no credibility left but only poor track record. On March 5, 2020, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court ruled that its prosecutor could open an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Afghan war since May 2003, including those committed by members of the US armed forces and the CIA, such as alleged attacks against hospitals and other non-military targets, civilian casualties by drones, abuse of prisoners and torture.

Twenty years later, the security situation in Afghanistan remains complex and grim, and the issue of terrorism is no closer to settlement. The US' sudden announcement of a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan has directly led to immediate deterioration in the security situation in Afghanistan and seriously threatened the peace and stability of Afghanistan and the safety of people's lives. The US has left to the Afghan people a future that is riddled with problems and crises. The US troops should withdraw in a responsible manner to ensure a smooth transition in Afghanistan, so as to prevent terrorist forces from taking advantage of the chaos to fester and bring more turbulence and suffering to the Afghan people, and undermine regional peace and stability.

Reuters: According to a report by Politico, the Biden administration is mulling a ban on polysilicon imports from Xinjiang, responding to calls to confront allegations of forced labor and other human rights violations in the region. What's the ministry's comment?

Zhao Lijian: The so-called "genocide" and "forced labor" in Xinjiang are nothing but rumors with ulterior motives and downright lies. Its real purpose is to restrict and contain the development of relevant sectors and enterprises in China. It is imposing on China "forced unemployment", "forced poverty" and unfair competition. China has clarified the facts and the truth many times. The US side should respect the facts, and immediately stop spreading false information and using that as excuses to unjustifiably suppress Chinese companies. China will watch closely the measures to be taken by the US side and make necessary responses to resolutely safeguard its own interests.

Reuters: I also wanted to ask the Chinese ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai has announced that he is leaving his role as Chinese ambassador to the US. Can the ministry comment on who might be replacing him?

Zhao Lijian: Thank you for your attention. At present, I have no information authorized to release.

Reuters: The US Commerce Department said on Monday that it's rescinding a list of prohibited transactions with WeChat and TikTok that were issued under the former President Trump in September. What's the Chinese ministry's comment on this? Does it see this is a positive move?

Zhao Lijian: I have noted relevant reports. This is a positive step toward the right direction. China has all along urged the US to earnestly respect the principles of the market economy and international economic and trade rules, immediately stop over-stretching the concept of national security, stop abusing state power to unjustifiably suppress Chinese technology companies, and treat Chinese companies in a fair, just and non-discriminatory manner. The Chinese government will continue to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

CNR: In a joint statement released on June 21, the EU, the US, the UK and Canada expressed deep concern regarding the Belarusian government's continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law, and announced coordinated sanctions action. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: China always opposes the willful use or threat of unilateral sanctions in international relations and any interference by external forces in Belarus' internal affairs. China respects the development path chosen independently by Belarus in light of its national conditions. China believes that the Belarusian people have the capability to maintain political stability and social tranquility through their own efforts and hopes that the international community will play a constructive role in this regard.

China Daily: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the China-Europe Railway Express. How did it achieve such leapfrog growth within ten years? How does China envisage the prospect of win-win cooperation with other countries along the BRI route going forward?

Zhao Lijian: In March 2011, the first China-Europe freight train departed from Chongqing of China bound for Duisburg of Germany, opening a prelude to the innovation-driven development of China-Europe freight train service. In the past 10 years, the number of journeys made by China-Europe freight trains exceeded 40,000 in total, including over 10,000 in 2020 alone. The total value of goods carried so far is worth more than 200 billion dollars. The China-Europe Railway Express has altogether developed 73 routes, reaching more than 160 cities in 22 European countries. Over the past decade, it has brought business opportunities to tens of thousands of Chinese and foreign enterprises, and delivered tangible benefits to hundreds of millions of people in countries along the routes, opening a new chapter in Eurasia land transport, and serving as a bridge of mutual benefit and win-win results for countries along the routes.

In particular, since the outbreak of the epidemic, the China-Europe Railway Express, hailed as a "steel camel fleet", has undertaken the sacred mission of opening up a "cargo lifeline", shipping accumulatively 94,000 tons of anti-epidemic supplies consisting of 11.99 million pieces to Europe. This has ensured the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, and played an important role in protecting the safety and health of peoples in countries along the routes.

The China-Europe Railway Express is a major part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Its flourishing growth attests to the great resilience and vitality of the BRI cooperation. According to the latest figure from China's Ministry of Commerce, in the first five months of this year, China's non-financial direct investment in countries along the Belt and Road reached 7.43 billion dollars, a year-on-year increase of 13.8%. Contracted projects are also progressing steadily. Amid the epidemic, the impressive success achieved in BRI cooperation is particularly inspiring. It gives strong impetus to economic recovery and development for countries along the routes, and thus endorsed and praised by the people of these countries.

China stands ready to work with all parties concerned to further deepen practical cooperation across the board, and continue to make headway in advancing BRI cooperation, so as to lend fresh impetus to global economic stability and growth.

Reuters: A UN committee has recommended that Australia's Great Barrier Reef be added to a list of "in danger" World Heritage Sites. It's a move that has angered Australia and the Australian government who believe it was influenced by political interference. A government source told Reuters reporter in Australia that the Canberra believes China is behind the move as China is currently chairing the committee. Do you have any comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: Some people in Australia have been spreading China-related rumors and disinformation out of ideological bias. In the same vein, what you just mentioned is totally groundless smear and slander.
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 Earth - there aren't huge mountain ranges being created here, or giant subduction systems - but it is evidence of deformation due to interior mantle flow, which hasn't been demonstrated on a global scale before."

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 recently - perhaps 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.

Note to editors: An abstract follows.

"A Globally Fragmented and Mobile Lithosphere on Venus"

DOI:

Authors: Paul K. Byrne, North Carolina State University; Richard C. Ghail, University of London, Surrey; A. M. Celal Sengor, Istanbul Technical University; Peter B. James, Baylor University; Christian Klimczak, University of Georgia; Sean C. Solomon, Columbia University

Published: June 21, 2021 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract:

Venus has been thought to possess a globally continuous lithosphere, in contrast to the mosaic of mobile tectonic plates that characterizes Earth. Yet the Venus surface has been extensively deformed, and convection of the underlying mantle, possibly acting in concert with a low-strength lower crust, has been suggested as a source of some surface horizontal strains. The extent of surface mobility on Venus driven by mantle convection, however, and the style and scale of its tectonic expression have been unclear. We report a globally distributed set of crustal blocks in the Venus lowlands that show evidence for having rotated and/or moved laterally relative to one another, akin to jostling pack ice. At least some of this deformation on Venus postdates the emplacement of the locally youngest plains materials. Lithospheric stresses calculated from interior viscous flow models consistent with long-wavelength gravity and topography are sufficient to drive brittle failure in the upper Venus crust in all areas where these blocks are present, confirming that interior convective motion can provide a mechanism for driving deformation at the surface. The limited but widespread lithospheric mobility of Venus, in marked contrast to the tectonic styles indicative of a static lithosphere on Mercury, the Moon, and Mars, may offer parallels to interior-surface coupling on the early Earth, when global heat flux was substantially higher, and the lithosphere generally thinner, than today.

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Driver Montrell Teague had five wins on the Monday Harrington Raceway program which was headlined by a trio of Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund $20,000 divisions for male pacers.

Three of Teagues wins came aboard Clyde Francis-trainees, including front stepping Henrico ($2.10) who completed a sweep of his DSBF eliminations with a 1:57.3 win over Squeak On By and Justflirtingwithu. The Delmarvalous gelding has won 5 of 13 career starts for owners Francis and MST Racing Inc.

KDK Standardbreds Archie And Emerson ($5.20, Jason Thompson) was the fastest DSBF winner of the night with a 1:56.4 win for trainer Dylan Davis. The Delmarvalous gelding was a wire-to-wire winner for the second straight week over Subban and Mister Ramsey. It was his fifth career win.

Leonard Hubbards Zs Dream ($3.80, Art Stafford, Jr.) was a 1:57 winner in the remaining DSBF division over First State Joni and Downtown Show. The Dream Away gelding was determined to make the front early where he would stay for a two-length score, the sixth of his career for trainer Andrew Stafford. The top eight point earners will return to compete in the $100,000 final on July 29.

Teague and Francis teamed up for a win in the overnight feature, the $20,000 Open as Goldberg ($10.20) was a 1:52 winner via a pocket trip over Keep On Rocking A and Jacks Legend N. Teague is currently second in the driver standings.

(Harrington)
It may be the end of the 2021 breeding season in North America, but the Standardbred breeding business is flourishing with the news the top trotting stallion Royalty For Life has been sold and is moving to Ohio.

Standing the 2021 breeding season at Tara Hills Stud Farm, Royalty For Life will move to Dublin Valley Farms in Fredericksburg, Ohio in what has been reported as a seven-figure deal.

Euro Stall SE is the reported purchaser of the stallion. No official word on what Royalty For Lifes stud fee will be in Ohio. Brokering the deal was JC International out of Auckland, New Zealand.

Dublin Valley Farms, owned by Robert Hershberger, already stands the stallions Enterprise, Volstead and Nothing But Class. Now Royalty For Life joins the stallion roster, but its for a different reason that farm owner Robert Hersherger is excited about.

I do not know how well he (Royalty For Life) will be accepted as a harness racing stallion for next year, Hershberger explained. But as a Standardbred stallion standing to breed for show horses and roadster horses, he should be outstanding.

I think that this will be a different twist for the Standardbred industry. Hershberger said. The roadster horse show business has grown by leaps and bounds and is now the hottest equine sport. It has been around for quite some time in competition, but in the last year or so it has really taken off. Recently a Standardbred mare was sold for $230,000 as a roadster horse."

That horse was Izzies Elegance, a daughter of Royalty For Life.

Its exciting for the roadster show horse world, Hershberger added. They are the ones who will really want to breed to him. He will be the hottest thing to happen here in Ohio and the driving horse world. The show horse world is a new angle for the Standardbred in North America. It is a huge deal here in the USA the last couple of years.

We cant wait to get him and breed him for the show horse people and the Standardbred harness racing people too. Royalty For Life is going to make a big splash. This is another great new venue for the Standardbred horse.

For more information about Royalty For Life at Dublin Valley Farms visit dublinvalleyfarms.com or contact Joe Yoder at 330-473-5863.

Royalty For Life raced predominantly at ages two and three, compiling the excellent record of 14 wins and seven placings from 30 starts for earnings of $1.6 million  an average of more than $54,000 per start.

As a two-year-old he displayed tremendous early speed, winning seven times from 14 starts.

He captured the $328,000 International Stallion Stakes at Lexington in 1:54.4, five New Jersey Sire Stakes events and finished runner-up in both the elimination and $600,000 final of the Breeders Crown.

Royalty For Life really came into his own as a three-year-old, winning seven of his 14 starts and a whopping $1.28 million in stakes earnings. His victories included the $1.2-million Hambletonian in straight heats of 1:52 and 1:52.2, the $686,000 Canadian Trotting Classic in a stakes record equaling 1:52.2, the $360,000 Zweig Memorial, the $294,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial in 1:52 and an elimination of the $527,000 Kentucky Futurity.

Royalty For Life is a most interestingly bred horse as he is the richest son of the former top young trotter RC Royalty (3,1:55.2), one of the best of the progeny left by the champion American sire Credit Winner (1:54).

(with files from Steve Wolf)
Internet & Technical Issues Corrected for Nominating Couples for 2021 WWME Longest Married Couple Project

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Worldwide Marriage Encounter

June 22, 2021



SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., June 22, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- A series of internet and technical issues that caused delays in nominating couples for the 2021 Longest Married Couple Project (LMC) sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) have now been corrected and nominations can be received without any problems.



"Normally we would have received many more nominations in the first three weeks of the project, but because of internet and technical issues only 6 couples have been nominated," said Dick & Diane Baumbach and Fr. Dick Morse, the WWME Longest Married Couple Project coordinators, adding "Now, that everything is back on track, family and friends can nominate their couples who have long marriages without any problems."



Due to the unexpected delays, the deadline for nominations has been extended to Sept. 10, 2021. This is the 11th year of the project which was started in 2010. What began as a simple idea to acknowledge couples whose marriages have gone the distance, has been so rewarding to WWME couples across the country. WWME honors a national winning couple along with couples from each of the 50 states and U.S. territories.



The first national winners for the project, which started in 2011, were Marshall & Winnie Kuykendall from Lordsburg, New Mexico who were honored for 82 years of marriage. National winners from Nevada, Connecticut, Kansas, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina and three different couples from California have also been honored.



State winners have also been recognized for their longest marriages. There have been over 2600 couples nominated for the honors since the project began. Both national and state winners of the LMC project are selected solely from nominations submitted.



The national and state winners will be recognized in October of this year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year's national winners were honored virtually by Tony & Sue Morris and Fr. Tom Ogg, the WWME National Leadership team, but this year they plan to do the recognition In person.



There will be a special ceremony with gifts for this year's national winners at their location. The state winners will also receive personal recognition and a special certificate of achievement from the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement.



Nominations, which are open to all husband and wife couples regardless of religious affiliation, may be submitted online at longestmarriedcouple.wwme.org or by email, regular mail or calling a special phone number.



The contact information for sending in a nomination, which simply requires the name of the couple, their wedding date and where they currently reside- plus a contact phone or email address of the individual nominating the couple, is as follows:

go to longestmarriedcouple.wwme.org or



email to dick.diane.baumbach@wwme.org, or



regular mail:

Dick & Diane Baumbach

1332 Deer Trail

Rockledge, FL 32955 or



Special Phone Number 321-652-8262.

Nominations must be received by Sept. 10, 2021. As a matter of safety and protection, the nominators of the winning couples are initially contacted and not the actual winners.



Worldwide Marriage Encounter is the largest faith-based marriage enrichment organization in the world. WWME programs have enriched and transformed the lives of married couples and priests for generations. We offer a peer-to-peer experience, typically over a weekend, where married couples and priests can pause and reflect privately on the meaning of their vocations and are given the tools for nurturing their love. Our mission is to proclaim the value of marriage and holy orders in the Church and in the world.



To learn more about the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends online, go to wwme.org, or contact the WWME national office at (909) 332-7309.



Media inquiries should be directed to: Dick & Diane Baumbach (321) 544-3440 dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net or dick.diane.baumbach@wwme.org



SOURCE Worldwide Marriage Encounter



CONTACT: Dick & Diane Baumbach, 321-544-3440, dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net; dick.diane.baumbach@wwme.org


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
The convergence of technology and medicine today in delivering increasing levels of automation and soon increasing levels of artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to an autonomous future for healthcare, said an industry expert.



Dr Junaid Bajwa, Microsoft Researchs Chief Medical Scientist, examined the role of AI in the laboratory during his talk at the Laboratory Management Conference at the ongoing Medlab Middle East in Dubai.



He said that more and more data in the medical care space, such as increasing data around genetics, about the environments, public health parameters and social circumstances that we live in, and data from wearable devices, is becoming more freely available.



Combining all of these data assets together is a computational challenge but leveraging that for the purposes of health is the next frontier of healthcare, he explained.



With the World Health Organisation predicting a 14 million shortfall in healthcare workers by 2030, he asked the audience to consider the role that technology can play in fulfilling that gap.



Healthcare is exorbitantly expensive with 5% of the population taking anywhere between 25-60% of those resources from the most vulnerable in society. We need to move to a healthcare system that is not just about diagnosis and treatment, but about recognising and prevention, and ultimately towards the personalisation and personal healthcare, he said.



In the laboratory, there are many areas of innovation in terms of automation advancements in home collection, home testing, Point of Care testing, all ultimately driving better patient experiences. There are also huge technology shifts happening around genome sequencing, digital pathology and automated testing systems.



Dr Bajwa said: In terms of the role that AI can play, AI requires access to data, access to domain expertise and access to massive computing power. Todays story is one of automation of processes, aggregation of data, moving to intelligent analysis and AI, and then repeating that cycle. If we get this right, it really has the potential to reduce costs and support clinicians by unmasking occult disease types, generalising new associations and perhaps even generating new novel hypotheses and new mechanisms with which we diagnosis disease in ways that we could have only imagined in the past.



Process automation, digital integration, expanded access, data management and sharing, logistics, and personalised analytics are only a few things that are enhancing the lab experience. We are already today creating the self-driving lab of the future - autonomous labs are not far away, Dr Bajwa added. However, AI today is really only being used in specific use cases, but fundamental infrastructure advances are required to achieve AI-driven and autonomous experiments in the future.



Coinciding with Arab Health, Medlab Middle East will take place on June 23 and 24 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, attracting a range of key laboratory and trade professionals from across the region for the live and in-person event and featuring keynote speeches and scientific lectures, industry briefings, product demonstrations and networking opportunities, as well as a series of pre-arranged one-to-one meetings, with an emphasis on creating lasting relationships.



Rejoy Penacerrada, Conference Director for Informa Markets, said: Over the next few days, Medlab will see the return of the muchanticipated Clinical Microbiology Conference focusing on the latest developments in microbiology and immunology and the role of the medical laboratory in both the management of infectious diseases and epidemiology of infections.



Scientists, researchers, and consultants from across the Middle East region will also be able to exchange their knowledge and views on the current developments at the upcoming Clinical Chemistry, Blood Transfusion and Molecular Diagnostics Conferences at Medlab Middle East.



A virtual showcase of Medlab Middle East will continue until July 22.  TradeArabia News Service
Unilabs, the leading Swiss diagnostic service provider, has announced that its labs in the UAE have acquired new diagnostic solutions, the first of its kind in the region.

Powered by Roche Diagnostics - the world leader in biotechnology - the innovative diagnostic solutions give access to a broad menu of more than 220 parameters including many unique high medical value assays to labs.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of Medlabs Middle East 2021, running at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from June 21 to 24. The diagnostic technology is the latest by Roche designed to deliver excellence, while at the same time simplifying daily work.

Unilabs stressed that equipping the networks labs in the UAE with the new technology is yet another step towards enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of lab and diagnostic services and will surely strengthen the UAEs competitive position in the healthcare field. This goes in line with the government plans to meet the highest international standards based on technology and artificial intelligence.

The new solution combines clinical chemistry, ISE and immunochemistry testing and is designed to support fast and predictable turnaround times across all assays with a reaction time of 18 minutes or less, with STAT assays having just 9 min reaction time. To offer full transparency, the integrated solution allows the operator to see the time to result per sample and per test as well as the time to last result on all ordered tests.

Mohammed Daoud, CEO of Unilabs Middle East, affirmed that the network takes a great interest in equipping its labs with the latest medical devices to develop its services and create a state-of-the-art lab environment that enhances lab services and empowers physicians to take faster actions, thus enhancing the overall healthcare system.

We have always been keen to make the most of the latest lab techniques in light of the remarkable development the world is witnessing in this sector and the expansion of the scope and specialisations of diagnostic laboratories, and their practical contributions to building plans and programmes for prevention and treatment of diseases, he stated.

The new technology acquired by Unilabs will not only increase the efficiency of labs by reducing hands-on time for the operators, enabling reliable and simplified daily operation and offering access to a broad assay menu, but will also provide rapid results that will allow physicians to take quicker action, Daoud said, adding that the network will spare no effort to utilise the latest lab equipment and advanced technologies in diagnostic pathology and information systems, to raise the efficiency of labs.

Laboratories today face an increasing workload and the necessity to deliver results faster amidst constraints of time, space, budget, and qualified staff, while still ensuring quality and maintaining profitability. The integrated solutions from Roche Diagnostics powering Unilabs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi aim to address these challenges and simplify laboratory processes by automating tasks and reducing intervention time by operators. Our focus is on helping physicians deliver better patient care by optimising laboratory efficiency and bringing high medical value tests, said Harald Wolf, General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Middle East.

This partnership will allow both Unilabs and Roche to continue cementing its commitment towards the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various disease areas, including cardiovascular health, womens health, and infectious diseases. Thus, supporting the welfare of the countrys community and providing patients with world-class healthcare.-- TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain has announced the extension of its Covid-19 restrictions, which were set to end this Friday, by an additional week.

The announcement from the Health Ministry came following a meeting of the Government Executive Committee today (June 22), chaired by The Deputy Prime Minister HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa in which latest Covid-19 developments were discussed, reported BNA.

The Committee highlighted that the measures currently in place aim to safeguard the health of all  the governments top priority. It also highlighted the encouraging downward trend of daily active cases in line with the decisions and precautionary measures currently in effect.

It further reviewed the existing programmes and initiatives within the financial and economic stimulus package that has contributed to mitigating the impact of the repercussions of the global pandemic on the Kingdoms economic sectors, especially small and medium enterprises.

Following a presentation provided by the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (Covid-19), headed by the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health Lieutenant-General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, it was decided to extend the precautionary measures for an additional week to maintain the declining trend of daily cases, till July 2.

Under current orders, the following activities remain restricted to all in-person activities:

Shopping malls and commercial shop  with services limited to online sales and delivery

Restaurants and cafes  services limited to delivery and takeaway

Gyms and sport halls, swimming pools, and recreational centres

Cinemas

Events and conferences

Attendance of sporting events

Salons, barber shops, spas and beauty parlours

Social gatherings in homes

Schools and higher educational institutions, kindergartens, rehabilitation centres, nurseries and training centres, with the sole exception of attendance for international examinations

The following policies remain in effect:

Work-from-home policy to cover 70% of Government employees

Current travel procedures to Bahrain

The Supreme Council of Health has permitted resumption of the following activities:

Hypermarkets, supermarkets, grocery stores, and stores that sell meat products and fresh vegetables

Bakeries

Fuel and gas stations

Private health clinics, with the exception of some health services for which a circular is being issued by the National Authority for Regulating Health Professions and Services

Banks and currency exchange services

Administrative offices of institutions and companies, whose activities are not directly customer facing

Import and export distributors

Automobile repair and spare parts shops

Businesses operating in the processing, construction and maintenance sectors

Factories

Enterprises operating in the telecommunication sector

Pharmacies

For their part, the Taskforce added that these sectors will be resumed gradually after the prescribed period and based on medical data and developments.

It reiterated the importance of following all precautionary measures, a responsibility for all citizens and residents, noting that the measures put in place are to safeguard the health of the Kingdoms community.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has partnered with French space agency, CNES for the Emirates Lunar Mission.

Under this new French-Emirati cooperation initiative, CNES will provide MBRSC with two optical cameras (CASPEX) for the Rashid rover, which will provide high resolution images in full HD.

Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, Director General, MBRSC had held a virtual meeting recently with Philippe Baptiste, Chairman and CEO, CNES to discuss the partnership and areas on which both centres can work together.

The CASPEX camera on top of the rovers mast will provide panoramic visibility of the rover surroundings while the rear-mounted CASPEX camera will deliver images of the lunar soil with high spatial resolution. The latters images of the drive tracks will be analysed to determine wheel sinkage and to investigate the detailed wheel-soil interaction. Such data will be important to design the mobility systems of future rovers.

Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, Director-General, MBRSC, said: The UAE aims to lead an innovative and sustainable exploration of the Moon through the Emirates Lunar Mission. Our partnership with CNES is a continuation of the already great collaborative effort with France and we will continue to strengthen it further. We believe that collaboration is the way forward for space exploration, and the more we work together to tackle challenges for the good of humanity, the greater our collective prospects for the future.

Philippe Baptiste, Chairman and CEO, CNES, said: I am glad to add today a new milestone and a new destination to the longstanding partnership between France and the UAE. With MBRSC we have developed a fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation. It will allow us not only to take French technology to the Moon and bring back data for our scientists but most and foremost to strengthen the relations between our respective technology and scientific ecosystems.

The Emirates Lunar Mission is one of the initiatives under the Mars 2117 Programme, which aims to build a human colony on Mars, and is funded by the ICT Fund under the Telecommunications And Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).-- TradeArabia News Service
Vopak has been awarded by Huizhou QuanMei Petrochemical Terminal Co, Ltd, a contract for storage and services of a liquid products terminal in China.

The planned terminal would be constructed and operated as part of ExxonMobils proposed Huizhou chemical complex project.

The contract award is subject to customary conditions, including closing of the transaction and obtaining regulatory approvals, whereby Vopak obtains an ownership interest in the terminal.

This greenfield industrial terminal is located in Guangdong province in the southern part of China, approximately 100 kilometers from Hong Kong. The terminal will serve a world-scale flexible feed steam cracker project to be constructed and operated by ExxonMobil (Huizhou) Chemical Co., Ltd. (EMHCC). The project, which remains subject to final investment decision, is situated in Dayawan Petrochemical Industrial Park, which is one of the seven national petrochemical bases in China.

Vopak will have ownership of 30% of the 560,000 cubic meter terminal, including the pipelines to connect the terminal to the jetty and EMHCC plant. Vopak will also provide services for the terminal and jetty through a separate wholly-owned Vopak entity.

"We are excited for this opportunity to serve ExxonMobil via this greenfield industrial terminal in a safe, sustainable and efficient way," said Eelco Hoekstra, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Royal Vopak. "This project fits perfectly into Vopak's growth strategy for industrial terminals. We are very proud of our expertise and long track record of storing vital products with care for our customers and our drive to continue to invest."

Vopak has been active in China since the beginning of the 1990s and has since established a network of seven terminals, wholly-owned or in different joint ventures, including four industrial terminals.

-- TradeArabia News Service
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will launch flights to Vienna this summer with fares from AED 1,995 ($543). The service will operate twice weekly using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner from July 18.

The new service has been conveniently timed to arrive early morning in Vienna to provide travellers between the UAE and Austria an ideal weekend getaway. Travellers visiting Vienna will enjoy centuries old culture and breathtaking scenery. The Austrian capital has been consistently voted the worlds most livable city.

For Etihad Guest Members wanting to redeem their well-earned miles, Vienna is the ideal destination. Members have access to best value seats with their miles, plus countless hotel and car partners to suit their travel needs.

Austria is currently open to nationals and residents of Austria, residents of Schengen-member states and Switzerland, business travellers and students.

To simplify the travel experience and provide additional peace of mind, Etihad recently launched Verified to Fly, allowing guests to validate their Covid-19 travel documents before arriving at the airport. Travellers who use Verified to Fly can enjoy fast track check-in at the airport by going to the dedicated Verified to Fly desk for a quicker and smoother experience. To use the Verified to Fly service, guests can sign-up by visiting Manage my Booking and will receive further information on how to submit their documents.

For more convenient travel options, guests can also check in for their Etihad flight from the comfort of their own home by visiting etihad.com/homecheckin up to seven hours before their flight. This means passengers can check in their bags, choose their seat and collect their boarding pass and luggage tags from their home in Abu Dhabi. Once at Abu Dhabi International Airport, all non-transit passengers who have used the home check-in service can skip the queues bag-free, making the airport journey seamless. Luggage will need to be collected at the destination baggage belt.

Flying to, from, and via Abu Dhabi is supported by the airlines fully redesigned sanitisation and safety programme, Etihad Wellness, which ensures the highest standards of hygiene are maintained at every stage of the customer journey. - TradeArabia News Service
Help India!



Following his release from Tihar jail on June 17, student-activist Asif Iqbal Tanha in an interview with TCN recalls his experience in prison, where he spent 13 months.

Shadab Farooq | TwoCircles.net

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NEW DELHI  Asif Iqbal Tanha, 25, a BA final-year Persian studies student at Jamia Millia Islamia, along with student activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita of Pinjra Tod, were released on June 17 from Tihar jail, two days after Delhi High Court granted them bail in the case related to Delhi riots conspiracy.

The three were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Law (UAPA), a law that has widely been condemned as repressive in India.

On June 17, people gathered outside Tihar jail to welcome Asif. Talking to TwoCircles.net on his release, Tanha, who hails from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, said This is a very wonderful feeling.

Because of the charges levelled against me, I assumed I would not be released early. But justice was served, and the Delhi High Court order offers us a lot of hope and strength, as it restores our faith in the Indian courts standing up for the peoples right to free speech and democratic dissent, he said.

Asif said that he has been involved in politics since he was a teenager and joined the Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO), the student arm of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind when he was 15 years old.

Jailed for dissent for 13 months

On May 16, 2020, Asif Iqbal Tanha was summoned by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police, which was investigating the Jamia violence, and his arrest was registered on May 17 following a night-long investigation.

Asif was imprisoned for 13 months. It was like travelling from one space to another, a whole new planet, Asif recalled of his time in prison. However, after a month, I realized that I needed to keep working, even if it was in a different place. We were in a law-making and constitutional-rights-saving discourse before I went to jail, and I continued that dialogue once I got there, he said.

One has plenty of time to read in jail. In a single day, one can read several pages, pass the readings, and begin a discussion. It was difficult at first because the majority of the people in jail are lawbreakers. But it eases gradually, and everyone was reading, writing, and painting. Inmates began debating issues and reading the constitution. Some even started to compose poetry. I can confidently state that my time in prison was not wasted, but rather was productive enough to sow the principles of a democratic nation, Tanha said.

Tanha was a key decision-maker in the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) regarding the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He travelled across the country, giving speeches and motivating people against the CAA and NRC.

Before his arrest, Tanha was also involved in humanitarian efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Highlighting his dissatisfaction with prison conditions, Tanha said, Nobody is talking about vaccinating the inmates inside the jail, and the situation is dangerous. I can confidently state that no one has been vaccinated inside the prison yet. In Tihar Jail, one barrack houses approximately sixty to ninety inmates. If the situation remains the same, the lives of those in prison are at huge risk.

In the bail process, following a preliminary examination of the charge sheet, a High Court bench comprised of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup Jairam Bhambhani concluded that the allegations do not prima facie constitute the claimed UAPA terrorist acts (Sections 15,17 and 18).

Since we are of the view that no offence under sections 15, 17 or 18 UAPA is made out against the appellant on a prima facie appreciation of the subject charge-sheet and the material collected and cited by the prosecution, the additional limitations and restrictions for grant of bail under section 43D UAPA do not apply; and the court may therefore fall back upon the usual and ordinary considerations for bail under the Cr.P.C.

Many prominent Indian media outlets falsely claimed that Asif Iqbal Tanha admitted to orchestrating the Delhi carnage and participating in the Jamia violence. On the media trials, Tanha commented, In todays India, free and sensible media is a misnomer. The media has lost its conscience. I remember that every night before sleeping I used to stare at the wall where I used to sleep. The wall had newspaper cuttings glued to it, of mostly Hindi newspapers with headlines targeting a certain community. I used to stare at the cuttings for long, only to recollect what I am here for.

Tanha points out that India is a democracy and no single marginalized religion should be discriminated against.

Muslim protestors, like other demonstrations, demand rights and liberties. The only problem is that our protest is ignored since the government never listens and continues to showcase its Islamophobia by disregarding us and our demands, Tanha said.

Tanha wants to continue on the path that he has chosen for himself. The fight for freedom will continue. Our only sorrow is that we were unable to take the movement forward and that it was brutally suppressed due to Covid-19. However, the movement lives on in the hearts of every Muslim, and we will continue to struggle for our rights and freedom.
by Richard Paver

On June 14th, I was invited to Duxford to attend Norman Chapmans 100th birthday party. Norman was one of the pioneering engineers in the UK warbird movement, and for many years he restored, maintained and provided engineering services (of every kind) in support of Robs Lamploughs fleet of historic aircraft. He is best known for leading the restoration of Robs combat-veteran P-51D Mustang Miss Helen, a project which he started at Duxford in 1977 and arguably one of the most significant UK projects, since it essentially kicked off the whole UK warbird restoration movement.

At Normans 100th birthday party this week, we took a group photograph featuring all of Robs Lamploughs original ground support team and ground crew. Miss Helens first post-restoration flight took place on May 5th 1987, with Lloyd Hamilton at the controls. The team photo, shown above, features from left to right: Pete John (Miss Helens display pilot, now retired), Robs Lamplough (Miss Helens original owner  she now belongs to Robert Tyrell), Ian Arnold (original ground crew), Norman Chapman, Keith Rodwell (original ground crew), Tracy Power (original ground crew), Malcom Chapman (original ground crew), and John Hart (Miss Helens engineer, now retired).

Norman started his aviation career during WWII, working on Bristol Blenheims with the RAFs No.71 Maintenance Unit  in both the Battle of France in May 1940 and the Battle of Britain in July-October 1940! Post-war, he worked for many aircraft owners and also spent many years working alongside Sir Freddie Laker, maintaining aircraft in the Laker Airways fleet. He also provided engineering services to many warbird owners throughout the 1980s and 1990s, working on a wide variety of different types. He is a remarkable man with a remarkable history!

Many thanks indeed to Richard Paver for this story. We will be featuring another of his articles, which features Miss Helen, in the coming days.
by Melani Manel Perera

Organised by the Refugee Care Network and held last June 20 in conjunction with the UN World Day. The association cares for 450 refugee families, for a total of a thousand people. Herman Kumara: they are "brothers and sisters" with "talent". The support of the local Catholic Church.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Under the motto launched by the UN secretariat general Antonio Guterres "Together we heal, learn and shine", on 20 June an activist movement from Sri Lanka celebrated World Refugee Day with an original talent show. Promoted by the "Refugee Care Network" (ReCan), the event allowed young people and children from migrant and refugee families to express their skills, in addition to the expectations and frustrations of often harsh living conditions.

The initiative involved 125 refugees, organisers and officials, special guests and supporters of the association. Since last January, ReCan has been taking care of 450 refugee families, for a total of one thousand people. They include 175 children, a hundred young people and over 300 elderly people who, according to the law, cannot work and do not enjoy rights or protections. They are located in the various centers in Negombo and Colombo, a small part also in Kandy and Kadana.

Introducing the initiative, Herman Kumara, one of the coordinators of ReCan, stresses that these refugees are "talented" "brothers and sisters" who deserve proper care and treatment.

He said "our team focuses a lot on developing their skills and potential" in addition to "education" and that is why it was decided to promote a talent show. Addressing the participants, he told them we work so that you can develop all the talent and potential, your life, and so that your future is bright.

The activist thanked "all those who support our work" and collaborate with us "in this process" of development and learning. Among the various realities in the field there is also Nafso, alongside ReCan in this important social initiative that "will allow us to make our country healthier and safer" even for its own inhabitants.

Representing the Catholic Church, Fr. Anton Sriyan, national director of the Episcopal Commission for Migrants and Refugees. In his speech, he expressed the applause and support of bishops and priests for the work of the NGO and, addressing those present, he recalled that it is the task of all of us to provide help, protection, education and support for the development of the capacities of these kids and children.

Raga Alphonses, ReCan consultant, recalls how important it is today to "think globally" in a spirit of solidarity and not only when problems "affect us closely". He gives the example of vaccines for Covid, for which "we need the world and global support". "When we have a humanitarian emergency, we want the world to support us. But we are not ready to take on global responsibility for refugees and displaced people," concluded the activist.
The newly elected president supports the Vienna talks and is in favour of the full reinstatement of the JCPOA. But he excludes a face to face with his US counterpart even in the event of complete cancellation of the sanctions. He confirms that "regional activities and ballistic missile program" are non-negotiable.

Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The new Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi supports talks between Tehran and the six world powers - including indirect negotiations with the United States - to restore the nuclear agreement. The JCPOA was signed in 2015 by cancelled disavowed three years later late by then US leader Donald Trump. However, Raisi strongly excludes a possible face-to-face with current White House tenant Joe Biden, even if Washington were to remove all sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

In the first press conference following the election, held yesterday afternoon, Raisi said that one of the objectives of foreign policy is to improve relations with the Arab nations of the Gulf. He then called for an immediate end to Saudi Arabia's military operations in neighbouring Yemen. The 60-year-old ultra-conservative leader, who will take over from moderate Hassan Rouhani on August 3, sees a "national interest" in the nuclear deal.

The White House stated that no meetings with the Iranian president-elect are planned at the moment and that, in reality, the real "decision maker" in Tehran is the supreme guide Ali Khamenei, diminishing the role of Raisi.

The new president is one of the many entities - including individuals and businesses - subject to US sanctions for his involvement in the extrajudicial killings of thousands of Iranian political prisoners in 1988. When asked about the matter, Raisi replied that a judge must be "praised" when it "defends" the "safety of its people".

By relaunching Khamenei's position, the future president confirmed that "the regional activities and the ballistic missile program" of the Islamic Republic, which worry the rival powers of the Middle East, primarily Riyadh, "are non-negotiable".

Recently, Tehran progressively violated the terms of the pact by easing restrictions on nuclear activities. The first steps in this direction date back to 2019, in response to the May 2018 withdrawal by the then US President Donald Trump from the JCPOA and the reintroduction of the toughest sanctions in history, causing a collapse of the Iranian economy. The temporary agreement expires on June 24, but international diplomacies show cautious optimism.
by Peter Tran

Forced to close due to social distancing, facility for the poor was reorganised to hand out food. Parishes stand with people who lost their jobs as a result of the emergency. Catholics show solidarity in Hoang Mai, under quarantine.

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews)  Vietnam continues to cope with a complicated pandemic situation with 13,483 coronavirus cases reported as of yesterday.

Some 1,714 cases have been reported in Ho Chi Minh City alone. Catholic groups in the local archdiocese have been mobilised to offer assistance.

Father Joseph inh Van The, vicar of Tan Trang parish, invited the faithful to pray and carry out works of charity.

The parish organised special distributions of food for those who are worse off such as garbage collectors, seniors, the sick, and those who live in the poorest areas.

Many families face great challenges, but we always have faith in God, Fr Joseph explained. We pray for everyones peace and for the end of the pandemic.

At the same time, we thank all those who, through their generosity, help us bring this aid in a spirit of charity and love.

In St Martin parish, Fr Peter Vu Minh Hung opened Quan Com 2000 in 2016, a rice store where people can buy a meal for only 2,000 dongs (a few US cents).

As a result of the pandemic, the store was forced to close, but it was reorganised to distribute rice to the poor, including lottery tickets sellers and motorcycle taxis drivers.

Between 500 and 600 people come every day, with Fr Peter taking part in handing out the food.

Fr Joseph Nguyen Truong Thach SDB, vicar of Xuan Hiep, handed out food parcels, also thanks to contributions from the Charity and Social Activities Office of the Vietnamese Jesuit province.

The parish has also provided small sums to support those cannot pay their water and electricity bills or for the purchase of medicines.

One of the areas most affected by COVID-29, Hoang Mai parish, was placed under quarantine recently. Despite this situation, families still share food and masks in a spirit of charity.

At such a time, we have not let ourselves be overcome by pessimism and sadness, some parishioners told AsiaNews. We have learnt to take care of each other, bringing joy and strengthening our friendship.
Francis released a message for the first World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. Young people can carry forward seniors dreams of justice, peace and solidarity. Plenary indulgence will be granted to the faithful who on that Day "devote adequate time to actually or virtually visit[. . .] their elderly brothers and sisters in need or in difficulty.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis on Tuesday released a message for the First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, set for 25 July, centred on I am with you always (Mt 28:30).

For Francis, grandparents, seniors in general, can, like himself, play an important role in society. In fact, he was called to serve as the Bishop of Rome when I had reached, so to speak, retirement age and thought I would not be doing anything new.

The pandemic, writes Francis addressing seniors citizens, was a time of trial for everyone, but especially for us elderly persons, a time of illness, death and solitude. But like with Saint Joachim, Jesuss grandfather, God sent a consoling angel. At times those angels will have the face of our grandchildren, at others, the face of family members, lifelong friends or those we have come to know during these trying times.

The Lord, however, also sends us messengers through his words, which are always at hand. Let us try to read a page of the Gospel every day, to pray with the psalms, to read the prophets! We will be comforted by the Lord's faithfulness. The Scriptures will also help us to understand what the Lord is asking of our lives today. For at every hour of the day (cf. Mt 20:1-16) and in every season of life.

The Lord, who never goes into retirement, called on the disciples to baptise and spread the Gospel. Seniors have a vocation to preserve our roots, to pass on the faith to the young, and to care for the little ones. Indeed, No one is saved alone. We are all indebted to one another. We are all brothers and sisters.

Given this, I want to tell you that you are needed in order to help build, in fraternity and social friendship, the world of tomorrow: the world in which we, together with our children and grandchildren, will live once the storm has subsided.

Among the pillars that support this new edifice, there are three that you, better than anyone else, can help to set up. Those three pillars are dreams, memory and prayer.

The future of the world depends on this covenant between young and old. Young people, who carry forward seniors dreams of justice, peace, and solidarity, can have new visions and build the future. Bearing witness is necessary.

Dreams are thus intertwined with memory. I think of the painful memory of war, and its importance for helping the young to learn the value of peace. Those among you who experienced the suffering of war must pass on this message. Keeping memory alive is a true mission for every elderly person: keeping memory alive and sharing it with others.

I also think of my own grandparents, and those among you who had to emigrate and know how hard it is to leave everything behind, as so many people continue to do today, in hope of a future. Some of those people may even now be at our side, caring for us.

These kinds of memory can help to build a more humane and welcoming world. Without memory, however, we will never be able to build; without a foundation, we can never build a house. Never. And the foundation of life is memory.

Finally, prayer. As my predecessor, Pope Benedict, himself a saintly elderly person who continues to pray and work for the Church, once said: the prayer of the elderly can protect the world, helping it perhaps more effectively than the frenetic activity of many others. He spoke those words in 2012, towards the end of his pontificate. There is something beautiful here.

Your prayer is a very precious resource: a deep breath that the Church and the world urgently need (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 262). Especially in these difficult times for our human family, as we continue to sail in the same boat across the stormy sea of the pandemic, your intercession for the world and for the Church has great value: it inspires in everyone the serene trust that we will soon come to shore.

In a note released today, the Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree granting Plenary Indulgence on World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly to the faithful who devote adequate time to actually or virtually visiting their elderly brothers and sisters in need or in difficulty (such as the sick, the abandoned, the disabled and other similar cases) and to the elderly sick and all those who, unable to leave their homes for a serious reason, will unite themselves spiritually to the sacred functions of the World Day.

Lastly, Vittorio Scelzo, in charge of the office for seniors at the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, said that the website of Amoris Laetitia will carry the Popes message in video and printable version for seniors, as well as a prayer written for the occasion, a few pastoral suggestions on how to celebrate the World Day, liturgical notes and words by the Holy Father about seniors. (FP)
Police have arrested its top executives, including founder Jimmy Lai, and frozen assets worth millions. Without funds, the paper will stop this week-end. Some employees have already resigned. Hong Kongs chief executive ignores questions from one of the papers reporters.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  Apple Daily today discontinued its online English service and suspended its financial news.

The decision is the first step to the likely closure of the newspaper founded by jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai, targeted by the government for his support for democracy in the former British colony.

The papers management said yesterday that it could fold by next Saturday since it is running out of funds after its assets were frozen for allegedly violating Chinas national security law.

The authorities have already frozen 70 per cent of Lais shares in Next Digital, the holding company that publishes the newspaper.

Last Saturday, the Security Bureau arrested five newspaper executives, including editor-in-chief Ryan Law, on charges of conspiring with foreign forces.

On the same day, the authorities blocked HK million (US$ 2.3 million) of the papers assets. Immediately after the arrests. Next Digital suspended trading on the stock exchange.

Ronson Chan, president of the Hong Kong Association of Journalists, told RTHK that several employees have already quit the paper.

An Apple Daily reporter today asked Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam repeated questions about what is happening to the newspaper he works for, but received no response.

You said the national security law won't affect press freedom, but me and many of my colleagues will no longer be able to cover the news anymore, the veteran political correspondent shouted. Can you respond?

But Lam ignored him and headed straight for the exit. During the press conference, Lam had insisted that the arrest of several senior Apple Daily and Next Digital executives had nothing to do with journalism and the move could not be described as suppression of press freedom.

Local journalists beg to differ, pointing out that in the current climate it is increasingly difficult for them to ask government officials the questions that Hong Kong citizens consider really important.
Heavy clashes broke out overnight between police-backed Jewish settlers and Palestinian residents. A woman was hit in back with a stone. Some Palestinians were arrested. For B'Tselem: Settler violence and vandalism take place with full backing by the Israeli authorities.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Tensions are rising again in East Jerusalems disputed Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of between Jewish settlers, supported by Israeli police, and Palestinian residents.

During overnight clashes, several Palestinians were injured, as Israelis threw stun grenades and skunk water while Palestinians threw stones and rocks.

Ownership over some houses in the area is one of the causes that triggered the recent fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, supported by Islamic Jihad.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, at least 20 people had to seek medical care. Israeli security forces have also reportedly made several arrests among Palestinians.

Witnesses report that police broke into one house and threw a stun grenade at residents.

Jewish settler groups have long sought to take over Palestinian homes in this neighbourhood. A legal battle is underway.

An intervention by Israel's attorney general at the height of the unrest has put the most imminent evictions on hold. But rights groups say evictions could still proceed in the coming months as international attention wanes, potentially setting off another round of bloodshed.

What sparked last nights clashes remains unclear. One woman was reportedly injured when she was hit in the back by a stone, while an elderly man was hit in the head.

For Israel, the dispute is one of legal ownership, while for the Palestinians it is over the Jewish states attempt to drive them out of Jerusalem.

Such a view is backed by human rights group B'Tselem, for whom Settler violence and vandalism take place with full backing by the Israeli authorities.

In fact, Sometimes soldiers take part in the assault; at other times, they stand idly by. The police makes no substantial effort to investigate the incidents, nor takes measures to prevent them or stop them in real-time.
by Nirmala Carvalho

She had been arrested with her son on suspicion of theft in a village in the southern state. Father Zackarias, former secretary of the Bishops' Conference commission against caste: "Deaths in detention are becoming more and more frequent. And the Dalits are the first victims".

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - A Dalit woman from the village of Komatlagudem, Telangana state, died while in the Addagudur police station. Her death, which occurred in the early hours of June 18, would have occurred as a result of injuries sustained in a beating.

Ms. Mariyamma was taken from her home by plainclothes officers along with her son Uday on June 16, following a theft report filed a few days before. The woman worked as a maid in a house in Addagudur. According to reports from her daughter Swapna, Ms. Mariyamma was reported to be taken back to the village the next day and beaten there by six plainclothes officers in front of her youngest daughter. The next night she did not survive the aftermath of the beatings.

Father Devasagayaraj M. Zackarias, former national secretary of the commission for disadvantaged castes of the Bishops' Conference of India, comments to AsiaNews: The death in detention of the Dalit woman is a horrible and disgusting fact. It's nothing more than a police murder. Vulnerable people face discrimination from society and even those who, like law enforcement, should be neutral are on the side of the oppressors."

According to the cleric, the Central Bureau of Investigation must open an inquiry into this case. "Death in detention - continues Fr Zackarias - has become frequent and minorities and Dalits are the most affected. Last year it was Jayaraj and Bennix, another father and son who were beaten to death. Only later after many months the perpetrators were arrested. Since the poor and the marginalized are voiceless, the police become brutal to the point of killing. This is to be condemned and must stop immediately ".

Sajan K. George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (Gcic), added to AsiaNews: The police have violated the law that no woman can be arrested after dark. By now the Dalits are not only affected in their rights and dignity, but also in their own life. This country is in serious need of police reform. Caste-based violence reached new levels in some southern Indian states during the Covid-19 emergency. There has been a rapid escalation of crimes against Dalit communities which has added to the dehumanization .

Jesuit Father AXJ Bosco, activist for Dalits, tells AsiaNews: "This heinous crime against Mariyamma, a Dalit Christian woman, must be condemned in the strongest way. It is a great injustice for which we ask for justice and compensation for the family. ".
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Civil Accord, his party, got 53.9%. Former president Robert Kocaryan denounces fraud. The outgoing premier invokes the "dictatorship of the law"; he could form an autonomous government. Support from Russia, the US, the EU and Iran.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Outgoing Prime Minister Nikol Pasinyan won a landslide and surprising victory in the parliamentary elections on 20 June in Armenia. According to official data made public yesterday, his "Civil Agreement" party obtained 53.9% of the votes, such as to guarantee him the possibility of autonomously forming the new government. The "Ayastan" bloc, led by former president Robert Kocaryan has stopped at 21%, although its leader has already announced that he wants to contest the results of the electoral count.

All the other 23 parties and electoral lists won less than 7%, the minimum threshold for obtaining seats, even if the law provides for the obligation to represent at least three candidates from the competing lists. In this way, the "I have dignity" block of Artur Vanetsyan should also find a place in Parliament. The recovery of the republican party "Patria" of ex-president Serz Sargsyan, the great enemy of Pasinyan, is in question, which stopped at 5.2% (for individual parties the minimum share is 5%). The participation of the voters was less than half of those entitled (49.4%), but still higher than expected.

Pasinyan, still in office as acting premier, addressed the Armenians with a speech of thanks for the victory: "The people of Armenia chose him, the content is clear. What we expected has happened, the ordinary citizen wins, and we have won . The prime minister thus recalled the reason for the "flower revolution" of 2019, which had brought him to leadership of the country, relying on the "people of citizens" against the institutions of corrupt and politicians "in the pay" of foreign powers. Voters confirmed that they did not like the return of previous regimes.

The head of government declared that consultations will begin immediately "with all the healthy forces of the country that took part in the elections, to understand the possibilities of national consolidation and reconciliation". Representatives of trade, culture and science will be invited to cooperate with the government for the solution of the problems that have arisen before us. Our mandate is for the dictatorship of law and law, it is the people who gave it to us .

In his speech, Pasinyan thanked the presidents of the US and France, the leaders of the European Union, the Iranian president and the prime minister of Georgia, who supported Armenia's reasons after the recent conflict with Azerbaijan. He also wished the achievement of "stability in the whole region" around the Armenian borders. There was also a greeting to the Armenian president of Nagorno Karabakh, Araik Arutjunyan, "with the conviction that together we will be able to defend our national interests".

No news agencies had predicted the victory of the outgoing premier, which the polls gave between 20 and 25% against 30-35% of the Kocaryan block. The winner is just a whisker away from obtaining an absolute majority of the seats, which is conferred with 54% of the votes; however, we will have to wait for the redistribution of the votes conferred on the parties that have remained below the minimum threshold for entry into Parliament, which together make up almost 20% of the votes cast.

Pasinyan therefore confirmed himself as the most popular leader, gathering support especially in the countryside and provinces, and exceeding 50% even in the province of Siunyk, where he had recently been greeted with a launch of eggs and protests for the subsidence of the war actions of 'Azerbaijan. In the capital Civil settlement obtained 41%, against 28% of the Kocaryan list. The latter spoke in a generic way of "problems to be verified" in the electoral count, reserving the right to accept the results, but the chances of an overturning of the results appear to be quite small. The many foreign observers, including several Russians, did not report particular infringements in the voting procedures, and Moscow has already given signs of acceptance of the results.
Moore did not say whether additional officers will be posted at future school board meetings, which are attended by elected leaders and staff but not yet open to the public. Police provided additional security to at least one April school board meeting in response to safety concerns.
The estate originally was owned by Corbin Lee, an ancestor of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, but after Lee died in 1773 his widow sold it to Baltimore merchant Harry Dorsey Gough, according to the website put up in 2009 by Sean Kief of the nonprofit Historic Perry Hall Mansion Inc., established to help preserve the property. Gough renamed the estate Perry Hall, after a family castle in England, and built the mansion. He also became involved with Methodist movement around the time of the Revolutionary War.
Making threats against candidates and fellow citizens for their political beliefs undermines our democracy and will not be tolerated, Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner said in a statement Tuesday. This case reflects our commitment to holding accountable anyone who seeks to intimidate, harass or dissuade Americans from exercising their right to vote and to peacefully support the candidate of their choice.
Astonishingly, the government has gone way beyond any arguably proper omission of exculpatory statements to create its fictitious narrative, they wrote. Here, the government has corrupted the Indictment by quoting statements or questions by UMMS representatives and following those statements with comments from Snyder, which it falsely presents as answers to those statements or questions. In actuality, and in each instance, Snyders comments were made in response to altogether different statements by UMMS representatives, and, when put back into proper sequence, are entirely innocent.
Recent conversations with two men who refuse to get vaccinated left me speechless. One guy, a plumber, said he wasnt getting the vaccine because, I never buy a new car in the first model year, suggesting a risk in taking a vaccine that about 150 million Americans have by now safely received. The other guy? I was visiting Trump country, in central Pennsylvania, and sensed a certain impenetrableness, so I didnt pursue the subject with him.
Narratives connected to Mr. Trumps controversial presidency are the ones most regularly fought over. One reason for that is the way he continues to lie about his words and deeds on everything from his performance during the pandemic to the November election. Since the majority of Republicans in Congress are unwilling to speak the truth about his presidency, it is all the more incumbent on the media to do so. Ditto for Jan. 6 in the wake of Republicans scuttling legislation to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the insurrection.
Meanwhile, the political risk would seem small. Mayor Rawlings-Blakes quest for lower taxes never hurt her popularity. Quite the contrary. One of the common arguments against lowering the tax is that Baltimore cant afford it, at least partly because so many of its biggest property owners are nonprofit organizations exempt from property taxes. As a candidate for mayor last year, Mr. Scott was open to a property tax reduction but only after he modernized city government making it more efficient and effective, fixing longstanding problems like the dysfunctional water billing system. Will it be mended sufficiently one year from now to commit to lowering the tax rate in the 2023 budget? As much as the mayor would prefer to talk about government reform and helping neglected neighborhoods, he ought to be willing to fix this broken system, too.
As chair of Baltimores Downtown Residents Advocacy Network, Ive spent the past year working with a broad coalition of transportation, environmental and business advocates urging legislators to support sufficient funding to address the $2 billion backlog in essential maintenance and enhancements for our buses, light rail, subway and commuter trains. In all, $462 million per year is needed just to meet basic safety requirements. So we rejoiced when the Transportation Safety and Investment Act sponsored by Del. Brooke Lierman and Sen. Cory McCray, passed the Maryland General Assembly with bipartisan support only to have Gov. Larry Hogan veto it.
It is disappointing to me that Mr. Barker seems to think that 40% is not an amazing achievement, but rather some kind of failure simply because women make up half or slightly more than half of the population in general. That is nonsense. The major variable that is often left out of the equation is that, according to the Pew Research Center, 86% of women between the ages of 40 to 44 are mothers. Top jobs in government, medicine, law and corporate America require an extreme commitment in time, often 60 to 80 hour-plus work weeks. That kind of commitment is not conducive to motherhood.
Under the law, the oversight board includes at least five people: the mayor or his designee, the City Council president or his designee, the comptroller or his designee, the city solicitor or an appointed member of the city law department, and a member of City Council appointed by the council president. If the mayor and council president agree, two additional members take seats: the deans of the law schools at the University of Maryland and University of Baltimore.
News Around the Republic of Mexico



US Extends Land Borders Closures With Canada, Mexico



While tourists haven't been permitted to walk or drive into Mexico since the early days of the pandemic, flights have continued, and thousands of U.S. travelers are flocking to Mexico.



According to



The land border closures have been in place since March 2020 due to coronavirus concerns.



Canada, Mexico and the U.S. recently started conducting working-group meetings every two weeks discussing the



Homeland Security officials said in a statement it made "positive developments in recent weeks and is participating with other U.S. agencies in the White House's expert working groups with Canada and Mexico to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably."



Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week the border would remain closed to non-essential travel until 75 percent of Canadians receive the first of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine and 20 percent receive both shots.



"The inability of the U.S. and Canadian governments to reach an agreement on alleviating border restrictions is simply unacceptable," the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group told Reuters.



Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard also recently revealed the country would speed up vaccinations in areas along the border with the U.S. as part of an effort to roll back



Original article The United States Department of Homeland Security announced land borders with Canada and Mexico would remain closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21.According to Reuters.com, the border closures were revealed by the American government on Sunday after Canada extended its shut down of non-essential travel for an additional 30 days last week.The land border closures have been in place since March 2020 due to coronavirus concerns.Canada, Mexico and the U.S. recently started conducting working-group meetings every two weeks discussing the travel restrictions. Lawmakers and border community leaders are pushing to open non-essential travel ahead of the busy summer travel season to offset the economic impact of the COVID-19 shutdown.Homeland Security officials said in a statement it made "positive developments in recent weeks and is participating with other U.S. agencies in the White House's expert working groups with Canada and Mexico to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably."Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week the border would remain closed to non-essential travel until 75 percent of Canadians receive the first of a two-dose coronavirus vaccine and 20 percent receive both shots."The inability of the U.S. and Canadian governments to reach an agreement on alleviating border restrictions is simply unacceptable," the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group toldMexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard also recently revealed the country would speed up vaccinations in areas along the border with the U.S. as part of an effort to roll back coronavirus-related travel restrictions.



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Marti Garcia, left, Santa Barbara-Puerto Vallarta Sister City Committee board president Sebastian Aldana and board member Gil Garcia at a barbecue event hosted by the Garcias. (Photo: Rochelle Rose / Noozhawk)
Summary

In Voyage Five: 1701, Rosalind Janney was distressed as she left her family home in Virginia for Devon Island to be married to the widower Fitzhugh Steed. She is described as being unattractive, but has made up her mind to compensate for her lack of good looks by learning how to run a plantation and grow tobacco.

In Rosalinds Revenge, Fitzhugh had wanted a wife like Rosalind who could help him take care of the affairs of the island, but he was not very interested in her as a life partner. Rosalind had three children even though she and Hugh rarely had sexual relations.

Rosalind and Ruth quickly became friends. During a visit, Ruth warned Rosalind that Fitzhugh had three children by Nelly Turlock. Rosalind decided there was no need to confront Fitzhugh about his behavior, and instead focused...
Summary

Chapter 1," Spill It, Girls," opens with Joanie Benson and her friend Gretchen Buckwalter driving back from the university town of Columbia, Missouri to their home in nearby Mason. The two have just seen a play about the life of poet Emily Dickinson at which "Black Cake" had been served afterward, and retired town librarian Joanie is inspired to bake one of her own to bring to the next meeting of Confession Club. Joanie and Gretchen are both in their 60s and have been friends since meeting in their high school drama club. In the play, the Emily character makes the old-fashioned, alcohol-heavy fruitcake on stage, and Joanie reminds Gretchen that the club is meeting at her house this week, and that the cake will be perfect for their group. Confession Club formed accidentally from a supper club that had sprung up between a...
Summary

In the opening section, Introduction, author Charles M. Blow begins by writing about the death of George Floyd. Floyd was a Black man who was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Floyds death sparked nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. However, these protests soon became focused more on white peoples right to free speech rather than on racial justice. Eventually, the protests stopped without attaining much actual political progress. Blow marks one political triumph: Georgia voting for Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election. This triumph was largely due to record turnout of Black voters, as organized in part by Black politician Stacey Abrams. Blow writes, Georgia became proof of conceptthe concept that animates this book (7).

Chapter 1 is entitled. The Past as Prologue. Blow writes about the Great Migration, which refers to the migrations of Black Americans...
MUMBAI (PTI): Naval personnel and their family members at the Western Naval Command in Mumbai on Monday celebrated the International Yoga Day by performing various asanas or postures which were demonstrated on digital platforms, an official release said.



The International Day of Yoga was celebrated at the Western Naval Command (WNC), with all serving naval personnel including Defence Security Corps (DSC), Military Engineer Services (MES), Defence Civilian Employees and their family members on the theme 'Be with Yoga-Be At Home', it said.



Additionally, all sea-going units in the WNC also took part in celebrating the day by conducting Yoga sessions at the unit level, both at sea and in the harbour, with due observance of all COVID-19 protocols.



An online yoga session was conducted under the aegis of the Navy Wives Welfare Association (Western Region) for the naval community in south Mumbai with the aim to encourage all personnel and their family members to practice yoga on a regular basis for bolstering health and boosting immunity, especially in these trying times, the release said.



"Various asanas were demonstrated through digital platforms and replicated by the enthusiastic participants," it said.



Yoga has been formally assimilated into the Navy's physical fitness regime and had been found to be very beneficial to men at sea given the paucity of space on-board ships, the release stated.


Campus News

Social connectedness in times of COVID-19 focus of Refugee Health Summit

UBNOW STAFF

A broad coalition of community leaders and researchers in Buffalo will convene virtually on June 24 for the seventh annual WNY Refugee Health Summit. This years summit will highlight responses to pandemic-induced social isolation, focusing on partnerships that seek to improve educational environments, support mental health care and build culturally holistic care models.

Having fled war, persecution and torture, Buffalos population of people who arrived as refugees are revitalizing and diversifying Buffalo, yet challenges remain for both the city and its newest residents. As the United States has one of the most individualistic cultures in the world, people who arrived in the country as refugees may find the separation necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic even more jarring than those born in the U.S.

While the pandemic has left many disconnected, individuals and organizations in Buffalo have engaged the refugee community in various ways. Throughout the pandemic, innovative community partnerships, policies and programs have been implemented to support resettled people.

Co-produced by community and UB partners, the summit creates a transdisciplinary space for conversation among refugee communities, clinicians, resettlement agencies, community health workers, educators, researchers, students and municipal leaders.

The event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will consist of two panels focused on responses to isolation employed by schools and mental health providers, respectively.

Jill Koyama, a former faculty member in the UB Graduate School of Education who is now at Arizona State Universitys Teachers College, will speak during the panel on school responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Karen Waugaman, director of the Teacher Resource Center in the Niagara Falls City School District, will also be a guest speaker on the panel, along with Melinda Lemke, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy in the Graduate School of Education.



Hana Mirach, a refugee with family roots in Eritrea who serves as director of the resettlement and refugee school impact program at Journeys End Refugee Services in Buffalo, will deliver opening remarks. Saw Meh, a masters student in UBs Graduate School of Education who was born in Kayah State and raised in a Thailand refugee camp before migrating to the U.S. in 2011, is also among several refugee speakers for the summit.



The education panel will be followed by a workshop to identify actionable changes in Buffalo and Western New York.

The full agenda and speaker bios are available on the website of the UB Community for Global Health Equity, which is co-sponsoring the summit along with the Office of Global Health Initiatives in the School of Public Health and Health Professions.

Organizers include representatives from Journey's End Refugee Services, Community for Global Health Equity, the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab in UBs School of Architecture and Planning, and the School of Public Health and Health Professions.
Today

Some passing clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Some passing clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.
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.
The camera footage showed two people getting out of the car, and a third person get out of the trunk. Two people were then seen walking to the backyard, the document said. Moments later, detectives wrote, one person is seen fleeing from the yard, and only two people get back into the car before it takes off.
Her niece, Laura Johnson, said, She had a generous spirit and was honest. She once found money on the floor of a store and insisted on turning it in. It was not her money and there was no losers/keepers with her.
Like every nation, the United States has a right and a duty to secure its borders and protect its people against threats, according to the proclamation. But building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution. It is a waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for linking sexual violence and crime against women with the clothes women wear.

Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called Imran Khan a "coward" and termed his remarks "disappointing".

Imran Khan's controversial interview

During an interview, Pakistan Prime Minister Khan had suggested that avoiding "temptation in society" is the way to prevent sexual violence against women.

In an interview with Axios' on HBO, Khan said: "If a woman is wearing very few clothes it will have an impact on the men unless they are robots. It's common sense."

"...Avoid temptation in society. We don't have discos here, we don't have nightclubs. It is a completely different society way of life here. So if you raise temptation in society to a point -- all these young guys have nowhere to go --- it has a consequence in the society," he also said.

Imran Khan is a coward: Zardari

"Such crimes should not be linked to a single cause ... the clothes of a person have no link with rape or abuse," Bhutto-Zardari said.

"Imran Khan's statements before and after coming into power are different .... He was a coward since day one," said the PPP leader.

Dismal conviction rate in sexual offence cases

Official statistics in Pakistan have revealed that at least 11 rape incidents are reported in the country every day, with over 22,000 cases reported to the police in the last six years.

However, only 77 of the accused have been convicted which comprises 0.3 per cent of the total figure, reported Geo News.

--With ANI inputs--
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
For many homeowners and renters, much of the physical damage and expense following a tornado is likely to be covered by insurance. But what if your neighbors tree fell on your car or you need to find a temporary place to stay?
These folks deserve some answers and some information, Manzke said. They need to understand the full nature, extent and duration of the threats that they have been exposed to, and whether or not theyre continuing to be exposed to those threats. Ultimately, when we get those answers, these folks need to be compensated for what theyve been living through.
Adding the Thompson Center to the national register wouldnt protect it from demolition, but it would make the building eligible for federal tax incentives that could cover as much as 20% of redevelopment costs. Historic tax credits would allow the building to be repurposed and potentially added on to with a taller tower on the southwest side of the 3-acre property.
He fortunately survived marches through violently hostile white crowds on the Southwest Side where he was hit in the head with a rock in Marquette Park. But he would be assassinated in Memphis in 1968, touching off riots nationwide, including the West Side uprising that destroyed the apartment building where he stayed. But his Chicago protests helped pave the way to the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and a new awareness of how Black folks werent second-class citizens only in the South.
Consider this excerpt from a recent paper published in the magazine Foreign Affairs, written by a group of six epidemiologists and other health experts: Variants are an unavoidable byproduct of the pandemics exponential growth. More than half a million new cases of COVID-19 are reported every day. Each infected person harbors hundreds of billions of virus particles, all of which are constantly reproducing. Each round of replication of every viral particle yields an average of 30 mutations. The vast majority of mutations do not make the virus more transmissible or deadly. But with an astronomical number of mutations happening every day across the globe, there is an ever-growing risk that some of them will result in more dangerous viruses, becoming what epidemiologists call variants of concern.
The trend is not new. In 2014, Vohra published a case report on a Hmong woman who showed up at an emergency room in Fresno with life-threatening poisoning after overdosing on chloroquine that she had bought at the flea market under the label red Tylenol. He and his colleagues subsequently went to the market and to three smaller shops and found 35 different medications that were prescription-only or had been deemed unsafe by the Food and Drug Administration. It was a real eye opener, he said.
The Goodman Theatre is also moving relatively quickly out of the post-COVID gate by opening a new production of Jocelyn Biohs School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, a caustic comedy about beauty pageants and their corrosive impact of a group of young Ghanian teenage girls. The first performance of that show, which was already set to go when the pandemic hit, is scheduled for July 30. Masks are to be required for attending this production and seating capacity will be spaced and limited (there is no vaccination check), but a Goodman spokesman said that the theater expects those restrictions to be in place for this first show only.
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.
It was on the credit card statement, they put it down next to the register and he said three times, Dont spend it all in one place. Zarella said one staffer then flipped it over and looked, and shes like, Oh my god, are you serious? And he said, I want you to have it, you guys work hard.
Authorities said the Chevrolet Malibu had earlier been reported stolen and there were two men in it at the time of the crash. They each took off running and had not been located as of Tuesday. Police did not provide information about the clothes they were last seen wearing or physical descriptions.
For the past six years, Ive worked with many families at the school who have come to trust me and the teacher I work with. They dont know yet that I wont be back in the fall, but when they find out, it will be a big hit to the community, Cousins said.
My opinion is that out of 10,000 or 20,000 people who see an object they sincerely believe was or may have been a UFO, (researchers) capture only one of those sightings, he said. If you want to test my theory, go to a big party sometime and ask everyone who saw a UFO to raise their hands. Then ask how many have reported them. Virtually all of the hands go down.
It took the storm mere seconds to cause that much damage, Vasquez said. On Monday afternoon, when she was able to go outside, she noticed cracks along the concrete base of the home that werent there before. It was as if the storm tried to take her home, she said.
That morning, Clifton Lawrence, 45, said he was about to go to work when he learned from family that Briana had been shot and that the killings had been on the news. Those involved in Chicagos violence needed to realize what they are doing, Lawrence said.
Miroslaw Sliwa said he came out to assess the damage to his home Sunday night and discovered there was far more harm done to the house just east of his in the 1800 block of Princeton Circle, where the couple was injured. He was able to give them some help, he said.
Cantrell objected to portions of the police interview, saying it was clear that Silva was asking for an attorney under his Miranda rights. At one point, Silva also asked his mother over the phone to bring in a lawyer, he said.
Authorities said least eight people were injured and at least 225 structures were damaged, many severely, from a tornado that tore through Naperville, Woodridge and Darien late Sunday. Meteorologists said the damage was consistent with an EF-3 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale, meaning it had wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph.



We suspect it was one tornado, said Matt Friedlein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. We dont know that for certain, but based on the nature of the information and what we know about the character of this event, thats what were leaning toward.



The weather service said it was the first significant tornado to hit the Chicago metropolitan area since 2015, when an EF-3 tornado ravaged Coal City, about 60 miles southwest of the city.



On the ground, signs of the tornados might were everywhere. A fence post was driven through a roof like a javelin. A backyard trampoline, metal frame and all, was wrapped around the branches of a tall tree. One car was flipped on its roof, while another nearby was so damaged it looked as though it had been bombed.



The tornado sirens began blaring in DuPage County at 10:48 p.m. Sunday, according to Woodridge police. The National Weather Service said emergency alerts also screeched on mobile devices in Naperville, Darien and Woodridge, with the goal of waking any sleepers.



When the tornado formed, it first hit Naperville about 11:10 p.m., in the area just south of 75th Street and Ranchview Drive in the southeast section of the town, according to Linda LaCloche, spokeswoman for the Naperville city managers office. Sixteen homes were deemed uninhabitable by city engineers, she said.



At least 125 damage reports came from Naperville alone, Schultz said.

(Chicago Tribune staff)
Career ambitions and curiosity about another civilization fuel thirst for knowledge

Ukrainian pupils practice Chinese calligraphy at an oriental languages school in Kiev on Feb 15. (Photo/Xinhua)

Samuel Esteban's romance with Chinese began when he was a high school student. The Costa Rican soon had many Chinese friends who gave him insights into China's culture, which stirred his interest even more.

"It's just amazing that China has so many years of history," Esteban says. "It's really interesting learning about China's dynasties and how they worked and how the country was formed."

The 20-year-old decided to learn the language after what he called a "cool moment". That was three years ago when he had just been confronted with his first word in Chinese, courtesy of a Chinese friend, who was amazed when Esteban immediately lobbed the word back at him, tone perfect.

"How's that possible?" Esteban quotes the friend as saying. "This is your first day trying to pronounce any Chinese word, and you got the tone right."

Esteban then embarked on his Chinese learning journey, in 2018, and the following year, to further his study, went to the Confucius Institute of the University of Costa Rica in San Jose, which, like its peers around the world, teaches Chinese language and culture.

Sharing Esteban's passion, more and more people in Costa Rica, with a population of 5 million, are learning Chinese.

In 2010 the country's Confucius Institute, the first of its kind in Latin America, welcomed 207 Chinese learners and has since enjoyed steady growth in enrollments. The number rose to 884 in 2019, and last year the institute had 1,206 students, a rise particularly notable because of the fact that it was at a time when the pandemic had forced classes to go online.

"Learning Chinese opens new opportunities for Costa Ricans and leads them to better understand Chinese culture," says Kuok Wa Chao, director of the Confucius Institute in San Jose.

"Cultural exchanges promoted by the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Costa Rica help boost this interest in the language."
The Chinese black comedy "Manchurian Tiger" was honored as the best feature film at the awards ceremony closing the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 19.

The film, directed by Geng Jun and starring Zhang Yu and Ma Li, tells a black story of a man from northeast China avenging a dog, hiding himself from debt collectors, and getting his families and friends involved, reflecting the social status quo.

"Manchurian Tiger" was a chosen winner listed in the Shanghai International Film FestivalSIFF PROJECT in 2017, helping to discover new talents and fund the winners with industry resources and investment. The prototype of the film was formed in 2012 and has since undergone six years of careful polishing before shooting started in early 2019.

Another Chinese winner at the festival was the Chinese production "Double Helix" by Qiu Sheng which took home the best live-action award in the short film category. The sci-fi story about two robots rebelling against humans is based on the work of prominent Chinese sci-fi writer Wang Jinkang. Qiu said he hoped it could show more possibilities for Chinese sci-fi films.

The international jury for the main competition of feature films for the Golden Goblet Awards was headed by veteran filmmaker Huang Jianxin, while the jurors were Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, Chinese actor and director Deng Chao, Italian film critic and historian Marco Muller, French producer Natacha Devillers and Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu.

The animation jury consisted of director Chang Guangxi, Chinese animation director Wang Yunfei and German producer Jan Heinze, while the documentary jurors were Chinese director Zhang Yang, British director Arthur Jones and Chinese director Yang Lina.

The best documentary film award went to the Mexican production "Sisyphus", while "Even Mice Belong In Heaven", a co-production of the Czech Republic, France and Poland, received the award for the best animation film. The French production "Mild Madness, Lasting Lunacy" was named the best animated short film.

"The wonderful thing about the documentary competition films this year was that they were all of a very high standard. There wasn't one of them that we disliked," said Arthur Jones, director of "The Six", told China.org.cn. "Obviously, the three of us on the jury all have our own personal tastes, but, overall, the standard was very high, and I enjoyed every moment of watching and talking about the films."

"I love being in a city that takes films - and film watching - so seriously," he added.

"Monkey King Reborn" director Wang Yunfei, echoed the sentiment. "I felt great energy and good vibes at the festival gathering filmmakers together."

"I have watched many great films and had surprises beyond my imagination, and I can see more and more directors have their unique and strong personal touches and styles, which is a good thing," he told China.org.cn.

As China's longest-running international cinematic event, the Shanghai International Festival showcased more than 400 Chinese and foreign films during its 10-day run, making it the first full-scale, in-person film festival to be held in the country amid the pandemic adhering to national and local safety protocols.

A total of 4,443 films from 113 countries and regions were submitted, a record high. International guests mostly were unable to attend the festival because of China's ongoing border controls and quarantine requirements, but some still managed to attend or communicate via video links. Domestic Chinese moviegoers are still enthusiastic for the screenings with virtually all the tickets sold out.

"The distance is not a problem for us to communicate," Iranian film director Abolfazl Jalili said via video. His film "The Contrary Route" won two awards at the film festival - best director and best actor for Pouyan Shekari. "I hope that, one day, I can cooperate with Chinese filmmakers on a new production that explores humanity."

The organizers said they are optimistic that the festival will be more open to international attendance in 2022 for its celebratory 25th edition.

Full winner list of the Golden Goblet Awards:

- Best Feature Film: "Manchurian Tiger", China

- Jury Grand Prix: "Barbarian Invasion", Malaysia

- Best Director: Abolfazl Jalili, "The Contrary Route", Iran

- Best Screenplay: Alexey Viktorovich Kozlov, "The Conscience", Russia

- Best Actress: Marzena Gajewska, "Amateurs", Poland

- Best Actor: Pouyan Shekari, "The Contrary Route", Iran

- Outstanding Artistic Achievement: "The Conscience", Russia

- Best Cinematography: Vyacheslav Tuyrin, "The Conscience", Russia

- Best Documentary Film: "Sisyphus", Mexico

- Best Animation Film: "Even Mice Belong In Heaven", Czech Republic/France/Poland

- Best Live Action Short Film: "Double Helix", China

- Best Animated Short Film: "Mild Madness, Lasting Lunacy", France
You are here: Business

China's Hainan free trade port (FTP) will further simplify its approval procedures and broaden market access through a recently enacted law on the construction of the FTP, an official said Monday.



The FTP will streamline administrative processes, improve services and provide more institutional convenience for market entities, Feng Fei, governor of Hainan Province, told a press conference.

On June 10, China passed a law, making institutional arrangements for the construction of the FTP at the national legislative level.

The law also enables market entities, especially foreign-invested companies, to enjoy more opportunities as it features a shortened negative list, which allows more sectors to be opened to foreign investors.

On pooling talent from around the world to Hainan, the law stipulates visa and work permit facilitation for international talent, Feng said.

Last June, China released a master plan to build the southernmost province into a globally influential and high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.
China's central bank has held regulatory talks with some banks and non-bank payment platforms, urging them to stop providing services for virtual-currency speculation.



The move was aimed at cracking down on the trading and speculation of bitcoin and other virtual currencies, protect the safety of people's property, and maintain financial security and stability, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

Virtual-currency speculation disrupts the normal economic and financial order, enhances the risks of illegal and criminal activities such as illegal cross-border asset transfer and money laundering, and seriously infringes on the safety of people's property, the PBOC said.

Banks and non-bank payment platforms must strictly follow regulatory requirements, fulfill their obligations on customer identification and not provide products or services such as account opening, registration, trading, clearing and settlement of virtual-currency-related activities, said the PBOC.

The PBOC urged the financial institutions to investigate and identify the accounts of virtual currency exchanges and over-the-counter traders, and promptly cut payment channels for virtual-currency trading.

It is necessary for the financial institutions to analyze the transaction characteristics of virtual-currency speculation, increase technological input, and improve models for monitoring abnormal transactions, the central bank said.

The regulatory talks were held with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the Agricultural Bank of China, the China Construction Bank, the Postal Savings Bank of China, the Industrial Bank Co., Ltd. and Alipay (China) Network Technology Co., Ltd., among others.

The financial institutions said they would not carry out nor participate in virtual-currency-related business activities and would take strict measures to resolutely cut payment channels for virtual-currency speculation, as required by the central bank.
You are here: Business

Chinese brands have increased their presence on the global playing field, according to a market-research report released on Monday.



A record high of 18 Chinese companies entered the 2021 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking, compared with 17 in 2020. The top 10 chart saw Tencent outperform Alibaba this year, ranking fifth and seventh in brand value, respectively.

The brand value of Chinese firms grew significantly among international competitors, with TikTok skyrocketing 158 percent to become the second-biggest riser after Tesla.

The social commerce platform Pinduoduo -- a newcomer that was not on last year's list -- saw its brand value surge 131 percent from a year ago.

A prominent advantage of Chinese brands is the ability to react swiftly to changes, including the pandemic and new consumer demands, Doreen Wang, Global Chair of Kantar BrandZ, told a press briefing.

"Chinese firms respond faster than local brands anywhere in the world," she said.

This leads Chinese firms to steer innovation, which has changed foreign consumers' perceptions of Chinese brands over the past five years, Wang noted.

The BrandZ Top 100 ranking is commissioned by global communication services provider WPP and conducted by brand equity research consultancy Kantar. It examines market data from over 3.9 million consumer interviews covering more than 18,500 brands across 51 markets.
China's central bank started on Monday to issue a set of commemorative coins to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The set has 9 coins, including three in gold, five in silver, and one copper-alloy coin, according to the People's Bank of China.

The three gold coins, each weighing 8 grams, feature different combinations of pictures, with one showing the site of the first CPC National Congress in Shanghai. They are all engraved with the CPC emblem and the national emblem.

The central bank issued commemorative coins to mark the CPC's founding anniversaries in 2011 and 1991. This year's set marks the first issuance on the anniversary using precious metals.
Quzhou in Zhejiang province invited 20 leading foreign trade companies based in the province on Thursday to visit the city's new materials production facilities, in an effort to demonstrate the city's development and seek cooperation.



The trip was organized by the Zhejiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade, aiming to build a bridge between businesses specialized in new materials in Quzhou and leading companies outside the city.

According to the organizer, Quzhou is home to a national electronic chemical materials base, a national fluorine silicon new material demonstration base, and China's top-grade special paper industry base. It boasts a complete industrial chain of new materials ranging from electronic chemistry and lithium battery to special paper.

The delegation of foreign firms visited companies in Quzhou's Smart Manufacturing City, including Huayou Cobalt New Material and DAS SOLAR. After they learned that Huayou is forging a global industrial chain in new energy, and has entered into partnerships with top auto makers such as Volkswagen, Renault, Ford, and Volvo, visiting companies expressed interest in cooperation with Huayou.

Wang Yi, general manager of Zhejiang Hongdun Machinery Co., Ltd., said the trip to DAS SOLAR left him with a deep impression of high level of automation in its factory.

"I hope there will be more exchanges with Quzhou's companies, and more opportunities to develop industrial chains together," he said.

Liu Genhong, director of the Administration Committee of Quzhou Smart Manufacturing City, said the city is one of the major industrial platforms in Zhejiang province, and he hopes the trip will be a good opportunity for both parties to deepen understanding of each other and buckle down to searching for paths to high-quality development.



In recent years the Quzhou Council for the Promotion of International Trade has held a series of events, such as "2019 China-Africa International Trade Investment Promotional Meeting," "2020 Quzhou International Trade High Quality Development Forum on Dual Circulation of New Development Paradigm," as well as "2021 Quzhou International Trade Investment Promotional Meeting (South Korea)," and organized local enterprises to participate in overseas exhibitions, in order to increase the profile of the city.

"I hope more companies will come to Quzhou to learn about the city, invest in the city, and help build the city, joining the efforts to push for the new material industrial chain in Quzhou and prompt Zhejiang enterprises to move toward the new development paradigm," said Zheng Lin, director of the Quzhou Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China is ready to work with Tanzania to consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen mutual support, jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and make positive contributions to the building of the China-Africa community with a shared future.

Xi made the remarks in a phone conversation with Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Created by the older generation of leaders of the two countries, the traditional friendship between China and Tanzania has stood the test of international changes over the years, Xi said.

Tanzania was the first African country that Xi visited after he took office as Chinese president in 2013. Xi recalled that visit in which he proposed the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith, which have now become the basic policy principles for China's solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries.

Xi stressed that China always views and develops the China-Tanzania relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and firmly supports Tanzania in taking the development path in line with its national conditions.

Noting that the bilateral relations are facing historic opportunities, Xi said that China is willing to work with Tanzania to strengthen cooperation between political parties and exchanges of experience in governance.

China also stands ready to synergize the joint construction of the Belt and Road and the implementation of the results of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation with Tanzania's development strategies, and expand cooperation in such fields as agriculture, transportation, communications, tourism and energy with Tanzania, said Xi.

The Chinese president added that China is willing to encourage and support more Chinese enterprises to invest in Tanzania, strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation, and continuously enrich the connotation of China-Tanzania comprehensive cooperative partnership.

For her part, Hassan extended her warm congratulations on the centennial of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying that the CPC boasts a long and glorious history.

Hassan said that under the CPC's leadership, the Chinese people had won national independence and liberation, while making one after another remarkable achievements in the cause of socialist construction.

Hassan said she firmly believes that under the strong leadership of Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the Chinese people will surely realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

The Tanzanian side cherishes the traditional friendship with China, appreciates China's long-term support and help, and is willing to learn from China's experience in poverty alleviation and governance and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in trade, infrastructure, humanities, and other fields with China, Hassan said.

Tanzania firmly adheres to the one-China policy and firmly supports China's stance on issues concerning China's core interests such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, she noted.

Tanzania stands ready to work with China to actively push forward the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and will earnestly implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and promote the new development of the China-Africa relations, said Hassan.
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China is ready to join Italy in pushing forward bilateral ties in the right direction for the better benefit of the two peoples, and greater contribution to world peace and development.





In his phone talk with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Wang said in the face of profound adjustment and transformation of the international situation, the Chinese side is willing to work with Italy to step up strategic communication, consolidate strategic mutual trust and get rid of all distractions.





The Chinese side is willing to conduct closer high-level exchanges, facilitate personnel exchanges and promote the joint Belt and Road construction with Italy, said Wang.





Wang also urged the two sides to strengthen cooperation in such areas as scientific and technological innovation, aerospace, clean energy, digital economy and third-party markets and push the mutually beneficial cooperation for more outcomes, so as to jointly inject momentum into the global economic recovery.





Wang said that in the face of unprecedented global challenges, all countries should insist on cooperation instead of inciting divisions, respect each other instead of launching political attacks, and shoulder due responsibilities instead of shirking them or shifting blames.





It is hoped that the European side will adhere to strategic autonomy, practice true multilateralism, and promote the stability and long-term development of China-Europe relations, he said.





It is also hoped that Italy will play a constructive role in this regard, Wang added.
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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.
Members of the Southern Baptist Convention gathered for their annual meeting in 2021 and voted unanimously to adopt a resolution condemning the genocide committed by the Chinese government against Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslims.

According to the Christian Post (CP), this makes them the first large denomination established in the United States to come out against the atrocities in question.

As part of its Resolution 8, the SBC called on the Chinese Communist Party to put an end to the genocide of the Uyghur people, who are mostly found in China's western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and to "restore to them their full God-given rights."

It also called on the United States government to "prioritize the admission of Uyghurs to this country as refugees and provide resources for their support and resettlement."

Prayers are also requested for the persecuted religious minorities and Christian workers who provide both practical assistance and the Gospel of Christ, according to the document, which may be seen here.

Presented to nearly 15,000 messengers assembled in Nashville on Tuesday, the resolution highlighted "credible reporting" that revealed the CCP's mistreatment of Uyghurs. Forced abortions, rape, sexual assault, sterilization, organ harvesting, human trafficking, and scientific experimentation are just a few of the atrocities that have occurred in the process of the persecution.

Griffin Gulledge, a pastor of Madison Baptist Church in Madison, Georgia, was the one who drafted and presented the motion. He described the persecution of Uyghurs as "one of the worst things happening in the world."

I am thrilled the SBC adopted this resolution condemning the Uyghur Genocide committee by the Chinese government. Unless I am mistaken, we are the first major Protestant Christian group in America to speak out formally to condemn this genocide. Read the full text: pic.twitter.com/K6xki2XqUZ  Griffin Gulledge (@griffingulledge) June 15, 2021

"All of this is happening under the authority of the Chinese government, and nobody's saying anything. We have an obligation to speak," he said in a statement to CP.

Gulledge emphasized that denouncing the Uyghur persecution is consistent with the SBC's theological goal to follow Jesus' command in the Bible for His disciples to preach the Gospel across the globe.

According to him, "the greatest Baptist contribution to theology is the freedom of religion. 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."

Several Uyghur human rights organizations were "very, very excited" to see Southern Baptists offer their support to the cause before the resolution was presented on Tuesday, according to Gulledge, who spoke with them before delivering it.

Gulledge is completing his doctorate in systematic theology at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He first became interested in the suffering of Uyghurs after reading a story in the New York Times about their hardship.

From there, Gulledge began posting a series of tweets to bring attention to the abuses, which quickly became popular.

Soon, the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission held a webinar last summer that centered on China's persecution of the Uyghur Muslim minority.

China's treatment of Uyghurs was branded "genocide" by the U.S. State Department under former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this year, after periods of condemnation during President Donald Trump's administration.

And despite President Joe Biden's refusal to call it a genocide, instead preferring to brand it as a "Chinese cultural norm," the Biden administration's Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, reaffirmed the previous leadership's declaration that what is happening to Uyghurs in China indeed amounts to genocide.

Gulledge expressed his desire to see Christian organizations "of all sorts, whether nonprofits and NGOs, relief agencies or other denominations," follow the SBC's lead in "using their voice and influence to advocate for these people," as he puts it.

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor," he said, citing Luke 4:18. "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free."

Gulledge expressed optimism that people will speak up because he believes it is in keeping with their Christian calling.
St. Peter's Lutheran Church is trying to put the COVID-19 toll behind it by learning to appreciate the life that has returned to its community as the country recovers.

Christian Post (CP) reports that members of the progressive Saint Peter's Lutheran Church and other congregations across America's New York Synod are ready to meet in person.

But while eager to put the pandemic behind them, several churches of the New York Synod, including Saint Peter's, are going to use the lessons from the outbreak to further effectively shape their ministry.

"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. Peter's is an example of this, of not wanting to lose the lessons that we've learned over the past year," said Bishop Paul Egensteiner of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Bishop Egensteiner also informed CP that the virus caused a total loss of 60 lives from that congregation.

CP noted that Saint Peter's lost a large number of members, in part because many of them are immigrants, are from minority groups, and are part of low-income families

There are also some parishioners that are undocumented. During the height of the pandemic, many people were unable to work or obtain government aid.

Lessons learned

"[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," explained Egensteiner. "So there's 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 we're called to be Church at this time and address those real human issues for God's children."

As a result of the pandemic, Egensteiner said that problems like food insecurity and systematic racial inequalities have emerged as significant missions, which his synod wants to address more concretely in the aftermath of 2020. He said that the feeding ministry at several of their churches has been active during the last year and a half.

"And now, there is concern to address some of the systemic reasons that people go hungry," he continued. "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."

In order to help alleviate the unequal effect of the pandemic on communities of color, Egensteiner stated that his denomination encourages members to get vaccinations.

Notwithstanding, Egensteiner asserts that they also respect the wishes of worshippers who do not want to get the COVID-19 vaccination.

"We don't out people who don't get the vaccine. This one congregation, in particular, has two sections in their Sunday morning in-person worship - vaccinated people and unvaccinated people," the minister said. "We're still welcoming unvaccinated people for whatever reason they don't 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."

The New York bishop also thinks that the most important lesson that all churches can learn from the pandemic is the necessity of giving people with a "community" in order to meet their spiritual needs.

He said that a community, in whatever shape it takes - online or in person - is required in order to function as the Church. That grounds believers in a more profound sense of identity than the partisanship that is so prevalent in society today.
The Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches in America passed a resolution, opposing South Korea's anti-discrimination bill which would forbid the preaching on biblical definition of marriage.

Themed "Revive the passion for the Great Commission," the Korean Council held its own three-day annual meeting last week at First Baptist Church in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. It was attended by almost 600 participants from its 973 member churches, the Baptist Press reported.

During the meeting, the delegates agreed to convey its objection on the proposal to the South Korean government.

In June 2020, South Korea reintroduced the anti-discrimination bill, prohibiting discrimination against groups or individuals on the basis of sex, race, age, disability, nationality, gender identity, political opinions, religion and sexual orientation. It also stipulates that violators will be ordered to pay 30 million won ($25,281), which is not a fine or penalty but will be spent on the implementation of "corrections."

Arnold Fang, researcher of Amnesty International, said that the bill aims to "protect everybody from discrimination, including LGBTI people."

The proposal has been constantly opposed by the nation's conservative churches for about 20 years, holding that homosexuality violates their religious belief.

During a prayer meeting in Seoul last year, the United Christian Churches of Korea (UCCK), a conservative Protestant group, expressed its heavy opposition towards passing the legislation.

"An anti-discrimination bill was proposed by the Justice Party at the National Assembly and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea is recommending the legislation of so-called laws on equality... Facing the grim reality, the coalition and groups of Korean churches joined hands to hold a regular prayer meeting and form a committee on the matter so that they can handle the situation and oppose the anti-discrimination law, which creates another discrimination," the UCCK said in a statement.

"During the nationwide prayer meeting, we will stand against the move toward legislation and those organizations that criticize our church community - which took the lead to protect the weak and improve human rights and equality on the Korean Peninsula over the last 130 years - as if it is against equality and seeks its interests only. We will continue to make efforts to withdraw and purify the anti-discrimination legislation which has some hidden intentions and is anti-societal and unethical," the group added.

James Kang, the Korean Council's executive director, shared that the group also created a resolution last year to oppose America's Equality Act under the Biden administration. The council requested its member churches to pray and sign a petition to their respective senators, objecting the bill.

During the annual meeting, Kang was reelected for another four-year term. Kyung D. Kim, pastor of Flower Mound Korean Baptist Church in Texas, was elected as president, while Haeng Bo Lee, pastor of Korean Unity Baptist Church of Antioch in Tennessee, was voted as the first vice president.

The council also passed its 2022 budget, amounting to $1,032,000. The group allocated $651,200 for its missionary support and $130,000 for the Home Mission Board.
A pastor in North Carolina was jailed over allegations of child sexual abuse.

Trent Holbert was charged with two counts of statutory sex offense and one count of indecent liberties with a child. He is being held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility with $300,000 bond, the Biblical Recorder reported.

Holbert was the former lead pastor of The Ridge Church, affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC).

The convention released a statement, conveying its support for the victims.

"As a pastor, Trent has been a speaker at convention-related events for adults in the recent past. He underwent background and reference checks prior to his participation in those events. We are not aware that he had any contact or dealings with minors as part of those events. The care and protection of children and minors is both a biblical and moral mandate that we take very seriously," the BSCNC said.

"We are praying for everyone who has been impacted by these alleged heinous crimes. N.C. Baptists are offering support to the local association and the church as they face these challenging times, as well. We stand with any and all victims of abuse and are committed to cooperating with authorities during their investigation," the convention further stated.

Drew Wheeler, a church elder, said that Holbert has already resigned from the church, per the Baptist Press. He also expressed the congregation's support for all the families involved.

"The care and protection of children and minors is a biblical and moral mandate that is taken seriously by the Ridge Church. We do not condone such actions as the alleged, and our prayers are with the victims of any such abuse," Wheeler continued.

Members of the church also shared their reactions, WLOS reported.

Nancy Hanson said that she cannot believe Holbert would do the alleged abuse, describing him as "an absolutely phenomenal pastor." She added that she wants "justice to be done" once the case is proven.

"That's not something a pastor should do," a neighbor, Cindy Morris, stated.

Another neighbor, Norman Morris, shared that for him, being a pastor is supposedly "being a standout in the community."

On May 18, detectives of the Special Victims Unit of the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at Holbert's residence in Black Mountain. They seized electronic devices from the former minister and found evidence for his case. He was then arrested and charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Juvenile.

Last Thursday, he appeared before the judge and said that he has retained a lawyer.

Holbert also ministered at Epoch Fellowship Church in Owento, Kentucky until 2017. But in 2018, he and his wife, Mandy, along with their two children, moved to North Carolina and founded The Ridge Church.

In his 2019 interview with The Black Mountain News, he disclosed that he used to work in a ministry, planting churches for almost 10 years. A fitness enthusiast, Holbert maintained the site, trentholbertfitness.com for his blog and podcast on nutrition, fitness and health.
A baby boy born in June 2020 despite reaching only four months in his mother's womb recently celebrated his first birthday, making him the world's most premature baby to survive despite having almost no chances of living.

Richard Scott William Hutchinson was born on June 5 last year at 21 weeks and two days, about 131 days premature of the normal gestational period of 40 weeks. He weighed only 11.9 ounces at birth and was believed to have no chance of survival.

"We're still surprised about it," Beth Hutchinson, the baby's mother, said as reported by Christian Headlines. "But we're happy. It's a way we can share his story to raise awareness about premature births."

Beth was supposed to give birth on October 13, 2020 but she experienced medical complications that led to unexpected labor in June, a little over four months earlier than her due date. Following an intense discussion with her doctors, they decided to deliver the baby prematurely and do everything they can to keep him alive.

Richard then went on to become Guinness World Records' most premature baby, taking the record from Canadian James Elgin Gill, who was born 21 weeks and five days premature on May 20, 1987 in Ontario, Canada.

"When Rick and Beth received prenatal counselling 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 Hutchinson baby's neonatologist told Guinness. "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."

A survivor, he is, as he just celebrated his first birthday earlier this month. But it was no small feat. The Hutchinsons had to endure trials throughout the last year, especially with COVID restrictions. The parents were not allowed to stay overnight with their baby, who was at the Children's Minnesota hospital. The Hutchinsons had to drive every day from their home state of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, to Minneapolis, Minnesota to spend time with their son, the world's most premature baby.

"We made sure we were there to give him support," Rick Hutchinson said. "I think that helped him get through this because he knew he could count on us."

Dr. Kern credits little Richard's determination to survive to his parents' resilience and dedication. She admitted that it "takes a village to care for and support these babies until the time they are ready to go home." The Hutchinsons have also become advocates for preemies and encouraged other parents with premature babies to "advocate for your child as much as you can."

Little Richard Hutchinson made it home in early December 2020 after about six months in the NICU. Dr. Kern recounted how emotional his parents and the staff had all been to see him leave and finally go home with his parents.

Medical staff called Richard the "miracle baby."

The pro-life community is also celebrating the successful first year of the world's most premature baby, taking to Twitter to share how he was once given "0% chance of survival" but is now thriving as a healthy one year old boy. Pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony also tweeted a birthday greeting, with its president Marjorie Dannenfelser saying that "Viability is outdated every time you turn around."
The Chinese Communist Party is fighting back to denounce the testimonies of those who appeared at the "Uyghur Tribunal" earlier this month. The tribunal was heard by a panel of United Kingdom-based lawyers and rights experts who were investigating abuses against the Muslim minority in Xinjiang, China. The first of several hearings was held over four days and is set to produce a report in December to decide if China is guilty of genocide. CCP officials vehemently deny it and are now on a campaign to disqualify testimonies heard during the tribunal.

According to Breitbart, the CCP officials through the state-sponsored "People's Daily" newspaper is campaigning against the "Uyghur Tribunal" in which witnesses exposed the torture and slavery at Chinese concentration camps. During a press conference on Friday, CCP spokesman Xu Guixiang in Xinjiang decried the "Uyghur Tribunal" as "illegal" and branded the witnesses as "actors." Xu claims that the British tribunal was organized by "Western anti-China forces and East Turkestan [Xinjiang] organizations" and groups who were "secessionists advocating Uygur 'independence.'"

"[The Uyghur Tribunal] 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," Xu argued, calling the tribunal a "shameless act."

"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," another Xinjiang spokesman at the press conference declared, calling the witnesses at the tribunal "actors."

According to Channel News Asia, "Uyghur Tribunal" vice-chair Nick Vetch promised that there would be an unbiased, "impartial" investigation into China based on this month's evidence sessions and the sessions to take place in September. Vetch had also given China the opportunity to defend itself against the allegations, but said that the tribunal has not received any word from the CCP.

Instead, in typical fashion, the CCP is using its state media to campaign against the tribunal, calling its participants "liars" and "actors."

Earlier this month, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denounced the tribunal, telling CNA, "It is not even a real tribunal or special court, but only a special machine producing lies."

However, the evidence is undeniable. A peer-reviewed academic paper by Adrian Zenz, a top researcher on China's Xinjiang policies, revealed that the CCP's regional policies can reduce minority births by 2.6 to 4.5 million in the next 20 years, BBC reported. The new study revealed that China's birth-control policies in the Xinjiang region will be able to decrease the population of ethnic minorities to just 8.6 and 10.5 million by 2040, versus 13.1 million as projected by Chinese researchers before Beijing decided to crack down and control their population growth.

"This [research and analysis] really shows the intent behind the Chinese government's long-term plan for the Uyghur population," Zenz told Reuters. The report indicated how CCP authorities "planned to subject at least 80% of women of childbearing age in the rural southern four minority prefectures to intrusive birth prevention surgeries, referring to IUDs or sterilisations."

Al Jazeera reported that one of the first witnesses at the "Uyghur Tribunal" recounted how women in the Chinese concentration caps in Xinjuang were subjected to rape and forced sterilization as a way to control Uyghur women.
A FOX Business host believes that Juneteenth must be celebrated not to rewrite the past, but to acknowledge it and move forward in a new direction without being limited by its hauntings.

Last week, President Joe Biden signed into law the "Juneteenth National Independence Day Act," which declares June 19th as an official federal holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery on the same day in 1865. The measure was passed through Congress with an overwhelming bipartisan vote, while the House passed it with a 415-14 vote, with all "no" votes coming from Congressional Republicans.

Now, Charles Payne of FOX Business' "Making Money with Charles Payne" is encouraging Americans to approach Juneteenth in a different manner. Arguing that the holiday is "already being politicized or deliberately misconstrued even before the ink is dried," he believes that "nobody is confusing this with July 4th, Independence Day. And its creation belies the constant screams that this nation does not admit to its past, the good and the bad," Red State reported.

Instead, the FOX host believes that Juneteenth should be about recognizing the past for what it is: slavery of blacks and people of color at the hands of white, privileged folks. This past, according to Payne, must not be rewritten but instead should be acknowledged in order to move forward.

"We can never rewrite the past and I don't think we should start rewriting the past," the 60 year old former U.S. Air Force security officer and Wall Street professional argued. He became the host of "Making Money with Charles Payne" in 2014.

Payne argued that Juneteenth should be the reminder for all Americans to "acknowledge the past while freeing us up, all, to look ahead." He likened Gen. Gordon Granger's determination to get to the slaves in Galveston, Texas back in the 1800's to "the driving undercurrent in American history to keep marching toward what is right, to keep marching toward a more perfect union."

Payne also theorized that the slaves of 1865 did not spend time "lamenting on how long it took to learn of the news, or even the plight of their bondage" but instead had reveled in what it meant to be free and lived their lives accordingly.

The FOX host shared that Juneteenth actually reminded him of his mother who raised her children to "seize the future and not be chained to the past. Not to allow the bondage of yesteryear (to) stall our own potential, our own opportunities."

This is exactly what critical race theory detractors believe in: that no person of color is oppressed today because they were oppressed in the past by a white person. Like Payne, President Biden called to move away from the "long, hard night of slavery and subjugation" into a "brighter morning to come."

During the signing of the Juneteenth law, the President highlighted America's "extraordinary capacity to heal, and to hope, and to emerge from the most painful moments and a bitter, bitter version of ourselves, but to make a better version of ourselves."
Democrats, reacting to the possibility of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops denying communion to pro-abortion politicians, have resorted to bullying by threatening the removal of the Catholic Church's tax-exempt status.

The Christian Post reported that California Representative Jared Huffman implied in Twitter that the tax exempt status should be removed from the Catholic Church if it will insist to ban pro-abortion politicians from receiving Holy Communion.

"If they're going to politically weaponize religion by "rebuking" Democrats who support women's reproductive choice, then a 'rebuke' of their tax-exempt status may be in order," Huffman said on Saturday.

Huffman actually retweeted a post by LA Times Congressional Reporter Jennifer Haberkorn on the matter. Haberkorn highlighted that 60 Catholic House Democrats has responded negatively to the alleged weaponizing of the Catholic Church of the Eucharist against abortion based on what The New York Times claimed on the outcome of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Spring General Assembly and on the statement released by the said legislators.

"60 Catholic House Dems respond: 'The Sacrament of Holy Communion is central to the life of practicing Catholics & the weaponization of the Eucharist to Democratic lawmakers for their support of a woman's safe and legal access to abortion is contradictory,'" Haberkorn quoted from the statement released by the Democrats on the issue.

The Christian Post added that the Democrats have "solemnly urged" the bishops to forego with the plan in drafting the policy since it does not "reflect and encompass the depth and complexity of these issues."

Although Huffman was not a signatory of the statement, there were indeed 60 Catholic Democrats who expressed the "Statement of Principles" they live with despite being legislators of the United States Congress in so far as their faith are concerned. Part of the said legislators included House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Women's Health Protection Act co-sponsor Texas Representative Veronica Escobar. The Democrat-introduced Women's Health Protection Act is a bill removing "all limitations and requirements on abortion."

The 4-page "Statement of Principles" dated June 18 speaks of the Catholic Democrat's pride to be "part of the living Catholic tradition" while advocating their belief that the "government has moral purpose." The Catholic Democrats did stress that the Catholic Church "unfailingly promotes" not only the common good but also a "consistent moral framework for life" that provides a "safety net to those individuals in society who are the most vulnerable."

"We are committed to making real the basic principles that are at the heart of Catholic social teaching: helping the poor, disadvantaged, and the oppressed, protecting the least among us and ensuring that all Americans of every faith are given meaningful opportunities to share in the blessings of this great country. That commitment is fulfilled in different ways by legislators," the Democrats said.

"In all these issues, we seek the Church's guidance and assistance but believe also in the primacy of conscience. In recognizing the Church's role in providing moral leadership, we acknowledge and accept the tension that comes with being in disagreement with the Church in some areas," they added.

"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," the Catholic Democrats highlighted. "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."

They also cited Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation, "The Joy of the Gospel," to drive a point that although the Eucharist is the "fullness of sacramental life," it is "not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak."

In addition, the said Democrats stated their belief in the separation of the church and state as a reason for supporting policies contrary to Church teachings. They urged the bishops not to deny them the Eucharist which they regard as the "most holy of all sacraments" since they alleged that pursuing a "blanket of denial of the Holy Eucharist to certain elected officials would indeed grieve the Holy Spirit."
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a doctor by profession, is once more on the tail of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, reportedly stating that children should not be vaccinated anymore since the COVID-19 pandemic is essentially "over."

RedState said that Paul slammed Fauci for going against science, particularly on "discounting natural immunity," during an interview with Fox News on Monday. RedState pointed out the Paul has been the "voice of reason" by going against "mainstream thought" as well as "scientists in charge" like Fauci. Paul also backed up the testimony of former United States Center for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield on the source of COVID-19.

"This may be the biggest scientific error that Dr. Fauci has made so far and continues to make. He's completely discounting natural immunity--the immunity you get after you've had an infection. All of the scientific studies, and I emphasize that 'all,' hundreds of studies now show that you do have immunity. But if you discount that and you don't count it, then Dr. Fauci says, 'Oh no, we don't have enough people vaccinated, we're not at herd immunity,'" Paul said during the interview.

"Now we have to have mandates on the children, and we must force children of all ages to have the vaccine even though they don't get sick from COVID very often and they almost never die from it," He added. "He wants to force the vaccine on them because he makes a scientific error and doesn't count natural immunity."

Paul pointed out that reaching herd immunity is "enough." He said that current daily statistics on the cases of COVID-19 in the United States show that "incidents have gone down to nearly nothing, deaths are going to zero." He cited statistics that show 200 million Americans have already been vaccinated versus the 100 million who caught the virus, which he said equates to the entire American population.

"We are over this. We are at herd immunity, and so I don't think there's any reason to be forcing our children to be vaccinated, but it all comes from Dr. Fauci ignoring the science that you get natural immunity after you've had an infection," Paul stressed.

Fox News reported that, during the interview, Paul also slammed Fauci for his "lack of transparency over COVID origins."

In May's Senate Hearing, Paul accused Fauci of being "culpable" for the entire COVID-19 pandemic since he was aware of the gain-of-function research being conducted by the Wuhan Institute of Virology that the NIH and the NIAID funded, although the latter denied the matter.

Paul first pointed out in April Fauci's knack for going against science due to the latter's post-vaccination mandate that the former actually called nothing but mere "theater." Fauci initially denied that it was anything but theater yet admitted a month after that he did wear masks for show since he was a renowned medical professional.

The CDC, in updating its guidelines for fully vaccinated people early June, has defined that herd or population immunity means that "enough people in a community are protected from getting a disease because they've already had the disease or because they've been vaccinated" but admits they are still learning what percentage of the population needs to be vaccinated in achieving this.

"Population immunity makes it hard for the disease to spread from person to person. It even protects those who cannot be vaccinated, like newborns or people who are allergic to the vaccine. The percentage of people who need to have protection to achieve population immunity varies by disease," the CDC announced.
The State of New York is reportedly pushing to legalize assisted suicide through a new legislation said to be under the review of the Senate and Assembly Health Committees.

As per The Christian Institute, there are several bills that push for assisted suicide through the intake of lethal drugs in the state of New York. The said bills were patterned after Oregon's Death With Dignity Act that was approved in 1997 and regarded as the first of its kind in the United States.

The Oregon law allows patients deemed to have six or less months to live the leeway to be prescribed with lethal drugs for assisted suicide. However, the law has a limit for patients aged 18 years of age and should be "mentally competent" and acting "without coercion" from anyone.

There are currently nine states, excluding the District of Columbia as per The Christian Institute, where assisted suicide is permitted. While there have been a total of 2,895 patients prescribed with lethal drugs since Oregon's Death With Dignity Act became a law. Assisted suicide has increased more than 28% in Oregon for 2020 based on statistics released by the state last February 26, 2021.

The Christian Institute pointed out that assisted suicides actually discourage medical treatment in states where it is legalized. In an October 2019 report, the England-based non-profit organization pointed out that even medical organizations reveal that such assisted deaths "remove choices" from patients based on a report by the National Council on Disability.

"Insurers have denied expensive, life-sustaining medical treatment, but offered to subsidize lethal drugs, potentially leading patients to hasten their own deaths," the National Council on Disability Chairman Neil Romano said.

"Assisted suicide laws are premised on the notion of additional choice for people at the end of their lives, however in practice, they often remove choices when the low-cost option is ending one's life versus providing treatments to lengthen it or services and supports to improve it," he added.

LifeSite reported in May that more than 60 Democrats from New York's Senate and House of Representatives are sponsoring bills that will legalize euthanasia. The said bills, when approved, will allow patients to administer "lethal injection even without the presence or support of a physician or any other health care professional."

The said bills are Assembly Bill 4321 and Senate Bill 6471, which are primarily sponsored by Representative Amy Paulin and Senator Diane Savino, respectively, and both officially called "Medical Aid In Dying Act."

The bills specify certain requirements for the assisted suicide or euthanasia to take effect such as a written letter by the patient "to end" his or her life that must be accompanied by a "declaration of witnesses" in addition to the age limit for it. It also indicates that unused portions of the lethal injection should be properly disposed of "to the nearest qualified facility."

LifeSite launched a campaign called "Voter Voice" in an attempt to stop the two bills, enticing New Yorkers opposing it to sign up and send emails to state legislators as a petition against it. LifeSite stressed in their petition that such bills normalize the "culture of death rather than life across the United States."
Many believe that the election of Ebrahim Raisi as president of Iran constitutes an existential threat to both human rights and United States-Iran relations, reports say.

CBN reported that the results of the Iranian presidential election were revealed over the weekend.

Former Iranian judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi was declared winner, the International Christian Coalition (ICC) said but noted that the Iranian presidential election of 2021 was marred by widespread corruption and unusually low voter participation.

Because of extensive electoral manipulation by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khameini, ICC asserted that Raisi, a conservative hardliner, easily defeated the country's lone moderate rival. Every candidate who had a chance of competing with Raisi was disqualified by a body of authorities under the authority of the Khameini in the months preceding up to election day.

This was confirmed by CBN who spoke with Iranian scholar Thamar Elam Gidin from the University of Haif, who described the race as "a one-man race."

"Anyone who could have threatened his victory was screened by the Guardian Council about a month ago so they wouldn't get in the way. He didn't run for president. He was run for president. He was pushed by other forces," she said.

After working as a prosecutor and serving on notorious execution panels in the 1980s, the new president received the title "the Hangman of Tehran."

"He's a man with the blood of thousands of Iranians on his hands. He was a member of the death committees in the 1980s. He sentenced thousands of people to death. They are the mass murders of 1988 that were buried in common graves without even marking," Gidin said.

For political subversion, Raisi assisted in the execution of nearly 30,000 Iranians in 1988, as part of an administrative death panel that met for just a few minutes each time. Raisi's reputation as one of the world's most famous executioners grew during his tenure as Judiciary Chief, when he oversaw the execution of over 620 Iranians, the majority of whom were political dissidents or members of minorities.

Additionally, Raisi has relied extensively on cruel floggings as a means of fighting subversion, particularly against Christians who have converted to the faith. Raisi's human rights abuses mirror the widespread persecution and repression that Iranians are subjected to by their own government.

ICC, which monitors human rights abuses and persecution worldwide, said that Raisi's government presents a serious threat to human rights in the country as well as Iran's ties with the United States of America.

In a crucial period for ties between the United States and Iran, Raisi's reluctance to engage with the United States has come as a surprise to the Biden administration, which is contemplating re-enacting the Iran Nuclear Deal and removing the economic penalties against Iran that were imposed by the Trump administration.

President Biden believes that by paying Iran for good conduct, the Iranian government would be deterred from acquiring nuclear weapons, which would have very serious consequences for the stability and security of the whole Middle East if successful.

Human rights experts, on the other hand, are worried that an "incentive-based foreign policy" toward Iran would hinder the United States from addressing the terrible persecution that the Iranian regime is promoting. The election of Raisi simply serves to exacerbate these concerns.

According to a recommendation made by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) this year, Iran should be classified as a Country of Particular Concern due to the persecution of religious minorities inside the country's boundaries.

(Photo taken from Mehr News Agency via Wikimedia Commons)
Chen Wensheng, a Christian who attends a house church in Hengyang in China's Hunan province, has been apprehended more than 100 times by the authorities over the course of many years. Nonetheless, he has prepared himself for the possibility of being imprisoned and preaching the gospel while in jail.

According to ChinaAid, on the morning of June 16, police detained Chen Wensheng and many others and took them to the hospital for a physical exam and the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT), a kind of viral diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. An officer called the families of individuals who had been arrested to inform them that their relatives would be held for 5-10 days.

When Chen's wife contacted him on the evening of June 17, she informed him that officials from the Hengyang Municipal State Security Department, as well as the United Front Work Department, had called her.

She received many phone calls from Xiao, one of the directors, who hoped that she would be able to prevent Brother Chen from preaching the gospel on the streets.

Chen's son and the school where his daughter-in-law works have also been visited by officials from relevant departments, who have threatened both of them. Chen's daughter-in-law was warned by Chinese Communist Party officers that if Chen continued openly preaching the Gospel, they would not only remove her from public service, but also block Chen's granddaughter from going on the National Civil Servant Examination or school teaching.

State officials also contacted Chen's family to urge him to cease preaching the gospel in public places.

"Thank God for granting my family the opportunity to learn the lesson about the cross and suffering because of proclaiming the gospel... He will be responsible for this and hold us through it. Glory be to God," said Chen in response. From being a former drug addict, he has transformed into a zealous "street preacher" who has shown that no number of arrests would deter him from his mission.



The Public Security Bureau of Suining County slapped a 15-day administrative arrest charge on Chen for "disturbing public order" for preaching the Gospel on the streets of Suining County, Shaoyang City on May 21.

Authorities released Chen after a 15-day detention period. On June 15, he and other Christians from the Church boarded the light train and traveled to Wenzhou ten days later.

Divine intervention

The gospel was preached to train passengers by Chen and his associates, and some of them complained to the authorities. A police investigation ensued, and the group was held in the Wenzhou Guidao District Bureau of Public Security for the night. They were taken to the Wenzhou Detention Center in the afternoon of June 16 by police officials.

"You do not have the right to detain us," Shao, one of the Christians traveling with Chen, told the authorities. "We are the Lord Jesus' servants. If He does not allow you to detain us, none of you can..."

Following the group's transfer to the hospital for the NAAT and a medical examination on June 16, they were held in police custody for 5-10 days. After preparing to transfer Chen and his friends to a prison facility, authorities got an unexpected directive from the Public Security Bureau stating that the case investigation had been terminated.

This was the first time Chen had seen a paper ending a case in his more than 100 arrests by police over the course of previous decades.

As soon as police were notified of the "Decision to Terminate Case Investigation," they were required to release Chen and the other defendants immediately. Amazed, Chen wrote the following on WeChat.

"Thank the Lord Jesus for intervening in this affair. Thank God for letting us wear the gospel T-shirt this morning while three police officers transported us [handcuffed] to the hospital and express train station. Today, while we took every opportunity to proclaim the gospel to others, many read the gospel account printed on our shirts. May God have mercy on the world and save more sinners. Amen...."

The hunt for him continues...

Chen's whereabouts were tracked by officials from the Henghang and Wenzhou Public Security Bureaus, the State Security Department, the community, and the United Front Work Department on June 15 and 16. It was clear to him and the other Christians that when they got off the fast train, police officers would surely be waiting for them. Nonetheless, as was customary to them, they preached the gospel.

"Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel," Chen declared.

A brother-in faith from Wenzhou traveled more than an hour to pick up Chen and the other members of the group for supper on the afternoon of June 16th. Chen's group was then driven to their respective homes, where they washed and slept.

Later, they were forced to board the express train by police officials.

Upon the arrival of Chen and his group in Wenzhou, CCP officials began a campaign of harassment against the Christian who was accommodating them. State Security agents even paid a visit to his father's home in order to look for Chen. He was also requested to call his elder brother. He received a phone call from the head pastor of the host church, who warned him that housing Brother Chen and the others might have severe ramifications.

The host persisted in accommodating, feeding and providing transportation to Chen, despite being followed by officials from the Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.
Arriving on campus for the first time as a freshman can be stressful for a multitude of reasons, so keeping yourself busy is key to settling into a healthy routine. In order to get into this new college lifestyle, Virginia Tech provides its students with plenty of opportunities outside the c
The former hospital of the Iowa Braille & Sight Saving School is currently being converted into a restaurant for the first of many planned projects on the property.
Vintons Riverside Park served as the start for the 9th Annual Party in Pink 5K Walk/Run on Friday, June 18. Over 250 registered to participate either in-person or virtually and raised thousands of dollars for the Virginia Gay Hospital Gifts of Hope program.
Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2019-2029

A recent market study published by FMI on the Automotive Cylinder Liner market includes global industry analysis 2014-2018 & opportunity assessment 2019-2029, and delivers a comprehensive assessment of the most important market dynamics. After conducting a thorough research on the historic as well as current growth parameters of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market, the growth prospects of the market are obtained with maximum precision.

Automotive cylinder Liner Market: Taxonomy

The global Automotive Cylinder Liner market is segmented in detail to cover every aspect of the market and present a complete market intelligence approach to the reader.

Vehicle Type

Light Duty

Heavy duty

Liner Type

Dry Liner

Wet Liner

Material Type

Cast Iron

Aluminium Alloys

Steel

Titanium

Application

Diesel Engine

Gasoline Engine

Region

North America

Latin America

Asia Pacific Excluding Japan

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

MEA

Japan

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Chapter 01  Executive Summary

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Chapter 02  Market Overview

Readers can find the definition and detailed taxonomy of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market in this chapter, which will help them understand the basic information about the Automotive Cylinder Liner market. This section also highlights the inclusions and exclusions, which help readers understand the scope of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market report.

Chapter 03  Market Background

This chapter explains the key macro-economic factors that are expected to influence the growth of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market over the forecast period. Along with the macroeconomic factors, this section also highlights the supply chain, forecast factors, overview of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market, and value chain analysis for the Automotive Cylinder Liner market. Moreover, in-depth information about the market dynamics and their impact analysis on the market have been provided in the successive section.

Chapter 04  Global Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Demand Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

This section explains the global market value analysis and forecast for the Automotive Cylinder Liner market between the forecast periods of 2019-2029. This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the historical Automotive Cylinder Liner market, along with an opportunity analysis of the future. Readers can also find the absolute $ opportunity for the current year (2019), and an incremental $ opportunity for the forecast period (20192029). The chapter also includes a pessimistic & optimistic outlook for automotive cylinder liner. Along with it, an overview of the key insights is also provided by market participants.

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Chapter 05  Market Background

This chapter explains the key macro-economic factors that are expected to influence the growth of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market during the forecast period. Along with the macroeconomic factors, this section also highlights supply chain, forecast factors, Porters five forces analysis, patents fillings, and value chain analysis for the Automotive Cylinder Liner market. Moreover, in-depth information about the market dynamics and their impact analysis on the market have been provided in the successive section.

Chapter 06  Global Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029, by Vehicle Type

Based on the vehicle type, the Automotive Cylinder Liner market is segmented into light duty and heavy duty. In this chapter, readers can find information about the key trends and developments in the Automotive Cylinder Liner market and market attractiveness analysis based on the vehicle type.

Chapter 07  Global Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029, by Liner Type

This chapter provides details about the Automotive Cylinder Liner market based on the liner type, and has been classified into wet liners and dry liner. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on the end user.

Chapter 08  Global Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029, by Material Type

This chapter provides details about the Automotive Cylinder Liner market based on the material type, and has been classified into cast iron, aluminum alloys, steel and titanium. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on the end user.

Chapter 09  Global Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029, by Application

This chapter provides details about the Automotive Cylinder Liner market based on the application, and has been classified into diesel engine and gasoline engine. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on the end user.

Chapter 10  Global Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029, by Region

This chapter explains how the Automotive Cylinder Liner market will grow across several geographic regions such as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ (Asia Pacific excluding Japan), MEA (Middle East & Africa) and Japan.

Chapter 11  North America Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the growth of the North America Automotive Cylinder Liner market, along with a country-wise assessment that includes the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find the pricing analysis, regional trends, and market growth based on the application and countries in North America.

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Chapter 12  Latin America Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

This chapter provides the growth scenario of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market in Latin American countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and the Rest of Latin America. Along with this, an assessment of the market across target segments has been provided.

Chapter 13  Western Europe Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

Important growth prospects of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market based on its end users in several countries such as Germany, Italy, France, U.K., Spain, BENELUX and the Rest of Western Europe are included in this chapter.

Chapter 14  Eastern Europe Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

In this chapter, important growth prospects of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market based on its end users in several countries such as Russia, Poland and the Rest of Eastern Europe are included in this chapter.

Chapter 15  APEJ Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

In this chapter, China, India, ASEAN, ANZ are prominent countries in the APEJ region that are the prime subjects of assessment to obtain the growth prospects of the APEJ Automotive Cylinder Liner market. Readers can find detailed information about the growth parameters of the APEJ Automotive Cylinder Liner market during the forecast period of 2019-2029.

Chapter 16  MEA Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

This chapter highlights the growth of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market in MEA by focusing on Turkey, South Africa and rest of MEA. This section also help readers understand the key factors that are responsible for the growth of the Automotive Cylinder Liner market in MEA.

Chapter 17  Japan Automotive Cylinder Liner Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Opportunity Assessment 2019-2029

This chapter provides information about how the Automotive Cylinder Liner market will grow in Japan, during the forecast period of 2019-2029.

Chapter 18  Market Structure Analysis

In this chapter, readers can find detailed information about the tier analysis and market concentration of key players in the Automotive Cylinder Liner market, along with their market presence analysis by region and product portfolio.

Chapter 19  Competition Analysis

In this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of all the prominent stakeholders in the Automotive Cylinder Liner market, along with the detailed information about each company, which includes the company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Some of the market players featured in the report are Mahle GmbH, GKN PLC, NIPPON PISTON RING Co., Ltd., Federal-Mogul LLC, TPR Co., Ltd., ZYNP Corporation, Liners India Limited, Melling Cylinder Sleeves, Darton International, Inc., India Pistons Ltd. and Cooper Corp., among others.

Chapter 20  Assumptions and Acronyms

This chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provides a base to the information and statistics included in the Automotive Cylinder Liner market report.

Chapter 21  Research Methodology

This chapter help readers understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions as well as important qualitative and quantitative information about the Automotive Cylinder Liner market.

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Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) is a technique used in the laboratories that can separate ions based on their electrophoretic mobility with the use of an applied voltage without overheating. The advantages of the system include high accuracy, efficiency and higher reproducibility. This electrophoresis technique is widely used in biosciences and clinical research.

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Growth by Region

North America accounted for the largest market share owing to the increasing focus by stakeholders on research projects that involves proteins, associated biomolecules and also genes. The growth in Europe, is due to the growing research activities in the fields related to genomics and proteomics coupled with stringent regulatory requirements in pharmaceutical manufacturing industries. Asia-Pacific region is also one of the lucrative markets showing noticeable growth due to rising focus on structure-based drug design developments.

Drivers vs Constraints

The market is mainly driven by advantages over other molecular separation and analysis technologies due to its improved efficiency, high accuracy as well as greater reproducibility. However, the growth of the market is hindered by the high cost of the equipment as well as the availability of other electrophoresis systems in the market.

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Industry Trends and Updates

Agilent Technologies, Inc., an American public research, development and manufacturing company had completed its acquisition of Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc., a provider of capillary electrophoresis solutions for fully automated analysis of a wide range of molecules for USD 250 million in cash.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific, an American biotechnology product development company had launched its new capillary electrophoresis (CE) system which is designed to offer a low-throughput, cartridge-based system for Sanger sequencing as well as fragment analysis at European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Glycomics is the study of carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing biomolecules in biological processes such as cell recognition, immune response, cell-to-cell interaction, infection and inflammation. Glycan microarrays, carbohydrate chemistry, and high-throughput mass spectroscopy are the advanced technologies that assist in order to unfold the complexity resulting from this diversity. The global glycomics market was 727 million USD in 2018 and will reach 1532.35 million USD by 2025 with a CAGR of 10.62% during the period.

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Growth by Region

North America has dominated the market owing to huge investments in biotechnology. Asia  Pacific will grow significantly due to growth in industrial development and increasing funding in R&D.

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Drivers vs Constraints

The rising investment on R&D by pharmaceutical and biotech companies, increasing funding by public and private organizations for glycomic research are the key factors for the growth of the market. However, lack of awareness about the importance of glycomics restrains the growth of the market.





Industry Trends and Updates

Shimadzu and PREMIER Biosoft said they will support the combination of each other's technologies to advance lipidomics and glycomics research.

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The Copenhagen Center for Glycomics and Desktop Genetics are collaborating to test and improve a tool for analyzing mutations generated by CRISPR nucleases.
The recent market study published by FMI Allergy Diagnostic Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022 -- consists of a comprehensive assessment of the most important market dynamics. On conducting a thorough research on the historic as well as current growth parameters of the Allergy Diagnostic market, growth prospects of the market were obtained with maximum precision. The report features unique and salient factors that may make a huge impact on the development of the Allergy Diagnostic market during the forecast period.

It can help market players modify their manufacturing and marketing strategies to envisage maximum growth in the Allergy Diagnostic market in the upcoming years. The report provides detailed information about the current and future growth prospects of the Allergy Diagnostic market in the most comprehensive way to provide a better understanding to the readers.

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Chapter 1  Executive Summary

The report commences with the executive summary of the Allergy Diagnostic market report, which includes the summary of key findings and key statistics of the market. It also includes the market value (US$ million) estimates of the leading segments of the Allergy Diagnostic market.

Chapter 2  Market Overview

Readers can find detailed taxonomy and the definition of the Allergy Diagnostic market in this chapter. This will help readers to understand the basic information about Allergy Diagnostic market dynamics, supply chain, cost structure, pricing analysis, list of key distributors and suppliers and list of key market participants included in the report.

Chapter 3  Global Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis (2012-2016) & Opportunity Assessment (2017-2022), By Product Type

Based on product type, the Allergy Diagnostic market has been segmented into fungal Allergy Diagnostic and neutral lactase enzymes. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments taking place in the Allergy Diagnostic market and market attractive analysis based on product type, instruments, consumables and allergy testing services. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments taking place in the Allergy Diagnostic market and market attractive analysis based on the product type for each region.

Chapter 4  Global Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022, By End User

Based on End User, the Allergy Diagnostic market is segmented into diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, academic research institutes and other end users. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the Allergy Diagnostic market and market attractive analysis based on End User. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the Allergy Diagnostic market and market attractive analysis based on End Users for each region.

Chapter 5  Global Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022, By Allergen Type

Based on the Allergen Type, the Allergy Diagnostic market is segmented into Inhaled Allergens, Food Allergens, Drug Allergens and Other Allergens. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the Allergy Diagnostic market and market attractive analysis based on Allergen Type. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the Allergy Diagnostic market and market attractive analysis based on the Allergen Type for each region.

Chapter 6  Global Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022, By Test Type

Based on the Test Type, the Allergy Diagnostic market is segmented into In-vivo allergy tests & In-vivo allergy tests. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the Allergy Diagnostic market and market attractive analysis based on Test Type. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the Allergy Diagnostic market and market attractive analysis based on the Test Type for each region.

Chapter 7  Global Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022, By Region

This chapter explains how the Allergy Diagnostic market will grow across various geographic regions, such as North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East & Africa (MEA).

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Chapter 9  North America Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022

This chapter includes detailed analysis of the growth of the North America Allergy Diagnostic market along with country-wise assessment, including the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find information on regional trends, regulations and market growth based on product type, allergen type, test type and country of Allergy Diagnostic in the North American region.

Chapter 10  Latin America Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022

Readers can find detailed information about factors, such as pricing analysis and regional trends, impacting the growth of the Latin America Allergy Diagnostic market. This chapter also discusses the growth prospects of the Allergy Diagnostic market in leading LATAM countries, such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and rest of the Latin America region.

Chapter 11  Europe Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022

Important growth prospects for the Allergy Diagnostic market based on product types, form and application in several European countries, such as EU4, UK, BENELUX, Nordic and Eastern Europe, have been included in this chapter.

Chapter 14  APEJ Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022

Great China, India, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand are the leading countries in the APEJ region and their growth prospects have been discussed in this chapter. Readers can find thorough information about growth parameters in the APEJ Allergy Diagnostic market during 2016-2022.

Chapter 13  Japan Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022

Readers will find information on important factors that will have a huge impact on the growth of the Allergy Diagnostic market in Japan during the forecast period. This chapter provides an overview of regulations, drivers, restraints and trends in the Japan Allergy Diagnostic market.

Chapter 15  MEA Allergy Diagnostic Market Analysis 2012-2016 & Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2022

This chapter provides information on how the Allergy Diagnostic market will grow in the major countries of MEA region, such as GCC Countries, Turkey, Iran, Israel, and South Africa, during the period 2013-2028.

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Chapter 16  Competition Landscape, Company Share and Company Profiles

In this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of all the leading stakeholders in the Allergy Diagnostic market along with detailed information about each company, including company overview, revenue share, strategic overview and recent company developments. Market players featured in the report include Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Siemens Healthineers, Danaher Corporation, HOB Biotech Group Co, bioMerieux, Hycor Biomedical Inc. Stallergenes Greer, R-Biopharm AG, and Lincoln Diagnostics, Inc.

Chapter 17  Assumptions and Acronyms

This chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provide a base to the information and statistics included in the report.

Chapter 18  Research Methodology

This chapter will help readers to understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions, important qualitative information and quantitative information about the Allergy Diagnostic market.
Market Research Future Has Published a Cooked Research Report on the Global Master Alloys Market.

Market Analysis:

Various factors are propelling the master alloys market growth. These factors, as stated by the MRFR report, include burgeoning demand for master alloys from the titanium industry, and growing demand in the automotive sector. Additional factors pushing market growth include growing demand for superalloys that can withstand extreme temperatures and collaboration between consumers and manufacturers.

Master Alloys Market Size is predicted to touch USD 441.2 million at a 6.51% CAGR over the forecast period (2018-2024), as per the latest Market Research Future (MRFR) report. A master alloy, simply put, is a base metal including nickel, copper or aluminium with a comparatively percentage of one or two other elements. These alloys are made in various shapes such as rod in coils, waffle plate, and ingot. They are mostly found in plants where metals are melted, alloyed with different elements as well as cast into shapes. It can be steel, iron, aluminium or precious metals such as gold. Master alloys are also known as a modifier, grain refiner, and hardener resting on its application.

On the contrary, declining profit margins, coupled with the dull growth of the steel industry are factors that may impede the master alloys market growth over the forecast period.

Key Players:

Leading players profiled in the Master Alloys Industry include KBM Affilips (Netherlands), Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. (Netherlands), Asturiana de Aleaciones SA (Spain), Reading Alloys (AMETEK Inc.) (US), and Milward Alloys Inc. (US), among others.

July 2019: UK-based LCM (Less Common Metals), the sole rare earth alloy producer based outside Japan and China has begun the production of metal. LCM produces samarium cobalt alloys and neodymium-iron-boron, and high purity earth metals for the permanent magnet industry in Southern England. Besides, they also make other rare earth alloys such as master alloys (lanthanum nickel and yttrium aluminum) and hydrogen storage.

Market Segmentation

The Market Research Future report provides a wide segmental analysis of the Master Alloys Market Size based on application and type.

Based on type, the master alloys market is segmented into copper-based master alloys, chromium alloys, vanadium alloys, molybdenum alloys, aluminium-based master alloys, and others. Of these, the aluminium-based master alloys segment will have the largest share in the market over the forecast period. This is owing to the fact that aluminium is lightweight, highly compatible with other base materials, and works as a hardening agent.

By application, the master alloys market is segmented into the aluminium industry, metal anhydride alloys, iron, titanium production, powder metallurgical, stainless steel, superalloys, and others. Of these, the titanium production segment will dominate the market over the forecast period. This is owing to its wide use in aircraft engines as well as components. The titanium production segment will be followed by the superalloys segment.

Regional Analysis

Based on the region, the Master Alloys Industry covers growth opportunities and the latest trends across North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Of these, the APAC region will remain the frontrunner in the market over the forecast period. It is predicted to grow at an 8.3% CAGR. This is owing to the burgeoning demand from various end industries such as aluminum, consumer goods, automotive, and aircraft components. The presence of automotive giants such as Mitsubishi and Toyota are investing largely in production facilities, especially in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia are also boosting the market growth in this region.

The master alloys market in North America is predicted to have the second-largest share in the market during the forecast period and is predicted to touch USD 91.4 million. This is owing to the growth in the aerospace industry and the presence of leading aircraft manufacturers in the region.

The master alloys market in Europe is predicted to have moderate growth over the forecast period. Germany is the key contributor in this region owing to the growing demand for titanium alloys in the automotive as well as aerospace industries.

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Market Research Future has published a half-cooked research report on Global Flock Adhesive Market.

The global flock adhesive market was valued at USD 2303.5 million in 2017 and is expected to rise to USD 3275 million by 2027 at a CAGR of 6.04% from 2018 to 2027 (forecast period). The growing demand for flock adhesives in the automotive industry is likely to be the major driver for the global flock adhesive market over the forecast period. The market volume is predicted to expand at 5.22% CAGR over the forecast period.

Flock adhesives are used to produce a smooth, faultless finish in a substrate. Flock is a term used for a mass of short fibers cut from the substance that has to be pasted onto a substrate. The flock is electrostatically attached to the substrate with the help of flock adhesives. Millions of small strands are fired at the substrate, which results in an almost vertical alignment of the fibers due to the electric charge, producing a uniform and aesthetically pleasing arrangement. The flock adhesive technique produces a highly homogenous finish that can even be customized according to the specific requirements. Using longer, thinner fabrics produces a softer surface, whereas using shorter and thicker fibers results in a brush-like surface. They can also be easily painted and offer a fissure-free surface, which gives flock adhesives an advantage over existing adhesive and joining technologies.

The widespread applicability and customizability of flock adhesives has led to their widespread use in the industrial sector. It is highly useful in creating a smooth and uniform plain print over a wide range of substrates. This is the major driver for the global flock adhesives market. The market is likely to expect massive demand from the automotive sector owing to the need for aesthetically pleasing surfaces. This factor can play a major role in augmenting market growth thanks to increased purchasing power of consumers.

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Segmentation:

By source, the global flock adhesive market is segmented into waterborne and solvent-borne adhesives. The waterborne segment accounted for 73.2% market share in 2017 thanks to the substrate being resistant to water. It is predicted to touch a valuation of USD 2,412.2 million by 2027. It can accumulate a demand of 823.7 thousand tons by 2027. Solvent-borne adhesives are likely to be the major contributor to the global flock adhesive market over the forecast period accounting significant revenue at 5.63% CAGR over the forecast period.

By application, the global flock adhesive market is segmented into automotive, textile, paper and packaging, printing, and others. The automotive industry, followed by the textiles industry, is likely to be the major application segment of the global flock adhesives market. This can be attributed to increasing use of these chemicals in bonding of various parts.

By type, the flock adhesives market is segmented into polyurethane, acrylic, epoxy, and others. Polyurethane is likely to be the major type of flock adhesives by 2027. It was valued at USD 1,178 million in 2017. It is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 5.94% over the assessment period to touch USD 1,366.8 million by 2027. Acrylic can contribute to market volume of 411.2 thousand tons at a CAGR of 5.77% during the forecast period.

Regional Segmentation:

By region, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America.

Asia Pacific dominated the global flock adhesive market in 2017 with a majority share and is likely to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. The growing automotive industry in Asia Pacific is likely to be a major driver for the global flock adhesive market over the forecast period. The textile industry growth in countries such as India and China can be a major driver for the flock adhesive market. Both of these factors are expected to thrust the APAC market volume to 610.3 thousand tons by 2027.

Europe is likely to be a major market for flock adhesives over the forecast period, mainly due to the steady demand from the prosperous automotive industry in the region. This region can generate USD 765.7 million in value by 2027.

Competitive Analysis:

Leading players in the global flock adhesive market include Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), H.B. Fuller (U.S.), Sika AG (Switzerland), DowDuPont Inc. (U.S.), Bostik SA (U.S.), Lord Corporation (U.S.), KISSEL + WOLF GmbH (Germany), Stahl Holdings BV (The Netherlands), International Coatings Company (U.S.), and Union Ink (U.S.).
Global Aircraft Health Monitoring Systems Industry: The Latest Research Report to Share Market Insights and Dynamics





The global aircraft health monitoring system market size is anticipated to reach USD 7.55 billion by 2026, according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the hardware segment dominated the global aircraft health monitoring system (AHMS) industry, in terms of revenue. North America accounted for the majority share in the global market in 2017.

The increasing government regulations regarding safety, along with growing instances of aviation accidents majorly drive the market growth. The increasing volume of air traffic and rising safety concerns, especially from the defense sector, have increased the demand for real-time fault management, predictive maintenance, performance monitoring, thereby supporting the growth of Aircraft health monitoring system industry. Other factors driving the market growth include growing adoption of connected aircraft solutions, growing need of automation and reduction in operation costs, technological advancements, and increasing adoption of IOT. New emerging markets, upgradation and replacement of old aircraft with new generation aircrafts, and significant investments in research and development would provide numerous growth opportunities in the aircraft health monitoring system industry during the forecast period.

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The well-known companies profiled in the aircraft health monitoring systems report include Rolls-Royce plc, Airbus S.A.S., Rockwell Collins, Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC, Boeing Company, Honeywell International Inc., General Electric Company, RSL Electronics Ltd., Meggitt PLC, and Lufthansa Technik. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.

The aircraft health monitoring system is a collection of various tools and techniques which work together to monitor the lifecycle of the aircraft parts. This technology is also able to predict when a particular part or process might fail. Over-heating of engines, high vibrations, low oil pressure, hard landings are some examples of situations that require investigation and attendance. The technology enables proactive maintenance of the aircraft along with its engine and other intricate parts.

North America is expected to dominate the global Aircraft health monitoring system market during the forecast period. This is due to rising number of commercial aircrafts and increasing air traffic in the region. Increasing safety concerns, and growing demand for safe travel experience boosts the aircraft health monitoring system industry growth in the region. Presence of global players in this region taps market potential and boosts the market growth. Increasing technological advancements and significant investments in research and development for development of advanced aircraft health monitoring solutions support the market growth in this region. The government regulations regarding aircraft safety, increasing adoption of connected aircraft solutions, and upgradation of old aircrafts further supports aircraft health monitoring solutions market growth.

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Global nitrous oxide market is expected to grow from USD 789.2 million in 2017 to USD 1,441.2 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period according to a study published by Polaris Market Research.

Increasing application of nitrous oxide from medical, automotive and semiconductor manufacturing, chemical and even food & beverage packaging industries are expected to drive its market. Significant pervasiveness of several types of chronic diseases and increasing number of geriatric population globally are anticipated to be some potential implications for the product to experience higher demand during the forecast period. Few of the non-medical applications of the product include semiconductors, food processing & packaging and premium automobiles among the major end-uses.

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The increasing application from the semiconductor and automobile industry has been the present trend and hence these two end-use segments are anticipated to be among the fastest growing segments by the end of the forecast period. Higher definition new display technologies including the ultra high definition and OLED require higher amounts of nitrous oxide and this has been a new expansion in its demand. Currently, the gas has also been used to manufacture metal oxide transistors which are replacing the conventional silicon based technology ones.

Its use as food & beverage propellant such as for whipped creams, industrial agents and foaming agents, as fuel oxidizer in race cars and rockets are some of its promising application sectors. But, it has been consider as a global warming compounds by Kyoto protocol. Almost most of the warming contributions globally arise from secondary reaction of fertilizers in solids and other agriculture sources. Hence, this fact has been a major restraint in the industry growth till now.

The report provides an extensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market trends and growth prospects of the Global Nitrous Oxide Market, 2017-2026. This report comprises a detailed geographic distribution of the market across North America, Europe, APAC and South America, and MEA. North America is further segmented into U.S., Canada. Europe is divided into Germany, UK, Italy, and Rest of Europe. Asia-Pacific is bifurcated into China, India, Japan, and Rest of Asia-Pacific.

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Competitive Landscape and Key Vendors

Asia Pacific was the largest regional market in 2017. Increasing demand from the medical industry which has been growing in proportional to the regions rising economy is anticipated to be the primary source for it. Even the electronics manufacturing industry of China, Japan, South Korea and even India has always been a major contributor to Asia Pacifics demand for this gas.

Presence of or increasing availability of cheap but qualified and highly skilled labor in the region has attracted many of the premium car manufacturers to set up their manufacturing facilities for economies of scale. The rapidly developing and expanding automobile manufacturing industry in this region also has and will further augment demand for nitrous oxide over the next eight years.

Some of the leading industry participants include KVK Corporation, SS Gas Lab Asia, Promas Engineers Pvt. Ltd., Ellenbarrie Industrial Gases Ltd., Air Liquide S.A., Merck KGaA, SOL S.p.A., Matheson Tri-Gas Inc., Airgas, Inc., The Linde Group, Praxair, Inc., and Oxygen and Argon Works Ltd.

Key Segments Outlook

 End-Use Type

Medical

Automotive

Electronics

Food & Beverage

 Region

North America U.S. Canada

Europe Germany UK France

Asia-Pacific China India Japan

Latin America Brazil Mexico

Middle East and Africa

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About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world.

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The global Hotel Management Software market size is expected to reach USD 32.9 Billion by 2026 according to a new study by Polaris Market Research. The report Hotel Management Software Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report By Industry (Travel & Tourism, Corporate & Large Enterprises, Government); By Deployment (Cloud, On-Premise); By Type (Hotel Operation Management System, Integrated Security System, Hotel Building Automation System, Guest Service Management System, Integrated Communication Technology Solutions) By Regions, Segments & Forecast, 2020  2026 gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth.

The hotel management software market is projected to witness a significant growth over the forecast period. Hotel management systems essentially help owners and managers to handle their workload effectively. This frees up enough time for these users which can then be utilized to concentrate on more important parameters such as improving customer experience, chalking out marketing plans, and creativity. These aforementioned factors are critical success factors in the tourism industry. Thus, in an era of high industrial rivalry, hotel management software aid owners to concentrate more on critical success factors.

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Some of the key features of such management software include scalability, data security, ease of usage, variety of payment platform integration, theft control, centralized system with end to end seamless integration among others. Such features enable the user to have complete control over the entire value chain and also analyses what works for his business and what does not. The data can also be fed to external activities such as marketing to gain higher business. All these factors are benefitting the market over the next six years.

Customized services provided by key industry participants is a major market trend. Not all properties have the same software requirements and hence companies have to provide them with a solution that best suits the customer needs. Therefore, industry participants work in collaboration with their clients to correctly assess needs and design a solution. This factor has resulted in a wide variety of hotel chains, upscale midscale and economy alike deploying hotel management software.

Development of novel software products, plug ins and tools has completely revolutionized the market. Companies provide a set of built in tools that aid in complex operations such as marketing, work force management among others. For example, built in tools for marketing, aid and assist in the segmentation of customer data based on their historical spending to include them in targeted promotions aimed at increasing sales. These built in tools also aid in marketing campaigns by automatically sending push in notifications, SMS alerts, emails, etc. They also provide services such as post campaign analytics to track metrics and to optimize future campaigns. Such initiatives taken by industry participants to provide the best of services and tools is benefitting the overall market growth.

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In order to increase sales and gain additional market shares, hotel owners such as those at airports also provide off-premise as well as third party deliveries. Sensing this opportunity, industry participants have developed systems that aid in the streamlining of bookings, Routing of orders immediately to save time, and to providing assistance to delivery team at each step among others. These functions are carried out by the system without compromising the core functions at the basic hotel location. Some of the leading players in the market include Honeywell International, Inc., Winhotel Solution S.L., Buildingiq Inc., Oracle Corporation, Infor, Inc., NEC Corporation, IBM Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Schneider Electric Se, Johnson Controls, Siemens AG and Honeywell International, Inc.

Polaris Market research has segmented the hotel management software market report on the basis of industry, deployment, type and region

Hotel Management Software Industry Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015  2026)

Travel & Tourism

Corporate & Large Enterprises

Government

Hotel Management Software Deployment Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015  2026)

Cloud

On-Premise

Hotel Management Software Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015  2026)

Hotel Operation Management System

Integrated Security System

Hotel Building Automation System

Guest Service Management System

Integrated Communication Technology Solutions

Hotel Management Software Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2015  2026)

North America U.S. Canada Mexico

Europe France Germany UK Italy Spain

Asia Pacific Japan China India Australia

South America Chile Brazil

Middle East & Africa UAE Saudi Arabia Qatar Oman



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About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities.

Contact us-

Polaris Market Research

Phone: 1-646-568-9980

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Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
THAILAND, 22 June 2021 It has been seen that a majority of people make the wrong decision while choosing an online casino platform, due to which they experience money loss and data loss. The main reason behind making the wrong decision is that they have enough curiosity and hurry for playing betting games, so they dont consider some essential things that they should consider while choosing one platform. If you are planning to play casino games on an online casino platform, then you must consider some essential points, for example, game collection, security, customer support, and much more. These things make it easier for you to choose the best platform among numerous online casino platforms. In Thailand, numerous betting enthusiasts want to get engaged in several betting games, and they are looking for the best online casino platform. On the other side, some betting enthusiasts are already playing various casino games, for example, baccarat, blackjack, roulette, online slots, dragon tiger, and much more. These casino games are highly popular among Thai bettors.



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A detailed analysis report of the Global Shunt Regulators Market has been covered in the report coupled with a thorough description of each company profile with information on the H.Q, future capabilities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial outline, partnerships and new product launches and developments.

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New Japan Radio

Renesas Electronics

TentLabs

ON Semiconductor

ADVANCED Motion Controls

Diodes

NXP Semiconductors

Nexperia

Maxim

NTE Electronics

Analog Devices

Trombetta

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By Type

1.25V

2.465V

2.495V

1.136V

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Controllers

Household Appliances

Intelligent Instruments

Critical P and C Power Monitoring

Portable/Size-Sensitive Equipment

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North America (NA)  US, Canada, and Mexico

Europe (EU)  UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain & Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific (APAC)  China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia & Rest of APAC

Latin America (LA)  Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile & Rest of Latin America

Middle East and Africa (MEA)  Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa

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Chapter 3 Shunt Regulators Industry Analysis

Chapter 4 Shunt Regulators Market Value Chain Analysis

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Chapter 7 Shunt Regulators Market Analysis By Geography

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Litchfield (06759)

Today

Periods of rain. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
The company, which posted revenue of $28.7 billion in 2020, manufactures six of the top 15 cigarette brands, including Marlboro, which it sells worldwide but not in the U.S. It says its moving to a smoke-free future with new electronic cigarettes and was drawn to Connecticut for its life sciences research community. Olczak said Philip Morris International doesnt sell cigarettes as you know them in the U.S.
Mott-Brown, 92, said that as her son continued to send her weekly chapters to read before the weekly calls that would go on for a year, she began to see the makings of a good book. She also wrote her own books on her life in the decades between the ages of 40 and 90.
As we have said throughout, we will make the best recommendations we can for measures that will need to be taken in the fall to protect our students, faculty and staff based on the information we have from the COVID-19 conditions in our state and guidance from CDC, DPH spokesperson Maura Fitzgerald said in a written statement. She explained that public health officials are working closely with the state education department on the issue of school mask guidance for the fall.
The COVID-19 data released by the state Monday noted that while there were no additional COVID-19 deaths since Friday, the total number of deaths in the state decreased by one death due to data cleaning. According to the updated numbers, 8,269 people have died of COVID-19 in Connecticut since the pandemic began.
The lawsuit stemmed from one of the most high-profile moments of the Trump presidency, when federal and local law enforcement officials aggressively forced a group of largely peaceful protesters back from Lafayette Square outside of the White House, firing smoke bombs and pepper balls into the crowd to disperse the group. Officers were seen shoving protesters and journalists as they pushed the crowd back.
I know that law enforcement and prosecution and the division of criminal justice are at a critical moment in time to affect the change that we all know needs to be done. I think were very lucky to have Chief States Attorney Colangelo in a position now to affect a lot of the change that both ... of us talked about when we applied for the position of chief states attorney. I want to be a part of that change.
Soon after her election Kasser came under fire when she acknowledged she was paying one of her aides out of her own money. She later said she was in a romantic relationship with the staffer. In an op-ed published in the Stamford Advocate last year, Kasser said she came out as gay more than a decade ago.
The budget provision will make health insurance free for individuals below that threshold by combining Medicaid with expanded subsidies, said Sen. Matt Lesser, co-chairman of the legislatures insurance committee. Expanding access to Connecticuts health insurance exchange was a priority of the Democratic majority who said many residents are making too much for Medicaid but too little for subsidized health insurance, leaving them exposed to crippling medical costs.
Meanwhile, divisions between moderates and conservatives spilled to the surface during the Trump era. Many Republicans once skeptical of the New York businessman-turned-politician wound up as backers once Trumps ascent began. But after his false assertions that the 2020 election was stolen and the Jan. 6 insurrection, some party members grew more critical of the former president and several quit the GOP in protest.
The aim, Winfield said, wasnt were going to legalize this drug and go out and make some money from it. That wasnt what this was about for us ... this was about the war on drugs ... that started many years ago ... and the things that have happened under the war on drugs.
The settlement comes eight months after a report by the Child Advocate that found that Manson maintained a low infection rate among staff and youth in part due to a shutdown of the prisons programming and the use of an alarming degree of cell confinement for all young people. Incarcerated youths told the advocate that officials slid homework under their cell doors every few weeks between March and June, but most were unable or unwilling to do the work on their own. They frequently asked when they could go back to school, the report states, explaining that it was a high priority for them, in part because it was an opportunity to be out-of-cell for several hours a day.
Party or No Party? Justice, Appellate Judge to Discuss Political Designations

Justice R. Patrick Dewine (left) and Judge Cynthia Westcott Rice (right) will analyze whether political party affiliations should be on general election ballots.

Justice R. Patrick Dewine (left) and Judge Cynthia Westcott Rice (right) will analyze whether political party affiliations should be on general election ballots.

An Ohio Supreme Court justice and an appeals court judge will examine a longstanding judicial topic under consideration by state legislators: should the political party affiliations of those running for the judicial branch be listed on the ballot for general elections?

Justice R. Patrick DeWine and Eleventh District Court of Appeals Judge Cynthia Westcott Rice will be panelists for a Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association discussion titled, Party or No Party? You Be the Judge.

The event will take place virtually on Tuesday, June 22 at noon, and be broadcast live on social media.

In April, the Ohio Senate approved a bill that would require party designations during November elections for appellate court races, including the Supreme Court. The bill is currently with the Ohio House of Representatives.

Municipal, common pleas, and county judgeship races would remain non-partisan for general elections.

Currently, Ohio is the only state where judicial candidates run in partisan primaries but are elected without any party designation in general elections.
An hour in, the woman on the phone had regrets. I should have brought my chair! The smell of smoked pork and jerk seasoning got ever more intense as the line inched forward. After an hour and a half, my back was slicked with sweat. I worried that the woman I love was angry with me  I was due at her house most of an hour ago. Three City of Chesapeake cars parked in the lot for varying intervals: The City That Cares apparently also cares a lot about jerk pork.
His arms were going out, his legs were going out, he was going backwards, Goff said to Grabovich at the trial. I mean, he was just moving all parts of his body in all different directions. Is that a fair way to put it?
Sierra Jenkins Staff writer

Sierra Jenkins is a Norfolk native covering breaking news for The Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press. She joined the staff in 2020 after working for CNN and Atlanta magazine.
It could have been my blunder, and Ill try to do better next time, he said he told Papile. I could have received it. But I just receive so much junk mail that I probably just mixed it up. I probably put it in the wrong stack of mail, unfortunately.
The last thing I want is for them to be on the streets and not have someone to confide in, Sgt. Jennifer Johannesen, an LGBT liaison for the Virginia Beach Police Department, said at Wednesdays event. My vision is to build that bridge between the youth and the police force.
It feels really inspiring, its not something you would typically be involved in until after your loved ones have been taken by the disease. And the fact that he has been so pro-active about it despite that helps us learn how to be more connected and learn more about mom, said Cassady Smith, his daughter who resides in Gloucester, discussing her fathers involvement with the Alzheimers Association.
Hyderabad: Finance minister T. Harish Rao and Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar held an emergency meeting with bankers at the BRKR Bhavan on Tuesday in the wake of complaints that the banks were adjusting Rythu Bandhu amounts credited by the state government in the bank accounts of farmers to meet kharif cultivation expenses for repayment of their crop loan arrears.

Responding to a report published in these columns, Banks take Rythu Bandhu, farmers struggle, on Tuesday, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao directed the finance minister and the Chief Secretary to immediately convene a meeting with bankers and resolve the issue.

In the meeting, strict instructions were issued to banks against adjusting Rythu Bandhu amount for any other purpose. Bankers were directed to credit back the amount to farmers accounts that were already deducted or adjusted towards crop loan arrears or interest payment.

Instances have come to the notice of the government that some banks are not allowing the farmers to withdraw their Rythu Bandhu amount given by the government of Telangana and also adjusting the same against old dues. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao issued directions to hold an emergency meeting with the bankers in this regard, said Somesh Kumar.

However, in the meeting, bankers claimed that no instruction was issued to their staff to withhold the Rythu Bandhu funds. Harish Rao issued clear instructions to the bankers not to withhold any Rythu Bandhu amount in future. Any amount which has been withheld or adjusted shall be credited back to farmers accounts. He asked bankers to issue strict instructions to the bank branches regarding the same. District collectors were also instructed to monitor the same at the district level. A state level team will monitor any issues faced by farmers.

Two toll free numbers  18002001001 and 04033671300  were launched for farmers to address any issues faced by them with banks which will work from 8 am to 8 pm. In addition, Harish Rao also instructed the bankers to expedite the disbursement/renewal of crop loans for the ongoing kharif season.

Those who participated in the meeting were K. Ramakrishna Rao, principal secretary, finance; Ronald Rose, special secretary, finance; Raghunandan Rao, secretary, agriculture; Natarajan, DGM, State Bank of India; Man Mohan Gupta, GM, Bank of Baroda; Sesh Kumar Adiraju, DGM State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC); Shaik Hussain, DGM, Union Bank of India; S.V.J. Venu Gopal, DGM, Canara Bank; Dr N. Muralidhar, MD, TSCAB;, R.V. Sarada, AGM, Indian Overseas Bankl P. Parthasaradhi, GM, APGVB; and Satish Kumar, GM, TGB.
A health worker administers a dose of the 'Covaxin' vaccine at a private hospital in Bengaluru. (Photo: PTI)

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on Monday achieved a milestone of administrating 1,68,958 COVID-19 vaccinations in 8 zones of the city, BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta informed.

"1.68 lakh vaccines were administered in a day, this has been the biggest daily achievement. The previous highest achievement was on June 4, 2021, where 1.17 lakh vaccines were administered," Gupta said.

The campaign was conducted successfully by implementing micro plans across the city.

The vaccination program was conducted in eight zones of BBMP which were further divided into different sessions at various places. The BBMP achieved the feat by deploying more vaccinating personnel, doctors, staff nurses, Asha workers, home guards, and marshals.

"Session sites were increased from an average of 300 to 528 to drive more vaccinations in the city. It includes 160 sites in urban primary health care centres and general hospitals and 368 sites in workplaces," Gupta added.

The BBMP Chief Commissioner said that the district authorities had also raised awareness among the local residents about the vaccine campaign through a separate door-to-door campaign. In addition, heads of factories, hotels, building owners, and others were informed about the vaccine drive, he added.

"As a result, a lot more individuals were vaccinated through the campaign, while following all Covid protocols wearing masks and maintaining social distance," he added.

Additionally, 8 zonal health officers and 28 Medical Health Officers (MOHs) visited the venues throughout the day to monitor the vaccination process and to support the staff on duty.

During the campaign, a total of 1,44,000 doses of Covishield and 43,000 doses of Covaxin were administered, Gupta informed.

India administered 86,16,373 COVID-19 vaccine doses on Monday, the highest-ever single day vaccination in the world so far, the Union Health Ministry informed today.

Thus India has vaccinated more than the population of New Zealand in a single day.

As the new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from Monday, in a landmark achievement, 86,16,373 have been administered on the first day of the new phase of COVID-19 Vaccination. This is the highest single-day number of jabs in the world.
As soon as a vacation bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Bose assembled to commence the day's proceedings, Justice Gupta said his brother judge is recusing himself from hearing these appeals. (PTI)

New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice Aniruddha Bose on Tuesday recused himself from hearing appeals of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and state law minister Moloy Ghatak about their role on the day of arrest of four TMC leaders by the CBI in the Narada sting tape case.

As soon as a vacation bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Bose assembled to commence the day's proceedings, Justice Gupta said his brother judge is recusing himself from hearing these appeals.

Justice Gupta, presiding over the bench, said the issue would be now placed before Chief Justice N V Ramana who may take the decision and the pleas may be listed for hearing during the day itself.

The top court was scheduled to hear three appeals including that of the state government challenging the high court's denial for filing of affidavits by her and the state law minister in their role on the day of arrest of four Trinamool Congress leaders on May 17 by the central agency in the case.

It has been alleged that the state ruling party leaders played a key role in stopping the CBI from performing its legal duty after arresting four leaders in the case.

Initially, the state government and the law minister had moved the top court with their appeals and later the chief minister filed her plea against the June 9 order of the high court.

The top court on June 18 had requested the high court to hear the case a day after the apex court considered 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 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.

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 Mamata Banerjee government.

The sting operation was made public ahead of the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacts with member of the press, via video conference in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday released a "white paper" by the party on the Centre's Covid management and urged the government to prepare for the third wave of coronavirus.

Releasing the "white paper", the former Congress chief said it is clear that the management of the first and second wave of COVID-19 was "disastrous".

"There were certain reasons as to why it was disastrous, we've tried to point out those reasons in our white paper. This is a blueprint about how to react to the third wave which is going to come," he said.

"It is our intention to provide the government with information and insights into what went wrong," Gandhi said.

The aim of this white paper is not finger-pointing at the government but to help the nation prepare for the third wave of infection, he said.

Asserting that the central pillar to fight Covid is vaccination, Gandhi said it is important that "we cross bridge of 100 per cent vaccination as soon as possible".

He also urged the government to treat all states equally for COVID-19 vaccinations, asserting that there should be no bias and they should not be viewed as BJP or opposition states.
Chennai: Resolutions would be adopted in the Assembly during the upcoming budget session against the Centre's farm laws and the Citizenship Amendment Act, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Tuesday. Eversince the three farm laws were enacted by the union government, the DMK had all along demanded the Centre to withdraw the laws, which are "against the interests of farmers," the Chief Minister said intervening his party MLA Tamizharasi, who spoke on the matter in the House.

The government has made a clear decision to pass a resolution seeking the withdrawal of these three farm laws reflecting the feelings of farmers across the country, he said adding there is no change on that decision.

However, since this is the first session after the DMK assumed office and when the debate on motion of thanks to the Governor's Address is on, it would not be appropriate to adopt such resolutions, he said.

Stalin asserted that Tamil Nadu government's opposition to the farm laws would be made known by way of a resolution during the budget sitting.

Similarly, since the CAA has "affected the interests of minorities across the country leading to a sense of fear" among them, a resolution would be adopted in the budget session urging the central government to take back the Citizenship Amendment law, he added.
The Chief Minister went near each table and enquired with the villagers about the dishes and served food to a few of them. He also had lunch along with them. (DC Image)

HYDERABAD: Residents of Vasalamarri village had an unusually delightful day as they shared lunch with none other than Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and interacted session with him for over an hour where they aired their grievances on Tuesday.

And a few of them even luckier as the Chief Minister himself and served the dishes comprising 15 varieties of vegetarian and non-vegetarian items including biryani, chicken, mutton, fish, prawns, shrimp, etc in addition to a variety of sweets.

The Chief Minister went near each table and enquired with the villagers about the dishes and served food to a few of them. He also had lunch along with them.

The tiny village in Yadadri Bhongir district was adopted by the Chief Minister in November last but he could not visit all these days due to Covid-19 restrictions.

On Tuesday, the Chief Minister, along with a few ministers and top officials, arrived at his adopted village by bus at noon. He hosted lunch for the entire village of about 2,500 people.

Later, he held a grama sabha with villagers to discuss and devise plans to transform the village as "Bangaru Vasalamarri '' in a year by ensuring all-round development. He inspired villagers by sharing his thoughts and ideas on how great results could be achieved through collective hard work in a time bound manner.

Chandrashekar Rao called upon the villagers to work towards self-governance and self-sustenance by developing the village into a model village for all. He wanted them to work with the motto of all for one and one for all and weed out discrimination or hatred towards each other in order to progress together.

The Chief Minister appointed Bhongir district collector Pamela Satpathy as the special officer for development of the village. He also announced that the government would release `100 crore `150 crore for development of the village after finalising the plans and proposals. But the funds should be put to use properly which would be possible only when the entire village worked unitedly, he asserted.

People should set aside their differences and should not allow any kind of discrimination  caste, religion or even politics. Development should be our caste and religion. I appeal to all to spare two hours per week for development of the village and we can transform the entire village within one year, he said. He suggested constituting various committees including village development, sanitation and drinking water, agriculture and others.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister sanctioned `1 crore for Bhongir municipality along with `50 lakh each to the remaining five municipalities of Alair, Bhoodan Pochampalli, Choutuppal, Mothkur and Yadadri. He also allocated `25 lakh each for 421 gram panchayats in Yadadri Bhongir district from the Chief Ministers Relief Fund (CMRF) in addition to the funds sanctioned to all local bodies.

Earlier in the day, Rao performed a special puja at Lord Rama temple in the village after his arrival.
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.
In what was, so far, the best baseball game of the week, the Jaguars pulled their 33rd win out of the fire and salvaged a gem of a start from their star pitcher.
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By Claude Gatebuke June 22, 2021

The Kagame Regime is the enemy of free-thinking Rwandans. On almost every occasion that someone -- Rwandan or otherwise-- has spoken up about the repression by the regime, the government builds a case for a smear campaign against critics. Following smear campaigns are disappearances, prison sentences, and assassinations. In countless cases, the Kagame regime has combined prison sentences and assassinations.

Such is the case of Aimable Karasira, a university professor, musician, and famous YouTuber who speaks out on issues affecting ordinary Rwandans. He is bold and energetic, charismatic, and charming. He is also fearless, humane, and compassionate. His human values and compassion are demonstrated in the platform he built and used to address injustices affecting his fellow citizens within Rwanda. Unfortunately, Aimable Karasira has been a target of formal and informal smear campaigns and demonization by the RPF since 2019.

How Does Rwanda Smear & Outcast Dissenters?

Demonization and smear campaigns are run formally (by the government) and informally (by Kagame's or his regime's supporters). Formal smear campaigns typically utilize government tabloids and propaganda newspapers as well as known agents of the Rwandese Patriotic Front. In a coordinated attack, publications run articles demonizing and smearing Kagame critics while RPF agents take to social media to slander the victim. Inside the country, intelligence services track people down to express free thought against the Kagame regime.

Meanwhile, domestic and global supporters of Paul Kagame run informal smear campaigns. Those operating outside of the country compliment formal Kagame agents by spreading rumors about the victim and using innocent criticism to fuel anti-victim sentiments. They often claim the victim is too radical and should temper their criticism of the government, meanwhile overlooking blatant governmental abuses of power. They feign support while spreading the idea that the victim will eventually be punished for speaking out and us the fear of punishment as their reasons not to speak out against the regime.

Channels withing the government of Rwanda such as The Rwanda Diaspora also known as The Rwandan Community Abroad (RCA), the Center for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG) and Ibuka often spearhead these informal movements. Even though CNLG is an official govenrment entity, the RCA and Ibuka present themselves as unaffiliated with the government. These channels seem harmless and front as anti-genocide and genocide survivor advocates. However, their demonstrated commitment to the Kagame regime and erasure of Rwandan Genocide survivors who do not align with the regime prove otherwise. Ibuka and CNLG serve as attack dogs for the Kagame regime, often using the 1994 genocide as blackmail against the victims of their smear campaigns. Abroad, RCA and Ibuka members conduct community surveillance and are coordinated and financied by Rwandan embassies in countries they operate in. They harass critics globally and infiltrate with the intent to destroy groups that are critical of the government. This isnt conspiracy talk, either. It is a well-known fact among Rwandans that this happens. Global journalists, such as those at the New York Times, are also beginning to pick up on these tactics. Kagames advisor, general James Kabarebe stated recently in a vitriolic speech that they conduct these types of activities abroad intending to destroy exiles and refugees or Rwanda.

These cover-ups work two ways. First, they distract the general population from the abuses of power under the Kagame regime, including the ongoing killings within the country and the Congo (including babies). Second, these slur campaigns scare others into refraining from discussing the issues for fear of what will happen to them. The cycle continues in Rwanda until the newest targeted victim is willfully disappeared by government agents, indefinitely imprisoned, assassinated, or a combination of one or more of these events.

About Aimable Karasira

Aimable Karasira is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994. The RPF won the war during which the genocide occurred, and the party claimed to stabilize the country. However, during their stabilization efforts, the RPF massacred hundreds of thousands of people-- including Karasiras parents and two siblings who had survived the initial genocide. Talking about his family and what was done to them by the RPF after the genocide has brought the hammer of government newspapers, the groups mentioned above, agents, and sympathizers of the government onto Aimable Karasiras shoulders.

Supporters of the Kagame regime have even accused him of denying the genocide, which he has openly talked about surviving. In Rwanda, denying the genocide is a crime. Misinformation and false rumors by RPF agents about his genocide denial increased calls for imprisonment across the country. This all culminated in Karasira being arrested on May 31st, 2021.

For three weeks, Karasira has been held without a single appearance in court. During this time, he has reportedly been held in the Kicukiro jail without contact with other inmates. Rwandan law states he is supposed to appear in court within three days of his arrest, so his detainment without court appearance is unlawful.

On the weekend of June 19th, Karasira was moved to an unknown location with the claim that he contracted Coronavirus. Readers and defenders of global justice worldwide should be worried about this. Karasira has been quarantined for the last three weeks in a jail cell by himself, begging the question of how and where he picked up the virus. Those who have a working knowledge of the injustices of the Kagame regime understand this news is likely grim. The government might have detained Karasira to a torture chamber. Its also possible that they plan on assassinating him and covering up the death as a coronavirus death. His safety has been in danger for years now, but he may be in much greater danger of being assassinated with this claim.

This would not be the first of such inmate deaths at the hands of the government. Countless outspoken critics of the Kagame regime have been assassinated in Rwandan jails. Kizito Mihigo died in police custody, and the government of Rwanda claimed that he committed suicide. There are dozens of cases of prisoners who the government has shot, and the government attempted to cover up the deaths by claiming they were trying to flee jail or prison. Many of these victims were shot while handcuffed.

What Can Be Done To Stop This?

Citizens of donor nations are generally unaware of their governments supporting repressive regimes like the one in Rwanda. One thing they can do is to share this article widely to ensure the rest of the world or their networks are informed about this issue.

Knowing about the injustices and human rights violations done by the Kagame regime, donor nations such as the US and the UK must withhold aid to Rwanda and be wary of accounts about dissidents coming from the government. The Netherlands, in particular, funds Rwandas judicial system -- a system that has been proven to be broken. Their withholding of aid would go a long way to spark change at the government level. When criminals such as Kagame are given resources, they commit more crimes. Holding off on aid sends a message that human rights violations will never be rewarded and begs the regime to change its standards.

Donor nations must call for an immediate release of Aimable Karasira and other prisoners of conscience and political prisoners. These include Paul Rusesabagina (the real-life hero of the Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda), Deo Mushayidi, Mitsindo Viateur and many more innocent Rwandans languishing in prisons. They must also produce poet Bahati Musa who has been missing since early February 2021.
Hartford City, IN (47348)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Actress Han Ye-seul / Korea Times file



By Kwak Yeon-soo



Actress Han Ye-seul announced that she would take legal action against rumormongers, who have been spreading rumors about her "private life" and leaving malicious comments online.



Law firm Bae, Kim & Lee, who represent Han, vowed to file a libel suit against the rumormongers.



"We will file a complaint against rumormongers, including reporter-turned-YouTuber Kim Yong-ho, who made false accusations and maliciously slandered Han Ye-seul," a legal representative said in a statement. "We will also sue all YouTubers and online users after securing evidence."



Han said that the groundless rumors and malicious comments have inflicted "unbearable pain" on her.



"The more I tell you the truth, the more unspeakable videos spread online. Articles keep coming out with provocative headlines. The false rumors surrounding my private life have inflicted unbearable pain on me, and so I made up my mind to respond to them," Han said in a statement.



"Escort bars, drug use and even tax evasionThese humiliating stories will tag along with me like a curse for the rest of my life, and no one will take responsibility for my future. I will have to live stigmatized as a criminal, so I chose to break the silence."



The model-turned-actress, best known for her role in K-drama "Couple or Trouble" (2006), has been dogged by a string of scandalous allegations in recent weeks after she revealed her new boyfriend.



Reporter-turned YouTuber Kim alleged that the boyfriend, Ryu Sung-jae, whom Han introduced as a former theater actor, worked as a male escort in the past. Han denied the allegation, saying that Ryu worked at a karaoke bar, which she claimed was different from a male escort bar, and the two met after he had quit that job.



Kim also alleged that Han attended a party at the controversial Burning Sun night club and took drugs there.



The 40-year-old actress denied the allegations in a video uploaded to her YouTube channel, saying "People have been telling me not to respond to gossip, so I wasn't going to. But it's a whole different story when they associate me with the Burning Sun scandal and make me look like a drug addict."



Han's problems didn't die down even after she refuted his claims and asked the police and prosecution to investigate the rumors that she was at the center of the enormous nightclub scandal.



Most recently, allegations have been made that Han purchased a Lamborghini as a "company car" to evade taxes. Some people also questioned why Han registered her boyfriend as an employee of her company and paid him a monthly salary.



Han denied the tax evasion allegations, claiming every business expense was carried forward lawfully. Regarding her boyfriend, the actress said she offered him the job so he could help her at work.


Seen is Hanon Systems' factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Courtesy of Hanon Systems



Carlyle, Valeo, Mahle to compete for Korean auto parts supplier



By Park Jae-hyuk



LG Electronics has decided not to participate in a preliminary bid to acquire a controlling stake in Hanon Systems, citing its excessively high price, an LG official told The Korea Times, Tuesday.



Halla Group, which established Hanon's predecessor, Halla Climate Control (HCC), also decided not to participate in the bid, amid lingering concerns over the financial burdens it could face after the acquisition.



"Because of the high price, LG Electronics decided not to participate in the bidding process," the official said.



In contrast, the Carlyle Group, Germany's Mahle and France's Valeo decided to enter the competition, turning the bidding for the Korean firm into a battle among foreign companies.



LG had been considered as the most probable buyer of the auto parts supplier due to its electronics arm's continuous efforts to reinforce its automotive businesses. It had been expected to join hands with Carlyle and to hire Lee & Ko as its legal adviser for the deal.



The Korean conglomerate has reshaped its revenue streams rapidly, focusing on vehicle batteries and automotive components. Its decision to create a joint venture with Magna had been viewed as a favorable factor in winning the bid. Hanon had acquired Magna's Fluid Pressure & Controls business in 2019.



Valeo, the world's third-largest automotive thermal system company, following Japan's Denso and Hanon, is set to form a consortium with Bain Capital for the acquisition deal. JPMorgan and Shin & Kim have been mentioned as the French firm's financial and legal advisers, respectively.



Mahle, the world's fourth-largest automotive thermal system company, which acquired the thermal management division of America's Delphi in 2015, is said to have hired Deutsche Securities and Yulchon as its financial and legal advisers, respectively. It is also expected to join hands with a global private equity firm.



It is unclear whether other potential bidders, such as SK Group or German auto parts maker Continental, have decided to participate in the preliminary bid.



According to sources familiar with this issue, it will take a few more days for the sellers to finalize the list of preliminary bidders, because a specific deadline has not been set for the international competition.



"Some potential buyers want more time to form consortiums and make decisions on the prices to offer," one of the sources said.





Seen is the inside of Hanon Systems' factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Fire damage at a Coupang logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, is seen in this photo taken on June 20. Yonhap



Insurers' stocks remain resilient despite expected loss



By Lee Min-hyung





Korean Re CEO Won Jong-gyu, left, and DB Insurance CEO Kim Jeong-nam / Courtesy of each firm




North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged support for women in a message to the country's major organization consisting of housewives, state media said Tuesday.







The Socialist Women's Union of Korea (SWUK) held its seventh congress meeting from Sunday to Monday and read out Kim's letter praising the union as the "great pride" of the ruling Workers' Party, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.







Kim called on the party to show support and love for women, saying that respecting women is a "great virtue of the communists and an important sign that shows how civilized a society is."







He also called for efforts to boost employment for members of the women's union within working age and urged the union to prompt all members to devote themselves to implementing the decisions made at the party congress of the ruling party.







At the eighth congress of the Workers' Party in early January, the North unveiled a new five-year economic development plan with a focus on self-reliance and other policy directions against the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions on its regime.







The North has since held congress meetings of the country's largest labor union, the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea, and Socialist Patriotic Youth League, a youth association, to drum up support for the decisions unveiled at the party congress.







Jang Chun-sil, the chief of the SWUK, stressed that the union faces "honorable duty to fully display its militant might" in implementing the tasks set forth at the latest party congress.







Kim Jong-sun was elected as the new chairwoman of the Central Committee of the union. (Yonhap)






The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Tuesday that the United States has "wrong" expectations after U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Kim's comments about dialogue with the U.S. an "interesting signal."







Kim Yo-jong made the remark in a statement a day after U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim said the U.S. has offered to meet with the North "anywhere, anytime without preconditions."







"The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment," she said. "It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself."







Last week, leader Kim Jong-un concluded a plenary meeting of the Workers' Party and called for his country to be prepared for both dialogue and confrontation.







In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Kim's comments an "interesting signal." (Yonhap)






President Moon Jae-in offers a seat to U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim before their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Kim also had talks with National Security Adviser Suh Hoon and Unification Minister Lee In-young earlier in the day over the two nations' coordination on North Korea issues. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seok



S. Korea, US likely to abolish 'working group' forum



By Nam Hyun-woo



North Korea shot down the hopes of the United States and South Korea for dialogue on inter-Korean cooperation and denuclearization, with Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying Washington had the "wrong" expectations for talks.



"It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek comfort for itself," Kim said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. "The expectations, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, will plunge them into greater disappointment."



The statement came after U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview that the North was sending an "interesting signal," referring to Kim Jong-un's earlier comment during a Workers' Party meeting June 17 that Pyongyang should be prepared for both "dialogue" and "confrontation" with the U.S.



Kim Yo-jong's statement came on the heels of efforts by Seoul and Washington to create a new conciliatory mood between the two Koreas, and Pyongyang and Washington, during the U.S. special envoy's visit here.



After meeting with his South Korean counterpart Noh Kyu-duk on Monday, special envoy Sung Kim said Washington would engage with Pyongyang "anywhere, anytime without preconditions."



Kim Yo-jong's negative stance toward these efforts can be interpreted as the North stating it only wants a dialogue that serves its interests, experts said.



"In some respects, there have been excessively optimistic interpretations of Kim Jong-un's recent statements regarding dialogue," said Go Myong-hyun, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. "The U.S. is offering talks with North Korea while maintaining a firm stance on sanctions and denuclearization, but Pyongyang just wants to talk about sanctions. Kim Yo-jong's message shows that the two sides' goals for any talks are polar opposites, and Pyongyang only wants a dialogue that is in its best interests."



Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute, also said the North had "yet to be prepared for immediate talks with the U.S."



"During the June 17 Workers' Party meeting, Kim Jong-un said the North should be prepared both for confrontation and dialogue, and the regime will begin its preparations from now on," Cheong said. "However, it is difficult to expect the U.S. and North Korea will easily find common ground given their deep rooted distrust. Thus, the U.S. should consider seeking to establish four-way talks involving China."



In another reconciliatory attempt, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that Seoul and Washington had agreed to consider ending their "working group" on North Korea policy, which Pyongyang has condemned as a major hurdle to improving inter-Korean relations.



The group was set up in November 2018 to facilitate a coordinated North Korea approach between Seoul and Washington, as inter-Korean relations seemed to be improving following three summits between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim that year.



The group, however, faced questions as it created setbacks at key conciliatory moments between the two Koreas. In 2019, the two agreed to Seoul providing Tamiflu influenza vaccine to Pyongyang as humanitarian aid, but this foundered after the group's protracted review on whether trucks transporting the vaccine would violate sanctions on the North.



When North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong in June last year, the regime named the working group as one of the reasons for poor relations between the South and North, with Kim Yo-jong condemning it as "a U.S.-obedience trap that South Korea set up by itself."



While signaling an end to the group, the U.S. promised greater support for any possible inter-Korean dialogue.





South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young, right, shakes hands with U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim during their meeting at the ministry's headquarters in the Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Migrants and local activists protest near Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul in this May 7, 2020 photo, urging local governments to provide COVID-19 relief funds not only to locals but also to foreign residents. Yonhap



This article is the last in a four-part series to highlight and address issues surrounding marginalized residents of foreign nationality who are living in legal blind spots in Korean society.  ED.



By Lee Hyo-jin



The struggles experienced by foreign residents in Korean society are becoming more and more complex over time, as they face various challenges depending on their employment status, family environment and financial standing.



However, the government's policies on migrant support measures overall are focused on legal status, often failing to align with the actual needs of each migrant, according to immigration experts.



In many cases, whether or not foreign residents are eligible for a government support program depends on the type of visa they are holding, rather than the circumstances they are in, leaving many migrants seeking support in blind spots.



"Given that the needs of each migrant vary, the support system needs to turn into a socioeconomic need-based policy," Steven Hamilton, chief of mission for the Seoul office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told The Korea Times.



"The country should not unnecessarily allocate resources for people who do not require support from the government. Rather, the resources should be given to the needy regardless of legal status or nationality if a person stays long term," he explained.



Meanwhile, the state support programs targeting only specific migrant groups may adversely affect their integration into Korean society since it could stigmatize migrants as a "burden," with associated discrimination and hostility toward non-Koreans still commonplace.



"Such support measures that separate migrants from local residents often provoke a backlash among Korean nationals who view the policies as reverse discrimination," Yoon In-jin, head of the Korean International Migrant Studies Association, told The Korea Times.





Migrant workers wait in line to get a coronavirus test at a makeshift testing center near a construction site in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, March 11, after the provincial governments ordered all foreign workers to get the test in an effort to prevent mass infections  an order which caused controversy over racism and discrimination against them. Yonhap
People wait to get tested for COVID-19 at a testing center in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, June 22. Yonhap



South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 300s for the second consecutive day Tuesday amid a vaccination drive, but the potential spread of COVID-19 variants remains worrisome ahead of eased distancing rules starting July.



The country reported 395 new cases, including 351 local infections, raising the total caseload to 151,901, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.



The country added two COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 2,006. The fatality rate came to 1.32 percent.



The number of daily imported cases topped 40 for the third straight day amid woes over potential transmission of the coronavirus variants, especially the one believed to have originated from India.



The country has yet to report a large number of the so-called Delta variant cases, but other countries, such as Britain and the United States whose vaccination rates topped 50 percent, have been struggling with rising cases of the variant, which is known to be more transmissible than others.



KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said Tuesday that the agency is closely monitoring the situation when it comes to virus variants as the number of variant cases has been on the increase since December.



As of June 19, the number of virus variants reached an accumulated 2,225 here, with the number of cases involving the Indian coronavirus strain reaching 190.



The country also added two more cases of breakthrough infections, raising the total to 31 as of Thursday, the KDCA said.



According to authorities, most Delta virus cases are imported, a large portion of which were found in South Koreans who arrived last month from India.



The woes over variant cases came as the country is set to ease its social distancing scheme next month, which allows businesses to stay open longer and permits gatherings of more people.



Currently, the greater Seoul area is under Level 2 distancing in the five-level scheme, while the rest of the country is under Level 1.5. Private gatherings of five or more are banned nationwide.



Under the new four-tier system, restaurants and cafes in the capital area will be permitted to operate until midnight under Level 2, an extension from the current restrictions of 10 p.m.



The nationwide ban on gatherings of five or more people will be lifted under the renewed guidelines, with the ceiling set to be raised to eight under Level 2. No restrictions are applied under Level 1.



In the greater Seoul area, the ceiling will initially be set at six people over a two-week transition period.



Of the newly confirmed locally transmitted cases, 126 came from Seoul and 92 from Gyeonggi Province.



Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, added 30 cases. Incheon, just west of Seoul, added 15 patients, and the southeastern port city of Busan had six more cases.



Health authorities counted 44 more imported cases, raising the tally to 9,611. Of the imported cases, Asian countries, excluding China, accounted for 39, followed by Africa with two cases, Europe with two, the United States with one, and Mexico with one.



Amid the nationwide vaccination drive, a total of 15.03 million people, or 29.3 percent of the country's 51.3 million population, have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines. Four million, or 8.1 percent of the population, were fully inoculated as of Tuesday.



The country aims to inoculate 36 million with at least one jab by September to achieve herd immunity in November.



South Korea has beefed up its vaccine arsenal, currently administering two-part vaccines from AstraZeneca and Pfizer, as well as Janssen's single-dose vaccine. Moderna's vaccine is set to be given soon after completing its approval process earlier last week.



Novavax's vaccine will be introduced upon its approval.



The country has so far secured enough vaccines to inoculate around 100 million people.



The number of patients in serious or critical condition came to 135, down two from the previous day.



The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries was 143,817, up 549 from a day earlier.



South Korea has carried out 10.38 million COVID-19 tests so far, including 33,996 the previous day. (Yonhap)






President Moon Jae-in met with Sung Kim, the Joe Biden administration's special envoy on North Korean affairs Tuesday.







Moon and Kim had a closed-door meeting at Cheong Wa Dae right after a brief photo session, which pool reporters were allowed to cover. They did not make any routine opening statement in public.







Moon's office is expected to brief media on the results of the session later in the day.







Kim is on his first visit here since being appointed as Washington's "special representative" for Pyongyang.







President Biden announced his pick of the Korean American career diplomat right after holding a summit with Moon at the White House in late May.







The move was widely viewed as reflecting the Biden administration's hope for dialogue with North Korea.







Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly called on his regime to gear up for "both dialogue and confrontation" with the U.S. in consideration of the "policy tendency" of its new government.







The U.S. envoy, meanwhile, had discussions with Seoul's chief nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk on Monday and sat down with Unification Minister Lee In-young on Tuesday morning. (Yonhap)


Choi Kyoo-ok, standing front row center on the podium, chairman of Osstem Implant, poses with Eighth U.S. Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Bill Burleson, standing front row left on the podium; Kim Hae-sung, chairman of the KATUSA Veterans Association, standing front row right on the podium; and Korean and U.S. service personnel and other guests during the KATUSA Awards Ceremony and Dinner at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, June 16. Courtesy of Osstem Implant





By Kang Seung-woo







Choi Kyoo-ok, chairman of Osstem Implant, one of the pioneers of the nation's dental implant industry, has received an award commemorating KATUSA veterans for their contribution to the decades-long military alliance between Korea and the United States.







The KATUSA Veterans Association (KVA) held the 2021 KATUSA Awards Ceremony and Dinner at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, June 16.







To celebrate the event, ranking U.S. and Korean service personnel, including Eighth U.S. Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Bill Burleson, and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Cobb, as well as KVA members attended.







"I will not forget the honor that was granted to me today, and cherish my KATUSA experience that I had 40 years ago, and I will try to do my best to be with our fellow ROK-U.S. soldiers marching toward our proud future," Choi said in his acceptance speech. The ROK refers to the Republic of Korea, the country's official name.







Choi is a former KATUSA who served with the 2nd Engineer Group, 44th Battalion of the Eighth Army from 1982 to 1984. With his current position as a chairman of Osstem Implant, he is also the representative director of Twin Dental Clinic, vice chairman of the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea and visiting professor of Clinical Dentistry at Korea University. In addition, he established its U.S. subsidiary, Hiossen, in 2006, and currently, there are one factory and 68 branch offices with almost 500 employees in the U.S.







"As a businessman, there is no doubt that the ROK-U.S. alliance is significantly meaningful as we are not only allied to continue the strong and close military relationship, but also we are partnered to work together in business including semi-conductors, batteries and energy among other things," Choi said.







"I sincerely hope that our alliance that was forged in blood, will remain strong and even stronger in our future generations."







The Eighth Army "Staff Sgt. Kim Sang-won" Distinguished Former KATUSA Award, established in 2015, has been presented annually to a KATUSA veteran who has distinguished himself in his career and for his contribution to Korean society and the alliance between Seoul and Washington.







Kim served as a KATUSA with the 17th Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, during the Korean War and participated in more than 300 combat patrols, including the drive to the Amrok River in late 1950. For his fighting spirit and unflappable courage, Kim was later awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action during one of his numerous patrols.







The previous recipients include Lee Nak-yon, a former prime minister, Yoon Yoon-soo, Fila Korea chairman, and Kim Jong-wook, the KVA chairman emeritus. The award ensures an automatic induction into the KATUSA Hall of Fame.







Along with the award presentation to the KATUSA veteran, five current KATUSA soldiers were also recognized for their outstanding service.







KATUSA, which stands for the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army, is a military program initiated during the Korean War in August 1950 and some 43,660 KATUSA soldiers fought alongside American soldiers in major battles during the three-year conflict on the Korean Peninsula, leaving 10,238 dead or injured. Currently, 3,000 KATUSA soldiers work alongside more than 28,500 U.S. service members in Korea.







"Tonight's ceremony is very special because both former and current KATUSAs, along with our fellow American brothers and sisters in service, are gathered as one team to celebrate the 70-year alliance in blood between our nations," said KVA Chairman Kim Hae-sung.







"This great team has been maintained for over 70 years since 1950, and to this day KATUSAs and the U.S. troops demonstrate that same blood alliance."






Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering, a major South Korean shipbuilder specializing in submarine and other naval vessels, has suffered hacking attempts by unidentified entities, prompting the authorities to launch a probe, the arms procurement agency said Monday.







The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) confirmed hacking attempts against the Daewoo database recently but declined to say if those attempts were successful and who appeared to be behind the attack.







"The company reported the case to police," DAPA spokesperson Col. Suh Yong-won told a defense ministry regular briefing. "Police and related military agencies are looking into the case."







But the official denied recent news reports that hackers presumed to be from North Korea broke into Daewoo Shipbuilding last year and recently, stole some research data, including on the development of a homegrown nuclear-powered submarine.







Daewoo Shipbuilding has built several South Korean warships, including an Aegis-class vessel and submarines.







North Korea has often been behind cyberattacks in South Korea and elsewhere, though Pyongyang has denied such accusations.







Last week, Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party claimed that North Korean hackers hacked into the internal network of the state-run nuclear research institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) last month, which could compromise nuclear power and other key technologies. (Yonhap)


U.S. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby / AP-Yonhap



The United States constantly reviews its joint military exercises with South Korea to make sure their forces are properly trained and prepared to meet threats, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.



"We always say that we know we have to, our forces have got to be ready to fight tonight and we are constantly looking at the training events to make sure that they are appropriate and they are properly scaled to the threats and the challenges," the spokesman, John Kirby, said at a press briefing.



The remarks come after Ely Ratner, nominee for assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said he, if confirmed, would review the United States' joint military exercises to maintain readiness of U.S. forces in and around the Korean Peninsula.



The U.S. has some 28,500 troops station in South Korea.



North Korea periodically denounces joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises as war rehearsals that it says will continue to hinder inter-Korean relations and dialogue.



Many in South Korea have voiced a need for the U.S. and South Korea to scale down or even cancel their joint military drills to foster dialogue with Pyongyang amid a U.S. outreach to the reclusive country.



Sung Kim, U.S. special envoy for North Korea, on Monday (Seoul time) said his country is willing to meet with North Korea "anywhere, anytime without preconditions."



The Defense Department spokesman said he had no changes in military training to announce, only noting the U.S. "constantly" reviews and assesses its military training programs "given the strategic environment" of the Korean Peninsula.



In Seoul, South Korea's defense ministry said that close consultations are under way to fix the timing, scale and other details of an annual summertime combined exercise that the two countries have held usually in August.



"South Korea and the U.S. will make a decision on the exercise after taking into consideration all related factors, such as the COVID-19 situation, the maintenance of a combat readiness posture, the transfer of the wartime operational control, and supporting diplomacy for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan told a regular briefing on Tuesday.



The two sides usually stage major combined exercises twice a year  in around March and in August, along with smaller-scale drills throughout the year.



This year's springtime program took place in March in a scaled-back manner amid the pandemic. (Yonhap)


Won Hee-ryong, center, governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, speaks during an online discussion session with Nobel Prize-winning economist Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, on screen, at the provincial government's Seoul office, Monday. Courtesy of Jeju Peace Institute



Jeju governor, Nobel laureate discuss inequality issues



By Lee Hyo-jin



Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong said the old should cooperate with the young in tackling the issues of deepening inequality among the younger generations, in order to build an equal and inclusive society.



His remarks came during an online discussion session held Monday with Nobel Prize-winning economist Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee on inequality issues in Korea and the importance of public education and social welfare systems in addressing such problems.



The session came ahead of the 16th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, scheduled to be held from June 24 to 26 on the southern island of Jeju by the Jeju Peace Institute.



The discussion kicked off with Banerjee's lecture on his book "Good Economics for Hard Times," co-written with Esther Duflo.



He viewed that Korea, like many other countries, has encountered increasing inequality, with the COVID-19 pandemic crisis exacerbating the gap between rich and poor. He pointed out trade and automation, which have displaced many low-skilled workers, as the two main factors of deepening inequality.



Banerjee explained "the absence of effective mechanisms for compensating them" as a bigger problem. "We have promised people that the growth will be shared, but it hasn't been shared. There are people who lose from the change of economies and from trade, but we don't compensate them," he said.



He believed that this has led many people to lose trust in government policies, and thus governments should reformulate their policies in a way that makes the poor feel that they are at the center of the redistribution process.



Won agreed with the idea, saying, "Stagnant economic growth and worsening inequality have led to declining public trust in the government. In order to regain trust, policymakers should come up with credible policies based on reasoning and evidence."



The two also shared their thoughts on basic income support, an idea of ensuring every citizen receives at least some income, which has gained momentum amid the COVID-19 pandemic.



"Korea seems to have a very elaborate employment insurance system. But such systems are not permanent," Banerjee said.



Therefore, the economist stressed the importance of provision of basic support, especially in order to help those in desperate need. But he added that important questions such as to whom the support should be targeted must be discussed further.



Won said, "Considering the country's developed social welfare system and limited resources, we should come up with our own basic income system, rather than adopting a universal basic income scheme under which a small amount of funds are provided to all citizens regardless of their socioeconomic status."



Regarding the inequality issues the younger generations are facing in terms of education, employment and housing, Won said, "The older generation, policymakers and the young should work together to make an inclusive society in which all people are guaranteed with opportunities for education and career development."



The video of their discussion will be screened on the first day of the forum, according to the organizer.



The annual international peace forum is a regional multilateral dialogue for promoting peace and prosperity in Asia, hosted by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the International Peace Foundation and East Asia Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Jeju Free International City Development Center.



This year, under the main theme of "Sustainable Peace and Inclusive Prosperity," the forum will focus on sustainable peace for future generations and inclusive post-pandemic prosperity.



The three-day event will bring together prominent figures such as former French President Francois Hollande, former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and former Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The key sessions will be streamed live on the forum's official YouTube channel.






President Moon Jae-in will meet with Sung Kim, the Joe Biden administration's special envoy for North Korea, Tuesday afternoon, Cheong Wa Dae said.







Moon is expected to stress the need for the United States to restart talks with North Korea during the meeting with Kim at Cheong Wa Dae.







Kim is on his first visit here since being appointed as Washington's "special representative" to Pyongyang.







President Biden announced his pick of the Korean American career diplomat right after holding a summit with Moon at the White House in late May.







The move was widely viewed as reflecting the Biden administration's hope for dialogue with North Korea.







Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly called on his regime to gear up for "both dialogue and confrontation" with the U.S. in consideration of the "policy tendency" of its new government.







The U.S. envoy, meanwhile, had discussions with Seoul's chief nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk on Monday and sat down with Unification Minister Lee In-young on Tuesday morning. (Yonhap)




South Korea and the United States have agreed to consider terminating their "working group" forum on North Korea policy, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture to Pyongyang that has decried the forum as a hurdle to inter-Korean ties.



Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, reached the agreement during their talks in Seoul on Monday, as they sought a coordinated strategy to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang.






Yoon Seok-youl, former Prosecutor General / Yonhap





As former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful for the opposition bloc, faces challenges even before he declares his bid, new hopefuls are emerging as possible conservative runners with about eight months left before the election.







Having led a majority of public opinion polls for presidential hopefuls since late last year, Yoon saw a major setback in his yet-to-be-declared presidential bid this week from the sudden resignation of his chief spokesman and a dossier allegedly detailing his and his family's suspected illegalities.







The spokesman Lee Dong-hoon abruptly stepped down Sunday, only 10 days after his appointment, over what the media pinpointed as being out of step with the former prosecutor general.







Separately, Yoon is witnessing the dossier called the "Yoon Seok-youl X-file" allegedly getting circulated in the political circle. Exact details of the controversial document remain unknown, according to judicial and political circles.







Yoon's side dismissed the file as something unworthy of an official response. "(We) decided not to react to this case at a time when (we) don't know whether this 'X-file' really exists," a spokesman for Yoon's side said earlier this week.







While many see the content of the file presents nothing new about various suspicions that have been raised against him, a conservative pundit has said the document may topple Yoon's presidential bid.







As the growing controversies increasingly weigh down Yoon and his fledgling campaign, several others are getting media attention as possible candidates for the opposition bloc.







Choe Jae-hyeong, chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection / Yonhap





One of them is Choe Jae-hyeong, the incumbent chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection, who won the favor of the opposition bloc for his unfazed scrutiny of the Moon Jae-in government's controversial policy to phase out nuclear power.







He has hinted at his imminent plan to declare a presidential bid, telling lawmakers last week, "I will organize my thoughts and soon announce them." Choe is widely expected to step down from the public seat late this month to declare his decision to run for the presidency.







Ex-Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon, who served from 2017-2018 under the Moon administration, is also rising as a potential hopeful.







Kim has yet to declare whether he will run in the presidential election, not to mention whether he will run with the liberal or conservative blocs, but he has steadily stepped up his public activities in what many see as preparations for his imminent presidential bid.







Former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon / Yonhap





The glitch in Yoon's campaign also shed new light on a number of existing candidates in the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who have largely been outshadowed by the overwhelming opinion poll lead by the former prosecutor general.







Former four-term lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong have calmly but steadily expanded their presence as opposition presidential aspirants, although their opinion poll standings remained stagnant.







Three-term legislator Ha Tae-keung formally declared his presidential bid last week, vowing to work for the country's young voters.







Political sources expect Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to also be prodded to join the election in the event of Yoon's potential dropout, after Oh's landslide victory in the Seoul mayoral by-election in April groomed him as a promising presidential runner.







Two potential conservative candidates outside the party  Rep. Hong Joon-pyo and Ahn Cheol-soo, chief of the People's Party  are also widely believed to be interested in winning the PPP's ticket to run for the presidency. (Yonhap)






Hundreds of foreign passports, including those belonging to 31 South Koreans, have been incinerated in China after a staff member at the quarantine facility mistook them for garbage, a source said Tuesday.







Chinese authorities had collected the passports from the passengers after their arrival in Beijing from Incheon, west of Seoul, on June 4 for documentation purposes before they entered the three-week mandatory coronavirus quarantine at a designated hotel.







The authorities later confirmed that the passports were burned along with other trash by mistake, the source said. A staff member apparently thought that the plastic bag carrying the passports was for disposal.







A foreign ministry official in Seoul said the government took swift steps to provide necessary assistance to the South Korean citizens.







"We immediately reissued their passports and completed the process of reissuing the visas and other documents in consultation with Beijing so as to minimize the inconvenience for our people," the official said.







The South Korean Embassy in Beijing has lodged a protest with the Chinese side over the incident, and China expressed an apology.







The Chinese authorities have offered to cover the quarantine costs and waive the fees for issuing the visas. (Yonhap)


South Korea's top nuclear negotiator stressed Tuesday the importance of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy, casting it a great challenge to international security beyond the Korean Peninsula.





Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs
By Nam Sang-so





One of my uncles was smart, studied well and was assigned to teach at an elementary school in Yangyang town on the East Sea coast (in what is now Gangwon Province), north of the current 38th parallel on the Korean Peninsula. It was 1924 and the Korean Peninsula as a whole was occupied by Japan. It was a different, dark time.



In order to quickly climb up the advance ladder he changed his Korean birth name to a Japanese one. And he moved up the ladder fast and became a principal. My pro-Japanese uncle came to Japan for an on-site inspection of the educational system during the Pacific War.



He spoke Japanese to me and Korean to my parents. He emphasized that Japan would win the war and I should become a strong militaristic boy and learn Japanese swordsmanship. I respected my uncle's wish.



Yangyang town then became North Korean territory when the 38th parallel was drawn in August 1945. My uncle quickly changed his name back to Korean and somehow the pro-Japanese teacher was able to keep the principal's position under the communist government, as well. And this time he studied about Karl Marx and read "Das Kapital" putting aside the military imperialism he had been devoted to.



Then when he saw a well-equipped South Korean Army chasing after poorly armed North Korean soldiers escaping from the battlegrounds during the 1950-53 Korean War, he decided to return to his hometown, Uljin, located south of the 38th parallel although Yangyang became South Korea as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was drawn further north of the town this time.



He took his wife and two daughters safely to the south but his son, a North Korean army lieutenant at the time, was unable to join the family. In the south, luckily again, he got a job as the principal of an elementary school. Then he taught democracy under capitalism, speaking critically of the communism in the north.



On his death bed, when I asked, he said that he didn't care about the nation's ideology, he wanted to save his family. And he saved it through three different ideologies. Then a North Korean escapee earlier informed my aunt that the son she had left in the North was serving North Korean Army along the DMZ. That was in the 1960s. He, my cousin, must be 90 years old today if he is still alive.



On June 23, 2020, The Korea Times published my article "Surviving three wars so far." In it I wrote; "I was recruited by the North Korean Army to build a bridge when they occupied my hometown during the Korean War. And when South Korean Army returned to the front from their shameful retreat, they requisitioned young students to carry mortar shells up to the top of the mountain where artillery fire was being exchanged. I was among the shell carriers."



Seventy years have passed since Koreans started engaging in that ridiculous fratricidal war, yet their children, grandchildren are still antagonizing each other endlessly. At this senior stage in life, I am not sure if I want to see my lost cousin. I don't think we can talk.





The writer (sangsonam@gmail.com) is a Korean War veteran.


By Cho Hee-kyoung





Earlier this month, the Group of Seven (G7) nations' leaders met for the first time in person since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. South Korea was invited as a special guest country and many domestic media outlets touted this as attesting to the fact that we had joined the ranks of "advanced nations." Then, two days before President Moon Jae-in departed for the summit, a building collapsed in Gwangju killing nine people and seriously injuring eight others.







The investigation is still ongoing but everything points to the fact that this was yet another man-made disaster that was easily preventable.







The collapse occurred at an urban redevelopment site in the middle of Gwangju where brand new large-scale apartment complex is to be built. The prime contractor, Hyundai Development Corporation (HDC) had subcontracted the demolition work to another company, Hansol, which had in turn engaged a sub-subcontractor, Baeksol. HDC denies any knowledge of the sub-subcontracting.







The demolition plans submitted and approved by the city council were textbook, but they were never followed. Instead, the subcontractor, in order to save time and cost, essentially tried to knock down a five-storey building in its entirety rather than doing it step-by-step, demolishing it from the top one level at a time.







The workers had become aware from the noises that the remaining structure was making that something was not quite right and had evacuated the site. No one bothered to sound an alarm. No one notified the authorities to warn the public although the building site was directly facing a large road with heavy traffic.







In the end, all of the victims, including a 17-year old high school student, were completely innocent bystanders who were on a bus that made a stop along its regular route on that road.







The recriminations began almost immediately. Why was there no on-site supervisor? How could the city council not check that the plans were being followed? Why was the bus stop not moved during the construction period? At each stage, just observing a standard safety measure would have saved these people's lives and yet, this was not done.







How could something like this happen in Korea in 2021. Isn't this the kind of thing that only happens in developing countries? Surely, we must have learned our lesson since the Seongsoo Bridge collapse and the Sampoong department store disaster?







We had forgotten that just two years ago, there was an identical disaster in Jamwondong, in Gangnam, where a building that was being demolished, collapsed suddenly killing one person and seriously injuring three others. It turned out that the building was being knocked down from the middle and not dismantled from the top.







Even in the short space since the Gwangju building disaster, there have been daily reports of construction workers being killed as a result of scaffolding collapses or other accidents on site.







The construction industry is one that is marred by high rates of accidents and deaths. No one disputes the hazardous nature of the work but two particular features of the industry seem to compound the problem. They are the practice of illegal subcontracting and the lack of proper accountability.







Given the cyclical and specialized nature of the construction industry, subcontracting is inevitable and even desirable in some cases. But for too long, the prime contractors have exploited subcontractors and sub-subcontractors skimming off the top and squeezing their margins leaving them no choice but to cut corners and do "kludge" work.







A law to make subcontracting more fair and reasonable was introduced in 1984. The law also makes multi-level subcontracting illegal and is supposed to ensure that subcontractors are paid directly. And yet, these kinds of illegal practices still go on.







The illegal subcontracting leads directly to the lack of accountability. In theory, the prime contractor should be accountable for the entire project. But in reality, if the subcontractor had sub-subcontracted part of its work to a third party without the prime contractor's knowledge, it is difficult to hold the prime contractor liable. The law needs to apply strict liability to prime contractors.







In the example in the Jamwondong case, although the site manager, the supervisor and the demolition company have been charged and found guilty, the investigation is still ongoing with regard to the architect, the building owner, and the relevant council officer for their roles in the disaster.







Finally, what we also overlook is the meta-context of the disaster. The recent redevelopment boom drastically incentivizes speed because time equals money in ever greater amounts than before. In that equation, there is no space for safety. But sacrificing safety for profit is not in concordance with the standards for an advanced nation. The true test is how much we value and cherish each human life no matter who they are.









Cho Hee-kyoung (

) is a professor at Hongik University's law school.


E-commerce giant should improve safety, working conditions



A boycott against Coupang is gaining traction after a firefighter was killed in a fire at the e-commerce giant's warehouse in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Consumers are expressing their anger at the company's blatant disregard of safety standards and a lack of effort to improve poor working conditions.



The fire, which broke out Thursday, was brought under control Saturday. It claimed the life of Kim Dong-shik, 52, a veteran firefighter of 27 years. The tragedy could have been prevented if Coupang had taken proper precautions.



Sprinklers were found to have failed to work for eight minutes right after the fire started. A manger allegedly turned their automatic activation function off as they often malfunctioned. Workers were prevented from carrying their cellphones for security reasons, making it difficult for them to immediately report the fire.



Worse still, the warehouse operators allegedly ignored fire reports by some workers. In a word, Coupang and its managers had no sense of emergency. The company had provided no prior education about fire prevention and workplace safety to its workers.



Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the conflagration. If found liable, Coupang's management will be unable to shirk its responsibility for neglecting preventive measures against fire and failing to abide by basic safety standards to protect its workers. In a word, the company had done nothing to improve its part in the poor working environments that plague the nation.



After media reports of the grim facts, a growing number of consumers are quitting their memberships of Coupang and deleting the company app from their smartphones. They are venting their shock and outrage over how the e-commerce giant with nearly 15 million customers is operated without any respect for workers' health and safety. Simply put, Coupang has been bent on maximizing its profit under the motto of "Rocket Delivery" by exploiting workers.



We cannot understand how Coupang was successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange in March. The company hit the jackpot by raising $4.5 billion through its initial public offering (IPO). However, the company has already come under criticism for "causing" the death of nine workers last year.



Coupang has also invited the public's rage for ignoring COVID-19 restrictions and causing mass infections among its workers. It is lamentable that Coupang has abandoned its social responsibility. The company should be held to account for its outdated corporate culture. Its founder Kim Bom-suk decided to step down as chairman of the board of the firm, five hours after the fire. His decision is seen as a ploy to evade any responsibility for the incident. The company cannot survive if it continues to lose the people's confidence and trust.






LG Electronics on Tuesday unveiled a digital X-ray detector (DXD) with artificial intelligence (AI) solutions as the South Korean tech giant eyes to expand its presence in the medical equipment field.







LG's latest DXD was introduced at Arab Health 2021, the largest medical equipment expo in the Middle East, which will run through Thursday in Dubai. The company plans to launch its new DXD in global markets, including South Korea and the United States, in the near future.







The product is comprised of DXD hardware and its imaging software. Customers can purchase them separately or buy them as a package.







Its software leverages medical AI solutions from South Korean startup VUNO Inc. that can detect abnormal signs in chest X-rays and assist image analysis.







This is the first time that LG decided to use an AI technology for its DXD, which can create digital files of X-ray images and directly send them to computers for doctors' examination.







The latest DXD also uses oxide-based thin film transistor panels to reduce X-ray radiation exposure, LG said.







Since 2016, LG has been trying to beef up its competitiveness in the diagnostic imaging equipment business with its IT solutions.







According to market researcher Omdia, the global medical DXD market is expected to grow to $2.53 billion in 2024 from $1.95 billion in 2020. (Yonhap)






Naver, South Korea's top internet portal operator, said Tuesday it has dropped out of the acquisition process for eBay Korea, leaving retail giant Shinsegae Group as the sole bidder for the South Korean unit of the U.S. e-commerce giant.







Last week, a consortium led by Shinsegae, including Naver, had been reportedly chosen as the preferred bidder to take over eBay Korea for an amount in the mid-4 trillion-won ($4 billion) range, beating out local rival Lotte Shopping.







The online portal giant said in a regulatory filing that although it had considered buying a partial stake in eBay Korea to strengthen its business, it ultimately decided against taking part in the acquisition process.







Naver is a major player in South Korea's e-commerce market with an 18 percent share, compared with eBay Korea's 12 percent and rival Coupang Inc.'s 13 percent.







The move leaves Shinsegage as the sole bidder for eBay Korea, and the company has been reportedly working on detailed terms of the deal.







The acquisition of eBay Korea would give a much-needed boost to Shinsegae, which holds around 3 percent of the country's e-commerce market, and brings about a seismic shift in the local sector.







EBay Korea operates e-commerce platforms Gmarket and Auction in South Korea and the company's revenue reached 1.3 trillion won last year.







Naver had been expected to take part in the acquisition process with Shinsegae Group after they signed a 250 billion-won share swap deal in March. (Yonhap)






A South Korean civic group on Tuesday filed a complaint with the prosecution against American electric vehicle company Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk, alleging that they have covered up defects in cars sold here.







The civic group, which calls itself the "Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty," said it asked the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office to investigate Musk, Tesla and its local company Tesla Korea on charges of frauds and violation of the Automobile Management Act.







The group insisted that the so-called hidden door handles applied to the Tesla Model X and Model S have serious design flaws in the case of power loss accidents. The hidden door system refers to a structure in which the vehicle handle is stored in the vehicle body and pops out when the owner touches it.







Unlike in the mechanical door system, rescue of Tesla passengers is difficult in power loss accidents, the group said, citing a transport ministry ordinance specifying that at least one door per row of seats must be opened after a collision so that all passengers can get out without the aid of tools.







In the complaint, the group also accused Tesla of failing to report to the transport ministry after updating its vehicle software wirelessly through Wi-Fi and mobile communication.







It claimed that Tesla's actions were a violation of the automobile management law and its gain of economic benefits through alleged deception of consumers also constitutes a crime of fraud. (Yonhap)


Lotte Shopping CEO Kang Hee-tae poses at his office in Seoul on March 23. Courtesy of Lotte Shopping



By Kim Jae-heun



Retail has been one of Lotte Group's main businesses here, with the firm leading the market alongside its rival Shinsegae.



However, with the appearance of e-commerce firms including Coupang and Naver Shopping, their positions have been continuously threatened, especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Coupang's sales have nearly doubled from 7 trillion won in 2019 to 13.5 trillion won last year, which is about 2.68 trillion won behind Lotte Shopping.



But considering how fast Coupang is growing, it is only a matter of time before the online retailer surpasses both Lotte and Shinsegae.



Feeling a sense of danger, the two traditional retail giants started their own online businesses three years ago, but they have failed to close the gap with Coupang and Naver in the online shopping sector.



Shinsegae formed a strategic alliance quickly with Naver and CJ Group to beef up its online business and is very close to acquiring eBay Korea, the third-largest e-commerce firm active here.



Lotte, on the other hand, is stuck in limbo. Acknowledging that its ambitiously launched online platform Lotte ON is not living up to expectations, the retail giant decided to join the bid for eBay Korea.



However, it dropped out at the last minute as the American e-commerce firm requested 5 trillion won as a buyout price.



Lotte also gave up its bid for Yogiyo, the country's No. 2 food delivery player that was put up for sale when German firm Delivery Hero had to offload it to buy the No. 1 player Baedal Minjok.



Yogiyo can create big synergy with Lotte Shopping with its food delivery service for fast food restaurant chains and supermarkets.



It is unknown whether Lotte has a plan B or a secret weapon that can keep it in the competition with Coupang and Naver, but it seems it will soon be left with no way to even compete with Shinsegae.



Lotte said it is looking to the long term and will not hurry to invest recklessly.



"An M&A deal can instantly put us in the top 3 position but it won't necessarily beef up our competitiveness," Lotte Shopping CEO Kang Hee-tae said in an email sent to company staff last week.



Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin has also remained silent about the company dropping out from the eBay Korea acquisition.


ENHYPEN's debut album "BORDER: DAY ONE" has reached a total of 100 million streams on Spotify. What's more, the rookie group has attained the new shortest record to score this milestone!

ENHYPEN Now Holds the Record of Fastest Debut Album by a K-pop Group to Reach 100 Million Streams on Spotify

On June 20, ENHYPEN's debut album "BORDER: DAY ONE" has exceeded 100 million streams on Spotify. This is the group's first release to hit the mark on the platform.

"BORDER: DAY ONE" consists of six songs including the title track, intro, and outro. On June 20, the combined streams of all six tracks have reached more than 100 million streams on Spotify. A total of 100,210,286 streams were accumulated.

ENHYPEN's "Given-Taken," the album's title track, has the highest streams on Spotify among the six songs. It garnered 42,209,124 streams as of June 20.

One of the B-sides, "Let Me In (20 CUBE)," has gained more than 20 million streams on the platform. It is the first B-side track by a 2020 rookie group to score this feat.

The album's outro, "Cross the Line," has the lowest streams on the platform, recording 4,127,616 copies as of June 20.

ENHYPEN has become the first 2020 rookie group to surpass 100 million streams on Spotify for a debut album.

On top of this, ENHYPEN's "BORDER: DAY ONE" is now the fastest debut album by a K-pop group to reach 100 million streams on Spotify.

"BORDER: DAY ONE" was released on Nov. 30, 2020, meaning the album took 201 days to achieve the milestone.

The record was previously held by TXT's debut album "The Dream Chapter: STAR," which hit 100 million streams on Spotify in 251 days after it was released on March 4, 2019.

As of June 21, ENHYPEN has 3.16 million monthly listeners and 1.18 million followers on Spotify.

Congratulations to ENHYPEN!

ENHYPEN's Previous Achievements with Their Debut Album "BORDER: DAY ONE"

Following its release in November, ENHYPEN's debut album "BORDER: DAY ONE" quickly set an impressive record on Gaon Album Chart.

In just one day, "BORDER: DAY ONE" sold a total of 318,528 copies and eventually debuted at No. 2 on the Gaon Album Chart. This is the highest album sales for a K-pop group that debuted in 2020.

In addition, ENHYPEN's debut album is the overall second-best-selling album in November 2020.

And since ENHYPEN's "BORDER: DAY ONE" reached 250,000 copies sold on Gaon Chart, the album has been certified platinum in South Korea. This makes the boy group the only 2020 rookie group to receive an album certification.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: ENHYPEN, BTS, and BLACKPINK Dominate the Top 5 of the Billboard World Albums Chart

Over on Hanteo Chart, ENHYPEN's debut album "BORDER: DAY ONE" also broke the highest first-week sales record for a K-pop group that debuted in 2020. The album sold 280,873 copies, according to Hanteo Chart.

In addition to his, "BORDER: DAY ONE" ranked first on Oricon's daily album chart (Nov.30), despite it being a Korean release. The album recorded an estimated number of sales of 58,903.

Watch the music video for ENHYPEN's debut song "Given-Taken" below!

For more news updates about other K-Pop news, always keep your tabs open here at Kpopstarz.

Owned by Kpopstarz.

Written by Mhaliya Scott
Administrative Clerk Village of Minooka

Summary: The Village of Minooka has an excellent opportunity for an Administrative Clerk. This position is a highly responsible clerical position involving office support work for all Village departments. The position assumes an important role in projecting a positive image of Village government and must manage and direct a variety of internal and external personalities and audiences. Diplomacy and confidentiality are required.

Duties: The following duties represent a small scope of assignments within this position but are not intended to define the limits of required duties. Provide customer service to Village residents and visitors by answering general questions, taking utility payments, processing Village cash receipts. Perform secretarial and clerical office functions which include answering all incoming phone calls, processing and distributing Village mail, filing, faxing, photocopying, scanning and ordering of office supplies. Manage and update all Village calendars. See job description on village website for additional duties and details.

Requirements: This person shall have strong computer knowledge and verbal and written communication skills. High School Diploma required. Some college or college degree preferred and Two years of clerical experience, (municipal governmental experience a plus). Salary range is $40,000 to $45,000 based on experience.

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Position Objective: Contributes to the provision of high-quality, cost-effective healthcare as a provider of direct and indirect patient care and by effective of the health care team. Functions as a competent member of the health care team. Essentional Job Duties: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 1. Clinical Decision Making/Judgment Demonstrates clinical nursing knowledge and skill in the specialization of the unit.

Demonstrates the ability to apply the nursing process effectively in the care of culturally diverse patients and families. Demonstrates the ability to utilize all applicable laws, policies, standards, guidelines and evidence-based practice in the provision of patient/family care.

Organizes and reprioritizes patient care activities based on subtle and overt and/or environmental changes.

Consistently and thoroughly assesses patients to collect data and identify learning needs according to established standards and policies.

Utilizes a systematic, continuous and complete analysis of assessment data to develop individualized problem lists for assigned patients.

Develops and individualizes a plan of care for each patient in accordance with established standards, appropriate prioritization of problems/needs, and mutually agreed upon goals.

Efficiently implements the patient's plan of care in accordance with applicable standards, policies, procedures and guidelines.

Demonstrates proficiency in medication administration, pain management and other unit or initiative specific skills.

Continuously evaluates the effectiveness of the plan(s) of care, making revisions and recommendations based on analysis of patient responses to interventions. 2. Nurse-Patient Family Relationships Demonstrates the ability to assess the patient's/family's learning needs, readiness to learn, learning style, and presence of barriers to learning.

Demonstrates the ability to develop, implement and evaluate teaching plans for patient populations in unit specialty in accordance with applicable standards.

Demonstrates the ability to apply knowledge of growth and development across the life span to the care of patients.

Provides direct patient care to patients and families in a culturally, developmentally and ethically appropriate manner.

Plans of care address the physical, psychosocial, spiritual and learning needs of the patient/family. 3. Clinical Scholarship Participates in QI, CPI and risk management activities at the unit, department or organizational level.

Demonstrates the ability to effectively perform and improve all processes in order to achieve excellence with regard to AAMC's quality standards and benchmarks.

Supports the use of evidence based guidelines and organizational policies and procedures to promote safe patient care and a safe practice environment. 4. Clinical Leadership Participates in unit shared governance according to departmental standards.

Participates in the education and orientation of new staff.

Delegates patient care activities as appropriate; evaluates delegated activities for expected patient care outcomes.

Employs real time computer documentation when completing patient record. Educational/Experience Requirements: Graduate of an accredited school of nursing

Adherence to the credentialing requirements of AAMC as stated in the nursing bylaws. Required License/Certifications: Current licensure as a registered nurse by the Maryland Board of Nursing.

CPR - American Heart Association Healthcare Provider certification Working Conditions, Equipment, Physical Demands: There is a reasonable expectation that employees in this position will be exposed to blood-borne pathogens. Physical Demands - Medium work. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. The physical demands and work environment that have been described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The above job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of this position; your supervisor may assign other duties as deemed necessary.




PROGRAM MANAGER  INTERNATIONAL TRADE Richmond, Virginia The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) is seeking an experienced program manager to manage and coordinate four programs that provide international trade assistance to Virginia businesses. The Program Manager will evaluate and approve program applications from 150+ Virginia businesses and manage program budgets totaling $1M to $2M annually. This position collaborates with team members to meet program deadlines and improve the experience for participating businesses. The Program Manager will also advise team members and Virginia businesses on how to utilize program resources to grow international sales. This position is part of VEDPs International Trade division, which is recognized as the leading state international trade development program in the U.S. The International Trade division provides a range of resources such as customized market research, international business meetings, and programs to help Virginia companies grow their international sales. VEDP was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to encourage, stimulate and support development and expansion of the Commonwealths economy. Like the special Commonwealth that it serves, VEDP has long been regarded as among the best in the country. Responsibilities: Track the enrollment of 150+ Virginia businesses across four international trade development programs

Evaluate and approve applications from Virginia businesses to confirm they meet program requirements

Manage program budgets totaling $1M to $2M annually by tracking and forecasting program expenses each month

Review reimbursement requests from program participants and make approval decisions about reimbursement payments according to VEDP guidelines

Stay up to date on international business practices and serve as a subject matter expert to advise international trade division staff and Virginia businesses on how to utilize program resources to grow international sales

Develop and maintain program documentation and materials including application forms, reimbursement forms, and program guidelines

Manage multiple deadlines across programs and proactively collaborate with team members to ensure activities are completed on time

Interpret program guidelines and recommend strategies to improve program management and the experience for participating businesses

Coordinate event planning logistics for program meetings as requested

Support international trade mission delegations by working with international consultants to deliver successful events for participating businesses Skills: Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail

Demonstrated ability to proactively and independently manage multiple priorities and navigate changing requirements Strong communication skills (verbal and written) and demonstrated ability to engage in effective working relationships with colleagues

Ability to analyze and improve complex processes and requirements for programs or projects

Enjoys providing excellent service to internal and external customers and meeting deadlines Education/Experience: Significant experience managing programs or complex projects

Significant experience with budget tracking, reporting, and recordkeeping for programs or projects

Knowledge of international business practices, foreign customs, and cultures

Demonstrated ability to use Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; experience with Salesforce and Adobe Acrobat is a plus

Undergraduate degree in business administration, marketing, international affairs, or equivalent experience

A valid drivers license and passport are required

Candidates must have S. worker authorization status This position requires occasional in-state and international travel. VEDP offers a competitive salary and benefits package, featuring a defined benefit retirement program that vests in just five years. All candidates must apply through our website https://www.vedp.org/about-vedp. Candidates with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Review of applications will begin on June 28, 2021, and continue until the position is filled. VEDP is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or against otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities. It is VEDPs intent that its employment and personnel policies and practices conform to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Applicants requiring more information or requiring assistance may contact VEDP Human Resources at 1-804-545-5634 or vedphr@vedp.org. TDD 1- 800-828-1120

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The Peoples Press is looking for our next newsroom leader who will lead by

example, engage with our audience and community leaders on a regular basis,

develop and procure content that ensures a must read status, and embrace the

new and different as well as the tried and true nature of our business.

Audience engagement and development is a key factor in the success of our

editor. Continual improvement in our printed publications as well as development

of our digital platforms is critical.

As the Local News Editor, you will be part of the local leadership team for the

Peoples Press and also a team member for strategies in our region.

HERE ARE SOME EXPECTATIONS:

 Create and procure must read content for our print and digital offerings

 Develop targeted e-newsletters based on reader interests

 Engage with the community through editorial board meetings, town hall meetings and round-table discussions.

 Facilitate online and print publishing cycles and develop effective planning for both

 Recruit and manage reporters and freelance writers

 Comply with media law and ethical guidelines

 Be a mentor for other editors in our region and participate in regional niche publications

 Be an effective member of the leadership team

REQUIREMENTS:

 Proven working experience as an Editor

 Strong writing/editing/proofreading skills and an excellent portfolio

 Excellent written skills

 Demonstrated news judgement

 An eye for detail along with critical thinking

 Prioritizing and multitasking

 Degree in Journalism or related field

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual

orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. To apply, send a cover letter, resume and five writing samples to suzy.rook@apgsomn.com

BENEFITS

The fringe benefits include medical (split between employer and employee), dental and vision options (employee paid). There

are three company-sponsored benefits, including short-term disability, long-term disability and a term life insurance policy. The

company pays for these six major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day).

In addition, employees accrue 3.33 hours of paid leave per pay period in the first year of employment (80 hours) and increasing

to 5.0 hours per pay period (120 hours) after their one-year anniversary of employment. The company has the option of making a

discretionary match to the 401K retirement plan after years end.

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Beautiful Leesburg office is in search of a Dental Assistant with 1+ year experience. Rate of pay is $14.00 per hour. If you love to learn new things and a quick learner, this job is for you. Fast pace, willing to train. No weekend hours. Dental Assistant job duties include but are not limited to: Chairside assistant to dentist

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Location: 5025-Wichita Hauling



Job Title

CDL Driver

Primary Location

Wichita, Kansas

Employee Type

Employee

Job Description



NOW OFFERING A $5,000 STAY-ON BONUS!

Waste Connections of Kansas is looking for a safety conscience Roll Off Driver to join the team in Wichita, KS!

The ideal driver will have a self-motivated, go getting attitude, that is looking to excel and grow with our GROWING company! Why work for Waste Connections? ~Competitive Compensations~

~Safety Bonuses - Get rewarded for your safe habits~

~Yearly Boot Stipend - Get your boots covered~

~Benefits Plans - Keep yourself healthy~

~Matching 401(K) - Connect to your future~ What we do: We provide trash and disposal services to the local community. You, a vital piece of the team, would be responsible for safely operating a Roll Off Truck delivering dumpster containers to customers, while providing the best service in the industry. This includes duties such: Safely driving a Roll Off Truck into a variety of environments (Residential, Construction, Commercial, etc.).

Determine the best, convenient drop off location for dumpster, to avoid property damage.

Cautiously operate hydraulic hand controls to lift/load Dumpster on/off truck.

Secure the Dumpster Load, cover appropriately and account for weight shift before departing

Ability to read route sheets and service each customer identified on the sheet or assigned by the dispatcher.

Perform daily pre and post trip inspections.

Interact courteously with your customers

Other miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned. What we work with: Trash is heavy! Sometimes we have machines aid our efforts. Other times we do not. And this is a service provided year round - Rain, snow or shine. Hot or cold. Be prepared to work in all environments, around heavy diesel equipment. Not to mention dirty ones. Plan for the following labor: Extensive physical activity. Requires strenuous physical work with consistent walking; heavy lifting, pushing, or pulling required of objects over 75 pounds. Exiting/exiting high set truck. Walking. Moderate noise level.

Work environment involves some exposure to physical risks such as moving mechanical parts. Which require following basic safety precautions.

Exposure to outside weather, including frequent wet and/or humid conditions, as well as exposure to fumes and vibration. At the end of the day, we go home knowing we leave a smiling customer! Minimum Job Requirements Must be at least 18 years of age with a satisfactory driving record.

Class A or B CDL

Ability to work Monday - Friday starting at around 5:30 am. Approx. 45-50 hours a week, with overtime possibilities.

Physically comfortable with demands of the job To be considered for any of our current openings you must complete an application at www.careers.wasteconnections.com . Application information and additional instructions can be found once you select your position of interest. We offer excellent benefits including: medical, dental, vision, flexible spending account, long term & short term disability, life insurance, 401K retirement and unlimited opportunities to "Connect with Your Future". Waste Connections is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer (Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran)


Stock Market News

USA Stocks - The Trader: Stocks search for direction after Monday turnaround, MicroStrategy doubles down again 22-06-2021 02:52



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk
Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low around 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low around 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Philadelphia experienced relatively few cancellations by American on Sunday  5, or 2% of Americans scheduled flights  compared with hubs in Charlotte, N.C., which had 33 cancellations, or 5% of the airlines schedule there, and Dallas, which had 88 cancellations, or 8% of the schedule, according to FlightAware statistics.
Gov. Tom Wolf said the grants will go to state residents who are within one semester or less of completing their certificate or degree. In March, the workforce board and Jennifer Berrier, Pennsylvanias acting labor secretary, announced the program. Berrier said then that 4 out of 10 undergraduates drop out of community colleges and other schools.
While the accelerated timeline to deal close means we can more quickly move on to the important work of bringing our organizations together, there are many decisions still to be made and we still have a lot of work to do, Owen said in the announcement. I have great confidence in this leadership team and know they will come together to continue the critical work of designing a strong operating model that will support our future ambitions and create exciting opportunities for everyone at NewCo.
When their original keyboard player, Kevin Moore, left he mentioned my name as a replacement because he was aware of me. They also called up Jan Hammer, who had recorded the keyboard music for the series Miami Vice, and he recommended me as well. I went down to audition and I really liked them, but at the time I didnt want to commit to what they were doing. I did end up joining a side project that Mike Portnoy, who was the drummer at the time, was putting together called Liquid Tension Experiment. That band also included John Petrucci, who is also in Dream Theater. We did two successful instrumental rock albums together and afterward, they came up and asked me to join the group again. At that point, it was a few years later and everything just felt right. I joined them at the end of 1998 and the first album was Scenes From A Memory.
We thought that, better we try to fix this one problem now and then move on rather than try to do it all at once, Argall said. Our fear is that if we try to do it all at once, the bill will fail again.
Because the Historic Conservation Commission already denied the certificates of appropriateness for these projects, the majoritys eagerness to approve the projects cannot be because the projects had met the existing hurdle of complying with the Historic District Guidelines the commission assesses. The majority focused on the importance of having more development in the city, which the projects supporters said will grow the tax base and benefit all of Bethlehem.
Burley, ID (83318)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
As a current print subscriber, you receive 24/7 access to our website and online e-edition at no additional charge. All you have to do is activate your access. To activate digital access, you will need your account number. You can find your account number on any recent subscription notice or bill.
Sayre, PA (18840)

Today

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Post Mortem

Call for a successful COVID-19 vaccination in Nagaland

By Nagaland Post | Publish Date: 6/22/2021 1:01:48 PM IST

Dear all,

The Ao Student Union, Kohima would like to thank you, for all that you are doing to keep yourself, your love ones and all those around you safe and healthy in these trying times as we all work together to face the direct impact of the COVID-19in our State.

Just as we have adapted to the norms for precaution, we all know works- masking, hand washing and social distancing, the impact of the COVID-19 has hit us differently this year. The COVID positive caseload has risen drastically over the past few months before we could even comprehend.

Vaccine hesitancy has become more prominent topic recently and the debate is still on but the ongoing pandemic has an intensifying effect. We understand the anxiety and confusion about the vaccine but hoping that we will all make sensible decision in curbing the virus. Trust is essential for a successful vaccination.

The availability of COVID-19 vaccine has given us hope. It is the key factor towards life returning to normal.

 We have to get vaccinated to stop the devastating effect of the COVID-19 in our State.

 Not only an effective distribution of the vaccine is needed but also enough people who are willing to get vaccinated.

 It will help us do our part to slow down the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of our family, friends and our community.

 The threat of the third wave hitting us cannot be rule out. Therefore, we must be even more vigilant now and uncompromising in observing the strict measure of safety, precaution and hygiene.

 We urge you to work closely with the Government and the health care professionals to keep our community safe.

Therefore, we must push for vaccination if we wish to overcome this pandemic.

Let us pledge to stand with one another. Together, let us help our State overcome this pandemic.

The office would also like to give our gratitude to all the front line workers who have sacrificed much to care for many, fighting COVID-19 skillfully, bravely and tirelessly. Thank you for the tremendous dedication that you each have shown in the face of a relentless pandemic.

Imodangba Imchen,

AKM president and Lanuyanger Jamir, AKM general secretary
The New England Aquarium's John Chisholm claimed "several" white sharks were sighted off the coast of the Cape on Thursday and another off the beach in Truro on Friday.

On Thursday, one was observed attempting to track down a Bluefin tuna, but the tuna eluded capture, according to Chisholm's Facebook page.

Sharks Out

Just as beachgoers return to the Atlantic seas this summer, sharks are out in force off the East Coast and Florida.

A juvenile great white shark was just tagged for the first time near Rhode Island. A dolphin was photographed swimming in South Carolina after being presumably attacked by a shark. On Thursday, a shark attacked a guy swimming along a fishing line off Grayton Beach State Park in Florida. A 12-year-old boy and a man were also attacked by sharks in Volusia County on Monday.

Maine's state beaches and coastal parks will adopt a shark-flag system similar to that used in the neighboring New England state of Massachusetts to alert citizens to the presence of sharks. Residents are paying attention as these marine apex predators pass through the region, and local governments take measures. Maine is expected to be one of the first states to adopt a shark flag system.

The first reported fatal shark attack occurred in the Pine Tree State in July of 2020. The frequency of Atlantic great white shark detections on Massachusetts' Cape Cod peninsula has increased since the species were declared protected, and seal numbers have continued to climb.

A 26-year-old male was killed by a white shark at Massachusetts' Newcomb Hollow Beach in 2018, the first fatal shark attack in the state since 1936.

Last year, the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida documented 57 unprovoked shark bites on people.

Decrease in Shark Attacks

Even though shark attacks dropped for the third year in a row in 2020, 10 unprovoked bites resulted in deaths, making it the worst year for such attacks since 2013.

Related Article: Small White Shark Population Continues to Thrive in the Coast of Central California



Increase in Shark Sightings

Atlantic White Shark Conservancy "Stock status remains unclear" despite an increase in shark sightings and detections. Great white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic may have fallen by 80% before federal protection in the late 1990s. The AWSC tags and tracks white sharks then shares the information with safety officials and the general public.

Wigren also stated that the distribution of white sharks along the East Coast "had not altered" based on historical data dating back to the 1800s.

The Massachusetts Shark Research Program stated in 2019 that they have tagged more sharks on the Cape than ever before.

According to AWSC, the month of August has seen the highest detections in the previous four years. The shark season lasts until the end of October.

Sharks have been sighted near beaches in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Ocearch, a shark-tracking organization, says there are "thousands" of sharks on the East Coast right now. The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibited seal hunting and killing in Massachusetts in the 1960s. In 1972, seals began to repopulate the region.

Wigren warns that, in addition to the more than 50 shark species present off the East Coast, those who want to swim should be mindful of the presence of white sharks.

Humans should be aware that sharks search for seals in shallow water, avoid murky or low-visibility water, swim in groups and near to shore, reduce splashing, and follow lifeguard warnings and instructions.

She continued, "It's critical for beachgoers to be aware of their surroundings and to pay attention to signs, flags, and safety rules."

In the west, sightings of young great whites around the California coast have risen as well.

Population Increase?

Recent research published in the journal Biological Conservation revealed that great white sharks in the Pacific seas increased from 2011 to 2018.

Researchers detected approximately 300 adult and sub-adult individual great white sharks, up from just 219 sharks in a three-year study in 2011. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the only place in the world where shark sightings have been recorded for more than 2,500 hours of observation. Their findings might imply that conservation efforts are effective.

White sharks, however, are threatened by overfishing and poaching, as LiveScience pointed out last month.

"Because white sharks are very scarce, it's difficult to determine how many exist in our waters. Shark regulations, according to research, have likely increased shark numbers, notably in the Northwest Atlantic "NOAA Fisheries of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated in 2019.

NOAA says there is no evidence that sharks are spending more time near shore due to warming waters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that climate change is heating up ocean waters, affecting marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. NOAA and NASA revealed earlier this week that the Earth's energy imbalance nearly quadrupled between 2005 and 2019.

Sylvia Earle, a famous oceanographer, marine biologist, and President and Chairman of Mission Blue, urged for action in an emailed statement to Fox News.

Also Read: Studying the Coelacanths: Ancient Human-Sized Fish Can Live Up to a Hundred Years!

Fore more news from the animal kingdom, don't forget to follow Nature World News!


Conservationists say exploratory project in Namibia and Botswana is a threat to ecosystems, wildlife, and local communities.

Latest Threat to Elephants

Tens of thousands of African elephants are under menace from plans for a massive new oilfield in one of the last great wildernesses in the continent, experts have warned. Conservationists and campaigners are afraid that the proposed oilfield stretching across Botswana and Namibia would lead to the devastation of regional ecosystems, wildlife, and local communities.

The plans are the latest threat to elephants in the area, hundreds of which have mysteriously passed away in the past year. Researchers are making efforts to discover the cause of the deaths but believe they may be associated with an increasing amount of toxic algae - brought about by global heating - in their waterholes.

Rosemary Alles from Global March for Rhinos and Elephants said: "It is incomprehensible that ReconAfrica's hunt for fossil fuels is pressing ahead, in Africa fewer than 450,000 elephants survive, down from millions not too long ago: 130,000 of these have established this place as a home range, and ReconAfrica's misbegotten plans keep them at direct risk."

Also Read: How Studying Elephant Trunks are Helping Scientists to Build Next-Gen Robots

ReconAfrica

A Canadian oil and gas company - ReconAfrica, listed on stock exchanges in Canada, Germany, and the US has leased over 34,000sq km of land in the Kavango Basin. Seismic exploratory work has started, and experts disclose that the new oil field could be among the biggest of recent years.

ReconAfrica gave an estimation that the "potential oil generated" could be between 60 billion and 120 billion barrels - and its value will be equivalent to billions of dollars to the regional economy. Only exploratory licences had so far been granted which did not permit any production operations, the Namibian government said. It said the exploratory wells were not found in any "conservancy or environmentally sensitive region and will have no remarkable impact on our wildlife".

But environmentalists, scientists, and local communities say the project could threaten critical water supplies and jeopardize the Okavango Delta in Botswana, a great pristine wilderness and World Heritage Site.

Human-elephant Conflict

Director at the Health of Mother Earth Foundation and chair of Oilwatch Africa, Nnimmo Bassey said: "Every element of this operation - from new roads to drilling location, refineries to terminals - will destroy the ecosystem and the local communities that rely on it for farming and fishing."

Alles said vibrations coming from exploratory work usually disturb elephants, and the increase in construction, roads and traffic would not just chase the animals away but also open the region up to poachers.

Alles added saying they steer clear of places where there is any human activity, loud sound and what they see as danger, mostly when they have juvenile. This can chase them away from their early migratory routes and nearer to villages and agricultural regions, causing more human-elephant conflict.

Related Article: Will Namibia's Elephant Auction Really Improve Conservation of the Critically Endangered Specie?

For more news, updates about elephants and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!


Significant changes in the atmospheric pattern showed up in the Midwest just in time for Father's Day and the formal start of astronomical summer.

Severe Thunderstorms

AccuWeather forecasters say that the coolest conditions of the month will come after a round of intense thunderstorms. Severe thunderstorms began on Sunday afternoon across portions of Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. According to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, intensive hail and wind reports were made across the region during the day.

Severe thunderstorms pushed through Illinois, Indiana and into Michigan, by the evening hours. Late Sunday evening into early Monday morning, tornado warnings also began across portions of the Midwest. At least one verified tornado touched down in a suburb of Chicago.

In the wake of severe weather, another disturbance to the system will move into the Midwest as the cold front moves eastward into Monday. AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said: "Ironically, the first full day of summer will bring a remarkable cooldown to much of the Midwest in the wake of a powerful cold front."

Also Read: Powerful Thunderstorms in the Mid-West Can Cause Winds as Strong as Category 2 Hurricane, Forecasters Warn

Astronomical Summer Sets in

On Sunday, astronomical summer officially started at 10:32 p.m. CDT, but some residents may see themselves in the middle of springlike weather. Pydynowski added, saying on Monday it'll feel more like mid-May rather than the first full day of summer across much of the area. For some places, it'll be the coolest weather felt this June so far.

Most cities across the Midwest and even into the northern Plains are running much hotter than normal from June 1 to now. Temperature departures from Rapid City, South Dakota, to Minneapolis to Chicago have increased upwards of 7 degrees Fahrenheit above average since the beginning of June.

Although its normal high temperature increases from the middle 70s to the low 80s all through June, Minneapolis this June has recorded a whopping 11 days of temperatures above 90 degrees. Nine of these extremely hot days took place consecutively from June 3 to June 11. With a prolonged heat like that, it is no wonder the city is over 12 degrees above average thus far in June.

Springlike High Temperatures

On Sunday, as cooler air filters into the northern United States, Minneapolis struggled to get to even 74 for a high temperature. A high temperature in the upper 60s is forecast by Monday. High temperatures in the 60s and lower 70s on Monday will be usual from the Dakotas to Minnesota, Missouri and Iowa.

These springlike high temperatures will also stretch into parts of Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. On Monday, high temperatures in parts of northern Wisconsin, Michigan's Upper Peninsula and in the 50s northern Minnesota will even be stuck. June 1 was the last time Chicago underwent a low temperature in the low 50s.

Related Article: Ohio Valley Experience Threats of Severe Weather Hazards Through End of Week

For more news, updates about astronomical summer and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
A tornado that ripped across sections of Chicagoland late Sunday night was confirmed by radar, causing damage to homes in at least two Chicago suburbs and injuring many people.

Tornado in Chicago

The huge, catastrophic tornado ripped through the western suburbs of Chicago on Sunday night, destroying homes and hurling debris three miles into the air. According to the Associated Press, the tornado damaged over 100 homes and wounded at least eight individuals. Before midnight local time, a tornado erupted amid a storm line that raced east through the metro region.

Storm damage in Darien: pic.twitter.com/mk8NVC7ibh  Richard Bodee (@RichardBodee) June 21, 2021

The tornado near Naperville was an EF3, according to preliminary survey data from the National Weather Service, making it the first EF2 or higher tornado to hit the Chicago metropolitan region since 2015.

Wrecking the Area

The heaviest damage was recorded just after 11 p.m. near Naperville and Woodridge, Illinois, some 25 miles west-southwest of downtown Chicago. National Weather Service radar identified a tornado debris signature, indicating tornado material. According to a news statement from Naperville, sixteen residences were severely damaged and considered uninhabitable. Five individuals were taken to the hospital. One of them had severe injuries.

After the tornado tore through regions east of Route 53 between 83rd Street and 75th Street in Woodridge, just east of Naperville, at least 75 buildings were destroyed. In addition, a section of Interstate 355 was reported to be littered with debris.

Related Article: Despite Temperature Spikes, American Northeast May Experience Some Cooling Due to Stormy Weather

Reported Injuries

According to a statement released by Woodridge Police, no serious injuries were recorded. However, the area should be avoided due to felled trees and electrical wires. According to radar, the tornado then proceeded eastward over sections of the Darien and Burr Ridge suburbs until lifting around Burbank or Oak Lawn, Illinois. At least one home was damaged in Darien, and power lines were toppled in Burr Ridge, but no one was hurt.

Tornado Problem

The tornado was part of a storm system that passed over the Midwest late Sunday night and early Monday. Tornadoes are a regular hazard along strong thunderstorms' so-called squall lines. They can occur at any time of day or night and are frequently rain-wrapped and difficult to notice. Many tornadoes in a squall line have an EF0 or EF1 rating.

However, they may be powerful at times, causing EF2 or greater damage. At 10:43 p.m., the NWS issued a tornado warning for areas of Kane and DuPage counties. A wind gust of 60 miles per hour was recorded at Aurora Airport, and trees on the west side of Aurora, about 10 miles west of Naperville, were destroyed. According to Woodridge Police, the tornado sirens were activated at 10:48 p.m., about 26 minutes before the tornado impacted, as predicted by the NWS.

Let's talk about Sunday Night's storms.



First off, our thoughts are with those who experienced injuries or significant damage from these storms.



At least one damaging tornado occurred in the southwest Chicago metro & will be surveyed today.https://t.co/49AVS6R7rw #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/UTrfwSDxKB  NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) June 21, 2021

Damage surveys are being conducted by the National Weather Service to assess the tornado's route and strength. According to early estimates, the damage seen so far in the Naperville tornado is consistent with an EF3 tornado. According to University of Oklahoma research meteorologist Sam Emmerson, debris may have been lofted to at least 18,000 feet, characteristic of larger tornadoes.

Another potential tornado hit the city's north side, damaging trees in Addison and forcing travelers at O'Hare Airport to seek cover in tornado shelters.

According to the National Weather Service, another suspected tornado inflicted damage near South Haven, Indiana.

Power Outages

More than 211,000 power outages had been recorded in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio by early Monday morning.

Also Read: New Pandemic in Slow Motion: UN Reports Severe Drought Might be the Next Global Crisis

For more climate and weather updates, don't forget to follow Nature World News!


On Monday, 5:30 p.m., over 25,000 power company customers are without power in the Rochester region due to thunderstorms.

Around 15,000 Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. customers affected (including 13,400 of whom are located in Monroe County), over 5,000 New York State Electric and Gas customers (including over 4,700 in Wayne County) and around 5,800 National Grid customers in Livingston County.

Thousands Without Power in Monroe County

On Monday, 4:28 p.m., thousands were without power in Monroe County. RG&E reports around 9,500 are without power, with about 400 in Ontario County inclusive. Perinton, Mendon, Pittsford, and Henrietta are reporting the most outages.

On Monday, 3:30 p.m., severe thunderstorm warning issued for portions of Monroe County, active until 4:15 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, whipping winds, heavy rain, and other severe and stormy weather are likely to occur in the Rochester region on Monday afternoon. The Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 8 p.m. for much of western New York including Ontario, Monroe, Orleans, Wayne counties, Livingston, and Genesee.

Phillip Pandolfo, Weather Service Meteorologist said that there is a possibility of severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon or evening. The peak possibility for the storms is mid-to-late afternoon. According to the Weather Service, in the Rochester region, Finger lakes and Southern Tier, between 2 and 6 p.m. is the greatest risk for severe weather.

Also Read: Even as Summer Starts, Relentless Thunderstorms Could Bring Flood in Texas, Louisiana

Storms Moves Through Western New York

With the storms, forecasters reveal that area residents may also witness damaging winds, with gusts exceeding 58 mph, heavy rain, large hail, lightning and also an isolated chance of tornadoes, according to the Weather Service.

There's also a possibility for some pop-up showers all through the day. Already early Monday morning, storms propelled through western New York which brought short periods of thunder, wind, and lightning. Pandolfo said that a cold front propelling through New York on Monday will bring evidently cooler weather.

Monday's high is anticipated to get to the upper 80s, while on Tuesday, it is projected to drop into the mid-60s, he said .The normal high for the third week of June in Rochester is just shy of 80.

Thunderstorm

Thunderstorm, a violent short-lived weather disruption that is nearly always linked with thunder, lightning, heavy rain or hail, dense clouds and strong gusty winds. Thunderstorms occur when layers of warm, moist air rise in a large, rapid updraft to cooler areas of the atmosphere.

There the moisture contained in the updraft condenses to bring about towering cumulonimbus clouds and, finally, precipitation. Columns of cooled air then sink earthward, hitting the ground with powerful downdrafts and winds that are horizontal. At the same time, electrical charges store up on cloud particles ice and water droplets).

Related Article: Rain Showers and Thunderstorms May Help Cool Heatwaves in Northeastern States

For more news, updates about thunderstorms and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The Tasmanian devil has had a difficult time in the last 30 years, with the growth of a contagious type of cancer known as devil facial tumor (DFT) disease pushing the population to the edge. As a result, multiple techniques have been attempted to try to save the species.

Recent research from BirdLife Tasmania appears to indicate that one strategy has wreaked havoc on an entirely other animal, according to Wionews.

Tasmanian devils were transported to Maria Island, a tiny habitat to the east of Tasmania, in an attempt to establish a reserve population physically separated from DFT. The little island was a sanctuary for little penguins (Eudyptula minor), the tiniest penguins on the planet, which are ground-dwelling and breeding birds.

Unfortunately, their small size and weak defenses made them easy prey for the island's newcomers. As a result, the Tasmanian devils are estimated to have wiped out the breeding population of about 6,000 little penguins.

Related: Mass Extinction Hits Australia With The Death of 13 Species



Transferring to Maria Island

Maria Island was used to protect Tasmanian devil populations by establishing a geographically separated population free of the infectious and lethal devil facial tumor illness.

By 2016, the initial population of 28 devils placed on the island in 2012 and 2013 had swelled to over 100 animals.

Related Article: Viral Video Debunked: Alleged Tasmanian Tiger Sighting Turns Out to be a Pademelon



Start of the Decline

The alarming trend has been noted since the introduction of the devils in 2012, but according to a new study done by BirdLife Tasmania, the penguins have now entirely vanished.

"Every time people have purposefully or unintentionally brought animals to maritime islands, the same consequence has always occurred... a devastating impact on one or more bird species," Dr. Eric Woehler, convenor of BirdLife Tasmania, told the Guardian.

"Losing 3,000 pairs of penguins from a national park that should be a sanctuary for this species is a significant blow," says the author.

Penguins in Australia

Little penguins may be found on the beaches of Australia and New Zealand. These two countries are all too aware of the catastrophic potential of imported species due to their ground-nesting bird populations.

Possums were intentionally introduced into New Zealand in 1837 in the hopes of establishing the fur trade. Still, instead of enriching the country's biodiversity, they preyed on native species such as the iconic kiwi and competed for burrows with little penguins.

Related Article: Rising Number of Shark Attacks in Australia Reveals A Darker Story



Devils vs Penguins

The harm posed by Tasmanian devils to tiny penguins is much greater than that posed by possums and domestic cats, who are also fond of disturbing these small birds. Not only the penguins are suffering as a result of the devils' human-assisted invasion, according to Woehler.

He stated, "We're seeing tales of geese attempting to nest in trees to evade devil predation." "It is obvious that the devils have had a disastrous ecological impact on Maria Island's avian fauna."

Also Read: Conservation or Preservation: What's the Difference?

For more news update about the animal kingdom, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has torched another storm after his top aide sensationally claimed that some white-run law firms affiliated to the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) were being used as conduits to channel money to opposition parties as part of the Wests regime change agenda.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba claimed on Twitter yesterday that government would unleash security agencies to probe the law firms in question and the lawyers body.

This came a few weeks after Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi accused some of the countrys judges of taking orders from hostile foreign nations to pass judgments against government.

Charamba threatened to unleash the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) on LSZ financials and white law firms that are against government.

Why does this racially fastidious auditor of professional conduct of lawyers so wilfully blind to this yelling anomaly which has persisted for decades? Shouldnt Zacc move in to ask basic questions to both the society and the firm in question? Or higher bodies, now that State security is involved? he tweeted

Here we go: Theres a prominent white law firm whose books have gone unchecked for donkey years, including by the falsely punctilious Law Society of Zimbabwe which busily harasses indigenous law firms ironically in the name of protecting them.

Charamba went on to allege that the white law firms were a conduit for foreign monies which funded the activities of the opposition in Zimbabwe.

We have mechanisms for detecting such subterfuges. What I cant suffer or countenance is a statutory body purporting to represent officers of the court turning the same members who make it up  or should  into vicarious subversives, he said.

Asked by NewsDay to clarify his tweets, Charamba curtly said: Wait my friend. I have a serious assignment to do.

LSZ spokesperson Richard Chidza declined to comment on Charambas latest allegations saying the statement issued on Saturday should suffice.

A decision has been made that the statement issued on Saturday will suffice. We arent going to be involved in a public fight with anyone, Chidza said.

In its statement last Saturday, the LSZ said it was being vilified for challenging Constitutional Amendments (No 1) and (No 2) Acts.

It is clear from the provisions of the law that the Law Society has not veered from its objects amid inferences to the contrary by some characters that are aimed at soiling the image of the profession, the society and its membership. The decision to challenge the two amendments is within the remit of the Law Societys objects of existence as provided for in section 53 of the Legal Practitioners Act, the statement read.

The two constitutional amendments were challenged by different lawyers as they were seen to be facilitating Mnangagwas consolidation of power. Newsday
A ZIMBABWE Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) officer, who was accused of insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa and some traditional leaders for genuflecting before the Mbuya Nehanda statue, has been charged with misconduct.

Peter Kudzai Mushonga (29) was dragged to a ZPCS disciplinary hearing held at Chinhoyi Remand Prison Wednesday last week. He was represented by Kudzai Choga of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

He had to answer to charges of contravening the provisions of ZPCS regulations namely section 3(1) of the Prisons (Staff) (Discipline) Regulations for allegedly saying traitorous or disloyal words about Mnangagwa and his government.

ZPCS is also accusing Mushonga of being guilty of an act, conduct, disorder or neglect of duty to the prejudice of good order or discipline as defined in section 46 of the Prisons (Staff) (Discipline) Regulations.

The disciplinary hearing will continue on Friday this week.

In 2018, ZPCS charged John Mahlabera, then a 36-year-old prison officer in Chiredzi with insulting Mnangagwa through posting political comments on Twitter saying: Come to Chiredzi my president, in reference to MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa who was addressing a rally at Jerera Growth Point in Masvingo. Newsday
The Filipino president and his administration have faced repeated criticisms over the nations lagging vaccination campaign, which has been met with skepticism and hesitancy from many members of the public. Distribution of the jabs finally kicked off in March, but most residents have opted to wait for Western vaccines, prompting some cities to offer snacks and store discounts to encourage people to get immunized.
I noticed that one of the foods that he presented to someone was balut, and balut is like, very specific to Filipino culture, she told TODAY earlier in June. Its a food that I have been eating whenever I go to the Philippines with my grandma and my cousins, so its a very sentimental food to me, and I noticed that he was presenting it to a guest and calling it gross.
Powell said he was angry when he attacked Ma. He said that as Ma fell to the ground, he thought to himself, I am not going to let you up.
I stabbed her because she didnt want to be with me, his taped confession stated. She tried to push me away, I took out the knife. I stabbed the lady [Cruz]. Jaslynn started screaming for help. She told me to leave, we talked, we started to argue, she told me she didnt love [me]. I stabbed her, too.
Calk abused the power entrusted to him as the top official of a federally insured bank by approving millions of dollars in high-risk loans in an effort to secure a personal benefit, namely an appointment as Secretary of the Army or another similarly high-level position in the incoming presidential administration, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in 2019 after Calks arrest.
It means much less accountability for the public, said Fauss. What impact does this have on the budget? We know East Side Access when its turned on is going to be operating at a deficit. Is this a way to shift the deficit off LIRRs books to a subsidiary, and does it make it harder to follow the money?
The asset at issue here is a unique one  indeed that is largely the nature of an NFT, Cronan said. The allegation is that Mr. Dash is attempting to sell something he does not own.
Huberfeld engaged in a brazen plot to profit from the retirement funds of New York City correction officers. Mr. Huberfelds only concern was lining his pockets without any regard to the consequences of his actions or the hurt it would cause to our members, union President Benny Boscio said.
The police are the escalators in chief, Wong said. Many people were speeding on the New York State Thruway in that hour, but the police stopped this particular family and assumed there were guns and drugs in the car. If they had stopped someone who was not Black or brown, I doubt it would have gone that way.
When I woke up, I said move this off me. They were cutting off my clothes. They said they couldnt move me until they checked if my neck was broken, she explained. After that, she said, I came to in the hospital after surgery. The detective, my mother and my daughters were there.
The 27-year-old woman was seated on a Queens-bound E train at 7:45 p.m. Monday when a man sporting bright, multicolored hair approached and bashed her in the face as the train entered the Fifth Ave./53rd St. station, cops said.
A handful of TSA employees tried to stop her, but she barreled past them as she ran out of the terminal, cops said. A short time later, she was caught on airport surveillance cameras ditching the weapon near the terminals departures ramp.
Authorities on Monday named 35-year-old Shawn Chock as the driver who plowed his black Ford F-150 through the 13th annual Bike the Bluff race in the city of Show Low on Saturday. Witnesses on the scene said multiple bikers were sent flying into the air when they were struck by the vehicle.
Oneal then set the house on fire with both children still inside. The boy, Ronnie Oneal IV, was able to escape and rescued by first responders, who found him with serious burns and a gaping wound in his stomach. A homicide detective on the case has since adopted him.
We know there are many rumors already floating around, this is still and active investigation and we will not be able to address or confirm rumors, Snelling said. At this time we believe this was an isolated incident and there is no continued threat to our community.
This case is very concerning based on the sexually deviant behavior of the suspect, police said. We believe there is a public safety concern, and we would like to identify this suspect as soon as possible.
According to sheriffs Lt. Sterrin Ward, the animal had bitten her daughter, 50, in the torso, arms and legs. In her call to police, Brogoitti also said that her daughter was hiding in the homes basement to avoid coming into contact with the chimp again.
The Office of LGBT Affairs has been in conversation with community leaders and activists as they prepare to reimagine Pride, and we look forward to supporting the many celebrations, rallies, protests, and programming already happening across the city, as the future of Pride in Philadelphia emerges  one that is reflective of the many diverse experiences of our citys LGBTQ+ communities, Morrison told The Inquirer.
The police chief stressed that it was very early in the investigation, but said police are eager to speak with people with any information and hope to review any available video in the area as well.
A 2018 study found at least 25 people who had been injured by bison at Yellowstone between 2000 and 2015. Of those, 20 admitted to actively approaching the animal before the attack, and five said they didnt even try to retreat when the bison began approaching.
She didnt directly address the allegations that have effectively derailed Stringers chances, saying only that it was hard to rank the candidates below Wiley because theres been a lot of stuff going on in the race.
The outgoing mayor urged New Yorkers to take advantage of the chance to shape the future of the city. He also pushed voters to maximize their vote by picking their five top candidates in every race.
Adams said he would accept the results of the election because to do otherwise would be to desecrate the memory of his mother, who took him into the booth to vote for Percy Sutton when the trailblazer ran for New York City mayor in 1977.
A source said cops who know Adams  typically two, but more on Tuesday  took vacation time and decided to show up at public events with the mayoral candidate following the stabbing and added that Adams recently received a death threat.
Ill have more to say on this next week. But let me be clear. This fight is far from over far from over, the president said in a statement. Ive been engaged in this work my whole career, and we are going to be ramping up our efforts to overcome againfor the people, for our very democracy.
Australia objected both on grounds that the reef is not in as bad a shape as the committee seems to think, and on the fact that it was given no advance warning of the impending designation. Environment Minister Sussan Ley said officials from the city of Canberra were stunned by the move and that theyd been blindsided by UNESCO, which had previously assured the government it would not declare the reef endangered.
A letter to Italys embassy to the Holy See delivered by the British archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher last week said that parts of the legislation violate a treaty made between Italy and the Catholic church in the 1920s, which secured the freedoms and rights of the church, according to the Corriere.
Put Eric Adams, another smart pragmatist whos in the right place on most issues that matter, second. We had already taken him down a peg for his history of de Blasio-style entanglements with businesses and interests seeking help from the city. Our worries are multiplied by his deeply cynical rhetoric in these closing days, casting a get-out-the-vote alliance between Garcia and Andrew Yang as some racist conspiracy. If hes acting this divisively now, so irresponsibly flinging such an incendiary accusation around, imagine how hell act in office.
But as Lincoln himself knew, the Emancipation Proclamation made every future move against slavery possible. And if it didnt exert the magical power to break chains, as sculptor Ball had implied, it provided the authority for the Union Army to liberate enslaved people whenever they encountered them in Confederate territory. As Lincoln confided at the time: We must make that proclamation effective by victories over our enemies. Its a paper bullet, after all, and of no account, except as we can sustain it. Thus, when Ulysses S. Grants forces reached Vicksburg in July 1863, slaves simply walked off Confederate President Jefferson Daviss nearby plantation and received protection within Union lines.
...King is just an incredible writer and has incredible creative ideas, and once we got together and talked about the potential of what we could do with the character, I was all in, he shared.
Fans of the Twilight Zone might remember Linville as the memorable character, in the episode titled The Passerby where Linvilles character, Lavinia Gordon, is the owner of a Southern mansion in the Civil War-themed episode.
According to E!, the 27-year-old Canada native was spotted eating at the upscale, Eiffel Tower-adjacent Carette tea room during the trip to the City of Lights, while his 24-year-old model wife was seen turning heads on the high-fashion Avenue Montaigne in the chic 8th arrondissement district.
Of course, as is often customary with public figures, a significant number of domains of any potential names that were considered were purchased by their team to protect against the exploitation of the name once it was later chosen and publicly shared, the representative told the British outlet in a report published Monday.
Ronnie has been taken this time to work on himself and his daughter, a source told People. For him, he felt like this right time. Theyre both really happy for this next chapter. His health and happiness are what is most important.
All of that is helpful, and if we didnt have that I can only imagine how much worse it would be, said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, but this is clearly not taking care of the whole problem. We have to do a lot more. I have never, ever seen an environment like this.
At the time, Nina B. Witkofsky, acting chief of staff for the CDC, said people who are evicted may be forced to double-up with friends or family members, move into homeless shelters or live on the streets, increasing their risk of catching the virus and spreading it to others. This month, Eviction Lab, which has been tracking evictions across the country during the pandemic, found that neighborhoods with the highest eviction rates also had the lowest vaccination rates.
County leaders have been optimistic that June would be a shot in the arm for convention business here with 14 events in June booked at the Orange County Convention Center, including the ongoing 12-day AAU Junior National volleyball tournament, expected to bring 139,000 visitors to the region. Last week, the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee also hosted Faith & Freedoms Road to Majority conference, which brought some of the nations most prominent conservative politicians as well as visitors from around the country.
The county also intends to buy computer tablets to help children from lower-income families perform better in distance-learning programs, said Lonnie Bell, director of community and family services. This is not just babysitting, he said of the childcare programs. This is also getting these children ready for their K-through-12 careers.
I asked Brennan Heretick, co-owner of High Tide Harrys (4645 S. Semoran Blvd. in Orlando; hightideharrys.com), where theyve been serving the same three housemade soups for 26 years. One is New England clam chowder. Another is seafood gumbo, which is tomato-based, but not precisely what Mikes letter was looking for. The third is their own unique creation: blue stew. This one set off my red-chowder radar.
The deputy tried to perform a traffic stop on the Charger, but Linder fled the scene, MCSO said. The deputy, who is a K-9 corporal, pursued Linder on a nearly 7-minute long chase. The deputy performed a PIT maneuver and successfully got Linder to lose control of the Charger. The vehicle spun off the road and into the perimeter of a forest, according to the MCSO dashcam.
Segura would not go to a hospital on his own accord, so the deputies planned to commit him involuntarily to a psychiatric hospital under Floridas Baker Act, the report said. But when deputies attempted to handcuff him, he started to pull away from the deputies, so Sturgill tried to use a stun gun to shock him, but two attempts did not seem to work.
While Cusack was not at the festival in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors, he said he could not believe an early report describing Johnson as hurling obscenities at police who surrounded him after the accident. That didnt sound like the man we know at all, said Cusack, who has been friends with Johnson for four years.
But Sikes held her hostage for four days. She was finally able to get away March 28. She called park rangers for help, and they, along with Miami-Dade police officers, began searching for Sikes, They used a loudspeaker to communicate with him in a wooded area where he was hiding.
The urologist must either take a five-hour medical education course in risk management or sit through eight hours of disciplinary hearings before giving a one-hour lecture on wrong-site surgeries, according to the Miami Herald.
The majority of nuisance gators taken from Disney are euthanized and sold for their hide and meat, according to FWC spokesperson Tammy Sapp. Some are transferred to alligator farms, animal exhibits and zoos, while those less than 4 feet are relocated, Sapp said. Trappers receive a $30 stipend for every captured gator, plus the proceeds from any leather and meat sold.
This law would punish the most highly regulated source for pets in the county while potentially driving pet owners to unregulated sources for pets, he wrote. We urge you to protect pet choice and work with retail pet stores and their representatives in your county to craft legislation that shuts down bad breeders without hurting responsible businesses that provide exceptional care for their animals.
Also missing from the report card was Senate Bill 7072, which infringes on the free speech rights of certain businesses to decide what they will or wont publish. Sure, the bill was written to lower the boom on big social media platforms like Facebook, but whats to stop a newly emboldened Legislature from passing more laws that punish other businesses for speech they dont like?
Both races also featured suspicious, non-party-affiliated candidates who didnt actually campaign for their offices. Instead, the two candidates were backed by the same dark-money group that sent out mailers portraying them as liberals in an attempt to siphon votes away from the true Democrats in the race.
Ultimately, these kids will probably all do different pathways in life, DeSantis said, flanked by students and Republican bill sponsors. All of those people are going to be citizens, theyre all going to be part of making sure that our country is able to preserve the freedoms that we possess.
DeSantis also pointed out how he had led a movement recently by the State Board of Education to ban the teaching of critical race theory, which DeSantis has said is too critical of American history because of the ways it address racism. Among things banned by the board would be using The New York Times 1619 Project, which puts slavery at the center of the story of how the country was founded. The project faced fierce criticism from former President Donald Trump and some historians.
Such unprecedented power of censorship is especially concerning today, when most individuals use social media to obtain their news and government officials harness such mediums to reach the public. The act (the new law) seeks to rein in abuse of this power and ensure the widespread dissemination of information from a multiplicity of sources  a governmental objective of the highest order that promotes values central to the First Amendment.
The two new nighttime shows may slide into time slots held by Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom and Epcot Forever at Epcot. Those fireworks-heavy productions are scheduled to return to the parks nightly lineup July 1. They have not been seen since March 2020 and the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown of Disney World.
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.
Oswego, NY (13126)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
New York, US (PANA) - South Sudan, the UNs youngest Member State, is marking its 10th anniversary of independence amid languishing political progress and a range of humanitarian challenges, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative told Security Council members on Monday
Rome, Italy (PANA) - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday warned that famine  already present in four countries  could become a reality for millions of people around the world, without urgent funding to stave off a catastrophe, and without access to families cut-off by conflict
Welcome back pirates! As you make your return to campus The East Carolinian has created a forum that centers around topics within the community where readers can express their experiences and concerns. With the new guidelines set in place by East Carolina University do you feel as these precautions will keep you safe?

Survey
A look at the major movers on the London market on Tuesday

Online retailer Gear4music (Holdings) PLC ( ) has benefited from demand for musical instruments as people sought distractions during lockdown.

And although it does not expect to see the same level of sales as things reopen, it thinks the slowdown will be less than it previously expected

Its full year figures showed earnings up by 154% to 19.8mln, ahead of market expectations.

It also made two acquisitions during the year, Premier drums and Eden, a bass guitar amplification brand.

Chief executive Andrew Wass said: "We had an exceptional period of trading during [the full year], particularly during the initial COVID-19 lockdown in the first quarter. The number of potential customers in our market significantly increased, as traditional high street retailers were unable to operate as normal and people sought activities in which to participate whilst spending more time at home...

"Given that the [full year] exceptional financial performance was driven by the initial COVID-19 lockdowns during the first half, the board does not expect to meet the same level of trading during the first half of the 2022 financial year, and as previously guided, does not currently expect to achieve the same level of full year profitability during the 2022 financial year that the Group achieved during 2021.

"However, trading in the first quarter has been stronger than the board previously expected and, having retained a good proportion of the gross margin gain achieved during 2021, financial results for 2022 are likely to be ahead of the board's previous expectations."

The update has seen its shares climb 4.53% or 42p to 970p.

12.58pm: Capital Metals encouraged by progress at minerals project in Sri Lanka

( ) has reported progress at its minerals project in Sri Lanka after pandemic-related delays.

The natural resources company said the environmental impact assessment process was nearing completion.

With the COVID-19 situation steadily improving in the country, Capital is focused on the final steps before the grantin of a mining licence.

A drilling programme is planned for the third quarter of this year, with first production targeted for the first half of 2022.

Chief executive Michael Frayne said: ""The company is encouraged that progress is now being made on the EIA process, given strict lock down protocols in Sri Lanka. Indications are that COVID-19 conditions in Sri Lanka are improving and the company expects to progress matters more rapidly in the forthcoming third quarter. The anticipated conclusion of the EIA process and permitting, leading to the grant of a mining licence is a considerable milestone for the company and we look forward to achieving this objective and adding value very quickly thereafter.

"We are pleased to have generated considerable interest from strategic and industrial groups with regard to offtake discussions. We see this as an endorsement for the Eastern Minerals Project especially given the strong current and forecast prices in the mineral sands markets."

Capital's shares have climbed 3.48% or 0.4p to 11.9p.

11.36am: Property developer boosted by planning permission for Bolton site

Harworth Group PLC (LON:HWG) has build up a decent share price rise after positive developments in Bolton.

The property business has received planning approval for the development of up to 1.1 million sq ft of logistics and manufacturing space at its site in Wingates in the town, with the potential to create up to 1,500 new jobs.

The scheme originally received planning consent from Bolton Council in January 2020 but the application was subsequently called-in by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Planning approval was granted following an public examination earlier this year.

Harworth plans to start enabling works at the site in early 2022, in preparation for the first phase of commercial development later that year.

Chief executive Lynda Shillaw said: "Securing planning for our Wingates development marks a significant milestone for us and will have a substantial positive effect on the local economy in terms of construction, permanent jobs and investment. It will allow Bolton businesses to expand, while at the same time improving highways infrastructure and protecting local biodiversity and green spaces."

The company's shares have climbed 3.17% or 4.5p to 146.5p.

10.14am: Printed circuit specialist sees revenues hit by order delays

( ) has come off the rails after its latest update.

The company, which makes specialist products using printed circuit technology, said full year revenues had climbed from 2.91mln to 6.07mln, with an adjusted operating loss of 0.19mln compared to a profit of 0.26mln.

But it warned that due to a number of factors, including pandemic related delays as well as upgrading its facilities, some revenues expected this year would be pushed out to 2022.

Chief executive Philip Johnston said: "What has become clear during the early part of 2021 is evidence of increasing supply chain stress, with increased prices and lengthening delivery timescales for a number of key raw materials. Sales have not been lost but this is impacting our ability to complete some orders on a timely basis in both our Advanced PCB and IHT divisions.

"We have continued to work with our UK EV OEM customer on development improvements to the products we will be producing for them. As a result, it is now anticipated that our volume production, initially expected towards the end of 2021, will begin in early 2022.

"Combined, these factors above will have an impact on revenues in 2021, although some will be offset by new business from other smaller customers as well as a continued focus on cost controls."

Its shares are down 11.5% or 26p at 200p

8.53am: Engineer boosted by US Navy orders

MS International PLC (LON:MSI) - the engineering company whose activities range from defence to building petrol stations - is in demand after it returned to profit and hailed a breakthrough in the US market.

The company moved from a full year loss of 3.25mln to a profit of 1.59mln and lifted its final dividend from 1.75p to 6.5p. It said the outlook was "much brighter than we could have imagined twelve months ago."

In defence it said international marketing was restrained due to the pandemic and the UK Ministry of Defence market was subdued.

But evaluation trials for its naval weapon system by the US navy went well and it has been awarded a contract to supply seven systems.

It was hopeful of further production orders, and meanwhile it has received an order from a US shipbuilder to supply eight similar weapon systems for a US government Foreign Military Sales Programme.

It said: "This important break-through in the United States defence market, is a direct result of our persistent and purposeful marketing effort within the US over many years and our relentless, and crucially important, investment in product development programmes for the world markets."

Its petrol station business benefited once the sites were designated essential businesses during the pandemic, allowing them to remain open.

It said: "As travel restrictions were eased, so the need for structural maintenance and new builds gained momentum and there was a pleasing marked restoration in our UK activities.

"Unfortunately, there was not a similar freedom of movement across mainland Europe and consequently our operation in Poland - which traditionally services customers from Scandinavia and across Eastern Europe - had a much reduced, activity level throughout the period."

It expects to do well from movement in the overall UK petrol station market.

It said: "There continues to be a notable, and very positive change, in the structure of petrol station ownership in the UK. The long-established ownership of stations by the large international oil companies is diminishing and passing to that of that a small number of privately owned, well- funded, entrepreneurial groups. Consequently, there is considerable investment taking place to enhance their station operations, creating what is being termed 'mobility hubs,' that will offer, not only a wide variety of fuel options, but also high quality and spacious convenience stores; fast-food outlets; rest areas and internet amenities plus superior car valeting facilities."

But its forgings business was hit by both Brexit and COVID-19, and market conditions only started to improve in early 2021.

Overall though, the return to profit and the upbeat tone has seen its shares jump 22.15% or 36p to 198.5p.

8.25am: sees advertising revenues surge

Group PLC ( ) continues to boom.

The podcast company has seen its shares jump 7.37% or 65p to 947p after it said full year revenues would be significantly ahead of current market expectations, with increased earnings.

Its signed advertising bookings after less than six months of the year are already more than 99% of the amount forecast for the whole year.

It has boosted its advertising capabilities allowing it to reap further financial benefits from its back catalogue of content, and it has raised its ad prices by 22%.

Its original programme launches have done well, including Dark Air with Terry Carnation, The Southern Tea, and Dark History - a show which hit number 1 on the Apple Podcast Chart in the US, UK, Canada and Australia following its launch on 2 June 2021. Episode 1 of Dark History has received more than 2 million listens.

It is now listed as the fourth largest podcaster in the US.

Also heading higher is ( ), the developer of a blood test for the early detection of the majority of forms of lung cancer.

Its shares are up 7.2% or 0.45p to 6.7p after it signed a memorandum of understanding with medical charity St George Street Capital.

The two will collaborate to develop a companion diagnostic platform for certain therapeutic assets already licenced to SGS by a large pharma company, which seeks to address unmet clinical needs in autoimmune disease.

SGS is expected to make milestone payments to Cizzle Biotechnology of up to 1mln, from which the company will fund the work to be undertaken to develop the companion diagnostic and any third parties contracted by Cizzle Biotechnology to assist.

SGS has agreed to grant Cizzle Biotechnology potential future royalty payments from the commercialisation of SGS's therapeutic asset of up to mln, plus potentially further payments from the use of the companion diagnostic. In consideration of this potential royalty stream, Cizzle Biotechnology has paid 65,000 to SGS initially and will pay a further 135,000 on entering into a full commercial contract.

Cizzle executive chairman Allan Syms said: "The proposed commercial agreement with them will leverage the technology and know-how of Cizzle Biotechnology into a new area, bringing Cizzle Biotechnology's diagnostic capabilities into the therapeutic arena and broadening the opportunities and potential revenue streams for the company.

"Whilst this is an exciting opportunity for the company, I would like to reiterate that our primary focus remains on progressing our blood test for the early detection of lung cancer, based on the C1Z1B biomarker, and I look forward to reporting on our progress in due course."

Proactive news headlines

( ) said preclinical work has been published underlining the potential of its next generation vaccine against variants of the Covid virus.

(AIM: OPG) expects to meet market expectations for profit after tax and cash generation for the year to March 31, 2021.

( ) said clinical testing is formally underway of the respiratory device it has designed for use in neonatal intensive care known as Project WAVE.

( ) said it will open its fortieth clinic on Tuesday and is also expecting to list shortly through the NHS Patient Access service.

PLC ( ) has acquired the producer royalties to three albums by Heatwave, the seventies disco-soul legends.

( ) said an aerial magnetic survey has been completed over the Anomaly 5 (Tervavaara) target in the Kuhmo region of Eastern Finland, an area where the company announced the discovery of a very rare pale green diamond in early 2017.

( ) said it has launched a report based on independent research which highlights the hidden costs of traditional on-premise video editing workflows adapted for the cloud, known as 'cloud based', when compared to the cloud-native platform provided by the company.

( ) has taken an indirect stake in a borate project under a deal negotiated by , a company in which it holds a 15.8% stake. Temas has entered into a definitive option and joint venture agreement for the development of Erin Ventures Piskanja borate project in Serbia.

( ) has appointed existing board member Ben Turney as chief executive. Michael Foster, the outgoing chief executive, has decided to step down from the role after 40 years in the mineral exploration industry but will remain on the board as a non-executive director.

( ) used its interim results to highlight progress made in Utah despite the challenges of the pandemic with its Greenfield Energy joint venture establishing production from a pilot project.

( ) said it appointed mining consultancy Wardell Armstrong International Ltd (WAI) as the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) manager for its wholly owned Toral lead, zinc and silver project in northern Spain, following a competitive tender process.

(AQSE:NQMI, OTCQB:NQMLF, OTCQB:NQMIY) announced late on Monday that Roger Jackson has resigned as an executive director of the company with immediate effect.

Mineral and Financial Investments Ltd ( ) has received a further US$1mln payment as part of its earn-in agreement with Ascendant Resources Inc ( ) in regard to the Lagoa Salgada zinc-lead-copper project in Portugal.

(LON:TXP, ) has executed a ten-year lease operatorship agreement which sets up a round of drilling to support production in Trinidad.

( ) has extended a loan that had been due to mature in August, with the 200,000 loan now split in two.


Thor Explorations Ltd's ( ) (LON:THX) Segun Lawson joins Proactive London on the first day of dealing in the British capital.

He says this will 'open up to investors not just in London but Europe as well who understand West Africa and Nigeria which we believe will be mutually beneficial for them and us'.

The firm is at a key stage, ready for their first gold pour in July at the Segilola project in Nigeria. And at the Senegal operations, where they are gearing up for their maiden resource.
Cloudbreak took an indirect stake in a Serbian borate project on 22 June, its first transaction post-listing

( ) debuted on the Standard List of the London stock exchange a couple of weeks ago, raising 2mln in the process in a fundraising that was heavily oversubscribed.

As a prospect generator the company will source and transact on mineral properties, following a business model thats well-known in Canada, but which is less well established in the UK.

Prior to Cloudbreaks listing, only one other company in the UK - gold and Africa-focussed Altus Strategies ( ) - has been actively following the model.

But Altus, it seems, has blazed just enough of a trail to soften up the market for rCloudbreak.

We had a better reception than we first anticipated, says Kyler Hardy, Cloudbreaks chief executive.

It seems the UK understands the business model  the concept has got traction.

In particular Cloudbreak has two things going for it.

First off - while theres a general acknowledgement that the prospect generator model is tried and tested in Canada and that it works, the lack of competitors in the UK market narrows the focus. If UK investors want prospect generators, its either Altus or Cloudbreak Discovery.

And that brings us to the second point.

Because while the overall model is similar, the type of projects that Cloudbreak is likely to be transacting on will be markedly different from Altus, which is focussed on the traditional area of precious metals.

Cloudbreak Discovery, by contrast, is looking fully to the future in its focus on battery metals and industrial minerals.

That plays well with investors at the moment, not just because metals prices are doing well, but also because of the prevailing narratives that serve as a backdrop to those strengthening prices  the need to reduce carbon emissions, to build more electric vehicles and more electric infrastructure generally, and to concentrate above all on going green.

As a deal-maker in this space, Cloudbreak was always going to garner significant attention. Especially as this isnt a company thats simply starting from scratch. Hardy and his team have long track records of deal-making in the resources space, and the company began day one of its life as a listed entity with several assets already inside the portfolio.

And it wont be long before there are more.

Hardy reckons that news-flow is likely to come at a fairly rapid and regular pace from here on in. While the timings of any deals - whether they be acquisitions, asset sales or spin-outs - can never be certain, in an ideal world hed like to be doing around one a month.

There are a lot of opportunities out there, he says.

Once weve been able to get back to operating, after this focus on listing, we see a fairly hefty amount of work ahead of us.

The main focus will be North America for now, although there is also an ambition to build upon a small existing presence in West Africa.

Were definitely focussed on industrial metals, aggregates, bulks, iron ore, bauxite and anything thats consumed day-to-day, says Hardy.

Were deliberately not focussing on gold, but we do include silver as an industrial metal.

And how does he see the future shaping up more generally?

Im really excited about commodity markets, he says.

I think were coming to the market at a great time, especially with the US proposing to come back into the Paris Accords.

The summer slow-down is nearly upon us, but dont expect things to go quiet as far as Cloudbreak is concerned. Already, it's transacted, via a 15.8%-owned subsidiary, on a borate project in Serbia, and there's should be plenty more newsflow to come.

Weve got a great chance now to get a lot of news-flow worked up for the fall, says Hardy.

Watch this space as the momentum builds.
's ( ) David Minchin joins Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam to discuss the evidence of helium found in mud whilst drilling its maiden exploration well, at the Rukwa project in Tanzania.

Minchin talks through the findings with helium shows in a shallow section of the Tai-1 well, from 70.5 metres, and added that micro-gas chromatograph showed helium concentrations up to 2.2% (22,084 parts per million).
Of course Im not expecting everybody to be like Jeff Bezos but it seems to me there is a real problem here, Anderson told the FT.

Stockpicker James Anderson is not expecting everyone to be like Jeff Bezos (pictured). That's a relief ...

James Anderson, the stockpicker behind the tech-stock-driven success of PLC ( ) has dismissed the FTSE 100 as a nineteenth-century index.

In an interview with The Financial Times (FT), Anderson, who will retire as a fund manager at Baillie Gifford  a firm that acts as an investment manager for various trusts, including SMT  next April, bemoaned the UKs ability to produce giant companies.

Of course Im not expecting everybody to be like Jeff Bezos but it seems to me there is a real problem here, Anderson told the FT.

The FTSE 100 is really a 19th-century and not even a 20th-century index, he opined.

As joint manager of SMTs portfolio, Anderson has succeeded handsomely by taking early positions in tech giants such as Amazon.com, Tesla and Chinas Tencent Holdings.

Why is it that people are happy to take high pay for relatively undemanding things, but they dont dream of creating these truly great companies?

I find that sort of depressing, and there must be so many different causes of it. Plenty of them are on my side of the fence but somethings quite wrong, it seems to me, Anderson said.

Anderson said it was all too easy for fund managers to enjoy a comfortable life by just obeying what the combination of their bonus system and ESG [environmental, social and governance] tells them.

Anderson acknowledged that Britain has occasionally produced a world-beating company, such as chip-maker ARM, whose technology helped drive the boom in smartphones and mobile devices, but then Japans Softbank came calling and shareholders were only too happy to cash in their chips early.

Baillie Gifford opposed the takeover of ARM but could not find enough investors of a like mind to stop Britains computer chip champion from falling into foreign hands.

Tom Slater, who has co-managed the SMT trust with Anderson since 2015, warned of the perils of taking the money and running.

The biggest mistake you can make is not failing to sell something you should have sold, its selling something that you should have held on to, Slater told the Pink Un.

Meanwhile, private equity firms continue to circle essentially sound British companies such as ( ) and Morrison (Wm.) Supermarkets PLC ( ), looking to take advantage of short-term conditions, such as Brexit and the pandemic, to pick up companies on the cheap.

Although much of Baillie Giffords initial success was based on its abandonment of UK equities for the unicorns to be found on the west coast of the USA, increasingly the company has been turning its focus to China.

Ive learned that you have to suspend disbelief when youre talking to some of the founders there, Slater told the FT. Because of the size of China, ambitions and targets that seem outlandish to European ears are achievable in the Peoples Republic, Slater suggested,

Slater said he was aware of the political risk of investing in China but said it was not an issue that was unique to China, citing former president Trump as a loose cannon in a supposedly stable Western jurisdiction.

The political decline of America is so great and so enormous and so threatening. Am I sure that America will be a democracy in 10 years time? Im not sure at all, Slater said.

Baillie Gifford was an early backer of Chinese companies Meituan, ByteDance and Alibaba, getting on board when they were still private.

E-commerce company Meituan has been one of Baillie Giffords best investments; since floating in 2018, the shares have risen more than fourfold.

If, as were told, global investors are rotating into value stocks then Slater conceded that is an environment in which Baillie Gifford would most likely underperform but Slater, quite literally, is not buying it.

Personally, Im pretty sceptical because I think there is such an abundance of growth. There are so many investment opportunities, there is such radical change, Slater said.
The company said its admission to AIM represents another milestone in its development, offering wider access for investors as it progresses through a transformational period in its development

Thor continues to focus on pouring first gold at the Segilola Project in July and is targeting publication of a maiden resource at Douta by the end of 2021

( ) (LON:THX) announced the admission of its common shares to trading on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange, from 8.00am BST today, Tuesday, June 22, 2021, as it broadens its investor base.

The Vancouver-based company said it expected to have a market capitalisation of about 127 million on the commencement of trading in London. Its common shares will continue to be listed and traded on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada.

Thor is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Its holds a 100% interest in the Segilola Gold Project located in Nigerias Osun State of Nigeria and has a 70% economic interest in the Douta Gold Project located in south-eastern Senegal.

Today's admission to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange represents another milestone in the development of the company, offering wider access for investors as we progress through a transformational period in the company's development, Thor Explorations president and CEO Segun Lawson said in a statement.

"With near term production, a clearly defined growth strategy, a positive market setting for gold and a track record of exploration and development success, we are excited to have brought the opportunity to invest in our growing company to London.

Thor said it continues to focus on pouring first gold at the Segilola Project in Nigeria in July and is targeting publication of a maiden resource at Douta in Senegal by the end of 2021. Exploration programs focused on the company's exploration licences running along the Ilesha Schist belt in Nigeria are also continuing.

The company said its strong pipeline of organic opportunities is supported by low-cost production at Segilola, with a target of 40,000 ounces this calendar year and forecast of over 100,000 ounces in 2022.

Cannacord says "Welcome to London"

In a note to clients, Canaccord Genuity maintained a 'Buy' recommendation on Thor, with a target price of C$0.65.

Canaccord's analysts said Thor stood out on a number of metrics when compared to its global gold junior coverage, including a higher free cash flow (FCF) yield. The company is also considering dividend policy options which would act as a clear differentiating factor to many other junior gold companies, they noted.

The analysts estimate a 30% payout of FCF in 2022 could result in a dividend of around 9% in that year.

"Our base case valuation is predicated solely on the value of the initial 5-6 year open pit operation at Segilola, with no allowance for exploration success or additional life extension (which is arguably a very conservative stance)," they concluded.

Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
Research from information firm Crypto Head showed that there were 8,801 reports of crimes relating to digital currency in 2020 alone

Crypto-related crimes in the UK are growing by an average of 124% per year as investors looking to cash in on the growing digital currency market increasingly fall victim to scams and fraud, according to new data.

Research from information firm Crypto Head showed that there have been 24,847 reports of crypto crimes since 2016, with 8,801 occurring in 2020 alone, a 24% increase year on year.

Most of these incidents, around 8,131, are related to Bitcoin, while 118 are connected to Ethereum and the remaining 552 linked to other cryptos outside the top two.

The 8,801 figure compares to just 704 cases in 2016, a 1,150% increase in four years, with the research indicating that the number of cases grew especially quickly in 2018 with a 355% year-on-year increase in cases. Crypto Head added that the problem is rapidly increasing across the US, UK and Australia.

The most common crypto crimes used to extract cash from victims include scam initial coin offerings (ICOs), where scammers lure investors with an ICO for a completely fabricated cryptocurrency, pump and dump schemes where a small group of investors pump money into a low-value coin and convince private investors to follow suit so the initial group can sell their shares for a profit before the price crashes, and standard theft of crypto where hackers steal digital currency from wallets directly or through fake crypto exchanges.

People should always beware of platforms offering huge returns, if it sounds too good to be true it most likely is. Never send your money or cryptocurrency to a platform you don't completely trust. If you do some quick research you should be able to gauge online how reputable a company is, Crypto Head co-founder Adam Morris said in a statement.

Even if you see big names like Elon Musk supposedly endorsing the investment, do not take this at face value. Scammers are so successful because they use recognisable and trusted names to dupe people into believing its a sound investment when really these people have no association to it at all. Make sure you are using an exchange you trust and that doesn't have insane fees. Also, make sure that you store your cryptocurrencies in an offline wallet such as a hardware wallet. "Not your keys, not your crypto" - if you don't have custody of your cryptocurrency in your own wallet you are at risk, he added.
The company said revenue in the year to end May was 1,159,752, up 161% as business bounced back following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020

The Skinny CEO noted that the company has now secured over 10 million worth of own label business from Lidl and a leading premium UK retailer.

(PRIVATE:SKTON), the company behind the first zero-calorie, zero sugar, and 100% natural mixer to launch nationwide in the UK, has highlighted a leap in revenue in the first five months of 2021 as it builds a new factory and adds to its team In a June shareholder update.

The company - which changed its name from Skinny Tonic Group in April this year  said revenue in the year to end May was 1,159,752, up 161% as business bounced back following the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020.

Ian Minton, CEO/founder of The commented: Building a stronger business through a year unlike no other. 2020 was an unprecedented year, with the Covid 19 pandemic, economic uncertainty, Brexit ambiguity and the infamous toilet roll gate.

As a business we learnt to not weather the storm, but to embrace it fully. We re-evaluated the future and adapted our model to embrace change which was guided by our core values, he noted.

Minton continued: Like many other hospitality businesses we faced the potential of our business doors closing, we quickly and successfully launched our direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel for our Skinny Tonic brand as traditional shopping methods rapidly turned to e-commerce solutions.

We quicky surpassed revenue targets for this channel and became the number 1 selling Tonic Water on Amazon. Our D2C platform enabled us to grow and set up an ecommerce hub increasing from our current premises to 10,000 sq ft.

Business, factory, team expansions

The Skinny CEO noted that the company has now secured over 10 million worth of own label business from and a leading premium UK retailer.

Following on from Aprils appointment of Marine Bourbon as Head of Marketing, Skinny recently appointed two new recruits to its management team, with Kavita Healy named as Managing Director and Sean Oprey as Financial Manager.

In January 2021 Skinny moved to a new HQ, a state of the art integrated office and manufacturing space, however that new home didnt last long and it recently moved again due to further rapid expansion - albeit only 10 metres away  and is now the tenant of a 45,000 square foot headquarters.

The companys boss noted that a new Krones canning line and Milkron processing plant is currently being installed and added that Skinny will soon be adding its bottling line and a second canning line which will give it the capability of filling 54,000 cans and bottles per hour.

One of Europes fastest and most flexible soft drink manufacturers

Minton concluded by saying that 2021 will see SDG become one of the fastest and most flexible soft drink manufacturers in Europe.

The strong manufacturing foundations we have laid will allow true versatility of product innovations fulfilled through our brand extensions, he added.

The company is looking to roll-out its Skinny Soda range later in 2021, a brand extension into a new product category which will broaden consumption occasions of Skinny not just as a mixer but also as a stand-alone soft drink.

Created using the same ethos as the mixer, Skinny Soda will be 100% natural, truly zero sugar and zero calories.

And September will mark the start of the companys on-trade expansion as it will exhibit at Imbibe Live, Europes largest on-trade drinks industry event in London.

Outside of the UK, from August 2021, Skinny will make its successful export market expansion into premium retail and hospitality in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
Advancing two high-value gold projects in West Africa

Nigeria has had very little exploration over last 60 years due to focus on oil

Segilola has nameplate capacity of 650,000 tonnes per annum (tpa); processing rate of 625,000 tpa

What Thor Explorations does:

West Africa-focused mining group Thor Explorations Ltd ( ) (LON:THX) is advancing Nigeria's first large-scale gold mine, namely its flagship Segilola project, towards first production.

The Vancouver-based company is fully funded, in construction and on track for the first gold pour at the wholly-owned project in the second quarter of 2021, the company has said.

Thor Explorations also has the Douta exploration project, where it holds 70% and has an opportunity to increase that to 100%, in the south-east region of Senegal. The mining lease lies within 5 kilometres (km) of Senegal's largest undeveloped gold resource, namely the 4.4 million ounce (Moz) Massawa deposit, which was recently sold by Barrick Gold Corp ( ) to ( ) for up to US$430 million.

Elsewhere, Thor Explorations is also in a joint venture with major Barrick Gold on the Central Hounde project in western Burkina Faso. Barrick has a 51% stake, while Thor owns 49%.

Barrick is earning up to 8% by funding a minimum of US$2 million and completing a pre-feasibility study (PFS) on the property, which lies in the prospective Hounde belt, which has seen 10 Moz worth of gold discoveries.

Back to the firm's main project, and construction at Segilola started on the mine early last year. It has a 15 month build timeline for the high-grade open pit project and all approvals are in place.

Segilola has a 25-year mining licence and the NI-43 101 open pit probable reserve stands at 405,000 ounces of the yellow metal at a grade of 4.2 grams per ton (g/t). The higher confidence indicated resource is 469,000 ounces at 4.7 g/t of gold.

A definitive feasibility study showed a robust project, to be mined by a contractor, with a five-year mine life, which offers excellent leverage to the gold price.

Capital expenditure for the mine was put at just US$87.5 million, while the all-in-sustaining-costs (AISC) are put at a competitive US$662 per ounce, which is in the lowest quartile on the global cost curve.

Based on a gold price of US$1,300 per ounce, the post-tax net present value (NPV) comes in at US$138 million with an impressive 50% internal rate of return (IRR) and a payback in under 1.4 years. With the current reserve, at a US$1,600 gold price, Segilola shows a post-tax NPV of US$238.1 million and at a US$1,800 gold price shows a post-tax NPV of US$305 million

In April, 2019, Thor signed a term sheet for a US$78 million financing with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) for the construction and ramp-up of the project. The package included a US$54 million senior secured credit facility, a US$9 million gold stream pre-payment and a US$15 million equity investment from AFC, which will become a 20% shareholder in Thor.

How is it doing:

Thor Explorations reached another company milestone with the admission of its shares on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on June 22, 2021. The move was aimed at offering wider access for investors as it progresses through a transformational period in its development.

Thor said it continues to focus on pouring first gold at the Segilola Project in Nigeria in July and is targeting publication of a maiden resource at Douta in Senegal by the end of 2021. Exploration programs focused on the company's exploration licences running along the Ilesha Schist belt in Nigeria are also continuing.

The company said its strong pipeline of organic opportunities is supported by low-cost production at Segilola, with a target of 40,000 ounces this calendar year and forecast of over 100,000 ounces in 2022.

In a March 29 update, Thor had reported an improved resource and reserve for Segilola project in Nigeria, improving the asset's economics Notably, the new probable reserve of 517,800 ounces at 4.02 grams per tonne (g/t) is a 28% increase over the definitive feasibility study issued in March, 2019. That report two years ago considered an open pit and building a new 625,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) processing plant.

Following further resource definition drilling, design optimisation and positive industry sentiment in the gold price, Thor reviewed the process plant design capacity and optimum pit design, which has resulted in a larger pit design and an increase in production plant capacity to 715,000tpa.

Meanwhile, on February 2, Thor announced an encouraging first set of drill results from the northern extensions of the Makosa Discovery at its Douta Project, with mineralisation confirmed over 1,000 metres (m) of strike length in a number of parallel lodes at Makosa North.

The group noted that the drilling program was designed to test the mineralisation along strike and down dip from the mineralisation delineated from previous drill programs on Makosa. The results received to date confirm the continuation of the Makosa mineralised system along strike to the north.

The best results included 5m grading 3.37g/t gold from 32m returned from drill hole DTRC129, which is located on the northern-most section completed in this program. The group said there is obvious potential to extend the mineralised strike length further to the north. Ongoing exploration is planned to explore the Makosa North mineralisation both to the north and at depth.

On the financing front, on December 1, 2020, Thor revealed that it had received an initial disbursement of US$21.5 million under the US$54 million senior debt facility from the Africa Finance Corporation.

The drawdown coincided with the arrival of the first shipments of equipment at Lagos port, as well as the shipment of SAG and ball mills from China under an EPC contract with Norinco International.

Inflection points:

AIM listing to widen investor base

First gold pour from Segilola project

Further results from Douta

What the broker says:

In a note to clients on June 22, 2021, maintained a 'Buy' recommendation on Thor, with a target price of C$0.65.

Canaccord's analysts said Thor stood out on a number of metrics when compared to its global gold junior coverage, including a higher free cash flow (FCF) yield. The company is also considering dividend policy options which would act as a clear differentiating factor to many other junior gold companies, they noted.

The analysts estimate a 30% payout of FCF in 2022 could result in a dividend of around 9% in that year.

"Our base case valuation is predicated solely on the value of the initial 5-6 year open pit operation at Segilola, with no allowance for exploration success or additional life extension (which is arguably a very conservative stance)," they concluded.

What the boss says:

In June's statement on the AIM listing, Thor Explorations chief executive Segun Lawson, told investors: Today's admission to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange represents another milestone in the development of the company, offering wider access for investors as we progress through a transformational period in the company's development.

"With near term production, a clearly defined growth strategy, a positive market setting for gold and a track record of exploration and development success, we are excited to have brought the opportunity to invest in our growing company to London.

Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
The collaboration is part of TNGs program to reduce net carbon emissions, including future emissions from the flagship Mount Peake Project, given the strong focus from environmental regulators on undertaking proactive measures to reduce carbon emissions globally and for companies to embrace world-leading ESG standards and practices.

AGV Energy and its partners are developing technology to produce green hydrogen and oxygen using the electrolysis of demineralised water and renewable energy.

TNG Limited ( ) (OTCMKTS:TNGZF) has taken another key step to progress its green energy strategy after reaching agreement with an international technology company and specialist in the green hydrogen sector to develop commercial opportunities using vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB).

The company has executed a Heads of Agreement with Malaysian-based AGV Energy & Technology Sdn Bhd to progress formal arrangements for collaboration on opportunities for the commercialisation of VRFB and technologies to produce green hydrogen.

AGV Energy and its partners are developing technology to produce green hydrogen and oxygen using the electrolysis of demineralised water and renewable energy (HySustain).

The HySustain technology is well advanced, based on the results from a test plant in Europe to validate its operational and commercial feasibility.

AGV Energy is also well advanced in discussions with potential hydrogen off-take partners in the Asia-Pacific region and is planning a phased rollout of the scalable HySustain technology, with the first commercial application planned at an advanced project in Malaysia (Malaysian Green Hydrogen Project).

Step to reduce net carbon emissions

TNG managing director and CEO Paul Burton said: We are very pleased to have secured this Heads of Agreement with AGV Energy, opening up an exciting pathway to collaborate with them on the development of their exciting green hydrogen HySustain technology.

HySustain is a great opportunity to showcase an integrated VRFB storage solution.

We also intend to work with AGV Energy on the potential rollout of HySustain in Australia, given the significant momentum within Australia and the resources industry to move towards a hydrogen-based economy.

Our collaboration with AGV Energy is an important further strategic step in our ongoing program to reduce our companys net carbon emissions, including future emissions from our flagship Mount Peake Project, given the strong focus from environmental regulators on undertaking proactive measures to reduce carbon emissions globally and for companies to embrace world-leading ESG standards and practices.

Progressing towards formal collaboration

Under the Heads of Agreement, TNG and AGV Energy intend to progress formal commercial arrangements for collaboration in three key proposed areas:

Integration of VRFB into HySustain, including for its first commercial application initially at the Malaysian Green Hydrogen Project;

Progression of opportunities for the rollout of HySustain in Australia; and

Progression of opportunities for the rollout of VRFB in other commercial applications in Malaysia.

The parties are now advancing discussions to formalise business planning and commercial arrangements for collaboration in these areas.

Green hydrogen technology

Green hydrogen production is reliant on green electricity production from 100% renewable energy sources, and AGV Energy intends to utilise purpose-built, project-specific solar farms to provide the green electricity required for HySustain.

VRFB, which offer large, scalable and long-life energy storage for solar power generation, are AGV Energys preferred battery system for integration with HySustain.

Notably, this collaboration is separate to the work being undertaken by TNG and the SMS group for development of technology to produce green hydrogen for potential application as the reduction agent in TNGs proposed TIVAN processing technology and Mount Peake Project.

V-Flow HOA

Earlier this year, TNG entered into a Heads of Agreement for an incorporated joint venture with leading Singaporean-based battery technology development company V-Flow Tech Pte Ltd (V-Flow), with the intention of jointly developing a VRFB business initially targeting applications at remote regional sites in Australia and other commercial and residential applications using a fully-integrated VRFB storage solution - with TNG providing the high-purity vanadium electrolyte required to operate the batteries.

Negotiations between TNG and V-Flow on a formal joint venture arrangement are well advanced.

The agreement between TNG and AGV Energy represents an excellent and complementary opportunity for the TNG-V-Flow JV to develop and commercialise its planned VRFB product.
"I believe the systematic approach the company is undertaking, using a range of smart exploration tools is what is required to better understand and test the potential of this region for new gold discoveries," says Kerry Sparkes.

Matadors Cape Ray Gold Project is on the Cape Ray shear, one of the most prospective yet underexplored regions in North America.

( ) ( ) (FRA:MA3) has appointed highly regarded Newfoundland-based geologist Kerry Sparkes as technical advisor to the board.

With previous experience as vice president, geology of the largest gold-focused royalty and streaming company, Franco-Nevada Corp ( ) (NYSE:FNV), Sparkes will provide high-level assistance to the exploration team and advise the board on its exploration and development strategy in Newfoundland, Canada.

He has also previously held senior positions with Vale at their world-class Voisey Bay nickel deposit in Labrador as well as Rainy River Resources (now ) at their + 8-million-ounce gold project in Ontario, Canada.

Other positions include working at the Cape Ray Gold Project for Terra Nova Gold Corp, from 2002-2003.

Aware of project potential

Speaking to his appointment with the company, Sparkes said: Having worked at the Cape Ray Gold Project during the early 2000s, I have been aware of the potential of this project for some time.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of commitment by previous owners, mainly due to limited funds, this potential has not been fully recognised.

Having spoken with the team at Matador in-depth prior to my appointment, I was excited by their exploration strategy - I believe the systematic approach the company is undertaking, using a range of smart exploration tools is what is required to better understand and test the potential of this region for new gold discoveries.

I look forward to assisting both the exploration team and the board, regarding the future exploration strategy at both the Cape Ray Gold Project and the new Hermitage Project into the future.

Responsible for Ovoid discovery

Sparkes resides in St Johns, the capital of Newfoundland, and has more than 30 years of experience as a geologist.

Matador believes he is well respected throughout the resources sector for his global deposit knowledge and expertise, including Newfoundland and Labrador where he was responsible for the Ovoid discovery in the world-class Voiseys Bay nickel deposit.

In his senior advisor capacity, Sparkes is available to meet key stakeholders on Newfoundland.

The board takes this opportunity to welcome Sparkes as an advisor to Matador and looks forward to working with him.
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Bank of America said Brent crude prices are likely to average US$68 a barrel this year but could hit US$100 next year on pent-up demand and more private car usage.

Brent crude futures for August gained 1.89% to settle at US$74.90 per barrel.

S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX:XJO) has surged 1.45% to 7,340 points by about 12.50 pm as global markets recouped some of the losses made in previous sessions.

The Australian market was pushed higher by energy stocks (+1.9%), miners (1.47%) and financials (1.92%).

Mergers and acquisitions

Washington H. Soul Pattinson ( ) (WHSP) will acquire fellow investment house Milton Corporation ( ) via a scheme of merger that would create a $10 billion group on the ASX.

WHSP said the merger would create a more diversified investment company focused on long-term market outperformance and dividend growth.

The second oldest company on the ASX, WHSP has paid a dividend every year for 118 years.

Buy now, pay later operator Openpay ( ) will buy UK-based Payment Assist, which helps motorists pay for car maintenance and repairs in instalments.

The acquisition will cost Openpay $15.1 million in cash plus $6.1 million in scrip.

Worrying COVID-19 trend

New South Wales (NSW) has recorded a worrying trend in COVID-19 cases, with officials confirming 10 new infections since Monday.

NSW Health confirmed five locally acquired cases had been recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, with two of those announced yesterday morning.

There were also seven other infections recorded after the official reporting period, which will be included in Wednesdays numbers.

Top gainers

Todays top gainers on the ASX include Ltd ( ) (+14.29%), ( ) (+13.64%), ( ) (+12.77%), ( ) (+38.89%), ( ) (+13.33%), ( ) (+10.00%) and Lake Resources N.L. ( ) (+8.57%).

Proactive news headlines:

Perpetual Resources granted mining lease for Beharra High-Grade Silica Sand Project, shares up

Perpetual Resources Ltd ( ) has been granted a mining lease (M70/1406) for the Beharra High-Grade Silica Sand project, around 96 kilometres south of Geraldton, in Western Australia.

SUDA Pharmaceuticals soars as oversubscribed placement raises $3.65 million to support iNKT cell therapy platform

SUDA Pharmaceuticals Ltd ( ) (FRA:E4N) shares have jumped 69.45% to A$0.061 on the back of a heavily oversubscribed placement that raised $3.65 million.

Arafura Resources in trading halt ahead of capital raising announcement

Arafura Resources Limited ( ) (OTCMKTS:ARAFF) (FRA:REB) has been granted a trading halt by the ASX ahead of a proposed capital raising announcement that is material to the company.

Salt Lake Potash adds technical experience to board with appointment of Rebecca Morgan

( ) ( ) ( ) (FRA:W1D) has added senior technical and executive experience to its board of directors with the appointment of Rebecca Morgan as a non-executive director.

St George Mining confirms high-grade nickel-copper sulphide discovery at Mt Alexander Project

s ( ) new assays have confirmed the latest high-grade nickel-copper sulphide discovery at its flagship high-grade Mt Alexander Project in WA's north-eastern Goldfields.

PolarX to kickstart diamond drilling of new massive sulphide copper targets at Caribou Dome

( ) (FRA:PX0) is set to kickstart a diamond core drilling program at the high-grade Caribou Dome Copper Project in Alaska targeting new high-priority targets for massive sulphide copper mineralisation.

Auteco's Carey discovery has potential for high-grade open pit according to

Auteco Minerals Ltd ( ) ( ) has secured a speculative buy rating and price target of A$0.22 from a recent report by Canaccord Genuity Ltd, off the back of the Carey discovery at the Pickle Crow Project in Canada.

Matador Mining strengthens Newfoundland presence with highly regarded geologist appointed technical advisor

( ) ( ) (FRA:MA3) has appointed highly regarded Newfoundland-based geologist Kerry Sparkes as technical advisor to the board.

TNG Limited signs agreement with Malaysian green hydrogen company to develop vanadium batteries

TNG Limited ( ) (OTCMKTS:TNGZF) has taken another key step to progress its green energy strategy after reaching agreement with an international technology company and specialist in the green hydrogen sector to develop commercial opportunities using vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB).
If discussions continue, IDT is poised to provide its current good manufacturing process (cGMP) to help create a new type of COVID-19 vaccine on Australian soil.

IDT Australia could be instrumental in manufacturing a new type of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine.

IDT Australia Limited (ASX:IDT) is in discussions to provide manufacturing services and help develop Australias first local mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The ASX-lister is progressing talks to provide its capabilities with the Victorian Government, mRNA Victoria and Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science (MIPS).

While no agreement has been reached as of yet, IDT promises to provide further updates as more information comes to hand.

Getting behind landmark commitment

CEO Dr David Sparling said: IDT is progressing discussions to put forward its cGMP manufacturing facilities and capabilities to get behind the Victorian Governments landmark commitment and initiative to develop an mRNA manufacturing capability, as we believe it will build upon the existing scientific and medical strengths in Victoria and will deliver essential capabilities for Australia.

Manufacturing clinic-ready vaccine candidates coming out of world-class research such as Professor Poutons at Monash University allows IDT to develop the critical skills and infrastructure at a sovereign cGMP manufacturing site here in Australia.

These capabilities will then be locally available for clinical and commercial applications for COVID-19 as well as a broad range of other diseases.

A new type of vaccine

IDT could be instrumental in creating a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases on Australian soil.

The messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidates work by teaching the bodys cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response, combatting COVID-19.

mRNA vaccines differ from conventional candidates. They dont use a live virus sample, and they are broken down by cells after they are read by the body.

Currently, Australians are receiving the /BioNTech or vaccines to protect against COVID-19.

MIPS professor Colin Pouton said: Preclinical evaluation of our mRNA vaccine has progressed well and we are now keen to partner with an experienced pharmaceutical manufacturer to produce a product for clinical evaluation.

We look forward to working with IDT to establish mRNA vaccine manufacturing capability in Australia.
TNG Ltd (ASX:TNG) is an Australian resource company focused on the exploration, evaluation and development of a multi-commodity resource portfolio in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. TNGs main focus is the evaluation and development of its 100%-owned Mount Peake Vanadium-Titanium-Iron Project, located in the highly prospective Arunta Geological Province some 80km north-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Discovered by TNG in early 2008, the Mount Peake Project comprises a current JORC Indicated Resource of 140Mt grading 0.3% V205, 9% Ti02 and 35% Fe, making it one of the largest of the known vanadium projects in Australia. Work carried out by TNG to date has enabled the Company to establish an Exploration Target1 of 500-700Mt grading 0.2-0.4% V205 and 25-35% Fe in addition to the JORC resource, potentially making the Mount Peake Vanadium Project one of the largest vanadium deposits in the world.

TNG Limited signs agreement with Malaysian green hydrogen company to develop vanadium batteries

TNG Limited (ASX:TNG) (OTCMKTS:TNGZF) has taken another key step to progress its green energy strategy after reaching agreement with an international technology company and specialist in the green hydrogen sector to develop commercial opportunities using vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB).

The company has executed a Heads of Agreement with Malaysian-based AGV Energy & Technology Sdn Bhd to progress formal arrangements for collaboration on opportunities for the commercialisation of VRFB and technologies to produce green hydrogen.

AGV Energy and its partners are developing technology to produce green hydrogen and oxygen using the electrolysis of demineralised water and renewable energy (HySustain).

The HySustain technology is well advanced, based on the results from a test plant in Europe to validate its operational and commercial feasibility.

AGV Energy is also well advanced in discussions with potential hydrogen off-take partners in the Asia-Pacific region and is planning a phased rollout of the scalable HySustain technology, with the first commercial application planned at an advanced project in Malaysia (Malaysian Green Hydrogen Project).
Drill planning for the 2021 season is well advanced with an extensive RC and diamond drill program designed to upgrade and extend the current mineral resource at McDermitt.

An exploration diamond drill program is planned to test Jindalees 100%-owned Clayton North Project in Nevada.

( ) is undertaking mining, engineering and geotechnical components of a scoping study for the advanced McDermitt Lithium Project in the US state of Oregon while planning exploration drilling at Clayton North Lithium Project in Nevada.

The market will be advised of scoping study outcomes as guided by ASX and ASIC reporting frameworks in the September quarter.

In addition to the scoping study, drill planning for the 2021 season is well advanced with an extensive RC and diamond drill program designed to upgrade and extend the current mineral resource at McDermitt.

This program is designed to maximise resource conversion while minimising the disturbance footprint.

Drill permitting is currently with the government agencies and a drill contractor has been appointed to complete the programs, with drilling expected to start in the September quarter.

Test-work commissioned on bulk samples

After successfully demonstrating the ability to upgrade lithium content by 60% through attrition scrubbing, Jindalee has commissioned test-work to be completed on bulk samples collected in the 2020 drill program.

The test sample will consist of around 1,000 kilograms of ore and will follow a staged process of attrition scrubbing, acid leaching and purification through to final production of lithium carbonate. The entire process is expected to take approximately six months.

Tenements staked at McDermitt in March have been approved by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

These new tenements straddle the Oregon-Nevada border and are interpreted to contain extensions of sediments hosting the lithium mineralisation at the McDermitt deposit.

Clayton North

An exploration diamond drill program is planned to test Jindalees 100%-owned Clayton North Project in Nevada.

Clayton North is 23 kilometres north of Albermarle Corporations (NYSE:ALB) Silver Peak brine operation, which is currently the only domestic source of lithium in US.

Samples taken by Jindalee in 2018 confirm the presence of lithium mineralisation, with up to 930ppm lithium detected at surface.

This drill program is the first follow up of the surface sampling results with drill holes planned to ascertain grade continuity of lithium mineralisation in fresh sediments.

Drilling is expected to commence in July 2021.

New appointments

With the development of the McDermitt project ramping up, the company recently secured two valuable additions to the Jindalee team.

Jindalee appointed Jimmy Thom as exploration manager, an experienced geologist with 15 years experience across project generation, brownfields exploration and resource development in Australia, Africa, and Canada.

Thom will primarily focus on progressing Jindalees WA assets, particularly the Widgiemooltha project which is highly prospective for gold, nickel, and lithium.

In addition, the company has engaged Paul Meyer to manage the exploration and development activities at the companys lithium assets in the United States.

Meyer is based in the US and brings a wealth of experience in both exploration geology and environmental management, which will be of great value as the company progresses development at McDermitt.

Jindalee is delighted to welcome Thom and Meyer to the team.

US lithium assets  sector developments

President Biden and his administration remain committed to their strategy for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries (FCAB) is a collection of US Federal agencies developing a collaborative strategy for ensuring US self-sufficiency with regards to the lithium battery supply chain.

On June 7, the FCAB released the National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries with five critical goals to attain, with the first being securing US access to raw materials by incentivising growth in safe, equitable and sustainable domestic mining ventures while leveraging partnerships with allies and partners to establish a diversified supply.

McDermitt is well placed to provide a large steady domestic supply of lithium to support the US in meeting its targets for decarbonisation.

To meet the increased demand requirements multiple battery factory developments have been announced or proposed in the US.
Members of the private club and restaurant group are being given the chance to buy shares in the IPO.

Private club operator Soho House is coming to public markets with an IPO in New York.

The float onto the New York Stock Exchange, under the moniker Membership Collective Group, aims to set a valuation of around US$3bn.

It follows on from a 2020 funding round that raised US$100mln and valued the group at US$2bn.

Nick Jones, Soho House founder and chief executive, told members that the IPO proceeds would accelerate investment in improving both physical and digital elements of their membership.

The groups members, some 100,000 of them worldwide, are being given the opportunity to buy shares in the offering.

Soho House was founded in London by Nick Jones in 1995 who subsequently sold on the big portion of his shares the business in 2008, before US billionaire Ron Burkle took a controlling stake in 2015.

Presently, the group comprises 28 members-only clubs and restaurants.

The clubs, which cost each member more than 1,000 per year and have a near 50,000 person membership wait list, are believed to have retained the majority of its customers during the pandemic, with around 92% retention despite lockdown. Revenues reduced to US$384mln from US$642mln, and it made a US$235mln loss.

Prior to the float the company is 60% owned by Burkle whilst Jones retains around 10% and The Ivy owner Richard Caring holds around 30%.
New Oroperu Resources (CVE: ORO) CEO Wayne Livingstone joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news New Oroperu entered into a definitive agreement with First Light Capital to team up and create Anacortes Mining Corp.

Livingstone telling Proactive the new company will remain laser focussed on exploration and advancement of New Oroperus Tres Cruces project located in Peru. Livingstone also told Proactive Jim Currie will lead Anacortes as the President and Chief Executive Officer. It was also announced First Light intends to complete a concurrent 20-million-dollar subscription financing.
The company said it is gaining tremendous traction in the Canadian Cannabis cultivation community and looks forward to additional commercial installations going forward

"This is our largest individual commercial installation to date without a commercial feasibility, said CO2 GRO vice president of sales and strategic alliances Aaron Archibald

. ( ) ( ) (FRA:4021) said it has agreed to a commercial installation of its CO2 Delivery Solutions with a Canadian licensed producer.

The company noted that the customer agreed to the commercial installation, worth C$65,500, without the need for a commercial feasibility.

"This is our largest individual commercial installation to date without a commercial feasibility, CO2 GRO vice president of sales and strategic alliances Aaron Archibald said in a statement.

The customer relied upon our scientific data and very positive existing customer statements. We are gaining tremendous traction in the Canadian Cannabis cultivation community, and we look forward to additional commercial installations going forward.

The design of the installation allows for it to be expanded in the future to additional areas of the producers facility, the company said.

It is the latest in a growing number of orders for CO2 GROs agriculture technology. The company's CO2 Delivery Solutions system is set to revolutionize the global 600 billion square foot protected agriculture industry due to its ability to suppress pathogens and reduce CO2 gas and energy usage.

The technology dissolves and saturates CO2 gas into water creating a bubble-less aqueous CO2 solution. When the solution is misted onto high-value plants, it increases revenue to greenhouse growers by up to 30% through a combination of larger plants and shorter crop grow time.

The company said it is rapidly expanding its international marketing partner relationships into the EU, the UK, Mexico, South Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America as well as in its North American base.

Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
It is working with Frances Biose Industrie, which commercializes pharmaceutical products based on live bacterial production, to help prepare the products and substances for regulatory evaluation

It researches and develops novel formulations of psychoactive medications produced from genetically-modified bacteria to treat mental health conditions

PsyBio Therapeutics Corp ( ) (OTCMKTS:PSYBF) (FRA:PSYB) announced it is starting to manufacture proprietary biosynthetic psychedelic compounds in Europe.

The initial pilot-scale batch manufacturing run is the Florida-based companys first in the continent, it said in a statement.

PsyBio is working with Frances Biose Industrie, which commercializes pharmaceutical products based on live bacterial production, to help prepare the products and substances for regulatory evaluation.

In a statement, PsyBios chief medical officer Michael Spigarelli told investors that it was critically important for the company to leverage its proprietary methods of production within the European Union.

Biose is the ideal partner for us in the EU with extensive expertise and capability to not only produce individual therapies in a regulatorily-compliant manner, but to also facilitate the development and testing of combination therapies, Spigarelli said.

Our partnership with Biose will further our research and development goals and demonstrate our commitment to the development of globally-tested and approved therapeutics.

Biose has over 70 years of experience in commercializing therapeutics from live bacterial strains.

"In our effort to expand our clinical development beyond North America, we are pleased to be working with Biose, a highly competent company operating under a Good Manufacturing Practices-certified facility located in Aurillac, France, for the manufacturing of our bacteria-based drug substance and drug products in the European Union for further pre-clinical and clinical scientific evaluation," said Evan Levine, PsyBios CEO.

PsyBio researches and develops novel formulations of psychoactive medications produced from genetically-modified bacteria to treat mental health conditions.

Separately, the company said it had settled US$125,144.48 of accrued liabilities owing for professional services provided to the company by a non-arm's length party through the issuance of 409,752 subordinate voting shares priced at C$0.37.

PsyBio also said it had hired marketing firm North Equities Corp for investor awareness activities in a six-month consulting agreement worth C$70,000 in cash.

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
CEO Dr Tim Coughlin said we are very excited by the immediate near-surface gold potential and the possibility of a deeper porphyry-style system at Caribe

Royal Road Minerals Limited ( ) ( ) ( ) has shared positive interim drilling results from its Caribe gold discovery in northeastern Nicaragua.

The company said a follow-up diamond drilling program started at the project in August 2020 has returned encouraging initial results including hole CB-DDH-016 which returned 1.0 gram per tonne (g/t) gold at 100.45 meters; CB-DDH-017 which returned 1.0 g/t gold at 90 meters, and CB-DDH-015 which returned 1.0 g/t gold at 63 meters.

The Toronto-based juniors Caribe project forms part of its strategic alliance agreement with Hemco Mineros Nicaragua, a subsidiary of Colombia's Grupo Mineros SA and is in the highly prospective golden triangle of northeastern Nicaragua. Royal Road is the operator of the strategic alliance.

Royal Road's exploration team discovered the Caribe project during reconnaissance exploration in February 2018. Outcrop at Caribe is concealed under soil and laterite cover and there is no previous record of mining or mineralization in the area. In 2019, Royal Road and Hemco completed an initial four-hole, exploratory drilling program at Caribe which returned promising results for gold.

The company shared results from a further three exploratory drill holes in the 2020 follow-up diamond drilling program which included:

CB-DDH-021 hole returned 1.0 g/t gold at 29 meters

CB-DDH-022 hole returned 1.2 g/t gold at 12 meters within a broader halo of 44 meters at 0.7 g/t gold

CB-DDH-023 hole returned 1.85 g/t copper equivalent at 10.1 meters

The company said multi-element analyses of drill hole geochemical data and the copper mineralization intersected in drill hole CB-DDH-023 are interpreted to imply "a concealed copper and molybdenum (possibly porphyry style) mineralized system located outside the limits of the lower temperature gold mineralized halo."

"We are very excited by both the immediate near-surface gold potential and the possibility of a deeper porphyry-style system at Caribe and pleased that the project seems to be finally giving up its secrets," said Royal Roads President and CEO Dr Tim Coughlin in a statement.

However, he added: "Laboratory turnaround times have been very frustrating, and we are working with our contractors to ensure that this situation is rectified."

Exploratory drilling is continuing at Caribe and the company intends to complete IP geophysics at the project. It is awaiting the delivery of a portable Rotary Air Blast/Reverse Circulation (RAB/RC) drilling rig with capacity to sample beneath the soil and laterite cover across a wide area.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
The selloff means the original cryptocurrency is now negative for the year to date, having lost over 10% of its value in the last 24 hours

Bitcoin has fallen to its lowest value since the start of 2021 as fears over tightening regulation in China sparked a selloff in crypto markets.

In late afternoon trading in London on Tuesday, Bitcoin had fallen 11.6% in the last 24 hours to US$29,136, the first time it has fallen below US$30,000 since January and its lowest price since December 2020, effectively wiping out all of its gains since the start of the year.

US$30,000 is considered a key support level for Bitcoin by technical analysts, with the next support level predicted to be around US$20,000.

Bitcoins slump has also dragged down other prominent cryptos in the market, with Ethereum sinking 10.7% to US$1,748 while meme-inspired crypto Dogecoin plunged 23.1% to US$0.17.

The selloff appears to have been triggered by an announcement from the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) on Monday that all financial institutions in the country should stop facilitating transactions in digital currency.

The move also followed efforts by provincial authorities to clamp down on Bitcoin mining, with officials in Sichuan province, one of the biggest hydro-based crypto mining hubs in China, becoming the latest provincial authority to ban the practice last Friday.
Afghanistan is a notoriously difficult country to govern. Empire after empire, nation after nation have failed to pacify what is today the modern territory of Afghanistan, giving the region the nickname Graveyard of Empires,  even if sometimes those empires won some initial battles and made inroads into the region. If the United States and its allies decide to leave Afghanistan, they would only the latest in a long series of nations to do so. As the British learned in their 1839-1842 war in Afghanistan, it is often easier to do business with a local ruler with popular support than to support a leader backed by foreign powers; the costs of propping up such a leader eventually add up. The closest most historical empires have come to controlling Afghanistan was by adopting a light-handed approach, as the Mughals did. They managed to loosely control the area by paying off various tribes, or granting them autonomy. Attempts at anything resembling centralized control, even by native Afghan governments, have largely failed.

Akhilesh Pillalamarri
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Prosecutors appeal against review of recovery of $4 mln from lawyer Tretyakov granted

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

10:50 22/06/2021

MOSCOW, June 22 (RAPSI)  The Moscow District Commercial Court has granted a cassation appeal lodged by Moscow Region prosecutors against an order to review a ruling on the recovery of 308.5 million rubles ($4 million) from lawyer Igor Tretyakov, according to court records.

In March, the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals ordered the first instance to reconsider Tretyakovs bid to review recovery of 308.5 million rubles ($4 million). The court thus overturned the ruling of the Moscow Regional Commercial Court of late October 2020 refusing to rehear Tretyakovs case upon the applicants appeal.

In late November 2018, the Moscow Regional Commercial Court ordered recovery of the money Tretyakov allegedly received in the S.A. Lavochkin Scientific Union under the pretence of legal services. The court also declared 21 contracts signed by the Scientific Union and the lawyer between July 2016 and January 2018 invalid.

The court therefore granted a claim filed by the Moscow Region Prosecutors Office on behalf of the Federal Property Management Agency (Rosimushchestvo) and the state corporation Roscosmos. Prosecutors insisted that the agreements were invalid as Tretyakov had not participated in court proceedings himself. Thus, the lawyer has only created a semblance of his activity.

In May and September 2019, the Tenth Commercial Court of Appeals and the Moscow District Commercial Court upheld the ruling.

Currently, Tretyakov is a defendant in the case on embezzling 330 million rubles (about $5 million) from Roscosmos. In late December, the case was returned to prosecutors, according to the lawyers attorney Stanislav Shostak. He is in detention now.

Two other defendants, ex-CEO of the S.A. Lavochkin Scientific Union Sergey Lemeshevsky and chief of the Unions legal department Yekaterina Averyanova were also detained. Later, Averyanova admitted guilt and signed a deal with investigators in exchange for release from detention under house arrest.

According to investigators, the defendants have stolen assets of Roscosmos by signing fraudulent contracts for provision of legal services with the law firm. All the works were allegedly performed by the corporations own specialists. The overall sum of payments to the firm reached 330 million rubles.

Tretyakov pleads not guilty.
Russias Civic Chamber members take part in observing elections in Armenia

 flickr.com/young shanahan

15:19 22/06/2021

MOSCOW, June 22 (RAPSI)  A delegation of Russias Civic Chamber has participated in the monitoring of the process of expression of the will of citizens during the recent parliamentary elections held in Armenia.

Chairman of the Civic Chamber Commission on security and cooperation with public supervisory commissions Alexander Vorontsov said that together with member of the Chambers Commission on accessible environment and inclusive practices development Vladimir Zhuravlev, he visited more than 20 polling stations in different districts of Yerevan.

It could be declared that the work of election commissions was organized professionally, efficiently and responsibly, according to Vorontsov. The delegation carefully followed what was happening at each polling station, communicated with the chairpersons and members of precinct commissions, paid attention to observers from parliamentary parties and public associations, he added. I would like to note that at each site that we visited, there were from five to 15 observers, the Commission Chair stressed.

Vorontsov added that after visiting the polling stations, the delegation of the Russian Civic Chamber visited the Armenian Central Election Commission, where they met with its secretary.

Zhuravlev noted that the main aspects of the elections in Armenia were transparency and control by observers, both local and foreign ones, adherence to the electoral code, which provides for the openness of the voting procedure and the impossibility of distorting the will of the country's residents.

The Chambers commission chair stressed that the work in Armenia was yet another successful experience of international observation carried out by members of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.

Members of the Chamber took part in monitoring the elections in Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Syria, USA, Ukraine, South Ossetia and other countries.
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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/22/2021 -- Latest business intelligence report released on Global Business Credit Insurance Market, covers different industry elements and growth inclinations that helps in predicting market forecast. The report allows complete assessment of current and future scenario scaling top to bottom investigation about the market size, % share of key and emerging segment, major development, and technological advancements. Also, the statistical survey elaborates detailed commentary on changing market dynamics that includes market growth drivers, roadblocks and challenges, future opportunities, and influencing trends to better understand Business Credit Insurance market outlook.



List of Key Players Profiled in the study includes market overview, business strategies, financials, Development activities, Market Share and SWOT analysis:

Atradius (Netherlands), Coface (France), Zurich Insurance Group (Switzerland), Credendo Group (Belgium), QBE Insurance (Australia), Cesce (Spain), EULER HERMES (A Allianz Company) (Germany), Marsh Inc. (United States), Aon (United Kingdom), AXA (France)



If you are associated with the Business Credit Insurance industry or expect to be, at that point this study will give you exhaustive viewpoint. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by major players. Download Free Sample PDF Brochure (Including Full TOC, Table & Figures) @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/165290-global-business-credit-insurance-market



Brief Overview on Business Credit Insurance:

Business credit insurance provides cover for businesses if customers who owe money for services or products do not pay their debts, or pay them later than the payment terms dictate. It gives businesses the confidence to extend credit to new customers and improves access to funding, often at more competitive rates. Business credit insurance is for products and services that are due within 12 months. COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the demand for business credit insurance. This can be attributed to the increased uncertainty and protectionism in global trade, which is set to boost demand for business credit insurance.



Key Market Trends:

Rapidly Growing International Business Volumes



Opportunities:

The Shift in the Distribution of Insurance towards Digitalization and Technology Platforms Presents Huge Opportunities in the Business Credit Insurance Space



Market Growth Drivers:

Exponential Growth in International Business across the Globe

Increasing Demand for Business Credit Insurance Coverage So As To Ensure Protection against Unique Export Risks

COVID-19 Pandemic Has Boosted the Demand for Business Credit Insurance



Challenges:

Rising Concern about Fraudulent Policies as well as Claims



Segmentation of the Global Business Credit Insurance Market:

by Enterprise Size (SMEs, Large Enterprises), Distribution Channel (Companies, Brokers/Agents, Online, Others), Coverage (Commercial risk, Political risk), End User (Manufacturers, Traders, Service Providers)



Pandemic offer for our clients: Purchase this Report now by availing up to 10-35% Discount on various License Type along with free consultation. Limited period offer.



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The research report shares knowledgeable insights with regards to key industrial Value chain and interesting elements of global Business Credit Insurance market. It features end-use ventures that directly impact the development cycle of the market during the forecast period. Major players in global Business Credit Insurance business can utilize this study as an incredible asset to catch the market force and distinguish the shifts in consumer demand in near future.



Geographically, the following regions together with the listed national/local markets are fully investigated:

- APAC (Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, India, and Rest of APAC; Rest of APAC is further segmented into Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka)

- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Rest of Europe; Rest of Europe is further segmented into Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania)

- North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico)

- South America (Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Rest of South America)

- MEA (Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa)



Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical data  2016-2020

The base year for estimation  2020

Recent Estimated Year  2021

Forecast period**  2021 to 2026 [** unless otherwise stated]



Browse Full in-depth TOC @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/165290-global-business-credit-insurance-market



Summarized Extracts from TOC of Global Business Credit Insurance Market Study

Chapter 1: Exclusive Summary of the Business Credit Insurance market

Chapter 2: Objective of Study and Research Scope the Business Credit Insurance market

Chapter 3: Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis

Chapter 4: Market Segmentation by Type, End User and Region/Country 2016-2026

Chapter 5: Decision Framework

Chapter 6: Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges

Chapter 7: Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile

Chapter 8: Appendix, Methodology and Data Source



How AMA Research Study helps clients in decision making?

- Creating strategies for new product development

- Supporting & Adjust Investment/business decisions

- Benchmark and judge own competitiveness

- Aiding in the business planning process

- Serving as a credible, independent check on company internal forecasts

- Supporting acquisition strategies



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Some of the Valuable insights gathered through the business intelligence report on global Business Credit Insurance market include:

- The report offers competitive landscape and various market strategies of the key market players and their product offerings.

- Unexplored regions that hold potential for expansion in global Business Credit Insurance market.

- The report provides historic data from 2016, and forecast data from 2021 to 2026 for the global Business Credit Insurance market.

- Emerging technologies that can revolutionize the product inventory in global Business Credit Insurance market.



About Advance Market Analytics

Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues.



Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/22/2021 -- The Frozen Bakery Products Market is projected to reach USD 29.5 billion by 2026, from USD 22.3 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. The busy lifestyle of consumers has contributed to the growth of the bread manufacturing industry to produce new products that could cater to the rise in demand from consumers. The increase in consumption of frozen bakery products in the emerging markets of Asia Pacific and Latin America has also led to a rise in the sales of frozen bakery products. The demand for frozen bakery products in developing regions is driven by the increase in disposable income.



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Cakes & pastries are the major by type segment having the highest CAGR of the frozen bakery products market during the forecast period.



A pastry differs from bread in terms of fat content, contributing to the flaky texture. Pastry dishes include pies, tarts, sponge cakes, croissants, and muffins. The frozen cake is a form of sweet-baked dessert consisting of flavored ingredients, such as fruit extracts. Specialty cakes are gaining popularity, with a high starch-gluten ratio and low-protein wheat. They are further segmented into sponge cakes, muffins, and cookies. Currently, the frozen bakery product market players utilize new technologies to achieve the required/recommended levels of freezing for cakes. In countries such as the US, Canada, and Mexico, frozen cakes have been at the forefront among other frozen bakery products.



By distribution channel, the conventional stores dominated the frozen bakery products market in 2020.



Conventional stores have the potential to be a prominent distributional channel for frozen bakery products. Niche retailers among these stores have also realized the opportunity to establish an effective retail chain. Earlier, these companies marketed their line of products only through exclusive stores situated in prime locations. However, these companies now understand the dynamic changes in consumer preferences for healthier food products. Hence, a majority of the companies are marketing their products across regions through all possible channels to ensure sustainability in the global market. Thus, distribution channels play a vital role in bridging the gap between key players of frozen bakery products and the end consumers in the market.



Asia Pacific region is projected to witness the highest growth in the frozen bakery products market by 2026.



The Asia Pacific region is among the fastest-growing regions for frozen bakery products. The food & beverage industry has contributed significantly to the market growth in this region. Due to the growing population, rising incomes, and increasing urbanization the market growth is significant. These factors are projected to support the growth of niche markets, such as frozen bakery products. The market is driven by the increase in demand for convenience food products in developing countries such as India, China, Japan, and Australia. In the Asia Pacific region, China accounted for the largest share in the frozen bakery products market in 2020.



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The key players in this market include Grupo Bimbo (Mexico), General Mills Inc. (US), Aryzta Ag (Switzerland), Europastry, S.A. (Spain), Conagra Brands, Inc. (US), Associated British Foods Plc (UK), Kellogg Company (US), Lantmannen Unibake International (Denmark), Vandemoortele Nv (Belgium), Premier Foods Group Ltd. (UK), Cargill, Incorporated (US), Flowers Foods (GA), Bridgford Foods Corporation (US), Coles Quality Foods Inc. (MI), and Dawn Food Products Inc (MI).



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MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.



Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.



MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.



Contact:

Mr. Aashish Mehra

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA : 1-888-600-6441
Bristol, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/22/2021 -- Businesses in many industries struggle to find the best materials to ship their products in. No matter what they may be sending, the challenges of finding high-quality separators to use during transit can be a challenging endeavor.



General Partition Company, Inc. continues to provide superior partitions designed to suit the needs of most industries. Whether shipping delicate materials or bulk quantities of commercial products, General Partition Company, Inc. has the separators businesses require to successfully export their products to customer locations.



High-quality chipboard partitions can be utilized to suit a variety of shipping applications. Available in multiple calibers and offered in three distinct finishes, chipboard partitions provide superior flexibility to protect products from touching one another.



Solid bleach sulfate (SBS) partitions offer many of the same benefits as chipboard yet come in additional calibers and finishes. Designed with air cells built into the perimeter of the partition, SBS separators offer unparalleled protection against damage during transit.



Finally, corrugated partitions have the strength to withstand the most turbulent shipping environments. Designed to accommodate extremely heavy and/or large product types corrugated separators are an ideal choice for any business looking to go the extra mile when it comes to protecting its bulky, fragile products during the shipping process. In most cases we are able to easily convert a corrugated partition into a chipboard that will do the job at a more affordable price. If a project absolutely calls for a corrugated partition we will recommend it.



General Partition Company, Inc. can also customize partitions according to a business's needs. Labeling options are available, and separators can be ordered in a specific thickness, material composition, and finish.Shipping container partitions and box separators can be made to suit the requirements of any shipment application.



For over 50 years, General Partition Company, Inc. has been a leading supplier of high-quality shipping materials designed to meet the needs of all types of businesses. Through their dedication and customer-driven approach to shipping solutions, General Partition Company, Inc. has set the standard for designing and manufacturing high-quality shipping materials. Contact them today to learn more.



About General Partition Company, Inc.

General Partition Company, Inc. is a Bucks County, Pennsylvania-based organization providing durable and versatile box partitions for a wide variety of implementations. They manufacture partitions comprised of chipboard, corrugated cardboard and Solid Bleach Sulfite (SBS).



General Partition Company, Inc. also has services to assist businesses plan and engineer intelligent shipping solutions using their box partitions. Their delivery services have a reputation for being fast and reliable. They also accommodate special orders like unique labeling. Reach General Partition Company, Inc. by phone nationwide at 888-501-4685.



For more information, please visit: http://www.generalpartition.com/.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/22/2021 -- According to a new market research report "MEA Cloud Computing Market by Type (Service Model (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS) and Service Type), Deployment Model (Public and Private), Organization Size, Vertical, and Region (Middle East, and Africa) - Forecast to 2026" published by MarketsandMarkets, the MEA cloud computing market size expected to grow from USD 14.2 billion in 2021 to USD 31.4 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.2% during the forecast period.



The Increased demand for cloud-based solutions and services during COVID 19, rising numbers of SMEs, business expansion by market leaders in the Middle East and Africa, and growing investments in cutting-edge technologies and governmental initiatives toward digital transformation are a few factors driving the growth of the cloud computing solutions and services in MEA.



Browse 197 market data Tables and 61 Figures spread through 252 Pages and in-depth TOC on "MEA Cloud Computing Market"



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Adoption of IaaS is noticeably increasing in MEA among large enterprises due to security and reduced cost of hardware resources



IaaS is a form of cloud computing that delivers fundamental compute, network, and storage resources to consumers on-demand, over the internet, and on a pay-as-you-go basis. IaaS refers to a combination of hosting, hardware, provisioning, and the basic services needed to run a cloud. Using the service, an organization can outsource the equipment used to support operations, including storage, hardware, servers, and networking components. Most providers offer components, such as compute and storage, with supporting services, including auto-scaling and load balancing, which will provide the scale and performance characteristics. In traditional hosting services, IT infrastructure was rented out for a specific period of time, with pre-determined hardware configuration. The client paid for the configuration and time, regardless of the actual use. With the help of the IaaS cloud computing platform layer, organizations can dynamically scale the configuration to meet the changing requirements and are billed only for the services actually used. The IaaS cloud computing platform layer eliminates the need for every organization to maintain the IT infrastructure.



Growing trend of expanding business operations while working within the existing infrastructure to drive the cloud migration services



Implementation services ensure configuration and change management is in place and operational before moving any resource to the cloud, while migration services help move enterprises applications and data from the on-premises infrastructure to the cloud system, which is a virtual pool of scalable compute, network, and storage resources. Implementation services enable clients to quickly accomplish business goals for utilizing the cloud strategy by planning, accessing the current system, performing quality validation and verification, and offering support. These services ensure a successful and secure deployment on any infrastructure, such as private cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud. They also provide training sessions for executives, program managers, and technical teams to ensure they are updated with the latest trends and on the offerings of the new cloud infrastructure. These training programs enable stakeholders to utilize these offerings to the fullest to achieve the set goals. According to industry experts, several enterprises across geographies plan to migrate their enterprise workloads to cloud to leverage different benefits including flexibility, reliability, availability, and security. It is expected by 2025 that 70% of enterprise workloads will be running on the cloud infrastructure. The primary reason for the high demand for cloud migration services are scalability, flexibility for fluctuating workloads, improved productivity, agility, enhanced application security, and reduced costs.



Increased awareness related to cloud benefits among small and medium-sized enterprises is driving its adoption



Organizations with an employee strength of less than 1,000 are categorized under SMEs. When compared to the large enterprises segment, the SMEs segment is facing challenges in terms of resources. They require enhanced infrastructures with less investments. They require a flexible payment model for better cost optimization of their business processes. Cloud applications are being rapidly adopted by SMEs in the Middle East due to the ease and flexibility they offer, and the demand is expected to grow during the forecast period. SMEs do not want expensive disaster recovery or backup offerings, nor do they need advanced functionalities related to IaaS, PaaS, and managed services. They want access to visualized hardware and computing infrastructures and pay only according to the time and hardware used by them. These benefits, such as seamless scalability, flexibility, pay-as-you-go payment model, reduced operational costs, and customized offerings, as per business requirements are facilitating the adoption of cloud applications among SMEs. Some of the major vendors offering cloud applications to SMEs in the Middle East include Oracle, IBM, and Adobe Systems.



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Corporates are choosing private cloud due to security concerns caused by the increasing number of cyberattacks



A private cloud is a computing model that offers a proprietary environment dedicated to a single business entity. As with other types of cloud computing environments, a private cloud provides extended, virtualized computing resources. This deployment model enables a company to have better control over its data and reduce risks, such as data loss and issues related to regulatory compliance. The private cloud is used in banking and financial institutions, large enterprises, and government organizations, where only authorized users can access the system. The acceptance of private cloud deployments for enterprises with compliance concerns is due to its security and control benefits. Service providers offering hosted private cloud address significant essentials of compliance with regulations, such as HIPAA and PCI. Some of popular private cloud providers in the market are VMware, DXC, Dell EMC, Oracle, IBM, and Microsoft.



Retailers shifting business operations online to continue businesses during lockdown imposed due to COVID-19 is boosting the cloud computing demand



The retail and eCommerce vertical in the Middle East is on the edge of IT-driven innovation, as local retail players are embracing online platforms to improve their omnichannel presence. Retailers are now adopting social networks and apps to engage with their customers in real-time. The cloud infrastructure meets all the business requirements, ranging from security to business applications; thus, it is gaining traction among retailers in the Middle East. Retail organizations deal with a large amount of data that is collected through various point of sale terminals and websites. The cloud infrastructure provides opportunities for retailers regardless of their size to accelerate innovation, liberating their focus on developing competitive advantages without the weight of back-end reconciliations and framework maintenance. The AWS data center is to be opened in the Middle East, which is expected to accelerate the deployment of cloud applications in the region



Middle East to dominate the MEA cloud computing market in 2020



Countries in the Middle East are investing in cloud computing projects and cloud applications to develop and build knowledge-based economies. Cloud computing features that benefit the Middle East countries include on-demand resource availability, scalability, multi-user access to cloud-based applications, self-service computation, cloud storage, and utility subscription models. This section of the report segments the cloud applications industry in the Middle East, based on countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and other countries (Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain).



Organizations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have adopted cloud-based applications at an initial stage; hence, they are dominating the other countries in terms of development. In recent years, Qatar has emerged with a high adoption rate and is expected to witness the highest growth rate. In today's era of globalization, it has become important for enterprises in Qatar to remain ahead of their competitors in the technological space. For such organizations, outsourcing services to a third-party managed service provider is a profitable option. Hence, enterprises in the Middle East have moved toward adopting cloud applications to reduce costs and save time.



The MEA cloud computing market is dominated by companies such as Microsoft (US), AWS (US), IBM (US), Google (US), Alibaba Cloud (China), Oracle (US), SAP (Germany), Salesforce (US), Etisalat (UAE), BIOS Middle East Group (UAE), eHosting DataFort (UAE), Injazat Data Systems (UAE), STC Cloud (Saudi Arabia), Insomea Computer Solutions (Tunisia), CloudBox Tech (SA), Ooredoo (Qatar), Gulf business Machines (UAE), Intertec Systems (UAE), Fujitsu (Japan), Huawei (China), Comprehensive Computing Innovations (Lebanon), Compro (Turkey), Teraco Data Environment (SA), Liquid Intelligence Technologies (SA), Zonke Tech (SA), Cloud4Rain (Egypt), Infosys (India), TCS(India), Malomatia (Qatar), Cicso (US), and Orixcom (UAE). These vendors have a large customer base and strong geographic footprint along with organized distribution channels, which helps them to increase revenues.



About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.



Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, and strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.



MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.



Contact:

Mr. Aashish Mehra

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: 1-888-600-6441

Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com

MnM Blog: https://mnmblog.org

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/mea-cloud-computing.asp
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/22/2021 -- According to a new market research report "Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market by Technology (WIFI and Cellular M2M), Offering (Hardware, Software Solutions and Services), Application, End User (First Responders, Critical Infrastructures), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026" published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size to grow from USD 20.6 billion in 2021 to USD 69.6 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 27.6% from 2021 to 2026.



Increasing demand for Wireless Broadband in Public Safety due to COVID-19 outbreak, Mobility growth and increase in mobile connectivity, enhancement in public safety and availability of real-time information and big investments in wireless broadband are major growth factors for the market. Enhancing next-generation technologies and availability of wireless broadband in rural areas provide lucrative opportunities for vendors in the Wireless Broadband in Public Safety market.



Browse in-depth TOC on "Wireless Broadband in Public Safety Market"

183- Tables

48- Figures

202- Pages



Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=64



By offering, Hardware segment to hold the largest market size during the forecast period



A wireless network consists of several components that support communications using radio or light waves propagating through an air medium. Some of these elements overlap with those of wired networks, but special consideration is necessary for all of these components when deploying a wireless network. MarketsandMarkets has analyzed wireless adapter, access point and range extender, modem, routers, switches, and hubs as key hardware elements in the wireless broadband in public safety market.



In application, Critical Communication to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period



The public safety vertical is a major adopter of critical communication systems. Public safety is one of the most important responsibilities of any government; it involves protecting individuals from crimes and natural disasters, among other harmful activities. An effective public safety mechanism involves disaster management and coordination between organizations, such as law enforcement and border control, fire fighters, and emergency medical services. Effective communication is imperative for these organizations while dealing with any natural or man-made disaster. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are responsible for ensuring public safety within countries as these agencies must identify emerging threats, adapt to changing legislative policies, and develop human resources and skills to address evolving threats. Law enforcement agencies heavily rely on critical communication networks as they need to communicate with different agencies during emergencies. Various agencies provide emergency and rescue services and ensure public safety. The purpose of these agencies is to deal with typical emergencies and ad-hoc emergencies as part of their regular responsibilities. Spreading community awareness and running prevention programs to effectively detect, mitigate, and report emergencies are major functions of these emergency solution providers. Critical communication systems are used by these service providers during emergencies, such as natural and man-made disasters.



North America to hold the largest market size during the forecast period



The wireless broadband in public safety market in North America is expected to be the highest revenue contributor during the forecast period. The region accounted for the largest share of the overall wireless broadband in public safety market in 2014. Major countries in this region are the US, Mexico, and Canada. Post 9/11, government officials in North America have been taking major steps for improving public safety by investing in wireless broadband technologies. Several initiatives are taken for the growth of wireless spectrums, signifying a wide pool of opportunities in the interoperable wireless network for public safety. In terms of population, the P25 technology is widely employed in North America due to its technical specifications, despite the extensive use of TETRA in RoW. The wide area coverage and greater range of P25 make it the preferred choice in the US markets.



Public safety departments in North America are stringent when it comes to the implementation of critical communication solutions on airports, ports, roads, railways, and metros. Governments in this region have formulated various authorities to set up critical communication networks and network protocols, such as FirstNet and Next Generation 911 (NG911), respectively.



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Major vendors in the global Wireless Broadband in Public Safety market include Aruba Networks (US), AT&T (US), Broadcom (US), Cisco (US), Ericsson (Sweden), Extreme Networks (US), Hitachi (Japan), Juniper Networks (US), Motorola Solutions (US), Huawei (China), NEC (Japan), Netgear (US), Sierra Wireless (Canada), Verizon (US), ZTE (China), General Dynamics (US), Harris (US), Bittium (Finland), Hughes (US) etc.



About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.



Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, and strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.



MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.



Contact:

Mr. Aashish Mehra

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: 1-888-600-6441

Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com

MnM Blog: https://mnmblog.org

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/wireless-broadband-safety.asp
In a paper published this month in the journal Fungal Biology, a duo of paleontologists from the United States and France described a new genus and species of ancient parasitic fungus found in a piece of 50-million-year-old amber from Europes Baltic region.

The newly-described species, named Allocordyceps baltica, is the oldest known fossil fungus of an ant.

Its a mushroom growing out of a carpenter ant (tribe Camponotini), said Professor George Poinar Jr., a researcher in the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University.

Ants are hosts to a number of intriguing parasites, some of which modify the insects behavior to benefit the parasites development and dispersion.

Carpenter ants seem especially susceptible to fungal pathogens of the genus Ophiocordyceps, including one species that compels infected ants to bite into various erect plant parts just before they die.

Doing so puts the ants in a favorable position for allowing fungal spores to be released from cup-shaped ascomata  the fungis fruiting body  protruding from the ants head and neck. Carpenter ants usually make their nests in trees, rotting logs and stumps.

Allocordyceps baltica belongs to the fungi order Hypocreales and shares certain features with Ophiocordyceps, but also displays several developmental stages not previously reported.

We can see a large, orange, cup-shaped ascoma with developing perithecia  flask-shaped structures that let the spores out  emerging from rectum of the ant, Professor Poinar said.

The vegetative part of the fungus is coming out of the abdomen and the base of the neck.

We see freestanding fungal bodies also bearing what look like perithecia, and in addition we see what look like the sacs where spores develop.

All of the stages, those attached to the ant and the freestanding ones, are of the same species.

Allocordyceps baltica could not be placed in the Ophiocordyceps genus because ascomata in those fungi usually come out the neck or head of an ant and not the rectum.

There is no doubt that Allocordyceps baltica represents a fungal infection of a carpenter ant, Professor Poinar said.

This is the first fossil record of a member of the Hypocreales order emerging from the body of an ant.

And as the earliest fossil record of fungal parasitism of ants, it can be used in future studies as a reference point regarding the origin of the fungus-ant association.

_____

George Poinar & Yves-MarieMaltier. Allocordyceps baltica gen. et sp. nov. (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae), an ancient fungal parasite of an ant in Baltic amber. Fungal Biology, published online June 5, 2021; doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2021.06.002
About 66 million years ago, a 10-km- (6.2-mile) wide asteroid crashed into Earth near the site of the small town of Chicxulub in what is now Mexico. While this impact is firmly linked to the end-Cretaceous extinction of non-avian dinosaurs and 75% of life on the planet, the temporal relationship of the lesser-known Boltysh impact structure in Ukraine to these events is uncertain, although it is thought to have occurred 2,000 to 5,000 years before the mass extinction. A new study, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that the Boltysh impact occurred 650,000 years after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction; at that time, the climate was recovering from the effects of the Chicxulub impact and Deccan Trap volcanism.

The Boltysh impact structure is approximately 24 km (15 miles) in diameter with a 6-km- (3.7-mile) diameter central uplift.

Located in Kivorohradska oblast, Ukraine, the structure is now buried beneath over 500 m (1,640 feet) of post-impact sediments.

Previous analysis of samples from Boltysh, undertaken decades ago, suggested that the meteorite may have struck the Earth between 2,000 and 5,000 years before the Chicxulub asteroid.

The Chicxulub impact is widely believed to have caused the mass extinction event which made non-avian dinosaurs extinct, and the climate event which created the geological signature known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.

However, questions still remained over whether the Boltysh impact might have occurred close enough in time to have had an effect on both.

The new analysis suggests that, in fact, the Boltysh impact happened around 650,000 years after the Chicxulub event.

The results allow us to place the Boltysh impact more accurately in our timeline of what happened to the Earth in the period after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event, and better understand our deep geological history, said Dr. Annemarie Pickersgill, a researcher in the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

To determine the date of the Boltysh impact more precisely than ever before, Dr. Pickersgill and colleagues selected four samples from two rock cores taken from the Boltysh crater, containing rocks generated during the impact event and lake sediments which accumulated over time after the crater was formed.

They determined the age of the samples using the argon-argon dating facility.

Argon-argon dating measures the radioactive decay of potassium to argon. The level of decay acts as a rock clock, which ticks down over geological time and allows researchers today to determine when the rocks were created during the Boltysh impact event.

Our analysis suggests that the impact occurred very close to 65.39 million years ago, Dr. Pickersgill said.

That puts it firmly after the Chicxulub impact and the formation of the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, evidence for which is found in geological records around the world.

The researchers draw links for the first time between the new dating of the Boltysh impact and evidence for a known hyperthermal event found in the Earths sediment record, a period of extreme global heating called the lower C29N hyperthermal.

At that time in Earths history, volcanoes in India known as the Deccan Traps were releasing vast amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, accelerating a period of global climate change.

Paleoclimatology aims to help us understand and adapt to todays changing climate by studying how our atmosphere responded to environmental stresses in the past, Dr. Pickersgill said.

Being able to link the Boltysh lake sediments to the lower C29N hyperthermal is another piece of the jigsaw which will form a clearer picture of how our planet has responded to climate change in the past.

_____

Annemarie E. Pickersgill et al. 2021. The Boltysh impact structure: An early Danian impact event during recovery from the K-Pg mass extinction. Science Advances 7 (25): eabe6530; doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abe6530
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There were a couple of challenges, said Phipps, who spent 35 years of his life as a Palm Beach County resident. I was only relying on photographs...The other thing that was a little stressful was the length of time. Ive had large objects ship before from mainland China, but this took a long time. I was told that was due to COVID because of the different ports of call. They had to put a new crew onto the vessel and they were having difficulty doing that due to COVID.
Thats an upcoming mission for us, said Lisa Evans, who is one of Zephirs supporting friends. We presented our idea to them where we wanted to host the birthday parties quarterly for the foster children. They like the idea so much that they adopted it like a quarterly program instead of a one-time thing. Were still in the writing and budgeting process for that, but our first event is going to be at the end of July.
Detectives believe this to be an isolated incident, a police department spokesperson said Wednesday. We do not have anyone in custody at this time.
Chorus President Justin Knight said Fahys loss had a profound effect on the community. He was a longtime, valued member of our Chorus family and he will be deeply missed, Knight said. We wish a speedy recovery for Chorus member Jerry Vroegh who was injured at the accident. We thank everyone for their concern, compassion and support.
The first girls body showed no signs of trauma, Santiago said, but could not say that about the second because her body was still in the canal at 10 p.m. They believe they have identified the first girl but could not confirm who she was as no family members have come forward.
Court staff intervened multiple times to get control over the outbursts. They threatened to throw out the viewer who left an anti-Semitic message in the Zoom chat box and to charge anyone who tried to record or stream the hearing online.
Lopez is accused of recording videos of the child where, in at least one of those videos, he allegedly molested the child, according to court documents.
Mantei said the court has the ability to say no to that. He argued that specific details are not required in the indictment, particularly when it comes from a grand jury, which is secretive by law. Still, he said prosecutors provided the details when asked.
State officials who certified the results of the 2020 election have dismissed Trumps claims of voter fraud, and judges across the country have thrown out multiple lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies. Trumps own attorney general said there was no evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome.
In May, Fried revised her form for 2019, submitted to the Commission on Ethics, to indicate $351,480 in income from Igniting Florida, LLC in 2018, up from $72,000 in a previous report. She also amended a financial disclosure submitted to the state Division of Elections, increasing her 2017 income from Igniting Florida from $84,000 to $165,761.
The public record is replete with instances of their arbitrary and bad faith content moderation .  Moreover, the social media behemoths power to silence both on their platforms and throughout society has given rise to a troubling trend where a handful of corporations control a critical chokepoint for the expression of ideas, attorneys for the state wrote. Such unprecedented power of censorship is especially concerning today, when most individuals use social media to obtain their news and government officials harness such mediums to reach the public. The act (the new law) seeks to rein in abuse of this power and ensure the widespread dissemination of information from a multiplicity of sources --- a governmental objective of the highest order that promotes values central to the First Amendment.
The CDCs COVID-19 Operations Manual for Simulated and Restricted Voyages under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order that DeSantis and Moody oppose gives companies two options. They can conduct those simulated cruises to test shipboard COVID-19 protocols and, if successful, resume normal operations. Or they can skip the test voyages if 95% of passengers and 98% of crew are vaccinated.
When a 22-year-old British man on a motorcycle sparked a high-speed chase through the streets of Marbella and found he couldnt escape the police, who were hot on his heels, he stopped, got off the bike and waited for them to catch up. When they did the young man put his hand in his waistband, pulled out a revolver, pointed his gun at the officers and then opened fire.

The incident happened at 4.25am last Saturday, when the Marbella Local Police had a breathalyser control set up in Plaza Monsenor Rodrigo Bocanegra, and a black motorcycle turned around to avoid it, fleeing along Avenida Ricardo Soriano in the direction of Malaga.

The officers reported the suspicious behaviour to colleagues by radio and an unmarked patrol car that was in the area responded when the motorbike passed them. With the cars police lights flashing a high-speed chase began but the bike sped up, joining the A-7 motorway.

Officers were catching up with the bike when they lost sight of it for a few moments. But just as they saw it again, the Brit had stopped, got off the motorcycle and let it fall to the ground. The man put his hand in his waistband, pulled out a revolver and pointed the gun at the officers, and opened fire.

Sources say the young man fired a shot, which missed its target, and the revolver jammed, so he could not continue firing it. The officers drew their weapons and ordered him to drop the gun, which he did although he tried to resist arrest.

Police found that the motorcycle was carrying a false registration plate and it matched the description of one stolen in Mijas a few days before.
The British airline EasyJet has increased its number of routes from Malaga airport and has announced that it will start flying, this summer, to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Bergamo, Lille-Lesquin and Luxembourg from its Costa del Sol seasonal base.

The company has said that the new routes to Malaga are a direct response to fill their flying schedule after the announcement by the United Kingdom to delay the easing of coronavirus measures.

EasyJet starts the summer season adding a total of 18 routes to Spain, five of them at the Malaga base, said the company.

The route between Malaga and Copenhagen will be the first to be operational on 19 July. It will be followed by the one that connects the city with Stockholm a day later, while those that connect with Bergamo and Lille will begin to be operational on 21 July and the one with Luxembourg, one day later.

All the routes will be available until the end of October. There will be two flights a week to Stockholm, Lille and Luxembourg, and three in the case of Bergamo and Copenhagen.

Javier Gandara, EasyJet's general director for southern Europe, said, We have been preparing for the summer season for a long time and, combined with the advances in vaccination programmes and other measures to make travelling a safe experience, we are ready to resume summer operations with a reinforced, flexible and varied flight programme that reflects our commitment to Spain and our customers.

He said that it is precisely our flexibility that, after the announcement by the United Kingdom to delay easing of Covid-19 measures, that has allowed us to increase the routes at our three Spanish bases with new destinations of undeniable attractiveness both for Spaniards who want to travel and for those who want to visit Palma, Malaga or Barcelona.
The town councils of the Guadalhorce Valley and the Sierra de las Nieves districts have joined forces to oppose the solar mega-plant projects planned to be built in the area, and aim to make their complaints heard.

This was stated by Francisco Martinez, the mayor of Alora, the town that hosted a meeting between the delegate for Sustainable Development of the Junta de Andalucia, Jose Antonio Viquez, and eleven council members from both areas, which include the towns of Almogia, Alozaina, Alora, Ardales, Carratraca, Cartama, Casarabonela, Coin, Valle de Abdalajis, Pizarra, Tolox, Yunquera and Monda.

At the meeting, Viquez focused on towns using municipal administrative tools such as general plans to regulate the proliferation of photovoltaic parks, and he revealed that there are more than 100 such projects in the pipeline in the region.

This is the second meeting held by the local councillors after learning about the high number of planned photovoltaic plants in the municipalities of both areas.

"We are not against renewable energy, we just want it to be done in an orderly manner and in agreement with the local areas," said Martinez, speaking as a spokesperson for the mayors.

"We will present our complaints to the Junta, and the regional government is committed to taking them into account," he said.

Martinez said that these projects will do "irreparable" damage to tourism and agriculture in the municipalities.

One of these projects crosses the planned Guadalhorce green corridor, and another of the plants would destroy almost 90 hectares of olive groves in Alora. We are going to continue fighting so that this does not go ahead.

The Juntas Sustainable Development delegate, Viquez, said that he made the mayors aware of the "very powerful" administrative tools that they may have on a municipal level, although this was disputed by some municipal representatives who said their powers were very limited and they were tied hand and foot.

Alora's mayor Martinez said that a meeting with the Ministry of Industry delegate, Carmen Sanchez, will be requested to discuss this issue.

There are districts in which the impact would be minimal, however in our case it would destroy our tourism and agriculture, and it makes no sense for the surroundings of a National Park to have power lines that would cause even more damage than the plants themselves," he said.
A few days after celebrating two years at the helm of the Malaga-Costa del Sol airport, Pedro Bendala has already experienced the best of the hundred-year history of the facility, and the worst. The pandemic has seen us go from being an airport with almost 20 million passengers to just five million," he says.

In his office, with a large window overlooking the runways and from which more planes can be seen arriving and departing, he remembers the moment that affected him the most in the first months of Covid-19 when they closed Terminal 3 and became aware of the magnitude of the crisis that was coming.

Bendala said he is left with the lessons learned from the pandemic and with the conviction that "we are stronger than we thought." This summer he foresees recovering between 60 and 70 per cent of the pre-pandemic traffic and reach December with 75 per cent. To return the 2019 figures, he trusts Eurocontrol's prediction that we will have to wait until 2023-2024.

The airport boss revealed, This weekend we had almost 250 aircraft operations, which is half of what a normal June is for us. In passenger numbers, the volume is lower because the load factor is lower due to the restrictions between borders and, particularly, those maintained by the United Kingdom."

Bendala said, In Malaga we are optimistic because we notice that tourist traffic is recovering earlier and more strongly. Some 85 per cent of our flights are from Europe and they are making a remarkable recovery.

British market

We are going to recover almost all connectivity, not in frequencies but in destinations. We are recovering the medium and long-range operations little by little, such as the operations of Turkish Airlines, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airlines and Aeroflot that return this summer. There may be some some more, which I will announce soon, he added.

However, he did admit that United Kingdom market is fundamental for the airport, for the Costa del Sol and for Spain. Normally the British account for 30 per cent of the passengers but now it is not like that.

Despite this, we have a weekly average between 170 and 180 flights, although with a low load factor due to the restrictions. However, it is an indicator that airlines are convinced that you have to be here. We trust that they will come back soon because the relationship between the British and the Costa del Sol is strong.
The Andalusian region will continue to vaccinate the current age groups from 36 to 49 years from this week. Efforts to locate and jab the over-50s who have not yet had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine will also be intensified. And, in addition, the Junta is bringing forward the second dose of the AstraZeneca formula, from 12 to 10 weeks. Therefore, no new age groups will added for the time being.

The regional governments Ministry of Health has reminded the people, both older and younger than 60, who have already received their first dose of AstraZeneca and who had an appointment to complete the vaccination schedule that they will receive an SMS text message or phone call to bring it forward to ten weeks from the first as far as possible, starting with the change of appointments for people who are over 60 years old.

Meanwhile, people over 50 years of age who have not been vaccinated are reminded that they can make an appointment through the usual channels (on the website of the Andalusian Health Service (SAS), Clicsalud +, Salud Responde app and the Salud Responde phone number 955 54 50 60). Health centres will also intensify their efforts to locate and call them by phone.

The vaccination campaign is currently being carried out in the population group aged from 36 to 49 years. Since last week, appointments were opened up to this age group and they are subject to the availability of doses and resources. Appointments can be made via any of the methods detailed above.

This week, Andalucia will receive 716,840 doses of coronavirus vaccines: 540,540 from Pfizer, 61,500 from Moderna, 91,300 from AstraZeneca and 23,500 from Janssen.
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In his most recent article, opinion writer Joshua Howell argues Veterinary Medicine program coordinator, Vincent Hardy should step down following the release of his homophobic email.
Clearfield, PA (16830)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
The Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX) has signed an agreement with the Financial Markets Regulatory Authority (FMA) in Sudan to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the trading of gold between the UAE and Sudan.



The agreement will see the DGCX and FMA collaborate on areas of mutual benefit, foster collaboration, and exchange knowledge around gold trading.



Sudan is ranked as the third largest producer of gold in Africa, and earlier last year begun allowing private traders to export the precious metal in an effort to raise revenue. In line with this initiative, FMA aims to strengthen the gold market in Sudan by facilitating trading and investment. Through this collaboration with the DGCX, it will be able to benefit from the expertise of the Middle Easts leading and most diversified derivatives and commodities exchange.



Les Male, CEO of DGCX, said: We are delighted to forge a partnership with Financial Markets Regulatory in Sudan, the first of many collaborations this year, and work together towards strengthening the gold market across Africa. The DGCX is strategically located between the Far East, Europe and Africa, serving as a unique, global gateway for traders and investors.



With this in mind, alongside our deep knowledge and expertise of commodities trading, we are confident that we will bring tremendous value to FMA and Sudans gold export market, while achieving our vision to expand our international footprint and facilitate more cross-border trading.



Dr Shawgi Azmi Mahmoud, Director General of FMA, said: The Financial Markets Regulatory Authority in Sudan is pleased to partner with the DGCX and benefit from their expertise to advance opportunities for investors and traders within the market.



The establishment of a gold exchange by the Sudanese Government represents an important milestone for the country. We expect this collaboration to play an instrumental role in driving the growth of gold trading within the country and the region.



Sudan is renowned for its gold production with an average production rate of 70-100 tons of gold per year, which is why this strategic partnership will help develop the economy significantly. Together with the cooperation of the regulators in UAE, we look forward to offering new products and services for our members to further serve and benefit the two countries, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) is offering rescheduling loan repayment options for an additional six-month period until December 2021, as per the directives of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB).



All NBB customers have the option to postpone instalment payments on their retail loans starting from July 2021 and ending December 2021, a bank statement said.



CBBs extension mandate aims to alleviate some of the financial burden from those who have been affected by the pandemic, by providing relief on standing loan instalments. Rescheduling of loans will entail interest charges for the desired postponement period, but no additional fees. As a result of the postponement this will extend the maturity of loans while instalment amounts will remain unchanged.



Retail customers who wish apply for the loan deferral are required to fill out an online application through the banks online portal.



Subah Al Zayani, Chief Executive - Retail Banking at NBB, said: We continue to support the governments efforts in minimizing the economic impact of the pandemic and providing financial relief during these challenging times, while putting our customers at the forefront of such national directives.



As part of our responsibility to ensure the safety of our customers during the current pandemic, we have a seamless digital process in place to facilitate applications without the need to visit any physical branch. The process is very transparent and convenient as it enables customers to identify the additional charges for the preferred deferral period.  TradeArabia News Service
The instant water heater market size is expected to reach $2.69 billion in 2027 from $1.88 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 7.70% from 2021 to 2027, according to Allied Market Research, global specialists in market and data analysis.



There are numerous advantages of instant water heaters such as compactness and energy-saving efficiency. Hence, to improve global sales, manufacturers of instant water heaters are developing new and innovative instant water heaters, which are cost-effective in design, the report added.



In accordance with the current trends, it is further anticipated that the instant water heaters market would grow exponentially during the instant water heater market forecast period. Government regulations and strict building codes and standards toward adoption of energy efficient technologies are expected to drive demand for instant water heaters.



A June 2021 report in menafn.com verifies the findings citing the leading role of Ariston Thermo in the segment.



The new-look Aures Multi from Ariston Middle East has made headway in Saudi Arabia since its launch early this year. Compact, efficient, very quick and elegant, the New Aures Multi electric instantaneous water heaters are the ideal solution for having hot water right after you open the tap - an ideal fit to the pace of life today.



Designed by the Italian designer Umberto Palermo, the new Aures Multi water heater from Ariston has a sleek aesthetic look - a compact body made of high-quality materials, modern and elegant shape, stylish finish, and a new high-tech interface to ensure safety that have made them an instant success.



Alberto Torner, Head of Ariston Thermo Group in the Middle East, Turkey and Caucasus, said: Aures instant water heaters are the fastest way to have unlimited hot water whenever and wherever it is needed. From a personal standpoint they serve the purpose of enjoying comfort in the shower, being spared distressful shivering since hot water comes in at the turn of the faucet.



The whole Aures range achieves top level of energy efficiency in the electric water heating segment. All the electricity taken from the electric network is converted into the necessary amount of hot water needed by the user. The water is not pre-heated and it is not stocked in a tank: an effective approach to eliminate heat loss and reduce energy consumption.



Hazem Al Khatib, Country Manager, KSA, said: The Saudi market and consumer are well informed and make considered decisions. This is proven by the success of our Aures Multi instant water heaters here. The Aures Multi has sophisticated mechanisms to ensure safety. A flow sensor that warms water only when the user turns on the tap and the double safety thermostat prevents scalding.



Ariston Thermos heritage of over 90 years and presence of more than four decades in Saudi Arabia guarantee customers quality and peace of mind. The popularity of the range is a testament to the product and brand. Growth in Saudi Arabia matches estimates of research companies.  TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi's non-oil foreign trade reached more than AED201.2 billion ($54.7 billion) during 2020, distributed to imports which worth AED92.5 billion, exports with AED73.46 billion, and re-exports with AED35.26 billion, a media report said.



Abu Dhabi Customs completed more than 1,093,144 digital customs transactions during 2020, Rashed Lahej Al Mansouri, Director-General of the General Administration of Abu Dhabi Customs, was quoted as saying in an Emirates News Agency (WAM) report.



This achievement came in line with the automation of all customs services and the digital completion of customs clearance processes and transactions.



He added that during 2020, Abu Dhabi's foreign trade maintained the diversity of its global and regional markets. Hence, Saudi Arabia was Abu Dhabi's first trading partner, with trade worth more than AED44.43 billion, distributed between imports with AED11.47 billion, and re-exports and exports with AED32.97 billion, reflecting the solid strategic partnership between the Kingdom and Abu Dhabi.



Al Mansouri said that the number of narcotic seizures amounted to 515 seizures in all customs ports of the emirate, compared to 1,790 seizures in 2019. The seizures included many customs violations such as narcotics and prohibited and restricted substances.



The seized narcotic substances weighed around 24,329.4 grams, and the narcotic pills weighed 21602.5 grams, compared to 78,307.35 grams of narcotic substances and 66,986.50 grams of narcotic pills in 2019.



Al Mansouri explained that the inspectors were able to make many seizures through observing body language and the use of advanced devices to detect prohibited and narcotic substances, which reflects the high vigilance of national competencies of customs inspectors in protecting the nation and thwarting smugglers' attempts.



He pointed out that Abu Dhabi Customs relies on the latest international practices and procedures to thwart any attempts to smuggle narcotics through all customs ports of the emirate, in addition to the leading role of qualified and trained national cadres.



Regarding the importance of automating the services of the General Administration of Abu Dhabi Customs and how it facilitates the movement of goods, Al Mansouri said that the automation of services contributed to reducing the service time for customers and encouraged financial savings, as the need to visit the Customer Happiness Centres was significantly reduced.



He explained that what differentiates the services provided by the General Administration of Customs from others is the electronic integration with registered agencies and many approval agencies, which prevents the need for the customer to refer to these authorities to obtain approvals traditionally in addition to digitally completing customs transactions.



The official added that the authority also supports the approved economic operator project, which contributes to linking Abu Dhabi Customs with customs authorities globally, benefitting the public and private sectors through quick and easy customs procedures that enhance the movement of trade and maintain the security and safety of society.



Regarding Abu Dhabi Customs' efforts to increase customer happiness, Al Mansouri said that the authority sets out to achieve customers' satisfaction by implementing the leadership's directives to improve the services provided to them.



He added that the happiness of customers is a significant pillar in Abu Dhabi Customs, where the rate of customer satisfaction with digital customs services reached 95% during 2020.



Regarding plans to enhance Abu Dhabi Customs' leadership globally during 2021, Al Mansouri stated that the General Administration of Abu Dhabi Customs has a strategic plan that relies on numerous pioneering development projects that would achieve sustainable customs work based on innovation and creativity.



He added that intending to strengthen local and global partnerships, the authority has worked with the team of the Federal Customs Authority to prepare the first unified customs plan at the federal level, and collaborate with the World Trade Organisation and the World Customs Organisation to develop capabilities through applying the best global practices "The Approved Economic Operator" - Implementation of the World Trade Agreement - Risk Management and Cooperation with the Regional Office for Information Exchange - Implementation of the Common Customs Law of the GCC Member States - Commitment to Economic Agreements.



Al Mansouri concluded by saying that Abu Dhabi Customs is keen to achieve all expected results in all areas "society - economy - government affairs" in cooperation with partners from government and private organisations.
AMEA Power, a subsidiary of UAE-based Al Nowais Investments (ANI), has begun commissioning of its 50MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at Blitta in the West African nation of Togo.

The Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed PV plant marks the countrys first utility-scale renewable energy project developed by an Independent Power Producer (IPP), and one of the largest solar PV IPP plants in West Africa.

It was supported with concessional loans from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). Officially named after HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the PV plant has been delivered in record time, with just 18 months between the signing of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and commencement of commercial operations, said the statement from ANI.

Built by AMEA Togo Solar, a subsidiary of AMEA Power, the plant, located 267km from Togos capital, Lome, has a planned production of nearly 90,255 MWh of power per year.

This will supply power to approximately 158,333 Togolese households per year, with 9% of energy generation feeding into the local Blitta distribution network, enough to meet demand in the area, it added.

The power plant will be operated for 25 years by AMEA Togo Solar, saving more than 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the course of its life, said senior officials at the opening ceremony which was attended by President of Togo Faure Gnassingbe, Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah Dogbe and AMEA Powers Chairman, Hussain Al Nowais. Several senior officials including Minister Delegate to the President in charge of Energy and Mines Mila Aziable; Director of Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo Lare Santiegou and the Deputy Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), Khalifa Al Qubaisi also took part.

The plant is instrumental in supporting Togos ambitious $8 billion 2018  2022 National Development Plan (NDP), which aims to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030 and to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix to 50%.

Al Nowais said: "We are delighted to launch the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed PV plant in Togo, which was an obvious choice for AMEA Powers first operational power plant in Africa, as it is an important trade hub in West Africa."

"This is an incredibly exciting time for AMEA Power, and we are on track to becoming one of the fastest-growing renewable energy IPPs, with several additional projects set to achieve financial close in 2021," he added.
North America is expected to lead the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction capacity additions by 2025, contributing around 63%, says GlobalData, a leading data, and analytics company. The Former Soviet Union (FSU) region is a distant second place, with 18%, followed by the Middle East at 10%.

GlobalDatas latest report, Global Capacity and Capital Expenditure Outlook for LNG Liquefaction Terminals, 20212025, reveals that North Americas new-build and expansion projects will see additions of 206 mtpa (million tonnes per annum) between 2021 and 2025.

Bhargavi Gandham, Oil and Gas Analyst at GlobalData, comments: In North America, the US primarily drives liquefaction capacity additions by 2025 and beyond. Though Covid-19 triggered project delays and postponement of a few projects in the US, it is on track to become the global leader banking on vast shale gas deposits, surpassing the traditional leaders  Australia and Qatar. Canada is also relying on its abundant natural gas resources to add liquefaction capacity for exports.

Among the countries, the US is expected to account for 46% of global LNG liquefaction capacity additions. It will be the highest contributing country in North America, an expected LNG liquefaction capacity of 126mtpa. The FSUs highest contributor will be Russia with 37.6mtpa of additions, and Qatar will be the star for the Middle East at 32mtpa.

The largest projects in each region include Plaquemines in the US, with a capacity of 20 mtpa by 2025; Arctic-2 Floating in Russia, with 19.8 mtpa by 2025; and Ras Laffan North Field Expansion in Qatar, with 32 mtpa by 2025.-- TradeArabia News Service
KELLIE FOY is Editor in Chief for The Vidette. She can be contacted at vidette_kafoy1@ilstu.edu Follow Foy on Twitter at @kellie_foy

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Minor Cabinet Reshuffle Today

The Chief Minister has recommended to His Excellency the Governor the change of a small number of ministerial portfolios.

This minor reshuffle of the Cabinet occurred this morning, during the meeting of the Cabinet, where the changes were discussed and agreed with Cabinet colleagues, in order to prepare the structure for the challenges to come in relation to the negotiations for a future relationship between Gibraltar and the European Union and also COVID-19.

A spokesperson for the Govt said that the tweaking of responsibilities are designed in part to allow the Minister for Business and Tourism Hon Vijay Daryanani MP to devote more time to marketing Gibraltar in both these important areas where we hope to rebuild and reconstruct the economy and on which he is doing a sterling job of attracting business to Gibraltar and helping Gibraltar businesses grow. 'This is a critical juncture when the UK, Europe and the World hope to emerge from the pandemic and Gibraltar must be poised to take advantage of the moment.'

The final distribution of portfolios is as follows:

The Hon Sir Joe Bossano KCMG MP will retain his existing portfolios and has been appointed Minister with responsibility for Social Security, in addition to his current responsibilities.

Sir Joe has extensive experience in this area and will lead the positive reform required.

The Hon Steven Linares MP will forgo his responsibility for technical services and, in addition to his remaining responsibilities, has been appointed Minister for Employment, Health and Safety, including the Industrial Tribunal.

The Hon Paul Balban MP has relinquished employment and social security and has been appointed Minister for Transport and Technical Services. This is road traffic and transport within Gibraltar where Minister Balban already has previous experience.

The Chief Minister The Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP said:

It is crucial that we are flexible with the Ministerial team in order to ensure that they have the time to deliver on the central objectives that will be required of them. I now want Vijay to concentrate on the marketing of Gibraltar for business and tourists as the world emerges from the shadow of the pandemic. I want Sir Joe to look at the whole question of social security and the equalisation of the pensionable age between men and women, Steven to deal with Employment as effectively as he has dealt with Housing and Paul to use his experience in relation to traffic matters and the strategic traffic and transport plan. I believe this minor reconfiguration will really help to better hone the skills of ministers to their responsibilities. I now look forward to the debate on the estimates next month with this well calibrated ministerial team. We discussed these proposed changes collegiately in Cabinet today and I made the recommendations immediately after that to His Excellency the Governor.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
West Hartford (06107)

Today

Occasional rain. Low 57F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Occasional rain. Low 57F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Man Arrested in Former Bluegrass Downs Building

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A Graves County man was arrested after he was found inside the former Bluegrass Downs property.The Paducah Police Department responded to the scene after getting a call from property manager Steve Ervin, who spotted an intruder on a surveillance camera at the track.Officers found plywood had been pulled back from the entrance, and began searching the grandstand building. When they found a locked door near a bar area, Ervin said it shouldn't be locked. Police entered the room and found 40-year-old Dustin Kincer of Mayfield hiding in a freezer. They also reportedly found tools in a backpack and copper wire that appeared to have been cut from HVAC units.Kincer was arrested on charges of third-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools, and was booked into McCracken County Jail.
McCracken County Fair Continues Tonight

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - The McCracken County Fair continues at Carson Park through Saturday.The carnival opens nightly at 5:30 and tickets and armbands available.Admission to the fair is $3.00 per person and parking onsite at the fairgrounds is $2 per vehicle. Armbands are available nightly for $20.All money raised during the fair benefits nearly two dozen local charities supported by the South Paducah Kiwanis Club.On the Net:
School Board Continues Evaluation Of Shively

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Paducah Public Schools top educator is himself currently being graded. Superintendent Donald Shively is being evaluated annually by the district's board of education in seven categories in an effort to evaluate his past year at the helm.The board approved Shively's yearly evaluation in Monday's regular meeting of the Paducah Board of Education.The seven categories in which Shively was being graded are: strategic leadership, instructional leadership, cultural leadership, human resource leadership, managerial leadership, collaborative leadership, and influential leadership.The board said Shively's performance in strategic leadership was exemplary, which is the highest grade given. They also graded him as exemplary in managerial leadership.With instructional leadership and collaborative leadership, Shively was given an accomplished grade. They also said under human resource leadership and influential leadership he was graded as developing.Meanwhile they say under cultural leadership there is growth required.Paducah board of education chair Carl LeBuhn said they had a thoughtful discussion among the board members and Shively about the evaluation.LeBuhn said, "We look forward to his continued efforts on the evaluation and to continue to work with us to continue to grow and help develop this district for the betterment of the children and our community."Shively came under scrutiny last year after a photo of him in blackface was shared on social media.The entire meeting can be viewed below:
Deputies Find Man Who Fled Stolen Car

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A brief manhunt ensued early Tuesday morning after deputies went to check out a suspicious vehicle in the area of Husbands Road and Homewood Avenue.Deputies said as they approached the vehicle, a male fled on foot into a wooded area. They were unable to locate the suspect at the time, but would then discover the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Arkansas.Later in the morning they were notified of a suspicious person in the same area and based on the description believed it was the same suspect who had fled earlier.Deputies said the man once again went back into the wooded area as they arrived. This time a perimeter was established and a K9 unit deployed who located the suspect, identified as 46-year-old Scott Medlock.Medlock was charged with receiving stolen property under $10,000, fleeing or evading police, 1st degree (on foot), possession of controlled substance 1st Degree, 2nd offense (methamphetamine), drug paraphernalia  buy/possess, tampering with physical evidence, and resisting arrest.
Details Released From Crash That Injured Deputy

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MARSHALL COUNTY - The Kentucky State Police released more details on the collision that left a Marshall County deputy with serious injuries.The accident occurred on June 16 at the intersection of US 641 and KY 58 near Interstate 69. Deputy Brandon Little was preparing to turn onto KY 58 when a vehicle driven by 58-year-old Kevin Polk struck the passenger side of his patrol vehicle.Deputy Little sustained serious injuries and was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment. Polk was also taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment and later released.
Fugitive Arrested in Lyon County

By West Kentucky Star Staff

LYON COUNTY - A fugitive was arrested Sunday morning in Lyon County.Lyon County Sheriff Brent White arrested 36-year-old Britany N. Avery of Texas on a warrant for failure to appear in Lyon Circuit Court.White said Avery had been a fugitive since 2017 when she failed to appear on charges of trafficking in a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.Avery was taken to the Crittenden County Jail.
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.
DUI, Drug Arrest For Hickory Man

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY - A traffic stop for speeding led to a DUI arrest of a Graves County man on Saturday.Th Graves County Sheriff's Department said 30-year-old Marshall Dowdy of Hickory was pulled over on Sandhill Road for speeding when he allegedly told deputies he had smoked methamphetamine earlier in the day.A sobriety test was conducted on Dowdy and he was arrested for DUI. Deputies said a search of his vehicle revealed a bag containing methamphetamine.Dowdy was arrested and charged with DUI 1st offense, possession of controlled substance 1st degree, 2nd offense  methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia  buy/possess and several traffic offenses.
Two Arrested on Assault Charges in Eddyville

By West Kentucky Star Staff

LYON COUNTY - A call about a disturbance Sunday morning led to the arrest of two Eddyville residents on assault charges.Lyon County deputies and Kentucky State Police responded to a complaint at a home on Elkhorn Tavern Road. Deputies said the disturbance ended in two assaults.Police charged 43-year-old Stephanie Miles and 43-year-old Timothy W. May with fourth-degree assault.They were both taken to the Crittenden County Jail.
'641 Connect' Hearing Set For July

By West Kentucky Star Staff

LYON COUNTY - A project to improve safety and mobility along US 641 in Lyon and Caldwell counties is moving forward after several years of study.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will hold an online public hearing on Monday, July 19 to discuss the project to make US 641 a four-lane highway between Eddyville and Fredonia."The existing two-lane highway between Eddyville and Fredonia has an above-average crash rate and was not designed to carry the large volume of commercial trucks that currently use the roadway," project manager Chris Kuntz said. "Improving safety for daily commuters and constructing a new highway that will meet qualifications to become a part of the National Truck Network is at the top of the project's priority list."In 2019, KYTC engineers announced a preferred route that maximizes the use of land owned by other state agencies. The preferred route has since been adjusted slightly near the Fredonia Valley Quarry to utilize a section of old railroad bed.Maps, the environmental assessment, and other information are available for review on the project website.Once complete, the new roadway will link with another US 641 improvement project between Fredonia and Marion, which opened to traffic in 2018.To register to make a statement during the hearing, a written comment online, a verbal comment by phone or to review displays, go to www.641Connect.com.On the Net:
150 Million Americans Now Vaccinated

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON DC - The U.S. has reached a pair of encouraging milestones as the COVID-19 pandemics grip on the nation continues to loosen.COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the outbreak's early days in March 2020. Meanwhile, 150 million Americans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer. Now, however, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that more Americans are dying every day from accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, strokes or Alzheimers disease than COVID-19.
Dancer-choreographer Liu Yan staged her debut directorial dance drama Jing Yan on June 18 at the Century Theater in Beijing. [For China Daily]

Dancer-choreographer Liu Yan staged her debut directorial dance drama Jing Yan on June 18 at the Century Theater in Beijing.

With "jing" referring to Beijing and "yan" banquet, the dance drama presented real Beijing cuisine onstage, such as dumplings, noodles and yuanxiao  small balls made of glutinous rice flour.

The dance drama follows the stories of several families living in a hutong, or narrow alley, in downtown Beijing for generations. After learning about the renovation of the hutong, they decide to have dinner together to bid farewell to old neighbors.

Dancer-choreographer Liu Yan staged her debut directorial dance drama Jing Yan on June 18 at the Century Theater in Beijing. [For China Daily]

Graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy as one of the top classical dancers in 2003, Liu won several national awards and appeared at national galas as a solo dancer. At the height of her dance career, Liu severely injured her vertebrae during a rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The accident left her paralyzed below the waist, and she had to bid farewell to the stage to adjust to life in a wheelchair. However, this did not stop her from continuing to dance or trying to push the boundaries of the art.

After withdrawing from the limelight, Liu established the Liu Yan Arts Special Fund in 2010 to help students living in poverty as well as orphans and migrant workers' children through arts education. She is also devoted to dance movement therapy as a professor at the Beijing Dance Academy.

Liu launched her dance studio in 2019 and Jing Yan is the first dance drama the studio produced, gathering creative team members including scriptwriter Xu Rui and visual designer Ren Dongsheng. Young dancer-choreographers Wu Shuai and Wang Zihan are among those from Beijing Dance Academy playing lead roles in the dance drama.

Dancer-choreographer Liu Yan staged her debut directorial dance drama Jing Yan on June 18 at the Century Theater in Beijing. [For China Daily]

Dancer-choreographer Liu Yan staged her debut directorial dance drama Jing Yan on June 18 at the Century Theater in Beijing. [For China Daily]

Dancer-choreographer Liu Yan staged her debut directorial dance drama Jing Yan on June 18 at the Century Theater in Beijing. [For China Daily]

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua)  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.

(Source: Xinhua)
Li Ruiqin displays a mushroom growing kit made from a tree branch at a greenhouse in Hotan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [For China Daily/Xing Wen]

A tall, vibrant woman with short black hair hands visitors the mushrooms she has just picked from the growing kits arrayed on greenhouse shelves, proudly explaining the cultivation process.

The sense of confidence about what she does is such that one can barely tell she is 70 years old.

The woman, Li Ruiqin, wears many hats, including founder of a winery, president of a technology company focusing on edible mushroom cultivation and influential vlogger.

She began to develop a vineyard in the Gobi Desert and run a winery at the age of 47, began to post videos of herself online at 67 and embarked on mushroom production at 69.

It's never too late to start doing what you want to do, is the motto Li applies to her life.

In 1972, the then 21-year-old traveled by bus and train from her hometown, a village in Laizhou in East China's Shandong Province, to a village in Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to marry.

After that, she made a living by successively working on the land and being an accountant for the village.

Following the launch of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, Li decided to start her own business by opening a brickyard, and later a leather factory, in the 1980s.

"It was in 1997 that the trend of drinking wine suddenly swept across the country, which encouraged me to venture into making it," recalled Li.

The long hours of sunshine in Xinjiang are conducive to growing quality grapes, so Li decided to turn large tracts of wasteland in the Gobi Desert around Qigexing Town in Yanqi into vineyards, and in the early 2000s, she founded the XiangDu Winery.

Over the following two decades, the company not only expanded the vineyard to around 2,600 hectares, but also planted more than 3 million trees to protect against the wind.

In 2018, a few young employees encouraged Li to set up a social media account called "Nanny Li in Xinjiang", on short-video platforms Douyin and Sina Weibo. The videos show her picking apricots, mulberries, jujubes and other agricultural produce that abound in Xinjiang, cooking local delicacies such as dapanji, or braised chicken with potato and green pepper, and zhuafan, or fried rice with mutton and carrots, and guiding the viewers around bazaars, museums and other tourist attractions across the region.

The diverse cultural elements she shows and her common touch have garnered nearly 170,000 subscribers on Douyin and more than 260,000 followers on Sina Weibo.

"I know that some people from outside the region might have concerns about Xinjiang. I just want to show the real situation here. Xinjiang is a place that boasts picturesque scenery, diverse cultures and a stable, harmonious social environment," said Li.

Last year, the veteran entrepreneur made another bold move into a new field-mushroom cultivation.

As Xinjiang's Hotan Prefecture has an adequate labor force, a climate favorable to mushroom cultivation and an improved business environment, Li decided to found a technology company there to focus on mushroom production. The company has factory buildings covering more than 40,000 square meters and 1,500 greenhouses, and it has become the largest mushroom industry park in Xinjiang involved in the cultivation, processing and distribution of mushrooms.

The company purchases branches cut by fruit growers as the growing medium for the mushroom kits, which helps increase the income of the fruit growers, and employs 1,370 people, considerably stimulating employment in the area.

(Source: China Daily)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 22:33:32|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on May 16, 2021 shows an overview of the first berth of Lamu Port in Kenya. (Xinhua/Cui Weibao)

The inauguration of the first berth of the Lamu Port in May has raised some traders' hope and confidence in business. The port will become part of Kenya's bid to become the major trade hub in East Africa.

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.

Staff members unload cargo at the new harbor of Lamu Port in Kenya, on May 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Nanfang)

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. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 23:47:18|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson said Monday that Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority is harming the lives and health of the Taiwan people by conducting its political manipulation over vaccines.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks when commenting on the United States recently providing COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan.

As of Monday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the island has reached 14,080, with 569 deaths, said Ma. "We are very worried about the epidemic situation in Taiwan, and the health and safety of Taiwan compatriots."

Ma said that the mainland has repeatedly expressed its willingness to help Taiwan compatriots overcome the epidemic and to provide mainland-developed COVID-19 vaccines which have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use.

But it is regrettable that the DPP authority, disregarding the lives and health of the Taiwan people and ignoring the mainland's good faith, has been politicizing the vaccines and continued its political manipulation, which leads to Taiwan compatriots having no access to safe, effective and sufficient vaccines from the mainland, said Ma. 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| 2021-06-22 02:45:25|Editor: huaxia

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Nicholas Haysom, the UN secretary-general's special representative for South Sudan and head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, briefs the Security Council on the situation in South Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 21, 2021. Nicholas Haysom on Monday reported progress in South Sudan and voiced concern over the security situation in the country. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The top UN envoy in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, on Monday reported progress in South Sudan and voiced concern over the security situation in the country.

In May, the government established a task force to oversee and coordinate transitional justice and other judicial reforms. President Salva Kiir reconstituted the national legislature and appointed 550 new members. Later in the month, President Kiir, with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in attendance, officially launched the permanent constitution-making process in Juba, he noted.

"Drafting a national constitution is a quintessential act of sovereignty. It expresses the highest aspirations of a nation and its most cherished values. An inclusive national conversation will lay a foundation for a social contract between the citizens of the country. An engaged and inclusive process will increase the probability of a durable peace," he told the Security Council in a briefing.

The Republic of South Sudan will mark its 10th anniversary as an independent state on July 9. International commitment to supporting South Sudan 10 years ago remains as important and as urgent today as the world's youngest nation strives to deliver peace and security to its citizens, he said.

Despite the progress, the overall implementation of the Revitalized Agreement is progressing slowly. The formation of the legislature remains incomplete. The constitution of the Council of States and the nomination of the legislative assembly speaker are pending, said Haysom.

Similarly, transitional security arrangements remain behind schedule. The formation and graduation of the Unified Forces is a critical element of South Sudan's transition intended to prevent the intractable relapse into conflict. Troops continue to suffer in cantonment and training sites without adequate shelter, health care, and food. It is, therefore, important that the precondition of a coherent command and control structure is finalized, followed by the graduation of the forces, he said.

Haysom expressed grave concern over the dire security situation in the country.

"I would like to highlight the pervasive insecurity, in particular intercommunal violence, which continues to obstruct the realization of a durable and sustainable peace in South Sudan. This year, more than 80 percent of civilian casualties were attributed to intercommunal violence and community-based militias."

Despite the efforts of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to maintain peace, weak or absent state governance institutions throughout South Sudan have enabled spoilers to exploit perennial communal and ethnic cleavages. Entrenched insecurity has hindered the cultivation of crops and has contributed to a vicious cycle of livestock raiding. Many communities are dangerously short of food supplies. Meanwhile, in the Equatorias, the National Salvation Front and the South Sudan People's Defense Forces remain engaged in intermittent armed conflict, he said.

Worryingly, weakened rule of law institutions and economic deterioration have led to increased criminality and targeting of humanitarian workers. This year alone, four humanitarian workers have been killed, and millions of dollars of humanitarian supplies looted or destroyed. The callous and indiscriminate killing of humanitarian workers is deplorable, said Haysom, who also heads UNMISS. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 09:19:53|Editor: huaxia

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HAVANA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's banking system stopped accepting cash deposits in U.S. dollars starting Monday, a measure announced by the government 10 days ago to tackle the impact of new sanctions imposed on the island as part of the long-running U.S. trade embargo.

The move was necessary since Cuban banks were barred more than a year ago from making U.S. dollar deposits at international banks, the Central Bank of Cuba said in a statement.

"The provision does not restrict operations carried out by transfers, or cash deposits of other freely convertible currencies accepted in Cuba and is only applicable to the U.S. dollar (in cash)," the bank said.

How long the measure will remain in place depends on the sanctions, which prevent the normal functioning of export transactions in U.S. dollars, the bank added.

The trade embargo, which has been in place since 1962, was intensified by the former U.S. administration of Donald Trump, which imposed more than 240 sanctions and restrictions, including the suspension of remittances to Cuba. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 09:45:35|Editor: huaxia

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LIMA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Peru's government has dispatched health brigades to the southwest region of Arequipa to combat the Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 and a rise in cases in the region.

"Two cases of the Delta variant have been detected so far, which as we know is a much more contagious variant than previous variants of the virus," Peruvian Health Minister Oscar Ugarte said.

"The Ministry of Health has sent brigades of doctors and nurses to reinforce the work at the main hospitals," Ugarte added.

Technical groups and specialists have also been sent to reinforce the vaccination campaign in the city, which is located some 966 km south of the capital Lima.

On Friday, the government of President Francisco Sagasti ordered the quarantine of the Arequipa region and raised its health status to "extreme alert."

Peru has so far registered 2,029,625 COVID-19 cases and 190,425 deaths from the disease, according to the Health Ministry. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 12:16:00|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 13:15:31|Editor: huaxia

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This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). How much do China's young people know about the CPC? What do they think of CPC members? Find out what Chinese university students have to say.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 14:59:30|Editor: huaxia

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A man is arrested in Mandalay, Myanmar, June 22, 2021. Eight armed men were arrested and eight others dead in Myanmar's Mandalay region on Tuesday morning, according to a release from the State Administration Council's Information Team. (State Administration Council of Myanmar/Handout via Xinhua)

YANGON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Eight armed men were arrested and eight others dead in Myanmar's Mandalay region on Tuesday morning, according to a release from the State Administration Council's Information Team.

Handmade mines, hand grenades and small weapons were seized along with the armed men, the release said.

The clashes took place after the security forces acting on a tip-off raided a house in Chanmyathazi township this morning, the release said.

According to the release, four armed men were killed and some security forces got major injuries as the security forces returned fires against the armed men.

Meanwhile, some armed men in a car attacked the security personnel and ran away in the same township.

Four armed men were later captured dead after the car hit an electricity transformer, the release said.

The release said that more detailed information will further be released. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 15:14:59|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has encouraged overseas students at Peking University to gain a deeper understanding of China as it really is, urging them to share their thoughts and experiences with more people and play an active role in promoting friendship between the peoples of all countries.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks Monday in his reply letter to 45 representatives of overseas students from 32 countries who are studying at Peking University.

"To understand today's China, one must understand the CPC," Xi wrote in the letter.

"You mentioned that the CPC has committed itself to developing the economy, eradicating poverty and actively assisting other countries in fighting COVID-19," said Xi. "The CPC is committed to these aims because it is a political party that strives for both the well-being of the Chinese people and human progress."

"Seeing is believing," said Xi, inviting overseas students to visit more parts of the country.

The 45 representatives of overseas students recently wrote a letter to Xi, sending their best wishes ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

In the letter, they conveyed the thoughts and experiences they have had while studying and living in China, and expressed their appreciation of the achievements China has made under the CPC's leadership, as well as their recognition of the CPC's people-centered philosophy of development. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 16:16:22|Editor: huaxia

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Serbia's National Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic, also president of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), speaks during a interview with Xinhua in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 12, 2021. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua)

BELGRADE, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Over the past 100 years, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has experienced twists and turns and withstood tests, but its commitment to achieving China's independence, social progress and people's happiness has never changed, Serbia's National Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Dacic, also president of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) in the Serbian ruling coalition, said the CPC has made the country's progress exemplary to the whole world and its leadership has united the country to overcome COVID-19 and eliminate poverty.

Dacic, then Serbia's first deputy prime minister and foreign minister, visited China in late February last year when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out.

Amid China's all-out effort to combat COVID-19, Serbia stood firmly with China because it considers China one of its closest friends, Dacic said.

Recalling the visit, which he said enabled him to witness China's endeavors to fight COVID-19, Dacic said that China made immense efforts to overcome the pandemic and achieved great results in a very short time.

Apart from protecting its own population from the epidemic, China has also assisted other countries in tackling the virus, said Dacic, expressing his gratitude to China for its support during the pandemic.

Dacic noted China has also won the battle against poverty under the leadership of the CPC as it "managed to mobilize all of its intellectual and material resources to solve the problem."

Speaking of the achievements of the CPC, Dacic said he was sure that in the years ahead, the party would continue to lead China to achieve lasting prosperity and pursue happiness for the people. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 17:00:44|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 1,600 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya, the International Organization for Migration said Monday.

"In the period of 13-19 June, 1,594 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," the organization said.

In 2021, 14,388 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while 194 died and 492 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the organization.

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| 2021-06-22 18:07:41|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday issued detention warrants against 132 military personnel over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016.

Local police launched simultaneous operations in 40 provinces to arrest the suspects, upon the order of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the western city of Izmir, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.

Prosecutors concluded that those targeted in the operations, including on-duty soldiers, have suspected connections with the network headed by U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

So far, 94 of them have been detained, Anadolu said.

The Turkish government blames Gulen and his network for masterminding the coup bid in July 2016, in which 250 people were killed. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 18:38:07|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in Khartoum has offered a batch of aid materials to the Sudan Acrobatic Troupe.

At the handover ceremony held on Monday, Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Ma Xinmin expressed his confidence in the two countries' friendship.

"Today, the donation made by the Chinese embassy in Sudan to the Sudan Acrobatic Troupe embodies China's best wishes to the troupe for a more flourishing future," Ma said.

"It also manifests our ardent expectation to pass on the bilateral friendship from generation to generation. We are convinced that with good care and great contribution from various circles in China and Sudan, the blossom of China-Sudan friendship is bound to endure," he said.

For his part, the second undersecretary of Sudan's Culture and Information Ministry Graham Abdel-Ghader hailed the bilateral ties between the two countries.

The Sudan Acrobatic Troupe has been popular since its establishment in 1971 and some acrobats were trained in China, Abdel-Ghader said. "The trainees received exercises in musical performance, acrobatic skills and Chinese language." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 18:39:19|Editor: huaxia

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Hong Kong residents celebrate the passage of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Causeway Bay of south China's Hong Kong, June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

"No freedom is boundless, nor can it go beyond the bottom line of national security, as is clearly stipulated in relevant international covenants," said the spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the UN at Geneva.

GENEVA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The remarks made by the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights on Hong Kong and Xinjiang related issues at the Human Rights Council on Monday were "erroneous" and "in disregard of facts," and interfered in China's internal affairs, said the spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the UN at Geneva.

"China is firmly opposed to the remarks," said the spokesperson Liu Yuyin, adding that it is China's sovereign right to enact and implement the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

"The law has provided a strong institutional and legal guarantee to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in Hong Kong as well as the steady and sustained implementation of 'one country, two systems,'" Liu said.

"Since the National Security Law came into force, Hong Kong has seen a momentous transition from chaos to peace. Hong Kong citizens no longer live under the threat of turmoil and violence, and can better exercise their legitimate rights and freedoms in a safe environment, including the freedom of expression, the freedom of the press and the freedom to publish," he said.

"No freedom is boundless, nor can it go beyond the bottom line of national security, as is clearly stipulated in relevant international covenants," the diplomat said. "Hong Kong is a society under the rule of law. Everyone is equal before the law and no one can rise above the law. Those who violate the law will inevitably be held accountable."

Tourists enjoy themselves along Duku Highway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Han)

Speaking of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Liu argued that at present, Xinjiang enjoys social stability and economic prosperity, and people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang lead a safe and enjoyable life and their human rights are fully protected.

However, "certain countries and forces, out of political motives, spread shameless lies about Xinjiang in an attempt to tarnish China's image, interfere in China's internal affairs and retard China's development," Liu added. "Their plots will not prevail."

The spokesperson said China welcomes the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit China including Xinjiang. "We have made our position very clear on several occasions that such a visit should be a friendly one aimed at promoting exchanges and cooperation, rather than making the so-called 'investigation' under the presumption of guilt."

"I would like to stress again that Hong Kong and Xinjiang are inalienable parts of Chinese territory. The Hong Kong and Xinjiang related issues are China's internal affairs which brook no interference by any external forces. China stands firmly in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests and opposing any external interference," Liu said.

He urged the High Commissioner to respect Chinese people's right to pursue a better life, stop making erroneous remarks which interfere in China's sovereignty and judicial independence, and conduct constructive dialogue and exchanges with China so as to create a sound atmosphere for cooperation between the two sides. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 18:53:41|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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MOSCOW -- Russia has logged 16,715 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 5,350,919, the country's monitoring and response center said Tuesday.

On Monday, with the highest daily increase in fatalities since Feb. 11, the national death toll rose by 546 to 130,347, while recoveries grew by 11,117 to 4,889,450.

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KABUL -- Afghanistan recorded 2,202 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the total tally to 107,957, the Ministry of Public Health said.

The government-run and private laboratories conducted 5,499 tests in the past 24 hours, with 2,202 of them being positive with the virus, the ministry said in a graph providing daily COVID-19 figures.

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JAKARTA -- The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 13,668 within one day to 2,018,113, with the death toll adding by 335 to 55,291, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, 8,375 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 1,810,136.

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BEIJING -- Nearly 1.05 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China as of Monday, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.

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ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia reported 2,231 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, raising the national caseload to 98,050, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Fourteen more fatalities were reported in the past day, bringing the nationwide death toll to 477, the ministry said in a statement, adding that 886 more patients recovered, taking the total recoveries to 64,354.

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QUITO -- Ecuador reported on Monday 192 new COVID-19 infections and 10 more deaths in the past 24 hours, to reach an accumulated 446,633 cases and 15,713 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The province of Pichincha led in new infections in the last day with 37, of which 35 were registered in the capital Quito, the epicenter of the pandemic in the South American country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 18:54:34|Editor: huaxia

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Chen Xi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, delivers a speech while presiding over an oath-taking ceremony attended by representatives of new Party members in Beijing, capital of China, June 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Chen Xi presided over an oath-taking ceremony for new Party members in Beijing on Tuesday.

In his speech at the ceremony, Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Organization Department, congratulated the new members on joining the Party at its centenary.

Chen urged the new members to remain mindful of the oaths they had taken, align their thoughts with the Party's principles and remain loyal to the Party.

They should also dedicate themselves to the cause of serving the people, shoulder their due responsibilities, and strive to be role models in their lines of work, added Chen.

The ceremony, held at the Museum of the CPC, was attended by more than 1,000 representatives of new Party members from all walks of life in Beijing.

Similar oath-taking activities were also held on Tuesday in Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangxi, among other locations. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 19:42:20|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on April 20, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"They (Chinese companies) are developing even more futuristic technologies that will leave American competitors scrambling."

NEW YORK, June 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. ban on Chinese makers of surveillance cameras and other hardware is diverting focus from the future and diminishing America's ability to remain a global technology leader, said an opinion piece published on Bloomberg's website.

Chinese companies "are not standing still," Anjani Trivedi, a columnist with Bloomberg, wrote in the article published by Bloomberg on Saturday.

"They are developing even more futuristic technologies that will leave American competitors scrambling," it added.

A woman walks past a poster at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to advance a plan to ban surveillance equipment from Chinese firms on the basis of so-called national security.

The attempt to eliminate the existing equipment and electronic cameras on U.S. street corners, schoolyards and local government facilities, said the article, "will be more disruptive than proactive."

A visitor experiences a 5G smart phone at the booth of Huawei at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

"For one thing, there are not many better alternatives, and looking for new products or phasing out old ones will be a long process that would not necessarily undo any alleged damage to privacy or security, if there has been any at all," it said.

In addition, the report continued, "over the past few years, various U.S. government departments have tried to shut out Chinese companies through similar restrictions. Rather than waiting around for narrow paths of overseas revenue to open up, these firms have simply moved on." 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 19:45:17|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on June 22, 2021 shows an exterior view of the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

-- The Museum of the Communist Party of China (CPC), a site devoted to permanent and comprehensive exhibitions of the Party's history, was inaugurated on Friday with its first visitors, including Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

-- Believing that the Party's history is the most vivid and convincing textbook, the CPC Central Committee, with Xi Jinping at its core, decided to build a museum of the CPC's history in late 2017.

-- On May 5, 2021, after nearly 1,000 days of construction, the Museum of the CPC was officially completed. Details of the museum are full of historic connotations.

BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Museum of the CPC has opened in Beijing, capturing the attention of the country.

The museum, a site devoted to permanent and comprehensive exhibitions of the Party's history, was inaugurated on Friday with its first visitors, including Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Why is the new landmark museum described as the Party's "spiritual home"? Why is it so important to the centennial CPC?

Scattered throughout China, revolutionary sites such as the memorial of the first National Congress of the CPC in Shanghai, the memorial hall marking the start of the Long March by the Central Red Army in Jiangxi Province, the venue of the 1935 Zunyi Meeting in Guizhou Province, and the Fragrant Hills memorial site in suburban Beijing, map out the contours of the CPC's 100-year history.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has been reflecting on the Party's founding mission during his inspections of revolutionary memorials across China in a bid to lead the Party and the country to create the future.

People wait to visit the memorial of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in Shanghai, east China, June 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

Believing that the Party's history is the most vivid and convincing textbook, the CPC Central Committee, with Xi Jinping at its core, decided to build a museum of the CPC's history in late 2017.

The first issue is to select a site.

A piece of land reserved for cultural sites near Beijing Olympic Park was chosen, taking into consideration its location, the height of the building and the surrounding environment.

Shao Weiping, chief architect of the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd., was informed about the museum project at the beginning of 2018.

"As an architect as well as a Party member, I was very excited to have the chance to participate in such an important project," said Shao.

A design team was soon established by the company to draft the proposal.

Seven top-level domestic architectural design institutes bid for the commission.

Shao's company, renowned for designing the Great Hall of the People more than 60 years ago, emerged victorious and became the museum's leading design institute.

The museum's groundbreaking ceremony was held on Aug. 26, 2018, and construction began on Sept. 10 of the same year.

Photo taken on May 20, 2019 shows a memorial hall marking the start of the Long March by the Central Red Army in Yudu County, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chenhuan)

"We turned our love of the Party into motivation for the construction work, regardless of the heat of summer and the cold of winter," said Wang Heng, project manager of the Beijing Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd.

The museum's construction involved nearly 50,000 people.

Xi himself has been following the construction process.

On the afternoon of Sept. 29, 2020, Xi listened to a work report on engineering construction and museum exhibitions, and outlined clear requirements for the next step.

Xi stressed the importance of demonstrating the theme of "staying true to the founding mission" to show that the CPC strives for the well-being of the people and national rejuvenation.

The museum should be a sacred hall, a spiritual home for Party members, an educational center to guide the public to follow the Party's instructions, and an authoritative institute for Party history research and publicity, Xi said.

On Feb. 8, 2021, Xi also presided over a meeting to review the Party history exhibition plan.

The meeting stressed that representative and convincing elements should be used to clearly explain the historical background of the founding of the CPC, the historical inevitability of the Chinese people choosing the leadership of the CPC, and the Party's adherence to integrity, innovation and progressing with the times.

People visit the venue of the 1935 Zunyi Meeting in southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

On May 5, 2021, after nearly 1,000 days of construction, the Museum of the CPC was officially completed.

Details of the museum are full of historic connotations.

The museum is in the shape of the Chinese character "gong," which looks like a horizontal H. "Gong" means workers or labor in Chinese. The design implies that the CPC is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, the Chinese people, and the Chinese nation.

The museum adopts a traditional colonnade structure, fully representing the essence of Chinese architecture: upright and foursquare, simple but grand.

There are 28 colonnades on the eastern and western sides of the exhibition hall, symbolizing that after 28 years of struggle, the CPC established New China.

Five magnificent sculptures stand in the museum's square, with the huge CPC flag sculpture aptly named "Flag" denoting that the CPC flag offers direction and is a source of strength. In the four other sculptures, a total of 276 figures tell the story of the CPC's 100-year struggle for the well-being of the Chinese people and national rejuvenation.

Nearly two-thirds of the main building area, or about 150,000 square meters, has been designed as exhibition space.

In the exhibition hall, a special post office is set up to serve visitors and tell CPC history through its services, using a special postcode "100100" that not only symbolizes that the museum was completed upon the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, but also that the CPC is marching forward toward its two centenary goals. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 19:54:51|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Seventeen Taliban militants were killed and 11 others wounded during a military operation on the outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry confirmed.

Among the killed militants was a Taliban divisional commander Qari Khalid, the ministry said in a statement.

Some of Taliban's weapons and ammunition were also destroyed, according to the statement.

The northern Afghan provinces have been the scene of heavy battles in recent days as Taliban militants have been trying to capture control of key cities in the region.

Violence lingers in war-torn Afghanistan as troops of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continue withdrawing from the country.

About 3,500 U.S. forces and 7,000 NATO troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan before Sept. 11, the day which is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into war in Afghanistan. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 20:36:12|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The spokesman for Iran's government on Tuesday condemned what he called U.S. "interventionist" stance on the recent presidential election in Iran.

During his weekly press conference, Ali Rabiee said that "these remarks (by U.S. officials) are an example of interference in the internal affairs of Iran."

"We condemn them," he added.

Rabiee made the remarks in a reaction to the U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price's comments on Monday who said that Washington considers the process for election of Ebrahim Raisi as Iran's president as "pretty manufactured."

U.S. government is in no position to comment on the presidential elections in Iran, Rabiee said, adding that the U.S. democracy is "flawed."

Iranian Judiciary Chief Raisi won Iran's presidential race by securing over 60 percent of votes, the Iranian Interior Ministry announced Saturday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 21:22:35|Editor: huaxia

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Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, holds talks with Serbian National Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic via video link in Beijing, capital of China, June 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu on Tuesday held talks with Serbian National Assembly Speaker Ivica Dacic via video link, during which both sides pledged to enhance exchanges between legislative bodies.

Li, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that in the process of striving for their respective national independence and realizing national development, China and Serbia have forged a profound friendship. Under the leadership of both leaders, the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership has developed in an in-depth manner and reached an unprecedented high level.

China stands ready to work with Serbia to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and promote greater development of bilateral relations, Li said.

He called on the two countries to strengthen mutual political support, firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, carry out anti-pandemic cooperation, work together to overcome the pandemic, promote practical cooperation in various fields, jointly build the projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, and expand exchanges on culture, education and sports.

Li noted that the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) is a new type of cross-regional cooperation mechanism jointly created by China and the CEEC including Serbia, which promotes the common development of both sides. It is hoped that the two sides will fully implement the outcomes of the China-CEEC summit.

NPC stands ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the Serbian National Assembly and contribute to the development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, Li said, adding that the two sides should maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, intensify exchanges between special committees, friendship groups and representatives, strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral parliamentary organizations, and work together to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Dacic said Serbia firmly upholds the one-China principle and supports the Belt and Road Initiative. He expressed his gratitude to China for its important support in the prevention and control of the epidemic.

The National Assembly of Serbia is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with the NPC of China to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, Dacic said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 21:24:41|Editor: huaxia

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A light show has been held on the Great Wall in Beijing's Yanqing District, to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

The show, held on Monday, used large-scale light installations integrated with video images to show the 100-year history of the Party and the development of New China.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 21:38:53|Editor: huaxia

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by Keren Setton

JERUSALEM, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned world leaders of returning to the nuclear agreement during his first cabinet meeting held earlier this week, referring to Iran's president-elect Ebrahim Raisi as a hardliner.

"Raisi's election is, I would say, the last chance for the world powers to wake up before returning to the nuclear agreement ... (Iran) must never be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction," he said in Jerusalem.

In recent weeks, world powers have been engaged in talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The original deal gave Iran sanctions relief in return for restrictions on its nuclear program.

Considering Iran as an arch-enemy, Israel had strongly opposed the deal. In 2018, former U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the deal was satisfactory to Israel. While Iran has repeatedly said its nuclear aspirations are not for military purposes, the reprieve it received allowed it to progress with the program.

Israel has vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. In recent years, it is believed Israel has been behind attacks targeting Iranian nuclear plants and weapon convoys throughout the Middle East. For most attacks, Israel has not commented on its role. In a recent TV interview, the outgoing Mossad intelligence chief alluded his country was behind several attacks.

Reports from Iran on Sunday said the country's nuclear power plant was shut down due to an emergency, and the untold cause further raised speculation.

As the sixth round of talks ended in Vienna seems to be headed to a conclusion with a new agreement, Israel is faced with a dilemma.

"For Israel, no deal is better than any deal with Iran. But the alternative policy that Israel advocates for, huge pressure and no talks, was tested during the Trump administration and amounted to an abject failure," said Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at the Crisis Group.

Headed by a new government, Israel will be likely to handle its disagreement with the United States behind closed doors.

During his first phone conversation with Bennett, U.S. President Joe Biden said both sides "would consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran."

"Israel is very concerned about how the agreement is going to look like," said Or Rabinowitz, an expert on nuclear proliferation at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. "Israel is trying to create communication channels with the Biden administration and explain its fundamental concerns."

Israeli Chief of the General Staff Aviv Kochavi was in the United States earlier this week and held a series of meetings there as part of this attempt. According to a statement released by the Israeli Defense Forces, he emphasized the shortcomings of the current agreement that "will allow Iran to make significant progress."

According to Rabinowitz, Israel is worried about how to deal with the progress Iran has already made in the years when the agreement was not in place, both in technological know-how and its advanced centrifuges.

In 2012, it was widely reported that then Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu contemplated a pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, while it was never taken. Bennett and senior Israeli military officers have repeatedly said Israel would do what is necessary to defend itself.

"It's highly unlikely unless ... Iran's nuclear program reaches a point of no return. Also, Israel's fragile coalition might not survive a risky military action that could easily spiral into a region-wide conflict," said Vaez.

"Israel's policy of trying and continuing to sabotage the Iranian nuclear program will not change," Rabinowitz told Xinhua. "The tone towards the Biden administration will improve and the dialogue will improve."

The change of leadership in Iran might also push for negotiating on signing an agreement before Raisi taking office in August. For various reasons, Raisi is expected to take a tougher stance than his predecessor, current President Hassan Rouhani.

"Ultimately, what is stopping Iran from a nuclear bomb is a political decision, not lack of technological capabilities," said Rabinowitz. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 22:08:16|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon and Zimbabwe agreed on Tuesday to increase trade and cultural exchange between the two countries, a statement by Lebanon's Presidency reported.

"The Lebanese-Zimbabwean Friendship Association will work to build a wide network of relations between the two friendly countries in order to achieve common interests, support trade and cultural exchange, and enhance the role of the Lebanese community in Zimbabwe," said the association's vice president Mehdi Hassan during his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

"Our association and its efforts will be the cornerstone for establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries," Hassan added.

Aoun was briefed on the role that the association plays in strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.

The Lebanese president said the authorities are trying to revive the country's economy while calling on the Lebanese diaspora to play a role in this regard. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 22:08:27|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese mobile phone brands are seen in a cellphone store in Rabat, Morocco, on June 21, 2021. Chinese mobile phone brands are enjoying a ubiquitous presence in Morocco through service-friendly initiatives and high-tech products sold at affordable prices. (Photo by Chadi/Xinhua)

RABAT, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mobile phone brands are enjoying a ubiquitous presence in Morocco through service-friendly initiatives and high-tech products sold at affordable prices.

Companies like Huawei have an advantage in market competition, said Adhere Cavince, a researcher on China-Africa cooperation.

"Huawei has been at the heart of technological reforms and modernization of Africa's information technology sector for nearly three decades," Cavince explained.

In Morocco, Huawei is the third biggest phone provider, after Samsung and Apple, with a market share of over 15 percent, according to local statistics.

Vivo, a Chinese mobile phone brand that entered Morocco in July 2019, has emerged as a rising star in the North African country. In just two years, Vivo mobile phones have secured 5 to 10 percent of Morocco's market share, Wei Wenting, a representative from Vivo's Moroccan branch told Xinhua.

Wei said that the most popular Vivo cellphones are those sold for approximately 170 U.S. dollars.

For Jasper, a Dutch expat living in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, Chinese technology has become a crucial part of his life.

"As a student or a business starter, you often don't have money for the big fancy brands like Apple," he said.

"I began with buying small Chinese tech products that were not so expensive ... eventually I would buy the latest model of Chinese phones when they came out, feeling completely confident that you would get a great product at the price that would be at least a half of what you would pay for similar technology from a brand like Samsung or Apple," he said.

Henry Tugendhat, a policy analyst, said that in addition to price and function, Chinese mobile phones are competitive in terms of hiring and training local staff and local marketing.

Vivo said that for two days every month the company's three service centers offer customers accessories such as screen protectors and phone cases, and an opportunity to have their phones serviced -- all for free.

Huawei has come up with similar initiatives in Morocco. In early 2020, with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Huawei launched an online store offering free delivery, extended customer maintenance, and after-sales service at customers' homes.

In 2021, it partnered with Morocco's Ministry of Education to deliver free tablets to students living in rural areas.

Cavince said Huawei has been equally proactive in nurturing young tech talent in Africa. The company launched its "Huawei ICT Academy 2.0" initiative in 2020, which has seen more than 50,000 information and communication technology professionals trained in Morocco alone.

The company has also helped set up videoconferencing solutions for the Moroccan government to facilitate weekly governmental meetings, and has assisted health authorities in implementing artificial intelligence-based technology for COVID-19 diagnosis. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 22:24:34|Editor: huaxia

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LANZHOU, June 22 (Xinhua) -- An ancient Chinese culture dating back more than 5,000 years witnessed China's early exchanges with foreign countries, experts said.

A number of scholars expressed such views regarding the Majiayao culture at a recent symposium held in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province.

The Majiayao culture is in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and its tributaries. With more than 5,000 years of history, it forms a significant part of the origin of the Chinese civilization.

Swedish archaeologist Johan Gunnar Andersson first investigated these cultural ruins in 1924. In the 1940s, prominent Chinese archaeologist Xia Nai named the ruins the Majiayao culture, with glamorous painted pottery as its most striking feature.

This culture spread to Central Asia via China's Xinjiang, bringing millets from China to the west, said Han Jianye, a history professor with the Renmin University of China.

Decorations with Central Asian features also appeared on the painted pottery items in Majiayao, in addition to sheep and cattle from the west, Han added.

The Majiayao culture also had interactions with the Harappan culture of India. Similarities are clear from the items from the two sites, said Tang Huisheng, a professor from Hebei Normal University.

Some experts pointed out that the Majiayao culture also shares similarities with the Cucuteni-Tripolye culture at the western and the northern parts of the Black Sea regarding decorations and shapes of painted pottery ware.

"The two cultures thrived and declined around the same time," said Li Xinwei, a researcher from the Institute of Archaeology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "People from the two cultures also used pottery to make human head statues."

In recent years, efforts have been enhanced to protect the Majiayao culture by building thematic museums, organizing academic symposiums, and conducting more research. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 22:36:03|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Tuesday upgraded its emergency response for flood control from Level IV to Level III, in light of the severe situation on two major rivers in northeast China.

The water level in parts of the upper reaches of the Heilongjiang River has exceeded the warning level, while some sections have surpassed the safety guarantee level, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

The flood peak has also reached the warning level on the Nenjiang River in northeast China, said the ministry.

Two working groups and one expert group have been dispatched to Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia to assist local authorities with flood control and rescue.

Heavy rainfall will hit parts of China's southern region from Tuesday to Thursday, according to meteorological forecasts. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 23:13:39|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China's wealth will increase at a faster pace than that of the United States in the next five years, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday citing a wealth report.

China's millionaires will increase three times faster than those of the U.S. from 2020 to 2025, according to the Global Wealth Report published by Credit Suisse Research Institute.

"The rise of China's wealth in the past two decades is almost equal to the 80 years of growth of wealth in the U.S. from 1925 until 2005," Anthony Shorrocks, an economist and the report's author, was also quoted by the newspaper as saying on Tuesday.

China's rise in household wealth was mainly due to gains from the country's stock markets and housing prices, and the country had a better control on the pandemic, the report said.

China's economy grew 18.3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2021, as strong domestic and foreign demand powered a recovery from a low base in early 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 23:57:45|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI -- India's health ministry on Tuesday alerted the states of Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh on a new variant of COVID-19 called Delta Plus.

The ministry described Delta Plus as a Variant of Concern (VOC).

"Based on the recent findings of Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG), the health ministry has alerted and advised Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh regarding the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 being found in some districts in these states," the ministry said in a statement. (India-COVID-19-Delta Plus)

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KATHMANDU -- Nepal's Supreme Court on Tuesday annulled two cabinet expansions by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, dismissing 20 ministers including two deputy prime ministers from the cabinet.

Issuing an interim order, Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana and Justice Prakash Kumar Dhungana directed the government to relieve the ministers of their duties until a final verdict is delivered.

Responding to a writ petition, the court said the constitution of Nepal does not allow a caretaker prime minister to expand the cabinet. (Nepal-Cabinet-Supreme Court)

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PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia logged 678 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the national caseload to 44,124, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement.

The new infections included 620 local cases and 58 imported cases, the ministry said.

Eighteen more fatalities were confirmed, taking the overall death toll to 459, the ministry said, adding that 763 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 38,766. (Cambodia-COVID-19)

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HONG KONG -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that the recent actions taken by the Hong Kong police and Security Bureau of the HKSAR government against relevant personnel and organizations of Apple Daily are in accordance with the law.

Speaking ahead of the Executive Council meeting, Lam told a press briefing that the HKSAR government will not allow the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR to exist only in name and will take vigorous enforcement actions when applying it. (Hong Kong-Apple Daily-Chief Executive)

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BANGKOK -- Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to allow quarantine-free travel to the country's resort destination Phuket from July 1, government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said.

The plan, known as the "Phuket Sandbox," will allow international visitors to enter and travel freely on the island without quarantine, provided they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are from what the government deemed low- or medium-risk places. (Thailand-Phuket-Reopening) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 00:19:52|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday urged relevant countries to take concrete steps to address their serious human rights problems, according to a press release published on the ministry's website.

The statement came after the joint remarks made by 65 countries at the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in support of China's stance, opposing interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

While Canada, on behalf of some Western countries, has attacked and accused China on issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet, the above-mentioned 65 countries urged abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and opposed politicizing human rights issues and the application of double standards, as well as groundless accusations against China that are politically driven and based on disinformation.

The spokesperson said the call for justice at the UNHRC reflects the popular will of the international community and reveals the hypocrisy of a few Western countries in meddling in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

The aim of these countries is to suppress and contain China and impede China's development, the spokesperson said, adding, "This is doomed to fail."

The spokesperson said that China is determined to promote and protect human rights at home, as well as to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.

While these countries claim to be arbiters of human rights, they have turned a blind eye to their own serious human rights problems, the spokesperson said, citing appalling human rights violations by countries like Canada, the United States and Britain.

The spokesperson urged these countries to engage in serious self-reflection, take concrete measures to address their own serious human rights problems, abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations, and do good and practical deeds for the sound development of the international cause of human rights. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 00:26:56|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, June 22 (Xinhua) -- At least two people have been killed and four others seriously injured Tuesday following a dispute over land in Cameroon's Far North region, a government official said.

Jean Lazare Ndongo Ndongo, prefect of Logone-et-Chari division of the region, said that the feud flared early Tuesday in Makary subdivision after villagers of two rival communities paid a visit to the disputed parcel of land. A traditional leader and a notable were killed and scores of houses were set ablaze, he told local media.

"The situation is now under control. Culprits will be punished," Ndongo said, adding that government forces have been dispatched to the area to restore peace and order.

Authorities have asked the villagers to desist from using force to settle disputes in the subdivision where militants of terror group Boko Haram are reported to be active. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 00:27:27|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government has decided to reopen international flights for more foreign destinations and partially resume domestic flights, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

A cabinet meeting decided on Monday to allow flights to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, Buddhisagar Lamichhane, joint secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, told Xinhua.

The move came as the Kathmandu Valley went into lockdown for another week with eased restrictions on Tuesday, as new COVID-19 infections have declined for weeks in the Himalayan country amid a second wave of the pandemic.

Earlier, Nepal has reopened flights to India, China, Turkey and Qatar. Flight frequencies to Turkey and Qatar have been increased as per the new decision.

Lamichhane said his ministry would decide on Wednesday when the international flights for the new destinations would be allowed. "Possibly, international flights to new destinations will be allowed later this week or early next week," he added.

According to Nepal's cabinet decision, one to four flights a week have been allowed to and from different destinations.

Domestic flights have been suspended in Nepal since early May. Under the cabinet decision, domestic flights will be operated on the basis that no more than half of the total domestic flights in normal days will take place.

"Domestic flights may be allowed to resume from early next week," said Lamichhane.

In the case of China, the Nepali government has decided to allow two flights a week to Chengdu and Guangzhou respectively. Lamichhane said the destinations may be changed based on consultations with the Chinese side. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 00:36:41|Editor: huaxia

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UN secretary-general's envoy on Cyprus Jane Holl Lute (R) talks with Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades (L), who leads the Greek Cypriot community, at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 22, 2021. Lute on Tuesday pursued efforts to convene a conference on the Cyprus problem by having talks in Nicosia with the leaders of the estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. (PIO/Handout via Xinhua)

NICOSIA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General's envoy on Cyprus Jane Holl Lute on Tuesday pursued efforts to convene yet another conference on the Cyprus problem by having talks in Nicosia with the leaders of the estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.

Lute met with Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades, who leads the Greek Cypriot community, and later with Ersin Tatar, leader of the Turkish Cypriots.

Government spokesman Kyriakos Kousios said that Anastasiades told Lute he was ready both for a new conference and for negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot leader for a solution based on what has been agreed upon up to now and in line with the UN Security Council Resolutions.

Tatar said after meeting Lute that "the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots" will not come up for discussion at the negotiating table. Tatar leads a unilaterally declared state in the part of Cyprus controlled by Turkish troops since 1974, which is recognized only by Turkey.

The latest UN-led conference on Cyprus was held in Geneva in April with the aim of deciding the basis of negotiations to resolve the long-standing Cyprus problem.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said at the end of the Geneva meeting that "at the end of our efforts, we have not yet found enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations," and announced that he would convene another conference in the near future.

Before arriving in Nicosia, Lute had contacts with the so-called guarantor powers of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom. She is expected to report back to the Secretary-General on the outcome of her contacts.

Anastasiades has scheduled a meeting with Guterres on Friday on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, which the UN chief has been invited to attend. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 01:45:54|Editor: huaxia

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RIGA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made a visit to Riga on Tuesday, with Latvia's national recovery plan featuring high on the agenda, the Latvian governmental press service informed.

Von der Leyen's visit to Riga came on the day when the European Commission approved Latvia's plan for the absorption of 1.8 billion euros worth of EU funding from the bloc's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), intended to fuel the European Union's recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

The plan, which Latvia submitted to the European Commission on April 30, focuses on measures aimed at achieving climate goals, ensuring the digital transformation of the economy, reducing inequality, boosting productivity and strengthening the health sector and the rule of law.

Speaking at a news conference following talks with Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, the European Commission president praised Latvia's plan as balanced, noting that apart from the climate goals and digital transformation, the plan will also promote social inclusion and investing in human resources and skills.

She stressed reform of minimum income, investment in industrial enterprises and education, as well as affordable housing as the main preconditions for achieving greater social inclusion.

During her trip to Riga, von der Leyen also visited Riga Technical University where she met with students, researchers and academic staff and saw an exhibition of EU-funded projects. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 02:02:54|Editor: huaxia

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Screen image captured at the UN headquarters in New York, June 22, 2021 shows the UN Security Council holding a debate on Afghanistan via video teleconference. The UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan warned on Tuesday that the situation on the ground in the country is dire. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan warned on Tuesday that the situation on the ground in the country is dire.

"I cannot overstate to the council my concern regarding the present situation in Afghanistan. All of the major trends -- politics, security, the peace process, the economy, the humanitarian emergency, and COVID -- all of these trends are negative or stagnant," Deborah Lyons, the top UN envoy for Afghanistan, told the Security Council in a briefing.

"If there is a sense of hope, it indeed resides in a fact that previous worse-case predictions did not materialize. But the relentless spirit of the Afghans and their incredible resilience is being severely tested and the possible slide toward dire scenarios is undeniable," she said.

What happens in Afghanistan remains of global consequence and the Security Council needs to be fully informed of the gravity of the present situation, she added.

The mid-April announcement that all international troops will be withdrawn in the coming months sent a seismic tremor through the Afghan political system and society at large. The withdrawal decision was expected. But its speed -- with the majority of troops now already withdrawn -- was not. All actors have had to adjust to this new, reality that is unfolding, she said.

The withdrawal is one of four parts of the February 2020 agreement between the United States and the Taliban. The agreement generated hope that it would create the space for a peace to be made among Afghans. The foreign troops would be gone, and therefore, rather than fighting one another, Afghans would have the opportunity to come together and find a path to peace. But instead, actions on the battlefield have been far greater than progress at the negotiating table, said Lyons.

"And at this critical time, the Afghan public and the diplomatic community in Kabul have been alarmed at the lack of political unity among Afghanistan's political elite. While some of the shortcomings in government are part of a legacy of putting politics above governance, the lack of unity must be addressed or risks contributing to further Taliban territorial advances."

The United Nations is "cautiously encouraged" by recent moves by President Ashraf Ghani and his government and the other political leaders to come together to discuss pressing security issues and demonstrate unity. The real test, she said, will be on whether unity in Kabul serves to further reinforce the peace process and strengthen state institutions.

The Taliban are making big gains on the battlefield as a result of an intensified military campaign. More than 50 of Afghanistan's 370 districts have fallen since the beginning of May. Most districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn, she warned.

"For the Taliban to continue this intensive military campaign would be a tragic course of action. It would lead to increased and prolonged violence that would extend the suffering of the Afghan people and threaten to destroy much of what has been built and hard-won in the past 20 years. It should be emphatically clear that any efforts to install a militarily imposed government in Kabul would go against the will of the Afghan people, and against the stated positions of the regional countries and the broader international community."

Even without the conflict dynamics, Afghanistan would be a country facing multiple crises. Almost a third of Afghans face emergency levels of food insecurity, while this year's drought worsens, and internal displacements increase. The World Bank has estimated that, as a result of the conflict and the severe third wave of COVID-19, the drought, the weakened social fabric, and other factors, Afghanistan's poverty rate could rise from 50 percent to more than 70 percent. This frightening prospect highlights the importance of humanitarian aid provided from all countries. However, despite recent contributions, the 1.3 billion U.S. dollar humanitarian appeal for 2021 is still only 30 percent funded, she said.

As always, it is ordinary Afghans who pay the heaviest price. Civilian casualties increased by 29 percent in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year. Notably and sadly, women casualties increased by 37 percent and child casualties by 23 percent, she noted.

Lyons called for international support for peace in Afghanistan.

"There is still time, barely but still time, to prevent the worse-case scenario from materializing. Enough has been built in Afghanistan to allow further building -- if only there can be peace," she said, adding the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which she leads, is working with parties in Afghanistan and regional countries in this regard.

"One of UNAMA's key objectives during this period of uncertainty is to continue to work with all partners to ensure the continuity of those institutions that support the well-being of all Afghans. Any future government that results from a negotiation cannot start from nothing. It is my sincere hope that the Taliban understand this as much as the government in Kabul does," she said.

UNAMA is also working more closely and intensely with the regional countries, which share grave concerns about an extended and fragmented conflict in Afghanistan. These concerns include refugee flows, migrant movement, increased drug smuggling, terrorism, and lost opportunities for economic connectivity and mutually beneficial trade, she said.

"But these problems will not be relegated to the region alone. As we have all painfully learned, a fragmented conflict creates a more permissive environment for terrorist groups to recruit, finance, plan, and conduct operations with a global reach. We must accept the reality -- increased conflict in Afghanistan means increased insecurity for many other countries, near and far," she warned.

Any future government of Afghanistan will need, for itself and its citizens, international engagement and support. The contributions of donors will be essential to support the ongoing development and humanitarian needs. This is not the time to weaken the resolve of the international community, or, worse, to contribute even inadvertently to the ongoing signals of despair, she said.

"I have reassured Afghans that the UN will not abandon them and will stay the course. Certainly, every effort must be made now by all of us to avoid the country going down the path of more bloodshed and suffering. Surely there has been enough."

There is only one acceptable direction for Afghanistan: away from the battlefield and back to the negotiating table. The UN Security Council, with the support of the regional countries, must do all it can to push the parties in that direction, said Lyons.

"The tragic history of conflict needs not to repeat itself. But left to its own and our inertia it just might," she warned. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 02:43:34|Editor: huaxia

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A Palestinian man works at the main Gaza Post Office in Gaza City, on June 22, 2021. For the second day in a row, dozens of trucks loaded with agricultural goods and clothes arrived at the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. These goods from Gaza were allowed to be exported to the West Bank and Israel. On Monday, the Israeli authorities opened the only commercial crossing with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after a 40-day closure because of the military conflict between the Israeli army and the Palestinian armed factions in Gaza. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

GAZA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- For the second day in a row, dozens of trucks loaded with agricultural goods and clothes arrived at the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. These goods from Gaza were allowed to be exported to the West Bank and Israel.

On Monday, the Israeli authorities opened the only commercial crossing with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after a 40-day closure because of the military conflict between the Israeli army and the Palestinian armed factions in Gaza.

Agricultural goods and clothes are now the only items permitted for export, Palestinian officials told Xinhua.

The crossing's partial reopening enabled Ahmed Wadi, a resident of the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, to breathe a sigh of relief as it meant he could finally return to work.

The 35-year-old father of four earns his living by transporting fruits and vegetables through the crossing to either the West Bank or Israel.

"This crossing is our only source of livelihood. If it is closed or even partially opened, it will negatively affect our lives and those of the families we support," Wadi told Xinhua while standing next to his truck.

"We are unarmed people who have nothing to do with the political or military situation. All we seek is to live in safety and provide for our children," he said.

Wadi is not alone. More than 1,000 Gazans rely on the crossing for survival.

Riyad Yousef, a 52-year-old truck driver from the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, has been working relying on the crossing for more than 20 years.

"The situation at the crossing is deplorable. Only 200 to 300 trucks are now allowed to pass the crossing. Before the closure, more than 700 trucks crossed it per day," Yousef said.

It is worth noting that the Israeli authorities have also allowed the entry of postal parcels and passports into Gaza, according to Mahmoud al-Far, an official in the Ministry of Communications in Gaza.

Mahmoud Faraj, owner of the Marrakesh Express Mail and General Services Company in Gaza City, said about 3,000 Palestinian passports have arrived in Gaza since Monday.

"This amount is relatively large compared to what we received in normal times that did not exceed 300 passports per day," he said.

"The transfer of passports between Gaza and the West Bank is a humanitarian matter, and it is important that it is kept at bay from the political situation because it will end up affecting Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip," Faraj explained.

Other restrictions by Israel remain in place. They include restrictions on the zone for Gazan fishermen, a limit on the number of medical patients allowed to get treatment in Israel or the West Bank, and a ban on raw materials for Gazan industries.

Egypt brokered the cease-fire that went into effect on May 21, ending a round of heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas since 2014. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 03:48:32|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan security forces on Tuesday busted a cell linked to the Islamic State (IS) militant group and arrested four suspects aged between 22 and 28.

The cell was dismantled in the rural area of Sidi Zouine near the central city of Marrakech, said a statement by the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations, Morocco's intelligence bureau.

The cell's members planned to attack vital establishments and security sites in the North African country, the statement said.

Initial investigation revealed that they were recruiting children to spread their destructive and subversive ideas, it said.

The leader of the cell was planning to join the camps of IS in the Sahel region, the statement said.

Police seized many bladed weapons, including a welding machine, 50 kg of ammonium nitrate, 3 kg of potassium sulphate, 4 boxes of suspicious chemical powders, electrical wires, as well as many other materials, it said.

The arrested will be brought to justice upon the completion of the investigation under the supervision of the public prosecutor's office, the statement added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 03:50:17|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan security force members take part in a military operation in Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province, northern Afghanistan, April 10, 2021. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar/Xinhua)

"For the Taliban to continue this intensive military campaign would be a tragic course of action. It would lead to increased and prolonged violence that would extend the suffering of the Afghan people and threaten to destroy much of what has been built and hard-won in the past 20 years," the top UN envoy for Afghanistan warned.

UNITED NATIONS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan warned on Tuesday that the situation on the ground in the country is dire.

"I cannot overstate to the council my concern regarding the present situation in Afghanistan. All of the major trends -- politics, security, the peace process, the economy, the humanitarian emergency, and COVID -- all of these trends are negative or stagnant," Deborah Lyons, the top UN envoy for Afghanistan, told the Security Council in a briefing.

"If there is a sense of hope, it indeed resides in a fact that previous worse-case predictions did not materialize. But the relentless spirit of the Afghans and their incredible resilience is being severely tested and the possible slide toward dire scenarios is undeniable," she said.

What happens in Afghanistan remains of global consequence and the Security Council needs to be fully informed of the gravity of the present situation, she added.

The mid-April announcement that all international troops will be withdrawn in the coming months sent a seismic tremor through the Afghan political system and society at large. The withdrawal decision was expected. But its speed -- with the majority of troops now already withdrawn -- was not. All actors have had to adjust to this new, reality that is unfolding, she said.

The withdrawal is one of four parts of the February 2020 agreement between the United States and the Taliban. The agreement generated hope that it would create the space for a peace to be made among Afghans. The foreign troops would be gone, and therefore, rather than fighting one another, Afghans would have the opportunity to come together and find a path to peace. But instead, actions on the battlefield have been far greater than progress at the negotiating table, said Lyons.

Photo taken in Kunduz city, Afghanistan on May 26, 2021 shows people who were rescued by Afghan Special Forces from a Taliban detention center located in neighboring Baghlan province. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar/Xinhua)

"And at this critical time, the Afghan public and the diplomatic community in Kabul have been alarmed at the lack of political unity among Afghanistan's political elite. While some of the shortcomings in government are part of a legacy of putting politics above governance, the lack of unity must be addressed or risks contributing to further Taliban territorial advances."

The United Nations is "cautiously encouraged" by recent moves by President Ashraf Ghani and his government and the other political leaders to come together to discuss pressing security issues and demonstrate unity. The real test, she said, will be on whether unity in Kabul serves to further reinforce the peace process and strengthen state institutions.

The Taliban are making big gains on the battlefield as a result of an intensified military campaign. More than 50 of Afghanistan's 370 districts have fallen since the beginning of May. Most districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn, she warned.

"For the Taliban to continue this intensive military campaign would be a tragic course of action. It would lead to increased and prolonged violence that would extend the suffering of the Afghan people and threaten to destroy much of what has been built and hard-won in the past 20 years. It should be emphatically clear that any efforts to install a militarily imposed government in Kabul would go against the will of the Afghan people, and against the stated positions of the regional countries and the broader international community."

An Afghan policeman checks a man at a security checkpoint after Taliban seized an army base in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, May 1, 2021. (Str/Xinhhua)

Even without the conflict dynamics, Afghanistan would be a country facing multiple crises. Almost a third of Afghans face emergency levels of food insecurity, while this year's drought worsens, and internal displacements increase. The World Bank has estimated that, as a result of the conflict and the severe third wave of COVID-19, the drought, the weakened social fabric, and other factors, Afghanistan's poverty rate could rise from 50 percent to more than 70 percent. This frightening prospect highlights the importance of humanitarian aid provided from all countries. However, despite recent contributions, the 1.3 billion U.S. dollar humanitarian appeal for 2021 is still only 30 percent funded, she said.

As always, it is ordinary Afghans who pay the heaviest price. Civilian casualties increased by 29 percent in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year. Notably and sadly, women casualties increased by 37 percent and child casualties by 23 percent, she noted.

Lyons called for international support for peace in Afghanistan.

"There is still time, barely but still time, to prevent the worse-case scenario from materializing. Enough has been built in Afghanistan to allow further building -- if only there can be peace," she said, adding the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which she leads, is working with parties in Afghanistan and regional countries in this regard.

"One of UNAMA's key objectives during this period of uncertainty is to continue to work with all partners to ensure the continuity of those institutions that support the well-being of all Afghans. Any future government that results from a negotiation cannot start from nothing. It is my sincere hope that the Taliban understand this as much as the government in Kabul does," she said.

UNAMA is also working more closely and intensely with the regional countries, which share grave concerns about an extended and fragmented conflict in Afghanistan. These concerns include refugee flows, migrant movement, increased drug smuggling, terrorism, and lost opportunities for economic connectivity and mutually beneficial trade, she said.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani inspects the guard of honor as he attends Eid al-Fitr prayers at Presidential Palace in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, May 13, 2021. (Afghan President Palace/Handout via Xinhua)

"But these problems will not be relegated to the region alone. As we have all painfully learned, a fragmented conflict creates a more permissive environment for terrorist groups to recruit, finance, plan, and conduct operations with a global reach. We must accept the reality -- increased conflict in Afghanistan means increased insecurity for many other countries, near and far," she warned.

Any future government of Afghanistan will need, for itself and its citizens, international engagement and support. The contributions of donors will be essential to support the ongoing development and humanitarian needs. This is not the time to weaken the resolve of the international community, or, worse, to contribute even inadvertently to the ongoing signals of despair, she said.

"I have reassured Afghans that the UN will not abandon them and will stay the course. Certainly, every effort must be made now by all of us to avoid the country going down the path of more bloodshed and suffering. Surely there has been enough."

There is only one acceptable direction for Afghanistan: away from the battlefield and back to the negotiating table. The UN Security Council, with the support of the regional countries, must do all it can to push the parties in that direction, said Lyons.

"The tragic history of conflict needs not to repeat itself. But left to its own and our inertia it just might," she warned. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 04:09:11|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese diplomat on Tuesday called on countries to work together to promote international cooperation on human rights and uphold international justice.

Chen Xu, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG), made the remarks while delivering a joint statement on behalf of a group of countries at the ongoing 47th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Chen stressed that the work of the Human Rights Council shall be guided by the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, constructive international dialogue and cooperation, in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 60/251, which established this subsidiary body.

"We are gravely concerned about baseless accusations by certain countries using human rights as a means to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, severely violating the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, while turning a blind eye to their own serious human rights problems," he said.

Some countries, under the pretext of democracy and human rights, want to impose their own values and models on others, and even use human rights as an excuse for military intervention and unilateral coercive measures, which have brought untold sufferings to the people of other countries, he added.

"These severely undermine the sovereignty and political independence of other countries and international cooperation on human rights, which the international community should jointly oppose," he said.

Chen underlined that it is important to adhere to the principles of sovereign equality, practice true multilateralism, treat all human rights on an equal footing, and respect the human rights development paths independently chosen by countries in light of their national conditions.

"We also hope that the High Commissioner for Human Rights and OHCHR will keep functioning in accordance with GA resolution 48/141 and within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States," he concluded. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 04:25:28|Editor: huaxia

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SANTIAGO, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Chile on Tuesday began to vaccinate children aged 12 to 17 against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), President Sebastian Pinera said.

In a bid to achieve "herd immunity," this target group will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which was authorized by Chile's Public Health Institute (ISP) for use in this age range.

"The vaccine is voluntary, but we all have a moral obligation to vaccinate ourselves," Pinera said from La Moneda palace in the capital Santiago.

"If we do not get vaccinated, we are putting at risk the health of those we love the most: our families, loved ones, co-workers, our community," he added.

Various specialists have warned of an increase in COVID-19 infections among minors, as they are being admitted to hospitals more frequently compared to last year.

Some 21,385,816 doses of vaccines against COVID-19 have been administered in Chile, with 62.6 percent of the target population of 15 million people, or 80 percent of the populace, fully vaccinated to date.

The Chilean government hopes to fully immunize all 15 million by midyear. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 05:23:46|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the situation in Afghanistan and asked the international community to help the country overcome the many difficulties.

The current situation in Afghanistan is at a critical crossroads and the country is entering a stage of a new round of uncertainties. It appears that since the U.S. announcement of troops withdrawal in mid-April, the intra-Afghan negotiations have seen setbacks rather than progress. The security situation is deteriorating, and the economic and humanitarian situation has become increasingly precarious, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

"China is deeply concerned about this. We need to think hard about what caused the current situation in Afghanistan, and what is the way forward for Afghanistan to achieve durable stability and security in the next stage," he told the Security Council.

The future of Afghanistan should be in the hands of the Afghan people themselves, and the future political arrangement for the country should be decided independently by the Afghans. The international community should follow the principle of Afghan leadership and Afghan ownership, uphold fairness and justice, and contribute more positively to the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. No external forces shall be allowed to pursue narrow self-interests in Afghanistan and turn Afghanistan into an arena of a geopolitical game, he said.

All parties in Afghanistan should bear in mind the interests of the country and its people, work together to consolidate the gains in peace and reconstruction achieved in the past 20 years, and explore a governance model and development path that suits Afghanistan's national conditions, said Zhang.

Although the progress in intra-Afghan peace talks has been slow, they should not be allowed to fail. China hopes that all parties in the intra-Afghan peace talks can earnestly build consensus and set up a roadmap and timetable for reconciliation as soon as possible. China welcomes the resumption of contact between the Afghan negotiating team and Taliban delegation in Doha, and hopes that the two sides will resume a new round of negotiations as soon as possible. China stands ready to host an intra-Afghan dialogue at an appropriate time to facilitate and support peace talks, he said.

Peace talks need an enabling environment of peace and stability. At present, violence is prevalent in Afghanistan, with security incidents from February to May increasing by nearly 30 percent in comparison with the same period last year. China condemns all violent attacks against civilians and calls for a cease-fire and an end to violence as soon as possible. China welcomes the short-term cease-fire reached by the Afghan government and the Taliban during Eid al-Fitr and hopes that the two sides will create more favorable conditions to gradually expand the duration and the scope of the cease-fire.

The issue of the withdrawal of foreign troops remains the biggest external factor affecting the situation in Afghanistan for some time to come, said Zhang. "Foreign troops cannot come and go as they wish. China urges foreign forces to withdraw in a responsible and orderly manner, fully consult with the Afghan government on post-withdrawal arrangement, and enhance transparency with countries in the region to prevent the security situation from worsening, or even getting out of control."

Terrorism remains a severe challenge facing Afghanistan and regional countries. All parties should step up their efforts to fight terrorist organizations such as al-Qaida, the Islamic State, and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement to prevent the resurgence of terrorist forces. China firmly opposes any politicization of counterterrorism or double standards in this regard, he said.

Lasting peace cannot be achieved without the strong support of development. The international community should continue to support the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, help the country engage in regional cooperation, strengthen connectivity, and enhance its capacity for independent development.

There is a need to help Afghanistan implement the national peace and development framework 2021-2025, and solve a series of difficult problems such as drugs, poverty, and refugees. Developed countries should earnestly fulfill their commitments and continue to provide development and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, said Zhang.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has played an important role in supporting peace and reconstruction of Afghanistan. Its mandate expires in September this year. Under the current situation, there is great uncertainty in the future environment of UNAMA. The United Nations should continue to play its role on the Afghan issue. But the effective delivery of mandate cannot be achieved without security guarantees. Regarding the UN presence in Afghanistan after September, China requests the UN secretary-general to propose options for early consideration by the Security Council, he said.

As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, China has all along actively supported the peace process in Afghanistan and has been making efforts in this regard.

The memorandum of understanding between China and Afghanistan on Belt and Road cooperation is being implemented in an orderly manner. China has so far provided Afghanistan with grant aid worth billions of RMB yuan. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has provided multiple batches of anti-epidemic supplies and emergency food assistance to Afghanistan. Early this month, 700,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and other medical supplies arrived in Kabul, said Zhang.

China will do its utmost to continue a be a supporter, mediator and facilitator of the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan to help the country achieve peace, stability, development and prosperity at an early date, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-28 01:54:08|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi arrived in Djibouti on Thursday to hold talks with his Djiboutian counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh on regional issues and bilateral ties, said the Egyptian presidency.

It is the first visit ever by an Egyptian president to the Horn of Africa country.

The two leaders discussed the latest developments of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) built on the Nile River, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement.

Sisi and Guelleh agreed on "the importance of reaching a fair and balanced legal agreement on filling and operating the GERD in a way that achieves the interests of the three states, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, and preserves regional stability," Rady added.

The Djiboutian president praised Egypt's role in reaching the recent truce between Gaza-ruling Hamas movement and Israel following 11 days of clashes, which left at least 243 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead.

Both leaders agreed on the necessity of reviving the path of political settlement to reach a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in accordance with international references.

The talks also addressed ways of boosting bilateral relations between Cairo and Djibouti.

Guelleh highlighted the prospect for cooperation between the two countries in various fields, expressing his country's aspiration to increase the activity of the Egyptian private sector in Djibouti.

For his part, Sisi voiced Egypt's earnest desire to raise the level of bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields to the level of "strategic partnership," according to the Egyptian presidency. 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 09:46:48|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank is ready to finance Ghana's further COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the bank's country director for Ghana Pierre Laporte said here Monday.

Briefing the media on the stage of the bank's support to the West African country to overcome the pandemic, Laporte said the bank had already approved 130 million U.S. dollars to support the vaccine program.

He said the bank would like to provide vaccines for 13 million Ghanaians, which will boost the country's efforts to combat the pandemic and enhance its economic recovery.

He also stressed the availability of the vaccines to Ghanaians still depends on the Ghanaian government's ability to secure the vaccines from international sources.

"The sooner the vaccines are made available, the better, but that depends entirely on how fast the government can source the vaccines. On our part we have put the money on the table," added the World Bank official. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 09:58:51|Editor: huaxia

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KIGALI, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Rwandan government announced that movements between the capital city Kigali and the rest of the country will be prohibited from Wednesday except for essential services and goods transportation, as a response to the recent rise of COVID-19 infections.

The cabinet also decided to cut off movements between nationwide districts, said a cabinet communique issued by Office of the Prime Minister.

The curfew hours are extended by two more hours, starting from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., according to the communique.

"For the past 12 days, our country has recorded a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections. Rwandans need to remain vigilant and observe COVID-19 preventive guidelines," Sabin Nsanzimana, director general of Rwanda Biomedical Center, told Xinhua.

Rwandans have become complacent about COVID-19 preventive measures, which has led to a spike in infections and transmission rates, he noted.

The central African nation on Sunday reported 622 new cases, bringing the national tally to 31,435. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 20:00:56|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, June 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 persons were wounded when a locomotive crashed into a train in Egypt's north coastal city of Alexandria early on Tuesday, the country's health ministry said in a statement.

Some 27 ambulances have taken the wounded to three public hospitals in Alexandria, said the ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed.

The wounded suffered fractures, cuts and abrasions, Megahed added.

The incident came only a few hours after a train collided with two minibuses in Helwan City near the capital Cairo on Monday, which killed at least two people and injured six others.

The old infrastructure and poor management are believed to be blamed for frequent such accidents in Egypt. At least 20 people died and 199 others were injured on March 26 this year in a train crash in the country's southern province of Sohag. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 20:40:34|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Edwin Kamau secured a job as a mechanic in the gulf state of Qatar. He is set to join the growing number of Kenyans seeking greener pastures abroad.

The 27-year-old father of three was recruited last week by an employment agency based in Nairobi that takes job seekers to the Middle East after a rigorous screening process and is set to depart next month to start his new assignment.

Kamau has been working in a motor vehicle garage as a daily laborer for the past five years but his meager earnings are not sufficient to sustain his household. Kamau told Xinhua on Tuesday he decided to find work overseas after unsuccessful attempts to find employment in Kenya. "My plan is to send back part of my salary every month to my young family who will remain in Kenya," he said in Nairobi.

There has been a mushrooming of private employment firms in the country in order to cash in on the demand. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, there are an estimated four million Kenyans living and working abroad. Diaspora remittances is currently Kenya's highest foreign exchange earner exceeding revenues from tea, coffee, and tourism.

This year alone, the ministry said, the government has set a target to secure employment for over 30,000 Kenyans abroad. The bulk of Kenyans employed overseas are in the Middle East and Europe.

The National Employment Authority (NEA) said that by promoting the emigration of skilled and unskilled labor, the country stands to earn foreign exchange from Diaspora remittance that can be deployed to enhance the domestic economy.

NEA said that Kenya has already entered into a number of bilateral labor agreements with countries in the Middle East in order to facilitate labor migration and plans are also under way to sign similar agreements with countries in Europe.

The 28-year-old Norah Momanyi told Xinhua in Nairobi that she is also getting ready to fly to the United Arab Emirates after securing employment in the hospitality sector last month and is slated to begin working in July. Prior to getting the job in the Middle East, she was employed at a five-star hotel in Nairobi. Her target is to work for about five years and save enough money to start a business back in Kenya.

Harold Ochieng will also soon relocate to Qatar after securing employment as a construction worker in Qatar early this month. The father of two, who is set to depart in July, completed training in operating heavy machinery in a college located ot the outskirts of Nairobi three years ago and is keen to use his skills to provide for his family. He hopes to improve the fortunes of his family through the lucrative work contract he signed to work in the Middle East.

The ministry of labor observed that currently about 1.2 million Kenyans join the labor market every year but the formal and informal sectors only have the capacity to absorb some 800,000 annually. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 20:42:08|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Experts and policymakers, attending a poverty reduction-themed seminar, on Tuesday called on African countries to craft specific strategic cooperation endeavors towards replicating China's achievements in poverty alleviation.

The high-level seminar that was held virtually under the theme "China's Poverty Reduction Practice Supports African Union (AU)'s Agenda 2063," was organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Chinese Mission to the AU and the China-Africa Institute.

The seminar brought together officials from the AU and UNECA, African and Chinese diplomatic community, as well as experts drawn from African and Chinese think tanks.

Albert Muchanga, AU Commissioner for Trade and Industry, said that China's rich poverty eradication experience can be replicated in Africa as numerous researches and publications depicted a downward trend in the global poverty statistics with China's remarkable achievements.

"The Chinese practice in poverty reduction shows that high and sustained inclusive development are critical to reducing poverty," Muchanga said, as he affirmed poverty reduction requires strong political commitment and will, which is also a necessity in Africa.

According to the AU Commissioner, one of the key elements that African countries can learn from China's rich experience in ending poverty is the establishment of township industries where poverty was most pronounced.

"China and Africa should embark on a strategic program of cooperation in reducing poverty in Africa by using the lessons of China's sustainable efforts in poverty reduction," he said.

Noting that the AU Agenda 2063 stipulates that African economies must grow at a minimum of 7 percent annually beginning from 2023, Muchanga stressed the AU's keen intent to partner with China in realizing the target.

The commissioner also congratulated the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese people for eradicating poverty ahead of the United Nations target and realizing total victory in the country's fight against poverty.

Participants of the seminar emphasized the need to take lesson from China's rich poverty alleviation experience and actions in Africa, as they described the experience accumulated in China's poverty alleviation endeavor as a valuable global lesson.

Liu Yuxi, Head of Chinese Mission to the AU, on his part stressed China's strong commitment to share its years of experience in the fight against poverty to African countries.

"In the post-pandemic era, China will continue to share its poverty reduction experience with African countries in various areas, and help African countries to formulate more reasonable and effective national poverty reduction strategies," he added.

Liu said addressing the adverse economic impacts of COVID-19 pandemic is one of the areas that China and Africa can further augment their partnership in the fight against poverty.

He further expressed China's keen resolve in supporting the successful implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement so as to enhance the competitiveness and bargaining power of African countries in the international trade.

Thokozile Ruzvidzo, Director of Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division at the UNECA, also told the seminar that the continental acceleration towards Africa's Agenda 2063 and learning from the successful Chinese experience entails replicating the outstanding achievements of China in poverty alleviation since its reform process.

Ngangu Ilunga, Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to the AU, Ethiopia and the UNECA, said China's achievements can serve as a lesson not only for African countries but also the rest of the developing world.

"Congratulation to the leadership, CPC and people of China for having achieved the extraordinary results of reaching the eradication of poverty 10 years ahead of the deadline. Africa has got a lot to learn and be inspired from China," Ilunga said.

The high-level gathering, among other things, envisaged serving as an experience sharing platform towards the realization of Africa's efforts against poverty in line with the factual situations, facilitating the implementation of the AU's 50-year continental development Agenda 2063 and help achieve self-sustainable development among African countries at an early date. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 22:49:15|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has recorded a series of new symptoms of COVID-19 since the beginning of a third wave in the country, an expert said.

Ferlin De Almeida-Schiceya, a supervisor at Robert Mugabe Clinic in the capital Windhoek told Xinhua that the third wave has brought symptoms such as isolated back pains, abdominal pains and stomach cramps.

She said while in the period between December 2020 and April 2021, dominant symptoms were severe headaches, dizziness, fever, flu, chest pains and congestion on the chest area, the third wave has brought unusual symptoms.

"Ever since the third wave which has reached its peak in June, we have had patients presenting symptoms such as back pains where you find a young person suffering from isolated back pains. Other unusual symptoms that are being presented by COVID-19 patients are abdominal cramps or discomforts in the stomach area," said Almeida-Schiceya.

She urged the public to get COVID-19 tests when they feel unwell as the virus is presenting itself in unexpected symptoms.

"If you get tested and you know your status you are better off and then you know you are going to protect yourself from other people and protect other people as well," she added.

According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Namibia has a 42 percent positivity ratio of COVID-19 as 1,084 new cases were recorded out of 2,597 tested in the last 24 hours.

The country currently has 14,092 active cases, and of the total, 516 are hospitalized and 90 are in Intensive Care Units. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 23:12:35|Editor: huaxia

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TUNIS, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A batch of China's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Tunisia on Monday afternoon, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Chinese Embassy to Tunisia.

"China is keen to cooperate with Tunisia to help it defeat the pandemic as soon as possible, and play an active role in restoring Tunisia's economic growth and protecting the health of the Tunisian people," reads the statement.

The Tunisian Ministry of Health on Monday night reported 2,478 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the North African country to 385,428.

The death toll from the virus rose by 80 to 14,118, while recoveries reached 336,652, according to a ministry statement. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 23:13:18|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Rampant hoarding of COVID-19 vaccine stockpiles by wealthy nations is to blame for slowing down progress towards containing the pandemic in Africa, campaigners said in Nairobi on Tuesday.

Samuel Kinyanjui, the Kenyan country director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), said that vaccine hoarding has escalated shortage of the life-saving device in Africa where surging infections threatens the continent's public health systems.

He urged high-income countries to share excess stockpiles, waive patents and support the establishment of a robust COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing infrastructure in Africa.

Statistics from Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) indicate the continent had administered 42.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of June 14, while only 0.79 percent of the population had been fully vaccinated.

Among countries that have led in vaccination include Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa thanks to sound planning, the establishment of robust cold chain infrastructure and training of health workers.

He said that constructive engagement between African governments and the pharmaceutical industry in the rich world is required to facilitate the acquisition of vaccine doses at a subsidized cost.

Moreni Masanzu, regional chairperson, Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS said that vaccine nationalism has stood out as a major bottleneck to Africa's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said that equitable access to vaccines will be beneficial to both rich and low-income countries since it will help avert the emergence of highly transmissible variants and hasten the return to normalcy.

According to Masanzu, multinational pharmaceutical firms stand to gain if they negotiate for franchise arrangements with African countries to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine access in the continent.

She said that an end to vaccine hoarding will unleash benefits in the rich and low-income countries since it will hasten the realization of herd immunity that is key to full resumption of economic activities. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 10:49:59|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government says net zero emissions by 2050 remains its preference, but the new Deputy Prime Minister (PM) Barnaby Joyce as a climate change skeptic casts a shadow over the issue.

Joyce was on Monday returned as deputy PM after defeating incumbent Michael McCormack in a ballot for the leadership of the National Party, which forms the governing Coalition with PM Scott Morrison's Liberal Party.

As a leader of the Nationals, Joyce - a strong advocate for coal-fired power generation - will enter negotiations with Morrison on the terms of the Coalition agreement, with climate policy expected to be the centerpiece.

Morrison, who had refused to commit to a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, softened his position in recent months.

On Tuesday morning, Environment Minister Sussan Ley said "net zero is not dead in the water".

"Net zero will happen as soon as possible and the prime minister has made that very clear," she told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television. "That's a government position."

"As environment minister, my position is that we reach net zero as soon as possible and I don't think anyone in the government would disagree."

Joyce said that he would be "guided" by his colleagues on the target. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 13:21:45|Editor: huaxia

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SUVA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Fiji has upgraded restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 as the country continued to witness growing COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Fiji recorded 126 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total tally to 2,090, and the recovered patients reached 532, while the death toll stood at seven, according to the health ministry.

The Ministry of Health is also monitoring the death of a 42-year-old man at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.

Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong said the man's death is currently being investigated by doctors to determine if it will be classified as a COVID-19 related death.

Fong added that there are 1,542 active cases in isolation.

Fiji has been facing a severe outbreak since April this year, and the country has imposed more restrictions to curb community transmission.

The Fiji Police and Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) personnel have set up checkpoints to ensure that no one comes out of Qauia as a two-day lockdown started on Tuesday.

Qauia, a settlement in Lami town with a five-minute drive from capital Suva, was under lockdown after local infections were reported.

The Ministry said that the exercise is an opportunity to trace COVID-19-like symptoms and travel histories to detect potential infections.

Mobile Screening Teams would visit households of interest and the physical boundary would be determined by the RFMF COVID-19 taskforce. Health officials and Police teams would conduct screening, tracing and swabbing in the 48-hour lockdown period.

The ministry has also advised residents within the marked area to stay home and avoid any contact with people from other households. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 14:12:30|Editor: huaxia

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TASHKENT, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has temporarily suspended the movement of citizens across the Uzbek-Afghan border amid the aggravating epidemic situation in Afghanistan, the Uzbek Health Ministry said Tuesday.

The country will keep its only cross-border checkpoint open for diplomats, employees of consulates and international organizations and their families, as well as for drivers of international cargo freight companies, the ministry said.

Uzbek and Afghan citizens returning to their home country will also be allowed to cross the border, but foreign citizens will not be allowed to enter Uzbekistan.

New confirmed cases in Uzbekistan also doubled in recent days, reaching 427 on Monday. So far, Uzbekistan has registered a total of 106,452 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 718 related deaths. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 14:14:14|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 2,231 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, raising the national caseload to 98,050, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Fourteen more fatalities were reported in the past day, bringing the nationwide death toll to 477, the ministry said in a statement, adding that 886 more patients recovered, taking the total recoveries to 64,354.

The health authorities urged citizens to avoid crowded places or stay home to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, as the COVID-19 situation in the country is getting worse day by day.

The Asian country launched a national vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in late February, with the aim of covering at least 60 percent of its population of 3.3 million.

More than 1,918,300 Mongolians have so far received their first dose of vaccine with 1,709,200 people having been fully vaccinated, according to the ministry. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 18:55:37|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Tuesday 3,666 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,367,894.

The death toll climbed to 23,809 after 60 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

The lowest daily caseload since May 23 is due to 12 testing laboratories which were not able to submit data, said the DOH.

The Philippines, with a population of 110 million, has tested more than 13 million people since the outbreak of the virus in January 2020.

The government urged Filipinos to remain cautious amid the emergence of the more contagious Delta variant in the country.

A total of 17 cases of Delta, first found in India, were sequenced in the Philippines. The DOH said one is active, while one died.

The Philippines has tightened border control to detect Delta and other coronavirus variants and prevent them from spreading. It barred travelers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates until June 30.

"As long as the rate of transmission is high, the risk of new mutations and variants remains high," Alethea De Guzman of the DOH's Epidemiology Bureau said.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has urged people to continue wearing face masks and face shields to prevent another wave of infections with the Delta variant.

In a meeting on the government's COVID-19 interventions late Monday, Duterte said all safety measures must stay in place to prevent community transmission of the Delta variant, which can cause an additional wave of infections in the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 03:03:04|Editor: huaxia

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WARSAW, June 21 (Xinhua) -- President Andrzej Duda offered Poland's support for Moldova's European Union (EU) membership ambitions during Moldovan President Maia Sandu's first official visit here on Monday.

Warsaw would share its experiences in organizing local administrations and governments and combating corruption, Duda said at a joint press conference.

"We have much experience in those areas, and the changes that Poland has seen in the past 30 years have produced many positive results," he said. "I would like you to leave with the impression that Poland is a friendly nation."

Sandu said that Moldova was ready to cooperate with Poland on security matters, including cybersecurity. "Poland is an important source of security in the region," she said.

Sandu, who was elected president in late 2020, said that her country was also following the Three Seas Initiative, a Polish-led effort to create a partnership of central and eastern European nations.

"We think that Moldova's contribution to that initiative would add to the stability of the borders of the European Union," Sandu said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 10:23:48|Editor: huaxia

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BUJUMBURA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) had started processes of lifting sanctions against Burundi that stops financial aid to the Burundian government, EU Ambassador to Burundi Claude Bochu said here Monday.

In March 2016, the EU suspended its direct financial support to the Burundian government following the political crisis sparked by the controversial third term bid of then President Pierre Nkurunziza.

At the end of May this year, the EU working groups unanimously gave the direction to EU judicial institutions to revoke the suspension of the financial aid to the Burundian government, Bochu told a press briefing after meeting Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

The move follows positive progress initiated by Ndayishimiye in terms of promoting governance, rule of law and human rights, he said, adding that the EU is expecting more positive results.

Bochu said that the EU together with other partners like the African Development Bank are going to finance the rehabilitation of the Port of Bujumbura and its surroundings before the end of this year, contribute funds to the farming sector. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 11:54:58|Editor: huaxia

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by Patrick Ekstrand

STOCKHOLM, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven lost a no-confidence vote on Monday after the very same issue that brought him to power led to him being the first sitting prime minister in the country's history to be ousted.

The no-confidence motion, which required 175 votes in the 349-seat parliament to pass, was supported by 181 lawmakers. Also, 109 parliamentarians voted against the motion and 51 abstained after the COVID-19 limit on the number of parliamentarians present in the chamber was temporarily lifted due to the extraordinary circumstances.

"We will now ponder which route to take," Lofven said in a press conference following his historic loss, which due to the nature of the Swedish constitution also means the entire government was ousted.

According to the same constitution, Lofven now has one week to decide whether to call a snap election, which has to be held within three months. Should he decide not to, the parliament speaker will be tasked with finding a new government based on the election results of 2018 -- the last time he tried it took 134 days.

REASONS BEHIND

As a result of the inconclusive 2018 election outcome, the leader of the Social Democrats had to strike a deal with two minor liberal parties to secure his second consecutive term.

After four months and several attempts to form a government, the 73-point deal enabled him to form a government together with the Greens. Although a minority government, it could pass bills with the help of these minor supporting parties.

One of the concessions the Social Democrats had to make was the easing of rent control on newly built apartments.

Although no bill over the matter has yet been put forward, the issue last week led to the Left Party suggesting a no-confidence vote. This as they claimed would be the first step to an entire deregulation of rent controls.

The Left Party's demand that the government must nip the issue in the bud was ignored by Lofven, partly because the Left Party does not have enough seats in parliament to put forward a motion of no-confidence on its own.

Instead, anti-immigration party Sweden Democrats saw an opportunity to oust the government and put forward such a motion.

Even though bitterly opposed to the Sweden Democrats, the leader of the Left Party said they would support this no-confidence motion. So did the conservative parties the Moderates and the Christian Democrats even though they see rental reform as necessary to solve the country's lack of housing.

"Today's government crisis was inevitable. This government should never have taken office," Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderates, wrote on Facebook.

Swedish Television's political commentator Mats Knutsson said: "For a long time it looked as if the minority government would make it until the end of the term, but the built-in divisions in the government's base have finally become too big."

ROAD AHEAD

What will happen now remains to be seen, as the constitution gives Lofven a week to decide what to do.

Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson, a political science professor at Gothenburg University, told daily Aftonbladet: "There is no winner in this kind of parliamentary mess. There will be more political instability and uncertainty. But it also depends on how long the crisis lasts."

The latest development also likely means a reshape of the Swedish political map, as parties which have previously refused to negotiate with what they label as "extremist parties" now might have to reconsider their position, said daily Dagens Nyheter's political commentator Ewa Stenberg.

By pushing Monday's vote, the Left Party and the Sweden Democrats have definitely broken a principle that has existed since 2010 when the Sweden Democrats entered the parliament. The idea of isolating the fringes of politics has in practice fallen with the government. It does not work after this and the political landscape will not be the same again.

One such example is the Center Party, one of the parties Lofven struck the 73-point deal with. Its leader Annie Loof has repeatedly said that she will under no circumstances talk to the Left Party, even though both parties share a strong dislike of the Sweden Democrats.

Should Loof reconsider her position, the parliament speaker might even ask Lofven to try to form a new government if a snap election is not called.

Whatever the outcome, the next government will only rule until September 2022 when the next general elections are held. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 15:56:29|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Touting itself as an "international standard-bearer" for the protection of human rights and a "world human rights leader," Britain actually has a terrible record of human rights violations, especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Britain has indeed infringed upon human rights, among which is a blatant disregard for the right to life and health. As of 0000 GMT Tuesday, Britain has reported 4,656,535 confirmed COVID-19 cases, ranking seventh worldwide and the second in Europe, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Vulnerable groups have been marginalized or even abandoned amid the pandemic. British media reported that during the peak of the epidemic in the country, many care centers and clinics issued DNACPR to elderly patients, requesting the latter to promise to give up first aid if they contract the coronavirus.

Besides, ethnic minorities have suffered from higher infection rates and mortality rates in the pandemic. An analysis of survival among confirmed COVID-19 cases showed that people of Bangladeshi ethnicity had around twice the risk of death when compared to people of White British ethnicity, and people of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, other Asian, Caribbean and other Black ethnicity had between 10 and 50 percent higher risk of death when compared to White British people, according to a report released by Public Health England in June.

The economic living conditions of these groups have further deteriorated due to the pandemic. Nearly half of all people living in families where the household head is Black, African, or Caribbean are living in poverty, compared to just 19 percent of those living in families where the head of household is White, according to a report released by the Social Metrics Commission in June. People in Black and ethnic minority families are also between two to three times more likely to live in persistent poverty than people in White families, the report added.

Moreover, the number of hate crimes against Chinese in Britain has soared. Sky News revealed at least 267 hate crimes were recorded against Chinese people in the first three months in 2020 amid the COVID-19 crisis, almost three times the number in the same period in 2018 and 2019.

Increasing Islamophobia is also seen in the country. According to a report released by the British Islamic Human Rights Commission in March, prejudice and discrimination are occurring in Britain and are gradually being institutionalized on a regular basis.

Also, COVID-19 has led to an education deficit. Based on teacher estimates, on average, the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers had increased by 46 percent, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research in September 2020. Over half of teachers in the most deprived schools reported pupils were four months or more behind, compared to 15 percent of teachers in the least deprived schools, the report added.

Britain has been stricken by more severe poverty. In the 2018/2019 year, a total of 14.4 million people were living below the poverty line, 100,000 people more than in the previous year.

Britain's human rights issues also include a record number of new crime rates, the deep-seated problem of modern slavery and its massive war crimes, including civilian casualties it caused in Afghanistan. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 18:54:13|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish housewares sector has been developing distinctive strategies to boost export to African countries, according to sector insiders.

The Turkish Home and Kitchenware Manufacturers and Exporters Association (EVSID) launched Tuesday a virtual trade event between Turkey and African countries.

Nearly 30 Turkish companies and 64 buyers from 12 African countries will hold up to 400 meetings to expand their trade relations as part of the event that will last four days, the EVSID said at a press release.

Speaking at the opening webinar of the organization, Turkish Exporters' Assembly President Ismail Gulle said the sector identified 102 different products that Turkey has never exported to Africa.

"African countries buy these products from the world with a value of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars," Gulle continued, saying that Turkey will specifically focus on the export of these goods.

"Even though there are problems in supplying raw materials, we will try to respond at the maximum level of effort," he said.

Gulle added that Africa's youths, rich energy resources, and infrastructure are among the factors that significantly attract Turkish companies.

Talha Ozger, head of the EVSID, said the Turkish housewares export share in Africa is around 15.5 percent, mainly in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 23:37:08|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Britain has reported another 11,625 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, the highest since mid-February, according to official figures released Tuesday.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,651,988.

The country also recorded another 27 coronavirus-related death, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 128,008. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Earlier Tuesday, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that current COVID-19 restrictions in the region will remain in place until July 19, in line with the current plan for England.

Sturgeon had hoped to move Scotland to Level Zero of its five-tier system on June 28, but the plan was delayed after a 40 percent increase in cases.

Meanwhile, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said England was "on track" to remove all remaining COVID-19 restrictions on July 19.

Experts are working on plans to allow people who are fully vaccinated to travel to amber list countries without having to quarantine on their return, Hancock told Sky News.

More than 43.1 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine while more than 31.4 million people have been fully vaccinated with a second dose, according to the latest official figures.

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.

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| 2021-06-23 02:47:33|Editor: huaxia

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A couple look at a menu before entering a restaurant in Rome, Italy, on June 24, 2021. As of next week, Italy is preparing to lift the outdoor face mask mandate as the country's main COVID-19 indicators appear to have stabilized. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

ROME, June 22 (Xinhua) -- As of next week, Italy is preparing to lift the outdoor face mask mandate as the country's main COVID-19 indicators appear to have stabilized.

The decision was confirmed by Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Tuesday after the new Scientific Technical Committee (CTS) advising the government on the pandemic emergency gave its green light the previous day.

"From June 28 on, we are going to lift the obligation to wear masks outdoors in the (low risk/low restriction) white zone, but always complying with the precautionary recommendations issued by the CTS," Speranza wrote on his official Facebook account.

The wearing of face masks has been mandatory indoors and outdoors across Italy throughout the whole pandemic period, and the rule was reinforced last October when the country faced a second wave of infections.

In line with the CTS's recommendations, starting next Monday, people will still be required to wear face masks in all indoor public spaces, in hospitals, on public transport, and during large gatherings outdoors.

Also next Monday, 19 of the country's 20 regions will become "white zones."

The spread of COVID-19 has slowed down and the number of hospitalizations and deaths has also been on the decline in Italy.

Nevertheless, the health authorities remain vigilant.

"Until we have zero deaths in each Italian region, our battle against the virus will remain unaccomplished," Speranza stressed during a meeting on public health held at the National Council for Economics and Labor on Tuesday.

He reiterated that vaccines remain a key weapon against the virus. To date, over 49 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the country of 60 million, and over 16 million people are now fully immunized, according to the latest government data.

Meanwhile, a limited outbreak caused by the Delta virus variant was confirmed on Tuesday in the area between the northern cities of Piacenza and Cremona, the ANSA news agency reported citing local sources.

Twenty-four people tested positive for the variant. Ten of them were employees of two companies based in a logistics hub near Piacenza. All these infections have been detected by the local public health department over the past six days, and all the infected people (none in critical condition) are currently in isolation, according to ANSA. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 04:45:51|Editor: huaxia

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STOCKHOLM, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Unlike many other countries that have started to vaccinate people from the age of 12, the Swedish Public Health Agency announced on Tuesday that it has decided to vaccinate the 16-17 year olds, not below, against COVID-19.

The agency said that all children aged 16 and 17 will be offered vaccination against COVID-19, once those aged 18 and older have been vaccinated.

"We do not think that there is enough support for a risk-benefit balance to give younger children vaccines," Swedish Television SVT quoted Public Health Agency's Director General Johan Carlson as saying.

"Vaccination of children is sensitive and should not be done if you do not see that it has great benefit for the individual child," he said in a press conference.

The European Medicines Agency recommended nearly a month ago that children should be vaccinated from the age of 12. The United States, Canada and Israel have also decided to vaccinate children as young as 12, SVT reported.

"The main argument for vaccination from the age of 16 is the benefit to the individual. Although young people are less likely than older to suffer from severe COVID-19, there is a risk for acute serious illness and for long-term problems," Carlson said.

He said between 150 and 170 individuals aged 16 or 17 had so far received hospital care due to COVID-19 infection.

Carlson said that other factors were also considered before deciding that vaccine will be offered to the 16-to-17-year olds.

"We know that restrictions and measures such as distance education have affected many young people negatively. During the pandemic, the mental health of the group as a whole has deteriorated and feelings of anxiety increased," he said.

"This is also an aspect that we have taken into account because health is about so much more than just protection against disease," Carlson said.

However, in exceptional circumstances, Swedish children aged 12 may also be vaccinated. Instead of a mass vaccination program, only children suffering from certain medical conditions specified on a list compiled by the Swedish Paediatric Society will be vaccinated.

Among the conditions listed are severe asthma requiring intensive care in the last 24 months, severe lung disease, certain immune-deficiency conditions, Down syndrome and severe obesity. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 15:26:47|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, June 22 (Xinhua) -- A visiting U.S. nuclear envoy said Tuesday that the United States supports dialogue and cooperation between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Sung Kim, the newly appointed U.S. special representative for the DPRK, said during the talks with South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young that the United States supports "meaningful" inter-Korean dialogue, cooperation and engagement.

Kim said the United States and South Korea are "very closely aligned" on all aspects of the DPRK policy, noting that the two countries agreed on the shared commitment to pursuing the Korean Peninsula's complete denuclearization.

Minister Lee said South Korea and the United States need to move actively and quickly for the rapid resumption of dialogue, noting that the very significant "watershed" moment came to change into a mode of dialogue.

Lee said the two countries can jointly push for inter-Korean cooperation projects such as humanitarian aid, reunions of the separated families during the 1950-53 Korean War, and efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. envoy arrived here Saturday for a five-day visit, marking his first trip since he took office last month.

Kim held the trilateral talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts Monday, calling for a positive response from the DPRK over its offer to "meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions."

Denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been stalled since the second summit between top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump ended without agreement in February 2019 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 18:04:53|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The greatest danger faces the United States today does not stem from China, but of itself sliding into what former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich called as "proto-fascism," said a recent article in The Guardian.

In an opinion published Sunday on the British daily newspaper, Reich called on his fellow Americans "not to demonize China" in a way that will create "a new paranoia" that further bends U.S. priorities, stirs up nativism and xenophobia, and leads to heavier military spendings rather than public investments in education, infrastructure, and basic research.

According to Reich, in the postwar period, America has a track record of blaming others for its own failure in addressing domestic crisis, one notable case of which was in the 1980s, when Japan, a world economic engine, was caught up in the U.S. blame game.

Countless congressional hearings were held on the Japanese "challenge" to America and "a tide of books demonized Japan" were published during that time, he said.

Some of them had claimed that Japan imperiled the American way of life and "ultimately our freedoms," while others had asserted that "Japan's growing power put the United States at risk of falling prey to a hostile Japanese ... world order," even though there was no vicious plot from Japan, Reich noted.

Such popular, yet distorted image of Japan has made the United States overlook its systematic problems in financial, educational and infrastructure sectors, which would ultimately be detrimental to U.S. competitiveness, he noted. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-23 04:43:36|Editor: huaxia

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People wander near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, June 22, 2021. The White House confirmed Tuesday that the country will not hit U.S. President Joe Biden's goal of getting 70 percent of American adults to receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot by the Fourth of July. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The White House confirmed Tuesday that the country will not hit U.S. President Joe Biden's goal of getting 70 percent of American adults to receive at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot by the Fourth of July.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said the administration, instead, has met its 70 percent target for people 30 and older and is on track to hit it for those 27 and older by July 4.

"We want every American in every community to be protected and free from fear of the virus. That's why we'll keep working to vaccinate more Americans across the summer and into the fall ... we are not stopping at 70 percent and we're not stopping on July Fourth," Zients said at a White House COVID response briefing.

He said U.S. officials are working with state and local leaders to reach younger people.

"We think it'll take a few extra weeks to get to 70 percent of all adults with at least one shot with the 18- to 26-year-olds factored in," he said.

Low vaccinations among young people are holding back the overall vaccination rate in the United States.

Zients said many younger Americans have been less eager to get a shot, urging vaccinations of the younger population to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

About 45.2 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 53.4 percent of the population has received at least one shot as of Monday, according to the latest data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Roughly 144 million of people 18 and older are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

But some states -- such as Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming -- have fully vaccinated less than 35 percent of residents.

A new CDC study shows adults aged 18 to 24, as well as non-Hispanic Black adults and those with less education, no insurance, and lower household incomes, had the lowest reported vaccination coverage and intent to get vaccinated.

Concerns about vaccine safety and effectiveness were commonly cited barriers to vaccination, according to the CDC.

Biden announced in early May the goal to administer at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 70 percent of American adults by July 4.

Earlier this month, Biden called for a national "month of action" -- an "all-of-America sprint" to reach the goal.

Amid the vaccination campaign, nationwide COVID-19 case counts and death counts continue to drop, though the risk of illness remains.

Experts warned the Delta variant may bring severe threat to the country, especially in states with the lowest vaccination numbers. Enditem
Litigants in Mpumalanga appealed to the Constitutional Court against a high court ruling.

In their papers they made unfounded attacks on the judge who granted an order against them and the Judge President of Mpumalanga.

The Constitutional Court in a scathing ruling found this unacceptable, refused leave to appeal, and made a punitive cost order.

Litigants who defame judges, launching scurrilous and unfounded attacks on their integrity to further their own ends, must expect to pay punitive costs, the Constitutional Court has ruled.

The matter before the court was an attempt to appeal a ruling in the Mpumalanga High Court involving the warring Mawewe tribal community.

In March last year, Evah Mkhatshwa, the mother of the government recognised chieftain Khulile Mkhatshwa, and the tribal authority went to court, securing an "Anton Piller" order to seize and preserve documentation in the hands of the Mawewe Communal Property Association, which administers vast tracts of agricultural land restored to the community in 2010.

Anton Piller orders are similar to private search warrants. They permit the search of documents to preserve important evidence for litigation and are always brought without notice to the other side and usually held in camera to maintain confidentiality until the order has been acted on.

Read the judgment

Evah Mkhatshwa, in her application, made allegations of corruption, theft and fraud and accused the association of failing to register and restore certain farms to the tribe.

The matter was allocated to Acting Judge Henk Roelofse who, on the direction of the Judge President Francis Legodi, heard the matter "in camera" (a proceeding with restricted access).

But the association took umbrage with it being "in camera" and its chairperson Siphiwe Mkhatshwa, in a flurry of court action in which he failed to secure leave to appeal against the order, accused both judges of acting improperly.

In a unanimous decision, the Constitutional Court has also ruled that there are no prospects of success on appeal.

But in a judgment penned by Judge Sisi Khamepe, the court hit back at the association and its lawyers - including senior counsel - for persisting with the repeated "troubling" allegations of serious and grave misconduct against the judges, "callously defaming them".

The association accused the Judge President of exercising undue and improper influence over Roelofse, who consequently failed to act impartially.

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"They make these submissions not as a mere passing remark, but as a basis for their appeal," Judge Khampepe said.

And, Judge Khampepe said, this continued after the Judge President wrote to their attorneys "clearly and unequivocally addressing and disposing of all the accusations" and inviting them to retract them.

Even after the Constitutional Court called for written submissions in relation to the issue of costs, the association stuck to its guns, saying their argument was cogent.

"They chose to sail a sinking ship into deeper litigious waters, relying on unsubstantiated and scandalous accusations as a rudder," Judge Khampepe said.

"For good reason, it is common practice to grant Anton Piller orders in camera.

"They are either being willfully ignorant of this practice or they are attempting to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse."

She said while courts and judicial officers were by no means immune from public criticism and accountability, it was not open to litigants to level unfounded and scurrilous attacks against them to further their own needs.

"And litigants who resort to these kinds of tactics must be aware that they are unlikely to enjoy this court's sympathies or be shown mercy in relation to costs.

"They were not desperate, self-represented litigants. They had an impressive legal team, including experienced senior counsel. They ought to have known better," she said, ordering the association to pay costs on a punitive, attorney and client, scale.
Egyptian TikTok influencer Haneen Hossam will appeal a 10-year prison sentence handed down by a Cairo court that found her guilty of human trafficking, her lawyer said on Monday.

In the latest twist in a nearly year-long saga, the court also fined the 20-year-old Cairo University student 200,000 Egyptian pounds ($13,000) on Sunday for encouraging women to share footage on the video-sharing app in exchange for money.

"We will demand restoration of the case proceedings because there are contradictions between the verdict and the merits on which the court's decision is based," said lawyer Hani Sameh.

"We hope that she can get a reduced jail sentence or an acquittal," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Several women have been accused of "inciting debauchery" for challenging Egypt's conservative social values, and the battle has moved online as the use of social media by young Egyptians surges.

Hossam, who has about 7 million followers on TikTok, was among five Egyptian social media influencers who were sentenced to two years in jail in July 2020 for promoting immorality by encouraging women to make money through social media followings.

The other four members of the group were Mawaddah Al-Adham, who was found guilty of sharing "indecent" photos and videos with her 1 million Instagram followers, and three men who were found guilty of helping the two women.

An appeal court overturned the ruling in January, but introduced new charges of human trafficking. The five accused were released in February, after spending eight months in jail.

On Sunday, all five were found guilty of human trafficking and fined 200,000 pounds each.

Hossam was given the longest prison sentence - 10 years - with Al-Adham and the three men only ordered to serve six years.

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Sameh said Hossam received the toughest sentencing because she had not appeared in court, even though "it was her legal right not to show up".

The decision has outraged rights defenders.

"The ruling is harsh and exaggerated," said Reda Eldanbouki, executive director of the Women's Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness.

"Such a verdict restricts the right to freedom of opinion and expression and aims to control women's bodies and impose guardianship over their actions," he said.

Eldanbouki said the verdict restricts women with vague labels like "protecting family values".

The state-run National Council for Women was not available for comment.

Entessar el-Saeed, another women's rights activist and head of the Cairo Foundation for Development and Law, said authorities were unfairly singling out women - not men - in their efforts to "safeguard" family values.

"We can see other videos and posts on social media by men justifying marital rape but with no reaction against them. Doesn't that violate family values?" El-Saeed asked.
TORONTO, Ontario  Today, the Mastercard Foundation announced changes to its Board of Directors. Robin L. Washington was appointed to the Board and long-time Board member President Festus G. Mogae will be retiring.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Robin Washington to the Board," says Zein M. Abdalla, Mastercard Foundation Board Chair." As you can see from Robin's biography, she brings a fantastic range of operational experience and insight that will benefit the Foundation enormously as we continue to expand our impact."

Robin L. Washington is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Alphabet, Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., and Salesforce.com. She served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Gilead Sciences, Inc. from May 2008 until November 2019, where she oversaw Global Finance, Facilities and Operations, Investor Relations and the Information Technology divisions. Prior to Gilead, she was the Chief Financial Officer of Hyperion Solutions, Inc. Ms. Washington is a certified public accountant. She holds a bachelor 's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

"The Mastercard Foundation does not shy away from the complex challenges facing the world in these unprecedented times," says Washington. "They have an ambitious goal that will drive meaningful change and impact the lives of millions of young people living in poverty. I am looking forward to being a part of the Foundation's Board and contributing to this important work."

Current Board member President Festus G. Mogae is retiring from the Board after 11 years of service. He led the Republic of Botswana from 1998 to 2008 and focused his efforts on fighting poverty and unemployment as well as reducing the spread of HIV/AIDs. President Mogae is the recipient of several international awards, including the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership and the Grand Cross of the Le gion d' honneur presented to him by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008 for his exemplary leadership in establishing Botswana as a "model of democracy and good governance." President Mogae currently serves as a Trustee of the Rhodes Trust and is an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

"President Mogae is deservedly celebrated for his work across Africa and globally. He has long been an advocate for peace and a supporter of human rights, and his active leadership has enabled the advancement of economic and social progress on the continent," says Abdalla. "On behalf of the Foundation, I sincerely thank him for his wisdom and service over the years. He will be deeply missed."

Mastercard Foundation Board of Directors

The Mastercard Foundation Board of Directors currently includes:

Zein Abdalla, Mastercard Foundation Board Chair and retired President of PepsiCo, Inc.

Valerie Amos, CH, Director of SOAS, University of London and former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator

The Honourable Louise Arbour, Jurist in residence at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada

Doug Baillie, Retired Chief Human Resources Officer of Unilever

Craig Calhoun, Professor of Social Sciences, Arizona State University

Jennifer Fonstad, Co-Founder, Aspect Ventures

Dr. Jendayi Frazer, Managing Partner, African Exchange Holdings Company; President of 50 Ventures, LLC; and former U.S Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

Jay Ireland, Retired President and CEO, GE Africa

Jim Leech, CM, Senior Advisor with McKinsey & Company; former Chancellor of Queen's University; and retired CEO of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan

Michael Sabia, Deputy Minister of Finance Canada and former Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Prize recipient

Robin L. Washington, Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Gilead Sciences, Inc.

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation is a Canadian foundation and one of the largest foundations in the world with more than $39 billion in assets. For more than a decade, the Foundation has advanced financial inclusion and education in Africa, improving the lives of more than 45 million people living in poverty. The Foundation was created in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. Since its inception, the Foundation has operated independently of the company. The Foundation's policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by its Board of Directors and President and CEO. For more information on the Foundation, please visit: www.mastercardfdn.org

For more information, please contact:

Toni Tiemens

Head of Corporate Communications ttiemens@mastercardfdn.org
analysis

The COVID-19 crisis has revived discussions on localising vaccine manufacturing to the African region to reduce the dependence on imports.

The fact that Africa is lagging so far behind on the COVID-19 vaccination compared with Europe and North America has highlighted the importance of the issue. Most African countries depend on the WHO-sponsored COVAX scheme, which buys COVID-19 vaccines from manufacturers by pooling demand, thus enhancing their bargaining power. It also offers discounts for least developed countries.

However, the scheme is underfunded and competes with national authorities procuring vaccines directly from the manufacturers, and thus lacking a secure supply. Moreover, the supply shortage became worse when the Serum Institute of India, previously the main supplier to COVAX, focused on domestic needs when the pandemic spread in India.

So what would actually be needed to localise vaccine manufacturing in Africa?

I argue that the main constraints are not patents but time, knowledge transfer and capital. To overcome these constraints, a broad co-operation of many partners is necessary.

What's in place

Several companies have announced their intention to produce COVID-19 vaccines in Africa. These include Aspen in South Africa and Saidal in Algeria.

Expertise related to other types of vaccines also exists, for example, in the Institut de Pasteur de Dakar. However, most of these plants focus on the final stages of the value chain, filling vials and packaging. Across Africa, competences related to earlier stages of the value chain are very limited.

A key challenge for local manufacturers of vaccines - and drugs more generally - is competition from India. Indian companies have developed pharma competences, especially in generic medicines and vaccines, and benefit from a large domestic market.

National health services in developing economies thus face a basic dilemma: should they import pharmaceuticals from India, or should they procure from local companies that operate at higher costs?.

As most healthcare providers operate under tight budget constraints, they typically opt for imports.

Thus, local companies in Africa would find it very challenging to be cost-competitive in the longer run when the current worldwide scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines is overcome as new plants become operational around the world.

What are the key obstacles an African vaccine hub would have to overcome?

Constraints

Time: It takes time to design and build a manufacturing plant, to obtain all the regulatory approvals, and to establish quality control processes. A particular challenge is that vaccines are living, genetic organisms, consisting of large and complex molecules that require complex biologic processes for their creation, which need to be grown organically.

Moreover, manufacturing depends on supply chains for ingredients and materials, which in this industry generally are global. Globally, supply chains for COVID-19 vaccines have been hampered by manufacturing bottlenecks, monopolised supply, patents and even export bans. In addition, national trade barriers within the region can increase the costs of sourcing critical inputs.

Given all these constraints, a potential new plant in Africa would not be operational in 2021, and would not help solve the immediate need for vaccines now. Yet, vaccine building vaccine competences is a goal with longer-term benefits.

Knowledge transfer: Building and operating a vaccine plant requires state-of-the-art knowledge - especially for new types of vaccine such as mRNA, including how to build and operate a plant, and how to control its quality. Such knowledge is typically tacit and held by people and teams involved in the research and development. Thus, it needs to be shared by direct interpersonal interaction; it cannot be obtained by reading patents or other public sources.

This contrasts with drugs, for example, that can be reverse engineered, enabling generic manufacturers to develop and scale up production without collaboration of the patent holder.

Thus, new manufacturers of vaccines need to acquire and absorb a lot of knowledge, which practically cannot be done (at least not in a timely fashion) without direct collaboration with those who hold the knowledge. At the same time, national regulatory authorities need to address their capability gaps.

Investment capital: Big investment projects with revenues far in the future need risk capital to finance the construction. The first question any investor - be they an aid organisation or a private investor - will ask is: what is the demand for your product when you are ready to go to market?

Operating costs in Africa are likely to be higher due to lesser scale of the operation, and more complex logistics. Thus, an investor would be concerned that the plant is not price-competitive in normal situations - that is without the current global shortage of vaccines in 2021.

This concern can be addressed by advance purchase commitments, preferably with up-front payment (that's how the UK and the US secured their early lead in vaccine supply).

As the likely buyers mostly are state-related agencies, such as national health systems, they would have to sign purchase agreements. Ideally, several national health systems would cooperate to contract one manufacturer in the region to enable scale of the operation. Yet, they might be reluctant to commit given the prospect (albeit uncertain) that imported vaccines might be available at a cheaper price in two to three years.

Once, national health systems - or other potential buyers - have indicated their commitments, there may also be an opportunity for effective development aid. Donors may for example subsidise the purchase agreements. Or, development banks may take equity in the new plant and share the risk of the operation.

Intellectual property rights: A waiver or a compulsory licence for key technology, including ingredients and materials, would help lower costs. But it would need to be valid over the operating lifetime of the plant. In other words, a waiver "until the end of the pandemic" is of little help.

The World Trade Organisation's TRIPs agreement in principle allows countries to impose compulsory licensing in cases of national emergencies. However, a recent review study has shown that this possibility is rarely used - the requirements are too complex, especially for countries without local manufacturing capacity.

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Reform of the TRIPS agreement would help, notably by simplifying compulsory licensing, or by reducing the scope and length of intellectual property rights. At a minimum, this would strengthen the bargaining power of local players engaging with the global industry.

Overcoming the constraints

Local vaccine manufacturing in Africa is both feasible and desirable because it helps Africa to respond to future pandemics. To achieve that, a broad regional partnership with substantial up-front commitments is necessary.

First, to enable efficient scale of operation, national authorities across the region need to collaborate to coordinate health sector procurement, regulation and quality control of the medicines, and trade policies.

Second, owners of the technology should be part of the partnership, not only to facilitate the transfer of tacit knowledge but also to ensure quality control. BioNTech, for example, has stated that it is willing to engage in this type of collaboration.

Third, development organisations may support such ventures by bringing partners together, co-funding advance purchase agreements, and perhaps by investing in the plant itself.

Policy makers may help creating such partnerships by simplifying compulsory licensing rules. In contrast, a time-limited patent waiver would achieve little.

Klaus Meyer, Professor of International Business, Ivey Business School, Western University
analysis

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described Monday's election as the country's most democratic. But the war in Tigray and the postponement of the election in two other regions have cast doubts on the vote.

It was calm in Ethiopia's Southern regional capital of Hawassa as voters lined up to cast their ballots on Monday. "It is peaceful, reliable. We can believe it," one voter told DW. "I would like to elect my leader who is going to lead me, first in a peaceful life, for development, equality, peacefully democratically, and human rights will be respected in the future."

Peace, democracy, and human rights are three things Ethiopia's next premier will need to address. On Monday, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said she was "deeply disturbed" by reports of continued human rights violations, including executions in Tigray.

She accused both sides of committing atrocities and noted that there were "credible reports" of the presence of Eritrean soldiers despite a promise to withdraw.

The UN has warned that 350,000 people face famine in Tigray. The conflict has uprooted 1.7 million people from their homes.

"At least from the election management body's side, this election has been probably the most neutral body that has been regulating the [electoral] process," Befekadu Hailu, an Ethiopian political commentator and columnist, told DW.

Tough path to democratic transition

"Unfortunately, the political crises across the country, especially the war in Tigray, the violence in west Oromia, has shadowed the whole process. It is almost undermining the legitimacy of the whole process," Befekadu said. According to him, this election's legitimacy is expected to be extremely low compared with two years ago.

"The conflict in Tigray has affected the whole opportunity of transitioning to a seemingly democratic process," Befekadu said.

When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018, he quickly embarked on major political reforms that won him praise at home and abroad. Many Ethiopians had grown weary of the then ruling EPRDF Tigrayan-led coalition that dominated politics from 1991 to 2019. Abiy expanded the country's political and media space by releasing several political prisoners and journalists. His rapprochement with former nemesis Eritrea won him the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.

History of ethnic tensions

Abiy has since grappled with ethnic tensions in Africa's second-most populous nation. Elections in the country's Somali and Harari regions have been postponed to September due to insecurity or logistical challenges.

"I don't think anyone wants to take the premiership of Ethiopia job because the crises are extremely complex and wide-ranging," Befekadu said. "The next prime minister has a lot of things to do, but, most importantly, fixing the security problems, the violence everywhere across the country should stop, and people need to feel safer."

Many observers agree that, for this to happen, there needs to be some reconciliation between political parties and leaders, including the ruling party and the major opposition groups. "There needs to be economic efforts because, at the bottom of all political conflicts, there are economic questions, there are questions on equity and economic representation."

For Chalachew Tarekegn, political science and international relations lecturer at Bahir Dar University, the election winner has their work cut out for them. "Ethiopia faces a multitude of problems: Internal conflicts between different ethnic groups, political instability, destruction of private property, and a number of humanitarian crises," Chalachew told DW.

Dispute with neighbors

In addition to these internal challenges, there are diplomatic disputes with Egypt, Sudan and Western allies around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). "An elected government capable of action would enable Ethiopia to confront domestic and foreign policy challenges and represent national interests," Chalachew added.

Befekadu said the prime minister would need a second mandate to carry out some constitutional reforms. "At least, that is what is rumored, even though we don't have any evidence to substantiate it." He said dialogue among the political parties was key to resolving the crises.

"It should be moderated by external bodies, probably civil society or the international diplomatic community," Befekadu said. "Otherwise, no dialogue can be accepted by one or the other group."

No EU observers

The European Union on Friday stated that it would not send election observers to Ethiopia. Europe's 27-member bloc said it was concerned with ongoing violence across the country, human rights violations and political tensions, harassment of media workers, and detained opposition members. The EU also called on all actors to refrain from spreading hate speech and calling for acts of violence.

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But Chalachew said the absence of EU observers would not affect the credibility of the election result. "Most of the time, Western allies like the United States and European Union have their own interests. This political election observation is a pretext for them," Chalachew said.

"Whether or not the EU sends observers will not give meaning to the Ethiopian election," Chalachew added. "What will add value to the people of Ethiopia is an election that has legitimacy by the people, the general public of Ethiopia." The final election results are expected to be announced by July 1.

"We will have to wait and see whether we will have a one-party government or a coalition, but the main thing is that Ethiopia now has a consolidated government," Chalachew said.

Alemnew Mekonne and Shewangizaw Wegayehu contributed to this article.
This newspaper understands that there are some states where the panels have either not been set up, or suspended sittings for yet-to-be ascertained reasons.

The National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) explained on Monday that the judicial panels of inquiry investigating cases of police brutality are not sitting in some states partly because of paucity of funds.

The federal and state governments, through the National Executive Council (NEC) chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, had agreed to set up the panels in the wake of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests against acts of rights violations and police brutality across the country.

But the Executive Secretary, NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, informed PREMIUM TIMES in an interview in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Monday that lack of adequate budgetary provision for the unexpected protests and their fallouts including establishment of the panels have been a major challenge in many states.

Mr Ojukwu said the non-sitting of some of the state panels was not deliberate, adding that the financial challenges have not in any way permanently stopped the ongoing work of the judicial panel.

The panel set up by the NHRC last sat in March for reasons which PREMIUM TIMES understands to include lack of funds.

Although Mr Ojukwu did not give a breakdown, this newspaper understands that there are some states where the panels have either not been set up or have suspended sittings for yet-to-be ascertained reasons.

"Every human effort, no matter how well-intended, face challenges, and the EndSARS Panel is not exceptional," Mr Ojukwu said in response to PREMIUM TIMES' enquiry, on Monday.

'There is political will'

He said what Nigerians should focus on is that "there is a clear political will in having the panel in place so that mistakes of the past that led us to the #EndSARS protest would not be repeated."

"You will agree with me that before now, some police officers, especially those in the SARS unit will tell you that :I will kill or deal with you and nothing will happen: ; but nobody can say that today because something is happening.

"That is the change of narrative we want people to acknowledge."

He said when bringing about a change, such as ensuring security personnel respect human right, "it is normal to encounter challenges."

'Structures will be in place'

He said aside from the #EndSARS panels, there is also going to be structures on the ground "so that if other complaints of violations arise they can be dealt with immediately."

He noted that such structures are necessary because it was the backlog of unaddressed complaints that led to the scale of the protest against the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) last year.

Setting up Security and Human Rights Committee

Mr Ojukwu spoke to PREMIUM TIMES during a consultative meeting his commission hosted in Maiduguri to herald a research project to review the security accountability mechanisms within the context of counter-insurgency operations in Northeast Nigeria.

He said part of the sustainable measures of ensuring the protection of citizens' rights is the establishment of "security and human rights committee."

He said the idea the committee will remain even "after the EndSARS panel has passed, damages established, all the claims settled, compensation given, and all that, to assuage those who have complaints so far."

He added that the Security and Human Right standing committee headed by a governor in every state comprises the NHRC, civil society groups, and all the security agencies as members.

"The standing committee's job is to take up any reported cases of violation. And the chairmen of such committees are the governors of the states, and the head of the security agencies are also involved," he said.

"Any security officer reported of violating rights would be dealt with immediately, and there will be no more accumulation of cases.

"At the federal level, we are also making this panel a permanent feature, so that there will be a time when there will be no many unattended cases of violation. So, in the cause of doing that there is going to be some financial challenges, which is natural.

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He said Nigerians should be patient because the clear message is that it is no longer going to be business as usual."

"We don't want a situation where law enforcement officer will deal with a person and say nothing will happen. All we are saying is that the job we are doing now is important. And the security agents must understand that it is fellow Nigerians they are dealing with, and they must respect their rights.

"And of the primary purpose of government is the protection of human lives and property, and law enforcement agents are central to the task of protection of human lives. But because of our background in the military, most of the enforcement agents think that they are against human rights; no. Their job is, primarily, to protect human rights.

"They need to be conscious about that role they are playing because law enforcement is about the protection of human rights!"
"In line with government directives, passenger flights to and from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) are suspended with effect from 21 June 2021 until further notice.

Dubai's flagship carrier, Emirates, has yet again announced a suspension of flights to and from Nigeria. The latest suspension starts from June 21.

The airline said in a statement that the suspension takes immediate effect.

"In line with government directives, passenger flights to and from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) are suspended with effect from 21 June 2021 until further notice," it said.

The new directive comes barely two days after the airline announced resumption of flights to Nigeria after weeks of suspension.

The UAE authorities had initially fixed Wednesday, June 23, 2021, for resumption of flights to Nigeria.

The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai on Saturday eased travel rules for inbound passengers arriving from India, South Africa and Nigeria.

Flights had been suspended in March over diplomatic row on COVID-19 protocols.

But Emirates reversed its decision on Monday.

"Customers travelling to and from Lagos and Abuja will not be accepted for travel. Customers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE," the airline said in a statement posted on its website.

"We regret the inconvenience caused, and affected customers should contact their booking agent or Emirates call centre for rebooking. Emirates remains committed to Nigeria, and we look forward to resuming passenger services when conditions allow," Emirates said.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of five new universities specialised in technology and health to close the huge gap in the doctor-patient ratio as well as in medical research and production of pharmaceutical products.

He also approved a take-off grant of N4 billion each for the Universities of Technology and N5 billion each for the Universities of Health Science from the funding resources of TETFund to ensure early take-off of the institutions.

The Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education, Arch Sonny Echono who disclosed this on Monday in Abuja said the president approved two additional University of Technology in Jigawa and Akwa Ibom states.

Also, the establishment of National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Abuja and two specialized universities in Health, Nutrition and Medical Sciences to be located at Azare, Bauchi State and Ila Orangun, Osun State.

Echono also disclosed that the president approved that four existing Universities of Technology located in Yola, Akure, Owerri and Minna be upgraded and equipped.

He said, "The two new Universities of Technology will be established in 2021 while the upgrade of the existing four Universities of Technology and the National Institute of Technology will come on stream next year."

The Permanent Secretary said the specialized universities would lay a solid foundation for building national preparedness and resilience in anticipation of future challenges in the health sector while reducing medical tourism to countries like India, UAE, Egypt, Europe and the USA.

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While noting that the presidents had promised to establish an apex National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Abuja with six Satellite Universities of Technology, one in each geo-political zone of the country, he said the objective is to stimulate rapid technological transformation of the country.

"The Institute shall be patterned after similar institutions in Singapore and Malaysia to serve essentially as a postgraduate centre devoted to research and innovation, drawing the best graduates from the six Universities of Technology, as well as other exceptional graduates from reputable universities within and outside Nigeria," he said.

He however noted that the Federal Ministry of Education will collaborate with the Federal Ministries of Health, Science and Technology, Communications and Digital Economy, the FCT Administration as well as other relevant agencies and Institutions to facilitate speedy actualization of these Projects.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary also hinted Journalists that the president has also approved new Vice Chancellors for all universities in the country and that the details will be made available in due course.
SUB: Barely 48 hours after announcing resumption of flights to Nigeria, Emirates, the UAE flag carrier, has again announced indefinite suspension of flights to Nigeria....

Barely 48 hours after announcing resumption of flights to Nigeria, Emirates, the UAE flag carrier, has again announced indefinite suspension of flights to Nigeria.

The UAE authorities had initially fixed Wednesday, June 23, 2021, for resumption of flights to Nigeria.

But in a statement on its website on Monday, the airline said, "In line with government directives, passenger flights to and from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) are suspended with effect from 21 June 2021 until further notice."

Daily Trust reports that the airline had on Saturday announced resumption of flights, which were suspended in March over diplomatic row on COVID-19 protocols.

The Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management had lifted the ban on Nigeria and also removed the rapid antigen test and said passengers from Nigeria would only be required to possess negative PCR test.

"We look forward to facilitating travel from these countries and supporting various travelers' categories.

"We will resume carrying passengers from South Africa, Nigeria and India in accordance with these protocols from 23rd June," Emirates had announced.

But it made U-turn on Monday with a new travel update indicating that Lagos and Abuja flights would no longer resume on Wednesday as earlier announced.

Emirates said, "Customers travelling to and from Lagos and Abuja will not be accepted for travel. Customers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE.

"We regret the inconvenience caused, and affected customers should contact their booking agent or Emirates call centre for rebooking. Emirates remains committed to Nigeria, and we look forward to resuming passenger services when conditions allow."
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said it may detain unverified private aircraft after the 30 days importation verification deadline given to owners elapses on July 6.

At a briefing in Abuja on Monday, the Public Relations Officer of Customs, Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah, said so far, only six owners of private aircraft have responded to the invitation since the verification window opened on June 7, 2021.

"The Service believes that owners of private aircraft are highly-placed individuals who would be willing to comply with extant laws of the land governing importation of the aircraft they own, this includes payments of all appropriate duties and taxes," Attah said.

He also asked owners of private aircraft or their representatives to report to the Customs headquarters in Abuja before July 6, with the necessary documents that include Aircraft Certificate of Registration, NCAA's Flight Operations Compliance Certificate (FOCC), NCAA's Maintenance Compliance Certificate (MCC), NCAA's Permit for non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) and Temporary Import Permit (TIP) where applicable.

According to the Customs spokesman, there were indications that some people brought in aircraft under the Temporary Import Permit (PIP).

"The period for such temporary importation for some of the aircraft, has expired and they have neither renewed nor re-exported the aircraft in line with extant laws governing that in Nigeria. At the end of the verification, some of the things we are suspecting will come to light and we will make further details known.

"As agency of government responsible for enforcement of laws governing imports and exports in Nigeria, NCS will not hesitate to invoke appropriate sanctions on any defaulting private aircraft owner immediately after the expiration of the verification period on Tuesday July 6, 2021," he said.

He added that the essence of the holistic audit is to ensure that all aircraft privately owned in the country were properly imported and cleared with all appropriate taxes paid.
The court says the payment must be paid within 14 days, otherwise eight per cent interest would accrue annually.

The Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to pay the oil communities in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom a cumulative damages of 81.9 billion over oil spillage.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in a judgement debt, ordered that the payment must be paid within 14 days, and failure of which eight per cent interest would be accruable on the principal sum annually.

Delivering judgement on Monday in a joint suit instituted against the two defendants by the aggrieved oil producing communities, Justice Taiwo held that the American oil company and NNPC were negligent in the way they handled oil spills that caused environmental degradation in the communities.

Mr Taiwo particularly took a swipe at the NNPC for being interested in the revenue generations from the oil exploration at the expense of the lives of the people in the communities.

He said he believed the oral and documentary evidence adduced by the plaintiffs to support their claims that lives were made miserable for them when their water and land were polluted through crude oil leakages from old oil pipelines.

He noted the claims of Mobil that it did clean up exercise and held that the oil giant failed to address the compensation that would have mitigated the economic losses of the people said to be mainly fishermen and farmers.

Besides, the judge described as unreliable witnesses called by Mobil adding that for no reason they became evasive during cross examination by counsel to the plaintiffs.

He held that the oral and documentary evidence produced by Mobil Company were not in any way helpful to the court as they were targeted at serving predetermined interest.

The judge further said that some of the witnesses ought not to have come to the court at all going by the discrepancies in the documents brought to the court, adding that they only embarked on guess research that was not reliable.

He further held that both Mobil and NNPC were negligent by their failure to visit places of the leakages of the crude oil that led to the contermination of Rivers and creeks.

Justice Taiwo rejected the claims of the Mobil joint venture partner, NNPC, that the suit was statute barred in 2012 when it was filed by the aggrieved plaintiffs.

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The NNPC had claimed that the suit was not filed within 12 months by the plaintiffs as required by the provision of Section 12, Sub Section 1 of the NNPC Act, 2004.

However, the judge held that the instant suit had to do with fundamental rights that cannot be rendered impotent by the statute of limitations.

He stated further that Section 11, Subsection 5 of the Oil Pipeline Act made it mandatory for oil companies to monitor and repair their pipelines to avoid spillages and environmental degradation.

Justice Taiwo consequently awarded the sum of N42.8 billion as damages for intangible losses, N21.9 billion for special damages as annotated and N10 billion as general damages.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Ibeno communities led by Obong Effiong Archianga and nine others had through their lawyers, Lucius Nwosu, SAN, brought the action against NNPC, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and ExxonMobil Corporation.

They had sought about N100 billion compensation for economic losses suffered from oil spillages caused by the defendants during exploration.

The 3rd defendant was however deleted from the court action when the court established that their was no cause of action against it.
"Since the first week of November 2020 that I landed in Kirikiri prison, I was not released until June 15, 2021."

For eight months, Nicholas Mbah, an up-and-coming music artiste, and hair stylist was illegally detained in Kirikiri Prison, Lagos, for participating in the #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

Mr Mbah was arrested by the officials of the Lagos State Task Force in the Ojo area of Lagos on October 29, 2020.

He was accused of being part of the anti-police brutality protests which later turned violent after it was hijacked by hoodlums in different parts of the country.

Many Nigerians were arrested randomly in the wake of the #EndSARS protests and detained illegally. One of them is Mr Mbah who spent two nights in Ojo Police Station, a week in Panti in Yaba and several months in Kirikiri prison. In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES' Kabir Adejumo, Mr Mbah narrates his experience.

PT: How were you arrested

Mr Mbah: I participated in the #EndSARS protest in Ojo, Lagos, and my area was peaceful and calm. There was neither any fight nor destruction. The protest stopped on October 20, but I was arrested a week after which was October 29, 2020.

I went to the bank to get my statement of account which was not even successful that day. On my way going home, the Ojo policemen started harassing me that they recognised my face as one of the leaders of #EndSARS protesters. They started questioning me. Before I could give any response, they started beating me. They forced me into their vehicle.

I was taken to Ojo police without hearing from me. This was because some hoodlums damaged their police station and I was not in any case part of the damage. The policemen did not allow me to talk, instead they dragged me into the cell. This thing happened around 8:30 a.m.

PT: Were you allowed to reach out to your lawyer or family members?

Mr Mbah: Not at all. They collected my phone, the keys to my house and shop - aside from being into music, I am also a hair stylist. So, they took all my keys and other belongings. Before my family knew, I already spent two days in Ojo police station. My family never knew where I was. They traced me to the station after they repeatedly called my number for two days and no one was answering their calls.

I was mandated to write a statement and told to lie against myself but I resisted. The man who claimed to be the IPO (investigative police officer) started beating me and they threw me into the cell. The police brought me out the next day and again asked me to write my statement.

PT: When they told you to write down lies against yourself, did you obey them?

Mr Mbah: I wrote the truth of the matter and never allowed them to influence my account of the incident. They then took me alongside others arrested to Panti in Yaba. They handed over our belongings to Panti people and told them we were #EndSARS protesters. By this time, my family members already went to Ojo police station to inform the police that I was missing but the officers in Ojo told them that I was arrested and had been transferred to Panti.

Before they could make plans to come to Panti and get a lawyer, it was the next day. I was not even given access to the lawyer when we got to the Magistrate's Court of Lagos State sitting at Yaba on November 2, 2020. The police didn't allow me to say a word in the court. They just told me to say "yes" or "no" to charges against me. They accused me of conspiracy to commit felony, armed robbery, arson and rioting.

I was confused when they read the charges. So, I raised my hand and told the court that if saying "yes" means that I did all they read, then my answer is "no", but I wasn't listened to. After the court session, they took me back to the black maria (police van) in which I was brought to court, and returned to Panti.

Then the next morning by 2 a.m. they drove me and other people with various issues to Kirikiri (prison).

PT: Do you mean in the middle of the midnight?

Mr Mbah: Yes. Seriously speaking, it was terrible. In the black maria were different criminals. If I am not mistaken, the black maria was jam-packed with between 80 to 100 people. I am sure most of the guys I was packed with were cultists. I saw some of them in court a day before and they knew my girlfriend offered me some cash when she joined me in court. Immediately I was pushed into the black maria in the midnight, one of the bad boys told others to search me that I was a big boy and that I had money.

They called me "Oyinbo" (fair complexioned) and before I could bring out the money, they rushed me and beat me up. I am not happy narrating this. Since the first week of November 2020 that I landed in Kirikiri prison, I was not released until June 15, 2021.

PT: What was the experience like in Kirikiri? Did you by chance see your loved ones?

Mr Mbah: No. In fact, my case was adjourned consistently and it looked like the aim of the government and police was just to make us 'rust' in prison. I met with various bad boys in the prison. The experience was terrible. Already, I had a surgery before the incident occurred. I was suffering from hemorrhagic complications and my condition worsened in detention. The surgery was still in the process of healing, but the torture I was subjected to made me experience pain.

In Kirikiri, they called the newcomers "Alejo", the Yoruba word for visitor. As an Alejo in prison, I cannot talk. We have fellow inmates who were hardened criminals. By merely seeing my cell mate in Kirikiri, fear overwhelmed my body. I had to beg the marshal in the prison room that I was sick and needed his help.

PT: Who was the marshal?

Mr Mbah: The leader in my prison. I shared my pains with him and I told him I would like to visit the hospital in the prison so that I could get small treatment. In my cell, criminals had different ranks. The marshal then told a fellow inmate, who was commissioner of health in my prison, to alert the necessary authorities. I was taken to the hospital in the prison and examined by a doctor. The doctor later told someone to call the marshal and he begged the marshal not to allow anyone to manhandle me in the cell because I was in a critical condition.

That's how I began to have some "freedom" among my fellow inmates.

PT: How long did it take you to adapt to the prison?

Mr Mbah: It took me three to four months. My family members kept coming but were not permitted to see me. The food inside prison was another hell. I ate food that cannot be offered to dogs. It was like there was a chemical they put in the food that weakened one's bone and entire body system. It was more of beans or garri. The prison officials didn't touch me. The only torture I got was punishment from my fellow inmates.

I packed "shit" (feaces) and underwent some punishments. There is what they call "jamming" in prison and it means assignments (tasks). It may be packing faeces or any kind of job. I mean you dig a bucket in the pit and pack faeces. You may be asked to fetch water for prison officials to take their baths.

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PT: How many were you in your cell and how many were #EndSARS protesters there?

Mr Mbah: There were 98 inmates in my cell. I met two #EndSARS protesters there and I was brought into the prison with three others. We were six #EndSARS protesters in my cell room at Kirikiri. They all left the prison before me. The only time I was out of prison since November 2020 was March 16, 2021 when I was taken to court and granted bail.

Not that I didn't meet bail conditions but some documents were withheld from my lawyer. They accused my lawyer of being arrogant. We were on this till the court went on strike for over 60 days. I felt no relief. There was no joy. Every night was like a nightmare until I came out last week.

PT: With all of these experiences you had, do you regret participating in #EndSARS protests?

Mr Mbah: Why can I regret? Can I regret speaking for my freedom? My protest was not to fight the government, but to demand what is needed in the society. I never had any family member in police custody. I never suffered police brutality before the protest, but I needed to speak for others. We are not supposed to close our mouths. As long as I am protesting without arms, I will continue to protest when things are wrong. It is not a one-man show. We cannot live in fear. It is meant for everybody and the time to achieve justice is now.

The only sad thing is that the eight months in prison has rendered me homeless and my health condition has worsened. I have not even got to my house. My phone and other belongings are still in Panti. I currently squat at a friend's place but that's not enough to say that I regret participating in the protest.
Governor Sani Bello says bandits are trying to force people of Niger to change their normal lives

The Niger State Government has formed a special security squad to ensure the safe return of the abducted Tegina Islamiyyah School children.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mary Barje, on Monday in Minna.

The statement said Governor Abubakar Bello disclosed this while addressing the special squad of combined security personnel deployed to Rafi Local Government Area, on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police had on May 30 confirmed the abduction of the school children and some residents of Tegina in Rafi Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Bello said the time had come for the state government to take decisive action once and for all, to end banditry in the state .

"We will give you all the necessary support to enable you to implement all your security strategies to ensure safe return of our abducted children and others, if any.

"We have tried our possible best not to make them succeed in forcing us to change our normal lives;they started by displacing farmers from their farmlands, next they moved to burning farms.

"Then, they moved to kidnapping and forcing us to close our schools, now they have started attacking Islamic schools, only God knows what is next," he said.

The governor told the special squad that logistics had been provided for them, and also promised that their allowances and other financial benefits would always be provided as and when due.

He commended the security personnel for their efforts in the ongoing fight against banditry and other criminal elements in the state.

"I mourn the killing of 20 Vigilante Corps Members by the bandits in Magama Local Government Area," he said.

Mr Bello had earlier met with parents of the abducted school children at the palace of the Emir of Kagara, Ahmed Gunna, where he urged them to exercise patience as the government was exploring all avenues to ensure the safe rescue of the abductees.

The emir thanked the governor for all his support to his domain, especially in the area of security, and the support given to the family of the kidnapped school children.

On his own part, the headmaster of Salihu Tanko Islamiyyah School, Tegina, Abubakar Alhassan, disclosed that 15 of the teachers abducted from the school had escaped from the hands of their captors in Zamfara.

Mr Alhassan said the teachers are now in a military facility in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, where they would be handed over to the Niger Government soon.

( NAN)
The trade body also considers Senegal and Rwanda.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) said Africa is working with the European Union and other partners to help create regional vaccine manufacturing hubs with Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal and Rwanda.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General WTO, said on Monday during a virtual meeting that "we have now seen that over-centralization of vaccine production capacity is incompatible with equitable access in a crisis situation."

"Regional production hubs, in tandem with open supply chains, offer a more promising path to preparedness for future health crisis."

On Monday, the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) Independent Task Team on Equitable and Universal Access to Vaccines and Vaccination in Africa launched in Nigeria.

The launch, which held on Monday at the Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital (IUTH), Okada Town, Edo State, had in attendance medical experts, researchers and policymakers from nations across the continent of Africa.

CoDA is an initiative of the Africa Union created to discuss and begin the process of vaccine development and distribution within the African continent.
No new death from COVID-19 has been reported in over two weeks

For the first time since February, 2020, when the index case of coronavirus was recorded in an Italian traveller in the country's commercial hub city, Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday reported no single case of the pandemic.

However, Nigeria's ban on the microblogging site, Twitter, is taking its toll on the reportage of the updates on the disease, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, which is responsible for the update, has consistently delayed the process since the government suspended the operation of the site in the country.

The latest update by the NCDC was only posted on its website on Monday afternoon, more than 12 hours after its usual time when its Twitter handle was active.

Zero case

The new development of recording no single case across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory has been described as a huge success for the country by health experts.

They said it is a milestone in Nigeria's battle against the deadly disease.

The number of new cases dropped from 51 on Saturday to zero on Sunday, NCDC said in an update on its site on Monday afternoon.

Nigeria has seen a sharp drop in infections and deaths since March, adding to signs that it has managed to stamp out the latest wave of the disease.

No new death from COVID-19 has also been reported in more than two weeks.

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But health experts have cautioned against letting the guards down on safety, warning that poor testing in many states could be masking the reality about the pandemic in some states.

Delayed update

While states are solely in charge of its coronavirus management and response, the NCDC supports and receives daily infection information from them.

The daily infection update is then published by the NCDC on its Twitter handle before being posted to its website. The NCDC update serves as the yardstick in which Nigeria's COVID-19 outbreak is being measured.

But since the ban on the microblogging site by President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, the daily COVID-19 update from the NCDC has suffered delays.

Sunday's update for instance was posted on the microsite on Monday afternoon.

Contacted to find why there had been delays in updating the data, the NCDC director, Chikwe Ihekweazi, neither picked calls to his telephone lines nor responded to texts as of the time of filing this report.

Specifics

According to the NCDC update, the total confirmed cases in the country remains 167,206 as no new case was recorded on Sunday.

The total death toll in the country remains 2,117 with no new fatalities in the past 24 hours.

Nigeria has tested a total of 2,266, 591 samples, with a total of 163,557 people said to have recovered after treatment.

The data shows that the country's active COVID-19 now stands at 1,532.
Blog

The GEANCO Foundation has intervened in the area of medical missions for orthopaedic surgery in Nigeria since 2011. In 2014, they began to focus on another area of health development -- maternal health and nutrition.

The Foundation wanted to reach out to underserved pregnant women who were likely to develop anemia in pregnancy because of poverty. "The first time many of them come, they are usually anemic. When you test them with the pulse oximeter, you will see someone almost due for delivery and the person is seriously anemic. It could be a problem if they enter labour in that state," says Paschaline Chukwuka, Nigeria In-Country Manager, GEANCO Foundation.

To mitigate this problem, GEANCO started an anemia control program at two private hospitals, Annunciation Specialist Hospital at Emene and Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital at Ogui Road, both in Enugu State. In 2018, the Foundation expanded their reach to government primary health centres in Enugu to reach more underserved women.

They started with Nchatancha-Nike Primary Health Centre. Chukwuka says the health centre at the time was comatose, with only a few women coming for immunisation. There were no routine antenatal activities going on at the health centre. The anemia program was designed to encourage pregnant women to come for antenatal care and get tested for anemia.

The Foundation provided funds to the facility to cover antenatal drugs for each woman, and also provided stipends for the women at every visit to support their nutrition needs. The Foundation also provided a pulse oximeter to test for anemia, attracting women because it was non-invasive. About a year into the program, the Foundation renovated the centre and equipped it with modern facilities.

"To our surprise, the pregnant women followed her"

"The first week we started the program there were 20 women. In the next two weeks we had grown to 60 women." The anemia program ran through the Primary Health Centre for almost one year. In that year, over 600 pregnant women registered for antenatal care at the facility. The Foundation posted a staff member to the facility to handle the stipend payments.

However, the GEANCO team increasingly had concerns about the programme. A grave concern was that of the 360 deliveries that took place, only 80 deliveries happened at the facility. The other deliveries were handled by TBAs. Another concerned accountability and transparency of the health centre, Chukwuka said, primarily in relation to the funds they were providing for the women's medicines.

Soon, another concern emerged.

The Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of the health centre had a disagreement with a volunteer at the centre, who happened to be a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA). Chukwuka says, "The government employed workers would go home in the evening, and the TBA was always available to take labour, even at midnight. This made the women like her."

The In-Charge asked the TBA to leave the health centre. "She left, and to our greatest surprise, the pregnant women followed her," Chukwuka said. Christabel Anekwe, the Foundation's Clinical Supervisor, remembers the event. "When we got there the next day for the anemia control program, the number reduced drastically, from over 80 women, to 10," she said.

"We can't just leave them" -- An unusual shift to provide maternal health services

"When the program at the centre failed, we thought, 'Well, our target are the women, and we can't just leave them'," Chukwuka says, " so we reached out to the TBA who had left the centre, and we decided to continue the anemia program there." This decision opened the GEANCO team to a completely unexpected modus operandi -- training TBAs to provide quality care to pregnant women. Today they have trained 115 TBAs in Enugu State and 100 TBAs in Anambra State.

"Our passion was the women first. We needed to reach out to them," Chukwuka asserts. Skilled health workers and government officials would tell her, 'We know they exist, but why TBAs?'" she said, adding, "Some of the reasons women prefer TBAs are beyond our control; the attitude and care they receive from the TBAs. Sometimes the TBAs cook for them after delivery, or if they cannot pay they let them go."

Chukwuka says the GEANCO team trained the TBAs on hygiene, data collection, management and financial management, and to understand their limitations and know when to refer women to a primary health centre. The team developed the 'supportive supervision' system. "After the training, we ensure compliance, we attach a nurse/midwife to supervise them, and a lab technician who tests the pregnant women. We also have periodic inspections and volunteers who assist with data management," she said.

The birth of the Julia Burke Maternity Centre

During the TBA training, the poor hygiene conditions at some of the TBAs gave birth to the idea of a modular clinic. "There was a TBA who had one of the worst facilities we had seen. We wanted to change the narrative; we wanted to start with one person," Chukwuka said.

The TBA is Mrs. Anthonia Uzoigwe, fondly called Mama Ebube by her clients. By the end of 2020, the GEANCO Foundation had built their first modular maternity clinic. It was named the Julia Burke Maternity Centre, after the Julia Burke Foundation, GEANCO's funding partner for the centre. The centre is built in Enugu's Coal Camp, on land leased by the TBA with the support of the Foundation.

The modular clinic features an examination room, a delivery room, and a ward with two bed spaces, all ingeniously fitted into a shipping container with a solar panel system powering the facility and a solar fridge. The centre has a router, a phone and a headset to enable the skilled health partner to conduct telemedicine visits. The centre is impeccably clean, with a fitted canopy in front for women to sit and wait. It feels wholesome and welcoming.

The centre was officially opened in December 2020, and to date 202 pregnant women have registered there and they have had 63 deliveries at the facility, with three referrals and no deaths, according to the GEANCO Foundation. "We wanted to see how this would work," Chukwuka says, "and it is working; the partnership with skilled counterparts, data collection and management, the level of hygiene has improved remarkably. Even the pregnant women are testifying."

The team opened a second modular clinic for the TBA who was the catalyst for the initial shift in the anemia control program, at Obinagu-Nike, naming it after GEANCO Foundation Co-Founder and Board Chairman, Dr. Godwin Onyema. The Godwin Onyema Maternity Centre was opened on March 17, 2021. Chukwuka says there are plans to open three more centres in 2021, with hopes to expand to Ebonyi and Anambra states.

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She confesses that getting the government on board the project is a challenge. "We know they exist, but why TBAs?" seems to be a resounding refrain, and she fears it will cause delays in their timeline for implementation. "One of the things I wish I could change is the mentality people have about these women," Chukwuka says. "I know bad things have happened at TBA homes, but I believe in change. The worst person can change with the right attitude. We can train them and help them become better."

The project has trained a total of 215 TBAs in two states, but there are presently only two existing and three planned modular clinics. TBAs have to meet GEANCO's standards for compliance. These include having a clean facility, sterilisation of implements, knowing when to refer, and being able to do the basics in terms of recording their clients' information. Given the number of TBAs that are active in the network, one concern is whether GEANCO plans to provide the same type of modular centres that these first TBAs are getting, or whether it will adapt its strategy as the numbers of TBAs who reach the required level of compliance increases.

With over 61 percent of women in Nigeria still opting to give birth outside the health facilities, the challenge of getting quality care to women during pregnancy still remains. Chukwuka acknowledges that there is still a journey ahead, but right now, she is excited at the progress that she sees at the two modular maternity centres. "We've been able to achieve this integration between the TBAs and the skilled counterparts," she says. "It doesn't really matter who does what, as long as there is a better maternal outcome... and that is what we are achieving now."
A huge car bomb attack that injured several soldiers on Monday in the town of Gossi in central Mali was aimed at France's Barkhane force, local sources told RFI's sister station France 24.

The attack occurred in the Kaigourou neighbourhood of Gossi, injuring several soldiers from France's Operation Barkhane in the Sahel, according to local sources.

Witnesses said several military helicopters could be seen heading to the area after the massive explosion to rescue the wounded.

"It was a car bomb, which is rare in this region, and the car bomb targeted a Barkhane patrol," said Wassim Nasr, France 24's terrorism expert.

"From local sources, we know that debris from the car flew over three kilometres from impact, which means it was a big bomb. We also heard about gunfire exchanges between the jihadis and French forces.

"This was not on the spot of the explosion, but a little further north of the town, which means the confrontation of the jihadis was complex and complicated for French forces."

Barkhane force to be overhauled

The attack came just days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced a reduction of France's military operations in Africa's Sahel region, declaring that France's existing Barkhane force needed "profound transformation".

Macron is calling for a new international force for the region.

Nasr said it was likely the car-bombing and the impending French military withdrawal were connected. "The attack also comes a day after the first speech by the head of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, who called for more and more attacks against French forces," he explained.

France currently has 5,100 troops in the arid and volatile Sahel region, which stretches across Africa south of the Sahara desert encompassing Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

The Sahel is seen by many Western politicians and experts as a major risk because of the growing strength of jihadist groups there, as well as its role as a crossroads for arms and people-smuggling.

"In this context of withdrawal, jihadis will put more and more pressure on French forces," Nasr warned.

Senior IS group commander arrested

The attack came days after French forces in Mali captured a senior commander of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) group.

Dadi Ould Chouaib, also known as Abou Dardar, was arrested on 11 June in the flashpoint "tri-border" region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, the site of frequent attacks by jihadist groups, according to the French military.

Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising prompted mutinous soldiers to overthrow the country's president of a decade. The power vacuum that was created ultimately led to an Islamic insurgency and a French-led war that ousted the jihadists from power in 2013.

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A peace agreement was signed in 2015 by three parties -- the government, a coalition of groups who seek autonomy in northern Mali, and a pro-government militia.

However, the insurgents quickly regrouped in the desert and began launching frequent attacks on the Malian army and its allies fighting the insurgency.

The extremists, affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State militant group, have moved from the arid north to more populous central Mali since 2015 where their presence has stoked animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the area.

In the latest turmoil, Col. Assimi Goita grabbed power in August 2020 by overthrowing Mali's democratically elected president. He eventually agreed to a transitional government led by a civilian president and prime minister but on May 24 he ousted those civilian leaders after they announced a Cabinet reshuffle.
Geneva  The United Nations is urgently appealing for $250 million to provide life-saving food assistance for millions of people in northeast Nigeria, many of whom risk starving to death.

The U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon, says he has come to Geneva to warn the international community that Nigeria is at a crossroads and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

He says 4.4 million people in northeast Nigeria's Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are facing a looming catastrophic situation of food insecurity that eventually could result in a famine.

"Of these 4.4 million people, 775,000 are in critical needs of food assistance and risk death, and also further dispossession, if necessary action is not taken now," he said.

Kallon says malnutrition rates are rising in all three states in northeast Nigeria, reaching a particularly dangerous high of 13.6% in Yobe State. The U.N. Children's Fund reports severe acute malnutrition causes stunting, wasting, physical and mental impairment, and even death.

U.N. coordinator Kallon says these children urgently need special nutritional feeding to save their lives. However, providing aid in this volatile region is dangerous, and in some cases, impossible.

"Ongoing insecurity, which has resulted in further displacement of people and also compounded by the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19. And closely linked to the issues of insecurity [are] issues of access in areas that are controlled by the nonstate armed groups, where we have well over 800,000 people we cannot reach," he said.

Northeast Nigeria has been in almost constant turmoil since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, and the situation has grown worse in recent months with a wave of mass kidnappings for ransom.

The United Nations reports 8.7 million people in northeast Nigeria need humanitarian aid. Earlier this year, the U.N. appealed for $1 billion to assist 6.4 million of the most vulnerable. To date, only 55% percent of the required funding has been received.
Una planta de oxigeno criogenica que se instalara en Pacasmayo (La Libertad), fue recibida en el Callao. El ministro @EGonzalez_Ch participo en la recepcion junto con la presidenta de @pcmperu, Violeta Bermudez, y el director del Proyecto @LegadoOficialPE, Alberto Valenzuela. pic.twitter.com/KnFSeP6fMs
20:10 | Jaen (Cajamarca region), Jun. 21.

Speaking from Jaen (Cajamarca region), where he paid a working visit joined by Education Minister Ricardo Cuenca , Mr. Sagasti reiterated his call for citizens to maintain serenity, calm, and order at this juncture.
" " This close-up image of a Greenland shark was taken in 2007 at the floe edge of the Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut, in the Canadian arctic archipelago. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

They may not have their own cult classic movie like the infamous great white shark, but the equally massive Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) holds a pretty impressive record: They're the longest-living vertebrate known to science. It's estimated they can live up to approximately 400 years, beating out the former record-holder  a species of bowhead whale  that can live up to 211 years. A Greenland shark, alive today, could have been swimming in the deep in the 1600s. Wow.

Despite having been around for, well, what seems like forever, the Greenland shark was only recently recognized as the longest-living vertebrate because scientists have been stumped for centuries about how to determine their age. Other sharks (and most vertebrates) have hardened spines that form growth rings  similar to what occurs inside a tree  which can be counted to determine how long the sharp-tooth beast has been roaming the seas. But the Greenland shark lacks hard tissue, making age measurement nearly impossible  that is, until the recent intersection of Danish scientists, human cadavers and a dash of murder mystery.

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How Scientists Cracked the Code

Jan Heinemeier, an expert in radiocarbon dating at Aarhus University in Denmark, didn't specifically have the Greenland shark on his radar, but he proved that you really can tell a lot about someone by their eyes.

His team was studying the crystallines  a type of protein that remains stable over time  and carbon-14 levels in the eyes of human cadavers. Since the carbon level fluctuates from year to year, each period in time has its own carbon-14 signature  allowing for radiocarbon dating to determine age using the lenses of the eyes.

" " Skulls of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) on display at Bjarnarhoefn, a museum dedicated to life on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland. REDA&CO/Getty Images

But before the technique helped to age sharks, it found its way to forensics. His team got a request from police in Germany to help them solve a bizarre murder mystery. The victims had been frozen for years, so the scientists were able to use his technique on their lenses to precisely determine their ages  and thus the year of the crime.

Then when marine biologist John Fleng Steffensen reached out to Heinemeier to see if they could use radiocarbon dating on shark vertebrae, he learned about the murder case and a new approach. Isolated tissue that formed when a shark was very young could be radiocarbon dated to give scientists the new, approximate age.

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How Does the Greenland Shark Manage to Live So Long?

One theory is that extreme cold produces anti-aging qualities, and lucky for these sharks, they hang out in water that hovers around 29 degrees Fahrenheit (-1.6 degrees Celsius). A low metabolism is also thought to be at play. But scientists don't have the full answer  yet that is. Studies are currently underway to examine the sharks' genes, heart and immune system to help solve the age-old age puzzle. And there may be a bonus  they're hoping to be able to use what they find to create immune boosting therapies for us humans.

Given the Greenland shark's need to conserve energy, they creep along at an average pace of 0.3 meters per second (0.76 mph), giving them the nickname "sleeper sharks." But don't discount their ability to attack  when truly necessary they can increase their speed in short bursts.

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How Big Are Greenland Sharks?

The massive Greenland shark can grow to be up to 24 feet (7.3 meters) long and weigh in at up to 2,645 pounds (1,200 kilograms). But they don't exactly have a teenage growth spurt. Instead they make an extremely slow, steady climb toward their final size, only growing by about 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) per year.

With that slow growth comes slow sexual maturity; they only become able to reproduce once they're around 150 years of age. Talk about a long time to wait to get some action.

And to add to their quirkiness, these slow giants might not even be able to see well. "Greenland sharks in the Arctic often have copepod (small crustacean) ectoparasites attached on or over their eyes. There is no known advantage to these parasites, and indeed, it seems likely that these parasites obscure or even block the vision of the shark," says Dr. Steven E. Campana, professor of life and environmental sciences at the University of Iceland, in an email interview.

" " The fermented meat of the Greenland shark, hanging in a drying hut in Snaefellsnes, Iceland. Once dried, which takes about four to five months, it is the iconic local speciality known as hakarl. REDA&CO/Getty Images

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What's on Their Dinner Menu?

Even though they have a coveted spot at the top of the food chain, the Greenland shark doesn't always hunt for live prey. When they do, they mostly catch seals and fish. But more than anything, they seem to enjoy living more of a scavenger lifestyle, eating animal carcasses such as a polar bear or reindeer that may have fallen through the ice.

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How Do They Interact With Humans?

Since the Greenland shark usually hangs out in such deep waters, it's rare to see one  at times even for scientists. As Campana shares, "There is almost no direct fishing towards Greenland sharks. Rather, they are usually caught accidentally as bycatch of fisheries for other deep-water or cold-water marine species." There haven't been any documented attacks on humans, but that may have to do with the depth of their living quarters.

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What Does Their Future Hold?

While their true conservation status is unknown, professor Campana says, "The fact that Greenland shark densities remain high in some areas suggests that continued catches over the past century have not been enough to push the population into a critical decline, although they are almost certainly at low overall abundance."

Now That's Intoxicating A small number of people do in fact hunt the Greenland shark for their meat  but eating it is a risky endeavor. The meat must be dried and specially processed over time to remove the TMOA, or trimethylamine N-oxide, a substance that causes heavy intoxication in humans. Whoever eats the unprocessed meat will end up "shark drunk" with a really nasty hangover for a few days.
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Member of Parliament of Armenia Naira Zohrabyan has again raised the issue of the Armenian prisoners of war illegally held in Azerbaijan during the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, calling on the CoE to take concrete actions, rather than to make statements which do not lead to any consequences.

The lawmaker called on the CoE to suspend the Azerbaijani delegations powers and freeze the European bank accounts of the family of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and that countrys political elite. She stated that the solution of the Armenian POW issue is possible only by imposing tough sanctions against Baku.

Especially today when hatred and intolerance have become a serious issue in Europe and politicians have a great responsibility to keep away politics from populism, lie, manipulations and tools unacceptable in the fight against political opponents, our todays discussion is more than relevant. Yes, the politician must have a mandate to freely exercise his right to speech, which, however, cant avoid red lines. When the President of Azerbaijan is calling Armenians liars and says that for 30 years Artsakh has been in the hands of monsters, wild animals, when announces that he will expel Armenians from Artsakh like dogs, when the mannequins of Armenian servicemen are displayed at the Baku filthy park, I am more than convinced that racism ad Armenophobia cannot be considered as freedom of speech and must be prevented, she said, adding that if the European organization doesnt apply sanctions on Azerbaijan, there is a great fear that many Armenian mothers will no more hug their sons.

I ask you again: why dont you suspend the Azerbaijani delegations right to vote, why you dont urge the international organizations to freeze the European bank accounts of Aliyevs family and his clan. I have talked to the boys who have been repatriated two weeks ago. They saw hell in Baku prison. And I will urge daily to apply concrete sanctions on Azerbaijan, as this country could become the last graveyard of Europe and the European values, the lawmaker said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The session of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons has also discussed the humanitarian consequences caused by the 2020 Artsakh War launched by Azerbaijan.

During the session member of the Armenian delegation Tatevik Hayrapetyan stated that its important to focus on the hate speech made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Armenian prisoners of war cannot become a subject of trade. Instead of releasing them, Azerbaijan is filing fake criminal cases against these persons. Armenian prisoners of war must be immediately returned. As for the land mine fields which is being raised by Azerbaijan, the Armenian side has repeatedly stated that it is ready to cooperate on humanitarian issues. Moreover, after the First Artsakh War our compatriots living in Artsakh were clearing minefields for decades in order to be able to move, meanwhile Azerbaijan was fighting against the OSCE Office which was conducting huge works on demining, the Armenian MP said.

She noted that although the report concerns the humanitarian problems, its important to note that it was Azerbaijan that started an attack on the peaceful population of Artsakh with the support of Turkey. Meanwhile, for years Azerbaijan has rejected the option of mutual concession solution, leading the region to a new war and a humanitarian disaster, she said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The return of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan is under constant attention of Russia, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin told reporters today in Yerevan at the Victory Park.

From the very start Russia has done and does everything possible so that the captives are returned and the process moves forward on this direction. Here General Muradov, the commander of the peacekeeping forces, plays a big role. The Russian President, Defense and Foreign Ministers are also dealing with this issue. But its not so easy, the solution of this issue requires major efforts, the Russian diplomat said.

He couldnt answer for sure whether the completion of the snap parliamentary elections in Armenia would active the return process of the captives, but noted once again that this issue is under Russias constant attention, and the work will continue on this direction.

Commenting on the return of 15 Armenian captives last week at the mediation of the US and Georgian authorities, the Russian Ambassador said Moscow has welcomed this step, adding that that exchange could not have taken place without preparation and very tangible works of the Russian side and peacekeepers.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed Ambassador of Armenia to Lithuania Armen Martirosyan presented his credentials to President Gitanas Nauseda, the Armenian Foreign Ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting the Lithuanian President congratulated the Ambassador on appointment, wishing success to his important mission. He also congratulated over the holding of the snap parliamentary elections in Armenia on June 20, expressing hope that they will contribute to mitigation of domestic political tension in the country. Touching upon the history of the Armenian-Lithuanian relations, the President said the political dialogue is at a high level, stating that in 1991 Lithuania was the first to recognize Armenias independence. The meeting also discussed Lithuanias key role in the development of the Armenia-EU relations.

In his turn the Armenian Ambassador thanked the Lithuanian President for the welcome, stating that Armenia is deeply interested in further intensifying the cooperation with Lithuania in all directions of mutual interest.

The meeting also touched upon the situation after the 2020 November 10 trilateral statement on the ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh. Ambassador Martirosyan thanked Lithuania for the assistance provided to the Armenian side during the war. In the context of the NK conflicts lasting and stable settlements, they both highlighted the key role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Its quite a long time actions are being taken in the Armenian Armed Forces for the creation of a professional army, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Artak Davtyan told reporters.

For quite a long time we are taking steps on creating professional army, but at least in the foreseeable future we would not move to a professional army by 100%, there are no such programs. Steps have been taken and continue to be taken, but there is no preconditions for refusing conscription, he said.

According to the Chief of the General Staff, their key task is to restore the Armys combat readiness after the recent war, which they actually do and already have great achievements on this path.

It relates to the leadership system, as well as the experience of the war is being examined very actively. We have already started implementing what is possible to introduce in the Armed Forces, in particular in combat preparedness. This is a process, which to say will end in a month or in a year, will not be so, he said.

He stated that everything depends on the acquisition of new armament, the organization of the training process.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. It is expected to deploy Russian peacekeepers in Gegharkunik province of Armenia, processes are underway, Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Artak Davtyan told reporters.

The final decision is not only the desire of our side, other sides are also participating, negotiations are underway. We will provide additional information about implementation and other technical issues, he said.

He stated that they have nothing to ask Azerbaijan over the matter, but noted that there are some issues.

We have nothing to ask Azerbaijan in our territory, but the talks are underway with the Russian side, because there are some issues, and our goal is to remove Azerbaijani troops from our territory without clashes, Artak Davtyan said.

Asked whether some concessions in Gegharkunik are possible, he said there wont be any concessions, adding that if the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces is not solved by negotiations, the issue will be solved by respective actions.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Canada congratulates Armenia on concluding successful parliamentary elections, the Canadian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

We look forward to collaborating with our Armenian partners to continue our efforts to promote democracy in the country as well as a resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the statement says.

Armenia held snap parliamentary elections on June 20.

21 political parties and 4 blocs were running for parliament.

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 22, ARMENPRESS. Nearly 1000 Azerbaijani troops continue being illegally located on the Armenian territory, Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Artak Davtyan told reporters today.

He stated that the number of Azerbaijani troops illegally located on the Armenian territory has not changed.

Commenting on the incidents taking places between the Armenian and Azerbaijani servicemen on the border, he said they have declined.

It is connected with the negotiation process which is in an active stage. Not much is said in order not to harm this process, the final results will be visible in the option which we will present, he said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda congratulated the leader of the Armenian political party Civic Contract, Nikol Pashinyan, over victory in the June 20 early parliamentary elections, the Lithuanian Presidents Office said in a statement.

The Lithuanian President wished success, patience and dedication to Pashinyan in performing the duties of the responsible position.

Political stability is especially important for the citizens of Armenia after the recent war. We support the aspirations of the Armenian people to live in a peaceful, secure and stable state, the President said.

Gitanas Nauseda underlined the importance of preserving Armenia's national security and sovereignty and the need to resolve the divisions between political forces and within society in order to unite them for the benefit of the state. The President called for active efforts to implement reforms for successful and effective cooperation between Armenia and the EU. This is particularly important with the entry into force of the comprehensive EU-Armenia Partnership Agreement.

Armenia held snap parliamentary elections on June 20.

21 political parties and 4 blocs were running for parliament.

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 22, ARMENPRESS. Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP Marina Kaljurand, and the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur on Armenia, MEP Andrey Kovatchev, have issued a joint statement on the early parliamentary elections held in Armenia on June 20.

Armenpress presents the full text of the statement:



Early parliamentary elections took place in Armenia on June 20. We congratulate the Armenian people on this important show of democracy despite the difficult context.



This is a pivotal moment for Armenia and we hope that the clear election result opens a new positive chapter for the country. After a very emotional campaign, what the Armenian society now needs most is to restore unity and rally behind a common goal to build a better future.

Due to its travel restrictions related to the pandemic, the European Parliament was unable to send observers. However, an international election observation mission was conducted by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). We note that the mission found the elections to be competitive and generally well-managed and that it concluded that voters were provided with a broad range of options and fundamental rights and freedoms were generally respected.

We call on all political forces to acknowledge the election results and to refrain from any divisive rhetoric and actions. Any allegations of irregularities must not be used to stoke tension, but need to be dealt with under the appropriate complaints and appeals procedures.

We look forward to working with the newly elected National Assembly on further developing EU-Armenia relations for the benefit of our citizens.
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The coronavirus-related situation in Armenia is stable at the moment, however with negative projections, Deputy Director General of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gayane Sahakyan, said at a press conference in Armenpress, stating that rise in the virus reproduction number is being noticed.

We had a moment when the virus reproduction number was 0.4%, but over the last 14 days we see that this figure is growing slowly. Over the past 7 days this number has reached 1.1%, she said, stating that this figure shows that there will soon be an increase in new cases. The increase is expected to be slow at the beginning, but then will be at drastic rate. Specialists are expecting 600 new cases weekly. Usually, the 30% is being hospitalized, which means that we will have 180 cases seeking hospitalization.

The coronavirus situation globally continues to remain tense. Virus mutations, changes continue, and its becoming a new evil for the countries of the world. The Indian strain of the virus has already reached Russia. At this period many tourists visit Armenia and the appearance of this new strain in Armenia is not ruled out.

Gayane Sahakyan says the infectivity of this new strain is more active, the intensity of virus spread is about twice as high.

She noted that the restrictions continue globally, even during the vaccination process.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. On the sidelines of holding political consultations with extra-parliamentary forces, caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting on June 22 with President of the Fair Armenia party Norayr Norikyan.

Dear friends, today I met with caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the latters initiative on holding political consultations with extra-parliamentary forces. The situation in the country was discussed, Norikyan said on Facebook.

The Fair Armenia party participated in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections, but failed to pass the minimum threshold for being elected to the parliament.

During a rally at the Republic Square on June 21, caretaker PM Pashinyan announced that he is going to hold consultations with the political forces who have participated in the elections, also calling for dialogue to the spiritual leaders.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Estonia congratulated Armenia for conducting competitive and peaceful parliamentary elections.

This is another legitimate chance for Nikol Pashinyan to continue with the democratic reforms, to rebuild the war-ravaged country and to diminish the divide in the society, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

Armenia held snap parliamentary elections on June 20.

21 political parties and 4 blocs were running for parliament.

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 22, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan is holding political consultations with the leaders of several political forces. On this occasion, Pashinyan received today leader of the Republic party Aram Sargsyan, Pashinyans Office told Armenpress.

Aram Sargsyan congratulated Pashinyan on his Civil Contract partys victory in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections.

Thank you very much. I am happy for this meeting and want to thank you for accepting the invitation. I also want to state that I was following your campaign, and frankly speaking I had a very good impression. I thought the Republic party would pass the 5% threshold, Pashinyan said.

He noted that the main topic of todays meeting will be to hear Mr. Sargsyans views on the domestic political developments, their party plans, etc.

Well. The elections have really put everything in its place. And today there are three parliamentary forces in the elections. I congratulated the other two forces as well on election and think that the best option for the overall processes will be if the discussions move to the National Assemblys platform and an attempt is made there to find a main formula of communication between the parliamentary forces aimed at getting the country out of this situation.

The task of the extra-parliamentary forces is much easier in that sense. I think that the influences are much smaller. Here the main key work is your being the prime minister of everyone, no matter which team they belong to, he added.

As for our part, I think we will always stand by the state, the statehood. This is a high priority for us, the independence of Armenia is a high priority, he said.

The meeting sides also discussed issues relating to capacity and potential unity, as well as further cooperation opportunities.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has issued a statement over the snap parliamentary elections held in Armenia on June 20.

The parliamentary elections, despite the pre-election tension, contradictions and some violations recorded, have had a relatively peaceful course and were held without serious incidents.

Its highly important for the Church that the political force, which is taking office, will be able to ensure and guarantee pro-national solutions to such vital issues which relate to the security of Armenia, Artsakh and our believer people, the preservation of national identity and value system, education, culture, public solidarity and other pan-national issues. The Mother See and the clergymen of our Church have regularly expressed their positions and concerns over such important issues and will be consistent with the protection of state, national and spiritual interests in the aforementioned fields.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin assesses positively caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans yesterdays remarks on solidarity, unity in establishing the homelands secure, prosperous and progressive life, as well as on the necessity to end hate speech. The caretaker PMs proposal to dialogue directed to the spiritual leaders is also welcome. The Mother See has always acted from these positions and expects that the new leadership will take practical and consistent actions to implement their proposal on cooperation with the Church, as well as to form a public solidarity, the statement says.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian held a telephone conversation with leader of the I Have the Honor alliance Artur Vanetsyan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

President Sarkissian congratulated Vanetsyan on his blocs election to the parliament, wishing productive work for the benefit of Armenia.

Armenia held snap parliamentary elections on June 20.

21 political parties and 4 blocs were running for parliament.

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, 22 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 22 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.22 drams to 513.07 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.98 drams to 609.73 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 7.01 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.30 drams to 711.63 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 19.62 drams to 29280.48 drams. Silver price down by 7.28 drams to 428.14 drams. Platinum price down by 502.43 drams to 17155.41 drams.
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan continues political consultations with heads of different political forces. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan met with head of Bright Armenia Party Edmon Marukyan.

Nikol Pashinyan  Dear Mr. Marukyan, first I am thankful for accepting the invitation. I want to say that I followed the pre-election campaign of Bright Armenia Party as much as I was able and, frankly speaking, I regret for that Bright Armenia Party did not overcome the threshold for entering the National Assembly, because the party has its place and had a role in the political life of the recent years. Today I would also like to hear your opinions over the future of the political life and I also would like to hear what kind of solutions you see, so that the Government and extra-parliamentary opposition, including Bright Armenia Party have a high level of reciprocal contact.

Edmon Marukyan  Mr. Pashinyan, I am thankful for the invitation. Yes, Bright Armenia Party carried out a pre-election campaign with slogans of restoring solidarity, reconciliation and unity inside the country. In fact, we believe that our agenda was defeated in these elections. Anyway, that does not mean anything and our party will continue to have a role and present the approaches and values that are the basis of our party. I hope that holding parliamentary elections and the formation of the new parliament can help to overcome the crisis in the country.

During the meeting the interlocutors discussed issues related to the consolidation of capacities and potentials, as well as opportunities for future cooperation.
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. France salutes holding parliamentary elections in Armenia on June 20, ARMENPRESS reports the French Foreign Ministry announced.

''According to the data published by the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, the ''Civil Contract'' Party led by caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confidently wins the elections. France takes note of the preliminary conclusion of the OSCE / ODIHR observation mission regarding the satisfactory level of voting. France hopes that these elections will give Armenia and opportunity to withstand the numerous challenges facing it. France reaffirms determination to support Armenia in this endeavor, as well as its unwavering support for Armenia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the strengthening of democratic institutions', reads the statement.
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 South Florida Pride parade, says he will hold the deceased "in my heart forever".

Fred Johnson, a local minister and member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus, a tight-knit ensemble of about 25 mostly older men, was at the wheel of a pickup truck when his group was signalled 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 on 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 to hand out leaflets.

"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 said on Monday that all evidence indicates the collision was a terrible accident, noting Johnson had fully co-operated 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.

"He's just really, really beside himself ... It's going to be a burden that he's going to carry the rest of his life."

In the initial aftermath of the accident, parade participants and witnesses did not 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 it was an accident and said he misspoke the day before because he had been traumatised by what he witnessed.

June is Pride Month in the US, 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 country's gay rights movement.
President Daniel Ortega first came to power in Nicaragua in 1979 as a leader of the leftist Sandinista rebels

Five presidential hopefuls have been arrested in a sweeping crackdown by President Daniel Ortega ahead of elections in November.

Miguel Mora was the 17th major opposition figure to have been held this month, with two more rounded up on Monday.

Several hundred people have been behind bars since anti-government protests broke out across the Central American country in 2018, with protesters calling Ortega a dictator and demanding he stands down.

- 2021: Pre-election arrests -

The roundup of Ortega's possible challengers in the November presidential election began on June 2 when Cristiana Chamorro, the daughter of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, was placed under house arrest.

Days later three other opposition candidates were arrested: the economist Juan Sebastian Chamorro Garcia -- Cristiana's cousin -- Felix Maradiaga and former diplomat Arturo Cruz.

- 'Dictator' -

Washington and the UN called for their release, with top US diplomat for Latin America, Julie Chung, tweeting the arrests "should resolve any remaining doubts about Ortega's credentials as a dictator."

On Sunday a fifth would-be candidate, Mora, was arrested at his home for "inciting foreign interference in internal affairs and requesting military intervention."

The government claims those it has held are "usurpers" funded by the US to topple Ortega, who governed Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, returned to power in 2007 and who has won two successive re-elections since then.

The leader of the 1979 Sandinista revolution is widely expected to seek a fourth term in the November, though he has not yet confirmed that he will stand.

- 2020: 'Repressive' law -

Those detained this month have been accused under a law approved by parliament in December purporting to defend Nicaragua's "sovereignty", which has been criticized by rights bodies as a means of freezing out and jailing challengers.

- 2018: Bloody protests -

Story continues

Mora, a journalist, had been previously detained in 2018 as part of a crackdown on massive anti-Ortega protests that left 325 dead. More than 100,000 Nicaraguans have since fled the country.

The protests were triggered by a now-scrapped pension reform plan with demonstrators accusing Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, the vice president, of establishing a corrupt and nepotistic dictatorship.

- Sanctions -

The United States imposed sanctions on Ortega's government and inner circle during the 2018 demonstrations.

On June 9, amid the latest round of arrests, the US imposed fresh sanctions against three Nicaraguan officials and the president's daughter, while accusing the regime of undermining democracy and abusing human rights.

Luis Almagro, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, urged the release of all "political prisoners in Nicaragua," adding that "the harassment and oppression of the dictatorship of... Daniel Ortega must stop."

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Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter No. 704, of Cayuga County, will partner with Cayuga Community College and the Cayuga County Community College Foundation to bring a Vietnam veterans memorial to Auburn this summer.

The Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit will come to the college's Auburn campus from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 9. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The 1,500-square-foot mobile museum provides information about the service of Vietnam veterans and appreciation for their sacrifice, the college said in a news release. It includes interactive exhibits, short films, shared stories and family activities. Veterans will be honored with a pinning ceremony at 6 p.m., and Wreaths Across America representatives will be available for tours and questions.

The goal of the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit is to bring community together and teach patriotism while remembering the service and sacrifice of our nations heroes, said Karen Worcester, executive director for Wreaths Across America.
However, he still had Army commitments to fulfill. He was transferred to Florida, where he worked under Marine Gen. James Mattis  he later served as Trump's secretary of defense  and Army Gen. David Petraeus, who would go on to become CIA director in the Obama administration.

In 2010, he deployed to Afghanistan to help "stand up" the Afghan military. His second tour in Afghanistan was from 2013-14 when he managed over $1 billion. After retiring from the Army, he became a contractor and was sent to assist the Afghan Air Force.

After the contract was canceled due to COVID-19, he returned to the U.S. He is now teaching contract, finance and leadership courses for federal government employees about 17 days a month. He also has a side business to help veterans win government contracts.

As he and his wife, a Liverpool native, looked to settle down, she wanted to move back to central New York. They bought a house in Camillus.

"Being in the military, you often get to pick where (home) is," said Holden, who has been stationed at Army posts across the country. "I fell in love with this area when I was here, needless to say, when I fell in love with my wife."
"It is very exciting when we see a decline in chemicals in fish that allows whole families to enjoy fresh-caught fish meals from some of the largest fisheries in New York state," state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said. "Lake Ontario, and the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers offer incredible fishing opportunities. By following our advice anglers can make healthier choices about eating and sharing the fish they catch with families and friends, while reducing the potential for exposures."

For other central New York lakes, the state Department of Health's guidance stands. There are certain fish that can be eaten out of Owasco Lake. The advice for women under 50 and children under 15 is that they can eat up to four meals a month of rainbow smelt. The amount of rainbow trout and yellow perch that can be eaten depends on the fish's size. If the rainbow trout is more than 20 inches long and the yellow perch is over 10 inches long, then they can have one meal a month. If the fish is smaller, then women and children can eat up to four meals a month. They also can have one meal a month of all other fish, but shouldn't eat smallmouth bass and walleye.
Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday has announced an extension of its strategic partnership with ride-hailing giant Grab to promote electric mobility in the Southeast Asian region. The next phase of the alliance between these two companies will focus on accelerating electric vehicle adoption in the region.

(Also Read: Hyundai teases 2022 Elantra N performance model, rival to Honda Civic Type R)

Under this partnership, both Hyundai and Kia will work with Grab. These companies are claimed to be working on pilot projects to reduce the cost of ownership and range anxiety for the Grab drivers. Grab aims to increase electric vehicles in its ride-sharing and delivery fleet through this project.

Hyundai Motor Group has been aiming to become a mobility service provider instead of just an automobile manufacturer, just like several other automakers around the world. The partnership appears to be a part of that stratetgy. The South Korean automobile giant plans to launch new pilot projects such as electric vehicle leasing, battery-as-a-service, car-as-a-service. Besides that, it also plans to introduce a dedicated EV financing model.

The pilot programes are claimed to start in 2021 in Singapore. Then it will expand to Indonesia and Vietnam as well.

Commenting on this strategic partnership, Minsung Kim, vice president of the Innovation Division at Hyundai Motor Group, said that the automaker and Grab were able to discover the possibility of EV businesses in Southeast Asia through their alliance since 2018.

"With Grab having the largest driver network in the region and Hyundai's comprehensive mobility solutions, we are confident that together we can help to increase the adoption of EVs and ultimately reduce carbon emissions throughout the region. Beyond its on-going projects, the Group expects additional cooperation with Grab to be a key driver to lead the mobility market of the future in Southeast Asia," Kim further added.

Hyundai last year had unveiled a dedicated electric vehicle platform. The automaker aims to roll out at least 23 EVs across different bodystyles based on this architecture by 2025. The strateguic partnership with Grab would give the automaker a platform to further strengthen its EV drive.
LOS ANGELESAdult NFT (Non-Fungible Token) platform xxxNifty has released its latest drop from one of the companys newest brand ambassadors, Sabrina Night, exclusively at xxxNifty.com.

I'm very excited to join xxxNifty and be able to step into future of content creation with them; I just finished working on my first NFT drop, and I can't describe how excited I am to present my creative approach towards erotica. Turning porn into art has never been so satisfying! said Night.

Crypto market finally gives us same rights as artists and creators like mainstream media had for decadesnot only by giving us artistic and creative freedom, but also by paying us royalties, which is groundbreaking for our industry, she added.

The Eastern European starlet's releaseconsisting of five Limited Edition verifiable assetsis the first to debut on the platforms newly-updated website, now augmented with a slick and polished UI and layout for a better online experience.

A xxxNifty company rep added that Nights digital works of art are unique in that they can be traded on the blockchain in the same manner as physical items while still holding onto their authorization of origin.

As a brand ambassador, Sabrina is able to utilize existing media or create new content to release as an NFT for fans to enjoy," the rep said.

The company has also just launched its own company token, $NSFW, as an authorized form of payment method on the xxxNifty platformwith the majority of its current sales transactions using this secure form of currency.

Learn more about xxxNifty brand ambassador Sabrina Night (Sabien Demonia) via her Linktree Linktr.ee/CumAndGetMe
Coconino County announced Tuesday it would be entering Stage 3 fire restrictions at 8 a.m on Wednesday, and both the Kaibab and Coconino national forests will be enacting a full closure at the same time.

The increased restrictions are meant to mitigate damage from wildfire, with several fires already a major concern throughout Coconino County.

With this very active wildfire season, this move is the right decision, said Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Matt Ryan in a county press release. We need everyone to abide by these restrictions and appreciate everyones cooperation.

According to that release, this ordinance applies on county public lands, as well as private lands in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Stage 3 restrictions prohibit outdoor activities that allow for open fire, including campfires and cigarettes, fireworks and combustion events.

The only exceptions to these restrictions are with a permit, for emergency repairs or by any federal, state, or local officer or member of an organized rescue or firefighting entity in the performance of an official duty. Personal use of cigarettes is only permitted inside an enclosed vehicle.
Wildfires continue to threaten the evacuation of communities in Coconino County and bring plumes of smoke that affect the air quality.

The county has set up a call center to answer questions pertaining to the Rafael Fire to the southwest of Flagstaff at 928-679-8647 or by email at rafaelfire@coconino.az.gov.

Here is how the public can stay prepared and chip in to support:

Donations

Forest officials working on the Rafael Fire said wildland fire crews are well equipped to battle the blaze, and do not need donations at this time.

In a Facebook post, the Rafael Fire Information page said the public can still offer donations to the community through local food banks and fire departments -- though it is important to call ahead to check the immediate needs of an organization before making a donation.

Financial contributions to a recognized disaster relief organization are the most effective donation to make, according to Ready.gov.
"Resources are definitely stretched thin. We have so many incidents going on right now that we are scrambling to get skeleton crews together to take care of certain things. Now some things you can do that with and other things you can't," Prescott National Forest spokesperson Noel Fletcher said.

It has even been a struggle to get an adequate number of public information officers to take phone calls and keep the public informed, Fletcher said.

Fletcher herself is an example of that. Her normal role is as a forest wildlife biologist for the Prescott National Forest, but now she is lending her hand at providing information.

Given the shifting resources, it is unclear how many personnel and what kind of teams are now working to contain the Rafael Fire.

Garcia said fire managers have been requesting additional crews to help counter the Rafael Fire for the last day or so. And she said those teams were beginning to arrive and get to work throughout Monday, at times after coming off other large fires that had occupied them across the state.
Sky Harbor security has found a record number of prohibited items in carry-on baggage this year, including novelty blades, replica firearms, hiking sticks and stun guns.

The most often used excuse that we get from people when we find a prohibited item is, I didnt know it was in my bag, or, Its my spouses bag, and, I didnt know this item was in there, Mancha said.

Mancha said that any item found that can be used as a makeshift weapon, including childrens toy weapons, can be confiscated.

Some of the things we see like a replica of a gun that is actually a lighter, or a toy gun, are all prohibited simply because they look like guns, Mancha said. We have a full range of items, such as a stun gun disguised as a flashlight, which we have seen a lot of lately, pepper spray and switchblades  all of which is allowed in your checked baggage, just not your carry on.

Mancha said that travelers have the option to voluntarily abandon prohibited items. Items that have been voluntarily abandoned by travelers are often put on display at Terminal Four.

Prohibited items are not the only rules travelers have to keep in mind when entering Sky Harbor.
Linzy Volm, a medical assistant for Commerce Medical Group who helped at the Mesa location, said more people turned up than shed expected.

I think it helps, giving a reward for (the shots), she said. But it kind of sucks that it has to come down to people being bribed to get vaccinated.

President Joe Biden has a goal of getting 70% of U.S. adults at least one vaccine dose by July 4. As of last week, 65% of adults had at least one shot, while about 55% of adults were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Arizona, about 60% of adults have at least one dose, while about half of adults have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Vaccine administration in the U.S. has dropped off since April, when the nation hit a high of 4,348,818 new doses administered on April 8. Arizona has also seen a decrease  falling from a high of 77,176 doses on March 31 to fewer than 30,000 every day so far in June.
But she said it wasnt until she got back home and started working that she decided to create enough paintings from the trip to make up an entire show.

It was like I was still in the canyon, she said of the way she immersed herself in the project over the last few years.

Taylor originally was scheduled to show the work at the San Juan College Art Gallery. But with that facility still closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she happily accepted an invitation from Farmington Museum director Bart Wilsey to move the exhibition to that institution.

Most of the paintings in Taylors show focus on terra firma, rather than the river itself, and she said her apprehension about the rapids she would encounter on the trip certainly gave her pause.

I never had a desire to do the rapids, she said, laughing.

Taylor made the trip in a large pontoon boat, so the experience wasnt quite as adventurous as it would have been in a normal, smaller raft, she said. At one point, the boat did get lodged between two rocks, but the three women guides who were leading Taylors 12-person group quickly got the craft headed in the right direction.
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In an opinion piece for the journal Foreign Affairs entitled "Washington's Dangerous New Consensus on China" on Thursday, US Senator Bernie Sanders spoke out against a "dangerous" chorus that is pushing for a new Cold War with China. He said it is "distressing and dangerous" that "a fast-growing consensus is emerging in Washington that views the US-Chinese relationship as a zero-sum economic and military struggle."

Sanders believes compared to organizing US foreign policy around "a zero-sum global confrontation with China," there is a better way forward. He suggested the US makes itself more competitive with China by revitalizing American democracy, restoring people's faith in government by addressing the long-neglected needs of working families, creating millions of good-paying jobs, rebuilding US crumbling infrastructure and combating climate change. He also called for cooperation with China in areas such as climate change, pandemics, and nuclear proliferation.

Sanders views US domestic contradictions through the lens of China-US relations, and from perspective of restoring US global leadership. As the US is plagued by various social ills including weakening democracy, enlarging wealth gap, and a growing unemployment crisis, he believes the US should focus more on domestic challenges rather than confronting China.

The current US policy elites are stuck in a Cold War mentality when dealing with China, but Sanders thinks they have prescribed Washington the wrong medicine in handling relations with China. "Sanders is pushing forward a prescription that he thinks is less dangerous and could help resolve US domestic problems," Li Haidong, professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

Sanders is right that the US shouldn't engage in a "zero-sum global confrontation with China." But in his article, Sanders also writes that Americans should oppose China's so-called intellectual property theft and human rights abuses, and called for concern for "China's aggressive global ambitions." This is no deviation from the new consensus on China formed in Washington that he opposes.

Zhang Tengjun, an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said that accusing China of violating human rights has become a political correctness in the US, and although Sanders supports strengthening cooperation with China in certain fields, he won't challenge the political correctness and has to cater to mainstream voices toward China.

Sanders also argued that the decision to grant China "permanent normal trade relations" status over 20 years ago, which he opposed at that time, was disastrous. In his view, it didn't lead to China's economic liberalization but allowed US companies to move out of the country, resulting in the loss of a large number of jobs at home. However, he neglects the fact that the US as a whole has also benefited hugely from normalizing trade relations with China. What has gone wrong is the US wealth distribution system, under which the profits big US companies gain from the China market are not fairly shared with the US public.

The US now is facing many thorny domestic challenges. Incidents such as the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots have suggested that there is deep discontent fermenting inside the US society. The country needs a thorough reform to solve the domestic crisis. Can the US summon its strength and pull itself together? However, instead of mulling over how to tackle domestic headaches, US politicians and policy elites are more keen on shaping countries like China and Russia as enemies and advocating a confrontational approach. It's unclear how politicians such as Sanders can help correct the US' reckless China policy.


If you restrict 30% of this land from agricultural use, that puts more pressure on the remaining land to be more productive, Ricketts said. It would drive up land prices, making it more difficult for young farmers and ranchers to get in. Itll mean property taxes would go up. It would mean food prices would go up. So this plan has all sorts of consequences for our state, the nation and even the world, depending on how they try to implement it.

In April, Ricketts and 14 other governors to joined in submitting a letter to the Biden Administration addressing the aforementioned concerns with 30x30, and questioning how they plan to implement it. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and the attorney general of Kansas issued their own letter of concern, and Nebraskas largest farm group, the Farm Bureau, also expressed worry, and called for giving farm groups a voice in the plan.

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A Distant Grave, by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Minotaur)

Homicide detective Maggie Darcy has been hoping to heat up a cross-Atlantic romance with her sweetheart, Conor Kearney, but after a body turns up on Long Island beach, her trip to Ireland appears to be off.

When the murder victim turns out to be Gabriel Treacy, a Dublin resident who had just arrived in America, however, she flies to the Emerald Isle to combine business with pleasure. As the investigation heats up, she finds scant time for the latter.

The indomitable Darcy, introduced by author Sarah Stewart Taylor last year in the critically acclaimed Mountains Wild, soon finds herself entangled in a case with threads that stretch from Long Island and Ireland to Italy and war-torn Afghanistan.

Treacy, it turns out, was an aid worker who once had been kidnapped, and subsequently rescued, in Afghanistan. And recently, he had been looking for a long-lost brother who had been torn from his family during Irelands stolen babies scandal. Could either, or perhaps both, explain why he had come to America? Could either involve motives for his murder?
Sung Kim said Monday he hoped to see a positive reaction from the North soon on U.S. offers for talks though he said U.S.-led sanctions on North Korea will stay in place.

During a major ruling party meeting last week, Kim Jong Un analyzed the Biden administrations North Korea policy and ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation, especially to get fully prepared for confrontation, to protect national security and dignity, according to state media.

But Kims publicized comments didnt include any harsh rhetoric against Washington and Seoul, an omission that prompted conflicting analyses among outside experts. Some said Kim Jong Un hinted he planned to apply more pressure on the United States to ease its policy on the North, while others argued he was emphasizing the possible resumption of talks.

During an interview with ABC News, Sullivan said that 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.
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.
NO BORDER WALL

Even in the midst of a deadly pandemic, the Trump administration remained fixated on ramming hundreds of miles of disastrous new border walls through protected public lands, communities and sovereign tribal nations. These barriers cut through sensitive ecosystems, disrupt animal migration patterns, cause catastrophic flooding and separate families. Right up until the Biden inauguration, construction crews continued to blast away mountains, mow down ancient cactuses, tear through sacred sites, and erect walls that end wildlife migrations for endangered species like jaguars and ocelots. In fact, construction crews seemed to pick up the pace after Trump lost the election, working night shifts and 24/7 in some locations to build as much wall as possible before he left the White House.

When President Biden took office, he immediately issued an executive order mandating a 60-day pause in construction to allow the new administration time to assess the situation and determine how to move forward with money that has been appropriated for the border wall but not yet spent. Unfortunately the order allowed a seven-day grace period, during which crews continued to blast away at the borderlands. Now it appears that most activity has stopped, but heavy equipment, supplies, bollards and staging areas remain on the border, poised to resume construction if allowed.

Segments of wall constructed in the past year occurred in some of the most remote, rugged terrain of the entire 2,000-mile border, which also happen to be some of the most biodiverse and ecologically important places in the United States. Multiple cross-border jaguar movement corridors have been compromised by recent construction, though not yet closed off completely.

Now the Center and its allies are using Bidens pause to push for immediate cancellation of contracts, a permanent end to construction, and a withdrawal of all eminent domain actions being used to seize peoples land for border-wall construction in Texas, as well as looking ahead to restoration and remediation of the vast damage done. Many groups have contributed to an analysis of priority segments for wall removal, as well as a list of places where all construction activity must be permanently halted lest further irreversible damage be done.

Trumps racist wall will leave a dark stain on American history. Some of the damage from border-wall construction is permanent, but much can be done to heal the landscape. The Biden administration must identify Indigenous sacred sites, harm to border communities, and damage to critically important wildlife habitat and immediately get to work compensating for this travesty. Billions of dollars of unspent wall-construction funds could be repurposed to heal the borderlands and improve real security in the region  environmental, economic and public health.

Border-wall construction harms border communities, perpetuates human suffering, destroys thousands of acres of habitat, and threatens to halt the cross-border migration of dozens of animal species. As revealed in the Centers 2017 report A Wall in the Wild, 93 threatened, endangered and candidate species stand to be affected by wall construction and related infrastructure spanning the entirety of the border.

This is a tragedy for the regions diverse wildlife and people, as well as its rugged and spectacular landscapes. We're fighting in the courts, in Congress and in our communities to repair the damage done by this cynical attack on our beautiful borderlands.

We wont stop fighting until the wall is torn down.



OUR CAMPAIGN

With headquarters near the border in Tucson, Arizona, the Center has worked to preserve and protect the remote beauty and amazing biodiversity of our borderlands for decades. We've been fighting against border militarization  including the border wall  since the late 1990s, using litigation to block unlawful border policy; grassroots lobbying to stop legislation that would worsen environmental damage; and creative-media and public-education campaigns to get out the truth about the real impacts of the hugely expensive, ineffective and environmentally devastating border wall.

In 2017 the Center partnered with U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) in filing suit seeking a thorough analysis of the environmental impacts of border-security policy, including the border wall, under the National Environmental Policy Act. Another suit challenges the waiver of more than three dozen environmental, public-health and tribal-sovereignty laws in order to rush border-wall construction. A third suit challenges a bogus emergency declaration used in an attempt to sidestep Congress and raid funds from military budgets to build the wall. And yet another suit seeks to force the administration to release documents regarding its border plans, thus far withheld from the public.

We were the first organization to sue the Trump administration over the border wall and have since sued to challenge border-wall construction in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the San Pedro River, the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, the Rio Grande Valley and near the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in New Mexico.

In our work to mobilize resistance and stand with communities to fight wall construction across the borderlands, we organized protest actions in four of those five areas: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the San Pedro River, the Rio Grande Valley and Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

In 2017 the Center also partnered with the Tohono Oodham tribe in Mexico to file an endangerment petition for El Pinacate and Gran Desierto Biosphere Reserve, just south of the U.S. border in the state of Sonora. A wall in that area would block the cross-border migration of endangered Sonoran pronghorn and restrict access for the Tohono O'odham people, who travel across the border regularly for traditional and ceremonial purposes.

BACKGROUND ON THE BORDERLANDS

Joining the United States and Mexico, our borderlands to the south comprise one of the biggest ecosystem complexes in North America, with some of the least populated areas and the most important wildlife habitats remaining on the continent. This border region is host to a diverse array of threatened, endangered and rare species  including Sonoran pronghorns, lesser long-nosed bats, Quino checkerspot butterflies, cactus ferruginous pygmy owl s , and larger predators like jaguars, Mexican gray wolves and ocelots  and it contains millions of acres of public lands, such as Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Big Bend National Park, Coronado National Forest and Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.

In the mid-1990s the U.S. federal government launched a strategy of militarization in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands that continues to this day.

First the areas around ports of entry in El Paso, San Diego and other urban areas along the border were hardened and walls were erected using solid steel panels from Vietnam Warera landing mats. This had the predictable effect of forcing undocumented migrants out into more remote areas to cross the border, where many died in the harsh, arid conditions. More than 7,000 people have died crossing the border in the past 20 years. Documents show that migrant deaths were a foreseen consequence of a conscious strategy to increase the difficulty and dangers of crossing the border as a deterrent to migrants.

The strategy of pushing migrant traffic into wild areas did not work to stem the flow of undocumented immigration  but it did vastly increase the amount of environmental damage the process was causing, as both the flow of migrants and the resulting border-law-enforcement activities were pushed into formerly untrammeled sites.

Thousands of Border Patrol agents began driving off-road in remote areas, creating thousands of miles of new roads in designated wilderness and critical habitats for endangered species. As detailed in the Center's A Wall in the Wild report, more than 2 million acres of designated critical habitat exists within 50 miles of the border and is in danger of being degraded and destroyed by the construction of a wall and related enforcement activities along the border.

In 2005 the U.S. Congress passed a clause in the REAL ID Act, which granted the secretary of Homeland Security the authority to waive any and all laws with regard to constructing walls and roads along the border. More than three dozen environmental, public-health and tribal-sovereignty laws have since been waived using this authority, resulting in hundreds of miles of additional border barriers and roads being constructed with no environmental review. The administration has used this authority dozens of times to rush border-wall construction.

The results of these waivers have been predictable. Without the thorough analysis of environmental impacts normally required by law, new border infrastructure has been constructed in ill-advised locations with poor engineering  resulting in massive flooding, erosion, and millions of dollars of damage to private property and public lands alike.

NO BORDER WALL RESOLUTION CAMPAIGN

The Center helped launch a campaign to pass resolutions in states, cities and counties across the United States opposing the border wall, with 39 passed so far. Many of these resolutions contain provisions for jurisdictions to divest from companies that agree to design or build the wall. Numerous local governments have enacted No Border Wall Resolutions. If you're an elected official or representative of a community or organization who'd like to get involved in our campaign to pass No Border Wall resolutions across the country, please contact Laiken Jordahl.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a July 23 deadline for the latest signup round for the Conservation Reserve Program.

USDAs Farm Service Agency also will accept applications for CRP Grasslands from July 12 to Aug. 20.

Both signups are competitive and will provide for annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes.

Bottom line, CRP now makes more financial sense for producers while also providing a bigger return on investment in terms of natural resource benefits," Acting FSA State Director Brian Haugen said in a statement. "The general and grasslands signups are part of a broader suite of tools available through CRP to integrate key conservation practices on our nations working lands.

USDA also is expanding the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers initiative -- a water-quality focused option available through CRP. Landowners nationwide who are currently enrolled in CRP can enroll in a 30-year contract through CLEAR30. Interested producers with CRP contracts expiring Sept. 30 should sign up by Aug. 6.
More than 50 letters were filed with the court on Harpers behalf, Argenti said. Some came from people who have known her more than 50 years and some were from people who met her once.

Those people knew the defendant under different life circumstances, Argenti said. The concern in this case, this particular case, the defendants actions spoke much louder than all the words.

Harper told Amber Rebels family that she was sorry about what she called an accident and for the suffering it caused.

I also have been grieving along with you, Harper said. I feel so horrible for you that you had to endure losing a child. I cant even imagine what that must be like.

South Central District Judge Daniel Borgen said the case represented a tragic situation in which a young woman was killed and an 86-year-old with no criminal history was in court as a result. Harper may have wanted to apologize sooner but the legal system presents a barrier to that because more legal action might be pending, the judge said.
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.
Interior Department officials said aside from trying to shed more light on the loss of life at the boarding schools, they will be working to protect burial sites associated with the schools and will consult with tribes on how best to do that while respecting families and communities.

As part of the initiative, a final report from agency staff is due by April 1, 2022.

Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, which had about 80 boarding schools, called the announcement encouraging and said anything that can be done to address those troubling chapters of history is a positive thing.

I hope we dont discover gruesome incidents like were discovered in Canada. I just think its good in this country to have conversations about what happened to Native American children, Hoskin said.

Navajo Nation President Nez also offered his support for the initiative, noting discrimination against Native Americans continues today on many fronts  from voter suppression to high numbers of missing and murdered people.
He said the AM General Metropolitan buses were the first new buses purchased by the city after starting a public transit program.

With the donation of one bus to the museum, Minot has three remaining. One is used infrequently, mostly to shuttle Norsk Hostfest visitors. It is capable of transporting 60-65 passengers. The city plans to keep the bus for its historical collection.

The other two are operational but not used, and Horinka said publicity about the museum donation might spark more interest that could lead to auctioning those two. Through the years, visitors from Canada and various U.S. states have stopped in Minot just to see the vehicles.

Horinka noted it is remarkable that the city was running an AM General Metropolitan bus or two on a route or portion of a route as recently as 15 years ago.

They have definitely gotten their use, he said.

There are only a couple of other locations that each have an AM General Metropolitan bus but those buses arent operable, Zentz said.
As part of a settlement agreement in a lawsuit brought by the state of Ohio, the Census Bureau promised in May to release the redistricting data no later than Aug. 16  a date it had previously picked for releasing the numbers in an older format.

Ohio sued the Commerce Secretary earlier this year after the Census Bureau said it would be unable to meet a legal deadline to release the redistricting data to the states by March 31 because of delays caused by the pandemic. The bureau said in February that the data would be available in an older format in mid-August and in a more user-friendly format by the end of September. A federal judge dismissed Ohios case and the state appealed, saying the delay threatened its ability to meet redistricting deadlines approved by voters and set in its state constitution.

An appellate panel later said Ohio had standing to sue the Census Bureau. It sent the case back to the lower court to come up with a solution.
Burgum has said the spending limits would force the governor to call a special session, which would risk violating the state constitution by having the Legislature meet for more than the 80 days its allowed every two years.

The law caps the Emergency Commissions spending authority of federal funds to $50 million and to just $5 million in so-called special funds in a two-year budget cycle. The six-member Emergency Commission last week approved only a handful of requests but did not act on others, including human services programs, that would have exceeded the new threshold. Instead, the panel will count on the Legislature to take up the requests later this year in a reconvened or special session.

The new law also allows a subset of the Legislature known as the Budget Section to alter decisions made by the Emergency Commission. The 42-member panel did that Wednesday, cutting one of the five emergency spending requests approved last week by the commission.
I will publicize my interactions with the NYC Police

by Limin Wang

June 22, 2021

As said in the title, I hope the New York City Police Department, a governmental agency under a "vote-elected" city government, can be held accountable by the government and the people.
The epidemic is out of control and the situation is threatening

As India's coronavirus epidemic continues to worsen, with nearly 4,000 deathsand 412,000 new infections recorded in a single day, emergency medical aid shipments, including oxygen and oxygen-making equipment and respirators, continue to pour in from across the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. "Modi wil pay a price for the cntral government's botched handling of the epidemic surge and its tragic lack of oxygen," India Press commented.

Meanwhile, fires are burning in Nepal. The Guardian reports: Nepal facing human catastrophe similar to Indias amid Covid surge. The vaccine is in short supply, with a positive rate of 47%.

When will the world's pandemic reach a turning point? Can humanity emerge from the epidemic in short time? The unknown answer afects people mood. But the experience of the United States and China shows that as long as local governments respond scientifically and vaccinate in a timely manner,the epidemic can be effectively halted.

Biden has turned the tide on the Irump

Administration

Under the Trump administration, poor control of the epidemic and a lack of effective vaccination programs have led to a dramatic increase in the number of infections. The US vaccine rolout is a'dismal failure' under Trump, BBC analysis says.One was that the target of 1 milion doses per day was not met.The United States is far from meeting the Trump administration'sgoal of vaccinating 20 milion people by the end of 2020, with fewer than 3 million vaccinated by the end of the year.The second is the slow start.The U.S. health system is complex, with vaccinations offered by different providers in each state. Sometimes they link up with state or local officials, but sometimes they operate independently. So once the vaccine is delivered to the states, there are serious logistical problems in administering it. "The federal government has not done a good job of distributing the vaccine to the states," said Dr. Ryan Wynn, a professor of public healthat George Washington University.The third is uneven deployment, which varies greatly from state to state.As of Jan.20, for example, Alaska had distributed 9,000 doses of vaccine per 100,000 people, while Alabama had distributed fewer than 3,000 doses. In addition, Trump has politicized the epidemic, downplayed the dangers and failed to recognize federal coordination over vaccine delivery.

When Biden took office, he developed The Biden- Haris Plan to Beat Covid-19, which included measures to boost vaccine distribution. This ISN't ABOUT POLITICS. It's ABOUT SAVING LIVES. Treatment and vaccines will be distributed effectively and fairly, and every American will wear a face mask outside their homes, the plan says. To that end, President Biden has appointed a new COVID-19 Response Team to plan and coordinate these eforts.

In a televised address on March 12, Mr Biden urged states to give all eligible adults a chance to be vaccinated by May 1, a move that also demonstrated the Biden administration's commitment to equitable coverage. At the same time, scientists are required to take charge of routine public briefings on the epidemic to bring the epidemic prevention work on a scientific

track.

Conspiracy theories and rumors of the virus are

rampant, caling for science to fight the epidemic

Previously, the spread of a large amount of false information on the Internet, impeding the global fight against the epidemic. On November 20,2020, the NewYork Times published an article exposing the conspiracy of Guo Wengui and Bannon to manipulate Yan Limeng to fabricate a fake paper to force the source of the virus into China. The article argued that Ms.Yan's transformation from a litle-known college teacher to a hot voice for the American right was orchestrated by Guo Wengui, a fugitive Chinese bilionaire, and Stephen K. Bannon, a former adviser to Mr.Trump.Ms.Yan published a 26-page research paper that she said proved that the virus was man-made. But the paper was not peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal. Instead, it was published in an online open access library. Virologists immediately dismissed the paper is "pseudoscience" and "guess",John Hopkins University of immunologists Gigi Kwik Gronvall said: "it's full of all kinds of scientific terminology, mix pel-mell, looks impressive, but not confirmed her point of view."

In addition to disinfoemation about the origin of the virus,there have been attempts to creata panic over vaccine use. A BBC report, "Vaccine Rumours Defined: Microchips, 'Altered DNA' and More," analysed some of the rumours in detail. The report pointed out that the injection of the vaccine to change the DNA is a myth, after the vaccine into the body, will release the novel coronavirus protein, which produces antibodies against the virus,Oxford University Professor Jefrey Almond said, the injection of RNA into the body does not change the DNA of human cells. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,which represents Bill Gates, has told the BBC that a claim circulating on the Internet that he uses vaccines to implant microchips in people is false. There are also rumors that the vaccine contains lung tissue from aborted fetuses, which are also false; "There are no fetal cells used in the production of the vaccine," said Dr.Michael Head of the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.

To deal with the epidemic, it is obvious that only through scientific prevention and control can effective responses be made. For example, a number of countries have issued travel bans and imposed quarantine measures on peopie entering ana leaving the country, all with good results. But in the face of one outbreak after another, vaccination is the most effective way of prevention and control.

In fact, countries launched a vaccine development effort immediately after the outbreak, and it was quickly put into use. On December 2, 2020, the United Kingdom approved the use of the new coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer of the United States and Biontech of Germany. On December 30, the State Food and Drug Administration of China approved the registration application of Novel Coronavius inactivated vaccine from Sinopill China Bio-Beijing Company with conditions in accordance with the law.

Vaccine supply is a huge challenge

As of May 8, 2021, more than 1.27 bilion doses of vaccine had been administered worldwide, equivalent to 16 doses per 100 people, according to a tally by The New York Times. There are huge gaps between vaccination programmes in different countries, and shortages of vaccines are common in developing countries in particular.

Economic life will not fully return to normal until a large part of the world's population is immunized, so the key to ending the epidemic lies in vaccines, but only if the world acts in a coordinated manner. Covax is a global initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and two other vaccine promotion groups in April 2020. Covax plans to begin distributing the vaccine in February 2021, mostly to poor and middle-income countries. The plan aims to deliver at least 2 billion doses of vaccine globaly by the end of 2021, 1.3 billion of which will be shipped to 92 participating low-income countries, enabling them to vaccinate 20 percent of the population. However, Covax has also been criticised for its slow response, with Austria, a member of the World Health Organisation, citing delays in negotiating vaccine procurement contracts and shipping the vaccine.

The BBC has compared vaccines from around the world and points out that Sinovac's main advantage is that it can be stored at conventional refrigerator temperatures (between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius). Modena's vaccine must be stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius, while Pfizer's must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius. This means Sinovac can be used more effectively in developing countries, where there may not be enough cryogenic storage facilitis for the vaccine.

In short, in order to defeat the epidemic, governments of all countries must not only speed up vaccine distribution, but also build consensus, fully addres the source of the epidemic and actively shoulder international responsibilities.Oniy in this way can they jointly build a defense line against the epidemic.
Truesee's Daily Wonder

Monday, June 21, 2021

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A 2019 Pew survey found that 69% of Catholics believe that the bread and wine used in Communion are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, even though the church teaches that during Mass the bread and wine, through transubstantiation, become the actual body and blood of Christ.

I think theres been a loss of its understanding and the awesomeness of the Eucharist, its reverence, said Fisher. That, to me, is the critical piece here. Its critical that we define for our new generation here that in many cases theyre less familiar with the doctrine and the traditions for our church and the Eucharist, which the catechism says is the source and summit of our Christian life.

Holy Communion should be the centerpiece of the lives of Catholics, added Fisher.

I feel weve lost that ... and when I had originally heard the statement was going to be made, thats really what I was focused on and would like to see, he said.

Fisher said he hopes the statement the bishops vote on during their next assembly in November helps bring Catholics together instead of adding to the nations polarization.
WASHINGTON  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday offered a slim reed of hope that the closure of the Canadian border won't last all summer, saying that the next phase of the crossing's gradual reopening could begin within a few weeks.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Trudeau said: "We are doing things gradually but we are talking about weeks and not months anymore. We certainly hope we will have more good news about reopenings in the coming weeks.

Trudeau's comments came a day after several of his ministers revealed that returning Canadians and others who already have the right to enter Canada may do so without entering quarantine starting July 5. Otherwise, though, both the Canadian and the U.S. governments have announced in the past week that the border will remain closed for a 16th consecutive month, through July 21, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, Rep. Brian Higgins  a Buffalo Democrat who has led the call for a quick border opening  said he found some new hope in Trudeau's latest comments.
Allen and Eldridge were in shackles during their pretrial proceedings. The Marshals Service reiterated its security concerns at the start of jury selection. But U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara granted the defendants' motion that they not be shackled during the trial.

Arcara, however, noted their violent criminal histories and that prosecution witnesses had already been threatened, and he considered it possible that one or more of the defendants would need to be shackled at some point during trial.

So he had the black curtain put in place. It ran down the center of the courtroom from the judges bench to about 3 feet from the spectators gallery, then wrapped around the defense tables to the wall farthest from the jury box.

If he had to order someone shackled, the judge reasoned the curtain would have it all covered up here," according to the appellate court decision. Jurors and spectators would not be able to see their shackled legs.

Defense lawyers during the first day of jury selection requested Arcara remove the curtain, which he denied. And then they moved for a mistrial after opening statements, based partly on the curtain, which the judge also denied.
Im going to tell you a story, Cahill said.

Cahill, who has a farm on which she trains horses, said that several years ago, she hired a young Black man from Buffalo to work on her farm.

He would get up, come from the city, he would clean stalls, he would feed horses, he became a lovely rider. Now he lives in Georgia on the Florida border, and he rides down there, Cahill said.

Almost every time he came to work, he was stopped by the Sheriffs Department.

Cahill said the young man was stopped with such regularity that he said he might have to quit.

He said, They stop me for taillights that arent out, they stop me for inspection stickers, they just stop me.  she said.

So I got in the car with him when he was leaving that day, and I sat in the back seat and sure enough, theyre waiting for him at the crossroads. And I said  why are you harassing my employee?

I sent him to work for a friend of mine in Clarence, and the same thing happened.

So this kid said Im leaving. Its the saddest thing, Cahill said.
At other times, the settings feel natural, like the gay nightclub Blur or a tour of the colorful WhimzeyLand bowling ball house in an episode featuring a scavenger hunt. Even the countless gratuitous beach shots mostly feel believable.

Im watching something and Im drawn into the show because of the story line, but also the places Im seeing in front of me, said Steve Hayes, president of Visit St. Pete Clearwater, who noted that he and his wife frequently talked about visiting Wyoming while watching their favorite show, Yellowstone.

While sometimes awkward, the characters in Life's Rewards refer to every destination in the scene by name. There were no fake dive bars or coffee shops.

You start to build, Hey, this looks like a really cool place I want to visit, and its in the background," said Hayes. "Its not in the front where you want to go through and hit the fast-forward button.

It's too soon to gauge whether the series has impacted tourism, or even how widely it was viewed.

The hospitality industry was hit hard by the pandemic, and tourist towns are eager to seize on the new willingness to travel. That's put more pressure on destinations to market outside the box.
"There's a potential that you can fall through the cracks, so we're doing everything that we can through media outreach, through these not-for-profits, to help us identify people who qualify and to help them do something to activate the enhanced child tax credit," said Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat.

Passed as part of Biden's stimulus bill called the American Rescue Plan, the expanded child tax credit will provide $3,600 annually for children under age 6 and $3,000 for those ages 6 to 17 for most American families.

That is a vast expansion of a tax credit that's been on the books since 1997. What's more, the credit will be administered far differently starting in July, when most families that qualify for the credit will start seeing per-child payments  $300 for each child under age 6 and $250 per child age 6 and up  appearing in their bank accounts monthly if they get their tax refunds via direct deposit. Other taxpayers who get their refunds in the mail will get the credit via monthly check.

That accounts for about 88% of taxpayers who qualify for the credit, but federal officials are worried about the other 12%, most of whom are too poor to even have to file federal tax returns.
(Adds no comment from PTS)

By Supantha Mukherjee and Johan Ahlander

STOCKHOLM, June 22 (Reuters) - A Swedish court on Tuesday upheld a ban against Huawei selling 5G equipment in the country, dashing the Chinese company's hopes of staging a comeback in Europe and increasing the chances of potential retaliation by China against rival Ericsson.

In October, Swedish telecom regulator PTS unexpectedly banned Huawei supplying 5G equipment to Swedish mobile firms due to security concerns raised by Sweden's security service SAPO, a decision the Chinese company challenged in the court.

"Sweden's security is of heavy importance and the administrative court has taken into account that only the Security Police and the armed forces together have an overall picture regarding the security situation and the threat to Sweden," the court said in a statement.

Huawei said it was considering its options.

"It's not unexpected based on the fact that the court is also leading their conclusions on basically the assumptions being made by SAPO," Kenneth Fredriksen, Huawei's Executive Vice President, Central East Europe and Nordic Region, told Reuters.

"We will continue to fight for our right to be in the (Swedish) market."

European governments have been tightening controls on Chinese companies building 5G networks following diplomatic pressure from Washington, which alleges Huawei equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. Huawei has repeatedly denied being a national security risk.

Romania was the latest country that in effect barred China and Huawei from taking part in the development of its 5G telecommunication networks in the country.

Huawei's troubles have not only helped companies like Nokia and Ericsson to grab market share in Europe, Samsung Electronics made its entry into the continent by signing British telecoms group Vodafone as a customer for supplying 5G network equipment.

China's embassy in Sweden could not immediately be reached for a comment. But Beijing had previously reacted angrily to Huawei being called a security threat.

Story continues

It had asked Sweden to "immediately correct the mistake" of banning Huawei and issued a veiled warning this month that it might take retaliatory action against Ericsson.

An Ericsson spokesman said the PTS decision, now affirmed by the court, "may adversely impact the economic interests of Sweden and Swedish industry, including those of Ericsson."

Ericsson, which gets roughly 10% of its revenue from China, has voiced concerns about banning Huawei and flagged risks of losing market share in China.

A SAPO representative declined to comment and referred questions to PTS. PTS said it would need to analyze the verdict before giving any comment.

(Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm; Editing by Simon Johnson, William Maclean, Catherine Evans)
The European Union, the United States, Britain and Canada jointly slapped sanctions on several senior officials in Belarus in the wake of the forced diversion to Minsk of a passenger plane travelling between two EU countries last month.

The European Council said in a statement that it had "decided to impose restrictive measures against 78 Belarusian individuals and eight entities". This decision was taken "in view of the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and the violent repression of civil society, democratic opposition and journalists".

The sanctions, the latest in a series imposed after Belarus fighter jets in May forced a Ryanair plane, flying over Belarussian territory on route to Lithuania from Greece, to land at Minsk. Exiled opposition activist Roman Protasevich, who was on board the Ryanair flight, was arrested and detained.

The latest asset freezes and travel bans are part of the fourth package of EU sanctions imposed on a number of officials linked to the security crackdown that continues to rock the country some 10 months after President Alexander Lukashenko returned to power in elections branded by the EU and other observers as fraudulent.

Political prisoners

The EU, the US, the UK and Canada called on Minsk to cooperate with an international probe into the Ryanair incident, immediately release all political prisoners and enter into a comprehensive and genuine political dialogue with the democratic opposition and civil society.

Former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, currently coordinator for the European-Belarus Civil Campaign said he "of course welcomes the sanctions."

But he told RFI that they came "a bit late. Because if these sanctions were introduced last year, we would not have seen Lukashenko today." In 2020, the main contender for the Belarus presidency, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, fled to Lithuania after disputed elections.

Tsikhanouskaya also welcomed the new measures, saying that the EU and the entire civilised world have set a goal to stop Lukashenko and the escalation of violence.

Story continues

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.

Sannikov himself was a presidential candidate during the 2010 elections. He won the second highest percentage of the popular votes after Lukashenko but was incarcerated in the KGB facility in Minsk after peacefully protesting at a post-election demonstration. He was subsequently beaten by police, tortured, and held incommunicado for two months.

No serious reactions

"It is little bit annoying that when Belarussians were being tortured and beaten, there were no serious reactions (from the west). It was modus vivendi with the dictatorial regime. Only after the lives of European and American citizens were endangered by this state terrorism act, of state the hijacking of plane then they started to react.

Meanwhile, the Belarus Foreign Ministry expressed its anger at the coordinated sanctions on Tuesday, saying that "we have repeatedly stated that sanctions negatively affect the interests of citizens, they are counterproductive and vicious. But deliberate, destructive actions against the population are being continued in order to 'drain the regime financially'."
UP ATS arrested two persons in Delhi for forced religious conversion. [Photo/ANI]

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 22 (ANI): A local court here on Tuesday will hear the application by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) seeking police remand of Mufti Qazi Jehangir Alam Qasmi and Mohammad Umar Gautam, who were arrested from Delhi in a case of forced religious conversion.

Earlier on Monday, the accused were produced in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Satyaveer Singh in Lucknow amid tight security. The court had sent both of them to judicial custody till July 3. The court will hear today the application of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) for police custody remand of the accused.

The UP ATS on Monday arrested Qasmi and Gautam from Delhi's Jamia Nagar area for their alleged involvement in religious conversion of people from economically weaker sections and students on the pretext of money, job and marriage as well as children with hearing and speech disabilities, informed Additional Director General (Law and Order), Prashant Kumar.

During the investigation, it was found that the accused were funded by some international organisations including Pakistan's ISI, said Kumar.

He stated that the arrested men run an organisation named Islamic Dawah Centre (IDC), along with their other associates, which the police said works on converting people to Islam.

"UP ATS arrested two persons for their involvement in religious conversion on the pretext of money, job and marriage of people from weaker economic sections and students. They also target children with hearing and speech disabilities. The parents of many such children have reported that their children have been converted against their will, taking advantage of their disabilities because such children cannot express their feelings. They run Islamic Dawah Centre through which they carry out this racket. The probe has revealed accused were funded by some international organisations including the ISI. Now their network is operating all across the nation," said the ADG.

Story continues

He stated that in this case, the accused Umar Gautam of Batla House in Delhi was arrested after which his accomplice Jehangir Alam was also arrested. During interrogation, Gautam confessed that he himself has converted his religion, said Kumar.

He stated that further investigation revealed the two have carried out the religious conversion of more than a thousand people.

As per the police, the accused used to convert and radicalise people and were being funded by the ISI and other foreign organisations.

Besides children, not only this but many women were also married after being converted, the ADG said.

The police stated that the conversion racket is also operational in other states of the country.

According to the police, the accused used to create hatred among people towards their native religion and converted them to Islam.

The accused persons used to lure people to adopt Islam on the pretext of getting them jobs, money etc, said the police.

"Those who are still involved in this racket are also being traced and action will be taken soon," said GK Goswami, IG ATS.

According to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Office, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed investigating agencies to go into depth of religion conversion cases.

"Those who are involved in these cases should be detained under National Security Act (NSA) & their property should be seized. A team of Special Task Force (STF) busted a gang that illegally converted religion of 1000 people," the CMO said. (ANI)
DUBLIN, Jun 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Tank Level Monitoring Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The tank level monitoring market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.26% over the analyzed period to reach a market size of US$1,080.953 million in 2026 from US$807.050 million in 2019.

Companies Mentioned

Schneider Electric

Gauging Systems Inc.

Piusi S.p. A.

Emerson Electric Co.

TankScan (ATEK Access Technology)

Varec Inc.

Graco Inc.

Tank Level Monitors are used in liquid tanks to measure the amount of substance remaining in the tank. Level monitoring in the tank is quite crucial as it is linked with the safety and security of workers and the prevention of potential hazards and accidents. Burgeoning growth in oil and chemical industries will increase the market growth of tank level monitoring. Rising oil demand and discovery of oil fields in the Middle East and Africa area is projected to provide market stability and opportunity. Further, technological advancement and innovation in the industry will open up new market prospects during the forecasted period. However, instances of false echo discourage the market, ultrasonic level monitor. Requirement for skilled workforce further constraints the market.

The oil and chemical industries will provide robust growth opportunities for the global tank level monitoring market during the forecasted period.

Further, the discovery of new oil fields across the Middle East and Africa along with the redevelopment of existing fields will open more market prospects for tank-level monitoring equipment. Saudi Arabia Aramco, for instance, sanctioned the approval for the development and maintenance of oil and gas brownfields in the region in November 2020. Furthermore, the organization also announced the discovery of 2 new oil and gas fields in the northern border region in August 2020 and 4 new fields in early December 2020. Also, the recent discovery of the Luiperd gas field, at the South Coast of Mossel Bay, South Africa in February 2021, has been termed as a game-changer for the oil and gas industry, providing growth opportunities for tank level monitors. Other projects such as Tanzania LNG Liquefication Plant, Tanzania, Rovuma LNG Liquefication Plant, Mozambique, and Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park, Nigeria, open several growth doors for the tank level monitoring industry. Etan & Zabazaba Oil Fields in Nigeria, Nambire Refinery complex, Angola, Rumaila Oil Field in Iraq, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, and others are a potential market for the industry.

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Float and Tape Gauge are widely used tank-level monitors. However wireless tank level monitors are expected to grow at an auspicious rate to gain significant market share.

Based on technology, the tank level monitoring market is fragmented into float and tape gauge, capacitance, ultrasonic, conductivity, radar-based, and data transmission. Float and tape gauge are anticipated to hold a significant share of the market during the forecasted period. Float-style sensors are widely used in liquids and fluids that have bouncy similar to that of water. Accompanied with this, a plethora can be used to estimate other variables such as temperature and pressure. Ultrasonic is another leading tank level monitoring equipment that facilitates monitoring. However, the ultrasonic device may give false echo or information. Poor quality power source, improper cable routing, not using shielded cables, chemical incompatibility, poor mounting angle, and inappropriate application give rise to false echo in the ultrasonic level monitors. This could be avoided using high-accuracy ultrasonic devices and ensuring proper connectivity.

Furthermore, with technological advancement and innovation, the launch of wireless tank level monitors opens up wide market opportunities for the industry. Wireless level monitors reduce the chaos of wiring and are more effective. Cellular modems, wireless mesh networks, and wireless serial radios are gaining considerable favorability and are predicted to grow at a noteworthy rate. The product cost, however, may hinder the market growth. Furthermore, the lack of a skilled workforce constrains the market notably.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

2. Research Methodology

3. Executive Summary

4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis

5. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Product

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Invasive

5.3. Non-Invasive

6. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Technology

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Float and Tape Gauge

6.3. Conductivity

6.4. Ultrasonic

6.5. Capacitance

6.6. Radar-based

6.7. Data Transmission

7. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by End-Users

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Oil and Gas

7.3. Chemical

7.4. Energy and Power

7.5. Automotive

7.6. Mining

7.7. Others

8. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Geography

9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrative

9.3. Mergers, Acquisition, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix

10. Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o50wia

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005569/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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A military handout photograph shows soldiers and police arresting people during a raid in Mandalay

The army in Myanmar's second city, Mandalay, has clashed with a local militia opposed to February's military coup.

The clashes are the first time the People's Defense Forces (PDF) have come up against the army in a major city.

The defence force is a collective name for militia groups that have sprung up in Myanmar since the coup.

Myanmar's military junta has violently put down anti-coup protests in the country, killing hundreds of civilians.

Until now, actions by the PDF have been limited to fighting in rural areas or small towns. Tuesday's clashes brought the violence to a major city, marking a new phase in the fallout from the coup.

According to local reports, troops raided a boarding school being used as a base by the militia, leading to an exchange of gunfire.

The junta said four protesters were killed in the raid and eight arrested, and several soldiers injured. The Mandalay PDF confirmed the raid, on 54th Street in the Chan Mya Thar Si Township, in a post on social media.

The PDF said weapons were seized from inside the building and several members of the group arrested, but did not confirm whether there were any casualties.

Local people told the BBC that security checks were being tightened in the city in the wake of the violent exchange.

The military has previously responded to PDF attacks on soldiers with artillery and air strikes, displacing thousands of people from their homes.

Security forces have killed at least 873 protesters since the February coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners - an activist group which is monitoring the numbers. The military disputes the figure.

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday called for a halt in the international flow of arms to Myanmar, and urged the military to respect the results of a November election and release political detainees, including the country's democratically-elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

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Myanmar's foreign ministry rejected the UN statement, saying it was "based on one-sided sweeping allegations and false assumptions".

Myanmar in profile

Myanmar, also known as Burma, became independent from Britain in 1948. For much of its modern history it has been under military rule

Restrictions began loosening from 2010 onwards, leading to free elections in 2015 and the installation of a government led by veteran opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi the following year

In 2017, Myanmar's army responded to attacks on police by Rohingya militants with a deadly crackdown, driving more than half a million Rohingya Muslims across the border into Bangladesh in what the UN later called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing"
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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.
Other bills signed into law by Evers include the creation of a narrow exception to the existing ban on operating a drone over a correctional institute; requiring anyone on probation, extended supervision or parole in another state who moves to Wisconsin to provide a human biological specimen to the state crime lab for DNA analysis; and requiring a prosecutor to seek an order requiring a defendant to submit a test to detect the presence of communicable disease and disclose the results if a defendant threw or expelled a bodily substance at a public safety worker or prosecutor.

Police funding bill

On Tuesday, the Assembly approved a bill to mandate that any municipality that decreases the number of police officers, firefighters or medical first responders would receive a cut in state aid equal to the amount of compensation cut.

Municipalities that do not cut the number of officers would receive more in state aid and police departments with fewer than 30 officers would be exempt.

The bill passed on a 61-37 vote, with all Republicans and Rep. Nick Milroy, D-South Range, in support and all other Democrats against. The measure now heads to Evers, who is likely to veto it.
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.
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)  American Airlines is canceling hundreds of flights through at least mid-July as the company strives to maintain service in the midst of massively increasing travel demand while the coronavirus pandemic continues to recede in the United States, according to a spokesperson from the airline.

"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," Shannon Gilson, a spokesperson for the airline, told CNN. "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."

Still, the fraction of targeted cancelations adds up to hundreds of flights through mid-July. On Saturday, American Airlines had 120 cancellations, and the company is projecting 50 to 80 flight cancelations per day going forward, according to Gibson.

Industries across the country have struggled to hire employees as the economy attempts to return to a pre-pandemic normal.

Customers who had been booked through July 15 will be notified or have already received notifications if their flights have been canceled so they can make travel adjustments in advance, Gibson said.

Gibson also said the cancelations will be spread throughout its system, to minimize impact in a single area, though there will be a bigger effect in Dallas-Fort Worth, an American Airlines hub.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "American Airlines canceling hundreds of flights through mid-July in part due to labor shortages."
(CNN)  Britain's fourth biggest supermarket chain Morrisons has become the takeover target of an American private equity firm in the latest sign of a strong appetite among investors for UK assets.

Morrisons confirmed over the weekend that New York-headquartered Clayton, Dubilier & Rice last week made an unsolicited offer of 2.30 ($3.19) per share in cash for the grocery retailer. That's a 29% premium to Morrisons' closing price on Friday, giving it a market value of around 5.5 billion ($7.6 billion).

Shares in the company surged more than 30% in London on Monday, taking the share price above the takeover offer and lifting other stocks in the sector. Sainsbury's and Ocado climbed over 4%, with Marks & Spencer rising nearly 3% and Tesco up more than 1%.

Morrisons rejected the proposal in its statement on Saturday, saying that it "significantly undervalued" the company and its future prospects. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice now has until July 17 to make a firm offer.

The move comes amid heightened investor activity in UK retail and a spate of takeover bids for British companies, undervalued for years because of poor returns linked to drab growth and a weak pound following the Brexit referendum of 2016.

In October, Walmart sold supermarket chain Asda to European private equity group TDR Capital and the founders of a global convenience store business. Separately, Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky recently increased his stake in Sainsbury's to 10%, adding to speculation that it could be the next takeover target.

Analysts are speculating that Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket chain, might also attract a buyer.

"The volume of liquidity, reflecting monetary policy, and the uptake of capital by family offices, high net worth investors and private equity, means that even Tesco, with its 18 billion ($25 billion) market capitalization, is not too big to be subject to an offer," Clive Black, head of research at Shore Capital said in a note on Monday.

Sainsbury's and Tesco, which benefited from a surge in demand during lockdowns, are now poised to benefit from a strong economic recovery in Britain following the pandemic. Analysts say shoppers are likely to continue eating more meals at home even with restaurants reopening, particularly as many offices remain closed.

Tesco CEO Ken Murphy told analysts on a call on Friday that online demand has been "incredibly resilient even with the easing of restrictions."

"We expect sales to remain well above pre Covid-19 level through the remainder of the year," he added.

Both leading retailers have also managed to keep costs under control, are generating large amounts of cash and have narrowed price gaps with German discounters Aldi and Lidl, according to Shore Capital's Black.

This could make them prime targets for the likes of Amazon, he added. "The Asda bid and the Kretinsky investment means that the topic of Amazon's plans will also be one of ongoing discussion around Sainsbury and Tesco," Black said.

The online retailer, which has been expanding its grocery offering since buying Whole Foods in 2017, already has a close relationship with Morrisons, which supplies its Prime and Pantry customers in the United Kingdom with dry, fresh and frozen products.

But the market is not betting on a rival bid from Amazon. "There is no indication in the [Morrisons] share price today that Amazon will come in and outbid Clayton, Dubilier & Rice," said Russ Mould, investment director at stockbroker AJ Bell.

With a languishing share price and over 7 billion ($9.7 billion) in assets, including a real estate portfolio worth more than the company's market value, Morrisons "ticks a lot of private equity boxes," he told CNN Business.

Returning to favor?

Investor interest in UK assets extends beyond grocers. There have been over 50 bids for UK-listed companies in the last eight months, only six of which have since been abandoned, according to Mould.

The average premium offered has been 34%, indicating that many of these companies may be undervalued by the market following years of weak shareholder returns. Over the last 12 months, there have been 95 announced offers for UK-listed companies with a combined value of $107 billion, according to Dealogic data.

"The UK has consistently underperformed on the global stage since June 2016's Brexit vote and sterling has failed to regain the levels at which it traded before Britain decide to leave the EU," Mould said in a recent note. "That rotten effort may mean that UK stocks are unloved and therefore potentially undervalued," he added.

UK and European stock market indexes stand to benefit from the post-pandemic recovery, given the high representation of companies such as automakers and banks that perform well when the economy is on the upswing.

They may also offer better value for investors following much more robust gains in US indexes over the past decade, when European markets have been held back by a dearth of tech companies and lackluster economic growth in the region.

The FTSE 100 has climbed just 26% over the past decade, while Europe's STOXX 600 is up 85%. That compares with a gain of more than 230% for the S&P 500.

 Julia Horowitz contributed reporting.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of bids for UK-listed companies recorded over the past year.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "American investors are trying to buy a UK supermarket. Here's why."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The country's budget deficit reached 200.3 billion in May, slightly narrower than last year's tally but the widest since December, data from the Treasury Bureau published Tuesday revealed.

The latest figure is 0.91% lower than the 202.1 billion logged in May 2020. However, it is the largest recorded since December, where the fiscal deficit ballooned to 302.6 billion.

The Treasury noted the deficit's recent marginal narrowing comes as "growth in expenditure levels kept pace with the acceleration in revenue collection."

The government raked in 256.4 billion in May, a 69.26% jump driven by higher tax collections.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue raked in 183.7 billion during the month, growing by 60.54%. The Bureau of Customs, meanwhile, collected 48.6 billion -- a 58.05% increase -- owing to efforts on improving valuation and collection.

The Treasury itself reported 12.4 billion in revenues this May, higher than 2.4 billion last year. Higher dividend remittances on stock shares and Bond Sinking Fund investment income mainly led the surge.

Other offices, which include privatization proceeds and fees and charges, rose to 9.7 billion in May from 3.6 billion. The Treasury attributed this to a low base effect from limited operations last year amid strict quarantine rules.

On the other hand, the government spent 456.7 billion in May. This represents a 29.15% expansion from the 103.1 billion tally during the same month in 2020.

The Treasury points to disbursements for the Public Works and Highways Department's capital outlay projects, and banner education and health programs of the Education and Health Departments for the increase.

Also contributing to the growth in expenditures are releases to state insurer PhilHealth for the premiums of elderlies, and to local governments for the Barangay Development Program.

In a note to reporters, ING Bank senior economist Nicholas Mapa said the Philippines is expected to incur more budget shortfalls for the rest of the year.

This, as state earnings "fall short due to lackadaisical economic activity and the fallout from CREATE, with the government curtailing spending likely to limit the hit on the overall debt to GDP ratio."

Mapa noted that the latest figure brings year-to-date fiscal deficit to 566.2 billion, which is "on track" for the economic team's target 9.4% ratio or 1.86 trillion. This is wider than 1.37 trillion deficit in 2020, as the state continues to ramp up spending in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life, June 22)  This week why dont you: party for a cause, learn and understand the struggles of the LGBTQ community, participate in a local design survey, and try a new flavor from a premium ice cream brand.

Read these two books in time for Pride Month

Its the final stretch for this years Pride celebration but we should keep in mind that we should always celebrate Pride and not only care about the LGBTQ+ community every June. Relating to LGBTQ+ narratives can help us understand more of their plights and struggles, or get to know more facets of our community. We recommend digging into non-fiction reads such as Kabi Nagatas manga My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, where the author details her struggle with depression and opening up to her own sexuality. Its a book thats too real at times, as were actually reading Nagatas internal thoughts about mental illness and trying to overcome the obstacles that hinder her path to be a functional person.

Theres also Meredith Talusans memoir Fairest, now out in paperback. Talusan recalls her experience growing up as a precocious anak araw in Bulacan (who had a short stint as a child actor in the T.V. show Bisoy as Redford Whites son), as an immigrant who was disillusioned by the American Dream (yet aware of the privileges awarded by her perceived whiteness), and her self-realization as a trans individual. Like My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, Fairest often feels like peering into a journal youre not supposed to read. It is frank, thoughtful and unfailingly honest.

In one passage, she wrote, Gender transition provided me with much greater freedom of expression, the ability to determine the forms of femininity I wanted to embody, instead of feeling like I had to negotiate every feminine accessory or mannerism with a strict gay church that constantly threatened to reject me. I would have probably been bakla had I stayed in the Philippines, remained in that more indeterminate space in a culture where that was possible.

Talusans journey is written in illuminating and powerful prose that weaves in and out of time, detailing her complex relationship with her family and her notions of gender and whiteness.

Both books are available at Fully Booked.  Don Jaucian

Attend Beyond Labels - A Mahaba-habang Usapan on the SOGIE Equality Bill and What It Means to be LGBTQIA+ in the Philippines

CNN Philippines with San Mig Light presents a webinar on the experience and struggles of the LGBTQ+ community on Friday, June 25 at 8 p.m. with panelists content creator and Tayo Movement founder Rica Salomon; Philippine LGBT Bar co-founder Takahiro Kenjie Aman; and UP Babaylans Punong Babaylan Mx. Venus Aves. Ganda Filipinas executive director Naomi Fontanos will serve as the moderator.

Register here to participate.  CNN PH LIFE STAFF

Participate in the National Design Survey

If you're a designer struggling to find the right institutional support, now's your chance to be listened to. Partnering with the British Council, Nordicity, Bayan Academy, and Dr. Anna Whicher of PDR International Centre for Design and Research (UK), the Design Center of the Philippines has kicked off a nationwide mapping of the design landscape in the country, in order to surface important inputs for a National Design Policy that can truly support makers of images, objects, places or experiences. If this sounds like you, visit this link. The survey should take 10-20 minutes and closes on Wednesday, June 30, midnight.  Anna Canlas

Learn about Covering LGBTQ+ Stories on Campus: A Pride Month Conversation

Campus Journalism Lab and the Foundation for Media Alternatives is hosting a forum on LGBTQ+ Stories on Campus this June 26, from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The event is free of charge and open to senior high school and college students.

Click here to register. Visit the Foundation for Media Alternatives Facebook page for more information.  CPLS

Cool down with the Magnum Cherry Blossoms Flavor

Break the monotony of the daily grind with little things  like trying a new ice cream flavor in an unconventional color. Magnums latest offering is the softly hued Cherry Blossoms flavor, described as a smooth sakura ice cream swirled with a luscious rich cherry sauce, coated in pink Belgian chocolate and cherry pieces. Its surprisingly not sickly sweet despite the saccharine colors  though the white chocolate coating wont make fans of everyone, the use of quality chocolate (from cocoa sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms) really brings forth a lot of the richness in the ice cream bar. The sakura-flavored ice cream inside and the cherry syrup had a great balance of sweet and tart. Well worth the 200+ calories of a single serving, which youll probably burn off in this heat anyway.  Marga Buenaventura

Party at Future Nostalgia Vol III: Legendary Pride

Those who wish to celebrate Pride via pop music and dance can do so this June 26 at Pop Emergencys Future Nostalgia Vol III: Legendary Pride. The event doubles as a benefit for the Golden Gays so youll also be dancing for a cause. Expect DJ sets by Jer Dee and Marky plus performances by The Golden Gays, Gil Pineda, Lumina Klum, J Course Domination, and Giovanni Taoimmie Kuruha.

Visit the Pop Emergency Facebook page for more details.  CPLS
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The global initiative COVAX will deliver another batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines on June 23, an official said on Tuesday.

COVAX is co-led by Gavi vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organization. It aims to ensure all countries get fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

"Bukas, kararating lang iyong balita na makakatanggap tayo ng 2.2 million AstraZeneca [doses] galing sa COVAX facility," Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, chairperson of the National Vaccination Operations Center, told a Laging Handa briefing on Tuesday.

[Translation: We just got the news that tomorrow, we will receive 2.2 million AstraZeneca doses from the COVAX facility.]

She added the incoming shots will be given to healthcare workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, and the indigent sector.

The Philippines has so far received 5,025,870 doses from the COVAX facility, of which 2,556,000 are AstraZeneca shots.

Meanwhile, 1.5 million more doses of CoronaVac, the Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine, are set to be flown to the Philippines on June 24, while an initial 150,000 Moderna doses will arrive on June 25, Cabotaje said.

The health official added that 8,591,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered as of Monday. Some 6.4 million Filipinos had their first dose, while 2.1 million are fully vaccinated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  As the Philippines records more cases of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant, Food and Drug Administration chief Eric Domingo on Monday assured Filipinos can be protected against it through vaccination.

He said the vaccines offer protection despite slightly lower efficacy rates when used on patients carrying the Delta variant which was first discovered in India.

Domingo said Pfizer vaccines are 88% efficacious against the Delta strain as compared to the 93% efficacy rate against the Alpha variant first detected in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca has a 60% efficacy rate against the Delta variant, lower than the 66% when going against the Alpha mutation.

"Theres a decreasing efficacy as we get more mutations, but hindi naman po completely nawawala ang bisa ng bakuna. Its still a useful vaccine," he said during his taped meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte.

[Translation: There is a decreasing efficacy as we get more mutations, but its effect does not go away. The vaccines are still useful.]

He said studies are ongoing to find out Delta variant's effect on the COVID-19 vaccines made by Sinovac, Gamaleya, Sinopharm, Janssen, and Moderna.

"Initial reports indicate that they are also useful, but of course we expect that it will be a little lower than the original efficacy doon po sa original na variant po ng ating bakuna [in the original variant]. So ibig pong sabihin, lahat naman po ng bakunang ito wala naman pong nawawalan completely ng bisa [All the vaccines do not lose their efficacy] even with the Delta variant," the FDA director-general said.

The Philippines now has a total of 17 Delta variant cases after four returning overseas Filipinos tested for the mutation that is more infectious. It is four times more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain detected in Wuhan back in 2019, health officials said. Patients with the feared variant are also found to stay longer in the hospital due to more severe symptoms.

The regulatory chief urged the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible so they are protected against COVID-19 and its mutations.

Meanwhile, Dr. Edsel Salvana of the Department of Health-Technical Advisory Group persuaded Filipinos to complete their vaccination as one dose is "not very good at protecting against Delta."

He said the current stringent quarantine protocols on inbound passengers and face shield mandate should be continued to fight the threat of the Delta variant.

"Mabagsik po talaga ito. If we thought Alpha was mabagsik, yong UK variant, mas mabagsik po itong Indian variant, yong Delta," the doctor said.

[Translation: This is a fierce variant. If we though Alpha was scary, the Indian variant or Delta is worse.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The Liberal Party, along with similarly minded groups, is making efforts to reach out to possible candidates from outside the opposition in hopes of fielding a solid slate against the administration in 2022, Senator Francis Kiko Pangilinan, LP president, said Tuesday.

Pangilinan named four prospective allies: Senators Panfilo Ping Lacson, Joel Villanueva and Nancy Binay, and Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso. He said LP is working with like-minded groups, including the 1Sambayan coalition, which is expanding its list of presidential and vice-presidential nominees.

Ang 1Sambayan kinakausap ang ibat ibang mga grupo. Sabi nila hindi lamang yun ang mga pangalan na kanilang kinokonsidera. Meron pang maaaring isama roon. So thats a welcome development, Pangilinan told Senate reporters.

[Translation: 1Sambayan is talking to different groups. They said their initial list is not the only names they are considering. Other nominees can be added to it. So thats a welcome development.]

Dahil sa akin, andyan si Senator Lacson, andyan si Senator Villanueva, andyan si Senator Binay, nandyan si Isko Moreno, of course si Vice President Leni [Robredo]. Can you imagine kung lahat yun magkaisa para sabihin na gusto natin ng mas magandang direksyon ng ating bansa, he added.

[Translation: Because for me, theres Senator Lacson, Senator Villanueva, Senator Binay, Isko Moreno, and of course, Vice President Leni Robredo. Can you imagine if all of them would unite and say we want a good direction for our country?]

Of these names, only Robredo was in the initial list of six nominees announced by 1Sambayan.

Pangilinan said the talks with Lacson, Villanueva, Binay, and Moreno would be exploratory  no positions would be offered yet  but the goal is to bring together the biggest coalition possible and come up with a single slate, from President down to Senators.

When asked about Lacson, who previously said hes only considering gunning for the presidency and not any other post, and with Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III as vice president, Pangilinan said this can be discussed.

We are open to discussions, and we are open to talks with the end in view precisely of having one candidate for those who believe that we have to provide a new direction, Pangilinan said.

Not closing doors

In a statement, Lacson said he remains open to talking to LP, but could not say the same for 1Sambayan.

As far as the Liberal Party [is concerned], it is work in progress. I guess its the scheduling and other factors kaya hindi pa inuupuan  until the 1Sambayan coalition emerged, with public pronouncements that tend to divide rather than unite, Lacson said.

He earlier turned down 1Sambayans offer to be among its presidential nominees citing pronouncements made by its lead convenor, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, which he said precluded him from participating in the coalition.

Meanwhile, Villanueva said his political party, the Citizens' Battle Against Corruption, is open to coalesce with other groups, amid offers from LP and the Nationalist Peoples Coalition, which is allied with the administration.

Binay, meanwhile, is cold towards LP.

May mga sugat na dapat munang gamutin bago kami mag-usap tungkol sa 2022 (There are wounds that have to heal before we talk about 2022), she said, alluding to her familiy's old rift with the party.

Her father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, ran under a different slate, but won and served as vice president under the administration of Benigno Noynoy Aquino III, who chaired the LP. They were initially friendly but later traded barbs amid corruption allegations against the Binay family, which led the patriarch to resign from the Aquino Cabinet.

Moreno, who earlier confirmed plans to run for higher office in 2022, said talks about politics are untimely and premature at this point and hes focused on Manilas vaccination program.

The country is three months away from the filing of certificates of candidacy which the Commission on Elections scheduled from October 1 to 8.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The Office of the Vice President and the city government of Manila have partnered with the private sector to inoculate tricycle and pedicab drivers and delivery riders in a drive-thru vaccination initiative.

On Tuesday the OVP rolled out its two-day Vaccine Express program in Manila, in line with the ongoing vaccine drive for essential workers under the A4 priority group.

Vice President Leni Robredo and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno graced the launching of the drive-thru vaccination site at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The program aims to inoculate 5,000 drivers and riders until Wednesday. Robredo said over 900 drivers got their shots as of Tuesday noon.

"Yung mga kausap namin kaninang mga Grab driver, nagpapasalamat sila kasi hindi istorbo sa kanilang trabaho. After silang maturukan, bumiyahe na ulit sila," Robredo said in her Facebook Live video.

[Translation: We talked to some Grab drivers and they thanked us because the vaccination was not a hindrance to their job. After they got inoculated, they returned to work.]

Moreno and Robredo said the city's vendors will be next in line.

The Vaccine Express program was organized with the help of CCP, UBE Express, Smart Communications, Seaoil Philippines and Shell Philippines. The oil firms also provided gas cards worth 500 to drivers who got inoculated.

Aside from volunteer doctors and nurses who joined the OVP's free teleconsultation services, some members of the Philippine Army and Philippine Coast Guard were also in the area to assist the vaccinees.

Interested doctors and nurses who want to volunteer for the Vaccine Express program may sign up here.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The Philippines is set to receive up to one million COVID-19 vaccine doses from United States after the Biden administration pledged an additional donation to help boost its fight against the pandemic, an envoy said on Tuesday.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez said the country could get Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines from their surplus.

"Doon sa 80 million na yun, were going to get something like close to 800(000) to 1 million na doses, either Moderna or AstraZeneca, from their stockpile which is expected to be given to us by next month," he said in a media briefing.

The White House in a statement said around 14 million doses will be allocated to dozens of friends and allies including the Philippines, while 16 million shots will be split in Asia through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing initiative.

Those are included in the 55 million remaining shots out of the 80 million doses that US President Joe Biden pledged to allocate by the end of June "in service of ending the pandemic globally."

The Philippine government continues to cite low vaccine supply as one of the reasons for the slow rollout of its COVID-19 vaccination program.

Around 2.15 million Filipinos have so far completed their COVID-19 vaccination  only 3 percent of the national government's plan to vaccinate at least 70 million individuals by December.
(CNN)  The Biden administration on Monday announced its plan to distribute the remaining 55 million of the 80 million Covid-19 vaccine doses that President Joe Biden has pledged to allocate by the end of this month.

For all 80 million doses the administration has pledged to share, the White House has said 75% will be shared through the global vaccination program called Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX, and 25% will be shared directly with countries in need. Earlier this month, the administration announced its distribution plan for the first 25 million doses.

"Our goals are to increase global COVID-19 vaccination coverage, prepare for surges and prioritize healthcare workers and other vulnerable populations based on public health data and acknowledged best practice, and help our neighbors and other countries in need," the White House said in a statement. "And, as we have previously stated, the United States will not use its vaccines to secure favors from other countries."

Approximately 41 million of this second tranche of 55 million doses will be shared through COVAX, according to the White House.

Of those COVAX doses, Approximately 14 million will be distributed in Latin America and the Caribbean -- specifically to Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Costa Rica.

Approximately 16 million of the COVAX allocations will be distributed in Asia and sent to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Cambodia and the Pacific Islands.

Approximately 10 million of the COVAX doses will go toward countries in Africa that will be selected in coordination with the African Union.

Approximately 14 million, or 25% of the 55 million vaccines, will be sent directly to Colombia, Argentina, Haiti, other CARICOM countries, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, Oman, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia.

The White House did not provide exact figures for how many doses would be sent to each country, only estimates for regions in general.

The doses will consist of Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines. AstraZeneca's vaccine has not been approved by federal regulators.

The White House is no longer committing to having all 80 million doses distributed by the end of June, which was its previously stated goal. Instead, a White House official said, "Shipments will go out as soon as the countries are ready to receive the doses and we work through the complex logistics with them."

The White House is citing logistical challenges as the reason behind the delay in vaccine shipment, although CNN reported other issues, including officials having to develop a contingency plan given the doses they initially planned to use -- made by AstraZeneca -- had not yet cleared a US Food and Drug Administration safety and efficacy review.

"What we have 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," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday.

Among those challenges, Psaki said, are sharing safety and regulatory information, ensuring teams have the supplies and transportation needed to receive the doses, ensuring proper storage and prep, and to make sure the vaccines clear customs. Language barriers have also been an issue, Psaki said.

"Just like we have in our domestic response, we will move as expeditiously as possible, while abiding by U.S. and host country regulatory and legal requirements, to facilitate the safe and secure transport of vaccines across international borders," the White House said in a statement. "This will take time, but the President has directed the Administration to use all the levers of the U.S. government to protect individuals from this virus as quickly as possible."

As part of Biden's efforts to reassert US leadership on the world stage, the President announced earlier this month that the US planned to donate 500 million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses globally. The move will also serve to counter efforts by Russia and China to use their own state-funded vaccines to expand their global influence.

In February, Biden said $2 billion in US contribution would go toward a global coronavirus vaccine initiative and would provide support to COVAX. Biden also pledged an additional $2 billion in funding contingent on contributions from other nations and dose delivery targets being met.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Betsy Klein contributed to this report. It was first published on CNN.com, "Biden administration announces plan to share 55 million Covid-19 doses abroad"
(CNN)  The United States has extended COVID-19 restrictions on non-essential travel at land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico until July 21, according to a tweet from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Sunday.

"To reduce the spread of #COVID19, the United States is extending restrictions on non-essential travel at our land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico through July 21, while ensuring access for essential trade & travel," DHS wrote.

"DHS also notes positive developments in recent weeks and is participating with other US agencies in the White House's expert working groups with Canada and Mexico to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably."

In March 2020, the US and Canada mutually agreed to shut down the border to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

Canada continues stringent restrictions

On Friday, Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair announced that Canada had extended its Covid-19 restrictions on non-essential international and US travel until July 21.

Addressing media after the announcement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that the extension of the travel restrictions may be "frustrating" for many people but that his goal is to keep Canadians safe.

"We're not out of this pandemic yet. We have to hit our targets of 75% vaccinated with the first dose, at least 20% vaccinated with the second dose before we can start loosening things up because even a fully vaccinated individual can pass on Covid-19 to someone who is not vaccinated," Trudeau said,

Blair said the government will soon announce how it plans to handle travel among those who are fully vaccinated.

Canada is largely off-limits to US travelers. Tourism, leisure and casual visits are all forbidden. Some exceptions exist for family members, foreign workers and international students.

Stringent testing and quarantine measures are in place for travelers arriving by air and land.

Those arriving by air are required to quarantine for three nights in a government-authorized hotel in addition to the rest of the testing and quarantine requirements.

Travel to Mexico

Mexico allows US travelers by air. There's no need for a negative PCR test for COVID-19, and no quarantine required. Most resorts, however, ask guests to fill out health questionnaires.

On June 7, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered Mexico's advisory rating from "very high" risk level 4 to "high" risk level 3. The CDC advises travelers to be fully vaccinated before traveling to Mexico.

This story was first published on CNN.com "US extends Covid-19 travel restrictions with Canada and Mexico"
(CNN)  Lawmakers from the UK's governing Conservative party are being accused of weaponizing inequalities in the country's education system to stoke a culture war.

The House of Commons education committee published a report on Tuesday entitled: "The forgotten: how White working-class pupils have been let down, and how to change it."

The document claims that the prevalence of the term "White privilege" in "the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests" may have contributed towards a "systemic neglect of White people facing hardship."

Only the Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) on the committee backed the full version of the report -- it was not supported by opposition Labour party MPs.

It highlights data showing that poor children from White British backgrounds achieve worse grades proportionately when compared to poor children from almost any other background.

However, it is worth noting that data published by the government in April of this year shows that White pupils across all socio-economic groups outperform Black and Pakistani pupils on the whole.

Kim Johnson, a Labour MP on the committee, told CNN that the report was a "missed opportunity to bolster opportunities for so-called left behind communities -- such as the ones I represent -- who are suffering from educational inequalities due to rocketing child poverty and a lack of investment in jobs and opportunities."

Critics have also been quick to point out that Conservative spending cuts over the past decade in government will likely have had a much bigger impact on the poorest children and hampered their educational opportunities.

Many in the Labour party believe that the Conservatives are attempting to use the culture wars currently blighting British politics as a way of appealing to White working-class former Labour-supporting communities who supported Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the 2019 general election. Many of these areas also voted heavily in favor of Brexit.

Diane Abbott, a Labour MP who in 1987 became the first Black woman elected to parliament, told CNN that she believes that presenting the issue of children falling behind in school as being linked to ethnicity rather than social opportunities and class is dangerous and divisive.

"It's almost as if these Conservatives are saying to White working-class parents that they should be worried about children from different backgrounds affecting their own child's education," she said.

Responding to criticism of the report, Conservative MP and chair of the education committee, Robert Halfon, told CNN that it is "an attempt to grapple with the fact that 900,000 plus disadvantaged White working-class pupils are doing worse than almost every other ethnic group at every stage in the education system."

Halfon added, on the criticism of the report's focus on race, that: "We can't sweep these things under the carpet because there they are too difficult to discuss."

While it is true that White working-class children are underperforming compared to children from most other ethnic backgrounds, policy experts say that this is more to do with a lack of educational opportunity for children who are born in poorer areas of the UK.

Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility Foundation, says the "truth is that unfortunately there is an entrenched and unbroken correlation between social class and educational attainment."

According to Milburn's research, children from poorer areas are over 20 times more likely to go to a bad school compared to their contemporaries in wealthier areas.

Milburn believes that the only way to fix this is through firm policy aimed at redistributing facilities. "Clearly, the challenges facing a teacher in an inner-city school are different to those of a teacher in a leafy, wealthy suburb. Unfortunately, collective salary bartering means that we cannot address this in wages and encourage top teachers to work in more challenging areas. That needs to change. The best teachers should be paid more to teach in the toughest schools."

While Milburn says that data surrounding White British children falling behind is undeniable, "trying to fix problems for one particular cohort when ethnicity isn't the primary hindrance for these pupils doesn't seem a sensible approach."

Kate Green, Labour's shadow education secretary, said that the Conservative party had "turned its back on these pupils who need most support, from knowingly underfunded free childcare places in early years to cutting the pupil premium," a grant given directly to schools to aid the teaching of poor children.

While this report is not government policy, but a report from a committee of MPs, it is noteworthy that the report was only signed by Conservatives, as it does follow a familiar pattern of Conservative rhetoric since the 2019 election victory.

Johnson and his party have placed "leveling up" the poorest parts of the UK at the heart of their domestic agenda. However, when certain policies around sensitive issues are announced, such as voter ID or prison sentences for vandalizing statues of colonialists, there is often something in the detail that seems tailored to wind up their opponents.

It could be that this report is simply an extension of the new style of Conservative policy-making: the substance might ultimately be of practical benefit, but the argument around it has political appeal to the new group of voters who propelled Johnson to power in 2019.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Britain has a big education problem. Lawmakers from Boris Johnson's party are trying to make it about 'White privilege'."
The showcase is part of the CPS science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) Summer Enrichment program currently taking place at Columbus Middle School, 2200 26th St. Scheduled for Thursday between 4:30 and 6 p.m. at the middle school, the showcase will give STEM Summer Enrichment program participants a chance to show off what they learn this week.

"During the STEM Showcase, CCH (Columbus Community Hospital) will be there, CCC (Central Community College) will be there, Behlen's Dream It! Do it! will be there," CPS Marketing and Foundation Director Nicole Anderson said. "...They'll have some live activities that the kids and families can do. They're also going to have the STEM area at the middle school open so families of our younger students can see what they have going on at the middle school, what their kids in the future will have to look forward to."
NEW YORK (AP)  The estate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has reached an international agreement with HarperCollins Publishers, which released his first book more than 60 years ago, for rights to his archive.

The King Estate is pleased to return the publishing rights to Dr. Kings literary archive to his original publisher," the manager of King's estate, Eric Tidwell, said in a statement Tuesday. "Dr. Kings prophetic message of peace, hope, love and equality continue to impact the world today. That message is needed now more than ever. We look forward to utilizing HarperCollins global footprint to continue the perpetuation of Dr. Kings wonderful legacy through new creative literary projects.

The King estate had been publishing since 2009 with Beacon Press, including the late civil rights leader's first work, Stride Toward Freedom. That account of the 1955-'56 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott helped bring him national prominence. Stride Toward Freedom was first released in 1958 by what was then Harper & Brothers. Beacon also released editions of King's speeches and sermons, among other books.

Literary agent Amy Berkower, who represented the King estate, said sales had been disappointing in recent years.
Singapore. Source: iStock/tawatchaiprakobkit

The South Korean financial regulator is looking to Singapore for inspiration as it forms new crypto sector policies, sparking anticipation that it may look to adopt a similar system.

Singapore is known for having one of the most progressive approaches to crypto regulation in the world, and its crypto exchanges are policed by the central bank and chief financial regulator, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

A number of leading international exchanges are headquartered in Singapore, where the MAS began requiring anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) protocols for trading platforms in 2018. Exchanges are also obliged to apply for operating licenses, flag suspicious transactions and keep their own funds separate from those of their customers.

Many of these provisions will be introduced in September this year when South Korean exchanges will fall under the regulatory umbrella of the Financial Services Commission (FSC). But after years of confusion about where exactly the buck stops with policy-making in the crypto sector, the FSC has recently been handed almost complete control over the industry.

As such, the FSC has been attempting to find its feet in the sector in recent weeks. As part of its preliminary work, it has summoned the nations leading exchanges on three occasions for face-to-face talks and briefing sessions. And now, the regulator could be set to benchmark the MAS as it looks to fine-tune its operations ahead of September.

Per Newsis, an unnamed key official in the financial sector stated that the FSC was reviewing the Singaporean model of licensing crypto exchanges. But the reports author added that, were an MAS-style system to be adopted, tokens themselves would also be subjected to regulatory scrutiny  meaning that 80-90% of cryptoassets would need to be delisted, likely leaving only market-leading coins like bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) on a green-list.

The media outlet stated that the FSC had not yet made up its mind on the matter, with the regulator remarking that the Singaporean model was just one of those currently under consideration, and that it may or may not be adopted.

Regardless, the MAS example is reportedly one of those under close scrutiny. And readers may recall that the only major Asian bank to have launched a crypto exchange to date, DBS, has done so with MAS approval. On the other hand, the MAS last month warned that crypto investment may not be suitable for retail investors.

A senior operating officer at a South Korean top-10 by trading volume crypto exchange told Cryptonews.com there was room for some cautious positivity. The official asked not to be named, and for their exchanges identity to be kept a secret, but added:

Singapore is a major crypto trading center, so that gives us some kind of hope. On the other hand, the FSC is being non-committal and hasnt highlighted which aspects of the MAS regulations it is studying or wants to adopt. Its too early for doom-and-gloom, but equally too early to celebrate anything.

___

Learn more:

- Confusion as Regulator Chimes in Amid South Korean Delisting Spree

- Crypto Crisis Summit in South Korea  as No Ministry Wants to Take Charge

- SEC to Provide Clarity on Token Distribution, Crypto-Based ETPs - Hester Peirce

- Solving These 7 Challenges Would Accelerate Bitcoin Adoption
History

editor's pick top story

Carlisle Barracks

5 Questions: Film documents quest to reclaim lost Native American children from Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery

Geoff O'Gara

It was clear to the film crew that Hubert Friday could barely hold it back.

Emotion welled up from within the tribal elder as he recited the prayer, calling the spirits of the lost children to return with him to the Wind River Reservation, the present-day home of the Northern Arapaho people.

We made it a point to have no narrator  to have the story told entirely by those who experienced it, said Geoff OGara, co-producer of the documentary Home from School: The Children of Carlisle.

The story centers around an effort by the tribe to bring back the remains of three boys who passed away while attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, said OGara, who also wrote and directed the film.

Five years ago, Yufna Soldier Wolf launched the initiative to return the children to tribal lands from the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery where they were buried. At the time, Soldier Wolf was running the historic preservation office of the Northern Arapaho reservation in Wyoming.

Families receive 3 Carlisle Indian School students' remains after disinterment There was a moment when an open wound began to have closure for a Native American family.

The cemetery contains more than 180 graves of students who attended the former government-run boarding school. This past Saturday, a team of archaeologists began work at the cemetery to disinter the remains of 10 Native American children  nine from the Rosebud Sioux tribe in South Dakota and one from the Alaskan Aleut tribe.

A writer, OGara knew of both Yufna and her father Mark Soldier Wolf, a tribal elder. Through these connections, OGara and a film crew were invited to accompany both tribal elders and young delegates to Carlisle in 2017 and 2018 as the Army worked with the North Arapaho families to disinter the remains for reburial on tribal lands.

In their work to document both visits, the film crew was granted access to the enclosed compound where a team of specialists worked to find and verify the remains of the three boys. While in Carlisle, they were assisted in their research by the Cumberland County Historical Society and by Dickinson College, which maintains a website called the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center.

Produced by Caldera Productions of Lander, Wyoming, the film had its first full screening this past Sunday at Central Wyoming College. In this weeks five questions, OGara talks about the documentary:

Army announces plans to exhume bodies of four Carlisle Indian School students in June Michael Bupp, The Sentinel Grave markers at the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery.

Q. What message is the documentary trying to convey and how does it tell that story?

A. The first mission of a documentary like this is to fill out a missing chapter in American history. That is, the history of the hundreds of boarding schools that were created after the Indian Wars in the late 19th century where Native American children were removed from reservations and put in schools in which they were stripped of their cultural attributes to be assimilated into the new culture, the white world, which essentially represented the United States.

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.

Remains of two children transferred from Carlisle Barracks to Northern Arapaho tribe Forensic anthropologist Elizabeth DiGangi recalled a difficult afternoon at the Carlisle Barracks last week when she and an assistant examined the remains of a young Native American.

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 rallying that took place, these people never gave up. When they got the wrong child the first time, they came back [in 2018] and got the right child. They just never gave up.

Army: Exhumed remains don't match 19th century Indian child CARLISLE  Remains unearthed at the Army War College dont match the Native American child thought to have been buried there after dying at the government-run Carlisle Indian Industrial School in the 19th century, authorities said Friday.

Q. What are your thoughts on the effort to return the remains of these children to tribal lands?

A. The biggest takeaway for me was realizing how forward looking it was for the Native American members of this delegation. In other words, you think its about correcting the wrongs of the past when, of course, those things cant be corrected. But it is about healing from the kind of generational trauma that kind of history inflicts. They are looking forward. Thats what came out of this.

Q. Do you think this is a good thing for Native Americans?

A. Its going to vary from tribe to tribe. Watching the reaction that Wind River had when the kids were reburied  the way the tribe turned out, the way people turned out, it clearly was meaningful. It really mattered so, in the one example that I know firsthand, I can say it was a positive thing.

Remains of two children transferred from Carlisle Barracks to Northern Arapaho tribe Forensic anthropologist Elizabeth DiGangi recalled a difficult afternoon at the Carlisle Barracks last week when she and an assistant examined the remains of a young Native American.

Q. How can someone in Pennsylvania view your documentary?

A. Just this week, we got notice that it has been picked up by Independent Lens, which runs on PBS and is an avenue for independent producers to bring documentaries to a national audience. We have to do a fairly elaborate contract with them that does put some restrictions on where and how we can put it out. It will not air nationally until January [2022]. Before that, we are allowed to take it to some festivals.

We are [also] allowed to issue educational licenses. The reason why I mentioned that is we worked last year with folks at Dickinson College. I havent talked to them in the past month or two, but I will talk to them to see if there is an opportunity to show it there. They gave us a lot of help in gathering together the historic material that we needed.
After last years cancellation, event organizer Natalie Long was glad to have it again.

Despite COVID, it was really nice to be able to get back together and do this, she said. I was once the St. Francois County Fair Queen, so it is important to me. I think that it provides a whole other perspective for the girls during the fair, because you get to experience everything that you didn't necessarily get to (before). So being the fair queen gives that opportunity.

Bristol was the only Little Miss contestant. She is in pre-K and wants to be a veterinarian. She answered questions from the judges about her best friend and her pets.

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Fair week continues

Admission to the fair is free on Wednesday.

The 4H Horse Show is on Wednesday at 5 p.m. and the Open Fair Horse Show is at 7 p.m.

The Super Farmer Contest, which is for kids ages 8-18, is also on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. They will compete in events like hula hoop the cow and jump the fence. Registration begins at 5 p.m. After the farmer contest, there will be kids games, including a frozen T-shirt contest, a nickel scramble, and a watermelon eating contest.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Dubais state-owned sovereign wealth fund announced Tuesday a net loss of $5.1 billion over the past year, highlighting the toll that the coronavirus pandemic has wrought on its vast assets and the uncertainty around the emirates post-pandemic recovery.

The Investment Corporation of Dubai, the huge holding company behind many of the emirates industrial powerhouses, reported revenue of $37 billion in 2020, a sharp drop of over 40% compared to the year before.

It marks the first loss in years for the investment arm of Dubai government, which boasts a range of assets, including the Middle Easts largest airline, Emirates, the lucrative Dubai Duty Free and master-developer Emaar Properties, which built the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower. The firm turned a profit of $4.9 billion in 2019.

In reporting the loss, the conglomerate cited the severe effects of the coronavirus on travel, hospitality, retail and real estate  all industries that power Dubai, with its cavernous malls and luxury hotels. With 40 major holdings, the firm is often viewed as a barometer for the health of the citys service-heavy economy.
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At other times, the settings feel natural, like the gay nightclub Blur or a tour of the colorful WhimzeyLand bowling ball house in an episode featuring a scavenger hunt. Even the countless gratuitous beach shots mostly feel believable.

Im watching something and Im drawn into the show because of the story line, but also the places Im seeing in front of me, said Steve Hayes, president of Visit St. Pete Clearwater, who noted that he and his wife frequently talked about visiting Wyoming while watching their favorite show, Yellowstone.

While sometimes awkward, the characters in Lifes Rewards refer to every destination in the scene by name. There were no fake dive bars or coffee shops.

You start to build, Hey, this looks like a really cool place I want to visit, and its in the background, said Hayes. Its not in the front where you want to go through and hit the fast-forward button.

Its too soon to gauge whether the series has impacted tourism, or even how widely it was viewed.

The hospitality industry was hit hard by the pandemic, and tourist towns are eager to seize on the new willingness to travel. Thats put more pressure on destinations to market outside the box.
BERLIN  Germany on Monday opened a museum exploring the fate of millions of Germans forced to leave eastern and central Europe at the end of World War II, along with other forced displacements of the 20th and 21st centuries  a sensitive project that has taken years to realize.

The Documentation Center for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, is opening more than 13 years after Chancellor Angela Merkels government gave the plan the go-ahead. Housed in a late-1920s building in downtown Berlin, it features some 700 exhibits over 1,500 square meters (16,000 square feet).

This center was discussed at length and intensively, in Germany but also with our partners in Europe, Merkel said in an address to the opening ceremony, welcoming the presence of the Polish, Czech and Hungarian ambassadors. The discussions about this place really were not always easy, but they were important.

Merkel said the new center, complete with a library, fills a gap in our coming to terms with history. Still, making the project reality was long viewed as an impossible balancing act, according to the centers director, Gundula Bavendamm.
Rio DistrictFor Callsen, who was first elected in 2017, another term is a way to serve the community and help the division move past the pandemic, as well as keep working on a number of projects that were sidetracked in the last year.

I thought it was pretty important to have someone on the board who had experience with what was going on before COVID and experience with what we had to go through with COVID so that the recovery efforts could be kind of streamlined, she said. I think it would have been difficult to have a new board member come in to that.

Callsen, who taught with Teach for America for two years, is a lawyer with the city of Charlottesville.

Her immediate focus in a second term would be on learning recovery and achievement.

I think sometimes thats been lost during the conversation, she said of student achievement. So I think Im going to be really focused on learning recovery and making sure that all children are graduating with the skills and competencies they need to be successful in the adult world.

Shed like to also see all third-graders passing their state reading exams.
While there are stipulations for comment periods, Chris Engel, director of economic development for the city, said he expects the state law to go into effect July 1, as planned.

The way its structured with city law requires the council to pass an ordinance to allow it to happen, so theres a bit of an internal process that we would need to work through with all the various stakeholders that would impact  for instance, the mall  and figure out what that process would be, Engel said.

Councilors Heather Hill, Sena Magill and Lloyd Snook voiced support for the Office of Economic Development to start working on a draft ordinance to allow open containers on the mall. Mayor Nikuyah Walker and Councilor Michael Payne said they would like more information.

Weve had a lot of concerns about drinking in public, people being drunk in public  thats one of the things I think we need to resolve as a city, Walker said.

Ness said he has been working with social services on how this would be enforced.

Walker voiced concern for how an authorized cup policy would be enforced. She said she thinks people who already have ignored the rules against drinking on the mall would not be concerned about following an authorized cup policy.
It was pretty obvious that the Iranians were never gong to negotiate in good faith beyond the JCPOA, said Rich Goldberg, a Trump administration National Security Council official who has espoused a hard line on Iran.

But now, even if the administration gets some sort of face-saving language from the Iranians about future talks, Raisi has already said they're not interested. The jig is up, he said. You cant come back to a skeptical Congress, allies and deal opponents and say the promise means anything it means when Raisi has already said it doesnt.

But administration officials are adamant that as good as the nuclear deal is, it is insufficient and must be improved on.

We do see a return to compliance as necessary but insufficient, but we also do see a return to compliance as enabling us to take on those other issues diplomatically, Price said, adding that the point had been made clear to the the Iranians in no uncertain terms.

An additional complication is that 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.
I think it just gives a big middle finger to Lincoln, the Union and what it stood for, Brumfield said.

Brumfield said he found another newspaper article from the same time period that described a cornerstone-laying ceremony on Oct. 27, 1887, attended by about 25,000 people. The article said 60 donated artifacts, including the Lincoln picture, were sealed in the copper box and placed inside the cornerstone.

What kind of shape might the contents of the time capsule be in?

We have no idea, said Julie Langan, director of the Department of Historic Resources.

Even if the capsule hasnt sustained water damage, Langan said paper products from the time would have had a high acid content and would be expected to be extremely fragile. Plans call for law enforcement to take immediate possession of the time capsule and bring it to the states conservation lab, where it will be opened in the presence of expert staff ready to triage the objects as needed.

The state's plans also call for replacing the time capsule with a new one to reflect the Virginia of 2021. A website was set up to collect submissions.
Eligible parents who didnt 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 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 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.
But it weighs on us that we could have always done more, she said. We couldve always done more community engagement. If we had more time, and more foresight on what was going to happen, we couldve done more. Now is the time for us to do more. ... its really the time for us to ramp us those efforts.

Outside of vaccinations and equitable distribution, VCUs Chen said the disparities indicate a need for changes in policy, health care and financial assistance to help close the gaps that will linger long after the pandemic is over.

Chen also said inequities are related to lower life expectancies, drug overdoses, suicides and worse health outcomes among the working class even prior to COVID.

We see this steady growth in death rates among the working class before the pandemic, he said. I think this is something that hopefully will just open our eyes to these broader longer-term trends that are pretty stark and disturbing.

The pandemic is something that should open our eyes to the importance of how much inequality is shaping our lives in ways that can have stark outcomes as a result, Chen said.
For the time being, the governor plans to leave in place the statues enormous pedestal, now covered with anti-police and anti-racism graffiti. Some racial justice advocates see it as a symbol of the protest movement that erupted after Floyds killing and dont want it moved.

Richmond officials, meanwhile, are advancing plans to remove the pedestals and other remnants of the four other Monument Avenue tributes and at least temporarily pave over or re-landscape the sites. Northam has tapped the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to lead a community-driven redesign process for the whole of Monument Avenue, but that process is expected to be a long one and is not yet under way.

Richmonds proposal to remove the pedestals of its former Confederate monuments has been welcomed by some who say every piece of the monuments represents a tribute to white supremacy that should be wiped away. But others, including many speakers in a contentious, lengthy public meeting Monday, have voiced concerns about dismantling heavy, valuable and, in some cases, artistically significant pieces.

If we pretend that this didnt happen, that these statues werent there by repaving over the scar, we are walking away and sweeping this under the rug, said Sarah Shields Driggs, a Richmond resident and architectural historian who co-authored a book about Monument Avenue. If we leave the pedestals there, even if just for a few years, we have the opportunity to reimagine, to readdress and possibly to start to correct our mistakes.
LUSBY, Md.  A man killed an alligator he trapped on a beach in southern Maryland and is storing the dead reptile in his freezer.

William Adams said he was kayaking near Lusby in Calvert County recently when he saw an alligator close to his boat, WJLA-TV reported.

He set up trap lines with hooks to catch the alligator over the weekend. Along with his 13-year-old son and their friend, Adams found the nearly 8-foot-long (2.4-meter-long) animal Sunday. He shot it with a crossbow.

People were saying how I shouldnt have done it because its tame, Adams told the station. A tame alligator? In a foreign habitat without its usual food source, Id hate to see it go after someones pet, or even a child on the beach. There are kids running around all the time near there.

A woman first noticed a 3-foot (0.9-meter) alligator nearby in her pond in 2016, according to Adams. Sightings around Seahorse Beach and Driftwood Beach continued in the following years.
TOKYO (AP)  Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida pleaded for patience from disgruntled shareholders Tuesday and promised a turnaround at the Japanese automaker, which is projecting a third year of losses as it struggles to distance itself from a scandal over its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

What we have worked on during years of hardship will bear fruit, Uchida said at the annual regular shareholders meeting.

Attendance was limited at the meeting, which was also relayed online due to pandemic precautions.

One shareholder got up and demanded a detailed disclosure of Ghosns alleged wrongdoing, saying questions about governance remained unanswered.

Another shareholder also addressed the Ghosn scandal, saying the problem should have been solved internally instead being handed over to prosecutors.

Nissan Motor Co., based in the port city of Yokohama, has been struggling in recent years. Its brand image was battered by the 2018 arrest of Ghosn over various financial misconduct allegations.

Ghosn jumped bail and fled to Lebanon in late 2019. But his arrest shocked Japan and raised serious questions about leadership at the maker of the Leaf electric car, Z sportscar and Infiniti luxury brand.
A spokeswoman for a law enforcement organization suggested that police are capable of telling the difference between the two cases.

Law enforcement will have to use their discretion and common sense, said Dana Schrad, director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. There is a difference between wearing a mask for health reasons and to commit a robbery. I think law enforcement will use their judgment in context.

Ah, but theres the rub, say activists. Right there in the word discretion.

Officer discretion is too often deployed against Black and brown people, they say.

When you say police can use their discretion, I can see an officer saying, Oh, well, I thought she looked like this or I thought she did that, said Princess Blanding, whose brother was shot and killed by police during a mental health crisis. Inconsistency and subjectiveness [are] very dangerous, especially when someone has the power to take your life, incarcerate [or] brutalize you.

The city-county prosecutors statement simply reminds police of the parameters of the law that will return to full effect on July 1.
Yes. I will do my part to conserve household energy usage, even if I'm uncomfortable in my home.

No. It is too hot to conserve household energy usage.

I already conserve, even before ERCOT requested it.

Maybe, depending on the reason ERCOT provides and whether or not I am home during that time.

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Assam: Ponds to be Geo-Tagged

June 22,2021 | Source: Guwahati Plus

All ponds in Assam are set to be geo-tagged under the governments new scheme Ghare Ghare Pukhuri Ghare Ghare Maach. Geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification data to a particular location. The decision was taken during a review meeting by Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma with Fisheries Department officials in the presence of Fisheries Minister Parimal Suklabaidya on Tuesday, June 15. Further, a roadmap has been drawn to increase fish feed through the setting up of new production plants and skill development of youth. An initiative to develop large tanks or ponds in every village, to be owned and maintained by the local community, has also been launched. It was also decided in the meeting to increase fish breeding and rearing in water bodies across the state.

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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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Jefferson, Klamath and Marion counties moved from high risk to moderate risk in the level ratings issued Tuesday. The new ratings go into effect Friday.

Six counties remain in the high risk level, currently the state's most restrictive: Columbia, Crook, Douglas, Linn, Malheur and Umatilla.

Brown said Clatsop County's cases and rates would have qualified it for high risk level, but the state would allow it a caution week at its current lower risk level ranking in order to try to get its infection rate back down.

Josephine County also met the criteria for high risk, but would be given a caution week at moderate risk to work on dropping its case rates.

As of Friday, 23 counties will be at lower risk, seven at moderate risk and six at high risk.

Polk County became the ninth county to move to the lower risk level regardless of the county's infection rates due to meeting the goal of having 65% of residents with at least one shot of vaccine. It's status is effective immediately.

Brown asked Oregon residents to encourage friends and family to get the vaccine as the best way to protect themselves, their families and communities from COVID-19.
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Telecommunications giant MTN is continuing to pursue some very ambitious plans for Africa. Its latest commitment is to expand broadband access across Nigeria.

In fact, MTN Nigeria plans to invest 640 billion naira (approximately $1.5 billion) over the next three years to expand broadband access, in line with the Nigerian federal governments 2020-2025 National Broadband Plan and in support of the MTN Group strategy called Ambition 2025.

Its not too surprising an idea given the fact that Nigeria is one of the companys most important markets, a fact acknowledged by MTN group president and chief executive officer Ralph Mupita during a three-day visit to Abuja and Lagos, in which he and MTN colleagues met a number of senior government figures, including the president, Muhammadu Buhari.

The MTN delegation reiterated MTNs support for Nigerias plans to secure 90 percent broadband population coverage by 2025. It also welcomed Nigerias plans to auction 500MHz of 5G spectrum  five blocks of 100MHz in the 3500MHz band  which, Mupita said, would facilitate accelerated broadband access.

As we reported earlier today, the Nigerian federal government has raised an 18-member team to map out plans for Nigeria's 5G spectrum auctions after the senate decided no health concerns were involved.

The MTN Group has other big plans including selling down 14 percent of MTN Nigeria to Nigerian investors. Mupita also indicated that, to mark the 20th anniversary of MTNs operations in Nigeria, MTN Nigeria plans to build a new flagship headquarters in Lagos.

Mupita and his colleagues have been very busy of late. The Nigerian visit follows announcements of MTN plans to launch OpenRAN in Africa, a commitment of $25 million to develop Ghanas digital ecosystem and the possibility of a renewed attempt to win a mobile operator license in Ethiopia.
Bharti Airtel and Tata Group have announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G network solutions in India, which will be available for commercial development from January 2022.

According to a press release from Airtel, the global communications solutions provider with over 471 mn customers in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, it will pilot and deploy this indigenous solution as part of its 5G rollout plans in India and start the pilot in January 2022, as per the guidelines formulated by the Government of India.

Tata Group has developed a state of the art O-RAN-based Radio & NSA/SA Core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the Group capabilities and that of its partners.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) brings its global system integration expertise and helps align the end-to-end solution to both 3GPP and O-RAN standards, as the network and equipment are increasingly embedded into the software.

These Made in India 5G products and solutions are aligned to global standards and inter-operate with other products based on standard open interfaces and those defined by the O-RAN Alliance. The 5G 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.

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India and South Asia) Bharti Airtel said, We are delighted to join forces with the Tata Group to make India a global hub for 5G and allied technologies. With its world-class technology ecosystem and talent pool, India is well-positioned to build cutting-edge solutions and applications for the world. This will also provide a massive boost to India becoming an innovation and manufacturing destination.

N. Ganapathy Subramaniam from the Tata Group/ TCS said, As a Group, we are excited about the opportunity presented by 5G and adjacent possibilities. We are committed to building a world-class networking equipment and solutions business to address these opportunities in the networking space. We are pleased to have Airtel as our customer in this initiative.
Moscow, ID (83843)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

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Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 59F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
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.
EAST BREWTON  Thunderstorms associated with Tropical Storm Claudette produced at least seven confirmed tornadoes across the South over the weekend.

National Weather Service surveyors confirmed three tornadoes in Mississippi, two in Alabama, and one each in Georgia and North Carolina, all occurring Saturday or Sunday.

The most noteworthy twister struck East Brewton, Alabama, on Saturday. That storm had estimated top winds of 127 mph (204 kilometers per hour). The storm stayed on the ground for 22 miles (35 kilometers) across southwest Alabama, destroying many mobile homes and damaging businesses and a high school. Emergency management officials say 20 people were injured, two seriously. It was the only Claudette-associated twister that produced injuries. The damage path was as wide as 650 yards (600 meters) with the tornado finally lifting off near Castleberry.

Crews continued to clear debris in East Brewton and Brewton on Monday. The American Red Cross fed people and churches distributed cleanup supplies while officials said on social media that they were trying to match volunteers to people with damage.

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Another much weaker storm hit near Florala, Alabama, on Saturday, with top winds of 80 mph (130 kilometers per hour) and a path that stretched 0.6 miles (1 kilometer).
SAMSONNew charges filed this week suggest that a former Elba principal purposely caused a wreck that injured four before leaving the scene.

Debra Johnson Strickland, 38, of Samson, was charged with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of third-degree assault following a hit-and-run on June 5 in Coffee County.

According to warrant information, Strickland was arrested on a statute that indicates she intentionally caused serious injury by using her vehicle as a deadly weapon, resulting in four injured women traveling in a Subaru Outback.

One woman suffered a brain bleed and fractured spine and ribs, according to court records. Another woman suffered from a broken arm and hip injuries, while two others walked away with bruises.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said the Maxima Strickland was driving was traveling north on Alabama 87 when it crossed the centerline into the southbound lane. The Outback swerved into the northbound lane to avoid colliding with the Maxima. Strickland then swerved back into the northbound lane and struck the Subaru.

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Strickland then fled the crash scene on foot before being apprehended approximately one mile from the crash scene.
He was just so full of spirit and being himself, Sessions said. I felt like he was my spirit child. He represents what we all should, just to be ourselves and be happy.

Vice President and Dean of Institutional Services and Community Development Dr. Ashli Wilkins said she saw something in Trevor that she knew Wallace should invest in.

We are always looking for talent, Wilkins said. He has got a great future and we want to be a part of it. His willingness to stand up in front of a crowd and give it his all, thats what we want our students here to be able to do.

Sessions and Wilkins both agreed that Bollings success will breed other successes in the community and get other children excited about what awaits them after high school.

Bolling was ecstatic about the recognition saying he couldnt believe he was receiving all of this just because of a video.

I really appreciate all of the things Wallace has given me, Bolling said. This has been amazing, and I think I would really enjoy two years here.

Bolling said he hopes that his viral video has brought happiness to anyone who has seen it and that more people continue to watch it and keep enjoying it.

Sydney McDonald is a Dothan Eagle staff writer and can be reached at smcdonald@dothaneagle.com or 334.712.7906. Support her work and that of other Eagle journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at dothaneagle.com.

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But senators say they're committed to the cap  otherwise concerned that much of the cash influx attributed to a resurgent post-pandemic economy can't be counted on in the long term to pay for permanent initiatives.

"We're in the best fiscal shape here in North Carolina in a generation, Senate leader Phil Berger said at a Legislative Building news conference. Our budget philosophy is working, and we're going to continue to follow that philosophy.

Instead, the Senate measure injects over $3.8 billion more into the state's rainy-day emergency fund, reaching a record $5 billion by mid-2023. Another $3 billion would go to the state's capital improvement fund as part of 10-year, $12 billion construction plan for public schools, university buildings and other government agencies. Projects include an upgraded East Carolina University medical school, more North Carolina Zoo exhibits and a relocated Department of Health and Human Services headquarters still in Raleigh.
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.
Twilight in Hazard: An Appalachian Reckoning by Alan Maimon (Melville House)

In the preface to his new book, Alan Maimon writes that he's not here to take shots at J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy,'" but then he eviscerates Vance's bestseller with stiletto precision.

The message: He made it out," Maimon writes. Why can't the rest of you lazy Appalachians? When we ask this question we misunderstand the region's problems."

That's not the only contradiction in Twilight in Hazard: An Appalachian Reckoning." Writing about his time as the Hazard, Kentucky, correspondent for the Louisville Courier Journal, Maimon, who grew up in Philadelphia, acknowledges the disdain Appalachians have for outsiders traipsing in to define them and then offers his own assessment. He recounts the flood of journalists descending to explain Trump country," then expounds at length on former President Donald Trump's appeal there.

Despite those contradictions, Twilight in Hazard" paints a more nuanced portrait of Appalachia than Vance did. It shines brightest in describing some of the area's colorful characters, from longtime Hazard Mayor Bill Gorman to Chris Fugate, who left his job as a state trooper to become a preacher ministering to people he once arrested. They are fully and generously portrayed.
The 2021 legislative session ended last month with an impressive slate of legislative accomplishments.

Much of the credit for the success of the session goes to the leadership of the new President Pro Tem, Sen. Greg Reed of Jasper, who just completed his first session in this role.

The Senate was deliberate, effective, and efficient as it took up a longer than usual list of issues given the legislatures early departure from Montgomery last year due to the pandemic.

The Senates accomplishments include successes that range from economic development incentives, COVID-19 relief, legislation to support military families, election security, broadband expansion, and more.

The Senate was also able to pass a constitutional amendment to allow the people of Alabama to vote on whether the state would finally legalize, cap, and control gaming and a lottery. Although this bill did not make it through the House, it was an impressive feat to move this hotly debated topic through the Senate.
Vietnam has exported 1.1 million tons of steel to China in the first five months of 2021, twice that of last year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

China was the largest steel export market during the period, accounting for 22.5 percent of total steel exports.

Other big export markets included E.U., Mexico and Cambodia. Steel exports to E.U. during the period increased five-fold to 713,000 tons, and to Mexico, 2.5 times to 293,000 tons. Meanwhile, exports to Cambodia fell 1.5 percent to 584 million tons.

The nation exported a total of 4.88 million tons of steel between January and May, up 61.6 percent year-on-year. Export value rose 117 percent to $3.61 billion.

Steel prices in Vietnam have experienced a 40-50 percent surge since the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported. This has hit construction contractors hard, forcing them to turn down contracts as steel costs account for 10-30 percent of a construction project.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to push for increased domestic steel production towards stabilizing prices.

He also said the export of steel should be lowered to ensure that local demand is met.
A medic in HCMC prepares a shot of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 from a batch gifted by Japan, June 19, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

The U.S. and China could gain some influence over other countries by providing Covid-19 vaccines, but not for long, experts say.

On June 10 U.S. President Joe Biden promised Washington would donate 500 million doses to help speed up the end of the pandemic. This is among one billion doses that leaders of G7 countries pledged to poor countries at their summit.

Biden claimed there would be no strings attached, saying, "Vaccine donations don't include pressure for favors or potential concessions."

Commenting on the move, Pham Quang Vinh, a former deputy foreign minister of Vietnam, said the U.S. and European countries have come a bit after China in providing Covid-19 vaccines to the world.

"All are welcomed. We need more. So the volume of 500 million doses is huge."

He said China pioneered the supply of vaccines in February when other countries were busy trying to contain the pandemic.

Xinhua reported in early June that China provided (sold and donated) a total of 350 million doses to various countries.

Vinh said according to media reports, Beijing sold much more than it donated. According to Nikkei, China has donated almost 22 million doses of vaccines worldwide, including nearly 14 million to the Asia-Pacific region and about 6 million to Africa. It has sold many more: over 730 million doses in all, including around 290 million to the Asia-Pacific and more than 280 million to Latin America.

Taking part in the effort to help nations reach herd immunity are also other countries like Russia, India and Japan.

Impacts on Southeast Asia

Prof Zachary Abuza of the National War College, the U.S., said while the Biden administration has done a much better job than the Trump administration in vaccine diplomacy, it has still fallen short in Southeast Asia.

The Biden administration looked to Southeast Asia and saw that most of the countries had already contracted to acquire vaccines to reach herd immunity, he said.

But the problem is that most countries did not do it quickly enough, and would not be fully vaccinated until 2022-23, and a lot of mutations could take place in the virus in that time, he said.

In this situation, China's provision of vaccines is important, he said.

Every country in the region, except Vietnam, saw its economy contract in 2020, and the IMF/WB/ADB forecasts for 2021 are overly optimistic and do not take into account the slow vaccine rollout and infectious variants like the Delta, he said.

It means that any country that gets herd immunity could reopen its economy, and that is why China's timely vaccine delivery matters and why it would acquire influence over countries, he explained.

Vietnam has already contracted for sufficient doses to reach herd immunity, and does not need Chinese vaccines, but China would deliver faster than western firms, he said.

China is part of the vaccine mix, and they will play a role in the vaccine rollout of every country in the region, he added. "Expect them to wrest and demand concessions for it."

Dr Stephen Nagy, senior associate professor, International Christian University, Japan, said Tokyo recently joined the effort to provide vaccines to developing countries after watching Chinese vaccine diplomacy around the world, including ASEAN.

Japan worries this could be used to fracture ASEAN unity on issues sensitive to Japan and other extra regional powers, he said.

Southeast Asian countries would be the beneficiary of this vaccine diplomacy in terms of health, but divisions could make it an ineffective entity in dealing with serious issues facing the region, he said.

Will fade away

Bilahari Kausikan, a former permanent secretary in Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Chinas vaccine diplomacy has been clumsy. The World Health Organization has approved China's vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech for emergency use in the Covax initiative, but many countries have not officially approved it nationally because the Chinese have not been transparent with the data they need for approval, he said.

This is not in Chinas own interest and leads to speculation about the efficacy of its vaccines, he said.

Some countries like the UAE and Bahrain that have used Chinese vaccines are planning to give their citizens a third shot with American vaccines, including Pfizer.

But Kausikan downplayed the importance of vaccine donations, saying in a crisis countries would take whatever vaccines they get and profess gratitude to the donors, but "gratitude" is a fleeting emotion in international relations and would always be of less importance than interest.

No serious country is ever going to calculate its national interests only on the basis of one factor or decide on a crucial issue like its strategic alignment just on the basis of having been given some vaccines, he said.

Foreign policy decisions are always the result of a combination of several factors, he pointed out.

"Moreover, sooner or later this pandemic will end and when it does, even the need to pretend to be grateful in order to get vaccines will also end."

Consequently, the U.S. and its allies will give away vaccines, but Kausikan did not think the impact would be anything but temporary, and said the same holds true for China.

"I do not think the so-called vaccine diplomacy will be anything more than an ephemeral or temporary effect for both the U.S. and China," Kausikan said.

Vinh said while donating vaccines could create influence for a country, if a nation uses vaccines as a political tool with "strings attached," it would do "more harm than good" and politicizing vaccine distribution amid pandemic is counterproductive.

He stressed that none of Southeast Asia countries has approved just one vaccine, having the choice of various vaccines from partners. They have been in fact using a mix of vaccines, with different combinations of Chinas Sinovac and Sinopharm, Russia's Sputnik V, or Pfizer, Moderna from the U.S., or AstraZeneca from the U.K. They could diversify their vaccines if they wish to do so.

Asked about U.S.-China competition over vaccines, Vinh said ordinary people do not care much about it and it would not create any major dependence.

Some may just want to be vaccinated with any vaccine available or may choose one for health reasons; some may prefer the western vaccines, for their better quality; some just dont like products from China, for various reasons. So its not much about "power competition or over-reliance," he said.

When the pandemic is over, countries would be facing other needs and quickly leave this kind of "vaccine dependency" behind, he said, using the analogy of a person needing to eat after being cured of a sickness. They would care only about whats next, that is where to find food and other necessities, he said.

"Then countries will run other races."
A man drives past a Covid-19 checkpoint at Tan Tao Industrial Park in Binh Tan District, currently the most infected district in HCMC, June 20, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa.

The infection tally of Vietnam's ongoing Covid-19 wave rose by 88 Tuesday night with the new patients recorded in six localities.

Of the new patients, 63 were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, including 58 people who had had contact with previously confirmed patients, one linked to a cluster at Trung Son Food JSC in Tan Tao Industrial Park in Binh Tan District, and one associated with a church cluster in Go Vap District. For the remaining three cases, the authorities are still tracking down their infection sources.

The northern Bac Giang Province recorded 12 cases linked to clusters at its industrial parks.

Its neighbor Bac Ninh Province got nine cases, with seven related to hotspots at two industrial parks, one linked to a cluster in Thuan Thanh District and one associated with a cluster in Dai Phuc Ward of Bac Ninh Town.

Hung Yen Province, also in the north, registered two cases and both had had direct contact with confirmed patients.

The central Nghe An Province confirmed one case in its capital Vinh Town and the source of transmission is still unknown.

Hanoi recorded one case that is linked to a previously confirmed patient.

Vietnam recorded a total of 236 local cases on Tuesday. HCMC alone got 138 cases, marking the sixth consecutive day the city's daily cases exceeded 100.
Vietnam House Wares in Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province is locked down after being linked to dozens of Covid-19 cases, June 20, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Yen Khanh.

Vietnam recorded 95 local Covid-19 cases Tuesday, with most of them in HCMC and southern provinces.

37 cases were recorded in HCMC, 33 in its neighbor Binh Duong, 10 in Bac Giang, five in Tien Giang, four in Da Nang, two in Ha Tinh and one each in Bac Ninh, Vinh Long, Long An and Dong Nai.

Of the cases in HCMC, 27 had made contact with coronavirus cases, one was associated with Trung Son Company at Tan Tao industrial park, six with a Christian mission coronavirus cluster, and three are being contact traced.

28 cases in Binh Duong are linked to outbreaks at two local companies Vietnam Housewares in Thuan An Town and Hien Hoa Anh in Tan Uyen Town, and five are close contact cases of Covid-19 patients.

All the cases in the northern province of Bac Giang are asosciated with outbreaks at industrial parks while the one case in its neighbor Bac Ninh had made contact with a Covid-19 patient.

Four cases in the southern province of Tien Giang are associated with existing Covid-19 patients, and one is being contact traced.

All the cases in Ha Tinh and Da Nang in central Vietnam, and the southern Dong Nai Province had had contact with confirmed patients.

The cases in Vinh Long and Long An, also in the south, are being contact traced. With the new tally, Vinh Long became the latest locality to record a local Covid-19 infection in the new wave.

Vietnam has recorded a total of 142 local Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.

Since the new wave started April 27, the country has recorded 10,353 cases in 43 cities and provinces.

Bac Giang still leads the nation in the number of infections with 5,476, followed by HCMC with 1,857.
A critical step to strengthening democracy in Ukraine and elsewhere is to root out corruption. Malign actors, like Russia and China, are allying with powerful oligarchs to fight reformists, to twist the law, to rot democracies from within, warned USAID Administrator Samantha Power in a recent speech to the Democracy in Action: Zero Corruption Conference.

The incredible gains that have been made over the past several years in Ukraine are under threat. Valuable public investments, as well as deeper integration into European markets and systems are being undermined.

President Biden recently issued a presidential memorandum identifying corruption as a core national security priority. The memorandum recognizes that corruption cripples societies, steals from the pockets of taxpaying citizens, breaks down public trust in governing institutions, and undercuts the world's decades-long investments to improve lives.

That's why anti-corruption is the core goal of USAID's work in Ukraine, said Administrator Power. Current programs work to digitize public services, foster institutional reform, put government resources in the hands of local officials who will have the best sense of how to administer them equitably or support civil society and media reformersorganizations like the Anti-Corruption Action Center.

Going forward, USAID will stand up an anti-corruption task force to elevate, strengthen, and integrate anti-corruption work throughout the whole agency, drawing on the knowledge of top internal and external experts to counter corruption in Ukraine and beyond.

The Anti-Corruption Task Force will review current USAID programs to identify how foreign assistance can best be put to use to limit and prevent graft. The task force will also lead integration of anti-corruption approaches across USAIDs sectoral programming and establish a rapid response mechanism in order to quickly seize on crucial windows of opportunity for democratic and anti-corruption reform.

President Biden's new budget commits $50 million for this new rapid response effort. The United States looks forward to expanding on these commitments and encouraging other nations to make their own at an upcoming Summit for Democracy chaired by President Biden, which will seek commitments that advance democracy, fight corruption, and protect human rights.

I want everyone in this forum to know, said Administrator Power, the United States stands with you as you bravely work to build a more honest, just, and democratic world. 
The United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals recently affirmed the life sentence of former Commander of the Bosnian Serb Army Ratko Mladic. Known as the Butcher of Bosnia, Mladic was convicted on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed during the Bosnian war from 1992-1995.

President Joe Biden welcomed the decision in a statement noting, My thoughts today are with all the surviving families of the many victims of Mladics atrocities. We can never erase the tragedy of their deaths, but I hope todays judgment provides some solace to all those who are grieving.

As the former Commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, Mladic was a key figure in a campaign with the horrifying objective of permanently removing the Bosniak and Croat populations of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Serb-controlled territory, including the killing of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the town of Srebrenica in 1995.

The crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina mark one of the darkest chapters of history following the Second World War, said Secretary of State Blinken in a statement.

Despite efforts of perpetrators to silence witnesses, keep evidence of their crimes buried, and evade warrants of arrest, justice has prevailed in this case, declared Secretary Blinken. We commend the courage and resilience of survivors and their loved ones who have continued to fight for the official acknowledgment of these crimes.

As the 26th anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica draws near, Secretary Blinken expressed hope that the verdict of the Appeals Chamber brings a measure of peace to the victims and their loved ones. He also stated his gratitude for the years of work by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in carrying out justice in the Mladic case.

President Biden said the historic judgment shows that those who commit horrific crimes will be held accountable. It also reinforces our shared resolve to prevent future atrocities from occurring anywhere in the world.
Herb-growers and chefs alike recommend using fresh herbs in your cooking, and Alex Cardoza, Boise-based chef and owner of Wild Plum Events, couldnt agree more. Cardoza and his wife/co-owner, Tara Morgan, try to source ingredients locally whenever possible and adapt their Wild Plum menus to include dishes that feature whats currently growing.

Think seasonal, Tara says. What grows together, goes together.

Herbs can be used as an accent  such as in a sauce or as a featured ingredient, like in a chimichurri, salsa verde or pesto. Morgan enjoys caprese salads in the summer, which allow herbs like basil to shine. Cardoza also recommends adding herbs to freshen up savory dishes with rich flavors.

Spring and summer are the perfect seasons to enjoy local herbs. Tarragon, for example, goes well with asparagus, Morgan says, or in a butter to spread on bread with sliced radishes, a surprisingly earthy combo. Once your herbs have been washed, wrap them in a paper towel and refrigerate to keep them fresh.

When in season, Cardoza and Morgan always have fresh Italian parsley and basil on hand for many recipes. For something a little more unique, most herbs have a flower that you can eat at some point in their growth cycle, Cardoza shares. Morgan loves using chive blossoms in the spring for a bright pop of color.

Use herbs abundantly," Cardoza urges. "Use more than you need.

Here, Cardoza shares three recipes featuring herbs that are great any time of the year, but especially summer. He recommends adapting each recipe to feature whatever herbs are in season.

Simple Salad with Herbs, Lemon & Olive Oil Make this quick herb salad recipe your own with whatever greens and herbs you have on hand.

Salsa Verde A versatile salsa recipe brings freshness to a number of dishes, from grilled meats to sandwiches or even soups.

Pecan Herb Pesto This pesto recipe uses pecans instead of the traditional pine nuts, but feel free to customize with your favorite nuts and herbs.

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Department 2  Judge Al Kacin

May 4

Michael William Elizondo, 41, of Carson City pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny and was given a suspended sentence of 12 to 32 months in prison, was placed on probation for 18 months and was ordered to serve 30 days in jail.

May 5

Tharon Blaine Able, 27, of Madras, Oregon, pleaded no contest to attempted robbery with the use of a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 46 to 120 months in prison.

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Daisy Marie Marsha Hutsell, 30, of Tonopah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit possession of a controlled substance was given a suspended sentence of 180 days in jail to be served concurrently with a previous sentence, was placed on probation for one year and was ordered to complete the Adult Drug Court Program.

May 11
I do not feel safe and I am currently in fear for my life from Mr. Braddock, Luna said in her petition.

The case took a darker and somewhat bizarre turn last week when Politico reported that Olszewski had secretly recorded a phone call with Braddock earlier this month in which he says the alleged Russian and Ukrainian hit squad could kill Luna within 24 hours.

Luna's going to go down and I hope it's by herself, Braddock says in the recording, according to Politico, which said it had obtained the recording. For the better or the good of the majority of the people, we've got to sacrifice the few.

According to the report, Braddock described the hit squad as being armed for close-battle combat to make sure nothing was left to chance.

No snipers. Up close and personal. So they know the target has gone, Braddock said, according to the Politico report. The online news site quoted Braddock as saying he hadn't heard the recording and that there there was no proof it was him on it.
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.
Editor:

Lander County passed a brilliant resolution that prohibits "vaccine passports" from becoming mandated. Why would they do that since there is no passport imposed now? They were being proactive to protect the rights of their citizens to choose! I applaud their action!

Elko County celebrated becoming a Constitutional County and our membership in the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association on June 20 so we have also reaffirmed our rights under the Constitution of the United States of America. What a grand event with powerful speakers and supportive citizens!

A logical next step, as I see it, is to adopt a similar resolution to Lander County where "vaccine passports" will be prohibited here.

The Elko County School Board will consider sending a letter to the governor to reacquire the power for us to choose, at a local level, how to respond to the virus. Will that be enough protection because we anticipate Pfizer and Moderna having approval for the use of injections for children over the age of 5 by the fall?

Should the city council and county commissioners pass a resolution?
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards made news this past week for two major announcements. The first was the ending of federal pandemic unemployment benefits, making him the first Democratic leader to make the move.

The second was the launch of the states vaccine lottery, dubbed Shot At A Million. Louisiana is the latest state to encourage its residents to get vaccinated against covid-19 by offering them a chance to win one million dollars.

How to register

On 17 June, Gov. Edwards announced the program and instructed residents who have received at least one shot of a covid-19 vaccine to register for the drawing at ShotAtAMillion.com.

For those who do not have access to the internet, registration for the lottery can be done over the phone by calling 877-356-1511.

What prizes are available? When are the drawings?

Five drawings will take place throughout the summer. The first of five drawings will take place on Wednesday 14 July. To be eligible, residents must register by Friday 8 July. This pattern will be continued throughout July and early August.

During the first four weekly drawings, the state will award one $100,000 scholarship to a resident under the age of eighteen who has received a shot. Also, one adult winner will be selected to take home the $100,000 cash prize.

The grand prize drawings are set to take place on 4 August will award one adult the $1,000,000 grand prize and five $100,000 scholarships will also be distributed.

Why is Louisiana starting a vaccine lottery?

President Biden is hoping to see at least seventy percent of adults at least partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July. At 47.8% of adults having received one dose, the state is far from reaching this goal. Since the program was announced, about .10% of the adult population has gotten their shot each day. This rate is roughly the same as the week before the lottery was announced.

In the coming weeks, the impact the program will have on vaccination rates will become more clear. However, rates of vaccination for those under eighteen have continued to grow in recent days and weeks.
China National Biotech Group, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, has made unprecedented forays into the global vaccine market amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said Zhang Yuntao, vice-president of the company.

The World Health Organization's authorization of one of its vaccines for emergency use and granting of a highly valued European Union certificate are expected to further expand the company's international reach, he said.

Zhang said the group will deliver vaccines to more foreign countries in the future in accordance with those nations' laws and regulations, especially during or after the second half of this year.

"As we are ramping up production capacity and the domestic immunization program is gaining momentum in key cities and among the population, more vaccines can be allocated for export," said Zhang, who is also chief scientist at CNBG.

Two of the four domestic COVID-19 vaccines approved for public use in China were developed by researchers from CNBG.

As of late May, it had supplied vaccines to more than 70 countries and international organizations, and over 100 countries across the world had made procurement requests, according to the company.

Before the novel coronavirus outbreak, the rollout of CNBG's vaccines overseas, including those to combat poliovirus and yellow fever, was mainly concentrated in Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, and in Africa.

While these longtime partners are among dozens of countries that have granted some form of regulatory approval to Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, new frontiers in Asia, South America and Eastern Europe represented breakthroughs on expanding the company's reach, Zhang said.

"The company's scientific research has always been a global endeavor and the total output has been massive. But the scope of our sales and distribution in the past has been relatively limited," he said.

As its COVID-19 vaccines are forging paths in previously uncharted territories, including Serbia, Kyrgyzstan and Argentina, Zhang said the company's global presence and influence have escalated.

Global approvals

On May 7, the CNBG achieved a milestone when the WHO announced it had granted "emergency use listing" to a COVID-19 vaccine made by the company's Beijing Institute of Biological Products, paving the way for accelerating access to doses in less-developed countries.

The approval streamlines procurement of vaccines by global organizations. The vaccine from the Beijing-based institute was the sixth COVID-19 vaccine, and the first Chinese-made one, to receive WHO approval.

"Achieving EUL means that our products qualify to be purchased by a number of international organizations, such as the COVAX program, the Gavi Alliance (the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) and United Nations agencies like UNICEF," Zhang said, adding that the WHO approval opens up much wider distribution.

On June 1, the first batch of its vaccines to be supplied to COVAX, a WHO-led initiative for equitable global access to coronavirus vaccines, rolled off the production line, according to the company.

"We got positive feedback from an on-site inspection conducted in January, the materials we submitted were of high quality and our communication with the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization has been consistent, which all boosted our confidence," he said.

On April 1, another breakthrough was made when Hungarian drug regulators issued a certificate of Good Manufacturing Practice to CNBG's Beijing vaccine. It is the first time that this type of license, which acknowledges a producer's compliance with quality standards, was granted by a European Union member state to a Chinese vaccine company, according to CNBG.

"The certification from the EU regulatory authorities is one of the hardest to earn in the world due to their stringent appraisals," Zhang said.

With the new certificate in hand and an emergency use approval given to the vaccine by Hungarian authorities in late January, CNBG is one step closer to tapping into the European market, he said. The company will proceed with follow-up procedures, such as applying for registration, in order to land their products in the European market.

Underpinning the progress of the company are decades of technological advances, the commitment of researchers and employees and strong support from the government.

Zhang represented CNBG twice during online sessions convened by the WHO to appraise the safety and efficacy of its vaccine. About 250 global experts raised questions during the sessions.

"It took one CNBG unit in Sichuan province eight years to obtain an EUL for the treatment of the Japanese encephalitis virus. This time, we aimed to achieve the same goal in a short period. The workload had surged at an astronomical rate," he said.

"The science and logic behind our products are in alignment with global standards. That's why we are winning increasing recognition from the international community."

In order to meet the expected increase in global demand for Chinese vaccines, Zhang said, CNBG is preparing to scale up its production capacity.

The company is aiming to boost its annual output to 3 billion doses by the end of this year.

Besides CNBG's institutes in Beijing and Wuhan, Hubei province, which each developed a COVID-19 vaccine, four other institutes administered by the company have been mobilized to produce and package vaccines.

Zhang said CNBG plans to build a global packaging and logistics network. A joint venture is already underway in the United Arab Emirates, which will see raw material provided by CNBG and production completed in the UAE.

"Our goal has always been and will continue to be striking a balance between domestic and global supplies," Zhang said.




Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven attends a press conference after losing a no-confidence vote in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 21, 2021. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the parliament on Monday, as a majority of parliament members backed his departure. (Ninni Andersson/Regeringskansliet/Handout via Xinhua)

STOCKHOLM, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the parliament on Monday, as a majority of parliament members backed his departure.

The parliament approved the no-confidence motion on the prime minister with 181 affirmative votes, more than the required 175 votes of the 349-seat parliament. Meanwhile, 109 voted against, and 51 abstained.

Lofven thus became the first sitting prime minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Swedish history.

The no-confidence was brought up last week by the Left Party over plans by Lofven's Social Democrats to ease rent-controls over newly built rental apartments.

However, as the Left Party does not have the required number of parliamentarians to put forward such a motion on their own, it was eventually done by the anti-immigration party Sweden Democrats.

Conservative parties the Moderates and the Christian Democrats supported the motion even though they see a rental reform as necessary to solve the country's lack of housing.

Following the 2018 election, the Social Democrats formed a government together with the Greens after striking a deal with two minor liberal parties after four months of negotiations. The ease of rent control was one of many demands made by these supporting parties.

Lofven's ousting left the country in political uncertainty just 15 months before the next general election. Now there are two possible outcomes according to the Swedish constitution.

Lofven now has one week to decide whether to call a snap election, which has to be held within three months. Should he decide not to, the Parliament Speaker will be tasked with forming a new government based on the election result in 2018. Whatever the outcome, the next government will rule until September 2022 when the next general elections are held.

However, the most recent opinion polls indicated that the result of a snap election might make it equally hard to form a new government.

"We will now ponder which route to take," Lofven said at a press conference following the parliamentary session. Enditem

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[ Editor: GSY ]
Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and secretary of its leading Party members group, attends a learning session on the history of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, June 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The leading Party members group of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Monday attended a learning session on the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, and secretary of its leading Party members group, attended the learning session in Beijing.

During the session, attendees heard a report delivered by Xie Chuntao, vice president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, which reviewed the course of the Party's struggles, and systemically expounded on the major subjects as to why the CPC is so capable, why Marxism works, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics excels.

Attendees shared the view that they should gain a deeper understanding of the Party's history, such as its revolutionary struggles, theoretical exploration, promotion of the people's well-being and self-improvement. The attendees also said they would prepare for the centenary of the CPC with excellent work.

The learning session was also attended by Party members of the NPC administrative bodies. Enditem

[ Editor: GSY ]
The Communist Party of China celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding in July. From the humble beginnings of its first national congress in Shanghai, the CPC now stands tall.

After 72 years in power, it presides over the world's second-largest economy. China's GDP is estimated to be $14.7 trillion in 2020, second only to that of the United States which is estimated to be $20.9 trillion. Consistent economic growth has enabled it to carry out the most successful poverty-alleviation drive in the history of the world. The country's extreme poverty rate declined dramatically from 66.3 percent in 1990 to just 0.3 percent in 2018, and Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, announced in February the country had completely eliminated abject poverty.

An equally stunning achievement is how the CPC has managed to build a State strong enough to govern 1.4 billion people peacefully for 72 years. It has arguably overseen perhaps the longest period of general peace and stability in Chinese history. And China is now leveraging its huge economy and political stability to have a greater say in global affairs, speaking up on behalf of all developing countries. It is playing an increasingly visible role in the international arena in areas such as peacekeeping, public health, trade and technology. Such initiatives as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Belt and Road Initiative signal China's desire to play a bigger role in global affairs. China is also mounting a formidable challenge to the West's hegemony in economics and governance. This has created tensions with the West which have culminated into the ongoing tensions with the US.

The CPC's achievements and the rise of China have had far-reaching implications for Africa. The CPC has been actively cultivating cordial relations with African countries since the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia which sought to deepen cooperation between developing countries. The Party provided material and ideological support to Africa's liberation and decolonization movements. In return, African countries supported China gaining its rightful seat in the United Nations in 1971 and have steadfastly rallied behind the one-China policy.

As the relations between China and Africa grew in the late 1990s, the two sides agreed to establish the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation, which has provided an effective platform for the expansion and facilitation of development cooperation between China and Africa based on mutual benefit since it was first held in 2000. Over the last two decades, China has become Africa's largest trading partner, with trade between the two sides reaching $208 billion in 2019. China is also Africa's largest bilateral creditor which has helped ease the continent's financial shortfall.

Moreover, China is almost omnipresent in Africa's infrastructure development drive, helping the continent's transport, communication, water and sanitation and energy sectors. Having invested $25 billion in Africa's infrastructure projects in 2018, China became the single largest bilateral investor in the continent's infrastructure. Without China's economic partnership and support, it would have been difficult for Africa to enjoy the rapid economic growth it has witnessed since the mid-90s. China has also supported Africa's efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of almost 3 million around the world. Hence, the rise of the CPC and China has been of immense benefit to Africa and its people.

But China is more than just a diplomatic ally of African countries or assistor of the economic development. It is also a potential role model. African countries, a good number of which are still run by liberation movements, have a lot to learn from China and the CPC. The CPC has presided over and maintained astonishing economic growth levels for the country while building strong State institutions that have ensured effective governance and stability. These are two things that have been elusive in most African countries. Just 30 years ago, the level of development in China was equal to if not worse than that in Africa. Nonetheless, it has transformed itself and emerged as a global economic powerhouse while Africa remains the least developed continent in the world.

One of the most important lessons African countries can learn from China and the CPC is the centrality of historical contingency in the success of economic and social policies. In its development process, while it learned from foreign models and experiences, China did not just transplant these ideas. Instead, its economic policies were largely informed by and tailored to meet the country's historical, cultural, geographical and political conditions.

Second, China has also shown that pragmatism and not dogmatism should govern the choice of policies. As Africa struggles to eradicate poverty, it can also learn from the CPC's poverty reduction strategies which have helped eliminate extreme poverty in China. Moreover, China's political model is something Africa can learn from: democracy at the grassroot level ensures that people have a say in the decisions that affect their lives; meritocracy at the higher level ensures that China is governed by competent individuals with a firm grasp of economics, international relations and science and technology, so as to be able to make the correct decisions for the country. Most importantly, it also ensures continuity in politics which is good for policy consistency. Partly as a result of meritocratic recruitment, China has been able to deal with the problem of corruption, a vice which continues to afflict Africa to devastating effect. According to the 2020 Transparency International Index, China moved from No. 100 in 2014 to No. 78 in 2020 out of 180 countries in the corruption prevalence rankings. The rise of China under the CPC can serve as a model and guide for Africa as it charts its own development path.

It remains to be seen what the next century holds for the CPC and the world. While it started its first century as an obscure, sparse and loosely coordinated communist movement in the early 20th century China, it begins its next one as a global trailblazer ruling a potential superpower-in-waiting. The Party has already evolved in striking ways to adapt to the changing environment in China and the world. The CPC's domestic outlook will be shaped by China's rising middle-income group. In the external environment, the CPC will seek to ensure the Western countries, China's neighbors and the Global South perceive its increasingly prominent role on the global stage in the correct way.

David Monyae is director for the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg. Sizo Nkala is a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institute.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
The Communist Party of China celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding in July. From the humble beginnings of its first national congress in Shanghai, the CPC now stands tall.After 72 years in power, it presides over the world's second-largest economy. China's GDP is estimated to be $14.7 trillion in 2020, second only to that of the United States which is estimated to be $20.9 trillion.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law on amending section XXI Final and Transitional Provisions of the Customs Code of Ukraine on the extension until January 1, 2025 of the exemption of airlines from customs duties when importing foreign aircraft weighing up to 30 tonnes and passenger capacity from 44 to 110 seats.

According to the presidential press service, "the document will help support Ukrainian airlines during the transition to the use of domestically produced aircraft."

In particular, the law extends until the end of 2024 the possibility of operating in Ukraine in a temporary import regime with conditional exemption from customs payments for aircraft imported by Ukrainian airlines on operational leasing.

At the same time, according to the law, the government should take into account in the draft national budget of Ukraine for 2022 the financing of activities of the State Target Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of the Aviation Industry, in particular for the restoration of full serial production of civil aircraft in Ukraine, mastering the production of helicopters, creating conditions for maintaining the share the air transportation market for domestic manufacturers.

Reportedly, to ensure the fulfillment of the tasks set, the head of state turned to the Prime Minister of Ukraine with a relevant letter.

According to the law on the development of the aircraft industry with all the amendments made to it, by 2021 Ukrainian airlines were to switch to the use of aircraft manufactured in Ukraine.

Accordingly, otherwise, when foreign aircraft of the above parameters were imported into the territory of Ukraine under operating lease agreements, airlines would have to pay the customs duty rate and value added tax in the amount of 20% of the cost of the aircraft.
On the Day of Mourning and Commemoration of the Victims of the War in Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Kyiv, his press service said.

"Today, June 22, is the Day of Mourning and Commemoration of the Victims of War. The 80th anniversary of the beginning of the bloodiest period of the Second World War. This tragedy touched almost every Ukrainian family. Millions of Ukrainians went to war to protect the world from the Nazi invasion. Today we remember their feat and we thank each of them for their life and the opportunity to build a new Ukraine, in which there will be no place for wars," Zelensky said.
Ukraine has become a member of the European community of national hospitality industry associations HOTREC, the press service of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine has reported.

Membership in HOTREC will allow Ukraine to integrate into the European tourism and HoReCa community, the agency said on Facebook.
PACE on Wed to consider resolution on violation of Crimean Tatars' rights in temporarily occupied Crimea  Kravchuk

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Wednesday will consider a resolution on the violation of the rights of Crimean Tatars in Crimea occupied by the Russian Federation, said Yevhenia Kravchuk, deputy head of the Servant of the People faction.

"(...) on Wednesday PACE will consider and vote a resolution on the violation of the rights of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea," Kravchuk wrote on Facebook.

According to her, on the same day, a debate on the situation in Belarus will take place.

She also said that MPs from the permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada to PACE are taking part in the plenary session in person.

According to the PACE website, the summer plenary session is being held in a hybrid format in Strasbourg on June 21-24.
On Tuesday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and exchanged invitations for mutual visits, the presidential press service reported.

"Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the invitation to Angela Merkel to visit Ukraine to participate in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform and events marking the 30th anniversary of our country's independence," the message reads.

For her part, the Federal Chancellor invited the President of Ukraine to pay a visit to Berlin in the near future to discuss a number of issues of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Germany and the process of peaceful settlement in Donbas.

They also stressed the significance of today's date - the Day of Mourning and Remembrance of the Victims of War in Ukraine, noting the importance of historical responsibility for the crimes of Nazism in our country and the preservation of the memory of human victims.

"Our conversation takes place on a special date. The world must do everything to ensure that such tragedies never happen again," said the President of Ukraine.

Later on Twitter, President Zelensky announced that Merkel had invited him to visit Germany on July 12.

"On a special date, spoke with Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel that the world must do everything to prevent such tragedies as WW2 from happening again. Grateful for the invitation to visit Berlin on July 12 to discuss current security and cooperation issues of Ukraine & Germany," the president said on Twitter.


Ruslana, International Ambassador for Renewable Energy, and Richard Deitz, founder and president of VR Capital Group

Starokozache village, Odeska oblast, June 22, 2021. A unique ethno-gastro-festival "Picnic under the windmills", where the organizers combined innovation with tradition, took place at the Dnistrovska WPP, which was put into operation by VR Capital Group's subsidiary Elementum Energy in May this year.

In Ukraine, an ethnographic festival (and in general any festival) at the wind farm is taking place for the first time. Among the hundreds of guests gathered in the open air, representatives of state and local authorities, business associations, local and foreign partners, residents of communities. Wooden benches loaded with craft cheeses, traditional meat delicacies, sausages, pastries and wines brought here by farmers from all over Bessarabia lined up under a 200-meter powerful wind turbine.

The headliner of the festival was the electro-folk band Go_A, whose combination of ethnic singing with electronic rhythms once again emphasized the special traditional and innovative spirit of the festival. Ruslana, who is the global ambassador of renewable energy in the world, also addressed the guests of the event.

"For Ukraine green energy is about energy security, that creates independence. When energy in Ukraine is produced in the wind and the sun, and not from imported gas, Ukraine becomes stronger, more independent. And we believe that its just the beginning of the future of Ukraine. Green energy in the future will be used not just to produce electricity, but to produce green hydrogen. The European Union has already selected Ukraine as a strategic partner for the supply of green hydrogen. We want to be part of that future, we want to invest and build more green energy. We have a vision that Ukraine will supply green hydrogen through the pipelines to Western Europe. And Europe will depend of Ukrainian hydrogen instead of Russian gas", commented Richard Deitz, founder and president of VR Capital Group.

"We built our first wind project in the picturesque region of Ukrainian Bessarabia with the great support from the local communities, authorities, partners and suppliers. For us, this ethno-gastro-festival with the involvement of the best local farmers and winemakers is a great opportunity to say thank you to this region and its people. "Picnic under the windmills" is a combination of innovations and traditions. Our company embodies the latest technologies from around the world, but at the same time, we strive to preserve the centuries-old history of our beautiful country", said Alexander Podprugin, Chief Operating Officer of Elementum Energy (Ukraine).

"In the near future, Ukraine will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its independence. I would also say that alternative energy is independence. Independence from what we are used to - coal boilers, gas. I believe that today this is an alternative. We thank the investor who was not afraid, who invested in Odesa region. We wish you success, we will help and support VR Capital Group", commented Serhii Pidhainyi, Deputy Head of the Odesa Regional State Administration.

"Wind energy is an important source of taxes for the Odesa region, for Bessarabia. It allows to develop regions, allows people to get highly skilled work. I want us to have as many such stations as possible. I wish that wind energy becomes priority for us, as well as solar and bioenergy, which today allows people to get jobs, stable wages, and most importantly - to extend life expectancy through clean air, clean environment, through the energy of peace", told the guests Andrii Konechenkov, Chairman of the Board of UWEA.

"I see a Ukrainian flag and an American flag, so its a kind of union between our countries. We can unite our clean energy, so its about our integrity. Everybody understands the language of the future, we are dreaming, we are fighting, really fighting for a clean energy future. We really want Ukraine to be proud of herself. We want the Government, the Verkhovna Rada, all the progressive people concerned to unite around the clean energy projects", said Ruslana, International Ambassador for Renewable Energy.

Dnistrovska WPP project is built in two Phases. Phase I, 40 MW, commissioned on May 1, 2021, is one of the largest FDI projects executed in Ukraine in 2020 with an investment of EUR 59 million. Phase II, 60 MW, is under construction and will be launched in the first half of 2022.

The company's social investment program provides for financial support to the region in the amount of 2,000,000 euros (1,000 euros per year per megawatt of wind turbine capacity installed in the territories of communities in the first 20 years of operation of the wind farm). Communities began to implement projects under this funding in 2020.

At full capacity, Dnistrovska WPP, 100 MW, will generate 360 million kWh per year, which is enough to provide electricity to up to 180,000 Ukrainian households during the year (about 1/5 of Odeska oblast households) and to avoid emitting 280,000 tons  2 (compared to traditional fossil fuel power plants).

VR Capital is an international asset management firm serving an institutional investor client base with approximately $5 billion in investor assets. The firm operates via its principal offices in New York and London. VR Capital is one of the largest and most experienced Western investors in Ukraine, operating in the Ukrainian market since 1999.

Elementum Energy Ltd., a subsidiary of VR Capital, is an independent electricity producer operating via its principal offices in London and Kyiv, focused on the development and operation of renewable energy sources in Central and Eastern Europe. The capacity of the company's operating assets is currently 576 MW: 28 solar power plants with a total capacity of 536 MW and Dnistrovska WPP, Phase I, 40 MW.
Online Event focusing on Nord Stream 2: What next for Ukraines European gas market integration and US partnership?

In order to understand the direction in which the US-Ukraine relationship will develop in upcoming months and how to mitigate the impact of these developments and turn them into a strength for the Ukrainian energy transition, Adam Smith Conferences will be hosting a webinar focusing on Nord Stream 2, the future of European gas transit and the implications for Ukraine.

The webinar, taking place on 6 July, will feature leading voices in Ukrainian energy and geopolitics, including: Lana Zerkal, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Advisor to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, John Herbst, Former US Ambassador to Ukraine, and Director at the Atlantic Council, and Andreas Umland, Research Fellow, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. The discussion will be moderated by Aura Sabadus, Senior Energy Journalist at ICIS, who has been covering gas markets in Ukraine, Turkey and Romania for the past ten years.

The 90-minute session is free, but participants must register in advance: https://www.asc-webinars.com/nord-stream-2

Article

Title: Online Event on Nord Stream 2: What next for Ukraines European gas market integration and US partnership?

After the Biden administration waived congressionally mandated sanctions on Nord Stream AG, the company behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the future of European gas transit and the implications for Ukraine, as well as bilateral relations with the US remain uncertain.

To understand the direction in which the US-Ukraine relationship will develop in upcoming months and how to mitigate the impact of these developments and turn them into a strength for the Ukrainian energy transition, Adam Smith Conferences will be hosting a webinar focusing on Nord Stream 2, the future of European gas transit and the implications for Ukraine.

The webinar, taking place on 6 July, will feature leading voices in Ukrainian energy and geopolitics, including:

Lana Zerkal , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Advisor to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine

, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Advisor to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine John Herbst , Former US Ambassador to Ukraine, Director at the Atlantic Council

, Former US Ambassador to Ukraine, Director at the Atlantic Council Andreas Umland, Research Fellow, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs

The discussion will be moderated by Aura Sabadus, Senior Energy Journalist at ICIS who has been covering gas markets in Ukraine, Turkey and Romania for the past ten years.

Over the course of 90 minutes, Ukrainian and international experts will be brought together to examine what to expect in the short- to medium-term, what is Ukraines plan B for the period after 2024, how Ukraine will remain relevant in the wider European gas marker should transit be diverted to NS2, along with other important questions. The webinar will feature an extensive Q&A session where the audience will also have a chance to ask the panel their questions.

This free event will be streamed on Zoom and is part of a series of conferences focused on Ukraine organised by Adam Smith Conferences, one of the leading conference organisers in Eastern Europe. Click here [https://www.asc-webinars.com/nord-stream-2] to register for the event. Spaces are limited!

On 14-16 July 2021, Adam Smith Conferences will also be hosting the 12th Annual Ukrainian Energy Forum at the PARKOVY Congress and Exhibition Centre.

For more information, please contact:

Vadim Kudruk

v.kudruk@adamsmithconferences.com

+44 7538 380975

Adam Smith Conferences
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right guides Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso to his seat during a signing ceremony (Photo : REUTERS/Ng Han Guan/Pool)

Chinese President Xi Jinping has agreed in principle to reschedule Congo Republic's debt, Congolese Finance Minister Rigobert Roger Andely said on Monday, adding that the move would help unlock stalled International Monetary Fund lending.



The IMF approved a $449 million, three-year lending programme in 2019 on the condition that the Central African oil producer ensured the long-term sustainability of its debt.



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Only $45 million has been disbursed to date, however, as the government has struggled to secure a restructuring of its debt to oil traders.



"The debt is an obstacle to the conclusion and the continuation of relations with the IMF within the framework of the extended facility which was concluded in July 2019. That's the point that sometimes hurts our country," said Andely.



Congo previously reached a deal with China in 2019 to restructure a portion of its debt. That arrangement required Congo to repay a third of its debt within three years, with the remainder benefiting from a 15-year extension of the repayment schedule.



President Denis Sassou Nguesso made the request for further rescheduling during a phone call on Monday with his Chinese counterpart, Andely said.



Andely said the Congolese president had told Xi that, in the two years since the restructuring was agreed, the debt had again become unsustainable due to the shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic.



"President Xi Jinping approved this and thanked him for this proposition," Andely said.



The two presidents agreed to refer the issue to experts from both countries to set the terms and conditions, he added.



Andely said Congo's debt to China stood at 1.3 trillion CFA francs ($2.4 billion), down from a 2019 government figure of 1.48 trillion CFA francs.



Congo also owes around $1.7 billion to Swiss energy traders Trafigura and Glencore.



It reached a deal with Trafigura, which restructured its loan in March, but has so far failed to reach a similar agreement with Glencore.


The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics centre in Boves, France (Photo : REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol)

Amazon and Apple are the world's most valuable brands but Chinese brands are rising up the leaders list and are more valuable than Europe's top brands, according to a global ranking by Kantar's BrandZ.



Amazon, founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, remained the world's most valuable brand with an estimated value of $684 billion, followed by Apple, founded in 1976, at $612 billion and Google at $458 billion, Kantar said.



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Tencent, China's biggest social media and video games company, was the People's Republic's top brand, in fifth place, while Alibaba was in seventh place.



"Chinese brands are steadily and slowly progressing, and have made significant headway as more companies leverage their own technological developments and demonstrate their abilities to align with the major trends shaping China and the global market," said Graham Staplehurst, global strategy director at Kantar BrandZ.



Five brands more than doubled their value, led by Chinese e-commerce giants Pinduoduo and Meituan, China's top liquor maker Moutai, China's TikTok and America's Tesla.



Tesla, founded in 2003, was the fastest growing brand and became the most valuable car brand, growing its value by 275% year-on-year to $42.6 billion, Kantar said.



Top Chinese brands consolidated their lead over top European brands: China accounted for 14% of the top 100 brands, up from 11% a decade ago, while European brands accounted for 8%, down from 20% a decade ago, Kantar said.



The top European brand was France's Louis Vuitton in 21st place, followed by Germany's SAP software group in 26th place. The only British brand on the list was Vodafone in 60th place.



U.S. brands were dominant: American brands grew fastest over the past year and American brands accounted for 74% of the top 100, Kantar said.



The world's top 100 brands were worth a combined $7.1 trillion, Kantar said.


Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with then-U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach (Photo : REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

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.



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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.


Libyas Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush praised on Saturday the Egyptian role in ensuring the success of the Libyan dialogue, ending divisions, reaching a ceasefire and supporting stability in the North African country.

Mangoushs remarks came in a joint press conference with her Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, who received her in the Egyptian foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo on Saturday.

Egyptian-Libyan relations are distinguished on all levels, Mangoush said, adding that she is looking forward to Egypt's support for stability in Libya.

The Libyan minister welcomed the arrival of an Egyptian delegation in Libya to reopen the Cairo embassy in Tripoli and its consulate in Benghazi.

Moreover, she noted that there are many security and economic challenges facing the political process in Libya, in addition to the legacy of divisions.

Mangoushs visit is the result of an official invitation in April from Shoukry.

The invitation, according to a previous statement by Egyptian foreign ministry, comes within the framework of continuing consultation and coordination on strengthening the pillars of stability in Libya, and also in light of the extended historic relations between the two countries.

From his side, Shoukry reaffirmed Egypt's support for the Libyan interim executive authority, noting that he discussed with Mangoush the efforts to restore security and stability in Libya, advancing relations between the two countries, and efforts to achieve cooperation and meet the interests of the two peoples.

Egypt calls for the exit of mercenaries and all foreign forces from Libya without any procrastination, Shoukry said.

Earlier in the day, the two top diplomats held discussions that focused on issues of mutual concern and the latest developments in Libya, as well as pushing forward with the agreed measures of the political process, including holding elections at the end of 2021.

The Egyptian minister said that he discussed with his Libyan counterpart the ongoing preparations for the Berlin II conference on Libya in order to make it a success.

In the presence of Libya's transitional government, Germany will host a new set of Libyan peace talks on 23 June in Berlin, where preparations for national elections planned for 24 December as well as the withdrawal of foreign troops and mercenaries from Libya will be discussed.

In 2020, Berlin hosted the first round of the UN-sponsored talks on Libya, which was thrown into a decade of violence following the 2011 overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Egypts presidency is to hold a press conference at 1:30pm Monday to explain the latest developments regarding the seven kidnapped soldiers.

President Mohamed Morsi met with security officials, the ministers of defence and interior, the head of Egypt's general intelligence agency, the armed forces' chief of staff and chief of operations on Sunday, after which a statement was released assuring soldiers will be rescued safely.

Earlier on Sunday, President Morsi said "all options" remained open to secure the release of the kidnapped soldiers. The president also said there would be no dialogue with criminals.

Seven Egyptian soldiers were kidnapped in the Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, including a member of the armed forces, four port security officers and two state security officers.

Following the kidnapping, a security source said the perpetrators had demanded the release of Sinai-based militants detained for two years.

The militants were convicted of killing five security officers and one civilian in a string of attacks in June/July 2011 on an Al-Arish city police station and a North Sinai branch of the Bank of Alexandria. A total of 25 individuals were charged in the case.

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Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir said on Monday that buildings and workshops that hamper the Tebbin-Abbasia railway line will be demolished, and their owners will be compensated, urging them to search for a safer residence.

His remarks came in the wake of a cargo train crash with two minibuses carrying workers on Monday in Cairo's Helwan district, leaving two people dead and five others injured, according to El-Wazir.

The families residing along the Tebbin-Abbasia railway line will be counted starting Tuesday morning, El-Wazir said in a telephone interview with MBC Masr satellite channel.

El-Wazir noted that those houses near the railway were illegally constructed, as the minimum distance between the rail line and houses should be 15 metres.

The minister expressed his sincerest condolences to families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Following the accident, the Egyptian National Railways said the minibuses stopped at a residential area through which the railroad passes, and the locomotive driver was not able to stop the train.

El-Wazir, during the telephone interview, said the train driver turned himself in after the accident at the Tebbin police station and tested negative for drugs.

Egypt's prosecutor-general has opened an urgent investigation into the accident.

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Forty people were injured in a train crash in Alexandria on Tuesday, the health ministry said, after a locomotive crashed into the back of a train at the Misr Station.

Alexandria Governor Mohamed El-Sherif denied any fatalities due to the accident so far.

The injuries ranged from bruises to fractures in different parts of the body, the ministry said without giving further details in this regard.

The health ministry said 27 ambulances were dispatched to the scene to move the injured citizens to the Ras El Tin General Hospital, the Gamal Hamada Central Hospital and Sharq El-Madina Hospital.

The ministry noted that everyone injured in the incident will receive the required medical care until they recover.

The incident comes only a day after a train collided with two minibuses near Helwan, which caused the death of at least two and injured five.

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Police arrested on Tuesday Egyptian TikTok influencer Haneen Hossam, 19, two days after a Cairo court sentenced her in absentia to 10 years in prison over human trafficking-related charges.

The court on Sunday also sentenced four other girls in the case to six years in prison and a EGP 200,000 fine, including Mawada Eladhm.

The ruling is not final and can be appealed.

Hossam has not attended the court sessions while being tried along with the other girls in the human trafficking case. She has escaped trial since the court ordered her arrest in April.

The prosecution accused Hossam, Eladhm and the other girls of human trafficking by using girls in acts contrary to the principles and values of Egyptian society with the aim of gaining material benefits.

The prosecution said the accused TikTokers exploited  "as part of a criminal group organised for human trafficking purposes"  the victims poor economic circumstances and their need for money by promising them a sum of money.

Hossam appeared in a video after the Sunday ruling bawling over her 10-year sentence and denying committing any human trafficking acts.

How would a 19-year-old girl commit human trafficking? That is a very big term that I do not even know about. I never hurt anyone, Hossam said in the video.

Hossam, a university student who has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, was arrested on charges of inciting debauchery and human trafficking.

She was acquitted in January on charges of violating family values and principles. The January ruling cancels a two-year imprisonment verdict and a fine of EGP 300,000 issued against her in the case.

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A criminal court sentenced two men to death on Tuesday for the killing of the wife of one of the perpetrators in Mansoura city last year.

The husband, 22, is convicted of conspiring with a worker, 33, to rape his wife in her apartment in order to stain her reputation, thereby giving the husband grounds for divorce.

The worker entered the apartment and strangled the victim with his hands and her dress until she passed away.

The case is known in media as the honor martyr case.

According to the Egyptian penal code, a man who kills his wife while committing adultery receives a reduced prison sentence of one day to three years.

The reduced sentence is not applied to women killing their husbands for the same reason.

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The Board of Trustees of The American University in Cairo (AUC) announced on Tuesday the appointment of Ahmad S. Dallal as AUCs 13th president, succeeding the outgoing president Francis Ricciardone.

Dallal, who is an accomplished academic leader and renowned scholar with U.S. and regional higher education expertise, currently serves as dean of Georgetown University in Qatar, the AUC said in a statement.

He previously served as provost at The American University of Beirut (AUB) from 2009 to 2015.

Dallal has taught at AUB, Stanford University, Yale University, Smith College and Georgetown University, where he also served as chair of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, the statement added.

In making the announcement, Mark Turnage (ALU 82), AUC alumnus and chair of the Board of Trustees, who was a member of the search committee, said: We are pleased that Ahmad has agreed to serve as AUCs next president.

AUC is a remarkable institution at a point of inflection in its history, having achieved tremendous success in its first 101 years and now ready to chart a path for its second century. Dr. Dallal's academic and administrative acumen, inclusive leadership style and a deep sense of purpose will serve to propel AUC to even greater heights as it navigates an increasingly changing and complex higher education landscape, Turnage added.

With several decades of teaching, research and leadership at top universities in the United States, Dallal is a "seasoned" expert on US-style American liberal arts universities and how they operate. Coupled with that is his extensive experience in the Middle East at both the American University of Beirut and Georgetown University in Qatar, according to Turnage.

Dallal, on his part, said I am honored to join a vibrant and intellectually rich community at AUC. The University serves an important mission at a consequential moment in history and in a country and region that play a critical role on the global stage. I believe deeply that education is the engine of advancement for societies and that institutions like AUC are connectors in a world in which our futures are intertwined, as we have all witnessed firsthand through the pandemic.

The AUC's statement said that the search for the 13th president began in early fall, following President Francis Ricciardone's announcement that he will step down at the end of the academic year in June 2021. A Presidential Search Committee, chaired by AUC Trustee Tarek Masoud, and consisting of trustees and AUC faculty representatives, was formed. The international search to find AUCs next president included several rounds of wide-ranging consultations with faculty, students, staff and administrators.

Dallal earned his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from AUB and his MA, MPhil and PhD in Islamic studies from Columbia University, according to the statement.

Dallal has written and lectured widely on learning in medieval and early modern Islamic societies, the development of traditional and exact Islamic sciences, medieval Islamic thought, the early-modern evolution of Islamic revivalism and intellectual movements, Islamic law, and the causes and consequences of the September 11 attacks.

Dallal, the statement added, has written dozens of articles, book chapters and publications, as well as several books. He is the author of An Islamic Response to Greek Astronomy: Kitab Tadil

Hayat al-Aflak of Sadr al-Sharia (1995); Islam, Science, and the Challenge of History (2012); The Political Theology of ISIS: Prophets, Messiahs & the Extinction of the Grayzone (2017); and Islam without Europe: Traditions of Reform in Eighteenth-Century Islamic Thought (2018).

Dr. Dallal has spent much of his life studying how Middle Eastern intellectuals have grappled with decline and how to reverse it. That he would cap his career as the leader of one of the region's principal engines of development and innovation thus borders on the poetic, said Masoud.

I have no doubt that under his leadership, AUC will write itself ever more prominently into the unfolding narrative of resurgent Middle Eastern dynamism and progress, Masoud added.

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A Mansoura Criminal Court sought the non-binding opinion of Egypt's Grand Mufti on Tuesday regarding the preliminary death sentences handed to three defendants for killing a five-year-old girl in 2020 in Dakahlia governorate.

The court also sentenced a minor defendant in the case to 15 years in prison, as he has not reached adulthood.

The defendants are Ahmed Hassan, 18, Nour Al-Din Ahmed, 20, and Mohamed Abdel Salam, 21, who are all residents of Al-Arish city in North Sinai governorate, along Ahmed Mohamed, 17, who lives in Sharkia.

The case goes back to June 2020 when  according to the prosecution  the perpetrators kidnapped Arwa Abdel Nabi Hamdy from Sharkia governorate for ransom and she died after suffocating in a bag in the back of the car.

After the defendants discovered the child had passed away, they threw her body into agricultural land in Dakahlia to be discovered later.

The investigations revealed that Arwas mother reported her missing a day later and that the kidnapping was plotted with the assistance of one of the defendants mothers.

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Egypt's Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati has reaffirmed Cairo's keenness to continue negotiations on the dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with the aim of reaching a "fair and binding" deal that fulfills the interests of all parties involved.

Minister Abdel-Ati emphasised Egypt's fundamental interests in the decade-old issue, which he said are based on preserving the country's water rights and achieving benefits for Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

"What flexibility Egypt has displayed during the negotiations over the past years has been met with intransigence from Ethiopia," he noted during meetings with South Sudanese government officials on the second day of his visit to the African country.

The meetings were attended by South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar and Irrigation Minister Manawa Peter, among others, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation.

Negotiations between Ethiopia and downstream countries Egypt and Sudan over the GERD dispute 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, 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.

Egypt and Sudan, as a result, 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, including addressing the United Nations Security Council.

Sudanese Irrigation Minister Mariam Al-Sadiq said on Saturday Sudan called for reaching a "preconditioned provisional agreement" on the rules for the second filling due to the second fillings "direct" impact on Khartoum.

The initial agreement that has been discussed with the Egyptian side, according to the Sudanese minister, should be followed by a final deal within a maximum period of 6 months and be based on points agreed upon in the previous rounds of negotiations.

Also, the US, the European Union and the United Nations should be engaged as mediators, along with the African Union, she added.

Minister Abdel-Ati arrived in Juba on Monday along with an official delegation for a five-day visit to hold talks on promoting bilateral cooperation, including in the field of water management.

During Tuesday's meeting, the Egyptian delegation addressed the progress of several joint development projects in water resource fields as well as agreed on future steps to implement other proposed development projects aimed at raising the living standards of the people of South Sudan.

Abdel-Ati said the ministry is implementing project across seven Sudanese states, with three more states expected to be included in the ministry's projects.

The Egyptian irrigation ministry has established six groundwater plants around Juba and seven more inside the capital. Additionally, 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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Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry traveled on Tuesday to Germany to attend the Second Berlin Conference, a new round of peace talks on Libya, which is slated for Wednesday.

Shoukry will affirm, during the United Nations-backed event, Cairo's "steadfast" stance aiming for protecting Libyas sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as fulfilling aspirations of the Libyan people for a better future, said Ahmed Hafez, the foreign ministry's spokesman.

He will reiterate support for the Libyan-led comprehensive political process to end the conflict in the North African country.

The top diplomat will also call for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from the Libyan territories and holding the general elections on December 24 as scheduled, Hafez said.

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

The meeting is due to witness the participation of Libya's interim government, which is guiding the country until legislative elections are held in December.

The first round of Berlin talks called for the formation of the interim authority, ending the foreign intervention in the country, and pushing for a political settlement.

In a critical step towards unifying the nation, various delegates from Libya's warring factions selected earlier this year a new unified interim executive authority comprising four leaders to guide the oil-rich country through to the elections.

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Egypts President Abdel Fattah El Sisi directed the government to develop and automate the system of silos and stores of strategic commodities across the country, as part of the State's approach towards applying digital transformation and promoting good governance.



El Sisi's directives came during his meeting on Tuesday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali El Meselhy, said Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.



The president also instructed the government to exert its utmost to provide basic commodities for citizens and make them available at supply outlets across the nation, the spokesman added.



The supply minister briefed President El Sisi on his ministry's plan for converting bakeries nationwide to run on natural gas instead of gasoline, in cooperation with the Arab Organization for Industrialization and the bodies concerned.

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Sudans Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi officially asked the UN Security Council to hold a session at the nearest time on the developments in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam GERD dispute, the government said.

The Sudanese foreign minister sent a letter on Tuesday to the President of the Security Council, which is currently Estonia, calling on the council to encourage all parties to the dispute to stick to their commitments in accordance with international laws, according to a statement by the Sudanese government spokesperson on GERD issue Omar Farouk.

Al-Mahdi asked the council to urge parties not to take any unilateral actions, and called on Ethiopia not to go ahead with the second filling of GERD, which is supposed to take place in July despite rejection of both Egypt and Sudan.

The top Sudanese diplomat stated if Ethiopia went ahead unilaterally with the second filling of GERD, this would put the lives and safety of millions of Sudanese citizens in dangerous.

She called on the council as well as parties to engage meditation or find any other possible peaceful means to end the dispute in the outstanding issues in the GERD talks.

She also called on the UN and the African Union as well other international and regional organizations to help in pushing the GERD talks forward to end this dispute.

The letter also included in detail the Sudanese efforts in the past year to reach a legally binding agreement through a negotiation process that was launched by the African union but reached a deadlock last April due to lack of political will by Ethiopia to reach an agreement that fulfills the needs of all parties involved, the statement said.

Earlier this month, Egypt also a letter sent to the president of the Security Council denouncing Addis Ababa's plan to move ahead unilaterally with the second filling of the GERD in July, a step that is expected to affect both downstream countries' water security.

The 95-page letter included an overview of the decade-old negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia as well as how the latest round, which was held under the brokerage of the African Union (AU), faltered due to Addis Ababa's intransigence.

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During the month of May, the operational activity of terrorist groups and organisations active in the region has sharply increased, according to the monthly report on the state of terror in the Middle East and North Africa that is put out by the

National Center for Studies (NCS)

This is the third month that the NCS reported an increase in terror activities in the region. In May, the NCS reported 208 attacks by terror groups, compared to 198 attacks during the month of April, 182 attacks during March, and 83 attacks in February.

According to the report, over 80 percent of the May attacks hit countries that suffer from political instability, with Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia featuring the highest percentage of attacks.

The increase in the rate of attacks comes against the backdrop of the US withdrawal of its troops from the region and the parallel wish of terror groups to push back against the pressure of Western-supported anti-terror operations.

Moreover, the report noted that the continued state of political tensions in the region, including the tension between Iran and Israel, have also contributed to the agitation of militant activities.

This said, the NCS report noted that governments of the region have invested a lot more time and effort in upgrading their anti-terror combat tactics. This, the report added, has certainly helped with launching pre-emptive attacks on militant groups.

Still, the report noted that terror groups, especially IS, are trying to make a comeback after having been defeated in a few spots around the region.

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Israeli police and border officials said they arrested four suspects in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. It was unclear who started the brawl. The officials said someone launched fireworks at police forces and residents' houses and that ``several Molotov cocktails were thrown and stones were thrown.'' One woman was reportedly injured when she was hit in the back by a stone, police said.

The Red Crescent emergency service said its crews treated 20 Palestinians, including 16 suffering from pepper spray and tear gas and others wounded by rubber-coated bullets. Two other people were wounded, including an elderly man who was hit in the head, it said.

The Red Crescent said settlers threw stones at one of its ambulances and Israeli forces sprayed skunk water on a second ambulance belonging to the service.

The eruption of violence is the latest friction in Sheikh Jarrah, where weeks of unrest captured international attention ahead of the Israeli war on Gaza last month. The cease-fire took effect on May 21, but the long-running campaign by Jewish settlers to evict dozens of Palestinian families continues.

And so the cycle of tension endures, in a stark early test for Israel's new coalition government, which is just over a week old.

At the helm under a rotation agreement is Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party. In two years, he'll be replaced by Yair Lapid, leader of centrist Yesh Atid. And leading the opposition is Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, ousted from the premiership after holding the post for 12 years.

An intervention by Israel's attorney general at the height of the unrest has put the most imminent expulsions on hold. But rights groups say evictions could still proceed in the coming months as international attention wanes, potentially igniting another round of bloodshed.

The settlers have been waging a decades-long campaign to expel the families from densely populated Palestinian neighborhoods in the so-called Holy Basin just outside the walls of the Old City, in one of the most sensitive parts of east Jerusalem.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Israel views the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The settlers say the homes are built on land that was owned by Jews prior to the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. Israeli law allows Jews to reclaim such property, a right denied to Palestinians who lost lands and homes in the same conflict.

*This story was edited by Ahram online
Spain's government granted pardons on Tuesday to the nine imprisoned instigators of an illegal 2017 secession bid for Catalonia in a bold move to defuse the festering political crisis in the nation's affluent northeastern corner.

The decision by the left-wing government, however, has angered many in Spain, even some of Catalonia's most fervent separatists who say the pardons don't go far enough.

WHY WERE THEY IMPRISONED?

Separatist sentiment skyrocketed in Catalonia over the past two decades, fueled by the global recession and an increasingly polarized political climate. Many Catalans, despite being comparatively wealthy and enjoying a large degree of self-rule, felt they paid too much in taxes and were ignored by central authorities.

In October 2017 the government of Catalonia pushed through with a referendum on independence despite repeated warnings from the country's highest courts that a vote on national sovereignty by a region violated the Constitution.

Most unionist voters boycotted the vote, while 2 million of 5.3 million potential voters cast ballots for secession despite a violent police crackdown that injured hundreds.

The Catalan Parliament declared independence on Oct. 27, but it failed to garner any international support.

While the regional president at the time, Carles Puigdemont, and some associates fled the country, a dozen leaders of the secession bid were arrested. In 2019, Spain's Supreme Court found the 12 guilty of a varying mix of crimes, including sedition, misuse of public funds and disobedience.

Nine were given lengthy prison sentences, while three were fined and did not do jail time.

WHO IS PARDONED?

Former regional vice president Oriol Junqueras received the heaviest sentence of 13 years for sedition and misuse of public funds.

Eight more, including former members of the Catalan Cabinet, Carme Forcadell, ex-speaker of the Catalan parliament, and Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, two leaders of separatist grassroots groups, received sentences ranging from nine to 12 years.

They are now expected to go free after having spent three-and-a-half years behind bars, although they will likely remain banned from holding public office for years.

CONTROVERSIAL DECISION

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has weathered harsh criticism in recent weeks while his government prepared the pardons, both from Spain's conservatives and far-right parties, as well as a large sector of the public.

But the decision is widely backed in Catalonia, where even many unionists hope it can help mend bridges. Important business leaders and Catholic bishops have also voiced their support.

In two regional elections since the failed secession bid the separatists have maintained their hold on power as the political battle lines have become entrenched. Roughly half support parties in favor of secession; the other half vote for parties that want to remain in Spain.

Spain's government hopes that the freeing of the separatists can convince those Catalans who only recently joined the separatist camp to consider coming back into the fold.

Sanchez will also likely need the votes of some Catalan separatists in the national Parliament in Madrid to keep his minority government afloat over the next two years.

NOT ENOUGH FOR SOME

While celebrating the liberty of their cohorts, the separatist movement is far from satisfied. Its politicians are pushing for not just being spared the punishment but a full amnesty for all of those in trouble for helping organize the 2017 breakaway attempt. That would clear up their criminal records and allow them to participate in politics.

They also don't renounce their dream of founding a new state.

But the protest held on Tuesday when Sanchez visited Barcelona to announce that he would sign the pardons was very subdued. Compared to the tens _ or even hundreds _ of thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets in recent years, a few hundred turned out to jeer Sanchez.

The pardons come after Junqueras recently acknowledged for the first time that the 2017 referendum was not considered legitimate by a part of Catalonia's society. That is in stark contrast to the position maintained by Puigdemont, who says that the referendum and independence declaration remain valid.

WHAT ABOUT PUIGDEMONT?

The act of grace by Spain does not include Puigdemont and the handful of other high-profile separatists who fled to Belgium, Scotland and Switzerland, where they have avoided Spain's extradition requests.

The government has insisted that they must return home to face justice.

Puigdemont and two former Catalan Cabinet members won seats to the European Parliament in 2019. Their immunity as parliament members was stripped by the chamber, which would allow Spain to again pursue their extradition. But a European court temporarily restored their extraordinary legal coverage recently while it considers their appeal.

So Puigdemont's future, as ever, is uncertain.

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The head of the Indonesian delegation to a G20 meeting in Italy has tested positive for coronavirus while six other people are self-isolating, Italian news agencies reported Tuesday.

The diplomat, who was due to attend G20 ministerial talks in Sicily starting Tuesday, had tested negative before leaving Indonesia but was found to have tested positive on Monday.

Six others in the delegation have been put in precautionary isolation in their hotels in Sicilian city Catania, the ANSA and AGI news agencies reported, citing local health officials.

The G20 meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday bring together labour, employment and education ministers from the club of major developed and emerging economies.

Italy has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic but has in recent months recorded a sharp fall in cases of Covid-19. It has removed almost all restrictions, with masks no longer mandatory outdoors from June 28.

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Egypts stocks rallied and the market saw a daily stock turnover exceeding LE1 billion at weeks end as the bourse returned to price limits from before the 2011 uprising and lifted precautionary measures, says an analyst.

The benchmark index EGX30 increased 1.16 percent to 9,152 points and daily stock turnover registered LE1 billion.

"Stocks rallied due to continuing confidence in Egypts economy following the latest measures taken by the government in the path to economic development," Eissa Fathy, vice head of the securities division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, told Ahram Online.

Egypt's recently elected President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified a new budget in June after cutting down fuel subsidies, a move hailed by economists as necessary for the economy.

Earlier this week, El-Sisi annouced the begining of a project to dig a new parallel Suez Canal to raise the vital waterway's revenues by 259 percent.

The markets liquidity was mainly influenced by returning to pre-2011 price limits in Thursday's session as announced in late July, added Fathy.

In July, the bourse issued a statement announcing the removal of precautionary measures instated following the 2011 uprising.

Price change limits of listed shares during trading will now rise from 5 to 10 percent. Accordingly, trading on those shares will be halted for half an hour and once resumed the limit will be extended to 20 percent, explained Fathy at the time.

Non-Arab foreign investors continued as net buyers for the second consecutive week for a net value of LE79.4 million.

Market bellwether Commercial International Bank (CIB) climbed 2.4 percent to LE43.75 per share.

Egypts leading investment bank, Egyptian Financial Group-Hermes (EFG-Hermes), gained 1.47 percent to LE16.72 per share and Pioneers Holding increased 1.68 percent to LE15.75 per share.

In telecommunications, Global Telecom Holding was up 1.62 percent to LE4.98 per share despite reporting losses for

the second quarter this year. The company made losses of $173.1 million in the second quarter this year, compared to $22.7 million in the same period a year earlier.

Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding (OTMTH) increased 0.76 percent to LE1.3 per share.

Palm Hills Development (PHD) company lead the real estate sector in the main index and rose 2.13 percent to LE4.25 per share. Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG) company inched up 1.55 percent to LE9.65 per share.

The broader index EGX70 gained 0.56 percent.



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The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, announced on Tuesday the launch of a $17.5 million blended finance investment facility that aims to help de-risk and improve the financial viability of high-impact projects benefitting Forcibly Displaced Populations (FDPs) and their host communities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The finance will be launched in partnership with the government of the Netherlands.

This facility complements the IFCs existing agreement with the government of the Netherlands under prospects to provide advisory services, bringing the total amount of funding provided by the IFC to $47 million.

The new blended finance facility targets unlocking and catalysing private sector financing for innovative and scalable investments that will create solutions to address economic and social challenges faced by FDPs and host communities, as well as demonstrate commercial viability of refugee-focused investments, according to the IFC.

It also seeks to de-risk investments, alleviate first-mover costs, and develop a pipeline of concrete investment opportunities to create new markets where involvement of the private sector is currently nascent.

The IFC said that the UNHCR estimated nearly 80 million FDPs worldwide by the end of 2019, 85 percent of whom are being hosted in developing countries with limited resources.

It added that the new blended finance facility is part of the Prospects Partnership Initiative (Prospects) that aims to transform the way governments and other stakeholders, including the private sector, respond to these growing  and protracted  forced displacement crises.

Prospects supports refugees and host communities in eight countries worldwide, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Sudan, and Uganda.

Forced displacement crises have increased in scale and complexity in recent years and have become more protracted. Action is urgently needed to support host countries through joint initiatives for burden-sharing, said Warner Ten Katethe, head of the Migration and Forced Displacement Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

Prospects brings together the IFC, government of the Netherlands, International Labor Organisation, UNHCR, UNICEF, and World Bank to provide a unique combination of humanitarian assistance, longer-term development support, and private sector solutions, in a bid to help refugees rebuild their lives and support themselves and their families.

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Egypts Ministry of International Cooperation and its Egypt Ventures, under the auspices of the Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, are due to launch the Generation Next Forum on Saturday, the ministry announced on Tuesday.

Holding the forum is an effort that aims to build knowledge of the economy, increase competitiveness and resilience, and enhance Egypts position as a regional hub for start-ups, according to Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat.

Generation Next also aims to invest in the future, thus highlighting Egypts governments commitment to boosting entrepreneurship and investing in start-ups.

The event highlights the key role of the entrepreneurial scene in stimulating the Egyptian economy, which in turn creates competitiveness and catalyses GDP growth through direct and indirect investments.

Over 400 representatives from a community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and start-ups, alongside multilateral and bilateral development partners are expected to attend the forum.

This includes Hasan Al-Attas, the director general of operation and head of the Saudi Grant Management Committee at the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD); Malinne Blomberg, the deputy director general of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the North Africa region, and USAID Mission Director for Egypt Leslie Reed.

The Generation Next Forum is anticipated to host several discussions on the role of international financial institutions (IFIs) in developing the work environment for technology start-ups; the impact of partnerships with development partners to facilitate access to finance; and the action plan put forth for the implementation of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, as well as the role start-ups play in advancing the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The forum promotes Egypt as a destination for investment in the dynamic and tech-savvy start-up scene and will address how to create effective links between large companies and start-ups to stimulate innovation through development projects, according to Al-Mashat.

Egypt Ventures, established in 2017, is the first Egyptian company with governmental contributions that is specialised in investing, supporting, and encouraging entrepreneurship in the field of technology.

The government of Egypt is committed to supporting entrepreneurship in the country and through Egypt Ventures. The financial support and knowledge provided by the venture capital vehicle has a ripple effect on the economy, by creating job opportunities and pushing towards a knowledge economy. Egypt Ventures has also managed to enhance cooperation with international institutions that are interested in entrepreneurship in Egypt, opening the door to increased competition that is in line with the ESG principles, Al-Mashat explained.

Within the portfolio of the Ministry of International Cooperation, there are 34 projects underway, with a focus on innovation, digitalisation, and entrepreneurship, contributing to 13 SDGs with a total development financing of $1 billion, presenting 4 percent of Egypts total official development assistance (ODA).

The volume of investment in start-ups in Egypt in 2020 amounted to $190 million through 114 deals; showing an increase of 30 percent compared to 2019, according to the ministry.

Consequently, Egypt has the fastest-growing entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Middle East and North Africa, coming in as the second largest in the region.

Chairman and CEO of Egypt Ventures Ahmed Gomaa said that the company aims to invest in tech-based companies owned by Egyptian founders, locally and internationally with headquarters in Egypt.

Gomaa added that Egypt Ventures, through its short-term plan, also aims to provide alternative financing opportunities for Egyptian entrepreneurs, provide local investment opportunities for Egyptians living abroad while establishing knowledge transfer links to increase cooperation, and support companies in regional and global expansions.

He added that the long-term plan includes establishing Egypt as a centre for innovation and entrepreneurship in the MENA region, attract foreign and local investments in tech companies, increase direct and indirect job opportunities, and continuously develop Egypts dynamic entrepreneurial scene.

Egypt Ventures was established in September 2017 with a paid-up capital of EGP 451 million, alongside the participation of the Ministry of International Cooperation, the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), and NI Capital.

The company is focused on investing in tech-based companies in order to provide them with the necessary sufficient attention in financing, especially bank financing, which offers great opportunities for expansion and high investment returns.

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Russian Deputy Minister of Culture Olga Yarilova and her accompanying delegation toured the Giza Pyramids on Tuesday on the sidelines of their official visit to Egypt to celebrate the year of humanitarian cooperation between Egypt and Russia.

The year of humanitarian cooperation was initiated by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

During her tour, Yarilova praised the ancient Egyptian civilization and the greatness of the Pyramids, and took many memorial photos in front of the Khufu Pyramid, the Sphinx and the Panorama area.

She thanked Egypts foreign ministry for providing an opportunity for dialogue with representatives of the various Egyptian ministries.

She also praised the Egyptian culture ministrys great interest in building bridges of cultural cooperation between the two sides and for the warm welcome of Russia's Beriozka ensemble for folk arts, which is a symbol of the Russian folk art, at the Cairo Opera House.

She also expressed her happiness for the applause the Beriozka ensembles performance received at the opera house.

Members of Beriozka ensemble stressed their desire to come back in the coming period to present their performances on Egypt's different theaters.

For his part, Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgiy Borisenko confirmed the success of the Russian delegation's visit to Cairo, voicing his full appreciation for the efforts of the Egyptian government in arranging the visit to achieve fruitful results.

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We are trying to come up with an arrangement but so far it has not been easy to do so. We have to continue trying. This is how an Egyptian official characterised Cairos ongoing attempts to kick-start humanitarian assistance and the reconstruction of Gaza which suffered devastating damage during 11 days of Israeli aggression in May.



The official declined to share a timeline for the launch of the humanitarian/ reconstruction operation. Not clear yet, he said.



The situation, he explained, is complicated. On the one hand Israel, the donor community, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) refuse to allow Hamas access to any cash out of concern the money will be used to cement the combat readiness of the group, while on the other hand Hamas is not at all flexible about a management sharing arrangement. They feel a lot more empowered since the conflict and feel a number of regional developments are going their way. This is making them more inflexible, argued the official.



He spoke shortly after Yehia Senwar, the chief of Hamas in Gaza, told reporters on Monday that his talks with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennseland had failed to resolve the problem of allowing Hamas access to Qatari funding and warned that Hamas would react to Israels continued financial embargo.



According to the Egyptian official, a resumption of hostilities along the lines of last month is quite unlikely now  or at least we hope it is quite unlikely. He did, however, add a note of caution, warning that some recent regional changes could threaten the ceasefire.



One change the official is worried about is the hawkish profile of the new Israeli government which was sworn in last week, ending 12 years of rule by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyhau.



We dont think that Naftali Bennett [the new Israeli PM] would want to start a military confrontation with Hamas at least not right away, the official said. He added, however, that it would be naive to exclude the possibility of Bennett wanting to show the Israeli public that he is a hawk, not a dove.



Bennetts eyes are certainly on the settler community, the official said, and he would not want to come across as less tough on Hamas than Netanyahu.



It is also unclear how the new political dispensation in Iran will affect the situation. President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, another hawk, may wish to send Israel, its allies in the Arab world and elsewhere, a message through Hamas.



Hamas, points out the official, makes no secret of the support it receives from Iran. After the last war Hamas leaders, including political bureau chief Ismail Hanniyeh and Senwar, openly expressed gratitude to Iran for the help it had extended to the group.



Gaza, the source says, is one of a number of places Egypt is closely monitoring to see the impact of the new Iranian president. Lebanon is another.



Lebanon is on the edge of an unprecedented socio-economic crisis and, says the source, all scenarios are possible.



With a new Iranian president assuming power, many are wondering whether Tehran will encourage Hizbullah to act on the ground and establish itself as Lebanons kingmaker.



Cairo-based European diplomats share Cairos concerns, though more on the Lebanon than the Gaza front. They are also worried about Iraq and Syria, two other regional fronts where Iran, under Raisi, may wish to act.



Both countries are of concern to Egyptian foreign policy makers. For two years Egypt, in coordination with Jordan, perhaps its closest Arab ally now, has been trying to balance Gulf influence in the Mashriq by establishing a political consultation mechanism with Iraq and on Syria.



Egypt and Jordan are both mindful of American reluctance to see Bashar Al-Assads government reintegrated into the collective Arab regime. According to another Egyptian official, however, this has not kept Egypt from undertaking some reach-out exercises.



We have been cautious because the situation in Syria is very complex, but we have also been realistic. Everybody knows that Bashar is going to be around for the foreseeable future, he said.



Cairo is still trying to assess the possible impact of the Raisi presidency on Iraq and Syria, both countries in which Iran has a strong military presence.



Meanwhile, Egyptian officials say Cairo is unlikely to change its own policy towards Iran. Relations, they say, will remain for the most part where they have been for decades now, with no full diplomatic ties and no high levels of tension.



Overall, Egyptian officials are hopeful that with the resumption of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West Tehran will choose to act wisely across the region, though they say it is too early to make a thorough assessment.



Certainly, Egypt hopes Iran will avoid any escalation with Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf states. Egyptian officials say there is considerable unease in many Arab Gulf capitals, including Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, over Iranian regional policies under Raisi.



The same officials say Cairo has been closely following the talks and back channels that the Emiratis and Saudis have had with Iran in recent months and hope they will lead to a reduction in tensions around the Gulf. If any Arab Gulf country is faced with a serious security challenge, it would be very difficult for Egypt to look the other way.



The last thing that Egypt wants now is tension in the Gulf, the Mashriq, or Gaza. Cairo already has its hands full with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis, the situation in Libya, and emerging security hazards across the Sahel and Sahara to the Horn of Africa, and is hoping/working for some quiet on the eastern front.



Tellingly, in the last few days President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi sent his top aide Abbas Kamel, head of the General Intelligence Service, consecutively to Libya, Sudan, and Chad.



*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The Egyptian pharmaceutical company Pharco will begin production of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V before the end of the year. Egypt is also due to begin manufacturing the Chinese Sinovac vaccine locally and is in talks to manufacture the British AstraZeneca vaccine. Research is also ongoing to develop an Egyptian vaccine.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Health and Population, three million vaccine doses will be manufactured daily in a new complex owned by the Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA). Established at a total cost of around $33 million, the complex, the largest plant for vaccine production in the Middle East and Africa, includes eight laboratories and the capacity to store 150 million doses at optimum temperatures.

Ministry of Health Spokesman Khaled Megahed says the VACSERA complex is expected to produce 40 million doses of the Chinese vaccine this year, with the first two million expected to be available within a month.

Around two million people have been vaccinated since February, and a further 3.5 million have registered for the jab. The number of vaccine centres has been increased to 400 nationwide to cater for the increased demand for vaccination.

Megahed said Egypt is first aiming for self-sufficiency in vaccine production, after which it will begin to export vaccines to Arab and African countries.

We do not want to depend on a single source to supply us with vaccines, and we intend to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the population as soon as possible, said Megahed.

Chest diseases consultant and member of the Egyptian Society of Allergy and Immunology Magdy Badran says importing vaccines is an expensive process, and in some cases may be subject to political whims, thus threatening the availability of the required quantities.

Providing large quantities of them in Egypt will reduce the spread of the virus gradually, until we reach the stage of herd immunity, and this could happen within the coming few months.

Vaccines stimulate the immune response to the COVID-19 virus, providing vaccinated individuals with protection from severe complications and reducing the possibility of transmission.

All the vaccines recognised by the WHO so far are effective in protecting against critical conditions in case of COVID-19 infection, says Badran. It is possible that we will need to vaccinate citizens annually with booster doses if COVID-19 turns into a seasonal, endemic, or changeable virus.

Badran advises people to continue to apply precautionary measures even when vaccinated.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Amr Osman is director of the National Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction, and assistant to the minister of social solidarity. Osman has long been involved in drug prevention. He is a former director of the Drug Prevention Programme at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and consultant for the UNDP in Bahrain and worked on the Arab Leagues Declaration for Combating Addiction. To mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26 June he spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly about the extent of drug misuse in Egypt and efforts to limit it.

What is the best way to manage drug addiction in Egypt?

Drug trafficking is the second largest illegal trade in the world after weapons. The reason is because it is a huge money-maker. In 2014, 10 per cent of the age group between 15 and 60 years old were estimated to use illegal drugs, and 3.3 per cent of this group could be classified as addicts. Global figures for drug abuse were five per cent for the same age group.

In 2020, as a result of anti-drug campaigns, drug abuse dropped to 5.9 per cent and addiction to 2.3 per cent. In March 2019, eight per cent of state employees were drug abusers but by 2020 this figure had dropped to two per cent. Campaigns targeting school bus drivers helped cut drug abuse among this group from 12 per cent in 2017 to 1.8 per cent in 2020. The average number of public employees tested for drugs daily is 2,000. Samples are taken without prior notice in coordination with the Forensic Medicine Authority and the General Authority for Psychological Health.

What is the main role of the National Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction in reducing the number of abusers and addicts?

Collecting data is central to drawing up national plans to combat addiction. Between 2015 and 2020 the focus was to raise awareness in government and technical schools, activating the role of the media. There was the very successful Mohamed Salah campaign You Are Stronger Than Drugs. Policies are also implemented in governorates that lack drug addiction treatment services.

The fund plays a role in prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, and social integration. Our work on prevention includes introducing lessons on drug abuse in primary and preparatory school curricula, and coordinating intensive awareness campaigns in schools, youth centres, cultural centres and universities, and social and mainstream media.

How successful are media campaigns?

The Mohamed Salah campaign had a very wide reach among young people, not just in Egypt but worldwide. The five campaigns we launched were translated into five languages. There were over 40 million views on social media, and the number of followers of the Funds social media increased from 5,000 to two million. The most recent campaign resulted in a four-fold increase in the volume of calls to the hotline 16023.

In 2014, the fund also began to monitor the treatment of recovery, addiction and smoking in Ramadan television dramas. We found the topics accounted for 13 per cent of dramatic content. In Ramadan 2021, the figure dropped to four per cent for smoking and one per cent for addiction. It is important to engage in dialogue with drama creators: that was the focus of an initiative presented at a World Health Organisation meeting in India and adopted in many countries.

What role does the fund play in treatment?

Treatment, rehabilitation, and social integration are key components of our work. An average of 40,000 drug addicts seek treatment annually, an indication of the confidence they have in the fund, and the fact the service is free of charge and confidential. Treatment centres have been opened, and their numbers are increasing. In 2014, there were 12 centres in seven governorates. Today there are 26 centres in 16 governorates and we hope to open three more centres by the end of 2021.

To mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, this week we launched a hotline at Sohag Psychiatric Hospital with our strategic partner the General Authority for Psychological Health. Last year we received 1,200 reports of addiction in Sohag. Now they can seek treatment close to home at no charge.

On 17 June we launched a programme under which 50 recovered addicts in Al-Azeema Addiction Centre in Minya will manufacture furniture for Al-Azeema Addiction Centre in Qena. The Qena centre is due to open in September. These recovered addicts are working hard to produce 120 beds, 120 cupboards, office furniture and doors for the new centre. In early 2022 we plan to open our largest drug treatment facility, with 200 beds and three out-patient clinics.

What other efforts is the fund involved in to reduce drug abuse?

As part of the initiative to develop and relocate slum areas, the fund undertook 18,000 visits to raise awareness in the new housing areas of Asmarat, Mahrousa, Rawdat Al-Sayed, Bashayer Al-Kheir and Sobhi Hussein. Minister of Social Solidarity Niveen Al-Qabbaj has also launched a campaign in Port Said governorate to implement comprehensive drug awareness programmes and drug prevention programmes in new housing areas, specifically addressing the young who are trained in life skills to avoid drug abuse.

Addicts are referred for treatment to the Al-Azeema facility in Port Said which was recently inaugurated by the president. We also opened three clinics in Port Said, the Red Sea and Marsa Matrouh which were visited by 1,200 drug addicts over the past five months.

New roles for the fund have also emerged, such as economic empowerment of recovered addicts through a LE5 million loan from Nasser Social Bank. Recovered addicts receive vocational training, and 3,000 have been fully reintegrated into society.

What role do volunteers play in your work?

There are 30,000 volunteers between ages 16-25 years old, up from 26,000 in 2019. An initiative with Cairo University enables us to train and grant a special diploma for demand reduction, which relies on life skills, preliminary prevention and reslience skills. Volunteers need to be locals to the area and natural leaders.

What is the cost of addiction for the country in terms of GDP?

It is an illegal trade, and therefore difficult to estimate a figure. The direct cost of treatment and prevention is very high, as are the emotional and financial costs on families.

What challenges are facing the fund?

We need to build the skills of cadres, build treatment centres for teenagers and women, and work to mobilise Egypts universities.

What makes addicts relapse?

There is stigma to drug use. All too often a recovered addict will find every door closed in his/her face, except the one back to drug use. Addiction is a chronic disease. We always advise recovered addicts to avoid houses where drugs are used, friends who use drugs and any paraphernalia that reminds them of their drug use. Family therapy is also helpful in reducing the risk of relapse.

One success story is the New Beginning initiative which offers economic empowerment to recovered addicts, offering skill building for small enterprises. Ninety per cent of its beneficiaries have remained drug free, underlining the point that regaining self-esteem is essential to kicking a drug habit.

Why are drugs so expensive?

Thanks to law enforcement efforts in Egypt. It is more difficult to trade in drugs, therefore the price is higher. Smuggling is also very difficult and high risk, which deters drug traffickers.

Where does the funding for your work come from?

The fund is financed from fines on drug dealers. These are diverted to treatment and the funds budget.

How does one avoid becoming an addict?

First, stop self-medicating and avoid unnecessary painkillers. Five per cent of drug abusers are women and we have special programmes for them.

There needs to be a correction of misconceptions, such as linking drug abuse to sexual and physical prowess or seeing them as a means to cope with stress. It is also necessary for people to avoid subversive cultures that encourage drug abuse, and for families to play a more active role in identifying drug use. Some 58 per cent of addicts come from families that missed the early signs of addiction. We also need to change media culture, which can glorify drugs. Any promotion of drugs, however light, is unacceptable.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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To avoid the damage  drought and flood  that Sudan encountered during last years filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dams (GERD) reservoir, Sudans Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadiq hinted this week that Khartoum may be willing to accept a partial agreement on this years filling, due to begin in a matter of days. It is a step which, as recently as April, Khartoum had rejected alongside Cairo.

At the time both downstream countries demanded a comprehensive, legally binding agreement covering all the operations of the dam, and said Ethiopias filling of the reservoir in the absence of such an agreement was a clear violation of international law and a threat to regional security and peace.

Al-Sadiq said in an interview with Saudi Arabias Al-Hadath channel that the partial agreement that Khartoum was considering had previously been proposed by the AU and is also supported by the US, the EU, and the UN.

Political analyst Amr Al-Shobaki says there were indications of this partial agreement and that Sudan would likely agree to it.

The unilateral filling of GERD will impact heaviest on Sudan, and a filling-focused agreement will help Sudan contain the fall-out, Al-Shobaki told Al-Ahram Weekly. But it would, he warned, be at best a short-term expedient, a postponement of a solution.

Ahmed Al-Mufti, a Sudanese expert on international law, told Al-Ghad TV channel that a partial agreement would be a catastrophe, no matter what the conditions Sudan hopes are attached.

Ethiopia will complete the filling and not abide by the conditions, but it will gain legitimacy, nonetheless, said Al-Mufti, a participant in the Nile Basin Initiative negotiations held between 1994 and 2012.

Sudans foreign minister said any partial agreement must come with four guarantees: commitment to a time limit of six months between the signing of the partial agreement and a final agreement; negotiations picking up from what has been previously agreed rather than starting from scratch; effective international mediation led by the AU and including the US, EU and UN and a clear mechanism to punish any intransigent or procrastinating party.

The guarantees sound fine in theory, but I would question Ethiopias commitment to them given its history of intransigence, says Al-Shobaki.

Professor of political science Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayed doubts that Ethiopia will either commit to the guarantees or show the flexibility needed during the six-month timeframe to reach a final agreement.

Ethiopia will not accept the quartet of international mediators. Addis Ababa has never wanted the involvement of parties whose support for its position is not assured. Nor is it likely the international parties will accept the guarantees. They are, after all, as keen on their relations with Ethiopia as they are with Egypt and Sudan, Al-Sayed told the Weekly.

Al-Sayed believes that Sudans proposal of a partial agreement will be viewed by Ethiopia as proof that its intransigence has paid off.

Should Ethiopia proceed with a second filling of GERD, its reservoir will hold twice the 7 bcm capacity of the Sudanese Roseires dam which is just 15km away. According to Al-Mufti, Sudan and Egypt will then be in no position to do anything but bend to Ethiopias will since Addis Ababa will have effectively built a water bomb.

But will Ethiopia, which is currently holding elections, be more flexible if Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed secures a popular mandate? Al-Sayed predicts there will be no change in its position, and Al-Shobaki believes any change is doubtful.

It is theoretically possible that Ethiopias position will change after the elections, but this depends on pressure being exerted on Addis Ababa, says Al-Shobaki.

While Al-Shobaki believes that failure to reach a final agreement at the end of the six-month timeframe will still leave the all options open for Egypt and Sudan, Al-Sayed argues by then it will be too late, and GERD will be a fait accompli.

During a meeting with members of the House of Representatives Defence and National Security Committee on Monday, Egypts Minister of Defence and Military Production Mohamed Zaki stressed that the military is prepared to carry out tasks assigned to them to protect the homeland against any harm.

Addis Ababa argues that GERD is a matter of Ethiopian national sovereignty. In April Ethiopias Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Dina Mufti said it was unacceptable for Egypt and Sudan to use historical accords setting shares of Nile water as reference points during negotiations.

The Anglo-Ethiopian treaty, signed in 1902 between the United Kingdom, representing Egypt and Sudan, and Ethiopia, represented by emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia, prohibited any Ethiopian construction on the Blue Nile that would affect the rivers natural flow. The same treaty granted sovereignty of the then Sudanese Benishangul region, where Addis Ababa has been building the controversial dam since 2011, to Ethiopia.

If Ethiopia does not recognise the 1902 treaty, it will be the most affected due to the previous sovereignty of Sudan over the GERDs region, Al-Shobaki said.

Following an Egyptian letter to the UN Security Council over the GERD sent earlier this month, Al-Sadiq said on Sunday that Sudan would be sending within hours a letter to the UN body to oblige Ethiopia not to proceed with filling its Blue Nile dam without reaching a legal deal with downstream countries.

The one thing the Security Council will propose is a return to the negotiating table, Sudanese expert Ahmed Al-Mufti said, adding that in light of Ethiopias procrastination the only pressure tool for bringing Addis Ababa back to talks is Khartoums claim for sovereignty over the region on which the GERD is built.

However, according to Al-Shobaki, it is unlikely Sudan can claim its sovereignty over the region in the meantime.

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Egypts House of Representatives is expected next week to discuss new controversial amendments to the law regulating the performance of the Supreme Constitutional Court (48/1979).

Ibrahim Al-Heneidi, head of parliaments Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, told reporters he had received a message from the general assembly of the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) saying it supported two government-drafted amendments to Law 48/1979.

The amendments will allow the SCC to revise international rulings and foreign agreements which might affect Egypts economic security and state whether any of these rulings or agreements violate the constitution. The changes are necessary in order to give the SCC authority over international arbitration rulings and foreign agreements that impact Egypts economy, Al-Heneidi said.

Said Marei, head of the SCC, said in an interview that the SCCs support of the amendments came after careful study and that the changes aim to safeguard Egypts strategic economic interests.

Ali Badr, a member of parliaments Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, explained that the two amendments would expand the SCCs jurisdiction which is currently limited to local laws and decrees. The two amendments extend the SCCs authority to include rulings issued by international institutions and allow it a say on international agreements. If the prime minister thinks that an international ruling or a foreign agreement could impact Egypts national economic security, said Badr, he could ask SCC to review the ruling or agreement in constitutional terms.

Atef Al-Meghawri, head of the Tagammu Partys parliamentary group, told reporters many Legislative and Constitutional Committee members were worried the amendments could discourage foreign businesses from investing in Egypt. Foreign investors always look at how commercial and investment disputes are settled in the country before they invest, Al-Meghawri said. They are unlikely to invest in countries where they think international rulings on investment disputes could be ignored by the government on constitutional grounds.

Al-Meghawri recommended that the Ministry of Investment and Cairos International Arbitration Centre conduct a careful review of the two amendments and inform parliament whether they will harm the investment climate in Egypt.

MPs Suleiman Wahdan and Diaaeddin Dawoud argued during the meeting that the committee should invite the minister of Investment and international arbitration experts to give their views on the proposed changes.

Dawoud said Article 192 of the constitution is clear that SCCs jurisdiction is limited to local laws and decrees. Besides, I think that parliaments approval of the two amendments could cause negative implications in international investment circles, Dawoud said.

MP Nasser Othman defended the draft changes. The amendments come after a number of international arbitration rulings were issued against Egypt, costing the country millions of dollars, said Othman, indicating that in 2009, for example, the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) ruled that businessman Waguih Siag should receive $134 million in compensation for land he bought from the government to develop as a tourist resort in Sinai. Siag bought the land in 2007 to develop it as a tourist destination, but the government decided in 2008 to expropriate the land for public use, and as a result Siag decided to take the resort to international arbitration. Othman added that according to the new amendments, the government could ask SCC to revise ICSIDs ruling in constitutional terms, and if the court said the ruling contravenes internal Egyptian laws or decrees or the constitution, this would be an excuse for the government to ignore.

Othman also argued that many in government circles believe these rulings were politicised. The proposed changes will give the SCC the power to review such rulings and ensure they do not contravene the constitution and will not harm Egypts economic security.

A semi-official report in 2018 shows that the number of compensation claims made against Egypt before ICSID increased sharply after 2011. As many as 19 cases were filed against the Egyptian government in just five years, or from 2011 to 2016, and most sought financial compensation for measures taken by the Egyptian government or for verdicts issued by Egypts Supreme Administrative Court, the report said, revealing that Egypt was forced to pay $224.2 million in compensation for three cases settled in favour of investors between 2011 and 2016.

Othman indicated that the government opted in the last three years to reach bilateral settlements with investors instead of resorting to international arbitration centres. In 2018, for example, ICSID ruled that Egypt should pay the Spanish Company Union Fenosa $2 billion as a result of the governments failure to provide gas to the company after 2011, but the government was able to reach a settlement with the company after 2014, when the country recovered its stability and was able to resume gas supplies to the company, Othman said.

Egypt also faced a fine of up $2 billion in another case with Israels electricity company but the government was able to reach a settlement with the company, allowing it to pay only $470 million.

Ashraf Rashad, spokesperson of the Mostaqbal Watan Party, echoed Othmans concerns. Many rulings issued by international arbitration courts are politicised. The amendments are necessary to safeguard us against any harmful effects from these rulings, Rashad said.

Rashad also said that contrary to what some MPs believe, the two amendments will improve the investment climate in Egypt because they make clear to foreign investors the mechanism used in settling commercial disputes.

Deputy Minister of Justice Haitham Al-Baqli explained that the new amendments do not provide the government with a tool to ignore foreign agreements or international arbitration rulings.

The changes will allow the government to refer foreign agreements and international arbitration rulings to the SCC to decide whether they are constitutional. The prime minister will send a request to the SCC, saying that he believes that a certain ruling violates a certain article in the constitution, and ask the court to meet to give a final say, Al-Baqli said.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Over the weekend, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the US Central Command to redeploy military equipment and personnel, including missile defence systems, which currently exist in Middle Eastern states such as Saudi Arabia.

The Pentagon said some of those will go back to the United States for maintenance, while others will be sent to other parts of the world. The move seems to be linked to a specific goal: countering Chinas strategic growth.

This is not conjecture: US officials have already put it straightforwardly. John Kirby, the Pentagons spokesman, told reporters last week that these initiatives, some of which will remain classified, are designed to focus departmental processes and procedures and better help department leaders contribute to the whole of government efforts to address the challenge of China.

Austin is currently approaching the end of his worldwide review of US forces. This is a man who thinks of Beijing as in fact, our pacing challenge and my priority focus. You saw me stand up a China task force that has helped to focus the efforts of the department on making sure that we are doing the right things to create the capabilities and develop the operational concepts that we need to be successful. Youve seen that through, quite frankly, our actions, Austin told the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing on the 2022 Budget Request for the Defence Department.

Yet, experts believe both states are still far from a confrontation. Victoria Hui, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, said Washington is trying to send strong signals to deter war, highlighting nonetheless that it passed congressional legislation to directly confront China now.

Hui, who previously testified on China in US Congress, explained that China has tried for decades to present itself as the land of opportunities to counter any talk of a threat despite its military buildup, economic coercion, sharp power and militarisation of the South China Sea. It is only when Chinas actions have become so staggering in recent years that the world could not turn away from its aggressive actions, she added. For her, such actions include Chinas repression in Tibet, Xinjiang and Taiwan, which Beijing managed to convince the world are part of its internal affairs.

This seems to be true to a great extent. The Brussels NATO Summit on 14 June emphasised that Chinas growing influence and international policies can present challenges that we need to address together as an alliance.

NATOs statement also warned that Chinas ambitions and behaviour present systematic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security. The US-led, joint defence body brought attention to Chinas rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal and production of more warheads and larger number of sophisticated delivery systems, as well as military cooperation and joint drills with Russia in the Euro-Atlantic area.

Beijing responded almost on the same day. Its mission to the European Union said defence and military modernisation is justified, reasonable, open and transparent. China also called on NATO to devote more of its energy to promoting dialogue.

Nevertheless, Zhiqun Zhu, a Bucknell Universitys professor of international relations, questioned whether each and every NATO nation sees the so-called China threat the same way. Some NATO nations, such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain perhaps, have indicated that they prefer a more balanced approach to China, seeing China as both a challenge and an opportunity.

Zhu stated that a war between two nuclear powers would be disastrous for the whole world, so other countries should also try to help them learn to live peacefully and focus on areas of common interest for humanity such as combating climate change and promoting nuclear non-proliferation.

This partially explains why the US has resorted to a trade and technology war against China. Donald Trump banned two Chinese social media apps, TikTok and WeChat, and imposed trade tariffs and restrictions on the Asian giant.

US punitive actions, most of which Biden has kept so far, were huge. Trump added tariffs that range from 10 to 25 per cent on Chinese imports. Ironically, China responded by doing the same for US products.

It would be difficult to describe how hard the impact was on US companies. But it is enough to say that more than 3,500 companies including Coca-Cola, Disney, Ford and other, smaller ones, filed lawsuits against Trumps Republican administration over its China tariffs.

So the Americans ended up playing a losing game. Robert Ross told Al-Ahram Weekly that, whether through resisting Huaweis participation in telecommunications across the globe, restricting Chinese investments in US technology companies or imposing trade tariffs, the United States intends to slow down the growth of China. The Boston Colleges political science professor said, however, the Biden administration understands that the trade war has not worked. Biden, Ross noted, would like to ease the trade war, which is why he lifted sanctions on TikTok and WeChat. This was a signal to China to try to gradually negotiate a new trade agreement with the US, which will be less painful and harmful to the latter.

He pointed out that the trade war and Covid-19 caused the trade gap between the US and China to grow to the latters benefit, but it remains unlikely to lead to a hegemonic war. These wars occur when two powers compete over vital security interests. But the United States is competing with China in Asia, not in the Caribbean, not in Central America. So this is less than the usual great power hegemonic transition, which in Europe was between Germany, Russia, France and England, with them all living next to each other in the same strategic theatre, Ross said.

The US-China relations expert, who testified before several Senate and House committees and the Defence Policy Advisory Committee, argued that Biden wants Europe to cooperate with him on China, which explains putting the topic at the top of NATOs agenda.

But its not clear if the rise of the Chinese military has challenged European interests because Europe doesnt have an interest in the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan or the South China Sea. The European security focus is in Europe, and in that respect focusing on Russia and the Middle East and the Mediterranean, Ross said. Still, he concluded that the NATO statement does not have great consequence, especially since Europe still wants to use the Chinese market and cooperate with China on European economic growth.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A few days ago the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Biden administration was sharply reducing the number of US antimissile systems in the Middle East in a major realignment of its military footprint there. Gulf and US officials downplayed the report, though no official announcements were made.

Such silence is understandable: the numbers and positions of the missiles are to be kept secret if the enemy is not to take advantage of the information in some possible manoeuvre. Military experts say that troop and arms movements and withdrawals need to be contextualised; and such reports can sometimes be used to test reactions and see what comes next.

The WSJ report called the move a major realignment of the US military footprint, quoting an unnamed source in the US military, though, it is just moving eight Patriot batteries from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. An informed Gulf source told Al-Ahram Weekly that there was no drawdown as such and any possible movement of American troops or arms in the region will not affect the defence capabilities of Gulf countries. He added, There are also the THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Area Defence] batteries, which are even better than Patriot. The American defence company Raytheon, which produces Patriot, has a production issue  not announced of course  so these redeployments could be to make up for this issue temporarily.

The WSJ report on the other hand quoted a Pentagon source saying that the missile batteries were withdrawn for maintenance purposes. The report also noted that two out of three flight tests, which aimed to integrate the Patriot and THAAD missile systems, failed because of software problems, according to a US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published in April.

The withdrawal of missile batteries coincides with the Biden administration quickly withdrawing its military from Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region, and a lot of anticipation was raised by the WSJ report. Saudi commentator Abdul-Aziz Alkhames told Al-Ahram Weekly, I think it is a sort of geopolitical pressure, which is a stupid attitude on the part of the Democrats. Actually this provides justification for the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia to diversify its military procurement. Riyadh can go to China, Russia or elsewhere. But I think it is just a test balloon and not a significant drawback in American military support.

Alkhames actually perceives a positive angle. In fact, if true, this could be a positive thing consolidating the desire for regional cooperation in domestic defence industries, especially between Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This can go along with partnerships  not necessarily American only but also with Russia, China and others  to develop local production, he said. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have developed strong relationships with South Korea and France and are working on cooperative Research & Development (R&D) that can help domestic defence industries in both Gulf countries.

The news also comes at a time of heightened tension with the surge in Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia from Yemen. Despite the fact that Patriot missiles are not used to combat drones, they do help stop missiles coming across the border. That is why the Houthis have recently increasing drone attacks. But Saudi air defences are already effective in shooting down whatever comes from the south.

Military purchases by Gulf countries in recent years have helped fortify defences in a way that makes the Gulf capable of protecting itself to a greater extent. That is why, even if the news is true it might not have very much significance. Andrew Hammond of Oxford University does not expect the move to surprise Gulf countries. He told Al-Ahram Weekly that the extra systems were only placed in Saudi Arabia as a political move to cover up for the fact that Trump was not going to take more military action against Iran after the Aramco and tanker attacks and the Suleimani assassination. He was referring to the surge of military assistance by the Trump administration to Saudi Arabia after the drone and missile attack on oil facilities in the east of the kingdom in September 2019. He notes, what is worrying is the indication that the United States is thinking of its rivalry with China in increasingly military terms.

Whether or not the decision to leak the news to WSJ has anything to do with an American rapprochement to Iran, Hammond downplays the link. It is outside the calculations of Iranian pressure. If they were necessary for Iranian pressure, they would be placed in Saudi before 2019. But it was purely political, he suggests. Rather than indicate that a nuclear deal is coming - which is probably the case anyway - it suggests that the US does not see the region as in a conflict situation right now. It reckons Saudi-Iran will solve their problems, or keep them manageable.

One significant point is that the Gulf media, which is sometimes used to reflect governments views without the need for official announcements, completely overlooked the news.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Drought is on the verge of becoming Iraqs next crisis, and the immediate question is whether the countrys leadership can tackle the severe water shortages it is facing and avoid an impending catastrophe.

Iraq is experiencing one of its worst summer seasons in decades, and a harsh drought and the impacts of global climate change are intensifying the situation every day, with grim scenes of nearly depleted reservoirs becoming more and more common.

As the water scarcity worsens, however, Iraqs government is fumbling in taking urgent action on water management, leaving over two-thirds of Iraqs arable land area afflicted by drought and communities directly and measurably affected.

Millions of Iraqis rely on rivers for irrigation, drinking water, power generation and transportation, and with too little water serving too many competing demands, Iraqs water crisis is coming to a head.

What happens in the next few years could determine the future of the countrys food production, which could consequently lead to population outflows and severe sociopolitical instability.

Reports say that farmland is diminishing across Iraq because of the reduced flow of water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that for centuries have irrigated the Fertile Crescent, the home of ancient Mesopotamia.

In the two river basins, many farmers have not managed to grow crops for years, and some have abandoned their desiccated fields across Iraq, shooting up the countrys agricultural imports bill and further straining its hard-hit economy.

Water levels in Iraqs major dams that feed the irrigation system have receded sharply, and shocking images and videos posted on social media show Iraqs major reservoirs being now too shallow to operate.

The Mesopotamian marshland where the countrys Marsh Arabs have resided for over 5,000 years and raised livestock and which are of regional environmental significance have been drying up due largely to reduced river flows.

On Friday, Iraqs Ministry of Agriculture told farmers in the Tigris River basin that they could not plant rice for the coming season because of shortages of water. A similar ban on summer crops is in effect in many other parts in Iraq, which are also grappling with a crippling water shortage.

Originating in Turkey, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow into Syria and then Iraq, where they flow downstream and later converge in the Shatt Al-Arab before emptying into the Arab Gulf.

Though over 50 per cent of the water flow in the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers originates in Turkey, a significant amount of water also comes from Iran, which has been overinvesting in dam construction to tackle increasing domestic demand.

Water flows to Iraq from Turkey have been decreasing for nearly three decades after Turkey started building a huge network of irrigation and electricity dams on the two rivers without coordination with the two downstream countries of Iraq and Syria.

The multi-billion-dollar southeastern Anatolia Project, the largest regional development project in Turkey and also one of the major projects in the world, is the primary cause of Iraqs worries.

Turkeys massive project, known by its Turkish name of the Guneydogu Anadolu Projesi, or GAP, consists of 13 major projects in the lower Euphrates and Tigris River basins made up of hydropower plants and irrigation schemes.

After its completion, the project is designed to irrigate some 1.7 million hectares of land in southeastern Turkey covering nine provinces in the Euphrates-Tigris River basins. The GAP also includes hydroelectric power plants and developments serving agricultural infrastructure, transportation and industry.

Turkey temporarily stopped filling the huge Ilisu Dam, part of the GAP, last year after complaints from Iraq, only to resume it again and begin generating power by operating all the turbines at full capacity.

While filling the dam has been blamed for the recent water shortage in the Tigris, three more planned dams in Turkeys southeastern region along the Tigris River could make matters worse for drought-hit Iraq.

Iraqs water problem has recently been exacerbated after Iran started building dams to divert water flows to the Sirwan, Little Zab and Diyalah Rivers, tributaries of the Tigris River in Iran.

Under plans announced by outgoing Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in 2019, Iran will build 109 small dams over the course of the next two years and redirect the extra water in dam reservoirs to drought-prone provinces across the country.

Most of the dam projects, part of what Rouhani called the countrys modern irrigation network, are along the Western border with Iraq and aim to quadruple the volume of Iranian agricultural production.

Iran is Iraqs main trading partner, and its food exports to Iraq amount to billions of dollars annually.

Water levels have declined sharply in the Darbandikhan, Adhaim and Diyalah Dams in Iraq that feed on water coming from Iran, and local officials have reported that villagers across the border have started facing a drinking water crisis.

Iraqi farmers frequently express their frustration at Irans storing and diverting water away from their farmland, but their concerns have been falling on deaf ears in Tehran while the government in Baghdad remains unable to assert their right to the water.

The international Water Stress Index considers Iraq to be a country at extremely high water risk. Iraq ranks at the bottom of 20 countries forecast to suffer from considerable water stress by 2040, indicating that businesses, farms and communities in particular may be even more vulnerable to scarcity than they are today.

Agriculture provides a means of livelihood for more than a third of Iraqs population, and 80 per cent of the countrys water goes to agriculture. Yet, water shortages have forced the country to rely on foreign imports for nearly half of its food needs.

Turkey and Iran are Iraqs main food suppliers, with Turkey selling $2.8 billion in agricultural goods to Iraq and Iranian exports coming in second at $2.2 billion annually. Boosting food production should help reduce Iraqs imports and ease pressure on the economy, which has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic and the plunge in oil prices.

While blaming neighbouring Turkey and Iran for building dams on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, many Iraqis also fault their own government for lacking a national water strategy to tackle the drought and climate crisis.

It is remarkable that successive Iraqi governments since the US-led invasion in 2003 have failed to engage with Iran and Turkey to try to hammer out agreements to stop the two countries potentially threating its water lifeline.

Both Iran and Turkey are using the dam constructions as potent levers to put geopolitical pressure on Iraq, and they have refused to negotiate agreements to share water with Iraq on a just and equitable basis.

Government leaders in Baghdad have meanwhile resorted to empty rhetoric in voicing their concerns without taking concrete steps to defend Iraqs rights and make the two countries respect their obligations.

Turkey has refused to abide by a 1920 protocol with Iraq under which it agreed not to build water projects without Iraqs and Syrias consent and a 2014 memorandum of understanding that stresses the need to fix a water quota for Iraq and joint work to evaluate water resources.

Iran has also been refusing to respect its obligations under international water-sharing treaties on cross-border rivers in order to allow a fair volume of water to pass into Iraq, and instead it has opted for quick fixes to its own water problems.

Though Turkey and Iran are largely responsible for blocking more water coming downstream to Iraq, successive Iraqi governments have also failed to modernise how they manage water and irrigation at times of shortages.

Inefficiency in managing water resources in Iraq, including in operating existing dams, old methods of flood irrigation, rundown pipe networks and the growing of water-intensive crops such as rice are all worsening the problem.

As the water scarcity increases, Iraq needs a combined strategy to address Turkeys and Irans aggressive reservoir management policies, their attempts at water diversion, and the geopolitical impact of the two nations water policies and rising influence in Iraq.

Unfortunately, with a weak and inefficient political leadership that faces many challenges already from political conflicts, plunging oil prices, the Covid-19 pandemic and the resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, there is little Iraq can do to mitigate the water deficit, let alone averting a looming disaster.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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While the aftermath of the onslaught by Israel on Gaza between 12 and 21 May has not ended, a new confrontation is brewing amid a tense situation on the ground after a new government came to power in Israel headed by leader of the Yamina Party Naftali Bennett.

At the same time, Egyptian efforts are underway to defuse tensions, instill calm and solidify the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian factions and Israel.

The peak of the new confrontation came last week, when Israel repeatedly bombed Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip. Israel claimed that this was in response to the Palestinian factions releasing explosive balloons in the direction of Israeli settlements alongside Gaza, causing fires.

The Palestinian factions and Israel exchanged threats of re-igniting the military confrontations as Israel continues its 15-year siege of Gaza. For Hamas, the new Israeli bombing campaign was simply posturing by the new Israeli government.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said that the Palestinian factions had told Egypt they would respond to any future Israeli bombing of Gaza, according to Khedr Habib, a leading member of Islamic Jihad.

The joint operations group of resistance factions has decided on a united position to deal with any further Israeli actions in the future, Habib said. We will not hesitate to confront them whatever the consequences. The resistance will not tolerate more Israeli attacks.

The Palestinian factions believe that Israels attacks are an attempt to change the rules of engagement between the two sides, saying that sending fire balloons over Israel is a form of resistance. Bennett has been arguing that the balloons are similar to rockets, saying that they will be met with the same response as rockets launched from Gaza.

In response to an escalating situation, Israeli army chief of staff Aviv Kochavi raised the level of readiness in Israel, including the possibility of a return to fighting in Gaza. Kochavi, on a visit to Washington, did not cancel his trip in response to the escalation, indicating progress on the de-escalation track.

Starting on Monday, Israel has allowed the re-opening of Gaza border crossings and travel to the West Bank, along with export and import activities from and to the Gaza Strip. It is expected to partially lift the siege by increasing the area allowed to Palestinian fishermen.

The steps coincide with reports in the Israeli media quoting unnamed Israeli officials as saying that Egypt has pressured Israel to forge ahead with the ceasefire agreement. Cairo has asked Israel to take confidence-building steps such as expanding fishing areas and postal services in Gaza, adding that it will host meetings to move forward on other issues, most notably a prisoner-exchange deal between Hamas and Israel.

Despite Israeli steps to alleviate the blockade on Gaza, there are indications that the temperature is rising between the Palestinian factions and Israel notably owing to the composition and stance of the new Israeli government. There has been a lack of progress in the reconciliation among the Palestinian factions, which often also leads to escalation with Israel.

The new Israeli government includes two former ministers of defence. Benny Gantz, the present minister, has been joined by Bennett, a former defence minister, and Avigdor Lieberman, also a former defence minister. The three men will be aiming to find ways to guarantee continued public support for the fragile cabinet and will need to survive keen scrutiny by the opposition right-wing bloc led by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Bennett wants to appear firm towards the Palestinian factions in Gaza, since the failure to achieve deterrence, as the Israelis describe it, was a key criticism of Netanyahus ousted government. Bennett also wants to portray Israel as the victor in the recent military confrontations, even if the Israeli military failed to convey this message.

In addition to the domestic challenges, Tel Avivs insistence that progress in the prisoner-exchange talks with Hamas should be part of a future truce poses a challenge to upholding the ceasefire. The Palestinian factions adamantly reject connecting the de-escalation talks to the prisoner-exchange deal.

Despite the news blackout on current efforts on the prisoner-exchange issue and the lack of statements by either side, the gap between what Hamas and Israel are demanding indicates that reaching an agreement will be difficult.

For this reason, Hamas wants to separate the truce and the lifting of the blockade from the prisoner-exchange track. It wants to be free of pressure resulting from the humanitarian repercussions due to the siege during the talks and be under less pressure during the negotiations for the release of four Israelis captured in Gaza.

In recent days, the fire balloons released from Gaza have ceased, which in turn has brought an end to the renewed Israeli bombing of Gaza. UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Tor Wennesland has also visited Gaza and met with Hamas leader Yehya Al-Sinwar, who said the meeting did not go well.

Al-Sinwar said Israel was trying to evade its responsibilities in the truce agreement and has not understood the message sent by the Palestinian people in the confrontation. His statement was preceded by threats by Gantz to launch a new military campaign on Gaza if the truce attempts fail. Gantz said the operation would aim to weaken Hamas and force it to agree to a truce on Israeli conditions.

The quick return of tensions between the two sides compounds the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, owing to the 15 years of siege and the four destructive wars carried out by Israel. It also means a delay in addressing the resulting crises, including the crushing economic conditions, high unemployment rates and environmental, social and psychological traumas that afflict the majority of Gaza residents.

The rising tensions have also raised questions in Israel about achieving deterrence, one of the main causes behind the recent war on Gaza, according to Israel. Minister of Regional Cooperation Issawi Frej from the Meretz Party said there were few or no options to solve the Gaza dilemma.

Israels domestic issues are always present in its handling of Gaza and indicate that another confrontation may be just around the corner. The Israeli army needs to restore the missile stockpile of its Iron Dome missile-intercept system, however, estimated to cost more than $120 million, as well as its database of targets in Gaza.

This means that any decision to restart the fighting will be a military as well as a political one.

Meanwhile, economic pressures and excruciating humanitarian conditions in Gaza could force the Palestinian factions to make compromises to avoid confrontations they do not want. The greater dilemma, however, is the yawning gap between the minimum that the Palestinian factions could accept and what Israel is offering, along with the exchange of threats between the two sides.

Egypt has been trying to defuse this political minefield and reach understandings that will solidify the ceasefire and maintain calm. This would make way for the reconstruction of the damage inflicted on the Gaza Strip.

It would also be a step towards confidence-building between the two sides and pave the way for serious negotiations on the prisoner-exchange between Hamas and Israel.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Six months into his first term in office, US President Joe Biden flew to Europe in early June to attend four summit meetings with the aim of reclaiming Americas leadership in the world and reaffirming Americas commitment to its allies in NATO and the European Union.

In other words, he put the transatlantic alliance back at the centre of US foreign policy after four critical years under former president Donald Trump that had tested US relations and treaty commitments with its allies like no other time since the establishment of NATO in 1949.

It was Bidens maiden foreign trip after entering the White House, and the world was watching how the new US president would handle the myriad challenges facing not only the West but also the world as a whole as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and the USs poor relations with Russia and China.

Our part of the world had not expected much from the June summit meetings, knowing that the Indo-Pacific region has now become the new centre of international rivalry between the West and China. One basic US objective is to form an alliance of democracies against autocracies in general and China in particular.

The G7 summit was hosted by post-Brexit Britain in Cornwall. Because of the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, the G7 meeting did not take place last year. The White House made clear on 12 June that the US would be rallying democracies around the world to meet the great challenges facing it and to reaffirm shared values among the G7 groups member countries.

According to the White House statement, Biden also discussed with the G7 leaders, in addition to the leaders of South Africa, South Korea and India, countries that were invited to the summit meeting as guests, strategic competition with China. The G7 then launched a new initiative to counter the Belt and Road Project pursued by China in the shape of the Build Back Better World Project, or B3W, that will extend from Latin America through the Caribbean to Africa and the Indo-Pacific region benefitting 100 of the worlds poorest countries and some middle-income countries as well.

The G7 also pledged to provide one billion anti-Covid-19 vaccine doses worldwide, with the US providing 500 million Pfizer vaccine doses.

The second summit meeting attended by the US president was a NATO summit on 14 June in Brussels, where he met the leaders of the 30 countries in the alliance. Last February, Biden said the transatlantic alliance was the bedrock of the collective security of the countries in NATO. He added that the partnership between the US and Europe was the cornerstone of what the alliance needs to accomplish in the 21st century.

The NATO countries agreed to work on a new Strategic Concept for the alliance to be submitted to the next summit meeting in 2022. The proposed changes will take into consideration the new strategic environment in the light of aggressive actions by Russia and the challenges posed by China in terms of Western security, prosperity and values. This is in addition to transnational threats such as terrorism, climate change and cyber-warfare.

From the US point of view, the fact that NATO has tackled China for the first time since 1949 is a great achievement from the standpoint of Western strategy in the years to come.

The US-EU summit meeting, the third of the four important meetings, released a statement on 15 June about a renewed transatlantic partnership. The meeting reaffirmed the importance of transatlantic relations, and Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, warmly welcomed Biden by saying that America is back on the world scene, adding that this was great news for the world. Biden said that the US was reasserting the fact that it is overwhelmingly in the interest of the United States to have a great relationship with NATO and with the European Union.

The Americans and Europeans agreed to end trade differences over the aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus and to set up a Trade and Technology Council that will aim to counter China in the field of technology and unfair trade practices.

On 16 June, the first US-Russian summit under the Biden administration took place in Geneva. Over the past six months, relations between Washington and Moscow have become very tense after Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a killer in an interview. Expectations concerning this summit meeting between the US and Russian presidents were low.

No one expected breakthroughs in bilateral relations or in the two countries ability to work together to solve crises such as those in Ukraine, Syria or Libya. However, there have been other areas where the two superpowers can cooperate, like in Afghanistan after the pullout of American and NATO forces scheduled before next 11 September (some press reports have raised the possibility that the withdrawal could be complete by next month) or in the ongoing talks in Vienna regarding the US rejoining the Iranian nuclear deal and Iran reversing its violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name of the nuclear deal from which the Trump administration withdrew in May 2018.

Maybe Biden had this in mind when he told reporters before his summit meeting with his Russian counterpart that Putin and I share a unique responsibility to manage the relationship between two powerful and proud countries  a relationship that has to be stable and predictable.

The meeting lasted almost three-and-a-half hours and ended with a US-Russian Statement on Strategic Stability in which the two sides stressed that they have demonstrated in the past that they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere and reducing the risks of armed conflicts and the threats of nuclear war. They committed themselves to embarking on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue that will seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk-reduction measures.

Taken together, the four summits could be described as foundational in the sense that they have laid down parameters in strategic and non-strategic fields that can guide relations between the US-led West and its adversaries, mainly Russia and China, the latter likely being target number one for decades to come. However, the world is not reverting to a second Cold War. The areas of convergence between the US, the West, Russia and China are so many that managing their complex relations properly will benefit them all, even if they are in fierce and peaceful competition about who owns the future of Planet Earth.

For Jake Sullivan, the US National Security adviser, the bottom line of the first foreign trip made by Biden since he became president is that he has confidently and skillfully donned the mantle of the leader of the free world.

Multilateralism and international diplomacy were the great beneficiaries of the four June summits. It is up to the Third World countries, including Egypt, to decide how best to navigate and benefit from the new parameters in great-power competition without getting entangled in fleeting alliances that could backfire and harm their national interests.

*The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Egypt this week is another confirmation of the excellent bilateral relations between Egypt and Greece. Cooperation between Egypt and Greece has gradually evolved to become a model partnership that extends over many fields and is based on mutual respect and identical national interests.

The Greek prime minister met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi after an official invitation extended by Egypt. The two leaders discussed issues of mutual interest and ways to enhance ties between the two countries. In November 2020, President Al-Sisi also visited Athens, highlighting the excellent level of cooperation on common challenges. During his visit to Egypt this week, the Greek prime minister also met with Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli, Coptic Pope Tawadros II and members of the historical Greek community of Egypt residing in Cairo and Alexandria.

The partnership between Egypt and Greece is not a conventional one. The two countries have steadily and decisively created a real power bloc in the Eastern Mediterranean based on diplomatic, military, financial and cultural ties. Two characteristic events of this cooperation have been the signing in August 2020 of the partial maritime demarcation deal establishing Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in the region and the creation of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) at the initiative of Egypt and the participation of many other countries including France.

The two sides have repeatedly emphasised the need to cooperate with respect to the principles of international law, including the Law of the Sea and the principles of good neighbourhood. Egypt and Greece can now effectively move forward and introduce a new level to their partnership.

The EEZ Agreement signed in August between Egypt and Greece is a partial demarcation agreement, and it needs to be completed by full agreement by a new Egyptian-Greek agreement. This could coincide with an EEZ agreement between Greece and Cyprus, so that all three states will have cooperated in the delimitation of EEZs in the region. It is in the interest of Egypt to share sea borders with two member states of the European Union rather than with an unstable Turkey that does not fulfil its promises.

Greece supports Egypt on the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, where unilateral actions by Ethiopia have led to considerable regional tension. Greece could help to adopt a diplomatic initiative in the context of the European Union to promote inter-state dialogue for a legally binding agreement on the water of the Nile. Concerning Libya, Greece fully accepts the framework for the future of Libya set by Egyptian diplomacy and agrees with Egypt on the immediate need for the removal of all foreign mercenaries and fighters from Libyan territory. Stability is essential for the rebuilding of the war-torn country and also for the greater stability of the region.

Egypt and Greece are indispensable allies in the Mediterranean, and their national interests coincide in many fields: EEZs and economic partnership, the internal situation in Libya, energy cooperation, the creation of a more stable geopolitical environment and EU external cooperation. The ties between Egypt and Greece are deep and ancient. Today, the two nations are moving ever closer together in the spirit of a true and model partnership controlling the strategic area of the Mediterranean.

The writer is a lecturer in geopolitics at the University of Athens in Greece.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Looked at from any one position, the urgent series of interrelated, multilevel visits, diplomatic moves and exchanges of communications surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) weaves a complicated picture. But as the situation stands, it appears that the regional and international climate will prevent Addis Ababa from going ahead with the second filling of the dam, despite its defiant rhetoric. In fact, recently released technical reports suggest that Ethiopia is not even prepared to begin the second filling yet because the construction of the concrete structure above the middle corridor is not yet complete.

This is not to say that the opportunities for reaching an agreement in the short term have improved, especially given how the GERD question is being utilised to work up public opinion ahead of the forthcoming general elections in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, a years deferment of the second filling will create a significant window of time for the interplay needed to produce more effective mediating and negotiating mechanisms than the ones seen during the past ten years, which Ethiopia sabotaged at every turn. This year the world saw more clearly than ever how Ethiopia, with its intransigence and evasiveness, was willing to threaten the lives of millions of people in Sudan and Egypt  prepared to drive the region to the brink of a confrontation that threatened the peace and security of the Horn of Africa and, by extension, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the Gulf  the worlds most important commercial maritime route and the flow of oil.

In recent months Egypt and Sudan have made it clear that they reject Ethiopias attempt to push a partial solution to the problem of the dam on the pretext of the little time that remains before the start of the flooding season. They have experience in Addis stratagem of fait accompli  in this case, a move impossible to reverse which puts Sudan and Egypt, the downstream nations, at Ethiopias mercy. At no point in the negotiations has Addis given Cairo and Khartoum cause to believe that it will stick to its promises and commitments. This is why they remain adamant that the three countries must reach a just and comprehensive agreement on the rules for filling and operating GERD, inclusive of a predetermined schedule and a dispute management mechanism.

Both Cairo and Khartoum felt it was important to alert the international community to the dangers Ethiopian behaviour was posing to both regional and international stability and security. Accordingly, they recently submitted letters to the UN Security Council bringing it up to date on the failure in the UN-endorsed negotiating track sponsored by the African Union, the Ethiopian ruses that caused this failure and the imminent threat posed by Ethiopias determination to proceed unilaterally with the second filling of GERD without an agreement with the downstream nations and in violation of its previous commitments and the international watercourse convention.

It is important to bear in mind, in this regard, that, under Article 34 of Chapter VI of the UN Charter, the Security Council may investigate any dispute, or any situation which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute, in order to determine whether the continuance of the dispute or situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, and that under Article 35 of this chapter any state that faces a dispute or situation such as that described in Article 34 may bring it to the attendant of the Security Council. Article 37 adds, Should the parties to a dispute of the nature referred to in Article 33 fail to settle it by the means indicated in that article, they shall refer it to the Security Council. The means identified in Article 33 are negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice. Article 37 goes on to say that, should the Security Council feel that if the dispute still endangered international peace and security despite the pursuit of such means, it shall decide whether to take action under Article 36 or to recommend such terms of settlement as it may consider appropriate.

Under Article 36, The Security Council may, at any stage of a dispute of the nature referred to in Article 33 or of a situation of like nature, recommend appropriate procedures or methods of adjustment. The Security Council should take into consideration any procedures for the settlement of the dispute which have already been adopted by the parties.

In the case of the dispute over GERD, this means the Security Council must take into account the fact that the failure of the African Union track under two AU chairpersons to broker an agreement acceptable to all parties necessitated referring the dispute back to the Security Council, which had previously recommended the AU track. Accordingly, it is now possible to ask the Security Council to demand that Ethiopia defer the second filling for a year to permit the resumption of negotiations under an international sponsored mechanism. Alternatively, the Security Council may ask the disputants to refer their dispute to the International Court of Justice and have Addis defer the second filling until the court issues a ruling.

But the Security Council has more leeway yet. According to Article 38, the Security Council may, without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 33 to 37 and if all the parties to any dispute so request, make recommendations to the parties with a view to a pacific settlement of the dispute.

Chapter VII of the UN Charter addresses Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace and Acts of Aggression. Clearly the latter would apply if Ethiopia proceeded unilaterally with the second filling of the dam. In this case, the affected state or states would have the right, until the UN Security Council issues a relevant resolution, to take those measures they deem necessary to defend their national security.

While it is difficult to imagine an imminent solution to the dispute, we do believe that the second filling of GERD will be deferred. In the interim, Egypt and Sudans hope is that the UN Security Council will urge the three countries to resume negotiations under international sponsorship and call on Ethiopia to refrain from any further action until an agreement is reached. Should that fail, it might instruct them to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, in which case it would instruct Ethiopia to refrain from filling the dam further until the court issues its ruling.

The main objective is for our actions to remain confined to diplomacy, which will be possible if the second filling is deferred, as I predict it will be.

What is important for Egypt and Sudan is to avail themselves to the fullest possible extent of the international communitys mechanism for the preservation of peace and security. They were effectively left with no choice but to appeal to the UN Security Council to take on its responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of the Charter, as discussed above. At the same time, we will have acquired the necessary mantle of legitimacy, under the same provisions, for our actions in the event the Security Council fails to perform its duties. Still, as President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi has consistently said, cooperation is better.

The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Is it simply the nature of this era, the fact that the event epitomised a kind of political essence, or that the mad global media not only covers news but also makes it? Whatever it is, during US President Joe Bidens first tour abroad, the world was at the edge of its seat in anticipation of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 46th US presidents stop in the UK to meet with other heads of state of the G7  followed by his meeting with NATO leaders, which included an important fringe discussion with Erdogan  looked like the prelude to this grand event.

It was like a symphony where everything prepares for that moment when the strings pick up pace, the other orchestral sections join in to enhance the drama, and the crescendo builds as excitement peaks in anticipation of the resounding resolution. The performance did not lack some jarring moments, such as that point in an earlier overture when Biden, contrary to his customary equanimity and prudence in his choice of words, called the president of the worlds other superpower  which also has enough nuclear weapons to destroy the planet  a killer and criminal. The coolness of Putins response was thunderous. To him Biden was merely a vice president whom hed met before.

Perhaps observers failed to notice that the two sides struck an agreement concerning cybersecurity in the lead-up to the summit and that during the summit they agreed to sustain current agreements on nuclear weapons and, more importantly, on the need to work towards strategic stability. Both sides also made it clear that they are keen to cooperate in areas where their interests converge, from fighting climate change to the Syrian question in the Middle East. None of the foregoing could have been ruled out before the meeting as such steps were needed in order to douse volatile sparks in various hotspots.

Moreover, at closer inspection, the steps were both logical and consistent with the customary framework of US-Russian relations which deal with matters of global security, matters of concern to all humanity, discussing considerations that are crucial to their own internal policies and, at this stage in particular, any number of important details in a world reeling under the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic recession.

It was mainly two things that made the summit exciting: the absence of Donald Trump after his four years in power, and the issue of human rights which Democrats in the US want Biden to brandish like a sword in a global crusade. Some years ago in a previous summit in Brussels, Trump stunned other NATO members with the ultimatum that the US would withdraw from this Western military alliance unless they spent more on their own defence.

On 14 June this year, in the same venue, Biden had to mend the considerable damage done by four years of histrionics on the part of his predecessor who suddenly decided to pull 12,000 US troops out of Germany. It is hard to ignore the lesson Trump gave the world about the lack of stability in US foreign policy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not exaggerate when she said that her country and others had to come to terms with the fact that the US changed its policies every four years. So when Biden stated that his country regarded Article 5 of the NATO charter, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all and should be met with a collective response, as a sacred obligation, his remarks had the effect of a balm on his listeners ears. Such reverent rhetoric has long been a Biden trademark, but it was not without purpose.

What Washington wanted from its allies in NATO and from its fellow G7 members as well was a stronger collective stance on Russia, especially on cybersecurity. The same applied to China, which the US has come to perceive as an adversary in this matter. Biden got what he came for from his allies and this paved the way to what he later achieved in Geneva. Of course, it is impossible to predict how much of a push from NATO might still be needed to achieve cybersecurity and strategic stability, especially since the delicate Ukrainian question is still up in the air.

As for the Ukraine and the Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny, the White House had stressed beforehand that no great breakthroughs would be made on these issues during the summit. Biden was more focused on structuring the meeting as an exercise in down-to-earth pragmatism. Specifically, he had in mind the need for higher degrees of predictability on how Washington and Moscow would act in various scenarios and the need to understand each others red lines.

From the coverage of the summit, it appears that democracy and human rights were less a topic on the negotiating table than food for the press conferences that followed the meeting. Rather than the joint press conference one would customarily expect, Biden and Putin held separate press conferences, creating the impression of a different kind of summit, one between each head of state and his own people. As a result, it seemed that Russia came under less of a glare on questions of democracy and human rights than the US because of its actions in Iraq and Afghanistan and the problems of racism and the ramifications of the recent storming of the Capitol Building at home.

Around 50 years ago, two summits, the first between the US and China and the second between the US and the Soviet Union, turned the world as everyone had known it upside-down. They effectively declared the end of the Cold War. The US under Nixon wanted to pull out of Vietnam with the least possible losses. Beijing and Moscow wanted a breath of fresh air untainted by its violent rivalry with Washington.

The result was the policy of detente intended to reduce tensions and prevent dangerous brinksmanship by taking advantage of the opportunities made available by common ground and shared interests so as to promote benefits for both sides. Although disputes would sometimes escalate and the Cold War would return in the 1980s and last until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the summits continued without interruption for the sake of maintaining strategic stability and peace. True, the mutual taunting and name calling would continue, as occurred when Biden told Putin he thought the Russian leader did not have a soul. But such is the stuff of politics and international relations. What matters above all is keeping the world safe from nuclear war.

The writer is chairman of the board, CEO and director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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While Paris in the spring has perhaps inevitably lacked something of the characteristic atmosphere that makes this season in the French capital justly famous this year, the lifting of most of the restrictions associated with the Covid-19 coronavirus and the reopening of cultural institutions, restaurants, and cafes have started to bring people out of their shells.



While there are still some restrictions on international travel, visitors have started to fill the citys hotels and cultural and other venues, among them the Institut du Monde arabe, the Arab World Institute, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris a few km down river from the Cathedral of Notre Dame and within easy walking distance of the Paris Mosque.



There was a busy atmosphere at the Institut over recent weekends, particularly on 6 and 20 June, when in addition to taking in the current Arab Divas exhibition (reviewed in the Weekly on 3 June), visitors were able to enjoy a drink or light meal in the pop-up cafe that now fills the Instituts ample forecourt before joining the appreciative audiences for this years Arab History Days, a series of lectures, readings, and discussions on aspects of the Arab world spread over two weekends with more promised for later in the year.



The Arab History Days, an annual event started in 2015, has established itself in the Paris events calendar as a way of bringing together academics and others working on aspects of Arab history with interested general audiences. While this years Days had to be scaled down from previous years owing to earlier Covid-19 restrictions, the overall format has remained the same  to ask of academics and researchers that they set aside their usual student audiences and address members of the general public instead, bringing them up to date on current questions, methods, and approaches in researching and writing about the history of the Arab world.



This years twin themes of commerce on 6 June and travel on 20 June produced a range of responses from those invited. On 6 June, the Weekly was able to join discussions on the Arab Diasporas  Advantages and Disadvantage for Home Societies, History, State, and Commerce, a Tumultuous Relationship, and the Role of Others in Arab Self-Construction, for example.



On 20 June, once again having reluctantly to select from a long list of sessions all of which looked interesting, the Weekly attended discussions on Arab Philosophy, A Journey in the History of Ideas and a Connected History of Mediaeval Texts as well as a session in which advanced French students were invited to present their doctoral research on aspects of the history of the Arab world to an interested general audience.



In the Arab Diasporas discussion, Farida Souiah of Aix-Marseilles University in France, herself of Algerian descent, and Fanny Christou, of Palestinian descent and currently based at Lund University in Sweden, began by clearing some conceptual ground on the notion of a diaspora in the company of moderator Beatrice Giblin. While diaspora came from the idea of dispersion, it differed from the idea of simple migration since diasporas typically retain connections with their places of origin whatever the specific circumstances of their departure.



Things can become more complex after the second generation of individuals living in a diaspora, particularly if they have not themselves lived in or visited their families place of origin and may not speak its language with facility. But the important thing, the participants said, is that members of a diaspora should think of themselves as claiming a particular heritage and the right to be recognised as such.



Examples from the Arab world include the Palestinian diaspora, a special case because of the circumstances of its formation and its wide geographical spread, along with the Lebanese-Syrian diaspora that started in the later decades of the 19th century leading to significant communities of Lebanese-Syrian descent in the United States, South America, and West Africa, along with other parts of the world, including Europe.



Souiah spoke particularly of the Algerian diaspora in France, with many of its second or third-generation members retaining strong connections with Algeria even if they themselves have no memories of living or growing up in the country, being born and educated in France.



The involvement of many French Algerians in the recent hirak protest movement in Algeria was one example of what diaspora populations could contribute to the countries with which they identify, in this case mobilising for political and societal change.







Temporal scope: The session on Arab Diasporas at this years History Days was in some respects an outlier in that many of the other discussions focused on earlier, sometimes much earlier, periods.



The session on the relationship between the state and commerce, for example, looked at examples taken not from modern Arab history, but from the history of the early modern or even mediaeval past. Chaired by Julien Loiseau, professor of mediaeval Islamic history at Aix-Marseilles University with contributions from Eric Vallet, professor of Arab Studies at the University of Strasbourg in eastern France, and Hayri Ozkoray, lecturer in modern history at Aix-Marseilles, the session raised questions about the role of the state with regard to what is now called the private sector of the economy, asking about the ways in which it may historically have assisted it, frustrated it, or even acted as a predator of certain business interests.



In his contribution, Vallet pointed out that the relationship between state action and private wealth was a very old question in European historiography, with the state often taxing private commercial transactions in order to raise money, notably through its control of borders and thereby either facilitating or frustrating private trade, or clearing away obstacles, sometimes through the use of military means, in order to create a privileged position for national businessmen, as the European colonial states did in the 19th century through their imposition of free trade.



Given the position of the Arab states in international trade networks, it was worth asking about the ways in which these states had historically capitalised, or failed to capitalise, on their positions in order to facilitate the accumulation, or prevent the accumulation, of private wealth, Vallet said.



The medieval Mameluke state in Egypt, for example, while it had perhaps not pursued policies of economic development as far as the wider population was concerned, investment decisions probably being made more to promote the prestige of the military caste running the country than the development of an entrepreneurial bourgeois class, it had certainly had a keen sense of the revenue possibilities of taxes on international trade. An elaborate schedule of customs duties was applied on goods entering or being shipped through the port of Alexandria, for example.



Later on the same day, the session on the role of others in Arab self-construction, also featuring contributions by Loiseau, returned to the mediaeval and earlier periods of Arab history to ask about the ways in which the Arabs had seen their relationships with the outside world. Had they defined themselves against others, for example? Or had they somehow incorporated elements of others within themselves in a developing conception of self-identification?



Introducing the session, Gabriel Martinez-Gros, professor of the history of the medieval Muslim world at Paris Nanterre University, raised questions about who the others had been for mediaeval Arab and Islamic civilisation, since Europe at that time would have played a negligible part in producing contrasting self-definitions, having little or no purchase either on intellectual life or trade. Conceptions of self and other would thus likely have been played out in the closed space of the Islamic world, with contacts between the Arabs and other Muslim peoples being decisive when it came to developing ideas of the self.



In his contribution, Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi of the Paris Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes explored the relationship between the early Arabs and the Persians, suggesting that the Persians, unlike the other cultures conquered by the Arabs in the early centuries of Islam, retained their language and their culture and made important contributions to Arab statecraft and other areas, notably during the Abbasid period.



For Ziad Bou Akl, a philosophy teacher from the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, the Arabs had drawn upon another internal other in Islamic civilisation, being the inheritance of ancient Greek and Roman civilisation, in shaping their philosophical traditions and even aspects of their language. The drive towards abstraction, so marked a feature of Greek philosophical thinking, was taken over by the Arabs in their translation programmes into Arabic, with the result that Arabic itself became conceptually richer.



This discussion of classical Arab philosophy was continued on the second of the two History Days on 20 June, when French specialists in Arab philosophy sat down for a discussion of the Arabic translations of Greek philosophy made in Baghdad between the 8th and 10th centuries.



For Cristina Cerami, director of the French Centre for the Study of Arab Science and Philosophy, the translations, which included all of Aristotle and much of other writers, had involved a formidable scholarly effort in terms of collecting, comparing, and collating manuscripts, the agreement on possible translations into Arabic of technical and other terms, and a research programme aiming fully to understand the Greek intellectual background with a view to translating the full meanings of the texts and not just their words.



The idea was to advance and complete Greek philosophical thinking, absorbing and replacing it by philosophy in Arabic.



The second of the History Days saw a particularly rich programme of discussions, often raising new questions about the past in the light of contemporary preoccupations. The present interest in connected history, a way of escaping from the traditional history of nation-states towards a history of regions and processes, had informed the decision by participants at a discussion on the circulation of texts in the mediaeval Islamic world to test such connectivity in these special circumstances, eventually drawing conclusions about the scope and limits of such connections and what these might have to say about the idea of adjacent civilisations, often religiously defined, in the mediaeval period.



Finally, there was an opportunity to hear a group of young French researchers presenting their doctoral research on aspects of the history of the Arab world. No doubt next year the History Days will have returned to their more usual format, with the Grand Prix des Journees de lHistoire, a prize for the best work on Arab history to appear in French that year, returning as part of the sequence of lectures and discussions (this years prize is scheduled for December).



For the time being, however, this years History Days, competing with the Paris sunshine and the lifting of most Covid-19 restrictions, provided much food for thought for those who attended in person or online.







Journees de lHistoire de lInstitut du Monde arabe, Paris, 6 & 20 June.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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It can all begin in early childhood, when a child might be brought up to believe in patriarchal concepts like favouring a boy over a girl in a family or be encouraged to exert his authority over female family members simply because he is a boy. He may even feel that he has the right to control them, with these poisonous concepts sometimes being encouraged in deeply rooted ways by Egyptian society.



Even today, in the case of education, some people, especially in rural areas, may still believe that teaching girls is not as important as teaching boys. According to the 2018 World Bank Womens Economic Empowerment Report, Egypts 2017 census says that 30.8 per cent of Egyptian females over 10 years of age (10.6 million women) are illiterate compared to 18.5 per cent of men.



In some sectors of Egyptian society, men are the only members of the family allowed to work because men are thought to be supposed to work while women should stay at home to take care of the children. The 2017 Gender Gap Index of the World Economic Forum shows Egypt as ranking 135 out of 141 countries for the economic participation and opportunity of women. Men are also often given priority by employers. The formal private sector employed only 1.5 per cent of women of working age compared to 12.5 per cent of men in 2012, the World Bank report says.



Because of the prevalence of such patriarchal concepts, some people also believe that men should be given priority in taking jobs. The two rounds of the Survey of Young People in Egypt Report, conducted in 2010 and 2014, revealed that many women still believe that when jobs are scarce, priority should be given to men, as they are thought to be the main breadwinners. Employers often perceive men as being the breadwinners in the family, which in their view can also justify giving them higher salaries, the report says.



Some members of society also believe that men are the only decision-makers in a family because making decisions is regarded as a mans job. In some cases, women are not even given the choice of a husband. According to a 2018 Japan International Cooperation Agency report, due to poverty and social norms in Egypt, child marriage and forced marriage is still high in rural areas, especially in Upper Egypt where more than 20 per cent of women have experienced forced marriage.



Such social injustices, harmful to women, are also harmful to men, since they teach them wrong concepts of manhood and encourage inequality between men and women. As a result, a group of young people in Egypt is determined to overcome the problem by raising awareness of other members of society.



Habiba Hussein, 22, a mass communication student in Cairo, is determined to put an end to such toxic masculinity through her initiative Ragel Sah (A Real Man) through which she promotes the concepts and values a real man should have, not the ones that are still sometimes prevalent in Egyptian society.



I am an advertising student at the Faculty of Mass Communication in a private university. I started the initiative with two of my colleagues, Ali Ashraf and Mustafa Mohamed. The person who came up with the idea was Mustafa, Hussein said.



She gives examples of such toxic masculinity by pointing to the fact that our society is constantly framing men just like it is framing women. This has made most members of society used to the frame to the extent that if they do not use it to understand others, they become shocked.



For instance, men from the beginning of their lives are told that men do not cry since a man must be strong both physically and emotionally or that a man should only wear dark colours because in our society this is expected and bright ones are considered unmanly, she said. She added that some families had complained that men were unable to wear bright colours or even to cry at a funeral because a man should not do that or a man should not express his feelings.



Hussein said that if a man decides to act differently, he is discouraged by society. In the media, especially television, you see violent scenes of a man beating his wife or other people all the time. If a man expresses his love or respect for his wife even on social media, he is sometimes mocked by his closest friends because they are not used to this gentle behaviour, she said.



This obviously has a negative effect on women, who are the victims of this kind of normal violent behaviour on the part of men, she added. It may also be the reason why some men in rural areas insist on practicing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) against their daughters to preserve their dignity, making girls live in a state of constant fear.







TOXIC BEHAVIOUR: Other topics Hussein has tackled through her initiative include gender roles, harassment, and physical violence.



In Egypt, we have problems with gender roles. One example is when a man does not help in the housework, while his mother or sister are doing it all  which is a form of discrimination against women just because they are women and he is a man and housework is thought to be not his job, Hussein said. Some Egyptian mothers even treat their sons like royalty, and as a result when a boy grows up and wants to get married he looks for a girl who will clean his house and cook for him, still the norm in our society, unfortunately, Hussein said.



Women, whether in urban or rural areas, spend more time than men on household activities (five hours and 1.7 hours per day, respectively), according to a UN source.



Hussein believes that all of this makes no sense, and it encourages irrational behaviour. We dont let men grow their hair, but it is ok if they beat their wives. We think that this is normal, and of course we dont expect a man to help with the housework. We think that it is not OK for him to wear pink, but it is alright for him to harass a girl. So, gender roles in Egypt are topsy-turvy: the things that dont really affect a mans manhood we deny him, while the things that really affect it we allow him, she said.



Hussein added that she has read a lot about the problem of poisonous manhood, hoping to find out its causes and figure out a solution.



Even so, some women still think that it is normal to be beaten by a male member of the family because it is socially acceptable for a man to do so. According to the Economic Cost of Gender-Based Violence Survey conducted in 2015 by the United Nations Population Fund, the National Council for Women, and the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, around 7.8 million women suffer from violence every year in Egypt, whether perpetrated by a spouse or fiance or individuals in her circle or even from strangers in public places.



Sexual harassment is a widespread and serious problem in Egypt, as the country ranks second in the world after Afghanistan in terms of this issue.



Hussein explains that she and her friends are working to raise awareness about correct concepts of manhood through social media. We have Facebook and Instagram pages for our initiative through which we run our campaigns. We would like to spread our campaigns in clubs and youth clubs after the end of the coronavirus pandemic, she said, adding that they are currently shooting an advertisement with the aim of raising peoples awareness about gender inequality and the correct values a man should have.



The group is currently working in Cairo and Alexandria, but they will also target other governorates in future.



Among the characteristics they are focusing on are international problems such as male violence, harassment or rape, holding back feelings, male domination, and the idea that a man does not share the housework with his wife. As for characteristics that are purely Egyptian, we are targeting judging a woman upon her physical appearance even among educated people and practicing FGM against female relatives, though the latter is now punishable by law, she said.



Hussein thinks there is more than one reason for a man to grow up with ideas of toxic masculinity. First, there is the way he is brought up by his parents, especially his mother who in some cases teaches him his negative values. Some fathers express their astonishment if they find that their sons are not talking to girls, and to make things worse they tell them stories about their negative or, in some cases, erotic behaviour towards girls when they were their age, setting a bad example for their sons of manhood, she said.



There are also other factors like representations in the media, mainly serials and films, that in some cases encourage men to harass women, be violent, betray their wives, or be dominant, she said, adding that some parents are not convinced that they are a mirror for their children, or that what they do in front of their children is what their children will do in the future.



To address such problems Hussein lists some practical solutions. A parent should bear in mind that they are human beings who make mistakes and that they should not deal with their children as if they know everything. There should be someone parents can consult whenever they face a problem in bringing up their children. Unfortunately, this is not the norm in Egypt. A practical solution would be for parents to choose someone they trust in their extended family to talk to about their childrens problems, she said.



Psychological consultation is very important for raising children. Some children could be suffering from psychological disorders that their parents are not aware of. When parents realise that their children are behaving strangely, they should not say it is due to their personality but should seek professional advice to help them. If a child grows up with mental issues and is taught wrong concepts, the problem worsens, she said.



It will doubtless take time for social attitudes to change, but in the meantime Hussein and her group are fighting against comments that embody wrong perceptions, like the idea that a man should always be dominant. However, she says, university-based campaigns can only do so much, and they do not have access to significant funding.



For Hussein, people can do more on their own to fight against such issues. Parents should have consultation sessions to help their sons in time. They should read more and be aware of the psychological diseases that may attack a child in early childhood and that may even affect him as an adult. Girls should not be afraid to speak out if they are subjected to harassment or beaten or even raped. If they are not afraid to talk about it, this will make the problem decrease because men will be shamed, she commented.



A man who thinks that he does not make mistakes has a serious problem that must be solved. This is the result of mistakes made by his parents while bringing him up. It could also be the result of a poisonous or negative personality trait in him that he knows that he has made mistakes but refuses to acknowledge them, she said.

Dealing with toxic masculinity



HABIBA Hussein gives some tips to parents on the strategies they can use to deal with toxic masculinity in the family setting:



Parents should be friends with their children. They should not boss them around because they think they know what is good for them because they could be harming their personalities. They could be giving a boy an inferiority complex, making him insist on being dominant and wanting to control his sister and his wife or making him narcissistic.



Parents should make their children, whether boys or girls, feel safe to make their own decisions and reassure them in doing so.



Parents should understand that they do not own their children, so they should not be overprotective with them. This can result in a child living a dual life in his teenage years, one at home and another outside it that his parents know nothing about.



Parents should tell their children not to be ashamed to seek help if they are experiencing problems.



Parents might try breaking the norms by telling their sons that it is alright for them to wear bright colours and to express their emotions.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Alexandria has abundant ancient heritage and picturesque architecture. It was founded to be a beacon of diversity, enlightenment, and artistic endeavour. This cosmopolitan city is the home of various cultures, the traces of which are still very much alive today.



Dating back at least two millennia, particularly to the citys founding by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, Hellenism in Alexandria still exists today. In 2018, the government introduced the Nostos Initiative that has been welcoming Greeks who used to live in Egypt to visit their old neighbourhoods in Alexandria.



In ancient times, the Hellenistic city was famous across the then known world and included one of the Wonders of the Ancient World in the shape of the famous Alexandria Lighthouse, the Pharos. Other important institutions in the city were the Library, the Mouseion (the Temple to the Muses), and the Necropolis (the Catacombs of Kom Al-Shoqafa).



Alexandrias charm today dwells not only in its streets, buildings, neighbourhoods, squares, cafeterias, restaurants, and other spaces, but also in its diversity, which evokes immense nostalgia among residents and diasporic visitors. As a melting pot of various cultures, the city has been home to many foreigners, especially people from Greece, Italy, Armenia, Romania, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Russia.



They lived and worked in a multicultural society that embraced all races and religions and celebrated each others various occasions and holidays. Such diversity created a highly tolerant atmosphere. Some chose to marry from the same community, while others married from other ones.



In recounting her childhood memories of cosmopolitan Alexandria, Greek patisserie owner Evangelia Pastroudis shared her story with readers. Originally from Lemnos, a Greek island, her family lived happily among Egyptian, Armenian, and Italian neighbours. It was a close-knit community that functioned as one big family in good times and bad.



We were seven sisters, and our Egyptian neighbours took care of us when there were demonstrations during and after World War II. They would take us to sleep in their house, which was on the safer side of the street, Pastroudis remembers in her contribution to Voices from Cosmopolitan Alexandria published by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.



But events after the war, including the nationalisations of the 1960s, led large numbers of such nationals to emigrate to other countries. Some chose to stay where they felt they belonged more than anywhere else, however. Others came back to Alexandria after their retirement to discover that many of their businesses, religious venues, and cultural and educational institutions were no longer there.







GREEK COMMUNITIES: The presence of the Greeks (Egyptiotes) in Egypt dates back to 323 BCE and the start of the Hellenistic era following the death of Alexander the Great.



Many Greeks and citizens of other Hellenistic kingdoms immigrated to Egypt and settled there after Alexander the Great invaded Egypt in 332 BCE to make it part of his Macedonian Empire. After his death and the division of his Empire among his leaders, Egypt became a kingdom under the rule of the Ptolemaic kings, a date that marks the beginning of the Hellenistic era, explained Doaa Bahieddin, a senior researcher at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria.



But relations between Egypt and Greece go back much further than that. Archaeological evidence from Crete and Mycenae of Egyptian antiquities dating back to the first half of the second millennium BCE bears witness to the existence of strong relations between Egypt and Crete during the era of the Pharaonic 18th Dynasty (1550-1350 BCE).



In the Al-Sawi period of the 26th and 27th dynasties (664-404 BCE), Egyptian-Greek relations were strengthened again when the Egyptian king Psamtik II, with the help of Greek mercenaries, put an end to Assyrian rule in Egypt. The relatively dense Greek presence in Egypt during the 26th Dynasty, followed by their presence as rulers after the conquest of Alexander the Great and the rule of the Ptolemies, produced a cultural blend between the Egyptian and Greek civilisations, she said.



The cultural blend between the Greeks and the Egyptians is palpable throughout history. One of the many pieces of evidence for this is Aegyptiaca, a history of ancient Egypt in Greek authored at the beginnings of the Ptolemaic period by the historian Manetho Al-Samanudi, one of the most important priests at the shrine of Heliopolis.



Moreover, ancient Greek intellectuals always valued Egyptian civilisation. The ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Eudoxus, for example, lived for 13 years with the priests of Heliopolis, trying to benefit from their knowledge. The ancient Greek historian, geographer, and writer Herodotus, also known as the Father of History, visited Egypt in 450 BCE. Thanks to him, we have a detailed account of the mummification process, the events that were held to honour gods, and other local customs. According to his writings, the Greeks were among the first foreigners to visit ancient Egypt.



The cultural movement in Egypt sparked the interest of the Ptolemaic kings to establish scientific institutions intended as resources for all the citizens of the ancient world, the most important of which were the museum and ancient Library of Alexandria. Demetrius of Phalerum, the ruler of Athens in the late 4th century BCE who later became an advisor to kings Ptolemy I and II, inspired king Ptolemy I Soter to build a Library to house the worlds most important books in various fields.



The city of Alexandria, a capital of culture and art in the Mediterranean, then went on to witness the first translation of the Old Testament of the Bible into Greek, done under the supervision of Demetrius and Ptolemy II. Many Egyptians also learned Greek, which was then the official language of the government and the Ptolemies.



At the end of the Ptolemaic period, the fusion of Egyptian and Greek civilisations had reached a climax, when queen Cleopatra VII, keen to learn the Egyptian language and showing a clear bias towards the Egyptian national religion, portrayed herself as the goddess Isis. Inspired by her Egyptian heritage, Cleopatra died by suicide, possibly by means of an asp, a poisonous Egyptian serpent and symbol of royalty, which is also the most important component of the crown of Lower Egypt.



Much later in the 18th and 19th centuries of the modern period and particularly after the Greek War of Independence from the former Ottoman Empire in the 1820s, many Greek people settled in Alexandria, with others living in Cairo, Port Said, Aswan and Assiut. By the 1950s, there were some 400,000 such Greek citizens living in Egypt, with at least 200,000 in Alexandria.



Moreover, Egypt has been the home to noteworthy Greek artists such as Jani Christou, Jean Desses, Maria Giatra Lemou, Nelly Mazloum, and Nikos Tsiforos, along with painters like Konstantinos Parthenis, writers like Penelope Deltam, and poets like Constantine Cavafy. There were also politicians, diplomats, and other figures.



In 1843, the first Greek community association was established in Alexandria not only to serve Greek interests, but also to contribute to Egypts social, professional and philanthropic development. The members of this community established literary publications along with a variety of clubs and institutions providing artistic activities. The area where the Patriarchal Monastery of St Savvas the Sanctified and the Greek Hospital, guest house, and school are located today was a main attraction for the community in Alexandria.



Among the most prominent Greek districts in Alexandria is Ibrahimia, known as Little Paris where multiple Greek and Italian stores were located. We would go to Enosis, to the sailing club and to Delices, which was, and still is, a restaurant and a patisserie, and it is Greek, commented Eleni Konidi, a Greek-Egyptian teacher. Egyptians and Greeks lived in harmony, and they mingled to form one close-knit society, sharing the same core manners and values.



Another Greek community was founded in Cairo in 1856 centred in the three main neighbourhoods of Hamzaoui, Haret Al-Roum, and Tzouonia. In Hamzaoui, a patriarchate was established at the St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. There is also a monastery that still exists in Old Cairo in the shape of the Monastery of St George where a Greek school, hospital, and home for the poor and elderly were located. Other Greek communities were founded in Minya (in 1812), Zagazig (1850), Mansoura (1860), Port Said (1870), and Tanta (1880).





GREEK PROFESSIONS: The Greeks excelled in business, and some prominent families, such as the Averoffs, the Benakis, and the Gianclises, became well-off as a result of running businesses in Egypt.But prestige did not matter to many Greeks who also worked as chefs, merchants, barbers, florists, and in many other jobs. They passed on their skills and experience to Egyptians.The Greeks established the Anglo-Egyptian Bank and the General Bank of Alexandria. They took part in the development of the cotton and tobacco industries. Some of the famous families involved were the Benakis, the Salvagos, and the Rodochanakis. They also worked in the theatre, cinema, and newspapers and cooperated with Egyptians to advance these areas. They were known for their businesses in cheese, butter, toffee, and biscuits.Wealthy Greek bankers, merchants and industrialists donated large sums of money to various causes in Egypt and Greece. Their money mostly targeted the construction of hospitals, schools, and universities. Some of the best-known donors were Michail and Eleni Tositsas, George Averoff, Emmanouil Benakis, Nikolaos Stournaras, Nestoras Tsanaklis, Konstantinos Horemis, Theodoros Kotsikas, and Vassilis Sivitanidis.One of the richest Greek families that lived in Alexandria for 150 years or more was the Zervudachis. Even though Emmanuel Zervudachi left Alexandria at the age of 17, he still visits it every year. The poet Bernard de Zogheb dedicated his poem Waiting for Zervudachi to Emmanuels family, and it is similar to the famous poem Waiting for the Barbarians by Cavafy.During World War II, my father was a major in the British army. He had Greek nationality, but he did not speak Greek well. My mother was also Greek, but they spoke English and French with each other, not Greek. I think it was my great grandfather who built the family mausoleum in the Greek Orthodox Cemetery, comments Emmanuel Zervudachi in his contribution to Voices from Cosmopolitan Alexandria.The community left many examples of Greek architecture behind in Alexandria, where many hospitals, apartment buildings, churches, schools, orphanages and clubs were constructed by the Greeks. The Greek Club by the Qaitbay Fortress in Alexandria is a major example of Greek architecture and culture. After its opening in 1909, the Club was a meeting point for Greeks in the city and then became a social and cultural hub for all residents and visitors to Alexandria regardless of nationality. It represents a blend of the Egyptian and Greek civilisations, shown off in the food, setting, and atmosphere.There are only around 5,000 Greeks in Alexandria now, said one Greek resident. But generally speaking, the community remains one of the most integrated and influential in Egyptian society. The Greeks have been the most similar to the Egyptians throughout history, and the Greek Club reflects the Greeks influence in Alexandria.EXODUS: The post-1952 regime led by former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser affected the Greek community as well as other foreigners in Egypt. It marked the rise of Arab nationalism and the peak of the exodus of the Greeks from Egypt.Many of them had their businesses and properties nationalised. Losing their source of income made the majority of them leave the country and travel either to their homeland or to other countries.Today, there are some 5,000 Greek individuals left in Egypt, including those who have obtained Egyptian nationality. We, who are left behind, love the city because Alexandria gave us so much. She made us who we are. We feel at home, lets say, says board member of the Greek community of Alexandria, Paris Macris.The Greek imprint is still crystal clear in Alexandria, a city rich in heritage, history and culture. There are numerous stores, neoclassical buildings, and neighbourhoods with Greek labels and architecture, and the EKA (the Greek Community of Alexandria) has a gymnasium, a nursing home, a cemetery and schools.In addition, after being shut down for about years, a Greek Patriarchal Theology School has been reopened. Many Greek buildings in Egypt have been renovated by the Greek government and the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, including Cairos Church of St Nicholas, Old Cairos Church of St George, and a number of buildings in Alexandria.Over the past decade, there has been an increasing interest by the Egyptian government in strengthening diplomatic relations with Greece through focusing on the Greek diaspora. In addition, an expansion on the economic level has taken place between Egypt and Greece, manifest in the generous amounts of Greek investment in Egypt in the fields of tourism, banking, and oil, to name only a few.The NCSR Demokritos Institute in Agia Paraskevi, Athens, and the University of Alexandria have signed a five-year cooperation agreement that addresses archaeological research and other matters.Since his inauguration in 2014, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi has boosted relations between Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus, and the leaders of the three countries have met at some five tripartite summits. Hosted by Fotis Fotiou, the Cypriot presidential commissioner for humanitarian and overseas affairs, a cooperation protocol was signed at the presidential palace in Nicosia in Cyprus in 2017 to initiate a diaspora programme with Egypt, and the Egyptian government has exerted significant efforts to make the programme and associated Nostos Initiative successful.The initiative aims to encourage Greeks and Cypriots, as well as their descendants in Alexandria, to reconnect with each other and with their second home in Egypt. Giving this programme the green light is regarded as a milestone in the political, economic, and cultural relations among the three countries.The Greek word nostos means return to roots, encapsulating most of the goals of the Initiative. It also symbolises the idea of the return of the ancient Greek heroes to their home, as found for example in the Odyssey. According to the daily Al-Ahram, the world nostos was thus an obvious choice by the ministers from Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus in preparing the programme.Al-Sisi, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, and Greece President Prokopis Pavlopoulos inaugurated the Hellenism Roots Revival Week held in Alexandria, Cairo, and Sharm El-Sheikh between 30 April and 6 May in 2018. The event aimed to recall the Greek diasporas memories in Egypt and to revive the shared heritage and culture between the three countries.In an attempt to strengthen relations between Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, the week was inaugurated by the Egyptian authorities to pave the way for Greek and Cypriot diasporas to visit the country that used to be their home. Numerous cooperation treaties were signed by the three countries during the week in Alexandria with the aim of stimulating economic, industrial, and commercial collaboration among them.Egypts Minister of State for Emigration Nabila Makram reiterated the significance of the initiative for those who used to live in Egypt. There has been strong interest from Greeks and Cypriots who wish to participate in the project, she said, while adding that of course everybody is equally welcome to visit Egypt.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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LECTURES

French Cultural Institute

The Institute has launched its new website at the beginning of 2021. You can visit it through this link: www.ifegypte.com

The new website is carefully designed to meet your requirements and facilitate access to information. It is also fast, easy to use, and offers a variety of content and new ways to communicate with the institute. With one click, you can view the spaces devoted to French language courses, Arabic language courses, various events in all branches (exhibitions, conferences, and cultural events). In addition to contacting the institute directly by sending your messages to any of its sectors through its website. If you have difficulty completing the French language courses at the headquarters of the French Institute in Egypt in Mounira, Heliopolis, New Cairo, Sheikh Zayed and Alexandria, you can continue them online. It takes the health of its customers very seriously and has implemented strict health measures to provide you with the best possible educational conditions. Wearing a mask is mandatory for all and physical spacing is respected in the classroom and in the building.

For more information flock to the institutes website[email protected].

You can choose the branch you prefer and see the French language courses for adults and children that are appropriate for you and register there. You can also call the institute at the following numbers: 01205558639/01227484951/

01222196984, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

French Cultural Institute

Heliopolis, Masr Al-Gedida, Tel 02 2417 4824

Thurs 25, 3pm, Online: Young Audience - Online Fun Activities, the media library offers fun activities: games, drawings, colouring and songs for children inspired by the ten words of the Francophonie.

Italian Cultural Institute

Italy is celebrating the 700th anniversary of the passing of Dante Alighieri, from 12 March to 4 July 2021. Also, the Italian Institute continues to post videos in Arabic with translations from Dante Alighieris masterpiece The Divine Comedy to bring the Arab-speaking public closer to the work of the supreme poet. Videos are directed by Giabluca Barbadori, with the special participation of Ashraf Farouk, Amir Salaheddin, Sherine Hegazy, and Sara El-Mokadem.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Wael Abdoush, IBM Egypt general manager, explains in an interviews with Ahram Online that Egypt has a strong potential to profit from digital transformation due to the government comprehensive strategy and current investments to adopt AI technologies.

Based on a recent study, 50% of organizations growth in Egypt will be expected in Hybrid Cloud adoption by 2023. Mr. Abdoush stressed the importance of boosting laws and regulation regarding the use of clouds and clustering data.

AO: How did COVID-19 affect IBMs plans and projects in Egypt? And if the lockdown continues, what will be your plan for the next few years especially in Egypt and the developing countries?

WA: There is no doubt that COVID-19 proved to be a turning point for many companies not just in Egypt but also globally, as the disruption and uncertainty caused by the crisis has accelerated the digital transformation that for many was already underway. Seemingly overnight, almost every organization around the world has been forced to shift to a near entirely remote workforce and they need to keep their businesses running smoothly. I believe that the current crisis emphasized the critical importance of technology solutions that enable organizations to change the way they work. Moving forward, our goal is to help our clients address the new normal and accelerate their transformation by contributing technology and expertise including comprehensive business protection and recovery programs designed to help maintain business continuity under challenging conditions.

AO: What are the Egyptian markets opportunities in AI and hybrid cloud? Do you have any monetary estimates?

WA: We are redefining our future as a hybrid cloud platform and AI company, where we have directed our focus on the USD 1.2 trillion global hybrid cloud opportunity investing in open innovation and security. To bring an open hybrid cloud platform to our clients, weve acquired Red Hat for USD 34 billion to help clients avoid being locked into vendor relationships, while being able to leverage our expertise in AI to modernize and digitalize their businesses and to harness the power of their data and existing systems.

Across the Egyptian market, were witnessing tremendous opportunities where, according to our market study by the Institute of Business Value (IBV), 50 percent of organizations growth in Egypt will be expected in Hybrid Cloud adoption by 2023. Each organization will leverage 6 hybrid clouds in use per organization by 2023. It is important to mention that Egypt took important steps to enhance the ecosystem by introducing the first draft of the data protection law. To speed the momentum, it is important as well to boost for further laws and regulations for cloud use, data clustering. It is also important to raise the public and awareness and engagement in adopting new IT technologies.

AO: Can you tell us more about IBMs collaboration with the government in digital transformation?

WA: Egypt is currently embarking into a comprehensive digital transformation strategy to improve the economy and public services for citizens. We are proud of working with the Egyptian government in several initiatives of national importance including Egypt Digital Builders, where we invest in skills development in technologies like Hybrid Cloud, AI, and Cybersecurity to support digital transformation and empower the Egyptian youth with new skills for todays job markets. We have also been involved in several national projects through our history such as: Our collaboration with the Ministry of Finance for the full automation and digitization of tax administration and procedures and our project with the General Authority for Investment and Free Zone to help obtain permits and licenses on behalf of investors from a one-stop-shop from Egypt's different government bodies. We also worked on throughout major projects years ago like the national ID project, the digital documentation of the National Archives of Egypt (NAE), Al Azhar scripts and many more.

AO: Why IBM will split into two companies by end of 2021?

WA: In October 2020, IBM announced that it will accelerate its hybrid cloud growth strategy to drive digital transformations for its clients. Accordingly, IBM will separate its managed infrastructure services unit of its Global Technology Services division into a new public company that we announced as Kyndryl. This creates two industry-leading companies, each with strategic focus and flexibility to drive client and shareholder value.

AO: What is the impact of this decision on IBMs local and global projects?

WA: We have positioned IBM for the new era of hybrid cloud, which we then accelerated with the acquisition of Red Hat. At the same time, our managed infrastructure services business has established itself as the industry leader, with unrivaled expertise in complex and mission-critical infrastructure work.

As two independent companies that will capitalize on their respective strengths; IBM will accelerate clients' digital transformation journeys, and Kyndryl will accelerate clients' infrastructure modernization efforts. This focus will result in greater value, increased innovation, and faster execution for our clients globally and locally.

AO: Will there be an official local or regional representation for Kyndryl?

WA: Earlier this year, IBM announced the appointment of Martin Schroeter as Chief Executive Officer for Kyndryl. Mr. Schroeter served as IBMs Senior Vice President, Global Markets, where he was responsible for IBMs global sales, client relationships and satisfaction, and worldwide geographic operations. All the other announcements for local and regional representations will come on time.

AO: Based on the market share of AI and clouds, what is IBMs rank in comparison to the competitors?

WA: IBM is strongly investing in the areas where we see clients focusing their efforts  open innovation, security and high-value services delivered via the cloud  and will continue to double down on our work in these key areas.

Accordingly, today IBM is the number one hybrid cloud platform company. Our cloud business is much more comprehensive than any other cloud provider because it includes capabilities others dont have and reflects the actual cloud buying patterns of enterprise clients. Our hybrid cloud technology and services enable enterprise clients to design, build, operate and integrate applications on private, public and hybrid clouds.

AO: What are the leading businesses that can adopt AI and hybrid clouds in Egypt?

WA: Our operations have expanded to include several sectors in Egypt. Recently we provided leading mobility solutions for the automotive industry to scale and streamline their business processes and provide new digital services to their clients. Last March, we announced a new collaboration with EgyptAir to modernize its Duty-Free back-end operations and leverage IBM Watson Assistant to create an AI virtual agent to help transform their travelers' shopping experience. Earlier this year, we also announced a new partnership with TelecomEgypt to help them develop an open, hybrid cloud strategy that will modernize their operations and accelerate their digital transformation journey. Telecom Egypt will adopt IBM Cloud Pak for Automation built on Red Hat OpenShift, to become more efficient, flexible and future-ready to support core operations and enable new digital services.

AO: How can we drive the publics awareness on the use of AI and cloud?

WA: For the past several years, businesses around the world have been driving their digital reinventions to take advantage of data. Every enterprise client I speak to is talking about digital transformation, how to become a cognitive enterprise, an agile organization that is fueled by data, guided by AI insight, and built for change on a hybrid cloud. Based on our studies 90 percent of enterprise data goes unanalyzed, which is a huge business loss. Globally, companies spend 120 billion hours in lower value work this situation could be reclaimed through automation and adoption of IT technologies. It is expected in the near future that IT will become decentralized open and secure and 94 percent of the companies will use multiple clouds and data platforms. We work with a lot of entities whether public or private to leverage our innovative technology, industry expertise, services, and skills to support our clients transformation journey to grow and fuel economic prosperity.

AO: Finally, what are your thoughts on companies that are skeptical of sharing their data on the cloud?

WA: With the pandemic accelerating digital transformation initiatives, businesses increasingly have to shift mission critical data and workloads into the cloud. All sensitive, high regulated industries are under pressure to help ensure data privacy for their consumers.

Thats why we have invested heavily in security and compliance, including confidential computing, to help organizations move confidently to hybrid multi-cloud and integrate security into every phase of their cloud journeys. We also invested in industry-specific clouds such as Financial Services and Telecommunication to ease the adoption of cloud for clients in highly regulated industries moving mission critical workloads to the cloud.

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KYODO NEWS - Jun 22, 2021 - 14:01 | World, All

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister and close aide said Tuesday that U.S. expectations for bilateral talks could bring "disappointment," state-run media reported.

Kim Yo Jong's remarks came after White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday described as an "interesting signal" comments by Kim Jong Un that he is ready for "dialogue and confrontation" with the United States.

"A Korean proverb says that 'In a dream, what counts most is to read it, not to have it.' It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

"The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment," she added.

At a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea held on Thursday, Kim Jong Un pledged to prepare for both "dialogue and confrontation" with the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

It is thought to be the first time Kim Jong Un has publicly expressed eagerness to talk with the Biden administration since it came to power in January, with denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and the United States stalled for around 18 months.

North Korea is believed to have been reluctant to hold bilateral talks with the Biden administration unless Washington withdraws what Pyongyang considers its hostile policy position.

Some foreign affairs experts, however, said Kim Jong Un might be keen to resume communication to receive U.S. economic aid, with the North Korean economy languishing amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, meanwhile, U.S., Japanese and South Korean envoys agreed that the three nations will continue cooperating toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through an early resumption of dialogue with the North.

At the outset of their in-person meeting in Seoul, Sung Kim, the newly appointed U.S. special representative for North Korea, voiced hope for a positive response from Pyongyang in the wake of U.S. overtures for dialogue.

At their first summit in 2018 in Singapore, Kim Jong Un and Biden's predecessor Donald Trump agreed that Washington would provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in return for "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The following year, they fell short of bridging the gap between U.S. demands and North Korea's calls for sanctions relief at their second summit in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

Trump and Kim Jong Un met in June 2019 at the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, but bilateral negotiations have been at a standstill, with a working-level meeting held in the Swedish capital Stockholm in October that year ending without progress being made.

The Biden administration plans to keep its North Korea policy flexible, while building on the 2018 summit agreement that included Pyongyang's commitment toward denuclearization.

Related coverage:

North Korea's Kim vows to prepare for dialogue, confrontation with U.S.

North Korea's Kim vows to strengthen army amid rapid situation change

U.S. to keep North Korea policy flexible, build on past agreements
KYODO NEWS - Jun 22, 2021 - 18:04 | All, World, Japan, Coronavirus

Four U.N. human rights experts said in a letter revealed on Tuesday that the exclusion of students at Korea University from the Japanese government's cash handout program to mitigate financial difficulties amid the coronavirus pandemic was discriminatory.

The letter was sent to the government in February, and a month later the financial aid scheme ended. But Japan ignored the experts' views at that time, denying the claim in April that the scheme, which no longer existed, had discriminated against such minority students.

The letter had been sent by Tendayi Achiume, special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and three other experts on the right to education, human rights of migrants, and minority issues.

The cash handout program was launched in May last year to offer up to 200,000 yen ($1,800) to financially troubled students in universities, junior colleges, and other schools such as the Japan campus of foreign universities.

But the scheme excluded students of Korea University in Kodaira in western Tokyo as it fell under a category of "miscellaneous schools" along with English language schools.

The experts said in the letter that they were "concerned that the program discriminates against students" attending certain schools "in particular minority students at the Korea University," characterizing such exclusions as posing the risk of undermining these school's institutional autonomy.

The letter went on to say, "For minority students, this further jeopardizes their access to an education that facilitates the promotion of their national, ethnic, cultural and linguistic identities."

They then asked the government at the time for "all necessary interim measures be taken to halt the alleged violations and prevent their re-occurrence."

The government said, though, that the cash handout program was not discriminatory as some Japanese students who are attending institutions not covered by the program are also not eligible.

While international students were also eligible for the handout, the education ministry required them to be among the top 30 percent of students.

The U.N. experts also took issue with the additional academic performance criteria imposed on international students when applying for the handouts. They said the "difficulties international students face have nothing to do with their academic performance."

Civic groups in Japan have criticized the scheme as discriminatory since its launch, with the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism, a nongovernmental organization, reporting the issue to the United Nations in June last year.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 22, 2021 - 16:24 | All, Japan

Police referred Uber Japan Co. and two of its former employees to prosecutors Tuesday for allegedly hiring two Vietnamese overstayers as Uber Eats food delivery staff last year in violation of the country's immigration control law.

The 47-year-old former representative of Uber Japan and a 36-year-old former worker in charge of its legal compliance are suspected of employing the two overstayers for deliveries between June and August 2020 without checking their visa status.

The former legal compliance officer has admitted to the charge, telling investigators she was "aware of a flaw" in the company's registration of foreign workers, according to the police.

The former representative, who now heads Uber Eats Japan Inc., has denied the charge, saying she was not informed directly about the matter, they said. The operator of the food delivery service changed from Uber Japan to Uber Eats Japan earlier this year.

A Vietnamese man hired by the company registered on the Uber Eats website with a false identity, using someone else's residence card that he got through an online broker, according to the police.

The other Vietnamese national has told investigators that Uber accepted overstayers like her, they added.

In 2020, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department found 184 cases involving hiring of overstayers or engaging foreign residents in activities other than those permitted for the Uber Eats delivery service.

Demand for Uber Eats and other food delivery services has been rising amid the coronavirus pandemic, with people requested to stay at home and eateries to close early.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 22, 2021 - 20:55 | All, Japan

The Japanese government on Tuesday disclosed a file suggesting that a former senior Finance Ministry official instructed a local finance bureau to alter documents related to favoritism allegations against then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

It is hoped the disclosure of the over 500-page file, compiled by Toshio Akagi, a former ministry bureaucrat who was allegedly ordered to alter the documents, will shed light on the details of who instructed what in the scandal involving a dubious land transaction with Moritomo Gakuen, a school operator with ties to Abe's wife Akie.

Akagi, a 54-year-old employee of the Kinki Local Finance Bureau based in Osaka, killed himself in March 2018 after the document tampering scandal. Abe has denied involvement in the dubious sale of state land.

The file, which was finally disclosed to Akagi's widow, revealed how the ministry repeatedly instructed its local bureau to tamper with documents, and contained around 400 redactions, mostly the names of officials.

The ministry released a report in June 2018 admitting Financial Bureau chief Nobuhisa Sagawa made the decision to falsify documents and bureau officials deleted parts of them related to Akie Abe. The ministry said it does not plan to conduct another probe.

The file mentions Sagawa and says the ministry wanted to remove parts of the documents that appeared to show it gave favorable treatment to Moritomo Gakuen, which purchased state-owned land in Osaka Prefecture at a heavily discounted price and named Akie Abe as honorary principal of an elementary school to open on the site.

The file also contained an email sent by Akagi, who belonged to a section that negotiated the land sale, in which he wrote, "I have doubts about altering records already decided."

Akagi's wife Masako, 50, has filed a damages suit against the government over her husband's death and had been calling for the file to be disclosed.

The government only admitted to the existence of the file in May and said it will be submitted before a court session on Wednesday.

With some parts of the file redacted, Masako Akagi said she will fight to have the blacked-out sections restored to reveal the names of the people who instructed her husband.

The file contains copies of emails from the ministry to the Kinki Local Finance Bureau that state there are parts that should be redacted in the event that there is a disclosure request for documents pertaining to Moritomo Gakuen, and that document alteration should be carried out by the end of March 2017.

Amid the unfolding controversy over the dubious state asset transaction, Shinzo Abe told a parliamentary session in February 2017, "If I or my wife were involved (in the land transaction), I would step down as prime minister and a lawmaker."

Sagawa, who was then National Tax Agency head, stepped down in March 2018 to take responsibility for the scandal related to Moritomo Gakuen.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 22, 2021 - 23:26 | All, World

Negotiations began Tuesday for the United Kingdom to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact as the country is aiming to enhance its economic presence in the region following its departure from the European Union.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's minister in charge of TPP negotiations, welcomed the U.K. commitment toward membership during an online meeting with his British counterpart Liz Truss.

"I am prepared to proactively engage with enrollment procedures by the United Kingdom" so as to expand the free trade bloc, Nishimura told Truss. Tokyo holds the 11-member pact's rotating presidency this year.

Truss said in a Twitter post after the meeting that TPP membership would "hitch the U.K. to the fastest-growing parts of the world, create new opportunities for our farmers, manufacturers and services firms, (and) support jobs and drive growth."

The final decision on whether to accept the United Kingdom as new member is expected to be made next year or later.

Many TPP members have already signed a bilateral trade deals with the United Kingdom, with officials saying there seem to be no major obstacles in the accession negotiations.

The United Kingdom's inclusion, if realized, would increase the TPP's share of global economic output to around 16 percent from the current 13 percent.

Japan chairs the TPP Commission, the bloc's decision-making body, this year. It will also head working groups expected to be set up later this year to discuss tariffs as well as trade and investment rules toward London's envisaged participation.

The United Kingdom filed a request in February to join what is formally called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP.

It was the first accession applicant outside the original participating countries. China, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand have also expressed interest in joining the free trade bloc.

The bloc, which came into force in 2018, currently has a total population of about 500 million, exceeding that of the European Union with about 448 million, according to Japan's trade ministry.

Among the 11 member nations -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam -- seven have so far ratified it.

The TPP is designed to cut tariffs on agricultural and industrial products, ease investment restrictions and enhance intellectual property protection, with the aim of improving economic integration among the participating countries.

The TPP was originally promoted by the United States under the administration of Barack Obama in a bid to balance China's increasing influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

But Donald Trump, who openly expressed his preference for bilateral trade deals and not multilateral agreements under his so-called "America First" policy, withdrew from the TPP shortly after taking office in 2017.

Related coverage:

11 TPP members to start talks concerning Britain's entry
New Delhi:

President Ram Nath Kovind on eve of Republic Day address the nation for the first time on the eve of 69th Republic Day of India. This is his first address to the nation on Republic Day eve since after taking over as the first citizen of the country in July 2017.

Earlier in the day, President Kovind received the ASEAN Heads of State and Government at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Here are highlights from the speech:

7: 17 pm: Republic nation in one Where one can disagree with another viewpoint  or even with a historical context - without mocking a fellow citizens dignity and personal space.

7: 16 pm: A civic-minded nation is built by civic-minded neighbourhoods,whether in our cities or villages. Where we respect the next-door persons space, privacy and rights.

7: 16 pm: We need to build a nation where girls are given equal oppurtunities like boys in terms of education and healthcare.

7: 15 pm: A government can come out with several laws to protect rights of women, but it will reap benefit only when their voices are heard.

7:14 pm : We have to make a equal oppurtunity for our daughters

7:13 pm: We need to work to improve life quality for our farmers.

7:12pm: He recalls contributions of sanitary workers who keep the nation clean, teachers who educate the people, nurses who serve the people, scientists who innovate and engineers who help build new infrastructure.

7:10 pm: President pays tributes to soldiers who protect the nation, farmers who feed the country, to police and paramilitary forces who provide security to the nation, to all mothers who take care of us, and to doctors who treat people when ill.

7: 09 pm: It was with the framing and adoption of the Constitution that we truly achieved the ethic of equality among all citizens, irrespective of religion, region or community.

7:08 pm : This is a day to remember with gratitude the enormous efforts and sacrifices of millions of freedom fighters whose blood and sweat gave us Independence and created our Republic.

7: 08 pm: We got Independence after a great struggle in which millions had participated. Many laid their lives for freedom.

7.07pm: People of the country forms the democracy. They are not just part of democracy but are its pillar. Every citizen give strength to the democracy

7.05pm: Kovind pays tributes to freedom fighters who fought for independence.

7.02pm: President Ram Nath Kovind greets people on eve of Republic Day.





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New Delhi:

India on Friday celebrated the 69th Republic Day with great zeal and fervour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti to the martyred soldiers who laid down their lives for the nation. This was followed by a 2-minute silence. 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 had 10 chief guests from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.

Here are the LIVE Updates:

# 12:30 PM: PM Narendra Modi greets people after parade

# 12:23 PM: Catch them if you can. The spectacular show in the heavens, by the Indian Air Force

 PIB India (@PIB_India) January 26, 2018

# 12:07 PM: West Bengal: Sweets exchanged between troops of the Border Security Force and Border Guards, Bangladesh at Fulbari post.

# 12:05 PM: A woman was detained along with her two sons while trying to enter Republic Day parade venue in Mumbai, she was reportedly aggrieved over husband's custodial death and was planning to self immolate

# 11:59 AM: Prime Minister walks down Rajpath to greet people on the 69th Republic Day

# 11:56 AM: The idea of 113 BSF women's motercycle stunt was the brainchild of BSF Director General KK Sharma who wanted to replace men daredevils with women bikers, Deputy Inspector General Pushpendra Rathore said. Me Rathore is in charge of the team that has been camping in Delhi since December.

# 11: 43 AM: Parade is coming to a close, with colours of the national flag in the sky, representing the hopes and aspirations of the citizens of India

# 11:39 AM: BSF refuses to exchange sweets on Republic Day with Pakistan Rangers over ceasefire violations

# 11:38 AM: BSF motor cycle women team 'Seema Bhawani' led by sub inspector Stanzin Naryang

# 11:33 AM: The Indian Air Force display C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, Sukkoi-30 and Tejas aircrafts.

# 11:30 AM: Witness the Rudra Formation, the Hercules Formation, Netra, Globe Formation and several more

# 11:30 AM: #SeemaBhawani captivating spectators by their Daredevil motorcycle-riding skills. Led by Sub-Inspector Stanzin Noryang

# 11:29 AM: MI-17 and RUDRA armed helicopters fly past Rajpath.

# 11:25 AM: A 26-motorcycle contingent of women personnel of the BSF showcase their skills for the first time.

# 11: 21 AM: Sangrai Mog Dance performed by the North East Zone Culture Centre in Dimapur at the 69th Republic Day parade

# 11: 16 AM: Baredi Folk dance from Madhya Pradesh, performed at the 69th Republic Day parade

# 11:09 AM: Raise your hands in appreciation for the young winners of National Bravery Awards

 PIB India (@PIB_India) January 26, 2018

# 10:57 AM: A creative depiction of Sangat and Pangat - a common mode of obeisance and community social service - is offered in the Punjab tableau

# 10: 51 AM: Congress President Rahul Gandhi is seated in the fourth row. This is the first time that Gandhi will not be seated in the front row. Congress leaders allege that by doing so the Modi government was resorting to "cheap politics". A Congress leader said the move was aimed at "humiliating" the Congress leadership at the public function.

#10:48 AM: Tableau of Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand, with its focus on rural tourism

# 10:43 AM: The Tableau of @AkashvaniAIR showcasing the historic journey of more than eight decades of public service. The logo of AIR is Bahujan Hitaaya Bahujan Sukhaaya is displayed

# 10:40 AM: The Akash weapon system of 27 Air Defence Regiment (Amritsar Air Field), led by Captain Shikha Yadav and Captain Mohammad Yunis Khan

# 10:38 AM: The Delhi Police band leads the Delhi Police marching contingent whose motto is Shanti Seva Aur Nyaya

 PIB India (@PIB_India) January 26, 2018

# 10:35 AM: Brass Band marches in, playing the famous tune Saare Jahan Se Acha Hindustan Hamara

 PIB India (@PIB_India) January 26, 2018

# 10:34 AM: Weapon locating radar SWATHI. An indigenous radar which can simultaneously track upto seven targets.

# 10:32 AM: The Camel mounted band of the @BSF_India, the only one of its kind in the world, is playing "Ham Hai Seema Suraksha Bal".

 PIB India (@PIB_India) January 26, 2018

# 10:30 AM: The foot contingent of BSF leads the marching contingent of paramilitary forces

# 10:18 AM: Glimpses of #RepublicDay Parade 2018.

# 10:17 AM: Akash Weapon System of 27 Air Defence Regiment glides in at Rajpath

# 10:15 AM: India showcases its military might. Three T-90 tanks, two BRAHMOS missiles, two AKASH missiles part of the parades mechanised column.

# 10: 15 AM: Visuals of the #ASEAN flag bearer contingent at the #RepublicDay parade. Flags being carried by a contingent of the Rajputana Rifles regiment

# 10:13 AM: The famed Brahmos Missile System of 881 Missile Regiment, the only super sonic cruise missile in the world

# 10:12 AM: Combat Vehicle Ballway Machine Pikate-II of 12 Guards rolls in

# 10:11 AM: A contingent of Rajputana Rifles march past bearing the 10 flags of ASEAN nations. The ASEAN, founded in 1967, comprises Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.

# 10:11 AM: 61st Cavalry led Capt. Deepanshu Sheoran marches in #RepublicDay

 PIB India (@PIB_India) January 26, 2018

# 10:45 AM: Ashok Chakra awarded to Late Air Force Commando JP Nirala, who lost his life in Bandipora encounter. President Kovind presents award to JP Nirala's mother and wife.

# 10:04 AM: Ashok Chakra is India's highest peacetime military decoration. Awarded posthumously to Corp. Jyoti Prakash Nirala of IAF. He made the supreme sacrifice while fighting with terrorists in J&K.

# 10:03 AM: The Republic Day parade is led by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Delhi Area followed by various gallantry award winners (Victoria Cross, PVC, MVC, VC, and Ashok Chakra) saluting the President of India

# 10:00 AM: Gun Salute is presented by 2281 Field Battery, under the command of Lt. Col. C. Sandeep

# 9:55 AM: IAF Garud commando Jyoti Nirala conferred with Ashok Chakra

# 9:50 AM: PM Modi welcomes 10 ASEAN leaders at Rajpath

# 9:47 AM: The Heads of State/Government of ASEAN nations arrive at Rajpath

# 9:47 AM: The Chief Guests of Republic Day Parade, the Heads of State/Government of ASEAN nations, have started to arrive at Rajpath. They are being welcomed by PM Modi

# 9:46 AM: President of India is arriving, escorted by 46 Bodyguards on Bay and Dark Bay coloured mounts. Raised in 1773, the President's Bodyguard is the oldest and seniormost Regiment of the Indian Army

# 9:45 AM: Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu arrives at Rajpath, for #RepublicDayParade

# 9:42 AM: President Shri President Kovind leaves for Rajpath

# 9:35 AM: PM @narendramodi arrives at Rajpath, welcomed by RM Nirmala Sitharaman

# 9:32 AM: The combined military band consisting of two JCOs and 44 musicians is being led by Subedar Chinnadorai K, assisted by Naib Subedar Saju K K. They will be playing the "National Anthem", "Calavry Brigade" and "Army Star Arjuna"

 PIB India (@PIB_India) January 26, 2018

# 9:31 AM: PM Narendra Modi and the three Service Chiefs pay tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti

# 9:17 AM: Smt Indira Gandhi in Republic day parade.

 Youth Congress (@IYC) January 26, 2018

# 8:34 AM: BJP Chief Amit Shah unfurls tricolour at party HQ in Delhi

# 8:17 AM: 69 #       l

 Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) January 25, 2018

# 8:14 AM: Visuals of parade from Chennai

# 8:11 AM: Ahead of Republic Day celebrations in Delhi, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain tweeted, "We are honoured to have ASEAN leaders as guests for this #RepublicDay. There is a natural affinity between people of India & ASEAN nations due to deep civilisational links. This gesture by PM @narendramodi ji will add to the bonding."

# 8:09 AM: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted her wishes on India's 69th Republic Day, "Today is Republic Day. Let us remember the creators of our Constitution, and promise to abide by its principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity."

# 8:07 AM: Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit hoists the national flag in Chennai.

# 7:45 AM: Greetings to all my countrymen on Republic Day. My SandArt at the Khandagiri-Udaygiri festival, Bhubaneswar.

 Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) January 26, 2018

# 7:30 AM: TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Traffic Arrangements  Republic Day Celebrations on 26Th January, 2018  Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) January 25, 2018

# 7:19 AM:       -  Greetings on #RepublicDay. Jai Hind!

 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 26, 2018

# 6:47 AM:    

Take over from Republic Day 2018:

# For the first time the all-woman biker contingent of BSF, Daredevils will perform at Rajpath. The contingent has riders from three north-eastern states including Assam, Manipur, and Meghalaya.

# The parade was presided by President Ram Nath Kovind.

# Foreign guests reached Rashtrapati Bhavan, first from where the cars carrying the heads of state and their spouses will start rolling down the Raisina Hill at 9.35 am.

# Republic Day parade ceremony started at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate where PM Modi will paid homage to the soldiers at Amar Jawan Jyoti.

# The national anthem was played with a 21 gun salute after the unfurling of the national flag. The parade then began and the President took the salute.

# Two tableaux showcaseed India's historical, civilizational, educational, religious and cultural linkages with the ASEAN nations.



# The grand finale of the parade was a fly past by the Air Force. C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster, Su-30 MKIs, LCA Tejas will be among the aircraft flying in different formations.

# Over 60,000 security personnel was deployed in Central Delhi.

# No commercial flights will land or take off at the Indira Gandhi International Airport from 10.35 AM to 12.15 PM.

Also Read: Centre announces names of Padma awardees: See complete list

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New Delhi:

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday appeared emotional after he awarded the Ashok Chakra, Indias highest peacetime military decoration, posthumously to Air Force Garud commando Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala.

Corporal Nirala laid down his life after gunning down two terrorists in Jammu and Kashmirs Bandipora district in Nov.

After presenting the award to Corporal Niralas wife Sushmanand and his mother Malti Devi at the Republic Day Parade, Kovind was seen wiping his face and eyes with his handkerchief.

Corporal Nirala was part of a Garud Special Forces Unit of the IAF, a detachment of which was attached to a Rashtriya Rifles battalion under the aegis of Op Rakshak.

On November 18 last year, an offensive was launched in Chanderger village of Bandipora based on specific intelligence. The Garud detachment covertly approached the target house where the terrorists were hiding and laid a close quarter ambush.

In the violent exchange of fire, Corporal Nirala was hit by a volley of small arms fire. Despite being critically injured, he continued the retaliatory fire.

He later succumbed to the fatal gunshot wounds.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

US President Donald Trump has proposed to end the visa lottery system in favour of reducing backlogs of highly-skilled workers, a plan which may benefit thousands of Indian IT professionals who are currently having several decades of waiting period to get their Green Cards.

If passed by the Congress and signed into law, such a move is expected to significantly reduce the green card backlogs for highly skilled immigrants from India.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, which the Trump administration wants to terminate, awards up to 50,000 individuals per year a visa for a green card, which allows permanent residency and is a path to US citizenship.

Trump has been against diversity visa as he believes that this does not attract the best and the brightest to the US.

In recent past, several of the home-grown terrorists including prime accused of New York terrorist attacks came either on diversity visa or chain migration.

Eliminate lottery and reallocate the visas to reduce the family-based backlog and high-skilled employment backlog, according to the White House framework on immigration reform and border security released by the Trump administration.

Also Read | WEF 2018: Donald Trump says America first does not mean America alone

The programme provides green cards for up to 50,000 immigrants each year from countries with low rates of emigration to the US. It is one of the ways that green cards are issued under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The other significant sources of green cards are for family-sponsored immigrants, employment-based immigrants, refugees and people granted asylum.

Diversity visas are allocated geographically.

Nationals of countries from which 50,000 or fewer immigrants came to the US over the previous five years combined are eligible for diversity visas.

Immigrants from any one country may not receive more than seven per cent of diversity visas issued annually.

Given that there are hundreds and thousands of Indian IT professionals waiting in queue to get their green cards because of the current country quota, the relocation of diversity visa numbers to green cards is expected to hugely benefit them.

Also Read: Donald Trump says will speak to Mueller under oath in Russia probe

Immigrants from 18 countries are not eligible for diversity visa because they sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the previous five years combined.

The countries are Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, the UK and Vietnam.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

President Donald Trump on Friday said that the economic growth taking place in the US is solely due to his America first and the agenda also benefits the rest of the world at World Economic Forum 2018 in Davos .

Trump is addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos. He will be the first US president to visit World Economic Forum since Bill Clinton in 2000.

President Trump also offered "America's friendship and partnership" to the world in his debut appearance before the global business elite in Davos.

He asserted that "America First does not mean America alone."

Here are the highlights from Donald Trump's speech:

6.50 pm : America needs a new merit-based system based on peoples ability to support themselves financially.

6: 44 pm : As the US president, I will always put America first and all other leaders should do the same for their nations.

6.42 pm : America first doesnt mean America alone.

6:41 pm : There has never been a better time to hire, to build, to invest and to grow in the United States

6.40 pm : The world is witnessing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America.

6.38 pm : We have created 2.4 million jobs since my election. Unemployment among Hispanics and African-Americans is at a all-time low in America.

6.36 pm : Growth is strong and the stock market is smashing one record after another.

6: 35 pm: Business, consumer and manufacturer confidence is the highest in decades.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

It was another major setback for space research organisations across the globe as Google Lunar XPrize has called off the much-awaited $30m contest to travel the moon.

Team Indus, a Bengaluru based start-up company with Antrix was all geared up to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon but now the competition is slated to close on March 31 without a winner.

Google Lunar XPrize was in talks with Team Indus and announced the competition back in 2007.

Google had also promised to reward the first ever private company with $30m for completing such a remarkable milestone on its journey to space.

A mouth-watering amount of $5 million with a bonus of 1.75 million was also announced for the second team for an orbit around the moon.

A stupendous amount of $3 million was also there for transmitting data from the moon after a soft landing on the lunar surface.

However, due to lack of progress and other technical glitches, Google has withdrawn the whopping prize amount from the contest.

Also Read: Trump administration to give NASAs manned lunar mission go ahead, says Mike Pence

Moreover, four other companies including Moon Express also took part in the launch but were not ready for the same within March 31.

Previously, SpaceIL, an Israeli company signed a contract with Elon Musks SpaceX setting a launch deadline at 31 December 2017, but subsequently extended the mission to 31 March 2018.

Therefore, team Indus is currently in search for a new sponsor so they can continue the competition with a cash incentive.

The Bengaluru-based start-up company is backed by Ratan Tata, ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan and Infosys Ltd.s Nandan Nilekani.

Despite the loss, Team Indus is focused to build a world class aerospace company and will accomplish its goal to land on Moon anytime soon.

Also Read: Neil Armstrong's Moon bag from Apollo 11 mission sold for $1.8 million

On the other hand, China is planning to land on the moons far side in 2018.

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New Delhi:

Google on Friday dedicated its doodle to mark 69th year of Indias Republic Day. The first Republic Day was commemorated with a grand parade at the Rajpath. This year, the parade includes marching contingents, various tableaux and performances showcasing the different cultures of the country. This year's parade will feature tableaux from 14 states and union territories, and nine central ministries.



An important element of this parade is the celebration of Indias rich cultural history, which serves as the inspiration for todays Doodle by New Delhi-based illustrator Ibrahim Rayintakath, read a post by Google on its website.

The post further read, The geometrical shapes that form the Doodle's background are inspired by the vibrant colours and patterns of traditional hand-loom draperies from different states. The foreground elements symbolise unique crafts, music and traditional practices from across the country. You can see a man blowing the Sringa, an ancient musical instrument; Kathputli, a form of traditional puppetry used to narrate folk tales; and the spinning wheel, an important symbol of Indias history. Ceremonial dances form an important part of rituals during the many festivals celebrated across India, and todays Doodle depicts the Bihu dance from Assam.

Also Read: Republic Day 2018 Live Updates:10 ASEAN leaders to attend ceremonial parade at Rajpath

Adding, You can also spot the majestic elephant, a key figure in such festive ceremonies in most regions. Finally, the overall outline and motifs are a tribute to Mughal architecture.

All these elements of local culture in bright, warm colours and distinctive patterns are reminiscent of Indias rich cultural heritage, and come together to celebrate a happy 69th Republic Day.
Beijing:

China today welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech at Davos where he described protectionism as being as dangerous as terrorism, and evinced interest in enhancing cooperation with India to strengthen the globalisation process.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to address the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual summit in Davos in two decades, yesterday talked about grave concerns facing the world, including terrorism and climate change.

Many countries are becoming inward focused and globalisation is shrinking and such tendencies cant be considered lesser risk than terrorism or climate change, he had said.

I noticed that Prime Minister Modi made some remarks on protectionism and his remarks showed that globalisation is the trend of the times and serves the interests of all the countries including developing countries and the fight against protectionism and promoting globalisation, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here.

She also said China would like to work with India and other countries to strengthen globalisation process for the benefit of all countries.

Her surprise comments followed official media here giving big play to Modis speech at the World Economic Forum at Davos yesterday where he called protectionism as dangerous as terrorism.

Some of the dailies like Global Times carried the photo of his address on the front pages.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of globalisation, China has emerged as emerged as the worlds factory in the last three decades posting double-digit GDP growth rates for years while thriving on massive exports to all parts of the world.

China is also firmly opposed to America First policy of US President Donald Trump which was the main theme of Chinese President Xi Jinpings Davos speech last year.

China and India share a lot of common interests. China would like to enhance coordination and cooperation with all countries including India to steer the economic globalisation towards benefiting world economic growth and well-being of all countries, Hua said.

Answering a question that Modis speech echoed last years speech by Xi at the same forum where he made a pitch for globalisation, Hua said Xi called for moving globalisation to a more open, inclusive, universal, balanced and win-win direction.

Asked whether the common position of India and China in opposing protectionism could help improve strained bilateral ties, Hua said Our position is clear. India is a big neighbour of China. As the two largest developing countries and as two close neighbours, of course we hope that we can maintain steady development of bilateral relations. It serves the interests of our two sides.

We look forward to working with India to enhance our communication and our mutual trust, properly handle our differences and ensure sound and steady development of our bilateral ties. I believe this is the aspiration of the people of our countries, she said.

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Beijing:

Scientists in China have created the first monkeys cloned by the same process that produced Dolly the sheep more than 20 years ago, a breakthrough that could boost medical research into human diseases.

The two long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) named Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong were born at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai, and are the fruits of years of research into a cloning technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer.

The barrier has been broken by this work, co-author Muming Poo, director of the Institute of Neuroscience of CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, told AFP.

Until now, the technique has been used to clone more than 20 different animal species, including dogs, pigs and cats, but primates have proven particularly difficult.

The birth of the now six and eight-week old macaque babies also raises ethical questions about how close scientists have come to one day cloning humans.

Humans could be cloned by this technique, in principle, said Poo, though this teams focus was on cloning for medical research.

One day, the approach might be used to create large populations of genetically identical monkeys that could be used for medical researchand avoid taking monkeys from the wild.

In the United States alone they are importing 30,000 to 40,000 monkeys each year by drug companies, said Poo.

Their genetic backgrounds are all variable, they are not identical, so you need a large number of monkeys. For ethical reasons I think having cloned monkey will greatly reduce the (number of) monkeys used for drug tests.

Monkeys are commonly used in medical research on brain diseases like Parkinsons, cancer, immune and metabolic disorders.

The method used for these experiments is similar to that used to clone Dolly, in 1996 but with several updates, said William Ritchie, an embryologist on the team that cloned Dolly the sheep at the Roslin Institute of the University of Edinburgh.

The process involves removing the nucleus from a healthy egg, and replacing it with another nucleus from another type of body cell. The clone becomes the same as the creature that donated the replacement nucleus.

We tried several different methods, but only one worked, said senior author Qiang Sun, Director of the Nonhuman Primate Research Facility at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neurosciences.

There was much failure before we found a way to successfully clone a monkey.

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New Delhi:

The Indo Tibeten Border Police (ITBP) once again gave a glimpse of its daunting spirit by hoisting the Indian flag in the icy heights of the Himalayas on Republic Day.

The 'Himveers' famously known as Snow Warriors of the ITBP hoisted the Tri Colour in spine chilling temperature of minus 30 degrees in the mountainous region.

The Indo Tibetan Border Police was raised on Oct 24, 1962 after the Indo-China War. The Central Armed Police Force is deployed all along the Sino-India border to thwart any enemy aggression.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of India, raised on 24 October 1962, under the CRPF Act, in the wake of the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

India is celebrating its 69th Republic Day on Friday, Jan 26. On this day in 1950, just over two years after winning Independence from the British, the Constitution of India had come into effect, thereby making India's a democratic form of government,

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Kasganj:

One man was killed and at least a dozen others were injured after a clash broke out between two groups during a Trianga Yatra (flag march) in Uttar Pradeshs Kasganj on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh ADG Anand Kumar confirmed the incident to the media. We have arrested several rioters, he said

According to Uttar Pradesh Police, clashes broke out between two groups during a flag march, which further escalated to firing of several rounds of bullet in Kotwali area of the city.

Another police officer not willing to be quoted said, A group of youths associated Vishwa Hind Parishad and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad was carrying out a Tiranga Yatra. When another group pelted stones at the marchers.

Soon, it turned into a violent clash. A man suffered fatal injuries in the firing incident. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment, added the police officer deployed at Kasganj.

Also read: West Bengal: Normalcy returning to riot-hit Baduria, adjacent areas



He also confirmed that the rioters have set several vehicles on fire.

Uttar Pradesh administration has deployed security personnel in large numbers at Kasganj to prevent any untoward incident in the area.

Chief Secretary Home Arvind Kumar told the media that 12 vehicles were damaged by the rioters.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

On the day when India was celebrating its 69th Republic Day, a Pakistan backed 'Black Day' campaign was organised outside the Indian High Commission in Central London.

According to the Black Day organisers, led by Lord Nazir Ahmed, a pro-Pakistan baron in the House of Lords, they were protesting the oppression of Kashmiris in India and wanted an Azad Kashmir.

They were strongly defied by many Indian and British groups resulting in an eruption of clashes and scuffles outside the Indian High Commission leading to police intervention.

I am here today to tell Lord Nazir that they are asking for independence for my state of J&K but I want freedom from Pakistan sponsored terrorism, ceasefire violations, and their proxy war, said an Indian activist and writer from the state of Jammu and Kashmir based in London.

#WATCH Clashes erupted outside Indian High Commission in London as British Lord Nazir called for Azad Kashmir on India's Republic Day pic.twitter.com/IJQb3XajIu  ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2018

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Gurugram:

Gurugram Police on Friday clarified that no Muslim youth was arrested in connection to stone pelting on a school bus and torching of a state bus after a message stating that Muslim boys were behind the attack and not activists of Karni Sena made rounds on the social media.

The message that is making rounds in the social media read, Gurgaon me school bus par pathrav me Karni Sena ke Sadam, Aamir, Nadim, Firoz aur Ashraf ko pakra gaya hai (Police have arrested Karni Sena activists Sadam, Aamir, Nadim, Firoz and Ashraf in connection to Gurgaon school bus attack.

Gurugram Police on learning about the message on Twitter wrote, " It is to bring it to your kind notice that in regard of Padmaavat agitation, total seven cases have been registered in various police stations of distt Gurugram so far."

Gurgaon Police PRO Ravinder Kumar said, Police had arrested 31 protesters for violating prohibitory orders under Section 144. We have charged 18 of the arrested for torching a Haryana roadways bus and pelting the school bus with stones.

ATTENTION PLEASE:

It is to bring it to your kind notice that in regard of Padmaavat agitation, total seven cases have been registered in various police stations of distt Gurugram so far.https://t.co/dkAaAOwImP  Gurugram Police (@gurgaonpolice) January 26, 2018

He added that out of the 18, 11 were sent to 14-day judicial custody, while seven minors will be produced in a juvenile court.

Also read| Padmaavat Row: Karni Sena chief Kalvi claims Gurgaon school bus attack was carried out by Bhansali



On January 25, the day Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmaavat hit the theatres, members of a fringe group hurled stones at a school bus carrying around 24 students and five teachers.

The teachers and students had to crouch to the vehicles floor as the Padmaavat protesters hurled stones at the vehicle.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

As the country geared up for the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted citizens on the occasion.

Greetings on #RepublicDay. Jai Hind (sic), Modi said in a tweet.

India will be showcasing its military prowess, culture and diversity in the presence of leaders of the 10 ASEAN nations who will attend the event at the Rajpath as chief guests.

There will be a march past by the Army personnel carrying the ASEAN flag at the Republic Day parade, where 23 tableaux, including those representing various states, ministries, the

All India Radio (AIR) among others, will roll down the Rajpath.

The city has been wrapped in an unprecedented security blanket with thousands of security personnel keeping a hawk- eyed vigil to prevent any terror strike or untoward incident during the celebrations.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Tech giant Samsung, on Wednesday, announced the official date for the launch of Samsung Galaxy 9 is out.

The company will be launching the new handset at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) which is set to take place in February. The Galaxy 9 is set for February 25 launch in an unpacked event.

The company took to Twitter and shared a teaser of the Galaxy 9 where only the number is written. The picture of the smartphone is yet to be unveiled.

From 02.25.2018. #Unpacked will change how you experience everything. pic.twitter.com/llrGt0Q6gF  Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) January 25, 2018

There is a purple 9 in the center of the invite with the words The Camera outside the number and Reimagined positioned inside the number.

Unclear of any other data, the company has just shared that the camera should be reimagined, which means the camera quality of the smartphone will be good enough than other devices of Samsung.

Also Read: Samsung set to launch new Galaxy On7 Prime, to be an Amazon exclusive

The details given on the website of Samsung give the date of the launch as February 25 and as per Indian time, the launch will take place at 10:30 pm. Live streaming of the launch will take place on the official website of Samsung India.

The MWC, which takes place in Barcelona, is a tech event which features new smartphone launches. It is one of the largest event in the world. The MWC will start on February 26 and will continue up to March 1.
WASHINGTON: At least 3 people were killed in a shooting in the US state of Colorado, authorities said, adding that the suspect was killed by the police. The Arvada Police Department announced that there was a shooting on Monday in Olde Town Arvada and described it as an "active situation" and "very large-scale scene", A police officer was killed in the square near the Arvada Library, and his identity will be released after the family is notified, KUSA-TV, an NBC-affiliated television station, reported, citing the Department as saying. The police said the suspect will be identified by the coroner's office.

Another person, police believe, was shot by the gunman, and died after he was transported to the hospital, according to report. Arvada, with an estimated population of 120,000, is located around 16 km from downtown Denver.

The shooting came after two high-profile mass shootings in Colorado this year. Seven people, including a gunman, were killed after a mass shooting at a birthday party in Colorado Springs in the state on May 9. Ten people, including one police officer, were killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder on March 22. There have been 297 mass shootings and more than 20,800 people died from gun violence so far in the US this year, according to data from Gun Violence Archiv.

Iran stouts it needs guarantee US would quit nuclear deal again

US announces plans to allocate 55mn Covid-19 vaccine doses for global sharing

Northern Takhar province: Afghan forces recapture 2 districts
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

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 predators - by 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 PhD 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 Foundation - FAPESP via a PhD 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.

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 risk - how 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.

###

About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
(Updates with denial from GPA, no comment from Casino)

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 22 (Reuters) - Brazilian food retailer GPA denied on Tuesday in a securities filing reports that its parent company Casino Guichard Perrachon was considering selling its stake in the company.

Two major Brazilian newspapers, O Estado de S. Paulo and Valor Economico, had earlier reported that Casino was considering selling its roughly 41% GPA stake.

O Estado de S. Paulo, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that Casino had hired Brazilian investment bank BR Partners to structure the sale.

Newspaper Valor, citing one source, said Casino was considering a sale, but that it had not hired any banks or advisors. The paper said Casino has been considering such a sale for a significant period of time, but that any operation would depend on the interest of potential buyers.

In a Tuesday morning securities filing, GPA said it had consulted with Casino and it had been informed that no sale process was ongoing.

"GPA ... informs to its shareholders and the market in general, after questioning its management and controlling shareholder, that no bank has been hired and that there is no ongoing sale process," the company said.

Casino declined to comment. BR Partners did not respond to a request for comment.

Casino has reorganized its Latin American assets in recent months in order to improve governance and simplify the structure of its business in the region.

Earlier in June, Reuters reported that GPA was considering spinning off its Colombian Almacenes Exito SA unit.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery in Rio de Janeiro and Paula Laier in Sao Paulo, Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris, Editing by Louise Heavens and Andrea Ricci)
(Adds comments from Mexico's Agriculture Ministry)

By Tom Polansek

CHICAGO, June 21 (Reuters) - Mexico blocked all shipments from the world's largest pork plant in North Carolina due to concerns about the quality of hog skins from the Smithfield Foods facility, the company said on Monday.

The halt in shipments from the plant in Tar Heel, in eastern North Carolina, is a hit to the U.S. pork sector. The facility became ineligible to export to Mexico last Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Mexico was the biggest export market for U.S. pork by volume before being surpassed by China in 2020. A major buyer of hams, Mexico in 2019 purchased about 708,00 metric tons of U.S. pork worth nearly $1.3 billion.

Smithfield, owned by Hong Kong-listed WH Group, said the halt is temporary and the company is working with authorities to resume shipments from Tar Heel. The plant can slaughter about 34,500 hogs a day, about 7% of total U.S. slaughtering, according to industry estimates.

Mexico had concerns about the quality of a specific lot of hog skins the plant sold to a third-party company based in the United States, said Keira Lombardo, Smithfield's chief administrative officer. The third-party company ultimately exported the skins to Mexico, she said.

"We have conducted a thorough internal inquiry and have determined that the issue originates with the third-party company, not with Smithfield nor the facility," Lombardo said.

Lombardo did not identify the third-party company in a statement.

The press office for Mexico's Agriculture Ministry said health safety agency Senasica was reviewing the matter. The office said it could not confirm the agency's role, if any, in the plant becoming ineligible to ship products to Mexico.

Smithfield, the world's biggest pork processor, has multiple U.S. plants and could ship pork to Mexico from facilities other than Tar Heel if necessary, said Steve Meyer, economist for consultancy Partners for Production Agriculture.

"I don't get real worried about one plant on a multi-plant firm, even though it's still not a good thing," Meyer said.

(Reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago; Additional reporting by David Alire in Mexico City; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)
BEAVERTON, Ore., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Biamp Systems, a leading provider of professional audiovisual technology solutions, has announced the acquisition of Neets A/S, a pioneering manufacturer of AV control systems based in Horsens, Denmark.

Highlander Partners. (PRNewsFoto/Highlander Partners, L.P.) (PRNewsFoto/HIGHLANDER PARTNERS_ L_P_)

Neets' highly respected technology offering includes a comprehensive family of device controllers, control interfaces, and control software that is distinct for its ease-of-use and elegant design. It has also recently added several other innovative products that target conferencing applications including media bars, cameras, device hubs, and in-table connectivity systems. Neets' products and expertise enhance Biamp's current control offerings and help cement its leading position as a full line, global supplier of professional AV technology.

"Neets is a company I've been impressed by and have been following for many years. Their products are notable for their extraordinary ease-of-use and careful consideration of everyone that encounters them in the product lifecycle; from designer, to programmer, to installer, to end user," commented Rashid Skaf, Biamp President, CEO, and Co-Chairman. "I'm extremely pleased to welcome Neets into the Biamp family. Neets' products directly complement Biamp's solutions and will let us target an even wider range of venue types, sizes, and use cases and offer even more complete systems. This acquisition makes it easier than ever for our customers to stay within the Biamp solutions family for all applications."

"I am excited to combine forces with Biamp and deliver the benefits of Neets' solutions to a global audience. The Neets team has spent over two decades building and refining the best control solutions in the industry," commented Michael Jarl Christensen, CEO of Neets A/S. "As part of Biamp, with its broad product portfolio and worldwide distribution system, Neets will be able to deliver its products to a far larger customer community."

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The acquisition marks the fifth add-on transaction since Highlander's initial purchase of Biamp in December 2017. Jeff Hull, President and CEO of Highlander Partners, noted that "With each additional organic product innovation and targeted acquisition, Biamp's diverse, complementary line of products expands and further entrenches us as the partner of choice for end users, distributors, and integrators alike."

Ben Slater, Co-Chairman of Biamp and Partner at Highlander Partners, added "At Biamp our driving motivation is to connect people through extraordinary audiovisual experiences  and the world is demanding these connections today more than ever before. This acquisition is the latest step toward furthering this mission. We are thrilled to add both Neets' technology and team to our rapidly growing organization."

About Biamp Systems

Biamp Systems is a leading provider of innovative, networked media systems that power the world's most sophisticated audio/video installations. The company is recognized worldwide for delivering high-quality products and backing each one with a commitment to exceptional customer service.

Biamp is dedicated to creating products that drive the evolution of communication through sight and sound. The award-winning Biamp product suite includes: Tesira media system for digital audio and video networking, TCM beamtracking microphones, Devio collaboration tool for modern workplaces, Audia digital audio platform, Nexia digital signal processors, and Vocia networked public address and voice evacuation system. Each has its own specific feature set that can be customized and integrated in a wide range of applications, including corporate boardrooms, conference centers, huddle rooms, performing arts venues, courtrooms, hospitals, transportation hubs, campuses, and multi-building facilities. For more information on Biamp, please visit www.biamp.com. For more information on Neets A/S, please visit https://neets.io.

About Highlander Partners

Highlander Partners, L.P. is a Dallas-based private investment firm with over $2 billion of assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience. Highlander Partners uses a buy and build investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com.

Cision

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SOURCE Highlander Partners, L.P.
Appointment of business director Jerin Raj will help to advance the regions renewable energy integration, grid reliability targets

BANGKOK, Jun 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the need for integrated power generation, transmission and distribution solutions grows across Asia, Black & Veatch has further strengthened its power transmission and distribution team with the appointment of Jerin Raj as its Asia Power Transmission & Distribution Business Director.

"With the share of renewable energy in Southeast Asias power generation mix increasing, the region will need more integrated power solutions to improve grid efficiencies and resilience. One critical step will be to expand its transmission and distribution networks. Jerins deep knowledge of the regional power transmission sector will further enable Black & Veatch to help clients achieve profitability, reliability and compliance targets through cost and schedule certainty," said Narsingh Chaudhary, Black & Veatch's Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Power Business.

According to Black & Veatchs Strategic Directions: Electric Industry Asia 2021 Report, the most significant investments in new capacity over the next three to five years is expected in renewable energy. Solar (land), energy storage, solar (floating), wind (offshore) and microgrids represent the top five categories.

Regional energy industry leaders caution that underinvestment in more reliable transmission networks is one of the key threats to reliable grid operations and performance across Asian electricity markets.

Raj has over 17 years of global experience in project delivery, business development, sales, proposals, contracting, operations, change management and project management primarily in the power transmission sector. In his previous roles, he organized and ran operations in Southeast Asia and helped to deliver power transmission infrastructure across the East Asia Pacific region. Raj is based in Bangkok.

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A market leader in power transmission and distribution infrastructure, Black & Veatch offers a full range of new and operating asset services from consulting, engineering, to full Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) in areas including substations, overhead and underground transmission lines, renewables integration, high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission and flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS).

Click here to download a supporting image.

Editors Notes:

Black & Veatch has been engaged in transmission and substation work since the 1940s. In 2019 alone, the company completed more than 1,900 substation and 500 transmission projects globally. The companys full EPC experience in Asia for Gas Insulated Substations (GIS) is supported by architectural, civil and structural and full transmission capabilities.

Black & Veatch was part of a consortium that built a 500 kV GIS, 230 kV GIS, and 115 kV new substation at Chachoengsao 2 for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand near Bangkok.

In Singapore, the company provided conceptual and detailed engineering for the 230/66 kV GIS substation in the Singapore National Environment Agencys Integrated Waste Management Facility.

Black & Veatch is the exclusive design consultant of Breakthrough Overhead Line Designs (BOLD) innovative transmission line technology in Asia. The company provides BOLD consultancy services to clients in India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Black & Veatchs experience includes lattice-steel, tubular steel, concrete and wood structures with all possible configurations. The company provides engineering and design in urban and rural areas with voltages ranging from 66kV to 765kV. Its interconnection and collector substation project experience includes a wide variety of bus configurations and voltage levels through 765kV.

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is an employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2020 exceeded US$3.0 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

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Contacts

Media Contact Information:

EMILY CHIA | +65 6335 6623 P | +65 9875 8907 M | Chialp@bv.com

24-HOUR MEDIA HOTLINE | +1 866-496-9149
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.

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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.

EIA

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.

Ecopetrol

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

Manati

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

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

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By Jeffrey Dastin and Paresh Dave

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google plans to shut down a long-running program aimed at entry-level engineers from underrepresented backgrounds after participants said it enforced "systemic pay inequities," according to internal correspondence seen by Reuters.

Google confirmed it was replacing the Engineering Residency with a new initiative, saying it is "always evaluating programs to ensure they evolve and adapt over time to meet the needs of our employees."

Google last year pledged to improve retention for underrepresented employee groups.

Critics have long argued that Google and its tech industry peers favor white, Asian and male workers in hiring, promotions and pay. Companies have grown more attuned to concerns about workforce diversity since the Black Lives Matter protests a year ago.

The Google residency, often referred to as "Eng Res," has since 2014 given graduates from hundreds of schools a chance to work on different teams, receive training and prove themselves for a permanent job over the course of a year. It offered a cohort of peers for bonding, three former residents said.

Residents were Google's "most diverse pool" of software engineers and came "primarily from underrepresented groups," according to a June 2020 presentation and an accompanying letter to management that one source said over 500 current and former residents signed.

Compared with other software engineers, residents received the lowest possible pay for their employment level, a smaller year-end bonus and no stock, creating a compensation deficit "in the mid tens of thousands of dollars," the presentation said.

Nearly all residents converted to regular employees, according to the presentation. Many alumni years later have continued to feel the "negative effect" of their starting pay on their current salary, it said. Google said it worked to eliminate long-term disparities when hiring residents permanently.

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The letter came after Google gave big donations https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/commitments-racial-equity to promote racial justice amid the global outcry over the police murder of George Floyd. Black, Latinx and female staff "deserve more than just 'the opportunity to be at Google,'" the letter said.

"Google is willing to invest large sums of money in issues of racial inequity outside of the workplace, but still seems unwilling to address or even acknowledge the role that the Eng Res program plays in enforcing systemic pay inequities," it said.

Vice President Maggie Johnson emailed alumni on June 2 saying Google would replace the residency with a new program it was devising for 2022, called Early Career Immersion (ECI). The message, seen by Reuters, did not explain reasons for the switch but said ECI would include mentoring and training.

The company said the program would provide permanent employment. Concerns about being offered a job made the engineering residency feel "probationary," the Google employees' presentation said.

The old program tried to provide "a wide range of high potential engineers" a chance to "hone their skills and gain relevant experience as they start their careers," Google said in a statement. "Our Early Career Immersion onboarding program will provide a new approach."

Google continues to run other fixed-term residencies, including 26-month roles working on internal technical systems and an 18-month program for artificial intelligence researchers. The company said it had no updates on the other residencies.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin and Paresh Dave; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Gerry Doyle)
Crypto bought from overseas exchanges by investors in India could be subject to a 2% levy, according to an Economic Times report.

Indias tax department is looking into whether a 2% equalization levy applies to crypto assets, the Economic Times reported Monday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The levy  also known as the Google tax  imposes the charge on services provided in India by overseas e-commerce companies.

Experts have speculated whether this could apply to crypto exchanges.

The way the new equalization levy is worded and defined, it appears that it will also be applicable on cryptocurrency bought from an exchange not based in India, Girish Vanvari, the founder of tax-advisory firm Transaction Square, told the ET.

The levy would apply to the selling price and, therefore, exchanges may need to add it to the cost of the assets, he said.

Nevertheless, it may be difficult for the government to impose the levy in the absence of a regulatory framework for the treatment of crypto assets, according to Amit Maheshwari, a partner at tax-consulting firm AKM Global.

In the absence of any guidelines on the treatment of crypto assets, there is ambiguity in how these would be treated under the tax laws and FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act), he said.
The Kymeta u8 Terminal is selected to support the U.S. Armys modernization of mission-critical communications for armored units

REDMOND, Wash., Jun 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kymeta (www.kymetacorp.com), the communications company making mobile global, announced today that it has been selected to participate in the U.S. Armys Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) satellite communications on the move (SOTM) pilot program. The program will assess communications solutions on select vehicles to enhance battlefield network and command post communications.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005288/en/

The Kymeta u8 is the comprehensive connectivity solution that is available today and enables trusted, secure communications on the go and on the pause with a host of innovative features. (Photo: Business Wire)

The ABCT pilot program will be led by General Dynamics Mission Systems, and Kymeta will supply eight u8 terminals for integration and testing on a variety of ABCT vehicles. Kymeta is the worlds first and only metamaterial-based SOTM terminal, and its electronically steered flat panel antenna platform utilizes satellite and cellular connectivity for communications on the move and on the pause.

"Kymetas advanced technology has become an operational asset in many Special Operations units. We are honored to support the U.S. Army in its efforts to modernize ABCT communications," said Rob Weitendorf, Vice President, Business Development, Kymeta. "On-the-move tactical connectivity is essential for combat teams during mission-critical operations, and we are proud to support PEO C3T and PM Tactical Network in its efforts to improve communications in the armored brigades."

Today, the u8 terminal is the only electronically steered antenna available and capable of supporting both low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary (GEO) satellite constellations. The u8 includes future-proof capabilities with its ability to automatically switch back and forth from GEO satellite constellations with linear polarization and LEO constellations with circular polarization.

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Kymetas advanced SOTM terminals automatically acquire and track satellites, join associated networks, and establish communications without moving parts or operator intervention. In addition, the u8 supports multiple modems and network architectures, ensuring that legacy systems are interoperable and that they have the highest levels of security, encryption, and authentication. Visit www.kymetacorp.com to learn more.

About Kymeta

Kymeta is unlocking the potential of broadband satellite connectivity, combined with cellular networks, to satisfy the overwhelming demand for comms on the move and making mobile global. Lepton Global Solutions, a Kymeta company, hosts the companys satellite connectivity solutions and offers unique, complete, and turnkey bundled solutions to the market based on best-in-class technologies and tailored customer-centric services that meet and exceed customer mission requirements. These solutions in tandem with the companys flat-panel satellite antenna, the first of its kind, and Kymeta Connect services provide revolutionary mobile connectivity on satellite and hybrid satellite-cellular networks to customers around the world. Backed by U.S. and international patents and licenses, the Kymeta terminal addresses the need for lightweight, slim, and high-throughput communication systems that do not require mechanical components to steer toward a satellite. Kymeta makes connecting easy  for any vehicle, vessel, or fixed platform.

Kymeta is a privately held company based in Redmond, Washington.

For more information, visit kymetacorp.com.

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Contacts

Business Inquiries for Kymeta:

Brenda Kuhns

Director of Marketing and Communications

Kymeta Corporation

bkuhns@kymetacorp.com

Media Inquiries for Kymeta:

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Director of PR & Content

The Summit Group

abarry@summitslc.com
(Reuters) -The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union in the United States and Canada, is stepping up efforts to unionize workers at Amazon.com Inc by creating a company-specific division to aid workers, it said on Tuesday.

Representatives from 500 unions, which together account for 1.4 million workers in the United States, have come together at the 30th international convention of Teamsters to support and help improve the livelihoods of Amazon workers.

The union tweeted that delegates will vote on a resolution to make the campaign at Amazon a 'top priority'.

It is also planning pressure campaigns involving work stoppages, petitions and other collective action to push Amazon to bargain over working conditions and meet workers' demands.

Amazon did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

The e-commerce giant and one of the largest private employers in America has for decades discouraged attempts among its over 800,000 U.S. employees to organize, showing managers how to identify union activity, raising wages and warning that union dues would cut into pay.

In April, Amazon Alabama workers voted against forming a union, owing to factors including the company's fierce resistance to unionization, workers' skepticism that organizing would get them a better deal and decisions on election parameters. (https://reut.rs/3d3UxV7)

(Reporting by Chavi Mehta and Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Arun Koyyur)
Motley Fool

Shares of Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ: SWBI) were down almost 12% in morning trading Friday after the FBI reported background checks on gun buyers tumbled 22% in June. After three years of the so-called "Trump slump" that followed President Trump's election in 2016, the firearms industry came roaring back last year on the prospect of a so-called "Biden bump" that was based on a trio of forces pushing gun sales higher last year: big-city riots, calls to "defund the police," and the fear President Joe Biden would enact stricter gun control legislation. Smith & Wesson sales have been at record levels, and it recently crossed the $1 billion sales threshold.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Nokia said its employees can choose to work up to three days a week remotely with increased support for flexible working hours from January after its current work from home policy comes to an end in December.

The Finnish telecom equipment maker conducted a survey of its employees at the end of last year and a majority said they wanted to work two to three days per week remotely, up from an average of two days before the coronavirus pandemic.

"The pandemic forced organisations to change. Technology gave people the tools to innovate. In many cases, the results have been too good to go back to the old way of doing things," Chief Executive Pekka Lundmark said.

The company, which had about 92,000 employees in 130 countries at the end of 2020, said in March it plans to cut up to 10,000 jobs within two years to trim costs and invest more in research capabilities.

Nokia plans to redesign offices to allocate up to 70% of the space in some sites to teamwork and meetings, with less area reserved for workspaces.

Offices in Dallas, Singapore and Budapest have already been reconfigured, with further sites expected to be completed by the end of the year as Nokia follows companies worldwide in opting for more hybrid working in the wake of the pandemic.

Carmaker Renault and Stellantis, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, has made agreements with workers to allow employees to work from home for up to three days a week.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee, European Technology & Telecoms Correspondent, based in Stockholm; Editing by Alison Williams)
The future of work is long on long-distance, and today a startup that's built a platform to help organizations hire global talent and build out those remote workforces is announcing a round of funding on the heels of strong growth.

Oyster -- which provides tools to help with hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits and salary management services for both contractors and full-time employees working outside of an organization's home country -- has closed a Series B of $50 million.

We understand that the funding is coming in at a $475 million valuation, six times the company's valuation when it last raised money -- a $20 million round just four months ago. The company itself has seen business grow "exponentially" since then, said Tony Jamous, London-based Oyster's CEO who co-founded the company with Jack Mardack. The company now works with 80 large businesses, he said, helping them fill knowledge worker roles.

Stripes is leading the Series B, with previous backers Emergence Capital and The Slack Fund, as well as new investor Avid Ventures, also participating.

Jamous told me back in February that the idea for building Oyster was planted when he was working at his first startup, Nexmo (which eventually he sold to Vonage), after being faced with the challenges of hiring talent internationally, and specifically the millions the company invested to build out the infrastructure to do so itself, as every country has very specific procedures for employing people and handling all of the contractual, tax and regulatory details related to that.

Oyster's mission has been to make it possible for any company to hire wherever they want, without going through that pain themselves, making the "world their oyster," so to speak.

While that in itself is a great idea that definitely fills a need for businesses, it has also been compounded by recent changing tides. Not only are more people wanting to work further afield, but at "home", many companies -- especially those who need to fill knowledge worker roles -- are facing talent shortages. All of this is driving even more demand for sourcing and hiring candidates from further afield, and fostering a culture in the workplace that it's possible to work well even if you are not in the same physical space.

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"What's happening in the world is that there's a talent shortage, and also there's no need to be in the office anymore," he said. "When it comes to tapping into the global talent pool, if you think about it, if you're a London-based company, then the chances that your best talent is in London is less than 1%. So by tapping into the global talent pool, suddenly you're dramatically increasing your chances, especially if you depend on talent as a key source of your success."

Many startups in the market today are targeting the remote working opportunity -- helping companies source and hire people wherever they happen to be located -- and Oyster is not the only one of them raising big money to scale. Others include Deel, which is now valued at $1.25 billion; Turing; Papaya Global (now also valued at over $1 billion); Remote; and many more.

Oyster is not -- yet? -- in the business of helping to source or vet potential hires, but once someone is identified and an organization wants to make an offer, Oyster provides a seamless way to handle the rest, including giving advice on whether it's best to hire the person as a contractor or full-time employee (the trend here, he said, is full time), how to handle benefits based on the country in which the talent is based, and other aspects of remuneration, again particular to each local market. Pricing ranges from $29 per person, per month for contractors, to $399 for working with full employees, to other packages for larger deployments.

The company also has a public service mission in all this. Jamous himself originally hails from Lebanon and has a particular mission to help people from less high-profile parts of the world, and emerging countries, also get on the career ladder. In this day and age, since relocation and migration are no longer a must-do, it opens up a lot of opportunities for people that didn't exist before. Oyster applied for, and now has, B-Corp certification, which it's using to fill out that global employment and talent mandate.

This is not just for greater good, though. There are actual talent shortages, and a recent study from Korn Ferry, cited by Oyster, found that 1.5 billion knowledge workers will be entering the workforce in the next decade from emerging economies. Building tools to help hire and manage that talent makes business sense.

Were thrilled to partner with Stripes for the next chapter of growth and positive impact for Oyster, said Jack Mardack, co-founder of Oyster, in a statement. Investors like Stripes, Emergence, Slack Fund, Avid, and PeopleTech Partners among others, who share in our passion for the Oyster mission and vision for the future of work, give us the rocket fuel we need to change the world by unblocking access to job opportunities for everyone.

"The transition to remote work is one of the most fundamental macro trends in business today and COVID-19 accelerated that transition by 10 years, said Saagar Kulkarni, partner at Stripes, in a statement. Oyster makes it seamless for any company to hire the best person for each job, removing location as a barrier. Tony and the team have built the best software product in the market and are poised to build a market-defining company. We are thrilled to join the entire Oyster team on their mission to level the playing field for the global workforce.
Launch of Torque brand propels company's mission to streamline DevOps processes and accelerate software delivery

AUSTIN, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quali, the award-winning provider of Environments-as-a-Service infrastructure automation solutions, today unveiled its new brand vision, including a refreshed visual identity and the renaming of its two core platforms. Quali CloudShell (formerly CloudShell Pro) helps infrastructure teams rapidly deliver environments for dev, test, certification, support, demo, cyber security and other use cases while enforcing compliance, maintaining governance and controlling costs. And for application teams, Quali Torque (formerly Colony) delivers self-service environments built for DevOps that speed app development and delivery.

Quali (PRNewsfoto/Quali)

"CloudShell is the trusted brand for infrastructure teams who want to quickly roll out environments that are purpose built for their specific use cases. We wanted to build on the foundation that Quali has laid while augmenting the value that we bring to the industry," said Quali CEO, Lior Koriat. "At the same time, we want to chart new ground for an entirely different DevOps user base with our Torque platform. Today's announcement is just the beginning of the Torque story and our plans to take continuous environments for DevOps to market in a big way."

By using pre-built environment blueprints, Torque adds power and velocity to environment provisioning. Torque helps DevOps teams focus on building and improving applicationsunburdened from setting up and tearing down infrastructure or worrying about managing costs and compliance protocols. Most Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions require substantial manual processes to configure the ready to run environments developers need to be productive. By contrast, Quali's application-centric approach to delivering Environments as a Service automates the complexity, making it easier than ever to increase DevOps productivity. Additionally, infrastructure sprawl creates a growing burden for businesses to manage costs and compliance. Environment blueprinting with Torque helps DevOps users speed software delivery to accelerate innovation.

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"The world needs a new way to approach infrastructure, one that actually ts the needs of developers and organizations, where infrastructure transforms from a burden to a launchpad that propels business forward. By streamlining infrastructure complexity, Quali gives teams the freedom to continue building the future," said Yoav Tzruya, Quali's Chairman of the Board and General Partner at Jerusalem Venture Partners who co-led Quali's recent round of venture funding. "The company's vision and market roadmap reflect its redoubled commitment to revolutionizing Environments as a Service."

The ability to deliver software with speed and safety at scale is more important to business success than ever before, and more difficult to achieve. By seamlessly removing obstacles and accelerating the complete development lifecycle at every level, Quali's CloudShell and Torque platforms deliver unbound environments fostering creativity, innovation and transformation to enable organizations with the freedom to build the future, anywhere and everywhere.

About Quali

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Quali provides the leading platform for Infrastructure Automation at ScaleTM. Global 2000 enterprises and innovators everywhere rely on Quali's award-winning CloudShell platform to create self-service, on-demand automation solutions that increase engineering productivity, cut cloud costs and optimize infrastructure utilization. For more information, please visit https://www.quali.com and follow Quali on Twitter and LinkedIn .

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SOURCE Quali
Proven sales leader brings more than 20 years of healthcare experience to help Implicity accelerate its expansion into the US market

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Implicity , a leader in remote patient monitoring software and cardiac data management solutions, today announced the addition of Tim Laird as Vice President of SalesNorth America. Laird is an accomplished sales leader with deep expertise in cardiology and electrophysiology. He has diverse work experiences ranging from large global players, such as Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Abbott, and LivaNova to small, innovative startups in the medtech and IT space.

Implicity Logo (PRNewsfoto/Implicity)

"With two decades working in various healthcare sectors, Tim brings a wealth of commercial leadership experience. Having developed multiple start-ups in the field of medical devices and medical software, Tim will help strengthen our market penetration efforts in North America to help Implicity achieve its mission of widening access to remote cardiac monitoring worldwide," said Dr. Arnaud Rosier, electrophysiologist, CEO and founder of Implicity.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) of cardiac devices is one of the fastest growing healthcare segments. Manufacturers continue to develop new medical devices (i.e. pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, etc.) that can be used to monitor, treat or diagnose heart conditions remotely. However, the amount of information transferred from patients' cardiac devices is overwhelming. Medical teams are struggling to access, analyze and integrate the tsunami of data coming through.

Implicity is designed to address the problem by offering an intelligent, cloud-based platform that gives hospitals, clinics and cardiology teams centralized access to data from all Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (CIEDs) across all manufacturers (i.e. Abbott, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Microport). Implicity's AI-enabled technology provides highly accurate and contextual alerts, and personalized reports that optimize patient management while reducing data burden on medical teams. In addition, the solution includes a critical billing tool that can generate significant revenue and cost savings.

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"Implicity is a truly cutting-edge trailblazer with ambitious plans for the future," said Tim Laird, VP of Sales at Implicity. "The company is already a leader in remote patient monitoring in Europe, and it is my honor to have this opportunity to speed expansion into the US market. Our value proposition to medical centers is compelling, and our pipeline is robust. We are well positioned to scale and enter the phase of growth: we're just getting started."

Two additional new hires will bolster support for Implicity's US launch and rapid global expansion. Issam Ibnouhsein, Ph.D., recently joined the company as Head of Data Science. Prior to joining Implicity, he served as Director of Research and Innovation at the artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation consulting firm Quantmetry. And earlier this month, Jean-Luc Bonnet was named Head of Clinical Affairs, bringing with more than 25 years of clinical experience in implantable devices, such as cardiac rhythm management devices. He published more than 40 scientific articles and filed more than 40 patent families.

Implicity is currently working on new features to enhance its technology and support cardiologists and electrophysiologists in their use of Remote Patient Monitoring. In particular, the company is focused on adding new platform capabilities enabled by AI and Machine learning that will make patient management even more efficient and personalized.

In May, Implicity signed a distribution agreement with medical manufacturer, MicroPort CRM USA. The Medtech company is also one of six innovators selected to join Plug and Play Cleveland  one of the world's largest accelerator programs.

Read more on how Implicity is transforming cardiology practice with cutting-edge technologies here.



Contact us to see a custom live demo.

About Implicity

Implicity is a digital MedTech created in 2016 with a global presence and a strong leadership position in Europe. Implicity provides a remote cardiac monitoring and research platform used by Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities and medical centers to deliver high-quality care for patients with connected cardiac devices. On this platform, Implicity aggregates, normalizes and standardizes data from any implantable cardiac device across all manufacturers. Furthermore, Implicity carries out R&D on AI-based algorithms aiming at improving patient care and serving the future of preventive medicine. Implicity has been the first company authorized to access the Health Data Hub*, one of largest databases of patients with heart diseases in the world, supporting the development of its AI solutions. Implicity covers more than 40,000 patients in over 70 medical facilities across Europe and the United States. For more information visit: www.implicity.com



* Health Data Hub is a health data platform put in place by the French government to combine existing health patient databases and facilitate their usage for research and development purposes.

Media Contact:

Andrea LePain

eMedia Junction

617-275-8112

andrea@emediajunction.com

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SOURCE Implicity
(Repeats removing "EMBARGOED" from headline, no changes to text)

By Allison Lampert

June 21 (Reuters) - Parkland Corp said on Monday it will open up to 100 ultra-fast electric vehicle charging ports in British Columbia by 2022, creating the largest network in the province by site count, up from just a handful in Canada today.

Calgary-based Parkland, Canada's second largest convenience store operator, said it will invest C$10 million $8.09 million) in the network at about 25 existing retail sites from Vancouver Island to Calgary.

"What we can offer our customers is charge points every 100 to 150 kilometres (93.2 miles) along major routes," Parkland chief executive Bob Espey told Reuters.

Most sites will incorporate a restaurant and convenience store for customer use during the estimated 20 minutes it will take their vehicles to charge, generating additional revenue.

Oil companies and convenience store operators are betting on higher profits in the EV era from sales of groceries and snacks at retail networks, which are expected to remain an essential port of call for motorists.

"The opportunity here is the average energy sale will go from 90 seconds to 20 minutes," Espey said. "With that dwell time, we'll expect that not only can we charge for the energy but people will be spending more time at our sites."

British Columbia had almost 55,000 zero emissions vehicles as of December 2020 and was a North American leader in ZEV purchases in North America last year, with new sales averaging 9.4%, according to a provincial government report.

Espey said future rollouts of EV chargers would depend on how many of the cars are sold, which varies across Canada.

While EV usage remains comparatively low in North America, convenience store operators must adapt as those numbers grow, analysts say.

"When you go from 7% to 15%, those are a lot of vehicles you can no longer rely on," said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

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Larger rival Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc has a vast network of charging ports in countries like Norway and plans a rollout in Canada and the United States.

The sale of electric cars overtook those powered by petrol, diesel and hybrid engines in Norway in 2020.

Parkland does not operate in Europe. ($1 = 1.2358 Canadian dollars) (Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Ocugen, Inc. ("Ocugen" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: OCGN). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

The investigation concerns whether Ocugen and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On May 26, 2021, Ocugen stated its plan to submit an Emergency Use Authorization ("EUA") application for COVAXIN, a COVID-19 vaccine, to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration ("FDA") in June 2021. Then, on June 10, 2021, the Company issued a press release announcing that it "will no longer pursue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for COVAXIN" but would instead "pursue submission of a biologics license application (BLA) for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, COVAXIN." The Company's Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and co-founder further disclosed that "[a]lthough we were close to finalizing our EUA application for submission, we received a recommendation from the FDA to pursue a BLA path[,]" and that "this will extend our timelines[.]"

On this news, Ocugen's stock price fell $2.62 per share, or 28.14%, to close at $6.69 per share on June 10, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

Story continues

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

Cision

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/  Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of ChemoCentryx, Inc. ("ChemoCentryx" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: CCXI). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

The investigation concerns whether ChemoCentryx and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On May 4, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") released a "Briefing Document" concerning ChemoCentryx's drug candidate avacopan, which is in development for the treatment of adult patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA) vasculitis. To support its New Drug Application for avacopan, ChemoCentryx relied primarily upon its Phase III ADVOCATE study. In the Briefing Document, the FDA wrote that "[c]omplexities of the study design . . . raise questions about the interpretability of the data to define a clinically meaningful benefit of avacopan and its role in the management of" ANCA vasculitis. The FDA further wrote that it had "identified several areas of concern, raising uncertainty about the interpretability of the[] data and the clinical meaningfulness of these results."

On this news, ChemoCentryx's stock price fell $22.19 per share, or 45.45%, to close at $26.63 per share on May 4, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

Story continues

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

Cision

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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
OTTAWA, ON, June 22, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Singapore Food Agency have agreed to an African swine fever (ASF) zoning arrangement to allow for the safe trade of swine products from disease-free zones in Canada in the event of an ASF outbreak.

ASF is a viral disease that does not infect humans, but poses a significant risk to the health of Canadian swine herds, pork industry and the Canadian economy.

Following their evaluation of CFIA's zoning proposal, Singapore agreed to a regionalization arrangement with Canada. This means that restrictions on the import of Canadian pork and pork products into Singapore, valued at CAD $10 million per year, would only be limited to the areas within the Primary Control Zone(s), once established, if a case of ASF were to be found in Canada. This arrangement would serve to minimize trade impacts to the Canadian swine sector while protecting the swine populations in both countries.

Zoning is an internationally-recognized tool used to help manage diseases and facilitate international trade. If a case of ASF is identified, geographic boundaries are defined to contain the outbreak. The area within these geographic boundaries form the Primary Control Zone(s) established in accordance with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines. The areas outside of these Primary Control Zone(s) are considered disease-free zones.

Zoning arrangements have been established with the U.S., the EU and now Singapore, and they are being pursued with other trading partners. The arrangement with Singapore is another positive step in Canada's prevention and preparedness efforts related to ASF. The Government of Canada is working collaboratively with other countries, industry and other stakeholders to best address the threats this disease poses. To support these efforts, the ASF Executive Management Board was formed to serve as a specialized taskforce, made up of senior industry and government representatives, to provide leadership and strategic direction relating to the risk management of ASF.

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Quotes

"Reducing the risks presented by African Swine Fever is a top priority for our Government. That's why we are taking unprecedented steps to reduce the risk ASF poses to our pig population, our economy and the livelihoods of over one hundred thousand Canadians. We will continue to work with international partners to prevent the spread of African swine fever and mitigate its potential impact on Canada's economy."

- The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"Preparedness is of utmost importance in order to react quickly and to prevent the spread of an animal disease. That's why Canada is taking unprecedented steps in preventing and mitigating the potential impact of African swine fever (ASF) here at home, while collaborating with other countries as a leader in the global fight against ASF."

- Dr. Jaspinder Komal, Chief Veterinary Officer for Canada

Quick facts

Canada's pork industry supports more than 103,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributes about CAD $24 billion annually to the Canadian economy.





In 2020, the Canadian pork industry exported 1.4 million tonnes valued just over CAD $5 billion to 93 export markets.





Canada is the third-largest pork exporting country in both value and volume and represents 14% of the world's pork trade. Canada exports nearly 70% of its live hog and pork production.





Singapore is the 16th largest destination for Canadian pork. Canada exported 3,327 tonnes of pork to Singapore in 2020, valued at CAD $10 million.





There is no treatment or vaccine for ASF. The CFIA is keeping a close eye on any research related to the treatment and control of ASF, including vaccine development, through international collaboration.





There is no evidence that the ASF virus can infect humans, and it is not considered a food safety risk.

Associated links

Follow us on social media Twitter: @InspectionCan

SOURCE Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

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View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2021/22/c3879.html
ZURICH, June 22 (Reuters) - Switzerland on Tuesday said children between 12 and 15 years old could be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the shot from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

The recommendation follows approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine earlier this month for 12-15 year olds by Switzerland's drug regulator, and is aimed primarily at youth in groups who may be at high risk of severe disease should they contract COVID-19, including those suffering from a chronic condition, or those who have contact with somebody in a risk group.

The country, which has until now been vaccinating people 16 and over with the Pfizer/BioNTech shot, added the younger age group with the goal of both preventing rare serious infections in younger people and reducing sources of possible transmission.

The vaccine, like for people over 16 years, must be given in two doses after clinical trials showed around 100% efficiency in the younger age group, drugs regulator Swissmedic has said. (Reporting by John Miller Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Partnership grants investors and traders in Canada free access to stock analysis and performance of analysts on the Questrade platform

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 22, 2021 /CNW/ -- TipRanks, the developer of the world's first Financial Accountability Engine, has partnered with Questrade, Canada's fastest growing online brokerage, in an effort to arm Questrade's customers with the tools needed to evaluate individual stocks and make informed investment decisions. As of June 4th, TipRanks' data-driven tool has been integrated into the Questrade web and IQ Edge platforms, at no additional cost to users. TipRanks' data will cover both US and Canadian companies, drastically extending the research offering available to all Questrade customers.

According to a study by the Ontario Securities Commission, nearly half of Canadian investors had not bought or sold any investments during the course of the pandemic. The volatility and uncertainties led them to become passive investors during this time. Despite dealing with the effects of the pandemic for over a year, nearly 70 percent of Canadians admit difficulties in knowing what to do when it comes to their investments in the current environment. This places Canadian investors and traders in need of data, to help them make better informed investment decisions with confidence in the post-pandemic world.

The TipRanks Financial Accountability Engine offers investors and traders all the information they need to know to determine who to trust, and make educated investment decisions. The company uses machine learning and natural language processing algorithms to see the track record and measured performance of any stock analyst, blogger, hedge fund, or corporate insider dating back to January, 2009.

Through their new partnership, Questrade customers will have access to TipRanks' interactive stock research capabilities, including the Smart Score tool, which scores stocks on a scale of one to ten based on eight unique market factors. Additional tools include analysts' consensus; ratings and price targets; and sentiments for stocks in the U.S and Canada that are being researched. In the coming months the brokerage will implement a more comprehensive suite of TipRanks' tools onto its platforms.

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Questrade is the first brokerage in Canada to offer the TipRanks award-winning stock score directly to its clients; and it joins other major global financial institutions that have integrated TipRanks products. These include TD Bank, NASDAQ, TD Ameritrade, Saxo Bank, Interactive Brokers, Santander, E*Trade, eToro and others.

"We are delighted to partner with Questrade in their mission to empower investors," says Uri Gruenbaum, CEO, TipRanks. "Our ability to simplify institutional-level research tools is game-changing. We level the playing field by giving retail investors access to visualized and intuitive research tools which help them make better, data-driven decisions."

"We're on a mission to empower and educate Canadians on their journey to financial independence by investing in informative and interactive tools like TipRanks," said Edward Kholodenko, President and CEO, Questrade. "Through this partnership, we are offering powerful research capabilities to investors, and will also be the first brokerage in Canada to offer TipRanks' Smart Score  an award-winning rating system that helps identify high potential stocks  directly to our customers. Helping them invest confidently and succeed is our ultimate goal."

Contact:

TipRanks

marina@tipranks.com

varda.bachrach@tipranks.com

Questrade

susan@thesirengroup.com

About TipRanks

TipRanks is a leading fintech company founded in 2012 with the goal of bringing transparency to the markets. TipRanks has developed the world's first Financial Accountability Engine that tracks and measures events including analyst ratings, social media activity, corporate filings, and news analysis. TipRanks owns and operates www.tipranks.com/ serving more than 2 million investors and provides proprietary datasets to the tier one banks and online brokers.

TipRanks is backed by top tier VC's and industry leaders including former AG and governor of NY Eliot Spitzer, finance professor Roni Michaely, Poalim Capital Markets, PryTek and others. TipRanks was named one of the world's 50 Fintech "Emerging Stars" by KPMG and H2 Ventures.

About Questrade

Questrade is Canada's fastest growing online brokerage that is changing the Canadian financial services industry by leveraging technology to lower fees while providing a viable alternative to traditional financial investment options, thereby allowing Canadians to Keep More of their Money. As a leader and innovator in financial services, Questrade is a trusted ally that advocates for consumers, focused on improving value. With 21 years of challenging the status quo as Canada's leading, non-bank online brokerage, over $25 billion in assets under administration and more than 200,000 accounts opened every year, Questrade and its companies provide financial products and services: securities and foreign currency investment. Questrade has been named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for the tenth year in a row, achieving Platinum status. For more information visit www.questrade.com or on Facebook and Twitter @Questrade. Questrade, Inc. is a registered investment dealer, a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF).

*MoneySense 2019

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SOURCE TipRanks

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View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2021/22/c7017.html
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / The law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP announces that class action litigation has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired the securities of Ubiquiti Inc. ("Ubiquiti" or the "Company") (NYSE:UI) between January 11, 2021 and March 30, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period").



If you purchased or otherwise acquired Ubiquiti securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court for appointment as lead plaintiff by no later than July 19, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your share of any recovery in the actions will not be affected by your decision of whether to seek appointment as lead plaintiff. You may retain Lieff Cabraser, or other attorneys, as your counsel in the action.

Ubiquiti investors who wish to learn more about the litigation and how to seek appointment as lead plaintiff should click here or contact Sharon M. Lee of Lieff Cabraser toll-free at 1-800-541-7358.

Background on the Ubiquiti Securities Class Litigation

Ubiquiti, headquartered in New York, New York, manufactures and sells wireless data communication and wired products for enterprises and homes.

The action alleges that, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Company minimized the severity of its data breach in January 2021; (2) hackers had obtained full access to Ubiquiti's servers and also obtained access to, among other things, all databases, user database credentials, and secrets required to forge single sign-on (SSO) cookies; (3) as a result of the data breach, attackers could remotely access Ubiquiti's customers' devices; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

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On March 30, 2021, following the close of the market, cybersecurity news website Krebs on Security ("Krebs") reported that Ubiquiti had understated the scale of its data breach, which began in December 2020, and that the Company's statement on the breach "downplayed and [was] purposefully written to imply that a 3rd party cloud vendor was at risk and that Ubiquiti was merely a casualty of that, instead of the target of the attack." According to the Krebs report, a Ubiquiti security professional noted that the Company had been aware for months that attackers had "administrative access to all Ubiquiti AWS accounts, including . . . all user database credentials, and secrets required to forge single sign-on (SSO) cookies." On this news, the Company's stock price fell $50.70, or 14.5%, from its closing price of $349.00 on March 30, 2021, to close at $298.30 per share on March 31, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

On April 4, 2021, Krebs published another article, highlighting that Ubiquiti continued to "confirm[] and reinforce[] th[e] claims" from the March 30, 2021 article.

About Lieff Cabraser

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Nashville, is a nationally recognized law firm committed to advancing the rights of investors and promoting corporate responsibility.

The National Law Journal has recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of the nation's top plaintiffs' law firms for fourteen years. In compiling the list, the National Law Journal examines recent verdicts and settlements and looked for firms "representing the best qualities of the plaintiffs' bar and that demonstrated unusual dedication and creativity." Law360 has selected Lieff Cabraser as one of the Top 50 law firms nationwide for litigation, highlighting our firm's "laser focus" and noting that our firm routinely finds itself "facing off against some of the largest and strongest defense law firms in the world." Benchmark Litigation has named Lieff Cabraser one of the "Top 10 Plaintiffs' Firms in America."

For more information about Lieff Cabraser and the firm's representation of investors, please visit https://www.lieffcabraser.com/.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Source/Contact for Media Inquiries Only

Sharon M. Lee

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

Telephone: 1-800-541-7358

SOURCE: Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/652447/UBIQUITI-SHAREHOLDERS-July-19-2021-Filing-Deadline-in-Class-Action--Contact-Lieff-Cabraser




ABUJA, June 22 (Reuters) - A West African court said on Tuesday that Nigerian authorities could not prosecute people for using Twitter while it considered a suit seeking to overturn a ban on its use, a non-governmental group that initiated the legal action said.

The government on June 4 indefinitely suspended Twitter, two days after the social media platform removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists, which Twitter said violated its rules.

Soci-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a Nigerian NGO, along with other groups, went to court to fight the ban, arguing that it was a violation of human rights.

The Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said it was restraining the Nigerian government from acting against citizens or media outlets over the use of Twitter, pending a substantive ruling on the core issue, according to a statement from SERAP.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach the ECOWAS court, and spokesmen for the Nigeria's president were not immediately available for comment.

The Nigerian attorney general said on June 5 that those who defied the ban should be prosecuted, but did not provide any details as to which law would be invoked.

(Reporting by Tife Owolabi, additional reporting by Camillus Eboh and Felix Onuah, Writing by Estelle Shirbon, Editing by William Maclean)
LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wavex, a Microsoft Gold partner providing leading managed IT and security services has announced the launch of APEX Advanced Threat Detection (ATD), a completely new solution that leverages their APEX platform to monitor risky IT behaviors and offer clients an early warning of cyber threats.

Wavexs Advanced Threat Detection solution helps companies detect breaches in minutes (PRNewsfoto/Wavex Technology)

Most data breaches can go undetected for months, leaving hackers unhindered to cause wide-spread damage. According to a report by IBM*, it took companies 228 days, on average, to identify breaches in 2020. The need for early and accurate threat detection is now more vital than ever.

Despite the availability of data highlighting potentially risky user behaviors, many of the indicators of a breach could also be legitimate staff activity. It has, therefore, been difficult for a security service to respond appropriately without having an on-going dialogue with staff, which would be time-consuming for both parties when most alerts are benign.

APEX ATD continuously monitors risky IT behaviors, capturing alerts from Azure & Office 365. Depending on the activity, it then validates risk with relevant teams in customers' organization (staff, managers, or the IT department) who receive detailed notifications directly to their desktop.

Ex.:

"Have you just forwarded your email to Hotmail?"

"Have you just deleted a lot of data?"

If the actions are not by staff, then it must be a hacker. When the notifications appear, staff need only click on "Investigate" and appropriate remediation is performed. Reducing 228 days to mere minutes.

"With most businesses now capitalizing on the benefits of Office 365 and Azure, the fight against cyber-crime has shifted away from the office network and into the Cloud. Businesses relying on a firewall and antivirus are no longer secure. APEX ATD complements our growing arsenal of security solutions which are all designed to help keep our clients safe and ahead of the rapidly changing threat landscape," said Gavin Russell, Wavex CEO.

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About Wavex

Founded in 1998, Wavex offers industry-leading managed IT and security services, project delivery and expert IT advice to London-based SMEs.

As a Microsoft Gold partner, we utilize the best of Microsoft, complemented by our IT managed services and a range of unique systems, built in-house.

We can act as a client's IT department or supplement an in-house team. Contact us to discuss high-quality IT support for your business.

*IBM Security  Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1530800/Wavex_ATD.jpg

Contact Details:

tellmemore@wavex.co.uk

+44 (0)207-030-3210

www.wavex.co.uk
Summer Reading at Central Rappahannock Regional Library is here! Its not just for kids and teens; adults get rewarded for reading, too (though isnt reading its own reward, really?).

By logging the books you read, writing reviews, and participating in activities, youll earn points for the chance to win big-ticket prizes including an iPad, tablets, gift cards, and bags of books. Plus, youll have the chance to win a gift card every week between now and the end of August. Get started at librarypoint.org/summer (yes, theres an app for that).

This years Summer Reading theme is Reading Colors Your World, which is perfect because it can mean many different things to everyone. I choose to interpret it almost literally, in which reading books breathes dimension and new perspectives into the real world. And because I love the challenge of recommending books on an unusual theme, Ive chosen intriguing summer reads whose titles all contain a color.
A Spotsylvania County man who left the scene of a fatal crash last year in the county was ordered Monday to serve six years in prison.

Michael Malik Ross, 37, was sentenced in Spotsylvania Circuit Court to a total of 20 years with 14 years suspended. He had previously pleaded guilty to felony hit and run and possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute.

The hit-and-run conviction stems from a March 8, 2020, incident in which 26-year-old Spotsylvania resident Jason Ahinful was killed while riding his scooter on State Route 3 in the county early that morning. Court records show that Ahinful was heading west in the area of Salem Church Road when he was struck from behind by a 2015 Hyundai Genesis driven by Ross.

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Ross was gone by the time police and rescue workers arrived. Ahinful was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that day. Ross, who was free on bond at the time, was arrested about two months after the incident.
In the midst of Mondays sweltering heat and humidity, King George County firefighters put insulated hoods over their heads and up to 100 pounds of turnout gear on their bodies and headed into a burning building.

Gray puffs of smoke initially rolled from the four-car garage and the first floor of the expansive home before they morphed into more menacing columns of choking fumes. When the least bit of breeze did blow onto the bluff overlooking the Potomac River, it only caused the smoke to swirl around the courtyard that much more.

When firefighters emerged from the inferno, they gathered on the lawn of the property, where balconies on each level provided stellar views of the river, as well as an eagle in flight and a lone paddleboarder.

Those in uniform were far more interested in each others well-being than sightseeing.

You happy, Carolyn? Rodney Ash asked fellow firefighter Carolyn McGee as she took off her helmet and hood and shook loose her drenched head of crimson red hair.

Im ecstatic, she answered.

Yeah, me, too, Ash said as sweat beads rolled down his forehead as if hed stood under a sprinkler. That was pretty good. Hot and smoky, just what you want, especially on training day.
More than 1 million Virginians who have been vaccinated are not mapped by their localities, which means theyre not included in the vaccine tally for where they live, according to the Virginia Department of Healths vaccine summary.

Of that total, 61 percent, or 656,649 people, have incorrect or missing addresses, Chamberlin said. The other 39 percent, or 423,674 residents, were vaccinated by federal agencies such as the Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, Indian Health Services and State Department.

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Doses given by federal agencies are counted in the state total, but are not included in each locality, according to the state. And the information for localities doesnt include residents who were vaccinated outside the state, Chamberlin said.

All these factors lead her to believe local vaccination rates are higher than state rates suggest.
In doing so, the court cited the legal doctrine of lex loci, which gives precedence to the law in place where the deal is signed or the transaction occurs, especially if it involves a pregnancy.

According to Jackson's opinion, lex loci should apply in cases "affecting the substantial rights of the parties ... A law that formally adjudicates a person's status as a parent (or non-parent) of a child meets this definition, as parenthood is one of the most fundamental protected rights in our entire legal system."

Artificial insemination precedent

As precedent, Jackson's opinion cited a 1990 artificial-insemination case that also pitted conflicting state laws against each other. In it, a woman gave birth to a child in Florida after using the sperm of another man beside her husband that she'd received at a pregnancy clinic.

The marriage fell apart after the child was born. The mother moved to Illinois and filed for child support. The husband, who remained in Florida, said he should not have to pay because he never agreed to the insemination procedure in the first place.
More than 6,000 mostly poor drug suspects have been killed during the drug crackdown, according to government pronouncements, but human rights groups say the death toll is considerably higher and should include many unsolved killings by motorcycle-riding gunmen who may have been deployed by police.

Duterte has denied condoning extrajudicial killings of drug suspects although he has openly threatened suspects with death and has ordered police to shoot suspects who dangerously resist arrest.

We kill them because they fight back, he said Monday.

Duterte said drug dealers were a threat to national survival that had to be dealt with to prevent the Philippines from ending up like Mexico, which he described as being almost a failed state, where drug syndicates could field candidates in local elections.

Thats why I want to slap the judges there. You are fools," Duterte said. You want my country to go down the drain.

Despite his administrations massive crackdown against illegal drugs, Duterte acknowledged the drugs remained a major problem. During his presidential campaign he vowed to eradicate the drug problem in three to six months, but said after winning the presidency that he underestimated the enormity of the problem.

Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019 in a move critics said was an attempt to evade accountability. The ICC prosecutor said the court still has jurisdiction over crimes alleged while the Philippines was still a member of the court.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
IN YOUTH sports, the cliche is that everybody gets a trophy.

One Virginia school system is taking that concept of universal exceptionalism and running with it. In Charlottesville, the systems gifted coordinator recently revealed that 86 percent of students in grades 3 through 11 are now identified as gifted.

In the past, less than one-fifth of Charlottesville students were part of the gifted program.

The massive change was well-intentioned. It was decided that the program needed more diversity. On that level, it worked. The percentages of white, Black and Hispanic students eligible for the program are approximately the same as the number of students of each group who were accepted.

However, when does inclusiveness become meaningless? If six of every seven students are alleged to be gifted, what does that even say?

For decades, listeners chuckled at Garrison Keillors weekly assertion on A Prairie Home Companion that all the children living in the fictional Lake Wobegon were above average. It was a gentle poke at American parents belief that all their offspring are special.

It was not meant to be a blueprint for school systems in the real world.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  An watchdog group on prison conditions says a 61-year-old inmate in southern New Mexico was severely dehydrated and endangered when transported in a sweltering van without air conditioning in the summer.

The New Mexico Prison & Jail Project announced Monday a lawsuit against the New Mexico Corrections Department and two of its officers on behalf of an inmate who was confined for several hours to a van with no air conditioning on a summer day in 2019.

The suit says several inmates had been evacuated from a broken-down prison transport vehicle into another van with no functioning air conditioning.

Complaints by inmates of extreme heat in the back of the transport vehicle were ignored, the lawsuit states. It says inmate Lawrence Lamb became severely dehydrated during the ensuing journey and experienced emotional distress.

Lawrence thought he was going to die, said Adam Baker, an attorney partnering with New Mexico Prison & Jail Project. You cant put someone into an enclosed metal box in the middle of summer in New Mexico, for hours on end, without air-conditioning. Everyone knows thats dangerous.

A spokesman for the Corrections Department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
Taliban militants have conducted multiple of offensives in Afghanistan's north in recent days, overrunning dozens of districts since May 1, when U.S. and NATO troops began their final withdrawal from the war-wracked country and reportedly capturing the main border crossing with Tajikistan.



The UN special envoy on Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, said on June 22 that the Taliban has taken more than 50 of the countrys 370 districts since May, warning that increased conflict "means increased insecurity for many other countries, near and far."



"Those districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn," Lyons told the UN Security Council.

The United States called for an end to violence in Afghanistan, blaming Taliban militants for much of the bloodshed, three days ahead of a visit by President Ashraf Ghani to the White House.



"We urge the sides to engage in serious negotiations that determine a political road map for Afghanistan's future," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on June 22.



"We continue to call for an end to the ongoing violence that has been driven largely by the Taliban," Price said.

Reports from northern Afghanistan said the Taliban seized the main border crossing with Tajikistan -- the border town of Shir Khan Bandar, about 50 kilometers north of Kunduz city, the capital of Kunduz Province.



The militants "captured Shir Khan dry port and the town and all the border check posts" on June 22, Kunduz provincial council member Khaliddin Hakmi said, according to AFP.



The border crossing fell after Taliban fighters on June 21 overran the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz, which borders Tajikistan on a key supply route from Central Asia.



Tajikistan's Border Troops Press Center said that 134 Afghan servicemen crossed into Tajikistan under attack from the Taliban. They were allowed entry by the Tajik authorities, the Press Center said, adding that five of the Afghan soldiers were wounded and one of them subsequently died.



The crossing is a dry port capable of handling up to 1,000 vehicles crossing the Pyanj River a day. It is dominated by a 700-meter bridge that opened in 2007 with the aim of boosting trade between the central Asian neighbors.

International forces are in the process of leaving the war-torn country by September 11, a deadline set by U.S. President Joe Biden to end the 20-year-old conflict.



Afghan security forces continue to resist the Taliban push, with the Afghan Defense Ministry and military saying on June 22 that two districts in Balkh and Baghlan provinces have been recaptured from the insurgents.



Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militant group was "in full control of Shir Khan Bandar and all the border crossings with Tajikistan in Kunduz."



Ghulam Rabbani, a provincial council member, said fighting was also ongoing outside Kunduz and people were fleeing the city. The Defense Ministry said Afghan government forces had recaptured key districts from the Taliban in Kunduz and operations were ongoing.



Local officials and Taliban members also said the Taliban had reached the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the northern province of Balkh, late on June 21 before retreating.

Mujahid said fighters were told to return after reaching the entrance of Mazar-i-Sharif as the militants' top leadership did not want to seize provinces until all U.S. forces had left.



On June 21, the U.S. military said it could slow down its withdrawal in light of recent battlefield victories by the Taliban, but insisted that the deadline for a full pullout was still in place.



"If there needs to be changes made to the pace, or to the scope and scale of the retrograde, on any given day or in any given week, we want to maintain the flexibility to do that, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.



"Two things are constant and won't change," he added.



"One, we will complete the withdrawal of all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan with the exception of those that will be left to protect the diplomatic presence. And, two, that it will be done before early September as per the commander in chief's orders."

Speaking to the Security Council during a virtual briefing on June 22, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar accused the Taliban of carrying out its worst violence in the past two decades and urged the international community to try to persuade the militants to honor the February 2020 agreement with the United States to reduce violence and enter peace negotiations.

With reporting by AFP, and RFE/RLs Tajik Service
The United Nations says it continues to be concerned by the high number of children killed and maimed by all parties in the Afghan conflict -- at least 2,619 last year.

In its annual report on Children and Armed Conflict, published on June 22, the UN said it had verified the killing of 760 Afghan children and maiming of 1,859 others in 2020.

It said 1,098 of these children were killed or wounded by the Taliban and other armed groups, and 962 other children by government or pro-government forces.

As many as 196 boys were recruited or used by the sides in the conflict, mainly by the Taliban, which used 172 children.

Children were used in combat, including in attacks with improvised explosive devices, intelligence gathering, staffing checkpoints, and subjected to sexual violence, the report said, adding that nine boys were killed and injured in combat.

Sexual violence affecting 13 children, including nine boys and four girls, was attributed to government and pro-government forces, as well as the Taliban.

As of December 31, 2020, 164 boys and one girl were detained on national-security-related charges in juvenile rehabilitation centers for periods up to 3 1/2 years.

In addition, 318 mainly non-Afghan children were in prison with their mothers who were detained for their alleged or actual links with militant groups.

Overall, the UN said it had verified more than 3,000 grave violations against 2,863 Afghan children, including 2,020 boys.

According to the report, violations were committed last year against 19,379 children in 21 conflicts across the world. The most violations were perpetrated in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. It said that 8,521 children were used as soldiers, while another 2,674 children were killed and 5,748 injured in various conflicts.

In the report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the Afghan governments continued progress in implementing the 2011 action plan and the 2014 road map to end and prevent child recruitment and use.

That included the launch of the child protection policy by the Interior Ministry in November 2020, which includes provisions on the recruitment of children and their screening in police recruitment centers. A total of 187 child applicants were prevented from enrolling last year as a result.

Guterres called on the Afghan government to make greater efforts to implement legal and policy reforms related to children detained on national-security-related charges.

He also urged the government to prioritize accountability for perpetrators of violations against children and assistance for survivors and their families.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Afghan government to release the hundreds of children currently detained for alleged association with armed insurgent groups and work with the United Nations and donors to establish programs to reintegrate them into society.

In a report prepared for a UN Security Council session on Afghanistan on June 22, the New York-based watchdog found that children are often held in military facilities in violation of Afghan law, and often sign confessions and other documents involuntarily that they do not understand.

They may be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison on vaguely worded terrorism charges, HRW said, adding that many children in custody are detained solely because of their parents alleged involvement with insurgent groups.

Detaining and torturing children who have already been victimized by armed insurgent groups is inhumane and counterproductive, said Jo Becker, childrens rights advocacy director for HRW.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

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Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

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Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
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Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Mostly cloudy early, then clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy early, then clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 58F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Law enforcement in Teller County arrested a man after police say he used a trick to steal a car from a driver in western Colorado Springs on Monday and led officers on a chase, police said.

A driver was traveling north on 21st Street about 10:45 p.m. when a person standing on the side of the road threw a "heavy object" at the vehicle, the Colorado Springs Police Department said.

The driver and a passenger jumped out and confronted the man when he dashed into their vehicle and sped off, police said.

Colorado Springs officers spotted the vehicle at Cimarron Street and Nevada Avenue before it darted away, police said.

The Woodland Park Police Department, Teller County Sheriff's Office and Colorado State Patrol in Teller County found the vehicle and arrested the robber. The agencies did not release his name.
Gordon Beesley never should have been in a band, The Railbenders frontman Jim Dalton once said. Hes just too good for this crazy world.

But Beesley was in a band  several of them, in fact, before finding his true calling as an Arvada police officer in 2002. Beesley was killed in the line of duty on Monday, leaving longtime members of the Denver local music scene and hundreds of their fans numb.

Beesley became the founding drummer of The Railbenders in 2000 after playing for Brethren Fast, Durt and Sponge Kingdom. But as a rocker, Beesley was a fish out of the beer-soaked mop water.

Gordon was just a pure, warm-hearted, beautiful soul, said Tommy Nahulu, a Denver muralist and local music mainstay. He stood out as someone who was genuinely nice.

Beesleys longest stint was in the tragedy-stained Denver funkabilly band Brethren Fast, which was well-known along the Front Range in the 1990s for its relentless touring, relentless partying and its ever-revolving roster of drummers. Beesley joined the trio in 1998 with the release of the album "What in the Hell?" followed by a brief tour through Texas and Florida. The bands style, self-described as electrified hillbilly hotrod funk, ranged from Carl Perkins to Jimi Hendrix to George Clinton to Eddie Vedder. Brethren Fast was twice voted Colorado's best rock/pop band at the annual Westword Music Awards Showcase.

Brethren Fast was founded in 1994 by guitarist Don Messina with his bassist brother, Mik. The brothers, wrote Jon Solomon of Westword, liked fast cars, fast motorcycles and fast women. When Beesley joined the band for the making of What in the Hell? Don Messina said in an interview at the time, Turnover has been a problem for us in the past. But our newest drummer, Gordon Beesley, is going to be with us for a while, I think. He came in, and in just a few weeks he started nailing stuff  and he keeps getting better and better.

The band recorded the instrumental tracks for that 1998 album at the Messina brothers' apartment over a warehouse, which they comically referred to at the time as the Hippie Love Palace.

In 2000, Beesley joined Dalton and Tyson Murray to form The Railbenders, which came out strong in its debut and continued to be one of the biggest successes in the Denver music scene.

Gordon left the brothers because they were just drinking and partying too hard, and their circles started moving away from each other, Nahulu said. Soon after joining The Railbenders, Beesley earned his way onto the Arvada police force and was replaced by Graham Haworth.

Gordys dream was always to be an Arvada policeman, Nahulu said. And not only did he become a cop, he endeavored to become the best cop and the best public servant that he could be.

Beesleys death is the latest tragic turn in the story of Brethren Fast, which continued playing through 2010. Don Messina died in a 2015 car crash on Lookout Mountain, and Mik Messina, Nahulu said, is in his final days with organ failure. Mutual friend Kathleen Gordon-Callbeck says Beesley reached out to her on Monday and made plans to visit Mik Messina before it was too late.

Gordon-Callbeck posted to her Facebook page that Beesley called her at 12:52 p.m., perhaps just minutes before he was fatally shot. She wrote, in mostly capital letters: Gordon Beesley literally just called me today at 12:52 p.m. to catch up from 1998 and talk about visiting Mik! We caught up about a ton and he sounded so happy in his life and the family he has. Then he said suddenly, Kat I have to go. I'll call back! 

Denver photographer Jennifer Koskinen has known Beesley as a friend and drummer going back to their high school days in Mendham, N.J. He was a fantastic drummer, she said. I remember watching him in awe whenever he played in battle of the bands. And, she added: He was one of those deeply good humans with an open heart and a kind smile. He was the only reason I enjoyed chemistry class.

Another classmate, Camilla Modesitt of the Denver Language School, said, Gordon sat behind me in math and would drum Walking in L.A. on the back of my chair.

This is how Nahulu summarizes the beloved Oberon Middle School resource officers time on the wilder side of life in Denver music: In the hysteria and madness and serious stupidity of the club scene in those days, Gordon outshined us all as a man. He just lived simply and presently. Of all the people I know, he should have been the one to outlive us all."
Govt-and-politics

topical alert top story

Misunderstanding leads to accusations about new Mennonite church land

Jaci Smith Globe Gazette Living Hope Mennonite Church plans to construct a church and school on the land north of Charles City that they purchased after it was won in an auction by Floyd County Supervisor Linda Tjaden and her husband, Dean. LinkedIn Linda Tjaden

The Warranty of Deed on file at the Floyd County Recorder's office is clear: The parcel of land at 1827 Underwood Ave. was sold to Living Hope Mennonite Church by RLJRSK Farms LLC.

But at least one family member who was responsible for signing the warranty of deed, a board member of the church, and the manager of the auction where the land was sold say that property was actually sold to Floyd County supervisor Linda Tjaden and her husband, Dean.

The Tjadens deny that claim, saying they worked with Living Hope to secure the property so that the two didn't end up bidding against one another and driving up the price of the land during the auction.

Linda Tjaden has since participated in board meetings where the church property's watershed issues were discussed, saying because she and her husband never owned the land there is no conflict of interest.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

RLJRSK Farms LLC, hired Sullivan Auctioneers to sell two tracts of land equaling 126 acres on the corner (and due west of it) of Underwood and 180th on Nov. 6, 2020.

The tracts were to be sold through "buyer's choice," according to the flyer for the auction, which means the high bidder at close would have the option to purchase one or both of the tracts.

When the dust settled on Nov. 6, the Tjadens held the winning bid and Dean Tjaden said he told the auctioneers that he would be taking both tracts. That was confirmed by auction manager Jim Huff, who said he believed both tracts of land were to be sold to the Tjadens.

But Dean Tjaden said that immediately after the sale closed he also told the the auctioneer he would not be buying both properties, but only one and that another party -- Living Hope -- would be buying the second tract.

"They said 'that happens all the time'," Dean Tjaden said he was told by the auctioneer.

Huff told the Globe Gazette he wasn't familiar with all the details of what happened with the tracts after the auction closed.

WHAT THE DOCUMENTS SAY

Documents obtained by the Globe Gazette from Floyd County show the RLJRSK Farms LLC land was surveyed and split into two tracts in anticipation of the sale.

On Dec. 4 and Dec. 7, 2020, the Floyd County Recorder's office received warranties of deed -- a document from the seller to the buyer guaranteeing a clear title on the property -- that were prepared by Charles City attorney Judith O'Donohoe, and that listed the "grantor" (seller) as RLJRSK Farms LLC and the "grantee" (buyer) as Living Hope Mennonite Church for 44 acres at 1827 Underwood Ave.

"That document isn't correct," said Randy Kellogg, one of the owners of RLJRSK Farms LLC. Kellogg said he wasn't aware that Living Hope was going to buy the second parcel. "I was at the auction when the bidding quit and there was only one bidder, the Tjadens.

"But from the time I left to the time I reached our attorney's (O'Donohoe) office, it had changed to two buyers," he said. He said he told attorney O'Donohoe about the discrepancy, but that she told him to sign the document as that was the way the sale was going to go. Kellogg's signature appears on the warranties of deed showing Living Hope as the buyer. The document was also notarized.

"I guess I should've paid closer attention," Kellogg said.

Another warranty of deed coming from the auction was filed on Dec. 9, 2020, this time for 81 acres just west of the Living Hope property, and that listed RLJRSK Farms LLC as the seller and Dean and Linda Tjaden as the buyers.

Even if Kellogg had examined the forms more closely, they would not have changed. The Tjadens said their intent all along was to work with Living Hope to ensure the second tract of land went to them.

"We would've been bidding against each other and the cost could've gone up $10,000," Dean Tjaden said in response to why Living Hope didn't bid for the tract on their own. "But we didn't exchange any money at all."

Eugene Martin, on the board of directors for Living Hope, said the Tjadens bought everything and the church bought it off them after the auction. He acknowledged talking with the Tjadens about the property before the auction.

"We bought it with the intention of building a church," said Martin. "She (Linda Tjaden) wanted us to be in the area. They were being good neighbors."

NOT A SALE, NOT A CONFLICT

The Iowa Department of Revenue does not see any tax issues related to the Tjadens winning the auction and then allowing another party to purchase the land from its original owner. Land purchases are final when they are recorded by the county, so winning the auction does not legally constitute buying the land, according to Iowa code. And other auctioneers report they have had similar experiences with property sales to multiple buyers after an auction closes.

Based on the fact that they didn't buy the property, Linda Tjaden said she sees no conflict of interest in the role she has played as a county supervisor in helping Living Hope Mennonite Church navigate the bureaucracy surrounding building a new church.

The church recently surmounted a major obstacle in obtaining permission to remove two terraces from their land and instead install drainage tiles and clean out a retention pond. The property is part of the Washington School Watershed District and a decades-old water management plan forbade the removal of the terraces.

Both the Tjadens and church leaders knew about the watershed plan, but the church leaders' plans required some changes to the land. Tjaden said she gave the church the name of an attorney who had experience in drainage district issues and of consultants at Bolton & Menk who would provide the help of a drainage engineer. At an April 19 county board of supervisors meeting where the water management plan was discussed, Tjaden also offered to go with church representative Nathan Fox to talk with neighbors about the church's future plans.

"There wasn't any [conflict] at all," Linda Tjaden said. "I'm so happy to have a church group in the area. These people are salt of the earth, and they followed the letter of the law [in buying the land]."

Dean Tjaden put a finer point on the issue.

"All these people who are concerned about misrepresentation," he said. "We helped put a church there. What would they rather have there?"

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Wright was convicted of misdemeanors and sentenced to two days in jail.

The Cerro Gordo County Court intends to apply the Iowa Supreme Court ruling, said Dalen. I think much of the interpretation is to come and how law enforcement will apply this.

In his dissent, Waterman wrote, Offenders facing federal time without parole likely wont view todays decision as advancing their civil liberties.

The Associated Press and the Lee Des Moines Bureau contributed to this report.

Abby covers education and public safety for the Globe Gazette. Follow her on Twitter at @MkayAbby. Email her at Abby.Koch@GlobeGazette.com
More Mason City school employees will see a raise in their wages thanks to the recent salary approvals by the Mason City Board of Education.

All non-bargained employees will see a 1.3 percent increase in their wages beginning July 1, 2021.

The following employees will see a wage increase: administrative assistants, building level administrative assistants, secretaries, behavioral interventionists, bus monitors, food service managers, IT staff, and other miscellaneous staff.

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Like the wage approvals made during the special session on June 9, non-bargained employees will remain on the same longevity rate they were on as of June 30, 2021 throughout the contract year beginning July 1.

Director Katherine Koehler made the motion to approve the wage increases for non-bargain employees. Director Peterson Jean-Pierre seconded the motion and all who were present approved the action item.

Wages for building administrators, supervisors, district directors, and district administrators will not increase for this next contract year. Despite not receiving wage increases, their salaries were approved by the Mason City Board of Education for the next contract year.
Todays version of Jeffords is West Virginias Joe Manchin, a 73-year-old former governor now serving his second Senate term. Hes the only Democrat to hold statewide office in West Virginia, which Donald Trump won by an astounding 39 points. And like Jeffords 20 years ago, he finds himself out of step with the changing nature of his own party and has an increasingly fractious relationship with its leaders.

Manchin aggravated his struggle by opposing a sweeping bill designed to counteract a concerted attack on voting rights launched by Republicans in state legislatures across the country. He joined nine other centrists  four Democrats and five Republicans  in supporting a compromise infrastructure bill that is far smaller than Bidens original proposal, and he reiterated his staunch opposition to weakening the filibuster, which threatens to strangle many of Bidens other initiatives.

Some of that frustration with Manchin is justified, since he claims to believe in federal protection for voting rights, but wont support any practical way of suppressing the Republicans undemocratic and unjustified assaults on those rights.
The arguments against protecting neighbors have been around for as long as we have had industrial wind turbines. When the turbines were 400 feet tall the wind company's safety manuals said that in case of an emergency to run upwind for 1640 feet, Communities started to use this as a setback to property lines. Now the wind companies will not let their safety manuals be seen.

Wind companies also admit a long list of negative impacts for neighbors for 2,640 feet from any 500-foot wind turbine. The wind turbine profiteers offer money to neighbors to put up with the negative impacts which comes out to about a few dollars a day but if you sign their contract to get the money you are also giving them a blanket easement to your land.

If you wont sign their contract, they put up wind turbines and give you the negative impacts anyway. They require the right to place a 500-700-foot-tall wind turbine 1,200-1,500 feet from the foundations of neighboring homes.

Landowners, your property rights end at YOUR property line, not at the foundation of your neighbors home, not in their living room, not in their bedroom.
that has characterized Americanist archaeology since the 1960s have been seen as shunting historical archaeology to the periphery of a discipline hypocritically borrowing from but

The artificial dichotomy between history and prehistorydeclines to acknowledge the methodologies developed within this important yet unrecognized field.A) that has characterized Americanist archaeology since the 1960s have been seen as shunting historical archaeology to the periphery of a discipline hypocritically borrowing from butB) characterizing Americanist archaeology since the 1960s have shunted historical archaeology to the periphery of a discipline that hypocritically borrowed from but alsoC) having characterized Americanist archaeology since the 1960s have shunted historical archaeology to the periphery of a discipline that is hypocritically borrowing from butD) that has characterized Americanist archaeology since the 1960s has been seen as shunting historical archaeology to the periphery of a discipline that is hypocritically borrowing from but alsoE) that has characterized Americanist archaeology since the 1960s has shunted historical archaeology to the periphery of a discipline that hypocritically borrows from butSource: Ready4GMAT
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If you are looking for online GMAT math tutoring, or if you are interested in buying my advanced Quant books and problem sets, please contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com Signature Read More

I can see why C might be tempting, but it isn't a good answer here. Take a different situation: suppose someone argued "the City created more bike lanes, which discourages driving, but then added more free parking, which encourages driving. These actions are inconsistent." If I point out "it was the Transport Department that made the bike lanes, but it was the Municipal Works department that made the free parking lots", then I haven't pointed out a flaw in the argument. The two actions are still inconsistent. I've just explained why these two inconsistent things might have happened. If I want to point out a flaw in the argument, I need to show why the conclusion might not correctly follow from the premises. So in my example, if it were true that "when the public knows free parking is widely available, people drive less because they expect a lot of traffic", then adding bike lanes and adding free parking would both discourage driving, and would actually be consistent. That's the kind of information that would truly weaken the argument.US09 above did a perfect job explaining why B is correct: if "public interest" means two different things in the citizen's argument, then the argument falls apart. It's a bit like if someone says "I have an interest in this business. I find this business uninteresting." Those statements are probably inconsistent if the person means "I have an intense curiosity about this business. I find this business boring," but they could be perfectly consistent if the person means "I have a stake in this business. I find this business boring." It all depends on what "interest" means._________________
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
Northam quickly shut down the possibility of cash incentives in Virginia in a Monday news conference, saying that we just expect people to do the right thing.

The state is shifting from mass vaccination clinics to support more targeted efforts in places whose vaccination rates continue to lag behind. For Richmond and Henrico Countys health districts, spokeswoman Cat Long said the localities are changing the definition of success away from percentage of people vaccinated to making sure we create new points of access to people who need it.

Long noted that the health districts prioritized redistributing vaccines to Black-owned pharmacies, faith communities and safety net providers early on in the rollout when supply challenged their approach.

But it weighs on us that we could have always done more, she said. We couldve always done more community engagement. If we had more time, and more foresight on what was going to happen, we couldve done more. Now is the time for us to do more. ... Its really the time for us to ramp us those efforts.

Outside of vaccinations and equitable distribution, VCU sociology professor Chen said the disparities indicate a need for changes in policy, health care and financial assistance to help close the gaps that will linger long after the pandemic is over.
Were rubbing up against Russian activity, not in a you know, in a dangerous or aggressive manner, but youve just got other people out here playing in what is a fixed piece of water and airspace, said Moorhouse, adding that a Russian warship has come within 10 kilometers (16 miles) of the carrier.

The commodore insisted that Russian, British and U.S. pilots have a healthy respect for one another and their conduct has been absolutely professional since the aircraft carrier started anti-IS operations on June 18.

But there is a reality when you buy yourself a fifth-generation aircraft carrier and you take it around the world ... people are interested in it, he added.

Captain James Blackmore, who commands the eight British F-35 jets and the 10 helicopters aboard the carrier, said U.K. and Russian pilots have come within visual distance of each other.

Its that cat-and-mouse posturing, its what we expect in this region of world. And as you can imagine, its the first time for F-35s into the eastern Mediterranean, said Blackmore. So, of course Russia wants to look at what theyre like, they want to look at what our carriers are like.
Why is the price of cars going up so much?

Why are so many tech jobs going to so few metro areas?

Why cant Congress get anything done on a bipartisan basis?

All good questions and they all overlap  with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) standing in the center of trying to fix all three.

Theres sometimes a difference between big news and important news. The big news out of Washington recently had to do with whatever Democrats and Republicans were arguing about on any given day.

The important news was that the U.S. Senate passed  and sent to the House of Representatives  something called the Innovation and Competition Act. The bill didnt get much attention because there werent many people arguing about it; the measure passed by a wide and bipartisan margin.

A decade or more from now, this bill might turn out to be more important than anything else Congress did last week, or maybe lots of weeks.

The answer to the first question we posed deals with computer chips. They are the brains that make computers run  and cars these days essentially are computers on wheels.
Ethic of our faith says do what is right not what will increase your chances of receiving a positive vote in the next election.

Mr. Senator, to tie the procedural matters such as bipartisanship and to maintain the Senates filibuster rule and failing to follow the ethics of our faith is wrong.

I make this appeal both as pastor and as a concerned American. Mr. Senator, you both can do better than casting your vote in the no column. The ethic of our faith dictates you to do differently.

I close this appeal with providing citations from the holy Scripture for your enlightenment and instruction.

Matthew 23:23 23: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, To love [a]mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

I believe it was Martin L. King Jr. who said, Lifes most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?

EDITORS NOTE: Manchin has offered a compromise bill about voting writes that could come for a vote before the Senate in the next few days. The writer lives in Axton and is pastor of Morning Star Holy Church in Martinsville.
Officials said that while the U.S.-produced doses are ready, deliveries have been delayed due to U.S. and the recipient countries legal, logistical and regulatory requirements.

What weve 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, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

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About 45% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Over 53% of Americans have received at least one dose of vaccine. But U.S. demand for shots has slumped, to the disappointment of public health experts.

Dr. Ana Diez Roux, dean of Drexel Universitys school of public health, said the dropping rates of infections and deaths are cause for celebration. But she cautioned that the virus still has a chance to spread and mutate given the low vaccination rates in some states, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Wyoming and Idaho.

So far it looks like the vaccines we have are effective against the variants that are circulating, Diez Roux said. But the more time the virus is jumping from person to person, the more time there is for variants to develop, and some of those could be more dangerous.
RALEIGH  Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed gun-rights legislation on Friday that would allow parishioners at more churches to be armed, marking the second year in a row that hes blocked the idea.

The legislation affirms that people going to religious services at a location where private schools or some charter schools also meet can carry handguns in full view or under clothing if they have a concealed weapons permit. There would be other limits.

The Democratic governor said the measure, which cleared the legislature last week, would endanger educators and children.

For the safety of students and teachers, North Carolina should keep guns off school grounds, Cooper wrote in his veto message.

Bill supporters contend these houses of worship where K-12 schools also are located are at a security disadvantage for their congregants compared to standalone churches. There are no such blanket prohibitions in these churches on carrying a pistol, provided the person has a purchase permit or concealed weapons permit.
EDEN  A State Highway Patrol helicopter was back in Rockingham County Monday afternoon to help in the search for a pregnant 35-year-old woman who is still missing after a deadly Wednesday tubing accident that claimed the lives of four of her family members.

Her sister remained hopeful that Teresa Villano might have made it to land after going over an 8-foot-hight dam near Duke Energy's Dan River Steam Station here on Wednesday. "I've always felt like she was on land, not in the water,'' said Angelica Villano. "We need prayers, prayers,'' she said.

The nine family members who set out tubing on Wednesday afternoon were unaware of the dam, Villano said.

"They didn't know what it was.'' Rather, the group saw rippling current ahead of them that they believed to be rapids, Villano said, relaying reports from four in her family who survived the ordeal.

Antonio Ramon, 30, of Eden, turned to relatives, smiled and called out with excitement as he approached the dam, thinking he would shoot some rapids, relatives said. Ramon died and was recovered from the river late Thursday.

The family group set out on a tubing trek at around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on what they planned to be a two-hour trip, Villano and another relative said.
A High Point man will face a murder charge in the death of his girlfriend, whose body was found in the trunk of her car, which he was driving when he was arrested in Tennessee on Monday, authorities said.

Michael Louis Cadogan, 24, is charged with abuse of a corpse. He will be served with warrants on charges of first-degree murder and concealment of death after he is extradited to Guilford County in the near future, High Point police said in a news release.

Officers were sent to check on Cadogans live-in girlfriend, 19-year-old Gianna Rose Delgado, on Monday afternoon at Delgados apartment at 3942 2E Pallas Way.

Investigators believed Delgado was fatally assaulted by Cadogan and that he was driving to Tennessee to dispose of her body, police said.

Cadogan was arrested after High Point police contacted the Carter County Sheriffs Office and alerted them to the situation, said High Point Police spokesman Lt. Matt Truitt.

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A Carter County deputy stopped Cadogan and took him into custody, Truitt said. Hes being held at the Carter County Detention Center without bail.

A medical examiner positively identified the body as Delgado.
We had outgrown Memorial Auditorium (in Raleigh), Knox said. ... We decided to split off the teen competition, and we found the High Point Theatre. We held the teen competition there, and we really enjoyed working with everyone there in High Point.

The COVID-19 pandemic canceled last years Miss North Carolina Pageant  the first time that had happened since World War II  and it looked for a long time as if this years pageant would have to be held with only limited capacity.

We knew if we had to hold something with only 30% capacity, there was no way we could afford to remain in Raleigh, Knox said. We remembered what a wonderful experience we had in High Point, so we saw this as a perfect opportunity to return to the city that had welcomed us before.

Pageant officials arent the only ones excited about the move to High Point. With some 2,000 visitors expected to attend pageant festivities, and a projected economic impact of just over $500,000, city representatives are thrilled to roll out the red carpet for the visiting queens and their guests.

Hosting the Miss North Carolina Pageant is a big deal, said Nancy Bowman, director of sales and marketing for Visit High Point (formerly the Convention & Visitors Bureau).

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GREENSBORO  Growing up in Niagara Falls, Don Brady learned hed have to work hard to be successful because of his familys modest means.

But he also found out early on that getting a hand from well-meaning individuals can make a huge difference in a persons life. And when his Brady Services became a Greensboro success story, he would help raise millions of dollars so others could get a chance to make their mark, too.

Brady, who died last week at 88, was active in the regions top philanthropic causes well into his 80s.

Just over three years ago, Brady and his wife, Mary Gay, were the annual honorees for the Triad JDRF Gala, which raises millions for juvenile diabetes and is one of the highest-profile fundraisers in the region.

JDRF, formerly known as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, became a special cause for Brady when one of his 14 grandchildren developed Type 1 diabetes.

Brady learned early on that when people were kind to him, he should pass that kindness along to the community.

He got a helping hand as a youth when he won a scholarship to the University of Rochester in New York.
But that, Merriweather said, isnt enough.

We have seen decades of legislative changes with very little increase in resources in our court systems necessary to enforce those laws, he wrote. Until that changes ... it is difficult to see how the courts could substantially alter the manner in which speeding tickets are adjudicated.

Merriweathers office has taken some steps to get tougher with the most flagrant speeders.

After being informed of the Observers findings, leaders of the Mecklenburg DAs office reminded prosecutors that improper equipment pleas werent appropriate for the most egregious speeding cases, according to Bruce Lillie, Mecklenburgs deputy district attorney.

According to the newspapers analysis, Richmond and Anson counties had the lowest rates in the state when it came to convicting extreme speeders as charged. Over the past five years, fewer than 2% of extreme speeders in those counties have been convicted as charged.

Reece Saunders, the district attorney in those counties, said that in the months since talking with an Observer reporter about the findings, he has tightened up on extreme speeding. Drivers charged with going more than 100 mph must now plead guilty as charged or go to trial, he said.
On Wednesday, the 75th United Nations General Assembly will meet in New York. Coming before this auspicious body will be, for the 29th time, a resolution submitted by the Cuban government. The resolution calls for an end to the U.S. embargo against this tiny island nation. For nearly three decades, this vote has been overwhelmingly supported by the nations of the world, typically with the exception of the United States and Israel. This year, maybe there will be a different outcome; there certainly needs to be.

Fully instituted in 1962 by the Kennedy administration, the U.S. embargo against Cuba is the most enduring trade embargo in modern history. Designed to bring starvation to the Cuban people and get them to rise up against their government, it has been repeatedly strengthened over the years. Under the Trump administration, strengthening efforts continued with new severity in the form of 243 additional measures and sanctions. Today, Cubans are isolated as never before, with commercial flights to and from the island largely prohibited, avenues for remittances from American family members blocked, and tourism  the lifeline of the private sector in Cuba  brought to a standstill by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A jury found Matthew Benton Stevens of Helena not guilty of felony assault following his trial last week.

Stevens was charged with felony aggravated assault after police alleged that he purposely scalded a 1-year-old child in the shower in 2017. The jury deliberated for two-and-a-half hours before finding Stevens innocent of the charge that had loomed over him for four years.

The trial took place over the course of four days before District Court Judge Mike Menahan. Evidence presented in the trial was primarily photographs including injuries to the child. However, this was not enough to convince the jury that the state proved abuse beyond a reasonable doubt.

The incident that led to the charge took place on July 19, 2017. At that time a woman brought a 1-year-old child to the emergency room with severe burns on his bottom half and stomach. The child was flown to a children's hospital burn unit in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The mother told hospital staff at the time that Stevens had taken a shower with the child, because the child had been throwing up and was hot to the touch.
Montana's commissioner of political practices found that Helena Public Schools board of trustees member Terry Beaver filed his statement of candidate more than two weeks late in the May 4 election.

Following an investigation, Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan determined that Beaver filed his declaration of intent and oath of candidacy with the Lewis and Clark County Elections Department on March 12 and was required to file a statement of candidate with the COPP on or before March 17. He did not file the statement of candidate until April 1.

According to Mangan's report, "Failure to fully and timely report and disclose cannot generally be excused by oversight or ignorance." The Lewis and Clark County Attorney's Office has declined to prosecute the case, and the commissioner's office expects to negotiate a fine, which is how most campaign violations are resolved.

Beaver acknowledged the violation and said he did not realize there was a time limit to file the statement of candidate. He said he plans to pay the fine out of pocket.

"I've never accepted a penny from anyone nor spent any of my own money on an election," he said.

This violation was found after a complaint against Beaver was filed by Darryl Rutherford of Helena.
"I've been flabbergasted at how our city has been run and that no one stepped up," she said. "I was seriously shocked that it was the final day (of the filing period) and no one was running against our mayor."

Gaub declined to answer questions about her platform for the time being.

City Commissioners Andres Haladay and Heather O'Loughlin did not file for reelection. Their terms expire at year's end.

Four candidates have filed for the two open seats: Helena Citizens' Councilman Steve Allen, former President of the Montana Federation of Public Employees Eric Feaver, former interim City Manager Melinda Reed and former Helena Police Chief Troy McGee.

Lewis and Clark County Elections Supervisor Audrey McCue confirmed that the number of candidates in all the municipal elections this year will not necessitate a primary election.

East Helena

In East Helena, three East Helena City Council members are running unopposed for reelection. Both Judy Leland and Don Dahl are up for another four-year term. Wesley Feist is seeking election to the remaining two years left on the term he was appointed to fill following the resignation of Joy Bowen from the governing body in July.
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.
You were taught by your parents to not put all your eggs in one basket.

They were told the same by their parents, and the same message has reverberated for generations. You have not passed it along because your kids would ask what a basket is, and tell you eggs come from the grocery store.

But you know what I mean.

Agriculture, in some ways, is guilty of putting too many eggs in the same basket. Maybe not all, but maybe more than should be there. And there are a couple of examples that could teach some painful lessons, unless the risk is spread out.

The first is China. China will likely buy a billion bushels each of corn and soybeans from the United States during a marketing year. Chinese purchases have pulled down the carry-outs of both commodities to the point that supplies are tight and that is what has pushed up prices rapidly in the face of a potential drought-shortened crop.

Those high commodity prices have made agriculture giddy to the point that we want to be Chinas main supplier, and guarantee strong commodity prices year after year. But it may not come to fruition because China does not want to become as dependent on the United States as we would like.

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But corn and soybean growers are not the only ones currying favor from Chinese buyers because China is currently driving the U.S. pork market with massive purchases to keep its populace happy in the wake of continued disease problems in Chinas swine herd. Once those issues are resolved China is expected to resume its long-term position as the worlds largest producer of pork, and no longer the worlds largest importer of pork.

That is more easily done than Chinas farm policy shifting its production into road gear and no longer needing to rely on imported grain. China has not always been the largest importer, albeit it will need some level of imports for the government to maintain peace among its constituents. The point is, U.S. commodity groups need to diversify their export sales book to ensure there is always a strong demand if China is not buying as much

Another example of too many eggs in a basket is ethanol, which consumes twice as much corn as exporters, but nearly as much as the livestock feeders. What would happen to those five billion bushels of corn going to ethanol refineries if the Biden administration succeeds in switching to electricity-based transportation? Ethanol trade groups insist their product is here to stay, but will demand for it grow as much as the supply of corn will grow in the next few years?

Do we need a new use for corn that will consume five billion bushels, or do we need a new use for ethanol that will consume 14 billion gallons?

Either way, commodity groups need to always be forward thinking and looking out for the next big thing that will consume a U.S. agriculture product that will help underpin the farm economy.

Farmers like the taste of higher commodity prices.

Stu Ellis is an observer of the Central Illinois agriculture scene. In addition to his weekly column, you can view his From The Farm and Harvest Heritage reports on WCIA 3 News.

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DECATUR  Just days after a man was charged with firing a handgun at a Decatur Police Department squad car, the wives of some officers pleaded with the city council Monday to offer greater support for the men and women in blue.

At least a dozen spouses of Decatur cops attended the council meeting, with four addressing Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe and council members during the portion where citizens can address the body.

Their demands included higher staffing levels, harsher sentences for violent offenders and greater public displays of support for their spouses.

They also urged the city to come to agreement on a new contract with the union representing the city's cops, who've been working without a contract since January 2020.

"I am here tonight as a concerned police wife," said Tara Daniels. "My husband and I have three young children, and I fear for his safety, and his fellow officers. In 12 years, I have never been so terrified that my children will become fatherless due to his profession."

The pleas come after a man, identified as Marcus Boykin, fired shots Friday evening at a marked squad car with a Decatur police officer inside.

This set off a car chase that ended between Grand Avenue and Waggoner Street. After about 10 minutes, Boykin was taken into custody. He remains in Macon County Jail on $500,000 bond.

Citing the ongoing investigation, the Decatur Police Department on Monday denied a Herald & Review Freedom of Information Act request for dashcam footage of the chase.

Several of the speakers said this incident was just another example of the dangers officers face today, arguing that criminals feel emboldened by criminal justice reform efforts at the state level while the department faces understaffing.

"Our officers should be able to have backup, or to have someone able to sit with them while they're writing the reports, so that way they're not having to constantly look out their window and wonder if somebody is walking up to them and (has) a gun to their head or shooting inside their vehicle," said Carman Brooks, the wife of a Decatur officer.

The legislation was a pillar of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus' legislative response to the killing of George Floyd, which gave new relevance to long-simmering issues of racial justice and police misconduct.

The officers' spouses had a sympathetic ear from the Decatur City Council, with each member reiterating their support for the department while decrying rising rates of violent crime and reform efforts they say ties the hands of police.

"The mayor and I are very clear of what Springfield likes to call police reform," said Councilwoman Lisa Gregory. "We more or less refer to it as garbage ... We are letting legislators understand how it empowers certain individuals on the street to act the way they do."

Stimulus funds

It also significantly shaped the evening's conversation, which was expected to focus on how to spend the city's allotment of $16.9 million in American Rescue Plan stimulus funds.

The council largely accepted city manager Scot Wrighton's recommendation to spend $9 million on three high-priority water and sewer projects; $4 million to replace lost 2020 tax revenue; $2 million for housing under the city's neighborhood revitalization initiative and $1 million on broadband expansion.

Wrighton said that much of the funds towards lost tax revenue could go toward "general governmental functions," which includes public safety.

Moore Wolfe, whose son is a Macon County sheriff's deputy, said that the "lack of respect for authority is a plague in this country," noting how crime is up across the nation.

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In Decatur, she pointed to the increase in large, illegal pop-up block parties the past few years as well as a recent incident of fighting forcing the Splash Cove water park to close this past weekend.

"We are doing what we can to get more officers on the street, to get more bad people off the street," Moore Wolfe said. "We are not surrendering this community to the thugs. We're not going to do it."

Despite the public statements of support, Moore Wolfe acknowledged that "we are low on cops." The city has 148 budgeted positions for police officers, but currently only has 140 on the force.

It's not for a lack of trying, city officials say. But recruitment efforts have been a challenge for years, leading to reductions by attrition as officers retiring outpaces incoming recruits.

"The problem has been that we've had trouble, as have cities throughout the United States, with recruiting," Wrighton said. "You spend a year plus demonizing police officers inappropriately and then rationalizing criminal behavior, the result is that people don't want to be police officers."

Potential

For much of the night, the discussion on police and stimulus funds was intertwined, with council members recognizing the potential for some of the funds, such as those earmarked for neighborhood revitalization, to have a positive impact on crime rates.

"Just a couple of days ago, there was an individual that attempted to murder a police officer while doing paperwork. That's unacceptable," said Councilman David Horn. "This increase in violent crime is a pandemic of its own and we need to respond to it. And there are dollars listed here that can be used to do that."

In the short term, Horn argued for funds to go toward enhanced community violence prevention programs. Long term, he suggested spending more funds on neighborhood revitalization and less on items like water and sewer projects, which could come from other sources.

"We need to increase our public safety," Horn said. "But at the end of the day, it's going to be investment in our neighborhoods and the people who live in those neighborhoods that will be what turn around the long-standing challenges that we have."

Though there was broad agreement on the need for more funding to neighborhood revitalization, members said there was a need for balance.

"We can tear down as many houses as we want, we can make the lots look as beautiful as they want, but until we find a way to encourage, entice, support entities and individuals in the area of human capital development, we will continue to have ratty houses, we will continue to have parties in the street, we will continue to have individuals shooting each other because they can," Gregory said. "And worse, we will have them shooting at our officers."

The council ended the discussion with everyone besides Horn in agreement on how to allocated the city's ARP funds.

Of the $9 million for water and sewer projects, most would go toward three priority projects: the replacement of a water clarifier at the South Water Treatment Plant, the separation of the combined sanitary and storm sewer system around Oakland and Grand avenues and the reduction of inflow and infiltration in the area around Division Street and Ellen Avenue.

Moore Wolfe also indicated her support for offering a lifeline to the Children's Museum of Illinois, saying they need "a significant influx of money" after being closed for more than a year.

The museum could need as much as $200,000 from the city, Moore Wolfe said.

"It is something that attracts visitors from all over Central Illinois, it's educational, we have people from all over the country that come to this children's museum," she said. "And if it shuts down, it will be gone, it will be gone for good. And they need help."

With Wrighton getting the feedback he wanted from the council, an amendment to the city's fiscal year 2021 budget will likely come in a matter of weeks.

A second $16.9 million installment will be forthcoming next year.

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SULLIVAN  Chief Andrew Pistorius said the Sullivan Police Department has opted to not move forward with creating a canine program due to new state use-of-force guidelines for law enforcement agencies.

Pistorius said his understanding of the SAFE-T Act that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law in February is that this criminal justice reform law will increase use-of-force guidelines on police canines being used to apprehend subjects. He said law enforcement agencies will be exposed to more legal liability for taking this action.

"For us being a small community and a small department, it's unfortunately not going to work for us," Pistorius said of creating a canine unit.

The Sullivan Police Department had planed to obtain a "dual purpose" canine that could handle apprehensions and drug detection, Pistorius said. Moving forward with a "single purpose" canine focused solely on drug detection would not be worth the training and operations expenses, he said.

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In February, the Sullivan Police Department put its first canine, Renzo, into service. However, the department reported that the dog died later that month due to a previously undiagnosed medical condition.

Pistorius said Sullivan will continue requesting assistance from canine units with the Arthur Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Illinois State Police, and other agencies for its police canine needs.

"We do work well with other agencies. We do have access to that," Pistorius said. "We have those other options, too."

The Sullivan Police Department will return donations that it has received to help start a canine program and give that money to a charity, the chief said.

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I think I can still hear them partying in the Kremlin.

Vladimir Putin and his inner circle are toasting each other with shots of vodka and loud singing. I cant understand Russian, but I recognize the tune  Happy Days Are Here Again.

After the thrashing Putin gave to President Joe Biden at their summit meeting in Switzerland last week, the devilish former KGB operative has every reason to celebrate.

Someone asked me on a scale of 1 to 10 what score Id give to Biden for his G7 meeting in Britain and his one-on-one meeting with Putin in Geneva. I gave Biden a five for just showing up in Europe. Then I started subtracting  all the way down to zero, because thats what the U.S. got from Bidens trip.

The G7 leaders were a joke.

All they did, besides welcome Joe into their club of declining countries, was issue a weak communique after three days of posing for group photos on a beach in a posh holiday spot on the Cornish seacoast.

Biden supposedly wanted the G7 to join him and be tough on China for its human rights abuses, its takeover of Hong Kong and its non-market economic policies and practices. But the leaders of the worlds most advanced countries  who are deep in the economic pocket of China  chickened out.

Instead of ripping into China for unleashing a virus that killed 3.5 million people around the world, they meekly urged its Communist rulers to be more transparent and show more respect for human rights.

The G7, which was more interested in showing how progressive it is, pledged to vaccinate poorer countries, create a global tax for corporations and spend many billions to fight climate change.

The G7 was a useless three-day publicity stunt for mediocre prime ministers and presidents, but Bidens meeting with Putin in Geneva was the diplomatic disaster it was predicted to be.

Russia and Putin got everything they wanted  and paid nothing for it. Plus, they got it all before Biden even left the ground in Washington.

We  i.e., Biden  had already shut off our oil pipeline, begun destroying our booming energy sector and okayed Russias natural gas pipeline to Germany.

What did Biden get from Putin  whose military is closing in on Ukraine and playing war games off the coast of Hawaii?

Nothing.

President Biden let Putin off the hook about Ukraine.

Okaying the natural gas pipeline to Germany has already given Russia enormous economic and political leverage over the European Union.

(Unlike Biden, Putin knows that in 2021 whoever has the oil and gas still calls the shots  and no one is going to take away that geopolitical weapon with windmills and Parisian climate treaties.)

For good measure, Biden  trying to get tough?  gave Putin a list of 16 places in America that are off limits to cyberattacks by Russians in or out of the government.

Hello? Does that mean everything else is OK to attack, Putin might ask? To his credit, Biden didnt send Putin the 16 URLs.

After the so-called summit, Biden made things worse by letting Putin hold a press conference by himself where he trashed America  and no one could challenge him.

Then, as Biden was leaving his own solo press conference, he got mad at a CNN reporter who had the nerve to ask him why he was so confident that killer Putin would change his behavior and turn into the Russian equivalent of Old Joe Biden.

Will someone please tell me what good came out of Bidens un-summit for America?

Apparently, our president doesnt know that when you go into a negotiation with a foreign adversary you dont give them everything they want beforehand.

When my father was negotiating with the Soviets in the 1980s, someone asked him to sum up his strategy on the Cold War. He answered, We win, they lose.

If President Biden had been asked the same question before meeting Putin this week, he should have answered They win, we lose.

Because thats exactly the message he conveyed.

Michael Reagan is a columnist for the Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

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What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Since April 2021, Concerned Community Citizens have pleaded with the Decatur School District #61 Board of Education to place assistant superintendent Jeff Dase as interim superintendent. A move that has been practiced since 1927. At the June 8, 2021, BOE meeting, the BOE voted to place a past school teacher in the position of interim superintendent. Until Tuesday, june 8, there had not been a rebuttal from the community.

Concerned Community Citizens posed a press conference on Monday, June 7. People from the community were in attendance as well as school age children. However, a community person who worked on a current board members 2021 campaign presented a scathing objection to Mr. Dase. I wonder if one negative person changed the hearts of BOE within three minutes of the presentation or if the BOE felt they needed to plant an objection to justify their decision?

The BOE is not transparent. The BOE has hold overs from the previous board (their terms are not yet up). I wonder if hold overs from the previous board are driving the narrative of the present board. When a schoolteacher ran for the Board in 2014, she was told by now BOE president that she had to resign from her teaching position to run for the board. Yet, the BOE swore in and seated a board member who was a counselor at MacArthur High School and resigned from his counselor position but serving as a volunteer and attending counselor staff meetings. The perception is the MacArthur volunteer is still working. This is a conflict of interest. The BOE needs to be completely transparent and void of any hint of perception. Perception is reality.

I say what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Marguerite Walker, Decatur

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The commission did, however, endorse plans for the removal of the A.P. Hill statue at the intersection of Hermitage Road and Laburnum Avenue, citing traffic safety concerns there. The city has not yet removed the Hill monument because the Confederate general is buried under it. City officials said there is a pending agreement with Hills relatives to relocate his remains to a property in Culpeper County.

In a message sent to city officials Saturday afternoon, Northams chief of staff, Clark Mercer, implored the Planning Commission against voting for the city administrations plans to remove the pedestals.

Perhaps at the end of the planning process it will be decided that the pedestals should be removed, though once they are removed there is really very little practical chance that they would be returned to the avenue, Mercer said in his letter. I would ask that the Commission please consider letting this planning process take place before making any decisions related to the disposition of these pedestals.

The state is planning a similar approach with the state-owned Robert E. Lee statue. Northam ordered the removal of the statue last June, but the Supreme Court of Virginia is still weighing an appeal while an injunction continues to bar the governors administration from taking down the monument.
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?
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.
Did you know food service accounts for more than 60% of Wisconsin cheese consumption? And for restaurants, using a quality, great-tasting cheese can affect how over 80% of consumers perceive a restaurant and its menu.

Our Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin food service team uses research and insights to help drive awareness and affinity for Wisconsin cheese among restaurants. Because when you call out Wisconsin cheese or add the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese badge on a menu, it immediately communicates superior flavor and craftsmanship and shows they care about the origin and quality of their ingredients.

We help our partners tell the stories of Wisconsin dairy farm families, cheese companies, cheesemakers, and the states outstanding quality milk. And as we drive Wisconsin cheese usage on menus and within the food service channel, we help drive milk sales for our states dairy farmers.



To date, partnerships with food service businesses have resulted in billions of dollars in Wisconsin cheese moving into these restaurants. Data shows:

 Restaurants using the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese badge experience a 5% to 10% improvement in sales by building ticket size, or dollars spent, and driving restaurant traffic.

 During COVID-19, pizza restaurants and chains experienced significant growth due to pizza being a takeout and delivery-friendly food. And Wisconsin cheese on a pizza helps drive a 12% price premium, so restaurant operators continually are calling out and adding Wisconsin to their menus.

 Our recent Wonders of Wisconsin promotion during American Cheese Month in May was featured in over 1,200 restaurants across the country.

By the numbers

Data from 2019 offer a more accurate reflection of the power of Wisconsin cheese. For example:

 Cousins Subs used more than 5.5 million pounds of Wisconsin cheese, requiring more than 60 million pounds of Wisconsin milk. Overall, 88% of the restaurants subs included Wisconsin cheese.

 A&W Restaurants sold more than 7 million pounds of Wisconsin cheese curds.

 Giordanos pizza locations used more than 6 million pounds of Wisconsin cheese.

 Culvers used more than 1 million pounds of Wisconsin butter or more than 22 million pounds of milk. When added together, use of Wisconsin milk rose 15%, surpassing 250 billion pounds.

Telling Wisconsins story

With research-based findings, including that over 70% of consumers would be more likely to order items with cheese when they see the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese badge, we partner with restaurants to drive awareness and affinity for Wisconsin cheese. Through integration on a restaurants menu, marketing materials, social media platforms, or promotions, Wisconsin becomes part of a restaurants brand story.



Preliminary 2021 sales figures have restaurant owners cautiously optimistic about their future. Wisconsin cheese is making a difference with customers and Wisconsins dairy farming families.

To learn more about Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, visit wisconsindairy.org.









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

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021

June 21, 2021
The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman.

Today,introduced the bipartisan Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act, which would provide tax incentives to farmers and rural electric cooperatives who invest in biogas technology. Rep. Kind was joined in introducing this legislation by

Wisconsins dairy farmers are the heart of our state economy, contributing $45.6 billion to it each year, said Rep. Ron Kind. We need to ensure our farmers have the tools they need to continue to grow their businesses and create jobs. Providing these tax incentives is a commonsense way to make pursuing biogas technology more affordable for Wisconsin dairy farmers, helping to reduce their energy costs all while protecting our natural resources.

The bipartisan Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act recognizes the value that biogas systems can have for dairy producers of all sizes as they continuously improve their sustainability nationwide, said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF. This new investment tax credit also incorporates nutrient recovery technologies, which can transform manure into fertilizer for crops and bedding for cows. These technologies are important, but expensive. This bill will help farmers incorporate these new technologies into their operations, for the benefit of everyone.



Sustainable manure management is just one example of how the agriculture sector is delivering innovative climate solutions. Digester and nutrient recovery technologies can reduce methane emissions, improve soil fertility and water quality, and directly benefit a producers bottom line. Yet, the upfront costs to install these technologies often impede adoption. We applaud Representatives Kind and Reed for reintroducing legislation that would make biogas and nutrient recovery systems more affordable, said the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance.

"The ABC applauds the continued leadership of Congressmen Ron Kind (D-WI-03) and Tom Reed (R-NY-23) in recognizing the sustainable agricultural benefits provided by biogas systems and nutrient recovery technologies. The reintroduction of the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act will spur deployment of these systems which will in turn foster cleaner air and water while providing greater economic opportunities to agricultural producers. This legislation will provide a real boost to the agricultural economy," said Patrick Serfass, Executive Director of the American Biogas Council (ABC).



The Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act promotes investment by allowing biodigesters to qualify for an energy tax credit that is on-par with the 30% tax credit for solar energy. This will allow for Wisconsin dairy farms to finally have affordable access installation of biodigesters on their farms, significantly reducing the upfront cost. Farms will now be able to use digesters or other biological, chemical, thermal, or mechanical processes to make biogas that is at least 52% methane, adding an immediate new revenue stream and dramatically decreasing pollution and runoff.



This bill is also included in the comprehensive Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now (GREEN) Act, which would help address climate change by promoting the use of green energy technologies and invest in Wisconsins workforce by creating new energy credits for manufacturers and bolstering stable, clean, good-paying jobs.

To help secure the future of Wisconsin Dairy, Rep. Kind also recently unveiled his Family Farm Action Plan. Rep. Kinds comprehensive plan would support hardworking family farmers and help Wisconsins dairy industry continue to build a bright future.

Rep. Kind serves on the Ways and Means Committee, the most powerful - and the oldest - committee in the House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over tax measures, the management of public debt, trade and tariff laws, Social Security, Medicare, pensions, and many other economic growth measures.


The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman.

Dairy West is among seven organizations the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy honored Monday with its 10th annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards. Dairy West is a regional dairy promotion organization representing Idaho and Utah dairy farm families, and the award recognizes its Curds + Kindness pandemic response last year had an outstanding community impact.

"In the spring of 2020, Dairy West spearheaded the Curds + Kindness initiative to relieve COVID-19-related supply chain pressures and deliver dairy products to hungry people in communities throughout Idaho and Utah," an Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy news release about the awards program said. "The industry-wide effort matched excess milk supply with available regional processing, allowing Dairy West to purchase, at cost, and donate more than 1 million pounds of product, which helped 500,000-plus families across the region. In addition to donating products through food banks, food pantries, and schools, Dairy West shared the joy and goodness of dairy with frontline workers, people in shelters, and youth in need through community activations in June and December."



Dairy West CEO Karianne Fallow said her organization is thrilled for the recognition and that the effort was definitely a win-win for dairy farm families and people battling food insecurity.

"Dairy West is a farmer-funded promotion organization and our board of directors, which represents farmers throughout Idaho and Utah, saw a great opportunity when the pandemic struck," Fallow said. "They quickly supported the Curds + Kindness initiative because they knew it would help farmers stay in business, keep dairy processing facilities operational, and feed those who needed it most in our communities. Our relationships across the supply chain, including with farmers, were strengthened because of our creative action."

Fallow said Dairy West will remain dedicated to helping fight food insecurity.



"The impact of our Curds + Kindness initiative is a testament to the power people have when they work together to solve problems and make a difference," she said. "Dairy West will continue to employ Curds + Kindness initiatives as part of a broader hunger strategy, and its spirit of building strong communities with dairy at the center will continue to be part of our ongoing efforts. The pandemic is certainly not the only time that we will see people and communities in need, and Dairy West is committed to helping find creative ways to dispel food insecurity facing our region."

The U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards recognize exceptional farms, businesses, and partnerships for their socially responsible, economically viable, and environmentally sound practices and technologies that have a broad and positive impact.

The awards are judged by an independent panel of dairy and conservation experts who consider innovation, scalability, and replicability when evaluating nominations. Among the criteria to apply for the awards is participation and good standing in the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) animal care program and agreement to participate in the FARM Environmental Stewardship online tool for determining their GHG and energy footprint. Both initiatives are part of the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, U.S. dairy's social responsibility pledge to consumers, customers, and other stakeholders.



Dairy West is a regional dairy promotion organization established in 2017 to represent dairy farmers, processors, and supply chain partners in Idaho and Utah. The organization raises awareness of the importance of dairy farming, promotes the health and nutritional benefits of dairy foods, and encourages global demand for Idaho, Utah, and Western U.S. dairy foods through coordinated marketing and communications efforts, nutrition counseling, and research programs. Visit DairyWest.com and Unbottled.com for more information.
International recognition has turned the work of passionate Australian data-analytics firm Kablamo into a global exemplar of AI innovation, after Amazon recognised its bushfire prediction tool as the most innovative AI/ML solution in its public-sector partner awards.

Since it was founded in 2017, Sydney-based Kablamo has built a team of nearly 50 developers, DevOps and DevSecOPs engineers, user-experience designers and agile managers.

It has built a reputation around its successful application of data analytics and AI/ML techniques to business problems in areas as diverse as home loan origination, automatic interview transcriptions, digital asset management, and more.

But it was work with the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) that led to the firms latest global recognition.

DELWP engaged Kablamo two years ago to help it explore the potential use of machine learning to better understand the spread of bushfires, whose almost randomness has seen them continuing to devastate Australian states despite a broad range of resources committed.

Were pretty good at building software that takes in pretty complex and large data sets, and good at user design and user experience, co-CEO Angus Dorney told Information Age, and we began looking at the way we could apply what were good at to the bushfire space.

The problem soon became clear: despite having a wealth of historical data available, authorities have had no way of applying it in any meaningful way  ultimately managing fires using time-tested manual techniques and human intuition.

Were very outdated, in terms of technology and data, in the way that were managing bushfires, he explained. What is commonplace in large tech companies is so far off how our state and territory fire services are operating, in Australia and globally.

This, despite a long history of damaging bushfires causing hundreds of deaths, burning millions of hectares and causing tens of billions of dollars in economic damage.

There is still a lack of urgency and a lack of progress around how we use technology, Dorney said, especially at the top levels of government.

As the project progressed, it became clear just how far behind authorities really were: the more we looked into it, Dorney explained, the more we found that we are very reliant on things like paper-based maps, manual processes, and human-based decision making with very little data-led decision making on how we are managing bushfires.

Yet useful data is already buried in a range of sources including satellite imagery, social media reports of bushfires, transcripts of emergency calls, cameras in national parks, sensors measuring moisture content of bushfire fuel in real time, location data of firefighting staff and assets, and even drone footage.

The data is already there, Dorney said. And while better utilising it is a complex problem and not easy to solve, he added, you really have to ask whether we really have to be putting all those lives at risk by sending people in trucks with hoses to try and stop the mega fires, when there is all this other technology we could be using to help prevent them from getting to that place.

NSW, for one, has leaned heavily on traditional firefighting methods in its response to the independent NSW Bushfire Inquiry, with authorities this month announcing $268.2m in additional funding, including $10.6m to support the new National Fire Danger Rating System and $5.2m for firefighting drones.

Pushing towards real-time analysis

The ultimate result of the project was a visualisation platform that, leveraging AI/ML algorithms trained on 40 years worth of historical data about bushfire movements and environmental conditions, has proven able to accurately model the risk of bushfires and their spread over time.

DEWLP is able to generate predictive and risk analysis to a much higher resolution than was previously possible, and to ingest and analyse much more data than was previously possible, Dorney explained.

This has removed the technical bottlenecks that they were experiencing, as well as the limitations around the depth of the analysis that they were previously able to provide.

Although the platform is not yet being used in real time, its design has been optimised for the ingestion of new data types and, potentially, its ultimate use as a tactical tool for fighting bushfires.

The application leans heavily on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform, which enabled the use of serverless processes and automated data pipelines that allow the application to consume nearly any amount of data and scale it to nearly any size.

Use of AWS also provided access to AWSs ever-evolving AI/ML platform  expertise in which has been critical to the success of Kablamo, which has been recognised by AWS for its machine learning consulting competency.

AI is the cherry on top of the cake, he said. You have a core data platform set up in a way that makes it scalable, and the data is transformed into a state that you can use it.

You remove manual steps and, in building the cloud native platform and automating the pre and post processing, you really open the possibility to use more advanced machine learning models [and] extending that to real-time management of bushfire incidents.

The 2021 AWS Global Public Sector Partners Awards will stream online on 30 June or on-demand afterwards.
Special government approval has enabled 14 NSW and ACT universities to collaborate on a pilot program that will bring 250 international students back to Australia per fortnight, finally promising relief to a higher-education sector that has been eviscerated by pandemic-era travel bans.

Interim approval from the ACCC will allow the institutions to collude for what ACCC chair Rod Sims called a fair and efficient system to get these international students back to Australia.

Working together as a bloc, the universities will prioritise the return of students whose courses require practical or on-site elements  making it easier for them to co-ordinate the return of students through activities such as buying blocks of airplane tickets and allocating them to the overseas students.

A single travel agent will be jointly appointed to facilitate return travel, with students paying for the commercial or chartered flights using a dedicated platform to be established by the travel provider.

The alternative  relying on students to book their own accommodation and manage their quarantine provisions independently  makes demand harder to predict and would make it harder to prioritise students who need to be in Australia for face-to-face learning.

While some students are able to complete their studies offshore via online learning, there are a significant number of international students whose studies include on-site or practical components, the formal authorisation notes, with medicine, science, engineering and nursing students cited as examples.

Each of the participating universities  whose collective enrolments of over 469,000 students were savaged after pandemic border closures blocked NSWs 250,000 international students from returning for their studies  will determine which courses of study will be prioritised.

Students must hold a valid student visa to be eligible, and will stay in purpose-built accommodation to complete the required 14-day quarantine period.

The university sector will manage all costs of the program, which will be run alongside the existing general repatriation program from as early as next month and is expected to increase to 500 students per fortnight by years end.

International education is our second most valuable export and we need to do what we can to help students return and revive this sector as quickly as possible, NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said in announcing the pilot program.

Closed borders are said to be costing NSW as much as $1.5b per month.

Skills gap a national priority

The 12-month authorisation follows on the heels of the federal governments May publication of protocols and preconditions for international student arrivals, which includes an acknowledgement that there is no Australian Government funding available to support the return of the international students.

Students will be required to have enough money to support themselves through their studies, and will not be eligible for Commonwealth financial support  with institutions obligated to inform students that part-time work can be hard to come by in the current economic climate.

Despite the broad discussion about technologically-driven vaccine passports as a facilitator of international travel  and the availability of digital certificates for fully-vaccinated Australians  the government protocols do not mention vaccination at all.

This suggests that students will not be required to be vaccinated before being allowed to participate in the program.

Universities will be required to address a range of other requirements, including the provision of student health and wellbeing support that includes virtual social activities.

Reflecting the hybrid learning requirements of the current environment, small-group sessions will be administered in person, but larger lectures are likely to be given online to maintain social distancing.

The program is the first concrete step towards bringing back the estimated 210,000 international students that have been stopped from returning to Australia to complete their studies.

Australias higher-education sector is particularly exposed to declines in international student numbers, which comprise more than 20 per cent of students at most Australian universities and nearly half the enrolments at several institutions.

By comparison, United States universities have around 1 million international students  less than twice Australias 663,000  comprising just 5.5 per cent of a student population that has suffered the dual hit of COVID-19 and a xenophobic Trump presidency.

The loss of overseas students has already cost Australia an estimated $18 billion, gutting a massively profitable sector that contributed $37.6b to Australias economy in fiscal 2018-19  when the sector was marking its fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth.

Rebuilding the sector will be critical to reinvigorating efforts to close a technology workforce gap that will, the recent ACS Australia Digital Pulse 2021 report found, fall short by 53,000 workers in coming years.
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.

Story continues

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.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir speaking to ANI

New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and party's state president Ghulam Ahmad Mir will be part of the Congress delegation that will attend the June 24 all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with leaders of the union territory.

"Invitation for this meeting has been sent without any agenda. Ghulam Nabi Azad as former chief minister, Tara Chand as former Deputy chief minister and I as state party president will be attending the meeting," Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir told ANI.

Earlier on Tuesday, Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi chaired a high-level meeting with senior party leaders to decide on the course of action regarding the Prime Minister's meeting.

"The meeting was attended by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Senior Congress leaders Dr Karan Singh, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rajni Patil, JKPCC President Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Tariq Hameed Karra. After the meeting, it was decided that Congress will participate in the Prime Minister's all-party meeting scheduled on June 24," said Jammu and Kashmir Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma.

Meanwhile, the Gupkar Alliance, which includes mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, has already accepted the invitation to the Thursday's all-party meeting by the Prime Minister.

This is the first high-level interaction between the Centre and political leadership mainly from Kashmir since August 5, 2019 when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and the state was bifurcated into two union territories.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti are among those invited for the meeting.

Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has reached out to 14 leaders including Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad, Tara Chand and GA Mir; NC's Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah; PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, J-K Apni Party's Altaf Bukhari; BJP's Ravinder Raina, Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta; CPI(M)'s M Y Tarigami, and National Panthers Party's Prof Bheem Singh; Peoples Conference's Sajad Gani Lone.

Story continues

Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Home Secretary would also attend the meeting.

It is learnt from reliable sources that no fixed agenda has been set for the meeting and a freewheeling discussion is expected on June 24.

However, delimitation, statehood and assembly elections are expected to remain key issues to be discussed at the all-party meeting.

Sources familiar with developments told ANI the move to reach out to political leadership in Jammu and Kashmir has sent a very positive message especially in the valley and it is expected to give momentum to the political process in a big way and talks can pave way for positive developments.

Jammu Kashmir witnessed District Development Council last year and also panchayat elections.

Home Minister Amit Shah had said in February this year in Lok Sabha that statehood will be restored to J-K at an appropriate time.

Sources indicate that the Centre would be willing to discuss all issues on the table including the statehood.

Although People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has agreed to attend the meeting, its leaders especially Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said that they will ask New Delhi to restore Article 370 and 35 A. (ANI)
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Indian National Congress confirmed on Tuesday that its representatives will attend the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, said Ravinder Sharma, spokesperson of the Congress' Jammu and Kashmir unit.

Sharma said that Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president GA Mir and party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad will attend the meet from Congress.

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Why is it relevant?

The Congress' decision comes after the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) confirmed Tuesday that its members too will attend the all-party meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

The PAGD a six-party alliance of mainstream parties that came into existence after the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. Abdullah said all those invited will attend the meeting. Its members include Congres, National Conference, PDP, CPM, JK Awami National Conference, JK People's Movement.

The other members of the PAGD, who have been invited to the meeting by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla include National Conference's Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah; PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, CPM's MY Tarigami.

The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference's Sajjad Gani Lone, who left the alliance in January. too has been invited for the meeting. The other invitees are Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party's Altaf Bukhari; National Panthers Party's Professor Bheem Singh; and BJP's Ravinder Raina, Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Home Secretary Bhalla would also attend the meeting.

Former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister and Congress leader Tara Chand, who too was invited to the meet, is reportedly unlikely to attend the meet due to ill health. He is currently admitted to a hospital in Delhi.

Story continues

What's on the agenda?

According to officials, the prime minister's scheduled meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir is part of the Centre's initiatives to bolster political processes, including holding Assembly elections, in the Union Territory.

The word on the grapevine, according to ANI, is that the Centre is open to discuss all issues on the table, including statehood.

Several news agencies have said that there is no set agenda for the meeting, and instead expect a freewheeling discussion on 24 June.

On Tuesday, PAGD chairperson Farooq Abdullah said that no agenda has been pitched from their side (the Centre).

"We can talk about any issue there," he added.

However, considering this is the first such exercise since the Centre announced the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and its bifurcation into Union territories on 5 August, 2019, the issues of J&K's statehood and its special status will likely be on the table.

Over the last few days, several Jammu and Kashmir leaders have commented on topics they may talk about at the meeting with Modi.

PAGD vice-chairperson and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that she would press for the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir along with statehood.

"We will talk on what has been snatched away from us, that it was a mistake and it was an illegal and unconstitutional act, without restoring which, the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and peace in the whole region cannot be established," Mehbooba said.

Talking to reporters, Tarigami, who is also the PAGD's spokesperson, hinted at seeking the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir during the meeting with the prime minister.

"We will not ask for the stars, but will seek what has been ours and should be ours only. As we have no information on the agenda of the meeting called by the prime minister, we will reiterate the stand of the PAGD there, before the highest leadership," he said.

The CPI(M) leader said the meeting with the prime minister was an opportunity and assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh that the leaders were going to Delhi to advocate on their behalf.

"We will advocate in that court on the behalf of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. We will appeal to the prime minister of India about safeguarding the guarantees under the Constitution, which we have been given before, and to reconsider them," he said, referring to the erstwhile state's special status.

Tarigami said there should be no misconception among the people that the alliance leaders were going to sign on to the agenda set by the Centre.

"No, we are not. We are going to see what proposal the Prime Minister of India has. If it is in our interest, the interest of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, then we will say yes and if otherwise, there is going to be a big no," he said.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir People's Conferences' Sajjad Lone said that his party will convey "the pain and suffering" of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to Modi. His party has called on the region's parties to play a constructive role in the development of Jammu and Kashmir and sought to end the political logjam in the Valley.

"There is a dire need for scripting a new social contract between Delhi and the people of J&K to address the aspirations of the people here," he had told Outlook India on Monday.

The JKNPP's Singh had told PTI on Monday that his party would represent both Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in a true sense to seek the return of peace, equity and equality for the local residents and will ask what needs to be done to save Jammu and Kashmir from further death and destruction.

"We will press for the holding of early Assembly elections," he said, adding the party rejects the delimitation commission which is based on the 2011 Census and will take up the issue during the meeting.

"My approach is very simple: where is the document of accession which was signed by my Maharaja? You have revoked Article 370 but where is the reference on the instrument of accession which has not been approved?" PTI had quoted Singh, who is a Supreme Court lawyer, as saying.

The instrument of accession was signed on 26 October, 1947, between Maharaja Hari Singh, the then ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, and the Indian government to accede Jammu and Kashmir to Independent India.

The JKNPP leaders said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been given special rights by royal decree and it was made clear that these cannot be changed or converted under Chapter Three of the Constitution.

"Delhi has done so many blunders with regard to Jammu and Kashmir and has not learned any lessons to date. I feel surprised," he said.

With inputs from agencies

Also See: P Chidambaram demands restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir ahead of all-party meeting

Centre looks to restore J&K statehood, PM to discuss roadmap at all-party meet

In 'pressure cooker' Jammu and Kashmir primed to explode, restoration of statehood may offer much-needed release

Read more on Politics by Firstpost.
The existing ban on inter-state movement of passenger buses between Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Maharashtra, imposed when a surge was recorded in Covid-19 cases, was on Tuesday extended up to June 30, an official said. An order of this effect was issued by MP's additional transport commissioner Arvind Saxena, the official said here.

Earlier order, issued on June 15, was effective till June 22. The Madhya Pradesh government has lifted the ban on bus operations with Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh from June 15.

The MP government had prohibited movement of inter-state buses as part of efforts to curb coronavirus cases. The coronavirus tally in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday rose to 7,89,415 after the state reported 65 fresh cases, while the death toll reached 8,806 as 22 more patients succumbed to the infection, the health department said.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
Mumbai, Jun 21 (PTI) Nissan India on Monday said it has commenced exports of its recently launched sub-compact SUV Magnite to Indonesia, South Africa and Nepal, and produced 1,200 units for the overseas markets till May.

The Japanese auto major had rolled out Magnite in the Indian market in December last year.

Built on the philosophy of Make in India, Make for the World, the B-segment sports utility vehicle is being produced at the Chennai-based Renault Nissan Automotive facility.

The carmaker, in a statement, said it has produced over 15,010 units of the Magnite till May, including 1,220 units for exports to Indonesia, South Africa and Nepal.

Nissan India announces the exports of the all-new Nissan Magnite to Indonesia, South Africa and Nepal. Since its launch, the company has produced 15,010 sub-compact SUVs (till May-end 2021), including 13,790 for India and 1,220 for exports, the company said in the statement.

The new vehicle has replicated its Indian success in the Nepalese market by achieving over 760 bookings within the first 30 days of its launch in February in a market that has monthly passenger vehicle sales of 1,580 units, it said.

Having already made a mark in the Indian market, with its impeccable design and the latest technology, the all-new Nissan Magnite is driving excitement amongst customers on a global scale.

Built on the philosophy of Make in India, Make for the World, the all-new Nissan Magnite will explore more export markets after the overwhelming customer response it has received in the Nepal market, said Sinan Ozkok, President, Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd.

The company is confident that the game changer SUV will strengthen the exports as part of Nissan NEXT transformation plan for its sustainable growth, he added.

With the introduction of the third shift in its manufacturing process earlier this year, along with over 1,000 new hires across the manufacturing plant, Nissan India said it has been able to meet growing demand in the Indian and export markets. PTI IAS BAL BAL
Former US President Donald Trump.

Washington [US], June 22 (ANI/Sputnik): The former US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was not considering vying for the role of the House of Representatives in 2022 though he is aware of the mounting rumors.

"I have heard the talk and it's getting more and more. But it is not something that I would have considered, but certainly there is a lot of talk about it," Trump said in an interview with conservative outlet Real America's Voice.

The former US President also noted that he has a good relationship with the House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, who can potentially become the next speaker if the Republicans win back the majority after the midterm elections in the last quarter of 2022, and hopes "to do everything traditionally."

In a recent interview to Fox News on Saturday McCarthy confirmed that Trump was considering to run for the speaker chair and become the first unelected official in the position.

In early June, in another interview, Trump said he was interested in the idea of becoming the House speaker to come back to the American big politics before 2024 when the next presidential elections will take place. (ANI/Sputnik)
A Distant Grave, by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Minotaur)

Homicide detective Maggie Darcy has been hoping to heat up a cross-Atlantic romance with her sweetheart, Conor Kearney, but after a body turns up on Long Island beach, her trip to Ireland appears to be off.

When the murder victim turns out to be Gabriel Treacy, a Dublin resident who had just arrived in America, however, she flies to the Emerald Isle to combine business with pleasure. As the investigation heats up, she finds scant time for the latter.

The indomitable Darcy, introduced by author Sarah Stewart Taylor last year in the critically acclaimed Mountains Wild, soon finds herself entangled in a case with threads that stretch from Long Island and Ireland to Italy and war-torn Afghanistan.

Treacy, it turns out, was an aid worker who once had been kidnapped, and subsequently rescued, in Afghanistan. And recently, he had been looking for a long-lost brother who had been torn from his family during Irelands stolen babies scandal. Could either, or perhaps both, explain why he had come to America? Could either involve motives for his murder?

Meanwhile, powerful Suffolk County DA John J. Cooney, insistent that the murder was just a gang-related robbery gone bad, pressures Darcy to return to Long Island.

As she persists in following her lines of investigation, however, several others involved in either the stolen babies scandal or the kidnapping die from a mysterious killers bullets. Eventually, she realizes her own life is in danger.

The result is a fast-paced, tension-filled yarn filled with twists the reader is unlikely to see coming. Taylor tells the story in a lyrical prose style that is a joy to read. She excels in vividly portraying both the rural Ireland and Long Island settings and in developing memorable characters including Darcys partner, Dave Milich, and her troubled daughter, Lilly.

The only off note is occasional references to events in The Mountain Wild that are difficult for readers to fathom unless they have read the first book in the series.



Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of Americas Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including The Dread Line.

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

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MATTOON  For some, it was a matter of convenience. For others it was an attempt at making life a little more normal.

Whatever the reason, there was a steady flow of people taking advantage of a COVID-19 vaccine clinic Monday at Mattoon High School.

So far, so good, said Nikki Monterusso, who brought family members Bella, Marah and Eva Edwards to get their first doses. Everybodys feeling good. Ive had mine for a while and these guys had their choice about whether or not they want to get it, so Im very proud of them.

They were among a host of other young people, like 15-year-old Elizabeth McCullough, seeking the added protection of a shot and the prospect of having a normal school year when classes resume in the fall.

We still have cases every so often, so you just got to be protected just in case something does happen," she said.

The clinic, hosted by the Coles County Health Department and the Illinois National Guard, offered the two-dose Pfizer vaccine to people ages 12 and up.

According to the health department, some 50 individuals signed up in advance to get the vaccine. The clinic also welcomed walk-ins.

She (my neighbor) was hesitant originally about it, because then she didn't really have access and wasnt able to get out there to hospital, said Paul Carmen, who drove his neighbor to the vaccine clinic.

Carmen, who lost friends and family to the virus, has been vaccinated since February and was adamant that it was important to take the chance on the vaccine.

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We're a little bit over 30% vaccinated in Coles County, so we're just still trying to focus on trying to reach out, get the vaccine out there to the people that want it, said health department administrator Diana Stenger. Herd immunity is the goal.

Herd immunity will be achieved when 80% of the population is immunized, explains Stenger.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, nearly 70% of residents ages 12 and up have received at least one dose of the vaccine and nearly 52% are fully-vaccinated.

The local health department is working to provide access to vaccines often, and will be hosting another clinic with the National Guard at Charleston High School on Monday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The National Guard distributes the vaccines provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health, which is in charge of reaching out to local health departments, explains Stenger.

An additional vaccine clinic will be held in July for those who got their first shot Monday to get a second dose. That clinic will also be open to those who want to get their first dose, says Stenger.

But Stenger added residents don't have to wait for health department clinics to get vaccinated. Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS are a few of the places that offer the vaccine regularly.

The local health departments are just trying to continue to offer it (the vaccine), said Stenger. They (patients) can call the office, they can check with their local provider. They can check with the pharmacies, because right now it's pretty widely-spread in the offering.

Over the weekend, one person in Coles County tested positive for coronavirus.

To date, 5,921 residents have tested positive. Of those, 17 residents are recovering, one is hospitalized and 99 have died.
Like many folks who worked from home last year because of the pandemic, the Kairoffs shelter-in-place experience may have prevented them from strolling Venices Piazza San Marco, but it also opened their eyes to their living room, which might be summed up in a single observation: The fabric on the silk chairs in our living room began pulling apart, Claudia says.

That minor detail led to a major decision for the Kairoffs: to begin a home remodeling project that had been simmering on the proverbial back burner.

The Kairoffs and Druga met by summers end and agreed to do the project in a blended fashion of remote work and limited in-person contact.

I wasnt sure how the project would go, says Druga, who was initially anxious about being isolated from her New York vendors. But I quickly rediscovered all the wonderful North Carolina manufacturers and local suppliers. We are so lucky to be so close to High Point showrooms.

She says it was very special to be able to work with the North Carolina furniture manufacturers that I grew up with and studied during design school.

She also worked with Imagine Flowers, Trouvaille Home and Aikiwave Painter.
Records related to the death of John Neville will remain sealed while prosecutors appeal a ruling by a Forsyth County judge, the N.C. Court of Appeals said Monday.

Five former detention officers and a nurse were charged in Nevilles death, which sparked protests in Winston-Salem.

The latest developments stem from a decision made by Judge David Hall of Forsyth Superior Court to release the records, including an investigative report from the State Bureau of Investigation. A media coalition, including the Winston-Salem Journal, had sought public release of the records, which were in the custody of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Hall cited case law saying that records ordinarily kept confidential can become public when given to a public agency such as DHHS. But Hall later issued a 60-day stay on his decision.

The N.C. Attorney Generals Office is representing Forsyth County prosecutors in their appeal of Halls decision and asked the appellate court to extend the stay on Halls decision. The court granted that request on Monday.

Mike Tadych, attorney for the coalition, filed a motion asking the appellate court to not grant the request and to dismiss the appeal, saying that the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office did not have the authority to appeal Halls decision to begin with.
In an open letter to Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican legislative leaders, 11 health-care groups and the N.C. Chamber warn that the state is nearing a mental-health services crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and ask for help to combat it.

The letter was submitted to Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland.

Cooper responded on June 24, saying he agrees "that this is a crisis our state must address with the most important step being to expand Medicaid now."

Cooper challenged the letter sponsors to "redouble their efforts" to get Medicaid expansion passed, while the N.C. Chamber "needs to take a strong position in favor."

"My administration is committed to doing everything we can with limited resources to prioritize mental health in healthcare delivery. We will continue our commitment to creating an innovative, coordinated and whole-person centered healthcare system."

Cooper also cited that the Republican-controlled Senate state budget proposal contains funding to take about 1,000 individuals off the state's Registry of Unmet Needs, while there are 15,000 on the list waiting for expanded services..
The right to have a weapon for self-protection precedes the Constitution, a right so natural that the founders didnt bother to secure it by language any stronger than the slender reed of the Second Amendment.

The founders could not have imagined the killing efficiency of a modern assault rifle, any more than they could have imagined television, a Black president or a female vice president. For them, the right to bear arms implied muzzle-loading muskets. Still, if the modern hypothetical home invader is much better armed than in colonial times, the modern hypothetical homeowner has a right to be better armed, as well.

The unashamedly pro-gun Judge Benitez took a dubious path to the right conclusion. Like the judge, our society may be so infatuated with guns that his was the only possible finding.

But even a constitutional right can be limited. The courts have held that citizens cannot own machine guns or bazookas. Some of the carnage might be limited by more rigorous background checks, mandatory training and demonstrated proficiency.

Even Judge Benitezs ruling includes testimony (p. 30, p. 47) suggesting that the real culprit in mass shootings is large-capacity magazines. Reducing legal magazine size might help even the odds in the Great American Shoot-Out.

But in the meantime, our challenge is to find a way to live in a society drowning in guns, even as a hundred of us die every day by gunfire.
Last weeks incident is being described as the worst recreational accident ever in Rockingham County.

The four survivors who were rescued near the dam were found clinging to their tubes after spending an estimated 19 hours in the river. A Duke Energy employee spotted them near the steam station.

Among the victims were 7-year-old Isiah Crawford, 27-year-old Bridish Crawford and 30-year-old Antonio Ramon, all of Eden, and 14-year-old Sophie Wilson of Laporte, Ind. At press time, a 35-year-old Eden woman, Teresa Villano, remained missing.

Low-head dams have their uses. They can improve the flow of rivers for boating, boost the generation of hydro-electric power and increase the collection of water for irrigation and drinking.

But they also are universally reviled as serious safety hazards, described variously as washing machines and the perfect drowning machine. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources simply calls them killers.
Police say they believe an 80-year-old Lincoln man shot his 78-year-old wife Sunday because she was suffering from advanced Alzheimer's.

At John Kotopka's brief afternoon court appearance, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Amy Goodro said Janet Kotopka was critically injured and likely will not survive.

John Kotopka appeared by video from jail and was arraigned on charges of first-degree assault and use of a firearm to commit a felony for the shooting at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday in the 1800 block of Dakota Street.

If convicted, he could get up to 50 years on each of the charges.

Goodro requested a $500,000 percentage bond, meaning he would need to post $50,000 to be released.

Attorney John Berry Jr. argued for half that amount, saying Kotopka has lived in Lincoln since 1983 and had no criminal history prior to his arrest Sunday.

Judge Laurie Yardley ultimately agreed to the $500,000 bond, based on the seriousness of the allegations.

In an arrest affidavit, Lincoln Police Sgt. Kenneth Koziol said Janet Kotopka had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's about two years ago and that her health had deteriorated to a point that she had to be monitored constantly.
Prosecutors have charged a 57-year-old Lincoln man with DUI causing serious injury for allegedly hitting a pedestrian Saturday along Salt Creek Road near 27th Street.

Gregory Bischof made his first court appearance on the felony Monday, where Judge Laurie Yardley set his bond at $75,000 and ordered him not to drink alcohol or drive without an interlock permit.

In an affidavit for Bischof's arrest, Lincoln police said they were called to the scene of the crash at 6 p.m. and found Bischof, who was having trouble standing up and almost fell getting his wallet out of his pocket.

At the jail, his blood alcohol content tested at .158, nearly double the legal limit.

Other drivers told police they had seen a man in the street but had been able to avoid him prior to Bischof hitting him, smashing the windshield.

The 34-year-old Lincoln man was taken to the hospital with a broken leg and serious spinal injury, according to police.

They say Bischof has seven prior convictions for drunk driving.

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A 39-year-old Mexican man caught with nearly 2 pounds of methamphetamine in a stop along Interstate 80 in Seward County has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.

Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp said Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon on Monday sentenced Edgar Alberto Guerra Palomares, of Sinaloa, Mexico, to the prison time, plus five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

There is no parole in the federal system.

Sharp said on Oct. 12, 2018, deputies with the Seward County Sheriffs Office stopped Palomares on I-80 and a drug-sniffing dog indicated the presence of drugs in his vehicle.

He said deputies searched it and found a duffel bag that contained 1.9 pounds of methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Seward County Sheriffs Office and the Omaha Police Department.

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Breaking barriers and biases

That three of the four finalists in Lincoln's police chief search are officers of color can be attributed to the barrier-breaking officers that came before them. Moore is one of those. In 1982, she was the first Black woman hired as an LPD officer.

But she downplayed her own role as a pioneer in the department's history, instead noting Black women  namely Donnamarie Jones, a former public safety officer  employed in other roles before her arrival.

Moore has previously described racist encounters that shaped her upbringing before and after she joined the department, and it was clear on Monday those experiences still guide her philosophy in policing.

The former LPD personnel captain repeatedly touted the need for diversity and equity in hiring, retention and training. She called the murder of George Floyd last year the "tipping point setting off a powder keg" that became a defining moment for American policing.

And she described bias-centric police reform as more of a given than an option in today's climate.

"We need to continue to take that journey," Moore said.

No clear plan for youth
Lincoln police are searching for two BMWs stolen from the lot of Winner's Circle Auto Center sometime over the weekend.

LPD Officer Erin Spilker said a dark blue 2018 BMW 7 Series and a black 1999 BMW M Series both went missing from the lot near West O Street and Northwest Roundhouse Drive sometime between Saturday evening and Monday morning. The cars are valued at about $44,000 combined.

Spilker said one of the business' exterior windows was broken, and a garage door and interior office door had been damaged. The damage totaled about $4,000.

Officers are seeking surveillance footage from the area, and an investigation is ongoing.

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We are fighting for the preservation of our country, and we believe that the agenda that theyre pushing threatens that preservation, she said.

Sam Meisels, the institutes executive director, said that the two concepts overlap but that the institute is not teaching CRT.

The World-Herald reviewed recordings of the webinars.

The first webinar, on March 24, was titled What is Antiracist Education? It featured Terry Husband, a professor of early childhood literacy in the College of Education at Illinois State University.

The second webinar, April 28, was titled Racial Socialization as Resistance to Racism. The presenter was Dalhia Lloyd, program specialist in family and community at the Buffett Institute.

In the first webinar, Husband told attendees that if they wanted to learn more on anti-racism that CRT was a really great place to start. He also suggested that they could look at Critical Whiteness Studies and Critical Ethnic Studies. Two books mentioned in a slide were Critical Race Theory by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic and Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education by Edward Taylor, David Gillborn and Gloria Ladson-Billings.
Gutierrez chose an astronautical engineer, whom she modeled after herself, to be the crew's pilot and commander. She then decided to bring a hydrologist to help examine the moon's groundwater and a chemist to oversee the chemical reactions.

On the day she won, Gutierrez was in study hall when she peeked at her phone. Next to her name on the contest website's name was a little ribbon.

"I was pretty excited," she said.

Her parents, Jennifer and Juan Carlos Gutierrez, were elated, too, proud of their daughter's initiative to enter the contest and the essay itself.

"I had to read it twice," Juan Carlos Gutierrez said. "We just were very impressed."

Amanda Gutierrez, who said geometry was her favorite class last year, plans to study aerospace engineering in college before working at NASA.

Her biggest dream is to become an astronaut, just like the ones she envisioned in her essay.

"I've always loved space," she said. "And I love engineering and building. I've always been building Legos and doing hands-on experiments and things like that. And so being an astronaut would just combine everything that I love into one job."
Gov. Pete Ricketts is planning a new series of town hall meetings to attack "radical sex education material" now under consideration by the Nebraska Department of Education.

In announcing those plans, the governor also took aim at "critical race theory."

"Make no mistake: Critical race theory is an attack on our country's core values," Ricketts said in a column announcing plans to host a series of yet unscheduled town hall meetings across the state.

Critical race theory is generally defined as an academic framework for analyzing structural racism.

"Together, we can protect our kids and help our schools get back to the basics," the governor said.

Ricketts recently has been conducting a series of town hall sessions across the state to express opposition to President Joe Biden's proposal to urge protection of 30% of the nation's land and water resources by 2030.

"Our public schools have generally focused on teaching material that supports our communities and have steered away from hot-button political issues," the governor wrote in his column.

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In this case, the girl, who had previously lived in Nebraska, was living with family in North Carolina when she said Quinn contacted her about a job at his cafe. She said she told him that she was 15 so she could get the job.

With certain caveats, Nebraska law allows children age 14 and up to work. In Nebraska, 16 is the age of consent for sex.

According to the girl, Quinn asked her to send him sexually explicit photos while she was still in North Carolina. She subsequently moved back to Nebraska, and she and Quinn began what she described as a coercive sexual relationship. During part of that time, she said, she lived rent-free in a house provided by Quinn and did unpaid labor for him. She said fear kept her in Quinns grip.

Charges against Quinn include: first-degree sexual assault of a child, human sex trafficking of a minor, manufacturing of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, possession of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, enticement by electronic communication device and child abuse.

Quinn has denied the allegations.

Sex trafficking has long been a priority for Sasse, and his involvement in this case is another example of that, spokesman James Wegmann said.
The Hall County man who died after crashing into a semi truck on Interstate 80 near Aurora on Monday night has been identified as 52-year-old Jose Louis Malvais Sanchez, according to authorities.

Hamilton County Attorney Mike Powell said Sanchez was driving his Toyota Corolla west on the interstate two miles east of Aurora when he rear-ended a semi that had slowed due to a traffic backup.

Powell said Sanchez failed to slow down and hit the semi truck. He died at the scene.

Powell said the crash happened around 7 p.m. Monday.

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Each year, more than $130 million dollars flows into Nebraskas rural communities to help thousands of farmers and ranchers implement conservation practices on working lands.

These voluntary, incentive-based programs conserve our precious soil and water resources and make Nebraska one of the most productive crop and livestock producing states. At the same time, these agricultural landscapes provide habitat to hundreds of species of fish and wildlife, supporting recreational opportunities that annually provide nearly $2 billion in economic activity.

Agriculture is the backbone of Nebraskas economy, and stewardship of the states natural resources largely falls on the shoulders of landowners. Thats why the Nebraska Chapter of The Wildlife Society applauds the release of the America the Beautiful report, also known as 30x30, to conserve 30% of land across the United States by 2030.

The report calls for locally led, voluntary, incentive-based conservation that reflect the priorities, needs, and perspectives of the families and communities that know, live, work, and care for the lands and waters. In fact, this is how conservation is done in Nebraska right now, from the ground-up through the cooperation of landowners, state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Illegal border crossing attempts continue to rise under President Bidens administration. Last month, there were 180,034 enforcement encounters by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

That's the number, flashed all over the news in the past few days. With those kind of numbers, you would think the president would show an interest, however he has not yet visited the border. The vice president has not visited the border yet, either, although she went to Guatemala to search for the root cause of the migration north.

Who knows how many of those migrants have criminal records? They arent all women and children.

We have the executive branch of the United States in total denial, and the Democrats in Congress are letting Biden get away with it, yet the numbers are real. The only Democrats who are sounding alarms are the ones representing border states, and their pleas are being ignored.

That's an average of about 6,000 people trying to cross the border illegally every day of the month. And where's the outrage? These are immigrants who could be using your tax dollars.

We have laws against this, yet they are totally discarded by this liberal administration. Biden and his cronies should be impeached for failure to uphold the U.S. Constitution, which he swore to do.

Dave Kirby, Lincoln

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Gov. Pete Ricketts owes Nebraskans who fought the Keystone XL Pipeline an apology.

Over the 14 years, I have been opposing the pipeline, I learned to let most of the political rhetoric criticizing our efforts to roll off my back, but when Gov. Pete Ricketts went on TV and made sweeping and blatantly false claims that those who opposed and stopped the pipeline were nothing but radicals and extremists, I couldn't let that go unchallenged.

My first question for Ricketts would be how would he know? He and most of the state senators have never attended any of the State Department hearings that were held in numerous locations around the state.

Perhaps if he had taken time to attend these meetings, he would realize that he would not have been met by radicals and extremists, but rather hundreds of land owners and concerned citizens from across the state who had legitimate concerns about the risk to our land, water and property rights.

But, of course, none had the courage to come to these meetings and face the truth about who really opposed the pipeline because it's much easier to just sit in your office and create a bogeyman that fits you political narrative.

Randy Thompson, Martell

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RACINE  A Racine woman allegedly called police after she smoked too much weed but then, upon being taken to the hospital, assaulted a nurse and a law enforcement officer.

Reyven A. Mosley, 29, of the 1900 block of Hickory Grove Avenue, was charged with felony counts of battery to an emergency medical care provider, battery to a law enforcement officer and eight misdemeanor counts of bail jumping.

According to a criminal complaint:

On Sunday, officers were sent to the 1900 block of Hickory Grove Avenue when Mosley called law enforcement, saying she had smoked too much weed and believed someone was attempting to break into her apartment.

Upon arrival, officers saw Mosley breathing heavily and threatening to defecate in the street.

She was taken to Ascension All Saints Hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Some time later, officers were again called to the hospital because Mosley allegedly assaulted a nurse and a Mount Pleasant officer.

An officer met with the assaulted officer, who said he was at the hospital for a different call when he was told Mosley had just assaulted a nurse.
Quote "We knew something like this was going to happen." Tracy Vinz, half-sister of Matthew Vinz

ROCHESTER  Before Matthew Vinz killed both of his parents and took his own life in a murder-suicide in January, a family member called police and tried to warn them about him.

Tracy Vinz, a half-sister on the father's side, worried that Matthew Vinz was abusive toward his parents. She asked the Racine County Sheriff's Office to take him into custody and get him out of the house.

But the Sheriff's Office declined, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matthew Vinz, 30, was no stranger to law enforcement. He had an arrest record going back more than 10 years, much of it stemming from drug-abuse issues that family members say had long plagued him.

In the months leading up to his deadly rampage at home in Rochester, several police agencies had opportunities to get Vinz behind bars. He had outstanding warrants for his arrest in Racine County, Walworth County and Shawano County.

Helping to keep him out of jail? The COVID-19 pandemic.

With the pandemic driving concerns about health risks inside jails, the Racine County Sheriff's Office and other agencies imposed capacity limits to avoid spreading the virus among inmates and staff. Vinz stayed on the streets partly because law enforcement had nowhere to put him.

Quote "They should have left him in there." Bonnie Lukas, Matthew Vinz's aunt

On those few occasions when he did find himself behind bars, Vinz had two people who would show up with bail money: his parents, Terrence Vinz and Debra Meagher.

Family members say they pleaded with Meagher and Terrence Vinz to not keep bailing out their troubled son. The family hoped that spending time inside a jail cell would help Matthew Vinz set himself straight.

"They should have left him in there," said Bonnie Lukas, Terrence Vinz's sister, who lives nearby in Rochester. "A little more time would've done him some good."

Six weeks after his final arrest, Vinz used a rifle to shoot and kill his mother and father inside the house they shared at 400 N. State St. When police showed up at the house Jan. 22 because the mother had not shown up for work, Vinz took his own life in the basement with a rifle shot to the head.

Double murder-suicide response Several Racine County armored law enforcement vehicles were in the area surrounding the Rochester Public Library and Rochester Village Hall on

Newly released police records show that Debra Meagher had instructed co-workers at her place of employment, Gooseberries Fresh Food Market in Burlington: "If she wasn't at work, it was because of her son."

Family members are unsure exactly what that comment meant, or when Debra Meagher made the remark. But they say that Matthew Vinz had exhibited a volatile side before.

Quote "We all knew he was violent. We didn't think it was going to be this extreme." Jennifer Meagher, half-sister of Matthew Vinz

Years of opioid abuse

Jennifer Meagher, another half-sister on the mother's side, said she herself had a physical altercation with Matthew Vinz. She believes he had fought with his father, too. For years, Matthew had abused heroin and other opioids, Meagher said.

"We all knew he was violent," she said. "We didn't think it was going to be this extreme."

Records released by the Racine County Medical Examiner's Office show that Vinz shot his mother five times and his father three times. His mother was 62, his father 65. Both were found dead in the garage of the house, covered with blankets.

Vinz left a suicide note, but investigators have refused to release the contents of the note. The Medical Examiner's Office declined to disclose how long the parents had been dead before police arrived.

Police reports indicate that Vinz's drug use was a persistent source of tension between him and his parents. The parents kept certain rooms in the house locked to keep Vinz from stealing, police reported.

Troubles predate murders

Terrence Vinz and Debra Meagher were married in 1989, one year before Matthew Vinz was born. Both parents had other children from previous relationships.

The couple divorced in 2000, but they agreed to share the house in Rochester. Family members say both parents had their own past drug-abuse problems, and that Vinz lived a troubled childhood.

Lukas called Vinz "a very lost child" who often was seen roaming the neighborhood to escape what she said was turbulent life at home.

"He never had a chance in life," Lukas said. "Trouble always found him."

First arrested as a teenager

Matthew Vinz was first arrested at age 17 on a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property. He pleaded no contest and got one year of probation.

He was later charged with driving without a valid driver's license and misdemeanor bail jumping. It is not clear when or why he lost his driver's license.

During a period when his parents had thrown him out of the house, court records show that Vinz was living in Algoma in 2018 and in East Troy in 2019.

In May 2019, East Troy police were called by a man who had taken in Vinz as a house guest. The friend told police he made Vinz leave because the house started to smell "like smoke and suspected drug use."

Walworth County prosecutors charged Vinz with misdemeanor theft for allegedly stealing tools from the friend's garage and pawning them for cash. Court records show that Vinz's father posted his bail in the Walworth County case.

When family members later learned that Vinz was back living in Rochester, they worried about the parents.

Tracy Vinz, who lives near Madison, called the Racine County Sheriff's Office in April 2020 and asked that police arrest her half-brother on the outstanding warrants against him. She was told they would not arrest Matthew because the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in jail capacity limitations that prohibited such arrests unless a subject is wanted for a violent crime.

The Sheriff's Office's response left Tracy Vinz angry and worried. Of the deadly violence that erupted nine months later, she said: "To say this was a shock would be a lie. We knew something like this was going to happen."

Racine County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Michael Luell confirmed that Tracy Vinz called the department on April 27, 2020. Luell said COVID-19 jail capacity restrictions were keeping nonviolent offenders out of jai. That was how authorities viewed Matthew Vinz at the time  nonviolent.

Also, none of Vinz's previous charges were felonies.

"Deputies were not instructed to search for Matthew," Luell said, "because the offenses were not felonies, the offenses were nonviolent, and the offenses did not involve weapons."

Just three days after Tracy Vinz's phone call to the Sheriff's Office, her troubled half-brother had another brush with the law.

Matthew Vinz inside car during police arrest April 2020 In an image captured from police bodycam footage, Matthew Vinz is shown inside his car while being questioned by police in Muskego on April 30

Run-in after run-in

Police in Muskego, in Waukesha County north of Wind Lake and Norway, arrested Vinz after finding him sitting alone in a parked car. He was shaking his head violently, in what police identified as a drug-induced outburst.

Vinz gave police a fake name and told them he was en route to a work assignment on his tree-trimming job. He was booked for possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting or obstructing police, and other charges, all misdemeanors.

Matthew Vinz in police custody before killing his parents In an image captured from police bodycam footage, Matthew Vinz is shown handcuffed in a Muskego police wagon on April 30, 2020, although he wo

Muskego police noted the outstanding warrants in Racine County and elsewhere. But the officers wrote of the other police agencies: "They would not request a hold of Vinz due to the current COVID-19 virus."

Police body cam footage of the arrest shows Muskego Police Officer Michael Petz taking a handcuffed Vinz into custody. While leading him to a police wagon, Petz told Vinz that the booking process would be handled differently because of COVID-19, to avoid exposing Vinz to the virus behind bars.

"We want to see you somewhere safe," Petz said.

Muskego police gave Vinz a court date, then released him later that day to his father.

In early December, Vinz was arrested once more.

In the Milwaukee County city of Greenfield, police booked him on suspicion of shoplifting at a Walmart. Police reported that he stole a shopping cart filled nearly $400 worth of food, including steaks, frozen pizzas and ice cream.

Because of the outstanding warrants elsewhere, Greenfield police handed Vinz over to the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department. Court records indicate that either Vinz or his public defender told a Waukesha County judge that he would be "incarcerated in another county."

Vinz spent a week in the Waukesha County Jail before being released Dec. 10 on a signature bond, which means he did not have to post any bail money.

Charges against Vinz were pending in four counties  Racine, Waukesha, Shawano and Walworth  when he killed his parents and himself.

How it could've been different

Family members said that although they had no idea Vinz was capable of such deadly violence, they question whether police and the court system handled him appropriately before the tragedy.

Lukas said she generally is supportive of police departments, and she understands why Vinz was not incarcerated, with his nonviolent arrest record and the COVID-19 pandemic limiting jail populations. Still, considering the violence that occurred later, Lukas said: "I'm sure the ball did get dropped."

Tracy Vinz, who said she was frustrated at how Racine County sheriff's officials handled her call for help in April 2020, said she was indignant when police contacted her in January to report that her half-brother had killed his parents and himself.

"I was pissed," she recalled. "I said, 'You all wouldn't come get him.'"

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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 Union Grove man has been charged with his second OWI after he allegedly almost hit three deputies with his car and, during a chase, was driving at speeds up to 117 mph.
A bill to eliminate the states personal property tax, which businesses pay on equipment and furnishings, received bipartisan support in a Senate committee Tuesday.

The bill was recommended for approval by the Senate workforce committee 4-1, with Sen. Janis Ringhand, D-Evansville, the lone vote against the measure over concerns future Legislatures could stop providing local entities more state aid to make up for the lost revenue.

The budget committee last week voted to set aside about $202 million for such payments over 2021-23 biennial budget. However, officially eliminating the tax, which lawmakers described as an antiquated and unfair tax on businesses, would be done through separate legislation rather than through the budget process.

Both the budget and a standalone bill to end the tax are expected to come before the Assembly and Senate next week.

Itll be a great day when we can finally get rid of this tax, bill author Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, said Tuesday.

Stroebel said the intent is to keep providing local taxing authorities with state money to compensate for the reduction in revenue. But Ringhand said she worried future Legislatures wouldnt keep that promise.
Theres big news coming to Wisconsin and we couldnt be giddier with anticipation.

Big Boy is coming back!

Thats Big Boy as in the chubby guy with the pompadour hairstyle and checkered bib overalls holding aloft a double-decker hamburger with melted cheese, drenched in Thousand Island dressing and garnished with lettuce and tomato.

After an absence of 26 years, the Big Boy diner franchise is returning to Wisconsin with a July 14 grand opening planned in Germantown at the site of Jerrys Old Town Inn on Main Street.

Big Boy restaurants were once prevalent in southeast Wisconsin. There was one on Douglas Avenue in Racine and one on Highway 50 next to Interstate 94 in Kenosha. Looking for a fresher, more modern eating offering, the Marcus Corp., which held the Big Boy franchise in the region for 37 years, decided to end the relationship with Big Boy in the 1990s.

But the memory of the Big Boy menu never left many a resident of southeast Wisconsin who relished a Big Boy, Brawny Lad (a burger with a whole circle slice of onion), the Slim Jim ham and cheese sandwich, milkshakes with whipped cream in a tall sundae glass and numerous other breakfast, lunch and dinner options.
1. Yes. Its a serious public health issue; unvaccinated workers put others at risk.

2. Yes. Some colleges and school districts are mandating it. Its a necessary step.

3. No. Employees should have the option of getting vaccinated or not. Its up to them.

4. No. Some people have serious side-effects. Geting jabbed should be optional.

5. Unsure. Getting people vaccinated is important, but so is having a choice.

Vote

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Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 74F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 74F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 74F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 74F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
About a month passed before Quinn reached out to Smith asking why he hadnt contacted the girl and if she had done something wrong. Smith explained that he had been busy. Smith said he went on to have four more sexual encounters with the girl at his home in Oxford, and he paid her $50 for three of those instances. Smith would pay the girl, pick her up and drop her off. During their fifth and final encounter, she opted to leave Quinns house on foot. Upon leaving, she told Smith, I have some investigating to do.

In February, Smith pleaded no contest to first-degree sexual assault, and his sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 25 in Furnas County District Court.

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Earlier on Tuesday morning, Justin Brooks, 31, of Arapahoe testified that he first met the alleged victim in late 2019 when he arrived at Quinns home to borrow a tool. The girl was outside Quinns home and told Brooks she was 19. Quinn asked Brooks if he wanted a soda, and the trio went inside Quinns home where the girl took off her sundress with no instruction from Quinn.

Quinn told Brooks, She likes to have sex with a lot of people. Quinn asked if Brooks wanted to have sex with the girl, and the girl proceeded to ask Brooks the same question.

Brooks and the girl then went to the bedroom and they had intercourse.
Country Fest 2020 was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At the time of cancelation, Country Fest organizers said the decision to cancel the festival was out of concern for attendees. The 2020 festival already had been postponed from July to August, and with no end in sight for the pandemic at the time, the best pathway for success for the festival was to consider 2020 a wash and make the 2021 festival as safe and successful as possible.

Even though the Chippewa Valley has seen low case numbers of COVID-19, the decision was based on the uncertainty of what August will bring, organizers said. Know that we wouldnt have fought to hold our festival in August unless we were confident in providing you with a safe environment. The health and safety of our fans and our community is always our number one concern.

The 2021 edition of Country Fest will not require any facial coverings, a negative COVID-19 test result or proof of vaccination. Those who have not been vaccinated are recommended to socially distance whenever possible, but no requirements will be made.
An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for a 40-year-old Sparta man accused of dealing illegal drugs in La Crosse.

Robin Chastang Ainsworth faces felony charges of possession of heroin with intent to deliver, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, fleeing an officer and bail jumping and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to a criminal complaint filed May 28 in La Crosse County Circuit Court, Ainsworth was one of several people observed by police May 17 entering and exiting a La Crosse hotel room on Mormon Coulee Road where drug activity was suspected. Ainsworth, who police recognized from previous contacts, then sat in the drivers seat of a parked Chevy Impala and conducted short-term meetings with three different people over the next hour.

After Ainsworth left the parking lot, an officer attempted to pull him over for a defective headlight on South Avenue. Ainsworth reportedly took an abrupt turn onto 15th Street and accelerated after taking a turn onto Townsend Street.

The complaint says Ainsworth ran a stop sign before the officer terminated the pursuit for safety reasons.

Police later located the vehicle parked and unoccupied with the engine running on the 1300 block of 8th Street.
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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.
Dave Skogen, chairman of Festival Foods Inc., is one of four Wisconsin business leaders who will be inducted into the Junior Achievement of Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame Wednesday in Milwaukee.

The other inductees are Jack Link (Jack Links Protein Snacks); Timothy Sullivan (in recognition of his contributions to Bucyrus); and Daniel Jack McKeithan Jr. (Tamarack Petroleum Co., Inc.), inducted posthumously.

Established in 1990, the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame honors people whose business innovations, effective management and civic involvement have made a difference in their companies and communities throughout the state.

Our state is rich with the stories of visionary businessmen and women whose accomplishments make Wisconsin a great place to live and work, said Michael Frohna, president of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, in a news release. The tremendous contributions of our inductees to the business world and the fine examples they have set for Wisconsin young people qualify them for induction into this years Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame.

The outdoor induction ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday on the campus of the JA Kohls Education Center, 11111 West Liberty Drive in Milwaukee.
Gundersen Health System and Mayo Clinic Health System sites have administered over 136,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 52% of eligible La Crosse County residents have been fully vaccinated.

At Gundersen locations, over 85,000 doses of the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna or one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccines have been given, and Mayo locations have provided 51,373 doses.

Both hospitals have assisted with vaccination at community locations, and Gundersen this week is finishing its collaboration with local businesses, through which 116 staff members at six businesses were inoculated.

As vaccination rates increase, local COVID-19 cases remain low. On Monday, Mayo administered 115 COVID-19 tests, and all were negative, Mayo said Tuesday.

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Walk-in vaccinations are available at Mayos La Crosse site from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and Gundersens Onalaska Clinic from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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.
Clergy and public school advocates from around Lancaster County piled onto the porch of state Sen. Scott Martins new district office in Strasburg to urge the Republican lawmaker to use his Senate Education Committee chairmanship to ensure equitable funding for the states public schools, a goal the advocates called a moral imperative.

Regardless of politics, regardless of ZIP code, shouldnt all our children be educated with the same sources of funding? said Elder Gerald Simmons of Faith Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Lancaster city. Isnt every childs education precious in the sight of God? Then lets be fair.

POWER, a Philadelphia-based interfaith organization with branches across the state, organized the rally in Strasburg to call on the states elected leaders to fully embrace a fair funding formula for public schools.

We will not stop, we wont sit down, we wont shut up until something happens to benefit the children of this state, especially Black and brown children in Columbia and Lancaster city, who learn in substandard conditions, said The Rev Patricia McAllister of Mt. Zion AME Church in Columbia. Their schools are in disrepair, theyre financially neglected.  As people of faith, we are moved by this great need to stand up, to speak up because we cannot remain silent.

Fair funding

The advocates want all of the states education spending allocated through the fair funding formula, which was enacted in 2016 and currently only applies to new school spending dollars. That formula assesses whether a school is located in a rural area, if the area has high concentrations of poverty, and if students are native English speakers, among other criteria. The goal is to direct more funds to schools with higher needs that also serve communities without robust tax bases.

The biggest impediment to realizing the full benefit of the formula is a 1990 policy that says no school district should receive less money than it did the previous year, a move benefiting schools in areas with declining populations  mainly in western Pennsylvania. Since 1992, more than 300 school districts collectively lost 167,000 students since yet still receive more than $590 million tied to 1992 enrollments, according to a January report from nonprofit Public Citizens for Children and Youth.

The 1990 deal was a boon to some schools, allowing them to rely more heavily on state funds than local taxes to keep schools running. On the flip side, schools in faster growing areas of the state were forced to raise property taxes to make up for the slow growth in payments from the state education budget.

In 2020, only 11% of the $6.2 billion the state spent on education went through the fair funding formula. The rest  $5.5 billion  was allocated based on 1992 student enrollment data.

In his February budget address to the Legislature, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed running 100% of his proposed $6.4 billion in education spending through the fair funding formula. In addition, he proposed increasing the personal income tax by 46% to collect an additional $3 billion in revenue, $1.15 billion of which would be used to level funding for districts that would otherwise lose money by using the formula. This historic tax hike is a non-starter with the GOP-controlled Legislature, Martin said.

Tough political sell

Damaris Rau, superintendent of the School District of Lancaster, said at Mondays rally that the current way the fair funding formula is applied hurts the district, which she said would see its share of state funds increase by more than $17 million if the formula applied to every education dollar.

Sen. Martin said he met with POWER representatives last week and told them that he and other lawmakers from central and eastern parts of the state agree with their position.

Fourteen of the 16 school districts in Lancaster County would benefit from applying the fair funding formula to more of the states education spending, Martin added.

Its a geographic problem, not a political one, said Martin, who was in Harrisburg Monday. He said he and his allies need to recruit more support from legislators representing western Pennsylvania districts, or wait until after the reapportionment process due ahead of the 2022 election shifts more of the power in the legislature toward faster-growing parts of the state.

Martin said his Education Committee role leaves him out of the annual budget negotiations between the Legislature and governor. But the advocates who gathered in Strasburg on Monday say they want Martin and other lawmakers to figure out how to fully fund school districts no matter the political sacrifices.

Im seeing children getting screwed by this where I work and where I live, said Steven Heffner, a high school math teacher in the School District of Lancaster and parent in the Ephrata Area School District.

If we really think that our community, our constitutional republic hinges on an educated citizenry, that means weve got to educate everybody, Heffner said. Otherwise, our politicians really dont believe in it.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  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 recent battlefield victories while peace talks have stalemated.

The Taliban's gains came as the Pentagon reaffirmed the U.S. troop withdrawal was still on pace to conclude by early September.

Fighting around Imam Sahib district began late Sunday and by midday 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 (.6 miles) 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.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Monday said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has regularly reviewed the U.S. withdrawal, which he said is on pace and will be finished by early September. It is a dynamic situation, and weve said that from the very beginning, Kirby said.

Austin is looking at the situation every day with a fresh set of eyes to see if, you know, the pace we are setting is the appropriate pace. Among the uncertainties, officials have said, is the State Departments needs for embassy security and its decisions about getting interpreters and other Afghans who worked with the Americans out of the country.

Talks between the government and the Taliban taking place in Qatar have 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.

Later this week, President Joe Biden will meet 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 in Washington, according to a White House statement, is intended to reaffirm 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."



Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Kabul and Bob Burns and Nancy Benac in Washington contributed to this report.
Over the past year, many states loosened well-researched, long-standing alcohol safeguard policies to help struggling restaurants, bars and other establishments during the pandemic. While these policy changes may have helped small businesses survive during shutdowns, the powerful alcohol industry is now pushing to roll back safety measures further in the name of profit  even as life returns to normal.

In Harrisburg, the industry is urging lawmakers to pass House Bill 1154, which would permanently allow restaurants and taverns to sell cocktails, or ready-to-drink beverages as they are known, to go.

The legislation would make these to-go cocktails available for sale outside of the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirit Shops. Ready-to-drink beverages are spirit-based mixed drinks in a bottle or can, and typically contain higher alcohol content than beer or wine. The strong taste of alcohol in ready-to-drink beverages and cocktails is often masked with sugar and fruity flavors.

Because of this, ready-to-drink beverages and canned cocktails are especially tantalizing to young adults  and data shows they are most popular with young women. The alcohol content hidden under syrupy flavors fuels binge drinking, and the convenient packaging in cans and bottles makes these to-go beverages easier to transport and drink in large quantities.

Allowing ready-to-drink beverages to be sold anywhere beer can be sold  such as supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants  will threaten the safety of Pennsylvanias young adults.

Currently, Pennsylvanias state stores handle all sales of spirits, which protects the public and, in particular, our children.

As the executive director of the Commonwealth Prevention Alliance, I am strongly opposed to dramatically increasing access to high-alcohol-by-volume beverages like ready-to-drink beverages and cocktails to go.

Many of the locations in which they would be sold are national chains, not mom-and-pop businesses, and the state would lose out on the revenue from this growing sector.

Sales in Pennsylvanias state stores go back into our communities, supporting the state police, the state general fund and alcohol safety education programs.

Despite the sleek marketing and pervasive cultural presence, alcohol is still a drug. And as a drug, it causes many firsthand and secondhand harms. The impacts of alcohol misuse extend into our communities, schools, workplaces and health systems.

Alcohol is involved in more than 95,000 deaths a year, and excessive alcohol consumption may result in injuries, hospitalization, long-term illness or even death.

Secondhand harms include being in a traffic accident; being a passenger in a vehicle with a drunken driver; harassment; intimate partner violence; vandalized property; being pushed, hit or assaulted; family or marital troubles; and financial troubles.

Young adults ages 18 to 24 experience these harms more often than older people, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This is due to high rates of binge drinking during this important life transition period.

In Pennsylvania, 60 counties have identified youth alcohol use as a top priority for addressing substance misuse, and 38 counties have designated adult alcohol use as a top challenge.

It is critical that our state and local leaders continue to develop and implement policy safeguards to protect our young people and all Pennsylvania residents.

Dramatically increasing the number of outlets that will be authorized to sell spirits would be a significant setback for reducing youth alcohol use.

Pennsylvanias alcohol policies, and those of most states, are based on decades of research and experience on how to reduce the harms of alcohol.

While it is essential to lessen the pandemics economic fallout for our communities, adding over 10,000 locations across Pennsylvania to sell liquor-based ready-to-drink beverages and to-go cocktails would not accomplish that goal and would just line the pockets of billion-dollar alcohol company executives.

I urge our lawmakers to protect Pennsylvanias children and young adults and keep our dollars within our communities. Allowing ready-to-drink sales outside of state stores and to-go cocktails would put profits over safety and counteract the work Pennsylvania communities are doing to reduce the harms of alcohol.

Jeff Hanley is the executive director of the Commonwealth Prevention Alliance.
THE ISSUE: As LNP | LancasterOnlines Alex Geli reported June 5, Several Lancaster County school districts in recent days have announced expectations for the next school year, signaling a return to school as it once was: five days a week in person without masks or social distancing. The announcements came as school districts wrapped up a particularly challenging school year with constantly changing guidance from state and federal health officials, quarantines and intermittent school closures due to COVID-19 exposure, as well as increasing pressure from parent groups fed up with the mask requirement in schools, Geli noted.

Everyone wants to see a 2021-22 school year thats uninterrupted by COVID-19 outbreaks and building closures. As more of us get vaccinated, lowering community transmission of that capricious and too-often lethal disease, that kind of school year becomes more and more of a possibility.

And so we share the hopes of Lancaster County school officials that the chaos of the past two academic years may be behind us.

Theres additional promising news on that score. The New York Times reported June 8 that coronavirus vaccines may be available in the fall for U.S. children as young as 6 months, drugmakers say. Pfizer and Moderna are testing their vaccines in children under 12 years, and are expected to have results in hand for children aged 5 through 11 by September.

That would be amazing  but only if parents then get their school-age children vaccinated.

But this timing also raises the likelihood that well have to retain school masking requirements a little longer  until these younger students are vaccinated. This could be especially true, given how the more contagious, more severe delta variant of COVID-19 is now manifesting in the United Kingdom and could similarly manifest in the United States.

In England, we saw this variant spread first among school-age children, and then to other age groups, Deepti Gurdasani, a British epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London, told NBC News last week. It is clear that schools are a major area of spread, when robust mitigations arent present.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 8.2 million adolescents ages 12 through 17 had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Sunday. But that is just a fraction of U.S. adolescents in that age group.

All of this is why were concerned by the assertions of local school officials that masks no longer will be required for staff members and students this fall.

Manheim Township School District Superintendent Robin Felty said in a letter to families in early June that staff and students will not be required to wear masks this fall, nor will they be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend school. Both in-person and online learning options will be available, Felty added.

As Geli reported on June 5, Similar letters were sent over the last week to families in Cocalico, Eastern Lancaster County and Penn Manor school districts.

Because weve seen how drastically trends can change with COVID-19, we think its premature to announce decisions now about whether masks will be required this fall.

A June 8 column in The New York Times should be required reading for school administrators. It was co-authored by Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, a physician and an epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis; Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco; and Dr. Daniel Johnson, a professor of pediatrics and the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Chicago Medicine.

They wrote that research in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Utah and New York City has shown that children can be welcomed back to classrooms without substantial viral outbreaks. But for this to happen, these physicians wrote, certain things must happen:

 The adults  teachers, staff and parents  throughout a school must be vaccinated.

 School staff should frequently clean high-touch surfaces, though the physicians added that schools can decrease their use of antimicrobial cleaning products and can ditch the ineffective plexiglass barriers between student desks. Likewise, schools can cease student temperature checks.

 They wrote that testing people without symptoms isnt necessary in K-12 schools unless infection rates in a community exceed 200 cases per 100,000 residents in the previous seven days. Tests should be required only for people who have been exposed to COVID-19 or exhibit symptoms of the disease.

 Mask-wearing in schools should continue, these physicians wrote. Masking requirements may be revisited as COVID-19 cases continue to drop, but, the physicians wrote: We believe that for now, children ages 5 and older should keep wearing face masks indoors.

Children do not have to wear masks when they play outside, they added.

 The physicians advised keeping desks at least 3 feet apart until hospitalization rates in the community fall below five per 100,000 people.

 And this is important, but too rarely mentioned: Schools should make certain that ventilation systems are working properly and that doors and windows are kept open where possible to ensure sufficient air circulation, they wrote.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health released a report in late May urging schools to use federal COVID-19 relief funds to address ventilation issues in facilities.

Many kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) schools in the United States do not have good ventilation, the report stated. This is a longstanding problem with demonstrably negative effects on student learning. We can and should act to fix this to ensure good indoor air quality for all students, educators, and school staff. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important that ventilation problems in K-12 schools be addressed now.

While ventilation improvements are complicated and expensive investment for schools, the Johns Hopkins report asserts that they are, ultimately, a cost-effective public health measure.  Improvements to ventilation are a good use of the COVID-19 relief funds provided to K-12 schools.

In March, the U.S. Department of Education echoed this sentiment when it wrote that the $122 billion from the American Rescue Plan designated for helping schools reopen could be used, in part, to address ventilation and/or increase available space in schools.

There is never a true summer vacation for school administrators and those we elect to oversee our local schools. In the coming weeks, they must heed the ongoing guidance from experts, build flexibility into their fall plans and determine the most effective use of American Rescue Plan funds.
Russian Valdai Leader Calls for Four-Power Strategic Dialogue among U.S., Russia, India, China

June 21, 2021 (EIRNS)Andrey Shushentsov, Program Director of the Valdai Discussion Club and Director of the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO University, argues in a short essay published on the Valdai Club website that a strategic dialogue among the United States, Russia, China and India is necessary to prevent the current state of affairs from devolving into open conflict. However, Shushentsov limits himself to the necessity of preventing the geopolitical confrontations now in play from turning into military conflict without ever mentioning the positive potential of those four powers to create a new world credit system as defined by Lyndon LaRouche in 2009.

In a chaotic environment, the leading powers seek to secure themselves a privileged position in the international system and limit the opportunities for their key competitors, Shushentsov writes in an Expert Opinion titled, We Need to Talk: The Necessity of a Four-Way Dialogue Between Russia, the United States, China and India. He reports in the first part of the essay that these four countries are the most powerful nuclear powers and have four of the worlds six largest economies. He goes on further about the strategic competition between America and Russia, between America and Chinaincluding the U.S. effort to rope India into the Quad vs China, and the positive relations between Russia and India. Unprovoked crises or spontaneous episodes of conflict in relations within the Big Four nuclear powers can disrupt progressive global economic processes, he writes. In this regard, these four powers should be mutually attentive and prudent, channelling their rivalry into a non-military area.

Therefore, Shushentsov writes,

It is the responsibility of the expert community of the four countries to carefully study the train of thought of their competing partners in order to exclude the sudden development of a conflict. In this regard, it seems reasonable to create a permanent format for consultation among the high-level experts of Russia, the U.S.A., China and India. To ensure that mutual deterrence does not lead to strategic disruptions and war, it is necessary to manage relations, emphasizing an interest in cooperation with respect to common areas, such as climate, the ecology, digital development, space, mining, demography, migration and counteracting natural disasters. The purpose of the high-level consultations is to prevent a shift from strategic containment to impulsive attempts to break the emerging status quo,

He concludes: The formation of a stable dialogue format for the four leading global powers in the 21st century will make it possible to minimize the likelihood of an impulsive breakdown into open conflict, the potential for which remains a factor in global politics.
New U.S. Sanctions Hit Moscow over Navalny and Nord Stream 2 as Antonov Returns to Washington

June 21, 2021 (EIRNS)U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced on June 20 that Washington was preparing another package of anti-Russian sanctions over Alexey Navalny and against Russian companies participating in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia underneath the Baltic Sea to Europe.

Sullivans announcement happened on the same day as Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov arrived to resume his post in Washington, after having been recalled for consultations to Moscow on March 20. Sullivans remarks drew a sharp response from the ambassador. This is not a signal we all expected after the summit, Antonov stressed.

I dont think it is possible to stabilize and normalize relations between countries by means of sanctions. The current task is to normalize dialogue. First of all, we need to restore wrecked dialogue mechanisms. It is sad that our American colleagues are opting for a path that will not lead us to a positive result our presidents were oriented to.

Antonov continued: The task is to simply work and implement the positive words that were pronounced by the presidents. Russian diplomats, who are working here, are ready to improve Russian-U.S. relations. A few hours earlier, he took a commercial Aeroflot flight to New Yorks John F. Kennedy Airport, where he was met by Russian diplomats.

On arriving in Washington, Antonov said, Back in Geneva, unlike many of my colleagues, I was very particular about the summit results. I said that I trust deeds more than words. I said let us wait and see what our American colleagues are going to do, he told journalists upon arrival from Russia. When it comes to plans to impose more sanctions, What you saidI feel I have seen something of the kind, that we have been through this.

Antonov also said he hoped to meet with his American counterparts in the coming days to determine where things stand. Let me meet with the American colleagues, he told journalists. Everything will be clear in some ten days. So far, it is too early. We do have very serious problems. We are ready for a constructive dialogue, ready to try to resolve all the problems, TASS quoted him as saying.

Interestingly, President Biden and President Putin held a phone discussion on April 13, at which they discussed the need for a face-to-face summit between them. Then, on April 15, President Biden signed an Executive Order with a truckload of sanctions, including expelling 10 Russian diplomats, and sanctioning 32 individuals and companies for alleged interference in the 2020 election, and on and on.

After years of not responding to illegal U.S. sanctions, Russia responded. Antonov had already been recalled to Moscow a month earlier. On April 16, the Foreign Ministry announced expulsions of U.S. diplomats on a one-to-one basis for every Russian diplomat expelled. Ending the activities of State Department-controlled NGOs in Russia. And U.S. Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for what was previewed as a difficult discussion. It was shortly afterward revealed that Sullivan was invited to return to Washington for consultations, indefinitely.
Africa Entering Third Wave of Pandemic, Which Equitable Vaccine Distribution Could Have Prevented

June 21, 2021 (EIRNS)Africa has officially entered its third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in less than two yearshaving been struck with two waves in 2020, and now going into another winter seasonwith little relief in sight, and new, more virulent variants to deal with. New cases, continent-wide are up by nearly 30% in the past week, and deaths are up by 15%, said WHO Africa Regional Director Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, in her weekly press conference June 17. The threat of a third wave is real and rising. A meager 1% of the African population have been vaccinated, due to the massive logistics barriers involved, along with lack of vaccine accessibility and financing.

The landlocked nation of Uganda is the latest crisis spot as cases in the nation of nearly 50 million have shot up over 131% in the last week; Namibia, D.R. Congo and Angola are each showing lesser spikes. Many more of the victims are now younger, and a much higher percentage of them now require oxygen as part of treatment. Ugandas hospitals are nearing their limits, and the nation has put out requests to neighboring states for emergency relief supplies.

The other African nation again in the unwanted spotlight is South Africa, where President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to make a national address on June 15, as he once again declared a Level 3 lockdown.

A third wave of infections is upon us, the President said. In just the past two weeks, the average number of daily new infections has doubled. Then, we were recording around 3,700 daily infections. Over the last seven days, we have recorded an average of 7,500 daily infections. Hospital admissions due to COVID-19 over the last 14 days are 59% higher than the preceding 14 days.

Again reflecting the increased threat from variants, Ramaphosa explained: The average number of people who die from COVID-19 each day has increased by 48% from 535 two weeks ago to 791 in the past seven days. Although last year, South Africa responded effectively and built emergency capacity, four of the most populous provinces are officially in a third wave, with Gautengthe most urban and populousaccounting for nearly two-thirds of new cases in the past week. The increase in infections ... is now faster and steeper, said Ramaphosa, and within a matter of days, it is likely that the number of new cases in Gauteng will surpass the peak of the second wave. And winter is just starting.

South Africas vaccine rollout has been severely frustrated, first by the denial of AstraZeneca vaccines from India (as they faced their own crisis), and further by the complications around the Johnson & Johnson version, either one of which could have prevented the current crisis. Vaccines are the one statistic that provides a clear reason for hope, Ramaphosa said. Last year, during the second wave, over hundreds of healthcare workers had become infected, as the South African variant was first encountered. In the last seven days, only 64 healthcare workers have been infected, he said.

By the end of the week, South Africa is expected to produce its own Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021

What Infrastructure Do We Really Need, and Why Is It Never Discussed?

June 21, 2021 (EIRNS)Economic infrastructure is again being widely discussed, in terms that have nothing to do with the actual economic missions necessary to preserve and improve human life.

The most important such mission in the world now is clearthe COVID pandemic found that the great majority of nations completely lack what they need to fight it: a modern system of healthcare, comprised of hospitals, clinics, highly skilled and trained medical professionals, and public health, with laboratories, epidemiology, disease surveillance, sanitation. By expert estimate this includes between 4 and 5 fully equipped hospital beds per 1,000 population, including ICU, isolation, and specialist beds for surgical and acute care, pediatric, ob/gyn, emergency, etc. But look at the nations worst hit by pandemic disease and death: India, 0.7 beds/1,000; Brazil, 2.1/1,000; Indonesia, 1.0/1,000; South Africa, 2.3/1,000; Iran, 1.6/1,000, and so on throughout the developing nations.

But over the past 18 months pandemic, only the Schiller Institute has proposed building modern healthcare capacity throughout the world, in every nationbeginning with its founder and President Helga Zepp-LaRouche, who called as early as in March 2020 for a summit of major powers to launch emergency physical-economic action against the pandemic. Her call made clear that new electric power and fresh water infrastructure development throughout developing nations were essential to the action. No other agency or official has discussed or even mentioned this obviously critical mission, even as China was able to throw up hospitals in days in Wuhan and then followed through in Africa. The nations with the greatest capabilities must join in such a life-saving imperative; the credit that must be instituted to do it will point toward a New Bretton Woods international credit system, as Zepp-LaRouche insists.

The mission and the work of the Committee on Coincidence of Opposites which she and Dr. Joycelyn Elders established, and their collaborators have built to carry it out, will be fully presented on Sunday, June 27 in the morning and afternoon panels of the Schiller Institutes June 26-27 international online conference.

In the United States, whether human beings can continue to live in half of the North American continent is in question, as it is desertifying from drought, which has been growing over a huge area for a generation. Meteorologists generally date the onset of the current, intensifying Western drought period to the late 1990s, with peaks of intensity in 2003-04 and in 2013, and brief periods of apparent relief in 2011-12 and 2020. According to a chart from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aired in April by a CBS News reportentitled, Western U.S. May Be Entering Its Most Severe Drought in Modern Historythe extent of drought, and even the extent of severe drought across the country is no greater than in 2003-04, for example; but, the area of exceptional drought is unprecedented in this generation-long drought cycle. Exceptional drought now characterizes 20% of the area of the entire western half of the United States and Mexico, while various levels of water scarcity describe a full 90% of that entire area.

It was obvious to thinking engineers decades ago that unused, excess water sources exist in other parts of North America, could they only be brought to the desertifying areas with their overutilized rivers and aquifers. And that vast volumes of seawater are there to be desalinated with high-temperature power sources, especially nuclear power sources. Thus, the human populations of western North America can continue living, working and farming there; otherwise, they must surely leave, and leave desert behind.

That is infrastructure. But for decades since this intensifying drought was confirmed at the turn of the century, the ideology of calling it unstoppable global warming has been used to suppress all discussion of doing anything about itas if taxing carbon dioxide will finally produce water. Engineering plans for long-distance water transfer have been so long ignored that infrastructure experts now dont know they exist.

The actually Malthusian ideology of made-made climate change will be thoroughly taken apart by scientists, and the alternative to it presented, in the second panel of the Schiller Institute conference, on Saturday afternoon June 26.

The Saturday morning panel will deal with the danger of nuclear war from the U.S.-Russia and U.S.-China confrontations, and the murderous policy of sanctions against nations all over the world, which is part of those confrontations. Organize everyone you know to register and participate in the Schiller Institutes online event: For the Common Good of All People, Not Rules Benefitting the Few!


Iranian President-Elect Ebrahim Raisi said Monday he would not meet with President Joe Biden or negotiate over Tehrans nuclear program. He also said he would not discuss the countrys backing of regional militia groups.

Raisi, 60, is the head of the Iranian judiciary. Monday was the first news conference after Fridays presidential election. The hard-liner Raisi won an easy victory after other candidates were barred from running.

The U.S. must lift all oppressive sanctions against Iran, Raisi said. Asked about Irans missile program and its support of regional militias, he called the issues non-negotiable.

Iran has invested in missiles to counter its Arab neighbors who have bought billions of dollars in American weapons. Those missiles can fly 2,000 kilometers and go across the Middle East and reach U.S. military bases in the region.

Iran also counts on support from militias like Yemens Houthi rebels and Lebanons militant Hezbollah. Those groups provide a balance against enemies like Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Asked about a possible meeting with Biden, Raisi answered simply: No. Abdolnasser Hemmati was Raisis more moderate competitor in the election. He said during the campaign he might have been willing to meet with Biden.

The White House did not immediately respond to Raisis statements. Raisi was personally sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2019 due to his actions while serving as head of Irans internationally criticized justice system. He is the first Iranian president to enter office under that condition.

Raisi was strongly supported by Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The election had the lowest voter turnout in the Islamic Republics history. Millions of Iranians did not vote in a protest of an election they saw as unfair. Khamenei did not allow reformist candidates to run or those who backed outgoing President Hassan Rouhani.

Raisis election comes as negotiators in Vienna try to save a deal meant to limit Irans nuclear program.

Previous U.S. president Donald Trump withdrew America from the agreement in 2018, so Iran stopped following the limitations set in the deal. It is now enriching uranium at 60 percent. That is its highest level ever, but still short of levels needed to produce weapons.

There was another round of negotiations about the nuclear deal Sunday. But Raisis victory raised concerns that the deal could be saved. Monday, Raisi called sanctions relief as central to our foreign policy and called on the U.S. to return to your commitments in the deal.

On the topic of Saudi Arabia, Raisi said that Iran would have no problem with a possible reopening of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. The embassy was closed in 2016 as relations between the countries worsened. Iran recently opened secret talks with Saudi Arabia to begin repairing relations.

Raisi was defensive when asked about his involvement in a 1988 mass execution during the Iran-Iraq war. After a cease-fire, members of an Iranian opposition group armed by Saddam Hussein, attacked across the Iranian border from Iraq in a surprise. Iran eventually stopped the attack.

Trials began around that time, with the fighters asked to identify themselves. Those who responded mujahedeen were sent to their deaths. Others were questioned about clearing minefields for the army of the Islamic Republic, says a 1990 Amnesty International report.

International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed. Raisi served during the trials.

All actions I carried out during my office were always in the direction of defending human rights, he said.

Im Dan Novak.

Jon Gambrell reported this story for The Associated Press. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

__________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sanction  n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc.

enrich  v. to improve the quality of (something) : to make (something) better

commitment  n. a promise to do or give something

execution  n. the act of killing someone especially as punishment for a crime
The United States has increased its COVID-19 vaccine assistance to Taiwan, sending 2.5 million shots to the island.

Doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived in Taiwan on Sunday on a transport airplane belonging to Taiwans China Airlines. The plane took off from the southern U.S. city of Memphis in Tennessee.

The plane was welcomed at the airport outside Taipei by Taiwans Health Minister Chen Shih-chung and Brent Christensen, the top U.S. official in Taiwan.

Chen said the donation showed the strength of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship at a time when Taiwan faces its most severe COVID-19 outbreak. When I saw these vaccines coming down the plane, I was really touched, Chen told reporters.

The U.S. had promised to send Taiwan 750,000 COVID-19 doses this month. However, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden increased that number as part of an assistance program that aims to provide 500 million vaccine doses worldwide.

Taiwan has not been as severely affected by COVID-19 as some of its Asian neighbors. But a rise in cases that started in May has left officials struggling to get vaccines. The Coronavirus Resource Center of Johns Hopkins University reports that Taiwan has recorded 569 deaths from COVID-19. About six percent of Taiwans 23.5 million people have received at least one vaccine dose.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen said the U.S. had decided to increase its vaccine donations after negotiations over the past two weeks.

The latest U.S. assistance signals support for Taiwan in the face of growing pressure from China. Mainland China considers Taiwan a rebel province and has threatened to reclaim the territory by force if necessary. The U.S. does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan because it has relations with the government in Beijing under what is known as the one-China policy. However, American law requires the U.S. to assist Taiwan in defending itself.

These vaccines are proof of America's commitment to Taiwan," said Christensen, director of the American Institute in Taiwan. "Taiwan is a family member to the worlds democratic countries, he added.

An administration official told Reuters the vaccine doses were not being provided based on political or economic conditions. The assistance is aimed at saving lives, the official said.

Our vaccines do not come with strings attached, the official added. The official said that Taiwan had faced unfair challenges in its efforts to secure COVID-19 vaccines.

Taiwan has accused mainland China of blocking its efforts to get the Pfizer vaccine through BioNTech, the vaccines German co-developer.

Mainland Chinese officials have denied this and said China is willing to provide vaccines to Taiwan. Taiwanese law, however, bans the import of Chinese-made medicine.

The U.S. donation follows Japans shipment to Taiwan 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.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

____________________________________________

Words in This Story

dose  n. the amount of medication to be taken at one time

commitment  n. a promise or strong decision to do something

no strings attached  phr. something that carries no special conditions

challenge  n. a difficult task of problem
This is a community calendar. To accommodate demand for the print edition, we ask that items be brief and include time, date, place, address, 
Later, at approximately 2:20 a.m. Tuesday, NSP received a report of the same subjects attempting to travel by cab to a hotel in Kearney. A trooper located the cab in which they were traveling as it exited I-80 at the Kearney interchange at mile marker 272. The trooper performed a traffic stop and the cab driver exited the vehicle. The passenger, identified as the driver of the Jeep, then got into the drivers seat and attempted to drive away. The trooper unsuccessfully deployed a taser and the subject began to drive, striking the trooper in the leg and then striking a pole in a gas station parking lot. The subject then fled on foot, but the trooper quickly apprehended him.
Lewiston, ID (83501)

Today

Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Lewiston, ID (83501)

Today

Mainly clear skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
TIJUANA, Mexico  El Chaparral Plaza once teemed with tourists, street vendors and idling taxis. But the plaza, just outside the San Ysidro port of entry on the Mexican side of the border, now serves as a sprawling refugee camp where migrants from Mexico, Central America and Haiti wait in limbo while they seek asylum in the U.S.

Dr. Hannah Janeway, an emergency medicine physician who works in a Los Angeles hospital but volunteers at the border, estimates at least 2,000 people are jammed into tents and repurposed tarps here, living without running water and electricity.

Survival is the pressing concern, not covid.

The encampment just keeps growing day by day, Janeway said.

A record number of migrants are making the often long and perilous journey to the border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended 180,034 people at the southern border in May, a 78% increase since February. By comparison, border agents apprehended about 144,000 people in May 2019.

New guidelines issued in February by the Biden administration require migrants seeking asylum to register online or via phone from their home countries, get tested for the coronavirus in Mexico and then come to a U.S. port of entry on a specific day for their asylum interviews. The goal is to reduce the number of people making the dangerous trek and alleviate the waiting in border towns like Tijuana  but people continue to show up without going through the process.

As I was driving here, I just saw two buses drop off a group of migrants, Janeway said. Where are they going to go?

Because migrant shelters were already at capacity before this years influx of migrants, many end up at the El Chaparral camp, where food and medical care are scarce and there is little access to sanitation facilities  other than hand-washing stations and portable toilets.

Janeway, who co-directs the Refugee Health Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides medical care to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, visits the camp two to three times a month to tend to patients and spread the word about the nearby clinic she opened in 2018, located a few blocks from the plaza.

The clinic, Resistencia en Salud, provides free care and depends on donations and a mostly volunteer staff to keep the doors open.

I believe that the people that Im serving deserve to have health care and a reduction to their suffering, Janeway said.

The clinic is small and basic, with two exam rooms. Staffers coordinate with Mexicos public health system to handle patients who need more specialized care, such as surgery or chemotherapy.

On a recent Thursday, Janeway made her way along the edge of the camp  lined with tents, tarps fashioned into makeshift shelters and mounds of trash  to check on the water tank supply her organization provides. She said the Mexican government is not providing much in the way of health care or essential provisions, like water.

The office of Baja Californias secretary of health (Secretaria de Salud de Baja California) did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Its the governments responsibility, but I dont want to play a game of chicken with them about water, she said. Its critical. There are all these kids here with [gastrointestinal] illnesses.

At the clinic, Janeway and her staff see it all, she said: heart problems, back pain, cancer, assault injuries. In addition to medical treatment, Resistencia en Salud provides mental health services and support to the LGBTQ community.

By the time doors opened at 10:30 a.m., a line of people were waiting to sign up. Some were turned away because the clinic hit capacity. Octavio Alfaro and his 12-year-old son, whose knees had been hurting, were among the hopefuls.

The 53-year-old from Villanueva, Cortes, in Honduras, had been waiting for asylum for 2 years.

My story is cruel, he said.

Alfaro left Honduras with his three children, fleeing gang violence. In Honduras, you cannot risk starting a business because if you dont pay what the gangs charge you, they will put you in the ground, he said. They wanted to take my son and were ready to kidnap my daughter to do what they do to young girls.

Stories like his are common in the encampment, he said. Thats why we come. For a better life for these kids.

Alfaro met Janeway at the El Chaparral encampment in late May. She quickly wrote an advocacy letter in support of his 14-year-old daughter Brendas asylum claim. Brenda has a cardiac murmur that requires immediate surgery in the U.S. She needs to be seen by a specialist, Janeway said. She cant get that type of care here.

Janeway said many patients like Alfaro and his family are just trying to survive in Tijuanas encampments and overcrowded shelters, where they fear being assaulted or robbed. Navigating the pandemic is secondary.

The clinic has seen only a handful of covid patients, Janeway said, and, as far as she knows, no one is vaccinating migrants.

Nurse Luz Elena Esquivel said she tries to educate patients about maintaining distance and wearing masks, but sometimes it seems impossible, she said. Its not their priority. Their priority is crossing.

On this day, a dozen clinic staff members saw 55 people in about six hours. They moved in synchrony from patient to patient, attempting to treat as many as possible, including a 3-year-old child from Honduras who was so small he appeared 6 months old, a Mexican transgender woman in need of hormone therapy and a Haitian man complaining of chest pain. In the middle of it all, they rushed to treat a man who collapsed in the waiting area.

The latest wave of migrants has put a strain on the clinic, which needs more money, more volunteers and another doctor. The working conditions arent that good. And the salaries we can offer arent either, Janeway said. But the people who are here are here because they are very dedicated to helping this population. Its a mission.

Dr. Christian Armenta, a family physician at the clinic, was born and raised in Tijuana. He started working at the clinic in the midst of the pandemic. It was very scary in the beginning, but I adapted quickly, he said. As a doctor and a Tijuanense, I have to generate some sort of impact to better my city.

About 95% of the patients are migrants, he said. The rest are people from Tijuana who live on the streets or in shelters. The environment in which they are living creates the perfect storm to generate health problems, he said.

Alfaro, a construction worker by trade, was robbed more than once. Ive been mistreated here, he said. My tools have been stolen twice.

Even so, Alfaro said he feels like a child of Tijuana. The people I have met here are like my family.

In the middle of her shift, Janeway stepped out of the clinic to deliver some good news to Alfaro.

I just talked to the lawyers and they told me that you have a date to cross on June 8, she said.

Glory to God, Alfaro said. Im so happy. If Ive learned one thing here, its to have patience.

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net
These rules outline a more narrow definition of essential workers and does not prioritize premium pay to low- and moderate-income workers.

In short, the resolution would not provide premium pay only to those city employees who have experienced a heightened risk by being physically present at work, regularly interacting with the public or coworkers, or physically handling items that are handled by the public or coworkers, Haas said in the memo.

In an attempt to ease these concerns, Carter proposed some changes to the original proposal to include these payments as government services  one of four categories of spending eligible under the federal guidelines.

But Haas still wasnt convinced.

My concern is this would be a new expenditure that was not in place and was therefore not eliminated by a loss in revenue, Haas said. I would still be concerned that we may run into some issue here with whether its an allowable intent.

If the city did spend money on a use thats not allowed by the U.S. Treasury guidelines, the federal government could conduct an audit and require the city to pay back those funds.
Democrats knocked the bill as an attack on local governments that have to make tough budgeting decisions without increases in shared revenue payments from the state. Rep. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, described it as "cynical" and "punitive." Municipalities that lose state funding under the bill would see that money redistributed among communities that did not cut their police budgets.

Republicans voted down a Democratic amendment which would have increased the amount of state aid for counties and municipalities by 2% in 2021 and an additional 2% in 2022, mirroring language that Republicans stripped from Evers' proposed 2021-23 budget. The amendment would not require any of those funds to be spent on policing, but Democrats argued it would put municipalities in a better position to do so.

"Having served in city government and having made really tough decisions about where our funding goes, as somebody who long has supported funding our police department to do their jobs, I also think back on the tough budgets that we faced  times where we couldnt make ends meet," said Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison. "Our local governments are in the best positions to make these decisions."

Opponents of the bill also argued it would discourage municipalities from developing programs aimed at preventing crime, rather than reacting to it.
Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth says, The Assange prosecution threatens these basic elements of modern journalism and democratic accountability.

When Assange was indicted during Trumps presidency, Ben Wizner, the director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, warned: For the first time in the history of our country, the government has brought criminal charges against a publisher for the publication of truthful information. This is an extraordinary escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on journalism, and a direct assault on the First Amendment. It establishes a dangerous precedent that can be used to target all news organizations that hold the government accountable by publishing its secrets. And it is equally dangerous for U.S. journalists who uncover the secrets of other nations. If the U.S. can prosecute a foreign publisher for violating our secrecy laws, theres nothing preventing China, or Russia, from doing the same.

Trump is out of office, and so is former Attorney General William Barr. But their influence on the Department of Justice lingers. That influence will threaten press freedom for so long as the department maintains its dangerous interpretation of the Espionage Act as a tool to punish whistleblowers and those who tell the American people what is being done in their name but without their informed consent.

John Nichols is associate editor of The Capital Times. jnichols@madison.com and @NicholsUprising. 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.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Democrats' sweeping attempt to rewrite U.S. election and voting law suffered a major setback in the Senate Tuesday, blocked by a filibuster wall of Republican opposition to what would be the largest overhaul of the electoral system in a generation.

The vote leaves the Democrats with no clear path forward, though President Joe Biden declared, This fight is far from over.

The bill, known as the For the People Act, would touch on virtually every aspect of how elections are conducted, striking down hurdles to voting that advocates view as the Civil Rights fight of the era, while also curbing the influence of money in politics and limiting partisan influence over the drawing of congressional districts.

But many in the GOP say the measure represents instead a breathtaking federal infringement on states authority to conduct their own elections without fraud  and is meant to ultimately benefit Democrats.

It failed on a 50-50 vote after Republicans, some of whom derided the bill as the Screw the People Act, denied Democrats the 60 votes needed to begin debate under Senate rules. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold her office, presided over the chamber as the bill failed to break past that filibuster barrier.
Acting State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said of the four cases, only one person was vaccinated. Health experts say vaccines remain effective against the variant. Hawaiis vaccination rate is 57%. Kemble says Hawaiis pace of vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks.



LOS ANGELES  The Los Angeles Philharmonic will return to the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Oct. 9 after a 19-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021/22 season was announced Tuesday by Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and executives of the LA Phil.

Over this past year, the pandemic has isolated us from one another, and so as we celebrate our return to Walt Disney Concert Hall, we want to remember all that unites us, and all that is best in us, Dudamel said in a statement. This season, we will blend different musical traditions, bridge geographical borders and build new connections among cultures, communities, audiences and artists.

More than 10 million doses of vaccine have been administered in Los Angeles County, where rates of new cases, hospitalizations and death have plunged in what was once an epicenter of the pandemic. The daily test positivity rate Monday was just 0.7%.


MILWAUKEE  A judge has delayed his decision on whether to go around prosecutors and charge a Wisconsin police officer who killed a man sitting in a parked car.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro was expected to decide Friday whether to charge Joseph Mensah in Jay Anderson Jr.'s death five years ago.

But Anderson family attorney Kimberley Motely said Monday that Yamahiro has pushed the decision back to July 28. A message left at Yamahiro's chambers on Monday wasn't immediately returned.

Mensah shot Anderson in 2016 after he found Anderson sleeping in his car after hours in a Wauwatosa park. He said he fired when Anderson reached for a gun on the passenger seat.

Anderson was the second of three people Mensah killed during a five-year stint with the Wauwatosa Police Department. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm cleared Mensah of criminal wrongdoing in each case.
The NRB is set to consider the parameters Wednesday.

After almost 2 months, Gov. Tony Evers' appointee still shut out of Natural Resources Board Gov. Tony Evers appointed Sandy Naas and Sharon Adams to the policy board on April 28 to replace Frederick Prehn and Julie Anderson, who were appointed by former Gov. Scott Walker and whose six-year terms expired May 1.

The agency is already in the process of crafting numerical limits for two of the most studied PFAS compounds  PFOA and PFOS  based on recommendations from the Department of Health Services.

The new regulations would address 16 additional PFAS compounds, as well as six pesticides, that DHS last year said pose a threat to public health.

One rule relates to groundwater, the other to public drinking water systems. The groundwater standards would also include six new pesticides.

Drinking water standards would apply to municipal water systems as well as apartment buildings, mobile home parks and businesses with at least 25 employees and would require annual testing as well as steps to remove the contaminants. The DNR estimates the total cost of compliance will be more than $10 million every two years.

Groundwater standards would allow the DNR to identify sources of contamination and go after polluters.
Rhodes-Conway said the initiatives she decided to include in the first resolution are those that we would really like to get going as soon as possible. She said city staff need more time to flesh out some of the programs but others are ready to go and will address urgent needs.

The $8.3 million includes:

$160,000 to support existing violence-prevention initiatives

$585,000 for summer youth employment

$2 million to support homeless individuals staying outside

$2 million for a mens emergency shelter

$400,000 for emergency rental assistance

$700,000 for services for undocumented residents

$1.9 million for various programs aimed at stimulating small businesses and neighborhood development.

More money will be put toward small business recovery, violence prevention and youth engagement, support for homeless people, subsidized housing, converting hotels to housing and other community needs in the 2022 budget, which will be deliberated this fall.

Stimulus payment

Also Monday, the Finance Committee rejected a proposal to use the federal funds to give one-time stimulus payments to all city employees except those in protective services, such as the police and fire departments.
"The solution is not for the Legislature to try to micromanage these municipal budgeting decisions," Democratic Rep. Mark Spreitzer said prior to debate. "It's to actually fund municipal budgets so our communities can make the investments in public safety we would all like to see."

Spreitzer said the proposal was a "cynical" attempt to punish local governments.

"This bill is not serious," Spreitzer said. "This bill is laughable."

Republican backers say the bill would keep cities from indiscriminately cutting police and would keep communities safe.

"Fewer officers means when you are threatened, you wait long to have someone come and help you out," said Republican Speaker Robin Vos. "When police officers do their jobs, they prevent violence and that's what we need more of in our society."

Vos said the public supports funding police departments, not cutting them.

"Reducing funding for the police should never be supported by anyone in public office," he said.

The bill passed on a 61-37 vote, with all Republicans and Democratic Rep. Nick Milroy, of South Range, in support and all other Democrats against.
Bon voyage?

While Joyce is excited to cross some countries off her bucket list and meet students from around the world, she is still apprehensive. Even as the pandemic wanes in the U.S., the uncertain state of the pandemic abroad could threaten her travels and cost her a lot of money.

She has not booked a ticket yet or secured housing because she is nervous about financially committing when uncertainty about the program remains. Joyce said shes grateful UW-Madison has approved her program but also feels the university has been fairly hands off in helping with pandemic-related complications.

From a COVID perspective, I definitely did not know if I was even going to be able to go abroad in general, so Im really excited that I was able to fit it in and that the university is willing to try and get us over there, she said. I will say, it feels a little bit alone.

Lucas said study-abroad advisers have been working with enrolled students to help them plan for their programs and answer questions.

Other students are still holding out hope that their programs will be approved. Emma Kempf, an incoming junior, is one of them. She applied to study in Seville, Spain, this fall.
In recent years, more and more police departments have been choosing to strap their officers with body cameras  a move that boosts transparency in an era of skepticism about police authority.

This transparency benefits all because body cams memorialize police action, yielding points of verification in situations that call for review and evaluation.

The push for police reform following the death of George Floyd has resulted in state requirements for police body cams, with six states mandating the use of such cameras in the past year. Many municipal police forces have opted to use cameras without an outside legal mandate.

In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in 2016 (one of the more recent studies on the issue) that many law enforcement agencies across the country had purchased body-worn cameras for police. Voluntarily. The Rialto (California) Police Department published in 2014 the results of a study that found that use-of-force incidents were reduced by half and citizen complaints fell by 90% following the use of body cams. These numbers are telling: When officers know their conduct can be reviewed, they appear to be more likely to toe the line in their interactions with civilians.
Rate the U.S.-Russia summit in Geneva as a success for President Joe Biden.

If you want to understand why, just look at what Vladimir Putin said back home the day after the summit ended.

I want to say that the image of President Biden, [as] portrayed by our and even the American press, has nothing to do with reality, Putin told alumni of a Russian management program, by video. (He was referring to constant efforts by Russian state-controlled media, along with Trumpist media, to portray Biden as senile.)

The Russian leader said his U.S. counterpart barely looked at his notes in more than two hours of direct talks. Biden is a professional, Putin went on, and you need to work very carefully with him so as not to miss something. He himself does not miss anything, I assure you.

So why would the Russian leader refute the state-controlled media messaging on Biden, whose tone is set by the Kremlin? Why would Putin praise Bidens professionalism to an obscure Russian audience  and note the need to deal very carefully with the U.S. leader?

I put that question to Yevgenia Albats, who clued me into Putins remarks, and is one of the few independent journalists still working in Moscow. Her answer strengthened my assessment that Biden did achieve his goals.
TWIN FALLS  Drought conditions in south-central Idaho have forced an administrative proceeding in Boise over water rights, the early closure of Magic Reservoir and a fish salvage.

The Idaho Department of Water Resources held a five-day hearing earlier this month in Boise to discuss whether groundwater rights needed to be reduced this summer. They focused on Water Districts 37 and 37B, in the Wood River Valley south of Bellevue, an area commonly called the Bellevue Triangle.

Parts of Blaine County are experiencing exceptional drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Don Taber, owner and operator of Shoshone-based Donley Farms, said hes looking at losses exceeding $1 million if the drought continues to get worse.

Although Taber has 1883 rights along the Little Wood River, he says he gets less water every year. Whenever the groundwater wells are turned off, it takes only a short time to see more water in the river, he testified at the Bellevue Triangle hearing.

Tim Luke, water compliance bureau chief with Idaho Department of Water Resources, said they had been projecting water shortages since March.

The drought we were anticipating to be bad, got significantly worse, Luke said.
A man and woman from Twin Falls have been sentenced to probation and fines for lying about being caregivers for a person who was actually out of the country.
Sen. Jim Rischs political life was much more fun with Donald Trump as president and Republicans had control of the Senate. But perhaps there is something liberating with President Biden in the White House.

For one, Risch got to write an op-ed for the Washington Post in advance of Bidens summit with Russian strongman Vladmir Putin. Afterward, the senator released a statement expressing his disappointment with the outcome of the high-level meeting.

Risch, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, remains fairly measured in his criticisms of Biden, but hes not shy about speaking up when he finds flaws with the administrations actions.

That wasnt the case when Trump was president and Risch was the committee chairman. During those days, Risch would not dare to pen op-eds or circulate press releases criticizing Trump. Risch has said that any disagreements with Trump were discussed privately. He did not test Trumps volcanic temper.

Malloy: McGeachin has critics where she wants them Opinion: This was a perfect way to start her campaign to unseat Little in next years primary election.

Of course, Risch was part of Trumps inner circle  a confidant on foreign policy issues. Risch remains as one of the Senates foremost experts on foreign policy, but he is not part of a Democratic presidents inner circle. So, Risch can say what he wants about Biden and theres a wide audience that will listen to what he has to say.
For example, Southern Idaho, in the grip of extreme drought, is braced for prior appropriation cutbacks. Junior water users in the Wood River Valley who pump water from wells have been notified that their water might be shut off early this summer. Meanwhile New Mexicos ancient system utilizes a water master or mayordomo to administer cutbacks. And if one state knows drought, its Nevada, where Las Vegas sends most of its sewage-treated water back to where it came from  Lake Mead.

The water flowing through piped canals or open ditches into Paonia and its mesas was never meant to stick around. Farmers who flood-irrigate use roughly 20 percent of the water on their land. Eventually, that water may be reused by farmers and homeowners as much as seven times before crossing into Utah as part of the Colorado River.

These days, a lot less water ever gets there. The rivers two big reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are only about 35 percent full, and river managers in the seven states that rely on the Colorado are trying to figure out how to cope. Its a daunting prospect, squeezing out water in the midst of a drying climate.

Meanwhile, Jacobson looks at his diminished orchard and hopes hell have enough fruit for the people who came last summer. They brought their own baskets and wandered the orchard to pick what they wanted.
A Utah TV news crew recently worried out loud about a State of Utah water conservation website. The Fame or Shame site encourages citizens to report those who are wasting water so water entities can follow-up.

The reporters admitted they had been debating internally about whether public water shaming is a good idea or not. A weather team member concluded it might be better to just privately reason with a neighbor face to face. In fact, many modern Christian churches believe the scripture teaches people not to judge one another.

Heres a little Christian education lesson. Jesus did say, Judge not lest ye be judged. But it is clear within the totality of the New Testament teaching that Jesus was discouraging only unrighteous judging. There are many types of this, including hasty judgment, hypocritical judgment, and unduly harsh judgment.

But Jesus also taught that righteous judgment was one of the most important of all spiritual principles. When he spoke of the weightier matters of the gospel, he listed three: Judgment, mercy, and faith.

Righteous judging certainly can be done by a neighbor face to face, but it can also be done by an official. We cant stop holding people publicly accountable unless we no longer wish to remain a nation committed to rule of law.
EDEN, N.C.  A State Highway Patrol helicopter was back in Rockingham County Monday afternoon to help in the search for a pregnant 35-year-old woman who is still missing after a deadly Wednesday tubing accident that claimed the lives of four of her family members.

Her sister remained hopeful that Teresa Villano might have made it to land after going over an 8-foot-hight dam near Duke Energy's Dan River Steam Station here on Wednesday. "I've always felt like she was on land, not in the water,'' said Angelica Villano. "We need prayers, prayers,'' she said.

The nine family members who set out tubing on Wednesday afternoon were unaware of the dam, Villano said.

"They didn't know what it was.'' Rather, the group saw rippling current ahead of them that they believed to be rapids, Villano said, relaying reports from four in her family who survived the ordeal.

Antonio Ramon, 30, of Eden, turned to relatives, smiled and called out with excitement as he approached the dam, thinking he would shoot some rapids, relatives said. Ramon died and was recovered from the river late Thursday.

The family group set out on a tubing trek at around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on what they planned to be a two-hour trip, Villano and another relative said.
(Unlike Biden, Putin knows that in 2021 whoever has the oil and gas still calls the shots  and no one is going to take away that geopolitical weapon with windmills and Parisian climate treaties.)

For good measure, Biden  trying to get tough?  gave Putin a list of 16 places in America that are off limits to cyberattacks by Russians in or out of the government.

Hello? Does that mean everything else is OK to attack, Putin might ask? To his credit, Biden didnt send Putin the 16 URLs.

After the so-called summit, Biden made things worse by letting Putin hold a press conference by himself where he trashed America  and no one could challenge him.

Then, as Biden was leaving his own solo press conference, he got mad at a CNN reporter who had the nerve to ask him why he was so confident that killer Putin would change his behavior and turn into the Russian equivalent of Old Joe Biden.

Will someone please tell me what good came out of Bidens un-summit for America?

Apparently, our president doesnt know that when you go into a negotiation with a foreign adversary you dont give them everything they want beforehand.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

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 Ph.D., 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 Ph.D. 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.

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.

Explore further Study affirms that vaccines are safe for children and adults

More information: Xintong Li et al, Characterising the background incidence rates of adverse events of special interest for covid-19 vaccines in eight countries: multinational network cohort study, BMJ (2021). Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) Xintong Li et al, Characterising the background incidence rates of adverse events of special interest for covid-19 vaccines in eight countries: multinational network cohort study,(2021). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.n1435
In this June 18, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden speaks about COVID-19 vaccination shots, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. The administration is releasing new data Tuesday showing it expects to reach 70% of Americans aged 27 and older with at least one shot by the July 4 holiday. Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to get younger Americans vaccinated for COVID-19 as concerns grow about the spread of a new variant that threatens to set the country back in the months ahead.

The push is underway as the delta variant, first identified in India, has come to represent more than 20% of coronavirus infections in the U.S. in the last two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. That's double what it was when the CDC last reported on the variant's prevalence.

"The delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said at a White House briefing on the virus. "Good news: Our vaccines are effective against the delta variant."

He added: "We have the tools. So let's use them, and crush the outbreak."

The White House acknowledged Tuesday that President Joe Biden will fall short of reaching his goal of vaccinating 70% of all American adults with at least one shot by Independence Day. But it said he had reached that threshold for those aged 30 and older and expects to meet it for those age 27 or older by the July 4 holiday.

Biden is also on track to miss a second goalfully vaccinating 165 million adult Americans by July 4. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients projected it will take several more weeks to hit that number. On Monday, the U.S. crossed 150 million fully vaccinated.

"We don't see it exactly like something went wrong," press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.

Still, administration officials said they were redoubling their focus on vaccinating younger Americans age 18-26, who have proved to be least likely to get a vaccine when it's available for them.

The nationwide rate of new vaccinations has dropped off precipitously over the past month even as shots have become more available, with fewer than 300,000 Americans now getting their first dose per day on averagea pace that, if sustained, will have the U.S. not reaching Biden's 70% goal until late July at the earliest.

Officials are also increasingly. concerned about regional variations in the vaccination program.

More than 16 states and the District of Columbia have vaccinated 70% of their adult population. But othersparticularly in the South and Midwestare lagging substantially behind, with four not having yet reached 50% vaccination rates.

The White House said meeting Biden's vaccination goals is less important than the pace of the nation's reopening, which is exceeding even its own internal projections as the overwhelming majority of the nation's most vulnerable people are fully vaccinated and cases and deaths are at their lowest rates since the earliest days of the pandemic, averaging about 11,000 new infections and fewer than 300 deaths per day. More states are opening back up, with Michigan on Tuesday becoming the latest to do away with a mask mandate and virus restrictions. The state had the nation's worst outbreak this spring.

"We have succeeded beyond our highest expectations," Zeints said.

Americans at highest risk for complications from COVID-19 are overwhelmingly vaccinated, according to CDC data, but only 53% aged 25-39 have received one dose. Among those 18-24, it's 47%.

"Where the country has more work to do is particularly with 18 to 26 year olds," Zients said.

Zients and government experts said the rise of the delta variant should motivate younger Americans to get vaccinated.

"The reality is many younger Americans have felt like COVID-19 is not something that impacts them, and they've been less eager to get the shot," Zients said. "However, with the delta variant now spreading across the country, and infecting younger people worldwide, it's more important than ever that they get vaccinated."

The variant is taking root as there are warning signs about a possible surge in cases in unvaccinated corners of America. Rural sections of Missouri, including Springfield and Branson, have seen a dramatic spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks that health officials attribute in part to the delta variant spreading among younger, unvaccinated residents.

"There is a danger, a real danger that if there is a persistence of a recalcitrance to getting vaccinated that you could see localized surges," said Fauci.

Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, Alabama and Idaho are all below 40% of their population with at least one dose of vaccine.

The White House planned to focus on increasingly local vaccination pushes, with first lady Jill Biden traveling Tuesday to Mississippi and Tennessee to promote vaccinations and Biden himself set to visit North Carolina on Thursday.

The variant is accounting for half of new infections in the regions that include Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Drinking coffee that is caffeinated (ground or instant) or decaffeinated is associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic liver disease and related liver conditions, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

Researchers at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh, UK, found that drinking any type of coffee was associated with a reduced risk of developing and dying from chronic liver disease compared to not drinking coffee, with the benefit peaking at three to four cups per day.

The authors studied UK Biobank data on 495,585 participants with known coffee consumption, who were followed over a median of 10.7 years to monitor who developed chronic liver disease and related liver conditions.

Of all participants included in the study, 78% (384,818) consumed ground or instant caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee, while 22% (109,767) did not drink any type of coffee. During the study period, there were 3,600 cases of chronic liver disease, including 301 deaths. Additionally, there were 5,439 cases of chronic liver disease or steatosis (a build of up fat in the liver also known as fatty liver disease), and 184 cases of Hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer.

Compared to non-coffee drinkers, coffee-drinkers had a 21% reduced risk of chronic liver disease, a 20% reduced risk of chronic or fatty liver disease, and a 49% reduced risk of death from chronic liver disease. The maximum benefit was seen in the group who drank ground coffee, which contains high levels of the ingredients Kahweol and cafestol, which have been shown to be beneficial against chronic liver disease in animals.

Instant coffee, which has low levels of Kahweol and cafestol was also associated with a reduced the risk of chronic liver disease. While the reduction in risk was smaller than that associated with ground coffee, the finding may suggest that other ingredients, or potentially a combination of ingredients, may be beneficial.

Dr. Oliver Kennedy, the lead author said: "Coffee is widely accessible and the benefits we see from our study may mean it could offer a potential preventative treatment for chronic liver disease. This would be especially valuable in countries with lower income and worse access to healthcare and where the burden of chronic liver disease is highest."

The authors caution that, as coffee consumption was only reported when participants first enrolled in the study, the study does not account for any changes in the amount or type of coffee they consumed over the 10.7-year study period. As participants were predominantly white and from a higher socio-economic background, the findings may be difficult to generalize to other countries and populations.

The authors suggest that future research could test the relationship between coffee and liver disease with more rigorous control of the amount of coffee consumed. They also propose validating their findings in more diverse groups of participants.

Explore further Calculating the reduction in worldwide deaths from liver cancer if the whole world drank more coffee

More information: All coffee types decrease the risk of adverse clinical outcomes in chronic liver disease: a UK Biobank study, BMC Public Health 2021 Journal information: BMC Public Health All coffee types decrease the risk of adverse clinical outcomes in chronic liver disease: a UK Biobank study,2021 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-10991-7
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new University of California, Irvine-led study reveals albumin (Alb), among the most abundant proteins in the body, activates a proton channel (hHv1), also widespread in the body, giving sperm the ability to penetrate and fertilize an egg, and allowing white blood cells to secrete large amounts of inflammatory mediators to fight infection.

The study titled "Direct activation of the proton channel by albumin leads to human sperm capacitation and sustained release of inflammatory mediators by neutrophils," was published today in Nature Communications.

Researchers examined the physiological connection between Alb and human voltage-gated proton channels (hHv1), which are both essential to cell biology in health and diseases. They also demonstrated the mechanism by which Alb binds directly to hHv1 to activate the channel. This research explains how sperm are triggered to fertilize, and neutrophils are stimulated to release mediators in the innate immune response, describing a new role for Alb in physiology that will operate in the many tissues expressing hHv1.

"We found that the interaction of Alb and hHv1 activates sperm when they leave semen and enter the female reproductive tract because Alb is low in semen and high in the reproductive tract. We now understand why albumin supplementation improves IVF," said first author Ruiming Zhao, Ph.D., from the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at UCI School of Medicine. "We also found the same Alb/hHv1 interaction allows the white blood cells called neutrophils to produce and secrete the inflammatory mediators that kill bacteria and fight infection. However, it's important to note that the inflammatory response itself can lead to disease." The essential stimulatory role of Alb in the physiology of sperm and neutrophils via hHv1 suggests that Alb will have as-yet unrecognized enhancing or deleterious roles in the other tissues, including the central nervous system, heart and lungs, and will influence cancers of the breast and gastrointestinal tract.

"It is exciting to discover that a common protein has the power to activate the proton channel. This finding suggests new strategies to block or enhance fertility, and to augment or suppress the innate immune response and inflammation," said senior author Steve A. N. Goldstein, MD, Ph.D., vice chancellor of Health Affairs at UCI and distinguished professor in the School of Medicine Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology & Biophysics, and in the new School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The proton channel hHv1 is implicated in a wide range of biological processes in addition to the capacitation of sperm and the innate immune responses included in the study. The channels have notable roles in proliferation of cancer cells, tissue damage during ischemic stroke, and hypertensive injury of the kidney. Because Alb is ubiquitous at levels that vary in different human compartments in health and disease, the potentiation of hHv1 by Alb described in the paper will be widespread, tissue-dependent, and play both salutary and unfavorable roles in human physiology.

"We have modeled the structural basis for binding of Alb to the channel that leads to activation and changes in cellular function, and we are now conducting in vivo studies of viral and bacterial infections. Our next steps include studies of the effects of inhibitors of the Alb-hHv1 interaction on infection, inflammation and fertility," said Goldstein.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, USIsrael Binational Science Foundation, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina, Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Argentina, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina, Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Argentina, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Direccion General de Asuntos del Personal Academico, and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Fronteras.

Explore further Molecular 'barcode' helps decide which sperm will reach an egg

More information: Ruiming Zhao et al, Direct activation of the proton channel by albumin leads to human sperm capacitation and sustained release of inflammatory mediators by neutrophils, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Ruiming Zhao et al, Direct activation of the proton channel by albumin leads to human sperm capacitation and sustained release of inflammatory mediators by neutrophils,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24145-1
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

As the COVID pandemic recedes dramatically in the West, Europe is opening its doors to Americansbut the reverse is not holding true, with the United States not budging on restrictions imposed 15 months ago.

President Joe Biden has hailed progress on vaccination, with a goal of reaching 70 percent of Americans with at least one dose by July 4, and health authorities have eased recommendations on masks, but the language on travel restrictions has remained constant.

"We look forward to the resumption of transatlantic travel as soon as the science permits," State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday.

"I'm not able to put a specific timeframe on it, only because it will depend in large part on the course of the epidemiology, on the response to the virus around the world, and developments, including the impact and the presence of variants," he said.

Biden has vowed to restore alliances after Donald Trump's turbulent presidency, last week courting European allies on his first foreign trip. But he has made clear he is not in a hurry on travel, with his administration again renewing through July 21 the closing of the land borders with Canada and Mexico.

The United States during the pandemic has also banned travel on most visitors coming from the European Union as well as Britain, along with Brazil, China, India, Iran and South Africa.

Biden, however, has allowed a growing number of exemptions, with journalists, students and others able to travel despite the restrictions on ordinary tourists.

By contrast, the European Union has decided to reopen its borders to Americans on condition they are vaccinated or present test results that show they are negative.

"Hope we will find a similar solution in the spirit of reciprocity for travel from Germany and the EU to the US!" tweeted the German ambassador to the United States, Emily Haber.

Driven by tourism

But the European Union opened up not after negotiating reciprocity with the United States, but under pressure from member states reliant on tourism such as Greece, Italy and Spain that are eager to revive an industry devastated by the pandemic.

In the United States, there is no force of similar magnitude clamoring to let in foreign tourists, even if airlines and others in the travel industry have voiced support for relaxing rules and The Wall Street Journal in a recent editorial said there was no reason not to reciprocate the European decision.

The Biden administration in early June announced the formation of working groups with the European Union, Britain, Canada and Mexico on next steps.

Caught in the middle are thousands of expatriates who generally pay US taxes and may have families in the United States but cannot leave without concern over whether they can return.

Some have visas that expired during the pandemic, meaning they can have long waits if they head overseas in hopes of renewals at overloaded US consulates.

Celia Belin, a French scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington, noted that Biden was elected on promises to address COVID better than Trump and "wants to take zero risk" faced with worries about the Delta variant.

She noted that the Europeans had clear epidemiological thresholds on when they would open up to US travelers, but that there was no similar transparency from the US side.

Biden "prioritizes the health issue before everything else without taking into consideration the social and human consequences," she said.

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Cuba's Abdala coronavirus candidate vaccine showed "efficacy" of more than 92 percent after three doses, its maker said Monday, though it did not specify whether this was measured against infection, disease, or death.

Cuba is working on five coronavirus vaccines, and last month started immunizing its population using two of them yet to complete clinical trials.

On Monday, the BioCubaFarma laboratory tweeted that Abdalaone of the two already in use "shows an efficacy of 92.28 percent in its three-dose scheme".

The World Health Organization has set a 50-percent efficacy threshold for coronavirus vaccines to offer protection against the virus or disease.

The announcement came two days after authorities announced that Soberana 2, the other three-dose shot being developed in Cuba, was 62 percent effective after the first two shots.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel welcomed the news as an achievement which "will multiply pride" in the communist island nation.

Cuba has been relatively unscathed by the outbreak but has seen a recent sharp increase in cases, registering one of its worst days Monday with 1,561 confirmed infections in 24 hours. To date, it has recorded just over 169,000 cases and 1,170 deaths.

Under American sanctions, Cuba has a long tradition of making its own vaccines, dating back to the 1980s.

Nearly 80 percent of its vaccines are produced locally and it hopes to come up with the first locally-produced coronavirus shot in Latin America.

Explore further Cuba begins testing 2nd COVID-19 vaccine on health care workers

 2021 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Experts from the University of Stirling have contributed to a new report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), warning of an emerging foodborne hazard in Southeast Asia.

An invasive disease called GBS that can cause blood poisoning and meningitis in people was found in freshwater fish widely-consumed in Southeast Asia, causing the FAO to issue a 'risk profile report' to raise awareness of the threat.

In 2015, around 146 people became ill after eating a traditional raw freshwater fish dish in Singapore, with several people eventually having to have limbs amputated. They had developed blood poisoning linked to a bacterium called Streptococcus agalactiae, also called Group B Streptococcus (GBS). The specific strain responsible for the outbreak was a unique sequence type 283 (ST283).

GBS disease due to ST283 has also been confirmed in China, Hong Kong, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Associate Professor at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Dr. Tim Barkham, first identified the human health risk. "Many microbiologists were surprised, as invasive GBS disease in people has not been known to be foodborne previously," Dr. Barkham said. "Another surprising point was that this foodborne GBS ST283 affected healthy adults. GBS is normally very uncommon in healthy adults."

Dr. Mags Crumlish, senior lecturer in food security and sustainability at the University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture, specializes in aquatic microbial diseases. She was one of the founding members of the GBS network and has identified GBS ST283 in farmed freshwater tilapia, which is an important economic species across the region, produced for the international market as well as consumed locally in Southeast Asia.

Dr. Crumlish said: "GBS is a known disease in freshwater tilapia, but we are only starting to identify the different strains associated with disease outbreaks in farmed fish species. This hypervirulent GBS strain (ST283) is unique and, so far, it has only been confirmed in farmed tilapia in Southeast Asia and Brazil. Our goal in aquaculture is to reduce disease outbreaks in fish and prevent transmission to humans by collaborating with other scientists. This way we will determine the role of fish preparation and consumption with human GBS ST283 outbreaks."

Dr. Fiona Harris, Associate Professor of Health Sciences at the University of Stirling, was the only social scientist of 25 experts who worked on the report. She said: "The report brings together what we know, and highlights the gaps in research knowledge that we need to explore further.

"Throughout Southeast Asia traditional recipes using raw or lightly cooked fish are popular foods. This includes fish marinaded in lime juice and chili as well as fermented or preserved fish, which are important sources of protein for poor people in the region.

"We need to work closely with communities to find out more about different preparation methods in local dishessalting, drying, lime and garlic marinadesas currently the only known effective method is heating or cooking. We may eventually need a public health campaign, so talking to people about these foods and what they mean to them is really important.

"Whatever solutions to the problem we find, will need a multidisciplinary approach, combining social and natural sciences."

"Many people aren't aware of the risks associated with consuming raw freshwater fish, and it is a very common practice in Southeast Asia," said Dr. Masami Takeuchi, FAO Food Safety Officer. "But the illnesses this practice can cause can be serious, though not always obvious, nor immediate, and in some cases that can make it difficult to diagnose and treat in time."

While more research is undertaken, the following advice is being shared with stakeholders in the region to reduce risk:

visual inspection: discarding visibly abnormal/diseased fish is expected to reduce risk, but they should not rely on visual inspections alone, as healthy-looking fish are no guarantee of safety;

heat-treatment: proper heating /cooking is the only known effective risk mitigation measure; and

non heat-treatments: there is no evidence that traditional fish preparation methods without heat treatment are effective. Freezing is not an effective control measure.

The FAO has produced a four-page factsheet, Invasive Disease Linked to Raw Freshwater Fish.

Explore further Genetics influences physical fitness of tilapia

More information: Risk profile - Group B Streptococcus (GBS)  Streptococcus agalactiae sequence type (ST) 283 in freshwater fish, (2021). Risk profile - Group B Streptococcus (GBS)  Streptococcus agalactiae sequence type (ST) 283 in freshwater fish,(2021). DOI: 10.4060/cb5067en
Credit: Shutterstock

Alongside logistical and supply issues, vaccine hesitancy has been a notable hurdle in Australia's troubled vaccine rollout.

The news the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) now recommends Pfizer over AstraZeneca for everyone under 60, owing to a rare blood clotting disorder, is proving another blow to vaccine confidence.

With active local COVID cases in Victoria and New South Wales, it's timely to be considering all possible factors which may be contributing to vaccine hesitancy.

One is the media. While news reports of vaccine hesitancy may well be describing genuine community concerns, they could be inadvertently fuelling COVID vaccine fears.

Why are some Australians reluctant to get a COVID vaccine?

While Australians perceive their environment is safe and relatively free from COVID-19, some will remain unmotivated to have the jab. They may hesitate to be immunized as they believe the vaccine could pose a greater risk than the virus itself.

This is not the case. ATAGI's evolving recommendations ensure the benefit of getting vaccinated against COVID outweighs the risk for every age group.

Fear, meanwhile, is a behavioral motivator. The latest outbreak in Melbourne saw record numbers of Victorians turn up for vaccination.

A Griffith University survey conducted in the middle of 2020 found 68% of people would take a COVID-19 vaccine if one was available. Those who said they wouldn't had concerns regarding side effects, quality of testing, and speed of vaccine development.

So we can see even when community transmission in Australia was higher, and before we knew about rare adverse events like the blood clots, safety was a key concern.

Reporting on vaccine hesitancy could worsen the problem

For the past several months, it seems as though every other day there's been a new report or survey in the news, revealing x proportion of people are hesitant about getting a COVID vaccine.

Our attitudes and behaviors are shaped by what others in society dosocial norms. A recent study found university students in the United States who perceived their peers felt COVID-19 vaccination was important were more likely to report they intended to get a vaccine themselves.

Similarly, it's important to acknowledge there's a real danger hesitancy and delay in vaccination, when reported widely in the media, could catch on to more people.

Vaccine hesitancy can stem from concerns about the safety of the vaccine. Credit: Shutterstock

A review of 34 studies found the way parents interpreted media reports about vaccination depended on their pre-existing beliefs. For example, a report of a "rare" side effect might reassure parents who already believed vaccine benefits outweigh risks, whereas the same report could discourage parents who were already concerned about side effects.

Indeed, humans are prone to confirmation biaspaying more attention to information that fits with prior beliefs. Seeking and considering evidence which goes against our beliefs is hard for our brains.

But the media can help with this in the way they frame their reports. For example, emphasizing that the majority of Australians want to and intend to vaccinate is a better option than focusing on the number who don't.

For people already hesitating, another report could further shift the balance away from vaccination. So reporters should think carefully about the way they present vaccine hesitancy stories (and the need to present them in the first instance).

Reporting on vaccine safety also must be handled carefully

In Italy, media reporting about a small number of deaths following a batch of influenza vaccines in the winter of 2014/2015 was linked to a 10% reduction in influenza vaccination among people 65 and older compared to the previous season.

These deaths were quickly confirmed as unrelated to vaccination, but it seems the early reports had a significant effect on behavior.

In a global study, three of 13 national and state level immunization managers interviewed said "negative information conveyed in the mass media" contributed to vaccine hesitancy in their countries.

On the flip side, media reports about influenza and vaccination can also increase vaccination uptake. In this study, careful data analysis showed higher numbers of news reports with "influenza" or "flu" in the headline corresponded with higher flu vaccination uptake in the same year.

What should the media aim for in reporting on COVID vaccination?

Any reporting on Australians' inclination to vaccinate should reinforce what is in fact the social normthe intention of the majority to receive a COVID vaccine.

Further, media reporting on COVID vaccines should be careful to contextualize the benefits alongside the risks, and regularly remind consumers of reliable sources such as federal and state health departments and ATAGI.

And while the media must be cognisant of its role, the government needs to act quickly to reverse the hesitancy trend. People are looking for reasons to have the jab; they are desperate for a national roadmap out of COVID-19.

If Australians could see how becoming vaccinated would contribute to economic prosperity (for example, reopening tourism and international education), and facilitate other things returning to normal, such as our ability to travel overseas, they would be motivated into action.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The map of Montana Kayla Irish pulls up is peppered with red circles, each cluster providing details behind one of today's timely topicschildhood vaccination.

The project, led by Dr. Sophia Newcomer in the University of Montana's Center for Population Health Research, is the first spatial scan analysis to identify hotspots of undervaccinated children across Montana and evaluate whether they are due to social or geographic barriers.

CPHR is funded through the National Institutes of Health, and the analysis is part of a collaborative study with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to help inform the state's public health measures.

Irish, a history and math major from Lewistown set to graduate from UM this fall, became involved in January after taking a statistics course with UM math Professor Jon Graham, who also is the Data and Modeling Core director of CPHR.

Irish said the project is the first to use data, rather than anecdotes from physicians, on why childhood undervaccination exists in the state.

"Montana is already undervaccinated, and this study overall is trying to find out why and where," Irish said.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that by age 2, when they are most vulnerable, children receive the combined 7-vaccine series. These vaccines work against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; polio; measles, mumps and rubella; hepatitis B; varicella; Haemophilus influenzae type b; and pneumococcal disease.

According to the CPHR and Montana DPHHS study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Montana lags behind the 2019 national childhood combined 7-series vaccination rate of 71%. Just 62% of the children studied completed the vaccine series, and only 38% received them on timefewer than two in five.

Partnering with DPHHS, the CPHR Data and Modeling Core analyzed immunization data on Montana children born between 2015 and 2017, which includes more than 30,000 kids. Newcomer, an assistant professor in UM's School of Public and Community Health Sciences, led the research effort as one of several projects ongoing in CPHR.

Irish and Graham then used biostatistical modeling and a spatial statistical technique known as spatial scan analysis to identify and create the maps of clusters of undervaccination.

"This technique takes measurements of some variable of interest on a landscape and identifies hotspots of unusual values," Graham said. "Kayla and I read several papers on the spatial scan method, learned how to implement it in the R statistical software package and applied it to the vaccination data."

The research method considers hundreds of thousands of areas throughout the state to identify large and small geographic hotspots with the highest rates of childhood undervaccination of the combined 7-vaccine series. In addition to identifying the clusters, separate analyses identified groups where children may be undervaccinated due to access barriers such as geographic distances and those where parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children.

To identify patterns suggestive of parental hesitancy, the researchers looked for inconsistency in the number of vaccines children received in the series or vaccines spread out over multiple clinic visits.

"Say you have all the different vaccines in the combined 7-vaccine series," Irish said. "If five of them are perfectly on time and two of them aren't happening, that's a pretty clear sign of parents consciously electing not to vaccinate with certain shots."

According to the spatial analysis, parental hesitancy on vaccination is concentrated in the western part of the state.

Structural or access barriers, in contrast, mainly show up on the eastern side. To determine potential structural barriers, the team looked at children missing final vaccine doses or receiving them late.

Irish said looking at the two factors helps researchers understand how to increase vaccination rates in certain areas. Interventions to structural barriers, for example, might include hiring more vaccine program providers or creating programs in nontraditional settings for areas where clinics may be inaccessible, while social media tools and physician-client discussions may aid in addressing parental hesitancy.

"I think it's really cool because the long-term objective of this study is to test and determine ways to intervene," she said. "This is an amazing and great map for that."

Rain Freeman, UM's epidemiology specialist and the project's data manager, analyst and programmer, said national Vaccines for Children Program data showed a substantial dip in routine, pediatric vaccine orders at the beginning of the pandemic. And Montana was not immune to that trend.

Although more recent CDC data shows an uptick in vaccine orders again, it is not enough to catch up on the missed doses. Freeman said making sure children are vaccinated on time is crucial to preventing diseases during COVID-19 like measles, which needs a 95% vaccination rate for herd immunity.

"The problem is if vaccination rates for these preventable diseases dip too far below the estimated thresholds for herd immunity, we're worried that we could have multiple epidemics or outbreaks occurring as social interaction becomes a little more normal," she said.

As a history major, Irish is interested in predicting the next preventable disease outbreak. Promoting community health, helping write a scientific paper, and using and managing data while working on the CPHR project also has prepared her for grad school.

"I'm gaining the skills I'll be needing anyway," she said. "It's unbelievably useful to me. I cannot recommend undergrad research too much."

The CPHR team is currently drafting a paper on these analyses and will submit it for publication in the coming months.

"It's hard not to be excited," Irish said. "I feel so much satisfaction. In computer science, it feels like in everything you do, you write a little bit of code and it always fails, and when you see it actually works, it's so cool. And I have so many of those moments here."

Explore further Study shows sharp decrease in Texas childhood vaccination rates during pandemic

More information: Sophia R. Newcomer et al, Timeliness of Early Childhood Vaccinations and Undervaccination Patterns in Montana, American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2021). Journal information: American Journal of Preventive Medicine Sophia R. Newcomer et al, Timeliness of Early Childhood Vaccinations and Undervaccination Patterns in Montana,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.01.038
(HealthDay)Many older adults are still taking a daily baby aspirin to ward off first-time heart problemsdespite guidelines that now discourage it, a new study finds.

Researchers found that one-half to 62% of U.S. adults aged 70 and up were using low-dose aspirin to cut their risk of heart disease or stroke. And aspirin use was common even among those with no history of cardiovascular diseasea group for whom the drug may do more harm than good.

The study authors estimated that nearly 10 million Americans who fall into that category are using aspirin.

The numbers are concerning, said senior researcher Dr. Rita Kalyani, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore.

Current guidelines, she said, generally discourage people aged 70 and up from routinely using aspirin to prevent a first-time heart attack or stroke.

That's, in part, because aspirin is not benign: It carries a risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract or even the brainrisks that typically go up with age. And some recent trials have failed to show that low-dose aspirin really does lower the odds of first-time heart attacks or strokes.

That all may be confusing, and surprising, to people who've long believed that aspirin is a heart champion.

"It's confusing even for health care providers," said Dr. Wilson Pace, chief medical officer at the DARTNet Institute, in Aurora, Colo.

What is clear, Pace said, is that aspirin can benefit people with known cardiovascular diseaseeither clogged heart arteries or a history of heart attack or stroke.

Where things get murky is in the prevention of a first-time heart attack or stroke.

Years ago, Pace said, guidelines came out "strongly in favor" of low-dose aspirin for people considered to be at high risk of developing heart disease in the next 10 years (because of risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure or diabetes).

But based on recent studies, the thinking has changed.

Now, the latest guidelines from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association say aspirin can be considered for "select" patients aged 40 to 70 who are not at increased risk of bleeding.

When it comes to older adults, the guidelines caution against "routine" aspirin use for primary prevention.

That's something of a "hedge," said Pace, since there might be some cases where aspirin is a reasonable choice for an older adult at high risk of cardiovascular trouble.

But for the most part, he said, they do not need the drug for primary prevention.

"If you're 75 and have diabetes, I wouldn't start you on aspirin," Pace said. "I'd go with a statin."

He noted that statins, which lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, "clearly help prevent primary disease."

Of course, Pace added, many older adults on aspirin actually started taking it years ago. He encouraged those patients to talk with their doctor about whether it's still necessary.

Pace wrote an editorial published with the study June 21 in JAMA Network Open.

The findings are based on over 7,100 U.S. adults aged 60 and up who took part in a federal health survey.

Among those in their 70s, preventive aspirin use was common: Just under 62% of people with diabetes were using aspirin, as were 48.5% of those without diabetes.

And while some participants did, in fact, have a history of cardiovascular disease, most did not. Yet, their rates of aspirin use were high, the findings showed.

Among all study participants with no risk factors for cardiovascular problems, 20% were taking aspirin. And among those whose only risk factor was diabetes, 43% were on aspirin, according to the report.

But guidelines discourage aspirin use in adults aged 70 and older, Kalyani said, regardless of whether they have diabetes.

Kalyani agreed that older adults who've been taking aspirin for years should talk with their doctor about whether it's still warranted.

Any decision to use preventive aspirin, she said, "has to come down to the individual." That means patients should talk with their doctor about their personal risk of heart attack or stroke, as well as their risk of bleeding.

It's also important to consider whether you're doing other things to curb the risk of cardiovascular troublelike taking a statin or controlling high blood pressure with medication and lifestyle changes, she added.

Because aspirin is readily available over-the-counter, Pace noted, people may mistakenly assume it's harmless. But no one should start using it to prevent disease without talking to their doctor first, he said.

Explore further Study examines aspirin and statin use among older Americans

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Jessica Damoiseaux, Ph.D., an associate professor with the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University, recently published the results of a three-year study of cognitive changes in older adults. The team followed 69 primarily African American females, ages 50 to 85, who complained that their cognitive ability was worsening though clinical assessments showed no impairments. Three magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs) at 18-month intervals showed significant changes in functional connectivity in two areas of the brain.

"An older adult's perceived cognitive decline could be an important precursor to dementia," Damoiseaux said. "Brain alterations that underlie the experience of decline could reflect the progression of incipient dementia and may emerge before cognitive assessment is sensitive enough to detect a deficit."

The resulting paper, "Longitudinal change in hippocampal and dorsal anterior insulae functional connectivity in subjective cognitive decline," appeared in the May 31 issue of Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. Damoiseaux conducted the study with graduate student Raymond Viviano, Ph.D., who is first author.

Subjective cognitive decline, defined as a perceived worsening of cognitive ability not noted on clinical assessment, may be an early indicator of dementia. Previous cross-sectional research has demonstrated aberrant brain functional connectivity in subjective cognitive decline, but longitudinal evaluation has been limited.

Viviano and Damoiseaux's three-year study found that persons reporting more subjective cognitive decline showed a larger decrease in connectivity between components of the default mode network and a larger increase in connectivity between salience and default mode network components. The functional connectivity changed in the absence of a change in cognitive performance.

Since these brain changes occurred without concomitant cognitive changes, they could indicate that brain changes underlie the perception of decline. These changes could be a sensitive marker for nascent dementia months or years before assessments detect any cognitive deficit.

Explore further Cognitive fatigue changes functional connectivity in brain's fatigue network

More information: Raymond P. Viviano et al, Longitudinal change in hippocampal and dorsal anterior insulae functional connectivity in subjective cognitive decline, Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (2021). Journal information: Alzheimer\'s Research & Therapy Raymond P. Viviano et al, Longitudinal change in hippocampal and dorsal anterior insulae functional connectivity in subjective cognitive decline,(2021). DOI: 10.1186/s13195-021-00847-y
David Martinez, PhD., in the lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, studies a new universal vaccine that's effective against a group of coronaviruses. Credit: Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill

Scientists at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health have developed a universal vaccine that protected mice not just against COVID-19 but also other coronaviruses and triggered the immune system to fight off a dangerous variant.

While no one knows which virus may cause the next outbreak, coronaviruses remain a threat after causing the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the global COVID-19 pandemic.

To prevent a future coronavirus pandemic, UNC-Chapel Hill researchers designed the vaccine to provide protection from the current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and a group of coronaviruses known to make the jump from animals to humans.

The findings were published in Science by lead authors David Martinez, a postdoctoral researcher at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a Hanna H. Gray Fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Ralph Baric, an epidemiologist at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and professor of immunology and microbiology at the UNC School of Medicine, whose research has sparked new therapies to fight emerging infectious diseases.

The lead authors worked with a team of scientists from UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill are playing a key role in coronavirus vaccine development. After testing the effectiveness of the first generation of COVID-19 vaccines, they pivoted to look at a second-generation vaccine: one that targets sarbecoviruses, Baric said.

Sarbecoviruses, part of the large family of coronaviruses, are a priority for virologists after two caused devastating disease in the past two decades: SARS and COVID-19.

The team's approach started with mRNA, which is similar to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines used today. But instead of including the mRNA code for only one virus, they welded together mRNA from multiple coronaviruses.

When given to mice, the hybrid vaccine effectively generated neutralizing antibodies against multiple spike proteinswhich viruses use to latch onto healthy cells, including one associated with B.1.351, known as the South African variant.

"The vaccine has the potential to prevent outbreaks when used as a new variant is detected," said Baric, a trailblazer in pandemic preparedness.

The paper includes data from mice infected with SARS-CoV and related coronaviruses and the vaccine prevented infection and lung damage in mice. Additional testing could lead to human clinical trials next year.

"Our findings look bright for the future because they suggest we can design more universal pan coronavirus vaccines to proactively guard against viruses we know are at risk for emerging in humans," Martinez said. "With this strategy, perhaps we can prevent a SARS-CoV-3."

More information: "Chimeric spike mRNA vaccines protect against Sarbecovirus challenge in mice," by Martinez et al. Science (2021). Journal information: Science "Chimeric spike mRNA vaccines protect against Sarbecovirus challenge in mice," by Martinez et al.(2021). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi  1126/science.abi4506
In this April 17, 2020, file photo, a patient is loaded into an ambulance by emergency medical workers outside Cobble Hill Health Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by more than 30% last year, with two devastating surges eight months apart, a government watchdog reported Tuesday in the most complete assessment yet of the ravages of COVID-19 among its most vulnerable victims. Credit: AP Photo/John Minchillo, File

Deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year, with two devastating spikes eight months apart, a government watchdog reported Tuesday in the most comprehensive look yet at the ravages of COVID-19 among its most vulnerable victims.

The report from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services found that about 4 in 10 Medicare recipients in nursing homes had or likely had COVID-19 in 2020, and that deaths overall jumped by 169,291 from the previous year, before the coronavirus appeared.

"We knew this was going to be bad, but I don't think even those of us who work in this area thought it was going to be this bad," said Harvard health policy professor David Grabowski, a nationally recognized expert on long-term care, who reviewed the report for The Associated Press.

"This was not individuals who were going to die anyway," Grabowski added. "We are talking about a really big number of excess deaths."

Investigators used a generally accepted method of estimating "excess" deaths in a group of people after a calamitous event. It did not involve examining individual death certificates of Medicare patients but comparing overall deaths among those in nursing homes to levels recorded the previous year. The technique was used to estimate deaths in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and in New York City after the first coronavirus surge last spring. It does not attribute a cause of death but is seen as a barometer of impact.

Death rates were higher in every month last year when compared with 2019. The report documented two spikes with particular implications for government policy and for protecting the most vulnerable in future outbreaks of life-threatening illnesses. In April of last year, a total of 81,484 Medicare patients in nursing homes died. Then eight months later, after lockdowns and frantic efforts to expand testingbut before vaccines became widely availablenursing home patients accounted for a staggering 74,299 deaths in December.

"This is happening long after it was clear that nursing homes were particularly vulnerable," said Nancy Harrison, a deputy regional inspector general who worked on the report. "We really have to look at that. Why did they remain so vulnerable?" Federal investigators are still drilling down to try to document the chain of causes and effects.

Responding to the report, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said that nearly 80% of nursing home residents and more than 55% of staff are now vaccinated, and the agency is working to protect health and safety. CMS sets standards for nursing homes.

Tuesday's report was the most comprehensive yet from the government because it included statistics for the early part of last year, during the initial coronavirus surge. Medicare did not require nursing homes to report COVID-19 cases and deaths occurring before May 8, more than four months into the pandemic year.

In another new finding, the report showed that cases and deaths among Asian American patients tracked with the more severe impacts seen among Blacks and Latinos. Indeed, Asian Medicare enrollees in nursing homes saw the highest increase in death rates, with 27% dying in 2020 compared to 17% the previous year. For whites, the death rate grew to 24% in 2020 from 18% in 2019, a significant increase but not as pronounced.

Death rates for Hispanic and Black patients were 23% last year, up from 15% in 2019.

The inspector general's office based its analysis on Medicare billing data. It also included patients in Medicare Advantage plans sold by private insurers. Although Medicare does not cover long-term care, the vast majority of nursing home patients are elderly, and Medicare does cover their medical needs. The report included both patients who live in nursing homes as well as those temporarily at a facility for rehabilitation.

Health economist Tamara Konetzka of the University of Chicago, who also reviewed the report for AP, said building an estimate from individual death certificates would have faced another set of challenges. Especially in the first wave of the pandemic, many who died would not necessarily have been tested for COVID-19, for example.

"By looking at excess deaths you can get away from some of the measurement issues and say how much worse things were in 2020 than in 2019," explained Konetzka, who has testified before Congress on the impact of COVID-19 in nursing homes.

The inspector general's findings about Asians highlight a riddle for researchers, said Konetzka. The reasons for higher cases and deaths among Blacks, Hispanics and Asians may not necessarily be tied to race and ethnicity. Instead, minority patients may be clustered in homes located in communities with more severe outbreaks.

The report also found that low-income nursing home patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid together were much more likely to have gotten COVID-19. The infection rate for that group reached 56%, and 26% died.

Some states suffered worse impacts. By the end of December more than half of the Medicare patients in nursing homes in Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana and New Jersey had or likely had COVID-19.

Across the U.S., the coronavirus found ideal conditions to spread among frail nursing home patients living in close quarters. Many researchers believe it's likely staffers unwittingly brought the virus in from surrounding communities.

Although facilities locked down in March of last year, government efforts to help were haphazard. The industry complained of chronic shortages of protective gear, including basics like masks and gowns.

The Trump administration initially delegated responsibility for testing to states before belatedly marshaling more federal resources. HHS later laid the groundwork for vaccinations under the Trump administration, and the Biden administration followed through. As vaccination rates rose, nursing home cases plummeted, allowing facilities to again permit family visits.

The country can't move on yet, said deputy inspector general Harrison. "Hopefully, COVID will go away," she said. "But once that happens, there will always be infectious diseases, and we all need to ask ourselves what we can do to protect vulnerable nursing home residents going forward."

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
AT LEAST seven Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights between Manila and Hong Kong and the Middle East scheduled for June 6-8 were canceled, the ...
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.
Laststar then exited the truck and lay down. The affidavit spells Laststars last name as Last Star.

As officers closed the distance on him, he began to flip onto his side and moved his right hand toward his waistband, the affidavit alleges. Last Star refused orders to look away from officers and then began to what appeared to me to be attempting to arm himself. Last Star was also wearing clothing which covered his waistband.

Prosecutors note in the affidavit that at that point, Laststar had not been searched and it was unknown if he was armed with a weapon.

Officer Loya deployed his department issued Taser as Last Star moved his left hand toward the front of his waistband, the affidavit reads. Based on the above listed facts, Officer Geissel immediately jumped onto Last Stars back and attempted to take control of his left hand. Last Star immediately tensed his arms and refused to allow officer Geissel to take control of them.

Prosecutors allege Laststar pressed his left hand against the ground and positioned himself into a push-up position.
The legislative review comes amid a transition at the Labor Cabinet. Roberts is retiring at the end of June, and Gov. Andy Beshear selected veteran state official Jamie Link as the next cabinet secretary. Roberts declined to talk to reporters after his appearance before the legislative task force.

The task force's co-chairman, Republican Rep. Russell Webber, urged cabinet leaders to seek business sector input to get it right the first time" in reworking the unemployment system.

I dont want to see us repeat the last year again, with a system that was overwhelmed," he said.

Tom Underwood, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, told lawmakers that the pandemic had "laid bare across state government how archaic the IT systems are. He urged lawmakers to allocate federal relief money to update the technology systems. The legislature's next regular session will begin in early January.

The legislative task force will meet several times, hearing from stakeholders, before presenting its recommendations on how to improve the unemployment insurance system. Republican Sen. Michael Nemes, the panel's other co-chairman, called it "a very personal and emotional issue.
I hoped that my letters would put a smile on someones face and encourage them, Prebor said.

Her efforts were well received.

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When the residents get her letters, they show them around excitedly, her nomination reads.

Prebor has continued sending letters and care packages to the center even after leaving the Volunteen program, knowing that a few minutes of my day could make someone else happy.

She said the program taught her to treat others the way she would want to be treated.

I get excited when someone sends me a card or letter, Prebor said.

This is not the first time she has made a special effort to help others.

For my 12th birthday, I took up a donation to make homeless bags to hand out to the homeless individuals at Walmart, around town and to put in the blessing boxes, Prebor said.

She also is a student at Sherris School of Dance in Morganton.

I have danced since I was 4 years old, Prebor said.
Associated Press (AP)  Brazil's federal prosecutors office is investigating possible irregularities in a Health Ministry contract to purchase 20 million doses of the Covaxin vaccine manufactured by Indian laboratory Bharat Biotech.

The agreement signed in February commits the ministry to pay $320 million - at a cost of $15 per vaccine dose - to Precisa Medicamentos, the representative of Bharat Biotech in Brazil, according to a document sent to The Associated Press by the attorney general's press office.

The price per dose, which was higher than for other COVID-19 vaccines, drew prosecutors attention along with ministry officials apparently ignoring a history of alleged irregularities by Precisa associates in previous contracts with the federal government.

Precisa said in a statement the vaccine price agreed to with Brazil's Health Ministry was the same as the price negotiated with 13 other countries and that the deal followed all formal paths and was carried out transparently.

Federal prosecutor Luciana Loureiro Oliveira said in a document signed on June 16 that three years ago Precisa associates, through another company, entered a contract with the Health Ministry for the sale of medicines that were never delivered.
Coming to an end, but not yet at an end, as Zucchino explained in two Times articles earlier this month.

In a June 5 article, Zucchino relates the story of Afghan Air Force Maj. Naiem Asadi, who had been in hiding with his wife and daughter, age 5, for seven months. The Taliban had threatened him, posting his photo online with instructions: Find him and kill him.

After initially being turned down for a refugee application for permission to enter the United States, Assadi was granted a humanitarian parole by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Assadi and his family have safely relocated to the U.S., aided by Kimberley Motley, a North Carolina-based human rights attorney.

But his story raises questions about other Afghan pilots, many of whom could be targets of the Taliban. Lt. Col. Jalaluddin Ibrahimkhel, an Afghan Air Force spokesman, stated, Its a pity. He did this to escape from serving his homeland, and that others were now more likely to make excuses and escape.

Zuchinno writes, Many pilots and soldiers have been threatened by the Taliban. Most can only dream of relocating their families to the United States.

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Another group of Afghans whose service to Americans puts them at risk are those who served as interpreters.
Teaching safe sex can reduce unplanned pregnancies among teens and young adults. Fears that educating students about contraceptives will encourage them to start having sex have been debunked. Research published in 2008 shows comprehensive sex education has no significant impact on teen sexual activity.

The birth control pill is up to 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. Accounting for missed doses, its still 91% effective, according to Planned Parenthood. Why not make the pill available at no cost through public health departments and pharmacies? Experts say that wise investment would largely pay for itself, resulting in a $12 billion annual savings in public health care costs.

For girls and women who still have unwanted pregnancies, government can make abortion less likely by subsidizing prenatal care and hospital maternity services. Federal and state agencies could also reduce or eliminate adoption costs, which can exceed $50,000.

With buy-in from both sides, theres no limit to how well a harm reduction strategy can work. Making abortion unnecessary might save more unborn lives than making it illegal. As the failed drug war proves, prohibition and punishment dont always succeed in changing behavior.

To strike such a compromise, pro-choice advocates must admit that abortion, while legal, is an undesirable public health outcome that should be minimized to the greatest extent possible without coercion. And pro-lifers who equate abortion with murder must admit that public investment and frank discussions about sexuality in high school health classes are an awfully small price to pay.

Corey Friedman is an opinion journalist who explores solutions to political conflicts from an independent perspective. Follow him on Twitter @coreywrites. To find out more about Friedman, visit www.creators.com.
The system developed by Montana Tech ensures fairness and confidentiality, Sullivan said, adding that the system also provides an audit trail. We will be awarding more than $500,000 this summer to incentivize people into getting vaccinated.

Also launching this week is a local marketing campaign that will speak to the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. The campaign will especially target those ages 12 to 59.

The majority of our communitys older people have pursued vaccinations, Sullivan said. Its the younger demographics were after, and our campaign will be speaking to them about the importance of being vaccinated against the virus.

Sullivan said the virus and some of its variants remain in the community. Six new cases have been confirmed early this week, with five of those six associated with a cluster of cases, Sullivan said, adding that some people continue to be hospitalized due to the virus.

Since Butte-Silver Bow was notified of its first COVID-19 case in March 2020, 4,160 cases have been confirmed. Eleven cases are currently active. Butte-Silver Bow has seen 86 fatalities related to COVID-19.
Butte police reports

Assault witnessed

It was nearly 1 a.m. Tuesday when officers were sent to Platinum and Montana to investigate a disturbance between a man and a woman.

Officers located the pair in the area of Gold and Idaho and saw Brianna Rose Lucas, 35, of Butte assaulting the victim. Once Lucas saw the officers, she tried to flee and was eventually restrained.

The man did not want to press charges, but Lucas had three warrants for her arrest for criminal contempt out of Butte City Court and was also jailed for misdemeanor resisting arrest.

Several warrants

At 8:30 p.m. Monday, officers were called to the 1700 block of C St., on a report of two men and a woman attempting to break in to a garage.

An officer found April Lynn Hureaux, 39, near the garage holding a screwdriver; the two men were not in the area.

She was arrested on five outstanding criminal contempt warrants. While being booked, a bag of methamphetamine was found in her possession.

Man with a gun
When officers arrived, they found Gribble and took him into custody for misdemeanor trespass.

Sunday burglary

Officers were on the scene at 10 a.m. Sunday in the area of Schley and Wynne on a report of a burglary in process.

Upon their arrival, officers were told that someone had entered the residence through the backdoor and that the owners were not at home. While attempting to enter the residence, a call came in that a woman was reportedly being chased by a man with a gun. Two of the officers stayed to investigate the ongoing burglary, while the other responded to the second call.

Turns out that call was allegedly placed by Nicole Lee Hannawalt, 33, of Butte, who with the help of Christopher Lee Rasmussen, 37, of Butte lured one officer away from the burglary scene.

Meanwhile, the two officers located Jacob Warren Elkins, 29, of Butte inside the residence with stolen items in his possession. Another witness informed officers that a female was with the male earlier in a Volkswagen. Officers located the car and placed both Hannawalt and Rasmussen into custody during a traffic stop.
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.
With elk and deer populations at record levels, there is no need to kill any wolves, but this commission is likely to rubber stamp the slaughter of wolves to promote trapping and get people into our forests with the lure of a $1,000 bounty on wolves. This action will make our public lands minefields of traps, snares and suffering. Your family pets and children are at risk, all so less than half of 1% of the people of this state can enjoy the suffering and killing of beautiful animals, to support their craven desire to torture wildlife.

Trapping is not a sport, nor is it fair chase. It is a sickness that lingers in Montana, one that needs to be ended. Our proposal would have made areas that are high use recreational areas around Missoula off limits to trapping. We are working on similar proposals for other Montana communities. But this governor and commission have made sure our voice is stifled.

We must make clear that trapping has no place in our modern society, that the killing of wolves cannot be allowed to occur.

President Biden must act to relist wolves to prevent this slaughter, and he should go a step further and use his executive powers to ban trapping on public lands. The case is clear that our state cannot manage wildlife properly, it needs federal oversight and must be stopped from killing 1,000 wolves this coming fall.
He said it would be up to the agencies who manage the Lake Odessa area and activities to work out any issues with their signage.

Thats what (Younie) is going to take back to his planners, Griffin said.

Shutt agreed and said he had not heard anything since their meeting.

They are going through their internal processes, he reported to the board.

The LCPHS move to the complex is currently scheduled for the week of Aug. 23.

Shutt later provided his weekly update to the board and also presented two routine utility applications seeking approval to work on county road right of way.

He said the past week had been a catch-up week for his department, with no major or significant projects starting. He said ditching and other work would restart in the next week or two.

Paul Horack also met with the board and presented the countys property insurance renewal through ICAP. Horack presented figures showing the $196,294 renewal was $29,250 above this years level, but still below the $197,461 cost in the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Horack blamed last years windstorm and an ICAP decision not to offer a refund voucher this year for the increase.
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.
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.

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.
Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado on Nov. 3, 2009.
Federal authorities weigh 2,342 grams of crystal methamphetamine in three plastic bags following the seizure of the drugs from a U.S. Postal Service priority package in September 2018. In another federal investigation on Guam, authorities intercepted 8 pounds of methamphetamine recently.
Ashley Blocker, 15, gets her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine as her mom Joyce Blocker documents the event on her phone on June 16 at the University of Guam Calvo Field House in Mangilao.
Former Fibrestream subscribers have informed MyBroadband that their broadband connections stopped working at 11:00 on Monday and have still not come back online.

Fibrestreams call centre takes ages to get through to, but when you do, a recorded message tells you that there is a Vumatel outage and that they are working with Vumatel to resolve it, one subscriber told MyBroadband.

However, Vumatel informed customers complaining about the outage on social media that the Internet service provider had been cut off.

MyBroadband tried to contact the Fibrestream call centre, but all of our calls received a busy signal.

The Internet Service Providers Association of South Africa (ISPA) issued a warning on 20 April that Fibrestream was one of three companies that had terminated its membership in the industry association.

Fibrestream terminated their membership of ISPA on [8 March 2021] but are still displaying the ISPA logo on their website, and referencing ISPA in their terms and conditions, ISPA stated.

A spokesperson for ISPA confirmed that Fibrestream had not renewed its membership since April.

MyBroadband contacted the directors of Fibrestream (formerly Skyfi) regarding information from a client who said they were told Vumatel had cut them off not paying their bills.

Vumatel declined to comment on why it terminated its relationship with Fibrestream.

We can confirm that we have terminated services with Fibrestream, a spokesperson for Vumatel said.

The details of this termination are confidential and we are not at liberty to disclose these.

To customers complaining on Twitter, Vumatel said that it would help them find an alternative ISP.

Vumatel shall, as a matter of principle and good faith; seek an audience with another ISP with a view to resolving this matter amicably, the fibre network operator said.
Father Mac said he didnt think he could be any more proud of his daughter, who recently graduated with a master's degree from UCSF. She will become an ICU Nurse Practitioner.

I was not surprised at the awards ceremony when my daughter received the outstanding student award, Father Mac said. He added, Biz did not receive the award for anything she did in school, but because she took action last September when the fires threatened Adventist Health St. Helena, where she works in the ICU.

She became aware they might need help in the ICU, her father said. She went up there and assisted other brave nurses with the fire evacuation from the ICU. Biz was one of the last nurses to leave the building when the doors were locked.

Additionally, when hospital officials turned the maternity ward to a COVID-19 unit, they sought nurses to staff it. Biz said shed staff it, thinking others would join her. Luckily, she made it because her mother damned near killed her, her father said with a laugh.

The Rev. William Father Mac McIlmoyl came to lead Grace Episcopal Church in 1993 and retired 23 years later.
1301  Medical aid near Main/Charter Oak.

1416  Report of a white car parked in the middle of Main Street near Spring Street. The driver reportedly got out and walked away, leaving passengers in the car.

1502  Report of a possible drunk driver near Main/Grayson.

1852  A caller said he went to get his car keys from a friend, but she was refusing to give them back. She drove off and almost ran over his foot. Police arrested the 32-year-old St. Helena woman for an outstanding felony warrant.

2016  Report of a reckless driver passing in the center lane of Main Street and running a red light at Grayson Avenue.

Monday, June 21

0939  Report of a possible drunk driver swerving all over Highway 29 near Whitehall Lane. Police cited the driver.

0956  A small cement spill was being cleaned up on Grayson Avenue.

1051  A woman tripped and fell in a parking lot near Main/Pine.

1121  A car had been parked on McCorkle Avenue for several days.
Calistoga Elementary School teacher Matthew Gudenius has been honored by Napa County for his ongoing creativity in inspiring his students with Teacher of the Year for 2021.

The first-grade teacher was recognized for going above and beyond the challenges during the past year of online learning by creating videos that have included dinosaurs and dressing up as a pirate to emphasize the "R" sound for learning phonetics.

"He is seriously dedicated. Parents loved the videos and they even went national," said Principal Nicole Lamare. "He is innovative, engaging, and truly has a passion for teaching."

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $3 for your first 3 months!

Mr. G, as he is known, has continued to foster a curiosity for learning in his students even as they have begun to return to the classroom this year, Lamare added.

The process of being honored with Teacher of the Year for the county is pretty intense. Teachers need to be nominated by parents or administrators, submit an essay, and receive letters of recommendation.
That question is at the heart of the debate. Tenant advocates want to extend protections for as long as possible, while landlord groups want the opposite.

Brian Augusta, legislative advocate for the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, said the tenant side has asked the state to tie the end date to distribution of all available rental relief funds  which at the current pace would take several months, at least.

In my mind, it would be a travesty to end these eviction protections before we get every dollar out the door, Augusta said.

Landlord advocates are concerned about the same issue, but want protections to end by September.

Wed rather not have an extension at all, but we need to get the money out, said Debra Carlton, executive vice president of the California Apartment Association. Thats our number one focus. If that means a short, short-term extension, so be it. But the focus has to be on getting the money out.

Another point of contention: The association wants the law to protect from eviction only those who have applied and are eligible for funds, while tenant advocates want blanket protections that also cover those who have struggled to learn about and apply for the program.
The director of ranch life, who had been driving the van, was unconscious and trapped when other motorists pulled her out, Smith said. The children, including two of the director's, could not be saved.

The director is in serious, but stable, condition, Smith said. When Smith visited her at the hospital over the weekend and mentioned he was going to the ranch, he said she asked him to "please tell my girls, I love them."

One of the girls at the ranch told a counselor the loss is adds more trauma on top of all she has already experienced.

"She said through her whole life she's had nothing but her family taken away from her," Smith said. "She's been bounced around in foster homes in many cases. And she was crying her eyes out and now her family has been, her sisters had been taken away from her again.

"So it's tough."

A community shows up to support one another

Smith visited the crash site Saturday and said it was unlike anything he'd ever seen. The damage was so extensive that he didn't recognize his own ranch van.

And now he and his team must prepare for eight funerals, an emotional blow that has struck not just the ranch but the whole community.
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.
Then-Controller John Chiang backed Brown by suspending legislators salaries. The Legislature sued and won a judicial declaration that only the Legislature itself could determine whether the June 15 deadline had been met.

Legislators were thus empowered to pass what they deemed to be a budget bill by June 15, even though  as is happening this year  it may not be a finished product.

Proposition 25 contained another piece of procedural mischief, allowing any bill the Legislature declared to be connected to the budget to also be enacted with simple majority votes. Thus, budget trailer bills often became vehicles for major changes in state policy without full committee hearings and other traditional exposure.

The misuse of trailer bills sparked another ballot measure in 2016, Proposition 54, requiring that bills be in print  and available for public viewing  for at least 72 hours before enactment. It didnt stop the procedural abuses, but at least made them more obvious.

Newsom and legislators will eventually settle their differences, but the complete budget picture will not emerge for weeks and even months as trailer bills and budget modification measures dribble out of the Capitol.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

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But analysis reveals this plan as even goofier than the State of Jefferson, which has yet to prove it could be economically viable if it should ever come to exist. Also, for the rural counties of both Oregon and California to join Idaho, they would need yes votes from the full electorates in all three states involved  not a very likely prospect.

Urban Oregonians are no more likely to approve the departure of the tourist tax dollars produced along the Columbia River and in the Cascade Mountains than coastal Californians are to part willingly from the ski resorts, national parks, forests and other tourist enterprises of the northern Sierra Nevada and the North Coast.

But the State of Jefferson state of mind is not going away. Rural people and rural counties no longer have a voice, Mark Baird, one of the new plans advocates, told a reporter. If this (new idea) turns out to be the shortest route to liberty and representation, Ill give it a go.

Yet, the greater Idaho plan is even less likely to succeed than the State of Jefferson ever has been. Which nevertheless wont prevent anyone from longing for the good old days when rural counties were the sparsely populated little tails that wagged the big urban dogs.

Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It.
I want to make some additional comments to Michael Wycombe's June 15 letter to the editor concerning "Going all electric." Whether or not we want to move to electric cars is a moot point. It is going to happen. The global warming issue and the polluted air of congested urban areas around the world need to be addressed as soon as possible.

Global warming is no longer an issue of debate, it is a scientifically accepted fact that every major world government, their scientists, politicians, militaries, and intelligence people all understand. In 2015, records were uncovered that proved the major oil providers have also known this since the 1970s and '80s. They attempted to slow the shift away from fossil fuels by spending hundreds of millions to propagandize the public with disinformation about global warming. It worked for about 35 years, but no longer, the evidence is overwhelming.

Several years ago China was the first nation to announce that all autos sold in the country would be electric by 2025. I was there in 2019 and the vast majority of motor scooters in major cities were electric. Motor scooters are the most popular and affordable urban transportation there. That shift from gas to electric happened in five years.
Hikmet Hajiyev's slip of the tongue - "Zangezur corridor" in exchange of a land route for Armenia towards Russia

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
On June 21, Armen Martirosyan, the newly-appointed Ambassador of Armenia to Lithuania presented the credentials to Gitanas Nauseda, President of the Republic of Lithuania.

During the tete-a-tete meeting in the wake of the ceremony, President Nauseda congratulated the Ambassador on the occasion of his appointment and wished him success. Gitanas Nauseda also congratulated on the occasion of the parliamentary elections held on June 20 in Armenia and expressed hope that they would contribute to de-escalating the internal political tension in the country. Touching upon the history of Armenian-Lithuanian relations, Nauseda noted that the political dialogue is at a high level, emphasizing that in 1991 Lithuania was the first country to recognize the independence of Armenia. The President stressed that Lithuania has a key role in the development of Armenia-EU relations.

Expressing gratitude for the reception, Ambassador Martirosyan stressed that Armenia is interested in further strengthening relations in all areas of cooperation of mutual interest with Lithuania, emphasizing that there is a fertile working ground especially in the economic sphere.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the situation unfolding around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the aftermath of the November 10 trilateral statement. Ambassador Martirosyan expressed his gratitude to Lithuania for its support to the Armenian side during the last war. In this context, the important role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in resolving the conflict was stressed.
The biennial World Congress of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) took place in a hybrid format that included a digital component for the first time. Delegations from around 60 organizations including the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) participated in the World Congress, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party Public Relations Office informed.

The World Congress concluded with the election of a new governing body, in which AYF delegate Sarineh Abrahamian was elected Vice-President of the IUSY.

Also, the IUSY World Congress adopted Resolution on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), which reads as follows:

On September 27, 2020 Azerbaijan started a large-scale and unprovoked attack against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia. Azerbaijan waged a war during a global pandemic, against the call of the United Nations Secretary General for a global ceasefire.

These attacks are in direct violation of the ceasefire signed by Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan in 1994.

With the support of Turkey, the war continued to escalate with indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas, attacking schools, hospitals, and churches. Turkey has publicly declared its support and continued providing military assistance to Azerbaijan. Alarming for regional stability, Turkey had also facilitated the participation and provision of Syrian mercenaries, along with its own Special Forces, to join the war against Artsakh.

This has resulted into thousands of casualties, including many civilians. More than half of the population of Artsakh had been displaced and made their way to Armenia to seek refuge. Armenian prisoners of war have been brutally tortured and murdered.

On November 9, 2020 a trilateral agreement was signed between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia completely ignoring the rights of the Artsakh people, but also the OSCE Minsk Group as the legitimate body that is entitled to resolve the conflict.

Taking into consideration,

that this agreement does not safeguard the rights of the people of Artsakh;

does not grant a legal status to the Republic of Artsakh;

does not offer a sustainable solution to the conflict;

that the reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe (ECRI) and of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) attest to the impossibility of the Armenian populations to live freely in Azerbaijan;

that the security and freedom of the Armenian populations of Nagorno-Karabakh are not guaranteed by the Republic of Azerbaijan;

that the unprecedented aggression of Azerbaijan and Turkey is a consistent threat to the right of self-determination of the Armenian people of Artsakh;

that Azerbaijan keeps displaying extreme Armenophobic behaviour by creating a park where the suffering of Armenians is displayed to the youth.

IUSY strongly condemns Azerbaijan and Turkeys aggression and unprovoked attacks in Artsakh and Armenia and the committed war crimes against civilians, soldiers and POWs.

IUSY strongly condemns Turkeys involvement in Artsakh.

IUSY strongly condemns the use of Syrian mercenaries by Turkey.

IUSY calls for the international recognition of the independent Republic of Artsakh.

As an internationally recognised progressive entity which values human rights and stands against all kind of crimes against humanity, we deem it important that IUSY displays these values by taking concrete steps.

That is why we call on IUSY to,

address a letter to the OSCE Minsk group as the only legitimate and legal body to reestablish the peaceful negotiations to the Artsakh conflict.

address a letter to the UN to urge Azerbaijan to release the Armenian POWs and hostages according the cease fire agreement.

address a letter to the UNESCO to urge them to take necessary steps to preserve the Armenian cultural heritage that is now under Azerbaijani occupation.
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news 22.06.21:

 Russian peacekeepers will be deployed in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia.

According to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Artak Davtyan, 'the final decision is not the wish of only our side, talks are underway, the other side is also participating.'

He also noted that by the order of the Minister of Defense, a committee investigating the course of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war last fall has been set up.

 Armenian second president Robert Kocharyan has not yet decided whether to refuse or accept the parliamentary mandate.

The leader of the 'Armenia' bloc has won parliament seats as a result of the snap parliamentary elections on June 20.

"I am a man of the executive [branch] power. I have a hard time imagining myself in the legislature. Part of my [political] team thinks that I should be in the parliament, use that tribune for political struggle. The other part thinks it is not necessary. I do not have such a wish. I have not made a final decision yet. A decision must be made cool-headedly, without emotions. I find it difficult to imagine myself in the parliament," Kocharyan said.

 President Ilham Aliyev has passed a law declaring the occupied Armenian city of Shushi in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as the cultural capital of Azerbaijan.

According to Azerbaijani media, under this law, a state reserve shall be established in the administrative territory of Shushi.

This document also defines the main directions of the state development policy for the city.

 The US Department of State has released a press statement in connection with the snap parliamentary elections that were conducted in Armenia.

The United States congratulates the people of Armenia on their June 20 parliamentary elections.

'We welcome the overall positive assessment by the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission. We are pleased that ODIHRs preliminary conclusions noted voters human rights and fundamental freedoms were generally respected, contestants were able to campaign freely, and that ODIHR assessed election-day vote counting as positive.'

 People held on Monday a protest rally in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, demanding the resignation of President Arayik Harutyunyan.

Citizens claimed that Harutyunyan does not reflect the point of view of the Artsakh people.

Another rally demanding the leader's resignation was scheduled in the capital Stepanakert's Renaissance Square on Tuesday.

 As of Tuesday morning, 77 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 224,330 in the country, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Also, three more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 4,502 cases.

One more case of coronavirus patients dying from some other illnesses was recorded in Armenia in the past one day, and the corresponding overall death toll in the country is 1,096 now.
In regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the authorities will be guided by the principle of remedial secession. This principle is also important so that we can solve the issue related to the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. This is what Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said in an interview with RFE/RL Armenian Service. The status will remain a major issue, and during the negotiations, we need to reach a point where we will be able to solve this issue as well. Our foreign policy will truly serve the people. The security component has played a major role in our foreign policy. This needs to be maintained, and there have to be more economic and other components, he stated.

According to him, the security issue is being solved in general. The official also voiced hope that the issues will be solved diplomatically. During the election campaign, forces in Armenia and abroad wanted to have an impact on the solution to border-related and security issues, attempting to escalate the situation as much as possible. We succeeded in managing the processes since we understand that we might not solve them before the elections. Right after the elections, we are receiving signals that were moving towards the solutions to those issues. The opposition wanted to pose serious threats to security and instill fear in citizens so that they would vote for the opposition, but the opposition failed, Grigoryan said, adding that its possible to cooperate with the political forces that wont be in parliament and garnered a certain number of votes.
Acting Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia Hayk Chobanyan today received the delegation led by US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Lynne Tracy.

As reported the Ministry of High-Tech Industry, the acting minister greeted the guests and stated that the meeting serves as an opportunity to resume cooperation between the US Embassy in Armenia and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry.

Chobanyan attached importance to the existing cooperation and mentioned that the US government has provided great support to the development of the IT sector in the 2000s, especially through the assistance of the Armenian American community.

The acting minister introduced the Ambassador to the Industrial City Plan, touched upon the Engineering City Project and invited the Ambassador to pay a joint visit in the near future. He also attached importance to the role of the USAID in the development of high-tech industry.

Ambassador Tracy expressed gratitude for the reception and congratulated the Armenian government and people on the successful holding of the elections. Tracy informed that the US is willing to support Armenia to create an eco-system for high-tech firms.

At the end of the meeting, Chobanyan invited the Ambassador to attend the technological week events to be held in Armenia in October 2021.
A video has been disseminated on the Internet in which second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan states that the executive body of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund needs to deliver a report to the Funds Board of Trustees, yet it hasnt deliver a report and is criticizing the Minister of Finance of Armenia.

According to the video, President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and acting premier Nikol Pashinyan also participated in the online discussion.

The finance minister has performed some functions. There is a procedure for submission of reports. The Fund is unable to present how the money was spent. Put yourselves in the shoes of not only the finance minister, but also a member of the Board of Trustees. You expressed commitment to deliver a report, but arent able to. We suggest that you formulate this as a loan and close the subject, Kocharyan stated.

President Armen Sarkissian and acting premier Nikol Pashinyan interfere while Kocharyan speaks, but Kocharyan responds by telling them to wait until he is finished. Kocharyan added that the Fund has been around since 1992 and has never been in such a situation.

This is an institution that was established before you two were in power. Lets do everything we can save this institution since it is the only national institution in which all Armenian organizations are represented. My impression is that the Government of Armenia views the Fund as an additional source of funding. This is not and never has been the case, Kocharyan added.
President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Arayik Harutyunyan meets with the head of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan and leads confidential negotiations and substantiates this with the fact that this is within the limits of his powers as Commander-in-Chief.

This is what leader of the Revolutionary Party of Artsakh Artur Osipyan declared during todays rally demanding the resignation of President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan in Stepanakert. We wont be able to find out the reasons behind the defeat in the war so long as there hasnt been shift of power and corrupt officials havent been removed from power. Our struggle will be ongoing.

We demand the resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan. There is news spreading on the Internet that we are trying to play games as a political party and take advantage of this situation for narrow political interests, but were here to not allow political forces to advance their interests. All actions need to be taken by law. We were demanding Harutyunyans resignation before he seized the presidency and were saying that the law-enforcement authorities need to deal with him. Before demanding the resignation of this government, we need to have a concept paper on the formation of a new Cabinet, and this has to be developed through elections. We also wont let Harutyunyan leave. We recommend setting up a committee that will ensure fair elections. If the new authorities fail to meet all the standards of lawfulness, the issue related to Artsakhs status will become complicated. Basically, if the authorities arent legitimate, Artsakh will become an Azerbaijani community. Artsakh will be independent. Its impossible to incorporate Artsakh in Azerbaijan. We need to be attentive, Osipyan said.
(Adds Arab League envoy)

KHARTOUM, June 22 (Reuters) - Sudan asked the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to meet and discuss a dispute over a giant dam being built by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile, a government statement said.

Ethiopia is pinning its hopes of economic development and power generation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), while the two downstream countries - Egypt and Sudan - are concerned about it and seeking a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.

Egypt relies on the Nile River for as much as 90% of its fresh water and sees the dam as an existential threat. Sudan is concerned about the operation of its own Nile dams and water stations.

Sudan's Foreign Minister Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi called on the Security Council to hold a session as soon as possible to discuss GERD and "its impact on the safety and security of millions of people", the government statement said.

In a letter to the council head, she called on him to urge Ethiopia to stop the "unilateral" filling of the dam "which exacerbates the dispute and poses a threat to regional and international peace and security", the statement added.

Ethiopian officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Sudan and Egypt had already agreed this month to work together on all levels to push Ethiopia to negotiate "seriously" on an agreement, after African Union-sponsored talks remained deadlocked. The two countries called on the international community to intervene.

Earlier this month, Arab states called on the Security Council to discuss the dispute and Ethiopia's plans to go ahead with the second filling of the dam this summer even without an agreement with Sudan and Egypt.

Ethiopia rejected the Arab League resolution in its entirety, its Foreign Ministry said.

Arab League envoy to the UN, Maged Abdel Fattah, said on Tuesday evening that Sudan and Egypt are working on a draft resolution to the Security Council on GERD if Ethiopia doesn't reach a deal.

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Arab states will lobby for the draft resolution to be approved, he told the Egyptian private TV channel Sada Elbalad, adding that he doesn't expect world powers to block it.

Ethiopia previously rejected calls from Egypt and Sudan to involve mediators outside the African Union.

Sudan said earlier in June that it was open to a partial interim agreement on the multibillion-dollar dam, with specific conditions. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Richard Pullin)
The series champions four Black female documentarians pointing their cameras at narratives ranging from youth advocacy and maternity to Black genius and gaming

Queen Latifah may be one of the most quietly underrated artists we have, a performer whos mastered both the big and small screens and climbed her way up the hip-hop ranks during a time when the music genre was governed by men. Shes still going strong today as the star and producer of the CBS iteration of The Equalizer.

(Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for BET)

If that wasnt enough, for the last three years shes co-produced the Queen Collective, a series of short films made by Black female directors, for the Tribeca Film Festival.

Amid overwhelming rhetoric that posits there are too few Black women behind the camera, the Queen Collective series champions four very different Black female documentarians pointing their cameras at narratives ranging from youth advocacy and maternity to Black genius and gaming. While their storytelling techniques vary, sometimes to a fault, their desire to amplify and achieve Black freedom with each story is apparent in every frame.

For example, Ethiopian American director Haimy Assefas Black Birth warmly explores the pregnancy journeys of three Black women, including with Assefa herself, who must navigate their anxieties and excitement about becoming parents as well as an often-prejudiced prenatal process.

Assefa doesnt shy away from the specificities of Black womens experiences on their way to parenthood, folding in concerns about how they will talk to their child about racism, but she most profoundly captures the essence of each of her subjects at their homes, by themselves and with their partners.

Gibrey Allen, Marc S. Pritchard, Camrus Johnson, Zoey Martinson, Marshall Tyler and guests attend the Tribeca Festival After-Party for the Queen Collective and 8:46 hosted by P&G at the Harbor on June 18, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for 2021 Tribeca Festival)

The love, the fears, the vulnerability  all of these feelings are beautifully honored in the film, giving agency to women whose experiences are too often disregarded. Amid COVID-19 restrictions, Assefa even records Zoom sessions with them to catch up and assure that they are not alone, celebrating a precious sense of sisterhood unlike any other.

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Director-producer-cinematographer Cai Thomas Change the Name shifts the focus to a Black female schoolteacher at Village Leadership Academy in Chicago doing what many of us have done during todays cultural reckoning learning and unlearning the truth about ourselves. In this case, shes teaching her students how to do that so that they become self-aware, proud adults.

I became an educator because I had no Black teachers, she says in the film.

Though the overall theme in Change the Name is relearning Black truths, Thomas follows one particular cause, verite-styled  rechristening Douglas Park, named after a man who owned 123 enslaved people, as Douglass Park, in honor of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Activated by their teacher, Black and brown students at VLA hit the streets to advocate that the city instead commemorate freedom fighters, not enslavement.

While their campaign is steadfast, Change the Name falls a bit of out of focus after the murder of George Floyd redirects the young peoples efforts. Its an understandable pivot, but given its short runtime and broad theme, it would have behooved Thomas to follow the one storyline about the park through the end. It doesnt make the film less impactful, but it is a bit scattered and does take you out of the major story in favor of a much-discussed topic of young activists in the wake of Floyd.

On the other hand, director Tina Charles has a razor-sharp focus in her new film, Game Changer, which explores the lack of diversity in the gaming community. Zeroing in on the story of Tanya DePass, the Black woman whose tweet about #INeedDiverseGames launched a long-overdue shift in the gaming community, Charles examines the community and its issues at large  including misogyny in corporate spaces, racism and Gamergate.

(Credit: Tribeca Film Festival)

But Game Changer doesnt just analyze the problems that are still being worked on in the gaming community, Charles celebrates why its been such a unique space for Black female nerds to come into their own power, develop their creative voices and  perhaps most importantly  add joy to their lives. By centering DePass story, Charles highlights a pathway for Black women to reach victorious heights.

The young girl at the heart of director Arielle Knights terrific film, A Song of Grace, has also orchestrated her own journey to success. The story of 12-year-old Grace Moore becoming one of New York Philharmonics youngest composers is certainly enough to anchor an entire film. But Knight makes a wise decision to take a more macro approach to explore the relationship between Moore and her supportive single mother, a woman who was determined for her daughter to come into the world with a clean slate. Meaning, to have her pursue whatever her heart desires without constantly worrying about the repeated history of racism and discrimination.

Flitting from color to black-and-white imagery, thanks to cinematographer Alejandro Mejias gorgeous eye, A Song of Grace poignantly augments whats it like to dream beyond the world that has been created for you. From Graces mother standing proudly near her daughter as she plays the piano, to Grace asking her mother how she feels when she hears her music, to mother and daughter looking forward as if already embracing the future, A Song of Grace wonderfully bridges the gap between potential and reality.

Thats resounding throughout each of the films in this years Queen Collective. Each narrative acts as its own roadmap to freedom  whether its through art, political advocacy, motherhood or games. An expectant mother says it best in Black Birth: May we all birth and raise free children.

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The post 2021 Queen Collective series all about many pathways to Black freedom, joy appeared first on TheGrio.
FIRST ON FOX: 23 states have filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of the Kentucky Republican attorney generals effort to defend an anti-abortion law, after the high court agreed to hear the case.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron is seeking to defend a 2018 law that limited a procedure known as dilation and evacuation and was struck down in 2019.

CALIFORNIA ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN REPEAL SHOULD STAY, 22 STATES URGE NINTH CIRCUIT

A federal judge ruled that it would create a "substantial obstacle" to a womans right to an abortion. The law had been challenged by the states only abortion clinic after it was signed by then-Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican

However, the states new Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear declined to defend the law, and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Cameron, a Republican, could not defend it on appeal. The Supreme Court announced in March that it would hear the case and decide if Cameron could defend the law.

Camerons office has described the procedure as a "gruesome live dismemberment abortion procedure" that involves "tearing the unborn child apart, in the womb, while he or she is still alive." Opponents of the law have described it as a common second trimester procedure.

"This law reflects the conscience of Kentucky by banning the gruesome practice of live dismemberment abortions, and its important that Kentuckians have a voice before our nations highest court," Cameron said in a statement in March. "I was elected to provide that voice, and we look forward to making our case to the Supreme Court."

In their amicus brief in support of Cameron, the states allege that the 6th Circuit Courts decision to deny Camerons motion to intervene was an abuse of discretion. The states are led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

"By a 2-1 vote, a Sixth Circuit panel allowed the unilateral capitulation of a single official to be the final word on whether a fully enacted law would be invalidated (and thus de facto repealed)," the brief says. "It did so even though Kentuckys attorney general, who has unquestioned authority to represent Kentucky in federal court, timely sought to defend the statute on the merits."

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KY AG CAMERON RESPONDS TO REPUGNANT' PERSONAL ATTACKS OVER BREONNA TAYLOR CASE

They argue that the the courts decision must be reversed, and claim that their states have an interest in such a decision.

"States have a compelling and indisputable sovereign interest in defending the constitutionality of their laws when challenged in federal court," they argue.

"The Court should reverse the denial of intervention and hold that it is an abuse of discretion to deny intervention promptly sought by a duly authorized agent of the states, when a state law is challenged and the named parties decline to continue defending the law at any stage in the litigation," they said.

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The states filing the brief are Arizona, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

"Our office has stepped in several times over the last year to defend state and federal laws and rules when the named parties refused to," Arizona AG Brnovich told Fox News. "I am proud to lead this coalition of 23 attorneys general who will uphold the rule of law regardless of political pressure."

The brief is one of a number filed by coalitions of Republican states. Recently, another coalition, also led by Brnovich, backed a challenge to Californias assault rifle ban, claiming that it is in violation of the Second Amendment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Three people, including a police officer, were killed in a shopping district in a Denver suburb Monday, the latest high-profile shooting in Colorado this year.

Police responded to a suspicious incident in Arvadas Olde Town Square in the afternoon, Ed Brady, the deputy chief of the Arvada Police Department, said at a news conference.

About 15 minutes later, a 911 call came in about shots fired, Brady added.

A 19-year veteran police officer and a suspected gunman were killed in the shooting, according to Brady. A "Samaritan," believed to have been shot by the gunman, was taken to a hospital and died, he said.

The officer who was killed has been identified as Gordon Beesley, police said later Monday, according to The Denver Post.

The names of the victims and the suspect have not been released. Authorities didnt immediately describe the circumstances of the shooting but said no one else is believed to have been involved.

The shooting occurred in the citys downtown district with shops, restaurants, breweries and other businesses. Its listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is about seven miles northwest of downtown Denver.

It comes almost three months after a gunman attacked a King Soopers grocery store and killed 10, including an officer. Boulder, where the grocery store is located, is about 20 miles from Arvada.

Last month, about 80 miles south of the city, six people died after a shooting at a Colorado Springs, Colorado, birthday party, police said.

Video: What has the Biden administration done regarding gun control?

Columbine, Aurora and now Boulder: Colorado has the sixth-highest rate of public mass killings

The Arvada officers death, just the third in Police Department history, was especially painful after the mass shooting in nearby Boulder, Mayor Marc Williams said. Arvada police helped respond and investigate that attack, he said.

This is by far the saddest day for our police department, Williams said.

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By evening in Arvada, a large police presence had lined up for a procession, while some residents were lining the street where the procession would take place with flags.

John Garrod, of Arvada, Colorado, stands as a line of about 30 police cars line up for a procession in honor of the officer who was fatally shot on Monday.

Contributing: Ryan Miller, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Denver-area shooting: 3 people, including a police officer, killed
In another blow for pandemic weary Americans eager to travel again, the country's largest carrier, American Airlines, canceled hundreds of flights over Father's Day weekend.

Passengers sounded off on social media in response after pilot shortages, staff sickness and maintenance issues disrupted travel.

One father, Ken Novak, said he has felt powerless to help his 17-year-old daughters, who have been stranded for 27 hours in Dallas.

"They're just, by this point, very tired and very exhausted, very much in need of a change of clothes, a shower and probably a good night's sleep," Novak said.

Both of Ken Novak's daughter's were left stranded in a Dallas, Texas, airport for 27 hours. / Credit: Ken Novak

The TSA screened more than 2 million people on Sunday  the most since the pandemic began.

As the U.S. heads into the busy travel season, ongoing issues like these could force the airline to cancel 60 flights a day for the remainder of June  equivalent to 600 planes  and up to 80 flights a day through mid-July, totaling over 900 cancelations.

In a statement, American Airlines blamed the disruptions in part on "unprecedented weather," saying, "We never want to disappoint, and feel these schedule adjustments will help  minimize surprises at the airport."

"With all due respect, weather is always going to be there. That's not going to cause hundreds of cancelations unless there's a typhoon," CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg said.

"You have problems with staffing, you have problems with trainings, you have a problem with logistics, and the numbers are just getting worse and worse," Greenberg continued.

American Airlines says the remainder of their furloughed pilots won't be fully ready to fly until at least the end of the month. Delta is looking for 1,300 customer service reps and the TSA has hired 4,000 of their targeted goal of 6,000 employees before the end of summer  all this as demand for travel skyrockets.

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Las Vegas Raiders' Carl Nassib is first active NFL player to come out as gay
By Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Brussels policymakers, about to unveil the world's first carbon border levy, are caught between industry demands to twin it with free carbon permits worth billions of euros, and analysts' warnings that doing so could expose the EU to legal challenges at the WTO.

As part of a package of climate policies, including carbon market reforms, the European Commission will next month publish its plan to impose a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) or CO2 tariff on polluting goods, forcing some companies importing into the European Union to pay carbon costs at the border.

The idea is to prevent carbon leakage - or the phenomenon of European firms relocating to countries with less costly climate standards - by levelling the playing field between production in Europe and potentially cheaper but more polluting manufacture of products such as steel and cement elsewhere.

But the European Commission has also said the levy will be an alternative to existing carbon leakage measures, which include giving free CO2 permits to industries covered by the EU carbon market to offset their environmental costs and encourage them to stay in Europe.

That has worried Europe's steel, aluminium, cement and fertilisers sectors, all of which would be covered by the CO2 border levy, a leaked draft shows.

The EU expects to hand out more than 6 billion free permits this decade - worth 314 billion euros ($373.97 billion), at today's CO2 price of around 50 euros. Estimates of how much the CBAM would raise are complex, but analysts say they would be far lower for the sectors affected.

"If there is no free allocation, we don't want to be part of it (the CBAM)," Charles de Lusignan, spokesman for steel association Eurofer said.

A swift reduction in free CO2 permits would shrink the already-slim profit margins of European steel firms, he said. "That may, for some companies, lead to having no profits any more."

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"Only a combination of CBAM and free allowances will allow (the) fertilizer industry to remain competitive," Fertilizers Europe director general Jacob Hansen said. Losing free permits could prompt companies to redirect investments outside Europe, he said.

The leaked draft, which could change before it is published on July 14, said the EU border levy would apply from 2026, after a trial period from 2023. It did not specify what would happen to free CO2 permits.

Koen Coppenholle, chief executive of cement body Cembureau, said Brussels' plan to give industry free permits should remain unchanged until 2030, to provide certainty for long-term green investments.

Technologies such as carbon capture, deemed essential to cutting industrial pollution, are unlikely to be commercially viable this decade, he said, and added the body had received legal advice that it could be possible to combine the CBAM and free permits without breaking international trade rules.

Aluminium Europe said it did not want to be included in the CBAM before 2030.

'YOU CANNOT HAVE BOTH'

The Commission has a policy of not commenting on unpublished drafts, but said its carbon border proposal will be compatible with World Trade Organization rules.

Some officials have said that means free permits will need to go for sectors covered by the border levy.

"It is very clear that the moment you start phasing in CBAM, you have to start phasing out free allowances," Sabine Weyand, head of the Commission's trade department, told lawmakers in European Parliament this month.

"From the point of view of WTO compatibility, you cannot have both."

Former WTO chief Pascal Lamy agreed, telling Reuters Brussels would be vulnerable to legal challenges if it were seen to be compensating companies twice.

"The rule is very simple: no double compensation. No overlapping," he said.

Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at think tank Bruegel, said the two systems could coexist temporarily, if importers' CBAM costs were reduced to reflect the amount of free CO2 permits they would receive had they produced the goods in the EU. But he said free allowances must end by 2026, when the border levy applies in full.

Environmental campaigners have long called for a swift end to free CO2 permits, which they say remove the incentive for industry to cut emissions.

Sam van den Plas, policy director at Carbon Market Watch, said the EU should auction all CO2 permits and invest the revenues in cutting emmisions.

"In the middle of a climate crisis, no company should be allowed to pollute for free," he said.

EU figures show emissions from EU industry decreased by roughly 9% from 2013-2020, with the biggest drop recorded last year when the COVID-19 pandemic curbed economic activity.

Emissions from power plants, which do not receive free CO2 permits, fell by 38% from 2013-2020.

($1 = 0.8396 euros)

(Reporting by Kate Abnett; editing by Barbara Lewis)
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a federal judges ruling that Californias ban on assault weapons was unconstitutional.

A three-judge panel issued a stay of U.S. District Judge Roger Benitezs order on Monday, less than two weeks after the initial ruling.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the courts decision leaves our assault weapons laws in effect while appellate proceedings continue, adding, We wont stop defending these life-saving laws.

FEDERAL JUDGE OVERTURNS 'ASSAULT WEAPONS' BAN IN 'HISTORIC VICTORY FOR INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY'

On June 4, Benitez ruled against California's ban on certain semi-automatic rifles, which has been in place since 1989. The judge, a President George W. Bush appointee, said AR-15s and other similar firearms are not "extraordinary weapons lying at the outer limits of Second Amendment protection, comparing an AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife.

"Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment," the judge wrote in his decision. "Good for both home and battle ... Yet, the State of California makes it a crime to have an AR-15 type rifle. Therefore, this Court declares the California statutes to be unconstitutional."

Following Benitezs ruling, he gave the state 30 days to file an appeal, which Bonta did less than a week later.

The Firearms Policy Coalition, a pro-Second Amendment group, promised to oppose the appeal as it criticized leadership in the state for seeking to protect the "unconstitutional ban."

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"The first duty of our federal courts is to uphold the Constitution and protect the Peoples fundamental rights enshrined therein," the group said in a statement following the appellate court's ruling. "But today, as it has too many times before, the fanatically anti-Second Amendment Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals elected to disregard that fundamental duty, ignore the text and public meaning of our Constitution, and fail the very People they swore an oath to serve."

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Tags: News, California, Gun Violence, Gun Control, Assault Weapons

Original Author: Mike Brest

Original Location: Appeals court blocks California judges ruling that assault weapons ban is unconstitutional
Around 10 policemen have been killed in an ambush by suspected jihadists in northern Burkina Faso and several more officers are missing, security sources told AFP on Tuesday.

"On Monday evening, a group of police officers were targeted in an ambush by armed individuals near Barsalogho," a town in the Centre-Nord region, one source said.

"The provisional toll is around 10 police officers killed, and others missing," the source added.

A second source within the Burkinabe security forces said that "several" officers had been killed in the attack at Yirgou, a small village north of Barsalogho.

Around 10 had gone missing after the ambush, "some of whom have been found", the source said.

"A search operation is under way to track down the attackers, with military support, and to find the officers who are still missing," a security official said.

Burkina Faso has been grappling with a jihadist insurgency that has left at least 1,400 dead since 2015 and forced an estimated one million people to flee their homes.

Yirgou was the scene of a massacre of 48 Muslim Fulani people in 2019, according to the government -- reprisal killings after a jihadist attack.

Monday's ambush follows a rise in attacks in the north since April, when four Burkinabe soldiers were killed while on patrol near Yirgou.

In recent years, the impoverished Sahel country been hit by increasingly brutal attacks by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.

In early June, the village of Solhan in the north was hit by the deadliest jihadist attack since the start of the insurgency, which claimed at least 132 lives. Local sources have put the death toll at 160.
Authorities in Colorado tried to determine Tuesday what prompted a shooting spree in a suburban Denver shopping district that left a police officer, bystander and suspect dead.

The shooting Monday afternoon in Old Town Arvada came two days after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed three gun control bills in response to another shooting  a gunman's rampage at a Boulder supermarket 20 miles away that killed 10 people three months ago.

The bills require expanded background checks before gun purchases and reverse a ban that kept local governments from creating their own gun regulations. The state is creating an Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

"My thoughts are with the family and friends of those killed including an Arvada Police Officer who was tragically killed in the line of duty while swiftly and bravely responding to protect civilians," Polis tweeted late Monday.

Arvada police provided few details on the carnage. Police responded to a suspicious incident near a library in the area, then received a 911 call about 15 minutes later reporting shots fired, Deputy Police Chief Ed Brady said.

The bystander was identified only as a "Samaritan." The officer was 19-year police veteran Gordon Beesley, who was a school resource officer known for developing relationships with students, city officials said.

While school was out for the summer, Beesley was working on patrol when he was hit by gunfire.

According to his school resource officer biography, he played the drums in a band and enjoyed hiking, biking, skiing and camping with his family. His motto was Look for the good in every day.

Brady Turner, 18, was eating lunch at the Arvada Army Navy Surplus store when he heard three gunshots and screaming. He told the Denver Post he fled the area.

I was looking in all directions to make sure no one was following me, he said.

Dozens of police vehicles line up in a procession June 21 in the aftermath of a shooting in Arvada, Colo., in which a police officer was killed.

Gunfire erupts: 3 killed in Denver-area shooting, including a police officer and suspect, authorities say

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Employees at the Arvada Chamber of Commerce, less than a block from the shooting site, sheltered in the buildings basement for more than an hour after the gunfire subsided.

Our hearts are with the Arvada Police Department and all who were impacted today, Chamber President Kami Welch said in a statement to the Post.

Mayor Marc Williams said he was driving in the area when he saw about a dozen police cars with their flashing lights and sirens race past.

"I knew something serious had happened," he said. "I didnt know how serious.

A phalanx of police officers in a lengthy procession of vehicles accompanied the slain officers body from the scene to the Jefferson County Coroners Office. Scores of residents gathered to pay respect to the officer.

"Remember Officer Beesley and all the lives he touched during his career," tweeted Colorado State Patrol Troop 2C. "Blessed are the peacemakers. #ThinBlueLine"

Contributing: Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado shooting came 2 days after Gov. Polis signed gun bills
WASHINGTON (AP)  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, for the first time, said Tuesday he will support long-debated changes to the military justice system that would remove decisions on prosecuting sexual assault cases from military commanders.

In a statement, obtained by The Associated Press, Austin said he supports taking those sexual assault and related crimes away from the chain of command, and let independent military lawyers handle them. The Pentagon has long resisted such a change, but Austin and other senior leaders are slowly acknowledging that the military has failed to make progress against sexual assault, and some changes are needed.

Austin pledged to work with Congress to make the changes, saying they will give the department real opportunities to finally end the scourge of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military. His public support for the shift has been eagerly awaited, sending a strong signal to the military and boosting momentum for the change.

The statement came a day before Austin testifies to the House Armed Services Committee amid escalating pressure from Congress to take concrete steps to address sexual assault. Austins memo, however, does not express any view on legislation that would make broader changes to the military justice system and require that independent lawyers handle all major crimes.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has the support of 66 senators for a bill that would have independent prosecutors handle felonies that call for more than a year in prison. But other key lawmakers and leaders of the military services have balked at including all major crimes, saying stripping control of all crimes from commanders could hurt military readiness, erode command authority, and require far more time and resources.

Until now, Austin has said publicly that he was open to changes recommended by an independent review commission that he appointed to take a look at sexual assault and harassment in the military. The panel said sexual assault, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, stalking, retaliation, child sexual assault and the wrongful distribution of photos should be removed from the chain of command.

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In the statement, Austin finally makes public that he supports the change, and says those additional crimes should be included because there is a strong correlation between them and the prevalence of sexual assault. According to a defense official, Austin has reservations about the more expansive change outlined in Gillibrands bill, similar to those expressed by his senior leaders. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

In recent weeks military service secretaries and chiefs, in memos to Austin and letters to Capitol Hill, said they were wary about the sexual assault change, and laid out greater reservations on more broadly revamping the military justice system.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said removing commanders from prosecution decisions may have an adverse effect on readiness, mission accomplishment, good order and discipline, justice, unit cohesion, trust, and loyalty between commanders and those they lead.

In a letter to Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Milley acknowledged the military hasnt made sufficient progress in combating sexual assault. He has repeatedly said, though, hes open to the sexual assault change.

The independent review panel on Monday presented Austin with an expansive set of recommendations to combat sexual assault in the military, including prevention, command climate, victim care and support.

Generally they appear strong and well-grounded, Austin said in his statement. I have directed my staff to do a detailed assessment and implementation plan for my review and approval.

Austin said he will present his recommendations to President Joe Biden in the coming days. But he also noted that the changes will require additional personnel, funding and authorities. The ones that can be done under existing authority will be give priority, he said, and other changes may take more time and will need help from Congress.

As I made clear on my first full day in office, this is a leadership issue. And we will lead, he said. Our people depend upon it. They deserve nothing less.

In a recent interview with the AP, Gillibrand said the wider change is necessary to combat racial injustice within the military, where studies have found that Black people are more likely to be investigated and arrested for misconduct.

Gillibrand has argued against limiting the change to sexual assault, saying it would be discriminatory and set up what some call a pink court to deal with crimes usually involving female victims.

Im deeply concerned that if they limit it to just sexual assault, it will really harm female service members. It will further marginalize them, further undermine them, and theyll be seen as getting special treatment, she told the AP.
Australia said Tuesday it will strongly oppose a UNESCO plan to list the Great Barrier Reef as being "in danger" over deterioration caused by climate change.

The UN body released a draft report on Monday recommending the reef's World Heritage status be downgraded because of its dramatic coral decline, after years of public threats to do so.

"It's a warning to the international community and all of humanity that the coral ecosystem is in danger," Fanny Douvere, the head of UNESCO's World Heritage marine programme, told an online press briefing.

The reef is one of seven sites threatened with being added to the endangered heritage list over ecological damage, overdevelopment, overtourism or security concerns.

The Italian city of Venice, which has been overrun with tourists, and the waterfront of the English city of Liverpool, which is undergoing a major redevelopment, are among the other listings in UNESCO's sights.

Environmental campaigners said the threat to the Great Barrier Reef's heritage status highlight Australia's lack of action to curb the carbon emissions which contribute to global warming.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Australia would challenge the move, accusing UN officials of backflipping on their assurances ahead of the World Heritage Committee's 44th session in China next month, where the recommendation will be formally considered.

"Politics have subverted a proper process and for the World Heritage Committee to not even foreshadow this listing is, I think, appalling," she told reporters in Canberra.

The UN body did not consider the billions of dollars spent attempting to protect the world's largest coral reef, she added.

- 'From poor to very poor' -

The committee's draft report did commend Australia's efforts to improve reef quality and its financial commitment.

But it noted "with the utmost concern and regret... that the long-term outlook for the ecosystem of the property has further deteriorated from poor to very poor," referring to Australia's move to downgrade the reef's health status after back-to-back mass bleaching events in 2016 and 2017.

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Ley said she had spoken to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay overnight Monday to express "very clearly our strong disappointment, even bewilderment".

Placement on the UN body's in-danger list is not considered a sanction. According to UNESCO, some nations have their sites added to gain international attention and help to save them, but it is seen as a dishonour by others.

UNESCO has recommended that a total of seven sites be added to the endangered list and that two sites -- Liverpool's waterfront and Selous game reserve in Tanzania, where poachers have run amok -- be stripped of their World Heritage status altogether.

Australia has resisted calls to commit to a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying the country hoped to reach carbon neutrality "as soon as possible" without harming its commodity-dependent economy.

The downgrade recommendation for the Great Barrier Reef prompted environmental groups to take aim at the Australian government's reluctance to take stronger climate action.

- 'Shame' -

The Climate Council said it brought "shame on the federal government, which is standing by as the reef declines rather than fighting to protect it".

"The recommendation from UNESCO is clear and unequivocal that the Australian government is not doing enough to protect our greatest natural asset, especially on climate change," said WWF head of oceans Richard Leck.

UNESCO's Douvere acknowledged that Australia had made "tremendous efforts" to shore up the reef.

"The Australian government cannot save the Great Barrier Reef by itself," she said, while adding that Canberra could act to improve water quality at the reef, which would increase its resilience to climate change.

Aside from its inestimable natural, scientific and environmental value, the 2,300-kilometre-long (1,400-mile-long) reef was worth an estimated US$4.8 billion a year in tourism revenue for the Australian economy before the coronavirus pandemic.

In December, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said climate change had pushed the reef into critical condition.

Australian Marine Conservation Society environmental consultant Imogen Zethoven said the UNESCO report made clear that limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was critical for the reef.

"Australia's climate record is more consistent with a 2.5-3.0 Celsius rise in global average temperature - a level that would destroy the Great Barrier Reef and all the world's coral reefs," she said.

The Great Barrier Reef has now suffered three mass coral bleaching events in the past five years, losing half its corals since 1995 as ocean temperatures have climbed.

The reef has also been battered by several cyclones as climate change drives more extreme weather and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish -- which eat the coral -- in recent decades.

hr/dm/qan/cb/jh/dl
Associated Press

Immediately after the bombshell announcement that Justin Marks had purchased Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team, the outgoing owner took the soon-to-be new boss back to the shop to address a room full of anxious employees. The work begins next week for the co-owner of Trackhouse Racing, who struggled to find a charter for the team's first year of competition and balked at paying the escalating costs of NASCAR's equivalent of a franchise. Kaulig Racing last month bought a pair of charters for what the industry believes to be at least $10 million apiece, and after crunching the numbers, Marks just couldn't justify the spend.
A Mexican child looks at a vehicle of the US border patrol through the US-Mexico fence in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on 4 April, 2018. Human rights organisations have urged the US government to stop deporting Mexican children in rapid removals. (AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration has been urged to stop sending children into harms way by deporting thousands of unaccompanied migrant children back to Mexico in the midst of a rise in arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers at the US border.

According to Amnesty International, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has seen 95 per cent of unaccompanied Mexican children apprehended by US Border Patrol agents between November 2020 to April 2021 deported back to their home country.

That is more than 10,000 Mexican children, many of whom were fleeing violence or persecution in their home states and were trying to unite with their family members in the United States, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said in an online statement.

President Donald Trump would have been in power for nearly half of the time in question, with his successor President Joe Biden taking office on 20 January.

However, Amnesty International has accused the US government of continuing to return thousands of children back to their home countries, including Mexico, without ensuring they can return safely.

In a recent report, the organisation found that the Biden administration had quickly expelled thousands of unaccompanied Mexican migrant children without conducting adequate screenings to determine whether they might be eligible for protection in the US.

Amnesty suggested that while Mr Biden had vowed to stop expelling unaccompanied minors from the US, Mexican children appeared to be the exception.

The organisation has also taken aim at the Mexican government for overseeing the return of migrants and asylum seekers to their home countries, with many coming from Northern Triangle countries, which include Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Despite promising that his government would not do the United Statess dirty work when he campaigned for office, President Lopez Obrador has militarised Mexicos border regions to stop the families and children fleeing from violence and poverty in Central Americas Northern Triangle from reaching the United States, Ms Guevara-Rosas wrote.

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Amnestys warning comes after the Biden administration sent top officials to Mexico, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, to discuss the influx in arrivals at the southern border.

The DHS had outlined plans for Mr Mayorkas to meet with his counterparts in the Government of Mexico on areas of mutual interest.

However, Ms Guevara-Rosas said: Tragically, these areas of mutual interest include the mass deportations of unaccompanied children into harms way.

In a statement last month, human rights organisation Human Rights Watch warned Mr Biden against leaning heavily on Mexico to prevent migrants from traveling to the US southern border.

Former President Donald Trump pushed this policy farther than ever before, resulting in horrific abuses as Mexico responded to the pressure by bolstering its detention and deportation machinery. Biden should not follow in Trumps footsteps, Human Rights Watch said at the time.

If he intends to partner with Mexico on immigration, Biden should work to enhance Mexicos capacity to protect refugees and to provide humane alternatives for all migrants, the organisation said.

The Independent has contacted the DHS for comment.

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Former US President Donald Trump addresses the NCGOP state convention on 5 June, 2021 in Greenville, North Carolina. Mr Trump could end up getting legal defense from President Joe Bidens Justice Department. (Getty Images)

President Joe Bidens Justice Department could end up defending his predecessor Donald Trump against lawsuits alleging he incited the 6 January US Capitol insurrection, experts have said.

Constitutional scholars and lawyers on cases against Mr Trump told Reuters they believe the Biden administration has paved the way for the DOJ to defend the former president by arguing in an unrelated defamation case against Mr Trump that US leaders should have immunity for their comments while in office and should have the right to be defended by government lawyers.

The DOJ surprised many by taking that stance earlier this month, with the department deciding to keep defending Mr Trump in a case filed by E Jean Carroll, who accused the former president of raping her 25 years ago and then lying about it during his time in office and defaming her.

The DOJ had said in a brief that while Mr Trumps comments were without question unnecessary and inappropriate, the department said he had been acting within his rights by addressing allegations against him.

Elected officials can  and often must  address allegations that inspire doubt about their suitability for office, the argument said. Speaking to the public and the press on matters of public concern is undoubtedly part of an elected officials job.

Speaking with Reuters, Philip Andonian, an attorney in a separate case against Mr Trump, said he believes the Justice Department could decide to defend the former president in future cases based on the same rationale.

Among those cases are one filed by two US Capitol Police officers who have blamed Mr Trump for injuries they suffered during the 6 January siege on the US Capitol Building, which left five people dead.

Mr Andonian said he also believed that rationale could be used in a case he is pursuing against Mr Trump on behalf of Democratic California Rep Eric Swalwell, who has accused the president of inciting the deadly riot in a bid to prevent the certification of Mr Bidens 2020 election victory.

Story continues

The Justice Department declined to comment to Reuters on whether it would use the same argument to get involved in other lawsuits against Mr Trump.

The Independent has also contacted the DOJ for comment.

The White House has previously said that it has no role in the DOJs decisions on whether to defend Mr Trump in such cases.

The former president currently faces more than a dozen active investigations and lawsuits, including sexual misconduct allegations and government investigations into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The DOJs decision this month, however, could only apply to cases involving Mr Trumps comments or actions during his time in office.

Laurence Tribe, a constitutional law professor at Harvard University and an outspoken critic of Mr Trump, told Reuters it would be very difficult for the Justice Department to change course now.

The Titanic is aimed at the iceberg, he said.

Still, the Harvard professor, who served as a legal adviser for the House of Representatives second impeachment of Mr Trump, said it would be outrageous for the DOJ to defend the former president in lawsuits related to the Capitol insurrection on the basis that fomenting a violent insurrection, as charged in those suits, fell within the presidents job description.

Mr Trump has denied being responsible for inciting violence at the US Capitol Building.

His lawyers have maintained that he did not incite people to violence, but made political statements protected by the First Amendment.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

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Reuters

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged on Thursday to complete "reunification" with self-ruled Taiwan and vowed to "smash" any attempts at formal independence, drawing a stern rebuke from Taipei, which lambasted the Communist Party as a dictatorship. China, which considers democratically-ruled Taiwan its own territory, has stepped up efforts under Xi to assert its sovereignty claims, including regular flights by fighter jets and bombers close to the island. "Solving the Taiwan question and realising the complete reunification of the motherland are the unswerving historical tasks of the Chinese Communist Party and the common aspiration of all Chinese people," Xi said in a speech on the 100th birthday of the ruling Communist Party.
WASHINGTON  With the Senate set to vote today on whether to proceed on S.1  the For the People Act  the storyline is the Democratic disconnect between the activists and the pragmatists.

The activists believe the legislation  which includes protections for voting access, as well as reforms to redistricting and campaign finance  is the only true way forward to protect democracy, especially after Jan. 6.

On the other hand, the pragmatists  while they may even share the same fears about democracy  have also accepted that the votes arent there to overcome a GOP filibuster, to pass the legislation, or to even eliminate the filibuster.

They also point out that this legislation, a version of which was first introduced in 2019, doesnt meet the moment of the post-2020 GOP state bills that have the potential to subvert election counts  by creating new election powers, changing election administration and punishing election officials who dont perform their duties.

The activist-versus-pragmatist fight is also playing out on the filibuster itself. Although more and more Democratic senators have come out for eliminating the filibuster, its not just Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who oppose scuttling it.

President Biden won the Democratic nomination in large part because he came from the pragmatist wing of the party.

And those pragmatist tendencies probably explain why the Biden White House has worked harder in trying to pass infrastructure (where the votes are potentially there for passage) than on S1 (where theyre not).

While Senate Democrats dont have the votes to overcome a GOP filibuster, NBCs Frank Thorp says the biggest remaining question is whether Manchin votes yes to proceed on the legislation, so he can make his desired changes to the bill.

A Manchin yes vote could unify the party that their voting reforms should be debated on the Senate floor.

But it still wouldnt be enough for passage.

Lets hear it for New York

Story continues

Its Primary Day in New York City, where the top Democratic candidates running for mayor  under ranked-choice voting  are Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, former mayoral counsel Maya Wiley and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

Yesterday, we wrote about the big three questions this race will answer  on the potency of crime as an issue, on whether progressives can win in the city, and on how ranked choice will play out.

Today, NBCs Dartunorro Clark lists five things to watch in the Democratic primary.

And a reminder: We might not have a winner until next month, due to the ranked-choice voting and the counting of absentee ballots.

What were watching in politics over the next month

And after todays NYC primaries, here are the other upcoming events the NBC Political Unit is watching:

Thursday, June 24: Nikki Haley headlines an Iowa GOP dinner in Des Moines.

Saturday, June 26: Donald Trump holds a rally in Wellington, Ohio.

Wednesday, June 30: Trump travels to the Texas border with Gov. Greg Abbott.

Friday, July 9: The American Conservative Unions Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) begins in Dallas.

Friday, July 16: Mike Pompeo returns to Iowa for a Family Leader event, with Mike Pence and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem attending, too.

Data Download: The numbers you need to know today

32 percent: The share of Americans who believe  without evidence  that Joe Biden won the 2020 election due to voter fraud, per a Monmouth poll.

9-0: The Supreme Courts decision yesterday in a case ruling that the NCAA had violated antitrust laws by limiting education-related aid to student athletes.

$20 million: How much Democratic super PAC Priorities USA says it will spend in an initial investment for 2022 to protect voting rights, focusing on litigation and digital voter education.

33,701,509: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (Thats 12,585 more than yesterday morning.)

605,687: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far, per the most recent data from NBC News. (Thats 344 more than yesterday morning.)

318,576,441: The number of vaccine doses administered in the U.S.

41.6 percent: The share of all Americans who are fully vaccinated, per NBC News.

55.9 percent: The share of all American adults over 18 who are fully vaccinated, per CDC.

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ICYMI: What else is happening in the world

Sahil Kapur previews todays Senate vote on the For the People Act.

Former president Barack Obama weighed in on Republicans plan to filibuster the voting rights bill, calling it not acceptable.

And heres Kyrsten Sinemas Washington Post op-ed outlining her opposition to nixing the filibuster.

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island is defending his membership in an exclusive beach club that critics say is all-white. (A spokesman for the senator says the club has no restrictive policy.)

An FBI agent acknowledged in court that a review of social media posts by Trump backers showed discussions of a revolution leading up to January 6.

A judge has dropped most of the charges against the Trump administration by groups who accused the government of using unnecessary force to clear Lafayette Square last June.

The Biden administration plans to back legislation to end sentencing disparities for crack and powder cocaine.
The Rhode Island chapter of Black Lives Matter is "ashamed" of Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse after he defended his membership to an alleged all-white beach club in his home state.

Gary Dantzler, executive director of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island, called for an end to the "good ole boy mentality" and urged people to hold elected officials accountable on calling out racism.

"I am ashamed of Senator Whitehouse and his affiliation with this racist club," Dantzler said. "Him coming out and speaking about ending systemic racism while belonging to a whites only private club is hypocrisy as it worst."

RHODE ISLAND SENATOR DEFENDS MEMBERSHIP TO ALL-WHITE CLUB, CITES 'TRADITION'

Whitehouse defended his membership to Baileys Beach Club in Newport by calling all-white clubs in his state "a long tradition" but pushed back on the idea that the clubs exclude minorities.

"I think the people who are running the place are still working on that, and Im sorry it hasn't happened yet," Whitehouse said.

Whitehouse and his wife have reportedly been members of the exclusive club for decades, and his wife, Sandra Thornton Whitehouse, is one of the largest shareholders of the club.

The senator has been vocal about the problems related to systemic racism and has advocated for policies to advance racial and social justice in the past year.

Whitehouse held a moment of silence in June 2020 to honor the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, who all died in 2020. Floyd and Taylor died in police custody, while Arbery was fatally shot after being chased down by a pickup truck while jogging in Georgia.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

"We hear the voices of the peaceful protesters who have marched," Whitehouse said in June 2020. "We can and must do better to root out systemic racism in its many forms and meet Americas full promise of justice for all."

Story continues

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Tags: News, Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island, Black Lives Matter, Racism

Original Author: Mica Soellner

Original Location: Black Lives Matter criticizes Democratic senator for defending membership to alleged all-white beach club
A British SAS member enters a building in Nairobi, Kenya, during a terrorist attack on January 15, 2019. KABIR DHANJI/AFP via Getty Images

A recent email revealed the names of British commandos, including members of the SAS's E Squadron.

E Squadron is a secretive British special-ops unit, tasked with high-risk operations overseas.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The British Ministry of Defense had an unusual security breach recently when an email containing the promotions of noncommissioned officers, some of whom serve in special-missions units, was accidentally distributed across the government.

Among the regular promotions of conventional troops were the names of commandos with the Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Special Reconnaissance Regiment, as well as the Special Forces Support Group.

Some of those named serve in an elite, classified outfit known as Special Air Service, E Squadron - or "the Increment."

A secret unit within a secret world, E Squadron works for the British intelligence services in high-risk operations overseas.

When special operations meets intelligence

Long Range Desert Group patrols during the North African campaign during World War II, 1940-1943. British Army/Lt. Graham

The British military is a pioneer in modern special-operations forces, creating the first modern units during World War II.

Since then, British special-operations units have led the way, establishing doctrine and tactics, techniques, and procedures that are now in common use across the world, including in the US.

The SAS, SBS, and SRR are the British military's three main Tier 1 units.

The first two focus on direct-action, counterterrorism, and hostage-rescue operations and are the British equivalents of the US's Delta Force and SEAL Team 6, with which the British units work closely and even exchange operators.

The SRR specializes in gathering human intelligence and signals intelligence and in the operational preparation of the battlefield.

The British Ministry of Defense is working on modernizing the country's special-operations units to reflect lessons learned from the past two decades of combat experience in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Africa.

Story continues

SAS troops during a weapons test at a secret location in August 1981. PA Images/Getty Images

Interestingly, the British are basing their modernization process on US special-operations forces and their evolution over the past 40 years. The teacher has slowly become the pupil.

But in some instances, intelligence services need the specialized skills and training of commandos. That is where E Squadron comes in.

The British intelligence apparatus is composed of three agencies.

The Secret Intelligence Service, known as "MI6," is the British equivalent of the CIA and specializes in foreign intelligence gathering and covert action.

The British also have the Security Service, better known as "MI5," that conducts domestic counterintelligence and is the equivalent of the FBI.

Finally, the Government Communications Headquarters, specializing in signals intelligence, is the equivalent of the NSA.

The Increment

MI6 headquarters in London in 2006. Reuters/Kieran Doherty

Although E Squadron's mission sets are classified, open-source information suggests that the unit provides manpower to MI6 operations abroad.

Their missions can include close-protection details, in which they act essentially as bodyguards, as well as extracting assets from, conducting special reconnaissance of, and supporting covert action in denied environments, such as Russia, Iran, China, or North Korea.

E Squadron operators work undercover, using aliases and backstories.

The British government played a big part in the campaign to overthrow the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Not only was MI6 deeply involved, but British special-operations units, including E Squadron operators, also saw limited action in the country while conducting special reconnaissance and close protection.

But an E Squadron mission was compromised in Libya, resulting in the capture of several SAS members, who were later released, and the embarrassment of the British government.

Although E Squadron recruited mainly from the SAS in the past, it targets candidates from across the British Tier 1 community, with SBS and SRR operators also joining the shadowy outfit.

Besides a special-missions-unit background, E Squadron recruits candidates based on their ethnic background, a reflection of the UK's colonial past and the fact that people from many foreign countries, such as Fiji, Malta, and Jamaica, can join the British armed forces.

Troops on the Fan Dance, a 24-kilometer march in the Brecon Beacons mountains of South Wales, as part of SAS selection in January 2018. Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images

The British military wields that openness as a strategic advantage. British citizens of Pakistani, Indian, Yemeni, Syrian, or Nigerian backgrounds can join and work their way up to the SAS, SBS, or SRR.

If they perform well in a demanding environment, completing several overseas deployments, and shine beyond the direct-action and counterterrorism aspects of the job - such as reliably working on their own to conduct low-visibility prep work - they can be assessed for service in E Squadron.

They would have to pass an additional selection and a demanding training course that would emphasize intelligence tradecraft more than additional special-operations skills.

"You don't know a lot about them. There's a veil of secrecy, and guys who end up there just disappear," a former SBS commando told Insider of E Squadron members.

"But honestly that also happens in the Regiment and in my own old unit and also at the SRR," the former commando added. "Guys who you might be close mates with will go on an assignment, and you won't know where they're or what they're doing. It's standard and part of the job. But it's on a completely different level" with E Squadron.

Maintaining the covert nature of the Increment's missions demands absolute secrecy, meaning an email flap could be a potential disaster for operational security, burning commandos and sidelining them from future operations abroad.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

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The Northern Ireland Protocol has angered Unionists who fear it is dividing the country from the UK - Reuters

Businesses are paying tariffs on EU goods sent to Northern Ireland via Britain because of the customs border in the Irish Sea created by a Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Companies have to pay more money to send the goods from Britain to Northern Ireland, even though they meet EU standards because they were made in Europe.

If the goods were exported directly from the EU they would not face the same red tape.

A government reimbursement scheme on tariffs paid on goods sold in Northern Ireland is not yet up and running, which risks causing additional cash flow problems for businesses.

The Northern Ireland Protocol keeps the country part of the EUs customs territory to prevent a hard border on the island.

Border checks are carried out on goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain to ensure they meet EU standards in case they cross into Ireland.

EU goods shipped from Britain are classified as at risk of entering Ireland. That means they cannot benefit from the UK-EU zero tariff trade deal or a waiver for British made goods.

Northern Irish businesses demanded action from London and the European Commission to spare firms burdensome administrative costs.

A new transit scheme allowing direct exports of goods from EU countries to Northern Ireland did not solve the problem, they said.

In many cases it is either impossible or impractical to alter this supply chain, said Stephen Kelly, CEO of the Manufacturing NI association.

Most UK distribution centres for EU goods are based on mainland Britain.

The definition of "at risk" goods is far too narrow to allow the flow of trade that Northern Ireland needs, said Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium.

We need both the EU and UK to get round the table and hammer out a pragmatic solution that removes paperwork, friction and removes the risk of tariffs, he said.

Some Northern Irish companies are now trying to source goods from Ireland to avoid the red tape, while some GB suppliers have stopped supplying Northern Ireland.

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Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, said on Tuesday the chilling effect on GB to NI trade was pretty strong in evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The whole concept of goods at risk was not properly worked through, he said before calling for pragmatism from the EU.

British sources said they had asked the European Commission to drop the requirement in recent talks with Brussels.

EU officials said that businesses had to adapt to the new transit scheme. The rules were in place to prevent the UK becoming a manufacturing hub for the EU by importing EU parts, modifying them and then exporting them tariff-free to the bloc as British goods.

The UK and EU are at odds over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which recently led to threats of a trade war over supplies of British sausages to the country.

Everyday some new issue comes to the fore, which shows that the Protocol is making life more complicated and more expensive in Northern Ireland, said Sammy Wilson, the DUPs Brexit spokesman.

The Government said it was committed to establishing the reimbursement scheme. Further guidance on this will follow shortly, a spokesman said.
The three Cambodian activists face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty

A court in Cambodia has charged three environmental activists with plotting against the government and insulting the king.

The members of the group Mother Nature were arrested after they documented waste run-off into Phnom Penh's Tonle Sap river.

Cambodia's law against insulting the king is relatively new and it is not clear how the activists have done so.

The three face between five and 10 years in prison.

The prosecution told the Reuters news agency that "the evidence collected by the police was an insult to the king" although they did not explain exactly how the law had been violated.

Critics have warned that the law - introduced in 2018 - is being used as a tool to silence dissent.

The activists are Sun Ratha, 26, Ly Chandaravuth, 22, and Yim Leanghy, 32, all members of activist group Mother Nature.

They were detained on 16 June while documenting waste discharge into the Tonle Sap river near the royal palace, according to the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

"The Cambodian government has relentlessly targeted Mother Nature Cambodia," Naly Pilorge, director of the rights group Licadho, told Reuters.

"This marks an escalation with the outrageous charges of 'plotting'."

Mother Nature founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, who was deported in 2015 after he criticised plans for a controversial dam, was charged in absentia.

Last month, three other campaigners linked to the group were sentenced to between 18 and 20 months in jail for organising a march against a lake in the capital being filled with sand.

The embassies of Sweden and the United States have both criticised the charges.

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"Very troubled to hear of the arrests of more environmental youth activists," US ambassador Patrick Murpy said. "Documenting pollution is a public service, not terrorism. We urge authorities to be responsive to its citizens, not to silence them.

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"The Cambodian government has stepped up its campaign to silence activists peacefully advocating to protect the environment," Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

"Foreign governments, the United Nations country team, and international donors should call on the Cambodian authorities to drop their absurd charges against the environmental activists and publicly condemn any further clampdown on peaceful activism."

"Cambodia's highly politicised courts mean that the environmental activists charged have no chance of getting a fair trial," he added.

It's not clear how the activists "insulted" Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni

Government spokesman Phay Siphan dismissed criticism of the charges, saying the government was simply applying the law.

Defendants should "find a good lawyer to challenge this issue in the courtroom instead of fabricating the news," he said.

Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy, with almost all power in the hands of Prime Minister Hun Sen who has run the country for decades.

The authoritarian government is known for cracking down harshly on criticism and dissent.

You might also like:

A photography guide in Cambodia teaches children English - for payment, he asks them to collect plastic rubbish, so they not only learn English but also a lesson about pollution.
We pray for him. This violence must stop, New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams shared on Twitter

A volunteer helping with a campaign supporting New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams was reportedly stabbed while canvassing in the field.

NYPD released a statement on Twitter sharing details about the incident and their search for the suspect. According to officials, the incident happened on Sunday at about 2:30 p.m. in front of 594 Morris Avenue in the Bronx.

The individual stabbed the male victim several times with a knife and fled the scene, accompanied by another male, NYPD shared.

Adams extended his prayers to the volunteer and commended his hard work in the campaign.

A member of Team Adams  who has been working hard & volunteering every day  was stabbed in the Bronx today @ 149th St & Morris Ave., Adams shared on Twitter. The police are investigating & hes in surgery. If you have any info, please call 800-577-TIPS. We pray for him. This violence must stop.

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Community members and fellow New Yorkers shared words of support and encouragement for the volunteer. Multiple candidates running to become the next mayor of New York City also extended their thoughts and well wishes.

My heart aches for your staffer and for all of Team Adams, and I wish him a full and speedy recovery. Every New Yorker deserves to be able to walk down the street without fear. Sending much love and healing light, New York City mayoral candidate Dianne Morales tweeted.

New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia wrote: Pained to hear this. Sending love to his family and thinking of the team and volunteers.

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, New York City mayoral candidate Shaun Donovan tweeted.

Former presidential candidate and New York City mayoral hopeful Andrew Yang said he was horrified by the news.

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My thoughts are with your volunteer, their family, and your entire team, Eric, Yang tweeted.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, whos running as a Democratic mayoral candidate, appears in Flushing, Queens to open a new campaign office on June 8, 2021. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Other groups also expressed similar sentiments.

This violence has no place in The Bronx or anywhere else. Our thoughts are with the volunteer and the entire team. Hoping for a full and speedy recovery, the Bronx Democratic Party stated.

NYPD Crime Stoppers is calling on anyone with information to come forward. The program offers cash rewards for anonymous information provided to the 1-800-577-TIPS hotline that leads to the arrest and indictment of a violent felon. This program is supported by New York City Police Foundation and focuses on solving high priority violent crimes.

According to their website, they have helped solve 1,548 murders and attempted murders along with 2,298 robberies.

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Anyone who submits a tip will be anonymous, which means police will not record the call or trace phone numbers. Those who submit tips will not have to make a statement to police or appear in court, according to Crime Stoppers.

Authorities are offering a reward of up to $3500 for information regarding the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call 1800-577-TIPS or send a direct message on Twitter to @NYPDTips.

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A woman charged with participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, which she later referred to as the "best day ever," told a federal court she has learned from reading the book "Just Mercy" and watching the movie "Schindler's List."

Anna Morgan-Lloyd will plead guilty to one of her charges related to the riot. Her attorney said she will plead in exchange for three years of probation, $500 in restitution and community service.

In a letter to the court, Morgan-Lloyd apologized for going to the Capitol. She denied participating in any of the destruction at the Capitol and said she was "shocked" when she later learned things had turned violent.

"I felt ashamed that something meant to show support for the President had turned violent. This is not the way to prove any point," she said. "At first it didnt dawn on me, but later I realized that if every person like me, who wasnt violent, was removed from that crowd, the ones who were violent may have lost the nerve to do what they did. For that I am sorry and take responsibility. It was never my intent to help empower people to act violently."

Lloyd wrote that she lived "a sheltered life" and said that her lawyer gave her a list of book and movie suggestions to help her "see what life is like for others in our country."

The 49-year-old said she read "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson and watched several movies including "Schindlers List" and "Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre" on the History Channel.

"Ive learned that even though we live in a wonderful country things still need to improve," she wrote. "People of all colors should feel as safe as I do to walk down the street."

Lloyd included summaries of "Just Mercy" and "Schindler's List" in her letter, noting that the movie "was very moving" and "hard to watch and hard to not watch."

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Morgan-Lloyd went to the Capitol with her friend Dona Bissey, according to a federal complaint. Bissey was also charged and her case is still pending.

Authorities said that Morgan-Lloyd appeared in several Facebook photos showing her inside the Capitol. In one post, Morgan-Lloyd allegedly wrote: Im here. Best day ever. We stormed the capitol building me and Dona Bissey were in the first 50 people in.

Morgan-Lloyd said in her letter to the court that she was invited to go to the Capitol "to show support for the President." She said that she and her friends entered the building because they wanted to keep safe a 74-year-old woman they had met.

"I made the decision to go up and Im responsible for that. No one made me go, I wasnt forced. When she entered the building, we went in to find her. Once again I could have chosen to stay outside," she wrote.

After taking a picture inside the Capitol, Morgan-Lloyd and her friends left, she wrote.

Morgan-Lloyd and her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Her sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Chicago police on Monday said investigators might have hints about who shot eight people, including five fatally, at a home in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side last week.

Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan didnt want to disclose too much about the investigation during a news conference at Chicago Police Department headquarters, but said detectives on the case were definitely moving forward in the right direction.

I dont want to give a lot of information on that because some of it is speculation, Deenihan said. But the detectives are investigating. They have basically a pretty good investigative plan and idea of who may have done the shooting inside (that) residence.

At about 5:45 a.m. June 15, two gunmen shot eight people in a house in the 6200 block of South Morgan Street, killing four immediately. A fifth victim died Saturday afternoon.

Seven of the victims were shot in the head, according to a police report that cited preliminary information.

Officers received a call of shots fired from the second-floor residents of the house. The officers entered the first-floor apartment of the house and found four people dead with gunshot wounds to the head.

They included 19-year-old Shermetria Williams, 28-year-old Ratanya Aryiel Rogers, 32-year-old Denice Niecy Mathis, and 35-year-old Blake Lee, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.

The fifth person to die, 25-year-old Briana Lawrence, had a young daughter, her father said last week outside the University of Chicago Medical Center where she was taken after the shooting.

That morning, Clifton Lawrence, 45, said he was about to go to work when he learned from family that Briana had been shot and that the killings had been on the news. Those involved in Chicagos violence needed to realize what they are doing, Lawrence said.

They dont have respect for the elders. I dont think they value life no more.  Theyre shooting kids, Lawrence said. Its got to come to an end.

He said Briana had been working at a seafood restaurant for about two or three months and was on the right path. But he acknowledged that young women like his daughter can be vulnerable depending on where they choose to spend time.

You cant go anywhere because the citys messed up, Lawrence said.
GENEVA (Reuters) - China and its allies called on Tuesday for an independent investigation into the discovery last month of the remains of more than 200 indigenous children at a Canadian boarding school.

The remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were found in British Colombia at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children, a discovery Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as heartbreaking.

"We call for a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases where crimes were committed against the indigenous people, especially children, so as to bring those responsible to justice, and offer full remedy to victims," Jiang Duan, a senior official at China's mission to the U.N. in Geneva, told the Human Rights Council.

He read the statement out on behalf of countries including Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela. Canada later delivered a joint statement on behalf of more than 40 countries calling for access to China's Xinjiang region to look into alleged mass detention of Uyghur Muslims.

Canada's residential school system, which forcibly separated indigenous children from their families, constituted "cultural genocide," a six-year investigation into the now-defunct system found in 2015.

Leslie Norton, Canada's ambassador, told the council that what happened at the Kamloops school was "neither an exception nor an isolated incident" and that indigenous children had suffered severe injustices and mistreatment over decades.

"As Prime Minister Trudeau recently stated, we also acknowledge that indigenous people still face systemic racism, discrimination and injustices," she said, adding that it was addressing issues and supporting communities.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Canada has led more than 40 countries in expressing serious concerns over Beijings repressive actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet, prompting a furious response from Beijing over Canadas colonial history.

The exchange at the UN human rights council on Tuesday marks the latest downturn in relations between Canada and China, which have deteriorated steadily as the two countries clash over human rights, trade and allegations of hostage diplomacy.

Canada urged China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access so independent observers can visit its western Xinjiang region, where UN experts say nearly a million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have been detained in camps.

Related: Chinas Uyghurs living in a dystopian hellscape, says Amnesty report

We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Canadas ambassador Leslie Norton said Tuesday. The joint statement  backed by Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the US  cited reports of torture or cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilization, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children from their parents.

China pre-empted the statement by attacking Canadas colonial past  a move that reflected growing frustration over scrutiny of its Xinjiang policies, and its increasingly tense relationship with Canada.

Citing the recent discovery of what are believed to be the unmarked graves of 215 children at the site of a former residential school, Jiang Duan, a senior official at Chinas mission to the UN in Geneva, called for a thorough and impartial investigation into Canadas historical treatment of Indigenous peoples and compensation for victims.

Jiangs statement was read out on behalf of Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela, all of which have been accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses.

Historically, Canada robbed the Indigenous people of their land, killed them, and eradicated their culture, the statement said.

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Justin Trudeau said that Canada continued to have a deeply fractured relationship with Indigenous peoples  but he argued that Canada had taken steps to acknowledge past injustices.

In Canada, we had a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Where is Chinas Truth and Reconciliation Commission? said Trudeau. Where is [Chinas] truth?

The commission concluded in 2015 that Canada had pursued a police of cultural genocide towards Indigenous people and recommended a string of actions to repair the damage. Seven years later, a majority of the commissions 94 calls to action have gone unanswered.

In recent months, western countries have become increasingly bold in their criticism of Chinas treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. China denies mistreating the Uyghurs, saying the government is simply running vocational training centres aimed at countering extremism.

In February, Canadian parliament passed a motion declaring that Chinas abuse of Muslim minorities constituted genocide. The British, Dutch and Lithuanian parliaments have all passed similar motions, and two successive American presidents have called the Chinese action a genocide.

China is not recognizing there is even a problem. That is a pretty fundamental difference, said Trudeau. Where is the openness that Canada has always shown and the responsibility that Canada has taken for the terrible mistakes of the past  many of which continue into the present?

Related: China stepping up use of secret detention without trial, report warns

Relations between China and Canada have remained tense for more than two years since the arrest on a US warrant of Huaweis Meng Wanzhou in December 2018. Within days, two Canadian citizens  Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor  were detained in China. In March, the men were subjected to secret court trials after more than two years in jail. Canada has described the mens detention as hostage diplomacy.

Chinas attacks on Canadas colonial legacy mirror a similar strategy against the United States earlier this year, after calls for boycotts of Xinjiang cotton put China on the defensive amid accusations of forced labour.

Using historical photos of cotton fields in the American south, the foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters in January that the United States had a far worse human rights record.

Here is a picture of black slaves being forced to work in cotton fields in the US, said Hua. Here is another picture of cotton fields in Chinas Xinjiang where more than 70% of the cotton is picked with machines. There is never forced labor in picking cotton in Xinjiang.

Stephanie Carvin, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa, said the Chinese response followed a tried and tested formula.

This what-about-ism is an authoritarian reflex, she said. And its not new. Canada faced criticism over its treatment over Indigenous people from the Soviet Union during the cold war. But its also important to recognize it for what it is- a strategy to deflect from meaningful criticism, which, in this case, is the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
(Bloomberg) -- Colonial Pipeline Co. was sued by a gas station seeking to represent thousands more over the ransomware attack in May that paralyzed the U.S. East Coasts flow of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

EZ Mart 1 LLC, a two-pump station in Wilmington, North Carolina, buys its fuel from a distributor supplied by Colonial, according to a complaint filed Monday in federal court in Georgia. Colonials headquarters, in Alpharetta, is the site of the control center where the electronic ransom note was discovered, EZ Mart says in the lawsuit, in which it seeks to represent more than 11,000 gas stations and asks for unspecified monetary damages.

The hack occurred despite advance knowledge and warnings, and in the lead-up to the attack Colonial repeatedly ignored and rejected efforts by the applicable regulatory agency to meet with it so as to check on its cybersecurity, EZ Mart alleges.

A spokesperson for Colonial said the company doesnt comment on pending litigation but worked around the clock to safely restart our pipeline system following the cyberattack against our company.

Read More: Hackers Breached Colonial Pipeline Using Compromised Password

Hackers gained entry to Colonials networks on April 29 through a virtual private network account, or VPN, through which employees could remotely access the companys computer network, a cybersecurity official who responded to the attack has said. The VPN account, which has since been deactivated, didnt use multifactor authentication, a basic cybersecurity tool, so the hackers could breach the network using just a compromised username and password. It isnt clear how they came up with the right credentials.

The hack affected 45% of the East Coasts fuel supply, driving up gasoline prices and sparking shortages at filling stations after the company shut down the roughly 5,500-mile pipeline on May 7.

Colonial had no plan in place for ransomware attacks and had left up a legacy VPN system without shutting off logins and passwords for old employees, which its own experts called a basic failure, the gas station alleges.

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While apologizing for the massive disruption, Colonials chief executive officer, Joseph Blount Jr., has defended the companys response, including his decision to pay the hackers -- an affiliate of a Russia-linked cybercrime group known as DarkSide -- $4.4 million in ransom.

I believe with all my heart it was the right choice to make, Blount told U.S. lawmakers this month. In a hearing on Capitol Hill, they criticized Colonials cybersecurity practices, asking Blount why the company hadnt hardened its systems before an attack occurred.

Read More: Colonial CEO Defends Hack Response and Offers Lessons Learned

In addition to the Colonial hack, Russia-linked criminal gangs have recently been blamed for a ransomware attack against meat supplier JBS SA, which disrupted operations in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

President Joe Biden last week said after a summit in Geneva that he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against further cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure. In the lawsuit, EZ Mart claims it has been clear for years that the sector is especially vulnerable to both conventional and cyber criminals. The complaint details a history of such warnings and attacks.

The case is EZ Mart 1 LLC v. Colonial Pipeline Co., 21-cv-2522, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta).

Read More: Colonial Pipeline Paid Hackers Nearly $5 Million in Ransom

(Adds comment from Colonial in fourth paragraph.)

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Shane Fuhrman, the mayor of Silverton, Colorado, announced at a trustee meeting last week that the Pledge of Allegiance will be suspended due to "direct and indirect threats," which prompted at least one trustee to challenge his ruling before attendees recited the pledge anyway.

KDVR reported that Fuhrman said he made the decision based on inappropriate comments "in and out of public meetings and general divisiveness and issues created in our community."

One of the trustees challenged him and called out his "unilateral" decision. He downplayed her concerns and told her to find out where it is written that says he cannot make such a ruling, at which point he would "welcome that discussion at our next meeting."

Fuhrman did not immediately respond to an email from Fox News or our affiliate.

A CBS Denver aired a video of the meeting that showed attendees stand up and recite the pledge, which prompted Fuhrman to say they were out of order.

"To tell members of the public they are not allowed to say the Pledge of Allegiance during public comment and threaten to have them removed that it was one strike in youre out policy violates every single one of their first amendment rights," Molly Barela, the trustee who confronted Fuhrman, told KDVR.
Former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy set numerous school records throughout his four-year collegiate career with the Longhorns.

Needless to say, he knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a productive quarterback under this type of spotlight. Hes also familiar with quarterback competitions. McCoy was amid a position battle himself with four-star recruit Jevan Snead once Vince Young departed to the NFL.

First-year head coach Steve Sarkisian has a tough decision to make when it comes to choosing Sam Ehlingers successor. Hudson Card and Casey Thompson were each highly rated prospects out of high school and the competition is close enough that it likely wont be settled until shortly before the season opener against Louisiana.

When McCoy joined Austins The Horn-FM with Horns247s Jeff Howe, he offered advice to the young signal-callers as they prepare to battle each other throughout fall camp.

Listen, this is a big job. Lots of eyes on you. I would just lock in and appreciate the fact that I have an opportunity to compete for a job here a UT. Give it all you have and let everything else separate itself.

Although McCoy wasnt ready to tab either Card or Thompson as the favorite to win the job, he mentioned that Texas is in great hands with either one of them.

I think Casey has done a lot of great things. Played well in the bowl game last year. Hes got some tape. That definitely helps. I think Hudson throws the ball great. You come out of [Lake Travis High School] highly recruited. I think were gonna be good with either one of those guys. I dont have any skin in the game here and Ive only been to one practice.

Overall, McCoy appears to be confident in Sarkisians decision-making and reiterated that it helps the team when you have two talented players battling it out for the starting role.

Im just excited that, when theres a competition at that position and both those guys are very good, it helps the team. Let that play out like its supposed to. Thats the way Sarkisians doing it. Im not gonna name somebody right now. Im gonna naturally let it happen. Because its gonna separate itself at some point.

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Neither Card or Thompson separated from the other throughout the Orange-White spring game in April. However, there was an interesting nugget that could serve as a potential clue as to why Card may be the favorite to win the job.

Tight ends/special teams coordinator Jeff Banks had his starting quarterbacks be the field goal holder while at Alabama. Tua Tagovaiola held for Joseph Bulovas during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, while Mac Jones held for Will Reichard last season. For Texas, regardless of whether it was the Orange or White team attempting a field goal, Card would rush on the field to be the holder.

Regardless, the battle is far from over and will come down to which quarterback is more consistent throughout fall camp. With how talented Thompson and Card each are, its a great problem for Texas to have.
Former President Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., in 2010. (Washington Post via Getty Images)

Joe Biden was the first U.S. senator to endorse Jimmy Carter for president in 1976. Now, as his presidency gets underway in earnest, Biden could do worse than emulate his old friend.

Not Carter the politician, but Carter the president.

When it came to politics, Carter could be ruthless. Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson wrote that he thought the Georgian was one of the meanest men he had ever met. Thompson meant that Carter was willing to do whatever it took to get elected.

During his 1970 gubernatorial race, for instance, Carter presented himself as a populist, appealing to both white voters and Black. But he was perfectly willing to send deft dog whistles of support to rural poor whites who were abandoning public schools for all-white private academies. Then, on the day of his inauguration as governor he shocked those same white people by bluntly proclaiming that the time for racial discrimination in Georgia is over.

In 1974, when he was quietly beginning to launch his improbable campaign for president, he gave a speech in the presence of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy  at the time, his chief rival  in which he made it clear that he could hold his own against the heir to Camelot. Carter cut him down that day, observed the writer Garry Wills, deftly, politely, but unmistakably. Kennedy decided not to run in 1976.

Forty years after he left the Oval Office, most Americans associate this most enigmatic of our presidents with his humanitarian projects on behalf of Habitat for Humanity or his efforts to wipe out Guinea worm disease in Africa. Pundits quip that he is the only ex-president to have used the White House as a steppingstone to more worthy achievements. We dont think of him as a shrewd, pragmatic or ruthless politician.

This is a mistake. Carter had an uncanny political sense, meaning that he knew exactly what voters wanted to hear. He proved this by the fact that he got himself elected president as a liberal Southern white man.

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But heres what was unusual about him. Once he took office as president, he repeatedly told his aides that he didnt want to hear their arguments about what was politically expedient. Instead, he was determined as president to use his brain and his judgment to figure out what was the right thing to do  and do it, regardless of the political consequences. In office, Carter thought politics was sinful, said his vice president, the late Walter Mondale. The worst thing you could say to Carter if you wanted him to do something was that it was politically the best thing to do.

Despite his aversion to political machinations  such as cutting deals with smarmy congressmen  Carter was an effective and extraordinarily productive president. He deregulated the airline industry, making it possible for middle-class Americans to fly. He forced the auto companies to accept mandatory seat-belt regulations and air-bag technology, thus saving at least 9,000 lives annually. He transformed the judiciary, appointing more African Americans and Latinos to the federal bench than all his predecessors combined. He added millions of acres to Americas wilderness preserves.

In foreign affairs, he secured Senate ratification of the Panama Canal Treaty, negotiated a SALT II arms-control agreement with the Soviet Union and personally brokered the Camp David accords. The principle of human rights became a cornerstone of Americas foreign policy. He shrugged off Cold War shibboleths, shocking the pundit class by proclaiming: Being confident of our own future, we are now free of that inordinate fear of communism which once led us to embrace any dictator who joined us in our fear.

But Carters achievements came with enormous political costs. Seven Democratic senators lost their reelection bids thanks to their votes for the Panama Canal Treaty. Big Oil and the Detroit auto industry defeated his bid for a windfall profits tax and heavily funded his Republican challenger, Ronald Reagan, in 1980. Trade unions opposed his deregulation of airlines, trucking and railroads  and in 1980, he won only a small plurality of voters in trade union households.

A self-described born-again Christian, Carter won the evangelical vote in 1976  but lost it in 1980, largely because he revoked the tax-exempt status of all-white Christian schools. In 1980, he became the only modern Democrat to lose a majority of the Jewish vote, because he had pushed the Israelis so hard to stop building settlements in the West Bank.

Though he was from Georgia, he lost two-thirds of the voters from the former Confederacy when he ran for a second term.

Here is the paradox of Jimmy Carter: He was a ruthless politician who knew how to win power, but having captured the presidency, he felt unshackled and free to do only what was right by his personal judgment. In this he was guided philosophically by Reinhold Niebuhr, his favorite theologian, whose book On Politics was his own personal political bible. A realist and skeptic about human nature, Niebuhr argued that those privileged enough to wield political power had a responsibility to use their power on behalf of justice. Carter frequently quoted Niebuhrs injunction that it is the sad duty of politics to establish justice in a sinful world. He became a Niebuhrian Southern Baptist  a rather singular church of one devotee.

For Carter, who is 96 years old today and living, as always, in Plains, Ga., doing the right thing was the only justification for his raging political ambitions.

Righteousness was both the key to his success and his greatest weakness. It explains his accomplishments but also why he was not reelected. And while he hated to lose, he had no doubt that he had done the right thing.

He was a most unusual president, one not emulated by any of his successors. Look at any of the images of all the ex-presidents standing together. Carter is always off to one side, ever so slightly social-distanced. The images suggest a certain distrust; they are uneasy in his presence, suspecting that he is standing in judgment. He is not one of them; he is the outlier.

Joe Biden, though, has a long-standing friendship with Carter and made a pilgrimage to Plains during the 2020 campaign. Whether that means he sees Carter as a president to emulate is something well have to wait to find out.

Kai Bird is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, the director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography at CUNY and the author of The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed a bill on Tuesday legalizing the use and sale of marijuana for adults 21 and older.

Why it matters: Connecticut is now the 19th state in the country, along with the District of Columbia, to legalize marijuana for non-medical use.

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Five states have voted to legalize marijuana legislatively this year alone.

South Dakota also voted to legalize marijuana in a ballot measure in November, but it's currently being challenged in court.

Details: Starting July 1, residents 21 years old or older across Connecticut will be allowed to possess 1.5 ounces of marijuana on their person and five ounces in their home or vehicle's glove box or trunk.

The commercial sale of cannabis in the state will not start until May 2022.

What they're saying: This legislation recognizes that the responsible use of marijuana by adults should not be a crime, and that those who carry the stigma of a criminal record for their past use of cannabis should receive relief," said Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

"Regulating cannabis, rather than criminalizing it, has proven to be a superior public policy  which is why more and more states are rapidly moving in this direction," Armentano added.

Go deeper: Potency limits are the next frontier in marijuana debate

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In recent days, right-wing grievance factories Fox News, Breitbart, and the New York Post have published stories aimed at pop superstar Billie Eilish, with the latter writing, Despite being a new darling of the left for her vocal opposition to former President Donald Trump, Grammy-winning pop sensation Billie Eilish finds herself in the midst of a race scandal after video emerged on social media appearing to show the star mocking Asians, including using a racial slur against people of Chinese descent. The Post even branded her a lost causea nod to her recent single.

The drama all began when a TikTok user who goes by Lena posted a heavily edited mash-up video to the social media site featuring one clip of Eilish appearing to mimic an Asian accent and another of her using the world chink while singing along to a song. Lenas post was viewed more than 187,000 times and accompanied by the hashtag #billieeilishcancelled. Even though users werent privy to the full context of the videos, or exactly when Eilishwho is 19made the errors in judgment, the online outrage brigade echoed Lenas hasty attempt to cancel Eilish, flooding the teens mentions on all her social channels. Their efforts were amplified by right-wing media, even though they decry so-called cancel culture daily.

Billie Eilish, Lorde and the Push for Women Pop Stars to Constantly Reinvent Themselves

On Monday night, Eilish issued an apology on her Instagram Storyand lent some context to the viral video compilation:

i love you guys, and many of you have been asking me to address this. and this is something that i WANT to address because im being labeled something that i am not. theres a video edit going around of me when i was 13 or 14 where i mouthed a word from a song that at the time i didnt know was a derogatory term used against members of the asian community. i am appalled and embarrassed and want to barf that i ever mouthed along to that word. this song was the only time id ever heard that word as it was never used around me by anyone in my family. regardless of my ignorance and age at the time, nothing excuses the fact is that it was hurtful. and for that i am sorry. the other video in that edited clip is me speaking in a silly gibberish made up voice something that i started doing as a kid and have done my whole life when talking to my pets, friends, and family. it is absolutely gibberish and just me goofing around, and is in NO way an imitation of anyone or any language, accent, or culture in the SLIGHTEST. anyone who knows me has seen me goofing around with voices my whole life. regardless of how it was interpreted i did not mean for any of my actions to have caused hurt to others and it absolutely breaks my heart that it is being labeled now in a way that might cause pain to people hearing it. i not only believe in, but have always worked hard to use my platform to fight for inclusion, kindness, tolerance, equity and quality. we all need to continue having conversations, listening and learning. i hear you and i love you. thank you for taking the time to read this.

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Instagram

Now, speaking as a half-Asian dude (my mother is Korean American), while Eilishs gibberish excuse leaves much to be desired, the broader point here is that no one should be canceled over selectively edited clips of them caricaturing an accent or unwittingly uttering a slur when they were 13 or 14 years old, because then youd have to cancel damn near everyone. Do you remember how unlearned, simpleminded, and reckless you were at 13? Youre supposed to fuck up at that age, because its the only way to learn. But unlike prior generations, kids these days document these youthful fuckups via smartphone video and social media, thereby producing damning artifacts for future generations to dig up and, given the sheer speed of culture in the age of social media, recontextualize and reinterpret.

Im reminded of a similar incident involving Eilishs idol, Justin Bieber. In 2014, a clip surfaced of the pop star as a young teen using the N-word as the punchline to a racist joke. Bieber immediately issued an apology, writing, Im very sorry. I take my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable mistake.

Then, in late 2019, he posted the message STAND AGAINST RACISM to his millions of Instagram followers, along with the caption: When I was young I was uneducated and found myself saying really hurtful things not knowing the power of my words. Racism Is still very prevalent and I want to use my voice to remind we are all human being and all of EQUAL VALUE BEFORE GOD!

Eilish has clearly evolved well past the child in the TikTok videos, regularly using her platforms to speak out against racism and bigotry in its various forms. Those who failor outright refuseto progress as people are the problem, not a 19-year-old whos shown that shes willing to do the work. Conservative publications that carry water for a certain hateful reality-TV host should take note.

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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill Friday that would have allowed state residents to carry guns at places of worship that share property with private K-12 schools.

Cooper said the measure would jeopardize the safety of teachers and students.

"For the safety of students and teachers, North Carolina should keep guns off school grounds," Cooper said.

It is legal for licensed handgun owners to carry guns in places of worship but not on school property. Senate Bill 43 would have allowed concealed carry permit holders and people exempt from permits to protect themselves during worship but not during school activities or other activities involving minors. It would not have applied to properties that ban guns.

More than 530 churches have schools in North Carolina, one of the bill's backers, Rep. Jeffrey McNeely, R-Iredell, said.

The House approved the measure, with a veto-proof margin, 70-38, and the Senate approved the measure, 30-19.

Republicans said the change in the law would give worshippers the ability to protect themselves from deadly attacks.

"North Carolina must always be steadfast in protecting our Second Amendment rights and our religious liberty," House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said in a statement.

Democrats argued that churches could hire security or call on law enforcement for more protection instead of risking additional tragedy from misfires.

Proponents of the measure argue additional security could be costly for places of worship. Cooper also vetoed legislation last year that would have expanded the right to worshippers.

The North Carolina Council of Churches sent a letter to lawmakers opposing similar legislation. More than 132 church leaders from across the state signed the letter. They said it could create more tragedies at churches, arguing it could lead to accidents and "chaotic shootouts."

SB 43 also would have allowed concealed handgun permit holders who are employed by a law enforcement agency but not are sworn officers to carry a handgun into a law enforcement agency.

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Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Roy Cooper, North Carolina, Gun Control, State

Original Author: Nyamekye Daniel, The Center Square

Original Location: Cooper vetoes gun rights expansion in religious places
Jun. 21A Miami Twp. police officer fired two years ago should be reinstated with lost wages and benefits, an appeals court has ruled.

A Montgomery County Common Pleas Court judge's ruling on an arbitrator's decision to reinstate Doug Hesler has been upheld, records show.

The township's board of trustees appealed the county court's denial of an application "to vacate an arbitration award that sustained a grievance regarding" the termination of Hesler, a union leader, according to a summary of the Friday ruling by the 2nd District Court of Appeals in Dayton.

Arbitrator Jenifer Flesher ruled in Hesler's favor after trustees voted in 2019 to terminate his employment. Trustees filed in county court appealing Flesher's decision.

Hesler was dismissed from the police department in May 2019 after a trustees' unanimous vote, records show.

In recommending Hesler's termination, Miami Twp. Police Chief Charlie Stiegelmeyer noted the veteran officer's violation of the department's recording policy, its code of conduct and core values, according to township documents.

His termination followed a claim by a department supervisor "that Hesler was being untruthful," Friday's ruling by appellate Judge Michael Tucker states.

The appeals ruling upholds a December 2020 decision by county Judge Timothy O'Connell. O'Connell ordered the township "to immediately offer reinstatement" to Hesler.

"The court orders Defendant, Hesler, to be paid all lost wages and benefits with seniority restored, less any wages and benefits earned as a result of being employed elsewhere during the time period from May 21, 2019 until his date of return to employment," O'Connell wrote.

The Dayton Daily News reached out to Miami Twp. regarding the appeals court ruling, but officials did not respond by Monday's deadline.

Hesler's attorney, Stephen Lazarus, said "I think we're pleased that Doug's going to get back to work (with Miami Twp.) and we're sorry that this took so long to get resolved."

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He has not yet been reinstated by Miami Twp., Lazarus said Monday afternoon.

Hesler was hired as a police officer in July 2019 by Perry Twp., Lazarus said. But "but he's not making the money he was in Miami Twp.," he said.

Lazarus said the township could appeal the case to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Jun. 21Decatur police on Sunday issued a capital murder warrant after the shooting death of a Huntsville man and are searching for the suspect.

Officers responded at 8:26 Sunday morning to Executive House Apartments on Sandlin Road Southwest in Decatur and found Viet Truong, 44, dead of an apparent gunshot wound.

Police are searching for Mark Anthony Stephens Jr., 19, on a capital murder warrant.

Police are seeking help from the public, but warned that Stephens should not be approached as he may be armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information should contact Detective Joshua Daniell at 256-341-4644 or jdaniell@decatur-al-gov.
Democrats plan to introduce legislation in the House and Senate on Tuesday to combat new laws in Republican-run states that could lead to the subversion of fair elections by partisan officials.

The new bills come in response to measures passed by Republican-majority state legislatures and signed into law by Republican governors that make it easier for partisan legislatures to purge state election boards and local election supervisors and replace them without cause with partisan officials. These state laws follow former President Donald Trumps pressure campaign against state and local election officials to overturn his 2020 reelection loss based on false claims of widespread voter fraud.

The anti-election bills will institute a new federal safeguard for local election supervisors or superintendents by forbidding their removal by partisan state election boards or legislatures for any reason other than for cause. Recent election subversion laws enacted at the state level by Republicans have allowed removal for no reason at all. The new measures introduced by Democrats will also provide a for cause standard.

Local and county election officials subject to removal by a state election board or other entity will also be allowed under the Democratic bill to move that process to a federal court.

The bills will also make it a federal crime to intimidate, threaten, coerce or harass election workers, or to attempt to do so. They will also require poll observers to maintain a minimum distance from any voter or ballot during early voting and on an election day.

This push to counter election subversion comes alongside the efforts by congressional Democrats to pass the For the People Act, a sweeping package of voting rights, campaign finance, redistricting and ethics reforms, also known as H.R. 1. The For the People Act, which passed the House in May, faces its first test in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon when it is expected to face a Republican filibuster.

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The election subversion bills are being introduced as standalone legislation by Reps. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) and Colin Allred (D-Texas) in the House and Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in the Senate. The intention is to make these bills part of the For the People Act in an amendment when the bill is brought to the Senate floor again.

Election challengers demand to enter to observe absentee ballot counting after the 2020 general election in Detroit on Nov. 4. One of the Democratic measures would provide a minimum distance between a poll observer and any voter or ballot. (Photo: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Republicans across the country continue to invent new tricks to give themselves control over our elections, Williams said in a statement. Their latest efforts seek to remove protections for the non-partisan election officials who ensure the integrity of our democracy. Protecting election officials from partisan interference is one way Congress can secure free and fair elections for everyone, no matter their zip code. I am proud to co-lead this bill with House and Senate leaders because it shows that Congress is ready to respond in real time to any threat to our democracy. As we continue to strengthen H.R. 1, this will not be the last discussion we have about how to prevent further attempts to subvert our elections.

The anti-election subversion bills come as state-level Republicans are using their newfound powers to remove local election officials for no stated cause. Of the 10 local officials removed so far in Georgia, five are Black and most are Democrats, according to The New York Times. They are all likely to be replaced by Republicans. States including Arizona and Texas are considering similar election subversion legislation.

The officials being removed are in charge of selecting precinct locations; notifying voters of these locations, election times and rules; setting early voting hours; and, most important, certifying elections. Partisans installed into these positions could limit polling locations, place them in inconvenient locations, limit early voting hours and days, fail to notify voters of their precinct locations and, as Trump wanted in 2020, refuse to certify an election result.

This risk of election subversion by partisan officials emerged as a new threat after the 2020 elections when Trump and the Republican Party tried to overturn the result. Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find enough votes to overturn Georgias election result. Raffensperger refused. The Republican state legislature responded by stripping him of his election oversight authority, and Trump endorsed a primary challenger who had supported overturning the 2020 election for him.

In Michigan, two local Republican election officials nearly refused to certify the election results in Wayne County, the home of Detroit. These officials were white and the county is predominantly Black. They certified the election after pressure from local voters.

These efforts to overturn the election eventually snowballed into the Jan. 6 insurrection Trump led against Congress to try to stop it from certifying President Joe Bidens 306-232 win in the Electoral College.

CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article said Biden won the electoral vote by 303 to 232. He won 306 Electoral College votes.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Talks to form a new Dutch government were postponed until mid-August on Tuesday, as conservative caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the leader of the second-largest party began writing a draft coalition pact.

Rutte and Sigrid Kaag, the leader of the centre-left D-66, are expected to put together a framework for the country's COVID-19 recovery and climate policies and will then seek support from at least two other parties to achieve a majority in parliament.

Rutte, one of Europe's longest-serving prime ministers, had hoped to quickly embark on his fourth term in office after his VVD Party won national elections in March with 24% of the vote.

But his position came under scrutiny days later after he was accused of lying over remarks made during talks to form a cabinet.

A patchwork political landscape means Rutte may fail to garner the parliamentary support he needs.

The likely third party in his coalition, the Christian Democrats, have also lost one seat since the election with influential lawmaker Pieter Omtzigt leaving the party to sit as an independent.

The record time taken for a Dutch government to be formed after an election is 225 days, for Rutte's previous cabinet.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling)
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The U.S. Department of Education plans to make the needs of students with disabilities a higher priority when schools fully reopen in the fall, Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten said Tuesday during a virtual summit focusing on equity.

The department is preparing a document, coming later this summer, that will address some of the most pressing needs and the concerns elevated by families, advocates and educators to provide clarity and direction and attention to this community, Marten said during the event.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, districts across the country have faced lawsuits and angry parents complaining that students with disabilities missed many of the services they were entitled to receive while schools were closed.

But some districts prioritized students with disabilities in reopening efforts. Rosemarie Eller, school board president in the White Plains Public Schools in New York  one of several educators featured during the panel discussions  described how her district held in-person school for students with disabilities as much as possible this year to maintain the continuity of their educational experience. Leaders held coffee talks with parents so they could become better acquainted with administrators and develop trust.

Denise Stile Marshall, CEO of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, called Martens announcement welcome news. The advocacy group, she said, has asked the department to provide schools with information on how to ensure students receive a free and appropriate education under the law even if a parent continues to opt for remote learning.

Related: Parents (and Lawyers) Say Distance Learning Failed Too Many Special Education Students. As Fall Approaches, Families Wonder If Their Children Will Lose Another School Year

The two-hour event, expected to be one in a series focused on equity, comes as educators continue to confront the uneven impact of the pandemic and school closures on students. Recent test results in Houston, for example, show a sharp decline in Algebra I scores among on Black, Hispanic and low-income students, and hospitals have seen an increase in girls needing mental health services. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, however, said in recorded remarks that he wants equity to be more than a passing buzzword. Hes drawing attention to students that have long felt marginalized in public schools, and shared a video last week of a conversation with his transgender cousin.

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A lot of times, school for these kids, its an escape for them, said Alex Cardona. And having to escape to somewhere thats also unsupportive just doesnt help anyone.

In the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, a district prominently featured during the event, counselors and other student service professionals are trained to understand the needs of LGBTQ students and know where they can refer students and their families for support, explained Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. The district has a central office specialist who leads that work.

It is 100 percent our responsibility to see our students, to recognize them, to value them, added Olivia Carter, a counselor at Jefferson Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and the 2021 School Counselor of the Year. Its our responsibility to humanize students.

That includes helping students come to school with clean clothes, said Alejandro Diasgranados, who teaches fourth and fifth grade at Alton Elementary in Washington, D.C. and led efforts to provide an on-site laundry facility for students to reduce absenteeism. He agreed with Marten that the condition of school facilities is an important equity issue.

My students have seen the differences between our school and more affluent schools across town  things like other schools have turf fields and schools without bars on windows, said Diasgranados, one of four finalists for 2021 Teacher of the Year.

President Joe Biden has proposed spending $100 million for K-12 school construction and upgrades as part of his infrastructure plan, but if the administration reaches a compromise deal with Republicans, that plan is unlikely to be included.

Diasgranados said he is especially focused on recruiting more educators of color.

Teacher diversity is teacher quality, he said, but added that in addition to providing mentorships, its important that black educators arent forced into disciplinary roles, which can contribute to high turnover.

Related: Four Finalists for Teacher of the Year Answer the Question: Whats it Like to Lead Classes During the Worst Year Ever?

The event included student performances and one student panelist. Rina Stanghellini, part of the White Plains district, said its important for students to see reflections of their culture in the curriculum in the early grades.

I didnt get to read books about Asian American characters in culture by Asian American authors until I got to high school, she said.

Shantel Meek, who leads the Childrens Equity Project at Arizona State University, said following the summit that the speakers could have given more attention to early-childhood education. While Miami-Dade officials talked about how the district uses Title I funds to expand the states half-day pre-K program to a full day, Meek said equity issues in K-12, such as facilities, mental health services and workforce diversity, apply to the early years as well.

Often early ed gets seen as an equity intervention in itself, when in reality it is a system of its own with many of the same challenges as K-12, she said.

Some parents noted that this was the second virtual summit the secretary has held without representation from parents. The reopening event the department held in March included student voices, but not those of parents.

All this discussion about reforming education needs to be meaningful and include parents in the consultation process, said Eileen Chollet, a parent whose daughter attends Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia.

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Eight people were apprehended after trespassing during a climate change protest outside of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's home on Monday.

At around 11 a.m., a group of roughly 60-70 people arrived at the sidewalk near the Republican's residence. Some made their way into Cruz's private property despite "multiple warnings" and an "ample amount of opportunities" to leave the area, Assistant Chief Ban Tien of the Houston Police Department said. Officers reportedly spent "over an hour trying to negotiate" with the small group that disobeyed orders; however, the incident resulted in them behind bars.

The large majority of the group [were] extremely peaceful [and] out there expressing their First Amendment rights [to] protest against climate change," Tien said. "Unfortunately, there was a small group who [were] actually committing trespassing into private property in front of the senators residence.

SOCIAL MEDIA MOCKS PRESS FOR FOLLOWING TED CRUZ'S FAMILY IN CANCUN DESPITE SENATOR RETURNING TO TEXAS

The Houston Police Department support[s] First Amendment rights, support[s] public assembly, but it has to be done in a safe manner, and it has to be done within the confines and the scope of the laws," he added.

Erin Douglas, a reporter for the Texas Tribune, photographed the scene and said the demonstrators were there to demand President Joe Biden to halt negotiations with GOP leaders and pass New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's civilian climate corps plan, which aims to employ millions to battle wildfires and address other aspects of global warming.

The protest outside Cruz's home was reportedly the last leg of a 40-day climate march that began in New Orleans, Douglas said.

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The Washington Examiner contacted Cruz's office.

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Tags: News, Ted Cruz, Texas, Houston, Climate Change, Protests, Energy and Environment, Law Enforcement, Crime, Congress

Original Author: Jake Dima

Original Location: Eight arrested following climate change protest outside Ted Cruz's Texas home
El Salvador's Supreme Court on Monday ordered the attorney general's office to investigate the forced disappearance of three people during the 12-year civil war (1980-1992) and to punish those responsible.

The decision by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court came after a writ of habeas corpus was filed in November 2017 by a plaintiff "against the actions of members" of the now-defunct National Police (PN) and the Armed Forces.

The missing include the brother, father and mother of the plaintiff, who was not identified but who asked that the whereabouts of their relatives and what happened around them be investigated.

"It is declared that the plaintiff's relatives were victims of forced disappearance, committed by members of the (defunct) National Police and the Armed Forces," the court said.

It ordered the attorney general, Rodolfo Delgado, to "launch a criminal investigation of the forced disappearance" of the three and to "determine the material situation of the victims and to charge, judge and punish those who are responsible."

On May 15, 1982, men in civilian clothes detained the plaintiff's brother in the southern part of the capital San Salvador. He was loaded into a truck and allegedly taken to the National Police headquarters, a witness told the family, according to the lawsuit.

The witness "was also disappeared" a few days later. Two days after the disappearance of the brother, his father and mother were also disappeared as part of a police and military operation.

The parents of the man who witnessed the first arrest were disappeared, as well. According to the court document, the plaintiff's brother was involved in "revolutionary political activity" at the time of his disappearance, while his father and mother were part of "community organizations" and "church communities" that at the time were viewed as leftist by the right-wing authorities.

After the end of the civil war on January 16, 1992, the National Guard, the Treasury Police and the National Police were disbanded. The civil war left more than 75,000 dead and an economy in tatters.

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Exclusive: NYC mayoral candidate Eric Adams said his background as a retired NYPD officer who later pursued a career in politics makes him uniquely qualified to address the citys dueling issues of crime and policing.

The crowded race for New York City mayor has been declared the citys most unpredictable mayoral contest in 50 years. Still, frontrunner Eric Adams is confident that he will come out on top as the Democratic nominee, and for all intents and purposes, the next mayor of Concrete Jungle.

In an exclusive interview with theGrio, Adams said his background as a retired NYPD officer who later pursued a career in politics having been elected to the New York State Senate and as Brooklyn Borough President, makes him uniquely qualified to govern over city hall and address New York Citys dueling issues of crime and police brutality and misconduct.

New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally on June 21, 2021 in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Adams even quoted scripture to drive home his point.

Ester 4:14 in the Bible stated, God made me for such a time like this, Eric Adams told theGrio. The uniqueness of my experience will allow me to ensure we could have both those entities.

Eric Adamss opponents have taken him to task for his plan to laser-focus on crime, which in a city marred by the now unconstitutional stop-and-frisk department policy, could be interpreted as another regime of over-policing in Black and brown communities.

But Adams insists that while crime intervention is not necessarily popular among the Democratic base  especially its liberal wing  following last years global demonstrations against police brutality in the wake of George Floyds murder, it is a necessary component to public safety.

Adams said his crime intervention plan includes targeting the proliferation of guns and gang violence.

No one is going to come to the city as a tourist if a 3-year-old child is shot in Times Square, no one is going to ride our subway system to open our businesses if we have people with mental health illnesses pushing people on the tracks and slashing them, said the mayoral candidate.

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And so the difference between Eric Adams and other people who are running is I know how to keep us safe based on my knowledge of public safety and I know how to rebuild the department to get the trust we need and weed out those bad officers.

Adams even went so far as to call out his opponent Maya Wiley for her proposal to slash $1 billion from the police budget. Maya Wiley talked about taking down the number of safety and officers, but she has private security in her community. What are we saying? Safety is for the affluent? Safety is for every New Yorker, and that is what Im going to make sure we do, said Adams, who appeared to be referring to a report that the neighborhood association in Wileys neighborhood pays for private security in the area.

NYC Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley speaks during a New York Working Families Party GOTV Rally for their endorsed candidates in Fort Greene Park on June 11, 2021 in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

In an exclusive interview with theGrio, Wiley called out Eric Adams for his past statements on stop-and-frisk, suggesting that he was inconsistent on the matter. The two leading Black candidates in the race have sparred throughout the campaign trail over the issue of policing.

I cant speak for Eric, but maybe one of the things that made him feel like he had to attack is that I have been very clear and have been unwavering on this issue of stop and frisk and bringing back an anti-crime unit that, frankly, was the last vestige of a racist, unconstitutional set of practices and policies in the police department that did not prevent crime, said Wiley. I want to be very clear and have been very clear, [it] will not come back on my watch.

Eric Adams emphasized that he is the best candidate to address New York Citys rising crime rate and turn the city around amid the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a multibillion-dollar industry. We want tourists to come back, fill out hotels. Safety means that we dont have murals all over our community where we are dedicating walls to people who have lost their lives  being safe is the foundation and its a prerequisite to prosperity, said Adams. If its on Park Avenue in Manhattan or Park Place in Brooklyn, people want to feel safe. They dont feel safe. Now were going to turn that around.

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The government's attempt 20 years ago to split up Microsoft failed, and sanctions didn't break its hold on the desktop, but many of Windows' current challenges stem from how the company reacted to its years of fighting regulators around the world.

Why it matters: Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple all face threats from regulators. Even if the companies win those conflicts, just fighting the battle can put them at a disadvantage.

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The big picture: The direct consequences of antitrust action rarely threaten tech companies, but, as Microsoft's history shows, just defending against them can distract a company, causing it to lose its edge in product development and its radar for big waves of industry change.

Flashback: One giant bone of contention in Microsoft's battle with antitrust authorities had to do with the bundling of browsers and applications with its dominant operating system.

When the mobile revolution occurred, Apple and Google bundled everything they had into iOS and Android, including their own browser, apps and app stores. Microsoft, by contrast, was already chastened by the time the iPhone arrived, not to mention forced to divide its time between building products and dealing with regulators.

Yes, but: Other companies that chose to placate regulators rather than fight them were less distracted  but still not guaranteed to catch the next industry wave.

Chipmaker Intel was quick to settle with regulators whenever it was charged with abusing its similarly dominant position in the market for PC processors. That helped it more smoothly navigate its days of dominance. But, like Microsoft, Intel largely missed out on mobile.

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By Julie Steenhuysen

(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday released a sweeping series of memos revealing a clear struggle within the agency ahead of its controversial decision to approve Biogen's Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm.

The memos reveal disagreements within the agency, with some departments in support of traditional approval and others arguing against.

Ultimately, after months of internal deliberations, agency officials approved the drug using its accelerated approval pathway, which requires a study to confirm the that the drug works as intended.

The June 7 approval has been met with fierce opposition by some scientists criticizing the FDA's decision making, culminating in the public resignations of three of the 11 members of its independent advisory panel.

One of those members, Dr. Aaron Kesselheim of Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, wrote in his resignation letter that it was the "worst drug approval decision in recent U.S. history."

The drug was approved in spite of the fact that one of its two large-scale clinical trials failed to show a benefit to patients.

The FDA's Office of Biostatistics in particular concluded that "substantial evidence of effectiveness had not been provided in the application," citing "inconsistencies in the data" that led the group to not support approval. That full document has not been released.

In an interview with Reuters, FDA officials said they considered the advisory panel's recommendation against approval as a "reset point" in their thinking, prompting them to consider the accelerated approval pathway after concluding that the drug had not met the high standard for regular approval.

"What we heard really shaped our thinking in our discussions over these almost seven months between the advisory committee and the approval," said Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

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Instead of direct evidence of a clinical benefit from the trials, the FDA's accelerated approval pathway relies on the use of a biomarker - a biological change prompted by the drug - that could likely predict a patient benefit.

Dr. Peter Stein, director of FDA's Office of New Drugs, agreed that the medicine had not met the standard for full approval, but said it did meet FDA's standard for accelerated approval, which is typically used for drugs for diseases with no other effective treatments.

Stein said Biogen's data showed a relationship between removing the protein beta amyloid from patients' brains, believed to be contributor to Alzheimer's disease, and improvements seen in its clinical trials.

Cavazzoni said the agency's review of the data showed that amyloid reduction tracks "quite convincingly" with improvements in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's.

The early release of some of its decision memos - which usually follow a month to six weeks after an agency approval - was part of an effort to disclose the FDA's decisionmaking process, she said.

"We were really quite struck that the data were compelling, and it behooved us to continue to really discuss and review these data and understand it to the fullest," Cavazzoni said.

'STILL BEING WORKED OUT'

Experts, however, have argued that several drugs in prior Alzheimer's trials have removed amyloid but failed to impact disease progression.

Dr. Paul Aisen, director of the University of Southern California's Alzheimer's Therapy Research Institute in San Diego, and a paid adviser to Biogen, said he believes Aduhelm benefits patients, but disagrees that removing amyloid has been shown to correlate with patient benefits.

"One of the risks is it suggests that any drug that lowers amyloid in any population with Alzheimer's disease is justified," Aisen said after reviewing the FDA documents. "We have not established that."

Dr. Jason Karlawish, co-director of the Penn Memory Center in Philadelphia who ran one of the trial sites for the Biogen drug, said the documents reveal clear disagreement.

"The science around this particular relationship between amyloid and clinical response is still being worked out," he said. The agency should have reconvened its advisory board to weigh in on the matter, he said.

Some six million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's disease, although Aduhelm is likely to be used only on those in its early stages - the type of patients who took part in Biogen's trials.

Biogen has stated publicly that it could take nine years to complete a study confirming whether removing amyloid really slows the ravages of the fatal mind-wasting disease.

Stein said the agency is already in talks with the company about designing that trial.

"I'm very hopeful that the answer will come years before that nine-year period," he said.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Peter Henderson, Lisa Shumaker and Bill Berkrot)
AFP Contributor/Getty

By Jeff Stein

Swirling, widespread reports that Beijings top counterintelligence official has defected to the United States are not accurate, a U.S. government official told SpyTalk on Tuesday.

We are just looking to correct the record, said the official, speaking on terms of anonymity to discuss the highly sensitive issue.

SpyTalk had sought comment from the State Department last week when preparing a story on mounting rumors that Dong Jingwei, vice minister of the Ministry of State Security, Chinas principle espionage and internal security agency, had defected in February via Hong Kong along with his daughter Dong Yang. The department did not respond.

But on Tuesday a U.S. official reached out to say reports of Dongs defection were not true. Speaking strictly on terms of anonymity, the official declined to elaborate further, including on Dongs present whereabouts, only hinting that the counterspy remains in China.

We cant confirm or deny where he is exactly, the official said. Asked why the Biden administration was reaching out to knock down rumors of a high level defectionnormally an ultra-sensitive issuethe official said, thats more of a policy questionand referred SpyTalk to the White House. A spokesperson for the National Security Council did not respond to a request for comment.

Former Pentagon, State Department and CIA China expert Nicholas Eftimiades, author of Chinese Espionage: Operations and Tactics, told SpyTalk the officials initiative was likely coordinated at the highest levels of the Biden administration. Im stunned that they did that, considering the sensitivity of the subject, he said. He called the response definitive, a closed issue: game, set, match.

Chinas officially sanctioned media reported last Friday that Dong had appeared at a MSS seminar on the mainland where he urged the countrys intelligence officers to crack down on enemy spies, according to an account in Hong Kongs South China Morning Post. But the reports did not say where the seminar took place, nor did they include photos or video of Dongs supposed appearance, further raising suspicions about his status. Dongs identity is not secret: In 2018, Beijing released a photo of him and other members of a Chinese delegation attending Sino-German security talks.

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Some longtime observers of U.S.-China relations think that the Biden administrations willingness to address such a normally highly secretive issue was motivated by two issues: One, to excise an unnecessary additional irritant in the still downward-spiraling bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China, as Robert A. Manning, a former top Asia specialist in both Republican and and Democratic administrations for more than 30 years, put it. A second, and possibly equal motive: to beat back a Republican campaign to deflect blame for the coronavirus pandemic in America from Donald Trump to Chinas Wuhan Virology Lab and, by extension, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has been critical of the former presidents response to the disease.

The motivation may be domestic, said a leading China watcherto head off Republican accusations that the Biden administration is hiding a defector who has info on the lab leak or [other] embarrassing stuff.

Reports of Dongs defection originated in conservative circles here and abroad that have been critical of the scientific consensus that the covid-19 pandemic was transmitted from animals in Wuhans wet market.

On June 4, former Fox News reporter Adam Housley tweeted that US intelligence has a Chinese defector with Wuhan info. AND China is trying to produce variants that suggest it came from bats to cover up that coronavirus originally came from a lab.

Housleys report was amplified by the right-wing Red State news and opinion site, which alleged that a person believed to be among the highest-ranking defectors ever to the United States from the Peoples Republic of China has been working with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for months. Citing anonymous sources inside the intelligence community, it alleged the defector has direct knowledge of special weapons programs in China, including bioweapons programs, and that the alleged information had created a sudden crisis of confidence in Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The rumors were given more gravity on June 16 when Dr. Han Lianchao, a former Chinese foreign ministry official who defected after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, alleged in a tweet that during high level Sino-American talks in Alaska in March, Chinas foreign minister Wang Yi and Communist Party foreign affairs boss Yang Jiechi demanded that the Americans return Dong and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken refused.

Asked for comment on Tuesday, Han was unbowed.

Thats all good, he said of the U.S. denial of the defection, but itll be more assuring if Dongs latest photos or videos can be shown.

Co-published with SpyTalk, where Jeff Stein leads an all-star team of veteran investigative reporters, writers, and subject-matter experts who will take you behind the scenes of the national security state. Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website.

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Jun. 22A 27-year-old felon who police shot and critically wounded in May after he allegedly crashed into vehicles and pointed a handgun at officers who were trying to arrest him for outstanding warrants in Kalihi made his initial appearance in Circuit Court today.

Dion Vincent Kitzmiller appeared at his arraignment before Judge Shirley Kawamura via video conferencing from the Oahu Community Correctional Center on charges of three counts of first-degree criminal property damage, two counts of second-degree criminal property damage, two counts of firearms and one count of second-degree reckless endangering.

Honolulu deputy public defender Doris Lum entered not guilty pleas to the charges on Kitzmiller's behalf.

Attorney Nelson Goo is representing Kitzmiller, however, Lum stood in for Goo due to trial held at the same time for another defendant Goo is representing in a separate case.

Kawamura scheduled Kitzmiller's trial for August. He remains in custody at the correctional facility in lieu of $500, 000 bail.

During the late night hours of May 25, District 1 Crime Reduction Unit officers located Kitzmillerwho was wanted for two separate outstanding warrantsin a parked Jeep on Hikina Lane with two passengers.

The warrants were for abuse of a family or household member, terroristic threatening and firearm offenses.

When officers ordered him to exit the vehicle, Kitzmiller struck at least three vehicles with the Jeep, police said. When officers again ordered him to get out, Kitzmiller allegedly brandished a handgun and pointed it at officers.

An officer then fired shots, striking him in his upper body. He was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical but stable condition.

The officers and passengers did not sustain any injuries.

He has a criminal record that includes six felony convictions for theft, drugs and robbery, a misdemeanor conviction for terroristic threatening and a petty misdemeanor conviction for drugs.
(Reuters) - Focus on rowing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:

THE ABSOLUTE BASICS

* There are two distinct categories of events, contested on a 2,000m course: sculling and sweep.

* Sculling involves the use of two oars per person, with competitors rowing solo or in teams of two or four.

* Sweep teams of two, four and eight race with competitors using one oar each.

HOW MANY MEDALS?

There are 14 gold medals up for grabs, with eight sculling events and six sweep.

WHAT HAPPENED IN RIO?

Britain topped the medal table for a third Olympics in a row, while New Zealand's veterans also shone, with Mahe Drysdale claiming his second gold medal in the men's single sculls, and Eric Murray and Hamish Bond successfully defending their 2012 title in the coxless pair.

The United States picked up a third straight gold in the women's eight.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT IN TOKYO?

As with Rio in 2016, weather at the venue could threaten to disrupt the competition itself, with concerns over the windy and hot conditions at the Sea Forest Waterway venue.

WHAT'S NEW?

This year's rowing programme will feature an equal number of events for men and women for the first time. The women's coxless four was added to the programme, while the men's lightweight coxless four was removed to accommodate it.

WHEN IS IT HAPPENING?

July 23 through July 30.

WHERE IS IT HAPPENING?

Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

The sport is woven into the very fabric of the Olympics with Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Games, having been an avid rower himself. Rowing made its debut at the 1900 Games, though it had been on the programme four years earlier only to be cancelled due to bad weather.

WELL FANCY THAT

Rowers are widely considered among the greatest athletes pound-for-pound in the Olympics, with the sport demanding lean frames able to produce an enormous amount of power over a short competition. "The toll it takes on the body is just super significant," British Rowing Performance Director Brendan Purcell told Reuters.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
A Groton Navy mechanic was sentenced to 210 years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting seven girls between the ages of 4 months and 8 years old and producing child pornography.

Randall Tilton, 32, was arrested in November 2019 and pled guilty to seven counts of production of child pornography in December 2020 after he admitted to Groton town police that he sexual assaulted several girls and recorded the assaults beginning back in 2014.

Upon seizing a laptop, tablet, cellphone and flash drives, police determined that Tilton sexually assaulted seven girls between the ages of 4 months and 8 years old.

Tilton recorded multiple videos of the sexual assaults, investigators said, including some where the victim was restrained. He then uploaded the assaults on the dark web, they said.

Tilton systematically and repeatedly preyed upon young children for his own sexual pleasure, acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle said. And since some of videos of his sexual abuse of one child will likely exist forever on the internet, he has ensured that she will continue to be victimized, every time those images are viewed by others, for the rest of her life.

Not only did his devices have videos of the sexual assaults he participated in, they also included thousands of images and videos of sexual abuse to other minors including children in bondage and sexual assaults on infants, a news release from the state attorney added.

Tilton sexually assaulted children in Connecticut, New Hampshire and California, investigators said.

I must emphasize that this case is among the most disturbing and heinous series of acts that any law enforcement officer will ever encounter in their careers, Groton Town Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Jr. said. It will stay with all of them and the victims for the rest of their lives. ... We hope that the conviction of this predator will help the many victims impacted by his actions to begin the healing process.

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The sentencing Tuesday ensures that Mr. Tilton will not be able to inflict physical and emotional pain on our societys most vulnerable population, David Sundberg, special agent in charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, added.

The horrific nature of these crimes serves as a constant reminder of why we as law enforcement and all residents of this country must do everything we can to protect our children at all times, he said.

To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com.

Jessika Harkay can be reached at jharkay@courant.com.
Marylanders are expected to break travel records this Fourth of July, with more than a million people projected to hit the roads and take to the air for holiday vacations and celebrations, according to a forecast by AAA.

The automotive club projects that 1,036,400 Marylanders will travel between July 1 and July 5, the highest travel volume on record since 2001.

Despite the rising cost of gas, automobile travel is expected to set records as the most popular means of holiday travel in Maryland with an estimated 960,000 cars hitting the road for the Fourth of July weekend.

In Maryland, the Great American Road Trip is the mode of choice for nearly 93% of travelers, which is also the highest auto travel volume on record for the state, besting the previous 2019 travel record by nearly 7%, said Ragina C. Ali, public and government affairs manager at AAA Mid-Atlantic, in a news release.

Air travel in Maryland is expected to increase by 166.2% from 2020 numbers but remain 14% below the 2019 numbers for the weekend. Other means of travel, including bus, train and cruise travel, are projected to be higher than 2020 levels, but nearly 84% lower than 2019 numbers.

Maryland is not the only place expected to see a surge in travel this Fourth of July. Across the country, AAA forecasts travel for the July holiday weekend to close in on pre-pandemic numbers, with 47.7 million Americans traveling  the second-highest recorded travel volume for the weekend, second only to 2019.

The estimates for this Fourth of July are an almost 40% increase from last years travel numbers, when the COVID-19 pandemic slashed travel volume nationwide by more than 10 million people.

Travel is in full swing this summer, as Americans eagerly pursue travel opportunities theyve deferred for the last year-and-a-half, Ali said. We saw strong demand for travel around Memorial Day and the unofficial kickoff of summer. All indications now point to a busy Independence Day to follow.

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AAA also projects the highest number of road trips on record nationwide, with an estimated 43.6 million Americans driving, a 5% increase from the record set in 2019.

With a record number of cars expected on the road, AAA is projecting intense congestion heading into the holiday weekend, with metro areas potentially seeing drive times double.

With travelers eager to hit the road this summer, were expecting nationwide traffic volumes to increase about 15% over normal this holiday weekend. Drivers around major metro areas must be prepared for significantly more delay, said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst for traffic data analysis company INRIX, in a news release.

Pishue advises drivers to avoid traveling the Thursday and Friday leading into the weekend as well as Monday afternoon.
BERLIN (AP)  German lawmakers presenting a report Tuesday into the collapse of the payment processing company Wirecard accused the country's finance minister and auditors Ernst & Young of numerous oversight failings.

Wirecard filed for protection from creditors through insolvency proceedings last year after admitting that 1.9 billion euros ($2.3 billion) supposedly held in trust accounts in the Philippines probably didnt exist.

The companys former chief executive, Markus Braun, is being investigated on suspicion of criminal fraud. Interpol has issued a red notice for Wirecards former chief operating officer, Jan Marsalek, on allegations of violations of the German duty on securities act and the securities trading act, criminal breach of trust (and) especially serious case of fraud.

The nine-month parliamentary probe that concluded this week immediately weighed upon Germany's upcoming election, with both opposition parties and Chancellor Angela Merkel's Union bloc heavily criticizing the role played by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz in the affair. Scholz is the center-left Social Democrats' candidate to replace Merkel in the Sept. 26 vote.

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and the leadership of the Finance Ministry bear political responsibility for the Wirecard scandal, Union bloc lawmaker Matthias Hauer told reporters. Mr. Scholz presented himself as a silent minister with implausible lapses of memory.

He said the Finance Ministry should have stepped in when the country's financial regulator in 2019 issued a ban on short-selling Wirecard stock. The ban gave credence to Wirecard's claim that its stock was being manipulated at a time when media reports, particularly by Britain's Financial Times, indicated the company was cooking the books.

In their 4,500-page report, lawmakers also heavily criticized the auditing company Ernst & Young, also known as EY, for repeatedly approving Wirecard's annual accounts.

EY could and should have noticed the accounting fraud, said lawmaker Cansel Kiziltepe of the Social Democrats, who sought to defend Scholz against criticism from the other parties.

Questions have also been raised about political lobbying for Wirecard by Merkel during a 2019 visit to China. Germany's longtime leader, who isn't running for a fifth term, testified before the parliamentary investigations committee that the payments company received no special treatment.
By Karen Freifeld, Diane Bartz and Paresh Dave

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of state attorneys general may file a lawsuit against Alphabet Inc's Google as early as next week, accusing the search and advertising giant of violating antitrust law in running its mobile app store, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The anticipated lawsuit follows complaints from app developers about Google's management of its Play Store for Android devices, according to one source. The lawsuit has been in the works since last year and has already been delayed, but seems close again, the sources said.

The investigation by the state attorneys general is being led by Utah, Tennessee, North Carolina and New York. It is unclear how many states will participate.

Two sources said the case is likely to be filed in federal court in Northern California, where related cases are being heard. These include a lawsuit that video game maker Epic Games Inc filed against Google last year, accusing it of having anticompetitive app store rules. It is expected to go to trial in 2022.

There also are two proposed class-action lawsuits over the Play store before the same judge. If the states want to participate in depositions and other pre-trial activities, they would have to file fairly soon, one source said.

Apple Inc and Epic are awaiting the verdict in a similar California lawsuit after a trial that ended last month.

A Google spokesperson defended their app store as open.

"Android is the only major operating system that allows people to download apps from multiple app stores. In fact, most Android devices ship with two or more app stores preinstalled. They can also install additional app stores or apps directly from their browser if they choose," the spokesperson said.

Google was originally seen as more open in how it ran its app store than Apple but has tightened rules recently and increased enforcement of those rules.

The lawsuit is expected to focus on Google's requirement that some apps use the company's payment tools to sell subscriptions and content and pay Google as much as 30% of sales, according to two sources.

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App makers like music streaming service Spotify Technology SA and dating services giant Match Group, which owns the Tinder app, have long accused both Google, as well as Apple, of being anti-competitive in demanding mandatory revenue sharing.

This latest lawsuit is being planned at a time of unusually vigorous debate over whether federal antitrust enforcement is too lax. Many people, including Senator Amy Klobuchar who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel, have pressed for tougher enforcement.

Google already faces a federal lawsuit brought by the Justice Department last year and related antitrust cases brought by two separate groups of attorneys general. One is led by Texas and focused on advertising while the other targets Google's alleged efforts to extend its dominance in search to newer markets, like voice assistants.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz, Paresh Dave and Karen Freifeld. Editing by Jonathan Weber and Lisa Shumaker)
Lord Heseltine

Former Conservative industry secretary Lord Heseltine has described the government's approach to engaging with business as chaotic and incoherent.

Lord Heseltine famously once said he would intervene in business and markets "before breakfast, lunch and dinner" if necessary, but takes a dim view of government strategy now.

"Under the present government it's all got chaotic," he said.

"One minute you have got an industrial strategy, the next minute you haven't."

"New committees are set up then disbanded," he added.

"I think they are throwing money indiscriminately at a whole range of projects with very little attempt to co-ordinate the results, and very little attempt to mobilise local strengths, and very little attempt to analyse the competitive challenges we face."

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (Beis) responded that its "Plan for Growth" recognises that a "strong and active government within a dynamic enterprise economy is central to our success".

"Through major public investment in infrastructure, skills and innovation, we're going even further to support the creation of new industries and good-quality jobs, levelling-up every part of the UK," the spokesman said.

But what is the appropriate relationship between government and business?

Airbus has a site near Bristol

I recently went to meet the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng at Airbus's Filton site near Bristol.

Airbus is a good example of government involvement in business. A pan-European government-driven and part-funded mission to take on American aviation giants.

The UK's arms-length stake was sold off long ago, and recently Airbus was a fierce critic of Brexit, but it was all smiles as Mr Kwarteng officially launched a new 40m wing-technology centre, to which the government contributed 20m.

"It's a very close partnership," said Mr Kwarteng. "During Brexit Airbus had one view, the government had another view, but today what's striking is that we are completely united.

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"Airbus is a first rate company and they are very keen to engage with government collaboratively."

In the past the Conservative Party orthodoxy seemed to be to set taxes as low as possible, regulation as light as sensible, and let the so-called "wealth creators" get on with it.

So what has happened to the DNA of the Conservative government?

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng

"I think we are always a free market party," Mr Kwarteng said. "But in 2021 we realise there are a whole range of industries that have a strategic relevance to the UK and we are very, very happy to work with the private sector to drive innovation."

But shadow business secretary Ed Miliband is not convinced the Conservative Party truly believes in a muscular role for the government in business.

"I think the problem with this government is that, first of all, we know that they have recently torn up the idea of having an industrial strategy, a white paper, and abolished the industrial strategy council," he said.

"Now that tells you something about them, which is basically they believe, more or less, that the market is going to serve us well, mainly on its own. So they pay lip service to the idea of the public sector playing a muscular role alongside the private sector.

"But it's not happening in practice. And that is deeply regrettable, because we face such massive challenges as a country, whether it's the climate crisis, or the inequality crisis, or recovering from Covid.

"The only way we succeed is with public working with private to create the wealth and tackle those challenges."

'Companies owe governments for early help'

The problem for left and right is that governments are famously hopeless at investing, right?

"Not necessarily" said Marianna Mazzucato, a professor at UCL, and author of "Mission Economy - A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism".

She said many of America's world-beating companies owe the US government their start in life.

"Tesla is doing quite well and everyone thinks that is just simply due to Elon Musk's genius, but Elon Musk, across his three different companies, has actually received $5bn from the US government," she says.

"Remember, the background is the US government is the financier basically of everything that makes our iPhones smart and not stupid - internet, GPS, touchscreen, Siri," Ms Mazzucato added.

"Actually government in many parts of the world has a really good track record, sometimes, so the point is not to just to say 'The DNA of government means they can't pick particular types of investments'.

"The way we should be doing it is not picking winners but picking the willing.

"So basically, once you choose the direction - towards a clean growth strategy for example - what does it mean to actually be able to support those kinds of companies in sectors that are willing to transform themselves to move into that direction?"

Peter Mandelson

Former Labour Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said you have to be clear what industrial strategy is not.

"Industrial strategy isn't ministers replacing markets, it's not civil servants taking the place of chief executives," he said.

"It isn't government going around picking individual business winners, and instead finding out that the losers are instead picking the government, but what it is, in my view, is government acting as catalyst as a longer term planner and coordinator as investor.

"A big investor, when necessary, when financial markets shy away from risk, and also a supportive regulator for innovation.

"I mean, that's where I see industrial strategy, underpinning the partnership between business and government."

While both left and right may struggle to define what a successful industrial strategy should look like, both sides know it when they see it.

Lord Mandelson said the vaccine rollout was an exemplar of industrial strategy working.

"I mean, look at what we achieved in the case of the vaccine," he said.

"The government staffed-up and invested in a portfolio of very high-risk technology ventures through a taskforce led by a venture capitalist, which was in turn based on very substantial public funding of the original research, the invention by Oxford University.

"Nimble accelerated regulation by the government helped expedite and accelerate the process.

"And then you had manufacturing by the private sector, and finally, distribution by the National Health Service.

"Now, one thing this wasn't, was a model of pure capitalism. And to me, it demonstrated the power of public procurement and coordination across the board, inside government and across the public and private sectors."

'Nothing new about levelling up'

Lord Heseltine had one more brickbat to throw at the government.

He also said there was nothing new about the idea of "levelling up" and said that Margaret Thatcher had personally backed his own version of it through investment in Liverpool after the Toxteth riots, but that the current Conservative government's approach was disorganised.

"Levelling up becomes part of the political imperative but there's no coherence or strategic plan behind it," he said.

"Margaret is interesting because she is seen by some people as the arch non-interventionist but of course that's absolute nonsense.

"She gave me the go-ahead to create the Development Corporations, which have been responsible for most of the really exciting urban regeneration schemes over the last 30 or 40 years."

Mr Kwarteng said the recent successes in the mayoral election in Teeside and by-election in Hartlepool was evidence the government approach to investing in former Labour strongholds was paying political dividends.

"It's no accident that voters are swinging towards the government in a way unprecedented since the war," he said. "It shows the message of investment in skills and levelling up is really resonating."

Lord Heseltine revealed that a Conservative colleague said to him in the 1980s: "Michael, what are you doing in Liverpool? There are no votes in it."

"I was bowled over by this," Lord Heseltine said. "I was doing it because it was right, not to win votes. If you gain the respect of the electorate then they will vote for you."

There are voices on the hard right, who think that government is always the problem and any project with government backing is doomed, and there are those on the left who think that government is always the answer to ensuring fair outcomes and banishing greedy economic rent seekers.

One thing I can report is that the business community want the government to have an industrial strategy and quietly lament the retirement of that label in favour of the new "Plan for Growth".

Labels aside, what is striking - remarkable even - is the general level of consensus between left and right that the challenges of the two greatest crises facing the global economy - Covid and climate - mean that government and business have never needed each other more than they do right now.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  A helicopter pilot charged with the murder of his young British-Greek wife and faking a robbery to mislead police was jailed Tuesday pending trial, while a prosecutor will decide on the custody of their infant daughter.

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, a Greek pilot and flight instructor, testified for more than five hours before being led to prison, wearing a bulletproof vest and under heavy police guard. He is accused of killing Caroline Crouch, 20, who died of suffocation on May 11 at the couples home on the outskirts of Athens.

The pilot had claimed that armed robbers broke into their home at night, tying up and gagging him and his wife in their bedroom while their nearly one-year-old daughter slept.

He was summoned by police for questioning while attending a memorial service for Crouch, held near her family home on the Aegean Sea island of Alonissos, and was seen hugging the victims mother before being led away.

To embrace the hands that took her daughters life, you can understand how painful and distressing that is for a mother to endure, Athanasios Harmanis, a lawyer for the victims family, told reporters outside the courthouse.

He said the victims parents had requested to bring up their granddaughter on the island, adding that they had excellent relations with the parents of the alleged killer.

Small groups of protesters, some from womens rights organizations, gathered outside the court when Anagnostopoulos arrived to testify.

The baby was unharmed during the May 11 attack, but authorities said the family dog was found choked to death with its own leash.

The attack shocked the nation and prompted authorities to announce a 300,000-euro ($365,000) reward for information about the crime.

Police investigators said analysis of data from a smartwatch worn by Crouch had helped reveal inconsistencies in the pilots account of events.

Anagnostopoulos has been charged with felony counts of murder and animal abuse, and misdemeanor counts of providing false testimony and filing a false police report about the robbery.

If convicted on all counts, he could face a life sentence.
A Hartford man was sentenced Monday to 21 months in federal prison for the gang-related distribution of fentanyl and crack cocaine, a U.S. Attorneys spokesman said.

The prison term of Joshua Jenkins, 28, is to be followed by three years of supervised release, Thomas Carson said. Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer sentenced him in U.S. District Court in New Haven.

According to court documents, Jenkins is alleged to have been a part of a group called the Dumouts which, along with another group called the Hoodstars, is believed to be responsible for a significant amount of the gun violence in Hartford in the summer of 2019.

Investigators made three controlled purchases of fentanyl, along with three controlled purchases of fentanyl and crack, from Jenkins between July and September 2019, the documents show.

Jenkins was arrested Sept. 13, 2019 during a pre-dawn, Hartford-area roundup of more than 20 offenders called Operation VIPER (Violent Impact Players Enforcement Roster), Carson said.

He pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl and crack on July 9, 2020.

The FBIs Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force worked with other law enforcement agencies on the investigation that led to Jenkins arrest, Carson said.

The task force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, New Britain Police Department, West Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.

Christine Dempsey may be reached at cdempsey@courant.com.
Hubert J. Santos, an understated but uncannily successful defense lawyer who frustrated authorities for half a century in some of the states most notorious criminal prosecutions, died unexpectedly after being hospitalized Monday, his law partner said. He was 76.

In addition to being one of Connecticuts most successful lawyers, Santos was one of the best-liked. Work at law offices from Hartford to New Haven paused Tuesday as colleagues digested news of his death.

This is a heart-breaker, normally hard-boiled defense lawyer Hugh Keefe of New Haven said, choking back emotion.

Santos was a blue collar son of factory workers who sounded like it when he spoke - in and out of court - and who never forgot his roots even after reaching the professional stratosphere. While most defense lawyers dream of winning an acquittal in a murder trial once in a career, Santos did it repeatedly and always in cases that lived on the front pages.

Hubert was the kind of guy who was bemused by his own success, retired state Supreme Court justice Richard N. Palmer said. He never shied away from a difficult case, but he wasnt full of himself. He was street smart and could size up a case instinctively, something some of the best lawyers cant do. And he was so credible, juries liked and trusted him.

Santos, the son of a Portuguese father and an Italian mother, loved to eat and avoided exercise. He had been beset by a variety of ailments for years and they grew increasingly serious, resulting on sporadic hospitalizations.

He was on a restricted diet during a recent stint in rehab and confided to a visitor that he kept the delivery menu from an Italian restaurant in his room beneath a pile of writs.

I told the doctor: What do you want me to do? My mother was Italian, Santos said to the visitor.

Trent La Lima, his law partner, said Santos was hospitalized late Monday for the last time. He said funeral arrangements were unknown Tuesday.

He was a giant in the legal profession, La Lima said. His experience and generosity made him invaluable to many young lawyers who, like me, he mentored over the years.

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Santos resume of cases reads like the Connecticut true crime greatest hits.

His first acquittal in a capital case came in the murder for hire case against James Hope in 1984. New London County States Attorney C. Robert Satti, a prosecutorial bulldog, was on the opposite side of the courtroom. Hopes co-defendant, with his own lawyer, was tried first and convicted.

Karin Aparo came five years later. She was, the prosecution said, a 16-year old who manipulated her boyfriend into murdering her mother. In one of the moments of high drama that Santos loved, he turned to Aparo at the end of his closing argument and told her gently, Its OK Karin. You can cry now. She burst into tears and Santos always insisted it was unrehearsed. Whatever it was, it was enough to persuade the jury to toss aside her portrayal by the prosecution as a cold and calculating killer.

At least twice more, Santos persuaded juries not to convict accused killers. Philandering Stonington electrician Charles Buck beat his case for killing his wife in 2010 and more recently, a jury deadlocked on a murder-for hire charge against Tiffany Stevens in a case that raised questions about drugs, mob enforcers and transvestite prostitutes.

Interspersed among the accused murders were accused politicians. Among them, Santos helped former Waterbury Mayor and mortician Edward Bergin Jr. beat a bribery case by persuading jurors that one of Bergins political associates was taking the money to support a gambling habit.

Santos negotiated a plea bargain and cooperation deal with the U.S. Attorneys office two decades ago for former state Treasurer Paul Sylvester that resulted in more than a dozen convictions of political associates and revealed a fissure of political corruption and that helped unravel Connecticuts reputation for Yankee propriety.

Law enforcement typically disdains defense lawyers. But Santos work on the Sylvester case made him the defense lawyer most likely to get a call if a cop should get in trouble.

If anyone in law enforcement had a problem, the kind of consensus was the first call would go to Hubie, said retired FBI agent Charles Urso, case agent on the Sylvester prosecution. What he did for Paul Sylvester was extraordinary. Hubie was a problem solver. He would get resolutions.

In 2018, Santos pulled off a legal victory few could have conceived, persuading the state Supreme Court to reverse itself and overturn the conviction of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel for the infamous murder of his friend Martha Moxley a half century earlier, when the two were 15-year old neighbors in an exclusive Greenwich community.

In the Skakel case, Santos and Hope Seeley, then his partner and now a Superior Court Judge, mounted an extraordinary, international investigation that discredited parts of he states case against Skakel and uncovered gaping omissions in the defense presented by the original trial defense.

Santos ability - and credibility - was such that he was consulted by judges. He was called into an 11th hour attempt to stop the execution of serial killer Michael B. Ross. He succeeded initially, but Ross was ultimately executed. He was invariably consulted by judges and the bar associations on potential nominees to the federal and state courts. If lawyers for the Innocence Project thought someone who was wrongly convicted, they called Santos.

When he wasnt working - which was rarely - he liked to watch the Boston Red Sox. Sometimes in recent years, he would drive his son Peter to the park and watch the game himself from a nearby hotel room.

He was a stand-out baseball player in high school, where he grew up in Enfield, and the Red Sox sent a scout to one of his games. As Santos told the story, the scout introduced himself after the game and told him he ought to consider college because pro ball wasnt in his future.

So he played ball at the University of Hartford. His close friend and first colleague, Hartford lawyer James Wade, said Santos joined a committee years later to raise money for improvements to the schools ball field. He cold-called called Red Sox nemesis and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and talked him into chipping in $10,000.

Santos leaves a son and daughter and his wife, Superior Court Judge Thelma Santos.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations and member countries on Tuesday to pressure Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to stop alleged human rights abuses, including a crackdown on opposition figures ahead of a November presidential election.

In recent weeks, police have detained at least 14 political opponents, including five presidential candidates, drawing international criticism from governments and human rights groups.

In a 38-page report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the "high-profile arrests and other serious human rights violations against critics appear to be part of a broader strategy to eliminate political competition, stifle dissent, and pave the way" for a fourth straight Ortega term.

HRW called on the U.N. Secretary-General to raise the issue in the Security Council, saying the growing crisis could undermine stability in the region.

A U.N. spokesperson said the Secretary-General is very concerned about the arrests and detentions and the invalidation of candidacies of opposition leaders in Nicaragua.

"The Secretary-General once again urges the authorities to uphold international human rights obligations and release the political and social leaders detained. He reiterates his call for a broad-based agreement on measures towards credible, participatory and inclusive elections in November," the spokesperson said.

Ortega, who is seeking to extend his 14 years in office, returned to power in 2007 having previously led the country from 1979 to 1990.

The "gravity and intensification of the brutal crackdown on the Nicaraguan opposition eliminates any possibility of a free and fair presidential election in November," HRW underscored.

HRW called on the United States, Canada, European Union and Latin American governments to press Ortega to readmit the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which were expelled in 2018.

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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 Frank Jack Daniel; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Michael Perry)
Indigenous protesters armed with bows and arrows clashed Tuesday with police outside Brazil's Congress, leaving the area enveloped in tear gas and leading lawmakers to suspend debate on a controversial land reform bill.

Activists said two indigenous people were hospitalized with severe injuries, and a dozen more sustained light injuries in the clashes, while the congressional press office said at least three police officers were wounded with arrows.

The press office said around 500 protesters tried to "invade" one of the entrances to Congress, and that police responded with tear gas, stun grenades and pepper spray after coming under attack with arrows.

However, organizers said the protest was peaceful and that police "brutally" repressed it.

Videos posted on social media by the protesters showed indigenous people in traditional feather headdresses and body paint screaming, running and dragging what appeared to be an injured man through a haze of tear gas.

"Today is a troubling day for the right to protest, and for democracy," lawmaker Joenia Wapichana, Brazil's first indigenous congresswoman, told a news conference.

The events led lawmakers in the lower house to suspend a committee session on "PL 490," a bill that would change the regulations establishing protected indigenous lands.

Indigenous rights groups warn the bill would pave the way for things such as mining, hydroelectric dams and road construction on previously protected reserves.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has been pushing to open protected lands to such development since taking office in 2019.

Critics say that would accelerate the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, a vital resource in the race to curb climate change.

mel/jhb/bfm
Inter Miami CF midfielder Gregore was issued an undisclosed fine by the MLS Disciplinary Committee on Monday evening for his conduct during Miamis loss to D.C. United on Saturday.

Gregore received his second yellow card of Inter Miamis matchup against D.C. United in the 56th minute and was sent off the field for his tackle attempt against Kevin Paredes.

The MLS Disciplinary Committee stated that Gregore was guilty of failure to leave the field in a timely manner after being ejected from the match, with the Brazilian midfielder fined for his action.

Gregore received his first yellow card in the 47th minute for a foul against Paul Arriola.

The MLS Disciplinary Committees full statement read: The MLS Disciplinary Committee has found Inter Miami CF midfielder Gregore guilty of failure to leave the field in a timely manner in the 56th minute of Miamis match against D.C. United on June 19. Gregore will be issued an undisclosed fine for his action.

Gregore, who leads MLS with six yellow cards on the season, will be suspended for Inter Miamis home match versus in-state rival Orlando City on Friday at DRV PNK Stadium.

Ryan Shawcross is also expected to miss Fridays match after being given a red card in the loss to D.C. United for wrapping his arms around D.C. defender Joseph Moras neck during a challenge for the ball in the 84th minute.

Coach Phil Neville defended his players actions and was critical of the referees decisions after the game.

Ryan Shawcross shouldnt have been sent off and neither shouldve Gregore, Neville said, so I cant say to them anything other than hopefully we can appeal Ryans, we will appeal Ryans and itll probably get it turned over because it was a poor decision.

Neville added: Gregore is a combative midfield player who looks to tackle. I want my players to tackle. I want us to be an aggressive team. Yes, there are times weve got to make sure we keep our discipline but I cant say anything about my players discipline [on Saturday]. I thought they were really disciplined. They couldve and probably had every right to do things that were causing their frustrations, but kept fighting until the end and I only applaud them for that.
The election of conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi as Irans next president injects new urgency into the efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, but could preclude the possibility of a longer and stronger agreement.

Why it matters: President Biden hopes to put Irans nuclear program back in a box by salvaging the previous deal and then negotiate a follow-on accord to extend the deals timelines and cover Irans missile program and other issues.

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Driving the news: In his first press conference today, Raisi ruled out negotiating over missiles or meeting with Biden.

Raisi is a loyal protege of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and seems to share his hostility toward the West  a significant shift from outgoing President Hassan Rouhani.

The Biden administration hoped the prospect of deeper economic engagement could keep Iran at the table beyond the restoration of the 2015 deal, but that's unlikely to be a priority for Raisi, notes Henry Rome of Eurasia Group.

Yes, but: Raisi did underscore today the necessity of the sanctions relief Iran would receive if the U.S. returns to the 2015 deal, which Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.

A U.S. official told me on Friday the administration wants to finalize an agreement for both sides to return to compliance with the deal  which Iran has violated by accelerating its nuclear program  before Raisi takes power six weeks from now.

"If we don't have a deal before a new government is formed, I think that would raise serious questions about how achievable it's going to be," the official said.

The latest: A sixth round of talks ended yesterday without a deal, though before departing Vienna some of the negotiators expressed optimism that one could be reached in the next few weeks.

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog group said last week that it was clear a deal would have to wait for the new government, but the U.S. official insisted the talks could break down if they drag into August without a breakthrough.

Between the lines: Analysts and some diplomats involved in the negotiations have long said it would be easier to reach an agreement with the outgoing administration than with a newly inaugurated government, particularly one led by Raisi.

The big picture: Raisis election victory was stage-managed, with Irans Guardian Council preventing all other well-known candidates from running  an unusual level of political control even for Iran.

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Record-low turnout spoke to the disillusionment of voters not only with the options on the ballot, but with a system that has seemed unable to cope with Irans economic and COVID-19 crises.

Rouhani and the moderate camp have absorbed much of the blame, but that buffer will be gone once Raisi assumes office and hard-liners control every branch of the government.

And while Raisi is seen as the leading contender to succeed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 82, recent Iranian presidents have tended to leave office diminished rather than strengthened, notes Azadeh Zamirirad of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

What to watch: Whether or not Raisi is to become supreme leader, there is another transition looming in Iran. Khamenei will have a loyalist in the presidency to help him ensure the revolution endures.

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Iranian officials will not agree to curb their missile program even if the Islamic republic returns to the 2015 nuclear deal with the United States and other Western countries, the hard-line regimes hand-picked president-elect said.

All sanctions must be lifted, and their removal must be verified. America must abide by its commitments under the nuclear agreement, Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected over the weekend amid questions about the regime's involvement in the race, said Monday, according to state media. The Iranian missile program is not subject for negotiations.

Secretary of State Antony Blinkens team hopes to curb Irans expanding nuclear program by orchestrating a joint return to the 2015 pact, which then-President Donald Trump exited in 2018. U.S. officials maintain that such an agreement would set the stage for a broader dialogue about threats emanating from Tehran. Raisis statement could aggravate the bipartisan misgiving that the current round of talks could lead to the loss of leverage needed to secure any other concessions from Tehran.

This is just the Iranians putting their foot down ... which both politically and from a policy perspective puts the Biden administration in a bind, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Behnam Ben Taleblu said. If there is no potential for longer and stronger, then all it looks like the Biden team [is doing] is clawing back a fatally flawed and fast-expiring nuclear deal.

TOP SENATE DEMOCRAT: BIDEN'S IRAN DEAL STRATEGY FREES TEHRAN'S TERRORIST SUPPORT

Blinken has faced skepticism not only from Republicans but from some congressional Democrats who worry that the administrations stated plan to return to compliance with the 2015 pact and then begin talks over Irans ballistic missile program and support for terrorism will fail after the first step.

State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to give a direct answer when asked what the U.S. would do if Iran refuses to commit to negotiating over the broader range of security threats.

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We are confident that if we are able to return to JCPOA compliance, from there, we will have the tools, additional tools, we need to address issues outside of the nuclear deal, Price told reporters Monday. And in fact, well be better positioned than we are right now.

Raisi staked out that position in his first press appearance since Iranian officials announced that he would be the next president, following an election marked by historically low turnout and apparent efforts to ensure that a hard-liner replaced outgoing Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. Raisi, an ally of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who now runs Irans judiciary, has been reviled by human rights groups for his role on a so-called death committee that reportedly ordered the execution of thousands of political dissidents in 1988.

"Iranian authorities paved the way for Ebrahim Raisi to become president through repression and an unfair election, Human Rights Watch Deputy Middle East director Michael Page said. As head of Iran's repressive judiciary, Raisi oversaw some of the most heinous crimes in Irans recent history, which deserve investigation and accountability rather than election to high office.

Western officials and observers are not sure whether his current rhetoric is a clear portent of future policies in Tehran. His emergence as a power player on the international stage coincides with the conclusion of a sixth round of indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Vienna, which so far have not produced an agreement.

The United States has to come to the recognition that it was the United States that left the deal with an objective, and that objective was not achieved, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Saturday. Now it is coming back to the deal, so it cannot dictate the objectives that it couldnt achieve through economic war on the negotiating table. I think thats a cognitive transformation that the U.S. administration needs to make. And I think we are getting there, but not there yet.

The timing of Raisis emergence as president-elect and the latest break in the talks  the negotiators are returning to their capitals for new consultations  has raised the possibility that Iranian officials will return to Vienna with new demands, but it remains to be seen how they will approach a seventh round.

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It could be that the Rouhani and Raisi teams are actually playing good-cop/bad-cop, Ben Taleblu said. Ultimately, the foreign and security policy is going to be devised elsewhere. The president is going to be implementing the policy, but with the amount of latitude granted to him by the Supreme Leader. So, time will tell.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Foreign Policy, National Security, Iran, Iran Nuclear Deal, Antony Blinken, Ali Khamenei

Original Author: Joel Gehrke

Original Location: Iran's incoming president shoots down Biden plan to expand nuclear deal to missile program
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi vowed on Tuesday his government would start rapid COVID-19 vaccinations to help relaunch an economy at the epicentre of the pandemic in the Middle East.

"The quickest general vaccination ... will be among our immediate programmes from the first day of the government," Raisi said in remarks carried live by state TV.

"Domestically produced vaccines, and if necessary those produced abroad (will be obtained) quickly ...so that people will feel at ease and the economy will flourish," Raisi said in a speech in the holy Shi'ite Muslim city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.

The government of outgoing President Hassan Rouhani has faced criticism for a slow vaccination drive, which officials have blamed on U.S. sanctions hampering efforts to buy foreign vaccines and on delays in deliveries.

Iran will focus on using three locally made COVID-19 vaccines, including Russia's Sputnik V and a vaccine jointly produced with Cuba, the current government's spokesman, Ali Rabiei, said earlier on Tuesday. Raisi's government takes over in early August.

Vaccinations with the COVIran Barakat vaccine, developed by a state-affiliated conglomerate, started this week, Rabiei was quoted by Iranian news agencies as saying.

Iran, which has lost 83,217 of its population of 83 million to the virus, launched human trials of COVIran in December and has since started clinical trials of at least three other vaccines.

Rabiei said the Pasteurcovac vaccine, known as Soberana 2 in Cuba, is expected to be licensed for public use this week in Iran.

The joint Iranian-Cuban vaccine has been received by 24,000 people in clinical trials in Iran, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on Twitter. Cuba said the vaccine had proved 62% effective with just two of its three doses.

"The domestically produced Sputnik V vaccine will enter general vaccination from next week," Rabiei was quoted as saying. Iran announced plans in late March to launch domestic production of Sputnik V.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom, Editing by William Maclean)
This week the attention of the nation, and indeed the whole world, has been on the first meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit was the last event on Mr. Biden first trip overseas as Americas chief executive. His itinerary also included sessions with the G-7 leaders and NATO officials meeting in Europe. What does it all mean? Is America really back as the President repeatedly said during his journey? And what does being back mean? To give his insights and perspectives, we invited MTSU political science professor and Dean of the Honors College, Dr. John Vile to be our guest on INSIDE POLITICS this week. We welcome Dr. Vile back to the program and thank him for joining us!
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Hailey and Justin Bieber during an outing in Paris (Image via Getty Images).

Hailey and Justin Bieber are facing criticism for "not dressing appropriately" during their recent meeting with the president of France.

Earlier this week, the pair flew to Paris, where they were invited to meet Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, at the Elysee Palace.

The notoriously stylish stars dressed to impress; Hailey opted for a nude cut-out, ab-baring dress by LaQuan Smith, while Justin opted for a charcoal suit and blue and white Nike sneakers. Following their visit, the 27-year-old singer shared a photo of the foursome to Instagram that earned mixed reactions from fans.

ALSO SEE: Kaitlyn Bristowe hits back at comments that she 'looks different

Although the photo earned the star more than 5 million likes and tons of heart and fire emojis from loyal fans, some felt as though the pair's looks were "not appropriate" for the formal meeting.

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"Did nobody tell this young girl how to dress for the occasion?" one person tweeted, while another wrote, "Love her outfit. I'm not a prude, but not appropriate to meet the president and his wife."

"The fact that she went to meet a president in that outfit? Girl you really are out of touch with reality. You wouldnt even wear that to work, let alone to meet a president," another commented.

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"Show respect to the office of the president," someone else chimed in. "Not with an unbuttoned shirt and sneakers  and I won't comment on Mrs. Bieber."

"I find her dress was inappropriate and him wearing sneakers with a suit to meet a president?! Do better. Yall have stylists!" another person wrote.

"Not to be this person, but Hailey and Justin, you are two grown ass adults with money," a follower commented. "How the hell are you gonna pull up to meet the president of France and his wife wearing two outfits that would be much better suited at some sort of bougie cocktail lounge or nightclub? Did nobody teach either of you about etiquette?"

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Justin and Hailey Bieber during a recent outing in Paris (Getty Images).

ALSO SEE: Jordyn Woods calls out the oversexualization of her body: I cant help my body

This isn't the first time that the Bieber-clan has been called out for their "questionable" style choices. Back in April, the "Peaches" singer faced backlash for wearing his hair in dreadlocks, while Hailey was criticized for "letting him" do it.

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"Justin, you're holding a black baby while simultaneously appropriating the culture with your hairstyle choice. I'm disappointed in you AND your wife for letting you do this to your head. Does neither of you have any sense whatsoever?" someone commented via Instagram.

"For someone who claims to be so 'woke' about the Black Lives Matter movement, this sure is ignorant of you," said another commenter.

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Kansas City leaders are calling a lawsuit against a new budget measure, which would reallocate police funds, both legally and factually false.

In its response to a lawsuit filed by the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners against the city over the recently passed budget measure, city leaders on Tuesday argued that the boards complaints would also violate Missouri law and usurp its spending authority.

Earlier this month, the police board filed a lawsuit against the city, Mayor Quinton Lucas, members of the City Council, city manager Brian Platt and city finance director Tammy Queen.

The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, seeks to challenge an ordinance giving the city some control over a portion of the police departments budget.

In a 25-page response, the citys attorneys said the City Council has acted within the bounds of its constitutional and statutory authority in withdrawing a portion of the money it allocates annually to the police department.

City officials have the authority to have the city manager enter in an agreement with the police board for additional services with those funds, according to court records.

Mayor Quinton Lucas said that he worked alongside several city council members to craft an ordinance that would seek to reduce crime, make neighborhoods safer and stem the increasing number of homicides in Kansas City.

Since that time, the unelected majority of the Police Board and their outstate allies have claimed many things, but have not worked with the City Council, members of the Police Department, clergy, community leaders, or the neighborhoods most affected by violent crime toward a safer city, Lucas said in a written statement.

Instead, they have pursued litigation that is short on legal foundation, high on hyperbole, and wholly without merit. The Police Boards legal theories are undermined by the law and the Boards own annual practices, ignore the plain language of Missouri statutes, and their desired remedy asks the Court to violate the Missouri Constitution.

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Patrick McInerney, who represents the police board, said he is reviewing the filing and declined to comment.

Police board lawsuit

In court filings, the police board says Missouri law gives the police commissioners exclusive management of the department. It seeks the return of $42 million that the city measure places in a fund to be controlled by negotiation between the police board and the city manager.

The police board was seeking to prevent the City Council from reallocating the $42 million from the police budget to fund a newly devised Community Services and Prevention Fund.

Earlier this month, the City Council voted 9-4 to cut this years police budget back to 20% of the citys general fund, a minimum required by state law.

It requires that the police board negotiate with Kansas City Manager Brian Platt to decide how that money will be spent on crime prevention and community engagement initiatives.

Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, recently filed court action seeking to join the lawsuit in favor of the city.

In her filings, Grant said that the current policing structure fails to give Kansas City taxpayers a voice in how the police department spends its money. Grant said she took the action on behalf of the citys taxpayers because the Taxation Without Representation scheme maintained by the police boards lawsuit and the current policing structure violates the Missouri Hancock Amendment, which limits state revenue and local taxes.

Attorneys for the city have asked the court to dismiss the police boards claim. It also asked that Lucas, city council members Platt and Queen be dismissed from the lawsuit.

The Board has planted the false flag that, by passing ordinances...., the City has somehow attempted to wrest control of the police force from the Board, the city said in its court filing. This is not true.

The City has done nothing to tell the Board what to pay, who to pay, or when to pay it. It has not established another police force; it has not appropriated monies;.... it has not refused to pay expenditures up the statutory limitations...

An initial hearing on the lawsuit was canceled after a Circuit Court judge gave attorneys for the city 14 days to respond to the police boards lawsuit. During that period, Circuit Judge Kevin D. Harrell ordered the city to continue to fund police operations at the present spending levels.

The city later requested and was granted a new judge in the case. Circuit Court Judge Bryan Round was given the case but later reassigned to another judge. Round had previously served as the police boards secretary, attorney and business manager from 1997 to 2005. It has been assigned to Circuit Judge Patrick W. Campbell.

The citys attorneys were also given an extension to file its response.

The city argued that it followed the appropriation process to fund the police department. Missouri law provides the city with the authority to revisit any money that exceeds the state 20% funding requirement.

Lucas previously said he would welcome a legal challenge to the councils action. He has said the city may have a legal argument under the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, which says people have to be treated the same under the law.

The city also has numerous contractual agreements with other entities, including one with the police department to enforce parking violations in downtown Kansas City.

The unelected Police Boards suit is not about protecting the brave women and men in the rank and file of our police department, nor is it about making the community safer, Lucas said.

The suit is the Boards effort to preserve their power and the power of Jefferson City over our local affairs, while Kansas Citians continue to suffer unconscionably high rates of crime in too many of our neighborhoods. Our taxpayers, our neighbors, our victims, our police officers, and our families deserve better. During the pendency of this suit, twelve Kansas Citians have been murdered, including a 15-year-old child, he said.

Attorneys argued that it followed the appropriation process to fund the police department. Missouri law provides the city with the authority to revisit any money that exceeds the state 20% funding requirement.

For decades, the City has been told that the only power over the police department that the City has - and through it, that the citizens of Kansas City have - is funding of the Board..... The court should not acquiesce to the Boards attempt to quash the Citys statutorily-granted power, the city said in its filing.
(Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

Mandatory mask rules extended in Sydney

Australia's most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), on Tuesday reported its biggest rise in new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in nearly a week, prompting authorities to extend a mask mandate in Sydney for a week.

Ten new locally acquired cases were reported in NSW on Tuesday, as officials fight to contain a latest cluster of the highly infectious Delta virus variant. Eight of the 10 are household contacts of previous cases in isolation.

"There is no doubt there is an increased level of concern, given the additional numbers of cases, but ... given how absolutely contagious the virus is, we expected household contacts already in isolation were likely to get the virus," NSW state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.

Central Asia braces for third wave

Kazakhstan warned on Tuesday that the more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus had reached its capital as other Central Asian countries saw fresh spikes in cases.

The number of new cases in Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, jumped 40% last week compared to the previous week, healthcare minister Alexei Tsoi told a government meeting on Tuesday.

Tsoi said tests had shown that the Delta variant, first detected in India, was present in the city and urged provincial governments to prepare for a spike in cases requiring hospitalisation and lung ventilation.

India's vaccination pace seen dwindling

India's vaccinations over the next few weeks could fall short of the blistering pace set on the first day of a federal campaign, unless it makes inroads in a vast hinterland and bridges a shortage of doses, experts said on Tuesday.

The 8.6 million doses injected on Monday represented a record two-fold jump as India kicked off free inoculation for all adults, reversing a policy for individual states and hospitals to buy vaccines for those aged 18 to 44.

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"This is clearly not sustainable," Chandrakant Lahariya, an expert in public policy and health systems, told Reuters.

Vaccinated Brits could be back on Europe's beaches soon

Britain is working on easing travel restrictions for the fully vaccinated to allow people to enjoy a summer holiday on Europe's beaches but the plans are not finalised yet, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday.

Currently British citizens are essentially prevented from travelling to most countries - including those in the European Union - as the quarantine and testing rules are so cumbersome and expensive.

The travel industry has demanded that Britain removes its COVID testing and isolation requirements for fully vaccinated travellers, similar to a scheme to the European Union.

Italy to scrap mandatory masks outdoors

Italy will lift a requirement that people wear face masks outdoors from June 28, the government said late on Monday, as cases and hospitalisations decline.

Mandatory masks were imposed in October last year, when the country was entering a second wave of the epidemic and authorities were struggling to curb surging infections.

Mario Draghi's government has been steadily lifting restrictions since April, opening activities such as restaurants, bars, cinemas and gyms and allowing freedom of movement around the country.

(Compiled by Linda Noakes)
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) -Eleven police officers were killed and four are missing after their unit was ambushed in northern Burkina Faso late on Monday, the country's security minister said on Tuesday.

The ambush occurred while the unit was on a relief mission to the town of Yirgou, which has been hit by recent violence, Security Minister Ousseini Compaore said in a statement.

"Joint search operations with the army have been under way since yesterday," Compaore said.

Attacks by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are surging across the Sahel region, killing thousands and displacing millions across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

About 1.2 million people have been displaced by the violence in Burkina Faso. At least 132 people were killed by insurgents last month in the worst single attack yet.

(Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga; Writing by Cooper Inveen; Editing by Giles Elgood and Peter Cooney)
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards talks to media at his campaign office in Shreveport, La., Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. Edwards, a Democrat, was campaigning in the same metropolitan area his Republican challenger, Eddie Rispone, will be holding a campaign rally with President Donald Trump later in the evening. Gerald Herbert/AP

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have banned transgender youth from participating on girls' or women's school sports teams.

"As I have said repeatedly when asked about this bill, discrimination is not a Louisiana value, and this bill was a solution in search of a problem that simply does not exist in Louisiana," Edwards said in a statement.

In May, the bill easily passed Louisiana's Republican-led legislature, with supporters claiming it was necessary to protect young women from unfair competition. It would have prevented schools from being sued for discrimination against transgender students, CNN reported, while allowing cisgender athletes to sue if they felt "deprived of an athletic opportunity."

However, as the Democratic governor argued in his statement, even the bill's author, Republican Sen. Beth Mizell, "acknowledged throughout the legislative session that there wasn't a single case where this was an issue."

"Further, it would make life more difficult for transgender children, who are some of the most vulnerable Louisianans when it comes to issues of mental health," said Edwards.

The bill, known as the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, aimed to bar transgender girls and women from competing on athletic teams or in sporting events designed for girls or women at elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools.

"We should be looking for more ways to unite rather than divide our citizens," Edwards said. "And while there is no issue to be solved by this bill, it does present real problems in that it makes it more likely that NCAA and professional championships, like the 2022 Final Four, would not happen in our state. For these and for other reasons, I have vetoed the bill."

It is unclear whether lawmakers will seek to override the governor's veto.

Similar legislation has now been introduced in over half the states.

"These are organized anti-transgender forces, people who are ideologically anti-transgender, who are trying to push this everywhere that they can," Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, deputy executive director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, told Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Associated Press

The former host of the To Catch a Predator TV series turned himself in Friday after a Michigan judge issued a warrant for his arrest for no-showing at a court hearing to explain why he had not given a defense lawyer more footage of a police sting operation. Chris Hansen, 61, checked in at the Shiawassee County jail in Corunna  65 miles (104.61 kilometers) northwest of Detroit  was released and has 14 days to produce the full video, prosecutor Scott Koerner said. Hansen later posted a photo of the county courthouse on Instagram and said all matters had been resolved.
Jun. 21Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan's next criminal trial likely will take place in Santa Fe.

One of the judges presiding over two separate cases against Lujan granted a prosecutor's motion Monday to move a trial for the sheriff out of Rio Arriba County to avoid conflicts  something the state claimed made it difficult for jurors to render a verdict in a trial held earlier this month.

State District Judge Bryan Biedscheid said Monday he based his decision in part on the lack of physical space in the Rio Arriba County Courthouse in Tierra Amarilla and the limited number of residents in the county who could serve as jurors.

"It's nothing against Rio Arriba County," the judge said. "It's just math ... and the percentages involved."

Biedscheid is presiding over a case in which the sheriff is charged with three misdemeanor counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. He was accused of showing up drunk at a crime scene in Espanola in March 2020 and attempting to take over the operation from police.

Lujan faced trial earlier this month on felony charges of bribing or threatening a witness and harboring a felon during an incident in 2017. Both cases involve former Espanola City Councilor Phillip Chacon. In the 2017 case, Lujan is accused of helping Chacon evade police after he led them on a high-speed chase.

Ninth Judicial District Attorney Andrea Reeb  a special prosecutor for both cases against the sheriff  has said the state intends to retry the 2017 case after jurors deadlocked 8-4 in favor of acquittal.

She asked for the venue change for both future trials.

She said numerous factors  including the presence of the sheriff's family members and staff throughout the courtroom in Lujan's first trial, the lack of privacy in the deliberation room and the jurors' knowledge that Lujan remains the top law enforcement officer in their county  combined to make the jurors feel "intimidated" and unable to deliberate without fear of repercussions.

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The presence and behavior of Lujan's family and his deputies during the trial contributed to an atmosphere that made jurors uncomfortable, Reeb said.

For example, she wrote in her motion, Lujan's wife "arrived at the courthouse with a BBQ grill and parked her personal truck in a law enforcement parking space. ... Deputies proceeded to unload the grill and have a BBQ ... during the lunch break of the trial."

The deputies, she said, "were huddled in a room at the entrance of the courtroom where passersby could see them live streaming the jury trial ... Witnesses were in fact exposed to a live stream of the trial."

One of the deputies approached a juror at a gas station, Reeb wrote in her motion.

"The juror said they had no sense of security throughout the trial," Reeb wrote. "... Jurors felt that the deputies present were able to recognize them outside the courthouse which they indicated was intimidating."

The physical limitations of the historic Tierra Amarilla courthouse also affected jurors' ability to be fair and impartial, Reeb argued.

"The set-up of the courtroom alone ... was prejudicial to the state," she wrote.

"During the trial, jurors were sitting in close proximity to [Lujan's] family. ... [Lujan's] son would stare and try to get jurors' attention. [Lujan's] wife would tap her foot trying to get a juror's attention. The juror felt intimidated and afraid to speak up."

"In addition," Reeb's motion said, "the jurors could hear everything outside through open windows, which made them concerned the deputies could hear their deliberations. This was extremely intimidating to them and likely prohibited them from having open deliberations as required."

State District Judge Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood  who presided over the case  is scheduled to consider Reeb's motion requesting a new venue for a second trial in the case later this month.

But Biedscheid ruled Monday he'll move the trial he's handling to Santa Fe.

Reeb had requested the trial in the 2020 case against Lujan be moved out of the First Judicial District  which includes Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties  to another part of the state. But Biedsheid said that remedy was too severe. It would be more appropriate, he said, to keep the case in the judicial district, given Lujan's right to have the case tried in the county where he is accused of committing the crimes.

Lujan's attorney, Jason Bowles, rejected the idea that conditions were problematic during his client's first trial. However, he agreed that if the sheriff's next trial were moved out of Tierra Amarilla  with its close quarters and limited dining options  it should be held in Santa Fe.

Still in dispute is whether jurors for the trial on Lujan's misdemeanor counts will be pulled from only Santa Fe County or from both Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties.

Reeb wants them drawn from Santa Fe County, citing Lujan's position of authority in Rio Arriba County. Bowles said he wants jurors pulled from both counties, contending Lujan is entitled to a jury of his peers.

Bowles said if jurors appear unable to be objective based on their knowledge of Lujan or the case, they can be eliminated for cause during the jury selection process.

Biedscheid said he'll hold another hearing to decide that issue.
COVID hotspots across the UK are likely to increase, according to recent research. (Imperial College London)

These two maps show how the UK is expected to face a surge in COVID-19 cases over the next few weeks.

With UK cases already rising due to the Delta variant of coronavirus, first identified in India, a team at Imperial College London has predicted the trend will continue as England prepares to lift its remaining lockdown restrictions.

The maps estimate the probability that an area will be a hotspot at a certain date, with a hotspot defined as a local authority with more than 100 cases per 100,000.

The two maps demonstrate the extent to which the virus will likely spread in more areas between 20 June and 2 July.

Watch: Boris Johnson won't rule out further lockdowns in the winter

Read: Will there be a fourth COVID lockdown?

The deeper the shade of red on the maps  which are modelled on testing data and the assumption no further government interventions will be imposed  the more likely an area is to be a COVID hotspot of more than 100 infections per 100,000 people.

The lighter the shade of grey, the less likely it is to be a hotspot.

In the map showing the coronavirus situation on 20 June (below), hotspots were isolated to areas like the North West, Scotland and Cornwall, with most areas in the lighter shade of grey.

COVID hotspots on 20 June, according to Imperial College London research. (Imperial College London)

But by 2 July, far more areas are shown in the deepest shade of red, indicating the likelihood they will become COVID hotspots in the next few weeks.

It comes as the Delta variant continues to drive the surge in case numbers.

Blackburn with Darwen currently has the highest seven-day rolling average rate of COVID cases, according to data from PA.

Potential COVID hotspots on 2 July, according to Imperial College London research. (Imperial College London)

The area has seen the case rate jump to 600.6 per 100,000 people in the week ending 17 June  up from 531.7 the week before.

Hyndburn currently comes in second with a rate of 480.0, followed by Ribble Valley (418.8), Burnley (404.9) and Manchester (360.7).

According to the Office for National Statistics, regions where cases have been increasing include the North West, the West Midlands and the South East.

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It comes as Boris Johnson "re-emphasised the government's determination to ensure the [unlocking] roadmap is irreversible" during a meeting with his Cabinet on Tuesday, according to Downing Street.

Watch: Third wave coming as Delta variant surges

Last week, when Johnson announced that the planned lifting of all legal restrictions on social contact would have to be delayed until 19 July, he said that date could be brought forward until 5 July.

Johnson and some of his senior ministers have in recent days signalled that it is "looking good for the planned lifting of coronavirus restrictions on 19 July  despite rising cases and hospital admissions.

The prime minister said the date looked set to be the terminus point for Englands lockdown.

However, Johnson also did not rule out putting the country back under lockdown later this year, saying the country was in for a rough winter.

While cases continue to rise across the country, the government is still analysing whether this is translating into increased hospitalisations and deaths in light of the vaccination programme.

According to the latest government data, COVID cases have increased 34.8% week on week as of Tuesday.

Meanwhile, hospitalisations are also up by 34.9% and deaths by 44.4%, suggesting the rise in cases is beginning to have an effect on the number of people getting seriously ill.

The estimates and projections shown on the Imperial College London maps have probability measures associated with them, meaning the figures should be treated cautiously.

The projections also assume that lockdowns and behaviour patterns dont change.

Watch: Coronavirus in numbers: UK death toll reaches 128,008
Reuters Videos

CBS said that earlier in the day, the Los Angeles Police Department received a tip of illegal fireworks at the home in the 700 block of 27th Street. When officers arrived, they reportedly found two children and approximately 5,000 pounds of fireworks.Authorities told CBS that one man was taken into custody on suspicion of possession of destructive devices, possession of fireworks and child endangerment. Long said the child endangerment case was being referred to the Department of Child and Family Services and the children were taken into protective custody.The Los Angeles Fire Department told CBS that nine LAPD officers were treated and taken to local hospitals in fair condition with minor injuries. One Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officer was reportedly also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.There were reportedly also six civilians, three with serious injuries and three with minor injuries, taken to area hospitals. Names, genders and ages of the injured were not immediately released.LAFD told CBS that several homes were impacted by the blast and L.A. Building and Safety inspectors were evaluating them to determine if anyone would be displaced.It was not immediately known why the fireworks exploded, though neighbors were left wondering why the truck was not taken outside of a residential neighborhood for the planned detonation.
Malone Mukwende

Malone Mukwende in Birmingham, U.K., on June 19, 2021. Credit - Adama Jalloh for TIME

When Malone Mukwende, 21, started medical school in London, he identified a fundamental problem: almost all the images and data used in its teaching were based on studies of white patients. But medical symptoms can present very differently on Black and brown skin, leading to misdiagnosis, suffering and even death. Still a student, he has recently launched both a handbook, Mind the Gap, and Hutano, a new online platform intended to empower people with knowledge about their health. I asked him what he hoped to achieve and the wider lessons for all of us.

AJ: For people who dont know your work, would you explain Mind the Gap?

MM: I got to medical school and noticed there was a gap in our teaching. If we learned about a particular type of rash or disease that manifests on skin, it would always have white skin as the reference. I would ask what does this look like on other skin tones? just for my own learning. Often people told me that they didnt know. I decided that something needed to be done. Some members of staff at the university and I then started collating pictures and descriptions of different conditions on darker skin, and we compiled them all into a handbook that we called Mind the Gap.

AJ: The gap isnt just because there havent been studies on Black and brown skin. Its because it wasnt considered important, right?

MM: Yes, thats right. After the publication of Mind the Gap, someone reached out to me who is a student in Zimbabwe. They said that all the books and reference images they use are also from white skin, even though the population [is] predominantly of darker skin. It really shows you that the legacies of colonialism are still living in 2021. A lot of the textbooks that they get are the ones we in the Western world have discarded, after a new edition has come out. It makes you question and wonder how come in the continent of AfricaI would assume the same thing is happening in much of Asiathere isnt an established [local] source or resource.There are so many people locally on the ground who know this stuff. But from a wider perspective and a teaching perspective, its not being transitioned from individual knowledge into textbooks and resources to help to teach people.

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AJ: I have children from different backgrounds, and I know when there was a rash that everybody got, it looked drastically different depending on their skin color. But whenever I looked at medical charts, the reference point was always white skin. Recently my daughter Zahara, whom I adopted from Ethiopia, had surgery, and afterward a nurse told me to call them if her skin turned pink.

MM: Thats the kind of thing I started to notice very early on. Almost the entirety of medicine is taught in that way. Theres a language and a culture that exists in the medical profession, because its been done for so many years and because we are still doing it so many years later it doesnt seem like its a problem. However, like youve just illustrated, thats a very problematic statement for some groups of the population because its just not going to happen in that way and if youre unaware you probably wont call the doctor.

AJ: Now that there is so much online, it should be so much easier. So what is your new digital platform, and why is it called Hutano?

MM: Hutano, in my native language, Shona, translates directly to health. Its a health social platform, where people from all over the world can connect to form communities and really discuss these different conditions.

AJ: What do you hope it will achieve?

MM: We want people who are living with these conditions to have a platform to be seen and empower their health care literacy. For example, someone who has been struggling with eczema can come onto Hutano and join or even create an awareness group around their condition, and other people from all over the world who have that condition can join in and maybe discuss, oh Ive recently been diagnosed with eczema, does anyone know how I can find some clothes which wont irritate my eczema? or Ive used this cream, does anyone have any experience in how it has worked? We want to give people the platform to be able to discuss these things. We need to start empowering the individual, and that, I hope, will start to reduce some of the health care disparities that exist.

AJ: Do you have some examples of the consequences of these disparities?

MM: In the U.K. there was a case in the early 2000s, and even though it was a while ago now it shows how serious these things can get. There was a little girl, Victoria Climbie, and she was undergoing abuse from her great aunt and her boyfriend. She presented to the hospital, and she had visible injuries on her skin. A doctor concluded that she was suffering from scabies and accepted her guardians story that she had inflicted the wounds herself by scratching the scars. Eventually they realized that this was a potential social-services case and a case of neglect. Unfortunately she did end up dying due to abuse at the hands of her guardians. From a health care perspective there had been an opportunity to be able to intervene and fully alert social services quicker. In the report on her death it said she had 128 different injuries. We missed that many different signs on darker skin to be able to identify that this was actually a problem. This is a common problem with bruising and injury in domestic violence and abuse cases.

AJ: And this goes beyond just looking at skin, doesnt it? There are wider problems with our medical knowledge and our evidence and our measurements?

MM: Its the politics of medicine, for so long. For instance if you read an old medical textbook it will tell you from a European perspective that a 70 kg (154 lb.) 25-year-old male is the reference point, and if you are above that you are obese, if you are below that you are malnourished, and who came up with this scale? We like to say medicine is evidence-based, but we need to question where our evidence is coming from. A lot of the studies only included people from Europe and America. Weve got all these data sets but actually we only tested 30% or 40% of the world.

AJ: So how do we recalculate?

MM: I cant say I have a solution because if we decide to group by age that will also open a can of worms; [the same is true] if we group by race, if we group by income. It just depends on individual circumstances a lot of the time. If [individual] people are empowered they will have an adequate amount of information or an adequate ability to ask the right questions about their health care.

AJ: What amazes me is that youve managed to publish this handbook and created this new platform while youre still a medical student.

MM: Im a big believer that age shouldnt be a barrier. If there is a problem that needs to be fixed it doesnt matter if youre a doctor who has been qualified for 25 years or if youre somebody who has just walked into the doors of medical school, as long as you are committed to the cause.

With reporting by Madeline Roache
Two young men and a woman, suspected of an armed robbery outside a Hialeah hotel, led police officers on a dramatic car chase that wound up in Broward County. Their silver Mercedes-Benz was eventually stopped in Hollywood, the three were taken into custody and the case might have remained largely anonymous, except for one thing.

The backseat passenger, an 18-year-old named Gabriel Rodriguez, was discovered with a gunshot wound to the neck  presumably from a police bullet. I got shot bro! Rodriguez yells in dramatic police body-cam footage obtained by the Herald, saying later: It feels like Im about to die!

Rodriguez survived. The previously unreported episode has now sparked an investigation by Miami-Dade police homicide detectives and prosecutors. Officers from Hialeah and Miami-Dade were involved at some stages in the chase, as was a Broward Sheriffs police helicopter. But none of the cops reported using their weapons.

Instead, the Herald has learned, they are focusing on a Doral police detective who is suspected of joining in the chase, firing his gun at some point during the pursuit, repeatedly punching the driver when the Mercedes-Benz was finally stopped in Hollywood, and then leaving the scene after the three were arrested. The Doral Police Department confirmed that Detective Michael Acosta, 30, has been relieved of duty, pending the outcome of the investigation, but declined further comment.

A Miami-Dade ballistics analysis report obtained by the Herald shows that two bullets believed used in the shooting matched Acostas 9 mm Glock pistol. The police lab also tested weapons from six Miami-Dade police officers, and none matched, the report said.

The body-cam footage also shows someone who is believed to be Acosta, in a dark-blue button-up shirt under a bulletproof vest, repeatedly striking the driver of the car, a 20-year-old woman, through the window in the frantic moments when the car was finally stopped at the intersection in Hollywood.

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A defense lawyer for Rodriguez says the teen is still suffering from neck pain. He felt the burning and then he realized hed been shot, said lawyer Justin Beckham. He definitely thought he was going to die.

Beckham said Miami-Dade public corruption prosecutors have reached out to try and interview Rodriguez, who remains jailed awaiting trial on the robbery case. Beckham said Rodriguez, who suffers from mental illness and had no previous criminal history, has not been told who is believed to have shot him. The whole thing is shrouded in mystery, Beckham said.

Gabriel Rodriguez, 18, was shot and wounded by a police bullet in April 2021.

The story of what is known so far in the shooting is drawn from accounts from multiple sources with knowledge of the probe, as well as evidence in the criminal case against Rodriguez. That includes body-camera footage, radio dispatches and police reports.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation told the Herald that Acosta is also being investigated for a separate road rage incident in the Hialeah area that happened one week before the car chase and shooting. Details of that case have yet to be made public.

Acosta, a U.S. military veteran, has been a Doral police officer since 2017. The South Florida Police Benevolent Association, which is representing Acosta, declined to discuss details of the allegations but did acknowledge he was involved in the car chase.

Were not sure what hes been relieved of duty for, said PBA President Steadman Stahl. He was involved in an incident involving multiple agencies. The investigation is still open and until we can see all the facts, its hard to take a position on what the officer may or may not have done.

The Miami-Dade police homicide bureau is investigating. Based on the fact that it is an open and active case, we are unable to divulge any further information at this time, according to Miami-Dade police spokesman Angel Rodriguez.

The Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office, which is also involved in the probe, also declined to comment.

Acosta has not been charged with anything. Search warrants in the case show that Acosta is being investigated for possible charges of attempted murder and tampering with evidence.

Even as police shootings have come under increasing national scrutiny in recent years, Florida law still gives cops wide leeway to use deadly force. Prosecutions of police officers for on-duty shootings are rare anywhere in the state.

A crime-scene photo of the Mercedes-Benz believed shot at during a police chase in April 2021. What appears to be a bullet hole is in the drivers side rear door.

In particular, Floridas fleeing felon law allows officers to shoot at a suspected criminal running away  even in the back  under the belief that they could pose a threat to the public.

And even if Acosta is found to have broken Doral internal procedures, that likely wouldnt be allowed into a criminal trial, thanks to case law stemming from the trial of a Miami officer who fatally shot at a man fleeing police on a motorcycle in 1989.

Anatomy of a Chase

In Rodriguezs case, police said, the episode started with a drug deal gone wrong.

Police allege that Rodriguez used Snapchat to arrange to sell drugs to a man outside the Holiday Inn Express Hotel on the 6600 block of West 20th Avenue, on the night of April 19. The victim, Allan Martinez, 21, waited inside his car in the parking lot.

Thats when a silver Mercedes-Benz pulled up. Behind the wheel was Titilopemi Naomi Olusola, 22, according to court documents. In the front passengers seat was her cousin, Emmanuel Akinbehinje, 20, and in the rear passengers seat was Rodriguez.

According to an arrest warrant, Akinbehinje walked up to Martinezs door, holding two guns, and said: Give me the money. He then pistol whipped Martinez, causing him to black out, while the other two ransacked his car, the warrant said.

A hotel patrol saw the commotion and alerted front desk staffers, who called 911. Hialeah police officers arrived just in time to see the Mercedes-Benz driving off. As dispatchers issued countywide alerts for the car, Hialeah police officers followed as the Mercedes-Benz drove off.

A Doral police spokesman, Rey Valdez, said the car chase only briefly went through the city, and dispatchers ordered all officers to cease chasing once it left their jurisdiction. He could not say if Acosta was on duty that day, or when and where he joined the chase.

An unmarked Doral police car searched as part of the investigation into a police shooting that happened in April 2021.

Acosta did not report his joining of the pursuit to police dispatch. During the pursuit, Acosta discharged a firearm and struck the fleeing Mercedes-Benz occupied by the armed robbery suspects, according to a search warrant in the case.

The Mercedes hopped on the Palmetto Expressway, and when it became clear that the Mercedes was headed to Broward County, Hialeah police called off the chase. One source said the officers all exited at Northwest 67th Avenue, after the curve known as the Big Bend.

The Hialeah Police Department can confirm that none of their officers opened fire during this chase, Hialeah police spokeswoman Adriana Quintana Martinez said in an email.

Infrared footage from a Broward Sheriffs helicopter shows the chase eventually wound through Broward County into the Hollywood area  at one point, the officers had the car nearly boxed in but it slipped away. Moments later, it appears, a police car slightly collided with the Mercedes-Benzs left rear on Pembroke Road.

Exactly where the shooting happened remains unclear. Rodriguez, in a statement to Hialeah police detectives at the hospital, seemed confused about where it happened, but insisted that a police officer in a dark-colored car tried to ram them from the left and to the rear.

The first shot was fired before he tried to T-bone us, Rodriguez said in the audio recorded statement, which is part of the evidence file in the robbery case.

A crime-scene photo of the Mercedes-Benz believed shot at during a police chase in April 2021. What appears to be a bullet hole is in the drivers side rear door.

The chase ended when the Mercedes-Benz, turning right onto State Road 7, collided with a Miami-Dade police car about 10:20 p.m., hitting a pole next to a gas station. As the car tried backing up, Acosta jumped out of his dark-colored Impala and began furiously striking the driver, Olusola, footage shows.

Olusola suffered a bloody lip and was later examined in the hospital.

Rodriguez, shirtless and bleeding from the neck, fell out of the car yelling that hed been shot.

Bro, is the neck wound bad? Rodriguez cried as he was being checked out by a detective.

Naw, youre good. Youre going to be good, the detective said as he waited with Rodriguez for paramedics to arrive.

Some of the Miami-Dade and Broward Sheriffs officers on the scene seemed confused about the gunshot wound.

Yall tried to kill us ... You shot my friend, bro! Akinbehinje yelled as he was taken into custody.

Who did? another Miami-Dade detective asked. I didnt shoot nobody.

That dude was trying to kill us, Akinbehinje said of whoever shot at the Mercedes-Benz, adding later: He rammed our car three f---ing times ... He got shot in his neck and ear by the police. Good luck dealing with that case!

A crime-scene photo of the Mercedes-Benz believed shot at during a police chase in April 2021. What appears to be a bullet hole is in the drivers side rear door.

Who shot you? I dont know who shot you, the detective said.

The footage shows Acosta milled about the scene, going into the trunk of his dark gray unmarked sedan, even casually bumping fists with one officer who was busy giving directions to others to organize the scene. Let me get you my business card, he said to one officer.

It was unclear at what point he left the scene. But in crime scene photos taken that night, his Impala is gone.

Rodriguez was taken to Hollywoods Memorial Regional Hospital for his injuries.

Akinbehinje and Olusola were taken to a nearby Broward Sheriffs Office police station for questioning. They did not realize, according to arrest warrants, that the interview room was equipped with video and audio recording equipment.

They implicated themselves in the robbery, according to court documents, and also talked about the shooting and the chase. The gun believed used in the armed robbery was also found in the Mercedes Benz.

As for the criminal case against the alleged robbers, all three are awaiting trial. Akinbehinje is being held in a Broward County jail, for now, because he is facing an unrelated burglary case there. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer did not return a request for comment.

Olusola was not charged with the robbery. Instead, she was charged with accessory.

A bullet fragment recovered as evidence for the investigation into an April 2021 police shooting involving a Doral detective.

Exactly how investigators learned of Acostas involvement in the chase remains unclear. No Hialeah or Miami-Dade police officers have been relieved of duty. Stahl, of the police union, said the Miami-Dade officers had their weapons taken for ballistics testing.

Acostas gun was also taken. His Chevrolet Impala was seized and searched in late April as part of the police-shooting probe, according to photos included in the criminal case against the accused robbers.

Investigators also used long dowels to chart the path of at least two bullets that went into the Mercedes-Benz. One was charted as going through the drivers side rear door  the other was charted as having entered the window.

Shooting at the car, thats crazy, Olusolas defense lawyer, Randy Haas, said of the police shooting.. Absolutely, its an unjustified shooting.
Yahoo Life Videos

Nutrition is probably the most powerful thing you can do to prevent and treat coronary heart disease, Sonya Angelone, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells Yahoo Life. Theres a lot of good research that says if you eat in a certain way that you can significantly decrease your risk for heart attack. Some of the easiest and most affordable items to add to your menu are fruits and vegetables. Plants have amazing health benefits, Dr. Taz Bhatia, a board-certified physician specializing in immune support and wellness, tells Yahoo Life. They contain antioxidants, such as vitamins A, B and C, which help keep your arteries free of plaque buildup. I know how hard this is, but kicking table salt is one of the keys to preventing heart disease, says Bhatia. The popular seasoning actually constricts your blood vessels and in turn, decreases the amount of blood and oxygen that gets to your heart. But its not just the salt shaker sitting on your table thats the problem  the biggest sodium threats are found in processed foods such as breads, pizzas and fast food sandwiches. Some of these foods contain more than 100 percent of the 2,300 milligrams of sodium thats recommended per day. To ease the pain of reducing your intake of some of your favorite processed foods, treat yourself to some dark chocolate. Varieties with at least 70 percent cacao help your body release nitric oxide. This powerful compound actually relaxes blood vessels and keeps them flexible. Just be sure you check the label to see if the chocolate has been processed with alkali
Update: The rum line is being renamed, it was announced on June 23.

Michael B. Jordan's new rum line, J'Ouvert, is sparking controversy, including allegations of cultural appropriation.

The Fantastic Four and Creed star, like other celebrities, has ventured into the booze business. However, there are objections to the name because Jouvert is the name of a festival celebrating Caribbean culture held annually in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada during Carnival  and celebrated internationally.

Dancers in the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival in Port of Spain, Trinidad. (Photo: Sean Drakes/LatinContent via Getty Images)

The packaging on the L.A.-born, New Jersey-raised Jordan's rum notes it's, "Derived from the Antellian Creole French term meaning 'daybreak,' J'OUVERT originated in the pre-dawn streets of Trinidad, as celebration of emancipation combined with Carnival season to serve as the festival informal commencements. Crafted on those same islands, JOUVERT Rum is a tribute to the party start."

(Screenshot: @AllianaSabrina via Twitter)

But the 2020 Sexiest Man Alive's connection to the culture is in question amid the name being trademarked by a third party, which notes: "The wording 'J'OUVERT' has no meaning in a foreign language."

There's also an issue about the attempt to trademark J'Ouvert for the rum. A Change.org petition with more than 8,500 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon calls to block the trademark, noting that the "word J'Ouvert is deeply rooted in Trinbagonian and Caribbean culture" and notes it's the name of "the annual indigenous festivities of T&T's beloved Carnival, which began in the mid-1800s when slaves were emancipated.

(Screenshot: https://trademarks.justia.com/902/10/j-90210764.html)

"It's time we love ourselves enough to stop the sale of our culture to foreign entities that do not respect or value our global contributions, and who do not support and uphold our countries in respectful, long-lasting, tangible and verifiable ways!" the petition states.

The petition calls for the filing to be dismissed  and Jordan "to do the right thing by calling this a loss."

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The Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon told Trinidad and Tobago Newsday the issue is "of extreme concern."

The local Trinidad Express newspaper reports that Jordan's rum "angers Trinis."

On social media, people are also questioning his roots and the attempt to trademark the name shared by the festival:

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There's speculation there could be a local co-owner or a partner with Trini roots making the collaboration make more sense  though issues about the trademark remain. Some are pointing to Kim Kardashian once trying to trademark "kimono" for her shapewear brand, which she later renamed "Skims."

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Jordan, 34, has yet to comment. The brand's Instagram is set to "private" and the website says it's coming soon.

This follows Kendall Jenner facing backlash over her 818 tequila brand. It was alleged that her skin tone was darkened for the ad campaign. She was also dressed to look like a Mexican woman.

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Jun. 22A Middletown is facing charges in a shooting incident in Jackson County in southern Ohio, and his son remains wanted.

Larry E. Farmer turned himself in to officials there after they released that he was wanted on a charge of felonious assault after an incident on Thursday in Glen Roy. According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a report of shots fired last Thursday, and witnesses told them the suspects fled the scene.

Farmer is accused of firing shots into a mobile home, and no one was injured. He turned himself in on Monday.

Bond for Farmer was set at $1 million, and he remains in the Jackson County Correctional Facility.

His son, Larry Jason Farmer, remains at large, the sheriff's office said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) remarks on the chamber floor Tuesday morning all but officially signed the death certificate for Democrats' sweeping election reform bill, the For The People Act.

The upper chamber, McConnell claims, is no obstacle to voting laws "done the right way." Only when the "policy is flawed and the process is rotten" might the Senate stand in a bill's path  which, he claims, is the job of the legislative body.

Therefore "today, the Senate's going to fulfill our founding purpose, stop the partisan power grab, and reject S.1," McConnell asserts.

The Senate will vote later Tuesday on whether to open debate on voting rights legislation, but needing 60 votes to overcome the chamber's filibuster rule, Democrats are unlikely to garner the 10 Republican votes needed to proceed. McConnell has previously signaled GOP opposition to the bill, even after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) issued an updated proposal intended as a step toward bipartisan compromise.

Watch a clip of McConnell's comments below:

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NEW YORK (AP)  The estate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has reached an international agreement with HarperCollins Publishers, which released his first book more than 60 years ago, for rights to his archive.

The King Estate is pleased to return the publishing rights to Dr. Kings literary archive to his original publisher," the manager of King's estate, Eric Tidwell, said in a statement Tuesday. "Dr. Kings prophetic message of peace, hope, love and equality continue to impact the world today. That message is needed now more than ever. We look forward to utilizing HarperCollins global footprint to continue the perpetuation of Dr. Kings wonderful legacy through new creative literary projects.

The King estate had been publishing since 2009 with Beacon Press, including the late civil rights leader's first work, Stride Toward Freedom. That account of the 1955-'56 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott helped bring him national prominence. Stride Toward Freedom was first released in 1958 by what was then Harper & Brothers. Beacon also released editions of King's speeches and sermons, among other books.

Literary agent Amy Berkower, who represented the King estate, said sales had been disappointing in recent years.

We felt the books had to be packaged in a much more contemporary way, she said.

Judith Curr, president and publisher of HarperCollins' HarperOne Group division, will oversee the global reissue of King's books and the release of works based on his life and writing, ranging from children's stories to graphic novels. She also plans an annual reissue of his I Have a Dream" speech from the 1963 March on Washington, with a new introduction each year from a contemporary writer, and a journal featuring the words of Dr. King that also leaves space for readers to add their thoughts.

At HarperOne, Curr has published several works by the late Zora Neale Hurston, including such posthumous bestsellers as the nonfiction Barracoon and the story collection Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick.

Our goal was to make Zora Neale Hurston a household name with younger readers, Curr said. And right now, nothing seems more relevant to the current moment than the words of Martin Luther King.
(AP)

Within the first six months of Joe Bidens administration, human rights groups and immigration advocates have recorded more than 3,000 attacks against asylum seekers expelled from the US at its southern border with Mexico.

As of 17 June, Human Rights First has tracked 3,250 incidents of kidnappings, rape, human trafficking and violent armed assaults based on interviews and surveys with asylum seekers and information from humanitarian relief groups and immigration attorneys.

The report updates a lengthy assessment in April from Human Rights First, Haitian Bridge Alliance and Al Otro Lado that identified at least 492 reports of attacks against migrants since 21 January, as advocates point to the Biden administrations reliance on a public health rule weaponised by Donald Trump that continues to wreak havoc on families and the immigration process.

While the Trump administrations use of public health authority to evade US refugee law was specious from the outset, the continued misuse of this authority to endanger the lives of people seeking protection is all the more inexcusable and absurd against the nations progress towards combating the coronavirus pandemic, the report found.

The Biden administration appears to be continuing this illegal policy as an immigration policy tool  to attempt to deter refugees from seeking life-saving asylum protection, according to the report.

US law provides that anyone entering the country is eligible to apply for asylum, a form of humanitarian protection for those fleeing violence and persecution from their home countries.

But the former presidents invocation of Title 42 effectively suspended asylum laws, leading to the immediate expulsions of thousands of asylum seekers since the onset of the public health crisis.

While the administration has revoked a Trump-era policy that forced asylum seekers to remain in dangerous shelters on the other side of the border while processing their asylum claims, US border enforcement agencies have recorded more than 400,000 expulsions under Title 42 within the last six months, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection.

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A vast majority of those cases involve Central American migrants.

A recently announced initiative to begin processing asylum claims is insufficient to protect families and individuals seeking protection at the southern border, according to the report, adding that the Biden administrations asylum provisions are not in compliance with refugee laws or obligations under refugee treaties and inaccessible to people unaware of or without access to humanitarian groups selected by the administration to help process those cases.

The organisation points to a United Nations Refugee Agency statement urging officials to restore access to asylum for the people whose lives depend on it, in line with international legal and human rights obligations.

The Independent has requested comment from the White House and DHS.

Between January 2019 and January 2021, border officials expelled more than 70,000 asylum seekers and migrants to Mexican border camps under Migrant Protection Protocols, the so-called Remain in Mexico policy under the previous administration, forcing them to wait for months or years while their cases languished.

While the administration begins processing claims for thousands of migrants, released to their communities and families in the US as their cases are adjudicated, Human Rights First warns that countless others may have been removed because of procedural errors or due process violations under the Trump administration.

Vice President Kamala Harris has travelled to Mexico and Guatemala to broker agreements to combat human trafficking and drug smuggling while providing economic support to struggling families forced to flee their homes for the US, as the southern border sees a spike in migration fuelled by the violence, the climate crisis and two hurricanes in 2020, and drained economies in the fallout from the pandemic.

In remarks from Mexico earlier this month, she argued that to address the impact of migration on the nations southern border, we have to have the ability to address the root causes of why people leave, and we have to understand  if it is a priority to us to be concerned with what is happening at our border, then it must be a priority for us to understand why people leave.

Read More

Biden failure to overturn Trump border rule leading to rise in attacks against asylum seekers, activists warn
An MSNBC contributor and former Obama-era task force member blamed the police for the spike in crime across the country.

"The police haven't been defunded. You actually look at the 50 largest cities, law enforcement spending as a share of the general expenditure in each of those cities actually rose slightly from 13.6% to 13.7%, and many of the cities that have talked about removing that money, like Minneapolis and Seattle, they've actually paused or slowed how they weren't thinking about moving that money," Brittany Packnett Cunningham said Tuesday on the network.

"So this rising crime is not the fault of the movement, it's actually the fault of the police," Packnett Cunningham said.

She is a co-founder of Campaign Zero, which provides policy proposals to reduce police violence, and served on former President Barack Obama's 21st Century Policing and the Ferguson Commission.

DONATIONS FLOOD IN TO SUPPORT POLICE OFFICER FIRED FOR $25 CONTRIBUTION TO KYLE RITTENHOUSE DEFENSE FUND



Cities nationwide implemented policies aimed at defunding the police as protests about police violence spread following the murder of George Floyd. The Minneapolis City Council, for example, voted to cut $8 million from the police budget in December, and the city is still working on a plan for how to police the city.

Last August, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $1 billion cut to the police budget, however, New York only cut around $500 million. The nation's 50 largest cities reduced their police budgets by 5.2% in total, however, police spending rose by 0.1%, evidence Packnett Cunningham points to as indicative that the police are to blame for the rise in crime.

Preliminary FBI data indicates that homicides in the United States rose by 25% in 2020. The director of the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, Thomas Abt, said there were likely multiple factors contributing to the surge in violent crime.

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CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

It likely takes more than one factor to create a spike of this size, Abt told the Intercept. That means it wasnt just the pandemic, or police violence, or more guns, it was all of these things happening simultaneously and perhaps more.

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Tags: News, Police, Black Lives Matter, MSNBC, TV, Law Enforcement, Bill de Blasio, New York City

Original Author: Carly Ortiz-Lytle

Original Location: MSNBC contributor and former Obama task force member blames police for rising crime
Four protesters and at least two officers were killed as Myanmar soldiers battled an anti-junta civilian militia with small arms and grenades in the country's second city Tuesday, authorities and military sources said.

Fighting has flared across Myanmar since the February coup as people form "defence forces" to battle a brutal military crackdown on dissent, but clashes have largely been restricted to rural areas.

Acting on a tip-off, security forces raided a house in Mandalay's Chan Mya Tharsi township on Tuesday morning, the junta's information team said in a statement, and were met with small arms fire and grenades.

Two officers were killed during the raid, military sources told AFP, and at least ten were wounded.

Four "terrorists" were killed and eight arrested in possession of homemade mines, hand grenades and small arms, a junta spokesman said in a statement.

"We could hear artillery shooting even though our house is far from that place," a Mandalay resident told AFP.

Another four members of the self-defence group were killed when the car they were attempting to flee in crashed, the spokesman said, without providing details.

The United States' embassy in Yangon said on Twitter it was "tracking reports of ongoing fighting in Mandalay... We are disturbed by the military escalation and urgently call for a cessation of violence."

The mass uprising against the military putsch that toppled the government of Aung San Suu Kyi has been met with a brutal crackdown that has killed more than 870 civilians, according to a local monitoring group.

As well as the rise of local self-defence forces, analysts believe hundreds of anti-coup protesters from Myanmar's towns and cities have trekked into insurgent-held areas to receive military training.

But part-time fighters know the odds are stacked against them in any confrontation with Myanmar's military -- one of Southeast Asia's most battle-hardened and brutal.

bur-rma/oho
Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on Tuesday named its third leader in under a month, the latest twist in a Brexit-soaked drama that has left the region's leadership in turmoil.

Jeffrey Donaldson, who sits in the UK parliament in London, was the only member to register his candidacy to head the hardline pro-UK party, which has been riven by infighting over post-Brexit trading arrangements for the province.

The 58-year-old politician will replace Edwin Poots, who took over from his predecessor Arlene Foster in a brutal putsch fuelled by perceptions that her opposition to the deal was too soft.

Poots became leader in late May but was swiftly deposed by party colleagues last Thursday, just hours after naming his loyal ally Paul Givan as Foster's replacement as Northern Ireland first minister.

Poots had promised a tough stance against the so-called "Northern Ireland protocol", which effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the European customs union and single market that the UK left in January.

The protocol has angered pro-UK unionists by upholding EU control over trade in the British province.

Donaldson, who is considered a more moderate figure in line with Foster, said he would immediately intervene with the UK government to unravel the protocol.

"It is not realistic to expect stability when every unionist representative in the devolved institutions opposes the Northern Ireland protocol," he said in a statement.

"The government and those who claim to be protectors of peace and stability, must step up and deal with the protocol in a manner which respects the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom."

It is expected that Donaldson, who already led DUP MPs in London, will soon resign his parliamentary seat to serve as the party's leader and first minister simultaneously.

Givan is now expected to be ousted from office in another forthcoming chapter of political tumult for the region.

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- Protocol posturing -

Northern Ireland was the site of "The Troubles", a sectarian conflict over British rule between pro-UK unionists and pro-Ireland nationalists, which killed 3,500 over three decades.

Although violence largely ended with the Good Friday Agreement peace deal in 1998, society and politics remains bitterly divided along those same lines.

The Northern Ireland protocol is designed to prevent unchecked goods heading into the EU by the backdoor via member state Ireland, and imposes controls from mainland Great Britain -- England, Scotland and Wales.

But unionists believe it has driven a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the country, running the risk of fuelling support for a united Ireland.

In early April, Northern Ireland was wracked by a week of riots fuelled by anti-protocol anger, which emanated from unionist enclaves, and left 88 police injured.

July is traditionally a febrile month for Northern Ireland as unionists perform ceremonial marches marking the anniversary of the Protestant king William of Orange's victory over the Catholic king James II in the 17th century.

With tensions running high, it is feared the marches could be a flashpoint for violence.

In his victory statement, Donaldson said London and Brussels "must step up and recognise the flaws of the protocol and how it was foisted upon Northern Ireland."

The protocol has also soured relations between Brussels and London as the UK threatens to renege on aspects of the accord not to its liking.

Under the protocol, the UK is supposed to allow checks on chilled meats going from Britain to Northern Ireland but it hasn't done so yet.

Instead, it has allowed a grace period of no checks and now wants to extend it, causing much anger in Brussels, which has threatened to retaliate with targeted tariffs in a diplomatic tussle dubbed a "sausage war."

"We are actively considering the options to deal with a situation that is hard to see as sustainable," UK Brexit minister David Frost told lawmakers in London Tuesday.

He accused the EU of a lack of "pragmatism and reasonableness" to reduce checks on goods flowing into Northern Ireland from mainland Britain.

Earlier, Poots told the BBC he had already "received assurances" from London there would be "very significant" changes to the protocol in July.

jts/phz/mbx
Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on Tuesday named its third leader in under a month, as a Brexit-soaked saga of political backstabbing rolls on.

Jeffrey Donaldson, who sits in the UK parliament in London, was the only member to register his candidacy to head the hardline pro-UK party, which has been riven by infighting over post-Brexit trading arrangements for the province.

The 58-year-old politician will replace Edwin Poots, who himself replaced his predecessor Arlene Foster in a brutal putsch fuelled by perceptions that her opposition to the deal was too soft.

Poots was named leader in late May but was swiftly deposed by party colleagues last Thursday, just hours after naming his loyal ally Paul Givan as Foster's replacement as Northern Ireland first minister.

Poots had promised a tough stance against the so-called "Northern Ireland protocol", which effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the European customs union and single market that the UK left in January.

The protocol has angered pro-UK unionists by upholding EU control over trade in the British province.

Donaldson, who is considered to be a more moderate figure in line with Foster, said he would immediately intervene with the UK government to unravel the protocol.

"It is not realistic to expect stability when every unionist representative in the devolved institutions opposes the Northern Ireland protocol," he said in a statement.

"The government and those who claim to be protectors of peace and stability, must step up and deal with the protocol in a manner which respects the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom."

It is expected that Donaldson, who already led DUP MPs in London, will soon resign his parliamentary seat to serve as the party's leader and first minister simultaneously.

First minister Givan is now expected to be ousted from office in another forthcoming chapter of political tumult for the region.

Story continues

The Northern Ireland protocol is designed to prevent unchecked goods heading into the EU by the backdoor via member state Ireland, and imposes controls from mainland Great Britain -- England, Scotland and Wales.

Unionists believe it has driven a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the country, running the risk of fuelling support for a united Ireland.

jts/phz/dl
A senior North Korean official ridiculed American hopes for talks on Tuesday, as the U.S. and South Korea agreed to recalibrate their policy toward Pyongyang.

On Sunday, Washington called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's recent speech about preparing for confrontation and diplomacy with the U.S. an "interesting signal."

The Biden administration is keen to hold talks with the North Koreans, and has said there need not be any preconditions.

But Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister warned state media Tuesday the U.S. was interpreting those signals in a way "which would plunge them into a greater disappointment."

Her comments come as top U.S. envoy to North Korea, Sung Kim, is set to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Kim and South Korean counterpart Noh Kyu-duk agreed on Tuesday to reconsider a controversial working group coordinating policy on the North.

Established in 2018, the working group was intended to help the two allies work together on denuclearisation talks, humanitarian aid, sanctions enforcement and inter-Korean relations.

But it sparked controversy last year after the U.S. signalled its disapproval of a plan to reopen individual tourism between the North and South.

The U.S. ultimately concluded it had no place in approving South Korean decisions.

But a former aide to President Moon later told parliament the working group was increasingly seen as an obstacle to inter-Korean relations.
By Brad Brooks

(Reuters) -Clarence Smith was fresh off a 24-hour bus trip from his Blackfeet reservation in Montana to the Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota in the late 1980s, where he was sent by his family in the hope he would receive a better education.

"On one of the first days of class, a white social studies teacher stood before our class and told us that we were lucky Columbus had found us, because otherwise we would still be living in teepees," Smith said.

He gazed down at the pair of LA Lakers sneakers he got just for his new school. If it weren't for Columbus, he would still be in moccasins, he recalls thinking. Many years would pass before Smith began reeducating himself, as he puts it - of finding his own history.

Flandreau, which declined comment, is one of at least 73 Native American schools out of an original 367 still in operation across the United States, according to researchers at the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

One academic researcher contends that as many as 40,000 children may have died in or because of their poor care at the U.S.-run schools, but the federal government does not know or is unwilling to say how many children even attended the schools, how many died in or went missing from them, or even how many schools existed.

As a congresswoman representing New Mexico, Deb Haaland was among those who called for a commission to fully investigate the legacy of Indian boarding schools. On Tuesday in her new position as U.S. Interior Secretary, Haaland announced that her department would investigate the schools and their lasting impact on the lives of Native Americans.

The investigation will focus on children who died while attending the schools and on finding their unmarked graves. The department will gather as complete a record as possible on the schools, where they were located and who attended them.

"I know that this process will be painful and won't undo the heartbreak and loss that so many of us feel," Haaland said in remarks to the National Congress of American Indians. "But only by acknowledging the past can we work toward a future that we're all proud to embrace."

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Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. The Interior Department oversees Indian schools, which churches began running in 1819 through federal funding.

Conditions at former Indian schools gained global attention last month when tribal leaders in Canada announced the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children.

'CULTURAL GENOCIDE'

The Canadian government said its indigenous residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996, carried out "cultural genocide." Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has found at least 4,100 students died in the schools.

Flandreau, which is still operating, was founded in 1892. At the time the ethos of such schools was expressed by U.S. Civil War veteran General Richard Pratt, who founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania in 1879 and said: "Kill the Indian, save the man."

Christine Diindiissi McCleave, chief executive officer of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, said unmarked graves linked to Indian schools also exist in the United States.

"It's a little bit annoying that so many people are shocked by that news" from Canada, McCleave said. "We've been trying to tell people about this for years."

DOCUMENTED DEATHS

Preston McBride, a Dartmouth College scholar, has documented at least 1,000 deaths at just four of the over 500 schools that existed in the United States, including the non-boarding schools on Indian reservations. His research has examined deaths from 1879 to 1934.

The deaths were primarily from diseases made far more lethal in many of the schools because of poor treatment. The actual number of deaths is thought to be much higher.

"It's quite likely that 40,000 children died either in or because of these institutions," said McBride, who estimates that tens of thousands more children were simply never again in contact with their families or their tribes after being sent off to the schools.

"This is on the order of magnitude of something like the Trail of Tears," McBride said, referring to the government's forced displacement of Native Americans between 1830 and 1850. "Yet it's not talked about."

Marsha Small, a Montana State University doctoral student, uses ground-penetrating radar to locate unmarked graves, including at the Chemawa Indian School cemetery in Salem, Oregon. The cemetery was left in disarray after original stone markers were leveled in 1960. So far she's found 222 sets of remains but says much more work is required to have a full accounting.

"Until we can find those kids and let their elders come get them or know where they can pay respects, I don't think the native is going to heal, and as such I don't think America is going to heal," Small said.

Chemawa, founded in 1880, is still operating.

Native Americans acknowledge that the schools still operating have changed in important ways. Many are now under tribal oversight and children are taught their home languages instead of being punished for speaking them. But the schools have yet to acknowledge their pasts, said the coalition's McCleave and others.

"Before we can move forward, they have to recognize that legacy," she said.

Chemawa referred Reuters to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Interior Department, the Bureau of Indian Education and the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not respond to emailed questions about acknowledging the schools' pasts, efforts being made to find unmarked graves, and whether the bureau supports a congressional commission.

Aurelio Morrillo, a 2020 Chemawa graduate who was raised for several years on the Gila River reservation in Arizona, said that while there he was never taught about the school's past.

"I feel like something is being hidden that we still don't know about," he said.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Donna Bryson and Grant McCool)
STUTTGART, Germany  In less than two years, NATO hopes to have its own, modified version of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) up and running.

Alliance members agreed at the 31st annual summit, held June 14 in Brussels, to launch a new initiative dubbed the Defence Innovation Accelerator of the North Atlantic, or DIANA, meant to speed up trans-Atlantic cooperation on critical technologies, and help NATO work more closely with private-sector entities, academia and other non-governmental entities.

The goal is to have DIANA reach initial operating capability (IOC) by 2023, David van Weel, assistant secretary-general for emerging security challenges, said at a Tuesday virtual roundtable with reporters. By next year, the hope is to have the initial parts  starting to come up into fruition, he added.

In the long term, DIANA will have headquarters both in North America and in Europe, and link to existing test centers throughout NATO member countries that will be used for validating, testing, and co-designing applications in the field of emerging and disruptive technologies, van Weel said. DIANA will also be responsible for building and managing a network meant to help relevant startups grow and support NATOs technology needs via grant programs.

The focus will be on national security and defense purposes, and DIANA will not ask for or solicit companies intellectual property, van Weel noted.

While he singled out artificial intelligence, big-data processing, and quantum-enabled technologies, DIANA is meant to support all seven of the key emerging and disruptive technologies  or EDTs  that NATO has identified as critical for the future. The other four include: autonomy, biotechnology, hypersonics and space.

Sometimes a technology company may not realize that their product could be viable for the defense community, he added.

One key component of DIANA will be a trusted capital marketplace, where smaller companies can connect with pre-qualified investors who are interested in supporting NATOs technology efforts. Ensuring that investors are vetted ahead of time will allow NATO to ensure that the technology will be protected from illicit transfers, van Weel said.

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The fund is modeled after a The U.S. Defense Department set up its own trusted capital marketplace in 2019 as a tool that then-DoD acquisition czar Ellen Lord said could help encourage domestically based venture capitalists to fund national security and defense projects. That marketplace served as inspiration for the announced NATO trusted capital marketplace, per the alliance.

Members also agreed for the first time to build up a venture capital fund to support companies developing dual-use and key technologies that could be useful to NATO, and which will be optional for member-nations to participate in. The NATO Innovation Fund, as its called, would have a running time of about 15 years to start, and would be underwritten by about 70 million euro (about $83 million) per year, per van Weel.

The goal is not for NATO headquarters or for its member-nations to run the innovation fund, he noted. The actual running of a venture capital fund, we believe, should be done by companies that have a broad range of experience in the field. He cited the U.S.-based capital venture firm In-Q-Tel as an example of the type of partner NATO would seek to run the day-to-day business of the fund.

I read somewhere that NATO is not a bankwere not, van Weel said. But it will be the nations providing the funds, and giving the general direction.

These two initiatives of a technology accelerator and innovation fund are hopefully going to  bring the alliance forward into the 21st century, van Weel said.

NATO has previously invested in information technology (IT) and software through the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), but the difference with the innovation fund, and DIANA, is that the alliance wants to better connect with early-stage startups, rather than larger software companies or traditional defense firms, van Weel said.

DIANA is not about taking over innovation for the NATO enterprise, he said. Its a different community, and requires different funding mechanisms and different types of engagement.

These two initiatives have been long awaited and demanded by NATO observers, and versions of both a DARPA-like technology accelerator and an alliance-wide investment bank were included in a 2020 list of recommendations by NATOs advisory group on emerging and disruptive technologies.

But it is still early days. While the IOC goal is 2023, step one is we want to know from allies what they want to offer to DIANA, van Weel said. Once the NATO Innovation Fund has its participating members, for example, a charter will be set up that will lay out the funding models, rapid contracting processes, and leadership guidelines.

We are trying to do this as fast as we can, van Weel assured, but then noted, we do want to get it right, because  with the startup community, you only get one chance.
Jun. 22NEWBURYPORT  A local doctor accused of violating the federal Controlled Substances Act when he improperly prescribed opioids agreed to pay $12,500 to resolve the matter, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston.

Dr. Guido "Guy" Navarra, who owns Seacoast Medical Associates on the Anna Jaques Hospital campus at 21 Highland Ave., twice prescribed opioids outside the usual course of his professional practice, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The fine covers two instances when Navarra violated the Drug Enforcement Agency's Controlled Substances Act, federal authorities said in a press release. The violations are considered civil, not criminal, offenses.

In one instance, a urine drug screen revealed the patient was taking opioids that Navarra had not prescribed. Navarra continued prescribing opioids to the patient despite the positive test result, a basis for discharging the patient from the practice.

In another instance, a patient requested an early refill of a prescription based on the woman's assertion that police seized the prescribed medication from her home.

Navarra continued to prescribe opioids to the patient for several more months despite the woman's inability to substantiate her claim. A urine drug test ultimately revealed the woman's use of illicit drugs.

In both instances, Navarra prescribed opioids outside the usual course of his professional practice, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"Preventing the illegal prescription of drugs is essential to patient safety, particularly during an opioid epidemic," acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Mendell said in a statement. "This settlement is an example of how our office and the DEA work to ensure that doctors prescribe dangerous medications only when legally authorized to do so. We appreciate Dr. Navarra's cooperation in the government's investigation and swift resolution of the claims against him."

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Special Agent in Charge Brian Boyle of the DEA's Boston division said the agency was committed to ensuring that all people registered to prescribe controlled substances are complying with regulations.

"Failure to do so increases the potential for diversion (of the drugs) and jeopardizes public health and public safety," Boyle said in the same statement. "DEA pledges to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure these rules and regulations are followed."

Navarra's attorney, Richard Goldstein, said his client agreed to the settlement of civil claims to put the matter behind him.

"Dr. Navarra has been a respected internal medicine doctor in Newburyport for decades," Goldstein said in a phone interview.

Goldstein said Navarra has treated thousands of patients, including hundreds for chronic pain, and when two violated agreements with his practice, he stopped treating them immediately.

"He always acted in what he believed was in the patient's best interest," Goldstein said, adding that Navarra remains in good standing with Anna Jaques Hospital.

Staff writer Dave Rogers can be reached at drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
Newsmax

Far-right talk radio host Michael Savage took conservatives latest moral panic to a bonkers new level during a Monday night Newsmax appearance, warning that the teaching of so-called critical race theory in schools is akin to exactly what was done to the Jews in Germany and is the road to the death camps for white people.

Republicans and right-wing media have been mired in a months-long freakout over critical race theory, an obscure legal academic framework that conservatives now use as a catch-all term for any racial-equity training or anti-racist school curriculum. At the same time, NBC News recently reported that the battle over CRT that has invaded local school boards is largely an astroturfed effort funded by well-connected national political organizations and right-wing activists.

Prior to interviewing Savage on Monday night, Newsmax hosts Steve Cortes and Jenn Pellegrino griped that the left was trying to deny that critical race theory exists while claiming they have the receipts to prove that it is permeating all of our culture and our schools. They then turned to Savage, a provocateur long known for his inflammatory and offensive rhetoric, as their expert on the subject.

After taking issue with NBC News anchor Chuck Todd dismissing the right-wing outrage over CRT, saying hed like to reach through the screen and smack him in the face, Savage then delivered an overheated diatribe about how the schools are literally abusing white kids.

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And now they're beating up white children in schoolrooms, he fumed. And Im not going to mince words. You can cut me off if you have to. I know you probably agree with me. I can't take this anymore. And there's only one solution to itsue the goddamn schools if they do it to your child for child abuse, and you will win.

He went on to assert that children are being humiliated and hurt and damaged for life by critical race theory, which he claimed was nothing but racism towards white people. And all-but-inevitably, Savage then invoked the Holocaust and Nazi Germany.

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The same kind of thing started in Germany. The Jews were no good. The Jews did this. The Jews did that, Savage dramatically exclaimed. The next thing you know they were being excluded from swimming pools. They didn't put them in concentration camps overnight.

He continued: I studied this intimately. I am Jewish. I know how this starts. Attacks on white people is exactly what was done to the Jews in Germany in the 1930s. Don't fall for this garbage. This is the road to the death camps. Stand up to these bastards and sue them!

Cortes, a former senior adviser to ex-President Donald Trumps campaign, appeared to endorse Savages over-the-top rhetoric and Holocaust analogy while adding his own commentary.

I worry sometimes that if we continue to always use the phrase critical race theory that we might allow the left to hide, in effect, the conservative host said. What I mean is theyll say, Oh no, were not teaching CRT. But they are, in fact, teaching some other version of anti-white racism.

Cortes concluded: So Id reallyId prefer to call it anti-white racism as a term because, lets face it, no matter what flavor this takes or what shape this takes the goal, always, is to shame white people.

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Jun. 21NORTH BEND  A man suspected of killing three people and critically injuring another Friday morning is in custody.

District Attorney R. Paul Frasier announced Sunday morning that Oen Evan Nicholson, 30, has surrendered to authorities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after nearly two days on the run.

Nicholson is facing 10 charges in Coos County after three incidents Friday morning left three people dead and a fourth in critical condition at the hospital. Frasier said Nicholson is being charged with six counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of assault and two counts of failure to perform duties as a driver resulting in injury. An arrest warrant has been signed with a bond of $7 million.

Frasier said a 9-1-1 call came in at 9:58 a.m. Friday reporting a hit-and-run incident at the RV park at The Mill Casino. Two callers reported a pickup truck hit a couple walking across the street and fled.

A man, later identified as 74-year-old Anthony Oyster from Florida, died at the scene and his wife, 73-year-old Linda Oyster, was taken by ambulance to Bay Area Hospital. Linda Oyster was transferred to River Bend Hospital in Springfield, where she remains in critical condition as of Sunday.

Three minutes later, a second 9-1-1 call came in from the Herbal Choices Cannabis store in North Bend, located about a mile from the RV park. The caller reported a shooting.

Frasier said 47-year-old Jennifer L. Davidson of Coos Bay died at the scene from gunshot wounds.

"The initial investigation has indicated the person responsible for the hit and run and the Herbal Choices shooting is the same person," Frasier said Friday morning.

Photos released by police from Herbal Choices show Nicholson leaving his vehicle and walking toward the entrance. He pulls a gun and has it pointed as he approaches the front door.

Police were able to identify the truck linked to both incidents, and using that information determined an RV at The Mill Casino RV park was owned by the same person who owned the truck.

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With that information, police entered the RV, where they found a third person, the registered owner of both vehicles, dead. Frasier said he could not say the cause of the death while waiting for the medical examiner's report, but he said it was clearly "homicidal violence."

The victim in that killing was identified as 83-year-old Charles Simms Nicholson. Charles Nicholson is the father of Oen Nicholson.

Frasier said after leaving Herbal Choices on Friday morning, the man stopped at Big 5 Sporting Goods at the Pony Village Mall and purchased additional ammunition.

Shortly after the shooting, Frasier asked residents to be on the lookout for a 2019 Dodge 3500 pickup truck. During a press briefing Friday afternoon, Frasier reported the Dodge had been located in Lane County.

"The pickup truck has been located," Frasier said. "It was located on Highway 126 between Florence and Eugene. It was crashed and set on fire."

A witness reported seeing a man carrying a handgun get out of the vehicle and flee on foot into the woods. Lane County closed down Highway 126 for about six hours Friday as they conducted a manhunt in the area.

No sign of Nicholson was found until he turned himself in Sunday morning in Wisconsin. In Springfield, a city in Lane County, a woman was reported missing early Friday afternoon. Identified as Laura Johnson, the woman left her place of employment around 12:30 p.m. and never returned. Frasier said he could not comment on whether the cases were related Sunday, but on a Facebook post from the Springfield police, a man named Dennis Johnson, who identified himself as Laura's dad, said Nicholson kidnapped his daughter. Dennis Johnson said Laura was forced to drive 33 hours to Milwaukee but was safe and unharmed.

During a press briefing Sunday, North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke offered her condolences to those who were killed and hurt in the incidents while praising law enforcement for their quick response.

"On behalf of the city of North Bend, I would like to express my deepest condolences and prayers for the victims, their families and everyone else impacted by this terrible act of violence carried out in our community," Engelke said. "I was to especially thank the men and woman of the North Bend Police Department and all of the law enforcement agencies that assisted in this horrible case. I'm so proud of their courage and commitment over the last two days."

Police Chief Robert Kappelman echoed those thoughts.

"First and foremost, I want to give my thoughts and condolences to the victims and the victims' families for these heinous crimes," Kappelman said. "The work for these families could not be done without support from all around, and we felt that."

Frasier said with Nicholson in custody, his office would begin working to extradite him back to Coos County to face charges. Frasier said if Nicholson does not fight extradition, he could return in a number of days.

"When he's going to get back here, we don't know," Frasier said.

Frasier said the case also highlighted the team effort often seen in Coos County during major crimes.

"I cannot overemphasize the team effort we had here," Frasier said. "This case is an example of the interagency cooperation in Coos County."

Along with the North Bend Police, Frasier said the Oregon State Police, Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory in Springfield, Coos Bay Police Department, Coos County Sheriff's Office, Coquille Tribal Police, Confederated Tribal Police, Coquille Police Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration law enforcement, the Coos County Medical Examiner's Office, the Coos County District Attorney's Office and the Oregon Department of Justice all worked together to investigate the crimes.
A man living in a Bel Air residence was mortified after he discovered a nude homeless man broke into his house and killed his childrens' pet birds.

The homeowner, Mat Sabz, was alone at his house on June 17 when his wife called to inform him that security footage showed a naked man breaking into the home. Neighborhood security later arrested 34-year-old Paul Kiyan, who faces four felony charges including burglary and animal cruelty, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney. Kiyan pleaded not guilty on Monday.

Footage from security cameras shows the intruder walking around the backyard and in the pool while completely nude. Camera angles from inside the home show the suspect wearing what appears to be a towel while walking around in the kitchen, living, and dining rooms.

"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 a local Fox affiliate.

Kiyan apparently refused to leave once he was confronted, replying, "This is my house. What are you doing here?" Sabz added that the intruder threatened to call the police on him. "And right away, I realized that this is not a person that you want to engage with any further," the homeowner said.

Sabz ran back upstairs while Kiyan can be seen on camera making himself comfortable and stealing a pair of shorts from the owners. Kiyan then reportedly saw the homeowner's two parakeets and decided to kill them.

"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.

Sabz called 911 and jumped from the balcony of his home onto his car to escape from the intruder. His family was not at home at the time, but he said the incident was "extremely traumatizing" for everyone involved.

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Kiyan's arraignment was slated for Monday, and his bail is set at $50,000.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Washington Examiner contacted the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office but did not immediately receive a response.

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Tags: News, California, Los Angeles, Homelessness, Pets, Illegal

Original Author: Kaelan Deese

Original Location: Nude homeless man charged after allegedly breaking into Bel Air residence, killing pets
Republicans in the Senate are lining up to try to use the filibuster to stop the For the People Act from even being debated, shared Obama.

Former President Barack Obama has announced hes supporting West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchins voting rights proposal.

On Monday, during a tele-town hall meeting, Obama spoke up about the controversial voting rights bill saying he believes Manchins proposal presents a worthy compromise, per NBC News.

Republicans in the Senate are lining up to try to use the filibuster to stop the For the People Act from even being debated, Obama shared at the event.

He called the strategy a tool for obstruction.

Barack Obama speaks at a Drive-in Mobilization Rally for Georgia Senate candidates on Nov. 2, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

As reported by theGrio, Manchin rejected the For the People Act penned by his party, which supported voting rights with measures including automatic voter registration and at least 15 consecutive days of early voting.

The bill would have also eliminated partisan gerrymandering and identified the donors of major super PACs.

Manchin would have added a national voter identification requirement and would have made Election Day a federal holiday.

In a memo outlining his provisions, he wrote, Congressional action on federal voting rights legislation must be the result of both Democrats and Republicans coming together to find a pathway forward or we risk further dividing and destroying the republic we swore to protect and defend as elected officials.

Voting rights became a trending topic after Donald Trump made unfounded accusations of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Republicans have also recently pushed through a slew of voter suppression laws around the country.

Think about this: In the aftermath of an insurrection, with our democracy on the line and many of the same Republican senators going along with the notion that somehow there were irregularities and problems with legitimacy in our most recent election, theyre suddenly afraid to even talk about these issues and figure out a solution on the floor of the Senate, said Obama.

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Thats not acceptable, added the former president. Obama admits the bill is not perfect but believes its a start.

Whatever else we may argue about, the one thing we should agree on the bedrock idea that we as Americans have been taught to take pride in, this is the fact that were a democracy, said Obama.

The issue of voting rights might not set off alarms for most of us, but the violence that occurred in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 should remind us we cant take our democracy for granted.

As previously reported by theGrio, the compromise was soundly rejected by Sen. Mitch McConnell, who said, Senate Democrats seem to have reached a so-called compromise election takeover among themselves. In reality, the plan endorsed by Stacey Abrams is no compromise.

In this Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, file photo, Democrat Stacey Abrams walks on Senate floor before of members of Georgias Electoral College cast their votes at the state Capitol in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, Pool, File)

Abrams, Georgias former state representative, and prominent voting rights advocate credited with helping Georgia keep a balance in the Senate with the elections of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff had offered her support for a bipartisan measure.

Another Republican told reporters when Abrams endorsed the bill, it effectively killed its viability.

McConnell has the right to do whatever he thinks he can do, Manchin said June 17. I would hope there are enough good Republicans that understand the bedrock of our society is having accessible, open, fair, and secure elections.

The For the People Act requires 60 votes to pass a guaranteed GOP filibuster, making it another piece of legislation likely to fail without Republican support.

Addition reporting by theGrios Biba Adams

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The post Obama supports Manchins voting rights compromise, condemns GOP for obstruction appeared first on TheGrio.
JERUSALEM (AP)  The Palestinian Authority arrested a prominent activist and held him overnight after he criticized its policies in a series of online posts and accused it of arresting another individual for political reasons.

The PA, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has come under intense criticism in recent weeks after canceling the first elections in 15 years and being largely sidelined during last month's 11-day Gaza war.

Issa Amro, an outspoken critic of both Israel and the PA who has been arrested by both in the past, said he was summoned for questioning by the PA's cybercrimes unit late Monday.

He said he was asked about a Facebook post in which he protested the arrest of a man linked to a political rival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In the post, he said the PA should instead arrest corrupt people within its own ranks.

Amro told The Associated Press he was arrested shortly thereafter and confined overnight in a very, very dirty place which is not suitable for humans. He appeared before prosecutors Tuesday before being released and told to return Wednesday, when he could be charged.

Palestinian officials declined to comment on the case.

The Palestinian Authority faces a crisis of legitimacy after calling off elections in April when it looked like Abbas' Fatah party would suffer an embarrassing defeat. Its rivals in the Islamic militant group Hamas have meanwhile seen their popularity soar following the Gaza war.

The PA has grown increasingly autocratic and unpopular in recent years. But it is still seen internationally as a partner for rebuilding Gaza  where it has had no authority since Hamas seized power in 2007  and eventually reviving the long-moribund peace process.

The European Union on Tuesday agreed to provide $425 million in loans to the PA and Palestinian banks to help them weather an economic crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Palestinians and Jewish settlers hurled stones, chairs and fireworks at each other overnight in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood where settler groups are trying to evict several Palestinian families, officials said Tuesday.

The threatened evictions fueled protests and clashes in the runup to last month's 11-day Gaza war and pose a test for Israel's new governing coalition, which includes three pro-settler parties but is hoping to sideline the Palestinian issue to avoid internal divisions.

Israeli police and border officials said they arrested four suspects in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. It was unclear who started the brawl. The officials said someone launched fireworks at police forces and residents houses and that several Molotov cocktails were thrown and stones were thrown. One woman was reportedly injured when she was hit in the back by a stone, police said.

The Red Crescent emergency service said its crews treated 20 Palestinians, including 16 suffering from pepper spray and tear gas and others wounded by rubber-coated bullets. Two other people were wounded, including an elderly man who was hit in the head, it said.

The Red Crescent said settlers threw stones at one of its ambulances and Israeli forces sprayed skunk water on a second ambulance belonging to the service.

The eruption of violence is the latest friction in Sheikh Jarrah, where weeks of unrest captured international attention ahead of the 11-day Israel-Hamas war last month. The cease-fire took effect on May 21, but the long-running campaign by Jewish settlers to evict dozens of Palestinian families continues.

And so the cycle of tension endures, in a stark early test for Israel's new coalition government, which is just over a week old.

At the helm under a rotation agreement is Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party. In two years, he'll be replaced by Yair Lapid, leader of centrist Yesh Atid. And leading the opposition is Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, ousted from the premiership after holding the post for 12 years.

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An intervention by Israels attorney general at the height of the unrest has put the most imminent evictions on hold. But rights groups say evictions could still proceed in the coming months as international attention wanes, potentially igniting another round of bloodshed.

The settlers have been waging a decades-long campaign to evict the families from densely populated Palestinian neighborhoods in the so-called Holy Basin just outside the walls of the Old City, in one of the most sensitive parts of east Jerusalem.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Israel views the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The settlers say the homes are built on land that was owned by Jews prior to the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. Israeli law allows Jews to reclaim such property, a right denied to Palestinians who lost lands and homes in the same conflict.

___

Kellman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson late Monday afternoon gave legislative leaders until noon Tuesday to agree on a funding measure to renew the states Medicaid plan.

If they dont, drastic budget cuts and reductions in a wide range of state services will be needed to make up a $591 million shortfall this year, and a $788 million deficit next year.

The consequences would be felt by all Missourians, Parson said during a news conference at the state capital. Programs facing cuts, according to Parson, include higher education, community colleges, capitol improvement projects, elementary education, early literacy programs, school safety, foster care and adoptive services, and health care for nursing homes and help for the developmentally disabled.

The legislative session ended May 14 with the Federal Reimbursement Allowance (FRA) stalled in the Senate. Amendments with restrictions for abortifacient drugs, intrauterine devices and banning funding for Planned Parenthood were added earlier by state Sens. Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, and Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis. Both continued to voice their unwillingness to compromise on the issue in late May and June.

For those who want to move the goalpost yet again, know that you will own this and the devastating effects on Missourians and our economy if the FRA is not extended, Parson said.

Onder then posted on Twitter: This is not moving the goalposts, Governor. It is their current position, referring to a Missouri Right to Life statement.

Before mentioning the two senators by name at the end of the news conference, Parson reaffirmed his commitment to protecting children. He mentioned signing Missouris heartbeat bill as the strongest anti-abortion legislation in the nation. He said the number of abortions during his tenure hit a record low.

Let me be clear: I am pro-life, Parson said. I have supported pro-life measures my whole career and always will. However, narrow political interests cannot be allowed to hold hostage vital health care funding and the success of our economy.

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If the FRA doesnt pass now, the state will have to negotiate a new contract with the federal government. Parson said it will probably cost Missourians more as the state has one of the most favorable reimbursement rates.

While house and Senate leadership, Republican legislators and myself are united in the fight to protect life, there is no need to jeopardize our strong economy and thousands of livelihoods to have a fight that will erode the trust Missourians have placed in us to lead, Parson said.

Parson said the noon deadline allows the legislature to pass the measure in a special session before July 1 and there will be no back and forth after that with any changes between the legislative branches.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Missouri, State, Medicaid

Original Author: Joe Mueller, The Center Square

Original Location: Parson gives Missouri legislators deadline for agreement on Medicaid extension
By Marco Aquino

LIMA (Reuters) - A Peruvian judge on Monday declined a prosecutor's request to return presidential election candidate Keiko Fujimori to remand prison for allegedly failing to comply with her bail conditions over charges of money laundering and corruption she faces.

Fujimori, the eldest daughter of the imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori, is facing trial over claims she received $1.2 million from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to fund previous presidential campaigns in 2011 and 2016.

Prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez told Judge Victor Zuniga on Monday Fujimori breached bail restrictions by having contact with a witness in the case.

However the judge found the claim was "without foundation" since she had not been given a warning and extended Fujimori's bail.

The hearing represented a potential flashpoint at a moment of already high tension in the world's second largest copper producer.

Fujimori faced socialist Pedro Castillo in the second round of the presidential vote on June 6. Castillo has declared himself the winner after emerging with 44,058 more votes with all ballots tallied.

However, Fujimori has refused to admit defeat and has sought the disqualification of up to 200,000 votes on the grounds of fraud, a claim for which she has provided no public evidence.

The election pitted Castillo, a teacher and union leader with most support in poor rural areas, against free marketeer Fujimori, the scion of a powerful family whose backers include most of Peru's urban elite.

Foreign investors and particularly miners are watching the process closely, with concern over policies previously outlined by Castillo that include upping taxes on their operations and rewriting the constitution.

Over the weekend, thousands of supporters of both candidates took to the streets to call for democracy to prevail, and for the electoral jury weighing Fujimoris fraud claim to work faster.

If Fujimori were to win the election, the criminal process against her would be halted until the end of her administration.

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Pollster Ipsos Peru has said a statistical analysis of the ballots revealed no evidence of abnormal voting patterns favouring any one candidate.

Prosecutor Perez is seeking 30 years and 10 months in prison for Fujimori and the dissolution of her political party, Onwards Peru, on charges that also include organized criminality and obstruction of justice.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino; writing by Aislinn Laing; editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Associated Press

Honolulu police officers' use of deadly force was justified and no charges will be filed against them in a shooting that killed a Black man because an investigation found that he entered a home uninvited and physically attacked the officers, the city's prosecuting attorney said Wednesday. The April 14 shooting death of Lindani Myeni, 29, has drawn international attention, including from civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, at a time when police violence in other parts of the U.S. have prompted protests over racial injustice. Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said his office's investigation refutes those who said the shooting shows that despite Hawaii's multicultural diversity, police are racist.
By Dawit Endeshaw and Maggie Fick

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -Officials in Ethiopia counted ballots on Tuesday after a parliamentary election billed as the first free vote in the country's history but marred by an opposition boycott, war and reports of irregularities in some areas.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hopes the national and regional elections will show the success of democratic reforms he launched after being appointed by the ruling coalition in 2018.

But the vote also reflects a messy reality in the country of 109 million people. Authorities could not hold polls on Monday in four of Ethiopia's 10 regions, according to the election board. Voters in one of those regions, Sidama, went to the polls a day late on Tuesday, due to logistical problems.

War has displaced 2 million people in the Tigray region, where Abiy sent troops last November to battle regional authorities that once had dominated the federal government in Addis Ababa.

Residents said new fighting had flared in recent days north of regional capital Mekelle. The Ethiopian military denied reports that fighters loyal to the former regional ruling party had entered several towns in the area.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Abiy wrote: "All sections of society have gone out to cast their vote in our nation's first free and fair election."

Late on Monday, he said in a statement: "Democracy is not built in a day. We are laying it brick by brick."

Almost all polling stations in the capital had finished counting ballots, an electoral board spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.

Abiy's newly formed national Prosperity Party is widely forecast to defeat the fragmented opposition of dozens of mostly ethnically based parties. The ruling coalition and its allies won all 547 national parliamentary seats in the last election under Abiy's predecessor six years ago, when Ethiopia was one Africa's most repressive countries.

NO VOTING IN TIGRAY

Though the prime minister won the Nobel prize in 2019 for making peace with neighbouring Eritrea, his international reputation has been tarnished since conflict erupted in Tigray, where he sent troops after accusing regional authorities of attacking army bases.

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The United Nations says a famine is looming after fighting between Ethiopia's military and the region's former governing party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). No date has been set for elections in Tigray.

On Tuesday, an airstrike in the town of Togoga killed several people and injured 43, including a 2-year-old, about 25 km (16 miles) south of Mekelle, a doctor told Reuters.

The main road north out of Mekelle has been closed for two days, a resident of Adigrat, a city to the north, told Reuters by phone.

Tigrayan regional forces entered parts of Adigrat on Tuesday morning, before more Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers came back into the city, the resident said.

A senior member of Tigray's interim government, which was appointed by the federal government, said forces loyal to the TPLF had in the past 48 hours entered the towns of Wukro, Hawzen and Agula, all to the north of Mekelle. There is an Ethiopian federal military base in Agula. It was unclear if the Tigrayan forces were still there, the official added.

Those reports were "fabrications", Colonel Getnet Adane, a spokesperson for the Ethiopian federal military, told Reuters by phone. The spokesperson for the prime minister and the head of the government's emergency task force on Tigray did not respond to messages and phone calls seeking comment.

Getachew Reda, a former senior official under the TPLF, mocked the election in a tweet, saying the Tigrayans had captured prisoners of war as a gift for Abiy's "coronation as #theNakedEmperorofEthiopia".

There were no reports of major outbreaks of violence in parts of the country that did vote, although a spokesperson for the Oromiya regional government said two security officials and one local official were killed in an attack by an armed group.

The opposition alleged some irregularities. Opposition leader Berhanu Nega said his Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice party (Ezema) had filed 207 complaints after local officials and militia in Amhara region and in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, blocked party observers.

Opposition observers were reportedly chased away from many polling stations in two regions, board chief Birtukan Midekssa told reporters late on Monday.

(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw and Maggie Fick, Additional reporting by Ayenat Mersie and Giulia Paravicini, Writing by Maggie Fick, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Jonathan Oatis)
The Wrap

Truth may be stranger than fiction, but it also makes some of the best movies. From alien-abduction to a goofy comics secret life as a CIA hitman and a flying three-ton elephant, here are just a few allegedly true stories that made it to the screen. Amityville Horror (1979)  Although the sub-hed on Jay Ansons 1977 book is A True Story, the word claims always pops up when the paranormal experiences of the Lutz family home are brought into question. The story centers on a Dutch Colonial
Hundreds of pages into the North Carolina state budget, theres a section that doesnt have to do with money. Instead it has to do with power  specifically, the governors power during an emergency.

Republicans who control the legislature have criticized Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers handling of restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly the limits on businesses and the multiple extensions of executive orders over more than a year. Cooper has now lifted nearly all restrictions, except for mask requirements in certain settings like schools and health care facilities.

Several bills failed to become law over the past year that challenged the governors restrictions  all vetoed by Cooper. One tactic in the bills to limit Coopers power during states of emergency has been to require agreement from a majority of the rest of the Council of State, who are statewide elected officials. Another has been to limit the length of orders. One bill earlier this year passed the House but didnt come up for a vote in the Senate.

The provision in the proposed budget would change state law to require agreement from the Council of State within 10 days of the governor issuing an executive order. If approved, the order would expire 45 days later unless the General Assembly takes action to extend it longer.

The budget provision also says that the Governor shall not issue a substantially similar executive order arising from the same events that form the basis to issue the initial executive order that failed ... related to Council of State concurrence and any extension from the legislature.

The Council of State includes the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, auditor, labor commission, agriculture commissioner, secretary of state and insurance commissioner. There is currently a Republican majority on the council. State law currently requires Council of State approval in certain situations. A lawsuit in 2020 from then-Lt. Gov. Dan Forest to challenge some orders that limited businesses failed.

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Asked about changes to emergency powers previously, Cooper has told reporters that he doesnt want changes in the middle of a pandemic.

The provision would be effective Sept. 1.

When Republicans in both chambers proposed limiting gubernatorial powers this spring, House Majority Leader Rep. John Bell, a Wayne County Republican, told reporters it was not about reopening, or anything dealing with masks. Rather, he said, it was about how one person should not have unilateral control.

Rep. Destin Hall, a Caldwell County Republican, said at the time that we need buy-in from folks when government officials make statewide decisions. If Cooper had support from the rest of the Council of State with the COVID-19-related orders, there wouldnt have been as much partisan bickering, Hall said.

However Rep. Rachel Hunt, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, said in March that she supported the Executive Mansion being where the buck stops.

For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at link.chtbl.com/underthedomenc or wherever you get your podcasts.
Former Smallville actor Allison Mack, who served as a "master" in the NXIVM group, turned over a "substantial" amount of information on the inner workings of the organization, including an audio recording of founder Keith Raniere talking about branding women.

Mack's cooperation was revealed in a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors on Monday in which they asked a federal judge for a reduced sentence for the TV superhero ahead of her June 30 hearing.

GHISLAINE MAXWELL DOCUSERIES TO BE RELEASED AHEAD OF TRIAL

"Although Mack could have provided even more substantial assistance had she made the decision to cooperate earlier, Mack provided significant, detailed, and highly corroborated information which assisted the government in its prosecution, officials wrote.

Mack was arrested in Brooklyn, New York, on April 20, 2018. She was charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy.

Raniere was convicted in June 2019 of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

NXIVM, founded in 1998, pushed Raniere's teachings as part mystical, part executive coaching designed to help people live their best lives. Enrollees in the group's Executive Success Programs shelled out thousands of dollars for the 60-year-old's advice. NXIVM pitched itself on its website as a "community guided by humanitarian principles," though detractors claim it was an abusive sex cult that branded its members and forced them into a life cut off from friends and family.

Prosecutors said Raniere created a secret sorority within NXIVM called DOS, where female slaves turned over nude photos and other compromising materials that could be used for blackmail if they tried to leave.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

More than 50 people wrote letters on behalf of Raniere, including the father of a woman identified only as Camila. Camila testified she had a 12-year sexual relationship with Raniere when she was 15 and he was 45.

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Several other people affiliated with NXIVM have pleaded guilty to criminal charges, including Seagram liquor heiress Clare Bronfman, former NXIVM President Nancy Salzman, and her daughter Lauren Salzman.

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Tags: News, New York, sex trafficking, Sexual Abuse Allegations, cult, television, Trial Lawyers

Original Author: Barnini Chakraborty

Original Location: Prosecutors ask judge to give Smallville actor lighter sentence for NXIVM cooperation
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  A Chicago man robbed two Iowa gas station employees at gunpoint and confined them in a cooler before he fired 10 shots at a sheriff's deputy who responded to the crime, seriously wounding him, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The shots fired by Stanley Donahue injured the left hip and leg of Linn County Deputy William Halverson, who was wearing a protective vest, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint. Donahue then allegedly stole Halverson's service weapon and fled the Casey's General Store in Coggon, a town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Cedar Rapids.

Halverson remained hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. The shooting of Halverson, who has worked for the county for seven years, was the first of an on-duty Linn County deputy since 1973.

Authorities captured Donahue, 36, on Monday afternoon near Coggon after a 14-hour manhunt that involved a drone, an airplane, search dogs and dozens of officers. He was arrested without incident after being spotted by a television news crew, who called police.

Linn County prosecutors allege in the criminal complaint that Donahue robbed two Casey's employees at gunpoint after 10 p.m. Sunday, stealing cash from the register and a safe, cigarettes and their personal belongings. He then confined them in a store cooler.

Halverson was the first to respond to a store alarm signifying a robbery in progress and was met by Donahue after he entered through the front door. Donahue repeatedly shot at Halverson and wounded him before he took the deputy's gun and fled in a minivan, the complaint states.

Another deputy tried to pull him over, but Donahue sped away before crashing into concrete barriers on a bridge that was under construction, the complaint says. He then fled on foot and managed to evade authorities for 14 hours.

In the minivan, investigators say they found the handgun Donahue used to shoot Halverson. They also recovered the deputy's service weapon and merchandise stolen during the robbery.

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Donahue has been charged with 10 counts, including attempting to murder an officer, disarming an officer, first-degree robbery, false imprisonment, trafficking stolen weapons and possessing a gun as a felon. The most serious carry sentences of up to 50 years in prison. If convicted of attempting to murder an officer, he would be required to serve 100% of the prison sentence imposed and not be eligible for parole.

During a brief court appearance Tuesday, a judge set Donahues bond at $2.5 million and appointed the public defenders office to represent him. No attorney has made an appearance on his behalf.

Authorities say Donahue, who is in custody at the Linn County jail, was previously convicted of felonies in Illinois and Oklahoma.
Houston police on Monday arrested eight people for trespassing outside the Texas home of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, according to authorities.

Those arrested were part of a larger group of about 60 to 70 people protesting about climate change in front of his private residence, police said. They arrived around 11 a.m.

"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. "Unfortunately, there was a small group who [was] actually committing trespassing into private property in front of the senators residence."

TED CRUZ TWEETS JUNETEENTH MESSAGE: A SPECIAL CELEBRATION

Authorities gave multiple warnings to the group, along with "ample amount of opportunities" for them to stay on the public sidewalk and away from the property, but they refused, Tien added.

"Roughly eight individuals still refused to leave and we finally gave one final warning," 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."

Cruz's office didn't immediately respond to a late-night request for comment from Fox News.

CRUZ: AMERICANS SHOULD COMPETE AGAINST CHINA IN 2022 BEIJING OLYMPICS AND KICK THEIR COMMIE A--ES

Texas Tribune reporter Erin Douglas tweeted that the protesters were part of the Sunrise Movement, a youth movement to stop climate change, according to its website. The group had just finished a 400-mile march from New Orleans to Houston on Monday, she wrote.

Douglas added they gathered outside Cruz's home to demand President Biden stop negotiations with the GOP and pass Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's "civilian climate corps plan."

Officers spent over an hour negotiating with the protesters to come to a "peaceful resolution," before the arrests were made, Tien noted.

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"I just want to take a moment to remind everyone the Houston Police Department supports First Amendment rights and supports public assembly, but it has to be done in a safe manner," he said. "And it has to be done within the confines and within the scope of the laws."
Quartz co-founders Kevin Delaney and Jay Lauf, along with New York Times veteran Erin Grau, are launching a new media and services company called "Charter" that is centered around the future of work, the founders told Axios.

Why it matters: "There are other media companies that write about this topic  some occasionally and some more frequently, but it's one topic among many things that they do," Delaney said. "This is a driving focus for us."

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Details: The company, which for now is self-funded, will have three main revenue streams: sponsorships, subscriptions and services, Delaney and Grau told Axios.

Until this point, Charter has been slowly launching products under the moniker "Reset Work," named after Delaney's newsletter, which he started late last year. "Renaming the company reflects our bigger ambitions," Delaney said.

The free newsletter, which has 20,000 subscribers, tracks trends and provides analysis on workplace issues pegged to the pandemic and its recovery.

The team has already sold sponsorships around the newsletter over the past few months to companies like Goldman Sachs and Citrix.

What's happening: On Tuesday, the company will officially announce its new name and mission at its inaugural summit about the return to work, sponsored by McKinsey & Company, TIME and EgonZehnder.

In the coming months, it will launch more events for return-to-work experts to discuss and plan for the post-pandemic months ahead.

The company has already started building out some of the services it plans to offer companies to help them navigate the future of work, including a new online course and digital certificate on hybrid work management that it's co-created with Nomadic, a B2B training company.

It currently has eight employees who for now who are all working remotely. In the future, the plan is to develop a hybrid work model as the outlet expands. Its main office will be in New York City.

The big picture: The future of work has long been a hot topic for media companies like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg, especially in the conferences space. Dozens of others have pushed to cover work more aggressively with special briefings and newsletters amid the pandemic.

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Be smart: Charter hopes to differentiate itself from other companies focusing on work by providing services in addition to content, and working with partners in a consultative manner. Courses are the first product under that business line.

"Organizations we work with should have better retention rate and employee engagement," Grau said. "They should be navigating this moment better."

What to watch: The company plans to introduce a subscription service later this summer.

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Jun. 22The 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, which means 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 distributed 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 in 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 seven 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.

First Published June 21, 2021, 11:08am
(Independent)

A civil rights bill central to expanding voting rights across the US  and Democrats best chance of an antidote against a wave of restrictive voting laws proposed in nearly every state  has failed in Congress.

As expected, Senate Republicans universally rejected a procedural move to begin debate on the For The People Act, effectively killing the bill, and galvanising Democrats, the White House and voting rights advocates around a nationwide campaign to combat voter suppression.

Before the vote, the White House warned that democracy is in peril and that the right to vote is under assault with an intensity and an aggressiveness we have not seen in a long time.

President Joe Biden has pledged to use his bully pulpit to advocate for voting rights, dispatching Vice President Kamala Harris to meet with activists and lawmakers to enfranchise voters.

But the For The People Act  a sweeping measure that would standardise voting access at the federal level, eliminate long-standing barriers to voting and allow candidates with smaller platforms to wield more political power  was doomed to fail against GOP obstruction and a coordinated campaign in the wake of 2020 elections and Donald Trumps persistent lie of a stolen election that saw dozens of Republican state lawmakers advance partisan efforts to restrict access to the ballot.

Within the first few months of 2021, Republican state lawmakers filed nearly 400 restrictive voting bills in nearly every state.

The Senate needed to reach 60 votes to break the filibuster, rather than a simple majority or party-line vote to proceed. A vote on whether to begin debate before a vote on the bill failed along party lines, with all 50 Democrats and Democrat-leaning senators supporting it, and all Republicans against it.

Republicans also relied on the filibuster to block a bipartisan commission to investigate the Capitol riot, fuelled by the former presidents conspiracy theories and attempts to overturn millions of American votes.

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has repeatedly said that every option would remain on the table to secure the For The People Acts passage  adding that failure is not an option.

But Democrats have failed to secure support to overturn filibuster rules, effectively ceding control of a marginally Democratically controlled Congress and the fate of the presidents agenda to the bipartisan ambitions of centrist Democrats like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema along with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans.

Are we going to backslide here in the 21st century? Senator Schumer said in remarks before the vote. Are we going to let reactionary state legislatures drag us back into the muck of voter suppression?

He urged Republicans to reject the former presidents ongoing attempts to undermine the results of the 2020 election and spurious legal battle to toss out ballots that emboldened Republican state lawmakers to do what Mr Trump and his attorneys could not.

Do not let this man lead you around by the nose and do permanent damage to our democracy, he said.

More follows...

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UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Russias foreign minister says Moscow disagrees that there is no alternative to deliver humanitarian aid to Syrias rebel-held northwest except from Turkey as the U.N. and many Western nations maintain, insisting deliveries are possible across conflict lines within the country.

He hinted that Russia will block U.N. renewal of the one remaining border crossing whose mandate expires July 10.

Sergey Lavrov said that since April 2020 Russia has seen continuous attempts to block joint humanitarian convoys by the United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent to northwest Idlib from Syrias capital Damascus by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest militant group there, with the connivance of Ankara.

It obstructs sustainable deliveries from inside the country, Lavrov said in a recent oral statement conveyed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Unfortunately, the information on Turkish sides positive steps does not enjoy real-life proof," he said.

In January 2020, Russia scored a victory for its close ally Syria, using its veto threat to force the Security Council to adopt a resolution reducing the number of border crossing points for aid deliveries from four to two  from Turkey to the northwest. It also cut in half the year-long mandate that had been in place since cross-border deliveries began in 2014 to six months.

Last July, Russia scored another victory for Syria by forcing the Security Council to limit humanitarian aid deliveries to just one crossing point, from Turkey to northwest Idlib at Bab al-Hawa.

Many countries including the United States had argued for restoring the Al-Yaroubiya crossing point from Iraq in the northeast that was closed in January 2020. It had been a primary delivery point for health and medical supplies, especially needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Russia argued that aid should be delivered from within Syria across conflict lines, and threatened to veto more than one crossing point.

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With the mandate for the Bab al-Hawa crossing nearing an end, secretary-general Guterres and many countries have been speaking out and stressing the critical importance of keeping it open.

The Security Council is scheduled to discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria, including cross-border aid deliveries, on Wednesday.

Lavrov accused Western donors, who are the major providers of humanitarian aid to Syria, of blackmailing, by threatening to cut humanitarian financing for Syria if the mandate for Bab al-Hawa is not extended.

We consider it is important to resist such approaches, he said.

We believe that further concessions to the Americans and Europeans under the pressure of financial threats will undermine the credibility of the United Nations, its Charter and the Security Councils resolutions, which stipulate to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, non-interference into (a) countrys internal affairs and compliance with international humanitarian law, he said.

In early June, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield went to the Bab al-Hawa crossing in Turkey and stressed that there is no viable alternative to deliver aid and meet the vast needs of vulnerable people in northern Syria. She also said there is an urgent need for additional crossings.

Former U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, who just stepped down, told the council last month that delivering aid across conflict lines cannot replace cross-border deliveries and called the cross-border operation at Bab al-Hawa a lifeline.

If it isnt reauthorized, he warned, food deliveries for 1.4 million people every month, millions of medical treatments, nutrition for tens of thousands of children and mothers and education supplies for tens of thousands of students will stop.

But Lavrov disagreed, saying Russia has received information that U.N. agencies providing humanitarian assistance to northwest Syria are currently actively working on alternative routes of humanitarian deliveries in the event the cross-border point `Bab al-Hawa is closed.

He said representatives of the U.N. World Food Program, which supplies 80% of cross-border deliveries, have already agreed with Damascus and keep seeking the agreement by Ankara to fill WFPs warehouse in the town of Sarmada in the (Idlib) de-escalation zone via cross-line delivery.

Lavrov said the U.N. World Health Organization is inclined towards the similar option for delivering medical supplies including COVID-19 vaccines.

He said WFP and WHO have well-organized cooperation with the Syrian authorities" who provide timely authorization for their humanitarian missions.

Lavrov also cited improvements in deliveries to the northeast after the closure of Al-Yaroubiya, saying coverage there has increased 35-45% and could increase to 60% if funds are available.

The situation where Turkey in reality fully controls the provision of humanitarian assistance to Syria is also unacceptable, he said.
Citizen Donald Trumps money man Allen Weisselberg continues to resist cooperating with prosecutors as the DA presses for "evidence implicating Trump," according to the Washington Post. The Post also reports that prosecutors are now closing in on Trumps former bodyguard turned Trump Organization executive as the investigation heats up. MSNBCs Chief Legal Correspondent breaks down the latest updates in the case with NYU Law Professor Melissa Murray, former RNC Chair Michael Steele, and Tristan Snell, a p
DENVER (AP)  A police officer who was one of three people killed in a shooting at a suburban Denver shopping district was ambushed by a suspect who expressed hatred toward police, authorities said Tuesday.

Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesley was targeted because he was wearing an Arvada police uniform and a badge, police Chief Link Strate said at a news conference. "Officer Beasley was ambushed by someone who expressed hatred of police officers.

Strate called it a deliberate act of violence and an isolated incident. But he did not provide details about the suspect, who also died in the shootout Monday; how authorities knew that the suspect had deliberately attacked Beesley; and how they knew about the suspect's views toward police.

The suspect was identified as 59-year-old Ronald Troyke by Jefferson County coroner Annette Cannon.

Strate also did not explain what started Mondays shootout, which also killed a man authorities have described as a Samaritan near a library in historic downtown Arvada, an area that is home to popular shops, restaurants, breweries and other businesses about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of downtown Denver.

Strate on Tuesday identified that man as John Hurley, 40, of nearby Golden. Without elaborating on what he did, Strate called Hurley a "true hero who likely disrupted what could have been a larger loss of life.

The chief said there was no connection between Hurley and the suspect.

Arvada police spokesman Dave Snelling declined to say who shot the suspect, saying that would be something investigated by a team of area law enforcement officers.

The city of Arvada planned an evening vigil at Peace Lutheran Church just west of the Olde Town district.

Beesley was a school resource officer with a reputation for taking a compassionate approach with students. With school out for the summer, Beesley was working on patrol when he was hit by gunfire shortly after a report of a suspicious incident that police also have not described.

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Beesley was a 19-year veteran of the Arvada Police Department, working as a patrol officer and as a motorcycle traffic officer before working as a school resource officer.

According to his school resource officer biography, he played the drums in a band and enjoyed hiking, biking, skiing, and camping with his family. His motto was Look for the good in every day.

While working at Oberon Middle School, Beesley tried to help students who got into trouble from being prosecuted with crimes and reminded them and their parents that they would get through any problems they had, school counselor David Ruppert said.

Beesley once convinced a student he worked with who did not want to go to school to get out of his car and attend classes, Ruppert said.

The kids gravitated toward him. They looked at him as someone I can go to, Ruppert said.

In 2015, Beesley began biking to school alongside a seventh grader with developmental delay after learning that he was really interested in bicycles but that his mother did not want him riding alone, according to a KUSA-TV story.

Ruppert was one of about 30 school staff members who walked from the scene of the shooting to the growing makeshift memorial for Beesley that was created outside the police department and city hall. Flowers were piled on top a police cruiser and bicycle festooned with U.S. flags and balloons.

The shooting in Arvada came three months after a gunman opened fire and killed 10 people, including a police officer, at a supermarket in Boulder, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Arvada.

After Beesley was killed Monday, about 100 people  some holding American flags and pro-police flags  gathered as procession of police cars and motorcycles escorted the hearse carrying Beesleys body to the coroners office.

Among them was Elaine Magnuson, who choked up as she watched. She originally thought the huge police response in the area near her home indicated that a car accident might have happened  not a shooting that killed a police officer.

Its so close, she said.
Two Pride Month organizers in Seattle are now apologizing to the local community after writing a letter to the city taking issue with a separate upcoming events plans to charge a "$10 to $50 reparations fee" for White people, calling it "reverse discrimination."

The uproar surrounding Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson, the directors of Capitol Hill Pride, began late last week after the Seattle Human Rights Commission posted on Twitter the letter that they had sent.

"It has come to our attention that an event called Take B(l)ack Pride at the Jimi Hendrix public park June 26th is charging Whites only admission as reparations," the pair wrote, asking the city to review the admissions policy. "We consider this reverse discrimination in its worse form and we feel we are being attacked for not supporting due to disparaging and hostile e-mails."

SEATTLE COMMISSION DISMISSES COMPLAINT ABOUT PRIDE EVENT CHARGING WHITE PEOPLE REPARATIONS FEE

"We will never charge admission over the color of a persons skin and we resent being attacked for standing in those values," they add.

The Taking B(l)ack Pride event, which will feature live performances, dancing and other activities, says on its Facebook page "EVERYONE is free to attend HOWEVER this is a BLACK & BROWN QUEER TRANS CENTERED PRIORITIZED, VALUED, EVENT.

"White allies and accomplices are welcome to attend but will be charged a $10 to $50 reparations fee that will be used to keep this event free of cost for BLACK & BROWN Trans & Queer COMMUNITY," it adds.

In a response to LeFevre and Lipson, the Seattle Human Rights Commission  which describes itself as "22 representative residents of Seattle appointed to serve in an advisory capacity to the Mayor, City Council, Seattle Office for Civil Rights, and other Seattle City departments"  said "the unique nature of your situation does not in fact violate any of your human rights as stated in the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights, which is the charter by which our Commission operates."

Story continues

TEXAS LIBRARY APOLOGIZES FOR INCLUDING CONSERVATIVE BOOK ON TRANSGENDER ISSUES IN ITS PRIDE MONTH DISPLAY

"Black trans and queer peoples are among the most marginalized and persecuted peoples within the LGBTQIA2S+ community. They often face shame not only from the cis-heteronormative community, but within the queer community at large as well," the commission wrote. "In making the event free for the Black Queer community, the organizers of this event are extending a courtesy so rarely extended; by providing a free and safe space to express joy, share story, and be in community."

"We would like to recommend, if possible, that you educate yourself on the harm it may cause Seattles BIPOC community in your pursuit of a free ticket to an event that is not expressly meant for you and your entertainment," the commission added.

The City of Seattle confirmed the commission's response in an email to Fox News. It declined to provide further comment.

LeFevre and Lipson then issued an apology following local news reports that participants have been pulling out of their own upcoming event over the content of their letter.

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"We apologize for the inquiry to the City of Seattle regarding Take B(l)ack Pride, it was not meant to be an attack or divide but to ensure equality for all," the pair posted on Facebook Saturday. "Capitol Hill Pride encourages community events and our mission is to recognize the LGBTQ+ community and all spectrums.

"We sincerely want to elevate the segment of the LGBTQ community especially of black transgender women, recognize the important history and contributions and support this segment of the hidden rainbow," they added. "At this time we have requested an invitation of a meeting of hosting parties to resolve any issues and find common ground."

Fox News Sam Dorman contributed to this report.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) defended her opposition to abolishing the 60-vote legislative filibuster in a Washington Post op-ed published Monday night, saying to do so would weaken "democracy's guardrails."

Why it matters: There have been growing calls from Democrats, particularly progressives, to overhaul the rules as the Senate prepares to vote Tuesday on a massive voting rights package. But Sinema writes in her op-ed that if this were to happen "we will lose much more than we gain."

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Between the lines: The For the People Act voting rights legislation would need at least 60 votes to overcome a filibuster in the evenly divided Senate. It'll likely fail without the support of Republicans.

Senate Republicans successfully used the filibuster last month to reject a bill that would have created a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin (R-W.Va.) have maintained since January that they're not going to get rid of the filibuster.

What else she's saying: "If anyone expected me to reverse my position because my party now controls the Senate, they should know that my approach to legislating in Congress is the same whether in the minority or majority," Sinema wrote.

"My support for retaining the 60-vote threshold is not based on the importance of any particular policy. It is based on what is best for our democracy. The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings between opposing policy poles," she continued.

"I will not support an action that damages our democracy."

Of note: Sinema stated that it is "time for the Senate to debate the legislative filibuster," so senators and constituents "can hear and fully consider the concerns and consequences."

"Hopefully, senators can then focus on crafting policies through open legislative processes and amendments, finding compromises that earn broad support," she added.

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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Monday defended his family's membership to a private Rhode Island beach club that was alleged to have all-white members and told reporters the club is "working on improving diversity."

Why it matters: Whitehouse has spoken out against systemic racism following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others.

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Richard Davidson, a spokesperson for Whitehouse, told NBC the club has no "restrictive policy."

Driving the news: When Go Local Providence first reported of his family's membership at the elite Baileys Beach Club in 2017, he told the news outlet he thought "it would be nice if they changed a little bit, but it's not my position." He pledged to raise the matter privately.

When asked again by Go Local last Friday about the club, that's officially titled the Spouting Rock Beach Association, 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."

Whitehouse told reporters the "tradition" he was referring to was that it was a family club. He also insisted that "the club has informed me that it does in fact have diversity of membership," per NBC.

Representatives for Whitehouse and the Spouting Rock Beach Association did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.

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A U.S. Postal carrier was delivering mail in Florida City when she saw a man holding a rifle behind the window of his home Monday afternoon, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The mail carrier, who was not identified, quickly returned to her vehicle in the Tower View Villas community and drove away around 1:30 p.m. Thats when the man, who has also not been identified, shot at her, said Blanca Alvarez, a spokeswoman for the postal inspection office.

A bullet hit the rear bumper of the mail truck, but the driver was not injured.

Thankfully, our postal carriers are trained to be alert of their surrounds and if they feel that they are in a dangerous situation then they should leave the area and call for help, Alvarez said.

According to Alvarez, a call came in at around 1:35 p.m. from the mail carrier, who was delivering mail in the 600 block of Northwest Sixth Street.

Florida City police  with the help of Miami-Dade police  were able to get the suspect out of the home and he was arrested, Alvarez said. He is facing federal charges, though his exact charges were not known Monday night.

Investigators were in the area late into the evening trying figure out what led to the shooting.
(Jamie S. Foster, University of Florida)

Nasa and SpaceX have sent dozens of baby squid into space.

The animals, taken from Hawaii, will spend some time at the International Space Station before coming back down again.

Researchers hope that the stay will allow them to better understand how spaceflight affects the squid  and use that information in the hope of protecting human health during long space missions, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

The squid  baby Hawaiian bobtail squid, to be precise  were raised at the University of Hawaiis Kewalo Marine Laboratory. They left for space earlier this month, on a SpaceX supply mission to the ISS.

The squid have a symbiotic relationship with natural bacteria that help regulate their bioluminescence.

When astronauts are in low gravity their body's relationship with microbes changes, said University of Hawaii professor Margaret McFall-Ngai, who Foster studied under in the 1990s.

We have found that the symbiosis of humans with their microbes is perturbed in microgravity, and Jamie has shown that is true in squid, said McFall-Ngai. And, because it's a simple system, she can get to the bottom of what's going wrong.

Foster is now a Florida professor and principal investigator for a NASA program that researches how microgravity affects the interactions between animals and microbes.

As astronauts spend more and more time in space, their immune systems become what's called dysregulated. It doesn't function as well, Foster said. Their immune systems don't recognize bacteria as easily. They sometimes get sick.

Foster said understanding what happens to the squid in space could help solve health problems that astronauts face.

There are aspects of the immune system that just don't work properly under long-duration spaceflights, she said. If humans want to spend time on the moon or Mars, we have to solve health problems to get them there safely.

The Kewalo Marine Laboratory breeds the squid for research projects around the world. The tiny animals are plentiful in Hawaiian waters and are about 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) long as adults.

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The squid will come back to Earth in July.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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Spain's government granted pardons Tuesday to nine Catalan separatists who were convicted for organizing a 2017 independence referendum that Spanish courts declared illegal.

Why it matters: The New York Times characterized the move as "a major olive branch" in Spain's most divisive conflict, which concerns who should govern the autonomous Catalonia region in the northeastern corner of the country.

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The group of nine politicians and activists were originally charged with sedition and misuse of public funds, and were handed sentences of nine to 13 years.

Protesters in Catalonia were outraged by the harsh sentences and the Spanish government's heavy-handed crackdown on activists and protesters involved in the referendum.

The big picture: Catalonia declared independence from Spain after the referendum, prompting the Spanish government to impose direct rule and terminate the Catalan government.

What they're saying: Pedro Sanchez, the center-left prime minister, said the pardons are meant to be a first step in reconciliation and that "only those most fiercely resistant to change would oppose this," per NYT.

The other side: Adria Alsina, a national secretary for the pro-independence Catalan National Assembly, said his goal was not pardons but a Spanish declaration of amnesty  that the jailed leaders had not committed any crimes  and a commitment to a new referendum.

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MADRID (AP)  Nine Catalan separatist leaders jailed for sedition were eyeing freedom, after Spains Cabinet pardoned them Tuesday in the hope of starting what Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a much-needed reconciliation in the countrys restive northeast.

The government has taken the decision because it is the best decision for Catalonia and the best decision for Spain, Sanchez said in a short, nationally televised appearance. We hope to open a new era of dialogue and build new bridges.

Former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras, who in 2019 got the heaviest sentence of 13 years in prison for sedition and misuse of public funds, will go free along with his associates after spending three-and-a-half years behind bars.

The other eight included the former Cabinet members of the Catalan government, the former Speaker of the Catalan Parliament, and two leaders of separatist civil society groups who had all received sentences ranging from nine to 12 years.

The pardons lifted the remaining years of their prison terms, while keeping intact their status as being unfit to hold public office.

A top Spanish government official said the separatists would likely be released on Wednesday, after the governments pardons are signed by King Felipe VI and published in the governments official gazette. The official wasnt authorized to be named in media reports.

The government said the pardons could be revoked if their beneficiaries try to lead another breakaway bid or commit a serious crime.

These pardons do not depend on their recipients renouncing their ideas, and nor do we expect them to do so, Sanchez said. But these people were never put in prison for the ideas they hold, but rather for having violated the laws of our democracy.

The pardons do not cover former Catalonia president Carles Puigdemont and the other high-profile separatists who fled Spain following the unsuccessful breakaway attempt.

The Catalan regional chief, Pere Aragones, said that by issuing the pardons the government was acknowledging that the separatists prosecution was unjust but that its move left out many other Catalans prosecuted, including Puigdemont and others who fled abroad.

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Its the time for amnesty and for self-determination, Aragones said in a televised speech surrounded by members of his regional Cabinet. Its the time for us to agree on a referendum on independence.

Spains government has refused to consider an independence referendum. Instead, it hopes to find a new formula on self-rule for the affluent region that already enjoys wide-ranging powers.

The pardons have been opposed by Spains right wing  as well as by many on the left  becoming a risky political gamble for Sanchez, the Socialist leader.

But the prime minister has insisted that a hardline approach by previous conservative administrations have worsened the conflict.

Europes leading human rights body, the Council of Europe, backed the pardons in a resolution passed by its assembly late on Monday. But the non-binding recommendations also chided Spain for curtailing the free speech of the Catalan politicians. Spains Foreign Ministry responded by saying that the separatists were convicted by independent courts for breaking laws.

Tensions over a desire for secession in the Catalan-speaking region of 7.5 million grew in earnest a decade ago amid recession-driven economic hardship and discontent with a conservative administration opposed to greater autonomy.

Matters came to a head in October 2017, when separatists passed a unilateral independence declaration based on the results of a referendum deemed illegal by Spains top courts. The vote was boycotted by the unionist side and was held amid a police crackdown to stop it.

Now, Sanchez is banking that their release can restore the confidence of some disaffected Catalans driven into the separatist camp over the past decade. Roughly half of Catalonia's voters back pro-secession parties, while the other half votes for parties who want union.

With this action, we materially get nine people out of prison, but we symbolically add millions and millions of people to coexistence, the prime minister said on Monday in Barcelona, the Catalan regional capital, during a speech announcing the pardons.

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.
The rubber-stamp approval should lead to the separatists' release from jail a few days later.

Sanchez aims to kick-start negotiations between the central and regional government, saying seeking reconciliation with Catalonia was in the public interest.

But the move could be unpopular and risky. Polls suggest about 60% of Spaniards are against freeing the politicians and activists. Opposition parties have said they will seek to reverse the pardons.

Catalonia's separatist head of government Pere Aragones said the pardons were a welcome first step to start a dialogue but considered them insufficient, vowing to push for a new, authorized referendum.

Spain's Supreme Court in 2019 sentenced the nine Catalan leaders for their role in an unauthorized independence referendum and a short-lived declaration of independence.

Madrid responded at the time by imposing direct control over the region for seven months in 2017-2018.
David Lawrence, the son of singer Steve Lawrence, has been accused of taking advantage of his father who has dementia.

Steve's companion and manager, Judy Tannen, claims in docs obtained by People magazine on Monday that David is preventing her from taking care of him.

In a legal petition, Tannen wants David removed as the point person making decisions for the 85-year-old. According to Tannen, she's worked with the singer for 64 years, noting that his wife, Eydie "trusted not only their careers with [her], but all of their personal affairs." Tannen said Eydie named "her to every conceivable fiduciary role and capacity imaginable."

Tannen also alleges that after Eydie's death in 2013, she and Steve became companions who "leaned heavily on each other for emotional support and companionship."

STEVE AND EYDIE SINGER STEVE LAWRENCE SAYS HE HAS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

They've supposedly been living together as "companions since approximately 2014." Tannen is alleging in Steve's estate planning, she can live in his home for five years after his death and get half of his music business that she managed.

Steve was diagnosed with Alzheimer's back in 2019. Tannen insists that David is "malevolently keeping [her] from fulfilling her promise to take care of Steve through thick and thin."

The petition alleges that David is also "selling off heirlooms that Steve wanted Judy to be able to give to people who would appreciate them, including family members, who, unlike David, want memories, not money."

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Steve is accused of selling his father's home in Las Vegas and an apartment in Los Angeles and then using $74,000 to fund his own music.

Tannen's problems with Steve started when she was admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 in February this year and David was appointed with the "power to make health care decisions for her in the event of her incapacity."

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She calls the decision the "worst mistake of her life," alleging it allowed David to "exploit [her] and do unthinkable harm to Steve at the same time."

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"While Tannen was gravely sick with COVID-19, David weaponized Judy's trust, abusing her right of privacy to her medical information to have her declared incapacitated, and then systematically removing Judy from every fiduciary position Steve and Eydie had conferred upon her," the petition reads.

A rep for Tannen told Fox News, "It is frightening to think that you give everything to your children and this is how they repay you in your final days. But it seems David has made his Devils wager one of them will die before anyone forces David to let them be together again. I hope not, because its painful to see Judy dying of heartbreak and the awful guilt that Steve will think she abandoned him."

The Lawrence family could not immediately be reached for comment.

Per People magazine, David has not yet filed his response to Tannen's allegations.
KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Sudan asked the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to meet and discuss a dispute over a giant dam being built by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile, a government statement said.

Ethiopia is pinning its hopes of economic development and power generation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), while the two downstream countries - Egypt and Sudan - are concerned about it and seeking a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.

Egypt relies on the Nile River for as much as 90% of its fresh water and sees the dam as an existential threat. Sudan is concerned about the operation of its own Nile dams and water stations.

Sudan's Foreign Minister Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi called on the Security Council to hold a session as soon as possible to discuss GERD and "its impact on the safety and security of millions of people", the government statement said.

In a letter to the council head, she called on him to urge Ethiopia to stop the "unilateral" filling of the dam "which exacerbates the dispute and poses a threat to regional and international peace and security", the statement added.

Ethiopian officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Sudan and Egypt had already agreed this month to work together on all levels to push Ethiopia to negotiate "seriously" on an agreement, after African Union-sponsored talks remained deadlocked. The two countries called on the international community to intervene.

Earlier this month, Arab states called on the Security Council to discuss the dispute and Ethiopia's plans to go ahead with the second filling of the dam this summer even without an agreement with Sudan and Egypt.

Ethiopia rejected the Arab League resolution in its entirety, its Foreign Ministry said.

Arab League envoy to the UN, Maged Abdel Fattah, said on Tuesday evening that Sudan and Egypt are working on a draft resolution to the Security Council on GERD if Ethiopia doesn't reach a deal.

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Arab states will lobby for the draft resolution to be approved, he told the Egyptian private TV channel Sada Elbalad, adding that he doesn't expect world powers to block it.

Ethiopia previously rejected calls from Egypt and Sudan to involve mediators outside the African Union.

Sudan said earlier in June that it was open to a partial interim agreement on the multibillion-dollar dam, with specific conditions.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Richard Pullin)
By Khalid Abdelaziz

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's prime minister called for a unified national army on Tuesday in a bid to protect a fragile political transition, amid tensions between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

"The big question today is will Sudan exist or not exist," Abdalla Hamdok said at a press conference, decrying "worrying" divisions between and within civilian and military factions.

Sudanese sources told Reuters that Hamdok is concerned in particular about a widening split between the army and RSF in recent weeks, and the potential for conflict if it continues.

Hamdok's comments are his most explicit to date in attempting to influence the military partners he has shared power with since the overthrow of former leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019. His cabinet serves under the Sovereign Council, headed by General Abdelfattah al-Burhan of the armed forces with RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo serving as Burhan's deputy.

In a statement circulated at the news conference, Hamdok called for the RSF's integration into the armed forces, pending agreement between leadership of both forces and the government.

Security sector reform was a national issue that needed civilian involvement, he said.

Bashir gave the RSF official military status, but it remains separate from the armed forces.

Sudan's international allies, as well as some internal rebel groups, have pushed for the RSF, which grew out of Darfur's janjaweed militias, to be integrated into the national army.

Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, frequently complains that he and his forces have been demonized. He has made public statements rejecting the integration of his forces.

Both the army and RSF have released statements denying any conflict.

In central Khartoum, barriers were erected this month around the armed forces' headquarters. The RSF has separate facilities in Khartoum and in other parts of the country.

Last week, Hamdok warned of the possibility of civil strife fomented by loyalists of the former regime.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Aidan Lewis, William Maclean)
Jun. 22BEMIDJI  A downpouring of much-needed rain on Sunday didn't put a damper on the Bemidji affiliate of the American Swedish Institute's 46th annual Midsommar Festival, a celebration that brought about 40 community members together to honor their Swedish heritage and rejoice in the return of summer.

The event, which typically takes place outside in Library Park, was held at First Lutheran Church and was brimming with Swedish music and dance, jubilation, and, of course, a maypole and flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors to signify the newness of life that the summer solstice brings.

"We celebrate Midsommar because it's the longest day of the year with the most amount of daylight," Bemidji ASI President Al Paulson said. "We tend to need to know a little bit about where we come from  what our roots and traditions are. By doing this, we're continuing it."

The Bemidji affiliate, whose approximately 75 members come mostly from around the Bemidji area, also holds a Sankta Lucia celebration in the wintertime. Paulson said it and the Midsommar Festival in the summer are the group's two main events throughout the year. This year's Sankta Lucia celebration was held virtually due to COVID, naming Olivia Carlson, a sophomore at St. Olaf College, as this year's Sankta Lucia.

In preparation for the Midsommar festivities, women and girls  some dressed in traditional Swedish attire  gathered around a large bucket of flowers atop a table to weave their own personalized flower crowns. The lushest, most vibrant flower crown would belong to this year's Midsommar queen, Anita Norden, who would be crowned with it by former Midsommar queens during the celebration.

"The queen reigns over Midsommar," longtime ASI member Michelle Dahlby said. "We think we're the only ones in the United States who have been doing this consistently for 46 years."

Nearby, others fashioned birch branches and flowers to a maypole, which would later be hauled into the middle of the room and act as the event's centerpiece for folks to dance around. The size of the pole had to be reduced to accommodate being indoors this year, but traditionally it stands about 14-feet in height.

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"Some years when the festival was also held indoors we popped up the ceiling tiles and used the taller pole," Dahlby said. "We just made do with whatever we needed to do."

In Sweden, Midsommar festivities are much anticipated by residents after long Scandinavian winters, with adults and children forgoing work and school to celebrate the commencement of summertime. Norden, who has Swedish ancestry and whose daughter once taught school in Sweden, explained how she came to understand the importance of the country's beloved national holiday.

"My daughter taught for about 10 years over there, and she said she finally learned that she couldn't assign all these assignments the night before Midsommar," Norden said with a laugh.

Once the maypole and crowns were assembled, a procession led by family musical group, Lingonberry Jam, entered the room, playing traditional Swedish songs while circling the maypole. Norden, along with Sankta Lucia Olivia Carlson, followed, as well as former Midsommar queens Judy Dvorak and Carol Sorensen and children dressed in a red, two-person Dala horse costume representing the popular Swedish icon.

Then, paying homage to both heritages, American and Swedish national anthems were recited by the roomful of people. Once Norden was crowned Midsommar queen, the group listened to a variety of Swedish tunes by the band until it transitioned into dancing time for everyone.

Directed by Dahlby, the group moved through a slew of dance moves, from holding hands and kicking their feet to pretending to be various animals while whirling around the maypole.

"I love the people, that's the best part," said Dvorak. "It's all the Swedish things and we get to dress in costume. Although I do have to take the dress in now  too much dancing."

Dvorak said she has continuously honored her Swedish heritage throughout her life, twice taking a trip to the motherland in 1957 and 1975. Now, as an ASI member of more than 25 years, she looks forward to organized events like the Midsommar Festival, as she can celebrate the first days of summer just as her ancestors once did  regardless of location.

"It's a fun group, we do have such fun," Dvorak said. "A lot of us might not ever know our grandparents or our great-grandparents, and, if you're lucky enough to take a trip over to see where they came from, it's really special."

Paulson said the ASI affiliate group is always looking for new members and encourages those interested in their Swedish heritage to join. Meetings are typically once a month and consist of learning about Swedish culture, history, language and food, among other things.

"We're always looking for new members to come out and support their Swedish heritage," Paulson said. "It's nice to know where you come from and what your ancestors went through to get here."

For more ASI affiliate membership information, call Al Paulson at (218) 785-2368, or email him at luckyswede@gmail.com.
ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland on Tuesday said children between 12 and 15 years old could be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the shot from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

The recommendation follows approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine earlier this month for 12-15 year olds by Switzerland's drug regulator, and is aimed primarily at youth in groups who may be at high risk of severe disease should they contract COVID-19, including those suffering from a chronic condition, or those who have contact with somebody in a risk group.

The country, which has until now been vaccinating people 16 and over with the Pfizer/BioNTech shot, added the younger age group with the goal of both preventing rare serious infections in younger people and reducing sources of possible transmission.

The vaccine, like for people over 16 years, must be given in two doses after clinical trials showed around 100% efficiency in the younger age group, drugs regulator Swissmedic has said.

(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
A man holds Taiwanese flags as he joins others to attend a rally to mark Taiwan's National Day, in the Tsim Sha Tsui district in Hong Kong on October 10, 2019. Philip FONG/AFP via Getty Images

Taiwan's government has recalled all but one of its officials working in its Hong Kong trade office.

Hong Kong mandated that the Taiwanese staff sign a document acknowledging the "One China" principle for their visas to be renewed.

The Taiwanese refused to sign the document because it's at odds with their government's foreign policy.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A fresh diplomatic row has erupted, this time between Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Taiwanese government recalled seven of its eight staff members stationed at its trade office in Hong Kong over the weekend, per a Guardian report. This is because the city's government is mandating that all staff members working at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Hong Kong must sign a document acknowledging their commitment to the "One China" policy.

The Hong Kong government said the signing of this document was a prerequisite to renew their work visas.

The "One China" policy, which implies that the Beijing-based Chinese Communist Party-led government is the only Chinese government, is at odds with Taiwan's position. The Chinese government has claimed Taiwan as a "renegade province" that is part of its territory, but the Taiwanese view the island as an independently ruled, self-governing state with its own military.

The South China Morning Post spoke to Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san, who said seven staff members were flown back to Taiwan over the weekend after their work visas were not renewed, following their refusal to sign the document.

"The unreasonable demand by the Hong Kong government for our officials to sign the one-China document is the major reason why we have to adjust our operations in Hong Kong," Chiu told the SCMP.

This last staff member is set to return to Taiwan in July when his visa expires, Chiu added, noting that Taiwan will still keep some of its operations in the city going, particularly those concerning travel and immigration, trade, and culture.

Read the original article on Insider
Former President Donald Trump's fundraising groups began rolling out new ads from the page "Team Trump" on Facebook last week despite the ex-commander in chief being banished from the platform.

Information from Team Trump's advertisement log on Facebook shows it unveiled new ads on June 21 calling for donations to the former president's team, though some reports noted the ads emerged as early as June 19. The ads were purchased by the Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, a dual effort between Trumps Save America leadership PAC and his Make America Great Again PAC.

Trump was banned from Facebook, among other social media sites such as Twitter, following the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. A recent decision from the company determined the suspension would last at least until January 2023. Facebook insisted the posts do not indicate a change in Trump's ban from the platform.

President Trump is suspended from Facebook so he can't post at all," a spokesman for the company told the Washington Examiner. "Groups affiliated with the former president are not barred from posting on Facebook so long as they are not posting in his voice."

Some of the Save America JFC ads were removed because they linked back to the former president's website, the spokesperson added.

TRUMP BAN TO EXTEND AT LEAST TWO YEARS, FACEBOOK SAYS

Prior to this latest round, Team Trump had not posted any ads since Nov. 2, the day before the 2020 election.

"DONATE TO STAND WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP," one of the ads on Monday said. The ads are linked to the Save America fundraising page, which is managed by the Republican digital ad firm WinRed, according to Politico.

Trump's fundraising arm spent $3,506 on ads within the past seven days, a notably small amount compared to typical campaign season spending.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The former president is gearing up for a June 26 event in Cleveland, Ohio, where he will campaign for Republican congressional candidate Max Miller in his first public rally since leaving the White House.

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Trump is also slated to make a public appearance at the U.S.-Mexico border on June 30 with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as he criticizes President Joe Biden's handling of the migrant crisis.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Donald Trump, Facebook, Social Media, Big Tech, Ban

Original Author: Kaelan Deese

Original Location: 'Team Trump' ads emerge on Facebook despite former president's exile
Donald Trump may be banned from Facebook, but his political operation continues using it to raise money, records show.

Why it matters: A new round of ads purchased by a political group associated with him shows how the former president can continue tapping the world's largest social network even as Trump himself is barred from the platform.

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The ads were first reported in the progressive digital firm ACRONYM's newsletter.

What's happening: The sum Team Trump is spending on its new Facebook ad campaign is minor: just over $3,500 since Friday, according to the site's political ad archive.

The ads notably avoid any messaging in Trump's voice, instead asking for donations "to stand with President Trump" and "stop Kamala (Harris) and Joe Biden."

The ads ran on the page "Team Trump" and directed supporters to an online donation page benefitting a Trump-controlled fundraising group, Save America JFC.

The big picture: Trump himself is banned from Facebook until early 2023 following his routine promotion of false conspiracy theories alleging the 2020 election was stolen.

President Trump is suspended from Facebook, so he can't post at all. Groups affiliated with the former president are not barred from posting on Facebook, so long as they are not posting in his voice," Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone told Axios.

He noted that some Team Trump ads were rejected for linking to the former president's website, DonaldJTrump.com.

What they're saying: "I think its a clear gap/loophole in the policy," said Katie Harbath, a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center and Facebook's former public policy director.

"I think it shows we need more detail from FB and Twitter about what it means when you de-platform a politician and which of their connected entities also get banned because of their connection," Harbath wrote to Axios.

Between the lines: Team Trump's Facebook ad buy comes as the former president kickstarts other parts of his formidable political operation.

Trump is once again hitting up supporters via email asking for donations.

He's also back on the rally circuit, his signature form of political campaigning.

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Elon Musk wants to create a charging route that stretches from Shanghai to London. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Tesla unveiled a Supercharger route stretching more than 3,000 miles along China's Silk Road.

The route includes 27 Supercharger stations.

Elon Musk wants to eventually build a route spanning Shanghai to London.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Charging remains one of the biggest headaches of EV ownership - and Tesla just made it a bit easier for its Chinese customers to take long road trips with a new Supercharger route.

The electric-vehicle maker announced Sunday that it opened a Supercharger route stretching more than 5,000 kilometers - over 3,100 miles - along the Silk Road. Tesla has built 27 charging stations along the route, which it says is now the longest East-West Supercharger route in China.

It's part of Elon Musk's plan to establish a charging route spanning more than 6,000 miles from Shanghai to London, the company said. To accomplish that, it would need to fill gaps across Central Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe

Tesla China tweeted out a promotional video announcing the route.

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Tesla's extensive charging network, something no other company has, is one of the key advantages of buying a car from it over a competitor in the US. Elon Musk is looking to replicate that range anxiety-eliminating network in China, one of Tesla's most critical markets. Tesla has deployed some 800 Supercharger locations in China to date.

Read more: The head of Toyota's VC arm has $300 million to spend on startups. Here's what he's looking for before he offers terms.

The move to bring Supercharging to one of China's cultural landmarks may also be part of an effort by Tesla to smooth over its image in the country after a string of public-relations crises. This year in China, Tesla has faced protests and calls from officials to ban its cars on government property.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Laredo, Texas, authorities nabbed two convicted child sex offenders Sunday as they attempted to traverse the United States-Mexico border illegally.

Border Patrol agents encountered Mexican national Efrain Gallardo-Rangel, 34, as they apprehended a group of 24 migrants inside a ranch, authorities announced Tuesday. Gallardo-Rangel was found guilty in 2018 of indecency with a child in Dallas, law enforcement found.

Later that day, authorities caught Oscar Murretla-Gonzalez, a 33-year-old Mexican national, and five others who allegedly attempted to board a train at Port Laredo. Murretla-Gonzalez was convicted for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 in Salinas, California, and was sentenced to one year in prison in addition to three years of probation at the time.

LAREDO BORDER PATROL REPORTS OVER 1,000% UPTICK IN ARRESTS OF CRIMINAL MIGRANTS

"These arrests continue to highlight the dangers that illegal immigration pose to our country," Border Patrol wrote in a statement. "Laredo Sector agents continue to arrest undocumented individuals who have been previously convicted for sexual misconduct. Dangerous criminals such as these endanger our communities and shows a lack of regard for our countrys laws."

Laredo authorities reported an over 1,200% increase earlier in June in arrests of criminal migrants since the start of fiscal year 2021. At least 760 criminal migrants have been brought into custody, compared to 60 who were arrested over the same time period in 2020.

Border authorities in Del Rio, Texas, on May 26 announced that their sector had experienced a 3,166% jump in the apprehension of convicted sex offenders, compared to numbers from the same time frame in 2020. Ninety-five border crossers previously found guilty of sexual crimes have been apprehended in the area.

The figures were included in a bulletin that stated agents caught 10 convicted sex offenders who illegally entered the U.S. from May 17 to May 24. Among them were Mexican nationals who had been found guilty of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, forcible sexual abuse, sexual assault of a child under 14, sexual assault of a child, sexual assault, and sexual conduct with a person under 13.

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CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Two Honduran nationals were arrested in the one-week period as well. The pair had a litany of convictions, including statutory rape and second-degree sexual assault of a child.

President Joe Biden has faced bipartisan criticism over his perceived leniency at the southern border as unprecedented numbers of migrants, particularly unaccompanied children, continue to flood into the country. Vice President Kamala Harris has been the subject of similar pushback after she has yet to visit the border despite her appointment as immigration czar over three months ago.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Texas, Border Crisis, Border Patrol, Border, Joe Biden, Biden Administration, Crime, Migrants

Original Author: Jake Dima

Original Location: Texas Border Patrol nabs two convicted child sex offenders
Morgues Struggle To Make Space As Texas Covid Cases Surge

A makeshift morgue, utilizing shipping containers, outside the Medical Examiners Office in El Paso, Texas, U.S., on Nov. 30, 2020. Credit - Paul RatjeBloomberg/Getty Images

Alfredo Freddy Valles was an accomplished trumpeter and a beloved music teacher for nearly four decades at one of the poorest middle schools in El Paso, Texas. He was known for buying his students shoes and bow ties for their band concerts, his effortlessly positive demeanor and his suave personal stylehe looked like he stepped out of a different era, the 1950s, says his niece, Ruby Montana. While Valles was singular in life, his death at age 60 in February 2021 was part of a devastating statistic: He was one of thousands of deaths in Texas border countieswhere coronavirus mortality rates far outpaced state and national averages.

In the states border communities, including El Paso, people not only died of COVID-19 at significantly higher rates than elsewhere, but people under age 65 were also more likely to die, according to a KHN-El Paso Matters analysis of COVID-19 death data through January. More than 7,700 people died of COVID-19 in the border area through January. In Texas, COVID-19 death rates for border residents younger than 65 were nearly three times the national average for that age group and more than twice the state average. And those ages 18-49 were nearly four times more likely to die than those in the same age range across the U.S.

This was like a perfect storm, says Heide Castaneda, an anthropology professor at the University of South Florida who studies the health of U.S.-Mexico border residents. She says a higher-than-normal prevalence of underlying health issues combined with high uninsurance rates and flagging access to care likely made the pandemic especially lethal for those living along the border.

That pattern was not as stark in neighboring New Mexico. Border counties there recorded COVID-19 death rates 41% lower than those in Texas, although the latter were still well above the national average as of January, the KHN-El Paso Matters analysis found. Texas border counties tallied 282 deaths per 100,000, compared with 166 per 100,000 in New Mexico. That stark divide could be seen even when looking at the neighboring counties of El Paso County, Texas, and Dona Ana, New Mexico. The death rate for residents under 65 was 70% higher in El Paso County.



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Health experts say Texas refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, a shortage of health care options and its lax strategy toward the pandemic also contributed to a higher death rate at the border. Texas GOP leaders have opposed Medicaid expansion for a litany of economic and political reasons, though largely because they object to expanding the role or size of government.

New Mexico, on the other hand, expanded Medicaid, and as a result has a much lower uninsured rate than Texas for people under 6512% compared with Texas 21%, according to Census figures. And New Mexico had aggressive rules for face masks and public gatherings. Still, that didnt spare New Mexico from the crisis. Outbreaks in and around the Navajo reservation hit hard. Overall, its state death rate exceeded the state rate for Texas, but along the border New Mexicos rates were lower in all age groups.

Having no Medicaid expansion and an area that is already underserved by primary care and preventive care set the stage for a serious situation, Castaneda says. A lot of this is caused by state politics. Texas was one of the first states to reopen following the nationwide coronavirus shutdowns in March and April last year. Last Juneeven as cases were risingGov. Greg Abbott allowed all businesses, including restaurants, to operate at up to 50% capacity, with limited exceptions. And he refused to put any capacity restrictions on churches and other religious facilities or let local governments impose mask requirements. In November, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an injunction to stop a lockdown order implemented by the El Paso county judge, the top administrative officer, at a time when El Paso hospitals were so overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients that 10 mobile morgues had to be set up at an area hospital to accommodate the dead.

For some border families, the immense toll of the pandemic meant multiple deaths among loved ones. Ruby Montana not only lost her uncle to COVID-19, but also her cousin Julieta Julie Apodaca, a former elementary school teacher and speech therapist. Montana says Valles death surprised the family. When he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in December, Montana and the family were not worried, not only because he had no preexisting health conditions, but also because they knew his lungs were so strong from practicing his trumpet daily over the course of decades. At the time, he was teaching remotely at Guillen Middle School in El Pasos historical El Segundo Barrio neighborhood, an area known as the other Ellis Island because of its adjacency to the border and its history as an enclave for Mexican immigrant families.

In early January, Valles went to a local urgent care after his condition deteriorated. He had pneumonia and was told to go straight to the emergency room. When I took him to the [hospital], I dropped him off and went to go park, says his wife, Elvira. I never saw him again. When she returned from parking, she says, the hospital staff did not let her inside. Valles, a father of three, had been teaching one of his three grandchildren, 5-year-old Aliq Valles, to play the trumpet. They were joined at the hip, Montana says. That part has been really hard to deal with too. [Aliq] should have a whole lifetime with his grandpa.

Alfredo Freddy Valles was an accomplished trumpeter and a beloved music teacher for nearly four decades in El Paso, Texas. He died of COVID-19 in February. Ruby Montana

Hispanic adults have been more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 compared with white adults, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Texas, Hispanic residents died of COVID-19 at a rate four times higher than that of non-Hispanic white people, according to a December analysis by the Dallas Morning News.

Ninety percent of residents under 65 in Texas border counties are Hispanic, compared with 37% in the rest of the state. Latinos have higher rates of chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity than the national averages, which increases their risks of COVID-19 complications and the risk of dying from the viral infection at earlier ages, health experts say.

Coda Rayo-Garza, an advocate for policies to aid Hispanic populations and a professor of political science at the University of Texas-San Antonio, says expanding Medicaid would have aided the border communities in their fight against COVID-19 as they have some of the highest rates of residents without health coverage in the state. There has been a disinvestment in border areas long before that led to this outcome, she says. The legislature did not end up passing Medicaid expansion, which would have largely benefited border towns.

The higher death rate among border communities are unfortunately not surprising, says Democratic congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who represents the district that includes El Paso. Its exactly what we warned about. People in Texas died at disproportionate rates because of a dereliction on behalf of the governor. He chose not to govern  and the results are deadly. Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Governor Abbot says he mourns every life lost to COVID-19. Throughout the entire pandemic, the state of Texas has worked diligently with local officials to quickly provide the resources needed to combat COVID-19 and keep Texans safe, she says.

Ernesto Castaneda, a sociology professor at American University in Washington, D.C. (unrelated to Heide Castaneda) says structural racism is integrally linked to poor health outcomes in border communities. Generations of institutional discriminationthrough policing, educational and job opportunities, and health careworsens the severity of crisis events for people of color, he argues. We knew it was going to be bad in El Paso, Castaneda says. El Paso has relatively low socioeconomic status, relatively low education levels, high levels of diabetes and overweight [population].

In some Texas counties along the border, more than a third of workers are uninsured, according to an analysis by Georgetown Universitys Center for Children and Families. The border is a very troubled area in terms of high uninsured rates, and we see all of those are folks put at increased risk by the pandemic, says Joan Alker, director of the center. In addition, because of a shortage of health workers along much of the border, the pandemic surge was all the more deadly, says Dr. Ogechika Alozie, an El Paso-based specialist in infectious diseases. When you layer on top not having enough medical personnel with a sicker-on-average population, this is really what you find happens, unfortunately, he said.

The federal government has designated the entire Texas border region as both a health professional shortage area and a medically underserved area. Jagdish Khubchandani, a professor of public health at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, about 40 miles northwest of El Paso, says the two cities were like night and day in their response to the crisis. Restrictions were far more rigid in New Mexico, he said. It almost felt like two different countries. Dona Ana County and New Mexico mandated masks in public places and inside private businesses. Manny Sanchez, a commissioner in Dona Ana County, says the masking rules and messages urging residents to maintain physical distancing were critical to the effort to beat back the virus. I would like to think we made a difference in saving lives, Sanchez says.

But, because containing a virus requires full community buy-in, even El Paso residents who understood the risks were susceptible to COVID-19. Julie Apodaca, who had recently retired, had been especially careful, in part because she knew her asthma and diabetes put her at increased risk. As the primary caregiver for her elderly mother, she was likely exposed to the virus through one of the nurse caretakers who came to her mothers home and later tested positive, says her sister Ana Apodaca.

Julie Apodaca had registered for a COVID-19 vaccine in December as soon as it was available but had not been able to get an appointment for a shot by the time she fell ill. Montana found out that Apodaca had been hospitalized the day after her uncle died. One month later, and after 16 days on a ventilator, she too died, on March 13. She was 56.

This story was done in a partnership between KHN and El Paso Matters. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

El Paso Matters is a member-supported, nonpartisan media organization that focuses on in-depth and investigative reporting about El Paso, Texas, Ciudad Juarez across the border in Mexico, and neighboring communities.

Methodology

To analyze COVID-19 deaths rates along the border with Mexico, KHN and El Paso Matters requested COVID-19-related death counts by age group and county from Texas, New Mexico, California and Arizona. California and Arizona were unable to fulfill the requests. The Texas Department of State Health Services and the New Mexico Department of Health provided death counts as of Jan. 31, 2021.

Texas data included totals by age group for border counties as a group and for the state with no suppression of data. New Mexico provided data for individual counties, and small numbers were suppressed, totaling 1.6% of all deaths in the state. (Data on deaths is commonly suppressed when it involves very small numbers to protect individual identities.)

National death counts by age group were calculated using provisional death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and included deaths as of Jan. 31, 2021. Rates were calculated per 100,000 people using the 2019 American Community Survey. The ethnic breakdown in Texas border counties comes from the Census Bureaus 2019 population estimates.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai medical committee has agreed to narrow the gap between doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to eight weeks from 10-12 weeks previously in places where there has been outbreaks of the Delta variant, an official said on Tuesday.

Areas where the more contagious Delta variant, first identified in India, had been detected could "adjust the timing for the second dose," said Kiatiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary at the public health ministry.

The move comes after Thailand last week abandoned plans for a 16-week gap between AstraZeneca doses in a bid to stretch vaccine supplies to reach more people.

Thailand reported the first instance of the Delta variant in Bangkok last month and up to now it has spread to 20 provinces with over 660 cases recorded.

Thailand's vaccination drive, which uses a mix of Sinovac and AstraZeneca shots, faced delays a week after it started in June due to limited supplies. About 2.2 million people are fully vaccinated from a population of over 66 million.

Bangkok, the epicentre of the latest outbreak, with around an average of 1,000 new infections per day, has only 20 beds left for coronavirus patients in critical condition at government hospitals in the city, said health official Somsak Akksilp.

Thailand reported 4,059 new infections on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 225,365 and 1,693 fatalities, with more than 85% infections and 95% of deaths coming since April.

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Ed Davies)
For 2,000 years, Jones Hotchs ancestors have fished Alaskas Chilkat River for the five species of salmon that spawn in its cold, clean waters. They have gathered berries, hunted moose and raised their families, sheltered from the extremes of winter by the black, saw-toothed peaks of the Iron Mountain.

Now Hotch fears a proposed mining project could end that way of life.

Hotch has an infectious, boyish laugh  but there is no mistaking how worried he is about plans to build a mine where millions of pounds of zinc, copper, lead, silver and gold are buried, beneath the valleys mountains. We arejust miles from the headwaters of the Chilkat, the glacial river that serves as the main food source of the Tlingit, the regions Indigenous people, as well as the inhabitants of Haines, the nearest port town.

You guys might have your Safeway, he says, waving his arm across the valley. Theres ours all around here.

Hotch, a tribal leader, lives in Klukwan, a village that takes its name from the Tlingit phrase Tlakw Aan  the village that has always been. It is the hub of an ancient trading route  later known as the Dalton Trail  that runs from Haines to Fort Selkirk in Canada.

Here in south-east Alaska, the consequences of the climate crisis are already visible. Our mountains used to be snow-capped all year round, Hotch said. Two summers ago, our mountains were almost totally bare. In Haines, hardware stores sold out of box fans because it was so hot.

King salmon  also known as Chinook  are in particular trouble. Hainess popular annual fishing derby for largest species of Pacific salmon has been canceled, and now if anyone catches one, it must be released, in the hopes of encouraging their numbers.

We need the snow to keep water cold for the salmon, for the summer blueberries, says Hotch. Last year he saw fewer bumblebees, essential for pollination, and the blueberry crop was very disappointing. I saw a bumblebee last week and I got real happy, he laughs.

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The mine, known as the Palmer Project, is still in the exploratory stage but financial control of the project was taken over by Dowa  a metals manufacturer and one of Japans largest companies  in a move that is seen as giving fresh impetus to the project.

If it gets approved, Hotch worries that contamination from the mine, located under the Saksaia glacier, could destroy the salmon runs they rely on. Even the exploration now under way could irreparably damage the fragile ecosystem, he believes, adding that the town would suffer too. Haines is heavily reliant on commercial salmon fishing, as well as tourism  each November, visitors flock to town to watch the largest convocation of bald eagles on the planet gorge on salmon.

This project is a serious, significant threat facing our people, says Hotch. Some of the younger generation here now, they could say, We were the last ones that were able to smoke fish, jar fish, pick blueberries, says Hotch. We are working very hard to make sure no generation will have to say that.

Mining has a long and storied history in the Chilkat Valley, stretching back all the way to the 1890s Klondike gold rush. Hopeful prospectors have been trying to strike it rich ever since Haines local Merrill Palmer  hence the name of the mine project  first laid claim to the site in 1969.

This year, plans to open operations finally took a significant step forward when Dowa took over the majority interest in the project from its Canadian partner, the exploration company Constantine.

It is a decision by an investor, already highly invested, to put in additional money to further develop it and take control of the project, Jim Kuipers, a Montana-based consultant, told the Chilkat Valley News. Every year the project continues to get financed and ownership gets more consolidated it does become more likely to happen.

Along the banks of the Chilkat, there are already signs of increased activity. The Haines highway is being extended to carry heavy trucks at higher speeds, and the state-run Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (Aidea) is proposing financing reconstruction of the towns deepwater dock to include an ore dock that would make it easier to transport the bounty that the Constantine corporation believes the mine contains.

The economic turmoil triggered by the coronavirus has added impetus to the plans. The unemployment rate in Haines was over 14% in January. Meanwhile, copper prices have soared to record levels as large parts of the global economy emerge from pandemic lockdowns. The Palmer project would support 220 full-time jobs and 40 contractors, a significant boost to a town with a population of 1,863.

What we have here is special, not just for us but for the world

For Gershon Cohen, a long-time Haines resident and project director of Alaska Clean Water Advocacy, rumblings that the mine may finally become a reality are a nightmare.

Cohen moved to Haines in 1984 and lives surrounded by trees in a beautiful wooden house he built himself  nothing out of the ordinary for Hainess hardy, self-sufficient residents. On a walk to the shed he uses as his outside office, his wife suggests he gives me the moose and the bear talk. I joke I am a little old for that, but the dangers of the areas two largest mammals are very real. Bears are likely to sniff you coming from a mile off and leave before you ever see them, but moose are easier to surprise and likely to trample you if spooked.

This is still a wild place. A record 40 grizzlies were killed in Haines last year, perhaps because poor fish runs and a bad berry season drove them into town looking for food (they have also been kept out of the local dump by an electric fence.) Bears, however, are smart  they have learned to open car doors to look for food and are not averse to breaking and entering houses.

What we have here is very special, not just for us but for America and the world, said Cohen. There is a very real possibility that this mine will destroy the fisheries here. With the fish gone, there will be no eagles, no bears, no tourists. If this mine gets started itll be here for what? Ten years? Whats that against thousands of years of supporting this community?

Haines and Klukwan are part of the Inside Passage, the longest and deepest fjord in North America and a place with a unique ecology. Cold, glacial freshwater meets the sea here, making it the perfect spawning ground for salmon and a critical corridor for bears, moose, lynx, coyote and snowshoe hares.

Part of what makes this place so full of life is the robust salmon runs, says Shannon Donahue, executive director of the Great Bear Foundation. The salmon transport nutrients from the ocean to the streams, they feed the bears and the eagles and their bodies feed the forest. But salmon are pretty picky about their habitat, she says.

Copper in particular can be catastrophic for them. Salmon can travel thousands of miles to return to the stream where they were born to die, using a smell memory bank to navigate one of the greatest migrations in the animal kingdom.

Metals leaked into streams can destroy the fishs ability to find their way home, andfugitive dust shaken from trucks transporting extracted minerals can also contaminate the waterways, eventually building up to levels that can destroy the salmons unique homing abilities.

The mines supporters believe they can safely extract the Palmer Projects riches. But even if they do, the mines tailings  the waste materials including millions of tonnes of contaminated water  will have to be managed forever.

For local opponents, one recent disaster comes to mind immediately. In 2014 the tailings at the Mount Polley goldmine in British Columbia failed, sending 24m cubic metres of mine waste into the local waterways.

The Palmer site sits on active earthquake faults and in an area prone to catastrophic landslides. Only last December, two people died and multiple houses were destroyed after record-breaking rainfall triggered a landslide in Haines, leaving a huge, brown scar on the hillside.

As he recounts the tragedy, Cohen shakes his head. What could possibly go wrong?

Its nerve-racking to even pick a side

Alaska is heavily Republican and deeply pro-mining, but Haines is split on the project  and this includes the Native community, says local artist James Hart, a tribal council member of the Chilkoot Indian Association.

Hart is against the mine, but is wary of speaking out. I am not a scientist, but I have seen what has happened in other places, he says. Worst-case scenario [is] it could potentially devastate and wipe out all of our salmon runs.

Sharing that view in a small town where everyone knows everyone has consequences. Its nerve-racking to even pick a side or voice an opinion as a minority person, he says. The political climate in Haines makes it really hard.

Harts mother has long been involved with tribal politics and and is another opponent of the mine. Recently people yelled at her in the street just for having an opinion, he says. Its not even an opportunity for having a dialogue, its just yelling because you have an opinion. The incident made him more nervous for himself and his family.

Support for the project also runs deep. Jan Hill, Hainess former mayor, is also Tlingit and a First Nations member of the Southern Tutchone. Her family has deep ties to the community and the project; Palmer was a friend of her parents.

Mining is kind of in my blood, she said. Her great grandparents came up to Alaska in 1898 from Washington state for the Gold Rush. We have dealt with resource extraction in this community and its worked well for us. For the most part it is done responsibly and thats what is important to all of us, she said.

She points to Constantine hiring local people who can buy homes offering good-paying summer jobs for students and purchasing all the goods it can in Haines. And experts at Constantine offered help after the recent fatal landslide that would not have been available otherwise.They stepped up immediately, said Hill. They are a part of our community.

None of us want bad things to happen to our fish or any of the wildlife. We live a subsistence lifestyle here. We depend on our fish and moose, the bears and ducks  all the creatures that God gave us. We all have these concerns, but I believe Constantine is very responsible. They are very regulated, they are good stewards of the environment.

Garfield MacVeigh, Constantines chief executive, says he listens closely to the communitys apprehension. We hear and appreciate those concerns. All the work we are doing is to demonstrate that we wont be a threat to the environment. If we cant demonstrate that, you are not going to build the project, he said.

He points to a similar-sized mine, Greens Creek silver mine near Juneau, about 80 miles as the eagle flies from Haines, which went into production in 1989 and has been operating for 32 years without any obvious impact on salmon.

Asked about Hotchs concerns, he said: I hear them, and as far as I am concerned they [the Tlingit] will be there for another 2,000 years, because we wont take a risk that would result in any threat to the river environment.

Many of the concerns about the impact of the mine were unscientific, he said, and comparisons to the Mount Polley catastrophe were very misleading.

These days you are seeing virtually every project, anywhere, being contested. You have got the extreme group on one end contesting all of these things. They seem to become political rather than scientific. Thats their intent, to create noise around this and make it more and more political. The more extreme element doesnt seem to be interested in the scientific data that may or may not justify the project, he said.

Cohen dismissed MacVeighs comments, saying that there had been plenty of evidence, including from state reports , of high levels of pollution near Greens Creek.

Holding strong opinions can be hard in a small community. Other Haines residents were happy to talk as long as they were promised anonymity. One said it was particularly hard for the younger generation to speak out. The pandemic recession hit the town hard and, given its isolation, life was already too expensive for many here. My friends are moving away, he said. Im lucky  Im working. But I cant afford to piss anybody off. Older people have less to lose.

He suggested I go and check out how much a gallon of milk cost in the local supermarket. A gallon of 2% milk was $6.89 in Haines, while the national average in April was $3.58. Nearby, the supermarket was selling organic cucumbers for $2.29 a piece, compared with $1.49 in a Whole Foods in Brooklyn.

Its not just the mine that divides Haines. The town has a long reputation for sharp-elbowed politics and bitter generational infighting.

Few people know that better than Kyle Clayton, publisher of the Chilkat Valley News. Trying to objectively cover the Palmer project is a hard task. I piss everybody off, says Clayton. Ive been called a lackey for the mine.

A handsome 36-year-old, Clayton has the worried look of a peacemaker. It comes from all directions. The good thing is that in a small town, you can talk to people and reach some kind of understanding.

He dislikes the black or white nature of the debate. Theres a lot of unknowns. Its still a long way off from being a project, he says. He wants to see more information before deciding whether he should take a side.

On his paper-strewn stand-up desk is a list of 22 questions to be asked of interviewees to complicate the narrative, to amplify contradictions and widen the lens. In this hyper-partisan age, he is determined the paper will try its hardest to be fair to both sides.

People warned Clayton of Hainess reputation before he moved from Petersburg, another small Alaskan town south of Juneau. These days, he thinks its not so different from much of America. When he speaks to people back home, they tell him people there are at each other over face masks and Covid vaccinations.

Maybe we just did it first? he says. Haines is definitely a divisive little town. But what doesnt get said is a lot of people are very engaged, he says.

As plans for the Palmer Project pick up, the community and the wider world is likely to get even more engaged  and enraged. The Biden administration recently banned drilling for oil and gas in Alaskas Arctic national wildlife refuge. Alaskas Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, called it an assault on Alaskas economy.

But the opposition to the mine may not come entirely from the left. Last year Donald Trump Jr, the former presidents son and a keen hunter and fisherman, joined opposition to the controversial Pebble mine at the headwaters of salmon-rich Bristol Bay. That project is now in jeopardy.

Hotch said his community would be fighting hard to make sure Merrill Palmers gold stays underground. No short-term gain is worth the risk involved, he said.

There might be money for five, 10, 15 years and then they will leave for the next spot, wherever that is. And we here will have to live with the consequences of what they did to our lands.

More than anything, he wants the way of life that has supported his people for 2,000 years to be protected.

I long for the day we can stop having to do this and look at ways that the salmon can have a friendlier way swimming up river. Thats how we can help them. Thats my goal after we finish this battle. They have been helping us for generations. Its the absolute least we can do.

 This article was amended on 22 June to correct the spelling of Petersburg.
Liz Cheney lost her seat in House GOP leadership over her repeated criticism of Donald Trump. When it comes to the former president's Justice Department subpoenaing Democratic lawmakers' personal data, though, she's holding off on harsh words.

It's really important for the Department of Justice to ensure that we aren't seeing leaks of classified information, the Wyoming Republican said in an interview, citing the reported rationale for the Trump administration's secret subpoenas that swept up at least two Democratic colleagues.

Cheney was careful to underscore that she supports the investigation underway by the Justice Department inspector general and wants to see those results before passing judgment. But as Speaker Nancy Pelosi describes the revelations about the Trump Justice Department as worse than former President Richard Nixon's "enemies list," the unruffled reaction from one of Trump's fiercest GOP foes underscores the collective shrug among Republicans.

While Democrats vow to investigate the subpoenas, the GOP is almost unified in its response: The government should investigate leaks of classified information, even if that sweeps up members of the opposite political party  as long as it is within the confines of the law. And they say that applies to Democratic presidents, too.

If you're leaking, I don't care what your motives are or who you are, you should be investigated for that  whether you're a friend of the president or not a friend of the president, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview. I would hope I'd say the same thing about President Biden. If he's investigating Devin Nunes and he has reason to, then let the investigation go forward.

Republicans want to let the Justice Department's internal watchdog finish its work, with House GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) last week affirming the importance of an outside conclusion on "whether there was any overreach."

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The Justice Departments hunt to find the source of leaks related to the probe of Trump's ties to Russia swept up at least three prominent figures whom the former president considered his political opponents, including House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who sits on that panel. The leak hunt subpoenas, first reported by The New York Times this month, have sparked a firestorm as Democrats call for testimony on whether Trump may have abused his power.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 20, 2021.

"What the administration did, the Justice Department, the leadership of the former President goes even beyond Richard Nixon, Pelosi said on CNN last week.

One of the only Republicans joining her in criticizing the Trump Justice Department's behavior is himself under the scrutiny of a federal sex trafficking investigation.

DOJ has a very nasty tendency to target its critics, Republican and Democrat, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said in a statement earlier this month. I stand against all of it, no matter how much I personally dislike Schiff.

No GOP lawmakers have acknowledged that their data was swept up into the probe.

Several, such as Stewart and Cheney, made clear that no president should use the powers of government strictly to go after political enemies. But the lack of sympathy among House Intelligence Committee Republicans for Schiff and Swalwell's predicament recalls the bitter polarization that enveloped the panel in 2017 as it investigated whether members of the Trump campaign or the candidate himself sought to tip the scales of the election.

It was also then, Republicans claim, that the committee began leaking like a sieve  a trend they say continued through House Democrats first impeachment inquiry into Trumps contacts with Ukraine in 2019.

There was literally nothing sacred in that room, said former Rep. Tom Rooney, of Florida, who served as a senior Republican on the panel during the Russia probe before retiring in 2018.

The tension continued into 2019, when the GOP blamed Schiff for sweeping up the phone records of California Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, during Trump's first impeachment. A committee spokesperson at the time denied that investigators had subpoenaed call records for any member of Congress or reporter.

That experience left Republicans committed to probing leaks of classified information.

Anybody who's alleged to leak information will get investigated, whether that's law enforcement, whether that's a member of Congress. Nobody's above the law, said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a former FBI special agent and member of the Intelligence Committee.

The current turbulence over Trump-era subpoenas leaves many unanswered questions, including the number of people whose communications data were mined, whether investigators alerted supervisors after the names of lawmakers surfaced in the records obtained through subpoena and if other companies were subpoenaed for this information as part of the hunt.

Under both Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr, Trump's Justice Department aggressively pursued leak investigations. Another reported target was former White House counsel Don McGahn, who provided key testimony in former Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Multiple journalists were also targeted.

Don McGahn listens as Supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Democrats are pushing forward full-throttle on investigations, calling to hear from Barr and Sessions  who have both denied knowledge about these secret subpoenas  as well as other Trump administration officials, such as former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

"These are gross abuses of the independence of the Justice Department, and we don't know how far they run, Schiff said on CBS' "Face the Nation on Sunday. And our new Attorney General has to find out.

And as skeptical as they are of those Democratic probes, multiple Republicans acknowledged that if the situation were reversed  with the Biden administration investigating their party's House Intelligence Committee members  conservatives would be outraged.

If we applied one standard for one administration and a different standard for another  one side or the other is going to be upset. I think that's probably just human nature. Well, it's certainly D.C. nature, said Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), a member of the Intelligence panel.

I think there's a politicization of the Intelligence Committee in the House, unfortunately."

Melanie Zanona contributed to this report.
BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union should update its migration pact with Turkey, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday ahead of an EU summit set to discuss a renewal of the deal.

"It is important that we continue to support Turkey, with 3.7 million Syrian refugees living there, some of whom have been in Turkey for 10 years," von der Leyen told reporters on a visit to Berlin.

"We won't need as much acute humanitarian aid as in the past, but the people need to have a perspective," she said.

(Reporting by Paul Carrel, Madeline Chambers and Sabine Siebold; Editing by Caroline Copley)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A Turkish businessman has been arrested by the U.S. Justice Department in connection with what authorities say was a biodiesel fraud scheme operated by a Utah business that stole nearly $500 million in government funds.

Sezgin Baran Korkmaz was arrested in Austria on Saturday on suspicion of laundering over $133 million through bank accounts that authorities contend he controlled in Turkey and Luxembourg, federal prosecutors said in a statement Monday.

Prosecutors said Korkmaz was connected to a biodiesel fraud scheme run by Utah polygamists Jacob and Isaiah Kingston and gas station owner Lev Dermen to defraud the the U.S. Treasury by filing false claims for over $1 billion in refundable renewable fuel tax credits. They are accused of using the money to buy luxury sports cars and million-dollar homes, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Korkmaz and his co-conspirators used the money to buy the Turkish airline Borajet, hotels in Turkey and Switzerland, a yacht, a villa and an Istanbul apartment.

Murat Volkan Dulger, one of Korkmaz attorneys, tweeted on Monday that his client will appear in two weeks before a judge where he was detained in Wels, Austria. Korkmaz' other lawyer, Mehmet Demir, told Turkish media on Sunday that his client was arrested in Austria on the request of U.S. officials.

The attorneys didn't immediately respond Tuesday to social media messages seeking comment on the allegations.

The U.S. will seek to extradite Korkmaz so he can appear before a judge in Utah, prosecutors said.

Korkmaz is accused of trying to defraud the Kingston brothers by claiming he could protect them from a federal grand jury investigation and civil lawsuits through unnamed government officials.

Korkmaz arrest followed a federal grand jury indictment in Salt Lake City on April 28. Hes charged with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, 10 counts of wire fraud, and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding. Money laundering and wire fraud charges carry a maximum of 20 years in prison each, with obstruction bringing another possible five years.

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Dermen, the gas station owner, was found guilty by a jury on 10 counts, including money laundering and mail fraud in March 2020. Dermen had pleaded not guilty and is appealing that ruling.

His attorney argued during the trial in Salt Lake City that Dermen was being used by the Kingston brothers because they didnt want to share the proceeds with their northern polygamous community and said Dermen is a reputable businessman who has owned gas stations and a trucking company for 25 years.

The Kingstons and two other family members accepted plea deals last year on money fraud and other charges. Jacob Kingston testified against Dermen at the trial.

___

Eppolito 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.
Jun. 22Twelve years after the worst coal ash spill ever from a U.S. coal power plant, the Tennessee Valley Authority is considering shutting down the plant where the spill occurred and replacing its coal-fired generation with a cleaner source of power.

TVA will conduct a public hearing next week to begin an environmental assessment on a plan to shut down its Kingston Fossil Plant in the next decade. The nine-unit coal plant built in 1954 at the confluence of the Clinch and Emory rivers is capable of generating 1,398 megawatts of power, or roughly enough power to supply the electricity needs of all of Chattanooga.

TVA's long-range power plan adopted in 2019 recommended the retirement of 2,200 megawatts of coal-fired generation by 2038 and since then TVA President Jeff Lyash has said the utility plans to phase out all of the remaining units in its coal fleet by 2035.

At its peak, TVA operated 59 coal-fired units that collectively supplied nearly two thirds of TVA's power, but the federal utility has boosted its generation from nuclear, natural gas, solar and hydro over the past two decades to cut its carbon emissions by 63% below the 2005 levels and replace the aging coal fleet it phases out across TVA's seven-state region.

On its website, TVA stated its coal plants generally are "among the oldest in the nation" and are having trouble with performance. It described the coal plants as "contributing to environmental, economic and reliability risks."

Those risks produced one of the biggest environmental disasters three days before Christmas in 2008 when a coal ash impoundment at the Kingston Fossil plant collapsed and spilled 5.4 million cubic yards  or about 1.2 billion gallons  of wet coal ash spilled onto 300 acres of residential farmland and into the Emory River.

The coal ash spill was one of the biggest environmental spills ever and led TVA to spend billions of dollars to clean up the Kingston spill and replace similar coal ash ponds at other fossil plants.

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Environmental groups concerned about coal ash, air pollution and greenhouse gases linked to global warming from coal plants are pushing TVA to make plans to shut down its entire coal fleet over the next decade and a half.

"Kingston's history of operational, safety, and environmental problems, as well as the ongoing risk of coal ash contamination to local water resources, have long cast a shadow on the plant," said Jonathan Levenshus, a representative from the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign. "The growing interest by TVA's customers in reliable, cost-effective clean energy investments means that Roane County and the surrounding region is better positioned today than ever to achieve climate and clean energy goals without risky coal or gas plants."

TVA is considering replacing the coal plant with natural gas or solar units, but the shut down of the sprawling Kingston fossil plant could cost TVA jobs and tax equivalent payments from TVA to the county. Nonetheless, some local residents are eager for TVA to find a cleaner source of power after operating the Kingston coal plant for 67 years.

"As a former union carpenter who's worked at many TVA coal plants, I understand and appreciate the role they've played," says Cleveland Carr, who lives a few miles from the Kingston coal plant. "I think that TVA has a great opportunity with the closure of Kingston to be a leader in clean energy technologies, in re-establishing strong unions, and improving air and water quality for my children and future generations."

Carr now works for a solar power contractor that might benefit by more solar power to replace the Kingston coal generation.

Following the 2008 coal ash spill, TVA has provided cleanup and restoration funds to local government and purchased the damaged residential property from the spill. But TVA and its primary contractor for the coal ash cleanup at Kingston, Jacobs Engineering, have been sued by former contractor workers who claim their health was damaged working in the coal ash residues.

"Making plans to retire the Kingston coal plant is an opportunity for TVA to transform a troubled relationship by eliminating a cause of deep residual pain while engaging with a community eager for the benefits of clean energy investment," said Dan Tepstra, a member of the Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter and resident in Roane County.

TVA began a similar environmental assessment last month on plans to close its biggest coal plant, the Cumberland Fossil plant near Clarksville, Tennessee.

A virtual on-line open house to gain input on the public scoping phase of its Kingston plant assessment is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29. TVA is accepting comments about Kingston's future through July 10, 2021.

More information is available at tva.gov/NEPA.

Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.
By Hilary Russ

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Restaurant chains including McDonald's Corp and KFC are paring back $5-and-under "value" items in favor of more expensive $10-to-$30 combination meals, a strategy employed to lift sales and profits and offset rising food costs as the U.S. economy reopens.

"Value" meals  sandwich, soda and French fry combinations priced at $5 or less  have long been a staple of fast-food offerings. Chains used the deals to lure bargain-conscious customers, bringing traffic to stores. But deals priced at $5 and under have become less generous in the last 18 months.

During the pandemic, fast-food gained market share from other restaurants forced to close as customers motored through socially distant drive-throughs to pick up a sack of burgers. Now that the United States is reopening, those chains are selling new, pricier sandwiches and meals to customers - a move that some warn may alienate some hourly workers and other lower-income customers as government subsidies wane and mom-and-pop restaurants reopen.

So far, the chains' trade-up tactic is working, helping lift comparable sales at limited-service restaurants by 11.5% this May compared to the same month in 2019, according to data from Black Box Intelligence. Profit margins are also up at several major chains.

"Value menu items are not really profit drivers. They're designed to drive traffic," said BTIG analyst Peter Saleh.

The pandemic also forced chains to halt development of new items. As U.S. COVID-19 cases fall, chains are again launching new sandwiches  and promoting them  to try to boost traffic, he said.

Wendy's Co said it pioneered the value menu in 1989, when it dedicated part of its menu board to 99-cent items. But today, Wendy's is "trading folks up into our best, highest-quality food items," said Chief Executive Officer Todd Penegor during a May earnings call with analysts, "and we'll continue to do that."

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Wendy's current menu includes items that are higher priced than its standard burgers, like its Spicy Pretzel Bacon Pub  a fried chicken fillet on a pretzel bun topped with pickles, fried onions, bacon, two kinds of sauce and muenster cheese for $7.

KFC, owned by Yum Brands International said it stopped marketing "$5 Fill Ups"  a pot pie or chicken dish, plus a medium drink, chocolate chip cookie and sometimes a biscuit  aimed at individuals in 2020. It now promotes family meal deals that cost as much as $30.

Dominos Pizza Inc said in April it did not need its "Boost Week" discount to drive store traffic. So it suspended the half-price pizza promotion for online orders.

Franchisees typically try to maximize profits, said Credit Suisse analyst Lauren Silberman. When commodity costs are as high as they have been over the past year, franchisees discount less to maintain profitability. Many chains increased their U.S. margins during the pandemic, including McDonald's and Yum Brand's Taco Bell, she said.

U.S. Producer Prices Index data for May showed prices businesses have paid for meat and poultry have spiked more than 20 percent since the start of the year.

CORE CUSTOMERS

Fast-food customers include both wealthier and lower-income hourly workers.

People with household incomes of $100,000 or more made up about 39% of fast-food visits in May, while people making less $25,000 comprised about 12% of visits, according to data from The NPD Group.

Those with incomes between $25,000 and $100,000 made up 49% of visits, the data show.

Chains and franchisees that remove too many low-priced deals risk losing core customers who specifically come in for those items, said Mark Kuperman, chief operating officer at Revenue Management Solutions, a Florida-based pricing advisor to restaurants.

To be sure, chains haven't completely abandoned the value menu. McDonald's launched its "$1 $2 $3 Dollar" menu during the fast-food discount wars of 2018 as part of its turnaround plan. Today, that menu is pared down to 8 items instead of 12.

The company said value items remain a core part of its marketing. Meanwhile, it is aggressively promoting its $10 "BTS Meal" named for the popular South Korean boy band that endorses it. That higher-priced promotion is part of a strategy to reach younger customers, McDonald's said.

Data shows fast-food chains launched fewer new combination meals over the last 18 months, according to Datassential, a Chicago research firm that counts the deals that U.S. national restaurant chains promote on their websites and social media.

A sample of 51 U.S. quick-service chains launched a total of 38 "combo/value meals" through May. That's roughly on par with 66 total value meals that chains launched in 2020. But the 2020 figure was nearly 57% lower than the 152 value meals the chains launched in 2018.

Restaurant operators are optimistic.

"I've never seen consumers less price sensitive than they are today," one fast-food franchisee told Reuters.

(Reporting by Hilary Russ; editing by Anna Driver and Nick Zieminski)
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese police on Tuesday filed a notice of investigation against the local office of food delivery service Uber Eats for suspected breach of immigration law.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police sent a notice to the company and two former managers about alleged unauthorised work by Vietnamese nationals that took place from June to August 2020, a police spokesperson said, confirming a report from the Kyodo News Agency. No arrests were made, and the case was referred to prosecutors.

With a third of its population over 65, Japan has become increasingly reliant on foreign labour, but the ruling party has been reluctant to liberalise immigration policies.

An Uber spokesperson told Reuters the company was "fully cooperating" with authorities.

The company "has taken a number of steps to strengthen onboarding procedures for prospective couriers", the spokesperson said in a statement.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Rocky Swift; editing by Jacqueline Wong and Jason Neely)
The Allianz Arena soccer stadium in Munich, Germany, illuminated in rainbow colors during a Bundesliga match earlier this year. German authorities had hoped to light up the stadium in a similar way in the match against Hungary. Alexandra Beier/Getty Images

UEFA won't let Germany light up a stadium with rainbow colors for a Euro 2020 game against Hungary.

The soccer authority said it was rejecting the request because of its "political context."

Hungary just passed a law that bans gay people from featuring in school materials or children's TV.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

UEFA has rejected Germany's request to light up a stadium with rainbow colors during a soccer match against Hungary, which recently introduced a new anti-LGBT law.

The Munich City Council had requested the action for the Euro 2020 game on Tuesday.

But UEFA said in a statement on Tuesday that the move would be too political.

"Racism, homophobia, sexism and all forms of discrimination are a stain on our societies - and represent one of the biggest problems faced by the game today. Discriminatory behavior has marred both matches themselves and, outside the stadiums, the online discourse around the sport we love," the statement said.

"However, UEFA, though its statues, is a politically and religiously neutral organisation. Given the political context of this specific request - a message aiming at a decision taken by the Hungarian national parliament - UEFA must decline this request."

Hungary's parliament earlier this month passed a law that banned LGBT content from featuring in school materials or TV shows for people under 18.

Read the original article on Insider
The president-elect of Californias largest state worker union is set to become the groups leader after a push to invalidate his election failed.

Richard Louis Brown has faced headwinds after he ousted the longtime incumbent president of Service Employees International Union Local 1000, Yvonne Walker, in a May election. Brown ran on a platform of defunding all political donations and not offering public support for Black Lives Matter and other political movements.

At least five people who ran for leadership positions in the election, in which just 7,880 of the unions 54,000 dues-paying members voted, filed protests claiming there were irregularities in how the election was conducted and how votes were tabulated. Those protests were examined by a committee appointed by Walker that found no merit to the allegations.

COMPANIES AVOID HIRING REMOTE WORKERS FROM COLORADO AFTER NEW LAW REQUIRES SALARY DISCLOSURES

Brown characterized his post-election situation as fraught with challenges, arguing that forces within the union are working to ensure he isnt sworn in because of his desire to depoliticize it.

On Tuesday, he thanked God for the election protests being tossed and said his faith in Jesus Christ has been verified.

Thats the great thing about our country, sometimes the underdogs win. And thats the story of America, Brown told the Washington Examiner In a Tuesday interview.

Brown beat Walker by capturing more than 33% of the vote compared to her 27%. He said his message of ending political donations resonated with members of the union who end up footing the bill.

Brown has said one of the major reasons he doesnt support union donations is because there are members of the group who dont support Democratic politicians or politically fraught social movements such as Black Lives Matter. In the waning days of Walkers presidency, Local 1000 contributed $1 million to help Gov. Gavin Newsom fight his recall effort  a move that Brown attempted to block.

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He believes the unions support for Newsom alienates members and is upset the governor demanded pay cuts for state employees last year in light of a projected budget deficit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hes selfish, hes arrogant, and he does not bargain in good faith, Brown said of Newsom.

When asked if, even after the protests were thrown out, he thinks there will continue to be union members trying to undercut his leadership, Brown said, Absolutely.

The evilness in our union is present, is strong, its vibrant, and theyre going to do everything they can to damage his presidency, he said.

Lets just be real: Im an outspoken black man that somehow got to California and won an election that I wasnt supposed to win because of my faith in God, Brown said. And because of that, I have a price to pay in the secular world.

One of Browns top priorities once in office is to slash union dues to bring more workers into the group. Of the 96,000 state employees Local 1000 represents, only about 54,000 pay dues, which Brown attributes to both the politicization of the union and the membership costs.

Brown said he would push for a forensic audit on Local 1000s books after he is sworn in and insist on financial transparency from the first day he becomes president.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Washington Examiner contacted Local 1000 for comment about Brown overcoming the election challenges but did not immediately receive a response. Brown is set to be sworn into office on June 27.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Unions, Gavin Newsom, Black Lives Matter, Labor, California

Original Author: Zachary Halaschak

Original Location: Union leader vowing no support to BLM and Newsom to be sworn in after election challenge fails
This undated photo provided by Iranian state television's English-language service, Press TV, shows American-born news anchor Marzieh Hashemi at studio in Tehran, Iran. Press TV via AP

Press TV is an English-language propaganda operation created by the Iranian government.

The outlet, based in Tehran, was founded in 2007.

It continues to operate on Facebook and Twitter.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The website for the Iranian government's English-language propaganda outlet had a new message for visitors for Tuesday: It had purportedly been taken down by Washington.

As of Tuesday evening, those who pulled up the website for the Tehran-based Press TV encountered an image informing them that the domain had been "seized by the United States government."

The same message was also displayed Tuesday on the websites for the Al-Alam News Network, an Iranian government Arabic-language TV channel, and Al-Masirah, a Yemeni TV channel associated with the rebel Houthi movement.

The Iranian state Fars News Agency, on Twitter, credited the US government with blocking the websites, calling it a "flagrant violation of the freedom of the press."

That claim has not been officially verified by the US. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is said to have carried out the seizure, did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

However, an unnamed US national security official, speaking to CNN, said dozens of Iranian websites were indeed seized as part of an effort to combat disinformation. The Associated Press also reported that claim.

Visitors to PressTV.com were greeted with this message on Tuesday. Insider

Launched in 2007, the Tehran-based PressTV is the Islamic Republic's version of RT: a news-themed propaganda effort aimed at influencing English speakers in the West. It has regularly hosted Holocaust deniers and other fringe conspiracy theorists.

A recent article, published June 17, repeated baseless claims from Fox News' Tucker Carlson that the FBI had "helped organize, coordinate and orchestrate the January 6 attack on the Capitol."

Earlier this year, Google removed PressTV from YouTube. The outlet's content can still be found on Facebook and Twitter.

In 2019, a PressTV presenter with dual US-Iranian citizenship, Marzieh Hashemi, was detained for 10 days while traveling in the US as part of a broader espionage investigation.

Read the original article on Business Insider
States First Financial Institution to Pioneer Acceptance of Secure, Contactless Mobile ID

Waltham, Massachusetts; Salt Lake City, Utah --News Direct-- GET Group North America

GET Group North America and The Utah Driver License Division (DLD) jointly announced today that Utah Community Credit Union (UCCU) will be the states first financial institution equipped to accept mobile drivers licenses (mDLs) as a legal form of identification for all banking transactions. UCCU is a pioneer of Utahs recently launched mDL pilot program, providing Contactless ID banking transactions that ensure safety, security, and accuracy with a quick tap or scan  never requiring the phone to change hands.

Utah is the first state in the U.S. to pilot an mDL that is fully compliant with international standards that ensure citizens can use it globally as a legal form of identification. The Utah DLD is using GET Mobile Administrator to issue optional mobile drivers licenses to the states mDL pilot participants. The citizen has complete control of the data they choose to share -- limiting it to what is needed to complete their banking transaction.

UCCU is one of the largest Utah-based financial institutions, and provides financial services including mortgage, commercial and consumer loans, checking accounts, credit and debit cards, and other banking technologies and services. They are the premier financial instituion to accept mDLs in the state of Utah, continuing their tradition of technology leadership. During the pilot, UCCU will use GET Mobile Verify. Mobile drivers licenses are verified contactlessly by any standardized equipment at point-of-service, providing verification of identity information while preserving the privacy of Utah residents. Cryptographic proof of ID allows UCCU to unequivocally confirm the identity has not been tampered with, eliminating the subjectivity of visually checking an ID. IDs verified only by visual inspection cannot be trusted.

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We are excited to be a pioneer in Utahs mDL pilot, as we believe standardized mobile IDs provide a more convenient, safe and secure means for our members to entrust their identity information to us, said Justin Olson, CIO, UCCU. It has long seemed logical for drivers licenses and IDs to follow the path of credit cards, and so many other parts of life, by going mobile. The pandemic has really accelerated our pursuit of ways to enable contactless exchanges of information and improve our customer service.

UCCU jumped to the front of the pack to accept Utah mDL, and were thrilled to announce UCCU as the first of a series of pioneers to accept mDL and help us realize the vision of trusted mobile identities accepted across our great state, said Chris Caras, Director of the Driver License Division for the State of Utah Department of Public Safety.

The pilot will initially include 100 select Utah residents and expand to 10,000 participants including the broader public this year. To mark the launch of UCCUs participation, the press, and new and existing UCCU customers are invited to become among the first pilot participants by signing up for an mDL at events held on Tuesday, June 29th at UCCUs Draper branch (112 E 12300 S) and Wednesday, June 30th at the Lehi branch (3333 Digital Dr, Lehi) from 10am-2pm. These will be the first two locations to accept mDLs. A valid Utah drivers license is required for mDL registration.

About GET Group North America

GET Group North America and its partners develop, manufacture, and implement end-to-end solutions for secure physical and mobile credentials that enable government agencies, motor vehicle departments, municipalities law enforcement organizations, and other entities to leverage the latest in secure identity management technologies. From photo ID cards, drivers licenses and passports, to mDLs and mIDs, GET Group NA delivers advanced issuance, verification and personalization capabilities that prevent identification fraud, accommodate diversified customer needs, and support the future of ID use cases.

About Utah Community Credit Union (UCCU)

Founded in 1955, Utah Community Credit Union (UCCU) is an organization rooted in the credit union philosophy of "people helping people" and built on traditional values of commitment to outstanding service, respect for others, and fiscal responsibility. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of honesty, professionalism, and integrity and are committed to achieving excellence in operations, products, and member service. With consistent and reliable service delivery, we create trusting relationships with our members. We are a member-centric organization. Our decisions at all levels are based on what is in the best interest of the member, while maintaining a financially strong and stable organization.

Contact Details

SVM Public Relations

Jordan Bouclin

+1 401-490-9700

jordan.bouclin@svmpr.com

Company Website

https://getgroupna.com/

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/utah-community-credit-union-signs-on-to-participate-in-mobile-drivers-license-pilot-518345534
A Newport News state delegate and a prominent local criminal defense lawyer will talk about Virginias marijuana legalization on Wednesday evening in a Zoom call.

The discussion  open to the public  is part of a new Conversations with the Clerk series sponsored by Newport News Clerk of Circuit Court Angela Reason.

The online discussion between Reason, Del. Marcia Cia Price, D-Newport News, and attorney Timothy Clancy will begin at 6 p.m.

Price was heavily involved in the recent effort to legalize marijuana, while Clancy is an expert on the current state laws on the issue.

The Zoom ID to get access to the discussion is 844-4057-6466.

The Virginia General Assembly voted earlier this year to legalize the simple possession of marijuana for adults ages 21 and older. Thats up to an ounce, with no intent to distribute, and adults can grow up to four plants per household.

But the law is still considered confusing and a work in progress because its still against the law to both buy and sell pot. Its also still illegal to use it in public or while driving.

Lawmakers are still hashing out the details of how the marketplace will be formed and regulated.

Peter Dujardin, 757-247-4749, pdujardin@dailypress.com
7-Eleven has installed security cameras that remote operators can speak through to monitor workers. Chukrut Budrul/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Some 7-Eleven and Dairy Queen stores use CCTV cameras that can monitor and speak to staff, VICE reported.

Live Eye Surveillance's $399 camera system is designed to deter theft and improve productivity.

Promotional footage shows a remote camera operator questioning a worker about an iced coffee.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Some branches of 7-Eleven and other major companies have installed security cameras that can speak directly to customers to prevent theft - and even monitor staff on their drinks breaks, according to a VICE Motherboard report.

Live Eye Surveillance, a Seattle-based security tech company, makes the cameras for convenience stores, hotels, restaurants, and gas stations, according to its website. The company charges $399 per month, and employs remote workers in India to monitor footage 24/7, according to a sales email viewed by VICE.

The company lists 7-Eleven, Dairy Queen, Holiday Inn, and Shell, among its clients on its website. It is not clear whether these businesses are still using the systems.

Operators can speak through the cameras to question store workers. In one CCTV video published by Live Eye to promote its systems, the camera asks a worker in an unnamed convenience store whether he'd paid for an iced coffee he was drinking.

"Good morning cashier, this is Live Eye Surveillance stream," the camera operator tells the clerk. "Could you please confirm me that you have scanned the bottle that you took from the cooler?"

In another video, the remote operator intervenes in an armed robbery, startling two attackers, one of whom is carrying a gun. The two men are shown running away before the operator asks the cashier to call 911.

Live Eye's security systems are designed to "deter thefts and improve profits," enabling "real time interaction with the employee and protection of assets," according to the company's website.

Read more: Companies are increasingly monitoring remote workers as offices remain closed. Here's what they're tracking.

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A job posting for a camera operator based in Karnal, India, said that responsibilities include "creating reports for any suspicious activities" involving employees or customers.

"You will act as a virtual supervisor for the sites, in terms of assuring the safety of the employees located overseas and requesting them to complete assigned tasks," the job description said.

Some of Live Eye's customers, including 7-Eleven operate as franchises, so it is not clear whether franchisees or the main business purchased its surveillance tech, VICE reported.

"7-Eleven, Inc. cares deeply about the safety of our associates and customers," 7-Eleven said in a statement to VICE. "We provide every 7-Eleven store with a base security system that includes CCTV and alarms, however, independent franchise owners can install their own system on top of what is provided."

Live Eye, 7-Eleven, Dairy Queen, Holiday Inn, and Shell did not immediately respond to Insider for comment.

A spokesperson for 7-Eleven in Australia told Insider that it does not use Live-Eye's cameras in its stores. 7-Eleven Australia operates under license and is wholly Australian owned.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Philippe Schlesser was casually riding his bike along a woodsy trail in Kamloops, British Columbia when a bear tried to waddle across his path, nearly causing a collision.

A GoPro attached to Schlesser captured the June 7 close encounter that spooked them both, sending the bear off in the opposite direction and the biker several feet forward where he skidded to a stop.

Schlesser started to make growling noises to keep the bear away, which appeared to work.

Looking at the footage later on, I noticed that the bear was running in parallel with my direction, Schlesser told Storyful. I got scared, the bear got scared, and we both went our ways.

The Kamloops Bike Riders Association (KBRA) wrote on Facebook that Schlesser, a member of the group, ran into two teenage bears, and mama was likely close by.

Sharing so we can give them lots of room. Please keep pets on leash or consider leaving them home until this family moves on, the group continued.

Cam Marshall, KBRA vice president, told local outlet CFJC Today that encounters with bears while biking are rare, but a reality of spending time in the wilderness.

Even though its close to residential, its still a wilderness grazing area. There is a juvenile bear with a couple of young cubs. Theyve been there in the area for a few weeks now, Marshall said. It was a startled bear running across a startled rider. Those types of occurrences are very rare. Were in their neighborhood out there, so its important that were aware and use our heads. We live in Canada; weve got bears.

What to do if you encounter a bear while biking

A calm mind and knowledge about the types of bears you might run into are your most valuable assets, according to experts with Recreational Equipment, Inc, an outdoor co-op.

All bears can get scared when a biker whos skidding through sharp turns and speeding downhill disrupts their peaceful rummaging for berries. But with grizzlies, a startling experience can more quickly turn into an aggressive one compared to black bears.

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If you must ride where grizzlies are active, avoid riding solo. In addition, control your speed on routes with lots of twists and turns, and make noise as you enter turns, experts say. Some riders will attach a small cowbell to their bikes so they make plenty of noise.

If a grizzly charges at you, only fall until it contacts you. If you have to play dead, lie face down with your hands covering your neck. The bear will likely retreat once it realizes you are no threat.

But dont play dead with black bears, experts say. Sometimes they make bluff charges to protect nearby young and most often prefer the path of least resistance.

Your job, then, is to calmly allow the bear time to gather its wits and escape. This is tougher than it sounds. Your first reaction is the flight-or-fight syndrome, the REI experts say. You want to avoid confrontation as much as the bear. The urge is strong to slam those pedals and spit flames from your tires to escape. Resist it. In most cases a bear can outrun you.

In more serious scenarios, always position your bike between your body and the bear and continue talking in a calm voice.

If the bear approaches, shout, make noise, stand tall, throw small rocks. If it makes contact, fight back vigorously. Ideally, you can give the bear enough room so it will leave before your confrontation escalates to this point.
Screenshots from two TikTok videos in which women said they'd been asked to change at Disney World. Amanda DiMeo/Alyssa Schueller/TikTok

Two TikTokers said they were recently asked to change out of "inappropriate" tops at Disney World.

The company says it enforces a dress code to maintain "family-friendly" environments.

The women described the rules as inconsistent, as they'd been allowed to wear revealing shirts there.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Disney World says it enforces a dress code to help maintain "family-friendly" environments across its properties in Orlando, Florida.

But two women who said they were recently asked to change out of "inappropriate" tops while there said the theme park's rules aren't consistent.

The women told Insider that Disney World employees had asked them to change out of shirts that they'd previously worn at the theme park with no issues. One said she was left feeling embarrassed when she was asked to cover up.

In a TikTok video posted in May that's been viewed nearly 28 million times, Amanda DiMeo said she'd gotten a free shirt at Disney World after wearing a top that the theme park deemed inappropriate.

She said in the video that she'd worn a shirt that showed her underboob and was given a voucher for a free shirt to change into as she walked into Magic Kingdom.

DiMeo previously told Insider that while she "felt fine" about the experience and "was happy" to get a free shirt that day, she had been unaware that her top broke Disney's clothing rules.

"I actually wore that shirt before in Disney, back in January," she told Insider.

Amanda DiMeo showing the free shirt she got at Disney World. Amanda DiMeo/TikTok

On Friday, Alyssa Schueller posted a TikTok video about experiencing almost the same situation in Epcot. Her video has been viewed nearly 4 million times.

In an email to Insider, Schueller said that she "wasn't aware" of Disney's dress code before visiting and that she didn't know "a single person" who checks company clothing rules before visiting amusement parks.

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What made Schueller particularly frustrated, she told Insider, was that she'd worn the same bikini-style top to Animal Kingdom earlier that day and had "no issues." She said she was approached by a Disney employee after arriving at Epcot for a dinner reservation.

She recalled the employee saying she wasn't allowed to wear the top she had on and pointing out the thin ties that held it together.

"I questioned him about having no issues earlier in the day at Animal Kingdom and he said, 'Well they shouldn't have allowed you in,'" she said.

Schueller said she was left feeling "embarrassed" by the experience.

"I was with both of my parents and my older sister, and we were late to our 2:15 p.m. dinner reservation," she said. "We had to sit and wait until 4 p.m. to eat, wasting the majority of our day for a romper that showed nothing but a torso and shoulders."

Schueller said that while the employee who'd escorted her to an Epcot gift shop was "extremely nice and patient" and even helped her pick a new shirt, she still felt that Disney World needed to rethink its rules.

"Having a dress code isn't a terrible idea, but I do think Disney World needs to be more consistent on enforcing it," Schueller said. "I went to Animal Kingdom later in the day and again had no issue with what I had on. I also checked the dress code later on out of curiosity and nothing in there mentions ties on clothing."

Representatives for Disney World did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank and the African Union said on Monday they would work together to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations for up to 400 million people across Africa, bolstering efforts to vaccinate 60% of the continent's population by 2022.

In a joint statement, the World Bank and the African Union said their agreement would provide needed resources to the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) initiative, allowing countries to purchase and deploy more vaccines.

The initiative will complement efforts already underway by the COVAX vaccine-sharing program, which is co-run by the World Health Organization. A WHO official on Monday said more than half of poorer countries receiving doses via COVAX do not have enough supplies to continue.

The new World Bank initiative comes amid shortages caused in part by manufacturing delays and Indian supply disruptions, with cases and deaths rising as a third wave of infections sweeps across Africa.

"The World Bank is very pleased to support African countries through this partnership with the African Union to quickly provide hundreds of millions of doses," World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement. "Countries urgently need more pathways for acquiring vaccines that match their needs and have early delivery schedules.

Strive Masiyiwa, African Union special envoy, said the collaboration between the World Bank and African institutions such as the Africa Import Export Bank and the Africa Centre for Disease Control would provide the capacity to vaccinate at least 400 million people, or 30% of the total African population.

No details were immediately available on the cost of the initiative, but the funds will come from the $12 billion the World Bank has made available for vaccine financing and distribution. The Bank said it expects to be supporting vaccination efforts in 50 countries, two thirds of which are in Africa, by the end of June.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
Repeatedly dubbed the happiest nation on the planet with world-beating living standards, Finland should be deluged by people wanting to relocate, but in fact it faces an acute workforce shortage.

"It's now widely acknowledged that we need a spectacular number of people to come to the country," recruiter Saku Tihverainen from agency Talented Solutions told AFP.

Workers are needed "to help cover the cost of the greying generation", the recruiter explained.

While many Western countries are battling weak population growth, few are feeling the effects as sharply as Finland.

With 39.2 over-65s per 100 working-age people, it is second only to Japan in the extent of its ageing population, according to the UN, which forecasts that by 2030 the "old age dependency ratio" will rise to 47.5.

The government has warned that the nation of 5.5 million needs to practically double immigration levels to 20,000-30,000 a year to maintain public services and plug a looming pensions deficit.

Finland might seem like an attractive destination on paper, scoring high in international comparisons for quality of life, freedom and gender equality, with little corruption, crime and pollution.

But anti-immigrant sentiment and a reluctance to employ outsiders are also widespread in Western Europe's most homogenous society, and the opposition far-right Finns Party regularly draws substantial support during elections.

- Tipping point -

After years of inertia, businesses and government "are now at the tipping point and are recognising the problem" posed by a greying population, said Charles Mathies, a research fellow at the Academy of Finland.

Mathies is one of the experts consulted by the government's "Talent Boost" programme, now in its fourth year, which aims to make the country more attractive internationally, in part through local recruitment schemes.

Those targeted include health workers from Spain, metalworkers from Slovakia, and IT and maritime experts from Russia, India and Southeast Asia.

Story continues

But previous such efforts have petered out.

In 2013, five of the eight Spanish nurses recruited to the western town of Vaasa left after a few months, citing Finland's exorbitant prices, cold weather and notoriously complex language.

Finland has nonetheless seen net immigration for much of the last decade, with around 15,000 more people arriving than leaving in 2019.

But many of those quitting the country are higher-educated people, official statistics show.

Faced with the OECD's largest skilled worker shortage, some Finnish startups are creating a joint careers site to better bag overseas talent.

"As you can imagine, this is a slow burner," Shaun Rudden from food delivery firm Wolt said in an email, adding that "We try to make the relocation process as painless as possible."

- Systemic problem -

Startups "have told me that they can get anyone in the world to come and work for them in Helsinki, as long as he or she is single," the capital's mayor, Jan Vapaavuori, said to AFP.

But "their spouses still have huge problems getting a decent job."

Many foreigners complain of a widespread reluctance to recognise overseas experience or qualifications, as well as prejudice against non-Finnish applicants.

Ahmed (who requested his name be changed for professional reasons) is a 42-year-old Brit with many years' experience in building digital products for multinational, household-name companies.

Yet six months of networking and applying for jobs in Helsinki, where he was trying to move for family reasons, proved fruitless.

"One recruiter even refused to shake my hand, that was a standout moment," he told AFP.

"There was never a shortage of jobs going, just a shortage of mindset," said Ahmed, who during his search in Finland received offers from major companies in Norway, Qatar, the UK and Germany, and eventually began commuting weekly from Helsinki to Dusseldorf.

Recruiter Saku Tihverainen said shortages are pushing more companies to loosen their insistence on only employing native Finnish workers.

"And yet, a lot of the Finnish companies and organisations are very adamant about using Finnish, and very fluent Finnish at that," he said.

- Changing priorities -

For Helsinki mayor Jan Vaaavuori, four years of Finland being voted the world's happiest country in a UN ranking have "not yet helped as much as we could have hoped."

"If you stop someone in the street in Paris or London or Rome or New York, I still don't think most people know about us," he mused.

Mayor Vapaavuori, whose four-year term ends this summer, has turned increasingly to international PR firms to help raise the city's profile.

He is optimistic about Finland's ability to attract talent from Asia in future, and believes people's priorities will have changed once international mobility ramps up again post-coronavirus.

Helsinki's strengths, being "safe, functional, reliable, predictable -- those values have gained in importance," he said, adding: "Actually I think our position after the pandemic is better than it was before."

sgk/jll/wai
Hannah Hart and Ella Mielniczenko walk down the aisle after getting married. Love and Wolves/Brides

Hannah Hart married Ella Mielniczenko during an outdoor ceremony in California on June 12.

They both wore standout white ensembles for their big day, as the couple shared with Brides.

Hart chose a Pronovias jumpsuit and cape, while Mielniczenko wore a Hayley Paige gown with ruffles.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

YouTuber Hannah Hart married marketing coordinator and Buzzfeed Video founding member Ella Mielniczenko in an outdoor ceremony this month.

The couple wed at Holly Farm in Carmel, California, on June 12, and walked down the aisle in coordinated white ensembles. Whereas Hart chose a pantsuit, cape, and thick boots, Mielniczenko opted for a ruffled dress with a plunging neckline and top-to-bottom sparkles.

Speaking exclusively with Brides, the newlyweds shared details about their stunning wedding attire, and how they picked such unique outfits.

On Instagram, Hart noted that fashion wasn't necessarily her biggest priority when it came to getting married.

"When I pictured my wedding, I never pictured what I would wear...," she wrote in a post.

However, she came to love a white satin jumpsuit designed by Pronovias while shopping at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City, as she told Brides. Hart also added a white cape with bedazzled shoulder pads and a jewel-encrusted headband.

"I cannot thank the team @kleinfeldbridal enough for helping me envision and achieve this Full Cape Fantasy of Maximum WoodNymph Royalty," she said on Instagram. "The Crown? The Epaulettes? The Belt? The Cape?"

Hart added: "Each altered and added and adorned without judgment! Then SHABAM! A bridal outfit was born!!!! I've never felt SO GOOD in something so glamorous. I could not have done it without the open-minds and open-hearts of everyone involved."

Hannah Hart wears a Pronovias pantsuit and matching cape on her wedding day. Love and Wolves/Brides

Mielniczenko, on the other hand, told Brides that she was stuck between two gowns. While she originally chose one in New York, according to the publication, she later called and asked to take a "showstopping" Hayley Paige design instead. The bride also accessorized with Nasty Gal boots and a dazzling veil.

Story continues

"We had the ultimate 'say yes to the dress' shopping trip," Mielniczenko told Brides. "Our family and friends joined, and we had separate appointments because we each wanted to be surprised by our looks when we saw each other during the ceremony."

Ella Mielniczenko wears a Hayley Paige gown on her wedding day. Love and Wolves/Brides

The couple shared more details and photos from their big day in an exclusive feature with Brides.

Read the original article on Insider
This past week President Biden helped to re-establish the US as an international leader in the drive to make the world a better place. And I salute him for that. Can he do more? Yes, and a very good place to start would be the perennial US ally and albatross, Israel. With new leadership there can we hope that Israelis will act less like an apartheid state and more like the humanitarian state the best of Jewry desire it to be?

The Israeli Palestinians are also Semites and it would be great for the US government to recognize that and hold the Israeli government up to that standard. There are many who would say Im asking the impossible. I say we can all do better, even the Israelis.

MIKE TABONY,

Gladstone

Operation Socialist Takeover

of America almost complete Since poll after poll of Democrats show an ever increasing majority having a favorable opinion of socialism, the socialist takeover of America is nearly complete. They now control the House, Senate, and White House.
EDEN, N.C.  A State Highway Patrol helicopter was back in Rockingham County on Monday afternoon to help in the search for a pregnant 35-year-old woman who is still missing after a deadly Wednesday tubing accident that claimed the lives of four of her family members.

Her sister remained hopeful that Teresa Villano might have made it to land after going over an 8-foot-hight dam near Duke Energys Dan River Steam Station here on Wednesday. Ive always felt like she was on land, not in the water, said Angelica Villano. We need prayers, prayers, she said.

The nine family members who set out tubing on Wednesday afternoon were unaware of the dam, Villano said.

Rather, the group saw rippling current ahead of them they believed to be rapids, Villano said, relaying reports from four in her family who survived the ordeal.

Antonio Ramon, 30, of Eden, turned to relatives, smiled and called out with excitement as he approached the dam, thinking he would shoot some rapids, relatives said. Ramon died and was recovered from the river late Thursday.

Nine members of the family set out on a tubing trek at around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on what they planned to be a two-hour trip, Villano and another relative said.
The state is shifting from mass vaccination clinics to support more targeted efforts in places whose vaccination rates continue to lag behind. For Richmond and Henricos health districts, spokeswoman Cat Long said the localities are changing the definition of success away from percentage of people vaccinated to making sure we create new points of access to people who need it.

Long noted that the health districts prioritized redistributing vaccines to Black-owned pharmacies, faith communities and safety net providers early on in the rollout when supply challenged their approach.

But it weighs on us that we could have always done more, she said. We couldve always done more community engagement. If we had more time, and more foresight on what was going to happen, we couldve done more. Now is the time for us to do more. ... its really the time for us to ramp us those efforts.

Outside of vaccinations and equitable distribution, VCU sociology professor Chen said the disparities indicate a need for changes in policy, health care and financial assistance to help close the gaps that will linger long after the pandemic is over.

Chen also said inequities are related to lower life expectancies, drug overdoses, suicides and worse health outcomes among the working class even prior to COVID.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
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.
Writer Beer & Society

There is nothing that cannot be discussed and worked out over a beer. Join me as I explore local beer, breweries and how they can civilize us.
Photo: Kena Betancur/Getty Images

On the final day before New Yorks mayoral election, Kathryn Garcia wasnt just campaigning for herself  she was engaging in civic education. She insisted to reporters accompanying her as she walked up and down Ninth Avenue in Sunset Park that she was promoting ranked-choice voting in her Election Eve visit to the Chinese American enclave in western Brooklyn.

This didnt of course stop her from telling voters to rank her No. 1 on the ballot in the election on Tuesday as she greeted passersby and walked in and out of businesses on the commercial strip, but Garcia wasnt just promoting herself. In addition to the leaflet for her own campaign, she passed out another featuring pictures of both herself and rival Andrew Yang  one side in English, the other in Chinese.

In the final stretch of the campaign, the two formed an impromptu alliance as New Yorkers prepared to vote in the citys first ranked-choice election. Yang, who had effusively praised Garcia the entire campaign, urged fellow New Yorkers to rank the former Sanitation commissioner second on their ballots. Garcia has not returned the favor, simply saying she will rank the maximum of five candidates.

A clear sign of how she approached the pact was in evidence on the trail Monday. The brochures handed out in Sunset Park were pointedly no longer in evidence at a campaign stop in Union Square. It seemed that Garcia had also neglected to hand them out the few nonAsian Americanowned businesses in Sunset Park, including one called Dominicks Pizza. Polling has consistently shown Yang winning voters identifying as Asian American by significant margins. Afterward, Garcia insisted that there was no master plan with the literature she distributed. Sometimes I cant move fast enough, she said. Theres no real strategy there.

Although somewhat one-sided, the alliance has been mutually beneficial. Lis Smith, an adviser for a pro-Yang super-PAC, thought it gave a jolt to both campaigns. Yang and Garcia have contrasting styles and backgrounds  something that prompted Yang in the early spring days when he was the front-runner to suggest that Garcia might serve as his deputy in City Hall. She bristled at the remark, telling The New Yorker: I would like Andrew Yang to stop saying that. Im not running for No. 2. Its totally sexist. Totally sexist.

While Yang has the touch of celebrity and unapologetic civic boosterism that New Yorkers have long valued in their mayor, he lacks management and government experience. In contrast, Garcia, a pack-a-day smoker who was widely lauded for running the citys initial pandemic response, seems better suited to a grinding negotiation with a union boss than a tourism video.

In the waning days of the race, the electoral pact set off a war of words between the two allies and front-runner Eric Adams, who baselessly compared their arrangement to voter suppression and suggested it was particularly problematic that it was unveiled on Juneteenth. While we were celebrating liberation and freedom from enslavement, they sent a message, and I thought it was the wrong message to send, he said on Sunday. Outgoing mayor de Blasio, who criticized the alliance as opportunistic on Monday, reinforced this. When asked if she thought de Blasios criticism was an attempt to support Adams, Garcia brusquely said, I have no comment on that.

It also has had the effect of diminishing the attention on Maya Wiley, the former de Blasio aide who has become the progressive standard-bearer in recent days. While her campaign has touted her Mayamentum, it has been hard for her to break through the war of words between her three-top rivals.

But while the back and forth over ranked-choice voting was dominating the headlines, Garcia in Sunset Park was simply trying to make clear her place in the pecking order. As she waited for her shredded pork banh mi sandwich to be prepared at a Vietnamese restaurant, she approached Kimmy Nguyen, an undecided voter. When Nguyen suggested she was third in the polls, Garcia disagreed: Im No. 2 now. And, in this election, being No. 2 may be just enough to win.
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.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 54F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Light rain early. Decreasing clouds overnight. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Light rain early. Decreasing clouds overnight. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
You beat me to posting. No wonder Britney wants the records unsealed and transparent. This part made me absolutely sick:



In 2014, Mr. Ingham told the court that Ms. Spears believed her father was drinking, according to a transcript of the closed hearing. Lawyers representing the conservatorship responded that Mr. Spears had voluntarily submitted to regularly scheduled alcohol tests and never failed. Mr. Spearss lawyer said he took one random test, but refused to take any more, calling the request inappropriate.



Absolutely inappropriate, the judge replied. And who is she to be demanding that of anybody?



Mr. Ingham told the court that his client was upset that it was not taking her concerns seriously. She said to me, when she gave me this shopping list, that she anticipates that, as it has been done before, the court will simply sweep it under the carpet and ignore any negative inferences with regard to Mr. Spears, Mr. Ingham said, according to a transcript.

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And this is why everyone who kept saying "well if a judge is rejecting her requests then it must be valid!" sounded naive as hell.



The legal system from top to bottom is not on the side of the marginalized EVER.

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That comment from the judge is absolutely FOUL. Why shouldn't she call his sobriety into question when 1. she had the same thing done to her which helped form this whole situation from the beginning and 2. this man is in charge of so many aspects of her personal life, finances, etc.???

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and 3. he's an alcoholic

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Absolutely inappropriate, the judge replied. And who is she to be demanding that of anybody?



My blood is boiling.

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People can sometimes act like judges are the end-all-be-all of lawful morality but like... no?



I'm literally dealing with a similar issue where a judge and adjacent authorities are almost blatantly ignoring or dismissing evidence relevant to their cases with similar seemingly arbitrary justifications. They get away with this shit all the fucking time. Now imagine there's big amounts of money involved. Smh.

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All this makes me so damn angry.

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Spears first called [Jamie's] fitness for the role of her conservator into question in 2014, citing a "'shopping list' of grievances"



Since 2014?? FOR SEVEN YEARS? She's been locked up in what is basically an abusive relationship with her father for this long and nobody in the system did anything? I know this isn't surprising considering the world we live in but still, WHAT THE FUCK. He really stole her life, her freedom, and even her kids. She had a court-appointed abuser! Absolutely heartbreaking and vile.



Edited at 2021-06-22 06:48 pm (UTC)

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anybody who followed her during the Femme Fatale era knew something was up

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I actually wonder how this is actually gonna shake out, given how the courts almost always side with the conservator. Are we gonna end up with a Supreme court case Spears vs Spears??

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I hope the public pressure works in her favor :/

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The restraining order for the protection of Britneys children should have been the camel that broke the camels back to get Jamie out of this.



His abuse has long been known and documented. How he still has control is a mystery (corruption)



Edited at 2021-06-22 06:15 pm (UTC)

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"it restricted everything from whom she dated to the color of her kitchen cabinets."



"limited to a $2,000 weekly allowance"





I didn't know it was this bad. How is any of this lawful?

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when she was at her worst, I think her finances were in really awful shape and everyone around her was exploiting her for money. so entering into this conservatorship really helped to straighten that out and protect her estate and wealth.



that said, there HAS to be a middle ground between that and now not being able to spend it how she wants to, even for non-extravagant purchases.

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because she submitted in the first place, years ago. the really screwed up thing about a lot of stuff in the legal system is, there are a lot of things that aren't legal or at least are a gray area, that become legal when you agree to it. it's a really screwed up and often used for corruption as part of the law.



then with all the money involved it's easier to amend and bully especially cause nobody was on her side. everyone who made contracts with her weren't going to rock the boat, cause money. Even as legally it never made a damn bit of sense that she could sign those contracts and preform and yet was a non-entity in her own legal, medical, and financial considerations.



there is an entire movement against the dark side of conservatorships and the crap it will impose on someone because the language involved when someone is under a conservatorship kind of amounts to they aren't recognized as a full person under the law. they have no equal protection under the law in most states.



done right, a well structured conservatorship is a great tool for taking care of someone who is over 18 and is automatically recognized as an adult under the law, but might not be able to for awhile, or is totally unable to take care of themselves. Think quadriplegics and those with severe brain injuries where cognitive has been entirely altered. And yes, even those who have the most severe of mental illness, as a guideline to get them treatment. but it shouldn't in effect be a prison for someone, and there needs to be real structured oversight. if we do away all together we will create chaos for parents of adult children who need care and need their families to be able to make medical and legal decisions for them. but in the wrong hands, Britney Spears.



it's legal. though there is a lot that is skirting it. but it sure as shit is unethical. she won't be free until that bastard father of hers dies. he's abusing her through the courts and because of money, it's all good.

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Usually, conservatees retain some legal and personal rights over medical decisions, visitors, receiving phone calls and mail, to make a will, to vote, and to marry/enter into a domestic partnership. The conservator can, however, get a court order granting them control over these aspects too which I assume is what Jamie et al did. Or maybe he's just freestyle abusing but used her kids as leverage idk

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I'm against violence, but someone needs to handle her dad.

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this man is sick

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The amount of that legal bill is in-fucking-sane. I hope she can eventually sue him to recoup that.

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This is so sad. I don't even know what to say.

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i hope jamie fucking rots, i truly hate that bastard.



the judge should NOT be trusted. britney even suggesting those tests show how sound mind and body she is to see this disgusting behavior and SHE'S told she's the sick and mentally unwell one? lmao? what the fuck?



god this breaks my heart. i hope jamie is removed as the primary cship holder, he is a sick piece of shit. her sons have restraining orders against him ffs! this man is not safe to be around and sounds like a grade A abusive alcoholic.



fuck him. britney (and the kids) deserve to be away from him, not forced to pay his bills and work for his lifestyle etc? this is just so grossly unfair and sick. i can't believe he's gotten away with this shit for so long, i sincerely hope he doesn't continue to.

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I am pretty sure there is a different judge now, and that's why things have been slowly changing in her favor. I think it was Judge Reva Goetz in 2014, and is Judge Brenda Penny now.

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its sick that she has to pay for his legal team who are keeping her under these conditions.

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Wow. Poor Britney. I find some of the Free Britney people to be really invasive but I guess if it means she can get out of this it's a good thing.

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I hate him so much. Shitty father of the millennium

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OPEC+ is mulling over a further relaxation in its oil production cut agreement beginning August, Reuters has reported, citing unnamed sources in the know. The discussions are ongoing, the Reuters sources said, focusing on how much oil the cartel will bring back.

OPEC+ started relaxing its unprecedented production cuts of 7.7 million bpd at the beginning of this year, gradually adding 2.1 million bpd to the global supply between May and July in response to a faster than expected demand recovery.

"It is highly possible to increase gradually from August," one of the Reuters sources said.

Separately, Bloomberg cited Russian officials as saying that Moscow was considering proposing a further relaxation of the cuts from August as Brent crude tops $75 per barrel. The position of Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of OPEC and co-leader of the production cut agreement along with Russia, remains unknown.

OPEC+ met earlier this month to discuss the agreement but did not make any changes to it, keeping its oil demand growth forecast for the year unchanged.

Related: Judge Blocks Bidens Ban On Oil Leasing

"The projections for oil are largely unchanged from our last meeting, with demand expected to grow by 6 mb/d to around 96.5 mb/d on average for the year, an increase of 6.6%. As with the economy, the market outlook for later this year looks especially promising," OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said at the JMMC meeting in early June, which preceded the full OPEC+ meeting.

The International Energy Agency urged OPEC+ to open the taps as prices soared to three-year highs. At the same time, Goldman Sachs noted recently that the oil market is still in deficit, to the tune of 3 million bpd, despite the gradual return of production so far this year.

The addition of more barrels to global supply may become even more urgent: with a newly elected hardliner at the helm in Iran, some worry the nuclear talks with the United States may stall, delaying the return of Iranian oil to global markets.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
In a dramatic reversal of fortunes, Beijing has announced huge cutbacks in import quotas for the country's private oil refiners. According to Reuters, China's independent refiners have been awarded a combined 35.24 million tons in crude oil import quotas in the second batch of quotas this year, a 35% reduction from 53.88 million tons for a similar tranche a year ago. The big reduction has come as part of a government crackdown on private Chinese refiners known as teapots, who have become increasingly dominant over the past five years. This is intended to allow Beijing to more precisely regulate the flow of foreign oil as it doubles down on malpractices such as tax evasion, fuel smuggling, and violations of environmental and emissions rules by independent refiners.

The move is also intended to claw back control of China's crude refining sector from private refiners to state-owned refineries. And it's reminiscent of its earlier crackdown on big tech operations that were getting dangerously powerful and seen to be threatening party politics.

China's teapots have been steadily grabbing market share from entrenched state players such as China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (NYSE:SNP), also known as Sinopec, and PetroChina Co. (NYSE:PTR) ever since Beijing partially liberalized its oil industry in 2015. Teapots currently control nearly 30% of China's crude refining volumes, up from ~10% in 2013.

Source: Bloomberg

National oil companies to benefit

A total of 39 companies--led by the largest private refiners Zhejiang Petrochemical Co (ZPC), Hengli Petrochemical, and Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group--will receive quotas for this year's second batch, with ZPC and Hengli each receiving quotas for 3 million tonnes apiece.

At least four refiners who received quotas in the first tranche were denied any quotas during the latest round of issuance.

China's Ministry of Commerce's press office has declined to comment on its motivations for the latest probe, but teapots have long been accused of lax compliance on tax rules and also lagging behind their state-owned peers on meeting stricter emission targets.

More importantly, national oil companies (NOCs) are likely to emerge as the biggest winners thanks to stricter emission standards and growing climate activism as we reported here.

According to SIA Energy analyst Seng Yick Tee, the crackdown will impact oil imports by teapots, but not the overall crude imports or refinery operations as NOCs are expected to bridge the shortfall.

It's a sentiment echoed by industry experts following the recent wave of climate activism.

Apparently, OPEC and leading national oil companies are reveling in schadenfreude following Big Oil's latest woes, viewing it as a prime opportunity to grab more business and market share.

The boardroom and courtroom defeats of Exxon (NYSE:XOM), Chevron (NYSE:CVX), and Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) could turn out to be a windfall for Saudi Arabia's national oil company Saudi Aramco (2222.SE), Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) and Rosneft (ROSN.MM) as well as Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. who are looking to capitalize by filling the gap that will be left if these companies start cutting oil production in a bid to pacify investors.

"Oil and gas demand is far from peaking and supplies will be needed, but international oil companies will not be allowed to invest in this environment, meaning national oil companies have to step in," Amrita Sen from consultancy Energy Aspects has told Reuters.

Last year, China's President Xi Jinping turned heads after he announced that the country had set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2060. President Xi Jinping said that China will adopt "more vigorous policies and measures" in a bid to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030.

The announcement caused shockwaves in the energy world because China is not only responsible for one-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions but has also repeatedly resisted calls to lower emissions, arguing that wealthier nations who benefited from earlier industrialization ought to shoulder the bigger economic burden for preventing catastrophic warming. Last year, China's carbon emissions reached 5.7 billion tonnes, roughly equal to the combined emissions by the United States and the United Kingdom. To his credit, Xi has adopted environmental protection as one of his core mantras as he seeks to temper the growth-at-all-costs mentality that dominated previous administrations.

Related: Its Too Late To Avoid A Major Oil Supply Crisis



That pledge is sweet music in the ears of environmentalists because no single nation can do more than China to limit warming below the 1.5C threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. If delivered, the pledge would result in the biggest reduction in projected global warming of any climate commitment made by any nation to date as per research consortium Climate Action Tracker.

Boon for renewables

But it's sweeter still in the ears of clean energy buffs because it could trigger some of the biggest investment inflows into the renewable energy sector.

According to Wood Mackenzie, China's goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 would require investments of more than $5 trillion, the majority of which would flow to renewable power generation.

Woodmac reckons that for China to reach its goal, solar, wind and storage capacities would have to increase 11-fold to 5,040 gigawatts (GW) by 2050 compared to 2020 levels. Over the nearer term, Xi has committed to increasing China's wind and solar energy capacity from $500 million kilowatts to at least 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030.

Such a big ramp up in renewable capacity will inevitably require an equally huge increase in storage capacity.

Woodmac estimates that China will have to increase its storage capacity by at least 20% to meet its CO2-reduction goals. Utilities and onsite generators primarily use li-ion batteries to harness the electricity during peak generation and release that energy at night, thus improving reliability and limiting price spikes. Unfortunately, these storage devices come with a critical shortfall: The inability to provide long-term storage as well as relatively high costs.

Chris Allo, president of ElektrikGreen, a Colorado-based developer of hydrogen-based power storage solutions, has proposed a possible solution: Hydrogen.

Renewable electricity can be used to produce green hydrogen that can be stored in tanks before being converted to energy in a fuel cell, thus leaving a low carbon footprint. Back in August, Siemens AG (OTC:SIEGY) was contracted by Beijing Green Hydrogen Technology Development Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China Power International Development Ltd. (China Power), to construct the country's first megawatt green hydrogen production project. The green hydrogen will be used as fuel for public transportation by the Yanquing District of Beijing during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com



More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The deeply impoverished former English colony of Guyana has become one of the worlds hottest offshore drilling locations. Global energy supermajors have made a slew of major oil discoveries in Guyanas and neighboring Surinames offshore waters, notably in the 6.6-million-acre Stabroek Block in which global energy supermajor Exxon has a 45% interest with 30% and 25% held by Hess and CNOOC respectively. By April 2021 Exxon had calculated that it had nine billion barrels of recoverable oil equivalent resources in the Stabroek Block. The integrated energy supermajor expects to be pumping more than 750,000 barrels daily from the block by 2026. Those numbers underscore the scale of the asset and its considerable potential. Exxons latest announcement demonstrates that Stabroek Block is delivering considerable returns for the global energy supermajor. Earlier this month the integrated energy company announced its second oil discovery for 2021 at the Longtail-3 well drilled in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. The well is roughly two miles from the Longtail-1 well drilled in 2018 and encountered 230 feet of net pay in what Exxon described as high-quality hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs.

Stabroek Block Offshore Guyana

Source: ExxonMobil 2021 Investor Day Presentation 3 March 2021.

This discovery comes on the back of April 2021 at the Uaru-2 well, drilled nearly 7 miles south of the Uarua-1 well. According to Exxon, the well encountered 120 feet of high-quality oil-bearing reservoirs. That discovery saw the energy supermajor upgrade its recoverable resource estimate for the Stabroek Block from eight million to around nine million barrels of oil equivalent. Exxon is conducting a 15 well drilling campaign for 2021 in the Stabroek Block. The company recently completed the Koebi well which, disappointingly, showed no commercial volumes of hydrocarbons and it is in the process of drilling the Whiptail target to the northwest of the 2020 Redtail discovery. Exxon has planned for 2021 a three exploration well drilling campaign in the Canje Block to the north of Stabroek. Exxon has a 35% interest in the Canje Block with 35% also held by French supermajor Total, 17.5% by JHI, and the remaining 12.5% controlled by Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas.

Canje Block Offshore Guyana

Source: JHI Associates.

The March 2021 Canje Block Bulletwood-1 well discovered the presence of hydrocarbons in what Exxon described as quality reservoirs but was deemed to be non-commercial. The integrated oil supermajor is pressing on with its drilling program having restarted operations for the second exploration well Jabillo-1 with the Sapote-1 prospect to be drilled later this year.

Exxons impressive run of oil discoveries in offshore Guyana sees it operating in the region with a healthy drilling success rate of around 80%, which is a superior record to many of its peers and other offshore oil basins. These events explain why offshore Guyana was earmarked as a priority for the global oil supermajor, despite earlier dry wells including the November 2020 Tanger-1 well in the Kaieteur Block and the January 2021 Hassa-1 well in the Stabroek Block.

Related: The Real Reason Big Oil Is Giving Up On Iraq

The attractiveness of operating in offshore Guyana is enhanced by the low breakeven costs associated with the jurisdiction. In a May 2021 Hess.com/static-files/cd1529dc-ddd7-41b4-8c08-07f973fe8ceb">presentation, Exxons partner in the Stabroek Block Hess listed breakeven prices of $35, $32, and $25 per barrel Brent for the Liza phase 1, Payara, and Liza phase 2 developments respectively in the block. Those breakeven prices indicate the operations are highly profitable with Brent trading at around $74 per barrel and extremely resilient to another oil price collapse, which according to analysts is unlikely. This appeal is enhanced by the light sweet crude oil produced by the Liza Phase 1 operation, which achieved a nameplate productive capacity of 130,000 barrels per day during March 2021. The assay or Liza crude oil, which has an API gravity of 32 degrees and 0.58% sulfur content, indicates it is a light sweet grade. Those lighter sweeter crude oils are growing in popularity with refiners because they are cheaper and easier to distill into higher quality low emission fuels. This has become particularly relevant since the introduction of IMO 2020 at the start of January last year, which reduced the content of maritime bunker fuel to 0.5%, a seventh of what it had been previously. Those characteristics mean lighter sweeter crude oil grades sell for higher prices than heavier sour varieties. As a result, those oil varieties not only sell at a lower discount to Brent but in some cases, depending upon demand from refiners, can trade at a premium to the international oil price benchmark. This further bolsters the profitability of Exxons operations in the Stabroek Block explaining why the company has prioritized exploiting the asset.

Offshore Guyana has emerged as one of the hottest offshore drilling locations globally. Exxon continues to report a steady stream of discoveries. If the energy supermajors 2021 Guyana drilling program continues to be successful, it is easy to see its recoverable oil resources in offshore Guyana exceeding 10 billion barrels by the end of this year. This will deliver a tremendous windfall for deeply impoverished Guyana, despite the controversy surrounding the favorable exploitation agreement Exxon was able to secure with the national government in Georgetown. The International Monetary Fund announced that Guyanas economy expanded by an incredible 43% during 2020, despite the pandemic, and expects gross domestic product to grow another 16% this year because of the massive oil boom that is underway.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Iran has started pumping oil at a giant new reservoir at the offshore Abuzar oilfield in the Gulf, Irans oil ministry news service Shana reported on Tuesday.

The Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) announced it had achieved first oil from the Asmari reservoir of Abuzar oilfield, which is located southwest of the Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf.

The Asmari reservoir could produce between 6,000 bpd and 10,000 bpd of crude oil, with the drilling of five to eight wells, Javad Rostami, Head of Petroleum Engineering at IOOC, said.



The development of the Abuzar oilfield has so far focused on the Ghar, Bergen, and Dammam reservoirs, Rostami added.

According to Tehran Times, a total of 107 oil wells have been drilled at the

Abuzar oilfield so far, of which 90 wells are still in operation. The remaining wells are either offline due to technical issues or have been depleted.

In recent months, Iran has been ramping up crude oil production in anticipation of a potential lifting of the U.S. sanctions on its oil exports should the ongoing talks result in an agreement for a return of the United States and Iran to the so-called nuclear deal.

Last month, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said that the Islamic Republic Iran could boost its crude oil production to as much as 6.5 million bpd when the U.S. sanctions on its oil industry are lifted.

Iran currently pumps around 2.5 million bpd and last produced close to the 6-million-bpd mark in the early 1970s.

Meanwhile, the talks in Vienna continued while Iran was electing a new president on Friday. European diplomats told AP on Sunday that more progress had been made in the negotiations but that we are closer to a deal, but we are not still there.

At the same time, Irans newly-elected president Ebrahim Raisi welcomed the talks, said they shouldnt drag out, and warned that they should guarantee Irans national interests.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Local

72nd Street in for major face-lift after CoCo Key hotel and water park is demolished

ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD An unused area at the CoCo Key water resort northeast of 72nd and Grover Streets. Maverick Landing, a site filled by luxury apartments and commercial and entertainment venues, is planned at the site its buyer calls an untapped treasure. REBECCA S. GRATZ, THE WORLD-HERALD Children play at the CoCo Key water resort at 72nd and Grover Streets. JAMES R. BURNETT, THE WORLD-HERALD The recently renovated CoCo Key resort in 2012.

In its heyday, the Omaha hotel northeast of 72nd and Grover Streets handled Ak-Sar-Ben racing fans, Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meetings and other gatherings of pageantry and influence.

Most recently, its been known best as the CoCo Key water resort.

But now under new ownership, the 15-acre complex will be wiped clean by next year. Rising in its place will be a much different scene: a mixed-use site filled largely by luxury apartments along with commercial and entertainment venues.

Its an untapped treasure, said buyer Dan Marak of Nashville-based MH Hospitality. Its got the right demographics for redevelopment. It will be a unique block and corner.

Marak, who has built or bought more than a dozen other hotel properties in the Omaha area, said he will call this latest venture Maverick Landing  in support of the nearby University of Nebraska at Omaha athletic fields and sports facilities.

Though still refining plans that have yet to go through government procedural steps, Marak envisions high-end apartments covering about 10 acres on the eastern side. That portion will be sold to a housing developer, he said.

The remaining land facing South 72nd Street would stay under MH ownership, he said, and become restaurants with drive-thrus, banks, offices, some lodging and possibly a signature pub featuring Nashville acts.

He anticipates up to $60 million in investment to usher in stark change to the intersection, which for decades has been dominated on three corners by hotel activity. Marak said his plan doesnt include a water park.

Redefining downtown: Omaha's Gene Leahy Mall changed the city once. What will happen this time? Gene Leahy Mall set the stage for generations of downtown development in Omaha. Many of the major downtown changes of the past five decades likely owe at least something to the malls creation.

Mike Potthoff of Colliers International commercial real estate said growth along the 72nd Street corridor and in surrounding neighborhoods, as well as access to nearby Interstate 80, should make the site attractive to retailers. Plus, he said, its a familiar spot.

Think about how many families celebrated weddings, special events, had summer and winter getaways there, he said. Now theyll be able to come grab a cheeseburger, a cup of coffee, do business on that site. Some will even call it their permanent home, with the apartments.

In addition, Marak noted, the area is in a federal opportunity zone and a pocket eligible for tax-increment financing. Both designations open the door for financial breaks to developers.

Marak himself just built a 138-unit dual-brand Tru and Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel complex north of the CoCo Key property.

Farther north, a different developer recently opened the 162-unit Centerline Apartments on a 3-acre tract of previously undeveloped land. Across the street from that complex, on the site of the old Shark Club and Quality Inn, yet another developer is planning to build a 4-acre apartment project.

Also nearby is longtime restaurant Spezia. All are a short walk to Aksarben Village, the College of St. Mary and UNOs Baxter Arena and baseball and softball complexes.

The CoCo Key property itself has gone through a number of changes, including different hotel flags, restaurants and configurations since opening in 1965.

From Holiday Inn to Red Lion to Ramada, it not only changed identities over the years but expanded to include the convention center and the water park.

Redefining downtown: Rescuing historic facades can be hit or miss venture When a historic building in downtown Omaha was about to be razed in 1988, preservationists were able to save its facade for future use. Three decades later, where did the Scribbles facade go?

Under Maraks plan, the hotel and water park will remain operational until demolition, which he said will likely be toward the end of the year.

He said the property today is ridiculously dysfunctional as a hotel.

You have to walk 12 acres from the laundry machines to the rooms, he said, adding that larger hotels today would be built vertically, not in such a low-rise fashion.

Indeed, the embattled property had been mired in unpaid property taxes, contractor bills, debt and lawsuits between former owners. According to Douglas County records, Marak bought the complex a few weeks ago from Great Western Bank for $6.3 million (it had been in receivership).

At one point, the property had been listed for sale at $35.5 million, an amount that was to cover loans, taxes and unpaid bills.

Marketing material back then said the 18-acre property, with a combined 500 hotel rooms, was ideal for redevelopment or a new hotel flag and management. (A few of those acres were occupied at the time by the Baymont Inn, which Marak purchased earlier and replaced with the dual-brand hotel and a free-standing Scooters coffee shop.)

Now that he controls the larger site, Marak said, he is planning to consolidate his hospitality staff in part of the new office space to be built.

$20 million construction project to change entrance to Omaha's Eppley Airfield Work has begun on a $20.3 million project to change the entrance to Omaha's Eppley Airfield and an $8.3 million project to modernize the airport's South Garage.

Maraks growing portfolio extends to four other states. He said he has developed more than $250 million in property during his 20-year lodging career.

The new lodging piece that he envisions as part of the 72nd Street-facing commercial row would be a different style than his dual-brand hotels next door to the north.

Marak said his latest project comes as the hospitality and tourism industry is on an uptick.

He said the dual-brand hotels are on pace to gross more than $500,000 this month. He anticipates a good summer and said he remains bullish on the Omaha market after having booked over 1 million rooms since 2013 among all of his Omaha properties.

We have sold more hotel rooms in this market than the population of Omaha since 2013, he said.

Omaha-based Jet Linx breaks ground on new hangar, terminal at Eppley Airfield Jet Linx, which operates the third-largest fleet of business jets in the country, broke ground Tuesday on a new hangar and private terminal at Omaha's Eppley Airfield.

Deborah Ward, interim executive director of Visit Omaha, said that back in the day, the 72nd and Grover Streets hotel property was a great place for visitors coming for the Ak-Sar-Ben horse races.

Now that college sports have replaced the ponies, and newer facilities took much of the convention business, Ward said, itll be nice to see some new energy brought to that corner.
An Omaha man was sentenced in federal court Monday for his role in a cocaine trafficking ring.

Anthony Moore, 49, was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, acting U.S. Attorney Jan Sharp announced in a press release.

The FBI began investigating a suspected cocaine trafficking ring operating out of Omaha in October 2017.

In January 2018, a confidential source contacted Moore to arrange a purchase. Moore, along with a co-conspirator, sold the confidential source an eight ball, or 3.5 grams, of cocaine, according to the press release.

Over the course of the investigation, the confidential source made at least 12 purchases of cocaine directly from Moore or his co-conspirators.

On June 20, 2018, U.S. postal inspectors seized a package in Omaha suspected to contain drugs. The parcel was shipped from San Francisco, California, to a rental property owned by Moore. The package contained 520.5 grams of powder cocaine, and investigators found it had been shipped by Moore.
Butler says Georgia is above-average in how quickly it processes claims.

Department officials didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the lawsuit.

Plaintiff Von King, who filed for benefits after leaving her moving company job to take care of her child because of a lack of child care, has been waiting for an appeal to be heard since August. Plaintiff Gereline Thompson says she got a notice in June 2020 indicating her claim had been approved after she was laid off by the Burke County school system, but said shes never been paid. Plaintiff Danielle Johnson says the department has never decided whether she is eligible for benefits after her initial claim in March 2020.

The suit says the plaintiffs have faced months of uncertainty while struggling to pay rent and utilities, feed themselves and their families, and pay other regular expenses like medical bills and car payments.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has been involved in at least two earlier lawsuits against the department. One was a lawsuit filed in January by workers. A second was a public records lawsuit filed in March.
(It) has the potential to taint the jury and the entire process, Hughes said. Its disturbing, and it is disappointing that a Nebraska senator would essentially ignore the separation of powers and a citizens right to a fair and impartial jury trial by making inflammatory comments during the pendency of a trial for what appears to be nothing other than potential political gain.

The jury hasnt even heard all the evidence and testimony, she said.

Legal experts say local and state prosecutors already have the ability to request the involvement of the DOJ.

The case is being tried in Furnas County in southwest Nebraska, and the Furnas County Attorneys Office is being assisted by the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office.

Furnas County Attorney Morgan Farquhar said he couldn't comment during the trial but plans to reach out to Sasse at the conclusion of trial.

Jan Sharp, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Nebraska, said that he could not comment on this specific case but that his office has prosecuted cases in which children are brought to Nebraska and sexually abused.
A Chicago man was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of assault on a Nebraska State Patrol trooper with a vehicle following a high-speed pursuit on Interstate 80 in central Nebraska.

The 26-year-old driver was also arrested on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, child abuse due to neglect, resisting arrest and obstruction. He is being held in the Buffalo County Jail in Kearney, according to a spokesman for the State Patrol.

At 5:30 p.m. Monday, a trooper performed a traffic stop on a Jeep Patriot for speeding on I-80 near Kearney, the spokesman said. Shortly after the traffic stop, troopers received a report of an SUV traveling over 100 mph and passing vehicles on the shoulder of the road.

A trooper was able to locate the SUV and realized it was the Jeep Patriot from the previous traffic stop, the spokesman said. The trooper attempted another traffic stop, but the SUV accelerated and fled in a reckless manner while approaching an area of heavy traffic.

The trooper, being aware of the drivers identity and that a woman and young child were in the SUV, discontinued the pursuit out of concern for public safety. About 10:45 p.m., troopers and Hall County sheriffs deputies found the Jeep crashed and abandoned near the I-80 Interchange near Alda.
A key concern for Rose Godinez, legal and policy counsel to ACLU of Nebraska, is the work state troopers will be expected to perform in Texas and whether that includes enforcing federal immigration law.

A Texas DPS spokesperson declined to provide details about the need for help in Del Rio and functions troopers from Nebraska will perform, including whether they will be enforcing federal immigration law and whether that would require special training.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is committed to securing our border under the direction of Governor Greg Abbott, press secretary Ericka Miller wrote in an email. We are grateful to every agency that has offered assistance in making Texas and the United States more secure, and will be integrating other law enforcement agencies into our operations at the border as appropriate. While the department does not discuss operational specifics, we will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds in order to make real-time decisions to protect the people and property of Texas.

She wrote that DPS was unable to accommodate a ride-along with Nebraska troopers and DPS that a World-Herald reporter requested and did not answer a follow-up email asking why.
Less well remembered is George W. Bushs Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief initiative, a program to battle AIDS in Africa, which has saved an estimated 18 million lives. It was the largest effort by any government to fight disease and the largest U.S. government foreign commitment since the Marshall Plan.

There are many goals that are extremely difficult to achieve in foreign policy. But vaccinating the world is something we can do. Is it expensive? Compared with what? The International Monetary Fund estimates that it would cost $50 billion to vaccinate 70% of the worlds population over the next 10 months. That amounts to just 0.13% of the combined GDPs of the G-7 nations. In Washington, $50 billion is what you find in the sofa cushions.

China and Russia are both offering vaccines to developing nations. But Russia is demanding quid pro quos. In Bolivia, for example, Russia began talks about rare-earth minerals in return for the Sputnik V vaccine. China donated the Sinovac vaccine to Cambodia and Laos  in return for backing Chinas position in the South China Sea.

And heres another potential reason that the U.S. vaccines will be preferred: They work. Though the Russians have claimed a 92% effectiveness rate for their jabs, some have expressed skepticism. A recent Lancet article called the data backing Sputnik into doubt.
Nebraska is far away from the two coasts, but less than a year from now, a tidal wave nonetheless will hit our state hard.

A tidal wave, that is, of out-of-state political money.

Political donors, conveniently hiding anonymously behind election law, will send a torrent of campaign cash flooding across Nebraska, seeking to influence voters decisions on the 2022 elections. Many statewide offices will be on the ballot. So will U.S. House members and about half the seats in the State Legislature. Plus, the statewide ballot may well contain important policy proposals.

The Nebraska Legislature long ago should have mustered the courage to change state election law to step up the reporting requirements for out-of-state political entities that send campaign donations flooding across the state. Nebraska election law ought to require identification of donors, for example. But for years, state senators have shied away from taking that responsible step.
Princess Diana delayed her return to the UK from France before her death to avoid "hassle" over her anti-landmine campaign.

The late princess - who died in a car crash in Paris on 31 August, 1997 - had been due to arrive back in London on 28 August, 1997, but made a last-minute decision to extend her trip by three days because she was upset at the negative attention her call for the devices to be banned had attracted, her former driver and minder Colin Tebbutt has revealed.

Colin told the Daily Mail newspaper: "She didn't come back on the Thursday as scheduled because the Tories were having a go at her again over landmines. She was accused of using the campaign to boost her own image, which was nasty and upset her.

"So she contacted us and said she didn't want all the hassle that would be waiting for her in the UK. She would return at the weekend instead.

"If she had come back that Thursday...maybe we'd all be alive still today."

Diana had called for landmines to be banned the previous January following a visit to Angola, but Conservative defence minister Earl Howe had accused her of being a "loose cannon" and "ill-informed on the issue of anti-personnel landmines."
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) will on 23rd and 24th June 2021, hold the maiden Ghana Diaspora Investment Summit at the Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel.



The event, themed The New Normal, leveraging Diaspora investments to build back better will create an avenue to foster partnerships between local and Diaspora investors, and showcase Ghana as a choice destination for doing business, to spur the inflow of Diaspora Direct Investments.



The two-day programme will bring together various primary stakeholders to steer conversations on the Ghana-Diaspora business relationship.



Chief Executive Officer of GIPC, Yofi Grant who disclosed this at a press briefing in Accra on Sunday, said the summit provides Ghana with the opportunity to partner persons in the diaspora to the benefit of the country.



A lot of Diasporas have consistently expressed interest in either living or establishing a business in Ghana. It is, therefore, our expectation to convert these opportunities to viable economic activity that will benefit the nation and the continent as a whole said Yofi Grant, CEO of the GIPC.



Im confident that the summit will thus open the door for partnerships and encourage sustained home-based investments by persons in the diaspora, as we consider them as our partners in development, he added.



The summit is consistent with the recent "Beyond the Return" initiative, which is a follow-up to the "Year of Return campaign that was launched in 2019. It is expected to engender a more constructive interaction with Africans in the diaspora and all people of African descent in areas such as trade and investment, as well as skills and knowledge development.



It will be recalled that while commemorating the Year of return, President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo stressed the need to effectively mobilize and engage the diaspora as active partners in the nations development.



This Mr Grant said GIPC has since made conscious efforts in creating awareness and allow for a greater contribution from diasporas, including the setting-up of the Diaspora Investment Desk (DID) at the GIPC.



The Ghana Diaspora Investment Summit is being held under the auspices of the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Information, the Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President, Diaspora Africa Forum, and Beyond the Return Secretariat under the Ghana Tourism Authority.



Among the host of esteemed speakers include; the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, H.E Wamkele Mene, Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, and the Chief Executive Officer of the GIPC, Yofi Grant.



There will be exhibitions and opportunity to pitch projects during the two-day summit. Interested persons should call 050 572 3242 or Email: [email protected]



Additionally, interested participants can follow the GIPC on its social media platforms @gipcghana on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In and YouTube for a link to register, or catch the live event on 23rd and 24th June 2021 from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM each day.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Featured Video
The Somanya Diocesan Youth Organiser (DYO) of the Methodist Church Ghana, Rev. Francis Darko Asare, has advised girls in the Methodist Girls Fellowship (MGF) not to sacrifice their formal education for financial gains.

He said education was key in this modern world and anybody who did not have formal education would lag behind in every aspect of life.



You will become a better person to your family, your church, your community, your country and the world at large if you heed this singular advice. Make every effort to continue your education until you complete your tertiary education, he emphasised.



Take full advantage of it when the time comes. Do not settle at the basic level. Go to the secondary level and continue to the tertiary if it is possible, Rev. Asare added.



Girls conference



Rev. Asare gave the advice at the eighth Biennial Diocesan Girls Conference attended by 77 girls from the Methodist Church on the theme: Discipleship, teaching everyone to live like Christ held last Saturday at the Wesley Cathedral at Somanya in the Yilo Krobo Municipality.



Seventy-seven participants between the ages of five and 35 years from Somanya, Agormanya, Akuse, Asustuare, Dodowa and Akosombo circuits of the diocese attended the conference.



New executive members for the fellowship were also elected, with Lydia D.A. Ablade as the president, and Doreen Dotse as secretary.



Technology



Rev Asare said the world was full of technological innovations and urged the girls to take advantage of it, adding, do not let technology become a distraction to you anyway.



Rev. Asare explained that technology could be used for good things and at the same time for evil purposes, and advised the girls to let technology be a blessing to them rather than a curse as children of God.



The reverend minister stressed the need for the girls in the fellowship to apply the values of the fellowship in all areas of their lives, adding that worldly success was nothing if you do not have Christ as your Lord and personal saviour.



The Bishop of the Somanya Diocese, Rt. Rev. Moses Kwasi Jackson, whose address was read by the Synod Secretary, Very Rev. Jane D. Dor, reiterated that no amount of planning could secure the future and the objectives of the fellowship if the girls did not grow to become like Christ.



He stressed the need for the young girls to be humble, have passion for telling others about Christ and encouraged them to be proud of the testimony to the larger society where they stayed that ladies who passed through the MGF became better women both at home and at work places.



The Guest Speaker for the programme, Mr Abraham Asare Sackitey, advised the girls to be selective in what they watched and read on television and on social media because it would influence their lives in one way or the other.



The Connectional Immediate Past President of the fellowship, Mrs Gifty Aba Pratt, told the Daily Graphic exclusively that the Youth Ministrys Directorate (YMD) of the Methodist Church Ghana sought to bring up the girls in the fellowship in a Christian way to enable them to be responsible in order to fit into the church and the larger.









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Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has cast fears over the deadly indian strain detected in Ghana.



The most contagious Covid-19 variant, originating from India, was recorded at the Kotoka International Airport.



Head of West Africa Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) of the University of Ghana, Professor Gordon Awendare confirmed that the Indian variant, also known as Delta variant, is one of the forty-five (45) variants currently in Ghana.



The Delta variant is reportedly the major cause of the huge number of deaths in India and a serious increase in cases in the UK.



Overall we have about 45 or 46 different variants. The trend shows that all these normally come from travellers. Now that the Delta (Indian Variant) is taking over, its just a matter of time before it will come here in large quantities. We have a few here but its going to increase, Professor Awendare explained to Daniel Dadzie on Joy Prime.



Kwesi Pratt, speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', feared the AstraZeneca vaccines administered to a section of the Ghanaian populace may not effectively protect the citizenry against the new variant.



To him, it is very worrying and frightening for Ghana to have recorded the Indian strain.



"If we had reached herd immunity stage and you tell us not to be afraid, we wouldn't be afraid. But when you check the number of vaccinated people which is not up to 400,000, how do we not fear?", he said.



He called for stricter enforcement of the COVID-19 protocols, claiming many Ghanaians have relaxed.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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A private legal practitioner has filed a suit at the Supreme Court urging the court to decriminalise attempt to commit suicide.



In a suit invoking the jurisdiction of the court, Mr Christian Lebrechet Malm-Hesse argues that Section 57 (2) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which makes attempted suicide a criminal offence is unconstitutional.



It is his case that any person who attempts suicide is suffering from a mental disability and should be given psychological treatment and not be incarcerated.



Consequently, he contends that a mentally challenged person cannot have an intent (mens rea) to commit a crime.



In view of that, he argues that the offence of attempt to commit suicide cannot be classified as a crime, since the mental element required to make it a crime does not exist.



A person who has a malfunctioning mind does not have the mind to form a mens rea to commit a crime, the plaintiff avers.



Also, he argues that it is unconstitutional for a suicidal person to be punished for putting such a mental disability into action.



Punishing a person who attempts to commit suicide, he argues, means the person is being discriminated against on the basis of his disability.



Section 57 (2) of Act 29 makes attempt to commit suicide a misdemeanour which carries a punishment of up to three years imprisonment.



Mr Malm-Hesse is therefore urging the highest court of the land to declare as unconstitutional Section 57 (2) Act 29



According to him, Section 57 (2) of Act 29 violates Article 15 of the 1992 Constitution (respect for human dignity), Article 17 (freedom from discrimination), and Article 29 (rights of disabled persons).



He is also seeking a declaration that there is no mens rea (mental element) with regard to Section 57 (2) and therefore it sins against Act 29.



Suicide as mental disorder



In his statement of case, Mr Malm-Hesse lists a plethora of medical authorities and literature, which he says creates a strong link between suicide and mental disorder.



He argues that the conditions that lead to suicide are not different from mental disorder.



Some of the conditions, he argues include the loss of a loved one, bullying or abuse, the end of a relationship, divorce , unemployment, retirement, life-changing illness, financial problems and surviving a traumatic event.



It is the Plaintiffs case that from the copious conditions exemplified from the numerous medical experts, a person seeking to commit suicide albeit attempt is suffering the ill-functionality of the mind, he argues.



Also, the plaintiff argues that suicide is a global crisis which ought not to be tackled in such a manner that does not impose punishment on people who attempt to do it.



It is a global problem and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has with regard to attempted suicide expressed the view that punishing with imprisonment a behaviour consequent to either a mental disorder or a social difficulty gives a completely wrong message to the population, and that the WHO encourages efforts for the prevention of suicide, he said.



Counter-productive



Mr Malm-Hesse further argues that it is insensitive and counter-productive to imprison someone who has survived a horrific experience such as attempted suicide.



A person who is severely suicidal or sick, or someone who has lost all hope of surviving, tries to end his life and his effort is futile, the judicial prosecution will guarantee that he is prosecuted for failure per section 18 (1) of Act 29 and section 296 (4) of Act 30.



This person being militated by the pain of his condition cannot be said to be in his or her right state of being to satisfy intention, the plaintiff contends.









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Prof Joseph Osafo, a Senior Psychologist, has appealed to the State authorities to utilize the services of Psychologists in the economic spheres of the nation.



Prof. Osafo expressed worry over the rate of crimes going on in the country, particularly involving the youth.



To him, the little or no use of Pyschologists is one of the contributory factors to the societal decadence in Ghana.



He believed engaging pyschologists to deal with the youth is a major step in reforming them to become responsible people.



Speaking to Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo'', Prof. Joseph Osafo stressed; ''Let us engage these critical social scientists. We need psychologists in all our policy engagement. We need philosophers. We need sociologists . . . We don't build a nation accidentally; we build it intentionally".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Bawku Naba, who is also President of the Kusaug Traditional Council, Asigir Abugrago Azoka II, says the Chiefs and People of the Kusaug Traditional Area, and, indeed, all Ghanaians appreciate the policies of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, evident in his re-election on 7th December 2020.



Congratulating President Akufo-Addo on his electoral victory, which has put the destiny of Ghana firmly in your hands for the next four (4) years, the Bawku Naba told the President that you have worked hard to earn that enviable position. I wish you God's continued blessing in wisdom as well as good health to execute your policies.



Asigir Abugrago Azoka II made this known on Monday, 21st June 2021, when the President paid a courtesy call on him at his palace in Bawku, at the commencement of his tour of the Upper East Region.



Mr. President, let me express my gratitude to you in respect of development in

the traditional area. So far so good, especially in terms of the following Free Senior High School Policy, Continuation of the school feeding programme, Youth Employment Programme, One-Village-One-Dam, One-District-One-Factory, Planting for Food and Jobs, NABCO, construction of major bridges at Kulgungu and Tamne, and the Bolga-Bawku Road, he said.



Thanking the President for the significant number of appointees he has chosen from the Kusaug Traditional Area, which include Alhaji Sule Yiremia as Member of the Council of State; Hon. Abdulai Abanga as Deputy Minister for Works and Housing; Hon Fatimatu Abubakar as Deputy Minister for Information; and Mr. Abdul-Wahab Hanan Aludiba as Chief Executive Officer for the National Buffer Stock, the Bawku Naba was hopeful that other more appointments from the Traditional Area would be made.



Touching on the insecurity situation in and around Burkina Faso, Asigir Abugrago Azoka II, stated that this gives us a cause to worry because of our proximity to that country. Recent information indicates that some terrorists have infiltrated our borders.



He continued, we appeal to your office to use all means possible to prevent a spillage of the conflict into my traditional area. So far, our security services have proved equal to the task and deserve to be encouraged to do more by being highly alert.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Jomoro in the Western Region has been ordered to produce documents renouncing her Ivorian citizenship.



The Sekondi High Court gave the order for the MP, Dorcas Affo-Toffey to produce the document within 10 days as proof of renunciation of her Ivorian citizenship.



The order was made as part of an ongoing case where the legitimacy of Dorcas Affo-Toffey is being challenged to hold the position of a Member of Parliament in Ghana.



It is the case of the petitioner, that the Dorcas Affo-Toffey does not qualify to be an MP since at the time of her election, she was still holding an Ivorian passport.



Dorcas Affo-Toffey had told the court that she was no longer in possession of an Ivorian passport.



The court presided over by Justice Dr Richard Osei Kyere asked for proof of renunciation for inspection by the court.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), has suspended its strike, following an assurance from the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, to resolve concerns of the group.



The association said it had decided to end the industrial action due to favourable responses it had received from the government and the National Labour Commission (NLC).



TUTAG in a statement signed by its national president, Dr Michael Brigandi,

said after listening to the Minister of Education, we observed that there are still individuals in political positions that citizens can trust. From observations of his verbal and non-verbal communication, we can see the natural sincerity that is oozing from both this verbal and non-verbal communication.



It said the associations encounter with Dr Adutwum was the beginning of the shift of TUTAG from mistrusts to mutual trust, hence the decision to reconsider its position.



The association said though the strike has been declared legal and TUTAG could have decided to remain on strike till all our issues were resolved, we wish to inform the Minister of Education that our decision to suspend with immediate effect the strike action was based on trust and confidence in his assurance.



The statement said TUTAG had received a letter from Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to begin negotiation on June, 29, 2021, explaining why the association appreciated the effort of the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, FWSC and others involved in negotiations to settle the matter.



TUTAG began a nationwide strike action, on Monday, June 14, 2012, despite an order from the NLC to suspend the protest.



The industrial action followed unsuccessful efforts to get their employers to address their poor conditions of service as well as the frustrations the technical universities go through in attaining accreditation for academic programmes.



The association demanded the payment of 2018/2019 research arrears, negotiation of conditions of service of members, Tier-2 Pension payment and accreditation of technical universitys programmes and scheme of services.



Stranded students of Technical Universities across the country have expressed disappointment over the strike action by TUTAG.



The worried students complained that they were bearing the brunt of the industrial action, arguing that it would worsen their already disrupted academic activities.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









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The heart of a father, they say, is the masterpiece of nature and the oasis of prosperity. The role of fathers and for that matter fatherhood in our lives and in the advancement of humanity can certainly not be overemphasized. Indeed, we are who we are today largely because of our fathers.



I am, on the occasion of Fathers Day, pleased to join the rest of the world, to celebrate fatherhood and accordingly, wish all fathers in Ghana and across the globe a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.



Also worth celebrating on this special day, are potential fathers and indeed all men and women who are playing various fatherly roles in the family and in society at large. May fatherhood continue to reign.



I wish to also use this opportunity to say a Happy Father's Day to the father of the nation, His Excellency President Akufo-Addo. It is my prayer that Almighty ALLAH grants him and his government more wisdom and fortitude to continue to deliver on the mandate of the Ghanaian people.



Once again, Happy Father's Day and may God bless us all.



JOHN BOADU

GENERAL SECRETARY



*IN HONOUR OF ALHAJI KAMAL-DEEN ABDULAI OF NPP FAME*



Whereas it is true that the NPP has witnessed some great personalities from the countrys Zongo/Muslim constituency, it is also very true that Alhaji Kamal-Deen Abdulai remains one of the most astounding members of the party to have come from this constituency, which hitherto, had been perceived as the political world bank of the NDC. He more than contributed to changing this narrative especially when he was serving as the National Nasara Coordinator of the party.



In the 2016 elections, Kamal-Deen, as the then Commander-in-Chief of the partys Muslim and Zongo constituency, led the partys nationwide mobilization efforts in this special constituency to prosecute an efficient campaign which culminated in the unprecedented votes secured by the NPP in the elections. His efforts also ensured that the party won a lot of the Parliamentary Seats in the Zongo constituencies including almighty Madina [the undisputed national headquarters of Zongo].



Kamal-Deen brought in a lot of vitality and intellectuality to the partys Nasara Wing, and transformed it into a strong force to reckon with in the nations political milieu. Owing to his instrumentality, Kamal-Deen was successful in getting the NPP to amend its Constitution to elevate the Nasara Wing into a Special Organ of the Party with all courtesies extended to it.



Kamal-Deen also successfully organized the partys FIRST EVER NATIONAL NASARA CONFERENCE in 2016, which Conference provided an opportune platform for the partys Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to outdoor the partys policy statement for the Zongos and Settler communities in the country.



Not only that, Kamal-Deen expanded the political tentacles of NPP Nasara by setting up Nasara branches in many counties across the globe to take the NPPs massage to our brothers and sisters living in the diaspora and to get them to contribute their quota to the partys political fortunes.



Perhaps, even more instructive is to make the point that it was Kamal-Deen, who, upon realizing that the Zongos were far behind in development, and after researching and diagnosing the problem with the support of H.E. Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, proposed the establishment of a Zongo Development Fund to deal with this age-long inequity.



Another novelty introduced by Kamal-Deen which is worth mentioning is the formation of Nasara Communications Team in the various regions across the country to help in disseminating the partys message of hope to the good people of Zongo in particular and Ghanaians at large.



Lest we forget, during the Paul Afoko-driven turbulent times in the internal politics of the NPP, Kamal-Deen as the then National Nasara Coordinator was one of the persons that stood his grounds and fiercely fought the treachery being visited on the party at the time. This eventually led to the suspension of the National Chairman, National 3rd Vice Chair and the General Secretary, which paved way for the NPP to clinch victory in the 2016 elections.



Many had thought, rightly so, that, in view of the instrumental role he played to secure an emphatic victory for the NPP in 2016, Kamal-Deens efforts would be rewarded with a juicy appointment to serve in the governments first term, but that really never happened. He nonetheless continued and still continues to work his heart out for the party and government.



He went on to serve, and is still serving as a Deputy National Communications Director of the NPP after the 2016 victory, representing the party on radio and television on daily basis with his excellent communications skills. Kamal-Deen indeed never gets tired when it comes rendering services to the NPP, with or without any motivation.



However, now, more than ever, it is widely anticipated that the hardworking Alhaji Kamal-Deen Abdulai, who has consistently demonstrated commitment, dedication and loyalty to the NPP, will have an opportunity to also contribute his vast political experience to the success stories of President Akufo-Addos second term. After all, it has always been said that he who laughs last, laughs best.



Assalamu alaikum



Alhaji Iddi Muhayu-Deen

#ForGodAndCountry













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A former illegal miner, popularly known as Strongman has said should a shoot to kill order be issued to the anti-illegal mining (galamsey) Military Taskforce, Operation Halt, the soldiers will rather record more casualties.



Some statesmen including immediate-past Ghanas High Commissioner to South Africa, H.E George Ayisi Boateng have advocated for anyone found on an illegal mining (galamsey) site to be shot dead by the Military Taskforce.



According to him, the war being waged by the government against illegal mining must be fought just as happens on the battlefield where casualties are recorded.



When the Taskforce meets anyone engaging in galamsey, even if its me, the person should be shot to death. All equipment including excavators must be destroyed.



Anyone who draws a sword dies by the sword. We are waging a battle against galamsey and from what I know theres no format when one is on the battlefield. Any means by which the battle against galamsey will be won must be applied because Ghanaians are very stubbornas for this fight against galamsey there should be no mercy for anyone found engaging in the illegal act. Even if its an insect that is found at a galamsey site it must be shot dead. Whoever is hired to work at a galamsey site must turn down the offer because he or she may pay dearly with his or her life, the former Diplomate said in an interview with Okay FM monitored by Kasapafmonline.com.



But in an interview on Kasapa FM Tuesday, June 22, 2021, Strongman while sharing his experience in illegal mining said such a move will be wrong and costly to the nation as most of the illegal miners are well-armed and may even subdue the military taskforce.



Any order to shoot to kill galamseyers (illegal miners) will not bode well for the country. The galamseyers you see at the various mining sites are not weaklings, they are very brave people. If indeed theres a shoot and kill order, I can bet you it will be very tough for the soldiers whenever they go for an operation, unless thousands of soldiers are deployed to that site for reinforcement to ensure they are victorious. Again, the galamseyers because they are indigenes know their way about at the mining sites more than the military taskforce and will outwit them.



Meanwhile, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has begun phase 4 of its Operation Halt 2 that focuses on removing all persons and logistics involved in mining from the Ankobra River, its tributaries and forest reserves.



Providing updates on the operation, Minister for Defense, Dominic Nitiwul said government has deployed 401 men of all ranks from the GAF and other sister security apparatus to rid the countrys forest reserves and water bodies of illegal mining activities.





Source: kasapafmonline.com









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The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, says he will ensure that non-performing Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives in the region are sacked if they do not perform satisfactorily in their roles.



Addressing a meeting of assembly members and MMDCE's in Greater Accra on Monday, (June 21, 2021), Mr Quartery said the performance of MMDCEs in Accra would be assessed every six months after which the low-performing officials would be proposed for dismissal.



He insisted that the job of MMDCEs was not limited to the confines of their offices but on the ground, and that they must be ready to be on the field to work.



Mr. Quartey said he will plead with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack any MMDCE who fails to perform creditably after the six months duration.



I dont know about other regions, but in Greater Accra, if you are confirmed as an MCE, I want to go and kneel down before Mr. President that six months into your administration and you are not performing, we will sack you.



As an MCE, we expect you to work hard. Dont sit in your office and do capacity building. Go to the field, that is where the work is. We will try and get an appraisal to the Local Government Minister, every six months, and if we think you are not doing well, we will sack you.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has promised that his government will establish One million Enterprises across the country as he commissions a 96,000 metric ton capacity processing plant of Premium Foods Limited. According to the president, the move forms part of his governments commitment to Ghanas industrialization; value addition and job creation drive.



He made the statement at Kwaso in the Ejisu Municipality where he commissioned a new factory of Premium Foods Limited under the 1 District 1 Factory initiative.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has paid a working visit to the Upper East Region. He first paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Kusaug Traditional Area, Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II in the Bawku Municipality, and inspected the ongoing Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road.



The President would later meet with Party elders and patrons in the Region and address a durbar of Chiefs and people of the Binduri Traditional Area. President Akufo-Addo would also commission a newly constructed District Assembly complex at Zuarungu in the Bolgatanga East District.



The President is expected to leave the Region for the North East Region to continue his visit to the North.



















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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Private Legal Practitioner, Gary Nimako Marfo has said that the attacks by the NDC against the Chief Justice are unjustifiable and unwarranted.



According to him, the NDC should just have advised Dr. Dominic Ayine on the need to eat a humble pie and possibly apologize for the distasteful comment against Justice Anin-Yeboah.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that the NDC could not prove in court whether indeed they won the 2020 general elections.



"You went to court to say that no one won the 2020 general elections and that the court should order for second elections but you were unable to prove your claims in the court yet you want to prove that the highly respected Judges of the Supreme Court erred in their ruling in the election petition."



"Why do they want us to believe that what Dr. Ayine said about the Judges is sacrosanct and that they have been cheated."



"I believe that their approach is wrong and that they are causing more harm than good for my good friend and lecturer, Dr. Dominic Ayine," he said.



The largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is demanding that the Chief Justice withdraws a petition to the General Legal Council (GLC) to investigate the Bolgatanga East MP over his comments about the Apex Court.



Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the General Secretary of the party, said the attempts by Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah to silence NDCs legal minds, such as Dr. Dominic Ayine, amounts to intimidation.



Addressing the press in Accra on Monday, he said NDC lawyers will not be cowed by the whims and caprices of the judiciary, and they will speak freely.



 . . Even as the action taken against Dr. Ayine is unjustified, it is but a symptom of a larger problem. It is no coincidence that virtually all the lawyers who have been reported to the Disciplinary Committee of the Council by the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, in recent times are aligned to the NDC."



What is the Chief Justices personal interest in the punishment of NDC-affiliated lawyers, that he is so keen to initiate unwarranted actions against them? he quizzed.



Watch video below





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghanaian ace actress and TV presenter, Nana Ama McBrown, has been sighted in a video on social media thanking Ghanaians and displaying several awards that have been won by McBerry Biscuits at the 5th edition of the 2021 Ghana Manufacturing Awards.



These awards are very well deserved for a company whose aim is to work hard to be the number one Biscuit producing company in Africa.



The awards were Confectionery Products Manufacturing Company of the Year bestowed on the Mcberry Biscuit brand.



McBerry is one of Ghanas leading Biscuits brands manufactured by Twellium industries, that has been making major waves with its new products and over 40 SKUs within two years of operations.



The Factory production, has greatly helped in the growth of Ghanas economy by increasing Ghanaian exports to the rest of West Africa.



This Mark has been made to mar the influx of foreign products like Soda Crackers, Bourbon biscuits, Digestive biscuits, among others, which has for ages been imported from foreign countries, monopolised and sold at exorbitant prices in the market as was done in the past to meet demands of biscuit lovers in Ghana.



Thanks to McBerry, the Ghanaian market psyche has changed to patronising Made in Ghana products in order to embrace domestication and support national policies aimed at protecting local industries.



The McBerry Biscuits brand has sought to encourage Ghanaian Farmers by buying their cash crops including Cashew and Milk which has been blended into the freshly baked biscuit products.



Biscuit and Beverage giant, Twellium Industrial Company Limited has been certified with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) to affirm its conformity to world-class standards of safety and premium quality making every product match able to international products.



This has created an alternative for Made in Ghana products, satisfying the snack cravings and desires of consumers.



With a reach arching over the remotest villages of Ghana and major cities across the world, the Mcberry brand has grown to become the most trusted biscuit brand globally.













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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This aerial photos shows the Great Barrier Reef in Australia on Dec. 2, 2017. Australia said Tuesday, June 22, 2021, it will fight a recommendation for the Great Barrier Reef to be listed as in danger of losing its World Heritage values due to climate change, while environmentalists have applauded the U.N. World Heritage Committee's proposal.Credit: Kyodo News via AP

Australia said Tuesday it will fight against plans to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef's World Heritage status due to climate change, while environmentalists have applauded the U.N. World Heritage Committee's proposal.

The committee said in a draft report on Monday that "there is no possible doubt" that the network of colorful corals off Australia's northeast coast was "facing ascertained danger."

The report recommends that the world's most extensive coral reef ecosystem be added to UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, which includes 53 sites, when the World Heritage Committee considers the question in China in July.

The listing could shake Australians' confidence in their government's ability to care for the natural wonder and create a role for UNESCO headquarters in devising so-called "corrective measures," which would likely include tougher action to reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.

Any downgrade of the reef's World Heritage status could reduce tourism revenue that the natural wonder generates for Australia because fewer tourists would be attracted to a degraded environment and dead coral.

Reef cruise operators said the report was wrong and that tourists continued to be awed by dazzling coral and multicolored fish. But some tourists said the reef had seemed more colorful during visits decades ago.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley said she and Foreign Minister Marise Payne had called UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay to express the government's "strong disappointment" and "bewilderment" at the proposal.

Australia, which is one of 21 countries on the committee, will oppose the listing, Ley said.

"This decision was flawed. Clearly there were politics behind it," Ley told reporters. "Clearly those politics have subverted a proper process and for the World Heritage Committee to not even foreshadow this listing is, I think, appalling."

The network of 2,500 reefs covering 348,000 square kilometers (134,000 square miles) has been World Heritage-listed since 1981.

But its health is under increasing threat from climate change and rising ocean temperatures.

The report found the site had suffered significantly from coral bleaching events caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures in 2016, 2017 and last year.

Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley, left, speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Australia said on Tuesday it will fight a draft recommendation to list the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage site in danger after a United Nations body called for more government action on climate change. Credit: Lukas Coch/AAP via AP

Australian Marine Conservation Society environmental consultant Imogen Zethoven welcomed the committee's recognition that "Australia hasn't done enough on climate change to protect the future of the reef."

The reef would become the first site to be added to the List of World Heritage in Danger primarily for climate change reasons, Zethoven said.

"It would be a very significant step for the World Heritage Committee to make this decision and one that we really hope that it does make because it will open up a lot of potential change," she said.

Richard Leck, a spokesman for the environmental group WWF, said listing the reef as in-danger would be "a real shock" to many Australians.

In 2014, Australia was warned that an "in danger" listing was being considered rather than being proposed for immediate action.

Australia had time to respond by developing a long-term plan to improve the reef's health called the Reef 2050 Plan.

The committee said this week that plan "requires stronger and clearer commitments, in particular towards urgently countering the effects of climate change."

Ley said climate change policy debate should be restricted to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

"I know ... that climate change is the biggest threat to the reef and in no way am I stepping away from that recognition and countries including European countries have got strong views about what policies different countries should have on climate change and I understand that as well, but this is not the convention in which to have those conversations," Ley said, referring to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Observers say the swearing in on Tuesday of new Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who opposes action on climate change that increases prices, signals Australia is likely to set less ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Terry Hughes, director of the Australian Research Council's Center for Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, said Australia's refusal to commit to a net zero carbon emissions target by 2050 made the country a "complete outlier."

"This draft decision from UNESCO is pointing the finger at Australia and saying: 'If you're serious about saving the Great Barrier Reef, you need to do something about your climate policies,'" Hughes told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Explore further Report: Climate change damaging more World Heritage sites

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Great Barrier Reef was worth an estimated $4 billion a year in tourism revenue for the Australian economy before the coronavirus pandemic.

Australia said Tuesday it will strongly oppose a UNESCO plan to list the Great Barrier Reef as being "in danger" over deterioration caused by climate change.

The UN body released a draft report on Monday recommending the reef's World Heritage status be downgraded because of its dramatic coral decline, after years of public threats to do so.

"It's a warning to the international community and all of humanity that the coral ecosystem is in danger," Fanny Douvere, the head of UNESCO's World Heritage marine programme, told an online press briefing.

The reef is one of seven sites threatened with being added to the endangered heritage list over ecological damage, overdevelopment, overtourism or security concerns.

The Italian city of Venice, which has been overrun with tourists, and the waterfront of the English city of Liverpool, which is undergoing a major redevelopment, are among the other listings in UNESCO's sights.

Environmental campaigners said the threat to the Great Barrier Reef's heritage status highlight Australia's lack of action to curb the carbon emissions which contribute to global warming.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Australia would challenge the move, accusing UN officials of backflipping on their assurances ahead of the World Heritage Committee's 44th session in China next month, where the recommendation will be formally considered.

The Great Barrier Reef has now suffered three mass coral bleaching events in the past five years, losing half its corals since 1995.

"Politics have subverted a proper process and for the World Heritage Committee to not even foreshadow this listing is, I think, appalling," she told reporters in Canberra.

The UN body did not consider the billions of dollars spent attempting to protect the world's largest coral reef, she added.

'From poor to very poor'

The committee's draft report did commend Australia's efforts to improve reef quality and its financial commitment.

But it noted "with the utmost concern and regret... that the long-term outlook for the ecosystem of the property has further deteriorated from poor to very poor," referring to Australia's move to downgrade the reef's health status after back-to-back mass bleaching events in 2016 and 2017.

Ley said she had spoken to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay overnight Monday to express "very clearly our strong disappointment, even bewilderment".

Placement on the UN body's in-danger list is not considered a sanction. According to UNESCO, some nations have their sites added to gain international attention and help to save them, but it is seen as a dishonour by others.

The Selous game reserve in Tanzania, which could be stripped of World Heritage status after poachers have run amok.

UNESCO has recommended that a total of seven sites be added to the endangered list and that two sitesLiverpool's waterfront and Selous game reserve in Tanzania, where poachers have run amokbe stripped of their World Heritage status altogether.

Australia has resisted calls to commit to a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying the country hoped to reach carbon neutrality "as soon as possible" without harming its commodity-dependent economy.

The downgrade recommendation for the Great Barrier Reef prompted environmental groups to take aim at the Australian government's reluctance to take stronger climate action.

'Shame'

The Climate Council said it brought "shame on the federal government, which is standing by as the reef declines rather than fighting to protect it".

"The recommendation from UNESCO is clear and unequivocal that the Australian government is not doing enough to protect our greatest natural asset, especially on climate change," said WWF head of oceans Richard Leck.

UNESCO's Douvere acknowledged that Australia had made "tremendous efforts" to shore up the reef.

The Great Barrier Reef, by the numbers.

"The Australian government cannot save the Great Barrier Reef by itself," she said, while adding that Canberra could act to improve water quality at the reef, which would increase its resilience to climate change.

Aside from its inestimable natural, scientific and environmental value, the 2,300-kilometre-long (1,400-mile-long) reef was worth an estimated US$4.8 billion a year in tourism revenue for the Australian economy before the coronavirus pandemic.

In December, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said climate change had pushed the reef into critical condition.

Australian Marine Conservation Society environmental consultant Imogen Zethoven said the UNESCO report made clear that limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was critical for the reef.

"Australia's climate record is more consistent with a 2.5-3.0 Celsius rise in global average temperature - a level that would destroy the Great Barrier Reef and all the world's coral reefs," she said.

The Great Barrier Reef has now suffered three mass coral bleaching events in the past five years, losing half its corals since 1995 as ocean temperatures have climbed.

The reef has also been battered by several cyclones as climate change drives more extreme weather and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfishwhich eat the coralin recent decades.

Explore further Australia fights UN downgrade of Great Barrier Reef health

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

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.

Explore further Body cameras may have little effect on police and citizen behaviors: study

More information: Aaron Chalfin et al, How many complaints against police officers can be abated by incapacitating a few "bad apples?", Criminology & Public Policy (2021). Aaron Chalfin et al, How many complaints against police officers can be abated by incapacitating a few "bad apples?",(2021). DOI: 10.1111/1745-9133.12542

Provided by American Society of Criminology
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The sclera of the eye is devoid of pigment, which is why humans can easily follow where counterparts are looking. Researchers have long believed this facilitates glance-based communication. A team of zoologists based at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and the Anthropological Institute in Zurich is now challenging this traditional view in a new study. The researchers looked at communicative behavior and eye color in apes and question the proposed connection between the two phenomena. The results have just been published in Scientific Reports.

"Part of this hypothesis is based on the idea that among primates, only humans have white sclerae," says study leader Kai Caspar (UDE). "However, only few comparative data have been available to back up this claim. Therefore, we assessed scleral pigmentation and measured eye contrast values in photos of more than 380 hominoids from 15 species. These included humans, great apes such as chimpanzees and orangutans, and gibbons, the small apes."

Although all hominoids are closely related, they communicate by different means. UDE zoologist Caspar says, "Different from us humans, glances play only a subordinate role in great ape communication, and for the gibbons they seem to have no communicative significance at all. So if the traditional assumption were true, differences in pigmentation should comply to differences in communicative behavior: the lighter the sclera, the more are the eyes used to convey information."

But this is not the case, as the study was able to show. Neither is the white of the human eye unique, nor can a connection be made between scleral color and communicative demands. "The expression of contrast in our eyes is not significantly different from that in some great apes, such as the Sumatran orangutan. Interestingly, however, scleral pigmentation can sometimes be highly variable within the same ape species. In humans, there is only plain white. This uniformity is a quite unusual extreme."

The zoologists around Kai Caspar fully reject the common assumption that the lightening of our sclera arose for the purpose of effective communication. Instead, they suspect other evolutionary mechanisms such as genetic drift or sexual selection to be at play: "These may have altered the appearance of our eyes in comparison to that of our closest living relatives."

Explore further Ability to detect directional gaze is not unique to humans

More information: Kai R. Caspar et al, Ocular pigmentation in humans, great apes, and gibbons is not suggestive of communicative functions, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Kai R. Caspar et al, Ocular pigmentation in humans, great apes, and gibbons is not suggestive of communicative functions,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92348-z

Provided by Universitat Duisburg-Essen
Mabui calculus (circled) and substratum of where the crab was found. Credit: National University of Singapore

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the University of the Ryukyus has recently identified and described a bizarre new genus and species of xanthid crab found on Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Named Mabui calculus, it is unique among the 7,800 species of known crabs in having strongly asymmetrical male and female reproductive structures!

"Male crabs have a pair of reproductive parts called gonopods while females have a pair of vulvae. All crabs mate in the 'missionary position," so the gonopods pump sperm into females for internal fertilization of the eggs. This was the accepted orthodoxy until our discoverya small Japanese crab has evolved to do this very differently," explained Professor Peter Ng, a world-leading expert in crustaceans and Head of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at NUS.

The researchers first saw this nondescript little xanthoid crabwhich was about 6 millimeters widemore than a decade ago in the high-energy surf zones in Okinawa in Japan.

"When we took a closer look at these crabs, we found the males and females crabs have markedly asymmetrical male gonopods and female vulvaeone member of each pair was normal while the other was strongly reduced. And they form matching pairs! The right male gonopod is long and well developed, while the left one is much smaller. The left female vulva is large and round, while the right one is lost in most of females. This is the only way the crabs can mate effectively. The evolution of asymmetrical reproductive parts is not known for any crab, and this is truly amazing in nature," Prof Ng added.

The research team collected over 50 specimens, including females with eggs, to conduct further studies. It took the scientists a decade of studies and comparisons to decipher what this 'sexy crab'  the scientists' moniker for the animalis, and to give it a formal scientific nameMabui calculus.

"In the Okinawan dialect, "Mabui' means soul, and local folklore has it that when people are deeply shocked, they 'drop their Mabui." This exactly describes our feelings when we first discovered this fascinating little crab. It took a lot of work before we realized that this animal is not an anomaly, mutation or freak of nature. It was real, and natural," said Associate Professor Tohru Naruse from the Tropical Biosphere Research Center, Iriomote Station, University of the Ryukyus.

"Just when we thought we know crabs well, we find one that blows our "Mabui' away," said Prof Ng.

The research team published their findings in the Journal of Crustacean Biology on 11 June 2021.

More about xanthid crabs

The largest xanthid grows to 18 cm across the carapace or shell while Mabui tips in as among the smallest.

Xanthids are among the most species-rich families of crabs and are found all over the world, but are most diverse in the tropics. They occur from intertidal habitats to the deep sea at about 1,200 meters deep, and are one of the most successful groups of crabs on the planet with a wide range of adaptations.

Explore further How does a crustacean become a crab?

More information: Tohru Naruse et al, Remarkable bilaterally asymmetrical gonopores and gonopods in a new genus and species of brachyuran crab from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan (Decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae), Journal of Crustacean Biology (2021). Tohru Naruse et al, Remarkable bilaterally asymmetrical gonopores and gonopods in a new genus and species of brachyuran crab from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan (Decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae),(2021). DOI: 10.1093/jcbiol/ruab022
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), together with the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), has patented a multicore fiber optic monitoring system for future use in 5G networks. This system will optimize energy consumption, preserving data transmission capacity.

The system, developed by the UC3M's Photonic Displays and Applications research group, has been able to light-power a system for controlling turning antennas on and off using a fiber optic infrastructure. "What we are going to achieve is a parallel system that will monitor the node's energy needs at all times. In other words, if there is no user in the cell, which is the physical area covered by a particular antenna, we will turn it off so that it is not consuming energy," says Carmen Vazquez, professor at the Department of Electronic Technology.

In addition to this, by receiving a single optical signal, the system can also monitor temperature changes in the fiber core, energy distribution using optical means at different network points, and the state of the communication channel used within the fiber. "If lots of energy is sent, the temperature inside the fiber might increase and, therefore, could be damaged. This system helps us know how much energy we are sending and make sure that the infrastructure we are using to send that energy is in good condition and we are not damaging it," notes Vazquez.

The system can also be integrated into the communications channel itself, with minimal insertion losses and monitoring on a different control channel to the channel being used to send energy. Currently, there is no commercial system that integrates this type of technique, according to the research team.

This patent has been created in collaboration with the ITEAM-UPV's Photonics Research Labs, who manufactured the semi-reflective mirrors embedded in the optical fibers. "Fiber-manufactured devices monitor the power reaching the nodes in real time, while indicating the temperature, without affecting the power of the data being transmitted. This is the basis for the technique developed by the UC3M group," notes Salvador Sales, professor and researcher at the ITEAM-UPV.

The results of research published recently in the Journal of Lightwave Technology scientific journal, which is co-edited by the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the IEEE Photonics Society, show some of the applications that the developed invention may have.

This patent has been developed within the framework of a wider line of research, which has obtained a set of results. BlueSPACE (5G PPP BlueSpace Project Grant 762055) is a three-year European research project, led by Eindhoven University of Technology, that aims to develop next-generation wireless technologies. BlueSpace aims to contribute technologies to increase the speed of the current network, while seeking to reduce energy consumption by using centralized technologies and multicore fibers. The UC3M's contributions to remote light-power have been evaluated in order to be part of the innovative technologies funded by the European Union and of Innovation Radar, an initiative from the European Commission.

Explore further Researchers use transoceanic fiber link for geophysical sensing

More information: Fahad M.A. Al-Zubaidi et al, Optically Powered Radio-over-Fiber Systems in Support of 5G Cellular Networks and IoT, Journal of Lightwave Technology (2021). Fahad M.A. Al-Zubaidi et al, Optically Powered Radio-over-Fiber Systems in Support of 5G Cellular Networks and IoT,(2021). DOI: 10.1109/JLT.2021.3074193
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Learning to provide safe, culturally sensitive health care for Indigenous patients is a journey, not a check box.

This is according to Lloy Wylie, Ph.D., and Stephanie McConkey, whose research has shown systemic change is a nuanced journey that will require long-term commitment from individuals and organizations.

In recent years there has been an expansion of cultural training programs for health-care professionals. The aim of these programs is to ensure health-care providers have knowledge in Indigenous history, residential schools and Indigenous people's experiences in health.

McConkey, a Ph.D. Candidate at University of Toronto who is mixed-heritage and Oneida Nation from Six Nations of the Grand River, said their research indicated that most health-care providers are unaware of Indigenous history and the distinct cultural-social needs of local communities they serve.

"Some health-care providers even admitted to their negative stereotypes against Indigenous peoples and how it impacts the care they provide," she said. "Due to this type of behavior and experiences of discrimination, Indigenous peoples are reluctant to seek health care when needed out of fear of being mistreated and receiving poor quality care."

So, while this knowledge of Indigenous history is crucial, the research team said it needs to go further than just filling knowledge gaps.

"The training that we have now gives people some good background in terms of the history and colonial relations with Indigenous people," said Wylie, professor in pathology and laboratory medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, who teaches in the Master of Public Health Program. "And while that's a great start to developing the competencies needed to provide good health care for Indigenous people, it's not the solution. It's just a lot more complicated than that."

The research involved semi-structured interviews with a range of health-care providers. Participants included Indigenous people working in the health system, who also brought their own lived experience as patients or family supporters, providing unique insights on aspirations and challenges related to Indigenous health-care needs.

By asking about what the research participants want from the health-care system, the research team hoped to focus on recommendations on how to move the work forward, rather than just the shortcomings. They include questions such as, "What could ensure the provision of culturally sensitive services for Indigenous people?".

"Indigenous cultural safety training needs to be more than a one-time check a box and you're done; it should be an iterative process throughout a health-care provider's career that includes multiple training modalities that are integrated in early stages of a health-care professional's education and training," said McConkey.

A major finding from the research was the need for more tangible, practical strategies that health-care providers can integrate into their practices.

This could mean availability of resources in emergency rooms that provide information for practitioners on how to coordinate with local Indigenous health-care agencies, like the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) and First Nations Health Directors, Wylie and her team said. These interprofessional collaborations among health-care teams can create better transition supports for Indigenous patients.

"Part of the ongoing journey is looking at how we can continue to advance this work in each of our specific communities," Wylie explained. "The strategies need to be focused on each community's specific needs, not based on assumptions that we've made about what we think their needs will be."

The research highlighted the need for a multifaceted approach to training, but also that transformative change requires a commitment from organizations to change policies and practices.

Wylie and her team are working with local hospitals and health-care teams to make real change. There is now an Indigenous Healing Space at London Health Sciences Centre's Victoria Hospital, and a newly established Indigenous Health Circle, which includes Wylie, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry faculty members Dr. Rebekah Jacques and Rob Sibbald, as well as the core staff of the Indigenous patient experience team. Together they are looking for ways to use that space to support Indigenous patients and provide wrap-around care, and to support transformative change within the many units across the hospital.

Recognizing that each unit has its own policies, procedures and priorities for health care, Wylie is also hoping to designate champions in these Departments to determine how each unit can make their practice more culturally safe in order to implement tangible solutions.

"We need to be focusing on our own institutions and figuring out what we need to do to allow Indigenous patients to feel safe expressing themselves and their culture, and making sure we're meeting the needs of Indigenous patients," Wylie said. "So, yes, knowing the history is important, and we also need to know how to make practical change."

Explore further Indigenous people travel long distances to give birth compared with non-Indigenous people

More information: Lloy Wylie et al, It's a Journey Not a Check Box: Indigenous Cultural Safety From Training to Transformation, International Journal of Indigenous Health (2021). Lloy Wylie et al, It's a Journey Not a Check Box: Indigenous Cultural Safety From Training to Transformation,(2021). DOI: 10.32799/ijih.v16i1.33240
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Animal rights advocates and hunters may have more in common than they think when it comes to nature conservancy, according to a newly published study by a Texas A&M AgriLife researcher.

The research focused on whether an individual's empathy level toward wildlife predicted their support for conservation efforts. Researchers believe the study can be used to identify individuals and how they view the intrinsic value of nature in ways that can be leveraged to promote wildlife conservation.

Measuring and understanding people's commitment to nature conservancy based on personal morals will be key to combatting wildlife losses and ecosystem disruptions in the short- and long-term, said Gerard Kyle professor and associate department head for academic programs in the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management.

"For some people, the protection of wildlife, and animals more broadly, is a moral issue. Their empathy evokes emotions akin to their empathy for humans," said Kyle, the principal author of the recent study. "It's important that we study both the psychological attachment and detachment from nature that people express. Understanding how humans view wildlife and nature will be a critical part of sustainable conservation efforts in the short- and long-term."

Kyle and his doctoral student, Benjamin Ghasemi, examined the range of moral commitment that individuals expressed toward wildlife and nature conservation based on basic moral psychology principles. This research was recently published in Biological Conservation.

Dynamics Between Hunters, Animal Rights Advocates

Using survey data collected from 1,278 students at Texas A&M University in Bryan-College Station, Kyle and Ghasemi found that participants who viewed protection of natural resources a moral issue and empathized with wildlife showed higher level of support for conservation.

At the same time, the data also showed that groups within the study, such as animal activists and hunters, shared similar psychological mechanisms driving individual moral motivations for nature conservancy.

The study identified specific groups, including "animal rights advocates," "hunters" and "disengaged," then measured within those groups where wildlife ranked as a personal concern.

Scientists measured empathy levels by using a morality diagram made of concentric circles that ranks what the individual considers a moral concern beyond themselves, Kyle said. A typical respondent's diagram would have the person in the middle and likely their immediate family and pets as the first circle, with friends or neighbors as the next ring, followed by animals, trees and so on.

As far as animals go, pets are always the closest concern for individuals, and are viewed as children in some circles. But wild animals were ranked according to the individuals' perception of specific species. For instance, deer would likely be ranked higher than bat, and batsmay be of a greater moral concern than wild pigs or cockroaches.

This approach helped researchers categorize individuals and measure their empathy and moral concern toward wildlife and their subsequent predilection toward nature conservation, Kyle said.

Animal rights advocates made up 50% of respondents and scored highest on all indicators of empathy, moral concern and support for wildlife conservation. Hunters made up 30% of respondents, with 14% of those hunters fitting into the sub-group "caring hunters." The remaining 20% of survey respondents were identified as "disengaged."

Some animal rights advocates viewed hunting as morally wrong, and even expressed views against human consumption of meat, Kyle said. On the other end of the respondent spectrum, some hunters expressed a utilitarian concern for nature, and viewed wildlife as an opportunity to enjoy and utilize nature.

"Caring" hunters aligned their moral concern, empathy and support for wildlife more closely with animal rights advocates than with "utilitarian" hunters, Kyle said. They were concerned about humane and ethical treatment of animals, even during harvest, and protecting and improving habitat and ecological balance, respectively.

"There were some predictable responses from animal advocates and hunters, but there was also some interesting dynamics that showed there was some alignment between advocates and caring hunters," he said. "That was surprising, but the biggest concern is the percentage of people identified as disengaged. They scored lowest on all of our measures and displayed little interest in wildlife conservation, empathy for wildlife, or consideration of their protection as a moral issue."

Detachment Is Bad For Wildlife, Nature Conservation

The study showed respondents from urban areas tended to be more empathetic toward wildlife. Kyle said this attitude is common because urban residents tend to express mutualistic value orientations toward wildlifemeaning they believe humans and animals are meant to co-exist in harmony.

However, in reality, many urban respondents knew very little about wildlife, ecological balance, or how human-wildlife interfaces can have positive and/or negative ramifications for both nature and/or humans, Kyle said. Responses also elicited contradictory thoughts when posed with specific scenarios about wildlife that have negative impacts on humans or when a lack of human intervention can impact the balance of nature, such as the ongoing pest problem wild pigs represent in Texas and many other states.

"Urban respondents are somewhat detached from nature and the potential negative cause and effect of species imbalances," he said. "Although they are sincere in their appreciation of nature and protective views on wildlife, many aren't aware of how wildlife can negatively impact native ecology as well as human activities."

For instance, there are ongoing discussions in Arizona and New Mexico regarding reintroducing jaguars that were effectively wiped out decades ago. Kyle said mutualistic views would only consider that action as a restoration of nature, "a return to as it was and should be," but without much consideration of how the predatory animal's presence may impact prey animal numbers, suburban dwellers or producers of cattle, sheep and goats.

Much like how the urban respondents appeared detached in some results, detachment was evident across the study. For example, hunters may view themselves as conservation-minded, but studies show an individual's view may be distorted and result in very little conservation-minded effort or financial support for conservation programs and organizations. Hunters may also lack understanding about how balanced ecology works and that ecological conservation requires a nuanced, science-based approach that reaches beyond the species they are concerned about for primarily sporting reasons.

But Kyle said studies show hunters play an important role in managing wildlife numbers and help curb overpopulation in species like white-tailed deer by filling the void left by natural predators. Hunting and fishing licenses along with a variety of user fees also generate funding for wildlife management in Texas.

As part of the study, Kyle randomly recruited 20 respondents for an eight-hour Texas Parks and Wildlife Department hunter safety and education course that also included Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service wildlife and fisheries specialists. Two-thirds of attendees were not hunters.

Kyle said non-hunters were curious about the process and surprised that the course, which is mandated for new hunters, stressed the importance of humane treatment and ethical harvesting of animals.

More importantly, Kyle said, attending the class piqued the curiosity of non-hunters and exposed them to the role hunters play in conservation both directly and indirectly. The program also exposed traditional hunters to concepts about how conservation and ecological balance can enhance their experience afield.

"Bridging the knowledge gaps and blind spots among animal advocates and hunters alike could be as easy as developing messaging and education opportunities that reinforce their natural attitudes toward nature and wildlife," he said.

Reaching The Disengaged, Finding Common Ground

The group labeled "disengaged" troubles Kyle the most. This group was detached from and indifferent to the welfare of animals or ecological concerns. He said they scored lowest on all tested measures and displayed little interest in wildlife conservation, empathy for wildlife or consideration of wildlife protection as a moral issue.

For instance, Kyle said disengaged individuals may not consider where various animal proteins they purchase at grocery stores or restaurants originate, and therefore feel no moral concern about the animal or the process by which the meat arrived in their shopping basket. Their views of wildlife could be positive or negative based on how the animals impact their daily life.

It will take more time and effort to reach individuals disengaged from nature, Kyle said. But the connection to nature shared by hunters and animal rights advocates suggests there could be ways to reach individuals in these groups regarding the need for increased conservation support.

Kyle said reaching individuals within these groups through education and messaging will be a critical piece of any sustainable effort to preserve and improve ecological resources for future generations.

"This research shows we have room for communication about the intrinsic value of nature and wildlife among animal rights advocates and hunters," he said. "Despite the differing perspectives within these groups, it shows there is an opportunity for dialog and more importantly subsequent actions that could benefit wildlife and nature."

Explore further The next generation of hunters could look different

More information: Benjamin Ghasemi et al, Toward moral pathways to motivate wildlife conservation, Biological Conservation (2021). Journal information: Biological Conservation Benjamin Ghasemi et al, Toward moral pathways to motivate wildlife conservation,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109170
Peering down a row of magnets leading to the particle storage ring at Fermilab's Muon g-2 experiment. The results have theoretical physicists around the world frantically working through ideas for explanations. Credit: Cindy Arnold/Fermilab

The news that muons have a little extra wiggle in their step sent word buzzing around the world this spring.

The Muon g-2 experiment hosted at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced April 7 that they had measured a particle called a muon behaving slightly differently than predicted in their giant accelerator. It was the first unexpected news in particle physics in years.

Everyone's excited, but few more so than the scientists whose job it is to spitball theories about how the universe is put together. For these theorists, the announcement has them dusting off old theories and speculating on new ones.

"To a lot of us, it looks like and smells like new physics," said Prof. Dan Hooper. "It may be that one day we look back at this and this result is seen as a herald."

Gordan Krnjaic, a fellow theoretical physicist, agreed: "It's a great time to be a speculator."

The two scientists are affiliated with the University of Chicago and Fermilab; neither worked directly on the Muon g-2 experiment, but both were elated by the results. To them, these findings could be a clue that points the way to unraveling the last mysteries of particle physicsand with it, our understanding of the universe as a whole.

Setting the Standard

The problem was that everything was going as expected.

Based on century-old experiments and theories going back to the days of Albert Einstein's early research, scientists have sketched out a theory of how the universefrom its smallest particles to its largest forcesis put together. This explanation, called the Standard Model, does a pretty good job of connecting the dots. But there are a few holesthings we've seen in the universe that aren't accounted for in the model, like dark matter.

No problem, scientists thought. They built bigger experiments, like the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, to investigate the most fundamental properties of particles, sure that this would yield clues. But even as they looked more deeply, nothing they found seemed out of step with the Standard Model. Without new avenues to investigate, scientists had no idea where and how to look for explanations for the discrepancies like dark matter.

The Muon g-2 ring sits in its detector hall amidst electronics racks, the muon beamline, and other equipment. This impressive experiment operates at negative 450 degrees Fahrenheit and studies the precession, or "wobble," of particles called muons as they travel through the magnetic field. Credit: Reidar Hahn/Fermilab

Then, finally, the Muon g-2 experiment results came in from Fermilab (which is affiliated with the University of Chicago). The experiment reported a tiny difference between how muons should behave according to the Standard Model, and what they were actually doing inside the giant accelerator.

Murmurs broke out around the world, and the minds of Hooper, Krnjaic and their colleagues in theoretical physics began to race. Almost any explanation for a new wrinkle in particle physics would have profound implications for the history of the universe.

That's because the tiniest particles affect the largest forces in the universe. The minute differences in the masses of each particle affect the way that the universe expanded and evolved after the Big Bang. In turn, that affects everything from how galaxies are held together down to the nature of matter itself. That's why scientists want to precisely measure how the butterfly flapped its wings.

The likely suspects

So far, there are three main possible explanations for the Muon g-2 resultsif it is indeed new physics and not an error.

One is a theory known as "supersymmetry," which was very fashionable in the early 2000s, Hooper said. Supersymmetry suggests that that each subatomic particle has a partner particle. It's attractive to physicists because it's an overarching theory that explains several discrepancies, including dark matter; but the Large Hadron Collider hasn't seen any evidence for these extra particles. Yet.

Another possibility is that some undiscovered, relatively heavy form of matter interacts strongly with muons.

Finally, there could also exist some other kinds of exotic light particles, as yet undiscovered, that interact weakly with muons and cause the wobble. Krnjaic and Hooper wrote a paper laying out what such a light particle, which they called "Z prime," could mean for the universe.

"These particles would have to have existed since the Big Bang, and that would mean other implicationsfor example, they could have an impact on how fast the universe was expanding in its first few moments," Krnjaic said.

That could dovetail with another mystery that scientists are pondering, called the Hubble constant. That number is supposed to indicate how fast the universe is expanding, but it varies slightly according to which way you measure ita discrepancy which could indicate a missing piece in our knowledge.

What is a muon, and how does the Muon g-2 experiment work? Fermilab scientists explain the significance of the result. Credit: Fermilab

There are other, further-out possibilities, such as that the muons are being bumped by particles winking in and out of existence from other dimensions. ("One thing particle physicists are rarely accused of is a lack of creativity," said Hooper.)

But the scientists said it's important not to dismiss theories out of hand, no matter how wild they may sound.

"We don't want to overlook something just because it sounded weird," said Hooper. "We're constantly trying to shake the trees to get every idea we can out there. We want to hunt this down everywhere it could be hiding."

Sigma steps

The first step, however, is to confirm that the Muon g-2 result holds true. Scientists have a system to tell whether the results of an experiment are real and not just a blip in the data. The result announced in April reached 4.2 sigma; the benchmark that means it's almost certainly true is 5 sigma.

"If it's really new physics, we'll be much closer to knowing in a year or two," said Hooper. The Muon g-2 experiment has much more data to sift through. Meanwhile, the results of some very complicated theoretical calculationsso complex that even the most powerful supercomputers in the world need to chew on them for months to yearsshould be coming down the pike.

Those results, if they get to a 5 sigma confidence level, will point scientists where to go next. For example, Krnjaic helped propose a Fermilab program called M3 that could narrow the possibilities by firing a beam of muons at a metal targetmeasuring the energy before and after the muons hit. Those results could indicate the presence of a new particle.

Meanwhile, at the French-Swiss border, the Large Hadron Collider is scheduled to upgrade to a higher luminosity that will produce more collisions. New evidence for particles or other phenomena could pop up in their data.

All this excitement over a wobble might seem like an overreaction. But tiny discrepancies can, and have, led to massive shakeups. Back in the 1850s, astronomers making measurements of Mercury's orbit noticed it was off a little from what Newton's theory of gravity would predict. "That anomaly, along with other evidence, eventually led us to the theory of general relativity," said Hooper.

"No one knew what it was about, but it got people thinking and experimenting. My hope is that one day we'll look back at this muon result the same way."

Explore further How we found hints of new particles or forces of nature  and why it could change physics
Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

Scientists are pursuing a new strategy in the protracted fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus by engineering nanobodies that can neutralize virus variants in two different ways.

In lab studies, researchers identified two groups of molecules that were effective against virus variants. Using different mechanisms, nanobodies in each group bypassed mutations and disabled the virus's ability to bind to the receptor that lets it enter host cells.

Though vaccination is enabling the resumption of some pre-pandemic activities in parts of the world, SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly working its way around vaccines by mutating itself. In this study, the nanobodies neutralized three emerging variants: Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

"Companies have already started introducing the variants of concern into the construct of booster shots of the existing vaccines," said Kai Xu, assistant professor of veterinary biosciences at The Ohio State University and a co-lead author of the research. "But the virus is constantly mutating, and the speed of mutation may be faster than we can capture. Therefore, we need to utilize multiple mechanisms to control the virus spread."

An accelerated article preview of the study is published online in Nature.

Nanobodies are antibodies derived from immunization of camelid mammalssuch as camels, llamas and alpacasthat can be re-designed into tiny molecules that mimic human antibody structures and functions.

For this work, the researchers immunized llamas to produce single-chain antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. They also immunized "nanomice," transgenic mice with a camelid gene that had been engineered by research fellow Jianliang Xu in the lab of Rafael Casellas, senior investigator at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), to generate nanobodies similar to those produced by camelids.

The team enhanced the nanobodies' power by immunizing the animals first with the receptor binding domain (RBD), a part of the viral surface spike protein, and following with booster shots containing the entire spike protein.

"By using this sequential immunization strategy, we generated nanobodies that can capture the virion by recognizing the receptor binding domain with very high affinity," Xu said.

The scientists tested different nanobodies' neutralization capacity, mapping the surface of the RBD, conducting functional and structure analyses, and measuring the strength of their affinity to narrow the candidate molecules from a large library to six.

The coronavirus is highly infectious because it binds very tightly to the ACE2 receptor to gain access to lung and nasal cavity cells in humans, where it makes copies of itself to infect other cells. The receptor binding domain on the spike protein is fundamental to its success in attaching to ACE2.

"That RBD-ACE2 interface is on the top of the receptor binding domainthat region is the primary target for the protective human antibodies, generated by vaccination or previous infection, to block the viral entry," Xu said. "But it is also a region frequently mutated in the variants."

The way mutants have emerged so far suggests long-term reliance on current vaccines will eventually be compromised, the researchers say, because antibody effectiveness is affected significantly by those mutants at the interface.

"We found that certain nanobodies can recognize a conserved region of the receptor binding domain, a hidden location that is too narrow for human antibodies to reach," Xu said. And attaching at this location, even though it is some distance away from where RBD connects to ACE2, still accomplishes what is intendedblocking SARS-CoV-2 from entering a host cell.

The other group of nanobodies, attracted to the RBD-ACE2 interface, while in their original form could not neutralize certain variants. However, when the researchers engineered this group to be homotrimersthree copies linked in tandemthe nanobodies achieved potent neutralization of the virus. Altering the structure of the nanobodies that attached to the conserved region of RBD in the same way enhanced their effectiveness as well.

There is much more research ahead, but the findings suggest nanobodies could be promising tools to prevent COVID-19 mortality when vaccines are compromised, Xu said.

"Our future plan is to further isolate antibodies specifically against emerging variants for therapeutic development, and to find a better solution for vaccines by learning from those antibodies," he said.

More information: Jianliang Xu et al, Nanobodies from camelid mice and llamas neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants, Nature (2021). Journal information: Nature Jianliang Xu et al, Nanobodies from camelid mice and llamas neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03676-z
Credit: University of the Basque Country

Researchers at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country describe two palaeotheriidae mammals that lived in the subtropical landscape of Alava

The UPV/EHU's Vertebrate Paleontology research group has described two new species of palaeotheriidae mammals that inhabited the subtropical landscape of Zambrana (Alava) about 37 million years ago. Their atypical dental features could point to a difference in environmental conditions between the Iberian and Central European areas.

Although hypomorph mammals (or equids) are currently represented by only one genus ("Equus') and just a handful of species of horses, donkeys and zebras, they were more diverse during the Eocene epoch (between 56 and 33.9 million years ago). One of the most widespread groups in Europe, which was an archipelago at that time, were the palaeotheriidae, named after the genus "Palaeotherium," described in 1804 from fossils originating in the quarries of Montmartre (Paris) by the famous French naturalist George Cuvier.

The international Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology has recently published a paper on a study led by Leire Perales-Gogenola describing two new species of palaeotheriidae mammals that inhabited the subtropical landscape of Zambrana (Alava) 37 million years ago. Together with their collaborators from the UPV/EHU's Vertebrate Paleontology research group, they described the new species Leptolophus cuestai and Leptolophus franzeni, naming them in memory of the paleontologists Miguel Angel Cuesta from Palencia, and Jens Lorenz Franzen from Bremen, specialists in mammal fauna of the Eocene epoch in Europe.

Palaeotheriidae (or pseudo-horses) were represented across the European archipelago by more than half a dozen genera, more than half of which were endemic to the Iberian island, and became extinct during the climatic-biological crisis of the Eocene-Oligocene transition, also known as Stehlin's Grande Coupure. Palaeotheriidae were mammals similar in terms of body shape to today's horses, but smaller in size. "Can one imagine animals similar to horses with three toes, the size of a fox terrier, a Great Dane and a donkey living in a subtropical landscape in Alava? Many of these pseudo-horses have been described at the Zambrana site," said one of the team members Dr. Ainara Badiola. "Examples of them are the Pachynolophus zambranensis and Iberolophus arabensis species, which were first specified in this palaeontological enclave."

The two new species not only expand the fossil record and the biodiversity of palaeotheriidae fauna, but also display dental features atypical for equids of the Eocene. "Their molars have a very high crown and are covered with a thick layer of cementum. This type of dentition, also present in other endemic Iberian palaeotheriidae, could be indicative of a difference in environmental conditions between the Iberian and Central European areas, with more arid conditions or less dense or closed forests and the presence of more open areas in Iberia," explained Perales-Gogenola.

At the end of the Eocene in Europe, forests of an intertropical type gradually disappeared, giving way to plant communities of a more temperate type with more open areas. Modern horses or equids appeared in Europe later on during the Miocene (23-5.3 Ma). Their dentition, with very high crowns, is adapted for eating vegetation with a high grit content (grasses). The new species Leptolophus cuestai from the Upper Eocene site at Zambrana (Alava) also displays molars with atypically high crowns, similar to those of some of the earliest equids in Europe.

In addition to its palaeobiological interest, the diverse fossil association of mammals from Zambrana, which comprises primates, rodents, marsupials, carnivores, artiodactyla and perissodactyla, provides new information on the climatic and environmental changes that occurred in Europe and in our environment over geological time.

The UPV/EHU's Vertebrate Paleontology group is currently immersed in the description of more palaeotheriidae material, which could facilitate the description of new genera and species with unusual dental features among the equoid perissodactyla.

Explore further Dormice may have hibernated as early as 34 million years ago

More information: Leire Perales-Gogenola et al, New Leptolophus (Palaeotheriidae) species from the Iberian Peninsula and early evidence of hypsodonty in an Eocene perissodactyl, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (2021). Journal information: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Leire Perales-Gogenola et al, New Leptolophus (Palaeotheriidae) species from the Iberian Peninsula and early evidence of hypsodonty in an Eocene perissodactyl,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2021.1912061
A major constructor of Caribbean reefs, staghorn coral has recently begun to grow north of Miami as the climate has warmed. Its prospects for building reefs that far north will be severely limited by cold fronts, which climate change is making more common. Credit: Alexander Modys, Florida Atlantic University

Warming seas are driving many species of marine life to shift their geographic ranges out of the tropics to higher latitudes where the water is cooler. Florida's reefs will not be able to make that northward move, however, as they will be caught between intolerably hot tropical waters and increasingly frequent water-cooling cold snaps, according to new findings from Florida Institute of Technology, the U.S. Geological Survey, and several other institutions to be published June 22 in Scientific Reports.

Populations of the main species of reef-building corals are already in dire condition, to the extent that they are listed under the Endangered Species Act. With no where to go, the corals will decline even more drastically.

Corals are colonies of animals related to sea anemones. They have single-celled algae living inside them that feed them with carbohydrates the algae make by photosynthesis.

The coral colonies lay down limestone to make reefs that protect shorelines from storm waves and provide habitat for fish that feed half-a-billion people worldwide.

In Florida, spiny lobster, snapper and grouper find shelter, food and breeding sites in coral reefs, which NOAA estimates generate $4.4 billion in local sales in the Sunshine State and more than 70,000 related jobs.

Now climate change is raising temperatures and disrupting the tight, symbiotic relationship between the corals and their algae, to the point that corals are dying all over the world. One common prediction is that corals will simply migrate north and build reefs where the water is cooler. But more frequent freezes in Florida will prevent corals from escaping north and re-establishing reefs away from the tropics.

"It's just not as simple as predicting the corals will move north," said lead author Lauren Toth. Toth, who received her Ph.D. at Florida Tech in 2013, is a research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey's St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Fla. "Thousands of years ago, corals and coral reefs moved north along Florida's east coast when the climate warmed, but things are different now. Rapid climate change looks to be increasing the number of cold fronts from the polar vortex that are dipping down into Florida."

Co-author Richard Aronson, a marine scientist at Florida Tech and Toth's doctoral advisor, said, "All of us on the Eastern Seaboard know the jet stream is wobbling more and dipping southward more frequently, bringing us bad winter storms and bitterly cold weather. The corals along Florida's east coast will be hammered from the north by freezes on the anvil of rising temperatures in the south. They won't be able to shift locations from the Florida Keys to the east coast."

William Precht, co-author and a marine biologist at the Florida-based consulting firm Dial Cordy and Associates, Inc., pointed out that beyond their essential ecological role, coral reefs' economic contribution to Florida's economy means their loss could have a wide-ranging impact. "That is a very obvious reason why Floridiansand everyone else for that mattershould be concerned about the impacts of climate change on corals," he said.

Explore further New research finds ocean warming forces reefs into cool-water refuges

More information: Climate and the latitudinal limits of subtropical reef development, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Climate and the latitudinal limits of subtropical reef development,(2021).
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The shift to home working brought about by the pandemic could cost the UK economy up to 32 billion a year in lost personal income tax.

Highly paid workers who live abroad but work in the UK will pay their income tax in their country of residence, rather than to HMRCwhich researchers say could cost billions each year.

This new mobility of the workforce can also affect where corporate income tax is paid and value created, as well as VAT and where goods and services are purchased.

Professor Rita de la Feria, Chair in Tax Law in the University of Leeds' School of Law, co-led the new research with Dr. Giorgia Maffini, Tax Policy expert at PWC, London.

Their paper, The Impact of Digitalisation on Personal Income Taxes, is published in British Tax Review.

Professor de la Feria said, "The acceleration of digitalisation and the spread of remote working internationally as a result of the pandemic poses very significant challenges to personal income taxes.

"New mobile workers are likely to be at top of the income distribution, and even a small number could result in significant revenue losses to the UK, of between 6 billion and 32 billion.

"The likely effect will be a tightening of employment rules, introduction of new tax avoidance rules, and increased personal income taxes competition with countries fighting to attract new mobile workers.

"The impact of these labor changes is likely to be more significant in countries like the UK, which relies heavily on income taxespecially from a small number of high-incomeand now potentially mobiletaxpayers.

"How big these challenges are and how countries will react to them will be a key issue in the coming years."

Total income tax paid in the UK in 2018-19 was 187 billion, with 35% paid by the 4.2 million higher rate taxpayers, and 31% from additional rate taxpayers.

An estimated 31% of UK jobs can be carried out remotelyof which an as-yet unknown share will be internationally mobile.

Assuming only higher and additional rate taxpayers are internationally mobile, the researchers say the potential loss in income tax would be between 2% and 10% of the total revenuebetween 3.8 billion and  billion a year.

Including Social Security contribution losses of between 2.7 billion and 13 billion a year, the total income tax revenue loss would amount to between 6.5 billion and 32.5 billion a year.

The researchers say recent global tax discussions have focused on solving challenges to corporation tax posed by digitalization, but the pandemic-led shift to remote working could pose an even bigger crisis.

Professor de la Feria said, "This crisis has the potential for much wider economic and societal ramifications than the challenges to corporation tax. The challenges of adapting our tax systems to a digital economy are far from over; indeed, they have just started."

Explore further Amazon highlights taxes paid in pushback against critics

More information: Rita de la Feria et al, The Impact of Digitalisation on Personal Income Taxes, SSRN Electronic Journal (2021). Rita de la Feria et al, The Impact of Digitalisation on Personal Income Taxes,(2021). DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3835095
Private messaging apps allow information to spread in an unchecked manner. Credit: Shutterstock

The COVID-19 global pandemic has been accompanied by misinformation about the virus, its origins and how it spreads.

One in seven Canadians thinks there is some truth to the claim that Bill Gates is using the coronavirus to push a vaccine with a microchip capable of tracking people. Those who believe this and other COVID-19 conspiracy theories are much more likely to get their news from social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter.

In extreme cases, conspiracy thinking spurred by online disinformation can result in hate-fuelled violence, as we saw in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the Quebec City mosque shooting, the Toronto van attack and the incident in 2020 where an armed man crashed his truck through the gates of Rideau Hall..

Moderate content

These and other events have placed pressure on social media platforms to label, remove and slow the spread of harmful, publicly viewable content. As a result of implemented responses to the spread of misinformation, Donald Trump was deplatformed during the final weeks of his presidency.

These discussions on content moderation have mainly centered around platforms where content is generally open and accessible to view, comment on and share. But what's happening in those online spaces that aren't open for all to see? It's much harder to say. And perhaps not surprisingly, conspiracy theories are spreading on private messaging apps, like WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger and WeChat, to spread harm.

A graph showing the self-reported frequency of receiving harmful private messages in a representative survey of Canadian residents. Credit: Cybersecure Policy Exchange, Ryerson University

By leveraging large groups of users and long chains of forwarded messages, false information can still go viral on private platforms.

White nationalists and other extremist groups are trying to use messaging apps to organize, and malicious hackers are using private messages to conduct cybercrime. False stories spreading on messaging apps have also led to real-world violence, as happened in India and the United Kingdom.

Trust and private communication

We conducted a survey of 2,500 Canadian residents in March 2021 and found that they're increasingly using private messaging platforms to get their news.

Overall, 21 percent said that they rely on private messages for newsup from 11 percent in 2019. We also found that people who regularly receive their news through messaging apps are more likely to believe COVID-19 conspiracy theories, including the false claim that vaccines include microchips.

There is a level of intimacy in private messaging apps that's different from news viewed on social media feeds or other platforms, with content shared directly by people we often know and trust. A majority of Canadians reported that they had a similar level of trust in the news they receive on private messaging apps as they do in the news from TV or news websites.

Some examples of private messaging app features that could reduce harms, such as group size or message forwarding limits. Credit: Cybersecure Policy Exchange, Ryerson University

Our research also uncovered a uniquely Canadian phenomenon. As a multicultural society with many newcomers, the Canadian private messaging landscape is remarkably diverse. For example, people who have arrived in Canada in the last 10 years were more than twice as likely to use WhatsApp. Similarly, newcomers from China were five times more likely to use WeChat.

We also found that half of Canadians receive messages that they suspect are false at least a few times per month, and that one in four receive messages with hate speech at least monthly. These rates were higher among people of color. Because different apps provide different ways of spreading and mitigating harmful content, each requires a tailored strategy.

Mitigating harm

Platforms and governments around the world are grappling with the tension between mitigating online harms and protecting the democratic values of free expression and privacy, particularly among more private modes of communication. This tension is only exacerbated by some platforms' use of privacy-preserving end-to-end encryption that ensures only the sender and receiver can read the messages.

Some messaging apps have been experimenting with how to reduce the spread of harmful materials, including the introduction of limits on group sizes and on the number of times a message can be forwarded. WhatsApp is now testing a feature that nudges users to verify the source of highly forwarded messages by linking to a Google search of the message content. Some experts are also advancing the idea of adding warning labels to false news shared in messagesa concept that a majority (54 percent) of Canadians supported when we described the idea.

However, there is certainly more that governments can do in this quickly moving area. More transparency is required from messaging platforms about how they're responding to user reports of harmful material and what approaches they're using to stall the spread of these messages. Governments can also support digital literacy efforts and invest in research about harms through private messaging in Canada.

As Canadians shift to more private modes of communication, policy needs to keep up to maintain a vibrant and cohesive democracy in Canada while protecting free expression and privacy.

Explore further WhatsApp tightens sharing limits to curb virus misinformation

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Finding chart of the stars in the field of IC 1434. Credit: Hendy et al., 2021.

Astronomers have performed a detailed photometric and kinematical study of an open cluster known as IC 1434. Results of the research provide essential information regarding the properties of this stellar grouping. The study was detailed in a paper published June 10 on the arXiv pre-print server.

Open clusters (OCs), formed from the same giant molecular cloud, are groups of stars loosely gravitationally bound to each other. So far, more than 1,000 of them have been discovered in the Milky Way, and scientists are still looking for more, hoping to find a variety of these stellar groupings. Expanding the list of known galactic open clusters and studying them in detail could be crucial for improving our understanding of the formation and evolution of our galaxy.

Located some 9,900 light years away from the Earth, IC 1434 is an intermediate age OC (about 320 million years old) with an interstellar reddening of 0.66. Given that this cluster has been poorly studied in the past, a team of astronomers led by Yasser Hendy of the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) in Cairo, Egypt, conducted photometric observations of IC 1434 using the 74-inch Kottamia astronomical observatory (KAO) of NRIAG. The study was complemented by data from the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) Photometric All-Sky Survey (APASS) and from ESA's Gaia satellite.

"Our main goal is to accomplish a deep and precise analysis of an intermediate-age open cluster IC 1434 using CCD V RI, APASS, and Gaia DR2 data," the researchers wrote in the paper.

The team managed to estimate the membership probabilities of stars towards the region of IC 1434 and has found 238 members with a membership probability higher than 60 percent. Afterward, those probable members were used to derive the fundamental parameters of the cluster.

The mean proper motions of IC 1434 were calculated to be 3.89 and 3.34 mas/year in both the right ascension and declination directions, respectively. Based on the radial density profile, the cluster radii was found to be approximately 7.6 arcmins. The obtained values are in accordance with previous studies.

According to the paper, IC 1434 is older and located farther away than previously thought. The study found that the cluster's age is about 631 million years, while its distance is estimated to be some 10,400 light years. The researchers noted that obtained value of the distance is much precise than previous calculations because it is based on good quality optical data along with the high precision Gaia DR2 astrometry.

The interstellar reddening of IC 1434 was measured to be approximately 0.34 mag. Additionally, the density contrast parameter for IC 1434 was calculated to be between 7 and 23. This means that IC 1434 is most likely a relatively sparse cluster.

Explore further Astronomers inspect open cluster NGC 1348

More information: Study of an intermediate age open cluster IC 1434 using ground-based imaging and Gaia DR2 astrometry, arXiv:2106.07496 [astro-ph.SR] Study of an intermediate age open cluster IC 1434 using ground-based imaging and Gaia DR2 astrometry, arXiv:2106.07496 [astro-ph.SR] arxiv.org/abs/2106.07496

 2021 Science X Network
One of the strombolian explosions that have occurred at Stromboli about every 10 minutes for at least 2000 years. Credit:  UNIGE, Luca Caricchi

What causes an eruption? Why do some volcanoes erupt regularly, while others remain dormant for thousands of years? A team of geologists and geophysicists, led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has reviewed the literature on the internal and external mechanisms that lead to a volcanic eruption. Analyzing the thermo-mechanics of deep volcanic processes and magma propagation to the surface, together with magma chemistry, the geologists determined that most of the magma rising from depth actually does not cause a volcanic eruption. They also show that older volcanoes tend to produce less frequent, but larger and more dangerous eruptions. Their findings, published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, will help refine models of volcanic processes to reduce the impact of volcanic eruptions on the more than 800 million people living near active volcanoes.

Volcanic activity remains difficult to predict even when it is closely monitored. Why didn't Mount Fuji erupt after the strong earthquake in Tohoku, Japan? Why did the eruption of Eyjafjallajokul generate such a large amount of volcanic ash? In order to determine the causes of volcanic eruptions, geologists and geophysicists led by Luca Caricchi, professor at the Department of Earth Sciences of the Faculty of Science of the UNIGE, have taken up the existing literature and analyzed all the stages that precede an eruption.

The path of magma from the depths of the Earth

Magma is molten rock that comes from tens of kilometers depth and rises to the Earth's surface. "During its journey, magma can get trapped in reservoirs within the Earth's crust, where it may stagnate for thousands of years and potentially never erupt," explains Meredith Townsend, a researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Oregon (U.S.). Specializing in thermomechanical modeling, the American researcher focused on calculating the pressure required for the magma to break up the rocks surrounding the reservoir and rise to the surface.

Eleonora Rivalta, a researcher at the Potsdam Research Center for Geosciences (Germany) and the University of Bologna (Italy), studied the propagation of magma as it rises to the surface: "If it is runny enough, that is if it does not contain too many crystals, magma can rise very quickly by a sort of self-propelled fracking," she continues. If magma crystallizes more than 50%, it becomes too viscous and its march towards the surface stops. Magma can also take different paths, vertical, horizontal or inclined. Luca Caricchi specializes in magma chemistry, which provides vital information about the state of the magma before a volcanic eruption occurs. "The chemistry of magma and the crystals it contains provide vital information on the sequence of events leading to a volcanic eruption, which is valuable to better interpret the monitoring signals of active volcanoes and anticipate- whether an eruption might occur," explains the Geneva-based researcher. Finally, Atsuko Namiki, a researcher at the Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Nagoya University (Japan), has analyzed the external triggers of an eruption, such as earthquakes, tides or rain: "These alone cannot cause an eruption, the magma has to be ready and awaiting a trigger."

"For an eruption to take place, several conditions must be met simultaneously. Magma with less than 50% crystals must be stored in a reservoir," begins Luca Caricchi. Then this reservoir must be overpressurised. The overpressure can be the result of internal phenomena such as a renewed injection of magma or the exsolution of magmatic gases or it can rise to critical values because of external events such as earthquakes. Finally, once the pressure is sufficient for the magma to start rising, there are still many obstacles that can prevent the magma from erupting.

The age of the volcano as a primary criterion

This comprehensive analysis sheds a light on the behavior of volcanoes that can change over their lifetime. "When a volcano is just starting to be active, its reservoir is rather small (a few km3) and the surrounding crust is relatively cold, which leads to many frequent, but small and rather predictable eruptions," explains Luca Caricchi. It's a different story with old volcanoes. "Their reservoir is bigger and the rocks around them are hotter. When new magma is injected, it does not generate much overpressure because the rocks around the reservoir deform and the growth continues," says the geologist. As an example Mt. St. Helens (U.S.) started erupting 40'000 years ago (a time lapse by geological standards) and its last eruption in 2008 was small and not dangerous. On the contrary, Toba (Indonesia) started erupting explosively about 1.2 million years ago and its last eruption 74000 years ago was cataclysmic. It totally destroyed the surroundings and had an impact on global climate.

Eventually, the accumulation of large amounts of magma will lead to large eruptions. "Moreover, the warning signs are very difficult to detect because the high temperatures decrease seismic activity and the interaction between gases and magma modifies their composition, making it harder to understand what is going on underneath," he says. The higher the rate of magma input, the faster the volcano "ages."

Knowing the age of the volcano, which can be dated by analyzing the zircon in the rocks, allows geologists to understand the stage of life of the volcanoes. "There are currently 1,500 active volcanoes, and about 50 of them erupt each year. Knowing whether or not to evacuate the population is crucial and we hope that our study will contribute to decrease the impact of volcanic activity on our society," continues Luca Caricchi. "Hopefully our findings will be tested on volcanoes that have been studied extensively, such as those in Italy, U.S. and Japan, and transferred to other volcanoes for which there are less data, such as in Indonesia or South America."

Explore further Crystals reveal the danger of sleeping volcanoes

More information: Luca Caricchi et al, The build-up and triggers of volcanic eruptions, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (2021). Luca Caricchi et al, The build-up and triggers of volcanic eruptions,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s43017-021-00174-8
The bill proposes creating a 51st state with one representative and two senators, while a tiny sliver of land including the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall would remain as a federal district.

Instead of the District of Columbia, the new state would be known as Washington, Douglass Commonwealth  named after famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who lived in Washington from 1877 until his death in 1895.

The bill comes as D.C. statehood is receiving unprecedented levels of popular and political support. It received a formal endorsement from the White House, which called Washingtons current status an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.

The effort has also become intertwined with America's ascendant racial justice movement, with progressive activists framing it as an issue of civil rights and political enfranchisement. The proposed state would be approximately 46% Black.

An identical statehood bill passed the House in 2020 but died in the then-Republican-controlled Senate. Now, with the 2020 elections leaving Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, statehood advocates had hoped for a different outcome.
Editor:

Will Dolittle's June 17 commentary on Elise Stefanik's adviser only scratched the surface in exposing the putrid characters whose existence depends solely on winning at any cost.

My career around and in government taught me that character assassins like Stefanik's adviser and her other staff henchmen are foisted on elected puppets by their political party bosses. The party supports and finances candidates in return for their blind loyalty to legendarily corrupt party bosses at all levels.

It's worth explaining that campaign personnel are paid with campaign funds (from big corporate donors in Stefanik's sketchy world) and political committee slush accounts. Salaries, benefits and publicly funded pensions of government employees are covered by taxpayers.

In effect, a majority of North Country voters elect D.C. swamp power brokers, not Stefanik.

GOP bosses have owned and groomed Stefanik since her earlier do-nothing stint in the buffoonish George W. Bush administration. They later planted Stefanik in the Republican-rich 21st Congressional District and in her wealthy grandparents' North Country summer home. I wonder if she got permission to buy her new home in the southernmost point of the district?
Storms on Monday downed trees and wires and caused power outages in parts of the area.

A line of strong storms with frequent lightning and heavy rain moved across the area between 9 and 11 p.m., following a couple of earlier storms in Warren and Washington counties.

The Washington County Sheriffs Office reported damage in the northern part of the county and some minor flooding in Whitehall. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory until 11:30 p.m. for northeastern Washington County.

A total of 273 National Grid customers in Washington County were without power as of 8:30 a.m. Power was expected to be restored by noon.

There was a report of a tree down and blocking part of Buttermilk Falls Road in Fort Ann, according to police radio transmissions. No injuries were reported. The tree was removed as of 9:40 p.m.

Saratoga County had reports of scattered downed trees. A total of 247 were without electricity, with an estimated restoration by noon.

Warren County did not get hit as hard. About 50 National Grid customers were without power as of 11 p.m. and expected to get it back by 1:15 p.m. WNYT-TV NewsChannel 13 reported trees and wires down in Hague and Bolton Landing in its early evening newscast.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.  New Jersey lawmakers passed a bill Monday that would extend the state takeover of most of Atlantic City's major decision-making powers for another four years.

If the bill is signed into law by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, the state will have been in charge of the seaside gambling resorts major functions for nine years at the conclusion of the latest measure.

The move came on the same day that two City Council members called for the New Jersey State Police to take control over the Atlantic City Police Department amid a surge in violent crime. Recent incidents include a fatal shooting Sunday night that left one man dead and three others wounded, and a fatal stabbing the day before that left a man dead and a woman critically injured.

The government takeover was proposed by former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, and enacted in the Democrat-controlled state Legislature in 2016.

It was designed to help the state reign in runaway expenses, high taxes, and poor governance in the seaside gambling resort that, despite the presence of the casino industry, had enduring financial woes. Appeals from the casinos successfully challenging their tax assessments blew large holes in the citys budget.
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Somebody is going to make the money, said resident Bob Noel, a member of the Middle Township Chamber of Commerce. Like the committee members, he said he has not made up his mind but sees advantages to allowing the businesses.

Its an opportunity for us to set the rules, he said. If its legal, it makes sense for us to have a dispensary here.

Resident Stanley Donniger remains skeptical about legalization. He said he supports allowing its medicinal use for patients who need it but worries about the impact on young people and the potential for more people to face problems with substance abuse.

Im in the minority here. You have to respect majority rules, he said. He suggested some of the money raised could be used on education aimed at reducing drug and alcohol abuse.

Several of the speakers raised concerns about young people and cannabis, including police Chief Christopher Leusner. He said he has been on the record as supporting decriminalization of marijuana but said the new laws will create new challenges for his department.

Wildwood, Crest introduce zoning changes to keep out cannabis businesses WILDWOOD CREST  It looks increasingly unlikely that a legal pot shop will find a home in th

I respect the will of the voters. We will adapt and train our officers, and we will do the best we can in this environment, Leusner said. The people have spoken.
Faulkner was home at the time her son Muhsin, 31, was shot twice.

The shots were so loud, I ran out the back door, Faulkner said. But as I got right here (across the street) they told me my son was shot.

Faulkner said her son needs a lot of surgeries to recover from his injuries.

We need resources, send in some assistance with the State Police, Dunston said. Were told we dont have enough police officers, then we need someone in here who can help us. Not take over our police but come in and assist us with what is going on.

Before Delgado and Dunstons news conference, Mayor Marty Small Sr. held his own asking for the state to allow the city to hire more officers.

The city currently has 270 officers  the same amount that it had in 1978, Officer-In-Charge James Sarkos said.

And heres the real ask for the governor in the state of New Jersey: Lets increase the number of police officers here in the great city of Atlantic City. Lets get them back to old levels. Lets get the salaries up, Small said.
But maybe agreeing to a ransomware demand is less rational than it seems. Even for those who pay, the chances of full data recovery are slim. An April 2021 report from Sophos places the likelihood of getting all the data back at 8%. (On average, the amount of data recovered was 65%.) To take the most prominent current example, after Colonial Pipeline forked over $4.4 million in Bitcoins to the hackers at DarkSide, the decryption tool the company received in return proved so ineffective that the company wound up rebuilding its network from scratch.

Still, businesses keep trying. The Sophos report estimates that 32% of targeted organizations pay up in the end. And the cost is rising. Between 2019 and 2020, the average ransomware payout nearly tripled, from $115,123 to $312,493, according to a February report from Palo Alto Networks. (The average will pop a bit next year once the $4.4 million ponied up by the Colonial Pipeline is accounted for, even though more than half has been recovered.)

Hijacking computer networks has become big business. And the threat is going to get worse. The rise of cloud computing has created fresh vulnerabilities. And consider cryptocurrency itself. An analysis published in November 2020 found that the growing appeal of smart contracts run though the blockchain might make ransomware attacks more feasible  and nearly impossible to defeat.
June 22, 2021 in Travel (E)

[prMac.com] Taipei, Taiwan - QuinnScape announces the release of Packing Pro 13.4, an important update that adds over 30 COVID-19 related items and tasks to the Master Catalog. This can help travelers be safe and smart as traveling finally gets closer to its normal, pre-pandemic ways. Besides the obvious face masks and hand sanitizers, this update also includes list items such as pulse oximeter, COVID-19 self-test kit, and proof of COVID testing and/or vaccination, among others. Some important pre-trip tasks include actually getting tested or vaccinated, checking on travel restrictions and possible quarantine rules, as well as travel insurance coverage. Lots more to worry about, but it's best to be prepared.



During the 12 years that Packing Pro has been on Apple's App Store, Packing Pro has been highlighted there several times, such as in the "Travel Essentials," "Travel Survival Kit" and "Travel Expenses" promotions, among others. It has also ranked at #1 for iPads and #2 for iPhones in the U.S. App Store's Travel section. Besides Apple, Packing Pro has also been recognized by CNN, WSJ, BBC, The New York Times, Expedia and Budget Travel, and has earned glowing reviews on major tech and app blogs (Gizmodo, Mashable, Macworld, CNET and iPhone Life, among others).



Packing Pro is a mobile travel packing list app that features unlimited, 100% customizable packing lists, an extensive, yet flexible, catalog, handy sample lists, iCloud auto-sync and various list sharing options. A host of special functions include:



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* Item & list alerts for user-set reminders

* Email export for list & file sharing

* Wireless printing

* Fully customized device support for all sizes of iPhone, iPad & iPod touch

* Full multi-lingual support for English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Japanese & Chinese



Besides the core features listed above (which are also present in the basic Packing ( TO DO!) app), Packing Pro also gives its users the following Pro-level features:



* iCloud auto-syncing support

* Expert packing list wizard that can "automagically" create a list

* Email, iTunes, AirDrop, Dropbox & Box file sharing, backup & out-of-app editing support

* Customized design (themes, layout, fonts, colors, textures)

* Double-sized Master Catalog with over 800 items and to-do tasks

* Twice as many sample lists

* Smart Search (lists & catalog)



Packing Pro version 13.4 is an important update with lots of new COVID-19 items and tasks added to the Master Catalog, just in time for the busy summer travel season. Check it out today, and safe travels!



Pricing and Availability:

Packing Pro is a universal app that is available for purchase worldwide on the iPhone & iPad App Store for $2.99, or the equivalent in local currency. The basic Packing ( TO DO!) sells for just $0.99 (USD).

Since its founding in October 2008, QuinnScape has been managed by Quinn Genzel. Quinn is best known for his popular, top-ranking travel packing apps: Packing ( TO DO!) and Packing Pro. Packing Pro has been recognized by Apple, CNN, WSJ, BBC, National Geographic, Budget Travel, Fodor's, CNET, Macworld and a host of others as one of their top apps for traveling. Other app created by Quinn include a grocery shopping list app (Shopping Pro), nature appreciation apps (iLove Nature and iLove Birds), 3D VR action games (R.I.P and Ghost Buddy) and high-quality puzzles (the aQ's Pro Slider Puzzle series). Copyright (C) 2008-2021 QuinnScape. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

###
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.
The Illiniwek Forest Preserve is home to a few endangered species, including the rusty patch bumblebee and Indiana bat.

There may be more, but without a comprehensive survey of the preserve it's difficult to know for sure.

While surveys of specific areas within the preserve have been conducted, scientists and naturalists from Iowa and Illinois, assisted by the public, will try to survey it all in one go this weekend.

Were going to try to get it all surveyed this time around," Illiniwek Forest Preserve Park Superintendent Mike Petersen said.

Researchers and members of the public will have 24 hours to find and log as many species as possible in the Illiniwek Forest Preserve during the 2021 BioBlitz.

From 2 p.m. Friday to 2 p.m. Saturday participants will survey species in the preserve, Elton E Fawks Bald Eagle Refuge Nature Preserve and Fisherman's Corner.

Demonstrations and other activities are also scheduled throughout the 24 hours, including an electrofishing demonstration, acoustic bat detection, and various day and night hikes.
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.
In 1919, in Abrams v. U. S., Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes tried to explain to the American people why the Founding Fathers opted for freedom of speech and press in the First Amendment, rather than censorship.

"When men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe ... that the ultimate good desired is better reached by the free trade of ideas  that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out," Holmes wrote.

In 1953, another great Supreme Court justice, William O. Douglas, echoed Holmes in United States v. Rumely in 1953:

"These tracts may be the essence of wisdom to some; to others their point of view and philosophy may be anathema. To some ears their words may be harsh and repulsive; to others they may carry the hope of the future. ... Like the publishers of newspapers, magazines, or books, this publisher bids for the minds of men in the market place of ideas.
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.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Democrats' sweeping attempt to rewrite U.S. election and voting law stalled in the Senate Tuesday, blocked by a wall of Republican opposition to what would have been the largest overhaul of the electoral system in a generation.

The bill, known as the For the People Act, would touch on virtually every aspect of how elections are conducted, striking down hurdles to voting that advocates view as the Civil Rights fight of the era, while curbing the influence of money in politics and limiting partisan influence over the drawing of congressional districts.

But many in the GOP say the measure represents a breathtaking federal infringement on states authority to conduct their own elections without fraud  and one meant to ultimately benefit Democrats.

It failed on a 50-50 vote after Republicans, some of whom derided the bill as the Screw the People Act, denied Democrats the 60 votes needed to begin debate. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold her office, presided over the chamber as the bill failed.

The fight's not over, she said afterward.
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 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.

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.

Casey's 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.
DAVENPORT  Jeno Berta, the 83-year-old man who is retiring and selling his Davenport bar, said he has been living the American dream since he came here in the 1950s, but that a recent surprise was something that he could never have dreamed.

Berta recently received a letter of congratulations from President Joe Biden.

I already framed it, Berta beamed.

Berta owns and operates Jenos Little Hungary in northwest Davenport. He recently decided to retire and sell the bar after more than three decades in the business.

Berta has been active in Democratic politics, and his bar became a popular destination for elected officials and candidates  including Joe Biden. The two bonded over a powerful connection: their sons served together in the U.S. military in Iraq in 2009. A framed photograph of Beau Biden and Jeno M. Berta (Bertas son, who has the same first name) hangs on the wall of Bertas bar.
Fans were feeling the urgency of the moment in our weekly chat. Here are the highlights.

Q: Any surprise to John Mozeliaks comments to Derrick Goold that he is prepared to play it out without significant changes to the team, with an add or two of a retread? After getting burned parting with prospects that have blossomed elsewhere, Mozeliak will not repeat that mistake again. Do you see it the same way?

A: Foremost is that the Cardinals don't have a lot of prospects to trade. And, yes, they don't want to get burned. Mozeliak has made it clear he wants to improve the club incrementally until August, when he should have most of his club back for the final two months, including Jack Flaherty, Jordan Hicks, Miles Mikolas, Harrison Bader, etc. The Cardinals need to improve to keep pace with the other teams in their division. There will be no significant breakup of the current club --yet. But these next two weeks are vital because then come two weeks of games with San Francisco and Chicago, still without most of those injured players.

Q: At what point are Paul DeJongs struggles no longer a small sample size? Its pretty telling that Edmundo Sosa is hitting in front of him.
"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.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 62.4% of Americans ages 12 and up have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. About 53% of Americans ages 12 and up are now fully vaccinated. Thats about 45% of the total U.S. population, which is good, but not nearly good enough.

In Illinois, the numbers are comparable to the national averages: 67.8% of the 12-and-up population has at least one shot and 51.6% are fully vaccinated.

Again, good. But not good enough.

Like all nasty viruses, this one mutates and forms variants that can be more contagious, more deadly and, in a worst-case scenario, more capable of evading vaccines.

The more the virus lingers, spreading among those who refuse the vaccine, the higher the chance of a vaccine-resistant variant developing and moving us back to restrictions and higher risk.
Local

Quality of Life Unit asks community to stop enabling chronically homeless

Siandhara Bonnet Journal staff Senior police officers Kyle Akers and Jim Hansen are two members of the Rapid City Police Department's Quality of Life Unit. The unit connects those who are homeless and nearly homeless with services from the county and community. Grace Pritchett Journal staff People rest after receiving free food at Memorial Park in Rapid City on May 19. Grace Pritchett Journal staff People receive free food at Memorial Park in Rapid City on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

Members of the Quality of Life Unit began the day by taking a man shopping.

He was nine or 10 days sober when he was taken to get new clothes. Rapid City police officer Kyle Akers says it was critical for the man to not make contact with his friends on the street.

The man is one of the 90 chronically homeless people the unit has connected to resources over the past few years, but senior officer Jim Hansen said the amount of enabling the community does is helping increase the visible homeless population.

Were not saying we need to stop the feedings, but one discussion that weve had is lets be more intentional with them, Lt. Tim Doyle said. If were going to provide food, lets have services here for them, lets have mental health, the medical, the other things to have those conversations with them while theyre having their food.

Doyle, Ackers, Hansen and a select few make up the Quality of Life Unit, a Rapid City Police Department unit that works with the Care Campus to connect with the citys most vulnerable on the streets.

Hansen said the unit started as a vision by community leaders in 2000. After city and county officials visited the Haven for Hope in San Antonio, Texas, they came back and started formulating the idea for what became the Care Campus, which opened Sept. 26, 2018.

The Quality of Life Unit became the street outreach portion of services to meet those living outside, to build relationships and to connect them with resources.

Officers have to apply to be part of the unit and take to the streets in plain clothes everyday with their badges underneath a jacket. Officers only show their badges when necessary.

Once you build a relationship, theyll tell you things that scare you as far as how they grew up, why theyre in those positions, but you have to understand that so you can finally build enough of a rapport to get the proper help of what we have, Hansen said.

Barry Tice, director of Pennington County Health and Human Services, said the county has worked with the same people for decades and realized how many services people used, yet they never seemed to go to the next step.

With the development of the Care Campus, they were able to combine programs from the countys previous detox facility. They became Safe Solutions, detox, crisis care and other programs.

Safe Solutions was a perfect opportunity to create a safe space for individuals to come, Tice said. Weve also learned from thousands of conversations over the years, sometimes individuals just want to be left alone, that they want to feel safe and I think that holds true with all of us.

Out of the 50,777 total admissions to the Care Campus since Sept. 26, 2018, 35,804 utilized Safe Solutions. There were 10,129 admissions to detox, 2,572 to crisis care, 1,023 to isolation, 890 utilized an unspecified service, 212 went into residential treatment and 147 were emergency committals.

Hansen said the Care Campus has provided a way to defer nuisance arrests, or arrests that occur because someone is intoxicated.

From Sept. 27, 2019, to Sept. 26, 2020, 69% of admissions to Care Campus programs were self-referrals. The Rapid City Police Department and Pennington County Sheriffs Office brought in 26% of admissions, 3% came from Monument Health, 1% from other law enforcement agencies and 1% was classified as other.

According to city and county data, it cost the Rapid City Police Department $150 per detainment and Pennington County Jail $85 per day.

Safe Solutions cost $25 per day, detox cost $226 per day, isolation $226 per day and crisis care cost $131 per day. According to Care Campus data, between Sept. 26, 2018, and Sept. 26, 2020, the campus saved $1.4 million.

We spend a lot of resources on a daily, yearly basis in this community, and for how much were spending the problem should be getting better and its not, Doyle said. Homelessness  is not a police issue, this is a community-wide issue and we understand that.

Not every person the unit interacts with wants to leave the streets.

Jane, a pseudonym for a homeless woman whose identity is known to the Journal and verified by the Quality of Life Unit, said the outdoors is her home.

I choose to live this life, this is my home, she said. I got all my Native people, Ive got my (significant other) here, Ive got everybody here.

James, a pseudonym for a homeless man whose identity is known to the Journal and verified by the Quality of Life Unit, said his home is my people on the streets.

He said he and his family have resources and listed the organizations that have regularly scheduled feedings.

These individuals are offended you think they should live in a house, they are offended that you think they should get a job and work, Hansen said. These are the conversations weve had with them and they tell us on a constant basis, why should I work? You feed me."

You cant starve in Rapid City, there are too many giveaways, he said.

Hansen said just feeding people who are homeless can be enabling, whereas true giving is helping people get out of where they are.

He said another example of enabling is giving to those who are panhandling. He said a man told an outreach worker that he made $146 in two hours by panhandling. Hansen said the man grabbed something to eat and then bought a big bottle of alcohol because he knew he could stay in Safe Solutions, a resource offered by the Care Campus where those who are too intoxicated can sleep on a mat on the floor for an evening.

The problem is people are giving money thinking theyre doing it out of the kindness of their heart and theyre doing just that, but thats not saving that person because they can buy a bottle, Hansen said. Im not saying dont give your $5. Go give it to your local charity, go give it to the Boys Club, the Girls Club, go give it to your church and make it organized rather than just giving cash.

Hansen said giving is a compassionate thing to do and that this is one of the kindest communities, but that giving money leads to alcoholism and it leads  to the constant issues.

He said senior citizens and elders have told the unit that those who are chronically homeless need to earn the services.

Doyle said as the city grows, the homeless population will grow, which will drive up calls for service. He said the community needs to be on the same page and to not duplicate services.

Its going to take the whole community together to start fixing it and making things better, and  some people are going to have to admit theyre not the entire solution, Doyle said. Its a whole spectrum of services and everyone of these people needs something different.

This is the first story in a five-part series on homelessness. Next: Transitional facilities provide needed aid for working homeless.
Theyre just needing a hand up. Any one of us, if we had a really bad month financially, it could really throw you back and put you in poverty. I think people need to look at it that way, she said.

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Representatives from 19 community agencies will have information and resources to help people find jobs, physical and mental health care, housing and more, along with giveaways such as water bottles and toilet paper. Volunteers of America will offer free HIV tests and the Department of Health will provide free syphilis tests.

At least two local stylists, Lesley Stone and Shawna Heilman, will provide haircuts free of charge. Kim Lathe Photography will take family photos and provide a copy free of charge, according to Sarah Glynn, who works as a transitional caseworker for Crisis Care for Pennington County Health and Human Services. Glynn is the chairman of the Homeless Connect committee.

I think well (attract) a variety of folks in need. I think the target population will be broader. I foresee all walks of life coming and checking it out, Glynn said. There wasnt anyone who wasnt affected by the pandemic, and I think a lot of families are still struggling to find housing and affordable housing. Thats a big part of why families become displaced.
The United States gained 55 new citizens on Monday.

The U.S. District Court and the Mount Rushmore Society held a naturalization ceremony at Mount Rushmore where the new citizens from 29 countries took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States and received citizenship certificates. The last naturalization ceremony at Mount Rushmore was in 2018.

New citizens were also welcomed to the podium to share their names and countries of origin. Several shouted God bless America before thrusting their certificates in the air triumphantly.

U.S. District Court Judge Jeffery Viken presided over the ceremony and made the proclamation of citizenship. The Dakota Choral Union performed "The Star Spangled Banner" and "My Country Tis of Thee" after the citizenship presentation.

It is my absolute honor and privilege to declare each and every one of you citizens of the United States of America. Welcome home, Viken said after U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann administered the oath of allegiance. Youre joining 332 million of your countrymen and women and you are weaving your lives into the tapestry of the United States of America."
He said another example of enabling is giving to those who are panhandling. He said a man told an outreach worker that he made $146 in two hours by panhandling. Hansen said the man grabbed something to eat and then bought a big bottle of alcohol because he knew he could stay in Safe Solutions, a resource offered by the Care Campus where those who are too intoxicated can sleep on a mat on the floor for an evening.

The problem is people are giving money thinking theyre doing it out of the kindness of their heart and theyre doing just that, but thats not saving that person because they can buy a bottle, Hansen said. Im not saying dont give your $5. Go give it to your local charity, go give it to the Boys Club, the Girls Club, go give it to your church and make it organized rather than just giving cash.

Hansen said giving is a compassionate thing to do and that this is one of the kindest communities, but that giving money leads to alcoholism and it leads  to the constant issues.

He said senior citizens and elders have told the unit that those who are chronically homeless need to earn the services.
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has offered the city a $75,000 grant to hire a civilian to work under the Richmond Police Department to coordinate crime prevention and outreach within its public housing communities.

Police on Tuesday asked the City Councils public safety standing committee to recommend acceptance of the grant and approval of a memorandum of understanding with RRHA to the full council at its next meeting June 28.

Police and council members said they hoped the position would help build trust and decrease crime in those communities, which have some of the highest crime rates in the city and are among the most policed.

This is a paper to establish a liaison position between the police department and RRHA, said Deputy Chief Victoria Pearson, who heads the police departments newly created Office of Professional Accountability. To build community relations within RRHA, to build intervention programs, to also build with our other community partners intervention methods to help increase public safety and building relationships in the area of public safety.
The message is clear: Calhoun Center  and indirectly, Gilpins residents  are not viewed as worth the investment, given the communitys inevitable appointment with the wrecking ball. But who knows when Gilpins redevelopment will occur, or how many of its current residents will benefit?

You can only conclude that the people who live in the community were not part of the risk-reward calculus of repairing the pool and shoring up the community center. And that RRHA is running out the clock on Gilpin Court as Calhoun Center  pool and all  deteriorates beyond use.

Calhoun Center stands as a monument to the disregard in which the impoverished are held  a disposable building in a community also deemed disposable.

Meanwhile, as the RRHA leaves Gilpin residents dry during yet another season of summer heat, the Chesterfield County School Board would leave its Black constituents high and dry in a moment of racial reckoning.

The chairman of Chesterfields all-white School Board denounced teaching about systemic racism in a school district whose students are predominantly people of color.
The General Assembly this year awarded $1 million to create a plan to reimagine Monument Avenue. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the city of Richmond will lead the planning effort, and a concept is due Sept. 1, 2022. The state said it wont remove the pedestal until after the VMFA has completed its project.

Though Northam announced plans to remove the capsule and replace it with a new one, its unclear if the pedestal will remain in the long term. The state intends to remove the statue as soon as it is allowed if it prevails in court but leave the base, which last summer was covered in graffiti with messages against police and racism.

Some local residents believe the base of the statue is worth keeping because of the role the monument played in 2020, when it was the hub for racial injustice protests following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

The Lee pedestal has really taken new meaning and new significance, Brumfield said. It probably should be left there without the statue on top.

***

Lees statue isnt the only one with a time capsule beneath it, Brumfield said. The bases for the statues of Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis and Matthew Fontaine Maury have them, too.
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.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Monday said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has regularly reviewed the U.S. withdrawal, which he said is on pace and will be finished by early September. It is a dynamic situation, and weve said that from the very beginning, Kirby said.

Austin is looking at the situation every day with a fresh set of eyes to see if, you know, the pace we are setting is the appropriate pace. Among the uncertainties, officials have said, is the State Departments needs for embassy security and its decisions about getting interpreters and other Afghans who worked with the Americans out of the country.
Many dont own the spaces in which they operate, instead renting from a property company, itself potentially a small business. That means they might not have a say over the lighting or HVAC systems theyre using.

Even if small-business owners have the time, are aware of their energy use and can control it, navigating the complexities of energy efficiency sometimes requires an advanced degree. A local restaurant owner or grocer might have a tough time calculating how saving energy helps their bottom line.

That is why a new report and tool from the Energy Futures Group  Pathways for Energy Efficiency in Virginia  particularly are encouraging. These resources look at the energy efficiency programs that Dominion Energy currently offers and compares those with programs at similar utilities in the South and Midwest.

It finds that there are a lot of energy efficiency opportunities of which Virginias largest utility has yet to take full advantage. For example, Dominion can expand incentives and hire contractors to help small businesses install high-efficiency heating and cooling systems for offices, modern lighting controls that automatically dim or turn off the lights, and custom assessments of their facilities to help identify unique energy-saving opportunities.
For some people, regular purposes for using public transit like work, school, medical appointments, going shopping and more became less necessary. For others, a bus stop became even more critical as it was the most cost-effective way to keep a job, or access essentials like groceries or health care.

Earlier this year, GRTC released its 2020 annual report, which showed ridership declines across the board. Trips along the Pulse corridor fell roughly 25% from about 1.95 million in 2019 to nearly 1.45 million in 2020. Express bus usage declined around 71%, from a little more than 360,000 trips in 2019, to fewer than 106,000 in 2020. Roughly 20% of that loss appeared to be tied to the suspension of the Kings Dominion Express line, which handled 52,000-plus trips in 2019, versus zero in 2020.
Virginia officials joyfully announced on Monday that the state had reached a key milestone in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic: 70% of adult Virginians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. While this achievement is laudable, it doesnt mean we can settle into complacency. Far from it.

As of Monday, Virginia became one of 16 states to reach President Joe Bidens initial target of 70% of the nations adults receiving at least one dose of vaccine by July 4  an appropriate date that would mark not only our nations independence, but that of freedom from an insidious virus that has upended our lives.

We did it, Virginia! Gov. Ralph Northam said on Twitter Monday. Grateful to the millions of Virginians who rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated. Lets all keep working to #VaccinateVirginia!

Altogether in the commonwealth, 60.5% of the adult population is fully vaccinated, ahead of the national figure of 55.9%. In terms of the total population, that figure is 49.5% for Virginia and 45.2% for the United States.

Were still short of the 70% figure that medical experts have estimated of the population that needs to be vaccinated to contain the spread of the potentially lethal virus and achieve herd immunity.
U.S. should never repeat sad mistake from 1951

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

It was a sad day in June 1951 when the U.S. Naval Reserve accepted the resignation of scientist Stephen Brunauer, as recapped in the June 19 RTD feature, A Look Back at Fronts.

Until then, Brunauer had been a valuable asset to the Navy, leading its high explosives research group. In 1943, he recruited a guy named Albert Einstein to work with the armed forces. By the end of the war, Brunauer had attained the rank of commander. Later, he became a Navy civilian employee and the chief chemist in the Navys Bureau of Ordnance.

Born in Hungary in 1903 to a blind father and seamstress mother, Brunauer emigrated in 1921. He attended college in New York and earned a masters degree at The George Washington University, where he studied under Edward Teller (father of the hydrogen bomb). Brunauer eventually earned a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
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PEARISBURG  There were smiles at both the defense and prosecution tables Monday as the hearing that would wrap up Brandon Cody Boggs case got ready to begin.

The Giles County man and decorated military veteran, who shot his wife in the back six months ago and then was found not guilty of malicious wounding by reason of insanity, was back in the countys circuit court so that a judge could OK his release from a state mental health facility. And unlike Boggs hearing last month, when attorneys sparred about his lack of a formal post-release treatment plan, both sides now agreed that Boggs should go free.

In the moments before the judge took the bench, defense attorney Jimmy Turk of Radford joked with Commonwealths Attorney Bobby Lilly, saying, You dont have anybody in here today whos mad at you.

Lilly grinned and leaned over the courtroom rail to talk to Boggs, 41, and his relatives, who sat together on a spectator bench.

The hearing itself lasted only minutes. Turk and Lilly agreed that state psychiatrists had prepared a conditional release plan for Boggs and that New River Valley Community Services would report every six months on his treatment and his compliance with conditions.
Regardless of the scientific reason, Sarah now understands simple sentences, responds to basic instructions and attempts to use sign language to say more and all done, where before she did not communicate in any way, her mother said.

Before when we had physio in the UK, shed start crying and Id be like, Oh, shes had enough, and then Id cuddle her and wed just give up, because I dont like seeing her upset, but now I know, Laura Hattersley said. Even if shes really upset after half an hour, if you just push through it, an hour later she might be smiling and playing.

From rare condition, broader discoveries?

From a lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Konark Mukherjee has studied the effects of the CASK gene mutation since 2011. The mutation was first recorded in medical literature only in 2008, he said.

CASK is a just a gene, with a very essential function in the nervous system, Mukherjee said. If you have mutations in that gene, it can give rise to severe pediatric neurological issues.
Marc Nelson will succeed Rob Ledger as director of economic development for the city of Roanoke.

City Manager Bob Cowell released a memo Monday in which he had previously notified the city council of his selection of Nelson.

Nelson, 47, holds the No. 2 position in the Department of Economic Development. He said he looks forward to helping write the offices first-ever strategic plan at the urging of Cowell. He will start July 13, according to current plans.

Ledger will turn 65 this winter and plans to retire shortly after 23 years in economic development. He worked in the department for 12 years, including two years as director. He was with the Roanoke Regional Partnership before that.

Nelson came from a job in development services for the city of Savannah, Ga., to join Roanoke economic development 10 years ago. Chris Morrill, a former Roanoke city manager and former assistant Savannah city manager, recommended the Roanoke position, Nelson said.

Before Nelson was in Savannah, he worked in the North Carolina state budget office. He holds a masters in public administration and a bachelors of arts, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
On the grander scale, you have children out there who have so much potential you have to give them the bandwidth, Alvarez said. There are people out there who have a real need for this stuff, and now were starting to see that more so than ever.

The internet is an easy platform, accessible to all ages, for people seeking any solution: new knowledge, a sympathetic eye, connections with far-off friends, telemedicine and so much more, Alvarez said as examples. He is often amazed what internet uses his 82-year-old mother finds when he phones in  now using broadband  to his hometown of Bronx, New York.

I met my girl, my wife-to-be, on the internet, Alvarez said, emphasizing that two people in their 50s found each other on a dating site. We met, we hit it off, and weve been going strong for a long time.

Other surfers still await web waves

Even with more of its rural households now connected  and soon connecting  to high-speed internet, there are still Roanoke County neighbors in need, like John Newman, a homeowner in the Bottom Creek community.
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 wont protect unprepared victims from potentially going bankrupt if they dont 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.

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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.
Hurt by the pandemic, the leisure industry has hoped air travel would regain some lost momentum this summer. It wasnt disappointed. Passenger interest is surging, but along with it problems with labor are emerging

As it turns out, planes cant fly on demand alone, and a labor shortage is now threatening recovery before lift off.

American Airlines is canceling hundreds of flights for at least the next few weeks as a result of a combination of factors, largely driven by a shortage of crew.



The airline said demand for summer travel came quicker than expected, making for a difficult mix with labor shortages and bad weather. The company said 1% of its operations have been cut for July but many are targeted cancellations in markets where customers can get on another flight

Over the past weekend, American Airlines had 300 cancellations, or 9% of its mainline schedule, and the company is projecting up to 80 flight cancelations per day going forward until the end of July.

According to CNBC, an internal company list showed about half of the canceled flights were because of unavailable flight crews

Previously, travel experts claimed that for the next 12 months, Americans would travel mostly locally. Some surveys found that 22% of Americans had switched to driving from flying.

However, thanks to Covid vaccinations, reduced travel restrictions and reductions of new cases, Americans are now ready to take their first vacations in more than a year. U.S. airlines expect to fly approximately 90% of their 2019 system seat capacity this summer.

Even higher ticket prices havent scared off domestic tourists. According to the booking app Hopper, airfares within the U.S. are up 12% since April and will continue to rise up until late August. As for international flights, they are already up 8%.

As for the industry, experts previously warned that airline travel would be slow to recover.

According to the report from Moodys Investor Services from last July, the airline industry will continue to suffer well into 2023 because of the current coronavirus pandemic

However, looking at early summer bookings so far, that recovery might come sooner. All the airlines need to do is to produce more pilots.

Last year, American Airlines lost $9.5 billion--more than a quarter of the $35 billion loss by all U.S. airlines--and fired 1,200 of its 15,000 pilots.

Billions of dollars in federal aid kept airlines afloat last year. Whilte they did manage to keep up a certain level of service, thousands of staff members were place in labor purgatory.

Major U.S. airlines were offering voluntary exit packages in an effort to slim their workforces, and tens of thousands took temporary leaves. Some estimates say that as many as 10% of U.S. pilots took early retirement during the pandemic. Chances are, they wont be coming back to fulfill anyones post-COVID summer vacation dreams.

It is still unknown what non-retired former pilots plan to do with their skills. According to a December report by The Wall Street Journal, one furloughed American Airlines pilot became a truck driver

According to a study by the consulting firm of Oliver Wyman, the pandemic-paused pilot shortage will be felt again in coming years.

In North America, with an aging pilot population and heavy use of early retirements, the shortage reemerges quickly and is projected to reach over 12,000 pilots by 202313 percent of total demand, the report says

Nearly all US airlines have already announced hiring plans for 2021. Delta Airlines announced it will hire 150 pilots per month, and American Airlines plans to hire 350 pilots by the end of the year, while some smaller carriers are sweetening the deal with various bonuses and benefits.

Worker shortages are plaguing many other industries, as well; most notably, the restaurant industry. Many pre-pandemic restaurant industry workers opted to rely on unemployment benefits. Others went back to school, and still others left the industry altogether in search of something more pandemic weathering.
The Vietnam unit will be spearheaded by Erik Jonsson, former co-founder and managing director of Zalora Vietnam, who will join the company as a partner.

Instead of focusing on investing in existing companies, Antlers VC model in Vietnam will enable entrepreneurs to form teams and build a company from scratch. It will also invest in companies in the region through its Southeast Asia fund.

Founded in 2017, the VC firm runs startup generator programs and invests in early-stage firms. It also helps entrepreneurs find the right co-founders and connects them to a network of advisors and experts. The company has operations in 14 countries globally and has invested in over 300 technology startups to date.

There is incredible talent in Vietnam who have huge aspirations to create their own companies. The entrepreneurial spirit runs deep in Vietnamese culture and mindset, said Jussi Salovaara, co-founder of Antler. He added, however, that the deal flow in the country does not match the availability of capital. Hence, finding entrepreneurial talent and providing them with the right platform as well as validating their ideas are important for the Vietnamese startup ecosystem.
" " Rough diamonds harvested from the Atlantic Ocean sit on a sorting table at the Namibian Diamond Trading Co. (NDTC) diamond processing and valuation center, a joint venture between De Beers Group, the world's biggest diamond producer, and Namdeb Diamond Corp. in Windhoek, Namibia. Bloomberg/Getty Images

If you've ever heard the slogan "A Diamond Is Forever," then a 1940s marketing campaign is still doing its job. The line was coined by De Beers Group, a jewelry company credited with almost single-handedly popularizing diamond engagement rings.

De Beers spent decades building a global empire (some would call it a "cartel") around diamond mines in countries like South Africa.

So why did they purchase more than 3,000 square miles, or 7,770 square kilometers, of Atlantic seafloor near the coast of Namibia in 1991?

Simple: Not all diamonds are found on dry land. Many turn up in sediments below the ocean's surface. You just have to know where to look.

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Time and Pressure

Carbon is a wonderfully versatile element found in Earth's atmosphere and all living things (that we know of). It's also well-represented in jewelry stores.

Diamonds are made of carbon atoms that've been subjected to extremely high temperatures and pressures. The crystals usually have eight sides, but six- and twelve-sided specimens are out there, too.

Inside a diamond, every individual carbon atom shares a strong bond with four others, which makes diamonds ridiculously hard. Rub one of these gems against almost any other known mineral and it'll leave a scratch mark behind.

Asteroids can create the intense heat and pressure needed to produce diamonds when they strike the face of our planet. Such "impact diamonds" are pretty rare, though. And they tend to be small.

You're way more likely to find a diamond from deep within the Earth, forged somewhere in the ballpark of 87 and 497 miles (140 to 800 kilometers) under the surface. And the ocean may have played an underappreciated role in the history of our world's diamond supply, as well.

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Ocean Origins?

Many diamonds contain small quantities of salt. For years, geologists wondered if this originally came from seawater.

A 2019 study bolstered the hypothesis. It turns out that when a blend of marine sediments and the volcanic rock peridotite experience high heat and tremendous pressure in a laboratory setting, you get something that looks an awful lot like the salts trapped inside some diamonds.

What's this mean for the real world? According to the paper's authors, their experiment suggests most diamonds come into being after chunks of seafloor are dragged into Earth's mantle via plate tectonics.

Some of the minerals taken from the ocean during this process crystallize into gems. Volcanic eruptions later bring the diamonds up to the planet's surface  or pretty close to it.

" " Guests, government ministers and VIPs attend the inauguration ceremony for the $157 million SS Nujoma diamond exploration vessel, operated by De Beers Group in Namibia, in 2017. Bloomberg/Getty Images

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Carried Away

Now, the study mentioned above doesn't explain why De Beers and other groups are hunting for diamonds off the African coast.

Those stones were carried out to sea by river currents. Namibia's southern border is defined by the mighty Orange River. For millions of years, it's been grabbing ahold of diamonds from mainland deposits and relocating them elsewhere on the continent.

Only sometimes, this river ferries the precious jewels all the way out to the ocean.

Since the 1960s, treasure seekers have been dredging up diamonds by the coastlines of northwestern South Africa and southern Namibia. In 2018, nearly 75 percent of the latter country's total diamond output came from ocean-based mining operations.

De Beers emerged as an industry leader (go figure) back in the 1970s. "We operate a fleet of six motor vessels (mv) capable of exploring for and retrieving diamond-bearing materials from the seabed and processing them to a diamond-rich concentrate," reports the company's website.

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Under the Sea

Most of these gems are harvested at depths of 394 to 460 feet (120 to 140 meters) below sea level.

Sediments from the ocean floor are sucked up into a remote-controlled "crawler" vehicle that scuttles across the seabed. Fitted with a mechanical arm, it sends diamond-laden payloads to the main vessel up above, where machines separate out the jewels.

" " The 'crawler' tractor drops into the sea from the deck of the Mafuta diamond mining vessel, operated by Debmarine Namibia, a joint venture between De Beers and the Namibian government, during offshore diamond mining operations in the Atlantic Ocean. Bloomberg/Getty Images

Drones and two person submarines have both been used to help these ships find diamond-rich localities beneath the waves.

Unfortunately, dredging campaigns can have long-term consequences for aquatic wildlife.

As ecologist Kirsten Thompson told CNN in 2018, "[the] waters off coast of Namibia are an important area for a high diversity of resident and migratory species, such as sharks, whales, dolphins and seals.... Marine mining removes parts of the seabed with heavy machinery and habitat recovery from this type of disturbance can take decades."

Gathering these "ocean diamonds" by hand, with hired divers in small boats, is another option that's been executed in recent years.

Now That's Interesting The Orange River extends into Lesotho, an independent country that's enclaved (i.e., completely surrounded) by the nation of South Africa.
Baylor University planetary physicist Peter James, Ph.D., provided calculations of the various mechanisms that could be responsible for the force driving the geologic activity on Venus. Credit: Robert Rogers, Baylor University

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. Published in the), the studywhich includes contributions by Baylor University planetary physicist Peter James, Ph.D.found that 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 have identified a previously unrecognized pattern of tectonic deformation on Venus, one that is driven by interior motion just like on Earth," said Paul Byrne, Ph.D., 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."

Venus had 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.

James, an assistant professor of planetary geophysics and founder of Baylor University's Planetary Research Group, was part of the international group of researchers involved with the study. He has taken part in three NASA missions and specializes in using of spacecraft data to study the crusts and mantles of planets and moons.

"Earth is the only planet in the solar system with plate tectonics, so our planet is quite exceptional in that regard," James said. "That is particularly interesting when it comes to Venus: Why does a planet like Venusroughly the same size as Earth and made of the same types of rocksnot behave the same way as Earth geologically?"

To answer that question, the team 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.

James provided calculations of the various mechanisms that could be responsible for the force driving the geologic activity on Venus. NASA's Magellan spacecraft measured the gravity field of Venusthe subtle changes in the strength of gravity in different places on the planet. James was able to use this gravity field to demonstrate that viscous mantle flow, or slow churning, is strongly coupled to the crust.

"The mantle inside Venus pushes and pulls on the surface of the planet more strongly than Earth's mantle does. These calculations of the driving forces corroborated the discovery of block motion and helped us have a better understanding of how it works," James said.

The interior mantle flow found by the study's calculations is significant because it hasn't been demonstrated on a global scale previously. The movement of 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 said. "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.

"One of the neat things about planet research like this is that it helps us understand why our own planet works the way it does," James said. "The theme of our Planetary Research Group at Baylor is a quote from C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity: 'Aim at heaven and you will get Earth thrown in.' That quote is intended in a spiritual contextwe should seek the kingdom of God before all else, and then this kingdom-mindset can even bear fruit in a secular sense. We like the double meaning of using space research to understand our own planet better."

Science related to Venus is especially timelyNASA recently announced that it would be sending two new spacecrafts to Venus, VERITAS and DAVINCI+. These will be the first NASA missions launched to Venus since the 1980s. Additionally, the European Space Agency announced last week that it would be sending its own spacecraft called Envision to Venus.

"Strategically, this research is positioning Baylor to be involved with upcoming spacecraft missions. Venus is becoming a bigger priority for space agencies around the world, and we're plugged in to the exciting science opportunities that are on the horizon," James said.

Baylor will continue to be part of Venus research through James' lab. Rudger Dame, a Ph.D. candidate in James' lab, is focusing on Venus for his dissertation research. He has an internship this summer with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, under the advisement of Sue Smrekar, the principal investigator for the recently announced VERITAS spacecraft.

In addition, James is collaborating with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to study the planet Mercury's crust. He also led a recent study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters about the discovery of a mysterious huge mass of material on the far side of the Moonbeneath the largest crater in our solar system. The massat least five times larger than the Big Island of Hawaiimay contain metal from an asteroid that may have crashed into the Moon and formed the crater.

The South Pole-Aitken basinthought to have been created about 4 billion years agois "one of the best natural laboratories for studying catastrophic impact events, an ancient process that shaped all of the rocky planets and moons we see today."

More information:

Paul K. Byrne et al, A globally fragmented and mobile lithosphere on Venus, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2025919118

Provided by Baylor University
TIMMONSVILLE, S.C.  A group of residents in the western Florence County community of Timmonsville soon might be asking the South Carolina School Boards Association to step in to stop the proposed consolidation of Florence School District Four with Florence One Schools.

A group of citizens, including some that were elected to the Florence Four Board of Trustees in 2019, plan to hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Stepping Stone Holiness Church, located at 211 E. Market St., to discuss their options regarding the proposed consolidation.

One of the areas on the agenda for discussion is a proposal to petition the school board association to stop the consolidation on grounds that South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman had exceeded her authority in taking over the district and ordering its consolidation with Florence One.

Spearman declared a state of emergency in the district on May 9, 2018, using a budget proviso allowing the South Carolina Department of Education to take over a district "if the accreditation status is probation or denied, if a majority of the schools fail to show improvement, if the district is classified as being in 'high risk' status financially, or for financial mismanagement resulting in a deficit.

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With the creation of June 19th (Juneteenth) as a federal holiday, Democrats have one more claim to be the party of civil rights and equal opportunity for African Americans, though most Republicans also voted for the holiday. That claim has been promoted for decades by a compliant media, academia and high-profile politicians, but the facts say otherwise.

From Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 to the mid-20th century, members of the Democratic Party, dominant in the South due to its opposition to civil and political rights for African Americans, were on the wrong side of civil rights.

Federal troops finally brought the news of emancipation to Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, meeting resistance from plantation owners. This was the same year the Ku Klux Klan was founded. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate Army general and a Democrat, was the first grand wizard of the KKK, though he tried disbanding it in 1869 after growing critical of its excessive violence.

The Klan, which numbered 4 million members at its peak, dedicated itself as History.com notes, to an underground campaign of violence against Republican leaders and voters (both Black and white) in an effort to reverse the policies of Radical Reconstruction and restore white supremacy in the South.
Florida Rep. Kat Cammack sent a letter to Facebook after she uncovered ads for human smugglers and cartels on the platform. Cammack said migrant border crossing treks are organized via Facebook communications. Upon arriving in the Donna, Texas, processing facility, Cammack asked young migrants how they came to the U.S. All responded that they coordinated logistics through Facebook, paid through Facebook and exchanged ideas on the Facebook-owned WhatsApp. A link titled Viaje a Estados Unidos took Cammack to a page with directions, routes and prices: $6,000 to enter the United States, $9,300 for drop-off in San Antonio.

According to U.S. law, encouraging or inducing an alien to come to, enter or reside in the U.S., or aiding and abetting any of these activities, is subject to financial penalties and imprisonment for periods of five years or longer. The likelihood of the Biden administration criminally punishing Facebook is a statistical impossibility  less than zero. Facebook played a prominent role in assuring that Biden would be elected, and the president isnt likely to punish his friend regardless of the helping hand it provides in the illegal border surge.

During Bidens presidency, immigration crime perpetrators go unpunished, but Americans must unfairly endure migrant waves flowing into their local communities, and then subsidize the everyday lives of these people for the indefinite future. Nothing could be more unjust.

Joe Guzzardi is a Progressives for Immigration Reform analyst who has written about immigration for more than 30 years. Contact him at jguzzardi@pfirdc.org.
 "Truth, Lies and The Paradox of Plea Bargaining" | Main | US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing set for "Examining Federal Sentencing for Crack and Powder Cocaine" 

June 21, 2021

"Can Criminal Justice Reform Survive a Wave of Violent Crime?"

The question in the title of this post is the headline of this notable new commentary by John Pfaff in The New Republic. The subheadline of the piece highlights its data-crunching themes: "An uptick in homicides across the country is getting blamed on reforms. That argument gets the data all wrong." I recommend everything Pfaff writes in full, and here are excerpts from this very lengthy piece:

Even as the pandemic lockdown helped push down many crimes, last year saw an unprecedented spike in homicides nationwide, likely more than twice the largest previous one-year rise. And given the retaliatory nature of lethal violence and the ongoing disruption from the pandemic, we should expect homicides to remain high in 2021 as well. One study in Chicago, for example, found evidence that cycles of retaliation and counterretaliation meant that a single shooting was often the root cause of three, or sometimes 60, or once almost 500 subsequent shootings over the next few years. How to stop this wave of violence is thus one of the most important policy questions for 2021, but asking it has rarely felt more fraught. The surge in homicide comes at a moment when conventional responses to crime face more intense criticism than any time since the civil rights movements of the 1960s. Reformers and activists across the country have spent the past decade campaigning to reduce our reliance on prisons, jail, probation, and even the police. The changes weve seen may be less dramatic than what many advocates have hoped for, and certainly less dramatic than how many of their detractors describe them, but they both reflect and have nurtured a growing shift in popular views on crime control.... Perhaps the most important feature of last years rise in homicides is just how uniform it appears to be. In 2020, homicides rose in 60 of the 69 major police departments noted above, and in almost all cases at a rate more or less proportional to homicides in 2019. Any one citys share of homicides was roughly the same as its share in 2019, just appreciably higher. Unlike many previous periods, the spike was not the product of a few cities experiencing an especially bad year (in 2016, around 20 percent of the national increase in homicides was just due to Chicago), but of almost every city suffering in something close to unison. One important upshot of this uniformity is that there is no evidence that cities with more progressive prosecutors experienced relatively worse outcomes than those with more conventional district attorneys. In fact, two of the eight departments that reported declines in homicides  Baltimore City, Maryland, and St. Louis County, Missouri  are home to two of the countrys most high-profile progressive prosecutors, Marilyn Mosby and Wesley Bell. Opponents of progressive prosecution are already invoking the homicide spike to push back against the movement, but the data simply do not back them up.... It is also important to note the inaccuracy of trying to pin rising homicides on efforts to defund the police. In a December 2020 press conference, for example, Gregg Sofer, at the time the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, tried to blame Austins rise in homicides on the citys recent decision to cut police funding. The problem? Homicides had started to rise well before the cuts, in no small part because the budget in question did not go into effect until October 2020, so almost none of the proposed cuts would have occurred until 2021 at the earliest  and most of the 2021 cuts involve simply shifting which agencies are responsible for certain tasks.... If not progressive prosecution or defunding, what caused the surge in homicides? It will be years before we have a clear answer, but the two leading explanations are the chaos wrought by the Covid pandemic and some product of the protests that have taken place against police violence. (Other factors surely mattered, too, such as an unprecedented uptick in gun purchases.) Both theories are valid, but in complicated ways.... It is nearly impossible to understate the chaos of the past year and a half: not just an epochal pandemic that has caused mass death and brought once-in-a-generation economic devastation in its wake, but the fearmongering rhetoric of Donald Trump, the unsettling and still-unresolved insurrection of January 6, and widespread protests of the sort that risk scaring and unnerving white voters. These are conditions that would push much of the public in a more punitive direction even absent any change in crime rates; add in the unprecedented spike in homicides, and demands for severity will grow even stronger, politically speaking. The signs of that growing severity are widespread. Even though prisons and jails have been leading hot spots for spreading the coronavirus  not just to the poor communities of color overrepresented in the prisons populations, but also to the more rural and white working-class communities where correctional officers tend to live  state prison populations barely budged, and early declines in county jail populations have been mostly undone. Democrats and Republicans, governors and legislators and mayors: Almost no one was willing to reduce prison or jail populations. The pandemic provided compelling political cover for releasing large numbers of people from prison; that so few took advantage is telling evidence of a deeper reticence toward real change.... Reform efforts will inarguably face tougher opposition in the years ahead. The social and economic upheavals of Covid, like the emotional shock of 9/11, would likely have been enough on their own to shift many peoples attitudes on crime policy in a more punitive direction; the homicide spike of 2020, and its continuing fallout through 2021, all but guarantee such a move  especially for issues like police funding. Conservative state legislatures show increasing interest in limiting the cuts that can be made by bluer cities, where support for reform may remain high. But all these transformations do not mean that the defenders of the status quo are guaranteed a victory. They are using the current atmosphere of fear to push hard against reforms, but they are also facing more effective and motivated opposition than at any other time recently, and support for reform still seems high in the communities that are most directly affected. Meanwhile, there is little to no evidence linking the rise in homicides to the reforms that have actually been implemented, many of the reforms being fought for are designed to reduce violence immediately, and many may do so both more effectively and at a lower social and human cost than the status quo. The politics may be turning toward the status quo, but the data are not.

These excerpts only capture a small slice of Pfaff's interesting discussion in this new piece. But I find problematic and discouraging that he fails to note the latest encouraging data from the Vera Institute concerning declines in US prison populations. Pfaff states here that "state prison populations barely budged" during the COVID pandemic, but this Vera report finds that the US prison population dropped by over 240,000 persons (17%) from 2019 to spring 2021. This is much more than "barely budging," though I know many advocates were hoping to see even broader decarceration efforts during the pandemic. Still, Figure 5 of the Vera report shows that nearly every state experienced at least 10% decline in its prison population during the pandemic and many states saw declines of 25% or more.

As I noted when the Vera data was released earlier this month, the national prison populations according to this data is now the lowest it has been in over 25 years and the lowest per capital rate in more than three decades. Pfaff is right to wonder and worry about how increases in violent crime might impact recent reductions in mass incarceration, but I fear he tends to too often see the criminal justice reform story through the lens of violent crimes when it has so many other notable dimensions. I believe many states (and the federal system) did a reasonable job reducing the number of less serious offenders subject to incarceration. If we can continue to do that and only use incarceration for the most serious, violent offenders (and also allow persons subject to long terms to get sentencing second looks) we might have reason to be optimistic that the US will soon no longer be the world's leader in locking its people in cages.

June 21, 2021 at 07:49 PM | Permalink

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Good points are made here, as always, but I will note that Vera also says jails are refilling, and that there are not enough legislative changes being made to make these decarceral gains stick.

Posted by: Rory Fleming | Jun 21, 2021 8:08:01 PM

I share your concerns that a return to post-pandemic normal will include returning jail and prison populations. But there is much that can and should be done to try to "lock in" recent reductions that are distinct from a focus only on violent crime and our reactions thereto.

Posted by: Doug B. | Jun 21, 2021 9:51:24 PM

Definitely. I think there's two sociological phenomenon at work to incentivize talking about violent crime the way Pfaff does. First, in my opinion, law schools incentivize students to think of the big cases as the sexy ones they want to handle. Then, law profs will want to think and write about murders, mainly (not sex crimes though, because that's triggering). Then, anecdotally speaking, the top law enforcement officials who are most tough-on-crime about violent crime also tend to be the most draconian on nonviolent crime. Look at Amy Weirich in Memphis, for example, who was willing to ruin her reputation with prosecutorial misconduct in one of her biggest murder cases - she also proudly discusses drug court as her "velvet hammer." Or Baton Rouge DA Hillar Moore, who wants LWOP or death in murder cases, but also talks about supporting (and obtains) 50-year prison sentences for people selling a tiny bit of heroin to undercovers.

Posted by: Rory Fleming | Jun 22, 2021 12:04:40 PM

My actual-world answer to your question is that a horrific murder committed by an inmate released on a sentencing reduction program has the potential to undo that program.

My ideal-world answer would be similar . . . but statistical. Too much serious violent crime by people released due to a program should be enough to stop the program. Just how much is "too much" is of course subject to debate.

Unfortunately, I think my real-world answer is closer to what will actually happen. From a statistical point of view, it does at least approximate the ideal-world answer. That is, more recidivism by people released increases the odds that one case will be horrific enough to undo the whole thing.

Posted by: William C Jockusch | Jun 22, 2021 11:43:14 PM

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 "Can Criminal Justice Reform Survive a Wave of Violent Crime?" | Main | Strong extended coverage of modern drug war dynamics from NPR 

On the morning of Tuesday, June 22, 2021, the US Senate Judiciary Committee has a hearing set for 10am titled "Examining Federal Sentencing for Crack and Powder Cocaine." The hearing should be available to watch at this link, where this list of witnesses are set out:

Notably, the Washington Post here reports on what Ms. Regina LaBelle will be saying in her testimony as well as some of the political context around this hearing. Here is part of the story:

The Biden administration plans to endorse legislation that would end the disparity in sentences between crack and powder cocaine offenses that President Biden helped create decades ago, according to people with knowledge of the situation  a step that highlights how Bidens attitudes on drug laws have shifted over his long tenure in elected office.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Regina LaBelle, the acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, plans to express the administration's support for the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act, or Equal Act. The legislation, which sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and 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.

The current disparity is not based on evidence yet has caused significant harm for decades, particularly to individuals, families, and communities of color, LaBelle says in prepared written testimony obtained by The Washington Post in advance of the hearing. The continuation of this sentencing disparity is a significant injustice in our legal system, and it is past time for it to end. Therefore, the administration urges the swift passage of the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act. ...

Outside coalitions backing Durbin and Bookers bill have focused particularly on shoring up conservative support as part of their larger criminal justice overhaul agenda. To that end, one of the witnesses testifying in favor of the bill Tuesday is Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, a Republican who led the Drug Enforcement Administration under President George W. Bush.

Although Congress has taken steps to reduce the disparity and provide some retroactive relief, any sentencing disparity between two substances that are chemically the same weakens the foundation of our system of justice, Hutchinson says in his prepared remarks, also obtained by The Post. Congress now has the opportunity to build on the bipartisan successes of the Fair Sentencing Act and the First Step Act by eliminating the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine once and for all. The strength of our justice system is dependent on the perception of fundamental fairness.

Russell Coleman, a former counsel to now-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and former U. S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, will also promote the legislation at the hearing Tuesday morning.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam (left) has challenged the PSP's Leong Mun Wai (right) to debate CECA in Parliament. (Yahoo News Singapore file photos)

SINGAPORE  The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has accepted Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam's challenge to debate the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in Parliament.

"The most important economic policies that have affected the jobs and livelihoods of Singaporeans relate to Foreign PMETs and Free Trade Agreements, in particular the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India," said Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai in a Facebook post on Tuesday (22 June), referring to professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs).

Leong, who is a member of the PSP's central executive committee, added that his party will seek "further information from the government" in Parliament next month in preparation for the debate, after which it will "decide on a suitable time to file a motion".

"It will be then up to the Speakers discretion to confirm the date of the debate," he added.

During a parliamentary session in May, Shanmugam issued a challenge to Leong to openly debate CECA.

"If anyone here believes that CECA is a problem, put it up for a motion debated openly, and let's hear whether Singaporeans benefit or lose from it," said Shanmugam.

"I'm looking at you, Mr Leong," he added. "I invite you to put up a motion to debate CECA. You know that most of what is said about CECA is false."

Earlier during the session, Shanmugam also pointed to certain "parties" that have been deliberately stoking fears of foreigners as well as "encouraging racism and xenophobia" in Singapore, and warned that such actions were "dangerous".

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In his Facebook post on Tuesday, Leong said that the PSP believes Singapore is in need of rebalancing the interests of Singaporeans in relation to foreign PMETs in the job market. He noted the process could involve "the recouping of tens of thousands of jobs" from work pass holders through various measures.

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While this would affect the number of PMETs in the Singapore workforce, it is a "necessary step" towards creating a "win-win situation for both Singaporeans and foreign nationals", he added.

"The first step in achieving this is obtaining prompt and complete information so as to promote transparency and to eliminate prejudices. All of which is in the spirit against xenophobia and racism," said Leong.

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Parliament: Shanmugam challenges PSP's Leong Mun Wai to debate CECA
FILE PHOTO: A memorial on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops

By Stephanie Nebehay and David Ljunggren

GENEVA/OTTAWA (Reuters) -China and its allies called on Tuesday for an investigation into the discovery of the remains of indigenous children in Canada at the site of a former boarding school, prompting an angry response from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia that closed in 1978, the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Nation said on May 28.

"We call for a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases where crimes were committed against the indigenous people, especially children, so as to bring those responsible to justice, and offer full remedy to victims," Jiang Duan, a senior official at China's mission to the United Nations in Geneva, told the Human Rights Council.

Canada, locked in a trade and diplomatic dispute with Beijing, later delivered a joint statement on behalf of more than 40 countries calling for access to China's Xinjiang region to look into allegations of the government's mass detention of Uyghur Muslims.

Trudeau, condemning what he called "the systemic abuse and human rights violations" in Xinjiang, said a Canadian truth and reconciliation commission had worked from 2008 to 2015 to address the mistreatment of the indigenous population.

"Where is China's truth and reconciliation commission? Where is their truth? Where is the openness that Canada has always shown and the responsibility that Canada has taken for the terrible mistakes of the past?" Trudeau asked.

"China is not recognising even that there is a problem ... that is why Canadians and people from around the world are speaking up for people like the Uyghurs," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.

Jiang read the statement out on behalf of countries such as Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela, all of which have been criticized by Western nations for human rights violations.

Canada's residential school system, which forcibly separated indigenous children from their families, constituted "cultural genocide," the truth and reconciliation commission said in 2015.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and David Ljunggren in Ottawa;Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Grant McCool)
COVID-19 precautionary measures being taken at the Supreme Court building on 26 March 2020. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE  A woman who killed her maid was sentenced to 30 years' jail by the High Court on Tuesday (22 June).

On sentencing 41-year-old Gaiyathiri Murugayan, Justice See Kee Oon said her case was among one of the worst types of culpable homicide in court.

Gayathiri, her policeman-husband Kevin Chelvam, and her mother Prema S Naraynasamy carried out a litany of violence towards 24-year-old Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don until her death on 26 July 2016.

"The statement of facts and video clips tell a shocking story of how the victim was abused, humiliated, tortured, starved, and eventually made to suffer death at the hands of the accused. The victim was completely vulnerable and defenceless," said Justice See.

"The prosecution's submissions are framed in forcefully emotive terms, but words cannot adequately describe the abject cruelty of the accuseds appalling conduct."

Justice See said that he would have had little hesitation in imposing life imprisonment for Gaiyathiri had it not been for her mental conditions, which were said to have substantially contributed to the commission of her offences.

Gaiyathiri was diagnosed with major depressive disorder with peripartum onset of moderate severity, as well as obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. However, she was still able to comprehend the gravity of her actions.

The judge also considered that Gaiyathiri was responsive to psychiatric treatment and deemed not to be at risk of reoffending or a danger to the public. "These are important distinguishing factors that set her case apart from the precedents cited where life imprisonment was imposed," he said.

Tuesday's hearing saw Gaiyathiri's lawyer Joseph Chen and the prosecution arguing further submissions ahead of Gaiyathiri's sentencing. She was repentant for the events that led up to Piang's death, Chen said.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor (DCP) Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Abdul Kadir argued otherwise, saying that the details set out in Gaiyathiri's mitigation showed that she remained unrepentant.

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Defence: Accused is back to being non-maid abuser

Chen sought eight to nine years' jail for the 28 charges that Gaiyathiri pleaded guilty to, which involved culpable homicide, grievous hurt, hurt, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation. Another 87 related charges were considered for her sentencing.

The lawyer had earlier argued that Gaiyathiri had given birth to her second child just a few months before she hired Piang in May 2015. She had been suffering from major depressive disorder, post-natal depression, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

As part of her supplementary mitigation, Chen argued that Gaiyathiri had no antecedents and had hired four previous maids without issue.

"We acknowledged that there was a prolonged period of physical abuse of the maid that led to her death," he said. "The accused is sorry for that but there are some objective stressors that I highlight in mitigation - that she was anxious of the medical conditions of children and brought them to hospital for treatment. These are stressors in addition to her psychiatric disorders."

These, he said, reduced Gaiyathiri's culpability. Her children had suffered from hygiene-related illnesses, and hence Gaiyathiri had sought to correct Piang's "non-hygienic practices".

"Here she is remorseful and expressed regret that the measures she took were extreme and resulted in hurt to maid and to her death," the lawyer added.

Chen argued that his client was not able to reach out for help for her mental illnesses, and that it was "mentally tortuous" for her during her remand. Too harsh a sentence on Gaiyathiri would have a "chilling effect" on those in similar situations who need help, he argued.

"Her instructions are that she has not retaliated and has endured hardship...during remand," he added. "She is back to her previous self of being a non-maid abuser."

Prosecution replies

Taking issue with the mitigation, DCP Faizal stated that Gaiyathiri was still attacking a defenceless maid by "laying blame with her even when clearly no such blame can be afforded".

Referring to the statement of facts, he pointed out that many of Gaiyathiri's actions had nothing to do with cleanliness, such as the incident with the steam iron.

On 24 June 2016, Gaiyathiri took a heated steam iron and pressed it onto Piang's forehead and right forearm, due to the maids purported bad ironing.

"At the end of the day, the violence is a function of the accused viewing the victim as a lesser human being," said DCP Faizal.

Referring to Gaiyathiri's psychiatric report, he highlighted that she was not remorseful about her assault, but about getting caught and being punished.

Highlighting defence documents in which Gaiyathiri said she regretted that Piang did not reach out for help when she was being attacked, DCP Faizal pointed out that when the victim did have the opportunity to reach out for help, Gaiyathiri took "especial pains to ensure she was unable to do so".

"Yet she dares to come to this point and has the gall to say that she regrets that victim never spoke up," he said. "The victim never spoke up and the vicim was never allowed to speak up, yet here we are with her laying responsibility with the victim. The desire to continually blame others for her own predicament is clearly a lack of remorse."

Arguing for a term of life imprisonment, the DCP closed his submissions by referring to Chen's first words to the court on Tuesday, The present case is a very unique one."

"I agree with my learned friend, I agree with him that the egregious nature of the act put this case on a pedestal never before seen in others, the sentencing must necessarily reflect that, Your Honour, the DCP said.

He sought an alternative sentence of 27 years' jail in the event that Justice See did not agree with a life term.

The cases against Prema and Chelvam are pending. Culpable homicide carries a jail term of up to 20 years, and fine or caning, or life.

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Prosecutors seek life term for cop's wife who starved and abused maid who died
Albrecht shares some of the same concerns. She said she still believes in the importance of LB 281 but wants to ensure that abuse prevention curriculum does not get into areas that parents have found objectionable in the health standards, such as learning names of genitalia in early grades.

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 LB281 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.
Experts recommend only testing older men for low testosterone if they have signs or symptoms. If an initial test shows low testosterone, the test should be repeated to confirm the results. If low testosterone is confirmed, further testing of the pituitary gland is recommended to determine the cause and rule out other hormone deficiencies. The pituitary is a gland the size of a kidney bean situated at the base of your brain. It is part of your bodys endocrine system, which consists of all the glands that produce and regulate hormones.

Treatment recommendations for men with age-related low testosterone vary. In 2020, the American College of Physicians recommended that health care providers consider starting testosterone treatment after explaining the risks and benefits in men with sexual dysfunction who want to improve their sexual function. In 2018, the Endocrine Society recommended testosterone therapy for men with age-related low testosterone who have signs and symptoms associated with low testosterone. Some experts also recommend offering testosterone treatment to men with age-related low testosterone without the presence of signs or symptoms.

If you choose to start testosterone therapy, your health care provider will explain the ways to administer testosterone, as well as target levels and follow-up testing.
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Morales had been scheduled to stand trial July 20. Had be been found guilty of first-degree murder, he would have faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

As part of his plea agreement, a charge of going armed with intent will be dismissed. Three charges stemming from his Jan. 5 arrest also will be dismissed. He gave up his right to appeal his plea and sentence as part of the plea agreement.

Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings declined to comment on the plea agreement after the hearing. Public defender Laury Lau also declined comment.

Morales is the second of three people charged in the shooting to plead guilty.

Anthony Bauer, 18, of Sioux City, who also had been charged with first-degree murder, pleaded guilty earlier this month to second-degree murder and three counts of reckless use of a firearm. According to terms of his plea agreement, he will be sentenced to 50 years in prison and must serve 35 years before eligible for parole. His sentencing is set for July 30.
Numerous noise complaints in the days leading up to 2017's Fourth of July led council members to vote in December of that year to shrink the legal fireworks discharge window from 10 days to two.

Then, this past January, after pet owners, veterans and numerous other residents complained about the unpredictable loud bangs and screeches, the council passed ordinance changes that added a municipal infraction penalty for property owners who permit fireworks violations to occur on their property. A first offense is $250, while a second offense is $500 and a third or subsequent offense is $1,000.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Claims by a Republican congressional candidate that another GOP hopeful plotted to kill her landed Tuesday in a Florida courtroom.
Of every dollar of general fund revenue collected by the city, 27 cents goes to the police department. The Boise Fire Department receives 19.9 cents of every dollar. The Parks and Recreation Department receives 11.8 cents, while the library receives 5.4 cents and public works 2.8 cents.

Eric Bilimoria, a senior budget manager for the Boise Department of Finance and Administration, said a new state law limiting property tax collections tied to growth will cost Boise about $700,000. He said the city expects to collect $7.5 million less over the next five years due to the new law.

Rather than being able to assess taxes for 100% of the value of growth, only 90% can be collected. This reduces the ability of municipalities to maintain service levels when growth occurs, he told the newspaper.

Boise plans to boost the amount of revenue collected from property taxes the full 3% allowed, resulting in an increased cost of $42 for the average Boise homeowner. The average property tax bill would increase from an average of $1,122 to $1457, a $335 increase.

Bilimoria said most of that increase is due to the end of one-time relief involving federal coronavirus money, the diminishing value of the homeowner's exemption and the rate of growth for residential properties compared to commercial properties.

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

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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.
An abandoned gypsum mine in Blackhawk may extend farther than known mapped areas indicate to the northeast, east and southeast sides, a geophysical study shows.

Based on the information obtained in this research, there is also the possibility that the mine extends below the interstate, the study states.

Mohammad Sadeghi, a professor of geological engineering at Montana Technical University who has done multiple studies on gypsum, conducted the study on the abandoned gypsum mine below the Hideaway Hills neighborhood in Blackhawk.

A collapse on April 27, 2020, on East Daisy Drive within the subdivision exposed the mine. More than 40 people from 15 homes were forced to evacuate.

According to a release from the Fitzgerald Law Firm, which hired Sadeghi, the interstate find is in agreement with possibilities left open by the state Department of Transportation study that was conducted in 2020.
DAVENPORT, Iowa  Jeno Berta, the 83-year-old man who is retiring and selling his Davenport bar, said he has been living the American dream since he came here in the 1950s, but that a recent surprise was something that he could never have dreamed.

Berta recently received a letter of congratulations from President Joe Biden.

I already framed it, Berta beamed.

Berta owns and operates Jenos Little Hungary in northwest Davenport. He recently decided to retire and sell the bar after more than three decades in the business.

Berta has been active in Democratic politics, and his bar became a popular destination for elected officials and candidates  including Joe Biden. The two bonded over a powerful connection: their sons served together in the U.S. military in Iraq in 2009. A framed photograph of Beau Biden and Jeno M. Berta (Bertas son, who has the same first name) hangs on the wall of Bertas bar.

In a letter on official White House letterhead dated June 17, Biden congratulated Berta on his retirement and thanked Berta for making him feel welcome when he visited Jenos Little Hungary.
Furnas County Attorney Morgan Farquhar could not be reached for comment on whether he had sought the help of federal prosecutors.

Jan Sharp, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Nebraska, said that he could not comment on this case but that his office has prosecuted cases in which children are brought to Nebraska and sexually abused.

Sometimes such cases are investigated by state authorities and sometimes they are investigated by federal authorities, Sharp said. Whether we prosecute such cases in state or federal court is a decision often made in consultation with state authorities. In egregious cases involving the transportation of minors, we are frequently looking for the venue which gives us the highest potential for a conviction  and the highest likelihood of a substantial sentence.

In this case, the girl, who had previously lived in Nebraska, was living with family in North Carolina when she said Quinn contacted her about a job at his cafe. She said she told him that she was 15 so she could get the job.

With certain caveats, Nebraska law allows children age 14 and up to work. In Nebraska, 16 is the age of consent for sex.
A Bellevue man has been found guilty of cyberstalking after he threatened to make public nude photos of the wife of a candidate for the Nebraska Legislature.

Dennis Sryniawski, 48, was found guilty Monday by a jury in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska. Cyberstalking is punishable in the federal courts by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The jury also found Sryniawski not guilty of a second charge, intent to extort.

A message left for Sryniawski's attorney seeking comment was not immediately returned.

FBI investigators determined that Sryniawski sent threatening and sexually explicit emails to Jeff Parris. Diane Parris of La Vista served as the campaign manager for her husband. Jeff Parris was seeking the District 14 seat in the Nebraska Legislature in 2018.

"We'd just like to say that we are happy that he was found guilty on that charge," Diane Parris said Tuesday.
Gina Parsley, a travel agency owner, told the Sentinel that her family stayed at Disneys Fort Wilderness Resort last month and her 9-year-old daughter Gabriella spotted an alligator in the water. They told a campground employee and were informed that traps had been placed to trap the gator.

We did not feel like it was a surprise to them, Parsley said. I would have been more concerned if my daughter had brought it to their attention and they were like, Oh my gosh, where?

Parsley said she understands how difficult it is to keep the property free of alligators.

You see neighborhoods where a gator just strolls across someones lawn and rings the doorbell, she said. Its Florida: They do that. So, theres definitely fighting against nature with that one.

Florida's alligator population is about 1.3 million, the newspaper reported. To be considered a nuisance within the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, an alligator must be least 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and pose a threat to people, pets and property.

The wildlife agency has removed close to 8,000 alligators annually over the past five years throughout the state of Florida.
It was only a matter of time before someone tried to corner the market on COVID-19 testing at airports. The surprise is that the company best poised to do it used to sell manicures and travel pillows.

XpresCheck is an outgrowth of XpresSpa, a 15-year-old-company best known for its in-terminal neck massages. Now its testing travelers and airport workers for the novel coronavirus in 13 clinics at 11 U.S. airports, selling a service that many of its customers need to get on the plane. When I reached XpresSpa CEO Doug Satzman on Friday, I half-expected a spiel on how his firm had always been a top player in the airport wellness space. Nope. Its so obvious! he said when I asked why his firm decided to get into the swab game. And then: Just kidding.

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Satzman was barely a year in as the CEO of XpresSpa, a publicly traded company with 80 airport locations, when the entire business model was obliterated in early 2020. Fifteen months later, just two of those spas are open.

But after a phone call with a board member last spring, Satzman saved his company by pivoting to COVID. The pandemic has forced many such reinventions, and not just in health care. Distilleries started making hand sanitizer; Wingstop launched Thighstop to cope with snarled poultry supply chains.

XpresSpa took XpresCheck from idea to pilot in just 75 days, hiring medical staff and securing new airport real estate. While these sites make up just a fraction of the companys pre-pandemic footprint, the unit economics are quite a bit better. After initially furloughing nearly all his corporate staff, Satzman has brought back the whole officeand retrained some airport spa managers to work alongside trained medical professionals at the clinics.

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Why are the unit economics better? Because at XpresCheck, the rapid PCR test Americans need to enter many countries costs $250. Thats a lot of neck cushions.

Satzman told me the price for these Abbott ID Now tests isnt much more than what you would pay outside the airport, and is justified when you consider the elevated costs of doing business there. He bristled when I suggested XpresCheck was a service of last resort that could charge whatever it wanted to a captive clientele: air travelers with inadequate testing documents and impending departures. Many people actually planned to use their service, he insists.

In the muted arrivals hall of Terminal 4 at New Yorks JFK Airport, XpresCheck has set up a neat little structure for its services, a low warren of rooms beneath the airports towering ceiling. I talked to four travelers who were waiting for test results; none had really meant to end up here.

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I talked to four travelers waiting for their $225 test results; none had really meant to end up here.

A woman heading to South Korea by way of Abu Dhabi had gotten a free COVID test at her doctors office at 2 p.m. on Friday, only to realize at check-in that more than 72 hours would have elapsed by the time of her takeoff at 10 p.m. on Monday. So she ponied up $225 for a second test. (JFKs XpresCheck is $25 cheaper than the other locations.)

A young man on his way to Israel had gotten tested at Walgreens before his flight, only to spend three days in an increasing state of panic about his unreceived results. On Monday morning, he reluctantly made an appointment at XpresCheck.

And a just-married couple en route to their honeymoon in Greece had planned to travel with their vaccine cards when their direct flight to Athens was canceled and replaced with a flight through Paris. The new transfer meant they needed negative PCR tests, which meant they missed the replacement flight. Reassigned to a third flight, through Zurich, they spent $450 on two rapid COVID tests and headed back toward check-in.

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Well, weve already set a million dollars on fire, the groom said.

Its a pigfuck, said the bride, describing their wallet-draining experience at the American Airlines desk upstairs.

But at least they were getting on a plane. Many airports, including Chicagos OHare, dont even offer rapid PCR testingscrew up your documents for an international flight from Chicago and you will miss your flight.

One reason tests cost so much at XpresCheck is that the clinics stopped accepting insurance earlier this year, after some insurers stopped covering out-of-network COVID tests for vacations. If you were to pay for your own COVID test at CVS, it would cost $139. Aegis, which handles testing at Walgreens, charges $143. Those sky-high prices can persist because they are generally hidden from the public by insurance coverage, and that coverage is in turn propped up by federal outlays.

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But even at that price, theres no guarantee you get fast results. For the sure thing, prices vary widely. Northwell Healths GoHealth charges $270 for a rapid PCR test. Los Angeles International Airport is offering one-hour rapid PCR tests for $199. Adams Health Services offers a one-hour PCR at JFKs Terminal One for $220.

The pre-travel testing for vaccinated people especially can be a financial hurdle if arrival countries require it, said Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist who teaches at the University of Arizona. Ideally, we should have rapid, high-quality testing readily available to people and that includes at no or low cost. (Even if you pay those prices upfront, you may find your insurance company will cover the cost. Mine said it would.)

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Satzman didnt make much of an effort to trade off the companys brand to get the testing business going in airports like SFO, BOS, and IAD. Theres nothing that says XpresSpa, he said. It looks different. Different website, different branding, different business. The only thing thats the same is the misspelling of express and the color orange. If you come through, you wouldnt have any idea that theyre affiliated, and we didnt think that was important.

In a way, its not so random. XpresCheck isnt trading off expertise in health and wellness so much as its good working relationship with airports, which are not the easiest places to do business. Rent is expensive. Paperwork is burdensome. Workers live far away and some must pass through security to get to their jobs each morning. (Most XpresCheck locations are before security, but a handful mainly serve connecting travelers.)

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But how durable is the XpresCheck model? Even with a slow global vaccine rollout, it seems like a business that does not have that much room to run. Not so, countered Satzman. Should there be other infectious disease threats that come, we can very easily switch to other tests. Were still taking our shoes off 10 years later, after some idiot had a shoe bomb. A well-developed testing infrastructure, he said, is the key to avoiding panicked shutdowns and overreactions like the ones the world went through last spring.

In other words, $250 nose swabs may be a part of international travel for years to come, as unprepared travelers confront complicated rules and flight changes. Does that stress you out? Perhaps XpresSpa could interest you in a massage.
Joe Bidens pick for chair of the regulatory Federal Trade Commission was a slightly nontraditional one: a 32-year-old Pakistani American lawyer named Lina Khan whos been described as a antitrust rock star. She has big ideas about how corporations wield their power, and why large companiesi.e., monopoliesespecially in Big Tech have remained unregulated for so long. This is exciting for Matt Stoller, whos a research director at the American Economic Liberties Project and advocates against monopolistic business practices. Stoller says that if he had his way, the FTC would be preventing businesses from getting so big that they distort the market and jack up priceslike what megacorporations including Amazon and Google and others have been accused of doing. The FTC hasnt done that kind of regulation for decades nowbut could Khan turn the agency around? And in the process, will she finally be able to bust up these humongous companies? On Tuesdays episode of What Next, I spoke with Stoller about Lina Khan and the potential counterrevolution in antitrust enforcement. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Matt Stoller: The FTC really hasnt done anything for 30, 40 years. And people were OK with that. Let me give you an example. What is the most costly, inefficient, and basically predatory sector of the economy? Health careprices are insane, the quality is bad. The Federal Trade Commission is supposed to be dealing with things like hospital consolidation, practices in the pharmaceutical industry, the medical supply chain. Its supposed to oversee corporate mergers and stop the ones that create monopolies. But it has never stopped a single pharmaceutical merger over the last 40 years, and the pharmaceutical industry is the most price-gouging industry, as most people in America know.

Mary Harris: Given everything youve just said, how big of a change is it that Lina Khan has been put in charge?

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I think its a really massive shift. The reaction among the antitrust world was explosive. The big thing to know is its not that the FTC has done a good or bad job over the last 40 yearsI mean, I dont think its done a good jobbut, more importantly, it hasnt been relevant. It hasnt mattered. People dont know commissioners names. Now youre seeing people in Europe, antitrust lawyers all over the country, investment analysts, and Big Tech people kind of freaking out that the FTC actually picked somebody who wants to govern.

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Lina Khan is like the Simon Biles of the antitrust world, to give you a sense of who she is. She started as business journalist, which is how she learned about the economy. In the early 2010s, right after the financial crisis, she was covering a bunch of different industries, everything from chicken farming to Amazons book division to chocolate to seeds and chemicals to airlines, and small business formation in general. She was talking to business people who were facing monopolies, and she wrote a bunch of stories about what it was like to deal with these monopolies, why these monopolies existed, and the market regulation problems. Shes not an economist. She didnt learn all this through a theoretical mindset. She talked to business people and to monopolies, like, whats your strategy here? Then she went to law school and used her journalistic skillsher ability to tell stories, her understanding that its really important to have an empirical foundation of evidence, not from weird, opaque models, but from talking to people that are in these markets.

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In 2017, Khan wrote a law review article titled Amazons Antitrust Paradox, which was a way of saying, We have these laws against monopoly power. How is a firm like Amazon so powerful and so dominant? In that article, Khan described the way Amazon was invisible to antitrust laws. It was a remarkable attack on the way weve organized antitrust over the past 30, 40 years. And that was an explosive articleyou dont usually think of law review articles as going viral, but this one did. Heres this law student who reshapes the debate over antitrust in her 20s. Thats crazy.

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My understanding is that the article basically argues that Amazon wasnt being regulated because most regulators had this consumer framework for antitrustif a company is negatively affecting consumers, thats when you step in. Amazon wasnt perceived like that.

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The framework that enforcers have is called consumer welfare rights. You have two ways of understanding antitrust enforcement. The traditional way is market power: Are these firms powerful and big? Are they using coercive practices to bully their competitors, suppliers, customers? Price is one aspect of that, but not the only aspect of it.

The other way to understand antitrust is the efficiency or consumer welfare model. In that model, the only thing people really care about is consumer prices. Are consumer prices low? If theyre low, then there is no antitrust violation going on. But what Amazon was engaged in below-cost pricing, charging less than the item cost so that it could drive competitors out of business and then eventually raise prices later.

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Theres one part of Khans paper where she showed that the way Amazon was able to force the e-commerce site Diapers.comwhich it wanted to buyto sell was by lowering its prices of diapers lower than Diapers.coms, lost hundreds of millions of dollars a month, and then telling the website, Sell out to us or well just drive you out of business. So then Diapers.com sold to Amazon, and then Amazon raised prices on diapers afterward.

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This model is bad for workers, for consumers, for competitors, for a whole set of actorsbut the fundamental dynamic that Khan is driving at is that its bad for democracy. The anti-monopoly tradition in America used to be rooted in the idea that you dont want to have concentrations of economic power because they become concentrations of political power. The way to check big business is to make sure companies have rivals so they have to compete with each other instead of fighting to just take over the governmentwhich is what theyre doing now. Thats what the point of antitrust is and was, and price is only part of that story.

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That paper came out in 2017, and it was huge. You see a lot of skepticism around Big Tech right now, and its largely because of the movement Lina Khan has been leading. Thats whats so important about her: Shes reoriented the intellectual and political foundations of antitrust, and of how we do business in America.

Youre talking about how we are sort of reorienting to an earlier idea of antitrust. I was reading that Khan found a quote from 1905 from Ida M. Tarbell, who was then writing about John Rockefeller. Tarbell basically describes Rockefeller as a patient general who looks out at the field and is like, OK, we need to capture that tiny little hill over there, then that tiny little hill. If I do all that, Im going to get the whole field. She looked at this and thought, This is exactly what Jeff Bezos is doing. Hes capturing all these little pieces of the market, and all of a sudden hes going to be running the whole thing.

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You read about Rockefeller, its like youre reading about Bezosin many cases they use some of the same tactics fighting the same political battles. There really are no new scams or new ways to monopolize. Its always about acquiring bargaining power, surveillance, rebates, kickbacks, bribes, a lot of the coercive practices. You have new things like data, but youre basically using the same techniques to acquire power.

Why did the idea of what antitrust was or could be change over the course of the 20th century?

The anti-monopoly tradition goes way back, but antitrust is a late-19th-century thing having to do with the formation of industrial corporations, from the moment big business appeared. Big industrial corporations started appearing in the late 1800s all the way through the 1930s, and there were debates about how you have a liberal democracy, a republic, an American state and society, consistent with these big businesses. Wed never had that kind of concentration of power. To that eras Americans, it looked like some of the aristocratic elements that the U.S. had broken up from. Thats how John Sherman justified the Sherman Act in 1890: He talked about autocrats of trade and kings of commodities.

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There were a bunch of fights about what to do about people like Rockefeller and the firms they had formed and by the 1930s. What ultimately happened is that FDR smashed the power of the financiers. So while there were big businesses, they were forced to compete. They were heavily regulated by the government. And for a lot of industries like banks, retail stores, light manufacturing farms, they were family-size or slightly bigger. That was the way we organized the economy, and antitrust was a key part of that. Antitrust prevented big business from merging. It prevented it from cracking down on their suppliers. It protected retail stores from distributors.

Did that look like constant fines and lawsuits and oversight of mergers?

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It looked like a bunch of lawsuits. The laws were pretty clear and were interpreted through the courts, and there were a lot of breakups of firms. You also had private litigation. So if someone is screwing me, I can sue them and its possible to bring a case and win. So you had an incentive system to prevent coercion.

Things started changing in the 1970s. Two academic schools of thought started having this argument about the concentration of economic power. On the left, scholars were happy to see businesses grow dominant as long as the government taxed them and redistributed some of that wealth. On the right, scholars saw hegemonic business as a natural outgrowth of skill and didnt think such businesses should be highly taxed for their success. Ultimately, both sides agreed monopolies werent inherently bad.

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The left and the right still hated each other, but the whole anti-monopoly tradition fell away.

"Just a few years ago, if you had somebody in one of these positions making allegations about some of the most powerful firms in the country, you would think they were going to have a rough road to confirmation."  Matt Stoller

That agreement between the left and the right, you saw it really take hold during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. He started dropping antitrust cases, firing lawyers, relaxing laws, and appointing judges who do not believe in antitrust enforcement. But the crucial point is that this attitude continued. You could see it in decisions of both conservative and liberal Supreme Court justices. You can see it guiding the policies of the Clinton and Obama administration.

Right. I mean, the Obama administration was actively bad on this stuff. I think whats really difficult for most people to understand about the monopoly problem is that its really not a partisan issuethese ideas came from both the right and the left, and they came from both political parties. But the FTC under Obama had evidence of monopolization by Google, and instead of bringing a case, it decided to drop the suit in 2013, a month after Obamas reelection, when Google CEO Eric Schmidt was sitting in Obamas election war room overseeing voter turnout. I mean

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Conflict of interest, much?

There were a lot of suspicions about deep corruption. But the philosophical point Im making is that these guys really dont believe in decentralizing power because they think, Lets concentrate power and put our friends in charge and put experts in charge, because they know how to do stuff right. There was this ideological revolution that happened from Reagan to Obama, even to Trump somewhat.

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Whats interesting to me is the fact that the confirmation of Khan was bipartisan. It seems like both parties have kind of come together to realize theres a problem here and they need to take a different tack. Im wondering if, from watching her confirmation hearings, you saw Democrats and Republicans working through this live on air.

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Its been shifting for a few years. What is fascinating is that Lina Khan is a progressive and shes not shy about it. Shes aggressive, too, like. During her confirmation hearings, she said that theres potential criminal activity, and she was alluding to price fixing between Facebook and Google in ad markets. Just a few years ago, if you had somebody in one of these positions making allegations about some of the most powerful firms in the country, you would think they were going to have a rough road to confirmation, right? If youd put someone progressive, the Republicans were going to hate her and the moderates were going to feel all squishy. But what happened here that the moderates were the ones on the ropes because the moderates are the ones who led us to the status quo, which everybody hates. The fact is that 75 percent of industries in America have gotten more concentrated over the last 20 years. The top five tech companies bought a thousand firms and nobody stopped a single one. Everyones really angry about that. So Lina Khan gets up there and says, heres my philosophy, heres my track record, and then she gets 22 Republican votes in the Senate. Thats just astonishing, and a real sea change in how we understand politics.

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I wonder if theres a sense of relief in Washington because having Khan allows them to feel like, Shes going to handle it for us, we dont need to solve this one right now. You know, were putting this person in place and hopefully thatll right the ship here.

Theres definitely some of that. When you write a letter to the FTC and youre a senator and you say, Hey, we passed this law asking you to do this thing, the FTC usually ignores those letters and ignores them. Senators and Congress members are really frustrated because because FTC staff and leaders really dont believe in in governing. They really dont want to interfere in the business world. They feel like thats inappropriate. So to have someone whos going to govern, whos going to start using the latent authority of the FTC will be a relief, I think. Itll be interesting to see what happens when and if Khan starts saying, We are going to start restructuring these industries and banning unfair practices and not letting monopolies run the showwhat happens then? Thats kind of thats kind of an open question.

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Youve written about how even when the FTC does do something, its often not enough. Like in 2011, it fined Facebook $5 billion, which sounds massive, for being careless with users personal information. But the FTC didnt even announce it. Facebook announced it on an earnings call.

And Facebook stock went up by 40 billion dollars when it announced the fine. Its kind of a joke. Thats what the FTC is perceived as.

But theres a broader issue here, which is that you have a crisis of the rule of law more broadly. If you look at something like the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, the whole opioid crisis, these guys are drug dealers and they really should have been in jail for what they did, but the DOJ and the government let them off the hook. You also saw this with the financial crisis, where not a single banker of any importance went to jail. There simply is lawlessness in our economy writ large, and the FTC is a big part of it, though ts not the only agency thats proved to be feckless. But I think having somebody whos going to really focus on fairness in competition in America can really change that dynamicnot just at the FTC but across the government in general. That is actually what the people want. Its increasingly what Congress wants. Do we really live in a democracy if our government cant touch the corporate sector?

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The other day, this joyously dumb video of a guy celebrating his last shift at Taco Bell by doing a cannonball into the sink blew up on TikTok. After three years slinging crunchwraps, young Steven Pauley of West Virginia apparently quit his job in order to pursue the Zoomer dream of playing video games full time on Twitch. To commemorate the end of his fast-food career, he stands up on a little ladder in the kitchen, braces himself, then leaps into the giant, soap-filled tub. The water explodes like a depth charge has just gone off, and he emerges covered in suds, somehow having avoided fracturing his tailbone, like a legend.

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Though not everyone is exiting with a literal splash, Steves goofy little stunt pretty much sums up Americas mood at a moment when workers are bailing on their jobs like never before. In April, nearly 4 million workers bid goodbye to their employer, pushing the quit rate to a record high since the government began tracking it about two decades ago. Telling your boss so long was definitely this springs hottest career trend.

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When lots of workers are quitting, it is usually considered a sign that the economy is doing well, since people typically arent willing to leave one job unless they are pretty confident that they can find another. Right now, things are slightly more complicated. With the coronavirus crisis fading and customers flocking back, businesses have been desperate to hirejob openings are hitting new records. But while millions of Americans remain unemployed, theyve been slow to return to the workforce, either because people are choosing to ride out generous jobless benefits for a while longer, have family obligations at home to tend to, or are just being choosy about their next career move.

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Thats created a red-hot market for job hunters, one in which McDonalds workers can get a raise by going to the competing franchise down the street or, if they want to, leave behind service-industry drudgery altogether. The quit rate is by far highest right now in low-paid, high-turnover industries like retail and hospitality, where many workers are burnt out after slogging through the pandemic in working conditions that may have put their personal health at risk. As one former pet store worker told the Washington Post, My life isnt worth a dead-end job. At the same time, white-collar workers are feeling empowered too; quits are up in professional services, and a survey by Morning Consult found that 39 percent of employees said theyd consider leaving their jobs rather than give up remote work. In March, around a quarter of all workers told the pollster they were considering switching employers.

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It likely helps that by staying in and collecting stimulus checks, Americans saved an enormous amount of money during the pandemic, giving them the breathing room to leave their job without a replacement lined up immediately. The extra financial cushion is probably giving some people the courage to try entrepreneurship out (the startup rate for new businesses shot up during the crisis and has stayed high into the past few months) or pursue a fun lark, like becoming a professional video game streamer. Personally, Ive got a buddy whos thinking of leaving a decent media job to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. You know workers are in a good spot when people are seriously thinking about giving up jobs in journalism, an industry that has been in a state of unrelenting decline for years.

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Some of this dramatic rise in quits might also be a temporary blip, caused by a backlog of people who would have left their jobs last year but didnt because of the pandemic. But in the end, the main factor is probably just that lots and lots of businesses are hiring. As Harvard economist Jason Furman noted to me, the quit rate is roughly in line with what you would predict based on the number of job openings. (In hospitality and business and professional services, its actually slightly lower.) That suggests the number isnt being driven primarily by delayed departures or workers experiencing personal epiphanies about what they would prefer to do with their lives, but simply the volume of new opportunities.

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But regardless of the exact reason why, people seem to treating the reopening era as moment of professional liberation. And you know what? Its nice. One miserable aspect of life in the aftermath of the Great Recession was the constant, low-grade fear that if you lost your job, you might not be able to find another one. People tended to cling to their work, which created office cultures of people who were happy just to be there. Not coincidentally, the rate at which people quit their jobs tended to be quite low. When economists talk about the value of tight labor markets and full employment, they tend to emphasize the concrete, material benefits for workers, especially rising wages. (Pay in the leisure and hospitality industry has shot up.) But there are also obvious, societywide emotional benefits to having an economy biased in favor of workers looking for work rather than bosses trying to hire or instill the fear of God in their staff. Wed be a healthier, happier country in the coming years if public policy makes sure more people can make like Steve and cannonball toward their bliss.
On this weeks episode of Working, June Thomas spoke with Spanish-language journalist Leon Krauze, who works as a Univision news anchor, radio host, and Slate contributor. They discussed the importance of local news with a global focus, writing and reporting in both Spanish and English, and the differences between working on radio versus television. This partial transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.

June Thomas: I think English-speaking people often act as if immigration is the only issue that affects Latinos. Obviously immigration is a huge issue, but there are many, many, many Spanish-speaking Americans whose immigration status was settled generations ago. How much of a role does coverage of immigration play in your coverage?

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Leon Krauze: Its an infuriating misconception, frankly, that the community only cares about immigration. This could not be farther from the truth. I remember when I interviewed Chuck Rocha, the main Latino strategist for the Sanders campaign. Bernie Sanders was incredibly successful with the Latino community. The reason for that is, among other things, Chuck Rochas work. He explained to me that the first thing they realize is that Latinos care about many other things other than immigration. They care about all the things that Americans care about: health, education, jobs. So we realize that, and we try to offer that editorial mix in our newscasts.

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Now, having said that, the last few years have been particularly complicated, to say the least, because there was an active persecution of the community. Nativist rhetoric really scared the community, and it became an urgent issue beyond the wish for comprehensive immigration reform and the things that we have spoken about and still are debating for decades now. It became more urgent, and that made immigration more of a focus. Its the elephant in the room. But other than that, we do try to offer a more complex, diverse mix of topics and angles.

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I think of the TV news as being very scriptedyoure reading from a TelePrompTer. Then you do an hour every day of radio, which is totally unscripted. Do you find it challenging to go between those two extremes?

Well, its intense. The radio show is completely unscripted, and we have open telephone lines. Theres no screening, so we quite literally never know whos going to come on-air with us. Weve had the most extraordinary discoveries and conversations and the most infuriating conversations. Ive gotten into shouting matches with people. Yes. Often, I would even say. Its fascinating, and its wonderful. I love it. Its what I love to do the most. The TV side of things, I deeply respect the reach that TV affords a journalist and Im grateful for it. I love my job.

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But times and formats are very restricted. With the exception of one segment that I developed for Univision, which is very un-news-like, or not as orthodox as news is, Ive never had anyone tell me, I heard you on TV. Everyone says I saw you on TV, and by the way, nice suit. Your tie was crooked. While on the radio or on podcasts, everyone is listening to you, for better or for worse. You only have your voice. So yes, its very different, but it makes my life more interesting. I really need my daily exercise of jousting with the community.

I get that. What was the segment that you developed that you felt was listened to and really engaged with?

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Well, its called La Mesa, and its a tablea table I bought years ago now. Round, brown plastic table that we bought at Home Depot, with a couple of plastic chairs. When I first got to Univision, I realized that part of the mission of the place was community-oriented journalism, which is something Ive always loved. I said, were going to really put this to the test. So we bought the table, a couple of chairs, and we began taking the table and placing it on corners, chosen at random, all across Southern California. Then we took it elsewhere with a couple of mics, and I sat there without any makeupthank Godwithout any tie, without any jacket, without any notes, without any pen or paper, nothing, and invited people to sit across the table from me. I began every conversation with, Como se llama, usted? Whats your name? The idea was just to ask people to tell us their life stories.

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At first, frankly, I thought that people would just stand up and say, why am I going to share anything with you? It ended up becoming, I would say, my lifes work. And if I could do only that, in that format and other formats, I would do only that. Ive interviewed I guess by now, close to a thousand people. I published a book with the 50 best stories from La Mesa. It became a daily segment on Univision L.A. We cut down the interviews to three minutes, and it became really my lifes work. And the one thing that people ask me almost every time, Where is your mesa? Where is your mesita? How can I sit there with you and tell you my story? Its been very illuminating and humbling and touching.

To listen to the full interview with Leon Krauze, subscribe to Working on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or listen below.
On June 3, a conservative news satire website called the Babylon Bee demanded a retraction from the New York Times, threatening a defamation lawsuit over a March article that claimed the site trafficked in misinformation under the guise of satire. On June 10, the Times corrected the story, and was right to do so. The story at the heart of this conflict was headlined, For Political Cartoonists, the Irony Was That Facebook Didnt Recognize Irony, but the true irony of the piece is that the Times itself repeated Facebooks error: The Babylon Bee, like the Onion, may be fake news, but it is not misinformation.

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For decades, the left has dominated political satire. So ironclad was this hold that some even wondered whether the right could be funny at all. The most notable conservative response to The Daily Show and its countless imitators was Fox News The 1/2 Hour News Hour, which was critically panned and remains to this day the worst-rated television show on Metacritic. But recently, the Babylon Bee has seemingly lifted the curse on conservative satire, at least in terms of popularity, as it is now garnering more interactions on Facebook than the Onion. As a researcher interested in political humor and online discourse, I was spurred by this unprecedented popularity to regard the Babylon Bee as an object of serious research rather than a mere curiosity. I have now studied the site closely for a year, but Id been observing it since soon after its inception in 2016.

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The Babylon Bees conflict with the New York Times over whether it publishes misinformation was a familiar one: The site has previously been flagged as misinformation by Twitter, Facebook, and Snopes. In one sense, the Babylon Bee does obviously write fake news. For instance, the Bees report on a survey that suggests that 100% of Americans Will Continue to Wear Masks in Walmart Bathrooms is purely fictional. But there is also a clear difference between satire and misinformation, even if both are factually untrue things written in the style of news.

The New York Times was wise to issue its correction, as was Snopes to create a fact-checking label for satire in 2019. But these media corporations and others should never have characterized the Bee as misinformation in the first placethis only makes them appear unable to take a joke from the right and fuels the notion of a liberal media establishment advanced by the Bee and other conservative outlets.

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Snopes committed the original sin in the matter of presenting the Bees satire as fake news, giving a rating of False to a Bee article titled CNN Purchases Industrial-Sized Washing Machine to Spin News Before Publication, a notion so punny and outlandish that to offer a straight-faced fact-check was absurd. Conflict ensued. A quick peek at the Babylon Bees website offers more clear indicators that its content is farcical: reports that Disney is giving a villain origin story film to Kamala Harris, multiple articles about orcs, and the headline God Puts Rainbow in Sky Promising Never to Punish the Earth With Friends Reunion Again. On the About Us page, the Bee explicitly labels itself as satire, with a winking 100% verified by Snopes.com.

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Even so, the phenomenon of audiences and even news sources mistaking news satire for reality is well-documented. What is more, a study from the Ohio State University suggested that conservatives are more likely to believe Babylon Bee stories are real than liberals are to believe stories from the Onion, when the indicators of satire are removed in both cases. But this has less to do with the Babylon Bee itself and more to do with the penchant for conspiratorialism and questionable reporting in the conservative media ecosystem.

Because satire rests on ironythe rhetorical technique of implying a meaning other than what is explicitly communicatedsatiric messages are often ambiguous. As Dannagal Goldthwaite Young argues in her book, Irony and Outrage, decades of social science research have suggested that when faced with this ironic ambiguity, audiences resort to interpretations most in line with their existing beliefs and experiences: Conservative viewers of All in the Family frequently identified Archie Bunker as a sympathetic character rather than the butt of the joke, and sometimes incorrectly interpreted The Colbert Report as anti-liberal satire.

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And where the Onion riffs on the news, the Babylon Bee often riffs on riffs, building referential jokes atop the already referential right-wing commentary about the untrustworthiness of the news. With misinformation and conspiracy theories such as QAnon becoming increasingly commonplace on the right and in conservative media, audiences are already conditioned to embrace the emotional resonance of a story over its plausibility or iability to survive a fact-check, leaving them more credulous toward even the Babylon Bees satiric and exaggerative brand of fake news.

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Donald Trump provided the perfect example of this possibility last October, when, in a fit of characteristic outrage and ignorance, he retweeted a story from the Babylon Bee headlined Twitter Shuts Down Entire Network to Slow Spread of Negative Biden News. Fuming, Trump tweeted, Wow, this has never been done in history. He was correct: It had never been done, of course. It was pure satire. But because the story aligned with Trumps persistent victim complex with regard to media corporations, he was more likely to believe it to be real.

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While better described as satire than misinformation, the Babylon Bee is certainly not fighting the spread of misinformation. In my research on the Bee, I have found that the site is adept at writing ironically ambiguous material that lets audiences from different sections of the right reinforce their own beliefs. This is especially true in articles about Trump, such as this one, which compares Trumps 2021 CPAC appearance to Jesus Christs biblical arrival to Jerusalem: Readers in the more closed-off, conspiracy-prone bubble can read this and agree with the depiction of Trump as a divine political savior, whereas the never-Trump crowd can find humor in Trumps cultlike following and the ridiculousness of the depiction of Trump as any kind of messianic figure. Even if the Babylon Bees satire itself should not be considered misinformation, its satire draws on and reinforces actual misinformation and conspiracya joke about Democrats agreeing to reverse the 2020 presidential election could be read as mocking right-wing wish-fulfillment fantasies, but it also affirms for those readers the false notion that the election was stolen.

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Beyond its drawing attention to existing misinformation, there are other reasons to be wary of the Bee. The site has a nasty tendency to punch down with humor parts of its audience finds refreshingly politically incorrect. The site is often ironically misogynistic, as when it defended the place of women soldiers in the American military by reporting how they dont throw grenades well, so the enemy will never know what to expect and how you can pay them way less, which gives you more money for weapons and ammo. The site is also frequently antagonistic toward the LGBTQIA+ community, with quizzes like What Gender Are You (Spoiler alert: the only possible answers are man and woman, with the outcome solely determined by the question What chromosomes do you have?) and countless identifies as jokesfor example, Man Identifies as Woman Just Long Enough to Voice Valid Opinion on Abortion.

For millennia, satirists have publicly played with and challenged ideas, and invited their audiences to join them. In this way, satire does more than just entertain: It can persuade and even educate. Critics accusing the Babylon Bee of misinformation arent just missing the joke; theyre missing the problem. The Babylon Bee isnt trying to fool its audience about the content of its made-up news storiesbut it is letting them believe theyre correct.
This article originally appeared in Zocalo Public Square.

If you were a devoted reader of Soybean Digest in the middle decades of the last centurylikely a farmer who was either growing soybeans or seriously considering ityou might have witnessed a quiet invasion taking place on the series of maps printed in conjunction with the magazines annual review of new soy cultivars.

Cultivars, or cultivated varieties, are variants of domesticated plants adapted to specific uses, climates, and soils. Soybean Digest printed the names of varieties recommended for specific locations over an outline map of the U.S. that extended far enough west to include a corner of Texas.

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Unlike names for apples or other public-facing produce, the names for soy cultivars were not intended to entice consumers with appetizing imagery. Instead, they were a pragmatic means to keep a wealth of genetic lineages straight: single proper names chosen, it often seemed, for reasons known only to the breeders. What to make of Clark and Kent, often recommended for neighboring counties in the North? Or, in the South, such varieties as S-100, CNS, and JEW 45 (bred by South Carolina farmer John E. Wannamaker, who lent his initials)?

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There were, however, discernible shifts in naming practices. In the early 1900s, when the USDA began taking an active hand in importing thousands of samples of soybeans from Asia and sorting them into cultivars for American farmers, names indicating geographic origin, such as Peking, were common. By the late 1940s, names like Mandarin and Hongkong had become increasingly rare. Breeders instead chose names for soybeans, still widely regarded as a botanical immigrants, that more firmly rooted them on American soil. Northern breeders favored the names of presidentsAdams, Madison, Lincolnand tribal nations: Chippewa, Blackhawk, Ottawa. Southern names of the time included Arksoy, Volstate (for Tennessee, the Volunteer State), and Pelican (in honor of Louisianas state bird).*

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These practices were inconsistent, though, next to one that emerged in the South in the mid-1950s that embodied a very specific regional identity. Somehow, a century after losing the Civil War, Confederate generals had returnedat least on the inside pages of an obscure trade journal. A new form of geographic identity was appearing in the South, beginning with a smattering of Jackson and Lee cultivars. By the last map of the series, in 1966, the rout of older varieties was nearly complete. They were crowded out by Hood, Hill, Hampton, Stuart, Bragg, Hardee, and Pickett.

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This was not simply an invasion on paper. It pointed to a dramatic transformation of Southern agriculture, in which new soybean varieties played a major role once held by cotton. It was also a vivid indication of how this transformation largely excluded African Americans sharecroppers, who were being actively pushed off the land.

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As much as the Confederate cultivars reflected large structural forces at play, they were largely the work of a single man, responsible both for the painstaking scientific work it took to breed them and for the choice of this particular naming practice. Edgar E. Hartwig was not a born Southerner. He grew up in Minnesota and received his Ph.D. in agronomy from the University of Illinois. He joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1941. Founded in its current form during the Civil War, the USDA was tasked with conducting research of direct benefit to American farmers, often in cooperation with state agricultural research stations.

In 1948, Hartwig was assigned to oversee the cooperative soybean breeding program for 12 Southern states: the 11 former Confederate states, plus Oklahoma. The North/South divide in cultivar breeding was not unusual. Soybeans, like many crops, are sensitive to conditions that vary markedly from north to south, such as summer daylength and the length of the growing season. An unintended consequence: soybean breeding did rather precisely map onto American sectional divisions.

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Hartwigs outsized influence on Southern soybeans was, in part, due to his consummate skill at the exacting and time-consuming technique of backcrossing. Previous generations of American soy breeders had largely focused on sorting through existing lineages from the rich genetic heritage of Asia to find those well adapted to the countrys needs. Backcrossing was a more active form of breeding, in which two variants were mated, and then one was bred with successive generations of the resulting crosses until the others contribution was diluted to a small cluster of genes or even a single desirable trait.

This ability to mix and match genes was crucial for the success of soybeans in the South. Earlier in the 20th century, existing cultivars in the region were generally short and bushy plants, grown for hay. Increasingly, however, the real money in soybeans was coming from growing beans that could be processed into oil and animal feed. This required plants tall enough to be harvested by combines, pods not easily shattered by mechanical harvesting, and high yields of long-maturing beans rich in fat and protein. Northern cultivars had these traits, but breeders needed to combine these qualities with adaptations to Southern conditions, including shorter summer days and more numerous plant diseases. Hartwig was adept at the work, and as his cultivars went into circulation, soybean acreage in the 12 states in his program increased sixfold between 1954 to 1974 to almost 16 million acres, one quarter of the nations total at the time.

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While the supply of new cultivars was crucial for this growth, it was only because fundamental changes in the agricultural economy of the South had created demand. New Orleans, for instance, grabbed a big share of the growing soybean export market to Europe, which sought the crop to help raise the postwar standard of living through increased meat production. Initially, this benefitted Midwestern farmers who could ship down the Mississippi, but Southern farmers soon recognized the opportunity as well. Soy acreage in Louisiana accordingly shot up from 73,000 acres in 1954 to 1.8 million in 1974. This period also saw the rise of the broiler belt, ranging from Arkansas, down into the Gulf states, and up through Georgia and the Carolinas, where caged chickens bred for breast meat were fattened on soy-enriched feed. The poultry industry helped Georgias soy acreage increase by a factor of 31 in 20 years.

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Above all, soy appealed to farmers because it was not cotton. For decades, the region had struggled with gluts of its main cash crop and consequent low prices. The government periodically attempted to limit supply through acreage allotments and marketing quotas, but with limited success. Reformers had long sought to convert the Souths cotton monoculture to mixed rotations of small grains, oats, and winter wheat, but the Southern landowners were uninterested in any system that did not provide them a robust cash flow. This is what Hartwigs soybeans provided, enabling them to cut back cotton production. By 1960, American farmers were planting a little more than 15 million acres of cotton, down from almost 45 million acres at the crops peak in the 1920s.

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This might provide the best clue for Hartwigs commitment to naming cultivars after Confederate generals. (Beyond acknowledging the obvious fact that this was his practice, he never publicly discussed his reasons.) As an agricultural modernizer, he was selling Southern landowners on an entirely new, mechanized system of agriculture, of which soybeans were only one element. Confederate generals, memorialized throughout the region in monuments and the names of parks, towns, and military bases, were a readily available form of nostalgia to drape over disruptive innovation.

Key to the effectiveness of this pitch was the race of the intended audience, which remained a constant as the region shifted from sharecropping to mechanized farming. Nearly 90 percent of landowners were white, who were initially attracted to the prospect of increased earnings. With cotton, they had customarily sold the fiber while allowing their tenants to sell the cottonseed to local mills. Now they could dispense with the labor of sharecroppers and keep the profits from soybeans for themselves. As a Louisiana State University bulletin calculated in 1943, it took 184 hours of labor for each acre of cotton, compared to 10 hours for soybeans.

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The tradeoff was the need to invest more heavily in equipment, such as combines, as well as fertilizersparticularly potash and phosphatesand pesticides. As Hartwig emphasized in the many articles he wrote for such venues as Soybean Digest, the large yield of beans promised by his new varieties required this kind of capital investment. At a meeting of farmers in 1975, he in fact chided them for only getting 22 bushels of beans per acre. You ought to get 35, he told them. At the same meeting, however, an agricultural economist reported that soybean processors had soybean meal coming out of their ears in a tight buyers market, indicating that there was no guarantee that farmers would recoup their investment.

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This highly competitive environment cut both ways. As the number of farm operators decreased by more than half between 1954 and 1987, the number of farms in the South partly or fully owned by their operators rose from 71 percent to 91 percent, making the regions agriculture in this sense more equal. But it was those best positioned to receive credit and government aid who benefitted. Such farmers were predominantly white. African Americans, poorer to begin with, suffered from discriminatory practices by both private and public lenders, notably the Farmers Home Administration, which systematically shut out Black applicants from government loans.

In 1920 there were 920,000 nonwhite farms in the South, a majority of them operated by tenants. In 1954, this had fallen to 430,000, or 26 percent of the regions farms. By 1987, the number would drop to a mere 27,000, or 3 percent of farms in the South. This decline represented the virtual disappearance of Black sharecroppers, but also of tens of thousands of Black owner-operators unable to compete on a fair basis. Ten years later, the number was 19,000.

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So as Southern agriculture became less unequal, it also became much whiter. Even at the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, Hartwig could avoid pushback from Black farmers over his choice of symbolism.

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The influence of the Confederate cultivars waned after the 1970s, when commercial seed developersgiven more patent rights to their seeds through the Plant Variety Protection Actlargely took the reins from USDA breeders like Hartwig. With a deluge of new cultivars, proper names were supplanted by alphanumerical designations like AG2702 and 5344STS.

In the meantime, Hartwig persisted in his enthusiasm for Confederate cultivar names, suggesting an embrace of Lost Cause mythology that went beyond strategic persuasion. He used all three of Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrests names on separate cultivars. Lamar was probably named after Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar of Georgia, who, while not a general, was famed for being the last Confederate officer killed in the Civil War. Lamar also invested in the illegal trans-Atlantic slave trade as late as 1858. Hartwigs last Confederate soybean was Lyon, released in 1993, three years before his death.

By then, he was widely honored as the father of soybeans in the South. An endowed chair in Soybean Agronomy at the University of Mississippi was named after him and his wife. He was awarded the USDA Superior Service Award and the USDA Distinguished Service Award.

The Confederate soybean cultivars have receded into the past, but they were part of a larger pattern of systemic racism whose legacy can be felt to this day. Facing decades of pressure, the federal government has made halting progress toward redressing the wrongs it committed to farmers of color, most recently by promising them $4 billion of debt relief in the latest COVID aid package. Critics such as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have decried this as reparations. In this context, is worth recalling Hartwigs soybeans as one illustration of the USDAs longstanding, built-in assumption that it served, above all, the interests of white farmers.
Last week, the House Oversight Committee released new documents showing how, in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection, Donald Trumps White House pushed the Department of Justice to investigate ludicrous conspiracy theories of election fraud. While the documentation shows the deranged and pathetic delusions of a failed would-be autocrat, they still matter, both because it really did happen and because the response from Republicans on the House Oversight Committee and around the country shows how relevantand how dangerousthese conspiracy theories remain.

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First, its worth delving into the allegations: Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump personal assistant Molly Michael tried to push the DOJ to investigate claims that voter fraud had been committed in states around the country, with Michael starting in Michigan. Immediately after Bill Barr resigned from his post as attorney general, on Dec. 14, Michael sent an email to the new acting attorney general, Jeff Rosen, with the subject From POTUS, that included a memo outlining debunked claims of fraud in Michigan. DOJ officials subsequently forwarded that memo to a pair of U.S. attorneys in Michigan.*

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The memo claimed that a quickly caught and corrected error by Republican election officials in a single pro-Trump county, Antrim, meant that the Dominion machines had been hacked, which meant that the entire election had been tainted. The key piece of evidence in Antrim was a video posted by a now-deleted Twitter account called KanekoaTheGreat that showed local Republican elected officials in Georgia claiming to have the ability to hack Dominion machines. That Georgia official, Misty Martin, subsequently came under investigation by Georgias Republican secretary of state after she blamed voting systems in her county for a 50-vote error in her count. (The error appears to have been created because she actually counted a single 50-vote batch twice, according to the secretary of state.)

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The allegations citing Martin came from an auditor, Russell Ramsland, who prior to his Antrim County probe had produced affidavits in Trump fraud lawsuits that confused a Michigan jurisdiction with a Minnesota one and that falsely claimed Detroit saw turnout of 139.29 percent. Ramsland had also previously endorsed a conspiracy theory about the Deep StateSoros Network claiming that the whole Confederate statue issue is part of a larger deep state operationsay negative things about a countrys founders, so people emotionally detach from them.  Then they dont remember where they came from and they can be easily brainwashed into a communist future.

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If this stuff all seems like nonsense, thats because it is. A full manual audit by the secretary of states office in Georgia, where Misty Martin claimed Dominion machines could have been hacked, showed the hand count match the machine count with limited discrepancies well within the expected margin of human error that occurs when hand-counting ballots. In Michigan, meanwhile, an investigation by the secretary of states office demonstrated that the issue of supposed machine fraud in a single county was actually human error having to do with the way Republican officials accidentally failed to update ballot software required by a last-minute change to fix errors such as a missing local candidate. Fact checks have demonstrated that what happened in Antrim was almost immediately corrected and the machine totals in the corrected tally were affirmed by a full hand count. So there was never anything to Trumps claims of fraud.

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The issue is that GOP officials are still willing to defend absurd accusations despite the obvious holes and repeated debunkings. Indeed, after the documents were released, Republicans on the Oversight Committee used a hearing last week to say that Trumps actions were totally reasonable and not worth any investigation or reckoning. Were going to investigate Mark Meadows sending an email to the Justice Department saying, Hey, theres been allegations raised, can you check it out? Wow, Rep. Jim Jordan scoffed during the hearing, which was ostensibly about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

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Whats more, some Republican-led states are still doing their best to give the Trump White Houses requests a new avenue months after the disgraced former president left office. Currently, the work of Ramslandthe guy who says the deep state is trying to brainwash people into communism and that criticisms of Confederate leaders are attacks on the countrys founders meant to achieve that plotis being actively pursued by Republicans in Michigan. As the Detroit News reported on Monday, election officials in Cheboygan County are pushing for an audit of their own election based in part on the same conspiracy theories surfaced by Ramsland about Antrim that Trump had tried to push on the DOJ. Conservative activists throughout Michigan have also been pushing GOP elected officials this month to conduct an audit similar to the absurd Arizona effort. Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said last week that he was watching carefully what occurs and what comes out of the Arizona process. In Georgia, a judge held a hearing on Monday on whether to move forward with its own Arizona-style audit. The plaintiffs lawyers in that casewithout any hard evidenceclaimed that counterfeit ballots were counted in the Nov. election and that those ballots basically amount to ballot stuffing. The judge in that case has indicated some sort of audit will go forward, but hasnt yet ruled on how extensive it will be.

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Ultimately, the claim of hacked Dominion machines in Michigan was not even the most absurd thing that Trumps White House tried to push on the DOJ. That would be a conspiracy theory called Italygate that alleged the CIA and an Italian defense contractor had used satellites to switch votes from Trump to Biden. As the Washington Post reported last week, this particular conspiracy theory was put forward by a woman who pretended to own a $30 million mansion that doesnt belong to her.

And yet, on Dec. 29, Meadows sent Jeff Rosen an email with an attached memo written in Italian purporting to prove the Italian satellite theory, along with an English translation. On New Years Day, Meadows sent a YouTube clip to Rosen further outlining the Italian satellite fantasy. Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue labeled Meadows efforts pure insanity in one email.

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And yet, not only did Jordan note that Trumps targets should have been taken seriously, but he went on to say that the DOJ officials who refused the requests of Trump White House officials were actually the ones who needed to be investigated. When the presidentwhen the chief of staff to the president of the United States asks someone in the executive branch to do something, and they basically give him the finger, I think thats the problem we should be looking into, he said. According to Jordan, the DOJs refusal to subvert the election on the basis of these insane theories was the actual wrongdoing worthy of investigation.

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This all sounds wild and outlandish, and a lot of it is performative political theater. But here is the issue: Jordan is one of the most influential Republicans in the House Republican conference. When he says that the real issue that needs to be investigated is why the DOJ didnt aid in Trumps attempts to subvert the election, hes speaking as the person who might lead such investigations. He would be the chairman of the Judiciary Committee if the GOP takes back the House next year and able to conduct any investigation he wanted into the 2020 election on the basis of any number of cooked-up conspiracy theories. Fortunately for Jordan, states across the country are beating him to it.
A federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit Monday that alleged former President Donald Trump and a host of other government officials acted unlawfully when they forcibly cleared Lafayette Square of protesters last summer. A handful of plaintiffs, including the ACLU and Black Lives Matter, alleged in four overlapping suits that Trump and administration officials conspired to violate the First Amendment rights of the anti-police brutality protesters in removing more than 1,000 demonstrators that day so that Trump could stride out Bible in hand for a photo-op in front of nearby St. Johns Episcopal Church. In a 51-page ruling, however, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich of Washington threw out the conspiracy claim as simply too speculative and ruled that federal defendantssuch as Attorney General William Barr and the acting Park Police chief, who were both named in the suitwere immune from civil liability.

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Judge Friedrich, a 2017 Trump appointee, acknowledged claims that Trump tweeted threats and encouragement of violence against protesters, and ordered Barr take charge of the situation before Barr mobilized law enforcement and appeared at the square just before it was cleared, the Washington Post notes. The judge also said the square was cleared right before Trump, Barr and Espers walk to the church. But these events werent enough to allow conspiracy claims to go forward without further, specific factual allegations, Friedrich wrote.

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Todays ruling essentially gives the federal government a green light to use violence, including lethal force against demonstrators, as long as federal officials claim to be protecting national security, legal director for the ACLU of the District of Columbia Scott Michelman said of the decision. The Department of Justice supported the dismissal of the suit. Friedrich did allow the suits claims against local police forces in Washington, D.C. and Arlington to proceed because they are not federal agencies and therefore not covered by the federal immunity statute.
On the eve of the Senate vote on a voting rights bill, former president Barack Obama offered his support to West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchins scaled back version of the voting rights legislation pushed by the centrist Democrat as an attempt to gain Republican support for the measure. Manchin angered many Democrats with his continued opposition to the more expansive version of the For the People Act that aims to tackle everything how elections are administered, ranging from public financing to ending partisan gerrymandering. But, despite having to swallow some unfavorable provisions like ID requirements and state voter roll purges, many Democrats have warmed to the idea of the Manchin compromise, mostly because its all theyve got. Key voting rights voice Stacey Abrams got on board last week and, on Monday, Obama offered his support for the Manchin version of the bill.

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Manchins compromise includes a bunch of Democratic priorities, including automatic voter registration, making Election Day a holiday, a mandatory minimum of 15 early voting days for federal elections, a prohibition on partisan gerrymandering and, while it strengthens voter ID requirements, it includes several pathways for voters to prove their identity. Obama, on a call with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, was positive about Manchins bipartisanism, characterizing the revisions as an effort by the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, or maybe in Congress Joe Manchin of West Virginiato come up with common sense reforms that a majority of Americans agree with, that Democrats and Republicans can agree with.

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That is, of course, giving Republicans a lot of credit to act in good faith, a political instinct that has not always served Obama well. The bill, after passing through the House, is up for a vote in the Senate Tuesday and is almost certain to fail to get the 10 Republicans needed to overcome a GOP filibuster. In fact, it still might not get any Republican support at allno matter what Manchin adds or strips, which means it likely wont even pass the barest of procedural hurdles sending it to the floor for debate.

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Right now at least, Republicans in the Senate are lining up to try to use the filibuster to stop the For the People Act from even being debated, Obama said. They are suddenly afraid to even talk about these issues and figure out solutions on the floor of the Senate. They dont even want to talk about voting. And that is not acceptable. Former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder, who is now the chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, offered optimism on the future of the voting rights bill on the call. Despite what you may have heard, we believe there is a path forward for this bill to get passed, Holder said. Its not clear where that optimism is coming from, but there you go.
Its hard to talk about Donald Trumps record on COVID-19 without sounding hyperbolic. Thats because the documented facts are so awful: Trump constantly deceived the public and interfered in every element of the governments response, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths that were, according to his own advisers, unnecessary. Every new examination of this catastrophe yields more evidence of the former presidents perfidy. The latest revelations, unearthed by Washington Post reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta, show how Trump, behind the scenes, tried to conceal the crisis to protect his image.

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Abutaleb and Paletta present their findings in a new book, Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administrations Response to the Pandemic That Changed History. The book, which relies in part on interviews with former Trump administration officials, wont be available until June 29, but excerpts quoted in the Post describe several incriminating episodes. In at least two cases, Trump tried to keep infected Americans from setting foot in the United States, not to prevent the virus from spreading, but to prevent the infections from being counted as part of Trumps record. In one instanceTrumps opposition to letting 14 Americans return from a cruise ship, the Diamond Princessthe authors add backstage details: Trump complained to Alex Azar, his secretary of health and human services, that the return of the infected Americans doubles my numbers overnight. The authors report that Trump tried to fire the official who approved the decision.

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The book also reveals a second episode, previously unreported, in which Trump repeatedly proposed that Americans who had been infected overseas should be shipped to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Dont we have an island that we own? Trump asked his aides. What about Guantanamo? The word island was central to Trumps idea: According to the authors, he was eager to suppress the numbers on U.S. soil, and he figured that people who were kept off the mainland wouldnt count. In both cases, the infected citizens could have been quarantined at facilities in the continental United States. That would have impeded the spread of the virus, but Trump, in his own words, viewed the presence of such people on the mainland as a threat to him statistically.

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Trumps biggest concern was testing. By producing test kits for the virus and administering them to more and more Americans, doctors and the government were gradually ascertaining the breadth of the crisis. Trump chafed at this progresshe said it made him look badbecause he figured that if people werent tested, their infections wouldnt be recorded and wouldnt be counted against him. The authors report that in a phone call on March 18, 2020, Trump told Azar, Testing is killing me!  Im going to lose the election because of testing! What idiot had the federal government do testing?

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Trump and his aides belittled and resisted various lifesaving public health measures. The book reports that Marc Short, a veteran Trump aide who was then serving as Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff, opposed a plan to send free masks to every household, on the grounds that it would alarm the public. Senior Trump officials ridiculed masks, likening them to a training bra or underwear on your face. Short also opposed the economic shutdown that slowed the spread of the virus in March and April 2020. And on the rare occasions when Trump pushed subordinates to move more quickly, he did so for personal advantage, not public health: In the fall, according to the book, he tried to oust FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn for refusing to strong-arm FDA scientists into approving COVID vaccines before Election Day.

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One anecdote reported in the book is more significant than it might seem. In late March 2020, Robert Kadlec, a senior HHS official, went to Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, with a plan to mass-distribute masks. When Kushner learned that the masks wouldnt arrive until June, he exploded. Well all be dead by June, he told Kadlec. In the Posts retelling, this conversation comes across as a tale of delay and frustration. But its worse than that. It shows how gravely Kushner and others in the White House privately viewed the crisis, while Trump was telling Americans that the virus would soon disappear.

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The Post doesnt specify the date of Kushners outburst, but in public, Trump was belittling the virus through this period. It will go away, he assured the press on March 30. We are doing a great job. The next day, when a reporter suggested that Trump had lulled Americans into a false sense of security, Trump replied, Its going away. Its going to go away, hopefully at the end of the month. On April 3, he repeated, It is going away. A week later, he added, It will be gone, and it wont be that much longer.

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Days after Kushners private eruption about the mask shortage, Trump dismissed complaints from doctors that they didnt have enough masks. We have masks. We have everything.  Were in great shape, Trump told reporters on April 10. And contrary to Kushners fear that well all be dead by June, Trump publicly insisted that the risk of death from the virus was overrated and that it was more important to reopen businesses and boost the stock market.

Trump didnt personally kill the 600,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19. But he achieved that result in every way he could: by downplaying the threat, opposing efforts to track and control the virus, deriding masks, and launching political attacks on governors who tried to save lives. By orders of magnitude, its the most lethal betrayal of American citizens by their own president. The carnage would have been even worse, according to the authors, had it not been for enormous efforts made to prevent Trump from acting on his worst instincts. The more we learn, the worse the story gets.
Has Venmo recently asked you to verify your identity with your social security number, home address, and a government-issued ID? If so, you arent alone. Though the Venmo customer identification program first started in 2019, the company appears to have been progressively ramping up its efforts to verify users since the spring.

If youre security-conscious, getting this request might send up a red flag with you: Why would Venmo require me to verify my identity all of a sudden?

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We have part of the answer: Because Venmo is a money transfer service regulated by the federal government, it is required by the USA PATRIOT Act to implement a Customer Identification Program to verify the identities of users making transactions. As to why its happening nowthats not clear. Venmo didnt respond to requests for more information, but the increase in verification requests is clear anecdotally. If youre asked to confirm your identity, you must go to the Venmo app in order to input this information, or you will no longer be able to use your Venmo balance to keep and send money received in the app. (If you dont verify your identity, you can still use the appyou just cant hold a balance in it.)

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The calls for additional personal information from Venmo have been met with skepticism from users worried that the emails from Venmo may be a scam or, if real, could expose important personal information to bad actors.

The irony is that Venmowhich has confirmed that emails asking for a social security number are legitimateis doing this because cash apps are often used to scam users out of money with tactics like phishing or smishing. Asking users to further verify their identity could help put a stop to these practices by limiting the use of fraudulent accounts.

Completing the process through the Venmo app can help keep you safe. Still, theres a legitimate risk associated with sharing any personal information online, especially information as important as a social security number.

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There are many different ways that people could go about identifying themselves.  [G]iving over personal data such as a social security number is, I believe, bad practice, said Shira Rubinoff, the chief strategy officer for HeraSoft, a company that makes ransomware-proof software. In the end, youre just giving over information that can be grabbed by a bad actor.

Even if users arent the primary targets of an attack, having sensitive information like a social security number stored by a company or organization like Venmo can still be dangerous because of the risk of data breaches, says Eva Velasquez, the CEO of the ID Theft Center, a nonprofit dedicated to providing victims of identity crime free assistance. Still, identity authentication and verification is really an important step that has to be taken to stem all of the identity crimes that are out there, Velasquez points out. So, we encourage people that if it is a legitimate and known vendor that youre choosing to do business with, participate in identity verification processes, because thats an important way to protect you. Verifying your identity can make it harder for bad actors to execute these scams, simply because there are more steps needed to do so.

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Under Venmos rules, users would still be able to pay or be paid without verifying their identity, but that money would go to and from a bank account or credit card rather than money stored in the Venmo account itself. According to experts, using Venmo under that limited functionality is not the worst idea.

When it comes to payment apps, we actually encourage people to only keep the necessary amount in there for the transaction at the moment, said Velasquez. Because if your account is compromised, and you actually have dollars in there, then youre risking the loss of those dollars, rather than having all of the protections from your credit card.

So if you get a notice from Venmo: Its legit, so long as you make sure its actually from Venmo. (The FTC has some good tips on identifying potential phishing emails.) But you may want to think about whether its worth verifying your identity anyway.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Auschwitz survivors Vrba and Wetzler honoured with memorial room in Zilina

The room is in a Jewish senior house where the report about concentration camp came into being.

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Two Slovaks, Alfred Wetzler and Rudolf Vrba, who successfully escaped the Auschwitz concentration camp in April 1944 and wrote a report about it, will be honoured with a memorial room in Zilina.

From our archive Vrba and Wetzler gave a testimony about the Auschwitz camp. They escaped 75 years ago Read more

The room will be established in the basement of the former Jewish senior house, where the report on the conditions and deaths in the concentration camp came into being. After Vrba and Wetzler came to Slovakia, the Jewish religious community in Zilina hid them there, the Aktuality.sk daily reported.

The town that financially contributed to the adjustment of the premises will operate the memorial room via the Touristic Information Office.

Writing in a laundry room

There are three rooms in the building: the former boiler room, a laundry room and a drying room. The first, bigger room, where the boiler and coal were stored, has been reconstructed. It will be used as a presentation room fitted with a video projection and an exhibition about Vrba, Wetzler, and their escape.

People have forgotten what Nazism resulted in Read more

The second room, the laundry room, was reconstructed years ago. We restored it to its original state and we succeeded in acquiring period washing and mangle machines, Pavel Frankl, chair of the Jewish Religious Community in Zilina, told the Aktuality.sk.

The third room, the drying room, is where Vrba and Wetzler hid. It contains two old military beds and modest furniture. There are original hook nails on the walls of the drying room and a clothesline will be stretched among them. There will be also an old typewriter, which is in the archive of the Jewish Religious Community. Whether it is the precise piece on which the report was written is unknown.

22. Jun 2021 at 11:13 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Hydrogen-powered cars will be able to refuel in Slovakia this autumn

Right now, the closest refuelling station is in Vienna.

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Slovakias first two hydrogen refuelling stations may be operational by October 2021. The Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency (SIEA) already released a procurement to secure them.

These will be the first refuelling stations that will be able to refuel hydrogen-powered vehicles like cars and buses, SIEA stated.

Moveable station

One of the stations is supposed to be placed in Bratislava, while the other will be equipped for operational relocations, the agency said.

Financing will come from European sources.

Both hydrogen refuelling stations will be used for refuelling hydrogen-powered cars and buses, which are supposed to serve as a part of a project by the free energy consultancy Zit Energiou (Live Energy) for professional presentation purposes and to provide statistical data for their operation, SIEA reported.

The winner of the public procurement will, apart from securing the two stations, also have the responsibility of providing the hydrogen fuel.

Germany has the most stations

If we want to drive ecologically, we will inevitably have to build an entire hydrogen infrastructure. Supporting hydrogen mobility will lead to the same result as when the first battery-powered automobiles arrived in Slovakia. They also initially lacked charging stations, then there were a few, and now they are almost everywhere, said the general director of SIEA Peter Blaskovits.

Though hydrogen cars have already been sold in Slovakia, the country still lacks refuelling stations. The closest one is in Vienna.

Czechia opened its first hydrogen refuelling station in 2009 and plans to have 6 by 2023. The country with the most hydrogen refuelling stations is Germany, where there are nearly a hundred of them.

22. Jun 2021 at 11:18 | Compiled by Spectator staff
She cannot read, she does not understand. Last victim of police raid still faces prosecution

Human rights organisations have been calling for the proper investigation of alleged police violence in the case of the 2013 Moldova raid.

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She cannot read or write. She does not understand Slovak at all and hardly Hungarian. When she was brought to one of the court hearings regarding the Moldava nad Bodvou raid, she was asked why she was in the room. "Because of the police," she answered.

Related article Slovakia has its George Floyds too Read more

That hearing was not part of the investigation of the June 19, 2013 police raid, which saw dozens of SWAT unit members raid the Budulovska settlement in Moldava nad Bodvou. The police officers broke things and injured several people.

Irena Matova was one of the six beaten Roma victims whom the investigators turned into culprits and charged them with perjury against the raiding police officers.

It is questionable to what extent Matova even realises what happened to her during the investigation, said her attorney Roman Kvasnica.

Related article How beaten Roma became suspected criminals Read more

She was investigated in another case in 2012, before the police raid. The minutes of her hearing contain the absurd claim that she has mastered spoken and written Slovak and that she can neither read nor write.

After the European Court for Human Rights ruled on the case in September 2020, the prosecutors withdrew the lawsuit against all the Roma involved, with the exception of Matova. In her case, the prosecutor still finds it reasonable to expect the court to rule her guilty.

22. Jun 2021 at 17:53 | Roman Cuprik
Piano is really my passion, Chen said. The song that I played was a rendition of a song I learned from my first piano teacher.

Music is something that is deeply personal for me. Its one of the ways I de-stress; its one of the ways I express myself.

As someone who didnt learn to speak English until she was in elementary school, Chen said music serves as a form of communication to help her best express her emotions.

Sometimes language doesnt fill in all of the gaps. It doesnt express everything I want to say, she said. Being able to sit down and play a piece like that is phenomenal for me.

That was not Chens first time performing at the Miss Nebraska pageant since she was welcomed as a guest star in 2012. She said her recent performance was a full circle moment.

With the field of contestants being narrowed down, Chen said she put it all on stage.

I was determined to just be who I was and show the judges, come what may, she said.

Following each contest, she said, I left the stage and told myself, I dont know what just happened, but I hope it was good.
On Tuesday, Riverstone Bank announced its application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for consent to merge with First State Bank in Scottsbluff. As a precursor to the application filing, the Board of Directors of both banks voted unanimously to approve the potential merger subject to regulatory approval, according to a press release.

Riverstone Bank is the ideal fit for First State Bank, Marvin Hefti, chairman and CEO of First State Bank, said. The merger preserves the community bank tradition that we have maintained since our investor group purchased the bank in 1977. We believe this transaction will only strengthen both banks.

Mike Downey, the president of First State Bank, said, We are extremely excited about the merger of two outstanding long-term Nebraska community banking organizations. For the customer, the combined bank will provide enhanced lending capacity, product offerings, and geographic reach. The retention of local management and employees was extremely important in our decision to merge. The management and staff at all of our Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado locations will remain in place to ensure continuity and stability for our customers. Its a win-win for our faithful customers and dedicated employees.
The driver of a fuel tanker was transported to the hospital after suffering injuries in a rollover on Stegall Road and Highway 88 on Monday.
SCOTTSBLUFF  Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD) has once again begun West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance activities to monitor the presence of the virus in the Panhandle.

PPHD in cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services conducts West Nile virus tracking through the months of May to October. PPHD uses the Center for Disease Control (CDC) light traps to collect mosquitoes for testing. If you see one of these traps around the area during summer months, that means there are ongoing efforts to track mosquitoes. Once mosquitoes are collected, they are sent to the Nebraska DHHS Public Health Environmental Lab.

Panhandle residents are urged to exercise caution when outdoors. To avoid mosquito bites, PPHD recommends:

 Applying mosquito repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus;

 Wearing long-sleeved shirt, pants and socks in wooded areas or areas of tall grass;

 Avoiding going out at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active;

 Eliminating standing water to reduce mosquito breeding sites

 Keep window screens in good repair, and;
A fire tore through a massive Outer Banks home on Father's Day, leaving dozens displaced in the popular tourist destination, officials said.

Facebook user Sheila Foster Davies said it was about 4 a.m. Sunday when she woke up to someone pounding at her door and telling her to evacuate. Video she posted online shows flames leaping from a nearby home in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

"The huge rental house 2 houses away is gone, burned completely to the ground," she wrote on Facebook. "Praying for our neighbors and all the renters in the houses beside us."

The fire reportedly engulfed a $4.9 million vacation home that had 16 to 18 bedrooms. At the time of the blaze, 42 people were inside, according to The Coastland Times.

The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department said it teamed up with other agencies to put out the fire, which left "extensive damage" to the home. Cars in the driveway, two neighboring houses and the Marriott TownePlace Suites pool house also were damaged, OBX Today reported.

Officials said no one was injured in the blaze that broke out on South Virginia Dare Trail, which runs parallel to the ocean. The house is in Kill Devil Hills, a beach town on the Outer Banks barrier islands.
A man's body was recovered from the Missouri River on Sunday near Onawa, Iowa, about 60 miles north of Omaha.

A fisherman called 911 just before 1 p.m. to report that he had found a body north of the Iowa Highway 175 bridge near the Ivy Island Wildlife Management Area, according to a press release from the Monona County Sheriff's Office.

The man appeared to have been in the river for some time, the press release said.

The Sheriff's Office has asked area law enforcement agencies to check their missing person reports and forward any reports matching the man's description to its office.

The body was taken to the medical examiner in Sioux City, Iowa, for an autopsy.

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But it could be hard to get visitors on board.

Tory Wadford and her partner waited around 40 minutes to get into the park on Memorial Day weekend. Thats not long compared to the two-hour wait visitors experienced at Zion National Park to board shuttles that Sunday.

Wadford said it was longer than she expected to wait. Still, she said she has mixed feelings about a potential reservation system that would require purchasing tickets online.

What weve realized with Zion, with the shuttle system, the tickets sell out within minutes, she said. So we actually only were able to reserve one ticket for both of us to get there. So were having to wait until the day before to get the second ticket so that can, you know, be a little nerve wracking.

Chet Kleinot and his wife were turned away three times before they got into Arches, after waiting in line for an hour. They were a little more receptive to the idea of timed-entry, but they had some concerns.

What if you didnt know about it? So it was almost like every hotel would have to tell you when you checked in, you know what I mean? Kleinot said.
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There were swirls of paint on paper Monday morning as six young artists took part in the Iredell Arts Councils Summer Art Camp, doing their best to mimic the work of Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis.

For Amanda Prevette, who is running the camp, its important to expose children to art early and show them they can make their own.

Its important for them to learn they can do it. Its important for their self-confidence, Prevette said. You look at a painting and think I cant do that, but then you do it and find out they can. So its a way for them to realize how awesome they are.

There are camps that are split up between elementary-age students in the morning and middle and high school-age students in the afternoon at the Iredell Arts Council.

Prevette is an art teacher who focuses her work in drawing and painting and uses that experience to get students at the camps to work on individual projects, as well as projects with other young artists.
HONG KONG (AP)  Foreign governments are beautifying acts that endanger national security in Hong Kong when they criticize the recent crackdown on a pro-democracy newspaper, the leader of the semiautonomous Chinese territory said Tuesday.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's comments come as some countries including the U.S. condemn the arrest of editors and executives at Apple Daily and the freezing of its assets as the latest examples of eroding freedoms in the former British colony.

Those arrested at the newspaper have been accused of breaching sweeping security legislation imposed by Beijing last year by colluding with foreign countries to endanger national security.

Dont try to underplay the significance of breaching the National Security Law, and dont try to beautify these acts of endangering national security, which the foreign governments have taken so much to their heart," Lam said.

Lam took particular aim at comments made by U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price saying Hong Kong authorities were using the law to suppress the media and silence dissent. Price said that exchanging views with foreigners in journalism should never be a crime.
Caribbean

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi on Sunday (local time) disclosed the names of his alleged abductors to Antiguan police.



Antigua police have commenced an investigation into the possible abduction of Mehul Choksi from Antigua on May 23, 2021, reported Antigua News Room.



Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that Choksi's lawyers wrote to the Police Commissioner providing the names of the people he believes abducted him.

Browne said that the police and the government are taking the allegations seriously, reported Antigua News Room.



Choksi, accused in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank scam got interim relief from immediate repatriation to India by the Dominican court which adjourned the matter of his detention on Thursday. As the next date of hearing is yet to be fixed and the court proceedings are likely to take time.



According to local media reports, his team of lawyers connived with opposition leaders to pressure the judiciary, which rather than questioning Choksi's illegal entry from Antigua to Dominica, believed his lawyers' version that he was abducted.



However, evidence suggests that Choksi was planning to escape to Cuba.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are accused in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case. Choksi fled the country. He was granted citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in January 2018. He is involved in a legal battle to prevent his extradition to India.



Choksi had gone missing from Antigua on May 23 after going out for dinner and was soon caught in Dominica. He was charged with illegal entry by the police in Dominica after he allegedly escaped from Antigua and Barbuda in a possible attempt to evade extradition to India.



In order to save Choksi from deportation, a team of four lawyers was hired from London. Choksi's cousin is camping in Dominica and has reportedly cut the deal with opposition to save Mehul, according to local reports.



Mehul Choksi's younger brother Chetan Chinu Bhai promised Dominican opposition leader election funding for pushing the abduction theory, local reports stated, adding that the businessman's cousin disclosed details.



Choksi is an Indian citizen that is also mentioned in the red corner notice. In Antigua where he was residing, he misrepresented the facts and got citizenship.



Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne wanted his citizenship to be cancelled, he wrote a letter in 2019, he has clearly said that Choksi will not be allowed entry in Antigua and he should be deported back to India.






The process, however, wasnt without glitches. In May, the supervisors found the county being asked for an emergency allocation of $132,560 to help the squad replace critical equipment that was out of date.

That equipment included three defibrillator monitors that had expired and were no longer being calibrated, portable suction units that the squad didnt have but are required by Virginias Code, equipment backpacks, portable radios that needed to be replaced, and a charting system necessary for adequate billing.

The supervisors debated a proposal to award the town $40,000 and provide it a $90,000 0% interest loan to cover the costs.

Supervisor Judy Wyant questioned this additional funding when $120,000 was already included in the 2021-22 county budget for Saltville EMS.

Supervisor Mike Sturgill said, You cant put a price on a human life.

Wyant asked, Are we rewarding incompetence? She also questioned the fairness for other squads that had kept up with their needs.

Deel observed that at the end of the day the supervisors are responsible for EMS services in the county.

The board OKd the proposal.
Each bag will contain a breakfast, a lunch and two cartons of milk.

We request that students be present when receiving meals if possible, a district press release said. For the courtesy of our staff, please wear a mask upon picking up meals.

Free meals also will be provided to students attending summer learning programs.

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Longview

The Longview School District will offer free meals to all children 18 years old and younger at five locations. Distribution began June 21. On Fridays, the district will offer meals bags with enough food for the weekend.

Summer meals are good deal for our kids, especially those in tough situations, Superintendent Dan Zorn said.

Meals will be offered from noon to 12:15 p.m. through Aug. 25 at Mint Valley Elementary, 2210 Olympia Way; Monticello Middle School, 1225 28th Ave.; Community House, 1105 Broadway St.; and the Teen Center, 2121 East Kessler Blvd., Longview.

Meals also will be available at Archie Anderson Park, 22nd Avenue and Alabama Street, from 11:30 to 11:45 a.m.

There will be no meals offered July 2-5 for the holiday.
More than one-third of adults in the United States failed to receive recommended cancer screenings during the pandemic, according to the American Cancer Society and National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

According to a recent study by the National Cancer Institute, pandemic-relayed delays in breast and colorectal cancer screenings and treatment will cause about 10,000 excess deaths in the U.S. over the next 10 years.

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Katterhagen said the new cancers detected now are bigger and more are lymph node positive, meaning cancer has spread from the original breast tumor to the lymph nodes.

Some patients coming in for mammograms are waiting longer than 12 months, Katterhagen said. The pandemic has affected how people view time, making some think they had their last screening more recently than it was, she said.

Katterhagens patient Johnson said she got her mammogram last year, despite the pandemic.

I was going to come no matter what, unless they told me not to, Johnson said.
Nearly all big tech companies  from Amazon to rental sites like Airbnb, ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft and service providers like Verizon  now have teams to respond to such requests and regularly publish reports about how much they disclosed. Many say they work to narrow overly broad requests and reject those that aren't legally valid.

Some of the most dramatic increases in requests have been to tech companies that cater to younger people. As the messaging app Snapchat has grown in popularity, so have government requests for its data. Snap, the company behind the app, fielded nearly 17,000 data requests in the first six months of 2020, compared to 762 in the same period of 2015.

Salter said the fact that were all doing so much online means police detectives need to stay tech-savvy. But training courses for how to file such requests arent hard to find.

For those worried about the growing volume of online data sought by law enforcement, Salter said: Dont commit crimes and dont use your computer and phones to do it.

Judges are not going to sign off on something if we dont have probable cause to go forward, he said. Were not going to look at peoples information without having something to go on.
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.
In this Monday, Nov. 5, 2018 file photo, a woman walks past the logo for Google at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. France's anti-competition watchdog has decided to fine Google 220 million euros ($268 million) for abusing its "dominant position" in the complex business of online advertising. It said Monday, June 7, 2021 that the move is unprecedented. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File

European Union regulators have launched a fresh antitrust investigation of Google, this time over whether the U.S. tech giant is stifling competition in digital advertising technology.

The European Commission said Tuesday that it has opened a formal investigation into whether Google violated the bloc's competition rules by favoring its own online display advertising technology services at the expense of rival publishers, advertisers and advertising technology services.

The investigation underscores European concerns about Google's dominance in the online advertising industry and whether it's exploiting its data advantage to cement its position in the display ad market, which the EU Commission estimates is worth 20 billion euros ($24 billion) annually. This month, France's antitrust authority fined Google more than 220 million euros for abusing its dominance in online ads while in the U.K. it gave the competition watchdog a role overseeing its retirement of ad tracking "cookies" from the Chrome browser to resolve an investigation.

Online display ads are the banners and text that show up on websites such as newspaper home pages and are personalized based on an internet user's browsing history. Search ads, in contrast, appear alongside search engine results and are based on keywords that users are looking for.

The commission, the EU's executive arm and the bloc's top antitrust enforcer, signaled it's looking in particular at YouTube and whether Google is using the video sharing site's dominant position to favor its own ad-buying services by imposing restrictions on rivals.

Google said competition in online ads has made them more affordable and relevant, cut fees and and expanded options for publishers and advertisers.

"Thousands of European businesses use our advertising products to reach new customers and fund their websites every single day," Google said in a prepared statement. "They choose them because they're competitive and effective. We will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission to answer their questions and demonstrate the benefits of our products to European businesses and consumers."

The investigation signals a renewed effort by Margrethe Vestager, the EU commission's competition chief and executive vice president for digital, to rein in Google's market power. She has already slapped Google with a total of 8.2 billion euros (now $9.7 billion) worth of fines in three separate antitrust cases. There was criticism, however, that the investigations took too long and the fines were not much of a deterrent because the company could easily afford them.

In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo a sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif. The European Court of Auditors, which has examined the EU's enforcement of competition rules over the past decade, says antitrust investigations have taken too long, dulling their effectiveness. European Union regulators have launched a fresh antitrust investigation of Google, this time over whether the U.S. tech giant is stifling competition in digital advertising technology. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

"Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetize their online services," Vestager said. Google collects data to be used for targeted advertising while it also sells advertising space and acts as a middleman between online advertisers and publishers, she said.

"We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack," Vestager said.

The EU Commission said it was investigating the ways Google uses technology to broker display ad sales between online advertisers and publishers.

For one, officials are examining requirements to use Google's in-house ad purchasing platforms to buy display ads on YouTube while rival services are potentially restricted in the way they can serve ads on the video sharing site. They're also scrutinizing whether Google's various ad platforms favor each other.

Another area the commission is looking at are restrictions Google puts on advertisers, publishers and competing ad brokers to access data about the identity and behavior of users that Google's own ad services have access to. Such data can be used to tailor online ads to individual web users.

Also under the microscope are Google's plans to phase out third-party browser "cookies" on Chrome and ad identifier tags on Android devices for users opting out of personalized advertising, as part of the company's plan to beef up privacy measures. The commission is looking into how these plans will affect digital ad markets.

EU regulators have the power to impose penalties worth up to 10% of a company's annual revenue. But it's a small price to pay for wealthy tech companies like Google, which posted a $17.9 billion profit in its latest quarter, and the commission is turning to other methods beyond headline-grabbing fines.

Vestager has started using "interim measures" as a speedy way to halt anticompetitive behavior while investigations are carried out. She also has a lead role in updating the EU's digital rulebook with measures aimed at reining in the tech giants and preventing them from cornering digital markets in the first place.

Explore further France fines Google for abusing 'dominant' ads position

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo a sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif. The European Court of Auditors, which has examined the EU's enforcement of competition rules over the past decade, says antitrust investigations have taken too long, dulling their effectiveness. European Union regulators have launched a fresh antitrust investigation of Google, this time over whether the U.S. tech giant is stifling competition in digital advertising technology. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

The European Union's move on Tuesday to investigate Google over alleged antitrust behavior in the digital ad tech sector is the bloc's latest crackdown on U.S. tech giants. Here's a look at enforcement actions taken by the EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, in recent years, as well as actions by U.S. antitrust regulators and states.

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GOOGLE

June 2021: The EU commission opens a formal investigation into whether Google stifles competition in the digital ad technology market by favoring its own ad services for buying display ads at the expense of rival services.

December 2020: Google's acquisition of fitness gadget maker Fitbit for $2.1 billion is cleared by the EU Commission after it promised to restrict user data and ensure Android phones work with other wearable devices for at least 10 years. Human rights and consumer groups had called on authorities to block the deal over privacy and antitrust concerns.

October 2020: The U.S. Justice Department and about a dozen states file a groundbreaking antitrust suit against Google, accusing the company of abusing its dominance in online search and advertising.

2019: EU Commission fines Google 1.49 billion euros (now $1.8 billion) for abusing its dominant position as a broker for online search ads, including imposing anticompetitive contracts on third-party websites such as newspapers and blogs that prevent rival search sites from placing their own search ads on these sites.

2018: EU Commission fines Google 4.34 billion euros for forcing smartphone makers that use its Android operating system to install Google search and browser apps. In response, Google gives European Android users a choice of browsers and search apps.

2017: EU commission fines Google 2.42 billion euros for unfairly favoring its own online shopping recommendations in its search results and demanded it changes the way it provides search results in Europe. Google is appealing all three cases.

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AMAZON

November 2020: The EU Commission files charges against Amazon.com accusing it of using internal data from independent merchants on its platform to unfairly compete against them with its own products. The commission also opens a second investigation into whether the e-commerce giant gives preference to some products and sellers that use its logistics and delivery systems.

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APPLE

April 2021: The EU Commission charges Apple with violating the bloc's competition rules in the music streaming market by imposing unfair rules for rivals to its Apple Music service in its App Store. Apple's practice of forcing app developers selling digital content to use its in-house payment system charging a 30% commission and its rule forbidding app makers from telling users about cheaper ways to pay ends up raising costs for consumers and limiting their choices, the commission said. Apple has until mid-July to respond to the commission.

June 2020: EU Commission opens an investigation into Apple's payment platform over concerns its practices distort competition by limiting choice and innovation and keeping prices high. It also opens another investigation into the App Store that eventually results in the music streaming charges.

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FACEBOOK

June 2021: The EU Commission starts a formal investigation of Facebook's use of data in the classified advertising market, while the U.K.'s competition watchdog opens a parallel investigation. Vestager says regulators are looking into whether the "vast troves of data" that Facebook collects on users and their interests gives it an "undue competitive advantage" in the online classified ads sector. The commission is looking specifically at the possibility that Facebook collects data on what users are interested in based on how rival classified ad sites are advertising their services to Facebook users, and whether the company uses that data to tailor its own classified offering, Marketplace, to outcompete rivals.

December 2020: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, joined by nearly every U.S. state, brings a big antitrust suit against Facebook, accusing it of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors. The suit seeks remedies that could include a forced spinoff of its popular Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services.

Explore further EU move vs Amazon is latest in string of tech crackdowns

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Schematic view of the structure of DynamicNetworks.jl. Credit: Michael Lindner, Lucas Lincoln, Fenja Drauschke, Julia M. Koulen, Hans Wurfel, Anton Plietzsch, and Frank Hellmann

Emerging open-source programming language Julia is designed to be fast and easy to use.

Since it is particularly suited for numerical applications, such as differential equations, scientists in Germany are using it to explore the challenges involved in transitioning to all-renewable power generation.

Decarbonization implies a radical restructuring of power grids, which are huge complex systems with a wide variety of constraints, uncertainties, and heterogeneities. Power grids will become even more complex in the future, so new computational tools are needed.

In Chaos, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) scientists describe a software package they built to enable the simulation of general dynamical systems on complex networks.

They wanted to build an open-source toolso anyone can verify its software structure and algorithmsto make all state-of-the-art algorithms within Julia's ecosystem easily accessible to engineers and physicists. Their package, called NetworkDynamics.jl, started out as the computational backend of another one, PowerDynamics.jl.

"We realized our computational backend would be useful to other researchers within the dynamical systems community as well," said Michael Lindner, a postdoctoral researcher at PIK.

The two theoretical pillars of their work are differential equations and complex networks.

"By casting models of power grids or brains, for example, in terms of differential equations on networks, we give them a clear underlying structure," he said. "The network encodes locality, what interacts with what, and the differential equations encode dynamics, how things change with time."

This enables researchers to obtain state-of-the-art simulation speeds.

"We first compute all the interactions among network components, then the back reactions of individual components to that interaction. This allows us to compute the entire evolution of the system within two easily parallelizable loops," said Lindner.

Since Julia is fast and easy to write and has a library for solving differential equations (DifferentialEquations.jl), researchers can implement and simulate complicated models within one dayrather than the month it used to require with other languages.

"It removes some of the barriers limiting scientific creativity," Lindner said. "I hadn't even thought about certain models and important questions before, just because they seemed completely out of reach with my given time constraints and programming skills."

A good, intuitive interface to high-performance algorithms is "important for science today," he said, "because they enable scientists to focus on their research questions and models instead of code and implementation details."

Explore further Mathematician discovers conditions for stabilization of higher-order differential inequalities

More information: "NetworkDynamics.jl - Composing and simulating complex networks in Julia," Chaos, aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0051387 Journal information: Chaos "NetworkDynamics.jl - Composing and simulating complex networks in Julia,"
Credit: Shutterstock/Rawpixel.com

The astonishing rise of smartphones in everyday life has created many solutions (GPS maps, internet browsing and messaging, to name just a few). But they have also brought new moral dilemmas. One issue in particular stands out in the wake of the pandemicthe fine line between care and surveillance.

We highlighted this tension in an extensive project which examined the use and consequences of smartphones around the world. The study was made up of 11 researchers who each spent 16 months in nine countries. Our research revealed how smartphones have demonstrably increased the human capacity for care. For example, in helping people look after frail and elderly parents.

Smartphones become especially prominent when those parents live at a distanceor, indeed, in lockdown. We found the ability to send frequent messages (what in Japan are called "little bits of nothing") was perhaps more important than their content.

The project also found that the way social media allows the visual to complement oral and textual forms of conversation has become a significant element in the expression of care. For example, we discovered that the use of "stickers" (stickers, like emojis, are illustrations that represent emotions or actions) within LINE in Japan and WeChat in China helped to convey both concern and humor more effectively.

The Big Brother dilemma

But at the same time, there has been increasing concern over the way smartphones facilitate surveillance, both by governments and by corporationswhat American social pyschologist Shoshana Zuboff calls "surveillance capitalism".

In Ireland, our study focused on surveillance as part of family relations, particularly when the children of frail parents were monitoring their actions. The parents had concerns about their autonomy, dignity and privacy.

Similarly, many parents consider monitoring their children's smartphones's as an integral and responsible part of their care. But the children mostly experience this as surveillance. We concluded that at every level, from intimate family relations, right up to the relationship with the state, the ability of smartphones to simultaneously increase both care and surveillance was leading to new moral dilemmas.

How moral issues arise from smartphone use. Credit: Daniel Miller, Author provided

The eruption of a global pandemic in 2020 underlined the importance of smartphones as an instrument of care due to the conditions imposed by lockdowns and sheilding. The impossibility of physical contact increased the significance of digital communication, especially for low-income populations.

For example, in Kampala, where we found that mobile and smartphones were the only means of contact, if people possessed neither landlines nor computers. As one village elder commented "life's easier now with phones," noting how he could inform his family about problems and request their assistance.

The NHS App and the NHS COVID-19 app are two different apps. The NHS App lets you share your COVID-19 status, order repeat prescriptions and a range of NHS services. The NHS COVID-19 app is a contact tracing app, which also lets you check in to places like bars and restaurants. pic.twitter.com/KFRQJ4503k  NHS (@NHSuk) June 3, 2021

The parallel increase in the capacity for surveillance became equally apparent when it was realised that smartphones could play a crucial role in curbing the spread of the virus through the development of contact-tracing apps. These apps allowed authorities to know aboutand then constrainthe movement of people who had been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Smartphone apps developed for this purpose have been deployed in many countries across the world. But the response to their development has been mixed. At one end of the spectrum are countries such as South Korea. Here, the technology was primarily perceived as an instrument of care. The intrusion of the state into people's private lives was generally accepted as far less important than the potential for saving lives. The government's adoption of a robust approach involving multiple digital technologies is considered to have been a significant factor in its success in the subsequent election.

By contrast, in many other countries, the deployment of these technologies has led to considerable concern about the way they extend surveillance and intrusion into personal privacy. There is, for example, evidence that Republican-leaning states in the US were less willing to download such an app as compared to others, because of a political ideology which centered on individual privacy rights in opposition to what was viewed as an intrusive state.

This has had implications for the technology itself. Some of these countries have tended to favor the Apple/Google version, that has more inbuilt privacy protection than, for example, the app originally favoured by the UK government, which provided more data to the epidemiologists. Each country chose its own path in this balance between privacy and effectiveness.

The evidence shows that the development of a smartphone technology aimed at curbing the spread of a pandemic across the globe by no means ensures a homogeneous response. This is because the technology has exposed this fine line between care and surveillance.

Where one population may prioritize individual privacy, another will be far more concerned with collective welfare. So an understanding of wider cultural values will be crucial to the ongoing deployment of this technology across the world.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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.
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Of the 545 staffed hospital beds in the region, 93 were available Monday, according to state figures.

Brazos Countys positivity rate  the percent of positive cases to tests  was 8.77% on Monday.

Health officials said 271,113 tests for COVID-19 had been administered by Brazos County health care providers since the pandemic began.

There were two new probable COVID-19 cases reported in Brazos County on Monday. To date, health officials have reported 4,096 total probable cases. Of those, two were considered active, and 4,094 were recovered. A probable COVID-19 case is determined by a positive antigen, or rapid, test. Confirmed COVID-19 cases are determined by a positive PCR test.

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To date, 257 Brazos County residents have died after testing positive for COVID-19, according to health department figures.

Brazos Valley

The DSHS reported 2,014 cases in Burleson County as of Monday. Of those, 20 were active. Forty-eight people have died from the illness in the county, according to state figures.
EXHIBITS

Revival: Visualizing Natural History Specimens in Art and Science, through Sept. 21 at the Reynolds Gallery on the second floor of the Memorial Student Center on the Texas A&M University campus. On display are visualizations generated by researchers and undergraduate students, artworks utilizing CT scanning technology, as well as the original preserved specimens. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Postcards from the Future: Paintings of Deluge, through July 17 at the Brazos Valley African American Museum, 500 E. Pruitt St. in Bryan. An exhibit of paintings about strange weather by Mary Ciani, who taught art at Texas A&M University.

The Smithsonian Institutions Water/Ways traveling exhibit, through July 17 at the Brazos Valley African American Museum, 500 E. Pruitt St. in Bryan. The exhibit explores waters environmental and cultural impact, including on climate, agriculture, transportation, industry and more. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
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.
That is the reason why Joe Biden should not be allowed to take Communion. Some very important people disagree. One of them happens to be Pope Francis, who recently stated, When we receive the Eucharist, Jesus ... knows we are sinners; he knows we make many mistakes, but he does not give up on joining his life to ours. He knows that we need it, because the Eucharist is not the reward of saints, but the bread of sinners.

Its a profoundly beautiful sentiment, but not an encyclical. Its not meant to be a rule. Its a pope trying to show human mercy.

And God bless him for that. But we cant lose sight of the fact that public officials who persist in enthusiastically rejecting a core principle of the church without shame arent just damaging themselves. They are living witnesses to the world that there is no such thing as penitence, and that they will continue to sin because they know they can.

Jesus said, Go and sin no more, He didnt channel Billy Joel and say, Dont go changing, to try and please me. He does indeed love us just the way we are, but that doesnt mean we get to keep trashing his church by doing everything we can to violate its one fundamental precept: Honor the sanctity of human life.
After blogging about involvement in USA/China dynamics yesterday, I thought it pertinent to share a timeline of activities today that place context around the whole case. I could add more, but dont want to bore you 

2007.2: Huaying (Huawei) bought Skycom.

Ms. Meng was the Corporate Secretary of Huaying.

2007.11: Huaying sold Skycom

Source:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/arrest-of-huawei-cfo-hinges-on-an-offshore-puzzle-1544466378

2008.2-2009.4:

Ms. Meng was on the board of Skycom, later she quit the Board.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-skycom/exclusive-huawei-cfo-linked-to-firm-that-offered-hp-gear-to-iran-idUSBRE90U0CC20130131

2010: US agents begin investigations

Counterintelligence agents and federal prosecutors began exploring possible cases against Huaweis leadership in 2010, according to a former federal law enforcement official. The effort was led by United States attorneys offices in places where Huawei has facilities, including Massachusetts, Alabama, California, New York and Texas. According to a news report, the reason is Huaweis overseas business grew to surpass its domestic business from 2001 to 2010 and started to compete with US companies. A Rand report in 2005 thinks Huawei is related with the Chinese government and militaries.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/business/huawei-Ms. Meng-hsbc-canada.html

https://qz.com/1627149/huaweis-journey-to-becoming-us-tech-enemy-no-1/

2012.7: US senate releases a report

The report states that HSBC is suspected of money-laundering for Mexican drug dealers and helping them to move the money.

Source:

https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/PSI%20REPORT-HSBC%20CASE%20HISTORY%20(9.6).pdf

2012.12.11 HSBC signs an agreement with the DoJ

HSBC entered a five-year Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the US Department of Justice, for letting the Mexican and Colombian cartels to move $881 million in drug proceeds through the bank.

Source:

HSBCs statement on the settlement with the US gov

https://www.hsbc.com/-/files/hsbc/investors/stock-exchange-announcements/2012/december/2012-12-11-hsbc-announces-settlements-with-authorities.pdf

DPA details:

https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/legacy/2012/12/11/dpa-attachment-a.pdf

2012.12.31 and 2013.1: Reuters shines light on Huawei

Reuters publishes two reports in Dec 2012 and Jan 2013. Reuters reports that a Hong Kong-based company that tried to sell US computer equipment to Irans largest cellphone carrier, in violation of US trade sanctions, is closely linked to Huawei. The story says that Ren Zhengfeis daughter Ms. Meng Wanzhou, a rising star at Huawei, served on the board of the Hong Kong firm, among other links.

HSBC asked Huawei if the Reuters report was true. Chinas Huawei, the worlds second largest telecommunications equipment maker, says neither it nor its partner, a private company registered in Hong Kong, ultimately provided the HP products to the telecom. Huawei called it a bidding document. Huaweis business in Iran is in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including those of the U.N., U.S. and E.U. This commitment has been carried out and followed strictly by our company. Further, we also require our partners to follow the same commitment and strictly abide by the relevant laws and regulations.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-skycom/exclusive-huawei-cfo-linked-to-firm-that-offered-hp-gear-to-iran-idUSBRE90U0CC20130131

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-huawei-hp/exclusive-huawei-partner-offered-embargoed-hp-gear-to-iran-idUSBRE8BT0BF20121230

2013.2. HSBC shut down Skycom account at HSBC

HSBC knew the relationship between Huawei and Skycom and thought Skycom was risky

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-hsbc-exclusive/exclusive-hsbc-probe-helped-lead-to-u-s-charges-against-huawei-cfo-idUSKCN1QF1IA

2013.6.3: Michael Cherkasky, a former New York prosecutor, assigned as HSBCs compliance monitor

Source:

https://blogs.thomsonreuters.com/answerson/former-prosecutor-hsbc-compliance-monitor/

2013.8.22 Ms. Meng meets with HSBCs Deputy Head of Global Banking for Asia Pacific, Alan Thomas

Ms. Meng meets with HSBCs then deputy head of global banking for the Asia Pacific region, Alan Thomas, at a teahouse in Hong Kong, where a PowerPoint presentation was made.

In the presentation, Ms. Meng told HSBC Huaweis engagement with Skycom is normal and controllable business operation and that As a business partner of Huawei, Skycom works with Huawei in sales and service in Iran. To comply with sanctions laws, HSBC have known what it needed to know.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-hsbc-exclusive/exclusive-hsbc-probe-helped-lead-to-u-s-charges-against-huawei-cfo-idUSKCN1QF1IA

2013.9.3: A copy of the English version of the PPT was hand-delivered to HSBC.

Early 2014: Ms. Mengs devices checked at JFK

Ms. Meng arrived in the United States via John F. Kennedy International Airport in early 2014, where her electronic devices were examined. It is reported that FBI found talking points in her phone. (The US has adopted the airport evidence grabbing many times )

Source:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/28/us-seeks-extradition-of-huawei-cfo-Ms. Meng-wanzhou.html

2014.3: America is spying on Huawei

The US is revealed to be spying on Huawei, according to documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. The New York Times reports (paywall) that the NSA infiltrated the servers in Huaweis Shenzhen headquarters, obtaining sensitive information about its giant routers and complex digital switches, and monitoring the communications of top executives.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-china-nsa/nsa-infiltrates-servers-of-china-telecom-giant-huawei-report-idUSBREA2L0PD20140322

2014.9.12: America identifies Huawei as F7

ZTEs CFO at the time was stopped at Bostons Logan Airport after flying in from London with an assistant. The assistant was carrying a Lenovo laptop containing a confidential ZTE document, dated August 25, 2011 and signed by four top executives, about the need to establish front companies to supply U.S. procured items needed for projects in embargoed countries. It also identified a company as F7 and how it used a front company to serve as its agent for contracts in sanctioned countries. F7 was Huawei, according to the individuals familiar with the ZTE and Huawei investigations.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei-tech-insight/long-before-trumps-trade-war-with-china-huaweis-activities-were-secretly-tracked-idUSKCN1QN2A8

2014.10: The US Commerce Department sends a subpoena to Huawei

The US Commerce Department sent a subpoena to Huawei in the United States demanding information on the companys exporting American technology to Iran, according to a court document and one of the people familiar with the Huawei probe.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei-tech-insight/long-before-trumps-trade-war-with-china-huaweis-activities-were-secretly-tracked-idUSKCN1QN2A8

2015.4.15: HSBC decides to dump Huawei

HSBC appeared to have a change of heart about doing business with Huawei. The banks reputational risk committee met in New York on April 15 and decided not to do business with Huaweis American subsidiary.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/business/huawei-Ms. Meng-hsbc-canada.html

Before 2016, Huawei had received no warnings or reminders on compliance from the US. Huawei regularly communicated with the US Dept of Commerce on technical details of compliance. After US started the investigations on Huawei, such communication terminated.

Source:

http://app.cctv.com/special/cportal/detail/arti/index.html?id=Arti48yWu8VMhO3iDe8Rnkr4200724&fromapp=cctvnews&version=807&allow_comment=1&from=timeline

2016.3: US adds ZTE to the entity list

As part of that case, American officials released internal ZTE documents in which executives had described creating cutoff companies that would do business in places like Iran and North Korea. In the documents, the executives said ZTE should follow the example of a rival company, called F7. American officials concluded that was a reference to Huawei, prompting them to intensify their scrutiny of the company, according to a senior Obama administration official.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/technology/zte-document-raises-questions-about-huawei-and-sanctions.html

2016.5: The United States Commerce Department subpoenas Huawei

The United States Commerce Department is demanding Huawei to turn over all information regarding the export or re-export of American technology to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, according to a subpoena sent to Huawei and viewed by The New York Times. The subpoena is part of an investigation into whether Huawei broke United States export controls.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/technology/huawei-technologies-subpoena-iran-north-korea.html

2016.9: The US targets HSBC

It was reported that US considered new charges against HSBC. U.S. Considers HSBC Charge That Could Upend 2012 Settlement.

Source:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-07/u-s-said-to-weigh-hsbc-charge-that-could-upend-2012-settlement

Late 2016: HSBC began to conduct an internal bank probe of Huawei

The probe found Ms. Meng met in 2013 with a HSBC banker. She later gave him a copy of the PowerPoint presentation, which the U.S. indictment says misrepresented Huaweis control of Skycom.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei-tech-insight/long-before-trumps-trade-war-with-china-huaweis-activities-were-secretly-tracked-idUSKCN1QN2A8

2016.12 US adds more pressure to Huawei

Subpoena was issued by the United States Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, which oversees compliance with a number of American sanctions programs.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/business/huawei-investigation-sanctions-subpoena.html

2017.2.14: The evidence before US

With the case against ZTE wrapping up, more than a dozen people from Departments of Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security and Justice, gathered in Washington and talked about how they were moving forward against Huawei, according to a person familiar with matter.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei-tech-insight/long-before-trumps-trade-war-with-china-huaweis-activities-were-secretly-tracked-idUSKCN1QN2A8

2017: HSBC working with US authorities?

HSBC and the court-appointed monitor inside the bank had disclosed the Iran transactions to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, according to a person briefed on aspects of the federal investigation.

April 2017: USA accuses Huawei of criminal activity

A grand jury subpoena was issued to the U.S subsidiary of Huawei in April 2017, the first clear sign to Huawei that the probe had turned criminal.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei-tech-insight/long-before-trumps-trade-war-with-china-huaweis-activities-were-secretly-tracked-idUSKCN1QN2A8

According to the Wall Street Journal report, a monitor charged with evaluating HSBCs anti-money-laundering and sanctions controls in recent years relayed information about the Huawei transactions to federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, the people said.

Source:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/hsbc-monitor-flagged-suspicious-huawei-transactions-to-prosecutors-1544122717

2017.8 HSBC terminated its 20-year relationship with Huawei

Source:

http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/forum/topics/5f1e3832e4b0167ab6310a2c.html

2017.8: US Attorney General pursue bank fraud charges against Huawei

Two of the sources said a critical point took place in August 2017, when deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein  best known for his oversight of special counsel Robert Muellers probe of Russian interference in the U.S. election  handed a lead role to Brooklyn prosecutors to pursue possible bank fraud charges against Huawei.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei-tech-insight/long-before-trumps-trade-war-with-china-huaweis-activities-were-secretly-tracked-idUSKCN1QN2A8

Dec. 2017: Charges against HSBC were dismissed by US DOJ.

Source:

https://www.hsbc.com/media/media-releases/2017/hsbc-holdings-plc-expiration-of-2012-deferred-prosecution-agreement

April 2018: Huaweis relationship with Iran investigated by US authorities

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department is investigating whether Huawei Technologies Co. violated U.S. sanctions related to Iran, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that opens a new avenue of scrutiny of the Chinese cellular-electronics giant on national security grounds.

Source:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/huawei-under-criminal-investigation-over-iran-sanctions-1524663728?mod=article_inline

2018.8.22: America goes for Weng Wanzhou

A New York court issues an arrest warrant for Ms. Meng, so that she could be detained to stand trial in the United States.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-huawei-tech-court/u-s-court-issued-huawei-cfo-arrest-warrant-in-august-idUSKBN1O62I6

In the three months after the warrant was issued, and before her fateful stopover in Vancouver on Dec. 1, Ms. Meng visited six countries that have extradition treaties with the U.S., including Britain, Ireland, Japan, France, Poland and Belgium. She had also travelled through Canada on Oct. 8, 2018.

Source:

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3043068/canada-should-follow-us-and-swap-Ms. Meng-wanzhou

2018.11.1: US attorney general claims they will charge wrongdoers over actions, not politics

Then-U.S. attorney-general Jeff Sessions unveiled what the Trump administration called the China Initiative. Mr. Sessions said the U.S. Justice Department was going to step up law-enforcement actions against Chinese companies that break the law while competing with U.S. companies. Sessions also said that We will continue to charge wrongdoers based on carefully conducted investigations done with integrity and professionalism, not politics, and we will seek extradition of criminals. The remarks were later interpreted as DOJs move against Ms. Meng Wanzhou.

Source:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-announces-new-initiative-combat-chinese-economic-espionage

2018.11.29: The United States learns that Ms. Meng will be passing through Vancouver International Airport on her way to Mexico.

2018.12.1 Ms. Meng is arrested by Canadian police in Vancouver

Ms. Meng is arrested by Canadian police in Vancouver as she changes planes. At the G20 summit in Bueno Aires in Argentina, President Trump was heading into a 21/2-hour private dinner with Mr. Xi at the conclusion of the meetings. At that dinner, the two leaders agreed to a 90-day truce in the U.S.-China trade war. The arrest is not made public until Dec. 5. The Chinese embassy in Canada demands her release.

Source:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-inside-the-final-hours-that-led-to-the-arrest-of-huawei-executive-Ms. Meng/

2018.12.6: John Bolton knew about the arrest of Ms. Meng Wanzhou in advance

Source:

https://www.npr.org/2018/12/06/673789473/transcript-nprs-interview-with-national-security-adviser-john-bolton

2018.12.10: Two Canadians are detained in China

A former Canadian diplomat, Michael Kovrig, and businessman Michael Spavor are arbitrarily detained. China denies their arrests are related to Ms. Mengs case.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-huawei-tech-events-timeline/key-events-in-huawei-cfo-Ms. Meng-wanzhous-extradition-case-idUSKBN1ZJ15Z

2018.12.11: Ms. Meng is released on bail

Ms. Meng is released on bail by a British Columbian court. U.S. President Donald Trump says he will intervene in the case if it would serve national interests.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-huawei-tech-exclusive/exclusive-trump-says-he-could-intervene-in-u-s-case-against-huawei-cfo-idUSKBN1OA2PQ

2019.1.22: The U.S. Justice Department announces it will formally seek the extradition of Ms. Meng to the United States.

2019.1.23: Canadas ambassador tells media Huawei can make a good case against extradition

John McCallum, Canadas ambassador to China, tells Chinese-language media that Huawei can make a good case against extradition, thanks in part to Trumps comments about his willingness to get involved.

Source:

https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2019/01/25/it-would-be-great-for-canada-if-us-drops-extradition-request-for-huaweis-Ms. Meng-wanzhou-ambassador-says.html

2019.1.26: Canadas PM fires ambassador

Trudeau fires McCallum after his comments to the press, marking the first time a Canadian ambassador had ever been fired.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-huawei-tech-events-timeline/key-events-in-huawei-cfo-Ms. Meng-wanzhous-extradition-case-idUSKBN1ZJ15Z

2019.9.3: Huawei responds to the Wall Street Journals report on USs investigations on Huawei.

Huawei make multiple claims of issues with the investigation:

Unlawfully searching, detaining, and even arresting Huawei employees and Huawei partners

Attempting entrapment, or pretending to be Huawei employees to establish legal pretense for unfounded accusations against the company

Launching cyber attacks to infiltrate Huaweis intranet and internal information systems

Sending FBI agents to the homes of Huawei employees and pressuring them to collect information on the company

Mobilizing and conspiring with companies that work with Huawei, or have a business conflict with Huawei, to bring unsubstantiated accusations against the company

Launching investigations based on false media reports that target the company

Digging up old civil cases that have already been settled, and selectively launching criminal investigations or filing criminal charges against Huawei based on claims of technology theft

Obstructing normal business activities and technical communications through intimidation, denying visas, detaining shipment, etc

Source:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-prosecutors-probe-huawei-on-new-allegations-of-technology-theft-11567102622

https://www.huawei.com/en/facts/voices-of-huawei/media-statement-regarding-reported-us-doj-probes-into-huawei

2019.9.23: Canada denies any impropriety

Canadas attorney general said there was no evidence that Canadian border officials or police acted improperly when Ms. Meng was detained and arrested at Vancouvers airport.

2019.9.24: Ms. Meng back in court

Ms. Meng returned to a Vancouver court as her lawyers argued that Canadian authorities abused their powers and violated her rights to gather evidence against her, a claim the government denies.

2019.10.2: Any errors in the arrest of Ms. Meng were technical

Any errors in the arrest of Ms. Meng in Canada last December were technical in nature and do not meet the requirements to suspend her extradition proceedings to the United States, government lawyers said in court on Wednesday.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-huawei-tech-events-timeline/key-events-in-huawei-cfo-Ms. Meng-wanzhous-extradition-case-idUSKBN1ZJ15Z

2020.5.27 Canadian judge approves extradition case

A Canadian judge ruled against Ms. Meng in the so-called double criminality test, paving way for the continuation of the extradition case.

Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/huawei-Ms. Meng-wanzhou-canada-extradition/2020/05/27/8305b676-9f87-11ea-be06-af5514ee0385_story.html

2020.6.12 Canada was coordinating with America

Lawyers for Ms. Meng Wanzhou are alleging that Canadas national spy agency was in on a plan for border officers to detain the Huawei executive for hours before her arrest at Vancouvers airport and was mindful of the political implications of her arrest.

Source:

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/Ms. Meng-wanzhou-s-lawyers-allege-csis-knew-of-multi-hour-delay-in-her-arrest-1.4982115

2020.6.22: President Trump saw Huawei as an opportunity to make personal gestures to Chinese President Xi Jinping

Bolton book The Room Where It Happened could factor into Huawei execs extradition case. Bolton writes in the book that Trump viewed concerns raised by his advisers about Huawei and the ZTE telecom firm being national security threats as an opportunity to make personal gestures to Chinese President Xi Jinping. In 2019, he offered to reverse criminal prosecution against Huawei if it would help in the trade deal  which, of course, was primarily about getting Trump re-elected in 2020.

Source:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/22/bolton-book-huawei-extradition-case-333628

2020.6.23: The federal government has the unequivocal authority to intervene in the extradition case of a Chinese executive, even if it doesnt want to exercise it, says a prominent defense lawyer. The process itself is initiated by the minister of justice, initiated with an authority to proceed, and during that first phase of extradition, which is the judicial process, theres express language which permits the withdrawal of that authority to proceed at any time, Greenspan said.

Source:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canada-s-justice-minister-has-authority-to-intervene-in-Ms. Meng-extradition-lawyer-1.4997149

2020.7.17: The US Record of the Case (ROC) omits vital information

Huaweis lawyers contend that the U.S. record of the case against Ms. Meng omits highly relevant information from two slides and, in doing so, leaves the impression that the tech executive never told HSBC that Skycom did business with Huawei in Iran or that Huawei and Skycom had an ongoing business relationship.

The legal team says slide No. 6 and slide No. 16 show that Ms. Meng was far more transparent with HSBC than suggested. The omitted statements include As a business partner of Huawei, Skycom works with Huawei in sales and service in Iran and Huawei has a normal and controllable business co-operation with Skycom, meaning it controlled Skycom.

Ms. Mengs lawyers say these omissions and misrepresentations are serious. The U.S. conduct fell so far below the expected standard of diligence, candour and accuracy to constitute a serious breach of process, they say.

The new court filings also contend that because this August, 2013 presentation informed HSBC that Huawei and Skycom were operating together in Iran, the financial institution would have been aware that it could not clear Skycom funds through U.S. banks without risking a violation of U.S. sanctions law. [Ms. Mengs] PowerPoint presentation gave HSBC the material information it needed to assess the risk of clearing U.S. dollar transactions related to Skycoms business in Iran.

Furthermore, Ms. Mengs legal team says, there was no need to clear U.S. dollar transactions through U.S. banks. It provides evidence, including an affidavit, that HSBC had the option of clearing U.S. funds through Clearing House Automated Transfer System (CHATS), an alternative transaction-clearing system based in Hong Kong which involves no U.S. sanctions risk.

In summary  on the facts not disclosed by the [United States]: No deception. No material omission. No conduct by [Ms. Meng] placing HSBC at risk. No fraud, her legal team said in the latest court filings.

Source:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-Ms. Meng-wanzhou-accuses-us-of-misleading-canada-in-poisoned-court/

2020.7.23 A US Federal Judge blocks sharing documents that may help Huaweis case

A Federal Judge in New York Denies Request to Share Documents With Huawei CFO in Canada (evidence good for Ms. Meng cannot be used in the extradition case)

Source:

https://www.law.com/international-edition/2020/07/23/brooklyn-federal-judge-denies-request-to-share-documents-with-huawei-cfo-in-canada-378-147626/

2020.10.2 A Canadian Judge supports sharing documents that may help Huaweis case

Huawei Technologies Co.s chief financial officer achieved a small victory in her fight against extradition to the U.S., when a Canadian judge ruled that she can introduce additional evidence to buttress her argument that the U.S. handover request is so deeply flawed it should be thrown out. Ms. Meng Wanzhou will be permitted to bring forward some, but not all of the evidence she had requested, Supreme Court of British Columbia Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes said in a written decision released Thursday. Some of that evidence is realistically capable of challenging the reliability of the U.S. extradition request, Holmes said.

[Huawei CFO Wins Small Court Victory in Canada Extradition Case]

Source:

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/huawei-cfo-wins-small-court-victory-in-canada-extradition-case-1.1515141

2020.12.9: Canadian customs officer compromised

At the court hearing, a Canadian border officer went white during a meeting a few days after the arrest of Ms. Meng Wanzhou, when he realised his note of the Huawei Technologies executives electronic passwords had gone missing, the officers superior has testified.

Source:

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/what-we-ve-learned-from-the-mounties-and-border-officers-who-testified-in-Ms. Meng-wanzhou-s-extradition-case-1.5207537?cache=yes%3Fclipid%3D89680%3FcontactForm%3Dtrue

21/12/2020 Canada accused of abuse of process

Lawyers for Huawei Technologies executive Ms. Meng Wanzhou have argued that Canada would be violating international law if she is sent to the United States to face charges, and they assert that she was subjected to an abuse of process and should be released.

Source:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/Ms. Meng-wanzhou-extradition-international-law-1.5848546

2021.1.29: Canadian court refuses to relax Ms. Mengs bail terms

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-huawei-tech-canada-idUSKBN29Y2QZ

2021.2.12: Huawei takes HSBC to UK court as it tries to stop extradition

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56031321

2021.2.25: Huawei takes HSBC to HK court as it tries to stop extradition

Huawei CFO Ms. Meng Wanzhou takes HSBC to Hong Kong to access banking records she says will help her battle extradition from Canada to the US.

Source:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-26/huawei-s-cfo-takes-hsbc-to-court-in-hong-kong-to-gain-documents

2021.3.1: Huawei lawyer presents evidence against HSBC

Defense lawyer Frank Addario asked the court to admit evidence he says shows officials with HSBC were aware of Huaweis connection to Skycom and another company called Canicula Holdings Inc.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-huawei-tech-canada-idCNL2N2KZ2HP

For the latest on the story see:

Why did HSBC dump their biggest corporate client?

 and click on the embedded links in this blog entry.

The extradition case begins in August 2021. Lets see what HSBC will offer then.

Posted on: June 22, 2021
An eventful pursuit along Interstate 80 Monday night included damage to fencing at Crane Trust, after which three people hailed a cab at the Alda interchange.

Nike Stevens of Chicago was arrested early Tuesday morning by the Nebraska State Patrol. Stevens, 26, was the driver of a Jeep Patriot that also contained a woman and a child. At one point, the Patriot was traveling more than 100 mph, according to the State Patrol.

The Hall County Sheriffs Office assisted the State Patrol with the case. The Jeep Patriot drove through gates and fencing at Crane Trust and came to a stop near the Platte River, said Hall County Chief Deputy Jim Castleberry.

After the crash, the three occupants abandoned the vehicle, walked to the Alda I-80 interchange and called a cab, which took them west to Kearney.

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At about 5:30 p.m. Monday, a trooper performed a traffic stop on the Patriot for speeding on I-80 near Kearney. Shortly after the traffic stop, the State Patrol received a report of an SUV traveling more than 100 mph and passing vehicles on the shoulder. The trooper was able to locate the reported vehicle, which was the same vehicle from the previous traffic stop.
It will be larger and, among new changes, spouses will be allowed to be buried with service members.

The new addition is going to pay homage to what exists already and have it all flow together seamlessly, he said. Its something new, but it plays on whats already there and the history thats been there for so long.

Positive feedback is being received about the effort from across the board.

Theres a lot of community support and buy-in. It seems like everyone is excited, Armstrong said. I havent heard anything negative.

The location for the state site is ideal, Armstrong said.

It will fill in a gap where there really wasnt a (state) veterans cemetery, he said. There will be four across the state now and that will fill in the state very well. This will be a nice touch to that system.

Community support has been critical in working with the federal, state and local agencies to help realize the project, Armstrong said.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 69F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 69F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Crime-and-courts

top story

Mount Vernon

Watch now: $7 million budgeted for new Mount Vernon police station

MOUNT VERNON  After 42 years, the Mount Vernon Police Department has outgrown its station  and city leaders are excited to begin building a new one.

Originally a car dealership, the current 211 N. 10th St. station has presented accessibility and safety challenges. Chief Trent Page said the very infrastructure of the building also is having critical issues. Most notably, Page said, the sewer system has major issues that would require the concrete floor of the building to be ripped up in order to be fixed.

That seems less than worthwhile considering the lack of modern or adequately-sized facilities in the current building. This was noted as far back as 2006 when, according to City Manager Mary Ellen Bechtel, the need was placed in the citys comprehensive plan.

From Mount Vernon website Chief Trent Page

Its been in the plan  for the city of Mount Vernon for a very long time, Bechtel said.

She said the conversation to build the new station began in earnest last year. The city has budgeted $7 million for it with no opposition from council, Bechtel said. She said this is all city-backed money right now, though it is researching and applying for grants to try and offset that cost.

Page said the 12,000-square-foot dealership-turned-police-station can host at maximum 10 people for special meetings and said defensive training has to be done in the locker room, which doesnt offer much space to train.

We just dont have space to do those kinds of things, he said.

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.

The new station will be built at the corner of 27th and Logan streets.

Bechtel said the current timeline for the project is to have the design completed by the fall, in time to send out requests for proposals. She said the goal is to have construction begin in 2022 and for the facility to be opened in 2023.
That's when a local group, now known as Our Edwardsville, asked officials to move the Ninian Edwards statue out of downtown to show that the city is a place where diversity is valued and racism isn't tolerated.

Ezra Temko, one of the group's leaders, on Monday called taking the statue off its pedestal "a good step." But he promised to keep promoting the idea of moving it to a new location, "a place of education rather than a place of honor."

"We'd like the city to continue to network and think about this and creatively consider what places there are (for the statue)," said Temko, an assistant professor of sociology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

"We're certainly not opposed to removal of the statue from its pedestal, but we don't see this as solving the issue and making this a welcoming plaza or a welcoming entrance to the downtown. It's still a distortion of history and the honoring of Ninian Edwards' legacy of perpetuating slavery."

Temko noted that some officials had signaled support for moving the statue to another location, such as Madison County Historical Museum or Lusk Park, but the museum staff cited logistical problems and park neighbors opposed the idea.

Passion on both sides
I thought Im going to make this a museum-quality piece, Ahart said.

Charlie Rightnowar was in college and had a draft deferment. A buddy and I got the bright idea to go to Decatur and get jobs. When I dropped out of school, I lost my deferment, he said.

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He was drafted into the Army on Aug. 25, 1969, and landed in Vietnam on Jan. 20, 1970, as an infantryman. He returned to the U.S. on Dec. 18, 1970.

I wasnt a hero or anything. I just did what I was told to do. The real heroes are those who didnt make it home, he said.

Ahart started painting Oct. 30, 2019, after receiving the photo from Paula Rightnowar.

We talked about what the portrait should be, he said.

Ahart did some editing for the portrait. Part of the wheel of a Jeep is in the photo. Ahart darkened it to ad contrast. He added more detail on the soldier and a nameplate on his jacket.

I wanted him to be the star of the show, Ahart said.

The painting shows the Coke can, but the advertising slogan was left off. Ahart said Coca-Cola has always been a huge supporter of the arts, such as their Christmas paintings of Santa Claus and a series done by Andy Warhol.
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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But Kemp has already lifted rules that restricted restaurants, health clubs and other businesses. He has also told schools they can't cite his order to require teachers and students to wear masks, although schools appear to still have the power to issue mask orders on their own.

Legislators initially debated requiring Kemp to return to them for approval to extend it when they first granted him the powers in March but decided to let Kemp renew the emergency every 30 days on his own. Tuesday's action was the 16th renewal.

Some lawmakers wanted to crimp those powers, but those bills didn't advance. A measure that would have broadened protections for gun owners and gun dealers during an emergency failed to pass on the last night of the 2021 session, although it will likely return next year.

Lawmakers did put into law certain measures Kemp had declared using his emergency powers, such as allowing emergency medical technicians and cardiac technicians to give vaccines during public health emergencies, letting courts stall jury trials, or allowing the state to offer more generous unemployment benefits.
All the favorite Disney characters  including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Chip n Dale  will be part of a collection of special golden sculptures debuting at all four parks Oct. 1. Guests will be able to interact in surprising ways with the 50 characters featured in the Disney Fab 50," the statement said.

Characters will also be dressed in sparkling custom-made costumes for this special occasion.

Another special feature on Oct. 1 is the opening of Remys Ratatouille Adventure in EPCOT. This ride will take guests into the flavorful world of Disney and Pixars Ratatouille. A new restaurant, La Creperie de Paris also debuts Oct. 1 at EPCOT.

The celebration will also feature Beacons of Magic" each night at all four parks. Cinderella's castle will illuminate Magic Kingdom with pixie dust. A warm light will emanate from the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom as magical fireflies gather to usher in the magic of nature." At Hollywood Studios, the Hollywood Tower Hotel will be awash in a brilliance evoking the golden age of imagination and adventure." And EPCOT will feature new lights that will shine across the reflective panels of Spaceship Earth, connecting to one another in a symbol of optimism resembling stars in a nighttime sky."

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

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Theyre not afraid to say there are UFOs, or even that aliens are living among us. Theyre not scared of that subject anymore. (The Pentagon report is) just going to confirm what we already know.

Famous sightings

The National UFO Reporting Center lists 2,758 alleged sightings in Illinois since 1947, but director Peter Davenport says thats likely a tiny fraction of the true number.

My opinion is that out of 10,000 or 20,000 people who see an object they sincerely believe was or may have been a UFO, (researchers) capture only one of those sightings, he said. If you want to test my theory, go to a big party sometime and ask everyone who saw a UFO to raise their hands. Then ask how many have reported them. Virtually all of the hands go down.

There are exceptions, of course. In 2006, a dozen United Airlines workers at OHare International Airport reported seeing a large, disc-like object floating over the airport. According to their accounts, it rose after several minutes and punched a perfect circle into the clouds.
Chicago's police superintendent said Monday that his decision to strip an officer's police powers was tied in part to the officer's ownership of a house on the city's South Side where gunmen killed five people and injured three others.

But Superintendent David Brown would not elaborate on why such a drastic step was taken against Enrique Badillo Sr. for his ownership of a building. He said there were multiple reasons the discipline, which he linked to the fatal shooting. Badillo has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment.

Police said Monday that the investigation was continuing but that no arrests have been made. They have said they believe someone broke into the house and shot eight people; four of them died at the scene and a fifth died on Saturday. All the people who died had been shot in the head.

Even before the mass shooting prompted the department to strip Badillo of his police powers, there were questions about the building and his ownership of it. Police had responded to numerous calls about disturbances at the residence, Brown said at a news conference last week.
McMullans release comes less than two months after a federal appeals court released Smith from prison and vacated his murder conviction, overruling prior Illinois state courts decisions in his case.

The convictions of McMullan and Smith were based on Houghtalings confession to police days after the murder. Houghtaling, who confessed in exchange for a lesser sentence, later recanted his confession.

He initially claimed that he and Smith robbed the restaurant while McMullan and Collett waited in the getaway car.

Houghtaling pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 20 years in exchange for testifying against the others. Collett also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years.

After McMullan and Smith were found guilty at trial, their appeals focused on an alternate group of suspects  known as the DeCicco group  who confessed to the murder on multiple occasions but also later recanted.

Smiths first conviction was overturned on appeal, resulting in a second trial in 2008 where he was found guilty but his conviction at the second trial was also overturned.
CHICAGO  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.
The findings of the 2020 Keep American Beautiful study on litter in America will come as no shock to many, but the comprehensive look at a national problem offers new insight on what can and is being done.

The data collected from the KAB Litter Study will allow us to understand better why and where littering behaviors occur, and how to develop better solutions to littering impacts, said Mallory Coffey, state leader of Keep South Carolina Beautiful, a division of PalmettoPride.

The study is the most comprehensive look at litter in the countrys history. It provides a valid, national estimate of litter along waterways in the U.S., and insights about the relationship between litter on waterways and roadways.

A key finding will surprise you: Litter on roadways has been reduced by 54% since 2009.

But the scope of the problem remains massive. The study estimates there are 50 billion pieces of litter on the ground, and although roadway litter is down by more than 50%, there is slightly more litter along waterways.
CONCORD, NH  Last week, the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act. Again. This comes as the Biden administration announced that a record 31 million people now have coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act, including 44,228 Granite Staters enrolled in ACA marketplace coverage and 69,814 enrolled in Medicaid expansion. Of those enrolled in a marketplace plan, 5,425 enrolled between February 15 and May 31, 2021, nearly double the number of Granite Staters who enrolled during the same period in 2020.

The national enrollment numbers in ACA marketplace coverage and Medicaid expansion are record highs, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These enrollment numbers reinforce the resiliency of the ACA ahead of the Supreme Courts pending decision in the California vs. Texas case. The numbers also highlight the continued need for the marketplace and Medicaid expansion as New Hampshire and the US rebound from the COVID-19 recession.

These New Hampshire enrollment numbers are further proof that the ACA works, is resilient, and that Americans want it and need it, said Protect Our Care New Hampshire State Director Jayme Simoes. We need to continue building on the law to reduce costs and extend the ACAs success to the next frontier in health care  lowering the cost of prescription drugs.

Read stories from Granite Staters about their healthcare experiences below.

The American Rescue Plan, which passed in March and provided $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 relief funds, also expands access to quality, affordable health care in New Hampshire and across the country. New Hampshires Congressional Delegation all voted in favor of the relief bill. These Democrats have also been integral to protecting ACA coverage and support further legislation to make healthcare more affordable.

New Hampshire Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, and Congressman Chris Pappas and Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster have come to understand the importance of affordable healthcare access through hundreds of conversations with constituents about their struggles with the healthcare system, pharmaceutical costs, and private insurance companies. While progress has been made in expanding access, more still needs to be done to make healthcare and medications more affordable to all New Hampshire residents.

Here are a few stories from New Hampshire residents about how the ACA has helped them:

Jennifer Belanger

Retiree

Jennifer is a diabetic who requires a number of medications to stay feeling well. Her husband, in his 70s, continues to work and had private insurance that covers much of the cost of her medications. Jennifer said it would cost her more than $500 a month for one prescription, Trulicity, if she did not have coverage through her husband.

This medication, taken in addition to daily insulin, has been a game-changer for Jennifers health.

It really keeps me very even and even though its one shot a week, it's very expensive, said Jennifer. My husband works and he loves his job, but if he were not working and we were only receiving Social Security and our pensions, I would not be able to afford it.

Daniel Roberge

Chef

Daniel has been a chef most of his adult life, but untreated chronic health issues often kept him back. Because he could not afford private insurance, he let health problems go untreated, leading to more severe health issues and even limiting his ability to work at times.

In his mid-20s Daniel began suffering from migraines. When they happened on the job it made it difficult for him to work. He eventually got insurance through the ACA marketplace.

Since having access to a network of doctors, I have a greater sense of security, said Daniel. I now have the medicine I need to continue working if I do have migraine episodes, preventative systems in place, and my employer knows through doctors notes about my needs. It's allowed me a greater sense of opportunity and freedom.

Because he has a complicated mix of health issues, he needed coordinated care from a series of physicians, something that was unavailable to him when he went to the emergency room for care. Today, he has the care he needs, thanks to insurance coverage through a marketplace plan.

I had a few severe allergic reactions and if I wasnt able to get the medication to treat them with the insurance I now have, we wouldnt be having this conversation, said Daniel.

Janette Desmond

Portsmouth resident and owner of Kilwins chocolate, fudge and ice cream shop

Janette is a small business owner, cancer survivor and caretaker of her adult son with special needs. Through her chocolate and ice cream shop Kilwins in Portsmouths Market Square, she has been able to provide health insurance to her entire family. With each member of her family with specific health needs, insurance is essential, said Janette, despite the $30,000 annual price tag.

I work for about half the year just to pay for health insurance, she said.

Janette does offer health coverage to her full-time employees, but nearly all have opted to purchase insurance on the marketplace because it offers lower costs. If those employees were on the company plan, it would be a huge amount of money for the business.

While she thinks the ACA could go further in helping people afford healthcare, Janette said it should at least be preserved because it is helping so many people.

Its helping people like me, she said. Iif I had to insure all my full time employees, I would have to raise prices.

Jamie Martinez

Former Delivery Service Partner

Jamie is a 26 Army veteran and attorney who moved to New Hampshire in 2019 to work in leadership at a Hooksett-based delivery service partner. As a veteran, he has long been involved with supporting veterans and focused on making this company a veteran-friendly business. Jamie also became a leader in hiring Spanish-speaking drivers who became some of the top drivers in his fleet.

By working closely with veterans and people who did not speak English as their first language, Jamie quickly learned these underserved communities were not getting the care they needed. Veteran health services are complicated, and for most, they cannot access care through the VA. As for the Spanish-speaking drivers, all legally able to live and work in the US, they feared harassment and had a mistrust of both doctors and government programs which kept them from going to the doctors, let alone signing up for insurance.

Insurance was provided at Jaimies company, but at $500 a month, drivers tended to enroll only when overtime hours--and the extra pay that comes with it--were plentiful.

Jamie believes lower costs overall and outreach to underserved communities are needed to improve what the ACA offers today.

I wish the ACA could help facilitate lower income people, homeless, and other language speakers to sign up more easily, he said.
Job Title: Nursing Officer/Senior Assistant Nursing Officer (20 Jobs)

Organisation: Ministry of Health

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Monthly: Shs. 4,435,200/=

Duration of contract: Three Months

Reports to: Senior Nursing Officer

About US:

Uganda has graduated into the second wave of COVID-19 with a sharp increase in the number of asymptomatic, severe and critical cases as well as a significant change in the disease profile. This requires adequate resources both human and financial to contain the spread and to save lives. The ICU capacity in the entire country needs to be stepped up immediately. The medical fraternity is facing challenges of managing overwhelming emergencies without sufficient resources and highly motivated teams.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Ensure provision of quality healthcare in the CTU.

Participate in the treatment of COVID 19 patients in the CTU.

Ensure proper storage and usage of supplies and drugs in the CTU.

Ensure proper disposal of medical waste in the CTU.

Ensure safety of patients and health workers in the CTU.

Any other duties that may assigned from time to time.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The Nursing Officer/Senior Assistant Nursing Officer must have a BSc. (Nursing) from a recognized University / institution Or trained at a Registered level.

Must be registered with the Nurses and Midwives Council.

Should have counseling, communication and interpersonal skills.

Should be patient have focused approach and pleasant personality.

How to Apply:

The Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organization and the World Alliance for Lung and Intensive Care Medicine in Uganda (WALIMU), therefore, invites applications from suitably qualified applicants to fill vacant posts tenable on Non-gratuitable Local Contract Terms in Mulago National Referral Hospital and Kiruddu National Referral Hospital (Namboole CTU) to support the National Response against COVID-19. Applications should be submitted online to human.capital@walimu.org.

Applications should be addressed to:

The Permanent Secretary

Ministry of Health

Kampala

Attention: Commissioner Human Resources

Online applications should include a cover letter, CV, National ID and Annual Practicing License sent as one PDF document. Candidates invited for interviews will be required to bring the following documents:

Academic and professional certificates (UCE, UACE, Professional Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees, Fellowships).

Evidence of training in specialized areas where applicable.

Letters of appointment, confirmation, and promotion where applicable.

Registration certificates and valid practicing licenses for health workers from relevant Professional Councils.

National and current Institutional Identity Cards.

Emphasis: It is emphasized that:

The applications should be submitted online.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Shortlisted candidates shall be required to bring their original certificates, letters of appointment, Registration Certificates and Valid Practicing Licenses, and evidence of active service, or any other relevant documents at the interviews.

Candidates who will present forged certificates shall be handed over to the Police for appropriate action.

In case of need, you are advised to seek help from the Commissioner Human Resource Management, Ministry of Health on 0776417077 Or the Program Manager, WALIMU on 0774855870.

Deadline: 30th June 2021

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Fort Payne, AL (35967)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 60F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 60F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Fort Payne, AL (35967)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 60F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 60F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Diversification of revenue sources is essential to breaking out of the resource trap, Herriges said. Just as diversification of a stock portfolio buffers it against disruptions in the market, he said, broadening sources of income protects cities from financial volatility in the industries they depend on.

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In Wyoming, according to the report, cities consistent access to state funds has allowed them to circumvent much of the small-scale economic development that ordinarily sustains strong towns.

The incentive to actually cultivate local entrepreneurs, the incentive to have a really strong downtown that that can attract tourists or that can that can serve as a platform for local businesses that people want to patronize, as opposed to non locally owned businesses  all of those incentives are dulled when your budget is predominantly dependent on the extraction of some natural resource, Herriges said.

Cities were historically built block by block, and establishing a strong town requires that same sort of incremental investment, particularly in the downtown core of a community, Herriges said. He characterized the rapid suburbanization and large-scale development seen in cities like Casper as being extractive in their own way: They tend to transfer wealth out of cities and into the pockets of corporations headquartered elsewhere.
Fifteen Wyoming nonprofits are recipients of grants this month from First Lady Jennie Gordons Wyoming Hunger Initiative and its fiscal partner, the Wyoming Governors Residence Foundation.

Nonprofits receiving the money are:

Afton: Afton Food Pantry

Casper: Casper Housing Authority, Wyoming Food for Thought Project

Cheyenne: Element Church, Laramie County Extension

Cody: Cody Cupboard

Gillette: Edible Prairie Project

Guernsey: Guernsey Community Food Pantry

Lander: First Stop Help Center

Laramie: Laramie Soup Kitchen

Ranchester: Ranchester Community Cupboard

Riverton: Wind River Grow Our Own 307

Rock Springs/Green River: Food Bank of Sweetwater County

Saratoga: Platte Valley Christian Center

Thermopolis: River of Life Fellowship

The 15 grants total $51,751 and are part of the third grant cycle since the initiative was launched in October 2019. More than 35 applications were received for the spring cycle.

Wyoming Hunger Initiative grants are intended to support infrastructure and longevity of anti-hunger organizations, as well as provide long-term, sustainable solutions to food insecurity across the state.
It's still up in the air whether the trial of a man accused of fatally shooting two adults and injuring two children will go forward in August.
Cercy has maintained his innocence through the investigation and trials. He testified at his first trial that he didnt have sexual contact with the woman. He did not take the stand at his second trial.

A message left for the womans civil lawyer Marci Crank Bramlet on Tuesday was not immediately returned. Nor was a message left for Cercys trial attorney, the now retired Pamela Mackey.

Cercys accuser had visited Alcova Reservoir on June 25, 2017. She spent the day boating and relaxing. At about 10 p.m., she and friends went to Cercys lake house. There was a party happening at the time, and the woman was, the suit says, very intoxicated. She fell asleep on the couch shortly after arriving.

The lawsuit states the woman woke to find her clothes had been removed and Cercy sexually assaulting her on the couch sometime early the next morning. She pushed him away, according to the suit, and contacted friends for help.

Cercy, the suit claims, tried to convince her to stay. The woman left on foot and said Cercy pulled up alongside her in a side-by-side recreational vehicle and told her to get in. He drove her to a trailer belonging to one of her friends in a reckless and dangerous manner, the lawsuit states, before dropping her off a few trailers away.
CHEYENNE  Its still up in the air whether the trial of a man accused of fatally shooting two adults and injuring two children will go forward in August.

Andrew Jonathan Weaver is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree attempted murder, second-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault and battery (bodily injury with a weapon) and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded not guilty to these charges in July.

Weavers trial is currently set for Aug. 3.

However, State Public Defender Diane Lozano, who is representing Weaver in the case, said at a Monday afternoon hearing that she and her client had concerns about going forward with a jury trial under Laramie County District Courts current trial plan, which requires participants to wear masks.

If we are still under the trial plan, and Mr. Weaver decides to go to trial, I will be asking the court for a continuance so that we can try a multiple homicide case in as normal circumstances as possible, Lozano said.
Permitting for connection lines will continue next year, with the goal of beginning construction in 2023 and starting operation by the end of 2024.

The project would require about 350 construction jobs and offer 20-30 full-time operational jobs. Marston said it would generate $190 million in state and local tax revenue during its lifetime.

The project calls for about 106 turbines that would be close to 600 feet tall, depending on the model thats chosen.

The Rock Creek project would consist of two separate projects, Rock Creek I and Rock Creek II. They would be visibly contiguous, but one would connect to the Foote Creek Substation about five miles away while the other would connect to the Aeolus Substation via a 40-mile line.

Marston said the project would be located in an area with few residences and sit amid existing wind projects. The High Plains, McFadden Ridge and Foote Creek wind projects are located north and west of the area.

We do recognize that wind turbines are going to be very visible. Theres no way around that, Marston said. We have selected a site thats nestled within three existing wind projects.

He said the view from neighboring highways wouldnt be substantially different than it is already.
According to U.S Energy Information Administration data, between 1997 and 2017, increases in retail electricity prices in states with competitive electric markets and monopoly states were about the same, while customers in monopoly states saw a slightly higher percentage increase in rates. A Retail Energy Supply Association found that customers in states that still have monopoly utilities saw their average energy prices increase nearly 19 percent from 2008 to 2017, while prices fell 7 percent in competitive markets over the same period.

In competitive markets, electricity is purchased at market-determined wholesale prices. Customers, you and me, can choose a provider rather than be required to purchase our electricity from our local utility. The monopoly system, equally or more expensive from a price perspective, is often tainted by political corruption and scandal. In the last year or so, scandals involving utilities seeking to influence legislation or secure taxpayer bailouts led to the toppling of the top lawmaker in both the Ohio and Illinois House of Representatives.

Pick a year, and you will find some scandal among monopoly utilities. The corruption shows no sign of slowing down. Instead, the breadth, depth, and cost of such scandals only seem to multiply, the Conservative Energy Network notes. Its time to pull the plug on the old system. Competition in the electricity market produces cost savings for customers, improves service and reliability, and encourages innovations leading to environmental benefits. The drive to gain new customers that comes once a restructured, competitive wholesale market for electricity is introduced  and which several states are in the process of creating  empowers customers, reduces costs, and keeps the lights on.

Peter Roff is a senior fellow at Frontiers of Freedom and a former U.S. News and World Report contributing editor who appears regularly as a commentator on the One America News network. Email him at RoffColumns@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @Peter Roff

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One of my dreams stands above these: the University of Wyoming School of Medicine and Public Health. The State of Wyoming should construct a clear plan for building its own medical and public health school in Wyoming by 2040 or with a population of 700,000 people, whichever comes first.

As a resident physician, I can speak to the extensive education and training required, the institutional and systemic framework from which multiple disciplines coordinate and deliver care, and the multiple revenue streams involved. Currently, Wyoming is one of four states without a medical school, and is dependent upon other states to allow Wyoming residents slots for medical and/or public health education through WWAMI or WICHE PSEP. Additionally, many Wyoming residents must travel far or even out of state to receive appropriate healthcare because of a lack of local healthcare professionals and facilities.

In Governor Mark Gordons Proposals for the Future: Wyomings Strategy to Survive, Drive, and Thrive report from June 2021, the governor asks his Strike Team to consider multiple goals, including solutions that retain and attract working families and young adults to permanently live and raise families in Wyoming, strengthen Wyomings economy and revenue streams and encourage the work of the Governors Health Care Task Force in ascertaining the most significant problems Wyoming citizens, especially children, adolescents, and the elderly, face with access to health care, mental health care, and substance abuse treatment services. He also asks they identify and complete necessary and beneficial infrastructure projects. Planning, funding, and supporting the establishment of the University of Wyoming School of Medicine and Public Health would achieve all of these. Per the Association of American Medical Colleges, medical schools and their teaching hospitals provide millions of jobs through patient care, education, research, and services. We also know that professionals have a higher chance of staying where they train; providing those opportunities in-state enhances the chance that graduates remain.
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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?
Marcy A. Bliss, CEO of Wedgewood Pharmacy, noted, Mike has given service to the pharmacy profession above and beyond the call of duty during his long and distinguished career. As he is honored to be recognized in this way, we are honored that he is a key part of our team and our commitment to preserving access to compounded medications while caring for animals and the people who love them.

For more than 25 years Blaire has been an active advocate for the pharmacy profession. He has been chairman of the Arizona Pharmacy Association Political Action Committee, and chairman of COMP-PAC, the political action committee for the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP), now called the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding (APC); he also serves on the board of APC as president. He is a member of the Political Action Committees for APhA and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). In 2015 he was appointed to the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy and was board president in 2018. As a member of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), he was appointed to the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws and currently serves as chairman of District 8. He is the 2017 recipient of the APhA Good Government Pharmacist of the Year Award and a 2019 recipient of the Arizona Pharmacy Association Hall of Fame Award. He also serves on the board of trustees of Phoenix Zoo.
Kavanagh, however, said the move is necessary to ferret out voter fraud. It could be fraudulent, he said. It could affect the outcome of an election.

Those votes arent counted

House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, said theres a flaw to Kavanaghs argument.

He pointed out that whats at issue here are only ballots where signatures do not match  and only when the voter cannot be contacted.

In each case, Bolding said, the ballots now are put aside and not counted. That means there is no way for any of these ballots to have changed the outcome of any election, he said.

Kavanagh said thats irrelevant. Just because the ballot is not counted doesnt mean the person didnt attempt to illegally vote and doesnt mean the person didnt commit felony forgery, he said.

Rep. Diego Rodriguez, D-Phoenix, said the legislation is based on what he said is a baseless premise that there is voter fraud. He challenged Kavanagh to provide some number of such cases.

Kavanagh acknowledged he could not. Given that right now, because this isnt law, I have no idea, he said. Because, guess what? Nobodys checking.
Second, it guarantees cities will get 18% of what is collected rather than 15%. More significant for the mayors is that they will get that 18% figure based on revenues before the tax cuts kick in.

That concession by the Republican governor and GOP legislative leaders makes all the difference, the mayors said.

Recent adjustments to the proposed state budget will increase Urban Revenue Sharing to cities and towns to 18% beginning a year prior to cities feeling the effect of the income tax cut, they wrote. This is excellent news, and we are supportive of this package.

Boyer said if the deal holds, thats enough for him to now support the package.

Tucson, Phoenix mayors oppose plan

But there may be a political bent to all of this.

The list of mayors represents only a fraction of the 91 incorporated cities and towns. And, in general, they tend to be mayors of towns with a more Republican leaning.

It also does not include the mayors of the two largest cities, both Democrats, who remain opposed to the package.

In Tucson, Mayor Regina Romero said there are bigger problems than city revenue sharing.
Bowers said if theres no budget in place by the end of this week, that could mean state employees wont be paid for what they do next week. That would lead to ripple effects as government would have to be shut down, he said.

So if youre planning on a July 4th weekend at a state park of your choice, that wont be available, he said.

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey dismissed questions of what happens if the budget stalls, saying he is confident that it will pass  eventually. He was a bit more guarded when pushed on the question of having a contingency plan to ensure that basic state services, like prisons and public safety, continue after July 1 if there is not an approved budget.

We do have a backup plan, Ducey said. You present that plan when you need a backup. Right now its full speed ahead.

Even if the House approves the budget, there may not be the votes in the Senate.

Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, said Tuesday it is up in the air whether she will support the spending and tax-cut plan. And with no Senate Democrats willing to vote for the plan, Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, needs her vote.
Laura Conover cites the difficulty of instituting reforms after decades of the same leadership and her obligation to meet campaign promises for much of the office turmoil.
Two national forests in Arizona are closing to the public because of dry conditions, fire danger and actively burning wildfires.

The Kaibab and Coconino national forests in Northern Arizona will close their lands beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 23.

Full forest closures mean the public is prohibited from entering any part of the forests at any time. Those with private property within the forests will be allowed access to their property.

We have limited resources, and were tapped right now, said Brady Smith, a spokesman for the Coconino National Forest that surrounds Flagstaff.

The Forest Service said its personnel will attempt to reach as many people as possible to tell them to vacate campsites. Campers and visitors to the national forests should leave their campsites before the closure begins. The public should cancel any plans for visiting the two forests for the next several weeks, the Forest Service said Monday.

These closures will not be rescinded until sufficient rain has fallen to adequately reduce the risk of wildfire, and hot, dry weather conditions are no longer forecast to continue, the Forest Service said.
An article in the Star reviewing the performance said the cast sang their various roles with splendid feeling and brilliant finish.

The venue was sold in 1926 and since that time, has been many things, including an auto garage, a space for Borderlands Theater and most recently a workshop and storage warehouse.

It was also home to the Pilgrim Rest Elks Lodge No. 601, a black social club, from 1937 to 1986, according to press materials.

It has this incredible history of Hispanic heritage, African American heritage, Stratford said. It is very unique.

The Rollings family, whose businesses, Arizona Territorial Lands LLC and Bacon Industries Inc., own properties throughout Barrio Viejo, started talking with Stratford more than a year ago about Teatro Carmen, spokesman Donald Rollings said.

Led by patriarch Kelley Rollings, the Rollings family started purchasing and preserving properties in Barrio Viejo in 1971 as a way to save them from urban renewal.

They had been using Teatro Carmen for storage of architectural salvage, much of which they sold in an estate sale in May.

Donald Rollings said they felt Stratford was the right man to restore the space.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  A man who pleaded guilty to leaving a menacing voicemail for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and have no contact with the governor for five years.

Harvey Hunter Jr., of Stuart, Iowa, also was fined and granted a one-year term of probation during a sentencing hearing Monday in Des Moines. District Associate Judge Brendan Greiner agreed to suspend a 365-day jail sentence.

Hunter, 48, pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor charge of second-degree harassment, under a plea agreement with Polk County prosecutors.

He admitted to leaving a threatening voicemail Jan. 5 on a governor's office phone line for input on the state's partial mask mandate, saying that Reynolds and other politicians should be hung for treason for pushing this COVID scam." He called Reynolds derogatory names for women and said you need to be put in front of a firing squad.
At Fort Bliss, the Honduran girl on suicide watch said she could hardly sleep at night because the lights were always on and she found herself sleeping during the day. She said the food was horrible, including soggy salad and foul-smelling bread, so she resorted to eating only popsicles and juice.

She said that while on suicide watch, pens and pencils were taken from her and guards observed her every move  measures meant to protect her from harming herself.

She said she was told if she tried to escape, she would spend a longer time in detention. When she filed her account, she said she had been at the facility for nearly 60 days and didn't know when she could go live in New Mexico with her uncle, who told her that he had completed the paperwork for her release.

I have been here for a really long time. I really want to leave, she said.

Record arrivals of unaccompanied migrant children have tested the Biden administration, which has picked up nearly 60,000 of them from February to May, many of them from Central America.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Sales of previously-occupied homes fell for the fourth straight month in May as soaring prices and a limited number of available properties discouraged many would-be buyers.

Existing home sales dropped 0.9% last month from April to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.8 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. The string of sales declines comes after sharp gains last fall and through the winter, as many Americans sought more living space during the pandemic. Sales are up nearly 45% from last May, when purchases fell to their lowest point of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The drop in sales suggests that the hot housing market is cooling a bit, even as hiring is steady and the economy is recovering rapidly from the pandemic recession. Home sales boomed last year as many Americans sought more living space during the pandemic. That lowered the number of homes available and caused prices to spike.

That increase has likely frustrated many would-be home buyers, particularly first-time buyers, and led them to postpone a home purchase. The median sales price topped $350,000 last month, the NAR said, a record high.
NEW YORK (AP)  For her tour this fall to promote her memoir Going There, Katie Couric is anticipating not only the interest of her fans but a return to something like a pre-pandemic world.

Book events have remained mostly virtual even as movie theaters and concert halls have begun reopening. Couric's 11-city tour, announced Monday by Little, Brown and Company and Live Nation, will very much be in person, and well beyond the scale of book stores and libraries and other typical settings for authors. She opens Oct. 28 at Boston's Orpheum Theatre, two days after Going There is released, and her itinerary also includes the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, Atlanta Symphony Hall and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Special guests, to be announced, with be joining her at each stop.

Given the challenging period weve been through, Im so excited to be out in the world, creating a sense of community and a place where we can all get together for meaningful conversations, and have some fun, too, Couric said in statement.

The tour will be produced by Live Nation, the concert promoter which previously worked on an author event scaled even higher  Michelle Obama's tour for her 2018 memoir Becoming.
He said their aim was to create terror in a portion of the public so they could come in and take control.

There is evidence that the groups of hitmen riding in a half-dozen pickup trucks sought to sow panic and also robbed people.

They came firing left and right, everywhere, Barrios said. They robbed stores, they broke into an auto repair shop and stole cell phones and several vehicles, all with the goal of spreading terror.

Four of the gunmen were killed in shootouts with police and National Guard members, and a fifth was wounded and is in custody.

Some Reynosa residents who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals said many stores and restaurants were either closed or opening for only a few hours per day and shutting down by nightfall.

There is a lot of uncertainty, because no one knows for sure what is happening, said one Reynosa resident.

On Monday, federal prosecutors said they were taking over the case, and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pledged a thorough investigation.
Armed opponents of the ruling junta have organized themselves into what they call Peoples Defense Force units, with the ultimate goal of forming a federal army that can challenge the ruling junta. Some activists who have turned to armed resistance have been receiving military training from the militias of ethnic minority groups in border areas who have long battled the central government for greater autonomy, but the extent of their assistance is unclear.

Social media posts claiming to speak for a Mandalay Peoples Defense Force branch said during the shootout Tuesday morning that it was the start of an urban guerrilla uprising. There were no signs, however, of any other significant actions.

The day we have been waiting for has arrived. The Mandalay PDF has started today, said a post signed by Bo Tun Tauk Naing, described as the groups leader. The name is a pseudonym, combining the words for bright like the sun and victory after the abbreviation for the rank of major.

Other posts urged the citys residents to block military reinforcements, obstruct roads with burning tires and reveal the militarys movements online.
For much of his life, David Garcia has made his living as a landscaper. But he calls the unpaid work he does under the name Barrio Restoration  cleaning and beautifying the curbs, sidewalks and roundabouts on Tucsons south side in his free time landscaping with a purpose" and "doing good for the hood."
American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights through at least mid-July as it strives to maintain service in the midst of massively increasing travel demand while the coronavirus pandemic continues to recede in the U.S., CNN reported.

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, Shannon Gilson, a spokesperson for the airline, told CNN.

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.

An American Airlines spokeswoman told the Tulsa World on Monday the labor shortage is a nationwide problem and not centered on any one location.

She said the shortage is not affecting Tech Ops-Tulsa, the airlines largest maintenance base that employs about 5,200 people in the city.

Americans flight cancellations account for about 1% of its daily operation in July, or roughly 72 of its average of 5,674 daily departures, the spokeswoman said.
It fits their model of creativity, diversity and speed to market, MAIP CEO David Stewart said. The focus of the story really is what Oklahoma has and what the governor brings in terms of pro-activity and interaction with the legislature and the effort of ODOT (Oklahoma Department of Commerce) to provide incentives and getting that set up in combination with a site that can meet their need.

Canoo looked at more than 30 sites before deciding on Oklahoma, he said. The company will benefit from MAIP infrastructure, workforce, education and other improvements that will approach $100 million, Stewart said.

Most of incentive that we provided was the acceleration of projects in our master planning process, Stewart said.

Kisling characterized Canoos average pay scale in Oklahoma to be well above $45,000 annually.

There would be very few people within their entire organization that would make under $45,000, he said.

Citing exemptions in the Oklahoma Open Records Act regarding business development, the commerce department last week declined to detail incentives the state offered Canoo. Aquila reportedly told Reuters Oklahoma is providing the company more than $300 million in tax incentives.
COVID-19 created a burden on so many of our neighbors, said Jeff Jaynes, executive director of Restore Hope Ministries. Tenants bore the weight of mounting debt and the fear of losing their home.

Landlords were burdened by their own bills piling up and few places to turn. Our hope for ERAP is that we can release those burdens and help people look to the future again. With ERAP paying back debt and even some future rent, our hope is that Tulsans can once more dream of a better day to come.

In addition to ERAP, the Citys Gold Star Landlord Program provides incentives and rewards for landlords and property managers who engage in the best rental practices. Currently, there are more than 12 Gold Star landlords in Tulsa.

In the beginning of the pandemic our company had agreed that our company wouldnt do any type of evictions, said Scott Gordon, CEO of SLG Properties, A lot of the tenants are families, and its important to allow and be able to meet their needs even in times of crisis because of the pandemic, it put them in a bad situation.

Gordon, along with all other Gold Star landlords, are also part of the Early Settlement Mediation Program offered at no cost. The service offers tenants and landlords a way to voluntarily resolve disputes outside of a courtroom.
Both had past convictions on drug charges, which the officers cited along with Robersons disclosure about the joint as part of the basis to conduct a warrantless search of the SUV. The officers said they found roughly $3,000 in cash in a purse and methamphetamine, which they used as their basis to seek authorization for a warrant on the motel room the two were using.

The Tulsa County Public Defenders Office presented the charge as a case of profiling, as police have identified the motel in question as being in a high-crime area. Assistant Public Defender Stuart Southerland argued that officers who patrol in the area often use what he described as the high percentage investigation technique of stopping motorists for mundane traffic violations as a pretext for inquiries about guns and drugs.

The defense attorney also argued that any examination of the SUV was inappropriate because police did not find cannabis in Robersons ashtray, nor was it fair for Beyerl to cite a traffic violation as the basis of the stop when neither Roberson nor Turner received a related citation.

After he determined that Mr. Roberson had a drug, gang and prison history, the nature of the stop quickly evolved into a drug/weapons stop and any initial thoughts of writing a ticket disappeared, Southerland wrote.
A Tulsa man faces federal charges on allegations that he sent a local television station emails threatening to kill President Joe Biden and unnamed members of Congress.

John Jacobs Ahrens, 58, was charged by criminal complaint in Tulsa federal court on Monday with making threats against the president after he allegedly admitted to sending the emails to KOTV, Channel 6.

An affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint indicates that Channel 6 notified the FBI on Thursday that it had received threatening emails from Ahrens in May and earlier this month.

One May 10-dated email read: Please go to my Facebook page and read what I sent to the men of the United States Congress. They have less than 48 hours to hand over my money or their children will start dying all over the country  Im going to kill their children using the same law as the Government used to force our families on to the Trail of Tears.

In a June 10-dated email, the writer stated: I just sent a ultimatum to the White House. They will hand the child molesting dog Joseph Biden over for Judicial Proceedings. Otherwise, America is going to get to see a sitting president get his head blown off right in front of them.

The email writer gave several deadlines to hand over Biden.
A husband and wife from Tahlequah have been sentenced to 25 years and 20 years respectively after a wide-ranging investigation into an allegation of child sex abuse.

John Haynes, 44, and Jennifer Mason, 37, entered pleas in Cherokee County District Court.

Mason pleaded guilty June 17 to one count of sexual abuse of a child and one count of procuring, producing, distributing or possessing child pornography.

Haynes pleaded no contest March 25 to one count of sexual abuse of a child under 12 and one count of aggravated possession of child pornography.

Haynes will be a lifetime registered sex offender, according to a news release from the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation.

According to the release, digital chat logs had been reported to authorities by the service provider, with concerns that Mason had participated in Haynes abuse of an infant. On May 1, 2020, OSBI Internet Crimes Against Children agents and Department of Homeland Security-Tulsa agents served a federal search warrant at the couples Tahlequah residence.

Haynes was arrested and booked into the Cherokee County jail, with further evidence prompting Masons arrest the next month, the OSBI release states.
The organization behind a proposal to turn the shuttered Crowne Plaza Tulsa-Southern Hills into a mixed-use development wants more time to make its case.

Attorney Lou Reynolds, representing Veteran Services USA, sent a letter to city councilors on Monday requesting that they postpone their vote on the matter until July 28. Councilors are scheduled to vote Wednesday on a rezoning request needed for the project to move forward.

Reynolds notes that the VSUSA closed on the property late last week and recently purchased nine other properties in eight states.

The managerial logistics associated with ensuring these ownership transitions on these properties went smoothly has hindered the Applicants efforts to prepare for this Wednesdays meetings, the letter states.

Records filed with the Tulsa County Clerks Office show that the deed for the sale of the property at 7902 S. Lewis Ave. was entered into as of May 14 with an effective date of June 17. The deed was filed with the County Clerks Office the next day.

The City Council will decide Wednesday whether or not to postpone the vote.
After sitting vacant for a year, a shuttered west Tulsa school will soon have occupants once again.

At Monday nights meeting, Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a lease for the Native American Coalition Head Start to use the former Pleasant Porter Elementary School building near 41st Street and U.S. 75.

The one-year, $59,800 lease will take effect July 1. According to school district officials, the Native American Coalition Head Start currently serves about 140 children with the potential for future expansion after moving into the Porter building.

I am super excited about this opportunity, having participated in Head Start programs through Choctaw Nation down in Durant, board President Stacey Woolley said. This is a chance for these children to learn about their culture plus get prepared for school so theyll be ready for one of TPS prekindergarten programs.

Named for a late 19th and early 20th century Muscogee leader, the 92-year-old west Tulsa campus has served several roles over the decades. Since its closure as an elementary school in 1980, it has since housed TPS Indian Education program, GED classes, and an early childhood development center for prekindergarten and kindergarten students, and it had a previous stint as a Head Start facility.
If you read through it, it is as if we had written the opinion, based upon the briefs that we filed, Young said. It cites the same cases, it cites the same precedents, it cites the same rationale. I dont know how the city of Tulsa is going to be able to go forward.

The city of Tulsa said Tuesday that it does not comment on pending litigation.

In their November 2017 request for declaratory judgment, plaintiffs asked the district court to find that TPFA and the city: cannot sell parkland because it is held in a public trust expressly as a park for the people; that tax funds would be misappropriated if the sale of park land occurred; and that the sale price and other considerations were so minimal, that it would result in an unconstitutional gift to the private developer.

The plaintiffs also argued that the park was never actually abandoned by the city.

The city and TPFA have argued that the city does have the authority to sell the park land and that they had already given the plaintiffs what they had requested in earlier petitions to the court.
The normal low temperature is 70 for the Tulsa area this time of year.

With temperatures expected to dip into the lower- to mid-50s, many locations were expected to set or tie record lows for the date on Tuesday morning, forecasters said.

A warming trend will then begin Tuesday, but it will still be well below normal for late June, forecasters said.

The average high temperature in Tulsa is 88.4 degrees in June, with an average of 14.2 days at or above 90 degrees, according to the weather service.

Prior to Monday, high temperatures had been in the mid- to upper-90s for more than a week.

Since June 10, when EMSA issued a medical heat alert that remained in effect through the weekend, medics had responded to more than 95 heat-related illness calls in its Tulsa service area as of Saturday afternoon, the agency said.

So far this month, exactly one inch of rain has fallen, including 0.31 inches on Monday, according to the weather service.

The city averages 4.65 inches of rain in June, with 9.1 days of rain and eight days with thunderstorms for the month, according to weather service records.
We would have a technically skilled prescribed fire workforce, Wyden said in a phone interview. "We would streamline the smoke regulations in winter months."

Wyden and the Biden administration are also seeking creation of a 21st century Civilian Conservation Corps, to provide more boots on the ground to work on forest health.

In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation on March 18 that will clear the way for more prescribed fires by establishing liability standards for landowners who conduct them and creating a certification program.

In Oregon, a bill from state Sen. Jeff Golden would enact rules for prescribed fires and a certified burn manager program. He envisions Oregon having as many as hundreds of trained managers to supervise prescribed fires.

I dont see that we have any option other than to increase the prescribed burns," said Golden, who is from the Rogue Valley, where wildfires tore into two towns last year. Weve got, across the Western U.S., a buildup of decades of fuels, and its going to burn.

"So do you want to burn in a planned, strategic way that has an element of control to it, or do you want it to burn in megafires, with all the costs  human, animal, environmental costs  that that entails?
In its response, TSET said the states tobacco use ranking is high, but it would be higher without TSET programs.

The report found that TSET tracks short term outcomes of its marketing and communication campaigns, but does not track the data necessary to determine the effectiveness of them across the state.

TSETs response indicated that its public education campaigns change attitudes and behavior.

For example, exposure to the Tobacco Stops with Me campaign doubled quit attempts among tobacco users and increased awareness about the harms of secondhand smoke.

The LOFT report found that TSETs resources are not aligned with the states greatest needs.

In an analysis of smoking prevalence rates at a county level, compared to county-level programmatic spending by TSET, LOFT observed no apparent alignment of TSET resources with the areas of the state with the highest rates of smoking prevalence, the report said.

A signature program, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, spends five times more for cessation services than the national average, the report said.

Oklahoma spends $11.52 compared to a national average of $2.21 and a regional average of $2.55, the report said.
The law also prohibits public schools from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations and only allows school boards to require that students wear masks after consulting with a local health officials and, then, only if the governor has signed a state of emergency that includes the districts portion of the state.

Obviously, this is an issue for parents to take very seriously.

Children are generally less likely to suffer from severe effects of COVID-19, but some have become seriously ill and have died. Children also can pass the disease on to others at greater risk from the disease.

Another legitimate concern is what we dont know about the long-term effects of COVID-19. We have less than two years of information on what happens when people are infected.

A childhood infection with chicken pox can be a matter of a simple rash and a fever, but the varicella-zoster virus remains in nerve cells after the infection has healed and can reactivate as shingles  a painful cluster of short-lived blisters  in older adults and people who have weakened immune systems.

Oklahomas vaccination progress has stalled. Only 35% of vaccination-eligible state residents  1.16 million people  are fully immunized, according to the state data released Thursday.
On the way to the hospital after going into labor, a pregnant woman was run over by a concrete mixing transport truck in Vietnam, causing the fetus to be squeezed out of her womb seven years ago.

The tiny unborn baby survived the crash and has grown into a healthy and happy one-legged boy.

It happened on October 25, 2014 in Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province, located in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

The husband was driving his wife on a motorbike.

The wife died on site. The fetus came out with one leg lost, so did his father.

Following a deep coma, a limb removal operation, the lack of his mothers milk and warmth, the baby still beat all the odds.

The tin soldier

Despite his tragic birth, Nguyen Quoc Huy has braved the ordeal of having one leg and leads a happy life with his father.

My job is simply to see him smile each day, said Nguyen Van Nam, his 39-year-old father, who lives in Cho Moi District, An Giang, which is considered a 'rice bowl' in the Mekong Delta.

They keep their chin up although each has only one leg left.

The physical disadvantage did not deter Nam from hard work. Whenever the rice crop season approaches, he is extremely busy.

During this time the pests are everywhere, so I have to be in the fields all the time, he said.

I can hardly be home with my child.

"I miss him a lot, but I cant leave until everything is properly taken care of.

Coming home after days apart, the father rushed to embrace his young boy, who clutched him and showered him with kisses on the cheeks.

Huy readily asked his father to buy him a toy water gun at a nearby store.

Now the boy has grown up to be smart, cute, and sociable.

His mother was still alive when he was forced out, recalled Nam.

I looked at her, telling her to pray to the Buddha.

My son was flung meters away.

"That has been a haunting sight until now.

"It does not bother me, but reminds me of how valuable our lives are.

I love my son even more every time I think about that incident.

The struggle

Following the traffic accident, Huy was admitted to Childrens Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, while his father was hospitalized at a local place before his transfer to Cho Ray Hospital in the same city.

During his month-long hospitalization, family members kept him in the dark about his sons condition for fear that it might be too much for him to bear.

Nguyen Quoc Huy, seven, moves around briskly despite his physical defect. Photo: Thanh Nhon / Tuoi Tre

Nam only got to visit his baby after his discharge from the hospital.

A nurse got me a wheelchair. She pushed me to my sons room, he said.

It was a fleeting moment, but I had mixed feelings.

"I was anxious, happy, and distressed.

"I felt sorry for the baby.

Nam made it back to his hometown as he regained his health. He prayed for his wife there, then returned to Ho Chi Minh City.

The pain of the widower seemed to double seeing his baby with only one leg left.

Yet the man suppressed it all. He had to be both his father and mother.

It was quite a struggle at first because I lost one leg too, especially when my boy needed his regular health check in Ho Chi Minh City, Nam said.

The checks were one week apart at first, then two weeks, then one month, and three months.

"Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out [last year], we havent been going to the city anymore.

Hearing his father mention the term COVID-19 to a correspondent from Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Huy was quick to comment: The COVID virus? Dont go near it, dad! Dangerous!

Learning to walk with an artificial leg at 11 months old was the toughest task for the young boy.

Watching the baby attempting to get the hang of it and crying out loud due to frustration, even Nam broke down in tears.

The father and son regularly had their health checks and walking lessons at the hospital.

He could barely walk until two years old. Now, Huy only needs his artificial leg at school, Nam said.

He removes it the moment hes back home.

"He can still run around.

"Unlike me. Without my fake leg, I lose to him every time.

During his first years of life, Huy was prone to sickness. His father had a few sleepless nights taking him to the doctor.

Now hes fine. Sometimes, he cries to get a toy or some new cakes. Thats it, said his father.

They actually received a donation from a philanthropist after the accident. With that, Nam rebuilt his house and purchased a piece of land in Hon Dat District, Kien Giang Province for use as rice fields.

I had never owned such a fortune in my life. Thinking about my life now, at times I burst out in tears, he said.

A fathers hope

In recent days, Nam is deeply involved in his plantation work. He has to take care of the rice plants, the irrigation system, the fertilization process, and then the harvesting.

He needs a good earning for his childs life.

Nam can be days away from home every business trip to the rice fields.

The 60-kilometer distance did not stop him from rushing to Huy for some snuggling, then immediately back to his farm work.

When the summer comes, he forces me to get him to the field, Nam said.

The boy likes to swim. He loves the canal and goes there every afternoon. He got a real tan after several days.

There are two rice crops every year, according to Nam. From the seventh to the ninth lunar month, commonly known as the floating season in the Mekong Delta, he spent all his time with Huy.

Id stay with him and teach him to read, he said.

Huy is enrolled in an elementary school near his home. He gets to school in an electric toy car quite a curious sight for those seeing him the first time.

Yet that has become too familiar to his teachers and peers.

At first I drove him to school. It felt dangerous and difficult for him, Nam said.

I was worried a lot. What if he got bullied? But luckily, he was nice, so his teachers and friends, and even our neighbors love him and help him a lot.

According to his father, Huy is a little behind his friends in school achievements. However, the boy got encouragement from his father rather than rebuke.

I myself loved to learn, but my family was poor so I couldnt get to school, Nam said.

So now I have to make sure he gets a good education. I am so pleased to see him make progress.

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Much to his familys objection, Nguyen Han Thien took it upon himself to quit his high-paying IT job and opened a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, serving iconic dishes from his hometown to realize his childhood dream.

Bidding farewell to his well-paid information technology job at three different companies, including one reputed IT group he had worked for nearly 10 years, Thien charted a new direction for his future and invested his savings in opening a bistro.

He is now the owner of Bep Nguoi Hoi An (Hoi An Kitchen) restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

The only and hottest items on his restaurants menu are com ga (chicken rice) and mi Quang (noodle served with shrimp, pork, peanuts, and banh da nuong, or grilled rice paper wrapper), the specialties of Thiens hometown in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam.

His restaurant all comes down to Thiens childhood dream, long-cherished passion for cooking and his years working as a busboy for his mother, who had been running her eatery with the special noodle soup for decades.

Thien, along with his siblings, grew up on earnings from his mothers eatery while inheriting her sense of detail and infatuation with their hometowns hallmark soup.

Until now, the man remembers the extra care he took in boiling water on the wood stove for hot, fragrant tea, the drink commonly served to diners.

During his college years, he again found himself immersed in a culinary world centered around delicacies from the central Vietnamese region when he stayed with his distant uncle, whose restaurant made quite a splash in Nha Trang City, a coastal town in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

Thien said what he had observed and picked up during that time was just what he needed to turn his childhood dream into reality.

Upon graduation, the young man headed to Ho Chi Minh City, where he landed a financially rewarding gig in information technology, a perfect fit for his college major.

For nearly 10 years, he worked at three different companies, including one big IT group, and won awards for outstanding performance.

Though his office work brought security and a good income, part of him craved change, as the man always dreamed of the day when he could run a restaurant of his own.

Seeing that the iconic dishes from his hometown would become fixtures in the southern metropolis, he bravely quit his job and opened his dream restaurant after meticulously weighing the pros and cons of such a career move.

The man was determined to show how his resolve to pursue his dream has ever grown stronger.

He stood his ground firmly as his mother fiercely rejected his plan to leave the office for a risky venture and all the hard work that would lie ahead.

The last thing I want for my son is dipping his toes into the restaurant industry and experiencing all the hard work Ive been through, said Hang Thi Tam, Thiens mother.

Without formal training in the hospitality sector, Thien began working out his own formulae and seeking reliable procurement sources, making sure the ingredients and packaging are of high quality and environmentally friendly.

His eatery uses paper packaging instead of single-use plastic boxes.

The restaurant is funded by my savings from my previous working years," Thien shared.

"When the time came, I quit my IT job to focus solely on my current business.

The enterprising man is already on his path, sparked by his long-cherished dream, with his restaurant now bringing in enough cash for him to feel financially secure.

But it was not an easy start, especially when his inauguration came during the social distancing period, which was in place in the metropolis and other localities to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak last year.

During the low season, Thiens eatery became a haunt of poor laborers whose livelihood was disrupted by the social distancing measures.

They came to the eatery to receive gift packs of necessities, with the fund donated by Thien himself and his like-minded friends.

Thien is no stranger to charity work.

For the past several years, he and his group have prepared gratis meals for inpatients and their caretaker relatives at local hospitals on a regular basis.

Whenever he had no time to spare, Thien made donations to support his groups good deeds.

His eatery has successfully tapped into takeout and online ordering business to cope with the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic since its opening more than one year ago.

Business is currently good thanks to online food shopping and delivery amid the countrys fourth and most ravaging outbreak.

In pursuit of more consumers, Thien has made the most of his IT expertise and SEO techniques to make sure his restaurant and dishes always come first on search engines.

Weve survived the pandemic so far and attracted a stable following, Thien said proudly.

My restaurant is raking in profits and I no longer have to offset losses as we did during the first few months.

Thiens eatery is also frequented by many of his friends.

Thiens restaurant attracts customers not necessarily for its good food, but rather for his dedication and eye for detail, noted Du Tran Nhat Quang, from Thiens charity group.

His attention to detail is clearly seen in his sophisticated interior decor, which reminds us of Hoi An Ancient Town, and the extra mile he goes to in preparing the delicacies.

The place is also a haunt of friends."

Spurred on by this success, Thien even dreams of going large scale and stretching far and wide.

As my childhood dream is taking shape, Im charting a new direction for the future, the former IT engineer shared.

Im thinking of opening a chain of eateries in Ho Chi Minh City, offering a range of delicacies from my hometown."

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan joined talks with Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on Monday during his visit to Vietnam from June 20 to 23, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

COVID-19 Updates

-- The Ministry of Health documented 47 domestic COVID-19 cases on Tuesday morning, of which 36 were in Ho Chi Minh City, raising the national tally to 13,530, with 5,453 recoveries and 69 deaths.

-- The Hanoi Peoples Committee has allowed dine-in service and barbershops to resume operations from 0:00 on Tuesday but with several restrictions to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

-- As of 5:00 pm on Monday, Ho Chi Minh City had had a total of 469 locked-down areas in Thu Duc City and 19 districts, according to the citys Center for Disease Control.

-- Authorities in the northern city of Hai Phong on Monday agreed to offer VND10 billion (US$435,000) worth of financial aid to help Ho Chi Minh City fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Society

-- A 52-year-old man from the Mekong Delta province of An Giang was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday for raping a six-year-old girl in mid-March.

-- The Hanoi Peoples Court on Monday sentenced a 32-year-old man to 12 years in jail for murder after he had brutally attacked a thief with a machete and critically injured him last year.

-- Border guard officers in the north-central province of Quang Binh confirmed on Monday they had arrested a Laotian man for transporting 20 bricks of dried cannabis to Vietnam.

Business

-- The export revenue of Vietnams garment and textile sector surged 21.2 percent year on year in the first five months to about $15.2 billion, according to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association.

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A Hanoi man has been condemned to 12 years in jail for critically injuring a thief after attacking him with a sword last year.

The municipal Peoples Court on Monday imposed the prison term upon Le Van Anh, 32, for murder.

The court also sentenced Nguyen Ba Dung, 35, to 15 months behind bars, Quyen Van Uoc, 50, to 12 months in jail, and Nguyen Van Long, 33, to 10 months in prison for theft.

Long, however, was given a suspended sentence.

According to the indictment, Dung, Long, and Uoc traveled on two motorbikes to Quynh Do Village in Thanh Tri District, Hanoi on the night of February 24, 2020.

They brought along a can of pepper spray, a flashlight, metal scissors, and pliers with a plan to rob local residents.

They later spotted a motor cart, worth about VND8 million (US$348), in front of Anhs house.

Wielding a sword, Anh caught up with the thieves after they took the vehicle for about 30 meters.

Long and Uoc managed to run away on one motorbike, while Dung tried to stop Anh with the pepper spray.

However, Dung ended up being hit in the head by Anhs sword, causing him to collapse on the ground.

Despite the thief's plea for mercy, Anh repeatedly attacked him with his weapon until the thief passed out.

Anh then headed home, while Dung was brought to the hospital for emergency treatment and survived his critical injuries.

He turned himself in to local police on the following day.

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A man from Vietnams Mekong Delta has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping a six-year-old girl twice.

The People Court in the An Giang Province on Monday imposed the punishment upon Lam Van Tuong, 52, for raping an under 16-year-old person.

The indictment showed that Tuongs latest sexual assault took place at around 5:00 pm on March 19.

After drinking alcohol, Tuong headed to an alley next to his house and saw A.  his six-year-old neighbor.

The man grabbed the girl and pushed her to the wall to rape her.

Tuong was caught in the act by the victims mother, so he turned himself in to police shortly after.

Interrogated by police officers, Tuong eventually admitted to having raped A. on another occasion in May 2020, when the victim went to his house to play with his grandchild.

He gave the girl VND2,000, or nine U.S. cents, following the incident and told her not to tell anyone.

Aside from the jail term, Tuong was required to pay A.s family VND14 million ($608) as compensation.

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Police in Huong Thuy Town, located in the central Vietnamese province of Thua Thien-Hue, on Monday said that they had started legal proceedings against ten people, including one forest ranger, for violating regulations on forest exploitation and protection.

The ranger was Le Nhu Nguyen, working at a forest protection unit in Huong Thuy, while the other nine violators included Tran Dung, Nguyen Viet Di, Nguyen Van Y, Duong Van Vu, Nguyen Minh Tri, Tran Tien, Dao Van Loi, Nguyen Van Bao, and Nguyen Dinh Bao -- all hailing from the same town.

Dung masterminded and coaxed the other eight loggers to join him in illegally chopping down the trees at two forest lots in the town in April and selling the wood they collected for money, according to initial investigation.

Before every deforestation trip, Dung contacted Nguyen via phone calls to be shown the locations in the forest, whose protection and management the ranger was responsible for.

The nine loggers were able to cut down trees for wood at those recommended locations while Nguyen pretended to know nothing about their logging.

Dung paid Nguyen VND2 million (US$87) per wood shipment successfully carried out of the forest.

Authorities determined that these loggers had felled a total of 55 pine trees, harvesting more than 25 cubic meters of wood, causing damage of over VND75 million ($3,262).

The money collected from selling this amount of wood was all spent on their personal purposes.

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A man living and working in Binh Tan District in Ho Chi Minh City has tested positive for the novel coronavirus in his hometown in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh.

L.V.D., 33, hailing from Tra Vinhs Tra Cu District, was logged as COVID-19 patient No. 13,258, the provincial Department of Health said on Monday.

D. works as a delivery man for Duy Tan Plastics Company on Ho Hoc Lam Street in An Lac Ward of Binh Tan District and temporarily resides at Nam Long residential area on the same street.

The company requested D. not to go to work from June 16 after he had come into direct contact a day before with two drivers in the same department, who had been sent to centralized COVID-19 quarantine facilities for unknown reasons.

Medical authorities in his residential area collected samples from him and other residents for COVID-19 testing at around 12:00 pm on June 19.

As D.s residential area was still not placed under lockdown at that time, he rode his motorcycle from Ho Chi Minh City to his hometown on the same day before his test result returned.

D. came to the medical station of An Quang Huu Commune in Tra Vinh's Tra Cu District to declare his health condition upon his arrival and was tested for COVID-19 one more time there, with unofficial results showing that he caught the disease.

He was sent to a military-run quarantine facility at 11:00 pm that day.

The official result of D.s additional test on June 20 confirmed his infection.

He was then transferred to the Tra Vinh Hospital for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases to receive COVID-19 treatment.

All of his direct and indirect contacts have also been quarantined according to regulations.

Vietnam has recorded 13,530 local infections, including 11,827 domestic cases and 1,703 imported ones to date.

Of that, 10,258 patients, including three in Tra Vinh and 1,820 in Ho Chi Minh City, have been registered since April 27 -- the beginning of the fourth and the worst infection wave in Vietnam so far.

Recoveries have reached 5,453 while 69 people, most of whom had had pre-existing medical conditions, have died.

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The Ministry of Health documented an additional 236 COVID-19 infections in the community in Vietnam on Tuesday, bringing the tally in the ongoing wave near 10,500 patients.

One hundred and thirty-six of the cases were registered in Ho Chi Minh City, 31 in Bac Giang Province, 33 in Binh Duong Province, and the rest in 10 other provinces and cities, the health ministry elaborated.

Two hundred and seventeen infections were detected in quarantine centers and isolated areas.

Since the fourth and worst wave started in Vietnam on April 27, the country has recorded 10,440 domestically-infected patients in 43 out of its 63 provinces and cities.

Bac Giang is leading the table with 5,488 patients, followed by Ho Chi Minh City with 1,922 and Bac Ninh Province with 1,545.

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.

Overall the ministry has reported 13,727 infections, including 12,010 local and 1,717 imported cases, since the virus emerged in the Southeast Asian nation on January 23, 2020.

A total of 5,546 patients have recovered from the respiratory disease, including 93 announced on Tuesday, whereas 69 have been confirmed dead, most with serious comorbidities.

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 2021 Australian Directors Guild will take place in October.

The awards in the Guilds 40th anniversary year will be held on October 22 at the Actors Centre Australia in Leichhardt.

The Awards will be announced at a Gala Luncheon which will also be live streamed nationally and internationally.

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Actors Centre Australia and to announce that, this year, we are planning to bring together Australian directors and the wider industry together in-person at our Gala Luncheon to be held at the ACA. We will also be live streaming the event for interstate members who cant join us, as well as to industry professionals and the public here and overseas. This was so successful last year when people couldnt travel, said ADG Executive Director Alaric McAusland.

The 2021 Awards will be an important moment to celebrate all that has been achieved by our members over the past year  a year which has offered both incredible challenges and opportunities to Australian screen directors  as well as the achievements of the ADG over its 40-year history.

Advertisement

Actors Centre Australia Chief Operating Officer Anthony Kierann said: Actors Centre Australia is thrilled to be partnering with the ADG Awards in 2021. We are proud that this flagship event, which celebrates the outstanding contribution that screen directors bring to our industry, aligns with ACAs commitment to developing the finest Australian on-screen talent. We warmly welcome ADG members and nominees  some of Australias leading creative visionaries  to the Centre, as together, the arts community steps its way out of the pandemic.

Submissions will open on 30th June.
A total of 48 of the 29,875 visitors who attended the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, may be infected with COVID-19, says Fieldlab Events, the body overseeing test events for the Dutch government.

That equates to an average of 1.6 per thousand or over five per show.

A maximum of 3,500 visitors were allowed to attend each show, who all had to hand over a negative test certificate of no more than 24 hours old on arrival. Seating also limited contact moments as much as possible.

In addition, a total of 13 people were already infected during the event. In the period the Contest took place, an average of 4.9 per thousand people were infected among the Dutch population.

The figures only include the visitors of the Contest and not the crew, volunteers, press and delegation members. Those statistics are expected to be published by the organisation itself later this month.

Source: NU.nl
New six-part property / reality series Luxe Listings Sydney screens on Amazon Prime Video from July 9.

The series from Eureka Productions follows real estate agents Gavin Rubinstein and DLeanne Lewis, and buyers agent Simon Cohen as they negotiate multi-million-dollar deals in one of the most luxury real estate markets in the world.

This one is likely to pop, folks

Sydney is home to some of the most expensive and extravagant real estate in the world, and the brand-new trailer released today for Australian Amazon Original series Luxe Listings Sydney provides a glimpse inside some of those stunning homes  from an awe-inspiring property on Sydneys Billionaires Row to a multi-million-dollar mansion with a private beach. Viewers also get a sneak peek at all the drama, egos and ruthless competition that go hand in hand with the fast-paced, high-stakes world of buying and selling high-end luxury properties in Sydney.

Luxe Listings Sydney features renowned Sydney real estate agents Gavin Rubinstein and DLeanne Lewis, along with esteemed buyers agent Simon Cohen. These agents are among the best in the world, self-made experts in their field and are hungry to deliver premier results for their clients.

The dynamic trio will showcase some of the most breath-taking homes in the exclusive Sydney property market, complete with stunning harbour views, iconic beachfront backdrops and unrivalled grandeur. Luxe Listings Sydney will showcase over a quarter of a billion dollars worth of Sydney real estate during season one.

An Australian Amazon Original unscripted series Luxe Listings Sydney will follow the agents intense professional operations and their extraordinary personal lives.

Luxe Listings Sydney is executive produced by Eureka Productions Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Rikkie Proost and Sophia Mogford along with executive producers Ben Scott and James Kennedy through Kentel.

Friday July 9 on Amazon Prime Video.
Comedian Rose Matefeo is being candid in our interview for upcoming ABC comedy Starstruck, but the subject matter demands it.

I actually dont think Ive ever had a one night stand, she reveals.

It doesnt count as a one night stand if you sleep with them again, right? So no, never have! Isnt that crazy?

My questions are a little more forward than I would usually venture, but I offer her the chance to politely decline.

The premise for Starstruck, you see, sees Jessie (Rose Matafeo) navigate the complications that arise after having a one-night stand with a celebrity (Nikesh Patel).

Matafeo, who co-created the series with writer Alice Snedden, assures that it isnt based on personal experience.

Its so funny the amount of questions Ive had asking Is this is based on true life?

Its pure fantasy. Thats never happened to me. And it was more like, what would happen if.?

I love rom-coms to a dangerous degree.

I love rom-coms to a dangerous degree. Ive kind of explored this in my standup shows.

Historically, I am classic sassy best friend material, so part of me thought itd be very cool -in a psycho way- to write myself into a lead role in a romantic comedy. Take the power back. No-ones going to cast me in it unless I write it.

The end result is Starstruck, a 6 part sitcom for BBC and HBO Max which has been so well received it is already renewed for a second season.

Following a drunken New Years Eve hook-up, part-time cinema staffer and nanny Jessie finds herself navigating the awkward morning-after-the-night-before when she discovers that her random hook-up is actually a famous film star. What she thought would become an amusing anecdote soon turns into something more, as the couple realise they cant keep away from each other.

Its a bit of a coming of age -at a later age- story for the lead character, Jessie. Shes living in London, in her late 20s, not really up to much and slightly happy doing so. But the series is sort of a gentle exploration of that first year of getting to know someone or being in a will they / wont they? relationship. I feel that rings quite true for people my age and people in romantic situations in this generation, she continues.

I basically had to take it on good authority from my friends

Im saying that with a question mark, because I basically had to take it on good authority from my friends because Im not out there doing that. So this is purely all fiction, and hearsay about relationships and hookups.

Its just about two people who really like each other who are basically orbiting each other but because of their personalities and circumstance are pushed and pulled away from each other.

New Zealand born Matafeo has previously appeared in sketch series Funny Girls, Golden Boy, Squinters, Dead Pixels and Baby Done. Success in the Edinburgh Fringe (her show Horndog won Best Show in 2018). But transitioning to television has required some creative exploration.

I had been living in the UK for a couple of years, pitching a bunch of stuff to TV places and trying to figure out the best thing to do. Making that step from stand up stuff to scripted narrative, I think takes a little while to figure out what that project is. Starstruck was like, number five on the list, underneath tons of other ideas.

I think got to the point where I simplified it to What do I love watching? and just make that.

The series, which also features Emma Sidi and Minnie Driver, also marks a watershed moment in UK broadcasting history with most BBC Three comedies now either starring, written by or created by women. 58% of long-form scripted comedy on BBC Three are now written by women.

Id like that it just becomes normalised

This is just a gender parity of talent and its almost not noticeable. Id like that it just becomes normalised, and all of the best people making stuff, just happen to be these people, says Matafeo.

But its very cool, actually.

Despite the validation Matafeo, doesnt expect to start dating celebrities just yet, even though she confesses to an interest in Instagram and gossip websites.

I have a healthy appreciation of that kind of culture. Im interested in how that world is very, very far away from someone like me.

But this is me saying I have not dated Henry Cavill and I dont think I ever will.'

Starstruck screens 9pm Wednesdays on ABC.
If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, follow the steps below to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community.
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)
Tyler, TX (75702)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Liverpool could be set to lose its world heritage status after a report said developments including the new Everton stadium posed a threat to its value.

The city's waterfront was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2004, joining places including the Taj Mahal, Egypt's Pyramids and Canterbury Cathedral.

But, a recommendation to delete the area from the list is due to be discussed at a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in late July.

The recommendation, published on Monday, said the implementation of the Liverpool Waters plan, a scheme to transform the city's Northern Docklands, had resulted in "serious deterioration".

It said projects including the Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, the new Everton ground that was approved earlier this year, added to the "ascertained threat of further deterioration and loss of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property".

A government spokeswoman said: "We are disappointed in this recommendation and will continue to work with UNESCO, Historic England and Liverpool City Council to ensure the World Heritage Committee can make an informed decision when it meets next month."

A document published by Liverpool City Council said more than 700m had been invested in upgrading 119 historic assets within the six character areas of the World Heritage Site in the past few years.

The report - Liverpool, World Heritage City - said a further 800m would be spent on more than 40 heritage assets, over the next five years.

Mayor Joanne Anderson said: "The city council is under new political leadership, with a new emphasis on social value when it comes to development.

"We want to engage with the committee members and invite them to fully appraise all that has been achieved since the committee last met in 2019, and to review all that the council is seeking to achieve in the next 12 months."
Indigenous Brazilians from different ethnic groups take part in a protest for land demarcation and against President Jair Bolsonaro's government

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Riot police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a group of indigenous people protesting on Tuesday outside Brazil's Congress against a bill lawmakers were about to debate that would undermine recognition of protected reservation lands.

The protesters, among them children and elderly people, ran for cover, many coughing their way through clouds of gas.

The bill, known as PL 490 and backed by Brazil's powerful farm caucus in Congress, is aimed at curtailing indigenous rights to land that was still unoccupied as of 1988. It also seeks to open up protected indigenous lands to commercial agriculture and mining.

Leaders of Brazil's roughly 850,000 indigenous people say the bill is unconstitutional and runs roughshod over land rights guaranteed in the country's 1988 Constitution.

A session of the lower chamber's constitutional affairs committee was suspended due to the incidents outside Congress.

The committee's chair, Bia Kicis, a supporter of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, said on Twitter that "Indians linked to the left attacked the chamber" and wounded three police officers with arrows. One policeman needed medical attention, the chamber's news agency reported.

Indigenous land rights are also being debated by the Supreme Court, which is tasked with upholding constitutional guarantees.

Among the provisions for which the bill in Congress would open the door are the building of hydroelectric dams and roads on reservations, and setting up of bases there by Brazil's military that oppose indigenous reservations on the country's borders.

"This bill is a historical setback and has gained momentum under Bolsonaro who encourages the destruction of the rights of Brazil's first peoples," said Almir Surui, a tribal chief and head of Parlaindio, a forum for indigenous issues.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Onboarding to Elixir

Ive worked with a number of clients on Elixir projects and Ive onboarded myself, Ive been onboarded and Ive onboarded others. And compared to my experiences with PHP/Python/Javascript and my limited experience with C#/.Net I have experienced quite a difference.

Elixir projects tend to be very consistently laid out. Especially Phoenix-based web projects. The basic Phoenix generators provide a fair number of opinions on where things go. Even without that the general shape of an Elixir project is surprisingly stable.

So across a few different clients Ive seen a number of Elixir projecs that have a few years on them and while there were variations such as not actually utilizing the module hierarchy and putting all of it in the widest possible namespace or overriding some common conventions, overall even the old projects were very reasonable to explore. They tend to flow from the mix.exs projects file and from there you can logically follow what parts of the system are started as you run the application. That will let you figure out what routes it exposes, what work it does in the background and much more. The Elixir supervision tree (inherited from Erlang) makes the shape of the application more clear to you as a developer.

My first onboarding onto an Elixir project was a project that essentially predated Phoenix having a stable release and so it was built right on top of Cowboy and WebSockets. I was pretty familiar with Elixir already. The guy who introduced me to the system and product on the other hand, was doing some Elixir, but was primarily doing other work. I estimated some work for this client, around a 100 hours, for the initial engagement of adding some API endpoints to provide some new functionality for external parties. And then I built it. Knowing Elixir but with no experience of this particular system and without the strong conventions of Phoenix I successfully over-delivered with some added niceties at a couple of hours shy of the estimate. I like to think Im competent at what I do but Im not convinced I would have that turnaround on a similarly sized Python or PHP project. The compounding complexity tends to be much higher.

Comparatively the same work in a PHP clients code base would likely have taken me around twice the time. Why? Mostly due to clarity. Elixir is a functional programming language with a very strong pragmatic streak. It makes it easy to write clear code, rather than clever code. Comparing two codebases is of course anecdotal but it lines up with all my experiences of dynamic OOP code bases vs Elixir code bases. The consequences of making changes are much clearer, the data you have access to and how it gets passed around is plain to see. It removes a lot of guess-work.

Same Elixir code base, a number of months later Im the person who will onboard a new developer. He has been doing PHP for a long time, no Elixir experience. No real issues, he certainly spent some time delving in and picking up the syntax and concepts of the language. He is at the time of writing productively the main maintainer of the code base. I think we had two video pairing sessions to introduce the concepts and how the thing was set up. It really didnt take more.

Another client, a significant fintech code base in Elixir. A few different services, some with Phoenix, some without. I was brought on, given help to get things set up and started. Due to the strong conventions around how Elixir and Phoenix is used that mostly entailed giving me credentials and answering some questions on specifics. I believe I had my first commit the same week. My first major contribution was probably the next week and then we were off to the races.

So bringing on people that know Elixir tends to go well in my experience and Ive even had good luck bringing on an experienced PHP dev that didnt know Elixir. How about less experienced folks?

Ive introduced at least three coding school students to Elixir during their internships or part time work with me. They typically knew some PHP, some Python and some Node.js at that point but hadnt really used any of them in anger. One is presently working professionally with a production Elixir application and another is currently working with me as an assistant developer and doing well using Elixir on client work.

I havent found much difficulty in teaching Elixir or training people into the language. There are some Functional Programming concepts to work through and some habits to break. Thankfully Elixir does not look or feel incredibly different from your typical OOP languages. Most of it will be familiar to any developer. It simply brings some very different powers to the table.

One of the things I find makes onboarding easier is that you can effectively approach Elixir both bottom-up and top-down depending on what you are trying to do. If you want to get a foundational overview of what the application is and how it hangs together, look at the supervision tree, the dependencies and you can absorb the shape of the system. And the moment you need to implement a small change or add something, you can figure out the place where those things happen in the system and work there, in relative isolation and you dont have to know everything about the surrounding system to be productive. Immutability and no shared state makes your system easier to reason about in separate parts. And that means you need to know less to make useful changes.

Ive picked up another clients Phoenix project without any guidance or real introduction to the code and been able to provide changes on the same day. Just by knowing my way around the conventions. Certainly this will vary by person and experience but it isnt just due to some stroke of brilliance on my part. Strong conventions and a clear language where code is easy to reason about.

All in all, Ive found onboarding in Elixir to be ridiculously straight-forward compared to a lot of other projects and I think thats an important factor and I believe it says something about the long-term ease of development as well. A lot of Elixir developers tend to describe boring Elixir projects that just keep working and are easy to maintain.

Boring is a rare and powerful property in software systems. Especially when they can achieve exciting outcomes such as near real-time, strong concurrency and parallelism with distributed computing just baked in. Nothing quite like it.

If you want to hear me (and others!) go on about Elixir in further detail Id suggest BEAM Radio but if youd rather get more variety in topics Id suggest the Regular Programming podcast or my newsletter.
The University of North Georgia (UNG) helped Paul Dunlap's dream of an art career come true. He's been paying it forward for almost two decades as a faculty member in UNG's visual arts department.

Even though he had wanted to be an artist from his middle school days, Dunlap initially began a career in health care because he wasn't sure if he could make a living by following his passion. It didn't take long for a simple thought to percolate: "Somebody's making money in art. Why can't it be me?"

A bachelor's degree in studio art at UNG jumpstarted that process. Just 10 days after earning a Master of Fine Arts in photography from the University of Georgia, Dunlap was back on UNG's Dahlonega Campus as an adjunct faculty member.

"I knew I wanted to teach here. There was nowhere else," Dunlap, a professor of visual arts, said. "I wanted to give back and make it better, carry the torch."

Dunlap has lived out that mantra, as the department has grown from 60-70 students when he was in classes to well over 500 students now. The three full-time faculty from his days as a student changed his life, and the department now includes 25 full-time faculty.

He also played an integral role in raising the profile of the department, serving as the lead for its application for National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD) accreditation, which it first received in 2015. Dunlap credited UNG President Bonita Jacobs and College of Arts & Letters Dean Christopher Jespersen for quadrupling the department's faculty and providing the resources needed to earn the NASAD recognition.

"We're growing because of NASAD accreditation," Dunlap said.

Dunlap is also grateful for the Gainesville Campus expansion, which will provide additional high-quality space for art students.

Dunlap's main areas of interest in teaching are mixed media, hand-coloring photographs, and 19th century photography. His students "seem to love it." The 2019 winner of the Alumni Association Distinguished Professor award is grateful to make an impact encouraging students toward art careers more than two decades after he was in their shoes.

"You've got to want it badly," Dunlap said. "You can do it, and I'm living proof of that."
(CNN) -- The host of Paula Zahn Now and People in the News breaks down the races and issues that made her must-watch list.

Presidential race: The national presidential race

This is arguably the most historic election of my lifetime.

Colorado's Amendment 36: Allocating Electoral Votes

If this passes, the state's votes on Election Day will be given out proportionally, rather than winner-takes-all. This could very well affect the winner of the presidential race.

South Dakota Senate: Tom Daschle (D-incumbent) vs. John Thune (R)

This is a very tight race, and a loss for Sen. Daschle would be a big blow to the Senate Democratic leadership.

Alaska Senate: Lisa Murkowski (R- incumbent) vs. Tony Knowles (D)

In a closely contested race, this state might elect a Democrat to the Senate for the first time in 24 years.

Florida Senate: Betty Castor (D) vs. Mel Martinez (R)

Former cabinet member Mel Martinez has the backing of the White House, but is facing stiff competition from former State Education Superintendent Betty Castor.

North Carolina Senate: Erskine B. Bowles (D) vs. Richard Burr (R)

This is Sen. John Edwards' old seat in the Senate, and another race that is too close to call. It would be a big blow to the Democrats if they lose this seat, and Edwards and Kerry don't get the keys to the White House.

Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District: Billy Tauzin (D) vs. five other candidates

Rep. Billy Tauzin's 30-year-old son, Billy Tauzin III, tries to get elected to the seat his dad is leaving. Polling shows the voters are split down the middle.

California's Proposition 71: Stem Cell Research Funding

Gov. Schwarzenegger has endorsed it but is that enough to make the voters of the Golden State allocate $3 billion to this controversial initiative?

Gay marriage ban initiatives

There are 11 state referendums on gay marriage. Just how will Americans vote on this subject that inspires great passion on both sides of the issue?

Bonus: West Virginia's Secretary of State race

West Virginia's Ken Hechler is again a 90-year-old candidate for Secretary of State. A former speechwriter for Harry Truman, he was also a congressman from 1959-77 and was previously West Virginia Secretary of State from 1985-2001. This just proves you're never too old for politics.
When I first saw that Netflix had a new show called High on the Hog, I thought of all the foods I stopped eating when I started keeping kosher, and I figured the show wasn't for me. But then I saw people on Twitter giving shout-outs to my friend culinary historian Michael Twitty (author of The Cooking Gene, which I reviewed here), and I realized the show isn't about treif, it's about African American food. Or maybe more accurately, it's about how "American food" is rooted deep in African ingredients and in the ingenuity and perseverance of enslaved Africans brought to these shores.

We begin in Benin. I've never been to Benin, though I was blessed to travel to Ghana twice when I was married. (My beloved ex had lived there after college, and worked there off and on for years.) As host Stephen Satterfield explores his first west African market with Dr. Jessica B. Harris, I remembered the sounds and scents and sensory overload of my first west African market visits, too. And I felt-with-him as he sees his family's features mirrored around him, as he encounters familiar okra and yams and rice in their original settings, as he walks on the red clay road the enslaved walked on their way to the slave ships.

At the end of the first episode Stephen stands where his ancestors stood as they were loaded onto slave ships, and he breaks down. I have never been to any of the death camps where six million of my fellow Jews perished, but I imagine that if and when I go, I will feel something like what I witnessed here. It is heartbreaking. And the scene does not feel staged: it feels like bearing witness to something important and real.

The second episode brings us to the Carolinas, to the rice coast. I've read The Cooking Gene, so the journey of these ingredients wasn't a new concept to me. But there's something about the visuality of this medium that brings things home in a new way. To see the red rice in Benin, the whole rice and the broken rice, and then to see the red rice being prepared by Gullah chefs now: the trajectory is so clear.

The third episode introduces the enslaved cooks who shaped the American palate. Washington sent his enslaved chef Hercules back to Mt. Vernon every six months because a slave who lived more than six months in Philly was automatically freed. When he suspected that Hercules might try to seek freedom, he sent Hercules back to do hard labor in the fields again. Meanwhile, Jefferson took his enslaved chef Hemings to France, and Hemings brought fine French dining back to these shores. Eventually Hemings bought his own freedom -- by binding his brother to continued servitude. Meanwhile Jefferson fathered at least six children on Hemings' little sister Sally. There's really nothing I can say about that.

I do not understand how any white Americans can look at the history of human chattel slavery and not recognize the horrific sin against Black humanity that was (and still is) perpetrated by that injustice. Human beings in chains. Families torn apart. Generations of Black human beings treated like animals. I guess we mostly don't look. I think we need to look, and then we need to take responsibility for creating repair.

My ancestors came here fleeing the Holocaust. It's easy to protest, "but we weren't slave owners!" The same people who fear people of color "replacing" the white inhabitants of this land also see Jews as "replacing" them. (Remember the Nazis in Charlottesville: "Jews will not replace us!") White supremacy harms us too. And, I still have pale skin. Which means I get certain privilege just by virtue of the way I look, where people with dark skin encounter prejudice that to this day is often deadly.

Some people argue that we must not teach the true history of our nation's foundational sins -- our treatment of Native Americans, our enslavement of Black people -- and how those sins continue to harm Black and Indigenous People of Color. It seems so obvious to me that we have to face our history in order to build a better future. I want us to live up to the ideals of liberty and justice for all. We're not there yet. In the words of R. Abraham Joshua Heschel z"l, "in a free society, some are guilty but all are responsible."

High on the Hog aroused that anger in me, but the show isn't made with anger: it's made with joy. The show lets the horrors speak for themselves, and it wrests celebration from those ashes. High on the Hog shows beautiful, bold, creative Black people claiming their history and their foodways and their joy through cuisine. It honors the ingredients and foodways, and it honors their inheritors. These neshamot (souls) shine so vividly on the screen that their strength, their pride, their resilience, their creativity uplift me as a viewer. Talk about soul food.

Take Gabrielle Eitienne (episode two) who grows traditional foods (okra, collards, sweet potatoes) on the same land her family has farmed for generations. She hosts celebratory dinners uplifting the land and its produce and the people who grow it. Watching her feasts, I thought about my own people's history of poverty cuisine, like the gefilte fish I just this year learned to make. The work it takes to turn the offcuts into something beautiful. The heart it takes to create something beautiful for our loved ones, even when we're starting with almost nothing. I imagine a lot of us can resonate with that.

The final episode takes us to Texas. I never learned, in a whole year of seventh grade Texas history, that my home state didn't outlaw slavery until two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The episode begins with an audio recording of an enslaved woman, recounting how when "the War" ended, old master came back from the war and he didn't tell them that they were free. That episode also opens with Juneteenth celebrations: parades, dancers in the streets, ebullient joy. Jerelle Guy talks about her apple pie, traditional for Juneteenth. "American as apple pie," right? And this is America: beautiful and bold and full of resilience. Or at least: this is a piece of America that I want to uplift. The racism is America too. That's the America I want to repair.

We meet Black barbecue pitmasters and Black cowboys, too: another piece of Texas history I never learned, though I went to the rodeo every year as a kid. (Of course, rodeo used to be segregated; that's how Black rodeos arose in the first place.) And, of course, the Texas barbecue I grew up eating has roots in enslaved foodways, too. I love getting this renewed glimpse of the state where I grew up, and learning that these quintessential pieces of Americana were always more multiracial than I knew.

"You actually feel your ancestors on these rides," says Anthony Bruno, the trail boss for the Northeastern Texas Trail Riders Association who keep these traditions alive. "It's a spiritual journey." He could be talking about the miniseries, too.

High on the Hog is exceptionally moving, and rich, and real. I'm grateful for its existence. If you haven't seen it, go and watch. This too is Torah, and we must learn.
Riyadh bids to clear the air with Islamabad and build a front against regional rival Tehran. Saudi Arabia has agreed to restart oil aid to Pakistan worth at least $1.5bn annually in July, according to officials in Islamabad, as Riyadh works to counter Irans influence in the region.

Financial Times repots that Riyadh demanded that Pakistan repay a $3bn loan last year after Islamabad pressured Saudi Arabia to criticise Indias nullification of Kashmirs special status. But the acrimony between the two longtime allies has eased after Imran Khan, the prime minister, met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in May.

News of the oil deal with Pakistan comes as Saudi Arabia embarks on a diplomatic push with the US and Qatar to build a front against Iran, said analysts. Riyadh lifted a three-year blockade of Qatar in January in what experts said was an attempt to curry favour with the newly elected Joe Biden. Pakistan had shifted closer to Saudi Arabias regional rivals Iran and Turkey, which, along with Malaysia, have sought to establish a Muslim bloc to rival the Saudi-led Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Khan has developed a strong rapport with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, encouraging Pakistanis to watch the Turkish historical television series Dirilis Ertugrul (Ertugruls Resurrection) for its depiction of Islamic values. Ali Shihabi, a Saudi commentator familiar with the leaderships thinking, said that bad blood had accumulated between Riyadh and Islamabad, but recent bilateral meetings had cleared the air and reset relations to the extent that oil credit payments would restart soon.

A senior Pakistan government official said: Our relations with Saudi Arabia have recovered from [a downturn] earlier. Saudi Arabias support will come through deferred payments [on oil] and the Saudis are looking to resume their investment plans in Pakistan. The Saudi offer is less than half of the previous oil facility of $3.4bn, which was put on hold when ties frayed.

But Fahad Rauf, head of equity research at Ismail Iqbal Securities in Karachi, said: Any amount of dollars helps because time and again we face a current account crisis. And with these prices north of $70 a barrel anything helps. Pakistans foreign reserves were more than $16bn in June compared with about $7bn in 2019 before it entered its $6bn IMF programme.

Robin Mills at consultancy Qamar Energy said: Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are allies, but their relationship has always been rocky. And the Pakistan-Iran relationship is better than you might think. Mills said that the timing of the Saudi gesture was interesting given that Iran was preparing to step up oil exports with the US considering easing sanctions. The Saudis are on a bridge-building mission more generally. They have sought to mend fences with the US and there is also the resumption of relations with Qatar, he said.

Ahmed Rashid, an author of books on Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Taliban, said that there were a variety of factors that might have spurred Riyadh to restart the oil facility. It may be partially linked to the American need for bases to launch counter-terrorism attacks in Afghanistan from Pakistan, he said, but added that its priority was probably to prevent Islamabad from falling under Tehrans influence.

Rashid pointed out that Pakistan was caught between China, which has invested billions of dollars in infrastructure projects, and the US. Pakistan has to play it carefully, it is dependent on China for the Belt and Road, dependent on the west for loans, said Rashi. This is a very complex game.
On June 15, 2021, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan H. E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Turkey H. E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the Shusha Declaration on allied relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey, Peter Tase reports for Eurasia Review.

The Shusha Declaration is an extremely valuable instrument for the preservation of regional security and strengthening of economic growth and infrastructure development in Southeast Europe and the Caucasus. The Republic of Turkey, guided by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been a principal contributor in the recent geostrategic maneuvers and developments in the Southern Caucasus, and above all Ankara is Europes main guarantor of peace and stability in the Intermarium region extending towards the Caspian Sea.

In the History of Foreign Policy of Azerbaijan, the Shusha Declaration will be a cornerstone in the countrys dynamic diplomacy and effective international engagement in the bilateral and multilateral platforms. This declaration with Turkey will enter in Europes modern history, as an essential instrument that ensures geopolitical cohesion, economic prosperity and provides a better security framework for the entire continent. It is certain that some Western European Governments, while in domestic crisis, are skeptical to this economic and strategic cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan; nonetheless, France and other Western European Countries, are substantial beneficiaries of the Shusha Declaration. Shusha Declaration is a strategic agreement that purports a greater geopolitical cooperation between Ankara and Baku and reduces the consequences of emerging threats  such as Armenias regional armed provocations and ISIS (a terrorist organization forbidden in the territory of the Russian Federation)  throughout the whole European Continent and in the Black Sea region.

The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Baku, immediately after the unusual NATO Summit in Brussels, this geopolitical move of Turkish President has an enormous impact for the entire European Continent and for Central Asian economic progress. Flying directly from Brussels to Baku, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is showing to the European Union Leaders and to Washington, that Europe is not safe, nor secure, unless the Top Brass in Belgium and United States do not pay significant attention to the ongoing developments in the Southern Caucasus Region and continue to turn a blind eye towards Armenias belligerent rhetoric and massive plantation of land mines and anti-tank mines inside the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan. Armenias previous military actions inside the territory of Azerbaijan must be energetically condemned and investigated by international actors and governments. The Republic of Turkey is one of the twenty largest economies in the world and its leadership role to preserve economic prosperity and regional security is enormously important; there is no other country in the Transatlantic geography that comes close to what Ankara has done in securing the eastern flanks of Europe and serving as an economic engine during these times of uncertainty when a global pandemic crisis had tragically affected the Western Capitalism and International Commerce.

For decades investment has been falling in the European Union space, living standards have stagnated or declined, and inequality has soared dramatically. On the other hand, Azerbaijan and Turkey have implemented Economic Policies that have promoted unbridled economic growth, industrial production, regional infrastructure projects, strengthened Eurasian logistical corridors and improved the quality of living among citizens in both countries.

EU has neither reformed the financial system nor restored stable growth; meanwhile the Shusha Declaration is a tremendous alliance that will further develop the economy of recently liberated areas of Nagorno-Karabakh, that is a sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, liberated from the Armed Forces of Armenia during the second Karabakh War in September  November 2020. The Shusha Declaration will produce strategic and geopolitical benefits for both nations and ensure a greater regional stability from the shores of the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, as well as guaranteed security measures and a brand-new economic reality is in the horizon, that will directly benefit the entire European Continent.

The Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, will also experience a greater level of economic development and an increase of its participation in international commerce and exports. Nakhchivan, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and Chairman Vasif Talibov, is among the worlds top two regions that are commended for mitigating the pandemic with zero cases of Covid-19 on the ground: implementing impressive measures across Nakhchivans urban and rural areas. Above all the economy has flourished in this region of Azerbaijan and the Shusha Declaration will further enable Nakhchivan to participate in international markets and develop new logistical  industrial parks that will increase the levels of production and exports.
Central Asia's largest wind power project with a generating capacity of 100 megawatts built by a Chinese firm, with a total of 40 wind turbines, located near the city of Zhanatas, Kazakhstan, was connected to the grid on Sunday. Global Times reports that the wind farm has the capacity to generate 350 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which can meet the daily electricity demand of 1 million households.

The wind farm is expected to save roughly 110,000 tons of standard coal every year and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which plays an important demonstration role for Kazakhstan's environmental protection, according to a statement sent by the project contractor, Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, one of subsidiaries of Chinese state-owned enterprise Power Construction Corporation of China, to the Global Times on Monday.

At the same time, the project can reduce emissions of 1,031 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions, 934 tons of nitrogen oxides, 289,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 322 tons of smoke and dust, and 32,900 tons of ash and slag every year.Each wind turbine weighs about 300 tons and reaches nearly 150 meters tall, the Xinhua News Agency reported in June.

The wind farm was initially included in the list of China-Kazakhstan cooperation projects in 2018 and the construction started in July, 2019, marking the largest wind power generating project in Central Asia.

Difficulties such as repeated coronavirus outbreaks, detention of equipment by the customs, and the impact of the construction period during the frozen soil period were overcome by the construction team. The first batch of wind turbines were connected to the grid in September, 2020. All 40 wind turbines were hoisted in June, 2021.

China has been contributed significantly to the development of renewable energy in Kazakhstan, according to Xinhua. Two thirds of the 1,500 megawatt new renewable energy capacity in Kazakhstan was built with the help of Chinese partners in the past four years.
Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov met on Monday with Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi, according to the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.

At the meeting, the successful development of Azerbaijani-Kazakh relations was noted with satisfaction, prospects for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation were discussed.
Azerbaijan is ready to host the mission of UNESCO and UNHCR, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs Leyla Abdullayeva said,.

According to the spokesperson, in continuation of the telephone conversation between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay, in recent months a number of meetings were held between Azerbaijan and UNESCO in the format of a video conference:

During the last meeting, held on June 21, 2021, the Azerbaijani side once again emphasized the readiness of our country to accept the UNESCO mission and called on the organization to accelerate this process. In particular, discussions were held on the visit of the UNESCO mission to the Aghdam and Fuzuli districts and the city of Shusha (previously liberated from Armenian occupation)," Abdullayeva said.

I would like to note that as a result of the discussions held between the Azerbaijani side and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an agreement was reached on the implementation of the UNHCR mission to the territories of our country affected by the conflict. Azerbaijan is fully prepared to accept the UNHCR mission. We are currently awaiting a response from both organizations to complete the work related to the visit, AzerTAc cited the diplomat as saying.
Today, marking Russia's Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged European partners to recognize mistakes of the past and correct them to ensure security on the continent for equitable cooperation for the prosperity of Europe and the world as a whole, according to his article entitled Being Open, Despite the Past, uploaded to the Kremlin's website on Tuesday.



"On June 22, 1941, exactly 80 years ago, the Nazis, having conquered practically the whole of Europe, attacked the USSR. For the Soviet people the Great Patriotic War - the bloodiest one in the history of our country - began. Tens of millions of people lost their lives, the economic potential of the country and its cultural property were severely damaged," Putin recalled.

"We are proud of the courage and steadfastness of the heroes of the Red Army and home front workers, who not only defended the independence and dignity of our homeland, but also saved Europe and the world from enslavement. We hold sacred the memory of the heroes, who fought against Nazism," he stressed.

"Despite attempts to rewrite the pages of the past that are being made today, the truth is that Soviet soldiers came to Germany not to take revenge on the Germans, but with a noble and great mission of liberation," he said.



He pointed out: "We remember with gratitude our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, participants in the Resistance movement, and German anti-fascists, who brought our common victory closer".



"Having lived through the horrors of the world war, the peoples of Europe were nevertheless able to overcome alienation and restore mutual trust and respect. They set a course for integration in order to draw a final line under the European tragedies of the first half of the last century," Putin believes. "The historical reconciliation of our people with the Germans living both in the east and the west of modern united Germany played a huge role in the formation of such Europe".



Putin stressed that "it was German entrepreneurs, who became 'pioneers' of cooperation with our country in the post-war years".



"In 1970, the USSR and the Federal Republic of Germany concluded a 'deal of the century' on long-term natural gas supplies to Europe that laid the foundation for constructive interdependence and initiated many future grand projects, including the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline," Putin noted.



"We hoped that the end of the Cold War would be a common victory for Europe. It seemed that just a little more effort was needed to make Charles de Gaulle's dream of a single continent - not even geographically 'from the Atlantic to the Urals', but culturally and civilizationally 'from Lisbon to Vladivostok' - become a reality," Putin believes.



"It is exactly with this logic in mind - the logic of building a Greater Europe united by common values and interests - that Russia has sought to develop its relations with the Europeans. Both Russia and the EU have done a lot on this path," he writes. "But a different approach has prevailed. It was based on the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance, which was itself a relic of the Cold War. After all, it was specifically created for the confrontation of that era. It was the bloc's movement eastwards - which, by the way, began, when the Soviet leadership was actually persuaded to accept united Germany's accession to NATO - that turned into the main reason for the rapid increase in mutual mistrust in Europe. Verbal promises made in that time such as 'this is not directed against you' or 'the bloc's borders will not get closer to you' were quickly forgotten. But a precedent was set".

The state coup in Ukraine in 2014 that split the country and prompted Crimeas withdrawal was organized by the United States and only tentatively supported by European states. "Why did the USA organize the coup, and the European countries weak-heartedly support it, provoking a split within Ukraine and the withdrawal of Crimea?" Putin remarked, speaking about the 2014 events.



Speaking generally about the situation on the European continent after the end of the Cold War period and the NATO expansion, Putin pointed out that "many countries were put before the artificial choice of being either with the collective West or with Russia". "In fact, it was an ultimatum," the Russian leader stressed.



As the Russian president noted, the Ukrainian tragedy of 2014 is an example of "the consequences that this aggressive policy has led to".



"Europe actively supported the unconstitutional armed coup in Ukraine. This was where it all started. Why was it necessary to do this? Then incumbent president [of Ukraine Viktor] Yanukovych had already accepted all the demands of the opposition," Putin said.

Putin noted that NATO expansion eastwards and the former Soviet Union republics joining it dashed hopes for a continent without dividing lines. "Since 1999, five more "waves" of NATO expansion have followed. Fourteen new countries, including the former Soviet Union republics, joined the organization, effectively dashing hopes for a continent without dividing lines," the Russian leader said in the article.



This was warned about in the mid-1980s by Egon Bahr, one of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) leaders, who proposed a radical restructuring of the entire European security system after German unification, involving both the USSR and the United States, Russian President noted. "But no one in the USSR, the USA or Europe was willing to listen to him at the time," he added.



The Russian president pointed out that the system of European security had deteriorated significantly, and that the risks of a new arms race were becoming more real. "Why does this happen? And most importantly, what conclusions should we draw together? What lessons of history should we recall?" he asked.



"I think, first and foremost, that the entire post-war history of Greater Europe confirms that prosperity and security of our common continent is only possible through the joint efforts of all countries, including Russia. Because Russia is one of the largest countries in Europe. And we are aware of our inseparable cultural and historical connection to Europe," Putin wrote.

He noted that the common goal of the countries of the world is to ensure security without dividing lines, to create a single space for equal cooperation and universal development.



"Our common and indisputable goal is to ensure security on the continent without dividing lines, a common space for equitable cooperation and inclusive development for the prosperity of Europe and the world as a whole," the Russian leader wrote.



He drew attention to the fact that the world is developing dynamically, facing new challenges and threats. "We simply cannot afford to carry the burden of past misunderstandings, hard feelings, conflicts, and mistakes," Putin believes.



According to the Russian President, this burden will interfere with solving urgent problems. "We are convinced that we all should recognize these mistakes and correct them," Putin said.

He noted that the risks of a new arms race are becoming real amid the degrading European security system. "The whole system of European security has now degraded significantly. Tensions are rising and the risks of a new arms race are becoming real," the Russian leader stressed.



The sides are missing out on the tremendous opportunities that cooperation offers, Putin said.



"This is all the more important now that we are all facing common challenges, such as the pandemic and its dire social and economic consequences," the Russian president stressed.

"We are open to honest and constructive interaction. This is confirmed by our idea of creating a common space of cooperation and security from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, which would comprise various integration formats, including the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union," he noted.

According to Putin, Russia is open to honest and constructive cooperation with Europe, and it calls for the recovery of a comprehensive partnership with it. "I reiterate that Russia is in favour of restoring a comprehensive partnership with Europe. We have many topics of mutual interest. These include security and strategic stability, healthcare and education, digitalization, energy, culture, science and technology, resolution of climate and environmental issues," the Russian leader said in the article.

"The world is a dynamic place, facing new challenges and threats. We simply cannot afford to carry the burden of past misunderstandings, hard feelings, conflicts, and mistakes. It is a burden that will prevent us from concentrating on the challenges at hand. We are convinced that we all should recognize these mistakes and correct them. Our common and indisputable goal is to ensure security on the continent without dividing lines, a common space for equitable cooperation and inclusive development for the prosperity of Europe and the world as a whole," Vladimir Putin concluded.
Iran raised the possibility that talks to rescue its nuclear deal with world powers could extend beyond August, when President Hassan Rouhani is set to be replaced by a hardline successor, urging the U.S. to take the "political decision" needed to finalize a deal.

The sides ended their last round of negotiations to try to restore the landmark 2015 accord on Sunday - a day after Ebrahim Raisi, an ultraconservative cleric whos generally hostile toward the West, emerged as the winner of June 18 elections. Hes due to take over from Rouhani in mid-August.

"If no deal is reached by end of the Rouhani government, then the Raisi government will be in charge of the negotiations in Vienna, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei told reporters on Tuesday, without elaborating.

Rabiei said that a "clear text" had been reached on how to plot the U.S.s return to the 2015 accord, the removal of sanctions on Iran, and a rollback of Tehrans expanded nuclear activities.

He said the process now requires a political decision by the U.S. and others involved in the talks, and if thats forthcoming then the next round of meetings in Vienna could be the last, Bloomberg reported.

Raisi met Monday with members of Irans current nuclear negotiating team who briefed him on the latest developments in talks with the U.S., Europe, China and Russia, Rabiei said.
Russia hopes the results of Armenias early parliamentary elections will encourage the countrys development, promote stability and security in the South Caucasus and help strengthen relations with Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday.

"We hope that the results of the electoral process after their legislative processing will encourage Armenias development, further strengthening of Russian-Armenian ties, and will promote peace, security and stability in the entire South Caucasian region, first of all, in terms of complete implementation of the trilateral statements by the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021," she said.

She stressed that Ilhom Nematov, head of the CIS monitoring mission, noted that elections in Armenia had been held in full compliance with law, with no serious violations capable of impacting the voting outcome being registered. "Similar assessments came from the monitoring missions from the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization), OSCE ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe," she added.

Armenia held early parliamentary elections on Sunday. According to the Central Election Commission, acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans Civil Contract party won 53.92% of the vote. Kocharyans Armenia bloc scored 21.04% of votes and the I Have Honor bloc led by another former President Serzh Sargsyan won 5.23% of votes. The voter turnout was 49.4%
The first group of Russian tourists arrived in Turkeys southern province of Antalya, as Moscow resumed full-scale air traffic with Turkey on June 22.

On April 15, Russia had temporarily suspended regular and charter flights with Turkey due to COVID-19 concerns. After a two-month break, Russian tourists started to come to Turkey again.

A Turkish Airlines plane, which departed from Vnukova Airport in the Russian capital Moscow, landed at Antalya airport at 02:40 GMT with 132 passengers.

The tourists got off the plane, passed through thermal cameras and entered the airport. After passport procedures, they moved to the hotels.

During the day, more than 12,000 tourists are expected to arrive in Antalya with 44 planes from Russia to Turkey.

Turkey is a major destination for Russian holidaymakers. The country welcomed 2.1 million Russians last year and some 6 million in 2019 before the pandemic, who accounted for some 12 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals in that year.

Russia suspended flights to Turkey from April 15 to June 1 due to a resurgence of coronavirus cases. The number of flights operated by Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines was limited to two per week on a reciprocal basis. On May 31, the crisis center said that Russia would extend the suspension of flights to Turkey and Tanzania until June 21 due to a complicated epidemiological situation with coronavirus in those countries.
Russia and Uzbekistan are looking at organizing the production of Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine at Jurabek Laboratories, a Tashkent-based pharmaceutical company, the Russian government said on Monday ahead of a meeting of the joint commission to be co-chaired by Russian and Uzbek Prime Ministers, Mikhail Mishustin and Abdulla Aripov, on June 22.

"The sides are considering the issue of organizing Sputnik V production at a Jurabek Laboratories facility in Tashkent," TASS cited the statement as saying.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Uzbekistans Service of Epidemiological Wellbeing and Public Health on April 1, 2020 signed an agreement on supplies of 500,000 two-shot doses of the Sputnik V vaccine.

The first batch of the vaccine (50,000 doses of the first and 50,000 doses of the second vaccine component) was delivered to Tashkent on April 23 and 27. On June 1, Uzbekistan received 70,000 doses of the vaccines first component and 70,000 doses of the second component was supplied on June 10.
Bac Giangs Deputy Chair Mai Son affirmed that only workers who can meet requirements on safety will be sent back to their home provinces.

Bac Giang hands over 35,000 workers to their home provinces

When Covid-19 broke out in Bac Giang province, local authorities decided to retain 67,000 migrant workers in the province. Now, as the Covid outbreak has abated, Bac Giang has started to send 35,000 workers back to their home localities.

Son described the provincial authorities decision to retain 67,000 migrant workers in Bac Giang a result of brainstorming. They made a difficult decision on handing over half of the number of workers to other provinces.

Both are difficult decisions made in special conditions. We have to think carefully and draw up detailed plans to implement the decisions as well as assess possible impacts, he said.

Bac Giang had to carefully weigh pros and cons before making the first decision. If they had announced production stoppage and declared the outbreak at a dangerous level, tens of thousands of workers would have flocked to other localities, which would have put pressure on provinces and on Bac Giang itself.

The second decision was made as Bac Giang began controlling the Covid wave, found exactly where infection sources were and who were at high risk. So it has reasons to ask other provinces to share fire with it.

According to Son, there are two reasons for Bac Giang to conduct the worker handover. First, the outbreak has forced the province to carry out a revolution to change the operation model of enterprises.

The new business model runs on the principle of four togethers  working together, eating together, living together and sharing vehicles together. It will take Bac Giang a lot of time to reach that goal, and for the time being, a high number of workers will stay redundant.

Meanwhile, the quarantine and social distancing zones in Bac Giang show that if workers are retained too long, negative problems arise. The workers under quarantine must be put under authorities tight control. If control is loosened, workers will travel freely, which will worsen the situation.

Workers staying in small spaces have to bear psychological pressure. There have been signs of overloading in logistics and environmental sanitation. The province has to take care of nearly 100,000 people, including 60,000 migrant workers.

Waste accumulated after many days has posed a risk of disease, not only Covid-19.

Bac Giangs first decision on retaining workers was made for the sake of the whole country, while its second decision on handing over workers to other provinces aims to ensure their health and psychological wellbeing, Son said, adding that many workers want to return to their home villages.

Son said that Bac Giang has prepared a plan to deliver workers back to their home provinces. Everything has been considered thoroughly, from the conditions for workers to be delivered to the handover and transport method.

Migrant workers must fulfill the quarantine as regulated. They will only be delivered after they have had multiple negative testing results. F0s will be delivered after they are cured and complete the tests and supervision time, as stipulated by the Ministry of Health, Son said.

The new business model runs on the principle of four togethers  working together, eating together, living together and sharing vehicles together. It will take Bac Giang a lot of time to reach that goal, and for the time being, a high number of workers will stay redundant.

At first, Bac Giang decided that other provinces would bring vehicles to Bac Giang to fetch their workers named in the list. This method was used in Lang Son, Son La and Vinh Phuc. However, Bac Giang sent a dispatch to other provinces, saying that it would arrange vehicles to carry workers if asked.

After one week of implementation, as of June 15, more than 3,000 workers have been taken to their home cities and provinces. Lang Son has received 932 workers, Son La 440, Tuyen Quang 230, Bac Kan 249, Hanoi 265, Thai Nguyen 500 and Lao Cai 265.

Son estimated that 17 provinces would plan and fix the time to receive 20,000 workers in the next 10 days. The process has been implemented with the close cooperation of the health sector, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), and the police to ensure the highest safety level.

According to the Bac Giang Deputy Chair, the two decisions on retaining and handing over workers radically changed Bac Giangs outbreak fighting situation.

With the first decision, we could localize Covid-19 in one place, which helped us fight the outbreak. The second decision, made when the outbreak step by step was being controlled, will help ease the overload on us, not only in fighting the outbreak, but also in solving social problems, he said.

Son said that the worker handover is being carried out in a methodical and organized way, so everything is under the control. The aims of Bac Giang when implementing the campaign are meeting workers aspirations and not putting pressure on other localities.

Son admitted that at first the provinces leaders were worried they might acquire a bad reputation if people thought they had tried to pass difficulties to other provinces. However, the worry no longer exists as other provinces are willing to share fire with Bac Giang.

Witnessing convoys of buses carrying workers leaving the province, Son said this is a situational decision that Bac Giang had to make.

Bac Giang has a total of more than 167,000 workers in industrial zones (IZs), including 67,000 migrant workers. We really want to retain workers who are the ones who create material wealth and create a good investment environment in Bac Giang, Son said, adding that Bac Giang plans to receive workers back when the pandemic is completely contained.

Doan Bong

How Bac Giang authorities persuade foreign firms to halt their operations Bac Giang province has been gathering strength to fight the Covid-19 outbreak for one month, vowing to stamp out the outbreak by the end of June.
Even shop owners, who sell goods to earn their living, have been found cursing at customers when livestreaming.

Pham Van T sells goods though livestreaming

Appearing in Vietnam in late 2018, selling goods through live streaming has become popular in Vietnam.

Pham Van T, or Norin Pham, born in 1996 in Quang Ninh province, is a famous student at a university in Hanoi. But he is not famous for his learning achievements, but for curses. Ts Norin Pham account now has 22,400 followers and can get thousands of likes and comments.

He is well known to the netizen community for his livestreams with millions of views and curses. His record clip has 1.3 million viewers and the number of viewers watching at one time might reach tens of thousands.

In real time, in families and schools, in society and at work, any curse would face criticism from other people. However, profanity may be encouraged in cyberspace.

If searching on Google with the keyword livestream ban hang chui (livestreaming while cursing), one sees 1.8 million results after 0.41 seconds. Similar, with the keyword ban hang online chui khach (selling goods online cursing at customers), one would get 1.7 million results after 0.44 seconds.

The best known accounts that sell goods and curse at customers include Meo Pho, Trang Khan and Kem Kabi.

Some customers accept those vulgar curses. Particularly, selling while cursing is a brand of these shops and makes them even better known.

On the YouTube channel of Kem Kabi, an online seller, the clips of the shop owner are always full of swearing. She curses at customers every time customers give negative feedback on products. The shop owner even posts specific clips, not to sell goods, but just to curse with customers.

The clips posted on YouTube show that both sides use profanity. Surprisingly, the clips attract high numbers of viewers, up to millions. They watch clips with interest and give likes to unseemly verbal battles.

The customers, who are called gods in real life, turn out to be fiercely cursed at on cyberspace.

Some sociologists say that the movement of livestreaming to sell goods while swearing is like an epidemic spreading rapidly in cyber space.

A lot of shop owners have been following the trend of swearing to lure more viewers and likes. They give sensational titles to their clips, using the words hot nhat mang xa hoi (hottest on social networks), or Thanh chui (Saint of Curses) to lure more viewers.

In Thua Thien-Hue province, livestreaming while cursing at customers is also common. However, some customers dont accept this and have complained to provincial authorities.

Customers also make common cause with the shop owners to curse at other people. They give themselves the right to insult others anywhere.

Punishment

In Thua Thien-Hue province, livestreaming while cursing at customers is also common. However, some customers dont accept this and have complained to provincial authorities.

In one case, provincial agencies received the news that the online sellers of a fashion shop in Hue City had cursed at customers with profanity.

After verifying the content of the video, the Thua Thien  Hue Information and Communications Department found that the complaint was about S.T Fashion Shop at No 154 Dinh Tien Hoang Street in Thuan Loc Ward of Hue City.

The departments inspectors and appropriate agencies asked Cao Phuong T and Phan Thi Dieu T, both born in 1992, to come to the Thuan Loc Ward Police Station.

Cao Phuong T admitted that he is the owner of the fashion shop, while those who cursed at customers in the videos were Phan Thi Dieu T, his wife, and Phan Thi N, his wifes sister.

The policemen found that the owners of the shop not only used profane language when livestreaming to sell goods, but also violated regulations when trading goods listed at an address registered earlier.

Nhi Tien

Joining forces to clean up cyberspace Many livestreams, where social network gangsters feel free to curse and insult others, have been organized online, attracting thousands of likes.
HCM Citys Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc said that Ho Chi Minh City has directly negotiated with vaccine producers to purchase 5-10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines in 2021.

HCM Citys Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc

Speaking at a press conference about HCM Citys vaccination campaign on June 21, Duc said that it was a great responsibility for HCM City to be assigned by the Government to implement the countrys largest-ever vaccination campaign. Of the total one million vaccine doses presented to Vietnam by Japan, the city was allocated 836,000 doses.

Duc said that of this number, 30,000 doses were allocated to the Ministry of National Defenses southern agency, and 20,000 doses to the police force in the south, including 18,000 doses for HCM City Police Agency and 2,000 doses for the Ministry of Public Securitys southern office.

This particular vaccination campaign kicked off on June 19 and is scheduled to end within five days.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh attended the launching ceremony of Ho Chi Minh City's vaccination campaign on June 19

Nguyen Hoai Nam, Deputy Director of the Department of Health of HCM City, said that after this campaign, only 6% of the population of Ho Chi Minh City would be vaccinated. He said that after being allowed to buy vaccines on its own, the city has negotiated with vaccine manufacturers to buy vaccines directly. It is likely that the city will have access to the vaccine sources in the third quarter of 2021.

"The city aims to vaccinate two-thirds of the population by late 2021," said Nam.

It is expected that by the end of this year, Vietnam will receive more than 100 million doses of vaccine, and Ho Chi Minh City will receive about 10% of these.

"The city aims to have about 5-10 million doses of vaccine this year," HCM Citys Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc said.

Vietnam logged 272 Covid-19 cases on June 21, including 166 in HCM City alone.

The city is conducting an extensive testing campaign in an effort to early detect and quarantine positive cases. Most newly detected cases were those in close contact with COVID-19 patients and those closely linked to the outbreaks at Tan Tao industrial park and the Revival Ekklesia Mission Vietnam, a Christian congregation in the city.

The city is also launching a vaccination campaign, the largest of its kind in the locality, aiming to half the spread of the virus and reach herd immunity by the end of this year.

The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic which started in late April has attacked 42 cities and provinces across the country, with 10,210 cases confirmed.

Overall, Vietnam has logged a total of 13,483 cases, both locally transmitted and imported infections, since the SARS  CoV - 2 virus emerged in January 2020.

Sixty-seven COVID-19 deaths have been reported, including 32 cases during the latest outbreak.

Nearly 5,500 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease.

Ho Van

COVID-19: HCM City second worst-hit locality in Vietnam as cases surge Ho Chi Minh City, the busiest and most populous locality in Vietnam, has overtaken Bac Ninh province in the north to become the second worst affected locality during the latest COVID-109 outbreak.
Lets assume that your population is close to the ideal, Morrison said to District 4 Councilwoman Kelly Palmer. You might still see some significant change as we move people in from one side and move people out of the other side.

The state will have final Census data in August and the county will have updated numbers at the end of September. Morrison said its possible for the city to redistrict before the next election, but it will require a tight turnaround.

There are some things that I can do that will help get us there, but in doing that we may have to do things 90% of the way we wish we could, Morrison said.

District 3 Councilman Josh Borderud said he hoped the council would never again resort to holding an election in November. But he asked Morrison if nonpartisan elections in 2022 were likely to happen on schedule in May, and whether or not those districts would likely be reworked.

I could give you an opinion, but it would be worth just what you paid for it, Morrison said.

Morrison said the state will most likely want to redistrict before the 2022 election to gain two new congressional seats, but he wouldnt be surprised to see March primaries get bumped to May.
Testimony is set to begin Wednesday in the trial of a Waco construction worker charged with causing multiple injuries to his 8-week-old son, including skull fractures.

Gerardo Rodriguez, 38, is on trial in Wacos 19th State District Court on two counts of injury to a child, both first-degree felonies punishable by up to life in prison.

Prosecutors Sydney Tuggle and Will Hix and Rodriguezs attorneys selected a 12-member jury plus an alternate juror Monday at the Base, a multi-purpose facility at the Extraco Events Center. Rodriguez is represented by David Fanning, Alan Streetman and Stephen Yip.

Testimony will begin Wednesday morning at the McLennan County Courthouse Annex because an attorney involved in the case is attending a family members funeral on Tuesday.

Rodriguez and the boys mother, Candace Rios, both are charged with injury to a child after Rios brought the couples 8-week-old son, Luis, to a local hospital emergency room on April 3, 2015, because he may have a fever, according to police records.
For more information, call 254-722-7429.

Medicare information class Tuesday

The Area Agency on Aging will have a Medicare education class from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Heart of Texas Council of Governments office, 1514 S. New Road.

The class is open to the public. Benefits counselors will be onsite to answer questions for prospective Medicare participants.

Food distribution at Waco ISD Stadium

The Central Texas Food Bank will have a food distribution from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at Waco ISD Stadium, 1401 S. New Road.

The food bank needs volunteers to assist with these events. Visit the food banks website, centraltexasfoodbank.org, and click on volunteer to sign up.

Bosqueville UMC ice cream social

Bosqueville United Methodist Church is hosting an ice cream social and bingo event Saturday in the activity center of the church, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Money donated will be used for missions.

The church is located at 7327 Rock Creek Road, directly across the street from the Bosqueville Cemetery.

Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; fax 757-0302; or email goingson@wacotrib.com.
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who was far behind in early returns, conceded about two hours after polls closed and vowed to work with the next mayor.

In the Republican primary, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa defeated businessman Fernando Mateo. Ranked choice voting wasnt a factor because there were only two candidates in the race.

Several candidates in the race to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio have the potential to make history if elected. The city could get its first female mayor, or its second Black mayor, depending on who comes out on top.

But in the Democratic contest, the initial picture could be misleading. After polls closed at 9 p.m., New York Citys Board of Elections began releasing results of votes cast in person, but the returns focused on who candidates ranked as their first choice.

The ranked choice system, approved for use in New York City primaries and special elections by referendum in 2019, allowed voters to rank up to five candidates on their ballot.
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.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Two major Ohio business groups on Tuesday came out in opposition to pending GOP legislation in the Ohio House that would prohibit employers, either public or private, from requiring employees to receive vaccinations.

The bill also would prevent workers from being fired as a result of refusing to get vaccinated and allow them to sue their employers if they felt their rights had been violated under the law.

The measure before the Republican-controlled House Health Committee has attracted multiple opponents of COVID-19 vaccines but does not mention the coronavirus. Instead, it addresses mandatory requirements for all vaccines, such as for the flu.

Representatives of both the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Manufacturers' Association testified against the bill Tuesday.

The chamber strongly believes that employers should have the freedom to operate their businesses, to make decisions about protecting their workforce, and to develop the health and safety policies and practices that meet the needs of their individual workplaces, said Keith Lake, vice president of Government Affairs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
The UW System attorneys' report is heavily redacted and it's not clear how directly linked the investigation is to Virgil's allegations. If her name was mentioned it has been blacked out. The report also mentions complaints from other female employees whose names were either left out or redacted.

The attorneys concluded that Wilson treated women differently but not because they were women, he may not have handled a public records request properly, likely didn't discriminate against people in the workplace and likely took action on reports of alleged misconduct and discrimination in the workplace.

Nothing supports allegations O'Keefe used abusive language, bullied or harassed female employees, although it's likely he at times engaged in concerning conduct when he disagreed with his co-workers that negatively impacted employees, according to the report.

The attorneys noted Swingen was accused of ignoring complaints about pay inequity, harassment and misconduct. They concluded nothing supported those allegations.

Virgil's attorney, Lester Pines, said the investigation was based on interviews with witnesses in a process that didn't allow them to be challenged. He also complained the report was so heavily redacted it's impossible to evaluate the attorneys' conclusions.
Albetta said the driver 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 want to think. A visibly shaken Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said it was a terrorist act on the gay community. On Sunday, he said he was traumatized by what he witnessed and clarified it was an accident.

The parade route turned into pandemonium as participants and witnesses pieced together what had happened. Parade goers waiting at the end of the route heard the commotion and were frantically calling friends near the accident at the front of the route asking if they should flee.

A heavy police presence already secured the parade route, so there was an immediate onslaught of blaring sirens and flashing lights.

Children saw this, and they were in shock and they started crying because they saw people on the ground with the blood coming out. It was horrible, said Albetta, who said the 7- and 10-year-old children with his group were so traumatized their parents immediately took them home.

To see human life being taken out was just awful, he said.
COMMENTARY

How the cyber executive order will drive funding

A guide for what to follow and where the funding may focus

The recent Presidential Executive Order on Improving the Nations Cybersecurity will require considerable involvement from private sector companies. Over the next several months agencies and the companies that serve them will need to review their existing contracts to ensure that both sides are doing what they can to prevent cyberattacks like serious hacks that have come to light in the past year.

The order clearly places much of the responsibility of improving the federal security posture squarely on the vendor community. 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, the order reads, in part.

The trust we place in our digital infrastructure, the order continues, should be proportional to how trustworthy and transparent that infrastructure is, and to the consequences we will incur if that trust is misplaced.

To that end, the order recommends the standardization of common cybersecurity contractual requirements across agencies, to streamline and improve compliance for vendors and the Federal Government.

Ultimately, the requirements in this order will have an effect on federal acquisition contracts for both civilian and defense agencies. Updated contract requirements will include provisions to ensure that vendors will collect and store cybersecurity data on all information systems over which they have control, including systems operated on behalf of agencies.

Additionally, service providers will be required to share data on cyber incidents or potential incidents for any agency with which they have contracts. They also are expected to work with federal cybersecurity or investigative agencies in their incident investigations and responses.

Beyond its contractual implications, there are several key provisions in the order where private sector companies can expect greater attention, demand and funding from agencies. Its important to ensure organizations are aligned and positioned accordingly. Here are a few considerations:

Cyber Vulnerability and Incident Detection

The EO requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and OMB to develop an Endpoint Detection and Response initiative. The goal of this initiative is to increase the visibility into, and early detection of, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and threats to agency networks.

Similarly, agencies are required to establish a Memoranda of Agreement with CISA for Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation. On a quarterly basis, CISA is required to report to OMB and the National Security Advisor how threat-hunting authorities are being implemented. Vendors can expect increased communication with their agency counterparts as these reports and documents are being prepared.

Incident Response Playbook

CISA and the rest of government are developing a cybersecurity vulnerability and incident response activity, which will track across all phases of an incident response. Vendors will need to be aligned to this playbook to ensure that they are providing adequate and proper responses across their solutions, partners and products.

Modernizing Federal Cybersecurity

The order requires that the federal government adopt a number of security best practices. This includes developing plans that will facilitate a move to Zero Trust architecture and embracing secure cloud services, such as software as a service, infrastructure as a service and platform as a service. Within 180 days of the date of the order, agencies also are required to adopt multi-factor authentication and encryption for data at rest. Also, the order calls for more centralized and streamlined access to cybersecurity data, and agencies will have to make investments in technology and human resources to ensure modernization goals are met. Vendors should be prepared to address this requirement with appropriate technological offerings.

Software Supply Chain Security

By the end of the summer (within 90 days of the date of the order) the Secretary of Commerce will provide guidance on practices to enhance software supply chain security. This guidance is expected to come through consultation with agencies as recommended by NIST.

Prior to that, the Secretary of Commerce, along with the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and the Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, will publish minimum elements for a software bill of materials. This SBOM will identify any third-party components making up a software application and will be a requirement for companies to sell software to the federal government.

This supply chain guidance is in addition to requirements that NIST provide information that defines critical software, legacy software remediation and IoT security. This mandate will shape requirements in future budgets; it will be important to monitor and to analyze how this guidance applies to each agency and across agencies.

There are, of course, many more aspects of the cybersecurity executive order than can be properly addressed in an overview like this. The summer is shaping up to be an interesting and fast-paced time for vendors and agencies alike. By keeping track of these key initiatives, and ensuring they have the necessary answers, vendors will be well-prepared to continue to support their government clients and pursue the new opportunities that are likely to arise.
John Deeres investment, which supplements U.S. Department of Education and UNI funding, provides support for Classic Upward Bounds summer curriculum, robotics team and Bridge Program, in which graduating high school seniors can enroll in UNI courses on campus over the summer as they transition to their first year in college.

The current grant continues Deeres commitment to providing resources to meet the growing number of student applicants for Classic Upward Bound. With the added support, the program is able to serve 10 more students beyond the 85 typically enrolled and covered by federal funding.

A portion of the grant will also be used for a robust John Deere mentoring program in which company employees are paired with Upward Bound students for year-round support. Entering its fifth year, the mentoring program has grown to include more than 45 pairs

Williams, who took over leadership of the program in 2020, said financial and human resources from John Deere have been instrumental in keeping students and their families engaged and supported over the past year as programming pivoted to a virtual format.
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Councilman Jonathan Grieder said he has contacted lawmakers about adjusting Social Security.

What we are doing here for our employees, for the city services that every citizen that I talk to wants, whether its a library with modern equipment and materials, whether its a fire department that shows up on time if there is a medical or fire emergency, whether its a police department that shows up to provide safety, these things cost money, Greider said. We have to do these things because no one has come to me and said lets cut these services.

In other business, council member passed a resolution to approve liability insurance policies with Travelers Insurance, Allied Chubb and Safety National.

The total premium was $1.56 million and represents about a 10% increase over last year, city officials said.

This year, the insurance market is in a difficult spot. Auto is always increasing, and property has kind of gone through the roof, said City Clerk Kelley Felchle.

She noted that law enforcement liability insurance only saw a 1% increase, mainly because of steps taken by the council over the past year. She said other Iowa communities saw 15% and 20% hikes.
A former Cedar Falls woman has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for hitting a teen on a moped and leaving him to die in 2018.
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.
DENVER (AP)  Johnny Hurley was hailed by police as a hero for shooting and killing a gunman they say had killed one officer and expressed hatred for police in a Denver suburb. But when another officer rushed in to respond and saw Hurley holding the suspects AR-15, he shot Hurley, killing him, police revealed Friday.
If you're a conservative, the truth is, you don't care too much about liberal voters, Conant said. They're never going to support you, and there's not much benefit to subjecting yourself to a tough interview.

Frank Sesno, a former CNN Washington bureau chief, lands on the side of interviewing deniers. Yet he wonders whether that would be worthwhile if questions are ignored, talking points spouted or empty fights instigated.

It's not a question of banning them, said Sesno, professor at George Washington University. You just don't want them on the air because they're not going to be a good guest.

Some recent interviews prove his point.

ABC News' Terry Moran grew exasperated last month in repeatedly and fruitlessly asking GOP spokesman Paris Dennard whether he accepted the results of the 2020 election as legitimate. It's a yes or no question, Moran said.

Biden was president, Dennard said. He wouldn't go further. Moran kept trying, asking whether he was scared to answer or didn't believe democracy worked last November.

You can be an American citizen who can accept the fact that Joe Biden is president as well as being concerned about election integrity, Dennard said.
If you put it in the context of June being the wettest month, for the northern two-thirds of the state and the first 15 days we started out with a statewide average of 0.2 inches when it should have been about 2.5 inches at that time, I would say that this is a billion-dollar rain, he said. These timely rainfalls really do put a dent in moisture stress, but we had some field agronomists saying that even with the rains that weve had over the last week they were still seeing corn rolling in the morning in those drier areas. So, while its much-welcomed rainfall, we need consistent rainfall moving forward.
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and the leadership of the Finance Ministry bear political responsibility for the Wirecard scandal, Union bloc lawmaker Matthias Hauer told reporters. Mr. Scholz presented himself as a silent minister with implausible lapses of memory.

He said the Finance Ministry should have stepped in when the country's financial regulator in 2019 issued a ban on short-selling Wirecard stock. The ban gave credence to Wirecard's claim that its stock was being manipulated at a time when media reports, particularly by Britain's Financial Times, indicated the company was cooking the books.

In their 4,500-page report, lawmakers also heavily criticized the auditing company Ernst & Young, also known as EY, for repeatedly approving Wirecard's annual accounts.

EY could and should have noticed the accounting fraud, said lawmaker Cansel Kiziltepe of the Social Democrats, who sought to defend Scholz against criticism from the other parties.

Questions have also been raised about political lobbying for Wirecard by Merkel during a 2019 visit to China. Germany's longtime leader, who isn't running for a fifth term, testified before the parliamentary investigations committee that the payments company received no special treatment.

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

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Long story short, Iowa Democrats are going to need four or five strong candidates, including in two statewide races, if they are to effectively dispute the notion that Iowa is simply turning into a red state.

Can Democrats, mostly decimated atop the ticket in the past four elections, go four or five deep next year? Well find out. And were starting to hear some of the names that ultimately will provide that answer.

Ras Smith, a state lawmaker from Waterloo, last week became the first Democrat to announce a run for governor. Smith will be an intriguing candidate to follow: he does not have a statewide profile, but he has been a passionate legislator, particularly on issues of racial and social justice, as well as education.

It is likely the Democratic primary for governor will be competitive. Axne, for example, is considering a run, and she would be a formidable candidate. She has won twice in the very competitive and politically balanced 3rd District.
MOSCOW, June 21. /TASS/. The first batches of Sputnik Light vaccine will start entering civilian circulation after June 25, Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko said on Monday.The Sputnik Light vaccine, which can be conveniently used for revaccination, is currently in production and quality control. I think that within next week we will bring it to the market. It will go through medical organizations, and it will be available for vaccination points. Now, after the 25th (of June  TASS), the first batches will begin to appear in civilian circulation, he said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel.




As part of the UN Ministerial Thematic Forums for the High-level Dialogue on Energy, we hosted a side event: Nuclear energy's contribution to net zero and the sustainable development goals, on 24 June 2021.

This event was organized by World Nuclear Association together with the Canadian Nuclear Association, FORATOM, the Japan Atomic Industry Forum and the Nuclear Energy Institute, and sponsored by the Clean Energy Ministerials NICE Future initiative.

This free virtual event presented the important role of nuclear energy, alongside other clean energy technologies, to achieve the Paris Agreement commitments and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as to meet global energy needs. It addressed:

The contribution nuclear generation makes to clean energy provision today, and the contribution that nuclear energy can make to future low-carbon electricity generation alongside other clean technologies.

The broader energy applications of current and future nuclear technologies to achieving a net-zero emission energy future.

The contribution nuclear energy and nuclear technologies make to meeting the goals of SDG 7, and how achieving this goal can synergistically help meet the objectives of other SDGs.

Agenda and speakers:

1) Countries perspective on nuclears current and future contribution to a clean energy mix and socio-economic growth.

 Kathryn Huff, Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy, US DOE

 Tomasz Nowacki, Director of Nuclear Energy Department, Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment

2) Industry perspective on the energy applications of current and future nuclear technologies to achieving a net-zero emission energy future.

 Hidehito Mimaki, General Manager, Nuclear Energy Systems, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

 Johan Svenningson, CEO, UNIPER

 John Gorman, President and CEO, Canadian Nuclear Association

3) Q&A moderated by Sama Bilbao y Leon, Director General, World Nuclear Association.

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En espanol | Need a little cash? Looking to declutter? Online apps and platforms are helping people sell unwanted stuff by reaching a wider audience and targeting buyers looking for specific items.

Some of these digital marketplaces are newer and have recently gained traction. Others, like eBay and Craigslist, have been around for quite a while. Either way, a few best practices can help you find a buyer and get rid of unwanted items.

That's what Brynn Wren, 68, did when she decided to move in with her sister a few years ago and had to winnow down the contents of her 2,100-square-foot home to fit into two rooms.

"I started selling everything that I collected over the last six to eight years, pretty much just getting down to what I really need, says Wren, of Roseville, California. While necessity initially drove Wren to start selling on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, she discovered she enjoyed it.

"I kind of got the fever and just kept selling stuff, she says. While now Wren buys and sells for fun, the hobby has also added a little extra income to her budget. Over the last few years, she has sold some 400 items, earning a few hundred dollars a month.

"When you get a sale, the app on my phone makes a little noise like a cash register, and every time I hear that I perk up, she says.

Wren is hardly alone in using online marketplaces to buy and sell everything from brooches and bedroom furniture to campers. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook Marketplace has more than 1 billion users.

So where should you sell? Some apps and platforms specialize in certain items. If you want to connect with younger buyers who want your 80s T-shirts and 70s jewelry, apps like Mercari and Depop may be the best options. If you want to unload that gently used iPhone, Swappa may be your best bet. If you're looking to unload a big piece of furniture, think local and post on Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor's classifieds.

And if the idea of selling online sounds daunting, here are some tips from the pros to help get you started.
Misperceptions and stigma about dementia are hindering efforts to appropriately address brain-healthy behaviors among adults 40 and older, a recent AARP survey found.

The survey, which targeted both healthcare providers and adults age 40 and older in the general population, revealed that fear, confusion, and false information are clouding the truth about dementia. Significant disconnections exist not only in the perceptions of the general public, but also among health care providers.

There is a clear opportunity to inform both providers and the public about the real concerns surrounding dementia and the known lifestyle habits that can help maintain brain function as people age. Reassuring health care providers that patients do not hold as negative a view of dementia as they do was a major theme throughout the findings.

Fact Versus Perception

Numerous discrepancies exist between the realities of dementia and overall feelings about a diagnosis. Among the more startling findings is 48% of adults believe they will likely have dementia  far more than will actually develop it. According to a 2007 NIA-funded epidemiological estimate, the prevalence of dementia among individuals age 71 and older was 13.9%.

At the same time health care providers substantially overestimate the worry that adults age 40 and older would feel if they had dementia. While one in five adults (19%) said they would feel ashamed or embarrassed if they had dementia, a staggering seven in 10 providers (69%) said their patients would feel ashamed or embarrassed.

These negative perceptions by healthcare providers carry over into the interactions they have with patients when dealing with cognitive function. Nine in 10 adults age 40 and older (91%) want to be told of a dementia diagnosis, but only 78% of providers said they always tell patients the truth.

Cognitive Evaluations Are a Doctors Call

Despite the stark differences between providers and patients, the public still relies on doctors to guide them about dementia. Doctors agree that they are in the best position to decide when to conduct an evaluation, with 49% of providers saying the decision should be up to the doctor.

Similarly, when asked what would prompt a person to be evaluated for dementia, a doctors recommendation topped the list. More than six in 10 (63%) adults age 40 and older said they would have their cognitive function evaluated if their doctor recommended it. A majority would also be convinced if they felt they were forgetting more than usual or someone else told them they were becoming more forgetful.

Still, many are hesitant to have regular cognitive evaluations. Most adults 40 and older either do not want an annual examination (27%) or dont know if they want one (27%).

That said, about half of adults want a baseline cognitive evaluation. But 74% of doctors think patients want one, so even the attitudes toward baseline cognitive evaluation reflect the wide gap between patients desires and providers perceptions.

Addressing Worry, Stigma

Fears over loss of independence, emotional and financial suffering, and perception of how individuals with dementia or cognitive impairment are treated feed many of the stigmas around dementia. The biggest fear that adults have about dementia is the loss of driving privileges.

Despite the concern, 81% of adults would want to know if they had dementia and 77% would want their family to know. Again, providers consistently overestimate the suffering adults may feel if they found out they had dementia.

Education Needed on Treatments, Prevention

There is a recognition by everyone that early diagnosis is beneficial, but most adults over 40 are not aware there are treatments available for dementia. More than half of adults do not know that dementia cannot be cured.

Still, healthcare providers underestimate the willingness of adults to engage in a healthier lifestyle to potentially slow the progress of the disease and the willingness of patients to participate in research.

Few adults recognize the impact lifestyle modifications have on the risk for cognitive decline and dementia. So, while most adults are willing to modify selected brain-healthy behaviors, relatively few currently engage in brain-healthy behaviors all or most of the time.

Methodology

The report is based on an online general population survey of 3,022 adults age 40 and older conducted March 1224, 2021 via Ipsos KnowledgePanel. The report also included an online survey via a range of established healthcare panels conducted March 1117, 2021. The general population survey lasted about 14 minutes while the interviews with providers took 10 minutes. The data in the general population survey were weighted according to CPS benchmarks including gender, age, race/ethnicity, income, census region, and the health care survey included the following mix of specialties: Family medicine/Internal medicine (n=296); Geriatrics (n=48); Neurology (n=84); Psychiatry/Psychology (n=115).

For more information, please contact Laura Mehegan at lmehegan@aarp.org or Chuck Rainville at grainville@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact media@aarp.org.

Suggested citation:

Mehegan, Laura, and Chuck Rainville. 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Age 40+. Washington, DC: AARP Research, June 2021. http://doi.org/10.26419/res.00471.001
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En espanol | As more Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19, they're itching to travel again  and for many, the Hawaiian islands are at the top of their must-visit list.

But Hawaii has been hit hard by the pandemic, implementing more restrictions than nearly any other state. The islands are only just beginning to reemerge and welcome back the travelers that their tourism-based economies depend upon.

When I visited Maui last month, many restrictions remained  and some still do, including capacity limitations throughout the island. The result: Tables at restaurants during peak meal times may be hard to come by, activities like sunset cruises have less space aboard, and some businesses may check your temperature before allowing you to enter. All will require you to wear a mask indoors, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has loosened its mask guidance for people who are fully vaccinated. The state lifted its requirement for outdoor mask wearing a few weeks ago. (Note that everyone, vaccinated or not, also still needs to wear a mask in airports and on planes and other public forms of transportation across the U.S.)

These limitations, though, needn't dissuade you from visiting this summer  the islands are undeniably gorgeous and fantastic destinations. But a smooth trip will require careful advance planning, respect for local regulations and a little patience. Some tips:

Make reservations as soon as possible

Airfare sales and hotel deals may seem plentiful, but finding a rental car can be difficult and pricey. Ride-booking options like Uber and Lyft are reduced and can come with waits when available. When I arrived in May, I had to ping-pong between the apps before securing a driver. As a result, I booked a ride back to the airport days in advance of my departure. My driver arrived on time, but after a friendly hello, the first thing he told me was how lucky I was to have secured a ride. Also, don't wait until you arrive on Maui to make dinner plans or tour bookings. It will only increase your chance of waiting in lines and being disappointed.

Register on Hawaii's Safe Travels website

Each traveler should create his or her own account through the Safe Travels site in the days or weeks before departure, with a user name and password. (You'll upload your COVID-19 test here later.)

Stay on top of evolving COVID-19 restrictions

Since reopening to U.S. travelers, the state of Hawaii has required what may seem like ever-changing updates and entry requirements. Check the latest rules, before and during your vacation, on the Hawaii Tourism Authority's website.


Fixed Odds Bill Passes New Jersey Senate & General Assembly

Sydney, June 22, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of BetMakers Technology Group Ltd ( ASX:BET ) ( FRA:T07 ) is delighted to announce that a Bill to "authorise fixed odds wagering on horse races through fixed odds wagering system" ("Fixed Odds Bill") was passed unanimously in both the Senate and General Assembly in New Jersey on June 21, 2021 (in the early hours of this morning AEST).The Senate today voted 40-0 in favour of the "Fixed Odds Bill" after amendments were made to accommodate the horsemen groups and stakeholders. The "Fixed Odds Bill" was then declared passed after a unanimous 71-0 vote in favour by the General Assembly.As a part of the formal legislative process, the Bill will now go to the Governor of New Jersey for approval to become law.As previously announced to the market, BetMakers has secured an exclusive 10-year agreement with New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen Association and Darby Development LLC., the operator of Monmouth Park racetrack, to deliver and manage Fixed Odds thoroughbred horse racing into New Jersey. Please see the Company's announcements dated 5 February 2020, 3 July 2020 and 21 May 2021 for further information regarding this agreement.BetMakers Chief Executive Officer Todd Buckingham said:"We are pleased that the Bill, after minor amendments, has now passed full votes on the floor of the Senate and General Assembly in New Jersey. The legislative process has been thorough and exhaustive in terms of our consultative approach with lawmakers and stakeholders in the New Jersey racing industry. We have done this with a view to setting the right legal and commercial framework for introducing Fixed Odds betting into the U.S. through New Jersey.We feel the support for Fixed Odds as a solution to facilitate growth in the horse racing industry in the U.S. gaining momentum throughout the industry. We are excited about what this opportunity means for the racing industry in New Jersey and more broadly in the U.S. We are also excited about what it enables for BetMakers as a Company, and our shareholders."About Betmakers Technology Group Ltd

Betmakers Technology Group Ltd (ASX:BET) (FRA:T07) is an ASX-listed holding company and a global provider of online wagering products and services to both wholesale and retail markets through its various wholly owned subsidiaries. The Company operates a retail wagering business, offering consumers wagering, fantasy tournament and content products and services.
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BOSTON  If your business falls victim to ransomware and you want simple advice on whether to pay the criminals, dont 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.

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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 wont continue to enjoy safe harbor in Russia. At minimum, Putins 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 dont know whether Congress or the president is in favor, she said.

And as Goldstein reminded lawmakers, paying doesnt guarantee that youll get your data back or that sensitive stolen files wont end up for sale in darknet criminal forums. Even if the ransomware crooks keep their word, youll 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  cybersecurity 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 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 werent 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.

Theres a reason why thats 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 cant order them. As of Thursday, 42% of the systems 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 cybersecurity consultant. Every machine recovered must be tested to ensure its 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 doesnt 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 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 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 U.S. meat supply, though its data backups also proved adequate to get its plants back online before serious damage.

Its 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 executives 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 dont 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 wont protect unprepared victims from potentially going bankrupt if they dont 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.
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Calling them Albuquerques mean streets is no exaggeration.

Almost 100 people were killed in traffic accidents in Albuquerque in 2019. Pedestrian deaths have quadrupled since 2010. Police say speeding and racing have run rampant in specific areas, including long stretches of Montgomery, Coors, Paseo del Norte, Eubank and Unser. APD issued more than 5,000 speeding citations between October and late March, and State Police issued 90 citations for racers and spectators during a weekend operation near Balloon Fiesta Park in March. APD recently initiated a 60-day Downtown weekend operation that includes DWI and investigative units, traffic police and zero tolerance for modified exhausts, racing and traffic violations, all of which are good steps.

But its unreasonable and imprudent to expect APD to police every length of roadway where high speeds are likely 24/7, even the hot spots, given the frequency of homicides and other serious crimes in the city. Case in point: Albuquerque police launched three separate homicide investigations within a nine-hour period Sunday night into Monday morning.

Thats why a city proposal to bring back automated traffic cameras in the form of speed vans makes sense, if done right.

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Much has been learned since Albuquerque discontinued its traffic camera program in 2011. And those lessons must be applied as the city moves forward. Any return of traffic cameras needs to start with firm public support  and that comes with building some trust.

The vans should be parked where accidents are most common, not in remote areas where they would be seen as little more than speed traps. Public safety is the goal. And, yes, vandalism is a worry. Three of Rio Ranchos speed vans have been burned in recent years and there needs to be a plan to prevent/prosecute that if/when it happens.

The city needs to ensure there is no clear financial incentive to issue citations (as there was previously with Arizona-based Redflex getting a piece of every fine); that any revenue goes back into roads or public safety, rather than some slushy general fund; that theres a transparent appeals process; and that there are real consequences to motorists for not resolving citations (81,000 drivers got turned over to collections in the previous iteration for not paying their fines).

Another issue is how the radar is calibrated. And what about sending the ticket to the vehicle owner when someone else may have been driving? That was a frequent target for criticism last go-around, and while that appears to be the only way to link a license plate to a person, before launching a new camera program, the city should decide whether there should be a process to pass the blame.

We get it, nobody likes a speeding ticket. But speed does quite literally kill  and its way too easy to find a street in Albuquerque with a descanso or ghost bike. Joseph Viers, Albuquerque police commander for traffic and motor units, says a third of all fatal crashes in Albuquerque involve excessive speed.

Drivers need to slow down, and a civil fine that doesnt show up at the MVD or insurers is way more palatable than points on your license and premium increases. Violations will be like a parking ticket, not a criminal citation that can affect ones driving record, employment and auto insurance rates.

As with the original camera program, Mayor Tim Keller says a new traffic camera system will have a tolerance window so vehicles going only a few miles above the speed limit arent targeted. A new component allows those who cant afford their fines to be offered such alternatives as community service.

Councilors Brook Bassan, Klarissa Pena and Lan Sena say they will propose such an ordinance before the July recess.

The city rollout of red light/speed cameras over a decade ago was terrible. Much of the public never accepted them, the program was riddled with complaints and, ultimately, voters said get rid of them. A new program has to be better fleshed out to address public concerns. Because while nobody wants a speeding ticket, it beats a descanso or ghost bike any day.

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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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Bobby LeDoux knows its been a tough decade in Colfax County.

The economy is on a respirator, he said, surviving partly on travelers who stop along Interstate 25 and U.S. 87. The highways intersect in Raton, where LeDoux lives and serves as chairman of the County Commission.

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Its a good place to raise your children, he said, but its hard to keep businesses here.

Colfax and other sparsely populated counties will soon be caught in New Mexicos broader debate over redrawing legislative and congressional districts to reflect new census data.

Over the past decade, New Mexicos most populous counties generally grew the most in total population, while rural counties for the most part saw populations erode  a dynamic that could challenge policymakers crafting new maps.

The detailed census information necessary for redistricting is not yet available. But 2020 census estimates by county offer a peek at whats to come:

 Three of the five biggest gainers in total population over the past decade are the counties covering Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe. Sandoval County, home to Rio Rancho, had the strongest growth on a percentage basis, at an estimated 13% increase in population.

 Dona Ana County in southern New Mexico and Lea County, home to the oil boom in the southeast, also grew at a faster rate than the state as a whole. Lea County, which includes Hobbs, saw 11% growth.

 San Juan County in the Four Corners area is in line for the biggest total loss of people, about 6,700 individuals. The community has been squeezed by the loss of energy jobs in the coal and natural gas industries.

 Scores of rural counties are losing population, too. The biggest net losers in total population include Grant County, home to Silver City; San Miguel County, which includes Las Vegas; Rio Arriba County, covering Espanola; and Colfax County.

Citizen committee

Redistricting implications wont be clear until the U.S. Census Bureau releases more detailed information late this summer.

A newly empaneled Citizen Redistricting Committee will start holding public hearings and propose at least three sets of maps for New Mexicos three-member congressional delegation, 70-person state House and 42-member state Senate.

The committees first meeting is July 2, and its maps are due by Oct. 30.

New Mexico legislators and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham are, however, set to make the final redistricting decisions.

A special session is expected in November or December to adopt maps, and lawmakers will be free to pick one of the redistricting committees proposals or develop new ones.

In contrast to the Legislature, the redistricting committee is prohibited from using partisan data and party registration as it develops maps  a ban intended to avoid gerrymandering and reduce political influence over the district boundaries.

The committee also faces limits on considering where incumbents live.

Besides Congress and the Legislature, the state Public Education Commission will also require updated districts.

Slower growth

Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., a local company hired by the state to assist in redistricting, said the population changes over the past 10 years are less dramatic than in previous decades.

Growth between 2010 and 2020 dipped to just 2.8%, the smallest change since statehood in 1912.

Now, were just not seeing the explosive numbers, Sanderoff said. Its nothing like it was a decade ago or two decades ago.

The biggest gainer on a percentage basis this time  Sandoval County at 13%  represents a far smaller change, for example, than what the state faced 10 years ago, when Sandoval County grew by 46% between 2000 and 2010.

The new census count puts New Mexicos population at 2.1 million, or 58,343 more individuals than in 2010.

The ideal population for each congressional and legislative district, consequently, will grow as policymakers draw maps.

Based on the new census data, each congressional district would have an ideal population of about 706,000 people, or 19,000 more than the ideal for each district in 2010.

Ideal legislative districts will also be larger, with about 830 more people per state House seat and 1,300 more people for each Senate district. The ideal House district will have about 30,000 people, and the ideal Senate district will have about 50,000.

Political backdrop

Tepid growth, however, doesnt necessarily mean New Mexicos districts wont change much.

Redrawing boundaries with less regard to where incumbents live  and without factoring in partisan data  could result in substantial changes when the Citizen Redistricting Committee proposes new boundaries.

The committee is new  created in a legislative session earlier this year.

Legislators could also make dramatic changes to political maps. In contrast to recent rounds of redistricting, Democrats now control all three of the major players  the Governors Office and both chambers of the Legislature.

Rod Adair, a former Republican state senator who runs a demographic research company that handles redistricting, said the county-level census estimates werent good news for the GOP.

The population climbed a bit in counties that tend to vote for Democratic Party candidates, he said, and fell in Republican-leaning counties, according to his analysis.

The terrible loss of population in San Juan County, he said, offset the nice gains experienced by Lea, Eddy and Otero counties  all sources of Republican strength.

He also noted that Democrats now control more of state government, unlike 10 years ago, when Republican Susana Martinez was governor.

This is not going to be a pretty picture for Republicans when its all said and done, Adair said.

Congressional map

As it stands now, Democrats hold two of New Mexicos three congressional districts  all but the southern district, which leans Republican.

Each of the three districts covers some areas that saw strong growth, according to the county-level census estimates.

The 1st Congressional District includes most of Bernalillo County, which added about 19,000 in total population, the biggest net change in the state. The district is now represented by Democrat Melanie Stansbury of Albuquerque.

The 2nd Congressional District  held by Republican Yvette Herrell of Alamogordo  includes southeastern New Mexico, where Lea and Eddy counties saw strong growth as a result of the oil boom.

The 3rd Congressional District, meanwhile, includes much of Sandoval County, which had the strongest percentage growth of any county in New Mexico. Its now held by Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez of Santa Fe.

Democrats had a 27-15 edge in the state Senate and a 45-24 majority  plus one independent  in the state House during the sessions held earlier this year.

ABQ, Rio Rancho changes

Since 2010, the biggest growth in total population appears to have taken root on Albuquerques West Side in Bernalillo County and in Sandoval Countys Rio Rancho  adjacent communities in central New Mexico.

Together, the two counties added about 36,000 people over the past decade, according to census estimates. That would account for more than half of New Mexicos total growth since 2010.

Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull said his city, once a bedroom community for commuters who traveled to jobs elsewhere, is now seeing growth among small, local businesses and large employers. Intel, for example, announced a major expansion and $3.5 billion investment in May.

Were seeing investment on both sides of the spectrum, Hull said, which is a healthy balance.

LeDoux, chairman of the Colfax County Commission, said he hopes lawmakers will keep in mind the needs of rural communities as they draw district boundaries.

The pandemic didnt do us any favors, LeDoux said.

Debate over how to turn the population changes into political districts will intensify this summer.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

A state grand jury has indicted a man on murder, burglary and attempted armed robbery charges stemming from the Nov. 19, 2019, fatal shooting of a West Side woman as she was leaving her house to go the gym.

The indictment of Luis Talamantes-Romero was issued seven months after the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office filed initial murder charges in state court against him in the death of Jacqueline Vigil, the mother of two New Mexico State Police officers.

The indictment moves the state prosecution forward and court records show Talamantes-Romero now is represented by an attorney, who couldnt be reached for comment on Monday.

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Talamantes-Romero, 33, has been held on federal illegal reentry charges in Texas since January 2020, after he allegedly fled New Mexico following Vigils shooting and began living in San Antonio, Texas.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in New Mexico intervened just as Talamantes-Romero was set to be sentenced last year after he pleaded guilty to illegal reentry for the fourth time. Federal prosecutors are asking a U.S. district judge in Texas to impose an enhanced sentence of 20 years for the illegal reentry offense, citing Talamantes-Romeros alleged role in the Vigil slaying.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Raul Torrez had said last year he would hold off until the federal sentence was imposed before pursuing the state case against Talamantes-Romero in Albuquerque.

In May, U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam of San Antonio, Texas, held a hearing in which he asked about the progress of the murder prosecution in Albuquerque. He also voiced concern about ruling on the murder allegation in the illegal reentry case before Talamantes-Romero was tried in Albuquerque. Pulliam will consider the issue again Sept. 7.

In the state indictment made public Monday, Talamantes-Romero, a Mexican national, faces one count of first-degree murder, and two counts of aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon. One of those counts alleges he entered Vigils dwelling house with intent to commit theft once inside, while another count states he attempted to commit armed robbery, but failed.

An FBI-led investigation into the slaying contended that evidence showed that, prior to the shooting, Talamantes-Romero and another man were lurking in her neighborhood looking for opportunities to burglarize vehicles when Vigil, driving a Cadillac sedan, began pulling out of her homes garage early on the morning of Nov. 19, 2019. He is alleged to have run up to her car, shooting her through the drivers side window.

The indictment alleges that, that same day, Talamantes-Romero committed aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon involving a 2004 Cadillac owned by a different person.

He is also charged with tampering with evidence, conspiracy, receiving or possessing a firearm as a felon, and larceny. That charge stems from a criminal investigation that found that, on the day of the shooting, Talamantes-Romeros Jeep Cherokee got a flat tire and he allegedly stole a tire from a similar vehicle parked nearby.

A man believed to have been with Talamantes-Romero in the Jeep at the time of the murder, but who wasnt involved in the shooting, took a plea deal last year and agreed to testify against him.
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LAS CRUCES  Johana Bencomo, the Las Cruces city councilor in District 4, attempted to persuade her colleagues during a Monday council meeting to support a basic income program as a potential solution to the citys poverty.

Guaranteed basic income refers to a policy under which qualifying citizens receive direct cash payments periodically, without a work requirement and without conditions on how the money could be spent. Its narrower than a universal basic income, which typically does not set income requirements for the payments, thereby doling them out to every citizen or resident of an area.

UBI perhaps gained the most national prominence during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, when candidate Andrew Yang platformed the idea as central to his presidential campaign.

While Bencomo said she believes UBI should be the eventual goal, shes proposing the city test the policy with a small, select group first. She is advocating for the city to award a contract to an organization to administer a pilot project to test guaranteed basic income in a select group of families and individuals.

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She said the city could utilize federal coronavirus stimulus money or the citys Telshor Facility Fund for the direct payments, and she said the selected organization could use private foundation dollars to administer the program, expand the program past its pilot phase and conduct research on the experiment.

I believe that poverty is a policy choice, Bencomo said. At the federal, state and local levels, policymakers are making choices all the time that allow poverty to flourish.

Las Cruces poverty rate is 23.6%, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.

Though (with) the pandemic, I fear and Im certain that the income and equity gap only increased for so many people who were already vulnerable before the pandemic, Bencomo said.

Whats key, Bencomo said, is that the money can be spent however a recipient wants. Too often, she said, she believes the passage of measures to help the poor is prevented due to false narratives that poverty is caused predominantly by poor personal choices.

The current approach to alleviating poverty is frankly patronizing, Bencomo said. It dictates, how, where and on what terms people who are experiencing poverty can build their lives. Cash, on the other hand, offers dignity and self-determination and recognizes that people know their needs best.

Bencomo said shed ideally want the pilot to give people at least $500 a month but said ultimately that would be up to the organization selected.

Preliminary results of a basic income pilot program in Stockton, California, which gave 125 people $500 a month for two years beginning in February 2019, found cash recipients were healthier and showed less depression and anxiety and enhanced well-being after the first year.

District 6 Councilor Yvonne Flores said while she supported the idea of helping people become more financially stable, she couldnt support the program without more data.

Flores called it a band-aid solution and said she didnt see enough of a correlation between the program and people standing on their feet. Flores also said she worried about the anti-donation clause precluding a pilot program from being administered.

Mayor Ken Miyagishima said he wasnt supportive of the idea because he worried about the long-term financial sustainability if it were to move past the pilot project stage. He said he would be against using federal tax dollars to support it in the future.

The city council is expected to further discuss the idea at an upcoming work session.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The upcoming trial of Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan will officially be in Santa Fe, though when that trial begins and where theyll draw the jury pool from is now in limbo.

First Judicial District Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued a ruling on the change of venue motion Monday for a trial in which Lujan is charged with three counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. The charges stem from Lujans refusal to allow investigators access to his cellphone in response to a search warrant in a case in which he is accused of helping a friend avoid arrest.

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I also am very concerned, Id say, about the averments in the sworn affidavit related to events at the (Tierra Amarilla) courthouse at the last trial, Biedscheid said. I dont see where any of those were brought to Judge (Kathleen) McGarrys attention.

During the hearing, Biedscheid vacated the current trial date scheduled for the end of July.

Earlier this month, Lujans trial for bribery of a witness and harboring or aiding a felon in Tierra Amarilla ended in a hung jury. Afterward, special prosecutor Andrea Rowley Reeb filed motions for a change of venue in the upcoming case, as well as the case that ended in a mistrial.

The motions detailed how Lujan and his deputies allegedly interacted with the jury members on several occasions during this months trial, and jurors reporting they felt intimidated by Lujan and his deputies.

No ruling has been issued on the change of venue motion filed in the case that ended in a mistrial.

Reeb also brought up the media coverage of the cases in her motions, but Biedscheid said he was a difficult sell on those arguments.

Most of the issues brought up in the motions concerned the size and function of the Tierra Amarilla courthouse, such as the difficulty sequestering jurors. Biedscheid said the Santa Fe courthouse is bigger, so those things shouldnt be an issue.

In addition, Biedscheid said the concerns of the Rio Arriba deputies providing security would be a moot point in Santa Fe because the Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office is in charge of courthouse security.

However, a still unresolved issue is from where to pull the jury. Reeb argued that jurors shouldnt be pulled from Rio Arriba County because Lujan is the elected sheriff there.

But defense attorney Jason Bowles said Lujan has a right to be tried by a jury of his peers in Rio Arriba County.

Im objecting to the idea that (Reeb) keeps saying the common theme amongst all these jurors was they were intimidated, they felt like they couldnt vote guilty  that is 100% false, Bowles said. That is not true.

Biedscheid said he would give attorneys a couple of weeks to submit motions on the issue involving the jury and set a separate hearing to decide what to do.
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PHOENIX  The former CEO of a Phoenix health care facility has pleaded guilty to two counts of felony fraud, according to state prosecutors.

William J. Timmons is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22.

The Arizona Attorney Generals Office said Monday that Timmons could be facing between three and 12  years in prison on each count.

Timmons was CEO of Hacienda Healthcare from July 1989 to January 2019.

A state grand jury indicted Timmons and his chief financial officer, Joseph OMalley, in August 2020.

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The two were accused of being involved in what prosecutors said was an elaborate white-collar fraud scheme that bilked Arizona taxpayers out of millions of dollars.

According to the indictment, Timmons and OMalley misallocated money from the state from 2013 until June 30, 2018, by manipulating costs to avoid repayments of state funds in favor of inflated salaries and bonuses.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors said Timmons has agreed to pay $500,000 to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and $274,500 to the state attorney generals anti-racketeering revolving fund.

OMalley, who resigned in March 2019, is scheduled to stand trial in his case in March 2022.
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FOREST LAKES, Ariz.  A Winslow man has been arrested in connection with a homicide case in northern Arizona, authorities said Monday.

Coconino County Sheriffs officials said 27-year-old Chad Lapointe was taken into custody last Saturday on suspicion of second-degree murder.

Authorities said Lapointe had an altercation at a camp site in Forest Lakes with 27-year-old Brandon Franklin, who died on the scene from his injuries.

Sheriffs officials said Monday that Lapointe remains in the county jail.

It was unclear if he has a lawyer yet for his case.

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The federal government will investigate its past oversight of Native American boarding schools and work to uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences of policies that over the decades forced hundreds of thousands of children from their families and communities, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Tuesday.

The unprecedented work will include compiling and reviewing records to identify past boarding schools, locate known and possible burial sites at or near those schools, and uncover the names and tribal affiliations of students, she said.

To address the intergenerational impact of Indian boarding schools and to promote spiritual and emotional healing in our communities, we must shed light on the unspoken traumas of the past no matter how hard it will be, Haaland said.

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A member of New Mexicos Laguna Pueblo and the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary, Haaland outlined the initiative while addressing members of the National Congress of American Indians during the groups midyear conference.

She said the process will be long, difficult and painful and will not undo the heartbreak and loss endured by many families.

Starting with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819, the U.S. enacted laws and policies to establish and support Indian boarding schools across the nation. For over 150 years, Indigenous children were taken from their communities and forced into boarding schools that focused on assimilation.

Haaland talked about the federal governments attempt to wipe out tribal identity, language and culture and how that past has continued to manifest itself through long-standing trauma, cycles of violence and abuse, premature deaths, mental health issues and substance abuse.

The recent discovery of childrens remains buried at the site of what was once Canadas largest Indigenous residential school has magnified interest in the troubling legacy both in Canada and the United States.

In Canada, more than 150,000 First Nations children were required to attend state-funded Christian schools as part of a program to assimilate them into society. They were forced to convert to Christianity and were not allowed to speak their languages. Many were beaten and verbally abused, and up to 6,000 are said to have died.

After reading about the unmarked graves in Canada, Haaland recounted her own familys story in a recent opinion piece published by the Washington Post.

Haaland cited statistics from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, which reported that by 1926, more than 80% of Indigenous school-age children were attending boarding schools that were run either by the federal government or religious organizations. Besides providing resources and raising awareness, the coalition has been working to compile additional research on U.S. boarding schools and deaths that many say is sorely lacking.

Interior Department officials said aside from trying to shed more light on the loss of life at the boarding schools, they will be working to protect burial sites associated with the schools and will consult with tribes on how best to do that while respecting families and communities.

As part of the initiative, a final report from agency staff is due by April 1, 2022.

Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, which had about 80 boarding schools, called the announcement encouraging and said anything that can be done to address those troubling chapters of history is a positive thing.

I hope we dont discover gruesome incidents like were discovered in Canada. I just think its good in this country to have conversations about what happened to Native American children, Hoskin said.

Navajo Nation President Nez also offered his support for the initiative, noting discrimination against Native Americans continues today on many fronts  from voter suppression to high numbers of missing and murdered people.

Last week, Congress and President Biden established Juneteenth as a national holiday, in observance of the end of slavery, which I fully support as a means to healing the African American community, Nez said. Now, from my perspective as a Navajo person, there are so many atrocities and injustices that have been inflicted upon Native Americans dating back hundreds of years to the present day that also require national attention, so that the American society in general is more knowledgeable and capable of understanding the challenges that we face today.

This is not the first time the federal government has attempted to acknowledge what Haaland referred to as a dark history.

More than two decades ago, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Gover issued an apology for the emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual violence committed against children at the off-reservation schools. Then in 2009, President Barack Obama quietly signed off on an apology of sorts that was buried deep in a multibillion-dollar defense spending bill; the language had been watered down from the original legislation introduced years earlier.

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Associated Press writer Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Govers last name.
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One in four people will suffer from a mental illness during their lifetime.

With the pandemic, this is an issue that has been magnified.

This is exactly the reason WGBH launched its multiplatform initiative focused on destigmatizing mental illness by exploring issues surrounding mental health in society today.

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The four-part series Mysteries of Mental Illness will premiere on Tuesday, June 22, and the final two pieces will run on Wednesday, June 23. The series will air on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1.

As a companion piece, the 20-episode short-form digital series Mysteries of Mental Illness: Decolonizing Mental Health will look at inequities in access to mental health resources in communities that have been marginalized.

Laurie Donnelly is co-executive producer of Mysteries of Mental Illness.

She says the stigma with mental illness goes back decades.

Its really a complex subject and there is no kind of diagnosis that you can have for mental illness, she says. Its elusive.

Donnelly says it was important to tell the story of mental illness and the historical effort of both sides.

COVID made it even more pronounced, she says of mental illness. We were all sequestered inside. At that point, one of every two people was suffering from mental illness.

Mysteries of Mental Illness traces the evolution of this complex topic, presenting cutting-edge science and giving voice to contemporary Americans across a spectrum of experiences.

Each of the broadcast hours features up-close portraits of individuals sharing their deeply personal stories, as well as important insight from mental health practitioners, experts and scholars.

Jeffrey A. Liebermans book, Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry, was one of the inspirations for Mysteries of Mental Illness and his is among the many voices featured in the series.

These people felt comfortable enough to tell their stories, she says. You have to understand it from a cultural, historical and scientific point of view. These were driven by personal stories and their struggles.

Chris Hastings is executive producer for Mysteries of Mental Illness: Decolonizing Mental Health and the 20 digital episodes dive deep into personal stories, as well.

The online series introduces viewers to patients and healthcare providers from underserved communities who speak about their own needs within the mental health care system, as well as how they access much-needed resources.

The series, which consists of 20 three- to five-minute profiles, discusses what a more responsive mental health care system should look like.

World Channel is dedicated to bringing stories from underrepresented voices to the forefront on public media, Hasting says.  Mysteries of Mental Illness: Decolonizing Mental Health is about populations where mental health issues often go unreported, untreated, or ignored.

Hastings had difficulty getting subjects for the project because of the pandemic.

Though the process was difficult, he saw some amazing results.

Even though each person was talking about the inequality, they are finding ways to service their communities, Hastings says. There was a barrier for us because we wanted to spent more time with each subject. We had to be quick about it. What we have is a good snapshot of some dynamic personalities who are hopeful for some help.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

The four-episode Mysteries of Mental Illness documentary series includes:

8 p.m. Tuesday, June 22: Evil or Illness follows mental health activist Cecilia McGough, who, despite struggling with persistent hallucinations and delusions, helps hundreds around the world find support and community through her organization, Students with Psychosis. Other current-day profiles include Virginia Fuchs, an Olympics-bound boxer living with OCD, and Lorina Gutierrez, who was committed to a psychiatric hospital until her psychosis was revealed to be the result of an ovarian tumor. The first hour of the documentary series provides a revealing examination of ancient concepts of mental illness and the establishment of psychiatry with the rise of Sigmund Freud.

9 p.m. Tuesday, June 22: Whos Normal? delves into how science and societal factors are deeply entwined with our ever-shifting definitions and diagnoses of mental health and illness. The second half of the 20th century brought a struggle to develop mental illness standards rooted in empirical science rather than dogma, including the evolution of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), which remains the so-called Bible of Psychiatry today, despite what many acknowledge are its deep and fundamental flaws. Profiles include Ryan Mains, a former firefighter and Iraq veteran struggling with PTSD; Mia Yamamoto who was born in a Japanese internment camp and long resisted being labeled mentally ill before she became Californias first openly transgender lawyer; and Michael Walrond, a Harlem-based pastor who lives with a depressive disorder.

8 p.m. Wednesday, June 23: Rise and Fall of the Asylum chronicles mass confinement in mental asylums (some holding up to 19,000 people) and extreme treatments  from lobotomy to coma therapy  were standard treatment for mental illness in the U.S. until a few decades ago. Today, the nations largest de facto mental health facility is Cook County Jail in Chicago, where more than one-third of inmates has a mental health diagnosis. As Sheriff Tom Dart attempts to tackle this crisis through a range of mental health treatments and programs, we meet the detainees whose lives hang in the balance, and discover the harsh realities of care in and out of jail.

9 p.m. Wednesday, June 23: The New Frontiers takes a look at todays most groundbreaking treatments, based on the latest scientific understanding of the biological underpinnings of mental illness, with profiles of patients undergoing a variety of treatments. These include deep brain stimulation surgery; infusions of ketamine  the first new psychiatric drug in decades; and modern electro-convulsive therapy. Alongside cutting-edge treatments, one of the most urgent fronts in the battle against mental illness is the fight for inclusion  a society more open to all kinds of minds and behavior, free from stigma, based on the understanding that mental health exists on a spectrum, and respect for each individuals right to choose whats right for them.
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With the Albuquerque City Council heading into a monthlong summer break, it spent Monday nights meeting filling its plate for August.

In its last regularly scheduled* meeting before the July hiatus, the council voted to postpone decisions on multiple bills. If you are wondering what the council will do on the following resolutions, you will have to wait until at least Aug. 2 to find out:

R-21-171: Approval of the 2020 Resource Management Plan for the Candelaria Nature Preserve. (Apparently, the council received an incomplete packet of material, missing about 10 of roughly 900 pages outlining the plan and associated reports, prompting Councilor Isaac Benton to request deferral.)

R-21-178: This bill is a budget language amendment to clarify that the councils $3 million appropriation for free bus rides was to cover a comprehensive zero fare pilot for all fares except special events and Transportation Management Monthly passes.

R-21-179: This bill would declare the councils intent to consider a tax increment development district, or TIDD, for the University of New Mexicos South Campus. (Officials from the UNM side said they submitted their TIDD application in March but recently received feedback from city administrators and wanted more time to address it.)

Even amid the deferrals, the council did take action on several bills during Mondays four-hour session.

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As reported here, the council approved a moratorium on cannabis-related business activity in Old Town until next year.

The legislative body also appointed a new city inspector general, naming Melissa Santistevan to the government accountability position.

A certified public accountant, Santistevan owns her own Albuquerque audit firm. She also spent about eight months in 2018 as the director of special investigations for the Office of the State Auditor.

She told the council she has 32 years of experience in the finance and accounting field and has been a certified fraud examiner since 2012.

I am excited for a new venture should that come to fruition, Santistevan told the council.

She was the highest-ranked of three finalists recommended by the citys Accountability in Government Oversight Committee, a citizen panel that oversees the city auditor and inspector general, two positions that operate independently of the city council and mayoral administration.

The other finalists included Gregory McCormick, deputy director for the Tax Fraud Investigation Division within New Mexicos Taxation and Revenue Department, and Richard Holmgren, who most recently worked for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission as deputy inspector general for inspections and evaluations.

In his brief remarks to the council, Holmgren tried to distinguish himself from his competition by saying he was the only one with specific inspector general credentials.

I think if you want an inspector general, then you want somebody who actually has done the job before, and I bring that to the table, he told the council.

But Santistevan received the most support from the council, getting appointed on a 8-1 vote.

Only Brook Bassan voted in opposition, saying in a statement to the Journal she was interested in an outside perspective.

Its important we support our local applicants but also welcome highly qualified, out-of-state applicants to allow for a fresh and equitable perspective in Albuquerque. I was hoping to do that by confirming a different applicant, she told the Journal.

The council also voted to:

Approve a sublease agreement with Netflix Studios for 130 acres of Mesa del Sol property the city leases from the New Mexico State Land Office as part of the companys previously announced expansion project

Prioritize the safety improvements on Universe Boulevard between Irving and Ventana Hills that are recommended through a forthcoming study of the area

Dedicating a section of Coors Boulevard to Rev. Graham Golden, who died after a T-bone car crash last month on Coors, south of Pajarito. The resolution says that Golden was an extraordinarily dedicated and talented young priest in Albuquerque and his pastoral heart touched many individuals and groups during the short six years of his priesthood. The dedication covers the covers Coors from Central Avenue south to the Bernalillo County line but does not include renaming it, according to Klarissa Pena, who sponsored the legislation. It will encourage state officials to offer the same dedication. The resolution also says the city will prioritize safety investments on that stretch of roadway and urge the state to help fund improvements.

*Its true. The council  which already held one special meeting last week  has scheduled another before its July recess. It will convene at 3 p.m. Friday, June 25.
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PHOENIX  Arizona House Democrats refused to show up at the Capitol on Tuesday, blocking debate on a budget and a major tax cut primarily benefiting the wealthy.

But the Senate plowed ahead, working until 2:30 Wednesday morning to pass the 11 bills including the tax cut. Lawmakers also unveiled and approved a raft of new policy changes that include a massive expansion of the states private school voucher program.

Both chambers are controlled by Republicans, and Democrats could not block Senate action.

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The Senate amendments to the budget also ban so-called critical race theory, ban K-12 schools and universities from requiring COVID-19 vaccines, prevent both from requiring face masks if the coronavirus pandemic surges again and bar any employer or business from requiring vaccine passports.

All were priorities of majority Republicans but had not passed as standalone bills or were new issues. That was the case with facemasks at universities, where Gov. Doug Ducey last week issued an order barring Arizona State University from implementing a new policy that said unvaccinated students must be regularly tested and wear face masks.

Democrats vehemently oppose a $1.9 billion-per-year tax cut in the budget negotiated by Ducey and top leaders of the House and Senate, all Republicans. The plan would lower tax rates for most taxpayers to 2.5%, down from a range of 2.59% to 4.5%. Wealthy taxpayers would, in effect, be spared from a 3.5% tax hike approved by voters last year to pay for schools.

Changes to get Republican votes slightly slow the phase-in of the tax cuts to ensure revenue projections are met.

Republicans say the tax cuts would boost the economy and keep Arizonas tax rates competitive. Democrats say it would starve public services, including education.

For many of us we see this for what it is  its just a tax cut for the wealthy, said Sen. Rebecca Rios, the minority leader. The top 1% of Arizona wage earners are going to reap 50% of the tax cut benefits. The bottom 80% of working families will get on 7 % of the benefits. This is welfare for the wealthy.

Senate Republicans mainly stayed silent during debate, knowing they had the votes to pass the budget. They rejected a series of Democratic amendments on 16-14 party-line votes.

The move by House Democrats, meanwhile, kept the lower chamber short of the number of lawmakers required to conduct business, forcing Republican House leaders to delay budget work until Thursday, when all GOP lawmakers are expected to be at the Capitol.

House Democratic Leader Reginald Bolding said Democrats and the public need more time to review proposed changes Republicans released shortly before the budget debate was scheduled to begin.

You cant simultaneously ignore the wishes of half the state and then take us for granted to pass a partisan budget, Bolding said in a statement.

Denying a quorum is a tactic increasingly being weaponized by the minority parties of state legislatures in an era of intense partisanship. Republicans in the Democratic-controlled Oregon Senate have blocked legislation for years by refusing to show up, denying the two-thirds quorum required there. Democrats in the Republican-controlled Texas House blocked an elections bill this year by walking out.

That hasnt previously been an issue in Arizona, where a quorum requires the presence of only a simple majority of lawmakers. But on Tuesday, several Republicans planned to vote remotely under rules created during the pandemic, allowing Democrats to exploit the absences.

The move left Republicans fuming.

I would ask us all, it may really be tough, but could we contemplate growing up and shouldering the responsibility together and think of together more than individual and pass a budget? Bowers said before the House adjourned. Were gonna try again on Thursday.

The budget plan stalled for weeks amid concerns among a handful of Republicans that it would cripple city governments, which get a big share of their revenue from the state income tax. Ducey and legislative leaders ameliorated the GOP concerns by agreeing to delay the implementation of the tax cut and give local governments a bigger share of income tax collections.

Democrats also oppose many other budget provisions, including plans to strip Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs of her power to defend election lawsuits and limits on vaccine and masking requirements for universities and local governments.

They also vehemently opposed the revival of the expanded school voucher program, which had stalled in the House for months. That measure would qualify another 600,000 of Arizonas 1.1 million K-12 students for the program, allowing students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch to get vouchers.

Republicans have called the measure a lifeline for low-income students, while Democrats argue it would siphon money from already-underfunded public schools and go against the will of voters who rejected a larger expansion in 2018.

I have always been against  vouchers for education because they really, really hurt district schools, Democratic Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales said. They take money away from district schools.

The proposal was championed by Republican Sen. Paul Boyer, one of two Republicans who held up the budget for weeks, in part over concerns cities would be hurt by the tax cuts.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  American authorities seized a range of Irans state-linked news website domains they accused of spreading disinformation, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday, a move that appeared to be a far-reaching crackdown on Iranian media amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

The Justice Department said 33 of the seized websites were used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union, which was singled out by the U.S. government last October for what officials described as efforts to spread disinformation and sow discord among American voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election. T

he U.S. says three other seized websites were operated by the Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group, Kataib Hizballah, which more than a decade ago was designated a foreign terrorist organization. The group is separate from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group whose news websites remained operational.

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The website domains are owned by U.S. companies, but despite the sanctions, neither the IRTVU nor KH obtained the required licenses from the U.S. government before using the domain names, according to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department announcement came hours after the Iranian state-run news agency IRNA revealed the U.S. government seizures without providing further information.

The takedowns come as world powers scramble to resurrect Tehrans tattered 2015 nuclear deal and just days after the election victory of Irans hard-line judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi. On Monday, Raisi, known for his hostility to the West, staked out a hard-line position in his first news conference. He ruled out the possibilities of meeting with President Joe Biden or negotiating over Tehrans ballistic missile program and support for regional militias  concerns the Biden administration wants addressed in future talks.

Relations between Iran and the U.S. have deteriorated for years following President Donald Trumps withdrawal from Tehrans nuclear deal and the return of devastating sanctions on the country. That decision has seen Iran, over time, gradually abandon every limit on uranium enrichment. The country is now enriching uranium to 60%, its highest level ever, though still short of weapons-grade levels.

Iran provides support to militant groups in the region, such as Lebanons militant Hezbollah and Yemens Houthi rebels, as it seeks to wield its influence far afield and counter its foes.

On Tuesday, visiting the addresses of a handful of sites, including Iran state televisions English-language arm Press TV, Yemeni Houthi-run Al-Masirah satellite news channel and Iranian state TVs Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, produced a federal takedown notice. It said the websites were seized as part of law enforcement action by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The U.S. government also took over the domain name of the news website Palestine Today, which reflects the viewpoints of Gaza-based Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, redirecting the site to the same takedown notice.

Press TV, launched in June 2007, is the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcastings English-language service. Its Iran-based website, PressTV.ir, was not affected.

Most of the domains seized appeared to be .net, .com and .tv domains. The first two are generic top-level domains as opposed to country-specific domains, while .tv is owned by the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu but administered by the U.S. company Verisign. Seizing a domain on a major country-specific top-level domain such as Irans .ir would be apt to produce widespread international condemnation as a violation of sovereignty.

Its not the first time that the U.S. has seized domain names of sites it accuses of spreading disinformation.

Last October, the Department of Justice announced the takedown of nearly 100 websites linked to Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard. The U.S. said the sites, operating under the guise of genuine news outlets, were waging a global disinformation campaign to influence U.S. policy and push Iranian propaganda around the world.

Yemens Houthi rebel group announced that its Al-Masirah satellite news channel went offline Tuesday without prior notice. It said the channel would continue in its mission of confronting the American and Israeli acts of piracy against our nation, by any means.

Responsibility for providing name service for the domain name presstv.com was apparently switched to an Amazon name server on Tuesday at mid-afternoon European time, said internet infrastructure expert Ron Guilmette. Cybersecurity researchers at RiskIQ found a total of 24 seized sites sharing the same Amazon name server.

There are no private television or radio stations in Iran. Satellite dishes, while widespread, also are illegal. That leaves IRIB with a monopoly on domestic airwaves.

Marzieh Hashemi, a prominent Press TV anchor who, in 2019, was arrested as a material witness in an unspecified criminal case and has appeared before a grand jury in Washington, told The Associated Press that the channel was struggling to figure out the reasons for the seizure.

While airing in Iran, Press TV focuses predominantly on international affairs through the lens of how leaders in the Islamic Republic see the world. Fierce criticism of British and American foreign policy is common. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, IRIB has been in the hands of hard-liners who back Irans government.

Press TV has previously run into trouble with Western authorities over its reporting. The Anti-Defamation League has criticized the channel as one of the worlds leading dispensers of conspiratorial anti-Semitism in English.

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Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  The brick interior and colorful pieces of art at the Uptown location of Gardunos of Mexico will soon be a thing of the past.

Gardunos is poised to close its largest location at Albuquerques Winrock Town Center July 3 after nearly 30 years of operation, according to company president Tug Herig.

Herig said that when the 12,000-square-foot Uptown location opened in 1993 it became one of the top Mexican restaurants in the country in terms of volume, but the demand for a restaurant of that size has decreased in the years since.

The companys lease with Goodman Realty Group has expired and was not renewed, according to Herig.

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While the restaurant will be vacating its Winrock location, there are plans to either lease the space to a new restaurant or turn it into a new food hall, according to Goodman Realty Group vice president Scott Goodman.

Goodman said his company, which is the developer behind the center, would begin construction on the food hall early next year with an opening date that summer should that be the option they pursue.

The potential food hall would have eight to nine vendors from local restaurants, Goodman said.

Founded by Dave Garduno in 1981, Gardunos grew into a New Mexican favorite with the brand opening multiple restaurants in the region before being sold to Southwest Brands in 2011 following bankruptcy proceedings.

The company currently operates a West Side Gardunos location near the Cottonwood Mall and a location at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town.

Herig, who has operated the Gardunos restaurants for the past 10 years, said the company is exploring the idea of new locations or licensing the brand for new products.

Following the Winrock closure, items from the restaurant will be auctioned off in mid-July, he said.

Items to be auctioned off include a canoe featured in The Last of the Mohicans, wood carvings, artwork, restaurant equipment and other furnishings.

I think the artwork and the iconic things coming from Mexico (like) the pots and everything is going to be really whats going to be attractive to a lot of people who want some memories of their beloved Gardunos, Herig said.
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The former 'Jersey Shore' star is scheduled to testify in court on Sunday, June 20, and currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas with a $5,000 bond.

Jun 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's ex Jen Harley has landed in trouble with the law. The former "Jersey Shore" star was reportedly arrested in Las Vegas on an assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery.

The 34-year-old was taken into custody at the Clark County Detention Center on Saturday, June 19, as per TMZ report. Her bond was set at $5,000 and she is set to attend a court hearing scheduled for Sunday, June 20.

Details of the alleged domestic violence are currently unavailable. Though the authorities did not identify the alleged victim, they informed the publication that the reality star owns a local home with the person.

This wasn't the first time Jen was arrested. In June 2018, she was also booked for domestic battery after she was accused of dragging Ronnie with her car during a fight. The Clark County District Attorney eventually decided not to press charges, saying there was "insufficient evidence."

As for Ronnie, he also had a recent run-in with the law. In April this year, he was arrested for domestic violence in Los Angeles. The MTV personality, who posted a $100,000 bond in the incident, was not charged.

His arrest came in the midst of him serving 36 months of probation as part of a plea deal he took in May 2020 for a previous domestic violence case involving Jen. Additionally, he still has a probation hearing scheduled for June 29.

"We are very happy that after further investigation both the L.A. County District Attorney's office and the L.A. City Attorney's office determined that criminal charges were not warranted against Ronnie related to the incident that occurred in April," Scott E. Leemon and Leonard Levine told in a statement on May 13. "We will review the alleged violation of probation claim and deal with it accordingly."

After his arrest, a source informed the outlet about Jen's reaction, "Jen has been concerned about his behavior in front of Ariana and it's been an issue she's been worried about." The insider added, "She knows he always has this pattern and that he does not change."

For now, the former couple has since moved on with new partners. Jen reportedly has been seeing a man named Joe for six months, while Ronnie has been dating Saffire Matos since 2020.
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The reality TV star is taking his relationship with Saffire Matos to the next level as he pops the big question to his girlfriend during a romantic beach outing.

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - "Jersey Shore" star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is newly engaged after getting down on one knee at a beach in Los Angeles.

Ronnie proposed to girlfriend Saffire Matos on Saturday (19Jun21), in front of his three-year-old daughter Ariana and his family on the California coast. He has been dating Matos, who runs an eyelash bar in New York, since last autumn (20), People reports.

"I love you," Ronnie Ortiz-Magro wrote on Instagram. "Thank you for sticking by my side through thick and thin! Til death do us part! #SheSaidYes."

News of the future nuptials comes less than two months after an altercation between the pair landed Ortiz-Magro in jail amid reports of physical abuse. Matos later took to Instagram to dispute the "misleading" allegations.

Prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to press charges against the reality TV star and the case was passed to the L.A. City Attorney's Office.

According to E!, Ronnie had previously announced he would be stepping away from "Jersey Shore" to "get healthy and be the best man and the best father I can for my daughter."

The reality show favourite shares Ariana with ex-girlfriend Jen Harley, who had her own eventful weekend, in Las Vegas.

TMZ reports that Harley was charged on Saturday night with domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon, after reportedly pointing a gun at her boyfriend Joseph Ambrosol.
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As for William's wife Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge reportedly had been 'wary of [Meghan] from the start' as William believes that the Duchess of Sussex has 'an agenda.'

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - More details about Prince Harry and Prince William's alleged fallout has emerged online. In his new book titled "Battle of Brothers: The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult", historian Robert Lacey claimed the two had a "fierce and bitter" argument over Meghan's bullying claims.

The author noted that William and Harry's fallout started when William had alleged doubts about how quickly Harry moved with his then-girlfriend Meghan. In new excerpts, which were obtained by The Times newspaper, it was said that while the pair's relationship got better by the time of Harry and Meghan's May 2018 wedding, it got worse in October 2018 when a senior palace aide accused Meghan of bullying staffers.

William reportedly confronted his younger brothers after learning the claims and led them to a "fierce and bitter" argument. That prompted the Duke of Cambridge to remove the Sussexes from the joint office, or household, they shared. "William threw Harry out," a friend told Robert.

Describing the confrontration, Robert claimed that it was first done over the phone but then they argued in person. "When Harry flared up in furious defense of his wife, the elder brother persisted," reads an excerpt. "Harry shut off his phone angrily, so William went to speak to him personally. The prince was horrified by what he had just been told about Meghan's alleged behavior, and he wanted to hear what Harry had to say. The showdown between the brothers was fierce and bitter."

As for William's wife Kate Middleton, she reportedly had been "wary of [Meghan] from the start." The Duchess of Cambridge allegedly says that William told a friend he thought she had an "agenda" and the bullying allegations apparently backed his initial reservations.

"Both brothers have been damaged by their upbringings; both have reacted by finding different solutions," the author, who is also the historical consultant for Netflix's "The Crown", said. "There is so much pain and trauma in this story, going right back to the beginning."
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During an interview on 'Good Morning America', the actress portraying immigrant Anita in the 1961 musical admits she did not think she could sing the verse that was quite disparaging to Puerto Rico.

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - Rita Moreno almost backed out of her big breakthrough role in "West Side Story" because she couldn't sing a song that was so disparaging to Puerto Ricans.

The actress won an Oscar for her portrayal of immigrant Anita in the musical but admits she almost pulled out of the film after reading the initial lyrics to the hit song "America", in which her character mocked her own people.

"Anita is a person who loves America and wants nothing to do with Puerto Rico and the verse of the song originally was really quite disparaging to Puerto Rico," she tells "Good Morning America".

"I got the part after working very hard to get it... and I realized, 'Oh my God, this verse from America... I don't think I can do this! I don't think I can do this to my people!' "

"I was this close to calling my agent to say, 'I can't do this...' but it just happened... that Stephen Sondheim changed the lyric and made it possible for me... to do that film. I was heartbroken. I thought, 'My agent's gonna kill me!' "

Rita is reliving the beloved 1961 movie musical after landing a supporting role in Steven Spielberg's remake - she'll play a shopkeeper named Valentina in the new version. "I have a real part in it," she raves. "I even sing one song. I can't believe it."

In another interview, Rita looked back at producers' decision to darken her skin for the 1961 movie. "I remember saying to my makeup man once on the original 'West Side Story,' 'Why do I have to wear such dark makeup? I'm not that color,' " she told USA Today.

"And he literally said to me, 'What, are you a racist?' He really said that and I was so astonished that I shut up, because I didn't know what to say to that," she further recalled. "If I said, 'No, I'm not a racist,' I feel he would not believe me, so I let it drop. But it was shocking."
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The former 'Jersey Shore' star is said to have threatened to kill her boyfriend Joseph Ambrosole after they were caught in an argument over her alcohol consumption.

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - There is an update regarding the recent arrest of Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's ex Jen Harley. The former "Jersey Shore" star, who was taken into police custody for domestic battery and assault with deadly weapon, reportedly hurled the N-word before she got busted.

In a police report obtained by TMZ, it was stated that Jen's boyfriend Joseph Ambrosole told cops that she threatened him, "I'll shoot you n***a" and "I'll kill you right f**king now" before she cocked a gun. Hours prior to that, the couple was allegedly arguing about her alcohol consumption when they were out drinking at the Crazy Horse 3.

Jen and Joseph were said to have continued their fight as they were driving home. Per Us Weekly report, Jen claimed she wanted to "embarrass him" by live streaming him on Instagram. She also allegedly hit him in the head about 10 times.

While they were on their way, Jen reportedly threw Joseph's phone out the window, prompting him to get out of the car to get his phone back. At that time, the 34-year-old real estate agent drove off without him.

Joseph said he took an Uber to go home and showed the receipt to authorities as proof. Once he arrived at the house, he allegedly told Jen that he wanted to work things out so he followed her into the garage. However, as things got heated, Jen pointed a black pistol in front of his face at around 1:15 A.M. Joseph then called police later at 2.38 A.M. on Saturday, June 19.

Jen was then booked and held at the Clark County Detention Center. Her bond was set at $5,000 and she was scheduled to appear in a court hearing on Sunday, June 20.

On the same day Jen had trouble with the law, her ex Ronnie proposed to his girlfriend Saffire Matos in front of his and Jen's three-year-old daughter Ariana. On Monday, June 21, he shared a picture of the proposal and captioned it, "I love you. Thank you for sticking by my side through thick and thin! Til death do us part! #SheSaidYes."
ABC TV

In an op-ed for New York Magazine, the attorney shares her experience on both 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' in addition to explaining how she feels 'exploited' by the franchise.

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - Rachel Lindsay slammed "The Bachelor" franchise in an op-ed for New York Magazine. In her piece, the attorney talked about host Chris Harrison and how she felt "exploited" on "The Bachelorette" as she recalled her time on both "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette".

"I knew my relationship with The Bachelor was over in February 2021, when Chris Harrison, the host and face of the franchise, showed his true self on national television," Lindsay wrote in the piece which was published in the June 21 issue. "We had only seen Chris Harrison perform as a host; this was like catching him with a hot mic."

She continued, "The franchise has spent 19 years cultivating a toxic audience. They have constantly given it a product it wants: a midwestern/southern white, blonde, light-eyed Christian. Not all viewers are like that. " 'My Higher Learning' co-host and I have divided it  there is a Bachelor Nation, and there is a Bachelor Klan."

Describing the "Bachelor Klan", Rachel explained, "Bachelor Klan is hateful, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and homophobic." She added, "They are afraid of change. They are afraid to be uncomfortable. They are afraid when they get called out."

Rachel also recalled how her audition for "The Bachelor" went, writing, "I auditioned in June, and I had my final interview in August. I knew then that they wanted me. I walked into a one-on-one with a producer who said, 'Who's your ideal person? Who would your parents love to see you with?' 'Barack Obama,' I replied. They were like, 'You know what? No more questions. Let's move you to the next interview.' I walked into another room, and it was a sea of people. Nobody was Black. In the front, there were three chairs: two for the executive producers and one for me."

Elsewhere in the piece, Rachel noted that the franchise returned to what it was like before she came in as the first "Bachelorette" leading lady. "It wasn't until around 2018 that I started to feel uneasy. I watched the show fall back into old patterns. I grew annoyed by Becca Kufrin's season because of the way the producers chose to depict a white woman's story versus mine. She got engaged to a Garrett Yrigoyen, who had a history of liking offensive tweets," she said. "They tiptoed around it and gave him an opportunity to explain. It was as if they'd checked off a box with me, and once they'd done that, they went right back to doing what was comfortable and easy."

Despite that, Rachel shared that she didn't regret being the Bachelorette. "But if I were to do anything differently, it would be to think about the diversity of the stories on my season. Kenny is somebody I really liked. I hated that he dedicated so much time to fighting with Lee and that this became his narrative," so she explained. "I should have kept him along so viewers could see a beautiful display of a Black man on the show. I wish I had highlighted Josiah. He and I were never going to make it either (we were too alike), but he was funny, and he was an attorney, and he had a beautiful story about why he chose his profession."

"As I've continued to watch the show, I've realized they don't seem to understand the stereotypes that are placed on Black men. They, too, only see them as fitting into one of these stereotypes: angry, absentee, or worthless. If I had watched the show before going on, perhaps I would have navigated that differently. I wasn't thinking about the machinations," Rachel noted.
Celebrity

The Florida MC, whose real name is Jacquavius Dennard Smith, is reportedly booked by the Orange County Sheriff's Office and being detained on a $750,000 bond.

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - 9lokkNine has found himself getting entangled in legal trouble yet again. Just a few months after he was released from prison for his previous crime, the "10 Percent" hitmaker was reportedly arrested on RICO charges.

The 21-year-old Florida native was booked by the Orange County Sheriff's Office on Monday, June 21 and charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering charges. The MC has since been detained on a $750,000 bond.

9lokkNine, whose real name is Jacquavius Dennard Smith, got his freedom back in March this year. At that time, fellow rapper FSG Bangout took to Instagram Story to share a picture of the two reuniting. In the accompaniment of the snap, he wrote, "Ding Dong My Blooda Home P***y."

9lokkNine was initially arrested in July 2020. He was slapped with charges of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm, shooting into an occupied building or structure and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after allegedly firing a gun into an Orlando home in an attempt to target another rapper.

The rapper, who is best known for the hit record "223's" with YNW Melly, has a substantial arrest record. In June, he was taken into custody in Orlando, Florida on charges of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and illegal firearm possession. He was then hit with a total of 17 charges, with the most serious being possession of cannabis with intent to sell, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as well as third-degree grand theft of a firearm.

Just one day before prior to his latest arrest, 9lokkNine released "Going 4 None" music video. As for his most recent album titled "Mind of Destruction'', it arrived in 2019 under Cash Money and Republic Records labels. It features guest appearances from Lil Durk, Rich The Kid and Asian Doll.
Instagram Celebrity

Nikita Singh, who is currently in London, claims that the 'Million Dollar Listing New York' star has 'forced' her to return to the United States with their daughter Leela.

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - Luis D. Ortiz has been hit with serious allegations by his baby mama. Nikita Singh, who shares a daughter named Leela with the "Million Dollar Listing New York" star, accused him of abuse and harassment as he tries to "control" her life.

Nikita brought up her claims in a GoFundMe page she created, which has raised 881 out of a 100,000 goal. "I am currently fighting for my basic human right to live a normal stable life with my daughter. Out of fear I have never spoken openly about the levels of suffering I endured from Luis D Ortiz and other members of his family," she began.

"Though I managed to distance myself from him physically he is now trying to use his money, connections and his powerful lawyers to crush me. He has made a false child abduction allegations and we may now be forced to return to the USA. I may be at risk of losing my own child," Nikita, who is now in London, continued. "I am afraid of him and his sphere of powerful allies... I am fearful of him and his form of abusive control over me and my daughter Leela."

Nikita believed that Luis "is demanding" her and their child's return so he "can have control over me once more." She added, "I have been informed that Luis and his family are having us watched and followed. Even though I have managed to distance myself from some of the forms of abuse, it feels like he is continuing to attempt to harass and torment me by trying to use our daughter as a way to gain control of our lives. I have not stopped Luis from seeing his child."

"I am publicly reaching out and asking for support and to bring awareness of our situation. This is the longest Leela has lived in one place and I am begging to not uproot her," she pleaded in the ending of her message. "Unfortunately when it comes to abuse and mental health most people refuse to get involved. So I am asking the public for their help."

Luis, who welcomed baby Leela in March 2019 with Nikita, has yet to respond to the allegations.
Instagram Celebrity

The Ohio blogger shares the heartbreaking news on her Instagram account, revealing that her and fiance Chance Moore's 2-year-old daughter lost her battle with cancer on Father's Day.

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - Social media influencer Kate Hudson is mourning the death of her daughter Eliza. The Ohio native shared the heartbreaking news on her Instagram account on Monday, June 21, revealing that the 2-year-old girl lost her battle with cancer on Father's Day.

In the post, the blogger opened with a quote which read, "When the links of life are broken and a child has to part, there is nothing that will ever heal a parent's broken heart." She then admitted that she and her fiance Chance Moore were "broken" over the passing of their baby girl who was diagnosed with "very rare and aggressive cancer known as rhabdoid tumor."

"My sweet baby girl. I don't know how we will go on without you. I know we promised you we would be brave, just like you. But we are broken," she penned. "Even though we know you are no longer suffering or in pain or frustrated with what life had become. I thought that because we knew you were dying, that your death would not feel so sudden. But it did. I wasn't ready to see what I saw."

She then recounted, "I woke up this morning, still half asleep,, and reached for your hand. But you were not there. You left last night. In a van that took you away. I wanted to run after you. But I couldn't. I have to accept this new reality...but I am not ready to let you go. I don't think I ever will be ready to move on. I don't know where your soul went when it left your little body."

"I want to believe you are somewhere with my dad and my sister....and your sister...all loved ones you never met," Kate went on to say, seemingly trying to see the good in this devastating moment. "I want to believe you are all together. Dancing in meadows or swinging on trees or walking alongside a beach somewhere with ocean salt water washing over your toes."

She added, "I also want to believe your soul transferred into us, your Mamma and your Dadda. That you left your little body and gently latched onto our souls. That we are now intertwined for life. I want to believe you are still alive somewhere." Kate later concluded, "I want to believe I will wake up from this nightmare and you will be there holding our hands. Telling us it was just a bad dream."

Eliza's passing arrives just days after Kate shut down rumors that she had died. "I wish I could unsee the ignorant, idiotic comments. I wish I could just ignore them. I do. Most of the time I have the strength. That doesn't mean I don't break down into tears before deleting said comments or blocking Eliza's 'followers,' " she wrote, adding some commenters left things like, "RIP," and asked, "Did she die?"

"I didn't realize our family's suffering was just a playground for your ignorance. I didn't realize how disgusting humanity could really be. I didn't realize I would feel so much hate and anger towards people I have never met," she shared.
WENN/Sheri Determan/Avalon Celebrity

The 'Dynasty' alum trolls the former 'Good Morning Britain' broadcaster when refusing to answer his question about the Duchess of Sussex as saying, 'Look what happened to you.'

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - Joan Collins is keeping her lips sealed about Meghan Markle. In a new interview with Piers Morgan, the "Dynasty" alum refused to answer the former "Good Morning Britain" newscaster's question about the Duchess of Sussex following his exit from "GMB."

When making an appearance on ITV's "Piers Morgan's Life Stories" on Sunday, June 20, the 88-year-old actress was asked about Meghan by Piers, "What do you make of what's going on with the British royal family now, with Meghan, Harry, the feud with William, Charles?" She then mimed a zipper closing across her lips and said, "My lips are sealed on that subject."

Mocking Piers over his controversial comments on the Duchess, the acting vet jokingly divulged, "I just don't want to go on national TV and say what I think about Meghan and Harry, because look what happened to you." Responding to her statement, the journalist laughed and replied, "Well, exactly, thank you!"

Elsewhere in the interview, Joan reflected on the advice she'd given Princess Diana about intense media scrutiny. "She said, 'Does this always happen?' and I said, 'You just have to get used to it,' " "The Stud" actress recalled. She continued, "She did try to avoid them, didn't she? Tragic life."

Piers decided to exit "Good Morning Britain" after refusing to apologize following his criticism of Meghan and Prince Harry on the show. At the time, he even called the Duchess of Sussex a "liar" due to her bombshell claims during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

ITV then announced that Piers left the show after the U.K.'s media regulators at Ofcom announced they would be investigating Piers over his offensive remarks regarding the Duchess of Sussex's mental health. "Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add," ITV shared in a statement.

However, since Piers walked off from the show, he has continued to speak out against Meghan. He still stands by his comments about the mother of two and his accusation that she lied about her suicidal thoughts, most recently calling her "Princess Pinocchio" in a tweet on Saturday, June 19.

Piers Morgan addressed his 'Good Morning Britain' exit in a new Twitter post.

"ITV didn't get rid of me," Piers wrote in a Twitter post. "I left 'GMB' because I declined to apologise for disbelieving Princess Pinocchio. But I still work for ITV, as you'll see tomorrow when my 'Life Stories' show with @Joancollinsdbe airs at 9pm."
WENN/Instar Celebrity

According to an upcoming book detailing the former president's responses to the virus outbreak, at one point he mused about sending infected Americans in Asia to Cuba.

Jun 22, 2021

AceShowbiz - Donald Trump made numerous headlines with his controversial remarks about COVID-19 during his presidency, but behind the scenes he apparently had much worse ideas on how to deal with the pandemic. According to a new book, the former president wanted to send COVID patients to Guantanamo Bay.

In "Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History" by Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta, the two writers detail Trump's frantic responses to the virus outbreak. Per The Washington Post which has obtained a copy of the book ahead if its release, at one point the president mused about transferring infected American citizens in Asia to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

"Don't we have an island that we own? What about Guantanamo?" he reportedly asked those assembled in the Situation Room in February 2020. "We import goods," he lectured his staff. "We are not going to import a virus."

His aides were obviously stunned by his idea. When Trump brought it up a second time, they quickly shut down the possibility of executing it as they were worried about a backlash over quarantining American tourists on the same Caribbean base where the United States holds terrorism suspects.

The book, which draws on interviews with more than 180 people, including multiple White House senior staff members and government health leaders, also reveals how Trump was often fretting about the outbreak's implications for his reelection bid.

"Testing is killing me!" the 75-year-old reportedly exclaimed in a phone call to then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on March 18, yelling so loudly that Azar's aides overheard every word. "I'm going to lose the election because of testing! What idiot had the federal government do testing?"

Azar then noted the then-president that his son-in-law Jared Kushner was responsible for handling the testing at the time, having vowed to take charge of a national testing strategy with the help of the private sector five days earlier. He then countered that the U.S. government never should have become involved in testing.

Trump allegedly also complained about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seeking to track infections at all. "This was gross incompetence to let CDC develop a test," he reportedly said as he berated Azar.

"Nightmare Scenario" will be hitting the shelves on June 29.
CHICO, Calif. - Chico Police said a two-vehicle crash has blocked traffic at the end of Bruce Road near Sterling Oak Dr. just before Highway 32.

This crash has sent one person to the hospital with unknown injuries.

Action News Now is working to find out more details to report as they become available.
SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - The new Avelo Airlines is giving out free plane tickets to recent graduate students in the Redding area, the company said.

The airline company will award nearly two dozen graduates round trip tickets to Los Angeles.

The winners will receive two tickets, totaling 48 total free tickets to Los Angeles.

The graduates can be from one of the high schools or colleges in the area as graduates must be 18 years old or older.

This has been a challenging school year for students trying to remain academically engaged while often studying remotely, said Avelo Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy. Redding is home to dozens of schools. We are inspired by the perseverance of the Class of 2021 and we cant imagine a better graduation gift than to help fuel their inspiration to travel and explore new places.

Avelo Airlines is giving away 500 tickets within its 12 markets.

Click here to enter to win free tickets to Los Angeles.
GRIDLEY, Calif. - A new SAVMOR foods store is going up in Gridley, but not everyone is happy about the location.

"I don't see where it would really hurt anybody, everybody has their own place to shop," said Barbara Davidson, a shopper in Gridley.

"There's no full-service supermarket left on the west side of the Highway (99)," said Patrick Coghlan, a Gridley man who opposes the store move.

The current SAVMOR is along Washington Street, but now it's moving east on an empty lot at Fairview Dr.

Patrick Coghlan has lived in Gridley for most of his life and, like many, he is worried about what comes next for this empty lot.

"The city is relocating about 100 or 200 feet from the high school," Coghlan explained. "California says it's a bad idea to have a facility with a liquor license within 500 feet."

Action News Now checked the Alcoholic Beverage Control website, which states that it can deny a retail license within 600 feet of a school, not 500.

This is something the city said the store does not violate.

"It's about 1,000 feet away from the actual school building facility," said Donna Decker, the Gridley planning director. "As you know the Arco gas station also has an alcohol license and we don't have any issues either."

Some people are also concerned about the high volume of traffic.

"That can be a problem," Davidson said.

"There's currently a signal at the intersection at Arco," Decker said. "There's no additional impact from the traffic going to this site, as it was anticipated this site would be commercial."

Coghlan claims the city threw this project under the rug.

"I was concerned that the city went at least 3 weeks without telling us about this," Coghlan said.

Legally, the city notified people at an appropriate time on May 7, but Coghlan said it was hidden below the newspaper under legal advertising.

"Well, the city of Gridley and any city or county agency has no control of where the public notices are in a newspaper whether it be online or a hard copy," Decker said.

Construction for the new SAVMOR is set for this September. The brand new store was approved by the Gridley Planning Commission on May 19, 2021.

It will be roughly 32,000 square feet and bigger than the current one. Action News Now also reached out to SAVMOR to get its reaction to the new move.

Richard Morgan, the president of North State Grocery Inc., said "the location we had really doesn't represent the grocery store experience we can offer, so being able to do that now. It's exciting."

Decker also said the item about the SAVMOR project was also posted at city hall and online.

Coghlan plans to appeal the liquor license for SAVMOR, which according to Decker will be transferred but still reviewed by ABC.
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - A woman was in court Monday morning for allegedly embezzling thousands from an elderly Camp Fire victim changed her not-guilty plea and pleaded no contest, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

Brenda Rose Asbury, 31, had been raised by the 75-year-old victim since she was 11. The victim had recently received insurance payments equaling more than $127,000 after losing her home in the Camp Fire.

At todays hearing, Asbury specified that she stole a total of $63,100 which will be given back to the victim following her sentencing on October 7, 2021.

The victim had relocated following the loss of her home. She had invited Asbury to stay with her to help Asbury escape a bad relationship in Oklahoma. She also paid for the defendant's travel costs to make it to California for the person she called her "daughter."

RELATED: SHERIFF: Woman arrested who deputies say embezzled $63,100 from Camp Fire survivor

When the victim began receiving her payments, placing them into separate accounts she made for the settlements, her husband had to be placed in a care home due to poor health.

In May of 2019, Asbury convinced the victim to put her name on the account to protect the money from the state attempting to grab money for her husbands care.

Ramsey said at no point was Asbury given permission to use any money in the account. Soon after she was added to the account, Asbury made a new, separate and secret account and transferred $63,100 into the said account.

Asbury secretly moved out one night, disconnected her cell phone and cut off all ties with the woman she called mom to head back to Oklahoma, Ramsey said.

Butte County Sheriffs Officers used search warrants, cell phone locating pings and local interviews to locate Asbury in Oklahoma.

She then turned herself into local sheriffs in November of 2019 and was booked into the Butte County Jail for three weeks before being released pending todays trial.

Asbury will face up to four years in county jail for embezzlement of an elder.
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 regarding a probe ordered by it into Whatsapps new Privacy Policy.

A vacation bench of Justices Anup Jairam Bhambhani and Jasmeet Singh said that it would pass an order on the application.

According to the media reports, during the hearing, the bench said that 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.

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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 the probe CCI ordered into the instant messaging app's new privacy policy.

The High Court had earlier made an appeal and asked the Centre to respond to it.

As per the media reports, 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.

In their fresh applications filed in the pending appeals, the two tech giant companies sought a stay on the CCIs June 4 notice asking them to furnish certain information for the purpose of inquiry conducted by it.
Bali joins a growing team of award-winning creative professionals at RepIndia to lead the agencys creative business growth across the country

In line with recent moves at strengthening its creative core, digital agency - RepIndia, has appointed Purnima Bali as Creative Director. She will be tasked with leading the creative endeavour at RepIndia, and further grow the creative business across Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

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An Economics Honours graduate from Delhi University, with a Post-Graduation in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Xavier Institute of Communication (XIC), Mumbai, Purnima was previously working as the Associate Creative Director at Interactive Avenues, Gurugram. She led the creative team and marshalled the creative business for brands such as Honda Cars India, Sony India, Hero Cycles, Havmor Icecreams, DishTV, The Oberoi Group, and Oppo Mobiles to name a few.

Commenting on joining RepIndia, Purnima quotes: In a very short period of time, RepIndia has managed to make its presence felt in a space that has long been inundated with network agencies. Their body of work, prestigious clients, and their feet firmly on the ground are the attributes that have stood out in the awards circuit, and even amidst brands that are eagerly and earnestly looking for effective creative solutions where brand-agency camaraderie is the only way work gets done. And it is this quality of RepIndia that breeds a convivial environment for creative autonomy that made my decision to join hands with Ayesha and Archit's labour of love, so effortless. I'm excited to be a part of team RepIndia and looking forward to breaking new creative barriers and creating new digital milestones.

Ayesha Chenoy, founder RepIndia, shared her thoughts on Purnimas appointment, We have wanted to bring Purnima on board for years, her mad digital first ideas and incredible drive are just what we wanted to add to RepIndias arsenal as we go on to have one of the best leadership teams across the country. Welcome Purnima! You absolute champ! Lets do some more magic together
Srinjan Bhowmick has joined the Brand Marketing team at Mobile Premier League. In the past, he was associated with Times Internet Limited, Eros International and Bollywood Hungama.

Bhowmick has over 12 years of experience in the digital media space and has worked as an social media evangelist, copywriter, content manager, brand strategist, video content producer and community manager.

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He's presently based out of Bengaluru.
Tonic Worldwide, the independent digital marketing agency has announced their partnership with yellow.ai, the worlds leading Conversational CX Automation Platform, to build AI-powered intelligent virtual assistants, across text and voice channels for enterprises. The core focus of the partnership is on automating customer engagement, commerce, and support for large brands, while providing Natural Language enabled product insights to transform their customer experience. This association marks a huge leap forward for the agency and comes as part of its effort towards automating solutions as an extension to digital initiatives for its brands.

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The partnership will help elevate digital initiatives taken up by Tonic Worldwide for its brands, and complement as well as amplify consumer experience. yellow.ai brings the best of AI and Human Intelligence together to automate end customer experiences for brands with chat and voice bots in 100+ languages, across 35+ channels like Web, WhatsApp, Instagram, In-App, Telephony, Contact Center and more.

Chetan Asher, Co-Founder and CEO, Tonic Worldwide says, Customer Experience is more important than ever. With technology & AI today we can offer an enhanced experience to the end user. yellow.ai is a leader in building conversational experiences and we are delighted to partner with them. Through this partnership we will be able to augment our hyper personalisation and digital transformation solutions which will help our clients unlock value.

Commenting on the partnership, Raghu Ravinutala, CEO and Co-founder, yellow.ai, said, Delivering personalized customer experience at scale has long been at the heart of innovations for many marketing initiatives. Leveraging yellow.ais platform, marketers and marketing agencies can automate key consumer journeys towards attracting, engaging, acquiring, and retaining customers, across Web, In-app IVR and social channels. We are delighted to partner with Tonic Worldwide to empower brands with our AI-powered digital marketing solutions to deliver superior customer experiences.
PHOENIX (AP)  Much of the western half of the country has been blasted with sweltering heat this past week. A high-pressure dome combined wit
CORRECTIONVILLE, Iowa  Jessica Wilson raised her first bucket calf in 1988. She probably didnt realize it would be the first of many calves she would have a hand in developing on her familys western Iowa farm.

She has always been very good at taking care of cattle, says her father, Craig Utesch.

Raising that first calf was the beginning of their father-daughter partnership. Today, Jessica and her husband Cody are partners in Triple U Ranch with her parents, Craig and Elaine, as well as her uncle and his wife, Kirk and Barbara Utesch.

The ranch, which raises primarily Simmental and Angus cattle, was started by Craigs parents and grandparents in 1946.

Craig and his brothers, Kirk and Brad, were partners on the farm, which also includes a feedlot and row crops. Brad passed away in 2017, and Jessica and Cody bought into the partnership. Cody manages the feedlot operation, while Jessica and Craig work together on the cow-calf side. Kirk oversees the grain operation.

After receiving a degree in animal science from Iowa State University, and spending a semester working on her masters degree, Jessica returned to the farm after the death of her grandfather.

Dad went in the role that Grandpa had, and I went into the role Dad used to do, she says. I had intended to go to veterinary school, but this is something I wanted to do.

Craig says it seemed natural that when Jessica returned to the farm, she would work closely with the cows.

It seems like every calf she raised would have a lot of daughters. She probably owned a fourth of the cows we have, Craig says. When they bought into the farm, she had to give up some of her share, which Im sure was tough for her.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  In an encouraging burst of hiring, Americas employers added 850,000 jobs in June, well above the average of the previous three months and a sign that companies may be having an easier time finding enough workers to fill open jobs.
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.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:
If God had decided to teach liberals a lesson about Charles Murrays latest book Facing Reality: Two Truths About Race in America published June 15, He might, after review, say this:

Dear liberals: racial groups really do differ in intelligence and in violent crime, and it aint systemic racism.

And yes, liberals, IQ tests accurately predict educational and job performance. Because science is real.

And yes, liberals, if you are going to implement racial quotas all the way up to corporate CEOs, then you got trouble, right here in River City.

Not that Gods Word will make a blind bit of difference. Race is everything to liberals because race politics is the political formula of our ruling class, the moral and legal argument it uses to justify its power.

This political formula is best expressed by Matt Taibbis explanation of antiracism.

It sees the human being as locked into one of three categories: members of oppressed groups, allies, and white oppressors.

Yes, I know. Every word is a lie, for the allies are the ruling class; the oppressed peoples are really the Little Darlings of the ruling class; and the white oppressors are ordinary middle-class schmucks who just want to drive a truck, go to work, and grill meat on the barbecue. But Racism!

A ruling class believes -- has to believe -- its political formula. Our proof is our ruling classs serial rejection of Charles Murrays books. Go back and read the 1985 NYT review of Murrays Losing Ground. The Great Society was a total failure, you say?

That proposition may be as deeply flawed as it is startling, unlikely to survive scrutiny.

Then the NYT said in 1994 that Murrays The Bell Curve might be partly right about race and IQ but then changed its mind and called it flame-throwing. Then in Coming Apart: The State of White America 1960-2010 the NYT 2012 reviewer allowed as how the book was hardly a flattering portrait of white people. (It wasnt meant to be, cupcake.)

The ruling class will never listen to Murrays lessons about race. Our ruling class lives and dies on teaching us a lesson about race, the Three Theses that:

Slavery is Americas founding sin. It was liberals that fought Jim Crow. Liberals are the thin woke line fighting systemic racism.

Oh yeah. Civil rights is the biggest thing in all history: all hail our godly liberals.

Here are my Three Theses: call it a Critical Theory of Abolition:

We abolished slavery because slavery Does Not Pay. We abolished racism because racism Does Not Pay. We will abolish liberal race politics because wokism Does Not Pay.

How do you like them apples, liberals? I know: it cannot be, it must not be, that everything in the world is the work of bean counters. What about the glorious activists? What about Martin Luther King, Jr.? What about smart Jewish kid Freedom Riders?

Hey liberals, let me teach you a lesson, a Critical Narrative of American history, starting with Squanto, a Patuxet Indian enslaved by a Brit and then sold in Malaga, Spain.

Squanto was bought and freed by monks so they could teach him a lesson about Christianity. Then he returned to America just in time to teach the pilgrims a lesson in North American agriculture. Then the pilgrims started teaching the Indian tribes a lesson in colonial domination until it was time to teach the French a lesson about Anglo-Saxon supremacy in the French and Indian War. Next, it was time to teach the Brits a mostly peaceful lesson about taxation without representation and then teach a severe lesson to insurrectionists in the Whiskey Rebellion.

Pretty soon it was time for Northerners to teach Southerners a lesson about Marching Through Georgia, and then time to teach farmers a lesson about getting into debt during a deflation. J.P. Morgan taught Americans a lesson in how to deal with a big market crash in 1908. President Roosevelt taught America a lesson in how to screw up the U.S. economy for eight years until it was time to teach Germany and Japan a lesson about whos boss around here. But pretty quick the U.S. decided to teach the Soviet Union a lesson, and Germany and Japan could help(!).

In 1963 America decided to teach Vietnam a lesson and then, in 1964, the most miraculous event in all history when liberals taught Jim Crow a lesson about race. Next, the Baby Boomers decided to teach their elders a lesson and President Nixon decided to teach the gold standard a lesson. Then-President Carter taught us a lesson about stagflation. I could go on -- all the way to liberals teaching us a lesson about winning an election in 2020.

But dont you dare teach liberals a lesson, Charles Murray. They are the ruling class and dont you forget it, peasant.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also, get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.

Image: Encounter Books

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Is there anyone who doesn't love that all-American food, pizza? Sure, the recipe was originally developed in Italy  after its citizens were introduced to tomatoes, which are native to the Americas, in the 1500s. And for some, nothing is more delicious than pizza topped with pineapple from Hawaii, which might differ from the original recipe, but diversity  and taste  can't be argued. Similarly, other so-called ethnic foods have been transformed, Americanized, such as Annie Hall's sandwich order of "pastrami on white bread with mayonnaise, tomatoes, and lettuce" in the movie of the same name, or corned beef and cabbage with quesadilla at a specialty bakery. While some might gag at such desecrations of historic ethnic foods, as Woody Allen did in Annie Hall, or even disapprovingly shriek "cultural appropriation," most people approve.

After all, nothing brings people together such as that basic necessity of life: food. And so food companies, restaurant associations, grocery stores, and others routinely conduct multi-cultural food festivals in various venues across the country, introducing new foods to an appreciative public.

In Philadelphia, that city of brotherly love, a civic organization, Sunflower Philly, teamed up with Eat Up the Borders, whose mission is "to break down our everyday barriers through shared experiences through language, food, and culture," to sponsor a Philadelphia food truck event, Taste of Home, on Father's Day last Sunday. Food, family fun  and a desperate shot of business income for food truckowners, most of whom are immigrants.

But a few people, a few organizations complained about the presence of...wait for it...an Israeli food truck, Moshava. And how did the event's organizers, those brave believers in diversity, pluralism, and multiculturalism respond to this threat? They caved. Almost immediately. The food festival founded to break down barriers instead threw up a hate-filled solid one, disinviting Moshava. Although EUTB's founder, Cindy Ngo, privatized the group's social media accounts, others captured it.

Initially, Eat Up the Borders indicated that it did not intend to relent to pressure.

"We will not be private on our values, which are uplifting the immigrate [sic] voices," it said in an Instagram post on Friday. "Our concern is not where they have immigrated from but giving a platform to small businesses here in Philadelphia." Moshava responded with three applause emojis.

But on Saturday morning, the group reversed course.

"In order to provide the best experience to all, we decided to remove one of our food vendors from Sunday's event," it wrote on Instagram. "This decision came from listening to the concerns of community that we love and serve. Our intent is never to cause harm. We're sorry, and we realize being more educated is the first step to preventing that from happening again."

Oh. Which community does EUTB "love and serve"  a hate-filled, excluding one or an inclusive one? Sunflower Philly also blamed the excluded Moshava, not the victimizer(s), for agreeing to cancel the event at the last minute. They are "inclusive" only to those "who are aligned with our mission," as they so tellingly explain.

The only truthful explanation came from the honored excludee, Moshava, which is the only participant that emerged with honor.

The organizers of the event heard rumors of a protest happening because of us being there and decided to uninvite us from fear that the protesters would get aggressive and threaten their event, the post said. We were really hoping that the organizers @eatuptheborders and @sunflowerphilly would step up to the plate and defend local, small and immigrant based businesses, no matter where they are from (as per their so called mission statement) but by the looks of it fear, violence, and intimidation got the best of them.

Moshava also said it believed that Eat Up The Borders had given in to antisemitism.

We really do hope that in the future you dont succumb to such antisemitic and dividing rethoric[sic] and keep true to your words of a safe environment for all religions and nationalities  not just all of them except Israeli and Jewish ones, the companys account posted.

Sunflower Philly and Eat Up The Borders are poison; not healthy for citizens of a vibrant city of brotherly love.

Moshava's food improves health; expands the brain. So try the latter while avoiding the former's events. You'll be glad you did.

Image via Picryl.

UPDATE: This post has been updated to add several paragraphs that were inadvertently deleted during the publication process.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
A brutal, race-based execution on a major Chicago street highlights where Democrat policies are taking us. Their obsessive focus on race, coupled with their attacks on moral law, criminal justice, and social norms, will turn all of America into Chicago unless we refuse to go along with a program that affects every facet of American life, from the federal government down to the smallest school board.

The facts behind the horrific execution in Chicago are simple:

A DRIVER has been executed and his wife critically injured after they were both dragged from their car and shot by a gang of attackers. Shocking footage appears to show the moment Gyovanny Arzuaga, 24, and Yasmin Perez, 25, were ambushed following the Puerto Rican day parade in Chicago on Saturday. In the clip shared by Fox32 the couple  who have two young children  are pulled from their vehicle and shot after Arzuaga's family say he had rear ended a parked car.

You may have seen the horrifying video of a man and woman being dragged from their car and shot yesterday evening. Man died, woman critically injured. This is the last photo the man, Gyovanny Arzuaga, posted to Facebook yesterday afternoon. He was 24. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/1ugwc01ALK  CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) June 20, 2021

If you have the stomach for it, this is the video showing what happened to Arzuago and Perez. Even if you don't watch it, please note from the still image on the tweet the number of people standing there filming the event. Afterward, everyone cleared out, leaving the victims to welter, uncomforted, in their own blood:

Democrats instantly invoked gun control, but it's clear watching the slaughter that this crowd would as readily have executed Arzuago and Perez with knives or simply beaten them to death.

What we are seeing here is a return to stone-age savagery. It is a reminder that human beings have only the thinnest veneer of civilization. The Enlightenment pulled us away from the brutal cruelty that was the norm for pre-modern man. However, as Nazi Germany shows, embracing tribal loyalties and removing the breaks on civilized behavior can, in just a few years, transform the world's most advanced and civilized society into a collection of brutal, bloodthirsty, sadistic animals.

It's not about skin color because the Nazis were White and the people in that video are Black. Instead, it's about taking away the brakes.

What are those brakes? A divine moral code (i.e., religion), force (law enforcement and criminal justice), and social norms. Beginning in the 1960s and with accelerating force that went into overdrive in 2020, Democrats have removed each of those brakes.

If people believe that an attentive divinity who controls their eternal life has laid down a moral code, they will try to abide by that code. I happen to believe that, at a practical level, the Ten Commandments are an exceptionally good moral code for a high-functioning society. However, if people are told that there is no God or other divinity, those moral strictures either become suggestions that can be ignored or laws that can be flouted.

It's bad enough when people flout the moral code that supports a functioning society. What happens if the governing body withdraws the force that bolsters those codes in a society? Just look to see what Democrats have done to know what happens. Last year, they released criminals from jail; defunded or cowed the police; and, through Soros-funded prosecutors, refused to impose any penalties on those whom the police arrested. The result, inevitably, is anarchy.

Lastly, in an act of cynical racism, Democrats destroyed the social norms that bind Americans together and lead to a modicum of respect among people. To do that, they told Blacks, "You have no control over your actions. Your problem is White people. If you vote for us, you can do whatever you want to Whites." It's difficult to think of anything more demeaning to people than to say their skin color renders them incapable of self-governance, self-control, and personal responsibility, or anything more dangerous than to give these same people a racial target.

And again, this is not about something inherent in being Black. Democrats are doing to Blacks what the Nazi party did to Germans. It's just that, in the latter case, the Nazis told White Germans that their problem was Jews and that they could abandon civilized norms to destroy that problem.

And no, I'm not exaggerating about Democrats giving Blacks permission to kill. A blue-check on Twitter applauded the slaughter in Chicago because he thought Arzuaga and Perez were flying a Confederate flag, rather than a Puerto Rican one. Even when he was corrected about the facts, he doubled down on Blacks' (or anyone's) right to lynch White people who show the wrong flag:

According to the founder of the award winning Democracy Preservation Initiative, it is absolutely okay to drag white people out of their cars and execute them in front of their children



I'm sure these people will come around now that the Republican Party has gone woke, right? pic.twitter.com/HUJvuLsWAJ  Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) June 21, 2021

Taite idiotically confused the Puerto Rican and Confederate flags amid discussion about the Juneteenth shooting this weekend and then doubled down on executing white people anyway https://t.co/3CYk3z4wnE  Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) June 21, 2021

Taite idiotically confused the Puerto Rican and Confederate flags amid discussion about the Juneteenth shooting this weekend and then doubled down on executing white people anyway https://t.co/3CYk3z4wnE  Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) June 21, 2021

Seems like an influential group founded by a swell guy https://t.co/aDwN0jqFC0 pic.twitter.com/4SDXMQFQ21  Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) June 21, 2021

No society can long sustain what the Democrats are doing to America. If we are to survive as a nation, we need to resist Democrat initiatives at every level, from the White House to the local school board. Otherwise, we are taking a running leap off a steep cliff that leads to a deep ravine filled with sharp rocks. Once we are airborne, the only ending is pain, blood, and death.

I'll give Tucker the last words on the subject:

Image: Gyovanny Arzuago and Yasmin Perez. GoFundMe.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
With COVID effectively over as Joe Biden prepares to end President Trump's COVID restrictions on illegal border crossers, Democrats elsewhere are preparing to institutionalize COVID emergency payouts as if COVID lockdowns are forever.

Here's the CBS report:

The IRS is sending letters to more than 36 million families who may qualify for monthly payments under the federal Child Tax Credit. Under the expanded tax benefit, families may be eligible to receive up to $300 per child on a monthly basis from July 15 through December 15. President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 annually to as much as $3,600 per child. It also will send monthly payments to parents of children under 18, providing what one expert has called "a baby step toward universal basic income." The IRS said it is sending letters to families who are eligible based on either their 2019 or 2020 federal income tax return, or if they provided information using the "non-filers tool" on the IRS.gov website last year to register for a stimulus payment and qualified based on that data. The IRS said it will receive a second letter that will estimate their monthly payment amount, which will begin hitting bank accounts on July 15.

The recurring $300 payments of the Child Tax Credit are being hailed in the press, but who really benefits?

For starters, Democrats, because notice that they're doing it the Democrat way, which is to divide the country into special interests for spoils. That's a sign right there that they're doing it to addict people with kids to payouts in exchange for votes for themselves and divide the country otherwise. Seems they've got some repairing for the suburbs to do, in addition to making America a socialist welfare nation. And in any case, to paraphrase Rahm Emanuel, it's COVID "emergency" measures institutionalized, with Democrats never letting a crisis go to waste.

That explains this much-touted-on-the-television-news measure to institutionalize stimulus payments on a favored few Americans.

As for the rest of us, we get nothing, just higher taxes to pay for all this gravy being doled out to others.

The gay person who doesn't have kids and doesn't think he should be a parent? He gets nothing. The single person struggling with monster Obamacare "deductibles" after one emergency room visit and an accompanying medical bankruptcy? Nothing. The struggling young retail worker who's seeing others leave their jobs in droves? Not a thing. The young college grad trying to save for a house in a soaring housing market? No stimulus for you. The handicapped person who can't have kids and can't earn much? Too bad about that. The homeless guy who could probably actually live on 300 bucks for a month? Not him, either.

Fact is, most people in the U.S. aren't married given that the total married out of a population of 300 million is about 139 million according to Statista, which makes this not as widespread a dole-out as the media touts.

Middle-class marriage is declining, according to this Brookings report. During the Obama years, marriage in fact flatlined and continued flat for several additional years. Then, in 2020, the year of COVID, marriage rates sharply turned downward, according to a 2020 report from Congress's Joint Economic Committee (chart here). Accompanying this are record numbers of people who don't have kids, so the U.S. birth rate is also down. (Obviously, it's complex, some single people have kids, some marrieds have none, some married people are too old to have kids, etc., but much of the targeted demographic is married people with kids and welfare recipients without spouses.) The CBS report states that 36 million households will get them, and as for the other hundreds of millions in these other designations, well, no. It's money for a particular favored group now, not the virtually universal one-time stimulus that came of the actual COVID lockdowns last year that really did involve joblessness, and what's more, were made in one large payment rather than a month-by-month dole-out, like an awaited paycheck.

That includes the people who don't file income taxes because they are on the dole. Welfare mom with four kids by four different fathers gets an extra check each month, every month, as apparently does the freshly arrived illegal alien using the kid to get into the country illegally. As for the taxpaying young single worker trying to make ends meet, well, he's "rich" by Democrat logic, so he doesn't "need" one. His job is to pay for it.

Besides the sheer divisiveness of this latest stimulus payout, perhaps the bigger issue is why Democrats are doing it at all. Cui bono?

Take the timing for starters. The hugely political timing here is that it seems to be a Democrat measure to undercut the mostly Republican governors who are ending extra unemployment benefits in order to normalize their economies out of COVID. Is paying others not to work at a time when jobs are open all over the place really the smart economic answer? Employers are crying out for employees now, and states are scrapping their jobless extra benefits to get things back to normal and fill those jobs. How is it "pro-worker" to pay money to people who don't work? How is it "pro-family" to create dependency on the government dole? And how much of this cash is going to end up in, say, Nigeria? Fraud on these government handouts to large groups of people already has been astronomical, and pretty much nothing has been done to stop it.

The CBS report notes that the real intention of this measure is to get voters used to a "universal basic income" and then come to view working for a living as optional. Having a huge welfare population is optimal for winning Democrat votes. Beggars, see, are easier to please, for one. Yet a universal basic income has been tried in socialist places, and proven a socialist failure everywhere -- Finland tried it and scrapped it most recently, and such news never stops Democrats.

The other scheme we see from these measures is the making of these handouts permanent, and along with it, dependency. COVID forever, or if no COVID, at least COVID handouts. There's a reason these stimulus payments are recurring monthly, at least through the end of the year, instead of one big $3,600 payout -- it's to get people dependent and expectant and waiting impatiently for their next one. According to one television news report, the payouts are set to go through 2025, just in time for Democrats to regain what is likely to be their loss of control of Congress in 2022 so that they can then extend it again.

It's Democrat politics for the few -- but all done with your money. If taxpayers tolerate this coming corruptionfest with other people's money as winners and losers are picked, they'll hasten the day that the Democrats run out of it, that other people's money, as Margaret Thatcher put it. At that point, they're not going to like what they're going to get from it. But Democrats at that point will be content with their permanent power.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License

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The idea of exploiting children for environmental activism has been around long before Greta Thunberg, who, in Sweden at age fifteen, became the face of "climate change."

I first became an environmental activist at the age of eleven, thanks to the encouragement of my sixth-grade teacher. Our class indoctrination began with the fabricated crisis of the day, the "Population Bomb." The book of the same name was written by Paul Ehrlich.

Back in 1970, Ehrlich was venerated. His famous book forecasted that the Earth's population would overtake its resources and the '70s and '80s would see worldwide famine and other disasters. Of course, this terrifying prediction did not come to pass, and his theory was proven incredibly wrong. In spite of this, Ehrlich is still revered by "enlightened" alarmists, convinced that man's very existence on Earth is the most threatening problem facing us today.

Not only were billions of people going to starve from overpopulating the planet they so unfairly occupied, but the use of certain chemicals that man needed to clean his clothes was going to destroy the very source of food that was increasingly in short supply. Yes, phosphates added to popular laundry detergents were toxic to the globe. According to our teacher, phosphates were perhaps an even greater danger to our survival, and we had to do something to stop it!

How eleven-year-old children could stop the use of phosphates was something our teacher apparently didn't think through; nonetheless, we were given the option one day of leaving school early to attend a demonstration on the matter or staying in class and doing nothing for the cause. We chose the former.

The class gathered at the site of the insidious origin of the phosphate crisis: our local supermarket. I had the advantage of living two blocks from the store, a "Waldbaum's" supermarket, where I shopped for the family groceries for my mother as part of my household chores. The founder of the food chain, Mrs. Waldbaum, was a kind old lady whom I knew quite well. She greeted every shopper upon entry and exit with her welcoming smile and kind words. She remained active in the business despite her advanced years, and everyone liked her.

Our teacher led the demonstration/boycott outside my neighborhood Waldbaum's and handed out signs. As we marched outside the store, news cameras arrived at the scene. Our teacher had arranged for a Channel 7 Eyewitness News Team to record the events. We would all be on the six o'clock news! How exciting!

My fellow students and I were also fairly vocal, having been given catchy slogans to scream out in our youthful, earsplitting voices! Mrs. Waldbaum abandoned her perch at the storefront and approached our teacher. "Why are you doing this to my store?!" she asked, adding, "I have no control of what the manufacturer puts in their products! Why don't you protest outside their plant?!"

To this, our teacher calmly replied that it was much easier to protest here rather than having to take the class to New Jersey. Mrs. Waldbaum was livid. "What? You are punishing me because it's convenient?!"

The cops soon arrived and agreed with the wise old Mrs. Waldbaum. Our class demonstration was indeed illegal, the policeman admonished. We were ordered to leave immediately. Mrs. Waldbaum kindly said goodbye to all the children as we quietly left the premises.

Phosphates were eventually removed from detergents by most manufacturers in the U.S., although the benefit to the environment is debatable. This is because phosphates make cleaning products more efficient, and they are not directly toxic to the environment. It has been alleged that they cause an overgrowth of algae in rivers and lakes. Without their use, our clothes and laundry wastewater are dirtier.

Unfortunately, you still get a large amount of phosphates in commercial food products, which are directly toxic to your body. No protest or movement has been started calling for their removal from what we eat.

Image: Xomiele.

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It would never have occurred to me to call John Bolton "naive" on anything, let alone the Iran nuclear "deal," but his recent Newsmax interview left me puzzled. This was not because Ambassador Bolton changed his position on the "deal"  after all, it was during his stint as President Trump's national security adviser that the U.S. pulled out, and clearly, his views of the danger of the deal did not change one bit. What astonished me was his reading of Obama's and Biden's motives for getting into the "deal" in the first place. It struck me as unbelievably naive, and it was strange to hear this truly hard-nosed observer of the world talk this way.

According to Bolton:

"Although [Obama/Biden] don't like to say it publicly, [the deal] rests on the assumption that if they could just calm the Ayatollahs down and convince them that they don't need to worry about the United States and Israel, they can solve the nuclear program, Iran will behave like a normal nation, and sweetness and light will break out in the Middle East. "It really is a fantasy, and it's a dangerous fantasy." President Joe Biden's pushing to resume JCPOA talks  after former President Donald Trump decertified it  is an "extraordinarily dangerous" way to stem nuclear proliferation, Bolton added to host John Bachman. "They think it was working, and they're just completely wrong on that," Bolton said. "They have no idea how flawed the deal is, and they see it as something that can be a model really for their nonproliferation efforts around the world, and it's extraordinarily dangerous. Israel sees it. The Gulf Arab states see it. They do not."

Speaking of assumptions, it is clear that John Bolton's assumption that Obama and Biden "have no idea how flawed the deal is" is based on yet another assumption  that Obama and Biden were actually trying "to stem nuclear proliferation." Only then does Bolton's indignation at Obama/Biden naivete makes sense.

But consider a different motivation for striking a "deal" with Iran in which America granted legitimacy to Iran's nuclear project in exchange for a fifteen-year hiatus in the production of the actual weapon: the desire to push this assumed eventuality past the Obama, and his follower's administration (which was assumed to be Hillary Clinton's). Assuming that Iran's drive to get nuclear weapons was unstoppable, Obama decided to buy fifteen years of quiet at the expense of granting acceding to Iran's nuclear program. The entire deal is based on the notion that Iran's nuclear bomb is inevitable. Else, the "deal" makes zero sense. By the Obama/Biden logic, Iran was to get the bomb anyway  so why not push it to fifteen years later, when it would fall into another, and likely Republican, administration's lap?

In other words, non-proliferation was never on Obama/Biden's mind; that Iran would get a bomb was a foregone conclusion, as evidenced by Obama's rhetoric that its nuclear knowledge could not be unlearned and that the only alternative to a "deal" was a war.

So no, Mr. Bolton  Obama and Biden have an excellent idea of "how flawed the deal is," and they aggressively went for it precisely because they were not at all trying "to stem nuclear proliferation." They gave up on blocking Iran's bomb, accepting it as a future fait accompli.

People on the presidential level are not stupid. It was to their advantage to pretend that they were trying to prevent Iran's atom bomb and try to fool the public  but Mr. Bolton does not need to play their game, responding to Obama/Biden's laughably childish excuses in kind, as if he takes them seriously. We should not accept their frame of reference or their terms of discourse. Rather than pretend they care for non-proliferation and lament their naivete, we should call a spade a spade  and unmask the pretenses of Obama/Biden's "deal," showing it to be the obvious game of smoke and mirrors that it is. Mr. Bolton should certainly be able to see through it.

Photo credit: Michael Vadon, CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

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Well, maybe Laurel will put down the weights someday and aspire to be a "birth-ing" person. After all, doesn't every person want to birth a baby?

We are talking about Laurel Hubbard, the newest triumph for those who tell us they are on the right side of history. Check this out:

A New Zealand weightlifter  who has competed in men's events in the past  will become the first transgender competitor to qualify to be on the country's women's weightlifting team for Tokyo 2020. "I am grateful and humbled by the kindness and support that has been given to me by so many New Zealanders," Laurel Hubbard, 43, said in a statement, according to the BBC. The report pointed out that in 2015, the International Olympic Committee changed its rules to allow transgender athletes to compete as long as their testosterone level is below a certain level and maintained for a year. The determining criteria  a maximum reading of 10 nanomoles per liter of testosterone  is as least five times more than a biological woman.

Who cares about biology or the fact that men are stronger on balance? Laurel is on the right side of history, and his female opponents are not. It's all about being on the right side of history!

Who is going to tell the thousands of women who've been training for years? Who is going to tell them that some guy is going to grab their trophy because he is a man competing as a woman?

Where are the feminists when we really need them? They are repeating the party line that biological sex does not matter or that people can choose it.

Yesterday, we had lunch with a friend who knows a lot about Catholic schools. He told us that boys and girls compete as boys and girls in their respective areas. He also said there was no bathroom debate at the Catholic schools, much to the relief of the parents.

Sorry, Laurel, but you ain't no girl!

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: Pixabay.

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Citing experts at the Meedan Digital Health Lab, Reuters Fact Check vigorously asserts that the spike proteins induced by the COVID vaccines do not kill or damage cells.

Perhaps so, but something from the vaccines is causing deformations and apparent inflammation in red blood cells, as evidenced by images from microscopy photos. Images of blood cells taken before and after the vaccines can be seen starting about two minutes into the five-minute video. Postvaccine red blood cells exhibit rough instead of smooth edges, irregular shapes, and grouping together over time which is described as the beginning form of thrombosis, or blood clots. More research is needed to determine exactly what is causing these cell deformations.

There are also numerous tiny white particles in the photographs which are presumed to be lipid nanoparticles (LNP). The delicate mRNA fragments from Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are encased in LNP, which serves to protect the mRNA from disintegrating before it can do its job in our bodies. Pfizer conducted a biodistribution study where they injected rats with bioluminescent RNA-encapsulated LNP and found that the LNP had traveled not only beyond the injection site, but throughout the circulatory and immune systems, and had accumulated in virtually every organ in the body.

Meanwhile, Spain and Russia are reportedly advising citizens to avoid air travel if they have been vaccinated for COVID-19. Its common knowledge that flying frequently, especially on long-distance international flights, can cause blood clots, but talk about mixed signals! Whats next? Non-vaccination passports? The takeaway here ought to be that whether or not someone gets vaccinated should be a personal decision and that the practice of forcing people, especially students and younger adults, to get vaccinated, should be abandoned.

Image: Pixabay

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Two University of Virginia professors  Manuela Achilles and Kyrill Kunakhovich  taught a history course this spring that reportedly portrays American conservatives as fascists. They weren't being hyperbolic. They really meant it.

In their analysis, the wellspring of fascism is not worship of the all-powerful, totalitarian state  which conservatives totally reject  but the traditional American virtues of family and patriotism.

I first learned of this class from a young friend of mine. Here is her description:

Recently, I enrolled in a fascism class thinking it would be a great way to weed through the constant accusations that politicians make about who is fascist and who is not. The class started out great. We studied Hitler and Mussolini and other fascisms in Europe, then moved to Asia to look at Japanism, but the more the course progressed, the more I was confused about what fascism actually is. My professors chose to leave fascism undefined and allow each student to come to their own conclusion. That seems pretty reasonable, right? I thought so, too. That is, until we started a unit on American fascism. All of a sudden only conservatives were fascist, only Christians could be racist, only Trump supporters could be violent. The professor argued that traditionalists, those with a rural past, constitutionalists, and those who "fetishized patriarchal masculinity" were all hallmarks of fascism. Essentially, anyone with the slightest bit of conservative thought is now akin to Adolf Hitler. The scary thing about it was not just that we were being taught lies, but rather that at first it made perfect sense. I could see how "American fascism" aligned with Nazi Germany and Mussolini's Italy. After going back through the material we had previously studied that semester and doing outside research, I realized just how much information had been left out. Nowhere does the course mention that Nazi means "national socialist." Nowhere do we dive into how exactly Mussolini amassed as much power as he did (through a SOCIALIST agenda). The professor informed us only of aspects of European fascism that seem applicable to the American political atmosphere. We are under the impression that we are coming to these conclusions ourselves, but when all of the information is cherry picked for us, there is no true reason occurring, it is indoctrination. Is Trump a fascist, or only a demagogue? A demagogue or just dangerous? Nowhere in the course did we study the dangerous progression of the leftist socialist agenda and how often that turns into the harshest form of fascism. I was lucky. Given my background and the natural hesitation in accepting everything that comes out of professors' mouths, the disinformation was clear to me. Others might not be so lucky.

Reading included John Stanley's recently published book, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. "In all fascist mythic pasts, an extreme version of the patriarchal family reigns supreme," Stanley writes. "Further back in time, the mythic past was a time of glory of the nation, with wars of conquest led by patriotic generals, its armies filled with its countrymen, able-bodied, loyal warriors whose wives were home raising the next generation. In the present, these myths become the basis of the nation's identity under fascist politics."

Along the same lines, a guest speaker showed a graphic to students depicting joyful young gays and lesbians joining forces standing against mean old American Fascism.

Another work from the class, Yale lawyer James Q. Whitman's Hitler's American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law, pits the reader squarely against middle America, and especially against supporters of President Trump. In an interview with Salon staff writer Chauncey Devega in 2017, Whitman likens the victory of Trump's supporters to Nazi Germany.

Needless to say, a book that was not on the reading list was Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, from Mussolini to the Politics of Change, which traces the doctrinal and emotional roots of 21st-century progressivism to early 20th-century fascism.

Instruction at the University of Virginia is less and less about education and more and more about indoctrination, which to me, sounds kind of...what's the word I'm looking for? Oh...fascist.

Image: Alan Myers.

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When last we paid attention to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D. R.I.), he was the leftist crudely arguing during Amy Coney Barretts confirmation hearing that she would wipe away healthcare for millions. You know his politics when you learn that he was No. 18 on the 2020 list of hardest left Senators. (If youre wondering, Kamala Harris was No. 2, right behind Bernie Sanders.) It turns out, though, that this vicious, uber-leftist senator is a member of Rhode Island beach club that was formerly Whites-only  a status in effect when he was a member. So yes, we have found the systemic racism in America and itsSenator Whitehouse!

Heres the story, nicely summarized at the New York Post:

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is facing new scrutiny over his decades-long membership in an allegedly all-white private beach club, as he bills himself as a progressive and prominent critic of systemic racism  dismissing membership based on race as a long tradition in Rhode Island. The controversy began when Whitehouse (D-RI) was confronted Friday by a GoLocal Providence reporter, who published the video along with an article on Saturday detailing what occurred after asking about the senators membership at Newport-based Baileys Beach Club, part of the Spouting Rock Beach Association. I think the people who are running the place are still working on that and Im sorry it hasnt happened yet, the progressive pol told the reporter after being asked of the clubs lack of any diversity whatsoever. Asked if such clubs should continue to exist at a time when the country is having a racial reckoning, Whitehouse replied, Its a long tradition in Rhode Island, and there are many of them.

Its really not a good defense to say that its okay that you belong to a club thats racist because its always been racist. Moreover, its weak sauce to say that the people who are running the place are stilling working on that racism when (a) all you have to do is say we will no longer engage in racism which has been illegal since 1964 and (b) Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse is one of the clubs three major shareholders. Whitehouse claimed in 2006, when he first ran for office, that he had disavowed the membership but, unless he and his wife have entirely separate assets, hes just moved his membership under her name.

To do justice to the club, the New York Post reports that senior spokeswoman Meaghan McCabe said that the country club was not all-white, but declined to provide further information or proof. Whitehouse also said that the club has Black members; he just doesnt know any of them. (So, the old some of my best friends are black defense wont work for him.)

Of course, the drive-by media instantly circled the wagons to protect Whitehouse from his association with a club that had a long racist and that only now seems to have some unknown non-White members. For a little perspective, remember that actress Ellie Kemper was forced to apologize for the fact that, when she was 19, she was a pageant princess for an organization that had been desegrated decades before.

Other people who dont have power in the Senate were also lambasted for long-ago associations or thoughtless words. Whitehouse, though, is not being castigated but is, instead, being offered the opportunity to defend himself. This Twitter thread lays it all out. (Hat tip: Twitchy.)

So @washingtonpost  the tones of these headlines are very revealing. pic.twitter.com/tnsQHZHrDh  Amy Sushi Girl Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) June 21, 2021

Kemper is forced to apologize for the racist past of an organization that integrated long ago.



Whitehouse hid his *ownership* in an exclusive all-white club after vowing to leave, and the media is now finding nuance in what all-white may mean.  Amy Sushi Girl Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) June 21, 2021

A kid says something stupid and racist 10 years ago and his adult life is ruined by the media. Hunter Biden uses the n-word frequently as an adult and the media just pic.twitter.com/h8cQhpzK74  Amy Sushi Girl Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) June 21, 2021

The bias is so obvious and brazen. The media doesnt care about race. Or sexism. Or homophobia.



They care about power, and about elevating to and preserving power the people with the correct political views.



No matter how racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted.  Amy Sushi Girl Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) June 21, 2021

Because they all could be used to damage Republicans. It didnt matter they were all terrible people.



Politics is priority for media. And politics is poison.  Amy Sushi Girl Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) June 21, 2021

Theyll jump on any story to breathlessly prove how racist we are and when, invariably, that story is a hoax, theyll shrug and mumble something about furthering dialogue.



Jussie Smollet ad nauseam.  Amy Sushi Girl Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) June 21, 2021

But real, actual racism?



Nah.



They dont care because its inconvenient to point out the perpetrators of such racism are usually leftists and Democrats.  Amy Sushi Girl Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) June 21, 2021

I suspect that, like most leftists, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse doesnt give a flying whatsit about racism or the BIPOCs (Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color). The ostensible concern about race is, instead, just a means to an end. Leftists like Whitehouse live in their wealthy segregated neighborhoods (although theyll welcome people like Patrisse Cullors because ideologically theyre in sync) while calling the rest of us racists and grabbing our money for their power.

IMAGE: Sheldon Whitehouse (cropped). YouTube screen grab.

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Based on official data from Open VAERS and the CDC, 5,993 Americans have died out of 146,171,792 Americans who are fully vaccinated as of June 11. This corresponds to a ratio of about four deaths out of 100,000 who are fully vaccinated.

When VAERS death rates are compared with COVID-19 vaccination rates from December to June, an odd pattern emerges: Vaccine-related deaths decline just as vaccination rates reach their peak in April (Graph 1). This implies that the VAERS death rate started at 18 per 100,000 on the 1st of February, then dropped to around 3.1 per 100,000 on the 1st of June (Table). If this remarkable trend really took place, why didnt it make headlines?

Graph1: Comparing VAERS death rates by month with overall vaccination rates from December 2020 to June 2021. Vaccination rates were provided by the CDCs COVID Data Tracker. Death rates were provided by VAERS.

Date in 2021 Cumulative VAERS deaths Cumulative Fully vaccinated Calculated Deaths per 100K Fully Vaccinated February 1 1,395 7,617,413 18 March 1 2,577 29,435,446 8.8 April 1 3,679 63,676,884 5.8 May 1 4,232 110,085,143 3.8 June 1 4,375 139,242,635 3.1

Table: Comparing VAERS death rates per 100K vaccinated over time. The vaccine death rate was calculated by dividing VAERS deaths per month by the total vaccinated. Cumulative total vaccinated was provided by the CDCs COVID Data Tracker.

Silicon valley inventor/entrepreneur Steve Kirsch claims inside sources told him the true death count is 25,800 and that the CDC has been reclassifying most vaccine-related deaths. These are serious accusations and given the ubiquity of anonymous sources spreading fake news, it is unwise to relay this information unless it leads to citable evidence.

Fortunately, Kirsch did not only cite an anonymous source. He also provided instructions for accessing these hidden deaths from the CDC at the 20:20 time mark of this video. Following these instructions, I downloaded the CDC file and found that the unclassified death rate trend coincidentally follows the vaccination trend with remarkable consistency (Graph 2).

Graph2: Comparing unclassified death rates by week with overall vaccination rates from December 2020 to June 2021. Vaccination rates were provided by the CDCs COVID Data Tracker. Death rates were provided by the CDCs Weekly Provisional Counts of Deaths by State and Select Causes.

If values prior to December (left bar in Graph 3) are subtracted from values December to June (right bar in Graph 3), the number of excess unclassified deaths is 32,060. This is comparable to Steve Kirschs difference of 25,800 (My calculation may be higher because I downloaded the data a few days after Kirsch posted the video).

Graph3: Total unclassified deaths before and after vaccine availability. Death rates were provided the CDCs Weekly Provisional Counts of Deaths by State and Select Causes.

A total of 32,060 vaccine-related deaths from December to June comes out to a death rate of 21 per 100,000 fully vaccinated. This is almost the same as the VAERS death rate recorded for the beginning of February (Table). Is this another coincidence?

For the sake of argument, lets suppose a massive number of people reporting these unclassified deaths were unsure if their loved one had died from the vaccine, so they avoided reporting to VAERS in fear of being prosecuted for the federal crime of false reporting. How could the CDC have failed to notice this trend in unclassified death?

For the sake of argument, lets suppose that after February the CDC started relocating massive number of vaccine-related adverse events to another database to ensure their vaccination drive proceeded without interruption.

Occams razor favors the second scenario, but either way, the CDC has a lot of explaining to do.

Antonio Chaves teaches biology at a local community college. His interest in economic and social issues stems from his experience teaching environmental science. His older articles with graphs and images are available here.

Images: Antonio Chaves

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If you thought that Iran could not get more extreme, think again. It just did. Remember the name Ebrahim Raisi. He is the new leader of Iran.

His ambitions were clear for decades. He marks himself out from the rest by wearing a black turban. This is significant. It is a personal statement, as well as a commitment of faith, in which he declares himself (wrongly) as a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad. In other words, his words, his orders, come from Allah himself.



Photo credit: khameni.ir.

He is omnipotent.

He was there, as a student, demanding the overthrow of the Shah of Persia in 1979 that led to the Islamic Revolution.

After the Revolution, he joined the judiciary and became the deputy prosecutor in Tehran at the age of 25.

In that capacity, he sat as one of four judges in a secret tribunal set up in 1988 that became known as the "Death Committee."

This committee of judges retried political prisoners who had already been sentenced, but instead of commuting their sentences, they decreed death on what human rights groups have described as thousands of men and women.

After execution, they were buried in unmarked graves.

After Ayatollah Ali Montazeri, considered a moderate, complained about the mass executions, calling them "the biggest crime in the history of the Islamic Republic," he lost his position as the successor of Khomeini. That went to hardliner Ayatollah Khamenei, who became supreme leader after Khomeini's death.

Raisi went on to serve as the chief prosecutor of Tehran before becoming the State Inspectorate Organization head and later in 2014 the Iranian prosecutor general.

In 2016, he became the custodian of Iran's most influential religious foundations, the Astan-e Quds-e Razavi, the wealthiest organization in Iran, a multi-billion-dollar domestic empire, with holdings in real estate, construction, agriculture, energy, telecommunications, and financial services, according to the United States.

Although, as judiciary chief, he reduced the death sentences of people sentenced for drug-related crimes, the number of executed political prisoners increased.

Iran continues to execute more people than any other country except for China.

Despite running on a campaign "to fight poverty, corruption, humiliation and discrimination," the recent election was shadowed by the disqualification by the hardline Guardian Council of several prominent moderate and reformist candidates.

In protest, the turnout was a low 49%, but Raisi won 62% of the vote, winning eighteen million votes.

This new position as president of Iran places him in a leading position to become the overarching supreme leader of the Islamic Republic when Ayatollah Khamenei dies.

A 130-page report, written by the London-based human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, Q.C., details how, during the killing spree of Raisi's "Death Commission," people were hung from cranes "four at a time, or in groups of six with ropes hanging from the front of the stage in an assembly hall."

In Israel, a Haaretz analysis called Raisi "An Executioner Fond of the Gallows," pointing out that he preferred hanging to shooting political prisoners because it took longer to die.

Raisi said Iran's ballistic missiles program is "non-negotiable."

The introduction of Raisi as Iranian president should force naive Western leadership to remove their blinkers and look at Iran as it really is and what its future intentions really are, and to stop pussyfooting around the issue.

Barry Shaw, senior associate at the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.

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Housed in glass cases in the basement of Sansevero Chapel in Naples, Italy, are two extraordinary exhibits. Called anatomical machines, they are two skeletons, one belonging to a man and the other to women. Draped over their bones is an intricate maze of veins, arteries and capillaries that crawl all over the skeletons legs, arms, skulls and ribs. For centuries it was rumored that the veins and arteries were real and the two figures were murdered to have their circulatory system preserved by some trick of alchemy.

Photo: get directly down/Flickr

The figures were commissioned by Prince Raimondo di Sangro, and realized by Giuseppe Salerno, an anatomist from Palermo, around 1763. Legend has it that Salerno had, under the Princes direction, injected a mysterious embalming substance into two of his servants while they were still alive which caused their blood to turn into metal, perfectly preserving their circulatory system after death. In reality, the blood vessels were constructed using metal wires, colored wax and silk, but their reproduction is so accurate that even modern scientists believe that experiments with injections on victims might have been performed prior to reconstruction.

If there was someone who was capable of such experiments, it was definitely Raimondo di Sangro. An alchemist and inventor, Sangro developed a method of mixing fireworks with different chemicals to produce an array of colors: turquoise, citrus yellow, the yellow of orange, the color of milk, and the red of rubies. He organized pyrotechnical theaters where he produced varied patterns and outlines of temples, architectural vistas, huts and fountains using fireworks alone. His fireworks also produced whistling tunes that reminded of birds singing.

Raimondo di Sangro

Once in his lab, Sangro accidentally set fire to a substance, which ignited continuously for more than three months without the slightest reduction in weight. The details of Sangros perpetual lamp is now lost, although he did reveal that it contained grounded human bones. He knew how to fake precious stones like lapis lazuli, jasper and even diamonds that were indistinguishable from the real thing. Sangro produced a paste which when hardened looks like marble.

Of course, a man with such talent inevitably attracted rumors. People said that Sangro could extract blood from manure, that he could resurrect plants, insects and small animals from their ashes, and that he had people killed so that he could use their bones and skin for experiments.

Some part of the princes mystique comes from superstitious rumors of murder and black magic; others come from the flattering myths that he himself spread. But both sources, positive and negative, center around one image: a gifted man on the threshold between life and death, capable of both killing and resurrection. This is perhaps most clear in the legend of di Sangros death, which recounts that before di Sangro died, he had himself hacked into pieces and placed in a chest. But the chest was opened too soon, while the pieces of the body were still welding together. He awoke for an instant, tried to rise, then shrieked and fell to pieces once again. Amelia Soth, The Anatomical Machines of Naples Alchemist Prince, JStor

The anatomical machines in Sansevero Chapel originally contained a third skeleton, that of a fetus, located at the feet of the woman. The woman was apparently pregnant when she died, probably in child birth, and Sangro had her skeleton along with that of her unborn child preserved. The fetus was unfortunately stolen in the 1990s.

Photo: Sansevero Chapel Museum

Photo: Sansevero Chapel Museum

Photo: Sansevero Chapel Museum

References:

# Anatomical Machines, Sansevero Chapel Museum

# Wikipedia

# Amelia Soth, The Anatomical Machines of Naples Alchemist Prince, JStor




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Frank Buck is the author of Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders. "Global Gurus Top 30" named him #1 in the Time Management category for 2019, 2020 and 2021. Dr. Buck speaks throughout the United States and internationally about organization and time management. You can reach him through his website: FrankBuck.org. Follow him on Twitter @DrFrankBuck.
PARIS - Now that in France there is no longer a mask mandate outdoors nor a curfew, thousands of French citizens celebrated the annual national Fete de la Musique outdoor music festival without complying with social distancing or health measures, while the regulation prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people was completely ignored.



Nantes, in the country's west, saw clashes and vandalism, while in Paris, police had to intervene in various places in the centre and along the Seine to disperse crowds of thousands of young people.



Police in Paris intervened on multiple occasions at the Hotel de Ville and Les Invalides to disperse crowds, while the banks of the Seine were crowded with thousands of revellers.



In Nantes, the celebration deteriorated almost immediately, with clashes between police and demonstrators who were protesting against the 2019 death of a young man who fell into the Loire during a police operation.



Law enforcement used tear gas and significant damage was reported on the streets in the centre.



In Annecy, in the country's south, local media reported "scenes of revolt" in the city.



In various cities in the country's north, such as Rennes, as well as the country's central area (Tours), the music fest was cancelled due to storms.
BRUSSELS - The European Council draft conclusions document, which has been obtained by ANSA, strengthens efforts on migration by foreseeing roadmaps with objectives and concrete action steps for partnerships with migration countries of origin and transit.



"The European Council invites the Commission and the High Representative, in cooperation with Member States, to present action plans for priority countries of origin and transit" of migration "in autumn 2021, indicating objectives, further support measures, and concrete timeframes", said the draft document, which is subject to further modifications.



In the draft, the European Council also calls on the Commission to use other instruments, in addition to at least eight billion euros (10%) of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), to finance action on migration.



"The Council invites the Commission to make the best use possible of at least 10% of the NDICI financial endowment, as well as funding under other relevant instruments for action on migration, and to report back to the Council by November," the document said.


MADRID - The Spanish government, during a cabinet meeting, approved partial pardons for the nine Catalan separatist leaders who were jailed after a secession attempt in 2017, said the Spanish government, confirming an announcement on Monday by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.



Prior to the vote, the centre-right People's Party, the liberals of Ciudadanos, and the extreme-right Vox party had already announced to Spanish media that they would bring legal action to block the government's initiative.



However, Spanish public television said the parties' appeal attempts would likely be unsuccessful in the Spanish Supreme Court, the court that has jurisdiction over the Catalan leaders.



According to the court's doctrine, the only appeals that are admissible are those with "legitimate interests", a condition which is difficult to recognise in this case for political parties.



The Spanish government believes the pardons it has granted are untouchable from a legal point of view, reported Spanish daily El Pais.


Weddings, memorials for loved ones and holidays have all been hit hard in England by Scotlands travel ban on the Manchester region.

Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said his office had now received more than 50 emails showing the pretty significant impact on individuals and businesses since the ban on non-essential travel from Salford to Manchester was announced on Friday.

It added to a pre-existing ban on travel to Bolton in the region.

Mr Burnham said his office had now received more than 50 emails citing examples of people affected. These included: one person, due to marry at Gretna Green in early July and tour Scotland on honeymoon, has had to cancel the event, costing them 500.

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Another family was due to visit north of the border to scatter the ashes of a loved one but have had to shelve their plans.

A group of walkers from Greater Manchester, who have all been double-jabbed are currently in Scotland and are now unsure what travel arrangements to make.

An elderly couple from Bolton, both double-jabbed, who have not seen their grandchildren for two years and have had to cancel their visit to a holiday cottage in Scotland and left 2,000 out of pocket.

And one hotel in Greater Manchester has reported the loss of 200 room nights.
A former church warden jailed for the murder of a university lecturer following a campaign of physical and mental torture has lost a bid to challenge his conviction at the Supreme Court.

Benjamin Field, 30, killed Peter Farquhar, 69, in order to inherit his house and money after driving him to think he was losing his mind following a period of gaslighting.

Field, of Wellingborough Road, Olney, Buckinghamshire, was ordered to serve at least 36 years behind bars in October 2019 after being found guilty of Mr Farquhars murder following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.

In March, the Court of Appeal dismissed Fields appeal against his conviction and his minimum jail term.

On Tuesday, Lord Justice Fulford, one the judges who rejected the appeal, refused to grant permission for Field to take his case to the UKs highest court.

University lecturer Peter Farquhar was killed by Benjamin Field (Thames Valley Police/PA)

At a brief hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Lord Justice Fulford said: We decline to certify the suggested point of law of general public importance for consideration by the Supreme Court.

At his trial, Oxford Crown Court heard Field secretly gave Mr Farquhar drugs and spiked his whisky, hoping that his eventual death at his hands would look like suicide or an accident.

It was only when Field began targeting Mr Farquhars neighbour, Ann Moore-Martin, in the village of Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, that his wicked scheme began to unravel.

The sexually promiscuous Field also manipulated Miss Moore-Martin, a deeply religious retired headteacher, by writing messages on her mirrors purporting to be from God.

He admitted fraudulently being in relationships with the pensioners as part of his plan to get them to change their wills.

Mr Farquhar, who was torn about his sexuality because of his religion, died in October 2015 while Miss Moore-Martin died in May 2017 from natural causes.

Church warden Benjamin Field admitted being in a fraudulent relationship with Ann-Moore Martin (Thames Valley Police/PA)

Field underwent a betrothal ceremony with Mr Farquhar while also having a string of girlfriends and was in a sexual relationship with Miss Moore-Martin, who was 57 years his senior.

Ms Moore-Martin gave him 4,000 to buy a car and 27,000 for a dialysis machine.

Field admitted two counts of burglary and three of fraud before his trial for murder.

He was found not guilty of conspiracy to murder Miss Moore-Martin and an alternative charge of attempted murder. He was also found not guilty of possession of an article for use in fraud.

Two psychiatrists said Field was either suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder or a psychopathic personality disorder.

Sentencing Field, Mr Justice Sweeney said he lived by deception and deceit and had been a well-practised and able liar.

Psychiatrists told the court Benjamin Field was either suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder or a psychopathic personality disorder (Thames Valley Police/PA)

You further admitted how you could manipulate and manoeuvre people, however sceptical they may have been, to achieve your ends without ever asking them to do so directly, he said.

You were, you accepted, a snake talker, as you were able to build pressure on your victims to believe what you needed them to believe and then to do whatever you needed them to do.

The evidence at trial clearly demonstrated grandiosity, a sense of superiority towards others, the exploitation of others to achieve personal gain, the need to belittle and humiliate others, fixation on fantasies of power and success, intelligence, a need for admiration from others, and a sense of entitlement together with an unwillingness to empathise with the feelings, needs and wishes of others.

The judge said that Field murdered Mr Farquhar by covertly giving him drugs and getting him to drink strong whisky and then, if it was necessary, finished him off by suffocating him in a way that left no trace.
A rare moth will be the focus of a survey carried out by conservationists over the next month, the Bristol Zoological Society (BZS) has said.

The silky wave moth will be observed during its flight season, which takes place from June to early July, in the Avon Gorge  the only place in England they can be found.

The gorge, which runs for 1.5 miles along the River Avon, is home to an array of species  and the white-winged moths are said to be crucial to understanding the surrounding habitat.

Dr Jen Nightingale of Bristol Zoological Society searches for silky wave moths in Avon Gorge (BZS/PA)

A team of moth counters will set out on specific mornings in the coming weeks with walking sticks which they will use to lightly tap the paths to get the moths to fly and then each one will be tallied.

First discovered in the area in 1851, moth numbers only began to be monitored on an ad hoc basis from 1992 until 2011 when the Bristol Zoological Society officially took over the annual monitoring of the site.

Last year, the yearly search for the moths went ahead under Covid-19 restrictions, and 342 of the insects were recorded during the species peak flight week.

Dr Jen Nightingale, the charitys UK conservation manager, said: It is a little bit of a mystery why they are in this gorge and not in any others.

This is the tenth year weve been surveying on a rigorous basis for the silky wave and its so important because how this species is faring tell us so much about how the other species and habitats in this very special, important, unique area are also doing.

We have a duty to ensure their survival into the future.
The Scottish Government plans to move out of Covid-19 restrictions on August 9 if possible, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, she said changes to current restriction levels in Scotland will be postponed until July 19.

The First Minister said on that date it is hoped all of Scotland can move to the lowest level of restrictions, Level 0, three weeks later than initially planned on June 28.

She said increasing case numbers are behind the delay, after 2,167 cases were recorded in Scotland in the past 24 hours  the highest daily figure since January 8.

However, she set out a series of vaccination milestones and said if these and other criteria are met the majority of restrictions could be lifted by August 9.

She said: Our assessment  on balance and assuming we meet the necessary conditions on vaccination and harm reduction  is that it would be possible and proportionate to lift the major remaining legal restrictions on 9 August.

We will consider and make a final assessment nearer the time of whether  as we hope  this could include the lifting of the legal requirement to physically distance indoors as well as outdoors.

She said the Government would not immediately recommend a return to office working when all restrictions are lifted.

Instead, she said the Government would work with business as Scotland enters Level 0  planned for July 19  to devise a phased plan for the return of staff to offices.

Easing restrictions will depend on vaccination progress, the First Minister said (Jane Barlow/PA)

She said: While recognising that a return to the workplace will be right for many, we will encourage continued support for home working where it is possible and appropriate.

This wont just assist with control of the virus, it will also help promote well-being more generally.

However, I think many would agree that, as a general principle, home-working should be more possible post Covid than it was before.

Guidance for weddings and funerals will be also changed, with some minor easing of the rules taking place on Monday, 28 June.

This will include wedding staff no longer counting towards the cap on attendees, and the fact those accompanying the couple down the aisle will no longer need to wear face coverings.

For funerals, people from more than one household will also now be allowed to carry a coffin or take a cord when lowering it.

CHanges for weddings were also announced (Brian Lawless/PA)

More substantial changes for weddings and funerals will take place on July 19, when the cap on attendees rises to 200 people.

The First Minister also spoke about the Governments review of physical distancing, which was published on Tuesday.

This would remove the need for outdoor physical distancing on July 19, while moving the indoor requirement to one metre.

Depending on vaccination progress, it proposes removing all legal physical distancing requirements on August 9.

However, the First Minister said some basic mitigations, such as regular hand-washing, surface-cleaning and good ventilation, would continue beyond the August 9 date.

She said: Of course, while this is a longed-for moment, it is important to recognise that we still have a difficult path to navigate over the next few weeks to meet these milestones and, even assuming we do, the pandemic will not be completely over at this stage.

As our Strategic Framework Update paper sets out, basic mitigations will still be required, as we move through summer and into the autumn, when we face the risk of a further resurgence in cases.

Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, asked the First Minister about other mitigations which would be required beyond August 9.

She said there may still be advice around physical distancing, even if it was not a legal requirement.

Ms Sturgeon said: If youre with somebody whos not fully vaccinated, if youre with somebody more vulnerable, if youre in a place where the ventilation is not particularly good, it would make sense to continue to pay attention to a safe distance to people that are not in your close contact group.
Nicola Sturgeon is due to set out what life in Scotland will look like under the lowest level of coronavirus restrictions.

The First Minister is to make an announcement at Holyrood on Tuesday as part of the latest review of the route map out of lockdown.

She said last week it was unlikely that any area would see restrictions eased on June 28  the date it had been hoped all of Scotland would move into Level 0 restrictions.

Ms Sturgeon previously said this move would likely be delayed by three weeks.

The Scottish Government will also publish a review on Tuesday of physical distancing requirements, along with a paper which Ms Sturgeon said would set out what we hope life will look like beyond Level 0  as we get to the point where we can lift all, or virtually all, of the remaining restrictions.

This level, the lowest in Scotlands five-tier system, is only currently in place in the island authorities of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, with all mainland areas having either Level 1 or Level 2 restrictions applied.

Ms Sturgeon previously told MSPs: Given the current situation  and the need to get more people fully vaccinated before we ease up further  it is reasonable to indicate now that I think it unlikely that any part of the country will move down a level from June 28.

Instead, it is likely that we will opt to maintain restrictions for a further three weeks from June 28 and use that time to vaccinate  with both doses  as many more people as possible.

Doing that will give us the best chance, later in July, of getting back on track and restoring the much greater normality that we all crave.
Moving on from the past. Selena Gomez didnt hold back when it came to discussing the lessons she learned from her dating life.

Read article

I think most of my experiences in relationships have been cursed, Gomez, 28, recently told Vogue Australia. Ive been way too young to be exposed to certain things when I was in relationships. I guess I needed to find what was that word for me, because I felt so less than in past relationships, and never really felt equal.

The singer explained that her love for the word rare, which has now inspired a song, a tattoo and her makeup company, came from personal growth.

Selena Gomez: I Never 'Felt Equal' in My 'Cursed' Past Relationships

So that word to me  when I first heard it  I just said this is what I want to feel about myself, she explained. So it wasnt even necessarily like: Oh, I feel that way, let me sing it. It was almost like: Actually, I need to feel that way about myself.

Read article

Gomez dated Justin Bieber on and off from 2011 to 2018. She was also romantically linked to The Weeknd in 2017.

Since then, the Disney alum told the magazine that she is now surrounded by real people, and reflected on the development she would like to see for herself from here.

Im just really happy with who I am. Im grateful that as I step into 29  even just two years ago  I was different, she said. Its only gotten better, and thats kind of what people say, you know, when you get older, you feel a bit more confident with who you are. I dont know if thats gonna be every year for me. Maybe it is. But I just feel like Im constantly growing in the right direction.

Read article

This isnt the first time that Gomez has talked about her personal life and how it inspired her creative projects.

None of what Im doing now would have stemmed from the mindset I had before, the Texas native told The Newsette in November 2020. My best stuff is happening now. And then the greatest thing ever in my music was Lose You to Love Me.  I remember I had a moment where I couldnt believe it because the first and second day, the reactions were crazy, and I remember I smiled and I was like, Thats why its worth it. All of these years of confusion and being in love and all of this stuff  and it was finally a clean slate. And it wasnt even because everyone liked it; it was just a realization of why I went through everything I went through.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday and one expert argued that the Kremlin has some leverage when it comes to the relationship between the two world leaders.

Biden needs Putin more than Putin needs Biden, Elisabeth Braw, resident fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, told Yahoo Finance Live (video above). Biden needs Russia to at least behave in a less aggressive fashion because Bidens biggest national security challenge is China  its no longer Russia.

Biden mentioned a U.S. preference for stability when he told reporters: "President Putin and I share a unique responsibility to manage the relationship between two powerful and proud countries  a relationship that has to be stable and predictable."

US President Joe Biden (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin meet for talks at the Villa La Grange, Geneva, on June 16, 2021. (Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS)

Russia has increasingly isolated itself with various actions in recent years despite a struggling economy. The country has faced international sanctions since its 2014 annexation of Crimea, a peninsula in Ukraine that has Soviet connections, and the ongoing slow-burning war in eastern Ukraine that began after the invasion. The U.S. imposed further sanctions after a Russian campaign to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

At the same time, Putin remains geopolitically opportunistic: Germany and Russia recently agreed to finish the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will send Russian gas to Europe without passing through war-torn eastern Ukraine. Russia also continues to host former NSA contractor and outspoken U.S. government critic Edward Snowden since he flew from Hong Kong to Moscow in June 2013.

"Biden and the West in general, needs Russia to at least not be as aggressive as it has been up to now," Braw said. "Biden can really only plead with Putin."

Putin, for his part, has denied involvement in recent destabilizing activities that included a cyber-espionage campaign targeting software company SolarWinds and ransomware attacks on U.S. businesses by Russia-based criminal groups.

"I think there was no hostility," Putin told reporters on Wednesday. "Quite the contrary ... both of these sides showed a willingness to understand one another and to find ways to bring our positions closer together."

US President Joe Biden (L) meets with Russian President Valdimir Putin at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva on June 16, 2021. (Photo by DENIS BALIBOUSE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by DENIS BALIBOUSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Braw noted that Putin also doesn't want the U.S. to interfere "in what he considers... domestic matters," which include the relationship with close Russian ally and neighbor Belarus and the treatment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Belarus has faced international condemnation since August 2020, when protests erupted after a fraudulent election when long-time ruler Alexander Lukashenko refused to step down. Russia has backed Lukashenko's crackdown efforts, including a fake bomb threat that forced a Ryanair plane to make an emergency landing in the Belarusian capital of Minsk so that the country's KGB security services could detain a prominent anti-Lukashenko blogger. (The U.S. sanctioned Belarusian officials amid the post-election crackdown and condemned the Ryanair incident.)

Navalny was poisoned by Russian intelligence officers in August 2020, almost killing the Russian opposition leader. Russia then imprisoned Navalny in a notorious penal colony when he returned from live-saving treatment in Germany.

"I told him human rights is always going to be on the table," Biden told reporters on Wednesday when asked about Navalny. "How could I be president of the United States of America and not speak out against the violation of human rights?"



Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

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The Education Department (ED) is discharging $500 million in student loan debt held by 18,000 borrowers who had been defrauded by now-defunct for-profit chain ITT Tech, a sign that the Biden administration is working to address the borrower defense backlog.

Our action today will give thousands of borrowers a fresh start and the relief they deserve after ITT repeatedly lied to them, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. Todays action is part of the Biden-Harris Administrations continued commitment to stand up for borrowers when their institutions take advantage of them."

The action applies to certain borrowers who had filed for borrower defense, which students with federally-backed debt can apply for if they think a college or career school education misled them "or engaged in other misconduct in violation of certain state laws," according to the ED's Federal Student Aid office.

"Many of these borrowers have waited a long time for relief, and we need to work swiftly to render decisions for those whose claims are still pending," Cardona stated. "This work also emphasizes the need for ongoing accountability so that institutions will never be able to commit this kind of widespread deception again.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during a roundtable discussion at Mercy College on June 14, 2021 in the Pelham Bay neighborhood of the Bronx borough in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Borrower defense applications surged after the Obama administration cracked down on predatory for-profit colleges in 2015 and created new regulations, but the mechanism for defrauded borrowers seeking debt relief broke down during the Trump administration. (ED noted that Wednesday's announcement is the "first approval of a new category of borrower defense claims by the Department since January 2017.")

"This is good news ... it represents a crack in the door and some of our clients are finally starting to see daylight trickling through," Eileen Connor, legal director at the Project on Predatory Student Lending, who represents various former for-profit students in various ongoing lawsuits, told Yahoo Finance.

As of December 2020, according to ED data obtained by Yahoo Finance, 208,486 borrower defense claims were unresolved while more than 100,000 other claims were "resolved" by being systematically denied during the Trump administration. It's unclear if the Biden administration will re-adjudicate any claims found to be improperly denied.

"This is good news for 18,000 borrowers who have waited too long, and it appears the Biden Administration genuinely wants to help people who are owed discharges, Alex Elson, vice president and co-founder of Student Defense, an advocacy group, told Yahoo Finance. "But that makes it all the more confounding that they are so hesitant to use their authority to immediately and automatically help the countless additional borrowers who are still waiting."

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'We cannot ask these borrowers to wait another day'

ITT Technical Institute filed for bankruptcy in 2016 and shut down all campuses, affecting 149 locations and roughly 40,000 students, amid lawsuits and investigations over alleged predatory lending practices.

According to an ED official who requested anonymity to discuss details of the announcement, the 18,000 ITT students seeing their loans discharged were identified based on their "individual borrower defense application" and evaluated based on "accompanying evidence" in addition to "any relevant information in records in EDs possession and in submissions from the school, as well as any other information obtained in connection with the fact-finding process."

Evidence was provided by agencies including the Iowa Attorney General's Office, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Veterans Education Success.

"To date, ED has approved more than 18,000 claims from former ITT students, but our work continues to evaluate additional claims from former ITT students and students from other institutions," the official added.

The latest action cuts through about 72% of the ITT borrower defense claim backlog. The agency will start notifying borrowers of their approvals "in the coming weeks," according to the official, and then work to discharge $500 million in loan balances.

An ITT commercial. (screenshot)

In a press release, ED stated that ITT "made repeated and significant misrepresentations to students related to how much they could expect to earn and the jobs they could obtain after graduation between 2005 and the institutions closure in 2016."

ED also found that ITT "misled students about the ability to transfer their credits to other institutions from January 2007 through October 2014. The Department found that credits rarely transferred and borrowers made little to no progress along their educational journey, yet were saddled with student loan debt as a result of their time at ITT."

Yan Cao, senior fellow at the Century Foundation, noted that an additional 25,000 borrower defense claims have been filed since the start of the Biden administration and stressed that the ED "needs to pick up the pace" on providing relief to defrauded borrowers.

"Come September, it will be five years since ITT filed for bankruptcy and that is also when student loan collection is slated to restart," Connor said, referring to the end of the pandemic pause on federally-backed loan payments. "We cannot ask these borrowers to wait another day or pay another dollar toward loans that never should have been made in the first place. We need more from the Department of Education on borrower defense and we need it fast."



Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

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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.
ARVADA, Colo. (AP)  A gunman is believed to have shot and killed an officer and another person in a shopping district in a Denver suburb Monday before being fatally shot by police, authorities said.

An officer responded to a call at 1:15 p.m. about a suspicious incident near the library in the city of Arvada, and about 15 minutes later, a 911 call came in about shots fired and the officer hit, Deputy Chief Ed Brady said at a news conference. The officer who was killed has been identified as Gordon Beesley, a 19-year Arvada department veteran, police said later Monday, according to The Denver Post.

Another person believed to have been shot by the gunman was taken to a hospital and died, police said. The attacker also was shot and killed.

Authorities didn't immediately describe the circumstances of the shooting but said no one else is believed to have been involved.

Earlier, police said there were two suspects.

The shooting occurred in Olde Town Arvada, the citys downtown district with shops, restaurants, breweries and other businesses. Its listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of downtown Denver.

It comes three months after a gunman opened fire and killed 10 people, including a police officer, at a supermarket in Boulder, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Arvada.

People line the street with flags during a procession in honor of an officer who was fatally shot in Arvada, Colo., Monday, June 21, 2021. A gunfight between two men and police officers at a shopping district in a Denver suburb left an officer and one of the suspects dead, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Colleen Slevin)

The Arvada officers death, just the third in Police Department history, was especially painful after the mass shooting in nearby Boulder, Arvada Mayor Marc Williams said. Arvada police helped respond and investigate that attack, he said.

This is by far the saddest day for our Police Department, Williams said.

The mayor said he was in his car in the area shortly before 2 p.m. when literally I saw 11 police cars with their flashing lights and sirens on race past me. I knew something serious had happened. I didnt know how serious.

Arvada resident Brady Turner said he was pulling into the Army and Navy store in the area when he noticed police cars driving in behind him and a person on a stretcher being put into an ambulance in between the parking lot and the store. He said he took off in his car.

I just got out of there, Turner said.

About five minutes later, he heard gunshots near the library about a block away.

Arvada closed its City Hall and canceled a City Council meeting to provide resources to investigators and other first responders. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a statement expressing his condolences to the officers family and friends, while the Colorado State Patrol tweeted: All our love to the @ArvadaPolice and the family, blood and blue, of their fallen officer. We stand with you.

Police vehicles drove behind a hearse carrying the body of the slain officer to the Jefferson County coroner's office, and some residents lined a street with flags to watch the procession.

John Garrod of Arvada held a black and white flag with blue stripes at the beginning of a line of about 30 police cars before the procession, a flag he hangs outside his house whenever an officer is killed. His son, brother-in-law and nephew are all in law enforcement, he said.

It breaks my heart whenever this happens but especially when it happens so close to home," Garrod said. These are the same officers I wave to when I am walking my dog."
(Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court on Monday put on hold a judge's ruling this month to overturn California's 32-year-old ban on assault weapons.

A three-judge panel in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez's June 4 order, after California officials had appealed the federal judge's decision to strike down the ban on assault-style weapons.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who had appealed against the decision to overturn the ban, said the state's assault weapons laws would remain in effect while appellate proceedings continue.

"We won't stop defending these life-saving laws," Bonta said https://bit.ly/3xFCQ6q on Twitter.

Benitez, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, had overturned the ban, describing it as a "failed experiment" and prompting scathing criticism from the state's governor and attorney general.

In the order, Benitez had said the California ban was in violation of the Second Amendment rights of the state's citizens. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees citizens the right to bear arms.

Gun control is a politically divisive subject in the United States, which has for decades experienced a significant number of deadly mass shootings at schools and other public places.

California's prohibition on the sale of assault weapons since 1989 was challenged in a 2019 lawsuit against the state's attorney general by plaintiffs including James Miller, a state resident, and San Diego County Gun Owners, a political action committee.

California became the first state to ban assault weapons in 1989 after a school shooting that killed five children. Six other states and the District of Columbia have an assault weapons ban in place, according to the gun safety group Giffords.

The 9th Circuit judges on the panel issuing the stay were Barry Silverman, an appointee of former president Bill Clinton; Jacqueline Nguyen, a Barack Obama appointee; and Ryan Nelson, an appointee of Donald Trump.

(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru)
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Rana is sought in India in connection with his involvement in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack

Washington: A federal US court is all set to hold on Thursday an in-person extradition hearing of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

A team of officials from India is believed to have arrived in the US for the proceedings that will take place in a federal court in Los Angeles.

US District Court Judge in Los Angeles Jacqueline Chooljian in her order on April 5 had moved the in-person extradition hearing of 59-year-old Rana to India from April 22 to June 24.

The United State government, in multiple submissions before the court, has made a declaration in support of the United States' Surrebuttal in Support of its Request for Certification of Extradition.

Rana is sought in India in connection with his involvement in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack.

Rana, a childhood friend of prime convict David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10, 2020 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

He has been declared a fugitive by India.

Headley, 60, was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack. Rana has opposed his extradition to India, arguing that he has already been convicted by a US court in Chicago.

The United States government asserts that the premise of Rana's argument is incorrect because the Indian substantive charges are not considered lesser included offenses of their conspiracy charges.

As per the India-US Extradition Treaty, the Indian government has requested the formal extradition of Rana, and the United States has initiated this extradition proceeding. The US government has argued that Rana meets all the criteria warranting certification of his extradition to India.

These are: the court has both personal and subject matter jurisdiction, there is an extradition treaty between the United States and India that is in full force and effect, and the crimes for which Rana's extradition is sought are covered by the terms of the treaty.

In his previous court submission on February 4, Rana's attorney had argued that Rana's extradition is barred under Article 6 of the United States-India extradition treaty because he had previously been acquitted of the offences for which his extradition is sought, and under Article 9 of the treaty because the government has not established probable cause to believe that Rana committed the alleged offences.
The announcement came after PAGD leaders met at Abdullah's Gupkar Road residence to discuss the Centre's invitation

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Farooq Abdullah addresses a press conference along with his son Omar Abdullah, People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, People's Conference president Sajjad Gani Lone and others after meeting of signatories to the Gupkar declaration. (Photo: PTI/File)

Srinagar: The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) will attend the all-party convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alliance chairperson Farooq Abdullah said on Tuesday.

The announcement came after PAGD leaders met at Abdullah's Gupkar Road residence here to discuss the Centre's invitation.

The leaders of the constituent parties, including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami, arrived at the residence of Abdullah, who is also the National Conference president, at 11 am.

Over the past two days, Jammu and Kashmir's political parties held intra-party discussions.
Skin reactions due to the mRNA vaccines for Covid manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna have also been reported in the US

Dermatologists in Delhi and Mumbai said these cases are very few no major skin complications have been seen in people post vaccination. (Photo: Representational)

New Delhi: From inflammatory rashes to scaly patches, skin-related complications have been reported in some people after Covid vaccination, but the number of such cases so far is "very miniscule" to make a direct correlation, say dermatologists.

While fever, body ache and weakness are common reactions in response to vaccination, doctors said a few people, after getting the jabs, have also complained of skin or other dermatological issues.

At some of the leading hospitals in Delhi, skin-care specialists said some people, from the initial days to a couple of weeks since vaccination, have visited the facilities after exhibiting complications.

However, dermatologists in Delhi and Mumbai said these cases are very few and far between and no major skin complications have been seen in people post vaccination, so they "should not hesitate" to get themselves inoculated against Covid.

Dr Nidhi Rohtagi, Senior Consultant, Dermatology at the Fortis hospital, Vasant Kunj, said post-Covid dermatological complications have been reported in many cases, but post-vaccination skin issues are being seen too, but the percentage of such cases is "very miniscule".

"I have seen a couple of cases so far at our hospital. One male and and one female had developed skin reactions after a few days of vaccination. They had no known history of dermatological issues," she said.

"We prescribed topical steroids and after applying it, it disappeared in some days. So others should not worry. Covid vaccination is safe and these complications have been reported in such a small number of vaccinated people that one cannot directly link the two," Rohtagi said.

For people with a prior history of skin allergy and complications, in some cases, those could be getting triggered again, so a skin doctor should be consulted after vaccination if any dermatological issues crop up, experts said.

When a vaccine shot is administered, the immune system activates, preparing the body to recognise and combat the virus in the future. This immune response and the inflammation that goes with it can sometimes result in a rash, experts said.

Mumbai-based dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon Dr Sonali Kohli said, "I have come across a couple of cases of dermatological complications, including of hair loss, but that generally happens two-three weeks after vaccination."

However, such cases are very few and hence, "no concrete conclusion can be drawn that there is a direct correlation between vaccination and the skin complications seen thereafter".

In the case of adenovector vaccines, authorised for emergency use in India, the immune response system is "artificially triggered".

"In some cases, these could lead to an exaggerated immune response and depending on the body condition of the persons, may exhibit skin complications like rashes," Kohli said.

The dermatologist, however, said it does not mean that a person who suffers from such complications is weaker compared to those who did not after vaccination.

"Our bodies react differently to different vaccines, and it is also possible that skin complications could be the result of something else and just happened to coincide with the post-vaccination timing," she said.

Asked what are the red flags for a vaccinated person as far as skin complications are concerned, Kohli said if in the first 48-72 hours, someone feels there is itching, hives, any swelling in the oral cavity like lips or inside the mouth, or fluid-filled blisters have erupted on large parts of the skin, it should be reported to a doctor.

"Soreness and dryness on the site of the injection is not a red flag, it could just be immediate hypersensitivity reaction due to a component in the vaccine and will subside," she added.

Skin reactions due to the mRNA vaccines for Covid manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna have also been reported in the US. But Kohli said the efficacy level of these vaccines is also very high.

Dr D M Mahajan, Senior Consultant, Dermatology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in Delhi, said a couple of post-vaccination skin complication cases have been reported at the hospital.

"One person had white rashes on his body and he came to us. He was put on some medicine and it subsided," he said.

Mahajan said vaccination is a way of introducing a "calculated infection" to induce a "protective immunological response against Covid".

"So our body reacts to the vaccine as the fighting mechanism is prepared to kick in," he said.

The number of cumulative COVID-19 cases in Delhi stands at over 14.32 lakh and more than 14 lakh patients have recovered from the infection, according to official data.
India can expect even less sympathy (and no support!) from ASEAN, whose collective trade with China jumped last year to $731.9 billion

Indias embattled government cannot draw much comfort from US President Joe Bidens promise (or was it a threat?) to lead an alliance of global democracies against the worlds autocracies, with specific reference to the challenge that Comm-unist China presents.

But then, does the government at all feel embattled? Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcements, bland when not boastful, suggest that all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds. Evidence to the contrary can be brushed aside, as Mr Modi has told us that neither have they (the Chinese) intruded into our border, nor has any post been taken over by them. Why then the defensive rhetoric, the emphasis on security in a region that we are flattered to note has been dubbed the Indo-Pacific? Why, too, the Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, with the United States, Japan and Australia which everyone, the Chinese especially, see as countering Beijing?

True, 20 of our jawans were martyred in hand-to-hand combat with the Peoples Liberation Army in eastern Ladakh. But we can gloat over the revelation that those who dared Bharat Mata, they were taught a lesson.

Were they? Mr Modi has no doubts. India is so mighty that no one can eye even one inch of our land. Its the Chinese who should quake in their boots for Indias armed forces have the capability to move into multiple sectors at one go. It would be interesting to hear what defence officials have to say about that. Or diplomatists. Or the external affairs minister, with his experience of Beijing where he represented India from 2009 to 2013.

Far from indulging in braggadocio or inviting ridicule, Mr Biden used his first official overseas trip to mobilise support against his countrys two main perceived adversaries. Problems with Russia revive the Cold War postures that were briefly laid to rest during Mikhail Gorbachevs time. But China, whose all-powerful ruling Communist Party is celebrating its centenary next month and which has now sent three astronauts into orbit to become the only country to own and run its own space station, is seen as the real threat of the future. Of course, China rejects the view of North Atlantic Treaty Organi-sation leaders that its rise presents systemic challenges for the world. When Jens Stoltenberg, Natos secretary-general, levelled that charge in Brussels, China promptly accused Nato of slandering its peaceful development. Being committed to a defensive defence policy, China did not present systematic challenges to anyone but would not sit by and do nothing if systematic challenges come closer to us.

Echoes of the arguments that preceded the first Opium War (18391842) between Qing China and Britain can be heard all over again. Then, the British reported that the Chinese hoped there would be much talkee-talkee before fightee-fightee. This time round its the West that appears to be sending pacific smoke signals even while the defiant talk gets louder.

The main reason why there might not be any serious friction after all lies in the disclosure that in the last few weeks, top Chinese and US trade and treasury officials have engaged in a series of virtual chats on the business of doing business. China has invested substantially in British companies as well as public utilities. The US, the European Union and Japan are among Chinas biggest trade partners, with exports and imports totalling more than $1,660 billion. Neither side will easily risk that.

India can expect even less sympathy (and no support!) from Asean, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose collective trade with China jumped last year to $731.9 billion, making Asean Chinas largest trading partner for the first time while China remained Aseans largest trading partner for the 12th successive year.

Vietnamese or Filipino grievances in the South China Sea or Malaysias complaint about Chinese military aircraft intruding into its Exclusive Economic Zone are not likely to be vigorously or collectively pursued when trade registers seven per cent growth.

China has also redefined aid to make it an integral feature of about 60 developing countries that can expect $500 billion from Beijing over the next few years, while President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative could mobilise $1 trillion of Chinese state financing. Conventional aid plays only a marginal role in Chinas commerce-is-development vision of growth as articulated by Justin Yifu Lin, a former World Bank chief economist and author of the book Going Beyond Aid. More than 100 countries have joined BRI projects, of which there were more than 2,600 costing $3.7 trillion in mid-2020. Beijing says that the Covid-19 pandemic has seriously affected about 20 per cent of them.

The G-7 representatives whom Mr Biden met in England at the start of his European mission enthusiastically supported his Build Back Better World (B3W) Partnership, an alternative to the BRI, and promised to collectively catalyse hundreds of billions of dollars of infrastructure investment. While Chinas focus is on big-ticket projects in traditional infrastructure  like Sri Lankas $1.4 billion Hambantota Port  Mr Bidens plan will focus on climate, health and health security, digital technology, gender equity and equality. That doesnt suggest direct competition. But the commitment to rally the worlds democracies to meet the challenges of dictatorship, human rights abuse and forced labour identifies the target easily enough.

These are worthy aims in keeping with the lofty vision of the nation whose Marshall Plan rescued Europe from the ravages of World War II. But they are not of as much gripping interest in war-torn Yemen or famine-stricken Somalia as the BRIs promised ports, highways, airports and dams. Whether or not the promises will be kept is another matter but the hope generates at least initial support.

Various factors make India the odd man out in this contest for hearts and minds. It cannot promise lavish help like the BRI or B3W. It doesnt brandish an ideological banner like the United States. So far as anyone knows, the dispute is only over territory, and rocky, inhospitable, uninhabited terrain at that. And if Indias Prime Minister is to be believed, there is no aggression either.

So, what are we fighting about? And why do we need the Quad?
Limited ATV use could be coming to Nelsonville soon
This 1975 Norton Commando 850 carries a four-stroke 828cc parallel-twin mill, which packs a compression ratio of 8.5:1 and twin Amal carbs with 32 mm (1.26 inches) throttle bodies. The air-cooled powerplant is mated to a four-speed transmission, and produces a respectable 60 hp at approximately 5,900 revs per minute.The gearbox is connected to the rear 19-inch wheel via a chain final drive, enabling the Commando s oomph to translate into a top speed of 115 mph (185 kph). Furthermore, the British gem can run the quarter-mile sprint in 14.4 seconds at 90 mph (145 kph). Its powertrain goodies are nested inside a twin downtube steel cradle frame that rests on telescopic forks at the front.On the other hand, rear suspension duties are handled by dual Girling shock absorbers, while stopping power comes from a single 272 mm (10.7 inches) brake disc and Norton Lockheed calipers on both ends. When equipped with all the necessary fluids, the bike will tip the scales at 519 pounds (235 kg). Long story short, its fairly safe to say this machine is the quintessence of old-school British engineering.Lets cut to the chase. This articles photo gallery will reveal an unmarred 1975 Commando 850 thats currently looking for a new place to settle. To be a little more concise, the vintage treasure you see here is up for grabs at no reserve until Wednesday, June 23. If youre starting to get excited about this whole ordeal, we urge you to visit Bring a Trailer and place your bid as soon as possible.For the time being, youd need just over $7,000 to become the top bidder, but were expecting that figure to rise before the auction comes to an end. The Commando was blessed with a modern battery, refurbished carburetors, and new bearings, along with fresh fluids and larger battery cables as of 2018. Now, we think youve got some solid reasons to check this thing out.
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The lineup will grow to include the recently unveiled G70 Shooting Brake, but before that happens, the stylish wagon will celebrate its public premiere at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed.The Genesis G70 Shooting Brake will sit under the sun at the British auto event scheduled to run between July 8 and 11, and will prove its mettle on the famous hill climb, accompanied by its sedan andsiblings, in what is said to be the first manufacturer convoy of its kind.A challenger to the likes of the long roof versions of the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the 2021 G70 Shooting Brake has an identical footprint to its sedan counterpart, yet it offers more cargo area behind the rear seats. It also shares its interior design, getting the same dashboard layout and tech features.In terms of power, it has been reported that only the 2.0-liter four-banger, with 249, and 2.2-liter diesel, producing 199 HP, will be offered in Europe, as due to the stricter emission regulations, the 365 HP 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 wont be available at all.Also, while the all-wheel drive system is optional in the G70 sedan, the G70 Shooting Brake might get it as standard, though this is pure speculation at this point.Subsequent to its L.A. presentation earlier this year, the Genesis X will cross the pond to greet Europeans in a premiere. The electric GT concept will turn heads at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed too, and with a little bit of luck, we will find out whether it actually previews a future Genesis product or not.
The 2020 international health crisis has brought about many related bad, terrible developments, from businesses shuttering permanently to mass lay-offs and massive financial losses. The travel industry was one of the hardest hit, with the aviation segment marking 2020 as the worst year ever in history, bar none . The aviation industry will need at least five years to get to where it was before the health crisis, and thats under an optimistic scenario.Things are looking up, though. The spring of 2021 brought several eased restrictions, including international travels, which probably means youre thinking about heading somewhere for a summer vacation. You can do this two ways: either the same way youve been doing it under lockdown (meaning, traveling by car, bike, or moto to a location close by) or by plane.A recent CNBC report notes that worldwide travelers have become more sensitized to the issue of sustainability when traveling, mostly due to their inability to do so anymore. Put it differently, barred from traveling great distances, travelers have finally started to pay more attention to the environment near them and explore it accordingly.That sounds like great news. Sustainable travel is just one way to offset some of the effects of climate change, so yay for us, right? Not really, no. The same report cites a second study on travel behavior, which reveals that, unsurprisingly, the same tourists who are game for sustainable travel are not so game when it costs them extra money. An extra charge for carbon offsetting on the price of their plane ticket, along with higher costs for sustainable lodging and public transport are instant deal-breakers for the same tourists who declare sustainable travel a priority.It seems like were stuck in place, at least based on the findings of these two small studies: we want sustainable travel but only as long as it doesnt inconvenience us in any way, either financially or otherwise. Not traveling at all on sustainability considerations is not a possibility either, so what is there that we could do to make a difference?The answer is simple. Sure enough, we need solutions , and we need them to be quick and with a worldwide application, but that doesnt exclude starting small. While airlines are still in the planning stage for achieving net zero on carbon emissions sometime down the line, each traveler can make a change on their own.As James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Group, a travel company specializing in sustainable tourism, tells the same media outlet, the smallest change can make a difference, even if its not instantly quantifiable or observable in the grand scheme of things. Why wait for a big change when we can pave the way for it by doing our bit?Traveling responsibly is not about making sacrifices or staying home, he says. Its about planning trips carefully so that youre able to enjoy the experience you seek, while leaving a positive footprint in the destination youre visiting.If you think about it, this isnt breaking news: its common sense. So spare just one more thought during your vacation planning stage . Travel by train or other, more eco-friendly means of transport whenever possible instead of flying, use local resources and use them responsibly, whether for public transport or accommodations.That said, have a fun 2021 summer, be responsible, and never stop exploring!
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It is not clear yet how the new GTV will be. The ideas range from a classic two-door coupe to a four-door coupe to compete with the likes of Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4. The car could also be offered as an electrified vehicle  possibly a plug-in hybrid  instead of a pure electric car. Considering the pace of the electric transformation, it will only have a combustion engine if Stellantis has no other option.The GTV is not the only classic Alfa Romeo nameplate Stellantis wants to bring back. We may soon see a replacement for the Mito and the Spyder as well, but that depends on making the brand profitable again.To get there, Alfa Romeo now counts on the Tonale , anthat will be presented in 2022. It will occupy the void left by the Giulietta in the C-segment and compete with the likes of the Nissan Qashqai. In 2023, Alfa will present a B-segment SUV internally called Brennero. It will use the SLTA Small platform  a development of the CMP architecture currently used by all small cars from Stellantis.The GTV and larger Alfa Romeo vehicles will get the SLTA Large platform, which will have elements of the Giorgio platform. This excellent architecture will die because it was not prepared for electrification, but Stellantis wants to preserve part of what made it brilliant in the SLTA Large.For all the alfisti in the world, the deal is not only to save the brand but also to make the Cuore Sportivo beat as it used to do in the past. An Alfa Romeo vehicle worth its badge has to be fun to drive. If Stellantis manages to deliver that, they will finally have some peace of mind.
You might have never heard of Nebula Project AG, but you certainly know Aston Martin . Both companies joined forces to develop the Valkyrie hypercar . In 2016, when Aston Martin did not have the money to engineer its masterpiece, Nebula backed the idea by underwriting the project and handling some Swiss customers deposits. Now, Aston Martin is accusing Nebula of holding these deposits to a sum that reaches more than 10 million ($14 million).
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If you want the newest representative of the high-performance sedan bunch, then Audis RS7 is basically out of the question. So, that leaves us with the extreme 2021 BMW M5 CS and the fastest luxury vehicle on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the Mercedes-GT 63 S 4-Door Coupe. They both seem to battle in the same league, as far as the specification sheet is concerned.In one corner of the high-performance automotive ring, we have the AMG. Its that dont call it a sedan that recently went through a bit of a refresh that no one will probably notice. And it comes to the Autobahn acceleration test party of the V-Max Germany YouTube channel with its handmade 4.0-liter V8 engine hooked to a nine-speed automatic transmission. It is capable of churning out 639 PS (630 hp) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft), enough for a sprint to 100 kph (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds and a maximum speed of 315 kph (196 mph).On the other side, we have the lighter and more powerful BMW M5 CS, which has the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine going for itself, as well as an eight-speed automatic. Together, they deliver 635 PS (626 hp) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) to the wheels, ready to rock the heavens with a sublime jump to 100 kph (62 mph) in just 3 seconds and a top speed of 306 kph (190 mph).Now, with these models being quite hard to come by and the Autobahnalthough with portions that feature no speed limitsstill open to regular traffic, its only understandable why these high-performance monsters werent filmed together. Instead, the folks behind the channel organized a spliced speedometer acceleration race to no less than 290 kph (over 180 mph).As such, we could see for ourselves which of them was the quickest, provided we have the means to make out anything from a result that looks as close as a split-second photo finish. As far as we can tell, before the video cuts out quite abruptly, we could make out the M5 CS has a slight advantage as it hit 289 kph (179.57 mph) against the AMG GTs 288 kph (178.95 mph) speed after just 25.81 seconds of acceleration...






Luckily, the



The Duster will be available in AWD as well as 2WD ( FWD ), depending on the buyer's choice and the engine selected. The former can only be had together with the diesel dCi 115 option or the gasoline TCe 150 one, both restricted to a six-speed manual transmission.







Somewhat counter-intuitively, AWD versions are actually worse prepared for going off-road in terms of ground clearance (214 mm/8.4 inches for the 4x4, 217 mm/8.5 inches for the FWD) and departure angle (33 compared to 34), but it's still the obvious choice for anyone looking to leave the comfort of the road regularly.



The highlight of the engine range is a gasoline/LPG hybrid called ECO-G 100 that offers a total fuel capacity of 100 liters (50 gasoline, 50 LPG) and a maximum range of 1,235 km. Considering LPG is also dirt-cheap compared to gasoline, it basically replaces the diesel option (still available, though) as the budget-friendly choice for those who tend to put high mileage on their vehicles.



At this point, the casual observer is probably waiting for the Bigster to arrive and for On the inside, you're looking at redesigned seats for improved ergonomics (one of the main complaints of the original Duster was its very poor seating position) and new fabrics, but most importantly, an 8-inch touchscreen governing the center of the dashboard. However, just like with previous models, it still seems to sit a bit too low, forcing the driver to take the eyes away from the road for longer than it's probably safe to do.Luckily, the Duster also comes with a surprising set of safety features, including blind-spot warning, cruise control, hill descent and hill start assist, parking sensors, and even a multi-view camera for that 360-degree view around the vehicle. The latter will come in useful both in tight mall parking lots and during the off-road outings the Duster is decently equipped for.The Duster will be available inas well as 2WD (), depending on the buyer's choice and the engine selected. The former can only be had together with the diesel dCi 115 option or the gasoline TCe 150 one, both restricted to a six-speed manual transmission.The 2WD TCe 150 is the only way to go for an automatic shifter, a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox that Renault calls EDC. The funny bit is Dacia goes through the trouble of explaining how dual-clutch trannies work in the press release, showing how much of a novelty this is for Dacia buyers.Somewhat counter-intuitively, AWD versions are actually worse prepared for going off-road in terms of ground clearance (214 mm/8.4 inches for the 4x4, 217 mm/8.5 inches for the FWD) and departure angle (33 compared to 34), but it's still the obvious choice for anyone looking to leave the comfort of the road regularly.The highlight of the engine range is a gasoline/LPG hybrid called ECO-G 100 that offers a total fuel capacity of 100 liters (50 gasoline, 50 LPG) and a maximum range of 1,235 km. Considering LPG is also dirt-cheap compared to gasoline, it basically replaces the diesel option (still available, though) as the budget-friendly choice for those who tend to put high mileage on their vehicles.At this point, the casual observer is probably waiting for the Bigster to arrive and for Dacia to complete its transition toward this new identity. That means people won't care too much about the facelifted Duster showing up. For the EU budget SUV buyer, though, it is probably the best piece of news they could have received. The only downside is they'll have to wait until September, which is when Dacia will commence deliveries.

In other words, Dacia isn't just the essence of any vehicle but a modern one. The facelifted Duster follows that exact trend by offering just above the bare minimum a moderately pretentious buyer would be looking for in their new 2021 purchase. And it all starts with the exterior design.Renault is on a quest to make Dacia its more stylish, outdoorsy, and adventurous brand, leaving Lada to fill the gap left open by the ascent of the Romanian company. It has recently introduced a new visual identity for the brand and, while we're yet to see the new logo make its debut on the actual vehicles (that will only happen next year), the press release and media website already feature the much more contemporary-looking logotype.Being only a facelift, the modifications on the 2021 Duster's front and end are not exhaustive, simply sprinkling a bit of stylishness instead. The changes focus on bringing the Duster more in line with the current-gen Sandero and Logan models, and the best place to see it is in the headlightsmore specifically, their LED signature. And speaking of LEDs, the Duster gets LED low beam and indicators for the first time. Please note the bold paint color used (called Arizona Orange) for the model's launch as well.
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Ok, a little more info ahead of November specification release! The top Fisker Ocean Extreme will have dual motors with a combined power output of a over 400 KW (+545 HP)! -#Fisker #love #EVs #power #ESG #4WD pic.twitter.com/IKjhUboqE1  Henrik Fisker (@henrikfisker) June 21, 2021

According to Henrik Fisker, the Ocean will have a derivative called Extreme with one motor per axle. Apart from being anvehicle, it will also offer more than 400 or 545 hp.Thats obviously not the entry-level Ocean, which will cost $37,499 in the U.S. without government incentives  yet to be redefined by the Joe Joe Biden administration  and less than 32,000 in Germany, but only after including taxes and subsidies.Fisker said the Ocean will be made with recyclable materials and will have a focus on sustainability. Is it not clear if the vehicle will keep the dimensions Fisker revealed at the CES 2020. According to the company, it would be 4.64 meters (182.7 inches) long, 1,93 m (76 in) wide, and 1,62 m (63.6 in) tall.The company also disclosed that thewould be able to carry 566 liters (20 cubic feet) of cargo in the trunk. Removing the parcel shelf helps the driver accommodate up to 708 liters (25 cubic feet) there, while folding the rear seats allows the Ocean to carry 1,274 liters (45 cubic feet) of whatever the owner wants. We have the impression that those measurements will change a bit when the final car is revealed.At the CES 2020, Fisker also said that all Ocean derivatives would be AWD apart from the entry-level. They would present more than 225 kW (more than 300 hp), and the ultra-high-performance version would go from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in less than 3 seconds. Would that Ocean be the Extreme? Well have to wait for the Los Angeles Auto Show to confirm  or for Henrik Fiskers following tweets.
Brace yourself  in the next few years, the innovative 8-seat electric aircraft known as eFlyer 800, will be coming both to the U.S. and Europe. North American flight operator Jet It and its European counterpart, JetClub, are the official launch customers for Bye Aerospaces latest and largest aircraft. Jet It representatives believe that electric propulsion is, indeed, the future of air travel, and that sustainability must be one of the pillars of business travel.Private travel is where all-electric, zero-emissions options can prove to be effective, affordable and sustainable And this is where the eFlyer 800 comes in. Announced as the first electric propulsion-based aircraft that is capable of twin-turboprop performance, with some of the lowest operating costs, estimated at one fifth of standard twin turboprops operating costs, this jet could be the answer for sustainable private travel in the years to come. Innovative aircraft of this type can usually be too expensive or not powerful enough, but this model seems to have it all.With a cruise speed of up to 320 knots and a 500 nm range, the eFlyer 800 is a powerful and reliable electric jet , which has enough room for 2 pilots and 7 passengers and comes with safety features that include dual redundant motor windings and redundant battery packs (that can work in parallel, for more balance), as well as a full parachute. More than just powerful and cost-effective, this next-generation plane is also packed with high-tech, including an emergency auto-landing system.Pending a FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) certification, the new 8-seat electric jet will be operating in the U.S. and in Europe as soon as 2025. The Colorado-based company is also in the process of obtaining certification for the eFlyer 2 (designed for flight trainings) and the eFlyer 4, for air taxi and cargo uses.
Its new parent company, Stellantis, promises to rejuvenate it over the next decade, but before that happens, the Italian auto firm has entered the scooter game with an electric two-wheeler, named the Ypsilon e-scooter.Made in collaboration with MT Distribution, it was designed for last-minute walking, or urban micromobility, in fancier words. The scooter is available in two colors, Maryne and Gold, features a front suspension, 8-inch honeycomb wheels, LED lights at both ends and a brushless motor that requires minimal maintenance and guarantees high performance, according to Lancia.It offers up to 18 km (11 miles) of range and can be easily folded, which makes it one of the lightest and most versatile in its class, the Italian firm says.The Lancia Ypsilon e-scooter is already on sale at dealers, different retailers and online stores, priced from 299 ($355) in Italy, or around half the price of the Seat eKickScooter 25 , which weighs 12.5 kg (28 lbs), has a 25 kph (16 mph) top speed and offers a maximum range of around 25 km (16 miles).If you were wondering how the Ypsilon supermini is doing this days, Lancia says that it has hold on to the B-segment podium in Italy for 10 years, being the second best-selling car in the market overall. Over 34,000 units of the Ypsilon Hybrid have been sold since launch, including almost 20,000 this year.The subcompact hatchback is described as a clear expression of beauty, innovation and timeless style, and with the government grant and financing, it can be ordered from 9,500 (equal to $11,298) in Italy.
What you are looking at in the main photo of this piece (click to enlarge) is a formation of six airplanes conducting a flight over Europe as part of the Bomber Task Force Europe mission earlier this June. A formation that comprises a U.S. Air Force (USAF) machine and five others belonging to the Spanish Air Force.The American plane is, of course, the largest one, the mother goose leading its goslings to their destination. Its the B-52 Stratofortress , the seven-decade-old strategic bomber weve featured several times before here in our Photo of the Day section. Accompanying it out of Moron Air Base in Spain are five F-18 Hornets deployed with the Spanish military.Although strategic bombers usually fly accompanied by fighter aircraft, they do so at such high altitudes most of us are generally oblivious to such an occurrence. So its the Spanish who are to blame for taking this pic, and we can only be grateful they did.The B-52 Stratofortress is not such a common plane in the sky, with just about 700 of them made since production started all those decades ago. The massive machine, described by its present maker, Boeing , as the most combat-capable bomber in the U.S. inventory, can carry both nuclear and conventional bombs. When fully loaded, it can weigh as much as 488,000 lbs (219,600 kg), which is the maximum takeoff weight.The nimble F-18 Hornets, on the other hand, are much more common in the skies, with close to 1,500 of them made since the early 1980s. They are multi-role combat jets, capable of both air-to-air combat and ground strike missions.
SUV

kWh

Since October of last year, Baidu has been conducting public autonomous driving tests in areas such as Yizhuang, Haidian, and Shunyi. Rcently, in May, a fully autonomous ride-hailing service dubbed Apollo Go has opened to the public in Beijing's Shougang Park.Now, the Chinese tech company has joined forces with Arcfox to release a new generation of robotaxis. The new Apollo Moon makes use of the "ANP-Robotaxi" architecture, a navigation pilot product that will help lower the weight of the autonomous vehicle kits while also sharing intelligent driving vehicle data to establish a closed-loop information ecosystem.Compared with its predecessors, the Apollo Moon will combine a Hesai customized LiDAR, omni-sensors, and computing unit redundancy functions with a precise failure detector and degradable processing algorithm to allow for a level 4 autonomy. The vehicles will also support a 5G remote driving service and V2X technology.An electronic display linked to the sunroof on the outside will display the status of a robotaxi and allow passengers to recognize their car from afar. Apollo Moon has a seat belt reminder for rear passengers, an AI voice assistant, mobile app climate control, intelligent car doors, and other features designed for passenger safety and convenience.According to Chinese media, Baidu's new vehicles are based on the Arcfox Alpha-T, an all-electric mid-size. Equipped with the self-driving technology, the car has a 93.6li-ion battery and a range of approximately 406 miles (653 kilometers) on a single charge.With a fleet of 500 vehicles and 244 test licenses In total, Baidu Apollo has accumulated a testing mileage of over 12 million kilometers, covering a variety of complex scenarios. Recently, the robotaxis have been tested in low-visibility conditions such as rainy weather and at night. By 2023, Baidu hopes to launch 3,000 vehicles in 30 cities and offer ride-hailing services to more than 3 million users.
I'm sure everyone knows the story of this 1960s convertible. The one about how Carroll imported AC Ace bodies and chassis to the U.S. to fit them with all sorts of V8 mills. But we often forget that AC also built its own version of the Cobra. It was nearly identical to Shelby's roadster, but AC stuck with the 289 (4.7-liter) V8 when Shelby switched to the 427 (7.0-liter) big-block.AC started selling its Cobra in 1963. It was mostly destined for the European and British markets, but some examples made it overseas. This black-painted version is one of them. Delivered to Montreal in 1966, it's the one AC Cobra that's been sold brand-new in Canada. Not only that, but it's also the only one that spent its entire life in the country north of the U.S.That's enough to make a classic special, but there's a lot more to it. This roadster has been in the same family from 1969 until recently, and it's as original as they get. And not only does it still feature its original, matching-numbers body, drivetrain, and chassis, it hasn't been hot-rodded and raced. That is a rare feat for a Cobra.Now resting in the Legendary Motorcar collection, the AC Cobra looks like it just rolled off the assembly line. Yes, as the paint suggests, it has been restored a while ago, but it's still a gorgeous time capsule. And while I'm not a fan of black-painted cars, I think this Cobra looks downright fantastic. A bit more classy than the usual AC, somewhat refreshing given that most Cobras came in flashier finishes.The only thing missing from this cool presentation is some driving footage. That's a bit disappointing, to be honest, but at least there's a cold start and some revving at the 6:35-minute mark.The video is a bit long at eight minutes, but I can assure you it's worth it. You'll learn a few things about the Euro-spec Cobra and how to tell them apart from Shelby 's more muscular creations. It's arguably the coolest Cobra feature I've seen in a long time.
Togo is the name of an elegant, but cozy ship that takes no more than 12 passengers at once on some of the most amazing luxury expeditions. Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, awaits. This is the main destination of the Secret Atlas cruises, where the passengers on board can actually go on guided expeditions, explore nature and observe the wildlife, while traveling on a small, high-end yacht A 102-foot (31-meter) long motor yacht, the Togo is not young and its been through several transformations since it was custom built, back in 1965. Now its an elegant expedition vessel, with twin cabins and double cabins that come with private showers, a generous saloon with a bar and a spacious deck, perfect for those who want to refine their photography skills, during the cruise The wood paneling inside the cabins and the lounge increases the feeling of coziness and accentuates the rustic-inspired design. Imagine enjoying a warm drink at the bar, while looking out the large windows and admiring the breathtaking Arctic scenery, on your way to a dream-like destination. Instead of the conventional summer vacation trips, you could opt for this intimate voyage to places that you will truly never forget.Besides its regular trips to Svalbard, the UK-based company has also introduced 2 more exciting expeditions for this July  one to the Forbidden Coast, a rarely visited and almost uninhabited coast of East Greenland, and one to Iceland, where the passengers will not only admire the wonders of nature, but even go sailing on landing crafts, for an even more in-depth exploration.The Togo is ready to take its next passengers on their private, comfortable and unique Arctic expeditions.
If we are to truly begin to understand the planets in our solar system better, we really have to give these machines the means they need to go about their business alone. That shouldnt be that hard, considering how advanced Earth-based autonomous systems already are.Believe it or not, its not NASA planning to get down to business in this field seriously, but its European counterpart, ESA. Last week, the agency signed a deal with Estonian robotics company Milrem to have it look at autonomous capabilities for planetary rovers.The contract is one in stages, and for starters, aims to have Milrem come up with an overview of the current state of autonomous systems and devise the tools needed to increase the autonomy of the rovers.The ultimate goal is to make these exploration tools capable of making their own decisions based on observation data and points of interest (POI). Adding or removing such POIs on their own is also something ESA wants from its future rovers.The agency plans to use Moon rovers to mature whatever technology Milrem and others will develop and plans to land a more autonomous one on Mars in the next two decades. Near-Earth asteroids are also prime targets for upcoming missions.One of the missions to test autonomous systems is the European Large Logistic Lander (EL3), planned for later this decade.It includes a rover meant to gather samples that are to be shipped back to Earth in a human-controlled manner, but after this mission is accomplished, the plan is to have it roam the lunar surface partly alone, for ranges that can go as high as 300 km (186 miles). We said partly because the rover will continue to receive orders from Earth when needed.
Senate negotiators for the bipartisan infrastructure bill are trying to create momentum for a "too-big-to-fail" package by adding an equal number of Democratic and Republican co-sponsors, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: White House officials are pleased with how the talks are proceeding and are discussing how President Biden might declare his support for the roughly $1.2 trillion package, if the remaining issues are resolved.

Biden hosted Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), separately, at the White House on Monday.

The president told them "he was encouraged by what has taken shape but that he still has questions about the policy, as well as the means for financing the bipartisan groups proposal," according to a White House official.

"The president also made clear that he is, at the same time, focused on budget resolution discussions in the Senate," according to the official.

A group of legislative directors for the G20 bipartisan group of senators plan to further discuss the details of the proposal among themselves Tuesday, sources familiar with the meeting tell Axios.

The big picture: Members of the G20 emerged from the Senate hideaway office of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on Monday evening to express confidence they could have a deal.

"We are making significant progress but its not over until its over, said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

The other side: Progressives remain leery and are aiming for much more spending, potentially in multiple packages.

"Make no mistake: I'm not voting for some bipartisan deal until I see every other part of the infrastructure package, and know that, in total, we have what we need," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told Axios.

"We're not going to have an infrastructure package that, when the train leaves the station, child care is left on the platform, along with clean energy" and other priorities.

Driving the news: Several additional senators  from both parties  are expected to come out in favor of the bipartisan package this week, the aides say.

The key is to employ a "one-and-one" or "Noah's Ark" strategy, in which each supporter would bring a colleague from the other party to build Republican and Democratic support for the package equally.

The goal is to shift the focus to the number of Republicans getting on board, as opposed to questions about how many Democrats  particularly progressives  will be lost through the bipartisan negotiations.

It went from 10 to 21 (supporters) pretty fast, and I think there are other people that are interested," Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) told Axios. "I think that's an important part of the dynamics of the group, that it not be viewed as slanted one side or another."

What we're hearing: Less-moderate Democrats are also being sold on the notion that "every dollar (President Biden) gets here is one dollar less than he has to spend on reconciliation," the source added.

Biden's support for the deal isn't assured, and both sides have yet to agree on how to pay for the additional spending.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki emphasized Monday that increased money from IRS enforcement could be the easier way to find additional revenue.

She also didn't rule out paying for some of the package with deficit spending.

The White House is still committed to the corporate and personal tax increases it proposed in April, and will likely pursue those in a parallel package it's expected to push through the partisan reconciliation process.

What to watch: Time is running out, and leaders on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are growing impatient.

This is the Senate's last week in session before a two-week recess to mark July 4.

When senators return, they will have only three weeks to meet the deadline set by the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) of voting on an infrastructure bill by August.

Be smart: Schumer and the Senate Budget Committee are moving forward with a backup plan.
Companies are increasingly turning to the sky to try to keep up with America's demand for stuff.

They're now relying more on planes to carry inventory  rather than getting clothes, shoes and other goods shipped by sea from abroad.

Why it matters: It's an attempt to get around the supply chain snafus already hitting consumers  who have fewer stocked items to choose from and higher price tags because companies are paying more for goods themselves.

Sellers are warning that items could run out more quickly this year during Amazon Prime Day, according to CNBC.

Flashback: Companies have used planes to get cargo from overseas before  but it was as much as 10 times more expensive than ocean freight, according to the National Retail Federation's Jon Gold.

But it's more comparable now since sea shipping costs have skyrocketed.

Where it stands: Mentions of air freight and air cargo during corporate earnings calls and other events hit a record high (79) last month, according to data firm Sentieo.

Lululemon told investors it's "strategically using air freight" to offset inventory delays "due to issues at the ports."

Catch up quick: Companies are facing historic inventory holdups, thanks to a shortage of containers used to move goods across the ocean  and a backup at America's ports, where those containers arrive.

"What we're experiencing right now makes the temporary Suez Canal blockage look like a fender bender on a country road," says Steve Lamar, head of the American Apparel & Footwear Association.

What to watch: Companies are turning to planes only to find that they too are bogged down by demand.
Florida is one of the few states that moved to both expand police authority and pass police reforms in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, per the AP.

What happened so far: The Legislature this session passed a so-called "anti-riot" bill that ups penalties for crimes committed during protests, and also a police reform bill.

Where it stands: HB 7051, the reform action backed by the Florida Legislative Black Caucus but not yet signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would among other things:

Set limits on, but not ban, use of chokeholds.

Require an officer who observes another officer engaging in excessive use of force to intervene.

Establish a duty to render aid to a person in custody who is injured by an officers use of force.

Require a commission to establish standards for police training in use of force, and require agencies to develop policies in proportional use of force and de-escalation techniques.

Require independent reviews of officers use of force resulting in a death or the intentional firing of a firearm resulting in injury or death.

Another big thing: The law would also require agencies to report use-of-force incidents that result in serious bodily injury, death, or the discharge of a firearm at a person.

No central agency keeps track of police shootings in our state, where the Tampa Bay Times found that an average of 138 people are shot by police each year.

Complicating things: A state appeals court ruled recently that the names of police officers who shoot citizens cannot be made public if the officers themselves are crime victims, which is almost always the case in such incidents.

The local angle: Tampa City Council members voted 4-3 last week on a compromise to equally share appointments to an 11-member police oversight board with Mayor Jane Castor, while leaving one seat open for the NAACP to nominate a member.
Kocharian said the bloc, which finished second in the snap elections, will use its presence in Armenias new parliament to step up its struggle against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Our struggle will become much more intense. Parliamentary levers will allow us to work much more actively in other directions, he told a joint news conference with the leaders of the Dashnaktsutyun and Resurgent Armenia parties affiliated with the bloc.

We will fight against this regime by all possible means, both in and outside the parliament, said Dashnaktsutyuns Ishkhan Saghatelian.

According to the Central Election Commission, Pashinians Civil Contract party won almost 54 percent of the vote and retained its two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. Hayastan came in a distant second with 21 percent, followed by former President Serzh Sarkisians Pativ Unem bloc, which got 5.2 percent. The 22 other election contenders fared worse and will not be represented in the new parliament.

Civil Contract is expected to control 71 seats in the 107-member parliament, compared with 29 and 7 seats won by Kocharians and Sarkisians blocs respectively.

Both blocs have rejected the official results as fraudulent, with Hayastan planning to ask Armenias Constitutional Court to overturn them. It is not yet clear whether Pativ Unem will also appeal to the court.

Some supporters of the two opposition forces have urged them to refuse to take up their parliament seats in protest.

Kocharian argued against such a boycott, saying that presence in the parliament will give Hayastan additional and substantial levers to challenge Pashinians government and eventually cause its downfall.

You will see in what corruption deals these authorities are mired, especially in state procurements and a number of other spheres, he said.

The 66-year-old ex-president, who topped his blocs list of election candidates, said that he himself will likely cede his parliament seat to another Hayastan member.

Im a man of the executive branch. I dont quite imagine myself in a legislative body, he explained.

While claiming that the ruling party secured its landslide victory thanks to a widespread abuse of administrative resources and other mass irregularities, Kocharian described the official results as unexpected.

He admitted that many Armenians voted for Pashinian because they did not want their former rulers to return to power. In that regard, he complained that he and his political allies did not have enough time to campaign in villages across the country where Civil Contract secured the highest percentage of votes.

Pashinian and his allies celebrated their victory with a rally held in Yerevan late on Monday. Addressing supporters, the prime minister declared the end of a serious political crisis sparked last November by Armenias defeat in the war with Azerbaijan.

Citing the extremely serious post-war challenges facing his country, Pashinian said he and his political opponents must end personal insults and tone down unnecessary aggression and feud. He expressed readiness to embark on a dialogue with opposition forces.

But in a clear reference to the two ex-presidents, he went on to state that they must immediately negotiate with his administration on returning what was stolen from the people or risk a crackdown by law-enforcement authorities.

Kocharian construed this statement as a clear sign that the reelected premier has no intention to change his confrontational policies and attitudes towards the opposition. The political crisis in the country is therefore not over, he said.

If they carry on with the same style, the same vendettas and keep up the internal political tensions, then I have no doubts that Armenia will face yet another pre-term election, and it will not take long, added the Hayastan leader.

During the 12-day election campaign Pashinian pledged to purge the state bureaucracy and wage political vendettas against local government officials supporting the opposition. He repeatedly brandished a hammer meant to symbolize a popular steel mandate which he said he needs in order to continue ruling Armenia with a more firm hand. The Armenian human rights ombudsman, Arman Tatoyan, denounced that campaign rhetoric.
Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian, the chief of the Armenian armys General Staff, said Moscow and Yerevan are close to reaching a relevant agreement.

As soon as there is a final agreement in terms of time frames and technical issues there will be a further announcement, he told reporters.

Davtian expressed confidence that Russian border guards will be deployed to Armenias Gegharkunik province. It borders the Kelbajar district west of Nagorno-Karabakh which was retaken by Azerbaijan following the autumn war.

Azerbaijani troops crossed several sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and advanced a few kilometers into Gegharkunik and another province, Syunik, on May 12-14. Yerevan has repeatedly demanded their withdrawal since then. Baku insists that its troops took positions on the Azerbaijani side of the frontier.

Gegharkuniks governor, Gnel Sanosian, announced the impending deployment of Russian border guards there late on Monday. He said that it will be followed by the withdrawal of Armenian and Azerbaijani forces from contested border portions.

Davtian did not confirm the planned troop disengagement mentioned by Sanosian.

Negotiations are taking place with the Russian side because there are still issues, he said. Our goal is to have Azerbaijani forces withdraw from our territory without any clashes.

It is not clear whether Russian military personnel could also be dispatched to the disputed border section in Syunik.

Russia already deployed army soldiers and border guards elsewhere in Syunik following the Armenian-Azerbaijani war stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November.

Russias and Armenias defense ministers discussed further Russian deployments in a January 16 phone call. They again spoke by phone on Monday.

Sergei Shoigu and Vagharshak Harutiunian discussed the situation at Armenian-Azerbaijani border sections in Gegharkunik and Syunik and ways of resolving it, the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement. It gave no details.
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N. Oregon Coast's Tillamook County Now Has 3-D, Interactive Recreation Map

Published 06/17/21 at 4:10 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Tillamook, Oregon)  Now you can literally have one part of the Oregon coast at your fingertips.

The north Oregon coast's Tillamook Coast Visitors Association (TCVA) has just released an online GIS-enabled map that details Tillamook County's trails and outdoor recreation areas. This area covers the towns of Neskowin, Pacific City, Tierra Del Mar, Oceanside, Netarts, Cape Meares, Tillamook, Bay City, Hebo, Garibaldi, Brighton, Rockaway Beach, Wheeler, Nehalem and Manzanita  as well as all the areas in between.

Tillamook County offers a bounty of outdoor recreation  fishing, hiking, kayaking, camping, surfing, birdwatching, horseback riding, mountain biking, even just hanging out on the beach. Now, with a new online GIS trails and recreation map, it's easy to plan a trip, do the things you love, and discover new places to do them.

This recreation map is a live map,' one we'll be updating with new features and data, said Nan Devlin, executive director of TCVA, otherwise known as Visit Tillamook Coast. We will also regularly gather information from our land managers and first responders throughout the county to keep the public informed of events, such as fires, trail changes or closures, King Tides and floods.

The GIS map is at https://tillamookcoast.com/recreation-map and includes downloadable area maps if a person will be in an area without cell service. The GIS map lists more than 800 locations in 13 categories: campgrounds, parks and day use areas, trailheads, boat launches, beach and water access, dispersed campsites, equestrian trails, mountain bike trails, hiking trails, community trails, the Oregon Coast Trail, water trails, and other recreation.

This recreation map is a live map,' one we'll be updating with new features and data, said Nan Devlin, executive director of Tillamook Coast Visitors Association. We will also regularly gather information from our land managers and first responders throughout the county to keep the public informed of events, such as fires, trail changes or closures, King Tides and floods.

The GIS project is a collaborative effort of Tillamook County Wellness, Mt. Hebo Ranger Station, Tillamook County, Tillamook Coast Visitors Association, and New Youth Corps, which oversaw the intern, Samantha Goodwin, who gathered the database. Cardwell Creative of Salem transformed the data into a user-friendly website page.

Just click on an area of the map and a pop-up window provides information about each recreation site. Additional features will be added in the next few months, and there is a form on the website where recreation users can provide information. There are also links to public transportation, beach wheelchair reservations, and a page about prime birdwatching areas.

For more trip planning ideas, order or download a visitor guide at https://tillamookcoast.com/gettheguide. To learn about destination management  and to take our Tillamook Coast Pledge  go to https://tillamookcoast.com/caring-for-our-coast

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Three Oregon Coast Hotspots Packing a Surprise Punch, Hidden Treasure

Published 06/18/21 at 2:25 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  Sometimes you can go to a favorite Oregon coast destination and not know half the things that are really there. Your top two or three go-to spots may be hiding some unusual surprises, like hidden shipwrecks, a unique beach or bizarre rocky structures you had no clue existed. (Above: wreck of the George L. Olson in 2007, courtesy Steven Greif, Coos History Museum)

Case in point: here's some eyebrow-raising finds in Lincoln City, near Manzanita and at North Bend. They're hidden treasures of a sort: historical and scenic treasures.

The Unknown Lincoln City





In a town where the beaches are all easily accessed and usually quite populated, there are virtually no hidden spots. However, there is one deliciously, fairly clandestine beach access at the northern end of town - even if it doesn't necessarily guarantee you'll find yourself alone on this stretch of sand.

At the very northern edges of Lincoln City, between the casino and Roads End state park access, look for the sign pointing to NW 50th amid these laidback neighborhood streets. Follow that to its end, where it meets NW Jetty, and you'll find a gravel "driveway" which winds its way down to the beach. Along the way, there's another tunnel-like path that looks a little like the famed Hobbit Trail down near Florence, although that doesn't seem to lead anywhere.

Once on the beach, it's the only access for about half a mile in either direction. There are some interesting rock features here created by a crumbling cliff, and the sand is pristine and more than a little pleasant.

Revelations Near Short Sands Beach / Manzanita





Just a few files north of Manzanita, Oswald West State Park and its forests cover a large chunk of this part of the north Oregon coast. Somewhere between that town and the state park, it's impossible to miss the striking vistas of Short Sands Beach and the cliffs that form half of this crescent-shaped cove.

Pull over on one of the gravel parking spots off the side of the road, and there's the one-mile-plus hiking trail heading down to Short Sands. Walk down this trail a bit, veer to the left - instead of going down to Short Sands - and you'll encounter a totally different set of inclines and cliffs. Giant basalt structures form the various headlands here, with craggy shapes that are both eerie and magnificent jutting up from the ocean in pointed spires or other mysterious shapes.

In one area, the sea boils and rumbles against a hidden cove, with black, jagged columns of basalt forming gargantuan, even soaring structures that sometimes look like something out of Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Another spot visible from these dangerous cliffs showcases more of the wild formations, this time with enormous holes and arches in them. Through these, you can see other headlands to the north.

Be extremely careful here, however. The drop-offs here are sudden and deadly. In fact, it was near here where a famed Hollywood writer and producer  the creator of COPS - died here in the early 2000s after falling off a cliff.

Coos Bay's Horsfall Beach: Shipwreck Land



Photo courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast: Coos Bay, Charleston, North Bend

If anyone place can seem a magnet for shipwrecks, that would be Horsfall Beach near Coos Bay / North Bend, on the southern Oregon coast.

These days, it's mostly a long, long flat stretch of coastline that goes on for miles, almost mimicking the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area just north without actually being the dunes area. Fairly large dune sections exist between the beach and the main access roads, but largely it's dune buggy territory both on those dune, around the lakes and on that beach all the way down the three miles to the North Spit.

However, two delicious secrets lie in these sands. One is the wreck of the Sujemeco, which sometimes appears during winter's lowered sand levels. A few ragged chunks of metal stick up from the sands, the melancholy remnants of some serious bad luck back in 1929.

According to the Coos History Museum, there would likely be more of this visible if the needs of World War II hadn't resulted in the metal getting stripped away.

Dozens and dozens of ships have met their doom in the Coos Bay area, but the only other one still below the sands is the George L. Olson, which smashed along the north spit in 1944. However, it's only popped up once since the 60s: in the early 2000s.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin faulted his imprisoned political rival for leaving Russia without legal permission, omitting the vital detail that the departure was, literally, an unconscious decision: Alexei Navalny was in a coma.

After meeting President Joe Biden in Geneva, Putin also weighed in on U.S. affairs in distorted ways as he tried to equate the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol with his political opposition at home and argued against the evidence that the United States is a more pernicious source of cyberattacks than his country.

Biden overstated the tribulations of his stateside political opponents. Republicans are not a vastly diminished" party, as he contended in trying to assure the Group of Seven major industrial nations and NATO allies that his policies won't be shredded by the next election.

A look at the veracity of some statements from Biden's week of diplomacy and his return to the domestic fray:

POLITICS

BIDEN: I think its appropriate to say that the Republican Party is vastly diminished in numbers."  news conference Monday, when asked how he reassures allies that the U.S. will be a reliable partner in future years given former President Donald Trumps enduring influence over the GOP.

THE FACTS: No, the Republican Party hasn't withered. Everywhere you look  the Senate, the House, governor's offices, statehouses, the 2020 election results  it's potent.

Biden correctly pointed out fractures in the GOP leadership and ranks brought on by Trump's refusal to concede his presidential election defeat and his stoking of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Biden's observation that the Trump wing of the party is the bulk of the party also may be true in terms of who exerts the most influence at the moment.

But the GOP is far from a spent force.

Gallup polling, for example, finds that 29% of Americans surveyed last month identified as Republican compared with 33% who said Democratic. That share is basically unchanged from a year ago.

Republicans in November narrowed Democrats margin in the House to single digits by flipping 15 seats while winning in each of the races that had a GOP incumbent. Republicans doubled their low number of women in the House to 31, a record for the party, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, and added new ethnic minority lawmakers as well.

The Senate is evenly divided at 50-50. Republican governors lead in 27 states, Democrats in 23. In November, 74 million people voted for Trump, 81 million for Biden. Both vote counts were a record.

Elections for the House and numerous Senate seats will be held in November 2022.

___

RUSSIA

PUTIN, defending Navalnys imprisonment: This person knew that he was breaching the laws effective in Russia. ... Consciously, I want to underline this, ignoring the demand of the law, this gentleman went abroad for treatment. ... He didnt register with the authorities. ... He knew that he was then being investigated and he came back deliberately.  Geneva news conference.

THE FACTS: He left the country in a coma; he did not leave Russia by choice.

Navalny was taken into custody Jan. 17 when he returned to Russia from five months in Germany where he was recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin.

Navalny fell severely ill on a domestic flight in August and was taken to a Siberian hospital in a coma. Two days later, after resistance from doctors, he was flown to Germany for treatment, still in a coma. Putin, however, implied that Navalny had made a conscious decision to leave the country, ignoring the demand of the law" as he went abroad the treatment.

Authorities later determined that Navalnys time abroad violated terms of a suspended sentence he had been handed in an embezzlement case that he says was politically motivated.

Nonetheless, he returned to Russia, knowing he faced potential prison time. Navalny is now serving 2 years in prison for violating his suspended sentence terms.

After Putins comments, Navalnys wife, Yulia Navalnaya, posted on Instagram a photo of a covered human form on a gurney outside an airplane. I kept a photograph of how Alexei, deliberately ignoring the requirement to be registered at the inspection, went abroad for treatment, she wrote, mocking Putins words.

___

CRIME

REP. KEVIN McCARTHY, House Republican leader: Crime is rising in every step of the way.  Fox interview Tuesday, in which he contended Americas worse off because of Bidens weakness.

THE FACTS: No, crime isnt rising across the board.

Violent crime is up. Burglaries and drug offenses are among categories where crime is down.

The FBI recorded 25% more homicides in 2020 than in 2019, and 12% more violent assaults. More murders are being seen nationwide, including in some cities that increased police spending and in some cities led by Republicans.

McCarthy and other Republicans have tried to blame Democratic defund the police efforts for squeezing police department budgets and enabling crime to rise. But Biden opposes cutting money for policing. He favors giving police departments more money, not less, as long as they adhere to standards of decency.

The Democratic-controlled House passed a police overhaul bill in March that avoided diverting money from police departments. It would ban chokeholds and end qualified immunity from lawsuits against police officers, while creating national policing standards. The bill has stalled in the evenly divided Senate, where Republicans oppose it.

___

CYBERATTACKS

PUTIN: From American sources, it follows that most of the cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the cyber realm of the United States. Second place is Canada. Then two Latin American countries. Afterward comes Great Britain. Russia is not on the list of countries from where  from the cyberspace of which  most of the various cyberattacks are carried out.  Geneva news conference on Wednesday.

THE FACTS: This portrayal defies the record. Russian-based digital malfeasance is well established by U.S. officials and security researchers alike.

The most damaging cyberattacks on record have come either from state-backed Russian hackers or Russian-speaking ransomware criminals who operate with impunity in Russia and allied nations. In one such attack, the NotPetya virus did more than $10 billion in economic damage in 2017, hitting shipping giant Maersk, the pharmaceutical company Merck, the food company Mondolez and more.

A global ransomware plague has caused tens of billions of dollars of damage in the past 18 months  hitting a company, hospital, school or other target about every eight minutes.

The May attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which prompted it to cut off fuel supplies to the U.S. East Coast for five days, was the first major attack on U.S. critical infrastructure by a Russia-linked criminal group.

While U.S. officials have said they dont believe the Kremlin was directly involved, the Russian-speaking ransomware gangs behind the global scourge enjoy safe harbor in Russia and allied states and some of their members are alleged to have worked directly for Russian security services in espionage operations.

As well, Russian intelligence operatives famously interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by hacking Democratic email accounts and orchestrating the release of those communications to boost Trump's campaign.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov identified LexisNexis Risk Solutions as the source of his statement that most cyberattacks came from the cyber realm of U.S., Canada and other countries, not Russia.

But the authors of that research said their report was actually about criminal online fraud, not attacks such as ransomware that involve penetrating corporate and government networks, so it was not relevant to the issues Biden raised with Putin in Geneva.

___

JAN. 6

PUTIN, on the U.S. Capitol insurrection: People came to the U.S. Congress with political demands after the election. Over 400 people have criminal cases opened against them, theyre facing prison terms of 20, or maybe even up to 25 years. Theyre being called domestic terrorists and accused of a range of other crimes. Seventy of them were immediately after these events, and only 30 of them are still under arrest, unclear on what grounds.  Geneva news conference.

THE FACTS: His suggestion that dozens of Jan. 6 insurrectionists were arrested and quietly imprisoned for political speech with unclear legal grounds is incorrect.

More than 480 people have been arrested in connection with the attack, mostly on federal charges ranging from unlawfully entering the Capitol to conspiracy. They include more than three dozen members and associates of right-wing extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Each of the suspects charged by the Justice Department was arrested based on a criminal complaint signed by a federal judge and requiring investigators prove they have probable cause the person committed a federal crime, or an indictment from a grand jury.

The cases have attracted media attention, prosecutors have highlighted many of the arrests with news releases and court records in the U.S. are generally public. The Justice Department also set up a website to list the cases it brought against suspects charged in the attack. It contains links to the charging documents against them.

So far, four people charged in the attack have pleaded guilty to federal charges.

___

BIDEN, on Putin comparing the Capitol attack to political opponents trying to undermine him in Russia: I think thats a ridiculous comparison. Its one thing for  literally  criminals to break through a cordon, go into the Capitol, kill a police officer, and be held unaccountable than it is for people who are  marching on a capitol saying, youre not allowing me to speak freely, youre not allowing me to do A, B or C or D.  Geneva news conference.

THE FACTS: His allegation that attackers killed a police officer is unproven. The truth about the death of Brian Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol Police officer, is more complicated.

The District of Columbia medical examiners office ruled that Sicknick died from natural causes, though the stressful circumstances he faced in the melee a day earlier had probably contributed to his condition. Two men have been charged with assaulting and spraying a chemical irritant at Sicknick in the riot.

Sicknick had a stroke. The medical examiners determination means that his death is not the result of any injuries.

Capitol Police accepted the medical examiners findings but said the ruling didnt change the fact that Sicknick had died in the line of duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol.

___

Bajak reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Jim Heintz and Daria Litvinova in Moscow, David Klepper in Providence, Rhode Island, Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, and Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck
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Jim Bessman, a music journalist whose work appeared in Billboard for more than a quarter-century, as well as in Cashbox and Variety, died Tuesday morning at age 68 in New York City. The cause of death was an aneurysm.

Beyond the byline, Bessman may be best known within the writing community for his 30-year friendship with Bob Merlis, former Warner Bros. Records publicity head, who annually threw a Bessman Bash at his L.A. home, flying Bessman in from New York for the occasion. Among the many who showed up to pay tribute to Jim over the years were Jonathan Richman, David Mamet, Phil Spector, ZZ Tops Billy Gibbons, Rosanne Cash and Carlene Carter.

Born in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 19, 1952, Bessman grew up in Madison, dropping out of high school to write for the local alternative weekly in the 70s and early 80s, and serving as a stringer for Variety at the time.

Bessman moved to New York in the early 80s, where he worked for Cashbox, then Billboard, writing a songwriting and music publishing column after being hired by the trades most legendary editor, the late Timothy White. As a freelancer, he wrote for Spin, Country Rhythms and started his own website blog, CenterlineNews.com.

Jim was beloved in the industry, with close friends including Sandra Bernhardt, Kris Kristofferson (for whom he once served as an impromptu security guard), Tony Bennett, Ledesi, Lisa Loeb, Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, the Ramones and Nancy Sinatra, who once praised Bessman at a backstage meeting for doing so much for our family.

Bessman also covered the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the organizations in-house publication. Among his other writing credits were two books (The Ramones  An American Band and John Mellencamp  The Concert at Walter Reed) and the liner notes for 80 CDs.

At the time of his death, he was in a rehab facility, learning how to walk again after becoming afflicted with sacroiliitis. Bessman had been diagnosed with COVID back in December, writing as he struggled to recover from that illness in his final blog post in January that one of the unexpected symptoms was uncontrollable weeping at the sound of the beautiful music he loved.

His musical taste was so ecumenical, noted Merlis. He was versed in opera, Cajun music, southern Gospel and country. He had an encyclopedic knowledge. He was so enthusiastic about so many things, except himself.

Bessman was a fixture at the Sugar Bar on open mic night, where he hung out with his good friends Ashford and Simpson.

Added Merlis, I spoke to Jimmy once or twice a day for 30 years, and not just about music. He was well-versed in politics, and we attended both Obama inaugurations in Washington together. Everyone loved Jimmy.

Bessman is survived by a brother and sister.

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A corner of Twitter is debating the best food citites for different cusines after Bloomberg opinion columnist Noah Smith said San Antonio was the best for Mexican.

While San Antonio residents may agree with Smith, known as @Noahpinion online, others are challenging his ranking.

The San Francisco-based writer's food musings don't seem to be anything official or tied to Bloomberg, just a random Twitter thought sent out on Saturday afternoon.

RELATED: Owner of rapidly growing vegan chicken chain is 'so proud' to be based in San Antonio

The tweet that started the discourse was an unofficial list of the "best food cities in America by type." It garnered hundreds of reactions, because nothing gets people riled up like defending their home's food offerings.

Los Angeles took Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. Chicago is the best for pizza. San Antonio is top for Mexican, Smith's tweet says.

READ MORE FROM MADALYN: El Remedio's third birria, mariscos food truck arrives in San Antonio

The responses for the San Antonio mention argued that the Alamo City is primarily known for Tex-Mex, which is fair. We love a good cheesy enchilada plate.

One person says a friend could not find any good Mexican food in San Antonio, which is hard to believe. Another Twitter user says she's "offended" by San Antonio being named best for Mexican food.

A number of replies count San Diego for having the best Mexican fare.
Disasters have not fallen evenly on Iola and Port Arthur. Hurricane Harvey flooded almost the entire coastal city on the Louisiana border, which was damaged by Ike and Rita before that. Iola, a tiny Grimes County community 100 miles inland, largely is insulated from tropical storms.

Both cities applied for federal Harvey disaster aid distributed by the state. Iola pitched a wastewater system that would serve 379 people. Port Arthur proposed the replacement of century-old storm water pipes to help 42,000.

The state funded Iolas project. Port Arthur got nothing.

With our susceptibility to being affected by hurricanes, if those places got money, you know it wasnt fairly done, said Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie.

A Houston Chronicle investigation found the $1 billion in aid distributed by the Texas General Land Office in May disproportionately flowed to inland counties with less damage from Harvey than coastal communities which bore the brunt of the storm.

The GLO also steered aid toward counties with a lower risk of natural disasters  by the states own measure  and sometimes to projects that help far fewer residents per dollar spent than unfunded projects in more vulnerable counties.

The lowest-risk counties that received awards, like Grimes, were only eligible because of the GLOs decision to add them. And in some cases, the state funded projects in these places even though they scored worse than applicants in the highest-risk counties, according to criteria the land office set.

Aransas and Nueces counties, where Harvey made landfall, did not receive a dime. Neither did Jefferson County, which recorded the highest rain totals. Same for Houston and Harris Countys governments, even though the county suffered the most deaths and flooded homes from the storm.

To get goose-egged is really disappointing, said Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales. The coast is going to get battered first.  How do you come out of $1 billion and Nueces isnt even on your radar?

Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, said his vote in Congress to approve the aid packages was to help Houston and the other most vulnerable coastal areas.

We know we have these storms coming again, and again, and again, Green said. We need to know GLO is going to help those most in need, and not circumvent the process by, for whatever reason, making sure that persons who are less needy are getting a portion of the funds.

The result is that Texas is missing an opportunity to protect coastal communities, which are especially at risk as climate change brings stronger and more frequent hurricanes, said Jim Blackburn, director of Rice Universitys Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center. He questioned what role the GLO plays as a middleman for the federal aid, if not to direct money to large-scale projects that local governments rarely can afford on their own.

Some areas are more dangerous than others; they should be getting assistance, Blackburn said. Until weve got a serious, coherent strategy, I think were endangering the economic future of the Gulf Coast.

GLO spokeswoman Brittany Eck released a statement for the agency defending the process, saying inland counties are important to coordinating a response to tropical storms.

It is important that Texas inland counties are resilient as they provide vital assistance to our coastal communities during events such as asset staging, evacuations, sheltering, and emergency response/recovery, Eck wrote.

After bipartisan outcry from Houston-area officials, Land Commissioner George P. Bush said he would ask HUD to direct $750 million to Harris County. That fix, if approved, does nothing to address the concerns of other coastal communities.

Eighty-five percent of our county flooded (during Harvey), said Jefferson County Commissioner Everette Bo Alfred. You couldnt get into the county. Its unfair to think about us not even getting funding.

Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Unequal distribution

After the devastating 2017 hurricane season, which included Harvey, Congress the following year approved $4.3 billion in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds to help Texas recover and prepare for future storms.

Gov. Greg Abbott placed the General Land Office in charge of disbursing the mitigation aid, $2.1 billion of which was required to flow to HUD-designated counties, including those worst-hit by Harvey.

Distributing the aid in a manner communities accept as fair would always be difficult, since the cost of all potential projects far exceeds the money available. Competition became far tougher, however, when the GLO made an additional 29 counties eligible for its funding competition.

Eck noted that all of the additional counties were covered by the FEMA disaster declaration for Harvey. She said the major factor behind the disparity between Harvey damage and aid received was the fact that the federal government forbade Texas from using Harvey damage as a factor for distributing the funds.

Eck said high-risk counties that failed to win awards scored too poorly in other categories required by HUD, such as the share of low and moderate income residents served and a cost-benefit analysis.

Experts, however, said some of those criteria, which were developed by the GLO, were flawed and discriminated against populous communities. One divided the number of residents helped by a project over a jurisdictions total population, which lowered scores for the largest cities and counties.

Eck declined to explain how some lower-scoring projects were awarded over higher-scoring applicants.

MORE: The fight over federal disaster money in Texas, explained.

Instead of using Harvey damage, Texas developed a metric to determine which counties need the most protection. This considers all types of calamities  including flooding, hurricane winds and drought  and ranks counties by risk.

The state included this metric on its scoring rubric for projects, though the average winning project had a lower disaster risk than the average losing project, the Chronicle found. Put simply, applicants from counties Texas designated as the most vulnerable to natural disasters were less likely to be awarded this disaster aid.

In some cases, awards flowed to areas with high disaster risk; Galveston County received $179 million and San Patricio County got $38 million. Those were the exception, however. The remaining highest-risk counties  including Harris, Nueces, Aransas and Jefferson  secured 38 percent of the aid despite containing 88 percent of the eligible population.

In contrast, GLO awarded 40 percent of the $1 billion to counties with lower disaster risks, though they contain 8 percent of the eligible population.

Fourteen projects in the lowest-risk counties received funding, though they would impact few residents. A $4.1 million sewer upgrade in Snook, in Burleson County, will help 415 residents while $4 million in drainage improvements in Bedias, in Grimes County, will benefit 310.

In announcing the $5 million award for drainage improvements in Brenham, GLO cited in a press release the small Washington County citys proximity to the coast as a risk factor for flooding. It is 102 miles inland.

We all have a need

In Iola, Mayor Christina Stover said the city had been trying to fund a wastewater system for 13 years. It floods here too, she said, including a 2016 storm that swamped the post office. Homes here still rely on septic systems or simply discharge sewage directly into ditches, a health risk when those same channels overflow with rain.

Stover said she understands why residents in coastal communities are upset places like Iola were awarded disaster funds. However, she said, if the city is eligible for free aid, residents depend on her to apply.

Im sure that we all have a need, Stover said. I can assure you the city of Iola will do our very best to spend the least amount of funds possible to complete our project, and that any funds we could hand back, we would.

Wayland Carter, who owns a service station on Iolas main drag, had a more succinct message for skeptical coastal residents.

Tell them to come here and smell this (sh) and theyll understand why we got money, he said, gesturing toward the ditch in front of his business where sewage from other properties pools.

Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Taken together, these projects in the lowest-risk counties cost $119 million and would help 51,000 people. A $97 million breakwater project in Nueces County would have benefited seven times as many people.

Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said she was disappointed her county was snubbed because engineers had crafted their proposals carefully. The breakwater, a coastal barrier to protect Port Aransas from storm surges, was ambitious and expensive but modeled after a Hurricane Sandy recovery project New York had designed that won HUD funds.

I want to know whats wrong with my project, Canales said. If I had one criticism, I think the day you get denied, (the GLO) ought to provide you a full analysis of why.

Canales acknowledged that communities across Texas need better protection from disasters, but said the most vulnerable areas should be a priority. The GLO funding competition was tilted toward state-designated counties, however.

In some cases, projects from the state-designated counties won awards despite scoring lower than projects in HUD-selected counties. All nine of Harris Countys applications, as well as 14 of 22 projects from Jefferson, Nueces and Aransas counties scored higher than the lowest-scoring winning project from a GLO-selected county.

One of those was a $47 million joint proposal led by Aransas County for an underground fiber optic network that can withstand hurricanes. Harvey knocked out the areas 911 and first responder communications systems.

Eck said high-risk counties that failed to win awards scored too poorly in other categories required by HUD. An earlier Chronicle analysis found states had wide discretion over their funding competitions, however. Eck declined to explain how some lower-scoring projects were awarded over higher-scoring applicants.

Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

A second chance?

Harris County politicians, Republicans and Democrats, were united in disbelief they had been snubbed. They held press conferences, lambasted the General Land Office and appealed to the Biden administration. Within a few days, Bush announced he would ask HUD to give $750 million to the county.

Charlotte Moses, a Port Arthur councilwoman, said she has not seen that level of support from her local leaders. She suspects politics are to blame; Port Arthur is run by Democrats and most of its leaders at higher levels of government are Republicans.

Someone heard Harris Countys voice. How many people have you heard talk about the need for Port Arthur to be funded? Moses said. Youd be interviewing him if there was a voice, not me. Its going to take more than a cry from the local level.

The citys Republican congressman, Rep. Randy Weber, met with Port Arthur leaders last week but has made no public comment on that citys funding snub. He declined to speak with the Chronicle.

Moses said the need for help is plainly visible for anyone who wishes to see it. On a tour of the hard-hit Montrose neighborhood, she pointed out more than a dozen homes swamped by Harvey that remain vacant and unrepaired. A lifelong city resident, Moses knew many residents here.

She recalled talking to 80-year-old Rita Levy, who lived on Linkwood Street, as the storm approached. Levy told her she had put towels around her door in case flooding crept above the stoop. The neighborhood got 6 feet of water. A Coast Guard helicopter rescued Levy. She moved to Louisiana. Harveys high water mark still is visible on the front door.

Author Lucy Dennis had lived in her home on 13th Street less than two years before Harvey flooded it. She said friends already have moved away, tired of being battered by storms. Dennis son has vowed to make her leave if the house takes on water again.

I believe Port Arthur has a lot of potential, and I believe we can become that great city were bound to be, Dennis said. But if we dont get the help we need to keep us from being underwater, its not going to work.

She frets now about stronger storms fueled by climate change. A downpour three weeks ago brought water within a couple feet of her porch.

Nearby, houses on stilts, mostly rebuilds from Harvey, offered a reminder that Port Arthurs future lies in accepting the water will come. To the west, rumbling pierced the thick June air. Lightning streaked across the sky.

Another storm.

Zach Despart/Staff

Kaitlin Bain contributed reporting.

zach.despart@chron.com
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  An watchdog group on prison conditions says a 61-year-old inmate in southern New Mexico was severely dehydrated and endangered when transported in a sweltering van without air conditioning in the summer.

The New Mexico Prison & Jail Project announced Monday a lawsuit against the New Mexico Corrections Department and two of its officers on behalf of an inmate who was confined for several hours to a van with no air conditioning on a summer day in 2019.

The suit says several inmates had been evacuated from a broken-down prison transport vehicle into another van with no functioning air conditioning.

Complaints by inmates of extreme heat in the back of the transport vehicle were ignored, the lawsuit states. It says inmate Lawrence Lamb became severely dehydrated during the ensuing journey and experienced emotional distress.

Lawrence thought he was going to die, said Adam Baker, an attorney partnering with New Mexico Prison & Jail Project. You cant put someone into an enclosed metal box in the middle of summer in New Mexico, for hours on end, without air-conditioning. Everyone knows thats dangerous.

A spokesman for the Corrections Department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

The well-being and safety of the inmate population continues to be" a department priority, agency spokesman Eric Harrison said in a statement.

In the aftermath of a similar 2012 incident, former New Mexico prison inmate Isaha Casias was awarded $2 million through a federal lawsuit after being left in a hot van outside the State Penitentiary in Santa Fe.

The attorney for Casias in that lawsuit, Matthew Coyte, is a steering committee member for the New Mexico Prison & Jail Project.

Project Director Steven Robert Allen said it was disturbing to see the Corrections Department endanger inmates again in a hot vehicle.

You would think the Department would have heard the wake-up call following the Casias verdict, he said in a news release.
Dreamstime, HO / TNS

One person was taken to the hospital Tuesday night after being assaulted by a group of men during a robbery in Port Arthur.

The Port Arthur Police Department just before 9:45 p.m. received the report of a robbery at 2500 Las Palmas Dr. in Port Arthur. The officers learned that a group of men assaulted a person and took their cell phone.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  After a year of protests over police brutality, some Republican-controlled states have ignored or blocked police-reform proposals, moving instead in the other direction by granting greater powers to officers, making it harder to discipline them and expanding their authority to crack down on demonstrations.

The sponsors of the GOP measures acted in the wake of the nationwide protests that followed George Floyds death, and they cited the disturbances and destruction that spread last summer through major U.S. cities, including Portland, New York and Minneapolis, where Floyd died at the hands of officers.

We have to strengthen our laws when it comes to mob violence, to make sure individuals are unequivocally dissuaded from committing violence when theyre in large groups, Florida state Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin, a Republican, said during a hearing for an anti-riot bill that was enacted in April.

RELEVANT: DON'T HAND YOUR BEER TO A COP AT A TRAFFIC STOP

Florida is one of the few states this year to both expand police authority and pass reforms: A separate bill awaiting action by the governor would require additional use-of-force training and ensure officers intervene if another uses excessive force.

States where lawmakers pushed back against the police-reform movement included Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming, according to an Associated Press review of legislation.

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.

Would it have been too hard to do the right thing? Democratic state Rep. Ras Smith asked during a floor debate over the bill. You decided to make this an either-or, to trample on freedom, to show support for law enforcement in ways that they didnt even ask for.

After Floyds death, Oklahoma Democrats tried to seize on the protest movement to pass bills that would ban the use of chokeholds, provide uniform guidance for body cameras and create a database of police use-of-force incidents. But none of those proposals even received a hearing. One GOP lawmaker called them unnecessary after the measures faced opposition from rank-and-file officers, prosecutors and county sheriffs.

Instead, the Republican-dominated Statehouse passed legislation to grant immunity to drivers whose vehicles strike and injure protesters on public streets and to prevent the doxxing, or releasing of personal identifying information, of law enforcement officers if the intent is to stalk, harass or threaten the officer.

MORE POLITICS: TED CRUZ HOPES MATTHEW MACCONAUGHEY DOESN'T ENTER POLITICS

I was a little disappointed because these were simply accountability measures" aimed at "making sure the public understands what happens when something goes wrong, said state Rep. Monroe Nichols, a Democrat whose father and uncle were police officers.

In Wyoming, Democratic state Rep. Karlee Provenza introduced a bill that would have prevented officers who are dismissed for misconduct from being hired by another law enforcement agency. Her bill passed the House but failed in the Senate, which are both controlled by Republicans.

If the conversation is, This is an anti-policing bill, rather than, This is an accountability bill, it has a steeper hill to climb, Provenza said.

Byron Oedekoven, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, said the measure was not needed. Law enforcement, he said, already does a good job vetting officers, including following hiring standards in state law and voluntarily reporting officers who are decertified to a national database.

While cities across the U.S. were creating or expanding civilian police oversight boards, Republican governors in Tennessee and Arizona signed into law measures that could reduce the independence of those boards. The GOP laws require board members to complete hours of police training or mandate that a majority of board positions be filled with sworn officers. Critics say such steps defeat the purpose of civilian oversight.

The review boards were intended to address concerns, especially in Black communities, that police departments have little oversight outside their own internal review systems, which often clear officers of wrongdoing in fatal shootings.

It has all the trappings of making it look like the fox is watching the henhouse here, Arizona state Sen. Kirsten Engel, a Democrat, said of that state's measure.

Some states continue to introduce bills to protect police, including recent proposals in Ohio and Kentucky that would make taunting or filming a police officer a crime. But about half of states have embraced at least some reform measures.

Since May 2020, at least 67 police reforms have been signed into law in 25 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Those laws addressed neck restraints and chokeholds, body cameras, disciplinary and personnel records, and independent investigations, among other reforms.

At least 13 states enacted restrictions on the use of force, and at least eight have implemented laws beefing up officer reviews and investigations, according to the NCSL data.

Minnesota banned chokeholds. Colorado became the first state in the country to strip police of qualified immunity. Washington enacted a dozen police-reform laws, including restricting the use of no-knock warrants and designating an independent investigator for fatal police shootings. Even GOP-dominated Texas, where Floyds body was laid to rest, implemented more uniform disciplinary actions for officer misconduct.

Some Democrats in Republican-controlled states have become discouraged in their quest to change the justice system.

MORE NEWS: LEGENDARY HOUSTON HONKY-TONK BURNS DOWN IN BIZARRE FIRE

We just hit so many roadblocks, said South Dakota Rep. Linda Duba, a Democrat who was part of a coalition to pass reforms.

In the reckoning over Floyds death, there seemed to be momentum to reevaluate the role of policing in minority communities, Duba said, but the issue steadily calcified along political lines.

Its happening slowly because we live in a state where people are either not exposed to it, dont believe it happens or believe it's unpatriotic to criticize law enforcement, she said.

___

Associated Press writers Acacia Coronado in Austin, Texas; Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; David Pitt in Des Moines, Iowa; and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.

___

Farnoush Amiri 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.
Bedford, PA (15522)

Today

Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
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Chemtool fire still burning a week later as shift moves toward damage assessment

cwolf / Clint Wolf/Beloit Daily News Dozens of flags and a sign expressing thanks to first responders for their response to the Chemtool fire in Rockton can be seen along Blackhawk Boulevard/Route 2. cwolf / Clint Wolf/Beloit Daily News The entry road to the Chemtool company site at 1165 Prairie Hill Road in Rockton is shown here. Today, Friday, June 18, Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson announced the evacuation order for those living within one mile of the lubricant manufacturing plant has been lifted. People living near the plant were asked to evacuate starting on Monday when a fire broke out at the plant.

ROCKTON  Firefighting operations remain ongoing at Chemtool in Rockton one week after authorities battled a massive fire at the plant as the investigation into the origins of the blaze remains ongoing.

Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson said U.S. Fire Pump, a specialized private firefighting company based in Louisiana, remains at the scene extinguishing hot spots in the 75,000 square-foot buildings smoldering remains.

Operations are going on as we speak. This will be a long and tedious process, Wilson said Monday. Its unclear when the small spot fires will be extinguished.

Also, a class action lawsuit has been filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court on behalf of residents who claim they suffered health problems from the smoke and their homes suffered property damage.

The fire caused a massive plume of smoke and dust that was visible from weather satellites in low-earth orbit. At the time of the initial fire response, Wilson said the fire was expected to burn for a week or more.

Once firefighting operations are complete, the Illinois EPA and U.S. EPA will lead regulatory oversight of the sites remediation. Illinois EPA officials collected soil and wipe samples throughout the one-mile radius area. Preliminary results of initial samples indicate no detection of semi-volatile organic compounds.

Air quality testing remains ongoing and water quality of the Rock River and area groundwater are monitored by the agencies.

Teams will begin damage assessments in the one-mile radius around Chemtool on Tuesday.

Currently, all wastewater from the site is being collected and categorized for disposal, before being shipped to an appropriate facility, according to the Winnebago County Health Department.

Wilson said an investigation into the cause of the fire remained ongoing.

Questions still are being raised about the fire suppression system at the Rockton facility. Bill Snyder, vice president of operations for Lubrizol, the owner of Chemtool, said in a news conference on Thursday that there was a fire suppression system in part of the Rockton facility, but there was not a fire suppression system in other parts. However, he said it was his understanding that the plant was in compliance with all regulations and codes.

Local, state and federal authorities have declined to speculate on the cause, citing the ongoing investigation.

Residents in the area were able to return to their homes on June 18 after the one-mile evacuation order was lifted near the site.

Lubrizol, Chemtools parent company, has contracted Clean Harbors to provide safe debris removal. Residents can call 877-552-8942 to request this service or find out more information.

Wilson did not have any information Monday regarding the scope of debris in the Rockton area or the number of residents assisted with cleanup.


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Smoke and flames are seen from discarded goods set on fire by workers protesting at a power plant in Banshkhali sub-district, southeastern Bangladesh, April 17, 2021.

More than 100 activists from 21 countries sent a letter to Chinas government on Tuesday calling for it to end financing of a coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh, saying Beijing had notified Dhaka in February that it would no longer support highly polluting projects.

In 2016, Bangladesh approved the majority-Chinese funded Banshkhali S. Alam project, which has been controversial from the start, with allegations of undue force by police against protesters, and wage and labor issues.

In February 2021, the Economic and Commercial Counselor of China in Bangladesh sent a letter to the Bangladesh Ministry of Finance stating that the Chinese side shall no longer consider projects with high pollution and high energy consumption, such as coal mining and coal-fired power stations, the activists wrote in the letter signed by Hasan Mehedi, member secretary of the Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED).

The activists letter noted that Chinas President Xi Jinping had called to pursue open, green and clean cooperation in a speech at the second Belt and Road Forum in 2019.

It also noted the projects controversial history.

Since the beginning of the project in 2016, 12 people have lost their lives, more than 100 got injured and harassment cases have been filed against over 6,000 workers and villagers in three different incidents around this power plant, the letter said.

Local people consider the project a curse for themselves as not only lives were lost but at least 10,000 people have been affected by the losses of homesteads and farmland because of this project.

Mehedi confirmed that the letter signed by 129 activists from 74 organizations had been emailed to Wang Wentao, the Chinese commerce minister. A copy is to be sent to the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka.

We will fax a copy of the letter on Wednesday, he told BenarNews.

The letter called for the withdrawal of all Chinese investment and involvement in the Banshkhali plant. It also demanded an investigation into alleged human rights violations there and reportedly false information contained in an Environmental Impact Assessment of the project.

Without exceptions, cancel all ongoing and future investments in fossil fuel including coal, oil and gas, it said.

The Banshkhali S. Alam project is scheduled to begin producing 1,320 MW of power in 2023. China financed 70 percent of the U.S. $2.49 billion cost of the project, according to information on S. Alam Groups website.

The plant, also called SS Power I, is being built by Shandong Electric Power Construction Corp. (SEPCOIII), a subsidiary of PowerChina, a Chinese central government enterprise, according to three environmental groups.

Ebadat Hossain Bhuiyan, the SS Power I chief financial officer, said he was not aware of the letter, but challenged its contents.

If the letter mentioned that the power plant will pollute the environment or it is breaching human rights, then it is totally false, he told BenarNews.

And we do not know why they are making false statements against us.

The Chinese Embassy in Dhaka did not immediately respond to a BenarNews request for comment on the letter.

Mohammad Hossain, director general of the power cell, a division of the Ministry of Power and Energy and Mineral Resources, also said he was not aware of the letter, but compared it to a similar effort five years ago.

Sending a letter to a foreign country requesting suspension of funding in a local development project is frustrating, he told BenarNews.

Previously, we saw such a move during the Rampal Power Plant project  that time some individuals and so-called green groups sent a letter to UNESCO.

In 2016, several NGOs sent a petition to the U.N. agencys World Heritage Committee about the plan to construct Rampal and Orion coal-powered plants within 14 km (8.6 miles) of the Sundarbans, the largest existing mangrove forest in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Environmental report challenged

The letter about the Banshkhali project said the coal plant would be extremely harmful to the health of people living in the area.

It cited a report published last week by three green groups, which said that a Bangladesh-government cleared environmental report on the project downplays information about its effect on air quality.

BWGED, joined by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air and co-signer Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association, said the reports modeling was flawed, leading to a prediction of pollution levels many times lower than what would be established through appropriate modeling.

Sharif Jamil, general secretary of the environmental organization Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), said China should switch funding from the Banshkhali coal plant to a renewable power project.

China should consider the letter an effort to save the earth as we are amid a planetary emergency, Jamil, whose organization is a signatory to the letter sent to the Chinese commerce minister, told BenarNews on Tuesday.

The letter urged China to demonstrate it is committed to environmental issues.

We hope you will reconsider your decision of financial and technical support for the Banshkhali power project and show your commitment toward a green [One Belt, One Road] Initiative by respecting human and environmental rights, not a blood and tear-spilled one, the letter said.
A lawyers group and opposition politicians slammed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday for threatening to arrest Filipinos who refused to be inoculated against COVID-19, with one attorney saying there was no legal basis for the leaders warning.

Critics described Dutertes remarks during a nationally televised rant the night before as the wrong response to the pandemic, which has killed nearly 24,000 people in the Philippine and infected more than 1 million Filipinos, according to the health department.

The presidents threat is patently illegal, and the autonomy of ones anatomy should be respected, said Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers.

Even as we highly encourage and strongly support mass vaccination, no one should be arrested or penalized and even forcibly subjected to an involuntary act contrary to his or her preference and option, Olalia said.

It is clearly  without a valid constitutional or legal basis, he said of Dutertes order.

As he was closing his weekly televised talk to the nation address late Monday, Duterte launched into an expletive-laden barrage against those who chose not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Earlier in the broadcast, chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo said many Filipinos had expressed reluctance about getting vaccine shots. Panelo echoed a Pulse Asia poll, which found that 61 percent of Filipinos surveyed between February and March had expressed disinclination to get vaccinated.

Duterte expressed exasperation for Filipinos not heeding the government and ordered all village officials to identify constituents who refused to be vaccinated.

There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency, Duterte said. If you do not want to get vaccinated, I will have you arrested.

Dont force my hand  nobody wants that, he said. But if you dont agree to get vaccinated, leave the Philippines. Go to India or if you want to go somewhere, to America.

Mixed reactions

On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra played down Dutertes statement, saying the president used strong words to push people to get vaccinated even though he knew he had no legal basis, the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.

[H]e knows that not getting vaccinated is a legal choice. There is no law as yet that compels vaccination against COVID-19, much less criminalizes it. As presently available, vaccines are still in their trial phases, Guevarra told reporters via a text message.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, a former lawyer, said people could be compelled to get vaccinated.

That is clear. In Philippine and American jurisprudence, we can compel compulsory vaccinations, but there should be a legal basis for it, Roque told reporters. We need either an ordinance or law that would mete out penalties to those who refuse to be vaccinated.

Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, challenged Duterte for not reassuring Filipinos about vaccine safety.

Instead of appeasing the publics fears, he has threatened Filipinos, Hontiveros said. We have been in a state of national emergency for a year, and the government should have used its resources to provide safe and effective vaccines. This was not done.

Fellow Sen. Nancy Binay, meanwhile, noted long lines at limited vaccination sites.

Vaccine hesitancy is not the problem, vaccine supply is the problem, she said. We need to address that.

The Philippines is one of Southeast Asias COVID-19 hotspots. The health department on Tuesday reported that it had recorded 3,666 new infections overnight, pushing the nationwide total to more than 1.36 million.

On Monday, the government announced that it secured a contract for 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, jointly developed by U.S. and German companies, to add to 12.7 million doses in hand from various manufacturers.
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Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. She can be reached at jmaschino@berkshireeagle.com.
PITTSFIELD  An editorial in a trade publication for attorneys across the state joined a chorus of rebuke against District Attorney Andrea Harrington for asking the Trial Court leadership last month to stop a district court judge from hearing criminal cases, saying Harringtons attempt appears to have been politically motivated.

This approach seems primarily designed to score points with voters, since Harrington is a first-term district attorney up for re-election next year, the authors wrote of Harringtons letter to the states Trial Court leadership about Central Berkshire District Court Judge Jennifer Tyne.

The June 17 editorial, DA oversteps in critique of judge, said that asking the three Trial Court leaders to remove criminal cases from Tynes purview is an extreme step and not appropriate.

In her letter about Judge Tyne, the DA bypassed her right in particular cases to pursue an appeal or file a motion to recuse, the editorial said.

Harrington also could have filed a complaint to the Commission on Judicial Conduct.

But what she should not do is attempt an end-run around the process, the editorial said, also noting that it is not unusual for a prosecutor to disagree with a judges decisions.

Harringtons office did not respond to questions about issues raised in the editorial.

In an earlier statement, Harrington said, There are limited options to address concerns with judges, but it is my responsibility to advocate for the compassionate treatment of parties and attorneys in the justice system.

Attorneys group rips DA move to oust judge as 'indefensible and unethical' A board representing the states largest organization of criminal defense lawyers has written a scathing letter to Berkshire District Attorney

Harrington raised concerns about Tyne in a May 14 letter to Paul C. Dawley, the chief justice of the states district court system, and two other judges. Citing Tynes handling of a number of criminal cases, Harrington called Tyne a significant threat to public safety and asked Dawley to stop her from hearing criminal cases in Berkshire County.

Harrington criticized Tyne for what she called the judges history of dangerous rulings and hostile treatment of victims and prosecutors in the Berkshire District Attorneys Office.

But Dawley outright dismissed Harringtons claims after conducting a full and thorough review that involved listening to audio recordings of hearings Harrington cited in support of her positions. In a statement to The Eagle, Dawley said there was no factual basis to support the serious allegations Harrington had lodged.

Dawley called Harringtons claims unsubstantiated and said his review of Judge Tynes handling of each of the cases cited in the letter reflects careful and thoughtful analysis on her part and was properly within the bounds of lawful judicial discretion.

Harringtons move was met by criticism from the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, which called her attempt unethical. The deputy chief counsel for the Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services has said Harringtons removal request sends a message to other judges that they need to fall in line or else face an attack on their livelihood.

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly is a trade publication that reaches 17,000 subscribers, according to Advertising Director Scott Ziegler. Founded in 1972, the publication refers to itself as the top source of legal information for practicing attorneys.

Harrington, who is up for reelection in 2022, was sworn into office on Jan 1, 2019. In 2016, she made a bid for the state Senate seat now held by Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, who is considering a possible run for statewide office, including lieutenant governor.

Donations to her Harringtons campaign increased on June 14, the same day she wrote a letter to her supporters in which she attacked The Eagle for biased reporting for writing about her attempt to have Tyne barred from presiding over criminal cases in the county.

The trade publications editorial isnt the first to accuse Harrington of playing politics. Former employees of the DAs Office have criticized the offices campaign culture, saying it is designed to harness a progressive platform for political success rather than working toward substantive execution of that platform.
Lee Select Board members on June 15 discuss whether they should pursue the 2020 annual town meeting vote on whether to pull out of the Rest of River deal that includes a PCB landfill in town as part of the Housatonic River.
Mitchell Chapman is an Eagle page designer/copy editor and columnist. He is a member of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Class of 2018.
@facebook.com/northeastberksnews/

Lisa Mitchell is an editor for Berks-Mont Newspapers, covering news and events in the Northeast Berks County area.
Berks agency gets $262,500 to clean up former pistol range in Bern Township
Reports of a 37-year-old South African woman claiming to have given birth to ten babies were viewed with skepticism from the beginning. As congratulations and praise poured in, the father of the alleged children spoke out to say that the whole thing was a hoax.

But now, the South African Department of Health has gone on the record as having investigated the mother, Gosiame Sitholes claim. The agency, in a statement, said they cant find any evidence that these babies exist.

According to South African newspaper, the Daily Dispatch, the statement reads in part, Clinicians at both the Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Tshwane District Hospital have confirmed that there is no record of delivery of the decuplets in any of the public health facilities in Gauteng. It cannot be that 10 or 8 babies are born and that no evidence of their whereabouts or existence can be established.



Given the magnitude of the allegations, we invite Independent Media, which has insinuated wrongdoing on the part of health professionals and government, to assist Ms Sithole to pursue a complaint with the health ombudsman for the alleged mistreatment of the patient at any health facility, the department continued.

Pretoria News, which originally reported the story, is owned by Independent Media. The outlet says the babies are real, but accuses the South African government of medical neglect, claiming officials are covering it up. The companys editors have fallen under criticism, with skeptics arguing the story was fabricated.

The South African Health Department wants to be done with the issue. Theyve encouraged Sithole to produce proof of the babies to end the issue once and for all.

So far, there remains no evidence that these decuplets are real.

The situation around the story is seeming to unravel. Sithole had been previously been reported missing by her estranged partner. Earlier Monday, (June 21) she was reportedly admitted to a psychiatric hospital by social workers, according to the UK Mirror. Her attorney claims she is being held against her will.



Relatives of Sitholes partner, Teboho Tsotetsi reported her missing and she was found and taken into custody at one of her relatives homes near Johannesburg. Social workers took her to a hospital in nearby Tembisa, the Mirror reports.

Sithole had previously accused her partners relatives of trying to steal donation money from the public intended for the babies, even though they said the children did not exist.
American Airlines announced Sunday (June 20) that the airline would cancel hundreds of flights through mid-July. This comes at a time when there is a surge in travel demand as the country reopens.

Wall Street Journal reported that the canceled flights would amount to about 950 flights, 1% of planned flights in the first half of July.

American Airlines spokesperson Shannon Gilson told CNN, "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."

She continued, "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."

RELATED: Black Man Sues American Airlines For Kicking Him Off Flight So' A Dog Could Fly First Class'

CNN reported that American Airlines had 120 cancellations Saturday (June 20). According to Gilson, the airline is projecting 50 to 80 flight cancelations per day going forward, with cancellations spread throughout its system to minimize impact in a single area. She also said the delays would significantly impact the airline's hub in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The airline is in the process of notifying customers who had been booked through July 15 if their flights have been canceled so they can make travel adjustments in advance. The airline told Wall Street Journal that the flight changes would include adjustments to earlier or later flights or connections at different hubs, as well as refunds if the new flights aren't workable.
Google has announced its latest grant aimed at diversifying the tech industry. The tech corporation posted a press release Thursday (June 17) announcing that they will grant $50 million in unrestricted funds to HBCUs.

Under the grant, 10 HBCUs will receive $5 million each. Inside Higher Ed reports that the grant will go towards scholarships, career support programs and technical infrastructure for remote and in-person learning.

Melonie Parker, chief diversity officer at Google, said in the press release, These institutions are actively shaping the next generation of Black leaders and are helping build a more diverse workforce across all industries. This investment further solidifies our commitment to providing access and opportunities for underrepresented groups in tech.

RELATED: BET BUZZ: Obama Makes Powerful Statements During HBCU Grad Speech

The HBCUs receiving the grant are Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, Spelman College, Tuskegee University and Xavier University. Leaders of the institutions lauded Google for the grant in their respective press releases.

Larry Robinson, president of Florida A&M university, said, Googles $50M investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities shows a firm commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and an appreciation of the value HBCUs bring with regards to the talent and ingenuity of our students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Dr. Harry Williams, President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, said, This is a powerful endorsement of our HBCUs, of the high-quality education they provide and the outcomes they make possible. Google understands how important HBCUs are to the future workforce of our nation and sends a clear message with this gift, while leading the way in unencumbered support.

Google previously announced the Pathways to Tech initiative in February, intended to help HBCU students find jobs in tech. The initiative established an HBCU Tech Advisory Board to build equity in computing education for HBCU students.
A judge will decide this week whether to charge a former Wisconsin police officer for shooting a man sitting in a parked car, after defense attorneys used a rare legal process to circumvent prosecutors who dropped previous charges.

The Associated Press reports that Joseph Mensah, who has a record of fatal shootings, shot Jay Anderson Jr. after discovering Anderson sleeping in a parked car after hours in a Wauwatosa park. Mensah said Anderson was reaching for a gun.

Mensah had been previously cleared for two other shootings of civilians while he was employed by the Wauwatosa Police Department. He shot and killed Antonio Gonzalez, who identified as Latino and Native American, in 2015, the same year he joined the department. In 2020, he shot and killed Alvin Cole, 17, following a disturbance in a mall, claiming that Cole pointed a gun at him. The shooting and prosecutors decision not to charge Mensah for shooting Cole prompted months of protests in Wauwatosa.



Mensah resigned from the Wauwatosa Police Department the next and is now a Waukesha County sheriffs deputy, the AP says.



RELATED: Former Wisconsin Policeman With Record Of Fatal Shootings Hired As Sheriffs Deputy

Prosecutors, led by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, had cleared Mensah of shooting Anderson as well. After initial charges against Mensah were dropped, Andersons attorneys found an obscure legal option that forces a proceeding against Mensah similar to a grand jury, where a judge hears evidence and decides whether to charge Mensah. A Milwaukee judge could charge Mensah this Friday (June 25).

Andersons father, Jay Anderson Sr., called the hearing a blessing to me and my family.

Kimberley Motley, an attorney representing the Gonzales, Anderson and Cole families, said she found the rare legal option when researching an option similar to a grand jury called the John Doe option. A section of the John Doe law allows citizens to ask a judge to use the option when a prosecutor declines to file charges. In a John Doe hearing, the citizen or their attorney can question witnesses in front of the judge with no cross-examination. The judge can then decide whether to issue charges, and appoint a special prosecutor to handle the case.

Motley filed a petition for the John Doe hearing in February 2021, claiming that Anderson never touched the gun on his passenger seat. She also argued that no Wauwatosa officer besides Mensah has killed anyone in the line of duty in the last decade, and called the 19 shots Mensah fired in the three shootings an extraordinary number.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro agreed to open an investigation, and heard testimony at five public hearings. Mensah did not testify at a hearing, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Mensahs attorney, Jon Ceremele, said in February that Mensah acted in self-defense.

RELATED: Wisconsin Cop With History Of Shootings Wont Face Charges In Killing Of Black Teen

According to the AP, citizen-initiated John Does happen once or twice a decade in Wisconsin, and have not been used against police officers in recent history. At least six other states, including Kansas, Nebraska and North Dakota, have similar laws that allow citizen-initiated grand juries.

Motley is considering whether to pursue the John Doe process for Cole and Gonzales as well. She said Andersons case could serve as precedent for other families to pursue accountability against police officers if prosecutors decline to file charges.
On Monday (June 21), Ronnie Oneal III was found guilty on all charges in a double murder trial.

According to WFLA, Oneal, who represented himself in court, was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder for the 2018 deaths of his girlfriend, 33-year-old Kenyatta Barron, and their disabled 9-year-old daughter RonNiveya Oneal.



Additionally, he was convicted of attempted first-degree murder for slashing and stabbing his 8-year-old son. The child, who has remained unidentified, survived the attack and testified against his father last week in court.

RELATED: Mass Shooting on Chicago South Side Spurred By Petty Fight Kills 2, Wounds 13

It took nearly five hours for the 12-person jury to deliberate. WFLA reports Oneal sat in silence and did not react as he was found guilty on all seven counts against him.

In 2018, Oneal reportedly shot and fatally beat Barron, 33. He also killed their 9-year-old daughter, who had cerebral palsy, with a hatchet, and stabbed their 8-year-old son, who survived. Prosecutors say Oneal then set their Tampa-area house on fire afterward.

The boy, now 11, testified in court via remote video, describing what happened to him and his family. But when cross examined by his father, who asked him How did I hurt you? He said: You stabbed me. Then he described how his father doused, then ignited the house, the Associated Press reported.

Florida Assistant State Attorney Scott Harmon said in court when the boy escaped the burning home, The first words that came out of this brave boys mouth: My daddy killed my mommy.' "

The 32-year-old told jurors that investigators were trying to set him up and coerced his son to testify against him.

Hillsborough County Sheriffs arrested Oneal in March 2018 and he pleaded not guilty the next month, according to local station WTSP. He was determined not competent to stand trial, but the state Department of Children and Families wrote a letter to a judge that he could be tried. That judge ruled in 2019 that he was competent to stand trial.

However, Oneal opted against having a lawyer, choosing instead to represent himself, understanding that he could face execution if he is convicted.

In jury selection, he even said that he believes in the death penalty, despite being the one who would be put to death. When it comes to the death penalty, I just want to let you all know that, me personally, I am for it. If somebody has committed these crimes, they are worthy of death," Oneal said

Ronnie Oneals sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 23.
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By Bob Cunningham '18

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Bowling Green State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program (BSN) is housed within the College of Health and Human Services School of Nursing.

This is a distinguished honor and represents the dedication of Bowling Green State Universitys faculty and staff to promote student success in nursing, said Dr. Shelly Bussard, director of the School of Nursing.

Nursing programs that receive national accreditation from CCNE adhere to common standards of quality set by CCNE, a U.S. Department of Education approved agency.

One of the first questions prospective students ask is, Are you accredited? Bussard said. They know that if they wish to pursue a master's degree, they need a bachelors degree from an accredited school. Now, we can say yes. Graduates of accredited programs also will be highly sought out by employers because they know the nurses have met the highest academic standards. Our program is going to appeal to a lot more students.

The median pay for a registered nurse with a bachelor's degree is $75,330 per year , according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The BSN program at BGSU will welcome its first cohort of nursing students, the Class of 2023, and another estimated 100 pre-nursing students who will begin their nursing education this fall.

From a historical perspective, BGSU had a pre-nursing program for 50 years that sent students to the Medical College of Ohio, which then merged with the University of Toledo, for their nursing training.

This accreditation validates the trust that the Board of Trustees, President (Rodney) Rogers and Dean (James) Ciesla placed in us, Bussard said. I think there's pure excitement from all areas of the University for the growth of health care, and it certainly meets the Universitys mission of doing public good by educating nurses for Ohio and the nation.

The newly renovated Central Hall is home to the School of Nursing.

Classrooms are on the first floor, where students will learn the concepts of nursing in a traditional classroom setting. The second floor is home to the Simulation Center, which has five highly computerized manikins: a newborn, a child, an adult, a birthing mother and a geriatric manikin. The simulation rooms mimic a hospital environment and provide students with realistic, patient-care scenarios to help them gain clinical judgment skills. The third floor contains a 19-bed skills lab space, where students learn to care for patients and develop psychomotor skills.

The BSN program was conditionally approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing on March 17.

CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency, contributing to the improvement of the public's health. The commission ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate and residency programs in nursing. It serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. As a voluntary, self-regulatory process, CCNE accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by nursing programs and supports continuing growth and improvement of collegiate professional education and nurse residency programs.

CCNE accreditation is a nongovernmental peer review process that operates in accordance with nationally recognized standards established for the practice of accreditation in the United States. Accreditation by CCNE is intended to accomplish at least five general purposes:
Bowling Green State University has been ranked fifth in the nation - and No. 1 in the Midwest - for veterans and active military students by the Military Times in its Best for Vets: Colleges 2021 rankings.

"Every step of the way, BGSU ensures veterans and military students are considered valued members of the campus community," said Dr. Barbara Henry, assistant vice president of BGSU Nontraditional and Military Student Services. "From application to graduation and beyond, Nontraditional and Military Student Services staff routinely connect with students to ensure they succeed in and out of the classroom while building meaningful connections with others in the BGSU military community."

Rankings are based on the results of a comprehensive school-by-school assessment of veteran and military student services and rates of academic achievement, according to the Military Times. A detailed review of public data collected by federal agencies is also factored into results.
Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming clear after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming clear after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms early, becoming clear after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms early, becoming clear after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Crossing Over to the Other Side

Lets imagine for a moment that the Sea of Galilee is life, and that the sudden storm that hit Jesus and the disciples is the crazy things we have all experienced these last couple of years. The other side is the beginning of this next new, post-crisis season of life.

In the story, Jesus was exhausted from all that Hes been doing. He has just finished preaching an eight-hour sermon and opening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears, healing lepers and dealing with the attacks and traps of the Pharisees.

He is exhausted and quite frankly, so are the disciples. And He tells His disciples when they get in the boatlets cross over to the other side.

Translation: I need a break.

After Jesus goes to sleep in the stern of the boat, a life threatening storm suddenly erupts. It is so treacherous, they take on water and the disciples feared they were going to capsize. The disciples awaken JesusHey, dont you care that we are all going to die?!

As Jesus gets up out of a dead sleep, He says three words Peace be still! The storm submits to the superior power of Christ, and they all make it safely to the other side.

Just like some of us...

We made it through all the craziness and have put our feet on the virgin soil of a new season. We are ready to begin to pen another chapter in our life story.

But making it through is only the first step. Remember, we must transition wellwhich means we cant just forget everything weve been through. Moreover, to transition well we must carry into the next season three lessons learned from the storms weve been through.

1. The Presence of Storms Doesnt Mean the Absence of God

Storms usually cause us to ask where is God? Somewhere we have gotten the idea that if God were present, we would not have to experience storms. Even the disciples forgot Jesus was in their boat. They were experiencing a storm and they panicked; they forgot that the presence of a storm does not mean the absence of God. It doesnt mean Gods abandoned you or given up on you. A storm doesnt mean God doesnt care. It means:

- Even if your boat is taking on water you will not sink

- Even though your boat is getting rocked, you will not be shipwrecked

- Even though the storm is sudden, it didnt surprise God

- Even though the winds of adversity are howling loudly, they will not have the last word

It means: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you (Isaiah 43:2).

And when you make it to the other side, you will have a storm story to share for His glory. Yes, more storms will come, but the next time you will know that in the storm you can lean on Jesus. He is your refuge in every storm.

Photo credit: Getty Images/monkeybusinessimages
The meaning of hesed is special and different than the type of love we see portrayed in the culture. Hesed demonstrates true commitment without strings attached. One type of love that exists is very conditional. I love you because With hesed, the phrase should be switched. Because God loves you  God is committed to loving us. Nothing we say, think, or do can change that. Hesed is unconditional. Lets take a deeper look at the meaning of this type of love.

What Is the Meaning of Hesed in the Bible?

Many biblical concepts are difficult to understand. For example, God is everywhere, omnipresent. Its hard for a human brain to understand how God can be in Dallas and Dubai at the same time. Similarly, its difficult to grasp the full meaning of hesed in the Bible.

One reason for the difficulty is that there is no direct translation of the Hebrew word into Greek or English. Hesed originates from a word that means to bow ones head toward another and signifies a covenant relationship. These details give us some clues to its meaning.

To help make sense of the concept, its necessary to combine the significance of words similar in meaning.Christianity.com states Bible versions translate hesed with many different words such as love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, mercy, devotion, and favor. Phrases including love can also help up understand hesed including steadfast love and lovingkindness.

What Are Some Examples of Hesed in the Bible?

Many verses contain the translation of hesed, with over 250 occurrences in the Old Testament. The first instance is found in Genesis 19:19. Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life In this example, hesed is translated to kindness, however, when we look at the verse in context, we can see why it can be so difficult to translate the meaning of the original word.

Kindness in English can be so simple: holding a door open, giving a compliment, or smiling at a neighbor. In Genesis 19, the city of Sodom is being destroyed for its wicked ways. Angels urge Lot and his family to flee. When Lot remains frozen, the angels help his family escape, and then he says they have shown great kindness.

Helping a family flee from a city that is about to be rained down with sulfur is beyond the English definition of kind. The act is merciful and full of favor. The angels saved Lot from complete destruction. Instead of being destroyed, his family was protected and given a chance at a new life.

Another example of hesed is found in the book of Esther. At the beginning of the story, King Xerxes grew embarrassed by his wife. Queen Vashi refused to parade around a banquet after seven days of free-flowing wine. King Xerxes and his advisors decided Vashi needed to go and a new queen would be ordained. The king sent notice to all of his 127 providences in search of a new wife. Esther was one of the many women brought forth. Esther 2:9 says She pleased him and won his favor.

In this verse, hesed is translated as favor. Out of all the women from the providences, Esther won King Xerxess affection. When people are favored they are approved of and supported. While the original Hebrew can be translated to Hesed, we can see the meaning of King Xerxess favor is so much more. Because Esther was chosen as the new queen, she was able to save her people.

Many more examples of hesed are found in Scripture, especially in the Psalms. The passages are full of people crying out to God, calling on his lovingkindness, his Hesed. The authors celebrate his love as well as plead for his mercy. God is unchanging and committed to his people, surrounding them with all the aspects of his loving character.

Is Hesed the Same Love as Agape?

Agape is the highest form of love found in the Bible. Its the type of love Jesus demonstrated when he died on the cross for our sins. Its unconditional and sacrificial. The term demonstrates the perfect love God has for his people and is referenced heavily in the New Testament. To truly demonstrate agape love is beyond the ability of human nature.

On the other hand, hesed is used to explain both God and human love. As referenced above, many Psalmists use the Hebrew word to identify Gods love, but the term is also displayed by others in scripture. This was demonstrated in the story of Esther when King Xerxes showed Hesed toward the future queen. Another example exists in the story of Ruth and Boaz. After she stayed faithful to her mother-in-law, Boaz showed goodness and kindness to Ruth, becoming her kinsman-redeemer.

The two types of love have similarities and differences. Agape and hesed come freely from the giver and without stipulations. This type of devotion puts others first. Both words can also be used to describe God and his loving nature. The differences can be seen by looking at scripture in context. Agape is a broader term and focused on grace, while hesed is used in the contexts of covenants and concentrated on mercy.

4 Ways to Rejoice in God's Beautiful Hesed for Us

Share Hesed with Loved Ones

Whether you are in a marriage relationship or a caring friendship, stay committed to others. Shower loved ones with loving-kindness and goodness. This includes being truthful and trustworthy. It also means caring for one anothers needs, even when it may be difficult. While maintaining boundaries, we need to display Gods love to those he has put in our path.

Worship Our Loving God

While earthly love isnt perfect, Gods love is, including his hesed. Worship can come in many forms including prayer, song, artistic expression, and so many others. Spend time thanking God for his unconditional Hesed in a journal or play worship music while cleaning the house. Connect to your God love language and praise him for his unconditional hesed.

Read Bible Stories about Hesed

When Jesus came to our earth, he shared many parables where he told stories to explain his teachings. Theres a reason story is so powerful. We connect to people and their journeys, their lessons becoming clearer. When we read stories of Hesed love such as the ones found in Esther and Ruth, we learn more about God and grow closer to him. Carve out time to sit with your Bible and read his amazing love stories.

Study Scripture

With over 250 references to Hesed love in the Bible, there are many passages to study about this type of love. God reveals truth and wisdom to those who seek him. Its great to learn about God and his love through others' insights, but its even better to read Gods Word ourselves. When we spend time in Scripture, he reveals himself to us and we grow closer to him.

Hesed love is a high standard. Only God can demonstrate perfect hesed, but we can take aspects of this term and show them to others. In a culture heavily concentrated on situational love, we can bring all the beautiful qualities of hesed to our world.

Photo credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/anyaberkut

Jenna Brooke Carlson is an elementary dual language teacher in the Chicago suburbs. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers, she enjoys spending time with other writers and perfecting her craft. She recently signed a contract for her first young adult novel, A Big Hot Mess, with Elk Lake Publishing. Along with writing, shes pursuing her dreams of creating a community of brave young women, who she can encourage to live out their dreams amid challenges and imperfection. Her days are busy, but shes determined she can conquer anything with a fuzzy blanket and a hot cup of tea. To find out more about Jenna, visit her website at jennabrookecarlson.com.
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Revealed results within the themes of STEM Equity, Sustainability, and Shared Responsibility

More than one year into the pandemic, the power of science has brought hope to Singapore and the world, and trust in science has grown since 2018, revealed the 2021 3M State of Science Index (SOSI). Despite these positive findings, more needs to be done to ensure this appreciation for science lasts.

First started in 2018, SOSI is an annual, third-party, independently researched study commissioned by global science company 3M to track attitudes towards science. Fielded from February to March this year, the 2021 edition includes 17 countries, up from 14 in its previous editions  making it the largest data pool to date. It involved about 1,000 respondents in each country, including Singapore.

The theme of hope rings clear in this years findings. Singaporeans are counting on science to restore and rejuvenate their lives and enable the road to recovery. A large majority agreed that science gives them hope for the future (92% vs. 89% globally) and are hopeful that 2021 will be a better year than 2020 because of science (92% vs. 87% globally).

More Singaporeans also trust science today. Those who trust science has grown significantly since SOSI began in 2018 (92%, up seven percentage points from 2018) while 84% also agreed that the pandemic has made them more environmentally conscious (vs. 77% globally), and 93% believe that people should follow the science to make the world more sustainable (vs. 89% globally).

Still, more needs to be done. While a minority in Singapore are unsure or do not believe this appreciation for science will continue post-COVID (34% vs. 41% globally), most view scientific advancement as a shared responsibility that requires cross-border and crosssector collaboration. A strong majority feel that countries should collaborate to create solutions based in science to address major challenges (95% vs. 91% globally), and that there should be more collaboration across public and private sectors to advance science (94% vs. 92% globally).

Besides Hope and the Image of Science, the survey also revealed results within the themes of STEM Equity, Sustainability, and Shared Responsibility.

Results launched and discussed in a virtual panel on 3M State of Science Virtual Panel Discussion 2021. Organized by 3M and Science Centre Singapore (SCS), and joined by more than 100 attendees, panelists were invited to share insights on bridging these gaps. The pannelists were

Associate Prof. Lim Tit Meng, Chief Executive, Science Centre Board

Mr Kevin McGuigan, Vice President and Managing Director, 3M South East Asia Region and Country Leader, Singapore

Dr Mark Chong, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore and Faculty Fellowship Head, Singapore Biodesign

Dr Suhina Singh, COO / Investor at Macan Pte. Ltd.

Dr Lee Song Choon, Director, KidsSTOPTM and Events and Engagement at Science

Bridging the gaps: 3M

This years 3M State of Science Virtual Panel Discussion 2021 is one of the various programs under the partnership between 3M and Science Centre Singapore to advocate for science.

This includes the 3M Tinkering Headstart program, which organizes STEM workshops for underprivileged children from 7-12 years old. From June to end November, 3M and SCS will also be distributing Science at Home kits to children from underserved backgrounds, to spark curiosity, inspire them in science and promote family bonding at home. Both Tinkering Headstart and Science at Home kits are made possible through 3Ms social investment arm 3Mgives, which supports initiatives that positively impact communities and provide solutions to some of the worlds most pressing challenges.

3M also partners with non-profit organizations United Women Singapore, the Ministry of Education, and the School of Science and Technology to advance access to quality STEM education in Singapore. In addition, 3M is organizing The 3M Inspire Challenge , a regional case challenge that calls on undergraduate students across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to submit ideas in Technology, Sustainability and Innovation.

Bridging the gaps: Science Centre Singapore

At Science Centre Singapore, a key ambition is to make STEM more accessible and attractive amongst people of all ages and from all walks of life. This means breaking down the barriers of this seemingly remote field, through interactive experiences while introducing the more approachable topics of arts and humanities into the mix. Last year, the Centre held its inaugural suite of blended learning, digital-first events, known as UNTAME. This was an immersive, cross-platform series of initiatives for STEM exploration, targeted at children, families, educators and industry professionals.

Science Centre is also highly focused on cultivating new generations of critical and creative thinkers and tinkerers, which it exercises through a host of signature competitions held throughout the year. Organized in collaboration with valued, long-time partners, these competitions cater to students as young as Primary One all the way to tertiary education leaders, and create opportunities to encounter a myriad of STEM-based topics, including sustainability, robotics and even toy-making. Science Centre is also passionate about championing diversity through STEM, with ongoing efforts to close the industry gender gap through celebration of women in STEM, along with making infrastructural and programmatic changes at the Centre to foster total inclusivity in STEM learning for the differently-abled.
In conversation with BioSpectrum, Vivek Kanade, MD, Siemens Healthcare talks about the companys growth plans in India

Vivek Kanade has recently stepped in as the Managing Director of Siemens Healthcare, India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of German Medtech company, Siemens Healthineers which clocked in a global revenue of 14.5 billion during the FY2020. After being associated with Siemens for over 27 years, Kanade will continue to lead the business for Siemens Healthineers India including manufacturing, sales, and distribution, strategy for Zone India, comprising neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. In conversation with BioSpectrum, Vivek Kanade, Managing Director, Siemens Healthcare, Mumbai talks about the companys growth plans in India.

Edited excerpts;

What new strategies are you bringing to the table to strengthen the company's growth in the long run?

At Siemens Healthineers, we are in the second phase of our Strategy 2025 that is the Upgrading phase. The pressure of increasing cost and consolidation on the customer side, as well as increasing digitalisation are the key trends in the years to come. With our strong technological base, extensive clinical expertise and our global network, we are helping make healthcare more efficient and further improving access to healthcare, coupled with our digital and AI-based offerings. As a part of the upgrading phase of our strategy 2025, India is identified as one of the growth markets. In the Imaging segment, the focus is on continuously innovating the core business, expanding its diagnostic offerings as well as on taking a leading role in supporting clinical decision-making based on artificial intelligence.

In the Diagnostics segment, the main task is to exploit the opportunities arising from the market trend towards automated workflows in laboratory diagnostics. On top of this, it is planned to further expand the point-of-care business. One focus of the Advanced Therapies segment is on combining the technologies of the robotics company Corindus Vascular Robotics, with the existing portfolio to achieve additional growth and make new markets.

The recent combination of Siemens Healthineers and Varian Medical Systems is one of the biggest developments in recent times. We are now well poised to provide even better support to our customers and their patients by making chronic illness manageable and eliminating the fear of cancer.

What are the major plans in store for 2021, particularly in terms of investments and product launches in India?

To advance the digitalisation of healthcare and better serve the needs of emerging markets, we have recently announced our plans to invest Rs 1,300 crore over the next five years in an innovation hub in Bengaluru. The investment is part of Siemens Healthineers strategy 2025, in which India plays an important role as a growth market for the company. Currently, we are manufacturing C-Arms and Computed Tomography systems out of our Bengaluru manufacturing facility and biochemistry reagents and urine strips from the Vadodara facility.

Cios Fit, a multidisciplinary mobile c-arm ready for demanding environments with powerful state-of-the-art imaging technology and an innovative touch-and-play concept. Cios Fit is designed to help improve the quality of care and achieve efficient workflows. It is designed, developed, and made in India and sold in South-East Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and South America apart from India. More than 250 Cios Fit C-Arms have been delivered since January 2019. SOMATOM go. CT scanners from our Bengaluru facility are developed in close collaboration with our customers to meet the demand of emerging markets and is one of the best possible routine and beyond CT scanner. The manufacturing facility in Bengaluru has already produced over 200 units of CT machines since the start of the facility in January 2020. Our teams have also played a huge role in developing Smart Remote Services (SRS), which provides a fast, secure, and powerful data link that connects medical equipment to service experts. With data transfer via SRS, the performance and condition of your equipment can be monitored in real-time. For us, innovation is the key. Depending on the opportunities, new medical imaging and laboratory diagnostics products would be added in the future.

How was the FY20-21 for the company's business in India? How did the pandemic impact the business?

It has been a mixed bag. The business was impacted due to a drastic reduction in elective procedures and a decrease in routine lab tests during the pandemic. However, the unlock process at the latter half of the year showed some gradual improvement. Due to the direct relevance to the pandemic, we have seen a reasonable surge in the demand for Computed Tomography machines and tests related to COVID-19. We were one of the early movers to respond to COVID-19 related market needs by launching and making the global tests (SARS-CoV-2 antibody, RT PCR, antigen) available in India after relevant approvals. and expanding our test menu. However, testing and examination volumes are further stabilizing despite volatility in COVID-19 incidence. In India, we delivered millions of tests over the last year and expect an increasing demand in the next year(s).

What are your views on the growth and challenges of the Indian MedTech industry?

India faces a shortage of healthcare infrastructure and trained staff. The gap between what people need and what they have is driving the growth of about 10-12 percent yearly. However, insurance covers less than 25 per cent of the population and out-of-pocket spending is high, which makes the market very price sensitive. With stronger focus by the government on healthcare infrastructure and government Healthcare spending of nearly 3 per cent of Indias GDP by 2022 will give a fillip to the MedTech industry. Tier-II and Tier III cities have emerged as growth centers of the Indian Healthcare sector over the past few years. However, the expansion of private players to these cities is limited by resources, capex, low paying capacity of the target population and low insurance penetration.

The high influx of FDI in the Hospitals and Diagnostics Centers is a positive sign for the Indian healthcare sector, which has also witnessed increasing M&A activities in the Hospital space. Production linked incentives proposed by GOI will boost local manufacturing of high-end Diagnostic equipment. Scarcity of healthcare-related human and infrastructural resources coupled with growing NCD load is yet another challenge that the Indian Healthcare sector will have to overcome in the years to come.

How can we increase the skilled workforce within the MedTech industry in India?

While India has the availability of skilled human capital in the healthcare sector, it is mainly concentrated in the big cities or the metros. Rising healthcare costs and increasing expectations for quality outcomes is creating increasing pressure on the healthcare providers especially in the Tier II and Tier III cities, which have developed as growth centers of the Indian Healthcare sector over the past few years. Increasing digitalization, automation, robotics, and the use of more and more AI in the field of medicine will require completely different skillsets in the years to come. The governments push for EMR adoption will pave the way for Data Mining using AI/ML for better diagnosis and treatment. COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the journey for digitization to a great extent for organisations as well as individuals. Telemedicine has been a fast-emerging trend in India over the past few years.

According to a report commissioned by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Indias present workforce comprises only 12 per cent digitally skilled employees, and the number of employees requiring digital skills in the country will need to increase nine-fold by 2025.

We will be able to address this only through close collaboration between industry and academia and build necessary capabilities that will ensure industry-ready skilled human capital.

Dr Manbeena Chawla

(manbeena.chawla@mmactiv.com)
With the advancement in technology advances, other omics data like metabalomics and pharmacogenomics are seen to drive the growth in personalised medicine

The deluge of scientific information from scientific laboratories has been growing at an exponential rate since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year. The pandemic has opened up opportunities to learn about new scientific research, which in turn help create more robust solutions. There is a continuous quest for knowledge among the bench scientists to be aware of the new findings in other research laboratories, which are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The importance of these new findings in research laboratories from across the world in the future implications of discoveries cannot be denied.

Most of the journals trace their origins to different countries and often published in their native languages. In addition, patents registered could also be region or country-specific. In the year 2020, for instance, China had the highest number of patents which were all in the Chinese language, overriding several US patents. A major challenge for the scientific community is to retrieve appropriate scientific information in a short time and with minimal effort.

Knowledge-based organisations are the key facilitators in this process. They apply their deep domain expertise and advancement in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to make research available to all via databases, R&D centres, and the web. They appropriately bucket these articles, which helps in retrieving the right article to an in-depth analysis of research articles and collecting the information. Often, these documents come with major errors, which are rectified by subject matter experts in the team, and in the case of non-English articles, translation is required.

Biology is a complex subject and integrating biological contents is a challenge. Community standards are constantly evolving and knowledge-based organisations contribute significantly to data standardisation, developing new standards, and data integration. Only integrated data will make it usable and analysable.

These research databases in life sciences are used by millions of scientists all over the world. In this context, ontologies (structuring the unstructured data) also play a major role in semantic enrichment, retrieval, and integration of data across terminologies and databases. They form the basis for the standardisation of concepts which is an indispensable part of data integration.

Analysis of the content for universal benefit is an important final step in the knowledge industry. Healthcare is an important domain that makes use of life science databases. Genomics data of individuals are increasingly used to personalise treatment protocols. In some cases, even differential RNA expression of patient samples (transcriptomics) are used to tailor design therapy. Knowledge-based companies have the know-how, technology, and trained staff to quickly analyse patient data and build a model for the aberrant expression which are used for therapy.

As technology advances, other omics data like metabalomics and pharmacogenomics are seen to drive personalised medicine. With the strong foundations in analysis and processes built over the years, organisations will contribute significantly in the field of healthcare over the years.

Dr Usha Mahadevan, Chief Scientist, Molecular Connections, Bengaluru
Speech by Benoit Cure , Head of the Innovation Hub, Bank for International Settlements, at the Salzburg Global Finance Forum - Financial services in the post-pandemic era: an opportunity for a green and digitally enabled recovery?, 22 June 2021.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen1

It is a pleasure to join you virtually today at the Salzburg Global Finance Forum. The topic you have chosen for this year's Forum could not be timelier.

In my remarks today, I will show that the two dimensions, green and digital, are not only interconnected but interdependent  the fate of one depends on the other. Rather than try to cover all aspects of greentech  how technology can help us fight the climate crisis  I will focus on how digitalisation can support the green and sustainable finance agenda. In doing so, I will also highlight how we at the BIS Innovation Hub plan to contribute.

While national governments are taking the lead in the global response to the climate crisis, as evidenced by this month's G7 commitments,2 there is an increasing and shared awareness of the urgent need for action by all economic players. With more than 130 countries having announced their intention to cut emissions to net zero,3 commitments are now being translated into legislation and concrete action plans.

This requires a significant amount of coordination across and within jurisdictions and sectors.

Central banks and the sustainable and green finance agenda

Standard-setting bodies and international organisations, alongside several important public and private-led initiatives, have made significant progress in their climate-related work in recent years.4

The IMF has included climate-related financial stability risks in its financial sector surveillance through a standardised approach to the disclosure of these risks, enhanced stress tests, and assessments of supervisory frameworks.5

The central banking and supervisory community is no exception, as the discussions at the Green Swan Conference hosted by the BIS earlier this month showed.6 Through the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors on Greening the Financial System (NGFS), with its more than 100 representatives,7 and other initiatives, central banks are contributing to national and international work on disclosure policies and accounting standards. They are also helping to develop a more consistent taxonomy for green investment products.

It is now widely accepted that financial risks arising from climate change through physical and transition risks should be considered alongside the more traditional risk categories or as part of them.8 Individual supervisors have started to publish their expectations for risk management and disclosure9 and have initiated stress10 and scenario analysis.11

Central banks also see scope within their mandates for adjusting their operational frameworks to reflect climate-related risks.12 Several are seeking ways to green their own assets and are discussing the potential scope and the role of macroprudential tools and monetary policies in response to the climate crisis.13

The role of central banks doesn't stop at monetary policy, bank supervision and financial stability. Central banks need to give careful thought to the kind of capital market structures needed to channel savings into more sustainable uses. We will not solve the climate crisis without the private sector. The amount of investment required is too large, and we need the private sector's insights and innovation.

In a recent speech, ECB President Christine Lagarde reminded us how railroad bonds helped to unify the US capital markets in the late 19th century and called for a European "green capital markets union" backed by the growth of sustainable finance.14

Today, I would like to argue that the rails of tomorrow's green transformation will be digital. I will give concrete examples of how digital innovation can support the green and sustainable finance agenda and I will discuss how central banks can help.

Digital rails for green transformation

The United Nations Environment Programme has been an early advocate of how fintech innovations can help the financial system align financing with sustainable development.15 The green fintech ecosystem is rapidly growing.16 Central banks and supervisors are also starting to explore how technology can assist their data-related sustainability efforts and connect sustainability-related work with their ambitions to become more tech-savvy  in other words, they are exploring how greentech meets suptech.17

This is where the BIS Innovation Hub comes into play. Established in 2019, the Hub's mission is to lead and coordinate central bank responses to digital innovation and foster international collaboration. Partnerships with other stakeholders are critical for this task.18

The Hub's work is directed towards practical solutions rather than conceptual research. We are building a portfolio of projects  typically as proofs of concept or prototypes for central banks. In doing so, we are helping our partners to harness the benefits of technology while understanding its limits. Our work programme is built around six key themes of critical importance to the central banking community: suptech and regtech; next-generation financial market infrastructures; central bank digital currencies; open finance; cyber security and finally, green finance.

Complementarity with other key themes (such as suptech and regtech, and open finance) and proximity to standard-setting bodies and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) have led us to identify data and information availability and analysis as initial priorities for our green finance agenda.

Data and information availability have been highlighted by both public and private participants as a major impediment to delivering on the ambitious agenda outlined earlier in my remarks.

The last few years have witnessed the emergence of over 200 green and sustainable finance reporting frameworks, standards and principles catering to the needs of different stakeholders.19 These have been put forward by private and public entities at the global, regional and national level.20

Although the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework,21 established by the FSB, is emerging as the leading global framework for climate-related disclosures, the wide variety of standards and disclosure frameworks make it difficult to compare the climate-related, green and sustainability information available to market participants. When firms make information public, they often do so in an array of different reports and based on different measurements, making such information difficult to locate, collate and analyse.22

Moreover, actual disclosure of the potential financial impact of climate and sustainability risks on firms' activities remains low23 and of varying quality. The quantity and quality of public information often depends on the size of firms, making it difficult to compare smaller businesses with large ones. Differences in accounting principles and/or reporting schemes across jurisdictions accentuate this problem.24

For instance, according to calculations by Bundesbank staff, only 15% of all listed companies disclosed their greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, with researchers concluding that firms cherry-picked to report primarily non-material climate risk information.25

Moreover, market participants often lack the tools they need to properly inform decision-making through a sustainability risk lens  current practices may not support effective markets and may distort them if information is used to incorrectly price risks, allocate capital inefficiently, or misrepresent sustainable financial products to consumers.26

A recent NGFS report revealed that persistent gaps in climate-related data hinder regulators from assessing financial stability. It noted there was a need for more forward-looking data in the form of targets or emissions pathways, and granular data in the form of geographical data at entity and asset level.27

Disclosure has the characteristics of a public good. Useful disclosures enable central banks, supervisors, and financial market participants to understand the environmental footprint and trajectory of firms, sovereigns and assets. In this context, the BIS Innovation Hub seeks to develop projects on:

The collection of non-traditional, non-financial data, including climate-related data describing physical and transition risk drivers. 28 Technological solutions could be developed to enable financial institutions to collect the necessary information and report it to supervisors and the market, using satellites or remote sensing devices on the Internet of Things (IoT) to expand and automate the collection and reporting of a wider range of data.

Technological solutions could be developed to enable financial institutions to collect the necessary information and report it to supervisors and the market, using satellites or remote sensing devices on the Internet of Things (IoT) to expand and automate the collection and reporting of a wider range of data. Improvements in the quality and comparability of sustainability disclosures. Which technological solutions could aid in capturing and structuring relevant climate-related (meta)data, in a consistent, high-quality, comparable and standardised way, to enhance environmental risk analysis? Could technology solutions be interoperable so that they could be used across the varying standards, policies and taxonomies of different jurisdictions? Could "green rulebooks" be developed to showcase how rules and data requirements might be delivered as code in a consistent, high-quality, transparent, comparable and standardised way?

Improvements in the transparency and consistency of impact reporting, where current practices are inadequate. 29 The limited verifiability of self-reported returns undermines trust in the reliability of the data. Can artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and natural language processing be used to scrape data to improve impact projections? How best to use blockchain to transparently store, authenticate and manage (issuer) impact data? Can payoffs related to impact investments be linked to automatic performance triggers?

The limited verifiability of self-reported returns undermines trust in the reliability of the data. Can artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and natural language processing be used to scrape data to improve impact projections? How best to use blockchain to transparently store, authenticate and manage (issuer) impact data? Can payoffs related to impact investments be linked to automatic performance triggers? Measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and other sustainable and responsible investment-related metrics for climate-related financial disclosures.30 Could technological solutions, such as blockchain, IoT, smart sensors and GPS data, among others, help determine the carbon footprint of investments and portfolios and help align financial portfolios with a net-zero objective?

Central banks, supervisors and financial market participants also need tools to visualise, predict and assess financial vulnerabilities associated with transition and physical risks to support informed lending. Hub projects might help in the following ways:

Interpret massive amounts of often unstructured data. Could we use alternative data processed with the use of AI and ML algorithms to help determine which risks are financially material to industries and companies (recognising that attention is needed to ensure that algorithms are fit-for-purpose and data are of sufficient quality)?

Navigate ESG data/ratings providers. As interest in climate-related or ESG disclosures has increased in recent years, so has the supply of products, including climate data, analytics, advisory services, corporate and country ESG research and scores and ratings. ESG data providers and sustainability ratings face transparency issues and methodological challenges amid a lack of consistent, comparable and reliable coverage among providers. 31 The integrity and reliability of methodologies will require regular due diligence by the banks and supervisors making use of such indicators. 32 Could dashboard analysis 33 looking through methodologies and data sources and making use of AI and ML algorithms to identify patterns help in scaling up green finance?

The integrity and reliability of methodologies will require regular due diligence by the banks and supervisors making use of such indicators. Could dashboard analysis looking through methodologies and data sources and making use of AI and ML algorithms to identify patterns help in scaling up green finance? Scenario analysis and stress testing. Could big data ingestion, predictive analytics and visualisation tools be developed to aid both regulators and financial institutions in better assessing and analysing the financial impact associated with the transition to a carbon-neutral economy and with physical risks across different regions, sectors and asset classes in different scenarios and in stress testing?34

At the Hub, we have started work on these themes through Project Genesis, launched by our Hong Kong Centre. Genesis aims to develop a prototype for the introduction of tokenised green bonds in small denominations, thereby giving retail investors greater access to these products. The project will also integrate real-time tracking and disclosure of green output for investors via mobile apps, incorporating technologies that can be used to track carbon credits generated through the investment of bond proceeds in renewables, and to provide a foundation for carbon trading.

With the Bank of Italy, the Hub is also co-hosting the second edition of the G20 TechSprint, addressing issues in the field of green and sustainable finance. The 2021 initiative focuses on how technological innovation helps financial institutions and investors better collect, verify and analyse data to understand whether their loan decisions and investments improve (or worsen) environmental outcomes; as well as how better to connect projects and investors.35

This year's G20 TechSprint will be instrumental in scanning the technological universe, thus helping us refine the Hub's contribution to the green finance agenda. We look forward to developing further projects that strengthen the collection, verification, sharing and analysis of environmental data using state-of-the-art digital technologies to enable central banks, supervisors and financial institutions to conduct environmental risk analysis.36

Beyond the finance industry and immediate Hub projects, other initiatives are needed. Individuals have to make decisions that cannot always be based on perfect information and rational choice. Cultural aspects and social norms may come into play, drawing on routines and habits that do not involve deliberative, cognitive processes.

Across markets, all too many of our fellow citizens lack an awareness of how climate change will affect them and how they should respond. According to a recent survey, most are unable to identify which lifestyle decisions would be the most effective at reducing their carbon footprint.37

As I had the opportunity to discuss at the Green Swan Conference, overcoming behavioural bias can be achieved through innovations38 that provide incentives for change by:

Informing consumers of the carbon footprint of their transactions. Could innovations such as blockchain, IoT, smart sensors and GPS data, among others, help increase consumer awareness of the environmental impact of their purchases at POS/time of payment by adding a carbon footprint? As an example, Ant Financial Services Group, in association with UN Environment, initiated the world's first large-scale pilot in greening citizens' consumption behaviours using mobile payment platforms, big data and social media. 39

Increasing awareness of polluting sectors of the economy. Although growing attention is being paid to polluting companies, and more recently on the carbon intensity of cryptoassets, mechanisms are also needed to help sectors such as agriculture and fashion lighten their environmental footprint. Research shows that the fashion industry was responsible for some 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, about 4% of the global total. To set that in context, the fashion industry emits about the same quantity of greenhouse gases per year as the entire economies of France, Germany and the United Kingdom combined.40 In this light, how might technological innovations be deployed at different stages of the supply chain to allow customers to take informed decisions when purchasing goods?

Let me conclude, the climate crisis is a global problem that requires coordinated action by central banks and other players, both public and private. Technology can help us deploy solutions faster and more efficiently to finance the transition. The BIS Innovation Hub has made green finance one of its priorities and we look forward to playing our part.

Thank you for your attention. I look forward to our panel discussion and to visiting Schloss Leopoldskron for the Forum's next edition.

1 As prepared for delivery. All views expressed are mine and do not necessarily represent those of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).

2 G7, Carbis Bay G7 Summit Communique: Our shared agenda for global action to build back better, 13 June 2021.

3 See S Breeden and F Elderson, Sizing the benefits and risks of our climate ambition, 7 June 2021, and Climate Action Tracker, Projected warming from Paris pledges drops to 2.4 degrees after US Summit  analysis, May 2021.

4 The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is developing a coordinated roadmap to address climate-related financial risks. The aim is to provide a strategic vision for the work of standard-setting bodies and international organisations (see FSB, FSB Chair's letter to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, 6 April 2021). The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) is investigating how far climate-related financial risks can be addressed within the existing Basel Framework, identifying potential gaps in the current framework, and considering possible measures to address them (see BCBS, Basel Committee publishes analytical reports on climate-related financial risks, 14 April 2021).

5 IMF, The IMF is placing climate change at heart of its work, remarks by the IMF Managing Director at the Climate Adaptation Summit, 25 January 2021; and IMF, IMF Managing Director's remarks to the Green Swan Conference, 2 June 2021.

6 The Green Swan Conference  Coordinating finance on climate, 24 June 2021, co-sponsored by the BIS, Bank of France, IMF and NGFS.

7 As of June 2021, the NGFS consisted of 92 members and 14 observers. Together, these jurisdictions cover five continents, representing around 85% of global emissions, 88% of the global economy and all global systemically important banks.

8 P Bolton, M Despres, L A Pereira da Silva, F Samama and R Svartzman, The green swan  Central banking and financial stability in the age of climate change, BIS and Bank of France, January 2020; FSB, The implications of climate change for financial stability, 23 November 2020; NGFS, Survey on monetary policy operations and climate change: key lessons for further analyses, 15 December 2020; and BCBS, Climate-related risk drivers and their transmission channels, 14 April 2021.

9 Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Consultation on draft Prudential Practice Guide on Climate Change Financial Risks, 22 April 2021; Bank of England, Enhancing banks' and insurers' approaches to managing the financial risks from climate change, Supervisory Statement, no SS3/19, 15 April 2019; and ECB, Guide on climate-related and environmental risks  Supervisory expectations relating to risk management and disclosure, November 2020.

10 Autorite de Controle Prudentiel et de Resolution, A first assessment of financial risks stemming from climate change  The main results of the 2020 climate pilot exercise, 4 May 2021; Bank of England, Bank of England publishes the key elements of the 2021 Biennial Exploratory Scenario: Financial risks from climate change, 8 June 2021; ECB, ECB publishes final guide on climate-related and environmental risks for banks, 27 November 2020; and R Menon, Being the change we want to see: a sustainable future, speech at the launch of the inaugural MAS Sustainability Report, 9 June 2020. The ECB is also carrying out an economy-wide climate stress test. The People's Bank of China is considering the possibility of including climate factors in financial stress tests, and it is gradually incorporating climate risks into its macroprudential policy framework (Y Gang, Green finance and climate policy, opening remarks at a High-Level Seminar on "Green finance and climate policy", co-hosted by the People's Bank of China and the IMF, 15 April 2021).

11 NGFS, NGFS Climate scenarios for central banks and supervisors, 7 June 2021, and L Brainard, Financial stability implications of climate change, speech delivered at the "Transform tomorrow today", Ceres 2021 Conference, Boston, Massachusetts (via webcast), 23 March 2021.

12 NGFS, Survey on monetary policy operations and climate change: key lessons for further analyses, 15 December 2020.

13 NGFS, Progress report on the implementation of sustainable and responsible investment practices in central banks' portfolio management, 15 December 2020; and NGFS, Adapting central bank operations to a hotter world  Reviewing some options, 24 March 2021.

14 C Lagarde, Towards a green capital markets union for Europe, speech at the European Commission's high-level conference on the proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, 6 May 2021.

15 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Fintech and sustainable development  assessing the implications, December 2016.

16 For examples of possible applications of fintech to green finance see D Nassiry, The role of fintech in unlocking green finance  Policy insights for developing countries, ADBI Working Papers, no 883, Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo, November 2018; B Caldecott, Fintechs and the ESG data challenge  a study of emerging technologies, BNP Paribas, 2019; and European Commission, Commission Staff Working Document  Digital solutions for zero pollution, accompanying the document "Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Pathway to a Healthy Planet for All, EU Action Plan: Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil", 12 May 2021.

17 A Moreno and T Caminero, Application of text mining to the analysis of climate-related disclosures, Bank of Spain Working Papers, no 2035, 27 November 2020, and R Menon, Fintech for an inclusive society and a sustainable planet, remarks at the Singapore FinTech Festival, 8 December 2020.

18 Reflecting the global nature of innovation and technology, the Hub is headquartered in Basel and already has five Centres: in London (with the Bank of England), Hong Kong SAR (with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority), Singapore (with the Monetary Authority of Singapore), Stockholm (with Sveriges Riksbank and the central banks of Denmark, Iceland and Norway), and Switzerland (with the Swiss National Bank), leveraging the strength of the host central banks and of the local fintech ecosystems. A strategic partnership with the Federal Reserve System in New York has been formed, and in the next months two new centres will open in Toronto (with the Bank of Canada), and Frankfurt/Paris (with the Eurosystem).

19 IMF, IMF Managing Director's remarks to the Green Swan Conference, 2 June 2021. For examples of policies, regulations and guidance on disclosure and reporting, see NGFS, Report on sustainable finance market dynamics, 31 March, 2021, pp 89; and Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), ESG disclosure landscape for banks and capital markets in Europe, 14 April 2021.

20 Leading global voluntary reporting frameworks and standard setters are increasingly collaborating with the goal of establishing a single, coherent and global ESG disclosure and reporting standard, aligned with the TCFD recommendations. Relevant reporting frameworks and standard setters include CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). The IFRS has concluded that there is a growing and urgent demand to improve global consistency and comparability in sustainability reporting, and also that it is necessary for the IFRS Foundation to play a role in this  the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) are backing this initiative. As there are no standards for sovereigns to report on climate and environmental considerations, investors have developed their own bespoke frameworks for engaging with sovereigns on these issues; the World Bank is currently developing a "TCFD for sovereigns" framework and associated guidance. See NGFS, Adapting central bank operations to a hotter world  reviewing some options, 24 March 2021.

21 Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, June 2017; NGFS, Report on sustainable finance market dynamics, 31 March 2021; and G7, G7 finance ministers and central bank governors communique, 5 June 2021.

22 BCBS, Climate-related risk drivers and their transmission channels, 14 April 2021.

23 A recent report by the CDP showed that 49% of financial institutions indicate they conduct no analysis of how their portfolio impacts the climate. See CPD, The time to green finance  CDP Financial Services Disclosure Report 2020, April 2021.

24 TCFD, 2020 Status Report, October 2020; J Bingler, M Kraus and M Leippold, Cheap talk and cherry-picking  what ClimateBert has to say on corporate climate risk disclosures, 2 March 2021; and BCBS, Climate-related financial risks  measurement methodologies, 14 April 2021.

25 J Weidmann, Climate risks, financial markets and central banks' risk management, speech at The Green Swan Conference  Coordinating finance on climate, Frankfurt, 2 June 2021.

26 OECD, OECD Business and Finance Outlook 2020  Sustainable and Resilient Finance, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2020.

27 NGFS, Progress report on bridging data gaps, 26 May 2021.

28 Banks and institutional investors have started evaluating physical and transition risks using climate scenario analyses with support from multilateral and international organisations helping to make more ESG data publicly available. For instance, the World Bank has launched its Sovereign ESG Framework and Sovereign ESG Data Portal, and the IMF has launched a Climate Change Indicators Dashboard  an international statistical initiative to address the growing need for data in macroeconomic and financial policy analysis to facilitate climate change mitigation and adaptation.

29 Environmental Finance, Green bond funds  impact reporting practices, December 2020.

30 See climate-related financial disclosures of Bank of England, The Bank of England's climate-related financial disclosure 2021, 17 June 2021; and Bank of France, Responsible Investment Report 2020, March 2021.

31 T Ehlers, B Mojon and F Packer, Green bonds and carbon emissions: exploring the case for a rating system at the firm level, BIS Quarterly Review, 14 September 2020; NGFS, Report on sustainable finance market dynamics, 31 March 2021; and A Carstens, Transparency and market integrity in green finance, remarks at The Green Swan Conference  Coordinating finance on climate, Basel, 2 June 2021.

32 BCBS, Climate-related financial risks  measurement methodologies, 14 April 2021.

33 NGFS, Dashboard on scaling up green finance, 31 March 2021.

34 In assessing transition risk, banks and supervisors have resorted to macroeconometric models calibrated on historical data and statistical relationships that may not adequately capture climate scenario dynamics. Connecting a climate scenario consistent with physical risk drivers to an economic framework remains an area of ongoing research (see BCBS, Climate-related financial risks  measurement methodologies, 14 April 2021).

35 For further details, see B Cure, Leveraging technology to support central bank's green finance objectives, remarks at the Delphi Economic Forum, 12 May 2021; and I Visco, The G20 TechSprint 2021 on sustainable finance, address at the G20 TechSprint presentation event, 7 May 2021.

36 NGFS, Overview of environmental risk analysis by financial institutions, 10 September 2020.

37 Ipsos, Perils of perception  climate change, 17 April 2021.

38 See panel discussion: "How can innovations in market-based approaches using consumer carbon tracing influence consumers' lifestyle choices?", at the Green Swan Conference  Coordinating finance on climate, Basel, 4 June 2021.

39 The "Ant Forest" encouraged Ant's users to cut their carbon footprint via a three-part approach: (a) providing individualised carbon savings data to individuals' smartphones; (b) connecting their virtual identity and status to their earnings of green energy for reduced carbon missions; and (c) providing carbon offset rewards through a physical tree planting programme (see L Chen, T Sun and S Zadek, Scaling citizen action on climate: ANT Financial's efforts towards a digital finance solution, United Nations Environment Programme, May 2017).

40 McKinsey & Company, Fashion on climate, 26 August 2020.
Launched in 1998, wine merchant CyberCellar was among the crop of original online retailers that led the advent of e-commerce in South Africa. Unlike many of the others, however, CyberCellar is still in business, trading under the same name and benefitting from the recent boom in online shopping driven by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: Supplied

David Cope, CyberCellar CEO. Source: Supplied

How have things panned out since Publik took ownership of CyberCellar in 2019? Was there quite an adjustment to be made, and how do you feel the deal has benefitted CyberCellar?

Publik takes over CyberCellar in deal with Silvertree Publik will take ownership of online retailer CyberCellar, following the signing of an agreement with current owner Silvertree Holdings...

How has the pandemic and related alcohol bans affected the CyberCellar business?

CyberCellar has announced a refresh of its offering and brand tone. Can you tell us more about this?

Source: Supplied

E-commerce competition has ramped up recently as consumers have shifted to shopping more online. How does CyberCellar plan to maintain its edge in an increasingly competitive market?

A watershed moment for e-commerce in SA During the PayFast eCommerce Virtual Summit held this week, Jonathan Smit said that for businesses seeking growth, "online is where it's at"...

Any interesting consumer trends youve picked up on in terms of wine and spirits consumption?

Lastly, what are your thoughts on the online retail growth trajectory in South Africa beyond Covid-19?

CyberCellar introduced many local consumers to the concept of buying drinks online, during a time when most South Africans were still getting to grips with the internet. Celebrating its 23rd birthday this year, the wine and spirits retailer has undergone many changes since its initial iteration, including a few changes in ownership and brand positioning.Publik, a wine bar, retail and distribution business that champions small-batch wines made by independent SA winemakers, took ownership of CyberCellar in late 2019 , following the signing of an agreement with CyberCellar's owner at the time Silvertree Brands (formerly Silvertree Holdings).Publik, led by David Cope, sought to bring a fresh approach to CyberCellar, by creating a sophisticated and curated brand that embodies a customer-centric approach. As a legacy online retailer, CyberCellar boasts a longstanding loyal customer base. Now, Cope and his young and dynamic CyberCellar team are aiming to attract a broader following through a refresh of the e-tailer's offering and brand tone."The next few years are about taking our customers with us, giving them added reasons to support us while simultaneously reaching a new audience," explains Cope, CEO of CyberCellar.Here, Cope shares more on the brand refresh and how CyberCellar is primed to prosper over the next 23 years, while he weighs in on the noteworthy impact of the pandemic on the drinks business at large.Firstly, the timing was rather fortuitous. We took over and then a few months later Covid hit, which precipitated a crazy growth curve. It required a rapid learning phase and the need to build the most talented e-commerce team possible.We've since refreshed and repositioned the brand, added focus around consumer behaviour and curated the offering accordingly. Because of this, I'd comfortably say CyberCellar has never been stronger.The most certain way to change people's habits is to force the change, and that's what restrictions caused by Covid have done. It turned what would've been 2-3 years of progress into just a few months and the companies positioned to support this shift have benefited.The drinks business as a whole suffered hugely during the periods of a total ban on sales, but those in the e-commerce space are all probably better off now because of the last 16 months.We took over a +20-year-old business and obviously all the inherent legacy positives and negatives that come with that. At Publik we've always been curious as to how we can get consumers to interact with wine in an easier, unpretentious manner and this has been a big part of what we've shifted with CyberCellar.We did a lot of research to get a better understanding of both existing and potential customers, and realised the biggest shift needed was to focus on the customer, not the product. Understanding what they're after allows us to offer a better experience and a more suitable portfolio of products is just one part of that.CyberCellar is all about curation and convenience and that's what we need to be best at. Like any business, we are not just looking at how we can offer this over the next year, but over the next 5 and 10 years. Beyond just selling wine and spirits online, e-commerce as a whole is evolving faster than ever and we need to stay in line with this overall evolution.We have some exciting plans but I don't want to ruin any surprises!The slow-down in hospitality and travel has been very hard on those industries, but a positive side-effect for wine and spirits is that people are definitely spending some of that disposable income on better quality drinks instead. Instead of an expensive dinner or holiday, buying a rare bottle of whisky or several cases of collectable wines has become a somewhat more accessible substitute.It's definitely going to slow comparative to the crazy rate of 2020, but what's important is the growth in number of consumers that have experienced the convenience of online drinks retail. Even whilst returning to regular brick-and-mortar store purchases, many will continue to buy their wine and spirits online too.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that it is setting up a technology transfer hub for producing mRNA Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa, which could start manufacturing doses in nine to 12 months.

World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks as he attends the World Health Assembly (WHA) amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Geneva, Switzerland, 24 May 2021. Christopher Black/World Health Organisation/Handout via Reuters

Today I am delighted to announce that WHO is in discussions with a consortium of companies and institutions to establish a technology transfer hub in South Africa.

We could see within nine to 12 months vaccines being produced in Africa, South Africa.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement aimed at boosting access to vaccines across the African continent, where cases and deaths had increased by almost 40% over the past week."The consortium involves a company Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines, which will act as the hub both by manufacturing mRNA vaccines itself & by providing training to a manufacturer Biovac," he said.WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that there were several options on the table, mainly smaller companies and biotechs, adding: "But we are also in discussions with larger mRNA companies and hope very much they will come on board."Pfizer and BioNTech, along with Moderna are the main producers of Covid-19 vaccines using mRNA technology.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said: "Through this initiative we will change the narrative of an Africa that is a centre of disease and poor development."Ramaphosa, referring to talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on its proposal for a waiver on intellectual property on Covid-19 vaccines, added: "Today is historic and we see this as a step in the right direction but it does not distract us from our original proposal put together by India and South Africa that we should see a Trips waiver at the WTO."
The Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans is back and this year's event carries special significance as we celebrate 15 exciting years since the project's inception in 2006. We are proud to have positively impacted the lives of young South Africans through this project.

This year, under the theme, the Mail & Guardian in partnership with the National Lotteries Commission is proud to bring you yet another exciting live virtual party on Thursday, 24 June to showcase South Africa's most versatile, innovative young professionals, who will inspire, ignite and prepare the youth for a new world.Over the years, the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans has exponentially grown in both scale and prestige. Since the announcement of the inaugural cohort of winners in 2006, many finalists have gone on to represent South Africa in the global arena  from Bryan Habana and Caster Semenya, Ami Faku to Lauren Beukes.The 2021 instalment of M&Gs 200 Young South Africans is bigger and better than ever! This years list has attracted immense support from both the public and private sector through sponsorship.We would like to thank The National Lotteries Commission with whom we share a common goal to support South African communities through the upliftment of the Youth. We are excited to announce that every winner will receive a coupon worth R500 courtesy of Takealot.com.Other partners include: City of Johannesburg, Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Afrocentric Group, University of Johannesburg, University of Free State, University of Pretoria, Kaya FM, eNCA, Durban University of Technology, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency and the Jakes Gerwel Fellowship.In awarding this years Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans, the goal is to celebrate some and inspire others, but also to take stock of how the young people of this country have responded to the new, unique challenges that the past year has presented to them. More than just an individual accomplishment, Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans provides a snapshot of who we are as a nation, so that we can see the incredible potential that our collective future holds.Join us via 200youngsouthafricans.co.za for the Winner's Live Virtual Reveal on 24 June 2021 at 7pm SAST.Be a part of our Live Watch Party at 7pm SAST on IGTV @mailandguardian and on Twitter @mailandguardian The prestigious 200 Young South Africans supplement will be published in this weeks edition of the Mail & Guardian.For more information contact az.oc.gm@idolhaM
D&AD has announced the details of the New Blood Digital Festival 2021.

Topics and speakers

Be your own career matchmaker  how to find work and workplaces that reflect who you are.

Have a laugh  how to use humour in your creative work.

Stop comparing yourself  how to build a career in your own time and in your own way.

Role reversal portfolio reviews  flipping the portfolio review on its head by chatting to a big name creative about their portfolio and how they got to where they are now.

Josh Akapo (cofounder and head of strategy, archtype),

Nicky Bullard (chairwoman, MRM Europe and chief creative officer, MRM UK),

Sherry Collins (founder, editor, writer and creative director, The Pitch Fanzine),

Jayanta Jenkins (head of marketing, Disney+),

Oliver Knowles (cofounder, Led By Donkeys),

Grace Lister (designer and researcher),

Nikky Lyle (director, Nikky Lyle Creative),

June Mineyama-Smithson (artist and graphic designer, MAMIMU),

Ben Mottershead (founder and creative director, Studio BND),

Murugiah (artist and designer, Murugiah),

Craig Oldham (founder and creative director, Office Of Craig),

Jessica Pettway (photographer and director, Scribble Scrabble Productions).

Portfolio Picks

The festival will run from 5-8 July 2021 in partnership with giffgaff, IBM and WPP. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, it will take place in a digital format - providing a virtual platform for emerging creatives to showcase their work and connect with the industry.Across the four day festival, leading industry professionals will get the chance to share their advice and experiences through a series of talks aimed at helping emerging creatives navigate the constantly changing industry as they launch their careers.A variety of creative voices across a multitude of disciplines will participate in each talk. These voices include:As part of the festival, D&AD will run Portfolio Picks, a competition aimed at helping recent graduates and emerging creatives have their work noticed and stand out to potential future employers.Submissions from across multiple disciplines including advertising, animation, illustration, graphic design/communication, digital design and mixed discipline will have an opportunity to be viewed and judged by some of the industry's biggest names. Select winners will be eligible for a place on The New Blood Academy with WPP, a two week creative bootcamp with some of the worlds most awarded creative agencies.This year's festival will once again culminate with the New Blood Awards digital ceremony which will take place on the evening of Thursday 8 July (BST). This year will be a closed event to facilitate networking between winners and the judges who chose their work. The ceremony will reveal to winners which level of New Blood Pencil their work has been awarded.Paul Drake from D&AD said, The New Blood Festival has always celebrated the importance of nurturing and amplifying the next set of creative minds breaking into the industry. The ideas and insights of emerging talent will define the future of creativity, so it is fundamental that D&AD continues to support and inspire young creatives through the New Blood programmes. The festival is a fantastic opportunity for us to highlight the amazing talent that we will see in the future and we are extremely excited to continue building a platform that can connect emerging creatives with those in the industry. Allowing them to build meaningful relationships with experienced creatives is a key step in developing their creative passion and allowing them to be successful across the industry in the years to come - and we are proud that New Blood can continue to be a part of that process.For more information and to access daily talks, go here
"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes." - Mark Twain (but likely not.)

Charles Siboto - Source: Supplied

#YouthMonth: What do all these #movements want? One of the things that the outbreak of Covid-19 has made clear is that all of us are in the same boat, whether we like it or not. What happens in China affects all of us. What happens in the US affects all of us. What happens in South Africa affects all of us...

Starting blocks remain unequal

Economic change takes time, we get it, but blatant corruption and poor governance frustrate the process at great cost to the quality of young peoples lives. Add Covid-19 to this and things become bleaker.

Has youth unemployment really become another pandemic in SA? 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...

The rise of misinformation vs real problems

All the people on Twitter telling us that we are sheeple are also just sheeple to misinformation.

Like those work emails we all send, I hope that this #YouthMonth2021 piece finds you well, but its probably finding you frustrated and generally disappointed. The winter chills are settling in across the country, load shedding looms large and Malume Cyril called the dreaded family meeting and put us on Level 3. The third wave of Covid-19 has crashed upon us, were wondering when well get vaccinated and a cousin on our family WhatsApp group has suddenly become an expert on nanotech overnight and knows how Bill Gates is using the vaccines as the delivery method to control us. Also, remind me, do we have a health minister again? Its a tough time to be positive.Weve been living through the Panna cotta since the beginning of 2020 and so many levels of lockdown later, theres a feeling of frustration and Covid-19 fatigue in the air. Which is understandable, of course. I mean, its our first time living through a pandemic on this scale and were still learning how to cope with it. Memes and TikTok seem to be the go-to coping mechanism. Almost every aspect of our daily lives has been changed by this pandemic in a relatively short space of time. It makes sense that were all slightly on edge. But while most of us have masked up and hunkered down with the hope of making it through these unprecedented times, voices spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation, in general, seem to be ringing louder. What is worrying, though, is how many young people are adding their voices to this choir.You know what, though, I do get it. Promises of a brighter future were made to the born-free generation. Some of those promises have been delivered, we can admit. Many of us who grew up poor are doing better than our parents. Most of that progress can be attributed to access to education. But the starting blocks remain unequal between Black kids and white kids, rich kids and poor kids. Our trajectories are different as a result. It doesnt help that our government isnt coming to the party.Poor kids are getting their degrees and then going back home to their impoverished conditions and its a Herculean challenge to get out. Wealthy kids are getting their degrees, going back home, jamming some Playstation for a bit while they look for work. If they cant get work through normal channels (which is currently rough for everyone), maybe they can lean on a family connection (which is fine, it is what it is) and if that doesnt work maybe even go try abroad. Kids in the middle class, if you can even call it that in SA, are in the precarious position of having some resources but also facing the real challenge of maybe being unemployed long enough that it puts a strain on those resources to the point that they run out. These are real, concrete problems. Especially during a very real pandemic thats costing lives and livelihoods.There are great stories of people overcoming their circumstances and finding creative solutions to economic challenges, of course. Hell, almost every #YouthMonth in the past three years Ive been shouting from the rooftops how the kids are doing it for themselves. Struggling your way to the top against all odds is fine but it cant be the norm to build a country on. We need systems and institutions that do what they are supposed to.The point Im getting to (in the most roundabout way) is that the rise of misinformation distracts from these real problems. How can we take the government to task when were too busy wading through a sea of conspiracies? Misinformation is actively killing people during the pandemic as well. People arent taking precautions against catching Covid-19 or mistrust vaccines, which results in deaths that couldve been avoided. Were all vulnerable to misinformation because we want to make sense of the outrageousness of things. Conspiracy theories get under our skin because theyre sexier than the truth and make it easier for us to turn off our brains. Everything thats going wrong? Its Bill Gates, China, immigrants, 5G, the Illuminati or some multi-government cabal. The government cabal is maybe closer to the truth, but not in any complex, multilayered way. Its just sheer arrogant incompetence. Because they can get away with it and we are too distracted to do anything about it.This #YouthMonth is a rough one and things are generally disappointing. Its difficult for all of us and perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel, I dont know. Protect yourself and the people around you by taking the necessary Covid-19 precautions. Id say get vaccinated but theres not much to do but wait on that count.
Gauteng is in the midst of a Covid-19 crisis, as cases show no signs of slowing down. The situation is being exacerbated by staff shortages and the fact that one of the provinces biggest hospitals is still closed after a fire earlier this year.

Staffing and beds

Contingency plans for Charlotte Maxeke patients The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) has put various measures in place to ensure patients still receive care with minimal disruption...

Stricter lockdown regulations

On Monday, South Africa reported 9,160 new Covid-19 cases, of which 6,292 were logged in Gauteng. Our province is under fire. This place is burning with coronavirus. Everywhere in the province, the positivity rate is extremely high. The chances of getting infected are extremely high wherever you are, said Gauteng premier David Makhura. He was at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, where he welcomed medics from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to help alleviate staff shortages.The infection rate and hospital admissions are doubling up almost every other day. On Sunday, 1,470 people were receiving Covid-19 treatment at public hospitals and 3,448 in private health institutions in Gauteng.According to the premier, private hospitals are also full. Theyre facing similar challenges like additional staffing. I dont want to send the message that we have a lot of beds. Every two days, beds are filling up.The provincial government has contracted over 5,000 healthcare workers to boost the staff component. Thats still not enough. We can do with more healthcare workers.In the meantime, the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital remains closed after a fire. Apparently because the provincial health department is struggling to find the hospital's original building plans so that it can install fire doors. This This is despite the evidence that the recent fire there has not caused any damage which could result in harm to patients. Rather, the Gauteng Health Department says it cannot reopen the hospital because it does not comply with health and safety standards, a report in thesaid.He said the Gauteng's Provincial Command Council was meeting on Tuesday and will recommend stricter restrictions."I can't rule that out that we might need more restrictions. The pandemic is out of control. Something needs to be done," he said, adding that the final decision lies with the National Coronavirus Command Council.In the meantime, the province is monitoring the situation at schools as well, while also asking the public to wear their masks, including those who have received their Covid-19 vaccine.
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...
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...
Digital/ATL Account Director

Remuneration: market-related Location: Cape Town Job level: Senior Job policy: Employment Equity position Type: Permanent Reference: #AccDir606021VEE Company: ninety9cents

Job description

Develop and maintain strong relationships with the client through excellent work quality and professional conduct

Manage a portfolio of numerous e-commerce digital campaigns from concept through to final roll-out

Work alongside our ATL client service team to ensure all campaigns are fully integrated from ATL onto all digital platforms

Compile detailed/informative briefs for creative and strategic departments

Schedule and arrange client meetings with all relevant parties, including the management of related logistics

Ensure that you and the team are well prepared for client meetings

Ensure that you and the team are well prepared for client meetings

Produce accurate and timely contact reports after each client meeting

Liaise with colleagues in Traffic, Creative team, DTP and other departments to ensure a job is actioned

Act as supporting point of contact for clients in the absence of other team members

Brief-in, check and ensure understanding of cost estimates before presenting to client

Monitor and follow up on all outstanding cost estimates with clients

Ensure that cost estimates are approved upfront and billed timeously

Manage and compile accurate and detailed weekly status reports for internal and external status meetings

Requirements

Diploma/degree in marketing/advertising and/or communications

Three+ years relevant experience in a similiar position as a digital account director

Prior experience with e-commerce and apps strongly preferred and advantageous

Strong client service and admin skills

Enthusiastic/confident/professional/diplomatic

Team player with initiative and excellent interpersonal skills

Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines and handle diverse activities

Reliable, organised with strong attention to detail

Have a solutions-driven attitude

Passion for client delivery and service

Accountable with good follow-through

Hard-working and proactive

Exceptional time management skills

Valid drivers license and own transport

Prior experience on Workbook advantageous but not essential

Our Cape Town office is looking for ato join our Client Service Team on one of the largest national retailers in South Africa, working on one of the most exciting; forward-thinking consumer apps in Southern Africa.We are looking for a professional and passionate account director with both Digital and ATL experience to manage one of our top retail accounts in the e-commerce sector. In addition, we want someone who takes the initiative and enjoys a challenge.Duties include, but are not limited to:Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not hear from us within three weeks of submitting your application, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful.We remain committed to the principles of Employment Equity. Posted on 22 Jun 15:15
Headend Engineer

Remuneration: negotiable Location: Johannesburg, Richmond Education level: Degree Job level: Mid Own transport required: Yes Travel requirement: Occasional Type: Permanent Company: Globecast South Africa

Configuration of DVB compression systems with IP and SDI sources and IP multicast outputs.

An understanding of VLANS and Mutlicast addressing.

IP connectivity between encoders and MUXs. Switches, etc.

Mux input service configuration

Service configuration

Adding CAS to services

Statmux configuration

Monitoring the TS Outputs

Daily alarm checks and identifying actual and possible problems

Escalating those problems to IT, fibre and logging support tickets.

Following up on all support tickets

Pre and post-Sales support roles

Management of suppliers and external contractors.

Besides a strong experience in broadcast, the following is an advantage for the right candidate:

Solid experience in the installation, operation, maintenance and fault diagnosis of various types of DVB/MPEG compression Systems and preferably Conditional Access Systems.

A demonstrable, thorough knowledge and practical experience of :

Video facility equipment, including video routers, standards converters, reference timing systems, video monitors, multi-display systems, digital glue etc.

Designing and building baseband video infrastructure.

DVB transport streams and their components and specifications.

Digital video concepts and SDI.

Knowledge of and practical experience of SDH, SDI and Ethernet telecoms circuits would be an advantage.

A good practical knowledge of IP networking and associated equipment would be an advantage.

The ability to produce quality system diagrams using Visio, with familiarity with all other commonly used software packages.

Proven experience in the project management of broadcast related system installation.

Knowledge of playout automation systems and associated infrastructure as well as file based media, wrapper formats, trans-coding technologies and workflow systems would be an advantage.

Commercially aware, with the ability to be customer-facing.

Positive, methodical, enthusiastic, self-motivated and able work both independently and as part of a team.

Flexible and be willing to work outside normal working hours where required.

Prepared to participate in the 24/7 on call rota.

Globecast South AfricaGlobecast South Africa is a leading provider of media and broadcast services to the broadcasting industry, and part of the Orange Group.Globecast is a global operation and has operations and teleport facilities on every continent. We are heavily invested in Play-out, media management, VOD, OTT and the cloud, at a global level.The position is based at Mentone Media Centre at 1 Park Road in Richmond, Johannesburg. The normal working hours are 10:00 to 19:00 with participation in a 24/7 on call rota and occasional overtime.Please email a CV to Melanie Gibb moc.acirfatsacebolg@vc Posted on 22 Jun 08:46
As the government reviews several hundred reports of heart inflammation in young people following COVID vaccination, high-profile medical and legal scholars are calling on colleges to scrap their COVID vaccine mandates, calling them unnecessary and potentially harmful to students.

University of California-Irvine medical ethicist Aaron Kheriaty and University of Notre Dame law professor Gerard Bradley went so far as to invoke the post-Nazi Nuremberg Code in urging universities to abandon their mandates, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed this week.

Though many universities already offer exemptions based on medical history and religious objections, the professors suggest two more: the emergency use authorization (EUA) status of the COVID vaccines and widespread natural immunity.

Younger adults and children have "extremely low" risk of mortality from COVID, epidemiologists Martin Kulldorff of Harvard Medical School and Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford Med wrote in an op-ed for The Hill Thursday.

(Kulldorff, a pioneer in vaccine safety, didn't share the op-ed on his newly unlocked Twitter feed. "Twitter does not allow vaccine scientists to freely discuss vaccines, but you can find it on my LinkedIn and Gab accounts," he tweeted Thursday, referring to his monthlong suspension for questioning the protective power of masks.)

Tweet URL

"Even a slight risk of a serious vaccine adverse reaction could tip the benefit-risk calculation, making the vaccine more harmful than beneficial," Kulldorff and Bhattacharya wrote, accusing universities with mandates of ignoring "basic benefit-risk analyses, a staple of the toolbox of scientists."

Benefits versus risks of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) for adolescents and young adults are on the agenda for this week's meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. It will also tackle reports of myocarditis developing after vaccination. (Originally scheduled for June 18, the meeting was moved to June 23-25 on account of the new Juneteenth federal holiday.)
Google funded research conducted by Peter Daszaks EcoHealth Alliance  a controversial group which has openly collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology on killer bat coronavirus research  for over a decade, The National Pulse can today reveal.

The unearthed financial ties between EcoHealth Alliance and Google follow months of big tech censorship of stories and individuals in support of the COVID-19 lab leak theory.

The Google-backed EcoHealth Alliance played a critical role in the cover-up of COVID-19s origins through its president, Peter Daszak.

Daszak served on the wildly compromised World Health Organizations (WHO) COVID-19 investigation team. He championed the efforts to debunk the lab origin theory of the virus, despite mounting support for the claim first made by experts on Steve Bannons War Room: Pandemic podcast in early January 2020.

Left-wing websites masquerading as fact checkers still call the lab theory false, despite the shift in tone from the Biden regime, leading world scientists, and intelligence officials.

EcoHealth Alliance also funneled hundreds of thousands of U.S. taxpayer dollars from Dr. Anthony Faucis National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to its research partner, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, to conduct studies on killer bat coronaviruses.

And Google.org, the charity arm of the tech behemoth, has also been funding studies carried out by EcoHealth alliance researchers including Peter Daszak since at least 2010.

The Generous Support of the American People.

The decade-plus relationship is evident in a 2010 study on bat flaviviruses, which lists Daszak and EcoHealth Alliance Vice President Jonathan Epstein as authors, that thanks Google.org for funding. A 2014 study on henipavirus spillover, which was authored by Daszak, similarly declares it was partly supported by Google.org.

MUST READ: EXPOSED: Fauci Headlined Conference With 'Bat Lady' and EcoHealth's Daszak Despite Distancing Himself from Wuhan.

And a 2015 paper focusing on herpes, which lists EcoHealths Daszak and Epstein as authors, reveals it was supported by funding from the US Agency for International Developments Emerging Pandemic Threats: PREDICT program, the Skoll Foundation, and Google.org.

In 2018, EcoHealth Alliance researchers authored a paper entitled Serologic and Behavioral Risk Survey of Workers with Wildlife Contact in China that was made possible by the financial contribution of Google.org.

The 14-page papers abstract summarizes:

We report on a study conducted in Guangdong Province, China, to characterize behaviors and perceptions associated with transmission of pathogens with pandemic potential in highly exposed human populations at the animal-human interface. A risk factor/exposure survey was administered to individuals with high levels of exposure to wildlife.

The paper appears to lay the groundwork for the theory that SARS-like coronaviruses could originate in a wet market in a province close to the city of Wuhan  the likely epicenter of COVID-19.

The majority of human infectious diseases have an animal origin, therefore understanding the human-animal interface as it relates to disease emergence and risk is of upmost importance The increasing frequency and variety of human-wildlife interactions in China provide opportunities for the transmission of zoonotic pathogens from animals to humans, the paper begins.

The paper also highlights how SARS has emerged in humans and other mammals in wet markets:

Handling, transporting, and butchering of hunted or farmed wildlife poses a risk of pathogen spillover into humans. In southern China provinces, including Guangdong, a significant percentage of the population obtains fresh meat for consumption from wet markets, community markets that specialize in selling and butchering live animals, including animals that are rare and endangered. Research has demonstrated that human-animal interfaces, such as within these wet markets, provide an ideal environment for infectious disease emergence, transmission, and amplification.

Read the full paper:


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Themes of truth, love and healing dominated an event to honour residential school survivors at the site of the former Brandon Indian Residential School on Monday.

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Themes of truth, love and healing dominated an event to honour residential school survivors at the site of the former Brandon Indian Residential School on Monday.

The event, called Prayer for the Children, was held at the property in conjunction with National Indigenous Peoples Day to mourn the children who died at the residential school and those across the country. The event was held by Sioux Valley Dakota Nation and the Southern Chiefs Organization.

The day is typically about celebration, said SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, but this year it takes on a different meaning.

"Its a recognition of the tragedy. Weve been talking about reconciliation for a very long time, but we still have to acknowledge the truth of what happened  we have to give space to acknowledge that, Daniels said.

"We know where weve been, so we know where were going. And the place were going is the place hopefully with more opportunity and more understanding about what happened and what we need to do to change that narrative for our young people.

Dozens of people, many wearing orange shirts and masks to commemorate the graves of 215 Indigenous children recently discovered at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, gathered around a large tent on the property, which is owned by Sioux Valley. Elders, children and many from the community attended the event.

Organizers also distributed hand sanitizer to the crowd.

Katherine Nichols, a University of Manitoba researcher who helped uncover details of unmarked graves at the Brandon residential school, spoke to the crowd and said there is still research ongoing.

A total of 104 unmarked graves of children who attend the school are believed to be spread around three burial sites, including at Turtle Crossing Campground, according to a press release. Only 78 graves are accounted for in historical records.

Ken Whitecloud, the former chief of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, said National Indigenous Peoples Day was hard this year, and he tries not to be angry.

"Im not angry at white people. Im angry at the government and the church, but I try not to be angry  today is a hard day. Both my parents went to residential school," he said.

"Imagine how many kids, children are not here because of what happened. Theres families that have been wiped out by throwing kids in the river and burying them. People dont even know who some of these children are.

"Its a difficult day, but its a good day  a healing day."

Its ironic to hold the memorial for children who died at the residential schools on National Indigenous Peoples Day, Whitecloud said, adding he hopes the government can see the irony.

"Were still here and were stronger, were better, were good people with good hearts."

He said he was glad to see some non-Indigenous people attend the event as well to educate themselves.

Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Chief Jennifer Bone stated in a press release the announcement of the discovery at the Kamloops Indian Residential School was not new for the nation.

"Our community empathizes and understands the collective pain and sorrow that the forced residential schools afflicted upon our nations," Bone stated. "The news of the Kamloops discovery has triggered raw emotions of sadness and grief in all of us."

The Indian Residential Schools Help Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419 for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience..

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
A single case of the H3N2 flu variant has been detected in southern Manitoba, according to a Monday media release from Manitoba Public Health.

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A single case of the H3N2 flu variant has been detected in southern Manitoba, according to a Monday media release from Manitoba Public Health.

The release said that the virus is related to influenza viruses found in pigs.

After experiencing mild symptoms in early June, an individual was tested for COVID-19. They tested negative for the coronavirus, but a routine surveillance process later identified it as a case of H3N2.

Officials believe the case was isolated and separate from previously announced influenza variant cases announced in April.

At this point, it is believed the public is not at increased risk because there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission, though investigations are ongoing.

The virus is not a food-related illness and there is no risk or danger to the food supply chain.

Anyone working with pigs or poultry with flu-like symptoms and going for COVID-19 testing are asked to identify themselves as an agricultural worker to staff at testing sites.

Though it is rare for influenza to spread from pigs to people and vice-versa, people in contact with pigs can reduce the spread of flu viruses by not taking food, drinks or other items into the pig areas, not putting anything in your mouth in pig areas, avoiding close contact with pigs known or suspected of being sick, wearing personal protective equipment when handling pigs, washing hands before and after contact with pigs, avoiding pigs if you have flu symptoms and avoiding pigs and pig barns if you have a high risk of complications from influenza.

 The Brandon Sun
The provincial government committed $2.5 million on national Indigenous Peoples Day to begin work on supporting identification, investigation, protection and commemoration of Indian residential school burial sites across the province on Monday.

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The provincial government committed $2.5 million on national Indigenous Peoples Day to begin work on supporting identification, investigation, protection and commemoration of Indian residential school burial sites across the province on Monday.

The government's announcement was made the same morning that local Indigenous people took part in a ceremony to honour residential school survivors at the site of the former Brandon Indian Residential School.

The federal government recently promised $27 million to find graves across the country, while Saskatchewan said last week that it will commit $2 million. Ontario committed $10 million.

"This tragedy is deeply felt in Manitoba," Premier Brian Pallister stated in a press release. "Our government is committed to working collaboratively and respectfully with Indigenous leadership, Elders, Knowledge Keepers and community members as we see reconciliation, healing and meaningful ways to honour the lives lost and support the survivors and their families in our province."

How the money will be allocated is up to Indigenous leaders, Indigenous and Northern Relations Minister Eileen Clarke said in a press conference.

Clarke made it clear the $2.5 million is a start-up fund and that discussions with grand chiefs will be taking place as early as today to identify the direction the funds will be spent. But it wont be government-driven, Clarke pointed out.

Both Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Chief Jennifer Bone and Southern Chiefs Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels were unavailable for comment at press time.

However, Emily Holland, a forensic anthropologist and professor at Brandon University who is part of a project investigating unmarked graves at the former Brandon residential school site, thinks its a really good step from the province in facilitating community-led investigation of residential schools.

"Its important to remember, these sites are really important on their own. One of the most important things is the true protection of the sites. You dont want to desecrate hallowed ground." She stressed direction has to come from the community

Holland really hopes its an indication of future commitments. One of Sioux Valleys recommendations was that theres funding for mental health, and that communities have access to this kind of support. Theyve identified 104 potential graves. Bone has said only 78 are found in burial records.

Arlen Dumas, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said the funding is a good first step.

"It will certainly take far more of a commitment and a collaborative long-term relationship with our governmental partners at all levels to step up and engage in this work," Dumas stated in a news release.

Beyond this funding, the province will consider additional initiatives, led by Indigenous and Northern Relations with the support of other provincial departments as needed, to support communities through this process.

"Manitoba wishes to do its share in recognizing, reconciling and healing. But our process must be and will be led by Indigenous Peoples, especially survivors, families, Knowledge Keepers and Elders," Clarke said.

"The last few weeks have been a difficult time for survivors of residential schools, as well as their descendants, as we are triggered by the discovery of unmarked graves in Kamloops and also right here in Brandon, Manitoba," said Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimanakak (MKO) Grand Chief Garrison Settee.

"On the heels of devastating news regarding the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of Kamloops Indian Residential School, it behooves us all to remain steadfast on surrounding ourselves with government allies who are committed to reconciliation in action with Inuit, First Nations and Metis in Canada," said Rachel Dutton, executive director at Manitoba Inuit Association.

More than 150,000 Indigenous children were removed from their families across Canada and sent to Indian Residential Schools between 1831 and 1996. Many died from contagious diseases, malnutrition, abuse, industrial accidents or while running away.

 kkielley@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press
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:
What does the army of Millennial Reddit investors have in common with Australias richest person and one of its most socially conservative, Gina Rinehart? An appetite for investing in cannabis.

Rinehart has placed her financial muscle behind one of a plethora of companies vying for a piece of the pot action in Australia - the Perth-based Little Green Pharma.

It remains to be seen whether her $15 million investment in the industry will lift the taboo around investing in medical marijuana and make it more mainstream. It might even add a little edginess to Rineharts image.

Iron ore magnate Gina Rineharts company Hancock Prospecting is getting into pot stocks. Credit:Matt Krumins

Cannabis stocks have become particularly fashionable of late among the US Reddit crowd whose modus operandi is to engage in frenzied buying of particular shares - with scant reference to underlying valuation.
A Google spokesperson said internal surveys about Pichais leadership were positive. The company declined to make Pichai, 49, available for comment, but it arranged interviews with nine current and former executives to offer a different perspective on his leadership. Would I be happier if he made decisions faster? Yes, said Caesar Sengupta, a former vice president who worked closely with Pichai during his 15 years at Google. He left in March. But am I happy that he gets nearly all of his decisions right? Yes. Google is facing a perilous moment. It is fighting regulatory challenges at home and abroad. Politicians on the left and the right are united in their mistrust of the company, making Pichai a fixture at congressional hearings. Even his critics say he has so far managed to navigate those hearings without ruffling the feathers of lawmakers or providing more ammunition to his companys foes. As Google continues to grow at breakneck speed, it is facing a number of challenges. Credit:Getty The Google executives complaining about Pichais leadership acknowledge that, and say he is a thoughtful and caring leader. They say Google is more disciplined and organised these days  a bigger, more professionally run company than the one Pichai inherited six years ago.

During his time leading Google, it has doubled its workforce to about 140,000 people, and Alphabet has tripled in value. It is not unusual for a company that has grown so large to appear sluggish or unwilling to risk what has made it so wealthy. Pichai has taken some steps to counter that. In 2019, for example, he reorganised Google and created new decision-making bodies so fewer decisions needed his sign-off. Yet Google, which was founded in 1998, is dogged by the perception that its best days are behind it. In Silicon Valley, where recruiting and retaining talent serve as a referendum on a companys prospects, executives at other tech companies said it had never been easier to persuade a Google executive to forgo a stable, seven-figure salary for an opportunity elsewhere. Loading In 2018, more than a dozen vice presidents at Google tried to warn Pichai in an email that the company was experiencing significant growing pains. They said that there were problems coordinating technical decisions and that feedback from vice presidents was often disregarded. The executives  many of whom had spent more than a decade at the company  wrote that Google took too long with big decisions, making it hard to get anything done, according to five people with knowledge of the email. While not directly critical of Pichai, they said, the message was clear: Google needed more decisive leadership at the top.

Since then, several of the executives who signed onto the email resigned to take jobs elsewhere. At least 36 Google vice presidents have left the company since last year, according to profiles from LinkedIn. Its a significant brain drain of vice presidents, who total about 400 managers and serve as the leadership backbone across the company. Google said it was comfortable with its vice president attrition rates, which have been steady the last five years. A common critique among current and former executives is that Pichais slow deliberations often feel like a way to play it safe and arrive at a no. Google executives proposed the idea of acquiring Shopify as a way to challenge Amazon in online commerce a few years ago. Pichai rejected the idea because he thought Shopify was too expensive, two people familiar with the discussions said. But those people said that they had never thought Pichai had the stomach for a deal and that the price was a convenient and ultimately misguided justification. Shopifys share price has increased almost tenfold in the last few years. Jason Post, a Google spokesperson, said, There was never a serious discussion of this acquisition.

Pichais reluctance to take decisive measures on Googles volatile workforce has been noticeable. In December, Timnit Gebru, a co-leader of Googles Ethical A.I. team and one of its best-known Black female employees, said she had been fired after criticising Googles approach to minority hiring and writing a research paper highlighting biases built into its artificial intelligence technology. Initially, Pichai stayed out of the fray. Google, which was founded in 1998, is dogged by the perception that its best days are behind it. In Silicon Valley, where recruiting and retaining talent serve as a referendum on a companys prospects, executives at other tech companies said it had never been easier to persuade a Google executive to forgo a stable, seven-figure salary for an opportunity elsewhere. After 2000 employees signed a petition protesting her dismissal, Pichai sent an email vowing to restore lost trust, while continuing to push Googles view that Gebru was not fired. But it fell short of an apology, she said, and came across as public-relations pandering to some employees. David Baker, a former director of engineering at Googles trust and safety group who resigned in protest of Gebrus dismissal, said Google should admit that it had made a mistake instead of trying to save face.

Googles lack of courage with its diversity problem is ultimately what evaporated my passion for the job, said Baker, who worked at the company for 16 years. The more secure Google has become financially, the more risk averse it has become. Some critiques of Pichai can be attributed to the challenge of maintaining Googles outspoken culture among a workforce that is far larger than it once was, said the Google executives whom the company asked to speak to The Times. I dont think anyone else could manage these issues as well as Sundar, said Luiz Barroso, one of the companys most senior technical executives. Loading Discussions to acquire the activity tracker Fitbit, which closed in January, took about a year as Pichai wrestled with aspects of the deal, including how to integrate the company, its product plans and how it intended to protect user data, said Sameer Samat, a Google vice president. Samat, who was pushing for the deal, said Pichai had identified potential problems that he had not fully considered.
When former Australian of the Year John Yu was just a toddler, he was smuggled out of Japanese-occupied wartime China in a basket, hidden under bedclothes.

I was only two at the time, he explains. So they had to prevent me crying.

Dr John Yu with a small part of the vast collection he has amassed over a lifetime. Credit:Edwina Pickles

It was an ignominious departure, but when the infant Yu arrived here in 1939 with his mother and sister it was in the relative luxury of a passenger ship from Hong Kong, celebrating his third birthday outside Sydney Heads.

I was carried ashore by my uncles friend, Earle Page [briefly, the 11th prime minister of Australia], while my mother and sister were being processed, Yu says.
One of my greatest pleasures during the COVID-19 shutdowns was having the time to indulge in hour-long phone conversations with friends and family whom I could not see in person. Especially uplifting were my biweekly talks with my friend Margaret Shryer, a twice-widowed 94-year-old Minneapolitan.

My conversations with Margaret are substantive and illuminating, covering topics that include politics, poetry, plays and philosophy as well as family pleasures and problems. I relish her wisdom and sage advice. I especially delight in the fact that she seems not to have lost an iota of her youthful brain power. Shes as sharp now as she was when we first met decades ago.

One day everyone who is physically able to reach 100 may also be able to remain mentally healthy. Credit:iStock

Recent findings about the trajectories of human cognition suggest that if no physical insult, like a stroke, intervenes in the next six years, Margaret is destined to be a cognitively sharp centenarian.

New data from the Netherlands indicates that people who achieve the age of 100 with their mental faculties still intact are likely to remain so for their remaining years, even if their brains are riddled with the plaques and tangles that are the hallmarks of Alzheimers disease.
Our weekly science newsletter, Examine, is sent every Tuesday. The latest instalment is below. Sign up to get it in your inbox here.

When it comes to the coronavirus in Australia, age is everything.

It drastically influences your odds of dying of the disease, and it largely decides when youre eligible for a vaccine, and if so, which one you will receive.

You will be at the front of the queue if you are older, but after another bombshell change in advice from the nations top vaccine advisers last week, it also means you have a single choice of vaccine, a jab that many say has received unwarranted negative publicity over a rare blood clotting complication.

I think this is the first time in my life that I have felt the invisibility of old-age, wrote one reader recently. Over 60, no choice, you get the AstraZeneca vaccine. The risk may be slightly lower, but it still exists.
More than $30 billion in the state budget has gone to public healthcare, continuing high expenditure amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state government allocated $120 billion to NSW Health over the next four years, with measures ranging from hospital upgrades to jet plane ambulances flagged in the 2021-22 budget, handed down on Tuesday.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is congratulated by Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Tuesday after reading his annual budget speech. Credit:AAP

Strong public health has been the foundation of our recovery, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet told Parliament, announcing an additional $1.1 billion will be spent on the states COVID-19 response, bringing health expenditure on the pandemic since the start of March 2020 to more than $4 billion.

More than $260 million was allocated to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, following a decision earlier this year to jointly manage vaccination of the general population with the federal government.
A rural property that detectives have raided as part of their investigation into the execution-style killing of bikie Shane Bowden has been linked by police to the Mongols motorcycle gang and two getaway cars allegedly used in the shooting.

Bowden, a senior member of the Mongols and reportedly the gangs former national sergeant-at-arms who had defected to the Finks, was sprayed with 21 bullets and allegedly shot in the face outside a Pimpama unit on the Gold Coast in October 2020 after he pulled into the driveway in a BMW.

Police arrived at the Wanora property on Monday and scoured the scene into the night. Credit:Nine News

Police last week announced a $250,000 reward for information in relation to the killing, which was said to be connected to the Mongols.

On Monday detectives executed a search warrant and declared a crime scene at a property on the Brisbane Valley Highway at Wanora, in the Somerset region, about 40 minutes west of Brisbane.
Queensland has reported one new case of COVID transmitted in the community after the virus escaped from hotel quarantine.

A man aged in his 60s, who was at the Portuguese Family Centre restaurant on Saturday night in the south Brisbane suburb of Ellen Grove, has tested positive for COVID-19.

The man went into hotel quarantine the day after he was contacted, with authorities checking whether he was out in public on Sunday morning before he was notified.

The community case comes after a flight crew member, who tested negative three times while in hotel quarantine, returned a positive result after she was released.
The fact that so little of our population is fully vaccinated, is a problem, Mr Merlino said. Federal Health Department assistant secretary Lisa Schofield rubbished this suggestion on Monday, maintaining that no formal offer was put on the table until later in the year, despite there being an initial meeting between Health Department officials and Pfizer in July 2020. La Trobe University epidemiologist Hassan Vally said a combination of cooler weather, people huddled indoors and the emergence of more infectious variants of the virus all combined to increase the risk of outbreaks spreading more rapidly. If you look at other respiratory viruses, all the evidence suggests that it spreads more easily during winter as people spend more time indoors, Professor Vally said. There is also the suggestion that the virus may like the cooler weather and may survive better and therefore it is transmitted more easily.

He said data was still being collected to understand the exact reasons why the virus appeared to transmit more in winter. However, Tony Cunningham, an infectious diseases physician at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, said that while the cooler months increased the likelihood of people congregating indoors, which in turn elevated the risk of airborne spread, coronavirus outbreaks could happen at any time. I am more concerned about the new Delta strain and other emerging variants than I am about winter, Professor Cunningham said. We need to get 80 per cent of the populace immunised in order to have an effect on spread. The next thing we need to be very wary of is the various strains escaping quarantine because we need to ensure that the strains that were dealing with are not able to evade our vaccines.

A third of elderly Victorians and almost half of over-50s still have not been immunised against coronavirus, as tensions over vaccine supplies simmer between states and the federal government. Loading Professor Cunningham said he remained concerned about older people who were yet to be immunised and strongly encouraged anyone over the age of 60 to be vaccinated as soon as they could. He said older people must balance the rare risk of developing the rare complication called thrombosis (blood clots) with thrombocytopenia (low platelets) linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine against the really rapidly rise in likelihood of death if you do get COVID over the age of 60. We need to somehow get the important message across to people who are more sceptical and more scared of the very rare side effects that this is a real issue, the virologist said.

Theres no point getting immunised after youve been infected with the virus and become ill or even the week before there is an outbreak in your neighbourhood. You need to have enough time to develop immunity and so I think the public really needs to plan for the next outbreak now. He said people over the age of 60 who were infected with coronavirus faced a 10 per cent chance of dying, a figure that rises to between 15 per cent and 20 per cent for over-80s. According to the latest Therapeutic Goods Administration data, 60 people in Australia have developed the rare, but potentially fatal, clotting disorder, out of more than 3.8 million AstraZeneca doses administered. Of those cases, two women have died. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The guidance changed due to a higher risk and observed severity of the blood clot syndrome in 50- to 59-year-olds than reported internationally and initially estimated in Australia, ATAGI said in a statement last week.

From early April to June 16, 60 cases of confirmed or probable blood clots had been reported in Australia, including seven in the past week that were in people aged 50 to 59. The rate of clots for that age group has risen to 2.7 per 100,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses  very close to the risk for those under 50 (3.1 per 100,000) and almost double the risk for those aged between 60 and 69 (1.4 per 100,000). A spokesperson for federal Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed on Monday night that Victorias allocation of the Pfizer vaccine was set to jump by almost 40 per cent next month. Victorias allocation of Pfizer would increase from 407,000 doses in June to more than 560,000 in July. But that emergency increase in supply is expected to end in July, Mr Merlino said.

We want to see a sense of urgency, Mr Merlino said, adding there will be a mad rush for the Pfizer vaccine at the end of the year. Loading Meanwhile, Victorias Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton revealed there were still tens of thousands of Pfizer vaccine recipients across the state who are due for their second doses but were yet to book it in. Last week we had 50,000 people hit the three-week mark for their second dose, and 30,000 people booked, Professor Sutton said. This week, weve got about 95,000 first dose Pfizer recipients who will be hitting the three-week mark, and around 50,000 bookings in the system as of yesterday.

He said the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine offered recipients between 60 and 70 per cent protection, but the second shot finishes the job, providing upwards of 95 per cent protection from severe illness and death. It is recommended that second doses of the Pfizer vaccine are administered between three and six weeks after the first dose. Last week, ATAGI revealed a number of mitigation strategies to increase vaccination uptake in Australia were being actively considered by the expert panel. This included the possibility of widely distributing first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and delaying the second dose, a strategy that had been used overseas, including in Britain, to quicken the pace of providing partial protection and immunity.

However, University of Melbourne vaccine expert Fiona Russell said Australia was not in a similar situation to Britain, which was trying to divert a disastrous third wave when it began fast-tracking first doses. She believed focusing on fully immunising people should remain the priority for now. We are in a different situation because we dont really have any community transmission at the moment, so we dont have to really make those difficult decisions yet, she said. But, of course, this could change if there was a major outbreak situation. A federal government spokesman said Victorias supply of Pfizer continued to increase from a base of 71,000 each week in June to 83,000 each week in July, as well as an additional 150,000 Pfizer doses that the Commonwealth would distribute to Victoria in June. Victorias supply is also supplemented by almost 200,000 Pfizer doses that will be rolled out to GPs in Victoria in July, he said.

The government will on Wednesday announce a further easing of restrictions, taking Melbourne to settings mirroring those in regional Victoria. Hospitality venues will move to a looser one-per-four-square-metre density limit and a probable cap of about 300 people. Loading People will be able to gather outdoors in numbers greater than 20 and companies will be allowed to operate with 75 per cent of their workforce in the office. The government will finalise the plans on Wednesday morning and detail the easing of public health rules at a press conference on the same day, government sources confirmed. The government is weighing up how many fans it will allow in stadiums, with the A-League grand final and a Saturday night blockbuster between Essendon and Melbourne to be hosted in Melbourne over the weekend. Crowd caps may differ depending on the capacity of the stadium.
Staff at Victorian prisons inappropriately strip-searched and used excessive force against prisoners, misused private information and smuggled illegal items in and out of jail, sparking fresh concerns about systemic corruption in the corrections system.

The states anti-corruption agency said it had uncovered serious systemic corruption issues facing the corrections sector through our complaints handling, research, reviews and investigations over many years.

A report from the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission on Tuesday revealed prison guards would unlawfully turn off their body-worn cameras while using force against prisoners, or deliberately interrupt recordings by covering the camera lens and coughing when force was being used.

The report also found the strip-search of a male prisoner took too long and was conducted in the presence of a female officer, contrary to policy, and that some corrections staff at Port Phillip Prison failed to follow procedures when reporting and investigating incidents where force was used on inmates.

They failed to provide prisoners with a genuine opportunity to tell their account, and submitted incomplete incident reports that failed to draw on all the evidence and critically examine the incidents, the report says.
A prominent Perth property identity has queried state spending on projects fringing the CBD while its centre goes begging, creating a sprawling city without a heart.

Multiplex WA managing director Chris Palandri told an industry gathering last week the city was being stretched and pulled in every direction as the state government continually favoured decentralised projects that elongated an already enormous city.

Perths missing pieces are a perennial conversation topic. Credit:Jamie Brown.

His commentary follows WAtoday columnist Gareth Parkers recent description of the city as full of disconnected, masterplanned precincts that left it derelict and depressing instead of enlivened.

The Property Council of Australia WA lunch on Friday focused on the $1.5 billion City Deal bonanza of federal funds to bring Edith Cowan Universitys business and technology schools, plus its WA Academy of Performing Arts, into Perth city, representing 10,000 students.
Mondays national cabinet meeting, where state and territory leaders met with the Prime Minister, was heavily focussed on the state of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

With Victoria emerging from its fourth lockdown since the start of the pandemic, NSW battling to contain the latest outbreak, an alarming new case in Queensland and the AstraZeneca vaccine now only being recommended for people over the age of 60, the vaccination of the citizenry is in sharp focus.

At Mondays meeting Lieutenant-General John Frewen, head of Operation Covid Shield, outlined the planning for the vaccine rollout to the end of the year.

Today on Please Explain, federal political reporter Rachel Clun joins Nathanael Cooper to discuss what we learnt from Mondays national cabinet meeting.
Australians will be vaccinated sooner and coronavirus outbreaks controlled faster, health experts say, if more vaccine data is made freely available.

Health authorities do not release the numbers, locations and ages of fully vaccinated Australians, which experts say is hampering efforts to focus the vaccine program where it is most needed.

Daily data released by the federal government does not break down vaccinations by age, gender or location. Credit:Eddie Jim

Labor is also pushing the federal government to provide its outline for how many vaccines states and territories will get for the rest of the year. So far more than 6.7 million doses have been administered across the country.

The federal government provides a daily update that includes the total number of doses administered by each state and territory and the number completed by Commonwealth clinics and GPs.
Farmers will gain a chance to be repaid for helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions in a proposal from the Nationals that opens the way for a deal on climate change under new leader Barnaby Joyce.

Setting out the terms for a negotiation on an ambitious new climate target, Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud warned that farmers had carried the cost of previous targets and needed compensation for stronger action.

Sources close to Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he looks favourably on a negotiation on some form of financial reward for farmers because this could clear the way for a formal net zero target in time for the Glasgow summit.

Barnaby Joyce has returned to the Nationals leadership with David Littleproud as his deputy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The statement came as Mr Joyce vowed to back voters in regional Australia, including the coal fields of NSW and Queensland, but did not rule out backing a target of net zero emissions by 2050.
Decades of wrangling over laws to store Australias nuclear waste have come to an end, clearing the way for a remote site to replace city facilities that are running out of capacity as nuclear medicine becomes more common.

The federal government backed down on a key feature of the bill to gain Labors support in the upper house on Monday, removing a provision that named Kimba in South Australia as the new storage location.

Australia's nuclear waste is now stored at more than 100 sites around the country. Credit:Glenn Campbell

The outcome is crucial to the long federal dispute over a new storage facility to take waste that is currently sent to Lucas Heights in the southern suburbs of Sydney, the location of Australias only nuclear reactor.

The amended bill leaves it to the federal minister to choose the location in a compromise agreed to by Resources Minister Keith Pitt and Labor counterpart Madeleine King.
Queensland MPs have been urged to pass euthanasia laws with a clear majority to avoid scaring people into choosing to end their lives early in case the laws are reversed if theres a change of government at the next election.

In September the states 93 politicians will debate whether to legalise voluntary assisted dying in Queensland.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles hopes euthanasia laws pass with a sufficient majority. Credit:Alamy

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said he hoped the Labor governments long-awaited legislation would pass with a sufficient majority, but it was important not to assume it would pass.

In a unicameral Parliament like ours, the risk of a change of government changing the laws is really significant, he said.
Bryan, OH (43506)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 55F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 55F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Lansdale, PA (19446)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

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Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Ryan Ramczyk can't really pinpoint whether he's a few blocks away, around the corner or just down the street. But the New Orleans Saints' star right tackle knows he's approaching being the player he wants to be.
India's antitrust watchdog on Tuesday ordered an investigation into allegations that Alphabet Inc's abused its Android operating system's position in the country's smart television market.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI), which last year began looking into a case filed by two lawyers against the U.S. tech giant, said its initial review found had breached certain anti-competitive laws.

The said that based on information available, including submissions made by Google, it was "convinced that a case is made out for directing an investigation" by the director general.

has denied wrongdoing. In a statement on Tuesday, it said the emerging sector in India was thriving in part due to Google's free licensing model and said Android TV competed with several well-established TV operating systems.

"We are confident that our licensing practices are in compliance with all applicable competition laws," a company spokesperson said.

Smart TVs, or WiFi-enabled TVs with apps for streaming services, are increasingly popular. Data from Counterpoint Research shows 8 million sets were sold in India in 2019, with three in five based on Google's Android system.

Kshitiz Arya and Purushottam Anand, two Indian lawyers who filed the case, told Reuters they welcomed the probe, saying Google had restricted the development of many virtual goods and services.

The case will be Google's third ongoing antitrust investigation in India, where it faces a probe into its payments app and Android mobile operating system. Reuters reported https://www.reuters.com/world/india/exclusive-india-expedite-amazon-flipkart-antitrust-probe-tech-focus-intensifies-2021-06-15 last week that an investigation into the smart TV case was likely soon.

The in June 2020 began looking https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-google-antitrust-exclusive-idCAKBN26S1M1 into allegations that Google engages in anti-competitive practices by creating barriers for firms wanting to use or develop modified versions of Android for smart TVs, such as Amazon Fire TV's operating system.

The CCI order said Google occupied the "most significant" position in the relevant market of smart TVs and the initial probe had shown the U.S. firm curbed the ability of device-makers to sell devices operating on alternative versions of Android.
The on Monday directed the (ED) not to take coercive action against portal Newsclick and its editor-in-chief in connection with a money laundering case.

The high court issued notice to the ED on the portal's plea seeking a copy of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) lodged by it in the case.

Justice Jasmeet Singh, who started hearing the vacation bench matters at 10:30 am first in division bench and thereafter in single bench, conducted the court till 11:30 pm, in a rare occurrence.

The court said till July 5, no coercive action be taken against Newsclick and its founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha.

It is directed that till the next date of hearing, no coercive action be taken against the petitioners, the judge said and listed the case relating to ED for further hearing on July 5.

Besides, the company also sought quashing of the FIR lodged by Delhi Police on the allegations of foreign funding on the ground that it does not disclose any cognisable offences as alleged.

The allegations in the FIR are that the petitioner company PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd received Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the tune of Rs 9.59 crores from one M/s Worldwide Media Holdings LLC USA during the financial year 2018-19.

It was alleged that the investment was made by greatly overvaluing the shares of the petitioner company to avoid the alleged cap of 26 per cent of FDI in a digital website.

It was further alleged that over 45 per cent of this investment was diverted/siphoned off for the payment of salary/consultancy, rent and other expenses, which payments are alleged to have been made for ulterior motives.

Therefore, it is alleged that the company has violated the FDI and other laws of the country and has caused a loss to the government exchequer.

The ED has taken cognisance of a Delhi Police FIR to initiate a money laundering probe in this instance and conducted searches on the premises of a digital platform and several other places in connection with the money received from overseas.

Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and lawyer Arshdeep Singh, representing the news portal and the founder, submitted that in April, several searches and seizures were carried out and they were informed that ECIR was registered by ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

He said the ED has been continuing the probe for four months and officers of the company are have joined the investigation from time to time.

Advocate Amit Mahajan, representing the ED, submitted that the petitioner was seeking to circumvent the provisions of section 438 of CrPC and the only remedy was to file an anticipatory bail in case the founder was apprehending arrest.

The court also granted time to Delhi Police counsel Avi Singh to file reply to the petition seeking quashing of the FIR and listed the case for July 29.

(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.)
For almost three decades, Michael Larson has quietly shuffled around one of the worlds biggest fortunes with a chief priority: Keep his fabulously wealthy bosses out of the headlines.

The conservative bets, the nondescript office, the investment firms generic-sounding name; they were all carefully designed to shield and Melinda French Gates from criticism and produce steady, if seemingly unimpressive, returns.

The couples divorce announcement last month cracked the curated image. Unflattering details spilled out, including a report that Larson had allegedly harassed and bullied some employees.

On Monday, a spokesman said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments--the 100-person strong team led by Larson thats overseen their personal fortune and the endowment of their namesake foundation--changed its name to Cascade Asset Management Co. The moniker closely resembles Cascade Investment, which historically has been the part of BMGI that manages the Gateses personal wealth.

The rebranding is the latest step in the unfolding story of what will happen to one of the worlds largest fortunes when Gates and French Gates finalize their divorce. Larson was hired by the Microsoft Corp. billionaire in the mid-1990s to oversee that wealth.





Michael Larson manages the personal wealth of and Melinda French Gates. (Photo: Bloomberg)

The sprawling portfolio under his purview, estimated by Bloomberg to be valued at about $170 billion, has over the years generated returns that beat the broader stock market by about a percentage point, according to financial filings and people familiar with the matter.

The record illustrates the priorities of the uppermost strata of the ultrarich, where investment horizons span generations and riskier bets often dont outweigh the value of a good reputation. Part of Larsons job was to help uphold his image as a wonky billionaire devoted to fixing the worlds challenges, rather than make bold moves that could draw scrutiny.

The price some of these guys are willing to pay to stay out of the is high, said Tayyab Mohamed, co-founder of family office recruiting firm Agreus Group.

The divorce and recent revelations about Cascades workplace culture, reported by the New York Times, raise questions about whats next for Larson and the fortune he oversees. A spokesman for Cascade said BMGI is changing its name to allow for the evolving needs of the Gates family and their philanthropic work and that the groups investment strategy and organizational structure wont change.

French Gates, whose name was added to BMGI in 2014, has been in focus after Cascade transferred equity stakes worth more than $3 billion to her, leading some in the industry to speculate shes in the process of claiming an even larger control of her share of the riches. Their combined wealth stands at more than $140 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Larson, 61, has admitted that he sometimes used harsh language, as alleged in the Times reporting, but denied that he mistreated staff. A Cascade representative has said the matters were examined and didnt warrant his dismissal. A representative for Gates didnt respond to a request for comment.

Mohamed said its of little surprise that Larson has remained in his role after the allegations, given his decades-long tenure with Gates and the loyalty it has likely engendered.

Had Larson not had the professional impact he had, it would be a simple yes, he should resign, said Mohamed, whose company helps fill leadership positions.

Larson, often clad in a pink shirt, shies from the limelight and rarely attends conferences for family office professionals. A former bond-fund manager, he won Gatess loyalty by delivering consistent returns and instilling in employees the notion that their primary focus was to protect their benefactors good name, according to people familiar with Cascade, who asked not to be named speaking about the companys inner workings.

The manager had broad leeway from Gates on investment decisions, they both have said. French Gates rarely attended meetings in Cascades early days aside from the annual in-person gathering, and when she did she tended to be a passive participant, according to one of the people familiar with the firm.

She was unaware of most of the allegations involving Larson given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI, her spokeswoman, Courtney Wade, said in a statement.

Its unclear where French Gates is keeping her money, including the more than $3 billion that has been transferred from Cascade, and whether shes now setting up a family office of her own. She also runs Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation firm founded in 2015 that focuses on gender and racial equality and employs roughly 90 people.

Conservative Mandate

Being the investment chief for one of the worlds biggest family fortunes might seem like an enviable job for an investor mulling creative bets. Theres hardly a worry about fundraising, client withdrawals or onerous regulations. But it often instead involves simply keeping wealth steady.

Aside from detracting attention from the Gateses, Larsons main mandate has been to invest conservatively -- try to maximize returns but dont lose money, one of the people said.

That reflects the typical investment approaches of big and foundations, said Raphael Amit, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School.

The No. 1 objective is preservation of capital, he said, adding thats why family office portfolios are so diverse, including not just public equities, but also fixed income, commodities and assets such as art.

In a Fortune story from two decades ago, Larson explained that much of his strategy boiled down to countering the swings of Microsoft stock. At the time, the portfolios both for the foundation and for the Gateses personal money mostly consisted of bonds, with some bets on private equity, commodities, Florida real estate and British hotels.



That has shifted. Today Cascade holds about $57 billion in public equities, ranging from farm-equipment maker Deere & Co. to track operator Canadian National Railway Co. to waste management firm Republic Services Inc. -- rooted in the physical world of making, moving and selling goods, and cleaning things up.

Cascade also owns around 270,000 acres of land, enough to make it the single biggest owner of U.S. farmland, according to the Land Report. The firm also has been involved in currency and commodities trading, venture capital and the development of a property complex in downtown Tampa.

The foundations most recent tax returns also shows $804 million of corporate bonds and $5.8 billion of other investments like mortgage-backed securities, bank loans and sovereign debt.

Stable returns

Cascade doesnt disclose its overall investment performance, but financial reports from the foundation offer clues. The foundations assets under management have returned an average of about 8.6% per year since 2001, according to a person familiar with the matter, beating the S&P 500 Indexs average annual 7.5% gain over the past two decades. That track record is broadly representative of Cascades overall returns, another person said.

Cascades assets have periodically been boosted by proceeds from the sales of Gatess Microsoft stock. And Warren Buffett, the founder of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has periodically given shares in the conglomerate worth billions of dollars to the foundation. Buffett is one of the Gates Foundations three board members alongside Gates and French Gates, but has no involvement in investment decisions of the endowment, according to the foundation.

One remarkable feature of the portfolio is how little it changes. Of the 15 stocks listed in the foundation trusts most recent filing, which discloses positions traded on U.S. exchanges, 10 of them were in the portfolio a decade ago.

The holdings havent uniformly jived with the Gateses charitable endeavors or priorities, which include global health and, more recently, climate change.



Cascade held investments in oil and gas until 2019, Gates said in his recent book about climate change. It was long the biggest owner of Signature Aviation Plc, the worlds largest operator of private-jet bases, before joining a consortium that took the company private this year. And its the biggest shareholder of Republic Services Inc., which for years has feuded with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, whose members are employees.

Gates has occasionally made it clear that Larson has broad discretion to make investment decisions. In a March Ask me anything event on Reddit, a user asked about his purchases of farmland. His response: My investment group chose to do this.

Two decades ago, Larson put it more bluntly.

When people find out that Cascade has made an investment in something, thats not Bill Gates, he said in the Fortune interview. I wish everyone understood that.

(With assistance from Steven Crabill.)
The seeds of a companys downfall, it is often said in the business world, are sown when everything is going great.

It is hard to argue that things arent going great for Revenue and profits are charting new highs every three months. Googles parent company, Alphabet, is worth $1.6 trillion. has rooted itself deeper and deeper into the lives of everyday Americans.

But a restive class of executives worry that the company is showing cracks. They say Googles work force is increasingly outspoken. Personnel problems are spilling into the public. Decisive leadership and big ideas have given way to risk aversion and incrementalism. And some of those executives are leaving and letting everyone know exactly why.

I keep getting asked why did I leave now? I think the better question is why did I stay for so long? Noam Bardin, who joined Google in 2013 when the company acquired mapping service Waze, wrote in a blog post two weeks after leaving the company in February.

The innovation challenges, he wrote, will only get worse as the risk tolerance will go down.

Many of Googles problems, current and recently departed executives said, stem from the leadership style of Sundar Pichai, the companys affable, low-key chief executive.

Fifteen current and former Google executives, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of angering Google and Mr. Pichai, told The New York Times that Google was suffering from many of the pitfalls of a large, maturing company  a paralyzing bureaucracy, a bias toward inaction and a fixation on public perception.

The executives, some of whom regularly interacted with Mr. Pichai, said Google did not move quickly on key business and personnel moves because he chewed over decisions and delayed action. They said that Google continued to be rocked by workplace culture fights, and that Mr. Pichais attempts to lower the temperature had the opposite effect  allowing problems to fester while avoiding tough and sometimes unpopular positions.

A Google spokesman said internal surveys about Mr. Pichais leadership were positive. The company declined to make Mr. Pichai, 49, available for comment, but it arranged interviews with nine current and former executives to offer a different perspective on his leadership.

Would I be happier if he made decisions faster? Yes, said Caesar Sengupta, a former vice president who worked closely with Mr. Pichai during his 15 years at Google. He left in March. But am I happy that he gets nearly all of his decisions right? Yes.

Google is facing a perilous moment. It is fighting regulatory challenges at home and abroad. Politicians on the left and the right are united in their mistrust of the company, making Mr. Pichai a fixture at congressional hearings. Even his critics say he has so far managed to navigate those hearings without ruffling the feathers of lawmakers or providing more ammunition to his companys foes.

The Google executives complaining about Mr. Pichais leadership acknowledge that, and say he is a thoughtful and caring leader. They say Google is more disciplined and organized these days  a bigger, more professionally run company than the one Mr. Pichai inherited six years ago.

During his time leading Google, it has doubled its work force to about 140,000 people, and Alphabet has tripled in value. It is not unusual for a company that has grown so large to appear sluggish or unwilling to risk what has made it so wealthy. Mr. Pichai has taken some steps to counter that. In 2019, for example, he reorganized Google and created new decision-making bodies so fewer decisions needed his signoff.

Yet Google, which was founded in 1998, is dogged by the perception that its best days are behind it. In Silicon Valley, where recruiting and retaining talent serve as a referendum on a companys prospects, executives at other tech said it had never been easier to persuade a Google executive to forgo a stable, seven-figure salary for an opportunity elsewhere.

Mr. Pichai, a former McKinsey consultant, joined Google in 2004 and quickly demonstrated a knack for navigating a company teeming with big egos and sharp elbows.

In 2015, when Google became part of Alphabet, Mr. Pichai took over as Googles chief executive. He was promoted again to oversee the parent company as well when Larry Page, a Google co-founder, stepped down as Alphabets boss four years later.

In 2018, more than a dozen vice presidents at Google tried to warn Mr. Pichai in an email that the company was experiencing significant growing pains. They said that there were problems coordinating technical decisions and that feedback from vice presidents was often disregarded.

The executives  many of whom had spent more than a decade at the company  wrote that Google took too long with big decisions, making it hard to get anything done, according to five people with knowledge of the email. While not directly critical of Mr. Pichai, they said, the message was clear: Google needed more decisive leadership at the top.

Since then, several of the executives who signed onto the email resigned to take jobs elsewhere. At least 36 Google vice presidents have left the company since last year, according to profiles from LinkedIn.

Its a significant brain drain of vice presidents, who total about 400 managers and serve as the leadership backbone across the company. Google said it was comfortable with its vice president attrition rates, which have been steady the last five years.

A common critique among current and former executives is that Mr. Pichais slow deliberations often feel like a way to play it safe and arrive at a no.

Google executives proposed the idea of acquiring Shopify as a way to challenge Amazon in online commerce a few years ago. Mr. Pichai rejected the idea because he thought Shopify was too expensive, two people familiar with the discussions said.

But those people said that they had never thought Mr. Pichai had the stomach for a deal and that the price was a convenient and ultimately misguided justification. Shopifys share price has increased almost tenfold in the last few years. Jason Post, a Google spokesman, said, There was never a serious discussion of this acquisition.

One former executive said the companys risk aversion was embodied by a state of perpetual research and development known internally as pantry mode. Teams will stash away products in case a rival creates something new and Google needs to respond quickly.

Mr. Pichai has also been known to go slow with personnel decisions. When Google promoted Kent Walker to senior vice president of global affairs in 2018, the company began a search for a general counsel to replace him. It took more than a year for Google to select Halimah DeLaine Prado, a longtime deputy in the companys legal team.

Ms. Prado was at the top of an initial list of candidates provided to Mr. Pichai, who asked to see more names, several people familiar with the search said. The exhaustive search took so long, they said, that it became a running joke among industry headhunters.





ALSO READ: Google brings new search console 'Insights' tool for web creators

Mr. Pichais reluctance to take decisive measures on Googles volatile work force has been noticeable.

In December, Timnit Gebru, a co-leader of Googles Ethical A.I. team and one of its best-known Black female employees, said she had been fired after criticizing Googles approach to minority hiring and writing a research paper highlighting biases built into its artificial intelligence technology. Initially, Mr. Pichai stayed out of the fray.

After 2,000 signed a petition protesting her dismissal, Mr. Pichai sent an email vowing to restore lost trust, while continuing to push Googles view that Dr. Gebru was not fired. But it fell short of an apology, she said, and came across as public-relations pandering to some

David Baker, a former director of engineering at Googles trust and safety group who resigned in protest of Dr. Gebrus dismissal, said Google should admit that it had made a mistake instead of trying to save face.

Googles lack of courage with its diversity problem is ultimately what evaporated my passion for the job, said Mr. Baker, who worked at the company for 16 years. The more secure Google has become financially, the more risk averse it has become.

Some critiques of Mr. Pichai can be attributed to the challenge of maintaining Googles outspoken culture among a work force that is far larger than it once was, said the Google executives whom the company asked to speak to The Times.

I dont think anyone else could manage these issues as well as Sundar, said Luiz Barroso, one of the companys most senior technical executives.



ALSO READ: 500 workers ask Sundar Pichai to stop protecting harassers at Google

Mr. Pichai has made it a point to not act like a corner office messiah  a larger-than-life, autocratic boss who is often romanticized in the tech industry but can make for a toxic workplace, said Aparna Chennapragada, who was a vice president at Google before leaving in April to oversee product development at the Robinhood trading app.

Mr. Pichai has also gone through with tough, unpopular decisions, like cutting down on vanity projects that didnt do much for the business, Ms. Chennapragada said.

His emphasis on the management team  rather than his ego  has led Mr. Pichai to get his deputies to make more decisions without him, the Google executives said. But he was notably decisive when it perhaps mattered the most: telling to start working from home as the coronavirus pandemic started to spread in the United States.

Discussions to acquire the activity tracker Fitbit, which closed in January, took about a year as Mr. Pichai wrestled with aspects of the deal, including how to integrate the company, its product plans and how it intended to protect user data, said Sameer Samat, a Google vice president. Mr. Samat, who was pushing for the deal, said Mr. Pichai had identified potential problems that he had not fully considered.

I could see how those multiple discussions could make somebody feel like were slow to make decisions, Mr. Samat said. The reality is that these are very large decisions.
Two-and-a-half years after Carlos Ghosns arrest, is still struggling to emerge from the scandalized affair involving the former chairman and chief executive officer.

at the Japanese automakers annual meeting on Tuesday repeatedly questioned executives about the events surrounding Ghosns 2018 arrest, suggesting that Nissan was perhaps better off during the former auto executives era of management.

Under Ghosns leadership there were a lot of good things. There were a lot of beautiful flowers within Nissan, one said during questioning at the companys headquarters in Yokohama, pointing to a period four years ago when the three-way alliance of Nissan, Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. topped global sales volumes.

Nissan has posted two straight years of losses since Ghosn was arrested on charges of financial misconduct, albeit as the global automotive industry as a whole has faced numerous disruptions from the pandemic and a crippling shortage of semiconductors. Last year, Nissan unveiled a turnaround plan that involves breaking away from the Ghosn-era strategy of selling cars at steep discounts to increase market share, which cut into profits.

The shareholder was not convinced: Incentives and discounts  those are evil? Even with incentives its better to sell cars dont you think?

ALSO READ: Nissan Motor CEO says performance for April, May better than expected



Makoto Uchida, who took over as CEO a year after Ghosns arrest, stuck behind Nissans current strategies, arguing that much of the pain the company is feeling today stems from brand damage caused by pursuing volume too intensively in the past. Nissan is making steady progress with its business transformation plan, with April and May performance exceeding expectations, Uchida said.

The automaker posted a 151 billion yen ($1.4 billion) operating loss in the recently ended fiscal 2020 year and is targeting flat annual profit for the current year. Were doing everything that we can to avoid making losses three years in a row, Uchida said.

During the course of the roughly two-hour meeting, executives were also quizzed about media reports indicating individuals at Nissan had conspired to have Ghosn arrested, which Uchida said had no merit. Another shareholder opposed the re-election of directors who were present when Ghosn was removed because the matter should have been handled internally without damaging Nissans brand value, he said.





ALSO READ: US father-son duo charged with helping Carlos Ghosn flee plead guilty

Ghosn, who escaped trial in Japan at the end of 2019, is now residing in Lebanon and has denied the charges of financial misconduct. Greg Kelly, the former Nissan director who was arrested alongside Ghosn, is fighting the charges against him in an ongoing trial in Tokyo.

At the end of the annual meeting, approved the reappointment of Uchida and 11 other directors. Renault is Nissans biggest shareholder with a 43% stake in the Japanese automaker. Another proposal that would have seen Nissan and Renaults alliance agreement disclosed was rejected.

With regard to the former chairman, we have caused concern to shareholders, Uchida said. Trust is not something that can be built back over night. However, we are seeing signs of recovery.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has cleared the Kalrock-Jalan plan to revive Jet Airways, while rejecting the consortiums demand for historicity of airport slots. The Naresh Goyal-founded airline was shut down in April 2019 under heavy debt.

The tribunal order comes exactly two years after the start of the insolvency proceedings. Jet is the first airline to see resolution under the (IBC). Even as the order paves the way for the grounded airlines revival, the resumption of operations hinges on negotiations between the consortium and the government on the issue of airport slots.

On Tuesday, a Bench of Janab Mohhamed Ajmal and V Nallasenapathy approved the resolution plan with riders. The allocation of slots will be considered by the appropriate authority as and when these are applied for, and the historic slots will not be available, the Bench ordered. The consortium will have 90 days to seek all regulatory permissions and complete formalities for restarting the airline and can seek a further extension if required.

collapsed under a mountain of debt in April 2019. After two unsuccessful bidding rounds, the Kalrock-Jalan consortium was selected by a committee of creditors last October with over 99 per cent vote to restart the airline. Jalan is a Dubai-based NRI businessman and Kalrock Capital is a financial advisory and asset management company.

While Jet has admitted claims of over Rs 15,000 crore, the consortium proposed to pay nearly Rs 1,200 crore to creditors over the next five years and re-establish as a full service airline with 25 aircraft fleet. According to the resolution plan, banks will get a 9.5 per cent stake in the airline while public shareholding will reduce to 0.21 per cent. The consortium would hold 89.79 per cent in the airline. Employees will also get 0.5 per cent stake in the airline.

The tribunal ruling on various aspects of the plan is awaited.

One of the key demands of the consortium has been grant of historicity of airport slots and traffic rights that were used by prior to its collapse. This was opposed by the civil aviation ministry and the consortium's plea on the matter was rejected by the tribunal.





This was a unique case as it was the first corporate insolvency resolution plan in the where numerous intricacies pertaining to aviation laws were involved and the role of Ministry of Civil Aviation was crucial as the resolution plan hinged upon the issue of slots and bilateral rights, said advocate Ashish Mehta, who ppeared for the ministry.

A senior government official said representatives of the consortium had met the slot allocation team of Delhi and Mumbai airports -- the two largest and most slot-constrained airports in the country.



"While the Airports Authority of India has said that it has no issue of slot constraints, even Delhi and Mumbai have confirmed they will be able to offer slots to the new airline as and when provided with aircraft induction plan," the official said. He pointed out that before the Kalrock-Jalan consortium can provide concrete plans of aircraft induction, no airport will be able to guarantee slots as slots are perishable commodities.

"How can an airport confirm slots without a fleet plan? If not used, the airport will lose out financially. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, currently there will be no constraint of slot at any airport," he said.

It is a big relief that the resolution plan has been approved. However, it is a bit disappointing that historic rights over slots are not being made available. There are ongoing discussions between the consortium, the government and the airport authorities on the allocation of slots and traffic routes. These are preliminary in nature but I am hoping for a positive outcome and we will see Jet fly again soon, said resolution professional Ashish Chhawchharia.

In a statement, the Kalrock-Jalan consortium said it would want to work alongside the civil aviation ministry, DGCA and all its competitors to put Jet Airways back in the skies. Our team will study the written order once issued by the and we will provide a detailed response on the next steps subsequently, the consortium said.

The Jet Airways stock has been locked in upper circuit for the past two days, and has gained over 10 per cent. It closed at Rs 99.45 on the BSE on Tuesday.

Jet Airways, founded in 1993, has been under insolvency for two years after it shut operations in April 2019.

The resolution professional had received claims of over Rs 44,000 crore from financial creditors and employees of which claims to the tune of Rs 15,400 crore were admitted. Financial creditors such as State Bank of India, Yes Bank and others claimed Rs 11,344 crore but only Rs 7,453 crore worth of claims were admitted.

In a separate matter, the tribunal rejected Sahara groups application challenging the resolution plan. The Sahara group had

requested for exclusion of the airline's Bandra Kurla complex property from the assets in the resolution plan and sought to be considered as a secured creditor. However, the tribunal rejected the plea.
Terming Indias near duopoly telecom space tragic, Chairman said a large country like India needed at least three mobile players.

In India, from 12 operators we are down to nearly two and a half  will it go down to two? In my view it would be tragic. India is a very large country and it deserves to have three private sector telecom players and I hope we end up with that situation, he said at the Qatar Economic Forum.

Vodafone Idea came under a lot of stress after the Supreme Court in September last year directed the company to pay its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

In a relief to the cash-strapped telecom operators, the court allowed the to clear their AGR dues in 10 years and start making an upfront payment of 10 per cent of the dues.

According to DoT estimates, Vodafone Idea owes Rs 58,400 crore as AGR dues. Of those, it has paid Rs 7,854 crore. It needs to pay the balance in 10 annual instalments ending March 31, 2031.

owes Rs 43,980 crore as AGR dues against the telcos calculation of Rs 13,004 crore. The company has paid Rs 18,000 crore. The DoT had raised the AGR dues to telecom after the court crystallised the definition of AGR; similarly, it can be done on dues from bankrupt firms.

The court in October 2019 had delivered the verdict on the AGR issue for calculating the government dues of telecom companies, such as licence fees and spectrum-usage charges. However, Mittal is optimistic about his company.

As far as Airtel is concerned, it is gaining ground, has gained market share, and is in a solid position. In Africa we have now strengthened our company and it is doing extremely well. We remain steadfast in our ambition. When asked whether the pandemic had made him rethink business, Mittal said, Very clearly the digital acceleration has forced the hands of almost every major corporate entity in the world. More and more digital tools and mediums are being used to do things  within the systems and, importantly, how best to serve customers in a more efficient and faster way. In my own opinion, the which are not going to adapt to the digital way of life will fall behind.



Talking about the companys One Web initiative, Mittal said: We are firing on all cylinders, connecting more and more homes on fibre so that shifts from office to home are well served and we are doing well on that.

One Web would serve every inch of the worlds land, oceans, mountains, jungles and deserts anywhere  we will have a radio signal to serve the people who are not connected due to the internet.
Norwegian pension fund KLP is divesting from and Special Economic Zone Limited on the grounds the company's links with the military breach the fund's responsible investment policy, KLP told Reuters on Tuesday.

Adani Ports, India's largest port operator, has been under scrutiny from international investors over its project to build a container terminal in the city of Yangon on land leased from a military-owned conglomerate.

A military coup in on Feb. 1 and an ensuing crackdown on mass protests in which hundreds have been killed has drawn international condemnation and sanctions on military figures and military-controlled entities.

"Adani's operations in Myanmar and its business partnership with that country's armed forces constitutes an unacceptable risk of contributing to the violation of KLP's guidelines for responsible investment," KLP said in a statement to Reuters.

A spokesperson for the Myanmar military did not answer calls from Reuters seeking comment.

KLP, Norway's largest pension fund, had an investment worth $1.05 million in at the time of its decision, it told Reuters.

It was divesting because the container terminal is being built on land owned by the Myanmar military and that there is an "imminent danger" the armed forces could use the port to import weapons and equipment, or as a naval base.

"In this way, the port could be used by the army to continue its violations of human rights," KLP said.

was not immediately available for comment.

Adani Ports said in May it could abandon the Myanmar container terminal project and write down the investment if it was found to be in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States.

KLP said it had been in a dialogue with Adani Ports since March this year and held a meeting with the company's management in April.

Adani told KLP "it takes human rights seriously, and that it has a human rights policy", KLP said in its statement.

At the same time, "Adani said it had made no due diligence assessments relating to human rights before the agreement it concluded with the Myanmar military", KLP said.

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US pharma giant Pfizers Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Bourla said that the company is in the final stages of signing an agreement with the Indian government to supply its Covid-19 jabs.

According to agencies, Bourla said, We are discussing with the Indian government. We are in the final stages of finalising the agreement. Bourla was speaking at the BioPharma & Healthcare Summit, USA-India Chamber of Commerce (USAIC). I hope, very soon, we will finalise an agreement with the government, he added.

Sources close to the developments had indicated earlier that the price for India could be below $10 per dose, or the lowest in the world, so far. Pfizer has also said that it will only sell its vaccine to the Government of India during the pandemic and not to other entities. According to estimates, around 50 million doses could be supplied to India between July and October this year.

The company, however, has sought indemnity in the purchase agreement that will exempt it from legal claims in case there are any adverse effects from the vaccines, when administered. Its representatives are meeting the authorities in the country regularly, and recently, presented an elaborate data from the global trials.

Bourla said Pfizer will be able to make 3 billion doses of its vaccine by the end of 2021, and around 4 billion vaccines in 2022.

Pfizer-BioNTechs Covid vaccine BNT162b2, an mRNA technology-based jab, has shown 95 per cent efficacy against Covid, and around 100 per cent efficacy against severe disease. The vaccine is also approved for adolescents over 12 in the US.

Bourla said that the company has specific plans to meet demand for vaccines in low-and middle-income countries, including India.

These countries are likely to get 2 billion doses of the vaccine, of which around 1 billion could be delivered within this year.

Pfizer has recently concluded a deal with the US government for 500 million doses. The US government may give these doses to the low-and-middle income nations.
The on Tuesday asked the Tamil Nadu government to inspect a Renault-Nissan plant on July 3 to check if social distancing norms were being followed there.



The Renault-Nissan workers union petitioned in the court last month, seeking to halt operations, saying that social distancing norms were being flouted and the company-provided health benefits were outweighed by the risk to their lives.



The call for an inspection from the HC follows a review of Ford, Hyundai and Renault-Nissan plants by the state government officials last week, which said the nature of work in assembly lines posed challenges in maintaining social distancing.Nissan, which owns a majority stake in the Renault-Nissan plant near Chennai, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.A lawyer for Renault-Nissan India told the court that the company would implement guidelines issued by officials from the states Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) ahead of the inspection next month.The guidelines apply to all carmakers, including Ford and Hyundai. However, only the Renault-Nissan factory will be inspected as unions at other automakers have not raised objections, the court said.The DISH review last week had also found that three in four workers at the plants had not been vaccinated, one in seven workers had contracted the virus, and 21 had died.Workers at the three plants accounted for more than 4 per cent of all active cases in the two districts where the plants are located.

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Pharma major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on Tuesday said it along with one of its subsidiaries have reached an agreement with Corporation (Celgene) to resolve a patent litigation.

In a statement said it along with its subsidiary has agreed with Corporation-a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb, to resolve the patent litigation regarding submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for a generic version of Revlimid (lenalidomide capsules) in the US.

As per the agreement, will grant a license to Celgene's required to manufacture and sell (subject to USFDA approval) certain limited quantity of generic lenalidomide capsules in the US sometime after March 2022.

In addition, the license will also allow to manufacture and sell an unlimited quantity of generic lenalidomide capsules in the US beginning January 31, 2026.

According to Sun Pharma, as a result of the settlement between Sun Pharma and Celgene under the US Hatch-Waxman Act, regarding the Revlimid patents, will be dismissed.

Additional details regarding the settlement are confidential. The agreement is subject to customary regulatory approvals, Sun Pharma said.

--IANS

vj/dpb

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As many as 21 cases of the Delta Plus Covid variant, the mutant version of the Delta variant have been found in Maharashtra, health minister Rajesh Tope informed on Monday.

He further informed that of the 21 cases, nine were reported from Jalgaon in Ratnagiri, seven were from Mumbai and one each from Palghar, Sindhudurg and Thane.

" has taken a decision regarding genomic sequencing and started the process of taking 100 samples from each district and CSIR and IGIB have been involved in this important process. NCDC is also cooperating. Since May 15, 7,500 samples have been taken and squeezed. In which about 21 cases of Delta Plus have been found," Tope said.

He further said that the vaccination status and travel history of the patients are being ascertained.

"Further action is being taken in these cases so that complete information of these index cases is being taken," he added.

The first case of the Delta plus variant was reported in a 64-year-old woman from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh who recovered under home isolation.

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Samajwadi Party president on Tuesday accused the of hiding the actual number of deaths due to COVID-19.

Through this, he said, the BJP government is actually hiding its face.

Yadav's remarks came a day after a report claimed that the death toll due to COVID-19 in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh from July 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 was up to 43 times higher than the official figures.

Its findings are based on a comparison of the official death toll in these districts during the nine-month period with the excess deaths registered in the state's Civil Registration System (CRS). The mortality data was accessed through a Right to Information (RTI) application.

In a tweet in Hindi, Yadav said, "According to information accessed through the Right to Information, it has come to light that the death toll in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh in the nine months of the pandemic till March 31, 2021 is up to 43 times higher than the government figures."



"Actually, the BJP government is not hiding the death figures but its face," he said.

As of Monday, Uttar Pradesh's COVID-19 death toll stood at 22,224 while the total number of cases was 17,04,476, according to a government bulletin.

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At least 294 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the total caseload in the northeastern state to 33,375, a senior health official said here on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 death toll remained at 159 with no fresh fatality reported in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer, Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

The Capital Complex Region reported the highest number of fresh cases at 59, followed by West Kameng (25), East Siang (20), Changlang (19), Lower Subansiri (17), Upper Subansiri, Lohit and Longding at 16 each, Namsai (14), Leparada (13) and Pakke Kessang at 11 cases.

Cases were also reported from Anjaw, Papumpare, Lower Dibang Valley, Tawang, East Kameng, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, Upper Siang, Lower Siang, Dibang Valley, Tirap, Siang and Kamle district, the official said.

Of the fresh cases, 284 were detected through rapid antigen tests, 1 through RT-PCR and 9 via TrueNat methods, the official said, adding that 131 people have symptoms of COVID- 19.

The state now has 2,539 active COVID-19 cases, he said.

As many as 270 patients were cured of the disease on Monday taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 30,677, Jampa said.

The COVID-19 recovery rate now is 91.92 per cent while the active percentage stands at 7.61 and the positivity rate at 5.43 per cent, he said.

The Capital Complex Region - comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas - has the highest number of active cases at 438, followed by West Kameng (279), Changlang (189), East Siang (168) and Namsai (146).

Altogether, 7,21,157 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state so far, including 5,405 on Monday, Jampa said.

Meanwhile, State Immunisation Officer Dr Dimong Padung said that a total of 4,99,860 people have been administered COVID-19 vaccine doses so far in the state since the inoculation drive began in January.

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The on Tuesday told the it would not arrest senior IPS officer Param Bir Singh till July 3 in a case registered against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Senior counsel Darius Khambata, appearing for the state government, said his earlier statement, that the police would not arrest the former police commissioner, shall continue till July 3.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar posted a petition filed by Singh, seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him on a complaint of police inspector Bhimrao Ghadge, for hearing on July 2. On that day, the court would also hear another petition filed by the senior IPS officer challenging two enquiries set up against him by the state government. The first enquiry order of April 1 was passed by the then state home minister Anil Deshmukh for alleged violation of some All India Services (Conduct) Rules by the senior bureaucrat.

The second order of April 20 was issued by the current home minister (Dilip Walse Patil) over allegations of corruption levelled against Singh. The FIR registered under the Atrocities Act against Singh is based on the complaint filed by police inspector Ghadge, currently posted at Akola in eastern Maharashtra. Ghadge made a series of allegations of corruption against Singh and other officers when the top cop was posted in Thane as police commissioner. In the FIR, now transferred to the Thane, Ghadge alleged that Singh pressured him to drop the names of some persons from a case and when he refused, the IPS officer framed him in false cases. The FIR was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (the complainant belongs to an SC community).

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It took just 23 seconds for Qantas Airways Ltd. Flight QF72 to drop 690 feet, throwing passengers into the ceiling midway through its journey from Singapore to Perth.

Within five seconds, the A330 experienced forces equal to negative 0.8-times gravity switching to 1.56G, which must have felt first like the drop of a roller coaster followed by an acceleration faster than a sportscar. It was a harrowing experience that left more than 100 injured.

When the flight computer went psycho, as Captain Kevin Sullivan later described it, he had the second officer by his side and the first officer was already heading back to the flight deck. He needed them. Three minutes later, the aircraft once again pitched down and fell 400 feet in 15 seconds, with the working together to troubleshoot the problem.

Thankfully for the passengers and crew on that October 2008 flight, the cockpit was staffed by two Cutting flight crews to a single pilot during the bulk of a flight would likely mean a totally different outcome.

Thats nonetheless what Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. is working with SE to achieve, Reuters reported last week. The increased automation available on the A350 would allow a pilot to take a rest break while leaving just one in the cockpit. That would reduce staffing on a long-haul flight from two crews of two each, which typically rotate shifts, to three pilots total, or even fewer.

The push toward so-called single-pilot operation has intensified over the past decade as booming demand for air travel has come up against a chronic shortage of qualified aviators. The world needs to train an additional 550,000 pilots by 2037, according to a 2018 study by the International Civil Organization, and consultancy Oliver Wyman expects a shortfall of 35,000 as soon as 2025.

That pressure will be particularly intense as financially stricken attempt to rebuild themselves after the Covid-19 pandemic, which has saddled them with more than $220 billion of new debt while operating costs have run about 50% ahead of revenues.

Its understandable why slimming down the flight crew may be tempting: For the bulk of most flights, journeys through the skies are relatively uneventful. Most of the work that pilots put in is during the take off and landing phases, which also happen to be statistically the most dangerous.

Technology has already allowed to dispense with the radio operator, navigator and flight engineer to create the modern two-person cockpit. Aside from autopilot when cruising, automated landing systems are also now a routine feature used in heavy fog, while the A350 will guide itself to a lower altitude if theres a loss of cabin pressure. Backing up a single pilot at the controls with a ground operator might be the logical next step.

Statistically, that sounds sensible. But safety isnt about averages. It needs to be built around the edge cases, the one-off unthinkable scenarios where pilots need to work together to solve a problem. One of the most famous and haunting of these occurred in 1990 when the cockpit window of a British Airways jet blew out at high altitude, partially sucking the pilot out and forcing flight and cabin crew to hold onto the captain while another landed the plane. When Qantas Flight 32 suffered an engine explosion in November 2010, subsequently leaking fuel from a wing, the entire flight deck contributed to solving the problem and arranged a safe landing back in Singapore. Pilot incapacitation is a relatively common occurrence, happening once a month or more in most major markets.

Even when crew arent needed to physically save their co-pilots, having a second pair of eyes can be essential. Emergencies happen and need to be resolved quickly  and when something goes wrong, the crew must act fast and communicate effectively in conditions of great uncertainty. It took just over four minutes between first detecting problems on Air France Flight 447 en route to Rio de Janeiro from Paris in June 2009 and the A330 hitting the Atlantic Ocean, with the loss of 228 lives.

Skimping on pilots downtime, too, could make it harder for them to bear the cognitive loads necessary to fly safely. In October 2009, a Delta flight landed on the taxiway in Atlanta, instead of the runway, because the pilots became disoriented. No one was injured, yet investigators later pointed to fatigue as a key contributing factor.

Aviations fanatical safety culture has a record to be proud of. Despite more than 37 million commercial departures in 2019  nearly double the level two decades earlier  the types of in-air accidents that people worry about are mercifully rare. Worldwide, there were just 18 instances of planes either losing control or flying into the ground in the five years through 2019. Where basic rules are followed, even countries synonymous with risky flying such as Indonesia improve fast.

To tempt passengers back into flying metal tubes in the aftermath of a pandemic, though, will require assuring them that those safety standards will continue to be met. Automation isnt always the best solution to that. Its been barely more than two years since the latest model of the worlds most popular aircraft, the Boeing Co. 737, was grounded because of problems with its automated control systems that resulted in 346 deaths. As much as a cash-strapped airline industry would love to cut crew costs right now, dropping the pilot would be a reckless move.
Bharat Biotechs Covaxin, Indias first indigenous against Covid-19, has shown 77.6 per cent efficacy in the final analysis of phase 3 clinical trials, according to sources in the expert panel that reviewed the data.

The has shown an efficacy rate of 93 per cent against severe disease and 60 per cent against asymptomatic Covid-19.

The Hyderabad-based manufacturer sought a full marketing authorisation for Covaxin after presenting the final analysis of phase 3 data before the Subject Expert Committee (SEC), which is advising the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), a source said.

A full marketing authorisation has not yet been recommended by the SEC. More data on safety has been sought before a full authorisation can be granted, the person cited above said. The SEC will now pass on the data to the DCGI for review.

did not comment on the matter.





Now that the data from phase 3 trials has been reviewed by the drug regulator of the country of origin, the firm can present it before the (WHO). is set to present the data before the WHO on Wednesday as it seeks to be part of the WHO-Emergency Use List (EUL).

Once Covaxin features in the WHO-EUL, it would address concerns around those vaccinated with this jab travelling abroad as most countries are allowing travelers who are vaccinated by one of the doses that feature in the list.

indicated earlier that it was engaging with the WHO and presenting data from the analysis of trials from time to time. The company has said it expects a WHO nod between July and September.

Bharat Biotech has noted on its website that Covaxin demonstrated 78 per cent vaccine efficacy against mild, moderate, and severe Covid-19 disease. The efficacy against severe Covid-19 disease was 100 per cent with an impact on reduction in hospitalisations.

Of the 25,800 participants in the phase 3 trials, over 2,400 volunteers were above 60 years of age and over 4,500 with comorbid conditions.
has on Tuesday given its 700 staff worldwide a week's paid break to combat workplace stress, the media reported.

The staff have been told to switch off and focus on themselves, BBC reported.

founder Whitney Wolfe Herd made the move "having correctly intuited our collective burnout", said a senior executive praising it as "a much-needed break".

"Whitney Wolfe Herd gave all 700ish of us a paid week off, having correctly intuited our collective burnout. In the US especially, where vacation days are notoriously scarce, it feels like a big deal," Clare O'Connor, Head of Editorial Content at shared in a tweet on Monday.

The pandemic has been extremely busy for the firm as it debuted on the stock market in February, and had rapid growth in user numbers.

According to the latest figures by the company, the number of paid users across Bumble and Badoo, which Bumble also owns, spiked by 30 per cent in the three months to March 31, compared with the same period last year, the report said.

Several other tech companies have also unveiled their plans for remote working as the economy reopens.

Twitter has said that it expects a majority of its staff to spend some time working remotely and some time in the office. CEO Jack Dorsey initially said that employees could work from home "forever".

Google also rejigged its timetable -- as of September 1, employees wishing to work from home for more than 14 days a year can apply, the BBC reported.

Conversely, Apple CEO Tim Cook has said workers should be in the office at least three days a week by September.

Employees have launched a campaign against the move, media reports stated early this month.

Other companies, such as accountancy firm KPMG, have introduced new measures to combat the fatigue some workers might feel after more than a year of working in a less-than-ideal home set-up.

Voice-only meetings, for example, are now required on Fridays to reduce the need for video calls. And it's discouraging early morning meetings to give staff more time to prepare for their working day, the report said.

--IANS

rvt/in

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A. Selvan, who works as a contract driver in Chennai, gets a bimonthly electricity bill of around Rs 800. If it were not for the government's power subsidy for domestic consumers, he would have had to pay thrice that amount, around Rs 2,500.

Tamil Nadu, like many states in India, supplies free or subsidised power to certain categories of consumers, primarily domestic and agricultural users. Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are the other states that offer variable subsidies to different categories of users.

While subsidised power is useful for Selvan and consumers like him, it inflicts massive losses on companies (discoms) and affects their ability to pay Most states have logged huge delays in payments to producers.

How can discoms be protected from substantial losses without impacting consumer interests? Removing power subsidies and tariff rationalisation has figured in policy discussions for many years, including during a prime ministerial review meeting in May 2020. But the most workable solution lies in a two-pronged approach--governments should invest in building community-sized renewable energy plants, while quickly shutting down old coal plants, experts tell IndiaSpend.

If discoms follow this strategy, they would make a one-time investment in setting up community solar and wind plants, which will supply power to a neighbourhood that will own and maintain the facility. Any surplus power generated would be sold back to the discom. Shutting down coal plants will yield different kinds of savings, as we explain later.

To understand how this approach could work, we take the case of Tamil Nadu, whose debt to power producers, Rs 13,404 crore as of April 30, 2021, is the highest in India. The state-owned discom, the Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO), which generates power and also buys it from other producers, offers subsidies in four slabs of bimonthly power use--up to 100 units, 101 to 200 units, 201 to 500, and more than 500 units.

TANGEDCO's payments to power generators have been overdue for more than a year. The amount has grown from Rs 4,114 crore on April 30, 2017, to Rs 20,842 crore by September 30, 2020--a rise of 407%. It came down to Rs 13,404 crore in April 2021 with the Centre's liquidity infusion to discoms to help them out of the lockdown crisis. As of October 2019, TANGEDCO's debt was Rs 1.01 lakh crore.

In 2019, the government invited the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to offer general fiscal recommendations for the state. In its June 2020 technical assistance report, the IMF noted that the state's discom has not revised tariffs since 2014, widening the gap between its expenses and revenue. It suggested higher tariffs and other mechanisms to help the poor.

The central government has also been planning to rationalise tariffs. But if the tariff is increased to equal the actual production cost, Tamil Nadu's domestic consumers who pay Rs 2.20 per kilowatt-hour (kWh or unit) will have to pay more than Rs 8 per kWh.

Here's where community renewable energy plants come in.

Few consumers pay full tariff

At 18% and 24%, respectively, India's agricultural and domestic users form a large consumer base for power though industrial consumption is the highest, nearly 42%. But agricultural and domestic users form a significant voter base, turning power tariff into a political issue.

The Tamil Nadu government introduced free electricity to small and marginal farmers in 1984, extending the facility to all farmers in 1989. Subsequently, the government subsidised power for the handloom and power loom industries. In the 2020 budget, the state government allocated Rs 360.33 crore as subsidy for TANGEDCO, against the free power supplied to the handloom and powerloom sector.

TANGEDCO deals with big losses because both categories of subsidised power users consume a lot of electricity. In 2019-20, the domestic segment used 30% (or 28,650 million units (MU) of the total consumption of 94,944 MU) and agriculture used 15% (13,811 MU).

In 2012-13, TANGEDCO listed its average cost of supply (ACoS) at Rs 5.98 per unit. At the time, its losses stood at Rs 2.19 per unit. Information on the current ACoS is not publicly available, but based on TANGEDCO's informal information of an ACos of Rs 8.04 two years ago, Martin Scherfler of Auroville Consulting, which works for ecologically and socially responsible development, estimates that it must be around Rs 8.20 per unit. This ACoS includes the cost of generation and transmission including transmission losses. ACoS also includes distribution costs and payments to the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited (TANTRANSCO), which is in charge of transmission.

The only consumers who pay more than the ACoS are those in the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, as per the category-wise revenue cited in the power ministry report.

To cover the losses, the Tamil Nadu government compensates TANGEDCO in the form of a direct subsidy. In 2020, this came to Rs 8,414 crore. Some of the compensation is in the form of a cross-subsidy, where C&I consumers pay a higher tariff. "Simply put, C&I consumers pay a portion of the domestic consumers' bill," said Vishnu Mohan Rao of the Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), an organisation working on governance issues.

Energy needs expand, alternatives too

However, under the open access scheme, consumers with a connected load of more than 1 MW can purchase power from the open market, primarily from renewable energy (RE) producers. This also helps these consumers fulfil the government-mandated renewable purchase obligation (RPO) wherein they have to buy a certain proportion of

But big consumers have another reason for not choosing TANGEDCO: The cost of renewable power in the market--on the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and the Power Exchange India Limited (PXIL)--is much lower than TANGEDCO's charges. (This was Rs 2.84 per kWh for IEX and Rs 3.22 per kWh for PXIL in 2019-20 but at least Rs 8 per kWh for TANGEDCO.)

With the C&I consumers migrating to other sources, the discom's revenues would reduce further, leading to a reduction in the amount of money they use for cross-subsidy.

Meanwhile, energy needs are increasing--the number of electricity consumers in Tamil Nadu increased from 21.2 million in 2010 to 30.8 million in 2020, a 45% increase. The per capita consumption has also increased over the years. TANGEDCO's subsidies have thus soared, pushing it deeper into losses.

Community renewables

Energy experts believe that community solar and wind plants will benefit TANGEDCO because they need only a one-time investment, albeit large, in assets and infrastructure, under the capital expenditure (capex) model. (Subsidies that are recurring and growing follow the operational expenditure model or opex).

Installing renewable power plants will get TANGEDCO additional power. Once the community, which owns the power plant, starts earning from the sale of additional power, the subsidies can be removed gradually.

"We suggested community solar because the capital cost is 20-30% more for rooftop solar than for ground-mounted panels," said Scherfler of Auroville Consulting.

However, for community solar, the current low net 'feed-in' tariff--or the rate the discom pays producer-consumers for surplus power generated--of Rs 2.08 per kWh will need to be increased. "At Rs 8.04 per kWh ACoS, and a solar net feed-in tariff of Rs 4.80 per kWh, TANGEDCO will break even in about seven years," he said. "As prices have gone down, if the net feed-in tariff is reduced, TANGEDCO may break even earlier."

Identifying space for community solar plants could be a problem for urban lower income housing clusters that include slab 1 and 2 consumers.

Two hundred houses, each with a need of five units of electricity per day, will need about an acre of land to mount a 250 kW panel, according to C. Palaniappan of SunBest, a company that provides solar solutions. But where resources permit, the model is feasible, as two working examples show.

Odanthurai and Dhundi--successful renewables stories

In 1996, R. Shanmugam, the then newly elected president of Odanthurai panchayat in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district, built common facilities such as water supply and street lamps. When the panchayat's electricity bill went up from Rs 2,000 to Rs 50,000 in three years, it decided to install a 350- kW wind turbine to meet the energy needs of the common facilities in 10 villages under its administration. It cost the panchayat Rs 1.55 crore.

"With the panchayat's savings of Rs 40 lakh and a bank loan of Rs 1.15 crore, we installed the turbine," said Shanmugam. "We generated more electricity than we needed. TANGEDCO paid us for the surplus electricity. With that money, we cleared the bank loan in 10 years." The turbine continues to run and earn the panchayat money.

Another example of community-based RE power generation is from Gujarat. A group of farmers set up a solar cooperative in Dhundi village in Kheda district. Two development organisations, the International Water Management Institute and Tata Trusts, bore the installation cost of Rs 90 lakh. Six farmers registered it as Dhundi Saur Urja Utpadak Sahakari Mandali and subsequently three more farmers joined.

"Earlier, each of us spent around Rs 25,000 every year on diesel for our irrigation pumps. But three months after installing the 71-kW solar plant, we started selling the surplus power," said Pravin Parmar of the cooperative. The Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited (MGVCL) has a 35-year agreement with the cooperative to purchase power at Rs 4.63 per unit. "From the solar plant, each of us now earns about Rs 1.5 lakh per year from the surplus power we sell to MGVCL and a few farmers in our village," he said.

Palaniappan of SunBest finds community solar plants technically feasible too. He suggested that the discom or any organisation could adopt a village as a part of its corporate social responsibility agenda. "The entity should not bear the entire cost. The community has to bear 10% to 25% of the cost so that they have a sense of ownership," he said, adding that it is important for all stakeholders to be receptive to the idea.

The community can choose whether to connect to the grid or invest in storage. "If it's off-grid, a battery will be needed to store the power produced during the day," he said. "The battery cost will be high and also the community might not have the resources to maintain or replace the battery once every five years or so. The second option would be for each house to invest in an inverter instead of a community battery, so that they can use the stored power at night," he said. But a grid-connected community panel is the best solution. "If the community produces a little more than what it needs and feeds the surplus to the grid, it can earn a sizeable amount."

Savings from shutting down old coal plants

Faster shutdown of old coal plants could save Rs 9,000 crore over five years, said 'TANGEDCO's Recipe for Recovery', a study by research consultancy Climate Risk Horizons. These savings come from phasing out coal plants that are more than 20 years old and are expensive to run, and buying cheaper power from RE sources or the power exchange.

This move would also freeze expenditures on TANGEDCO's ongoing early-stage projects to comply with pollution-control mandates. In 2017, to reduce sulphur dioxide emission from coal plants, the central government had mandated the installation of flue gas de-sulphurisers (FGDs). "TANGEDCO has floated bids for FGDs for even the old plants; that will be a waste of money," said Ashish Fernandes of Climate Risk Horizons, and one of the authors of the study. The expenditure needed to retrofit old coal plants will increase the cost of power and hence consumers' tariff. "Instead, older plants should be shut down in two or three years," he said.

TANGEDCO purchases power from the old plants at Rs 4 per kWh or more. Energy from renewables or the power exchange comes at Rs 3 per kWh, the study notes.

Apart from reduced pollution, there will also be savings for consumers. "By reducing the power purchase cost, there is less pressure on TANGEDCO to raise tariffs, cross subsidies, etc. for consumers," said Fernandes. "If TANGEDCO's losses are reduced, it requires less subsidy from the government. So it has more resources to focus on better service delivery."

But discoms are reluctant to do away with coal-fired plants because they guarantee assured power supply: Being 'intermittent', solar and wind sources cannot be relied upon at all times of the day and in all seasons, and fluctuations can impact 'grid stability'--grid operators' ability to maintain the required frequency of 50 Hertz.

Direct transfers for the poor

In a June 2020 tariff rationalisation scenario analysis, Auroville Consulting suggested community solar (or wind) plants as a solution to discoms' losses. Like petrol, electricity too should have a uniform price for all consumers, said Scherfler.

"It's fine that the government wants to subsidise power for a certain category of consumers. But it should not be done by providing electricity at a lower cost," he said. It suggested direct benefit transfers as an alternative, whereby the cost difference would be paid directly into deserving consumers' accounts.

"DBT will be good. Because now it takes longer for the government to reimburse TANGEDCO. But they have to reimburse consumers immediately," said Vishnu Mohan Rao of CAG. "The flip side is that the government may reduce or stop subsidies as happened with LPG." Below-poverty-line households get subsidised LPG cylinders under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). The government stopped this subsidy completely for non-PMUY consumers from May 2020.

Scherfler suggested gradually doing away with the subsidy of slab 3 and 4 customers, and introducing community solar for slab 1 and 2 consumers. It would result in a benefit of Rs 18,436 crore for the state government and Rs 2,79,920 crore for TANGEDCO in 25 years, the lifespan of a solar plant, he said.
India on Tuesday reported a net reduction of 40,366 in active cases to take its count to 662,521. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 5.81 per cent (one in 17). The country is second among the most affected countries by active cases. On Monday, it added 42,640 cases to take its total caseload to 29,977,861 from 29,935,221  an increase of 0.1%. And, with 1,167 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 389,302, or 1.30 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 8,616,373 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Monday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 288,766,201. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 28,926,038  or 96.49 per cent of total caseload  with 81,839 new cured cases being reported on Tuesday.

Now the second-most-affected country by active cases, and total cases, first by recovery, and third by death, India has added 406,980 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 5.81% of all active cases globally (one in every 17 active cases), and 10.01% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths).

India has so far administered 288,766,201 vaccine doses. That is 963.26 per cent of its total caseload, and 20.72 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Maharashtra (32777931), Uttar Pradesh (31176437), Gujarat (26545128), Rajasthan (26455176), and West Bengal (23452431).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (420322), Gujarat (415596), Delhi (408153), Uttarakhand (377172), and J&K (342620).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 15 days.

The count of active cases across India on Tuesday saw a net reduction of 40,366, compared with 26,356 on Monday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Mizoram (95), and Arunachal Pradesh (24).

With 81,839 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 96.49%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.30%.

The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.68%), Uttarakhand (2.08%), and Maharashtra (1.98%). The rate in as many as 17 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 83,006  1,167 deaths and 81,839 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.4%.

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 487 days, and for deaths at 230.9 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (7449), Tamil Nadu (7427), Maharashtra (6270), Andhra Pradesh (5646), and Karnataka (4867).

Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Karnataka (94.41%), Maharashtra (95.89%), and Kerala (96.01%).

India on Monday conducted 1,664,360 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 394,072,142. The test positivity rate recorded was 2.6%.

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 (18.48%), Maharashtra (15.07%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.52%), Kerala (12.78%), and Sikkim (12.03%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are, Mizoram (19.93%), Nagaland (17.14%), Manipur (15.54%), Sikkim (14.53%), and Meghalaya (12.45%).

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 (1113037), J&K (700953), Kerala (617355), Karnataka (486796), and Uttarakhand (472394).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (5979051), Kerala (2816843), Karnataka (2811320), Tamil Nadu (2429924), and Andhra Pradesh (1853183).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 6270 new cases to take its tally to 5979051.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 7449 cases to take its tally to 2816843.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 4867 cases to take its tally to 2811320.

Tamil Nadu has added 7427 cases to take its tally to 2429924.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 2620 to 1853183.

Uttar Pradesh has added 118 cases to take its tally to 1704476.

Delhi has added 89 cases to take its tally to 1432381.
As the momentum of vaccination dropped from 8.8 million to over 5 million on Day Two of the new vaccine policy, the government said the surge in numbers was not sudden and a result of collaborative planning between the Centre and states.

The jump in daily vaccination numbers on June 21 was not sudden but a result of coordinated strategy and planning between states and the union who worked very hard. It is possible if both capacity and vaccines are available, Rajesh Bhushan, health secretary, said while addressing a press briefing on the Covid situation in India.

The government also said that the June 21 numbers had instilled confidence in the country that such achievement is possible and inspired all districts to ramp up vaccination numbers.

However, Madhya Pradesh, which gave a record 1.7 million vaccine doses on June 21, slipped to the 32nd spot the next day with less than 5,000 doses.

States that kept the momentum going to a great extent included Uttar Pradesh, which, till around 7 PM on CoWIN dashboard, was leading the states in daily vaccination numbers with more than 740,000 jabs. Karnataka while still in the top five was shy of its Day One number by a huge margin having administered less than 400,000 doses. Maharashtra, which stayed out of the top five tally on Day One, as 18-plus vaccinations were put on hold, got back in the fray at second place with more than 500,000 doses given on Tuesday.

Between June 1 and June 21, the average number of doses given every day was around 3.5 million, according to the ministry. More than 92 per cent of the total doses given on June 21 were in government centres. Of the total vaccinations on that day around 64 per cent were in rural areas and 36 per cent in urban areas.





The government is also concerned about the gender gap in the vaccinations with a 43 per cent share in total doses on Monday going to women. This imbalance has to be fixed. More women have to come forward to take the vaccine, said V K Paul, member-health, NITI Aayog.

Around 294 million vaccine doses have been provided to states so far and over 21 million are still available with the states to administer. The ministry also said that around 3.4 million doses are in the pipeline to be supplied to the states within the next three days.

According to the revised vaccine policy that provides free vaccinations to all above 18 in government centres, three-fourths of the total supplies are available for the Centre, and the remaining are for the private sector. Population, disease burden, the progress of vaccination, and vaccine wastage are among the main criteria for the allocation of vaccines to states.

Paul said that timely availability and advance visibility given to states on vaccine supply enabled them to plan better and they intimate the districts and covid vaccination centres. As production rises our capacity will rise, Paul said.
New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the drug regulator will discuss reviewing the Phase III data of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin on Tuesday.

The meeting is taking before Bharat Biotech's 'pre-submission' meeting on Wednesday with the World Health Organization (WHO), for the approval for their COVID vaccine 'Covaxin'.

According to sources, "The Subject Expert Committee will meet today to review the Phase III data of Covaxin."

The Hyderabad-based COVID vaccine manufacturing company Bharat Biotech submitted data from the Phase III clinical trials of Covaxin to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) over the weekend, according to government sources.

"We have received the data from the phase III trials," a senior government official confirmed.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is one of the three vaccines which are currently being used in India. The phase III data of its vaccine have been questioned various times and that is what makes the data crucial which will ascertain the efficacy of the vaccine.

The company has developed the vaccine in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

In a press briefing a few days ago by the Union Health Ministry, Dr V K Paul, who is a member (Health) Niti Aayog and also the head of the COVID task force of the country, said that the company would be submitting the data within seven to eight days.

In May, Bharat Biotech had said that an emergency use listing (EUL) application had been submitted to WHO, with regulatory approvals expected between July and September.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
External Affairs Minister is scheduled to address the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debate on on Wednesday.

"External Affairs Minister will address the UNSC debate on tomorrow," said the official Twitter handle of Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, New York.

Earlier, India has noted the United States' decision to withdraw its troops from and has expressed concerns over the probable increase in the violence and targeted killings in the war-torn country.

In a statement in April, the Ministry of External Affairs said New Delhi is of the view that an Afghan peace process should be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled and any political settlement must be inclusive and should preserve the socio-economic and political gains of the past 19 years. India has also called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.

US President Joe Biden had announced that he would begin withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan on May 1, which now has been stated according to reports.

Afghanistan has been marred by insurgency for the past several years.

An agreement was signed during the meet between the Taliban and the United States with an aim to end the conflict in Afghanistan. The agreement calls for a full US withdrawal from Afghanistan if the terror group upholds counterterrorism commitments such as denying safe haven to al Qaeda.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The has named senior television journalist and some employees of two Republic group channels as accused in the alleged TRP (Television Rating Points) rigging scam in the second chargesheet filed before a court here on Tuesday.

The 1,912-page chargesheet was submitted before a magistrate's court by the police's Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) probing the case.

Besides Goswami, the Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, and ARG Outlier Media that runs Republic TV channels, the police has named five other accused including some employees of Maha Movie channel, Republic News and Republic Bharat in the fresh chargesheet.

The first chargesheet in the case filed in November last year had named ex-BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta and Republic TV CEO Vikash Khanchandani.

As per law, once a chargesheet is filed, the next procedure will be for the court to take congisance of the same. The magistrate would then supply copies of that chargesheet to all the accused and their lawyers, and once the copies are supplied, the magistrate would commit the case to the court of sessions.

The alleged fake TRP scam came to light in October last year when the rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group (HRG), alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers.

The HRG had been tasked with installing barometers for recording channel viewership data at sample households.

Police had arrested about dozens of people, including the top officials of BARC and Republic TV. Most of them are currently out on bail.

In March this year, the Bombay High Court had asked the why Republic TV and Goswami had not been named as accused in the case if the investigators believed to possess adequate evidence against them.

Senior advocate Ashok Mundargi, the counsel for Goswami and ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd, had told the HC that the police had named Goswami and several employees of the ARG Outlier Media as suspects, but had no evidence to charge them as accused in the case.

However, the prosecution told the HC that the police have adequate evidence in the case and that they are still "collecting" additional evidence.

The ARG Outlier Media and Goswami had approached the high court last year, filing a bunch of petitions seeking several reliefs in the alleged TRP scam.

They had alleged that the whole case was malafide and they had been targeted for Republic TV''s reportage in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and Palghar lynching case last 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.)
Farmers protesting against the Centre's three farm laws on Monday waved black flags when BJP leader Babita Phogat was attending an event here related to the celebrations.

A group of farmers gathered outside the event venue after Phogat arrived here to take part in the programme.

Outside the venue of the Janta College stadium, the farmers gathered for a while and raised slogans against the BJP-JJP government and demanded that the Centre roll back the "black farm laws".

Police had been deployed in strength to maintain security.

A farmer leader said that peasants will continue to stage protests and oppose the public functions of the BJP-JJP leaders till the farm laws are rolled back.

Last month too, the wrestler-turned-politician had also faced a protest by farmers in Charkhi Dadri when she had gone to address public meetings in a few villages.

Phogat had joined the BJP in 2019, but lost her first election. She was later appointed as chairperson of Haryana Women Development Corporation by the BJP-JJP government.

Farmers have been opposing public functions of BJP-JJP leaders in the state over the laws.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of various farmers' unions, is spearheading the stir against the Centre's new farm laws.

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, 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.

(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 Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed Mumbai Commissioner of Police to inquire into a 36-year-old woman's allegations of stalking and harassment by some men at the behest of MP and her estranged husband.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar directed the police commissioner to submit a report to the court on June 24.

The court was hearing a petition filed in February this year by the woman, a psychologist by profession, claiming she was being stalked and harassed by unknown men at the behest of Raut, who is a Rajya Sabha member, and her estranged husband.

The woman's advocate, Abha Singh, told the HC on Tuesday that after the petition was filed, the woman was recently arrested in a non-cognisable case, where it has been alleged that she procured a fake PHD degree.

The petitioner has been in jail for ten days now. After she filed the petition in HC, the entire police machinery has been unleashed on her now. This is complete vindictiveness and malafide action, Singh said.

The court said the petitioner can file a separate petition to challenge her arrest.

We direct the Commissioner of Police to look into the grievances raised in the petition and take appropriate measures. The Commissioner of Police shall respond to us and submit a report on June 24, the bench said.

The woman in her plea said she had lodged three complaints in 2013 and 2018, but no action has been taken against the perpetrators so far.

When the petition was heard in March this year, Raut's counsel Prasad Dhakephalkar opposed it and refuted the allegations.

Dhakephalkar had then said the petitioner was a family friend and like a daughter to the leader.

(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.)
Whether it is trekking for several kilometres through hilly terrains, grappling with poor network connectivity or vaccine hesitancy, teams running vaccination drives in far-flung tribal areas of the country are doing whatever it takes to ensure that every citizen gets their Covid jab.

Arunachal Pradesh state immunisation officer Dimong Padung has a team of five, including porters, nurses and volunteers, who have journeyed to remote areas to ensure that the state is completely vaccinated. One such place is the Luguthang village located in Tawang district.

The village is remotely situated, over 60 kms away from the nearest Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), and is extremely difficult to reach.

"It is one of the remotest areas that my team has been to for vaccination. There are no motorable roads, so after travelling a little distance in a vehicle, we have to walk for 2-3 days.

"The only consolation is that the area is at such a high altitude, the temperature is zero almost all the time. This helps in the vaccination process as the vaccine has to be kept at 2-8 degrees celsius," Padung told PTI over phone.

But for vaccination teams, successfully managing to reach such remote villages is only half the battle won. Getting people to register themselves for Covid vaccination is also challenging. For this, ASHA workers and local volunteers come in handy who use interpersonal communication and innovative methods to help people overcome vaccine hesitancy.

Quoting Tawang district immunisation officer Rinchin Neema, officials gave the example of a nursing assistant who went from door to door in Mago village with a picture of the Dalai Lama to convince locals to get vaccinated, and it did the trick.

Everyone in the village, except a 95-year-old, readily got jabbed.

The farther the place, the more challenges the immunisation teams have to face.

The remotest that Nagaland state immunisation officer Ritu Thur's team has been to is the Kiphire district that borders Myanmar.

"Travelling to these places is difficult because of poor road connectivity and lack of public transport systems. We often have to walk halfway for 6-7 hours. The hilly terrain makes it difficult," Thur said over phone.

Poor Internet and mobile network only add to their woes.

"There is Internet problem. In certain districts, the immunisation teams have to go for offline vaccination. It is troublesome," Thur said.

In the case of offline vaccination, the data has to be uploaded on the COWIN portal latest by 5 pm the following day. For this, the teams have to travel to the nearest PHC which sometimes is 40-60 km away.

However, Thur's team has been fortunate about encountering almost negligible vaccine hesitancy among the people in the state.

"There are a few groups who may be hesitant, but as of now there is largely no vaccine hesitancy as far as Nagaland is concerned. Rather, I have seen that vaccine eagerness is there," the officer said.

Earlier this month, the government said that more walk-in vaccinations were being witnessed in tribal districts as compared to the national average.

While the walk-in and online vaccination ratio nationally is 81:19, it is 88:12 for tribal districts.

Himachal Pradesh is proof of this.

There are many areas in the hilly state with limited network connectivity, making it difficult for people to register on the COWIN portal. So the immunisation team came up with a unique idea to get the job done.

Quoting Himachal state immunisation officer Hiten Banyal, the officials said that his team kept ballot boxes in different parts of districts and people were asked to drop a chit in these boxes with their names, and contact and identity details, in case they wanted to be vaccinated.

The immunisation team then collected these chits to register these people on the COWIN portal in a better network area and later vaccinated them.

Making people feel ready for vaccination is, however, not an easy task.

Sikkim state immunisation officer Psumzay Denzong said that her team has made full use of both online and offline resources at their disposal.

"Internet is good in most parts of the state, so in such places, we create awareness through social media platforms where we publish weekly health bulletins, and vaccination slots for the upcoming week every Saturday," Denzong said over phone.

"Besides, we have ASHAs workers in every village, and we also take help from the panchayats to reach out to the people," she said, adding that barring "very few stray cases" the state does not have any vaccine hesitancy.

Eradicating vaccine hesitancy in Himachal's Lahaul and Spiti required a more personal touch.

The officials said district immunisation officer Ranjit Vaid spoke for hours to three very reluctant villagers, before he could make them come around to the idea of getting vaccinated.

Participation of local religious leaders in educating people on the benefits of vaccines also helped, he said.

According to the government data, the COVID vaccination per million population (10 lakh) in tribal districts is 1,73,875, which is higher than the national average of 1,68,951, with 128 out of 176 tribal districts performing better than all India vaccination coverage.

(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, with the fifth largest deposits of in the world, continues to suffer large-scale forex loss due to its reliance on imports.

In the first quarter of FY22 until June 10, the countrys imports totalled to a $51.97 million (Rs 390 crore), with a significant share going to the participants in the value chain of extraction, transportation, processing and supply of bauxite and its end output, informed Indian Industrial Value Chain Collective (IIVCC).

The IIVCC group represents organizations involved in the industrial production and consumption supply chain across India.

Despite India having the fifth largest bauxite deposit in the world, with over 50 percent of it located in Odisha alone, aluminium industries continue to rely on imported bauxite. This has caused a forex loss of $571 million (Rs 4,400 crore) in the last 6 years alone, Abhay Raj Mishra, member of Indian Industrial Value Chain Collective (IIVCC) and President of Public Response Against Helplessness and Action for Redressal (PRAHAR) was quoted as saying.

There is no substitute for bauxite, as it is the only ore used for aluminium production. Due to this, availability of bauxite is critical to the growth and development of the domestic aluminum industry.

Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Limited, Hindalco Industries and state-owned National Aluminium Company Limited are the three largest primary aluminium producers in the country.

With bauxite reserves of more than 3.8 billion tonnes, it is baffling that India has to meet its bauxite requirements from imports. For every single mine auctioned, there is potential to garner Rs 5,000 crore for the exchequer and create 10,000 livelihood opportunities. The positive ripple effect that this could have on the socio-economy of the region is significant, said Mishra.

Bauxite import has increased by 300 percent in past six years as per data published in Import-Export Databank, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India.

Odisha is among the worst affected state due to this forex loss, which has nearly 50 percent of the countrys bauxite reserves and 25 percent of its coal reserves, both of which are the primary raw materials for aluminium production. The state has so far attracted investments of over Rs 1.4 lakh crore to make it the aluminum capital of the nation.
India's vaccinations over the next few weeks could fall short of the blistering pace set on the first day of a federal campaign, unless it makes inroads in a vast hinterland and bridges a shortage of doses, experts said on Tuesday.



The 8.6 million doses injected on Monday represented a record two-fold jump as India kicked off free inoculation for all adults, reversing a policy for individual states and hospitals to buy vaccines for those aged 18 to 44.



"This is clearly not sustainable," Chandrakant Lahariya, an expert in public policy and health systems, told Reuters.

"With the currently projected vaccine supply for the next few months, the maximum daily achievable rate is 4 million to 5 million a day."



The inoculation effort in the world's second most populous nation had covered just about 5.5% of all the 950 million people eligible, even though India is the world's largest producer of vaccines.



A devastating second wave of infections during April and May overwhelmed medical staff and facilities, killing hundreds of thousands. Images of funeral pyres blazing in car parks and open spaces spurred questions over the chaotic vaccine rollout.



Since May, India has distributed an average of fewer than 3 million doses each day, far less than the 10 million health officials say is crucial to protect the millions vulnerable to new surges.



Particularly in the countryside, where two-thirds of a population of 1.4 billion lives and the healthcare system is often overstretched, the drive has faltered, experts say.



Maintaining the pace of the vaccination effort will prove particularly challenging when it comes to injecting the younger population in such "underserved" areas, said Delhi-based epidemiologist Rajib Dasgupta.



Widespread vaccine shortages since May have worsened the divide between urban and rural areas, as many younger people in cities turned to private hospitals, paying between $9 and $24 a dose in the rush to protect themselves from the virus.



Such regional gaps in healthcare are exacerbated unless comprehensive data is made available on vaccinations, among others factors, said Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan.



Authorities in New Delhi said more than 8 million residents had yet to receive a first dose, and added that inoculating all the adults in the capital would take more than a year, at the current pace.



Even as new infections have dropped nationwide to their lowest in more than three months, experts expressed concern over the transmissibility of the variants driving infections in India and spreading worldwide and urged a faster vaccination effort.



Over the past 24 hours India reported 42,640 new infections, its lowest figure since March 23, along with 1,167 deaths.

Its tally of infections now stands at 29.98 million, with a death toll of 389,302, health ministry data showed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The pandemic has changed the nature of work, accelerating the adoption of digital technologies by at least a decade and ushering in a hybrid model where work extends beyond offices and engages more women, Pvt Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said.

While the office remains a critical hub and staff will gradually return, the world wont return to its pre-Covid norm, Chandrasekaran, head of Indias biggest private-sector employer, said during the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday. The Indian executive, joined by fellow employers such as Iwg Plc Chief Executive Officer Mark Dixon, said workplaces will benefit from allowing staff greater leeway with the help of technology.

When the pandemic hit India in early 2020, the 150-year-old steel-to-airlines conglomerate scrambled to adapt to lockdown restrictions. At Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. -- its largest company by employee numbers and profitability -- nearly half a million workers began working from home within weeks, continuing to deliver software projects and support to Wall Street banks, retailers and airlines.

Tata Consultancy declared early on it expects only a fourth of its workforce to be in the office on any given day by 2025. Yet many of its employees asked for a return to the office. Companies will have to adopt a model somewhere in-between, Chandrasekaran said during a session about the future of work.



If the hybrid model has to work, lets not think of it as only office and home, he said. Theres going to be a concept of a third place. I call it a third place, you may want to call it a satellite office.

In Indias case, it could also see improved workplace diversity, another positive outcome of a hybrid model, Chandrasekaran said.

Only 23 per cent of women who could be potentially working are in the workforce because issues like commuting, the lack of social infrastructure like child care, he said. We should not miss this opportunity, it is not just good for GDP and growth, but also it is the right thing to do.
will get a share of the 16 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines that US President is earmarking for Asia in the latest donations to COVAX, the international outfit for jab distribution to developing countries, according to the White House.

The White House did not say exactly how many will go to when it made the announcement on Monday about the latest donation of 55 million vaccine doses.

While the announcement of the 55 million doses completes Biden administration's pledge to allocate 80 million doses by the end of this month, it is struggling to get the vaccines to the countries receiving them because of regulatory and logistical problems, the President's spokesperson Jen Psaki has acknowledged.

"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," she told reporters on Monday.

Psaki said that among the issues were sharing safety and regulatory information and ensuring proper temperature control for the vaccines.

has not yet approved the three main vaccines in use in the US -- Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Pfizer and Moderna have to be kept at extremely cold temperatures before readying for distribution.

The vaccines coming to India in the tranche announced on Monday would be on top of the two sets of donations announced for it on June 3.

Vice President Kamala Harris had told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India would get a share of the six million doses that Biden was releasing directly to New Delhi and other countries facing a Covid surge.

In addition to that, India was also allocated a share of the seven million doses to be distributed in Asia through the COVAX facility led by the World Health Organization and two other groups to promote the availability of vaccines and other Covid-fighting material.

Those were a part of a distribution of a total of 25 million doses announced at that time.

Other South Asian countries are also sharing in the US vaccine largesse.

Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives and Bhutan are among the 18 Asian countries that will share the 16 million doses allocated through COVAX in the Monday announcement.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan will, in addition, get a share of another 14 million being sent directly to several countries based on "regional priorities" to help deal with surges, according to the White House.

COVAX will be getting a total of 41 million doses with 14 million earmarked for Latin America and the Caribbean and 10 million for Africa.

In the allocations through the COVAX announced on June 3, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Maldives also shared in the seven million earmarked for Asia.

Biden also announced earlier this month that the US will be buying 500,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for distribution around the world and got a pledge from the G7 group of Western industrialised powers to donatee one billion vaccine doses to developing nations.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

--IANS

al/ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 75 per cent of Indian employees want to return to the for work, found a recent report by Barco ClickShare, a company that develops wireless presentation and conferencing solutions.



The report marked five trends in work and meeting as India and the world gradually unlocks, with employees on the verge of returning to the post-Covid. The report is based on findings from an online survey conducted by market research and advisory company Savanta. The survey is based on an international study of over 750 white-collar workers from different industries, seniority levels and company sizes. The sample comprises employees from the UK, US, Australia, India, France and Germany, among others.



The report found that 68 per cent of employees are expected to be back in the office for one or more days in the week by the end of this month.



Another key finding in the report was a perceived overload of virtual meetings. The Barco Meeting Barometer, meant to assess the quality of virtual meetings, declined from a score of +17 in 2020 to -25 this year, as 72 per cent of the respondents felt that remote collaboration does not come naturally. In 2019, before the pandemic hit India, the score was +63.



Technically, the old argument about which tasks can or cannot be done remotely has been dispensed with in the last 12-14 months. More than productivity, concerns regarding hybrid working are all about employees, about bonding, connection, job security, innovation, access, culture and control. We need to navigate towards an office where everyone can thrive, businesses and people, said Rajiv Bhalla, managing director at Barco India.



Meanwhile, 53 per cent of the respondents felt that their employers havent made investments for better hybrid collaboration, while 72 per cent felt that all meetings rooms need to be equipped with video-conferencing technology.



Most respondents, around 85 per cent said they preferred to use the laptop to host/attend video meetings. Bring-your-own-device is preferred as a practice over traditional in-room systems.



Some of the reports key findings were: reconnecting with the organisation and colleagues is crucial for employee engagement and retention; 81 per cent of employees felt their employers should start planning for hybrid work now.



Most parts of India are in a gradual process of unlocking, after a month-long period of strict lockdown and curfew restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.
In what may come as a boost to the inoculation drive in India, Pfizer's vaccine is said to be in the final stages of getting approval in the country. The pharma giant expects to finalise an agreement with the Indian government soon.

"Pfizer now in final stages to get approval for vaccine in India. I hope very soon we will finalise an agreement with the govt," its chief executive officer Albert Bourla said.

Pfizer, which developed the vaccine in partnership with the German firm BioNtech, employed the revolutionary messenger-RNA (mRNA) technology for the shot and it has a very high efficacy of over 90 per cent in preventing the infection.

The Indian government is engaged with Pfizer for quite sometime now to bring the shot to the country, but both parties are reportedly stuck on the issue of granting indmenity to the firm.

The Pfizer-BioNTech shot has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other western regulators for emergency use. The vaccine is also authorised for use in teens in the US.

India currently uses three vaccines including the home-made Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech, AstraZeneca shot, produced locally by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Russia's Sputnik.

The country had administered record 8 million vaccine doses yesterday as the new guidelines on procurement took effect. Under the new policy, the Government of India procures almost 75 per cent of the vaccines from manufacturers and provide it free to the states
A statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar was found damaged on Tuesday morning in Rampur Asli village here, leading to protests by locals, police said.

They said some unidentified people damaged the statue late on Monday night.

The incident led to protests by locals who blocked on the Gadwar-Nagra road, Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Yadav said.

As soon as the police received information about the incident, officers, including the deputy superintendent of police, reached the spot and persuaded the angry villagers to lift the blockade, Yadav said.

A case was registered and necessary legal action would be taken against those behind the vandalism, he said, adding that the statue was damaged several times before as well and the matter was being probed.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A British officer from the Royal Navy joined four other foreign military officers on Tuesday to coordinate the monitoring of sea lanes from an hub in Gurugram, Haryana called the Information Fusion Centre  Region (IFC-IOR).

The IFC-IOR, which was established in April 2019, has liaison officers from five countries  the US, France, Japan, and now the

There is interest from at least a dozen other countries in sending liaison officers to join this Indian-led initiative that brings together regional navies in safeguarding global commons, freedom of navigation and provide security against piracy, terrorism, gun-running, narcotics and illegal fishing.

To do so, the IFC-IOR functions as a high-tech control centre that obtains feeds from a range of space-based and terrestrial sources. These track fishing boats and commercial vessels near Indias coast and in the international sea lanes of communications (SLOCs) beyond, which carry 75 per cent of the worlds maritime trade and half of daily oil consumption.

With Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (Navy), or PLA(N), growing in size, ability and aggression, regional states are coming together to counter Beijings claims over increasingly large tracts of the Western Pacific, especially the South Sea.

While the claims to be the gatekeeper of the and a net security provider, it is welcoming local partnership from the capable and powerful Royal Navy in enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).

The already has a 7 x 7 presence in the Western Indian Ocean Region, alongside its presence in India: with seven permanent bases in Kenya, Singapore, Brunei, Nepal, Bahrain, Oman, and the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), and seven ships deployed at any one time to provide security in the Western region of the Indo-Pacific, said the British High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The IFC-IOR has its origins in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist strikes, after which the navy established the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) at Gurugram, to obtain feeds from multiple sources, to track fishing boats and commercial vessels near Indias coast.

The IMAC, which grew into the IFC-IOR, was sanctioned by the government in March 2012, and operationalized in Nov 2014 in barely 2 years. It obtains inputs from multiple sensors, including Indias coastal radar network, which is manned by the Coast Guard.

Even so, the IFC-IORs role primarily remains to track civil, commercial shipping. For tracking Indian and foreign warships, the navy has a separate Operations Room. There is a deliberate firewall between the two.

Feeding into the IFC-IOR at the international level are White Shipping Agreements that India has with 36 countries, and 3 multinational agencies. These supply real time information of all commercial shipping passing through their ports.

IMAC also incorporates inputs from a system called Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT). This mechanism, which works under the International Maritime Organisation, paves the way for 174 countries to provide real-time information on their commercial shipping.

The IFC-IOR also uses the Merchant Ship Information System (MSIS) software to collate inputs and develop a detailed Common Operational Picture and exchange information with partner countries and multi- agencies. The uses a similar system, called Maritime Trade Information System (MTIS).

In addition to the IFC-IOR, there are three more MDA initiatives in the hemisphere. These include one in Singapore that focuses on south-east Asia; one in Madagascar, run by the European Union, that focus on the African coast and the Southern Indian Ocean; and one in the Mediterranean Sea. However, the IFC-IOR focuses squarely on waters that carry the bulk of global trade.

So far, the IFC-IOR has functioned mainly as a virtual centre, with member countries accessing information through the internet or video conferencing. However, facilities exist to physically house liaison officers from member countries. These are now being populated.
Chinas Huawei Tech seeks access to Indias Trusted Telecom Portal and e-commerce firms in India face sharper scrutiny. Top headlines this morning.

Govt plans stiff compliance, flash sale ban in draft norms for e-commerce firms

The Centre is planning guidelines for e-commerce companies, including appointment of a chief compliance officer, giving preference to the sale of locally produced goods, mandatory registration of e-tailers with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), in an attempt to tighten the regulatory regime and make these companies more accountable.

The amendments have been proposed under the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 to protect the interests of consumers and encourage free and fair competition in the market, the consumer affairs ministry said on Monday. Read more.

Airtel announces partnership with Tata group for 5G network solutions

on Monday announced a strategic partnership with the steel-to-software conglomerate Tata group for 5G network solutions.

It will be based on open radio access network (ORAN) technology, the plan is to roll out the solution initially for India and subsequently for exports. The plan is seen as an ambitious move than Airtels original plan of collaborating with hardware and software players to build a 5G network at the lowest price. Read more

likely to not raise funds through bonds

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will use the existing 10-year bond to raise at least Rs 14,000 crore from the markets on Friday, taking the outstanding of the paper to more than Rs 1.33 trillion, possibly the highest ever amount raised against a security.

This move gives credence to the theory that the central bank may not want to issue a fresh set of 10-year paper in a hurry and would rather continue with the existing security. Read more

Chinas Huawei Technologies seeks access to 'trusted' source portal

Chinas Huawei Technologies has sought permission for access to the governments Trusted Telecom Portal which went live on June 15 so that it can share details about the telecom products which telecom service providers have agreed to buy from it.

The move is significant as the new Security Directive on the telecom sector does not in any way prohibit them from participating in the process of selling telecom equipment of any kind to private telcos. Read more

Union Cabinet may soon approve Rs 6,322-crore steel PLI scheme

The Union Cabinet is likely to approve soon a Rs 6,322-crore Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost domestic manufacturing of speciality steel and attract more investments, government officials said.

The scheme will offer an incentive of 4-15 per cent to eligible companies on incremental production, conditional on minimum investment for speciality steel manufactured in India and covered under the Read more
Britain has reported another 10,633 cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 4,640,507, according to official figures released on Monday.

The country also recorded another five coronavirus-related death. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,981. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test, Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 43.1 million people have been given the first jab of the vaccine while more than 31.4 million people have been fully vaccinated with a second dose, according to the latest official figures.

The latest data were revealed as British Health secretary Matt Hancock said the British government is looking at scrapping the 10-day self-isolation requirement for people who have had two jabs upon return to England from the amber-list countries.

He told Sky News that the move was "something that we're working on and I very much hope we'll be able to make progress soon".

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister said on 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.

The prime minister said cases of the Delta variant first identified in India are still rising and the public have to remain cautious.

"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 per cent effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant after two doses, and the Pfizer vaccine is 96 per cent effective against hospitalization after two doses.

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 disease caused by newer variants.

--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.)
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar who is on a week-long visit to North Bengal, severely criticized Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government and said that he was pained to see the "rusting of India's steel frame due to over politicisation", referring to 'breach of protocol by officials' in the state.

He called upon the Chief secretary to direct Darjeeling District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police to see him but they failed to turn up and the Governor has sought a response from them on breach of protocol.

In a series of tweets, Dhankhar said that Indian Administrative Service Officers and Indian Police Service Officers should go by the rulebook alone.

"DMs & SPs-members @IASassociation @IPS_Association have consistently breached protocol on my visits to the State. Called upon Chief secretary of government to direct Darjeeling DM and SP, who faulted, to see me today, which they did. Sought their response by tomorrow on protocol violation," Dhankhar tweeted.

Pointing out that observing protocol is the bedrock of the governance, he said, "Civil servants @IASassociation @IPS_Association should go by the rulebook alone. Protocol observance is the bedrock of governance that is compromised @MamataOfficial. Adherence to the protocol is basic minimum dignity and respect officially prescribed as a mandate upon every civil servant."

Emphasizing the fact that such 'serious aberrations' were bordering on delinquency and if overlooked, would lead to lawlessness.

"Such serious aberrations bordering on delinquency, if overlooked, would lead to lawlessness that democracy can ill afford. Pained to reflect that the 'steel frame' is rusting due to its over politicization. High time @IASassociation @IPS_Association ponder this," he said.

He said the post-poll violence in the state was the most barbaric situation since independence.

Dhankhar who is on a week-long visit to North Bengal, briefing mediapersons here said: "I am shocked to see that this grave situation is being ignored even after seven weeks since the polls ended. This is the most barbaric post-poll violence after independence. Four states and one Union Territory went to the polls. Why is only West Bengal soaked in blood? Today, people are not able to speak due to fear."

Dhankhar alleged that the police and administration did not come to rescue the victims of political violence.

His visit also comes within days of meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah twice amid allegations of post-poll violence.

Leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, called on Dhankhar on Sunday and sought his intervention to stop the alleged post-poll violence and violation of human rights in the state.

Meanwhile, leader Zakaria Hossain filed a complaint against John Barla, BJP MP from Alipurduar for demanding a detachment of North Bengal from Bengal and to declare North Bengal as a separate Union Territory.

This comes weeks after West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay was served a show-cause notice for failing to report to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) as directed by the central government.

The development took place after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with the state chief secretary, skipped the review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28 aftermath of Cyclone Yaas. Bandyopadhyay was to retire on May 31 and had earlier been given three months extension.

The central government had on May 28 issued an order to recall Bandyopadhyay, and said the placement of his services with the government has been approved. The state government was asked to relieve the officer with immediate effect and he was directed to report to North Block by May 31.

(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 Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that it will finalise within a week its policy on starting door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination drives for the elderly, disabled persons and those who are bedridden and unable to visit the inoculation centres.

The state's counsel, Geeta Shastri, submitted a draft policy before a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni.

The state had constituted a special task force comprising experts and stakeholders to come up with such a policy, Shastri said.

While details of the policy could not be made public yet, the same will be finalised within a week and submitted before the court, she said.

The bench accepted Shastri's submissions.

It was hearing a bunch of PILs, including a plea filed by lawyer Dhruti Kapadia seeking door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination for people above 75 years of age and specially-abled or bedridden persons.

During a previous hearing, the high court observed that the Centre had not imposed any prohibition on states from carrying out door-to-door vaccination for the elderly and disabled citizens.

It had also said the Union government's policy or the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on vaccination that did not provide for door-to-door drives was merely an advisory.

On Tuesday, the bench said, "Prima facie, we are of the opinion that the task force is proceeding in the right direction. We, however, leave it to the task force to incorporate such measures which are beneficial for the health of the elderly and disabled citizens."



"We hope that when we take up this PIL next, the state would be in a position to show us the approved guideline," the court said.

The bench also directed the Maharashtra government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to submit municipal ward-wise details of vaccines administered to the mentally-ill and homeless people in the city.

The direction came on another PIL filed by lawyer Sarosh Bharucha, seeking the court's intervention for ensuring greater access of vaccines to citizens.

Bharucha pointed out that the existing state guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination did not take into account covering persons who were mentally ill and those without a legal guardian, and therefore, not in a position to give an informed consent for receiving the vaccine.

The HC asked the state and the municipal authorities to respond to the issue by next week.

"How many homeless or mentally ill persons have been taken care of in every ward in the city? We are talking of you (state) providing them food, shelter, vaccination, everything," the high court said.

"Your affidavit is absolutely silent on this issue. We are a very complex society. No one can be ignored or neglected," the HC said.

The court will hear the above PILs next on June 29.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
World Bank, African Union agree to accelerate vaccinations

With just one per cent of its 1.1 billion people fully vaccinated, Africa has one of lowest vaccinations in the world as compared with the UK and the US, which have fully inoculated about 45 per cent of their people. Most African nations have used all the vaccine doses they received from Covax, the vaccine sharing facility of WHO. To reverse this, the African Union will partner with the World Bank to help accelerate inoculations on the continent. The two organisations will provide resources to the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) to allow countries to acquire and deploy vaccines to as many as 400 million people across Africa, according to a statement. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics



Global infections: 178,794,776



Global deaths: 3,873,403



Vaccine doses administered: 2,649,272,528



Nations with most cases: US (33,554,339), India (29,977,861), Brazil (17,966,831), France (5,819,584), Turkey (5,375,593).



Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

Italy to end mask rule

As cases continue to fall, Italy has decided to do away with mandatory mask-wearing rule outdoors. Facemasks will no longer be compulsory in Italy from June 28, the health minister tweeted. The lifting of the mask requirement would come into effect in regions labelled "white" under Italy's tier system. Italy, once the epicentre of outbreaks and one of the worst hit in the world, has reported just just 21 deaths and 495 new cases nationwide on Monday. Read here



Bumble employees awarded week of vacation to de-stress from Covid burnout

Bumble, the dating and relationship app where women have to make the first move, temporarily closed its offices this week, giving its about 700 employees a much needed break to recover from Covid burnout. With coronavirus-induced restrictions now largely lifted across the US, companies are taking different approaches to retain staff and boost productivity. Some expect a full return to office while others are offering a more flexible approach. As the pandemic forced people out of offices and schools, fears of Zoom fatigue and burnout emerged as the boundary between work and home vanished. Read here





Colombia deaths pass 100,000

devastation in Colombia, where more than 100,000 have died due to the disease, is symbolic of the stark divide between richer nations like UK, US, who stocked doses 2x of their populations and poorer countries that are struggling to administer at least one dose in reasonable numbers. The situation is no different in the wider Latin American region as infection rate surge and health systems collapse. The crisis is even worse in South America. According to the New York Times database, South America, home to 10 countries, has the highest average daily death toll per person. Read here


The need for sizeable investment coupled with a well-defined strategy to capture volumes has made business a tough one despite the market thrown open by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination drive.

Industry officials are of the view that pharma alone could grow by about 20 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), while the non-pharma segment by 15 per cent CAGR for the next few years. The industry in India, however, is fragmented and has only a few organized players catering to both pharma and non-pharma segments such as confectionaries, fruits and vegetables among others.

Ltd, an old player in the logistic business, sold off its cold chain business Kauser to a private equity player in May. This came at a time when the business had started to look up. "For the next three-five years, cold chain capacity will fall short of demand for bothpharma and non-pharma segments since in the last four to five years lot of players exited. Private equities want to double money in five years but that is not possible in cold chain, Sunil Nair, chief executive officer at Snowman Logistics, told Business Standard.

According to Nair, the key to this business lies in its scale which is possible through investment in capacity. "This has to come with a well chalked-out strategy which allows the cost overheads to be optimised over a period of time, he said.

Technology requirement is very strong in this segment along with service offerings. It needs a lot of compliance on the ground and a lot of skill is required on ground as well to manage the business, said Kunal Agarwal, director of Kool-ex, a pharma cold chain logistics service provider.

The company has the largest refrigerated (reefer) truck fleet of 450. Most players, however, have 20-30 reefer trucks keeping the industry parched for more capacity. Coldrush Logistics, Coldman Logistics and RadhaKrishna Foodland are other players in the cold chain market looking to grow in the coming years.





Demand for vaccines is not the sole reason for growth in the pharma segment. There is a shift happening in FDA (Food & Drug Administration) norms wherein a lot of drugs, which today are stored and transported in normal dry trucks will have to move to the cold chain. This is leading to strong volume visibility in the pharma cold chain logistics, said Nair.

Snowman Logistics is looking to invest Rs 425 crore over the next three years, of which Rs 200 crore would be used to increase pharma capacity. The company has 10 per cent of its total revenue coming from the pharma segment, which it plans to take to 18-20 per cent over the next few years.

As pandemic induced lockdowns lead to consumers stocking up perishable items, this creates more demand for cold chain logistical service.

Even for confectionery, companies are choosing to use cold chain logistics over dry open truck transportation leading to a shift in volumes in the non-pharma category, Nair added.

Industry officials also said that changes in FSSAI Act has led to a volume shift from unorganised to organised segment of cold chain and that since 2016 there has been at least 30 per cent capacity addition year-on-year with currently all the installed cold chain capacities utilised fully.

Still, the cold chain business is considered unattractive as it does not yield adequate returns. If you do not own the refrigerated business you cannot be in the cold chain business because the concept of leasing reefer trucks is not developed in the country. Hence it made sense to exit this business, said Bala Aghoramurthy, deputy managing director at Ltd.

Compared to similar geographies, like Thailand, Malaysia and China, Indian players are perhaps making just about 1-2 per cent profit adjusted after tax (PAT) as against 10-15 per cent PAT in these countries. This is because the domestic cold chain industry needs serious price revision, said industry officials.

Manufacturers have shifted from open body trucks to refrigerated trucks. This migration leads to a huge cost difference as cost goes up by 50 -60 per cent," said Nair. Manufacturers want at least to recover this increase in cost over dry transport and warehousing but they get only a 10-15 per cent premium which is not enough. It will take the next 2-3 years to have prices comparable to Thailand, Malaysia or China, said Nair.

Though there are not many new entrants in the domestic cold chain business at present, once the existing players are able to prove their business model based on sizable utilsation and strong financials, more companies could look to enter the industry going ahead.
on Tuesday exhorted to work on the new income-tax portal to make it more humane and user-friendly and expressed her deep concern on the various problems being faced by the stakeholders.

Chaired by the Union Finance Minister, a meeting was held between senior officials of the Finance Ministry and earlier during the day on issues in the new e-filing protal.

The tax portal 2.0 of department went live on June 7. Since its launch, there were numerous glitches in the functioning. Taking note of the grievances voiced on social media by taxpayers, tax professionals and other stakeholders, the Finance Minister had earlier =flagged the issues to Infosys, calling upon them to address these concerns.

Sitharaman further asked to address all issues without further loss of time, improve their services, redress grievances on priority as it was impacting taxpayers adversely.

The Finance Minister appreciated the taxpayers who have kept up with the timelines of compliances despite the coronavirus pandemic. FM also hoped that the positive engagement between taxpayers, tax professionals and the government would continue in future.

The team from Infosys, which was led by the CEO and COO of Infosys, took note of the issues highlighted by the stakeholders. They also noted the observations and suggestions received from various users and stakeholders through email.

Infosys informed the finance ministry that it has been working to fix the technical issues and that they have augmented the resources for execution of the project on the hardware as well as the application side and that some of the issues have already been identified and fixed.
By Nakul Iyer

(Reuters) -India's May crude oil imports slipped to their lowest in three months as fuel demand sagged amid a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that crimped economic activity and mobility, government data showed on Monday.

However, imports were still 18.2% higher from a year earlier, data on the website of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) showed.

On a monthly basis, crude oil imports in the world's third largest oil consumer and importer dropped 5.5% to 17.26 million tonnes from April.

Last month's decline in imports comes on the heels of data showing fuel consumption slumped in May to its lowest since last August. [nL3N2NR3BG[]

A surge in cases and deaths in May forced most states to impose tight restrictions and lockdowns, slowing factory activity growth significantly and hindering mobility.

Oil products' imports slipped 26.2% to 3.15 million tonnes on an annual basis.

Exports were little changed at 5.74 million tonnes in May. Diesel accounted for a major share of these exports at 2.95 million tonnes, surging 58% from the preceding month.

"Several states were still under lockdown, which led to high gasoline and diesel exports," said Refinitiv analyst Ehsan Ul Haq, adding that higher fuel prices also limited domestic consumption.

Haq said that given the vaccine rollouts, refiners expected a faster recovery this year when compared to 2020 which was reflected in the year-on-year increase in crude imports.

Asia's third-biggest economy imports and exports refined fuels as it holds surplus refining capacity.

(Reporting by Nakul Iyer in Bengaluru; editing by Louise Heavens and Jonathan Oatis)

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Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and in the backdrop of a financial crunch seen across the world, states in India were able to borrow significantly more in 2020-21 and were able to raise an extra Rs 1.06 lakh crores in the period 2020-21. This, significant increase in availability of resources Prime Minister Narendra Modi said was made possible by an approach of 'Centre-State bhagidari'.

The Covid-19 pandemic has come with whole new set of challenges to Governments across the world in terms of policy-making. India is no exception. Raising enough resources for public welfare while ensuring sustainability is proving to be one of the biggest challenges, Modi said on Tuesday in a blog post titled "Reforms by conviction and incentives."

He stated that while formulating the country's economic response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the central government wanted to ensure that our solutions do not follow a 'one size fits all' model."

"For a federal country of continental dimensions, finding policy instruments at the national level to promote reforms by State Governments is indeed challenging. But, we had faith in the robustness of our federal polity and we moved ahead in the spirit of Centre-State bhagidari, read PM Modi's blog.

He stated that in May 2020, as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package, the Government of India announced that State Governments would be allowed enhanced borrowing for 2020-21. An extra 2 per cent of GSDP was allowed, of which 1 per cent was made conditional on the implementation of certain economic reforms.

He further said that this nudge for reform is rare in Indian public finance, adding that this was a nudge, incentivising the states to adopt progressive policies to avail additional funds. The results of this exercise are not only encouraging but also run contrary to the notion that there are limited takers for sound economic policies, said PM Modi.

He stated in his blog that the four reforms to which additional borrowings were linked (with 0.25% of GDP tied to each one) had two characteristics. Firstly, each of the reforms was linked to improving the Ease of Living to the public and particularly the poor, the vulnerable, and the middle class. Secondly, they also promoted fiscal sustainability, he said.

He mentioned that the first reform under the 'One Nation One Ration Card' policy required State Governments to ensure that all ration cards in the State under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) were seeded with the Aadhaar number of all family members and that all Fair Price Shops had Electronic Point of Sale devices.

The main benefit from this is that migrant workers can draw their food ration from anywhere in the country, said PM Modi adding that apart from these benefits to citizens, there is the financial benefit from the elimination of bogus cards and duplicate members. 17 states completed this reform and were granted additional borrowings amounting to Rs 37,600 crores, PM Modi said in his blog.

He stated that the second reform, aimed at improving ease of doing business, required states to ensure that renewal of business-related licences under 7 Acts is made automatic, online and non-discretionary on mere payment of fees.

"Another requirement was implementation of a computerised random inspection system and prior notice of inspection to reduce harassment and corruption under a further 12 Acts. This reform (covering 19 laws) is of particular help to micro and small enterprises, who suffer the most from the burden of the 'inspector raj'. It also promotes an improved investment climate, greater investment and faster growth. 20 states completed this reform and were allowed additional borrowing of Rs. 39,521 crores," read the blog.

PM Modi stated that the 15th Finance Commission and several academics have emphasised the crucial importance of sound property taxation. The third reform required states to notify floor rates of property tax and of water and sewerage charges, in consonance with stamp duty guideline values for property transactions and current costs respectively, in urban areas. This would enable better quality of services to the urban poor and middle class, support better infrastructure and stimulate growth, said the Prime Minister.

He stated that property tax is also progressive in its incidence and thus the poor in urban areas would benefit the most, adding that this reform also benefits municipal staff who often face delay in payment of wages. 11 states completed these reforms and were granted additional borrowing of Rs 15,957 crores, said PM Modi in his blog.

Stating that the fourth reform was introduction of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in lieu of free electricity supply to farmers, he said that the requirement was for formulation of a state-wide scheme with actual implementation in one district on a pilot basis by year end.

He said that additional borrowing of 0.15 per cent of GSDP was linked to this. A component was also provided for reduction in technical and commercial losses and another for reducing the gap between revenues and costs (0.05 pe cent of GSDP for each). This improves the finances of distribution companies, promotes conservation of water and energy and improves service quality through better financial and technical performance.

The Prime Minister satted that 13 states implemented at least one component, while 6 states implemented the DBT component. As a result, Rs. 13,201 crore of additional borrowings was permitted, he added.

"Overall, 23 states availed of additional borrowings of Rs. 1.06 lakh crores out of a potential of Rs. 2.14 lakh crores. As a result, the aggregate borrowing permission granted to states for 2020-21 (conditional and unconditional) was 4.5 per cent of the initially estimated GSDP, read PM Modi's blog.

It further said, "For a large nation with complex challenges as ours, this was a unique experience. We have often seen that for various reasons, schemes and reforms remain un-operational often for years. This was a pleasant departure from the past where the Centre and States came together to roll out public friendly reforms in a short span of time amidst the pandemic."

PM Modi emphasised that this was made possible due to the Centre's approach of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas. He stated that officials who have been working on these reforms suggest that without this incentive of additional funds, enactment of these policies would have taken years. India has seen a model of 'reforms by stealth and compulsion', said PM Modi.

"This is a new model of 'reforms by conviction and incentives'. I am thankful to all the states who took the lead in ushering in these policies amidst tough times for the betterment of their citizens. We shall continue working together for the rapid progress of 130 crore Indians," read the concluding lines of PM Modi's blog.

Reforms by Conviction and Incentives...my @LinkedIn post on innovative policy making in the time of COVID-19, powered by the spirit of Centre-State Bhagidari. https://t.co/ac0jhAqluT  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 22, 2021

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said the government will consider opening higher educational institutions in a phased manner after vaccinating students and teachers, following recommendations from the Dr Devi Shetty-led expert committee on possible COVID-19 third wave.

He said the committee has advised accelerating vaccinations as vaccines are the solution for COVID control.

"The committee has supported the relaxations in COVID curbs announced by the government, and have suggested opening up educational institutions in the days to come, starting with colleges, after vaccinating," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with the committee, he said with regard to opening schools and colleges, the committee has suggested giving priority to students and teachers in vaccination, to start classes in a phased manner by reopening colleges for students above 18 years to begin with, after vaccinating them.

"The government is considering opening higher educational institutions in a phased manner after vaccinating students and teachers," the Chief Minister said in response to a question.

No discussion has been taken with regard to opening schools as those below 18-years are not yet vaccinated, and clinical trials are on to vaccinate them.

The government had recently constituted a 13-member expert committee headed by eminent cardiologist and founder of Narayana Health Dr Devi Shetty to analyse and advise to control a possible third Covid-19 wave in

The committee met the Chief Minister today and submitted an interim report.

"We have had detailed discussions regarding preparations for the COVID third wave.It is being said that children will be infected in a bigger number during the third wave and in this backdrop the committee has made some recommendations," Yediyurappa said.

Listing some recommendations made by the committee, the Chief Minister said, it has asked for setting up of HDU, ICU units for children at taluk and district hospitals and also at medical college hospitals, and to set up children hospitals.

The committee has given some suggestions aimed at securing human and financial resources and to get help from experts to control the third wave, he said.

They include getting help from various medical organisations, resolving the shortage of doctors and nurses, getting support from voluntary organisations, resource mobilisation with the help of corporate bodies, and most importantly public participation.

Noting that the committee has suggested giving priority towards getting rid of malnutrition, the CM said it has suggested providing psychiatric service at every hospital aimed at increasing the morale of children infected by COVID.

It has made certain recommendations, among others, towards addressing the shortage of oxygen.

Not wanting to divulge much on the report, Dr Shetty said, "It's an interim report,not the final report..we have addressed everything about COVID. It's a complex decision (reopening of schools).. no single body can take a decision," and added tdhat the government will consult multiple bodies and experts and take a call.

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Steven Spielberg, the father of the modern movie blockbuster, signed a multi-year deal to provide films for Netflix, promising a stream of new pictures for the online video leader.

The multifilm agreement with Amblin Partners builds on an existing relationship, the parties said Monday in a statement. Theyve already teamed up on last years The Trial of the Chicago 7 and the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, which is in preproduction. Terms of the deal werent disclosed.

is the dominant paid streaming service, but its seeking more hits that can attract subscribers and help it stand out in a crowded market  especially as media giants such as Walt Disney, AT&Ts WarnerMedia and Comcasts NBC Universal debut more of their biggest films online.

In Amblin, gets access to a legendary filmmaker and a studio whose recent hits include the Oscar-winning Green Book and 1917. The 74-year-old Spielberg, who directed ET, the Indiana Jones series, Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan, serves as Amblins chairman. The studio will continue to work with Universal and other partners, he said.

Steven is a creative visionary and leader and, like so many others around the world, my growing up was shaped by his memorable characters and stories that have been enduring, inspiring and awakening, Co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos said in the statement. We cannot wait to get to work with the Amblin team and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this chapter of Stevens cinematic history.





Not long ago, Spielberg looked like a Netflix critic. After the Oscars in 2019, he reportedly argued the streaming services films and shows should be relegated to Emmy Awards  which honour the best TV programming  rather than competing for the movie industrys highest honor. Netflixs Roma was considered the front-runner to win the best picture Oscar that year, but Green Book took the prize instead.

Steven feels strongly about the difference between the streaming and theatrical situation, an Amblin spokesperson told IndieWire at the time.

But the clash may have been overblown. A New York Times story later said the director didnt lobby for Oscar changes. In that piece, Spielberg emphasised his support for the theatrical experience, while expressing frustration with cinema owners that had banned Netflix movies.

Big screen, small screen  what really matters to me is a great story and everyone should have access to great stories, he said.
The government has sought bids to appoint transaction advisor and legal advisor to assist it for the strategic divestment and transfer of management control in IDBI Bank. The appointment of intermediaries would help in taking the privatisation process of the lender forward as the government aims to close the transaction in this fiscal.

The government plans to sell its 45.48 per cent shareholding in the lender. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), which owns 49.24 per cent, will also offload its stake to transfer management control to the new buyer.

The transaction advisor would be required to advise the government on the modalities and the timing of the strategic disinvestment of IDBI Bank, and prepare a scheme to successfully implement the sale. Any company that owns more than 50 per cent stake in a merchant bank, seeking to assist the government as the transaction advisor, would not be able to participate in the bidding process to acquire IDBI Bank.

The transaction advisor would be required to execute a non-disclosure agreement and provide appropriate information to bidders. They will also finalise the sale process through bidding or auction, and assist the government in fixing the reserve price considering the valuation of IDBI Bank.

The government is also seeking to appoint a legal advisor who will review and advise on all legal contracts, including titles of property assets, intellectual property rights, loan agreements, and contracts with employees. They would also advise the government on the regulatory norms, and assist in obtaining approval and exemptions from all applicable regulatory agencies including Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

Transaction advisors and legal advisors can submit their bids until July 13.

Last month, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved strategic divestment in IDBI Bank, with the condition that extent of shareholding to be offloaded by the government and LIC would be decided at the time of structuring of transaction, in consultation with RBI.
Five civilians were killed and four wounded as a roadside bomb struck a vehicle in Ahmad Abad district of Afghanistan's Paktia province, an official said.

"The deadly roadside bombing which targeted a civilian vehicle in Machalgo area of Ahmad Abad district on Monday afternoon claimed five lives comprising a woman, two children and two men and also injured four All the victims are civilians," provincial government spokesman Abdul Rahman Mangal told Xinhua news agency.

All the victims were members of the same family who were going to attend a funeral service at a neighbouring village, the official added.

The spokeman blamed the Taliban militant group for the bombing.

The Taliban outfit, which is active in parts of Paktia province, is yet to make comment.

--IANS

ksk/

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China's southern province of Guangdong, which is the country's main hub, has been left in the throes of an electricity shortage following scarce rain, rising coal prices and rapid inland industrialisation, casting uncertainty over 10 per cent of the country's economic output.

According to Nikkei Asia, the effects are being felt on factory floors and in managers' offices, with one Japanese-owned metal parts supplier sent scrambling to rearrange work schedules after local authorities ordered power cuts.

The biggest question emerging is how long the electricity shortage will last. A Honda Motor spokesperson said there was no impact on production at this time. But if the power constraints become chronic, they would risk rattling global supply chains.

"With two power cuts a week, we can still ensure enough output. With two power cuts a week, we can still ensure enough output," said a Honda executive.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, China's economic planning body, acknowledged in a news conference that Guangdong and other southern provinces face power shortages.

During the mandated power cuts, companies can use only enough electricity for essential operations, such as security. Going over the limit results in a penalty in the form of extended hours of restrictions, according to Nikkei Asia.

Guangdong houses 8 per cent of China's population and some of the Chinese biggest companies, such as Huawei Technologies, electric-vehicle builder BYD, appliance group Midea and Tencent Holdings.

Meanwhile, authorities have attributed the electricity shortage to a drought and elevated summer demand. Guangdong received about only about 40 per cent as much precipitation from January to early April as in the same period last year, while the average temperature was 2.2 degrees Celsius higher, local media reported.

Low coal inventories -- an effect of rising prices -- are also taking a toll. Domestic coal prices stood at 878 yuan (USD 136) per ton in early June, up roughly 70 per cent on the year, based on 5,500 kilocalories of heat per kg, official data shows.

Nikkei Asia further reported that wider factors in the regional are also at work. About 30 per cent of the power used in Guangdong comes long-distance from Yunnan and other provinces.

One of its nuclear plants, in the Guangdong city of Taishan, appeared at risk of releasing radioactive materials into the environment, CNN reported last week. However, Chinese authorities have provided few details on the situation while admitting that there had been fuel rod damage at the plant.

Guangdong is also witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases, resulting in hundreds of flights being cancelled and lockdown imposed in some cities.

Guangdong's health commission reported a total of six new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, including two from Shenzhen and one each in Foshan and Dongguan, South Morning Post reported.

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has convened a key ministerial conference of Asia Pacific countries on Wednesday to discuss cooperation of its Belt Road Initiative (BRI), days after G7 countries headed by the US announced plans to Build Back Better World" (B3W) to counter Beijing's multi-billion-dollar infrastructure development initiative.

The Group of Seven (G7) comprising the US, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, France and Japan at their London conference on June 12 agreed to launch B3W to counter China's growing influence by offering developing nations an infrastructure plan that would rival the BRI project.

State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will preside over the Asia and Pacific High-level Conference on the Belt and Road Cooperation with the theme of "Promoting Cooperation on Combating the Pandemic for Sustainable Recovery" via video link, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian announced at a media briefing here on Tuesday.

More than 30 parties, including foreign ministers or economic ministers of relevant countries in Asia-Pacific and representatives of the UN and other organizations will attend the meeting, he said.

"This is a high-level conference on the with a wide range of participants, which reflects the high priority all parties attach to and support they lend to BRI," he said.

The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013, aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea route.

The Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship project of the BRI. India has objected to as the CPEC is being laid through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Analysts here cautioned Beijing about the US successfully pushing its B3W plan to counter the BRI, which has become a signature initiative of China to build infrastructure projects around the world to enhance its influence.

Commenting on the B3W, Shi Yinhong, a US relations specialist at Beijing's Renmin University, said the US plan was not good news for China.

"All of the stated goals of the B3W, described as a values-driven, transparent and sustainable infrastructure partnership, are obviously targeting China," Shi told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post earlier.

Shi said the infrastructure plan and the US efforts to unite allies to confront China were the basis of the emerging Biden doctrine, which was essentially about winning the competition with China and showcasing the superiority of the democratic system.

"It could easily be turned into a key part of the US-led ideological struggle with China. It could be defined as a rather belated offensive to push back against China's belt and road project, which has shown signs of retreat especially after the coronavirus crisis, he said.

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Dubai's state-owned sovereign wealth fund announced Tuesday a net loss of $5.1 billion over the past year, highlighting the toll that the coronavirus pandemic has wrought on the company's vast assets and the uncertainty around the emirate's post-pandemic recovery.

The Investment Corporation of Dubai, the huge holding company behind many of the emirate's industrial powerhouses, reported revenue of $37 billion in 2020, a sharp drop of over 40% compared to the year before.

It marks the first loss in years for the investment arm of government, which boasts a range of assets, including the Middle East's largest airline, Emirates, the lucrative Duty Free and master-developer Emaar Properties, which built the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower. The firm turned a profit of $4.9 billion in 2019.

In reporting the loss, the conglomerate cited the severe effects of the coronavirus on travel, hospitality, retail and real estate all industries that power Dubai, with its cavernous malls and luxury hotels. With 40 major holdings, the firm is often viewed as a barometer for the health of the city's service-heavy economy.

Any profits churned out last year largely stemmed from the fund's holdings in financial services such as Emirates NBD, among the top banks in the United Arab Emirates, which it said remained solid amid the pandemic's upheaval.

The Investment Corp report came a week after long-haul carrier Emirates posted a staggering loss of $5.5 billion in 2020 its first in three decades as the travel industry faced a downturn like no other.

The government extended the struggling airline a $3.1 cash infusion as its revenue dropped 66% a vivid sign of just how critical Emirates Air is to Dubai, a futuristic city-state between Europe and Asia founded on the promise of globalisation. For comparison, during the 2015-2016 fiscal year, Emirates netted profits of $1.9 billion a record it has not repeated since.

In its statement, ICD described the many headwinds of 2020, from grounded flights to low oil prices. Although Dubai is not oil-rich like the UAE's capital of Abu Dhabi, its economy feeds on petrodollars.

Despite the challenges, Mohammed Al Shaibani, the company's CEO, focused on hopes for a rebound in tourism and travel, stoked by the UAE's vaccination campaign, among the fastest in the world.

Our businesses are today strongly positioned to seize the opportunities presented by global economic activities now gaining momentum with the vaccine roll-out, Al Shaibani said.

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faces a sweeping probe into its advertising technology, a move that strikes at the heart of the tech giants business model. The European Commission said Tuesday its new confrontation with the Alphabet unit will focus on concerns the company may be illegally favouring its own online display advertising technologies, squeezing out rivals.

This is probably the probe that many people were waiting for because it goes to the core of Googles business, said Aitor Ortiz, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. The biggest risk would be an order for to separate from or restrict its online ads operations, which could have a significant impact on the money generated through online advertising, he added.

Its the first time the EU has directly examined the black-box of online advertising where automatically calculates and offers ad space and prices to advertisers and publishers as a user clicks on a web page. Earlier EU cases focused on shopping search ads, mobile phone ads and advertising contracts. The investigation will also check if Google unfairly blocks competitors access to user data and will scrutinize privacy changes to phase out some cookies and data access for advertisers.

Harder to compete

We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete, Margrethe Vestager, the EUs antitrust commissioner, said in the statement. Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetize their online services.

The latest EU case has been brewing for months. Vestager signaled in March the regulator was working on a very large probe into Google.
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.





ALSO READ: US downplays the impact of Iranian President-elect on nuclear deal

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 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 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 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.



ALSO READ: Iran stores more oil on tankers as it counts days to enter markets

Whats the next key date?

A pact that allows the 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.
(Reuters) - A London-based that suffered losses betting against U.S. retailer GameStop Corp during the first meme stock rally in January is shutting down, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

White Square Capital has told investors that it will shut its main fund and return capital this month after a review of its business model, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the fund and a letter to investors.

White Square suffered double-digit percent losses in January, the report added https://on.ft.com/3gIEJJR.

The firm did not respond to a Reuters request for comment outside of regular U.K. business hours.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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Pakistans Prime Minister (pictured) refused to condemn the Chinese government's alleged abuses against the Muslim-majority comunity in Xinjiang, in a recent interview with Axios Sunday.

He said had been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times. He added that any conversation to be had with would be held behind closed doors.

In other news, Khan also ruled out hosting American bases in for military action inside war-torn Afghanistan, fearing it might lead to his country being "targeted in revenge attacks" by terrorists. The prime minister said is ready to be a partner for peace in with the US but we will avoid risking further conflict after withdrawal of American troops.
has signed an agreement with Pfizer to procure 1.3 crore doses of the American COVID-19 vaccine, a media report said on Tuesday.

An agreement was signed between Pfizer and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday to supply 1.3 crore doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (BNT162b2), Dawn newspaper reported.

The delivery of the 13 million doses (1.3 crores) is planned during 2021, it said.

We are deeply honoured to work with the Pakistani government and to marshal our scientific and manufacturing resources toward our shared goal of bringing a Covid-19 vaccine to the people of as quickly as possible, said Pfizer Pakistan Country Manager Syed Mohammad Wajeehuddin in a statement.

Chief Business and Chief Commercial Officer at BioNTech Sean Marett also thanked the Pakistani government for its support and trust in their ability to develop a vaccine that they believed could help address this global pandemic threat.

Our goal remains to deliver a global supply of a well-tolerated and effective Covid-19 vaccine for many people around the world, as quickly as we can, Marett said. Pfizer and BioNTech aim to manufacture more than three billion doses of the vaccine globally by the end of this year.

Also, a total of 630 diplomats from 57 countries and employees of the United Nations (UN) agencies have been vaccinated at the National Institute of Health (NIH), according to the NIH.

An official of the NIH, requesting anonymity, said according to rules, only Pakistani nationals were entitled to the free vaccine, but last month it was decided to allow diplomats and employees of UN agencies to avail the facility.

So far over 630 people from 57 countries have been vaccinated. As per procedure, embassies and UN agencies share the list of employees with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for inoculation. We have established a vaccination centre at the NIH for diplomats and foreigners, he said.

Replying to a question, the official said the diplomats were given the choice from available vaccines and the majority opted for Chinese vaccines.

Some of the diplomats wanted to be inoculated with AstraZeneca. There was also a demand for Pfizer, but they were told that the American vaccine could only be given to immuno-compromised persons, he said.

It is worth mentioning here that so far 100,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine have arrived under Covax, an alliance that has pledged free vaccines for the 20 per cent population of Pakistan.

In a related development, Pakistan received the second shipment of the emergency medical equipment donated by the US government through USAID Pakistan, according to the US embassy.

The shipment includes personal protective equipment that can be used by more than 13,500 frontline healthcare workers and 600 ICU and operation theatre staff.

There has been a temporary shortage of vaccines in Pakistan, according to top Pakistan health official.

"There are more than 2,000 vaccination centres in the country and the number of visitors varies. So there may be a shortage of vaccines in some centres," Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Health, Dr Faisal Sultan said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Pakistan on Tuesday recorded the lowest number of new cases in eight months.

According to the Ministry of National Health Services, 663 news cases were reported in the last 24 hours, the lowest since 660 recorded on October 20 last year.

These new cases are also the lowest during the third wave which hit the country at the beginning of March and peaked on April 17 when 6,127 new cases were reported in a single day.

Pakistan's highest number of new cases were 6,472 which were detected on June 13, 2020, when the country was passing through the first wave of the pandemic.

The positivity rate also dropped to 1.7 per cent which is the lowest this year.

The ministry also reported that 27 more people died in the last 24 hours, taking the COVID-19 death toll to 22,034, while the national tally of confirmed cases reached 949,838.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Chinese firm -- China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), responsible for in Nepal's Sindhupalchawk has been witnessing people's fury over the incidents and damage to houses in the district.

Aaj reported that people in the Himalayan Nation protested against the Chinese company and demanded payment for damages faced by them. They blamed the company for causing serious environmental disaster causing landslides and damaging houses at the location.

Last week, a widespread flood in damaged critical infrastructure. Officials said the excess rains had led to the rivers overflowing due to the suspected glacier burst, which resulted in widespread destruction.

Several people, who have been displaced due to floods as they have lost their houses and properties, are in a state of shock. Melamchi town, once a brimming marketplace and centre of attraction, now remains submerged in a thick layer of mud, sand and water after the flood. As per the official, about 200 houses in town have been damaged partially or completely in mayhem which began with onset of monsoon.

Hundreds of families who resided in the area have taken shelter in a local school, located a few hundred meters away from the main market square. As the blocked river made its way downhill, it has completely changed the lives of families living there as most of all people have lost all of their belongings in the flood compelling them to make a fresh start.

Army along with Armed Police Force and the Nepal Police had conducted rescue and search operations in the flood-ravaged area, which has continued to be submerged under a thick layer of mud and high flowing water.

One of the epicentres of the 2015 earthquake, Sindhupalchok has been witnessing damages due to floods and landslides on an annual basis. With the onset of the monsoon in the Himalayan nation, incidents of floods and landslides are expected to rise further.

Almost 80 per cent of the annual rain in Nepal is received during the monsoon (June-September). The average annual rainfall is 1,600 mm, but it varies by eco-climatic zones (3,345 mm in Pokhara and below 300 mm in Mustang).

The Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD) has estimated the high mountainous region of Nepal to receive 55 to 65 per cent rainfall (snow mainly) in 2021. Additionally, average rainfall is estimated to be anywhere between 35 to 45 per cent in Lumbini, Gandaki, Bagmati and in the western part of Province 2, while Terai region of Province 1 and eastern region of Province 2 are likely to receive less-than-average rainfall.

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The powerful Chambers of Commerce has launched a massive campaign to address the acute shortage of skilled and professional workforce in America, prominent among which includes urging the Biden administration and Congress to double the number of H-1B visas and eliminate per-country quota for the Green Card.

The most sought-after is a non-immigrant visa that allows companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The demand to increase the H-1B quota, which currently is at 65,000 and another 20,000 for those who have higher studies from the US, is part of the America Works campaign launched by the Chambers of Commerce early this month.

As we stand on the cusp of what could be a great American resurgence, a worker shortage is holding back job creators across the country, US Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Suzanne Clark said.

Through the America Works Agenda, the US Chamber is calling for doubling the cap on employment-based visas, doubling the quota on H-1B and H-2B visas and implementing other reforms to the legal immigration system to help employers meet the demand for high-demand jobs in labour-strapped sectors. It is also calling for growing federal investments in employer-led job education and training programmes and expanding access to childcare for working parents.

We must arm workers with the skills they need, we must remove barriers that are keeping too many Americans on the sidelines, and we must recruit the very best from around the world to help fill high-demand jobs, Clark said.

The Chamber called for changes to be made on the issuance of employment-based immigrant visas including doubling the cap on employment-based immigrant visas from 140,000/year to 280,000/year.

Eliminate the practice of counting spouses and minor children under the annual Green Card quota, which, if done alone, would practically double the amount of employment-based immigrant workers our nation admits every year, it said.

Eliminate the Per-Country Caps that punish individuals from certain countries with arbitrarily longer wait times, and when done in combination with expanding the annual quota, will avoid the creation of several new backlogs within the system, the US Chambers said.

It urged the Biden administration to provide students who graduate from US universities with more opportunities to obtain employment-based green cards upon graduation and enhance and expand the opportunities for entrepreneurs to obtain permanent residency so they can build their businesses in the United States.

US Chambers is also urging the administration to responsibly reinstate routine visa processing at consulates around the world so companies can obtain and retain the workers they need without significant operation disruptions to their businesses.

Create a new, geographically targeted visa programme, along the lines of the Heartland Visa proposal, that will drive economic and population growth into American communities struggling with the serious economic and social problems caused by significant population loss, it said.

It also seeks to expand access to H-2A agricultural worker visas for non-seasonal agricultural businesses, such as dairies and livestock producers, and ensure that the programme meets the future needs of American agriculture.

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A federal court is all set to hold on Thursday an in-person extradition hearing of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

A team of officials from India is believed to have arrived in the for the court proceedings.

The United State government, in multiple submissions before the court, has made a declaration in support of the United States' Surrebuttal in Support of its Request for Certification of Extradition.

Rana, 59, is sought in India in connection with his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack.

Rana, a childhood friend of prime convict David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10, 2020 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed. He has been declared a fugitive by India.

Headley, 60, was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the for his role in the attack. Rana has opposed his extradition to India, arguing that he has already been convicted by a US court in Chicago.

The United States government asserts that the premise of Rana's argument is incorrect because the Indian substantive charges are not considered lesser included offenses of their conspiracy charges.

As per the India-US Extradition Treaty, the Indian government has requested the formal extradition of Rana, and the United States has initiated this extradition proceeding. The US government has argued that Rana meets all the criteria warranting certification of his extradition to India.

These are: the court has both personal and subject matter jurisdiction, there is an extradition treaty between the United States and India that is in full force and effect, and the crimes for which Rana's extradition is sought are covered by the terms of the treaty.

In his previous court submission on February 4, Rana's attorney had argued that Rana's extradition is barred under Article 6 of the United States-India extradition treaty because he had previously been acquitted of the offences for which his extradition is sought, and under Article 9 of the treaty because the government has not established probable cause to believe that Rana committed the alleged offences.

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fell below $30,000 for the first time in nearly five months as China's latest crackdown on cryptocurrencies weighed.

The world's largest fell as much as 6.4% to $29,614, its lowest since Jan. 27. As of 1232 GMT it was down 4.2%.

The sell-off was sparked by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) urging China's largest banks and payment firms to crack down harder on trading.

Crypto exchanges were effectively pushed out of China by a 2017 rule change, but over-the-counter (OTC) platforms based overseas have sprung up to receive payment from people based in China and buying cryptocurrencies on their behalf.

"It basically says now OTC transactions are not legitimate ... we are not allowed by the banks to transfer money for purchases and sales," said Bobby Lee, chief of cryptocurrency wallet app Ballet and formerly CEO of BTC China, China's first exchange.

After Monday's PBOC statement, banks including Agricultural Bank of China and Ant Group's ubiquitous payment platform Alipay said they would step up monitoring to root out crypto transactions.

Ether, the second-biggest cryptocurrency, was up a sliver at $1,980, after hitting a five-week low the day before.

Last month, three industry associations issued a similar ban on crypto-related financial services, though market players said it would be hard to enforce as banks and payment firms could struggle to identify crypto-related payments.

"We are definitely in the midst of a correction," said Anthony Wong of Hong Kong-based crypto firm Orichal Partners.

"This time China's iron-fist ban on crypto seems to be more serious than back in 2017 as the directive came straight from the top."

HASH RATE DECLINE

Beijing has ratcheted up its campaign against cryptocurrencies in recent weeks, with China's State Council, or cabinet, saying last month it would tighten restrictions on trading and mining.

Authorities in major bitcoin mining hubs including Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia have issued their own curbs with greater details on the restrictions.

As a result, the hashrate, which measures the processing power of the bitcoin network and shows how much mining is taking place, on Monday hit its lowest level since late 2020.

The mining crackdown will likely hit prices in the short-term, market players said.

"Some of the miners in China may be more willing to sell their bitcoin now versus when they are able to run their mining operations, because they have to raise cash," said Seth Melamed, of Tokyo crypto exchange Liquid.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HONG KONG (Reuters) - stabilised in Asian trading on Tuesday morning a day after a statement from China's central bank reaffirming the ongoing crackdown on cryptocurrencies in the country sent the world's largest token to a two-week low.

was last up 3.17% at 32,600, having dropped more than 10% on Monday. Ether, the second-biggest crypto currency, was up 3.54% at 1,950 after hitting a five-week low the day before.

Monday's sell-off was sparked by an announcement from the Peoples Bank of saying it had summoned China's largest banks and payment firms urging them to crack down harder on trading.

Beijing has sharply ratcheted up its campaign in the past few weeks, since China's State Council, or cabinet, said last month it would tighten restrictions on trading and mining.

However, Tuesday's price moves suggested Asian traders thought markets overnight had overreacted to the news.

"A Chinese ban on cryptocurrencies isn't something new. The one that came out yesterday was almost a copy of a previous annoucement, earlier this year," said Justin d'Anethan, head of exchange sales at crypto exchange operator EQONEX.

"As always, leverage, large participants and fundamental events mean crypto can move dramatically," he said.

Last month, three industry associations issued a ban on crypto-related financial services, but the bodies are much less powerful than the PBOC.

Market participants said at the time that the earlier ban would be hard to enforce as banks and payment firms would struggle to identify crypto-related payments.

However, following Monday's PBOC statement, banks including Agricultural Bank of and Alipay, the ubiquitous payment platform owned by fintech giant Ant Group, said they would step up monitoring to root out crypto transactions.

(Reporting by Alun John in Hong Kong; Editing by Stephen Coates)

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(Reuters) - For technical analysts watching bitcoin, an important and potentially bearish chart formation just happened in the cryptocurrency: A "death cross."

The formation could signal further losses ahead. Here are some details about what this is:

What is a death cross?

Technical analysts use the term "death cross" to describe when a short-term average trendline crosses below a long-term average trendline -- signalling a change in price momentum. The 50-and 200-day combination often attracts the most attention.

Over the weekend, bitcoin's 50-day moving average fell below its 200-day moving average.

What has happened to

Bitcoin, the world's biggest cryptocurrency, has long experienced volatility. It has lost over 20% in the last six days and is down by half from its April peak of almost $65,000. Market players are citing jitters over China's expanding crackdown on mining in thin liquidity for the losses.

What should investors be watching?

Crucial for will be its ability to hold above its May 19 low of $30,066, which is an initial target for bears. Breaking below that level would reinforce the negative signal of the death cross.

Is the death cross infallible?

No technical analysis indicator is perfect, including the death cross, in isolation. Most chartists use a combination of studies to derive directional signals.

For example, the last death cross on the bitcoin chart occurred in March 2020 after the had plunged nearly 60% over a six-day period and just before it started a historic rally of more than 1,000% over the next year.

(Graphic: Bitcoin daily candle chart, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/buzz/rlgvdddxbvo/Pasted%20image%201624287283815.png)

(Peter Stoneham is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own. Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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Shares of were down 2 per cent at Rs 4,865 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Tuesday, in an otherwise strong market, after the company reported a 44.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in operating Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) at Rs 53.2 crore during the March 2021 quarter (Q4FY21). Net sales were down 10.2 per cent YoY at Rs 290 crore.

However, the company has seen improving billing growth both YoY and quarter on quarter (QoQ). Billing increased 25.1 per cent YoY and 39.8 per cent QoQ to Rs 415.3 crore during Q4FY21, mainly led by a 26 per cent YoY growth in recruitment and 41.5 per cent YoY growth in 99 acres billing. As compared to Q4FY19 (a pre-pandemic quarter), the companys overall billing was up 15.0 per cent.

ICICI Securities believes Info Edge will be a key beneficiary of a shift of advertising to the online medium. "In addition, digital onboarding of talent and strong traction in IT and ITeS segment bodes well for revenue growth. Further, the company is witnessing a healthy billing trend QoQ, YoY," the brokerage said, adding that it expects the company to witness improved traction post the second Covid wave.

Prudent capital allocation, quasi-play on the Indian startup ecosystem (Zomato, PolicyBazaar, like Shoekonect, Ustra, Gramophone) and leadership in recruitment with an Ebitda margin of above 50 per cent, keeps us optimistic on the stock from a long term perspective, the brokerage said in a note.

is among the leading internet companies in India. It runs leading internet businesses - Naukri.com - Indias no. 1 job site, Jeevansathi.com  one of the leading matrimonial portals, 99acres.com - Indias No.1 real estate portal and Shiksha.com  Indias leading education portal. The company also owns Quadrangle  an offline executive search business, and Naukri Gulf (a leading job site in the Middle East market).
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as Opec+, is discussing whether to further boost production at next weeks meeting as the oil market looks increasingly tight.

Moscow is considering making a proposal that the group should ease a global supply deficit by increasing output, according to Russian officials familiar with the matter. Other Opec+ nations are also discussing a potential supply hike in August, although specific numbers havent been mentioned, said a delegate.

Crude just hit $75 a barrel in London for the first time in two years as a strong recovery in demand from the Covid-19 pandemic encounters supply constraints. The and its allies are already in the process of reviving about 2 million barrels a day of idle production from May to July, but influential voices in the market are asking for more as prices rise.
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Shares of Bharti Airtel and Tata Consultancy Services rose after the telecom major and Tata Group/TCS announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G networks solutions for India.

Bharti Airtel scrip added 0.96% to Rs 544.70. TCS stock gained 0.65% to Rs 3,293.75.

Tata Group has developed a 'state of the art' O-RAN based Radio & 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.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) brings its global system integration expertise and helps align the end-to-end solution to both 3GPP and O-RAN standards, as the network and equipment are increasingly embedded into software.

Airtel will pilot and deploy this indigenous solution as part of its 5G rollout plans in India and start the pilot in January 2022, as per the guidelines formulated by the Government of India.

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India and South Asia) Bharti Airtel said, We are delighted to join forces with the Tata Group to make India a global hub for 5G and allied technologies. With its world-class technology ecosystem and talent pool, India is well positioned to build cutting edge solutions and applications for the world. This will also provide a massive boost to India becoming an innovation and manufacturing destination.

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 city of Hyderabad. The Company has started 5G trials in major cities using spectrum allocated by the Department of Telecom.

The Tata group's telecom and media enterprises cater to the communication requirements of global business houses to SMEs, and from wholesale to home networks. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a member of the O-RAN Alliance.

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HPL Electric & Power jumped 5.45% to Rs 61 after the company said that it received approval and production clearance from leading private distribution company for the implementation of NB-IoT based smart meters in parts of Delhi.

The company's new range of smart meters with Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) communications technology smart meters are both 4G and 5G compatible offering a dedicated channel for the smart metering and avoiding any reduction in performance from interference or obstruction due to congestion on the public network.

The new range of NB-IoT smart meters have been developed in-house at HPL's new R& D facility at Gurugram.

Gautam Seth, joint MD, HPL Electric & Power, said: "NB-IoT is a new and cost-effective technology in 4G and 5G spectrum with fast deployment quality. With this technology, the interference and problems arising due to public network congestion will not hamper the performance of smart meter anymore as data will smoothly flow through a dedicated channel.

It will also enable more number of remote meter readings possible thereby ensuring the safety of the consumers during pandemic times. This new launch will further strengthen our position as a leading smart meter manufacturer in the country."

HPL Electric & Power is a front runner in the smart metering field by providing latest technology to state owned & private utilities. This comes at the backdrop of world's largest electricity smart metering programme underway in India, aimed at cutting distribution losses.

India's smart meter programme aims to replace 250 million conventional meters to help raise annual revenues of debt-laden electricity distribution companies.

HPL Electric & Power is an established electric equipment manufacturing company, manufacturing a diverse portfolio of electric equipment, including, metering solutions, switchgears, lighting equipment and wires and cables, catering to consumer and institutional customers in the electrical equipment industry.

The company's consolidated net profit rose 25.04% to Rs 8.39 crore on a 0.06% decline in net sales to Rs 243.99 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20.

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Minda Industries announced that the company through its wholly owned subsidiary has won the Bid for acquisition of 51% stake from existing shareholder UzautoComponents LLC in it's JV UzChasys LLC (UzChasys).

The cost of acquisition is 83.1 billion Soums (equivalent to Rs 58.13 crore)

UzChasys is company, established and operating in the Republic of Uzbekistan. It is a joint venture of AMS Co. and UzautoComponents LLC, in which 30% stake is held by AMS Co. and 70% stake is held by the UzautoComponents LLC.

UzChasys is engaged in the manufacture of automobile headlights and lamps and is a leading OEM Supplier in Uzbekistan.

The proposed investment in UzChasys, will enable the UNO Minda Group to have significant presence in Uzbekistan, as a leading OEMs Supplier.

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The Reserve Bank has released its quarterly house price index (HPI) (base: 2010-11=100) for Q4:2020-21, based on transaction-level data received from housing registration authorities in ten major cities (viz., Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai).

All-India HPI increased (y-o-y) by 2.7% in Q4:2020-21 vis-a-vis 3.9% growth a year ago; HPI growth showed large variation across major cities, from an increase of 15.7% (Bengaluru) to a contraction of -3.6% (Jaipur). On a sequential (q-o-q) basis, all-India HPI growth rate moderated to 0.2% in Q4:2020-21; Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Jaipur recorded a sequential decline in HPI, whereas it increased for other cities.

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State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday announced that its board has approved raising additional tier-I capital of upto Rs 14,000 crore through Basel-III bonds.

The central board of the PSU bank approved raising the funds through issue of Basel III-compliant debt instrument in USD and/or Indian rupees during FY22. The fund raise is subject to Government of India concurrence.

SBI is an Indian multinational, public sector banking and financial services statutory body. As of 31 March 2021, the Government of India held 57.63% stake while Life Insurance Corporation of India held 9.25% stake in the bank.

The public sector bank reported an 80% jump in standalone net profit to Rs 6,450.75 crore on a 7% rise in total income to Rs 81,326.96 crore in Q4 FY21 over Q4 FY20.

Shares of SBI were up 0.98% at Rs 423.65 on BSE.

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Shilpa Medicare rose 1.58% to Rs 545.85 after the company announced the launch of a pediatric dose paracetamol oral thin film, under the brand name Molshil.

The drug has been launched in strengths of 60 mg and 120 mg strengths in orange flavour. The company has received approval for Molshil oral thin films after sufficiently complying bioequivalence requirements.

The new presentation of paracetamol from Shilpa will have benefits of easy administration, excellent palatability and overcome disadvantages of presently available pediatric formulations like dose variation, sedimentation or poor suspendability, presence of alcohol, messy and crystallized bottles in usage, fragile glass bottles etc.

The company has manufacturing facilities for paracetamol at both Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Shilpa Medicare is a global brand in manufacturing and supplying of affordable API and formulation globally in different regulated markets.

The company's consolidated net profit slumped 77.35% to Rs 7.83 crore on 5.44% decrease in revenue from operations to Rs 208.03 crore in Q4 March 2021 over Q4 March 2020.

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Subex and Spire Solutions, Middle East & Africa's leading value-added distributor (VAD), have announced a strategic tie-up to address the steep rise in cyberattacks and associated cyber risks in the region.

As per the findings of Subex's latest threat landscape report, segments such as oil and gas, manufacturing, and healthcare have been at the receiving end of complex and persistent cyberattacks in the Middle East. The volume of inbound cyberattacks grew by 67 percent in the first 4 months of 2021 and continues to increase with each passing month.

A major area of concern in the region is that some of the cyberattacks are targeting the health and safety mechanisms in industrial facilities leading to occupational safety risks to employees.

The collaboration between Subex and Spire will ensure that these businesses are protected at critical infrastructure level security with the most comprehensive stack of Internet of Things, Operational Technology, and converged environment (IoT-OT and Information Tech) protection solutions.

Subex and Spire have also just been awarded a project by a major oil and gas entity in the Middle East to meet its cybersecurity, device discovery, and cyber risk assessment requirements. The said entity currently manages refinery, petrochemicals, and LNG import operations through one of the biggest petroleum complexes in the region.

As part of the project, Subex is deploying its IoT and OT security solution Subex Secure to detect, contain and address unauthorized intrusions and threats, improve cybersecurity posture, and ensure overall protection from malware and disruption caused by cyberattacks. The project will help the entity focus on its core business objectives while Subex and Spire ensure secure operations, assets, and infrastructure across locations and projects.

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Sun Pharmaceutical Industries today announced settlement of patent litigation for generic Revlimid (lenalidomide) in the US.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries along with one of its wholly owned subsidiaries today announced that they have reached an agreement with Celgene Corporation (Celgene), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb, to resolve the patent litigation regarding submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for a generic version of Revlimid (lenalidomide capsules) in the US.

Pursuant to the terms of the settlement, Celgene Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb, will grant Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, a license to Celgene Corporation's patents required to manufacture and sell [subject to United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approval] certain limited quantity of generic lenalidomide capsules in the United States beginning on a confidential date that is sometime after March 2022.

In addition, the license will also allow Sun Pharmaceutical Industries to manufacture and sell an unlimited quantity of generic lenalidomide capsules in the US beginning on 31 January 2026.

As a result of the settlement, all Hatch-Waxman litigation between Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Celgene Corporation, regarding the Revlimid (lenalidomide capsules) patents, will be dismissed. As per the exchange filing on the bourses, additional details regarding the settlement are confidential and the agreement is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Shares of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries are trading lower by 0.34% at Rs 669 on BSE. The stock hovered in the range of Rs 668.50 and Rs 679.60 so far.

The announcement was made before trading hours yesterday, 22 June 2021.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is the world's fourth largest specialty generic pharmaceutical company and India's top pharmaceutical company.

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Congress leader on Tuesday parried questions on leaders holding a meeting and efforts to form a possible third front, saying today is not the time to discuss

Gandhi, who held a virtual press conference on the pandemic situation, said he wanted to focus on COVID and how to save the country from the third wave of coronavirus which may hit soon.

"On the political aspect, my intention here is to bring focus on COVID. My intention here is to point clearly in the direction where we think the government should act," said the Congress leader who released a white paper of the party on COVID management.

"So, I am not going to distract you or myself by getting into, you know, what is going on in the and what is going on here and there.

"There is a time and place for that discussion and I am happy to talk to you at that time," he said when asked about a meeting of leaders convened at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar here.

Pawar is meeting leaders from several parties and eminent personalities at his residence to discuss the current scenario in the country amid speculation about the possible formation of a third front against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The meeting hosted by Pawar has been organised by Rashtra Manch convenor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Yashwant Sinha.

Samajwadi Party's Ghanshyam Tiwari, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary, Conference (NC) leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, Sushil Gupta from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Binoy Viswam from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Nilotpal Basu from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) were among those who attended the meet.

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The Peoples Alliance for (PAGD) will attend the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday, said alliance chairperson

The announcement came after PAGD leaders met at Abdullahs Gupkar Road residence here on Tuesday to discuss the Centre's invitation to leaders from

We have received the invitation from the prime minister and we are going to attend (the meeting), Abdullah, who was flanked by other leaders of the alliance, told reporters after the meeting.

Fourteen leaders from have been invited to the meeting to be chaired by the prime minister to discuss the future course of action for the union territory.

The meeting is the first such exercise since the Centre announced the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and its bifurcation into union territories on August 5, 2019.

According to officials, the prime minister's scheduled meeting with leaders from is part of the Centre's initiatives to bolster political processes, including holding assembly elections, in the Union Territory.

The PAGD chairperson said the alliance was confident that it would be able to put its stand before the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister during the meeting at New Delhi. When the meeting ends, we will brief you here as well as in Delhi on what we did there, what we said and what was their response, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Conference president said.

Asked what would be the stand of the alliance, Abdullah said, You all know our stand and there is no need to repeat it. Whatever our stand was, is still there and will be there, he added.

Various constituents of the PAGD have approached the Supreme Court with a petition asking for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and its statehood.

The PAGD is a six-party alliance of mainstream parties which came into existence after the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. Abdullah said all those invited will attend the meeting. "(PDP chief) Mehbooba ji, me, (CPI-M leader) Tarigami sahab and all those who have been invited from us (the alliance), will go, he said. As the invitation is to individual leaders of various parties they all will go and all will speak there, the NC leader added. Asked about the agenda of the meeting, Abdullah said no agenda has been pitched from their side (the Centre).

We can talk about any issue there, he added.

The alliance's vice-chairperson and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti reiterated her party's stand and said that she would press for the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir along with statehood.

"We will talk on what has been snatched away from us, that it was a mistake and it was an illegal and unconstitutional act, without restoring which, the issue of J-K and the situation in J-K and peace in the whole region cannot be established, Mehbooba said.

Talking to reporters, PAGD spokesman and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami also hinted at seeking the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir during the meeting with the prime minister.

"We will not ask for the stars, but will seek what has been ours and should be ours only. As we have no information on the agenda of the meeting called by the PM, we will reiterate the stand of the PAGD there, before the highest leadership, he said.

The CPI(M) leader said the meeting with the prime minister was an opportunity and assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh that the leaders were going to Delhi to advocate on their behalf.

We will advocate in that court on the behalf of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. We will appeal to the PM of India about safeguarding the guarantees under the Constitution, which we have been given before, and to reconsider them, he said, apparently referring to the erstwhile state's special status.

Tarigami said there should be no misconception among the people that the alliance leaders were going to sign on to the agenda set by the Centre.

No, we are not. We are going to see what proposal the PM of India has. If it is in our interest, the interest of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, then we will say yes and if otherwise, there is going to be a big no, he said.

Another PAGD member and Awami Conference (ANC) senior vice president Muzaffar Shah said, "There can be no compromise on Article 370 and Article 35A," which were revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019. Shah is not among the invitees to the meeting.





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Leaders of several opposition parties including TMC, SP, AAP, RLD and the Left assembled at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence here on Tuesday and discussed various issues facing the country, amid heightened speculation about the possibility of a third front against the ruling BJP.

Leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Nilotpal Basu, who attended the meeting, said it was not a political meeting but an interaction among like-minded people.

"Issues like COVID management, 'attack' on institutions and unemployment were discussed at the meeting," he said.

The meeting lasted over two hours.

Former finance minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Yashwant Sinha, Samajwadi Party's (SP) Ghanshyam Tiwari, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary, Sushil Gupta from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Binoy Viswam from the Communist Party of India (CPI) were among those present at the meeting.

Conference (NC) leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, former Congress leader Sanjay Jha and former Janata Dal (United) leader Pavan Verma also participated.

Other prominent personalities who arrived at Pawar's residence to attend the meeting were Javed Akhtar and KC Singh.

Earlier in the day, a senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, on the condition of anonymity, said though Pawar is hosting the meeting, it has been organised by Yashwant Sinha who is the convenor of the Rashtra Manch.

Sinha formed the Rashtra Manch, a political action group, in 2018 that targeted the BJP-led government's policies.

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Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's all-party meet, PDP president on Tuesday said peace in the region cannot be restored without undoing the "illegal" and "unconstitutional" act of revocation of the special status of the erstwhile state of

Speaking to reporters at the end of a huddle of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), she said during the meeting with the prime minister on Thursday, she will press for the restoration of the special status of which was "snatched away from us".

"The agenda of the alliance, for which this alliance has been formed, what has been snatched away from us, we will talk on that, that it was a mistake and it was illegal and unconstitutional, without restoring which the issue of J-K (cannot be resolved) and the situation in J-K (cannot improve) and peace in the whole region cannot be restored," she said.

Mehbooba, who was flanked by other leaders of the alliance including its chairperson Farooq Abdullah, said the Centre should hold dialogue with everyone including Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue.

"They (India) are talking to the Taliban in Doha. They should talk with everyone in and with Pakistan as well for the resolution (of Kashmir issue)," she said.

The PDP president said her party was never against dialogue with the Centre, but wanted some confidence-building measures for the people of Jammu and Kashmir like release of prisoners as in other parts of the country due to COVID.

She said the political prisoners and other detainees from J-K should have been released if the Centre truly wanted to reach out to the people of J-K and to the political parties who were "humiliated so much" over the last two years.

"I think they should have done so, but it does not mean that we are against the dialogue," she said.

The PDP president, who is also the vice-chairperson of the PAGD, said she wanted Abdullah as the head of the PAGD to represent the alliance for the prime minister's meeting, but "he (Abdullah) said as the leaders have been invited individually, so we all should go individually".

"Whatever agenda they have, we will place our agenda before them. We hope that with our going for the meeting, at least our people who are in various prisons in and outside J-K, are released and those who cannot be released, be at least brought to J-K. Poor people have to collect money to go and meet their kin (who are in prisons outside J-K) once or twice a year," she said.

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The on Tuesday accused of playing politics over the crisis after the leader released a "white paper" on the Centre's handling of the pandemic.

Releasing the "white paper" prepared by his party, Gandhi said it was clear that the government's management of the first and second waves of COVID-19 was "disastrous".

Hours after Gandhi released the document, national spokesperson Sambit Patra told a press conference, "Since yesterday we have been fearing this. Whenever something good happens in our fight against coronavirus, the and specially do something to derail it."



"Yesterday was a significant day when India became the first country in the world to administer 87 lakh vaccine doses in one day. People seemed excited and jubilant. There is a feeling that India is winning in its fight against coronavirus, just then spoke of white paper and tried to derail it, he said.

Patra said that from the beginning of the fight to contain the pandemic, the party had questioned every step taken by the government.

"Whenever we are at a crossroads in our fight, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have tried to derail the efforts by playing politics. In fact, the Congress has really worked tirelessly to create hurdles and obstacles in our path, he said.

The spokesperson said that the second wave began with a Congress-ruled state, the most number of the infected were from Congress-ruled states and so were the most number of deaths. He said that the maximum vaccine hesitancy was seen in Congress-ruled states and so was the highest COVID-19 positivity rate.

"The demand for decentralisation of vaccines came from the Congress-ruled states and then the U-turn demanding centralisation too came from them. Instead of virtual press conferences and white papers, Rahul Gandhi should go to such states and give them this data, said Patra.

Calling Gandhi confused, Patra accused the Congress party of making contradictory demands.

"First they called the lockdown 'Tughlaki', then they questioned why there was no lockdown.... They promoted vaccine hesitancy... I would like to ask Rahul Gandhi how long will he conduct just virtual press conferences? When will you do some real work?



"Go to states ruled by your party and see the situation there. How vaccines are being wasted in Rajasthan, how vaccine profiteering is happening in Punjab and how Chhattisgarh is misusing vaccines. Go to the ground and survey, Patra said.

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Inc chief is considering holding an AI Day in about a month, where the Silicon Valley billionaire will showcase the progress in AI software and hardware with an aim to recruit.

"Looking at holding AI Day in about a month or so. Will go over progress with AI software & hardware, both training & inference. Purpose is recruiting," Musk tweeted on Monday.

His latest plan to promote Tesla's technology comes amid the hiccups faced in the company's path to achieve full self-driving technology.

Musk had during an earnings call in January said he was "highly confident the car will be able to drive itself with reliability in excess of human this year."

But in May, Tesla informed the California Department of Motor Vehicles that it may not achieve full self-driving technology by 2021 end.

The automaker is under review by the California regulator, which is probing if the company violated regulations by falsely promoting its advanced driver-assistance systems as being "full self-driving".

Tesla's driver assistant features, which it describes as "autopilot" or "full self-driving", are designed to make hands-on driving easier. Those features do not make the vehicle autonomous.

In Tesla's 'Battery Day' event in September last year, Musk said a $25,000 car that drives itself will be possible in three years.

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New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI/SRV Media): (https://mitwpu.edu.in) MIT World Peace University's (MIT-WPU) School of Petroleum Engineering offers an Academic Centre of Excellence nurtured with integrity, discipline, technical knowledge and research in the emerging area of Petroleum Engineering.

Ranked as the 7th Best private institute for Engineering in India by TOI Survey 2020, the University offers B.Tech and M.Tech in Petroleum Engineering that create industry ready professionals in production engineering, drilling engineering, refining and transport, data analytics, supply chain management, reservoir engineering and petroleum exploration, among others.

The courses combine advanced technologies, value-based education, industrial internships, research and industry collaborations to ensure a holistic learning experience for students to keep up with the evolution of the industry and its changing requirements.

Program Highlights: The oil and gas industry has a constant demand for able and qualified manpower; a need identified by Hon'ble Prof Vishwanath Karad in 1983 when he started a bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering at MIT WPU. Over the years, the University has expanded its curriculum and also rewarded students with merit-based scholarships by providing financial assistance based on academic and non-academic performances.

The B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering is a four-year full-time program, divided into twelve trimesters; while the M.Tech in Petroleum Engineering is a two-year full-time program. With a strong 1200 global alumni and over 200 research publications; students from both the programs have access to 10 advanced laboratories, 1 upcoming subsea laboratory and 3 international students' chapters.

International Collaborations: To provide global exposure, students can visit foreign universities to gain unique perspective of global scenarios. The University has international collaboration with the Nottingham Trent University, UK; University of Massachusetts, US and Hochschule Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany.

Placements & Recruiters: MIT-WPU offers 100% placement assistance to students, with the highest salary package of INR 37.26 lacs per annum offered to B.Tech graduates.. Currently, online placements and internships are taking place and students are gaining remote working opportunities. Some of the leading recruiters include ONGC, Reliance Industries Limited, Essar, Shell, Vedanta, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and more.

Eligibility Criteria: To be eligible for the B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering program, students need to have a valid score in MHT-CET 2021 (for Maharashtra Domicile Candidates) and/or JEE (Mains) 2021 (for All India Candidates) and/or WPU MEET (MIT Engineering Entrance Test) - 2021 exam.

The selected students will be then followed through a personal interview round, where past academic records and/or work experiences will also be taken into consideration. Furthermore, to be eligible, students should have passed 10+2 in Science from any statutory board with a minimum of 50% marks in total as well as in PCM. Students from other boards are welcome to apply as well.

Further, to be eligible for the M.Tech in Petroleum Engineering program, aspirants should have a non-zero positive score in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and Bachelor degree in Engineering with specialization around Automobile, Production, Mechanical, Sugar, Metallurgy, Robotics and Automation as per AICTE norms.

Online Admission Process: MIT-WPU's B.Tech and M.Tech in Petroleum Engineering programs are currently accepting online applications. The application process is quick and simple, and students can fill out the application form online from the comfort and security of their own homes. As a result, students are strongly advised to apply early in order to be considered for provisional admission offers.

For B.Tech admission, students can go fill out the online application at (https://application.mitwpu.edu.in)

For M.Tech admission, students can go fill out the online application at (https://application.mitwpu.edu.in)

Covid Policies: MIT-WPU prioritizes the safety of its students and has moved its entire admissions process online. Aligned to the directives by the Government and to ensure that students do not miss out on critical academic time this year, all study programs at MIT-WPU are being conducted through online and blended mode of learning. MIT-WPU will reopen its campus for students only when it is completely safe, as per government regulations.

Industry Collaborations: The School of Petroleum Engineering has an extensive global network. The alumni and faculty have strong connections with industry experts, which result in the best collaborations. MIT-WPU's industry and academic collaborations enable students to gain domain knowledge beyond their specialization while also bridging the theoretical and skill-based gap. The excellent industry and academic partnerships ensure that the students are kept up to date on the latest industry requirements and technological developments, giving them the competitive edge they require.

MIT-WPU is currently accepting applications for its B.Tech and M.Tech program and students can apply online by logging on to: (https://admissions.mitwpu.edu.in/btech)

or (https://admissions.mitwpu.edu.in/mtech)

For more information, visit(https://mitwpu.edu.in)

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New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI/The PRTree): Establishing themselves in the industry, apparel brand JOVI has recently launched 'The Red Moon' as part of their wide range of clean, pastel looks. The concept of collection is to honour womanhood through sindoor, crimson chaadar, surkh mehndi, and amber kaanch bangles, highlighting the soft feminine and fierce side of women to protect their self worth and self respect.

In a world that may be dark and grey and quite chaotic for the moment, they are adding a dose of refreshing sartorial options for women, celebrating life to the fullest.

The idea adheres to JOVI's simple design philosophy, but for the first time, the brand uses an all-red colour palette. The collection also emanates brand mulmul, a light, delicate, and breathable cotton texture that is ideal for summer, especially in India's scorching temperatures, because it quickly absorbs moisture and keeps the body temperature cool. It takes colour well and becomes milder with each wash.

Talking about her venture, the founder Jyoti Narayan says, "At the core of the brand lies a design philosophy dipped in Indian culture but with a global sensibility. We uphold the skills and expertise of Indian hand printing, hand embroideries and handicrafts and juxtapose them with pastel colors, clean line silhouettes inspired by international trends to create designs that are versatile, essentially classic and hence, timeless".

JOVI is a global platform that appreciates art, supports Indian women weavers, and enjoys style, fashion, and sustainability. A place of awareness where one can self-reflect and live a life with meaning. Their designs are inspired by the team's innovative instinct, and curiosity, and are handcrafted in Jaipur, India's "east-central part of Rajasthan." With a loyal customer base, 'JOVI Naaris' have an unapologetic love for Indian crafts and fashion, an effortless sense of style and a get-things-done attitude.

Born with a creative acumen in the world of fashion, Jyoti Narayan is the Founder and Creative Director of JOVI Fashion. The name comes from the duo who are behind the brand - Jyoti and Vinod. Vinod is the IT head at JOVI. Recently, JOVI Fashion has celebrated three years of their journey of customer love and appreciation. Ensuring safety, Jyoti Narayan has assured that during the pandemic which came as a challenge for the industry, the team was divided into smaller groups and were asked to report every alternate day and the ones travelling via other modes of transport were asked to work from home. JOVI started with a spark and the efficacious team didn't let it douse off during the challenging times. They launched offers to keep the clients happy and contented, emerging as a family of strong employees and satisfied clients altogether.

JOVI is the today that a woman lives in, JOVI is the future that a woman desires to be in.

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): Even as Maharashtra breathes easy after the dreaded COVID-19 second wave, essential workers, corporators, and hospitals prepare for a possible third wave in the next two months. The state, which saw 61,336 deaths during the two months, still records the highest COVID cases across India per day.

Few, however, are thinking about extending this preparedness towards rural regions in the state - places like Palghar, Dahanu, Umargaon and Talasari. That's where Maharashtra's Karulkar Pratishthan comes into the picture.

Anticipating tough times ahead, this NGO has laid the foundation for a steady supply of food, medicines, delivery chains and speedy access to critical care for the state's rural and remote regions.

"We're ensuring daily workers, migrants, tribals, and essential workers do not have to worry about food, medicines or funds ahead of a third wave. The last two waves left a devastating impact on these sections, even as the police, medical workers, and essential supply struggled to manage the situation. We will do everything possible to safeguard these regions from such tragedy again," said Prashant Karulkar, Founder, Karulkar Pratishthan.

The Pratishthan has put together 12 ambulances across the state for this task, foodgrains and life-saving medicines worth Rs. 25 lakh. They have also collaborated with district-level hospitals across the state to help with a standby supply of oxygen cylinders, alongside need-based arrangements for ventilator beds. They also have procured PPE equipment and general nursing supplies worth an additional Rs. 10 lakh.

Over the last 52 years, Karulkar Pratishthan has helped thousands of rural families across Maharashtra and Gujarat achieve self-reliance. They've set up schools, arranged for medical care and financial aid whenever required, specifically in remote, regional areas.

When India declared a nationwide lockdown during the first COVID-19 wave, they began distributing foodgrains, meals and water to more than 1 lakh migrant labourers who had started to walk home on the national highway. They also distributed food packets for essential workers (police, hospital and corporation staff) and the tribal populace in Maharashtra.

Doorstep delivery of medicines and PPE supplies for COVID positive patients, alongside regular financial aid for daily vendors like flower and vegetable sellers, were other items on their agenda.

Apart from regular financial aid, they also arranged transport facilities for these people within the ambit of COVID-19 protocols and social distancing guidelines. These services extended to more than 1000 farmers across regions like Palghar, Dahanu, Umargaon and Sarasari on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border.

During the second wave, volunteers at the Pratishthan partnered with local authorities and set up a 24/7 network to arrange for essential needs for rural regions. They took end-to-end ownership of organising COVID tests, medicines, over 1500 cylinders of oxygen and hospital beds for these people.

Maharashtra has acknowledged their role in helping people across the state. The state's governor Bhagat Singh Koshiari presented the Karulkar Pratishthan with 'Corona Devdoot'.

"The Karulkar Pratishthan dreams of achieving a smile on every face. Our vision is a self-reliant rural India emerging from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis," added Karulkar.

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New Delhi, (Delhi), [India], June 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): Despite the setback suffered on the economic front due to the onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic, there are some signs of the revival of economic activities as the country has entered the unlock phase. The industry has also derived its optimism from the recent report of RBI, "State of the Economy," in which the apex bank has stated that industrial production and exports have surged amid the pandemic protocols.

As per the report, despite the second wave, goods and services tax (GST) collection in 2021-22 so far has been better than in 2020-21. Meanwhile, as the industry has now geared up for recommencement of economic activities in a gradual manner, the veterans of the industry including real estate, pharma, healthcare, education, power, furniture, steel tubes, hospitality and legal sector are of the opinion that now the worst is over and the industry is well on the path of gradual recovery.

Ajay Chaudhary, Chairman and Managing Director, Ace Group said, "Despite the pressure points, the industrial sector has already started recovering. The real estate sector has been following all the Cororna protocols with maximum use of digital tools since the first wave of the pandemic. Moreover, the COVID vaccination drive has also made considerable headway. The investor sentiment is also bullish on the back of the availability of ready to move in or nearing completion inventories at low prices. Looking at all these factors, we can easily ascertain, real estate sector is set to achieve high growth and it hopes for a gallop."

Kapil Jain, Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas Healthcare added, "In our efforts to quickly bridge the gap in demand and supply of crucial medicines and equipment, we have attained success in on time delivery of prescription drugs, supply of critical care medicines, medical consumables and lifesaving medical equipment and devices like Medical Oxygen Concentrator during the pandemic. As the second wave of the pandemic has finally receded, we look forwarded to further continue with our mission of bringing new technologies and products in India to help doctors and hospitals provide excellent care at affordable price. The healthcare segment in India is growing at a brisk pace as the healthcare as a subject has now got all the necessary attention it deserves."

"Despite the swift spread of COVID-19 pandemic delivering a heavy blow to the Indian economy, the industry has started showing signs of quick revival as COVID curbs have eased. We believe the Indian industries are set to be back to a high growth trajectory on the strength of quick revival of demand in markers," said Anil Gupta, Managing Director, Okaya Power Group, adding that "The businesses have already realized that large-scale vaccination is the only key to restore consumer confidence, hence it is time to raise awareness about COVID-19 vaccines among people who may be hesitant in getting jabs."

The success story of vaccination drive has also reignited hopes for the bright future of hospitality industry. Arvind Singh Mewar, Chairman and Managing Director of HRH Group of Hotels, Udaipur, said, "Tourism, and the hospitality industry as a whole, has seen traumatic times since March-April 2020. While we laud the efforts of the government, both at the Centre and the State, to revive the economy and ensure that livelihoods are preserved, I must say that we have a long way to go. The successive waves of the pandemic are setting us back each time. As responsible corporate citizens, we are adhering to the rules and regulations regarding Covid-19 and ensuring that the vaccination programme continues unhindered. The government's macro-economic policies of boosting the economy, and extending liquidity windows, have to be matched with direct financial aid and assistance for the tourism industry at the ground level in all the states of India."

Sanjay Gupta, CMD, APL Apollo added, "Undoubtedly the RBI has come out spreading positivity with its report. The industries in India remain committed to further raising awareness regarding the COVID-19 protocols. Despite the impact of the pandemic, the strong fundamentals of Indian economy have resulted in holding out the hope for a bright future of the industries including the branded structural steel tubes manufacturers like us. We believe the entire industrial landscape of the country is now poised to bounce back on higher growth trajectory."

Deepan Garg, Director, Ruchira Green Earth said, "It is heartening that RBI's report has spread enthusiasm and injected new wave of energy in the current economic scenario and we look forward to the industry achieving higher efficiency and productivity." Echoing similar sentiments, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, Ramagya Group added, "There may have been disruptions on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fundamentals of Indian economy are strong and it has inherent capability to achieve higher growth rate, hence the entire industrial sector must remain optimistic."

Bhavana Bindra, Managing Director, REHAU South Asia said, "The country's call for Atmanirbhar Bharat has undoubtedly encouraged organizations to get more localize. Growing at a CAGR of more than 20%, REHAU India is very positive to acquire exponential growth from 2021 onwards. In these challenging times of COVID where market is taking its twists and turns, we foresee to pursue the dream of our respected prime minister and bring in "Make in India" solution in various product categories".

Rizwan Sajan, Chairman and Founder of Danube Group said, "Indian economy is on a gradual recovery path but to sustain this level it is a must that people follow COVID appropriate behavior and the government also strengthens health infrastructure at all levels whether primary, secondary or tertiary. At the same time, we must not forget the recent devastation done by this pandemic and so it's also imperative for the entire industrial sector to come forward and raise awareness."

"Considering that immunization is the only respite against COVID-19, there is a need of vaccination for all. All the stakeholders of the industries including the real estate sector must ensure that their workers get vaccinated at their construction sites," added Arjunpreet Singh Sahni, Executive Director, Solitaire Group.

Anupam Ghosh, Director, Anondita Healthcare Limited said, "Amid the pandemic, healthcare has taken center stage and India's spending on healFvigthcare is way lower than other countries, and COVID-19 pandemic underlines need for higher budget. We urge the Govt. to increase expenditure on healthcare to at least 7% of the GDP to deal with such pandemics in future."

"The accelerated COVID-19 vaccination drive has opened new chapter of hope in the battle against this dreaded virus. The legal sector has already prepared itself to tackle the challenges with the help of technology as most of the courts are now operating as e-courts. The new online mode has also helped in saving a lot of time of the lawyers and the litigants. While the legal sector is undergoing a paradigm shift, we look forward to embracing more innovation and technology to evolve and grow," concluded Som Mandal, Managing Partner of Fox Mandal.

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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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): Indian American author Dr. Vipin Gupta, who has been globally recognized for his work towards exploring the vastly integrated processes inside nature, is back with 2 new books around this project.

His new books delve into the hidden mysteries of mother nature around the most sought-after issues of consciousness and para consciousness.

He has already published 4 books, which capture the issues of divine energy and present reality earlier this year. His writings show the great interconnectivity of modern science and the ancient religious and spiritual world. On one hand, he challenges various laws of modern sciences, he explains the application of metaphysics in great detail linked with everything around us.

Dr. Vipin Gupta said, "My 5th book, What is Consciousness reveals the secret origin of consciousness, soul, spirit, entity, space, and time, where I explain how to evaluate, organize, and transcend the fragmented consciousness within the three dimensions of time, four dimensions of space, and three dimensions of the entity. While my 6th book, What is Para Consciousness reveals the secret thread of life that lies hidden within our para-consciousness. In this year, I plan to write 6 more books covering various aspects of the project VIPIN."

In his literary works, Dr. Gupta takes a management approach to advancing sciences while explaining the hidden mysteries of nature, relationships of scientific advancements with the processes existing in mother nature. As an academic, he believes that there is nothing objective in science and every theory of mind needs to be managed using our full senses. He believes that scientists dismiss objectivity as classical determinism and consider subjectivity as the essence of modern science, and therefore he recommends a sensible management approach instead of scientific management approach.

According to Dr. Gupta, Energy has varying values because we modify the value of energy through varying consciousness forms. A neutron, an atom, as well as a cell, embody the unmodified value of energy. He substantiates his energy valuations with the concepts from India's ancient wisdom and modern international science. He applies a management approach for developing a sensible understanding of divine energy for use in our daily lives.

His fifth book, What is Consciousness explains that our reality is unknown because we are the makers of our future. The soul is conscious of our future because our consciousness conditions our organizational planning. We become conditioned to believe that our psychic linkages make us human, caring about our social, human, ecological, economic, national, and psychological well-being. However, our psychic linkages are the causative factor that attracts us to discover, trade, subordinate, consume, and destroy the global, unique, inclusive, diverse, engaged, and responsible entities.

And the latest in the series of Project VIPIN, his 6th book, What is Para Consciousness, reveals the secret thread of life that lies hidden within our para-consciousness. It talks about the potential within our para-consciousness that is transformed naturally through the meiosis, mitosis, and methanogenesis processes that project our energy into "infinity". He lucidly explains how para-consciousness is the consciousness borrowed from the future, helping illuminate our life's goal for enjoying the potential the future holds. This book also highlights how leaders and mass movements are created via para consciousness.

According to Dr. Gupta, Mother Nature's "essence" is the common subject of the Project VIPIN, Vastly Integrated Process Inside Mother Nature. The Project VIPIN illuminates appropriate explanations of the cause-effect sequences manageable using the management power of our intentionality. It highlights the consequences of mediating those sequences with one's Consciousness filled with emotional intensity or moderating them with one's conscious devotional intensity.

The first four books by Dr. Vipin Gupta viz. What is Divine Energy, What is Present Reality, Is Present Reality, and Is Divine Energy are now available in full and nutshell editions on Amazon and elsewhere as paperback, hardcover, digital, and audible forms.

Dr. (Prof.) Vipin Gupta is a professor of management and a Co-director of the Center for Global Management at the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, California State University, San Bernardino. Dr. Gupta has a Ph.D. in managerial science and applied economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 22 (ANI/NewsVoir): Tech Plaastic Industrie, one of India's leading plastic moulding companies, has announced the launch of its newly redesigned, user-friendly website.

Tech Plaastic Industrie (TPI) has announced the launch of its redesigned website. The new website features a sharp look and showcases the company's well-established history and its array of services.

Tech Plaastic Industrie has been in the thermoset moulding business for more than three decades. The organization is also one of the foremost manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality plastic components in India. Formerly known as Southern Electroplastics Pvt. Ltd., this (https://www.techplaastic.com/injection-moulding-india) injection moulding company enjoys a great reputation across multiple industrial sectors in India.

"The new website design will give us the added advantage of making timely responses to our client's product requirements and queries," said a spokesperson for TPI. "The website is designed to provide visitors with a comprehensive idea of our company's capabilities in the plastic moulding industry. Our website also displays industry-related information and insightful blogs that will be useful for visitors," he added.

"Another promising feature in our website is the "Career" section which elaborates on employee development and career growth with TechPlaastic Industrie. Our company always takes extra effort to provide excellent training and promising career opportunities to all deserving candidates," the spokesperson said. "The website will be a great platform that showcases our team's expertise and experience in the plastic mould manufacturing industry," he concluded.

TechPlaastic is powered by a highly proficient workforce who are seasoned professionals in offering expert solutions for all their customers' moulding requirements, be it an injection, compression or thermoset injection need. The organization is well-known for its high-quality products across many sectors such as fence, security, domestic apautomotive, deplications, and the electrical and energy sectors.

Tech Plaastic was founded in the year 1975. The company is based in Chennai and is well-known for delivering high-quality solutions in injection moulding, compression moulding, and thermoset moulding. TPI is well-equipped with the infrastructure required to handle high volume orders of any complexity. The company also offers several value-added services and customized 3D printing services to design plastic moulds for multiple applications.

To take a look at the newly launched website, click: (https://www.techplaastic.com)

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Drug maker Pfizer is in final stages of getting approval for its COVID-19 vaccine in India, the company's CEO Albert Bourla has said. "I hope very soon we will finalise an agreement with the government," Bourla said while speaking at the 15th Annual BioPharma & Healthcare Virtual Summit of USA India Chamber of Commerce.

Pfizer is holding talks with the Indian government for supplying its COVID-19 vaccine to the country. The company co-developed the two-shot COVID-19 vaccine, called BNT162b2, along with its German partner BioNTech.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine may be priced under $10 (around Rs 730) per dose in India, which would be the lowest price for the mRNA-based jab globally, and almost half of the rate in developed markets such as the UK, US and EU.

The vaccine costs $19.5 (Rs 1,423) per dose in US, and around $21 (Rs 1,532) per dose in UK. In the EU, the jab was priced at about $18.9 per dose earlier, but price negotiations are in progress for a higher rate of $23.2 (Rs 1,693) per dose.

The US pharma giant has indicated availability of 5 crore vaccine doses -- 1 crore in July, 1 crore in August, 2 crore in September and 1 crore in October -- for supply to India in 2021. Besides, it has said it will deal only with the Government of India (GoI) and payment for vaccines will have to be made by GoI to Pfizer India.

The company has also asked for indemnification from the central government. Further, the company has sought certain relaxations in the regulatory regime, including relaxation in requirement of post-approval bridging trials and dispensing the requirement of testing the vaccines in CDL (Central Drugs Laboratory).

Also Read: Foreign COVID-19 vaccine makers exempted from local clinical trials, batch testing

Also read: India, Pfizer seek to resolve dispute over COVID-19 vaccine indemnity

Also Read: Pfizer, Moderna, Serum & the indemnity issue; what is it and what it means for India?
The fall in Bitcoin continued on Tuesday amid China's crackdown on cryptocurrency trading, with the digital currency dropping below $30,000 for the first time in nearly five months.

As per CoinMarketCap index, Bitcoin was trading at $29,797 on Tuesday evening. The cryptocurrency has fallen 8.53 per cent in the last 24 hours, while it has lost 25.91 per cent in the last seven days.

Meanwhile, Ethereum was trading 9.78 per cent lower at $1,767.

Cryptocurrencies have come under immense pressure as the People's Bank of China (PBOC) urged China's largest banks and payment firms to crack down harder on cryptocurrency trading.

Also read: Centre asks ICAI to form 7-member taskforce to look into glitches in new I-T portal

Crypto exchanges were effectively pushed out of China by a 2017 rule change, but over-the-counter (OTC) platforms based overseas have sprung up to receive payment from people based in China and buying cryptocurrencies on their behalf.

"It basically says now OTC transactions are not legitimate...we are not allowed by the banks to transfer money for cryptocurrency purchases and sales," said Bobby Lee, chief of cryptocurrency wallet app Ballet and formerly CEO of BTC China, China's first bitcoin exchange.

Bitcoin had reached a peak of $65,000 in April.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Also read: Gujarat announces EV policy; to give up to Rs 1.5 lakh subsidy on electric cars
Bitcoin's slide continues as it nears $30,000 amid China's crackdown on cryptocurrency mining. The crypto dipped 3.65 per cent to $32,908 on Tuesday morning, according to CoinMarketCap index. It has suffered a dip of 18.62 per cent over seven days. Bitcoin's dip is now stoking fears of a deeper selloff.

Ethereum fell 5.59 per cent to $1,970.25, while Ether dropped 0.10 per cent.

The sector has come under immense pressure after the People's Bank of China summoned officials from its biggest banks as well as AliPay to reiterate its ban on cryptocurrency services, as mentioned in a report in Bloomberg.

As evinced from the downward spiral, Bitcoin is not far away from hitting $30,000. If that happens, then it would mean a 'massive hit' to sentiment and could see heavy selling activity across the market, Pankaj Balani, CEO of Delta Exchange told the news site. However, not all is lost as Balani believes that the coin will rebound to $40,000 in coming weeks.

Beijing has ordered a clampdown on cryptocurrency miners following concerns about environmental impact. The northern region of Inner Mongolia also banned mining and introduced a telephone hotline for reporting of suspected operations. Chinese government 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. Long hours of running computers to produce Bitcoin is detrimental to the plans.

The digital coin had reached a peak of $65,000 in April.

Also read: Bitcoin drops below $35,000 as China cracks down on mining
The Finance Ministry has asked the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to form a seven-member task force to look into technical glitches in the new income tax e-filing portal.

Earlier today, the ICAI, during a meeting with Finance Ministry officials and Infosys representatives, made a presentation on various problems being faced on the new e-filing portal.

The ICAI was assured that the issues will be resolved at the earliest. Taking cognizance of the matter, a team of seven members was formed by ICAI chief Nihar N Jambusaria to analyse the issues.

Also read: Glitches in new I-T portal: FinMin officials to meet Infosys representatives on June 22

On June 16, the ministry had sought written representations from stakeholders regarding glitches or issues faced on the new portal. Infosys, at the company's annual shareholders' meeting on June 19, said that it was working to resolve the issues and had already succeeded on some fronts.

However, responding to the ministry's invitation for comments on the new portal, stakeholders highlighted continued glitches such as inability to view past e-filed returns, longer loading time of the web page, weak user interface and inability to view old demand, grievances and intimation orders.

Tax consultants also submitted their representations pertaining to technical and performance issues, including missing data and modules which are not working. Some consultants had suggested that the old e-filing portal should remain active till the time the new portal stabilises and in the meantime, beta testing be carried out to resolve the issues faced by users.

On June 8, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had taken to Twitter to ask Infosys and its chairman Nandan Nilekani to fix the technical glitches on the portal. Responding to her tweet, Nilekani said Infosys was working to address the issues and it expected the system to stabilise in a week.

Today's meeting was also attended by Sitharaman, Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj, CBDT Chairman Jagannath Mohapatra and other officials.

Also read: FinMin officials to take up glitches in new I-T portal with Infosys
Releasing Congress party's white paper on COVID-19 pandemic, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked the Centre to form a COVID compensation fund to compensate those families who have lost their bread winners due to coronavirus.

The intention behind releasing the white paper is not to point fingers, but to highlight the mistakes committed by the Centre and be better prepared for upcoming waves of the pandemic, Gandhi said, adding that the management of first and second wave was disastrous.

Blaming the government for the second wave of COVID-19, the Congress leader said despite warnings from doctors and experts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn't take the necessary steps to prevent the spike in cases.

Saying that there would surely be a third wave, as the virus is constantly mutating, Gandhi urged the government to make sure that there is no scarcity of hospital beds, medicines, oxygen and other supplies.

Also read: PUBG owner to be worth $3.5 billion with Krafton's IPO in South Korea

Responding to a question, he said the government is trying to hide the number of deaths due to COVID-19, and the actual number of deaths due to coronavirus would be about 5-6 times higher than government's number.

He said about 90 per cent of deaths in the second COVID-19 wave were 'needless'. While Prime Minister's tears could not save them, timely oxygen support could have helped save their lives, Gandhi said.

He said the government should start preparation for the third wave, and also sought economic assistance package for the poor, and small and medium enterprises.

Expressing happiness on India administering over 80 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses on Monday, Gandhi said vaccination is the central pillar to fight the pandemic. He said the high vaccination numbers should not be a one-off thing and the government should keep working to vaccinate 100 per cent population of the country.

Responding to a question, he asked the government to not differentiate between BJP-ruled and opposition-ruled states for vaccination, and said vaccination should be taken up on war footing as a mission.

Also read: This country plans to jail those who refuse to get vaccinated
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the assessment scheme propounded by both CBSE and CISCE for evaluation of Class 12 students, whose board examinations have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The top court rejected the objections raised by a parents' body as well as students and said that it is not possible to have a second guess approach with regard to various aspects of the assessment scheme.

A special bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari said, "We accept the scheme as propounded by both the boards-(CBSE and CISCE)".

The bench also noted the submission of Attorney General K K Venugopal, assisting the court in individual capacity and also appearing for the Centre, that University Grants Commission (UGC) will issue directives to all the colleges and varsities that admissions be made after the declaration of results by all the boards -- CBSE, CISCE and state boards.

The top court, which dealt with all the major objections of the interveners -- Uttar Pradesh Parents' Association, and second compartment and private students -- said the scheme propounded cannot be doubted on the mere apprehension of manipulation of marks by the CBSE schools to favour their own students.

The bench rejected the submission of senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for UP Parents Association, Lucknow, that option to students for external examination as given in the CBSE's scheme should be offered at the very initial stage to both the school and the students and the results should be declared together.

It said that after hearing the views of Venugopal, "We are of the view that this suggestion cannot be taken forward. This would result in denial of an option to the students and also result in increasing the uncertainty until the exam of improvisation is conducted and the results are declared".

The bench said that if students are given the option of internal assessment then as per the schemes, their results will be declared by July 31 and thereafter they can opt for improvisation, if their marks are less.

Therefore, the suggestions given cannot be accepted, the bench said, adding that the boards have taken a conscious decision to cancel the class 12 exams, which is in larger public interest.

It said that on the suggestion that the results (of both physical examination and internal assessment) be declared on the same date to avoid students missing the opportunity in admissions to colleges, the Attorney General has made statement on instructions that UGC will direct all universities to complete the process of admissions after declaration of results by all the boards.

"In view of the above we hold that there is no reason to interfere with the scheme propounded by CBSE and CICSE," the bench said, adding that the schemes take into account the concerns of all sets of students.

With regard to compartment and private students, the bench said that they will be allowed to take the physical examination to be held by CBSE in between August 15 and September 15, 2021.

On Monday, the top court had asked the CBSE and the CISCE to respond to the concerns raised by some students and parents on the schemes of both the boards formulated to evaluate Class 12 students.

The UP parents' association and the students have flagged several concerns with regard to the CBSE and ICSE schemes for evaluation for Class 12 results and said that many clauses are arbitrary and would be detrimental to future prospects of the students.

Earlier, the CBSE and CISCE boards told the Supreme Court that class 12 board examination results would be declared by July 31 and the students, desirous of taking up the board examination physically of CBSE can do so between August 15 and September 15, subject to conducive pandemic situation.

The CISCE has said its students can take improvement examinations which may commence from September 1, subject to the situation remaining conducive.

The apex court was told by both Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CICSE) that they have amended their respective evaluation scheme to assess Class 12 students and incorporated a dispute resolution mechanism for the candidates who have any objections with regard to the results.

Also Read: Parents, students concerned about CBSE, CISCE evaluation schemes for class 12 results

Also read: Education Ministry to take decision on pending entrance exams JEE, NEET soon
European Union regulators have launched a fresh antitrust investigation of Google, this time over whether the US tech giant is stifling competition in digital advertising technology.

The European Commission said Tuesday that it has opened a formal investigation into whether Google violated the bloc''s competition rules by favouring its own online display advertising technology services at the expense of rival publishers, advertisers and advertising technology services.

The commission, the EU's executive arm and the bloc's top antitrust enforcer, is looking in particular at whether Google is restricting access by third parties to user data for ad purposes on websites and apps.

"Thousands of European businesses use our advertising products to reach new customers and fund their websites every single day," Google said in a prepared statement. "They choose them because they''re competitive and effective. We will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission to answer their questions and demonstrate the benefits of our products to European businesses and consumers."

The investigation signals a renewed effort by Margrethe Vestager, the EU commission''s competition chief and executive vice president for digital, to rein in Google''s market power. She has already slapped Google with a total of 8.2 billion euros (now $9.7 billion) worth of fines in three separate antitrust cases. There was criticism, however, that the fines were not much of a deterrent because the company could easily afford them.

"Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetise their online services," Vestager said. Google collects data to be used for targeted advertising while it also sells advertising space and acts as a middleman between online advertisers and publishers, she said.

"We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack," Vestager said.

The EU Commission said it was investigating the ways Google uses technology to broker display ad sales between online advertisers and publishers.

For example, it''s looking at the restrictions Google puts on advertisers, publishers and competing ad brokers to access data about the identity and behaviour of users that Google''s own ad services have access to. Such data can be used to tailor online ads to individual web users.

Also Read: 'Get vaccinated. Wear a mask. Save lives': Check out new Google doodle on COVID-19

Also Read: EU, US on verge of announcing truce in 17-year conflict over aircraft subsidies
Most countries are urging their citizens to get vaccinated. Some are offering incentives for the vaccinated. But the Philippines is not one of those countries. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail those who do not get vaccinated. If implemented, it would be one of the strictest measures to get people vaccinated across the world.

"If you're a person who's not vaccinated and a potential carrier, to protect the people, I have to sequester you in jail," Duterte said on Monday, as mentioned in a report in Bloomberg. He asked village leaders to keep a list of those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Majority in the Philippines are unsure of the vaccine or have rejected it for now. Indonesia too, earlier this year, moved to penalise those who refuse to take the shots with fines or delayed aid.

President Duterte further said, "The first wave has really depleted the resources of the government. Another one would be disastrous for this country. That is why the stricter you are, the better." He also put a stop on plans to resume physical classes and made wearing of face shields mandatory.

Lawyers in the Cebu province questioned the national task force's testing and quarantine methods. President Duterte responded by saying that he will not obey the courts on how to manage the pandemic.

However, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra countered the President's remarks and said that there is no law compelling citizens to get vaccinated. The President's spokesperson also said that vaccinations remain voluntary currently and that Duterte's remarks were to 'emphasise' what the state can do.

Also read: Centre to give free COVID-19 vaccination from today; here's what you need to know

Also read: COVID-19: India administers record 80.96 lakh vaccine doses in a single day
Google has released a new animated doodle to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Through the doodle, Google is also urging people to wear masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The Google doodle has been released a day after India administered more than 80 lakh COVID-19 doses in a single day. This was the highest single-day number of vaccinations in the world. Google is using a short and simple message to urge people to get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19. The message reads - "Get vaccinated. Wear a mask. Save lives".

"As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the world, help stop the spread by finding a local vaccine site and following these steps for prevention," notes Google as it urges people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

When a user clicks on the Google doodle they are taken to a landing page that houses information related to vaccination against COVID-19. The information includes nearby vaccine centres, link to the CoWIN portal, etc.

"Learn more about resources to help you and your communities stay informed and connected, and the latest ways we're responding," the company added.

The doodle released by Google is an animated one. All six letters can be seen wearing blue face masks. The letter 'e' is depicted as the vaccinator. All letters burst out in joy as the letter 'l' is vaccinated by 'e'.

India's vaccination drive is going on in a full swing. On Monday alone, India had vaccinated over 80 lakh people, which is roughly equal to the entire population of Israel. "Today's record-breaking vaccination numbers are gladdening. The vaccine remains our strongest weapon against COVID-19. Congratulations to those who got vaccinated and kudos to all the front-line warriors working hard to ensure so many citizens got the vaccine. Well done India!" Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said on India achieving the number.

India has so far has administered 28.87 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of its nationwide vaccination drive, according to a Health Ministry update.

(Edited by Mohammad Haaris Beg)

Also Read: 85.15 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses given on Day 1 of free vaccination; PM Modi says 'Well done India'

Also Read: No scientific evidence of COVID-19 vaccine leading to infertility in men, women: Health Ministry
Share of Maruti Suzuki rose 6 per cent to hit an intraday high of Rs 7,299.00 on BSE today, a day after the company said it will hike car prices due to rise in input costs in the July-September quarter of the current fiscal.

"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.

The stock ended 5.25 per cent higher at Rs 7263.75 against the previous close of Rs 6901.50. Market cap of the firm rose to Rs 2,19,423.40 crore.

The share stands higher than 5 day, 10 day, 20 day, 50 day, 100 day, and 200 day moving averages. It has gained 23 per cent in the last 12 months.

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.

The company reported a 71 per cent decline in sales to 46,555 units in May as against 1,59,691 units in April. This drop in its sales figures came after the spike in COVID-19 cases and lockdowns across various states.

"In May 2020, the company witnessed production disruption owing to lockdowns. Since neither of the two months had normal production, the sales volume of May 2021 are not comparable with May 2020," MSI said in a statement.?The auto major had also closed its production for 16 days in May to divert the industrial oxygen for medical purposes. "In May, the company shut production from May 1 through May 16 so as to divert oxygen from industrial use for medical purposes," it added.

Sales of MSI's compact vehicles - which includes Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire - declined 72 per cent to 20,343 cars in May from 72,318 units in April. Sales of its mid-sized sedan Ciaz declined to 349 units as against 1,567 units in April.

MSI's utility vehicle sales - which includes Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga - declined 75 per cent to 6,355 units as compared to 25,484 in April. Exports in May were down 35 per cent at 11,262 units compared to 17,237 units in April 2021.

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.
New information hints at Apple's plans for the iPhone 13 or iPhone 12s due to launch later this year. Reports indicate that the company might be looking to increase its sales this year due to several factors acting to its benefit.

A new TrendForce report projects that Apple will produce up to 223 million units of the iPhone 13. The heightened sales is estimated as the US and Europe ease lockdown restrictions and buyers are out shopping again.

Another factor boosting the sales will be the absence of Huawei from the high-end smartphone segment in some markets. As pointed out by 9to5Mac, the report also mentions that Apple will retain the launch price of the new series as the last year's launch price of the iPhone 12 models.

With these factors working in Apple's favour, it is estimated that the new iPhone series will account for about 39 per cent of Apple's total annual production volume for 2021.

As for what to expect on the launch, the new series is anticipated to comprise of four iPhone models - iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. These will feature Apple's A15 5nm+ chipset, upgraded camera setups and smaller notches at the front. 120Hz refresh rate is also expected on the Pro models while AMOLED panels might don all the variants. The memory options are likely to be limited to 512GB as last year's offerings.

There is, however, a slight uncertainty.

Almost all the hints to date around the upcoming series of iPhones have been under the moniker iPhone 13. Though the name is easier to depict the sequential standing of this year's iPhones, it is not necessary that Apple will stick to the numerics. In fact, speculations suggest the complete opposite.

Instead of going for iPhone 13 as the name for this year's iPhone series. Apple might introduce it as iPhone 12s. The same has been speculated time and again online. Apple will likely do so to avoid the obvious aversion to the number 13 in its international markets.

It can thus name the series this year, with limited upgrades over iPhone 12 lineup, as iPhone 12s. The move will be just like Apple's earlier naming of iPhone 6S and iPhone XS. It might then move on to iPhone 14 directly next year.
According to the plan released last June by the State Council, Chinas cabinet, the Hainan free trade port will exempt certain imported goods from tariffs

Southern Chinas Hainan province vowed to tighten scrutiny to prevent businesses from using preferential policies to evade taxes after the central government unveiled plans to turn the tropical island into a free trade port.

We will not let Hainan free trade port become a tax haven, provincial Governor Feng Fei said Monday at a press briefing. A tax haven is a place that allows wealthy individuals and business owners to avoid paying taxes. The Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the Bahamas are well known as tax havens.

Feng said the province will tighten oversight of business registration and operations, setting up mechanisms to identify and monitor risks to keep companies from taking advantage of policy loopholes.

The number of companies registered in Hainan surged since last year as policies unfold to build the island into a free trade port, including some dodgy players, Feng said.

We need to clarify the preferential tax policies and thresholds, Feng said. Companies registered in Hainan to benefit from preferential tax policies must have actual management operations in the province, Feng said.

We will not let a single shell company in, he said.

Since July 2020, Hainan has launched 12 rounds of crackdowns on tax policy breaches and smuggling, according to Feng. The province also works with other localities to tighten supervision and punishment of misconduct.

Chinas central government last year outlined ambitious plans to transform Hainan into a duty-free shopping hub with relaxed tax, visa and capital flow rules.

According to the plan released last June by the State Council, Chinas cabinet, the Hainan free trade port will exempt certain imported goods from tariffs, import VAT and consumption taxes in the first phase. In the next phase after the island is declared a special customs territory at some point before 2025, it will exempt all imported goods from tariffs that are not included in a special list. Also, taxes and fees including VAT, consumption tax and vehicle purchase tax will be streamlined and merged, according to the plan.

Read more

60 Measures in Hainans Planned Free Trade Port Policy

To attract talent and financing, Hainan has reduced the income tax for selected individuals and companies to 15%, far lower than the mainland and closer to the average of 17% in Hong Kong.

The island province has already benefited immensely from supportive policies over the past year as authorities allowed tourists to buy more duty-free goods and issued approvals for more duty-free shops. Sales of duty-free goods on the island increased 236% year-on-year to 45.5 billion yuan ($7.1 billion) between June 2020 and May following the release of the plan, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing data from Hainan local commerce bureau. The number of duty-free shoppers rose by 144% during the same period.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)

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Heres todays ranking of the top 10 most-read domestic stories in China, in economics, finance and current affairs. While these headlines can help give you a sense of whats trending in the Chinese language sphere, the veracity and accuracy of the headlines hasnt been independently verified by Caixin.

Internet users continue to pay attention to the countrys crypto crackdown, with Alipay becoming the latest company to ban cryptocurrency transactions. They are also interested in Sichuan shuttering cryptocurrency mining.

1.62 deaths after AstraZeneca jabs in Taiwan

According to China Times News Network, Taiwan reported (external source, in Chinese) on Sunday 62 deaths have followed AstraZeneca shots after the island began to vaccine residents over 75 years of age last Tuesday. Wang Ming-Jiuh, the vice president of the Cancer Medical Center Branch of National Taiwan University Hospital, said that he was alarmed by the deaths.

2.Covid-19 vaccination drive hits 1 billion dose milestone

China has administered more than 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Saturday, according to the National Health Commission, with the last 100 million doses administered in just five days.

3.Vast garbage patch reappears on Tibetan Plateau

A huge garbage patch (external source, in Chinese) covering nearly an acre of a nature reserve has reappeared in the Hoh Xil region of the Tibetan Plateau. In 2019, the Economic Observer reported on the garbage accumulation in the reserve, and it was cleaned up by the local government.

4.Media report exposes human trafficking gangs

State broadcaster CCTV has exposed (external source, in Chinese) human trafficking gangs which lure people with offers of high-paid jobs overseas, only to get them involved in fraudulent and illegal activities. Since 2020, police and immigration authorities have busted over 450 gangs of human traffickers.

5.Hanfu sales in Cao county account for one-third of China

One-third of Chinas total sales of traditional Chinese hanfu clothes come from Cao county (external source, in Chinese), East Chinas Shandong province. Local merchants sell 1.9 billion yuan ($300 million) a year worth of the Chinese costumes. One merchant said it was easy to earn over 10,000 yuan a day.

6.Hopes high for paid paternity leave

The state-owned Peoples Daily published (external source, in Chinese) an article on Monday advocating the improvement of maternity leave and maternity insurance system, hot on the heels of the announcement of the so-called three-child policy. The article gives five suggestions, including providing paid paternity leave for at least one month.

7.Alipay bans cryptocurrency transactions

Alipay stated on Monday it is banning cryptocurrency transactions. The company said it will continue to monitor and investigate transactions involving cryptocurrencies and establish an inspection system for key websites and accounts, which will be blocked immediately upon discovery.

8.Hainan wont turn into the Cayman Islands, governor says

Chinas southern province of Hainan has pledged to step up scrutiny to prevent companies from using incentives to evade taxes, as the region works to develop a free trade port. We will not let the Hainan free trade port become a tax haven, provincial governor Feng Fei said Monday.

9.Surveying womens pregnancy plans

Following the recent relaxation of birth restrictions with the introduction of the so-called three child policy, many places have started to survey (external source, in Chinese) the childbirth plans of local women of childbearing age, including Shijiazhuang, capital of North Chinas Hebei province; Jinhua in Zhejiang province; and Chongqing municipality.

10.Cryptocurrency miners kicked out of Sichuan

As the countrys crackdown on cryptocurrencies continues, Southwest Chinas Sichuan province has announced its going to shut down all cryptocurrency mining projects based there, following in the footsteps of other domestic hubs like Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Yunnan.

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.
When China began plugging into global production networks and cross-border trade more intensely in the early 2000s, few might have foreseen it becoming one of the most important hubs for many high-tech global value chains (GVCs) by the late 2010s. This is thanks to the country's success in technology adoption and development as well as collaboration with partner countries  cornerstones of its manufacturing-for-exports strategy over the past two decades.

Consider a few key trends which reflect Chinas increasingly important role.

First, domestic value added (DVA) exports for the machinery, electrical and optical equipment sectors. In 2000, Chinas share of such exports on a global level was just 5%. Now it is about 30%.

Second, Chinas trade linkages with key players have become deeper and more extensive, and the roles of different economies have evolved significantly. The U.S. dependence on made in China products has increased, making it the biggest net importer of machinery, electrical and optical equipment from China. Not only that, more of the added value is being generated in China. In 2000, the DVA of these exports from China to the U.S. was $14 billion. By 2019, it was $195 billion.

The change in interdependence with China has been stark for Japan. Over the same period of time, Japan switched from being net exporter to China to net importer. Meanwhile, South Korea and Taiwan  two of the four Asian Tigers  continue to be important high-tech suppliers to the Chinese mainland. Recently, the more advanced ASEAN economies  Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore  as well as Vietnam, have become significant net importers of Chinas high-tech goods. This development reflects their solid progress in catching up in tech and their increasing participation in regional production networks. From just $3 billion in 2000, these ASEAN countries DVA imports from China increased steeply to $54.1 billion in 2019.

Third, China has become an important supplier of intermediate goods in high-tech value chains in Asia. Our analysis of import-export networks shows that China is a key supplier of semiconductors and electronic components to major high-tech exporters in the region. This result is derived by using granular trade data to get at the size, direction and nature of trade in parts for production purposes.

Potential spill-over effects

There is indeed a general consensus that manufacturing disruptions in China during the 2020 pandemic have had substantial adverse effects on Asias exports to global markets, although the magnitude is difficult to estimate precisely.

A stress test performed by the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office suggests that in a scenario in which the growth of Chinas supply of machinery and electrical parts decreases by 30 percentage points due to supply disruption, some regional high-tech exporters, such as South Korea and Malaysia, would suffer from significant reductions in their high-tech exports to various markets. The growth of South Koreas high-tech exports to Vietnam, Indonesia, the E.U., and Thailand would decrease by 3 to 15 percentage points, while that of Malaysia to the U.S. and Singapore would shrink by 11 and 6.5 percentage points respectively.

The results vary from country to country because the products which these countries manufacture and export are different while the substitutability of inputs from other economies for inputs from China would also differ.

Deeper regional integration

The disruptions in production and trade activities brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and on-going trade and tech tensions, have prompted much debate about the future of trade. Given the vulnerabilities exposed, close collaboration between China and its regional partners is crucial to strengthening GVCs resilience and flexibility.

Providing greater predictability, security, and progress for all economies which plug into the GVCs calls for stronger domestic capacities and more extensive cross-border linkages; deeper regional integration and more globalization; more foreign direct investment; and stronger protection of intellectual property rights and commercial interests.

Chinas enterprises, industry bodies, and policymakers recognize these important considerations for China and for the region. This is why the countrys new dual circulation strategy on one hand seeks to achieve greater domestic strength, and on the other, promotes more openness to global trade and partnerships.

As China is pursuing greater self-sufficiency in technology to guard against the heightened risk of prolonged tech tensions with the U.S., its role in technology sharing will become increasingly important for further development and robustness of GVCs in the region.

Doing so will be consistent with the regions shared vision of deepening integration and prospering together. It will also help to create a new and more resilient global economic order for this decade and beyond.

Foo Suan Yong is a senior economist and Wei Sun was a financial sector specialist at the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO). The article was written when Wei Sun worked for AMRO.

The views and opinions expressed in this opinion section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the editorial positions of Caixin Media.

If you would like to write an opinion for Caixin Global, please send your ideas or finished opinions to our email: opinionen@caixin.com

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Heres todays ranking of the top 10 most-read international stories in China that weve compiled to help you get a sense of whats trending in the Chinese language sphere. While these headlines can help give you a sense of what Chinese netizens are interested in, the veracity and accuracy of the headlines hasnt been independently verified by Caixin.

Social media users continue to follow changes to this summers Tokyo Olympic Games, which were postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They also have an eye on Cui Tiankai, the Peoples Republics longest-serving ambassador to the U.S., who is leaving his post after 8 years.

1.Tokyo cancels all Olympic public viewing events due to Covid-19 pandemic

2.U.S. Commerce Department lifts restrictions on TikTok and WeChat

3.More than 41,000 people in the U.S. have signed petitions to stop Amazon founder Jeff Bezos from returning to Earth after he announced his trip into space

4.China donates 100,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to Oman on the condition that Chinese nationals get vaccinated first

5.Chinas Foreign Ministry urges Washington not to seek political manipulation after the U.S. delivered 2.5 million Covid-19 shots to Taiwan

6.Foreign Ministry urges Chinese nationals in Afghanistan to leave the country amid a growing insurgency and violence

7.Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai issued a farewell letter Monday, confirming hes going to leave his post after eight years of service

8.Apple CEO Tim Cook says future production of iPhones will no longer consume the Earths resources as it will rely on renewables

9.Seven dead, 13 injured after a plane made an emergency landing in Russia

10.Conservative clergyman Ebrahim Raisi was elected the new president of Iran

Read the top 10 domestic news on the same day.

Translated by reporter Wang Xintong

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.
China may launch its national carbon trading market June 25, one official said.

Carbon emission credits traded on the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange wont be allowed to rise or fall more than 10% in a session, according to a notice issued by the exchange.

The maximum size of a single transaction will be less than 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, the exchange said. The rules spell out limitations for Chinas national carbon market before the expected start of trading this month.

Carbon markets are seen as a crucial step in reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. The system involves setting limits on carbon dioxide emissions. Companies or industrial operations that spew less of the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere than they are permitted to can sell excess quotas in the form of credits to enterprises that are exceeding their allotments. Such markets are designed to put a price on carbon dioxide emissions and create market pressure to reduce their volume.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued rules May 19 for carbon emissions registration, trading and settlement. Under the rules, carbon emissions trading will be based on the price per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, with the minimum declared unit at one ton of carbon dioxide equivalent and the minimum declared price at 0.01 yuan ($0.008).

Trading of carbon emissions abatements should go through the exchange system, including agreement transfer, one-way bidding, or other methods in line with regulations. The 10% cap on daily price moves is similar to the daily limits on Chinas stock market, the notice said.

China state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will announce the launch of the national carbon trading market in Shanghai this Friday. But other media reported the launch time is still undecided.

Last week, Meng Meng, president of Guangzhou Emissions Exchange, told a carbon financing seminar that the market would open for trading June 25.

Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)

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Construction of the new Workers Stadium began last year, with the aim of creating a world-class soccer venue and restoring the Beijing landmark to its original appearance from the 1950s. The home of the Beijing Guoan soccer team has hosted a number of key events over its history and has been renovated three times since the 1990s

Jul 02, 2021 07:44 PM
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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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Attorney Cynthia Singletary, left, says her client, McCrae Dowless, will not testify without immunity during the public evidentiary hearing on the 9th Congressional District investigation Monday, Feb. 18, 2019, at the North Carolina State Bar in Raleigh.
Boulder - Barbara Ann Keirana, of Boulder, Colo., passed away on May 12, 2021. She was 87 years old. An out of state celebration of her life will be held at a future date. Barbara's final resting place will be with her husband, Alan Keiran, at Ft. Logan Naional Cemetery in Denver. Howe Mortu
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ATLANTA (June 22, 2021)  The Carter Centers marquee annual fundraiser will again be virtualgiving everyone the opportunity to tune in to cartercenter.org at 8 p.m. June 26 to help celebrate the legacy of President and Mrs. Carter.

Saturdays event will feature conversations with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and the producers of the new Carterland documentary, tributes to Hank Aaron and Walter Mondale, celebrity messages, and a live auction of an original painting by President Carter.

While well once again miss seeing our Carter Center Weekend friends in person, were grateful for the chance to connect with a larger audience, said Jason Carter, chairman of The Carter Center Board of Trustees and co-host of the event alongside the Carter Centers CEO, Paige Alexander. Weve planned an entertaining and interesting event that I think everyone will enjoy.

The show also will include video greetings from staff around the globe and a town hall Q&A with Carter and Alexander.

Im so proud of what weve been able to accomplish in spite of the challenges of the last 15 months, Alexander said. Im looking forward to sharing some of our successes and giving our supporters a glimpse of what we have planned for the next year.

The 2021 Carter Center Weekend is really two events in onethe Saturday broadcast and an online auction that began Monday and runs through 11 p.m. Saturday, June 26.

As in the past, the highest bidder for President Carters painting can choose from one of threethis years offerings are Great Egret, Wood Duck, or Mountain Still Life.

Other notable auction items include:

A Cabbage Patch Doll owned by Amy Carter and an autographed copy of The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer, the childrens book written by President Carter and illustrated by Amy Carter.

A weeklong stay at a villa in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in France, along with a Delta airfare gift card.

Guitars signed by Dave Matthews, Mark Knopfler, Carlos Santana, and Hootie and the Blowfish.

A case of Presidential Reserve Rum bearing President Carters signature made at the Richland Rum Distillery in Richland, Georgia.

A cocktail reception and dinner at the home of legendary Hollywood producer Sherry Lansing, along with a Delta airfare gift card.

A handmade bowl that wood turner Matt Moulthrop made from spalted red maple wood.

An overnight coastal cruise through Georgias Golden Isles on the Mary Virginia yacht, along with a Delta airfare gift card.

A lunch and tasting at George Lucas private Skywalker Vineyards, along with a Delta airfare gift card.

A horse head sculpture by Louisville artist Kyle Cottier.

An autographed photo of five presidentsGeorge H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon.

A new silkscreen by legendary Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl featuring his drawing of the throne he sat in on stage after he broke his leg on tour.

A painting by Sherri Richards called The Long Walk Home, inspired by a photograph that the Carter Centers Dr. Frank Richards shot in Uganda.

Photos of auction items are available to media upon request.

Go to cartercenter.org/cartercenterweekend to learn more about the auction and the broadcast, which will stream live on cartercenter.org.

###

Contact: Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
ATLANTA  The Carter Center is deeply saddened to confirm that John Marsh, a contractor responsible for managing the Centers social media monitoring project in Ethiopia, died unexpectedly Monday, June 21, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

John was a fierce advocate for human rights, justice, and democracy in East Africa and around the world. He worked with the Center on several important projects over the years. From 2005 to 2008, John led our efforts to support elections and democratic dialogue in Ethiopia, and in 2008 and 2009, he helped manage our election observation mission in Ghana.

Johns many friends and colleagues at the Center have been touched by his passion for social justice, his professionalism, and his personal warmth. John had an infectious laugh and a real gift for connecting with people. His empathy, generosity, and sense of humor will be missed by all who knew him.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.

###

Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Photo: The Canadian Press John Garrod, of Arvada, stands holding a blue line flag at the beginning of a line of about 30 police cars lined up for a procession in honor of the officer who was fatally shot in Arvada, Colo., on Monday, June 21, 2021. A gunfight between two men and police officers at a shopping district in a Denver suburb left an officer and one of the suspects dead, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Colleen Slevin)

A gunman is believed to have shot and killed an officer and another person in a shopping district in a Denver suburb Monday before being fatally shot by police, authorities said.

An officer responded to a call at 1:15 p.m. about a suspicious incident near the library in the city of Arvada, and about 15 minutes later, a 911 call came in about shots fired and the officer hit, Deputy Chief Ed Brady said at a news conference.

Another person believed to have been shot by the gunman was taken to a hospital and died, police said. The attacker also was shot and killed.

Authorities didn't immediately describe the circumstances of the shooting but said no one else is believed to have been involved. No identities have been released yet.

Earlier, police said there were two suspects.

The shooting occurred in Olde Town Arvada, the citys downtown district with shops, restaurants, breweries and other businesses. Its listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of downtown Denver.

It comes three months after a gunman opened fire and killed 10 people, including a police officer, at a supermarket in Boulder, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Arvada.

The Arvada officers death, just the third in Police Department history, was especially painful after the mass shooting in nearby Boulder, Arvada Mayor Marc Williams said. Arvada police helped respond and investigate that attack, he said.

This is by far the saddest day for our Police Department, Williams said.

The mayor said he was in his car in the area shortly before 2 p.m. when literally I saw 11 police cars with their flashing lights and sirens on race past me. I knew something serious had happened. I didnt know how serious.

Arvada resident Brady Turner said he was pulling into the Army and Navy store in the area when he noticed police cars driving in behind him and a person on a stretcher being put into an ambulance in between the parking lot and the store. He said he took off in his car.

I just got out of there, Turner said.

About five minutes later, he heard gunshots near the library about a block away.

Arvada closed its City Hall and canceled a City Council meeting to provide resources to investigators and other first responders. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a statement expressing his condolences to the officers family and friends, while the Colorado State Patrol tweeted: All our love to the @ArvadaPolice and the family, blood and blue, of their fallen officer. We stand with you.

Police vehicles drove behind a hearse carrying the body of the slain officer to the Jefferson County coroner's office, and some residents lined a street with flags to watch the procession.

John Garrod of Arvada held a black and white flag with blue stripes at the beginning of a line of about 30 police cars before the procession, a flag he hangs outside his house whenever an officer is killed. His son, brother-in-law and nephew are all in law enforcement, he said.

It breaks my heart whenever this happens but especially when it happens so close to home," Garrod said. These are the same officers I wave to when I am walking my dog."
To The City of Penticton,



I am writing to let you know I am saddened by your lack of support to our 2021 graduation class These young people are our future and you have done nothing in the way of acknowledgement. The youth of our community have been troopers throughout the pandemic. Other communities in British Columbia, such as North Vancouver have honoured their graduating class by starting a new tradition during the Covid 19 pandemic. Yes Handsworth Secondary now has a car parade that starts at Grouse Mountain and winds down and through Edgemont Village. People can come out to cheer their grads on to the future.

Here in Penticton we have done the opposite, you choose to break tradition and something that has been a part of this community for years. The Grad Parade. When my daughter was young we would go down to cheer the grad class on and she thought she was waving at princesses. She has dreamed of her day being part of that parade down main street. The City of Penticton has robbed the grads of this once in a lifetime experience. I say shame to the City of Penticton. You have done more than nothing, you have broken a great tradition.





Ross Coutts, Penticton
Fire crews and good Samaritans battled a blaze on June 20 that sparked at a tire shop in north Sacramento and spread to a nearby church.
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Vietnams export boost

Published 22 June 2021

Vietnams total cement and clinker sales expanded by 0.9 per cent YoY in 2020 to 97.5Mt, according to FiinGroup. Of this total, domestic cement consumption was 62.1Mt, declining by 5.6 per cent YoY. Meanwhile, clinker and, in particular, cement exports remained strong, surging by 14.9 per cent compared to a year earlier.

The deceleration in domestic demand could be explained by the negative impact of COVID-19. Construction activities were disrupted due to stringent government measures to contain the spread of the virus, while real estate developers were reluctant to launch new projects given the negative market outlook.

Following subdued construction growth in the first half of 2020, the industry was showing signs of regaining momentum thanks to improvements in the disbursement of public investment funds in the 2H20. However, domestic cement demand stayed low and consumption declined over the full year.

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Mozambique's cement price drop down to economics

22 June 2021

The fall in the price of cement on the Mozambican market after the Chinese investment in a new factory, Dugongo Cimentos, in Matutuine district, was expected by the government, the Minister of Industry and Trade has told reporters.

"We, as a government, know what we're doing," he said. "We have our regulations and we have a responsibility to the business sector and to the Mozambican people. We have been saying, with regard to cement and to other industries, that we have to assess the costs of production to arrive at adequate profit margins and a reliable final price," said Bur Mesqita, Minister of Industry and Trade.

Despite the rage of some of Dugongo's competitors, the minister pointed out that it was simply the economy was reacting to the increased supply of cement with a reduction in prices.

"Unlike the other companies, Dugongo uses Mozambican raw materials, Mesquita added, "and it also sells to its competitors." Dugongo is the only company in Mozambique that produces clinker and therefore the other companies must either buy clinker from Dugongo or import it.

According to a report in Monday's issue of the independent newssheet "Carta de Mocambique", Dugongo cement is sold for between MZN220 and 255/50kg bag (US$3.48-4.04), while the price for cement from its competitors is between MZN260-280. Before the Dugongo factory began production, a 50kg cement bag could cost as much as MZN720.

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Cement sales in Dominican Republic decline 5% in 2020

ICR Newsroom By 22 June 2021

Cement sales in the Dominican Republic fell by five per cent to 4,446,706t in 2020 from 4,703,347t in 2019, according to the countrys cement association, Adocem, in its newly-published 2020 annual report.



Cement production declined 8.4 per cent to 5,168,969t in 2020 from 5,644,176t in the previous year. This represents a capacity utilisation rate of 74.6 per cent, down from 81.5 per cent in 2019. Of the countrys total output, 11.8 per cent was exported.



While the country was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cement sector saw the beginning of a recovery in the second half of the year, as the government authorised the restart of various productive activity, including in the cement industry.



The report also highlights the publication of the sectors Roadmap towards a low-carbon economy, launched in December 2020. The industry has launched several initiatives to make cement production more sustainable, including the use of alternative fuels and renewable energy sources, the reduction of the clinker factor and reforestation of mining areas.



The coming years will be characterised by high levels of pressure to maintain competitiveness, growth and our commitment to the development of the country, which leads us to continue looking for increasingly innovative initiatives focused on the efficiency of our operations and added value. that we contribute, as the sector of national relevance that we are , predicts Julissa Baez, Adocems executive director.

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The Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation Program announces that it has granted the award of a third accreditation the Chattanooga Police Department. They were awarded this achievement during the Chattanooga City Council meeting held in Chattanooga on last Tuesday.



To achieve accreditation with TLEA, an agency voluntarily submits to a four-year process of enhancing the agencys professionalism and effectiveness utilizing TN state specific law enforcement standards and participating in a thorough on-site assessment. The standards evaluate an agencys policies, which address a variety of areas including organizational, operational and budget management practices. The program is intended to encourage

cooperation, recognize professional standing, develop professional services and ensure public safety throughout the State of Tennessee. The TLEA program is a valuable and cost effective way to enhance overall agency effectiveness and professionalism.



The Chattanooga Police Department successfully accomplished TLEA accreditation by meeting criteria that measured the professionalism, organizational and overall readiness in law enforcement policy and procedures.



The standard of excellence that is met through this process is to be admired. We are proud to recognize the hard work of the Chattanooga Police Department, its staff and community leaders, stated TACP President Troy Lane.

This accreditation is not just awarded to the Chattanooga Police Department, but also to the community we serve, said Chief David Roddy. I appreciate and value the input from community leaders who worked alongside officers to provide input on policies, hiring practices, and general day-to-day operations to ensure CPD is implementing best practices in law enforcement.

Officials said, "The TLEA program was created under the direction and authority of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, which supports and endorses the continued improvement of law enforcement and emergency communications operations. This program provides a framework for Tennessee law enforcement agencies to have equal access to effective and comprehensive policies that enhance the professionalism of law enforcement and the safety of our communities.



"The TLEA Accreditation status represents a significant professional achievement and acknowledges the successful implementation of written directives, policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective. It takes commitment, dedication, and hard work from the agency head, agency personnel and community leaders to meet the standards prescribed by the program."
A 24-year-old man was shot in Chattanooga early Monday morning.

At approximately 6:57 a.m., Chattanooga Police responded to the 4100 block of 14th Avenue on a report of a person shot.

Upon arrival, officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound and secured the scene. The victim was transported to a local hospital by Hamilton County EMS with a non-life threatening injury.

They learned that the victim was walking down the street when unknown suspects exited a vehicle and shot him. Investigators with the Violent Crimes Unit responded to conduct an investigation.They learned that the victim was walking down the street when unknown suspects exited a vehicle and shot him.
Police responded to an aggravated assault call on Brainerd Road on Saturday, and were informed a weapon was involved. Police said the reporting party told them a man in a striped shirt had pointed a gun at her. Police arrived and saw a man matching the description.

Police said they smelled an intoxicant on his person, and took him into custody without incident. They said a firearm fell to the ground at this time. Police said the suspect had a Mexican identification card, a passport, a Tennessee identification card, and a Social Security card. Police said the Tennessee identification and Social Security cards were not on file and appeared to be fake.



The man, identified as Roberto Cruz, 31, admitted he was intoxicated, and said there were several beer and hard seltzer cans around him. Police also said the firearm came back as stolen when checked.

The first victim said her bike had recently been stolen, and saw the defendant by the sidewalk. She asked him if he had seen her bike around, and she told police that Cruz flashed a firearm at her. The other victim said he had been walking with the first victim, and had asked Cruz for a cigarette lighter at the same time.

The second person said Cruz flashed the firearm at him and threatened to shoot him as well. The man was taken into custody and was initially booked as John Doe since law enforcement could not verify his identity.


Patriotic Americans still fly Old Glory on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and several other dates proclaimed by the President of the United States, the birthdays of states and on state holidays. In spite of the fact that millions of Americans have died in support of the banner, its continued existence has not been without controversy. In 1989, in response to a Supreme Court ... (click for more)

The Epoch Times may be my favorite of all the news sources I receive and in almost every issue they dedicate a page To The Next Generation. Many readers submit their stories, and each is glorious, dripping with love and wisdom of what they were once given. In the June 15 th edition, there appears a letter written by a retired firefighter in Mississippi by the name ... (click for more)
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.
An official of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North MIssissippi said there are no plans for the group to try to get its curriculum into the Hamilton County Schools.

Savannah Bearden said, "As confirmed by Hamilton County School officials through multiple news outlets, we have not contacted nor have any plans to bring our curriculum into the Hamilton County Schools."

She said Planned Parenthood has hired a Health Educator and a Community Organizer in Chattanooga.

Ms.





Bearden stated, "Both roles were brought on in response to the amount of support weve received from East Tennesseeans and the demand from community partners to provide our organizing and education efforts in Chattanooga full-time. We emphasize that Planned Parenthood does not enter any spaces without consent and any partnerships we form in Chattanooga have been requested directly."Our Chattanooga Community Organizer will act as a conduit for action when it comes to healthcare access for Tennesseeans. They will connect with community partners who share our mission to promote equity in healthcare access so we can help uplift their messages and share the resources that we are able to offer as a statewide organization. The Community Organizer will also educate community members on policies that affect healthcare access and teach people how to share their voices on the local and statewide level. Their first initiative in the area will be a canvassing campaign to educate Chattanoogans about the Covid-19 vaccine and help people gain access to it."Our Health Educator will provide comprehensive, medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education rooted in the National Standards for Sex Ed for those community organizations who request our services."
CHI Memorial announced on Tuesday its plans to build a new hospital in Catoosa County, Georgia.

We are thrilled to see this endeavor move forward for our North Georgia community, said Janelle Reilly, market CEO, CHI Memorial. About one fourth of the people we care for live in North Georgia. The new hospital will provide expanded access and more vital services closer to home for the residents of North Georgia.

The hospital will feature state-of-the-art inpatient beds including an intensive care unit (ICU), a full service emergency department, and operating rooms and procedural suites. It will connect to the current CHI Memorial Parkway building creating a single campus geared on establishing a central location for inpatient and outpatient services.

CHI Memorial has been committed to this community for nearly 25 years, said Andrew McGill, senior vice president, strategy and business development, CHI Memorial. Bringing more services to a convenient, patient-friendly campus that is close to a major interstate and in the epicenter of local commercial and residential growth will provide greater access to comprehensive healthcare.

Community hospitals are the lifeblood of the regions they serve, generating jobs and economic impact for local businesses, schools, local government, and residents,'' said State Sen. Jeff Mullis, president and CEO, Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority. Companies looking to locate in a new region put healthcare at the top of their list of requirements for their employees. This new hospital will be a significant boost to our regional economic development.

A bond issue from Catoosa County will support the funding for the new hospital. A local philanthropic campaign and capital funding from CommonSpirit Health will further fund project needs. Community hospitals are often built with support from the local community, and this project will be no exception. Through the newly established CHI Memorial Georgia Foundation, we will work in partnership with the residents of North Georgia to build a new hospital they will be proud to care for neighbors, friends, and family, Jennifer Nicely, president CHI Memorial Foundation.

The new CHI Memorial Hospital on Battlefield Parkway will accomplish a major goal of our community, said Steven Henry, chairman, Catoosa County Board of Commissioners. Providing contemporary and comfortable inpatient rooms, ICU, emergency room, and operating rooms in the middle of Catoosa County will greatly benefit the residents of Catoosa County, as well as all of North Georgia. With this new state-of-the-art facility, Catoosa County residents will be able to stay in the county for health-related services. It will also provide employment opportunities for our residents. Battlefield Parkway has become the health care location of choice, and we could not be more proud.

Work is underway to secure the appropriate local and state regulatory approvals needed to begin construction. Groundbreaking for the new CHI Memorial Hospital - Georgia is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2022, with a targeted completion date of mid-2024.

This is the news so many in our community have been waiting to hear, said Angie Stiggins, administrator, CHI Memorial Hospital Georgia. Todays announcement is one way we are fulfilling our mission to improve the health of the communities we serve. By revitalizing this area, we are giving the local community the opportunity to receive excellent, high-quality healthcare where they live.
An outdoor xylophone sits in one of the secure outdoor courtyards at The Lantern at Morning Pointe of Chattanooga

The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimers Center of Excellence, Chattanooga, has set its grand re-opening date for Thursday, July 29 at 11 a.m. This state-of-the-art Alzheimers memory care community at 7620 Shallowford Road will re-open its doors to residents earlier in July after being completely rebuilt following the Easter 2020 tornado that ravaged much of the East Brainerd area.



Offering two levels of memory care programming once open, The Lamplight program is for

those living with early to moderate stages of Alzheimers disease and The Lantern program is

geared toward those with late to moderately severe stages.

Executive director Alisha Landes, LPN, is once again tapped to lead the helm at The Lantern Alzheimers Center of Excellence as she will soon complete her extensive Teepa Snow Positive Approach to Care dementia training. Ms. Landes is also a certified dementia care practitioner, making her one of the few leaders in the region with this level of training, officials said.



It is important to me to thoroughly understand how the human brain reacts in those who have

dementia or Alzheimers disease, said Ms. Landes. Thats why I love learning everything I can

about how we as facilitators and caregivers can change our approach and behaviorbecause

people with memory disorders cant. We have to be able to adapt to their needs and behaviors.

At The Lantern, we have purposeful programming that does just that. You can feel comfortable

knowing we are taking excellent care of mom or dad.



Officials said, "Exceptional memory care is predicated upon well-trained caregivers, but the environment that surrounds those who live with this disease plays an equally important role in each residents quality of life and wellness. The Lantern Alzheimers Center of Excellence comprises a 59-apartment one-level living community where residents can live well with special life skills stations, specific rooms with access to a safe and secure courtyard that contains special outdoor

musical therapy instruments, a calming room to soothe sundowning residents and special murals

and decor for communication connections and reminiscing. Its all part of Morning Pointes

Meaningful Day programming to help your loved one live their best. Additionally, on-site

therapy, 24-hour nursing care and farm-fresh dining program round out a suite of services

second-to-none."



The Lantern at Morning Pointe of Chattanooga is one of 35 Morning Pointe Senior Living

communities in five southeastern states developed, owned and managed by the Chattanooga-based senior healthcare services company, founded in 1996 by Tennessee healthcare

entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow. In addition to Morning Pointe of

Chattanooga, Morning Pointe Senior Living also operates communities in the Chattanooga areas

of East Hamilton, Hixson and Collegedale.



The benefits of being cared for in a safe and secure environment built just for seniors with

Alzheimers and other dementias often outweigh those of caring for loved ones at home, said

Mr. Vital, president of Morning Pointe Senior Living. The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimers Center of Excellence senior communities do both, creating meaningful days filled with life enrichment for residents coupled with monthly caregiver support programs to assist family members as they start this journey. There really is nothing like it.



Morning Pointe of Chattanooga assisted living, sister property to The Lantern and home to more

than 70 residents, opened in late November after rebuilding from the Easter 2020 tornado.



"Morning Pointe of Chattanooga and The Lantern at Morning Pointe comprise a campus senior

living community that is committed to serving the East Brainerd area for generations to come," officials said.
The Pinta, a replica of Christopher Columbus famous ship, will open in Chattanooga on Friday, Aug. 27. The ship will be docked at the Chattanooga Pier, 200 Riverfront Pkwy., until her departure on Monday, Sept. 20.

In 2005, the Pinta, a caravel replica, was launched in Brazil. Historically, the Pinta was the first ship to sight land in the New World on Oct. 12, 1492. Historians consider the caravel the Space Shuttle of the fifteenth century.

The Pinta tours as a sailing museum for the purpose of educating the public and school children on the caravel, a Portuguese ship used by Columbus and many early explorers to discover the world. Before him, the Old World and the New remained separate and distinct continents and ever since their fates have been bound together for better or for worse.

While in port, the general public is invited to visit the ship for a walk-aboard, self-guided tour.

Admission charges are $6.50 for adults, $6 for seniors ages 60 and up, and $5.50 for students ages 5-16. Children four and under are free. The ship will be open every day from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. from Aug. 27-Sept. 19. No reservations necessary.

Teachers or organizations wishing to schedule a 30-minute guided tour with a crew member should call (850) 686-3612 or visit ninapinta.org and click take a tour. Minimum of 15 for group rate at $4.50 per person. No maximum.
AMCs Breaking Bad has been off the air for a solid eight years but fans of the show are still talking about Jane Margoliss tragic death. The role, played by Krysten Ritter, became a flagship turning point for Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and his complex relationship with Walter White (Bryan Cranston). A few stars have spoken out about how they felt filming Ritters final scene but its Jane Margolis herself who felt overwhelmed.

Janes death scene on Breaking Bad affected Bryan Cranston

Krysten Ritter | Charley Gallay/WireImage

RELATED: Breaking Bad Creator Initially Intended to Kill off 2 Main Characters in Season 1:Thats What Ballsy Shows Do

In season 2 episode 12 of Breaking Bad titled Phoenix, Jesses girlfriend/next-door neighbor Jane took her last breath. Leading up to those final moments, Jane took it upon herself to blackmail Walt for money she said was Jesses share of the [meth] profits. Her plan was to take the money and have them run away together but she hadnt accounted for the shift from Walt to his alter-ego Heisenberg.

That night, Jane and Jesse celebrated with their heroine stash. Walt finds them the next morning just as Jane began choking on her own vomit. He couldve saved her but chose to do nothing. Instead, Jesse awakened to a dead Jane.

The first version of the scene showed Jane as she starts to cough and shes on her side, and Walt looks at her, and pushes her shoulder so shes on her back  essentially killing her, creator Vince Gilligan revealed in 2018 to IndieWire.

The studio altered it so that Jane moving onto her back due to studio concern that the act would turn Walt too fast. The moments are the beginning of Heisenbergs evil seeping through. Cranston said the scene was devastating to shoot, exposing his vulnerability.

All of a sudden Krysten Ritter, doing a lovely job acting her heart out off-screen, choking on the mushroom soup that we gave herin a split second her face lost all characteristics, and out of that came the face of my real daughter choking to death, he said. Even as I say it now, I get a little choked up about it because as a parent, thats the only thing that scares me. Thats the risk  theres my daughter choking to death and it scared the hell out of me.

The episode wasnt only tough on Ritters co-stars. She, too, underestimated the power of those scenes.

Ritter described that emotional scene as overwhelming

Watching Breaking Bad for my first time and what happens to Krysten Ritter just happened and I picked a bad day to watch this!  Allie Goertz (@AllieGoertz) March 13, 2020

RELATED: Breaking Bad Star Aaron Paul Once Asked His Grandma to Close Her Eyes During This Intense Scene

As Cranstons character stood over Jane while she died, Ritter recalled being excited to shoot the scene  at first.

It wasnt really until we were shooting it that the whole death around the character hit me, Ritter said via People TVs Couch Surfing. So, I knew I was gonna die. Im reading the script, Im like, Cool, rock and roll, she dies. So fun!'

Then, as Jesse tries to revive Jane by attempting CPR, Ritters excitement turned sour.

I was in an upper-body cast to protect me from Aaron pounding on my chest, she said via Vulture. The thing was pinching me, I couldnt get a full breath of air, and I had this incredible actor on top of me losing his s. I think at one point I said, Aaron, I love you, but you cant hit me this hard!'

She continued: I could feel his hot tears falling on me. I wanted to cry, too. It was overwhelming. I thought if I were dead this is what it would be like. Someone would be trying to revive me, people might be sad, shocked, scared (okay, maybe a happy ex-boyfriend or two). Imagining my real-life loved ones reacting to my own real-life death is intense.

Ritter said it was a scary and powerful thing to experience.

Even now, years later, I get a lump in my throat when I think about it  but its hard to know whether that comes from my experiences as Jane, my time as an actress on set, or my emotional reactions as a huge fan of the show, she said.

Paul had nightmares about the scene

RELATED: Breaking Bad Star Aaron Paul Felt Disconnected at the Premiere of Better Call Saul: Its Just Downhill for Me From Here

Cranston and Ritter arent the only ones who struggled with the scene. Paul told Conan OBrien in 2016 that he used to dream as Jesse.

Not in a good way, in a very violent, scary, scary way, he said. People running after me with guns. I would dream as if Id wake up and Id see Jane there, lying dead next to me. Id try to revive her, and then Id wake up out of a nightmare, Im like, Oh my god, that was a dream, and then its Jane again.

Paul added, As an actor, you try and force yourself to believe that situations are truly happening to you as the character. I was just so in that guys skin for so many years.

All of this to say, it doesnt matter how much time has passed. Breaking Bad is just as powerful as ever to the stars, and fans.
Cool Hand Luke is one of the most iconic movies in history. Paul Newmans performance was unforgettable, and perhaps the best of his career. Audiences will never forget memorable scenes like the hard-boiled egg bet or the instantly recognizable line, What we have here isa failure to communicate. The classic film was based on a book, which was based on real events from the authors life.

The film was actually based on a book by Donn Pearce

The film was gritty and powerful, and Newmans ability to embrace the pain and suffering of his character was unmatched. Although the film had a crushing atmosphere of despair, it also had a few moments that made us chuckle. Newmans smile absolutely lit up the screen, and that smile was infectious among his characters fellow inmates.

George Kennedy and Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke | Warner Brothers-Seven Arts/Getty Images

Cool Hand Luke was based on the book of the same name, written in 1965 by Donn Pearce. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Donn Pearce wrote the book based on his own firsthand experience as a part of a chain gang. The author was in the Merchant Marine when he became involved in a counterfeiting operation. He was arrested and jailed in France, then he escaped and returned to the United States.

"What we've got here is failure to communicate."



Spoken by The Captain in "Cool Hand Luke," written by Donn Pearce (novel & screenplay) and Frank Pierson (screenplay). #CoolHandLuke #PaulNewman #moviequotes pic.twitter.com/KC7tJA4RCN  FICTIONPHILE (@thefictionphile) July 30, 2020

Once he returned to the U.S., Pearce became a safecracker and was arrested again. That time he spent in prison provided the material for Cool Hand Luke. Not only did Pearce work on a chain gang, but he also spent time in the box, an outhouse used for solitary confinement. He was released in 1951 when he returned to the Merchant Marine and also began writing books. He wrote five novels that were unpublished before completing Cool Hand Luke.

There were problems on the set when they wanted to rewrite Pearces work

The critics loved Pearces novel, but it didnt sell well. Despite this, Jack Lemmons production company approached Pearce about making a movie. The company purchased the rights for the film and asked Pearce to write the script. He also worked as a technical adviser during filming and had a small role as a prison inmate.

Life on the set became tense when an experienced screenwriter was hired to rewrite the script. Pearce felt like he wasnt being treated fairly, and he even ended up punching an actor on the last day of filming. Pearce was unhappy with the changes made to the script, but one line in particular really bothered him

The most memorable line in the movie, What weve got here is a failure to communicate, was never a part of the book. In fact, Pearce hated it so much that he called it a stupid f***ing line. What was his reason behind such a strong feeling? According to BuzzFeed, Pearce said the prison guards never would have been smart enough to come up with such a sophisticated line.

Cool Hand Luke: One of Paul Newmans most memorable performances

Cool Hand Luke was released in 1967. Paul Newman portrayed the lead role of Luke and delivered the performance of a lifetime. Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert says that Newmans powerful charisma made the film what it is, and he doubts another actor could have played the part as well.

The physical presence of Paul Newman is the reason this movie works: The smile, the innocent blue eyes, the lack of strutting.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made equity and inclusion his life's work. Paul Newman lived his values every day and stood up for civil rights alongside MLK at the March on Washington in 1963.



How will you contribute on this National Day of Service? pic.twitter.com/3XZKuD0fic  Newman's Own Foundation (@NewmansOwnFdn) January 18, 2021

The movie follows Luke Jacksons time in prison, working on a chain gang. The war veteran was arrested for destroying parking meters, and sentenced to two years. During his two years in prison, Luke constantly defied the men in charge, including the warden (Captain) and the Walking Boss (Godfreyalso referred to as the man with no eyes because of his mirrored sunglasses).

Lukes rebellious behavior soon earns him the respect of most of the other inmates. After a couple of attempts to escape, Luke ends up in leg irons and is warned that one more attempt will cost him his life. Despite the warnings, Luke ends up stealing a truck and driving to a nearby church, where the police catch up with him. He is shot and killed by Godfrey, but his legacy lives on with his fellow inmates.

RELATED: Outlander Star Sam Heughan On the Pressure He Feels Portraying American Icon Paul Newman
It looks like another OWN reality show star is facing a scandal. Just months after Sweetie Pies star Tim Norman was arrested in connection with the murder-for-hire plot against his own nephew, stars of another show are in legal trouble. This time, a couple is accused of scamming people out of an investment.

Family or Fiance

The couple appeared on OWNs reality series Family or Fiance

Marlon and Lashonda Moore participated in an episode of the OWN reality series Family or Fiance. The show chronicles couples heading down the aisle with opposition from their families.

Marlon is a celebrity DJ under the stage name DJ ASAP, or Dre. Hes worked alongside artists including Bryson Tiller, Snoop Dogg, and Chris Brown. Lashonda admitted that Marlons partying lifestyle was a concern at times, saying she had a lack of trust that Marlon would remain faithful. Marlon even joked that Lashonda acted as his bodyguard around other women.

Source: YouTube

RELATED: Star Of OWNs Sweetie Pies, Tim Norman, Denies His Exs Claim Of Him Being an Absentee Father

At the time of taping, the couple were three weeks away from their wedding date, with their town vying for a spot on the guest list due to their local celebrity status.

Marlons best friend and Lashonda did not get along. There were also issues between Lashondas family and Marlon as her family felt he was overstepping his boundaries as a stepfather to Lashondas two daughters. Despite this, Marlon planned to legally adopt his two stepdaughters after the wedding.

The point of the show is to document the money problems in a relationship. Still, the couple lived quite the lavish lifestyle of traveling and such. They also began building an online fan base, even appearing on The Breakfast Club to discuss their budding businesses and brand.

The Moores are accused of scamming others out of thousands of dollars under the disguise of an investment

Despite their celebrity rising, it appears the Moores are not as squeaky clean as they appear. According to NBC in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, there are nearly 200 complaints of people accusing the Moores of scamming them out of thousands of dollars. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prosper, TX based couple began promoting an investment opportunity under their company BINT Operations, LLC., which is short for Blessings In No Time.

A lawsuit filed against the couple from investors alleges that they operated an illegal pyramid schemeto scam tens of millions of dollars from members of the African American community throughout the nation.

A Mississippi native claims she decided to invest in the company with a promise on her return on her investment off of a referral from her family member. They wanted to say its for Blacks, they wanted to say its to build the Black community is what they wanted to say, Rosetta Fleming told the media outlet.

Source: YouTube

RELATED: Sweetie Pies: Tim Norman Wont Face the Death Penalty in Connection With His Nephews Murder

For an initial fee of $1,400 dollars, Fleming and others allege that the Moores promised to bless and assist needy members of the African American community in the wake of the pandemic and economic and social strife.

In return, Fleming says she was promised more than $11,000 in compensation, which she intended to use to clear some personal debt. Fleming said the program was appealing due to her commitment to faith and family.

After she and her husband shelled out more than $7,000, Fleming says she never received a return on her investment, nor anything else promised. She requested a refund but has yet to receive one nearly a year later.

The Flemings reportedly held a zoom call with the Flemings and others who invested, promising refunds would be issued in the order in which investments were received. But, nothing has come out of it.

As the lawsuit is ongoing, the Moores have not obtained legal counsel in their response. The lawsuit alleges the couple received roughly $700,000 in investment money.
Loki introduced a compelling new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in episode 2. The Time Variance Authority calls her a Loki variant. While many are calling her Lady Loki, theres growing evidence that shes actually Marvel supervillain Sylvie Lushton, aka The Enchantress.

Sophia Di Martino in Loki | Marvel Studios

Fans finally got to meet the Loki variant episode 2

After setting up the characters arrival in the premiere, Loki finally unmasked the God of Mischiefs so-called variant (Sophia Di Martino) in the second episode. She appears in the final moments of the episode after Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku), and their Time Variance Authority team arrive in 2050 Alabama, moments before a major catastrophe.

As Mobius and Hunter B-15 look around the Alabama mall for suspects, Loki encounters the Variant in the mall department store. At first, she takes on the forms of different humans, switching from person to person by the touch of an arm. She then taunts the Asgardian and tells him he has no idea what the TVA and she are upto.

RELATED: How Many Episodes of Loki Will We Get?

But in the last thrilling scene, the Variant appears in her true form and removes her veil. She reveals herself as a blonde, wearing a golden-horned crown and a dark green suit.

The Variant creates a portal and jumps through before the TVA team arrives. And a curious Loki jumps in and follows her through.

Why some fans think Lady Loki is Sylvie Lushton,The Enchantress

After seeing the Variant unmasked, some fans couldnt help but wonder if she is actually Sylvie Lushton, aka The Enchantress. The character first appeared as a normal human in the 2009 Marvel comic book Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1.

Mischief meets its match The second episode of Marvel Studios' #Loki is now streaming with new episodes Wednesdays on @DisneyPlus! pic.twitter.com/3CBShP2SSf  Loki (@LokiOfficial) June 17, 2021

When Asgardians take over Sylvies Oklahoma hometown, Loki gives her the powers of the Enchantress Amora. She becomes a powerful sorceress who wears a gold crown and green suit and can emit magical energy from her hands.

RELATED: What Was That Loki Plane Scene All About?

My theory is that Lady Loki Is Enchantress, one Reddit user suggested. In Episode 2 of Loki, when the Variant unmasks herself in Roxxcart, we see that she has blonde hair  her hair and costume match those of Enchantress in the comics, at least for the most part.

Theres growing evidence she is The Enchantress

Ever since episode 2 of Loki aired, theres been growing evidence that the female variant is indeed Sylvie Lushton. While shes referred to as The Variant in the end credits of the American English version of the episode, she is credited as Sylvie in the dubbed Spanish version.

Thank (the God of Mischief) it's Wednesday The second episode of Marvel Studios' #Loki is now streaming on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/CRC0vYQPLf  Loki (@LokiOfficial) June 16, 2021

RELATED: Loki: So Where Exactly Is the Time Variance Authority Located?

And recently, Zavvi released memorabilia related to the show, which also outs the character as Sylvie. Take on the role of the God of Mischief with the Sylvie and Loki helmet replica set, the product description reads. These officially licensed pieces are inspired by the hit Disney+ TV series Loki and available exclusively on Zavvi.

Hopefully, the next few episodes will confirm her identity and reveal why shes messing with the TVA and their timeline. Loki airs Wednesdays on DIsney+.
Disney Pixars Luca dropped to Disney+ on June 18, 2021. Its a heartwarming film about two outsiders, Luca Pagura (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto Scorfano (Jack Dylan Grazer). The Luca movie, set in the seaside town of Portorosso, Italy, is a coming-of-age film, perfect for summer. When the movie ends, along with that warm and fuzzy feeling, viewers want to know what the Italian phrase means that Alberto said to Luca. Luckily, the director of the film, Enrico Casarosa, explained why Alberto kept saying that one phrase.

Giacomo Gianniotti and Enrico Casarosa at the world premiere for Luca | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

What did Alberto say to Luca at the end of the movie?

At the end of Pixars Luca, the two boys embrace each other. Then as Luca boards the train to leave, Alberto shakes his friends hand and says an Italian phrase. Many viewers thought that he said Geronimo Trombetta in the Luca movie; however, thats not exactly the right word to search.

Piacere, Girolamo Trombetta, Alberto says as he shakes Lucas hand.

The boy laughs as he asks, Seriously, what does that mean?

RELATED: Luca Soundtrack: Why the Music May Sound Familiar

No idea; go find out for me, will ya? Alberto responds.

The phrase that Alberto said to Luca at the end of the movie roughly translates to Nice to meet you. My name is Twisty Trombone. This Luca movie Italian translation also appears in the film when the two boys meet each other.

Why did Alberto say Piacere Girolamo Trombetta?

After translating the Italian phrase that Alberto said to Luca at the end of the Pixar film, viewers are still confused. Why did he say that? The two boys already met, and Albertos name isnt Twisty Trombone. It doesnt make any sense. Luckily, the director Enrico Casarosa fielded numerous questions from fans about the movie after it dropped on Disney+. He explained why Alberto said the Italian phrase to Luca.

Its a silly kids thing from when I grew up, Casarosa tweeted about the phrase. Its at its base a pun with a handshake that goes with it. And as you say your name, you mimic the name in the handshake movement.

Piacere Girolamo Trombetta.



Its a silly kids thing from when I grew up. Its at its base a pun with a hand shake that goes with it. Its Italian roughly fornice to meet you my name is twisty trombone! And as you say your name you mimick the name in the hand shake movement. https://t.co/tyR1ea14lM  Enrico Casarosa (@sketchcrawl) June 19, 2021

RELATED: Luca: How Director Enrico Casarosas Childhood Inspired Pixars Sea Monsters

According to The Pixar Times, Casarosa was born and raised in Genoa, Italy, so he has first-hand knowledge of the language. Alberto said the phrase to Luca at the end of the movie to lighten the mood. It was a heartfelt goodbye, but rather than cry; he wanted to make his friend laugh.

Why didnt Alberto go with Luca?

Another question that fans want to know about the Luca movie is why Alberto didnt go with Luca. Alberto helped Luca overcome his fears so he could live his life. However, the two boys essentially wanted different things from life. Luca wanted to be free after spending his childhood being coddled and overprotected.

Luca helped Alberto begin dreaming of a better life. Alberto realized that he could stop waiting for his father to return. Instead, he wanted to stay with Massimo Marcovaldo (Marco Barricelli), his new father figure. Alberto felt what it was like to be part of a family, which he truly wanted. They helped each other realize their dreams, even if it meant being apart.
After months of speculation, we now know that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will not be by Prince Harrys side for the unveiling of Princess Dianas statue at Kensington Palace. But is another royal also skipping the ceremony? And when is the next time the public can expect to see the Duke of Sussexs wife at an event with the royal family? Read on to find out.

Meghan Markle dressed in a black and grey coat at Anzac Day dawn service | TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images

Meghan may not be the only royal skipping the unveiling of Princess Dianas Statue

Its been reported that after welcoming their second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, on June 4, Meghan will not be flying to the U.K. for the statue unveiling. At one time, it was unknown if even Prince Harry would be attending the ceremony to honor his late mother which will take place on July 1. A recent schedule release though noted that the Duke of Sussex and his brother, Prince William, would both be present and speaking at the event. However, William may be solo as well.

The New Zealand Herald noted that royal expert Camilla Tominey claimed that Williams wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is likely to stay at home too.

Weve never really been told that family is going to be included in this thing, we know this is the reunion for the brothers on what would have been Dianas 60th birthday, Tominey said. Never any suggestions that the Cambridges would attend along with Prince William and equally, that Meghan and the children would attend with Harry.

Side-by-side image of Princess Diana and Kate Middleton wearing similar outfits and headscarves during royal visits | Left image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images, Right image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Who said Meghan will not be missed at the ceremony

Upon learning that Meghan wouldnt be traveling to the U.K. with Harry, royal commentator Andrew Pierce voiced his opinion that the Duchess of Sussex would not be missed.

Pierce tweeted: There will be a no show from Meghan Markle at the unveiling of the statue of Princess Diana next month. She wont be missed.

Tominey though stated that this was never really about Meghan, it was always about Harry and William coming together after everything thats happened over the last several months. All eyes will be on the brothers of course, because everyones hoping there may be some kind of reconciliation at what is going to be a hugely poignant and significant moment for them, remembering their late mother, Tominey said.

(L): Meghan Markle dressed in a pink hat and fascinator at Trooping The Colour | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images, (R): Princess Diana wearing a tartan dress a black hat at the Braemar Highland Games | Anwar Hussein/WireImage

The Duchess of Sussex is expected to be in the U.K. for another upcoming royal event

In case youre wondering when the next time Meghan could step foot on U.K. soil, its believed that the duchess will be back in London in 2022 for Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee. This comes from journalist Omid Scobie, who is so close to the Sussexes that some have dubbed him their unofficial spokesperson.

I would imagine that next year during the queens Jubilee, we will see both Harry and Megan supporting the queen, Scobie said (per The Express). When asked about his remarks, palace sources would only say that arrangements will be discussed and announced in due course.

The last time Meghan was in the country was on March 31, 2020.

RELATED: Meghan Markle Was Wrong; She and Harry Will Have to Make a Major Decision for Children When Prince Charles Is King
One of the most popular and critically acclaimed shows running in 2021 is HBOs Succession. This new satire has captured audiences with its combination of intrigue, drama, and comedic skewering of the family dynamics of upper-class WASPs, and the intense interpersonal relationships behind the scenes of the fictional Waystar RoyCo have charmed critics.

Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy | Craig Blankenhorn/HBO

Though the characters and events of the series are fictional, the resemblance this show has to real life adds an important dimension. In fact, some of the plot points on the show are directly inspired by specific events, including one particular (and particularly dark) scene. What scene was this? And what historical piece of news inspired this episode of Succession?

Season 1 of Succession ends with a main character leaving a waiter for dead

Season 1 of Succession introduces a complicated plot with a high degree of intrigue and some pretty morally bankrupt and conniving characters, and among these characters is Kendall Roy. Kendall is son of the patriarch and CEO of Waystar RoyCo, Logan Roy, and intends to take over as CEO.

However, Kendall has many demons to deal with  including issues with substance abuse. This battle with addiction leads Kendall to some unfortunate events by the end of the first season.

In the finale of this first season, Kendalls sister, Siobhan, is having her wedding. All the characters are present at this wedding, including Kendall  but Kendall decides to search for cocaine. He gets high with a waiter working at the wedding, then the two leave to find more drugs.

However, Kendall swerves into the water with the waiter in the car and ends up being the only survivor  leaving the waiter at the scene, and not notifying the police. Its a very dark insight into the character of the shows ostensible protagonist.

A 1969 car accident involving a Kennedy left a woman to a similar fate

In 1969, on the Massachusetts island of Chappaquiddick, Ted Kennedy was attending a party with some women who had worked on Robert F. Kennedys presidential campaign. Among these women was a woman named Mary Jo Kopechne.

Kopechne, around 11 pm, wanted to go back to her hotel, and Ted Kennedy offered to drive her. The details of what happened after they left the party are unclear. Kennedy claimed that shortly after they left, he made a wrong turn and ended up on a bridge.

Kennedy reported it was on the bridge he lost control of the car and drove it into the water, while a local police officer stated that he had seen Kennedys car nearly an hour after Kennedy claimed they left the party, leaving a large amount of unexplained time.

However, it is certain that the car landed in the water, that Kennedy survived, and that Kopechne did not. Allegedly, Kennedy attempted several times to save Kopechne and even returned to the site with some party guests. But Kennedy did not notify the police of the incident until 10 am the next morning.

The police had located the car and Kopechnes body over an hour before Kennedy contacted the police. Kennedy plead guilty to leaving the site of an accident but successfully avoided any jail time. The main consequence he faced was a hit to his political career  though it did not stop him from a successful senate run.

To this day, there are theories that this incident was foul play, or at the very least that secret conversations led to this man from a rich and powerful family facing far less severe consequences than the average American would.

Succession writers intentionally evoked the Chappaquiddick incident

The above events likely seem remarkably similar to Successions season 1 finale. This is no coincidence: in a conversation with Vanity Fair, show creator Jesse Armstrong directly described the finale as having a bit of Chappaquiddick.

Like Kennedy, Kendall is part of a rich, influential family, and like Kennedy, Kendall doesnt have to worry about the same kind of consequences as a less privileged person. The real-life events almost seem like something out of a satire about the rich and powerful  so it really is a natural choice to inspire an episode of Succession.

RELATED: HBOs Succession Adds an Oscar Winner and to Its Season 3 Cast
Theres nothing like another The Handmaids Tale season to get your nerves shaking and your heart pounding  and season four has delivered. As Junes story unravels and her desperation to keep her kids safe takes over, viewers go on quite a ride in the latest installment of the series.

Despite all of her efforts thus far (and what we know shell do for her daughters from this point on), fans are more scared than ever about Hannahs fate in Gilead. It seems some recent events have the potential to change things forever But, will they? Keep reading to see what we think will happen with Hannah!

[SPOILER ALERT for parts of season 4 of The Handmaids Tale]

Hannahs fate is in the air on The Handmaids Tale

Elisabeth Moss | John Lamparski/Getty Images

Now that Moira has finally saved June from Gilead and brought her into the freedom borders of Canada, Hannahs fate is in the air. From the beginning, it was June who tried everything in her power to keep her daughter safe, and without her in Gilead Hannahs freedom looks less and less likely.

This isnt to say Moira and Luke werent doing anything over in Canada to save Hannah  but, honestly, what could they do? Gilead has a lot of power, and the last thing they were going to do was show any sign of weakness by handing a precious daughter of Gilead over simply because two people  one of which escaped Gilead and contributed to much of its presumed downfall  requested it.

Nonetheless, Elizabeth Moss (plays Offred/June) reassures fans on Forbes, declaring June will never truly be at peace until she gets Hannah out of Gilead and home to her father.

Fans are afraid Hannah will die as a shock element

June is free, but what does this mean for Hannah? pic.twitter.com/FGQ7IXC2Fa  The Handmaid's Tale (@HandmaidsOnHulu) May 25, 2021

Despite Mosss encouraging words, fans are still worried about Hannahs safety. After all, what would be more of a shock to viewers than the one person our beloved protagonist has tried so hard to save is the one we lose?

It would also be something Gilead would resort to as a way of torturing the escapee. A community that justifies the rape, torture, and complete destruction of female identity in the name of God, would not hesitate to kill a child for the sake of torturing June  who has fought the system since day one.

Now she poses a real threat to Gilead, making them more desperate than ever before. And theres nothing that will break Junes spirit like taking her daughters life  on top of it being her fault they did.

The Testaments may save the young girls life in this series

Oh, my Hannah Banana.  The Handmaid's Tale (@HandmaidsOnHulu) June 20, 2018

After much success with her novel The Handmaids Tale in 1985 and its subsequent TV series debut on Hulu in 2017, Margaret Atwood wrote a sequel novel in 2019, naming it The Testament. This has lead to questions on whether it would be put into the hit Hulu series.

According to what Moss told RadioTimes.com, No, because its a bit in the future, The Testaments Were leaving that to itself.

So, what does this mean for Hannah?

While there arent any specific details just yet, many fans have a theory: not only will The Testaments be its own spin-off series to The Handmaids Tale, but many also suspect Hannah will be the new narrator.

This new theory comes after Mosss confirmation it wont be put in the series, and showrunner Bruce Miller clues us in on Hannah on the Express.

The first thing is to make sure its a great show on its own. I hope that The Handmaids Tale when its done, you can buy the DVD and put it next to the book, and its a good companion piece, Miller said when asked if Jordana Blake will star as Hanna in the sequel. Thats the same thing I hope for The Testaments, you want it to be a companion piece to the novelistic world, so youre taking little parts that they didnt explore. It shouldnt be just a nice spinoff.

No real confirmation, but again, what does this mean? It means Hannah would have to be alive and in Gilead for it to happen!

RELATED: The Handmaids Tale Showrunner Explains What Is Next for June and Luke
Season 5 of The Last Kingdom has finished filming in Hungary, which is exciting news. However, season 5 will be the final season, which is a hard pill for fans to swallow.

Arnas Fedaravicius, who plays Sihtric in the hit series, recently celebrated his 30th birthday on June 21. Stefanie Martini, who plays Eadith, wished him a happy birthday while including a hilarious photo that fans will want to see.

Arnas Fedaravicius in The Last Kingdom | Adrienn Szabo/Netflix

The Last Kingdom season 5 has finished filming

Filming has officially concluded for the series. The news came out on June 22, 2021. Jon East, one of the directors for season 5 and someone who has also directed previous episodes before, shared the news via social media, including Instagram. In the post, a clapperboard is being held by a hand, and it has the name of the series on it as well as the date June 21, 2021. Jon Easts name is also on the clapperboard as well as the director.

East captioned the post revealing the news: Its most definitely a wrap!!! As of last night, TLK5 is in the (digital) can. Phew! That last block  eps 9&10  was an absolute monster, a BEAST, which eclipsed in complexity and scale anything else that Ive directed on this amazing show since I first helmed episodes back in 2016. If nothing else, I can at least reveal that the shows last season is going out in truly EPIC style! Big thanks here to the remarkable team that worked with tireless devotion to make it so, you are all stars! Respect.

The official social media accounts for the series also shared the news via Easts posts as well.

Stefanie Martini (Eadith) wished Arnas Fedaravicius (Sihtric) a happy birthday along with a hilarious photo

RELATED: The Last Kingdom: The Major Questions That Need to Be Answered in Season 5

Some actors in the show recently shared posts for Fedaravicius 30th birthday, which was on June 21. Stefanie Martini, who plays Eadith, shared an image that fans will want to see. In it, Fedaravicius has on pants and a colorful top or jacket. He also has on a green hat as he has an arm around what appears to be Martini with pink hair as she holds his leg at the same time.

Martini wears sunglasses and a white hat, and a t-shirt. She also appears to have what is supposed to be facial hair put on her face as well. Both actors have their mouths open during the memorable shot in the hilarious moment.

Martini tagged Fedaravicius in the shot, captioning the post: HAPPY BIRTHDAY @arnasfederman !!! We are the best people at dressing as each other. Still livid at you for looking better in my jeans than me but we move. .

Sihtric and Eadith in The Last Kingdom

Stefanie Martini | Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Fedaravicius plays Sihtric, who is the son of Kjartan (Alexandre Willaume), born out of wedlock. He is good friends with Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon), and hes a warrior that always seems to be by his side.

Eadith is the sister of Eardwulf (Jamie Blackley). Her brother is in charge of Aethelreds (Toby Regbo) household guards, and she is manipulated into being Aethelreds mistress. But she sets Aethelflaed (Millie Brady) free, which changes everything for her, and she finds herself alongside Uhtred and his warriors.

Its always nice to see post like the one Stefanie Martini shared of herself and Arnas Fedaravicius on his birthday.
Ree Drummond might be the star of Food Networks The Pioneer Woman  and arguably one of todays most well-known celebrity chefs  but shes always put her family first. Drummond and her husband, Ladd Drummond, have raised four kids and took in a foster son several years ago. Through the trials and triumphs of fame and family, Drummond and her husband have always made their marriage work. And her sweet message to Ladd makes it clear the two have a rock-solid relationship.

The Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond with her husband, Ladd, in 2017 | Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Pioneer Woman Magazine

Ree Drummond and her husband Ladd have a sweet love story

When Drummond was younger, she wasnt planning to settle down and live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. Drummond, who was born and raised in Oklahoma, always dreamt of something bigger than her flyover state. Shed gone to college out in California, and after graduation, she had plans to attend law school in Chicago. But along came Ladd, and everything changed.

Drummond and Ladd met at a bar one night in Oklahoma, and the two hit it off. It took the rancher four months to call his future wife, but Drummond was thrilled when the phone finally rang. From there, the two were inseparable, and Drummond put her law school plans on hold to pursue a relationship with him. Things never slowed down, and the couple wed in 1996. Drummond traded in her big city dreams for a life on the farm, and while she has admitted that it took some getting used to, she wouldnt change a thing.

RELATED: The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond Explains Why Ladd Drummond Waited 4 Months to Call Her

Ree Drummonds Fathers Day message shows the couples strong bond

Still today, despite all the fame and raising plenty of kids, Drummond and her husband have as strong a bond as ever. Drummond often posts photos with her husband, where she talks about the fun pranks they play on one another; the two are always laughing and smiling together.

On Fathers Day, Drummond once again showed affection toward her husband of 25 years with a sweet Instagram message. Drummond posted a photo slideshow and captioned each image of her husband and some of their kids.

Just a handful of fatherhood moments for my fella this year  And what a year its been, Drummond wrote. Happy Fathers Day, Ladd. So glad youre here, alive, whole  And all that good stuff. Drummond finished the post with a heart emoji.

Fans adored Drummonds caption, with many wishing Ladd a happy Fathers Day. Some wrote that Ladd is one of the good ones and that Drummond has a beautiful family.

Ree and Ladd Drummond have remained family oriented through all of her fame

The Drummond couple has been through plenty of different changes over the years. Theyve welcomed four kids, took in a foster son whom they love as their own, and have seen Drummond rise to fame as one of Food Networks most popular celebrity chefs.

As a result of Drummonds career, she and Ladd have opened a restaurant, hotel, and home goods store in the familys hometown of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Plus, Drummond has traveled around the country for cookbook tours, and Ladd has supported her all the way.
The companies representatives following the official announcement at WITec Headquarters in Ulm, Germany. From left to right: Joachim Koenen (Managing Director at WITec), Alexandra Lipes (HR Generalist at Oxford Instruments), Dirk Keune (Managing Director Germany and Director Sales EMEAI at Oxford Instruments) and Olaf Hollricher (Managing Director at WITec).

The management team of WITec GmbH announced that WITec was acquired by Oxford Instruments plc, a UK based company that has a great reputation in the scientific community, and in the future will be part of their Materials Analysis Group. WITecs founders Dr. Joachim Koenen and Dr. Olaf Hollricher will continue as Managing Directors and the well-established WITec brand will be retained in the new organizational structure.

Founded in 1997, WITec grew from a small university spin-off into the most innovative Raman imaging company. It made exceptional progress in developing microscopy technology and installed more than a thousand Raman, AFM and SNOM systems worldwide.

We look back on a 24-year track record of making WITec a prosperous and most innovative Raman imaging company. Now that we are joining the Oxford Instruments Group, we look forward to continuing this success together with a strong partner to grow even faster and to use existing synergies to further expand our reach into the range of markets that will benefit from our wide product portfolio, Koenen said.

WITec developed ground-breaking solutions in confocal Raman microscopy and correlative Raman microscopy. Oxford Instruments key technologies in AFM and scientific spectroscopic cameras with the brands Asylum and Andor puts WITec in an even better position for future developments, Hollricher added.

Ian Barkshire, Chief Executive, Oxford Instruments said, We are delighted to welcome WITec colleagues to Oxford Instruments. WITecs leading Raman microscopy solutions are a great complement to our existing products and techniques. Raman microscopy is an important and widely used technique across academic and commercial customers for fundamental research, applied R&D and QA/QC. The technique is used in conjunction with and alongside our existing characterization solutions and broadens the capabilities that we can bring to existing customers and expands opportunities into new market areas. Providing a broader range of solutions helps us support our customers in facilitating a greener economy, increasing connectivity, improving health and achieving leaps in scientific understanding.

Ian Wilcock, Managing Director of Oxford Instruments Nanoanalysis and Magnetic Resonance added, We look forward to working with our new colleagues at WITec to develop new routes to market for their products. WITecs RISE Raman for SEM product, for example, will ideally complement our own extensive suite of analyzers for electron microscopes.

WITec will, of course, fulfill its obligations toward existing customers and business partners in the usual manner and the management team will work to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Only 13.6% of Oklahomans ages 12 to 17 have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and only 6.7% are fully vaccinated, according to federal data as of June 10.
In this April 22 photo, Bryan Newland, left, speaks with Navajo Nation Council Delegate Daniel Tso in Window Rock, Arizona. President Joe Bidens nominee to oversee Indigenous affairs at the Interior Department said June 9 that he wont impede tribes as they seek to improve infrastructure, public safety and the economy on their lands. Newland appeared before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee where he received widespread support to become assistant secretary for Indian Affairs.
As Christian groups and denominations debate the proper response to clergy sexual misconduct, most pastors believe those who commit such crimes should withdraw from public ministry permanently.

At the recent Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, the topic of pastoral sexual abuse and assault dominated much of the conversation and business, including passing a resolution that any person who has committed sexual abuse is permanently disqualified from holding the office of pastor.

A study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research revealed a significant majority of US Protestant pastors share that opinion whether the victim is a child or an adult.

Most current pastors believe the office of pastor is incompatible with having sexually abused or assaulted another, said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.

This does not convey that they believe these behaviors are beyond Gods forgiveness, but a large majority believe sexual abuse is a permanent disqualification from ministry leadership.

Child sexual abuse

More than 4 in 5 Protestant pastors (83%) say if a pastor commits child sexual abuse, that person should permanently withdraw from public ministry. For 2 percent the time away should be at least 10 years, while 3 percent say at least five years and 3 percent say at least two years.

Few point to a shorter time frame as appropriate1 percent say at least 1 year, and fewer than 1 percent say either six months or three months. Another 7 percent say they arent sure how long the time frame should be.

While majorities of every demographic group of pastors support a permanent exit from public ministry for child sexual abuse, some are less supportive than others. Pentecostal pastors (60%), African American pastors (67%), pastors with no college degree (69%), and pastors 65 and older (76%) are among those least likely to support permanent withdrawal.

The US Sentencing Commission reported that 98.8 percent of sexual abuse offenders were sentenced to prison and their average sentence was almost 16 years.

The five years or less time frame, that 7 percent of pastors suggest is appropriate, does not even cover the length of the typical prison sentence for offenders convicted of sexual abuse, said McConnell. In contrast, more than 10 times that number of pastors do not hesitate to say the disqualification from ministry should be permanent for a pastor who commits child sexual abuse.

Adult sexual assault

A sizable majority of Protestant pastors (74%) also supports a permanent withdrawal from public ministry for any pastors who commit sexual assault and abuse of any adult member of the congregation or staff. One in 20 say the time away should be at least 10 years (5%), at least five years (5%), and at least two years (5%).

Again, few pastors back shorter time frames, with 2 percent saying at least a year, 1 percent at least six months, and fewer than 1 percent at least three months. Fewer than 1 percent say the pastor does not need to withdraw at all. Almost 1 in 10 (9%) say theyre not sure.

Pentecostal pastors (44%) are the only demographic in which a majority do not support permanent withdrawal from public ministry for pastors who commit sexual assault of adults under their care and supervision in church. Other demographics are also less supportive of the pastor stepping away permanently, including African American pastors (58%), pastors without a college degree (63%), and pastors 65 and older (69%).

When someone sexually assaults an adult, it is both a violent sin and a crime. It is the opposite of the love, care and respect toward another the Bible teaches, said McConnell. The role of pastor has incredibly high standards in the Bible, including that the overseer of those in the church be above reproach or beyond criticism. Seventeen percent of pastors think someone could move beyond reproach in this matter given enough time.

A 2019 Lifeway Research study found many Protestant churchgoers believe there are additional undisclosed instances of Protestant pastors sexually abusing children or teens (32%) or sexually assaulting adults (29%). In that same study, 3 in 4 churchgoers (75%) say they want a careful investigation of the facts if someone accused a pastor at their church of sexual misconduct. Few (14%) say their reaction would be to want to see the minister protected.

Compared to their perspective on abuse, pastors are much more divided over the proper response to adultery, according to an additional 2019 Lifeway Research study. While clear majorities say pastors who commit child sexual abuse or sexual assault should withdraw permanently from ministry, only 27 percent believe that should be the result of a pastor committing adultery. A plurality (31%) is not sure.

While adultery implies a consensual affair, it is not such a simple distinction for those serving in the role of pastor, as indicated by the 31 percent who were not sure in the previous survey, said McConnell. For a pastor who holds a position of trust and spiritual authority over those in their congregation, an adulterous relationship with one of them, where an imbalance of power exists, would still constitute sexual assault.

For more information, view the complete report.
Peacemaking in a Crisis

Oh Peace Train take this country, come take me home again.

Oh Peace Train sounding louder, glide on the Peace Train.

Come on now, Peace Train, yes, Peace Train holy roller.

Everyone jump upon the Peace Train.

Come on, come on, come on, yes, come on, peace train.

Yes, its the peace train!

Peace Train is a song written and performed by Cat Stevens. The song reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week of November 6, 1971. It was the first of four Top Ten hits for Stevens, and is arguably his number one fan favorite. After all, who wouldnt want to ride the Peace Train?

Unfortunately, that train has been difficult to jump aboard in recent months. Peace has been disrupted in our country lately by a variety of issuessocial injustice, racial unrest, politics, economics, and, of course, a pandemic. And sadly, churches have been affected, as well. Peace has been disturbed by disagreements over masks, vaccines, reopening the doors, the use of social media, to livestream or not to livestream, what can or cannot be used on a video, and the role of women.

Peace has been difficult to sustain. Unity has been difficult to preserve. And yet, pastors, along with their congregants, are called to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3, NIV). How does peacemaking occur in a crisis?

Caught in the Middle

Turmoil erupted! A crisis occurred! The new deacon responsible for worship direction planned to implement innovations into the assembly that would enhance our worship, making it more attractive to seekers. The elders nervously accused this deacon of not being honest and up front with them. I counseled this deacon to proceed with caution. He didnt listen. I advised a second time. He still didnt listen and initiated the changes. Relationships were damaged. A lack of trust arose. Whats a pastor to do? Be a peacemaker!

Being Like Jesus

The word peacemaker () occurs only once in the New Testament. Jesus declares in Matthew 5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Those who make peace receive Gods favor. Being a peacemaker does not mean simply mean being peaceful nor being a pacifist. Peace is far more than the absence of violence, just as goodness is so much more than the absence of evil. It means to actively pursue peace. A peacemaker is a participant in reconciliation. When Jesus spoke of peace, he was referring to shalom, an all-encompassing state of health, harmony, and justice that extends even to enemies. The blessing emphasizes that peacemakers enjoy a unique relationship with God. To be a peacemaker is to be a child of God. We are like Jesus when we pursue peace.

A Case-Study from the Old Testament

In Joshua 22, peace in Israel is threatened by a misunderstanding between the tribes which settled on the western side of the Jordan River and the tribes on the eastern side. The misunderstanding almost caused a war. Fortunately, peace prevailed, war was averted, and Israel remained united. Before suggesting some lessons to learn to better equip peacemakers, a summary of this encounter is in order.

The conquest of the promised land is over (Joshua 21:43-45). Nine and one-half of the tribes have secured their inheritance on the western side of the Jordan River. The remaining tribes, Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, are dismissed by Joshua to possess their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Joshua commends those tribes for fulfilling their obligation to help their brothers take their possession (22:1-4), he challenges them to remain faithful (22:5-7), and he calls attention to maintaining a sense of unity with their brothers (22:8). Upon dismissal, the two and a half tribes erect a conspicuous alter that could be seen from miles away. Their intention in building this replica was not for worshipping purposes, but was to be a witness of unity for future generations (22:21-29, 34). The western tribes assume unfaithfulness and they scramble the troops for war (22:11-12). While the troops prepare to go to battle, Phinehas, the priest, leads a delegation to express their concern to the eastern tribes. The confrontation occurs (22:12-20), an explanation is given by the eastern tribes (22:21-29), Phinehas accepts the clarification (22:30-31), and peace and unity prevail (22:32-33).

This story from ancient Israel suggests several Rules of Engagement for peacemakers:

1. Lessons Learned from the Accusers

a. It is commendable for believers to be zealous for the purity of the faith. (The western tribes were concerned that faithfulness to God was at stake.)

b. It is wrong to judge motives on the basis of circumstantial evidence. (The western tribes assumed unfaithfulness.)

c. They acted before they had ascertained the facts.

d. An act of diplomacy preceded an act of decisiveness. (Dialogue before war)

e. Involve your most qualified people to resolve conflict.

f. A confrontation should be approached in a spirit of gentleness, not arrogance.

2. Lessons Learned from the Accused

a. The lack of communication created a misunderstanding. (The eastern tribes could have anticipated a misunderstanding.)

b. A person wrongly accused must remember Proverbs 15:1, A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

c. Do not get defensive or abusive but defuse the situation by building common ground and clarifying the factual issues. (There is an emphasis on the theme of Gods faithfulness and an emphasis for Gods people to respond with faithfulness.)

3. Lessons Learned from Both

a. Listening is an important ingredient in conflict resolution.

b. It is important to trust others, rather than believing the worst about them without investigation.

c. Things are not always as they seem.

d. Do not allow misunderstandings to divide.

e. Be aware of the Jordan River! (The Jordan River symbolically represents potential boundaries that threaten peace in churchesgenerational, political, educational, theological, etc.)

The Big Takeaway is this: Frank and open dialogue will often lead to understanding, promote peace, and preserve unity. So, whether in a time of crisis or a time of concord, peacemakers must be active. James perhaps had the blessing of Jesus in mind when he wrote, But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness (3:17-18).

The Rest of the Story

After several days of anxiety, tension, and unrest, a meeting convened among the deacon and his wife, two elders, and myself to dialogue about the difficulty. The two elders who participated know this couple well and a mutual respect existed. The elders began by affirming this couple, airing their concerns, and then, patiently listened as the deacon explained himself. Everyone was honest, transparent, and vulnerable. Trust returned. Understanding occurred. Commitments were made. Unity was preserved. Peace prevailed!

Now Ive been smiling lately, thinkin about the good things to come.

And I believe it could be, something good has begun.

Oh Peace Train sounding louder!

Glide on the Peace Train, come on now Peace Train.

Yes, Peace Train holy roller.

Dr. Randy Johns is the Preaching Minister for the Lamar Avenue Church of Christ in Paris, Texas, the second largest Paris in the world. When he is not ministering, he is bass fishing on his lake, or watching the St. Louis Cardinals.
11 children injured in church bus crash, 2 critical as church asks for privacy

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The Union City First United Pentecostal Church in Tennessee thanked members of the public for an outpouring of love and support Tuesday, days after 11 children were injured in a crash during a trip in the ministry's van on Saturday.

Right now the only thing that we are releasing is that we are thanking everyone for their thoughts and prayers concerning the accident. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support but we do ask that they respect the privacy and rights of the families involved as they heal and recover, a representative of the church told The Christian Post on Tuesday.

Sheriff Terry Miller of Clay County, Arkansas, told KAIT8 that the churchs van, in which the children were traveling to Doniphan, Missouri, for a float trip on the Current River, collided with a commercial vehicle carrying fish at about 1 p.m. on Highway 67 near Highway 328.

The children were all hospitalized while the driver of the church van was uninjured, KAIT8 said. As of Monday, all of the children except three, who remain in critical but stable condition, were released to their families.

The Union City Church crash happened about 90 minutes before nine children and one adult connected to the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a Christian group home in Alabama perished in a fiery crash on Interstate 65 in Butler County. The children were returning from a weeklong trip to the Gulf Shores when the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch van caught fire, setting off a massive multi-vehicle crash which is being investigated by authorities.

Desiree Bishop of Mobile, Alabama, who is related to four of the children who died on Saturday, told FOX 10 News, They were just all sweet loving children.

Bishop identified the victims as: Nicholas Dunnavant, 8, and his 12-year-old brother, Josiah Dunnavant. She also lost 16-year-old Isabella Gulley and her brother, 3-year-old Benjamin Gulley, who are the late children of her niece, Candace Gulley, the sole survivor of the crash who was driving the van at the time of the accident.

You never would have expected and you never dreamed and you never want it to [happen to] anybody else or yourself, Bishop said. Its a high price to pay. It just comes in waves of grief, just waves of grief.

Brotherhood Mutual, which has been insuring churches in the U.S. and related ministries for more than 100 years, advises ministries to take several precautions to avoid tragedy when going on ministry road trips, including ensuring vehicles are properly inspected, drivers are safe, and promoting distraction-free driving.

Data from the CDC show that distracted drivers kill more than 3,000 people a year in the U.S. and injure more than 400,000.

Your ministry can help prevent crashes on church trips by educating drivers about traffic safety issues and enacting policies that promote distraction-free driving, the ministry insurer notes.

Brotherhood mutual also encourages the selection of drivers who are trained and experienced in transporting people.

Choose drivers that are specially trained to handle a larger van or bus. The most severe accidents usually are caused by drivers lack of understanding of the handling dynamics of longer vehicles, which are more prone to rollover than cars, the company adds.
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.
Chinas state-sanctioned churches to celebrate Communist Partys centennial

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In the run-up to the Chinese Communist Partys planned celebrations to mark 100 years of its existence on July 1, churches affiliated with the government are organizing and participating in events that seek to glorify the single-party rule that has persecuted religious communities.

Last month, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association in Jiangbei district of Chongqing city held an event called Grateful and Praise for the CCP Pilgrimage to Pay Respect to St. Mary, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern.

People from the association visited churches in that city and held a Grateful and Praise for the CCP Blessing Mass at one of the worship gatherings, the nonprofit reported.

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, Ding Yang, the priest who officiated the mass, was quoted as saying.

God has chosen the Chinese Communist Party, Liu Yuanlong, the vice president of the CPCA and a member of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conferences National Committee, wrote in a congratulatory note, according to Apple Daily, a Hong Kong pro-democracy tabloid-style newspaper. Apple Daily is being forced to shut down after CCP authorities froze its assets last week under Beijings national security law, an adviser to jailed owner Jimmy Lai told Reuters on Monday.

Liu quoted Proverbs 11:14, which states, For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers, to show his public support for the CCP. Liu also encouraged church members to listen and to follow the party led by Xi Jinping.

The associations head, Bishop John Fang of the Shandong Diocese, said in a statement that his organization would continue to deepen the Sinicization of the Catholic religion.

Ahead of the CCPs centennial celebration, Chinese authorities have tightened security across the country, especially in the capital city of Beijing.

The Epoch Times quoted a Chinese citizen as saying that China has been turned into a prison.

On March 20, 18 departments, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Central Propaganda Department and the Central Committee of Political and Legal Affairs, jointly launched a three-and-a-half-month special campaign to suppress illegal social organizations.

State-run media Xinhua reported that over 500 illegal social organizations were identified and placed under investigation.

Under the direction of President Xi, CCP officials are enforcing strict controls on religion, according to a report by China Aid. The nonprofit advocacy group also said that Christians in both official, state-run churches and house churches were ordered to fly the Chinese flag and sing patriotic songs during worship services.

Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that there are about 97 million Christians in China, a large percentage of whom worship in what China considers to be illegal and unregistered underground home churches.

Authorities in China are also continuing their crackdown on Christianity by removing Bible Apps and Christian WeChat public accounts as new highly restrictive administrative measures on religious staff went into effect this year.

Open Doors USAs World Watch List ranks China as the 17th-worst country in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians. In addition, the organization notes that all churches are perceived as a threat if they become too large, too political or invite foreign guests.

The U.S. State Department has labeled China as a country of particular concern for continuing to engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

Christians are not the only religious minority to face persecution at the hands of the CCP.

Estimates suggest that as many as 1 million to 3 million Uyghur and other ethnic Muslims have been subject to internment camps in the western Xinjiang province, where they are taught to be secular citizens who fall in line with the CCP. In January, the U.S. State Department recognized China's treatment of Uyghurs as a "genocide."

China has also reportedly violated the rights of Falun Gong practitioners and Tibetan Buddhists.
Lutheran World Federation elects first female general secretary

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The Lutheran World Federation has elected its first female general secretary, who will also become the first person from Central Eastern Europe to lead the global communion body.

The Rev. Anne Burghardt of Estonia, a theologian who presently heads the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Churchs Institute of Theology, was elected Saturday.

According to an announcement, the LWF Council elected Burghardt with 28 votes, or 58% support, while the Rev. Kenneth Mtata of Zimbabwe received 20 votes, or 42% support.

Founded in 1947 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the LWF comprises 148 member churches representing nearly 100 countries and approximately 77 million people.

Burghardt will take office in November, replacing current General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge, who has led the international church body for 11 years.

In a statement, Burghardt said she is humbled by this great honor and deeply grateful for the confidence that the Council members have shown in me.

In accepting this very special responsibility in the communion, I pray for the guidance of Gods Spirit, she continued. I rejoice in having the possibility to work with the Council, with member churches, and with different partners, as the LWF continues to participate in Gods holistic mission.

Born in 1975, when Estonia was part of the Soviet Union, Burghardt studied theology at the University of Tartu and Humboldt University, both in Germany.

The Lutheran denomination she serves, the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, comprises a little over 10% of Estonias 1.3 million population, according to Estonian World.

In 2013, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, an LWF member church and the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, elected its first female leader when they made Rev. Elizabeth Eaton the Presiding Bishop of the mainline denomination.

The Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt grew up in a secular culture, was only baptized as a teenager and sees the churchs role as being a translator and interpreter of the faith to 21st-century society, stated Eaton, as quoted by Living Lutheran.

I believe this historic election will help more people to know Jesus and to make the gospel more clear and relevant for communities around the world.

The Rev. Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary for the World Council of Churches, also congratulated Burghardt on her election.

Through your election, the LWF Council has recognized your proven skills as a pastor, an advocate for witness and service and a champion of lively partnerships in the quest for Christian unity and the building of human community despite borders and boundaries, stated Sauca.

We, who have worked with you in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva have long been grateful, too, for the spirituality and talent that you bring to the fellowship.
About 100 abducted from Nigerian school in broad daylight; 11 rescued, 3 found dead Cleric warns Nigeria is a 'killing field,' needs 'multi-faceted approach' to fight terrorism

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Around 100 students and staff members were abducted from a Nigerian school by armed insurgents on Thursday, and 11 have since been rescued or freed, while three others have been found dead.

Mustapha Yusuf, principal of the federal government college in the remote town of Birnin Yauri, told Reuters that gunmen raided the school in the northwest Kebbi state in broad daylight for a mass abduction of over 94 students (the number is not confirmed) as well as eight staff members.

The armed militants reportedly killed a policeman during the raid.

The army said it rescued three teachers and eight students as of Monday and had killed one of the abductors, Reuters reported.

Two girls and a boy were found dead, two of whom had suffered gunshot wounds in their legs. One is believed to have died of exhaustion, according to Voice of America News.

The kidnappers "have been taking cover under the students," Yusuf was quoted as saying.

"They are in the bush," Yusuf said.

He said the kidnappers had used students cell phones to call parents, demanding a ransom worth 60 million nairas (about $146,341).

This kidnapping is part of a trend of mass abductions in northern Nigeria in recent months, including the abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls in February who were freed days later.

Kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative industry for criminals and extremist groups in Nigeria.

The government's inaction in holding kidnappers accountable and its willingness to pay ransom to insurgents has led many to believe the government is complicit or complacent toward the attacks and kidnappings.

Solomon Gbetogo Kuponu, an Anglican bishop in Nigeria, warned during a recent session of the church's sixth synod in Ogun state that the government is giving amnesty to terrorists and further fueling insecurity. According to The Daily Trust, Kuponu accused the government of encouraging kidnappers by paying ransoms.

He said the violence and instability have become the worst under President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.

Kuponu said Nigeria has become a "killing field" due to "kidnapping, abduction, banditry, fatal clashes of herdsmen and farmers, ritual killings, political assassination, armed robbery and murder."

"Fighting terrorism needs a multi-faceted approach, to cut off their sources of funding, disrupt their logistics and support networks and decapitate the leadership as the United States' war on terror has proved," Kuponu said.

Northern Nigeria is especially impacted by the surge in mass kidnappings since late 2020, where schools are often the targets.

"The recent abductions we have seen across different states in northern Nigeria tell us that the government is either unwilling or unable to secure schools and protect the right to education," Amnesty International's Seun Bakare said, according to Voice of America News. "Millions of children are now having to pay the price of government's failure to protect citizens from violence."

Hundreds of schools in the north have reportedly shut down in response to the kidnapping surge.

The wave of school kidnappings follows the abduction of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls from a school in Chibok in 2014. The abduction of the Chibok girls gained international attention and inspired the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Over 112 of the Chibok schoolgirls are still missing.

Maulid Warfa, the United Nations Childrens Fund [UNICEF] field office chief of the Kano state, urged the Nigerian local, state and federal government to ensure the wellbeing of children in schools, according to This Day newspaper.

Education of our children is fencing very serious challenges, including the mass kidnapping of boys and girls, Warfa said. Mass kidnapping of school children is something that is very worrisome to all of us and as UNICEF, we condemned the act.

Children are the future of the country, they need their rights to be fulfilled, they need their education to be assured, he continued.

The Global Terrorism Index ranked Nigeria as the third-most affected country by terrorism in 2020. The index reports that over 22,000 people were killed by acts of terror in Nigeria from 2001 to 2019.

Much of the violent terror is fueled by Islamic extremism and terrorist groups like Boko Haram and radicalized herdsman.

The U.S. Commission on International and Religious Freedoms 2021 annual report warned Nigeria will move relentlessly toward a Christian genocide if action is not taken quickly.

Nigeria was the first democratic nation to be added to the U.S. State Department's list of "countries of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.

Open Doors World Watch List ranks Nigeria as the ninth-worst country for Christian persecution, stating that Islamic oppression toward believers is rampant and often runs unchecked.

Just under half of the population in Africas most populous nation is Christian. Open Doors reports there are over 95 million believers in Nigeria.

Advocates have argued that if the international community does not act, Nigeria could become the next Rwandan genocide if action is not taken quickly.
Supreme Court asked to rule if Boston can legally refuse to fly Christian flag at city hall

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A conservative Christian legal nonprofit has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh whether the city of Boston violated the rights of a Christian organization by refusing to allow a Christian flag to fly on public property.

In 2017, an association called Camp Constitution sought to fly the Christian flag during a Constitution Day and Citizenship Day event at Bostons City Hall. But the city denied the request.

This rejection came even though numerous other private groups had successfully applied to wave flags representing sovereigns countries and nonreligious causes.

The Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based organization that engages in litigation related to evangelical values, filed the petition with the nation's high court on Monday after a federal appeals court ruled against Camp Constitution in January. The legal group argues that other forms of religious imagery have been allowed at city hall in the past.

There are three 83-foot-tall flagpoles outside Boston City Hall, two of which always fly the U.S. flag and the state flag. The third usually flies the city flag, but citizens can petition to raise other flags temporarily. The appeal claims that between 2005 and 2007, the city has approved hundreds of requests to fly other flags with "no record of denial."

One example the petition cites is the City of Boston's flag, which is usually raised on one of the Flag Poles and depicts the City Seal. The seal contains the inscription "SICUT PATRIBUS, SIT DEUS NOBIS," which means "God be with us as he was with our fathers."

The Turkish flag, which the City has approved at least thirteen times, in 2005, 2006, and 20092019, depicts the star and crescent of the Islamic Ottoman Empire," the filing explains.

The petition contends that Bostons denial of Camp Constitutions flag-raising request violated Camp Constitutions right to free speech under the First Amendment, as well as the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said in a statement that he hopes that the Supreme Court will acknowledge the citys obvious and unconstitutional discrimination against Camp Constitutions Christian viewpoint.

There is a crucial difference between government endorsement of religion and private speech, which government is bound to respect, Staver said.

Censoring religious viewpoints in a public forum where secular viewpoints are permitted is unconstitutional and this must stop.

In February 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper, an Obama nominee, issued an order against Camp Constitution and its leader, Harold Shurtleff. The judge reasoned that the city hall flagpoles constituted government speech and not private expression, thus making a Christian flag an unlawful government endorsement of religion.

There are no additional facts in the record that would suggest any improper preference for non-religion over religion or selective treatment of any person or group based on religion, concluded Casper.

The City did not alter its procedures for review of flag applications because of Camp Constitutions request, instead, Camp Constitutions request presented a novel issue for the Citys consideration, which the City considered consistent with its practice and policy.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld the lower court ruling in January. Judge Bruce Selya, a Reagan nominee, authored the unanimous opinion.

Selya argued that the flag display would constitute government speech since it would be flown alongside two other flags representing the United States and Massachusetts.

In deciding which flags could be on the third flag pole of the city hall display, the court found that the city is not bound to treat the third flagpole as private speech protected by the First Amendment.

Here, the three flags are meant to be  and in fact are  viewed together. The sky-high City Hall display of three flags flying in close proximity communicates the symbolic unity of the three flags, wrote Selya.

It therefore strains credulity to believe that an observer would partition such a coordinated three flag display  into a series of separate yet simultaneous messages (two that the government endorses and another as to which the government disclaims any relation).
Ted Cruz says the 'Church is asleep,' must 'wake up' to defeat 'woke assault': Revival is coming'

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called for the Church to wake up if the woke assault is to be defeated in the United States, promising during his speech at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's "Road to Majority" conference on Friday that a revival is coming.

Cruzs address to the crowd of Christian conservatives gathered for the national evangelical grassroots organization's annual conference held this year in Kissimmee, Florida, centered around two messages: the need to "defend America" and a coming revival.

If we are going to defeat the woke assault, then all of us need to wake up, the staunch conservative said, followed by applause from the crowd.

The slumbering Church needs to wake up...," Cruz continued. "We need to wake up. We need to energize. We need to engage.  We can win and we will win.

If we are going to defeat the woke assault, then all of us need to wake up. pic.twitter.com/Dtqulpk8JW  Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 19, 2021

Billed as the nation's "premier pro-life, pro-family event", the conference also included speakers such as former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other conservative congressmen and political leaders.

Today, politics is culture, Cruz, a 2016 presidential candidate, said in contrast to the idea that "politics is downstream from culture."

If you want to hold on to your faith, if you want to hold on to your freedom, then you have to rise and answer the call to defend America, he stressed.

The senator issued a call to rhetorical arms for Americans to be prayer warriors" who organize, mobilize and go to the ballot box. He urged: use your arms to vote the bums out.

Cruz said that out of roughly 90 million evangelical Christians in the U.S., only about half vote because the Church is asleep.

While millions of lives have been lost to abortion and values are being stripped away, Cruz shared how his dad, Raphael Cruz, who is a pastor, says no one bears more responsibility for that than the pastors in America  who hide behind the pulpit.

Cruz proclaimed that the nation's foundations and eternal principles are under a relentless assault like never before.

America is great, he contends. Christopher Columbus discovering America was a good thing. George Washington was an American hero. Thomas Jefferson was an American hero. Abraham Lincoln was an American hero. Our founding fathers were extraordinary patriots. America has been a force for good in the world. We should stand for our national anthem."

"Police officers keep us safe. Marriage is a holy covenant before God," he continued. "An unborn child is a child. Children do best when they are raised by a mother and a father. Israel is our friend. The Wuhan virus came from Wuhan. And there is a difference between boys and girls.

Cruz went on to explain that just a few years ago, each statement he made "would have been utterly uncontroversial and blazingly obvious, even to the most dimwitted among us."

And today, we are at a moment where saying those words can get you canceled," he added. "Saying those words can get you fired. Saying those words can get you erased.

Cruz condemned critical race theory, which is being pushed into school curriculums, calling it bigoted and a lie." He argued that critical race theory seeks to turn us against each other and is every bit as racist as the Klansmen in white sheets.

The politician said that even though the political left wants to convince patriots that they need to retreat and give up on America, such an argument is built on a pile of lies.

Common sense is there. It is real. And the American people are with us. Weve just got to see it, weve got to believe it, he said.

Cruz said he remains hopeful despite the constant negativity and demoralization in politics because there is a natural pendulum to politics.

The further and further and further crazy left they go, the more the American people are going to bring us back and pull this country back from the edge of the cliff, the Texas senator said.

He expressed optimism for the 2022 and 2024 elections, which could allow Republicans to reclaim Congress and the White House.

It took Jimmy Carter to bring us Ronald Reagan, Cruz maintained. Joe Biden is Jimmy Carter 2.0, and Im here to tell you revival is coming.

He quoted Psalm 30, which says, weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Im here to tell you morning is coming, Cruz encouraged the crowd. Were going to win in 2022 and retire [Speaker of the House] Nancy Pelosi and [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer. And then were going to win in 2024 and send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris a one-way ticket finally to our southern border.

Revival is coming," Cruz concluded his speech. "God bless America. Revival is coming."
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On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued a much-anticipated ruling in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. In 2018, the city of Philadelphia barred Catholic Social Services (CSS) from placing foster children, as it had been doing for over 200 years, unless it changed its policy on same-sex households. Rather than compromise Church teaching, CSS challenged the citys action in court. They lost at the Third Circuit, but in a 9-0 decision, CSS and religious freedom won the day at the Supreme Court.

This win was expected, but many had hoped the justices would use this case to overturn Employment Division v. Smith, a 1990 ruling which held that state and local law could restrict religious freedom, if it did so in a way that applies equally to everyone.

It is because of Smith that so many religious freedom cases are argued on the grounds of either free speech or (as was the ruling of the Masterpiece Cakeshop case) that a law wasnt applied equally. Consistent with the aversion of the Roberts Court to issue sweeping rulings, the court didnt use this case to overturn Employment Division. Instead, all nine justices agreed that Philadelphia didnt apply its anti-discrimination laws equally, thus rendering Employment Division inapplicable.

Philadelphias anti-discrimination provision permits exceptions [its requirements] at the sole discretion of the [Human Services] Commissioner. According to the court, a law that invites the government to consider the particular reasons for a persons conduct by creating a mechanism for individualized exemptions, cannot, by definition, be called generally applicable.

Whats more, once exceptions are permitted for other reasons, exceptions in cases of religious hardship cannot be dismissed without a compelling reason In the unanimous opinion of the Court, the city didnt have a compelling interest in refusing to contract with CSS.

Chief Justice Roberts, who wrote the courts opinion, put it like this, CSS seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs; it does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else. So, the court ruled that Philadelphia did not have a basis for its actions against CSS and, further, violate[d] the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

Immediately, media headlines attempted to spin the outcome as the court privileging religious freedom over LGBTQ rights. It wasnt. No LGBTQ rights were in any way diminished by this decision whatsoever. The media outlet Vox chided the court for failing to settle the significant issues raised by the case (which is true), claiming that an epic showdown between religion and LGBTQ rights ended with a whimper. Thats only true if you consider a decisive victory for religious institutions over forces that would force them to choose between their beliefs and their mission to be a whimper.

The Human Rights Campaign made it sound like the courts real objection to Philadelphias law was that it was badly drafted and, had it been better-written, might have survived scrutiny. Perhaps. But as National Review noted, a majority of the court sees Employment Division v. Smith as something that needs to be addressed.

While its not clear which standard theyd accept as a replacement, it is reasonable to assume they could make it harder for government entities to justify infringements on religious freedom. Chief Justice Roberts words, that there was no compelling reason for the city to refuse to contract with Catholic Social Services, is true whether or not Employment Division is applicable.

Despite its narrow scope, the Courts ruling in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is very good news. In addition to being a win for Catholic Social Services, it means the court is taking seriously Justice Kennedys warning in his (otherwise terrible) Obergefell decision: Religious organizations need protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths. As Micah J. Schwartzman of the University of Virginia told the Washington Post, the courts signal for social service providers is clear enough: It will grant them religious exemptions, even when doing so entails allowing them to violate anti-discrimination laws.

Two additional observations: First, the Supreme Court will eventually have to address the conflict between religious freedom and LGBTQ rights, including for business owners like Jack Phillips. Jack lost this week in a Colorado court, when a judge ruled that Phillips discriminated against a transgender lawyer who has been targeting his business. Second, the court now has an even stronger track record of protecting the freedoms of religious organizations. So, theres no need to compromise biblical morality, even on these most controversial of issues.

Originally published at Breakpoint.
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All this talk about more equity in our institutions seems like a good thing, right?

Not so fast.

On the surface, equity seems to be fair, just, and impartial. But upon further investigation, you find that the outcome of equity is anything but fair, just, and impartial.

There are undoubtedly those within the debate over diversity, inclusivity, and equity who genuinely try to reduce discrimination and attempt to unite people of different backgrounds. Thats a good thing. But lets not be fooled into believing that we must embrace the Lefts dangerous views of equity hook line and sinker.

To prevent you from believing the secular lies of equity, Ive put together 3 areas that expose the faulty thinking and the dangerous results that come with this unchecked justice referred to as equitable treatment.

The unequal treatments of equity

Equality, as we have come to know, is treating everyone the same. But thats no longer the case. Instead, the Left has hijacked equality by socially engineering it into something predicated on equal outcomes (i.e., equity), not based on equal opportunity.

The Austrian-British economist Friedrich Hayek (1899-1992) distinctively communicated the difference between equality and equity by writing: There is all the difference in the world between treating people equally and attempting to make them equal. While the first is the condition of a free society, the second means, as De Tocqueville described it, a new form of servitude.

The idea of a new form of servitude is to mistreat the fortunate and to treat the less fortunate fairly. But how is that just and fair? If equity is about the systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, how is the unequal distribution of benefits to low-income individuals considered equitable? This equitable posture is the classic fair share philosophy that has its roots in socialism.

Just because inequities exist doesnt give the government or some social justice system the right to step in and attempt to level the playing field so that everyone ends up in the same place. That, my friends, is not equality, nor is it following the impartial mandates of the law.

The injustice of equity

In his book, Prosperity and Poverty, Calvin Beisner says, The only way to arrive at equal fruits is to equalize behavior, and that requires robbing men of liberty, making them slaves.

The truth is that equity doesnt promote fairness, equal opportunities, or equal outcomes. As a matter of fact, it snubs individuality, stifles creativity, cheapens competition, steals from hard earning workers, lowers the standards of achievement, and actually advances partialityand often, promotes racism.

On his blog, Neal Hardin writes, In order for total uniformity of results to be achieved, there would have to be a uniformity of our characteristics and desires. In other words, true equality of outcome could only result if there were no meaningful differences among human beings or the choices we would make, which seems to go completely contrary to the diversity which God intended in creation. Clearly, on some level, God created us with these diverse characteristics and desires expecting different outcomes.

To ignore each persons uniqueness, giftedness and not to embrace diversity, is in itself an injustice that (if left unchecked) leads to more discrimination and oppression.

The inconsistencies of equity

Black Lives Matter stands in solidarity with Palestinians, the protest group declared in a tweet. The tweet went on to say, We are a movement committed to ending settler colonialism in all forms and will continue to advocate for Palestinian liberation (always have. And always will be).

But heres the thing. If BLM is for equity, then why dont they stand with Israel?

Or how about female athletes (who have XX chromosomes) that are losing to transgender athletes (who have XY chromosomes)? How is that equitable treatment? From the start, women athletes are being placed at a disadvantage and have no real chance to arrive at an equal outcome. Wheres the equity in that?

What about Mayor Lightfoot of Chicago? In the spirit of equity, she, a black woman, only gave interviews to black and brown journalists in celebration of her two years in office. How is it fair to discriminate against white journalists?

Heres the bottom line. No one denies there are disparities among people. We come from different backgrounds, ethnic groups, families, etc. But just because we are created equal doesnt mean we are all created the same. We are not all the same. And it is impossible to make everyone end up at the same place.

Individual freedom doesnt guarantee equal outcomes. It does, however, provide equal opportunity for people to succeed in life. Our nation was founded on the solid conviction that equality of humanity retains and sustains the essence of human rights in a civil society. Thats the kind of equity Christians should support and defend.

However, when the culture measures human rights based on color, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, that culture will not survive. The more America moves away from God and His truth, the deeper our nation will slip into spiritual corruption and generate more inequalities and inequities within society.

As Christians, we are to honor the fact that each human is made in the image of God. We need to remember that God has made each of us diverse in color, ethnicity, and personality, and learn to appreciate the uniqueness and difference in each of us.
Bible-engaged Americans more hopeful, despite suffering trauma and heartache: report

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The third chapter of American Bible Societys State of the Bible report released this week reveals that those who read Scripture have more hope than those who are less engaged, and shows how the Bible brings healing to people who are suffering.

The Hope for the Hurting chapter released on Wednesday shows how Scripture Engaged people over-index for hope though they experience stress at average levels.

Just because people are in the church, just because theyre deeply engaging in Scripture, that doesnt mean they get a pass on stress or trauma, John Farquhar Plake, director of ministry intelligence for American Bible Society, told The Chrisitan Post in an interview.

In fact, oftentimes they over-index for experiencing both stress and trauma in their lives, Plake said. Whats different and really hopeful for us is, we discovered that those same people who are experiencing really high levels of stress and trauma are also experiencing very high levels of hope, and they have a deep ability to forgive those who have hurt them [if they engage with Scripture]. And thats really different. It doesnt mean they have a different experience in life, but they experience life differently.

The findings from the report come from data collected by ABS in January through surveying over 3,300 Americans nationwide.

Scripture-engaged people, though they have average levels of stress, they have way above average levels of hope, Plake explained. I just think of Jesus talking to His disciples and saying, In this world, youll have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. Theres a way that Gods Word and Gods presence gives us that allows us to live differently in the midst of the same circumstances, and that is really transformative.

Plake said that in the midst of stress, trauma and a national increase in stress over the last year, Americans are finding hope in Gods Word.

Americans are finding comfort in Scripture," Plake said in a statement. While being part of the Church doesnt mean hardships disappear, our study found that when Americans are rooted in Scripture, we are better able to forgive and to cope with trauma or stress. Were seeing in real-time how the Bible shows us that our story does not end with hurt and pain  we have hope beyond our suffering. As people consistently interact with truth found in the Bible, they see a way forward toward a brighter, more hopeful future.

The chapter also highlights the relationship between trauma and forgiveness.

Marlaina Centeno, a church partnership associate with the ABS' Trauma Healing Institute, said the Bible helps others understand how to suffer through observing Jesus.

American Bible Society recognizes the trauma indicated in the State of the Bible as a major barrier of full relationship with God and the Bible, she said.

We know that trauma separates people from God and from their communities, but the trauma healing program at American Bible Society, we know that healing is actually found in Scripture. So you have this tension of trauma separate from the Scripture, but also the Scripture brings healing, so how do we do that? Well, our trauma healing ministry incorporates the truth of the Bible in a very gentle way in a community setting with trained facilitators in the Bible.

Centeno explained how the Bible provides a model of how to deal with trauma and heartache.

Our trauma healing model has been globally proven, transforming community after community as hurting people from every walk of life encounter our own wounded Savior. So when we see Jesus as one who has gone through suffering and how He was able to overcome it, we have a model through the Bible, she added.

Plake said Chapter 3 deals with the hardships that people are experiencing, such as heightened stress and trauma, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic and social and political unrest. Next months chapter will focus more on the good news, he said.

I think maybe Chapter 3 is in some ways the bad news, [but] the good news is coming, he said.

ABS released its first two chapters of the State of the Bible report earlier this year and will release the remaining six chapters of the report between July and December.

The thing that I would just want to not miss in all of this is that a quarter of Americans are really experiencing very high levels of stress, and it can be difficult to understand that when were all in it together, he said.

I think pastors, church leaders, and people who care for others need to recognize theres a lot of stress and difficulty that people are enduring, and were not done with it yet. So we need to be looking for, how does the Bible equip us and how does Chrisitan community equip us to care for others and love them through their hurt to the point where they experience Gods hope and Gods healing, he added. I trust that this chapter will help point some of our colleagues to really good resources.
In Louisville, historic churches overlooked

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Most visitors to Louisville, Kentucky, dont come to see historic churches.

Admittedly, the big draws are the Kentucky Derby and pretty much everything bourbon. But beyond horses and distilled spirits are more than a half-dozen churches from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Think the kind of churches no longer built today.

My trip to Louisville started after flying into Muhammad Ali International Airport, a surprisingly nice and efficient airport with good connections to other parts of the country. I soon found myself at the Omni Hotel, which stands across Second Street from Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal).

The cathedral, seat of the Episcopal bishop of Kentucky, looks Romanesque. However, the appearance is deceiving.

The west front, erected around 1870, is actually just a facade. The rest of the edifice is brick and almost entirely from the 1820s. The original architecture was essentially a meeting house-style church, a design pretty typical until the revival of Gothic and Romanesque styles came to dominate ecclesiastical architecture in the second half of the 19th century.

A short walk away is Old Louisville.

Here on several blocks of Third and Fourth streets are churches representing mainline Protestant denominations and other sects that collectively dominated religious life at the turn of the last century. Mixed among the houses of worship are townhouses designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne, Italianate and other architectural styles fashionable among upper-class and upper-middle-class city dwellers in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras.

One of the first churches in this neighborhood is First Unitarian Church (Unitarian Universalist), which juxtaposes new and old as it was rebuilt within the original Gothic revival walls following a fire in 1985. Next door is Calvary Church (Episcopal), founded by dissenting Methodists, with its 250-foot-tall spire. Just across the alleyway is a textbook classical revival building that today houses Greater Bethel Temple Apostolic Church (Pentecostal), but originally served as a Reform Judaism synagogue.

Further down Fourth Street on the edge of the 17-acre Central Park is the perpendicular Gothic-inspired West End Baptist Church (Southern Baptist). Built for Episcopalians, it is by the St. James-Belgravia Historic District. This is where the St. James Court Art Show is held every October.

About 2 miles away is First Lutheran Church (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). Here, the limestone west front has tracery  the stone framework supporting glass in a window  reminiscent of the flamboyant style seen in France and elsewhere in Europe.

An honorable mention goes to Immanuel Baptist Church (Southern Baptist) for its beaux-arts exterior.

If you go

Consider a walking tour from either Louisville Historic Tours or the Historic Old Louisville Visitors Center. Another great way to see the cityscape is a sunset riverboat cruise on the Belle of Louisville, which feels like something out of a Mark Twain novel.

Dont stay at Hotel Distil, part of Marriotts upscale Autograph Collection brand. I really wanted to like the hotel, but low standards and a dirty room were too much to overlook. Instead, book the Omni, which features an incredible resort-esque rooftop pool.

Eat at Bobs Steak & Chop House; Patrick OSheas, an elevated Irish pub; or, when normalcy returns, the AAA four-diamond English Grill at The Brown Hotel.

While in Louisville it is also worth visiting the Frazier History Museum, Kentucky Derby Museum and Speed Art Museum.

Follow @dennislennox on Instagram and Twitter.
Judge allows Boston to ban the flying of Christian flag outside City Hall

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A federal judge ruled this week that the city of Boston, Massachusetts, does not have to raise a Christian flag at City Hall Plaza even though the city has raised flags representing other cultural and social groups, including flags indicating support for LGBT rights.

U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper, an Obama-appointee, issued an order Tuesday denying summary judgment to a Christian man who sued the city in 2018 after the city government rejected his request in 2017 to fly a Christian flag on a public flagpole outside City Hall.

The plaintiff, Harold Shurtleff, runs the organization called Camp Constitution. Camp Constitution exists to enhance understanding of our Judeo-Christian moral heritage. The organization hosts annual Constitution Day and Citizenship Day events at City Hall.

But Shurtleffs request for the Christian flag (featuring a cross in the upper lefthand corner) on Constitution Day (September 17) 2017 was denied by the city on the basis of a policy that gives discretion to the city to determine which flags can fly.

Shurtleff believes that the citys rejection of the flag equates to censorship of the Christian viewpoint.

The city of Boston raised nearly 300 flags by private organizations on the City Hall flagpole between 2005 and 2017, according to court documents. The conservative religious freedom legal group Liberty Counsel, which is representing Shurtleff, argued that the flagpole is designated by the city as a public forum for private speech.

According to Liberty Counsel, the city had never censored any flag until Shurtleffs request to fly the Christian flag on Constitution Day 2017.

Casper rejected the plaintiffs argument that the flagpole is designed to be a public forum for private speech, saying that the display of flags outside City Hall is government speech.

The [then-head of the property management department Gregory Rooney] had never considered a religious flag prior to the Plaintiffs application, the judge reasoned in her ruling.

There are no additional facts in the record that would suggest any improper preference for non-religion over religion or selective treatment of any person or group based on religion. The City did not alter its procedures for review of flag applications because of Camp Constitutions request, instead, Camp Constitutions request presented a novel issue for the Citys consideration, which the City considered consistent with its practice and policy.

Liberty Counsel has already filed an appeal of Caspers ruling.

The city of Bostons open censorship continues against Camp Constitutions Christian viewpoint, Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver said in a statement. There is a crucial difference between government endorsement of religion and private speech, which government is bound to respect. Censoring religious viewpoints in a public forum where secular viewpoints are permitted is unconstitutional.

A statement issued from the office of Bostons Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh contends that the use of the flagpoles is the citys sole and complete discretion.

The City maintains that its flag poles are a forum for government speech, the statement from the mayors office reads, according to The Boston Herald. As such, the City maintains selectivity and control over the messages conveyed by the flags flown on our flag poles.

The mayors office further argued that Camp Constitutions request to fly the Christian flag can properly be denied because such a flag would send an overt religious message, and could reasonably be construed to be an endorsement of Christianity by the City.

The city claims flying a Christian flag would equate to a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Shurtleff told The Boston Herald that he and his legal team will take the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

The Supreme Court ruled last year that religious symbols on public property are permissible. In June 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that a giant 40-foot cross sitting on public property in Bladensburg, Maryland, does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

The Religion Clauses of the Constitution aim to foster a society in which people of all beliefs can live together harmoniously, and the presence of the Bladensburg Cross on the land where it has stood for so many years is fully consistent with that aim, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion.

Shurtleff and his attorneys had argued that the city regularly flies flags that contain explicit religious symbols, such as the Boston city flag which contains the Latin phrase for "God be with us as He was with our fathers."

However, Casper contended that state, national and municipal flags that use religious symbols in part of its field are not inherently religious flags.

Although Boston has approved the flying of an LGBT rainbow flag at City Hall Plaza, the only other flag the city has refused to fly was a straight pride flag last year.
What the IRS got remarkably right in the midst of a terribly wrong ruling

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Just type the words IRS, Christian, and Bible in your search engine and youll get a flood of results, most of them starting with headlines like this: IRS denies Christian nonprofit tax exemption, saying biblical values are Republican. Or this, IRS denies tax-exempt status to Christian nonprofit group because 'Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the Republican Party'.

Naturally, there has been outrage among Christian conservatives over this ruling, pointing to this yet another example of the IRSs anti-Christian, anti-conservative bias. Thats also why most of the commentary has focused on the egregious ruling itself, which is being appealed.

Yet, in the midst of this very wrong ruling, the IRS made a very right observation: by and large, the Republican Party is more aligned with biblical teaching than is the Democratic Party.

Of course, neither major party is fully aligned with God and His Word. And, without a doubt, the world of politics cannot be confused with the purity of the spiritual realm and the kingdom of God. We can also debate which partys policies are closest to biblical values when it comes to helping the poor or the immigrant.

Thats why, on principle, even though I have voted for Republican candidates for years while not voting for a single Democrat, I am registered as an Independent. Its just my way of saying that I cannot align myself fully with any political party.

At the same time, when it comes to important biblical values, in the great majority of cases, the Republican platform is more aligned with Scripture than is the Democratic platform, to the point of getting the backhanded recognition of the IRS.

As for the organization involved in this ruling, it is called Christians Engaged, and its stated purpose is: to awaken, motivate, educate, and empower ordinary believers in Jesus Christ to.

Their threefold emphasis is: Pray for our nation and elected officials regularly. Vote in every election to impact our culture. Engage our hearts in some form of political education or activism for the furtherance of our nation.

Yet when they applied for tax exempt status, they were rejected.

In the words of the official IRS ruling (Im quoting the most relevant section), Specifically, you educate Christians on what the Bible says in areas where they can be instrumental including the areas of sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, biblical justice, freedom of speech, defense, and borders and immigration, U.S. and Israel relations. The Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the [Republican Party] and candidates. This disqualifies you from exemption under IRC Section 501(c)(3).

Again, the mocking headlines were well deserved, including this one, from RedState: The IRS says if you believe in God and the Bible, you are working for the GOP.

Thats why, for good reason, the ruling is being appealed by First Liberty Institute, which has argued that the IRS ruling errs in three ways: 1) [it] invents a nonexistent requirement that exempt organizations be neutral on public policy issues; 2) [it] incorrectly concludes that Christians Engaged primarily serves private, nonexempt purposes rather than public, exempt purposes because he thinks its beliefs overlap with the Republican Partys policy positions; and 3) [it] violates the First Amendments Free Speech, and Free Exercise, and Establishment clauses by engaging in both viewpoint discrimination and religious discrimination.

Yet in the midst of the pushback against the IRS, many have missed the biting irony of the words of the ruling where biblical teaching is associated with the Republican Party. In large measure, the IRS got this exactly right.

As noted in RedState, The Bible, yes, IRS, the word is capitalized, is not neutral on the sanctity of life. It is not neutral on homosexuality. It is not neutral on marriage. It is not neutral on justice.

Lets remember that the Democrats positioned themselves as the party of the Religious Nones (meaning, people with no religious affiliation).

And it is the Democrats who have become increasingly radical in their pro-abortion zeal.

And the Democrats who are pushing the Equality Act, which guts religious liberties in favor of LGBT extremism.

As I noted in September 2019, There is no question about it. There is not even a desire to hide it. The Democrat Party continues to grow spiritually darker to the point of actually proclaiming itself the party of the religiously non-affiliated. Is it any surprise?

Or, as I pointed out in August 2020 (with regard to the Biden-Sanders Unity Plan), God is never mentioned in the document. Not once. In contrast, the word gender occurs 22 times.

More importantly, transgender occurs twice, and in very specific contexts: we will act expeditiously to reinstate Department of Education guidance protecting transgender students rights under Title IX and make clear that schools shall not discriminate based on LGBTQ status.

In sum, LGBTQ is mentioned 17 times in the plan while religion is mentioned once, Christian and Jew and God are not mentioned at all, but LGBTQ is mentioned 17 times. Need I say more?

And what of the rising, virtually unchecked tide of anti-Zionism and antisemitism within the Democratic Party?

For good reason the IRS pointed to what the Bible says with regard to U.S. and Israel relations. Here, too, the Republican Party stands much closer to Scripture than does the Democratic Party.

So, while the IRS ruled quite wrongly in denying Christians Engaged tax-exempt status, it ironically got one thing right: if you teach the Bible accurately, by and large, youll end up siding with the Republicans rather than the Democrats.
How Do We Answer Lifes Big Questions?

We are seeing a disturbing trend in our world today, where Christians are moving away from their belief in God.

In a recent CP Podcast, journalist Brandon Showalter discussed this, asking, What is fueling the trend of Christians 'deconstructing' their faith? For some, he shares, this deconstruction emerges from an earnest desire to know the truth and to understand more amid a painful recognition that they have not received adequate answers for their tough, seemingly existential questions from the Church. For others, deconstruction seems to be an end in itself.

So how do we answer lifes biggest questions?

John ONeil has served as president of the California School of Professional Psychology and consults with chief executive officers of major corporations. He wrote the fascinating bookThe Paradox of Success. ONeil is clearly not a man of faith, but he shares insightful words about finding meaning in life:

The basic questions we encounter when we look deeply into the shadow are spiritual questions. They concern our place and purpose in the world, the significance of our lives, and our personal connection to whatever force keeps the world humming along. Most of us today have moved away from the religious structures that once supplied answers to these questions, but the questions have not gone away. Our compulsive busyness, our dread of unstructured time, and our reluctance to be alone with ourselves are rooted in the uncomfortable sense that our lives lack meaning, that we are disconnected and alone. ONeil is referring to the big questions of life, which he admits are spiritual, and they never go away. They are always confronting us. He imparts we have moved away from the religious structures that once supplied answers to these questions. And where does that leave us? Disconnected and alone, with a life that lacks meaning.

ONeil is referring to the big questions of life, which he admits are spiritual, and they never go away. They are always confronting us. He imparts we have moved away from the religious structures that once supplied answers to these questions. And where does that leave us? Disconnected and alone, with a life that lacks meaning.

So what are the big questions that human beings have always asked? Though there are many, I am going to limit them to three in this article.

Who am I?

Why am I here?

What is my ultimate destiny when this life is over?

When you move away from the religious structures to answer these questions as ONeil put it, you end up with no real answers. If there is no God, we are hereby chance. We are nothing but a mass of molecules. A human life has no real value, for we are nothing but a product of nature. Since we are just physical beings, we have no souls or any spiritual dimension to our lives. We are meaningless beings in this random universe.

Why are we here? There is no reason for our earthly existence, because we are here by chance. Therefore, our lives are pointless, because there is no God who endowed our lives with a purpose.

Finally, when you die, your body decays and you go into everlasting nothingness. You cease to exist.

It is somewhat apparent that as we become more secular and godless, our outlook on the future becomes gloomier and more bleak, because there is no meaning in life. This explains why the depression rate is 10 times higher today than it was 50 years ago, and why suicide has surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of death due to injury. When we go back to the three big questions, you learn that the Christian response is clearly different. It provides answers that give our earthly lives a sense of meaning and coherence.

Who are we? We are creatures designed in the image of God, which means we possess a number of Gods characteristics. We possess an immortal soul, which makes us unique and of infinite value compared to animal life.

Our value as human beings is not based on what we do, what we achieve, or how successful we are. It is based clearly on the One who made us and put us here. Why are we here? In other words, what is the reason God put us here? What is the reason for my earthly existence?

When you look at our design, it is clear that we have been given the ability to love. We are naturally relational beings. Colossians 1:16 tells us that ...all things have been created by Him and for Him. and 1 Corinthians 8:6 declares our purpose, in that ...we exist for Him

God put us here to connect with Him, to have a relationship with Him, to know Him and to love Him.

When you think about it, it is similar to why we have children. We bring children into the world, anticipating a loving lifelong relationship with them. This is what God anticipates with us.

Finally, what is my ultimate destiny once this life ends? Is there life after this life?

The main theme of the Bible is the answer to this question. If you read the four Gospels in the New Testament, you will notice two phrases that Jesus uses over and over. These phrases are Eternal life and The Kingdom of God. Notice that Jesus places special emphasis on the importance of obtaining eternal life and entering the Kingdom of God. He makes it obvious that you enter through Him. He is the door. He is the way. As we put our faith in Him, we are allowed to enter.

So, what is our final destiny? Eternal life in the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. These are the answers to lifes big questions. Christianity answers them all. This is why the Christian faith gives such coherence to this life, as it provides the path to a meaningful life, and hope as we look to the future and the end of our earthly life.

Get your copy of Richards newest book Reflections on the Existence of God on Amazon or at existenceofgodbook.com

Richard E. Simmons III is a Christian author, speaker, and the Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership, a non-profit, faith-based ministry in Birmingham, Alabama. His best-selling titles include The True Measure of a Man, The Power of a Humble Life, Wisdom: Life's Great Treasure, and his newest book, Reflections on the Existence of God. Follow Richard on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn @thecenterbham. Tune in to Richard's Reliable Truth Podcast on your favorite podcast app.
Catholic bishops to move ahead with drafting document on worthiness to receive communion

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Catholic bishops have voted to approve the continued drafting of a controversial document that would advise Catholic politicians who support abortion to refrain from taking communion.

As expected, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops discussed the document at its general assembly meeting this week, which took place virtually. Discussion on the proposed document took place Thursday and the vote tally on the question of whether the body of bishop[s] approve the request of the Committee on Doctrine to proceed with the drafting of a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church was reported Friday.

An overwhelming majority of the bishops (168) voted in favor of proceeding with the draft document, while 55 voted against proceeding. Six bishops abstained from the vote. Now that the document has been approved, 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.

While the vote was expected to pass, the number of dissenting votes was smaller than expected. Last month, more than 60 bishops 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.

The news of the vote comes just two days after the pro-life group Students for Life Action held Fight for Life & Faith rallies outside cathedrals in seven cities to urge Catholic bishops to approve the drafting of the document. At the rally in Washington, D.C., Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins accused Catholic Church leadership of sending mixed messages about abortion by failing to implement an explicit policy barring pro-abortion Catholic politicians from receiving communion.

According to Hawkins, allowing pro-abortion Catholic politicians to receive communion suggests that our Church must not really mean it when we talk about abortion. Maintaining that supporting the murder of innocent children is incompatible with the faithful practice of Catholicism, she called on Church leaders to act like it by supporting the document.

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.

A 2004 letter from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who served as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Catholic Church at the time, explained to U.S. bishops 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 in favor of it.

Meanwhile, Bishop Robert McElroy, an opponent of withholding communion from pro-abortion Catholic politicians, contends that depriving political leaders of Eucharist based on their public policy stance amounts to a weaponization of [the] eucharist.

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.

On the other hand, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who serves as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, said that he would not deny Biden communion because of his support for abortion. Gregory was one of two bishops that Students for Life of America sought to rally & encourage at Fight for Life & Faith rallies because they have been working to stall and stifle efforts by their fellows to address the scandal.
Pro-life group holds 'Face the Truth' tour to invoke 'sympathy for the victims of abortion'

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A pro-life group is holding a weeklong Face the Truth tour in the Chicago area, sharing pictures of preborn babies with the public in an attempt to invoke a sense of real sympathy for the victims of abortion.

The Pro-Life Action Leagues 22nd annual Face the Truth tour kicks off Friday and will last through June 26. With the exception of Sunday, pro-life activists will be stationed at 24 locations (three each day) throughout the city.

Participants will visit sites throughout the Chicago area, holding pictures of beautiful unborn babies along with signs showing the victims of abortion, the Pro-Life Action Leagues website states.

This years Face the Truth tour is held in memory of Pro-Life Action League founder Joseph Scheidler, who died on Jan. 18.

The goal of the Face the Truth tour is to make people care about these members of the human family who are so often overlooked, abandoned, ignored, whose humanity is denied, whose lives have no value before the law, Eric Scheidler, the president of the Pro-Life Action League, said in an interview with The Christian Post.

Scheidler expressed a desire to invoke a sense of real sympathy for the victims of abortion in  the hearts and minds of everyone who passes by our display.

He also shared the reasoning behind the groups decision to hold the Face the Truth tour at this time of year.

During the summer, theres much more foot traffic outside. Theres more regular traffic, people driving to summer events and  driving around  traveling from one part of the country to another.  People are more out and about during the summer months. Theres also greater visibility. We have more daylight hours, and were able to inspire volunteers to come out when the weathers good.

Its really the perfect conditions between the amount of traffic out in the public spaces  and the good climate for getting out into the public, and going outdoors and doing a display like this, he continued. So summers really the best time.

According to Scheidler, The main goal is to be reaching the general public, so we pick locations that have [a] high level of traffic, [and a] good level of visibility where people can actually see the signs as theyre passing by," Scheidler said.

While the Face the Truth tour has taken place in the Chicago area every year since 2000, Scheidler described this years tour as special because of its commemoration of his late father.

He was a huge advocate for showing the pictures of abortion, Scheidler recalled. He was in his 90s still going to the Face the Truth tour.

Scheidler explained to CP why his father was often considered the godfather of the pro-life movement: He raised up leaders all over the country. He pushed people to go farther, to make a bigger commitment. So he was in that sort of role of a Godfather who encourages, who gives people their marching orders, who they look up to and trust.

He wrote the pro-life activist manual 99 Ways to Stop Abortion," Scheidler said. "And he rose to international fame during the course of the NOW v. Scheidler lawsuit. In that case, the National Organization for Women sued him as a racketeer, using the racketeering laws that are designed to go after gangsters, organized crime.

He ultimately won that case in the United States Supreme Court in a unanimous ruling  and that is another reason that I think people really looked up to him, the pro-life activist added. He was also an imposing figure  tall and handsome and well-spoken, very talented guy, and very charismatic. So he was a figure that people trusted and admired and felt called to follow because of the example that he offered to people.

Scheidler predicted that dedicating this years Face the Truth tour to his father is going to really inspire people to get involved.

He expects about 300 people to participate in the tour, and some of those people will be with us for every stop, others will join us for just one or two stops, he added, noting that the country is really opening up after the COVID-19 lockdowns.

In addition to honoring the memory of Joseph Scheidler, this years Face the Truth tour comes after the Supreme Court announced that it will review a lower court decision striking down a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks gestation, a move that pro-lifers see as potentially setting the stage for the partial overturn of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision establishing a right to abortion.

Eric Scheidler views this years Face the Truth tour as a perfect opportunity to rally public opinion in the pro-life movements favor.

Were especially excited to be taking to the streets with this display showing the reality of abortion  the violence and injustice of abortion right at this time. Because America is going to be paying very close attention to the abortion issue as the Supreme Court takes up this case. So we see a real opportunity to get out there and show the American people that they really should support the Mississippi law.

One of the pictures that will be on display is of a baby at 15 weeks gestation. Thats the perfect sort of message to share with people at a time when a 15-week abortion ban is before the U.S. Supreme Court," he stressed.

While Scheidler reported that the Pro-Life Action Leagues encounters with the public are rarely violent, during the Face the Truth tours, the pro-life activism does not come without its challenges.

Over the course of the two decades weve been doing the Face the Truth tours, we have had numerous challenging encounters with the public, he said. We get people swearing; we get people throwing things sometimes. Weve had knives thrown at us; weve had eggs thrown at us; weve had our signs thrown out onto the street. Weve  even had volunteers and staff members attacked physically by people over the course of the years. And weve had to call the police, and weve had arrests, and weve had people spat on.

Acknowledging that its a controversial thing to share pictures of aborted babies with the public, Scheidler maintained that its an urgent thing to do.

He pushed back against claims that the pictures the Pro-Life Action League shares at these events scare children.

In fact, the pictures that weve chosen to use, the display that ... we use, its really not very gory. These arent bloody, gory, violent pictures. They show the reality of abortion in a way adults can perceive, recognize what happened.

Scheidler contended that when people express concerns about the pictures of aborted babies impact on children, its really just kind of an excuse by those seeking to avoid being reminded about abortion. They want to use children as a shield, saying, Well, its bad for children, children shouldnt see them, when what they really mean is: I dont want to see them  I dont want to see those pictures.
West Point cadets facing harsh punishments for not taking COVID vaccine, parents say

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UPDATE: 11 a.m. ET June 23: The U.S. Military Academy Public Affairs Office told The Christian Post that the academy "does not have a vaccination policy" and follows guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Department of Defense and the U.S. Army for its unvaccinated cadets.

"[Guidance] requires them to wear masks indoors and outdoors when not able to maintain six feet of social distancing. Most of cadet summer training takes place outdoors and allows for social distancing so unvaccinated cadets spend minimal time wearing masks during training events," the USMA statement reads. "Currently the DoD is not mandating vaccinations for U.S. military members, and it remains optional but encouraged for West Point personnel. Any harassment, abuse, threats, or punitive measures targeting unvaccinated personnel is antithetical to West Point policy, ideals, and Army values. West Point takes every report of inappropriate behavior very seriously and takes immediate actions to address such reports in a timely manner.

Original:

West Point cadets who've opted out of taking the COVID-19 vaccine have faced disciplinary actions and are being treated with disdain at the military academy, according to their parents.

Although the U.S. military doesn't have a vaccine mandate, the majority of West Point cadets are vaccinated. Only about three dozen remain unvaccinated at West Point, which has more than 4,500 students, Fox News reports.

Unvaccinated cadets have been called names like dirty and are forced to wear masks in shared spaces, including barracks and when taking a shower.

In an interview with Fox News opinion host Sean Hannity on Thursday, three parents of unvaccinated West Point cadets shared how their children have faced a ridiculous amount of pressure to take the vaccine.

Mathias Sampson, an Army veteran, said his daughter has valid concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine and how it could have long-term effects or affect her fertility.

A West Point cadet familiar with the matter told The Christian Post in an interview that a fellow cadet who is unvaccinated is packing immense pressure from other cadets.

He and other unvaccinated cadets are getting pressure from other cadets, the source told CP. I believe theres a little bit of making fun of them [for not taking the vaccine] and things like that, from what I understand.

He added that an unvaccinated cadet he knows has significantly less time for summer break due to the mandatory quarantine period required for the unvaccinated.

CP contacted West Point for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

Brian MacDonald's whose daughter has natural immunity and also attends West Point, told Hannity that she has decided not to take the vaccine.

Cleveland Clinic released a study that found those who had COVID-19 already have natural immunity and were not at risk of being re-infected, with or without receiving the vaccination, Life Sciences reported.

Another study found that people who've had COVID-19 will likely produce antibodies to fight the first for the rest of their lives.

"I dont understand what the leadership at West Point is doing right now," MacDonald told Fox News. "Quick thing on my daughter: She loves the Lord; she loves her country. And all she wants to do, her dream, is just to serve both at West Point right now.

He said West Point is putting a ridiculous amount of pressure on his daughter to be vaccinated even though she has the antibodies, which are proven to fight the infection.

Its clearly not about the science anymore, MacDonald said.

As an American, MacDonald said he is deeply concerned about what is happening at the military academy.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

Elita Perusek, a 1994 West Point graduate, now has a son at West Point who also has a natural immunity to COVID-19. Since he did not receive the vaccine, he will have to give up some of his leave and had to return seven days early for what she described as isolation or quarantine.

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, she said.

An anonymous cadet told Fox News: "It's like solitary confinement  for a disease we don't have."

A spreadsheet with personal information and students vaccination status has reportedly been circulated on campus.

Col. Laura Dawson, a medical officer at West Point, has been accused of berating cadets and calling them selfish for not getting the vaccine or suggesting they get the vaccine or leave the military academy.

"Currently, the Department of Defense is not mandating vaccinations for U.S. military members, and it remains optional but encouraged for West Point personnel," the academy's public affairs office said. "Any harassment, abuse, threats, or punitive measures targeting unvaccinated personnel is antithetical to West Point policy, ideals, and Army values. West Point takes every report of inappropriate behavior very seriously and takes immediate actions to address such reports in a timely manner."
Bible withdrawn from UK auction after Ethiopia demands its return

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An auction house in the U.K. has withdrawn a leather-bound Coptic Bible from auction after the Ethiopian embassy in London identified it as one of the artifacts looted by British forces from the Ethiopian empires fortress at Magdala during the colonial era and requested its repatriation.

The Ethiopian embassy said it has reached an agreement with Busby Auctioneers and Valuers in Dorset after making a formal request to the auction house for the withdrawal of the items from auction with a view to facilitating their eventual repatriation to Ethiopia.

These items are of immense cultural, spiritual, and historical value to Ethiopians, Deputy Head of Mission Beyene Gebremeskel said in a statement. Current and future generations of Ethiopians are deserving of the restitution of their cultural heritage, so we very much look forward to returning these precious items to Ethiopia in due course.

The Ethiopian Bible on vellum housed in a sewn leather satchel, together with an Ethiopian cross and a set of graduated horn beakers, had been scheduled to go to auction on Thursday. The two articles were collectively estimated to be worth around $950, according to The Telegraph.

Its a well-established fact that British soldiers engaged in indiscriminate looting of both the Fortress of Maqdala and the surrounding areas after the 1868 Battle of Magdala, the embassy said, adding that the items are from the estate of Major-General William Arbuthnot, a serving member of the late 19th century British expedition to Abyssinia, which culminated in the battle of Maqdala.

Magdala was the mountain capital of Emperor Tewodros II in what was then known as Abyssinia.

In a letter to Busby, the embassy said that the Ethiopian government views the auctioning of these items as at best, unethical and, at worst, the continuation of a cycle of dispossession perpetrated by those who would seek to benefit from the spoils of war.

It added that Ethiopias position remains unequivocally clear  the looting of Maqdala was a great injustice of the 19th century and persists as a scar on the, otherwise, warm and friendly relations between the peoples of Ethiopia and the United Kingdom.

It is our belief, the letter continued, that all Magdala objects must find their way home to bring closure to generations of Ethiopians dispossessed of their heritage and aggrieved by this painful chapter in our shared history.

The Guardian quoted a spokesperson from Busby as saying that the matter had been resolved with the vendor and the embassy in London.

The Ethiopian embassy and the private seller are in talks to decide how the artifacts will be returned to Ethiopia.
'High hopes': Evangelical leaders react to Israel's new prime minister Christian Zionists call for prayer, support of new gov't

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Israel's new government that pushed out former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after over a decade in power has received praise and condemnation from prominent pro-Israel evangelicals, with many saying they will continue to support Israel no matter who is in charge.

After serving an unprecedented 12 consecutive years in power and another three years before that, Netanyahu lost his position as prime minister of Israel when new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was sworn in Sunday.

Netanyahu, the longest-serving leader of modern Israel who dealt with corruption charges in his final years in office, was respected by conservative evangelical Christians but criticized by many across the globe. He promised: well be back.

Bennett assumes Netanyahus old role after Israels Parliament voted for the new government by a slim vote of 60-59, ending a lengthy political gridlock. Some concern has been raised about how the new prime ministers alliance includes a party representing an Arab minority and has close relations with the Palestinians.

However, Bennett, described as a right-wing millionaire, is opposed to Palestinian independence and supports Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The following pages contain reactions from Christian religious and political figures to the new Israeli government.
Tigray women forced to choose between rape or death

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Dozens of African and African-origin women observed the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict on Saturday by speaking out against an ongoing campaign of sexual violence that's at a level of cruelty beyond comprehension in the war-torn and predominantly Christian region of Tigray in northern Ethiopia.

Fifty-six women from Africa or of African descent wrote an open letter and launched a petition to be delivered to the U.N. Security Council, the African Union and the European Council calling for urgent action.

It is estimated that 30% of all incidents against civilians involved sexual violence used as a weapon of war, as a means to humiliate, terrorize and traumatize an entire population today and into the next generation, according to a study quoted in a report by the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir Mark Lowcock, the letter says.

Organizations, including Amnesty International, CNN and Sky News, have previously published investigations into massacres committed against civilian populations in the Tigray region. Fighting began after the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front attacked an Army base as part of an uprising in the region, which sparked military responses from Ethiopian forces joined by defense forces from neighboring Eritrea last November.

Reports continue to emerge from Tigray of wives being raped in front of their husbands; mothers raped in front of their children and vice versa; family members forced to choose between raping female relatives or death, and of women themselves being forced to choose between rape or death, the letter states.

Several victims report their assailants boasted of cleansing their bloodline, while others arrive at medical facilities having suffered additional traumatic injuries to their reproductive organs inflicted by attackers to prevent them from bearing children, added the authors, which include human rights activists, writers, artists, parliamentarians, politicians, religious leaders, lawyers and academics from more than a dozen countries.

The perpetrators, the authors of the letter say, were identified as members of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Eritrean Defence forces, Amhara Special Forces, and other irregular armed groups or aligned militia, and nearly a quarter of the cases involved gang rape over an extended period of time.

The authors added that appalling violations are underway in the nation where the African Union is based, and amidst profound silence from African leaders, which impugns the aspiration for African solutions to African problems.

Appeals and statements of condemnation are not sufficient, said Dr. Khataza Gondwe, the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwides head of advocacy and team leader for Africa and the Middle East.

The international community must move swiftly, decisively and robustly to ensure a ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access to the entire region, and that those implicated in violations that may amount to atrocity crimes are held accountable using every available mechanism, Gondwe added.

Thousands of civilians, including priests and Sunday school children, have been killed in Tigray since last November.

Priests, old men, women, entire families and a group of more than 20 Sunday school children, some as young as 14, were among the thousands killed previously in Tigray by soldiers from Ethiopia and Eritrea, according to eyewitnesses and family members who spoke with CNN.

In one instance of violence, hundreds of people were hiding in Maryam Tsiyon Church in Axum city, which is said to contain the Ark of the Covenant described in the book of Exodus, on Nov. 28.

In another attack, witnesses say Eritrean soldiers opened fire on the Maryam Dengelat Church, where hundreds of believers celebrated mass. Although many tried to flee on foot to neighboring villages, troops were said to have chased after them.

The massacre was said to have continued for three days as soldiers went house to house, dragging people from their homes and slaughtering residents.
UK Christian group alarmed by push to criminalize prayer in conversion therapy ban

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A Christian group in the U.K. has said it is alarming that the government is being urged to include in its proposed "conversion therapy" ban even gentle non-coercive prayer to help individuals overcome unwanted sexual attractions or gender identity confusion.

While not opposing a ban that protects people from harmful pseudo-medical practices, the Christian Institute said, the idea that gentle non-coercive prayer should be included in a list of illegal actions is alarming.

In any event, it would violate the human rights of believers, added the charity that exists for the furtherance and promotion of the Christian religion in the United Kingdom and the advancement of education.

The charity issued the statement in response to a call from Jayne Ozanne, a prominent lesbian Anglican and former LGBT government adviser who is pushing for gentle non-coercive prayer to be included in legislation banning LGBT conversion therapy.

Supporting the ban, David Walker, the bishop of Manchester, told the Guardian earlier this month, Where activity has harmed someone, the person who has caused the harm should face prosecution. He added that activity should include prayer aimed at changing someones sexual orientation.

However, Walker clarified that he was not referring to gentle, non-coercive prayer, but where there is a level of power imbalance and a level of force.

Ozanne, who's also pushing for full acceptance of same-sex marriage and transgenderism in the Church of England, responded to Walkers clarification, saying, Im very grateful to Bishop David for his clear support for a ban, although I would strongly refute that gentle non-coercive prayer should be allowed.

She added, All prayer that seeks to change or suppress someones innate sexuality or gender identity is deeply damaging and causes immeasurable harm, as it comes from a place  no matter how well-meaning  that says who you are is unacceptable and wrong.

The Christian Institute said its view is confirmed by a legal opinion from Jason Coppel QC, one of the U.K.s leading human rights lawyers, which says a conversion therapy ban encompassing ordinary prayer would be likely to violate Convention rights.

The charity stressed that those pushing for the ban to include ordinary prayer seem to attribute the worst possible motives to those of us who hold different theological beliefs from them.

They are not willing to listen to mainstream Christian groups or to their concerns. Now they have gone a step further by stating that the legislation should cover not only practices they consider coercive but all forms of prayer, no matter how mild, it added.

Responding to Ozannes remarks, Simon Calvert, deputy director for public affairs at The Christian Institute, said, It shows the focus here is not about protecting people from genuinely abusive behavior. Its about criminalizing mainstream theology that campaigners on the fringes of the church dont agree with.

Calvert added, In Britain, we worked out centuries ago that prosecuting people for praying the wrong kind of prayer was oppressive, counter-productive and wrong. Apparently, there are some who want to drag us back to the dark days of prosecuting people for not having the same religion.

Conversion therapy is being defined as any effort to change ones sexual orientation or gender identity. A bill banning conversion therapy is expected to make its way through Parliament later this year.

Some LGBT activists are calling for a complete ban on any practice that seeks to help individuals overcome unwanted sexual attractions or gender identity confusion. And such a ban would also prohibit prayer and pastoral support.

Proponents of such a ban say the practice is cruel, ineffective and contributes to suicide among LGBT-identifying people.

Opponents of a therapy ban argue that the term conversion therapy belies what is actually occurring, particularly in Christian churches and ministries, because electroshock and other forms of aversion treatments have been against the law for many years.

What is practiced in some therapeutic environments  often though not always religious  is talk therapy, where individuals who present with conflicting feelings or distress regarding their sexual attractions or gender confusion speak with a counselor.

The Christian Institute's Deputy Director for Communications Ciaran Kelly said in an earlier statement that it's deeply worrying to see the level of ignorance of the beliefs and practices of mainstream Christianity on display from some of these MPs.

Of course we believe people should be protected from quack therapists and charlatan preachers. Most of these practices are already illegal and we would urge the government to ensure the law is applied properly, he said, adding that there must also be room for the preaching of Gods Word and for believers to receive prayer and pastoral support, whatever temptations they are facing.

Kelly continued, A pastor or church should not face prosecution if a gay man or woman attends church, comes to faith and seeks help in following Christs teaching on sexual ethics.
Vatican makes 'unprecedented' diplomatic move against Italy's proposed LGBT law

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In what some say is an unprecedented move, the Vatican lodged a diplomatic protest against an Italian bill that would penalize discrimination and hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

According to Agence France Press Tuesday, draft legislation known as the Zan law being considered in the Italian Parliament has received a rebuke from the Holy See.

The Vatican argued in a letter that the proposed law violates the Concordat, the bilateral treaty between the city-state and the nation of Italy, because it curtails the freedom of Catholics to hold and express their beliefs.

The Vatican letter, called a note verbale, was informally delivered to the Italian ambassador on Thursday, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told AFP.

"It is an unprecedented act in the history of relations between the two states  or at least, there are no public precedents," the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported. The Italian daily noted that the letter was presented by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's de facto foreign minister.



Some are concerned that Catholics may face legal consequences for expressing religious views on LGBT issues if the law passes. The Vatican's letter cited the Holy Sees objection to Catholic schools not being exempted from a proposed national day against homophobia and transphobia designated for May 17.

The letter argued that the bill threatens the Vatican's "freedom of organisation and freedom of thought



Supporters of the bill say the Vaticans stance is off-base and is an attempt to interfere in Italy's politics.

"The text [of the law] does not restrict in any way freedom of expression or religious freedom," tweeted Alessandro Zan, the gay, center-left lawmaker who is sponsoring the bill. "And it respects the autonomy of all schools."

In another tweet, Zan said that "there can be no foreign interference in the prerogatives of a sovereign parliament."

Roberto Grendene, secretary of the Union of Atheists and Agnostic Rationalists, said in a statement shared with The Associated Press that the Italian government has the "political and moral obligation to not only just resist pressure but to unilaterally denounce this unprecedented interference in state affairs."

Those who oppose the Zan law, such as former deputy prime minister and right-wing Lega Nord party leader Matteo Salvini, argue the legislation amounts to LGBT propaganda in schools. Salvini contends such a law will lead to censorship and trials for those who believe that mum, dad and family are the heart of our society."

Cerriere reports this is the first time the Vatican has entered the political fray through the Concordat, which grants the city-state the right to protest in this way.



Although the Roman Catholic Church is officially opposed to homosexuality in its cathechism, the Vatican did not make a move of this kind when the Italian Parliament passed legislation on same-sex unions in 2016. The Zan law is expected to face pushback in the Senate. And if lawmakers were to revise the bill, it would have to return to the lower house, which passed the bill in November.

While Pope Francis is often portrayed as more liberal on LGBT issues, the head of the Church has spoken out from time to time about the dangers of gender ideology.

In an interview between Francis and a priest published last year, the pope decried gender theory was an area where he sees evil at work in the world. The pontiff called it a dangerous goal that seeks to destroy at its roots the plan of God for humanity, Crux reported Tuesday.



Diversity, distinction. It would make everything homogenous, neutral. It is an attack on difference, on the creativity of God and on men and women, the pope said at the time.

In March, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a formal response to a question about whether Catholic churches have the power to bless same-sex unions by stating that churches can't bless same-sex marriages since God cannot bless sin."



Additionally, the Vaticans Congregation for Catholic Education issued a document in 2019 titled Male and Female he Created Them, which pushed back against calls for public recognition of the right to choose ones gender, and of a plurality of new types of unions.
Nati Harnik/AP

DETROIT (AP)  Oshkosh Defense will make new delivery vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, creating 1,000 new jobs.

The Wisconsin company on Tuesday said that it will reconfigure a warehouse with features needed to do large-scale manufacturing. Parts supply companies are expected to create more jobs in the area.
If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, Jeffrey Nicholson believes you have to be selective. Nicholson is the co-founder and CEO of Tracer, a data-intelligence platform that recently closed a $9.9 million seed investment round. Prior to creating Tracer, he was the Chief Media Officer at VaynerMedia. He also serves on the advisory boards for Roku, Pinterest and Nextdoor. He created his education startup, NicholNotes, to improve the education ecosystem and shape future leaders. Nicholson sat down with Jessica Abo to talk about how Tracer bridges the growing gap between sets of data and how being selective can help you be more successful.

Jessica Abo: Can you start by telling us a little bit about your career?

Jeffrey Nicholson: I went to business school at Babson College. Honestly, it changed my life. I was always very good at math and fell into finance, but I just didn't love it. I didn't have the passion for it and didn't feel like it was going to be my career. Then I stumbled upon running ads on Google and really took that and ran with it. I've spent the last 15 years in the media and technology space honing my skills and growing businesses, and I couldn't feel more blessed about what I've been doing.

What was the problem that you were trying to solve when you came up with this idea to create Tracer?

The problem is really disparate datasets. If you think about a very simple data equation for any business, they are spending money on Google, Facebook and maybe they use Shopify for their website. None of those companies talk to each other, and you consistently run into the problem where dataset one plus dataset two plus dataset three is the answer you need, but they don't make it easy to put those things together. I experienced that over and over, whether I was at an agency or running a brand myself, so I decided to solve the problem and build my own technology.

Where were you in your career when you came up with this idea?

I was working at a company called SocialCode, and we, at the time, were one of the largest Facebook advertisers in the United States. Disparate datasets had been a consistent problem that I had run into in my career. Companies have to deal with data from television, Google, Facebook, Shopify and all these different companies and publishers, as well as revenue streams, and there's no glue in between. There's no one considering the client's best interest and saying, "Here is all your data. Here's how to contextualize it. Here's how to draw insights on what you have at your disposal."

I honestly got fed up with trying to combat that with humans and Excel and decided to build my own technology with my business partner, Leighton Welch. I then moved on to work with Gary Vaynerchuk at VaynerMedia, where I was not only running the media department but was also incubating Tracer inside the company. I give Gary a lot of credit for honestly entertaining the idea of even backing me, because it was pretty adventurous.

I came on as the Global Chief Media Officer to run the media department and build a media structure that was as successful as Gary's creative agency, but then I pitched him on the idea of simultaneously incubating a technology company, because I knew we were going to run into the problem again. I had come from a previous media company where you had one of three choices: You had to buy someone else's technology, you had to fight the problem with humans and Excel or you had to build your own technology. I started to go down the third path, and Gary very graciously has backed the business. I think it's worked out quite well for both of us.

Being selective is really important to you and it's played a very big role in your business strategy. What does being selective look like for you?

I think the biggest thing is really appreciating that you have to drive value. A lot of people are so in a rush to sell something and make money that they don't remember that your reputation is attached to what you sell. So, we really believe in reputation management and focusing on clients that are mutually valuable to each other, making sure that I deliver on that promise. Rather than sell 1,000 clients, I would rather sell 100 and do a great job and never lose one.

What does this look like from Tracer's perspective? What are some examples of how you've been selective in this company?

We don't have a sales or marketing team. We don't advertise. Other than this week and spending time with you and a few other people, we've never even done PR. So first and foremost, we've taken a very different approach to growth. The second thing is, when we're potentially engaging a future client, we go through a diagnosis together on how both firms are going to work together. We ask: Is that going to be successful? And then we create a roadmap that matches our procurement contract.

From end-to-end and how we operate, we really try to identify if we can add value, and I'm happy to be honest with the client and say, "Hey, I don't think we're the right fit for you," whatever the reason may be, because I'd rather only sell to someone that I'm going to drive value for and be successful with, than try to really fit a square peg into a round hole.

For the new entrepreneurs out there, it might be really overwhelming to turn down potential business. What do you want to say to that person who is just getting going?

I think you have to know yourself and your business, first and foremost. Everyone's going to take a different strategy. Mine is unique to my business partner, Tracer, and us. But I tell most people to trust their gut. Understand that you have to trust your instincts. Especially as the co-founder or founder of a business, you're going to have to live and die on your decisions. So, I think you have to have faith in those things and make sure that you try to execute to the 100th percentile of what you pick, but don't be afraid to go a different path. I had a lot of people tell me that I was wrong in a variety of different scenarios throughout my career, and I'd rather live on what I choose and try to win and lose on that.

What is your overall advice for the entrepreneurs out there who might be listening to you and not be sure what the best thing is to do next to advance their company?

My tagline is show me the energy. I want to see and feel the fact that you want it. A lot of people like to talk. Very few people want to work 80 hours a week. So, show me the energy, the effort, and the work ethic in order to be successful. And be naturally curious. You have to want to solve problems. You have to want to learn and grow, and you have to be open to new things as well. It's those two combinations that really will deliver great success for any entrepreneur.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The most recurring problem for companies today, and the main reason for bankruptcy, is the lack of cash flow. In other words, when entrepreneurs start to run out of money to operate, a common mistake is to resort to loans for SMEs granted by traditional banks.

Traditional loans offer fixed amounts, with a fixed rate for a fixed term to be paid in fixed installments. This rigidity forces companies to borrow more than they need and therefore to pay more interest than they should.

That is why Higo, the platform that allows you to pay, collect and finance all company invoices in one place to maximize cash flow, recommends using digital alternatives that allow them to operate, reduce the risk of bankruptcy, and not do even bigger debts.

The main reason for making use of these financial alternatives is that they can guarantee that your company always has liquidity. It is worth mentioning that even the most profitable industries can have operational flow problems, because you never know when the market can turn 360 degrees.

That is why entrepreneurs must turn to look at financing alternatives that help them, in a single click, to pay their suppliers when they do not have the money to do so, with the option to settle said payment in a period of 60 days. .

The foregoing gives certainty to the company when the capital stops flowing due to some external factor, it also prevents it from going into debt and having to resort to a conventional credit that can help it at the moment, but affect it in the long term.

Depositphotos.com

Another factor is the sudden and unplanned drop in sales. There are products and services that are sold more in certain seasons of the year, depending on their line of business and the need they serve, which is why entrepreneurs should know that there is no single formula to manage resources within their company, for On the contrary, they must always remain flexible and adaptable to changes that the context generates.

Another problem companies have is that customers take too long to clear payments to the company. For this reason, companies need an alternative that advances the amount of invoices receivable to the company. This prevents that in that period in which they wait to receive the money from the client who delays in paying their finances, they are affected by the lack of liquidity.

In this way, the entrepreneur has the money and can subsequently pay the platform for the early payment.

For companies in the country it is important to have a financing alternative that helps them avoid that the lack of operating flow leads to the closure of operations. Even more so in Mexico, a country where the life expectancy of companies is between 7 and 9 years in the center of the country, which falls to 5 years in some entities in the interior of the republic, according to Inegi data ", considered Rodolfo Corcuera CEO & Co-Founder of Higo.

The entry and exit of cash is like the oxygen of the startups. Without cash flow, businesses are at high risk of being negatively impacted, even if they are profitable. Entrepreneurs require platforms created to help them avoid red numbers and streamline processes quickly and in a single click, instead of resorting to traditional methods that, beyond granting them a loan, can be the beginning of a long path of debts and interest payments.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
(Bloomberg) -- The bosses of some of the worlds biggest oil companies said crude prices are likely to keep rising because a lack of investment will curtail future supply.

The chief executive officers of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and TotalEnergies SE joined major commodity traders and banks in predicting that oil could go as high as $100 a barrel, although they also said volatile markets could drive prices back down again.

The lack of investment is going to exacerbate supply and demand tightness as the economies pick back up again, and then in time well see supply pick up and rebalance, Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Darren Woods said at the Qatar Economic Forum Tuesday. But in the shorter term probably higher prices are more likely.

Trading house Trafigura Group said oil could top $100 a barrel over the next year. Bank of America Corp. also forecast this week that prices could jump to that level and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said it doesnt rule it out. Oil has climbed 44% this year as widespread vaccinations increase mobility and boost demand. Benchmark Brent crude was little changed at 2:55 p.m. in New York at $74.90 a barrel.

Global oil markets had one of the most turbulent years in history last year with the coronavirus pandemic sending prices crashing. But economies in the West are growing again, roads in Europe and the U.S. are starting to fill up, and more Americans are flying. While that could drive prices higher in the near term, the energy transition means oil consumption could start to plateau and eventually decline in the longer term.

The energy shift means there hasnt been enough investment in oil and gas projects and that could push prices higher, Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said at the same event. BP Plc CEO Bernard Looney said earlier Tuesday that rising crude is helping the companys energy transition plans and generating better cash flow and returns for shareholders.

Theres quite a chance of reaching $100 a barrel, but we could see again in coming years some low prices, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne said. Weve been accustomed to volatility.

The Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Investment Promotion Agency Qatar and Media City Qatar are underwriters of the Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Carolina Paredes grew up riding on the back of motorcycles, but she knew eventually she wanted to make it to the front.

Now, she is one of the co-founders of The Litas Houston, a chapter of The Litas womxn's motorcycle collective established in 2015 by Jessica Wise in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The group is hosting its inaugural " Yeehaw! The Litas HTX Campout" event from June 25 to 27 at 15997 1st St. in Splendora, Texas. Tickets start at $30.

RAGE YOGA: Is this release-focused Houston yoga class the answer to your post-pandemic stress?

The women-only, 21+ event centers new and experienced ladies in the moto scene, serving as a gateway for all women to become riders in a comfortable and safe environment.

"We wanted to have a space for us so we can have hangouts and we can inspire other girls that, like me, were always riding on the back of their boyfriend's bikes or have always wanted to have a place to ride," Paredes said. "Recently, a photographer reached out to us interested in riding and we were suggesting she starts on mini bikes and us getting her connected to classes."

Carolina Paredes

The Campout will blend wellness and bikes during a weekend meant for women to learn about motorcycles. The venue houses Paredes' non-profit The Full Throttle" on a seven-acre property with a flat track and a workshop she custom-built. She intends to provide members the tools to learn new skills and develop their mechanical and riding abilities. The not-for-profit also offers regular seminars and charitable, educational and social activities.

Paredes plans on making the property a permanent track for the community to enjoy on weekends.

"I've been calling everyone in my Rolodex and reaching out to everyone I know in the west and the east asking if they will help us with sponsorships," Paredes said. "We're selling tickets and it's been a process, but the main thing is to inspire the local girls, even the ones that don't ride much, to just show up and meet the community. It's about breaking the stereotype of what people think a biker is. It's way more than that. The biker culture is really changing into a more inclusive and open space."

Chelsea Veloso, who joined The Litas Houston back in 2018, said she didnt personally know anyone who also rode, let alone a woman, but she found her tribe with The Litas Houston.

"Once I found out about The Litas in Houston I was ecstatic. It meant that there were like-minded women who share the same interests as I do. It meant that I wasnt alone. When we ride together, theres this feeling thats unmatched. Its a sense of empowerment, camaraderie and almost this invincibility," Veloso said. "Most of us are aware of the certain stigmas surrounding women and our abilities. Being in a community like this has inspired me, encouraged me to be better and helped me realize Im more capable than what I thought. In such a short time of meeting some of these women riders, Ive always felt welcomed."

The campout is expecting about 50 riders and has a weekend packed with activities such as mini bike races, a comedy show, an art exhibit and a welding workshop.

For Paredes, it's not about the skill, but the disposition to learn.

"A lot of people are riding in from different chapters all over Texas, but my main thing is if you don't ride or you always wanted to buy a motorcycle and are interested or curious about our community we will welcome you," Paredes said. "We will teach you how to be on the mini bikes. We're not the stereotype that people think. The Litas is a group of women that want to ride and we just want to open up to all women."

Male vendors will be on-site until 8 p.m., but after, they have to go.

When you have a girl's night you dont bring your boyfriend or your kids," Paredes said. "Eventually we will have something for the guys. We usually have male rides or co-ed rides and we have dudes show up for our bike nights. We're also going to have a mechanic on-site and have an area where you can check your bike upon arrival before we go on our Saturday ride. It's meant for women to ask questions they may not otherwise ask in front of the guys. We wanted to provide this resource so that people have a chance to explore their bikes and the mechanics that go with them.

Nyoka Yeohum, a co-founder and member since 2019, says the riding collective has given her a sense of belonging.

"I've never felt more included in something or more like I was supposed to belong somewhere than I have in The Litas Houston ... I just want to get everybody together," Yeohum said. "Having a few girls that share the same interests is really awesome, but having a ton of girls that share the same interests from all over the state and all over the country, I think that's amazing."

Find the author @CallHerChristian on Instagram and @RoamFreeWrites on Twitter.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Wildlife officials have removed 250 alligators from Disney properties in the five years since a 2-year-old boy was killed by an alligator at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, a newspaper reported.

The company has worked with trappers contracted through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to remove the gators, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Most of the nuisance gators taken from Disney properties are euthanized and sold for their hide and meat, Tammy Sapp, spokeswoman for the wildlife agency, told the newspaper.

Some are also transferred to alligator farms, animal exhibits and zoos, she said. Those less than 4 feet (1.2 meters) are relocated, she said.

Trappers receive $30 for every captured gator, plus the proceeds from any leather and meat sold, the newspaper reported.

After Lane Thomas Graves was killed in June 2016, Disney installed a wall and put up reptile warning signs along waterways throughout its resorts.

Disney guests said theyre glad the resort is proactively removing gators from its properties. A biology expert agreed, adding that the removals should have a minimal impact on the Florida alligator population.

Gina Parsley, a travel agency owner, told the Sentinel that her family stayed at Disneys Fort Wilderness Resort last month and her 9-year-old daughter Gabriella spotted an alligator in the water. They told a campground employee and were informed that traps had been placed to trap the gator.

We did not feel like it was a surprise to them, Parsley said. I would have been more concerned if my daughter had brought it to their attention and they were like, Oh my gosh, where?

Parsley said she understands how difficult it is to keep the property free of alligators.

You see neighborhoods where a gator just strolls across someones lawn and rings the doorbell, she said. Its Florida: They do that. So, theres definitely fighting against nature with that one.

Florida's alligator population is about 1.3 million, the newspaper reported. To be considered a nuisance within the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, an alligator must be least 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and pose a threat to people, pets and property.

The wildlife agency has removed close to 8,000 alligators annually over the past five years throughout the state of Florida.

Removing nuisance gators from Disney doesn't have much of an impact on the population since they're already living on developed land there, Deby Cassill, the integrative biology associate campus chair at the University of South Florida, told the Sentinel.

Its already been compromised by development, Cassill said.

Sapp said there have been three fatal alligator attacks since 2016 in Florida and no reported bite incidents at Disney since Lane's death.

Cassill said the attack that killed the toddler happened during alligator mating season. As waters warm, males scan for females and females search for food. She said it was wise for Disney to place the barriers on the property and uproot the reptiles.

I dont see a harm in removing and euthanizing some of the alligators that are in positions to do what they normally do and that is to find food, Cassill said. We want to keep them away from children and pets as much as possible.

The boy's parents, Matt and Melissa Graves of Omaha, Nebraska, founded the Lane Thomas Foundation to help families with children in need of live-saving organ transplants.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  In the 1950s, when University of California forestry professor Harold Biswell experimented with prescribed burns in the state's pine forests, many people thought he was nuts.

Harry the Torch, Burn-Em-Up Biswell and Doctor Burnwell were some of his nicknames from critics, who included federal and state foresters and timber groups.

Six decades after Biswell preached an unpopular message to those who advocated full-on fire suppression, he is seen not as crazy but someone whose ideas could save the U.S. Wests forests and ease wildfire dangers.

Millions of acres have become overgrown, prone to wildfires that have devastated towns, triggered massive evacuations and blanketed the West Coast in thick smoke.

Today, officials want to sharply increase prescribed fires  those set intentionally and under carefully controlled conditions to clear underbrush, pine needle beds and other surface fuels.

Last month, four Democratic U.S. senators  Ron Wyden of Oregon, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Maria Cantwell of Washington and Dianne Feinstein of California  introduced legislation that requires federal land managers to significantly increase the number and size of prescribed fires on federal lands. Wyden said it would more than double funding for prescribed burns.

We would have a technically skilled prescribed fire workforce, Wyden said in a phone interview. "We would streamline the smoke regulations in winter months."

Wyden and the Biden administration are also seeking creation of a 21st century Civilian Conservation Corps, to provide more boots on the ground to work on forest health.

In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation on March 18 that will clear the way for more prescribed fires by establishing liability standards for landowners who conduct them and creating a certification program.

In Oregon, a bill from state Sen. Jeff Golden would enact rules for prescribed fires and a certified burn manager program. He envisions Oregon having as many as hundreds of trained managers to supervise prescribed fires.

I dont see that we have any option other than to increase the prescribed burns," said Golden, who is from the Rogue Valley, where wildfires tore into two towns last year. Weve got, across the Western U.S., a buildup of decades of fuels, and its going to burn.

"So do you want to burn in a planned, strategic way that has an element of control to it, or do you want it to burn in megafires, with all the costs  human, animal, environmental costs  that that entails?

It took years for forest managers to come around to accept and then finally embrace prescribed burning. In the first half of the 20th century, fire was seen as the enemy, with federal and state forest managers believing prescribed burning damaged the environment, particularly timber, a commercial resource. But in the late 1960s and 1970s, federal forest managers began employing prescribed burns.

Yet scaling up the practice has been slow. From 1995 through 2000, an average of 1.4 million federal acres (566,560 hectares) were treated with prescribed fire each year, far short of the 70 million acres (28 million hectares) that in 2001 were in critical need of fuel reduction to avoid high-severity wildfires, biologist David Carle said in his 2002 book Burning Questions: Americas Fight with Natures Fire. Another 141 million acres (57 million hectares) also needed treatment.

Several cold realities are stacked against the latest plans: The periods between wildfire seasons when prescribed burning can happen safely are shrinking; some forests are too overgrown to ignite without thinning; and prescribed fires can shroud nearby towns.

We have to be mindful of not pouring smoke into communities because thats a violation of the Clean Air Act, said Tim Holschbach, deputy chief of policy and planning with Oregon's Department of Forestry.

Furthermore, many landowners are reluctant to use prescribed fire because of fears of getting hit with steep costs.

Some states can hold burners liable for any property damage caused by an escaped prescribed fire. Others use so-called simple negligence standards, which require the burner to practice reasonable care. A plaintiff would need to prove negligence for the burner to be responsible for damages and firefighting suppression costs. Gross negligence standards make it harder to hold people accountable, requiring plaintiffs to show burners acted with reckless disregard if fires get out of control.

To encourage prescribed burning on private lands, Oregon will explore shifting from simple to gross negligence. Gov. Kate Brown signed legislation on June 11 that directs a state agency, in consultation with stakeholders, to study whether states with such standards experience more prescribed fires and more out-of-control fires. The review must also examine the accessibility of insurance coverage for prescribed fires.

One of the most destructive escaped fires occurred in 2012, when the Colorado State Forest Service conducted a 50-acre (20-hectare) prescribed burn near the small town of Conifer, southwest of Denver. After the fire seemed to be out, high winds whipped it back to life.

Ann Appel, 51, was among worried residents who dialed 911.

Its blowing smoke right over my house, she told an emergency dispatcher.

Yeah, its about 5 acres (2 hectares) and growing, so theyve got crews on the way, the dispatcher replied.

Appel thanked the operator and hung up. Her body was later found in the ashes of her home.

Two other people also died in the fire, which ultimately consumed 6 square miles (15.5 square kilometers) and destroyed two dozen homes.

Colorado's immunity law capped liability at $600,000 per incident, but after the fire, the Legislature removed the cap for controlled burns in cases where victims claim the state acted negligently. The state paid a total of $18 million in compensation to two dozen parties. The largest settlement, $4.8 million, went to Appels husband and estate.

Prescribed burning has prevented disasters, and high rebuilding costs. In 2017, a wildfire threatened the resort town of Sisters, Oregon, but firefighters were able to control it because months earlier, crews removed trees and brush with machines, then ignited prescribed burns.

The fire came to a halt, both because it had less fuels and also because in the thinned, more natural forest, there was a lot more space for the firefighters," noted Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who is pushing for more funding for forest treatment.

Scott Stephens, a professor of wildland fire science at the University of California, Berkeley, wants a big increase in prescribed burns, along with mechanical forest thinning, but predicts it will be gradual due to both a lack of people trained in it and of political and societal support.

That prescribed burning is now widely seen as a remedy would have been welcome news to Biswell, who died in 1992 at age 86.

Harold Weaver, a forester for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was also an early advocate. In 1955, Weaver published an article titled Fire as an enemy, friend and tool in forest management. Like Biswell, he was cold-shouldered. The two supported each other.

The West, which is more susceptible to wildfires because of its vast wildlands and dry climate, has been stepping up prescribed burns.

In 2019, 3.7 million acres were treated by prescribed fire in the West, a 268% increase from 2011, the National Association of State Foresters and the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils said in a report.

Stephens said prescribed fire and restoration thinning should increase at least five-fold to turn things around and create healthy forests as Biswell, his predecessor at Berkeley, envisioned.

Once you get areas treated, you have to come back in around 15 years for maintenance treatments. And this never ends," Stephens said. "This is a key point: The program has to last forever."

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Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky
WASHINGTON (AP)  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, for the first time, said Tuesday he will support long-debated changes to the military justice system that would remove decisions on prosecuting sexual assault cases from military commanders.

In a statement, obtained by The Associated Press, Austin said he supports taking those sexual assault and related crimes away from the chain of command, and let independent military lawyers handle them. The Pentagon has long resisted such a change, but Austin and other senior leaders are slowly acknowledging that the military has failed to make progress against sexual assault, and some changes are needed.

Austin pledged to work with Congress to make the changes, saying they will give the department real opportunities to finally end the scourge of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military. His public support for the shift has been eagerly awaited, sending a strong signal to the military and boosting momentum for the change.

The statement came a day before Austin testifies to the House Armed Services Committee amid escalating pressure from Congress to take concrete steps to address sexual assault. Austins memo, however, does not express any view on legislation that would make broader changes to the military justice system and require that independent lawyers handle all major crimes.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has the support of 66 senators for a bill that would have independent prosecutors handle felonies that call for more than a year in prison. But other key lawmakers and leaders of the military services have balked at including all major crimes, saying stripping control of all crimes from commanders could hurt military readiness, erode command authority, and require far more time and resources.

Until now, Austin has said publicly that he was open to changes recommended by an independent review commission that he appointed to take a look at sexual assault and harassment in the military. The panel said sexual assault, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, stalking, retaliation, child sexual assault and the wrongful distribution of photos should be removed from the chain of command.

In the statement, Austin finally makes public that he supports the change, and says those additional crimes should be included because there is a strong correlation between them and the prevalence of sexual assault. According to a defense official, Austin has reservations about the more expansive change outlined in Gillibrands bill, similar to those expressed by his senior leaders. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

In recent weeks military service secretaries and chiefs, in memos to Austin and letters to Capitol Hill, said they were wary about the sexual assault change, and laid out greater reservations on more broadly revamping the military justice system.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said removing commanders from prosecution decisions may have an adverse effect on readiness, mission accomplishment, good order and discipline, justice, unit cohesion, trust, and loyalty between commanders and those they lead.

In a letter to Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Milley acknowledged the military hasnt made sufficient progress in combating sexual assault. He has repeatedly said, though, hes open to the sexual assault change.

The independent review panel on Monday presented Austin with an expansive set of recommendations to combat sexual assault in the military, including prevention, command climate, victim care and support.

Generally they appear strong and well-grounded, Austin said in his statement. I have directed my staff to do a detailed assessment and implementation plan for my review and approval.

Austin said he will present his recommendations to President Joe Biden in the coming days. But he also noted that the changes will require additional personnel, funding and authorities. The ones that can be done under existing authority will be give priority, he said, and other changes may take more time and will need help from Congress.

As I made clear on my first full day in office, this is a leadership issue. And we will lead, he said. Our people depend upon it. They deserve nothing less.

In a recent interview with the AP, Gillibrand said the wider change is necessary to combat racial injustice within the military, where studies have found that Black people are more likely to be investigated and arrested for misconduct.

Gillibrand has argued against limiting the change to sexual assault, saying it would be discriminatory and set up what some call a pink court to deal with crimes usually involving female victims.

Im deeply concerned that if they limit it to just sexual assault, it will really harm female service members. It will further marginalize them, further undermine them, and theyll be seen as getting special treatment, she told the AP.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  President Joe Biden plans to travel to southwestern Wisconsin next week to discuss agriculture and rural economies, the White House announced Tuesday.

Biden plans to be joined for the June 29 visit by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa, which borders Wisconsin to the west. The White House said more details about the trip would be released later.
BIG SUR, Calif. (AP)  A group of firefighting monks was ready to defend a Buddhist monastery being threatened Tuesday by a wildfire burning in the rugged central coast mountains south of Big Sur.

The seven monks have been clearing brush from around the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center and running a sprinkler system dubbed Dharma rain, which helps keep a layer of moister around the buildings, said Sozan Miglioli, president of San Francisco Zen Center, which operates the monastery.

The blaze is about a mile away but we've been lucky with the weather, it has really cooled down, Miglioli said.

The fire was climbing uphill among chaparral, grass, and scrub. The steep, remote area meant that the 500 firefighters had to hike in to battle the flames. They were aided by water-dropping aircraft.

Most people evacuated the Buddhist center but members of the fire crew stayed. Other firefighting monks joined them from the San Francisco Zen Center and the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, a third monastery in the Marin County mountains.

The group of firefighting monks was created after a 2008 blaze reached the Tassajara monastery and a dozen stayed behind to defend it. They got their name from a book titled Fire Monks about those who stayed to fight that blaze, Migliogli said.

The monks train every year with professional firefighters and reside in the three monasteries. They travel to centers where they are needed, he said.

Despite all the work, they are still meditating every morning and holding service, Migliogli said.

On the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada, the Inyo Creek Fire in the Whitney Portal area near the town of Lone Pine thwarted hikers planning to climb Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States.

The fire was officially estimated at 640 acres (259 hectares) .

Hikers were unable to begin treks at Whitney Portal and rangers were in the wilderness to divert returning hikers to other longer egress trails. Hikers were still being evacuated Tuesday evening, fire officials said.

The fires were among dozens that have scorched large swaths of the West, including in Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

A lightning-caused wildfire crept closer Tuesday to Flagstaff in northern Arizona, threatening to force people from their homes. The mountain city has nearly 80,000 residents, a state university and an observatory where Pluto was discovered.

Evacuations were in place because of several other wildfires across Arizona, affecting mostly rural residents and campers, and many local roads were closed. Half of the national forests in Arizona will to close entirely to the public because of wildfire danger and limited resources, authorities said.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday signed a bill making Connecticut the 19th state to legalize recreational use of marijuana, which remains an illegal drug under federal law.

People age 21 and older will be allowed to possess and consume marijuana beginning on July 1 under the new law, which also lays the groundwork for a new cannabis industry in the state and attempts to address racial inequities stemming from the nations war on drugs.

We had a chance to learn from others, and I think weve got it right here in the state of Connecticut, said Lamont, a Democrat, referring to the multiyear effort to finally pass a legalization bill during a ceremony at the state capital. Maybe we werent the first but we were the first, I think, to show that we can get it right.

The legislation received final approval from both chambers of the General Assembly last week during a special legislative session.

I think it will be the most comprehensive and best cannabis legalization bill in the country," said House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford. History will tell us if thats true or not, but I feel confident in saying yes, right now, this is the best bill in the country and its going to move us in a direction of ensuring that we provide a well-regulated marketplace for adult-use cannabis for adults who want to participate in that kind of activity.

The law allows individuals age 21 and older to possess or consume up to 1.5 ounces (42.5 grams) of cannabis plant material and up to 5 ounces (141.7 grams) in a locked container in a home or in the trunk or locked glove box in the persons vehicle. Retail sales of recreational cannabis in Connecticut are not expected to begin until the summer of 2022, at the earliest.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project, Connecticut is now the 19th state to end cannabis prohibition. The group, which advocated for the bill, noted the legislation sets aside 50% of licenses for equity applicants, which include residents of communities that have been disproportionately impacted by drug-related crimes and high unemployment. Also, up to 75% of revenue will be dedicated toward equity efforts and community reinvestment, the group said.

The legislation received strong opposition from Republicans and some Democrats in the General Assembly during the lengthy deliberations. The Connecticut Medical Society, which also opposed the bill during the session, voiced its disappointment Tuesday that Lamont had signed it into law. The group warned that legalization will have harmful, even devastating effects, especially on the state's younger populations.

Physicians base our opinions on science, data from peer-reviewed writings, observation and patient interaction - which is why we believe the recreational use of marijuana is bad science, bad policy, and dangerous to Connecticut's public health, said Dr. Gregory Shangold, the medical society's president, in a statement. He said the group believes there are more effective ways to combat racial disparities than legalizing cannabis.

Rojas said state lawmakers will be happy to address issues raised by the physicians, noting the law will likely be revisited in future sessions like other major and complicated laws.

Other critics have accused supporters of wanting to pass legalization to generate another income stream for the state. But Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, co-chairman of the legislature's Judiciary Committee, dismissed those criticisms, saying advocates wanted to finally address the long-standing harmful impacts of the nation's war on drugs, especially in minority communities.

What makes it amazing is that (the bill) incorporated  not only where we're going, but where we've been and making sure we deal with the things that impact communities because of where weve been, he said.

Under the legislation, there will be different ways for people to apply to get involved in the states new adult cannabis market.

The expectation is that half of the licenses will be made available to social equity applicants, according to Michelle H. Seagull, commissioner of Connecticuts Department of Consumer Protection. Legislative leaders have more than a month to appoint members of a new Social Equity Committee that will ultimately create criteria and review social equity applications for various licenses.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Proponents of statehood for Washington, D.C., vowed Tuesday to keep pushing even though the prospects were dim as the bill began working its way through the Senate.

Our democracy is truly in the hands of this Senate, Mayor Muriel Bowser told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. We will not quit until we achieve full democracy. ... We will keep pushing until D.C.s tragic disenfranchisement is rectified.

In Tuesday's hearings on a bill that would make Washington, D.C., the 51st state, Democrats framed it as a long-standing injustice finally being made right. The nations capital has a larger population than Wyoming or Vermont, and its estimated 712,000 residents pay federal taxes, vote for president and serve in the armed forces, but they have no voting representation in Congress.

Republicans, however, dismissed the bill as a cynical Democratic power play since the District votes solidly Democratic. They claim statehood was never the intention of the Founding Fathers and insist that Congress doesnt even have the power to change D.C.'s status.

What Congress cannot do is override the Constitution anytime it becomes inconvenient for a majority in Congress, said Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. The Constitution endures and that is the fundamental premise of our Democratic republic, and I fear that premise is being threatened by this legislation.

The bill proposes creating a 51st state with one representative and two senators, while a tiny sliver of land including the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall would remain as a federal district.

Instead of the District of Columbia, the new state would be known as Washington, Douglass Commonwealth  named after famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who lived in Washington from 1877 until his death in 1895.

The bill comes as D.C. statehood is receiving unprecedented levels of popular and political support. It received a formal endorsement from the White House, which called Washingtons current status an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded.

The effort has also become intertwined with America's ascendant racial justice movement, with progressive activists framing it as an issue of civil rights and political enfranchisement. The proposed state would be approximately 46% Black.

An identical statehood bill passed the House in 2020 but died in the then-Republican-controlled Senate. Now, with the 2020 elections leaving Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, statehood advocates had hoped for a different outcome.

This version of the legislation passed the House in April by a 216-208 vote along party lines, but the Senate is a long shot. The Senate is split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaker. Not long after the House vote, however, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia essentially blunted whatever momentum that statehood had gathered by saying he opposed pursuing it through an act of Congress.

Even with Manchin's support the measure would have been vulnerable to a Republican filibuster. Barring a dramatic reversal by Manchin or unexpected defection by a Republican, the measure appears stalled. And moderate Republicans like Maine Sen. Susan Collins are already on record saying they oppose D.C. statehood.

D.C. has long chafed under its relationship with Congress, which essentially has the power to veto or alter any local laws. The limitations were put in stark relief last summer during a series of protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and against general police brutality. After a night of widespread vandalism, President Donald Trump went around Bowser and called in a large federal force to restore order downtown.

On Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters physically overwhelmed U.S. Capitol Police and invaded the Capitol building, Bowser did not have the authority of a governor to call in the National Guard. Instead, that request went to the upper levels of the Pentagon and there was a notable delay in the Guard deployment while dozens of D.C. police officers rushed into the building as reinforcements.

Bowser at the time quickly pointed out the ironies of Washington residents risking their lives to defend a Congress where they didnt have a vote.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The Philippine president has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and told them to leave the country if they would not cooperate with efforts to end a public health emergency.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, said in televised remarks Monday night that he has become exasperated with people who refuse to get immunized amid a health crisis then help spread the coronavirus.

Dont get me wrong. There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency. If you dont want to get vaccinated, Ill have you arrested and Ill inject the vaccine in your butt, Duterte said.

If you will not agree to be vaccinated, leave the Philippines. Go to India if you want or somewhere, to America, he said, adding he would order village leaders to compile a list of defiant residents.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra acknowledged on Tuesday that there was no Philippine law criminalizing refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

I believe that the president merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible, Guevarra said.

A human rights lawyer, Edre Olalia, raised concerns over Dutertes threat, saying the president could not order the arrest of anybody who has not clearly committed any crime.

Duterte and his administration have faced criticism over a vaccination campaign that has been saddled with supply problems and public hesitancy. After repeated delays, vaccinations started in March, but many still opted to wait for Western vaccines, prompting some cities to offer snacks and store discounts to encourage people to get immunized with any vaccine.

Duterte blamed the problem on wealthy Western countries cornering vaccines for their own citizens, leaving poorer countries like the Philippines behind. Some officials said the bigger problem was inadequate vaccine supply more than public hesitancy.

Duterte also walked back on an earlier remark that required people to wear plastic face shields over face masks only in hospitals as an added safeguard. After experts briefed him on the threat of more contagious coronavirus variants, Duterte declared it mandatory for people to continue wearing face shields indoors and outdoors.

The Philippines is a COVID-19 hotspot in Asia, with more than 1.3 million cases and at least 23,749 deaths.
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP)  A former northeastern Pennsylvania police chief has pleaded guilty to a civil rights violation in what authorities said were threats to retaliate against a social media critic by filing unfounded criminal charges.

Brian Buglio, former police chief in West Hazleton, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of deprivation of civil rights.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP)  The father of a Black man who was fatally shot by police in Virginia Beach has filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit.

The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday that the federal lawsuit was filed by the father of Donovon Lynch against officer Solomon D. Simmons and the city of Virginia Beach.

Police would not confirm that Simmons was the shooter. But police have said the police officer who shot Lynch is Black.

Wayne Lynch claims the officer shot his son immediately, unlawfully and without warning and failed to render aid.

Police have said Lynch had a handgun. The family and a witness have denied that. The officer who shot Lynch did not have his body camera turned on, according to police.

Virginia State Police are currently investigating the March 26 shooting.

Simmons did not return the newspaper's calls for comment. City spokeswoman Julie Hill told the Pilot the city could not comment because it had not yet received the lawsuit.

Lynch was at an Oceanfront nightclub with his friend when an unrelated shooting occurred outside, the lawsuit stated. The men left and walked toward their cars when they encountered Simmons.

Immediately, unlawfully and without warning, officer Simmons fired his police-issued firearm at Mr. Lynch, shooting him twice and killing him, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also alleges that Virginia Beach had a custom or policy of failing to properly train its police officers.
PARIS (AP)  The trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy concluded Tuesday in Paris, after a month during which the court sought to determine whether he broke laws on campaign financing in his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid.

The verdict is to be delivered on September 30. Prosecutors have requested a six-month prison term, as well as a six-month suspended sentence and a fine of 3,750 euros ($4,468).

Sarkozy, France's president from 2007 to 2012, denies wrongdoing. He is accused of having spent almost twice the maximum legal amount of 22.5 million euros ($27.5 million) on the re-election bid that he lost to Socialist Francois Hollande.

The trial comes after Sarkozy, 66, was found guilty on March 1 of corruption and influence peddling in another case. He has appealed that verdict.

In their conclusions last week, prosecutors said Sarkozy knew weeks before the 2012 election that his campaign financing  strictly limited under French law  was getting close to the legal maximum. They accused him of having ignored two notes from his accountants warning against racking up additional expenses.

Instead, he gave instructions that led to more money being spent and did not put in place a supervision system, prosecutors said.

Sarkozy is the signatory and the only person responsible for his campaign financing. He is responsible for monitoring expenses, which he did not do, prosecutor Vanessa Perree said.

He showed his intention to exceed (the limit) by continuing to hold his rallies, she added.

Prosecutors said on March 10, 2012, eight weeks before the presidential election runoff, the campaigns budget was already above the legal limit. The next day, Sarkozy held a giant rally at Villepinte, north of Paris, which alone cost 6 million euros.

Closer to election day, Sarkozy held almost one rally per day, including two major ones in Paris at a cost of several millions of euros.

During his one-day appearance at the Paris court last week, Sarkozy vehemently denied wrongdoing. He said the extra money did not go to his campaign, but instead helped make other people richer.

He said, voice often raised in anger, that he followed the financial recommendations of his staff, including cancelling two planned rallies. I dont see where I was careless, where I was negligent, he said.

He said he never gave any direct instructions to service providers in charge of the organization, because he had a team to do that.

We made mistakes, probably... But was there malicious intent, fraudulent intent? No, no, he said.

Sarkozys lawyer, Gesche Le Fur, argued on Tuesday that her client could not be blamed for the amount of spending because he was not aware of the fraud and did not order it. He signed no contract, no invoice, he accepted to restrict expenses. He is respectful of the values of the Republic.

In addition to the former president, 13 other people are on trial, including members of his conservative Republicans party, accountants and heads of the communication group in charge of organizing the rallies, named Bygmalion. They face charges including forgery, breach of trust, fraud and complicity in illegal campaign financing.

Some have already admitted wrongdoing and detailed the system of false invoices that was meant to cover up the overspending.

Prosecutors requested mostly suspended prison sentences, and up to one year in prison for the Bygmalion co-funder.

The defendants disagree on everything. The declarations are not credible, possibly they are lies, Perree said.

Sarkozy retired from active politics in 2017, but is still playing a role behind the scenes within his party, The Republicans. French media have reported that he may end up supporting centrist President Emmanuel Macron, through an alliance with figures on the traditional right, in next years presidential election.
NEWNAN, Ga. (AP)  The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is probing an officer-involved shooting following an hourslong standoff with a suspect accused of shooting his son five times.

Newnan Police responded just after 7 p.m. Monday to a shooting and found Isaiah Smith, 27, in the yard of a neighbor's house with multiple gunshot wounds. He told officers that he was shot by his father, 48-year-old Steve Richard Pete Smith, who was still in the house, news outlets reported.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Maria De Jesus, American University School of International Service

(THE CONVERSATION) In the race between infection and injection, injection has lost.

Public health experts estimate that approximately 70% of the worlds 7.9 billion people must be fully vaccinated to end the COVID-19 pandemic. As of June 21, 2021, 10.04% of the global population had been fully vaccinated, nearly all of them in rich countries.

Only 0.9% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

I am a scholar of global health who specializes in health care inequities. Using a data set on vaccine distribution compiled by the Global Health Innovation Centers Launch and Scale Speedometer at Duke University in the United States, I analyzed what the global vaccine access gap means for the world.

A global health crisis

Supply is not the main reason some countries are able to vaccinate their populations while others experience severe disease outbreaks  distribution is.

Many rich countries pursued a strategy of overbuying COVID-19 vaccine doses in advance. My analyses demonstrate that the U.S., for example, has procured 1.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses, or 3.7 doses per person. Canada has ordered 381 million doses; every Canadian could be vaccinated five times over with the two doses needed.

Overall, countries representing just one-seventh of the worlds population had reserved more than half of all vaccines available by June 2021. That has made it very difficult for the remaining countries to procure doses, either directly or through COVAX, the global initiative created to enable low- to middle-income countries equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Benin, for example, has obtained about 203,000 doses of Chinas Sinovac vaccine  enough to fully vaccinate 1% of its population. Honduras, relying mainly on AstraZeneca, has procured approximately 1.4 million doses. That will fully vaccinate 7% of its population. In these vaccine deserts, even front-line health workers arent yet inoculated.

Haiti has received about 461,500 COVID-19 vaccine doses by donations and is grappling with a serious outbreak.

Even COVAXs goal  for lower-income countries to receive enough doses to vaccinate up to 20% of their population  would not get COVID-19 transmission under control in those places.

The cost of not cooperating

Last year, researchers at Northeastern University modeled two vaccine rollout strategies. Their numerical simulations found that 61% of deaths worldwide would have been averted if countries cooperated to implement an equitable global vaccine distribution plan, compared with only 33% if high-income countries got the vaccines first.

Put briefly, when countries cooperate, COVID-19 deaths drop by approximately in half.

Vaccine access is inequitable within countries, too  especially in countries where severe inequality already exists.

In Latin America, for example, a disproportionate number of the tiny minority of people whove been vaccinated are elites: political leaders, business tycoons and those with the means to travel abroad to get vaccinated. This entrenches wider health and social inequities.

The result, for now, is two separate and unequal societies in which only the wealthy are protected from a devastating disease that continues to ravage those who are not able to access the vaccine.

A repeat of AIDS missteps?

This is a familiar story from the HIV era.

In the 1990s, the development of effective antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS saved millions of lives in high-income countries. However, about 90% of the global poor who were living with HIV had no access to these lifesaving drugs.

Concerned about undercutting their markets in high-income countries, the pharmaceutical companies that produced antiretrovirals, such as Burroughs Wellcome, adopted internationally consistent prices. Azidothymidine, the first drug to fight HIV, cost about US$8,000 a year  over $19,000 in todays dollars.

That effectively placed effective HIV/AIDS drugs out of reach for people in poor nations  including countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the epidemics epicenter. By the year 2000, 22 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were living with HIV, and AIDS was the regions leading cause of death.

The crisis over inequitable access to AIDS treatment began dominating international news headlines, and the rich worlds obligation to respond became too great to ignore.

History will surely judge us harshly if we do not respond with all the energy and resources that we can bring to bear in the fight against HIV/AIDS, said South African President Nelson Mandela in 2004.

Pharmaceutical companies began donating antiretrovirals to countries in need and allowing local businesses to manufacture generic versions, providing bulk, low-cost access for highly affected poor countries. New global institutions like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria were created to finance health programs in poor countries.

Pressured by grassroots activism, the United States and other high-income countries also spent billions of dollars to research, develop and distribute affordable HIV treatments worldwide.

A dose of global cooperation

It took over a decade after the development of antiretrovirals, and millions of unnecessary deaths, for rich countries to make those lifesaving medicines universally available.

Fifteen months into the current pandemic, wealthy, highly vaccinated countries are starting to assume some responsibility for boosting global vaccination rates.

Leaders of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union and Japan recently pledged to donate a total of 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries.

It is not yet clear how their plan to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022 will be implemented and whether recipient countries will receive enough doses to fully vaccinate enough people to control viral spread. And the late 2022 goal will not save people in the developing world who are dying of COVID-19 in record numbers now, from Brazil to India.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic shows that ending the coronavirus pandemic will require, first, prioritizing access to COVID-19 vaccines on the global political agenda. Then wealthy nations will need to work with other countries to build their vaccine manufacturing infrastructure, scaling up production worldwide.

Finally, poorer countries need more money to fund their public health systems and purchase vaccines. Wealthy countries and groups like the G-7 can provide that funding.

These actions benefit rich countries, too. As long as the world has unvaccinated populations, COVID-19 will continue to spread and mutate. Additional variants will emerge.

As a May 2021 UNICEF statement put it: In our interdependent world no one is safe until everyone is safe.

[The Conversations most important politics headlines, in our Politics Weekly newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/global-herd-immunity-remains-out-of-reach-because-of-inequitable-vaccine-distribution-99-of-people-in-poor-countries-are-unvaccinated-162040.
HONOLULU (AP)  Hawaii Gov. David Ige said Monday he may veto 28 bills passed by the Legislature this year, including measures that would award bonuses to public school teachers and overhaul the transient accommodations tax.

The governor said he planned to use his line-item veto power to strike a provision of a budget bill that would have used federal coronavirus pandemic relief money to repay debt. Ige said guidance the U.S. Treasury Department issued after lawmakers adjourned in April specified the money may not be used in this way.

Ige indicated he may also veto a measure to boost the conveyance tax on non-commercial property worth more than $4 million because Hawaii's fiscal situation has improved greatly compared to the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

For similar reasons, he said he may veto a bill that would take some money from the state's tobacco settlement fund and use it for other government expenses.

Under the Hawaii constitution, Ige had until Monday to inform lawmakers whether he may veto a bill. If he doesn't veto any of the bills on the announced list, he will either sign them or they will become law without his signature on July 6.

The governor explained his potential veto of a measure to use federal coronavirus pandemic relief funds for teacher bonuses by saying the this use doesn't comply with guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.

Ige said legislatures don't have the authority to limit how an education agency  in this case the Hawaii Department of Education  uses federal relief money. He also said local education agencies are supposed to develop a spending plan after consulting the community, but in contrast lawmakers awarded the bonuses in conference committee and it is unclear whether any meaningful community consultation occurred.

Legislation passed by lawmakers would overhaul the transient accommodations tax, which is the state's levy on hotel room stays and other short-term rentals. The measure would repeal provisions that allocate a portion of the revenue to the counties and instead allow counties to impose their own surcharge on the tax. It would also deprive the Hawaii Tourism Authority of revenue from this tax. Ige said this was a problem for the agency, which had long concentrated on marketing the islands to travelers but has been transitioning to managing the effects of mass tourism on Hawaii's natural resources and communities.

Im very concerned that the changes in this bill will severely damage HTAs shift to destination management. We have heard loud and clear that our community is concerned, and its not about attracting more visitors. Its about managing those who we invite to come, Ige said at a news conference.

If lawmakers want to override any of the governors vetoes, they must convene a special session by noon on July 6.

House Speaker Scott Saiki said in a statement that House members will meet this week to discuss the governors list.

The Governor has not made his rationale for vetoes clear in his written notice. We hope that he will provide further rationale in the next few days. At that time, we will decide whether to override any vetoes, Saiki said.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia has picked Humana Inc. to continue providing health insurance for the 54,000 retirees eligible for Medicare and their dependents in the state.

The states public employees insurance agency awarded the health provider a new, four-year contract last week.
ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (AP)  A fire hydrant plant in Alabama reopened Monday, nearly a week after a gunman killed two co-workers and wounded two others there, news outlets reported.

Albertville Police Chief Jamie Smith said Monday that investigators still dont know the motive for the shootings early Tuesday at Mueller Water Products.

Our detectives have already logged numerous hours investigating and have interviewed numerous people with several more to go, he said in a message on the department's Facebook page. The detectives have even gone to the length of traveling to Chattanooga to Erlanger Hospital last Friday to speak with the relatives of the victims that are recuperating there.

Chattanooga is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Albertville.

Police said last week that Andreas Horton, 34, used a handgun to kill and wound co-workers before dawn Tuesday and was found dead in his vehicle in nearby Guntersville. Police said he apparently had shot himself.

Police identified the dead men as Michael Dobbins and David Horton, both of Boaz. Smith said he believed the Hortons were unrelated.

Casey Sampson and Isaac Byrd, both of Albertville, remained hospitalized.

The company has said it will pay for funerals and help all four families. It started an online survivors' fund with $100,000, news outlets reported.
CIUDAD VICTORIA (AP)  The top prosecutor in Mexicos border state of Tamaulipas said Tuesday that infighting between rival factions of the Gulf drug cartel was the motive behind a weekend shooting that killed 19 people, 15 of whom appeared to be innocent bystanders.

State prosecutor Irving Barrios told local station Radio Formula that apparently two gangs that operate just outside the border city of Reynosa launched the attack Saturday to weaken the rival Metros faction.

The Metros have long dominated Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas. The area is a lucrative corridor for trafficking contraband and migrants across the U.S. border.

All three factions  the Metros, the Scorpions and the Cyclones  were part of the Gulf Cartel, but struggles for leadership and territory broke out after the arrest of drug lord Osiel Cardenas Guillen in 2003, and the Gulf Cartel's split with their former henchmen, the Zetas, around 2010.

The Scorpions were once a specialized security force for cartel leaders; now they and the Cyclones operate their own smuggling, trafficking and extortion territory east of Reynosa, in Rio Bravo and Matamoros.

Barrios said trucks carrying gunmen from the Scorpions and Cyclones drove into Reynosa and opened fire to destabilize Reynosa and gain territory there.

He said their aim was to create terror in a portion of the public so they could come in and take control.

There is evidence that the groups of hitmen riding in a half-dozen pickup trucks sought to sow panic and also robbed people.

They came firing left and right, everywhere, Barrios said. They robbed stores, they broke into an auto repair shop and stole cell phones and several vehicles, all with the goal of spreading terror.

Four of the gunmen were killed in shootouts with police and National Guard members, and a fifth was wounded and is in custody.

Some Reynosa residents who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals said many stores and restaurants were either closed or opening for only a few hours per day and shutting down by nightfall.

There is a lot of uncertainty, because no one knows for sure what is happening, said one Reynosa resident.

On Monday, federal prosecutors said they were taking over the case, and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pledged a thorough investigation.

But the killings Saturday in Reynosa, and the latest nationwide homicide figures, suggest that Lopez Obradors hugs not bullets crime strategy is doing little to decrease deaths.

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 Mexicos worst coronavirus wave, when public activities were curtailed.

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 midterm 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.
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP)  The records of roughly 500,000 patients of an eye clinic with locations throughout Iowa may have been stolen as part of a ransomware attack on the business earlier this year.

Wolfe Eye Clinic said Tuesday its computer network was attacked on Feb. 8 by hackers who demanded a ransom to unlock access to its systems, but the company didn't pay the hackers. The company plans to notify affected patients that their information may have been stolen and offer them a year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  American authorities seized a range of Irans state-linked news website domains they accused of spreading disinformation, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday, a move that appeared to be a far-reaching crackdown on Iranian media amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

The Justice Department said 33 of the seized websites were used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union, which was singled out by the U.S. government last October for what officials described as efforts to spread disinformation and sow discord among American voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election. T

he U.S. says three other seized websites were operated by the Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group, Kata'ib Hizballah, which more than a decade ago was designated a foreign terrorist organization. The group is separate from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group whose news websites remained operational.

The website domains are owned by U.S. companies, but despite the sanctions, neither the IRTVU nor KH obtained the required licenses from the U.S. government before using the domain names, according to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department announcement came hours after the Iranian state-run news agency IRNA revealed the U.S. government seizures without providing further information.

The takedowns come as world powers scramble to resurrect Tehran's tattered 2015 nuclear deal and just days after the election victory of Iran's hard-line judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi. On Monday, Raisi, known for his hostility to the West, staked out a hard-line position in his first news conference. He ruled out the possibilities of meeting with President Joe Biden or negotiating over Tehrans ballistic missile program and support for regional militias  concerns the Biden administration wants addressed in future talks.

Relations between Iran and the U.S. have deteriorated for years following President Donald Trump's withdrawal from Tehran's nuclear deal and the return of devastating sanctions on the country. That decision has seen Iran, over time, gradually abandon every limit on uranium enrichment. The country is now enriching uranium to 60%, its highest level ever, though still short of weapons-grade levels.

Iran provides support to militant groups in the region, such as Lebanons militant Hezbollah and Yemens Houthi rebels, as it seeks to wield its influence far afield and counter its foes.

On Tuesday, visiting the addresses of a handful of sites, including Iran state televisions English-language arm Press TV, Yemeni Houthi-run Al-Masirah satellite news channel and Iranian state TVs Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, produced a federal takedown notice. It said the websites were seized as part of law enforcement action by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The U.S. government also took over the domain name of the news website Palestine Today, which reflects the viewpoints of Gaza-based Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, redirecting the site to the same takedown notice.

Press TV, launched in June 2007, is the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcastings English-language service. Its Iran-based website, PressTV.ir, was not affected.

Most of the domains seized appeared to be .net, .com and .tv domains. The first two are generic top-level domains as opposed to country-specific domains, while .tv is owned by the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu but administered by the U.S. company Verisign. Seizing a domain on a major country-specific top-level domain such as Iran's .ir would be apt to produce widespread international condemnation as a violation of sovereignty.

Its not the first time that the U.S. has seized domain names of sites it accuses of spreading disinformation.

Last October, the Department of Justice announced the takedown of nearly 100 websites linked to Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard. The U.S. said the sites, operating under the guise of genuine news outlets, were waging a global disinformation campaign to influence U.S. policy and push Iranian propaganda around the world.

Yemen's Houthi rebel group announced that its Al-Masirah satellite news channel went offline Tuesday without prior notice. It said the channel would continue in its mission of confronting the American and Israeli acts of piracy against our nation, by any means.

Responsibility for providing name service for the domain name presstv.com was apparently switched to an Amazon name server on Tuesday at mid-afternoon European time, said internet infrastructure expert Ron Guilmette. Cybersecurity researchers at RiskIQ found a total of 24 seized sites sharing the same Amazon name server.

There are no private television or radio stations in Iran. Satellite dishes, while widespread, also are illegal. That leaves IRIB with a monopoly on domestic airwaves.

Marzieh Hashemi, a prominent Press TV anchor who, in 2019, was arrested as a material witness in an unspecified criminal case and has appeared before a grand jury in Washington, told The Associated Press that the channel was struggling to figure out the reasons for the seizure.

While airing in Iran, Press TV focuses predominantly on international affairs through the lens of how leaders in the Islamic Republic see the world. Fierce criticism of British and American foreign policy is common. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, IRIB has been in the hands of hard-liners who back Irans government.

Press TV has previously run into trouble with Western authorities over its reporting. The Anti-Defamation League has criticized the channel as one of the worlds leading dispensers of conspiratorial anti-Semitism in English.

___

Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A federal judge said he'll soon decide whether to block a new Indiana law that would require doctors to tell women undergoing drug-induced abortions about a disputed treatment for potentially stopping the abortion process.

U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon in Indianapolis heard arguments Monday in a lawsuit filed by abortion rights groups seeking to stop the so-called abortion reversal law from taking effect as scheduled July 1.
FRANKFORT, Ky (AP)  Overhauling Kentucky's outdated technology for processing jobless claims could take up to three years, the state's labor secretary said Tuesday as lawmakers delved into problems with the pandemic-stressed unemployment insurance system.

The state is in the latter stages of selecting a contractor to take on the task of reworking and rebuilding the claims-processing system, Labor Secretary Larry Roberts said.

If we can modernize our system, thats going to make a big difference, Roberts told the legislative task force that began reviewing problems with the unemployment system.

In the meantime, Kentucky labor officials are looking for ways to make more immediate improvements, he said. That's because of the longer timeline needed to replace the systems antiquated computer system, which is expected to cost around $40 million.

It may take two to three years to make that an outcome, Roberts said.

Like other states, Kentucky was overwhelmed by record waves of claims for jobless assistance caused by the coronavirus. Tens of thousands of Kentuckians found themselves in limbo for months as they waited for their jobless claims to be processed. Even with most virus restrictions now lifted, lawmakers continue to forward complaints from constituents awaiting jobless aid.

The legislative review comes amid a transition at the Labor Cabinet. Roberts is retiring at the end of June, and Gov. Andy Beshear selected veteran state official Jamie Link as the next cabinet secretary. Roberts declined to talk to reporters after his appearance before the legislative task force.

The task force's co-chairman, Republican Rep. Russell Webber, urged cabinet leaders to seek business sector input to get it right the first time" in reworking the unemployment system.

I dont want to see us repeat the last year again, with a system that was overwhelmed," he said.

Tom Underwood, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, told lawmakers that the pandemic had "laid bare across state government how archaic the IT systems are. He urged lawmakers to allocate federal relief money to update the technology systems. The legislature's next regular session will begin in early January.

The legislative task force will meet several times, hearing from stakeholders, before presenting its recommendations on how to improve the unemployment insurance system. Republican Sen. Michael Nemes, the panel's other co-chairman, called it "a very personal and emotional issue.

Were here for a very important issue but were not here to find blame," he said. "We are here to find whats going on and what we can do for the future to improve the system.

For the past year, Republicans have criticized the Democratic governor for the unemployment system's problems. Beshear has pointed to budget and staffing cuts that hobbled the system well before he took office. Beshears administration eventually hired an outside company to help work through the claims backlog. That outside work cost the state about $14.5 million.

With the state's unemployment rate falling, Republican Rep. Phillip Pratt questioned why the Beshear administration decided to reopen a series of regional offices to provide in-person unemployment insurance services.

Even though the unemployment rate is down, and its improving, theres still a backlog (of cases) that needs to be worked," Roberts replied. And until we get all those cases worked, theres going to still be that need to provide that type of service.

The task force also delved into problems caused by fraudulent claims for jobless aid.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  A lawsuit against seven Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies accused them of beating a man dozens of times in the face, leaving him with broken bones and loss of sight in one eye, his attorneys announced Monday.

Christopher Bailey has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the deputies and the Sheriff's Department over the May 2020 beating in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, KABC-TV reported.

Bailey was returning home from work as a mail-sorting contractor for the U.S. Postal Service when his car was pulled over at around 2 a.m. for allegedly straddling a lane.

Attorneys for Bailey said he was attacked even though he complied with deputies' orders, although a police report said he resisted arrest, KABC-TV reported.

I was screaming out (that) I wanted to live. I really feared for my life, I thought I was going to die, Bailey said.

He sustained 64 to 86 total body and face hits. He was pummeled in the face approximately 35 to 44 times, attorney Toni Jaramilla said during a news conference.

Bailey lost teeth, suffered broken bones in his face and can't see out of his left eye, Jaramilla said.

Mr. Bailey recalls that he heard deputies say, Pull his pants down, and he could feel tugging in his pants, and he was Tasered in the lower abdomen near his groin area, Jaramilla said.

Bailey was charged with three felony counts of resisting arrest but the charges were later dropped, his attorneys said. They want the deputies criminally charged.

This was a gang-like beatdown of a Black citizen, Jaramilla said.

All use of force incidents which result in injury are unfortunate," a Sheriffs Department statement said, but added that the department couldn't offer further details because of the pending legal action, KABC-TV said.
HAMPTON, N.H. (AP)  A man has been accused of crashing into multiple vehicles at a crowded Hampton Beach and nearly hitting a sheriff's deputy, prosecutors said.

A judge ordered no bail for the 24-year-old man, who pleaded not guilty Monday to felony criminal mischief and reckless conduct charges, and misdemeanor aggravated driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of multiple accidents and disobeying police.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  As children get ready for summer camp, federal COVID-19 response funds are being used to offer mental health training for camp counselors.

The Department of Education is partnering with the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Mental Health Association to provide the training. Also, the 10 community mental health centers around the state will have staff on site at camp locations weekly to provide mental health support for children.
A 13-year-old Honduran girl who spent two months at the government's largest emergency shelter for migrant children said she was put on suicide watch and was eating only popsicles and juice because the food smelled so foul. At another site, a 17-year-old Salvadoran girl said she had to wear the same clothes and underwear for two weeks and spent most days in bed.

At a third facility in Texas, a 16-year-old Honduran boy said he had not met with a case manager for more than three weeks to see whether he could go live with his sister in New Orleans.

I am desperate. I wouldnt mind being here for 20 or 30 days if I knew that I was going to be released soon. But because the process hasnt started and because I had no idea whats happening or when the process will start, that makes me feel very, very anxious. I dont know when this will end, he said.

More than a dozen immigrant children described similar conditions and desperation to get out of large-scale emergency care facilities set up by the Biden administration at places like convention centers and military bases to address a record rise in the number of children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The children were interviewed by immigrant advocates from March to June, and their accounts were filed late Monday with a federal court in Los Angeles that oversees a longstanding settlement governing custody conditions for children who cross the border alone.

Advocates have said for weeks that President Joe Bidens administration is taking too long to release children to relatives in the United States and that conditions at some of the unlicensed emergency facilities are inadequate and distressing. The Obama and Trump administrations also faced challenges addressing the care of unaccompanied migrant children.

The Biden administration said significant improvements have been made, including redoubling efforts to swiftly reunify kids with their families or move them to licensed long-term care facilities. That has resulted in a drop in the number of children in emergency shelters, from a high of about 14,500 in April to fewer than 8,000 children now, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the agency in charge of their care.

At the Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso, Texas, the administration's largest emergency shelter, the number of children has dropped from about 4,800 to 1,600. Activities like exercise classes and weekly meetings with case managers are now available, along with a library on site that children can visit anytime, the department said.

In their accounts, the children  who are not named in the court filings  describe waiting for weeks or more than a month in facilities with little to do, minimal education and no knowledge of when they will be allowed to leave.

At Fort Bliss, the Honduran girl on suicide watch said she could hardly sleep at night because the lights were always on and she found herself sleeping during the day. She said the food was horrible, including soggy salad and foul-smelling bread, so she resorted to eating only popsicles and juice.

She said that while on suicide watch, pens and pencils were taken from her and guards observed her every move  measures meant to protect her from harming herself.

She said she was told if she tried to escape, she would spend a longer time in detention. When she filed her account, she said she had been at the facility for nearly 60 days and didn't know when she could go live in New Mexico with her uncle, who told her that he had completed the paperwork for her release.

I have been here for a really long time. I really want to leave, she said.

Record arrivals of unaccompanied migrant children have tested the Biden administration, which has picked up nearly 60,000 of them from February to May, many of them from Central America.

The government opened more than a dozen emergency intake sites this spring to respond quickly to overcrowding at Customs and Border Protection facilities, one of which was holding 4,000 people in a space intended for 250 and keeping many for weeks, far past a three-day limit.

At the emergency sites, children were expected to remain for a week or two until they could be reunited with relatives in the United States or sent to more stable locations, such as state-licensed long-term facilities or foster care.

More than 2,100 children were housed at emergency facilities for over 40 days and more than 2,600 for 21 to 40 days at the end of May, according to the governments June report to the court. About a third of transitional foster care beds remained empty, as did nearly 600 beds at licensed shelters, the report said.

In their court filing this week, advocates who say children are languishing in the massive, tent-like structures questioned why the government is keeping so many in those unlicensed shelters rather than placing them in licensed facilities or with foster families.

After this many months, that remains a complete mystery to us, said Leecia Welch, senior director of legal advocacy and child welfare at the National Center for Youth Law and one of the lawyers for children in the federal case. And its not for lack of asking the question. Were simply not getting an answer."

A hearing is scheduled for next week with the federal judge overseeing the case.

All emergency shelters are required to provide clean, comfortable sleeping spaces, toiletries, laundry and access to medical and mental health services, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Kids also can confidentially submit feedback in comment boxes.

The government contends it shut down any sites that did not meet those standards and are closing more as the need decreases.

But advocates fear more children could end up at the unlicensed emergency sites because Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the closure of federally funded shelters that house migrant kids in that state. The Biden administration has threatened to take legal action if the Republican governor carries out the order. More than half of migrant children sheltered by the U.S. government in licensed facilities are in Texas.

At a facility in Houston that has since closed, the 17-year-old from El Salvador she couldn't shower for eight days and was told to turn her underwear inside out because there was no laundry. She said children were limited on when they could use the bathroom and that she would cry at night.

We spent most of the day in our beds at Houston because there was nothing else to do," she said. I felt very desperate.

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Taxin reported from Orange County, California, Gomez Licon from Miami and Watson from San Diego.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  The employer of a man who was run over by a large forklift while working on a northern Minnesota oil pipeline project has been cited by state regulators and fined $25,000.

Jorge Villafuerte III was checking a list of materials at the Enbridge Energy Line 3 site near Hill City while standing behind an industrial forklift when it backed over him. The 45-year-old Villafuerte died while emergency responders were en route to the site, authorities said.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A family member has identified the victims of a plane crash in Utah last week as a Montana woman and her 6-year-old granddaughter.

Alexandria Seigel of Havre, Montana, tells KSTU-TV in Salt Lake City that her mother, Virginia Seigel, 51, and her daughter, Elise Lawrence, were in the plane that crashed in the Deseret Peak Wilderness west of Salt Lake City last Thursday, sparking a wildfire.

Seigel and Elise were traveling to California and had made a stop in Idaho Falls, Idaho, about 7 p.m. Thursday. They left about 9 p.m., headed for Cedar City, Utah, Alexandria Seigel said.

When she didn't hear from her mother, Seigel contacted a friend who was helping with their flight planning and the friend alerted the Federal Aviation Administration.

I know that it happened, I understand that it happened, I know that its real, but its so hard for me to even really, really believe that those people arent with me anymore because they were the most alive people Ive ever met, Alexandria Seigel told KSTU in a video interview on Monday. It just seems so wrong that theyre not here with us.

Virginia Seigel flew helicopters in the military for about 15 years, Alexandra Seigel said.

She loved to take the kids, all my kids, flying, Seigel said. She was amazing.

Elise loved to play the piano and was looking forward to starting school in the fall after missing kindergarten last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Probably one of the most vibrant people Ive ever met, she actually reminded me a lot of my mom," Seigel said of her daughter. They had a really close bond."

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  More remains from a homicide victim were found Tuesday in Minneapolis, according to police.

The remains were found shortly before 7 a.m. near the Mississippi River more than 3 miles from where the initial body parts were discovered last week, officials said.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  The New Mexico State Land Office has finalized a sublease agreement between Albuquerque and Netflix for the companys planned expansion.

The plan includes about 130 acres of state trust land and 170 acres of private land at Mesa del Sol.
LINCOLNTON, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina man has been charged in connection with a road rage incident in which a woman was shot in the face, a sheriff's office said.

In a news release, the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office said deputies dispatched to a location on U.S. Highway 321 on Sunday found two vehicles stopped on the shoulder and that the occupants got into an altercation.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland's government said Tuesday it has evidence linking a recent cyber attack on thousands of email and social media accounts of politicians, public figures and other Poles to Russias secret services.

The spokesman for the minister who coordinates Poland's intelligence agencies, Stanislaw Zaryn, claimed the attack was part of a campaign to destabilize politics in Central Europe. He said Poland's Internal Security Agency and military intelligence established that the attacks were by the UNC1151 group.

The services are in possession of information confirming the links of the aggressors with the activity of the Russian special services, Zaryn said in a statement.

Some 100 of the more than 4,350 accounts hit in Poland belong to former and current government members, lawmakers and local administration officials, Zaryn said.

The hacks include one revealed earlier this month on the private email and social media accounts of Michal Dworczyk, the head of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieckis office, and Dworczyks wife.

Dworczyk insists his account held no classified or sensitive information.

Content allegedly coming from Dworczyk's account and relating to armaments purchases and Poland's response to the coronavirus, along with Dworczyk's ID and driving license, has appeared this month on the Telegram communicator that originated in Russia in 2013.

Prosecutors are investigating, and Zaryn said steps have been taken to increase cybersecurity. Last week, lawmakers met for a closed-doors session to analyze the attacks and draw lessons from them.

Polish security officials often say the hacking of government-linked accounts is aimed at weakening Polands position internationally or straining its ties with Western partners. That is widely seen in Poland as a strategic aim of the Kremlin as Warsaw backs sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its support for the authoritarian president of Belarus.
VIRGIE, Ky. (AP)  A funeral will be held this week for a Kentucky soldier killed during the Korean War, Fort Knox said.

The remains of Army Cpl. Burl Mullins will be interred Saturday at Osborne Cemetery in the Dorton community in Pike County after a funeral service in Virgie.
DECATUR, Ga. (AP)  The Sons of Confederate Veterans group has sued to return a 30-foot-high (9-meter) obelisk to a site in front of a Georgia courthouse.

The monument was taken down and moved to storage last year after a judge in Decatur agreed with the city's argument that it had become a threat to public safety during protests about racism and police brutality.

The suit was filed Wednesday, two days short of a year after the monuments removal, news outlets reported.

The group suggests that city officials colluded to get around a state law protecting historic monuments, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

It contends that the monument was not found to be a public nuisance.

DeKalb County Judge Clarence Seeligers ruling last year said it had become an increasingly frequent target of graffiti and vandalism, a figurative lightning rod for friction among citizens, and a potential catastrophe that could happen at any time if individuals attempt to forcibly remove or destroy it.

His final order, in September, said the obelisk should never be returned to the square.

The world is full of controversy. And if we were to say anything that causes controversy is a public nuisance, thats an endless road to go down, attorney Walker Chandler, who filed the lawsuit, told WXIA-TV.

In an email to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Decatur City Attorney Bryan Downs called the suit a tardy, vexatious attack on properly entered rulings by a Georgia court of law.

He said the group had more than three months to try to intervene before Seeliger's final order but did nothing.

The Petition they have now filed is factually incorrect, legally flawed, and procedurally deficient, Downs wrote. In short, it is a lost cause.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  As South Dakota anticipates a state Supreme Court decision on whether recreational marijuana will become legal in July, state lawmakers and city governments are moving forward with their own pot plans.

Officials across the state have warmed to the idea of legalization since voters passed a constitutional amendment in November legalizing marijuana for adults. Some cities want to own and operate recreational marijuana dispensaries, a lobbyist for municipalities told a committee of state lawmakers studying adult-use recreational marijuana on Tuesday. And even if the Supreme Court keeps the drug from being legalized, state lawmakers are planning to craft a legalization bill ahead of next year's legislative session.

As it stands, the voter-passed law will not take effect on July 1 because a state circuit court judge struck it down in February, reasoning that it violated a requirement that constitutional amendments deal with just one subject and would have created broad changes to state government. An appeal to that ruling from marijuana legalization advocates is currently being weighed by the state Supreme Court.

State lawmakers have been in a holding pattern as the legal battle has played out. Republican Rep. Hugh Bartels said he anticipates the Supreme Court will issue its ruling on Thursday, meaning that if the high court sides with pot legalization, the state would have just days to prepare for the law to take effect.

Bartels, who is the chair of the Legislature's Adult-Use Marijuana Study Subcommittee, said the Supreme Court's ruling will largely determine the job of the committee. If marijuana gets the go-ahead from justices, lawmakers will focus on cleaning up state law to accommodate pot and study its implications on issues such as property taxes and driving laws. If pot legalization is struck down, Bartels said the committee would focus on writing a proposal to legalize pot next year.

He said the bill would be a good, center of the road proposal that would look to avoid some of the pitfalls the constitutional amendment suffered, though he acknowledged the bill would not be a sure bet in the Republican-dominated Legislature.

During the 2020 election, 54% of voters passed the constitutional amendment legalizing pot. A separate ballot measure legalizing medical marijuana was even more popular, passing with 70% of the vote.

Gov. Kristi Noem has led the effort to stop recreational marijuana legalization, bringing the lawsuit challenging its constitutionality and calling it a bad decision for the state.

But Yvonne Taylor, the executive director of the South Dakota Municipal League, told lawmakers that cities are seeing the potential financial benefit of marijuana legalization. She proposed allowing cities to own and operate pot dispensaries as a way for local communities to reap some of the profits.

The advent of recreational marijuana is going to bring in a lot of money and a lot of outside interests, she said.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Gov. Dan McKee has asked state police to investigate whether the administrator of the state Division of Motor Vehicles had any knowledge of, or involvement in, an alleged prostitution operation that leased one if his rental properties.

Cranston police last week shut down six unlicensed massage businesses they alleged were fronts for human trafficking and prostitution, including one that rented property owned by Walter Bud Craddock through his real estate holding company, LUC Realty Holdings LLC.

Craddock has said that he had no knowledge of any illegal activities at the site and had never heard any complaints.

McKee wants state police to make sure.

The buying and selling of human beings is a horrific and despicable practice, and we must do everything we can to protect victims and put a stop to it, the Democratic governor's office said in a statement Monday. This morning, the governor directed the Rhode Island State Police to ascertain all relevant facts and investigate whether the administrator committed any wrongdoing whatsoever related to this situation. The governor is fully committed to ensuring all resources are utilized to obtain all the facts in this disturbing case.

McKee said during a news conference Tuesday that the investigation was not criminal in nature, and Craddock would continue to lead the DMV while it is underway.

LUC Realty Holdings LLC in its own statement Monday said Craddock, also a former Cranston police chief, has nothing to hide.

Bud Craddock welcomes a state police investigation as it will prove beyond a shadow of doubt that he did nothing wrong, had no involvement in this abhorrent activity and no knowledge that it was occurring on property he owns," the statement said.

LUC also said it is terminating the lease and has given the business until July 15 to move out. Eviction proceedings will begin if the business does not move out by that deadline.

In addition to shutting down the six businesses, police also arrested 11 people, mostly on misdemeanor charges, but said most may be human trafficking victims themselves. One woman was charged with permitting prostitution.
New Jersey's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the state's decision to allow the expansion of seven charter schools in Newark, rejecting a challenge that argued it would hinder the ability of students in traditional public schools to get a quality education.

The lawsuit was brought by the Education Law Center, a Newark-based nonprofit that has brought legal challenges on behalf of students in poor school districts in New Jersey and other states.

It said New Jersey's education commissioner's 2016 decision to approve increased enrollments and the expansion of facilities for the charter schools would negatively affect public school funding.

The Supreme Court concluded that the ELC and Newark's school board, which joined the appeal, hadn't demonstrated that expanding the charter schools would result in fiscal harm to traditional public schools.

The lawsuit had argued that because Newark was one of 31 urban school districts designated in landmark legal decisions in the 1980s and 90s as being victimized by inadequate and unequal funding, the state should have to demonstrate the charter school expansion wouldnt jeopardize the quality of traditional public school education. But the Supreme Court rejected that argument.

The court agreed with the plaintiffs, however, that the commissioner's decision didn't take into account the racial impact the expansion could have, or the potential that it could increase segregation by leaving the citys traditional public schools with a higher concentration of students with disabilities or English language needs.

While failing to conduct that analysis rendered the decision deficient, the justices wrote, reversing it would be impractical and could disrupt the education of thousands of students in Newark's charter schools.

We hold that in determining future applications to open new charter schools or to expand charter school enrollment or facilities, the Commissioner should thoroughly address both issues, Justice Anne Patterson wrote in the 7-0 opinion.

Charter schools are free public schools that operate independently of a local school districts board of education, and are instead governed by an independent board of trustees. They are open to all students in the school's geographic district, and admittance often is awarded via lottery due to high demand.

Newark's first charter school opened in the late 1990s, and nearly two dozen currently operate in the city. In the lawsuit, the ELC projected that if the expansion of the charter schools was approved, 50% of all Newark students would be enrolled in charter schools within five years.

This ruling now puts the commissioner on firm and clear notice of the states constitutional obligation, on an ongoing basis, to evaluate the impact of charter schools on student segregation and take action to remedy those impacts, Education Law Center executive director David Sciarra said in a statement Tuesday.

Harry Lee, president of the New Jersey Public Charter School Association, said in an email that the ruling recognized that "public charter schools are an integral part of the education ecosystem in Newark and the continued expansion of Newark charters has improved the quality of the overall public education system in the city.
GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP)  A Great Falls boy has been sentenced to juvenile probation until he turns 21 for the accidental shooting death of his 14-year-old friend last November.

The boy answered true to a charge of negligent homicide during a Juvenile Court hearing in April as part of a plea agreement that recommended the probationary sentence for the death of Antonio Carlos Thierry Jr. The boy was sentenced Monday, the Great Falls Tribune reports.
HAGATNA, Guam  Guam is launching a vaccine tourism program to encourage citizens of neighboring countries and Americans living in East Asia to come get inoculated against COVID-19.

The Pacific Daily News reports the first group of three travelers was arriving on a charter flight from Taiwan. The Guam Visitors Bureau says this is a prelude to bigger groups to come.

The program is aimed at jump-starting Guams tourism industry which has suffered from a decline in travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccination rates in places like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been low compared to the U.S. territory, where vaccines are easily available.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 US finds deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year

 WHO plans technology transfer hub for coronavirus vaccines in South Africa

 Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ATLANTA  Georgias governor says he will end the states public health state of emergency on July 1, more than 15 months after he initially declared it because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican Brian Kemp made the announcement Tuesday, signing a fresh extension of the extraordinary powers granted to him by lawmakers that will expire at 12:00 a.m. on July 1.

Thanks to those efforts, more Georgians are getting vaccinated, our economic momentum is strong, and people are getting back to normal, Kemp said in a statement. We have emerged resilient, and I thank all Georgians for doing their part.

Kemp becomes the latest in a series of governors nationwide to wind down emergency powers.

This was the first use of Georgias public health emergency law. It grants Kemp sweeping powers to suspend laws and state regulations. The governor says he will hold on to some extraordinary powers, saying he will issue a different kind of emergency order.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas on Tuesday reported 485 new coronavirus cases, its biggest one-day jump in more than three months.

The Department of Health said it was the biggest one-day increase since the state reported 570 new cases on March 5. The state has had 346,180 cases since the pandemic began last year.

The states active cases, meaning ones that dont include people who have died or recovered, rose by 251 to 2,570. The states COVID-19 deaths rose by eight to 5,884. Hospitalizations rose by four to 285.

Arkansas in late March opened its vaccinations to everyone at least 16 years old and lifted its statewide mask mandate, but the state has had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson cited the latest increase as he urged more people to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus. About 41% of the states population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and about 33% completed their vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Until we increase the number of shots, we will continue to have increased numbers of hospitalizations and new cases like we did today, Hutchinson tweeted.

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HONOLULU  Hawaii health officials say there is community spread of the COVID-19 delta variant, which was first detected in India.

Two cases on Oahu and one on the Big Island involve travel from the U.S. mainland. One case involves an Oahu resident with no travel history. The state Department of Health said it is investigating to determine the extent of household and community transmission.

Acting State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said of the four cases, only one person was vaccinated. Health experts say vaccines remain effective against the variant. Hawaiis vaccination rate is 57%. Kemble says Hawaiis pace of vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks.

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LOS ANGELES  The Los Angeles Philharmonic will return to the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Oct. 9 after a 19-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021/22 season was announced Tuesday by Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and executives of the LA Phil.

Over this past year, the pandemic has isolated us from one another, and so as we celebrate our return to Walt Disney Concert Hall, we want to remember all that unites us, and all that is best in us, Dudamel said in a statement. This season, we will blend different musical traditions, bridge geographical borders and build new connections among cultures, communities, audiences and artists.

More than 10 million doses of vaccine have been administered in Los Angeles County, where rates of new cases, hospitalizations and death have plunged in what was once an epicenter of the pandemic. The daily test positivity rate Monday was just 0.7%.

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WASHINGTON  The so-called COVID-19 delta variant which was first detected in India now represents more than 20% of coronavirus infections in the U.S. in the last two weeks, or double what it was when the Centers for Disease Control last reported on the variants prevalence.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, warned that the U.S. could be following the United Kingdoms course, where the variant has become the dominant strain due to rapid spread among youth.

Fauci says indications are that the COVID-19 vaccines remain effective against the variant.

The variant is accounting for half of new infections in the regions that include Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

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HONOLULU  Uncertainty remains about when Hawaii will drop its requirement for vaccinated arriving travelers to have a negative coronavirus test to avoid quarantine.

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green wants the state to drop the testing requirement for fully vaccinated travelers ahead of the July 4th holiday, but Gov. David Ige is reluctant.

Ige would not commit to dropping the travel test during a Monday news conference. The governor said earlier this month that testing requirements for vaccinated domestic travelers would end once 60% of Hawaii residents are fully vaccinated.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green said there could be confusion and conflict if the state doesnt drop the requirements soon.

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BERLIN  The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel has received her second dose of vaccine against COVID-19.

The government said Tuesday that Merkel was vaccinated a few days ago. The 66-year-old received a first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine on April 16. For the second shot, she received the Moderna vaccine.

Germany recommended in April that younger people who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca should switch to a different vaccine for the second shot.

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JERUSALEM  Israels prime minister says the country is in the grip of a new outbreak of the coronavirus after a spike in cases in the past week, most of them minors with the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.

Naftali Bennett said Tuesday after touring Israels main international airport that masks would be mandatory in Ben Gurion Airport and there would be more stringent testing of incoming travelers.

We made an initial decision to treat this like a new outbreak, and our aim is to sever it, he said. Bennett called on Israelis to avoid all non-essential summer travel abroad.

Israels Health Ministry reported 125 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, the highest daily number since late April. Over 55% of the countrys 9.3 million citizens have received two vaccine doses, but Bennett said several of the new cases reported were in vaccinated individuals.

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MOSCOW  The mayor of Moscow announced new coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, saying that the situation with the coronavirus remains very difficult in the Russian capital.

The countrys state coronavirus task force reported 6,555 new COVID-19 cases in Moscow on Tuesday and 16,715 new infections across Russia, both tallies twice as high as a month ago.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin banned all entertainment and sports events at which more than 500 people are present.

Starting next Monday, all restaurants, cafes and bars in Moscow will only allow in customers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from the virus within the past six months or can provide a negative coronavirus test carried out within 72 hours prior to the visit. To prove their eligibility, customers will need to obtain a QR code at one of several government websites.

Coronavirus infections surged in the Russian capital two weeks ago, prompting the city authorities to order mandatory vaccinations for workers in retail, education and some other service sectors. Russians have been widely resistant to vaccinations and only less than 13% of the population has received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine.

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KALAMAZOO, Mich.  Western Michigan University said it will hold a series of drawings, from August to December, to give away more than $100,000 to students who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

There will be 60 winners. The biggest prizes are five worth $10,000 each. The money can be used for tuition, fees, campus housing and campus dining.

Students need help with the cost of college, and so we felt like those would really be incentives that would speak to students, said Diane Anderson, vice president of student affairs.

Students, of course, need to show proof of vaccination..

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LONDON  Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she is aiming to lift most remaining coronavirus restrictions in Scotland on Aug. 9.

She also told Scottish lawmakers that changes to current restrictions will be postponed by three weeks to July 19 as a result of a sharp spike in new infections that are largely due to the delta variant first identified in India.

She said 2,167 cases have been recorded in Scotland in the past 24 hours, the highest level since Jan. 8 when the U.K. as a whole was in the midst of a catastrophic second wave of the pandemic.

The U.K. as a whole recorded 11,625 new cases on Tuesday, the highest daily figure since Feb. 19.

She said her government will make a final assessment nearer the time to see whether this could include the lifting of social distancing rules both indoors and out. l as outdoors.

The other nations of the U.K.  England, Wales and Northern Ireland  are moving out of lockdown at different speeds.

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ISTANBUL  Turkeys president has announced the countrys first local vaccine in development against COVID-19 would be called TURKOVAC.

The first dose of the vaccines third phase trial was administered to a male volunteer Tuesday in a videoconference by the health minister, professors and Turkeys president. The health minister said Phase 1 and 2 trials showed the vaccines safety and immune response.

TURKOVAC is using an inactivated virus technology and was developed at Erciyes University. Other vaccine developments continue in Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said it is imperative to have a local vaccine that Turkey would use in the country and export to others.

Turkey is currently using vaccines from Chinas Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech. Russias Sputnik V will also be used. More than 43,5 doses have been administered with the age category lowered to 25 on Tuesday.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the vaccine is the pride of the nation.

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PORTLAND, Maine  A program to help the U.S.s bus companies survive the coronavirus pandemic that was championed by a Maine senator is now accepting applications.

Republic Sen. Susan Collins co-wrote the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services grant program and said this week that the program is now open. The program is slated to provide $2 billion in coronavirus relief to bus, motorcoach and other passenger vessel companies.

The pandemic has hit the nations approximately 3,000 private bus lines hard. Nearly all of them were shut down in the early stages of the pandemic and many have struggled to recover since.

Bus and motorcoach companies, ferries, and tour boats sustain good-paying jobs and provide critical transportation services. The COVID-19 pandemic took an enormous toll on these businesses, many of which are small and family owned, Collins said.

Collins co-authored the proposal with Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island. The senators said that every bus and vessel company that meets eligibility criteria and submits a completed application will receive a grant.

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AMSTERDAM  The European Unions medicines regulator has approved two new manufacturing sites for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer.

The move announced Tuesday by the European Medicines Agency will help increase production of the vaccine that has formed the backbone of many European nations vaccination programs.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control says that 242.6 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been distributed to European nations and nearly 223 million shots have been administered.

The EMA says its human medicines committee approved a site in Reinbek, Germany, that is operated by Allergopharma and another in the Swiss town of Stein that is operated by Novartis Pharma.

Last month, the EMA recommended expanding the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to children aged 12-15.

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MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, Mich.  Michigan is fully open again. After facing 15 months of capacity restrictions and being hit by the countrys worst surge of coronavirus infections this spring, restaurants, entertainment businesses and other venues can operate at 100% occupancy starting Tuesday.

Limits on indoor gatherings like weddings and funerals are gone. So is a broad requirement that the unvaccinated be masked indoors. Michigan is among the last states to lift capacity caps, which has frustrated the business community.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and public health officials say the restrictions were needed until enough residents could be vaccinated.
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP)  An Ohio man charged with shooting and killing two of his girlfriends young children and critically wounding a third will undergo another mental competency evaluation, a judge has ruled.

The directive came Tuesday during a hearing for Kevin Moore, 27, who remains jailed on $5 million bond. Hes charged with two counts each of aggravated murder and felonious assault, and a single count of attempted aggravated murder.

Moore's attorney John Thebes initially asked in February that his client be evaluated. A March 19 report from the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center found Moore was competent to stand trial, meaning he had an understanding of the legal proceedings.

Thebes then sought another evaluation that looks at a defendants mental status at the time of the offense, and the judge said Tuesday a psychiatrist had found Moore did not meet the legal criteria for a plea of not guilty of reason of insanity. Thebes then asked the judge to let another psychiatrist do the same evaluation, and the judge agreed.

Moore is accused of shooting the three boys on Feb. 5 at a Toledo apartment complex where his girlfriend lives.

One-year-old Gabriel Phillips and 6-year-old Ahmir Phillips both died from multiple gunshots, authorities have said. The third child, 4-year-old Ashtan Phillips, was wounded.

The childrens mother, Crystal Phillips, has said she was running errands when the shootings occurred and when she returned home, her 2-year-old daughter  who was unharmed  told her something was wrong. Phillips soon found the boys in their bedroom.

Phillips said she had no reason to think her children could be in danger while they were with Moore.
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA (AP)  Britain's newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is helping to take on the lions share of operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq, U.K. naval commanders said. It has also piqued the interest of Russian warplanes, who try to keep tabs on its cutting-edge F-35 jet in a cat-and-mouse game with British and U.S. pilots.

Speaking aboard the 65,000-ton carrier on its first-ever deployment, Commodore Steve Moorhouse said the U.K. is carrying out most of the missions to wipe out the remnants of IS in Iraq as the U.S. focuses on its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

At the moment, were taking on the lions share of that operation over Iraq, which is a fantastic, say, feather in our cap. But an achievement that A, were trusted and B, that were able to do that, Moorhouse told reporters Sunday.

Its the first time that a U.K. aircraft carrier is supporting live military operations on the ground in over two decades, projecting British military power on a global scale. Moorhouse said the carrier offers the U.K. flexibility in how to conduct military operations abroad and keeps those that wish to cause us harm ... on their toes.

He said the eastern Mediterranean has become more congested and contested over the last decade in light of the heavier Russian military presence in Syria, which is resulting in regular encounters with Russian ships and warplanes.

Were rubbing up against Russian activity, not in a you know, in a dangerous or aggressive manner, but youve just got other people out here playing in what is a fixed piece of water and airspace, said Moorhouse, adding that a Russian warship has come within 10 kilometers (16 miles) of the carrier.

The commodore insisted that Russian, British and U.S. pilots have a healthy respect for one another and their conduct has been absolutely professional since the aircraft carrier started anti-IS operations on June 18.

But there is a reality when you buy yourself a fifth-generation aircraft carrier and you take it around the world ... people are interested in it, he added.

Captain James Blackmore, who commands the eight British F-35 jets and the 10 helicopters aboard the carrier, said U.K. and Russian pilots have come within visual distance of each other.

Its that cat-and-mouse posturing, its what we expect in this region of world. And as you can imagine, its the first time for F-35s into the eastern Mediterranean, said Blackmore. So, of course Russia wants to look at what theyre like, they want to look at what our carriers are like.

The state-of-the art F-35, armed with air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs, is being used over Iraq to look for other aircraft or unmanned drones, support troops on the ground as well as to carry out surveillance with its sophisticated sensor and radar systems.

Its a fifth-generation aircraft with a hugely, hugely capable radar and sensor suite, and thats what it brings. So its the eyes and ears that it's offering out there, said Moorhouse.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth and its support ships, which include the U.S. destroyer The Sullivans, will remain in the eastern Mediterranean for two to three weeks before moving through the Suez Canal to continue with a 7 1/2 -month deployment to India, South Korea and Japan.

The carrier also has 10 U.S. F-35 jets from the Marine Corps' Fighter Attack Squadron 211 aboard that carry out operations under British command.
URBANA, Ill. (AP)  The University of Illinois is requiring students attending classes in person this fall to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before stepping onto its three campuses, officials said Monday.

In a mass email, University President Tim Killeen said the requirement for its campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Springfield and Chicago is consistent with the schools own modeling of the risks associated with the spread of the virus and its variants.
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP)  An elderly woman was scammed into sending $25,000 after getting multiple calls saying she needed to protect herself from someone using her Social Security number who was involved in drugs and money laundering, Manchester police said.

The caller told the woman the suspects using her Social Security number were in Texas. But she was told to send her money to an address in Tampa, Florida. She packaged the money and sent it, police said.
Fifty years ago this month, on June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a full scale attack on drug use. It was the beginning of the War on Drugs.

Nixon  and many presidents since  promised the War on Drugs would save lives. Trillions of dollars later, incarceration and preventable overdose deaths have skyrocketed and continue to rise.

After generations of broken lives, broken families, and broken dreams, we must end it now.

Nixons War on Drugs turned out to be a war on people. Once he saw there was no political benefit in drug treatment, he declared an all-out war on the drug menace with a federal Drug Enforcement Agency and stiffer penalties. This helped Nixon target his political enemies.

As White House advisor John Erlichman explained, By getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news.

Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Erlichman asked. Of course we did.

Nixons tough on crime stance did not save his presidency, but his War on Drugs  and its disproportionate impacts on Americas poorest communities  continued. Leaders from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, when he was still a tough-on-crime senator from Delaware, have spent billions on this failed policy, knowing all it buys them is short-term political gain.

The DEAs budget is $3.1 billion today, with many billions more spent on incarceration and military drug enforcement. Yet 2020 was the worst year in history for overdose deaths.

President Biden now tells us he wants to break from the failed policies of the past to improve the lives of regular people. He calls for green jobs and infrastructure, and expanded access to health care. Will he also, finally, call for an end to the War on Drugs, and invest in public health measures to save lives?

There is hope. In February, Bidens Office on National Drug Control Policy announced top priorities including enhancing evidence-based harm reduction efforts and confronting racial equity issues related to drug policy.

This is a historic break from the punish first drug policies that have caused so much heartbreak. It came after Peoples Action, a national grassroots network, led more than 200 drug and health-focused groups to call for an end to the War on Drugs in favor of evidence-based solutions rooted in racial and economic justice and compassion.

But words are not enough. President Biden needs to follow through on his campaign promises to decriminalize drug use and offer treatment to drug users. He should throw his full weight behind the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, so health care providers can prescribe treatments for addiction.

But President Bidens approach to drug policy thus far has been one step forward, two steps back. He says he supports the best solutions, but retreats when he fears a political cost  like when he extended the blanket scheduling of fentanyl, which increases overdose deaths and imposes harsh penalties on users.

Does Biden have the courage it will take to truly end the War on Drugs?

Local communities arent waiting for an answer.

Vermont just became the first state to decriminalize small amounts of buprenorphine, a prescription drug that eases addiction. New York State just said it will no longer punish those who carry clean syringes. And in Portsmouth, Ohio, community members defeated their police departments bid to buy a $256,000 armored tank, so that money can go toward saving lives.

Ellen Glover is the campaign director for Drug Policy, Harm Reduction and Criminal Justice for Peoples Action, a national network of grassroots groups with more than a million members. This commentary was distributed by OtherWords.org.
Westend61/Getty Images/Westend61

Houston's first day of summer was a preview of what the weather will be like for the rest of the season: Wet and warm.

Sunday marked the summer solstice, making Monday the official beginning of the city's most dreaded season. However, temperatures only reached a mild 90 degrees at Bush Intercontinental Airport as showers brought rain to much of Greater Houston.
Florida, FL (34429)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low near 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low near 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Not all individuals from groups that are often discriminated against feel comfortable self-identifying in the workplace. According to a 2018 study from the Human Rights Campaign, nearly half (46%) of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual or queer (LGBTQ+) employees say they are closeted at work.

Sexual orientation or gender identity is more something hidden, or that people can hide if they want to, says Jean-Luc Vey, founder and board member of PrOut at Work, a German think tank advising on LGBTQ+ topics in the workplace.

Visible or hidden, sexuality and gender are a profound part of identity, and people want to feel accepted for who they are, at home and at work. For IT leaders seeking to build a culture of inclusion, one that enables colleagues to feel safe and authentic regardless of whether they chose to share their full identity in the workplace, openness is a key cultural trait to build on.

Jan-Patrick Margraf Jean-Luc Vey, founder and board member, PrOut at Work

Its a mentality change. Its not only good for diversity in general, but its also good for innovation, says Vey who, in addition to his role with PrOut at Work, is also an experienced IT manager working on the digital transformation of organizations.

Think about the design thinking method: It is looking for an open culture where people can speak out, bring what they can, so that you come to new, good solutions close to the people you want to reach, your clients, he says. To understand them, its better to have a diverse group of people around, with diverse perspectives.

Thats echoed by Ernesto Marinelli, senior vice president and head of HR for customer success at SAP. Innovation does not come from an environment where everybody conforms. Innovation is the antithesis of conformity, he says.

Marinelli, who is out as gay, says his current employer has always been supportive. It has never been a secret about my background, my sexual orientation, the fact that Im married to a German husband, he says. We have an inclusive culture, and that has not ever been an issue.

When SAP invited Marinelli to move to the US in 2012, only a few states recognized same-sex marriages. SAP put a lot of effort into ensuring that my husband could get a visa, so that we could move there for one year, he says.

At one of Marinellis previous workplaces, however, support was less than wholehearted. He had come out to his colleagues at work, but a senior leader asked him to keep his sexuality a secret from clients. I did not want to work in an environment where I could not be myself. Although internally they were accepting, they did not want me to show who I am, he says.

Marinellis experience shows that theres far more to inclusion than providing equality in family benefits: Managers attitudes are important.

Making an impact

To actively demonstrate their commitment to diversity, IT leaders need to step up and participate in events, launch initiatives, or become executive sponsors for one of the dimensions of diversity within their company, Vey says.

As a top manager, you give an example to others and you drive the strategy, he says, adding that a culture of openness is key to making LGBTQ+ staff feel comfortable in the workplace. Training to highlight and eliminate unconscious bias is a good place to start, especially when it comes to recruiting, he says: Because of the unconscious bias that we all have, we have a tendency to hire or to promote people who are comparable to ourselves.

If, as Vey suggests, LGBTQ+ staff are less visible than other minorities, then companies must go the extra mile to spell out to candidates how welcoming they are in other ways, setting out the scope of benefits offered and making it clear to candidates that they do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, nor any other protected identity characteristic.

Multinational enterprises, in particular, can play a greater role. Rather than just following local norms, they can become embassies for LGBTQ+ inclusion by extending workplace inclusion policies worldwide, as SAP did when helping Marinelli and his husband move to the US, or even become advocates, seeking to influence local law and culture to be more inclusive even outside the workplace.

And there are plenty of laws to influence: Just 28 countries have legalized same-sex marriages, according to a 2020 study by the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank; at the other end of the spectrum, 70 countries treat consensual homosexual activity as illegal, with 13 punishing such activity with the death penalty, according to a 2019 report by the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at NYU Law.

Pinsent Masons Stuart Affleck, director, Brook Graham

Thats something managers should consider before asking staff to take on an assignment in another country, whether its an internal transfer or an on-site with a client, says Stuart Affleck, director of diversity and inclusion consultancy Brook Graham from Pinsent Masons Vario.

If you have that opportunity for somebody within your team to go on an assignment to a country where the legislation doesnt enable them to be their authentic self, then support that individual all the way through the process; dont assume that they dont want to go, nor assume that they will and its fine to just send them and the local team will just support them there, he says.

IT managers should work with HR to ensure staff have timely and practical advice on what the experience will be like in that jurisdiction: not just the legislative pieces, but also the culture of the organization in that country when it comes to LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion.

Managers should also be able to reassure staff that, if they choose not to take up the opportunity, then there will be no detrimental effect on their career, or on future opportunities to travel.

This is what CIOs should be doing, as opposed to HR functions, which is setting that tone and culture from the top of the CIO function in relation to what diversity and inclusion means to them as a business unit, says Affleck.

Check your tech

In addition to fostering an open culture and ensuring LGBTQ+ staff are safe and comfortable wherever they work, there are technical ways IT leaders can help as well, says Vey. These include ensuring that HR and customer databases recognize a persons gender preferences  or perhaps do not make any distinctions about gender, except where legally required to determine eligibility for benefits, for example.

Or theres the IT departments role in connecting people. There are so many good collaboration tools which can help in breaking barriers, bringing people together to develop networks, says Vey.

Collaboration tools such as videoconferencing systems are not without risks for LGBTQ+ employees. The move to working from home has made it harder for employees to separate their workplace and home identities, for example.

We have people becoming very nervous because they are out at the office, but not out with their parents or where they live, says Vey. So you can have the situation where you are taking part in an event and then on your screen are rainbows, so you could be out without wanting it.

It can work the other way, too: One guy I know was working from home. He was not out in his workplace, and during one videoconference his boyfriend brought him a cup of coffee. Finally, he decided to come out, he says.
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Tuesday, June 22 is the moment youve all been waiting for  the 2021 New York City primary. If youre a city resident, maybe youve been paying attention since political ads started blanketing TV, social media and storefront windows this spring. If youre a political junkie, maybe youve been paying attention since New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer launched his mayoral campaign in September 2020. And if youre Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, youve been waiting for this election since you became a captain in the NYPD in 2005.

Its the biggest municipal election in years, and thanks to term limits and retirements, the city will be guaranteed to elect a new mayor, comptroller and Manhattan district attorney. Borough presidents will turn over in at least four boroughs, and more than 30 City Council seats will change hands. Here are five interesting questions to keep your eye on, as the results come in.

1. How much the leading mayoral candidate is ahead by on election night

New York Citys first citywide election using ranked-choice voting could make for an anti-climactic night, particularly in the all-important Democratic mayoral race, because whoever the New York City Board of Election results show is leading might not end up the winner. Absentee ballots, which are expected to make up at least 10% of the total vote, wont all be received until a week after the election. And since no mayoral candidate is likely to get more than 50% of first-place votes in the crowded field, the election will be decided by ranked-choice voting. The New York City Board of Elections doesnt plan to run the RCV results and tabulate voters lower-ranked choices until Monday, July 12.

If a candidate has a big lead on election night, they might hold onto it and win, but New Yorkers should be wary of anyone declaring themselves the winner. Recent polling suggests that four candidates have a real path to victory in the Democratic mayoral primary  Adams, former New York City Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, Maya Wiley, former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur and former presidential candidate. Garcia and Yang have been promoting ranked-choice voting, campaigning together on Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the election. But Adams has been skeptical of ranked-choice for months out of concerns that it will disadvantage Black and Latino voters, who may be less likely to rank multiple candidates. Yang and Garcias partnership, unveiled on Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the end of slavery for Black Americans, set Adams campaign off, and it distributed a press release to reporters in which Adams supporters likened the two mayoral candidates partnership to voter suppression and an attempt to steal the election from from Black voters. Expect to hear more such accusations, if Adams holds a slim lead on Wednesday and fears that the instant runoff may cost him the nomination.

2. Whether Corey Johnsons gambit will pay off

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has appeared to be the frontrunner in the Democratic primary for comptroller since he launched his campaign in March  five months after he publicly announced he wouldnt run for mayor, citing mental health struggles. The same decision worked for Stringer in 2013, who had originally planned to run for mayor. Like Stringer, Johnson doesnt have any professional experience in investing or financial management, and is running instead on his record of political experience and dealing with government budgets. But while Stringer had a bachelors degree, Johnson didnt go to college until enrolling in two online courses in January. Assembly Member David Weprin from Queens, who is also running for comptroller, used that to attack Johnson as unqualified in a recent debate. Johnsons response? Hes negotiated three $90 billion budgets as speaker, and knows the city finances better than anyone.

Most polls in the race have shown Johnson with a comfortable lead, but the high number of undecided voters, even in the waning days, suggests other candidates may have a chance. That includes City Council Member Brad Lander, a Brooklyn progressive who has relentlessly criticized Johnson for absenteeism and for failing to move bills he has said he supports, Weprin, who is running a more conservative campaign with the support of the citys police unions, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a financial journalist who failed to unseat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in last years Democratic congressional primary, and state Sen. Brian Benjamin from Manhattan, who is selling himself as a complete candidate with both investment banking experience and time as an elected official.

3. Whether Democratic Socialists get a foothold in the City Council

Enough people are wondering how many seats candidates endorsed by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America will win in the City Council that gambling website PredictIt is taking bets on the question. Right now, the best odds are that three of the six will win, which seems like a decent assessment.

Tiffany Caban, running in District 22 in western Queens, and Alexa Aviles, running in District 38 in Sunset Park and Red Hook, Brooklyn, are both considered to be safe bets to win.

Brandon West in District 39, which covers Brooklyn neighborhoods including Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Gowanus, and Michael Hollingsworth in District 35, in Brooklyns Fort Greene, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, are both taking on strong opponents who also consider themselves to be progressives, including Shahana Hanif, Doug Schneider and Justin Krebs in District 39. Bridget Rein, a candidate with the backing of many labor unions and several elected officials, is also running to replace Lander. In District 35, which is currently represented by New York City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, former Cumbo staffer Crystal Hudson is also in the running.

Jaslin Kaur, running in District 23 in eastern Queens, and Adolfo Abreu, running in District 14 in the northwest Bronx, are both hoping to bring socialist representation to areas that have normally supported more conservative Democratic candidates.

Of course, its wrong to focus only on the six DSA-endorsed candidates. Multiple other candidates running identify as Democratic socialists but dont have the organizations formal blessing. And 60 candidates took the Courage to Change pledge, organized by Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs political action committee that asked them to support left-wing positions such as reducing the NYPDs budget. Even if a more moderate Democrat like Adams wins the mayoral race, the City Council that takes office in January may have a larger progressive contingent than ever, including a standalone socialist caucus, like the one created in the state Legislature earlier this year following wins by candidates endorsed by NYC-DSA.

4. Can money buy you love in the Manhattan DA race

Manhattan district attorney candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein has reported spending more on her race in the third most-populous borough than any single candidate for mayor has spent citywide. And more than $8 million of her $13 million haul came from herself  a donation likely made possible by her husbands job as a hedge fund manager. ProPublica reported that the couple made $107 million in 2011, but they paid no federal income tax in 2017, 2015 and 2013.She also has raised large sums from other financial industry executives.

Farhadian Weinstein is vying to succeed the retiring Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, who has been criticized by progressives for appearing to go lightly on donors and other rich and powerful New Yorkers. Many observers expected the Manhattan DA race to favor one of the many candidates running to Vances left.

Farhadian Weinstein, however, clerked for Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor, took a meeting with President Donald Trumps administration in 2017 seeking appointment to a federal judgeship and she only registered as a Democrat in 2017, after years as an independent.

Nonetheless, Farhadian Weinstein is seen as a frontrunner in the race, thanks in part to her outsized spending, but also her political platform, which seems to be appealing to voters in a year when rising rates of violent crime is a concern to many. Though Farhadian Weinstein would be considered a criminal justice reformer by national standards  she was most recently general counsel to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, who is well-regarded by progressives  she is running on a more moderate platform than most of her left-leaning competitors, including former chief deputy state attorney general Alvin Bragg, civil rights attorney Tahanie Aboushi and Assembly Member Dan Quart. Bragg, who received The New York Times endorsement, is generally seen as the other leading candidate. Since district attorney is technically a state, rather than city, election, it wont utilize ranked choice, so vote-splitting among the progressive candidates could help Farhadian Weinstein.

Farhadian Weinstein has also earned endorsements from prominent Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Reps. Ritchie Torres, Nydia Velazquez and Adriano Espaillat, who has a reputation for getting out the vote in his home base of Upper Manhattan.

5. Whether Donald Trumps candidate will win in the four-way Republican primary for borough president on Staten Island

Former Rep. Vito Fossella has been running a low profile campaign in the four-way Republican primary for borough president on Staten Island. He has the smallest campaign account of the candidates, hasnt received public matching funds, doesnt have a campaign website or social media presence and hasnt held many public events. But on Friday he scored a major endorsement: ex-President Donald Trump, who has a devoted following in New Yorks most conservative borough. Trumps blessing could change the trajectory of the race in the final hours before the primaries, just as Trumps endorsement of then-Rep. Dan Donovan in the 2018 Republican primary for Congress carried Donovan to victory in a heated primary against ex-Rep. Michael Grimm. Trumps endorsement of Staten Islands current Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis gave her a boost in her campaign to topple Staten Islands former Democratic Rep. Max Rose last year. A Republican operative on Staten Island, who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely about the race, said Trumps endorsement could help Fossella, who didnt run for reelection to Congress in 2008 after a drunk driving arrest led to the public revelation that when in Washington, Fossella  who had a wife back in Staten Island  was living with another woman with whom he had a child, but only if he can leverage it in a short amount of time. It could be a huge weapon for Vito, it could definitely push him over the line, the source said. The only question is, does he have enough time to really get it out there to really use it to his best advantage?

Staten Islands Republican Party endorsed City Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo in the race, who is also a protege of outgoing Republican Borough President James Oddo and has raised the most money. Former Staten Island Republican Chair Leticia Remauro, who faced backlash for saying Heil Hitler at a protest against coronavirus lockdowns, has the backing of the boroughs Conservative Party. But Malliotakis, Staten Islands most prominent current Republican elected official, hasnt made an endorsement in this race.

Trumps endorsement will be a test of his strength in the borough that voted for him in 2016 and 2020, said Staten Island Young Republican Club President Peter Giunta. Trump getting into the mix here changes the dynamic a little bit, Giunta said. I think were going to see just how much the Trump endorsement means on Staten Island in a place where, for the large part, Trump helped our candidate win the congressional seat and helped a lot of our down-ticket candidates as well. Well see if anything has changed in regards to how people feel about Trump this year.
The last time New York Citys District 19 seat was held by a Republican was when Dan Halloran won in 2009. Now with several candidates vying to fill term-limited Paul Vallones seat, including two Republicans, the GOP has a shot at taking back the district.

District 19 includes the neighborhoods Auburndale, Bay Terrace, Bayside Beechhurst, College Point, Douglaston, Flushing, Little Neck, Malba and Whitestone. It is home to 155,237 people, according to 2010 Census data, with white and Asian community members comprising the largest proportion, 53.4% and 28% respectively. The Hispanic population makes up 15.3%.

The Democratic primary includes former District 19 city council member and a former senator, Tony Avella; Jeopardy game show superstar and former NYPD lieutenant, Francis E. Spangenberg; budget director for the Queens borough president, Richard Lee; former NYPD officer, Adriana Aviles; assistant governor for Rotary District 7255, Nabaraj KC and president of Metropolitan Public Strategies, Austin Shafran.

Lee and Shafran have raised the most private funds with $68,543 and $50,783, respectively, according to the Campaign Finance Summary 2021 Citywide Elections. Avella trails behind with $34,755, KC with $28,884, Aviles with $14,104 and Spangenberg with $4,653.

Avella has a large advantage in name recognition as he previously served the council in this district and has the most political experience.

I think in politics just like if you hired a plumber for your house, experience matters, Avella said in an interview with PoliticsNY. Eight years in the council, eight years in the senate representing this district gives me the experience and the know how

However, looking at endorsements alone, Shafran appears to be the favorite. He has picked up endorsements from the Queens County Democratic Party, United Federation of Teachers and mayoral front runner, Eric Adams, among others. Shafran has also cross endorsed KC, a unique feature of ranked choice elections. Besides Shafran, KC is endorsed only by Council Member Fernando Cabrera.

Lee has also amassed a number of endorsements including from Congressman Tom Suozzi, Senator Leroy Comrie, the New York City Asian-American Democratic Club, among others.

The New York City Police Benevolent Association has endorsed Aviles and Avella while the New York City Lieutenant Benevolent Association has endorsed Spangenberg. Avella is also endorsed by Voters for Animal Rights.

The Republican primary features professor and researcher John-Alexander Sakelos and former state senate candidate Vickie Paladino.

Paladino has raised $35,148 in private funds and is endorsed by the New York Young Republicans Club. Sakelos has raised $22,157 in private funds and is endorsed by the PBA and congressional candidate Nicole Malliotakis.

Dawn Anatra is on the ballot as a member of the Conservative Party but little public information is available about the candidate. The Campaign Finance Summary 2021 Citywide Elections does not list her as having raised any private or public funds.

Public Safety

District 19 has witnessed a number of hate crimes, principly against the Asian community. According to the NYPD hate crimes dashboard, there have been seven hate crimes in the 111th Precinct and one in the 109th precinct, both of which police the area. Public safety has become a major policy issue in the race, with the candidates supporting varying increases in police presence.

Sakelos has made crime and safety the center of his platform. While his campaign website does not go into specifics, he promises to defend the police, citing the 411% rise in NYPD officer retirements as alarming.

Paladino has taken a similar stance and proposes restoring the plainclothes anti-crime unit, dismantled by the NYPD in June 2020 and reversing Mayor DeBlasios bail reform law which eliminated bail for most people accused of misdemeanors and non-violent felonies.

The Democratic field has taken a moderate approach, expressing the desire for a community centered police force but avoiding the controversial slogan defund the police.

Avella, if elected, plans to introduce legislation to subdivide the 109th Precinct and increase the penalties for those convicted of hate crimes. Lee is an advocate for increasing NYPD resources and transforming the police academy into a two year Associate Degree program that focuses on de-escalation tactics and mental health response. Shafran does not include police-related issues on his campaign website but called for systemic change to public safety in an interview with the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. He supports shifting social service calls related to mental health and homelessness away from the NYPD and into the hands of social service experts.

Both Aviles and Spangenberg cite their experience in the NYPD as offering unique insight into the issue and agree the NYPD needs adequate funds to do their job successfully.

Education

Education has also become a major political talking point for the candidates. District 19 is home to some of the citys best schools, including Townsend Harris High School, which U.S News ranked as the twelfth best public high school in the country. However, the 25th and 26th school districts in the area have also suffered from overcrowding. There were 25 schools classified as overcrowded in the 25th district alone. Similarly, the districts schools receive the lowest amount of funding per student  $2,000 less per student than the citywide average.

Shafran wants, in addition to increased funding, to enact a ten year construction plan that will require each district to have enough K-12 seats. He also plans to cap class sizes at 20 students.

His challenger, Spangenberg, believes the district needs a faster-paced plan to address overcrowding and supports policies proposed by the City Budget Commission.

Lee and Avella have also pledged to fight for increased funding in addition to extending the citys gifted and talented program.

Both KC and Aviles cite education reform as key aspects of their platform.

During her run for state senate in 2018, Paladino favored the use of a voucher program which would allocate public school funds to families who chose to send their children to private institutions. In an interview with PoliticsNY she said, I say to Mayor de Blasiofix the broken schools. The broken junior high schools [and] elementary schools. Fix it. She, like her Republican counterpart Sakelos, support the continued use of standardized tests such as the

SHSAT to determine admittance to the citys specialized schools. Sekelos also supports race-blind admissions.
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...OZONE HIGH POLLUTION ADVISORY FOR MARICOPA COUNTY INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY... The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality in Phoenix has issued an Ozone High Pollution Advisory for the Greater Phoenix Area for Today through Friday. This means that forecast weather conditions combined with existing ozone levels are expected to result in local maximum 8-hour ozone concentrations that pose a health risk. Adverse health effects increase as air quality deteriorates. Ozone is an air contaminant which can cause breathing difficulties for children, older adults, as well as persons with respiratory problems. A decrease in physical activity is recommended. If it is a regularly scheduled work day, you are urged to car pool, telecommute or use mass transit. The use of gasoline-powered equipment should be reduced or done late in the day. For details on this High Pollution Advisory for Maricopa County, visit the ADEQ internet site at www.azdeq.gov/forecasting or call 602- 771-2300.
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In April of 2018, Daniel Ortega, the president of Nicaragua, announced reforms to the countrys social security benefits. Protests erupted, following years of discontent with the increasingly repressive regime. The Ortega government responded with brutal crackdowns on protesters, political opponents, and the independent press that still have not abated.

As protests gained momentum that April, Angel Gahonaan investigative journalist who ran El Meridiano, a local television news outletwas shot and killed as he was livestreaming an anti-Ortega demonstration. Gahonas family, and other reporters who were on the scene with him, believe the national police killed him, they told The Guardian, even as the government maintains otherwise.

Months later, the government placed a blockade on materials needed to print newspapers, critically impairing two major independent news outlets, La Prensa and El Nuevo Diario. In December of 2018, national police ransacked the newsrooms of Confidencial (a news site), Esta Semana, and Esta Noche (TV news programs), which are all run by one of the countrys most prominent journalists, Carlos Fernando Chamorro. Officers seized computers and other materials from the newsrooms. They are physically closing down our offices by taking them militarily, Chamorro told The Guardian. Police also raided Niu, an independent magazine.

Days later, police raided and confiscated equipment from 100% Noticias, an independent news network. They arrested Miguel Mora, the founder and owner of the station, and Lucia Pineda, the news director. At first, Mora and Pineda were held in a prison that Human Rights Watch called a torture site; they were later moved to maximum-security prisons. We were locked in cells of total isolation, like small graves. There were very narrow windows. I did not talk to anyone. We were basically buried alive, Mora told the Committee to Protect Journalists.

By the middle of 2019, more than ninety Nicaraguan journalists, Chamorro and Pineda among them, had gone into exile in Costa Rica.

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Attacks on press freedom have remained at historically high levels. From April 2018 to March 2019, press freedom violations increased more than one thousand percent from the past year, according to the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation. Sixty-one cases of violence against journalists were documented between December 2019 and February 2020, along with three hundred thirty-eight cases of press freedom violations between January and November 2020.

In October 2020, the National Assembly approved a group of laws that criminalize and promote censorship over journalism. A cybercrime law, for example, renders the spread of fake news punishable with up to five years in prison. The foreign-agents lawwhich requires Nicaraguan groups, including news outlets, to register as foreign agents if they receive any funding from outside the country, even indirectlyled to the closure of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation, pen

Internationals Nicaragua chapter and other nonprofit media organizations.

In recent months, several Nicaraguan journalists have been prosecuted. National police have raided their homes. Ortega loyalists have assaulted journalists. In late May, police raided Esta Semana and Confidencial again; they detained a cameraman, Leonel Gutierrez, the only person in the newsroom at the time. That same day, police detained and attacked journalist Luis Sequeira, a correspondent for the Agence France-Presse, who was quickly released.

In May, the Ministry of the Interior summoned Cristiana Chamorroa prominent journalist, former director of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation, and daughter of the president who beat Ortega in 1990and two other former officials to inquire about alleged inconsistencies in the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation financial statements. Under threat of money-laundering charges, the foundation, which monitored press freedom in the country, shut down in February.

Nearly two dozen journalists, as a result of the Ortega investigation, have been called on to testify under oath. This week, the government added thirteen news organizations to its investigation, which leaders around the world have denounced as a farce. Cristiana Chamorro, a popular figure who is also planning to run for president, is currently under house arrest. On Sunday, police detained Moraanother presidential candidate; the fifth to be arrestedand ransacked his home.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Oswaldo Rivas is an award-winning Nicaraguan photographer. He began in the world of photography in 1988 at the Nueva Nicaragua International News Agency (ANN) as a war correspondent covering the country's civil war. In 1993 he was head of photography for La Tribuna. From 1997 to 2020, he was part of the team of photojournalists for Reuters. He currently works as a freelancer. His work has appeared in the New York Times in the US, El Pais in Spain, Gente in Italy, La Reforma in Mexico, and many more outlets.
Until quite recently, whenever the mayoral race in New York City pierced the wider news cycle, the coverage seemed to coalesce around a single candidate: Andrew Yang. In some quarters, a narrative of unstoppability developed around him; others argued that hed essentially vaulted into pole position via his profile-raising Democratic presidential bid in 2020, when he didnt get many primary votes but did talk to journalists left, (very) right, and center. Yang is the first celebrity candidate whos famous for being a celebrity candidate, a sort of political Kardashian, The Atlantics Edward-Isaac Dovere wrote. James Poniewozik, TV critic at the New York Times, characterized Yangs campaign as an endless cycle of gaffes and self-ownsincluding his definition of a bodega, and the time he said Times Square is his favorite subway stationthat have left him at or near the top of the polls, making Yang further grist for the proposition that in todays politics, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Trump comparisons inevitably followed. Ben Smith, media columnist at the Times, wrotein a piece headlined, Help, We Cant Stop Writing About Andrew Yangthat even local outlets were grappling with the unedifying legacy of national Trump coverage in 2016. Theres a residual wariness among the media about being careful not to uncritically help elevate someone whos more celebrity than proven public servant, Jere Hester, editor of the nonprofit New York newsroom The City, told Smith.

The media obsession with Yang is clearly reciprocal, if not symbiotic. Yangs presidential bid made him not just a media persona, but a media critic: I had a relatively naive point of view where I thought journalists would simply report on what they saw, he wrote last year in a (since apparently deleted) blog post, whereas actually reporters reinforce particular candidates and narratives and dismiss others; earlier this year, he told Politicos Tina Nguyen that he thought that there would be some media organizations that were at least somewhat excited at the prospect of there being an Asian American presidential candidate in the modern era. And that almost never occurred. In late April, Yang told Smith that he was, by contrast, excited by the volume of coverage of his mayoral bid: Generally speaking being covered is a good thing, he said. Thats not to say, though, that Yang has been happy with the tenor of the coverage. After his Times Square comment, Yang and his wife, Evelyn, both condemned as racist a New York Daily News cartoon depicting him as a tourist. (The Daily News defended the cartoon as fair comment on the major gaps in his knowledge of New York City politics and policy, but did alter its portrayal of his eyes.) Then, last week, Yang and Evelyn unloaded on what they see as inadequate media coverage of Eric Adams, a rival candidate, in an interview with Hunter Walker for New York. The contrast! Evelyn said. The contrast! She stayed on the phone to Walker until 2am.

Related: How harassment allegations shifted coverage of a mayoral campaign



Yangs frustration with coverage of Adams, in particular, has grown alongside a recent narrative shift: his gaffes and self-owns are no longer leaving him at the top of the polls. In mid-May, the Times editorial boarddespite urging Yang last year to jump into New York politicsfired a warning shot, endorsing Kathryn Garcia, the former sanitation commissioner, for mayor. (Yang has said that if he wins, hell hire Garcia to run the city for him; the editorial board agreed with Garcia that voters should cut out the middleman.) The Daily News also endorsed Garcia, who rose in the polls. So, too, did Adams, to the point where he is now considered the favorite to wina status that has come, belatedly, with wider media scrutiny, including a controversy, sparked by Politico, as to where, exactly, he lives, and whether the answer might be, gasp, New Jersey. Adams responded by comparing the residency questions to birtherism and inviting reporters to tour his townhouse in Brooklyn (where he is borough president) and look inside his fridge; he also made a splash with some weird answers to Q&As, telling Vanity Fair that the best concert hes ever been to was the one at which Curtis Mayfield was paralyzed. Maya Wiley has enjoyed a late narrative boost, too, especially since her endorsement by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Wileys name has since been portmanteaued with momentum.)

Primary day is now finally upon us, and theres widespread agreement that Yang, Adams, Garcia, and Wiley are the candidates to watch. That aside, though, we perhaps havent seen so much a narrative shift as a narrative unraveling, into various threads of uncertainty. One of these, of course, is the horse race: Ive been watching NYC mayoral elections for nearly thirty years, CNN data whizz Harry Enten said yesterday, and I have never lacked this much confidence in predicting the winner on primary eve. The voting system is another key thread: for the first time, the primary will use a ranked-choice method. The change seems to have occasioned some candidate conniptions and a media narrative of unnecessary complication, despite similar systems being seen as very straightforward elsewhere in the world. Last week, Zack Fink, an NY1 reporter, said that voters had been sold a bill of goods on this one. After Yang campaigned with Garcia and told his supporters to rank her second, Adams accused them, in network interviews, of trying to disenfranchise Black voters.

Theres uncertainty around voters understanding of the new system, and as to how well the polls captured its effects: as Dana Rubinstein, of the Times, wrote recently, polling drove the Yang and Adams attention bubbles, and yet major pollsters opted to sit the race out this time. The uncertainty continues down the ballotlocal outlets like The City have published detailed guides to city-council races, for instance, but theres a lot there for news consumers to get their heads around, and the general, longer-term retrenchment of local journalism hasnt helped. And then theres the fact that we may not even know the mayoral result for several weeks: voters first preferences should be counted pretty quickly, but those are very unlikely to be decisive, and tens of thousands of absentee ballots still have to come in, too. I worry about how we all deal with these information vacuums, Smith, of the Times, tweeted yesterday. Though maybe the current New York mood is exhausted/chill/enjoying the summer enough to handle it.

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If Yangs early ascent recalled lessons from coverage of Trumps 2016 victory, the likely delay in knowing the result recalls lessons from coverage of Trumps slow-motion 2020 defeat. As Smith notes, New York is not the country; also, this is a Democratic primary, and Trump isnt running in it. Still, some of the same media challenges that marked the last presidential election apply here: all elections are fundamentally uncertain, this one especially so, and its fine to eschew prognostication and lean into that. Last week, NY1 hosted a live podcast taking questions about the race on the app Clubhouse, and one listener, after managing to unmute himself, asked a pertinent question about coverage of perhaps the greatest uncertainty of all: New Yorks post-COVID trajectory. I would love to see a question asked of the candidates which is basically, Hey, what is it we dont know? the listener said. Its okay if they dont know, but, like, What do you need to see more clarity on? New York is one corner of an uncertain world.

Below, more on the mayors race and New York media:

Stringer out?: For CJR, Andrea Gabor assesses how coverage of Scott Stringer, once the leading progressive candidate for mayor, mostly petered out after Jean Kim, a longtime volunteer on his campaigns, accused him, at a press conference, of sexual misconduct. Stringer denies this; a second woman has since also made accusations against him. After we chewed it over, Errol Louis, a host on NY1, told Gabor of the first allegation, the consensus was that unless he can pull a rabbit out of the hat or change the narrative, Stringers campaign is on life support.

For CJR, Andrea Gabor assesses how coverage of Scott Stringer, once the leading progressive candidate for mayor, mostly petered out after Jean Kim, a longtime volunteer on his campaigns, accused him, at a press conference, of sexual misconduct. Stringer denies this; a second woman has since also made accusations against him. After we chewed it over, Errol Louis, a host on NY1, told Gabor of the first allegation, the consensus was that unless he can pull a rabbit out of the hat or change the narrative, Stringers campaign is on life support. Reading up on the race: In the run-up to primary day, CJRs Savannah Jacobson surveyed New York City residents about their mayoral-media consumption. Age seemed to be the best predictor of news habits: older people looked to traditional outletsthe Times, the tabloids, TVwhile their younger neighbors followed the race through social media, she writes. The politically engaged among us rattled off a list of local news outlets; others expressed frustration with what they viewed as inadequate coverage.

In the run-up to primary day, CJRs Savannah Jacobson surveyed New York City residents about their mayoral-media consumption. Age seemed to be the best predictor of news habits: older people looked to traditional outletsthe Times, the tabloids, TVwhile their younger neighbors followed the race through social media, she writes. The politically engaged among us rattled off a list of local news outlets; others expressed frustration with what they viewed as inadequate coverage. A cutback: Last week, Matt Murray, editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal, told staff that the paper is shuttering its Greater New York metro section. Eight reporters worked on that team; their job status was not immediately clear, though Murray said that they would have the opportunity to apply for new positions. Murray also told staff that the paper would launch a new digital section, called Life & Work, to be run by sixty staffers. Katie Robertson has more details for the Times.

Last week, Matt Murray, editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal, told staff that the paper is shuttering its Greater New York metro section. Eight reporters worked on that team; their job status was not immediately clear, though Murray said that they would have the opportunity to apply for new positions. Murray also told staff that the paper would launch a new digital section, called Life & Work, to be run by sixty staffers. Katie Robertson has more details for the Times. Nobody wraps Pat Kiernan: For New York, Caitlin Moscatello reports on infighting at NY1. In 2019, five female anchors at the station sued its parent company for age and gender discrimination. The allegations in the lawsuit were damning but not shocking. TV has always been a brutal business for women, Moscatello writes. But the real damage was in the details. The drama around the lawsuit revealed not simply sexism at the station but a sharp-elbowed culture in which the rewards were meager and the egos outsize. The sense that only a chosen few would get to shine turned a once-collegial news channel into a den of vipers.



Other notable stories:

New from CJR: Three years of deteriorating press freedom in Nicaragua

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
CHICAGO (AP)  A radar-confirmed 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.

At least five people, including a woman who was listed in critical condition, were hospitalized in Naperville, where 16 homes were left uninhabitable and dozens of other homes were damaged when a reported tornado touched down after 11 p.m. Sunday, said city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche.

More than 120 other reports of property damage had been received by 5 a.m. Monday in the city about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Chicago and those were expected to grow as residents surveyed the storm damage, she said. About 450 power outages were reported.

Were lucky that it wasnt worse, LaCloche said Monday morning. We have a lot of utility poles and electrical wires down, and tree damage.

Video showed several large trees downed and damage to homes and vehicles in the path of the storm. Some gas leaks were reported in Naperville, and crews went door to door shutting off lines, she said.

Officials in the nearby village of Woodridge said a tornado touched down late Sunday, damaging at least 75 structures, and a damage assessment was underway. There were no reports of significant injuries in the community, but people were urged to avoid the area due to downed power lines and trees.

The storm destroyed the second floor of Bridget Caseys Woodridge home. She sat in a lawn chair in the driveway before sunrise Monday. Her son, Nate Casey, 16, 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.

Matt Friedlein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville, Illinois, said a team from the weather service would be surveying storm damage Monday to determine the reported tornados strength and its path. He said the same storm is believed to have rolled through Naperville, Woodridge and Darien, and may have also caused damage in Burr Ridge, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Chicago,

If there were no fatalities _ and there havent been any reported to us _ thats 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, he said.

Radar had also showed storm rotation over several other areas of suburban Chicago, and also in northwestern Indiana in the Hobart and South Haven areas, Friedlein said.

The threat of wind damage remained for a few hours as the line of storms moved over northern Illinois and into northwestern Indiana, forecasters said. The severe threat was declared over at 2 a.m. local time.

Severe storms hit other parts of the Midwest, where a tornado damaged several buildings and knocked down power lines and trees in eastern Iowa on Sunday night. Most of the storm damage was reported in rural areas near the town of Bernard. No injuries were reported.

Late Sunday and early Monday, severe thunderstorms brought gusting winds and drenching rains to parts of Michigan. And in Missouri, a thunderstorm with strong winds whipped through parts of the state late Sunday and early Monday  knocking down trees and power lines.

About the photo: Nathan Casey, 16, surveys the damage of his home after a tornado swept through the area in Woodridge, Ill., Monday June 21, 2021. (Vashon Jordan Jr./Chicago Tribune via AP)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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 banks 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 banks 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 Goldmans 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.

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 banks 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 banks 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 Goldmans 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 Paulsons 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 companys conflicts of interest.

The 2nd Circuit last year upheld a federal judges decision to let the plaintiffs sue as a group and rejected one of the companys arguments that generic statements can never impact a stock price.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a partial dissent in the case, saying the 2nd Circuits decision should have been affirmed
ATLANTA (AP)  Claudette regained tropical storm status Monday morning as it neared the coast of the Carolinas less than two days after 13 people died  including eight children in a multi-vehicle crash  due to the effects of the storm in Alabama.

The children who died Saturday were in a van for a youth home for abused or neglected children. The vehicle 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 vehicles likely hydroplaned.

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.

Multiple people were also injured.

Additionally, 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.

A search was also underway for one man believed to have fallen into the water during flash flooding in Birmingham, WBRC-TV reported. Crews were using boats to search Pebble Creek.

Monday morning, Claudette had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. The storm was located 65 miles (100 kilometers) east-southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, and moving east-northeast at 25 mph (41 kph), forecasters said.

The storm was expected to move into the Atlantic Ocean later in the morning, then travel near or south of Nova Scotia on Tuesday.

A tropical storm warning was in effect from Cape Fear, North Carolina, to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks.

An isolated tornado is possible early this morning over parts of the Outer Banks, said Brad Reinhart, a specialist with the National Hurricane Center. By afternoon, we expect the system to be well offshore.

About 1 to 2 inches (3 to 5 centimeters) of rain was expected for the Carolinas before Claudette moved out to sea.

The van in Saturdays crash was carrying children ages 4 to 17 who belonged to the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a youth home operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association.

Michael Smith, the youth ranchs 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. Candice Gulley, the ranch director, was the vans only survivor _ pulled from the flames by a bystander.

Words cannot explain what I saw, Smith said of the accident site, which he visited Saturday. He had 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. 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.

Garlock, the coroner, 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.

The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it was sending 10 investigators to the area Sunday to investigate the crash.

Meanwhile, it seemed to be business as usual along North Carolinas Outer Banks on Sunday ahead of Claudettes arrival.

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.

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. Associated Press writer Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.

About the photo: Danny Gonzales, walks in his flooded house as water recedes, after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through, in Slidell, La., Saturday, June 19, 2021. The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm early Saturday, well after the storms center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A woman pursuing a disability discrimination claim may depose senior executives at the insurance company that fired her, a federal appellate court ruled Monday, overturning a decision by federal judge in Alabama.

Montgomery attorney Julian McPhillips said the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals landmark ruling will help plaintiffs attorneys conduct serious discovery in disability discrimination cases. He said he expects deposition testimony by a senior human resources official will help prove that Alfa Mutual Insurance Co. fired his client Jennifer Akridge because it did not wish to continue paying the $10,000-per-month cost of her multiple sclerosis medications.

When I show him all the documents Im going to hit him with hes going to have a hard time denying it, McPhillips said. I can hardly wait to take his deposition. Im going to turn him every way but loose.

Akridge had worked for Alfa for 27 years in December 2016 when the company terminated her from her management job in the auto underwriting department. She had been named Employee of the Year in 1995.

Akridge said her supervisor told her during a meeting that her job was being eliminated because of automation expenses  specifically the cost of installing new software developed by Guidewire that automated many of the tasks that she performed.

The lawsuit charges that automation was merely a pretext. She was fired because the self-insured company was looking for ways to cut costs and decided to terminate her even though she had received exceeds expectations performance reviews throughout her career, even after being diagnosed with MS in 1993.

Akridges attorney petitioned to depose 10 executives at the company, including Scott Forrest, executive director of human resources.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gray M. Borden in Montgomery denied the motions, allowing only two employees hand-picked by Alfa to be deposed, the suit says. A human resources staffer testified that Forrest knew nothing about the cost of Akridges medications. Borden denied several motions by Akridges lawyers to depose Forrest specifically.

Borden granted a motion by Alfa for summary judgment, finding that Akridge had not presented any evidence that decision makers were aware of her medical condition when they terminated her.

A panel of the 11th Circuit Court found that the magistrate judge had abused his discretion by refusing Akridges request to depose Forrest. The opinion says the US Supreme Court has made it clear that while discovery can be limited to prevent fishing expeditions, the rules should be construed liberally to permit robust discovery.

The opinion says the appellate panel said it found it difficult to believe that Forrest had no information touching on Akridges medical expenses and termination.

It stands to reason that if a company terminates an employee in an effort to cut costs, someone at that company must have access to information on how costly an employee is  including pay and benefits, the opinion says.

The court reversed the district courts order granting summary judgment.

McPhillips said as of late Monday, Alfa had made no inquiries about settling the case. It wont be us reaching out, he said.

About the photo: The courthouse for the U.S. District Court for Middle Alabama is shown.
Beck Center for the Arts annual Spotlight Gala will be held live and in-person from 6 to 11 p.m. June 17 at the Gordon Green event space, 5400 Detroit Ave. in Cleveland. The gala will honor major donors Wally and Joyce Senney and artistic director Scott Spence as well as celebrate 88 years 
Beachwood, OH (44122)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 58F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 58F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Texas Central (Courtesy Photo)Texas Central Railroad is planning the construction of a high-speed bullet train between Dallas and Houston. The train would have one scheduled midway stop at a Brazos Valley station, which will be located between Huntsville and College Station in Roanes Prairie.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22) An all-star crew of Filipino musicians lent their voices to a campaign calling to stop Asian hate and other forms of violence in the United States and other parts of the world.

The group  composed of Apl.de.Ap, Cris Villonco, Daniel Padilla, Gary Valenciano, Jaya, Jed Madela, Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera, Moira Dela Torre, and Sam Concepcion  performed an updated rendition of the Rodgers & Hammerstein track "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught."

A music video of the song  originally written for the hit musical South Pacific  was shared on the social media pages of Asia Society Philippines.

"The original lyrics reflected on bigotry, and how it takes root in people; how hate is not a natural instinct, but something that is actively taught and enabled  and how it must also therefore be actively rooted out," the organization said in a statement.

"Performing updated lyrics, they deliver a timely and important message for America and the world," it added.

Calls to stop racism and discrimination in the US again mounted earlier this year following a string of reported killings and attacks against Asians.

RELATED: Fil-Am celebrities, personalities join call to #StopAsianHate in US
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra believes President Rodrigo Duterte "merely used strong words" when he warned people that they will face jail time if they refuse to get vaccinated.

"I believe that the President merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible," Guevarra said in a statement on Tuesday.

Duterte earlier threatened to arrest Filipinos who decline the coronavirus shot in the middle of a national emergency.

"Mamili kayo, magpabakuna kayo o ipakulong ko kayo sa selda? (You choose, get vaccinated, or I send you to jail?)" Duterte said in his public address on Monday.

READ: Duterte threatens to arrest Filipinos who refuse to get vaccinated

Guevarra said there is no law yet that penalizes people who refuse to get their COVID-19 shots.

"As a lawyer, he (Duterte) knows that not getting vaccinated is a legal choice; there is no law as yet that compels vaccination against COVID-19, much less criminalizes it, as presently available vaccines are still in their trial phases," he said.

In an interview with CNN Philippines' The Source, Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Benhur Abalos said Duterte merely made the threat "out of frustration" as the country's "father."

"Parang ama naman natin siya eh, he wants to show the seriousness of these things. Nakikita mo naman sa tono niya," Abalos said.

[Translation: He's like our father, he wants to show the seriousness of these things. You can realize that from his tone.]

Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje expressed a similar sentiment and urged the public to look at the context of Duterte's pronouncement. She said people can still receive vaccines with free and informed consent.

"I think it is the context na kailangan nating tignan sa pronouncement na iyon ng President. Because ang sabi nga niya (I think it is the context that we should look at when it comes to the President's pronouncement, because he said) no one is safe until everyone is safe and he wants safe and effective vaccines for all Filipinos," she said in a briefing.

More than 2 million Filipinos have so far completed their doses, still far from the government's target of achieving herd immunity by inoculating at least 70 million Filipinos by yearend.

Malacanang said the government is administering about 322,000 doses a day and is targeting sufficient supply to achieve 500,000 daily doses. About 11 million doses are expected to arrive in the Philippines this month alone.
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.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  House committee on economic affairs chair Sharon Garin said the government is facing implementation problems with its 165.5 billion Bayanihan 2 program.

I think there are problems with implementation because they are scrambling," Garin told CNN Philippines The Final Word. "There is the magnitude of programs that they have to implement and the money that has been coursed through these agencies is quite huge."

"But that is no excuse. The people need the help now as fast as possible, as efficient as possible," she added.

The lawmaker made the statement after the Palace revealed that the government has yet to utilize around 18 billion for the said COVID-19 stimulus program, with only a few days remaining before the law expires by end-June.

Citing data from the Budget Department, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said 123.2 billion, or around 87% of the total allocation, has been obligated, meaning agencies have already lined up programs for the budget given to them.

However, he did not explain why there were still unutilized funds. When asked if the president will authorize a special session, Roque said he will ask Duterte during the latter's Monday address.

Since Congress is in recess, lawmakers are pushing for a special session to tackle the extension of the validity of the measure. In early June, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III told CNN Philippines' The Source that his colleagues support extending the validity of the stimulus program given its current status.

Garin said she is also in favor of holding a special session since its not only an issue of funding, but also of other benefits granted under the Bayanihan 2, which cover factors like exemptions in procurement requirements.

People need this, and we need to extend it. If we can extend before June 30 then (that is) the best thing that could happen. But if not, we can legislate and have it extended up to next year, Garin said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22) - House Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Representative Rufus Rodriguez has asked the Department of Health to send at least 24 additional ventilators to seven hospitals in Cagayan de Oro amid the surge of COVID-19 cases in the city.

In a letter sent to Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama, Jr., and Health Director Ma. Soledad Antonio, Rodriguez said there are 10,107 coronavirus infections in Cagayan de Oro as of Sunday.

"The hospitals in the city are still seeing an influx of COVID-19 patients, with some forced to wait in line for vacancy. The healthcare utilization rate is 74.56%" Rodriguez added.

The lawmaker said the additional ventilators "can be sourced from the remaining 63 units the DOH has announced were on standby and ready to be deployed to the regions."

Rodriguez said the following hospitals are in need of more ventilators:

- Northern Mindanao Medical Center - 10 units

- J. R. Borja General Hospital - 3 units

- Maria Reyna - Xavier University Hospital - 3 units

- Capitol University Medical Center - 2 units

- Cagayan de Oro Polymedic Medical Plaza -2 units

- Cagayan de Oro Medical Center/Oncology - 2 units

- Madonna and Child Hospital - 2 units

"The DOH has to help our hospitals treat COVID-19 patients especially now that there is a so-called Delta or Indian variant that is more contagious than the UK variant," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez had also requested for additional COVID-19 vaccines for Cagayan de Oro. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said Visayas and Mindanao will each be getting 25% of incoming COVID-19 vaccine doses in the country.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to talk about the crafting of a law that would make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory, Malacanang said on Tuesday.

"Wala pa naman po 'no [He hasn't said anything yet]," said his spokesperson Harry Roque when asked whether the chief executive has mentioned anything about the creation of such a measure.

During his virtual briefing, the spokesman explained that mandatory inoculation can be enforced provided there is a legal basis in the form of a law or ordinance which will impose punishment on an individual who refuses to get vaccinated.

Roque cited the Supreme Court's ruling on People of the Philippines v. Jose Abad Santos, which stated that the state's right to "compel compulsory vaccination is well established."

The ruling quotes the United States high court's decision on Jacobson vs. Massachusetts, which said that individual rights "may at times under pressure of great dangers be subjected to such restraint to be enforced by reasonable regulations" as demanded by general public safety.

The US Supreme Court ruling upheld states' authority to implement compulsory vaccination laws, noting it is within police power.

Roque said that requesting such a legislation from Congress would be easy, since lawmakers know the importance of getting vaccinated. However, he expressed hope things will not have to reach that point.

"[G]aya nga ng sabi ni Presidente, sana hindi na tayo umabot sa puntong 'yon dahil marami naman po talagang nakakaintindi na talagang bakuna po ay susi sa pagsalba ng buhay," he further explained.

[Translation: Like what the President said, hopefully we won't reach this point because many understand that vaccines really are the key to saving lives.]

Duterte threatened to arrest Filipinos who refuse to get COVID-19 shots as the country continues to get pummeled by the health crisis.

However, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the President only used "strong words" to encourage vaccination as he is aware no law yet exists to penalize those who decline the shots.

There are now 6.1 million Filipinos who have already received their first COVID-19 shots, according to latest government data. A total of 2.12 million, meanwhile, are already fully vaccinated against the disease.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22) - The Philippines has ordered 50 million doses of Moderna vaccine booster for next year, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Tuesday.

"Ang magandang balita, kasama rin tayo doon sa mga booster shots na dine-develop ngayon (The good news is, we have ordered booster shots that are now being developed)," he said in a Malacanang briefing.

"Moderna definitely has already informed us. Nag-reserve na tayo ng mga (We have already reserved around) 50 million doses, that's for next year," he added.

In May, Romualdez told CNN Philippines that booster shots from Moderna may be combined with other brands initially administered to Filipinos.

Scientists are still researching how long vaccines can provide immunity against the coronavirus, factoring in new variants which could be more transmissible.

Medical experts say fully vaccinated individuals might need a booster dose within a year to stay protected against COVID-19.

In April, the Department of Health said it will wait for additional evidence on the need for an extra dose.

The Philippines has signed a tripartite agreement with Modera for 20 million doses of its vaccine. The government ordered 13 million, while the private sector procured seven million.

The country will receive on June 27 the first tranche, which is a shipment of 250,000 doses. It was initially scheduled to arrive on June 21 but was pushed back due to logistical issues.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has launched a mobile monitoring application on the status of active volcanoes in the country.

In an interview with CNN Philippines' New Day on Tuesday, Mariton Bornas, head of the Phivolcs' volcano monitoring and eruption prediction division, said the app provides easier access to information to the public, especially to those residing in rural communities surrounded by active volcanoes.

"It's very difficult and very tedious for the public especially our rural folks to get information by reading long text documents and that's what our documents looked like before," Bornas said.

The app was launched on Monday, as part of Phivolcs' celebration of its 69th founding anniversary.

Bornas said the app contains "simplified monitoring parameters" on the status of volcanoes, laid down in infographics form. It also includes Phivolcs' recommendations to the public depending on the alert level of the volcanoes.

She added that the app is still a work in progress, but they intend to use the same infographics format in their bulletins and formal issuances in their website and social media accounts.

"Our official issuances will be in an infographics type so our disaster risk reduction partners like the Office of Civil Defense will get distilled information in this type of form," Bornas added.

VolcanoPH Info is downloadable on all Android mobile devices.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The Food and Drug Administration said Russian vaccine maker Gamaleya is considering applying for emergency use of its single-dose vaccine in the country.

"They are also thinking of registering the vaccine as a single dose vaccine similar to the J&J," FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said during his taped meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday.

Russia in May authorized the use of single-dose coronavirus vaccine Sputnik Light. The vaccine is based on a human adenoviral vector platform and has a storage requirement of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. The Russian Direct Investment Fund said it has 79.4% efficacy.

The Philippines has so far only approved one single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine.

Domingo added the Gamaleya is likely to apply for revision of its previous emergency use authorization to lengthen the interval between its two-dose Sputnik V vaccine, which is currently administered three weeks apart.

"Hinihintay lang po natin yong scientific data no to support the claim na mas maganda pag pinapahabaan po yong time interval," the FDA chief said.

[Translation: We are waiting for scientific data to support the claim that it's better to have a longer interval between doses.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The city of Manila is expecting to get 400,000 purchased doses from China's Sinovac Biotech in three days, Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso said on Tuesday.

"Paparating na ang prinocure natin on our own na 400,000 doses," he told CNN Philippines' The Source. "Siguro in less than 72 hours nandito na."

[Translation: The 400,000 doses we procured on our own are arriving soon. Probably the doses will be here in less than 72 hours.]

"[It's] Sinovac that we ordered because medyo manipis yung supply noong nakaraang buwan (supply was running thin in the past months) so we ordered on our own," Domagoso said.

Domagoso previously said the doses purchased by the city government were worth 298.5 million.

Meanwhile, 800,000 purchased doses from British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca will also arrive in Manila "earlier than expected", but Moreno did not state a specific date. He previously said the doses may arrive in September.

Over two million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In Manila, close to 12,000 individuals were vaccinated on Monday alone after the city government reverted to its walk-in system to boost vaccine rollout.

READ: Manila mayor allows walk-in clients to ramp up vaccination drive
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  The American government was "very happy" with President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to suspend the abrogation of Manila's Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Washington, according to Philippine Ambassador to the United States Babe Romualdez.

"The US government, especially the US military establishments, is very pleased with this development that the President has extended it for another six months," Romualdez said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. announced the extension last week. Duterte's decision came after Philippine and US officials handed him an "improved" version of the agreement.

"As you know, both countries have sat down to different panels and we've had - I wouldn't really call it negotiations but clarifications on the terms of agreement which was completed. Sabi ni Presidente, gusto niya pag-aralan 'yun (The President said he wants to study these)," Romualdez said.

The VFA lays out the legal framework for the presence of American soldiers in the country as they hold joint military exercises.

The chief executive initially terminated the agreement in February last year but suspended the termination process in June. He then held off the abrogation again in November.

"We're hoping that it will be perhaps better than it ever was in terms of the kind of agreement that we have with them and that it will be mutually beneficial for both our militaries," Romualdez said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 23)  The Armed Forces of the Philippines received 183 million worth of weapons and equipment from the Joint United States Military Assistance Group  Philippines.

In a statement, the US Embassy in the Philippines said these were delivered at the Clark Air Base and included nine M3P .50 caliber heavy machine guns and 10 mortar tubes, among others.

The deliveries, which were funded by the Philippine government and a US grant, aim to enhance the AFPs counterterrorism and maritime security capabilities, it added.

The United States will continue to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines capacity building efforts through joint training and key military equipment transfers, JUSMAG-Philippines Chief and Senior Defense Official to the Philippines Col. Stephen Ma said. Our mutual security collaboration remains a cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

The US Embassy said the Philippines is the largest recipient of their countrys military assistance in the Indo-Pacific, providing more than 48.6 billion in security assistance since 2015.

The two countries are commemorating the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty this year. This agreement commits both countries to support each other in case either of the nations will be attacked by an external party.

RELATED: Envoy: US welcomes Duterte's order to suspend VFA abrogation anew
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 23)  Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the recent remark of the countrys chief executive against the International Criminal Court is justified as a leader of a sovereign country.

Its BS (bullshit), because in the first place, we are a sovereign country, kung mayroong dapat mag-imbestiga at maglitis kay Presidente (if there is someone who needs to investigate and put the president in trial), it will have to be Filipino fiscals and trial will have to be before Filipino judges, Roque said in a briefing.

This is in connection to the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte during his Monday address, wherein he again shrugged off the call of the international body to conduct an investigation on his controversial war against illegal drugs. He also emphasized that he will only face a Philippine court with a Filipino judge if his anti-illegal drug campaign will be investigated.

On June 15, Outgoing ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda requested for an authorization to start an investigation into the alleged crime against humanity committed by Dutertes deadly war on drugs.

According to the ICC prosecutor, around 12,000 to 30,000 civilians were killed from July 2016 to March 2019 in connection with the governments anti-illegal drug campaign. Government data showed that 6,117 individuals died during anti-drug operations as of April 30 this year.

Duterte questioned the need to defend an accusation before white people, even calling the ICC bullshit and crazy.

In the Philippines, the Justice Department formed an inter-agency panel June 2020 assigned to look into the drug operations conducted that led to deaths, including minors.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said at least 81 drug death cases under preliminary investigation or pending before the courts.

RELATED: UN rights chief: PH drug war review must yield meaningful results
Cebu (CNN Philippines, June 22) - Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia on Tuesday announced the provincial government will now follow the protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease on returning Filipinos.

Garcia said there will be no more home quarantine for returning residents after a negative swab test result upon arrival at the airport. Instead, they will follow the IATF protocol which requires a 10-day quarantine in accredited hotels.

However, the provincial government will stick to its Swab-Upon-Arrival policy and the conduct of another swab test on the seventh day of quarantine.

Garcia said she decided to scrap the home quarantine protocol previously implemented in the province as the national government will now shoulder the hotel quarantine of returning Filipinos.

The Cebu governor added that she has also set aside her Executive Order No. 23, which warns of criminal and administrative charges against government agencies and hotels that will defy the local ordinance on returning residents.

Garcia said she is looking forward to meet with the IATF and Health Secretary Francisco Duque in Cebu on June 28, to discuss the protocols further and to arrive at a win-win solution.

Early Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said he thinks the governor was not being disobedient when it comes to following national policies. He added that President Rodrigo Duterte understands the innovation implemented by Garcia amid inadequate number of quarantine facilities for returning Filipinos in the province.

The President appreciates the concern of Governor Garcia from a humanitarian perspective on the plight of our OFWs. But like the face shields, game-changer po talaga itong Delta variant; kinakailangan pong maiwasan ang pagpasok ng Delta variant kaya nga po ipinatutupad iyong mandatory 10-day facility quarantine, Roque noted, referring to the more contagious variant first discovered in India.

[Translation: The Delta variant is really a game-changer. We need to prevent the entry of the Delta variant which is why we need to implement the mandatory 10-day facility quarantine.]

During his weekly address, Duterte said he understands the frustrations of returning Filipinos who are desperate to go home. However, health protocols need to be followed first to prevent further transmission of the coronavirus, especially with the presence of more dangerous variants.
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.
The 3/20 Coalition joined the State College Borough Council meeting Monday to address the removal of the Memorial for Black Lives, which was erected to mark the anniversary George Floyd's death.

George Floyd was a Black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on Memorial Day in 2020 and whose death has sparked nationwide protests.

The memorial was taken down on Sunday by the borough, a day after local Juneteenth celebrations were held and led by Black community leaders.

Locals, members of the 3/20 Coalition and students spoke out about the memorial's sudden removal, and the council announced it will work toward rebuilding the memorial in the near future.

If those photos were of white men or women, would it have made a difference? co-founder of 3/20 Coalition Tierra Williams said. "...We were told by the council that the memorial was removed due to the decaying of flowers... The borough said that we should honor those who are dead within a graveyard. However, they agreed with 3/20 Coalition and I that it was bad timing and unintentional.

Williams said the borough has not been an ally of the Black community throughout the past year and ceases to acknowledge this.

The fact that the borough could conduct someone to do this  and the fact that those instructed to do so would proceed to do this  truly disturbs me, Williams said. "...There are still no words to describe the pain I felt when I saw this, this morning.

3/20 Coalition member Melanie Morrison said none of the members of the coalition or those involved in the making of the memorial were contacted about its removal.

State College local Steven Baska said he appreciates that the council took responsibility for removing the memorial, but he also said he believes this has been a recurring behavior from the borough.

In my view, it seems this example of what happened is one of many of a repeated pattern in the State College borough, where they will acknowledge it, walk back and apologize, Baska said. It seems like a continued pattern without understanding the struggles of the African American community.

Baska said the borough should get more serious about the severity of this continuous issue, and he said it should get better with both listening and taking action toward the representation of the Black community within State College.

MORE BOROUGH COVERAGE
The Penn State College of Medicine was awarded $1.8 million by the American Medical Association for a multi-institution initiative.

The purpose of the initiative is to prepare resident physicians to practice medicine and help them learn the skills and knowledge to increase the quality of patient care, according to a release.

The grant is part of the AMA Reimagining Residency initiative, which supports 11 medical schools missions and innovation projects.

The college of medicine will use the money to fund its graduate medical education program on top of the funding it has previously received from the AMA, Dr. Jed Gonzalo, associate dean for health systems education, said in the release.

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Pearl Glucks upcoming film titled Little Miss Hasid aims to tell the story of Sarah Schenirer and Bais Yaakov, the womens Jewish education movement Schenirer started in 1917 in Krakow, Poland.

Gluck, an associate professor of film production at Penn State, received a Global Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to begin production on the documentary film in Poland and Israel.

This is Glucks second Fulbright award as a professor. Her first Fulbright sent her to Hungary to make her first film Divan in 2004.

The Fulbright program is one of the top international exchange programs, funded by the U.S. Congress and intended to foster lasting connections between Americans and people from other countries, according to a release.

She is collaborating with Naomi Seidman, the author of Sarah Schenirer and the Bais Yaakov Movement: A Revolution in the Name of Tradition. Seidman and Gluck attended the same Bais Yaakov school in Brooklyn as children and have since both left Hasidism.

Gluck said Little Miss Hasid was Schenirers nickname in grade school because Schenirer was so devoutly religious.

Before Bais Yaakov, Seidman said women were not supposed to study, according to Jewish law. Because of this, large numbers of Polish women were leaving Orthodox Judaism in the early 20th century.

Gluck said the movement was part of a larger feminist movment sweeping Poland at the time, and it wasnt until the early 1900s that secular schools were starting to accept girls.

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Seidman said Orthodox Judaism needed a womens learning movement to stop these trends. Girls were reading novels and falling in love with the heroes of the novels. They were not getting a formal Jewish education  just getting an informal one at home, she said.

Although it was necessary to save Orthodoxy, strict interpretation of Orthodox law didnt actually permit it, Seidman said. It took somebody just doing it anyway to make it happen.

While taking the progressive step toward girls education, Schenirers movement still separated boys from girls  in contrast with the secular schools  according to Gluck.

Seidman said Bais Yaakov was designed to instill in girls a love for traditional Judaism so that they themselves carry on a Jewish life. They marry religious men, they have children and they keep connected to the Jewish world.

Bais Yaakov was controversial for reasons other than religious ones. According to Seidman, the movement had adult female learners who would live together collectively. This was seen as socialism by many Polish conservatives, who would throw rocks at Schenirer in public.

According to Gluck, male rabbis became afraid of Bais Yaakovs success and overtook the movement, removing Schenirers leadership role in the process.

Despite this, Gluck said Schenirer remains a figurehead in Bais Yaakov. Seidman said she is still known as Mother Sarah despite her lack of children.

Shes always been seen as very religious and the ultimate image of the religious young lady and how she should be, Gluck said.

Both Seidman and Gluck said Bais Yaakov students werent taught that Schenirer was divorced and did not have any children, which may have contested the image the students had of her.

According to Seidmans book, Schenirer incorporated the arts into education. No other school was teaching arts in Poland at that time, the book said.

Bais Yaakov was known for having [its] special plays that were all written by and acted by women only  almost like Shakespeare with men only, Gluck said.

Gluck is a first-generation American and her Hasidic parents were from Hungary and Austria. They both immigrated to America to escape religious persecution under communism, Gluck said.

Gluck said Yiddish was her first language, and she was the first person to obtain a Yiddish Fulbright award as a student at Brandeis University in 1996. She said she conducted all her interviews for the award in Yiddish.

Seidmans mother attended a Romanian Bais Yaakov school led by Sarah Schenirer herself, Gluck said. Seidmans father was the official biographer of Schenirer.

Gluck said the idea for the film came to her when she took a group of Penn State students to the Polish National Film School in odz in 2019. Seidmans book came out the same year.

Her student Morgan Seiff started to work on a film about Schenirer but decided to turn the film into a self-reflection about her own half-Catholic, half-Jewish childhood. Her film Halfway won the Best Student Nonfiction Film Award at the Centre Film Festival in 2021.

Seiff, who graduated from Penn State in 2021 with a bachelors degree in film production, said she felt she was not qualified to tell the story of Schenirer  she said she didnt have enough filmmaking experience at the time. Seidman told Seiff this is a difficult story to tell since the Jewish community reveres Schenirer so much.

Schenirers Polish diary was recently discovered, which explains a lot of the recent buzz around the story, Gluck said.

While in Poland filming the movie, Gluck plans to visit some of the original buildings. She said Bais Yaakov was started in a still-standing one-bedroom apartment.

She said she will also talk to as many first-generation Bais Yaakov students as she can find  most of whom are in their 90s by now.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE

Bais Yaakov  meaning House of Jacob, according to Gluck  now has thousands of locations in 13 countries, according to Seidman.

Schenirer loved hiking, and Gluck said she plans to also hike some of the same trails.

Moreover, Gluck will work with Penn State film students  possibly including Seiff  on the documentary once she returns from Poland.

The film will also examine the modern state of the Bais Yaakov movement, Gluck said. Seidman said Bais Yaakov is now quite decentralized and exists more as a brand than an organization of schools. The primary centers are in Israel and North America.

Bais Yaakov has now become more conservative, along with most of modern Orthodox Jewish culture, according to Seidman. Emphasis is placed on a traditional family lifestyle, and girls rarely live together communally. Gluck said the roles of the women are shifting.

These days, youll find Hasidim on Instagram, youll find fashion designers, youll find real estate agents and so on, Gluck said.

Seidman said she believes a problem with Orthodox Judaism is its only known for its men.

The notion that there even is a female culture to Orthodoxy is just unknown in the secular world  and even in the Orthodox world, Seidman said. The men know very little about their own daughters and sisters and wives culture. What they know about it, they often make fun of.

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Penn State filed a lawsuit against Vintage Brand for alleged trademark infringement Monday.

Penn State claims the company is selling items that are "virtually identical" to its Nittany Lion logos and Penn State Seal trademarks, which the university described as "a deliberate attempt to take advantage of and capitalize" on Penn State branding, according to the university's complaint filed through the Pennsylvania Middle District Court.

Other schools, such as Purdue University and universities on the West Coast, have filed similar lawsuits against Vintage Brand for violation of the Lanham Act, which protects against trademark infringement.

Penn State is requesting that Vintage Brand pays statutory damages of up to $2 million per infringement mark among other charges.

MORE COURTS COVERAGE

Penn State football quarterback charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession Penn State freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux was charged with small amount personal us
FILE - This Saturday, March 6, 2021 file photo shows vials of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Denver. On Thursday, June 10, 2021, Johnson & Johnson said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended the expiration date on millions of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by an extra six weeks.
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This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong!
Columbia, MO (65201)

Today

A shower or two possible this evening with partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A shower or two possible this evening with partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
One of the best parts of using a Pixel is the way tasty little specks of Google intelligence get sprinkled all throughout the experience. Those small but significant morsels show off the value of having Google's greatest ingredients integrated right into your phone's operating system, without any competing forces or awkwardly conflicting priorities at play.

And Goog almighty, does that make a world of difference. The features in question may not always be the most eye-catching or marketing-friendly advantages, but they're incredibly practical touches that can make your life easier in some pretty powerful ways.

Today, we're gonna zoom into an especially possibility-packed area of the Pixel's software setup, and that's the Android Overview area. The simple-seeming interface for switching between recently used apps is overflowing with advanced actions on a Pixel phone, and once you discover (or maybe just remind yourself) what's there, you'll be saving time and flyin' around your phone like nobody's business.

So as a supplement to my popular Pixel Academy e-course  a totally free seven-day email adventure that helps you uncover tons of next-level Pixel treasures  join me for this tour of outstanding and out-of-the-way Pixel Overview gems. Check 'em out, try 'em out, and then come sign up for the course for even more super-practical Pixel awesomeness.

(Note that most of the possibilities on this page require Android 11 or higher to work. That means if you're still hangin' onto a first-gen Pixel phone, they won't be available for you, unfortunately. But don't despair. You can still find lots of other worthwhile goodies in my Pixel Academy!)

Pixel superpower No. 1: The quick text copy

We'll start with a simple but supremely helpful feature for copying text from practically anywhere in a snap. You can use it to snag words from something like a web page or a document, sure, but you can also use it to highlight and copy anything from within an image, a screenshot you'd previously saved, or even an area of Android that wouldn't typically let you select and copy text  like a specific screen within the system settings, for instance.

Whatever the case may be, all you've gotta do is open up your Pixel's Overview interface  by swiping up an inch or so from the bottom of the screen and then stopping, if you're using Android's current gesture system, or by tapping the square-shaped button at the bottom of the screen, if you're still holding onto the old legacy three-button nav setup  and then press and hold your finger onto the words you want within the view of your most recently used app (or any other app in your current history).

As long as your phone is running Android 11 or higher, you should see the text in question get selected. And you can then slide your finger around as needed to expand or refocus the selection. If you want to select all of the visible text on the screen, you can also use the relatively new "Select" command at the bottom of the Pixel Overview interface. Either way, once your text is selected, all that's left is to hit the "Copy" command in the menu that comes up and then do a spritely little jig of celebration.*

At that point, you can head into any other app or process you want  an in-progress email draft, a messaging app, or perhaps a note-taking tool of some sort  and press your finger down in any text editing field to pull up the "Paste" command and send your freshly copied contents wherever they need to be.

* Spritely jig optional but highly recommended.

Pixel superpower No. 2: The speedy text share

In addition to copying and pasting text from anywhere, the Pixel's Overview interface allows you to share text and send it directly into other apps and processes on your phone. It's an even easier way to beam the info you need directly to the place where you want it, especially if the final destination is a new email, note, or message (as sharing will typically place the info in question into a new item instead of a draft you were already working on).

Performing this feat is quite similar to pulling off our first bit of Pixel sorcery: Once more, you'll open up the Overview interface and then press and hold your finger onto whatever text you want to copy within the preview of any recently used app. The only difference is that this time, you'll select "Share" from the menu that comes up, and then select whatever app you want to send the text to from there.

If what you require is context, you can also select "Search" instead of "Share," and your Pixel will send the text into a new Google Search instance faster than you can say "Aw, shucks, Siri sucks."

Doesn't get much easier than that.

Pixel superpower No. 3: The language-translating genie

Here's a Pixel power you'd probably never know existed: If you highlight some text within your Pixel phone's Overview interface that isn't in your native tongue, your phone will automatically offer to translate the text on the spot for you.

See?

Fantastico, no?

Pixel superpower No. 4: The smooth text operator

This is probably my favorite tucked-away Pixel possibility  'cause once you get in the habit of using it, it can really be a major step- and time-saver. So here it is: Anytime you've got a bit of text that's associated with an action on your phone, you can highlight it in your Pixel's Overview interface (using the same process we've used in our first few superpowers) and then find a specific option for acting on it in whatever way makes the most sense.

Let's think through some concrete examples, shall we?

If you highlight a phone number within Overview  in a web page, an email, even a screenshot you captured of something six months ago and just pulled up in the Photos app  your Pixel phone's Overview spirit will summon up the option to call that number with a single fast tap.

Highlighting an address in Overview will give you the option to beam it over directly into a Google Maps navigation  no copying, pasting, or fussing required.

If you have any ride-sharing apps like Lyft on your phone, you should also see the option to send any addresses directly into them for easy and immediate processing. Those sorts of options are often tucked away within a three-dot menu icon that shows up alongside "Copy," "Share," and the other more standard choices, so be sure to look closely to see if they're available.

When you select a word within the Overview area that your Pixel phone thinks you might not know, you'll see an option to get a definition for it on the spot.

Hey, Google: Give a guy a little credit, would ya?!

Pixel superpower No. 5: The instant image extractor

This next one's cool: When you've been looking at anything involving an image in an app  a web page, a social media feed, even a screenshot that had photos within it  you can press and hold the image inside your Pixel's Overview area and then pull it out of the preview for simple sharing or saving.

It's a spectacular way to save anything you encounter anywhere  even in places where you can't usually extract images easily  and then zap it over into a note, email, message, or anywhere else you might need it.

Pixel superpower No. 6: The intelligent image searcher

You know how much I love Google Lens, right? Well, you'd be forgiven for forgetting (or maybe failing to notice in the first place!), but Google's excellent image intelligence technology is built right into your Pixel phone's Overview area for super-easy searching within images in any apps you've been using.

This one's pretty wild: Just pull up your Pixel's Overview interface and press and hold any image you see within an app's preview. That should make "Lens" pop up as an option. And if you tap it, Google's almost eerily smart system will do a number of different things, depending on the context:

It'll identify a landmark, a painting, or even a plant or an animal, if one is pictured, and then offer up additional info about that object.

It'll show you images similar to the one on your screen within Google Image Search along with information and links related to what's pictured  including even shopping-related links so you can compare prices and purchase the item in the picture, when relevant.

It'll scan a barcode or QR code for you  no futzing around with third-party software required.

It'll offer to read text within an image out loud to you.

It'll offer to send text within image over to a computer where you're also signed in (in Chrome) for hassle-free cross-platform copying.

And all of that's just the start of what Lens is capable of doing. Remembering that it's always standing by and available in your Pixel phone's Overview area is one of the most efficient ways to tap into its magic.

Pixel superpower No. 7: The simple screenshot machine

Android's always allowed you to capture screenshots with a quick press of a phone's power and volume-down buttons, but that key combo isn't always convenient to activate  at least, not without some serious hand yoga involved.

So make yourself a mental note of this: You can always capture a screenshot of anything by sliding your way over to your Pixel's Overview area. Ergonomics aside, that gives you the advantage of getting a completely clean and neat image of whatever's on your screen, without all the usual system interface elements (the status bar, the navigation bar or buttons, and so on) around it.

Just march your way back into that Pixel Overview area and look for the "Screenshot" command at the bottom of the screen.

Tap that bad boy and tap it good, and you'll be staring at a static image of whatever you last had open by itself, without any extra gobbledygook above or below it.

(If you don't see that command, by the way, you're probably still using one of the older Android navigation setups  either the legacy three-button nav model or the Android-9-era two-button gesture system. Go into the System section of your phone's settings and select "Gestures" followed by "System navigation." Change the setting there to "Gesture navigation," and everything should work flawlessly from here on out!)

Pixel superpower No. 8: The app info shortcut

Ever find yourself needing to head into an app's information screen  maybe to adjust its notification behavior or permissions or even to open up its Play Store page so you can search for an update or revisit some introductory info?

The swiftest way to get there while you're using an app is to open up the Overview area on your Pixel, tap the app's icon at the top, and then select "App info" from the menu that comes up.

Fast, easy, and fuss-free. Yes, please.

Pixel superpower No. 9: The speedy screen-splitter

One of Android's most overlooked features is the system-level option for splitting your screen in half and viewing two apps at the same time. It isn't something you're likely to need all that often, but when the right occasion comes along  working on a document while simultaneously referencing a web page or email, for instance, or maybe peeking in at a spreadsheet whilst also staring at photos of Gary Busey (as one does)  good golly, it sure can be handy.

And guess what? That same sweet Pixel Overview area of ours is the key to tapping into that magic.

Just glide your fancy person-feet back into Overview, tap the icon of the first app you want to use in your split-screen setup, and then tap "Split screen" in the menu that appears. That app will move up into the upper area of your screen, and you can then select the second app you want to complete the picture.

Whee!

Pixel superpower No. 10: The app-pinning possibility

A handy but hidden Android feature I always forget to use is the software's app-pinning system. Once activated, it lets you lock one specific app or process to your screen and then require a pin or passcode before anything else can be accessed.

The idea is that you could pass your phone off to a friend, a co-worker, or some manner of rabid jungle bird  maybe so they can see a document, look at something on a website, or peck out a quick call while their own tiny bird-phone isn't handy. And since you proactively pinned whatever app was relevant to that purpose to your screen, you can rest easy knowing the rest of your stuff will remain secure and inaccessible until the phone's back in your hands.

To get this one going, you first need to fire up the feature within your Pixel phone's settings:

Swipe down twice from the top of the screen, then tap the gear-shaped icon to open up the system-level settings.

Tap the Security section.

Tap the "Advanced" line at the very bottom of the screen, then tap "App pinning."

Make sure the toggle at the top of that screen is in the active and on position, and make sure the secondary toggle ("Lock device when unpinning" or "Ask for unlock pattern before unpinning," depending on your Android version) is also active.

Got it? Good. Now, with that option active, hop back into your Pixel Overview area, tap the icon of any app you want to pin, and look for the aptly named "Pin" option in that adorable little menu.

Tap that, say "Ooga, booga, gherkin, workin'!" for good measure (and for my own personal amusement), and ta-da: That app will be locked in place. To get past it and into anything else, you'll first have to swipe your finger up from the bottom of the screen and hold it in place for a few seconds, then provide whatever manner of unlocking authentication (PIN, pattern, password, appendage, 14 drops of blood from your pinky toe, etc) is appropriate to continue.

If you're still using Android's old three-button nav system, you'll instead press the square-shaped Overview button to get to the Overview interface, and you'll press and hold the Back and Overview buttons together from there when you're ready to unpin.

Pixel superpower No. 11: The pausing power

This next item is another oft-overlooked Android option. It lets you temporarily pause an individual app, which means the app's icon will get grayed out and the app won't be able to send you any notifications until either you unpause it or the day ends  whichever comes first. It's a fine way to give yourself a reprieve from the horrors of social media, the humans of your workplace Slack channel, or whatever other force is demanding too much of your attention during your (allegedly) off-work hours.

The app-pausing power is always just two taps away in your Pixel's Overview area: Get to that Overview interface, touch your favorite phalange to the icon of whatever app you want to pause, and then press the "Pause app" option. If you decide you want to unpause the app before the day's done, just find and tap its icon within your home screen or app drawer, and your phone will prompt you to undo the deed.

Pixel superpower No. 12: The fresh start flick

Last but not least in our Pixel Overview superpower collection is an option that's widely misunderstood and probably used more often than it oughta be. But it's certainly worth being aware of for the right sorts of situations.

So here 'tis: Whilst viewing any app within your phone's Overview area, you can flick its card upward to dismiss it from the list. That'll also dismiss the app out of your phone's active memory and cause it to start up fresh the next time you open it instead of picking up where you left off, as it normally would.

Despite what some folks believe, there's really no need to do this as a matter of habit. Android automatically manages its active memory and removes stuff as needed. Because of that, constantly closing everything out as a form of compulsive "cleaning" is both unnecessary and often even counterproductive (since the system will automatically restart anything that needs to be running, which then leads to even less efficient use of resources). But when an app is acting funky or for some other reason requires a reset, this one-two flickeroo is a fine Overview tool to remember.

And remember, too: There's lots more where this came from. Come join my completely free Pixel Academy e-course for seven full days of delightful Pixel knowledge  starting with some camera-centric smarts and moving from there to advanced image magic, next-level nuisance reducers, and oodles of other opportunities for advanced Pixel intelligence.

If there's one thing I've learned over time, it's that here in the land o' Googley matters, there's always something new just waiting to be discovered.
06/22/2021

Photo (c) Rapeepong Puttakumwong - Getty Images To help landlords stay flush and renters out of legal trouble, the Associated Press reports that the state of California will pay off the mound of unpaid rent that residents incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And piled up it did. Only about 2% of Californians who applied for rent assistance during the pandemic have received part of the $2.6 billion the state set aside for that purpose. Supporters of the plan lay the blame at the feet of California officials, suggesting that the states program is riddled with confusion and red tape.

Critics say all those problems have caused significant slowdowns. Theres been a sufficient amount of finger-pointing toward the state when it comes to delays in distributing the rent assistance checks. Since receiving $490 million in requests through the end of May, officials have reportedly only written checks for $32 million -- covering about 6.5% of the total requests.

Wiping the slate clean

California officials felt that the quickest way over this hurdle was to utilize a variety of federal aid packages to set things straight, and thats exactly what they did to the tune of $5.2 billion.

However, there appears to be a hitch in that process -- the states eviction moratorium. As things stand now, its set to expire on June 30, but state officials haven't decided whether or not to extend that or let the rental pay-off be the stopping point.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers are reportedly holding closed-door discussions about the moratorium issue, but a firm decision has yet to be made. If the state decides to extend the moratorium, then it would buy itself sufficient time to distribute the funds to pay off unpaid rents past the June 30 deadline.

States putting surplus COVID-19 assistance to good use

A year ago, when the eradication of COVID-19 was a big fat question mark, states were cutting back all they could and using any of the pandemic relief money they received cautiously. Now that things are looking up, many states are sitting on a sizable chunk of the $1.25 billion allocation that they received and are trying to find the best way to use it.

Take Idaho as an example. While it has distributed millions to assistance programs, parks and recreation departments, and small businesses, its on course for an $800 million surplus at the end of June. Other states like Georgia are putting that money towards food delivery and sick leave.

Technology upgrades are getting a particularly good boost. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that Oklahoma has allotted $161 million to distribute 50,000 wireless hotspots among 175 school districts to give them a great way to kick off the upcoming school year. Connecticuts doing much of the same -- with $164.5 million earmarked for education improvements, including bridging the technology gap.
06/22/2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.) 

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 33,555,657 (33,542,425)

Total U.S. deaths: 602,143 (601,825)

Total global cases: 178,881,598 (178,572,940)

Total global deaths: 3,875,176 (3,868,089) 

Officials stress the importance of vaccinations

If you are fully vaccinated, youre probably feeling a sense of freedom. You dont have to wear a mask at the supermarket, and you may be enjoying more social gatherings with vaccinated friends.

Health experts say you have little chance of getting infected with the coronavirus, but they are increasingly concerned about those who arent vaccinated. So far this month, there have been spikes in hospitalizations in areas of the country where the vaccination rate is lagging.

The Washington State Department of Health has issued a report finding that vaccination is clearly protecting people from severe COVID-19 illness, as demonstrated by the very different hospital admission trends we are seeing in unvaccinated populations. As of early June, estimated admission rates among unvaccinated people between the ages of 45 and 64 continued to increase, despite declining new cases among people in that age range.

Medicaid enrollment rose sharply during the pandemic

Enrollment in government health programs, such as Medicaid, surged during the pandemic, according to a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). The report shows that more than 80 million people have health coverage through Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Nearly 9.9 million individuals, a 13.9% increase, enrolled in coverage between February 2020, the month before the public health emergency was declared, and January 2021.

"Medicaid and CHIP serve as a much-needed lifeline for millions of people throughout this country. The increase we are seeing is exactly how Medicaid works: the program steps in to support people and their families when times are tough, said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.

Birthdays linked to COVID-19 spread

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the RAND Corporation have completed a study that draws a link between birthday gatherings and spikes in COVID-19 infections. Their work focuses on infections reported during peak months of the pandemic.

The study found that in counties with high rates of COVID-19, households with recent birthdays were 30% more likely to have a COVID-19 diagnosis when compared to households with no birthdays. The analysis is based on data from health insurance claims.

These gatherings are an important part of the social fabric that holds together families and society as a whole, said study senior author Anupam Jena, a Harvard professor. However, as we show, in high-risk areas they can also expose households to COVID-19 infections.

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Flora & Noor, a Black- and Muslim-owned skin care brand, has launched a line of halal skin care.

Related: Hero Cosmetics Launches Force Shield Collection

Flora & Noor products are vegan and cruelty-free as well as halal.

The brand offers cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers and masks, as well as body products such as body butters, scrubs and bath bombs.

Flora & Noor is available at floraandnoor.com, Walmart.com, Amazon, and Miiriya.

Founder Jordan Karim said, "Halal skin care means that the skin care products are free from animal by-products and alcohol. Youd think many cruelty-free and vegan brands would be halal but more often than not alcohol manages to creep into the ingredients list."

Karim continued, "I wanted to create an inclusive skin care brand that really tells the story of who I am. When shopping for skincare with my extremely diverse family and realizing that we couldn't all shop from the same skincare brand or store, I created Flora & Noor. My hope is to encourage self-care and wellness and provide skin care for those who are looking for products that target the skin concerns of those with melanin-rich skin, those who need to use halal products, and those who appreciate clean skin care. Our world is incredibly diverse and Flora & Noor believes our skin care should reflect that!"
Target is facing a class action lawsuit alleging the brand's alcohol-based hand sanitizer has misled consumers with its claim to kill 99.99% of germs, according to a Law360 report.



Related: FDA Flags 13 More Sanitizers, Issues One Warning for Methanol Content

Plaintiff Mike Ross claims the hand sanitizers are incapable of killing some viruses, such as the norovirus, protozoan cysts, bacterial spores, Giardia and Clostridium difficile. While the fine print disclaimer on the back of the product label reportedly states it is "effective at eliminating 99.99% of many common harmful germs and bacteria in as little as 15 seconds," Ross argues that does not overcome the misleading claims on the front label, according to the report.

Ross has accused Target of breaches of express warranty, implied warranty of merchantability fraud, violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and more. He is seeking to represent a class of all Illinois residents who purchased the hand sanitizer during the applicable statutes of limitations.

The class action suit was filed on June 5, 2021, per Justia, and a summons has been issued to Target Corporation. The case can be found under: Ross v. Target Corporations, Case No. 1:2021-cv-03028.
Yes, a paid holiday

Yes, a holiday, but not paid (We must take a vacation day for that.)

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Retired / Unemployed / Student or otherwise not applicable

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Then, in 2018, two French newspapers published pieces where 15 staff members accused Cage and (co-studio head) Guillaume de Fondaumiere of promoting an ultra-toxic working environment. Now, normally this might mean probably indulging in the regular racist, sexist, and homophobic treatment you'd expect from a hellhole company, but this is Quantic goddamn Dream. Allegedly, they also Photoshopped employees to appear nude and/or to look like Nazis, then plastered those pictures all over the office. Cage disputed the accusations, calling it a lie, pure and simple.

Now, you shouldn't think a developer is a bad person when the only thing you know about him for sure is that he makes bad games. (Okay, maybe if his games are bad and created a nude CG model of an actor that didn't seem to consent to it.) Upon filing a defamation lawsuit against the newspapers responsible for publishing the testimonials, Cage took the stand. Not too long after, he threw a temper tantrum where he reportedly cried, stomped his feet, and even screamed, blaming "others" for interfering with his work and tainting his honor. Before things got hypothetically even worse when Fondaumiere jumped in and asked whether it would be okay to lie  in court. So, yeah, good luck with that.

Top Image: Quantic Dream
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
Yes, I'm concerned we're going to end up back where we were last fall and winter.

I'm not concerned for the vaccinated but cases could surge among the unvaccinated, shutting things down.

I'm not concerned about a surge or shutdowns this fall.

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Soul de Cuba Cafe, a popular New Haven Cuban restaurant, will open a new location at the SoNo Collection mall in Norwalk next month.

"We're bringing the most popular items from the New Haven restaurant  Cuban sandwich, Ropa Vieja, Cuban coffee, Cuban roast pork, rice, black bean soup, sweet fried plantains and tostones," said Soul de Cuba founder and CEO Jesus Puerto.
BRIDGEPORT  The city named Deputy Fire Chief Lance Edwards its new acting chief Monday.

Edwards replaces former Fire Chief Richard Thode, who departed Friday for the chiefs post in Danbury.

In a video posted to Mayor Joe Ganims Facebook page, Edwards called the promotion a huge honor.

I have huge shoes to fill from Chief Thode, but Im confident with the members of the Bridgeport Fire Department, men and women who are exceptional, he said. Ive been blessed to be part of the best fire department in the state of Connecticut for the last five years. We want to continue to provide those services to the city of Bridgeport.

Edwards has more than 30 years experience in firefighting and fire management, starting as a Stratford firefighter in 1988 before becoming a lieutenant and assistant chief.

He was appointed Bridgeports deputy chief in 2016.

In a prepared statement announcing Edwards appointment, Ganim said that Edwards has served our community on various levels in the Bridgeport Fire Department.

We look forward to his leadership and contributions in this new role, while maintaining the safety of Bridgeport residents, Ganim said.

City Council President Aidee Nieves last month said she hoped Edwards would be appointed to the job.

Hes community driven, supportive of whatever is happening to ensure we have an efficient and effective department, she said. If he was to ascend up to that level Id welcome it 100 percent.

Thode was named acting chief in May 2016, before a formal appointment to chief came the next year. He said last month he left the job with mixed emotions.
BRIDGEPORT  Wanted: Someone who has the trust of this citys various political factions and is unafraid to be impartial and intervene in election-related controversies.

The just-passed state budget includes $150,000 to hire an elections monitor in Bridgeport for this year and next.

Its structured exactly the same way the funding was structured for Hartford in 2015, Gabe Rosenberg, spokesman for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, said Tuesday, referring to problems at the polls in the capital citys 2014 election that prompted the creation of the temporary position. It will be based on the same principle.

Democrat-dominated Bridgeport has experienced several high-profile voting controversies, from 2010s gubernatorial race when Connecticuts largest city ran short of ballots, to frequent allegations of absentee ballot abuses, most recently during 2019s mayoral primary battle between incumbent Joe Ganim and state Sen. Marilyn Moore.

Last year with an extremely divisive presidential election looming and normal restrictions on who can vote by mail  called absentee balloting  lifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, state lawmakers approved having a monitor in Bridgeport for 2020. Merrill appointed local attorney and former school board member Max Medina, who was paid at the time with federal coronavirus relief funds.

But in February Gov. Ned Lamont nominated Medina to be a Superior Court judge. Now Merrill in the coming weeks will have to identify another willing and able individual in preparation for the looming City Council and Board of Education primaries.

Wed like to have someone in place by the end of August, Rosenberg said. The budget literally just passed so the (selection) process is not set. ... Judge Medina did an excellent job when he was there and hes going to be extremely hard to replace. Everyone on every side of every faction on every issue thought he was fair and trustworthy.

Medina in an interview just before last Novembers election explained his role was not to micromanage, but if I believe a situation has arisen which presents a problem or a potential problem, I have the authority and obligation to report it to the Secretary of the State so they can then take action within the chain of command. ... If theres an issue, I blow the whistle, whether perpetrated by a Democrat or a Republican. The only thing that matters to me is this election be fair, honest and transparent and as painless as possible.

Callie Heilmann agreed Medina will be missed. Heilmann helps run Bridgeport Generation Now, a civic group whose Generation Now Votes affiliate Rosenberg credited with lobbying legislators to set aside the $150,000 for the citys new monitor.

Heilmann said Generation Now Votes was motivated by a 2019 court ruling related to that years mayoral primary. Moore had defeated Ganim at the voting machines, but lost the absentee ballots  and, because of that, the contest  to Ganim. Generation Now Votes supported a failed effort to have the results overturned and a new primary ordered over allegations of abuses/illegalities that included campaign workers filling out absentee ballots, handling completed ballots and signing the names of voters to applications for absentee ballots.

The State Elections Enforcement Commission continues to probe a civil complaint of alleged mail-in ballot abuses in Bridgeports 2019 mayoral primary.

Ganim allies and other critics of the lawsuit and the SEEC complaint had accused Moore and her supporters of undermining democracy by unfairly attacking mail-in ballots, which are even more popular and widely-accepted following their use nationwide during the height of last years health crisis.

Heilmann on Tuesday said there is a very specific absentee ballot problem in Bridgeport requiring a monitor, noting there are past incidents of abuse.

The result is voter suppression and defrauding people of their right to vote, Heilmann said. And so it is our responsibility as Bridgeport residents and voters to restore our local democracy.

Medina last year focused on ensuring mail-in voting went smoothly, but also kept an eye on voter registration and on ensuring polling places were prepared for in-person voting. Medina on Election Day in November reported the usual hiccups but nothing out of the ordinary or alarming.

State Reps. Chris Rosario and Steve Stafstrom, both D-Bridgeport, cited last year as one reason the citys legislative delegation fought for the $150,000.

Certainly over the last several years there have been questions and concerns raised and litigation brought surrounding elections in Bridgeport. Some of those ... have born themselves out, others have not, Stafstrom said. In the last election cycle we had a monitor and the election went off without a hitch. Its not about singling out Bridgeport, necessarily, as much as its about providing a level of public trust and confidence in our elections.

I thought it was a success  the last election  (and) didnt know anybody who thought it was a terrible idea, Rosario said. We dont have Max, but Im confident whoever that person may be will do the right thing. And if it gives voters peace of mind the elections gonna be free and fair and even for everyone, so be it.
BRIDGEPORT  An investigation has been launched into potential employee misconduct involving an officer implicated in the federal corruption scandal that sent the former police chief and ex-personnel director to jail, according to the mayors office.

The city deferred its internal investigation of potential employee misconduct while federal authorities were conducting a criminal investigation, Rowena White, Mayor Joe Ganims communications director, told Hearst Connecticut Media in a statement. This is an accepted and appropriate course of action that was intended to avoid any interference with the federal inquiry. A qualified, independent investigator has since been appointed to investigate the matter.

White did not name the subject or subjects of that probe. But she was responding to Hearsts request for comment regarding allegations recently leveled by the Greater Bridgeport NAACP involving the head of the citys police academy, Lt. Brian Dickerson.

Last week the NAACP issued a public statement questioning why rookie Black police officer, Kaitlyn Edwards, was terminated while Dickerson, who is white, has been allowed to remain on the job despite allegedly playing an active part in the cheating scandal that tainted the 2018 search for a police chief.

Armando Perez, who was the successful finalist of that national police chief search, and David Dunn, who had been the citys long-time personnel head, recently began prison sentences after pleading guilty to collaborating to rig the competition so that Perez  acting top cop at the time  would prevail and receive a five-year contract.

The 25-page federal complaint against Perez and Dunn from their arrests last Sept. 10 states that Perez asked Officer-1 and Officer-2 to help him with the application process for police chief. Neither officer was identified in the affidavit by name and no one other than Perez and Dunn has been charged with any wrongdoing relating to the search. However, multiple sources in the Police Department have identified Officer 2 as Dickerson, and so did the NAACP in its statement.

Lt. Brian Dickerson is identified as Officer #2 in a federal case of former BPD Chief A. J. Perez, said the local civil rights organization. Court evidence indicates that many legal standards and norms were broken by Officer #2.

The groups statement continued, NAACP is deeply concerned about recent biased personnel actions taken by Bridgeport Police Department (BPD) leadership and the unbalanced weight that has been assigned to its actions  the short-sighted termination of a young female officer of color  and a-blind eye turned to a white male officers egregious acts...

Edwards, who had just graduated from the academy and was on probation, was recently fired by Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia for losing her badge and police identification while attending a party at what police called an illegal club where two men were shot to death.

Dickerson declined comment when recently asked by Hearst Connecticut if he is Officer 2.

Garcia, who appointed Dickerson as head of the police academy, similarly declined to comment on whether he is Officer 2. Dickerson served as Garcias second in command when she was in charge of the Office of Internal Affairs. She was then made head of the police academy. Dickerson replaced her at the academy when she was appointed assistant police chief in December 2019.

She became acting top cop following Perezs arrest in September.

According to the federal affidavit, Perez directed Officer 1 and Officer 2 to help draft his resume and cover letter for the chiefs position. Officer 1 and Officer 2 both worked on Perezs resume and cover letter during work hours, while in the police departments offices, and using department computers, the affidavit states. It states that the cover letter and resume they prepared are the ones Perez used in his application.

The affidavit states that both Officer-1 and Officer-2 later cooperated with the FBI in its investigation. Neither has been charged.

The affidavit states that in June 2018 Perez directed them to assist in preparing his written responses for both the questionnaire and the essay questions for the police chief exam, which they did on city time.

According to Officer-1 and Officer-2, they substantially completed both essays for Armando J. Perez, the defendant, including by researching, drafting, and editing PEREZs responses, some of which was done while at work, the affidavit states.

Officer 1 has previously been alleged  in a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by Capt. Roderick Porter against the city  to be former Capt. Mark Straubel, who was Perezs aide and who retired in August 2018 while being investigated internally for racist text messages about Black people, including Porter. Straubel is white.

The lawsuit focuses on a claim in the federal complaint that Perez had told Officer 1 he wanted to help Officer 1 avoid the consequences of the racist messages Officer 1 had sent. For example, Perez noted that there were only three messages, that he would try to get the situation fixed, and that he love(s) Officer 1.

Straubel referred a request for comment at the time as to whether he was Officer 1 to his attorney, Eric Brown.

We cant confirm or deny that its Mark Straubel, Brown said.

Then, in August and in the middle of the internal probe, Straubel retired, which ended the Internal Affairs investigation.
WESTPORT  In the wake of the deaths of a local mother and daughter, experts said parents need to weigh the appropriateness of difficult conversations with young children about this incident.

According to the states chief medical examiner, Tracy Do died by suicide from sharp injuries of torso and extremities, and her daughter, Layla Malon, 7, died from drowning at their Lyndale Park home on Thursday. Malons death has been ruled a homicide, the medical examiner said.

With a case like this, parents need to tread lightly when talking to their young  possibly grieving  children, said Dr. Andre Newfield, chairman of psychiatry for St. Vincents Medical Centers Behavioral Health Services.

I absolutely dont think giving details of an incident (such as this) to children that young is a good idea, he said. Theres no place for them to deal with the realities of whats impossible for most adults to understand.

In a note sent to families last week, Westport Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice said the district would provide parents with resources on how to speak with children about the tragedy and whether or not it is age-appropriate to do so.

But children of this age are still going to ask questions when a peer dies, and parents can respond without providing unnecessary details, said Dr. Robert Keder, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center.

We dont have to be blunt, but we dont have to be dishonest, he said. We can say shes not here anymore or that shes passed away.

Classes were canceled Friday and Monday at Coleytown Elementary School, where Malon attended. But parents were able to bring their children to the school on Monday to collect their belongings and see their classrooms and teachers one last time, Scarice said.

The mood at the school was somber Monday morning, and families arrived one or two at a time, then quietly left.

Security was positioned outside the school to prevent unwanted visitors.

In his memo, Scarice assured parents there will be no discussion of the recent tragedy while students visit their teachers and collect their belongings.

Malons death is among about a dozen statewide homicides involving those 18 and under this year. Keder said its even harder when these incidents occur at the end of an academic year since schools would normally help provide the proper trauma response.

Without that outlet available, he said, parents need to carefully monitor not just their childrens behavior, but their own response.

If were having a hard time coping with it as adults, then the children are going to have a hard time coping with it, he said.
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.
CT State Police Troop E / Contributed

MONTVILLE  A Bridgeport man wanted on charges out of Rhode Island was apprehended by a state police K-9 after a disturbance at a residence near the Mohegan Sun Casino this month, officials said Tuesday.

Connecticut State Police troopers and Montville police officers responded Around 9:30 p.m. on June 12 to Sunny Hill Drive in Montville to help Mohegan Tribal Police find a man who authorities said was involved in a disturbance.
Happy Monday, compliance peeps! Weve made it to another week, and the first day of summer is here! I hope that you have some plans to enjoy it in the coming weeks and months. Ive got a beach trip to Lake Michigan in my sights!

Today, though, Im talking about scams. Specifically, scams that target seniors. I will discuss a recent headline that created some waves early this month, as well as some additional information to be aware of for Elder Abuse Awareness month.

On June 1, 2021, the US Attorneys Office for the Southern District of West Virginia sent out a press release regarding nine individuals who were charged for their roles in a fraud scam involving 200 victims. Many of the victims were elderly, and the alleged illegal schemes defrauded those victims of at least $2.5 million. The nine defendants are charged with various fraud-related crimes occurring over a range of years from 2016 through 2020, including mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and receipt of stolen property. All nine defendants have been apprehended across various states: West Virginia, the District of Columbia, Ohio, Georgia, Maryland, and Nebraska.
William Gary Kimbrel, 69, of Cullman passed to his heavenly home on June 25, 2021. A graveside service will be held 1 p.m., Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at Oak Level Cemetery. He was saved at an early age and baptized into the Baptist faith. He remained a lifelong Baptist. Mr. Kimbrel was predece
Airline Supply Chain Attacks Carried Out By Chinese Hackers

A multinational company that specialises in air transport communications and IT was breached in March following what appears to have been be a highly sophisticated, coordinated supply chain attack. The company, SITA, is one of the leading global IT providers for nearly 90 percent of the worlds airline industry.

It has now confirmed that the attack was widespread and had an impact on multiple airlines around the world. Following their investigation, experts at the leading international cyber security firm Group-IB say the attack was launched by a Chinese nation-state threat actor they name as APT41. Airlines have been warned to comb through their networks and trace the campaign that may be concealed within their networks.

Disclosed in early March 2021, the attack was on Air India, Air New Zealand, Finlands Finnair, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Jeju Air in South Korea. SITA has roughly 2,500 customers and provides services in over 1000 airports worldwide.

India's national airline appears to have suffered a separate cyber assault that lasted for a period of at least two months and 26 days.Air India said that that approximately 4,500,000 data subjects globally, were affected. Compromised data includes names, dates-of-birth, passport information, contact information, and additional data.The stolen information included name, date of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket information, Star Alliance and Air India frequent flyer data, and credit card data.

Group-IBs investigation revealed that the first system within Air Indias network to communicate with the attackers infrastructure was named SITASERVER4 and that it hosted the Cobalt Strike implant for at least two months before the attcak on SITA.

The attackers used their presence on the network to collect credentials and move laterally, compromising at least 20 devices within Air Indias network and exfiltrate data.

Group-IB: CNBC: Security Week: The Hacker News: ZDNet:

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Chinese Hackers Attacked EasyJet:
DarkSide May Not Stay Dark For Long

There are few more serous forms of hacking than malware attacks designed to extort Ransom. Ransomware denies the computer owner the ability to make further use of the computer systems. In some cases, it has resulted in the loss of life because critical medical systems were attacked and could not be brought back live on time. One of the most potent Ransomware groups is known as Darkside.

DarkSide is believed to be based in Russia, but is not sponsored by the government there and they have previously claimed that its members are not allowed to mount attacks on targets in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, or Belarus, suggesting some toleration of their criminal activity by these states.

When US President Joe Biden met Russian president Vladimir Putin at a summit in Switzerland this month, he called for mutual cooperation to end the ransom exploits of Darkside and other Russian-based hackers, who are accused by the US Government of being responsible for both the Colonial Pipeline and the much larger SolarWinds attacks.

While DarkSide, was allegedly disbanded after carrying out the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, they may come back soon, using the same method under a different name, according to US intelligence sources

Research published recently by London-based blockchain analytics firm Elliptic appears to show that DarkSide extorted more than $90m in Bitcoin before supposedly halting its illegal activities. US cyber security experts have warned that 'certain countries' were turning a blind eye to the cyber criminal activity emanating from within their borders.

Speaking to reprters, the acting Director of the National Counter Intelligence and Security Center Michael Orlando said: "We do know that countries like Russia and China, Iran and others certainly create safe havens for criminal hackers as long as they dont conduct attacks against them."But thats a challenge for us that were going to have to work through as we figure out how to counter ransomware attacks."

Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justices National Security Division John Demers told CNBC that the Colonial Pipeline attack highlighted the issue of "nation-states serving as safe havens for criminal cyber-actors." Demers said that "nation-states arent doing their part to investigate and root out hacking activity happening within their borders." He went on to suggest that DarkSide, far from going dark, could be "just off renaming themselves.... Groups like that will come back.

CNBC: Elliptic: TechRepublic: Infosecurity Magazine: The Cybersecurity: Intellfence: jioforme: Image: Unsplash

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Russian Spy Chief Says SolarWinds Was An Inside Job:
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. &&
What is STEM?

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines  science, technology, engineering and mathematics  in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.

Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications.
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City, artist kick off BLM street mural project; Little receives 'Freedom Award'

jeure / Paul Nielsen/The Daily Advance Michael Little (center) holds the Freedom Award he was presented for submitting the winning entry in Elizabeth Citys Black Lives Matter Street Art Project Saturday morning. Among those on hand to congratulate Little were City Manager Montre Freeman, Mayor Bettie Parker and City Councilman Michael Brooks.

Elizabeth City officials kicked off the citys Black Lives Matter Street Art Project with a dedication ceremony in front of city hall Saturday morning.

City resident Michael Little was selected to paint a Black Lives Matter mural on a section of street in front of city hall on Colonial Avenue that will stretch up to 700 feet toward Road Street.

The project was approved by City Council following the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr. by three Pasquotank sheriffs deputies on April 21.

Little was one of four artists who submitted proposals to paint the mural as part of the citys project and was the top vote-getter among the four in a contest sponsored by the city.

Little was given a Freedom Award by city officials as the winner and said he is excited to begin painting. Little has already started to stencil in an outline of his mural.

To be honest, I wasnt expecting all this, Little said. I didnt realize how big a deal this is until after I found out that I was selected.

The dedication was part of Juneteenth celebration across the city and a prayer breakfast was held at Waterfront Park following the ceremony in front of city hall.

The dedication of the Black Lives Matter mural serves as a reminder that we all have a story to tell, Mayor Bettie Parker said. Only the truth will bridge the divide between justice and injustice. So, let the stories be told and the healing power of the truth be revealed.

The BLM art project was the brainchild of City Councilor Darius Horton and he said the mural will help unite the community.

I have heard a lot of comments that a mural here in Elizabeth City could perhaps divide and perhaps send the wrong message, Horton said. The Black community has suffered many tragedies lately. We as council members want to show our community that Black Lives do matter.

Pasquotank NAACP President Keith Rivers read a proclamation from Gov. Roy Cooper that praised the citys BLM mural project.

I know this mural will be a moving and meaningful way to honor Andrew Brown, his family and the cause for racial justice, Cooper wrote. Recent events have highlighted the deadly results of racial inequality and has sparked a global movement that has inspired millions of people into action.

The design Little submitted features the words Black Lives Matter in white with a light gray covering parts of each letter. The i in the word Lives is topped by a crown, while several other letters include small, strategically placed images of a sun, a heart, a star and a peace symbol.

The heart is that I love this city, this is my city, Little said. The star, at times it feels like that we are just second-class citizens. I want to let everybody know that Black people are also citizens of this country. The sun reminds us that we rise every morning and we get to make a choice to be part of the problem or part of the solution.

Little also issued a plea for help on the project.

I would love assistance from local artists, Little said.
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
SAUGERTIES, N.Y.  If there really is a "stop work" order from the state Department of Labor regarding the overhaul of the former Dragon Inn, 
The exterior of the YWCA on Clinton Avenue in Kingston can be seen on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020.
Former Orange County Executive Edward Diana, center, walks to the county courthouse in Goshen, N.Y., with his attorneys on Monday, June 21, 2021.
The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
The Ulster County Sheriff's Office's boat comes up alongside the drifting Hudson Spirit tour vessel on the Hudson River near Catskill, N.Y., on Sunday, June 20.
FILE - In this June 18, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden speaks about COVID-19 vaccination shots, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. The administration is releasing new data Tuesday showing it expects to reach 70% of Americans aged 27 and older with at least one shot by the July 4 holiday.
Sunbury, PA (17801)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
"If (Sen. Mensch) doesn't support us now, he is choosing which of our children go to Montgomery County Community College and which ones go to Montgomery County Correctional Facility."

 Stacey Woodland, CEO YWCA Tri-County Area

Pull Quote
Letter to the editor

Guns are made for killing, they aren't good for anything else
This week should have been the moment of liberation for Britain from the final Covid restrictions. But, with an excess of caution, the Government decided to postpone the advent of freedom for another month until July 19, justifying the move on the grounds of the risk from new variants and the need to vaccinate more people.

So the long hibernation drags on, even into the height of the summer.

As they have done throughout the pandemic, ministers claim to be following the science. But as a scientist myself, specialising in infectious disease, I believe that they are making a misjudgment.

Far from providing additional safeguards, I fear their approach will have a negative impact on the nations health, public resilience and the economic recovery.

Having looked at the data, I cannot see the justification for delaying the removal of restrictions beyond July 5.

As they have done throughout the pandemic, ministers claim to be following the science. But as a scientist myself, specialising in infectious disease, I believe that they are making a misjudgment. Picture: File image

The Government was rightly attacked last year for being too recklessly complacent when the coronavirus outbreak began. What is so different now is the astonishing success of the vaccine programme, which has surpassed all expectations both in the efficiency of its rollout and the effectiveness of its jabs in preventing disease.

In one of his typically vivid phrases, the Prime Minister described the vaccine programme as the cavalry and he was right. It has ridden to the rescue with jabs that offer a sure route back to normality.

Yet the Government, gripped by the mood of fear it has so assiduously cultivated, still hesitates to take this path.

Its reluctance is all the more depressing given the voluminous evidence of how safe the final strides to freedom would be.

As this newspaper goes to press, 82 per cent of the adult population have had their first dose, while 60 per cent have been double vaccinated.

And the delivery is intensifying  over the weekend, more than one million people were booked in to have their jabs.

And a growing wealth of data indicates that all the vaccines provide a high degree of protection. Only last week, the latest report from Public Health England indicated that, after two doses, the Pfizer vaccine is 96 per cent effective against hospitalisation and the AstraZeneca 92 per cent.

Even against the new Delta  or Indian  variant, Public Health England asserts that protection by the vaccines is expected to be high.

It is true that, since the earlier relaxation of restrictions, there has been a steady  though hardly alarming  increase in Covid infections, up 31 per cent in the last week.

But that only reinforces the crucial point about the effectiveness of vaccines, which have ensured that the rising rate of infections has not translated into a surge of Covid hospitalisations and deaths.

Over the last week, the number of hospital admissions has averaged just 200 a day, compared to 4,000 a day at the peak of the second wave in January, while Covid deaths have averaged ten a day over the same period, compared to a daily total of 1,245 deaths at the darkest hour in January.

Most of the recent increase has occurred among young, unvaccinated people  only a third of the under-40s have been jabbed so far  but they are the ones who are in the least danger from Covid.

This week should have been the moment of liberation for Britain from the final Covid restrictions but the Government decided to postpone the advent of freedom for another month until July 19. Picture: File image

Earlier this month Public Health England reported that just one in three patients who attended A&E with the Indian variant were admitted to hospital overnight.

And, on the rare occasions that they end up in hospital, they are usually out sooner than older patients.

So there is no substance to any scaremongering in favour of further delays. Part of the reason we are seeing more infections has nothing to do with the transmissibility of the coronavirus at all, but simply because the test, track and trace system has become far more efficient.

An increase in the numbers of infections was always expected as we have gradually come out of lockdown in the past three months, but the increase has been steady and controllable.

Meanwhile, as global medical understanding of the virus expands, so treatments and therapies are improving all the time, thereby reducing Covid-19s lethality.

But the idea that our Government can eliminate Covid entirely from our society is a delusion. Some have called this strategy Zero Covid, a scenario in which the disease would be crushed so comprehensively that not a single case arises within Britain.

In one of his typically vivid phrases, the Prime Minister (pictured) described the vaccine programme as the cavalry and he was right. It has ridden to the rescue with jabs that offer a sure route back to normality

I prefer the term Viral Pokemon after the popular computer and card game, one of whose slogans is Gotta catch em all! But we can no more completely wipe out Covid-19 than we could wipe out the flu or other infections.

Such a goal is neither achievable nor desirable because it would swallow up so many resources that could be used for other, more productive causes.

Even the consideration of such a policy reveals the mindset of what I call Coronomania, an unbalanced attitude which sees everything through the prism of the virus and promotes a loss of any sense of perspective.

The Government appears to be suffering from a bout of just such a condition and the doom-laden propaganda it has bred has been too successful. Designed to save lives, it has helped to create a culture of trepidation.

By indulging in further delays and emphasising potential dangers, the Government is strengthening that culture when it should be moving in the opposite direction.

We cannot remain shackled indefinitely. Its time to come out of Covid hibernation. We have to work, live, play and travel again  as soon as possible.
The 5.5 billion swoop on supermarket group Wm Morrison by U.S. private equity vultures is the most outrageous takeover bid for a British retailer since Sir Philip Green launched his failed tilt at Marks & Spencer in 2004.

The bid by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is just the latest and most blatant example of how buyout barons are seeking to exploit the low share prices of important UK firms hit by Covid and Brexit.

More than 52 billion of private equity takeovers of British companies have been waved through, with barely a raised eyebrow, since the pandemic began.

But this assault on one of this country's most important food retailers should finally prompt ministers to halt the wholesale sell-out.

The shameless audacity of the bid shows why the Daily Mail's campaign against private equity barons is so timely.

The 5.5 billion swoop on supermarket group Wm Morrison by U.S. private equity vultures is the most outrageous takeover bid for a British retailer since Sir Philip Green launched his failed tilt at Marks & Spencer in 2004

The Morrisons board has rejected the offer as too low. That is true, but it's beside the point: a sale to such an opportunistic bidder should not go through at any price.

Supermarkets are a vital part of our communities and should not be flogged off to faceless American kingpins whose business model is based on maximising short-term profits, no matter what the collateral damage.

Shareholders, Government ministers, consumer groups, taxpayers and trades unions must stop this predatory raid in its tracks.

Here are ten reasons why private equity must NEVER be permitted to take control at Morrisons.

1) Jobs could be at risk

Morrisons is a very large employer with around 118,000 staff at almost 500 stores, many of them women.

Their future would be in the hands of ruthless private equity barons who have no qualms about slashing jobs in order to save costs and bump up profits.

A Daily Mail investigation earlier this year found that almost 40,000 jobs have been axed during the Covid-19 crisis at firms that are or have been private equity owned.

The board of Morrisons is understood to be seeking assurances and commitments from CD&R on employment. Past experience with private equity is that these cannot be enforced and often are not worth the paper they are written on.

Morrisons is a very large employer with around 118,000 staff at almost 500 stores, many of them women. Their future would be in the hands of ruthless private equity barons who have no qualms about slashing jobs in order to save costs and bump up profits

2) A bad deal for consumers

Under private equity ownership, companies are put under enormous pressure to strip out costs and maximise profits.

As a result, some previous takeovers have resulted in dearer prices for shoppers. This includes at Poundworld, where as the name suggests, everything was sold for 1  until private equity took over and introduced items with higher price tags.

In previous private equity retail disasters, including Debenhams, there has been a lack of investment which resulted in dowdy stores, prompting shoppers to defect to rivals.

Under private equity ownership, companies are put under enormous pressure to strip out costs and maximise profits

3) Farmers thrown to the wolves

Many farmers are already having a tough time due to Brexit. A private equity takeover of Morrisons could spell yet more difficulty, because the supermarket chain plays a huge role in the UK's agricultural sector.

Morrisons' unique relationship with British farmers will be threatened under a profit-obsessed U.S. owner.

The chain buys directly from 2,700 farmers, some of whom have been suppliers for decades. But what price these cherished ties if the American locusts take control?

Morrisons sells 100 pc British fresh meat, milk and eggs. But under private equity, long-standing suppliers may be dumped in favour of cheaper options, possibly from overseas  regardless of the fact that 70 per cent of customers say they prefer British food.

Morrisons also owns 19 food manufacturing sites and has its own abattoirs, fishing fleets and egg farms. A quarter of what it sells comes from its own supply chain. But these are just the kind of assets that private equity likes to dismantle and sell off to the highest bidder.

Many farmers are already having a tough time due to Brexit. A private equity takeover of Morrisons could spell yet more difficulty, because the supermarket chain plays a huge role in the UK's agricultural sector

4) Britain's food supply in peril

We all saw how precarious our food supplies can be at the start of the pandemic, when panic buying briefly took hold.

Would Morrisons' ability to cope with a future emergency be compromised if it fell into the hands of profit-obsessed U.S. private equity owners who weakened the company through debt and asset sales? Can we really afford to put this to the test?

We all saw how precarious our food supplies can be at the start of the pandemic, when panic buying briefly took hold

5) Dangers of debt

High levels of debt are an integral part of how private equity works and a takeover of Morrisons, which has a net debt of 3.2 billion, is likely to be no different.

Debt financing ramps up the returns when things go well and is highly tax efficient. Unfortunately, it also ramps up the risks and makes companies less resilient when times are tough.

High levels of debt are an integral part of how private equity works and a takeover of Morrisons, which has a net debt of 3.2 billion, is likely to be no different

6) Fat cats will cash in  again

Top executives at Morrisons will be in line to receive multi-million pound paydays if the private equity takeover succeeds. They therefore have a strong incentive to favour it, regardless of the possible harmful consequences for the country as a whole.

Based on a 5.5 billion price, chief executive David Potts could receive nearly 18 million in return for his shares and incentives.

Morrisons has already been in hot water after shareholders this month staged a huge revolt over Potts's 1.7 million bonus for last year, which he was awarded despite the fact that company profits had halved in the pandemic.

7) Finances can be shrouded in secrecy

At present, as a company that is listed on the stock market, Morrisons has to publish copious information on its finances.

Under private equity ownership, it would be obliged to reveal much less.

Bosses' pay could remain confidential  which would no doubt suit the Morrisons' chiefs after their brutal battle with shareholders over snouts in the trough during Covid.

8) A rather cosy deal

A takeover by CD&R would mean a lucrative reunion for a group of former colleagues at Tesco. Sir Terry Leahy, the former Tesco boss, is an adviser to the buyout firm. Whilst at Tesco, he worked with David Potts, now the Morrisons chief executive, and with Andrew Higginson, the chairman.

9) An asset-stripping agenda

Morrisons owns the freehold on 85 per cent of its supermarkets, warehouses and manufacturing sites. These valuable properties are a prime attraction for private equity bidders, who typically asset-strip firms in so-called sale and leaseback deals.

As the name suggests, these involve selling properties and then leasing them back to the company. This can create long-term problems, as happened with Debenhams, if companies are locked into onerous rent agreements.

Morrisons owns the freehold on 85 per cent of its supermarkets, warehouses and manufacturing sites. These valuable properties are a prime attraction for private equity bidders, who typically asset-strip firms in so-called sale and leaseback deals

10) Don't feed the vultures

If a private equity bid for a company of the stature and national importance of Morrisons is allowed to proceed, it won't stop there. It will simply encourage the vulture capitalists to believe they can gorge themselves on the rest of our best-loved retailers.

Asda has already fallen into the hands of the Issa brothers, two petrol station entrepreneurs from Blackburn, in a heavily indebted deal backed by private equity firm TDR.

Sainsbury, where a Czech billionaire, Daniel Kretinsky, owns a 10 per cent stake, has been tipped as a private equity target. And there are rumours in the City that Tesco and M&S could be in the frame.

If Morrisons falls, it's a sign that no company is safe.
It's a desperate and tacky new low that's enough to make any royalist's skin crawl.

A grim reality of Prince Harry's new Hollywood lifestyle that would leave his grandfather rolling in his grave.

A revelation that makes a mockery of the Sussexes claim that they asked the Queen's permission BEFORE deciding to name their newborn daughter Lilibet, the monarch's precious childhood nickname.

Because in reality it now seems like the first people Harry and Meghan told were the only group of advisers who really matter to them: The Californian bean counters who aim to extract millions of bucks from every aspect of their royal brand.

When most new parents would be concentrating every fibre of their being on making sure their newborn had a safe and happy arrival into the world, Harry and Meghan were buying up Lili and Diana domain names for their new daughter

No, this isn't a joke, they've actually admitted as much today, including one before the baby was even born.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are joined by her mother, Doria Ragland, as they show their son Archie to Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle in June 2019

Their hapless spokesman, who should be immediately sacked for exposing their real motives to the world, told The Daily Telegraph: 'As is often customary with public figures, a significant number of domains of any potential names that were considered were purchased... to protect against the exploitation of the name once it was later chosen and shared.'

Excuse me while I grab a sick bucket.

It's genuinely astonishing to me that even when going through what should be one of the most beautiful, pure and nerve-wracking moments of their lives, the Sussex machine was thinking about bloody websites.

I've had a look at Prince William and Kate's children online today, including third in line to the throne George, and no one seems to have set up any websites exploiting their names.

And, by the way, who cares if they did?

The decision provides a real insight into the business brains of Harry and Meghan whose priorities have clearly been warped for some time.

What's particularly shameless is that they've dragged the Queen into this tawdry sideshow.

LiliDiana.com was registered on May 31 (pictured)  then 'updated' on June 5 - the day before the name was released to the world

Here's the timeline of events which, in my opinion, make it abundantly clear they didn't give a damn what Her Majesty thought:

May 31: Harry and Meghan buy the website LiliDiana.com.

June 4: Meghan gives birth and the couple immediately purchase LilibetDiana.com.

At some point between June 4 and June 6: Harry claims he speaks to the Queen to seek approval for the use of her pet name.

June 6: The name is announced to the world via press release.

June 9: Palace sources tell the BBC the Queen was NOT asked about naming their daughter Lilibet by Harry and Meghan. She was merely informed.

Now who do you believe?

The Queen commands such respect within her family that there have been a host of unwritten rules throughout her reign that her family members happily follow.

Chief among them is a tradition when it comes to the naming of new members of the family.

While it would be highly unusual for Her Majesty to express an objection, relatives have happily gone through the process of formally asking the monarch for approval of baby names.

Until she knows, no one knows. Certainly not courtiers or officials.

Harry and Meghan like to say at every opportunity that they have the utmost respect for the Queen, but their actions seem to express the exact opposite.

The Queen has been desperate to contain the ongoing fallout from Megxit within the family and avoid the toxic nature of the split constantly going public.

But after the BBC reported the Queen was spoken to before the birth, Harry went tonto as he often does and released a statement to People magazine, of all places.

The Queen, pictured at Royal Ascot on Saturday, has been desperate to contain the ongoing fallout from Megxit within the family

It read: 'The Duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement, in fact his grandmother was the first family member he called. During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.'

Thin-skinned Haz also  predictably  threatened to sue the BBC, saying the story was 'false and defamatory', despite the fact it was sourced from Buckingham Palace. The BBC have refused to take it down from its website.

But Harry's own statement makes clear just what a nonsense such an outburst was because even he admits not speaking to the Queen until AFTER the birth and - we now realise - AFTER the website domain names had already been registered.

In fact, it makes clear Harry didn't even ask the Queen's formal permission. Rather, he 'shared their hope' of naming their daughter Lilibet.

Translation: He was telling her, not asking her.

The Queen is a stickler for tradition but also not one to create unnecessary conflict.

Given the circumstances of Harry and Meghan's tenuous relationship with the Royal Family, she was hardly going to kick up a fuss on a phonecall, knowing full well if it didn't go the way the Sussexes wanted, their advisers would immediately be briefing Gayle King or Oprah Winfrey.

At 95 and still mourning her husband, the Queen is valiantly trying to navigate how to deal with her wayward grandson and his wife who seem so desperate to cause ultimate damage to the institution she has spent her entire life protecting and reinventing.

At 95 and still mourning her husband, the Queen is valiantly trying to navigate how to deal with her wayward grandson and his wife (pictured being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March)

As for the name itself, it's obvious the Queen was going to hate such a schmaltzy choice.

In recent years, only Philip and the Queen's elderly cousins continued to call her Lilibet.

And what's even more offensive  and downright odd  is that in the statement Harry and Meghan made it clear their daughter would never use the full name anyway, instead being referred to as Lili.

They said: 'Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.'

If they wanted an appropriate tribute to the Queen that would have made her happy and avoided all this drama, surely they would have called their daughter Elizabeth?

But this is Harry and Meghan we're talking about.

In their own heads, they are singlehandedly reinventing the Royal Family for a new generation.

But the brutal reality is that the vast majority of Brits simply shake their heads in dismay and mutter: 'Why does the poor Queen have to put up with all this nonsense?'
The mother of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after a severe reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette, has voiced her shock after seeing cafe signs banning food allergy sufferers.

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, from Fulham, criticised one 'discriminate' and 'insensitive' poster thought to be found outside The Snack Shack sandwich shop in Malpas, Cheshire, which warns customers: 'Do not enter if you suffer from food allergies'.

The 'No Entry' sign was shared online and sparked controversy, with many expressing their outrage over the notice, which added: 'Food prepared in this facility may contain nuts, milk eggs, tree nuts, shellfish, wheat, soy bean or fish.'

But this seemingly isn't the only incident of this kind, after Pizza Hut and Leon establishments were also previously accused of pushing out a similar 'offensive' warning.

Following her 15-year-old daughter's death in July 2016 after she ate a baguette laced with sesame seeds not listed on the label, Tanya, along with her husband Nadim, set up the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and campaigned for Natasha's Law, which forces food outlets to carry full allergen and ingredient labelling on pre-packaged food made on the premises, such as sandwiches and salads, from October 1.

Speaking to FEMAIL, she said of the sign: 'Its the discriminatory nature of it, its quite hateful. You wouldnt do that to any other part of society.

'Everyone should be able to go out to a cafe or restaurant without the fear of being treated as a second-class citizen.'

The mother of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after a reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette, has shared her shock after seeing a cafe sign banning food allergy sufferers (pictured)

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse (pictured with her husband in 2019), from Fulham, criticised the 'discriminate' and 'insensitive' sign thought to be found outside The Snack Shack sandwich shop in Malpas, Cheshire, which warns customers: 'Do not enter if you suffer from food allergies.'

Following her daughter's death in July 2016 after she ate a baguette laced with sesame seeds not listed on the label, Tanya, along with her husband Nadim, set up the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and campaigned for Natasha's Law, which forces food outlets to carry full allergen and ingredient labelling on pre-packaged food made on the premises, such as sandwiches and salads, from October 1

'The world isnt like it was 50 years ago, we shouldn't be stuck in that mindset.

'Imagine if you or your child has a food allergy and you see that. I was just shocked, I was shocked that they felt that they could do it.

'It was the we dont want you attitude that was just so shocking,' she added.

'As a parent, youre always trying to make sure that [your child] knows their food allergy doesnt define them - but when you see these signs, that defines them as being unwelcome, and excluding them from society. Its very hurtful.'

Tanya explained how her daughter Natasha had often asked why she was the only one in their family to suffer from food allergies and had to miss out on so much when she was little.

She used to say why me? It sounds silly when you say it, but she had to miss out on birthday parties when the whole class was going.

But this seemingly isn't the only incident of this kind after Pizza Hut and Leon establishments were also previously accused of pushing out a similar 'offensive' warning (pictured)

A mother in 2019 claimed a Leon restaurant had told her not to eat at its business because of her son's allergies (pictured, her tweet)

Its really sad, it did make her feel different because she missed out on things.'

Tanya says no excuses should be made for banning people who suffer from food allergies, and instead proper protocols should be put in place to support businesses on how to safely prepare food.

She added: 'Food allergies are a severe yet increasingly common illness, affecting 2million people in the UK. Preparing food that is suitable for everyone, including those with food allergies, is part and parcel of the catering and food industry.

'Yet we hear repeatedly that some cafes and restaurants are refusing to serve people with food allergies because they are unable to guarantee allergen-free meals.

Terrifying air ordeal that began just three minutes after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse bit into her sandwich Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who was allergic to sesame, died after eating a Pret baguette that didn't list it as an ingredient July 17, 2016: BA flight BA342 from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Nice lasted approximately 1 hour 50 mins. 9.50am: Natasha bought the sandwich and developed an itchy throat around three minutes later. 10.15am: After take off she took a dose of Piriton to try and counter the itchy throat. 10.45am: Natasha developed large red welts on her stomach and her father took her to the toilet and administered two EpiPens. 10.50am: Natasha loses consciousness. 10.55am until 11.45am: Doctor Pearson Jones attended to Natasha for the next 50 minutes, including CPR when she suffered a cardiac arrest while the flight was descending into Nice. Midday: Five French paramedics attend to her while the plane is on the tarmac for around an hour. She is then transported to the local A&E department but her heart failed to properly restart. 8pm: Natasha is pronounced dead in hospital. Advertisement

If youre not able to put systems in place and put in the effort and time then you shouldnt be in the business, Tanya, who believes signs like this are a growing problem, concluded.

The poster was posted on a closed Facebook group for UK parents of children with nut and peanut allergies, which has more than 8.5k followers.

Comments included: 'It's ridiculous and ignorant towards allergies. Surely discrimination.'

Another social media user said: 'What a lazy, ignorant and discriminatory sign. My peanut allergic 12-year-old would be really upset if he saw that sign on a shop. Totally insensitive.'

A third wrote: 'I am shocked and angry. If you had a physical disability, would it be acceptable to have a sign to say "do not enter".'

Meanwhile, an Instagram user shared a poster thought to be placed outside a Pizza Hut reading: 'Unfortunately, we can't guarantee any of our food is 100% allergen free.'

The customer shared a snap of the sign along with the caption: 'Wow, seen this and had to share! A large restaurant chain saying none of their food is suitable! Awful and not acceptable!'

A spokesperson for Pizza Hut said: 'Ensuring the welfare of our guests is extremely important. All of our allergen and nutritional information is available in a printed book in each of our Huts and also online.

'As our kitchen prepares food with all of the ingredients on our menu, we cannot guarantee any of our food is 100 per cent allergen free.

'If a customer is concerned we urge them to speak to our staff, who all receive specialist training. Due to the variety of ingredients used within the menu, and the diverse range of enquiries, we do also direct guests to check the information for themselves through the formats available.'

Meanwhile, in May, one blogger who suffers from food allergies, revealed on Twitter that they were asked to 'sign an allergy waiver', insisting: 'Let's put a stop to this!'

But it appears this isn't just a recent development, with a mother in 2019 claiming a Leon restaurant had told her not to eat at its business because of her son's allergies.

Posting on Twitter, the parent wrote: 'Just been told by @leonrestaurants on The Strand *not* to eat there if our son's allergies are 'life-threatening'. He says it's a 'new policy'. We've previously had great service - now you decided you can't cater?

Replying at the time, Leon said: 'We're so sorry about your visit to our Strand restaurant, Alexa. It's definitely not our policy to refuse service to any guest.

'We've sent you a fuller reply on email and would love to hear your experience and work with you on how we communicate allergens at Leon.'

Following an inquest into Natashas death, Pret a Manger's CEO at the time said his company would ensure there was 'meaningful change' following her passing.

Then CEO Clive Schlee said: 'We are deeply sorry for Natasha's death. We cannot begin to comprehend the pain her family have gone through and the grief they continue to feel.

'We have heard everything the Coroner and Natasha's family have said this week. And we will learn from this. All of us at Pret want to see meaningful change come from this tragedy. We will make sure that it does'.
A natural sweat-proof and water-proof foundation that's perfect to wear to the gym or beach is selling out across Australia.

The $59 active mineral powder by South Australian brand Fitcover bridges the gap between fitness and beauty by offering women a natural makeup option.

The foundation has become the brand's best-selling product because it's made with 100 per cent natural ingredients that don't irritate or harm the skin.

The $59 active mineral powder by South Australian brand Fitcover bridges the gap between fitness and beauty by offering a natural makeup option.

The foundation has become the brand's best-selling product because it's made with 100 per cent natural ingredients that don't irritate or harm the skin

Customers can now achieve a flawless radiant glow when exercising without harming their skin or clogging pores.

The combination of pure minerals and nourishing ingredients keep the skin smooth, soft, hydrated and protected.

The product has received thousands of five-star reviews online and is available in nine different shades.

Customers can now achieve a flawless radiant glow when exercising without harming their skin or clogging pore

The combination of pure minerals and nourishing ingredients keep the skin smooth, soft, hydrated and protected to achieve a healthy, youthful glow

Founder Nova Jane told FEMAIL the brand as a whole steers clear of harmful ingredients, such as parabens and artificial fragrances, as this can lead to skin irritation, acne and dermatitis.

'The foundation allows the skin to breathe even while you sweat and provides an SPF15+ barrier, which we all know is so important,' she said.

'The sweat-resistant and waterproof formula is free of pore-clogging ingredients and with naturally occurring antioxidants it can lessen the signs of premature ageing.'

The powder is buildable to create a light of full coverage and can be applied using the Fitcover flat Kabuki Curves brush

The key ingredients used include olive squalene for hydration, vitamin E to help prevent signs of premature aging, mica for a radiant glow, zinc oxide to provide bacterial protection, titanium dioxide to soothe the skin and silicon dioxide.

The powder is buildable to create a light of full coverage and can be applied using the Fitcover flat Kabuki Curves brush.

'I don't even know what I did before this foundation. It's so easy to use and covers my flaws perfectly,' one happy customer wrote online.

'I have been using the mineral powder for the last six months and my skin has never felt or looked better!' another said.

After purchasing the product once, customers can reuse the dish and purchase refill pouches of the powdered foundation for $45.50

After purchasing the product once, customers can reuse the dish and purchase refill pouches of the powdered foundation for $45.50.

The brand also sells a a mascara, eyebrow kit, makeup remover sponge, makeup bag and skincare products.

All products can be purchased from the Fitcover website.
An American influencer went viral after he visited the British seaside for the first time - and was less than impressed by the low tide and muddy beach.

Nick Alexander, who is known online as 'Mr Miami UK' and lives in Wolverhampton, visited Weston-super-Mare and was disappointed to find a long shoreline covered in thick mud.

Nick, who expected the white sands of Miami, where he's from, documented his unhappy experience on video sharing app TikTok where it quickly went viral.

Nick Alexander, pictured, a TikTok personality who is originally from Miami but moved to Wolverhampton, was shocked when he travelled to Weston-super-Mare and was greeted with a muddy beach

An outraged Nick videoed the mud on the beach, calling it a mess, left, and showed how deep his feet went into it, saying it ruined his Crocs

The videos, one of which is entitled 'Weston super Mud - Don't Go There', went viral, racking up nearly 100,000 views and thousands of likes.

Nick's mother is from Wolverhampton and moved to Miami, where Nick is from, but he moved back to study International Business Management at Wolverhampton University.

In the video, Nick is seen walking down the beach with the caption 'is this a beach?'.

He showed how his feet got stuck in the mud as he attempted to walk to the water, in a series of three videos.

Speaking afterwards, Nick said: 'I thought "where's the water?" Once I spotted where the water was I thought it was going to be an easy walk to get there.

'My friend had some family there already and they said you're not going to make it to the water but I thought they were just being lazy.

The influencer was shocked by how far the water was from the land, left, and by the muddy sand he had to cross to get there, right

Nick, pictured, was disappointed when he realised he wouldn't be able to swim on his beach day

'I didn't expect the mud was going to come up to my knees - my Crocs got completely obliterated so I had to take them off and had to go in my toes.

'My feet are smooth though. The mud part was fun but not getting to the water was devastating.'

He said: 'On the way back one of my friends saw a sign saying "we have quick sinking sand" and we had no idea.

'When we walked I saw people with kids - I was like, oh my God, people are taking the risk with their children!'

Nick and his TikTok-er friends, Cleopatra Harvey, 24, Alliyah Shearer, 22 and Shanae Williams, 15, were determined to go for a dip in the sea, but when they started their pilgrimage, they realised they weren't fully prepared.

He said: 'The people who were at the beach looked like 15 ants because that's how far away they were.

'I thought those are the troopers because they made it all the way there, they made it. I don't even think I made it a quarter of the way there.'

Nick was shocked by the amount of mud on the beach and told his followers not to go to Weston-super-Mare

Chef and music manager Nick, who has over 116,000 followers on social media, was also surprised by the presence of sunbathers on a beach where the sea is so far away.

He added: 'The fact that people actually didn't go to the beach to go swimming and just to lay in the sun I thought that was crazy, how do you cool off?

'It's literally like an oven and you go out there just to bake. I would go back to Weston but I would plan better and I would like for the tide to be in, I want to swim in it, I don't care how muddy the water is!'

Nick's UK fans said they would never swim in the water of Weston-super-Mare, but others defended the beach

Nick's video sparked a reaction both from people who knew Weston-super-Mare, and those who didn't.

'I've been stuck in it before,' one said.

'Weston-Super-Mare is the worst beach in the UK,' said another.

'I'm from Bristol; ad I would legit never go in the water at Weston,' one wrote.

'It ain't that bad when the tide comes in,' said another.
An iconic Australian train that travels 2979km north to south across the country has a strong waitlist of nine months.

The Ghan snakes across diverse outback landscapes from Adelaide to Darwin and offers an unforgettable luxurious experience.

Inside the 30 carriages of the 774m train awaits comfortable cabins, premium service from the 49 staff members on board, restaurants, bathrooms and lounge suites.

The train ride takes 73 hours to travel from Adelaide to Darwin and offers a range of off-train experiences, such as visiting Cooper Pedy, Katherine and Alice Springs.

Australia's legendary train The Ghan travels from Adelaide in South Australia to Darwin in the Northern Territory

Inside the 30 carriages of the 774m train awaits comfortable cabins, premium service from the 49 staff members on board, restaurants, bathrooms and lounge suites

With more Australians exploring their own backyard as overseas remains unreachable due to Covid-19, The Ghan is an ideal option

The history of legendary train, originally dubbed 'The Afghan Express', traces back more than 150 years to 1839 when migrant cameleers blazed the long trail to the centre of the country delivering mail and supplies.

Once built the train was then named 'The Afghan Express' to honour the outback pioneers before being shortened to The Ghan.

With more Australians exploring their own backyard as overseas remains unreachable due to Covid-19, The Ghan is an ideal option.

The history of legendary train, originally dubbed 'The Afghan Express', traces back more than 150 years to 1839

On-board meals are served in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant and included in the cost, with all the meals looking decadent and delicious

But the premium luxury experience comes at a hefty price tag of $6,495 per person, whereas the gold twin cabins range between $3,865 and $4,295 per person

The premium experience features spacious double and twin cabins almost twice the size of a gold twin cabin as well as a full-size ensuite

But the premium luxury experience comes at a hefty price tag of $6,495 per person, whereas the gold twin cabins range between $3,865 and $4,295 per person.

The premium experience features spacious double and twin cabins almost twice the size of a gold twin cabin as well as a full-size ensuite, priority check-in to inclusive off-train excursions, 75kg luggage space and access to the premium lounge area.

The gold single cabin package also costs $3,495, though all cabins aren't available until early 2022.

The gold single package includes access to a smaller cabin, all-inclusive off-train excursions and short trips, 60kg of luggage space, complimentary shuttle bus transfers, dining in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant.

The gold single cabin package also costs $3,495, though all cabins aren't available until early 2022

Images shared on Instagram of the off-train excursions appear to be adventurous and unique, while the inside decor looks as if you're being transported back in time

The train ride takes 73 hours to travel from Adelaide to Darwin and offers a range of off-train experiences, such as visiting Cooper Pedy, Katherine and Alice Springs

On-board meals are served in the Queen Adelaide Restaurant and included in the cost, with all the meals looking decadent and delicious.

Images shared on Instagram of the off-train excursions appear to be adventurous and unique, while the inside decor looks as if you're being transported back in time.

The train ride would be idea for couples, families and friends who want to appreciate Australia's natural surroundings.
Baileys and Biscoff can now be combined to create the ultimate winter warmer - and it is fast becoming a new trend.

The hot chocolate recipe calls for Baileys Original Irish Cream liqueur, chocolate powder, milk, Lotus Biscoff spread, Biscoff biscuits and some whipped cream.

The winter warmer drink was developed as a seasonal answer to the popular TikTok iced Biscoff latte and takes just minutes to make.

Baileys and Biscoff can now be combined to create the ultimate winter warmer and is fast becoming a new trend

If made as instructed the hot chocolate also looks great.

To make simply put the Biscoff spread in a mug with your milk and microwave until warm.

Then add the chocolate powder and Baileys and stir well.

Then you can add whipped cream and crushed Biscoff to 'make it look magnificent'.

Dessert and drink combinations using Biscoff continue to be popular.

How to make Baileys Biscoff hot chocolate INGREDIENTS 50ml Baileys Original Irish Cream liqueur 1 heaped tsp hot chocolate powder 100ml milk of your choice 1  2 heaped teaspoons of Lotus Biscoff spread Garnish whipped cream with some Biscoff biscuits sprinkled on top METHOD 1. Combine Biscoff spread and milk into a mug and microwave until warm (approx. 1 minute) 2. Stir in hot chocolate powder until dissolved 3. Add the Baileys and stir well 4. Optional garnish with whipped cream, crushed lotus biscuits and make it magnificent 5. Stand back, admire and then drink Each hot chocolate contains approximately 0.7 standard drinks. Advertisement

One of Australia's most 'Instagrammable' cafes is once again serving decadent cocktails flavoured with Biscoff and Kinder Bueno for a limited time only.

Chefs at Milky Lane, an Australian burger chain known for serving outrageously indulgent dishes, have brought back their best-selling Biscoff drink as a 'June Special' due to popular demand.

One of Australia's most 'Instagrammable' cafes is once again serving decadent cocktails flavoured with Biscoff and Kinder Bueno (pictured) for a limited time only

The dessert cocktail is made from an alcohol-laden thick shake topped with Biscoff foam and a rim of crushed biscuits from the iconic Belgian biscuit brand.

Alongside this crowd-pleaser, the cafe is also offering customers a Bueno cocktail made with white rum, Frangelico, ice cream, Nutella and a Kinder Bueno bar.

Both drinks will set you back $19 at any Milky Lane restaurant, which has outlets in Canberra, Surfer's Paradise and across Sydney in hotspots including Bondi and Cronulla.

Both drinks (pictured) will set you back $19 at any Milky Lane restaurant, which has outlets in Canberra, Surfer's Paradise and across Sydney in hotspots including Bondi and Cronulla

Fans have been raving about the cocktails on social media, with one woman calling the Biscoff flavour her 'new obsession'.

'Just here reminiscing about last night's Biscoff cocktail,' she wrote.

'Anything Biscoff, I just have to have it!'

Another added: 'I'd risk eating dairy for this.'
Influencer Kate Hudson has revealed her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Eliza died on Father's Day after battling a rare and aggressive cancer.

Mother-of-one Kate, from Hilliard, Ohio, and her fiance Chance Moore said they are 'broken' after losing their little girl, whose brave journey they had documented on social media.

The couple welcomed Eliza in August 2018, and she was diagnosed with a 'very rare and aggressive cancer known as rhabdoid tumor' at 10 months old in June 2019.

According to a GoFundMe page they set up, she went through 'countless surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and study drugs to help her in her fight', but 'nothing worked' and the cancer 'kept growing'.

Influencer Kate Hudson has revealed her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Eliza with fiance Chance Moore died on Father's Day after battling a rare and aggressive cancer

Writing on Instagram yesterday, Kate shared the tragic news while posting a black and white photograph of her daughter carrying a cuddly owl.

She began the post with the quote: 'When the links of life are broken and a child has to part, there is nothing that will ever heal a parent's broken heart.'

'My sweet baby girl. I don't know how we will go on without you. I know we promised you we would we brave, just like you,' she went on.

'But we are broken. Even though we know you are no longer suffering or in pain or frustrated with what life had become.'

Kate admitted that she didn't expect Eliza's death to feel 'so sudden' because they knew she was dying, but she 'wasn't ready to see what I saw'.

Writing on Instagram yesterday, Kate shared the tragic news beside a black and white photograph of her daughter carrying a cuddly owl

Kate began the heartbreaking post with the quote: 'When the links of life are broken and a child has to part, there is nothing that will ever heal a parent's broken heart'

Kate said she and Chance are 'broken' even though they know their daughter is 'no longer suffering or in pain or frustrated with what life had become'

'I woke up this morning, still half asleep, and reached for your hand. But you were not there,' she wrote. 'You left last night. In a van that took you away. I wanted to run after you. But I couldn't. I have to accept this new reality... but I am not ready to let you go. I don't think I ever will be ready to move on.

'I don't know where your soul went when it left your little body. I want to believe you are somewhere with my dad and my sister.... and your sister... all loved ones you never met.

'I want to believe you are all together. Dancing in meadows or swinging on trees or walking alongside a beach somewhere with ocean salt water washing over your toes.

'I also want to believe your soul transferred into us, your Mamma and your Dadda. That you left your little body and gently latched onto our souls. That we are now intertwined for life. I want to believe you are still alive somewhere.

'I want to believe I will wake up from this nightmare and you will be there holding our hands. Telling us it was just a bad dream.'

Kate admitted that she didn't expect Eliza's death to feel 'so sudden' because they knew she was dying, but she 'wasn't ready to see what I saw' (pictured with Chance)

Kate's post attracted 1,305,857 likes, with dozens of her 596,000 followers sharing heartfelt messages of condolence.

Hours earlier Kate had shared a heartfelt Father's Day post admitting she's 'hated Father's Day for as long as I can remember', but praising Chance for being 'beyond a father'.

She wrote: 'Chance loves Eliza more than anything or anyone in this world. No one, except Eliza, Chance, and myself really know all the incredible memories he has given each of us and our family.

'Happy Father's Day, Chance. You will always, ALWAYS be "Dadda"... Today. Tomorrow. And even the days after Eliza is no longer with us. I love you, Chance. Eliza loves you more than anyone. You are and will always be an incredible man... and an incredible Dad. Always.'

In February last year Chance shared a sweet video of Eliza ringing the bell and receiving a round of applause at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, where she was treated.

She was diagnosed with cancer in June 2019 when she was just 10 months old and needed to have one of her kidneys removed the day after her diagnosis due to complications caused by her tumor.

Hours earlier Kate had shared a heartfelt Father's Day post admitting she's 'hated Father's Day for as long as I can remember', but praising Chance for being 'beyond a father'

Chance and Kate documented her journey on Instagram and TikTok, including her surgeries and chemotherapy, with Eliza capturing the hearts of millions

The following month she was diagnosed with malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT), a rare and aggressive tumor that occurs in infancy or childhood.

A few weeks later doctors found an additional tumor in her brain, and she was diagnosed with atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT), a rare and fast-growing cancerous tumor of the brain and spinal cord, according to St. Jude's Research Hospital.

Eliza underwent brain surgery to have the tumor and affected brain tissue removed before starting aggressive chemotherapy at the end of July.

Chance and Kate documented her journey on Instagram and TikTok, including her surgeries and chemotherapy, with Eliza capturing the hearts of millions.

According to the family's GoFundMe page, her The last CT scan revealed eight nodules in her right lung.

They were informed by Eliza's surgery and oncology team that the next step would be to resect as many nodules as possible then hit her right lung again with ablative radiation.

Kate and Chance said they were spending the time they had left to give Eliza 'as much of a normal toddler life as possible'

However it transpired that there were in fact 'thousands' of nodules which had 'obliterated her right lung and had spread over her heart and down into her diaphragm'.

The latest post read: 'The cruel irony is that we would have never known how aggressive this tumor was behaving inside Eliza if we hadn't opted for surgery. We were blindsided. It still doesn't feel real.

'Eliza is still playful, energetic, sassy, funny, intelligent, joyful, sarcastic, bossy, kind, and fascinated with life. We were told our incredibly inspiring daughter Eliza may have weeks, maybe less than two months, at most, per Eliza's Oncologist and Hospice Team.

'The reality is that it may be only a few weeks before Eliza ends her fight and passes on.'

Kate and Chance said they were spending the time they had left to give Eliza 'as much of a normal toddler life as possible', adding: 'We are enjoying every moment with her. We cry, but we also laugh. Eliza is showing us how to live this one life we have been given.'

Eliza underwent brain surgery to have the tumor and affected brain tissue removed before starting aggressive chemotherapy at the end of July 2019
The Duchess of Cornwall showed off her love of reading again today, joining London primary school pupils to open a new library in the capital.

Camilla, 72, headed to Nine Elms to open the Life Changing Library at Griffin Primary School in South London before heading for a picnic lunch in St James Park with the excited pupils to launch their Story Trail.

The Royal, who has her own Instagram reading group and is a patron of BookTrust and the National Literacy Trust, looked relaxed in a navy blue shirt dress adorned with a feather design, as she made the morning visit.

A right royal lesson! The Duchess of Cornwall, 72, looked relaxed as she took part in a literary picnic in St James Park with the pupils of Griffin Primary School in Nine Elms

With her reading glasses firmly on, Camilla delighted the pupils with a reading of Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Excited children gathered round in the school's new Life Changing Library, a nationwide project from best-selling author Cressida Cowell, as the Duchess read to them.

Armed with her tortoiseshell reading glasses, Camilla delighted her captivated audience with a special reading of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, by Judith Kerr.

Camilla was joined by Waterstones Children's Laureate Cowell, who also took time to read to the children during her visit to the South London school.

Cowell, wearing a canary yellow belted dress, put on an animated display as she read an extract from her own best-selling book, How To Train Your Dragon.

The Duchess of Cornwall was wearing a dash of foundation to compliment her healthy glow, and a touch of lipstick and eyeliner today

Acclaimed author Cressida Cowell read from her best-selling work How to Train your Dragon at the event today

Wearing a blue navy dress adorned with feather detail, the Duchess, well known for her love of literature, seemed delighted to be reading to the children

Camilla appeared relaxed as she read to the pupils in the new Life Changing Library ahead of a picnic in the park

Camilla, pictured, made the most of the beautiful new library as she sat down for her reading this morning

With Cressida Cowell, pictured, Camilla signed the book she had read with a kind words that pupils of Griffin Primary School with revisit throughout the years

Despite the inclement London weather, the author and Duchess then braved it to head outside with the school pupils and their teachers for more literary fun.

Ahead of the outdoor activities, Camilla had picked a sensible nude heel and chose not to take a hand bag. The royal was wearing a few chosen bracelets and gold and silver necklaces.

The Duchess of Cornwall wrapped up in a stylish Burberry trench coat to head outside, where she read some more stories al fresco. Her impeccable platinum blond blow-dry was ruffled by the breeze as she stepped out.

Cressida put on an animated display as she spoke with the pupils at today's library launch in Nine Elms

Cressida Cowell, right, instructed Camilla on how to draw during an improvised drawing class that today's event

Pupils laughed as the Duchess was tasked with drawing in a notebook and took on the challenge like a pro

Cressida Cowell, who is the BookTrust' driving force behind the Life Changing Libraries, seemed excited during the event

Best-selling author Cressida handed the Duchess with a pen and a notebook to draw in front of the pupils

A pupil, left, was not shy to point out something as Camilla was drawing on the book she had just read

The grandmother-of-nine seemed delighted as she interacted with enthusiastic pupils during her reading

Cressida Cowell is the driving force behind the BookTrust's Life Changing Libraries campaign, which aims to promote the benefits of accessible, well-stocked libraries to pupils around the country.

In total, six schools have so far launched Life Changing Libraries, with Griffin Primary School being the latest.

Camilla then travelled to St James Park to open their Story Trail, an interactive literary installation around the park.

She was joined by none other than the literary hero Elmer the Elephant to launch the event, which was located by the wooden elephant sculptures that have recently been installed at the park.

After reading and drawing with the pupils, Camilla headed to St James Park to open their Elmer Story Trail

Camilla, who is joint President of the Elephant Family charity, seemed amused by Elmer's antics in front of the children

The Duchess, pictured, posed with the elephant sculptures recently installed in St James's Park during the event

Camilla sported her best smile during the St James Park event which celebrated children's literature

Stealing the show! Camilla could count on the help of Elmer to keep the pupils entertained this morning
Duchess, who wore brunette locks in a bouncy blow dry, accessorised with gold necklace by Daniella Draper

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The Duchess of Cambridge cut a relaxed figure as she arrived for a visit to the Natural History Museum in London today.

Casual Kate, 39, who studied art history at university and has been patron of the attraction since 2013, dressed down in pair of blue cropped jeans, a Ralph Lauren white vest top and 1,795 salmon-coloured blazer by CHLOE, which features gathered waist, notched lapels and oversized cargo pockets.

Typically stylish, the mother-of-three completed her paired-back look with her favourite 90 Veja trainers and accessorised with a gold necklace by Daniella Draper and dainty gold hoop earrings.

The natural beauty, who wore her soft brunette locks in a bouncy blow dry, opted for just a light dusting of pink blusher and pink lip tint, while Princess Diana's famous sapphire and diamond engagement ring gleamed on Kate's finger.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, joined schoolchildren during her visit to the Natural History Museum to learn about its Urban Nature Project (pictured)

During her visit, a smiling Kate learnt more about how communities across the UK will benefit from the Urban Nature Project (UNP), which the Museum is launching later this year

The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured), 39, cut a relaxed figure as she arrived for a visit to the Natural History Museum in London today

The Duchess of Cambridge took a tour of the Natural History Museum's wildlife gardens, where she met local school children and learnt more about how communities across the UK will benefit from the Urban Nature Project (UNP), which the Museum is launching later this year.

Kate was met by Museum Director, Dr Doug Gurr, who explained how the project is helping people to reconnect with the natural world and find the solutions urgently needed to protect the planet's future.

Working with partner museums and wildlife organisations across the UK, the project will engage the nation with the importance of nature in towns and cities, and produce practical tools for supporting the wildlife that lives around us.

The Duchess heard more about the plans for the project and the work that is being carried out to transform the Natural History Museum gardens into a cutting-edge research centre, which will include outdoor classrooms and a living lab, to deliver science and learning programmes for young people, schools and families across the country.

Kate visited the Museums Wildlife Garden and joined local schoolchildren taking part in nature activities, including spider-making and an interactive story-telling exercise (pictured)

The Duchess of Cambridge looked in high spirits as she enjoyed woodland crafts with local schoolchildren as she took a tour of the Natural History Museum's wildlife gardens

The Duchess of Cambridge appeared to be thoroughly enjoying herself as she joined local schoolchildren in taking part in nature activities, including spider-making (pictured)

Typically stylish, the mother-of-three completed her paired-back look with her favourite 90 Veja trainers and accessorised with a gold necklace by Daniella Draper and dainty gold hoop earrings. Pictured, joining in crafts with local schoolchildren

Kate, who has been patron of the Museum since 2013, joined in helping children from the nearby St. Mary of the Angels Primary School with some nature focused craft activities

The Duchess of Cambridge believes that spending time outdoors plays a pivotal role in childrens future health and happiness, building foundations that last through childhood and over a lifetime

The royal sat on the floor cross-legged as the local schoolchildren sat around her and followed her craft-making skills

The Duchess of Cambridge visited the Urban Nature Project at the Natural History Museum in central London today

A smiling Duchess seemed to be having a fun-filled afternoon as she took a tour of the Natural History Museum's wildlife gardens

The mother-of-three could be seen holding a pot of honey as local schoolchildren gathered around and tasted the natural produce

The royal crouched down so that the schoolchildren could reach the pot of honey she was clutched as she visited the museums wildlife garden

Kate, who had a pine cone attached to her jeans after an afternoon of crafts with local schoolchildren, could be seen peering up to the top of the trees

The Duchess of Cambridge and the local schoolchildren could be seen clutching their handiwork after an afternoon of crafts at the Natural History Museum

Throughout the afternoon The Duchess got stuck into helping children from the nearby St. Mary of the Angels Primary School with some nature focused craft activities

The royal helped staff fix an acoustic monitoring device to a cherry tree in the Wildlife Garden (pictured), which will record ambient sound to help Museum scientists to investigate patterns of bird, mammal and insect activity within the garden

Kate (pictured) heard more about the plans for the project and the work that is being carried out to transform the Natural History Museum gardens into a cutting-edge research centre, which will include outdoor classrooms and a living lab, to deliver science and learning programmes for young people, schools and families across the country

Casual Kate, who studied art history at university, dressed down in pair of blue skinny jeans, a Ralph Lauren white vest top and 1,795 salmon blazer by CHLOE (pictured)

Kate's salmon-coloured blazer by CHLOE featyres utilitarian details: from the shoulder epaulettes to the notched lapels, gathered waist and oversized cargo pockets. Pictured, speaking with museum director Dr Doug Gurr

The Duchess of Cambridge visited the Natural History Museum this afternoon to hear more about how communities across the UK will benefit from the Museums Urban Nature Project which is being launched later this year

The Duchess of Cambridge rolled up her sleeves as she was welcomed by museum director Dr Doug Gurr on her arrival at the central London museum

Kate joined local schoolchildren on an immersive storytelling activity before touring the Wildlife Garden with Dr Gurr (pictured)

The mother-of-three completed her paired-back look with her favourite 90 Veja trainers and accessorised with a gold necklace by Daniella Draper and dainty gold hoop earrings (pictured)

Kate could be seen sweeping her soft brunette locks out of her face as the wind picked up earlier this afternoon (pictured, left and right)

Kate also visited the Museums Wildlife Garden and joined local schoolchildren taking part in nature activities, including spider-making and an interactive story-telling exercise.

The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most visited natural history museum in Europe. The Museum works to use its global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature.

At the end of her visit, the royal also helped staff fix an acoustic monitoring device to a cherry tree in the Wildlife Garden, which will record ambient sound to help Museum scientists to investigate patterns of bird, mammal and insect activity within the garden.

Data collected by the device, which will stay onsite throughout the summer, will be analysed used as part of the UNP National Schools Programme which launches in September.

The Urban Nature Project (UNP), which the Museum is launching later this year, will see the Museums five-acre grounds transformed into a globally relevant urban nature epicentre complete with outdoor classrooms, a living lab and a weatherproof cast of the Museums famous diplodocus, Dippy. Pictured, Kate today

Crucially, the project will trigger a nationwide biodiversity movement. Led by the Museum, this will see a coalition of partners deliver science and learning programmes for young people, schools and families across the country. Pictured, the Duchess of Cambridge

A smiling Kate accessorised with a gold necklace by Daniella Draper and a pair of simple dainty gold hoop earrings (pictured)

Kate's visit coincides with the launch today of the Museum's Annual Review, Solutions for Nature and from Nature which celebrates some of the key Museum partnerships, research and discoveries over the last year. Pictured, today

Kate was met by Museum Director, Dr Doug Gurr, who explained how the project is helping people to reconnect with the natural world and find the solutions urgently needed to protect the planet's future (pictured, together)

The Duchess of Cambridge put on an animated display as she spoke with spoke with museum director Dr Doug Gurr, who welcomed the royal on her arrival

The Duchess of Cambridge heard more about how communities across the UK will benefit from the Museums Urban Nature Project which is being launched later this year. Pictured, with museum director Dr Doug Gurr

The Urban Nature Project aims to help people to reconnect with the natural world and to find practical solutions to protect our planets future. Pictured, with museum director Dr Doug Gurr

The mother-of-three appeared to be in high spirits as she was given a tour of the grounds by museum director Dr Doug Gurr (pictured, together)

The Duchess of Cambridge could be seen putting safety first as she adhered to government safety guidelines and donned a protective face mask. Pictured, with Dr Doug Gurr

The royal matched her floral-printed protective face mask with her salmon-coloured blazer as she was given a tour of the Natural History Museum

The Duchess (pictured, left and right) heard more about the plans for the project and the work that is being carried out to transform the Natural History Museum gardens into a cutting-edge research centre

The Duchess (pictured) heard more about the work that is being carried out to transform the Natural History Museum gardens into a cutting-edge research centre

Kate (pictured, left and right) is a patron of The Natural History Museum, which is both a world-leading science research centre and the most visited natural history museum in Europe

Kate's visit coincided with the publication of the Museums Annual Review which shows how it is addressing the planetary emergency

The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured), who studied art history at university, has been patron of London's Natural History Museum since 2013

Speaking about the visit, Dr Doug Gurr said: 'I'm delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness here today as we share some of the work the Urban Nature Project is doing to engage young people with the nature on their doorsteps.

'Biodiversity, especially in urban settings, is under threat like never before. To survive, it needs young people to grow up with a desire to protect it. But without feeling excited by and engaged with the green spaces around them, this is in jeopardy. That is why this project is crucial for our urban green spaces and all the species who call it home.'

The visit coincides with the launch today of the Museum's Annual Review, Solutions for Nature and from Nature which celebrates some of the key Museum partnerships, research and discoveries over the last year.

From influential biodiversity research shared with the government, the 503 new species Museum scientists described in 2020 or the illustrious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards for which Her Royal Highness announced the winner - the annual review highlights how the Museum is making a lasting and positive difference to our global future.

As part of her longstanding work on early childhood, The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured) believes that spending time outdoors plays a pivotal role in childrens future health and happiness, building foundations that last through childhood and over a lifetime

The Duchess of Cambridge (left and right) received a gift as she leaves after a visit to the National History Museum this afternoon

A delighted-looking royal, who opted for a dressed-down outfit for the day, was handed a gift on her departure (pictured)

The Duchess of Cambridge could be seen departing a fun-filled day at the Natural History Museum carrying the black tote bag she was gifted

A dressed down Kate looked typically stylish in a pair of blue cropped jeans, a Ralph Lauren white vest top and fashionable blazer

Kate was all smiles as she spoke with museum director Dr Doug Gurr as she arrived at the National History Museum, central London this afternoon

Princess Diana's famous sapphire and diamond engagement ring gleamed on Kate's finger as she spoke with museum director Dr Doug Gurr (pictured)

At the end of her visit, Kate (pictured, left and right) fixed an acoustic monitoring device to a cherry tree in the Wildlife Garden, which will record ambient sound to help Museum scientists to investigate patterns of bird, mammal and insect activity within the garden

The Duchess of Cambridge, who opted for a pair of cropped denim jeans for the visit, engaged in conversation with museum director Dr Doug Gurr on her arrival

Speaking of the visit, Dr Doug Gurr (pictured, with Kate) said: 'I'm delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness here today as we share some of the work the Urban Nature Project is doing to engage young people with the nature on their doorsteps'

As part of her longstanding work on early childhood, The Duchess of Cambridge believes that spending time outdoors plays a pivotal role in childrens future health and happiness, building foundations that last through childhood and over a lifetime.

Through her Back to Nature gardens, which were displayed in 2019 at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, and the subsequent installation of the Back to Nature play garden at RHS Wisley, Kate aimed to highlight how spending time outdoors can enrich a childs early development by providing an environment that encourages active exploration and the opportunity to form and strengthen positive relationships.

Last week, The Duchess launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood which also published its inaugural report, Big Change Starts Small.

It brings together leading sector research in one place and underlines the critical lifelong impact of the early years on individuals, our economy and society at large.

The report also set forth a number of recommendations, including the need for society as a whole to come together to create safe, healthy and nurturing environments and experiences for children, including the provision of easy access to nature and outdoor space.
The Prince of Wales was down on the farm today...but still sporting a very sharp suit.

The royal, 72, spent the morning discovering FarmED, a new centre for farm and food education in Oxfordshire.

Donning a dapper grey suit with a pink shirt and patterned tie, as well as a swish pair of Serengeti shades, the heir to the throne took time to learn about the eco-friendly initiatives happening at the forward-thinking project.

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Time for tea: The Prince of Wales visited farm and food education centre in Oxfordshire today, sporting a dapper grey suit with a pink shirt and patterned tie, as well as a swish pair of Serengeti shades

The royal, who has a keen interest in the environment and sustainable farming, looked in good spirits as he headed out into a meadow at FarmED, a new center for farm and food education in Oxfordshire

The centre aims to inspire, educate, and connect people to build sustainable farming and food systems

Checking out the soil bio-diversity in a sample, the Prince leaned forward to take in the aroma of the land

Charles has a keen interest in the environment and sustainable farming and appeared to take particular interest in soil samples from the farm.

After a table with different samples of earth was set up in the midst of a field of long grass, the Prince leaned in to sniff the soil.

The FarmED centre provides learning spaces and events that inspire, educate, and connect people to build sustainable farming and food systems - something which healthy soil is crucial to, say experts.

Wandering the meadows of the pastoral land in the Oxfordshire countryside, Charles learned how the farm aims to reverse climate change and increase biodiversity while feeding everyone healthy food.

The royal learned how the Oxfordshire farm is aiming to reverse climate change and increase biodiversity while feeding everyone healthy food

A chance to wander: the Prince of Wales walks in a wild meadow as he tours the farm

Wearing expensive sunglasses and a smart suit, the Prince appeared to enjoy the chance to be in the countryside. Right: Prince Charles looks in reflective mood as he looks out across the land

In London, Camilla was on a more urban adventure. The Duchess of Cornwall showed off her love of reading again today, joining primary school pupils to open a new library in the capital.

Camilla, 72, headed to Nine Elms to open the Life Changing Library at Griffin Primary School in South London before heading for a picnic lunch in St James Park with the excited pupils to launch their Story Trail.

The Royal, who has her own Instagram reading group and is a patron of BookTrust and the National Literacy Trust, looked relaxed in a navy blue shirt dress adorned with a feather design, as she made the morning visit.

A right royal lesson! The Duchess of Cornwall, 72, looked relaxed as she took part in a literary picnic in St James Park with the pupils of Griffin Primary School in Nine Elms
Britain's oldest hairdresser has revealed she has no plans to retire - as the 91-year-old celebrated 65 years of working in the same salon.

Margaret Sherlock, who lives in Chorley, Lancashire, completed her apprenticeship in 1945 before opening her own salon, Hair By Margaret, on June 19 1956, where she still works four days a week to see her regular customers.

The mother-of-two recently marked 65 years to the day since she opened shop and celebrated by giving a perm to the first customer she ever served, who is now 90.

The hairdresser revealed: 'I'm not considering retirement, my customers would be very upset. They wouldn't know where to go if I stopped working. And a lot of the younger hairdressers don't know how to do the styles my customers like.'

Margaret Sherlock, who lives in Chorley, Lancashire and is still chopping away aged 91, has said she has no plans to retire anytime soon

Margaret completed her hair apprenticeship in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, when she was just 15-years-old (pictured)

Margaret completed her hair apprenticeship in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, when she was just 15-years-old.

However, there was little demand for hairdressers so she trained as a nurse in Omagh.

In 1952 she came to England with her sister and they both worked at Eaves Lane Hospital in Chorley, which is now a housing development.

Later she married Frank and when her daughter Linda was born in 1956, she opened the salon in her front room on the day she took her new baby home from hospital.

She opened her own salon, Hair By Margaret, in 1956 and still opens four days a week to see her regular customers (pictured, with an early customer)

The business started off in the front room but soon became a proper salon, with the family living upstairs until 1971.

Margaret said: 'I only intended to run the salon until Linda went to school but the business grew and Frank joined me in the hairdressing trade.'

Incredibly Margaret has only ever shut the salon down once, when her son Adrian was born.

She said: 'When my son Adrian was born in 1962, I decided that I would carry on so that I could be around for both of the children while they grew up.'

Incredibly Margaret has only ever shut the salon down once, when her son Adrian was born (pictured together in 1963 outside the business)

Margaret, who still uses the same razor she had when the shop first opened, has seen a lot of popular hairstyles come and go over the years, such as the Princess Diana flicked bob in the 1980s.

And according to her daughter Linda Sherlock, 64, the Northern Irish-born former nurse will keep going until she 'physically can't go on'.

Reflecting on her career, Margaret said: 'It's been lovely, I've loved every minute. I've always had wonderful customers who I've got on very well with.

'Lots of them have come back year after year so I know them very well and would consider some more like family. They tell me all about their problems.'

Margaret, who still uses the same razor she had when the shop first opened, has seen a lot of popular hairstyles come and go over the years

Margaret worked alongside her husband Frank until his death at the age of 80 in May 2008.

To this day, she stands on feet for hours on end day after day while tending to her customers, many of whom simply pop in for a cuppa and a chat.

Her mainly elderly clientele come for their weekly shampoo and set, a 'dying art' which involves applying setting lotion to hair, putting in rollers and drying gently under vintage hair dryers.

She is also in demand for her perms, which are not so common nowadays.

Daughter Linda, who has helped out in the salon after retiring from her job as a deputy headteacher, said customers are more like family (Margaret pictured with Linda and son Adrian)

She thinks she has stayed a cut above other salons in the area because she treats her customers like a friend, rather than just a client.

And she said that her customers have given her great support right from the first day she opened the salon.

She said: 'Customers have been really good - they have really backed me up from day one. I now can't wait to get back to see them.'

Daughter Linda, who has helped out in the salon after retiring from her job as a deputy headteacher, said customers are more like family, and once they get their hair done they keep coming back.

She credits her success to the fact she treats her customers like a friend rather than just a client and they have given her great support in return

She added: 'A lot of mum's customers worry about her retiring but she's wants to keep going until she physically can't go on anymore.'

While hairdressing keeps Margaret fit, Linda said her wonderful zest for life also keeps her healthy.

She added: 'Some people have a glass-half-full attitude to life, but my mum has a glass that's brimming over. Her customers do wonder where she gets it from.'

The business started off in the front room but soon became a proper salon, with the family living upstairs until 1971 (pictured outside the business)

Linda said they had planned to have a tea party to celebrate 65 years of Hair By Margaret but that current restrictions prevented them from doing so.

She added: 'It was lovely to mark the occasion with Jean coming in for a perm.'

Linda Sherlock has recently written a book about her mum's remarkable life entitled Shampoo and Set: 75 Years as a Hairdresser.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands lifted patients' spirits on a visit to a Utrecht hospital today.

The Dutch queen, 50, travelled to the city's University Medical Centre where she was given a tour and learned about the struggles they have faced during the coronavirus pandemic.

Like many countries around the world, some hospital treatments were postponed in the Netherlands so that covid-19 cases could be prioritised.

Dressed in a tasteful white and beige number, Maxima met with both staff and patients to see how they were coping with the situation.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, 50, travelled to the Utrecht's University Medical Centre where she was given an comprehensive tour and inquired about hoe they were catching up with treatments after the height of the coronavirus pandemic

For her visit, she opted for a stylish blouse with balloon sleeves, which she paired with a beige pencil skirt tied with a statement bow at the waist.

The mother-of-three accessorised with a cross-body bag in blue and brown she held by the chain, trotting along the hospital's corridors on a pair of beige swede heels.

The Dutch royal was wearing a cream sanitary mask that matched her outfit as she toured the hospital.

She held back on jewellery but sported an eye-catching pair of gold earrings shaped like flowers.

The Dutch royal was given a comprehensive tour of the hospital before meeting with its staff and patients one on one

Her blonde locks were styled in a straight blow-dry down to her shoulders, and she opted for a dramatic makeup with a strong line of eyeliner bringing the focus to her brown pupils.

A dash of bronzer completed the sovereign's healthy glow.

After being given a tour by the hospital's director upon her arrival, Maxima sat down with staff members.

The aim of her visit was to see how they were catching up on treatment now that the Netherlands' hospital were not as overwhelmed with covid cases as they were at the height of the health crisis.

She also took the time to sit with several patients who were being treated at the hospital and inquired about their health.

While she took her mask off for these sit-down discussions, she observed social distancing rules throughout.

The Netherlands, which count an overall population of 17.28 million, recorded 1.68 million cases since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

The country recorded 559 new cases on June 19. Today marked Maxima's first engagement of the week after a busy start to the month.

The Dutch queen took the time to sit down with in-patients and to inquire on how the covid-19 pandemic had impacted their treatments and health, pictured

She listened intently as patients shared their stories with her. She had picked a stylish white blouse and beige skirt for the occasion, pictured

Last week, she visited the Villa Pinedo Foundation in Maarssen, a charity which supports children with divorce parents.

The foundation is the winner of one of the three Appeltjes van Oranje 2020, and offers children and young people with divorced parents online support and advice.

Maxima looked engrossed as she listened to people speaking about the programme and later posed for a socially-distanced group shot in the courtyard.

Her stylish midi-length dress from the Australian brand Zimmermann was embroidered with floral detail, and was fitted at the waist with a fabric belt.

Keeping up with social distancing guidelines, Maxima, pictured, met with hospital staff to see how they were catching up with treatments that had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic

The designer frock was adorned with buttons up the front and featured a puffed sleeve with a cuff.

She wore a statement jewelry piece of large floral earrings as well as a selection of rings.

The royal paired the outfit with a straw heeled sandals, a neutral-toned clutch bag which she tucked under her arm and kept her face protected behind an oatmeal-coloured face mask.

Her blonde locks were worn straight down past her shoulders and had a windswept look as she stepped outdoors.

Just the day before, she had opted for a pants suit to attend the annual symposium of the Money Wise platform in The Hague.
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A five-story medieval-style castle has hit the market with a $400,000 asking price  but the property is neither centuries old nor in Europe.

The castle, which is currently earning quite a bit of attention on social media, is located in Charlestown, Indiana, about 100 miles south of Indianapolis and 17 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky.

And while it's only 24 years old, it's also more than a bit of a fixer-upper: Beyond the grand turrets and medieval-style chandeliers, much of the inside the castle is filthy, with holes in the ceiling and seemingly unfinished rooms.

King of the Midwest! A five-story medieval-style castle has hit the market with a $400,000 asking price in Charlestown, Indiana

An American fortress: The 2,736-square-foot castle sits on 7.91 acres of land. It has just two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms  and a 10-car garage

The crown jewel of Indiana: It was built in 1997 by Mackey S. Griffin, who converted it from a WWII-era water shed

'He bought it and he made it into his dream: a dream castle,' Mackey's widow told WDRB. 'Who would want a building this big, except for my husband'

Though the home is clearly designed as a castle, it spans just 2,736 square feet and has only 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

It does, however, sit on 7.91 acres of land and have a 10-car garage.

Listed by Schuler Bauer Real Estate Services, the property is making local news headlines and dropping jaws on social media, where it was shared by the popular Instagram account Zillow Gone Wild.

'You aren't going to believe your eyes when you see this Castle!' reads the real estate listing.

'When you first walk across the bridge, you will have an option to go downstairs or head to the main living quarters. When walking in, you will enter into a large living room. As you walk thru the living room, you will pass thru the den and head into the formal dinning room built for a king with 2 massive chandeliers.

'All of the doors were handmade by the owner's husband, and were made from the wood that original covered the water reserve that was built in the year 1946 for the ammunition plant. The castle was built in 1997.

'As you walk thru the dinning room, you will enter into the eat-in kitchen with a laundry closet. There's two separate set of stairs that both lead to a bedroom & master bath at the top of each with massive walk-in closets.

'You aren't going to believe your eyes when you see this Castle!' reads the real estate listing

'As you walk thru the living room, you will pass thru the den and head into the formal dinning room built for a king with 2 massive chandeliers,' reads the listing

Throwback! Even one of the bathrooms has an old-fashioned toilet

Eco-conscious! All of the doors were handmade by the owner's husband, and were made from the wood that original covered the water reserve that was built in the year 1946 for the ammunition plant

'There's enough room in here that you could put two or three families,' Peggy added to The Courier-Journal, adding that the property is 'because it's so unusual. That's the only thing I can say'

'In the kitchen, you will have access to the stairs that lead downstairs to the office and extra half-bath and a large room for storage, or could be made into additional living area.

'You have to pay close attention when in this room, for there are 2 hidden entrances that lead to the bar area and the garage. If you choose the right door, you find a set of stairs that leads to the 10-car garage.

'Outside the garage, you will find the concrete courtyard that is totally secured by the walls of the castle and a catwalk that goes around the top. The castle itself is spread out over 1 acre and there is a total of 7.91 acres all together.'

According to The Courier-Journal, the structure was an old water shed used during World War II  but when Mackey S. Griffin bought it in the '90s, he decided to transform into his very own castle.

His wife, Peggy Griffin, says it was actually his second castle.

'He bought it and he made it into his dream: a dream castle,' Peggy told WDRB. 'Who would want a building this big, except for my husband.'

Mackey died in February of 2020.

It's certainly something! Realtor Denise Taylor said the property is 'definitely unique' and admitted that 'the internet has gone crazy over this listing'

He's a collector! Mackey's wife, Peggy, said this one his second castle

A royal pain! Though she insisted that the property is finished, Peggy conceded that it needs some work

'You really have to have that passion to do this because there is so much that needs to be done and so many things you can do this with, and do that,' she said

Something to talk about: Instagrammers have had plenty to say about the unusual home, with one calling it 'Ye Olde Moneye Pit' and another saying it wasn't much of a castle without a moat

'There's enough room in here that you could put two or three families,' Peggy added to The Courier-Journal, adding that the property is 'because it's so unusual. That's the only thing I can say.'

Realtor Denise Taylor said the property is 'definitely unique' and admitted that 'the internet has gone crazy over this listing.'

Though she insisted that the property is finished, Peggy conceded that it needs some work.

'You really have to have that passion to do this because there is so much that needs to be done and so many things you can do this with, and do that,' she said.

Instagrammers have had plenty to say about the unusual home.

'You could turn this in your own personal Medieval Times location!' suggested one, while another said: 'My doorbell would play the Mario brothers dungeon song, and Id have to install lava-esque carpets.'

'Ah yes, Ye Olde Moneye Pit,' joked yet another, while one more added: 'No moat? Next!'

'If I live in a cursed castle I would prefer it not be in Indiana,' said yet another.
McDonald's Australia has quietly removed the McFeast burger from its menu.

Diners are calling on the fast food chain to bring back the old menu item, which typically comes with a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions and three sauces - mustard, ketchup and McChicken's signature mayonnaise.

After making a brief comeback, the restaurant recently discontinued the sale of the classic McFeast, which was a fan favourite menu item in the 1990s.

However, a McDonald's Australia spokesman has hinted at the burger's return.

McDonald's Australia has quietly removed the McFeast burger from its menu

Diners have shared their devastation on social media after the burger was discontinued

'While this means we may rest certain items, they're not gone forever. We know there is a fan base for the McFeast out there and we hope they'll give a couple of our other core items a try, while waiting for its potential return,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'We are always listening to our customers and updating our menu to ensure they have a range of great tasting items available.

'With 50 years of offering great tasting menu options in Australia, now seems like a good time to shake things up a little. Pun intended.'

Fans of the McFeast have shared their devastation on social media and in an online forum dedicated to the iconic burger.

'It's the only burger I really like from McDonald's,' one wrote, while another said: 'McFeast - best Maccas burger, still super upset they took it off the menu recently.'

While one added: 'RIP McFeast... Now Maccas has no good burgers.'

The McFeast was first sold in Australia until the late 1990s - and consisted of a Quarter Ponder patty served with a McChicken bun and a McFeast Deluxe sauce

However, some suggested other sneaky ways to order a McFeast.

'You can hack up a Quarter Pounder, just add lettuce, tomato and McChicken sauce and it's basically the same as what was in a McFeast. Can do the same to a cheeseburger for a smaller McFeast,' one claimed.

Another diner claimed he tweaked the Classic Angus burger to recreate the McFeast by adding extra ketchup, McChicken sauce, and extra diced onions.

'Okay, so I just did this... I thought it turned out really good. I think the ketchup really improved the taste of the Classic Angus... so can recommend this for anyone else that wants to try. Not exactly a McFeast, but close,' he said.

The McFeast was first sold in Australia until the late 1990s - and consisted of a Quarter Ponder patty served with a McChicken bun and a McFeast Deluxe sauce.

The menu item briefly returned to Australia in 2009 and 2011 using the same ingredients but featured McChicken's famous mayonnaise instead of the original 'McFeast Deluxe' sauce.
Coffee drinkers may be protected against liver problems in later life.

They have a 21 per cent lower risk of developing chronic liver disease than non-coffee drinkers, say researchers who studied the medical histories and coffee consumption of half a million Britons.

The drink contains compounds called kahweol and cafestol which are thought to dampen down inflammation which can damage the liver. The compounds are at higher levels in ground coffee.

Caffeine, meanwhile, is believed to combat harmful liver scarring. Dr Oliver Kennedy, author of the study published in the journal BMC Public Health from the University of Southampton, said: 'Coffee is widely accessible and the benefits we see may mean it could offer a potential preventative treatment.'

One in three Britons are thought to have early non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It is more common in the overweight.

It can lead to chronic liver disease if it gets worse. Chronic liver disease can also be caused by excessive drinking, and viral hepatitis.

But researchers found coffee appears to ward off the serious condition, with those who drink it regularly 49 per cent less likely to die from chronic liver disease than non-coffee drinkers.

Coffee drinkers may be protected against liver problems in later life. They have a 21 per cent lower risk of developing chronic liver disease than non-coffee drinkers, say researchers who studied the medical histories and coffee consumption of half a million Britons [Stock image]

The results come from almost half a million people in the UK, who provided information on their coffee consumption and access to their medical records.

The study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, looked at 494,585 people aged 40 to 69 from the UK Biobank study.

More than three-quarters were regular coffee drinkers, averaging two cups a day.

Followed up for an average of 10 years, 3,600 people developed chronic liver disease and 301 people died from it.

Compared to non-coffee drinkers, those who drank coffee had a 21 per cent lower risk of developing chronic liver disease and a reduced risk of the most common type of liver cancer, called hepatocellular carcinoma.

Ground coffee, such as an espresso, appeared to be most beneficial, although this finding was not statistically significant, as not enough people in the study drank this type of coffee.

Coffee contains compounds called kahweol and cafestol which are thought to dampen down inflammation which can damage the liver. The compounds are at higher levels in ground coffee. Caffeine, meanwhile, is believed to combat harmful liver scarring [Stock image]

Ground coffee, rather than the instant kind, contains high levels of kahweol and cafestol, which studies in animals suggest protect against chronic liver disease.

However all types of coffee, including instant and decaffeinated, were linked to lower odds of liver conditions.

The more coffee people drank each day on average, the lower their risk of chronic liver disease and a build-up of fat in the liver called 'steatosis'.

But the potential benefits of coffee seemed to level off at around three or four cups a day, so that drinking five or more provided no extra protection for the liver.

The study adds to the evidence that coffee may be good for the liver, and is the first to directly investigate different types of coffee and their link to liver conditions in such a large group of people.

But the study authors say more research is needed before coffee can be recommended to people at risk of liver disease
Deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic a government watchdog reported on Tuesday.

The report from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that 22.5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries in care centers died in 2020.

This represents a 32 percent spike from 2019 when 17 percent of Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes died and an increase of 169,291 more deaths.

What's more, two in five Medicare recipients in nursing homes had or likely had COVID-19 last year, showing the devastating spread of the virus among the nation's most vulnerable.

'We knew this was going to be bad, but I don't think even those of us who work in this area thought it was going to be this bad,' said Dr David Grabowski, a health policy professor at Harvard University who reviewed the report for The Associated Press.

'This was not individuals who were going to die anyway. We are talking about a really big number of excess deaths.'

A new watchdog report found that 22.5% of Medicare beneficiaries in care centers died in 2020, which is a 32% increase from the 17% who died in 2019. Pictured: A patient is loaded into an ambulance by emergency medical workers outside Cobble Hill Health Center in Brooklyn, New York, April 2020

Death rates were higher in every month last year when compared with 2019 with particularly devastating spikes in April and December

Investigators used a generally accepted method of estimating 'excess' deaths in a group of people after a calamitous event.

It did not involve examining individual death certificates of Medicare patients but comparing overall deaths among those in nursing homes to levels recorded the previous year.

The technique was used to estimate deaths in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and in New York City after the first coronavirus surge last spring.

It does not attribute a cause of death but is seen as a barometer of impact. t

The report found that death rates were higher in every month last year when compared with 2019 with two devastating spikes eight months apart.

In April of last year, a total of 81,484 Medicare patients in nursing homes died, or about 6.3 percent - which is much higher than the 3.5 percent who died in April 2019.

Eight months later, after lockdowns and frantic efforts to expand testing - but before vaccines became widely available - nursing home patients accounted for a staggering 74,299 deaths, or 6.2 percent, in December 2020, in comparison with the 3.8 percent who died in December 2019.

'This is happening long after it was clear that nursing homes were particularly vulnerable,' said Nancy Harrison, a deputy regional inspector general who worked on the report.

'We really have to look at that. Why did they remain so vulnerable?'

Federal investigators are still drilling down to try to document the chain of causes and effects.

There was no immediate reaction from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which sets standards for nursing homes.

The report found that the mortality rate increase in every age group between 2019 and 2020.

The largest increase was seen among Medicare beneficiaries age 85 and older, rising from 23 percent who died in 2019 compared to 30 percent.

The report found that the number of infected Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes increased exponentially from 21,000 in May to nearly 419,00 in June

The report found that 13 times as many patients were being infected by COVID-19 in December compared to March

The next largest increase, was in the ages 75-to-84 group, which rose from 16 percent to 21 percent

Both the ages 65-to-74 group and the ages 65-and-under group had similar increases from 12 percent to 16 percent and from eight percent to 12 percent, respectively.

In another new finding, the report showed that cases and deaths among Asian American patients tracked with the more severe impacts seen among Blacks and Latinos.

Indeed, Asian Medicare enrollees in nursing homes saw the highest increase in death rates, with 27 percent dying in 2020 compared to 17 percent the previous year.

For whites, the death rate grew to 24 percent in 2020 from 18 percent in 2019, a significant increase but not as pronounced.

Death rates for Hispanic and Black patients were 23 percent last year, up from 15 percent in 2019.

The inspector general's findings about Asians highlight a riddle for researchers, said Tamara Konetzka, a health economist at the University of Chicago, who also reviewed the report for AP.

The reasons for higher cases and deaths among Blacks, Hispanics and Asians may not necessarily be tied to race and ethnicity. Instead, minority patients may be clustered in homes located in communities with more severe outbreaks.

Medicare beneficiaries aged 85 and older saw the largest increase in mortality rates while those aged 74 or younger saw the smallest increase

One health expert said minority patients may be clustered in homes located in communities with more severe outbreaks, leading to higher infection rates

The report also found that low-income nursing home patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid together were much more likely to have gotten COVID-19.

The infection rate for that group reached 56 percent, and 26 percent died.

Although facilities locked down in March of last year, government efforts to help were haphazard.

The industry complained of chronic shortages of protective gear, including basics like masks and gowns.

The Trump administration initially delegated responsibility for testing to states before belatedly marshaling more federal resources.

HHS later laid the groundwork for vaccinations under the Trump administration, and the Biden administration followed through.

As vaccination rates rose, nursing home cases plummeted, allowing facilities to again permit family visits.

The country can't move on yet, said deputy inspector general Harrison

'Hopefully, COVID will go away,' she said.

'But once that happens, there will always be infectious diseases, and we all need to ask ourselves what we can do to protect vulnerable nursing home residents going forward.'
Tree pollen has the ability to carry coronavirus particles and may have assisted in the transmission of the virus, especially during the first wave of the pandemic, a new study finds.

Researchers at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus built a model to simulate how different airborne particles could contribute to the spread of virus.

They found a correlation between COVID-19 infection rates and concentration of pollen.

What's more, with a light breeze on a typical spring day in the U.S., the pollen could pass through the crowd standing 65 away from a tree in less than one minute,

Researchers set up a simulation to predict how pollen carrying COVID-19 particles could assist in carrying the virus from person to person

'To our knowledge, this is the first time we show through modeling and simulation how airborne pollen micrograins are transported in a light breeze, contributing to airborne virus transmission in crowds outdoors,' said co-lead author Dr Dimitris Drikakis, a professor at the University of Nicosia.

For the research, published in Physics of Fluids, the team created a model to investigate the role microscopic particles have played in spread of the virus.

The model simulated smaller groups of around 10 people and larger groups of around 100, and researchers assumed that random members of the group had COVID-19 and were releasing virus particles.

Next, they had a cloud of pollen of around 10,000 grains roll through the group with the temperatures, wind speed and humidity of a 'typical spring day' in the U.S.

It took just one full minute for the full cloud of pollen to pass through the entire group, and each pollen grain could carry hundreds of particles of the virus each.

'One of the significant challenges is the re-creation of an utterly realistic environment of a mature willow tree,' said co-lead author Dr Talib Dbouk, director of research at the University of Nicosia.

'This included thousands of tree leaves and pollen grain particles, hundreds of stems and a realistic gathering of a crowd of about 100 individuals at about 20 meters (65 feet) from the tree.'

The simulation finds that pollen may carry the virus further than it would travel through the air, and that six feet of distancing may not have been enough in areas with high pollen.

The team also separately found that areas deemed to have high pollen concentration on the National Allergy Map were more likely to see higher transmission of COVID, providing potential real world proof of their simulated findings.

Researchers hope that others will continue the research into how microparticles could assist in spreading the virus by carrying particles from person to person.

As the COVID-19 pandemic nears its end, at least in the U.S., researchers are hoping to learn more about the virus that took over the world for a year.

Much about the virus is still a mystery despite its prevalence.

Where it came from, how it effects a person's body long term, the true death count of the virus, and even how it can spread from person to person have all been the subject of investigation from experts across the world.

Official figures suggest 3.8 million people worldwide have died from the virus, though experts believe the true number could be upwards of eight million.
The Indian 'Delta' coronavirus variant now makes up more than one-fifth of all new cases in the U.S., officials revealed on Tuesday.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said during a White House COVID-19 Response Team press briefing that the mutant strain currently accounts for 20.6 percent of infections.

This means the prevalence of the variant has doubled in just two weeks, when the variant made up 10 percent of cases, and increased seven-fold from one month ago, when it made up just 2.7 percent of cases.

Fauci discussed how quickly the Delta strain overtook the UK, now linked to 99 percent of infections, and said the variant is the greatest threat to the U.S. being able to defeat the virus.

'The transmissibility is unquestionably greater' than the original variant and the Kent 'Alpha' variant that originated in the UK, he said.

'It is associated with an increased disease severity as reflected by hospitalization risk compared to Alpha.'

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Dr Anthony Fauci warned om Tuesday (above) that the greatest threat to the U.S. defeating the COVID-19 pandemic is the Indian 'Delta' variant

The Delta variant, which is more infectious than other strains, now makes up 20.6% of infections in the U.S., up from 10% two weeks ago

Fauci said it's important to watch the UK because it could be a precursor to what's to come in the U.S., as the Delta variant continues to spread

Known as B.1.617.2, the Delta variant 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.

Its transmissibility has been clear as it wreaks havoc in the UK.

On Tuesday, the UK recorded 11,625 new cases of COVID-19, which is the most reported since mid-February.

This is a 450 percent increase from 2,000 case recorded in late April, when the Delta variant first took hold.

Additionally, deaths have nearly tripled in the last week, with 27 COVID-related fatalities recorded on Tuesday compared to 10 last Thursday

Fauci said it is important to watch the UK because when the Alpha variant took over Britain by December 2020, it only took one to two months before it became the dominant variant in the U.S.

He believes the same will occur with the Delta variant.

'We have followed the UK, in so many respects, with regard to the B.1.1.7,' he said.

'Look at what's happened to the UK from February to June...Look at how the Delta [variant] completely began to dominate the isolates throughout the UK.'

Fauci then noted that the U.S. is following the same trend seen in the UK, but that vaccines are effective against the new variant.

Britain recorded more than 11,000 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday - most since February - and a 450% spike since the 2,000 average recorded in April, when the variant first took hold. It now is linked to more than 99% of cases

States, such as Missouri, have begun tracking the spread of the Delta variant in wastewater and found samples with the strain in least 10 counties (above)

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.

'We have the tools, so let's use them and crush the outbreak,' Fauci said.

It comes as experts in some states begin to attempt to track the spread of the variant through wastewater.

Researchers first detected the variant in wastewater from Branson - 250 miles west from St Louis - on May 10.

The following week, the variant was found in wastewater about 200 miles away Brookfield. Both towns have low rates of vaccination.

According to data from the state's Sewershed Surveillance Project, the Delta variant has since been detected in the wastewater of at least 10 counties.

'Since about the second week of May, we've seen a very large increase in the prevalence of the Delta variant,' Dr Marc Johnson, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri told NBC News.

'And the speed at which it spread is quite amazing. It spread really quickly through the state.'

Analysis of wastewater - toilet water that travels through a drainage system to a treatment facility - has been used for years to track a number of public health concerns.

Sewage surveillance is currently used in several countries to monitor poliovirus circulation, including Israel and India. It's also been used in several cities in Europe to track the spread of opioids.

Researchers have found that infected people shed viruses, or viral genetic material, in their urine and stool.

Scientists believe this surveillance system could provide better estimate of how far the disease is spreading because this would include people who have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

In fact, the virus can be detected in feces within three days of someone being infected, which is before most people show symptoms.

'It's just a much more comprehensive way of studying the spread of the virus,' Johnson told NBC News.

'When you rely on human testing, you're relying on people that got tested, have access to health care, and whatnot. Our system will tell you about an entire city without any bias for anything. As long as you use the sewer system, we will detect it.'
Three siblings are taking part in the clinical trials looking at how well Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine works in young children.

Ellie, six; Christian, three; and Sloan, one; Bui of Jefferson, Louisiana - which is just to the west of New Orleans - each received their first shot in June.

Pfizer, which had the first COVID-19 vaccine available for any American over the age of 12, is hoping to get emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to distribute their vaccine to children even younger by the fall.

The three children's parents told ABC News they are excited that their children have an opportunity to take part in the study and get access to the vaccine early.

The trials start as parents around the country are split as to whether they should vaccinate their children.

Three children in the Bui family are taking part in Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine trials for children under the age of 12. Pictured, left to right:

Christian Bui, sis, receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as part of a clinical trial

'For us, our kids living safely in a world where we don't have to worry about them getting sick from COVID, being able to go to school, have playdates with their friends, we feel strongly that vaccine is what is going to get us to those goals,' said their mother Dr Erin Biro, who works as a neurosurgeon at Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson.

Their father, Dr. Cuong Bui, also works as a neurosurgeon at the same hospital.

Pfizer began its trials of the vaccine for children under the age of 12 earlier this month.

Children will receive doses of the vaccine 21 days apart from one another and researchers will look for side effects and other potential reactions.

Children who receive the vaccine will also be tested for antibodies to see if the vaccine is producing resistances to the virus.

Pfizer hopes to have data available from its trials in the second half of this year so the shot can be administered to kids by the fall.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, predicts that every American will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by the first quarter of 2022.

Biro enrolled her children in the trial partly out of concern over the Selta variant of the virus.

The variant, which initially appeared in India, has been found to be contagious than other variants, and has swept across the world.

It currently accounts for more than 20 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in the nation.

'The Delta variant has really picked up steam in the U.S. and I think in Louisiana especially, given the fact that so much of our population is not vaccinated yet that it has a really significant chance of causing an uptick in COVID cases in Louisiana,' Erin Biro told ABC News.

'So we feel fortunate that we have the possible chance of having our kids protected, but more so getting the pediatric trial across the finish line so that all kids have the possibility of being protected from the variant if it becomes more significant or if there's more cases this fall.'

'We're super excited that our entire family now has the opportunity and the chance of possibly being protected, and also just contributing to the research and the science to hopefully get all kids across the finish line,' she said.

Not all parents are as open to getting their children vaccinated, though.

A recent poll finds only 29 percent of parents with children under the age of 18 say they will get their children vaccinated 'right away'.

COVID-19 cases in the United States are currently at their lowest point since the pandemic first began in March 2020, with the nation recording less than 80,000 cases in the past week.

Experts fear the Delta variant will cause cases to spike again among the nations remaining unvaccinated population.

Currently, over 65 percent of American adults have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, though the remaining unvaccinated population is increasingly unlikely to get the shots.

As America reopens, and unvaccinated and vaccinated people mingle, some fear a vaccine resistant strain of the virus could form in the near future.
Monzo, NatWest, Virgin Money and Bank of Ireland have been issued with a formal warning by the competition watchdog for failing to send bank statements to 150,000 former customers.

Monzo was the biggest offender, as more than 143,400 customers of the app-based bank did not receive their transaction history after they closed their bank accounts.

The Competition Markets Authority said this 'may have made things harder' for people trying to borrow money or apply for a mortgage.

Warning: More than 143,400 customers of app-based bank Monzo did not receive their transaction history after they closed their bank accounts.

Under Britains competition rules, lenders must send customers a history of their current account banking activity within 40 days of a customer or small business closing their accounts.

Transaction histories must also be sent to at least 95 per cent of such customers within 10 working days.

The rules were introduced in 2017 as part of a push to make switching current accounts easier and ensuring that customers can still access banking history - a key requirement for credit lenders.

While Monzo was responsible for the bulk of the breach, the CMA said Bank of Ireland failed to send statements to 1,066 former customers, NatWest to 903 and Virgin Money to 220.

And although this time it was just a warning, the regulator said that future breaches could lead to banks having to introduce specific training or carrying out 'compliance audits'.

Adam Land, CMA senior director of remedies business and financial analysis, said: 'Nearly 150,000 people were affected by these banks breaches, with the majority being former Monzo customers. This may have made things harder for people trying to borrow money or apply for a mortgage.

'The CMAs work in the sector is making it easier for people to get a better deal from their bank. Banks must comply with all the rules  that includes providing a full transaction history promptly.'

Monzo broke the rules from the beginning of March 2020 until the end of May this year, when Monzo 'ended the breach', according to the CMA.

A spokesperson for Monzo said they had now fixed the problems and apologised to customers involved.

'Since we identified the issue and reported it to the CMA in February 2021, weve fixed the problem and are telling affected customers that we can send them their transaction history if theyd like,' the spokesperson said.

'This was an admin error, and weve also said sorry to the customers involved. Up until now, weve sent a full transaction history to any customer who has asked for it directly.'
When President Joe Biden withdraws the final American troops from Afghanistan, up to 18,000 who risked their lives for the U.S. could be left behind.

They are under constant fear of deadly attacks from the Taliban and have been run out of their homes, with their families of young children, because of their support for the American government.

These are the Afghan translators and interpreters who have worked alongside all U.S. military branches and against the insurgents for the last 20 years throughout America's longest war.

They have served with the CIA, the State Department, the Army and the Marines on the frontlines in one of the most dangerous battle zones in the world - but have been left in limbo by the slow process to get accepted for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV).

They are the cooks, drivers and cultural advisors who were essential in supporting ground operations - even though they knew siding with American military would put their livelihoods in imminent danger.

Now, they are stranded and begging for visas to let them escape the hell they face, with just 88 days until all troops are gone.

They are all under threat, and when the U.S. ends its military presence on September 11, they will be even more exposed to the violence of the Taliban, who have grown increasingly aggressive since Biden announced he was pulling out U.S. forces.

Many have already seen relatives killed and others fear they will be decapitated. They are now reaching out to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to give them safe haven in the United States.

Some have been waiting years to have their application approved, with the longest dating back to 1981, according to No One Left Behind, the non-profit charity fighting to make sure the U.S. government keeps their promise to those who supported the military during some of the most intense fighting in Helmand Province.

The organization says 300 Afghan interpreters have been killed in targeted attacks while waiting to secure their visas since 2014, but the exact numbers are unknown.

The process should take nine months, but has been hampered by a myriad of setbacks including the pandemic and the need for translators to get paperwork.

When President Joe Biden withdraws the final American troops from Afghanistan, up to 18,000 who risked their lives for the US could be left behind. These are the Afghan translators and interpreters who have worked alongside all military branches and against the insurgents for the last 20 years throughout America's longest war. One is pictured in Afghanistan with US troops

SIVs are available to those who have helped the U.S. military and now face serious threats as a result of their employment.

The U.S. has handed out 50 special visas per year to be issued to Afghan and Iraqi interpreters and translators.

There have also been 26,500 visas allocated to Afghans employed by the government since December 2014, but the process for those who haven't had their applications accepted is slow.

It has been delayed even further by the pandemic and the State Department's administrative backlogs, and time is running out with Biden looking to pull all troops out by September 11, 2021.

All linguists are in a very bad situation. If the Taliban or Sisi see us, they will cut our heads from our bodies. Help us please Visa application from one of the 18,000 stranded Afghan translators as the US withdraws forces

On Sunday, the Kabul embassy suspended all visa operations because of a third wave of COVID that is sweeping the country. This is after embassy, like most other U.S. outposts around the world, that has severely limited appointments because of pandemic restrictions.

There is also a staff shortage that is hampering the speed of which these applications are handled.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said half of the 18,000 SIV applicants waiting for approval are in the early stages of the application and require more paperwork. He is also considering bringing the Afghans into the U.S. as refugees.

But many are stuck. They require supporting documents from their supervisors in the military. Sometimes they have no means of contacting them, simply because they don't know their personal email addresses.

The translators who served alongside Americans are stranded and begging for visas to let them escape the hell they face, with just 88 days until all troops are gone. They are all under threat, and when the US ends its military presence on September 11, they will be even more exposed to the violence of the Taliban, who have grown increasingly violent since Biden announced he was pulling out US forces

Around 300 Afghan interpreters are believed to have been killed in targeted attacks while waiting to secure their visas since 2014, but the exact numbers are unknown. Their faces have been blurred to protect their identity because of Taliban threats

They also need evidence that shows they worked for the U.S. government for two years.

According to a database held by No One Left Behind, the Afghan applicants have taken to pleading to Biden and Harris.

In their applications they detail the threats they face and beg for the process to be sped up. Some insist they still support the American and hope for better lives if they are welcomed into the U.S., but believe they have betrayed by the bureaucratic logjam.

There is now a bipartisan push to pressure the State Department into accelerating the process as the Pentagon quickly pulls troops out.

The date of full withdrawal is September 11, but many have already left and operations are rapidly drawing to a close.

If we abandon them, we are signing their death warrants. - Republican Rep. Michael McCaul

The U.S. has said it will maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul, which could help the visa applications, but the lack of troops will mean the translators aren't protected.

Rep. Michael Waltz told DailyMail.com: 'Afghan translators have been vital American partners on the ground and their lives are in danger if we can't get them out soon.

'The military has testified that they are ready to evacuate but the Biden Administration must make it a priority to green light their extraction.

'I can't emphasize how detrimental it would be to our national security interests if we signaled to the rest of the world that we are willing to leave those who help us against the enemy behind to die.'

Senator Angus King, an Independent from Maine, told reporters last week that Biden's hair 'should be on fire' over the Afghans he is leaving behind.

'I want the White Houses hair on fire. I want them to do everything within their power to solve this problem.Im not being critical of the administration, but I think its time to step up their game,' King said.

'Much of whats needed could be done by the administration. It can't be business as usual.'

Rep. Michael McCaul, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs said earlier this month: '[The Afghan interpreters] have a bull's eye and a target on their back from the moment we leave the country.

'If we abandon them, we are signing their death warrants.'

James Miervaldis, from the Board of Directors of No One Left Behind, told DailyMail.com: 'We received over 1,200 signatures from SIV applicants complete with NVC case numbers, the amount of time they have been waiting, and personal statements to President Biden.

They have worked for the CIA, the State Department, the Army and the Marines on the frontlines in one of the most dangerous battlezones in the world - but have been left in limbo by the slow process to get accepted for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV)

A State Department spokesperson told DailyMail.com they are constantly working to improve the SXIV program while ensuring the integrity of the program and safeguarding national security

75 percent of applicants would still work with the U.S. knowing what they know now about how they've been treated. Twenty-five percent regret they worked with U.S. troops.

Sergeant William Bee, the Marine behind one of the most iconic photos from the War On Terror, told DailyMail.com that getting the translators out safely would be the 'best thing to come out of all of it'.

'I have been waiting 14 years and I am still waiting to get my visa. The guys running the SIV program are not working as much as they should. I wish you were in my position, so they could feel what I am. Then you would have to run the system like hell to save us Afghan translator applying for an immigrant visa

He worked frequently with translators during his tours in Helmand Province and believes the Biden administration desperately needs to help the Afghan people who served America.

A State Department spokesperson told DailyMail.com they are constantly working to improve the SIV program while ensuring the integrity of the program and safeguarding national security.

'Approximately 30 percent of applications are awaiting a decision at the Chief of Mission stage. The final 20 percent were approved by the Chief of Mission and are moving through the immigration process, either in the petition or visa processing stages,' the spokesperson said.

They said 9,000 of the applicants need to 'take action' before the U.S. government can being processing their cases.

They have also identified ways to try and improve the program, such as using staff in Washington to process the applications.

'The Department also approved a temporary increase in consular staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to conduct interviews and process visa applications, which allowed the Embassy to address cases that were delayed due to COVID-19 related closures earlier this year.'

However they mentioned that the COVID outbreak in Afghanistan has stifled their attempts.

'We acknowledge and regret the inconvenience to applicants as we seek to protect the health of our staff and applicants to ensure we can fully support visa and other consular services going forward,' the spokesperson said.

'We are continuing to make every effort to move SIV applicants through the process quickly. Most applicants are pending completion of much earlier steps in the SIV process and are not yet ready for an interview.'

In the past year, the USAID has provided more than $39million to directly help Afghanistan respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, expedited $90million in other COVID-related development assistance through the World Bank, and reoriented other U.S. assistance to support Afghan efforts to deal with the pandemics consequences.

'If the Taliban see us they will cut off our heads': The pleas of stranded Afghan translators to the Biden administration Below are some of the requests in SIV applications from Afghan translators and interpreters. They detail their threats, some simply say 'help' and others reach out directly to the White House in hopes of staying alive. Some of the passages have been paraphrased. None have been identified because of the ongoing safety concerns they face in Afghanistan. 'SIV is our last hope of staying alive.' 'I have served for more than two years as an interpreter/translator and more than seven years on the USAID funded projects in Afghanistan. My visa is pending administrative processing for no reason besides waiting for my recommendation letter.' 'I did my medical on September 16, 2020 , but am still waiting for issues to be resolved.' 'The embassy has cancelled my application for (unfaithful services), a general term they are putting for thousands of translators to cancel their petitions. Contrary to the fact that we risked our lives, our entire family and could have been killed.' 'I have worked with oil companies as an supervisor also worked with US army and coalition forces as an translator. 'I applied for SIV in August 2014. I was finally down to my interview at the Kabul US Embassy September 2018. Then the Console Section gave me a yellow card and told me to bring a new recommendation from my supervisor. I haven't been able to find him in two years because his email is not working and I don't have his personal email address. My family is in trouble. I am still receiving threats from ISIS and the Taliban. I don't know where I can go or or to whom I can tell my problems.' 'Kindly pass our message on that we have suffered a lot for American soldiers. We have worked with them honestly for a bright future. Now we have been left behind, and no excuses have been given.' 'Me and my family are living under serious threat in Afghanistan.' 'I want to speed up our case. We are still living in fear and we have been waiting for asylum into the US for so long.' 'I have been waiting for my visa since 2016. I started working for the US Special Forces in 2009 until 2013.Then our program closed in 205. Since then I have been working with US ASS Mentors at COB Morehead in Kabul. I am still an interpreter, and as you know we are at risk of threat and violence in Afghanistan. It's very hard to live any more because of my work for the US government. Please save my life, my two children and my wife.' 'In April 2020, the State Department Consular section in Baghdad refused my SIV case. It seems loyalty to U.S. goals are not appreciated, just like 100s of American soldiers who returned home and were not taken care of. No surprise at all.' 'I have been waiting for my SIV case to process for four years. More than four of my close friends have lost their lives. After our work with the US, we have put the lives of our family members in great danger and the future for us is uncertain.' 'Please save our lives. We risked our lives for your forces. 'We have given our time, our life, and our integrity. Please expedite the process.' 'I worked with US special forces as interpreter, but I have still been left behind.' 'My life is really in danger due to working with US forces in Afghanistan. I have been followed by the Taliban. My house is under the threat of attack. I applied for an SIV when I got married. My daughter is five and my son is two, and I am still waiting for an interview.' 'I have been waiting 14 years and I am still waiting to get my visa. The guys running the SIV program are not working as much as they should. I wish you were in my position, so they could feel what I am. Then you would have to run the system like hell to save us. Thank you.' 'All linguists are in a very bad situation. If the Taliban or Sisi see us, they will cut our heads from our bodies. Help us please.' 'Please resume interviews at the US Embassy in Kabul.' 'We interpreters need your consideration for speeding up the process because our security is getting worse by the day.' 'Mr. President, every day in Kabul is deadly, and we can not live in our villages. We are very happy that you were elected. These are the real values of the United States. We want an executive order to move all barriers of employment.' 'President Biden, we hope we can see changes in the SIV program and an easier way to facilitate the process, especially for the ones who been waiting for years.' 'I have been attacked couple times. The first attack was by ISIL, but, I managed to flee. The second attack was an IED at my house door. It exploded and destroyed most of my home, but God saved me. Since then I flee from one place to another. 'Mr. Biden please help me.' 'Everybody knows that here in Afghanistan the conditions are getting worse day by day, so we are humbly requesting from the new elected US president Joe Biden and vice president Harris to speed up our all SIV applicant's cases.' 'The Taliban killed my brother while working with Chemonics in Helmand in 2005. They have been treating me since then, but I could not go my village in Paktia from 2006. But I do not know why my application has been rejected where I had worked with the USAID. 'I know that president-elect Biden and Vice president- elect Harris have the kind of personalities that believe 'nothing makes them happier than making someone else happy, especially for those who really needs help and assistant'. The kindness we put out into the world always finds a way of coming back to us.' 'I request to the respected President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris to keep our families safe.' 'Mr. Biden. For more than eight years I have been employee on behalf of the US government here in Afghanistan. I have been known as US government supporter in the region and I have suffered several threats as a result. My US supervisor recommended me for the SIV program, but all his contacts are off. I don't know whether my supervisor is alive or not, but one thing is clear is that we have truly supported and helped the U.S. government. Every moment for us we live under threat. Please resolve the issue or me and my family will be killed one day.' 'I've been waiting all these years. I wish President Biden would make my dreams come true.' Advertisement

An Afghan interpreter is seen on patrol with US troops in Helmand Province. They have been essential troops for the last 20 years

Many Afghan translators are stuck. They require supporting documents from their supervisors in the military. Sometimes they have no means of contacting them, simply because they don't know their personal email addresses

A State Department spokesperson told DailyMail.com they are constantly working to improve the SIV program while ensuring the integrity of the program and safeguarding national security

The US has said it will maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul, which could help the visa applications, but the lack of troops will mean the translators are left to fend for themselves

75 percent of SIV applicants would still work with the U.S. knowing what they know now about how they've been treated. 25% regret they worked with U.S. troops.
A wealthy magistrate who fought to strip the grieving mother of his dead fiance of her daughter's super payout had flaunted his wealth in a flashy home renovation magazine.

Grandfather-of-eight Rod Higgins, 70, - who bizzarely referred to himself as Rocketman Rod in an online alias obtained by Daily Mail Australia - has been slammed by ordinary Australians after receiving the $180,000 super and life insurance payout intended for the struggling mum of Ashleigh Petrie.

Mr Higgins had been living with the 23-year-old for about 12 weeks when she was hit and killed by a car in October 2019.

Highly-paid magistrate Rod Higgins (in Shepparton on Tuesday) fought to win the $180,000 super and life insurance payout of his young fiancee, who was 45 years his junior

Magistrate Rodney Higgins referred to himself as Rocketman Rod in online profile obtained by Daily Mail Australia

'I also love diamonds': Lurline Le Neuf - the longtime partner of Mr Higgins - was labelled the 'Queen of Bling' in home renovation magazine. She is spotted wearing an apron from luxury London department store Harrod's paired with a pair of yellow boots in Shepparton on Tuesday

Miss Petrie,23, excitedly accepted and called him 'the love of her life' after he proposed to her in Fiji in 2019. The couple is pictured together just weeks before her untimely death

By Wednesday morning, more than 7,500 Australians had signed a petition demanding the super fund give the cash to Ms Petrie's mother, as per her wishes.

Mr Higgins had reportedly inquired about securing his fiancees superannuation death benefit within 24 hours of her tragic death.

She had bequeathed the entire balance and death benefit to her mum, but Mr Higgins successfully argued he was her 'dependent' and therefore entitled to her super payout upon her death.

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 each year.

On Tuesday, the pair were seen sauntering about town in pricey duds looking every inch the millionaire couple.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal Mr Higgins and Ms Le Neuf appeared in a feature article in 'Our Home' magazine in 2013 where they discussed their good fortune.

In it, Ms Le Neuf was described as 'The Queen Of Bling' and had appeared on the front cover.

'It is everywhere, from jewellery encrusted with precious stones and bracelets laden with rhinestones, to glitter glued onto shoes to add flair and the bling artwork she weaves into the home she shares with partner Rod Higgins,' the article read.

'I also love diamonds,' Ms Le Neuf told the publication.

Mr Higgins' proud partner talked of her troubles at finding the perfect chandelier for their home and bragged about her time working with fashion gurus in London.

'I have always been bling and people just expect it of me,' she said.

I'm a rocketman: Controversial magistrate Rod Higgins referred to himself as Rocketman Rod on a social media profile

The wealthy magistrate's partner Lurline Le Neuf got about town in posh yellow boots and a Harrod's apron on Tuesday morning

Ms Petrie posted on Instagram just days before here death

Photographed beaming on a Vespa motor scooter, Higgins told the magazine he was loving life.

'He has a natural tendency to take care of the down and out,' it stated.

When not scooting about town, Mr Higgins professed a love of chomping down on fancy chocolates from Haigh's.

In another photo, Mr Higgins is seen gushing over his dog Brutus, who sported a collar covered in bling.

The couple had met through mutual friends in 2003 and two years later had a commitment ceremony in Bali.

'We love to cook and entertain and we have a great time together,' they gushed.

Daily Mail Australia can further reveal Mr Higgins had a bizarre alias on social media.

When news of his relationship with Ms Petrie broke in October 2019, Mr Higgins had still operated a Facebook page under the name Rod Rocketman.

His profile claimed the magistrate worked at 'Queen' and he had attended 'The school of hard knocks'.

One photo posted to his page showed a smiling Mr Higgins beside a woman declaring 'Happy Birthday Mr Lawman' followed by a dozen kisses.

Rod Rocketman's friend list made for colourful reading, not often associated with a dealer of justice.

Mr Higgins proposed to Ashleigh Petrie (pictured together), from Mirboo North in Victoria, during a romantic trip to Fiji months before she died

In happier days: Ashleigh Petrie and Rod Higgins at the local pub. She often took to social media to inform friends of her love

Ashleigh Petrie's last post on Instragram. She stated she had been in Metung in East Gippsland- posting a peaceful photo of her view. She would be dead hours later.

Timeline of a doomed romance 2016-17: Rod Higgins and Ashleigh Petrie meet living next door to each other in Shepparton, Victoria 2017: She is a guest at a party celebrating his appointment as magistrate 2018: The two start a secret relationship under the nose of his second long-term partner Early 2019: Court colleagues are shocked to discover the relationship and raise concerns. Mr Higgins is moved to another court far away September: Mr Higgins proposes during a romantic trip to Fiji October 9: News of their relationship, engagement, and colleague concerns breaks in the media October: Mr Higgins' ex-partner controversially gets a restraining order against Ms Petrie with allegations of bias against chief magistrate who granted it October 28: Ms Petrie is killed when she is hit by a car as a pedestrian. Her death is later found to be a suicide Advertisement

While Mr Higgins is due to retire within a month, he has told friends he plans to continue working as a reserve magistrate where he would be paid $1,380 a shift.

Ms Petrie was struck by a vehicle and killed on Metung Road near Lakes Entrance in eastern Victoria about 1am the night she died.

Her death sparked an outpouring of emotion and anger at the fact her relationship was made public shortly before her death.

The news reports saw Victorian opposition attorney-general Ed ODonohue write to the Judicial Commission of Victoria about Mr Higgins suitability as a magistrate.

Daily Mail Australia was told that rather than dreading the revelations, Ms Petrie was 'excited' about the prospect of further stories exposing the inner workings of the court.

A source told Daily Mail Australia at the time Ms Petrie had spoken candidly about approaching the media herself to expose the 'toxic' culture of the court.

Mr Higgins had come a long way from the tough days toiling on the wharves of Melbourne where he spent 22 long years.

Back then, he was married, had three kids and was the union representative on the docks.

During the infamous Australian waterfront dispute in 1998 Mr Higgins picketed Patrick Stevedores for months.

He dabbled in politics in the 1980s and Prime Minister Bob Hawke would encourage him to chase a degree in the field.

Ashleigh Petre, 23, was engaged to 68-year-old magistrate Rob Higgins. Her relationship raised eye brows and created headlines

Ashleigh Petrie showed off a huge sparkler after Rod Higgins popped the question

Ashleigh Petrie was said to be enthusiastic about damning news reports unveiling the grubby underbelly of the justice system

Mr Higgins completed a politics and law degree during the 1990s.

In 2000 he started practicing law in the Victorian country town of Shepparton in northern Victoria - the hometown of a young Ashleigh Petrie.

In 2014 he ran for a Labor seat there.

He told the local paper at the time that he saw a lot of disengaged youths going through the court system.

'They should vote for me because I stand for social justice,' he said.

Mr Higgins said he would shelve his criminal law career if elected.

He was trounced.

Mr Higgins settled back into practicing law and by 2017 was elevated to the bench as a magistrate.

Rod Higgins, 68, has been slammed by ordinary Australians after getting the super payout of Ashleigh Petrie, which she had asked to go to her struggling mum

Ashleigh Petrie and Rod Higgins in happier times

He was still attached to his second long-term partner when he fell head over heels for a young court clerk who just happened to be dating the bloke next door.

Ms Petrie was a bubbly and popular Shepparton local.

While her friends chased locals lads their own age in the often tough, working-class town, the vivacious Ms Petrie was interested in more mature men.

Some were known to want to fight over her.

Ms Petrie had been in a five-year relationship with the 48-year old next door neighbour of Mr Higgins when she hooked up with the even older beau.

Her ex was absolutely livid.

When news of the relationship spread throughout the courthouse in the sleepy eastern town of Sale, the pair were separated and Mr Higgins was shunted off to Bendigo - on the other side of Victoria.

The split was said to be tough on the young clerk, who is understood to have felt intimidated and under siege in an environment accustomed to passing judgement.

As the pressure built, and no doubt with some sage advice from her ex-union partner, Ms Petrie took mental health leave.

Outwardly, the fractured Ms Petrie seemed on top of the world.

There was no hiding that she was in love with her older work colleague.

The Queen of Bling: Lurline Le Neuf - the longtime partner of Mr Higgins - took him back after his relationship with Ms Petrie ended in tragedy

Ashleigh Petrie and Rodney Higgins in social media posts before her death

On September 5, with a little over a month of her short life left ahead, she took to social media to poke fun at her relationship with Mr Higgins.

'We are actually the funniest couple in the world! We spend all day everyday laughing and being silly, having fun!' she posted.

'I don't know how I got so lucky to find such a sweet and caring man with the same sense of humour, this amazing man is the love of my life!'

Ms Petrie captioned a photo of the magistrate holding up his senior citizen's card.

'Dating a senior citizen  my community work is done,' was written over the photo.



Mr Higgins whisked her away to Fiji where he popped the question.

The clerk excitedly accepted and called him 'the love of her life' in a gushing Facebook post where she showed off pictures of her sparkly new ring.

'What an amazing 10 days it has been here in Fiji! Firstly, I arrived as Rod's girlfriend and I leave as rod fiance! I cannot wait to become Mrs Higgins!' she wrote online.

'It started with a crush and now I have a ring on my finger. The love of my life asked me to marry him and I said YESSSS.'

During their trip, the pair went zip lining, met a Fijian tribe and swam in the sea together.

When the happy couple arrived home, a storm was about to smash them both.

It was October 10 when the first story about the pair opened the floodgates.

Ms Petrie would be dead a little over two weeks later.

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A short seller must pay a real estate investment trust a 'multiple' of its profits after causing its value to plummet by $115 million after falsely claiming it was at risk of insolvency.

Quinton Mathews, who published his research on companies online under the pseudonym Rota Fortunae, will pay Farmland Partners Inc 'a multiple' of the profits on his short bet in 2018, according to the terms of the legal settlement announced late Sunday.

His research had helped wipe out as much as $115 million off Farmland's market value - 39 per cent of what the firm was then worth.

Quinton Mathews, a small investor from Texas caused shares of a real estate investment trust to plunge 39 percent in one day in 2018

The parties declined or did not respond to requests for comment on the exact value of the settlement.

Mathews conceded that 'many of the key statements' in a report he published on website Seeking Alpha targeting Farmland - including allegations of dubious transactions and the risk of insolvency - were wrong.

'I regret any harm the article and its inaccuracies caused,' Mathews said in the announcement, which was posted on Twitter and Seeking Alpha.

Paul Pittman, Farmland's chief executive officer, said in a statement that 'investors already recognize that the company was the victim of a short and distort scheme.'

Mathews, who tweeted as Rota Fortunae has agreed to pay company restitution to settle a lawsuit against him. He will pay Farmland Partners 'a multiple' of the profits on his short bet in 2018

Farmland shares traded at around $12.50 on Monday afternoon, up from around $5 following the short campaign.

The company has produced trailing total returns of 12.5% over the last three years, about 10 percentage points lower than the specialty REIT sector, according to a Morningstar tracker.

Jacob Frenkel, an attorney with Dickinson Wright who has defended companies against allegations of stock manipulation and was not involved in the Farmland case, said Mathews' apology and payment could build company confidence to pursue similar claims against short sellers.

'It's highly unusual and refreshing to see a company take on this fight, because most will take the short term blow of the attack without pursuing legal vindication,' Frenkel said.

Mathews' research was put together in a report that he published and helped wipe out as much as $115 million off Farmland's market value

Rodolfo Hernandez, Seeking Alpha's current managing editor, declined to comment. George Moriarty, the former executive editor of Seeking Alpha, told Reuters in 2019 that courts had respected the websites status as a neutral platform, and that its staff vetted all posts.

Mathews runs a one-person investigative research business, Dallas area-based QKM LLC, and has published more than a dozen articles on Seeking Alpha.

Farmland's litigation against a hedge fund firm that paid Mathews for research, Sabrepoint Capital Management LP, continues. Sabrepoint founder George Baxter said his firm had nothing to do with the Seeking Alpha article and that it would 'defend itself and its employees vigorously against Farmland's frivolous claims.'

The win paves the way for other investment firms to sue short sellers they accuse of falsely targeting their company's reputations in the hopes of making money.
A Florida charter school teacher has been jailed for 40 years for raping a 14 year-old student who told his sentencing hearing he'd made her feel like a 'wh**e'.

Joseph Mejia, 39, was hit with the sentence at a court in Naples, Florida, on Monday after being convicted of four counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim between the ages of 12 and 16.

Cops combed through hordes of explicit texts sent between Mejia and the child, and deduced he'd raped her at least four times.

He worked as a technology teacher at Gulf Coast Charter Academy South, but the school is not part of Collier County's public schools.

Gulf Coast Charter Academy South is a public school, but it is not part of Collier County's public school. The school immediately fired Joseph Mejia and alerted authorities when the victim's mother found the teacher exchanged sexually explicit images with her daughter

The incident came to daylight in April of 2019 after the victim's mother found sexually explicit messages exchanged between the teacher and her daughter.

The school immediately fired Mejia and contacted the local police department about the incident. He was then arrested.

Court documents showed the victim had trusted him 'with her life' and told of how Mejia was like a guidance counselor to her, before taking advantage of his position to abuse the girl.

Joseph Mejia, 39, is seen during his trial before Collier Circuit Judge Joseph Foster. He exchanged thousands of sexually explicit images with the victim and raped his students for times

Mejia and his victim exchanged thousands of sexually explicit images with her in April of 2019. Investigation by authorities concluded that the suspect had raped the victim a minimum of four times around the county.

The victim made a public statement during the trial too.

'Speaking up about Mejia raping me was one of the best choices I've ever made. It didn't always seem that way though,' she said. 'He pulled me out of school and tore me away from friends I'd grown to love. Everyone stood by him too. I was a wh**re. I was the one who'd had sex with a teacher.'

Collier Circuit Judge Joseph Foster found Mejia guilty on four counts of lewd or lascivious battery engaging in sexual activity with a victim between the ages of 12 and 16

Joseph Mejia was heard saying he felt 'Very regretful. Ive never done anything like this before in my life  I plea for mercy in regards to my sentence' during his trial

The victim read a nearly 5-minute victim impact statement before sentencing, detailing how Mejia gained her trust before turning their relationship sexual

The sheer volume of text messages and content was enough testimony for the judge to make a swift decision against pleas made by the suspect and his mother.

WINK News reported Mejia's mother saying 'God says forgive us! If you want to be forgiven.'

He was also heard saying he felt 'Very regretful. I've never done anything like this before in my life  I plea for mercy in regards to my sentence.'

Collier County Circuit Judge Joseph Foster gave them no chance to prevent him from announcing his verdict though.

'Forgiveness is between God and your son and God and the victim and her family and that's not for me to grant or deny in any way shape or form in this courtroom,' He said.

Mejia was found guilty of four counts of lewd or lascivious battery after a five-day jury trial. Each count equals to twenty years in jail which means he will have to serve 40 years in prison.

In Florida, sexual intercourse with someone who is younger than the age of consent - 18 - is considered statutory rape.

Mejia was also ordered no to have any sort of contract with either the victim or her family.
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 body of an 84-year-old grandmother missing for 11 days was found on Monday with her loyal dog by her side.

Ethel 'Rosie' McLean had gone missing from Timboon, in western Victoria, on June 10, along with her white Maltese Shih Tzu named Bindi.

After more than a week, a body believed to be Ms McLean's was mysteriously found 120km away beside a burnt-out vehicle, her loyal dog beside her.

One a Facebook page set up to publicise any sightings of Ms McLean, her daughter Susan McLean Graham informed followers last night of the sad discovery.

'Mum has been found this afternoon, unfortunately not in time,' she posted.

'Bindi stayed with mum until they were found and we take some comfort in that knowledge.

Etherl 'Rosie' McLean went missing from Timboon in western Victoria on June 10

Ms McLean's white Maltese Shih Tzu Bindi had not left her side during the 11-day search

Missing persons notice for Ethel 'Rosie' McLean, whose body was found yesterday afternoon

Facebook post by Ms McLean's daughter Susan announcing her body had been fond, with her little Maltese Shih Tzu Bindi still by her side.

Ms McLean Graham said the dog would be reunited with her family today and thanked searchers and the local community for their attempts to find her mother.

'We are truly grateful that you all cared for our mum and Bindi. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.'

The body was found beside a burnt-out vehicle at Wickliffe, between Dunkeld and Lake Bolac, which Victoria Police believe is Ms McLean.

'While the body is yet to be formally identified, police believe it to be that of missing Timboon woman, Rosie,' police said in a statement.

They are yet to confirm if the burnt-out vehicle belongs to Ms McLean.

The grandmother had last been seen at 10.40am on Thursday, June 10 in the township of Timboon.

The last ping on her mobile phone placed her phone in the Glenthompson area, 120kms from Timboon, but there were no actual sightings of either her, Bindi or Ms McLean's dark grey Holden Commodore.

Hundreds of people were involved in the search for Ms McLean, with many posting Google maps of their searches to the Facebook page.

The Victoria Police Air Wing also covered a search area which included the Southern Grampians, Moyne, Warrnambool and Corangamite.

Ms McLean's baffling disappearance echoes that of Russell Hill, 74, and Carol Clay, 73, who vanished on March 20 last year when on a camping trip in the remote Wonnangatta Valley in East Gippsland, 350km east of Melbourne.

Mr Hills vehicle was discovered with minor fire damage and their campsite was burnt out near the Valley's Dry River Creek Track on March 21.
More than 30,000 overseas workers could be flown into Australia on special visas to work in the highly-paid resources industry as mining giants are hit hard by the impact of Covid-19 on international travel.

The energy and minerals sector is lobbying the federal government to introduce a new visa category so workers can bypass Australia's border closure.

Western Australia's industry giants have resources projects worth $140billion in the pipeline but fear they will need 40,000 workers by 2023 to complete their plans.

About 30,000 overseas workers could be flown into Australia on special visas to work in the mining industry. Pictured is a BHP student at the Olympic Dam mine site in Roxby Downs, South Australia in August 2019

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA forecasts the sector can only fill 7,000 of those jobs with domestic labour, The Australian Financial Review reported.

The CMEWA said it was lobbying for a special visa class for its workers with tailored quarantine procedures.

'If we want to be operating with momentum and at capacity then we need about 180,000 in 2023 and 2024,' CMEWA chief executive Paul Everingham said.

'Otherwise the projects will take longer, and we may not achieve the economic outcome that we want.'

The industry body represents Australia's two largest metals and mining companies, Rio Tinto and BHP.

Western Australia's industry giants fear they will not be able to fill resources projects worth $140billion they have in the pipeline without access to overseas labour. Pictured are workers in hi-vis uniforms

The sector is one of the highest-paid industries in the country, with mining engineers earning about $184,507 a year, according to recent Australian Tax Office data.

Universities in NSW have already successfully lobbied their state government to let foreign students into the state and quarantine in purpose-built accommodation as part of a pilot plan.

However, trade union officials said the minerals and energy industries need to focus on improving training schemes for young Australians rather than trying to lure in foreign workers.

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA predicts domestic labour can only fill less than a quarter of the jobs the sector needs. Pictured: The Caval Ridge coal mine near Moranbah in central Queensland

'It is lazy thinking to simply want to import skilled workers from overseas when we could be offering skills training and career development opportunities for Australians,' Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union WA Secretary Greg Busson said.

The tourism industry has also reported a crippling shortage of workers due to the pandemic.

About 78 per cent of Australian hotels are experiencing a skilled labour shortage.

There are also more than 8,000 vacancies for chefs alone waiting to be filled, according to the Accommodation Association.
Reducing the size of trial juries could help clear the backlog of crown court cases, the Lord Chief Justice has suggested.

Lord Burnett of Maldon, the most senior judge in England and Wales, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that the Covid-19 pandemic had led to 'deeply damaging' delays in the justice system.

He said the coronavirus crisis had exacerbated a backlog of crown court cases caused by years of budget cuts.

In March last year, the crown court backlog stood at around 40,000, but was hit by court closures and the delays triggered by the pandemic.

Lord Burnett of Maldon, the most senior judge in England and Wales, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that the Covid-19 pandemic had led to 'deeply damaging' delays in the justice system

Ministry of Justice figures revealed that towards the end of April this year, more than 57,000 crown court cases were outstanding  with some trials listed for 2023.

Lord Burnett told the Daily Telegraph: 'Put yourself in the position of a complainant or a defendant waiting years for trial. You don't know what's going on for all that time. It's just deeply damaging to people.'

The newspaper said the senior judge suggested reducing the size of juries as a solution, with him arguing that 'an opportunity was missed to introduce a temporary reduction in jury size' at the start of the pandemic.

Lord Burnett asked: 'Do some of the low-grade cases that go to the crown court really need as many as 12 [jurors]?'

The Telegraph also reported the Lord Chief Justice expressed frustration that some offences 'do seem to take a long time to investigate now' and concern over the time taken for sexual assault and rape cases to reach court.

His comments come after Labour called for the size of juries to be cut from 12 people to seven in January this year to help clear the criminal case backlog.

So-called 'wartime juries' were used during the Second World War when numbers were cut except for murder and treason trials, and were suggested to reduce the space needed to hold socially-distanced hearings.

This came after warnings from justice watchdogs, who said the 'unprecedented and very serious' court case backlog posed the greatest threat to the criminal justice system in England and Wales.
A grieving son is on a hunger strike in hotel quarantine in Melbourne after authorities refused to grant him an exemption to visit his dying mother in Perth.

James Turbitt was told even if he was released he would have to charter a plane across the country to be granted permission to enter Western Australia.

Mr Turbitt had made a mercy dash from Belgium to Melbourne after being told there were no direct flights to Perth where his 65-year-old mother was gravely ill.

He arrived on Friday night and was immediately taken to hotel quarantine at the Stamford Plaza and prevented from leaving under what he says are 'barbaric' COVID-19 isolation rules.

Mr Turbitt's mum died alone at Fiona Stanley Hospital on Sunday about 1.30am forcing her son to deliver his last goodbye over a dicey hotel internet connection.

James Turbitt is staging a hunger strike in protest of the 'barbaric' COVID-19 isolation rules that prevented him seeing his dying mum

Mr Turbitt, an Australian citizen who lives in Antwerp, was instructed by Victoria's Department of Health to fly directly into Melbourne as no flights were available to land in Perth.

He was told that even if he was granted an exemption to see his mother, he would have to charter his own plane to Perth to ensure he was not putting the community at risk.

Mr Turbitt had tested negative for COVID-19 before leaving Brussels on June 13, and again before boarding his flight to Melbourne.

He had not seen his mum for two years and claimed officials were unhelpful, accusing the authorities of showing 'fake empathy' towards his plight.

'No one else should have to go through this. I know it's not the best thing to do, but it's immoral, it's inhumane,' he said.

'I loved my mother wholeheartedly and I had to spend her last moments locked in a quarantine hotel room all by myself, powerless.'

Mr Turbitt said despite providing documentation showing his mother's critical condition, his request for an exemption was denied.

'No one knows how that feels except me. It was the most distressing thing I have ever had to do,' he said.

'There needs to be some change to these inhumane laws  so that in the future other people in my situation might well just be able to get to say goodbye.'

Victorian health officials have since requested funeral details to consider releasing Mr Turbitt to attend his mother's funeral.

'I'm sitting here by myself, I can't take a domestic plane there, they won't let me drive there, I don't have $50,000 for a charter flight, my sister can't even think about a funeral right now and I can't even afford to get there if I was allowed,' he said.

'I just feel really let down by my own country. I truly believed when I left Brussels that I was going to be able to see my mum, I'm an Aussie citizen, they should be here to help me in times of need.

'They say they give out passionate exemptions, but they make it impossible to get them.

James Turbitt is currently grieving the death of his mother in quarantine at the Stamford Plaza hotel in Melbourne

'It has just been a paper trail of people passing me on to others. They should just make one national body for compassionate exemptions because when it's compassionate, things move quick.

Mr Turbitt said there was a cruel double standard allowing celebrities to enter the country and avoid hotel quarantine.

'Miranda Kerr, Zac Efron, they got hotel exemptions to quarantine at their own villas and I'm stuck here and my mum died,' he said.

A spokesperson for Victoria's Department of Health said in statement that they worked hard to facilitate exemptions for COVID-19 quarantines and transits.

The department and COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria said authorities required the approval of another state before granting an exemption for travel.
An Australian human rights lawyer who took a minor traffic fine he said infringed on his freedom to court had the case dismissed after the magistrate used a technicality to dismiss the charge.

David Keith Allen was fined $114 after leaving the windows of his Kia Serato down while he was buying milk on Spicer Street, Woollahra in Sydney's east on January 28, 2021.

He took the matter to Downing Centre Local Court, where he pleaded guilty, but pointed out he had taken his keys so nobody could steal the car, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Lawyer David Allen left his car windows down when he dashed into a shop to buy milk on January 28, 2021 - and received a $114 fine for doing so, even though he took his car keys with him

Allen said he thought he had a parking ticket but his offence was actually leaving his car windows too far down

The New South Wales road rules state if a driver is further than three metres from their vehicle, they must raise the windows to less than 2cm from fully closed, and lock the doors.

The law is obscure and appears in a consolidated regulation dated 2014, but not in the current Road User Handbook.

Allen told magistrate Michael Antrum 'I don't understand' the offence, adding that others he had mentioned it to were 'equally surprised'.

While Mr Antrum pointed out the law was designed to reduce insurance premiums for the community, he also joked it was a 'grievous crime' and added other magistrates 'have scratched their heads as well' over the law.

Mr Antrum found the offence was proven but dismissed the charge.

His unusual decision was made under a subsection of the 1999 Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act which states 'Without proceeding to conviction, a person the court finds guilty of an offence may make ... an order directing that the relevant charge be dismissed.'

In NSW it is an offence to leave your car windows down more than 2cm if your vehicle is unattended

Outside the court Allen slammed the offence calling it 'trivial', then asking 'Why should the state interfere with my freedom to leave my windows down on a hot day?'

He added that the state is 'constantly encroaching on people's freedom of choice and the freedom to accept risk'.

He also said the matter was a waste of court and police time.

Allen is an independent legal and human rights consultant from Sydney who has worked with indigenous organisations and was involved with the Royal Commission into Victoria's mental health system.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki dodged a reporter's question on Monday whether President Joe Biden believes a 15-week-old unborn baby is a living person.

'Does the president believe that a 15-week-old unborn baby is a human being?' the reporter asked, a possible reference to arguments the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear in the fall on Mississippi's ban on abortions past the 15-week mark of pregnancy.

Psaki replied: 'Are you asking me if the president supports a woman's right to choose? He does.'

The exchange took place after an overwhelming vote by the US conference of Catholic bishops on Friday to draft a teaching document barring Biden and any other US politician, from receiving communion as a rebuke for their stances on abortion.

White House press secretary declined to answer a reporters' question on Monday whether President Joe Biden believed 15-week-old unborn baby was a human being. Biden has been under pressure from US Catholics after a series of executive actions he has taken hailed by abortion-rights activists

In a separate question, Psaki was asked for Biden's reaction to the news.

'Well, Joe Biden is a strong man of faith, and as he noted, just a couple of days ago, its personal,' she replied.

'It's something that has helped guide him through some challenging moments in his life. And that's how many Americans see their faith as well, not through a political prism. So I would suspect he will continue to attend church, as he has for many, many years,' Psaki said, declining to answer the question further.

Despite being a devout Catholic whose faith vehemently opposes abortion, Biden has long taken a pro-choice stance.

In January, he reversed a Trump-era order that bars international nongovernmental organizations that provide abortion counseling from receiving US funding.

And more recently, he included provisions in his executive budget late last month that repeals a prohibition on using federal funding for abortions.

Officially the Catholic Church believes that life begins at conception, and is opposed to abortion of any kind.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden attended Mass at St Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church near their Delaware home on Saturday. A row is brewing within the American Church over his stance on abortion as bishops take an increasingly hardline stance, including a vote by US bishops on Friday to bar him from receiving communion

As Psaki referenced, Biden dismissed the bishops' move, and could be seen attending mass on Saturday near his home in Wilmington Delaware.

'Thats a private matter, and I dont think thats going to happen,' he told reporters at the White House when asked the possibility that he and other politicians could be denied Communion.

It would not be the first time Biden had received backlash from Catholics for his current stance on abortions.

In 2019, he was denied communion at a church in South Carolina.

'Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of church teaching,' the Rev. Robert Morey, pastor of the church in Florence, told the Florence Morning News.

Biden reacted similarly to the rebuke, saying it was a personal matter.

'I'm not going to discuss that. That is just my personal life,' he told MSNBC.

Friday's vote by the bishops - 168 in favor, 55 against with six abstentions - was announced by the Most Reverend Allen H Vigneron followed three hours of debate.

'Thats a private matter, and I dont think thats going to happen,' Biden told reporters Friday at the White House when asked about a document drafted by the US Council of Bishops that could rebuke him and Democrat politicians that support access to abortion

Supporters of the measure believe a clear rebuke of Biden is needed to curb a series of measures that protect and expand abortion access.

Opponents, such as the Most Rev Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego, fear it is a polarizing move that could lead to the 'weaponization' of the Eucharist - a more formal name name for Holy Communion.

As a result of the vote, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops doctrine committee will draft a statement on the meaning of Communion in the life of the Church that will be submitted for consideration at a future meeting, likely to be in November.

The document will act as a statement of policy but will not be binding. Each bishop has the right to decide who can or cannot take Communion in his diocese.

The Vatican has already tried to intervene, fearing a breakdown in unity.

The result of the vote - 168 in favor and 55 against - was announced Friday by the Most Reverend Allen H Vigneron (pictured, left) near the end of a three-day meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles (right) also addressed the Catholic conference on Wednesday

Cardinal Luis Ladaria, the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's theological watchdog, asked the USBC to delay the debate.

He wrote to the conference saying it would be 'misleading' to suggest abortion and euthanasia were 'the only grave matters of Catholic moral and social teaching' that require 'the fullest level of accountability on the part of Catholics.'

In so doing, he signaled how the liberal Catholicism of Pope Francis - with a focus on poverty, racial inequality, climate change - is increasingly at odds with the U.S. Church.

One section of the document is intended to include a specific admonition to Catholic politicians and other public figures who disobey church teaching on abortion and other doctrinal issues.

Bishop Donald Hying of Madison, Wisconsin, said during Thursday's debate that he speaks with many people who are confused by a Catholic president who advances 'the most radical pro-abortion agenda in history,' and action from the bishops conference is needed.

'Theyre looking for direction,' Hying said.

Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego countered that the USCCB would suffer 'destructive consequences' from a document targeting Catholic politicians.

'It would be impossible to prevent the weaponization of the Eucharist,' McElroy said.

Biden, who attends Mass regularly, says he personally opposes abortion but doesnt think he should impose that position on Americans who feel otherwise. Hes taken several executive actions during his presidency that were hailed by abortion-rights advocates.

The chairman of the USCCB doctrine committee, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, said no decisions have been made on the final contents of the proposed document. He said bishops who are not on the committee will have chances to offer input, and the final draft will be subject to amendments before it is put up to a vote.

In this photo taken from video, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., head of the doctrine committee for the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops, addresses the body's virtual assembly

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, has made clear that Biden is welcome to receive Communion at churches in the archdiocese

Rhoades also said the document would not mention Biden or other individuals by name and would offer guidelines rather than imposing a mandatory national policy.

That would leave decisions about Communion for specific churchgoers up to individual bishops and archbishops. Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, has made clear that Biden is welcome to receive Communion at churches in the archdiocese.
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The Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth is taking on the 'lion's share' of operations against the so-called Islamic State group in Iraq.

Commodore Steve Moorhouse said yesterday the UK is carrying out the majority of the missions to wipe out the remnants of ISIS in Iraq while US forces focus on withdrawing from Afghanistan after two decades.

Last month, President Joe Biden said all remaining troops will be pulled out before September 11 this year, the 20th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attacks on the US in 2001.

It is the first time that a UK aircraft carrier is supporting live military operations on the ground in over two decades, projecting British military power on a global scale.

The Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth (pictured) is carrying out the majority of the missions to wipe out the remnants of IS in Iraq, while US forces focus on withdrawing from Afghanistan after two decades

It is the first time that a UK aircraft carrier (pictured: F-35 aircraft onboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth) is supporting live military operations on the ground in over two decades, projecting British military power on a global scale

The 65,000-tonne carrier has also piqued the interest of Russian warplanes, who have been keeping tabs on its cutting-edge F-35 jet (pictured) in a 'cat-and-mouse' game with British and US pilots

Commodore Moorhouse said the carrier (pictured: F-35 aircraft onboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth) offers the UK flexibility in how to conduct military operations abroad and 'keeps those that wish to cause us harm on their toes'

The 65,000-tonne carrier has also piqued the interest of Russian warplanes, who have been keeping tabs on its cutting-edge F-35 jet in a 'cat-and-mouse' game with British and US pilots.

Speaking aboard the ship on its first-ever deployment, Commodore Moorhouse said: 'At the moment, we're taking on the lion's share of that operation over Iraq, which is a fantastic, say, feather in our cap.

'But an achievement that 'A', we're trusted and 'B', that we're able to do that.'

Commodore Moorhouse said the carrier offers the UK flexibility in how to conduct military operations abroad and 'keeps those that wish to cause us harm on their toes'.

He said the eastern Mediterranean has become more 'congested and contested' over the last decade in light of the heavier Russian military presence in Syria, which has resulted in regular encounters with Russian ships and warplanes.

Commodore Moorhouse said that a Russian warship has come within 16 miles of the flagship but added that the encounters were not 'dangerous or aggressive'.

Commodore Moorhouse said the eastern Mediterranean has become more 'congested' over in light of Russian military presence in Syria, which has resulted in regular encounters with Russian ships. Pictured: F-35 jet on HMS Queen Elizabeth

Commodore Moorhouse said that a Russian warship has come within 16 miles of the flagship (pictured: F-35 aircraft onboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth) but added that the encounters were not 'dangerous or aggressive'

He insisted that Russian, British and US pilots have a 'healthy respect for one another' and their conduct has been 'absolutely professional' since the aircraft carrier (pictured: crew walk by F-35 aircraft onboard) started anti-IS operations on June 18

Captain James Blackmore, who commands the eight British F-35 jets (pictured) and the 10 helicopters aboard the warship, said UK and Russian pilots have come within 'visual distance' of each other

The HMS Queen Elizabeth is part of The Carrier Strike Group, which will visit India, Singapore and then to Japan via the South China Sea as part of a seven-month deployment. Pictured: F-35 aircraft takes off from the Royal Navy warship

The F-35s (pictured), armed with air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs, are being used over Iraq to look for other aircraft or unmanned drones and support troops on the ground

He continued: 'We're rubbing up against Russian activity, not in a you know, in a dangerous or aggressive manner, but you've just got other people out here playing in what is a fixed piece of water and airspace.'

He insisted that Russian, British and US pilots have a 'healthy respect for one another' and their conduct has been 'absolutely professional' since the aircraft carrier started anti-IS operations on June 18.

'But there is a reality when you buy yourself a fifth-generation aircraft carrier and you take it around the world  people are interested in it,' he added.

Captain James Blackmore, who commands the eight British F-35 jets and the 10 helicopters aboard the warship, said UK and Russian pilots have come within 'visual distance' of each other.

He explained: 'It's that cat-and-mouse posturing, it's what we expect in this region of world. And as you can imagine, it's the first time for F-35s into the eastern Mediterranean.

'So, of course Russia wants to look at what they're like, they want to look at what our carriers are like.'

The F-35s, armed with air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs, are being used over Iraq to look for other aircraft or unmanned drones and support troops on the ground.

The state-of-the art jets are also being used in anti-IS operations to carry out surveillance with its sophisticated sensor and radar systems.

The state-of-the art F-35 jets (pictured) are also being used in anti-IS operations to carry out surveillance with its sophisticated sensor and radar systems

HMS Queen Elizabeth (pictured: crew walk by F-35 aircraft onboard) and its support ships, which include the US destroyer The Sullivans, departed the UK in May for its first operational deployment in a move set to outrage Russia and China

The carrier will remain in the eastern Mediterranean for two to three weeks before continuing with a seven-and-a-half-month deployment to India, South Korea and Japan. Pictured: Crew signals to F-35 aircraft after landing on HMS Queen Elizabeth

The flagship has 10 US F-35 jets (pictured) from the Marine Corps' Fighter Attack Squadron 211 aboard that carry out operations under British command

'It's a fifth-generation aircraft with a hugely, hugely capable radar and sensor suite, and that's what it brings. So it's the eyes and ears that it's offering out there,' said Commodore Moorhouse.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth and its support ships, which include the US destroyer The Sullivans, departed the UK in May for its first operational deployment in a move that was set to outrage Russia and China.

The carrier will remain in the eastern Mediterranean for two to three weeks before moving through the Suez Canal to continue with a seven-and-a-half-month deployment to India, South Korea and Japan.

The $5billion warship, with eight RAF F35B stealth fighter jets on board, left for Asia on May 24 accompanied by six Royal Navy ships including HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, a submarine, 14 naval helicopters and a company of Royal Marines.

The flagship also has 10 US F-35 jets from the Marine Corps' Fighter Attack Squadron 211 aboard that carry out operations under British command.

The Carrier Strike Group will visit India, Singapore and then to Japan via the South China Sea.
President Biden has unveiled his reformed child tax credits which will see American families paid up to $3,600 to help raise each of their children.

The raise, unveiled as part of Biden's $1.8 trillion American Families Rescue Plan, will see families with children aged under six receive a monthly payment of $300 per child - equivalent to $3,600 - in 2021.

Families with children aged between six and 17 will receive $250 a month, or $3,000 over the course of a year.

Cash will automatically start hitting the bank accounts of families who have filed 2019 and 2020 federal taxes from July 15. Eligible families previously reclaimed the tax credit back when filing their annual taxes.

The initiative is intended to run for a year and is intended to lift millions of children out of poverty. Biden has spoken of extending it to 2025 and hopes it could be made permanent.

Child tax credits were previously capped at $2,000 per child per year. The Biden administration's raise represents an 80 per cent boost for children under six, and a 50 per cent increase in the child tax credit paid out to parents of children aged between six and 17.

Two parent families on a combined salary of up to $150,000 are eligible for the tax credit. Families with a single 'head of household' being paid up to $112,500 a year are also included. A head of household is an unmarried person who covers more than half their family's living costs, and lives with them for more than half of the year.

Single parents on salaries of up to $75,000 will be paid the new credits too.

Parents will get half the credit they are eligible for in 2021, and will be able to claim the rest back when completing this year's federal tax return.

'We need to give ordinary families a break  a tax break  to help them with the cost of raising their kids,' Biden said during remarks from the White House on Monday

President Biden tweeted that a family with two children could now take in $500 a month in tax credits - although the White House website suggests it could be even more.

It gives the example of a two-parent family with two children under six, and says they will take home $7,200 a year - equivalent to $300 per month per child, up from the $4,000 a year they'd have received under the previous system.

There is no indication that there is a limit on the number of children parents will receive the cash for. It also appears that each child in a family is eligible for the full amount - regardless of how many kids there are in a family.

Vice President Kamala Harris hailed the enhanced program while visiting a recreation center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday.

'When more families know about how they can get the relief, that is how we will be able to lift our children out of poverty,' Harris said.

Harris had previously been designated Biden's 'Border Czar' but had come under criticism from Republicans for failing to actually visit the southern border.

With the child tax credits, the administration launched a website with details for potential recipients.

The payments are to be made monthly, a first for the program. People can register for the program even if they did not fully file their taxes.

Usually, tax breaks for Americans with kids and dependents come one time a year  at tax times.

The White House offered these as examples of how the tax credits would work

'This tax cut will give our nation's hardworking families with children a little more breathing room when it comes to putting food on the table, paying the bills, and making ends meet,'

President Biden said in a statement on Monday. 'Nearly every working family with children is going to feel this tax cut make a difference in their lives, and we need to spread the word so that all eligible families get the full credit.'

The program is slated to expire after one year, though Biden has proposed extending it through 2025 with the ultimate goal of making it permanent.

The child tax credit payments, which will reach millions of American households, including 88% of children in the country, could have a lasting impact in reducing childhood poverty and boosting future earning potential a White House official said.

The expanded credits could cost roughly $100 billion a year.

Estimates from the IRS suggest that 39 million households accounting for nearly 9 in 10 U.S. children are already set to receive the payments.

Biden's program received widespread support - but some Twitter users condemned it as wasteful and unfair.

Keith McLendon wrote: 'Printing and giving away money is going to only increase inflation even more. I know you don't understand this but your handlers should...'

Matthew Woodworth said: 'Just not fair for the people who have no kids have don't get nothing while the people who have kids get extra plus they also got the last stimulus which is not fair at all.'

A user called Donkey Kong added: 'This free money is one of the lucrative reasons children are used as tools in disingenuous divorces. I cant support these measures because of the abuse they are open to and for which nothing is done to protect children and wrongfully disenfranchised parents.'

And The Chefs Garden tweeted: 'Families that make a $150,000 a year get help Disabled that live on $10,000 a year get the shaft.'

President Biden shared this tweet hailing the new program - although the White House website suggests a family with two children could receive more than the above message suggests

The American Rescue Plan, signed by Biden in March, allows child tax credits of up to $3,600 per year to be distributed in monthly payments instead of annually for each child of couples earning under $112,500

Vice President Kamala Harris visited a summer classroom at Brookline Memorial Recreation Center, on Monday in Pittsburgh. She also talked about the new child tax credits during her visit

'The American Rescue Plan is delivering critical tax relief to middle class and hard-pressed working families with children,' the White House wrote in a statement on the news Monday. 'With today's announcement, about 90% of families with children will get this new tax relief automatically, starting in July.'

More than 65 million children nationwide  nearly 88 per cent of Americans under 17  are set to receive the benefits without their parents needing to take any additional action.

This year, couples earning $150,000 or less can receive the full payments on the 15th of each month, in most cases by direct deposit, but some by paper check or debit cards. The highest benefits total $3,600 annually for children under 6 and $3,000 for those who are older.

The benefits diminish for individuals whose adjusted gross income is more than $75,000 or couples earning more than $150,000  and the highest-income parents will receive none at all.

The IRS will determine eligibility based on the 2019 and 2020 tax years, but people will also be able to update their status through an online portal.

IRS officials will separately issue guidance for a paid leave tax credit, which would offset the cost to employers that offer paid sick and family leave because of events stemming from the coronavirus.

The credit would go to employers with fewer than 500 workers. The employers could receive as much as $17,110 for up to 10 days of paid sick leave and as many as 12 weeks of paid family leave.

Under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, Biden expanded child tax benefits for another year in the midst of the pandemic. Couples earning less than $112,500 can earn each month up to $300 per child 6 and under and $250 per child 6-17

REVEALED: How 60% of Americans may STILL have to pay more taxes under Biden's proposals (even with credits) - despite his promise hikes would NOT impact anyone earning under $400K

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.'
The vaccine war between states and the federal government is set to kick off again as New South Wales and Victoria say they will have to cut jabs due to a lack of supply.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Victoria's Covid-19 coordinator Jeroen Weimar say their states have been forced to 'ramp down' vaccinations by July due to the absence of Pfizer doses.

'We're limited in that we can't control supply, we can't control the doses we get from the Commonwealth,' Berejiklian said.

'We will have to ramp down to around 40,000 first doses from the beginning of July, in line with the schedule we have,' Weimar added.

New South Wales and Victoria have been forced to 'ramp down' vaccinations due to the absence of Pfizer doses

Scott Morrison's government has been in a constant battle with the states over the bungled national roll-out of vaccines that has seen Australia labouring behind the rest of the world

Scott Morrison's government has been in a constant battle with the states over the national vaccine rollout, that has seen Australia labouring behind the rest of the world.

The decision to cut the availability of the AstraZeneca jab for Aussies under 50 and the wait for American Pfizer to be shipped has led to state's uniting to blame the Commonwealth.

'NSW highlighted the need to increase the capacity of the GP network,' Berejiklian said.

'We need more GPs and health clinics on board. We remain with a sense of urgency to the vaccine rollout. We can't control the supply.'

The decision to cut the availability of the AstraZeneca jab for Aussies under 50 and the wait for the American Pfizer to be shipped has led to state's uniting to blame the Commonwealth

Victoria and Queensland will see their available weekly vaccines cut in half come July, with just 40,000 ready then.

Victoria had been administering 80,000 per week since its last outbreak.

Queensland handed out 81,000 vaccines last week, with Health Minister Yvette D'Ath saying: 'There will come a point where we run out'.

'I suspect we will have to start pulling back on first vaccinations to make sure we have enough for everyone to receive their second dose.'

The Federal Health Minister responded to the states' criticism saying they were responsible for their own rollouts and that the government were giving them appropriate information to pre-plan.

'The Commonwealth delivers all first-dose allocations to states and territories, with matching second-dose allocations delivered three weeks after first doses are administered,' a spokesperson for Greg Hunt said.

'This ensures that states and territories receive the second doses for administration as per the 21-day timing recommended by the medical experts.

'(Mr Hunt) wrote to all states and territories to ensure they are booking in and budgeting for second doses at the same time as first doses.'
Liz Truss will today launch negotiations for Britain to join one of the worlds biggest free-trade areas.

The International Trade Secretary hopes that membership of the trans-Pacific partnership will help the UK pivot away from Europe post-Brexit.

She will launch the UKs bid in a video call with her Japanese counterpart, Yasutoshi Nishimura.

Miss Truss said membership of the bloc, full name the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, will help farmers, makers and innovators

The partnership is a free trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The area is populated by half-a-billion people and with a GDP of 9trillion in 2019.

Last night Boris Johnson said membership would open up unparalleled opportunities for British businesses and consumers in the fast-growing Indo-Pacific.

He added: Its an exciting opportunity to build on this countrys entrepreneurial spirit and free-trading history to bring economic benefits.

Miss Truss said membership of the bloc, full name the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, will help farmers, makers and innovators.

She said: This part of the world is where Britains greatest opportunities lie.

We left the EU with the promise of deepening links with old allies and fast-growing consumer markets beyond Europe, and joining the high-standards Trans-Pacific Partnership is an important part of that vision.

Membership would help our 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. It is a glittering post-Brexit prize that I want us to seize.

Last night Boris Johnson said membership would open up unparalleled opportunities for British businesses and consumers in the fast-growing Indo-Pacific

A government source said the start of negotiations was a really significant post-Brexit moment, adding: Alongside the US deal, its the really big one Liz wants to land.

Joining would help pivot us away from Europe towards faster-growing parts of the world in Asia-Pacific.

The Government said any deal would help British farmers sell beef and lamb into countries such as Mexico, as CPTPP countries would account for 25 per cent of global import demand for meat by the end of the decade.

Ministers also believe CPTPP membership would lower tariffs on British cars and whisky, with tariff-free trade for 99.9 per cent of exports.
It will be one of the first major festivals of the summer  and for Fast Show star Charlie Higson it cant come quickly enough.

The author and comedian, a regular at the Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival for many years, is among the speakers at the event which starts tomorrow.

He said: Its such a lovely place and such a lovely festival. Ive been stuck at home wishing things were happening. Its really exciting  itll feel like a return to the good old days.

Author and comedian Charlie Higson has been a regular at the Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival for many years and is among the speakers at the event which starts tomorrow

Thanks to careful planning, the festival is going ahead despite last weeks delay to the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

Higson, 62, said at the beginning of the pandemic last year he thought, like many, hed be learning Russian and reading Proust. But because of all the uncertainty he found it difficult to concentrate  so he decided to teach himself the list of English monarchs from William the Conqueror to now.

He said: I learnt the rhyme Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry three as a child, and I relearnt that. It was a useful distraction. I thought itd be good to do a talk based around that, and narrowed it down to how they all died and why they wanted to be kings and queens.

When I learnt about monarchs at school, it was all about wearing nice crowns. But it was a terrible job in the past and you ended up dead quite quickly with everyone trying to kill everyone else.

Thanks to careful planning, the festival (pictured) is going ahead despite last weeks delay to the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

His talk at the family-friendly festival this Saturday is titled The Death of Kings: A history of the British monarchy in 41 endings.

Given some of its more gruesome aspects, its likely to appeal to children  and is set to include the infamous story of Edward II, a trumpet and a red hot poker.

On Friday, Higson will host the Histrionics Quiz Show, joined by guests including his old comedy partner Harry Enfield, historians Dan Snow and Alexandra Richie, and comedian Al Murray.

He said: Were all fed up of doing things on Zoom. Its strange thinking youre going to be there with all these people watching again. Im thrilled its happening and really looking forward to being there.

Festival organisers had always planned for restrictions not being lifted on June 21 and have been working strictly to government guidelines and with the local council to ensure all Covid safety protocols are adhered to.

Many of this years events are on the new outdoor stages and across the 20-acre site at Church Bottom, Broad Chalke, near Salisbury, Wiltshire.

There will be talks by historians including Antonia Fraser, Max Hastings, Earl Spencer and Tracy Borman, joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces.

Children can enjoy a vintage fairground, sword school and events like Could You Be A Spy? with author Robert Hutton. A new feature is Speakers Corner  a chance to pose questions to the likes of Dominic Sandbrook, Philippe Sands and Michael Wood.

Dan Snow and his History Hit team will present a range of highly interactive and fun-filled events  including audience re-enactments of some of historys most famous battles and also late-night storytelling around a fire.

The festival runs to Sunday. Many events are sold out, but some tickets are still available. For tickets go to www.cvhf.org.uk or call 01722 781133.
The family of a bikie boss who suffered 'life-changing' injuries after being hit by the daughter of leading neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has slammed the decision to drop charges against her without any explanation.

Nicola Annabel Teo, 26, was flanked by friends and her mum Genevieve as she left Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday after the charges over the 2019 crash north-west of Sydney that left former Comanchero boss Jock Ross in a critical condition were dropped.

She had been due to face a five-day trial after she pleaded not guilty to four charges, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

However, prosecutors told the court on Tuesday they would drop all charges, which were formally withdrawn and dismissed by Judge Warwick Hunt.

The Director of Public Prosecutions in NSW confirmed the matter had been withdrawn in a statement but would not provide any further comment.

Nicola Teo was flanked by supporters when she left Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday after charges against her were dropped

'Ms Teo, that means that there's nothing that holds you here  you're free to go and get on with your life,' he told the woman as her supporters gasped in shock.

Teo, from Bondi had been accused of dangerously driving on the wrong side of the road when she crashed into Mr Ross, 79, at Lower Macdonald, north-west of Sydney in September 2019.

Mr Ross was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition when his motorcycle collided head-on with Teo's Toyota Landcruiser.

'I was dead, they didn't think I would make it to hospital,' he later told The Daily Telegraph.

'I'm lucky to be alive.'

Teo was said to be 'shaken up' at the time after she was charged over the crash.

Nicola Teo (right) is the daughter of top brain surgeon Dr Charlie Teo (left)

A relieved Nicola Teo (middle) leaves court after her case was dismissed on Tuesday, supported by supporters including mum Genevieve (right)

The scheduled trial was due to start on Monday but was delayed for a psychiatric report to be prepared.

The Crown said a major issue of the trial would be 'automatism'.

Automatism refers to an act being done involuntarily without control of the mind, or unconsciously.

Teo was facing a maximum jail term of seven years and made no comment to media as she left court flanked by her supporters.

Mr Ross' disappointed daughter Holly Gittany described the outcome as 'not right'' and that her father had been changed forever by the ordeal.

'It's just not right what's happened here today,' she said outside court on Tuesday.

'It just needed to be fair. My dad will never be the same again. He had to stand down from his job with the fire brigade.'

'My dad was severely injured, my dad spent months in hospital, I was told that morning that he wasn't going to survive.'

Jock Ross' daughter Holly Gittany (pictured) expressed her disappointment after the charges against Nicola Teo were dropped

The 2019 crash left former bikie club founder and boss Jock Ross (pictured) fighting for life

Ms Gittany added the family were given no pre-warning that the charges would be dropped.

Mr Ross was believed to be inconsolable after hearing the outcome.

'It's just not right, he's having ongoing treatment for his leg, it's a never ending battle, he's inconsolable at the verdict,' his wife Vanessa told the Daily Telegraph.

'That accident totally changed his life, it's changed all our lives, Jock has had to stand down as captain from the fire service. He's not been the same since that accident.'

A Glasgow-born former soldier, Mr Ross founded the Comancheros in the mid 1960s.

he led them into the 1984 Milperra Massacre, in which four of his men as well as two Bandidos and a 14-year-old girl died.

He took a gunshot to the head which gave him vision loss and a brain injury - but he survived.

Ross was jailed for murder in 1987 over his role instigating the massacre. He was released in 1992 after serving just five years.
British scientist Peter Daszak has been removed from the COVID commission looking at the origins of the pandemic after helping secretly denounce the lab leak theory while failing to mention his close ties to the same facility.

The scandal-hit scientist's departure from the UN-backed Lancet commission into the virus's origins was revealed on its website.

It added a sentence in brackets under his photo and above his biography, saying 'recused from Commission work on the origins of the pandemic.'

No further information on Daszak's departure was given - but he has faced conflict of interest claims after his close ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology were revealed last month.

Daszak, 55, president of the New York-based EcoHealth Alliance, was one of 28 experts from around the world asked to analyze how best to respond to the pandemic.

The panel comprised leading global figures in public health, economics, philanthropy, diplomacy and politics.

It is organized by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which, according to its website, 'operates under the auspices of the United Nations to mobilize scientific and technical expertise in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.'

On Monday the COVID commission updated their website to show that Daszak was recused

Daszak's presence on a number of bodies investigating the origins of COVID has proved controversial because he has links to the Wuhan Institute and its chief researcher Dr Shi Zhengli - dubbed 'Batwoman'.

He helped organize a letter published in prestigious medical journal The Lancet that was signed by 27 scientists, including Daszak himself, and denounced the lab leak claim as a 'conspiracy theory,' and 'nonscientific.'

Daszak has since faced conflict of interest claims over his ties to the lab investigators increasingly believe COVID may have leaked from.

Supporters of the theory say it is too much of a coincidence that the virus emerged in the same Chinese city that houses one of only three labs in the world studying bat coronaviruses, with the other two both based in the United States.

The conservation charity of which Daszak is the director, EcoHealth Alliance, has funneled money into the lab and research being done by Dr Zhengli.

Donald Trump was among the first to point the finger at the Wuhan lab as a source of the outbreak, but his suggestion was initially dismissed as a conspiracy theory and a bid to distract from his own handling of the pandemic.

Daszak, a Ukrainian-born British zoologist, was an early voice denouncing 'lab leak' theories as 'conspiracies' in an open letter published in The Lancet last February - a reaction that has been likened to a cover-up.

They wrote at the time: 'We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.

'Conspiracy theories do nothing but create fear, rumors, and prejudice that jeopardize our global collaboration in the fight against this virus.'

Daszak is seen at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2020. His close ties to the lab, his fierce rejection of the idea that COVID-19 could have escaped from its walls, and his absolute rejection of the 'lab leak' theory have raised eyebrows

Daszak talks with the Ramapo police outside his home after DailyMail.com paid him a visit to seek comment

ORIGINS OF COVID-19: THE THEORIES US state officials have given momentum to the idea that COVID-19 either leaked from a lab or was man-made by China as some kind of weapon against humanity. A Wuhan wet market was first thought to be the breeding ground of the virus, where the selling of live, wild animals would have given the perfect opportunity for it to naturally spread between species. It is thought the virus first developed in bats before passing on to a creature such as a pangolin that then came into contact with humans and transmitted the virus. Once it entered humans, the coronavirus is likely to have mutated to survive and then escalated out of control as a result of an unprepared population. There are also theories that the virus was genetically engineered by scientists, or that it has actually been around for years and even killed people in the past. Two high security laboratories in the city  the Wuhan Centre for Disease Control and the Wuhan Institute of Virology  have been the subject of many conspiracy theories. President Donald Trump claims he has seen evidence the virus, which he solely blames China for, came from Wuhan Institute of Virology  but he is not allowed to reveal it. The Institute has denied the claims from the early days of the outbreak. In April, Trump said: 'We are doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation that happened.' Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, claimed in May there is 'enormous evidence' the coronavirus outbreak originated in a Chinese laboratory  but failed to provide any of the alleged evidence. Advertisement

Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator for South Carolina, said earlier this month that the Lancet letter was a disgrace.

'The scientists are tied to this lab,' Graham said.

'They were covering their a**. They put out a letter, not based on science, but a political document to trying to destroy people suggesting that it came out of a lab.

'Why does this matter? If Trump was right about the lab leak it would change the image the public had of Trump regarding the coronavirus.

'More importantly, if it came out of the lab in China, he was right it was the China virus, and the 2020 election would have been about who could hold China accountable, Trump or Biden.'

When DailyMail.com contacted The Lancets editor, Dr Richard Horton, about the decision to publish and support the letter, both he and his office declined to comment.

Earlier this month one of the original authors of the controversial Lancet letter 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 Daszak 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.

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'.

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 Anthony 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 Daszak.

Biden threw his support behind the embattled expert, 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'.

Nevertheless, Daszak has remained staunch in his opinion that COVID originated in animals - most likely a bat - and then passed through an intermediary into people.

Daszak is seen on February 3 arriving at the Wuhan lab as part of a World Health Organization team to inspect the facility

Daszak was part of a group of scientists who in late January traveled to the Wuhan lab on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO) to explore how the virus originated. The visit was documented by 60 Minutes.

The WHO report that he helped to author described animals as the 'most likely' source of the pandemic, and called for further investigation into it.

Suggestions that the virus leaked from any of the labs in Wuhan - including the Institute of Virology - were dismissed as 'extremely unlikely'.

Yet it later emerged that the WHO team was only given three hours in the lab and were not given access to all the documentation they needed - further darkening the cloud of suspicion about a 'whitewash'.

In April the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent Daszak 34 questions about his involvement with the lab.

Despite a deadline of May 17, Daszak failed to respond, a source close to the committee told DailyMail.com.

The questions were about his charity, its federal funding which went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China, and the work the U.S. nonprofit did with the Chinese lab.

Daszak - who last year earned more than $410,000 - lives with his immunologist wife Janet Cottingham in a five-bed, five-bath home in an affluent town in Rockland County, New York, 30 miles northwest of Manhattan. They bought the house, set on two acres of land, for a bargain $665,000 in 2015. It is now estimated to be worth around $1 million.

Rather than respond to the allegations that he 'bullied' other scientists into signing off on The Lancet letter - and that his ties to the lab led to such a conflict of interest that he should never have sat on two panels investigating the cause of COVID-19 - he told a DailyMail.com reporter: 'You need to remove your car from our drive right now, leave the area and never come back.

'Goodbye, I have no comment,' he added.

DailyMaill.com spotted Dr. Peter Daszak outside of his million dollar home in the affluent neighborhood in Rockland County, New York in early June

Daszak  who last year earned more than $410,000  lives with his immunologist wife Janet Cottingham in a five-bed, five-bath home 30 miles northwest of Manhattan

Wearing a blue polo shirt, shorts and sandals, he went on to the porch of the house overlooking the Ramapo Mountains, sat down and started waving his arms around in apparent anger as he had an animated conversation on his phone

Rather than respond to the allegations that his letter 'bullied' other scientists and that his ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology led to such a conflict of interest that he should never have sat on two panels investigating the cause of Covid-19, he told a DailyMail.com reporter: 'You need to remove your car from our drive right now, leave the area and never come back'

Minutes later, wearing a blue polo shirt, shorts and sandals, he went on to the porch of the house overlooking the Ramapo Mountains, sat down and started waving his arms around in apparent anger as he had an animated conversation on his phone.

Soon afterwards, three police cruisers turned up at his house.

The Republican minority group of the committee launched an investigation in March into the origins of Covid-19 after a growing number of prominent scientists began voicing their concerns that the deadly virus may have escaped from the lab  and could even have been created there.

Daszak and other EcoHealth scientists have been closely involved with the Wuhan lab for years, which was also conducting 'gain of function' experiments, where viruses are genetically engineered to be more infectious to test their effects on human cells.

In its April 16 letter, the congressional committee asked Daszak to provide details of what federal funds were passed on to the WIV, what information they have on bat viruses worked on at the lab that are closely related to Covid-19, and what his charity knows about a mysterious database of virus genomes held by the lab taken offline in 2019.

'Total silence. They seem to be refusing to acknowledge anything from us,' the source said.

'At least when we send a letter to a government agency we get a 'we got your letter, we're working on it' kind of thing. But from Eco? Zip.

'We would like them to cooperate with us and give us answers. We're not going out of our way to try to burn them. We just want answers on some of this stuff.

'They're the group that's been tied in with the WIV, and would have a lot of these answers, hopefully that would help out. But they refuse to be involved in that at all.'
A murder investigation has been launched after a woman in her 80s was found dead inside a property in Essex.

Emergency services, including Essex Police, rushed to the property in Grays, Thurrock, shortly after 5pm this afternoon.

They received reports that an elderly woman was unresponsive and she was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

A murder investigation has been launched after a woman in her 80s was found dead inside a property in Grays, Essex. Pictured: Emergency services at the scene

Emergency services, including Essex Police, rushed to the property in Grays, Thurrock, shortly after 5pm this afternoon

A 60-year-old local woman, who is believed to be known to the victim, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Essex Police confirmed that they do not believe there is any wider threat to the community.

A spokesperson at Essex Police said: 'Detectives have launched a murder investigation in Grays this evening, Monday, June 21.

'We were called to an address on Lenmore Avenue shortly after 5pm to reports that the victim, a woman in her 80s, was unresponsive.

A 60-year-old local woman, who is believed to be known to the victim, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Pictured: Police at the scene

The police received reports that an elderly woman was unresponsive and she was sadly pronounced dead at the scene on Monday

'Sadly, she was pronounced dead at the scene. A 60-year-old local woman, known to the victim, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

'We do not believe that there is any threat to the wider public.'

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call police on 101 or submit a form on the Essex Police website, quoting incident number 1019 of 21 June.

Alternatively, those who would prefer to remain anonymous can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Police have busted a BMW driver travelling nearly 120km/h in a 60 zone while blasting I Fought the Law over the patrol car's speakers.

Officers pulled the hoon over on Mt Panorama in Bathurst, on the NSW Central Tablelands, on Sunday afternoon.

The man, who was travelling 45km/h over the speed limit at 119km/h, told police he 'thought it was a racetrack' after being pulled over.

Officers pulled the hoon over on Mt Panorama in Bathurst, in the NSW Central Tablelands, on Sunday afternoon

The man, who was travelling 45km/h over the speed limit at 119km/h, told police he 'thought it was a racetrack' after being pulled over

He was issued an infringement notice for a $2,520 fine and six demerit points.

His licence was also suspended for six months on the spot, and his registration plates seized for three months.

Officers were listening to British rock band the classic 1979 rock tune by The Clash while making the traffic stop.

NSW Police traffic and highway patrol warned that Mt Panorama, where the annual Bathhurst 1000 car race is held, is 'not a racetrack' day to day.

'It is a public road with a 60km/h speed limit where people reside, businesses operate, and pedestrians walk,' police said.

'It is only a racetrack when it is closed to the public and authorised to be a racetrack.'
Anonymous street artist Banksy has launched a legal action to stop Australians from reproducing his famous works but might have reveal his identity to be successful.

Banksy has applied to trademark his celebrated paintings Girl with Balloon and Love is in the Air via a Perth law firm.

The application, which will stop his art from being printed on posters, handbags, clothing and other objects, will be accepted on June 29 unless objections are filed.

Banksy has made similar attempts to trademark his work in Europe but failed after a court ruled he never had any intention to commercialise the work.

Girl with Balloon is one of the Banksy artworks subject to a copyright claim in Australia and made headlines last year when it was partially shredded in a Sotheby's Auction House after an unnamed buyer paid $1.93million

Intellectual property specialist Tim Golder from Allens in Melbourne, said if Banksy remained anonymous his legal bid would also fail in Australia.

'The legal person who owns the right has to make the claim,' he said. 'You can't get out of that,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Speculation has raged over Banksy's real identity since he made his name with his trademark stencil-style 'guerrilla' art in public spaces - on walls in London, Brighton, Bristol and even on the West Bank barrier separating Israelis and Palestinians.

There have been suggestions his real name is Robin Banks, that he used to be a butcher and that his parents think he is simply a painter and decorator.

Rumours have also spread that he is in fact a collection of artists instead of an individual but either way his anonymity has aided in his success as fans try to crack the case.

Intellectual Property Australia received the trademark applications from Banksy's London-based company Pest Control Office Ltd in July 2019.

Perth law firm Bennett & Co lodged the application which will be accepted after the period for filing an objection expires on June 29, 2021.

The applications that have been entered in Australia are identical to two cancelled by European courts.

The latest rulings, which relate to Radar Rat and Girl with Umbrella, mean he has now lost four trademarks in total.

Banksy has filed a trademark of his famous works, Girl with Balloon (pictured) and Love is in the Air

The anonymous street artist, who has previously said 'copyright is for losers', was told he was acting in 'bad faith' because he had 'departed from accepted principles of ethical behaviours or honest commercial and business practices'.

The EU's Intellectual Property Office ruled that Banksy's anonymity 'hinders him from being able to protect this ... art under copyright laws without identifying himself'.

Radar Rat is considered one of Banksy's most iconic works and appeared on a wall in London in 2004 while Girl with Umbrella was created in 2008 in New Orleans.

Banksy had six similar trademark applications cancelled in Europe, as they claimed he cannot remain anonymous and own the works

Girl with Balloon was in headlines last year, being partially shredded in a Sotheby's Auction House after an unnamed buyer purchased the piece for $1.93million.

The winner of the auction went through with her purchase, receiving a piece of art history.

Love is in the air, or as it is more commonly known, Flower Bomber, shows a man launching a bouquet of flowers as someone would throw a projectile in a riot.

A signed original print of the artwork, planted in Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art by the artist sold for $184,091.
Queensland has lifted travel restrictions on visitors from Melbourne as the state recorded just one new overnight Covid case of community transmission.

'That is great news for people there,' Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said at a press conference on Tuesday.

'I know there is a lot of people that would have had their holidays booked to Queensland, so Doctor Young is comfortable with the way Victoria is at and we will keep a close eye on NSW.'

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'ath said restrictions would remain on people travelling from identified Sydney hotspots.

She warned Queenslanders against travelling to greater Sydney after new exposure sites were identified by NSW contact tracers.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk fronts the media to announce one new community case in the state on Tuesday

The Portuguese Family Centre at Ellen Grove in Brisbane's south which the Portuguese flight attendant and the latest community case in Queensland both attended last Saturday evening. All those who attended the centre are now in home quarantine

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young said early investigations suggest the Portuguese flight attendant found to be positive last Sunday had been infected through transmission from another hotel guest to a quarantine staff member at the hotel

The new community case is linked to the flight attendant who tested positive last Sunday.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young said that the new case was a man in his 60s who was currently in home quarantine.

He had visited the Portuguese Family Centre in Ellen Grove in Brisbane's south, which the flight attendant had also attended on Saturday evening.

'He went into home quarantine the next day when he was contacted,' she said

Another two cases have been detected in hotel quarantine.

It was revealed that all 36 people who had attended the Portuguese restaurant on the southern outskirts of Brisbane 7.00 and 7.50pm on Saturday night had now entered home quarantine.

'We are going to be making sure that we keep a really close eye on all of those people who went to that Portuguese Family Centre, and its very important that we monitor them because we dont want them out in the community,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

Early investigations by Queensland Health suggest the flight attendant had been infected through transmission from another hotel guest to a quarantine staff member at the hotel.

'We know that the staff member escorted one of the positive cases from Mongolia from their room to the ambulance so that they could be transported to hospital, and we have the genome sequence from that gentleman,' Ms Young told reporters.

'Then that staff member, who was fully vaccinated, as was the gentleman from Mongolia... after escorting that gentleman to the ambulance, [the staff member] went to a higher level in the building and swabbed the lady who came from Portugal.

'The lady from Portugal has then ended up with exactly the same virus as the gentleman from Mongolia.'

Genome sequencing results confirmed the flight attendant had contracted the Alpha variant of the disease.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk receiving her COVID-19 vaccination on June 7

People line up to receive a coronavirus vaccination at the Rocklea Showgrounds in Brisbane earlier in June. The Premier had warned the state is running out of supply for second shots

Ms Palaszczuk also repeated earlier concerns about vaccine supply during the press conference.

'We are seeing our vaccination rates skyrocket in the state and what we need from the federal government is constant supply,' she said.

'Weve got to make sure we have second doses. The rules keep changing and we have to keep up with whats been given to us.'

Meanwhile, NSW recorded five locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, two of which were announced yesterday morning.

NSW Health has also been notified of seven new locally acquired cases overnight. These cases will be included in tomorrow's numbers.
The heartbroken family of a young mother who was allegedly murdered by a total stranger are rallying to raise funds to bring their beloved 'firecracker' home.

Gabrielle Marshall, 23, was found dead in a friend's house on Main Street in Ulverstone, in Tasmania's north-west, at 3am on June 15.

Just moments earlier, Ms Marshall's friend, with whom she had been staying, called police to report a man 'prowling' in house.

Colin William Drake, 35, was arrested at a property on the same street hours later before being charged with murdering Ms Marshall the following day.

Now, family members have set up a GoFundMe page to bring Ms Marshall home after she moved to the Apple Isle from Brisbane just three weeks before her death.

Gabrielle Marshall, 23, (pictured) moved to the Apple Isle from Brisbane was found dead in a friend's house on June 15 after being allegedly stabbed to death

They said she relocated to the state seeking a fresh start and was getting her life in order when it was tragically cut short.

'For those who knew my sister, she was known as a firecracker,' Ms Marshall's older brother Shannon McCarthy wrote in the fundraiser.

'[She was] a bright spark that could go off at any given time. A real clown who just wanted the best for those around her.

'Our family would appreciate any donations and will be welcomed with a warm, loving heart.'

Since it was launched Friday, the fundraiser, which will also cover funeral costs, has reached $6000 of its $10,000 goal.

Family have also set up a fundraiser to raise money for Ms Marshall's six-year-old daughter, which will go towards her upbringing.

Meanwhile devastated loved ones have paid tribute to the young mother online, who they described as a 'beautiful soul'.

'We have lost a beautiful soul who wanted nothing but peace in her life,' her heartbroken brother Casey McCarthy wrote on Facebook.

'My beautiful baby sister. Gabs, we love you, we are sorry we couldn't protect you and I'm awfully sorry this happened to you.

Gabrielle Marshall (pictured left) has been remembered as a 'beautiful soul' by her heartbroken family

They said the mother of a six-year-old girl moved to Tasmania for a fresh start and was 'getting her life in order'

'We love you always sweetheart, and will forever miss you. From the bottom of my heart, I love you Gabrielle, more than you will ever know.

Her heartbroken mum added: 'She was only 23 years old. She was getting her life in order.

'She rang her daughter every morning and night.

'She was in a good place. You will be forever loved my sweet girl and missed so much.

'We will bring you home.'

Police say Ms Marshall's friend called triple zero around 3am on Tuesday to report that a man was inside the Main Street property.

She stayed on the line for 11 minutes. In that time, officers arrived and discovered Gabrielle's body in a room.

Police on the scene (pictured) in Tasmania following the alleged murder of young mother Gabrielle Marshall

Officers confirmed Ms Marshall was found at the scene with a number of stab wounds.

Officers also believe the alleged offender wasn't known to Ms Marshall and that she was the victim of a random attack.

On Friday, Tasmania Police released a statement saying the alleged murder weapon had been recovered.

Drake, from Ulverstone, has appeared in court once but is yet to enter a plea.

He has been remanded in custody and is expected to appear in Devonport Magistrates Court via video link on July 15.
Australian YouTube stars have filmed their discovery of an incredible underwater cave off one of the country's most iconic tropical islands.

Brodie Moss and his girlfriend Vicky have amassed more than 2.3million subscribers on the video platform and 660,000 followers on Instagram with their coastal explorations.

The couple's latest YouTube video shows them swimming through a deep underwater cave on Christmas Island surrounded by sea life.

'This goes all the way down there, are you kidding?' Brodie says in the clip. 'Look how far it goes down!'

'I've never done anything like this before.'

Brodie Moss and his girlfriend Vicky have amassed more than 2.3million subscribers on the video platform and 660,000 followers on Instagram with their coastal explorations

The couple's latest YouTube video shows them swimming through a deep underwater cave on Christmas Island swimming with sea life

Brodie, who created Youngbloods clothing company, has become a social media sensation through his travels and Bear Grylls-like approach to exploring coastal regions of Australia.

He and his partner have been living on Christmas Island, a small patch of land 1,550 km north-west of its closest Australian mainland point.

The island is famous for its wildlife, particularly the Christmas Island red crabs that migrant in their tens of millions from the forest to the ocean for breeding.

The Youngbloods team have been travelling around the remote island recording videos and helping to clean up the plastic washed ashore.

The Youngbloods team have been going around the remote island recording videos and helping to clean up the plastic washed ashore

They stumbled upon the 'amazing' cave, with its roof shimmering with deep blue and green shades.

Using torches to navigate its systems, the crew swim through, finding all kinds of rock formations and large schools of fish.

Huge stalagmites hang from the roof of the cave overhanging the water.

Brodie's girlfriend finds a huge crayfish living in the cave, which she takes back to their boat to eat.

'God this is insane. We're getting out of the water here going for a walk. We must be in the island, we're underneath the island,' Brodie said.

The beautiful remote Australian island is home to less than 2,000 people, but also is the location of the country's infamous detention centre

The island is famous for its wildlife, particularly the Christmas Island red crabs that migrant in their tens of millions from the forest to the ocean for breeding

They find another pool deeper in the cave which is half salt and fresh water.

The crew sit in the pool as dozens of shrimp come out and start climbing over their legs.

'One big one has cut me, he's defending his territory. He's getting rid of all the little ones who are attracted by the blood by the looks of it,' Brodie says as a number of prawns scratch away at his skin.

'Swimming into a cave, into the heart of an island then getting eaten alive by shrimp. Awesome!'

You can visit Christmas Island either by flying from Perth or via cruise or yacht.

The small charter flight flies from Perth to Learmonth near Exmouth in the state's north-west before stopping in Cocos Island and finally Christmas Island.

Return flights from the West Australian capital are around $1,800 return.
Dale Jason Grosser, 43, stole almost $300,000 from an Armaguard van last year

A former security guard stole almost $300,000 in a brazen daylight robbery then stashed the loot with a teenager neighbour.

Dale Jason Grosser, 43, planned the daring heist in in Shoalwater, in Perth's south, in meticulous fashion before carrying it out on September 8 last year.

The father-of-three first stole two sets of keys from a his job at an Armaguard depot and replaced them with fake keys to avoid detection.

After a dry run on September 4, where no money was left in a security van, Grosser then tried his luck four days later.

Placing duct tape over an internal security camera, the trusted health, safety, and training officer helped himself to $285,000 stuffed in a black duffle bag.

Father-of-three Dale Jason Grosser, 43, has been jailed after stealing $285,000 from a Armaguard security van in September last year in Western Australia

Mr Grosser (pictured right) was employed by Armaguard at the time of his bungled heist, where he stole almost $300,000

He then asked a teenage neighbour to 'hold on to' the bag of loot - instructing him: 'Don't tell your mum', the West Australian reported.

Prosecutor Ashooja Chandra told the Western Australia District Court the youngster noted Grosser was 'stressed and nervous', so he took the bag 'straight inside and told his mother'.

'They opened the bag and found some clothing, gloves, pliers, two keys and a white plastic conveyance bag,' she said.

On September 9, the security guards noticed the duct tape over the camera and reported the incident to police.

Grosser was soon arrested and told arresting officers he 'wanted to get caught because he needed a way out'.

The WA District Court heard Grosser's criminal offending in Perth last year was a 'cry for help' (stock image)

Initially, he told police he threw the duffel bag, full of the stolen cash, into a nearby vacant block.

That version of events was dismissed when Grosser's neighbours contacted police, and the money was quickly recovered.

Cameron Cole, Grosser's defence lawyer, said his client was suffering from severe anxiety and depression at the time of his crimes.

He also described the crime as a 'cry for help', with the court told Grosser had attempted suicide in the lead up to the heist.

Judge Michael Gething jailed Grosser for two years and six months, but he will be released after six months, with the rest of the sentence to be suspended.
A Colorado father accused of killing his 13-year-old son over eight years ago after the boy discovered disturbing photos of him eating feces from a diaper and dressed in women's lingerie is finally facing trial after his case was plagued by delays.

Mark Redwine, 59, appeared in La Plata County court on Monday for the start of his trial for the murder of his son Dylan, who disappeared in November 2012 in the Vallecito area near Durango over Thanksgiving.

Redwine, who has pleaded not guilty, was arrested after a grand jury indicted him in July 2017 on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.

His trial has been postponed at least 10 times with a judge granting multiple mistrials last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

If found guilty of his son's death, Redwine faces up to 48 years in prison.

During the prosecution's opening statement on Monday, Special Deputy District Attorney Fred Johnson suggested Dylan confronted his father with 'compromising photographs' of Redwine dressed in women's underwear and eating feces from a diaper on the night he was killed, according to The Denver Post.

'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.

Mark Redwine, 59, (left) is currently standing trial for the murder of his 13-year-old son Dylan (right), who disappeared near their home in Colorado's La Plata County in November 2012

Redwine's trial was postponed at least 10 times with a judge granting multiple mistrials last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. He is pictured in court in August 2017

Johnson added that the prosecution plans to prove Dylan knew about the photographs and made him uncomfortable to be around his father.

Redwine's public defender, John Moran, dismissed that motive, highlighting old text messages which show Dylan had previously confronted his father about the photographs during a cross-country trip without suffering any harm.

Moran states the prosecution won't be able to prove a connection between Dylan's death and the photographs because they 'come from deep within Mark's private life'.

Prosecutors have argued that Dylan was killed around the night of November 18, 2012.

He had made plans to meet a friend the following morning but never showed up, and there was no activity on his cellphone after 9.56pm the night before.

Redwine initially told investigators he left Dylan alone that night to run errands and returned to find him missing.

The child's remains were found seven months later, scattered in southwestern Colorado mountains by wild animals.

Dylan's skull was found by hikers in 2015 about a mile from the initial location.

According to indictment, forensic anthropologists discovered the skull had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma at two locations.

During his opening statement for the defense, Moran said Dylan ran away from home and suggested that a bear or mountain lion attacked him due to a tooth mark found on Dylan's skull.

Johnson said investigators found traces of Dylan's blood in Redwine's 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.

He mentioned prosecutors will present evidence that Redwine killed Dylan in his living room, before dumping the body off a trail close to his house, and misleading investigators to cover up the crime.

Moran referred to the dog's scent as 'junk science,' arguing that the 'infinitesimally small' amount of blood found in Redwine's living room is likely to be found in anyone's house.

Johnson said investigators found traces of Dylan's blood in Redwine's living room and a cadaver-sniffing dog alerted them to the smell of human remains in the back of Redwine's truck and on his clothing

Dylan's skull was found by hikers in 2015 about a mile from the initial location. According to indictment, forensic anthropologists discovered the skull had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma at two locations

However, prosecutors said Dylan's body was discovered without his wallet or his backpack, a detail Moran said does not point to a scenario in which Dylan ran away.

During the first night when rescue crews were deployed to search for Dylan, all the lights in Redwine's house were out by 11pm, 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 11pm, the defendants house went dark,' Johnson said. 'Dylan was gone.'

The case drew nation attention when Redwine and the boy's mother, Elaine Hall, leveled accusations at each other during appearances on Dr. Phil in 2013.

In addition, TV host Nancy Grace also did a segment on Dylan's disappearance.

Testimony began on Tuesday and is expected to continue through mid-to-late July.

The prosecution and defense are slated to call an array of witnesses who will discuss cadaver dogs, DNA and cellphone evidence, as well as members of Dylan's family.

If found guilty of his son's death, Redwine faces up to 48 years in prison. The trial is expected to continue through mid-to-late July
The moment a $180,000 Porsche is smashed into by a banged up 1990s Toyota Corolla immediately after pulling out of a Melbourne service centre has been caught on dashcam.

The footage shared online on Monday shows the circa 2014 model 911 Porsche Carrera S 991 not giving way to the middle lane after driving onto Victoria Parade in Collingwood.

The 1992 model Corolla then plows into the front driver's side of the convertible - causing a pile up as the supercar rams headfirst into a Skoda station wagon waiting in peak hour traffic.

The luxury car driving out from a Porsche service centre onto Victoria Parade in Collingwood, Melbourne (pictured)

A worker from the Porsche service centre then rushes over to check on the luxury car's driver as another bystander clears debris from the road.

The clip has attracted more than 1,000 comments with many asking why no one appears to check on the driver of the other car.

'Of course the Porsche employees run over to check on the peanut Porsche driver,' one person said.

'Why are they checking the Porsche driver? The poor Corolla owner needs checking,' another person said.

'Definitely the Corollas fault, they didn't read the 'luxury car owners' section of the road rules properly,' added a third.

'I'd be so p****d off if I were the Skoda driver. Just sitting there, then BANG hit by a Porsche that was driving at 90 degrees behind you,' a fourth said.

The particular model of Porsche sells for around $180,000 secondhand.
New Zealand could soon be hit with a massive magnitude eight earthquake, which would spell disaster for the entire country, researchers have warned.

A team of scientists have predicted that movement within the country's Alpine Fault, which stretches 850km across the South Island, could lead to a massive earthquake within the next 50 years.

The tectonic plates of the Alpine Fault make large shifts in movement roughly every 250-300 years, which leads to earthquakes, researchers say.

A magnitude eight earthquake was last recorded in 1717 - more than 300 years ago - with scientists expecting the next natural disaster to strike very soon.

Researchers from the Victoria University of Wellington found that the likelihood of an earthquake hitting the Fault before 2068 is 75 per cent - with an 82 per cent chance it will be of a magnitude eight or higher.

New Zealand could soon be hit with a massive magnitude 8 earthquake which could spell disaster for the entire country, researchers have warned (pictured earthquake that hit Christchurch in September, 2010)

'Our findings do not change the fact the Alpine Fault has always been and will continue to be hazardous,' Senior lecturer Jamie Howarth told The Conversation.

'But now we can say the next earthquake will likely happen in the next 50 years.'

The Alpine Fault runs along the mountains of the South Island and marks the spot where the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates collide.

Over the last 4,000 years the fault has ruptured more than 20 times, Mr Howarth says.

The team were able to use sediment from the lakes near the Alpine Fault to find evidence of past earthquakes.

A team of scientists have predicted that the movement within the country's Alpine Fault which stretches 850km across the South Island could lead to a massive earthquake within the next 50 years

Pictured is the Alpine Fault on New Zealand's South Island. Researchers predict an earthquake may hit by 2068

Researchers from the Victoria University of Wellington found that the likelihood of an earthquake hitting the Fault before 2068 is 75 per cent - with an 82 per cent chance it will be of a magnitude 8 or higher (pictured earthquake in Christchurch in February, 2011)

Scientists were then able to use these findings as a timeline for when the next major earthquake may occur.

'The earthquake is inevitable and the science is telling us, in an even more pointed way, it's going to happen probably sooner than we think,' Mr Howart told the ABC.

Caroline Orchiston from Otago University is apart of the group AF8 (Alpine Fault Magnitude 8) which helps communities prepare for the event of an earthquake.

She visited the small town of Whataroa in the Alpine Fault in April when Mr Howarth's research was first published.

She said for many of the locals the fear of a major earthquake was overwhelming.

'Fifty years is nothing in geological time, nothing at all,' she said.

Police officers walk through debris after a devastating earthquake hit Christchurch in February, 2011

A car is seen crushed under debris after Christchurch was hit by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake which killed 185 people

Local couple Sonia Pettigrew and her husband Peter Dennehy run a farm and accommodation business near the town and fear they'd significantly suffer in the event of a quake.

'We have one road in and one road out in this part of the west coast, so what's going to happen if there was a massive earthquake is, the bridges would go and the roads would be damaged. So, we could not get out of town, no way,' she told the publication.

Researchers have estimated that within just three minutes the entire South Island would feel the shudder of a magnitude eight earthquake.

One of the country's worst earthquakes was a 6.3 magnitude in February, 2011 in Christchurch.

The event resulted in 185 deaths and destroyed more than 10,000 homes.
The ABC television's online survey Australia Talks has reignited a perennial national debate - whether Australia is still a racist country, though one prominent Aboriginal leader said in response the complaint is 'bizarre'.

The Australia Talks program, screened on Monday, produced several statistics supporting an overall perception that Australia remains a country burdened by racism.

Those include 76 per cent of Australians believed there was 'underlying racism' here, 64 per cent say Australians are prejudiced against Indigenous people even if they don't realise it, and that 57 per cent think 'racial discrimination is the main reason why indigenous people have a difficult time getting ahead.'

AFLW star Sabrina Frederick and radio host Tony Armstrong were co-presenters for a segment in ABC program Australia Talks that discussed racism and racist attitudes

Poll Do you believe racism is still widespread in Australia? Yes No Do you believe racism is still widespread in Australia? Yes 86 votes

No 310 votes Now share your opinion





A further 80 per cent of Australia Talks survey respondents agreed discrimination of several kinds, including ageism, sexism and racism, are a problem in Australia.

Australia Talks is based on the responses of 60,000 members of the public to 600 questions.

'I'm not gonna say there are no racists in Australia,' prominent Aboriginal leader Warren Mundine told Daily Mail Australia.

'Racism is like murder. It's always going to be here. There will always be idiots.'

'Yes we do have racism, but to pretend it is the norm is not living in reality. Anyone who openly discriminates today gets publicly cancelled.

Adelaide school counsellor, Rufia Valiff, told Australia Talks that many people don't consider the daily 'micro-aggressions' they use when confronted with Indigenous people, such as crossing the street to avoid them

Fans of AFL clubs Adelaide Crows and Port Power were asked to stand on one side to show whether they agreed with the question 'Most Australians are prejudiced against Indigenous peoples'. Overwhelmingly they agreed

'Institutional racism isn't there any more, it's all gone. I find it bizarre that people don't see that.'

He claimed billions of dollars were being allocated to help Aboriginal people and that government procurement policies have grown in recent years to a level that over $2billion annually is now spent with Aboriginal businesses annually.

Mundine pointed to his own Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, which has raised $128million for Aboriginal students to be educated from Year 7-12, but also in post-graduate studies.

'A white guy said to me on Twitter, Warren you will always be oppressed. I said "don't be stupid, I can do what I like."'

Australia Talks however conducted an experiment showing ordinary 21 Australians - fans of Adelaide AFL teams Port and the Crows - grouping according to their views on racism.

The majority of the group - 17 of the 21 - walked to a point that demonstrated they believed Australians are prejudiced against Aboriginals.

'I feel as an Aboriginal person I've been at the core of racism myself,' said one member of the group, Vicky Welgraven, an Adnyamathanha woman.

Aboriginal leader Warren Mundine claims Australia's racism is now isolated to individual 'idiots' but that the institutional racism that dogged the nation in the 1960s and 1970s is 'all gone'. Mundine (above left) is pictured having a beer with the Prime Minister Scott Morrison

'And it's not a really good feeling to go through.'

Another woman, Louise McGee, who works in customer service, acknowledged racism exists, but said 'I just don't think it's the majority'.

'I think we don't consider the micro-aggressions people practice because of the biases they hold, said school counsellor, Rufia Valiff.

'Stuff like when you walk past a group of Aboriginals in the street you might hold your hand back tighter, or want to cross the road or want to look away, don't get their attention, we don't actually consider the things that happen on a daily basis that we also as individuals may take part in.'

Australia Talks co-host, Nazeem Hussain, also made a point of confronting former prime minister John Howard - who was invited on the show in acknowledgement of the survey respondents voting him Australia's most popular prime minister - about racism behind the 2005 Cronulla Riots.

Pictured: Nazeem Hussain, an ABC presenter who asked John Howard if he believes Australia has underlying race issues

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?'

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.

Daily Mail Australia followers fired up by the racism claims and by Howard's defence, argued for and against both in social media posts and on our website.

Mundine claimed many people lack perspective on the question of racism in Australia.

'I see some people complaining this is the worst time in Australia's history, that's nonsense. The Myall Creek Massacre was the worst time.'

Mundine said today his five-year-old granddaughter comes home from school proudly talking about Aboriginal culture and history.

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)

'When I grew up nobody celebrated Aboriginal culture, Greeks and Italians were abused.

'But the kind of racism I grew up with and what we had in the 1960s and 1970s, the Aboriginal Protection Act that was legal racism, society was racist. But those laws have all gone, all of them.'

'WaIking down the street in Sydney I see Chinese, Indians, Arabic women wearing hijabs, even Burkas. I see people mixing and talking on the street, at work and at sporting events.'

'Now we celebrate all cultures every year, all over the country.'

'I see people comparing us to South African apartheid, or the deep south of the United States in the 1960s, or fascist European countries in Second World War - it's bizarre, we are far, far from that.

'If we were such a bad country why are people getting on boats risking their lives to come here? Because Australia has a reputation of being welcoming, not every time, but in general they are welcomed.

'Even regional Queensland look at the Sir Lankan family [Murugappan] family, that town of Biloela are absolutely fighting for that family to be allowed to stay.

'Australians are forcing change and some people don't want to acknowledge it. They are just caught up in black-white issues.

Pictured: Young men jumping the fence at Cronulla railway station during the riots in 2005

'Yes and we need to deal with racists but they're not the norm they're exception.'

ABC communications lead Sally Jackson responded to suggestions that it had polled its own viewers saying 'while it may be an understandable misconception that Australia Talks only reflects the views of existing ABC audiences, that isn't the case.'

'Australia Talks is in fact one of the most comprehensive and representative polls of the attitudes of all Australians on this variety of topics that has ever been conducted.'

'The 2021 Australia Talks National Survey included more than 60,000 Australians from every federal electorate in every State and Territory, comprising a diverse cross-section of Australians that is fully representative of modern Australia.'

Ms Jackson said Australia Talks had generated 12 complaints, 'none of which have so far warranted investigation'.
Donald Trump was cleared of violating Black Lives Matter protesters' First Amendment right to demonstrate after they were forcefully moved so he could walk to a church for a photo opportunity.

A federal judge tossed claims filed against the ex-president Monday after saying there was no proof that Trump and his top officials had deliberately conspired to shift the protesters so he could walk to St John's Episcopal Church in Washington DC to pose with a Bible on its steps in June 2020.

Judge Dabney L Friedrich's 51 page opinion explained: ' These allegations, taken as true, do not show sufficient "events, conversations, or documents indicating an agreement or meeting of the minds' amongst the defendants to violate (plaintiffs') rights based on (their) membership in a protected class."

'Merely alleging that the defendant officials communicated, without alleging any details of those communications that suggest an unlawful agreement, cannot justify inferring the requisite agreement for a... conspiracy,' Judge Friedrich's ruling added.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other US civil rights groups accused the then-president and top officials in June 2020 of violating the constitutional rights of Black Lives Matters campaigners and individual protesters.

But the judge - who was appointed by Trump in 2017 - ruled that their claims against the former president were too speculative to stand up in court

Donald Trump - pictured with his AG Bill Barr (left) and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (center) has been cleared of violating BLM protesters' rights to go on this walk

Activists protesting George Floyd's death sued claiming Trump had breached their First Amendment right to protest by forcibly clearing them for his stroll to a damaged church

A protester in Washington DC's Lafayette Square clashes with a cop while being moved on June 1 last year. A lawsuit against Trump's behavior was tossed on Monday

Pepper balls were used to clear protesters - although a judge cleared Trump of any lawbreaking after saying there was no proof he had conspired to violate the Constitution

She also dismissed the plaintiffs' push for a court order that would require the government to change its use-of-force practices against protesters.

Friedrich did allow litigation to go forward challenging federal restrictions on protests at Lafayette Square, directly across from the White House, as well as against local police agencies that supported the operation.

The protest took place on June 1 2020 - a week after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Activists gathered in Lafayette Square, which faces the White House and became the focus of anti-racism protests in Washington.

St John's Episcopal church, which is across the street from Lafayette Park, had been defaced with graffiti and damaged in a fire during demonstrations the night before.

After arriving at St John's Church, Trump denounced protesters, and help up a Bible for photos - but did not say any prayers

He was cleared by Judge Dabney L Friedrich, pictured, who Trump himself appointed in 2017

Law enforcement officers forced protestors back with pepper balls and smoke bombs before Trump walked to the church for a photo op.

He posed with a Bible outside the building, but did not say any prayers.

Trump did so just minutes after vowing to dispatch thousands of heavily armed soldiers to stop demonstrations.

Then-attorney general Bill Barr later denied clearing the protesters was linked to Trump walking to the church.

ACLU of the District of Columbia legal director Scott Michelman slammed the judge's decision.

'Todays ruling essentially gives the federal government a green light to use violence, including lethal force against demonstrators, as long as federal officials claim to be protecting national security,' he said in a statement.

'Not only is this decision a stunning rejection of our constitutional values and protestors First Amendment rights, but it effectively places federal officials above the law.'
A nine year old girl in Minnesota has gone viral after she berated her school board for banning political posters from campuses, yet displaying Black Lives Matter images on the wall.

The student, who gave her name only as Novalee, spoke at the Lakeville Area School Board meeting on June 8.

Lakeville is a suburb of Minneapolis - the heart of the Black Lives Matter protests since George Floyd was murdered in the city in May last year.

Novalee reminded the board that, on May 25, the anniversary of Floyd's death, they had said: 'No BLM or politics in school'.

Nine-year-old Novalee addressed the Lakeview School Board in Minnesota, rebuking the team for ruling on May 25 - the anniversary of George Floyd's death - that political posters were not allowed, and then putting them up themselves

Addressing them on June 8, she said: 'I was walking down the hallway at Lakeview Elementary School to give a teacher a retiring gift.

'I looked up onto the wall and saw a BLM poster and an Amanda Gorman poster.

'In case you don't know who that chick is, she's some girl who did a poem at Biden's so-called inauguration.'

Gorman, 23, was the first National Youth Poet Laureate and delivered a rousing rendition of her poem written to mark January 20.

'I was so mad,' Novalee continued, in a video viewed almost 40,000 times.

'I was told two weeks ago at this very meeting spot: no politics in school.

'I believed what you said at this meeting.'

Amanda Gorman, the 23-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate, won widespread acclaim for her poem, written for and delivered at Joe Biden's inauguration. Novalee referred to it as a 'so-called inauguration'

Black Lives Matter protesters are seen in Minneapolis, 20 miles from Lakeview, on May 26, 2020 - the day after George Floyd was killed

The little girl said she marched up to the principal, at lunch, and told him what she had seen, 'and that I wanted it down.'

The principal said it could not be removed, because it was the school board who had installed the poster.

Novalee said she was 'stunned', and objected to the posters in her school.

'We all understand the meaning,' she said.

'It is a political message about getting rid of police officers, rioting, burning buildings down while king Governor Waltz just sits on his throne and watches.'

She scolded the assembled board: 'You expect me to believe that you did not know what you were doing by making these posters? Come on, people.'

Lakeview Elementary School, pictured, is where Novalee currently studies

Protesters march through Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, after word of Floyd's murder spread

She said that she strongly disagreed with BLM's ideology, which she said made people racist and was against Martin Luther King's teachings.

'I do not judge people by the color of their skin,' she said.

'I don't really care what color their hair, skin, or eyes is.

'I judge by the way they treat me.

'MLK said I have a dream that one day my four little children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character - that dream has come true.

'I do not care or look at the color of skin - but you make me think of it.'

The little girl concluded: 'You have lied to me and I am very disappointed in all of you.

'You cannot even follow your own rules.

'Get the posters out of our schools.

'Courage is contagious so be courageous.'

School board meetings have hit the headlines in recent months as parents take officials to task on policies including the teaching of critical race theory, and transgenderism.

Multiple mothers and fathers have been filmed attacking boards over what they say are racist and divisive critical race theory lessons.

They say teaching young children that they are either 'oppressed' or an 'oppressor' is wrong and divisive.

Loudoun County in Virginia, which has seen some of the biggest clashes, was also forced to reinstate PE teacher Tanner Cross.

Cross was originally suspended after told a meeting he would refuse to use transgender children's pronouns, and railed against gender dysphoria treatments being given to young children, saying both flew in the face of his Christian beliefs.
Residents in one state will eligible for a $100 voucher if they stay overnight in a downtown Sydney hotel or put their kids into swim school.

The New South Wales Budget has unveiled more than $100million worth of new voucher sweeteners, available from July, to help the state recover from the Covid downturn.

With Australia closed to foreign tourists until at least 2022, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced NSW residents would be eligible for a $100 voucher if they stayed overnight in a Sydney city centre hotel, as part of a $20million program.

With Australia closed to foreign tourists, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced NSW residents would be eligible for a $100 voucher if they stayed overnight in a Sydney city centre hotel, as part of a $20million program. Pictured is the $16,000 a night Hyatt hotel with a view of the Opera House

$100 vouchers in NSW Sydney CBD accommodation Swim lessons for kids aged three to six Friday long lunch in the city Advertisement

Parents will also be getting $100 vouchers if they put their child, aged three to six, into swimming lessons, under the $43.9million Learn to Swim Active Pre-Schooler program.

'Ultimately this is the type of support that will not only save people money, it could help save lives,' Mr Perrottet, a father-of-six said.

The Budget for 2021-22, unveiled on Tuesday, introduced a series of new voucher programs, following the popularity of Dine and Discover.

This scheme was extended by a month until July 31, giving consumers more opportunities to redeem $100 worth of subsidies, in four $25 instalments, if they sat down for a restaurant meal, went to the movies or visited a tourist attraction.

To date, 9million Dine and Discover vouchers have been redeemed, with NSW consumers visiting 12,500 businesses.

'We are extending stimulus programs like Dine and Discover, targeting industries still struggling from the effects of the pandemic,' Mr Perrottet said.

Parents will also be getting $100 vouchers if they put their pre-school child, aged three to six, into swimming lessons, under $43.9million Learn to Swim Active Pre-Schooler program

In a bid to revive the struggling city centre, with more people working from home, the government is offering $100 upfront for those who have lunch in the central business district on Fridays.

This $50million long-lunch subsidy scheme is also known as Dine and Discover.

Despite the turmoil of the Covid pandemic, NSW Treasury is expecting the state's unemployment rate to fall back to 4.5 per cent by 2024-25, down from 5 per cent now.

The Budget was also expected to return to surplus by that time.

But in a veiled dig at Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NSW Treasurer said a slow vaccine rollout or a lingering border closure would jeopardise the economic recovery.

'The ongoing nature of the pandemic means the outlook remains volatile,' it said.

In a veiled dig at Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NSW Treasurer said a slow vaccine rollout or a lingering border closure would jeopardise the economic recovery. Pictured is a family reuniting at Sydney airport after flying to Australia from New Zealand

'Risks that could interrupt the economic recovery include the emergence of new strains of the virus, delays with vaccine rollouts and further delay in opening international borders.'

Committee for Sydney chief executive Gabriel Metcalf said the state government would eventually need to pay back the debt.

'We note the good news that the budget forecasts a return to surplus in 2024-25,' he said.

'While this is a good time to borrow money, it does have to get paid back eventually.

'It should give everyone comfort to see the end date on the expansion of debt, even while government continues a highly significant set of investments.'
Five days before she died, Sally-Anne Wills celebrated her 30th birthday and plans for the future with her girlfriend.

She was a young woman who left a lasting impression on people after just one meeting.

Chris Polden was the sort of guy who would show up at family and friends' homes unannounced. Adopted into a family of eight siblings, one brother says he can't ever remember a disagreement with him.

Five days before she was killed in a knife rampage, Sally-Anne Wills (pictured) celebrated her 30th birthday and plans for the future with her girlfriend

After being diagnosed as HIV-positive he launched himself into a life of advocacy, volunteering with the Aids Housing Action Group and was always willing to help others.

In March last year, their lives were ended in a frenzied series of unprovoked attacks by an armed man who began his evening with an attack on a protective service officer at a train station.

Mohammed Ibrahim calmly asked PSO Joshua Davies for directions from Jolimont train station.

While the officer looked up a map Ibrahim pulled out a knife and stabbed Mr Davies in the cheek, slashed his arm and took off.

Air Wing and canine units were immediately called in while police tried to cordon the area to lock it down.

Just 30 minutes later, in Kew, Ms Wills and her girlfriend Ashlee Gunstone sat in a car outside their home.

Ms Gunstone had just picked up Ms Wills, know as Sals, after a minor car accident and were making plans for the following day.

Crime scene (pictured) after knifeman Mohammed Ibrahim was shot dead by police in Melbourne

As Ms Wills opened her car door the women saw Ibrahim standing there leering at them. 'I want sex,' he told them.

Ms Gunstone described a moment of confusion before Ibrahim pulled out a knife and began stabbing Ms Wills in the chest and neck.

The women screamed and Ms Gunstone leaned on the horn to attract help. She leaned over Ms Wills trying to protect her and was stabbed in the back and neck.

Ibrahim took off and neighbours came running to help them.

'I wanted them to look after Sals because I knew she was worse than me ... I was just screaming for Sals,' Ms Gunstone said.

Chris Polden 59, (pictured) called triple zero after the stabbing but went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance and couldn't be revived

Ms Gunstone's injuries were life threatening. Ms Wills' were fatal.

Officers immediately warned that the two incidents might be connected and Air Wing and canine units were redirected to Kew.

Ibrahim had already taken off and headed toward 59-year-old Chris Polden in Kew. As the men passed each other in the street Ibrahim stopped Mr Polden for a short conversation.

He waited for a car to pass before pulling out a knife and stabbing Mr Polden in the abdomen.

Mr Polden called triple zero and was rushed to hospital, but he went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance and couldn't be revived.

Police closed in on Ibrahim, pursuing him into a laneway. Officers demanded he drop his weapon but he brandished it at critical incident responders, who fired their weapons multiple times, inflicting fatal injuries.

The deadly series of events is being examined in an inquest by coroner Leveasque Peterson.

She will examine what police knew about Ibrahim through law enforcement, intelligence and security agencies, and about his physical and mental health, and whether any red flags were missed.

The use of lethal force by police as well as how effectively body-worn cameras were used in the incident will also be examined.
Tucker Carlson mocked his CNN rival Don Lemon for having a black face cookie jar in his $4.3 million Hamptons home.

Carlson took aim at CNN host Don Lemon Monday evening, accusing him of hypocrisy after recent comments in which he called America racist, and in particular for having the in the offensive ornament visible in his Sag Harbor home.

He said: 'You've heard from the White House and the President himself that white supremacy is a lurking threat and you might not see it but it's always there like Russian spies, white supremacists, in the dark of night and the most surprising form.

'We're not calling it to be a white supremacist here but you have to ask yourself - and we're putting it on the screen now. What is this? The symbol of hate? Symbol of hate posing as a cookie jar doing in Don Lemon's kitchen?

'You see that? That right there, ladies and gentlemen, is a white supremacist QAnon cookie jar. We are not calling for the Department of Justice to look more deeply into this and that's not our place and we're cable news show not a law enforcement agency.

'But let's put it this way if you find yourself with a black face cookie jar in your kitchen, it's time to reflect. That means you, Don Lemon.'

Fox News host Tucker Carlson hit out on Don Lemon Monday evening, saying his lifestyle, and in particular, a chef cookie jar in black face indicated the CNN host's hypocrisy after recent comments he made about racism in America

The Fox News host appeared to be making a sarcastic dig at CNN's repeated calls for probes into QAnon supporters, domestic terrorists and white supremacism, which has seen the network accused of sacrificing editorial integrity to lecture its viewers.

Carlson also referred to a recent interview with the Washington Post in which Lemon said the Trump presidency proved the racism in America, and that, 'We're living in two different realities as black and white people,' while promoting his book This is the Fire.

'It's interesting we read that and here's a guy who makes millions of dollars a year from presiding over a show that's failing, and that seems like a pretty good deal,' Carlson said, 'But like so many, is also a victim a successful victim.'

Lemon's black face cookie jar was spotted in the background of a snap taken in his $4.3 million Sag Harbor home

Lemon, who is black, makes $4milllion as host of 'Don Lemon Tonight' and lives in a $4.3million, 2,750-square-foot four-bedroom cottage in the predominantly white area of Sag Harbor, New York, with his fiance Tim Malone.

Carlson said the 55-year-old's lifestyle indicated a loose commitment to diversity.

'He lectures America about diversity. What he did not tell The Washington Post is that in his free time he runs away from diversity. His reality is that he doesn't like diversity at all. None of them do.'

In fact, Sag Harbor has seven times more white residents than any other race or ethnicity, according to Data USA.

Lemon, who is black, lives in a $4.3 million four-bedroom cottage in Sag Harbor, New York state where 80% of the population are white and just 3% black with his fiance Tim Malone (pictured together in front of their home)

In 2018, 80 percent of the population were white, while just 3 percent were black or African-American.

Lemon spoke to the Post about racism in America, following the release of his book 'This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism' in March.

'There's also this false reality that we're living in a post-racial world after the election of Barack Obama,' Lemon said.

Don Lemon (pictured on CNN) - said black and white Americans are 'living in two different realities' while promoting his book in a recent interview with the Washington Post

'That was all bulls**. It was a wake-up call to white people who thought we were living in a nonracist world.'

He added: 'We're living in two different realities as black and white people.

'We knew, as black people, what was lurking beneath the surface. I still believe that [Trump] was the necessary wake-up for America to realize just how racist it is.'
Coronavirus is believed to have been transmitted between two flight attendants staying on different floors of hotel quarantine.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said officials fear a fully-vaccinated hotel worker spread Covid between two guests on different floors of Four Points, used exclusively for airline staff.

The flight attendant, who flew into Brisbane from Portugal, tested positive on Saturday after catching Covid from another airline worker who arrived on a different flight and was quarantining on a different floor.

The two cases have been linked and both workers have the Alpha strain of the virus.

Australia's Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says could be a 'world first' that a worker passed the infection between two hotel quarantine guests, particularly who were staying on separate floors.

Preliminary investigations show a worker at the quarantine hotel escorted an infected man, who had arrived from Mongolia, to an ambulance.

Officials fear a fully vaccinated hotel worker may have spread Covid between two guests on different floors of Four Points, used exclusively for airline staff

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the man from Mongolia and the hotel worker were both fully vaccinated, reinforcing that the virus can be passed on even by those who have had their shots

The same worker then went to a higher floor and swabbed the flight attendant.

'We know that this staff member escorted one positive case from Mongolia from their room to an ambulance to take them to hospital,' Dr Young said.

'Then that same staff member, who was fully vaccinated, as was the patient, we know after escorting the gentleman she went up to a higher level in the building and swabbed the lady who came from Portugal.

'She has ended up with exactly the same strain of the virus as the gentleman from Mongolia.

'We are thinking that through fomite transmission, that staff member has transported the virus from the gentleman to the lady.'

The man from Mongolia and the quarantine hotel worker were both fully vaccinated, Dr Young said, reinforcing that the virus can be passed on even by those who have had their shots.

Dr Young said the infected flight attendant also spread the virus to a man at a Brisbane venue attended by more than 30 other people.

Queensland authorities believe the risk posed by its latest case of community transmission is low.

The man was at the Portuguese Family Centre at Ellen Grove in Brisbane on Saturday night at the same time as the infected flight attendant.

He and 35 others who were also at the venue are now isolating as authorities wait on further tests to see if anyone else is infected.

The flight attendant was released from hotel quarantine on Saturday, before a test showed she was infected.

She was only in the community for a short period but has sparked alerts for a number of exposure sites including the Portuguese centre, the DFO Brisbane shopping centre, the lobby of the Park Regis Hotel, and an area near the Queen Street Mall.

Queensland authorities believe the risk posed by its latest case of community transmission is low

Australia's Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says could be a 'world first' that a worker as infected two hotel quarantine guests, particularly who were staying on separate floors

The two cases have been linked and both workers have the Alpha strain of the virus, which Australia's Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says could be a 'world first'

Dr Young expressed optimism that risks from the new infection were low.

Contact tracers are working to determine if he ventured out after going home from the family centre, and being told on Sunday that he was infected.

Queenslanders were told to reconsider travel to NSW after the state recorded 10 new local cases, taking the number of infections linked to Sydney's Bondi cluster to a total of 21.

'People should reconsider their need to go to Greater Sydney,' Dr Young said.

'Overnight there's been two new exposure venues in Canberra. People need to look before they travel anywhere in NSW and should reconsider if they really need to travel.'

Victoria, on the other hand, was on top of its outbreak, Dr Young said.

As a result, Queensland will open its borders to all of Victoria, including greater Melbourne, at 1am on Friday. Victorians must still complete a travel declaration but will not be required to hotel quarantine.
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed prospects for an early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying Tuesday that U.S. expectations of talks would 'plunge them into a greater disappointment.'

Kim Yo Jong issued a blunt statement indicating that the the hermit kingdom is not willing to reopen diplomatic channels with Washington over their nuclear and missile programs.

'It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself,' the official Korean Central News Agency quoted her as saying. 'The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment.'

The impasse is likely to continue unless the country suffers greater pandemic-related economic difficulties and needs urgent outside assistance, some experts said.

Hope for a restart of nuclear talks flared briefly after Kim Jong Un said last week that his country must be ready for both dialogue and confrontation. U.S. National Security adviser Jake Sullivan called Kims comments an 'interesting signal.'

On Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong derided Sullivan's response.

Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong has dismissed the prospects for talks between the US and North Korea over the nuclear program and says any American expectations of talks would 'plunge them into a greater disappointment'. The pair are pictured together in 2018

Shin Beomchul, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said North Korea has been communicating the same message for months -- that it has no intention to return to talks unless the United States offers meaningful concessions, likely in the form of eased economic sanctions. The Biden administration, for its part, doesnt want to budge either, he said.

'Both parties are locked in a waiting game - North Korea wants the United States to make concessions first, and the United States has no intentions to match a level of action the North is demanding,' Shin said.

'It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself,' the official Korean Central News Agency quoted her as saying. 'The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment.'

On Monday, during a visit to Seoul, Sung Kim, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea affairs, said Washington is willing to meet the North 'anywhere, anytime without preconditions.'

But he stressed that the Biden administration would continue to pressure North Korea with sanctions over its nuclear and missile ambitions.

Just before Kim Yo Jongs statement was released on Tuesday, Sung Kim met South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young and said Washington and Seoul remain committed to seeking the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. Lee said he hoped North Korea would return to the negotiating table at an early date and called the current situation 'a very good chance' to resume talks.

Sung Kim later met South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and the two said they would strive to resume U.S.-North Korea talks, Moons office said. The South Korean government didn't immediately comment on Kim Yo Jongs statement.

As a precondition for the talks resumption, North Korea has repeatedly called on the United States to lift its 'hostile policy' toward it, an apparent reference to the U.S.-led sanctions and regular military drills with South Korea. But experts say the Biden administration won't ease sanctions or make other major concessions before North Korea takes concrete steps toward denuclearization.

North Korea may only ease its stance if it can no longer endure its ongoing economic hardship, some experts said. Kim Jong Un has admitted North Korea faces what he described as its 'worst-ever' crises, due to drastically reduced international trade caused by pandemic-related border closings, mismanagement, the economic sanctions and crop-killing storms last year.

The deadlock 'could be prolonged unless theres a change in the conditions facing the North, such as greater economic or pandemic-related difficulties,' Shin said.

Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said Kim Yo Jongs statement suggested North Korea isnt ready to rejoin talks anytime soon.

'A mutual distrust and antagonism run so deep that the resumption of the North Korea-U.S. talks is difficult. Even if the U.S. and North Korea meet, itll never be easy to find common ground,' Cheong said.

Last Thursday, Kim Jong Un ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation, 'especially to get fully prepared for confrontation,' in order to protect national security and dignity.

On Monday, during a visit to Seoul, Sung Kim, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea affairs, said Washington is willing to meet the North 'anywhere, anytime without preconditions.'

In an interview with ABC News, Sullivan said Sunday that '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.'

U.S. officials have suggested Biden will take the middle ground between former President Donald Trumps direct dealings with Kim and ex-President Barack Obamas policy of 'strategic patience.' Details of Bidens North Korea policy havent been publicly released.

U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at striping North Korea of its nuclear program has stalled since February 2019, when the Americans rejected a North Korean demand for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities during a summit between Kim and Trump.

But Sung Kim stressed that the Biden administration would continue to pressure North Korea with sanctions over its nuclear and missile ambitions
A drunken barrister who forced a female law clerk's head towards his groin while telling her to 'suck my d***' has escaped without significant punishment.

The decision of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal handed down last week described how the Sydney barrister, known as 'EFA', had touched the back of the head of the female clerk, known only as 'H', after a dinner in 2017.

He then 'moved [her head] slightly forward and down, in a direction away from EFA, whilst EFA said, once, "suck my d***"', the Tribunal found.

The incident with H immediately followed the barrister briefly simulating oral sex with another male barrister in an act the Tribunal said was a 'ritualised greeting' between them.

'H did not say that she was offended by EFAs interaction with the other male barrister, which she witnessed,' the decision reads.

'She was, however, angered, embarrassed and humiliated by the touching of her head and the words that went with it.'

The incident occurred in 2017 after a dinner where the barrister consumed 'a considerable quantity of alcohol' (stock picture)

A week later, the Tribunal found, EFA wrote a letter of apology to the female clerk.

'I am sorry that you became the subject of my behaviour with my friend and given my limited recollection, I am unable to offer a further explanation,' he wrote.

'I understand that the matters to which you refer would result in embarrassment and cause you to feel uncomfortable. I apologise for that.

'I unreservedly apologise. I would like the opportunity to apologise to you in person but understand if you do not want that to occur and I respectfully acknowledge that.'

The Tribunal found that the barrister's physical and mental health had suffered in the four years since the incident, that his marriage had been affected, and that he was genuinely remorseful for it occurring.

A report to the Tribunal by an independent psychiatrist said EFA was at risk of suicide if his identity were publicised in connection with the proceedings.

A psych report found the barrister, 'EFA', was a suicide risk if his identity was made public

The barrister was reprimanded for unsatisfactory professional conduct and ordered to pay the costs of the other party but escaped a potential $25,000 maximum fine for the conduct.

He also avoided sexual harassment counselling over the incident because the Tribunal said 'we do not consider that EFA is at any risk of conducting himself in a similar way in the future'.

'We have found that EFAs actions were a very poorly judged attempt to include H in the ritualised greeting he had engaged in with the other barrister,' the Tribunal found.

'The incident was an ill-judged attempt by EFA, late in the evening, after consuming a considerable quantity of alcohol, to include H in a jokey greeting ritual engaged in by EFA with a friend.'

.
Australia will contest a draft recommendation to list the Great Barrier Reef as a world heritage site 'in danger' after a United Nations body called for more government action on climate change.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley says the government was 'blindsided' by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee report, which cited successive reef bleaching events as being of particular concern.

The long term outlook for the reef had deteriorated from 'poor to very poor', the draft decision says, but the government strongly opposes the move which could put its world heritage status at risk, impacting tourism and other ventures.

'It is a backflip on previous assurances, it is a deviation from normal process and it's based on just a desktop review without the latest information,' Ms Ley said on Tuesday.

Australia will contest a recommendation to list the Great Barrier Reef as a world heritage site 'in danger' after a United Nations body called for more government action on climate change

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley says the government was 'blindsided' by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee report

The reef has lost about half of its corals from 1995 to 2017, with mass bleaching events taking place in 2016 and 2017

She agreed climate change was the biggest threat to the reef but said Australia had the best reef management practices in the world and believed politics were behind the 'flawed' decision.

'Those politics have subverted a proper process and for the World Heritage Committee to not even foreshadow this listing is, I think, appalling,' she told reporters.

While Ms Ley did not single out China, the main world heritage committee decision-making body is chaired by a Chinese official and on May 27 it indicated the reef would not be listed as in danger.

'Only a week ago we were reassured that this was not going to occur,' Ms Ley said.

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)

'When the assurances that my officials received, and indeed I did, have all been up ended at the last minute, what else can you conclude but that it is politics?'

It's understood three other advisory bodies that feed information to the committee also have Chinese officials in senior roles.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently returned from Europe and the G7 summit in the UK, where he courted support for Australia in its diplomatic and trade battle with the superpower.

Australia's views on the draft decision were made 'very clear' to the Director General of UNESCO by Ms Ley and Foreign Minister Marise Payne during a phone call on Monday night.

'We will contest this flawed approach, particularly because it's sending a poor signal to those nations who are not making the investments in reef protection that we are making,' Ms Ley said.

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 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

However, the decision did not come as a shock to James Cook University's Terry Hughes who said UNESCO has been moving toward linking the climate change polices of individual countries to stewardship of their world heritage sites.

'This draft decision, which will be ratified in July by the World Heritage Committee, is a logical one and one that isn't terribly surprising,' Prof. Hughes told ABC radio on Tuesday.

He said there was a difference between just admitting climate change was the single biggest pressure on the reef and taking action to reduce it.

'Australia is still refusing to sign up to a net zero target by 2050 which makes it a complete outlier,' he said

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

'This draft decision from UNESCO is pointing the finger at Australia and saying, if you're serious about saving the Great Barrier Reef, you need to do something about your climate policies.'

The UNESCO recommendation means it's critical for countries, including Australia, to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees, the World Wide Fund for Nature's head of oceans in Australia, Richard Leck, said.

'Clearly, the significant coral mortality has prompted UNESCO to urge the Australian government to do more on climate,' he said.

The UNESCO committee draft report 'strongly invites' the government 'to undertake actions to address climate change under the Paris agreement' to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

A number of other globally significant sites are under consideration for an 'in danger' listing including the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, parts of Budapest in Hungary and Venice and its lagoon in Italy.
A Florida woman who withdrew $20 from an ATM found that she had become a billionaire - and now says she's struggling to return the cash to its rightful owner.

Julia Yonkowski from Largo, west of Tampa, noticed the massive error after she decided to check her balance on Saturday only to find she had $999,985,855.94 sitting in her checking account.

That has made her the 615th richest person in America - although the honest Floridian says she's desperate to renounce the title as soon as possible.

Yonkowski reached out to her local Chase Bank but so far nobody from the organization has returned her calls.

Julia Yonkowski from Florida thought she had just $20 in her bank account

Upon attempting to withdraw she was told she would be overdrawn, but the balance of her checking account had her as a billionaire $999,985,855.94 was sitting in the account

'Oh my God, I was horrified. I know most people would think they won the lottery but I was horrified,' she told WFLA.

'When I put in for the $20, the machine came back and said we'll give you the $20 but that'll cause an overdraft and you will be charged and I said, "Oh just forget it,"' she said.

It was only when she decided to check the balance that she was alerted to the nine figure sum.

'I know I've read stories about people that took the money or took out money, and then they had to repay it and I wouldn't do that anyway because it's not my money,' Yonkowski said.

Despite attempting to contact Chase bank to inform them of the error, so far nobody has returned her calls

'It kind of scares me because you know with cyber threats. You know I don't know what to think,' she added.

Yonkowski said that with it being the weekend she found it hard to reach anyone in authority at the bank.

'I just can't get through. I get tied up with their automated system and I can't get a person,' she explained.

Yonkowski has said she is not touching anything in the account until the matter is resolved

It is unclear what caused the glitch that made Yonkowski a billionaire.

Chase has yet to comment on the error - with Yonkowski hopeful that the money will be removed from her account as soon as possible.
Russia's defense ministry has announced it sunk an aircraft carrier just 35 miles off the coast of Hawaii in a huge war games exercise that has alarmed the US.

At least 20 Russian warships, submarines, and support vessels, flanked by 20 fighter jets, are taking part in the exercises - the biggest since the Cold War.

Russia says that they are 300 miles off the coast of Hawaii, yet unconfirmed satellite images from June 19 appear to show them much closer - within 35 miles of the U.S. state.

Russia says their forces are at a distance of about 2,500 miles southeast of the Kuril Islands.

Russia's defense ministry on Monday broadcast a video showing the latest scenes from the Pacific, where they are carrying out the largest exercises since the end of the Cold War

Moscow's war games have alarmed the Pentagon, and on Monday Russia showed what they had been doing in the region (above), explaining that it was a practise session to sink an aircraft carrier

The Russian video showed their naval personnel carrying out mock attacks

The footage showed the Russian planes taking off from somewhere with snow-capped mountains in the background. The Drive reported that this was Yelizovo Air Base on the Kamchatka peninsula, in the far east of Russia

The new video showed the planes refueling mid-air, en route to the Pacific

The location would correspond broadly with reports from U.S. media channels that Russian warships were conducting their maneuvers between 300 and 500 miles west of the main Hawaiian islands, The Drive reported.

Their actions have alarmed the Pentagon.

Twice this month - on June 14 and 18 - the U.S. scrambled F-22s from Hawaii in response to Russian bomber flights.

Neither time did the bombers enter the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) perimeter, and so they were not intercepted.

On June 17 the Navy admitted that the USS Carl Vinson and her strike group were operating near Hawaii, without revealing when they had arrived, or why.

On June 18, a spokesman for the ship tweeted a photo captioned: 'Vinson transits with USS Dewey in the Hawaiian Islands Operating Area. Vinson is participating in integrated ops with the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, training to a variety of missions, from long range strikes to anti-submarine warfare.'

Russia's defense ministry on Monday issued video showing the maneuvers.

The Russians organized two detachments of ships, operating at a distance of about 300 miles from each other.

One group was playing the role of the enemy.

Unconfirmed satellite imagery suggested the Russians were far closer to Hawaii than believed

The satellite picture, from June 19, showed the U.S. ships - numbers 6 and 7 - escorting the Russians (1-5)

Also involved in the maneuvers was an unnamed Russian Navy submarine and a pair of Tu-142MZ Bear-F Mod. 4 long-range anti-submarine aircraft from the Pacific Fleet's naval aviation branch, operating from Yelizovo Air Base on the Kamchatka peninsula, which were escorted by MiG-31BM Foxhound interceptors, The Drive reported.

The video showed the planes taking off from a snow-capped region, and then refueling in mid air.

The two detachments 'worked out the tasks of detecting, countering and delivering missile strikes against an aircraft carrier strike group of a mock enemy,' the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

As well as anti-shipping strikes, the task force also tested their readiness for anti-aircraft and anti-submarine missions, the Russian Ministry of Defense added.

Sailors from the Russian cruiser Varyag - which is leading the war games in the Pacific at the moment - are seen rehearsing for Russian Navy Day in July 2019

F-22A Raptor fighters, like the one pictured, have twice been scrambled this month to investigate Russia's actions in the Pacific

The Pentagon have said they are watching closely.

'U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is monitoring the Russian vessels operating in international waters in the Western Pacific,' U.S. Indo-Pacific Command spokesman Captain Mike Kafka told CBS News in a statement.

'We operate in accordance with international law of the sea and in the air to ensure that all nations can do the same without fear or contest and in order to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

'As Russia operates within the region, it is expected to do so in accordance with international law,' he added.

Russia and China were both flexing their military might with provocative war games in the Pacific, stepping up the pressure on Biden as he met with G7 allies in the UK and Putin in Geneva

A Russian military plane takes off to participate in the naval war games in the Pacific this week

A Russian helicopter is seen participated in the massive war games exercise in the Pacific

The Russian war games came as Biden met with Putin for the first time as US president

Footage earlier in the month of the mass Russian exercise posted by the Ministry of Defense shows Russian sailors tracking and 'driving out' a mock enemy submarine.

'During the exercise, the crews of the Pacific Fleet's warships fired from the automatic naval gun mount AK-630 and the universal naval artillery A-190,' a Moscow defense ministry statement said.

The search and tracking of the mock enemy's submarines were carried out by the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleev equipped with guided-missile weapons, the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov and three corvettes, according to Sputnik.

Former chief of the General Staff of the Russian Navy, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, said: 'In the post-Soviet period, there have been no comparable exercises involving such a large number of forces.'

Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden are pictured during last week's meeting in Geneva

Rear Admiral Konstantin Kabantsov termed the drills 'unique' due to the large area of the Pacific Ocean where they are taking place and added that 'such exercises have not been conducted... in the recent history of the Russian fleet.'

Earlier, Moscow also claimed it had intercepted a US reconnaissance plane on its Pacific coast, preventing it from approaching the Russian state border.

Video from the cockpit of a Su-35 fighter showed the American RC-135 spy plane, according to reports.

The exercises took place just a week after Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin endured an awkward meeting in Geneva, with Putin asked beforehand about Biden's insistence that the Russian leader is a killer.

He implied that Biden is a career politician, while heaping praise on the current president's predecessor Donald Trump.
Barnaby Joyce insisted he has a 'vested interested' in women's safety because he is the father of four daughters, sparking laughter from Labor politicians who are concerned about his treatment of women.

In his first appearance as Deputy Prime Minister after overthrowing Michael McCormack, Mr Joyce was quizzed about comments from Australian Women in Agriculture founder Alana Johnson who said his return showed the Coalition was 'obviously not listening' to women's concerns.

Mr Joyce stood down as Nationals Leader three years ago after his extra-marital affair with staffer Vikki Campion was made public at the same time as a woman accused him of sexually harassing her after an event in Canberra.

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





A National Party investigation into the harassment claims, which Mr Joyce denies, was inconclusive due to a lack of evidence.

In Question Time on Tuesday, Labor MP for Franklin in Tasmania, Julie Collins, asked Mr Joyce how he responds to the concerns of women in agriculture.

He replied: 'I thank the member for her question. Might I say, as a father of four daughters...'

At that point he was interrupted by incredulous laughter from Labor MPs who were amused by his attempt to evoke his daughters to prove he cares about women.

The Speaker told them to quieten down before My Joyce continued: 'I have an incredible vested interest in making sure women in agriculture and every section of society have the best opportunity in the safest environment they could possibly live in.'

Earlier this year Mr Morrison was ridiculed for saying he empathised with former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins's rape allegation because he has two girls.

'Jenny and I spoke last night and she said to me, you have to think about this as a father. What would you want to happen if it were our girls,' he said.

Sexual abuse survivor and Australian of the Year Grace Tame said: 'It shouldn't take having daughters to have a conscience'.

Natalie Joyce (centre) with daughters Bridgette, Julia, Caroline, and Odette

In a fiery Question Time Mr Joyce also said he would stand up for coal jobs in regional Queensland and New South Wales

In a fiery Question Time Mr Joyce also said he would stand up for coal jobs in regional Queensland and New South Wales and also told Labor leader Anthony Albanese that he wanted him to keep his job for years to come because he was an easy opponent.

On Monday morning Mr Mr 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.

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.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has backed the selection of trailblazing athlete Laurel Hubbard in New Zealand's Olympic team, saying she goes to Tokyo with the country's full support.

Ms Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics after winning selection in New Zealand's weightlifting team.

Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard (pictured) will become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics after meeting eligibility requirements

The 43-year-old met multiple eligibility standards set by the sport, the International Olympic Committee, and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Her selection has reignited a debate over the appropriate criteria for trans athletes but Ms Ardern said Ms Hubbard should be treated like any other Kiwi.

'Laurel is a member of our Olympic team and has support from us,' she said.

'All parties here have simply followed the rules. That's the case for Laurel but also the team in New Zealand, they have followed the rules.'

Sport Minister Grant Robertson said he was 'extremely proud of Laurel Hubbard as I am of all of New Zealand's Olympic team'.

'She deserves to be there and we'll be supporting her,' he said.

Ms Hubbard was also praised by conservative opposition leader Judith Collins, who noted the debate around the weightlifter's inclusion but offered her personal support amidst a backlash.

'Anybody who gets chosen to be an Olympic team member has already gone through a tremendous amount. I'm in awe of anybody who can get to that level,' Ms Collins said.

New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) says Hubbard 'goes to Tokyo with country's full support'

'She is who she is and she's trying to do her very best. I'd hate to see any bullying or any horrible comments about Laurel because she's doing what she wants to do.'

Ms Hubbard was the first transgender athlete to compete at the Commonwealth Games when she appeared in 2018 at the Gold Coast.

Despite injuring her elbow and wrist during that competition, she said the Australian crowd was 'magnificent'.

'It felt like just a big embrace. They really made me try to lift my best,' she said in 2018.

'The Commonwealth Games here are a model for what sport can and should be. It's an incredible environment ... they have lived up to the mantra of humanity, equality and decency.'

Ms Hubbard (pictured) was the first transgender athlete to compete at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018

She will compete in the 87 kilogram-plus super heavyweight division in Tokyo.

Ms Hubbard issued a statement after her selection was confirmed on Monday saying she was 'grateful and humbled by the kindness and support that has been given to me by so many New Zealanders'.

'The mana of the silver fern comes from all of you and I will wear it with pride,' she said.
Australia's richest woman has made a major investment into a medicinal marijuana company with the industry set to be worth $1.5billion by 2025.

Gina Rinehart, who is worth $31billion, and her mining and agricultural company Hancock Prospecting is injecting $15million into Little Green Pharma, a Perth-based marijuana company.

With her investment, Rinehart will own more than 10 per cent of the company, which saw its shares climb 7.7 per cent on Tuesday since the announcement.

Rinehart's investment into Little Green Pharma will fund the company's acquisition of another marijuana cultivation production in Denmark in the state's far south-west.

Gina Rinehart, who is worth $31billion, and her mining and agricultural company Hancock Prospecting is injecting $15million into Little Green Pharma, a Perth-based marijuana company

'We have been speaking for some time about the need to increase our production capacity and the Denmark Facility not only gives us the cultivation and manufacturing capacity we need but does so immediately,' managing director Fleta Solomon said.

We won't be constrained by the two-year build and permitting time required to expand our existing West Australian Facility.

'We are well positioned in the market to capitalise on the brand equity LGP has built in Europe and Australia, with the Denmark Facility providing immediate access to medical grade product at volumes that will allow us the opportunity to accelerate our growth strategy.'

Market research by consultancy company Prohibition Partners found the medicinal marijuana industry was set to exceed $1billion in 2023 and soar to $1.5billion by 2025

Market research by consultancy company Prohibition Partners found the medicinal marijuana industry was set to exceed $1billion in 2023 and soar to $1.5billion by 2025.

So far only the Australian Capital Territory has legalised cannabis for recreational use.

Legislation passed in September, 2019 and was implemented from January 31, 2020 allowing adults to possess up to 50 grams and grow two plants.

The medicinal marijuana industry in the United States topped US$7.2billion or AU$9.6billion at the end of 2020, and could be worth as much as US$70billion by 2028.
NSW will become the first Australian state to introduce paid leave for public sector employees after the miscarriage of a child.

Any employee - in full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary work - will be entitled to five days leave if they miscarry a baby up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced the measure in Tuesday's 2021/22 budget, saying the government - as the largest employer in the state - needed to lead the way for reform in this area.

Treasury officials say NSW is the first state in Australia to introduce the leave, and it is hoped employers in the private sector follow suit.

Any employee - in full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary work - will be entitled to five days leave if they miscarry a baby up to 20 weeks into a pregnancy

'We know that losing a child even in the early stages of pregnancy can be devastating,' Mr Perrottet said.

'We want NSW government employees to know the government has their back when tragedies like these occur, and that they will have time to process their loss without having to worry about financial or work-related pressures.'

Currently, parents must access sick leave or holiday leave if they need time off after a miscarriage.

'This is not acceptable,' the treasurer said in his budget speech to parliament.

'Having a miscarriage is not an illness - it's a loss that should be recognised.'

Special leave for parents who have premature babies was also announced, to support parents like Colette and Colman O'Driscoll.

The couple, both public servants, spent 13 weeks watching their son fight for his life in the neonatal intensive care unit after he was born 12 weeks early, weighing just 685 grams.

But Ms O'Driscoll's maternity leave started the moment Rory was born, leaving her with just one week left.

Currently, parents must access sick leave or holiday leave if they need time off after a miscarriage

'What should have been a time of joy with her son was consumed with the stress of hoping he'd survive, while worrying about having to return to work earlier than planned,' Mr Perrottet said.

The new policy will provide leave for mothers who give birth to a pre-term baby, and their partners, available from the date of the early birth up to when the birth normally would have been expected.

The leave is in addition to the 14 weeks of paid parental leave that is available to employees in the first year of their child's life.

The new leave measures will come into effect on July 1.
A prison guard accused of being involved in the gang rape of 'an extremely drunk' woman on Anzac Day has been granted bail.

Glenn Kenneth Robinson, who previously served in the Australian Defence Force, is charged with six counts of aggravated sexual assault in company.

The then 35-year-old and two other men allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted the woman over several hours on Anzac Day this year at a home in Riverstone in Sydney's northwest after meeting at a Rouse Hill pub.

In the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, Justice Stephen Rothman granted Robinson bail, setting strict conditions amounting to house arrest.

Robinson, who appeared via audio visual link from jail, became noticeably upset when his barrister Joseph Correy outlined his 'inhumane' custodial conditions involving being by himself in his cell 23 hours a day.

Police allege Robinson and a friend were drinking at The Mean Fiddler pub (pictured) in Rouse Hill in the early hours of April 25 before inviting a woman back to a home where the alleged rape took place

One of his referees described Robinson as being 'a high value target for other inmates' given he previously was in a position of authority over them.

He was depressed, had lost 10kg and was at risk of self-harm.

Police allege Robinson and a friend, 26, were drinking at The Mean Fiddler pub in Rouse Hill, in Sydney's north-west, in the early hours of April 25.

The court previously heard the pair invited a woman, 37, back to a house in nearby Riverstone where the alleged rape took place.

The alleged victim later told police she woke up on a couch with a belt tied around her neck to choke her, with one of the men having sex with her.

The woman told officers she was 'passed around by three men who had sex with her in multiple ways, either at the same time or individually while the others were watching', the court heard last month.

Justice Rothman on Tuesday said on any assessment of the independent material, the complainant was 'extremely drunk' at the time.

'There are provisions in the legislation that deal with consent in circumstances where an alleged victim is said to have been intoxicated,' he said.

The Uber driver who took the group to the home described her as being 'as drunk as he had in his experience ever seen' and she had sexually propositioned the men.

Mr Correy said Robinson told police the woman had communicated a 'desire for sexual acts' immediately before while they were at the pub, in the Uber and throughout the incident.

In covertly recorded phone calls, his client said the woman 'was inviting him to do certain things to her'.

But the judge deemed the crown case to be 'strong', referring to the material on her intoxication which would bring the issue of consent into play.

The alleged victim later told police she woke up on a couch with a belt tied around her neck to choke her, with one of the men having sex with her (stock image)

Robinson had significant ties to the community, many people had provided character references to the court and he could rely on good character at trial.

The judge also noted his custodial conditions were 'significantly more onerous' than those of other inmates, due to his having been a prison officer.

The likely trial would not take place until the first half of 2022.

'What had concerned me the the most is the effect that any conditional liberty will have on the alleged victim,' Justice Rothman said.

But this could be dealt with by the proposed bail conditions which amounted to house arrest.

They include residing at a Valley Heights address, reporting to police daily, not leaving the house except for limited set reasons including seeing a psychiatrist, and a ban on alcohol and drugs.

One or more persons have to agree to forfeit $100,000 if he doesn't abide by the conditions.

His co-accused Joe Noamua Tauiliili, then 31, is in custody on remand, while Josateki Setuata, then 26, is on bail.

The case returns to Penrith Local Court on July 2.
A project to move endangered Tasmanian devils to a remote Australian island has backfired after the hungry marsupials wiped out thousands of penguins.

Tasmanian devils, one of Australia's most famous indigenous species, have gobbled up thousands of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) on Maria Island.

About 28 Tasmanian devils were moved to the 44-square-mile island  which is just east of mainland Tasmania  between 2012 and 2013 to 'safeguard' the species.

It was thought a facial tumour disease  a fatal cancer spread through biting  would decimate populations of the devils on the Tasmanian mainland.

But the Tasmanian devil population has since grown to more than 100 there and the beasts have proven to have an insatiable appetite.

There were about 3,000 penguin breeding pairs on the island, according to conservation charity BirdLife Tasmania, before the devils were introduced, but this number tragically now stands at zero.

Tasmanian devils, which weigh up to 8 kilograms (18 pounds) and have a black or brown coat, typically prey on other native animals or scavenge carcasses

Maria Island is a 44-square-mile island east of Tasmania, Australia's island state, which lies south of the mainland

The dramatic fall in penguin numbers on Maria Island was discovered by rangers and BirdLife Tasmania was made aware of the discovery.

'All of the colonies of penguins once nesting around the Maria Island foreshore are gone because of the devils,' Eric Woehler, a convener for BirdLife Tasmania, told The Australian newspaper.

'Parks and wildlife rangers went out 18 months back and couldn't find a single penguin breeding in any of the previously known penguin colonies on the island.

A plan to relocate 28 Tasmanian devils to Maria Island off Tasmania's east coast has backfired after the species wiped out its 6,000-strong penguin population (file image)

'So, the devils have wiped out the penguins. It's 100 per cent. There seems to be a degree of reluctance to let people know whats going on.

He said the carnivores also ravaged geese and native hen populations on the island.

'The rationale for still having a population on an island where theyve had catastrophic impacts on the native fauna is rather difficult to justify,' he said.

Little penguins (Eudyptula minor) are the smallest species of penguin. The species grows to an average of 13 inches in height

There were about 3,000 penguin breeding pairs on the island, according BirdLife Tasmania, before the devils were introduced, but this number now stands at zero

View of the Maria Island National Park in Tasmania. Conservation organisation BirdLife Tasmania said the 28 devils have had a 'catastrophic impact' on the island's four known penguin breeding colonies

BirdLife Tasmania appeared to have originally advised authorities against the plan to transfer the marsupials to Maria Island  'We warned of this,' it tweeted on Monday.

A spokesman for the Tasmanian government told The Australian it 'continually monitors, evaluates and reviews the devil population'.

Pictured is a little penguin (Eudyptula minor) on Maria Island

The government-backed Save the Tasmanian Devil program would 'evolve with new knowledge in science and emerging priorities', it said.

'This also applies to Maria Island, where active monitoring and management occurs.

'Maria Island remains an important part of the broader devil program to help restore and maintain an enduring and resilient wild devil population in Tasmania.'

Last year, a report in Biological Conservation said the Tasmanian devils on the island has also 'eliminated' colonies of shearwater, a type of long-winged seabird, more effectively than either cats or possums.

'Shearwater colonies continued to decline, reaching zero occupancy within four years of devil introduction,' the report says.

Woehler also told the Australian that shearwater populations have 'also been hammered'.

Fortunately, the range of the little penguin spreads throughout much of mainland Australia, along the south coast, as well as New Zealand.

The IUCN Red List, which lists the global conservation status of different species, has little penguin populations listed as 'stable'.

It also lists the status of Tasmania devils as 'endangered' and populations as 'decreasing'  which is a more severe categorisation.

Tasmania devils were threatened by a fatal cancer  dubbed Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease. It's spread by biting and causes masses to develop on the animals' face and in the mouth

While little penguins on the island have been decimated, the Tasmania devils seem to be making a comeback.

Last year, a report published in the journal Science revealed facial tumour disease that was devastating the population now showing signs of petering out.

As the name suggests, the fatal cancer causes ugly tumours to develop on the animals' face and in the mouth, usually causing death.

The rate of reproduction, the study authors explained, is now around one  meaning that each infected devil is passing the cancer on to one or less of their peers.

'It is cautiously optimistic good news,' said paper author and biologist Andrew Storfer of the Washington State University at the time.

'I think we're going to see continued survival of devils at lower numbers and densities than original population sizes.'

'But extinction seems really unlikely even though it was predicted a decade ago.'

Tasmanian devils, which weigh up to 8 kilograms (18 pounds) and have a black or brown coat, typically prey on other native animals or scavenge carcasses.

The animals are known for their extremely loud growl, powerful jaws and ferocity when confronting rivals over food or mates.

Tasmanian devils have been extinct on Australia's mainland for thousands of years. The mammals have a black or brown coat and typically prey on other native animals or scavenge carcasses

It is estimated that fewer than 25,000 Tasmanian devils still live in the wild, down from as many as 150,000 before the mysterious, fatal disease first struck in the mid-1990s.

On Australia's mainland, they are believed to have been wiped out by packs of dingoes  wild dogs native to the vast continent  an estimated 3,000 years ago.

But because dingoes are absent from Tasmania, the devils survived on the island state and remain there today.

Last month, a historic conservation project introduced the devils to Australia's mainland for the first time since they died out there 3,000 years ago.

Conservation groups released 26 of the carnivorous mammals into a 400-hectare (1,000-acre) sanctuary at Barrington Tops, about 3.5 hours north of Sydney.

Aussie Ark, an animal preservation project, selected the reintroduced devils for their breeding suitability, placing them in the sprawling, fenced area in the hopes of warding off threats to their survival including feral pests, noxious weeds and cars.

'We've put young, healthy devils in, we put them in now which gives them the best part of six months to settle, find their territory (and) prepare for breeding,' which usually occurs in February, said Tim Faulkner, president of Aussie Ark.
Meghan Markle is heading for a 'brutal showdown' with Buckingham Palace as she denies all claims of bullying against her.

The Duchess of Sussex has demanded a point-by-point breakdown of the allegations and is 'adamant the staff were not up to their job', a source close to the independent inquiry claimed.

A senior Palace aide accused the Duchess of Sussex of 'unacceptable behaviour' towards two personal assistants and undermining the confidence of a third.

The Palace has launched an inquiry into the claims, conducted by an external independent legal firm.

But in a clear indication that the Duchess is preparing to fight back against what she has termed 'a smear campaign', a senior Palace source in March confirmed that her office had 'written to request' all documents, emails or text messages.

And now, sources fear the inquiry will turn into a 'brutal showdown' between the Sussex camp in California and the Palace.

Meghan Markle (left) is heading for a 'brutal showdown' with Buckingham Palace (the Queen, right) as she denies all claims of bullying against her

A source close to the inquiry reportedly told The Mirror: 'The feeling is this is heading for a brutal showdown between the Duchess of Sussex who is understood to be disputing all allegations labelled against her.

'The Palace is taking each and every allegation very seriously and wants to get to the truth of the matter and ensure those speaking up deserve to be heard.

'But Meghan is adamant the staff were not up to their job and could not deal with the pressure of working for her and understanding how she wanted things to run '

Last week, a royal author claimed Prince William split his household from Prince Harry's following an angry phone conversation over 2018 bullying claims

Last week, a royal author claimed Prince William split his household from Prince Harry's (pictured, with Meghan) following an angry phone conversation over 2018 bullying claims

The accusation of Meghan's alleged bullying behaviour first came to light earlier this month when an email sent by Jason Knauf, the couple's then press secretary, was leaked to The Times newspaper.

William allegedly heard allegations from Simon Case, his private secretary

Written in October 2018 when the Sussexes were still living at Kensington Palace, Mr Knauf wrote: 'I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [Name redacted] was totally unacceptable.

'The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y.'

The email was sent to Simon Case, then the Duke of Cambridge's private secretary and now the Cabinet Secretary, reportedly after Mr Knauf's conversations with Samantha Carruthers, the head of HR at the Palace.

In his email, Mr Knauf said Ms Carruthers had 'agreed with me on all counts that the situation was very serious'.

He added: 'I remain concerned that nothing will be done.'

Buckingham Palace has said it is 'clearly very concerned' about the allegations, adding: 'Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned.'

But the Duchess's spokesman hit back saying she 'is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma'.

A friend of the Sussexes said 'William threw Harry out', according to Robert Lacey's book Battle of the Brothers which is featured in the Times

Last week, a royal author claimed Prince William split his household from Prince Harry's following an angry phone conversation over 2018 bullying claims.

A friend of the Sussexes said 'William threw Harry out', according to Robert Lacey's book Battle of the Brothers which is featured in the Times.

It reportedly followed a furious phone call which allegedly ended with the Duke of Sussex hanging up on his brother.

The book claims that William suspected Meghan was 'hostile' to the royal system and possibly planned on leaving the monarchy from the very start and returning to America.

Harry and Meghan at the Sydney Opera House in 2018

Staff are said in the book to have claimed that Meghan 'played the victim, but was a bully' and treated courtiers poorly in line with her experiences in Hollywood, a modus operandi allegedly passed on to Harry who was reportedly heard 'screaming' at his staff.

Meghan and Harry have always denied the bullying allegations.

William is alleged to have told a friend he thought she had an 'agenda' and felt 'hurt' and 'betrayed' by the rift, with the heir to the throne telling a friend his wife Kate 'had been wary of Meghan from the start'.

He said he felt Meghan was 'stealing his beloved brother away from him', according to extracts from the book, and believed that she did not understand how the Royal system worked.

Lacey quotes a Kensington Palace courtier as allegedly saying: 'Meghan portrayed herself as the victim, but she was the bully. People felt run over by her. They thought she was a complete narcissist and sociopath  basically unhinged.'

The author also writes that he believes that William thought that Meghan had an 'agenda' and had voiced his reservations to Harry before their engagement, but that the row after Meghan and Harry's trip to Australia in 2018 sealed his decision to split their households.

Prince William and Kate with Prince Harry and Meghan during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March 2019

In their infamous Oprah interview, Harry cited the Australia 2018 tour as the moment 'the family got to see how incredible she is at the job' while comparing her and the alleged treatment she received by the royal family to his mother Princess Diana.

A spokesman for the Sussexes has since said the couple are the target of a smear campaign, and denied allegations of bullying.

William allegedly heard the allegations from Simon Case, his private secretary, who was sent the email. He reportedly immediately picked up the phone to call his brother, but the conversation ended with Harry slamming down the phone, the book claims.

Lacey also dwelled on the Sussex' interview with Oprah Winfrey, where the author wrote Prince Harry claimed the brothers' falling out began because the Firm was jealous his wife Meghan was so good with people, something he said echoed his mother Princess Diana's treatment.
A toddler has died in hospital after he was struck while riding his scooter by a car reversing out of a driveway.

The 19-month-old little boy had been rolling down the footpath on McAlpine Court in Altona, in western Melbourne, about 9.15am on Tuesday on when tragedy struck.

He was rushed to hospital but did not survive.

A toddler has died in hospital he was struck while riding his scooter by a car reversing out of a driveway. The 19-month-old little boy was rolling down the footpath on McAlpine Court in Altona, in western Melbourne , about 9.15am on Tuesday (stock image)

The 60-year-old driver of the car stopped to help the boy and cooperated with police at the scene.

The boy's heartbroken grandfather later visited the scene and was comforted by neighbours.

The 60-year-old driver of the car stopped at the scene in McAlpine Court (pictured) to help the boy and cooperated with police

He told the Herald Sun the boy was 'a gem by name and nature'.

Police are investigating and will prepare a report for the coroner. They have appealed for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage of the accident to come forward.
A courtroom descended into chaos when a meth user, who once pulled a syringe on a police officer, leaped over the docks and tried to escape before his pants were pulled down in front of his young son.

Footage from inside Adelaide's Christies Beach Magistrates Court shows Daniel James Nicholson, 35, 'freak out' after Magistrate Sue O'Connor revoked his bail.

Two court sheriffs, Roger Vandborg and Darren Parker, tried to stop him from fleeing, but the father-of-four made it over the glass barrier slamming into a bar table.

But before the offender could make a run for it, police prosecutor Brendan Gottschutzke wrestled him to the ground, pulling his pants down in the process.

Despite hitting the deck, Nicholson broke free and was then wrapped up from behind by Mr Vandborg.

Once lying face down, the sheriffs slapped hand cuffs on him and eventually walked him out of the courtroom.

Video of the ugly incident, which took place in September last year, was released by the South Australia's District Court on Tuesday as a part of Nicholson's pre-sentence hearing.

Prosecutor Tali Costi said the embarrassing escape attempt was 'violent and forceful,' the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

'It is a violent and confrontational altercation between him and the sheriff's officers where he is physically trying to escape them and to not be detained,' she said.

'This is not an attempt of someone simply fleeing but of fighting to flee.'

Pictured: The moment before Daniel James Nicholson, 35, leaps over the courtroom dock

Mr Vandborg fractured his right foot during the scuffle, while Mr Parker suffered a jaw injury that left him with lingering headaches.

Nicholson has since admitted his actions were 'stupid', telling police in an interview that he just 'freaked out' after being told that he would be remanded in custody.

'He thought he was just coming to court and going back out and his son was with him as well,' court documents said.

In another incident he pulled a syringe on a police officer and pointed it 'in a stabbing motion'.

He pleaded guilty to two counts recklessly causing harm to a prescribed emergency worker and admitted he has a 'long-standing issue with illicit drugs' and was on the drug ice at the time the incident occurred.

Footage from inside Adelaide's Christies Beach Magistrates Court shows Daniel James Nicholson, 35 (pictured umping the dock), 'freak out' after Magistrate Sue O'Connor revoked his bail

Two court sheriffs, Roger Vandborg and Darren Parker, tried to stop him from fleeing, but the father-of-four made it over the glass barrier slamming into a bar table (pictured)

He also pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to escape from police custody.

His legal team have asked the court to allow Nicholson to undergo drug rehabilitation under a home detention order, instead of getting a custodial sentence for his range of offences.

But Ms Costi warned the court that Nicholson has a history of failing to comply with court orders and suffers from outbursts of anger and impulse control issues.

She urged the court to impose a jail sentence in order to protect the community.

Nicholson is due to be sentenced in July.
New Zealand have put a halt to quarantine-free travel for New South Wales

An infected Australian travelled from Sydney to Wellington for three days

NSW Health has added ten venues to the list of exposure sites in the city

Sydney could be plunged into lockdown if new Covid cases aren't linked to the Bondi cluster, as more stores are added to the growing list of exposure sites and virus fragments are found in sewage from 15 suburbs.

Ten venues were added to the list of exposure sites in the city on Tuesday evening, including Wallabies Thai Restaurant in Mascot and Mascot Central Shopping Precinct.

Two international planes are also on alert after an infected Australian hopped on flight QF163 from Sydney to Wellington at 12.12am on June 18.

They returned to Sydney on Air New Zealand flight NZ247 at 10.13am on June 21 - just hours before Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern slammed the nation's borders shut to New South Wales.

Italian restaurant Totti's Bondi, The Roya Bondi and Woolworths at Spring Farm are also among the new exposure sites added after 9pm on Tuesday.

Pictured: A woman wearing a face mask at Bondi Junction. There are 21 new cases in Bondi

Gladys Berejiklian addresses media during a press conference at NSW Parliament in Sydney on Tuesday, in which she hinted lockdown restrictions could be brought in

The ANZ bank in Martin Place is also on the list, along with two more shops in Bondi Junction - Chanel fragrance and beauty on level four of the shopping centre, and Starbucks on level 2.

The eastern suburbs shopping mall has been at the heart of Sydney's latest outbreak, which swelled to 21 on Tuesday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has historically dismissed suggestions that the entire city should be locked down in the event of another coronavirus surge.

But she changed her tune on Tuesday after it was revealed that a child from Charles Catholic Primary School at Waverley tested positive with no known ties to the Bondi outbreak.

'Because all but one case is linked to an existing case and that case was only discovered a few hours ago  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.

New Zealand has slammed its border shut to New South Wales , giving Kiwis just three hours to get back home before restrictions come into place. Pictured: An Air NZ flight takes off in Auckland

NZ's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins put the breaks on hotel quarantine-free travel after NSW recorded 10 new locally-acquired cases of Covid on Tuesday, bringing Sydney's Bondi cluster to 21 active infections. Pictured: NZ-bound Travellers queue at Sydney Airport on April 19 when the trans-Tasman bubble was introduced

'If that changes, if we suddenly have a number of unlinked cases and if we suddenly have them outside the geographic region they are concentrated in that we will obviously adjust the health advice and we will respond to that (idea of a lockdown).'

NSW Health also issued an alert on Tuesday evening after Covid-19 particles were discovered in two sewage treatment plants, which serve 22,500 Sydneysiders.

The first was the Lough Park Sewage Network Investigation Site, in the city's eastern suburbs.

The catchment area includes Clovelly, Waverly, Randwick, Centennial Park, Queens Park, Bondi, Bondi Junction, Bellevue Hill, Double Bay and Woolhara.

Chanel fragrance and beauty (pictured) on level four of Bondi Junction shopping centre has been added to the list of exposure sites

Pictured: Wallabies Thai Restaurant in Mascot, which has also been added to the lost of exposure sites

NEW EXPOSURE SITES IN SYDNEY Call NSW Health immediately, gest tested and isolate regardless of the result: Mascot: Wallabies Thai Restaurant - Saturday June 19, 11.30am - 12pm (anyone who dined outside) Bondi Junction: Chanel fragrance and beauty - Friday June 18, 12pm - 12.25pm Sydney: ANZ Martin Place - Thursday June 17, 11.45am - 3.15pm (anyone on level 2) Sydney: Qantas Flight QF163 from Sydney to Wellington - Friday June 18, 12.12am Wellington: Air New Zealand flight NZ247 - Monday June 21, 10.13am Bondi: Totti's Bondi - Saturday June 19, 5pm - 6.30pm Get tested and isolate until a negative test is received: Bondi: The Royal Bondi - Saturday June 19, 5pm - 6.30pm Spring Farm: Woolworths - Sunday June 20, 9.30am - 10am Mascot: Wallabies Thai Restaurant - Saturday June 19, 11.30am - 12pm (anyone who dined inside) Bondi Junction: Starbucks - Friday June 18, 11am - 12pm Sydney: ANZ Martin Place - Thursday June 17, 11.45am - 3.15pm (anyone on ground and level 1) Mascot Central Shopping Precinct - Anytime between Friday June 18 and Tuesday June 22 Advertisement

Covid fragment were also found in the Brooklyn Sewage Treatment Plant, which collects wastewater from Dangar Island, Cowan, Brooklyn, Mooney Mooney and Cheerio Point, north Sydney.

Ms Berejiklian announced a week-long extension of mask restrictions, which have now been expanded to include all of Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra region, as of 4pm on Tuesday.

Face masks are compulsory on public transport and indoor venues until midnight on June 30.

'We will extend it to all of Greater Sydney. That means excluding the Central Coast and excluding the Hunter, but also they will be required to adhere to that compulsory mask wearing indoors for hospitality workers when we are going shopping, going grocery shopping, going to events inside,' she told reporters.

'It is only when you are eating or drinking indoors at a venue that you can't or shouldn't wear a mask. In every other circumstance, if you live or are in Sydney, you must wear a mask for another week beyond Wednesday midnight.'

Of seven new cases announced on Tuesday and due to be included in Wednesday's figures, six are household contacts of previously known cases and already in isolation.

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.

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.

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.

Health authorities said on Monday the growing outbreak in Sydney's east was at a critical phase.

Pictured: ANZ in Martin Place, which was added to Sydney's growing list of exposure sites on Tuesday

Pictured: Cars line up for Covid-19 testing at Bondi in Sydney on Tuesday as 12 new cases were announced

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.

Pictured: Commuters are seen wearing masks in Sydney during restrictions in January this year - which were brought in after a cluster of 150 broke out on the city's Northern Beaches
A high security prison has been put in lockdown after one inmate was stabbed and two others suffered serious injuries in a jailhouse brawl.

Prison officers at Lithgow Correctional Centre reportedly had to use gas to break the fight up before they could access the injured and secure the wing around 1pm on Tuesday.

A 35-year-old man was allegedly stabbed in the attack and two others suffered major head injuries.

Lithgow Correctional Centre (pictured) has been put in lockdown after one inmate was stabbed and two others suffered serious injuries in a jailhouse brawl

Two of the injured at the country NSW prison have since been flown to hospital with one man suffering stab wounds and another said to have injuries to his jaw.

The incident comes just a year after an almost identical brawl at the same prison which also left a 35 year old man stabbed and three prisoners with head wounds.

The incident comes just a year after an almost identical earlier brawl (pictured) at the same prison which also left a 35 year old man stabbed and three prisoners with head wounds

The 2020 mass brawl broke out on the prison's exercise oval around 10am on May 31, and saw up to 12 prisoners allegedly involved in the fight.

An investigation has now been launched into Tuesday's violence. The prison, about two hours west of Sydney, beyond the Blue Mountains, refused to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

NSW Police confirmed the brawl and said two injured men were airlifted to Westmead Hospital in Sydney's West.

A 35 year old man was allegedly stabbed in the attack and two others suffered major head injuries, according to Seven News (stock image).

'Emergency services attended the facility on the Great Western Highway at Marrangaroo following reports two inmates had been injured as a result of an inmate brawl,' a NSW Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

'Two men were treated at the scene before both being flown to Westmead Hospital. The injuries to both men are not considered life-threatening.

'Detectives from Chifley Police District have commenced an investigation in relation to the incident. We have no further details on the injuries or the cause at this time.

'We don't know if there is any connection with the incident last year.'

Lithgow Correctional Centre is home to mass murderers, organised crime bosses and serial rapists.

Lithgow Correctional Centre (pictured after the 2020 incident) is home to mass murderers, organised crime bosses and serial rapists.

It is known in the prison system, along with Goulburn, as the place where high-profile or other high-risk inmates are sent to serve out long sentences.

Lithgow opened in December 1999 and has five units housing 65 inmates in cells which can accommodate two men but usually hold one. A smaller unit houses non-association and segregation prisoners.

A typical cell has two bunk beds, a toilet, shower, sink, shelves and table. There is a steel mirror and alarm or 'knock-up' button.

In some sections inmates are locked in cages just to make phone calls. Signal jamming technology makes the use of mobiles impossible and a roof-mounted radar dish scans the sky for drones.

Prison officers are unarmed but there is a rifle in the watch tower that looks over the entire compound.
The husband of murdered Briton Caroline Crouch issued a grovelling apology for killing her as he emerged after a ten-hour court hearing and announcing: I would like to say a big sorry and 'I wish I could go back in time, but I cant.'

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, appeared at the Evelpidon Court Complex in Athens where he recounted his confession to murdering his 20-year-old wife and was then quizzed by an investigative magistrate.

Helicopter pilot Anagnostopoulos arrived wearing a bullet proof vest while surrounded by 20 heavily armed police officers at 9.50am local time and was met by protestors screaming rot in jail and monster.

He left the court complex shortly before 8pm local time issuing his hollow apology when asked by waiting media if he had anything to say.

Turning his head towards reporters, Anagnostopoulos uttered from behind his face mask: I would like to say a big sorry.

He was remanded in custody to the notorious Korydallos prison, Greeces main maximum-security facility which is located on the outskirts of Athens.

It is considered one of Europes worst jails and is blighted by gang violence, overcrowding and drugs.

Under Greek law, his trial has to take place within the next 18 months with Anagnostopoulos set to languish in the prison, which is considered so bad that the Greek government has vowed to shut it down.

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, appeared at the Evelpidon Court Complex in Athens where he recounted his confession to murdering his 20-year-old wife and was then quizzed by an investigative magistrate

Anagnostopoulos left the court complex shortly before 8pm local time issuing his hollow apology when asked by waiting media if he had anything to say

Pictured: Caroline Crouch aged 15 in a scuba diving outfit in a picture posted to her Facebook in November 2015

The hearing was closed to the public and media, but reports emerged that Anagnostopoulos revealed during his testimony that he did not intend to kill Caroline but lost his temper after they had been arguing over the future of their relationship and concerns, he had over the way she treated their 11-month-old daughter Lydia.

Greek media reported Anagnostopoulos telling the court: It all happened in a moment because of the tension that had preceded.

'I walked up from the ground floor to the attic where Caroline was sleeping in order to convince her to sleep with our child.

We started a charged conversation and, as I hugged her, I leaned on her body and what happened, happened.

Pictured: A Facebook picture showing Caroline Crouch (far left) aged 14 with friends

Pictured: A Facebook photograph of Caroline Crouch aged 15 in 2016 receiving a kickboxing award

It was also revealed that Anagnostopoulos asked the court to also hear evidence from his friends and relatives on the nature of his relationship with Caroline when his trial takes place.

Following the hearing, Anagnostopouloss lawyer Alexandros Papaioannidis said: It was a very long testimony. The necessary clarifications were given as to the incident. A lot of questions, a lot of clarifications.

He didnt change anything compared to his confession. There is a lot more evidence and testimonies to be added that will contribute to our allegations.

Mr Papaioannidis revealed that Anagnostopoulos repeated his claim that he orchestrated an elaborate hoax after killing Caroline because he did not want their child to grow up without any parents.

The lawyer told waiting media: I want to convey to you his remorse. You should hear it with your own ears. It was a tragedy; it was a criminal act and thats why he asks to be punished.

He (Anagnostopoulos) concluded his testimony to the court with the words: I wish I could go back in time, but I cant.

Babis Anagnostopoulos being led to a magistrate guarded by police in Athens, Greece

Babis Anagnostopoulos pictured arriving at court today where he recounted a confession he gave to police last week that he smothered wife Caroline Crouch to death

Anagnostopoulos has been in jail since he confessed to Caroline's murder last week - telling detectives he strangled her to death on May 11 before inventing the story of a burglary-gone-wrong so he could keep raising their daughter.

Today prison guards told Greek media he has remained calm since his confession despite public outcry - acting 'like the lead in a crime drama' while insisting that he should avoid a life sentence so he can be a part of his daughter's life upon release.

Anagnostopoulos found out some of those opinions first-hand today as he arrived for his first court hearing - with dozens of protesters gathered outside branding him a 'monster' and a 'killer' while telling him to 'rot in prison'.

His defence team say he will not contest the central allegation - that he is responsible for Caroline's death - but will argue the killing happened in the heat of the moment as the pair argued in an effort to get a reduced jail term.

Prosecutors were set to argue he deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars for a killing they say was premeditated - pointing to a CCTV camera that had its memory card removed hours before Caroline died and smartwatch data suggesting she was asleep when she was smothered as evidence.

Protesters gathered outside the courthouse shouted 'killer', 'monster' and 'rot in prison' as Anagnostopoulos walked past, flanked by a dozen armed guards

Protesters, which include members of women's rights groups, gather outside the courthouse to demand greater protection for women from abusive men

Just moments before the hearing got underway today, Vassilis Spyrou - one of the two lawyers assigned to defend the case - dramatically quit, saying he made the decision for 'personal reasons'.

But Alexandros Papaioannidis, the other defence lawyer, later told reporters that Spyrou's resignation came at the request of Anagnostopoulos himself.

'It is the choice of my client and I can not comment on that,' he said.

Meanwhile guards at Athens Police Headquarters, where Anagnostopoulos was being held, told Greek news site Ta Nea that he has show little remorse or regret for his actions during his time behind bars.

They said he woke up on Saturday - the day after his confession - 'quite cheerful' and told them that he should be allowed to continue raising his daughter instead of ending up in jail.

Rather than showing concern for his murdered wife or her family - whom he lied to for almost six weeks while playing the grieving widower - his only concern is said to be for baby Lydia.

He has even told guards that he would like the 11-month-old to be raised by Caroline's parents and his parents as part of a joint custody arrangement - at least until he walks free and can care for himself.

Guards say he remains calm and composed under the watchful eye of 24-hour security cameras fitted in his cell.

Since the confession, he has been visited by his brother who brought him a book and clothes, and has used a phone card to call other relatives.

Otherwise, his only social contact has been with guards and lawyers given the task of defending him.

Speaking ahead of the hearing, Papaioannidis added that Anagnostopoulos will give the judge additional testimony that was not included in his police confession in the hope that it will provide context to the killing.

'This information will shed light on the circumstances of the crime and will enrich his pre-trial testimony,' his legal team said.

Anagnostopoulos is also expected to apologise for his actions and repeat the excuse he gave to police for inventing the burglary - that he couldn't bear the thought of his child growing up without parents.

In total, Anagnostopoulos is facing four charges which includes Caroline's murder and the death of their seven-month-old Husky puppy Roxy - drowned by Babis as part of his botched cover-up.

At the same time in a separate hearing within the same complex, a juvenile court will sit to decide the fate of the couple's 11-month-old daughter Lydia, who is currently being looked after by Anagnostopoulos's parents: Father Constantinos and mother Georgia at their Athens home who want to retain custody of the child.

Caroline's distraught parents Susan and David Crouch, who live in their retirement home on the island of Alonnisos, also demanding custody of her.

Thanasis Harmanis, the lawyer representing Ms Crouch's family, said they have filed a civil lawsuit arguing that the girl should grow up on Alonnisos where Caroline herself was raised.

But he added that they have 'good relations' with the Anagnostopoulos family and is hopeful that some kind of joint arrangement can be worked out.

He said that Caroline's mother will not be attending court today as she continued to recover from the shocking news that her daughter's husband - who embraced her at a memorial service just last week - is in fact her killer.

Prosecutors are expected to say Caroline's murder was premeditated, while her husband's attorneys will argue it happened in the heat of the moment as they seek a lighter sentence

'You understand the position of the mother who realized at some point that in the memorial service she was embracing the hands that took her daughter's breath away. You understand how tragic and painful this is,' he said.

He also revealed that Caroline's mother has domestic help at home which will allow her to raise baby Lydia.

He added: 'I believe that Alonnisos is the ideal environment for this child to grow up, until a certain age at least. Later on we can revise.'

Ahead of the hearing, Anagnostopoulos was being held in solitary confinement on the 7th floor of Athens Police Headquarters.

After visiting him, his lawyer Alexandros Papaioannidis told MailOnline: 'My client is in a rough psychological state, the court hearing will be a very difficult day.

'Now, fully conscious of the act, we are discussing his plea. He is ready to face the magistrate and give answers. He is fully aware of the situation and of what is ahead of him.'

Referring to Lydia's future, the lawyer added: 'He (Anagnostopoulos) wishes custody to be shared between the two families.

'As his lawyer - apart from the criminal part- I am instructed to take any action before the prosecutor's office in the child's best interest.'

Mr Papaioannidis revealed that he will ask for some more time this morning to consider the digital evidence that was uncovered by police, which led to Anagnostopoulos's confession last week.

This consists of data from Caroline's fitness tracker which recorded that her pulse had stopped an hour before Anagnostopoulos claimed robbers had burst in; movements recorded by an app on his mobile phone which showed that he was up and walking around during the time he stated he was tied down by intruders; and evidence that he removed the memory card from the CCTV cameras, hours before he alleged, they had killed Caroline.

Mr Papaioannidis said that his defence would be based on Anagnostopoulos's claim that he did not plan to kill Caroline and that he staged a cover-up to make it appear as though she had died in a botched burglary, because he did not want Lydia to be brought up without at least one parent.

According to reports in Greece, both sets of her grandparents are communicating with the child's best interest in mind.

The juvenile court will also hear from a social worker on who should raise Lydia but if an agreement cannot be reached between the two families, the issue will be decided by a judge at a later hearing.

Following today's hearing before an investigative magistrate, Anagnostopoulos is expected to be remanded in custody at Korydallos prison, which is located on the outskirts of Athens and is Greece's main maximum-security facility.

His trial is not expected to take place for at least 18 months, with Anagnostopoulos set to languish in what has been described as one of Europe's worst prisons.

A number of reports have found that it is controlled by violent gangs with prison wardens too afraid to patrol inside. Drugs are freely available with shipments organised by prisoners openly using mobile phones.

The court is also expected to make a preliminary ruling on the custody of the couple's child (pictured together) as both sets of the girl's grandparents want to take care of her

A delegation from the Council of Europe that visited the prison last year found that up to seven people were crammed into mould-infested cells measuring just 9.5 square metres and that many slept on mattresses on the floor.

The delegation also said buildings at Korydallos holding between 230 to 430 people each were often overseen by just one prison officer 'who clearly was not in a position to exert any authority or control.'

It described conditions inside the prison as 'inhuman' with prisoners subjected to 'degrading treatment.'

Conditions in Korydallos are so bad in the prison that the country's Government has vowed to shut it down.

The prison was opened in 1967 with a capacity for around 8,000 inmates but it is now estimated that it houses almost 13,000 prisoners.

Caroline's killing has caused widespread shock in Greece with public anger running high against Anagnostopoulos and his attempts to play the grieving husband.

He appeared in court last week wearing a bullet proof vest and surrounded by police after confessing to his crime to officers.

Just hours before, astonishing images revealed the moment Anagnostopoulos hugged Caroline's distraught mother at her memorial service last Wednesday before confessing to her killing shortly afterwards.

The embrace took place as detectives arrived to call him away from the service - claiming they had arrested a new suspect and needed his help to identify him.

In fact, the suspect that police wanted Anagnostopoulos to identify was himself - which he is said to have done during eight hours of interrogations.

Police announced late last Thursday that he had confessed to smothering Caroline during a fight at their home in the early hours of May 11.

Anagnostopoulos is said to have told officers that he threw her down on the bed and pressed her face into a pillow until she passed out, before realising he had killed her.

He then drowned the family dog in an area outside the home and removed the CCTV memory card which he snapped and flushed down the toilet.

After his confession was over, police left Anagnostopoulos in the company of two psychologists and then announced his guilt to the world in a statement at 9.36pm local time last Thursday evening.
Matt Hancock started his morning with a blunder today as he suggested the Sky News camera be re-positioned just as he was broadcast to thousands of viewers.

The Health Secretary stuttered as he said 'shall we aim it at the... at this... building?' while broadcaster Kay Burley tried to begin their interview at 7am.

Mr Hancock then suddenly walked out of shot as Ms Burley desperately tried to regain control of the situation.

He responded 'hello, how are you,' and folded his arms as the veteran broadcaster added: 'We're great, we're live on the telly at the moment.'

It is the latest embarrassment for Mr Hancock after it was revealed the Prime Minister had branded him 'f***ing hopeless' in texts to adviser Dominic Cummings.

The Health Secretary stuttered as he said 'shall we aim it at the at this building' while broadcaster Kay Burley tried to begin their interview at 7am

In today's awkward appearance, Ms Burley said 'hello, Mr Hancock' as the camera panned round to fix onto the Government minister, who was now standing in front of another building.

Mr Hancock, seemingly still not realising the broadcast had begun, addressed the cameraman, saying 'there you go'.

Ms Burley had to reiterate Mr Hancock was live on air. She said: 'We're live on the telly at the moment, it's Kay Burley talking to you.'

She then launched into her questions which included asking the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care when two jabs will mean Britons no longer have to quarantine.

The Health Secretary, who has been in the post for three years, has suffered a slew of accusations and embarrassing revelations over the last month aimed mostly at his handling of the pandemic.

Most recently Mr Hancock was caught in a toe-curling encounter as he was forced to insist that he 'doesn't think' he is 'f****** hopeless'.

WhatsApps revealed by Mr Cummings included brutal assessments by the PM at the height of the crisis in March and April last year - including repeatedly branding Mr Hancock 'hopeless' over PPE and testing and suggesting Michael Gove would have to take over.

In one exchange from March 27 last year, Mr Cummings criticised the Health Secretary over the failure to ramp up testing. Mr Johnson replied: 'Totally f****** hopeless.' He then tried to call his senior aide three times without managing to get through.

Mr Hancock, seemingly still not realising the broadcast had begun, addressed the cameraman, saying 'there you go'

Another from the same day saw Mr Cummings complain that the Department of Health had been turning down ventilators because 'the price has been marked up'. Mr Johnson said: 'It's Hancock. He has been hopeless.'

Mr Cummings leaked his texts with the Prime Minister after launched attacks on Mr Johnson, his fiancee Carrie Symonds and Mr Hancock over their personal conduct during an appearance before MPs earlier this month.

In the seven-hour-long evidence session he said the Health Secretary 'should have been fired for at least 15 to 20 things, including lying'.

He also alleged Mr Hancock had lied to the PM over the disastrous policy of not testing older people for Covid before they were discharged from hospital into care homes.

Mr Johnson has since attempted to play down the emergence of his private WhatsApps and insisted he has 'complete confidence' in Mr Hancock.

Elsewhere in this morning's Sky news interview, Mr Hancock confirmed ministers are looking at how to scrap the requirement for people to isolate for 10 days on return from an amber list country.

He said he is 'in favour of moving forward in this area' and replacing quarantine with daily testing.

'This hasn't been clinically advised yet - we're working on it. We're working on plans to essentially allow the vaccine to bring back some of the freedoms that have had to be restricted to keep people safe.

'After all, that's the whole purpose of the vaccination programme, that's why it's so important that every adult goes out and gets the jab.'

Asked if these plans could be in place as soon as August, Mr Hancock said: 'We'll get there when it's safe to do so.'

It is the latest embarrassment for Mr Hancock after it was revealed the Prime Minister had branded him 'f***ing hopeless' in texts to adviser Dominic Cummings

He yesterday 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.
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Former NYPD cop Eric Adams cried as he voted for himself in the mayoral primary on Tuesday morning that is likely to indicate who will become the city's next mayor in November.

Adams has 26 percent of Democrats' votes while Wiley, the most liberal candidate, has 21 percent. Garcia has 18 percent and Andrew Yang trailed in fourth with 12 percent, according to the survey conducted by Democratic firm Data For Progress.

The Republican candidates are Curtis Sliwa, the head of the vigilante safety group the Guardian Angels, and Fernando Mateo. New York City hasn't voted Republican since 2001 so whoever wins the Democratic primary is likely to become the next mayor, replacing Bill de Blasio in November.

On Tuesday morning, all of the candidates were seen out early for some last minute campaigning.

Adams, a former NYPD cop who is the toughest on law and order among the Democratic candidates, became emotional as he cast his vote.

'This has been an amazing journey. This is the American dream. I am a New York story,' he said, fighting back tears.

Former NYPD cop Eric Adams cries as he talks about how he is the 'American Dream' while casting his vote on Tuesday morning in Brooklyn. He is leading in the polls to become the Democratic candidate in November's election. NYC has voted Democrat since 2001

Adams said after voting that he is a representation of the American Dream because he overcame abject poverty as a child and learning difficulties to become a cop then Brooklyn Borough President

Adams didn't say which of his opponents he ranked after voting for himself. He promised on Monday night not to contest the election result if he doesn't win

Maya Wiley, who is the most liberal of the major Democratic candidates, is in second in the polls. She is shown in Williamsburg, greeting a baby in the street, before casting her vote on Tuesday morning

Wiley on the back of a Revel scooter with a voter on Tuesday morning. The scooters have been blamed for a spate of recent accidents

Adams remains the front-runner in the Democratic mayoral Primary Election according to the poll, with 26 per cent of likely primary voters saying they would vote for him as their first choice

'My success is the journey. This is a moment where the little guy has won. Weve won already.

'I hope every young man and woman thats out there that has a learning disability, I want them to know they can be just like Eric. That has been arrested? They can be just like Eric,' he said.

Registered Democrats will choose from a diverse group of 13 candidates for the job often called 'the second-most difficult' in the US after that of the president.

But because of a new ranking system, it could take weeks for a result to be announced.

This year's ballot will use a ranking choice system. That is what vote counters will turn to if there is not a clear winner.

The race this year comes amid a spike in violent crime across the city that is terrifying residents and deterring tourism.

All of the major candidates have used policing as an issue, although in different ways.

Adams has vowed to bring back the controversial stop-and-frisk searches that were axed because they gave way to racial profiling. He also wants to reinstate the anti-crime unit that was disbanded last year at the height of the BLM movement.

Kathryn Garcia, who is polling third, is shown on Tuesday morning in the Bronx, greeting voters as they head to the polls

Democratic candidate for New York City Mayor Andrew Yang speaks to people in the Bronx

Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa - the head of the vigilante safety group the Guardian Angels - met voters in Manhattan

Sliwa has been endorsed by former Rudy Giuliani, the last Republican mayor of New York who left office in 2001

Sliwa is pictured with Rudy Giuliani at an event on Monday ahead of Tuesday's polls. He wants to beef up policing across the city

He says he will focus the unit on gun crime.

Maya Wiley, on the other hand, wants to defund the police. During the final debate between the candidates, she said she did not think more police were needed on the subway, where crime is escalating.

Andrew Yang is ranking fourth with 12 per cent of votes while Comptroller Scott Stringer is in fifth place with five per cent of votes.

With undecided voters excluded from the poll, Adams remains at the top with 28 per cent of votes, while Wiley remains second on 23 per cent and Garcia reaches 20 per cent. Yang remains in fourth place with 13 per cent of votes and Stringer stays in fifth with five per cent.

In this most recent poll, Garcia, a former city Sanitation Commissioner, is the clear favorite among likely primary voters for their second preference with 22 per cent of voters, which could play a key role in determining the result due to the new voting system.

Meanwhile Adams has just 13 per cent of second preference votes while Wiley, who was endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, received 15 per cent and Yang got 11 per cent of the votes.

The leading NYC mayor candidates THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE Curtis Sliwa Curtis Sliwa - Republican Founder of the vigilante group The Guardian Angels Promises: Reinstate the scrapped anti-crime unit in the NYPD. He has been independent for most of his life but registered Republican in February. Endorsed by: Rudy Giuliani THE DEMOCRATS Eric Adams Eric Adams Former cop, current Brooklyn Borough President Promises: Reinstate crime-unit in NYPD, free cops up from paperwork and let them get back on the streets, appoint female NYPD Commissioner Endorsed by: George Floyd's brother Terrence Maya Wiley Maya Wiley Lawyer, professor, civil rights activist, former de Blasio advisor Promises: Defund the NYPD, launch city-wide affordable healthcare plan in New York City, build more affordable housing and more schools Endorsed by: AOC Kathryn Garcia Kathryn Garcia Former Sanitation Commissioner Promises: Raise age of police recruitment from 21 to 25, make NYC rely fully on renewable energy Endorsed by: The New York Times OUT OF THE RACE Fernando Mateo - Republican Fernando Mateo Mateo is a small business owner, President of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers and a spokesperson for the United Bodegas of America Mateo founded the Toys for Guns program in 1993 that gave out toys at Christmas for guns that were handed in to try to get them off the streets. Promises: Add another 20,000 cops to the 35,000 already in the NYPD Endorsed by: Bronx Republican Party and the Queens County GOP Andrew Yang - Democrat Andrew Yang Businessman and one-time failed Presidential hopeful. Promises: $1bn COVID relief cash program, bring back tourism Endorsed by: Elon Musk endorsed him for President

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In a result which could cause Adams some alarm, the polls shows he is the eighth favorite for the third preference votes with just nine per cent of voters saying he would be their third choice.

Stinger is ranking top of the poll or third preferences with 16 per cent while Garcia and Wiley both have 14 per cent each and Yang is only one percentage point behind with 13 per cent of voters.

For Adams, who has been endorsed by George Floyd's brother Terrence, there is still all to play for as the poll shows he has a large advantage over the other candidates with African American voters as 44 per cent say he is their first preference.

Terrence made his endorsement on Wednesday at an event with Adams. The election will be held on November 22.

Adams worked in the NYPD for 22 years and is the only Democratic candidate who is taking a decidedly pro law-and-order approach to his campaign.

Meanwhile Wiley's camp will be looking closely at the small gap between Wiley and Garcia.

Wiley's 'defund the police' platform is worrying some New Yorkers as the city faces a summer crime wave with random attacks on fearful residents both in the streets and on the city's subway.

In what could have been her chance to put those fears to rest, during a final debate between the candidates last week, Wiley decided not to raise her hand when the candidates were asked if they would put more cops on subway cars, despite a violent rise in stabbings and attacks.

Earlier in her campaign, Wiley was forced to deny that she intends to disarm NYPD cops after refusing to commit to a position during an earlier debate.

Wiley - a former de Blasio administration official and member of the Civilian Complaint Review Board - presents herself as a reformer, and advocates cutting one billion dollars from the NYPD's budget and reform how the department operates.

Wiley, who has been endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren, responded at the time: 'I am not prepared to make that decision in a debate.

'I am going to have a civilian commissioner and a civilian commission that is going to hold the police accountable and ensure we're safe from crime but also from police violence,' she said.

She has spoken openly of her plans to overhaul the New York Police Department that she claims is filled with bureaucratic waste.

Wiley has said she wants to move $1 billion from its budget to community resources.

She also plans to appoint a civilian as the NYPD commissioner and reduce the department's 35,000 officers by roughly 2,500.

'Black and brown New Yorkers both experience higher crime rates, lower resolution in solving crime and more bad experiences with police officers,' Wiley said to the Wall Street Journal during an interview.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea has said the department is including hiring more people of color as officers and has urged against spending cuts.

Amid a deluge of criticism, Wiley has attempted to insist that she does not intend to strip cops of their service weapons.

On Tuesday, voters head to polls with Covid-19 still casting a long shadow over New York, the epicenter of America's early outbreak, and which has lost 33,000 people to the virus.

But the city is now coming back to life - virtually all coronavirus restrictions have been lifted, and 66 percent of adults have received at least one vaccine dose.

A crowded field of progressives and moderates face off in a race made all the more uncertain by a new ranked-choice system of voting that has clouded all predictions.

The winner of the vote is unlikely to be known for several weeks and the mayoral election will be held on November 22.

Since New York is a Democratic stronghold, though, they are virtually guaranteed to win November's mayoral election against whomever Republicans choose as their candidate.

'There's a lot at stake here,' said Columbia University politics expert Lincoln Mitchell, citing issues ranging from the post-pandemic recovery to climate change.

Unemployment, homelessness, shootings and homicides have all surged since the coronavirus struck. Thousands of businesses have closed, tens of thousands of wealthier residents have fled and many employees are still working from home.

The pandemic, demonstrations sparked by the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 and attacks on Asian Americans have also highlighted the extent of racial inequalities in the city of 8.5 million.

New York's first new mayor in eight years will have to contend with projected budget gaps of several billion dollars each in the next few years.

They will succeed unpopular far-left Democrat Bill de Blasio, who has been mayor since January 2014.

More than 191,000 people have already cast ballots during the nine-day early voting period that ended Sunday. Tens of thousands of absentee ballots will also need to be counted.
Rescue services in Japan who were scrambled to save a 'drowning woman' floating in the sea were shocked to pull out a rubber sex doll.

YouTuber Tanaka Natsuki happened to be filming a video when she saw police, fire engines and ambulances turn up to the coast of Hachinohe in the country's north east.

The doll was floating upside down on the water, leading passersby to alert the emergency services.

Rescue services in Japan who were scrambled to save a 'drowning woman' floating in the sea were shocked to pull out a rubber sex doll

The doll was floating upside down on the water, leading passersby to alert the emergency services

Natsuki believed she was witnessing a real-life rescue until the doll, also known as a Dutch Wife, was pulled out.

She said on Twitter: 'While I was filming for my fishing video, I thought that a corpse had come floating by, but it turned out to be a Dutch wife.

'It seems someone misunderstood what it was and called the authorities, so a ton of police, fire trucks, and ambulances showed up.

'Thankfully the 'wife' was safely rescued. Nice.'

Another who saw the rescue attempt said: 'It's funny for sure, but not fun for the emergency services. Dispose of your garbage properly, people!'

YouTuber Tanaka Natsuki happened to be recording a video when she saw police, fire engines and ambulances turn up

Around 2,000 sex dolls, which cost from $6,000 and can come with adjustable fingers, removable head and genitals, are sold each year in Japan, according to industry insiders.

Dutch Wives have to be disposed of correctly but there are services available for those who have a special connection with their inanimate partners.

Japanese monk and actress Rei Kato performs funeral services for the retired dolls.

The ceremonies see the life-like figurines placed in coffins, wrapped in burial clothing and decorated with garlands.

A huge team of emergency services arrived at the scene before they realised it was only an inanimate doll

Other 'mourning' sex dolls watch on during the bizarre service which also has undertakers, candles and prayers.

Leiya Arata, who holds the funerals at her photography studio in Osaka, told Spanish news agency EFE: 'I started the business because I felt it was a real need.

'Many owners do not want them to be shredded as garbage, there are many who love them as if they were human members of their family.'

She added that many owners fear being shamed for leaving the dolls in the bin where they may be found by passersby.
Two young women working for the film company behind The Crown and White Lines on Netflix today accused their bosses of protecting an executive who sexually and physically assaulted them at a Christmas party and alleged they were encouraged not to go to the police because it would not 'be a nice experience'.

Holly Bourdillon was attacked by award-winning producer at Left Bank Pictures, Chris Croucher, who was drunk and high on cocaine when he chased her around a Soho office pestering her for sex.

Croucher, 39, who is terminally ill, tried to force himself on to Miss Bourdillon and kiss her before attacking Laura Johnston when she tried to rescue her friend.

His victim told a court he chased her around while shirtless and began touching himself behind her after asking her to take part in a threesome or a foursome.

Miss Bourdillon said she made a formal complaint about his conduct to Left Bank shortly after the incident but claims she felt 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.

This is disputed by the company who say Croucher was dismissed following an investigation.

Croucher, who made his name on Downton Abbey and worked on Hollywood movies with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, was convicted over the incident in central London in 2019.

He was given a 12-month community order and three-month curfew at Southwark Crown Court in February after admitting sexual assault and common assault.

Chris Croucher (pictured with Kate Middleton), who is now terminally ill, chased Miss Bourdillon around an office shirtless and began touching himself behind her after asking her to take part in a threesome or a foursome

Film editor Holly Bourdillon says that Left Bank Pictures should have fired Croucher, who was allowed to resign, and claims she and her friend were encouraged not to go to the police. Left Bank denies this

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 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

It came as Britain's TV industry was rocked by scandal after Bafta-award winning star Noel Clarke was accused by women he worked with of being an alleged 'sexual predator', who harassed, groped and bullied at work. John Barrowman apologised amid claims he would habitually flash his genitals on set.

Miss Bourdillon spoke to The Guardian and waived her right to anonymity claiming she felt that Left Bank Pictures put protecting Croucher ahead of their safety and wellbeing in the aftermath of his Christmas party attacks.

She said that she was terrified he would rape her, adding: 'The whole reason I went and told his boss is because I didn't want it to happen again. I didn't want it to happen to other people'.

But she claims that Grace Wilson, Left Bank's chief operating officer, wrote back in response to their allegations that Croucher had now quit, adding in an email reported by The Guardian: 'I really don't think it is a case of him getting off lightly.'

Both victims also claim they were asked by management not to explain to people why Croucher had left the company. In an email reported by the newspaper, 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.

'If asked, we can say that we cannot comment further... but we would not go beyond that to refer to conduct or inappropriate behaviour.

According to the Guardian, Miss Bourdillon also accused Left Bank's co-founder Andy Harries of allegedly saying words to the effect that he hoped that both women had learnt a lesson about drinking with colleagues after work, adding: 'Andy starts the meeting by saying that Chris was an amazing producer'.

She also said that an HR official from Sony Pictures, which part-owns Left Bank, told her 'woman to woman' that a police complaint would lead to 'intrusive questions' in a 'stark lit room' that would not 'be a nice experience'.

But she went to the police anyway and Croucher would admit the charges. Left Bank strongly denies such comments were made, according to the newspaper.

The film company said in a statement: 'At no time were the women who raised the concerns discouraged from reporting the events to the police.'

It 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 case emerged around a month after Bafta was accused of putting its reputation before victims after it emerged that bosses failed to tell Prince William about abuse allegations against Noel Clarke.

The Duke of Cambridge, who is the president of British Academy of Film and Television Arts, had planned to heap praise on the body just hours after it handed an award to the actor and producer.

The speech was due to go ahead even though the TV and film body had been made aware of lurid claims about Clarke's behaviour two weeks earlier.

Prince William was only spared the potential embarrassment when he pulled out of the April 11 address due to the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, two days earlier.

Actress Jahannah James, a star in one of Clarke's hit movies, Brotherhood, is one of his alleged victims named in the Guardian, claiming she was secretly filmed doing a naked audition that was so upsetting she still cries 'years later'

Noel Clarke on stage with Camille Coduri during a Doctor Who event where he pretended a microphone was a penis on her shoulder in a film that emerged today as he was accused of abuse by 20 women, which he denies

The prince previously criticised the body's lack of diversity when it put forward all-white shortlists for the major acting categories at last year's awards.

Clarke, 45, is facing a possible police investigation after at least 20 women came forward to describe years of abuse. They accused Clarke of sexual harassment, unwanted groping, bullying and forcing actors to take part in nude auditions between 2004 and 2019.

Clarke, a married father-of-three who is best known for the Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood trilogy, and who also appeared in Doctor Who, has denied the accusations.

Bafta is under fire for deciding to honour Clarke despite the cloud of suspicion surrounding his behaviour.

The academy was contacted about the claims on March 29, almost a fortnight before Clarke was given the Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema award on April 10. Bafta says it was not presented with any evidence to support the claims.

Scotland Yard called for potential victims to come forward. The Met said the allegations of sexual offences over a period of time were made by a third party on April 21.

It came as actress Jahannah James said she had contacted police with accusations that Clarke has covertly filmed her at a naked audition.

She tweeted: I tried to go to the police, they said they couldnt do anything unless he threatened me with the footage.

Christina Chong, who starred alongside Clarke in police drama Bulletproof, said the claims were the UK film industrys best-kept secret for years.
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A private detective who was a prime suspect during inquiries into the murder of his former business partner Daniel Morgan has denied allegations that Metropolitan Police corruption hindered its inquiries.

In a bombshell report, an independent panel last week found that Jonathan Rees drank in pubs with officers close to the investigation even after he became a suspect. Though it said it had not found enough evidence to prove police involvement in Mr Morgan's death, it said five inquiries into the murder were all flawed or compromised by police corruption.

The report sensationally concluded that the Metropolitan Police had prioritised its reputation over finding Mr Morgan's killer - sparking allegations of institutional corruption in Scotland Yard and calls for Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick's resignation.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Rees said he did not consider exchanging information with police as being corrupt. He also denied involvement in the murder, calling Mr Morgan 'my friend' and saying that the death of his former business partner had caused him 'financial and business grief'.

Mr Morgan, a private investigator, was killed with an axe outside the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south London in 1987 - but the murder has never been solved despite five separate criminal inquiries and an inquest, at an estimated cost of 30million.

Mr Rees and Mr Morgan ran a small private investigation agency, Southern Investigations, in the 1980s. Mr Rees concentrated on investigations for defence lawyers, while Mr Morgan specialised as a bailiff and debt collector.

According to the report, police became suspicious after seeing Mr Rees's 'extremely nervous' behaviour on the night of the murder. An inquest witness later alleged he had been told that Mr Rees had paid to have Mr Morgan murdered because the partners had fallen out over the running of the business.

When asked by the BBC if he had killed Mr Morgan, Mr Rees replied: 'No. For what motive? Danny was my friend... he taught me a lot and earned the firm a lot of money. It was a partnership.

'And so the more he brings in, the more I bring in, the more profits we get to share at the end of the year. And it worked well. So him dying caused me a massive amount of grief, financially and business-wise, because the partnership ceased to exist.'

In a bombshell report, an independent panel last week found that Jonathan Rees drank in pubs with officers close to the investigation even after he became a suspect

A private detective who was a prime suspect during inquiries into the murder of his former business partner Daniel Morgan has denied allegations that Metropolitan Police corruption hindered its inquiries

Mr Morgan was killed with an axe outside the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south London

The report that shames the Met: Key findings from eight-year, 16million inquiry into murder of Daniel Morgan The report criticised 'dishonesty' by the Metropolitan Police for 'reputation benefit' which it said 'constitutes a form of institutional corruption'

The police's handling of the murder scene in 1987 was 'totally inadequate' as it was not secured and was left unguarded;

Alibis were not sought for all suspects, search warrants were 'seriously inadequate' and many opportunities lost were not retrievable;

Evidence of a culture within the Met at the time which allowed 'very close association' between police officers and 'individuals linked to crime' which included them drinking in pubs together;

Officers who were involved in 'lucrative corrupt practices' such as selling confidential details may have been concerned by indications that Mr Morgan was going to report corruption;

Some ten officers involved in the police investigations were Freemasons, which had aroused suspicions of conflicting loyalties;

Mr Morgan's family 'suffered grievously' because of the failure to bring his murderer or murderers to justice, 'misinformation' and a 'denial of the failings' in the investigations;

A later probe by an external force, Hampshire, was found to have been compromised by the inclusion of a senior Met officer on the team

Also criticised the Met for then Assistant Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick's initial refusal to grant access to a police internal data system called HOLMES and the most sensitive information; Advertisement

In its report last week, the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel concluded forms of police corruption had hampered both the murder inquiry, and its own work to investigate the reasons why the case was never solved.

The Daniel Morgan Independent Panel found 'extensive evidence' of links between Mr Rees, Metropolitan Police Detective Sergreant Sid Fillery and other officers - even after Mr Rees had become a suspect in the murder.

Mr Rees accepted that he drank with serving officers, but said: 'Relationships between a journalist or private investigator with officers in the case, and lawyers and barristers exchanging information, I don't see that as corrupt.'

Asked by the BBC if he personally knew any officers who he regarded as corrupt, he said: 'I've never worked with them. There were some people that I wouldn't cross the road to talk to them. There were some wrong'uns, that they got themselves involved in things that were totally illegal and wrong.'

One police officer had resigned while under investigation and another had been dismissed for failing to meet standards of honesty and integrity.

Nigel Shepherd, a lawyer representing Mr Rees and Mr Fillery, said that the intelligence report was an attempt by the Metropolitan Police to cover their 'shambolic investigation' and that its claims could not be verified.

Mr Rees said he had employed some officers who had been suspended for disciplinary reasons, though 'some we couldn't take on because of what they were accused of.'

In 2000, Mr Rees was convicted of conspiring to pervert the course of justice with another corrupt officer, Detective Constable Austin Warnes, after they arranged to plant drugs in the car of a young mother and have them discovered by the police. Mr Rees was working for her husband during a custody battle.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Rees also claimed he was innocent of that offence and that the conviction was being considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. It is understood that the CCRC rejected his application for an appeal in December.

The independent panel also found a Met Police analysis from 2000 which detailed 273 cases where 'journalists were provided with confidential information' by Mr Rees's agency. Mr Rees denied paying police cash, but admitted paying their expenses and buying them drinks and meals.

He also rubbished suggestions that his decision to give Mr Fillery a job at Southern Investigations 'nearly two years' after Mr Morgan's death was part of a plan to fill a 'dead man's shoes'.

The panel's report points to evidence that Mr Fillery told other officers seven months after the murder that he might go and work for Mr Rees - and worked without pay at the firm before taking the job.

The panel concluded there was evidence indicating that Mr Rees had a 'very close and unprofessional relationship with Det Sgt Fillery'.

Its report also contains dozens of allegations about or criticisms of Mr Rees, but did not accuse him or anyone else of involvement in Mr Morgan's murder because the panel is not a court.

Mr Rees said the case against him and other defendants collapsed because 'there was no evidence against us' - not because of corruption. Allegations against him came in 'anonymous phone calls, letters, gossip, and vicious rumours', he told the BBC.

Mr Rees believes police were 'blinkered', pursuing one line of inquiry, that he was part of a murder conspiracy. He continues to work as a private investigator.

Mr Morgan's son, also called Daniel, has spoken of his anger, and said Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick should consider her position. He told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: 'I don't accept their apologies.

'I think we've heard enough apologies. I think it's time for action now and I'm not sure whether they are, with what they've said, the right institution and the right organisation to get to the bottom of all these allegations.

'They've essentially admitted there were some failings, they've talked about why the process has taken so long.

When asked by the BBC if he had killed Mr Morgan, Mr Rees replied: 'No. For what motive?'

Daniel Morgan was investigating claims of corruption within the Metropolitan Police when he was murdered in 1987

Nick Ephgrave, the Assistant Commissioner, talked about not getting the balance right with how they approached the panel in terms of releasing documents.

It comes as Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said she does not believe the force is institutionally corrupt and said she did not obstruct the work of an inquiry into the Daniel Morgan case.

The police chief hit back at the findings from an independent panel as she defended Scotland Yard's work and her job.

However, Mr Morgan said: 'I think the Commissioner should consider her position, I think potentially it should be taken out of her hands.

'A lot of this happened way before she was ever the commissioner but she is a continuation of the same culture, I'm afraid. The culture of the Metropolitan Police is cancerous and I think the only way you get rid of cancer is you cut it out.'

Mr Morgan added that he didn't believe the force represented value for money and urged London's Mayor to intervene.

He said: 'I call on Sadiq Khan to do something to make sure the Met Police is, and represents, more value for money for the people of London because it's our service and it should be treated as such. It shouldn't be us and them.

'When I look at this, [the panel] have done a really good job and for that I'm grateful but society owed the Morgan family this document.

'We've been let down seriously, this is a scandal. This is the walk we've had to walk, this is the Morgan family's shoes and when you dive into this you appreciate this is a disgusting mess and never should have happened.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said she does not believe the force is institutionally corrupt

Alastair Morgan (right), the brother of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan, with his family solicitor Raju Bhatt (centre) speaking to the media following the publication of the report

'My dad had an axe embedded in his skull and was left for dead in a murder that was meant to look like a robbery that was actually an execution. That's quite a hard thing to come to terms with.'

Amid calls for her to resign, Dame Cressida said: 'I don't believe we are institutionally corrupt. No, I don't accept that. I have the deepest feelings for Daniel Morgan's family. They have shown extraordinary grit and determination and courage.

'Yesterday, I apologised again to them for our failings and the fact that we have not brought anybody to justice despite six investigations and countless other reviews and pieces of work.'

She added: 'And for the fact that, in so doing and along the way, we have clearly, we the Met, my force, of which I'm very proud to be the Commissioner, we have caused them extra anguish. But I don't accept that we are institutionally corrupt, no.'

An independent panel led by Baroness Nuala O'Loan found that the Met had put protecting its own reputation above finding Mr Morgan's killer.

The panel's report said: 'Concealing or denying failings, for the sake of the organisation's public image, is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.'

Lord Blair defended current Scotland Yard boss Dame Cressida Dick as 'the finest officer of her generation' and refused to accept there is systemic corruption in the force'

Dame Cressida said it is her job to focus on leading the Met through 'what has been in the last 15 months, for all sorts of reasons, some pretty challenging times'.

She added: 'My people do very difficult work, they have to make very difficult decisions, often with far too little time, sometimes with far too little information. I'm very proud of them. I love my job and I will continue to do it.

'I'm an honourable person. If I thought I should be considering my position I would be, but I don't.'

Dame Cressida's comments come after one of her predecessors Lord Ian Blair hit out at accusations that the force is institutionally corrupt as 'just not true'.

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, he defended the current Scotland Yard boss as 'the finest officer of her generation' and refused to accept there is systemic corruption in the force.

He said: 'The allegation that the Met is institutionally corrupt is just not true. There is no evidence of systemic corruption in the Metropolitan Police.

'If you then use that to describe a reluctance to come forward, you then have to compare the BBC marking its own homework over Martin Bashir.

'Institutions do have a protective process and I'm sorry about that but I just don't believe the words institutionally corrupt in any way reflect what the public understanding of what that would mean.'

The Met admitted in 2011 that the grossly inadequate first investigation into Mr Morgan's murder - which saw the murder scene left unsearched and unguarded - had been hampered by corruption.

But the panel has now found that corruption had gone on after the initial inquiry, and questioned why no action had been taken to bring those who sabotaged the first investigation to justice.

A string of police investigations and an inquest have failed to convict anyone of the killing or any associated corruption in protecting those responsible.

The numerous inquiries into the case have largely been due to the campaigning efforts of Mr Morgan's brother Alastair, who has fought for justice for more than 30 years.

He said on Twitter today: 'We achieved a historic result yesterday and I'm pleased and proud of this.'

But he expressed his regret that his mother Isobel Hulsmann, who died in 2017, did not live to see the report's publication, something that he blames on the Met.

Mr Morgan said: 'My greatest regret is that my mother never lived to see the publication of the Daniel Morgan panel's report. The Met's constant delays and obstructions made this impossible.'

Britain's most senior police officer faced calls for her head after the report concluded she personally placed 'hurdles' in the way of the search for the truth about Mr Morgan's death.

The independent panel found Scotland Yard had been more interested in protecting its reputation than in cracking what has been dubbed the 'most investigated unsolved murder in the history of the Metropolitan Police'.

Baroness O'Loan, who led the inquiry, described the institutional corruption finding as equivalent to the Macpherson report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which concluded the force was 'institutionally racist'.

She said the failings of the original shambolic murder investigation had been compounded over the past three decades by the shameful attempts to hide the extent of the rot at the heart of the force.

She added Scotland Yard owed Mr Morgan's family an apology for not confronting its systemic failings and those of individual officers, including Dame Cressida.

The baroness accused the commissioner of 'obfuscation' - thwarting attempts to access sensitive documents and police computers, leading to costly delays in the inquiry.

'The family of Daniel Morgan has suffered grievously as a consequence of the failure to bring his murderer or murderers to justice, the unwarranted assurances which they were given, the misinformation which was put into the public domain, and the denial of the failings in investigation, including failing to acknowledge professional incompetence, individuals' venal behaviour, and managerial and organisational failures,' she added.

'Concealing or denying failings for the sake of an organisation's public image is dishonesty on the part of the organisation for reputational benefit, and constitutes a form of institutional corruption.'

Concerns about vetting police officers persist to the present day, said Baroness O'Loan, adding that there were no adequate safeguards to ensure that officers were not engaging in criminality.

Professor Rodney Morgan, a panel member, said: 'The term 'institutional corruption' is not used in a historic sense, it's used in the present tense.' Yesterday Mr Morgan's brother Alastair said the family would consider suing the force for putting them 'through hell'.

Asked whether Dame Cressida should resign, he said: 'Yes, absolutely I think she should consider her position.'

In a statement, the Morgan family said: 'At almost every step, we found ourselves lied to, fobbed off, bullied, degraded and let down time and time again. What we were required to endure was nothing less than torture.'

Singling out Dame Cressida for blame, the report said she had not given a 'reasonable explanation' for blocking access to computer data and delaying the release of files, the last of which were provided only in March.

The investigation into Mr Morgan's murder was described as 'shockingly incompetent', with officers failing to search the scene, which was left unguarded, 'pathetic' forensic work and no alibis sought for suspects.

A Home Office source said there were 'serious concerns with the Met's leadership and how it responded to failings' - although Home Secretary Priti Patel and Boris Johnson later expressed confidence in Dame Cressida.

The commissioner apologised for past mistakes, saying: 'It is a matter of great regret that no one has been brought to justice and that our mistakes have compounded the pain suffered by Daniel's family. For that I apologise again now.

'I have been personally determined that the Met provided the panel with the fullest level of co-operation in an open and transparent manner, with complete integrity at all times.'

Scotland Yard rejected the report's finding of institutional corruption, with assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave saying: 'It doesn't reflect what I see every day.'

He insisted the panel had been given 'unparalleled access' including to the police Holmes database, adding: 'The commissioner has no need to consider her position. She has overseen disclosure to an extent never seen before.'

The force is conducting a review of the case and has repeated appeals for anyone with information to come forward. It has offered a 50,000 reward.
A man is to appear at crown court charged with the rape and murder of a 'kind and lovely' nursery school worker.

Sophie Cartlidge, 39, was found dead at the home she shared with Andrew Grimes, 37, at 9.10am on Friday, June 18, after police were called following concerns for her safety.

Grime was arrested at the property in Baldwin Avenue, Bottesford, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire.

Ms Cartlidge was a nursery worker and mother-of-two and was popular among both parents and children at the Little Acorns Pre-School, in Broughton, where she worked.

Tributes have described her as the 'kindest and loveliest woman' who made a difference to many lives, with one saying they were lucky to have known her.

Little Acorns Pre-school will be closed for a week as her friends and colleagues mourn the tragic loss.

Ms Cartlidge, 39, (left) was found by police with significant injuries at home on in Bottesford, at 9.10am on Friday, June 18. Andrew Grimes, 37, (right) has been charged with murder

Earlier the senior investigation officer, Detective Chief Inspector Grant Taylor told how the property in Baldwin Avenue was shared by Ms Cartlidge and Grimes, who also owned another house in Temple Road, Scunthorpe.

No weapons were used in the fatal injuries sustained by the mother.

The senior officer said: 'Our thoughts remain with Sophie's family and loved ones who continue to be supported by our specialist trained officer at this sad time.

'This is an isolated incident and there is no wider risk to members of the public. Our neighbourhood teams will continue to support and speak to local residents, if you see our officers please come and speak them if you have any concerns.

'I want to say thank you to those who have helped with our enquiries throughout our investigation.'

Humberside Police said that no weapons were used, but that Ms Cartilage (nee Redhead) 'suffered significant injuries at the property she shared with Andrew'

Floral tributes to Ms Cartlidge appeared in the street where she lived with her family.

She has been described in tributes as an 'absolutely beautiful woman who was adored by absolutely everyone'.

'We are devastated to have lost our friend and colleague Sophie on Friday, June 18,' the nursery said on social media.

'We have spoken with all parents of Little Acorns to inform them of this week's closure.

'We ask at this time for your continued patience and understanding while her friends and family grieve their loss.

Andrew Grimes, 37, of Temple Road, Scunthorpe, has been charged with one count of murder and two charges of rape. Pictured: Police attend the home in Bottesford

'We thank those that have laid flowers at the setting.

'Updates will be given by the committee as we continue to support our team.'

One mum, whose son attended the nursery, said: 'This really has broken my heart, this beautiful woman had such an impact on my son's life. Sophie was always his favourite at nursery and they had such a special bond.

'She was adored by absolutely everyone. She lit a room with her bubbly personality and the children doted on her.

'Sophie wasn't his key worker but she was always his favourite. They had a beautiful bond and she was absolutely incredible at her job.

'To this day, whenever I saw her, she always asked how he was and couldn't wait to see him again.

'What a beautiful lady and teacher this lady was to me and my son.

'Truly heart-breaking how someone so loved and appreciated can be taken away from a world.

'Rest in peace Sophie. Thank you for being so special and a big part of my son's life, he for sure absolutely adored you. You were truly amazing at your job, we was lucky enough to know you.'

Ms Cartlidge was found by police with significant injuries at her home on Baldwin Avenue, Bottesford (pictured)

One mother said the news had 'truly broken my heart. So sorry this happened to a beautiful, kind woman.

'Sophie was an amazing lady who worked in my son's nursery and she will be extremely missed. Sending so much love and prayers to her friends and family and all the little lives she's helped shape.'

Another parent said: 'Sophie has helped so many, she really did have a heart of gold and will be truly missed by all.'

'Sophie was loved by all - such a friendly lady and adored by all children. She will be sadly missed and remembered by all.'

Emergency services arrived at the scene around 9.10am on Friday, June 18 after reports of concern for a person's safety.

Grimes appeared at Grimsby Magistrates' Court to face one charge of murder, alleged between June 17 and 18 and two charges of rape.

The defendant appeared wearing a protective mask and light grey top. He was flanked by two custody officers when he appeared in the dock.

He spoke only to confirm his age and address. No pleas were entered to any of the charges.

Prosecutor, Martin Howarth, appearing on a video link, told the court the case had to be referred to the Hull Crown Court within 48 hours.

He said the defendant could not apply for bail and had to be kept in custody.

Defence lawyer, Andrew Havery, made no application after speaking to his client earlier.

Grimes was remanded in custody to reappear at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday.
An incredible video shows the moment thousands of bright green budgerigars soar across the sky.

The footage was captured by The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs and uploaded to Instagram on Sunday.

A flock of the native Australian birds could be seen flying in formation around a brown field at the regional property, while chirping loudly.

'Beautiful wild bright green budgies!,' the caption read.

Pictured: Thousands of green budgies flying over a sanctuary in Alice Springs, Northern Territory

Pictured: A bright green budgie in Australia, similar to the ones that flew over The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs

'I was very lucky to be able to sit quietly on the ground in our sanctuary while flocks of thousands of budgies landed at my feet and flew all around.

'They are loving the grass seeds.'

Stunned viewers took to the comments section to praise the animal sanctuary for capturing the scene.

'That is absolutely amazing! So many cockatiels around at the moment as well,' one social media user shared.

'Oh wow. That is amazing. I bet you haven't stopped smiling,' another wrote.

Stunned viewers took to the comments section to praise the animal sanctuary for capturing the scene (pictured)

Another cheeky user joked: 'Dont open your mouth while looking up though.'

The Kangaroo Sanctuary replied with a laughing emoji.

Budgies are small birds which usually fly in large flocks in the wild to deter predators.

They are nomadic birds that follow grass seeds in arid parts of the country.
His comments are at odds with health officials, who said the vaccine is voluntary

In televised remarks on Monday, he even threatened to forcibly inject residents

The president, 76, told Filipinos to leave the country if they will not cooperate

Rodrigo Duterte threatened to arrest Filipinos who refuse to get Covid vaccine

The president of the Philippines has threatened to arrest and forcibly inject Filipinos who refuse to get the Covid-19 jab amid reports of vaccine hesitancy.

Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, told Filipinos to leave the country if they will not cooperate with efforts to end the public health emergency.

In televised remarks on Monday evening, he said he has become exasperated with people who refuse to get immunised then help spread to coronavirus.

The president, 76, even went as far as to threaten to arrest and forcibly inject people who refuse the vaccine, saying he would order village leaders to compile a list of defiant residents.

President Rodrigo Duterte (pictured), who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, told Filipinos to leave the country if they will not get the Covid-19 vaccine

He said: 'Don't get me wrong. There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency.

'If you don't want to get vaccinated, I'll have you arrested and I'll inject the vaccine in your butt.

'If you will not agree to be vaccinated, leave the Philippines. Go to India if you want or somewhere, to America.'

His comments were at odds with those of his health officials, who have insisted that while people are urged to receive the Covid vaccine, it is voluntary.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra acknowledged on Tuesday that there was no Philippine law criminalising refusal to get vaccinated against coronavirus.

'I believe that the president merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible,' Guevarra said.

In televised remarks on Monday, he said he is exasperated with people who refuse to get the vaccine then help spread to coronavirus. Pictured: A woman gets Sinovac Covid jab in Manila

His comments were at odds with health officials, who have said that the Covid vaccine is voluntary. Pictured: A health worker prepares a dose of China's Sinovac vaccine in Manila

Human rights lawyer Edre Olalia raised concerns over Duterte's threat, saying he could not order the arrest of anybody who has not clearly committed any crime.

Duterte and his administration have already faced criticism over the vaccination campaign, which has been saddled with supply problems and public hesitancy.

After repeated delays, vaccinations got underway in March, but many still opted to wait for Western vaccines, prompting some cities to offer snacks and store discounts to encourage people to get immunised.

Duterte blamed the problem on Western countries cornering vaccines for their own citizens, leaving poorer countries like the Philippines behind. Some officials said the bigger problem was inadequate vaccine supply more than public hesitancy.

Duterte, who has been criticised for his tough approach to containing the virus, has also gone back on an earlier remark that only required people to wear plastic face shields over face masks in hospitals as an added safeguard.

After experts briefed him on the threat of more contagious coronavirus variants, Duterte instead made it mandatory for people to wear face shields indoors and outdoors.

As of June 20, Philippine authorities had fully vaccinated 2.1 million people, making slow progress towards the government's target to immunise up to 70 million people this year in a country of 110 million.

The Philippines is a Covid-19 hotspot in Asia and has currently recorded more than 1.3 million infections and at least 23,749 deaths.

The president (pictured), 76, even threatened to arrest and forcibly inject people who refuse the vaccine, saying he would order village leaders to compile a list of defiant residents

Duterte has faced criticism over the vaccination campaign, which has been saddled with supply problems and public hesitancy. Pictured: A motorcycle delivery driver is inoculated

Over the weekend, the government signed a supply agreement for 40million doses of the Covid vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE, in its biggest coronavirus vaccine deal to date.

Deliveries of the vaccine will begin in late September, Carlito Galvez, head of the government's Covid-19 vaccine procurement, confirmed on Sunday.

It 'will significantly boost our national immunisation programme and will enable us to realise our goal of achieving herd immunity by year-end,' he added.

The Philippines has ordered 113million doses from five vaccine manufacturers - including 26million from China's Sinovac, 10million of Russia's Sputnik V, 20million doses from Moderna and 17million doses from AstraZeneca.

So far, the Philippines has administered slightly more than eight-million doses, of which about six-million were first doses.

Earlier this month, the country started a programme to vaccinate 35million people working outside their homes, while continuing to inoculate priority sectors such as healthcare workers and the elderly.

To help boost the government's Covid response, a team of medical experts from the Israel Ministry of Health has arrived in the capital city. Galvez said the health experts will share strategies, including how to address vaccine hesitancy.

The Philippines will also allow the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be given to children aged 12 to 15, possibly starting later this year, he added.

But Duterte is continuing to stand by his decision not to let schools reopen despite fears of a 'learning crisis', he also confirmed in his address on Monday.

The Philippines has signed a supply agreement for 40million doses of the Covid Pfizer vaccine. Pictured: Health workers prepare doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in a parking lot in Manila

As of June 20, Philippine authorities had fully vaccinated 2.1 million people. Pictured: Delivery riders and tricycle drivers line up for Covid vaccine in Manila on June 22

The government's target is to immunise up to 70 million people this year in the country of 110 million. Pictured: A motorcycle rider is inoculated with China's Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine

The president continued with the yearlong shutdown of schools due to concerns students could infect elderly relatives, and he only plans to lift these restrictions when vaccinations are widespread.

In the same address, he took a swipe at the International Criminal Court, after an ICC prosecutor sought permission from the court for a full inquiry into the drug war killings in the Philippines.

Duterte, who in March 2018 cancelled the Philippines' membership of the ICC's founding treaty, repeated he will not cooperate with the probe, describing the ICC as 'bullshit'.

'Why would I defend or face an accusation before white people. You must be crazy,' Duterte said, who after winning the presidency in 2016 unleashed an anti-narcotics campaign that has killed thousands.

Human rights groups say authorities have summarily executed drug suspects, but Duterte maintained those who were killed violently resisted arrest.

Sought for comment, ICC courtspokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said: 'The Court is an independent judicial institution, and does not comment on political statements.'
A plan by Eton College to build 3,000 homes on farmland could wipe out one of Britain's most important breeding rivers for sea trout, outraged locals have warned.

The 48,000-a-year boarding school owns a large plot of unspoilt countryside in East Chiltington on the edge of the South Downs National Park in Sussex.

Part of the site is intersected by the Bevern Stream, a nationally important spawning ground for sea trout, whose numbers are dwindling.

But a developer working with Eton recently gave notice to the local parish council for plans to build thousands of properties on the 500-acre site.

Critics have claimed the college - which stands to make around 120million from the development - will take the money from the sale and run, leaving the land to be 'irreversibly damaged'.

Eton College has sparked local fury after revealing plans to sell large plot of unspoilt countryside on the edge of the South Downs National Park in Sussex to housing developers. It is claimed a 3,000 home site could wipe out one of Britain's most important breeding rivers for sea trout

Part of the site is intersected by the Bevern Stream, a nationally important spawning ground for sea trout, whose numbers are dwindling

The row is set to bring preservationists and countryside campaigners on a collision course with the Government which is under pressure to allow more housing on green belt land.

Furious locals have now set up a protest group called Don't Urbanise The Downs and are raising funds to seek specialist advice.

Marc Munier, the campaign's leader, said: 'The development would have a catastrophic impact on the natural environment here.

'Nothing would mitigate the irreversible damage that building a huge new town here would cause.'

He added: 'Trout are a flagship species in the Ouse catchment area, and their presence is a marker of the health of the river.'

East Chiltington Parish Council has already stated it sees 'no merit' in Eton's proposal

The prestigious boarding school in Windsor owns this large swathe of unspoilt countryside in the hamlet of East Chiltington

The Bevern is a chalk stream - one of the world's rarest habitats - and provides the perfect habitat for sea trout and other species to grow in.

The Ouse and Adur River Trust say the species are considered very important because, although relatively rare, their presence indicates a healthy river system.

Sam St. Pierre, vice chairman of the Ouse and Adur River Trust, said: 'Sea trout like to spawn in small gravelly streams and the Bevern is the most prolific spawning ground in the area.

'Sea trout from the Ouse grow to be enormous fish - even 12lb fish are not uncommon.

'This makes the river unique. If you go to rivers elsewhere, such as Wales or Scotland, the sea trout aren't nearly as big.

Furious locals have now set up a protest group called Don't Urbanise The Downs and are raising funds to seek specialist advice. Pictured: Marc Munier, the campaign's leader (left)

'If the Bevern got further polluted, the trout here could disappear. They could just go extinct in this particular stream.

'And we're not talking about acute pollution - we're talking about the kind of general low-grade pollution that you would get as run-off from urban development.

'If it degraded the spawning area, the sea trout could just disappear and a vitally important sea trout population could be wiped out.

'A 3,000-house development would cause sewage problems and raise the risk of abstraction which could cause the Bevern to dry up.

'It's the scale of this development that is the most horrifying aspect and we are very concerned that it would cause significant ecological harm.'

The project is planned jointly by Eton College and Welbeck Land, which describes itself as 'a strategic land promoter and master developer'.

Critics claim Eton College (pictured) stands to make around 120million from the development

Welbeck Land, working on behalf of Eton College, said they were 'a responsible promoter of sustainable places' and had appointed an independent ecological consultant to carry out surveys of the farmland.

The surveys could take up to a year to complete.

A spokesperson for Welbeck said: 'The results will influence our proposals and we will be working to protect and enhance the existing environment, land and waterways.'

The developer's vision for the area is to create a small town, claiming it is the only place next to the National Park that could accommodate 'a new settlement of sufficient size to achieve genuine sustainability in the era of climate change'.

Proposals say there will be a high street and four 'walkable neighbourhoods where most everyday needs can be met within 15 minutes' walk or by cycle'.

They insist it will 'not be a dormitory town, full of executive homes, that empties in the morning as residents head off on long commutes, only to return in the evenings'.

Don't Urbanise The Downs have received support from several MPs and local leaders.

Local Conservative MP Maria Caulfield said: 'The scale of the numbers of houses being proposed is completely inappropriate.

'Most villages round here have only a few hundred homes. So a whole new development with thousands of houses would be completely overwhelming.

'And then there is the fact that the national park is extremely close and would be affected by light pollution, fertiliser run-off and other environmental damage.'

She spoke out with the Government backing a target of building 300,000 homes a year to ease the housing crisis.

The planning proposal could prove an embarrassment for Eton-educated Boris Johnson as he faces pressure to ditch his proposed shakeup of planning reforms ahead of hosting the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this year.

Under the reforms, councils will face increased building targets and developers given automatic permission to build homes in certain zones, which critics say will spoil the countryside.

It comes as another proposal in neighbouring West Sussex threatens to pit the Prime Minister and his Cabinet against a coalition of Tory councillors, environmentalists and Stanley Johnson, his father.

The Knepp estate, a wilderness near Horsham, has become a template for the revival of endangered habitats and species after being 'rewilded'.

Its owners have converted what was once intensively farmed land into a wilderness for free-roaming ponies, cattle and deer, as well as turtle doves, nightingales and peregrines.

But the site faces an uncertain future because of plans to build thousands of homes at Buck Barn on the Knepp estate's border.
An iconic Australian muscle car built over four decades ago is up for auction this weekend and is expected to fetch a record-high price of more than $1million.

The 'ultra-rare' Holden Torana A9X GMP&A was one of only 33 ever built in 1977 and has just 475km on the clock.

It was never raced or registered and is considered to be 'the holy grail of Holden motor car collectors in Australia'.

The 'ultra-rare' Holden Torana A9X GMP&A was one of only 33 ever built in 1977 and has just 475km on the clock

It is up for auction this weekend and is expected to fetch a record-high price of over $1million

'Since Holden closed their doors, many muscle car enthusiasts are mourning the loss of performance cars, and there has been a resurgence in these classic cars,' Lee Hames from Lloyds Auctions said.

'With the Holden prices we've seen achieved at auction in the last six months, we certainly wouldn't be surprised to see this car break records once again.'

The A9X was the very last racing Torana before Holden switched to the more modern V8 Commodores.

The model was somewhat controversial at the time because it was a two-door hatchback, not a regular four-door version.

It meant the vehicle was lighter for racing and in 1978 and 1979 Peter Brock and Jim Richards won the Bathurst 1000 with the new speed machines.

The Torana up for sale on the weekend was originally owned by Australian motor racing legend Ron Hodgson, who purchased three of the 33 shells in 1977.

It was never raced or registered and is considered to be 'the holy grail of Holden motor car collectors in Australia'

The model was somewhat controversial at the time because it was a two-door hatchback, not a regular four-door version

Two were immediately transformed into race cars and the other was kept as a spare in case of an accident.

But two years later Hodgson's chief mechanic Peter Molloy was instructed to build up the untouched shell into a complete car.

Based on recent sales of sought after Holden vehicles, Mr Hames expects revheads from Australia and across the globe to be lining up to snap up the A9X.

'While the very last Holden off the production line sold for $750,000, a Harvey A9X Torana sold for $910,000 and a special one of four Holden Maloo Ute sold for $1,100,000 in January,' he said.

The Torana up for sale on the weekend was originally owned by Australian motor racing legend Ron Hodgson, who purchased three of the 33 shells in 1977

Two were immediately transformed into race cars and the other was kept as a spare in case of an accident

But while there is sure to be an array of offshore interest, Mr Hames suspects the beloved car will remain Down Under.

'For those interested in a fantastic investment or just a deep sentimental and patriotic connection to Holden, this is the car they have been waiting for' he said.

The auctions will go ahead on Saturday at 12pm in Lloyds' showroom at Villawood in Sydney,

Bidders are also welcome to join the auction online or over the phone.
A father-of-four who was snared by paedophile hunters while trying to meet a '13-year-old girl' for sex has been jailed for two years.

Raymond Carpenter, 40, was expecting to meet the 'child' at Manchester Piccadilly station on July 5 last year, but was instead met by up to a dozen members of the vigilante group, who live streamed the confrontation on Facebook.

The video shows Carpenter holding his head in his hands as the vigilantes tell him to 'stop preying on our children' and brand him 'Raymond the monster of Manchester'.

It came after he had previously sent a picture of his genitals to the 'girl', whose social media account was being run by a decoy adult woman, Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Carpenter was met by paedophile hunters who branded him a 'beast' and a 'monster' for trying to meet a '13-year-old girl' for sex

He was said to have been left 'humiliated' by the group, which calls itself the Elusive Child Protection Unit.

The video, in which Carpenter says he 'made a mistake' after being branded a 'beast', has since been viewed 250,000 times.

Carpenter was handed a two-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child, attempting to incite a child into sexual activity, and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence

Bob Elias, mitigating, said his client was 'terrified' of going to jail and said he was 'the lowest of the low as a sex offender.'

Mr Elias claimed Carpenter's actions were all part of a 'fantasy' in his mind.

The court heard how Carpenter began chatting with the 'girl', known as Kimberley, asking her: 'Are you a good girl or naughty?'

During the conversation the 'girl' told him she was only 13 years old.

When Carpenter asked if she wanted to see 'under his boxer shorts', the girl said she was worried she might get in trouble. He said if the girl deleted their chats then no-one else would know, the court heard.

Carpenter again asked if she wanted to see his genitals, and he sent a picture.

In a video live streamed to Facebook, Carpenter holds his head in his hands after being snared by paedophile hunters

He also sent a picture of him holding a snake, saying 'it was as big as his privates' and told the 'child' he wanted to have sex with her before asking her to meet up with him.

The decoy account passed the details of the arranged meet up to other members and around ten people confronted Carpenter at the station on July 5 last year, along with police.

Mr Elias said Carpenter, of Failsworth, was remorseful and had no previous convictions for sexual offences.

Raymond Carpenter, 40, was sentenced to two years in jail at Manchester's Minshull Crown Court

The barrister appealed for Carpenter to be spared jail because there was no actual victim.

Mr Elias argued: 'There is no good in locking him up, only harm to him and humiliation. He has been thoroughly humiliated already by these paedophile hunters.

'It is an offence in his own fantasy, an offence in his mind. It was never going to happen.'

But the judge, Recorder Michael Duck QC, said the offence was too serious.

He told Carpenter: 'I accept this has wreaked havoc upon your life. But those who engage in this sort of behaviour have to understand the consequences.

'It is plain you believed you were conversing with a 13-year-old girl. It is plain from the conversations that took place what your intentions were.'
The G7 summit is not to blame for spiralling Covid cases in Cornwall, the county's health chief said today.

Rachel Wigglesworth, the region's director of public health, argued infections were already increasing before the three-day summit took place because of May's easing of restrictions.

Leaders of the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy descended on the region between June 11 and 13, along with their teams, security staff, journalists and protesters.

A handful of hotels, cafes and bars in the surrounding area were forced to shut after summit because of Covid outbreaks.

And Cornwall's Covid infection rate has also quadrupled in size in the past week, the Government's own data shows.

A local MP said the link between the summit and the 'tsunami' of infections was 'undeniable'.

But No10 played down the link yesterday, insisting the rise in cases was down to the relaxation of restrictions on May 17.

Ms Wigglesworth also denied the G7 was to blame in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Four areas in Cornwall, including St Ives and Halsetown, Towednack, Lelant and Carbis Bay, Ponsanooth, Mabe Burnthouse and Constantine, as well as Falmouth West and South, have all recorded over 800 cases per day per 100,000 in the seven days up to June 16

She said the 'rapid rise' in case numbers was in response to Covid restrictions being eased last month, as well as the school half-term holiday from May 31 to June 4.

England entered step three of the roadmap on May 17, which allowed pubs, bars and restaurants to open indoors. It also allowed people to once again meet in groups of six indoors, or 30 outdoors.

Ms Wigglesworth claimed 18 to 30-year-olds were 'particularly affected' by the rise in cases in Cornwall because they are largely unvaccinated.

She was asked whether she would 'reject the mischievous thesis' that the influx in cases was linked to the summit.

Ms Wigglesworth said: 'We did see an increase in some of our case rates, as I say, in these younger age population some time before any of the G7 summit events.

'And we were encouraging a lot of our population and also the people who visited for the summit in Cornwall to test regularly so that we could identify any cases.

From June 1 to 16, the number of people testing positive per 100,000 in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly increased from 3.8 to 130.6

In the space of one week from June 9 to 16, the number of people testing positive per 100,000 in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly increased from 33.6 to 130.6. On June 16, 161 Covid infections were identified in Cornwall, up from just five cases on June 1

Despite the huge increase in Covid infections, the number of people dying from the virus in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has remained flat, with just one death recorded in May and none so far in June

Figures from June 20 show that 393,517 have received their first vaccine dose in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Data shows that 307,370 people had received their second Covid jab by June 20

Matt Hancock says double-jabbed Britons could be exempt from travel quarantine rules Hopes are rising for a foreign summer holiday season in August as ministers are 'working on' plans to exempt fully vaccinated Britons from quarantine rules. Matt Hancock confirmed ministers are looking at how to scrap the requirement for people to isolate for 10 days on return from an amber list country. The Health Secretary said he is 'in favour of moving forward in this area' and replacing quarantine with daily testing. Mr Hancock also said the country remains 'on track' to see the remaining domestic coronavirus restrictions lifted on the new 'freedom day' of July 19. On the issue of travel quarantine, Mr Hancock told Sky News: 'This hasn't been clinically advised yet  we're working on it. 'We're working on plans to essentially allow the vaccine to bring back some of the freedoms that have had to be restricted to keep people safe. 'After all, that's the whole purpose of the vaccination programme, that's why it's so important that every adult goes out and gets the jab.' His comments came amid growing anger in the tourism and aviation sectors over the Government's traffic light system as travel bosses demand the restrictive rules are overhauled. Advertisement

'So that proactive approach did identify cases both in the community and particularly at at university that had an outbreak early on before the G7.

'So quite a number of those cases can be tracked back to that group and then through into some of our hospitality venues.

'I think we need to be clear the Delta variant from our experience in Cornwall does transmit really rapidly,' she said.

'It can spread very quickly particularly among our unvaccinated group.'

She said the council is 'really tracing down and trying to suppress' outbreak clusters and encouraged people living in or visiting Cornwall to use rapid tests, so they can identify positive cases 'as early as possible'.

Ms Wigglesworth said she still would encourage visors to come to Cornwall, but to follow Covid rules and take tests before arriving.

A spokesperson for Boris Johnson yesterday claimed there was no link between the summit and the spike in cases.

The spokesperson said yesterday: 'We are confident that there were no cases of transmission to the local residents.

'All attendees were tested, everyone involved in the G7 work were also tested during their work on the summit.

'We always said, following the move to step three, that we will see cases rising across the country. That is what we're seeing playing out.'

But critics say the link between the summit and mass of Covid infections must be linked.

Former local Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George, who is now a councillor in Cornwall, said: 'The correlation between G7 and the tsunami of Covid-19 caseload in St Ives/Carbis Bay and Falmouth is undeniable.

'It ought to drive public bodies to at the very least maintain an open mind about the connection between the two.

'Those who were responsible for that decision and for the post-G7 summit Covid-19 case management and assessment should be held to account for their decisions and actions.'

At least five hospitality venues in St Ives temporarily closed last week following Covid outbreaks or concerns about rising case numbers following the G7 summit

Images of world leaders gathered together on the sands of Carbis Bay in Cornwall for the G7 barbecue drew anger from the wedding industry who have been left in limbo about whether large gatherings will be allowed to take place again

Covid cases in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly began to rapidly increase at the beginning of June, in line with the trend across the UK, official data shows.

The Delta variant, which was first identified in India and is thought to be around 80 per cent more infectious than the previously dominant Kent 'Alpha' variant, is now linked with 99 per cent of all cases in England.

In the space of one week from June 9 to 16, the number of people testing positive per 100,000 in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly quadrupled from 33.6 to 130.6.

But despite the rapid spread of the virus, deaths and hospitalisations have remained low.
Michael Gove and Priti Patel were spotted emerging from the exclusive private members' club Oswald's last night.

The minsters were photographed wearing masks as they left the private club in Mayfair, central London, which is frequented by royals, billionaires, and A-listers alike, following a dinner for two.

The scenes come as Mr Gove prepares to announce whether so-called Covid passports could be used to enable venues like pubs and restaurants to remain open if cases rocket later this year.

Last night, Ms Patel donned a gold and black jacket, black mask and a pair of gold shoes as she left the venue.

Michael Gove was photographed wearing his mask as he left the private club Oswald's in Mayfair, West London, last night

Home Secretary Priti Patel donned a gold and black jacket, black mask and a pair of gold shoes as she left the exclusive venue

Meanwhile Mr Gove sported a black suit and navy blue tie as he emerged from the private members club with the Home Secretary.

Perched on the corner of Shepherd's Market in Mayfair, Oswald's, named after owner Robin Birley's grandfather, is a club for both men and women - with a huge focus on wine.

The luxurious private members' club is thought to be the best for wine connoisseurs, where guests can either cellar their own wine, or buy in house, before enjoying them in the ground floor restaurant or on the small rear terrace.

The latest scenes come as Mr Gove prepares to review whether 'Covid certification' could be used by public venues to help them remain open amid the pandemic.

Plans for the widespread use of so-called Covid passports were put on the back-burner earlier this year following a backlash from MPs and parts of the hospitality sector.

However a review could now see the certification become commonplace at mass events where people would otherwise have to take a Covid test to gain entry.

If the plans are approved, a new function on the NHS app will allow people in England to demonstrate their vaccination status and could also be used to enable people to travel abroad.

The revelation came as the Prime Minister said he was increasingly confident that the delayed 'Freedom Day' lifting of restrictions would finally take place on the new target date of July 19.

Speaking to reporters from Hertfordshire this week, Mr Johnson 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.

Mr Gove is preparing to announce whether so-called Covid passports could be used to enable venues in the UK to remain open

Boris Johnson warned this week that although it is 'looking good' for the lifting of restrictions on July 19, Britain could still face a 'rough winter' if cases surge

A new function on the NHS app allows people in England to demonstrate their vaccination status

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 4's 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

'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.'

However the Prime Minister added that the country may still have 'a rough winter for all sorts of reasons'.

He continued: '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.'

Ministers will decide at the end of this week whether Covid data has improved enough to allow restrictions to be lifted early at a 'review point' on July 5.

On Sunday, Mr Johnson's spokesman said the Government would continue to monitor the data but played down the idea of an early release.

He said: 'We will monitor case data day by day to see if moving forward after two weeks is possible.

'You'll see the data we are looking at  10,000 cases recorded for the third day in a row on Saturday, which is the highest level since February 2.

'The seven-day average for hospitalisations also continues to rise. ICU (Intensive Care Unit) intake is also rising.'

Yesterday, figures from the Department of Health revealed Britain's daily coronavirus case had risen by another third in a week.

Health bosses recorded 10,633 positive tests last night  up 37.3 per cent on last Monday's count  and five deaths.

Meanwhile 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.
A brown bear has eaten and killed a 16-year-old boy at a Russian national park before it was stabbed in the neck with a penknife by a tourist who was also attacked by the predator.

The beast half ate the teenager, floored the tourist and lunged at another when they went in search of the missing boy.

The bear played dead after being stabbed before it was later shot and killed.

A brown bear has eaten and killed a 16-year-old boy at a Russian national park before it was stabbed in the neck with a penknife by a tourist

The beast half ate the teenager, floored the tourist and lunged at another when they went in search of the missing boy

When the tourist stabbed the bear with the pocket knife, his companion fled back to camp where they raised the alarm.

Inspectors at Ergaki National Park in the Sayan Mountains rushed to the scene where they found the bear lying on the devoured remains of the teenager some 500 yards from the tourist camp.

They shot and wounded the wild bear, which then fled.

Early next morning they tracked and killed the 'aggressive' animal which tried to attack them.

Rangers carry the body of the teenage boy through the woods after he was savagely attacked

When the tourist stabbed the bear with the pocket knife, his companion fled back to camp where they raised the alarm (file image)

'After hours of tracking, the man-eating bear was killed by the park staff,' said a statement from the national park.

The male tourist suffered scratches, cuts and bruises from his fight with the bear.

The boy, from Abakan, was working as a sherpa for the holiday group when he was attacked and killed at around 11am on Monday.

The two men were confronted by the bear nine hours later when they left their tents to check for him.

The attack took place in Ergaki National Park in the south of Russia near the border with Mongolia

The boy, from Abakan, was working as a sherpa for the holiday group when he was attacked and killed at around 11am on Monday

Igor Gryazin, director of the national park, said the boy had taken a short cut which exposed him to additional danger.

Prolonged cold weather this year had led to thick snow cover, preventing the bears from feeding properly.

Ergaki is known as Russia's Yosemite for its similarity to the Californian national park.
Boris Johnson was warned that proposed reforms to the planning system to kick-start a massive wave of house building could be his 'poll tax moment' today amid a bitter Tory row.

William Hague, the former party leader and foreign secretary, said that the Conservatives' shock loss of Chesham and Amersham in a by-election last week served to 'sound a warning'.

The Liberal Democrats won the Buckinghamshire seat that has been a Tory stronghold since its creation in 1974 after overturning a majority of more than 16,000 votes.

The plan to ease restrictions on where homes can be built was a major issue in the campaign, sparking fears about building in the countryside around the seat in the Chilterns.

But Tory MPs across the country have warned that the scheme would make it easier to build on pristine 'green belt' land, putting more Tory shire seats at risk.

Writing today in the Times, Lord Hague likened the row to that which blew up in the last months of Margaret Thatcher's premiership.

The Poll Tax sparked massive riots in London in 1990 and was later replaced by the council tax in place today.

'While Chesham and Amersham is not much of a guide to future elections, it does sound a warning about issues that might become more national in scope, consuming the energy of ministers and becoming a spreading controversy around the country,' Lord Hague wrote.

William Hague, the former party leader and foreign secretary, said that the Conservatives' shock loss of Chesham and Amersham in a by-election last week served to 'sound a warning'.

Tory MPs across the country have warned Boris Johnson that the scheme would make it easier to build on pristine 'green belt' land, putting more Tory shire seats at risk.

The Poll Tax sparked massive riots in London in 1990 and was later replaced by the council tax in place today.

Tax that sparked violence and helped bring down Thatcher The poll tax was a massively unpopular personal tax introduced in 1989 and 1990 that sparked a wave of violence and helped end Margaret Thatcher's premiership. The Community Charge, as it was official known, was a replacement for the unpopular rates system which was used to fund local authorities and services. The rates were based on the rental value of a property, meaning those with larger houses paid more, and their abolition was a long-standing Conservative manifesto pledge. The poll tax was instead a levy paid by every single person at a flat rate decided by the local council. But critics attacked it for putting more tax burden on the poor. Large families in small homes, for example, were especially badly hit. Its introduction sparked unrest across the country. The largest protest, on March 31, 1990, saw 200,000 people descend on Trafalgar Square in central London. More than 100 people were injured and more than 300 arrested in violence that followed. The tax was one of the factors that led to the leadership challenge against Thatcher that year, which sparked her resignation. Her successor, John Major, replaced the poll tax with the council tax we have today, which is more similar to the rates system that had been used previously. Advertisement

'In that respect, the furore over the planning white paper reminds me in some respects of the gathering fuss about the poll tax when I had that chat with Margaret Thatcher.

'That is not to argue that it will be such an all consuming issue or bring down a prime minister. But it has the ingredients of huge trouble ahead, not just in the southern shires but among northern Tories, most of whom live in their own pleasant suburbs and villages. They are not so different.'

Last night Mr Johnson's father joined the backlash against his son's planning reforms.

The Prime Minister is already facing a revolt from within his party over the 'electorally toxic' moves that would step up house-building and make it harder for locals to object to new homes.

Under the plan 300,000 homes will be built a year. The reforms would give automatic permission for homes in new zones earmarked for growth.

And even his own father raised concerns about the damage the plans could cause to the environment.

'I think we have to be tremendously careful before we push through planning reforms, which themselves may serve to undermine the very basis of our nature protection programmes,' Stanley Johnson told Times Radio.

'And I'm not convinced that telling the Horsham District Council, ''Yes, you've got to build 1,000 houses'' or whatever it is, giving them no room to manoeuvre, is the way forward.'

However a senior minister last night defended the plan, saying that the Government had 'a duty to young people and families' to help them get on the housing ladder.

Writing in the Telegraph, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'The property-owning democracy is one of the foundations of our country: the belief that home ownership should be achievable for all who dream of it and young people should aspire to the keys to their own home.

'We have a duty to young people and families to help them get there, and benefit from the security and prosperity it can bring. The majority of people aspire to it, even if it seems a distant dream to many. We want to make that dream a reality.

The Liberal Democrats' Sarah Green won Chesham and Amersham last week, a Buckinghamshire seat that has been a Tory stronghold since its creation in 1974, after overturning a majority of more than 16,000 votes.

Boris Johnson's father Stanley yesterday joined the backlash against his sons planning reforms, arguing they could cause damage to the environment

Writing in the Telegraph, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'The property-owning democracy is one of the foundations of our country'

'Equally, it is clear that many people have concerns about new housing in their area. They want good-quality homes, proper infrastructure, and they want to protect spaces such as the green belt. We have a duty to hand the next generation an enhanced natural and built environment.

'We are listening. Many of these worries hinge on the fact that our current planning system is not trusted - it is seen as too complicated, too weighted in favour of big constructors to the exclusion of smaller housebuilders and local people. I agree.'
A one-year-old boy has died after becoming wedged between a bed and a wall after he was left at home with only his sibling to look after him.

Mother Marie Dorleus, 36, has been arrested and charged with manslaughter, Spring Valley Police Department said in a news release on Monday.

The incident happened at around 8:40pm on Saturday evening.

A one-year-old boy has died after becoming wedged between a bed and a wall after he was left at home with only his sibling to look after him (Stock image)

The children were at a home in Spring Valley, Rockland County in the state of New York.

The one-year-old was left with his six-year-old sibling and the pair had no adult supervision, police say.

Authorities arrived at the scene to find the child unresponsive and trapped between a bed and the wall.

The Spring Valley Fire Department was dispatched to help in freeing the child.

Paramedics battled to save the boy at the scene.

He was later rushed to Nyack Hospital where he died from his injuries.

The mother of the child was subsequently arrested.
The Vatican has made an 'unprecedented' formal diplomatic objection to a draft Italian law against homophobia, a news report said Tuesday.

The so-called Zan law, which is currently being debated in Italy's parliament, seeks to punish acts of discrimination and incitement to violence against gay, lesbian, transgender and disabled people.

According to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, the Vatican argued in a formal note that the bill violates the Concordat, the treaty between Italy and the Holy See.

The Vatican has made an 'unprecedented' protest against new equality laws in Italy that would force Catholic schools to participate in a new pro-LGBT public holiday (file image)

'It is an unprecedented act in the history of relations between the two states - or at least, there are no public precedents,' the daily said.

Pope Francis' de facto foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, delivered a letter, or 'note verbale', to the Italian embassy to the Holy See on June 17.

The letter suggested that the Zan law would breach the Concordat by curtailing Catholic freedom of belief and expression.

This is because Catholic schools would not be exempted from an obligation to take part in a newly-created national day against homophobia, lesbophobia and transphobia.

The letter also expressed concern that Catholics could in the future face legal action for expressing opinions against LGBTI rights, Corriere said.

Corriere noted that even if the Holy See had 'never before' taken such a step against a draft Italian law, the Concordat gives it the right to do so.

Neither the Vatican nor the Italian foreign ministry responded to requests for comment on the Corriere report, published four days before Rome's 2021 Gay Pride parade.

The Zan law was passed by the lower house of parliament in November, but its final approval is far from guaranteed as it faces stiff opposition from right-wing parties in the Senate.
Matt Hancock today defended controversial NHS data-sharing plans, which health chiefs believe will revolutionise patient care.

The Health Secretary insisted 'data saves lives', as he unveiled new plans aimed at boosting patient care.

If approved, the plan would give patients access to their health records through an app. It could also allow them to manage appointments, refill medications and speak with health and care staff when needed.

Critics fear that the data could be used for other purposes and that patients do not understand the new system.

But the Health Secretary today rejected calls to write to patients to let them know about the change, saying 'hardly anybody writes to you these days'.

He said: 'We have got to get healthcare and how the NHS communicates into the 21st century.'

The Health Secretary rejected calls to write to patients to let them know about plans move patient records onto an app that both they and healthcare staff can access, saying 'hardly anybody writes to you these days'.

The Government's new data-sharing plan follows fury over the publicity of a similar but independent scheme last month.

NHS Digital  the body overseeing the use of data in the health service  wanted to upload GP records of all patients in England to its own central database from July 1.

Patients had to opt out of the system  which will see data stored for up to 10 years  or see them automatically enrolled in the GPDPR database.

But following outrage that the database could harm doctor-patient relationships and that the public were not fully informed about the scheme, ministers pushed back the cut-off date for the creation of the central NHS database until September 1.

Mr Hancock was not asked about the GP data-sharing scheme, which campaigners warned could see sensitive data shared with tech giants.

But he was grilled on Radio 4's Today programme about the new proposals, called 'Data Saves Lives: Reshaping health and social care with data'.

It is part of a wider drive to digitalise the NHS, and will allow the 'proportionate sharing of data for the purpose of supporting the health and care system'.

The plan was published today by NHSX  a unit combining teams from Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and NHS Improvement.

It would allow patients to use apps to access their medical information, procedures and care plans, manage appointments and order repeat prescriptions.

The NHS said the plan will give both patients and healthcare staff better access to patient records, which will lead to better quality care

Asked whether he should encourage trust in the scheme by writing a letter to every NHS user in the country to inform them of the 'Data Saves Lives' plan and ask whether they want to opt out, the Health Secretary said: 'There are a couple of things about that, the first is that hardly anybody writes to you these days.

'We have the [coronavirus] vaccine programme where most people have got their invitation through text message.

'The second thing is we absolutely need to have a proper national debate about this it is one of the reasons I am here this morning and we've published this strategy.'

He insisted the data strategy will improve the use of data and improve care, research and the way the NHS operates, as well as making it more secure and protecting peoples' privacy.

The Health Secretary said: 'What I want to do is make sure everybody has the opportunity to express their preference and their consent because I believe that fundamentally that your health data belongs effectively to you.

'It isn't the preserve of your GP or of some company that provides the tech into the NHS.'

Mr Hancock also hailed the discovery of 5 steroid drug dexamethasone for treating seriously ill Covid patients as a success that supported plans to boost the use of data in the NHS.

Matt Hancock said the 'vast, vast majority' of people would sign up for their data being used if there is a 'strong mission and purpose' behind the use of that data

Mr Hancock said: 'A million lives have been saved around the world because of that discovery, which was discovered in the NHS, not anywhere else, in the NHS.

'Now that is one example. A million people alive today who would have died if it was not for that high quality use of data in the NHS. So that's what we're trying to achieve with the proper strong safeguards.'

But campaigners hit back against the proposals.

Cori Crider, co-founder of Foxglove, a campaign group for digital rights told the BBC that the government was taking a 'collect it all first and ask questions later' approach with its 'Data Saves Lives' plan.

How to opt out of the GPDPR scheme If you dont want to have your GP medical records on the new database, search online and print off a type 1 opt out form  or ask your GP for one. Return the completed form to your GP practice. Alternatively, call NHS Digital on 0300 303 5678 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday and ask for one to be sent to you. (Calls to 0300 numbers cost up to 10p per minute from landlines, and up to 40p per minute from a mobile.) Return the form to your GP practice on or before June 23 to allow time for it to be processed before NHS Digital starts collecting the data on July 1. If you miss this deadline, you can still opt out, but this only stops new information on your records being added to the database  it wont erase information already there. To opt out of having your hospital data shared, visit digital.nhs.uk/services/ national-data-opt-out. Advertisement

She said GPs should send a consent form to individuals, asking if they wanted to opt out of the scheme.

There are also fears that the GPDPR data could end up in the wrong hands, with Foxglove earlier this month calling on the Government to reveal exactly who will be able to access the data.

However, in unveiling the plans today, the Department of Health sent out an array of opinions from top health chiefs who were in favour of the move.

Clare Gerada, the former boss of the Royal College of GPs, said better use of data is 'vital' and will be 'transformational' for the NHS.

And Sir John Bell, who helped develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, said the Data Saves Lives scheme has the potential to 'enable new breakthroughs'.

Minister for Innovation, Lord Bethell said: 'The safety of the public will only be improved if the health and care system makes better use of data.

'We have already seen how analysing patient data on maternity outcomes has improved care for mothers and babies.

'Greater sharing of patient information across the health and care system will undoubtedly go on to drive further improvements in patient safety, ultimately saving lives.'

Under the separate GPDPR scheme, the NHS plans to use the information for research, such as into the long-term impacts of coronavirus and developing cures for serious illnesses.

The data will be kept under strict privacy, security and confidentiality rules, NHS Digital said.

But it will be shared with companies that have 'a clear legal basis' for using the data, after being approved by an independent panel.

Labour, the Royal College of GPs and the British Medical Association (BMA) all raised concerns about the plans. NHS Digital subsequently pushed back the planned cut-off date.

Mr Hancock said today: 'I put a pause on that to work with the privacy groups to ensure we have stronger protections, and with these what are called trusted research environments, I think we will have stronger protection and higher quality research, because we put in place the most advanced modern approaches to using data.'
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Popular European tourist destinations with low Covid-19 case rates such as Malta, Italy and Germany should be added to the UK's quarantine-free 'green list' when ministers announce any changes, travel experts said today.

Analysis by the PC Agency consultancy suggested 14 countries currently on Britain's 'amber list' could be moved to green because their Covid-19 case rates over the past fortnight are less than half those in Britain.

These countries also include other European spots such as Poland, Finland, Croatia and the Balearic Islands, along with the US, Canada, Mexico, Barbados and Grenada in North America. The only African country is Morocco.

The UK Government is set to decide this week on whether the current green list will be expanded from 11 countries which include only Gibraltar, Iceland and Israel as viable holiday destinations for British tourists.

But experts warned that mass changes were unlikely at the moment, especially given the move earlier this month to put Portugal on the amber list having pushed it to the green list in May. And a Whitehall insider told the Times: 'The science says we could add lots of countries to the green list but some ministers are taking a different view.'

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said the next update on the traffic light system is due this Thursday, with the first milestone review of travel due on June 28 - although the two could be merged as part of an overall update on how the UK Government will treat double-jabbed citizens.

He told MailOnline this morning: 'Our data shows there are 10 to 20 countries which should be on the green list as they are safe and zero or low risk. Malta, Grenada, Finland, Poland, Barbados should definitely be green.

The PC Agency travel consultancy has suggested 14 countries currently on Britain's 'amber list' could be moved to green

This table produced by the PC Agency looks at case rates in countries which could see them moved to the 'green list'

'But I believe the government will only add a small number because they continue to adopt a cautious approach.

'The best thing they could do immediately to help the sector recover though is say that fully-jabbed citizens can visit amber destinations and not have to quarantine on their return to the UK. European and US citizens have that freedom - the same should apply in the UK.'

It comes after 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.

What is on Britain's green list - and what could be added in latest review? The 11 countries currently on Britain's green list: Australia

Brunei

Falkland Islands

Faroe Islands

Gibraltar

Iceland

Israel

New Zealand

Singapore

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha The 14 c ountries that could be added to the green list due to low case rates, according to the PC Agency: Grenada

Barbados

Malta

Morocco

Poland

Finland

Jamaica

Mexico

Balearic Islands

Germany

Italy

Canada

Croatia

USA Advertisement

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.'

He added: 'This is going to be, whatever happens, a difficult year for travel. There will be hassle, there will be delays, I'm 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 journeys.

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.

Sunseekers enjoy the warm weather on the sandy beach at Golden Bay in Malta on May 4, which is among the popular European destinations that travel experts say could be added to Britain's 'green list' for quarantine-free travel

Beach loungers are set for tourists in Opatija, Croatia, on May 15 with no takers as the pandemic continues to hit travel

People walk on a beach during sunset at Agadir in Morocco on June 16, which is among the countries that could be opened up

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.

Tui, Virgin Atlantic and IAG in legal action against Government travel rules Tui has announced it has joined Virgin Atlantic and British Airways' parent company IAG in supporting legal action against the Government's coronavirus travel restrictions. The UK's largest tour operator said the three firms have become interested parties in a challenge launched by Ryanair and Manchester Airports Group last week. The legal bid is an attempt to get the Government to be more transparent in relation to how it determines which countries are on the green, amber and red lists under the traffic light system for international travel. There are currently no major viable tourist destinations on the quarantine-free green list. Speaking at the Travel Matters conference organised by industry association Abta, Tui managing director Andrew Flintham said: 'At the time of the last country review, many destinations such as Malta, the Greek islands and the Balearics had much lower rates (of infection) than the UK. 'It was inexplicable as to why these were not added and instead Portugal was moved straight from green to amber, without the slightest sign of stopping at the much-vaunted green watchlist. 'We must understand the criteria we are all working towards so we can pre-empt when countries may move into different categories and help our customers with that challenge, and we must understand how the framework is being applied.' Advertisement

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 UK's economic recovery and competitiveness.

'Stalling the resumption of international travel until August could cost the country dearly. We simply can't afford any further delay  we are running out of time and money, with many businesses facing going bust if international travel doesn't resume in July.'

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 Government's 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 Government's traffic light system to be reviewed.

Alan French, of Thomas Cook, said: 'We've long argued that the Government should take into account people's vaccination status when it designed the current traffic light system so it's 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 six 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 January 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. 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 last September 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. 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. Advertisement

How daily tests could end the need for quarantine by the end of this summer

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.

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.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the National Institute for Biological Standards in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, yesterday

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.

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

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.

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.

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.
Gavin Newsom has announced that California will pay off all unpaid rent accrued during the pandemic using a $5.2 billion federal pot 'on a scale never seen before in the US.'

The Governor, who is facing a recall election expected in the fall, is also likely to extend a ban on evictions for unpaid rent beyond June 30 - a pandemic-related order that was meant to be temporary but is proving difficult to undo.

'California is planning rent forgiveness on a scale never seen before in the United States,' Newsom wrote on Twitter Monday night, quoting a New York Times article.

The 53-year-old Democrat, who finds his state flush with unused federal Covid relief cash and surplus tax income, is also going to splash another $2 billion to cover the costs of electricity and water for lower income households.

Announcing the measures last week, Newsom said: 'Anybody that's been impacted by this pandemic that can't pay their rent, we will pay 100 percent of your rent going back to April of last year.

'Anybody that's impacted by this pandemic that can't pay their rent and can't afford their water bill or their utility, California will pay those bills.'

Announcing the measures last week, Newsom said: 'Anybody that's been impacted by this pandemic that can't pay their rent, we will pay 100 percent of your rent going back to April of last year. Anybody that's impacted by this pandemic that can't pay their rent and can't afford their water bill or their utility, California will pay those bills.'

'California is planning rent forgiveness on a scale never seen before in the United States,' Newsom wrote on Twitter Monday night, quoting a New York Times article

California had anticipated dire budget shortfalls when Newsom announced lockdowns last year.

But the state, like many others, finds itself with more money than expected after Congress bailed out local governments from federal coffers.

California is poised to cover not just unpaid rent, but also another $12 billion back to taxpayers through stimulus checks worth $600 to millions of middle-class citizens.

Such is the abundance in funds sloshing around, Republican lawmakers in D.C. have argued that the Biden administration should recoup some of the surplus for its planned infrastructure upgrades.

California's budget has also been buoyed by the tech boom amid the pandemic, with some of the state's top earners helping to pump the treasury full by selling their stocks and mansions.

The state relies heavily on the incomes of the wealthy and achieves surpluses in years when the market does well - which it did, particularly for Silicon Valley, throughout 2020.

The rental relief programme is going to be available to residents who earn no more than 80 percent the median income in their area and who can prove financial hardship amid the pandemic.

In San Francisco, a family of four would have to earn less than $146,350 to qualify.

Newsom has been meeting with legislative leaders privately to negotiate the allocation of the state's $260 billion operating budget, with a raft of generous measures on the table including a brand new education bill, buying hotels and apartments for the homeless and to waive traffic violation fines for poor people.

The Governor and the executive branch are fine tuning their rental scheme, but it promises to be a colossally generous programme.

'Nationwide this is certainly the largest rent relief there's ever been,' Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, told The New York Times. 'The big question is can we spend it all.'

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.

But the state has been slow to distribute that money, and it's unlikely it can spend it all by June 30.

A report from the California Department Housing and Community Development showed that of the $490 million in requests for rental assistance through May 31, just $32 million has been paid. That doesn't include the 12 cities and 10 counties that run their own rental assistance programs.

Gavin Newsom talks during a news conference at Universal Studios in Universal City, California on June 15

A For Rent sign is posted in Sacramento, California (stock image)

'It's challenging to set up a new, big program overnight,' said Assemblyman David Chiu, a Democrat from San Francisco and chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee. 'It has been challenging to educate millions of struggling tenants and landlords on what the law is.'

Landlords point to the state's rapid economic recovery as a reason not to extend the eviction moratorium much longer. California has added 495,000 new jobs since February. In April alone, California accounted for 38% of all new jobs in the U.S. This week, Newsom lifted all restrictions on businesses, heralding it as the state's grand reopening.

'We're getting back to normal,' Carlton said. 'It's time to go back to work. It's time to pay the rent.'

While employment among middle- and high-wage jobs has exceeded pre-pandemic levels, employment rates for people earning less than $27,000 a year are down more than 38% since January 2020, according to Opportunity Insights, an economic tracker based at Harvard University.

'The stock market may be fine, we may be technically reopened, but people in low-wage jobs - which are disproportionately people of color - are not back yet,' said Madeline Howard, senior attorney for the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

Some housing advocates are asking the state to keep the eviction ban in place until the unemployment rate among low-wage workers has dropped to pre-pandemic levels. It's similar to how state officials would impose restrictions on businesses in counties where COVID-19 infection rates were higher while those with lower infection rates could reopen more quickly.

Advocates say they were encouraged when Newsom told Univision earlier this month that he 'definitively' wants to extend the eviction protections beyond June 30.

'We're cautiously optimistic,' said Francisco Duenas, executive director of Housing Now California. 'We definitely need these protections as part of our recovery.'

Kelli Lloyd, a 43-year-old single mother who says she has not worked consistently since the pandemic began in March 2020, says it's not fair to expect rent payments from July.

'The expectation for people to be up and at 'em and ready to pay rent on July 1 is wholeheartedly unfair,' said Lloyd.

Lloyd - a member of the advocacy group Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment - is supposed to pay $1,924 a month for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom rent-controlled apartment in the Crenshaw district of south Los Angeles.

But she says she's $30,000 behind after not working for most of the last year to care for her two children as day care centers closed and schools halted in-person learning.

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 doesn't 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.
A father-of-three has been bedbound in a nursing home for 14 months after coronavirus left him 'trapped' in his own body, his wife has said.

Engineer David Brown, 55, was rushed to East Surrey Hospital after catching the virus during the first wave of the pandemic in the UK in April last year.

He battled coronavirus for 10 days before he was put into an induced coma for 33 days after losing weight, during which time he caught pneumonia, suffered sepsis and kidney failure, and underwent a bilateral stroke.

The father-of-three from Surrey defied the expectations of all - including his wife Claudia Brown, who was told by doctors he 'won't make it'.

However, Mr Brown is now unable to walk or talk and has been bedbound in Glebe House nursing home in Charldon for the past 14 months due his condition. He is due to move to a rehabilitation centre on Monday.

Devastated Mrs Brown, 45, said that her husband is 'trapped' in his own body and called him 'the sickest man in Britain after Covid'.

David Brown (centre) with his children Mia, 12, Taylor, 21, and Max, 19

The whole family before Mr Brown fell ill in April 2020 with coronavirus

'I am horrified by what has happened to Kate Garraway's husband but at least he can say goodnight to his children at night,' she said.

Derek Draper, Miss Garraway's husband, spent 12 months in hospital after contracting the deadly disease in 2020 and is now being cared for at home.

Mrs Brown went on: 'David is stuck in a nursing home with elderly people. He is unable to walk or talk and has to be moved every few hours to prevent seizures.

'He is probably one of the sickest men in the country from coronavirus. He isn't getting the rehabilitation he needs. It is so unjust and unfair.

'David is aware of everything going on, he cried when he saw our youngest Mia [12]. And he laughs at jokes, yet it is a race against time.'

Holding back tears, Mrs Brown said: 'When the ambulance took David, we thought he would be back within a few days. He had coronavirus for 10 days prior which came in waves. One day he was fine and the next horrendous.

'I think he dropped a stone whilst lying in bed with a sky-high temperature and loss of appetite. It was terrible to see but I never thought it would come to this.'

Derek Draper, 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

Left to right: Mrs Brown, Taylor, Mia, and Max with their father Mr Brown, an engineer

Mrs Brown is pictured left next to her husband Mr Brown and daughter Taylor

Engineer David Brown, 55, was rushed to hospital after catching the virus during the first wave of the pandemic in the UK in April last year

Mr Brown was immediately put into an induced coma. After he caught pneumonia in both lungs and sepsis, turning his limbs blue, his wife received two phone calls in which she was told he 'won't make it'.

'He doesn't want to die. He is fighting so hard, he wants to be home with his family.

'Our eldest daughter Taylor [21] is pregnant which makes it even more heartbreaking because he hoped to be a young granddad. We are all broken without him.

'I visit him every day to comb his hair, give him a wash and pamper.'

He remain in hospital until July, when he was then moved to Putney Rehabilitation for three months. However, he made very few improvements.

There was confusion with funding as Mr Brown had not changed his GP in Croydon despite living in Surrey. The family fought for funding and Surrey Heartlands have covered the costs.

In October 2020, he was moved to Glebe House and registered to a nearby GP. His stay at the nursing home was funded by Surrey Heartlands.

From October until this month, Mr Brown did not pass eligibility tests for rehabilitation centres as they did not think they were able to help him.

The family contacted their local MP Christpin Blunt and complained a number of times to try and give Mr Brown a second chance in rehab.

Recently, his physiotherapist put his name forward and he was accepted yesterday by QEF rehabilitation centre. He will move there on Monday for four weeks before being reasssesed.

Devastated Mrs Brown, 45, said that her husband (pictured before he became ill) was 'trapped' in his own body and called him 'the sickest man in Britain after Covid'

His wife added: 'David grew up in Purley, London, and he never changed his doctors which caused a problem with funding. We just want him closer to home but he is far too sick. He needs three people to get him in and out of bed.

'The staff at the nursing home have been incredible. The chances of him coming home are very slim. I've had to sell our family home for a smaller property as I wasn't able to keep on top of the bills alone.'

Friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe page available here to help raise money for Mrs Brown and their children Mia, Max, 19, and Taylor.

Mrs Brown said: 'I hope people realise coronavirus is real. People are happy about lockdown restrictions have been lifted but it's all just getting worse by the day for us.

'Our daughter Taylor is pregnant and her dad isn't able to celebrate with her.

'He wanted to be a young granddad. All of this wouldn't have happened if he never got the virus so it hurts me when people say it's not real.'

A spokesperson from NHS Surrey Heartlands said: ' We are not able to comment on individual cases.'
A devastated son has spoken of his fury after he rushed halfway across the world to see his terminally ill mother in Perth - only for her to die while he was trapped in Melbourne by Covid red tape.

James Turbitt - who has twice tested negative for Covid and is fully vaccinated- raced back to Australia from Belgium to be by his mother's bedside, but was forced to divert through Victoria where he was put into hotel quarantine.

After arriving in Australia on Friday, Mr Turbitt was told on Saturday that his mother only had 12 hours to live - and despite pleading for mercy from the authorities, he was banned from flying to Western Australia to be with her.

Mr Turbitt's mum died in Perth's Fiona Stanley Hospital on Sunday at 1.30am, leaving her son to deliver his last goodbye over a hotel internet hook up.

James Turbitt (pictured) - who has twice tested negative for Covid - raced back to Australia from Belgium to be by his mother's bedside but was forced to divert through Victoria where he was trapped in hotel quarantine - before being denied the right to see her one last time

Now he's gone on TV to question the quarantine process that appears to favour foreign celebrities over Australian citizens.

Since March 2020, anyone arriving into Australia has been made to go into hotel quarantine for two weeks, but some notable exceptions have been made to allow people to isolate at their home or another private residence.

'It is an absolute nightmare, the worst period of my life,' Mr Turbitt told Ten's The Project on Tuesday night.

'I'm devastated, heartbroken and pretty much embarrassed to be Australian right now. The quarantine laws here are absolutely deplorable.

'They give out these compassionate exemptions, but I don't know who they give them to. They give them to the celebrities, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks...

'I understand that they are trying to keep COVID out, but they shouldn't be doing it like this.'

James Turbitt's mum died in Perth's Fiona Stanley Hospital on Sunday, after her son had to deliver his last goodbye over a hotel internet hook up from Melbourne's Stamford Plaza (pictured)

Mr Turbitt, an Australian citizen who lives in Antwerp, was instructed by Victoria's Department of Health to fly directly into Melbourne as no flights were available to land in Perth.

He was told that even if he was granted an exemption to see his mother, he would have to charter his own plane to Perth to ensure he was not putting the community at risk.

Mr Turbitt had tested negative for Covid-19 before leaving Brussels on June 13, and again before boarding his flight to Melbourne.

He had not seen his mum for two years and claimed officials were unhelpful, accusing the authorities of showing 'fake empathy' towards his plight.

'A couple of weeks ago, my mum went into hospital, so then on that Thursday I just thought, "OK, I've got to get back to Australia,"' he told The Project by video link from his mandatory quarantine bedroom at Melbourne's Stamford Plaza Hotel.

James Turbitt, (pictured) an Australian citizen who lives in Antwerp, was instructed by Victoria's Department of Health to fly directly into Melbourne as no flights were available to land in Perth

'I landed in Melbourne and I was pleading with everyone there that I could see, back and forth with these people on email. There is no direct number you can ring.

'No-one would give me any answer on a compassionate exemption. I woke up on Saturday when my sister rang me and she said, "look, Mum has already gone in for the first part of her surgery."

'It was brutal. She made it through that. She is really tough. She is a beautiful lady. So then, as the day went on, I rang my sister and she said they said she has 12 hours to live.

'It was the most heartbreaking thing. I was sitting here in the hotel and there was nothing I could do.'

But the heartbreak was not enough to persuade health chiefs to allow Mr Turbitt to travel.

Mr Turbitt had tested negative for COVID-19 before leaving Brussels on June 13, and again before boarding his flight to Melbourne but was forced into mandatory hotel quarantine (pictured, his room in the Victorian capital)

'[Medics in Perth] sent me through a document that she had 12 hours left, palliative care basically, and so I forwarded that onto the WA side, I forwarded that onto the Victorian side,' he explained.

'WA got back to me and said, "no, we don't grant you an exemption."'

Even after his mother died, Mr Turbitt still didn't have permission to fly to Perth for the funeral.

He added: 'I seriously thought that when I left Brussels that I was going home and I was going to see my mum.

'I'm an Aussie. I expected help and compassion when I came home, but it has been absolutely deplorable.'

Mr Turbitt has now gone on hunger strike in a bid to get the process changed.

He added: 'My girlfriend and my sister don't want me to do it and obviously it is not the right thing to do for my health, but...I don't know what's going on here.

James Turbitt (pictured) has now gone on hunger strike in a bid to get the process changed.

'It's just been a horrible nightmare for the last few days and I'm lost for words. I think the restrictions are too brutal and too barbaric.'

In New South Wales, a similar case is underway as Mark Kilian tries to get access to Queensland to see his father before he dies from pancreatic cancer.

He appealed to Prime Minister Scott Morrison for help, but the PM wrote to him today to admit he cannot force Queensland to open their borders.

'I am disappointed the Queensland Government has not found a workable and compassionate solution,' wrote the PM.

'However the Australian Government does not have authority to step in and provide exemptions from hotel quarantine for travel into Queensland.

'Under our federation, these decisions are made by the Queensland Government.'

He added: 'I am so sorry for what you are facing.'
A couple are willing to remortgage their house after getting a staggering 20,000 bill to save their cockapoo called Cooper after he was savaged by a bull terrier.

Six-year-old Cooper's neck was ripped open, his jaw was severed and he faces the prospect of being castrated due to his massive groin injuries, said distraught owner Nikki Powell.

Ms Powell said: 'At the end of the day, Cooper's our family. Me and my husband have both been married before and had children before but don't have any children together so he really is our baby.

Nikki Powell, left, and her husband David, right, face having to remortgage their home after their dog Cooper, centre, was savaged by a bull terrier

Cooper suffered massive injuries when he was set upon by the larger dog near his home in Ebbw Vale, South Wales. Vets used this x-ray to diagnose the massive break in Cooper's jaw

Cooper had to be rushed to a specialist veterinary hospital more than 80 miles away for emergency treatment, including this X-ray image of his horrific injuries

'We made a decision that as long as Cooper had a fighting chance it didn't matter what the cost implications were, we would find the additional money even if it meant re-mortgaging the house.'

Despite having pet insurance, and paying upwards of 65 a month, Ms Powell and husband David James, of Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale, South Wales, found the policy only covers the first 7,000 of the treatment.

The treatment so far has exceeded the policy limit and Ms Powell has been warned that the final total could exceed 20,000.

A friend has set up a GoFundMe page for the family which has elicited donations of more than 4,500 from across the globe.

Ms Powell said: 'We were completely blown away. We sat there in floods of tears reading all the messages of support. We were humbled and overwhelmed by everyone's compassion and goodwill.

'During these hard times when money is scarce for so many, to see such generosity and kindness is astounding. We can never ever thank everyone enough. We can't even wrap our heads around it - it really has restored our faith in humanity.

'By the time we got home from the hospital, completely unbeknown to us, we had hundreds of missed calls, messages, it was incredible. It's been completely overwhelming, it's humbling.

Cooper, pictured, underwent a four hour operation and still faces the prospect of being castrated because of the extensive injuries he suffered in the attack

Cooper, pictured, is now back home to recover from his horrific ordeal

'We really just want to thank everyone for all their support. It has been incredible, we've had people from America, Spain - we've had support from everywhere, not just our little village.

'We wanted to raise awareness for people please not to let their dogs out without a lead, and also how important insurance is, because ours would cover us for up to 7,000 which we now don't have to find.

'With the next raft of operations Cooper has to have, we're probably going to be in excess of around 20,000.'

Ms Powell's parents were looking after the dog while she and her husband were at work.

Her dad Chris Powell, 79, was walking Cooper in a back lane near his home when a large bull terrier cross attacked and 'locked on' to the cockapoo's neck.

It took four men to prise the pet from the jaws of the large dog.

Such were the extent of Cooper's injuries, he was rushed more than 80 miles away to Eastcott Veterinary Hospital in Swindon.

Ms Powell said: 'They had a team waiting for us. They were shocked at the extent of Cooper's injuries and told us he needed to be operated on immediately to stabilise him as his breathing was erratic and his condition was rapidly deteriorating.'

He was treated for a severed jaw, severe soft tissue damage in his mouth and substantial muscle and tissue damage all over his body.

The dog had a four-hour long emergency operation and vets have warned due to extensive damage, the dog may also have to be castrated.

Cooper, pictured before his ordeal, is recovering from his injures at home in South Wales

Ms Powell added: 'We just feel that the system needs changing. Had he bitten you or I we could have made a complaint, but because it's dog-on-dog nothing much can be done - even though he was out in the lanes without an owner and is obviously aggressive.

'We haven't named anyone, we haven't said anything about the family involved, but they've made no effort to get in touch even to see how the dog was getting on. We wouldn't want anyone else to go through what we've gone through.

'I really want to raise awareness to make this a criminal offence. Yes the dog who did this has to wear a muzzle now, but in reality, that's the length of it - there's no other implications for them.'

Ms Powell said the police took statements from all witnesses and the bull terrier's owners signed an agreement to not let the dog out without a lead again.

Officers also told the owners their dog must have a muzzle when in public.

Ms Powell said she wants to change the law to make dog on dog attacks a criminal offence.
A teacher at a children's summer camp stabbed her colleague to death after an argument over who was better at their job, Russian law enforcement have said.

Alla Filatova, 20, died at the scene from a chest wound after a reported dispute with Alexandra Osipova, 22, at Dobroye children's holiday camp.

Following the incident, Osipova was detained at the residential summer camp.

Alexandra Osipova (left), 22, stabbed her colleague Alla Filatova (right), 20, to death after an argument over who was better at their job, Russian law enforcement said

The children were asleep during the alcohol-fuelled row in the early hours of the morning, according to reports.

A law enforcement source told Russian daily newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets that preliminary investigations revealed 'they had an argument about which of them was the better teacher'.

The source added: 'The row quickly escalated into a conflict and knife fight.'

Osipova is reported to have also suffered knife wounds during the incident.

A law enforcement source said preliminary investigations revealed Filatova (pictured) and Osipova 'had an argument about which of them was the better teacher' at the summer camp

Osipova (pictured) was detained at the residential summer camp and was being questioned by the Russian Investigative Committee

The women were employed as teachers for the school holiday period at the residential holiday camp.

Reports say that the children at the camp did not witness the fatal stabbing.

The teachers had both studied at the same university and knew each other before their conflict.

The dead woman studied physics and mathematics at Moscow State Regional University.

Osipova was being questioned by the Russian Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes.
Former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke has attempted to sink Boris Johnson's plan for a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia, branding it 'silly populist nonsense'.

Lord Clarke said the 200 million national flagship demonstrates that some in No 10 believe there is 'free money' despite the stretched state of the national finances.

Cabinet minister Matt Hancock insists the vessel will pay for itself by boosting British trade with countries where it can dock.

Lord Clarke's criticism came as official figures showed that government borrowing stood at 24.3 billion in May - down from 43.8 billion a year earlier at the height of the pandemic, but still the second highest figure for the month on record and 18.9 billion more than in 2019.

The Conservative peer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the new vessel is a 'complete waste of time, silly populist nonsense' and 'we have no money' for it.

'It's a symptom - 200 million is not going to cause problems, but it shows there are people in No 10 who just think there's free money and who think that waving a Union Jack and sending yachts and aircraft carriers around the world shows what a great power we are.

Grandee Lord Clarke blasted the plan as nonsense in broadside at the plans to build the boat

Cabinet minister Matt Hancock insists the vessel will pay for itself by boosting British trade

An artist's impression of the new national flagship which has not yet been built

'We have no money for that kind of thing.'

The vessel will be paid for out of the defence budget despite not being a warship.

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 and is aimed at boosting the Prime Minister's post-Brexit vision of the UK as a global trading nation.

Health Secretary Mr Hancock rejected Lord Clarke's criticism of the scheme.

'The amount of investment that you can get in from the rest of the world by showing the best of Britain in harbours the world over is very, very significant,' Mr Hancock told Today.

'And I think we should be getting out there and trading with the world.

The Royal Yacht was particularly important to the Royal Family, who used it as a private getaway for holidays and honeymoons for more than 40 years.

Queen 'turned down' Boris Johnson's plan to name 200m successor to royal yacht Britannia after Prince Philip The successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia will not be named after the late Duke of Edinburgh as Prime Minister Boris Johnson had hoped. Costing up to 200 million, the boat will be used to host ministerial summits and diplomatic talks as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to build links with other countries 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 old vessel is currently berthed in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was hoped that the ship would be named after the Prince Philip, who died in April at the age of 99, but the PM's plan was rejected by the royals. A senior Whitehall inside had said the ship would be named after Prince Philip, who played a role in designing the original Britannia, if Buckingham Palace agreed to the plan. But, a royal source said the suggestion was 'too grand' and added 'it is not something we have asked for.' The Royal Family will not be using the new ship for personal travel or holidays, as they previously did with the former Royal Yacht Britannia, but will be able to use it to undertake overseas visits at the request of the government. Advertisement

'And so I think that a royal yacht is a great idea and I'm very positive about it, because I think it will more than pay for itself many, many times over.'

Former chancellor Lord Ken Clarke said that spending 200 million on a new royal yacht was a 'complete waste of time'.

When asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday if he thought it was a good use of public funds, he said: 'Complete waste of time, silly populist nonsense.

'It's a symptom, 200 million is not going to cause problems, but it shows there are people in Number 10 who just think there's free money and who think that waving a Union Jack and sending yachts and aircraft carriers around the world shows what a great power we are.

'We have no money for that kind of thing.'

A new royal yacht will 'pay for itself many, many times over' because it will bring in investment from the rest of the world, according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

He defended the plans and disagreed with comments by Tory former chancellor Lord (Ken) Clarke that it is a 'complete waste of time'.

'The amount of investment that you can get in from the rest of the world by showing the best of Britain in harbours the world over is very, very significant,' Mr Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'And I think we should be getting out there and trading with the world.

'And so I think that a royal yacht is a great idea and I'm very positive about it, because I think it will more than pay for itself many, many times over.'

Construction of the new ship is expected to begin as soon as 2022 and it will enter service within the next four years.

The tendering process for the design and construction of the vessel will launch shortly, with an emphasis on showcasing British design expertise and the latest innovations in green technology.

It is expected to be in service for about 30 years, and will be crewed by the Royal Navy.
As many as 40,000 Native American children may have died from poor care at government-run boarding schools around the US, a researcher has claimed.

Preston McBride, a Dartmouth College scholar, has documented at least 1,000 deaths from 1879 to 1934 at just four of the over 500 schools that have existed in the United States, including the non-boarding schools on Indian reservations.

He offered his grim estimate for total deaths at government-run schools - which came about in the early 19th century and still exist today - in a Reuters report published Tuesday.

'It's quite likely that 40,000 children died either in or because of these institutions,' said McBride, who estimates that tens of thousands more children were simply never again in contact with their families or their tribes after being sent off to the schools.

'This is on the order of magnitude of something like the Trail of Tears,' he added, referring to the government's forced displacement of Native Americans between 1830 and 1850. 'Yet its not talked about.'

McBride's comments came after a team of archeologists began exhuming the remains of ten Native American children who died more than a century ago at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.

Founded by Army veteran General Richard Pratt in 1879, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (pictured) in Pennsylvania was among the 367 original government-operated institutions for Native American children

A team of archaeologists began work Saturday at the cemetery on the grounds of the Carlisle Barracks (pictured) to unearth the remains of 10 more Native American children who died more than a century ago at the Carlisle school

Of the ten deceased children, nine were from the Rosebud Sioux tribe in South Dakota and one was from the Alaskan Aleut tribe.

This is the Army's fourth disinterment project at the school in as many years.

Founded by Army veteran General Richard Pratt in 1879, Carlisle was among the 367 original government-operated institutions for Native American children. It's cemetery contains 180 graves of former students.

The federal government does not know or is unwilling to say how many children even attended the schools, how many died in or went missing from them, or even how many schools existed.

Preston McBride (pictured) a Dartmouth College scholar, has documented at least 1,000 deaths from 1879 to 1934 at just four of the over 500 schools that have existed in the United States, including the non-boarding schools on Indian reservations

Among those who have called for a commission to fully investigate the legacy of Indian boarding schools is Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary and whose department oversees Indian schools, which churches began running in 1819 through federal funding.

Native Americans have watched with horror and a sorrowful sense of recognition as news unfolded in Canada of the discovery of the bodies of 215 children in unmarked graves at one of what were known as indigenous residential schools.

The Canadian government said its indigenous residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996, carried out 'cultural genocide.' Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has found at least 4,100 students died in the schools.

Among those who have called for a commission to fully investigate the legacy of Indian boarding schools is Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (pictured)

Haaland, in an essay published on June 11 in the Washington Post, said the news from Canada made her 'sick to my stomach.'

'Many Americans may be alarmed to learn that the United States also has a history of taking Native children from their families in an effort to eradicate our culture and erase us as people,' wrote Haaland.

For over 150 years, hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children were uprooted from their communities and forced into US government-operated boarding schools that focused on assimilation.

Before shutting down in 1918, the Carlisle school housed some 10,000 indigenous children.

Many students were forced to cut their braids, dress in uniforms, speak English and adopt European names. Infectious diseases and harsh conditions claimed the lives of many children buried there.

The deaths were primarily from diseases made far more lethal in many of the schools because of poor treatment.

Marsha Small, a Montana State University doctoral student, is part of a team that has worked to locate unmarked graves at the Chemawa Indian School cemetery in Salem, Oregon, using ground-penetrating radar.

For over 150 years, hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children (pictured) were uprooted from their communities and forced into US government-operated boarding schools that focused on assimilation.

Since 2016, dozens of Native American and Alaskan Native families have requested that their ancestors be returned from Carlisle school (pictured)

As many as 40,000 Native American children (pictured) may have died from poor care at government-run boarding schools around the US, McBride claims

So far, Small has located 222 sets of remains, but says additional work is required to have a full accounting.

'Until we can find those kids and let their elders come get them or know where they can pay respects, I don't think the native is going to heal, and as such I don't think America is going to heal,' Small said.

Chemawa, founded in 1880, is still operating.

Native Americans acknowledge that the schools still operating have transformed in important ways.

Many are now under tribal oversight and children are taught their native languages instead of being punished for speaking them. However, the schools have yet to acknowledge their pasts, said the coalition's McCleave and others.

'Before we can move forward, they have to recognize that legacy,' she said.
A mother has revealed the terrifying moment her teenage daughter was left experiencing seizures after her drink was spiked during a night out with friends.

Neve Taylor, 19, had been out with friends celebrating the easing of lockdown restrictions in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, last week when the night spiralled out of control and she was rushed to hospital.

The student midwife, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who believes an unidentified substance was slipped into her drink, said she had only been out for a few hours when she collapsed at around 1.30am.

Ms Taylor's mother Sarah Scott, 50, who found the teenager semi-conscious and confused at the scene, described how her daughter became 'floppy and unresponsive' as she was rushed to the hospital.

The teenager, who was left experiencing seizures after her drink, said she began to feel sick around ten minutes after her first drink

Ms Scott said when she arrived to the scene she found her daughter laying on the pavement covered in mud

Neve Taylor, 19, had been out with friends in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, last week when her drink was spiked and she was rushed to hospital

Ms Taylor's mother Sarah Scott (left with daughter), 50, described how her daughter became 'floppy and unresponsive' as she arrived to the hospital

She said: 'When we got to the hospital she just went floppy and unresponsive and I was full time panicking.

'She was convulsing and it was heartbreaking.

'Her teeth were chattering and when she was unconscious her face was screwing up in pain. It was pitiful to watch.

'The doctors said she was reacting to what was in her body.

'She was put in the recovery position and monitored for the night and we left at around 11am.

'They said it's difficult to tell what is in someone's system unless it's in copious amounts.

'At the time, I was in mum mode and just telling her she was going to be ok but I think looking back, we realise how close we came to losing her.'

Ms Scott added: 'I got a call from her friends at 1.45am saying that Neve was really unwell and asking for an ambulance so I told them to get her one then I got in my car and went to the club.

'I was there before the ambulance and I knew she'd been spiked as soon as I saw her because of the size of her pupils.

'I've seen Neve occasionally when she's had too much to drink and being sick but I've never seen her like this.

'She was laying on the pavement covered in mud, I don't know how she got that dirty.

'She was screaming in pain. Neve is really mature but she was like a little girl and she was asking me why someone would do that to her.'

Ms Taylor said she began to vomit after her first drink and soon collapsed. Pictured: The bruise the teenager was left with after hitting her head

Ms Taylor said she began to feel sick around ten minutes after her first drink and soon collapsed.

She said: 'It was about ten minutes after my last drink I started to feel sick so my friends took me outside for some fresh air and I was fine. I walked out on my own but then when I was outside, I started vomiting and collapsed.

'I can't remember much after that.'

Ms Taylor and her mother have now posted images of the teenager after her drink was spiked as a stark warning to party-goers and nightclubs.

The teenager's mother said: 'I filmed her because I wanted her to see what had happened.

'We watched the videos together afterwards and we both just cried then we shared them to Facebook to try and raise some awareness.

The 19-year-old and her mother have posted images of the teenager after her drink was spiked in an effort to ward others of the dangers

'It's not a finger pointing exercise, we just don't want this to happen to anyone else because this kind of thing will be on the increase with more people going out.

'The ramifications could last a lifetime if not fatal.

'I've been looking into it and I think the intentions of spiking are to disable someone to abduct or attack them. It's scary.'

The pair are speaking out to encourage clubs to increase security measures as lockdown restrictions ease to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

Ms Scott said: 'The physical effects have disappeared, but the psychological effects are still there.

'She's surprised us all by going straight back to university but the whole experience has put her off going out.

'I just hope this might provoke clubs into reviewing their security, searching people as they go in and increasing their security measures on the floor.

'Since I posted the videos, people have been getting in touch with similar experiences.

'If we could get clubs to increase their security measures that would be a blessing.'
Sir Keir Starmer has continued the shake-up of his Labour top team by axing his chief adviser Jenny Chapman ahead of the crunch Batley and Spen by-election.

Baroness Chapman will leave her role as political director but will take a seat in the shadow cabinet instead as the party's top Brexit spokesman, shadowing Lord Frost.

The move, first reported by The Times, comes after the peer faced criticism from Labour MPs over the party's performance at the Hartlepool by-election.

Sir Keir Starmer has continued the shake-up of his Labour top team by axing his chief adviser Jenny Chapman ahead of the crunch Batley and Spen by-election

Baroness Chapman will leave her role as political director but will take a seat in the shadow cabinet instead as the party's top Brexit spokesman, shadowing Lord Frost.

Labour lost the seat to the Tories at the start of May as the governing party took control of the constituency for the first time since it was created.

That loss represented a hammer blow to Sir Keir's leadership as his internal party critics questioned whether he can lead Labour back to power at the 2024 general election.

Ms Chapman was also blamed by some Labour MPs for the botched shadow cabinet reshuffle which followed the Hartlepool result which saw a furious row erupt between Sir Keir and Angela Rayner, his deputy, after he tried and failed to demote her.

The party's performance at last week's Chesham and Amersham by-election has further piled the pressure on Sir Keir as Labour slumped to a fourth placed finish, securing just 1.6 per cent of the vote.

Ms Chapman's departure comes after it emerged at the weekend that Sir Keir's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is being moved to a different role.

Meanwhile, Ben Nunn, the leader's communications chief has already left while his deputy, Paul Ovenden, is also leaving.

Polls suggest Sir Keir is facing an uphill battle to hold onto the Batley and Spen constituency, with the Tories cautiously optimistic of securing their first win there since 1992.

A defeat in the by-election on Thursday July 1 will reignite questions over Sir Keir's leadership of the party.

Party insiders had told The Sunday Times that Ms Chapman's move from chief adviser to the shadow cabinet had been 'long planned'.

Ms Chapman, who was an MP between 2010 and 2019, served as shadow Brexit minister when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader and she will now return to a similar brief in the House of Lords.
Four British men have developed a potentially life-threatening condition just days after having AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine.

The recipients developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis and leave patients in crippling pain.

All four cases were spotted in the Nottingham area, where around 700,000 people have had the British firm's coronavirus jab.

British health chiefs have yet to offer a public breakdown of how many cases of the syndrome have been spotted in vaccine recipients across the entire country.

But a similar link has been spotted in both Australia and India, where AstraZeneca's vaccine is also being dished out. It is also a known rare side effect of flu and HPV jabs.

AstraZeneca's jab  which is given as a double-dose  has also been heavily linked to deadly blood clots in younger adults.

For that reason, UK drug watchdogs have recommended under-40s, who face a tiny risk of falling seriously ill with Covid, get alternative jabs.

But data is now also emerging that shows Pfizer's jab  the other main option being administered in the UK  may cause heart inflammation.

Four British men have developed crippling Guillain-Barre syndrome just days after having AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine

Cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome after AstraZeneca's vaccine were described in two separate studies in the journal Annals of Neurology.

The complication  normally triggered by an infection  usually occurs in around one in 100,000 people in the UK and US.

What is Guillain-Barre syndrome? GuillainBarre syndrome is a rare disorder in which the immune system goes into overdrive and the body attack its own nerves. Common symptoms of the rare condition include weakness and tingling in the limbs. As patients' conditions worsen, this can lead to parts of the body  or in some cases the whole body  being paralysed. The syndrome is rare, affecting about one in 100,000 annually in the UK and US. Fewer than 20,000 cases are diagnosed per year in the US, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Doctors say it is often triggered by a viral or bacterial illness, such as Campylobacter jejuni. There is no cure. Treatment focuses on restoring the nervous system. It can be fatal if it involves the respiratory muscles. Advertisement

But doctors in India who also uncovered the link say it was occurring up to 10 times more than expected.

One of the articles published in the journal broke down the cases spotted in Nottingham, which all occurred within ten days of each other.

Symptoms began 11 to 22 days after the first jab and all of the four men were aged between 20 and 57.

One had no relevant medical history. The three others others had ulcerative colitis, asthma and high blood pressure.

None had been infected with Covid. They were treated with antibodies and steroid pills.

Dr Christopher Allen, a clinical neuroscientist at Nottingham University, who wrote the article, admitted they cannot be certain the jab caused the neurological illness and it could have happened by chance.

But it demonstrates the need for 'robust post-vaccination surveillance,' he said. And he added vaccines currently deployed are 'very safe'.

Dr Allen added the reaction may be 'a cross-reactive immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein', causing the immune system to overreact and the body to attack its own nerves.

Dr Allen said if the condition is caused by AstraZeneca's vaccine, it will be because spike proteins contained in the firm's viral vector technology.

Pfizer's and Moderna's MRNA vaccines do not contain the same spike proteins, so are unlikely to see similar links to the syndrome.

The second paper by neurologists at the Aster Medcity hospital in Kochi, Kerala, identified seven cases of severe Guillain-Barre syndrome.

They were struck down within a fortnight of receiving the first AstraZeneca vaccine.

Lead author Dr Boby Varkey Maramattom said rates of the condition were between 1.4 and 10-fold higher than would normally be expected.

And the patients suffered 'unusually severe' facial weakness  one of the symptoms of the condition.

Four of the cases involved women aged 40 to 70 years  three of whom required mechanical ventilation.

Nerve damage around the face and head occurred in four patients  which happens in less than five per cent of Guillain-Barre syndrome cases.

Dr Maramattom said while the findings suggested the vaccine could be to blame a clear link had been proven and it is 'unlikely' the jabs had triggered the syndrome in all cases.

The benefits of vaccination also 'substantially outweigh the risk of this relatively rare outcome,' he said.

Covid itself is also linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, with the virus believed to have triggered the condition in a man, 54, in New Jersey in April 2020.
MPs are preparing to write to competition regulators for assurance jobs at Morrisons supermarket will be safe if the potential 5.5 billion takeover progresses, according to reports.

The Telegraph said it understands that the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee intends to contact the Competition and Markets Authority over the private equity move.

Earlier this week, Morrisons confirmed that it has rejected a takeover proposal from New York-based firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R).

The revelation sparked a surge in the grocer's share price, rising by around a third on Monday, and drove speculation that other potential bidders could enter the fray.

Morrisons rejected a takeover bid from US private equity giant which saw shares jump by third

The competition watchdog would be expected to look into any takeover were the supermarket chain to accept a takeover offer.

It comes after a group of Labour MPs warned that a private equity takeover of the retailer could threaten the future of thousands of jobs and risk the potential for asset-stripping.

The supermarket group has significant ownership of parts of its supply chain and a large property portfolio which will appeal to possible buyers.

Morrisons said it rejected the bid from Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a New York-based private equity firm, as it 'significantly undervalued' the supermarket (pictured, David Potts, CEO of Morrisons)

CD&R approached Morrisons last week but has yet to table a formal bid and has until July 17 to confirm a firm intention to make an offer under UK takeover rules.

BOSSES IN LINE FOR MILLIONS Executives at Morrisons stand to receive multi-million pound payouts if a private equity takeover of the supermarket succeeds. The grocer has rejected the 5.5billion bid because it was too low. Under that offer, chief executive David Potts could have been handed nearly 18million for his stock in the company. This includes 3 million shares he owns outright and another 4.6 million he could receive under various company schemes. Operating chief Trevor Strain could have made 10million and finance boss Michael Gleeson 3million. While Andy Higginson, chairman of Morrisons, could have bagged 291,000 for the shares he owns. The four men all stand to receive even more if CD&R comes back with a higher offer. Mr Potts, who was awarded a CBE in 2013, received 4.2million last year, including his 850,000 salary and a 1.7million bonus. Advertisement

The UK's largest asset manager, Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM), also warned that the potential takeover by CD&R would 'not be adding any genuine value' to the retailer if a deal was struck.

A senior fund manager at LGIM, which is the seventh-largest shareholder in Morrisons, told the Financial Times: 'The (retail) sector generally looks undervalued, and private equity look to be interested in Morrisons partly because it has a lot of freehold property, which they would 'sale and leaseback' to generate cash to pay back to themselves.

'That's not adding any genuine value, and the company could do that themselves.

'So I would personally not expect a bid to succeed at that level.'

Asda was this year bought by the British billionaire Issa brothers and TDR Capital for 6.8billion in a deal heavily financed by debt.

Supermarkets are viewed as attractive investments to buyout firms because they generate a lot of cash and tend to own most of their buildings outright.

The Morrisons takeover bid raised concerns that other supermarket groups could also be sold off to private equity.

It also sparked fears over the future of Morrisons staff members as well as concerns from the farming community over how the supermarket's suppliers would be treated if a takeover bid were to be successful.

Morrisons are the only UK retailer to buy animals and whole crops directly from over 2,700 British farmers, some of whom have been supplying the supermarket chain for over 30 years.

Paul Gallagher wrote: 'This is worrying... if Morrisons is bought over, then all the farmers dependent on the company will be 'owned' by an American equity company'.

A spokesperson for the National Farmer's Union told Mail Online: 'This is a developing story, and we will be keeping a watch over any potential future takeover of Morrisons and will assess the impact on farmers as more details surface.

'Morrisons is a significant supporter of British farming, and we would like to see this continue under any new ownership.'

Experts warn that any buy out of Morrisons could also pave the way for takeovers of bigger rivals such as Tesco and Sainsbury's.
Vladimir Putin has criticised NATO for causing 'division' in Europe and dashing any hopes of a 'united' continent.

The President of Russia, 68, slammed NATO as a 'relic of the Cold War' in an opinion piece for German newspaper Zeit published today.

Marking 80 years since Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, in Operation Barbarossa, Putin said NATO's creation was 'created for confrontation' out of the Cold War.

The politician said NATO's expansion and former Soviet republics joining the alliance dashed any hopes of Europe without any 'dividing lines', adding that Russia now wants to foster relations with a 'united' continent.

Vladimir Putin (pictured) has criticised NATO for causing 'division' in Europe and dashing any hopes of a 'united' continent

NATO, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is a military union between 30 European and North American countries that implements the North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed on April 4, 1949.

Putin wrote: 'Since 1999 there have been five more "waves" of NATO expansion, 14 other states joined the alliance, including former Soviet republics, which de facto dashed all hopes for a continent without dividing lines.'

He said Russia is open to a 'fair and creative cooperation' with Europe, arguing that security of the continent is only possible through combined efforts of all countries, including Russia.

He said tensions are currently growing in Europe and there is a risk of a new arms race, and suggested a common area of cooperation from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Putin continued: 'I would like to emphasise once again: Russia is calling for a comprehensive partnership with Europe to be re-established.'

As well as slamming NATO's expansion for causing divide, Putin also argued that many countries were faced with an 'ultimatum' either to cooperate with the West or Russia.

Marking 80 years since Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 (Russian tanks pictured), he slammed NATO as a 'relic of the Cold War'

Putin (pictured) said Russia is open to a 'fair and creative cooperation' with Europe, arguing that security of the continent is only possible through combined efforts of all countries

He claimed this 'aggressive policy' led to the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and insisted that Europe's support of the protestors was not necessary as the government had already accepted their demands.

The Ukrainian crisis was sparked when President Viktor Yanukovych suspended preparations for greater integration within the European Union, leading to mass protests.

The Ukrainian government made the delay in a bid to maintain its economic relations with Russia, but the US and Europe supported the protestors rather than Yanukovych during the conflict.

The crisis ended in the ousting of the president and the overthrow of the Ukrainian government, while the Crimea was also seized by Russia following the country's armed incursion.

In his opinion piece, Putin argued that the US's actions in the Ukraine and the EU states support of the protestors led to the annexation of the Crimea from the Ukrainian state.

The president also called for cooperation between Europe and Russia, arguing that carrying around the burden of previous conflicts would prevent them from solving current issues.

Putin also argued that many countries were faced with an 'ultimatum' either to cooperate with the West or Russia, which he said led to the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. Pictured: Riot police during anti-government protest in February 2014

Putin argued that the US and the EU states support of the protestors led to the annexation of the Crimea from the Ukrainian state. Pictured: Independence Square in Kiev during protests

He explained: 'Our common and undisputed goal is to ensure the security of the continent without dividing lines and a unified space for equal cooperation and collective development in the interests of the prosperity of Europe and the whole world.'

His latest comments come after President Joe Biden met with Putin in Geneva this month, a move which saw the US leader hit with criticism.

But Biden's national security adviser pushed back at criticism of the meeting, insisting Biden made important progress in engaging with his Russian counterpart.

Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser, said the president gained an insight into Putin's views during their summit.

'I would say that President Biden did hear from President Putin, some important statements about how he looks at both the U.S.-Russia relationship and particular issues in it on strategic stability, on cyber and in other areas,' he told ABC 'This Week' anchor George Stephanopoulos.

'But President Biden has been pretty clear from the outset that he 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.

His latest comments come after President Joe Biden met with Putin (both pictured on June 16) in Geneva this month, a move which saw the US leader hit with criticism

'That is where we will turn our focus at this point.'

Biden arrived at the meeting with a long list of complaints for Putin.

Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsular, meddling in U.S. elections, harbouring cybercriminals, poisoning of opposition politicians and general efforts to destabilise regional rivals, were all expected to be discussed.

Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov boarded an Aeroflot flight to New York and was expected to fly on to Washington to resume his role.

He was withdrawn after Biden said in a TV interview that he thought Putin was a killer. US Ambassador John Sullivan left at the same time.

Both sides agreed the ambassadors should return during the summit but no date has yet been set for Sullivan to go back to Moscow.
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A British man-made mountain towering almost 100ft into the central London sky with breathtaking views of the capital is taking shape today - but locals have the hump saying it is an eyesore, a 'stupid idea' and a waste of money.

The Marble Arch Mound, which dwarfs the famous 1827 John Nash structure next to it, is at the centre of a 150million revamp of the Oxford Street area as Britain re-emerges as a tourist destination this summer after more than 18 months of Covid lockdowns.

The 82ft artificial hill opens on July 26 costing up to 8 for adults and 5 for children who will enjoy breathtaking views of the famed shopping district, Mayfair and Hyde Park. They will also have access to the hollowed space inside containing a cafe stocked with M&S food, a shop and an exhibition space until it closes in January 2022.

But not everyone is pleased with the plan, claiming it won't lure in tourists and damages views of Marble Arch, one of the capital's best loved landmarks.

Barrister Paul Fisher said: 'The Mound is a Millennium Dome waiting to happen. Unfortunately, we cant turn it into a concert venue when everyone realises nobody wanted it. It also obstructs the main attraction after which the area is named - the Marble Arch'.

The Marylebone Association wrote: 'Many residents are getting the hump with the delayed Marble Arch Mound and think the 2m of public funds could have been better spent'. The local council insists it costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Others were unsure it will attract tourists. One critic tweeted: 'Not entirely convinced that people will pay 4.50 to go up an artificial mound at Marble Arch'. Another said: 'Oooohh a big mound in Marble Arch? No, I do not want to rush into central London to climb it for the views. What a stupid idea!'.

Another said sarcastically: 'So how do we make Marble Arch a nicer place? Council: "How about a GIANT MOUND MADE OUT OF SCAFFOLDING instead?!".'

Workmen are busy building the structure designed by Dutch architect company MVRDV and people will be able to climb it via a single continuous route, which is around 130 stairs, while a lift will also be available to take visitors to the top and back down.

It is being build with a gigantic matrix of scaffolding, which will be boarded and covered with soil, grass, plants and trees with a viewing platform at the top.

The temporary mound is the centrepiece of a blueprint drawn up by Westminster Council to jump start tourism when restrictions are eased. Families and people who visit outside peak times or don't want to jump queues can visit for as little as 4.50 per adult, with children under four entering for free.

Work is already well underway on a 150 million project to transform Oxford Street as council bosses issue a clarion call for shoppers and diners to return to the area post-lockdown.

And al fresco dining, 'pocket parks' and an arts centre are among the other ambitious plans from Westminster Council in a bid to entice tourists back to the Capital this summer.

The Marble March Mound is taking shape next to the famous landmark it now towers over. Marble Arch was built in 1827 as a grand entrance to nearby Buckingham Palace and sits at the end of Oxford Street

But not everyone is pleased with the plan, claiming it won't lure in tourists and damages views of Marble Arch, one of the capital's best loved landmarks

A famous red London double decker passes by the scaffolding of the attraction Westminster Council hopes will lure tourists back

Hundreds of people are working on the project that is part of a wider 150million redevelopment of the area

Dubbed the Marble Arch Mound, it will tower at 82ft and promises Londoners with sweeping views for six months between summer and Christmas (artist's design of the finished project)

Tickets have gone on sale for up to 8 but will be cheaper at non-peak times, for families and free for young children

The mound sits at the north end of Hyde Park and enjoys 360 degree views of that part of central London

The artificial hill has been built on a gigantic scaffolding base, with layers of soil, plants and trees and plywood being added forming the mound

On one side the grass is already being added with just over a month left until member of the public can start arriving

Its opening will coincide with the relaxation of lockdown in England on July 19, which Boris Johnson says on current figures is 'looking good'

The installation will provide sweeping views of Hyde Park, Mayfair and Marylebone when it opens to the public in July

Workmen lay cabling at the top of the mound, which can be reached via 100-plus steps or via a lift

The Marble Arch Mound, created by Westminster City Council will open up to members of the public from July 26 until January 2022

Visitors will be able to see views of the capital's Oxford Street Hyde Park, Mayfair and Marylebone as part of a scheme to increase footfall in the shopping district as lockdown restrictions ease

Inside the void at the mound's heart will be a cafe selling M&S food and an exhibition zone with shop

The Mound includes a large viewing deck providing never before seen views of London's West End, as well as a 5,000 square feet space inside

Marble Arch Mound is due to open in July 2021. Tickets went on sale yesterday

The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Cllr Jonathan Glanz, said: 'I think it's really exciting to see this coming out of the ground and giving a new aspect - literally - of views in this part of London.

What else will the 150m Oxford St development include? Extended footways for pedestrians

Increase in plants and green areas

Bright banners to 'create a sense of place and aesthetic continuity'

'Urban theatres' for outdoor performances, kitted out with lighting

Landscaping

Pop-up restaurants

More electric charging points

Zero-carbon retrofitting of heritage buildings

Trial installations

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'I'd be very surprised if people didn't come to take advantage of it because it really is unique. I'm really pleased to see Oxford Street bouncing back. We're doing everything we can to encourage footfall.'

Cllr Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council, said: 'We really hope the scheme will serve two purposes. First, to draw and encourage people back into the centre and Westminster. We know that footfall is still down by about 50% so we really need to show that it's open for business.

'Second, I hope that when people climb up here and see these fabulous views, they'll be able to see Oxford Street through fresh eyes.

'For people and families who can't go away on holiday, what better way to have some fun in the summer than coming over to Westminster for a couple of days and kickstarting their trip with a visit up the mound?

'You'll never get to see this view again. We've never been able to be up here and see all of this area.'

Kay Buxton, chief executive of Marble Arch London Business Improvement District, said: 'Marble Arch Mound is a much-needed shot in the arm for the recovery of London's hospitality sector, as we expect hundreds of thousands of visitors to come.

'With international tourism still on hold, the sector is relying on domestic tourism to boost income.'

According to Ms Buxton, 'domestic day trips are expected to generate 44.6 billion in the UK this year, with domestic overnight tourism forecast to be worth 18 billion'.

The council has also worked with M&S Food, which will set up trucks to provide food and drinks from inside and outside the mound.

Tickets can be purchased via themarblearchmound.com. Prices start from 4.50 for adults. Family and resident discounts are also available.

The mound is the centrepiece of a master-plan drawn up by Westminster Council to jump start tourism when restrictions are eased (artist's design)

There are no plans to close Oxford Street and the Council does not believe the mound will affect the rough sleepers in Marble Arch. Pictured: An artist's design of what the mound will look like

Council leader Rachael Robathan said: 'Our proposed Marble Arch Hill temporary visitor attraction at Marble Arch signifies our ambitious approach to the District. It will be important for bringing in visitors to support the local economy.' Pictured: An impression of what the mound will look like

Kay Buxton, chief executive of Marble Arch London BID, said: 'We are proud to be working with Westminster City Council to create a truly unique and once in a lifetime opportunity to see London from a completely new perspective.' Pictured: What the mound is set to look like at dusk

A wider 150million 'fightback' strategy to regenerate Oxford Street with pop-up parks, more pedestrian space and 'green projects' was unveiled today.

It is believed to place emphasis on al fresco dining, which ministers will likely allow first as part of lockdown lifting.

Subject to covid the hill will be climbed by 200,000 people, who will likely have to pay a small nominal charge.

No exact cost has been calculated, although a spokesperson said it will run to 'hundreds of thousands of pounds' while others have claimed it could be closer to 2million.

They want the hill to be climbed by 200,000 people, who will likely have to pay a small nominal charge (artist's design)

Westminster Council chiefs are hoping that curbs are loosened enough for them to welcome visitors to the mound. Pictured: Plans for the mound

No exact cost has been calculated, although a spokesperson said it will run to 'hundreds of thousands of pounds'. Pictured: First, the park will be extended onto the mound area

Secondly, the mound will be raised. Covid was especially bruising for tourist hubs like the West End, which is predominantly non-essential retail, hospitality and theatres

Westminster Council insists the cost to build the mound is justified and that funding will come from the Capital Budget which has been earmarked for the Oxford Street development and will not divert cash from day-to-day vital services. Pictured: The third stage in the mound's development

A wider 150million 'fightback' strategy to regenerate Oxford Street with pop-up parks, more pedestrian space and 'green projects' was unveiled today. Pictured: Blueprints for the Marble Arch Mound

Footfall on high streets across Britain plummeted during the three national lockdowns and starved firms of revenue.

Covid was especially bruising for tourist hubs like the West End, which is predominantly non-essential retail, hospitality and theatres.

The West End employs 10 per cent of all Londoners and youth unemployment in the Westminster has increased 175 per cent.

Westminster Council insists the cost to build the mound is justified and that funding will come from the Capital Budget which has been earmarked for the Oxford Street development and will not divert cash from day-to-day vital services.

On the wider redevelopment, the Council says that work will begin 'within weeks'.

It will include 'additional pedestrian space, pop up parks, new lighting, landscaping, greening projects and cultural space'.

There are no plans to close Oxford Street and the Council does not believe the mound will affect the rough sleepers in Marble Arch.

Jace Tyrrell, chief executive at New West End Company, which represents 600 business in the area, said: 'The launch of Westminster City Council's 150million Oxford Street District transformation is a huge milestone as central London starts its recovery.

'The past 12 months have been the toughest on record for businesses on Oxford Street and the surrounding area, and these ambitious plans are a sign of a forward thinking, sustainable and agile future for the district, creating an altogether stronger and more exciting high street that caters to the needs of the ever-evolving consumer.'
A large black bear is behind a series of car break-ins in New Hampshire.

The wild animal was caught on home security cameras clambering into a pick-up truck, police say.

Police in the town of Thornton released a video showing the animal loitering by the parked vehicle, before standing up on its hind legs, using its paws to open the door, and then climbing nonchalantly into the driver's seat.

Officers said they suspect the bear is a serial offender.

The wild animal was caught on home security cameras clambering into a pick-up truck, police say

Police in the town of Thornton released a video showing the animal loitering by the parked vehicle, before standing up on its hind legs, using its paws to open the door, and then climbing nonchalantly into the driver's seat

'Over the last few weeks we have taken reports of a bear... getting into vehicles to get food or trash left inside and causing considerable damage,' the force said in a Facebook post.

'We've had it where they've gotten into vehicles, but not quite like this,' police chief Kenneth Miller told the Boston Globe.

'This is unique.'

Miller told local TV station WMUR9 that the bear had damaged the bumper on one vehicle, the truck bed cover on another and the front seat interior of a third vehicle.

Even without the incriminating footage, there were clues that pointed to the furry miscreant - a bear print was discovered at the scene of one ransacking, according to the Boston Globe.

The bear remains at large, with local media saying it has not been causing trouble other than its penchant for rifling through cars.

Thornton police said they have notified New Hampshire Fish and Game, and appealed to the public not to leave out food or rubbish that might tempt the light-pawed thief.

'Over the last few weeks we have taken reports of a bear... getting into vehicles to get food or trash left inside and causing considerable damage,' the force said in a Facebook pos

Police believe that the bear is hungry and looking for its next meal, and have reminded locals to be diligent about clearing away their food.

'We are asking residents to remove food from vehicles,' Police Chief Kenneth Miller said.

'Do not leave trash outside. Don't leave trash inside trunks or truck beds. Be aware of bird feeders or anything like that, anything that will attract bears.

'If you do have any issues, you want to call the police department right away, stay away from any bear in your yard or your vehicle.'
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Former Afghan translators for the UK military  and their loved ones  will arrive in Britain today to begin new lives, free from the threat of Taliban revenge attacks.

The mission represents a historic moment following two decades of UK military involvement in Afghanistan.

The day also signals the start of what is being described as the biggest evacuation to Britain in nearly 50 years.

More than a dozen former interpreters and their families will be among those flying to an airport in the Midlands today.

They have described the journey as their 'freedom flight' after years of Taliban death threats and attacks that have killed more than 350 Coalition translators since 2014.

The very last British boots leave Camp Bastion in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on October 27, 2014

The arrivals are a major victory for the Mail's Betrayal of the Brave campaign, which has highlighted the plight of those who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with UK forces and called repeatedly for them to be given sanctuary.

Last month this newspaper also highlighted how former frontline translators in the UK were heartbroken because they were separated from their wives and children, despite government promises to reunite them.

'You're the angels that fought for us when others wouldn't' Former frontline interpreter Hash is travelling to Britain with his wife and two young sons on today's flight. 'We are so happy and so thankful,' the 37-year-old said. 'The British Government has taken its time but it has done the right thing and we are truly grateful.' Hash served alongside UK troops in Helmand Province from 2007 to 2012 and resigned after getting death threats. In Helmand: Hash with British forces He was told last year he could relocate and has been waiting anxiously for it to become reality. He said: 'We are so excited, we have not been able to sleep and we are looking forward to stepping on that plane and escaping at last from the dreadful things that happen here. 'I know that for many of us this would not have happened without the Daily Mail's endless hard work and campaigning  you are the angels that have fought for us when others looked the other way, you never gave up on us and we hold you in our hearts... thank you.' Advertisement

Today's flights, however, are set to include the wives and children of translators who are already in Britain  some of whom have not seen their families for years.

The former translators on their way to the UK told of excitement, relief and anticipation. One described it as 'a dream come true', while another called the flights an example of Britain 'showing its famous compassion and meeting its moral obligations'.

While the Mail has agreed not to publish specific details for security reasons, we can reveal that translators, their families and others under threat because they worked for the UK Government are due to arrive early today at an airport in Afghanistan, following Covid tests at a Kabul hospital over the weekend.

They will first take a ten-hour flight to a European city, where they will undergo more security and medical checks.

They will then be transferred to another plane operated by a well-known UK travel company that will fly them to the Midlands.

Because Afghanistan is on the UK's 'red list' of countries with high Covid infection rates, all passengers over the age of 11 will be quarantined upon arrival at a large defence facility.

It is estimated that around 3,500 Afghans who worked for our Armed Forces over the past 20 years will relocate to the UK before British and US troops finally withdraw from Afghanistan on September 11.

Today's flights are seen as a 'blueprint' for the future, one source in Kabul said.

Campaigners say it is the largest evacuation undertaken from a 'hostile environment' since 1972, when thousands of people came to Britain after Uganda's president Idi Amin expelled the Asian minority.

Hundreds of cases, including many translators, are being processed under the UK's Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, which was rewritten and widened three weeks ago to recognise the worsening security situation in Afghanistan and the impending departure of international troops.

The Taliban has been tightening its grip on the country, with its soldiers taking control of another key district yesterday.

Fighting around Imam Sahib district, in the northern Kunduz province, began late on Sunday and by midday yesterday its forces were in control of police headquarters.

Dozens of districts have fallen to the Taliban since May 1, when US and Nato troops began their final departure from the country.

Amid fears of possible infiltration by insurgents, exhaustive checks have taken place on those travelling to Britain, with records repeatedly checked and DNA and biometric testing and interviews carried out, too.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel, who have driven the changes, are working to ensure many interpreters and their families can be airlifted out of Afghanistan  but fears remain among translators that some will be left behind.

Under the revised policy, those dismissed for 'minor reasons' while working for UK troops will still have a chance to relocate. One of those on the flight arriving today is coming under the change fought for by the Mail and the Sulha Alliance, which works to help Afghan translators in the UK and Afghanistan.

Colonel Simon Diggins, former defence attache at the British Embassy in Kabul and a co-founder of the Sulha Alliance, said: 'We welcome the arrival today of former Afghan interpreters and their families.

'We still have concerns though... 35 per cent of all interpreters were terminated. This seems extraordinarily high and we do not believe that all of them can have been dismissed for reasons that would justify exclusion.'

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'Further details on eligibility and support will be made available as the situation evolves.'

'I have to keep the news a secret' Waheed is 'longing for the day' when he, his wife and two children can finally board their flight to Britain. The 29-year-old, who worked for three years as an interpreter with military spies and frontline troops in Helmand, says it was a 'like a dream come true' to be told by British officials three weeks ago that he is eligible to relocate. He is now busily preparing all the required documentation  including birth and wedding certificates  awaiting DNA and biometric tests, and overseeing the sale of his possessions. Relocating: Waheed with UK soldiers in Helmand Such is the concern of translators about attack prior to their departure that only a few of Waheed's trusted friends and family know he has qualified for sanctuary . 'These are such dangerous times and we must take extra care not to slip up and expose ourselves to the Taliban, who have spies everywhere,' he said. 'We live under the Taliban's shadow and if they find out we are escaping them we become priority targets.' Waheed's case was a victory for the Mail's Betrayal of the Brave campaign because he was among more than 1,000 dismissed by UK forces. In his case it was because a Kindle given to him by a British officer was found among his belongings. Electronic equipment was not allowed in bases. He qualified for sanctuary after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace widened the criteria to help more of those who risked their lives for Britain. Advertisement

ANALYSIS - DAVID WILLIAMS: Freedom flight is a way for UK to repay great debt

DAVID WILLIAMS

The Army officer was pained and chose his words carefully: I owe my life to my interpreter, without him I could not have operated and many more of my men would have ended up casualties.

He risked his life for us, he was brave, culturally wise and provided superb intelligence on Taliban operations and, most importantly, what they were thinking.

Now he is facing revenge and death threats, he is despised in his community for helping us, he worries they (the Taliban) will find him. We must help him, we as a country have a moral obligation to help him, we are in his debt.

The officers heartfelt words and frustration have been echoed many times by soldiers in the six years that the Daily Mail has been running its award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign, highlighting the plight of ex-military translators who fear being abandoned to the Taliban.

Put simply, British forces would not have been able to operate, especially in dangerous Helmand Province, without the men who some called their eyes and ears.

The arrival of the so-called freedom flight at an airport in the Midlands tonight is for many the beginning of the repayment of that debt, the recognition of the moral obligation we as a country owe the interpreters and their families.

With an emboldened Taliban, the risk has never been greater to them. In the past month we have been told of attacks on six ex-UK translators and their families which resulted in two deaths and several injuries.

Five Coalition interpreters have been murdered already this year, adding to the grim total of around 350 killed since 2014.

Some have questioned why the UK should take in what is expected to be some 3,500 Afghans who worked for our Government, to add to the 1,250-plus who have already settled here.

The answer is that many of their lives are only at risk in their homeland because of their bravery and work for the British, and the withdrawal of UK and US forces on September 11 will remove the final cloak of protection they have. Such was the hatred in some Afghan communities of Coalition troops that translators kept their work secret even from their own families.

One grandfather who learned his grandson had been blown-up by an IED in Helmand told him he wished he had died. Another was attacked with a knife by his brother-in-law while home on leave. A third was shot dead on his doorstep after a neighbour betrayed him to the insurgents. Dozens we have spoken to tried to melt back into communities, moved to other areas of Afghanistan and took new jobs... but their past caught up with them.

One became a taxi driver hundreds of miles from his home, only to be recognised by a former Taliban prisoner he had helped to question.

Just this weekend an interpreter claimed to have been stopped in a Kabul market and told he was the eyes of the infidel. Britain has been slower and less generous than some of its Coalition partners to offer an escape. By last year the US had taken in 89,000 Afghans and is currently processing a further 18,000.

Indeed, several of those who worked for UK forces, including one who translated for Prince Harry, found the US more open than the UK.

It meant that people-smugglers offered the best chance of escape. It was ironic last September when Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel launched a change of policy for translators at a facility in Norfolk and more than 120 Afghans present  including a translator  were said to have claimed asylum after entering the UK illegally.

That policy was the beginning of real change driven by Mr Wallace, a former soldier, that has now seen the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy rewritten to recognise the worsening security situation in Afghanistan and the impending departure of international troops.

It is Mr Wallaces changes that have facilitated the arrivals today at the start of a massive, much-needed British rescue operation.

For the interpreters flying into Britain  and the communities they will be housed in  the challenges are huge. They will need considerable support, not least in understanding a culture which could hardly be further removed from that of rural Afghanistan. After leaving quarantine, the arrivals will be offered four months of accommodation, access to mainstream benefits and a five-year leave-to-enter visa with the opportunity to apply for indefinite leave to remain at the end of it.

This may seem generous but it could go so much further, allowing these intelligent, multi-lingual men and their families to contribute more to British society. Due to restrictions in the terms of their visas, those arriving will have limited education and employment opportunities.

The Sulha Alliance, which works to help translators and has lobbied the Government, believes they should be given veterans status, inclusion in the Military Covenant and access to service charities such as Help for Heroes.

Crucially, there is also the need for long-term support for physical and mental health needs. The Sulha Alliance points out that many want to work in the police or Armed Forces, roles they are ideally suited to, but are prevented from doing so.

Meanwhile, hundreds of ex-interpreters are among those still hoping they will be eligible to come to the UK before the September deadline.

Among them is Abdul, 34, a former translator the officer at the beginning of this piece said he owed his life to. The fate of British soldiers was in my hands and now mine is with the UK Government, he said. We live in the shadow of the Taliban.

We helped the British when they needed us most and now they have a moral obligation to help us, otherwise we will die for helping you.

The clock is ticking... the Taliban has all the time in the world.
Democrats' voting rights bill is all but certain to fail in the Senate on Tuesday as Republicans move to block the progressive priority and Joe Biden failed to get centrist Joe Manchin to back the legislation.

Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted the legislation on Monday as a 'disastrous proposal' that will get 'no quarter' in the Senate.

'They've made it abundantly clear that the real driving force behind S1 is a desire to rig the rules of American elections permanently, permanently in Democrats' favor,' McConnell said of Democrats' efforts.

Senator Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, met with Biden at the White House on Monday afternoon as the president attempted to persuade him to support the bill that would expand voting rights.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is bringing a vote to the floor Tuesday on a motion to begin debate on the amended version of legislation that passed the House in March.

The procedural vote, however, would need 60 votes to succeed  and there is no indication any Republican senators will support the bill, let alone 10.

Manchin has also said he opposes the bill, arguing that any major voting or election legislation must have bipartisan support, or else he will go against it. With a 50-50 split Senate, any single Democratic defector could kill a bill.

President Barack Obama also weighed into the debate by citing the Capitol Riot as a reason to support the legislation and 'not take Democracy for granted'.

'The violence that occurred in the US Capitol on January 6, just a few months ago, should remind us that we can't take our democracy for granted,' Obama said on a call with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee on Monday.

'Around the world, we have seen once vibrant democracies go into reverse, locking in power for a small group of powerful autocrats and business interests and locking out of the political process dissidents and protestors and opposition parties and the voices of ordinary people.

'It is happening in other places around the world and these impulses have crept into the United States. We are not immune from some of these efforts to weaken our democracy.'

Republicans are prepared to block a procedural vote on Democrats' voting rights bill on Tuesday, which needs 60 votes to avoid a filibuster. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (pictured) blasted the bill as a 'disastrous proposal' that will get 'no quarter' in the Senate

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (left) still wasn't sure as of Monday evening if he would support the bill, even after meeting with President Joe Biden (right) at the White House earlier that afternoon

Obama also said he supported Manchin's compromises on the bill and praised him for trying to 'come up with some common-sense reforms that the majority of Americans agree with.

Manchin suggested making voter registration automatic, setting Election Day as a holiday, requiring at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections and reducing partisan gerrymandering. But he also said voter ID regulations should be stricter - a measure which is Democrat colleagues oppose.

On Monday evening  after his meeting with the president  Manchin said he still doesn't know if he will vote to advance the bill.

'I got to see. I hope they make some changes or agree to some changes,' Manchin said at the Capitol.

'I think we put out an awful lot of good changes, I think, hopefully, the country would agree ... that makes a lot of sense for a lot of voters,' he continued.

A White House official said during the meeting Monday, Biden 'expressed his sincere appreciation for Senator Manchin's efforts to achieve reform.'

'The President conveyed that he sees voting rights as one of the most urgent issues facing our nation during his administration, and made it clear how important he thinks it is that the Senate find a path forward on this issue,' the official continued in a statement on the meeting between the two. ' They also discussed bipartisan negotiations on infrastructure.'

Biden also met with Senator Kyrsten Sinema at the White House on Monday. The Arizona Democrat has also emerged as a moderate voice in the party who could derail legislation as the party holds power in the legislative and executive branches.

The 900-page For the People Act would need to overcome a filibuster by Republicans to reach debate on the Senate floor. The procedural vote requires 60 backers to avoid a filibuster, but if the bill were to make it to the floor, only 51 votes are needed to get it passed into law.

Vice President Kamala Harris acts as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

Democrats have been working hard to get rid of the filibuster as part of other legislation, something Republicans and some Democrats  including Manchin and Sinema  opposed fervently.

'The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings,' Sinema wrote Monday in an op/ed for The Washington Post.

She welcomed a full debate on the voting bill 'so senators and our constituents can hear and fully consider the concerns and consequences.'

'My support for retaining the 60-vote threshold is not based on the importance of any particular policy. It is based on what is best for our democracy,' Sinema wrote. 'The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings between opposing policy poles.'

Sinema urged her colleagues to see that if the filibuster is revoked, it could be used against them in the future when Republicans once again hold a majority in the Senate.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would continue to push for voting rights legislation even if a test vote fails in the Senate Tuesday. She also said Manchin's compromise idea was a 'step forward'

Backers of the voting bill claim it is an extension of civil rights that gets rid of laws that make it harder for some Americans to cast a ballot, but critics claim it's just another example of federal overreach.

Manchin proposed some changes to the bill last week that he feels would garner more bipartisan support, including adding a provision for a national voter ID requirement to vote and dropping a proposed public financing of campaigns.

While his version of the bill was well received by the Biden administration as a 'step forward', it did not garner the support of progressive Democrats.

'It's a step forward,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki 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,' she added.

'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.
The NYPD is boosting payments for anonymous tips from $2,500 to $3,500 to help bring down shootings and homicides, Bill de Blasio said on Monday.

The Mayor wants to slash soaring crime rates which have been the subject of criticism from his rival candidates as voters head to the polls today to select their nominees for the fall general election.

Shootings in the city are up 188 percent on last year, while homicides have surged by 750 percent.

'I think this is going to make a big difference,' De Blasio told a press conference.

The announcement came after another blood-soaked weekend in the city as 19 shootings and two homicides were recorded. A volunteer for Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams' mayoral campaign was also stabbed on Sunday.

Adams said the volunteer was badly wounded but was recovering. The NYPD said its investigation into the incident is ongoing.

'I think this is going to make a big difference,' De Blasio told a press conference on Monday

NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison said at Monday's press briefing that the force received 1,000 tips through the Crime Stoppers program last year.

He said that the pandemic had made it even more difficult to identify suspects because people are wearing masks. Harrison said crooks were 'capitlizing' on the face masks.

New York reported 680 shootings from January 1 to June 20, an increase of 444 over the same period last year. There were 204 homicides in that period, another massive increase of 180 over the same timeframe in 2020.

Meanwhile the NYPD has made more than 70,000 arrests so far this year, slightly down on the same period last year.

The shocking figures come as New Yorkers head to the polls on Tuesday to select their nominees, following a campaign which has been dominated by debates over public safety and the surge in shootings.

The winner of the crowded Democratic contest, who may not be known until mid-July, will be a heavy favorite to succeed term-limited De Blasio in November's general election.

Democratic registered voters outnumber Republican voters by more than a six-to-one ratio, state data shows.

The next mayor will be confronted with deep challenges including wealth inequality, police accountability, a lack of affordable housing and a struggling tourism industry in the country's most populous city of about 8.2 million residents.

The leading Democratic contenders include Brooklyn Borough President Adams, former presidential candidate and entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former sanitation chief Kathryn Garcia, civil rights lawyer and former MSNBC analyst Maya Wiley and City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

New York reported 680 shootings from January 1 to June 20, an increase of 444 over the same period last year. There were 204 homicides in that period, another massive increase of 180 over the same timeframe in 2020 (file photo)

The election will be the first mayoral primary to use ranked-choice voting, in which voters rank up to five candidates in order of preference, adding a layer of uncertainty to the race.

Voters also will choose from eight Democratic candidates seeking to replace Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who is retiring. The nominee, who will be all but guaranteed to win November's general election, would inherit Vance's criminal probe into former President Donald Trump's business empire.

Adams, a former police captain who put policing and crime at the center of his campaign, has led most recent polls, after months in which Yang appeared to be the front-runner. Garcia, who has run a technocratic campaign focused on her long experience in government, has risen in polls after securing the New York Times editorial board's endorsement.

All three are considered more moderate and have called for increased police resources to combat rising crime.

Wiley, a liberal, has highlighted the protests against police violence last summer and proposed cutting $1 billion from the nearly $6 billion NYPD budget, redirecting the funding instead to other services, such as mental health counseling.

She has emerged as the preferred candidate for progressive groups, after Stringer lost numerous endorsements in the wake of two sexual misconduct allegations. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Almost all of the top candidates would make history: Adams as the city's second Black mayor, Yang as the first Asian-American mayor, Garcia as the first female mayor and Wiley as the first Black female mayor.

Polls close at 9pm and preliminary results showing voters' first-choice votes are expected sometime after that, but barring a surprise outcome in which one candidates exceeds 50% of first-choice votes, the final results will likely take weeks.

The Board of Elections intends to announce the first round of results from its tabulation of in-person votes on June 29 and plans to release a second round that includes some absentee ballots a week later. Final results are expected the week of July 12, after the deadline for voters to fix, or 'cure,' deficient ballots has passed.
The controversial 'vigilante police and journalism' app Citizen has come under fire from users again, this time blasting a 'plane crash' at LAX, claiming an unattended airbus had crashed into a terminal, when it was a training drill that the airport had warned the public of ahead of time.

The app boasts that it uploads real-time photos and videos from the scene of crimes or emergencies that have been taken by its users and shared without verification. It also offers 'digital bodyguard' protections and last month piloted its own private security force.

But in many cases, what is reported is unverified information that people have heard on police scanners or seen for themselves in the street. There is often no confirmation of the details from the emergency services and in many cases, what's reported is far from what is actually going on.

This was the case on Saturday when someone from Citizen, plugged into the LAFD scanner, heard a worrying report of an unattended airbus that had crashed into a terminal at the airport, with no sign of the pilot.

'All units responding to the incident at LAX. We are at Gate 225 we have an airbus 320... an airliner into the terminal. Additional reports from the mechanic and others on the ground is that there is nobody on board the plane. Pilot is self-extricated. We're investigating at this time. Have all companies respond,' the call said.

Unaware that it was a drill, the app reported it as fact.

'Unoccupied Airplane Crashed into Terminal at Los Angeles,' the first blast, that was captured by a journalist from The Daily Dot, read.

Another blast which more than 1,500 people viewed, read: 'LAFD units state the pilot got out of the plane on their own. No fluids are leaking from the plane, and the airplane is fully in the terminal.'

The Airbus being used for the training exercise (pictured) was parked next to the terminal at LAX but had not crashed. Citizen reported the crash as fact

On Saturday, the app was tuned in to police scanners where emergency services were carrying out a training drill for a crash at the airport. It sent a blast to followers, which one shared on Twitter

Another post read: 'LAFD units state the pilot got out of the plane on their own. No fluids are leaking from the plane, and the airplane is fully in the terminal'

Soon after tweeting the original blast, Citizen sent out a correction to say it was just a drill

People who were in the airport terminal started responding to the app, saying they were fine and that the information was wrong.

Citizen then corrected the blast to tell followers it was just a training drill.

'Correction: Updated information indicates a training drill is being conducted until noon today. There are no injuries or crashed aircrafts at LAX.'

Earlier in the day, the airport had tweeted: 'LAX is hosting a training exercise from 8 a.m. to noon today. Emergency vehicles and personnel may be visible on the airfield.

'This is only a training exercise.'

Citizen users were angry about the misinformation.

'I dont know, Citizen App, yall want me to pay for your private security, but then you get stuff like this catastrophically wrong,' one user said.

They were referring to the app's plans to create a private security force to respond to users when they are in emergencies, before the police get there.

Citizen piloted the program in Los Angeles in May but ditched its plans soon after.

LAX had tweeted about the training drill before it began to try to calm any panic ahead of time

People on Citizen also chimed in as the live feed was happening to say the report was false

Citizen already offers a personal safety subscription product called 'Protect', which allows a Citizen employee to monitor the user's location when active, and can stream video to the Citizen agent when triggered by a safeword.

Pitched as a 'digital bodyguard,' the service advertises 'Instant emergency response to your exact location' in the event of trouble.

But the company wanted to go further in establishing its own security force. Emails obtained by Motherboard also revealed they had pitched themselves to the LAPD and received an 'enthusiastic' response.

In a statement to DailyMail.com at the end of May, however, the company said they had no plans to launch their own security force.

'This was a small 30-day test that is now complete,' a Citizen spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch of the program.

In May, the company also announced plans for its own private security force. A mysterious Citizen-branded 'private patrol' car was then seen prowling LA. The company says it is piloting a private security force to respond to user requests

'We have no plans to launch our own private security force and no ongoing relationship with LAPS.'

The company also came under fire recently for falsely accusing a California homeless man of starting a wildfire, then offering a $20,000 bounty to find him.

Citizen blasted a photo of the wrong arsonist.

The police department ended up arresting a different homeless man for starting the blaze.

After the mistaken identity was revealed, the company said in a statement that it is 'actively working to improve our internal processes to ensure this does not occur again.'

'This was a mistake we are taking very seriously,' the statement added.

Citizen did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the LAX mistake on Tuesday morning.

In May, Citizen pushed the bounty out in an alert to users in Southern California but included a picture of a homeless man, Devin Hilton (pictured), who was later released by the police for lack of evidence
An urgent alert has been issued for a busy Qantas flight after a passenger infected with Covid enjoyed a weekend away in New Zealand.

On Tuesday evening it was revealed that an infected Australian hopped on flight QF163 from Sydney to Wellington which arrived at 12.12am on June 18.

They returned to Sydney on Air New Zealand flight NZ247 at 10.13am on June 21 - just a day before Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern slammed the nation's borders shut to New South Wales amid an outbreak of coronavirus in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Kiwis were given just three hours to get back home before restrictions come into place.

New Zealand's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins put the breaks on hotel quarantine-free travel after NSW recorded 10 new locally-acquired infections on Tuesday, bringing Sydney's Bondi cluster to 21 active cases.

He said the decision was made because there are still 'several unknowns' about the growing outbreak.

Pictured: A Qantas Airbus A330 aircraft takes off destined for Sydney next to Air New Zealand aircraft

Pictured: Passengers wearing face masks stand at the check-in counters for their flights bound for New Zealand at Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport

'The pause will come into force from 11.59pm NZT and be in place for 72 hours initially,' Hipkins said in a statement.

'As with previous pauses, it will be under constant review.'

He explained the decision had been made after revelations several infections in Sydney were unlinked to the Bondi outbreak.

This includes a case that was infectious while in the Sydney community and a primary school age child.

On Tuesday, three more exposure sites were also added to the extensive list, including Italian restaurant Totti's Bondi, The Roya Bondi and Woolworths at Spring Farm.

Kiwi health authorities are also urging anyone in New Zealand that has been to Westfield's Bondi Junction - including the car park - between June 12-18 to immediately get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

The New Zealand government on Thursday will revaluate the decision.

The tough news for NSW holidaymakers comes on the same day New Zealand is set to reinstate quarantine-free travel with Victoria, after the state experienced its fourth lockdown since the pandemic began.

Kiwis were given just three hours to get back home before restrictions come into place. Pictured: Wellington Airport

Pictured: Passengers receive a Cover-19 check from NSW Heatlh officials after arriving on Flight VA849 from Melbourne at Sydney Domestic Airport in Sydney

NEW EXPOSURE SITES IN SYDNEY Call NSW Health immediately, gest tested and isolate regardless of the result: QF163 (Qantas) - June 18 from Sydney to Wellington, NZ NZ247 (Air New Zealand) - June 21 from Wellington, NZ to Sydney Bondi: Totti's Bondi - Saturday June 19, 5pm - 6.30pm Mascot: Wallabies Thai Restaurant - Saturday June 19, 11.30am - 12pm (anyone who dined outside) Bondi Junction: Chanel fragrance and beauty - Friday June 18, 12pm - 12.25pm Sydney: ANZ Martin Place - Thursday June 17, 11.45am - 3.15pm (anyone on level 2) Get tested and isolate until a negative test is received: Bondi: The Royal Bondi - Saturday June 19, 5pm - 6.30pm Spring Farm: Woolworths - Sunday June 20, 9.30am - 10am Mascot: Wallabies Thai Restaurant - Saturday June 19, 11.30am - 12pm (anyone who dined inside) Bondi Junction: Starbucks - Friday June 18, 11am - 12pm Sydney: ANZ Martin Place - Thursday June 17, 11.45am - 3.15pm (anyone on ground and level 1) Mascot Central Shopping Precinct - Anytime between Friday June 18 and Tuesday June 22 Advertisement

The travel bubble between Victoria and the land of the long white cloud is set to re-established at 11.59pm on Tuesday.

Of the 10 new infections announced in NSW today, one of them remains a mystery.

A student at Saint Charles' Primary School in Waverley, Sydney's east, returned a positive result but contact tracers are still scrambling to find out where she may have contracted the virus.

The current outbreak hitting Sydney is particularly hard to trace because it is the highly infectious Delta variant which originated in India.

'Literally people not even physically touching each other but fleetingly coming into the same airspace has seen the virus transfer from one person to another,' Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

'That's how contagious it is.'

There has been close liaison between the health agencies of NSW and New Zealand. Pictured: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (left) and NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (right)

New Zealand have pulled up the draw bridge to Western Australia and Victoria on one occasion and slammed the door shut on NSW twice since the trans-Tasman travel bubble came into effect on April 19. Pictured: Departure passengers to New Zealand wait to check in at Sydney International Airport, Sydney, Monday, April 19

Since Australian and New Zealand trans-Tasman travel bubble came into effect on April 19, there have been numerous occasions where it has been halted due to outbreaks.

New Zealand have pulled up the draw bridge to Western Australia and Victoria on one occasion and slammed the door shut on NSW twice.

At the time of the announcement New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned that the rules could be subject to rapid change if an outbreak occurs in either country.

'Those undertaking travel on either side of the ditch will do so under the guidance of flyer beware,' Ms Ardern said.

'People will need to plan for the possibility of travel being disrupted if there is an outbreak.'
The EU has opened a sweeping new antitrust investigation into Google, looking into whether the tech giant unfairly stifled competition in online advertising.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU's digital competition enforcer, announced the probe today - saying Google may have unfairly handicapped those buying advertising space, tech firms selling ad space, and sites that rely on ad revenue to operate.

Among the topics of the investigation will be Google's decision to force everyone buying ad space on YouTube to use its services, and moves to restrict the amount of user data that rival ad-selling firms could access, she said.

If found guilty then Google could be fined up to $18 billion - 10 per cent of its annual revenue, which stood at $180billion last year - and forced to change its behaviour.

Ms Vestager has already led three EU antitrust investigations into Google which ended with the company being fined a total of $9billion.

The new probe also comes amid investigations into Google in various countries over its ad business - including a case in France earlier this month which saw the tech firm fined $260million over an 'extremely severe' breach of competition rules.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU's digital competition enforcer, has announced a sweeping new probe into Google's online advertising business

A similar case is also ongoing in the US after states led by Texas filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Google conspired with Facebook to establish what amounted to an online advertising monopoly.

And UK regulators are examining Google's plans to change the way it collects information on users' browsing habits in such a way that it may harm competitors which rely on that information - an area the EU has said it will also look at.

Speaking today, Ms Vestager said: Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetise their online services.

'Google collects data to be used for targeted advertising purposes, it sells advertising space and also acts as an online advertising intermediary. So Google is present at almost all levels of the supply chain for online display advertising.

'We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack.

'A level playing field is of the essence for everyone in the supply chain. Fair competition is important - both for advertisers to reach consumers on publishers' sites and for publishers to sell their space to advertisers, to generate revenues and funding for content.

'We will also be looking at Google's policies on user tracking to make sure they are in line with fair competition.'

Google owns a range of technologies which it uses to monetise online advertising.

They include tools for sites which host adverts in exchange for a share of the revenue generated, companies who want to buy space to host their adverts, and firm which sell the online advertising space.

The EU will investigate Google's decision to force firms buying ads on YouTube to use its advertising sales software, among other practises (file image)

Among the tools being investigated by the EU are Display & Video 360, Google Ads and Google Ad Manager - services that are owned by Google which are used to display ads on YouTube, among other platforms.

The EU says it is probing a 2016 decision by Google to force all companies buying advertising space on YouTube to use its services - a move that rival ad-selling firms say crippled them.

Also under investigation is AdX, Google's online auction house where it sells advertising space, amid allegations it unfairly favoured those using services such as Display & Video 360 and Google Ads.

Finally, the EU will also probe a piece of software called Doubleclick - which is used by publishers such as news sites to put advertising space up for sale - amid claims Google limited their ability to see user data that it had access to.

Several of those same services - such as Doubleclick and AdX - were also investigated by French regulators, who found they way they operated had breached fair competition rules.

As part of the case, Google was accused of taking data from DoubleClick and using it to optimise sales on AdX without giving rivals access to the same data.

Regulators also found that Doubleclick would vary the commission it took when making a sale based on prices being offered by rivals.

At the same time, Google arranged for AdX to give preferential treatment to offers emanating from Doubleclick - effectively squeezing out competitors.

Google did not contest the findings, and the regulator said the company has committed to operational changes including improved interoperability with third-party ad placement providers.

The EU will also investigate Google's online advertising auction house AdX over claims it unfairly favoured bids coming from clients using the firm's other software

But the changes demanded by French regulators could pave the way for the EU to impose similar reforms, provided its investigation also finds Google bent the rules.

In a statement reacting to the latest EU probe, Google said: 'Thousands of European businesses use our advertising products to reach new customers and fund their websites every day.

'They choose them because they're competitive and effective. We will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission to answer their questions and demonstrate the benefits of our products to European businesses and consumers.'

Digital advertising makes up the bulk of Google's revenue, which stood at $55.3 billion in the first quarter of this year.

That has sparked interest from regulators which until recent years had largely turned a blind eye to how the tech giant earned its money.

The EU and Ms Vestager have led the fightback, but their moves are moves are now being emulated around the world and applied to other companies.

For example, Germany's competition regulator said recently that it is expanding an antitrust investigation into Google and its parent company Alphabet to include Google News Showcase, a service aimed at increasing revenue for media publishers.

Facebook also found itself targeted last week by parallel competition inquiries from the European Union and Britain, into whether the social media giant uses data from advertisers to unfairly dominate the online classifieds market.

Google had already been fined 150 million euros by the French regulator in December 2019 over 'opaque' operating rules for its advertising platform, which were deemed to be applied in 'an unfair and random manner.'

And in December last year, Google as well as Amazon were fined a total of 135 million euros by France's privacy watchdog for placing advertising cookies on users' computers without consent.
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A furious row has broken out among Tory and Labour MPs after a landmark report exposed how 'divisive' and 'politically controversial' terms such as 'white privilege' have led to the 'systemic neglect' of white working-class children by England's education system for decades.

The Conservative-dominated Commons Education Select Committee 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.

But Tory chairman Robert Halfon was forced to deny claims by Labour MPs his committee was trying to peddle a 'fake culture war' by branding the term 'white privilege' as 'wrong-headed' because it 'says there is collective guilt when it should be individual responsibility for racists acts'.

Labour MPs including former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott accused the Tories of hijacking the committee to 'divert attention' from government cuts to spending. They added that 'their attack on the term white privilege is designed to cause division'.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, 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.'

He added: '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.'

Tory MP for Mansfield Ben Bradley told MailOnline: 'Come to my constituency and talk to these kids, very often young white lads but girls too, who are dropping out of school with no qualifications, who have often had zero help from home or parents, and who have no financial or cultural capital.

'Tell them their skin colour makes them privileged, as if that is any kind of indicator of their life chances. It's not. It's total nonsense, and the fact that so many rich people complain when this is pointed out just shows that these kids really have been forgotten.'

He added: 'I think it is a sad sign of the times and of the state of the Labour Party that from all of the hugely important content of that report, they have chosen not to pick up on the appalling disparity evidenced within it, but instead to focus on about two paragraphs that fit their identity politics narrative.

'They have chosen to try and turn a debate about disadvantaged children into yet another attempt to pit people against each other based on race. By focusing on just this aspect, they are doing the poorest children a disservice, and it's these decisions that show just how detached they are from formerly Labour voting working-class communities.

Fleur Anderson, Labour 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.'

Diane Abbott, Kim Johnson, Fleur Anderson and Daisy Cooper have all rounded on Tory MPs after a landmark report by the Conservative-dominated Commons Education Select Committee exposed how 'divisive' and 'politically controversial' terms such as 'white privilege' have led to the 'systemic neglect' of white working-class children for decades

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

Tory chairman Robert Halfon (right) was forced to deny claims by Labour MPs his committee was trying to peddle a 'fake culture war'. Tory MP for Mansfield Ben Bradley (left) called the idea of 'white privilege': 'total nonsense'

White working-class pupils are one of the worst-achieving groups in the country, MPs said in a report (file image)

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

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.'

And 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.'

Speaking to the 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.'

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.'

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.

'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.'
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Eight people have been arrested for trespassing during a climate change protest outside Ted Cruz's Houston home.

Around 70 activists staged a demonstration outside the Texas senator's $2million property in the ritzy River Oaks neighborhood on Monday morning, before police were called to the scene.

The protest was held by the Sunrise Movement, an organization advocating for political action on climate change, with video showing some of the participants sitting on Cruz's front lawn and refusing to budge.

Police negotiated with some of the activists for more than an hour and threatened to take them into custody if they did not get off Cruz's property.

Eight of the protesters refused to yield and were arrested.

Eight people have been arrested for trespassing during a climate change protest outside Ted Cruz's Houston home

Around 70 activists staged a demonstration outside the Texas Senator's $2 million property in the ritzy River Oaks neighborhood on Monday morning, before police were called to the scene

Pictures show some of the participants sitting on Cruz's front lawn and refusing to budge

One young climate change activist was handcuffed and taken into custody

One of the arrested activists is seen being taken into custody

Cuz - who is very active on Twitter - has not publicly commented on the protest outside his home

'The Houston Police Department supports First Amendment rights, right to public assembly, but it has to be done in a safe manner and it has to be done within the confines and within the scope of the law,' HPD Asst Chief Ben Tien told KHOU11.

'We gave them ample opportunity to leave the location, but they refused.'

It did not appear that any members of Cruz's family were inside the home at the time.

The Republican politician is married to wife Heidi, with whom he shares two daughters, Caroline and Catherine.

Cuz - who is very active on Twitter - has not publicly commented on the protest.

Many of the activists appear to be high school and college students. It's unclear how neighbors in the upscale enclave reaced to the arrival of the activists

Police negotiated with some of the activists for more than an hour, and threatened to take them into custody if they did not get off Cruz's property

The protest was organized by the Sunrise Movement, an organization advocating for political action on climate change

The protest attracted local police and media to the leafy neighborhood. Officer said they supported the group's right to public assembly

The group brandished signs written in both English and Spanish. They were designed to put pressure on Cruz to commit to climate change policies

Demonstrators were outside Cruz's home for several hours on Monday morning

It's the third time this year that protests have been staged outside Cruz's plush pad.

Back in April, busloads of activists showed up at the home to demonstrate against inaction from congressional representatives.

Meanwhile, in February, dozens of outraged constituents stood outside the property demanding Cruz resign after he fled to Cancun to escape widespread power outages in Texas.

The Senator was slammed for abandoning his state during the crisis, jetting to Cancun with his family for a vacation as millions of residents shivered without heating in harsh winter temperatures.
Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema doubled down on her defense of the filibuster under mounting pressure to denounce the legislative practice ahead of a crucial Senate vote on a voting rights bill on Tuesday.

The Arizona Democrat, who touts her political independence and models her career in the maverick mold of the late John McCain, refused to bow to pressure from her own party and argued ending the filibuster 'damages our democracy.'

'The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings between opposing policy poles,' she wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Monday night that defended the legislative tool.

The filibuster refers to the 60-vote threshold required to move legislation forward in the Senate. The Democrats' voting rights bill is expected to fall victim to it on Tuesday when it comes to the Senate floor.

The legislative tool makes the minority party a power player in the Senate. In the current makeup of the chamber, Democrats need 10 Republicans to vote with them to pass any legislation if all Democrats vote the party line.

Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema doubled down on her defense of the filibuster under mounting pressure to denounce the legislative tool

Sinema defended the voting threshold, arguing that political parties don't always stay in the majority and there could come a time when the filibuster is needed by Democrats.

'I do not accept a new standard by which important legislation can only pass on party-line votes  and when my party is again in the Senate minority, I will work just as hard to preserve the right to shape legislation,' she wrote.

And, she noted, eliminating the filibuster to pass the voting rights bill could come back to haunt Democrats.

'To those who want to eliminate the legislative filibuster to pass the For the People Act (voting-rights legislation I support and have co-sponsored), I would ask: Would it be good for our country if we did, only to see that legislation rescinded a few years from now and replaced by a nationwide voter-ID law or restrictions on voting by mail in federal elections, over the objections of the minority?,' she wrote.

The For the People Act - the Democrats' voting rights bill that has already passed the House - has 49 Democratic co-sponsors but no chance of getting enough Republican votes to advance in the Senate.

Sinema and fellow moderate Democrat Senator Joe Manchin have been vocal in their defense of the filibuster, at times to the ire of fellow members of their party.

And a progressive group, Just Democracy ,launched a a seven-figure ad campaign in Arizona to target Sinema, to try and get her to support abolishing the filibuster. Sinema is up for re-election in 2024.

Sinema and Manchin also had separate meetings at the White House on Monday with President Joe Biden to discuss his legislative priorities.

The two senators are key votes for the president. In the evenly-split 50-50 Senate he cannot afford to lose a single Democratic vote on his agenda items.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is another vocal defender of the filibuster

There are ways to get around the filibuster in the Senate through a process called budget reconciliation - which requires just 51 votes to advance legislation.

Democrats used it to approve the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, in 2010. Republicans used it in 2017 to pass tax cuts.

Senate Democrats used it to Biden's advantage in March to pass the president's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package when all Republicans voted no.

There is a catch, however.

Budge reconciliation cant be used for just any legislation, but provides a way for some budget-related measures to pass with a simple 51 votes. It usually is invoked for legislation involving revenues, spending or debt.

The Senate parliamentarian makes the final determination when it can and cannot be used.
Australia is crying out for more chefs, auditors and tax accountants, with the occupations added to a list of skill shortages.

Engineers, surveyors and cartographers are also among 22 new professions added, bringing the list to 41 jobs.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said the government engaged with employers, business leaders and industry representatives to determine the changed line-up.

He is determined to leverage the list to aid Australia's recovery from COVID-19, which forced the closure of international borders and drove a wrecking ball through migration.

Australia is in need of chefs, with posts going unfilled throughout the country since the borders shut in March 2020

'The Morrison government will continue to support Australian businesses, including through skilled migration, as the engine room of our nation's economy,' Mr Hawke said.

Multimedia and IT specialists are also being sought, along with software programmers, medical laboratory scientists and prosthetists.

Existing skilled migration lists will remain active and visas will still be processed, but priority will be given to the 41 occupations.

Anyone sponsored under the skilled visa scheme will need to pay for their own quarantine.
Houston high school English teacher Katrina Maxwell, 32, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child for allegedly having sex with her 16-year-old male student

A high school English teacher from Texas has been accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting her 16-year-old male student, and also throwing a pair of scissors at the child in a jealous rage.

Katrina Maxwell, 32, of Houston, was arrested last week on two counts of sexual assault of a child between ages 14-17, accused of having sexual encounters with a student at C.E. King High School during the spring break in March and April.

Maxwell, who had been nominated for a teaching award by her students, has been fired from her job in the wake of her arrest.

According to court documents cited by Click2Houston, Maxwell's alleged relationship with the minor first came to light when a colleague at the school observed her behavior as she watched the boy's interaction with his girlfriend.

The same school staffer also reported seeing Maxwell hurl a pair of scissors at the teenager's head because he sat next to his girlfriend.

An investigation was then launched by the school district, during which Maxwell allegedly admitted to having sex with the 16-year-old in the backseat of her car on two separate occasions.

Maxwell was fired from her job at C.E King High School in Houston following her arrest

A witness who was present during Maxwell's interview said the teacher claimed she loved the 16-year-old boy, according to the filings obtained by ABC13.

Maxwell was quoted as saying that she believed she was 'a good teacher,' and lamented that now she would be known 'as the teacher that f****ed her student.'

When the alleged victim was interviewed, he told investigators that he and his English teacher had sex several times between March and April, according to the documents.

The boy claimed that Maxwell once picked him up from his aunt's house, took him to a nearby hotel and had a sexual intercourse with him for the first time.

The Sheldon Independent School District has released a statement, confirming Maxwell's termination following an internal investigation that had substantiated the misconduct claims against her.

The district spokesperson stated that the findings of the probe were then turned over to law enforcement, and the district was said to have 'strongly encouraged' the district attorney's office to accept the charges.

'The district's first concern is always the safety of our students while providing a safe and secure place for students to learn,' the statement continued. 'Sheldon ISD is deeply saddened that this occurred, and we are committed to continued cooperation with law enforcement to ensure Mrs. Maxwell is prosecuted to the fullest extent.'

Maxwell was released from jail after posting $20,000 bond. She is due back in court on September 29.
Downing Street defended Carrie Johnson today after she publicly lashed out at the 'sickening' practice of eating dogs in China.

In her first political intervention as the Prime Minister's wife, Mrs Johnson, a noted animal welfare activist, hit out on Twitter over an annual event in which pooches are on the menu.

Some 5,000 animals are expected to be consumed over 10 days at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, which began in southern China yesterday.

Mrs Johnson, who married the PM late last month, tweeted a link to a story about the annual event, saying: 'The torture of these dogs and puppies is sickening. Warning: these pictures are the thing of nightmare.'

Asked if the PM agreed with his wife's anger at the scenes, his official spokesman said today: 'The British public would rightly never support the slaughter and consumption of dogs.'

In her first political intervention as the Prime Minister's wife, Mrs Johnson, a noted animal welfare activist, hit out on Twitter over an annual event in which pooches are on the menu.

Dogs rescued from a lorry bound for the Yulin festival this week by animal welfare activists

Some 5,000 animals are expected to be consumed over 10 days at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, which began in southern China yesterday.

Mrs Johnson works for the Aspinall Foundation, an animal charity. And she has previously been vocal on the issue.

The couple have a dog, Dilyn, who is often accompanies the PM on his morning runs.

Last year she was named Peta UK's Person of the Year 'for speaking up for animals from monkeys to mutts and being a bright light in a tough year'.

And she has been credited with making Mr Johnson more outspoken on animal welfare and environmental issues.

In January he came under fire from his own party for publicly shaming China's use of traditional medicine and blaming the 'demented' practice of harvesting pangolin scales for causing coronavirus.

In an environmental speech to world leaders Mr Johnson tore into people who 'grind up the scales of a pangolin' in a bid to become more 'potent' - a thinly veiled attack on Chinese remedies.

Ms Symonds has been vocal in her opposition to wet markets, where the animals are sold. Such markets are also blamed for aiding the transfer of Covid-19 from wild animals to humans.

Mr Johnson made the remarks in a virtual speech to the One Planet Summit, hosted by France's President Macron, citing the illegal trade in the scaly anteater-like creatures.

They are widely used in Chinese medicine and their trafficking has been blamed for transmitting the virus from bats found in the wild to humans.

The first documented cases of the Covid-19 were in the Chinese city of Wuhan, with a wet market trading in exotic animals being seen as the probable source.
Donald Trump blamed Mike Pence in a Monday evening interview for his 2020 election loss and railed against two Supreme Court picks Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett for voting to uphold Obamacare.

'I am very disappointed. I fought very hard for them, but I was very disappointed with a number of their rulings,' Trump said in an interview with Real America's Voice host David Brody.

He also claimed in the Monday interview that his former vice president should have done more to stop Congress certifying the Electoral College results on January 6.

'What's your take on Mike Pence and what's the relationship like?' Brody asked Trump in an interview where he noted the former president's supporters will 'never forgive' Pence.

'Well, I've always liked Mike and I'm very disappointed that he didn't send it back to the legislatures when you have more votes than you have voters in some cases, and when you have the kind of things that were known then,' Trump said.

'I was disappointed that he didn't send it back,' he continued in reference to the Electoral College results.

'I felt that he had the right to send it back. He should have sent it back. That's my opinion.'

Trump also released a statement on Tuesday condemning Georgia for waiting until now to remove 100,000 'obsolete and outdated' names off the state's voter rolls.

'Doing this, they say, will ensure voting files are up to date, while at the same time ensuring voter integrity in future elections.

'BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LAST ELECTION? WHY WASNT THIS DONE PRIOR TO THE NOVEMBER 3RD PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, where they had us losing by a very small number of votes, many times less than the 101,789 figure?

'This means we (you!) won the Presidential Election in Georgia. But dont fret, much other information will soon be revealed about Georgiaand other States as well. It is coming out FAST and FURIOUS. The 2020 Presidential Election was rigged!'

Donald Trump railed against Mike Pence in an interview Monday where he claimed he was 'disappointed' in his former vice president for not 'sending back' the results of the 2020 presidential election

Trump, pictured departing Trump Tower in New York City on June 15, has repeated the false idea that Pence could have done more to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College results on January 6

As vice president, it was Pence's responsibility to preside over the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021 as they would vote to certify the presidential election results from each state.

Trump claimed several times since Election Day in November 2020 that Pence could have stopped Congress from certifying the results, which is not true.

While many Republican lawmakers voted against the results in a few swing states, it was not enough to stop the overall body from affirming the win for Biden two months after the election took place.

A vice president does not solely hold the power to stop Congress from its duty to certify the Electoral College results in a presidential election.

'I think you may have found that you would have had a different president right now had he sent them back,' Trump added in his interview.

Pence was widely praised on January 6 for immediately condemning the stampede of Trump supporters who breached the Capitol that day to protest the election results. Trump, on the other hand, was impeached for a second time by Democrats who claimed he 'incited' the riot with his rhetoric.

Despite Trump's criticism during the Monday interview of two of his three Supreme Court nominees, he said he still doesn't regret picking them.

Second-guessing does no good, but I was disappointed with a number of rulings that they made, Trump said of Kavanaugh and Barrett in an Obamacare ruling last week.

The Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act in a 7-2 ruling. The majority opinion said conservative states challenging the law didnt show enough injury to strike down any part of former President Barack Obamas namesake law.

Trump has still repeated his claims that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election that led to his loss to Biden.

As vice president, Pence presided over the joint session where lawmakers certified the results of the 2020 election

He has not officially declared a run for president in 2024, but has strongly alluded to it and has restarted his rallies starting this weekend. He previously said he will wait until after the 2022 midterms to announce his decision on another White House run.

Pence is also rumored to be considering a primary run as he has emerged back in the public eye over the last few months and remained in the D.C. area rather than returning to Indiana after leaving office on January 20, 2021.

Trump has said he is considering several people as potential running mates, but has said he is willing to depart from Pence.

One of his most likely running mates is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who actually came out as the preferred Republican presidential nominee over Trump in a straw poll among conservatives at the Western Conservative Summit.

Mike Pence is called a 'TRAITOR' at faith conference: Hecklers drown out VP with boos at Faith & Freedom Coalition event

Former Vice President Mike Pence was booed and called a 'traitor' at a Faith & Freedom Coalition event in Orlando 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!'

The Road to Majority conference attracted a number of conservative household names including Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ron Johnson, Rick Scott, Marsha Blackburn, Lindsey Graham and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise.

And they pushed a number of right-wing talking points with Cruz, for example, remarking that 'critical race theory is bigoted. It is a lie, And it is every bit as racist as the Klansmen in white sheets.'

Cruz also said: 'I'm going to commit a radical act, I'm going to speak the truth. America is great. Christopher Columbus discovering America was a good thing. George Washington was an American hero. Thomas Jefferson was an American hero. Abraham Lincoln was an American hero.

He also lambasted the days when you could say 'Israel is our friend, boys and girls are different and the Wuhan virus came from Wuhan' without the 'fear of getting cancelled'

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

Audience members booed and shouted 'traitor' at former Vice President Mike Pence at an event in Orlando, Florida Friday

Pence barely introduced himself before the audience rebeled.

'And I want to thank my friend Ralph Reed for those overly generous words, I'm deeply humbled by them,' Pence said.

'Ralph Reed knows me well enough to know the introduction I prefer is a little bit shorter: I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, and I'm honored to stand before you today,' he continued, as the shouts also continued.

In the lead-up to the January 6 MAGA riot, former President Donald Trump pushed Pence, who had a Constitutional duty to preside over Congress' counting of Electoral College votes, to throw out votes from key swing states - in an effort to overturn President Joe Biden's win.

'I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so,' Trump told the crowd at the Ellipse on the morning of January 6, before droves of them stormed the Capitol. 'Because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.'

Trump falsely claimed to the crowd that Pence had 'the absolute right' to toss out Electoral Votes at his choosing.

Pence publicly said he didn't see it that way.

When rioters got to the Capitol later on January 6, some chanted 'hang Mike Pence' for his refusal to do Trump's bidding.

During Trump's second impeachment hearing, video footage showed Pence narrowly escaping from the crowd.

Trump never called to check in on him.

Earlier this month, Pence tried to push 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.
Scientists will begin giving people with Covid symptoms ivermectin to determine whether it can help infected patients to recover at home.

Oxford University researchers are leading leading the trial of the antiparasitic drug, which can cost as little as 1.50 for a course of treatment.

Ivermectin is already used in around 20 countries to treat Covid but is only licensed in the UK as a treatment for parasitic worms, head lice, scabies and rosacea.

The study is part of the Oxford PRINCIPLE trial, which aims to find treatments to slow or stop the progression of the virus.

Experts hope to find treatments that will prevent people most at risk falling seriously ill from Covid from needing hospital care.

Boris Johnson has already pledged to help discover at-home Covid remedies, with ministers hoping infected Britons will be able to get pills to beat symptoms of the disease this autumn.

Ivermectin can cost as little as 1.50 per treatment and is licensed in the UK to treat parasitic worms, head lice, scabies and rosacea

What ivermectin and can it REALLY treat Covid? What is Ivermectin? Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug developed during the 1970s. What is it used for? Today the medication is prescribed for treating scabies, head lice and rosacea. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the UK health watchdog, recommends it should also be given for round worm infections. Can it REALLY treat Covid-19? The jury is out on whether it can provide a 'miracle cure' for Covid. Analysis of 11 studies has suggested it can cut the risk of death and recovery times in infected patients. But scientists have cautioned these results are preliminary, and said more data is needed before any concrete conclusions can be drawn. Advertisement

The jury is still out on whether ivermectin can treat Covid.

An analysis of 11 studies has suggested it cuts the risk of death in infected patients and helps them recover quicker.

But scientists say results are preliminary, and have called for more data before any concrete conclusions can be drawn.

The majority of scientific drug studies so far have focused on saving lives.

There are currently no at-home therapies for the infection that are routinely used by the NHS. People who aren't severely ill are told to rest and take paracetamol or ibuprofen.

But the Oxford scientists behind the trial hope to uncover at-home remedies that prevent infected patients from being hospitalised.

Laboratory studies have found ivermectin can stop Covid from spreading.

And some small studies showed taking the drug shortly after catching the virus can reduce the viral load and how long symptoms last in patients.

But the researchers said there is 'little evidence' from large-scale randomised controlled trials to show that it works.

Despite the lack of robust evidence, more than 20 countries, including Greece, Bulgaria and Slovakia, include ivermectin in their Covid treatment programmes.

Indian health chiefs also recommended ivermectin for patients will a mild bout of Covid.

Professor Chris Butler, joint chief investigator of the PRINCIPLE trial, said: 'Ivermectin is readily available globally, has been in wide use for many other infectious conditions so it's a well-known medicine with a good safety profile, and because of the early promising results in some studies it is already being widely used to treat Covid in several countries.

'By including ivermectin in a large-scale trial like PRINCIPLE, we hope to generate robust evidence to determine how effective the treatment is against Covid, and whether there are benefits or harms associated with its use.'

People with Covid symptoms in the UK can join the study online or by ringing up.

The trial is open to all over-65s, as well as 18-64 year olds who have an underlying health condition or are struggling to breathe with Covid.

Participants must be within the first 14 days of experiencing Covid symptoms or receiving a positive test.

If participants pass a screening questionnaire they will randomly be assigned to receive a three-day course of ivermectin and will be followed-up with for 28 days.

Oxford scientists are also trialling influenza drug favipiravir, which has been licensed in Japan since 2014

These participants will be compared to those who did receive the drug.

The study  which is the world's largest for identifying possible treatments for recovering from coronavirus outside of hospital  has so far recruited more than 5,000 volunteers from across the UK.

Last April, the trial was awarded a 1.7million share of the 24.6million fund from the National Institute for Health Research to support research into Covid.

The Prime Minister announced in April that he was assembling a team of scientists to find ways for people to recover from the virus without going into hospital because the UK must 'learn to live with this disease, as we live with other diseases'.

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.

So far, experts around the world have remained unconvinced that ivermectin can be used to fight Covid.

The European Medicines Agency, which supervises medical products in the EU, said in March that the latest evidence did not support taking ivermectin to prevent or treat Covid.

It warned lab studies reporting that the drug could prevent the virus from spreading were taking 'much higher' doses of the tablet than currently authorised.

The US Food and Drug Administration, the medicines watchdog, also warned that it had not approved the treatment for coronavirus and taking large doses of the drug could cause 'serious harm'.

In April, the World Health Organization said ivermectin's effectiveness in reducing death rates and avoiding hospitalisation was 'very uncertain', due to the risk of bias in trials and the low number of patients studied.

The Oxford scientists are also trialling favipiravir, an anti-viral that has been used since 2014 in Japan to treat influenza.

PRINCIPLE has already trialled five other drugs: hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, doxycycline, inhaled budesonide and colchicine.

The scientists said in January that azithromycin and doxycycline were 'generally not effective' against the virus in patients treated at home.

But their trial of budesonide  which is an inhaled steroid typically used to treat lung inflammation  was found to speed up recovery by three days.

Hydroxychloroquine, the controversial anti-malaria drug touted by Donald Trump, was originally part of Principle but was suspended in May. Other studies have ruled out colchicine.
A chimpanzee which had been kept as a pet on a family ranch for 17 years was shot dead by an Oregon deputy over the weekend after it attacked its owner's 50-year-old daughter.

Buck the chimp was shot at the ranch in Pendleton, Eastern Oregon, after biting the woman in the legs, arms and torso on Sunday.

Owner Tamara Brogoitti, 68, made a desperate call to 911 after her daughter - who has not been named by officials - was attacked and the pair were forced to take shelter in a basement bedroom.

'It has attacked my 50-year-old daughter,' Brogoitti said in the audio of the call to the cops obtained by KHQ-TV.

'She needs an ambulance. The ambulance can not get to her. I've locked myself in the basement with her. I can't get out to get my own gun. She's bleeding profusely. I've never seen anything like this.'

When the 911 operator asked if she was able to put pressure on her daughter's wounds she replied: 'I'm trying to guard her from a 200-pound ape, so I can't really put pressure on it, ma'am'.

Umatilla County Sheriffs Office deputies arrived and shot the animal dead so they could safely get to the victim.

Buck the adult chimpanzee was shot by a deputy for his unprovoked attack on his owner's 50-year-old daughter

Buck was shot after biting the woman in the legs, arms and torso on Sunday

Tamara Brogoitti had to give permission to the deputy to shoot Buck so she and her daughter could get an ambulance to their house

Broigotti and her daughter were both taken to St. Anthony's Hospital in Pendleton for treatment.

As the deputies arrived on to the scene, Buck was roaming near a fence that surrounded the Brogoitti house, Sheriffs Lt. Sterrin Ward said.

To get Brogoitti and her daughter medical attention, the sheriff's office concluded that Buck would have to be 'put down'.

Brogoitti gave the deputies permission to shoot Buck, and he was shot once to the head and died on the spot.

Buck had lived with Brogoitti for 17 years on her ranch before attack.

When deputies arrived to Broigotti's house, Buck had been trying to get away while roaming around the fence that surrounded the property

Animals right groups believed an attack by Buck was coming for how long Brogoitti had been in direct contact with him

For almost ten years, Tamara Brogoitti ran a non-profit to help house abused horses

Brogoitti had received a lot of criticism from animal rights groups for keeping Buck the chimpanzee for as long she did

From 2010 to early 2019, Buck was a part of the Buck Brogoitti Animal Rescue. The nonprofit primarily housed and cared for horses the sheriffs office seized in abuse and neglect cases.

In 2010, the state of Oregon made it illegal to keep great apes including chimpanzees as pets.

But the law allowed exotic animals owned prior to 2010 to be kept until the end of their natural life - allowing Brogoitti to be excused from the ban.

Several animal rights groups including PETA say Broigoitti created a deadly situation in keeping Buck, saying he was a dangerous ape because he had lived on the property so long.

'PETA warned state authorities that Tamara Brogoitti had created a ticking time bomb by engaging in direct contact with a dangerous ape, and now, he is dead and a woman has been mauled because of Brogoitti's refusal to follow experts' advice and transfer Buck to an accredited sanctuary,' PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet told KXLY.com.

'Since long before the chimpanzee Travis ripped a woman's face off in 2009, it has been clear that attacks are inevitable so long as people continue to treat chimpanzees like Chihuahuas.'
As Sydney battles a growing Covid outbreak, lockdown-happy politicians and health officials have whipped themselves into a frenzy slamming borders shut to millions of Sydneysiders.

Ten new coronavirus cases were announced on Tuesday, bringing the city's growing Bondi cluster to 21 active infections and stoking fears of a looming lockdown.

Only one case remains a mystery - a child from Saint Charles' Primary School in Waverley, Sydney's east - but dozens of new exposure sites were added to the lengthy list on Tuesday evening.

Gladys Berejiklian has warned that the concerning mystery case may prompt her to bring in tighter restrictions or even a lockdown, adding to the existing mandatory mask order.

Among the new exposure alerts were two international flights between Sydney and Wellington after a traveller unknowingly infected with Covid visited New Zealand for the weekend, prompting Jacinda Ardern to slam shut the border with NSW.

In a move likely to cause school holiday chaos for many families, Victoria also shut its border with Sydney late on Tuesday night, declaring seven suburbs 'red zones'.

Despite the influx of cases derived from the Delta variant - with one person testing positive after brushing past an infected member of the community momentarily - Ms Berejiklian has so far stood firm in not locking Sydney down.

Gladys Berejiklian (pictured on Tuesday) has always supported the need to balance public health with people's wellbeing and jobs - meaning she has successfully avoided many lockdowns without seeing cases spiral. But she has hinted this time she may have no choice

One case concerning health officials is that of a young boy in Waverley who tested positive with no known links to the Bondi cluster (pictured, parents wait to collect children at St Charles' Primary School on Tuesday, where the child is a pupil)

On Tuesday, she said health authorities are confident they can find out where the school student contracted Covid-19 and there is only a small risk that the number of cases will spiral out of control.

But when asked about a potential lockdown, she said the idea was not out of the question if mystery cases grow, with Sydney having experienced two lockdowns in the past.

'If that changes, if we suddenly have a number of unlinked cases and if we suddenly have them outside the geographic region they are concentrated in that we will obviously adjust the health advice and we will respond to that (idea of a lockdown),' she said.

Poll SHOULD SYDNEY GO INTO LOCKDOWN? Yes - we need to stop the spread No - it's an overreaction SHOULD SYDNEY GO INTO LOCKDOWN? Yes - we need to stop the spread 274 votes

No - it's an overreaction 329 votes Now share your opinion





The premier has faced criticism by her interstate counterparts who believe lockdown is the only way to curtail the virus, but she has managed to keep NSW from spiralling into a pit of disease without forcing millions to stay at home.

Lockdowns shed millions from the economy, with Victoria's snap lockdown in February this year costing $1billion in just five days.

By comparison, Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino locked his state down for three weeks last month based on just two infections.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews - who has been on sick leave for months after he slipped on stairs and fractured his spine - holds the record for the longest lockdown in Australia at nearly four months last year, and it still couldn't keep the virus out of the state.

Lockdown restrictions are looming for Sydney, with masks already mandatory on public transport and in indoor settings such as shops (pictured, a commuter in the city)

An empty Manly Wharf on December 21, as the number of cases grew in the Northern Beaches with the cluster eventually reaching 150 - but NSW still wasn't locked down and recovered well

NEW EXPOSURE SITES IN SYDNEY Call NSW Health immediately, get tested and isolate regardless of the result: QF163 (Qantas) - June 18 from Sydney to Wellington, NZ NZ247 (Air New Zealand) - June 21 from Wellington, NZ to Sydney Bondi: Totti's Bondi - Saturday June 19, 5pm - 6.30pm Mascot: Wallabies Thai Restaurant - Saturday June 19, 11.30am - 12pm (anyone who dined outside) Bondi Junction: Chanel fragrance and beauty - Friday June 18, 12pm - 12.25pm Sydney: ANZ Martin Place - Thursday June 17, 11.45am - 3.15pm (anyone on level 2) Get tested and isolate until a negative test is received: Bondi: The Royal Bondi - Saturday June 19, 5pm - 6.30pm Spring Farm: Woolworths - Sunday June 20, 9.30am - 10am Mascot: Wallabies Thai Restaurant - Saturday June 19, 11.30am - 12pm (anyone who dined inside) Bondi Junction: Starbucks - Friday June 18, 11am - 12pm Sydney: ANZ Martin Place - Thursday June 17, 11.45am - 3.15pm (anyone on ground and level 1) Mascot Central Shopping Precinct - Anytime between Friday June 18 and Tuesday June 22 Advertisement

Victoria has endured four lockdowns, but the state has still struggled to contain Covid since the start of the pandemic with a grand total of 20,600 cases - five times more than NSW.

On Tuesday, the state slammed its border shut to millions living in Sydney starting at 1am on Wednesday - giving just a few hours notice.

The state has branded the City of Sydney and six other suburbs 'red zones', meaning travel across the border is banned.

Those who have been to one of the 'red zones' and live in Victoria must self-isolate immediately for 14 days.

The suburbs are the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick.

Queensland leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has also shown herself to be a fan of lockdowns, and has also moved to ban anyone from Sydney's Waverley from entering her state.

In March, she ordered a three-day lockdown in Brisbane based on just seven cases.

Ms Berejiklian has said on numerous occasions that she does not believe lockdown is always necessary and has flatly refused to bow down to pressure, opting instead to keep the community's mental health and economic needs front and centre.

When fending off comments from other premiers urging her to lock Sydneysiders inside during the Northern Beaches cluster over Christmas and New Year, she said community health safety was paramount - including job security and mental health.

'Our first and foremost priority is always community safety,' Ms Berejiklian said in December.

'But at the same time we also have a keen eye on mental health, on making sure we will preserve as many jobs as possible and livelihoods as possible and that we bring the community with us.'

The Northern Beaches cluster swelled to 38 cases before the premier ordered a lockdown, but only for people living north of the Narrabeen Bridge, with the rest of the state free to enjoy their Christmas break.

New Zealand has paused its travel bubble with NSW in light of the latest Covid outbreak (pictured, an empty Sydney Airport)

When fending off comments from other premiers urging her to lock Sydneysiders inside during the Northern Beaches cluster over Christmas and New Year, Gladys Berejiklian said community health safety was paramount - including job security and mental health (pictured, a deserted Manly Wharf during the lockdown on December 21)

VICTORIA'S NEW RESTRICTIONS ON SYDNEY The state's Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, has declared the following NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs) as red zones under Victorias travel permit system, effective at 1:00am 23 June: - City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick Under the Andrews government's traffic light system, any Victorian resident who has been in an area declared a red zone must obtain a permit to re-enter the state and will be required to undergo 14 days of home quarantine. Non Victorian residents coming from a red zone are banned all together - but some exceptions can be made if a person has only transited through a red zone. Anyone who enters Victoria without a permit 'will be sent back,' health officials warned. If anyone from a red zone tries to enter Victoria without a permit, they will be fined and be forced into hotel quarantine until return transport is arranged. Wollongong, south of Sydney, has been declared an orange zone, meaning travellers who have been there in the past 14 days must obtain a permit prior to taking off, isolate on arrival, get tested, and stay isolated until they get a negative result. Advertisement

Those living south of Narrabeen Bridge were freed from lockdown a week earlier than their northern neighbours.

The cluster peaked at 150 cases before numbers finally started to shrink - with no need to lockdown entire cities or the state to achieve this.

When Ms Berejiklian was questioned about whether lifting the lockdown was the right decision, she maintained that she was confident given the large number of Northern Beaches residents who were tested.

The number of cases fell to zero, and all Sydneysiders were free to enjoy the rest of summer.

The first and only time Ms Berejiklian locked the entire of her state down, hundreds of infected holidaymakers were unknowingly spreading the virus after alighting the doomed Ruby Princess cruise ship.

Masks are now mandatory both on public transport and in indoor settings across Greater Sydney (pictured, masked commuters on a train leaving Wynyard Station)

On March 19, 2020, more than 2,700 guests were allowed to disembark without adequate health checks.

The following day, Australia's international borders were closed and every state and territory soon brought in lockdown rules amid a spiralling number of cases of the then-new virus.

In total, there were 28 deaths, including 20 in Australia and eight in the United States, among 900 cases who were believed to have caught the virus onboard.

Another fear adding to anxiety in Sydney this week was the announcement on Tuesday that Covid fragments were found in sewage from 15 suburbs where 22,500 Sydneysiders live.

Routine wastewater testing discovered Covid-19 particles at the Lough Park Sewage Network Investigation Site, in the city's eastern suburbs.

The catchment area includes Clovelly, Waverley, Randwick, Centennial Park, Queens Park, Bondi, Bondi Junction, Bellevue Hill, Double Bay and Woolhara.

A 'Thank You Illawarra' banner hangs from the stern of the Ruby Princess as she departs Port Kembla on April 23 when the Covid infected ship that started Australia's pandemic nightmare finally left Australian waters

Only one case remains a mystery - a child from Saint Charles' Primary School in Waverley, Sydney's east - but dozens of new exposure sites were added to the lengthy list on Tuesday evening (pictured, testing in Bondi on Tuesday)

Traces of the virus were also found in the Brooklyn Sewage Treatment Plant, which collects wastewater from Dangar Island, Cowan, Brooklyn, Mooney Mooney and Cheerio Point, north of Sydney.

On Tuesday evening it was revealed that an infected Australian hopped on flight QF163 from Sydney to Wellington which arrived at 12.12am on June 18.

They returned to Sydney on Air New Zealand flight NZ247 at 10.13am on June 21 - just a day before the nation's leader Ms Ardern slammed its borders shut to NSW amid the outbreak of coronavirus in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Kiwis were given just three hours to get back home before restrictions come into place.

New Zealand's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins put the breaks on hotel quarantine-free travel, saying the decision was made because there are still 'several unknowns' about the growing outbreak.

The 'pause' in the travel is set to be reviewed in three days.
Author Abigail Shrier penned an essay on Monday about the response to her book

The author of a controversial book examining the huge surge in adolescents identifying as transgender has said that she received an outpouring of private support from doctors and teachers who live in fear of backlash from trans activists if they speak publicly.

Author Abigail Shrier, whose book Irreversible Damage drew both backlash and praise last year, spoke out in a guest essay on Monday for the newsletter of former New York Times op-ed editor Bari Weiss.

In her book, named a book of the year by the Economist, Shrier investigated the surge of adolescent girls presenting with gender dysphoria and self-identifying as transgender.

She notes that in the United Kingdom, the number of such cases up are up 4,400 percent over the past decade.

The author suggested the phenomenon is due to social pressure on teen girls, comparing it to 'the Salem witch trials of the 17th Century, the nervous disorders of the 18th Century, and anorexia nervosa, repressed memory, bulimia and the self-harm contagion in the 20th Century.'

Shrier questioned the wisdom of hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery for transgender youth -- and her book was met with an onslaught of criticism from trans activists, who called it transphobic and accused her of of 'erasing' trans youth.

Irreversible Damage drew both backlash and praise last year, with trans activists accusing the author of transphobia for questioning the huge surge in transgender-identifying adolescents

The author denies the allegations that she is transphobic, writing in her new essay: 'As I have stated endlessly in public interviews and in Senate testimony, I fully support medical transition for mature adults and believe that transgender individuals should live openly without fear or stigma.'

In the furor last year, Target briefly banned sales of the book, and Amazon halted a promotional campaign.

Just last week, the blog Science-Based Medicine retracted a mostly positive review of Shrier's book by a medical doctor (the review has been reprinted elsewhere).

Now Shrier reveals that she received a private outpouring of support for her book, even from unlikely quarters.

One such note came from 'a senior staffer for a popular 2020 Democratic presidential candidate,' according to Shrier.

Bari Weiss published the essay as a guest column for her newsletter

The supporter wrote: 'It might surprise you to know that I work for a prominent progressive politician (obviously I could never express my support for your work publicly). But it should be known that not everyone on the Left has totally lost their mind.'

'Child and adult psychologists and psychiatrists write to say they have witnessed a surge in transgender identification among teen girls who seem to be acting under peer and social media influence,' wrote Shrier.

'Teachers write to say they believe that the phenomenon is plainly an example of social contagion within their classrooms. Surgeons and pediatricians and endocrinologists write to wonder aloud at what has happened to their profession,' she continued.

'Journalists at our most storied newspapers, TV networks, and literary magazines, even at NPR, write to tell me they liked my book, they agree with it, and to tut-tut the abuse directed at me,' wrote Shrier. 'They wish  wish!  they could say so publicly.'

Shrier argued that the time had come for people who agreed with the premise of her book to speak up publicly, despite their fears of being targeted by trans activists.

'The first hundred or so silent supporter emails meant the most to me. They made me feel less crazy and less alone. But the inescapable reality is that defeating this ideology will take courage,' she wrote.

'And courage is not something that can happen in private. Courage requires each one of us to speak up, publicly, for what we believe in. Even when  especially when  it carries costs.'

Shrier argued that social pressure was keeping many people silent, particularly medical doctors who have an 'obligation to do something.'

'Whether or not most people admit it, what keeps them from speaking up in the face of what they know is wrong is fear,' she wrote.

'Fear not primarily of unemployment, though that is a pressing concern, but fear of ostracism. This deep and ancient fear is behind our desperate reach for innocence and safety when we virtue signal. By contrast, we stand exposed when we speak unpopular truth,' wrote Shrier.

In a note appended to the essay, Weiss wrote that she was committed to publish 'those voices who have been shut out of so many other channels that ought to be open to them.'

'How have we gotten to the point where having conversations about important scientific and medical subjects requires such a high level of personal risk?' she wrote.

'How have we accepted a reality in which Big Tech can carry out the digital equivalent of book burnings?'
The Biden administration will endorse legislation that would end the sentencing disparity between those caught with crack versus powder cocaine.

The Washington Post first reported that Regina LaBelle, the acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy will testify Tuesday at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and express the administration's support for the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act, or Equal Act.

The move will be a reversal for Biden, who wrote legislation in 1986 as a U.S. senator that enacted steep differences in sentencing.

President Joe Biden's administration is endorsing a bill that would end the sentencing disparity between those caught with crack and powder cocaine

A 1986 crime bill then Sen. Joe Biden crafted gave a trafficker a minimum of 500 years for 500 grams of powder cocaine (left) versus just five grams of crack cocaine (right)

It mandated a five-year sentence for trafficking 500 grams of powder cocaine, versus just five grams of crack, which was given the nickname the 100-to-1 rule.

In 2010, during President Barack Obama's tenure, the disparity narrowed to 18-to-1.

In prepared written testimony for the Tuesday hearing, LaBelle will say, 'The current disparity is not based on evidence yet has caused significant harm for decades, particularly to individuals, families, and communities of color.'

'The continuation of this sentencing disparity is a significant injustice in our legal system, and it is past time for it to end,' LaBelle will tell lawmakers. 'Therefore, the administration urges the swift passage of the "Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act."'

The legislation is being sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, along with Sens. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, and Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican.

Durbin had originally championed narrowing the sentencing disparity alongside Sen. Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican who served as former President Donald Trump's first attorney general.

The current bill sentences cocaine and crack offenders the same.

The push to even out the sentencing comes on the heels of a Supreme Court decision that barred low-level crack cocaine offenders from taking advantage of a 2018 law to reduce prison time if they were convicted more than a decade ago.

The law, the First Step Act, was signed by former President Donald Trump.

It was a bipartisan criminal justice reform effort.

The law specifically addresses crack possession above 5 grams for one category and above 50 for another, but doesn't address crimes dealing with under 5 grams of crack.

With mandatory minimums kicking in after 5 grams, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Tarahrick Terry of Florida, who received a 16-year sentence for having 3.9 grams of crack on him, didn't count.

'The question here is whether crack offenders who did not trigger a mandatory minimum qualify. They do not,' Thomas wrote.
Current and former executives at Google have criticized CEO Sundar Pichai for his slow and cautious decision-making process which they say is thwarting innovation at the tech giant.

Fifteen frustrated executives past and present raised their concerns in a New York Times article published Tuesday, which paints a portrait of growing discord at the company helmed by Pichai, who has for years kept a much lower-profile than his rivals - including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Tesla founder Elon Musk.

The executives argued that Pichai's timid management style and fears of stirring controversy have led the company to miss out on and pass up growth opportunities while fueling internal tension and fears of stagnation that he's failed to address head-on.

The result has been an uptick of resignations from officials at the company - which has lost at least 36 vice presidents in the past year.

'We start companies to build products that serve people, not to sit in meetings with lawyers,' former employee Noam Bardin wrote in a blog post explaining his February resignation. 'The innovation challenges . . . will only get worse as the risk tolerance will go down.'

A number of current and former executives at Google have criticized CEO Sundar Pichai for being risk averse and dragging his feet on important decisions

They say this has led to a spike in resignations and at least 36 Google vice presidents have left since last year

Bardin, who joined Google in 2013 when the company acquired mapping service Waze, referenced the long-winded processes Pichai has had Google go through before taking action on important manners.

According to the New York Times, over a dozen vice presidents at Google wrote in an email to Pichai in 2018, saying that the company was experiencing significant growing pains.

While not directly criticizing Pichai, they said that the company was taking too long to make important decisions and alleged that their input wasnt being considered.

Such was the case when Google executives proposed that the company acquire online commerce service Shopify as a way to challenge Amazon.

Pichai rejected the idea because he thought Shopify was too expensive, two people familiar with the discussions told the New York Times.

They added, however, that Pichai seemed unnecessarily apprehensive and 'the price was a convenient and ultimately misguided justification,' the New York Times wrote. Shopify's share price has spiked almost ten times what it was a decade ago.

Another example of Picahi's sluggish leadership approach involves the company's search for a successor for Kent Walker after he was promoted from general counsel to senior vice president of global affairs in 2018.

It took over a year for Google to hire Halimah DeLaine Prado as general counsel, even though she was at the top of a list of candidates given to Pichai

It took over a year for Google to hire Halimah DeLaine Prado, a longtime deputy in the company's legal team, even though she was at the top of a list of candidates given to Pichai.

According to the New York Times, Pichai asked to see more names and dragged his feet on the search for so long that it allegedly because a running joke among industry head-hunters.

Another trend regarding the company's risk aversion could be seen in an internal process known as 'pantry mode,' during which teams hide away products in the case that a rival creates something newer and Googles has to respond to it.

Bardin also attacked Pichai and Google for focusing more on public perception than performance, he wrote, adding that the company values words over content.

'You can say terrible things as long as your pronouns are correct or can say super important things but use one wrong word and it's off to HR for you,' reads his post.

Other former employees have said that Google's attempts to appear politically correct and mitigate diversity woes are disingenuous and only exacerbate tensions.

Noam Bardin wrote a blog post explaining his February resignation that 'The innovation challenges . . . will only get worse as the risk tolerance will go down.' He was above at a meeting for new recruits

Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently apologized for the company's handing of the controversial departure of the well-respected co-founder of its ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) division

The company was in hot water last month after the controversial departure of AI ethicist Dr. Timnit Gebru, who left amid a row over a research paper she had submitted for a conference. The paper, rejected by Google, had scrutinized inherent bias in the company's AI technology.

The incident involving Gebru has raised questions about Google's dedication to not only AI ethics and academic freedom, but its commitment to workplace diversity and inclusion.

More than 2,000 Google employees have signed a petition in support of Gebru since her departure. The petition also calls on leadership to offer a full explanation as to why her academic paper was rejected.

Pichai stopped short of directly apologizing to Gebru, and also made no mention to the possibility of reinstating her. Instead, Pichai pledged to 'assess the circumstances that led up to Dr. Gebru's departure, examining where we could have improved and led a more respectful process,' and promised to implement 'de-escalation strategies' in future disputes.

Gebru responded to Pichai's note in a series on tweets accusing Pichai of 'gaslighting' her in his memo to employees.

'Google's lack of courage with its diversity problem is ultimately what evaporated my passion for the job,' a 16-year employee named Mr. Baker told the New York Times. 'The more secure Google has become financially, the more risk averse it has become.'

Criticism of Pichai comes at a time when Google is facing significant outside pressure from regulators worldwide.

Timnit Gebru says she was terminated after refusing to retract the academic paper that she'd co-authored with a handful of other Googlers and academics, regarding inherent bias in AI

Most recently, the EU opened a sweeping new antitrust investigation into Google, looking into whether the tech giant unfairly stifled competition in online advertising.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU's digital competition enforcer, announced the probe today and said Google may have unfairly handicapped those buying advertising space, tech firms selling ad space, and sites that rely on ad revenue to operate.

If found guilty Google could be fined up to $18billion - 10 percent of its annual revenue, which stood at $180billion last year - and forced to change its behavior.

The new probe also comes amid investigations into Google in various countries over its ad business - including a case in France earlier this month which saw the tech firm fined $260million over an 'extremely severe' breach of competition rules.

A similar case is also ongoing in the US after states led by Texas filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Google conspired with Facebook to establish what amounted to an online advertising monopoly.

And UK regulators are examining Google's plans to change the way it collects information on users' browsing habits in such a way that it may harm competitors which rely on that information - an area the EU has said it will also look at.

Despite such mounting issues, Google is still reaching new heights as revenue and profits rise every three months, the Times reported.

'I dont think anyone else could manage these issues as well as Sundar,' said Luiz Barroso, one of the companys most senior technical executives.

She and Aparna Chennapragada, another former vice president, said that Pichai is a thoughtful and organized leader who focuses on his management team as opposed to his ego.

'Would I be happier if he made decisions faster? Yes,' Caesar Sengupta, a former vice president, told the New York Times. 'But am I happy that he gets nearly all of his decisions right? Yes.' Sengupta worked closely with Pichai during his 15 years at Google and left in March.

Since Pichai took the reins at Google in 2015, it has doubled its work force to about 140,000 people, and its parent company Alphabet has tripled in value, reported the New York Times. Some favored ideas he brought to the company involved his 2019 creation of new decision-making bodies so fewer decisions needed his signoff.
A high-tech treatment could be key to addressing the NHS backlog of cancer patients fuelled by the Covid pandemic, experts say.

Proton beam therapy  which only became available in Britain three years ago  can now be used to treat 2,000 patients in the UK at any one time.

It helped save Ashya King, who at age five was given the pioneering treatment in Prague in 2014 for a deadly type of brain tumour.

The case made headlines after his parents were arrested in Spain for removing the toddler from an NHS hospital, where doctors wanted to treat him conventionally, and taking him abroad for care.

One of the country's top oncologists told MailOnline that proton beam therapy will help alleviate pressure on the NHS as it attempts to clear the 'mammoth backlog' triggered by the pandemic.

NHS figures show 45,000 fewer cancer patients than would be expected have started treatment in England since Covid hit, with charities warning that survival rates could go backwards for the first time in generations.

Professor Karol Sikora, chief medical officer at Rutherford Health, a private cancer treatment provider, said: 'The demand for proton beam therapy is rising all the time in the UK and globally.

Proton beam therapy  which saved the life of toddler Ashya King in 2014 after his parents won a High Court case to have his treatment in Prague (pictured)  can now be used to treat thousands of patients in Britain, a report released today suggested

'It will be very significant in addressing the cancer backlog which has reached staggering levels.'

Rutherford Health, one of the private providers offering proton beam therapy, published a report today highlighting its benefits. However, Professor Sikora added: 'Proton beam therapy is not a panacea for all cancers.

Professor Karol Sikora, chief medical officer at Rutherford Health, says proton beam therapy could be the key to addressing the NHS backlog of cancer treatment fueled by the Covid pandemic

'But there is growing evidence means that when it is given to patients, the reduction of side effects means there is generally less need for continued intensive treatment.

'This would help alleviate future pressure on healthcare services as we try to clear this mammoth backlog.

'The number of oncologists being trained in proton beam therapy is increasing and the UK has come a long way in just three years when there were no facilities here. Now the country can treat 2,000 in total at any one time.'

He estimated the treatment may help around 10 per cent of cancer patients needing radiotherapy  around 9,000 every year.

Some of the first patients to have the innovative treatment in the UK told MailOnline it saved them from serious side effects, particularly in the case of prostate cancer.

Standard radiotherapy can leave men with the disease impotent and incontinent  but proton beam therapy has less severe effects because it causes less damage to tissue surrounding the tumour.

Rather than using X-rays like the conventional type, radiation comes from protons, which are tiny, positively charged particles.

The particles are accelerated to a speed of 100,000 miles a second and then fired at the tumour.

But the treatment was not available in Britain until 2018. Before that, eligible patients were sent abroad to the US, Switzerland or Germany.

Timon Colegrove (left), 60, from Woodstock, Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and made a full recovery after becoming one of the first patients to receive proton beam therapy in the UK. Ryan Scott (right), 25, from, Cardigan, Wales, was another of the first patients to receive the therapy at the Rutherford Centre in South Wales

What is proton beam therapy, what is it used for and how does it work? Proton beam therapy is a type of radiotherapy that aims proton beams at cancers. While conventional radiotherapy uses high energy beams of radiation to destroy cancerous cells, often damaging surrounding tissue, proton beam therapy aims radiation directly at the tumour. Because it is so highly targeted it means it can avoid healthy tissue, particularly tissues and organs behind the tumour. Radiotherapy can lead to side effects such as nausea and can sometimes disrupt how some organs function, but proton beam therapy has a lower risk of side effects. This means it is effective for treating cancer that affects critical areas, such as brain cancer. Ashya King, whose case sparked an international manhunt in 2014, underwent proton beam therapy. Brett and Naghmeh King were arrested after they took their son, then five, for brain tumour treatment abroad as the NHS initially refused to offer proton beam therapy, which his parents felt was less harmful than conventional radiotherapy. They took him from Southampton Hospital and travelled to the Czech Republic for treatment at the Proton Therapy Center. Ashya was finally allowed to undergo treatment a Prague hospital after a long legal battle fought by his parents. Eventually, he was declared cancer-free in March 2016. Source: NHS Advertisement

Ashya's parents tried to take him to mainland Europe to have the therapy in 2014 after doctors decided not to recommend the treatment abroad.

However, they were arrested after an international manhunt tracked them down in Velez Malaga.

Their case was taken to the High Court, which ruled the toddler could go to Prague to have the treatment later that year and in 2015. A brain scan showed he was free of cancer.

The first NHS proton beam therapy facility in the UK for the NHS became operational in 2019 at the Christie in Manchester. It is also offered at three different Rutherford Cancer Centres.

An agreement between Rutherford Health and the Welsh Government allows NHS Wales adult patients to be offered the therapy at the Welsh centre.

Urgent referrals for people with suspicious symptoms  including lumps, trouble swallowing, and passing blood  fell 76 per cent between March and July 2020, according to Data-Can: the Health Data Research Hub for Cancer.

NHS figures show more than 370,000 fewer people have seen a specialist since the pandemic began in March last year than in the previous 12 months.

The number of people starting treatment between March 2020 and now is 45,000 lower than expected in a normal year.

Oncologists say the delays could cost more than 35,000 lives, and set the UKs progress in improving survival rates against cancer back by ten to 15 years.

Proton beam therapy could be a gamechanger for many patients because it removes the damaging side effects of traditional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy, which can deplete the immune system.

Timon Colegrove from Woodstock, Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 after a full medical check up.

He was otherwise fit and healthy and had no inkling he was ill at the time. After some research into proton beam therapy he decided he

Mr Colegrove, now 60, was one of the first people to receive the therapy in Britain and has now been cancer free for two years.

He said: 'When I was diagnosed, it came as a complete shock and the various options for treatment laid in front of me all seemed rather grim.

'I decided to research proton beam therapy after hearing about it at my local prostate cancer support group.

'I was impressed by the potential of reduced side effects of proton beam therapy and decided to go ahead and undertake the treatment.

'I was scheduled for 20 fractions which took a month to administer. There was no pain and I didn't feel anything. It was over before I knew it.

'Many men are suffering dreadfully because of the side effects of the usual prostate cancer treatments and for a sizeable proportion of these men the treatment side effects could be significantly reduced or as in my case avoided in entirety.

Mr Colegrove added: 'Men have a right-to-know that there may be an alternative to the brutality of surgery and the conventional radiotherapies

'Not enough prostate cancer sufferers are aware of this treatment choice.

'They need to know that there might be an alternative treatment choice for them that can not only address the cancer but also allow them to lead a life without having to deal with the daily distress of incontinence and impotence.'

And Ryan Scott, 25, has been cancer free for two years after he was treated with proton beam therapy for a brain tumour.

He said: 'The process of undergoing proton beam therapy was much better than anticipated and I felt relieved that I had been selected for this treatment over conventional radiotherapy.

'There have been hardly any side effects and being able to sleep in my bed after a days treatment was a real plus.

'The treatment made such a difference to me and my life. I had no side effects such as hair loss and I have the Rutherford and NHS Wales to thank for that.

'I am now 90 per cent back to my normal self, I still get very tired on occasions due to the location of the tumour on the pituitary but I have been able to return to my normal life and get back to work and spend time with my dog Jody.'
A US Marine reservist has been convicted in the death of a 19-year-old college student, who suffered a fatal brain injury during a fight after leaving a party in Boston in 2019.

A military court found Lance Corporal Samuel London guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Emerson College sophomore Daniel Hollis, 19.

Hollis and some friends were leaving an off-campus party in Boston's Allston section in the early hours of September 28, 2019, when they were confronted by a group of men including London.

A scuffle ensued, and Hollis was punched in the face while attempting to break up the fight, Boston Herald reports. The student fell and hit his head on the concrete.

He suffered severe brain damage and died four days later at Brigham and Womens Hospital.

London has been sentenced to 65 months in prison. He has been dishonorably discharged with a loss of pay, the Marine Corps said.

A US Marine reservist has been convicted in the death of a 19-year-old Daniel Hollis (pictured), who suffered a fatal brain injury during a fight after leaving a party in Boston in 2019

Hollis (pictured) and some friends were leaving an off-campus party in Boston's Allston section in the early hours of September 28, 2019, when they were confronted by a group of college-age men on Park Avenue

London had been facing military charges including murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter and wrongful use of a controlled substance in connection to the September 2019 killing of Hollis, the Marine Corps previously confirmed.

London was not convicted on any of the other charges he was facing.

The Marine Corps Times reports London and two friends were looking for a cigarette lighter when they found an apartment with members of the Emerson College lacrosse team, according to testimony from the trial.

A lacrosse player testified that a fight began after a player called London and his friends 'grandmas.'

According to a post written by Hollis' mother, some words were exchanged and a scuffle ensued. During the melee, Hollis (pictured) was said to have been punched in the face, causing him to hit his head on concrete or bricks

The 19-year-old Emerson College sophomore was leaving an off-campus party with friends on September 28, 2019, when a fight broke out with a group of young men

The defense claimed the players escalated the situation, with someone saying they would 'f*****g kill' London.

The defense also claimed that Hollis was drinking and smoking weed before the incident and that no witnesses came forward to identify London as the person who punched Hollis.

Following the conviction, the Daniel J. Hollis Foundation tweeted 'justice' in celebration of the news.

The foundation also posted a statement on their website on behalf of friends and family of Hollis.

'For 628 days, our family had to live with the knowledge that someone had caused Dans death and the individual responsible was not being held accountable for their actions,' the statement reads.

'Our family was unable to talk about the events of that evening, speak with the friends Dan was with, or know what his final moments were like under the direction of the Suffolk County DAs Office.'

The statement thanked NCIS Special Agent Marcus Anders for his persistence and dedication to the case.

Following the conviction, the Daniel J. Hollis Foundation tweeted 'justice' in celebration

Daniel Hollis is seen in a 2017 Facebook photo of him playing lacrosse in high school

'Over the last two weeks, the details of that investigative work came to light during the General Court Martial proceedings for Samuel B. London,' the statement continues.

'After six days of witness testimony, the jury convicted London on the charge of Article 119.2 Manslaughter  Involuntary. On Friday, June 18, 2021, 628 days from the time that Dan was struck in the head as he was trying to prevent an altercation, our family was able to speak about Dan and the impact his loss has had on us all.'

The statement goes on to reveal the devastation family and friends continue to feel over the loss of Hollis.

'Our loss remains  Daniel will not return to us in this life,' the statement reads. 'The conviction and sentencing of the person responsible for his death is of small consequence to the loss we feel every single day, however, Londons conviction and sentence relieves some of the anger and frustration associated with unanswered questions and lack of accountability for the aggressors.'

'Our loss remains  Daniel will not return to us in this life,' a statement on behalf of family and friends read after London's conviction

'We choose now to focus on Daniel and his light and his positivity. We will continue the work of this foundation to provide opportunities to young people to support their community, foster healthy competition, and explore the world around them.

'We ask that you join us in celebrating Dans life, his goals, and the future good that will be done in his name,' the statement concludes.

The move by the Marine Corps to charge London followed a decision by a Massachusetts grand jury in February 2020 not to issue indictments against London in the case.

Hollis was a marketing communications major and a goalie on Emerson's schools lacrosse team.

''We choose now to focus on Daniel and his light and his positivity. We will continue the work of this foundation to provide opportunities to young people to support their community, foster healthy competition, and explore the world around them,' the family statement says

District Attorney Rachael Rollins said last February that the investigation preceding the Suffolk County grand jurys vote was 'incredibly thorough and painstakingly detailed,' but she acknowledged the grand jury 'has spoken and we respect its findings, however difficult they are to hear.'

The family said in their statement that they were 'devastated' by the grand jury's decision.

'At that time, we felt that there was no justice for our son, our family, and all those who Dan loved and loved him in return,' Hollis' relatives wrote.

In response to last week's conviction, Rollins released a statement, saying, 'Im grateful to the team of investigators and prosecutors who ensured that the individual responsible for Daniel Hollis death is held accountable through the militarys legal system.'

Hollis' family, including his mother (right), said they were devastated when a Massachusetts grand jury declined in February to indict London in civilian court

She said she was 'grateful to my staff and members of the Boston Police Department who conducted a thorough and detailed investigation prior to the decision of a Suffolk County grand jury declining to return indictments last year.'

Rollins added, 'My office will continue to be available to Mr. Hollis loved ones to ensure that they have the resources and support they deserve as they begin this next chapter in their journey toward healing.'

In June, a Boston police detective connected the Hollis family with an agent from NCIS, who informed them that the military was taking over the investigation since London was a Marine Corps reservist on active duty at the time of the attack.

According to the military, London remained assigned to Rifle Company A, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment located at Fort Devens at the time he was charged, The Boston Globe reported.
An Uber driver has recorded a woman telling him to 'go back to Asia' in a racist tirade at a gas station in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Outhay Chokbengboun, 46, says he was sworn at and subjected to racial slurs as he starts filming, pointing the camera at a woman wearing a black dress whose friend calls her Stella.

The Uber driver appears to have ejected them from his car and Stella is slurring her words and leering towards the camera, unperturbed by Outhay's pledge that he is going to call 911.

Her male friend desperately apologizes for her vile rant throughout the two minutes of video. 'I'm sorry, I am so f***ing sorry. I'm going to get these broads out of here,' the man tells the Uber driver, gesturing towards Stella and another woman.

The woman, who is called Stella by her friend, takes her phone out and starts taking pictures of the Uber driver's car as he says he is going to call the police

Outhay Chokbengboun, 46, says he was sworn at and subjected to racial slurs as he starts filming, pointing the camera at a brunette woman whose friend calls her Stella (pictured: Stella's male friend waving the women away, left and right)

But Stella refuses to walk away from Outhay's car.

'No I'm not going to walk away,' she tells her friend, 'This little Asian-American. No I'm not afraid.'

Her friends, particularly the man, seem shocked by her behavior. He tells her: 'Stella this is completely unacceptable.'

But she continues, shouting at Outhay: 'I'm sorry, go back to Asia.'

She takes her phone out and says that she must take his address, refusing to be led away by her friend who then approaches the Uber driver to apologize.

He tells Outhay, 'Hey bro, I'm so sorry.'

Outhay replies: 'All I did was drive.'

Eventually the abusive woman starts to walk away.

'You did not deserve that,' the man tells Outhay. 'I am sorry. You are a good man, and you are working your f***ing ass off. I am sorry.'

'You did not deserve that,' the man tells Outhay. 'I am sorry. You are a good man, and you are working your f***ing ass off. I am sorry'

'I work all day, and you guys give me the wrong sh*t here,' Outhay replies. 'I'm gonna call 911. I'm gonna wait right here.'

The trio walk away and it is not clear how the incident concluded.

The video was originally shared on TikTok by Outhay and has since been uploaded elsewhere online.

It comes amid concerns of a rise in hate crimes against Asians fueled by the pandemic that has seen the hashtag #StopAsianHate trending on Twitter.

Joe Biden last month signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to combat what the 'ugly poison' of racism that had 'plagued' Asian-Americans over the last year.
The Justice Department's top national security official said he considered resigning after the agency was pressured by former President Donald Trump to investigate false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

John Demers, who will leave the DOJ this week, told The Wall Street Journal that Trump was threatening to fire acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen over his refusal to investigate the president's false fraud claims - which had tempted Demers to walk out the door.

'I didnt know what was going to happen, I thought that there was a real chance that would be my last day in the department,' Demers told the newspaper. 'I was relieved, pleased, glad that it didnt happen,' he added, as Rosen had withstood the pressure campaign.

Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division John Demers said the only time he came close to abruptly quitting was when President Donald Trump was pressuring acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to investigate his false claims of voter fraud

Demers said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that he almost quit his job at the Department of Justice after now former President Donald Trump (left) pressure acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen (right) to investigate Trump's false claims of election fraud

Last week news of Demers departure from the DOJ initially looked to be connected to the revelations that the department secretly seized records from Democrats, Trump's former White House counsel Don McGahn and members of the media.

However, The New York Times reported the departure was planned months ago but came as the agency is facing backlash over the secret seizures.

Demers told The Journal the closest he came to abruptly quitting was after Trump tried pressuring Rosen to investigate false claims of election fraud.

Rosen took over from Attorney General Bill Barr, who left the DOJ on December 23, less than a month before President Joe Biden's inauguration.

Demers declined to talk to the newspaper about the secret seizures, saying he supported a DOJ inspector general's investigation into it.

News emerged earlier this month that the Justice Department had secretly subpoenaed Apple for metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and another Democratic member of the panel, California Rep. Eric Swalwell, in 2018, as their committee was investigating Trump's ties to Russia.

TARGETED: The Justice Department secretly subpoenaed Apple for metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (left) and another Democratic member of the panel, Rep. Eric Swalwell (right) as the committee investigated Trump's ties to Russia

Schiff at the time was the top Democrat on the panel, which was led by Republicans.

The Justice Department also subpoenaed Apple for data belonging to then White House counsel Don McGahn.

Apple informed McGahn last month, according to The Times, with his wife receiving a similar notice.

McGahn testified in a closed door session to the House Judiciary Committee last month backing up some of the claims found in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report - such as that Trump tried to push officials to remove Mueller, claiming he couldn't run the Russia investigation because he had conflicts of interest.

Eight reporters - one from CNN, three from The Washington Post and four from The New York Times - were also targeted for their records.

A number of them were also reporting on the Russia investigation.

Attorney General Merrick Garland is meeting with representatives from those news organizations Monday.

Garland referred the matter to the DOJ's inspector general to investigate.

'There are important questions that must be resolved in connection with an effort by the department to obtain records related to Members of Congress and Congressional staff,' Garland said in a statement Monday. 'I have accordingly directed that the matter be referred to the Inspector General and have full confidence that he will conduct a thorough and independent investigation.'

'If at any time as the investigation proceeds action related to the matter in question is warranted, I will not hesitate to move swiftly,' Garland continued.

'In addition, and while that review is pending, I have instructed the Deputy Attorney General, who is already working on surfacing potentially problematic matters deserving high level review, to evaluate and strengthen the departments existing policies and procedures for obtaining records of the Legislative branch,' Garland added.

He vowed to assure the 'full weight is accorded to separation-of-powers' going forward.

The announcement of Demers' resignation comes a day after Schumer said he should appear before Congress voluntarily or face a subpoena to answer questions about the subpoenas, in addition to former attorneys general Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions.

'This was nothing less than gross abuse of power, an assault on the separation of powers,' he continued. 'I dont think weve ever had a record of this ever happening in the past.'

Barr and Sessions have denied knowing about the orders targeting the Democrats and journalists.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also condemned the Trump administration's actions Sunday.

'What the administration did, the Justice Department, the leadership of the former President, goes even beyond Richard Nixon,' Pelosi said on CNN's State of the Union.

Pelosi said she didn't buy Barr's and Sessions' ignorance.

'The Justice Department has been rogue under President Trump in so many respects,' she said. 'How could it be that there could be an investigation of the members in the other branch of government and the press and the rest too, and the attorneys general did not know?'

Demers had been charged with combating Chinese intellectual property theft, but the division, a consolidation that was part of the post 9/11 Patriot Act, oversaw all the DOJ's primary national security operations.

Demers will be replaced by Mark Lesko, the acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, the official said.

Demers has been in charge of the department's national security division since February 2018, being sworn in a few weeks after the subpoena was issued to Apple for the Democrats' records, and his division has played a role in each of the leak investigations.

HOW TRUMP'S DOJ SOUGHT DATA APPLE DATA FROM DEMOCRATS AND REPORTERS TO HUNT DOWN LEAKERS The Justice Department under Donald Trump subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of at least two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee - including Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell in 2017 and 2018, it was revealed last week. In all, around a dozen people connected to the committee were targeted, according to reports. It was an extraordinary measure by prosecutors on behalf of an administration trying to find out who was leaking stories to the press. The revelations include: . Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell were told last week that their data had been subpoenaed under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. . Attorney General Bill Barr revived the investigations a year later. . On Sunday it was reported that Donald Trump's White House counsel Don McGahn was also the subject of a subpoena issued by the DOJ. Apple told McGahn last month that they had handed over information to the FBI, but wouldn't reveal the content of the data. . The DOJ also sought records from reporters from the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN in 2017. . CNN's Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr said prosecutors were seeking around 30,000 emails. . Officials in the DOJ put the news organization under a gag order that meant their general counsel couldn't reveal to their staff that the data had been sought. . Sessions, Barr and longtime deputy AG Rod Rosenstein have all denied knowledge of the attempts to access the records. . The Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland has now launched its own internal inquiry into the bid to get records. . The Biden administration has called the revelations 'appalling'. . Critics and leading Democrats have said what happened under Trump's DOJ is worse than what happened with President Nixon during Watergate. Advertisement

CNN Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr says Trump's DOJ was using her as a 'tool' when they 'snuck into my life' and tried to obtain 30,000 emails and says Biden's promise to stop seizing phone records is 'limited'

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr spoke out for the first time Monday about the Trump administration's effort to secretly gain access to 30,000 of her emails.

'Speaking for myself, I don't know what the government was looking for when it snuck into my life. I am not the subject of an investigation and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing,' Starr wrote in an op-ed. 'But as a CNN journalist, myself and my newsroom clearly were being used as a tool by the Trump Justice Department.'

Starr also appeared on CNN's New Day saying, 'To say I was dumbfounded would be such a vast understatement.'

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr (right) spoke out for the first time Monday about the Trump administration's effort to secretly gain access to 30,000 of her emails. She appeared on New Day with Brianna Keilar (left)

President Donald Trump's Justice Department went after the records of eight reporters as part of a so-called 'leak' investigation. The effort was only made public in the last few weeks by the news organizations that were targeted

Attorney General Bill Barr ran President Donald Trump's Justice Department when efforts to sniff out leaks to the media were stepped up

'I have no idea, what they were looking for, apparently a leak investigation,' she continued.

This month The New York Times, Washington Post and CNN revealed that they had been informed by the Department of Justice that some of their reporters' records had been seized during former President Donald Trump's tenure.

As president, Trump was vehement about finding out who in government was leaking information to the press.

Starr was the lone CNN reporter, while four reporters were targeted at The Times and three reporters were targeted at The Post.

On top of that, records of Democratic lawmakers and their families - including House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff - were also pursued.

On Monday, senior personnel from CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times are scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland to try and get an explanation for why the Trump-era DOJ went to great lengths to obtain these records.

The whole effort was shrouded in secrecy, with CNN's general counsel David Vigilante put under a gag order so he could only speak about the government's efforts to the network's president, lawyer's a CNN's corporate parent and attorneys working at an outside law firm, CNN said.

'In secret court proceedings last year they went after 30,000 of my emails and phone records. And not just my work email, my work phone, but they went after my personal accounts, my personal emails, my personal phone ... they wanted all of it,' Starr told CNN's Brianna Keilar Monday morning. 'And I wasn't even allowed to know about it.'

Starr said Vigilante had to appear before a 'secret court' for records from 2017.

Starr said as a Pentagon correspondent she was covering U.S. actions in a number of places including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and North Korea.

The New York Times journalists targeted - Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eric Lichtblau and Michael S. Schmidt - were writing about how FBI Director James Comey had handled politically charged investigations during the 2016 presidential election cycle.

The three Washington Post reporters - Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller, and former Post reporter Adam Entous - were writing about Russia's role in the 2016 election.

None of the journalists were specifically told what stories triggered the seizures.

Starr wasn't told about the government's effort until late May 2021, she said.

'I got a phone call at home telling me that this had happened,' Starr said.

On Friday, the Department of Justice's Inspector General said it would investigate the Trump-era seizure of journalists' and Democratic lawmakers' records.

While journalists are protected by the First Amendment, Starr encouraged passage of stronger journalism shield laws that would prevent government spying in the future.

'President Biden has said the seizing of reporters' records will be stopped under his administration. But with all respect to him and his stated intentions, that is a promise of limited relevance,' Starr said in the op-ed. 'Unless new protections are codified, this could all happen again to any journalist.'

'Secret proceedings, gag orders so CNN attorneys can't speak to me, and eight reporters being swept up in investigations with no explanation - these are not part of a free press in the United States,' the veteran Pentagon correspondent added.
Google's charity arm, Google.org, has provided financial backing for research and studies carried out by Peter Daszak and his New York-based EcoHealth Alliance dating back to 2010, it has been revealed

Google funded research carried out by Wuhan-linked scientist Peter Daszak and his charity for more than a decade, it has been revealed.

The tech giant's charity arm, Google.org, has repeatedly provided financial backing for research and studies carried out by scandal-hit Daszak and his New York-based EcoHealth Alliance.

The financial ties, which were first reported by The National Pulse, are disclosed in various scientific studies between 2010 and 2018.

The studies are not related to COVID-19 or the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Google on Tuesday issued a statement saying: 'These are ludicrous and baseless conspiracy theories.'

'The one-off philanthropic grants referenced are years old and had nothing to do with COVID,' a Google spokesperson said.

'We have engaged precisely zero times with this organization on any work related to COVID or the Wuhan lab.'

Daszak has faced intense scrutiny since it emerged that his charity previously worked with the Wuhan Institute of Virology - the lab accused of being the source of the COVID-19 outbreak.

EcoHealth Alliance, which was given $39 million from the Pentagon between 2013 and 2020, has also provided funding to the Wuhan lab for its coronavirus research over the years.

The British scientist has since been removed from the COVID-19 commission looking into the origins of the pandemic after it emerged that he initially tried to gag the Wuhan lab leak theory.

A 2010 study on bat flaviviruses that lists Daszak as a co-author credits Google.org for an unspecified amount of funding

EcoHealth Alliance researchers authored a report on a 2018 study that noted it was 'made possible' by Google.org's funding

A 2010 study on bat flaviviruses that lists Daszak as a co-author credits Google.org for an unspecified amount of funding.

That study was also funded by the National Institutes of Health and the United States Agency for International Development's emerging pandemic threat program.

A study published in 2014 on henipavirus spillover into human populations also lists Daszak as a co-author.

In the acknowledgement section of the study, it says: 'Metabiota/Global Viral's role in this study was supported by Google.org, the Skoll Foundation and in particular the US Agency for

International Development; USAID's funding was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats PREDICT program.'

Similarly, a 2015 paper on herpes lists Daszak and also credits Google.org for its support.

More recently, EcoHealth Alliance researchers authored a report on a 2018 study that looked at 'perceptions associated with transmission of pathogens with pandemic potential in highly exposed human populations at the animal-human interface'.

The report noted it was 'made possible' by Google.org's funding.

A study published in 2014 on henipavirus spillover into human populations also lists Daszak as a co-author and acknowledged funding from Google

Similarly, a 2015 paper on herpes lists Daszak and also credits Google.org for its support

The British scientist has since been removed from the COVID-19 commission looking into the origins of the pandemic after it emerged that he initially tried to gag the Wuhan lab leak theory

The revelation that Google funded Daszak's research has been slammed by former political advisor Steve Hilton as 'shocking' and one of the 'biggest scandals' of the century.

Hilton claims Google and other big tech firms have been active in trying to silence the lab leak theory.

'It's honestly one of the biggest scandals for, I don't know, a hundred years.' Hilton told Fox News Primetime on Monday.

'I can't think of a bigger one.

'It's a really shocking story, and it just adds to this increasingly big mountain of evidence that we have got a massive establishment cover-up going on because the people at the heart of this know what they did.

'People like Peter Daszak, people like (Dr Anthony) Fauci himself who, of course, initiated the work that Daszak then sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to make bat coronaviruses more airborne and more transmissible and more infectious to the human respiratory system  (a theory) we now know as the most likely origin of the pandemic.

'They're covering it up because they know they've got a guilty conscience.'

The revelation that Google funded Daszak's research has been slammed by former political advisor Steve Hilton as 'shocking' and one of the 'biggest scandals' of the century

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

It comes as Daszak was removed from the commission looking at the origins of the pandemic after helping to secretly denounce the lab leak theory while failing to mention his close ties to the Wuhan lab.

His departure from the UN-backed Lancet commission into the virus's origins was revealed on its website.

It quietly added a sentence in brackets above his biography, saying 'recused from Commission work on the origins of the pandemic.'

No further information on Daszak's departure was given.

Daszak was one of 28 experts from around the world asked to analyze how best to respond to the pandemic. The panel comprised leading global figures in public health, economics, philanthropy, diplomacy and politics.

It is organized by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

He helped organize a letter published in prestigious medical journal The Lancet that was signed by 27 scientists, including Daszak himself, that denounced the lab leak claim as a 'conspiracy theory,' and 'nonscientific'.

Daszak's presence on a number of bodies investigating the origins of COVID has proved controversial because of his links to the Wuhan Institute and its chief researcher Dr Shi Zhengli - dubbed 'Batwoman'.
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President Joe Biden's administration conceded Tuesday that it will fall short of its goal of having partially vaccinated 70 per cent of adult Americans by July 4th - but officials vowed they would 'crush' COVID-19 and said they have incentives in the work to raise the vaccination rate.

Officials blamed the missed goal - of having one shot in the arm of 70% of adult Americans - because of the slow vaccination rate among 18-to-26-year-olds.

'The country has more work to do, particularly with 18-to-26 year-olds. The reality is many younger Americans have felt like COVID-19 is not something that impacts them, and they've been less eager to get the shot,' Jeffrey Zients, the head of the White House COVID response team, said at a press briefing.

'It'll take a few extra weeks to get to 70% of all adults with at least one shot with the 18-to-26-year-olds factored in,' he added.

He also conceded the White House would fall short on Biden's goal to have 150 million Americans fully vaccinated by Independence Day, coming in a few weeks late.

'We will hit 160 million Americans fully vaccinated no later than mid July,' he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said incentives remain in the works to get young people to vaccination clinics, including more public appearances by Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become the star of the pandemic.

'It's not just Dr. Fauci on TikTok but that is happening,' she said at her press briefing on Tuesday. 'Dr. Fauci has done several Q&As with TikTok and Instagram influencers to answer questions to meet people where they are, including young people, give them information they need.'

She pointed out the administration is working with the business sector on give-aways to get more shots in arms.

'Microsoft is giving away Xboxes at Boys and Girls Clubs, the College Challenge is rallying university students across the country, Walgreens is giving out $25 to anyone who gets vaccinated there before July 4th,' she said.

And she called the original goal 'bold' and 'ambitious.'

'There's nothing ever magical through science about 70%. 70% was a bold ambitious goal we set to continue to drive to get more people vaccinated across the country,' she said.

Fauci, meanwhile, vowed the US would crush the coronavirus.

'No one should think that when we reach the 70% across the country that we're done. We are not done until we completely crushed this outbreak,' he said.

He did not offer a definition of what 'crushing' the virus meant.

'We're gonna continue to vaccinate millions and millions more Americans across the coming months,' Fauci said.

Jeffrey Zients, the head of the White House COVID response team, announced the Biden administration would not hit its goal to have partially vaccinated 70% of adult Americans, blaming low vaccine rate among 18-to-26-year-olds

Dr. Anthony Fauci vowed the country would 'crush' the coronavirus

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said incentives remain in the works to get young people to vaccination clinics

Administration officials kept a positive spin atop the news of their failure to reach Biden's goals for Independence Day.

'We have succeeded beyond our highest expectations,' Zients argued.

In his opening remarks on the state of pandemic in the United States, Zients kept his comments positive and emphasized what the administration has accomplished.

He pointed out that the White House has met Biden's goal of getting at least one shot in the arm of adults for Americans aged 30 and older. He added that goal would be met for adults 27 and older by the time the July 4th weekend passed.

He also noted that 16 states and Washington DC have hit the 70% rate for all adults.

And he emphasized: 'We are gonna have a Fourth of July celebration which is beyond everyone's highest expectations.'

Fauci also noted there would be no 'surge' of COVID infections despite the White House not meeting its goals.

'There will be local, type of regional outbreaks,' Fauci warned, saying it was 'totally and completely avoidable by getting vaccinated.'

Biden set his original July 4th goals on May 4th.

For the administration, it's the first major benchmark it will miss. Biden has routinely bragged about hitting his goals - including 100 million shots in the first 100 days and reaching 300 million shots in 150 days. Critics called those early goals easily reached.

President 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.

President Joe Biden's administration conceded Tuesday that it will likely fall short of its goal of partially vaccinating 70% of adult Americans by July 4th

His plans continue 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.

'Instead of just small backyard gatherings, America is getting ready for a truly historic Fourth of July, with large celebrations planting communities across the country,' Zients said Tuesday.

'Here at the White House, we'll be celebrating our independence from the virus with over 1,000 people on the White House lawn - 1,000 of our nation's military and frontline workers - celebrating how far we have come as a country, in such a short period of time.'

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration would redouble its efforts on vaccinating Americans.

'We are redoubling our efforts,' she said.

She also brushed off questions about whether the president should host his July 4th celebration since the administration did not meet its vaccination goal.

'What the president said is if you were vaccinated, your neighbors are vaccinated, you can all have a backyard barbecue. We're doing that times about 100 by hosting 1000 people here at the White House,' she said.

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.

The administration has made 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.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will be in Illinois on Wednesday.

And President Biden will visit a vaccination clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.

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.

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.

The White House has down played the possible missed deadlines.

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.
Six Australians have developed a potentially life-threatening condition just days after having AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine.

The recipients developed a rare disease called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis and leave patients in crippling pain after breaking down the body's immune system.

The syndrome is a known complication from vaccines in general, with no medical evidence that Covid vaccines put someone more at risk.

One of the cases, a 'fit, healthy and active' Queensland woman, developed the crippling immune disease just days after receiving the AstraZeneca jab.

Amanda Thomson, 54, was left with excruciating pain in her hands and feet and has been unable to walk due to a severe loss of muscle strength.

Medical experts in Australia and across the globe have not found any direct link between the vaccine and the 'incredibly rare' debilitating syndrome.

A 'fit, healthy and active' woman has developed a crippling immune disease just days after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Pictured: A frontline worker - not the Queensland woman - receives a Covid jab

Infectious diseases physician Dr Paul Griffin said despite the 'incredibly rare' side effect, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Dr Griffin explained that GBS is known to be a complication for vaccines 'in general', and is not linked to any particular jab.

He said there is no evidence AstraZeneca is more likely to cause the condition than other vaccines.

But similar cases have been spotted in both the UK and India, where AstraZeneca's vaccine is also being dished out. It is also a known rare side effect of flu and HPV jabs.

AstraZeneca's jab  which is given as a double-dose  has also been linked to rare blood clots.

For that reason, Australian health chiefs have recommended under-40s get alternative jabs, which is currently on Pfizer until shipments of Moderna arrive.

But data is now also emerging that shows Pfizer's jab  the other main option being administered  may cause heart inflammation in some rare cases.

Six Australians have developed crippling Guillain-Barre syndrome just days after having AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine

Cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome after AstraZeneca's vaccine were described in two separate studies in the journal Annals of Neurology.

The complication  normally triggered by an infection  usually occurs in around one in 100,000 people in the UK and US.

What is Guillain-Barre syndrome? GuillainBarre syndrome is a rare disorder in which the immune system goes into overdrive and the body attack its own nerves. Common symptoms of the rare condition include weakness and tingling in the limbs. As patients' conditions worsen, this can lead to parts of the body  or in some cases the whole body  being paralysed. The syndrome is rare, affecting about one in 100,000 annually in the UK and US. Fewer than 20,000 cases are diagnosed per year in the US, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Doctors say it is often triggered by a viral or bacterial illness, such as Campylobacter jejuni. There is no cure. Treatment focuses on restoring the nervous system. It can be fatal if it involves the respiratory muscles. Advertisement

But doctors in India who also uncovered the link say it was occurring up to 10 times more than expected.

One of the articles published in the journal broke down the cases spotted in Nottingham, UK, which all occurred within ten days of each other.

Symptoms began 11 to 22 days after the first jab and all of the four men were aged between 20 and 57.

One had no relevant medical history. The three others others had ulcerative colitis, asthma and high blood pressure.

None had been infected with Covid. They were treated with antibodies and steroid pills.

Dr Christopher Allen, a clinical neuroscientist at Nottingham University, who wrote the article, admitted they cannot be certain the jab caused the neurological illness and it could have happened by chance.

But it demonstrates the need for 'robust post-vaccination surveillance,' he said. And he added vaccines currently deployed are 'very safe'.

Dr Allen added the reaction may be 'a cross-reactive immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein', causing the immune system to overreact and the body to attack its own nerves.

Dr Allen said if the condition is caused by AstraZeneca's vaccine, it will be because spike proteins contained in the firm's viral vector technology.

Pfizer's and Moderna's MRNA vaccines do not contain the same spike proteins, so are unlikely to see similar links to the syndrome.

The second paper by neurologists at the Aster Medcity hospital in Kochi, Kerala, identified seven cases of severe Guillain-Barre syndrome.

They were struck down within a fortnight of receiving the first AstraZeneca vaccine.

Lead author Dr Boby Varkey Maramattom said rates of the condition were between 1.4 and 10-fold higher than would normally be expected.

And the patients suffered 'unusually severe' facial weakness  one of the symptoms of the condition.

Four of the cases involved women aged 40 to 70 years  three of whom required mechanical ventilation.

Nerve damage around the face and head occurred in four patients  which happens in less than five per cent of Guillain-Barre syndrome cases.

Dr Maramattom said while the findings suggested the vaccine could be to blame a clear link had been proven and it is 'unlikely' the jabs had triggered the syndrome in all cases.

The benefits of vaccination also 'substantially outweigh the risk of this relatively rare outcome,' he said.

Covid itself is also linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, with the virus believed to have triggered the condition in a man, 54, in New Jersey in April 2020.
An off-duty New York City police officer was beaten with a stick and punched by at least three attackers in the Bronx on Monday, amid a growing crime wave sweeping the nation.

The NYPD released video of the attack, one of dozens that have erupted on the streets of the Big Apple in recent weeks as violence spirals out of control.

Surveillance footage shows the 33-year-old off-duty officer talking to two men on a street corner at about 11.40am, apparently in a heated argument.

One of the men, wearing a blue tie-dyed shirt, then starts punching the victim, as the other, who is shirtless, grabs him.

Surveillance video released by the NYPD showed an off-duty police officer being beaten with a stick and punched by at least three attackers in the Bronx on Monday

Two men are seen pushing and grabbing the victim as another shirtless man watches

A third suspect then appears on the footage and hits the off-duty officer with a blue stick

They are later seen pushing and grabbing the victim, when a third assailant appears on camera and hits the victim with a blue stick.

Another shirtless man watched the attack, but did not appear to get involved.

As the officer tries to walk away from the scene, the three assailants are seen following him.

Witnesses said the officer got into a verbal dispute with the men prior to the physical altercation. They said they were unaware that the victim was a police officer, as he was wearing plain clothes.

The officer suffered pain to his head, back and knees, and was taken to a local hospital, where he is said to be conscious and alert, ABC 7 reports.

The NYPD is now looking for the suspects involved, telling ABC 7 there were at least six members of the group that attacked the victim, and they fled on foot.

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told New York 1 News on Tuesday that the attack 'is very much under investigation by the detective squad of the 41st precinct.'

He added that he is 'having the Internal Affairs Bureau look into the entire incident to make sure there was nothing that shouldn't be happening there with our officer,' according to the Post.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police department's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1 (800) 577 - TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.

The New York Police Department is now searching for these suspects and is asking anyone with information to call the department's Crime Stoppers Hotline

The assault comes amid a rise in crime throughout the city.

In May, crime rates increased 22 percent over last year, with a 46.7 percent increase in robbery and a 35.6 percent increase in grand larceny, according to NYPD data.

Felony assault saw a 20.5 percent increase, and were up eight percent for the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Shootings also increased to 173 in May 2021, compared to 100 in May 2020.

But the attacks also seem to be more brazen, with many occurring in public places, like parks and subways

Crimes have been rising throughout New York City, according to the NYPD

Shootings increased to 173 in May 2021, compared to 100 in May 2020

Over the weekend, a woman was left bloody and bruised at Washington Square Park, as nonstop partying in the Greenwich Village park continues.

The woman was allegedly trying to run from a man, later identified as 42-year-old Jason McDermott, who was armed with a large knife and taser.

The partygoers, who have descended on the park for nightly raves in recent weeks, were sent into a panic and ran for safety from the suspect and knocked over a 43-year-old woman.

DailyMail.com photos show the woman sat on the ground with blood pouring from her face following the incident. A man was seen handcuffed and being led away by police.

Police said the woman was transported to Bellevue hospital in a stable condition with lacerations, contusions and abrasions.

The battle over Washington Square Park pitted area residents against partygoers last week, when protestors confronted police outside of an emergency meeting organized by the New York Police Department's Sixth Precinct.

The meeting was met with dozens of protestors, who flocked by to park by nightfall. Police said on Friday that the would be on high-alert over the weekend.

A woman was left bloodied and bruised in Washington Square Park on Friday night after being trampled by terrified crowds

A man was seen handcuffed and being led away by police following the incident in the historic park; police said they arrested the suspect

Another major issue the residential and high-tourist area of Midtown Manhattan around around Times Square and Hell's Kitchen, where thousands of homeless people were moved to hotels during the pandemic.

Eight Avenue between Penn Station and The Port Authority Bus Terminal has become a drug corridor and a crime hot spot.

The police precinct that includes Times Square and many of the hotels where the homeless have been living saw a 183 percent spike in felony assaults and 173 percent spike in robberies so far this year compared to 2020, according to NYPD data.

In May, Governor Andrew Cuomo called the rise in crime a 'major problem' and said unless the New York Police Department gets a handle on it, the city would become undesirable.

'New Yorkers don't feel safe, and they don't feel safe because the crime rate is up,' he said. 'It's not that they're being neurotic or overly sensitive - they're right.'
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has put on hold a California judge's ruling that the state's assault weapons ban is unconstitutional.

Federal Judge Roger T. Benitez earlier this month ruled that the state's ban on certain semi-automatic rifles violates Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Benitez had already agreed to a 30-day stay of his ruling, which was further extended Monday by a three-judge panel with the Ninth Circuit appeals court.

'The stay shall remain in effect until further order of this court,' the justices wrote, noting another case challenging the ban was pending.

Benitez's June 4 decision described California's ban as unconstitutional and defended the right of Americans to own semi-automatic rifles.

'Guns and ammunition in the hands of criminals, tyrants and terrorists are dangerous; guns in the hands of lawabiding responsible citizens are better,' he argued.

A court has put on hold an overturning of California's assault weapons ban

California's Attorney General Rob Bonta, who appealed the overturning, tweeted: 'This leaves our assault weapons laws in effect while appellate proceedings continue.

Judge Robert Benitez ruled against a federal judge's decision of assault weapons being deemed unconstitutional in California

'We won't stop defending these life-saving laws.'

California, one of a handful of US states that bar assault weapons, passed its ban in response to a 1989 mass shooting at a school that involved an AK-47.

On January 17, 1989, Patrick Edward Purdy shot and killed five schoolchildren and injured 32 others using an AK-47 at Cleveland Elementary School.

The court battle comes as gun violence surges across the United States -- and after a disgruntled, heavily-armed California public transit worker shot and killed nine people in May.

Mass shootings have also taken place in Florida, Indiana, California, Colorado and Georgia, in a surge in violence that President Joe Biden has branded an 'epidemic.'

'Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment,' Benitez wrote in his decision.

'Good for both home and battle... Yet, the State of California makes it a crime to have an AR-15 type rifle. Therefore, this Court declares the California statutes to be unconstitutional.'

#BREAKING: The 9th Circuit granted our motion to stay the district courts ruling in Miller v. Bonta.



This leaves our assault weapons laws in effect while appellate proceedings continue.



We won't stop defending these life-saving laws.https://t.co/L8F8zpLuhv pic.twitter.com/udtszNfOis  Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) June 21, 2021

California Attorney General Rob Bonta made it known he was going to appeal Benitez's ruling to fight to defend what he considers 'life-saving laws'

California Governor Gavin Newsome (pictured) is backing Attorney General Rob Banta in his appeal to get Judge Robert Benitez's ruling overturned again

One pro-Second Amendment group, The Firearms Policy Coalition promised to oppose the appeal. They feel the state's leadership is seeking to protect the unconstitutional values.

'The first duty of our federal courts is to uphold the Constitution and protect the People's fundamental rights enshrined therein,' their statement read.

'But today, as it has too many times before, the fanatically anti-Second Amendment Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals elected to disregard that fundamental duty, ignore the text and public meaning of our Constitution, and fail the very People they swore an oath to serve.'
A man has been charged after a girl died from eating breakfast cereal that had been poisoned.

Suspect Francis Ngugi, 45, of Toronto, Canada is facing multiple charges including two counts of administering a noxious substance to endanger life, two counts of unlawfully causing bodily harm, and criminal negligence causing death.

Police allege that the suspect obtained a 'controlled substance' from his work that ended up in the cereal bowl of the three-year-old victim, who has been named as Bernice Mirembe, on March 7.

According to police statement, the victim and another child consumed the cereal during a sleepover.

A man has been charged after a girl died from eating breakfast cereal that had been poisoned The girl has been named as Bernice, pictured above

They both required hospitalization, with one dying while other recovered after a long hospital stay.

Toronto police and the Ontario Coroner's Office launched an investigation.

It remains unclear whether the incident was intentional or accidental, according to CBC News.

The substance was identified after an autopsy was carried out, although officials have not specified what it was.

The family and the suspect are 'known to each other,' although it is not clear how.

Police arrested 45-year-old Toronto man Francis Ngugi on June 19.

Investigations are ongoing.

A GoFundMe page set up by the victim's mother, Maurine Mirembe, named the girl as Bernice.

The substance was identified after an autopsy was carried out, although officials have not specified what it was

She wrote: 'Three years ago, my daughter came into this world, a beacon of light, beautiful and shining bright...born in Toronto, Canada to Ugandan parents.

'To all those who knew her, she was full of life, had lots of love to give and even more laughter to share.

'Sunday March 7th, 2021 may have been sunny for most, but for me it's the day my baby breathed her last, left this world and moved onto the next.

'She woke up playful as usual, had breakfast and played with a friend. She quickly grew weak, vomiting...and by the time I rushed to get to her, she was barely breathing, and looking ashen.

'I called 911 who never came to my aid for whatever reason, and after 25-30mins of a hopeless wait, my friend drove us to hospital as quick as traffic lights would allow.

The victim's mother, Maurine Mirembe, wrote on a GoFundMe page: 'Three years ago, my daughter came into this world, a beacon of light, beautiful and shining bright...born in Toronto, Canada to Ugandan parents'

'The doctors ran numerous tests and couldn't find out what was killing her. After multiple resuscitation attempts by the doctors, Bernice was taken off life support.

'Without falling sick, warning or a sign, my baby died, just like that. I wish to lay her to rest back home in Uganda, where our heritage is, and where she would be at peace.

'I humbly call upon your assistance and request that you may help me fulfill this wish.

'There are so many questions and so few answers, this may not fix what's forever broken inside of me, but it will be a start for me to get closure, until I can find out what happened to my baby.

'I thank you, and Bernice too from above.'

The page has so far raised $44,714 in donations.
Horrific video obtained by DailyMail.com shows a jealous husband flying into a rage and bludgeoning his wife to death with a crowbar at a bus stop in Washington Heights, as bystanders scream in horror.

The victim Maria Kelly, 49, died Friday, four days after the attack at the corner of Fort Washington Avenue and West 163rd Street in New York City.

Her husband Julio Aponte, 63, was initially charged with attempted murder and assault, but he is now expected to be charged with murder.

The attack took place at 7am Monday, June 14 and deeply disturbing video shows the savage attack unfold at the bus stop as Aponte yelled 'How dare you cheat on me?'

Julio Aponte, 63, is seen in disturbing video obtained by DailyMail.com beating his wife and smashing her with a crowbar at a bus stop in Washington Heights

rAponte, wearing a black hoodie and black pants, is seen straddling his wife as he bludgeons her with the crowbar covered in plastic

Aponte was initially charged with attempted murder and assault, but he's now expected to be charged with murder

Aponte, wearing a black hoodie and black pants, is seen straddling his wife, who was lying beneath him on the pavement.

Aponte and his wife Maria Kelly, 49, who died Friday, four days after the attack

He repeatedly bashed her head with a crowbar covered with a plastic bag, making a loud banging sound.

Bystanders screamed for him to stop, but he continued the assault.

He struck Kelly, a mother of two and school aide, three times in the video.

With her sprawled out lifeless on the curb, he then threw the bag under the bus stop bench, making a clanking sound.

Aponte then stood up, slowly, tossed a backpack aside and stood beside her, gesturing with both arms as he continued to shout at his apparently unconscious wife.

Bystanders gasped in horror, yelled, videotaped him and called 911.

Aponte lingered for a few more seconds before he stepped away.

He fled on a motorcycle then was arrested nearby a few minutes later, police said.

Aponte later dumped the motorcycle and told a parking attendant that he had killed his wife, according to the New York Post.

Aponte fled on a motorcycle then was arrested nearby a few minutes later, police said

Bystanders gasped in horror, yelled, videotaped him and called 911, but Aponte continued the gruesome attack

Kelly was taken by ambulance to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center where she went into cardiac arrest due to her injuries and later died

The parking attendant reportedly urged Aponte to call the police.

He eventually called 911 and confessed to killing his wife because she had cheated on him, police said.

Officers found his wife on the ground, unconscious and with severe head trauma.

Kelly was taken by ambulance to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center where she went into cardiac arrest due to her injuries and later died.

Aponte's charges could possibly be upgraded to murder, which would be handled by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
The children of a French woman on trial for the murder of her stepfather-turned-husband have told a court that she had no choice but to kill him after suffering years of horrific abuse and that she 'did it to protect us'.

Vincent and Romain Bacot, 22 and 21, said they went to police twice in the month before mother Valerie killed their father Daniel Polette in March 2016 but were brushed off both times by officers who told them 'there is nothing we can do.'

The pair were questioned today alongside their sister, 19, who recalled the moment her mother told her about the murder - saying she replied: 'Mum, it's OK. We're going to be okay with it. I know you didn't do this for fun but to protect us.'

Our old life was a very complicated life, filled with screams. We were terrified,' she added.

They spoke a day after Bacot gave her own testimony, recalling how she suffered 25 years of abuse at Polette's hands that began with rape at age 12 and ended with him prostituting her out to truck drivers.

Bacot, now aged 40, is facing life in jail if convicted of Polette's murder. Her lawyers do not dispute the killing, but argue her sentence should be reduced to 10 years.

The case has attracted nationwide attention in France where Bacot has recently published a book about her ordeal - called Everybody Knew - with 500,000 people signing a petition for charges to be dropped.

Valerie Bacot (pictured in court today) is on trial for the 2016 murder of Daniel Polette in France after what she says was 25 years of abuse suffered at his hands

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

Testifying today, Romain said he first spoke with officers in the commune of Paray-le-Monial in February 2016 alongside Lucas Granet - the daughter's boyfriend - who told him that 'it isn't our department'.

He claimed the pair then went to speak with cops in nearby La Clayette, who said Bacot would have to come in to file a complaint herself.

Pressed by investigating magistrate Eric Jallet whether Ms Bacot could not have divorced Polette instead of killing him, Romain shot back: 'And go where? We were trapped. He was going to find us.'

Asked what would have happened if Valerie had not killed Polette, Vincent added: 'Our mother would have died of the violence that we suffered.'

When it came time for Lucas to take the stand, he became visibly annoyed with Jallet during questioning, according to French news site Orange.

Jallet said the trio's account was 'hard to believe' because police had no records of the family ever speaking with them, at which point he insisted 'we were really at these two damn police stations.'

'They [police] told us to go and fart,' he added - using a French expression which means something similar to 'screw off' in English.

'She's not guilty,' Kevin added. 'We didn't have anyone's help. We were locked up, we didn't know how to get by.'

Karline, now aged 19, was also in the witness box on Tuesday where she recalled her mother telling her about Polette's death.

Karline, who is now a nursery assistant, said: 'I said to my mother 'Mum, it's okay, we're going to be okay with it. I know you didn't do this for fun but to protect us'.'

Describing her ordeal further, Karline said: 'Our old life was a very complicated life, filled with screams. We were terrified.'

Karline said it was on March 12 2016 - the day before the shooting - that her father asked Bacot: 'How is she sexually?'.

This was a clear reference to Karline - then aged 14 - being prostituted alongside her mother, which Bacot said led her to kill Polette.

Vincent, 22, who is now a father himself, added that he hoped his mother's case would lead to 'more recognition for battered women and that people who attack women are punished.

'I hope my mother comes out of prison and sees my daughter grow up.'

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

Bacot had testified before the same court Monday, also insisting she had no choice but to kill Polette.

'I wanted to save me, and my children,' Bacot said.

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'.

Asked by Jallet whether she could not have divorced Polette instead of killing him, she responded: 'You do not understand anything.'

In her 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.

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.

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.

Journalists wait outside the courtroom in Chalon-sur-Saone, France, where Bacot is standing trial for Polette's murder

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.
The parents of a five-year-old girl who disappeared from a home in central Argentina have slammed police for losing a security camera video that may have been crucial in finding out who kidnapped their child.

Guadalupe Lucero was last seen at a birthday party at her aunt's home in the city of San Luis on June 14 around 8pm. She reportedly disappeared after stepping outside the home's entrance to play hopscotch with a group of children.

Authorities gained access to a video that appeared to show Lucero being led away by a woman, but inexplicably lost the footage. Investigators were unable to verify if the girl in the footage is indeed Guadalupe.

Guadalupe is 3'6' and has a birthmark above the left side of her jaw near her ear. She also has a chipped front tooth.

According to Argentine news channel Todo Noticias, Interpol was reviewing a text message that Yamila Cialone received last Tuesday at 2.14am from Puebla, Mexico.

The network was able to obtain a copy of the screen grab that showed the sender asking the distraught mother: 'Do you want Guadalupe back alive?'

At 2.15am, the sender asked Cialone if she was the mother and then waited an additional minute to ask if she wanted her daughter back.

Yamila Cialone (right) with her daughter, Guadalupe Lucero, who has been missing since June 14 in Argentina. The five-year-old girl was last seen playing hopscotch with other children outside her home in the central city of San Luis. Argentine news channel Todo Noticias reported that on Tuesday at 2.14am, Cialone received a text message that originated from Puebla, Mexico. The sender asked her if she wanted her child back alive. Interpol is currently reviewing the messages

Five-year-old Guadalupe Lucero is 3'6' and has a birthmark above the left side of her jaw

Argentine news channel Todo Noticias obtained a screen grab that shows a text message exchange between an alleged sender from Puebla, Mexico, and Yamila Cialone, the mother of Guadalupe Lucero, a five-year-old girl who was reported missing in San Luis, Argentina, on June 14. The sender asked Cialone, 'Do you want Guadalupe back alive?' and later asked her, 'Are you her mother?' The person behind the messages then asked the mother, 'Are you alone?' before questioning her, 'Do you want her back?' Interpol is investigating the source of the messages

On Monday, Cialone and her husband, Eric Lucero, also received an anonymous phone call which falsely alerted them that Guadalupe Lucero was being held at a neighborhood home. A team of 30 police officers and a K-9 were dispatched to the residence.

'Today we realized that (people) are playing with both of us, and it is a shame, they threw data at both of us and here we are struggling to find our daughter,' Lucero said.

Over the weekend, the married couple also received misleading messages via WhatsApp which promised the family that they would be soon reunited with their child.

The family of Guadalupe Lucero planned a rally Tuesday in San Luis in hopes of receiving help from residents and authorities in neighboring provinces so that they can find the missing five-year-old girl who was last seen the evening of June 14

The San Luis Ministry of Security is offering a $21,000 reward for information what would help law enforcement locate Guadalupe Lucero

San Luis (Argentina) Police spokesman Lucas Chacon last Thursday linked Guadalupe Lucero's disappearance to a settling of scores between drug traffickers in the area without having any concrete evidence

The family was planning to march Tuesday in San Luis in hopes of receiving help from residents and authorities in neighboring provinces.

The Argentine military has joined the fire departments of the cities of San Luis, San Juan, Cordoba, La Pampa and Mendoza in searching for Guadalupe Lucero.

The San Luis Ministry of Security is offering a $21,000 reward for information what would help law enforcement locate Lucero.

San Luis Police spokesman Lucas Chacon last Thursday linked Lucero's disappearance to a settling of scores between drug traffickers in the area without having any concrete evidence.

Investigators have also said she may have been targeted by human traffickers and would not rule out that she no longer in the province of San Luis.

Law enforcement believe that Lucero may have walked away by herself after stepping out to the front of her aunt's home and got lost. But the judge who is assigned to the case discarded such notion and claimed that, 'The girl is with somebody ...'
Migrant children housed in U.S. pop-up shelters reported overcrowding and long stay times, spoiled or undercooked food and lack of access to showers or clean clothes, according to testimonials filed in court Monday.

Seventeen minor migrants shared accounts with lawyers of their time in emergency shelters after crossing into the U.S. unaccompanied by adults. Some reported depression while others described trouble sleeping with round-the-clock bright lights.

A 13-year-old girl from Honduras wrote that she was placed on the suicide watch list at a shelter in El Paso, Texas set up at Fort Bliss. As of June 4, the girl spent nearly two months at the facility after being separated from her father when crossing a river into the U.S.

'The food here is horrible,' she wrote. 'Yesterday we were given hamburgers but I couldn't eat it because there was a foul odor coming from the bread.'

'I really only eat popsicles and juice because that is the only food that I can trust.'

Migrant children in emergency holding facilities, including a massive one at Fort Bliss in Texas, detailed deplorable living conditions including spoiled or undercooked food in testimonials as part of a court filing Monday

Demonstrators outside Fort Bliss on June 8 demand the children be let out of the facilities as more details emerge of long stay times  sometimes exceeding several months  and limited communication with family

The shocking declarations come as hundreds of illegal crossers continue to flow over the southern border from Mexico. Here migrants board a bus oJune 21 to be taken to a processing facility after crossing the Rio Grande into the U.S.

In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 180,034 illegal crossers at the southern border, the most of any month so far

Joe Biden's administration promised in March that migrant families won't spend more than 72 hours in U.S. facilities, but unaccompanied minors, on the other hand, shared declarations of months inside emergency shelters in deplorable conditions.

Several claim they have been at the shelters for 60 days or longer.

Lawyers were given access to speak with children in these facilities as they monitor government compliance with the Flores Settlement  a 1997 agreement governing conditions for which detained immigrant children can be kept.

The team of attorneys have interviewed children and conducted site visits at the emergency shelters, which were originally intended for short stays.

'Every day, I feel really sad. I keep seeing other kids leave,' a 16-year-old from Guatemala being housed at a facility in Pecos, Texas said in a declaration filed Monday.

She has been at the site for 62 days waiting for reunification with her uncle in Maryland.

'There are some other kids who have been here for about the same time as me, and there is just a lot of sadness among us,' she said in a testimonial on her time in an emergency facility.

One Houston site set up by the National Association of Christian Churches was abruptly closed shortly before attorneys were set to visit. More than a dozen girls who were at the site were relocated upon its closure

One 17-year-old girl from Honduras wrote: 'The food was horrible. There was chicken that was boiled and when we opened the chicken it was raw inside.' They also detailed fainting spells, lack of clean clothes and restrictions from using the bathroom after 10 p.m.

The Biden administration has sped up processing in Border Patrol detention facilities, more quickly transferring children to Health and Human Services facilities, where there is staff and resources better equipped to deal with the housing the children and working on reunifying them with family.

The children, however, have detailed conditions that are just as bad as when they were being held in detention facilities along the border.

There were nearly 14,500 children in HHS custody as of Sunday, down from the 22,000 in late April. Several hundreds of these nine through 17-year-old children have spent 60 days or more in the department's emergency intake sites, according to the Monday court filing.

Most children in custody are from Northern Triangle countries  Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Children generally reported in their testimonials that they were only permitted outdoor recreation for 'as little as one hour daily.'

They also reported little to no privacy, limited calls to family and extreme boredom to the point of sleeping during the day to pass the time.

The Military built six large tents at For Bliss in El Paso, Texas to house migrant children

Testimonials from some children detail that they are only permitted outdoor recreation for 'as little as one hour daily'

One Houston site, set up by the National Association of Christian Churches, was abruptly closed shortly before attorneys were set to visit, according to National Center for Youth Law immigration director Neha Desai.

More than a dozen girls who were at the site were relocated upon its closure.

One 17-year-old girl from Honduras wrote in her declaration: 'The food was horrible. There was chicken that was boiled and when we opened the chicken it was raw inside.'

The girls also detailed in testimonials to lawyers that they had fainting spells, inadequate food, lack of clean clothes and restrictions from using the bathroom after 10 p.m.

'During the day and night, we were told that we had to stay on our beds and could only get up to go to the bathroom and to shower' a 17-year-old El Salvadorian girl described. 'We had to eat on our beds because there was no other place to eat.'

She also said she had to wear the same clothes for 15 days and described staff members directing them 'to wear the same underwear and just turn it inside out, because there wasn't any laundry to clean our clothes.'

A border patrol officers processes a young man and child on June 21, 2021 after they crossed into the U.S. illegally

Migrant families wait in La Joya, Texas to be taken to border patrol processing facilities

A migrant mother and her son board a border patrol bus to be taken to a processing facility on June 21

Another 17-year-old Guatemalan girl at the Fort Bliss emergency facility said in a declaration dated April 28 that she sleeps on a stacked cot in extreme close quarters under a large white tent with about 300 other girls.

She detailed sleeping difficulties due to rattling noises from the tent's metal beams and said the tents are cold at night and filled with dirt.

'A lot of the girls here cry a lot,' she said. 'A lot of them end up having to talk to someone because they have thoughts of cutting themselves.'

The testimonials offer a deeper look into the conditions of emergency shelters set up by Biden's administration to deal with the continuing migration crisis at the southern border.

Since the start of his administration, there has been a sharp influx of migrants crossing illegally into the U.S.  in particular unaccompanied minors, who Biden promised not to turn away at the border.

In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 180,034 illegal crossers at the southern border, the most of any month so far and an uptick from the previous high of 178,854 who were encountered in April.

In recent months, children have been more swiftly removed from CBP custody into these emergency shelters in an effort to more quickly reconnect them with family members or others in the U.S.
Three suspects have been arrested for breaking into a woman's home and holding her at gunpoint while she was on a Zoom call with colleagues in Texas.

The frightening episode unfolded on Friday at around 2.15pm when Adrian Guillen, 19, and an unnamed 15-year-old girl allegedly stormed into the unidentified victim's house in San Antonio.

Police said Guillen held the woman at gunpoint in her bedroom, demanded she had over valuables and ransacked the home as her colleagues watched in horror.

The colleagues immediately called police but the teenager and Guillen, who already had an active capital murder warrant out of Bandera County, fled the scene in a white Honda Accord driven by 39-year-old Jaime Trevino before police arrived.

Jaime Trevino (left) and Adrian Guillen (right) were arrested Monday for holding a woman at gunpoint and robbing her home in San Antonio, Texas, while she was on a Zoom call

A police helicopter tracked the suspects to another house about 12 miles away where they allegedly began working to open a safe they'd stolen from the woman's home.

They took everything from the safe and put it in their vehicle before driving to the nearby Oyo Hotel, where they began to unload the stolen property.

Police arrived at the hotel and arrested the suspects without any incident.

Officers obtained a search warrant for the house where the suspects broke into the safety box. All stolen items were recovered and given back to the victim.

Guillen was charged with aggravated robbery and theft between $2,500 and $30,000.

Bexar County jail records shows he is being held on a $1million bond for the murder charge.

Jaime Trevino was also charged with aggravated robbery and theft between $2,500 and $30,000, and is being held on a $175,000 bond.

Police did not provide information about the third suspect due to her age.
A father of two men who died of Aids after receiving infected blood products at school broke down as he told an inquiry yesterday how he had watched both of his sons die within five months of each other.

John Peach's sons, Leigh and Jason Peach, were both treated for haemophilia whilst pupils at the Lord Mayor Treloar College, in Hampshire, during the 1970s and 1980s.

The boys, along with several pupils at the school, were given treatment at an on-site NHS centre in addition to receiving an education at the boarding school.

The treatments the pupils received were later found to be infected with HIV and hepatitis.

Seventy-two former pupils at the school, who would now be in their 50s, have since died after being diagnosed with the diseases.

Mr Peach, 75, gave evidence into the second day of hearings at the Infected Blood Inquiry in London. He broke down in tears when images of his sons were shown at his request.

In a statement at the end, his voice cracked as he said: 'To see somebody just go like that. It was horrendous.

'Our whole world fell apart. We were all scared. The fear and stigma relating to HIV and Aids was huge at the time.

Both boys suffered psychologically and it is very difficult for me to recount just how hard it was as a family in terms of impact. We went through hell. Certain people didn't want to associate with them. I couldn't get dental treatment for them as no one would touch them.'

He added: 'I miss these boys every day.

John Peach, a father of two men who died of Aids after receiving infected blood products during treatment for haemophilia at school, broke down in tears on Tuesday when paying tribute to his sons

John Peach's sons, Leigh and Jason Peach, were both pupils at the Lord Mayor Treloar College, in Hampshire, during the 1970s and 1980s

'I want to thank you all, especially the witnesses, I don't know how they got through it. Thank you for the time, the inquiry, it's been a long, long time coming.'

The inquiry also heard from former Lord Mayor Treloar College student Nicholas Sainsbury, 57, who said his former headmaster told students 'not to worry' after they were told they had contracted hepatitis.

Both Jason and Leigh were found to have contracted HIV and hepatitis B in 1985 and were informed by their doctor, who was treating them at a hospital in Oxford.

Jason's health deteriorated and he died of Aids in 1993, aged 23. Leigh's case of HIV also progressed to Aids and he died five months later in 1994, aged 27.

Speaking at the Infected Blood Inquiry, Mr Peach, 75, gave evidence into the second day of hearings, which this week are focusing on evidence from former pupils at the school.

He said prior to the boys joining Lord Mayor Treloar College, they were receiving treatment of cryoprecipitate at the Oxford Haemophilia Centre before they were treated at home with the NHS' supply of the product Lister, which came frozen.

However when they went to school, medical records showed during the inquiry revealed the boys began receiving treatment using products including Koate, Hemofil, Factor VIII and Kryobulin, as well as Lister.

Mr Peach, 75, gave evidence into the second day of hearings at the Infected Blood Inquiry in London. He broke down in tears when images of his sons were shown at his request. Pictured: Mr Peach with his sons Jason and Leigh at his wedding in 1987

The photos of Mr Peach's sons were shown at the end of his evidence. One showed them at his wedding to his second wife and two showed the pair when they were children

When asked if he was informed they would begin being treated with the products or concentrates at school, he said: 'No,' and became emotional as he responded.

Lead counsel Jenni Richards QC asked: 'Were you ever told any information or any risks associated with the risks using concentrate?'

Mr Peach said: 'No, this is the first time I've ever seen this [referring to the medical documents of his sons]. The only one I recognise is Lister.'

Ms Richards said: 'Am I right in understanding, as far as you can recall, you and your wife never received any medical information from Treloar's whatsoever?'

He replied: 'No. We weren't even informed when they had a bleed or anything like that really.'

The photos of Mr Peach's sons were shown at the end of his evidence. One showed them at his wedding to his second wife and two showed the pair when they were children.

He added afterwards that it should be a 'criminal act' that the matter did not go through Parliament and said that those involved in the distribution and regulation of blood products have 'a lot to answer for'.

'All I ever wanted was the truth, and I hope this inquiry answers it,' he said.

In a statement issued yesterday, the school, which has now rebranded as Treloar's, said: 'We are completely supportive of the campaign for truth, answers and justice by our former pupils.

'The experience of the people who contracted conditions when they should have been protected from harm was tragic and the truth about this must be brought out.'

Former student Mr Sainsbury gave evidence virtually to the inquiry today.

Mr Sainsbury told the inquiry what happened when the school had an outbreak of Hepatitis B in the autumn term of 1975, which saw around 16 boys diagnosed.

He said: 'The only information we were ever given was when the headmaster stood up at the meal time and said: 'I understand some of you are worried about this hepatitis that's been going round.'

'He said: 'Not to worry, there's two types of hepatitis - the fatal kind, the serious, and the non-serious, the mild type.

'You've got the mild type so there's nothing to worry about.' And that was all the information we were given.'

He added it was 'disturbing to see' how the school reacted to the boys who were diagnosed, stating they were told to hand their plates and crockery back to the canteen staff and they were marked with red spots to separate them from the other pupils'.

The inquiry also heard from former Lord Mayor Treloar College student Nicholas Sainsbury, 57, who said his former headmaster told students 'not to worry' after they were told they had contracted hepatitis

'I just thought that was awful,' he said. 'No-one ever mentioned it again.'

Mr Sainsbury, who has HIV, Hepatitis B and C, joined the school aged 11 in 1974 and left in 1980.

He was originally treated with cryoprecipitate and plasma before joining the school, where he began being treated with Hemofil, Lister, Factor VIII and Kryobulin.

He added he remembered asking the nurses about the treatment he was being given.

'We gradually started to get the Factor VIII concentrate,' he said. 'I did read the warning on the bottle, it said: 'Warning, this product cannot be guaranteed to be free from viral infection.'

'I said to one of the haemophilia nurses: 'What does this mean?' And she said: 'Oh take no notice, it's just there for legal purposes. They get it from America.'

His questioning took place prior to the school's outbreak of Hepatitis B.

'I received every type of product there was. I suspect the reason for that was they were trying to get as close, unit-wise, to what was needed.

Lord Mayor Treloar College, in Hampshire, has since rebranded to Treloar's. It previously issued a statement on Monday which said it was 'supportive of the campaign for truth, answers and justice by our former pupils'. Pictured: A building which was once part of the school

'Looking back, it feels incredible they didn't try to limit it to one product ... but they would have needed a large supply on hand all the time, so they probably had no choice but to get it from other places,' he said.

During his time at school, Mr Sainsbury said neither he nor his parents were informed of the treatment products he was receiving to help him with his haemophilia or other goings-on at school.

'There were many positives about it - we got the education we wouldn't have got, we got the treatment we wouldn't have got. But when I joined in 1974, it was a very harsh regime, it wasn't very personal,' he said.

'It was cold, institutional and I think they just didn't know how to tackle issues like bullying.

''I endured and witnessed serious bullying. I was attacked from behind once - my glasses were punched through my ear, so you can imagine the amount of Factor VIII needed for that.

'The boy (who did it) got a 50 pence fine.

'Shouldn't the parents have been notified? And the bully's parents? Things like that. They talk about consent, they talk about communicating, but there was just nothing.'

Mr Sainsbury said he was diagnosed with HIV in 1988 and was told in a 'casual manner' by his doctor that he had a 'liver thing' in 1990 but only found out several years later, in the mid-90s, that it was Hepatitis C.

He discovered his diagnosis for Hepatitis B in 2003 after joining a class action lawsuit against an American Factor VIII manufacturer.

He said records showed he was diagnosed in 1977 while at he was at Lord Mayor Treloar College, but was made unaware of the diagnosis.

His school, which has since rebranded to Treloar's, previously issued a statement on Monday which said it was 'supportive of the campaign for truth, answers and justice by our former pupils'.
A Kenyan national living in Massachusetts has admitted to her role in an elaborate romance scam that prosecutors say defrauded multiple men out of more than $4million.

Florence Mwende Musau, 36, who previously resided in Canton, pleaded guilty on Monday to federal counts of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, the US attorney's office in Boston said.

She faces a maximum of 30 years in prison when she is sentenced on October 14.

Con artist: Florence Mwende Musau, 36, a Kenyan citizen, has pleaded guilty to federal counts of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Musau is pictured right depositing a check under a fake name in June 2020

Musau, who used at least two aliases, including the name Catherine Muthoki, has admitted to her role in a romance scam that prosecutors say defrauded men out of more than $4million

Musau used fake passports (pictured above) to open bank accounts in the Boston area to collect and launder the proceeds of the romance scams

Musau was one of six people, among them four Nigerian nationals, who were charged in March.

Musau is pictured performing a bank transaction connected to an account under the name Precious Adams

Musau participated in a string of romance scams designed to con victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by her and her alleged accomplices, according to authorities.

She used fake identities on dating apps and social media sites, and created the illusion of a romantic relationship with the victims to steal money from them, prosecutors said.

She also used fake passports and at least two aliases, using the names Precious Adams and Catherine Muthoki, to open bank accounts in the Boston area to collect and launder the proceeds of the scams, prosecutors said.

When Musau withdrew the money, it was often in amounts less than $10,000 in an effort to evade detection and currency transaction reporting requirements.

Musau and her alleged accomplice, 41-year-old Nigerian national Mark Arome Okuo (left and right), have been accused of swindling people out of $1.3million since 2018 as part of romance cons

Prosecutors say Okuo used the alias Anthony Terry and pretended to be a US Army serviceman and an oil industry worker

Musau and one of her alleged accomplices, 41-year-old Nigerian national Mark Arome Okuo, were accused of transferring or depositing $1.3million in fraudulent proceeds, since 2018, into various bank accounts, including $195,000 obtained through five romance scams.

A criminal complaint obtained by DailyMail.com details how Okuo would allegedly meet women on dating sites and pretend to be a US Army soldier serving in the Middle East or Africa.

As the relationships developed, Okuo claimed that he needed the women to wire him money so that he could leave the military and return to the US to marry them, according to the court documents.

In one case, a victim was said to have transferred $137,000 to bank accounts controlled by Okuo and Musau, thinking it would help her groom-to-be to obtain his military retirement benefits early.

In one case, a victim was said to have transferred $137,000 to bank accounts controlled by Okuo (pictured) and Musau

Okue would tell women that he was serving or working overseas, and that he needed money to return to the US to be with them, court records allege

In another case, Okuo allegedly told a woman from Georgia that he lived in Kuwait and worked in the oil industry, but was in love with her and needed $4,700 to return to the US to be with her. The victim promptly wired the sum to an account controlled by the accused con man.

As part of the dating scam, Musau swindled a California resident she met on social media out of $7,800 by claiming that she was a United Nations refugee camp worker who needed the money to return to the US to start a new life with him.

The bank accounts opened by the accused con artists also were used to collect a further $20,000 through pandemic unemployment benefits in the names of unsuspecting Massachusetts residents who did not apply for such benefits.
Connecticut state Sen. Alex Kasser, the first Democrat elected by her Fairfield County district in nearly a century, announced on Tuesday she is resigning from office over her bitter divorce from her estranged husband.

Kasser, a mother of three grown children, said she is no longer able to adequately perform her duties as a lawmaker amid the contentious legal battle.

The lawmaker, who is currently in a relationship with her 33-year-old female former campaign manager, has accused her Morgan Stanley executive husband of being abusive. She is being represented in the divorce proceedings by Melinda Gates' lawyer.

'I just completed my third legislative session and I've loved my job and I've loved the responsibility of serving the public and moving the state forward. But I can no longer give the job the same attention it deserves because of my personal situation,' Kasser told The Associated Press. 'And as an elected official, I have a duty to my constituents and to the public to explain why Im stepping down and to be honest about it.'

Connecticut state Sen. Alex Kasser, pictured left with her girlfriend, Nichola Samponaro, announced Tuesday she was resigning from office. She said her decision was prompted by her bitter divorce from her estranged husband, financial executive Seth Bergstein (right)

Kasser made history in 2018 when she became the first Democrat to be elected in Fairfield County since 1930 (pictured in September 2019)

She was expected to submit her official resignation to the Secretary of the State's office.

Kasser, 54, upset a five-term Republican incumbent in 2018. It was her first competitive race and her victory signaled that Democrats were making inroads in what had been a Republican bastion of Connecticut since 1930.

She was reelected in 2020 in the district that includes Greenwich and parts of New Canaan and Stamford.

Kasser, a former corporate lawyer with degrees from Wesleyan University, University of Chicago Law School and Yale University, was known as Alex Bergstein before legally changing her name in February 2020.

Kasser claimed that her husband has been harassing Samponaro, although she said her former campaign manager-turned-girlfriend 'had nothing to do' with the end of their 20-year marriage

'Fighting For Freedom Takes Courage': State Sen Alex Kasser's Full Resignation Letter: Kasser said she is no longer able to adequately do her job as a lawmaker because of her high-profile divorce 'It is with deep sadness that I announce my resignation as State Senator. Serving the residents of Connecticuts 36th Senate district has been a profound honor and a great joy. However, due to personal circumstances, I cannot continue. For nearly three years, Ive been trying to divorce Seth Bergstein. As all survivors of domestic abuse know, emancipating ourselves is an epic struggle that takes years, requires unflinching courage and all our resources  mental, physical, and financial. Seth uses his powerful position at Morgan Stanley to enable his conduct, so I must work even harder to fight for my freedom. Because of the enormous time and energy this consumes, I can no longer serve my constituents to my fullest ability. 'In addition, I can no longer live or work in Greenwich as it is loaded with memories of the 20 years I spent raising my children here. It is too painful to be in Greenwich now that Ive been erased from their lives, just as their father promised would happen if I ever left him. My partner, Nichola Samponaro, also grew up in Greenwich and her family have been respected members of this community for over 40 years. Seth Bergstein has tried to destroy her too  with lies about our relationship and harassing court motions that mention her 56 times for no relevant reason- she had nothing to do with ending my marriage. The truth is that Nicholas love, support and willingness to volunteer for me, despite being publicly shamed for her presence in my life, gave me the strength to endure this personal battle and fulfill my responsibility to the public. I will not stay silent as a homophobic, entitled man attacks my partner. 'I ran for office because we need leaders who put principle before party and are loyal to facts, not factions. In court filings, Seth Bergstein accuses me of being ambitious. It is astounding that men are lauded for their ambition while women are still vilified for theirs. My ambition is to work for the emancipation and equal rights of every person and I am proud that my legislative record reflects an unwavering commitment to the principles of Truth, Justice and Democracy. I am particularly proud of introducing and passing legislation including the Parentage Act and Jennifers Law so that no one is shamed for who they are or trapped in an abusive situation, as I was. Going forward, I will continue to fight against bullying and bigotry in all its forms. Now that Ive found my voice, I will never stop using it. 'I am forever grateful for the honor of representing this district and the opportunity to move the needle towards progress. I thank those who supported me during this difficult time and I wish everyone peace.' Advertisement

She was married in 1995 to her now-estranged husband Seth Bergstein, 55, the managing director and head of the Global Services Group at the investment bank Morgan Stanley. The couple have two sons in their 20s and a teenage daughter.

In her written public statement, titled 'Fighting For Freedom Takes Courage,' and the interview with the AP, Kasser said her personal circumstances have created an 'insurmountable obstacle.'

'For nearly three years, Ive been trying to divorce Seth Bergstein,' she wrote. 'As all survivors of domestic abuse know, emancipating ourselves is an epic struggle that takes years, requires unflinching courage and all our resources  mental, physical, and financial.

'Seth uses his powerful position at Morgan Stanley to enable his conduct, so I must work even harder to fight for my freedom. Because of the enormous time and energy this consumes, I can no longer serve my constituents to my fullest ability.'

Bergstein vehemently denied Kasser's clams through his divorce lawyer, arguing that her allegations were 'outrageous' and her 'narrative couldn't be further from the truth.'

'Ms. Kasser sadly continues to wage a public battle in the press while simultaneously dragging out the court proceedings,' attorney Janet Battey said in a written statement to DailyMail.com. 'Throughout the marriage, Ms. Kasser described Seth as a devoted father and patient and loving husband.

'Seth and his three children sought to keep this matter private, but Ms. Kasser continues to make blatantly false public statements in furtherance of her own agenda. Mr. Bergstein trusts the legal system and family court and that the upcoming trial will reveal Ms. Kassers narrative for what it is.'

Kasser, who had previously shared a palatial seven-bedroom home with an estimated value of more than $8.2million with her husband and their children, said she now plans to move from Greenwich.

'I can no longer live or work in Greenwich as it is loaded with memories of the 20 years I spent raising my children here,' she said in the statement. 'It is too painful to be in Greenwich now that Ive been erased from their lives, just as their father promised would happen if I ever left him.'

Kasser accused her husband, a Morgan Stanley executive, of being abusive. She also claimed that he had 'erased' her from the lives of their three children. The mom is pictured with her two grown sons, right

In her statement she says she has been subjected to harassing court motions and other abuse.

Kasser also alleged her partner Nichola Samponaro - her former campaign manager - had also been subject to harassment from Bergstein.

'She had nothing to do with ending my marriage,' Kasser wrote in the statement.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Samponaro, the daughter of a prominent corporate attorney, has earned a Bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in feminist, gender and sexuality studies.

She has worked in politics since 2018, first serving as a campaign manager for state Representative Matt Blumenthal, then joining Kasser's first campaign for state senator, followed by a stint as a political coordinator for US Representative Jim Himes.

In June 202, Samponaro again teamed up with Kasser to run her successful re-election campaign.

Samponaro, who comes from a wealthy Greenwich family, also has worked as a licensed realtor for the past five years.

Kasser first sued Bergstein for divorce three years ago. The case, which has attracted national attention in the financial media, is expected to go to trial later this year.

Kasser recently hired lawyer Robert Cohen, who is also representing Melinda Gates in her divorce from Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Kasser, a deputy majority leader in the Democratic-controlled state Senate and co-chair of the General Assembly's Banking Committee, has advocated for stronger domestic violence laws.

Bergstein, 55, is pictured with his and Kasser's three children: two sons in their 20as and a teenage daughter

She recently co-sponsored legislation that expands the definition of domestic violence to include non-physical violence or 'coercive control,' a pattern of threatening, humiliating, or intimidating acts.

She defended her support of an amendment that would make that provision effective upon passage, saying it does not affect her own divorce case. The bill is currently awaiting Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont's signature.

'Yes, I'm fighting for my own personal freedom,' she said. 'But I am also fighting on behalf of all of those other women who are trapped in an abusive situation like I was.'
A seven-year-old girl apparently drowned by her mother in a tragic murder-suicide will be laid to rest in Connecticut this Friday.

The lifeless body of Layla Malon was discovered Thursday afternoon inside her family's $1.8 million home in Westport - one of the most affluent towns in the United States.

Officers also discovered the body of her mom, 46-year-old Tracy Do, who had 'sharp-force injuries' to her torso and had seemingly died by suicide.

Investigators believe Do drowned little Layla before taking her own life amid a bitter dispute with her ex-partner over their multi-million dollar mansion.

In an obituary published on Monday, Layla was remembered as bringing 'smiles, laughter and happiness to all around her'.

The first-grader, who was a student at Coleytown Elementary, also 'loved and admired her big sissy Alexis and was her Daddy's little girl'.

A private burial service will take place in Westport on Friday morning.

The lifeless body of Layla Malon was discovered last Thursday afternoon inside her family's $1.8 million home in Westport - one of the most affluent towns in the United States

Officers also discovered the body of Layla's mom, 46-year-old Tracy Do, who had 'sharp-force injuries' to her torso and had seemingly died by suicide.

Connecticut State Police are pictured at the mansion last Thursday evening

The tragedy came amid a bitter property battle between Do and with her ex Eric John Malon.

The former couple, who never married, had been due before a remote court hearing last Friday morning.

They broke up back in 2018 and shared two children together: seven-year-old Layla and 13-year-old Alexis, who was not hurt during last week's tragedy.

Do lived with her two daughters in the 4,457 square-foot home, located on a leafy, private road.

The three-story mansion, which last sold for $515,000 in July of 2010, according to public records, has the current market value is $1,768,000, CT Post reported.

In October, Do sued Malon custody of their two children, and said that she worked for his company for years without being properly compensated.

She also claimed Malon promised a Westport home for her and her children when the relationship ended.

In April, Malon tried to have Do evicted from the mansion, claiming she didn't pay a required $10,000 in rent.

Do and her ex-partner, Eric John Malon, were locked in a bitter battle over the pricey property

Westport is one of the five richest towns in one of America's five richest counties, according to the New York Times.

One local police officer told Fox 61 that the incident was a rare occurrence in the upper-class neighborhood.

'Fortunately things like that do not happen in Westport,' he said. 'It's a tragedy, our hearts go out to the family and it is devastating for the community and the family, of course.'

A neighbor told the CT Post that the family was known for their impressive Christmas decorations.

'They looked to be a very happy family,' Mark Kratter said. 'They had a very well manicured home with extensive Christmas decorations that populated the entire lawn on a 2-acre lot.'
A three-year-old boy from Texas has drowned in a pond during a trip to visit family in Ohio on his birthday.

Austin R. Smith was found floating in a pond at a home in Wayne Township on Friday, Auglaize County Sheriff's Office said.

EMS was dispatched around 12:06pm on Friday, and the boy was unresponsive when the emergency call was placed.

The circumstances leading up to Austin floating in the pond were not made clear by the sheriff's office.

But they said foul play is not suspected and the death if being treated as a tragic accident.

Austin Smith, 3, was found unresponsive in a pond in Wayne Township, Ohio on Friday. He was transported to Lima Memorial Hospital (pictured), where he was pronounced dead

The caller told police that CPR was being performed on Austin.

The call drew a response from Wayne Township Fire and EMS, Indian Lake EMS, the Waynesfield Police Department and the Auglaize County Sheriffs Office.

Austin, who was identified by the sheriff's office in the news release, was taken to Lima Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The child was from Burkburnett, Texas, and the sheriff's office says he was visiting family in Ohio for the weekend.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office for further comment.

An investigation is ongoing.

As of 2018, Wayne Township in Ohio has a population of just over 9,100 people.

Burkburnett in Texas is an equally small city of about 10,000 people, located north of Wichita Falls.
A man who pleaded guilty to leaving a threatening voicemail for Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, telling her she should be 'hung as a traitor' and 'put in front of a firing squad' for the state's COVID restrictions, has been spared jail.

In court on Monday, District Associate Judge Brendan Greiner agreed to suspend Harvey Hunter Jr.'s one-year jail sentence.

Instead, he ordered Hunter, 48, of Stuart, Iowa, to undergo a psychological evaluation, pay a fine and have no contact with the governor for five years.

A judge agreed to suspend Harvey Hunter Jr.'s, left, one-year prison sentence under a plea deal in which he admitted to leaving Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, right, a threatening voicemail on January 5

Hunter had entered into a plea agreement with Polk County prosecutors last month and pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor charge of second-degree harassment, admitting to leaving the voicemail on January 5.

He said in his written guilty plea that he 'did threaten to commit bodily injury to a government official' in the voicemail, on a governor's office phone line to solicit input on the state's partial mask mandate, according to KTVO.

In the voicemail, Hunter - a self-described conservative who has said he believes 'central parts' of QAnon conspiracy theories - could that Reynolds and other politicians should be 'hung for treason for pushing this COVID scam.'

He also called Reynolds derogatory names for women and said 'you need to be put in front of a firing squad.'

In the voicemail left on one of the governor's office phone lines to solicit comment about the state's mask mandate, Hunter said Reynolds should be 'hung as a traitor' and 'put in front of a firing squad' for imposing COVID restrictions. The governor's office is seen here

It was just one of the 'widespread and alarming' threats the Republican governor faced since she used her emergency powers to impose public health restrictions last November, including a mask mandate and limits on gatherings, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said in April, when it announced a $400,000 project to erect a security fence around the governors residence, Terrace Hill.

Hunter, who had turned himself into authorities in March to face a first-degree harassment charge - which could come with a two-year prison sentence, defended his comments as free speech.

'This is why we got the First Amendment, so we can criticize our government,' he said in previous telephone interviews, according to KOB 4, adding he was just expressing an opinion.

He said he had previously supported Reynolds, but considered the government's COVID-19 restrictions 'tyrannical'.

Under the judge's no-contact order, Hunter is forbidden from communicating with Reynolds in person, in writing, by phone or any any other means through June 2026. He is also barred from visiting Terrace Hill.

Hunter is required to schedule the psychological evaluation this week and comply with any recommended treatment.
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Britain today recorded 11,625 coronavirus cases  the most since mid-February  and deaths may have finally started creeping upwards following the rapid spread of the Indian variant.

Department of Health figures show daily infections have risen by 51.5 per cent in a week, with today's count the most since February 19 (12,027).

Hospitalisations  which lag behind cases by several weeks because of how long it takes for infected patients to fall severely ill  have jumped up by a fifth. But there are still just 1,380 Covid inpatients across the UK.

Deaths have nearly tripled in the last week, with 27 victims recorded today compared to 10 last Thursday. But the average number of daily fatalities is currently 13 and figures can fluctuate day-to-day because of recording lags.

Deaths had remained flat in recent weeks despite cases quadrupling since late April  but No10's top scientists expected deaths to eventually nudge upwards because of the spike in infections.

Even though figures show the outbreak is still growing in the face of the mutant Delta strain, Matt Hancock today claimed England was 'on track' for Freedom Day of July 19 to go ahead as planned. But he ruled out bringing the unlocking forward to July 5.

The Health Secretary argued there were signs the speed of growth was 'slowing' for the first time since the Indian variant took off. He also said hospitalisations were rising but not quickly and deaths were still 'very, very low'.

Other promising data today revealed the country has moved one step closer to herd immunity, with nearly nine in 10 adults now having antibodies against Covid.

The major Office for National Statistics (ONS) blood testing survey highlighted the success of the UK's mammoth vaccination campaign, which is now open to every adult in all four home nations. Almost 60 per cent of over-18s (31.5million) are now fully jabbed.

But only 60,000 jabs were recorded as being dished out yesterday because of an 'IT issue' affecting England. The problem resulted in clinicians having to log who received their vaccine with pen and paper.

The PC Agency travel consultancy has suggested that 14 countries currently on Britain's amber list could be moved to green

Antibody positive levels are highest among older age groups who have had two doses but rising fast in younger adults, too. In those who were first to get vaccinated the rate of immunity has flattened off at over 99 per cent, showing almost everyone has at least some protection against the virus

HAS BRITAIN'S THIRD WAVE ALREADY PEAKED? Britain is recording nearly 10,000 daily infections now compared to 2,000 in late April when the 'Delta' variant was first seeded in the country. But the speed at which cases are increasing every week has slowed to nearly 30 per cent, down from 65 per cent earlier this month, suggesting the outbreak had peaked by the first week of June

Nicola's never-ending lockdown? Sturgeon delays Scotland's 'Level 0' Freedom Day until July 19 with social distancing, masks and WFH until AUTUMN Nicola Sturgeon raised the prospect of some Scottish Covid restrictions remaining in place into the autumn today as she postponed ending the country's lockdown by three weeks. The First Minister brought her country into line with England by pushing the country's downgrading to Level Zero back to July 19 because of the spread of the Indian variant. She pledged to scrap all laws covering Covid restrictions by August 9 - but admitted that Scots might well be asked to voluntarily continue social distancing and wear masks in some situations after that date. Scotland was meant to have its own relative Freedom Day on June 28, but rates of infection, particularly across the most populous central belt, led to today's announcement. Ms Sturgeon told Holyrood that life would feel 'much, much less restrictive' after August 9. She also pledged to 'encourage support' for continued home working after workplaces are fully able to reopen. The setting of these dates is likely to raise pressure on Boris Johnson to set out what measures might remain in place after England's Freedom Day on July 19. Advertisement

Britain is recording nearly 10,000 daily infections now compared to 2,000 in late April when the 'Delta' variant was first seeded in the country.

But the speed at which cases are increasing every week has slowed to around 35 per cent, down from 65 per cent earlier this month.

Just 1,290 people are currently being treated in hospital for Covid now, compared to nearly 40,000 at the peak of the second wave. The current figure is significantly better than even the best case scenarios modelled by some scientific groups within SAGE.

Weekly coronavirus deaths are also continuing to fall. A Office for National Statistics' weekly report today found that there were 84 deaths registered across England and Wales in the past seven days, the lowest figure recorded since September last year.

The same set of statistics also showed Covid accounted for just 0.8 per cent of all deaths recorded across the two countries in the most recent week  with flu and pneumonia now killing 10 times as many patients as coronavirus.

And analysis of the data by MailOnline revealed more than a third of all 300-plus councils across the two nations have not suffered a Covid fatality since April.

Britain's impressive vaccination programme is the driving force behind the surging numbers of people who are showing signs of immunity and the low hospitalisation figures.

Across the whole of the UK, 43.1million people have had at least one dose of a jab.

The UK was expected to hit another milestone in the roll-out today, with ministers hoping to pass figure of 60 per cent of adults fully vaccinated.

But an IT system crash on Monday afternoon has caused a delay to the daily vaccination numbers, according to NHS England.

The issue resulted in clinicians being unable to log who had received their jab via the usual digital method, and instead had to record it with pen and paper.

Now the system is back up and running the data needs to be manually entered, which will be time consuming given that several hundred thousand doses are being administered each day.

'Following the IT issue that was reported to the NHS yesterday (21 June), the daily Covid statistics will be updated tomorrow, while vaccinations recorded yesterday are updated to the digital system,' the NHS England website said.

'The issue is now resolved and there has been no impact on vaccinations taking place.'

People were still urged to get their jab if they had a booking, as it would cause no difference to the service. The problem was also an isolated incident, meaning the public could still access the booking site as normal.

On top of the vaccine effect, there are also positive signs that the new Delta variant can be controlled without lockdowns. Hotspots Bolton and Blackburn managed to get cases under control with extra testing and contact tracing.

This appears to have given No10 confidence it can push ahead with its July 19 planned unlocking, despite the Indian variant now accounting for almost every new infection.

Mr Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: 'We are seeing that growth in case rates is slowing. Thankfully the number of hospitalisations, while rising, is not rising very quickly and thankfully even more is that the number of people dying from Covid remains very, very low.'

He added: 'So I'd say we're on track for the opening on the 19th of July, and we will watch vigilantly and we'll look at the data in particular at the start of next week.

'But I'd say the data has since, over last week or so, been encouraging, and especially looking at the number of people who are dying, that is staying very, very low and shows the vaccines are working and getting us out of this.'

Today's ONS antibody report was based on random blood tests of around 18,000 adults across the UK between June 7 and June 10.

It showed that all the age groups over 34 in England had antibodies were estimated to have 90 per cent of people with antibodies, which independent scientists described as 'remarkable'.

Overall, 86.6 per cent of the results in England were positive, with rates mostly even between regions. Wales had the highest proportion of positive tests at 88.7 per cent, but its results were based on just 654 samples.

Boris Johnson, pictured returning to Downing Street this morning following a run, said yesterday he expected it to be a 'difficult year' for the travel industry

How close is Britain to achieving herd immunity? Experts cannot pinpoint an exact percentage threshold when country's achieve herd immunity, when so many people are immune that the virus can no longer spread. At the start of the pandemic it was thought that if 70 per cent of the population were immune then the strategy could be achieved. But new variants like the Indian 'Delta' strain, which find it far easier to infect people, are thought to have pushed up that threshold. Experts now say about 80 per cent of the population will need to have protection against Covid for Britain to get to herd immunity. Currently about 83 per cent of UK adults have had one jab, and 60 per cent two doses. But that means there are still 14million children and teenagers under 18 who are not routinely being vaccinated and are still spreaders of Covid. The detection of antibodies does not always guarantee immunity either, and a small number of double-jabbed people will still catch the virus and an even smaller number will fall ill. The risks are greater after one vaccine. That puts the country still someway off achieving herd immunity status, but ministers are mulling controversial plans to jab children in order to get there faster. Advertisement

The number of adults with antibodies in Northern Ireland was estimated to be 85.4 per cent and Scotland had the lowest rate at 79.1 per cent.

Experts believe about 80 per cent of a population need to have protection against Covid to reach herd immunity  when so many people are immune that the virus can no longer spread.

But there are still 14million children and teenagers under 18 who are not routinely being vaccinated and are still spreaders of Covid.

The detection of antibodies does not always guarantee immunity either, and a small number of double-jabbed people will still catch the virus and an even smaller number will fall ill. The risks are greater after one vaccine.

That puts the country still someway off achieving herd immunity status, but ministers are mulling controversial plans to jab children in order to get there faster.

There had been fears immunity triggered by jabs or older variants of the virus would not work as well against the now-dominant Indian variant, which MailOnline yesterday revealed is now dominant in almost every single council area in England.

While it is true that the mutant strain finds it easier to infect vaccinated people, jabs currently being deployed are still extremely effective at preventing serious illness and deaths.

Public Health England's best guess is that two doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines prevent up to 96 per cent of people from being admitted to hospital and they are even better at reducing fatalities. One jab is significantly weaker, however, giving around 70 per cent protection.

The ONS said: 'Across all four countries of the UK, there is a clear pattern between vaccination and testing positive for Covid antibodies but the detection of antibodies alone is not a precise measure of the immunity protection given by vaccination.'

Most people develop antibodies after being vaccinated but some will have them from having been infected with Covid in the past.

Antibodies are proteins that the body makes in response to a virus so they can stick to the viruses and prevent them from causing infection.

Weekly Covid deaths have fallen again in England and Wales by 14 per cent to just 84  the lowest figure recorded since September last year  Office for National Statistics data showed today

Analysis of data released by the Office for National Statistics today revealed more than a third of all 300-plus councils across the two nations have not suffered a Covid fatality since April

Holidays 'back on by August': Double-jabbed Brits will find out on THURSDAY if amber list quarantine rules will be dropped Hopes are rising for a foreign summer holiday season in August as ministers are 'working on' plans to exempt fully vaccinated Britons from quarantine rules. Matt Hancock confirmed ministers are looking at how to scrap the requirement for people to isolate for 10 days on return from an amber list country. The Health Secretary said he is 'in favour of moving forward in this area' and replacing quarantine with daily testing. Ministers will unveil an overhaul of international travel restrictions on Thursday this week, according to The Times, but the number of countries on the green list is not expected to change significantly. It came as travel bosses warned ministers 'the wolves are at the door' as they issued a 'heartfelt plea' to simplify the traffic light rules and make it easier for Brits to go on holiday. Mark Tanzer, the chief executive of the ABTA travel association, channelled Winston Churchill as he told a conference this morning: 'The darkest hour is right before the dawn'. But he said the travel industry 'desperately needs to see day breaking soon' as he called for quarantine-free travel to be introduced for people who have had both coronavirus vaccinations amid fears of another brutal summer holiday season for the sector. Advertisement

They are super-specific and antibodies for one type of virus generally don't work for another type, and they only start to be made when someone is infected or given a vaccine.

The immune system then stores the memory of how to fight the virus and maintains its ability to mass-produce the antibodies at the drop of a hat in case the body is faced with the same bug in the future.

Testing positive for antibodies does not make someone completely immune, however, and people who have them can still get sick. Getting a positive test result means only that there were a certain amount of them in their body at the time of the test.

Scientists say antibody levels dip naturally after peaking in the weeks following an infection or first vaccine, and people may not have detectable levels of antibodies now  even if they did so earlier in the year.

And likewise, people who test negative for antibodies may still be protected from the virus because there are other types of immunity such as T-cell immunity which is based on white blood cells.

Studies have suggested that virtually everyone infected with Covid seems to develop T-cell responses, though these don't show up on antibody tests.

The ONS report found higher rates of antibodies in middle-aged and older people who have for months and weeks been coming forward for their vaccines, and lower ones among younger people who were only recently invited.

In over-35s in England, for example, more than 92 per cent of people showed signs of immunity. In those aged25 to 34-year-olds it was 69 per cent and in under-25s it was 55 per cent.

The report explains: 'In March 2021, antibody positivity decreased among people aged 80 years and over and has since increased as a result of second doses.

'A similar decrease and subsequent increase was seen in those in their 70s at the end of March 2021, and for those in their 60s and 50s antibody positivity flattened before increasing in April 2021 and May 2021 respectively.

'The percentage of adults testing positive for antibodies varies by age group between the four nations of the UK.

'This could be explained by different historical trends in COVID-19 infection rates and the approaches to vaccine distribution in different nations.'

Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, said: 'The latest report from ONS on the antibody prevalence survey covers the period 7th to 10th June and so lags behind the current situation by about a week or two.

'The most obvious findings are that in all the age groups over 34 for England the modelled percentage of people with antibodies is over 90 per cent and in the 60 to 79 age groups it is over 95 per cent.

'This is remarkably high rate and most of this will be due to the impact of vaccine. What is perhaps even more reassuring is that in the rate of people aged 25 to 34 is 69 per cent and aged 16 to 24 is 56 per cent.

'Given than vaccination has only been offered to all adults in the past few days much of the 16 to 24 age group will have acquired their antibodies from natural infection, only 25 per cent of this group has had a single dose vaccine by the 10th June and somewhat fewer of those would have had their dose long enough ago to have generated antibodies.

'Whilst immunity to COVID infection is not guaranteed in people with antibodies the presence of antibody is strongly correlated with at least some degree of protection.

'So this is very good news, even for younger age groups in that a substantial proportion (probably even the majority) of those younger age groups already have some degree of protection.'
Silverton Mayor Shane Fuhrman (pictured) banned the Pledge of Allegiance at public meetings over what he called 'direct threats'

The mayor of a small town in Colorado has banned his Board of Trustees and guests from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at public meetings because of what he called 'direct threats' in his community.

Shane Fuhrman, the mayor of the 550-person mountain town Silverton, made the announcement at a board meeting on June 14, which is Flag Day.

But the entire room of attendees, and two board members, stood up and recited the pledge anyway, to which Fuhrman responded by threatening to kick them all out of the meeting.

Fuhrman explained that he made the executive decision to ban the pledge 'due to direct and indirect threats and inappropriate comments in and out of public meetings and the general divisiveness of issues created in our community'.

Fuhrman did not elaborate on the nature of the threats or comments that prompted him to remove the pledge, which he added would be removed from agendas and protocols 'until such time that we could discuss this at a board retreat or workshop'.

Scroll down for video

Fuhrman made the announcement at a board meeting on June 14, which is Flag Day

Almost the entire room stood up at last week's meeting and recited the pledge anyway, before Fuhrman threatened to remove them all

The decision drew the ire of many in the room, including Trustee Molly Berla who called him out for making the decision without input.

She called it a 'unilateral' decision that undercut the opinion of the rest of the board.

He responded and said, this is not up for discussion at this moment.'

The fiery exchange played out in a video shared to the Town of Silverton's YouTube page.

During the meeting's first public comment period, about five minutes into the video, one woman says: I would like to make one comment. I would like to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

The whole crowd and a few trustees stand and recite the pledge in full before Fuhrman says: Id note that thats out of order.'

'We did have a one strike policy,' he adds. 'Im not going to ask everyone to leave tonight, but if something like that happens again I will.

The board voted in favor of continuing to say the pledge, Barela said, but Fuhrman still banned it

In a statement to KDVR, Barela noted that the mayor brought up his desire to discontinue saying the pledge at meetings in April 2020 when they were over Zoom. But there was a 4/3 vote to continue saying it, according to Barela's statement.

'I personally didnt like his unilateral decision, when we as a collective group had already decided over a year ago to continue to do the pledge,' she said.

She said that his threat to remove them from the meeting violates every single one of their first amendment rights and is a slap in the face to the town's veterans who, she said, 'have been questioning why would you run for office and take an oath to uphold the laws of the United States of America, the state of Colorado and the town of Silverton if you wont stand for the pledge.'

Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert shared a video of the incident on Twitter, calling it 'anti-American'

Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert shared a video of the incident on Twitter.

Its hard to put into words what kind of anti-American disgrace this is, read the caption. Mayor Fuhrman should resign and purchase a one-way ticket to China where he wont have worry about hearing the pledge!

Silverton has run into controversy regarding the Pledge of Allegiance in the past. In 2018, a former trustee member almost pressed harassment and menacing charges against a resident who verbally attacked him for not standing during the Pledge of Allegiance, according to an article that appeared in the Durango Herald at the time.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser slapped down arguments against making D.C. a state during a Senate hearing Tuesday, while also ruffling Republicans' feathers by saying D.C. only had 'one night of rioting' last summer.

'One thing I know about D.C. residents is that they have been fighting for this for 220 years,' Bowser stated before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 'We will not quit until we achieve full democracy and our two senators are seated here with you.'

She knocked down claims that D.C. should be retroceded to Maryland, the state that originally gave the land.

'Maryland has no claim to the land it ceded to the federal government when the District was founded,' Bowser said. 'Certainly, no one in this body would suggest that Maine should retrocede to Massachusetts or that West Virginia should return to Virginia.'

Bowser also poked fun at some of the more 'preposterous to inaccurate' arguments she's heard.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Washingtonians 'will not quit' until the District of Columbia becomes the 51st state. Bowser also said Maryland has no claim to the land that the District now commands

'Just to cite a couple, in 2019 we were asked what would happen to the parking spaces for Congressional staff if the district were to become a state,' the mayor said. 'We were at a loss to see how our full democracy should be equated to just a few parking spaces.'

'This March I was confronted with concerns that the District could not be a state because it was believed that we didn't have a car dealership, even though we do,' she continued.

'Statements like these not only discount the civil rights of D.C. residents, they also demonstrate a true lack of understanding of the rapidly growing and thriving businesses and culture that surround the small federal presence,' Bowser added.

Rep. Jody Hice, a Georgia Republican, had said in a House hearing in March, 'D.C. would be the only state, the only state, without an airport, without a car dealership, without a capital city, without a landfill, without even a name on its own, and we could go on and on and on.'

The Senate hearing came two months after the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives voted for a second time to make D.C. the 51st state - which would be called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth.

Despite getting a reception from senators, the bill looks permanently stuck in the upper chamber, with Republicans and even Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia against D.C. statehood.

Bowser ruffled feathers when she said D.C. only experienced 'one night of rioting' last summer, as she went back-and-forth with GOP Sen. Ron Johnson on the treatment of Capitol rioters versus those engaged in Black Lives Matter protests

Bowser appeared alongside former independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, the former chair of the Homeland Security committee, who also argued on behalf of D.C. statehood.

'Today's residents of the District of Columbia, as it has been said, have every right to sound the battle cry of our revolution, "No taxation without representation,"' Lieberman said.

The Connecticut ex-senator said that 'all the arguments seem to be legalistic disputations and ultimately excuses for something that is inexcusable,' sassing at the Republicans in the room for presuming granting D.C. statehood would lead to the election of two Democratic senators and a Democratic House member.

Lieberman noted that how when Alaska and Hawaii were added to the union, Alaska was believed to be a blue state and Hawaii a red.

Now Alaska traditionally votes Reublican, whle Hawaii votes Democratic.

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, dismissed Lieberman's argument calling granting D.C. statehood a 'naked power grab,' adding that 'you can predict quite handedly' how D.C. residents will vote.

Johnson, a top Senate ally of former President Donald Trump, also sparred with Bowser over the treatment of protesters involved in the Black Lives Matter demonstration last summer versus those involved in the January 6 Capitol attack.

Bowser tried blowing off much of Johnson's questioning, refusing to answer a query about how much the rioters' damage cost.

'I'm glad to hear you say that you are against riotous behavior whether it happened on 16th Street of here,' Bowser said on Capitol Hill.

'I know we had one night of rioting in the District in the summer,' she added.

The 'one night' comment got a flurry of pushback on social media, with Twitter users posting photos of the several days of unrest that followed the Memorial Day death of George Floyd.
Bitcoin on Tuesday briefly fell below $30,000 for the first time since January, adding to losses a day before when the cryptocurrency formed a dreaded 'death cross' as China expands its crackdown on cryptocurrency mining.

The world's largest cryptocurrency slumped as low as $28,814 on Tuesday, a 7 percent loss on the day that dragged down smaller coins such as Ether and Dogecoin, before paring some losses.

Bitcoin tumbled over 10 percent on Monday, its largest one-day drop in over a month, with losses of nearly 30 percent in the last week alone almost wiping out gains for the year.

The losses spurred a bearish 'death cross' chart formation, when Bitcoin's 50-day moving average dropped below the 200-day average. The opposite trend is known as a 'golden cross'.

Meanwhile, CNBC host Jim Cramer announced that he had sold 'nearly all' of his Bitcoin, citing the China crackdown and fears of greater U.S. regulation.

CNBC host Jim Cramer announced Tuesday that he had sold 'nearly all' of his Bitcoin, citing the China crackdown and fears of greater U.S. regulation

Bitcoin on Monday entered a bearish 'death cross' chart formation, when Bitcoin's 50-day moving average dropped below the 200-day average

Bitcoin recovered some losses after dipping below $30,000 on Tuesday

'Sold almost all of my Bitcoin. Don't need it,' Cramer said on-air Tuesday morning, more than two months after he revealed that he paid off a home mortgage with Bitcoin profits.

Southeby's to accept crypto in auction or rare 101-carat diamond 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. Advertisement

'I'm saying that this is not going up because of structural reasons,' said Cramer, citing China's crackdown on miners and fears that Bitcoin's use by ransomware extortionists would lead to backlash in the U.S.

'When [China] goes after something, they tend to have their way. ... It's not a democracy. It's a dictatorship,' Cramer said.

He added: 'I think that they believe it's a direct threat to the regime because what it is, is a system that's outside their control.'

Meanwhile Dogecoin, the joke cryptocurrency touted by Elon Musk, was down some 75 percent since its peak just before Musk appeared on Saturday Night Live in May.

After facing intense backlash and fury from the Bitcoin community, Musk has backed off of his incessant tweeting of pronouncements about cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin has plummeted by more than half from its April peak of almost $65,000. Year-to-date, it remains up just under 1 percent.

Ether, the second-biggest cryptocurrency that tends to move in tandem with Bitcoin, fell as low as $1,701, its lowest in a month, but remained up 150 percent since the beginning of the year.

Some believe the decline is temporary, and predicted a bounce-back.

$30,000, well see if it holds on the day. We might plunge below it for a while and close above it. If its really breached, $25,000 is the next big level of support, said Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz said on CNBC.

Listen, Im less happy than I was at $60,000 but Im not nervous,' he said.

China proclaimed a ban on cryptocurrency in 2017, but its recent pronouncements are seen as having more teeth, coming from the top levels of leadership.

Dogecoin, the joke cryptocurrency touted by Elon Musk, was down some 75 percent since its peak just before Musk appeared on Saturday Night Live in May

Bitcoin hit levels not seen since January amid concerns over China's crackdown

Chinese citizens had gotten around the ban on exchange services by using over-the-counter (OTC) platforms based overseas to send Bitcoin payments and buy cryptocurrencies.

Monday's statement from the People's Bank of China (PBOC) urged China's largest banks and payment firms to crack down harder on OTC trading, the latest tightening of restrictions on the sector by Beijing.

'It basically says now OTC transactions are not legitimate ... we are not allowed by the banks to transfer money for cryptocurrency purchases and sales,' said Bobby Lee, chief of cryptocurrency wallet app Ballet and formerly CEO of BTC China, China's first bitcoin exchange.

After Monday's PBOC statement, banks including Agricultural Bank of China and Ant Group's ubiquitous payment platform Alipay said they would step up monitoring to root out crypto transactions.

Last month, Chinese three industry associations issued a similar ban on crypto-related financial services, though market players said it would be hard to enforce as banks and payment firms could struggle to identify crypto-related payments.

'We are definitely in the midst of a correction,' said Anthony Wong of Hong Kong-based crypto firm Orichal Partners.

'This time China's iron-fist ban on crypto seems to be more serious than back in 2017 as the directive came straight from the top.'

Already in Beijing's sights were cryptocurrency miners. China's State Council, or cabinet, said last month it would tighten restrictions on producers as well as traders of bitcoin.

Authorities in major Bitcoin mining hubs including Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia have issued their own curbs with greater details on the restrictions.

Evidence of the impact of the curbs is emerging. The so-called hash rate of the Bitcoin network - a measure of its processing power that shows how much mining is taking place, on Monday hit its lowest level since late 2020.

The crackdown on miners will likely hit prices in the short-term, market players said.

'Some of the miners in China may be more willing to sell their Bitcoin now versus when they are able to run their mining operations, because they have to raise cash,' said Seth Melamed, of Tokyo crypto exchange Liquid.
Roughly 900 U.S. Secret Service employees tested positive for the coronavirus, according to government records obtained by a government watchdog group.

Secret Service records show that 881 people on the agency payroll were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and March 9, 2021, according to documents obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington .

The records received through a Freedom of Information Act request did not include the names or assignments of those who tested positive.

But more than half - 477 - worked in the special agent division, which is responsible for protecting the president and vice president, as well as the families of these leaders and other government officials.

249 members of the uniformed division, 131, administrative staff, 12 Investigative Protection Officers and 12 Technical Security Investigators also tested positive, according to the data.

Roughly 900 U.S. Secret Service employees tested positive for the coronavirus, according to government records obtained by a government watchdog group. President Trump is seen arriving at Walter Reed hospital on October 2, 2020, after he was diagnosed with the virus

CREW noted that the Trump administration took actions that risked exposure to Secret Service workers, but it could not verify a direct connection to possible infections because the identities of those infected remains private.

After President Donald Trump contracted COVID-19, he took a drive in his presidential vehicle as Secret Service personnel drove and protected him.

Trump defended his 'joy ride' and insisted the Secret Service agents inside were 'heavily protected'. He said he 'owed his fans a little wave'.

Dr James Phillips, a Walter Reed attending doctor, condemned the president's drive.

Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University's Emergency Medicine division, said that the design of the presidential vehicle, which is hermetically sealed to protect the passengers from attacks, made the drive even more dangerous.

'The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures,' Phillips said in a tweet.

'The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.

'Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential 'drive-by' just now has to be quarantined for 14 days,' Phillips pointed out.

The former president also held multiple large rallies and events, including the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court in October 2020, despite restrictions on public gatherings.

More than 150 people attended Barrett's nomination, many of them maskless.

In addition to Trump and first lady Melania; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Mike Lee of Utah, University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins and a White House journalist also contracted COVID.

Christie was later treated in hospital.

It is unclear how many Secret Service staffers, if any, were infected after the event.

Dr Fauci called the event a 'super-spreader'. In an interview with CBS after the event he said: 'Well, I think the data speaks for themselves. We had a superspreader event in the White House and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks. So the data speak for themselves.'

The Secret Service employs approximately 3,200 special agents, 1,300 Uniformed Division officers, and more than 2,000 other technical, professional and administrative support personnel.

Trump administration took actions that risked exposure to Secret Service workers, but it could not verify a direct connection to possible infections because the identities of those infected remains private. After President Donald Trump contracted COVID-19, he took a drive in his presidential vehicle as Secret Service personnel drove and protected him

Secret Service agents drive Trump around in his motorcade after he was diagnosed with COVID on October 4

The former president also held multiple large rallies and events, including the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court in October 2020, despite restrictions on public gatherings
Nazi tunnels inside an old volcano could be hiding top secret Gestapo documents, say a group of historical researchers in Poland.

The Association of Lovers of Upper Lusatia say they discovered a document in a local archive which is a blueprint for the tunnels in the town of Luban in southern Poland.

But although several attempts have been made to explore the tunnels with expeditions revealing several shafts going down into the inactive volcano, many have remained inaccessible.

This has now raised hopes that they were used to store valuable items.

Nazi tunnels inside an old volcano could be hiding top secret Gestapo documents, say a group of historical researchers in Poland. Pictured: People walk through the tunnels

The groups Sebastian Terenda told The First News: On the sketch it is marked as an air-raid shelter, but the tunnels are 3 by 3 metres, and air-raid shelters were normally 1.6 by 1.8 metres.

Its height and width make it excellent for storage.

The possible existence of the documents known as the Krakow Gestapo Archive comes from the testimony of a Gestapo officer called Kurt Heinemeyer.

Although several attempts have been made to explore the tunnels with expeditions revealing several shafts going down into the inactive volcano, many have remained inaccessible

The Association of Lovers of Upper Lusatia say they discovered a document in a local archive which is a blueprint for the tunnels in the town of Luban in southern Poland (pictured)

Left: Hans Frank, governor of occupied Poland, who ordered the archive to be destroyed or hidden. Right: The Gestapo HQ in Krakow during WWII

Based in the city of Krakow from January 1940 to 18 January 1945, following his arrest by the Allies he told interrogators that the Gestapo documents were taken on the orders of Hans Frank, the governor of occupied Poland, to a nearby town called Czerwona Woda, and partially destroyed.

But the exploration group says it is possible that some of the documents ended up in Luban, just over 11 miles away and were hidden inside the volcano.

He said: Why would they drive all the way from Krakow to Czerwona Woda to burn the archive?

Pictured: The historical exploration group, that says it is possible that some of the documents ended up in Luban, just over 11 miles away and were hidden inside the volcano

Hopes have been raised that the tunnels (pictured) were used to store valuable items

Although the Nazis built many tunnel complexes in mountains in the region, the complex at Kamienna Gora is the only known case of the Nazis building inside a volcano

They left the metal rings of the files to be found. Maybe it was a diversion to make people believe that the whole archive had been burned.

Although the Nazis built many tunnel complexes in mountains in the region, the complex at Kamienna Gora is the only known case of the Nazis building inside a volcano.

With one section of the tunnels being cut off from the rest, and built for reinforced materials, the group think that the Germans may have hidden valuable items inside.

With one section of the tunnels being cut off from the rest, and built for reinforced materials, the group think that the Germans may have hidden valuable items inside

The group is now looking to start drilling into the 30-metre-deep cave and says it will hopefully start in July after raising enough cash for equipment

Terenda said: You can only get to it from one of the four entrances, so it looks like they planned it as a storage area.

Basalt is one of the hardest stones. Why did they go to so much trouble to drill tunnels into such tough material?

The group is now looking to start drilling into the 30-metre-deep cave and says it will hopefully start in July after raising enough cash for equipment.

Of the 40,000 they need, they have so far raised half from mining giant KGHM.
A Guatemalan mother finally reunited with her daughter at a Florida airport four years after they were separated at the southwestern border.

Maria Chic, 32, and Adelaida Chic, 10, were among the 1,768 families who were separated in 2017 by the administration of former President Donald Trump for unlawfully crossing the United States-Mexico border before the 'zero-tolerance' policy on illegal migration went into effect in April 2018, according to Telemundo.

Maria made it across the border with her child and her sister, Patricia Chic, before they were detained by the U.S. Border Patrol agent. She recalled an agent pulling her daughter by the shirt and instructing them that they had go before sharing a hug.

Adelaida was eventually transferred from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) holding center to a shelter in New York.

Maria was held for seven months at the Eloy Detention Center in Eloy, Arizona and then deported her and her sister back to Guatemala.

Guatemala natives Adelaida Chic (left) and her mother Maria Chic (right) were recently reunited after spending four years apart following their arrest for unlawfully crossing the United States-Mexico in the summer of 2017. They were among the 1,768 families who were separated that year by the administration of former President Donald Trump before the 'zero-tolerance' policy on illegal migration went into effect in April 2018, according to Telemundo

Maria Chic (right) hug her 10-year-old daughter, who she had not seen in four years, at an airport in Florida

Maria remembered one of the very first video conference calls that she had with her upset daughter who asked, 'Mommy, why did you leave me here?'

The Office of Refugee Resettlement later awarded the custody of Adelaida to her aunt in Florida, where she has been attending school.

The pain of being away from her daughter forced Maria to attempt to cross the border two more times, but she was expelled on both occasions.

The Seattle time reported that during an August 2017 meeting to request asylum, the Guatemalan mother told the U.S. immigration interpreter, 'I hope you or the officer can give me the opportunity to stay here with my daughter. I don't want to return to the things that happened in Guatemala.'

She learned last month that she had been granted permission to come to the United States and reunite with her child thanks to the help of non-profit civil groups who provide assistance to families who have been split at the border.

As of June 8, the administration of President Joe Biden had identified more than 3,900 children who were separated from their parents at the southern border under Trump's 'zero-tolerance' policy.

Adelaida Chic spent time at a shelter for children in New York before the Office of Refugee Resettlement placed her in the custody of her aunt in Florida, where she attended school

Maria Chic (inset) told Telemundo that her daughter, Adelaida Chic (main), was upset about having been separated after they were stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol for illegally crossing the United States-Mexico border in 2017. The child asked her mother, 'Mommy, why did you leave me here?'

According to the Family Reunification Task Force, there were 3,913 children who were separated from July 1, 2017 until the end of Trump's presidency. The totals, however, fall short of more than 5,500 who have been identified in court by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Most of the children who were separated have been identified, but the task force has to review another 1,723 cases since July 2017, which would bring total cases examined to 5,636, close to the ACLU tally.

The discrepancy appears to stem largely from a federal court ruling in San Diego that excluded 1,723 children who were separated for reasons other than Trump's zero-tolerance policy, such as risk of child endangerment or questions about parentage.

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 Family Reunification Task Force will also try to determine if children were separated during the first six months of Trump's presidency, starting in January 2017, which was outside the scope of the ACLU lawsuit. That could raise the final number.

Of the 3,913 children, 1,786 have been reunified with a parent, mostly during Trump's tenure, parents of another 1,695 have been contacted and the whereabouts of 391 have not been established. Many who have been contacted were released to other family members.

President Biden promised to reunite parents who are still apart from their children, but the pace has been slow and it is unclear how high that number will go.

The first four parents were returned to the United States last month, part of what the task force identified as an initial group of 62 people  28 from Guatemala, 20 from Honduras, 13 from El Salvador and one from Mexico.

Administration officials say 29 of the 62 have received final clearances to return to the United States, which should occur after travel arrangements are made.

A CBP monthly report released June 10 showed that Border Patrol agents stopped 180,034 migrants in May along the southwestern border, a slight increase from 178,854 the prior month, with the increase driven largely by single adults.

From March to May more than 530,000 people were apprehended and pushed back into Mexico after attempting to cross without legal immigration documents.
A coroner today slammed health workers' lack of 'joined up thinking' after a psychopathic fantasist was able to murder a history teacher he met on Plenty of Fish.

Carl Langdell, a bogus lawyer, met Katie Locke, 23, through the dating site before going to the four-star Theobolds Park Hotel in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, on Christmas Eve in 2015.

After murdering Ms Locke in a room at the hotel, Langdell dumped her body under a bush in a ditch near a skip in the 55-acre grounds.

Three weeks earlier Langdell, who died aged 30 in prison earlier this year, had received a suspended sentence for making two threats to kill.

Over the previous nine months he had also been 'managed' by five different organisations - Avon and Somerset Police, Hertfordshire Police, Mental Health Services in Somerset and Hertfordshire and the Probation Service.

When Ms Locke went back to the hotel with him, she was unaware he had talked of murdering a woman and having sex with her dead body.

Carl Langdell (pictured left), a bogus lawyer who died aged 30 in prison earlier this year, met Katie Locke (right), 23, through the dating site before going to the four-star Theobolds Park Hotel in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, on Christmas Eve in 2015

'Katie lived her life to the full and did not want to miss a minute' Earlier this month, Katie Locke's father paid a touching tribute to his daughter who was killed at the hands of a violent man. Bill Locke, speaking on behalf of his wife and family, told the court: 'We have three daughters, Katie is much younger than her sisters because she was a happy surprise. 'Her sisters, Karen and Michelle, loved her and were very protective of her. Katie was born with her eyes open and that is how she lived her whole life, she lived it to the full and did not want to miss a minute. 'She was always good to her friends and family. She was there for Karen while she had cancer. 'On the day Karen died, Katie was babysitting her children. She was a lovely member of the family and was loved by so many people.' The devoted father told stories of how Ms Locke had devoted her time to others since she was a child, even missing playtime at school so she could help other children tie their laces. Mr Locke revealed that his daughter had been a dedicated history and politics teacher at the Cardinal Pole School in Hackney, London. She is still honoured by a trophy handed out each year to the pupils. Concluding this tribute he told the court: 'My wife has asked me to say that on the day Katie died, she died. 'Only a mother can understand the feeling of losing a young one who they brought into the world.' Advertisement

At Hatfield Coroner's Court, Hertfordshire's Assistant Coroner Alison McCormick said: 'Katie Locke was the innocent victim of a shocking murder.

'It is clear none of the organisations managing Mr Langdell knew the full story. None of them knew what each other knew about him. There was very little information sharing and no joined up thinking or management.'

The inquest was held after an application was made by Ms Locke's parents Bill and Jennifer from Buckhurst Hill, Essex. She was the youngest of their three daughters and lived with them.

Bill told the coroner she had 'lived life to the full' and 'was a generous person who cared for other people and put them first.'

Ms Locke loved being part of a team, was a Brownie, a Guide and loved water sports, becoming a Kayak instructor.

She studied history and politics at Southampton University, had volunteered at the London Olympics and worked with underprivileged children in the US.

He said: 'She was self-confident and fearless and an energetic and beautiful person'. Jennifer said she herself 'died' on the day her daughter died.

At the time of her death Ms Locke was working as a history teacher at Cardinal Pole School in Hackney, east London.

Pathologist Charlotte Randall found the cause of death to be compression of the neck. She said: 'There is little doubt it was a forceful and prolonged assault and was accompanied by serious sexual violence.'

Langdell, then 26, from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to murdering Katie and in June 2016 was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 26 years.

In February this year Langdell died in Wakefield Maximum Security Prison, having been found with a seriously injured throat.

The coroner said before his death that Langdell had been contacted about giving evidence to the inquest, but had not responded.

Announcing her findings the coroner said: 'The murderer, who had been diagnosed with unstable personality disorder with narcissistic and antisocial traits, was know to two police forces, two NHS Mental Health Trusts and the Probation Service. Each of whom had information relevant to his risks to women.

Langdell (pictured above), then 26, from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to murdering Katie and in June 2016 was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 26 years

'There were, however, significant gaps in the information available to each public body, and there was insufficient sharing of the available information between agencies to enable a fully informed assessment of his risks.

'Three weeks before the killing the murderer had been given a suspended sentence with a Mental Health Treatment Requirement, having been convicted of making threats to kill tow other women.

'Whilst it is not possible to say what sentence the judge would otherwise have given, a fully informed picture had not been placed before the Crown Court.'

She recorded that Ms Locke had been unlawfully killed.
A Pennsylvania mother has shared chilling security video that shows a burglar climbing into her young daughters' bedroom through a window.

The disturbing home invasion took place early Monday morning at a residence on Virginia Avenue in Rochester, while the mother and her two children, ages three and four, slept.

'My kids could have been kidnapped, killed,' the girls' mother, who did not want to be named or pictured out of fear or retribution, told the station WCVB.

Security video shows a young girl sleeping in her bedroom in Rochester, Pennsylvania, on Monday, seconds before a chilling home invasion

A man is seen removing a fan from the window, just steps away from the sleeping child

The intruder peers inside the home on Virginia Avenue, where two sisters, ages 3 and 4, were sleeping. The family have just moved into the residence two weeks ago

Footage recorded by the family's home security system shows the moment the intruder removes a fan from the bedroom window, scans his surroundings, and then climbs inside.

All the while, a young girl is seen sleeping in a bed just a few steps away from the window.

According to the girls' mother, the burglar then disconnected the camera, walked past her kids and made his way into her own bedroom.

'I had a feeling someone was watching me so I opened my eyes and seen a blurry figure walking towards the door as fast as I could,' the distraught woman recounted.

The mom-of-two armed herself with a window blind in case she needed to defend herself, but she said the perpetrator walked out the front door after grabbing her cellphone.

The family had just moved into the home two weeks prior. The mother said her daughters are now scared to go to sleep because of the 'boogeyman.'

The robber is caught climbing through the window into the room, before turning off the security camera

The girls' mother (pictured) said she woke up to find a stranger in her own bedroom. The man walked out the front door after stealing her cellphone

The two sisters are now said to be terrified of sleeping in their room (pictured)

'I just feel like I just want everybody to be safe at night because with this guy still being out on the run we don't know who he is and it's scary,' said the mother.

The Rochester Borough Police Department is investigating the home invasion. The agency is asking anyone who recognizes the man from the security video to come forward.

So far, no arrests have been announced in connection with the home invasion.
A woman found it 'shocking' that a male police officer was sent to do a welfare check on her during which he sexually assaulted her after she fled to a hotel to escape her husband, a court has heard.

The woman, who is in her 20s and cannot be identified for legal reasons, said she expected a female officer to be sent to her hotel room after her husband contacted police to report her missing following an argument.

It was during the welfare check that Metropolitan PC Rudvelle Walters, 48, is alleged to have put his hand into the woman's underwear after earlier saying he would only leave her hotel room if her friend, who was also present, gave him a kiss.

He denies one count of sexually assaulting the woman while carrying out a welfare check at the Best Western hotel in Wembley, north-west London, where she was staying on February 5, 2019.

PC Rudvelle Walters, 48, (pictured outside Southwark Crown Court yesterday) is charged with the sexual assault of a woman in a Wembley hotel

In a video-recorded interview with police, played at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, the woman said she felt 'uncomfortable' when Walters came into her room to ask her questions.

'It was shocking for me that he came to check on us in the hotel. I would have expected a female officer to come rather than a single male officer to check on two girls,' she said.

'I said ''I am in the hotel with my friend, a girl, two ladies''. He said ''I must come in''.'

The woman said she was also frightened because she feared that Walters was not a police officer, but a man sent by her husband.

She said: 'He said he needs to come in and speak to me ... I was very uncomfortable.'

The witness told police in interview that she might have been laughing during her conversation with Walters - a reaction to being in a stressful situation.

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'

She said: 'I was very stressed because the situation that led me to being in the hotel was really unpleasant, I simply escaped to that hotel to feel safe.

'I was very stressed but, as I explained, sometimes I react with laughter to stressful situations.'

The court heard there was evidence that a smiley face emoji was sent from the woman's Facebook account to Walters' account at around 6.20am, the time during which the officer was in the hotel, and that Walters' account sent two messages nearly two hours later saying hello.

However, the woman denied she had sent the initial message.

She told the police in interview: 'I understand why you are asking me about this.

'But if I report this officer slapped me on the bottom, tried to kiss my friend, and slipped his hand in my knickers, I don't think it's that relevant - it is not about messages on Instagram or Facebook, it's about a sexual assault.

'It's about what happened in the room.'

The defendant denies one charge of sexual assault at the Best Western in Wembley, and claims the two women became 'overfamiliar whilst speaking to him'.

The trial continues.
A pensioner has been arrested on suspicion of murder in the 'Lady in the Lake' case of a woman found dead, gagged and dumped in the water 34 years ago.

Shani Warren's body was found face-down in about three feet of water in Taplow Lake, Buckinghamshire, on the day after Good Friday in 1987.

The woman, the daughter of a millionaire, had been gagged with a blue scarf, her hands tied with jump leads and her legs bound with a tow rope.

A post-mortem examination found no evidence of injury from a struggle and did not indicate sexual assault, reports from the time say.

Police initially treated Ms Warren's death as a suicide, despite the woman being found bound and gagged with ligature marks around her neck.

It was only after a full-scale post-mortem revealed she had drowned that a murder investigation was launched.

Nobody has been apprehended or charged over her death until now.

A 65-year-old man was yesterday arrested on suspicion of her murder, Thames Valley Police confirmed.

A pensioner has been arrested on suspicion of murder in the 'Lady in the Lake' case of a woman found dead, gagged and dumped 34 years ago. Shani Warren(pictured)'s body was found submerged in a lake in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, in April 1987

No one has ever been charged with Ms Warren's death, which was one of the Thames Valley's most obscure unsolved murders. Pictured: The Lake at Taplow where Ms Warren's body was discovered

A spokesman said: 'Officers have arrested a man in connection with a murder that occurred in 1987.

'The 65-year-old man was arrested this morning and is currently in police custody. He was arrested on suspicion of the murder of Shani Warren, whose body was found in a lake at Taplow in April 1987.'

No other details of the suspect have been given.

Ms Warren, a personal assistant at a company called Micro Scope, vanished on April 17, 1987, after cutting the grass at the Stoke Poges home she shared with two housemates.

She had set off in her car to dispose of the grass cuttings.

Ms Warren, who was 26 when she was killed, vanished on April 17, 1987, after cutting the grass at the Stoke Poges home bought for her by her parents which she shared with two housemates

Her body was found in the Taplow Lake the following day at 6.30pm by Marjorie Arnold, who was out walking her dog.

Mrs Arnold's German Shepherd showed an unusual interest in something in the lake.

When Mrs Arnold investigated, she uncovered Ms Warren's bound and gagged body lying face-down in the water.

Prior to the discovery of her body, a lorry driver spotted Ms Warren's car parked in a lay-by on the A4.

A reconstruction played on the BBC TV series Crimewatch, showed the vehicle had been left unlocked, with one door slightly open.

Police initially treated Ms Warren's (above with her father) death as a suicide, despite being found bound and gagged with ligature marks around her neck

It was only after a full-scale post-mortem revealed she had drowned that a murder investigation was launched

Some of Ms Warren's belongings had been found in the undergrowth by the vehicle, the reconstruction stated.

An initial police investigation into Ms Warren's death was heavily criticised after Detective Superintendent Tony Miller suggested the woman may have bound and gagged herself.

He said it was unclear whether she had been murdered, the Times reported.

Detective Miller also said Ms Warren had suffered from depression, although her brother Stephen insisted she would not have committed suicide.
Mitch McConnell ripped Democrats' voting rights proposal on Tuesday, claiming it's a 'transparently partisan' effort that shows the left's 'disdain' for Americans.

'Many Democrats would pass [H.R.1] with the slimmest possible majority, even after its companion faced bipartisan opposition over in the House,' McConnell said from the Senate floor on Tuesday.

'What a craven political calculation. What a way to show your disdain for the American people's choices,' he added.

The comments come as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer prepares to bring a procedural vote to the floor to begin debate on the For the People Act, which would expand voting rights and access.

Schumer, in remarks from the Senate floor on Tuesday, blamed Trump for Republican opposition to the bill.

'Donald Trump, fresh off a resounding loss in the 2020 presidential election, cried foul and lied  lied  that the election was stolen from him, like a petulant child,' the New York Democrat said.

'There is a rot at the center of the modern Republican Party,' he continued. 'Donald Trump's big lie has spread like a cancer and threatens to envelop one of America's major political parties.'

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said from the Senate floor Tuesday that Democrats' voting rights bill is 'transparently partisan' and shows the left's 'disdain' for Americans

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blamed Donald Trump for the GOP opposing the legislation. 'There is a rot at the center of the modern Republican Party,' he said. 'Donald Trump's big lie has spread like a cancer and threatens to envelop one of America's major political parties'

'Even worse, it has poisoned our democracy, eroded faith in our elections, which is so detrimental to the future faith people need to have in our democracy,' Schumer said. 'And of course, it became the match that lit a wildfire of Republican voter suppression laws sweeping across the country. Because of one man's lie, Republicans are now doing the dastardly act of taking away voting from millions of Americans, making it much harder for them to vote, and many, many will not.'

He repeated the sentiment on Twitter and added: 'Republicans claim they're making it easier to vote and harder to cheat in an election. But in reality, they are making it harder to vote and easier to steal an election.'

The voting rights bill is all but certain to fail in the Senate on Tuesday as Republicans move to block the progressive priority. All 50 Democrats would need to garner support from 10 Republicans to avoid a filibuster.

'Later today, the Senate will vote on whether to advance Democrats' transparently partisan plan to tilt every election in America permanently in their favor,' McConnall said Tuesday. 'By now, the rotten, inner-workings of this power grab have been thoroughly exposed to the light.'

The vote to begin debate on H.R. 1 is scheduled for Tuesday around 5:30 p.m.

President Joe Biden met with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin at the White House on Monday afternoon, and Schumer said Tuesday that Manchin is now on board with voting for the bill.

McConnell blasted the legislation Monday as a 'disastrous proposal' that will get 'no quarter' in the Senate.

'They've made it abundantly clear that the real driving force behind S1 is a desire to rig the rules of American elections permanently, permanently in Democrats' favor,' McConnell said of Democrats' efforts.

Schumer is bringing a vote to the floor Tuesday on a motion to begin debate on the amended version of legislation that passed the House in March.

The procedural vote, however, would need 60 votes to succeed  and there is no indication any Republican senators will support the bill, let alone 10.

Manchin previously said he opposes the bill, arguing that any major voting or election legislation must have bipartisan support, or else he will go against it. With a 50-50 split Senate, any single Democratic defector could kill a bill.

President Barack Obama also weighed into the debate by citing the Capitol Riot as a reason to support the legislation and 'not take Democracy for granted'.

'The violence that occurred in the US Capitol on January 6, just a few months ago, should remind us that we can't take our democracy for granted,' Obama said on a call with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee on Monday.

'Around the world, we have seen once vibrant democracies go into reverse, locking in power for a small group of powerful autocrats and business interests and locking out of the political process dissidents and protestors and opposition parties and the voices of ordinary people.

'It is happening in other places around the world and these impulses have crept into the United States. We are not immune from some of these efforts to weaken our democracy.'

Republicans are prepared to block a procedural vote on Democrats' voting rights bill on Tuesday, which needs 60 votes to avoid a filibuster

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (left) still wasn't sure as of Monday evening if he would support the bill, even after meeting with President Joe Biden (right) at the White House earlier that afternoon

Obama also said he supported Manchin's compromises on the bill and praised him for trying to 'come up with some common-sense reforms that the majority of Americans agree with.

Manchin suggested making voter registration automatic, setting Election Day as a holiday, requiring at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections and reducing partisan gerrymandering. But he also said voter ID regulations should be stricter  a measure his Democrat colleagues oppose.

After his meeting with the president on Monday evening, Manchin said he still wasn't sure if he would vote to advance the bill.

'I got to see. I hope they make some changes or agree to some changes,' Manchin said at the Capitol.

'I think we put out an awful lot of good changes, I think, hopefully, the country would agree ... that makes a lot of sense for a lot of voters,' he continued.

A White House official said during the meeting Monday, Biden 'expressed his sincere appreciation for Senator Manchin's efforts to achieve reform.'

'The President conveyed that he sees voting rights as one of the most urgent issues facing our nation during his administration, and made it clear how important he thinks it is that the Senate find a path forward on this issue,' the official continued in a statement on the meeting between the two. ' They also discussed bipartisan negotiations on infrastructure.'

Biden also met with Senator Kyrsten Sinema at the White House on Monday. The Arizona Democrat has also emerged as a moderate voice in the party who could derail legislation as the party holds power in the legislative and executive branches.

The 900-page For the People Act would need to overcome a filibuster by Republicans to reach debate on the Senate floor. The procedural vote requires 60 backers to avoid a filibuster, but if the bill were to make it to the floor, only 51 votes are needed to get it passed into law.

Vice President Kamala Harris acts as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

Democrats have been working hard to get rid of the filibuster as part of other legislation, something Republicans and some Democrats  including Manchin and Sinema  opposed fervently.

'The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings,' Sinema wrote Monday in an op/ed for The Washington Post.

She welcomed a full debate on the voting bill 'so senators and our constituents can hear and fully consider the concerns and consequences.'

'My support for retaining the 60-vote threshold is not based on the importance of any particular policy. It is based on what is best for our democracy,' Sinema wrote. 'The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings between opposing policy poles.'

Sinema urged her colleagues to see that if the filibuster is revoked, it could be used against them in the future when Republicans once again hold a majority in the Senate.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would continue to push for voting rights legislation even if a test vote fails in the Senate Tuesday. She also said Manchin's compromise idea was a 'step forward'

Backers of the voting bill claim it is an extension of civil rights that gets rid of laws that make it harder for some Americans to cast a ballot, but critics claim it's just another example of federal overreach.

Manchin proposed some changes to the bill last week that he feels would garner more bipartisan support, including adding a provision for a national voter ID requirement to vote and dropping a proposed public financing of campaigns.

While his version of the bill was well received by the Biden administration as a 'step forward', it did not garner the support of progressive Democrats.

'It's a step forward,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki 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,' she added.

'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.
A New Jersey school board has been forced to reverse a controversial decision to remove all holiday names - including Memorial Day and Thanksgiving - from their calendar after facing huge backlash.

The Randolph Board of Education on Monday night voted 8-1 to overturn the decision made earlier this month to replace the names of all holidays with just the phrase 'day off'.

The initial unanimous decision to remove the names of holidays was made to avoid 'hurt feelings', officials had said at the time.

But the decision was blasted as 'arrogant and incompetent', and and sparked calls for the resignations of the school board members and Superintendent Jen Fano.

A petition calling for the resignations received more than 4,500 signatures.

The Randolph Board of Education on Monday night voted 8-1 to overturn the decision made earlier this month to replace the names of all holidays with just the phrase 'day off'. Pictured above is the school calendar after they initially voted to remove all holiday names

The initial unanimous decision to remove the names of holidays caused outrage and sparked calls for the resignations of the 'arrogant and incompetent' Randolph school board members

None of the board members have resigned.

Critics had accused the board of bowing to cancel culture and being 'woke'.

And parent Michael Viespoli claimed that those who complained about the decision during the initial meeting were branded 'right-wing fanatics' by one board member.

He told Fox: 'I'm concerned about the tone and tenor of what's going on in town and really in the world.'

On Monday the school board backed down, with president Tammy MacKay saying: 'The buck stops here with those of us seated in front of you and we own it.

'Neither the superintendent nor any other administrator, principal, teacher or other district employee had anything to do with those votes or decisions. To cast blame on any of them for what this board did is quite simply wrong.'

In a statement on the school district's website, the board said it was grateful for the community's feedback.

'After a reconsideration, the school calendar returns to its prior form, adding ALL state and Federal holidays,' the board said in a statement.

'The last few weeks have showcased a concerned community, an interested public and a responsive Board of Education that acknowledged a decision made without proper consideration.

'In the future, a review committee will seek community input on any proposed calendar changes.'

A petition calling for the resignations received more than 4,500 signatures. Tom Tatem (above), the father-of-four who started the petition, told Fox & Friends on Tuesday that the reversal should be a lesson in transparency

The petition calling for the resignations received more than 4,500 signatures. None of the board members have resigned

Tom Tatem, the father-of-four who started the petition, told Fox & Friends that the reversal should be a lesson in transparency.

'They got the message... They reversed course on their decision, which is very much appreciated,' Tatem said.

He added, however, that he was surprised no one did resign.

'Truth be told, they've lost the trust of our community and I feel between a mixture of their arrogance and incompetence that they're not really the best people to proceed forward in helping to rebuild and help our community heal,' Tatem said.

The controversy first started when the board voted back in May to refer to Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day.

Following complaints from Italian Americans, the board then voted to label all holidays, including religious ones, generically.

At the time, the board said the decision was made to mitigate any potential offense a group or person may feel in regard to holidays that celebrate certain historical figures or ethnic groups.

'If we don't have anything on the calendar, we don't have to have anyone be hurt feelings or anything like that,' board member Dorene Roche said of the initial change.
A Florida man's trial on charges of murdering his girlfriend and nine-year-old daughter took a bizarre turn when the judge praised his performance in representing himself - after he was found guilty.

Ronnie Oneal III, 32, was convicted on Monday of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of arson in Hillsborough County court.

Oneal was accused of killing his girlfriend Kenyatta Barron and daughter Ron'Niveya Orneal, critically wounding his eight-year-old son, Ronnie IV, before burning their house down in March 2018, according to Fox 13.

After handing down the conviction Judge Michelle Sisco praised Oneal for serving as his own defense instead of using a lawyer, as she urged him to seek proper counsel before sentencing later this week.

'I'm really going to strongly encourage you to consider allowing counsel to now step in and represent you. I have to tell you, I think in another lifetime, you would have been an outstanding lawyer,' Sisco said.

Oneal responded to the comment by nodding his head.

Ronnie Oneal III is displaying evidence while representing himself during closing arguments for his murder trial at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, June 21, 2021

Judge Michelle Sisco urged Ronnie Oneal III, 32, to secure a state-appointed attorney, but he allegedly nodded when she made that comment

Ronnie Oneal III becomes emotional while representing himself during closing arguments for his murder trial at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, June 21, 2021

Ronnie Oneal III is seen to hold his hands firmly together during closing arguments against him at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, June 21, 2021

He was heard yelling at investigators and the judge with profanity and stating they 'tampered with evidence' to make him guilty of murdering his wife, daughter and stabbing his son.

It was during the closing argument that the judge warned Oneal to stop using profanity.

He had admitted to killing his wife, but denied murdering his girl and trying to kill his son on Monday.

'I want you to know the actual facts,' he told jurors. Then, turning to prosecutors, he said, 'I did kill Kenyatta Brown. But I want you to tell it like it is, if you are going to tell it.'

The suspect's trial has been abundant with emotion from many sides, but his son's testimony weighs heavier than anything else.

The accused father kept his composure while asking his son how he was doing during his first conversation after three years.

'It's good to see you, man,' he told his son.

His son replied back 'It's good to see you, too.'

He then went on ask. 'Did I hurt you that night of this incident?'

'Yes,' the boy replied.

'How did I hurt you?'

'You stabbed me,' his son said back to his father.

Ronnie IV also said he saw his father holding a shotgun at his mother while she was screaming.

Prosecutor Ronald Gale stated during the closing argument that the state had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Oneal was guilty of the double murder and attempted murder. He also played a 911 call that included screams from Barron.

'This has been a very emotional case, and the evidence and testimony has been by turns gruesome and disturbing and just heartbreaking,' Gale said while asking the jury to put those emotions aside and deliberate on the facts.

Ronnie Oneal III listens to a jury poll after the verdict was delivered for his murder trial at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in Tampa on Monday June 21, 2021

According to prosecutors, Oneal wounded his wife with an ax on her back and head on March 18 in 2018. She managed to stumble outside when Oneal chased after her and hit her with a shotgun tree times before shooting her dead.

He then turned toward his 9-year-old disabled daughter who had cerebral palsy and could not talk and allegedly killed her. She died of multiple stab wounds. And, his son was his last victim to be stabbed.

He was later arrested in in the same month, but pleaded not guilty to murdering of his wife and daughter in April 2018.

The State Attorney's Office stated that they would seek death penalty in May of the same year, but he was found not competent to stand trial in October 2018. His parental rights were terminated in December of that year.

However, his competency was no longer of question later in 2019.

The Department of Children and Families sent a letter to the judge in May 2019 concluding that 'The treatment staff are of the opinion that this resident is competent to proceed and no longer meets criteria for continued involuntary commitment.'

The judge then decided that Oneal was competent to stand trial in June 2019 and the jury selection process began two years later in June 2021.

Oneal even made a comment saying that he deserved a death penalty on June 8.

'When it comes to the death penalty, I just want to let you all know that, me personally, I am for it. If somebody has committed these crimes, they are worthy of death,' he said.
IKEA in Atlanta is under fire after its management team devised a 'racially insensitive' menu for Juneteenth which featured fried chicken and watermelon.

Bosses purportedly sent out the menu to employees in an email last Friday, saying they wanted to serve the foods to customers as a way to 'honor' the federal holiday.

However, the management team - which allegedly featured no black employees - failed to realize that many of the food items have been derogatorily associated with black Americans for more than a century.

According to NPR, both fried chicken and watermelon were common foods fed to slaves in the South, and have been 'a mainstay in racist depictions of black Americans' ever since they featured in the 1915 film Birth of A Nation.

IKEA in Atlanta is under fire after its management devised a 'racially insensitive' menu for Juneteenth which featured fried chicken and watermelon

'It's [also] food you eat with your hands, and therefore [it was considered] dirty,' University of Missouri professor Claire Schmidt explained to the publication about the origins of the racist trope.

'Table manners were a way of determining who was worthy of respect or not.'

Dozens of disgruntled employees at the Atlanta called out of work on Juneteenth, angered by the menu.

'It caused a lot of people to be upset. People actually wanted to quit, people werent coming back to work,' one anonymous worker told CBS46 on Monday.

Other items on the menu included collard greens and mac 'n' cheese.

Bosses purportedly sent out the menu to employees in an email last Friday, saying they wanted to serve the foods to customers as a way to 'honor' the federal holiday

On Saturday, one manager sent out an email to staff apologizing for their insensitivity.

'I truly apologize if the menu came off as subjective. It was created with the best of intentions... We value your voice and feedback and have changed the menu so all can enjoy this day,' they wrote.

However, some staff say it is still not good enough, and have urged managers to become more educated.

'You cannot say serving watermelon on Juneteenth is a soul food menu when you don't even know the history, ' another anonymous employee told CBS

'They used to feed slaves watermelon during the slave time.'

On Twitter, others concurred, including actor Iman Crossman who wrote: 'Who thought this was a good idea? IN ATLANTA'.

Another chimed in: 'C'mon man, stick to those yummy Swedish meatballs'.
A husband was killed by an Aga cooker when he was crushed to death moving the heavy stove to another side of his country kitchen.

Farmer Anthony Rees, 78, had the Aga - which weighed almost half a tonne - on a small wheel trolley when it overturned at his home in Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales.

An inquest heard Mr Rees - known as Tony - told his wife Elizabeth that he 'wanted to get the job done' when she wanted it moved across the kitchen, despite her wanting him to wait until their son returned at the weekend to help him.

But the 74stone Aga then fell off the trolley, pinning grandfather Mr Rees to the floor.

His wife and neighbours made desperate attempts to save him but he could not be resuscitated.

An inquest heard Mr Rees - known as Tony - told his wife Elizabeth (pictured) that he 'wanted to get the job done' when she wanted it moved across the kitchen despite her wanting him to wait until their son returned at the weekend to help him

When the 74stone Aga (example pictured above) fell off the trolley, the cooker pinned grandfather Mr Rees to the floor

A post mortem examination was carried out by pathologist Dr Mark Atkinson which gave a provisional cause of death as 'crush injuries to the chest'.

Following the tragedy, Mrs Rees, a former council member of the Denbighshire Welsh Black Cattle Society, said on Facebook: 'Not sure how to tell all our friends but yesterday I lost my wonderful husband and soulmate of 53 years in a tragic accident here at home.

'I tried desperately to save him but to no avail.

'I couldn't have wished to have had a better man with whom to share my life.'

Following the tragedy, Mrs Rees posted on Facebook: 'Not sure how to tell all our friends but yesterday I lost my wonderful husband and soulmate of 53 years in a tragic accident here at home. 'I tried desperately to save him but to no avail. 'I couldn't have wished to have had a better man with whom to share my life'

In another post, she revealed that Tony had been buried at their family farm in Llanbedr DC, near Ruthin, where they raised a prized herd of Welsh Black cows.

She added: 'He had already chosen his spot. We drove him through the farm and across the fields for his final journey in the back of his Range Rover.

'My grandchildren will be planting an oak tree to mark grandad's spot'

North East Wales Coroner John Gittins adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed.
Israel is facing a fresh surge of coronavirus cases leading to calls for teenagers to be given jabs as even the fully vaccinated are catching the Delta variant of the virus.

Israel recorded 125 new cases on Monday - the most per day since April, in a country where more than half the population has been fully vaccinated.

The country's latest outbreaks were identified in several schools during random testing and came after Israel rolled back nearly all of its coronavirus restrictions.

According to local newspaper Haaretz nine fully-vaccinated teachers in two schools were among those who contracted the virus, as were three fully-vaccinated members of the military, the Israeli Defence Forces announced.

At the peak of the country's outbreak in January, Israel was recording some 10,000 daily cases but has since been able to get it under control thanks to its world-leading vaccination programme.

On Tuesday, newly-elected Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned of a 'new outbreak' of coronavirus in Israel after the rise in infections, that he said was likely due to returning travellers carrying the Delta variant.

Israel is facing a fresh surge of coronavirus cases leading to calls for teenagers to be given jabs as even the fully vaccinated are catching the Delta variant of the virus. Pictured: A nurse injects an Israeli youth with the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a Maccabi Health Center in Jerusalem, on Tuesday, June 22, 2021

'Our goal is to end it, to take a bucket of water and pour it on the fire when the fire is still small,' Bennett said at Ben Gurion airport, where the government announced an expanded testing facility would be set up.

Bennett noted that a recent spike in infections appeared to be due to the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus that likely came from overseas.

An outbreak in the town of Binyamina, north of Tel Aviv, saw more than 1,000 people quarantined and appeared to be due to travellers returning from Cyprus, he said.

'Whoever doesn't have to fly abroad, please don't,' Bennett added.

Israel remains largely closed to non-citizens.

Last month, the country expanded its vaccine eligibility to include teenagers, but left the decision up to parents.

Defence minister Benny Gantz has ordered the military and the civil defence to renew its efforts to test the population and to keep the contract department open that was shut down.

On Tuesday, the health ministry announced that 49,044 tests had been conducted over the past day, with a positivity rate of 0.3 percent.

Bennett, who ousted former premier Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month, said he was reconvening a 'corona cabinet' to handle the challenge.

'We reached an initial decision to treat this as a new outbreak,' Bennett said.

On Tuesday, newly-elected Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (pictured) warned of a 'new outbreak' of coronavirus in Israel after the rise in infections, that he said was likely due to returning travellers carrying the Delta variant

Israel launched a sweeping vaccination campaign after obtaining millions of doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

More than 55 percent of Israel's population - some 5.2 million people - have received both doses of the vaccine.

Nearly a third of the new cases recorded in the past week have been found in vaccinated people, with many of the new infections being the delta variant.

Hezi Levi, the health ministry director-general, speaking to Israel's Channel 12 on Monday said that most of the cases among vaccinated individuals are mild, but called on parents to have their children vaccinated.

Bennett urged parents to get their children vaccinated too, calling for children aged 12 and older to get jabs 'as quickly as possible'.

Health ministry figures show that young people aged 10-19 were the most affected by the virus last month.

On June 15, Israel lifted its requirement to wear face masks in enclosed public places - one of the last measures in force to fight the country's outbreak.

IN total, the country has recorded over 840,000 novel coronavirus cases, including 6,428 deaths.
Joe Manchin agreed Tuesday to vote with his fellow Democrats to begin debate on the voting rights bill  but 10 Republicans would still need to hop on board to progress the legislation.

'Today I will vote 'YES' to move to debate this updated voting legislation as a substitute amendment to ensure every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot and participate in our great democracy,' the West Virginia centrist Democrat said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said: 'We worked it out.'

The bill, however, needs 60 votes to avoid a filibuster and allow the Senate to begin debating the measure  and not one Republican has said they will join the 50 Democrats in voting to move forward.

A vote on H.R. 1, or For the People Act, is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening.

Manchin previously said he would not vote for the partisan bill, and didn't seem convinced otherwise after a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, pictured at the Capitol on June 22, said Tuesday that he will vote with his party to progress the For the People voting rights bill

'We worked it out,' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday. But Democrats still need 10 Republicans to support the bill to avoid a filibuster and start debate

But Schumer now appears to have reached a deal with Manchin so Democrats can present a united front on expanding voter rights and access.

Manchin was the only Democratic hold out.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ripped the proposal as a 'transparently partisan' effort showing the left's 'disdain' for Americans.

'Many Democrats would pass [H.R.1] with the slimmest possible majority, even after its companion faced bipartisan opposition over in the House,' McConnell said from the Senate floor on Tuesday.

'What a craven political calculation. What a way to show your disdain for the American people's choices,' he added.

Schumer will bring a procedural vote to the floor Tuesday evening to begin debate on the For the People Act. The measure is all but certain to fail.

In remarks from the Senate floor on Tuesday, Schumer blamed Trump for Republican opposition to the bill.

'Donald Trump, fresh off a resounding loss in the 2020 presidential election, cried foul and lied  lied  that the election was stolen from him, like a petulant child,' the New York Democrat said.

'There is a rot at the center of the modern Republican Party,' he continued. 'Donald Trump's big lie has spread like a cancer and threatens to envelop one of America's major political parties.'

Mitch McConnell (left) said from the Senate floor Tuesday that Democrats' voting rights bill is 'transparently partisan' and shows the left's 'disdain' for Americans. Schumer blamed Trump for the GOP opposing the legislation. 'There is a rot at the center of the modern Republican Party,' he said

'Even worse, it has poisoned our democracy, eroded faith in our elections, which is so detrimental to the future faith people need to have in our democracy,' Schumer said. 'And of course, it became the match that lit a wildfire of Republican voter suppression laws sweeping across the country. Because of one man's lie, Republicans are now doing the dastardly act of taking away voting from millions of Americans, making it much harder for them to vote, and many, many will not.'

He repeated the sentiment on Twitter and added: 'Republicans claim they're making it easier to vote and harder to cheat in an election. But in reality, they are making it harder to vote and easier to steal an election.'

Republicans are moving to block the progressive priority by forcing a filibuster. All 50 Democrats in the upper chamber would need to garner support from 10 Republicans to avoid a filibuster.

'Later today, the Senate will vote on whether to advance Democrats' transparently partisan plan to tilt every election in America permanently in their favor,' McConnell said Tuesday. 'By now, the rotten, inner-workings of this power grab have been thoroughly exposed to the light.'

Biden met with Manchin at the White House on Monday afternoon, and Schumer said Tuesday that the centrist senator is now on board with voting for the bill.

McConnell blasted the legislation Monday as a 'disastrous proposal' that will get 'no quarter' in the Senate.

'They've made it abundantly clear that the real driving force behind S1 is a desire to rig the rules of American elections permanently, permanently in Democrats' favor,' McConnell said of Democrats' efforts.

Schumer is bringing a vote to the floor Tuesday on a motion to begin debate on the amended version of legislation that passed the House in March.

The procedural vote, however, would need 60 votes to succeed  and there is no indication any Republican senators will support the bill, let alone 10.

Manchin previously said he opposes the bill, arguing that any major voting or election legislation must have bipartisan support, or else he will go against it. With a 50-50 split Senate, any single Democratic defector could kill a bill.

President Barack Obama also weighed into the debate by citing the Capitol Riot as a reason to support the legislation and 'not take Democracy for granted'.

'The violence that occurred in the US Capitol on January 6, just a few months ago, should remind us that we can't take our democracy for granted,' Obama said on a call with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee on Monday.

'Around the world, we have seen once vibrant democracies go into reverse, locking in power for a small group of powerful autocrats and business interests and locking out of the political process dissidents and protestors and opposition parties and the voices of ordinary people.

'It is happening in other places around the world and these impulses have crept into the United States. We are not immune from some of these efforts to weaken our democracy.'

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (left) still wasn't sure as of Monday evening if he would support the bill, even after meeting with President Joe Biden (right) at the White House earlier that afternoon

Obama also said he supported Manchin's compromises on the bill and praised him for trying to 'come up with some common-sense reforms that the majority of Americans agree with.

Manchin suggested making voter registration automatic, setting Election Day as a holiday, requiring at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections and reducing partisan gerrymandering. But he also said voter ID regulations should be stricter  a measure his Democrat colleagues oppose.

After his meeting with the president on Monday evening, Manchin said he still wasn't sure if he would vote to advance the bill.

'I got to see. I hope they make some changes or agree to some changes,' Manchin said at the Capitol.

'I think we put out an awful lot of good changes, I think, hopefully, the country would agree ... that makes a lot of sense for a lot of voters,' he continued.

A White House official said during the meeting Monday, Biden 'expressed his sincere appreciation for Senator Manchin's efforts to achieve reform.'

'The President conveyed that he sees voting rights as one of the most urgent issues facing our nation during his administration, and made it clear how important he thinks it is that the Senate find a path forward on this issue,' the official continued in a statement on the meeting between the two. ' They also discussed bipartisan negotiations on infrastructure.'

Biden also met with Senator Kyrsten Sinema at the White House on Monday. The Arizona Democrat has also emerged as a moderate voice in the party who could derail legislation as the party holds power in the legislative and executive branches.

The 900-page For the People Act would need to overcome a filibuster by Republicans to reach debate on the Senate floor. The procedural vote requires 60 backers to avoid a filibuster, but if the bill were to make it to the floor, only 51 votes are needed to get it passed into law.

Vice President Kamala Harris acts as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

Democrats have been working hard to get rid of the filibuster as part of other legislation, something Republicans and some Democrats  including Manchin and Sinema  opposed fervently.

'The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings,' Sinema wrote Monday in an op/ed for The Washington Post.

She welcomed a full debate on the voting bill 'so senators and our constituents can hear and fully consider the concerns and consequences.'

'My support for retaining the 60-vote threshold is not based on the importance of any particular policy. It is based on what is best for our democracy,' Sinema wrote. 'The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings between opposing policy poles.'

Sinema urged her colleagues to see that if the filibuster is revoked, it could be used against them in the future when Republicans once again hold a majority in the Senate.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would continue to push for voting rights legislation even if a test vote fails in the Senate Tuesday. She also said Manchin's compromise idea was a 'step forward'

Backers of the voting bill claim it is an extension of civil rights that gets rid of laws that make it harder for some Americans to cast a ballot, but critics claim it's just another example of federal overreach.

Manchin proposed some changes to the bill last week that he feels would garner more bipartisan support, including adding a provision for a national voter ID requirement to vote and dropping a proposed public financing of campaigns.

While his version of the bill was well received by the Biden administration as a 'step forward', it did not garner the support of progressive Democrats.

'It's a step forward,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki 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,' she added.

'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.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden's plan to address the rise in violent crime won't derail ongoing Senate negotiations of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

'He does not feel like they are conflicting,' she said of the president. 'And I don't think you've heard from any of the negotiators on the Hill that they feel they are conflicting either,' Psaki said at Tuesday press briefing.

On Wednesday, Biden plans to spend the afternoon speaking to stakeholders and then will give a speech on crime, which the White House argues has been 'driven by gun violence' in a number of major cities.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden addressing violent crime won't derail negotiations over a key police reform bill

Family members of the victims and neighbors gather at the scene of a fatal shooting Monday i St. Louis

At the briefing, Fox News' Peter Doocy challenged that thinking, pointing to an uptick in gun-less crimes including carjackings, robberies and rapes.

'Well, first I think if you look at a number of cities across the country it is actually driven by gun violence,' Psaki answered.

She noted that this year in St. Louis, 96 per cent of homicides where the instrument was known it was a gun.

Psaki also said shooting incidents in New York were up 70 per cent.

'There are major cities across the country where gun violence is absolutely the driver, where it is absolutely increasing and that will be a central part of what we'll talk about when he delivers his remarks tomorrow,' she said.

The press secretary also spread out the blame to the last administration, noting how violent crime has been on the rise over the last 18 months - throughout the whole of the coronavirus pandemic.

'And actually if you look statistically back, it's more over the last five years or so,' Psaki also said - meaning the entirety of former President Donald Trump's one term in office.

Psaki again and again said Biden was for 'community policing,' where police officers patrol areas they're familiar with.

Doocy then asked why morale in police departments is currently low.

'I don't think we're the right entity to give an assessment of that, I'd certainly look to police departments to get that assessment, but I would say to you is, the president has never supported defunding the police,' Psaki answered. 'He's always supported community policing programs.'
US Border Patrol agents apprehended 16 migrants hiding inside a freight train near the Mexico border in Texas.

The officers, assigned to the Laredo Sector Border Patrol, were conducting an inspection of trains in Hebbronville early Tuesday, US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.

Upon noticing an unlatched rail car, the agents performed a search and found 15 undocumented individuals sitting in the bottom of the grain hopper trailer.

The border officers then found another migrant hiding in another car by himself.

Border Patrol agents in Hebbronville, Texas, discovered 15 migrants in the bottom of an uncovered rail car and led them to safety Tuesday. The migrants, all natives of Mexico, were in good health and were processed for illegally crossing the United States-Mexico border

A total of 16 migrants from Mexico were removed from a rail car in Hebbronville, Texas, while U.S. Border Patrol agents were inspecting the train cars early Tuesday

A migrant was hiding in a separate freight train car during a U.S. Border Patrol inspection on Tuesday in Hebbronville, Texas

CBP identified the 16 migrants as Mexican nationals. They were all provided medical assistance by a team of Border Patrol paramedics and processed for unlawful entry to the United States.

'This dangerous method of traveling further into the United States after illegal entry is strongly discouraged as it often results in serious injury or death,' CBP said.

'Many times, migrants choose this grueling method of transportation without realizing the consequences of their actions until it is too late. Fortunately, in this case, agents detected the individuals and were able to rescue them before any fell victim to a heat related injury.'

A spokesperson for the Laredo Sector Border Patrol told DailyMail.com that 161 migrants have been rescued from train cars since October 1, 2020, the start of current fiscal year which ends September 30.

Overall, agents from the Laredo Sector have encountered 5,522 migrants smuggled in trains, cars, and trucks.

The last monthly CBP report indicated that Border Patrol agents stopped 180,034 migrants in May along the southwestern border, a slight increase from 178,854 the prior month, with the increase driven largely by single adults.

From March to May more than 530,000 people were apprehended and pushed back into Mexico after attempting to cross without legal immigration documents, the June 10 report showed.
A devastated son has broken down in tears after being refused entry to Queensland to see his dying father, just moments before the state once again slammed its border shut to millions of Sydneysiders.

Mark Kilian unleashed on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday for her lack of compassion.

Mr Kilian and his wife Anneli flew from Los Angeles to Sydney on June 15 after the federal government and NSW Health granted them a travel exemption.

But when the Kilians tried to leave NSW on a $15,000 private charter plane, they were refused a quarantine exemption by Queensland Health officials.

Mr Kilian's 80-year-old father Frans weighs just 44kg and is dying of pancreatic cancer in a hospital on the Gold Coast.

Queensland Health has rejected the couple's quarantine exemption application four times even though they are both fully vaccinated, have tested negative to Covid three times and even offered to wear hazmat suits and tracking devices during their visit.

The refusal came before Ms Palaszczuk on Wednesday announced Queensland will be closing to seven local government areas in Sydney.

Queensland will ban residents from the City of Sydney, Woolhara, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick council areas from 1 am Thursday.

Mr Kilian told Karl Stefanovic on Wednesday morning's Today show that all he wants is to say 'I love you' to his father one last time.

'We just want to be there for those last days, moments... That's all we want. That's all that all of this is about,' he said.

When Mark Kilian and his wife Anneli tried to leave NSW on a $15,000 private charter plane, they were refused a quarantine exemption by Queensland Health officials

Mr Kilian's 80-year-old father Frans weighs just 44kg and is dying of pancreatic cancer at hospital on the Gold Coast

Today show host Karl Stefanovic on Wednesday called for 'humanity to prevail' and said he hopes Mr Kilian can hug his father one last time

Mr Kilian said his father's condition deteriorated rapidly 'where we knew we needed to get on the next plane we could'

In an emotional video taken from his hospital bed, Frans made a tearful plea with the Palaszczuk to let his family into the state to say their goodbyes

'I don't think we have ever experienced anything like this in our lives. It has been on a personal level absolutely tragic for our family.

'To be locked in a room in Sydney when all it would take is just the show of compassion by [The Premier and the Health Minister of Queensland] that could change the entire trajectory of a family's experience of the last days of their family, it is inconceivable that they would not allow that.'

Mr Kilian said it was a sign of hope when, on Tuesday, Ms Palaszczuk addressed the situation directly when fronting the media.

'That is at least a development. And then we also got a personal letter from the Prime Minister giving us his compassionate support but also stating that the Federal Government has no ability to affect the state law,' he said.

'Meanwhile, the Premier of Queensland basically said the opposite. It is a little bit of a passing the buck situation. But at least there is movement.'

Stefanovic called for 'humanity to prevail' and said he hopes Mr Kilian can hug his ailing father one last time.

'The rules that are designed to protect us should never really outweigh our ability to show compassion, surely,' he said.

'We have a situation here too where the son is fully vaccinated. We must have faith in that, don't we? I know that you can still carry it and transmit it but he's fully vaccinated.'

Mr Kilian said being banned from entering Queensland to say his goodbyes to his father is one of the most tragic situations his family has ever been in

Mr Kilian told Karl Stefanovic on Wednesday morning's Today Show that all he wants is to say 'I love you' to his father one last time. Pictured hugging his wife Anneli

Mark Kilian and his wife Anneli flew from LA to Sydney last week and were granted a travel exemption by Border Force and NSW Health. But they were then refused entry to Queensland

Former Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said that while the Queensland Government's hands are tied, common sense needs to be used

In a moving letter sent on Tuesday, the prime minister apologised to Mr Kilian for the 'challenge' his family faces and admitted he is disappointed in the Queensland Government

'We have got to have faith in those things and try to open up to getting back to normalcy and being able to show compassion, say goodbye to loved ones.'

The mounting media scrutiny prompted Ms Palaszczuk on Wednesday to offer a compromise on the situation.

'This is a matter for the New South Wales Government, if they want to break the 14-day mandatory quarantine for this couple, and if can provide Dr Young with how they will safely be transferred from Sydney to the Gold Coast, we, of course, will do everything we can to facilitate the reunion with his father at the earliest convenience,' she said.

Former Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said that while the Queensland Government's hands are tied, Ms Palaszczuk must exercise compassion.

'I know that the Queensland and federal officials are in a bit of a no-win situation because if you say yes to this, then where do you draw the line. But on the other hand, common sense is common sense,' he told Stefanovic.

'I just want someone to be able to say goodbye to their parent. As a country, we are surely smart enough to put them in a special transport van and you know, the technical experts could come up with a solution.

'For everyone who has been through Covid, rather than worrying about how everyone else will react, I reckon at least 5million Melburnians would say give them a chance to say goodbye.'

Mr Shorten said he can relate to what the family is going through after his own mother passed away in her sleep.

Queensland Health has rejected the couple's quarantine exemption application four times even though they are both fully vaccinated. Pictured: Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Mr Morrison said he doesn't have the authority to step in and give an exemption

'I don't want them to have to go through what I went through. So when I see this family who are in this experience, there must be a way to facilitate them saying goodbye,' the former Labor leader said.

Poll Should Mark Kilian be allowed into Queensland to visit his dying father? Yes No Should Mark Kilian be allowed into Queensland to visit his dying father? Yes 1348 votes

No 126 votes Now share your opinion





In an emotional video taken from his hospital bed, Frans made a tearful plea with Palaszczuk to let his family into the state to say their goodbyes.

'Every day that they are in that hotel, is a day less that I have with my son and daughter-in-law in my last days,' he said.

'Please Queensland Health. Show some compassion. And help an old man see someone before it is too late.

'By all accounts, there is no danger to the Queensland community. I'm asking you, begging you actually, to let my son and his wife leave their quarantine to come here to be with me. It is my dying wish. Please.'

In a moving letter sent on Tuesday, the prime minister apologised to Mr Kilian for the 'challenge' his family faces and admitted he is disappointed in the Queensland Government.

'I recognise that you and Anna have done everything you possibly can to see your father,' the letter started.

'I know what an important time this is for you and you can never get these days back. I am disappointed the Queensland Government has not found a workable and compassionate solution.

'However, the Australian Government does not have the authority to step in and provide exemptions from hotel quarantine for travel into Queensland. Under our federation, these decisions are made by the Queensland Government.'

Mr Morrison said he understood the tough time the family are going through after his own father died early last year.

'I know how important these times are to families. It is why the Department of Home Affairs provided an exemption for you and your wife Anneli to enter Australia,' he wrote.

'Again, I am so sorry for what you are facing.'

Ms Palaszczuk on Tuesday acknowledged what the Kilian family are going through is 'absolutely tragic' but said she was following national guidelines on hotel quarantine.

But when the Kilians tried to leave NSW on a $15,000 private charter plane, they were refused a quarantine exemption by Queensland Health officials

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian last week called on other state leaders to show compassion on border exemptions, saying discretion should be taken using 'human dignity'

'If the Federal Government wants to talk to both states, I'm happy to facilitate that,' she said.

'But this [hotel quarantine] applies to everybody. This applies to everyone. Every single person.'

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian last week called on other state leaders to show compassion on border exemptions, saying discretion should be taken using 'human dignity'.

'My heart breaks when I hear about stories like this. New South Wales has always tried to have a compassionate approach especially when there are circumstances such as this one,' she said.

'I just ask all of my colleagues to think carefully before preventing families from being united at a very difficult time.'

Mr Kilian said his father's condition deteriorated rapidly 'where we knew we needed to get on the next plane we could'.

They were granted exemptions by federal authorities and the NSW government to fly from LA to Sydney, but once they tried to travel across the border, Queensland Health said no.

Ordinarily, the couple would have to complete two weeks of hotel quarantine, but it is feared the beloved dad will not survive that long.

'Every time we call him, the first words out of his mouth are 'when are you coming?' Ms Kilian said.

The couple remain in hotel quarantine in Sydney and have been rejected four times by the Sunshine State who offered 'cold-hearted responses time and time again'.

'Our sympathies are with the family however these are clinical decisions that are necessary to keep Queenslanders safe,' Queensland Health said in a statement.

With time running out they have pleaded with the Palaszczuk government for an exemption on compassionate grounds - offering to charter a private jet, wear hazmat suits and even tracking devices.

'My father is an Australian citizen. He is one of their constituents. All he is asking is that he has the opportunity to say goodbye to his children, his son and his family and that we can all be there for that last moment,' Mr Kilian said.

'We are watching him fade away. His heart is also broken because he was hoping to see us.'
Fewer than one in five Australians trust China to act responsibly in the world and even fewer endorse the leadership of Xi Jinping, new polling shows.

More than 60 per cent of Australians also see Beijing as an increasing security threat, responding negatively to Chinese investment in Australia and Chinese environmental policies, governance and military activity.

The Lowy Institute's 2021 annual poll of more than 2200 Australians found 16 per cent of respondents trusted China 'a great deal' or 'somewhat' in its international conduct - almost 40 percentage points lower than in 2018.

Likewise, just one in 10 Australians professed 'a lot' or 'some' confidence in Mr Xi to do the right thing regarding world affairs, halving in 12 months.

Fewer than one in five Australians trust China to act responsibly in the world and even fewer endorse the leadership of Xi Jinping, new polling shows

Some 63 per cent of respondents said they now see China as 'more of a security threat' to Australia than an economic partner, while more than half said Australia-China relations pose a critical national security threat.

Chinese investment in Australia (79 per cent), Chinese environmental policies (79 per cent), China's autocratic governance model (92 per cent) and China's assertive regional military activity (93 per cent) were viewed unfavourably.

Almost half of respondents said Australia should boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to China's human rights record in places like Xinjiang.

Beijing has in the past 12 months launched a series of damaging trade strikes against Australia after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

These include bans and tariffs on exports including coal, grain and seafood.

China also remains angry with Australia over foreign interference and investment laws and the decision to ban Huawei from the country's 5G rollout.

'Like an X-ray, Covid-19 shows up the healthy and unhealthy parts of the body politic,' Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove said.

China also remains angry with Australia over foreign interference and investment laws and the decision to ban Huawei from the country's 5G rollout

'It has shown the frailties of the United States but also its resilience. It has shown both the capacities and weaknesses of China's authoritarian system.'

Elsewhere, almost seven in 10 respondents expressed confidence in US President Joe Biden to do the right thing in world affairs - almost 40 percentage points higher than the confidence held in Donald Trump in 2020.

And while three quarters believed the US would support Australia in a military confrontation, most believed Mr Trump had weakened the ANZUS alliance.

On the Covid-19 pandemic, almost six in 10 people saw the virus as a critical threat in 2021 - down 17 percentage points on 12 months prior.

Almost 80 per cent of respondents said they were optimistic about Australia's economic performance, having suppressed Covid-19, and almost 100 per cent believed Australia's global reputation had been enhanced.

But respondents also believed Australia's climate change policy - refusing to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050 - would harm its reputation.

Mr Fullilove said the poll captured a 'remarkable moment' in Australian history.

'Australia - an open-minded nation of immigrants and travellers, with a long-held belief in globalisation - remains closed to the world,' he said.

'(Yet) Australians have a renewed sense of optimism about the world and their place in it. The country is rightly proud of its efforts to manage the pandemic.'
Compensation for farmers and other rural industries will be crucial to a potential deal between the Nationals and Liberals on contentious climate targets.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is expected to continue negotiations with Scott Morrison with a long-term move towards a net zero carbon emissions target a sticking point.

Deputy leader and Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the party wouldn't enter a deal until what was on offer was clearer.

'That's just good business principles. You don't give away your end price straight up,' he told Sky News.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is expected to continue negotiations with Scott Morrison with a long-term move towards a net zero carbon emissions target a sticking point

'We're going to look at it, we're going to see what we can get and make sure that no one's hurting, but we also start to square that ledger.

'We copped it in the neck in regional Australia for everyone to sleep soundly in metropolitan Australia and it's time that our mob got repaid for it.'

Labor leader Anthony Albanese accused Mr Joyce of being a climate change sceptic that would further damage Australia's reputation when other countries were behind the 2050 target.

'What we have is a rump in the coalition, in the National Party and in the Liberal Party, but it's a rump that's holding back Australia,' he said.

Mr Joyce is also weighing up the Nationals' ministerial roles with Bridget McKenzie expected to return to cabinet at the expense of fellow Victorian Darren Chester.

The deputy prime minister took over his predecessor's roles in infrastructure, transport and regional development on Tuesday when he was sworn in on Tuesday.

Mr Morrison has been stuck in quarantine at The Lodge while the junior coalition partner switched leaders

Mr Morrison has been stuck in quarantine at The Lodge while the junior coalition partner switched leaders.

But the prime minister urged MPs and senators via video link about the dangers ongoing disunity could cause for the government's re-election hopes.

Mr Morrison said having a clear plan, staying united and having an ability to 'get stuff done' could deliver victory.

'If we fail on those things, we will hand the reins of government to those who are not fit to handle them and we will regret that forever,' he said.

'We've got to focus. No time for individual agendas or pet projects.'

He said voters would be sent to the polls within the year.
American Airlines will cut hundreds of flights over the next three weeks to avoid overloading its operation as demand for summer air travel rises faster than expected.

The airline said Tuesday that the cuts could average 50 to 60 flights a day the rest of June and between 50 and 80 a day in the first half of July. That is potentially more than 1 percent of its schedule.

On Tuesday, the airline had scrubbed 130 flights and more than 200 others were delayed by afternoon Central time, according to tracking service FlightAware.

A spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, the union which represents American's 15,000 pilots, told DailyMail.com on Monday that the airline is suffering a major staffing shortage after furloughing 1,600 pilots during the pandemic.

However, American denied that a pilot shortage due to furloughs was a factor in the cancellations, saying that the company's pilot training remains on track, and that all recalled pilots will complete their required training by the end of June.

Instead, the airline said that 'unprecedented weather' at its hubs in Dallas and Charlotte had spurred the cancellations by pushing many crew members to hit federal limits on work hours.

American Airlines will cut hundreds of flights over the next three weeks amid a pilot shortage, as demand for travel rises faster than anticipated (file photo)

Crowds are seen at the Miami airport on Monday. American is cutting flights as demand for travel rises faster than expected

'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,' an American spokeswoman told DailyMail.com.

'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,' the spokeswoman added.

Captain Dennis Tajer told DailyMail.com that his furloughed colleagues won't be back in the skies until August

Earlier this week, pilots union spokesman Capt. Dennis Tajer said his colleagues who were furloughed in October last year won't be flying again until August because they have to redo their training after so long out of the skies.

'It's surreal. This time last year we were canceling flights because there weren't enough passengers. Now we're canceling flights because there aren't enough pilots,' Tajer told DailyMail.com.

American contested that claim as incorrect, and said that it has ramped up staffing quickly to meet the surge in demand for summer travel, insisting that all recalled pilots would be ready to fly by June.

Though American and other U.S. airlines were supposed to be barred from furloughing workers during the pandemic as a condition of billions they received in federal aid to help cover payrolls, American moved to cut staff after the aid lapsed last October.

The aid was reinstated in late December, and overall America took about $9.5 billion in federal Payroll Support Program funding.

American also encouraged thousands of workers to quit or retire, and now finds itself with a smaller staff as travel demand approaches pre-pandemic levels.

Leisure travel is picking up as more Americans get vaccinated against COVID-19 and states continue to ease travel restrictions

A spokeswoman said American is making the most cuts on routes where it has multiple flights to provide backup options for rebooking passengers on other planes.

Leisure travel is picking up as more Americans get vaccinated against COVID-19 and states continue to ease travel restrictions.

More than 2 million travelers passed through airport security checkpoints Sunday and again Monday, with Sundays crowds marking the highest number in 15 months, although still below 2019 levels.

American said it has employees on reserve, but bad weather at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina can cause crews to exceed federal limits on how long they can work.

She said the airline is also affected by labor shortages at vendors that provide catering drivers and people who push wheelchairs.

The cutbacks come after American moved aggressively to restore service that was cut during the pandemic.

Recent TSA numbers show how travel is rebounding in 2021 as more Americans get vaccinated

American had scheduled around 5,800 flights a day through July, about 87 percent of its schedule for the same period in 2019, according to data from aviation researcher Cirium.

'Our focus this summer  and always  is on delivering for our customers no matter the circumstance,' the American spokeswoman told DailyMail.com of the flight cuts.

'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 airline industrys difficulties this month havent been limited to American, which is based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Last week, technology problems caused Dallas-based Southwest Airlines to delay several thousand flights and cancel hundreds more.

More than 400 Southwest flights were running behind on Tuesday, according to FlightAware.
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Fully vaccinated Britons could enjoy quarantine-free holidays from as early as July 19, the Mail can reveal today.

Senior ministers are pressing Boris Johnson to sanction a big bang reopening with travel curbs eased at the same time as restrictions are lifted at home.

Formal advice against trips to amber list countries would be dropped under the plans  opening up summer breaks in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and the United States.

Children would also be able to avoid quarantine if travelling with their parents.

The Mail can also reveal that Government scientists have approved Spains Balearic Islands for green list status. This means quarantine restrictions for travellers there could be lifted even sooner, provided ministers agree the change when they meet tomorrow.

A Cabinet source told the Mail there was clear evidence vaccinations were working.

Its all over, even if not everyone in Government has realised it yet, the source said. The link between cases and deaths is broken. We know that double jabs work to protect people so why delay the resumption of international travel? There is no reason not to go ahead now  every day counts.

Tomorrows ministerial meeting on foreign travel is expected to be followed by a further session on Monday. Ministers are expected to sign off the plans to allow the double jabbed to travel to amber list countries without the need for quarantine on return.

Downing Street is targeting August for the change. But ministers including Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are pushing for curbs on international travel to be lifted from July 19. This would allow families and the battered travel sector to make the most of the summer.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is said to be sympathetic to the move because of the effectiveness of Covid jabs and yesterday he confirmed that ministers were working on plans for quarantine-free travel.

However the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove are said still to be cautious.

The World Travel & Tourism Council wrote to Mr Johnson yesterday to say that maintaining restrictions on the sector through July would cost the UK 639million a day.

Its warning came as:

Ministers agreed with Uefa a deal that will see 60,000 fans pack Wembley for the final of the Euros, in the biggest trial of Covid passports to date;

The Prime Minister faced renewed pressure to bring forward Freedom Day to July 5, as Covid data continued to improve;

Nicola Sturgeon warned that Covid restrictions could remain in place in Scotland until August 9;

The head of a government taskforce on the future of work suggested Britain could move towards a four-day week;

Matt Hancock said Britain was on track to reopen on July 15 following encouraging data on hospitalisations and deaths;

Daily cases rose to 11,625, the highest figure since mid-February, but deaths are averaging just 13 per day.

Fully vaccinated Britons could enjoy quarantine-free holidays from as early as July 19, the Mail can reveal today. Pictured: People sunbathe on the beach on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, as a flow of migrants arriving on the Mediterranean island, in Lampedusa, Italy, June 22

Senior ministers are pressing Boris Johnson (pictured during his visit to a Covid-19 vaccination centre temporarily set up at StoneX Stadium, home of English rugby union club Saracens, in north London, on June 21, 2021) to sanction a big bang reopening with travel curbs eased at the same time as restrictions are lifted at home

The PC Agency travel consultancy has suggested that 14 countries currently on Britain's amber list could be moved to green. Separately, there are also suggestions that the bottom two countries, France and Greece, could also make it onto the list

Mr Hancock said the Government was being cautious about international travel in order to protect the progress made at home. But he added: Having said that, the whole point of the vaccine programme is to be able to remove restrictions, and for people to be able to be kept safe by the vaccine, rather than by these rules.

Huw Merriman, Tory chairman of the Commons transport committee, welcomed plans to lift quarantine requirements for the fully vaccinated, but said they should be brought in immediately.

Theres no reason to hold back or delay until August, he said. The vaccine is effective and the NHS app provides proof for the millions who have received it. The industry has been working for months to make this vaccine dividend operational.

We now look to the Government to give the green light and let the industry crack on with making it work.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of travel giant Tui, warned that many companies were perilously close to failing, adding that every week that goes by just pushes those people closer to that very sad outcome. The Business Travel Association said that, up to mid-June, GDP had taken a 3.18billion hit from the decline of business travel in the pandemic.

The World Travel & Tourism Council warned up to 218,000 UK jobs could be lost if no action was taken. This is in addition to the 307,000 travel-related posts lost last year.

A Government source said August was the most likely start date for the new travel system. The source said that although people can already prove vaccine status with the NHS app, it would take time to implement the change.

Quarantine free holidays to Ibiza and Mallorca could resume within days after Government scientists advised that they can be moved to the travel green list.

It comes as a welcome small relief for the travel industry  with tourism chiefs warning they face their darkest hour.

Industry leaders have pleaded with ministers to lift Covid travel curbs to save them from going bust this summer.

Ministers will meet tomorrow to decide which  if any  countries should be added to the tiny list of destinations where foreign holidays are currently permitted.

But the Mail can reveal that official scientists have advised ministers that the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain are now safe to be given green status.

Quarantine free holidays to Ibiza and Mallorca could resume within days after Government scientists advised that they can be moved to the travel green list. Pictured: Menorca

If agreed, British holidaymakers could travel to Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera without the need to quarantine on return. Malta, which was approved by scientists but controversially rejected by ministers last month, is also expected to be added.

They would be the first mainstream holiday destinations on the list since the controversial removal of Portugal last month.

However, mainland Spain will remain on the amber list, meaning that travel is advised against, and quarantine is required on return.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of the UKs largest travel association Abta, led calls yesterday for restrictions to be eased amid the success of the vaccine rollout. He warned the wolves are at the door for thousands of businesses.

Opening the Travel Matters conference of industry bosses, organised by Abta, Mr Tanzer said: They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn. This dawn has been a long time coming, and we desperately need to see day breaking soon.

And yet at our hour of greatest need the Government seems intent on looking away. Were desperate. We have members on the point of failure, of losing their businesses, in some cases their homes.

Hundreds of industry bosses and employees will descend on Parliament Square today as part of a Travel Day of Action in protest at the Governments handling of the issue.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: It is now or never for the Government to reopen travel and save what is remaining of the summer season  not just for families desperate to get away but the tens of thousands of jobs which rely upon this once thriving sector.

Ministers will also consider on Thursday whether quarantine rules for double-jabbed holidaymakers from medium-risk amber nations should be dropped. As it stands, all amber arrivals must quarantine for at least five days regardless of whether they have been jabbed.

Mr Tanzer said his organisation was considering legal action against the Government over its traffic light system. He accused ministers of failing to share the data upon which the decisions are made.

Mr Tanzer added: Outbound travel is the sort of naughty child of everyone... thats a bias we have to overcome.

Industry leaders have pleaded with ministers to lift Covid travel curbs to save them from going bust this summer. Ministers will meet tomorrow to decide which  if any  countries should be added to the tiny list of destinations where foreign holidays are currently permitted. Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Meanwhile, Tui announced it was joining Virgin Atlantic and British Airways parent company IAG in supporting legal action already launched against the Government.

The UKs largest tour operator said the three firms have become interested parties in a challenge launched by Ryanair and Manchester Airports Group last week. The legal bid is an attempt to force ministers into being more transparent over how countries are ranked green, amber and red.

Tuis Europe boss, Andrew Flintham, called some decisions inexplicable and said the action was a last resort as weve reached the end of our tether.

He added: We have the worlds best vaccination programme, maybe bar Israel, yet we have one of the worlds most restrictive travel programmes, maybe bar Australia.

Both the US and European Union are allowing fully vaccinated citizens to sidestep testing or quarantine measures for holidays.

Huw Merriman MP, Tory chairman of the Commons transport committee, told delegates that the Governments travel policy had been shambolic.

He said: Its been the sector that really has become the poster child for having been treated the most miserably in terms of the rules, restrictions and support from the Government.

A Government spokesman said: We recognise the challenging times facing all sectors of transport as a result of Covid-19, which is why we put in place an economy-wide support package.

Antibody positive levels are highest among older age groups who have had two doses but rising fast in younger adults, too. In those who were first to get vaccinated the rate of immunity has flattened off at over 99 per cent, showing almost everyone has at least some protection against the virus

HAS BRITAIN'S THIRD WAVE ALREADY PEAKED? Britain is recording nearly 10,000 daily infections now compared to 2,000 in late April when the 'Delta' variant was first seeded in the country. But the speed at which cases are increasing every week has slowed to nearly 30 per cent, down from 65 per cent earlier this month, suggesting the outbreak had peaked by the first week of June

Nicola's never-ending lockdown? Sturgeon delays Scotland's 'Level 0' Freedom Day until July 19 with social distancing, masks and WFH until AUTUMN Nicola Sturgeon raised the prospect of some Scottish Covid restrictions remaining in place into the autumn today as she postponed ending the country's lockdown by three weeks. The First Minister brought her country into line with England by pushing the country's downgrading to Level Zero back to July 19 because of the spread of the Indian variant. She pledged to scrap all laws covering Covid restrictions by August 9 - but admitted that Scots might well be asked to voluntarily continue social distancing and wear masks in some situations after that date. Scotland was meant to have its own relative Freedom Day on June 28, but rates of infection, particularly across the most populous central belt, led to today's announcement. Ms Sturgeon told Holyrood that life would feel 'much, much less restrictive' after August 9. She also pledged to 'encourage support' for continued home working after workplaces are fully able to reopen. The setting of these dates is likely to raise pressure on Boris Johnson to set out what measures might remain in place after England's Freedom Day on July 19. Advertisement

Other promising data today revealed the country has moved one step closer to herd immunity, with nearly nine in 10 adults now having antibodies against Covid.

The major Office for National Statistics (ONS) blood testing survey highlighted the success of the UK's mammoth vaccination campaign, which is now open to every adult in all four home nations. Almost 60 per cent of over-18s (31.5million) are now fully jabbed.

But only 60,000 jabs were recorded as being dished out yesterday because of an 'IT issue' affecting England. The problem resulted in clinicians having to log who received their vaccine with pen and paper.

Britain is recording nearly 10,000 daily infections now compared to 2,000 in late April when the 'Delta' variant was first seeded in the country.

But the speed at which cases are increasing every week has slowed to around 35 per cent, down from 65 per cent earlier this month.

Just 1,290 people are currently being treated in hospital for Covid now, compared to nearly 40,000 at the peak of the second wave. The current figure is significantly better than even the best case scenarios modelled by some scientific groups within SAGE.

Weekly coronavirus deaths are also continuing to fall. A Office for National Statistics' weekly report today found that there were 84 deaths registered across England and Wales in the past seven days, the lowest figure recorded since September last year.

The same set of statistics also showed Covid accounted for just 0.8 per cent of all deaths recorded across the two countries in the most recent week  with flu and pneumonia now killing 10 times as many patients as coronavirus.

And analysis of the data by MailOnline revealed more than a third of all 300-plus councils across the two nations have not suffered a Covid fatality since April.

Britain's impressive vaccination programme is the driving force behind the surging numbers of people who are showing signs of immunity and the low hospitalisation figures.

Across the whole of the UK, 43.1million people have had at least one dose of a jab.

The UK was expected to hit another milestone in the roll-out today, with ministers hoping to pass figure of 60 per cent of adults fully vaccinated.

But an IT system crash on Monday afternoon has caused a delay to the daily vaccination numbers, according to NHS England.

The issue resulted in clinicians being unable to log who had received their jab via the usual digital method, and instead had to record it with pen and paper.

Now the system is back up and running the data needs to be manually entered, which will be time consuming given that several hundred thousand doses are being administered each day.

'Following the IT issue that was reported to the NHS yesterday (21 June), the daily Covid statistics will be updated tomorrow, while vaccinations recorded yesterday are updated to the digital system,' the NHS England website said.

'The issue is now resolved and there has been no impact on vaccinations taking place.'

People were still urged to get their jab if they had a booking, as it would cause no difference to the service. The problem was also an isolated incident, meaning the public could still access the booking site as normal.

On top of the vaccine effect, there are also positive signs that the new Delta variant can be controlled without lockdowns. Hotspots Bolton and Blackburn managed to get cases under control with extra testing and contact tracing.

This appears to have given No10 confidence it can push ahead with its July 19 planned unlocking, despite the Indian variant now accounting for almost every new infection.

Mr Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: 'We are seeing that growth in case rates is slowing. Thankfully the number of hospitalisations, while rising, is not rising very quickly and thankfully even more is that the number of people dying from Covid remains very, very low.'

He added: 'So I'd say we're on track for the opening on the 19th of July, and we will watch vigilantly and we'll look at the data in particular at the start of next week.

'But I'd say the data has since, over last week or so, been encouraging, and especially looking at the number of people who are dying, that is staying very, very low and shows the vaccines are working and getting us out of this.'

Today's ONS antibody report was based on random blood tests of around 18,000 adults across the UK between June 7 and June 10.

It showed that all the age groups over 34 in England had antibodies were estimated to have 90 per cent of people with antibodies, which independent scientists described as 'remarkable'.

Overall, 86.6 per cent of the results in England were positive, with rates mostly even between regions. Wales had the highest proportion of positive tests at 88.7 per cent, but its results were based on just 654 samples.
Brexit will help us to bounce back from the pandemic, Boris Johnson has vowed in a statement to mark the five-year anniversary of our vote to leave the EU.

The Prime Minister pledged to 'seize the true potential of our regained sovereignty' to 'unite and level up' the UK.

The referendum saw 52 per cent vote to Leave, prompting the resignation of Remain-backing prime minister David Cameron.

The wrangling that followed brought down his successor, Theresa May.

Brexit will help us to bounce back from the pandemic, Boris Johnson has vowed in a statement to mark the five-year anniversary of our vote to leave the EU

But Mr Johnson's offer of an 'oven-ready' deal helped him to secure an 80-seat majority in the 2019 election.

Marking the occasion that began his journey to No 10, he said: 'Five years ago the British people made the momentous decision to leave the European Union and take back control of our destiny.

'We've already reclaimed our money, laws, borders and waters.

'We've installed a new points-based system for immigration, delivered the fastest vaccine rollout anywhere in Europe, negotiated trade deals with the EU and 68 other countries  including our first post-Brexit free trade agreement with Australia  and we've just begun negotiations to join the 9trillion Pacific trade area.

The referendum saw 52 per cent vote to Leave, prompting the resignation of Remain-backing prime minister David Cameron

'Now, as we recover from this pandemic, we will seize the true potential of our regained sovereignty to unite and level up our whole United Kingdom.

'With control over our regulations and subsidies... we will spur innovation, jobs and renewal across every part of our country.

'The decision to leave the EU may now be part of our history, but our clear mission is to utilise the freedoms it brings to shape a better future for our people.'

Not everyone marked the anniversary with such warm words.

The pro-European Tory grandee Lord Heseltine claimed the outlook for Britain was 'ominous', with the Northern Ireland peace process under real threat.

'As we attempt to recover from the worst financial crisis for 300 years, the reality of Brexit is starting to hit home,' he said.
Thousands of asylum-seekers whose claims were dismissed or denied under a Trump administration policy that forced them to wait in Mexico for their court hearings will be allowed to return for another chance at humanitarian protection, the Homeland Security Department said Tuesday.

Registration begins Wednesday for asylum-seekers who were subject to the 'Remain in Mexico' policy and either had their cases dismissed or denied for failing to appear in court, The Associated Press reported.

Under that criteria, it is unclear how many people will be eligible to be released into the United States pending a decision on their cases, according to a senior Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made public.

Thousands of asylum-seekers whose claims were dismissed or denied under a Trump administration policy that forced them to wait in Mexico for their court hearings will be allowed to return for another chance at humanitarian protection, the Homeland Security Department said Tuesday. A child is seen in a tent in Reynosa, Mexico, earlier this month

But Michele Klein Solomon, the International Organization for Migrations director for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, told the AP that she expected at least 10,000.

Her organization is working closely with the administration to bring people to the border and ensure they test negative for COVID-19 before being allowed in the country.

The estimate seems low. There are nearly 7,000 asylum-seekers whose cases were dismissed - the vast majority in San Diego - and more than 32,000 whose cases were denied, mostly in Texas, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

It is unknown how many cases were denied for failure to appear in court.

Registration begins Wednesday for asylum-seekers who were subject to the 'Remain in Mexico' policy and either had their cases dismissed or denied for failing to appear in court

Many are believed to have left the Mexican border region, thinking their cases were finished, raising the possibility that they will make the dangerous trek to return.

The official said the administration is aware of those dangers and considering bringing people to the United States, as it is doing to reunite families that remain separated years after Trump's 'zero tolerance' policy on illegal crossings.

The move is another significant effort at redress for Trump policies that Biden administration officials and their allies say were cruel and inhumane and defenders say were extremely effective at discouraging asylum-seekers from coming to the U.S.

Biden halted the policy his first day in office and soon allowed an estimated 26,000 asylum-seekers with active cases to return to the United States while their cases play out, a process that can take years in a court system backlogged with more than 1.3 million cases.

More than 12,300 people with active cases have been admitted to the U.S. since February, while others who have registered but not yet entered the country bring the count to about 17,000.

That still leaves out tens of thousands of asylum-seekers whose claims were denied or dismissed under the policy, known officially as 'Migrant Protection Protocols.'

Advocates have been pressing for months for them to get another chance, but the administration has been silent, leaving them in legal limbo.

Migrant children are being kept in Biden's border camps for up to 60 DAYS, are 'sad every day' and have limited access to showers and cooked meals, lawsuit claim

Migrant children housed in U.S. pop-up shelters reported overcrowding and long stay times, spoiled or undercooked food and lack of access to showers or clean clothes, according to testimonials filed in court Monday.

Seventeen minor migrants shared accounts with lawyers of their time in emergency shelters after crossing into the U.S. unaccompanied by adults. Some reported depression while others described trouble sleeping with round-the-clock bright lights.

A 13-year-old girl from Honduras wrote that she was placed on the suicide watch list at a shelter in El Paso, Texas set up at Fort Bliss. As of June 4, the girl spent nearly two months at the facility after being separated from her father when crossing a river into the U.S.

'The food here is horrible,' she wrote. 'Yesterday we were given hamburgers but I couldn't eat it because there was a foul odor coming from the bread.'

'I really only eat popsicles and juice because that is the only food that I can trust.'

Migrant children in emergency holding facilities, including a massive one at Fort Bliss in Texas, detailed deplorable living conditions including spoiled or undercooked food in testimonials as part of a court filing Monday

Demonstrators outside Fort Bliss on June 8 demand the children be let out of the facilities as more details emerge of long stay times  sometimes exceeding several months  and limited communication with family

The shocking declarations come as hundreds of illegal crossers continue to flow over the southern border from Mexico. Here migrants board a bus oJune 21 to be taken to a processing facility after crossing the Rio Grande into the U.S.

In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 180,034 illegal crossers at the southern border, the most of any month so far

Joe Biden's administration promised in March that migrant families won't spend more than 72 hours in U.S. facilities, but unaccompanied minors, on the other hand, shared declarations of months inside emergency shelters in deplorable conditions.

Several claim they have been at the shelters for 60 days or longer.

Lawyers were given access to speak with children in these facilities as they monitor government compliance with the Flores Settlement  a 1997 agreement governing conditions for which detained immigrant children can be kept.

The team of attorneys have interviewed children and conducted site visits at the emergency shelters, which were originally intended for short stays.

'Every day, I feel really sad. I keep seeing other kids leave,' a 16-year-old from Guatemala being housed at a facility in Pecos, Texas said in a declaration filed Monday.

She has been at the site for 62 days waiting for reunification with her uncle in Maryland.

'There are some other kids who have been here for about the same time as me, and there is just a lot of sadness among us,' she said in a testimonial on her time in an emergency facility.
Quarantine free holidays to Ibiza and Mallorca could resume within days after Government scientists advised that they can be moved to the travel green list. Pictured: Menorca

Quarantine free holidays to Ibiza and Mallorca could resume within days after Government scientists advised that they can be moved to the travel green list.

It comes as a welcome small relief for the travel industry  with tourism chiefs warning they face their darkest hour.

Industry leaders have pleaded with ministers to lift Covid travel curbs to save them from going bust this summer.

Ministers will meet tomorrow to decide which  if any  countries should be added to the tiny list of destinations where foreign holidays are currently permitted.

But the Mail can reveal that official scientists have advised ministers that the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain are now safe to be given green status.

If agreed, British holidaymakers could travel to Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera without the need to quarantine on return. Malta, which was approved by scientists but controversially rejected by ministers last month, is also expected to be added.

They would be the first mainstream holiday destinations on the list since the controversial removal of Portugal last month.

However, mainland Spain will remain on the amber list, meaning that travel is advised against, and quarantine is required on return.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of the UKs largest travel association Abta, led calls yesterday for restrictions to be eased amid the success of the vaccine rollout. He warned the wolves are at the door for thousands of businesses.

Opening the Travel Matters conference of industry bosses, organised by Abta, Mr Tanzer said: They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn. This dawn has been a long time coming, and we desperately need to see day breaking soon.

And yet at our hour of greatest need the Government seems intent on looking away. Were desperate. We have members on the point of failure, of losing their businesses, in some cases their homes.

Hundreds of industry bosses and employees will descend on Parliament Square today as part of a Travel Day of Action in protest at the Governments handling of the issue.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: It is now or never for the Government to reopen travel and save what is remaining of the summer season  not just for families desperate to get away but the tens of thousands of jobs which rely upon this once thriving sector.

Ministers will also consider on Thursday whether quarantine rules for double-jabbed holidaymakers from medium-risk amber nations should be dropped. As it stands, all amber arrivals must quarantine for at least five days regardless of whether they have been jabbed.

Mr Tanzer said his organisation was considering legal action against the Government over its traffic light system. He accused ministers of failing to share the data upon which the decisions are made.

Mr Tanzer added: Outbound travel is the sort of naughty child of everyone... thats a bias we have to overcome.

Meanwhile, Tui announced it was joining Virgin Atlantic and British Airways parent company IAG in supporting legal action already launched against the Government.

Industry leaders have pleaded with ministers to lift Covid travel curbs to save them from going bust this summer. Ministers will meet tomorrow to decide which  if any  countries should be added to the tiny list of destinations where foreign holidays are currently permitted. Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson

The UKs largest tour operator said the three firms have become interested parties in a challenge launched by Ryanair and Manchester Airports Group last week. The legal bid is an attempt to force ministers into being more transparent over how countries are ranked green, amber and red.

Tuis Europe boss, Andrew Flintham, called some decisions inexplicable and said the action was a last resort as weve reached the end of our tether.

He added: We have the worlds best vaccination programme, maybe bar Israel, yet we have one of the worlds most restrictive travel programmes, maybe bar Australia.

Both the US and European Union are allowing fully vaccinated citizens to sidestep testing or quarantine measures for holidays.

Huw Merriman MP, Tory chairman of the Commons transport committee, told delegates that the Governments travel policy had been shambolic.

He said: Its been the sector that really has become the poster child for having been treated the most miserably in terms of the rules, restrictions and support from the Government.

A Government spokesman said: We recognise the challenging times facing all sectors of transport as a result of Covid-19, which is why we put in place an economy-wide support package.
A Texas grand jury declined to indict eight jail workers for the death of a black man who was strapped down to a bed and pepper sprayed while wearing a spit hood.

Marvin Scott, 26, was arrested in Collin County on March 14 on a drug-possession charge and started exhibiting 'strange behavior' while he was in police custody, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Scott became unresponsive and was taken to a local hospital where he died after jail workers strapped him to a restraint bed then pepper sprayed him and put him in a spit hood. His death was ruled a homicide in April.

The grand jury declined to indict the eight jail workers who were involved on a number of charges, the Collin County District Attorney's Office said in a press release.

However, the grand jury also released a rare public statement addressing the death and calling for a review of Scott's death and how people with mental illness are treated in the criminal justice system.

Marvin Scott, 26, was arrested in Collin County on March 14 on a drug-possession charge and started exhibiting 'strange behavior' and died while he was in police custody

A Texas grand jury declined to indict eight jail workers for the death of Scott - a black man who was strapped down to a bed and pepper sprayed while wearing a spit hood

The grand jury wrote it hopes Scott's death 'will not be in vain' and recommended that 'a work group be convened' to address how people with mental illness are treated in the criminal justice system

'We, the Grand Jury of Collin County, Texas, wish to make a statement and give our recommendations regarding the in-custody death of Marvin Scott III,' the grand jury wrote in its statement.

'After careful consideration of the applicable law and all the relevant facts, we find that no probable cause exists to charge any person with a criminal offense related to the death of Mr. Scott. Accordingly, we have issued a no-bill for each of the eight detention officers involved.'

The grand jury statement continued: 'This case was a tragedy foremost for Mr. Scott and his family, but also for his friends and our entire community. We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Mr. Scott for the terrible loss you have suffered. We hope you can someday find peace.'

The grand jury wrote it hopes Scott's death 'will not be in vain' and recommended that 'a work group be convened as soon as practicable to study the events of March 14th for lessons learned in an effort to avoid any similar future tragedy.'

'We recommend that this work group consist of a diverse group of Collin County community leaders, criminal justice and law enforcement stakeholders, local hospitals, and mental health providers,' the grand jury wrote.

'The goal of this work group should be finding the best solutions for the treatment of individuals with mental illness who come in contact with the criminal justice system.'

The grand jury then addressed citizens of Collin County and asked them to 'respect' each other and their opinions and wrote: 'We hope and vigils, demonstrations, or protests remain peaceful.'

The grand jury reviewed evidence including video of Scott's death and witness testimony before determining that the jail workers would not face criminal charges, officials said.

It was not immediately clear if the Collin County Sheriff's Office would be releasing the footage now that the grand jury has declined to indict the jail workers.

The jail workers who had faced possible criminal charges included: Andres Cardenas, Alec Difatta, Blaise Mikulewicz, Rafael Paradez, Justin Patrick, James Schoelen, Christopher Windsor and Austin Wong.

The grand jury released a rare public statement addressing the death and calling for a review of Scott's death and how people with mental illness are treated in the criminal justice system

Lee Merritt, the attorney representing Scott's family, responded to the grand jury announcement on Twitter on Tuesday

In the press release, District Attorney Greg Willis declared he would be taking the lead in forming the mental health work group requested by the grand jury.

'I too share the Grand Jury's concern for the treatment of individuals suffering from mental illness, and I pledge to honor Mr. Scott by taking the lead in assembling the work group to look for lessons learned so that his tragic in-custody death will not have been in vain,' Willis said.

He added: 'I know there are members of our community who have strong feelings about this case and the Grand Jury's decision. To everyone in Collin County, I say please be respectful to each other's dignity, and please be respectful of our laws. We all have a God-given right to peaceably assemble and be heard, but remember that our laws must be followed and they will be enforced.'

Lee Merritt, the attorney representing Scott's family, responded to the grand jury announcement on Twitter on Tuesday.

'Marvin Scott's family is extremely disappointed the GJ failed to bring charges in this case,' Merritt wrote. 'The evidence (unreleased video, spit-hood, OC spray, policy violations & a ME conclusion of homicide, provides more than sufficient probable cause for indictments.'

He added that the Scott family 'looks forward' to a review by a federal grand jury for possible violations of federal law.

'The failure of prosecutors to secure indictments in this matter reflects a trend in Texas of undervaluing the lives of African American's suffering mental health crisis,' Merritt wrote.

Scott's death came nine months after the murder of George Floyd and sparked aa wave of protests in North Texas.

Scott, who Merritt said suffered from schizophrenia, was arrested on a drug-possession charge when officers claimed they found him sitting next to a small amount of marijuana at an outlet mall, the Allen Premium Outlets.

Collin County medical examiner Dr. William Rohr had ruled his death a homicide and declared in a preliminary autopsy report that Scott had died from a 'fatal acute stress response in an individual with previously diagnosed schizophrenia during restraint struggle with law enforcement,' The Dallas Morning News reported.

Seven jailers were fired after an internal investigation and an eighth resigned, though one of them has successfully appealed the decision, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Joe Biden on Tuesday night accused Republicans of supporting 'a Jim Crow era in the 21st Century' after every single Republican in the Senate voted against an electoral overhaul bill.

In a Senate test vote on Tuesday, Democrats failed to get the For The People Act through. Republicans had said it was a federal takeover of voting.

The vote was straight down the middle by party line - 50 Democrats for and 50 Republicans against.

'A Democratic stand to protect our democracy met a solid Republican wall of opposition,' Biden said.

'Senate Republicans opposed even a debate  even considering  legislation to protect the right to vote and our democracy.'

Joe Biden, seen on Tuesday in the White House, insisted that the fight for the For The People Act - which he said was designed to end voter suppression - was just beginning. Republicans refused to even discuss the bill

He described their vote as 'the suppression of a bill to end voter suppression  another attack on voting rights that is sadly not unprecedented.'

Republicans labelled the bill a 'power grab' and a bid to orchestrate the 'federal takeover of elections'.

But Biden told them the fight was just beginning.

'The creed We Shall Overcome is a longtime mainstay of the Civil Rights Movement,' he said in a statement.

'By coming together, Democrats took the next step forward in this continuous struggle  not just on Capitol Hill, but across the country  and a step forward to honor all those who came before us, people of all races and ages, who sacrificed and died to protect this sacred right.

'This fight is far from over  far from over.

'Ive been engaged in this work my whole career, and we are going to be ramping up our efforts to overcome again  for the people, for our very democracy.'

Kamala Harris, his vice president, had earlier insisted: 'The fight is not over.'

Harris, immediately after the Republican block, insisted that the fight was not over

She said: 'It is clear, certainly for the American people, that when we talk about the right to vote it is not a Republican concern or a Democratic concern - it is an American concern.

'This is about the American people's right to vote, unfettered. It is about their access to the right to vote, in a meaningful way.

'The issue here is: is there actually access to the voting process, or is that being impeded.'

She said that she and Biden had been 'very clear' that they back the bill.

All 50 Democrats voted in favor, including key swings Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. And all 50 Republicans voted against beginning debate on a revised 'For the People Act.'

'Today every single Democratic senator stood together in the fight to protect the right to vote in America,' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the vote, also vowing to explore 'every last one of our options.'

'Voter suppression has become part of the official platform of the Republican Party', he added, and attacked Donald Trump's 'big lie' on election fraud.

Harris, on the Hill to make another tie-breaking vote, stayed on the Capitol and chaired the debate and vote.

She has been tasked by Biden to lead the administration's voting rights push.

Tuesday's result was a foregone conclusion with party leaders digging in on the legislation that would have been the basis of the sweeping voting reforms.

It was a bid to counteract Republican voter overhaul bills across the country that Biden has compared to Jim Crow-era laws.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized the proposal, calling it a 'transparently partisan' effort that shows the left's 'disdain' for Americans.

'Many Democrats would pass [H.R.1] with the slimmest possible majority, even after its companion faced bipartisan opposition over in the House,' McConnell said from the Senate floor Tuesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris, on the Hill to make another tie-breaking vote, stuck around and chaired the debate and vote

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said voting rights legislation was needed thanks to the 'big lie' that was pushed by former President Donald Trump

The vote to begin debate on voting rights legislation was split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. Sixty votes were needed to break a GOP-led filibuster

'What a craven political calculation. What a way to show your disdain for the American people's choices,' the Kentucky Republican added.

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham called it 'the biggest power-grab in modern American history.'

For two days straight, Schumer used the coming vote as a way to bash former President Donald Trump.

'Donald Trump, fresh off a resounding loss in the 2020 presidential election, cried foul and lied  lied  that the election was stolen from him, like a petulant child,' the New York Democrat said.

'There is a rot at the center of the modern Republican Party,' he continued. 'Donald Trump's big lie has spread like a cancer and threatens to envelop one of America's major political parties.'

'Even worse, it has poisoned our democracy, eroded faith in our elections, which is so detrimental to the future faith people need to have in our democracy,' Schumer said.

'And of course, it became the match that lit a wildfire of Republican voter suppression laws sweeping across the country. Because of one man's lie, Republicans are now doing the dastardly act of taking away voting from millions of Americans, making it much harder for them to vote, and many, many will not.'

He repeated the sentiment on Twitter and added: 'Republicans claim they're making it easier to vote and harder to cheat in an election. But in reality, they are making it harder to vote and easier to steal an election.'

Without filibuster reform, Democrats need 10 Republicans to defect in order to get legislation passed in the U.S. Senate.

Sixty votes are needed in the Senate to override a filibuster.

On Tuesday morning, after a Monday meeting with Biden, Sinema announced she was against getting rid of it.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (left) has been working on a proposal that could get GOP support and voted in favor of starting debate on a voting rights package, something that President Joe Biden (right) backs

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said from the Senate floor Tuesday that Democrats' voting rights bill is 'transparently partisan' and shows the left's 'disdain' for Americans

'My support for retaining the 60-vote threshold is not based on the importance of any particular policy. It is based on what is best for our democracy,' Sinema wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post.

'The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings between opposing policy poles.'

Sinema urged her colleagues to see that if the filibuster is revoked, it could be used against them in the future when Republicans once again hold a majority in the Senate.

But Sinema expressed that she was against using the filibuster on an early procedural vote, like the one senators took Tuesday, to merely open debate.

She welcomed full debate on the voting bill 'so senators and our constituents can hear and fully consider the concerns and consequences.'

Manchin, who previously said he was against H.R. 1, the House-passed voting rights bill, voted yes to start debate on an amended version he's been working on.

Manchin suggested making voter registration automatic, setting Election Day as a holiday, requiring at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections and reducing partisan gerrymandering.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would continue to push for voting rights legislation even if a test vote fails in the Senate Tuesday. She also said Manchin's compromise idea was a 'step forward'

But he also said voter ID regulations should be stricter  a measure most of his Democratic colleagues oppose, though some prominent voting rights activists have softened on.

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.

'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 said 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.

A White House official said that during the meeting on Monday, Biden 'expressed his sincere appreciation for Senator Manchin's efforts to achieve reform.'

'The President conveyed that he sees voting rights as one of the most urgent issues facing our nation during his administration, and made it clear how important he thinks it is that the Senate find a path forward on this issue,' the official continued, in a statement on the meeting between the two.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Manchin's proposal a 'step forward' 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,' she added.

'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.
A picture of Diana's two sons, which was in her handbag, was placed in her hands

Now, it is late afternoon. The corridor outside Diana's room has been secured. Aside from the police guards, there is a permanent presence of just Colin Tebbutt, the Consul-General, the nursing sister, Paul Burrell and the priest.

The priest, Father Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet, recalls that he could tell that butler Burrell was genuinely devastated by Diana's death, unlike some of the 'hypocritical' officials who had paid their respects. 'He felt the need to tell me how much she meant to him.'

But then 'suddenly down the corridor comes this tall man and his wife and they just walked into Diana's room with the policeman saluting,' recalls Tebbutt.

'I'm like, 'What the hell's happening now?' I went to call him back when I suddenly realised it was President and Mrs Chirac [again]. Mr Chirac bowed at the end of the bed and walked out. After that, we sat in the office and waited. They knew that the VIP party from Britain was close.

Devoted: The Princess of Wales with Prince Harry and William in 1995. A picture of Diana's two sons, which was in her handbag, was placed in her hands following her death

'I knew little about the Royal Family tree,' recalls the priest to the Mail. 'I knew Diana's husband was called Charles . . . I had no idea that the whole world would be talking about this for years to come.' He is bemused by the deferential anticipation of his British companions.

'The people of the embassy warned me an hour before he arrived that Charles was coming. We French and English are different. They were asking me if I felt OK, was I prepared in order to meet His Royal Highness [their attitude]? It was absolutely as if Christ Himself was about to descend [on us].'

First to arrive are the royal undertakers' party. 'The coffin was carried shoulder-high by these four big guys accompanied by Mr Leverton himself, all in morning suits, marching down the corridor as if it were a military parade,' recalls Tebbutt. 'I told Mr Leverton that the French undertakers had been and hoped that everything was OK. And he went in and looked at her and came out and said: 'Mr Tebbutt, they've done a fine job, thank you,' which was a huge relief to me.'

Now Prince Charles arrives, accompanied by Diana's sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes. President Chirac is at the hospital entrance with a 12-strong guard of honour.

'I had known [the Prince] since 1978. He said to me, 'Colin, thank you very much for coming,' ' says Tebbutt. 'I explained to him what had been happening and he asked, 'Are there any members of the clergy here?' I said there were and he replied, 'I would like to go into the [Diana's] room with the clergy and her sisters. Is that alright?' I said, 'By all means, Sir.' '

An Anglican clergyman is also on hand, at last. 'He arrived five minutes before Charles,' recalls Father Clochard-Bossuet. 'A nice man named Martin Draper (the serving Anglican Archdeacon of France). And it was he who told Prince Charles, 'This is the Catholic priest who has been watching over Diana for ten hours.'

'And Prince Charles was very amiable, very simple, very nice. He thanked me and invited me to come and pray with them. And so there was a prayer, the Anglican prayer for the dead, with Prince Charles, the two sisters, maybe a nurse, and the two priests, me and the Anglican. There was no one else in the room.'

The prayers last a quarter of an hour. The priest notices that Diana's appearance has changed since he last saw her. Diana has been prepared and dressed in Lady Jay's outfit. 'They had put on eye-shadow and make-up,' he recalls. 'She didn't have the naturalness she had before. She looked like a doll, whereas before she was just a very beautiful woman.'

A picture of Diana's two sons, which was in her handbag, has been placed in her hands together with rosary beads given to her by Mother Teresa. She is wearing the jewellery that has been recovered from the Mercedes, although one earring is missing. (It will be recovered from the wreckage.)

Afterwards, 'Charles thanked me,' recalls the priest. 'He was very, very moved. Yes, I saw tears.'

Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet, pictured above. The catholic priest was the chaplain at the hospital where Princess Diana died

'But [when the royal party was praying in the room] someone from Charles's entourage, a gentleman who I didn't know, asked me, 'How are you getting back then?' Tebbutt recalls.

'And I said, 'I haven't given it a thought, Sir. I haven't got a shilling in my pocket.' And he said, 'Well, you won't be going on the royal plane, of course.' And I thought that was a little strange. They're taking over. But the boss is mine. She's still mine. Are they going to shove me on [the Eurostar] or something? But then the Prince came out and thanked me again and said, 'You and Mr Burrell will be coming back with me on the plane.' '

6.35pm: Draped in the Royal Standard and led by Archdeacon Draper, Diana's coffin is carried to a dark blue hearse. The royal cortege departs the hospital for Villacoublay military airfield, where the coffin is transferred to an aircraft from the Royal Flight.

'As we drove through the streets of Paris, everyone was applauding,' Tebbutt recalls. 'It was amazing. Very, very moving. When we got to the plane the two sisters decided they wanted to sit with Paul and me.' The Prince and his staff sit in a different compartment.

6.51pm BST: A TV audience of 19 million watches the plane's arrival at Northolt in West London. Six RAF pallbearers from the Queen's Colour Squadron lift Diana's coffin on to their shoulders. Prime Minister Tony Blair is there to meet the royal party, along with the Lord Chamberlain and Diana's private secretary Michael Gibbins.

Police outriders from the Special Escort Group now lead the hearse out on to the A40. Too late, Diana is getting the police protection she had disastrously rejected. As the hearse passes under bridges, bystanders drop flowers on to the road. Back at Northolt, Prince Charles re-boards the RAF plane to return to Balmoral and his heartbroken sons.

The hearse continues on to Bagley's Lane mortuary, in Fulham. There Diana's body is formally identified by her sisters and a post-mortem examination takes place. The royal doctor also examines Tebbutt. The bodyguard is 57, physically exhausted and mentally overwrought. His longest, most challenging duty is at an end.

But his attention now turns to Diana's sisters. 'How were they to get home? Everyone else was a stranger, save for the royal doctor,' he recalls. 'We were still the household of the Princess of Wales. No one was going to help us. So I got my driver to take Sarah home to Lincolnshire that night.'

3am BST: Tebbutt is finally able to return to his bed in Botany Bay, from which he was roused by a call from Balmoral in the early hours of the previous morning. His day of days has lasted 26 hours.

Monday & Tuesday September 1 & 2

Diana's body has remained under police guard overnight at the Fulham mortuary. It is now lying in a closed casket in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. By chance the royal residential protection officer tasked to guard her this morning is Garry Smith, whose charitable event she had offered to sponsor a week before she was killed.

'All the windows in the chapel had been thrown open and I could hear people outside talking about what had happened,' Smith [not his real name owing to his sensitive current occupation], recalls to the Mail. 'They didn't know they were only a few feet away from the Princess herself.

'[Her death] affected me afterwards more than it did on the night it took place, when I just couldn't believe it was happening. Forget about all the 'Queen of Hearts' nonsense. She was a normal woman who had faults like we all do. She was tricky, but I very much liked Diana as a human being.'

In preparation for the funeral, the casket will later be moved to her apartment in Kensington Palace.

Midweek

Diana's Paris luggage has ended up at Mohamed Al Fayed's office in Harrods department store. Tebbutt goes there to retrieve it on behalf of Diana's sisters. 'But they [Al Fayed's office] would not let me have it just like that,' he recalls. 'I was told a member of his staff must go with me and the luggage to Lady Sarah's home in Lincolnshire. So we drove up there in convoy and when we arrived the Harrods man wanted to go inside and be present when we checked the contents of the bags. But Lady Sarah would not have him in her house. He was made to wait outside.'

The funeral: Saturday, September 6

Garry Smith is on plain-clothes duty, surveying the dense crowds from the 'wedding cake' statue of Queen Victoria outside Buckingham Palace. Colin Tebbutt and his partner Liz are not only inside Westminster Abbey, but right at the front of the VIP congregation, next to Diana's 'blood family'.

Diana's coffin, draped in the Royal Standard, is carried out of the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris on August 31, 1997

'We were treated fantastically well by Earl Spencer,' he recalls. 'The doors of the abbey were open and I said to Liz, 'Listen to the rain, everyone outside will get soaked.' But in fact it was clapping and then the applause entered the abbey and moved up through into the choir. That showed what people thought of the most beautiful woman in the world.'

He accompanies the family mourners to Euston station and boards the Royal Train to Long Buckby, the nearest stop to Althorp. Diana's coffin is driven to Northamptonshire in a hearse.

'I was helping direct operations outside the station when to my horror I realised everyone was driving off without me. But then one of the cars stopped and Prince William said 'Get in, Colin' and I was taken to Althorp House.'

There is a lunch before the interment. Then the mourners make their way to the shore of the Round Oval, a small lake in the grounds. Diana is to be buried on the island in the middle. Tebbutt is one of the privileged few beside the close family to be allowed to the graveside.

'No police protection officers; Earl Spencer didn't want anyone else down there,' he recalls. 'The Army had put a bridge across to the island and I walked over it with [Diana's mother] Mrs Shand Kydd. She held my hand the whole time and we walked across to the island and stood there together. The coffin was lowered and the whole family went forward. I kept my distance.

'I was just amazed to be there and very emotional. Then we walked back across the bridge and I went with Mrs Shand Kydd to sit on a bench. She had a cigarette. That's what she wanted. We sat in deep silence as the Army was taking the bridge away. Then we walked back to the house, had coffee and went our separate ways.'

Special research: Simon Trump and Rory Mulholland in Paris. Picture research: Sue Connolly
Kate Middleton is set to help Prince William and Prince Harry put on a united front when they meet at an unveiling of a statue to Princess Diana, reports say.

The Duchess of Cambridge reportedly agreed to attend the ceremony at Kensington Palace next Thursday.

An insider said the 39-year-old had seen the project since the beginning and would want to be there to support her husband.

It comes after it was claimed Kate and William did not have a sit-down conversation with Harry after Prince Philip's funeral because they feared details would be leaked.

Royal historian Robert Lacey said the chat did not happened because the Cambridges were worried their comments would be given to the US press.

The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured at the Natural History Museum on Tuesday) reportedly agreed to attend the ceremony at Kensington Palace next Thursday

An insider said the 39-year-old had seen the project since the beginning and would want to be there to support her husband. Pictured: Diana with Harry in Spain in 1987

It comes after it was claimed Kate and William did not have a sit-down conversation with Harry after Prince Philip's funeral because they feared details would be leaked

The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex have barely spoken over the last few months but have called a truce ahead of the Diana statue unveiling.

The three of them are reportedly going to talk together on what would have been the Princess of Wales' 60th birthday.

Harry and William will make separate speeches as they pay tribute to their mother's legacy.

They will also thank sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley for creating the statue, which has been in progress since 2017.

A royal source told the Mirror: 'The Duchess has seen this project evolve from its conception and now to the finished article and undoubtedly wants to be there to support her husband.

'No doubt there will be tensions between the Cambridges and Harry, but they all recognise that despite the obvious and deep rooted issues between them, they want the day to be solely about the Princess of Wales's enduring legacy.'

Prince William and Harry will put differences aside to attend the unveiling of a new statue of their mother next week

Diana, Princess Of Wales is pictured at a gala reception and preview of her 'dresses auction' at Christies In London

Next Thursday will be just the second time the Cambridges have come face to face with the Duke of Sussex since the bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.

They shared a brief word straight after Prince Philip's funeral in April but only touched on the service to the Queen's husband.

Mr Lacey claimed in his new biography the three did not have a sit down chat because they feared what was said would be leaked to the US press.

The Royal historian made the revelation in an updated version of Battle of the Brothers.

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.'

Instead, Prince Charles is said to have gone back to his home in Wales whilst Kate and William went to Kensington Palace to put their children to bed.

Mr Lacey also said it was 'not by accident' neither Princess Anne nor the Countess of Wessex - Prince Edward's wife - spoke in public with Prince Harry at the funeral.

Harry made clear to the world in his interview with Oprah Winfrey he considered his family's response to Meghan to have been essentially 'racist'

Prince William, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are pictured at an Anzac Day service at Westminster Abbey on April 25, 2018, in London, England

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.'

Despite the recent upheaval, William and Harry are expected to call a truce for the unveiling of their mother's statue.

The princes will walk together to unveil the statue they commissioned to mark what would have been their mother's 60th birthday before giving individual speeches.

It will be the first time the pair reunite since Philip's funeral in April as they have failed to reconcile since the Harry's interview with Winfrey in March.

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.'
Two women face up to ten years behind bars after planning the genital mutilation of a newborn baby girl.

In January, the girl's mother Sabrina Lightbody, 23, and another woman, Noridah Binte Mohd, 50, asked a Perth doctor to perform the illegal 'female cutting' surgery on the two-week-old.

The doctor refused and informed the police of the pair's plan.

Just days earlier, Lightbody posted a photo to social media of her hugging her daughter.

In January, the girl's mother Sabrina Lightbody (pictured), 23, and Noridah Binte Mohd, 50, asked a Perth doctor to perform the illegal 'female cutting' surgery on the two-week-old

The pair fronted Armadale Magistrates Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to planning the procedure, 7News reported.

Female genital mutilation is illegal in Australia and New Zealand and is in violation of international human rights laws.

More than 200 million women and girls have been subjected to the inhumane procedure in the Middle East, Africa and Asian countries.

'Practices which may be acceptable by some cultures and in some countries may constitute criminal offences in Western Australia,' WA Police said after the women were arrested.

'It is an offence to commit female genital mutilation in Western Australia.'

The women's bail conditions have been extended and they will appear in the District Court in August.
A 27-year-old Colombian woman on a 'dream' vacation to New York City was smashed in the head with a glass bottle on the subway in yet another disturbing statistic as violent subway assaults reach their highest level in 21 years.

The woman was traveling alone Monday through the 5th Avenue/53rd Street subway station, by the Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, when she was attacked at 7:45pm.

The perpetrator of the attack fled the subway car and is still being sought. Police haven't released any information about the suspect.

'When one comes from another country, New York is like a dream to go visit, have your vacation here,' said the woman, who was on her third trip to the city.

'But at this time it's an unsafe place to walk, and when you're a woman and alone in the streets it's extremely vulnerable.'

The woman hasn't been named, but spoke to CBS2 with her back to the camera.

A young Colombian woman, pictured with her back to the camera, speaking to CBS, was attacked on Monday evening while travelling through midtown Manhattan on the subway

The woman was riding on the Queens-bound E train, alone, in the early evening when she was attacked by a stranger who began poking her in the face

She said a man began poking her face, and she tried to get away.

'I don't understand English, so I don't understand what he was saying to me,' she told CBS Local.

'But, he screamed really loud and he was telling me a lot of things and I was frozen.'

She said she tried to escape, but the train was travelling between stations so she was trapped.

'He hit me with something in the head and then I put my hand on my head,' she said.

'Blood started running down. I was so afraid.'

The perpetrator fled the train car and it was unclear if he escaped at the next station.

She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

'What scared me the most is that you get off the train and there's no one to help,' she said.

The Colombian tourist, suffering from a deep cut in her head, got off the train at 5th Avenue/53rd Street, and found there was no one to help her. She said she felt extremely vulnerable and scared

The NYPD says felony assaults on the subway are at the highest level in at least 21 years.

In response, Mayor Bill de Blasio has deployed hundreds of additional officers underground.

An additional 500 officers were deployed to the system in February after a homeless man was accused of stabbing four people in the subway.

Multiple people have been pushed onto the tracks or randomly attacked.

The Transport Workers Union say that the additional police reinforcements are not making a difference.

'He may say on paper he has committed a certain amount of resources, but if it's not having the desired effect then maybe they need more or they need to look at how they are being deployed,' said Eric Loegel of TWU Local 100.

The city crimewave is not limited to the subway.

In May, crime rates increased 22 per cent over last year, with a 46.7 per cent increase in robbery and a 35.6 per cent increase in grand larceny, according to NYPD data.

Felony assault saw a 20.5 per cent increase, and were up eight per cent for the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Shootings also increased to 173 in May 2021, compared to 100 in May 2020.

But the attacks also seem to be more brazen, with many occurring in public places, like parks and subways

Crimes have been rising throughout New York City, according to the NYPD

Shootings increased to 173 in May 2021, compared to 100 in May 2020

Over the weekend, a woman was left bloody and bruised at Washington Square Park, as nonstop partying in the Greenwich Village park continues.

The woman was allegedly trying to run from a man, later identified as 42-year-old Jason McDermott, who was armed with a large knife and taser.

The partygoers, who have descended on the park for nightly raves in recent weeks, were sent into a panic and ran for safety from the suspect and knocked over a 43-year-old woman.

DailyMail.com photos show the woman sat on the ground with blood pouring from her face following the incident. A man was seen handcuffed and being led away by police.

Police said the woman was transported to Bellevue hospital in a stable condition with lacerations, contusions and abrasions.

The battle over Washington Square Park pitted area residents against partygoers last week, when protestors confronted police outside of an emergency meeting organized by the New York Police Department's Sixth Precinct.

The meeting was met with dozens of protestors, who flocked by to park by nightfall. Police said on Friday that the would be on high-alert over the weekend.

A woman was left bloodied and bruised in Washington Square Park on Friday night after being trampled by terrified crowds

A man was seen handcuffed and being led away by police following the incident in the historic park; police said they arrested the suspect

Another major issue the residential and high-tourist area of Midtown Manhattan around around Times Square and Hell's Kitchen, where thousands of homeless people were moved to hotels during the pandemic.

Eight Avenue between Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal has become a drug corridor and a crime hot spot.

The police precinct that includes Times Square and many of the hotels where the homeless have been living saw a 183 per cent spike in felony assaults and 173 per cent spike in robberies so far this year compared to 2020, according to NYPD data.

In May, Governor Andrew Cuomo called the rise in crime a 'major problem' and said unless the New York Police Department gets a handle on it, the city would become undesirable.

'New Yorkers don't feel safe, and they don't feel safe because the crime rate is up,' he said.

'It's not that they're being neurotic or overly sensitive - they're right.'
A NSW prison officer has been suspended from work after being charged with sexually assaulting a colleague at a jail in the Hunter region.

The 59-year-old man was arrested at a home near Lake Macquarie on June 4 and charged with two counts of common assault and inciting someone to perform a sex act without consent.

Police will allege in court the man attempted to instigate sexual activity with a female employee at the jail in April.

A NSW prison officer has been suspended from work after being charged with sexually assaulting a colleague at a jail in the Hunter region

It will also be alleged the man inappropriately touched the women on a number of occasions.

He was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday.
Victoria has recorded a second straight day of new local cases of coronavirus just hours after shutting its border to Greater Sydney.

Wednesday marks the seventh consecutive day the state has recorded either zero infections or one new community case as the number of exposure sites dropped to 96.

Victoria's Department of Health has also recorded one case in hotel quarantine.

Health authorities are expected to further loosen COVID-19 restrictions after rules were eased for Melbourne and regional Victoria over the past three Wednesdays.

The announcement comes after the state government slammed its border shut to Sydney's five million residents starting at 1am on Wednesday.

Victoria has recorded a second straight day of new local cases of coronavirus after shutting out residents from Greater Sydney overnight. Police and defence personnel stand guard are pictured outside a Covid-19 isolation hotel in Melbourne on Friday

Victoria has slammed its border shut to millions living in Sydney starting at 1am on Wednesday. Pictured: Cars line up for Covid-19 testing at Bondi in Sydney, Tuesday, June 22, 2021

The state has branded the City of Sydney and six other suburbs as 'red zones', meaning travel across the border is banned (Melbourne as seen from St Kilda Beach on Tuesday)

The southern state has branded the City of Sydney and six other suburbs as 'red zones', meaning travel across the border is banned.

Those who have been to one of the red zones and live in Victoria must self-isolate immediately for 14 days.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said he has 'strong expectations' the state could ease restrictions further later this week.

'We're absolutely on the right track,' he said on Tuesday.

Professor Sutton added it was likely fewer differences in rules for regional Victoria and Melbourne would remain.

The six Sydney areas declared red zones The Chief Health Officer has declared the following NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs) as red zones under Victoria's travel permit system, effective at 1:00am June 23: - City of Sydney - Waverley - Woollahra - Bayside - Canada Bay - Inner West - Randwick Advertisement

He flagged good news was on the way for larger guest lists at weddings this weekend, but would not be drawn on whether crowds would be allowed at AFL, A-League and NBL games.

The decision announced late on Tuesday came after NSW recorded 10 new locally-acquired Covid cases, bringing Sydney's growing Bondi cluster to 21 active infections.

Of the 10 new infections announced in NSW today, one of them remains a mystery.

A student at Saint Charles' Primary School in Waverley, Sydney's east, returned a positive result but contact tracers are still scrambling to find out where she may have contracted the virus.

The current outbreak hitting Sydney is particularly hard to trace because it is the highly infectious Delta variant which originated in India.

'Literally people not even physically touching each other but fleetingly coming into the same airspace has seen the virus transfer from one person to another,' Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

'That's how contagious it is.'

Under the Andrews government's traffic light system, any Victorian resident who has been in an area declared a red zone must obtain a permit to re-enter the state and will be required to undergo 14 days of home quarantine.

Non Victorian residents coming from a red zone are banned all together - but some exceptions can be made if a person has only transited through a red zone.

The call to shut the border was made after NSW recorded 10 new locally-acquired Covid cases, bringing Sydney's growing cluster to 21 active infections. Pictured: NSW health officials stop passengers arriving from Melbourne at Sydney's domestic airport on May 26, 2021

The eastern suburbs Covid cluster has now jumped to 21 cases. Pictured: Commuters are seen boarding a bus at Bondi Beach on June 21, 2021

Anyone who enters Victoria without a permit 'will be sent back,' health bosses warned.

'If you enter at an airport or seaport from a red zone without a permit, you will be fined and will stay in hotel quarantine until return transport is arranged.'

Wollongong, south of Sydney, has been declared an orange zone, meaning travellers who have been there in the past 14 days must obtain a permit prior to taking off, isolate on arrival, get tested, and stay isolated until they get a negative result.

Moments before the red zone declarations were announced New Zealand put a halt to quarantine-free travel from NSW, giving Kiwis just three hours to get back home before restrictions come into place at 10pm (AEST).

It came as NSW Health issued an urgent alert for a busy Qantas flight after a passenger infected with Covid enjoyed a weekend away in New Zealand.

Earlier on Tuesday night it was revealed the infected Australian hopped on flight QF163 from Sydney to Wellington that arrived at 12.12am on June 18.

They returned to Sydney on Air New Zealand flight NZ247 at 10.13am on June 21 - just a day before Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern slammed the nation's borders shut.

NSW health authorities were already on edge after Covid fragments were found in sewage from 15 suburbs where 22,500 Sydneysiders live and as even more venues are added to the city's swelling exposure list.

Five new venues were declared exposure sites in the city, including Wallabies Thai Restaurant and Mascot Central Shopping Precinct in Mascot.

The ANZ bank in Martin Place was also added, along with two more shops in Bondi Junction - Chanel fragrance and beauty on level four of the shopping centre, and Starbucks on level 2.

Pictured: NSW Police officers check cars crossing from Victoria into New South Wales (NSW) at a Covid border check point in the NSW-Victoria border town of Albury, NSW, Wednesday, July 8, 2020

The eastern suburbs shopping mall has been at the heart of Sydney's latest outbreak, which swelled to 21 on Tuesday.

Routine wastewater testing discovered Covid-19 particles at the Lough Park Sewage Network Investigation Site, in the city's eastern suburbs.

The catchment area includes Clovelly, Waverly, Randwick, Centennial Park, Queens Park, Bondi, Bondi Junction, Bellevue Hill, Double Bay and Woolhara.

Traces of the virus were also found in the Brooklyn Sewage Treatment Plant, which collects wastewater from Dangar Island, Cowan, Brooklyn, Mooney Mooney and Cheerio Point, north of Sydney.
The political war between Australia and China is taking another ugly turn as debate ramps up over the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

A draft recommendation from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee listed the reef's world heritage status as 'in danger' due to Australia's failure to address the effects of climate change on the 2,300km stretch of coral.

UNESCO is heavily influenced by Chinese officials, and its Australian members claim this is the latest move to apply political pressure to Australia.

UNESCO representative Dr Fanny Douvere rejected the premise to the The Guardian and dismissed the idea the body had backflipped on a previous statement.

'We don't share [decisions] before they are finalised,' she said.

'There is absolutely zero influence. This is simply not the truth. There is no interference at all. Unesco have absolutely no interest in doing this.

'We stand for helping state parties to raise awareness and make sure these sites are protected for future generations.'

China, meanwhile, is destroying huge patches of reef in the South China Sea as it builds concrete islands for military bases.

A recommendation from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has listed the reef's world heritage status as 'in danger' due to Australia's failure to address the effects of climate change (turtle swimming at the Great Barrier Reef, pictured)

Australian ministers are calling on Scott Morrison to help fight the latest decision by China-backed UNESCO to place the Great Barrier Reef's world heritage status 'in danger'

James Paterson, Victorian Liberal senator and the chairman of Australia's parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security, accused China of using UNESCO as a puppet and said the organisation is misinformed and misguided.

'UNESCO has not visited the Great Barrier Reef since 2012,' he said.

'It has not mentioned the Great Barrier Reef being in danger since 2015. But all of a sudden, and perhaps not coincidentally, under a chair from China, it is again contemplating listing the Great Barrier Reef.'

China's UNESCO delegation appears to have the backing of the majority of the organisation's members, with Australia facing a huge battle to maintain the reef's status.

Fourteen of the 21 countries on the committee have joined China's controversial Belt and Road Initiative, leaving them indebted to Beijing.

UNESCO have become heavily influenced by China and Australian officials allege the recommendation about the Great Barrier Reef is the Communist nation's latest way of applying political pressure

China's campaign of economic coercion against Australia has been going for more than a year, slapping key exports with over $20billion worth of arbitrary bans and tariffs. Pictured: People's Liberation Army troops

Australian officials say there is 'some chance' they can reverse the decision, but the move 'blindsided' Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley.

'It is a backflip on previous assurances, it is a deviation from normal process and it's based on just a desktop review without the latest information,' Ms Ley said on Tuesday.

'The foreign minister and I had a late-night meeting with the director-general of UNESCO last night and we made very clear our strong disappointment, even our bewilderment, that our officials have been blindsided in the way they have.

'Only a week ago, we were reassured that this was not going to occur.'

The reef lost about half of its corals from 1995 to 2017, with mass bleaching events taking place in 2016 and 2017, according to marine scientists at the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence

The reef has lost about half of its corals from 1995 to 2017, with mass bleaching events taking place in 2016 and 2017

UNESCO said mass coral bleaching events in 2016, 2017, and 2020 prompted its decision with the Great Barrier Reef facing 'ascertained danger'.

'The long-term outlook for the ecosystem of the property has further deteriorated from poor to very poor, and the deterioration has been more rapid and widespread than was evident in 2009-14,' UNESCO said.

That move is in contrast to the federal and Queensland governments dedicating a record $2.5billion of funding to protect the natural wonder.

Mrs Ley wrote to UNESCO objecting to being 'singled out' for the damage done to the reef, saying it was instead a 'global challenge which no one country can immediately address'.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles has pointed the finger at Scott Morrison for his failure to address the situation, saying the 'level of diplomacy' that was in place during UNESCO's last visit in 2015 was gone.

'You know, Greg [Hunt], Julie Bishop and I were using the entire DFAT network,' he said.

'Only the Morrison government could blame their own ham-fisted diplomacy with China for the delisting of the reef.'
Elon Musk has longed talked about providing fast-speed satellite internet to the world and the billionaire's dream could soon become a reality.

SpaceX president Gwynn Shotwell revealed Tuesday that Starlink is expected to provide global coverage by September.

The Musk-owned company recently won permission from the Federal Communications Commission to reduce the altitude of its US-based satellites to 335 to 354 miles from between 683 to 807 miles above Earth, which may allow it to improve coverage.

However, Shotwell also noted that availability is subject to regulatory approval in countries

Starlink operates its beta in 11 countries, Shotwell said, including the US, the UK Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe.

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Elon Musk has longed talked about providing fast-speed satellite internet to the world and the billionaire's dream could soon become a reality

Starlink is SpaceX's internet service that aims to provide connections to areas of the globe where this has typically been a challenge.

SpaceX explained: 'Unbounded by traditional ground infrastructure, Starlink can deliver high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable or completely unavailable.'

The first batch of 60 Starlink satellites launched on May 23, 2009 and the constellation has since grown to 1,500 - but SpaceX hopes to one day have 42,000 devices in orbit.

'We've successfully deployed 1,800 or so satellites and once all those satellites reach their operational orbit, we will have continuous global coverage, so that should be like September timeframe,' she told a Macquarie Group technology investment conference via webcast.

The Musk-owned company recently won permission from the Federal Communications Commission to reduce the altitude of its US-based satellites from between 683 to 807 miles above Earth to 335 to 354 miles, which may allow it to improve coverage

'But then we have regulatory work to go into every country and get approved to provide telecoms services.'

Starlink has said it plans to deploy 12,000 satellites in total at a cost of roughly $10 billion, Shotwell said.

In May, Musk said the low-Earth orbiting satellite network had received more than 500,000 preorders for its internet service and anticipates no technical problems meeting demand.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX's plan to deploy some Starlink satellites at a lower earth orbit than planned to provide high-speed broadband internet services to people who currently lack access.

Availability is subject to regulatory approval in countries Starlink operates its beta in 11 countries, Shotwell said, including the US, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe

Starlink is one of a growing number of makers of small satellites that also includes Amazon.com's Kuiper, Britain's OneWeb, venture capital-backed Planet, and Raytheon Technologies Corp's Blue Canyon Technologies.

In May, Musk announced on Twitter his new Starlink satellite internet service has already had half a million preorders.

He wrote: 'Only limitation is high density of users in urban areas. Most likely, all of the initial 500k will receive service. More of a challenge when we get into the several million user range.'

On Starlink alone, estimates suggest that if SpaceX obtains 25 million subscribers, it would generate about $30 billion in revenue ever year - ten times its earnings as a launch provider, sending satellites into space for governments and other firms.

More than 10,000 users are connected to the Starlink satellite internet, according to a SpaceX filing with the FCC, with 500,000 waiting to sign up.

Customers will have to pay nearly $600 upfront to receive access, which includes the $99 monthly fee plus $499 to order the Starlink Kit that includes the 'UFO on a stick' terminal, mounting tripod and WiFi router.
Many of us find it almost impossible to get rid of our loved one's personal possessions after they've passed away.

But according to a new study, this is nothing new  in fact, keeping mementos in memory of the deceased dates back at least 2,000 years.

Dr Lindsey Buster, an expert at the University of York, has pointed to the discovery of bone spoons and gaming pieces in the walls of an Iron Age roundhouse at Broxmouth in Scotland.

Such mundane items were kept by Iron Age people as an emotional reminder and a 'continuing bond' with the deceased, she argues.

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Objects including bone spoons, quernstones and gaming pieces were incorporated into the walls of an Iron Age roundhouse at Broxmouth in Scotland (picture, 'House 4' at Broxmouth)

Newly-discovered historical objects may not always be evidence of religious or spiritual behaviour, but could be centuries-old keepsakes in a tribute to the dead.

'It is important to recognise the raw emotional power that everyday objects can acquire at certain times and places,' Dr Buster said.

'Archaeologists have tended to focus on the high material value or the quantity of objects recovered and have interpreted these as deposited for safe keeping or gifts to the gods.

Broxmouth, which is about 30 miles east of Edinburgh, was the location of an Iron Age community from 640 BC to AD 210

THE HISTORY OF BROXMOUTH Broxmouth was excavated during a dig in the 1970s. It was inhabited by a community between 640 BC to AD 210. The area was likely abandoned when the Romans left. Professor Ian Armit from the University of Bradford, who led a team investigating the site, told the BBC in 2013: 'We have found signs of violence. 'There are fragments of bone which have suffered traumatic injuries from swords and axes scattered round the site.' Professor Armit said there was evidence of activity at Broxmouth as far back as 3000 BC. Advertisement

'Even the most mundane objects can take on special significance if they become tangible reminders of loved ones no longer physically with us.'

Broxmouth, which is about 30 miles east of Edinburgh, was the location of an Iron Age community from 640 BC to AD 210  and was almost totally excavated during the 1970s.

Bones and spoons found between roundhouse walls could have been placed there by loved ones as a means of maintaining a connection with the person who had died.

Also found at the site were quernstones  pairs of stone tools which were used for hand grinding a variety of materials, including grain.

Quernstones would have been 'tangible reminders of previous lives lived'  testament to days, months and years of 'a daily grind that transformed human bodies as well as the stones themselves', says Dr Buster in her paper.

Taking the items at Broxmouth as an example, Dr Buster said they wouldn't have been frittered away between the walls because they wouldn't have had much monetary worth at the time.

She terms such objects 'problematic stuff'  everyday items used or owned by a deceased person that relatives might not want to reuse, but which they are unable to just throw away.

This practice is common in societies across the globe today, especially ones with a big focus on material possessions, which can lead to hoarding.

Dr Buster argues against assumptions that an attachment to a material possession is a very modern phenomenon.

Broxmouth demonstrates 'the value that emotion has in our interpretations of past societies,' she argues.

'Archaeologists tend to caution against the transplanting of modern emotions onto past societies,' said Dr Buster.

'But I suggest that the universality of certain emotions does allow for the extrapolation of modern experiences onto the past, even if the specifics vary.

'I consider the experience of grief and bereavement to be one such emotion, even if the ways in which this was processed and navigated varies between individuals and societies.

'This research helps bring us a little closer to past individuals whose experience of life (and death), was in some ways, not so different from our own.'

Objects that touched a dead body would have had a stronger attachment to the surviving loved one, the study suggests (as illustrated in graphic from research paper)

Gruesomely, everyday objects can also develop an association with a dead body, due to their use in post-mortem care and mortuary rites.

For example, toilet instruments including tweezers, nail cleaners and ear scoops have been found in graves at Mill Hill in Deal, Kent, as well as King Harry Lane in St Albans.

This is because objects that have touched a body would have had even more of a significant emotional connection with the surviving loved one, Dr Buster suggests.

Her paper, 'Problematic stuff: death, memory and the interpretation of cached objects', has been published in Antiquity.
Some Android mobile phone users in England got an 'emergency alert' from the government today, as part of a nationwide test of a new warning system.

It was the first of two tests this month, with the second also including iPhone users, but restricted to people in Reading. Both are purely a test and not a real warning.

The emergency alert system has been set up to give the government a way to quickly warn people of an impending risk to life from things like flooding or fire.

Few people were expected to receive the alert, which was triggered between 13:00 BST and 14:00 BST and made it clear it was a 'test of the Emergency Alerts service'.

It said: 'This is a mobile network operator test of the Emergency Alerts service. You do not need to take any action. To find out more, search for gov.uk/alerts.'

The warning was also able to trigger a 'loud siren-like sound' on user's device and is based on systems built natively into iOS and Android with an 'opt-out' option.

When fully rolled out it will only work for users connected to 4G and 5G masts and people with an iPhone running iOS 14.5 or Android running version 11.

Some Android mobile phone users in England got an 'emergency alert' from the government today, as part of a nationwide test of a new warning system

Flood alerts are one of the things the government will user the alert system to warn users about and it can be restricted to the local area

EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM DEVICE COMPATIBILITY The Emergency Alert system uses Cell Broadcast technology. This system is only compatible with fairly recent versions of both iOS and Android, as well as newer masts. It will only work on 4G and 5G masts and early 2G and 3G don't include the necessary technology. It is only available for users with phones running iOS 14.5 or Android 11. iPhone 6s and above can run iOS 14.5. Some older Android phones with a Wireless Alerts setting will also potentially receive the warning. It will appear as a text message and may be accompanied by a loud siren-like noise coming from the phone. Advertisement

The government hasn't shared an update on the results of the latest test, but if both go to plan the system will be rolled out nationwide.

Users will be able to opt out in their phone settings but the most severe alerts will still get through.

The system makes use of mobile infrastructure - specifically 4G and 5G - sending the message to all devices connected to specific masts rather than to mobile numbers.

The same type of system is already widely in use in New Zealand where it has been credited with saving lives around national emergencies.

The government has already tested the new UK system in East Suffolk where residents were sent a 'test alert'.

The Government alert website explained that 'emergency alerts will warn you if theres a danger to life nearby. 'In an emergency, your phone or tablet will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe.'

As well as natural disasters like fire, flooding and extreme weather events, the alert system can warn of impending terror attacks or virus outbreaks.

In March 2020 the government worked with all mobile networks to send an automated text message to inform people about lockdown rules and have sent flood warning tests prior to this alert in coordination with the mobile networks, but this acts as a standalone service the government or emergency service officials can trigger themselves.

The new system works with iOS 14.5 or later and Android 11 or later, which have the emergency system infrastructure built in.

It may also work on older Android devices that have a Wireless Alerts setting. It is also restricted to 4G and 5G networks, it won't work on 2G and 3G systems as the Cell Broadcast technology hasn't been integrated into those masts.

Once fully implemented - likely by the end of summer this year - emergency services and government bodies will be able to use it in times of emergency.

The emergency alert system has been set up to give the government a way to quickly warn people of an impending risk to life from things like flooding or fire

It can work at both a local and national level, with any test making it very clear that it isn't a real emergency.

While users can opt out of the alerts, the government has urged people to keep it switched on as it will include more than a simple flood alert.

'Emergency alerts are broadcast from mobile phone masts. Every compatible mobile phone or tablet in range will receive an alert,' the government explained.

A number of countries are already using emergency alert systems to warn users of everything from impending fires and floods to Covid-19 restrictions

The government does not need your phone number to send you an alert.

The test on June 29 will be restricted to iPhone and Android users in Reading, Berkshire with a test alert sent between 13:00 BST and 14:00 BST. Users are told they won't have to do anything and it will be clear this is a test.

It will say: 'The UK government is testing Emergency Alerts in Reading, Berkshire. Emergency alerts tell you what to do if theres a life-threatening event nearby. To find out more, call 0808 1697692 or search for gov.uk/alerts'
The European Space Agency (ESA) is testing temperature thresholds of satellites in a test chamber that could help could help engineers design spacecraft to burn safer in the atmosphere.

The experiment used a plasma wind tunnel to mimic reentry conditions by heating gas in the test chamber to more than 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit and creating winds that are flowing thousands of miles per hour.

Researchers first created a virtual representation of a satellite to test different melting points.

A solar array drive mechanism (SADM), which is part of the satellite that directs its solar panels, was then placed in the chamber and completely vaporized in just seconds.

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The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted a simulation of a satellite burning up during atmosphere reentry that shows the device melting away in just seconds

'When a spacecraft reenters on an uncontrolled basis, the spacecraft operator has to prove that the on-ground casualty risk posed by its satellite is lower than 1 in 10,000,' ESA shared in a statement.

'So last year SADM manufacturer Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA) started an investigation supported by ESA, Hyperschall Technologie Gottingen GmbH (HTG) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to demonstrate the 'desmisability' of one of its satellite products.'

The team developed software models of the SDAM, which allowed them to test different melting points prior to using a 3D model in the plasma wind tunnel.

The virtual design includes a final shaft, gear box, motor, crown wheel and main bearing, all of which are found on a real SDAM.

The experiment used a plasma wind tunnel to mimic reentry conditions by heating gas in the test chamber to more than 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit and creating winds that are flowing thousands of miles per hour

However, scientists used a new aluminum screw that they believed would melt easier upon reentry.

Once the researchers had a better idea of the melting-point, they constructed the 3D model with the new screws and placed it in the test chamber where it was exposed to wind speeds of thousands of miles per hour, Live Science reports.

In a matter of seconds, the SDAM was vaporized  just as the software predicted, ESA said.

'The main conclusion was that the demise phenomenology observed in test matched quite well the test predictions obtained through the simulations,' ESA shared in the statement.

A solar array drive mechanism (SADM), which is part of the satellite that directs its solar panels, was placed in the chamber and completely vaporized during the process

ESA says that by testing the temperature thresholds of satellites, engineers can design spacecraft that cannot only perform well in space, but also burn safely in the atmosphere as they fall to Earth

'However, due to some uncertainties in certain parameters, such as material properties and heat flux, the models needed some tweaking to match the tests and to be verified. This will be further detailed in the Test correlation section.'

At least 26,000 of millions of pieces of space junk orbiting Earth are the size of a softball, which are moving 17,500mph, according to NASA.

Due to the size and speed, the debris is capable of 'destroying a satellite on impact.'

NASA also notes that more than 500,000 pieces are a 'mission-ending threat' because of their ability to impact protective systems, fuel tanks and spacecraft cabins.

Most of the space debris, if not all of it, will eventually fall to Earth and ESA hopes its simulation can help each piece burn up faster and safer upon reentry.
An interactive map shows the British seaside spots likely to be wiped out by 2050 because of rising sea levels caused by global warming.

The map, created by US climate news website Climate Central, shows people in Liverpool, Hull, Blackpool and along the Norfolk coast would lose their homes by 2050.

Other areas that could be permanently underwater include South Wales, Gloucester, Weston-super-Mare, Portsmouth and huge swathes of East Anglia.

Almost all of central London either side of the Thames will also be underwater, according to the model, sending global businesses and government buildings  including Number 10 Downing Street  to a watery grave.

Sea levels are already rising now because of human activities that emit greenhouse gases  and recent flooding events in the UK are likely a glimpse of what will happen over the next century if global warming is not curbed, experts say.

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Projections for 2050: According to Climate Central, people in Liverpool, Hull, Blackpool and along the Norfolk coast would lose their homes

Climate Central's map is based on a wealth of peer-reviewed research into melting ice sheets from scientific journals, according to the firm.

Previous studies have provided a constant reminder of the danger of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and the resulting rise in global temperatures, which in turn melt ice sheets and cause a rise in sea levels.

These human activities include burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil, which release carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, as well as deforestation.

Scientists have previously predicted that sea levels will rise to such an extent within this century that entire cities will be submerged due to greenhouse gas emissions, forcing millions of people to evacuate their homes.

According to Dr Benjamin Strauss, chief executive of Climate Central, the map improves upon previous data that tended to 'overestimate land heights along the coast'.

One big takeaway from the map is that anywhere with an estuary nearby is in serious risk of flooding  including Humber, Mersey Severn and Thames.

Sea levels are already rising now due to human activities that emit greenhouse gases. Here, an aerial drone photo of the town of Allerton Bywater near Castleford in Leeds, West Yorkshire shows the flooded fields from the River Aire

Along the Thames estuary, much of Essex will be underwater in the east, the map predicts, as will land either side of the Thames running all the way up to Hampton Court.

In essence, if the map is anything to go by, in just a single generation's time, UK residents will be fleeing the coast towards the centre of the country.

Climate Central says its map is based on is the potential results of melting ice sheets in the Antarctic.

It is not based on physical storm and flood simulations and does not take into account erosion, future changes in the frequency or intensity of storms, inland flooding or contributions from rainfall or rivers.

Therefore, the results shown on the map could come even sooner if these natural disasters play a part too.

Last year, scientists reported that sea levels around the world would rise by more than 4 feet by the end of the century if temperatures rise by another 7F.

Ice sheets will shed trillions of tonnes in mass if temperatures rise by this amount, forcing some locations underwater.

'Currently, hundreds of millions of people live in regions susceptible to coastal flooding, and the likelihood of even worse flooding will significantly increase with severe sea level rise,' said study author Professor Martin Siegert at Imperial College London.

According to NASA, Antarctica shed approximately 125 gigatons of ice per year between 2002 and 2016, causing global sea level to rise by 0.35 millimetres per year.
Two exoplanets orbiting a star larger than the sun that is 352 light-years from Earth have been spotted by a group of citizen scientists, including a father and his seven-year-old son.

The star, known as HD 152843, is host to two planets - b and c - and is a bright G dwarf star, which has an extreme surface temperature ranging between 5,300 and 6,000 Kelvin. It has a similar mass to our sun (which is also a G star), but is 1.5 times bigger and 'slightly brighter,' NASA said.

Planet b is roughly the size of Neptune - 3.4 times the size of the Earth - and orbits HD 152843 once every 12 days.

Planet c is approximately 5.8 times as large as Earth and spends anywhere between 19 and 35 days orbiting HD 152843.

For comparison purposes, Mercury, the closest planet to the sun in the solar system, has an orbit of 88 days.

Citizen scientists have discovered two gaseous planets orbiting the star HD 152843

Cesar Rubio (right) and his son seven-year-old Miguel (left) enjoy talking about space together

Planet b has a mass roughly 12 times that of Earth, while planet c's mass is roughly 28 times.

The citizen scientists - of which there are 15, including Cesar Rubio and his son Miguel - were able to make the discoveries thanks to Planet Hunters TESS - NASA's funded project that brings together astronomers and members of the public to find exoplanets - planet's outside the solar system.

'Studying them together, both of them at the same time, is really interesting to constrain theories of how planets both form and evolve over time,' said the study's lead author, Nora Eisner, a doctoral student in astrophysics at the University of Oxford, in a statement.

Rubio, a machinist from Pomona, California, said he felt like was making a contribution to science by being a part of Planet Hunters TESS.

'I feel that I'm contributing, even if it's only like a small part,' Rubio explained, noting that the father and son sometimes look at the TESS website together.

'Especially scientific research, it's satisfying for me.'

More than 29,000 people around the world analyze data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in search of exoplanets.

The $200 million TESS launched in April 2018 and discovered its first Earth-sized exoplanet in April 2019, HD 21749c, 53 light-years from Earth.

In January 2020, it discovered its first Earth-sized planet in a habitable zone, TOI 700 d, almost 102 light-years from Earth.

The 15 citizen scientists looked at a plot of HD 152843 showing its brightness and light curve after being observed by TESS for one month.

The curve showed three dips, signifying at least one planet orbited the star and ultimately two transits were flagged, resulting in an inner planet and an outer planet.

The planets are too hot and too gaseous to support life - as they are located inside the star's habitable zone - but the researchers hope to learn more about them, including getting a definitive answer about their masses, thanks to the James Webb Telescope, set to launch later this year.

'We're taking baby steps towards the direction of finding an Earth-like planet and studying its atmosphere, and continue to push the boundaries of what we can see,' Eisner added.

The study was recently published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
This gives 'let's rock' a whole new meaning.

A new tree frog discovered in the Andes mountains in Ecuador has been named after one of the researcher's favorite musicians, the renowned British rock band Led Zeppelin.

The research, published in Neotropical Biodiversity, details the finding of Pristimantis ledzeppelin, or Led Zeppelins Rain Frog, a tree frog found in Ecuador.

The frog, which has red eyes and a yellow, brown, black and orange skin, can reach 2.4 centimeters at maturity for males and 3.6 centimeters for females, according to The Guardian.

'The name honors Led Zeppelin and their extraordinary music,' the researchers wrote in the study.

'Led Zeppelin was a British rock band formed in London in 1968, one of the most influential bands throughout the 1970s, and progenitors of both hard rock and heavy metal.'

The researchers said the newly discovered frog is most similar to Pristimantis muscosus, which lives in the Cordillera Central in northern Peru.

However, it can be differentiated by its snout, skin color, and several other features, including orange, irregular blotches on its groin and the lower surfaces of its hind limbs.

A new tree frog has been discovered in Ecuador and it is named after British rock band Led Zeppelin. So far, only three specimens have been found, including two males

The frog has red eyes and a yellow, brown, black and orange skin. Males can reach 2.4cm at maturity and females can reach 3.6cm

Known as Pristimantis ledzeppelin, or Led Zeppelins Rain Frog, 'the name honors Led Zeppelin and their extraordinary music,' the researchers wrote

Pristimantis ledzeppelin was discovered in the Ecuadorian Andes in the Cordillera del Condor

So far, only three specimens of P. ledzeppelin have been found, including two males, on vegetation, the researchers added in the study.

'All specimens were found on shrub vegetation surrounding streams inside mature forest, where they perched on bush leaves, between 170 and 300 cm above the water body.'

'Due to the high endemism of the Cordillera del Condor, the new species here described is likely to be found only in this restricted area, therefore it is important to consider new long-term initiatives for small vertebrate conservation actions,' the researchers added.

In addition, they were collected with other ampibians, 'such as Chimerella mariaelenae, Pristimantis quaquaversus, P. prolatus and P. galdi.'

In one of the specimens' stomachs, the researchers identified remnants of beetles, ants and snails and slugs.

Although it is new to science, it's possible P. ledzeppelin could already be endangered, given where it was located.

'The Cordillera del Condor is part of one of the most threatened ecoregions in the world, since it is part of tropical Andes,' the researchers surmised, noting the region faces threats from agricultural expansion, mining and climate change.
A strange spiral appeared in the skies over the northwest Pacific on June 8 that baffled residents, with some likening it to the portal in the 'Doctor Strange' movie but astronomers reveal it was caused by a rocket.

American astronomer Jonathan McDowell weighed in the bizarre sighting, revealing it was fuel released by Chinas Long March 2C rocket that launched the same day.

'The spiral happens when the rocket is tumbling end over end while venting its fuel - it's then exactly like a garden sprinkler,' McDowell told DailyMail.com in an email.

'Except that because it is in space the spiral stays perfect over hundreds of miles because there is no air to mess up the shape - that's why it looks surprising to us, we're not used to seeing such perfect geometries because on Earth there's always wind or friction to distort things.'

Footage posted on social media shows the spiral expanding in size over a matter of seconds and then just vanishing in the night sky.

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A strange spiral appeared in the skies over the northwest Pacific on June 8 that baffled residents

This is the second time residents in the Pacific islands observed the phenomena. The previous occurrence, on May 7, was also due to the Chinese rocket.

The spiral was spotted hours after China launched its Long March 2C from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, which delivered three new Yaogan-30 satellites into orbit.

People across the south Pacific islands, including New Caledonia, Tokelau, Samoa and Fiji, all reported spotting the same spiral phenomenon in the skies that Friday night .

Strange spiral in the skies of New Caledonia and Vanuatu June 18th around 18 pm, the Caledonian Astronomical Association shared on Facebook.

Some likened it to the Doctor Strange portal  but astronomers reveal it was only a rocket

Several witnesses in Yate, Thio, La Tontouta and Vanuatu have seen this strange phenomenon.

We don't have an explanation but we are far from specializing in this kind of phenomenon.

In two days, the space association made contact with McDowell who was able to put an end to this mystery.

'Given the time it happened, I look to see if there was a rocket launch at that time. Indeed there was - the only space launch that day took off from China just 15 minutes or so earlier, McDowell told DailyMail.com.

'We know the orbit of that rocket because the US space force tracked it once it reached orbit.

The spiral was spotted hours after China launched its Long March 2C from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, which delivered three new Yaogan-30 satellites into orbit

The Caledonian Astronomical Association also explained that after the rocket completed its mission, it expelled fuel to avoid exploding during reentry

'I was then able to use standard orbit math to plot the trajectory - latitude and longitude of the rocket versus time - and confirmed that the track passed directly over New Caledonia and Vanuatu (where the spiral was seen), and not only that, it passed over those places within a couple of minutes of when the reports said the spiral was seen (and the reports were only accurate to a few minutes anyway).

'So, perfect agreement in space and time - case closed, it was the Yaogan 30 launch, and furthermore the timing is right for the rocket to be venting excess propellant after having deployed the satellites it took to orbit.'

The phenomenon is similar to what was seen over Norway in December 2009.

A blue swirling light lit up the morning sky that was a caused by Russia conducted a missile test in the area.

The jinxed Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile failed at the third stage after being test-fired from a submarine in the White Sea, Russia's military said.

Jonathan McDowell, an American astronomer, weighed in the bizarre sighting, revealing it was gas released by Chinas Long March 2C rocket that launched the same day

The phenomenon is similar to what was seen over Norway in 2009. A blue swirling light lit up the morning sky that was a caused by Russia conducted a missile test in the area

Norwegians were baffled when a blue light soared up close to the country's Arctic region, formed a giant spiral and shot a green-blue beam from its center.

Onlookers describing it as 'like a big fireball that went around, with a great light around it' and 'a shooting star that spun around and around.'
A British-built solar powered drone with a 115ft wingspan that can stay in the air for over a year will be an alternative to low Earth orbit satellites, its developers claim.

PHASA-35 is a cutting edge drone being developed by BAE systems at their facility in Warton, Lancashire that can fly about at 70,000ft above the surface for 20 months.

It harnesses power from the Sun to stay airborne, charging a bank of small batteries during the day to keep it flying overnight, allowing for longer operations.

The 150kg drone is able to carry a payload of up to 15kg including cameras, sensors and communications equipment to allow troops to talk to each other or provide internet access to rural locations during a natural disaster or emergency.

BAE systems say it will be available by the middle of the decade and provide a 'persistent and affordable alternative to satellite technology.'

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A British-built solar powered drone with a 115ft wingspan that can stay in the air for over a year will be an alternative to low Earth orbit satellites, its developers claim

PHASA-35 is a cutting edge drone being developed by BAE systems at their facility in Warton, Lancashire that can fly about at 70,000ft above the surface for 20 months

PHASA-35 SPECIFICATIONS Wingspan: 115ft Weight: 150kg Payload limit: 15kg Altitude: 70,000ft Power system: Solar powered Applications Environmental surveillance

Disaster relief

Border protection

Maritime and military surveillance

Mobile internet communications Advertisement

One solution they presented for the new drone was in observations of troop movements or maritime activities.

Where a satellite provides high resolution images for a specific timestamp, PHASA-35 could provide a constant feed.

Developed in the UK, in collaboration with engineers from tech SME Prismatic, the n aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight last year in Australia.

The team is now gearing up to fly the aircraft for the first time in the stratosphere.

They say this is an important milestone which will bring PHASA-35 a significant step closer to market - with test flights launching from the US this summer.

The firm says it will provide 'game-changing capabilities for a wide range of military and commercial uses.

These range from the surveillance of forest areas to detect and help control forest fires, to the provision of internet access in remote areas.'

They see a number of core applications for the drone in areas usually covered by satellites in low Earth orbit.

This includes environmental surveillance, disaster relief, border protection, maritime and military surveillance and mobile internet communications.

Its ability to launch will be relatively limited, as it will require very favourable conditions, and landing could end up being fraught due to the lack of landing gear.

The firm says this isn't an issue as they will operate for extended periods and having to replace parts won't be an issue - adding they land at a walking pace and are light.

One option to get around the limited launch window opportunities is to send several up at once and create a 'parking lot in the sky' leaving them loitering until needed.

There will be a number of different ways BAE systems will be able to commercialise their new energy efficient solar powered drone.

They expect that some customers may opt to buy a data service rather than a platform, so renting bandwidth or buying time on a camera, rather than purchasing or renting the entire aircraft for a series of activities.

'Or it could be more appropriate for certain customers, particularly military, to own assets,' according to a spokesperson for the British aerospace firm.

One operations example they gave was the ability to include a sensor, fly over a vulnerable forest for months at a time and constantly monitor moisture levels in the trees - predicting with weeks notice when a fire is likely to break out.

It harnesses power from the Sun to stay airborne, charging a bank of small batteries during the day to keep it flying overnight, allowing for longer operations

The zero emissions vehicle won't operate like traditional aviation solutions, as it will only have very limited windows for launch due to its slow climb and large wingspan.

BAE says it will also only be able to launch when the wind and air conditions are right, but due to its ability to stay in the air for over a year, multiple drones could be launched at once and left ready to be deployed when necessary.

They don't move very fast, climbing to 70,000ft at about 1ft per second and taking nearly two weeks to get from one point to the furthest point on the Earth.

But they operate in the stratosphere, above any issues with weather like wind and rain, so can provide stable observations of a specific area for long periods.

The 150kg drone is able to carry a payload of up to 15kg including cameras, sensors and communications equipment to allow troops to talk to each other or provide internet access to rural locations during a natural disaster or emergency

The solar panels on the top of the drone operate at about 30 per cent efficiency, which is near the top end available with current technology.

During the day the radiation from the sun will power the craft as it flies through the sky and recharge 'off the shelf' commercial mobile batteries stored in the plane.

Then, when night falls the drone will be powered by the batteries, with the option to reduce the altitude to save battery life or continue flying at a higher altitude.

It took a total of 20 months to go from concept to test flight for the 150kg vehicle, that could one day be used to predict when a forest fire might break out.

Drew Steel from BAE systems said it would be a cost effective alternative to satellite technology and could operate for as much as 20 months in the stratosphere.

The solar panels on the top of the drone operate at about 30 per cent efficiency, which is near the top end available with current technology

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE Troposphere is where humans live and weather exists, the lowest layer stretching up to about six miles. Stratosphere extends up to about 40 miles and contains much of the ozone in the atmosphere. Mesosphere sits just above the stratosphere where temperature decreases with height, reaching -130F. Thermosphere is where temperatures begin to increase with height, caused by the absorption of UV and X-rays. Exosphere starts at 310 miles and contains oxygen and hydrogen atoms, but in very low numbers. Magnetosphere features charged particles along magnetic field lines in two bands at 1,800 and 10,000 miles above the surface. Advertisement

This time in space varies depending on the location on Earth, so operating at the poles with little sunlight will reduce overall time to a few weeks but this is 'significantly more than existing technologies,' Steel explained.

It is designed to operate without an onboard pilot in the stratosphere, above the weather and location of conventional air traffic.

It has a flexible payload design allowing for a range of sensors to be carried providing an extreme level of persistent coverage over a fixed target area.

During a media call to explain the functionality of the new vehicle, the team said this payload could be reduced to allow for higher flying and the drones could operate as a constellation, providing internet over a much larger area than one single drone.

This constellation would be similar in function to the service being developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX, but for a set period of time, rather than ongoing.

This would be idea for providing internet access during a natural disaster, or secure troop communications during an operation in enemy territory, they explained.

The aircraft completed its maiden flight in Australia in February 2020 and is due to fly in the stratosphere in 2021 in the US, proving the aircraft and systems in the environment it is designed to operate in.

It will take about four years for the team, including a number of interns and new starters, to complete tests and operations before it is commercially available.

They predict this will happen by the middle of this decade, although it will provide limited services before then as part of test operations with customers.

It is hoped that as battery and solar panel technology improves over time, the aircraft will be able to remain in the air for even longer.
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter completed its eighth successful flight on Mars on Monday, traveling more than 500 feet.

The 4-pound helicopter, which arrived on Mars in February in conjunction with the Perseverance rover, flew 525 feet (160meters) for 77.4 seconds.

It landed roughly 440 feet (133.5m) away from Perseverance and managed to take another image of its own shadow, 14 days after its seventh flight.

'Another successful flight for Ingenuity!' NASA JPL tweeted.

The 4-pound helicopter, which arrived on Mars in February in conjunction with the Perseverance rover, flew 525 feet (160meters) for 77.4 seconds

INGENUITY: FIRST EIGHT FLIGHTS ON MARS Flight one: April 19, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 9.8ft, stationary hover and a landing Flight two: April 22, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, then shift westward for 14ft before returning and landing Flight three: April 25, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, shift northwards for 328ft at an airspeed of 2 m/s before returning to land Flight four: April 30, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 16ft, hover, shift southwards 873ft at 3.5m/s before returning to land Flight five: May 7, 2021 with a vertical takeoff up to 33ft, hover, shift southwards 423ft at 3.5 m/s before landing at that new location Flight six: May 22, 2021 with a vertical takeoff of 33ft, hover, shift southwest 492ft at 9mph, travel 49ft south, travel 164ft before returning to land Flight seven: June 8, 2021 with a vertical takeoff of 33ft, hover, shift 348ft at 9mph, land at Airfield D Flight eight: June 21, 2021 with a vertical takeoff, hover, shift southwest 520ft, land at Airfield E 438ft away from Perseverance Advertisement

Both Ingenuity's seventh and eighth flights went off without a hitch, but its sixth flight took some 'unexpected motions,' the US space agency said previously.

The unwanted turns were due to an 'image processing issue,' but NASA said at the time the helicopter 'landed safely and is ready to fly again.'

The helicopter first deployed from Perseverance on April 3, starting a 30-day clock to make its first powered flight.

Ingenuity, which is just 18-inches tall, made its first flight on April 19, 2021, making history as the first powered controlled flight on another planet.

Since then it has completed eight successful flights, the first five as part of a 'technical demonstration' to prove something could fly on Mars.

The subsequent flights are part of an extended mission support role, helping Perseverance.

NASA has not yet said when Ingenuity will make its ninth flight, but given its history, it can be expected to happen sometime within the next few weeks.

While airborne, Ingenuity keeps track of its motion using an onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU) - that tracks acceleration and rotation rates.

By integrating this information over time, it is possible to estimate where it is, how fast it is moving, and how it is oriented in space.

The onboard control system reacts to the estimated motions by adjusting control inputs rapidly - at a rate of 500 times per second.

The $2.7 billion Perseverance is currently heading south from its landing spot on the Jezero Crater, where it landed 125 sols (Martian days) ago, on February 18.

So far, it has driven 0.32 miles within the crater, NASA said, where it is performing a number of tasks, including searching for evidence of ancient life.

It landed roughly 440 feet (133.5m) away from Perseverance and managed to capture its own shadow, 14 days after its seventh flight

Despite encountering an anomaly on its sixth flight, NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has successfully completed its seventh and eighth flights
A mysterious object lurking at the edge of the solar system is believed to be a mega comet that will make its way toward the sun over the next 10 years.

Made of ice and rock, object 2014 UN271 measures between 62 and 230 miles wide, putting it close to the size of a small dwarf planet, but no larger than Comet Sarabat, which measures more than 513,000 miles wide .

Astronomers identified this object through the findings of the Dark Energy Survey, which captured astronomical data between the years 2014 and 2018.

Citizen scientists predict 2014 UN271 will be the same distance from the sun as Saturn is by 2031, which will be its closet approach to Earth for the first time in about 600,000 years.

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A mysterious object lurking at the edge of our solar system is believed to be a mega comet that will make its way toward the sun over the next 10 years. It sits just slightly closer to the sun than Neptune

I have little doubt in my mind that as this gets closer to the sun, it will begin displaying the coma and tail typical of every other object yet seen in its orbit, wrote Sam Deen, a citizen astronomer, in a post on the Minor Planet Mailing List forum.

It almost feels premature to ascribe any sort of theoretical slope to it with how little precedent there is for objects like this, but if Hale-Bopp is any indication with its slope of 20 at large distances, then 2014 UN271 could possibly reach magnitude 13 in early 2031 - but I wouldn't count on much brighter than 16 or 17 just yet.

Astronomers are astounded by the objects orbit, which travels between the inner solar system and the Oort cloud, a vast and mysterious region that is thought to surround our solar system, and takes 612,190 years to complete.

2014 UN271 is currently about 22 astronomical units (AU) from the sun (for example, Earth is one AU or roughly 92.95 million miles from the sun), putting it just slightly closer than Neptune.

Citizen scientists predict 2014 UN271 will be the same distance from the sun as Saturn is by 2031, which will be its closet approach to Earth since caveman times.

Data shows the object traveled seven AU in just the past year, which would put it within 10.9 AU of the sun by 2031.

From now until then, the object is predicted to develop a tail of a comet from its icy material on the surface vaporizing from the sun's heat.

Deen calculates that 2014 UN271 would, at best, be as bright as Pluto in the night sky, but more likely itll reach the brightness of Plutos moon Charon.

This means it will be impossible for future skygazers to see the object without a powerful telescope.

Astronomers are excited to see what 2014 UN271 will bring in 2031 and if it creates a buzz similar to the interstellar object, 'Oumuamua, which passed through the solar system in 2017.

'Oumuamua was discovered by a telescope in Hawaii millions of miles away. The object did not seem to be an ordinary rock, because after slingshotting around the sun, it sped up and deviated from the expected trajectory, propelled by a mysterious force

'Oumuamua was discovered by a telescope in Hawaii millions of miles away.

The object did not seem to be an ordinary rock, because after slingshotting around the sun, it sped up and deviated from the expected trajectory, propelled by a mysterious force.

'Oumuamua has baffled scientists, who have proposed a number of theories about what it could be.

These include a cosmic dust bunny, comet or even an alien craft.

However, the lasted study about 'Oumuamua comes from Yale University and suggests it is not an alien craft or space rock, but rather a 35-million-year old hydrogen iceberg from deep space.

The findings, which have been published in the pre-print journal Arxiv, suggest the object emanated from a giant molecular cloud (GMC), a type of interstellar cloud that allow the formation of molecules, usually hydrogen.

Another interstellar visitor made headlines in 2019 when it passed by the sun, but was determined to be a comet - earning the name comet 2I/Borisov.

However, comet 2I/Borisov did not get too close to break apart and kept its original formation as a cloud of gas and dust.

Unlike 'Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov was observed to be outgassing material, which allowed scientists to confirm it is a comet.

Gas coming off 2I/Borisov contained high amounts of carbon monoxide - far more than comets formed in our solar system - indicating the object had large concentrations of carbon monoxide ice, according to Reuters.
Bindi Irwin criticised her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin Snr in a scathing Facebook post on Sunday, accusing him of 'ignoring' her since childhood.

And as the rift is splashed across the tabloids, Australians remain divided over the feud tearing apart the country's most famous family.

Many Aussies side with Bindi, 22, saying it must be agonising for her to have to constantly explain to fans why she doesn't have a relationship with her granddad.

Backlash: As the Irwin rift is splashed across the tabloids, Australians remain divided over the feud tearing apart the country's most famous family. Pictured: Bindi Irwin

However, others are more sympathetic towards Bob Snr, and hope the 82-year-old Australia Zoo founder can one day reconcile with his granddaughter.

Daily Mail Australia cannot publish much of the public commentary for legal reasons, but to paraphrase, many of Bindi's critics say it was wrong for her to 'air family problems on Facebook'.

However, it's important to remember she has held her tongue for many years, and only commented on Sunday when asked by a fan.

Pain: Many Aussies side with Bindi, 22, saying it must be agonising for her to have to constantly explain to fans why she doesn't have a relationship with her granddad Bob (pictured)

Others say taking the feud public isn't what Bindi's late father, Steve Irwin, would have wanted. Of course, it's impossible to know what he would have wanted.

Steve, known to millions around the world as the Crocodile Hunter, died in September 2006 at the age of 44, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland.

On Sunday, Bindi uploaded 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, her husband Chandler Powell and her father-in-law Chris.

Divided: However, others are more sympathetic towards Bob Snr, and hope the 82-year-old Australia Zoo founder can one day reconcile with his granddaughter

Speculation: Others say taking the feud public isn't what Bindi's late father, Steve Irwin, would have wanted. Of course, it's impossible to know what he would have wanted

Gone too soon: Steve, known to millions around the world as the Crocodile Hunter, died in September 2006 at the age of 44, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland

When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather 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 [her daughter] Grace.

'Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'

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 , husband Chandler Powell (left) and father-in-law Chris

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.

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

She said her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply.

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

'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.

'I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

Speaking out: She 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'

'I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.'

Following her post, members of Bob's inner circle fired back at Bindi.

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 Bob 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.

Strained: 'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart,' Bindi claims. Pictured: Bob with Terri, Bindi and Robert at a memorial service for Steve in 2006

She described Bob as 'kind, gentle, generous and extremely f**king introverted'.

On Monday, Bindi returned to social media for the first time since her controversial attack on Bob, sharing a cryptic post about finding 'strength' while 'pulling yourself out of a mental dark place'.

The wildlife conservationist uploaded a quote by U.S. 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.'

Breaking her silence: On Monday, Bindi returned to Instagram to share a cryptic post about finding 'strength' while 'pulling yourself out of a mental dark place'

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 photo, which was originally shared by the Animal Planet television network.

She also wrote in the comment section: 'All the love in the world for my sweet family.'
Johnny Ruffo was seen arriving to The Morning Show studios in Sydney on Monday to speak bravely about his battle to beat brain cancer for a second time.

The former Home and Away star dressed casually in jeans and a green jumper as he arrived for his TV interview.

The 33-year-old actor teamed his ensemble with a pair of white sneakers and wore a face mask.

Candid interview: Johnny Ruffo cut a casual figure as he arrived at The Morning Show studios in Sydney to speak bravely about his battle to beat brain cancer for a second time on Monday

During the interview, Johnny spoke about recently receiving news his tumor is now considered 'stable'.

'I was just so incredibly happy... [But] the battle is not over. That was a huge weight off my shoulders and now we just keep moving forward,' he said.

Johnny also discussed his new song 'Let's Get Lost' and said it was inspired by his health battle.

'It's about wanting to pack up the car and get lost, just get away from everything for a while and for me the whole rigmarole of medication and chemotherapy, the stress of all of that.'

Stylish: The former Home and Away star dressed casually in jeans and a green jumper as he arrived for his TV interview

It comes after Johnny spoke about his health battle and the promising early signs from treatment during a candid interview with Seven's Spotlight on Sunday night.

During the documentary, he said he will fight 'tooth and nail' to beat brain cancer a second time and his the love for his girlfriend Tahnee Sims is inspiring his battle against the illness.

Following his candid interview, Johnny thanked fans for their support on Instagram.

'I'm not going to let her down': It comes after Johnny spoke about his health battle and the promising early signs from treatment during a candid interview with Seven's Spotlight on Sunday night

'Just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who tuned in last night & has shown their support,' he wrote.

'It wasn't an easy story to share but we hoped that by doing so it would help others going through similar struggles & raise much needed awareness.'

The former Home and Away star revealed in November that his brain cancer had returned following 'a week of seizures and excruciating headaches'.

Longtime girlfriend: During the documentary, he said he will fight 'tooth and nail' to beat brain cancer a second time and his the love for his girlfriend Tahnee Sims (pictured) is inspiring his battle against the illness

Johnny was first diagnosed with the disease in 2017 after he went to hospital with painful migraines.

In August of the same year, he had a 7cm brain tumour surgically removed, before undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Johnny rose to fame on talent show The X Factor in 2011, where he placed third. He later portrayed Chris Harrington on Home and Away from 2013 to 2016.
We've all yelled at our TV set when a game show contestant offers a ridiculously absurd answer to an easy question - but one Aussie's response may take the cake.

A woman named Rebecca came up with a bizarre answer to a question about the State of Origin series on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday.

During the regular Tradie vs Lady quiz segment, Rebecca was asked to name the Queensland half-back for game two, and she responded: 'Jarryd Hayne.'

Gobsmacked: A woman named Rebecca came up with a bizarre answer to a question about the State of Origin series on KIIS FM on Tuesday, leaving radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson shocked

'What!? He's in prison!' yelled a gobsmacked Jackie. 'Oh, my god. Geez, Rebecca!'

Her answer caused an uproar in the Kyle and Jackie O studio, with the producers and Rebecca's opposing 'tradie' contestant left utterly shocked.

'I'm sorry!' said Rebecca apologetically.

'What!? He's in prison!' During the regular Tradie vs Lady quiz segment, Rebecca was asked to name the Queensland half-back for game two of State of Origin, and she responded: 'Jarryd Hayne.' Pictured: Jackie and her co-host Kyle Sandilands

'No, no,' said host Kyle Sandilands. 'Jarryd is not playing for Queensland. He is indeed locked up.'

Jackie then confirmed that Reece Walsh was the correct answer.



'Tradie' Ali ended up winning the day's competition after correctly answering which X-Men character Hugh Jackman plays.

Oops! 'No, no,' said host Kyle. 'Jarryd is not playing for Queensland. He is indeed locked up'

Jarryd Hayne, 33, was sentenced in May to a minimum of three years and eight months in jail for the 2018 sexual assault of a young woman in a house near Newcastle.

The former NRL player has always maintained his innocence and has already filed a notice of intention to appeal his sentence.

He will be eligible for parole in January 2025.
Aussie Dancing with the Stars veteran Sharna Burgess has plenty to celebrate at the moment.

She recently debuted her budding new romance with Beverly Hills, 90210 star Brian Austin Green, her career is thriving and she's looking better than ever as she turns 36.

The blonde bombshell marked her birthday on Monday by posing topless.

In her birthday suit! Aussie Dancing with the Stars pro Sharna Burgess posed to celebrate her 36th birthday on Monday

Sharna was glowing as she sat cross-legged on her bed, with her pink-tipped locks tumbling around her shoulders.

The beauty said she was looking forward to her next lap around the sun.

'Good morning 36  I have a feeling youre about to be my favorite year yet. And thats saying something, because 35 was epic, ' she wrote in the caption.

The professional dancer was no doubt making a reference to her romance with her boyfriend Brian.

The couple's relationship is going from strength to strength since they went public in January.

The actor recently revealed he was looking forward to a long and happy future with his Australian dancer girlfriend.

'Honestly right now, this campaign, Sharna, my kids, my life, the prospect of what the future holds the excitement of all of that, my life in general makes me smile,' the Trueheart ambassador told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.

'My life in general makes me smile': Earlier this month, Brian Austin Green (right) said he was looking forward to a long and happy future with his girlfriend Sharna (left)

'I'm in a really good, happy place,' the father of four added.

Meanwhile, Sharna expressed her love for the actor and his three young sons he shares with estranged wife Megan Fox.

Brian also has a 19-year-old son, Kassius, from his relationship with Vanessa Marcil.

'Brian makes me smile, his beautiful boys make me smile, our life, the things we're doing,' Sharna said.

Happily in love: 'I'm in a really good, happy place,' the father of four told The Daily Telegraph

It comes after the couple - who have teamed up for the Trueheart campaign to support the charity Smile Train - revealed how their romance blossomed during the Covid pandemic on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

He told the radio hosts they were able to 'connect more' because Covid regulations forced them to wear face masks on their initial dates.

'For us, sitting at coffee shops and doing what we could [on dates]...it really helped us connect more,' he said.

Bonding: It comes after the couple - who have teamed up for the Trueheart campaign to support the charity Smile Train - revealed how their romance blossomed during the Covid pandemic on The Kyle and Jackie O Show

Brian explained: 'One of the positives that I think has come out of wearing masks... [is that] people have reconnected again.'

'I can't tell you how many people I've looked at in the eye and really connected with.'

'And also [we didn't have to] rush. Just take time to actually connect,' added Sharna, who hails from Wagga Wagga, Australia, but now lives in LA.

Honeymoon phase: Sharna has been dating the '90s heartthrob, who split from wife Megan Fox last year, for about eight months

Sharna has been dating the '90s heartthrob, who split from wife Megan Fox last year, for about eight months.

He shares sons Noah, eight, Bodhi, six, and Journey, four, with his estranged wife.

The Transformers star, 35, left him after falling for rapper and actor Machine Gun Kelly in early 2020. She filed for divorce in November.
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Chrissy Teigen made a rare public outing amid her ongoing bully scandal as she visited her office in Los Angeles on Monday.

The 35-year-old model and wife of John Legend was spotted grinning ear-to-ear as she emerged from her black Porsche to head into the building while sporting a comfortable yet stylish ensemble.

She ventured out of her home just days after she accused the fashion designer Michael Costello of fabricating a series of DMs that allegedly showed her saying he deserved to 'suffer and die.'

Back to work: Chrissy Teigen, 35, made a rare public outing on Monday when she ventured out to her office in Los Angeles following her social media bully scandal

Chrissy was a beaming beauty in her tunic-style cream-colored cardigan, which she belted around her waist to emphasize her hourglass figure.

She put on a busty display under it and showed off a hint of her toned tummy thanks to a low-cut black cropped tank top.

The 5ft9in model long legs popped in a set of frayed cut-off jeans, and she elevated her stature with wrinkled green suede boots.

She added some extra flair to her ensemble with a striking black fedora and complemented it with a quilted Chanel handbag slung across her torso.

Great mood: Chrissy was a beaming beauty in her tunic-style cream-colored cardigan, which she belted around her waist to emphasize her hourglass figure

Stellar figure: She put on a busty display under it and showed off a hint of her toned tummy thanks to a low-cut black cropped tank top

Chrissy had her caramel-colored tresses tied up in a top knot to frame her impeccably made-up face and her enormous gold hoop earrings.

It looked as if she was ready to get back to work after lying low over her social media scandals, as she had magazines with some mouthwatering images of food, which may have been part of her upcoming cookbook campaign.

The TV star was seen parking her black Porsche in a car port next to the office, where she unloaded some items with an assistant.

'I'm good,' Chrissy shared in a short video as onlookers asked how she was doing.

Prime spot: The TV star was seen parking her black Porsche in a car port next to the office

Helping hands: An assistant joined her to help unload some things to bring inside

Standing tall: The 5ft9in model long legs popped in a set of frayed cut-off jeans, and she elevated her stature with wrinkled green suede boots

Black hat: She added some extra flair to her ensemble with a striking black fedora and complemented it with a quilted Chanel handbag slung across her torso

She also weighed in on speculation that she's trying to set up an interview with Oprah Winfrey to delve into her bullying scandal, inspired by the iconic interviewers sitdown with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

When asked if the interview would happen, she replied: 'I have no idea, honestly, to Oprah! I have no idea about the Oprah thing.'

Courtney Stodden, the victim of Chrissy's Twitter vitriol, has also expressed interest in joining the model on a high-profile interview.

Courtney, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, said on Saturday that they would want to join the chat if it could 'help save lives.'

'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.

High spirits: 'I'm good,' Chrissy shared in a short video as onlookers asked how she was doing

In the news: She also weighed in on speculation that she's trying to set up an interview with Oprah Winfrey to delve into her bullying scandal, inspired by the iconic interviewers sitdown with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

No idea: When asked if the interview would happen, she replied: 'I have no idea, honestly, to Oprah! I have no idea about the Oprah thing'

Open to it: Courtney Stodden, the victim of Chrissy's Twitter vitriol, has also expressed interest in joining the model on a high-profile interview. Courtney said on Saturday that they would want to join the chat if it could 'help save lives'

Considering it: '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

On the job: It looked as if she was ready to get back to work after lying low over her social media scandals, as she had magazines with some mouthwatering images of food, which may have been part of her upcoming cookbook campaign

Chrissy originally sent the tweets to Courtney in 2011, when they were only 16.

The bullying messages included Chrissy saying she wanted Courtney to take a 'dirt nap,' a euphemism for dying.

The Bring The Funny judge subsequently shared a public apology and went mostly silent on Twitter, though she has begun reappearing on her Instagram account.

But last week, Project Runway designer Michael Costello reenergized the debate over Chrissy's social media persona by claiming that she sent him a series of bullying direct messages and hounded him over a photoshopped racist social media post.

He claimed to have suffered suicidal thoughts brought on by the online harassment and the damage it allegedly did to his business.

Michael Costello, who was spotted out on Saturday in Riverside, California, accused Chrissy of sending him bullying direct messages over a photoshopped racist social media post. But the model shared a furious denouncement on Twitter on Friday in which she claimed the message screenshots he shared had been doctored

Chrissy hits back: Teigen used offensive language in her tweet on Friday to hit back at claims made by Michael on Twitter, and her husband John Legend also hit back at the designer

Blindsided: 'No idea what the f**** Michael Costello is doing,' she tweeted

But on Friday, a furious Chrissy returned fire and claimed that the messages Michael shared had been 'fabricated,' while her husband John Legend also supported her.

'No idea what the f**** Michael Costello is doing,' she tweeted.

In her statement, Chrissy said that her Instagram handle had been misspelled in the screenshots posted by Michael, and she also claimed that the screenshots showed Instagram design elements that weren't part of the site at the time the messages were allegedly sent.

Amid her social media scandals, the catwalk star has relied on her husband John.

On Sunday, she shared a sweet Father's Day photo of him with their five-year-old daughter Luna and three-year-old son Miles with a loving caption.

'There are no words. Only tears that I am fresh out of,' she wrote, possibly alluding to the scandal. 'To our everything, we love you forever.'

'To our everything': On Sunday, she shared a sweet Father's Day photo of him with their five-year-old daughter Luna and three-year-old son Miles with a loving caption. 'There are no words. Only tears that I am fresh out of,' she wrote

Her rock: Amid her trip to the office, Chrissy also shared loving praise for John

Couldn't do it without him: After she was asked how 'instrumental' the singersongwriter had been in helping her move on from her scandals, she replied, 'Oh my God, he's been my everything'

Holding her up: She added that he was 'vital'

Amid her trip to the office, Chrissy also shared loving praise for John.

After she was asked how 'instrumental' the singersongwriter had been in helping her move on from her scandals, she replied, 'Oh my God, he's been my everything.'

She added that he was 'vital.'

Chrissy also joked that she had been spending her recent free time 'diamond painting.'

Staying busy: Chrissy also joked that she had been spending her recent free time 'diamond painting'

Bagged up: During a second trip to the office, Chrissy ditched her had and carried some bags of supplies in

Tasty: She had a clear plastic bag containing some snacks, including multiple packets of Mama instant ramen, though it wasn't clear if they were just a savory snack of if they were part of her food experiments for her cookbook

During a second trip to the office, Chrissy ditched her had and carried some bags of supplies in.

She had a clear plastic bag containing some snacks, including multiple packets of Mama instant ramen, though it wasn't clear if they were just a savory snack of if they were part of her food experiments for her cookbook.

The model was seen later in the day returning to the office after venturing out, this time without her striking black hat.

She also played it safe with a black mask to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Chrissy cropped her car off this time in a parking garage.

The social media star isn't in the clear yet, as she has been accused of more bullying behavior in recent days.

Late last week, the Cameroonian singer Dencia claimed that Chrissy pushed her twice while they attended the 2016 Grammy Awards.

The singer told The Sun that Chrissy became 'aggressive over a misunderstanding.'

Safety first: The model was seen later in the day returning to the office after venturing out, this time without her striking black hat. She also played it safe with a black mask to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus

No fuss: Chrissy cropped her car off this time in a parking garage

The other shoe drops: The Cameroonian singer Dencia told The Sun late last week that Chrissy had pushed her twice at the 2016 Grammy Awards

'My assistant at the time took his phone out to record a video of me as I walked the carpet. Chrissy literally yanked his phone out of his hand and said, 'Don't record me!"' she claimed.

The singer also said that Chrissy, who was pregnant at the time, wasn't even in the view of the phone camera.

Dencia also claimed that Chrissy 'pushed' her as she arrived on the red carpet and then pushed her again minutes later.

'She pushed me when I got off the carpet after them! I almost fell flat on my face,' she alleged.
She's been entertaining the masses for more than thirty years.

And on Tuesday, Kylie Minogue looked ready to hit the stage again in a pair of fishnet stockings and a sleeveless collared shirt.

In images shared to Instagram, the 53-year-old rolls around on a couch with her trim pins on display.

Looking good! On Tuesday, Kylie Minogue looked ready to hit the stage in a pair of fishnet stockings and a sleeveless collared shirt

'Longing for that post-show-feeling! Cant wait to be back on the stage with you all!' she captioned it.

The pop princess appeared to be preparing for a performance, or may have been backstage after filming one.

Meanwhile, Kylie is offloading the eco-friendly Byron Bay property where she filmed her popular 2019 Tourism Australia campaign.

Bombshell: 'Longing for that post-show-feeling! Cant wait to be back on the stage with you all!' she captioned it

The beautiful three-bedroom home - located in Coorabell, 30 minutes from the famous beachside town - has hit the property market for an undisclosed amount.

Earlier this month, realestate.com.au reported that the home will exceed its 2018 asking price of $3,780,000 to reflect the increasing prices of the area.

The home, which runs off the grid and features it's own solar energy, opens to a luscious courtyard and then welcomes guests into a spacious combined living and dining.

Sold out: Kylie is offloading the eco-friendly Byron Bay property where she filmed her popular 2019 Tourism Australia campaign

The property's biggest draw card is the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the rolling hills and beautiful green countryside.

Part of the common area is the kitchen, which is decked out with top-end appliances and sleek cabinetry.

One wing of the home contains two of the three ample-sized bedrooms, along with a shared bathroom and a study space.

Australian-British connection: Matesong was sung by Kylie for the 2019 Tourism Australia ad campaign and was targeted to British audiences

What a view! The property's biggest draw card is the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the rolling hills and beautiful green countryside

The other wing features a master bedroom with it's own ensuite, alongside the laundry and mudroom.

Both wings of the 28-hectare property each have a deck that looks out to the countryside and the sea in the distance.

It also boasts a newly installed swimming pool, which is situated to the side of the stunningly designed home.

Peaceful: The property features two wings that each have a deck that looks out to the countryside and the sea in the distance

How's the serenity: The property sits on the 28-hectares and looks out to rolling hills and has distant views out to the sea

The deck is where Kylie shot her short segments for her Matesong Tourism Australia ad campaign, which was targeted at British audiences.

In the ad, the pint-sized pop princess relaxed back on a chair as she enjoyed the verdant views ahead of her.

Another snippet showed Kylie pouring out a cup of tea from a beautiful floral China set as the sunset on the surrounds.

New feature: It also boasts a newly installed swimming pool, which is situated to the side of the stunningly designed home

Relaxing: In her Tourism Australia ad, the pint-sized pop princess relaxes back on the chair as she enjoyed the verdant views ahead of her

Real estate agent Su Reynolds told realestate.com.au: 'This is the property where Kylie Minogue filmed the video to promote tourism in Australia, and what better property could you imagine to show off one of Australia's most spectacular areas?'

'It's truly one of the most breathtaking views you'll find along Australia's vast coastline.

'It's perfect for celebrities because of the absolute privacy, and is also well laid out for families or retirees because it has been designed over a single level,' she added.
She works hard to maintain her incredible figure.

And Nicole Scherzinger looked incredible in a series of sizzling snaps from Portugal that she shared to Instagram on Monday.

The Pussycat Dolls star, 42, looked happier then ever as she posed up a storm with her boyfriend Thom Evans, 36.

Wow! Nicole Scherzinger looked incredible in a series of sizzling snaps from Portugal that she shared to her Instagram on Monday

Nicole looked sensational in her string bikini while Thom showed off his rippling abs as he posed alongside his girlfriend in a red pair of shorts.

Nicole captioned the snaps: 'Its Monday Its a new week God is doing a new thing New doors New breakdowns New breakthroughs!

'New blessings Prepare your mind Open your heart Enlarge your vision Expand your horizons! Lets get it #manamonday @mana_movement [sic].'

The couple playfully posed for a series of snap which Nicole shared with her 4.9 million followers.

Stunning: The Pussycat Dolls star, 42, looked happier then ever as she posed up a storm with her beau Thom Evans

The couple beamed for the camera, with the former rugby player wrapping his arm around Nicole as they posed.

Nicole met Thom in 2019 while filming The X Factor: Celebrity, in which he competed in boyband Try Star alongside fellow sportsmen Ben Foden and Levi Davis.

They are said to be looking towards the future and intend on purchasing a property together in London.

Pose: Nicole looked sensational in her string bikini while Thom bared his chest for the photographs, posing alongside his girlfriend in a red pair of shorts

Nicole captioned the snaps: 'Its Monday Its a new week God is doing a new thing New doors New breakdowns New breakthroughs! [sic]'

The couple have been delighting fans with their sizzling snapshots, and last week Nicole looked incredible once again as she posed for a series of sultry snaps.

The Pussycat Dolls star posed in a skimpy bikini and a cowboy hat showing off her toned figure.

The beauty oozed confidence as she strolled bare foot through the desert.

She captioned the snaps with a simple Mexican flag emoji and shared the series of images with her 4.9 million followers.

Beautiful: Last week the star also looked incredible once again as she posed for a series of sizzling snaps from the Mexican desert

Gorgeous: The Pussycat Dolls star posed in a skimpy bikini and a cowboy hat showing off her toned figure

Last month Nicole showed off her very impressive surfboarding skills when she rode a series of choppy waves in an Instagram post dedicated to Memorial Day.

The former X Factor judge looked like a natural on her surfboard, and slipped into a pair of black bikini bottoms and a blue life jacket as she told fans: 'In life you can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to ride them!'

Wearing her raven tresses loose, the Pussycat Doll effortlessly kept her balance while skimming over a body of water and couldn't stop smiling.
She is the Michelin-starred chef known for her tasting menus costing 115 per head, while he's the Brexit campaigner whose pubs serve slap-up dinners that still leave you change from a 10 note.

And now Angela Hartnett, owner of Mayfair trattoria Murano, has been accused of 'terrible snobbery' after attacking Tim Martin's Wetherspoon chain for 'destroying' communities.

Hartnett, 52, a regular on television shows such as MasterChef and Great British Menu, admires her own fashionable corner of the East End for its variety of international culinary options.

'I live in East London and don't need to leave my doorstep to get great Japanese, great Indian, great fish and chips,' she boasts. 'Restaurants have become very local; people go to their local restaurant.'

However, she claims that cut-price pub chains such as Wetherspoon are squeezing independent venues out of existence.

She is the Michelin-starred chef known for her tasting menus costing 115 per head, while he's the Brexit campaigner whose pubs serve slap-up dinners that still leave you change from a 10 note. And now Angela Hartnett (right), owner of Mayfair trattoria Murano, has been accused of 'terrible snobbery' after attacking Tim Martin (left)'s Wetherspoon chain for 'destroying' communities

'Pubs are equally as important, and I think pubs are going to suffer far more than restaurants after lockdown because pubs generally were on their way down,' she says. 'Companies like Wetherspoon have destroyed that community  the lovely pub on the corner  and I think they will suffer.'

Hartnett, a protegee of Gordon Ramsay, offers such specialities as turbot with moscato veloute and lobster and scallop tortellini at Murano.

Her comments have enraged Martin, 66, whose spokesman points out that the UK's 925 Wetherspoon pubs are often the centre of their communities.

'Around 95 per cent of Wetherspoon pubs are outside the Central London area where Angela lives and works,' he says.

'Many of these areas don't have 'great Japanese' on the doorstep and Wetherspoon pubs, as their success indicates, are popular in local communities.'

A pub regular says: 'I wonder if Hartnett has ever been to a Wetherspoon? It just sounds like terrible snobbery.'

Bill Nighy, who's busy shooting Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro's film Ikiru, is bemused by the relaxation of Covid rules. '

Apparently, we were allowed to cautiously hug,' the actor, 71, says. 'How does one do that? I've never done a cautious hug.'

Boris Johnson might have had a jolly time in Cornwall at the G7, but the summit has caused dreadful problems for our broadcasters.

Not only did the BBC's Andrew Marr catch Covid, despite having had two doses of the vaccine, but, I hear, its political editor Laura Kuenssberg and Sky's Beth Rigby are having to self-isolate at home.

Virus cases in the local area are said to have increased by up to 2,450 per cent since the expensive jamboree.

Little Women's Florence wows in a little dress

Little Women star Florence Pugh enjoyed wearing a very little dress as she returned to London to promote her new film, Black Widow

Little Women star Florence Pugh enjoyed wearing a very little dress as she returned to London to promote her new film, Black Widow.

The 25-year-old from Oxford lives in LA with her American actor boyfriend Zach Braff, 46.

She shared photos of herself in the 1960s-inspired dress by French designer Casablanca, taken by old friend and photographer Holly Whitaker.

'Holly first took my pictures when I was 18,' she says. 'She knew how my face worked, how to capture a strange dirty moment, how to make me relaxed and have fun.'

Wayne Sleep memorably danced with Princess Diana at the Royal Opera House to the Billy Joel song Uptown Girl in 1985, and the ballet star is convinced she would have continued jiving into her seventh decade.

'Most definitely, Diana would still be dancing in her 60s,' Sleep tells me.

'She would still be doing her exercises because it was a way for her to keep well and keep her body trim.'

Sleep, 72, who is now giving classes for the over-50s on new lifestyle portal Goldster, adds: 'Not only do I wish we could have any dance together, it's our friendship I miss.'

Nigel Havers may still have his looks, pedigree and charm, but the Chariots Of Fire star admits David Beckham has one thing he doesn't  a large luxury car collection.

'In my underground car park in London, Beckham has got his cars next to my slot,' reveals Havers, 69. 'He's got about eight cars, Bentleys and all sorts.'

If it's any consolation, the actor's barrister father, Michael, had the one thing Beckham hasn't yet obtained: a knighthood.

Freya's gorilla gap year dream

While some teenagers are applying for summer jobs at McDonald's, actress Donna Air's model daughter Freya (pictured) is making plans to be reunited with an old friend - a 30st gorilla

Freya, 17, finishes school this term and is 'dedicating her life to conservation'. She hopes to visit Africa to see Joshi, a gorilla who was born just a few yards from her childhood home at Kent's Howletts Wild Animal Park

While some teenagers are applying for summer jobs at McDonald's, actress Donna Air's model daughter Freya is making plans to be reunited with an old friend.

The 17-year-old, who finishes school this term, is 'dedicating her life to conservation' and hopes to visit Africa to see Joshi, a 30st gorilla who was born just a few yards from her childhood home at Kent's Howletts Wild Animal Park.

Freya  who travelled with her father, Damian Aspinall  took Joshi to a gorilla orphanage in the Congo earlier this year, so that he could be returned to the wild.

'I feel I can communicate with the animals on some level, and they tend to trust me and accept me in a way they don't usually with humans,' she tells me.

'But this isn't about me, it's about the animals and making sure we understand them, listen to them, and ultimately help them live freely in the wild where they belong.'

It could have been a scene from a period drama: Ralph Fiennes was spotted on a punt on the River Cherwell in Oxford at the weekend.

He was joined by his old pal, Rev actor Tom Hollander, and a female friend. Fiennes is starring in T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets at the Oxford Playhouse.

Royal jeweller's gem of an 'I do'

Josh Collins (left) runs the Queen's jeweller, which is said to have created a 4,350 eternity ring for the Duchess of Sussex. He married staff member Julia Marie Maglione (right) at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London

He runs the Queen's jeweller, which is said to have created a 4,350 eternity ring for the Duchess of Sussex, but Josh Collins placed a ring on the finger of his own most precious gem on Saturday.

The boss of G. Collins & Sons exchanged vows with one of his staff, Julia Marie Maglione, at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London. Among the guests was Hell's Kitchen star Marco Pierre White's daughter Mirabelle.

'I married my best friend,' Julia says. 'We couldn't have asked for a better day and I'm so grateful to have had our family there.'
Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) turned 34 on Tuesday.

And to help mark the occasion, her doting mother Sharon Bingle has shared some sweet flashback images of the model from her childhood.

The Cronulla-born beauty looks adorable in the images with her bright blonde hair and a big cheeky smile.

'Couldn't be prouder of the woman you're becoming': Lara Bingle's mother has shared sweet never-before-seen images of the model from her childhood and now to celebrate the model's 34th birthday

In one image, she beams at the camera in the back yard of her home, while in another Lara can be seen hosing the front lawn on a hot summer's day.

She can also be seen smiling next to her pet cat.

Sharon also shared a picture of Lara now, which appeared to be from a photoshoot.

She wrote in the caption that she 'couldn't be prouder of the woman Lara is becoming.'

Too cute! The Cronulla-born beauty looks adorable in the images with her bright blonde hair and a big cheeky smile

Sweet: In one image, a little Lara can be seen hosing the front lawn on a hot summer's day

A furry friend: She can also be seen smiling next to her pet cat

'Couldn't be prouder of the woman you are becoming,' Sharon wrote.

She added: 'Always have, always will love you. Happy Birthday Lou xo.'

Lara is currently in Australia with her husband Sam Worthington, 44, and their family.

She first rose to prominence in 2006 when she appeared in a $180million Tourism Australia ad and proclaimed - "where the bloody hell are you?"

Lara and her husband Sam arrived back in Australia with their children in January.

Back on home soil: Lara is currently in Australia with her husband Sam Worthington, 44, and their family

Sam returned to Australia to star in the Sydney Theatre Company production of the Wesley Enoch directed comedy, Appropriate.

Reports surfaced last year that the couple were planning to move Down Under on a permanent basis after living in the U.S.

The couple have been based in the US with their sons Rocket, five, and Racer, four, for a number of years.

In June 2020, they welcomed their most recent addition, a baby boy, named River.

Lara and Sam began dating in 2013 and married in secret a year later.
Adrien Brody hit the headlines on Saturday after making his red carpet debut with girlfriend Georgina Chapman at the premiere of his new movie Clean in New York.

The Oscar winner, 48, looked pleased to formally introduce his new partner, 45, who is the ex-wife of convicted sex offender and former film producer Harvey Weinstein.

And while fans turn their attention to the loved-up couple, it's often forgotten that Adrien was once in a relationship with actress Elsa Pataky - who is now perhaps best known for being the wife of Australian actor Chris Hemsworth.

Finally! Adrien Brody hit the headlines on Saturday after making his public debut with girlfriend Georgina Chapman at the premiere of his movie Clean in New York. The pair have been dating since at least March 2020, but due to Covid their red carpet debut was delayed

Before she tied the knot with the Thor heart-throb in 2010, 44-year-old Elsa had dated Adrien from 2006 to 2009.

Their romance appeared to be pretty solid from the beginning - so solid, in fact, that in October 2008 Adrien surprised Elsa by purchasing and renovating a stone-built castle in New York for the pair to live in.

He unveiled the mammoth surprise to her on her 31st birthday.

'I blindfolded her. Right at the castle there's a giant, beautiful church bell. And I said, "When you hear the sound of the bell, you can open your eyes and you'll see your surprise." And then I rang the bell,' he told HELLO! magazine at the time.

Past love: While fans turn their attention to the loved-up couple, it's often forgotten that Adrien was once in a relationship with actress Elsa Pataky (left) - who is now perhaps best known for being the wife of Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. Pictured on November 24, 2008, in LA

Surprise! Their romance appeared to be pretty solid from the beginning - so solid, in fact, that in October 2008 Adrien surprised Elsa by purchasing and renovating a stone-built castle in New York for the pair to live in. Pictured: the castle prior to renovations

What went wrong? The former couple were even rumoured to be engaged in 2008 - but sadly, their love story wasn't meant to be. Pictured on September 3, 2007, in Venice

'When I saw the castle, I asked Adrien, "Is this ours?"' the Spanish actress added. 'He said, "Yes  welcome home."'

The magazine did a full 35-page spread of their brand new home, complete with a cheesy photo shoot of the pair posing in a forklift outside the property.

The former couple were even rumoured to be engaged in 2008 - but sadly, their love story wasn't meant to be.

They called time on their romance in 2009, yet no official announcement was made from either party.

Gone with a whimper: The pair called time on their romance in 2009, yet no official announcement was made from either party. Pictured on April 17, 2008, in New York

Just a year after her romance with Adrien ended, Elsa met Chris through their representatives in 2010. They married in December that year.

The genetically blessed pair, who live in a $30million mega-mansion in Byron Bay, have three children, daughter India Rose, eight, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, six.

Adrien ended up keeping and renovating the castle himself, and made a documentary about it named Stone Barn Castle in 2015.

The film follows his efforts fixing up the structure, serving as a metaphor for the pursuit of one's dreams.

Soulmates: Just a year after her romance with Adrien ended, Elsa met Chris Hemsworth (right) through their representatives in 2010. They married in December that year

Meanwhile, Georgina's relationship with Adrien appears to be her first serious coupling since she divorced Weinstein in 2018.

Although their relationship wasn't confirmed until March 2020, the two were said to have been together 'for a while', People reported.

A source said the pair work well together because they share 'many similar interests'.

'She thinks hes unusual and interesting,' the source revealed, adding that Georgina was drawn to Adrien's 'deep passion for his work', which reminds her of her own dedication to her fashion label.

The Pianist star also 'diverts her attention from the pain of her situation [with Weinstein] and subsequent split,' the insider claimed.

Over: Meanwhile, Georgina's relationship with Adrien appears to be her first serious coupling since she divorced convicted felon Harvey Weinstein in 2018. Pictured in February 2017

Adrien had starred in 2006s Hollywoodland, a film which was co-produced by Weinsteins former company Miramax Films.

Georgina's divorce from Weinstein was finalised in January of 2018, and by May the disgraced superproducer 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.

He was convicted in February 2020 of two of the five charges: one count of sexual assault in the first degree and one count of rape in the third degree.

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison the following month.
Almost exactly 20 years after first seen on the big screen in 2001's The Fast and the Furious, the iconic orange Toyota Supra driven by Paul Walker has sold for $550K.

The 1994 Toyota Supra, built by the legendary Eddie Paul at his Shark Shop in El Segundo, California, was sold at a Las Vegas auction over the weekend.

The winning bid was placed via phone, though the winner's identity was not revealed in the video on the Barrett-Jackson YouTube page.

Sold: Almost exactly 20 years after first seen on the big screen in 2001's The Fast and the Furious, the iconic orange Toyota Supra driven by Paul Walker has sold for $550K

Auction: The 1994 Toyota Supra, built by the legendary Eddie Paul at his Shark Shop in El Segundo, California, was sold at a Las Vegas auction over the weekend

The auction was one of the most highly-anticipated car auctions in the past few years, with at least a half-dozen phone bidders involved in the auction.

The car came with, according to the auctioneer heard in the video, 'extensive documentation,' including a certificate of authenticity.

The car comes with the stock 2JZ-GTE engine, and it was primarily used for the film's stunt work.

Phone bidders: The auction was one of the most highly-anticipated car auctions in the past few years, with at least a half-dozen phone bidders involved in the auction

Authentic: The car came with, according to the auctioneer heard in the video, 'extensive documentation,' including a certificate of authenticity

The '10-second car' was seen being driven by Walker in an iconic scene in The Fast and the Furious where Walker's character Brian O'Connor destroys a Ferrari in an impromptu street-light race down the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

Walker was also seen driving this bright orange vehicle in the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious as well.

Paul's brother Cody Walker, who served as a stand-in after his brother's tragic death in late November 2013, spoke to TMZ earlier this month about the auction.

Race: The '10-second car' was seen being driven by Walker in an iconic scene in The Fast and the Furious where Walker's character Brian O'Connor destroys a Ferrari in an impromptu street-light race down the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu

Sequel: Walker was also seen driving this bright orange vehicle in the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious as well

When asked how much he thinks it would fetch at the auction, Cody said with a laugh, 'I don't even want to speculate.'

'I think it's Stunt 1, so it has all the real go fast parts on it, it's the real deal,' adding an earlier version that wasn't a 'picture car' went for $200K.

'This being an actual screen-used Stunt 1 car... I really wouldn't know what to say. It could go for a lot. I think Paul would think it's hilarious, to be honest with you,' Cody added.

Brother: When asked how much he thinks it would fetch at the auction, Cody said with a laugh, 'I don't even want to speculate.

He said that Paul probably wouldn't have dreamed that they were on the ninth movie when he started making the first movie over 20 years ago.

2001's The Fast and the Furious took in $144.5 million domestic and $207.3 million worldwide, with 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, earning $127.1 million domestic and $236.3 million worldwide.

Those were followed by 2006's The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift ($62.5 million domestic, $158.9 million worldwide), with Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto returning in 2009's Fast & Furious ($155 million domestic, $360.3 million worldwide).

Wildest dreams: He said that Paul probably wouldn't have dreamed that they were on the ninth movie when he started making the first movie over 20 years ago

Sequel: 2001's The Fast and the Furious took in $144.5 million domestic and $207.3 million worldwide, with 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, earning $127.1 million domestic and $236.3 million worldwide

Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs joined the cast in 2011's Fast Five ($208.9 million domestic, $626.1 million worldwide), followed by 2013's Fast & Furious 6 ($238.6 million domestic, $788.6 million worldwide) and 2015's Furious 7 ($353 million domestic, $1.51 billion worldwide), which Walker died during a break in the production.

2017' The Fate of the Furious ($226 million domestic, $1.23 billion worldwide) proved the franchise was an international juggernaut, with the 2019 spin-off Hobbs & Shaw ($173.9 million, $759 million worldwide) also faring quite well.

The franchise will conclude with F9: The Fast Saga, hitting theaters June 25, with Fast & Furious 10 closing out the primary film franchise.
She is set to take the role of Hespera in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

And on Monday, Helen Mirren was seen on-set for the first time as she chatted to co-star Zachary Levi while donning a racy breastplate to take on the character.

The British Oscar winner, 75, and Zachary, 40, who plays the title role in the DC Comics superhero sequel, were engrossed in chat just hours after new photos of the cast in costume were posted by the film's director David F. Sandberg.

Comic book role: Helen Mirren is seen for the first time as villain Hespera in photos taken on the set of Shazam! Fury of the Gods in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday

Helen's costume was reminiscent of a Roman gladiator outfit with leather tunic and body armour layered beneath the figure-enhancing top.

She carried a sword attached to her waist with a leather belt and had metallic epaulettes and headgear.

The actress wore a long grey wig curled into a single ringlet that fell down her front over her shoulder and sitting beneath the complementary headdress.

It seems the photos were taken during a break in filming as Helen and Zachary looked to be hanging out by craft services.

Striking: The British Oscar winner, 75, and Zachary, 40, who plays the title role in the DC Comics superhero sequel, were engrossed in chat just hours after new photos of the cast in costume were posted by the film's director David F. Sandberg

At one point, they were seen sitting opposite each other at a picnic table with food in front of them.

Crew members around the pair were wearing face masks in keeping with on set COVID-19 protocols. Production on Shazam! Fury of the Gods only recently got underway in Atlanta, Georgia.

And Helen's villain has had some comic book fans scratching their heads as Hespera is not included in the DC Comics canon.

Role: Her costume was reminiscent of a Roman gladiator outfit with leather tunic and body armor. She wore a long gray wig curled into a single ringlet that fell over her shoulder

According to Comicbook.com, Hepsera, who has been described as 'a daughter of Atlas, is an original creation by screenwriter Henry Gayden.

Gayden penned the screenplay for the original movie released in 2019 and reunited with director Sandberg for the follow-up.

In addition to Helen, Lucy Liu is also appearing the sequel, playing another villain Kalypso, who is the sister of Helen's character.

He's back: Levi, 40, originated the role of DC Comics' character Shazam in the original 2019 movie. He is reuniting with director David F. Sandberg for the sequel set for a 2023 release

Sandberg posted his cast photos on Twitter Monday morning, explaining: 'Dont know how long we can keep the new suits from leaking so heres a pic I took the other day.'

The first Shazam! followed 14-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who is chosen by a wizard to become an adult superhero (Zachary Levi) by simply saying the word Shazam.

Sandberg's group photo showed Levi with fellow castmembers Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Ross Butler, Grace Fulton and DJ Cotrona who play Billy's friends in their adult superhero form.

Revealed: Sandberg posted the first cast photos on Twitter Monday, showing Levi in costume with supporting actors Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Ross Butler, Grace Fulton and DJ Cotrona

Angel will return for the sequel as well, along with the other stars playing the younger counterparts, Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman).

Faithe Herman (Dara Dudley), Ian Chen (Eugene Choi), and Jovan Armand (Pedro Pena), with Sandberg confirming Fulton is playing both versions of Mary Bromfield.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods has been scheduled for a June 2, 2023 release date.
Notorious former NRL WAG Arabella Del Busso recently sparked a wave of concern after sharing a photo of herself crying on social media.

But the 30-year-old model proved she was back on top on Tuesday, sharing one of her signature glamorous photos on Instagram.

Arabella showed off her toned tummy and ample assets as she posed on a bed in lingerie while suggestively fixing her hair.

Glamour girl: After a worrying few days, notorious former NRL WAG Arabella Del Busso proved she was back on top on Tuesday, sharing one of her signature glamorous photos on Instagram

The brunette beauty shot a sultry gaze at the camera.

Arabella stuck to an inspirational theme in the caption, writing: 'A woman is unstoppable after she realises she deserves better.'

The SAS Australia star later shared a clip of herself smiling on Instagram Stories as she teased new TV and commercial work.

Is everything okay? It comes after Arabella looked visibly upset in a recent Instagram post in which she stared at the camera with tears welling in her eyes

It comes after Arabella looked visibly upset in a recent Instagram post in which she stared at the camera with tears welling in her eyes.

Managing to look glamorous even in a moment of sorrow, Arabella sported a pair of pearl earrings and used a flattering filter.

While Arabella didn't explain why she was in tears, she did post a cryptic quote about the importance of removing toxic friendships from your life.

Dropping hints? While Arabella didn't explain why she was in tears, she did post a cryptic quote about the importance of removing toxic friendships from your life

'As you mature, you will realise that many people only keep up with you because they want to know about you, not necessarily because they care for your well-being,' the quote read.

'You'll find that people feed off the moments in your life only to hold comparisons between yourself and them or to discuss you elsewhere.'

The post went on advise the reader to 'keep their circle small' and be selective about the information they share with others.

'As you mature, you'll find that being selective in your speech and your company is best for you,' the quote concluded.

Cryptic: The post advised the reader to 'keep their circle small' and be selective about the information they share with others

Arabella rose to fame last year after her 60 Minutes interview detailing her messy split from Josh Reynolds of the Wests Tigers.

The former couple met on Instagram in 2018 and had a one-night stand, after which she claimed she fell pregnant with twins.

It was later alleged that Arabella showed the NRL player a fraudulent ultrasound scan, which he claims she used to fake a pregnancy.

She has denied faking pregnancies or miscarriages, but admitted on 60 Minutes to passing off another woman's sonogram as her own to 'spite' Josh.
Chadwick Boseman was honored by his brother Kevin Boseman with a special routine at the Dance Against Cancer Outside benefit.

Kevin Boseman makes his return to the dance stage for the first time in seven years for the benefit, which was held Monday night at Damrosch Park in New York City.

Boseman was joined by Clifton Brown, Erin Fogarty and the Harlem Alumni Ensemble for his piece A Tribute to Our Heroes, with the dancer opening up about his 'hero' brother in an interview with PopSugar.

Honored: Chadwick Boseman was honored by his brother Kevin Boseman with a special routine at the Dance Against Cancer Outside benefit

Stage return: Kevin Boseman makes his return to the dance stage for the first time in seven years for the benefit, which was held Monday night at Damrosch Park in New York City

'I feel very honored that Dance Against Cancer and Earl Mosley wanted to feature me as a dancer with a long career who is also a cancer survivor,' Boseman said.

'There is absolutely nothing like witnessing artists bare their souls in front of me,' Boseman added.

He continued that it's been, 'more than a year since most people have been able to see live dance or any live performance, and this evening is packed with artists of the highest calibre and our piece is full of heart and energy, so I know people will be dancing in their seats and leave inspired and hopeful.'

Honored: 'I feel very honored that Dance Against Cancer and Earl Mosley wanted to feature me as a dancer with a long career who is also a cancer survivor,' Boseman said

The 48-year-old has worked professionally as a dancer for more than 20 years, before taking a break, initially to deal with 'burnout' before he was diagnosed with cancer in 2018.

'I had other medical issues and mental health issues before the cancer diagnosis in 2018. I made a return of sorts in 2019 with my first professional choreography credits, but honestly, I've been quietly plotting how to get back on stage since I left,' Kevin added.

He added that the dance, his first return to the stage in seven years, was dedicated to his brother, which he saw as a hero.

Cancer: The 48-year-old has worked professionally as a dancer for more than 20 years, before taking a break, initially to deal with 'burnout' before he was diagnosed with cancer in 2018

'After I signed on to do this piece, I received a beautiful email that brought me to tears from Erin Fogarty, one of the DAC cofounders, asking if we could dedicate the piece I'm dancing to my brother,' Kevin continued.

'I know many people saw him as a hero. I certainly did, but not because of his work as an actor or his battle with cancer. Although anyone fighting cancer is a hero,' Kevin said.

He added that his younger brother was a hero to him because he was, 'courageously fearful.'

Hero: 'I know many people saw him as a hero. I certainly did, but not because of his work as an actor or his battle with cancer. Although anyone fighting cancer is a hero,' Kevin said

Fearful: He added that his younger brother was a hero to him because he was, 'courageously fearful'

'I can't recall a time when he didn't stand up to his fears and proclaim victory over them,' Kevin added.

Kevin celebrated two years of being in remission from his cancer in October 2020, with the benefit raising money for the American Cancer Society.

'Cancer is ferocious but early detection and early treatment can save your life, so don't ignore any significant changes in your health and absolutely stay on top of those regular checkups and screenings,' he added.
She's the former Bachelorette turned Home and Away star who has long been an advocate for mental health.

And this week, Sam Frost is celebrating the release of her new candle collaboration, that helps raise awareness for the cause.

In a series of images shared with Daily Mail Australia, the 32-year-old stuns in a photoshoot as she proudly shows off her new range with Myles Gray.

A good cause: Home and Away's Sam Frost stuns in a new photoshoot as she announces her new candle range that helps raise mental health awareness

Sam looks gorgeous and happy in the shoot, wearing a pair of blue high-waisted jeans and a white ribbed singlet.

She can't wipe the smile off her face as she poses with her new amethyst candles, at a cliff-top home in Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach.

The candles are a collaboration between Myles Gray and Believe By Sam Frost, a mental health initiative which she runs with her sister Kristine.

Camera ready: In a series of images shared with Daily Mail Australia, the 32-year-old stuns in a photoshoot as she proudly shows off her new range with Myles Gray

Interesting: The candles are soy based and are infused with amethyst crystals to help bring users 'peace, clarity and serene energy'

The candles are soy based and are infused with amethyst crystals to help bring users 'peace, clarity and serene energy.'

They retail for $39.95 and are said to have a 33-hour burn.

Sam shared a post about her new collaboration online and said she's 'so excited' to bring the range to customers.

New collab: Sam shared a post about her new collaboration online and said she's 'so excited' to bring the range to customers

She said proceeds go towards youth and adult workshops and said they help users 'reconnect to their true self, feel centered and aligned... unlock your inner wisdom and regain your power.'

Sam has long been open about her battle with mental health and previously told WHO magazine that she battled with depression 'her whole life.'

'For me, depression has been something that I've battled my whole life,' Sam said, adding that life in the spotlight can often heighten her issues.
She announced her engagement to partner Shannan Dodd over the weekend.

And Ruby Tuesday Matthews is taking every opportunity to show off her new diamond ring on social media.

Posting to Instagram Stories on Tuesday, the 26-year-old influencer uploaded a video of herself showing off her fresh manicure while conspicuously flashing her sparkler.

No one's looking at the manicure! Ruby Tuesday Matthews showed off her diamond ring after a visit to the nail salon on Tuesday, after getting engaged to her partner Shannan Dodd

'These are my real nails,' she said while waving her hands in front of the camera.

'It was well overdue for me to get them done', the Byron Bay model sighed.

Ruby's ring appears to feature a baguette-cut diamond set on a slender and elegant white gold or platinum band.

'It was well overdue for me to get them done': The Byron Bay influencer waved her hands in front of the camera as she showcased her new manicure

She announced her engagement on Saturday by uploading a photo of herself locking lips with Shannan to Instagram.

She placed her left hand on his neck, drawing attention to the diamond sparkler on her ring finger.

'My favourite person,' the Bryon Bay based beauty wrote in the caption, along with a white love heart.

Meanwhile on her Instagram Story, she shared a post showing a plate of oysters and another angle of her ring.

She's engaged! Ruby announced her engagement to Shannan (left) on Saturday. She placed her hand on his his face drawing attention to the stunning diamond ring

Wow: Meanwhile, on her Instagram Story, Ruby shared a post showing a plate of oysters and another angle of her ring

Among those who were quick to respond was Real Housewives of Melbourne star Jackie Gillies, who commented: 'Congratulations, beauty.'

Her manager Roxy Jacenko shared a series of flame emojis, and Not So Mumsy blogger Marcia Leone wrote 'Omgggggg' with heart-eyes emojis.

Meanwhile, a fan wrote: 'He liked it and he put a ring on it.'

It's not known exactly when Ruby and Shannan began dating, but she started posting loved-up Instagram photos with him in May.

Loved up: It's not known exactly when Ruby and Shannan began dating, but she started posting loved-up Instagram photos with him in May

Sharing the joy: Among those who were quick to respond was Real Housewives of Melbourne star Jackie Gillies, who commented: 'Congratulations, beauty'

Shannan also happens to be the ex-boyfriend of P.E. Nation founder Pip Edwards.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ruby Tuesday Matthews for comment.

Ruby is a doting mother to two sons, Rocket, four, and Mars, three, whom she shares with her ex-partner Ryan Heywood.

While Ruby has been a social media influencer for many years, she made headlines in October last year for holding up a Jetstar flight to eat a plate of oysters.

Motherhood: Ruby is a doting mother to two sons, Rocket, four, and Mars, three, whom she shares with her ex-partner Ryan Heywood

She was due to fly from Byron Bay to Sydney on a Thursday at 5pm, but a technical issue caused the flight to be delayed.

The budget airline asked travellers to stay put while waiting for an engineer, and told passengers the new departure time would likely be about 7.30pm.

But Ruby and her travel companion left the airport to grab a bite to eat at a beachside restaurant, holding up the plane an extra 30 minutes as it waited on the tarmac for them to return.

Scandal: Ruby made headlines in October last year for holding up a Jetstar flight because she left the airport to eat oysters as they plane waited for an engineer

In videos exclusively taken by Daily Mail Australia, frustrated passengers could be heard heckling Ruby as she boarded half an hour after the plane was due to take off.

They shouted 'how were the oysters?' and 'what a day to be pretty'.

When the plane touched down in Sydney, Ruby wasted no time in calling out Jetstar on Instagram, slamming the airline for its handling of the incident.

'Flight delayed f**k my life': While most other travellers remained at the terminal and purchased food from the cafe at the airport, Ruby and her travel companion decided to leave the airport to grab a bite to eat instead

Heckled: The plane waited an extra 30 minutes on the tarmac for the pair to return. In videos taken by Daily Mail Australia, frustrated passengers heckled Ruby as she boarded

She blamed Jetstar for what had happened and told the passengers to 'grow up'.

She also claimed she was met with 'very personal comments' when she got on the plane.

'I was basically bullied by about seven to 10 to 14 people at different times, then they made comments about my children. No Jetstar staff stopped this at any time. I copped it hard for about 15 minutes,' she said.

'I was scared for myself because number one, I was by myself... number two, no one else who was later than me copped any abuse, it was just me alone.'

Not to blame? When the plane touched down in Sydney, Ruby wasted no time in calling out Jetstar on Instagram, slamming the airline for its handling of the incident. She also claimed she was met with 'very personal comments' when she got on the plane

In January 2019, she sparked controversy when she admitted to relying on a combination of cigarettes, black coffee and cocaine to maintain her 54kg frame prior to giving birth.

The then 25-year-old also claimed drug use was rife in the glamorous social media industry, revealing that most influencers take cocaine to stay thin.

'I need to be careful what I'm saying here, but in the influencer industry, everyone loves the baggie,' she wrote.

'That is how most physiques are maintained.'

'A lot of people never really understood how I could eat and still be so thin, but I guess it's pretty easy to hide an addiction,' Ruby added.
Jordan Barrett recently returned to New York City after spending three months in his native Australia.

And the 23-year-old Australian supermodel wasted no time catching-up with a glamazon pal in the city that never sleeps this week.

Jordan looked animated while enjoying a coffee with his statuesque friend as they took a stroll after eating at BoCaphe restaurant in Soho.

Friends: Model Jordan Barrett, 23, (pictured) stepped out with a glamazon pal in the Big Apple this week after returning to New York City after spending time in his native Australia

The catwalk star looked happy lapping up the sights and sounds of Manhattan as the city continues to open up after covid restrictions.

Jordan donned a loose fitted black T-shirt along with a pair of longline shorts. He finished the look with a pair of joggers.

He wore his famous locks in a shaggy style and his skin appeared clear and glowing.

Relaxing stroll: Jordan looked animated while enjoying a coffee with his statuesque friend as they took a stroll after eating at BoCaphe restaurant in Soho

Jordan's pal flashed their toned tummy and trim pins in a thigh-grazing mini skirt and a tight orange bralette.

Later in the day, Jordan changed into a Nike T-shirt along with a pair of loose-fitting beige pants.

He finished his day with a pair of black slides along with a black shopping bag.

Casual: Jordan donned a loose fitted black T-shirt along with a pair of longline shorts. He finished the look with a pair of joggers

He was seen heading to the Bowery Hotel with his pal Luka Sabbat.

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.

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.

Looking good: Later in the day, Jordan changed into a Nike T-shirt along with a pair of loose-fitting beige pants

'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.'
Kourtney Kardashian looked happier than ever as she enjoyed a fun beach day with her boyfriend Travis Barker on a weekend getaway to Montecito, California.

In addition to spending some quality time with the drummer, 45, the reality star, 42, shared a video of herself sprinting into the ocean alongside Barker and his children Alabama, 15, Landon, 17, and former stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya, 22.

While taking a dip into the glistening water, the Poosh founder rocked a tiny leopard bikini top and matching bottoms.

Taking a dip: Kourtney Kardashian looked happier than ever as she enjoyed a fun beach day with her boyfriend Travis Barker on a weekend getaway to Montecito, California

As the group ran toward the crashing waves, they could be heard screaming in excitement.

For their outing, Barker wore a pair of patterned board shorts and could be seen playfully grabbing Kourtney's bottom as they headed back to shore.

Kardashian also included more memories from their trip, including a a snap of her pasta from Tre Lune, pictures of their bungalow and a sunset on their drive home.

Doting dad: In addition to spending some quality time with the drummer, 45, the reality star, 41, shared a video of herself sprinting into the ocean alongside Barker and his children Alabama, 15, Landon, 17, and former stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya, 22

Joyful: As the group ran toward the crashing waves, they could be heard screaming in excitement

Gorgeous: While taking a dip into the glistening water, the Poosh founder rocked a tiny leopard bikini top and matching bottoms

Kourtney's three kids, who she shares with Scott Disick, did not appear to be on the trip as they were not featured in any pictures.

'weekend [white heart emoji]' the mom-of-three captioned the Instagram slideshow.

Under Kardashian's post, Alabama commented a red heart emoji and two raising hands emojis.

Frisky: For their outing, Barker wore a pair of patterned board shorts and could be seen playfully grabbing Kourtney's bottom as they headed back to shore

Sunny: Kardashian also included more memories from their trip, including a a snap of her pasta from Tre Lune, pictures of their bungalow and a sunset on their drive home

Yum! Kourtney shared a photo of her meal at the restaurant Tre Lune

Their outing comes after she her ex-partner Disick addressed each other's new relationships for the first time.

During part two of the KUWTK reunion special, the Talentless founder, 38, gave his 'blessing' to be with Barker, while Kardashian gave her approval over 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.

Stunning: The blended family appeared to be enjoying their vacation
Nova radio star Mitch Lewis is celebrating the birth of his fourth child - a daughter called Sophie Merle Lewis - with his wife Sarah.

The Brisbane-based presenter told his co-hosts Ash, Kip, Luttsy and Susie on Monday morning he has 'never been happier' after the couple's bundle of joy arrived last week.

Mitch and Sarah also share three boys - James, William and Luke.

'We've never been happier': Nova radio star Mitch Lewis is celebrating the birth of his four child - daughter Sophie Merle Lewis - with his wife Sarah

Mitch told his co-hosts he wanted a 'geek' name for his daughter.

'Unfortunately I couldnt get Leia across the line as a sister for Luke, try as I might,' he joked.

He said he and his wife eventually settled on Sophie as they both loved it.

Fourth time's the charm: Mitchell and Sarah have named her Sophie Merle Lewis. Sophie is the couple's fourth child. They have three boys: James, William and Luke (pictured with mum, Sarah)

Mitch also gushed about his 'amazing' wife Sarah.

'She (Sarah) was ready to go. I think if this wasn't her last, she'd be ready to go for round two. She was amazing,' he explained.

'Just give her a break Mitchell,' his co-hosts responded, laughing.

Heartwarming: Mitchell also shared the news to his Instagram and wrote: 'a little girl for Mum & Dad and a little sister for three very happy & obsessed big brothers'

Mitchell shared a picture of his daughter to Instagram and wrote: 'A little girl for Mum & Dad and a little sister for three very happy & obsessed big brothers.

'A beautiful bub who has her days & nights backwards (not that we mind) and came home to a wardrobe full of more pink than she could ever think possible.'

'@sarah_t_lewis (Sarah) was annoyingly amazing again & the battle for whose girl she is has already begun,' the Nova host added.

''@sarah_t_lewis (Sarah) was annoyingly amazing again & the battle for whose girl she is has already begun,' the Nova host added

His younger brother, Aussie actor Lincoln Lewis, commented: 'YAYYYY!!!! Shes so beautiful. Our hearts are so full. Love yas @sarah_t_lewis and big bro @mitch_lewis.'

His sister Jamie-Lee Lewis added: 'oh girl we have been waiting for you for a long time.'

The birth for comes amid a tough period for the Lewis family after patriarch and NRL legend Wally Lewis ended his 36-year marriage to their mother Jackie in February.


He's never been shy to pose for a shirtless selfie.

But Too Hot to Handle star Harry Jowsey almost showed fans a whole lot more on Monday, when the 24-year-old shared bath selfies while wearing a very low-slung towel around his waist.

The skin-baring display showed off Harry's rippling abs and bulging biceps, stopping just shy of his groin.

Living on the edge: Harry Jowsey (pictured) almost showed fans a whole lot more than intended on Monday, when the 24-year-old shared bath selfies while wearing a very low-slung towel around his waist

Jowsey made sure to flex his pectorals in the three frames posted to his Instagram.

He captioned the photo, 'Just in time for summer,' with the Aussie currently residing in Los Angeles.

The jaw-dropping display comes after the reality TV star all but confirmed he is back together with his ex-fiance, Francesca Farago.

Posting to Instagram on Monday, the hunk shared a series of photos of himself with the Canadian bikini designer.

Pecs appeal: Jowsey made sure to flex his pectorals in the three frames posted to his Instagram

Say it with ink! The Too Hot to Handle star has continued to hint he's back with Francesca Farago, sharing a photo of the pair with matching tattoos last month

In one of the photos, the two appear to sport identical lightening bolt tattoos.

'Champagne birthday, heres to 24,' he captioned the post, which also included a selfie of the former couple.

Francesca, 27, also shared a video of herself saying 'happy birthday' alongside a beaming Harry.

It comes after Harry uploaded a video of the pair celebrating his 24th birthday together on a flirty night out in Cancun, Mexico, on Saturday.

In a very telling photo shared to his Instagram Story, the former couple can be seen cuddling up inside an elevator together, with Francesca turning her back to the mirror and leaning her body against Harry's.

So cosy! Harry also shared this snap of the Canadian bikini designer cuddling up to him

Giving it a shot? In a very telling photo shared to his Instagram Story on Saturday, the former couple can be seen cuddling up inside an elevator together, with Francesca turning her back to the mirror and leaning her body against Harry's

Earlier in the evening, Harry shared a video of Francesca holding up a sparkler and gazing at him from across the table as they celebrated his big day.

Perhaps the most obvious clue the pair have reconciled was a video Harry shared, in which he and Francesca performed a duet to Nicki Minaj's Chun Swae.

In the video, Harry mouths the lyrics, 'He say he don't want me back,' to which Francesca replies: 'He be lyin.'

Date night! Earlier in the evening, Harry shared a video of Francesca holding up a sparkler and gazing at him from across the table as they celebrated his big day

Back on? Perhaps the most obvious clue the pair have reconciled was a video Harry shared on Friday, in which he and Francesca performed a duet to Nicki Minaj's Chun Swae

The exes, who were known for their outrageous antics on the Netflix show, became engaged via Zoom during a reunion episode last May, before spitting in June.

Harry recently said that he felt compelled to reach out to Francesca via text after a year had passed since they found love on Too Hot to Handle.

'I said, "Hey stranger, it's been a year, I hope we can be adults moving forward. I don't want to look back and see you as a stranger and at the very minimum I'd love to be your friend again,"' he told Dave Portnoy's BFF podcast.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Harry and Francesca for comment.
Kurt Coleman has announced he's 'taking a break' from social media after a recent health scare landed him in hospital.

In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, the 24-year-old influencer told his 113,000 followers that he was still 'traumatised' after being hospitalised with pancreatitis.

'I'm taking a break from my phone for a week or however long I need,' he began in a lengthy post explaining his decision to step away.

Stepping away: Kurt Coleman has announced he's 'taking a break' from social media after a recent health scare landed him in hospital

'I'm literally that traumatised from what I went through the last week, the pancreatitis was the highest level of pain I think any human can go through.'

Kurt then thanked the people who had reached out to him and explained he's been 'too tired to even reply'.

'I'm really sad still after what I went through, I feel f**ked up from the drugs and just the whole experience,' he continued.

Health scare: In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, the 24-year-old influencer told his 113,000 followers that he was still 'traumatised' after being hospitalised with pancreatitis

'I'm taking a break from my phone for a week or however long I need,' he began in a lengthy post explaining his decision to step away

'I will be back better than ever when I come back, but I just really need this time to heal and get better. It has changed my life forever.'

Kurt revealed alcohol consumption was behind his diagnosis, and urged fans: 'Please think about my experience when you plan to have a wild drinking night out.'

The self-described 'Australian media personality' revealed he'd been hospitalised on Sunday, sharing a video of himself in his hospital bed.

On the mend: The self-described 'Australian media personality' revealed he'd been hospitalised on Sunday, sharing a video of himself in his hospital bed

'The doctors still don't know what's wrong with me so I'm just freaking out,' he wrote at the time.

On Monday, Kurt revealed he was still in hospital and had 'been at my lowest physical and mental pain the last few days'.

In a separate post on Monday, he said he was 'going to be sharing a lot in the next few weeks and months' about his condition.

Poison: Kurt revealed alcohol consumption was behind his diagnosis, and urged fans: 'Please think about my experience when you plan to have a wild drinking night out.' Pictured with friend Tori O'Neill

'I've learnt so much from my health taking a turn. I really am going to dedicate a lot of my time now making people aware of the things that I had no idea about until now,' he wrote.

'Going through this has CHANGED my life forever and I now have a new mission to share with you all because this has been such an important lesson I've learnt that everybody needs to know...

'Most scariest traumatic last few days of my life but also definitely changed my life forever in a good way. Everything happens for a reason.'
She set fact-checkers reeling four years ago when she took credit for the selfie.

And Paris Hilton showed she wasn't giving up when she again claimed on Monday to have invented selfies with her friend Britney Spears, 39.

The 40-year-old reality TV icon retweeted the duo's now-iconic snaps nearly 15 years later to celebrate National Selfie Day on June 21.

She's at it again! Paris Hilton, 40, again claimed to have invented the selfie with Britney Spears 15 years ago, though there's abundant proof that she didn't; seen Sunday in NYC

Paris originally raised questions about the creation of self-shot photos on November 19, 2017, when she posted two photos of herself and Britney.

She claimed the photos were snapped 11 years earlier and were the first selfies, though it's difficult to tell which of them took the pictures.

'11 years ago today, Me & Britney invented the selfie!' she wrote at the time.

For her updated post, Paris wrote, '15 years ago,' with camera and heart emojis and the hashtag, '#NationalSelfieDay.'

Taking credit: Paris claimed that she and Britney, 39, invented the selfie in November 2006 when she posted the photos 11 years later to Twitter

Even earlier: In a 2017 interview with W Magazine, the Simple Life star claimed she had actually invented the selfie years earlier as a kid with a disposable camera

The original photos appeared to have been taken at a Playboy-themed bar, and photos she later posted from the same night show the pals posing in front of illuminated red shelves in the shape of the Playboy bunny logo, while Paris wore charcoal bunny ears.

In a 2017 interview with W Magazine published months before her tweet, the Simple Life star claimed she had actually invented the selfie years earlier.

'If a beeper had a camera, I would have taken a selfie with it,' she joked, before taking credit for the popular photography trick. 'I think I have a selfie from when I was a little kid, like on a disposable camera.'

Although she takes credit for the selfie  and also gives it to Britney  there's a wealth of evidence suggesting selfies were around long before Paris was born  and even before her parents were born.

Late to the party: But a deep dig from The New York Times in 2017 showed that the earliest selfie dates to 1839, and several can be found early in the 20th century. Even George Harrison and Madonna took them; seen Sunday with her fiance Carter Reum

Shortly after her original post, The New York Times spoke with University of Southern California Professor Stephen Marino, who taught a writing course that used selfies extensively, but he was unable to find any way to interpret the heiress as the inventor of selfies.

An 1839 photo by Robert Cornelius is believed to be the very first self-shot photo.

However, he wasn't holding the camera himself, but other photos of people taking pictures of themselves while holding cameras date back to 1920, and selfie sticks have been used at least as far back as the 1930s.

Even if one generously defines a selfie as featuring a famous person taking photos of themselves, it doesn't work in Paris' favor, as artists including Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman had already done that, as had pop stars like Madonna.

The Beatles' George Harrison even took several famous selfies of himself during a 1966 trip he took to India, including a famous photo he snapped of himself standing in front of the Taj Mahal.

Back for more: Paris recently snapped one of her iconic selfies with her mother Kathy Hilton to celebrate her joining The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

Paris doesn't appear to have ever addressed whether she might have been joking in her tweet, though she seems to have doubled down with her newest retweet.

Even though she's not the inventor of the selfie, she's still a devotee of the DIY art form.

Late last month, Paris snapped another selfie, this time with her mother Kathy Hilton, as they celebrated the matriarch joining the cast of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills and joining her daughter and her half-sister Kyle Richards on a reality series.
One of Bob Irwin's close friends has made more claims about the infamous Irwin rift, which exploded on Sunday after Bindi's bombshell Facebook comment that he had 'ignored her' since she was a child.

Amanda French, who co-authored Bob's 2016 autobiography The Last Crocodile Hunter, claims the 82-year-old has said 'nothing but great things' about Bindi and Robert  before confirming he hasnt seen the pair since leaving the zoo in 2008.

Amanda also said to B105s Stav, Abby and Matt that Bob has not been able to visit his Crocodile Hunter son Steve's grave inside Australia Zoo since the same time, a move which has been 'hard' for the grieving father.

Inner circle: Amanda French (right), who co-authored Bob's (left) 2016 autobiography The Last Crocodile Hunter, said on Tuesday that the 82-year-old has said 'nothing but great things' about Bindi and Robert  before confirming he hasnt seen them since leaving the zoo in 2008

'Steve's burial place is inside the zoo... That's hard for him, not to be able to return to his son's resting place. He hasn't been back to Australia Zoo since 2008, she said.

In her Facebook post, Bindi had claimed that Bob had returned some of the gifts she had sent over the years.

And while Amanda claims that this is true, she gave 'context' as to why he decided to give back some of the gifts to the family.

'They haven't had a relationship since 2007 or 2008, which was the last time he saw the kids,' she said.

'The gifts were returned were because they were odd. I've been there when he's been sent an anniversary gift for example, which was a shower cap.'

Sadness: 'Steve's burial place is inside the zoo... That's hard for him, not to be able to return to his son's resting place. He hasn't been back to Australia Zoo since 2008, Amanda said of Bob

Confusion: Ms French added that Bob always says positive things about Bindi and Robert, adding: 'He says they're always welcome if they ever turned up. But I think it would be hard for Bob to ring up Australia Zoo and be like - can we fix this?' Pictured from left: Robert, Terri and Bindi Irwin

She added that Bob always says positive things about Bindi and Robert, adding: 'He says they're always welcome if they ever turned up. But I think it would be hard for Bob to ring up Australia Zoo and be like - can we fix this?'

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 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'd ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

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'

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.

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

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

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 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 daughter Grace in March, concluded by saying she had to 'choose to care for her own mental health now'.
Bob Irwin's friend, Amanda French, has weighed in on the highly publicised feud which has erupted between the father of Steve Irwin and his family.

In an interview with Hit FM's Stav, Abby & Matt on Tuesday, Amanda told the Brisbane radio show that some of Terri Irwin's behaviour towards Bob, 82, had been 'passive aggressive'.

Commenting on Bindi Irwin's recent claims that Bob 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', Amanda - who co-authored Bob's book, The Last Crocodile Hunter - branded some of the gifts 'odd'.

Speaking out: Bob Irwin's (left) friend, Amanda French (right), has weighed in on the highly publicised feud which has erupted between the father of Steve Irwin and his family. Pictured at the launch of his book in Sydney in October 2016

'The gifts were returned because they were odd. They're always from Terri Irwin, never from the kids. It doesn't say, "From Terri, Bindi and Robert",' she said.

'I've been there when he's been sent an anniversary gift for example, which was a shower cap. Like, really strange thing to send a man...

'And after a while of that, Bob and his wife, Judy, did return one of the gifts at some point, but never any correspondence from Bindi herself.'

Taking sides: In an interview with Hit FM's Stav, Abby & Matt on Tuesday, Amanda told the Brisbane radio show that some of Terri Irwin's (left with daughter Bindi) behaviour towards Bob, 82, had been 'passive aggressive'

Speaking about Terri's choice in gifts, Amanda added: 'To me, it's a passive aggressive thing to do. That's my perspective, not Bob's, but it's strange.'

Amanda said that Bob hadn't been in contact with Terri and Bindi, 22, since around 2007 or 2008.

She was asked what she thought of Terri, 56, having previously worked at Australia Zoo herself.

Bizarre: Commenting on Bindi Irwin's recent claims that Bob 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', Amanda - who co-authored Bob's book, The Last Crocodile Hunter - branded some of the gifts 'odd'. Pictured at the launch of his book in Sydney in October 2016

Explosive: Bindi sensationally spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather in a scathing Facebook comment on Sunday

Although Amanda refused to give a straight answer, she cryptically said: 'A lot of people have left Australia Zoo with the same feeling...'

Bindi sensationally spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather in a scathing Facebook comment on Sunday.

Sharing a sweet post to celebrate Father's Day in the USA, Bindi said she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life': her late father Steve, her husband Chandler Powell, and her father-in-law Chris.

Tribute: Sharing a sweet post to celebrate Father's Day in the USA, Bindi said she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life': her late father Steve, her husband Chandler Powell (left), 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's ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with [my daughter] Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family,' she wrote.

She went on to claim that Bob had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.
Her long-running talk show is set to come to an end after its current season.

But Ellen DeGeneres didn't let that get her down on Monday as she cut a very jovial figure while stepping out to pick up snacks in Montecito, California.

The TV host, 63, flashed a broad smile as she strolled down the street during the low-key outing.

Good mood: Ellen DeGeneres cut a very jovial figure while stepping out to pick up snacks in Montecito, California on Monday

Ellen cut a casual figure for the day, sporting a blue and white striped shirt teamed with navy pinstripe shorts.

She added a pair of dark trainers to her look, accessorising with a silver watch and trendy shades.

Ellen appeared in a particularly good mood as she stretched her arms out wide while carrying her sandwich and crisps.

The sighting comes amid a difficult year for the television icon, who last month announced the end of her daytime talk show.

Filling up: The TV host, 63, flashed a broad smile as she strolled down the street during the low-key outing

In mid-May, Ellen confirmed that her upcoming 19th season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be her last.

In a pre-recorded video from her show, shared on her Twitter account, she told her virtual audience: 'I am announcing that next season, season 19, is going to be my last season.

'So, the past 18 years, you have to know have changed my life. You have all changed my life. I'm forever grateful to all of you for watching, for laughing and dancing, sometimes crying. This show has been the greatest experience of my life, and I owe it all to you. So, thank you.'

End of an era: In mid-May, Ellen confirmed that her upcoming 19th season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be her last (pictured hosting the show in New York in 2015)

The end: In a pre-recorded video from her show, shared on her Twitter account, she told her virtual audience: 'I am announcing that next season, season 19, is going to be my last season

Ellen - who is married to Portia de Rossi - pondered the decision 'for a while', but also admitted that when she penned a three-season extension two years ago she knew then the 19th series would be her last.

She added: 'I've thought a lot about this decision, I sat with it for a while.

'I meditated on it, I talked to Portia, I talked to myself. Two years ago, I signed a deal for three more years, and I always knew in my heart that season 19 would be my last.

'Nineteen is a great number. The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote, and I believe women should be allowed to vote. You may wonder why I've decided to end after 19 seasons and the truth is I always trust my instincts. My instinct told me it's time. I truly have felt like next season was the right time to end this amazing chapter.

Controversy: The show's end comes after several former and current employees accused Ellen of fostering a toxic work environment last year and turning a blind eye to bullying by executives (pictured in May)

BULLYING, RACISM AND A 'TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT': THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ELLEN Ten former and one current member of Ellen's staff alleged they were bullied, fired for attending family funerals or taking sick leave, while one woman claimed to have walked off the job after facing comments about her race. 'That 'be kind' bulls*** only happens when the cameras are on. It's all for show,' one anonymous staff member said. Staff said they were told not to talk to DeGeneres herself while she was on set, and that the day-to-day running of the show was left to producers. The employees said they did not have first-hand experience of DeGeneres being unpleasant, but said she needs to take more responsibility for how her employees are treated. However, allegations have mounted from other sources against the host herself - sparked by a Twitter thread from comedian Kevin T. Porter Calling DeGeneres 'notoriously one of the meanest people alive', he asked people for 'the most insane stories you've heard about Ellen being mean'. The tweet received 2,600 replies and saw Porter give $600 to an LA foodbank, after promising to donate $2 for every legitimate mean story. Claims included that staff are required to chew gum before speaking to her because of her 'sensitive nose', and that she polices staff lunch orders and bans anyone from eating fish or meat. Separately, security worker Tom Majercak - who was assigned to be Ellen's bodyguard at the 2014 Oscars - said she was 'sly' and 'demeaning' to him. 'Ellen is the one person that I've been assigned to - and I've been assigned to quite a few celebrities - that has never taken the time to say hi to me,' he said. 'She's not the person she portrays to be that she's playing off of society.' Advertisement

'I promise you that we are going to have a fantastic final season. It will be a season where I truly get to say, thank you. Every day will be a celebration.'

The show's end comes after several former and current employees accused Ellen of fostering a toxic work environment last year and turning a blind eye to bullying by executives.

Last summer a Buzzfeed article aired out claims of sexual harassment against multiple male producers on the program.

Around that time Ellen was accused of ruling over a work environment where bullying was permitted, with alleged rules like a ban on eating meat or fish at lunch.

It was also claimed that staffers were not allowed to talk to her - and if they did they had to chew gum first in order to accommodate her 'sensitive nose.'

The Ellen DeGeneres Show got off to a strong ratings start last fall in her 18th season premiere when she addressed the scandal, but has seen a swift decline in the months since.

'I learned that things happen here that never should have happened,' Ellen said in her season premiere. 'I take that very seriously. And I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected.

'I know that I'm in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility. I take responsibility for what happens at my show.'

'This is me and my intention is to always be the best person I can be, and if I've ever let someone down, if I've ever hurt their feelings, I am so sorry for that,' she said. 'If that's ever the case, I've let myself down and I've hurt myself as well because I always try to grow as a person.

'I look at everything that comes into my life as an opportunity to learn. I got into this business to make people laugh and feel good, that's my favorite thing to do.'

The Ellen DeGeneres Show first aired in September 2003.

It has since been announced that Kelly Clarkson's eponymous talk show will be filling the time slot void left by Ellen after the show ends next year.

During an interview with Savannah Guthrie in May, Ellen branded the accusations against her as 'misogynistic' and said they 'took a toll' because of how 'sensitive' she is.

The talk-show mogul compared her latest publicity problems to when she lost work after coming out as a lesbian in 1997.
Abbie Chatfield has entered the ring in the war for who wore THAT dress best.

On Tuesday, the former Bachelor star wore the infamous gold Jason Grech gown that Sophie Monk wore to the 2019 Logies.

Ada Nicodemou famously arrived at the same event wearing a similar number from designer Steven Khalil.

What a dress! Abbie Chatfield (right) has entered the ring in the war for who wore THAT dress best. On Tuesday, the former Bachelor star wore the infamous gold Jason Grech gown that Sophie Monk (left) wore to the 2019 Logies

Abbie looked sensational in the metallic number, which sat beautifully on her natural curves.

She showed off her shapely pins in the high cut number, which also flaunted her ample bust.

Abbie had on a full face of makeup and her hair styled in a classic Hollywood style do.

The former reality star wrote in the caption: 'Shoot today for something very exciting being announced on SUNDAY! CANNOT WAIT TO SHARE'. Pictured: Sophie

The former reality star wrote in the caption: 'Shoot today for something very exciting being announced on SUNDAY! CANNOT WAIT TO SHARE'.

The very same dress Abbie had on caused controversy when Jason Grech, the man behind Sophie's show-stopping gold dress, accused Ada's stylist, Donny Galella, of taking perhaps a little too much inspiration from his own design.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Jason claimed that Donny had contacted him to design Ada's Logies dress, only to then hire another fashion designer to make a remarkably similar gown.

Same same! Ada Nicodemou (left) famously arrived at the same event wearing a similar number from designer Steven Khalil

'I wasn't sure if Ada was the right fit for that dress, so I suggested different styles, and I continued to go back and forth with her stylist,' Jason said.

Jason also vented on Facebook, claiming that Donny had initially requested the dress Sophie wore for his client, Ada.

But the Melbourne-based designer turned him down because he believed that the dramatic gold gown would be better suited for the former Bachelorette.
Kate Garraway appeared in good spirits as she headed to work at her Smooth Radio show in London on Tuesday.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 54, has had a tough 15 months after her husband Derek Draper, 53, was hospitalised with severe symptoms of Covid in March last year.

Derek was allowed to return home earlier this year but now requires round-the-clock care and Kate, who recently enjoyed a family holiday to Cornwall while Derek remained at home, is now back at work as a broadcaster.

Kate Garraway, 54, seemed in good spirits as she headed to work at her Smooth Radio in London on Tuesday after Lorraine Kelly spoke out about Kate's husband Derek's Covid battle

The television star smiled and waved at onlookers as she stepped out on Tuesday in knee-length rose-hued raincoat with a long-sleeved white top underneath.

She wore a comfortable pair of blue denim jeans and and added a touch of glamour to her outfit with a pair of shiny rose gold trainers.

Kate was armed with belongings as she carried a large black leather bag in her hand and another cream one over her shoulder.

Keeping it casual: The television star smiled and waved at onlookers as she stepped out wearing a knee-length rose-hued raincoat with a long-sleeved white top underneath

Tough times: Good Morning Britain presenter Kate has had a tough 15 months after her husband Derek Draper, 53, was hospitalised with severe symptoms of Covid in March last year

The ITV star's husband Derek spent more than a year in hospital from March 2020 after catching coronavirus.

And he was infected with the virus so early in the pandemic that the ITV team took Covid restrictions very seriously from the start, according to Lorraine Kelly.

Lorraine told MailOnline: 'It hit us all really hard when Kates husband got Covid. He got it very badly of course.

Keeping everyone safe: After Derek was infected with the virus so early in the pandemic the ITV team took Covid restrictions very seriously

'And with that and having Dr Hillary 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.

'He is back home. And its a case of baby steps. But Kate is just incredible.'

Kate recently shared her heartache at being told by a doctor that if Derek didn't make a recovery within two years, he was unlikely to at all.

Supportive friend: Lorraine told MailOnline: 'It hit us all really hard when Kates husband got Covid. He got it very badly of course... Everything was done so well (by ITV) in terms of safety'

'I had already waited so long,' she wrote in her book The Power Of Hope. '"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?"

'After another long pause, he (the doctor) 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.
On Tuesday's episode of The Project, hosts Carrie Bickmore and Kate Langbroek were brought to tears after presenting a segment on a child with cancer.

Carrie, 40, openly sobbed, covering her face, after discussing three-year-old Melbourne boy Oli, who is suffering from stage 4 Neuroblastoma.

'You will will do anything for your kids, won't you,' Carrie said, becoming tearful.

Tears: On Tuesday's episode of The Project, hosts Carrie Bickmore (left) and Kate Langbroek (right) were brought to tears after presenting a segment on a child with cancer

Kate, 55, then recounted her battle with her own son, Lewis, 17, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2009.

'Childhood cancers are particularly difficult. My son was diagnosed with [leukaemia] - you remember, Carrie, and I remember when we were first in hospital, and I saw the other little bald children, all I saw was the baldness.

'And then after we had spent time there and my own son was bald, I learnt to see the child and once you see the child, you will do anything to help the child. It's very powerful,' she said.

Hard: Kate, 55, then recounted her battle with her own son, Lewis, 17, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2009. Carrie reached for Kate's hand during the exchange, both women clinging to one another and fighting tears

Break down: 'If you want to help Oli, you can head to our website,' Carrie said, before losing control of her emotions. Carrie gasped out a sob, saying 'sorry' before fully breaking down, tears streaming down her face. Pictured with Waleed Aly

Carrie reached for Kate's hand during the exchange, both women clinging to one another and fighting tears.

'If you want to help Oli, you can head to our website,' Carrie said, before losing control of her emotions.

As the show went to an ad break, Carrie gasped out a sob, saying 'sorry' before fully breaking down, tears streaming down her face.

Help needed: Three-year-old Melbourne boy Oli, is suffering from stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Pictured with his family

Funds: Oli and his family are desperate to raise funds to take him to the United States to undergo a clinical trial, and are asking for donations via Go Fund Me

Oli and his family are desperate to raise funds to take him to the United States to undergo a clinical trial, and are asking for donations via Go Fund Me.

Both Carrie and Kate have been touched by cancer, with Carrie losing her husband Greg Lange to brain cancer in December 2010.

He was first diagnosed at age, 25, when Carrie was just 22 years old, and died 10 years later, at just 35.

Better: Six years after Lewis was given the all-clear - Kate shared a photo to Instagram of Lewis (pictured) getting his annual check-up at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne

Kate wrote at the time: 'I am aware of how fortunate we are that Lewis has returned, in these early, unforgettable days of 2020, over six foot tall, with hair on his head aplenty, and old enough to sign his own pathology form'

Not knowing what the future would hold for them, the couple had their first child together, Oliver, now 13, in 2007.

Carrie admitted becoming parents was 'probably the greatest thing we ever did together.'

Carrie continued Greg's legacy by starting her own charity, Carrie's Beanies for Brain Cancer, and has now raised more than $16 million for research and awareness.

Loss: Carrie lost her husband Greg Lange (right) to brain cancer in December 2010. He was first diagnosed at age, 25, when Carrie was just 22 years old, and died 10 years later, at just 35

Tragic: Not knowing what the future would hold for them, the couple had their first child together, Oliver, now 13, in 2007. Oliver is pictured with Greg as a toddler

Last year - six years after Lewis was given the all-clear - Kate shared a photo to Instagram of Lewis getting his annual check-up at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

Diagnosed at the age of six, Lewis battled leukaemia for three and a half years before reaching full recovery in 2013.

Kate wrote at the time: 'I am aware of how fortunate we are that Lewis has returned, in these early, unforgettable days of 2020, over six foot tall, with hair on his head aplenty, and old enough to sign his own pathology form'.
Justin Hartley looks worlds away from his clean, cut, All-American, preppy image in his new movie The Exchange.

The trailer has dropped, and sees the hunky star, 44, in the role of gym teacher Gary Rothbauer.

The film follows a socially awkward but highly enterprising teenager - played by Ed Oxenbould - in 1986, who decides to acquire a 'mail order best friend' in the form of sophisticated French exchange student (Avan Jogia).

Acceptable in the 80s: Justin Hartley looks worlds away from his clean, cut, All-American, preppy image in his new movie The Exchange

Instead, he ends up importing his personal nightmare, a cologne-soaked, chain-smoking, sex-obsessed youth who quickly becomes the hero of his new community.

The movie also features Jennifer Irwin, Paul Braunstein, and Jayli Wolf and will be released on July 30.

Justin is in Fairfield County, Connecticut, this month, filming his new Netflix Christmas movie The Noel Diary, which he is executive producing.

He got a visit from his new wife Sofia Pernas on the set at the start of June, spotted holding hands with her as they strolled around the lot during a shooting break.

Teaser: The trailer has dropped, and sees the hunky star, 44, in the role of gym teacher Gary Rothbauer

Lunch date: Justin is in Fairfield County, Connecticut , this month, filming his new Netflix Christmas movie The Noel Diary, which he is executive producing. He got a visit from his new wife Sofia Pernas on the set at the start of June

The Noel Diary is based on the novel of the same name, published in 2017. Charles Shyer (Alfie and Father of the Bride) will direct.

Justin plays a bestselling author who returns home at Christmas to settle the estate of his estranged mother, who kicked him out of the house when he was just 16.

He then discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and that of a beautiful young woman on a mysterious journey of her own. Together, they embark on an adventure to confront their pasts and discover a future thats totally unexpected.

Justin and Sofia's wedding news was revealed last month, just three months after the actor finalized his divorce from Selling Sunset star Chrishell, 39.

Married: Justin and Sofia's wedding news was revealed last month, just three months after the actor finalized his divorce from Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause, 39. They are pictured making their red carpet debut on May 16

They previously worked together on The Young and the Restless back in 2015 and started dating last year following Justin's split from Chrishell.

The actor cited 'irreconcilable differences' when he filed for divorce in November 2019, which blindsided the reality star.

Chrishell would go on to file for dissolution of the marriage the following month and claim her ex-husband told her of his intent to file for divorce in a text, sharing the news with her only 45 minutes before it was made public.
Sam Worthington and Phoebe Tonkin were hard at work on Tuesday.

The actors are starring in the Stan Original film Transfusion, being shot in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Dressed down and in character, Sam, 44, opted for a black, long-sleeved jumper and skinny jeans in the same tone.

On set: Sam Worthington (pictured) and Phoebe Tonkin were hard at work on Tuesday

He added a pair of chunky sneaker boots and had his long, ombre hair worn down around his face.

Sam walked alongside crew and looked like he was running lines, carrying a script in one hand.

Phoebe, 31, rugged up in a dressing gown with fleece lining, worn over a loose blue t-shirt.

Local: The actors are starring in the Stan Original film Transfusion, being shot in Sydney's eastern suburbs

Warm: Phoebe (pictured) rugged up in a dressing gown with fleece lining, worn over a loose blue t-shirt

All black: Dressed down and in character, Sam, 44, opted for a black, long-sleeved jumper and skinny jeans in the same tone

She added a pair of blue track pants with black stripes down the side, and black ugg boots.

Phoebe had on natural-looking makeup, and had her brunette hair down and worn straight.

In the series, Sam will star as Ryan Logan, a former special forces operative, who is battling to cope with life after the loss of his wife.

A look: Phoebe added a pair of blue track pants with black stripes down the side

Best foot first: The actress added some cosy black ugg boots to her outfit

Pretty: Phoebe had on natural-looking makeup, and had her brunette hair down and worn straight

Life takes another cruel twist when he is then thrust into the criminal underworld to keep his only son from being taken from him.

Bloom actress Phoebe will portray Logan's wife Justine in the film, while Matt Nable will play Johnny.

The role of the son in the film will be portrayed by Edward Carmody, who will portray Billy Logan.

Film news: In the series, Sam will star as Ryan Logan, a former special forces operative, who is battling to cope with life after the loss of his wife

Drama: Life takes another cruel twist when he is then thrust into the criminal underworld to keep his only son from being taken from him

Stan's Chief content officer Cailah Scobie said audiences would be in for a powerful, thought-provoking film.

'The Stan Original Film Transfusion is set to be a powerful and thought-provoking Australian thriller,' she said.

'We're delighted to welcome Matt Nable as actor, writer and director, along with the star-studded cast of Sam Worthington and Phoebe Tonkin.

Starring role: Bloom actress Phoebe will portray Logan's wife Justine in the film, while Matt Nable will play Johnny

Moving: Stan's Chief content officer Cailah Scobie said audiences would be in for a powerful, thought-provoking film

Exiting: 'The Stan Original Film Transfusion is set to be a powerful and thought-provoking Australian thriller,' she said

Meanwhile, Deeper Water Films' Michael Schwarz, said the production has a mix of action and emotion for audiences.

'In Transfusion we've found a movie that has that special combination of visceral action and achingly beautiful emotion,' he said.

'Matt is an already accomplished writer and actor, and it's incredibly exciting to watch him step into the director's chair and bring his own words to life.'

'With Sam he has the perfect actor to showcase the rugged vulnerability of this very powerful script.'

Watch the Stan Original Film Transfusion, exclusively on Stan next year.
Farmer Wants A Wife is set to return to TV screens in less than a month.

It's been revealed the hit Channel Seven reality dating show will premiere on Sunday, July 4.

Host Natalie Gruzlewski will return, with this year's farmers - Will, Sam, Matt, Andrew and Rob - all looking for love.

Coming soon: Farmer Wants A Wife is set to return to TV screens in less than a month. It's been revealed the hit Channel Seven reality dating show will premiere on Sunday, July 4

'I'm so excited to guide our newest crop of nervous and lovable Aussie farmers in their search for true love,' the 44-year-old TV host said in a statement.

'These farmers and ladies have opened their farms and hearts in the hope of finding their happily ever after, and it's a privilege to be a part of their life-changing love stories.'

While this year's show attracted thousands of applicants, each farmer selected just eight women for a series of speed dates.

Back for more: Host Natalie Gruzlewski (pictured) will return, with this year's farmers - Will, Sam, Matt, Andrew and Rob - all looking for love

From there, they'll each choose five women to move in with them on their farms as they get to know each other better and decide if the country life is for them.

This year, one woman will be given an advantage over the others, getting to spend 24 hours alone with her farmer before the other hopefuls arrive.

The selected women will then spend six weeks with their farmer as they decide if they're compatible.

Looking for love: While this year's show attracted thousands of applicants, each farmer selected just eight women for a series of speed dates

The show is considered to be one of the most successful reality dating shows, generating nine marriages, one long-term relationship and 23 babies.

A trailer for the upcoming season dropped on Instagram on Sunday, teasing what fans of the show can expect from the upcoming series.

'Five new Farmers are looking for love... and more than one will find it,' it promised.
Lisa Wilkinson has rolled up her sleeve to get the Covid-19 jab.

On Tuesday, The Project host, 61, had her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, sharing the moment to Instagram.

She wrote in her caption: 'First AZ shot done and literally didn't feel a thing. So glad to finally have the first one out of the way.'

Jabbed: Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) has rolled up her sleeve to get the Covid-19 jab. On Tuesday, The Project host, 61, had her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, sharing the moment to Instagram

Lisa added that her husband, Peter FitzSimons, 59, went along with her to get a dose, too.

'Hubby and I went together, and he got his SECOND shot at the same time,' she added.

The TV star said she was nervous about the process, so she got herself some ice-cream to have in case she felt sick.

She wrote in her caption: 'First AZ shot done and literally didn't feel a thing. So glad to finally have the first one out of the way. 'I have to admit, I was a tiny bit nervous, so I bought one of those tubs of Magnum ice-cream this afternoon just in case I was feeling bad tonight'

'I have to admit, I was a tiny bit nervous, so I bought one of those tubs of Magnum ice-cream (that well known medical cure-all) this afternoon just in case I was feeling bad tonight.

'I feel great. I ate the ice-cream anyway Meantime, here's to life getting back to normal (and Magnum ice-cream!)'

Lisa recently revealed how she first met her author husband Peter in a sweet Instagram post.

Sharing photos of the couple outside the old Channel Nine studios in Sydney's Willoughby, Lisa explained how 60 Minutes journalist Liz Hayes played matchmaker.

Couple goals: Lisa added that her husband, Peter FitzSimons, 59, (left) went along with her to get his second dose, too

'You see 30 years ago last May, Peter and I met in the Channel Nine makeup department for the very first time when we were both guests (in separate segments) on the Today show,' Lisa began.

The journalist said their first meeting was nothing more than a 'brief introduction and a handshake' as they were both in their own respective relationships.

Lisa revealed how Liz played matchmaker 18 months later when they were both single, and after just nine months, they tied the knot.
He's the former tradesman who rose to fame on Married At First Sight in 2018 before returning to television for a brief stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

And on Tuesday, Ryan Gallagher announced that he will be roasting his past in a new comedy show called - wait for it - Reality's Ducked.

Sharing the exciting news to his Instagram account, Ryan, 33, wrote: '[I] can finally release my 2021/2022 show. I've been writing it for 2 years!'

Hitting the road: On Tuesday, Married At First Sight's Ryan Gallagher [pictured] announced he will be roasting his past in a new comedy show called - wait for it - Reality's Ducked

'It's a comedy show about what people love to hate and something I've had a lot of experience in good old reality TV,' he continued.

Ryan said that fans can expect him to dish dirt about his past experience on reality TV as well as past co-stars.

'I roast all shows all casts, not just ones I've been on but DUCKIN ALL OF EM! and most of all myself without any ducks given, jokes and stories that can only be told on stage!' he added.

On tour: Sharing the exciting news to his Instagram on Tuesday, Ryan, 33, wrote: '[I] can finally release my 2021/2022 show. I've been writing it for 2 years! It's a comedy show about what people love to hate and something I've had a lot of experience in is good old reality TV'

His fellow I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and MAFS co-stars were quick to comment underneath his announcement.

Sarah Jane Roza wrote, 'How exciting, congratulations,' while David Genat wrote: 'what - me worry?'

Ryan will kick off his comedy tour in NSW playing a show in Armidale on October 15, before playing a show in East Cessnock on October 16.

Remember this? Ryan's last TV appearance was on Channel 10's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2020

He will then perform one show at Kings of Comedy Colonia Hotel in Victoria on October 21, before speaking in Adelaide on October 22.

Ryan will conclude his tour with a gig in Perth on November 11 before performing in Sydney on November 19.

Tickets vary between $30-$35 and can be purchased here.

Brief fling: During the show, he struck up a brief romance with British reality star Charlotte Crosby (right), but things fizzled out weeks after filming wrapped
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She has jetted to Greece for a sun-soaked break with boyfriend Brandon Myers.

And Gabby Allen packed up the PDA with her beau as they soaked up the sun by the pool of 5 star luxury Calilo Hotel in Greece on Tuesday.

The Love Island star, 29, passionately kissed Brandon, 24, during their relaxing afternoon on the Ios island.

Kiss on the lips: Gabby Allen packed up the PDA with her beau Brandon Myers as they soaked up the sun by the pool of 5 star luxury Calilo Hotel in Greece on Tuesday

Gabby, who has launched a successful fitness platform since finding fame on Love Island, showed off her enviably toned abs in a green bikini from Playboy x Missguided.

The thong bottoms made the most of her peachy derriere while the sporty bikini top highlighted her svelte waist.

The television personality cut a glamorous figure as she teamed her look with a white straw hat with black ribbon trim and donned a pair of gold disc earrings and aviators.

Smooch: The Love Island star, 29, passionately kissed Brandon, 24, during their relaxing afternoon on the Ios island

Looking good: Gabby, who has launched a successful fitness platform since finding fame on Love Island, showed off her enviably toned abs in a green bikini from Playboy x Missguided

Loved-up: Gabby and Brandon have been dating since June last year and went public with their romance two months later

Gabby and Brandon have been dating since June last year and went public with their romance two months later.

The television personality initially denied speculation they were in a relationship, stating at the time they were 'just friends'.

Gabby previously dated Rak-Su star Myles Stephenson until August 2019, when she accused him of cheating on her.

The reality star is thought to be worth an estimated 1.3million since finding fame on the 2017 series of Love Island.

All eyes on her: The thong bottoms made the most of her peachy derriere while the sporty bikini top highlighted her svelte waist

Gabby accentuated her bronzed tan with a red lipstick and appeared to be enjoying the sunshine as she took a dip in the pool.

Brandon, meanwhile, showed off his playful side as he put on Gabby's hat. The model showed off his tattooed physique in a pair of white board shorts and sliders.

This is not the first trip abroad that the couple have been on during lockdown.

Gabby and Brandon jetted to Dubai in the first week of December last year and stated she was staying 'for the foreseeable' future for work reasons.

All in the details: The television personality cut a glamorous figure as she teamed her look with a white straw hat with black ribbon trim and donned a pair of gold disc earrings and aviators

Working it: Gabby accentuated her bronzed tan with a red lipstick and appeared to be enjoying the sunshine as she took a dip in the pool

Model looks: Brandon, meanwhile, showed off his tattooed physique in a pair of white board shorts and sliders

In January, the fitness fanatic had to defend her reasons for being in Dubai, telling her fans that her boyfriend Brandon Myers' business is based in the city and that she would also be working there for the 'foreseeable.'

The TV personality wrote: 'Hey guys, just to let you know, we made the decision to fly out to Dubai as my boyfriends business is based here & luckily allows us to travel.

'We were both fit to travel with negative PCR tests [for COVID-19]. I wanted to come on here and acknowledge this to my followers as it was a difficult decision for me.

'I really hope you can understand that it was an opportunity I had to take.

'I will be working over here for the foreseeable until we decide what to do next. Sending so much love to you all. Gabby x.'

Their trip came at a time when reality stars and influencers were greatly criticised by the public after jetting off to sunnier climes such as Dubai while the country was in another lockdown.
The investigation into Erika Jayne's assets has allegedly uncovered loans she received from her estranged husband Tom Girardi's law firm Girardi Keese.

According to a motion filed by the bankruptcy trustee investigating Girardi's law firm, Erika's businesses received over $20 million in loans from Girard Keese in recent years.

A trustee's special litigation counsel is working to investigate what happened to millions of dollars in settlement funds that Girardi's clients never received after Girardi successfully won cases for them.

Legal woes: Erika Jayne's companies allegedly received $20 million in loans from estranged husband Tom Girardi's law firm Girardi Keese, court documents have revealed. Jayne, 49, is pictured out on Monday

The bankruptcy trustee says she needs to investigate 'witnesses who may have first-hand knowledge of this widespread fraud,' including Jayne's new landlord Benjamin Khakshour.

Khakshour owns the home that Jayne recently started renting near Beverly Hills for $7,500 a month, after she was forced to move out of the $13 million mansion in Pasadena she shared with Girardi - which has now been put on the market.

'The Trustee is six months into her administration of the estate, and is beginning to unravel the numerous transactions which may be avoidable and recoverable for the benefit of creditors,' the document states, according to People.

'Among the possible assets to be recovered are the millions of dollars of settlement proceeds which the Debtor may have transferred to Erika.' the document states.

The special counsel has confirmed that 'settlement funds were diverted to Erika,' the document states.

Where's the money: The special counsel has confirmed that 'settlement funds were diverted to Erika'. A trustee's special litigation counsel is working to investigate what happened to millions of dollars in settlement funds missing from Girardi's firm

The bankruptcy trustee says she needs to investigate 'witnesses who may have first-hand knowledge of this widespread fraud,' including Jayne's new landlord Benjamin Khakshour, who owns the house she is now renting near Beverly Hills for $7,500 (pictured)

The filing claims that Jayne's legal representatives were presented with 'irrefutable evidence' supporting the allegations that settlement funds were diverted to her business accounts.

'The Debtor has admitted in numerous filed tax documents that Erika's related companies have received over $20,000,000 according to the tax documents spanning multiple years,' the trustee alleges.

'Erika has created a new company after the news broke of this scandal which appears to simply be a successor company. Erika has multiple financial accounts and the Debtor's books show Erika owes large receivables to the Debtor.'

The filing claims that Jayne's legal representatives were presented with 'irrefutable evidence' supporting the allegations that settlement funds were diverted to her business accounts.

Furthermore, the trustee expressed concern that 'Erika may further dissipate the Debtor's assets' if the investigation isn't conducted rapidly.

It's complicated: Dinsmore & Shohl LLP - the law firm representing Jayne in Girardi's Chapter 7 Bankruptcy case - filed paperwork to withdraw as her counsel on Tuesday. Two days later they were back on board but it wasn't revealed on what basis they decided to work with the reality star again

Time is money: In the court documents, the trustee expressed concern that 'Erika may further dissipate the Debtor's assets' if the investigation isn't conducted rapidly

'The necessity to trace her money and investigate the receipt of funds, her purchases including the bling and the glam, (diamonds and high expenditures of beauty maintenance, etc.) has become more heightened by these recent events.'

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP - the law firm representing Jayne in Girardi's Chapter 7 Bankruptcy case - filed paperwork to withdraw as her counsel on Tuesday.

Two days later they were back on board but it wasn't revealed on what basis they decided to work with the reality star again.

It was quite the turnaround after the legal firm had originally 'the relationship of trust and confidence that is essential to a properly functioning attorney-client relationship has broken down and, in the good faith assessment of counsel, the relationship is irreparable,' in court docs.

Jayne, 49, separated from her 82-year-old husband last November shortly before multiple lawsuits against the high-powered LA attorney were revealed to the public and a month before he was forced into involuntary bankruptcy.

Girardi and Jayne are facing a $2 million class action lawsuit claiming fraud and embezzlement of funds meant for families of victims of the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash, in which all 189 people onboard died.

'The necessity to trace her money and investigate the receipt of funds, her purchases including the bling and the glam, (diamonds and high expenditures of beauty maintenance, etc.) has become more heightened by these recent events.' the trustee stated

So long: Jayne, 49, separated from her 82-year-old husband last November shortly before multiple lawsuits against the high-powered LA attorney were revealed to the public and a month before he was forced into involuntary bankruptcy

Girardi and Jayne are accused of using that money to fund their own lavish lifestyles and allegedly pay off loans to keep Girardi's law firm afloat.

Edelson PC, a firm acting on behalf of Girardi's ex clients, said in court docs their divorce last fall was orchestrated to 'fraudulently protect Tom and Erika's money' as they're 'on the verge of financial collapse.'

In December Girardi was also sued by his former law firm partner Robert Keese to dissolve their business venture, 1126 Wilshire Partnership.

Keese and other attorneys alleged that Girardi did not pay them the estimated $315,000 they earned from the partnership, instead pocketing the cash 'for his own personal gain.'

Girardi's firm is also being sued by Wells Fargo for allegedly not paying monthly payments for rent, taxes, fees and more on their office. According to the paperwork obtained by Us Weekly, the group owes Wells Fargo $882,000.

Keeping up: Girardi and Jayne are accused of using that money to fund their own lavish lifestyles and allegedly pay off loans to keep Girardi's law firm afloat

The bank is also seeking interest at 10 percent per annum from the date of default and wants to seize Girardi Keese's Los Angeles and San Bernardino, California, properties.

Girardi was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia in March, the same month his legal license in California was revoked.

His brother, Robert Girardi was named his conservator amid his health issues.

In September 2020 he told a judge during a deposition, 'At one point I had about $80 million or $50 million in cash. That's all gone. I don't have any money,'

Jayne has claimed she knew nothing of Girardi's financial and legal woes until late last year when the lawsuits hit.

Under conservatorship: Girardi is also being sued by former partners and Wells Fargo in separate lawsuits. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia in March, the same month his legal license in California was revoked

An ABC/ Hulu documentary, The Housewife and the Hustler, was released this month covering the scandal.

In it, attorney Sunny Hostin pointed out that Jayne is seeking to have her high-dollar items classified as 'separate property' in their split, claiming they were 'gifts to her.'

The doc featured interviews with former clients accusing Girardi of financial theft in their cases, and noted Jayne's involvement in an LLC he had, with some funds allegedly being routed to her company EJ Global.

Reporter Brandon Lowrey of Law360 said in the doc that the estranged couple is 'together in these bankruptcy proceedings' and that 'it's going to be hard for her to say she didn't know that anything was going on.'
She became a body positivity advocate after being trolled over her appearance online.

And Malin Andersson embraced her jaw-dropping curves in a white swimsuit on Tuesday as she channelled Marilyn Monroe for a sensational social media video.

The former Love Island star, 28, exuded confidence as she rocked the figure-hugging one-piece and delivered a series of seductive poses.

Bombshell beauty: Malin Andersson embraced her jaw-dropping curves in a white swimsuit on Tuesday as she channelled Marilyn Monroe for a sensational social media video

Her plunging swimwear revealed her ample assets and featured a white belt cinched at the waist.

Malin styled her caramel tresses in glamorous waves and rocked a slick of red lipstick, emulating the late Hollywood actress.

She also uploaded a series of photos as she wrote online: 'The look of an independent female [red kissing emoji].'

The influencer recently announced during her exotic Saint Lucia getaway that she's got a mystery boyfriend, gushing that he is her 'best friend and soulmate'.

Glamourpuss: The former Love Island star, 28, exuded confidence as she rocked the figure-hugging one-piece and delivered a series of seductive poses

Voluptuous: Her plunging swimwear revealed her ample assets and featured a white belt cinched at the waist

Revealing that she's known her love for 'five years', Malin said that she's 'so excited for the future' and 'couldn't be more content and at peace'.

Alongside a sun-soaked snap, Malin penned: 'Life has a funny way of making sure you truly do get what you deserve in the end

'I'm out here in St Lucia with not just my best friend but my love too.. a lot of you are wondering who this mystery guy is. And I'm going to keep it just like that, as this bit of happiness deserves my privacy in which I will cherish for now.

'I've known him for 5 years and we have always been friends, and also in and out of each other's lives.. he's also been the one that's got away.. but he's here to stay and I couldn't be more content and at peace.

Stunning: Malin styled her caramel tresses in glamorous waves and rocked a slick of red lipstick, emulating the late Hollywood actress

'It's weird how it's all worked out as the ones that care for you the most, you tend to push away.. but timing has been everything in this.

'My soul mate, bringing only the best out in me and helping me on my forever journey of healing. He knows every inch of my soul and what I've gone through, and has been there throughout which is what makes this so special.

'It's safe to say it feels surreal and I've had a hard time of opening up and letting my guard down, but I know this ones deserving of me (to all my precious fans, I love you and adore you so please don't worry about me getting hurt as i'm 100% sure I won't).

'This next chapter of my journey needs a rock by my side.. and I'm so excited for the future. Even though I'm an independent boss ass b***h, that will never change.. I also want you guys to know that happiness comes from yourself first.

Sweet: She also uploaded a series of photos as she wrote online: 'The look of an independent female [red kissing emoji]'

Inked up: Her racy garment was backless and revealed her delicate tattoos

'I'll keep this post short - but yeah.. say hi to the other half of me.' [sic]

The body confidence adovcate was last linked to tattoed-faced beau Michael Sadler, who she dumped in April when she found out he had a secret pregnant girlfriend.

The devastated star ended the 18-month romance after his partner of seven-years Rebecca Barr, 38, contacted her to reveal he has four children and one that's due in August.

Malin told MailOnline at the time: 'I am just terrified at the level of narcissism, the lies, and everything that's happened.

'To everyone else he's so lovely, but he needs to be exposed. In my soul I cannot let another women go through what I've been through for seven years.'

New man: The influencer recently announced during her exotic Saint Lucia getaway that she's got a mystery boyfriend, gushing that he is her 'best friend and soulmate'

Excited: Revealing that she's known her love for 'five years', Malin said that she's 'so excited for the future' and 'couldn't be more content and at peace'

The same month Malin revealed also she had suffered a miscarriage - two years after her four-week-old daughter Consy passed away.

Malin has always been very candid about her relationships and has often spoken about her experience with domestic abuse.

The Love Island star's former partner Tom Kemp, 28, was jailed for 10 months for an assault that left her 'black and blue' last September.

He admitted to assaulting the reality star, which left her with a broken her hand.

Tom was released in December after three months and will serve the rest of his term on Home Detention Curfew.

Tom was the father of Malin's baby girl Consy, who tragically died with a heart defect in January 2019, just one month after being delivered at 33 weeks.

Abuse: The reality star's former partner Tom Kemp, 28, was jailed for 10 months for an assault that left her 'black and blue' [pictured together in February 2019]
They have living it up in Mallorca after jetting off on their first family holiday since welcoming baby son Abel in November.

And Shelby Tribble and her boyfriend Sam Mucklow, both 28, were certainly enjoying the spoils of their trip as they soaked up the sun on the beach on Monday.

The former TOWIE star changed her bikini while she was on the shores as she swapped a white two-piece in favour of a racy metallic bikini, while Sam doted on Abel before stealing a moment to smoke a cigarette.

Cute family: TOWIE's Shelby Tribble dazzled in two bikinis during a beach day with boyfriend Sam Mucklow and their son Abel on first family holiday in Mallorca on Monday

Shelby looked sensational as she hits the shores in a duo of ensembles, which she changed while still on the beach and surrounded by her loved ones.

Sam was also slipping out of his swimwear on the shores as he changed from his trunks into a pair of red Calvin Klein boxers and smoked his cigarette.

Spain and the Balearic Islands find themselves on the UK's amber travel list for lockdown restrictions. As such, Shelby and Sam will have to quarantine for 10 days upon their return to the UK, as well as taking two Covid tests.

MailOnline has approached representatives of Shelby for comment.

All white? Shelby was sizzling in a white two-piece before getting changed into the green metallic bandeau

The trip comes a month after Shelby clapped back at trolls who called her baby son Abel ugly. The TOWIE star took to Instagram to call out 'vile and negative' people who have sent her messages.

Fuming in a lengthy post, the doting new mum said: 'Actually sad that people go out of their way to be mean and even worse to abuse innocent babies and children.'

Alongside an adorable picture of Abel smiling in a neon green and grey Nike onesie, the reality star wrote: 'My beautiful boy laughing off the haters...

All white? She showed off her sensational post baby body in the simple yet stunning white bikini

Smoking away: Sam lit up a cigarette while Shelby wore a cover-up

Yoga? Sam was stretching his arms out while he had a cigarette on the beach

'I really love all my supporters, you really make me smile/happy and I just wanted to say thank you sooo much for always having my back and reaching out to write such kind things its so overwhelming all that love!!

'I wish I had the time to go through individually and reply to you but so many have messaged which I really appreciate and this is a massive thank you to you all, your kindness doesnt go unnoticed.

'I know you all out weigh the vile, negative people in this world and I do always ignore and block, but the message shouldnt be sent in the first place for me to see and read and it really angers me that these trolls think they can go around tearing people down for no reason?'

Mama's boy: She held little Abel close while enjoying the holiday

Mummy dearest: Shelby doted on the tot while they walked down the beach

Covering up: Shelby put on a pretty crochet trimmed dress

Stunner: She looked sensational as she chatted to her family

We are family! The trio looked happy as ever as they hit the shores

She continued: 'You wouldnt come up to my face in the street and say it, so how is it fair to say it behind a screen?

'Actually sad that people go out their way to be mean and even worse to abuse innocent babies and children.

'Social platforms seriously need to do more in tackling online abuse. Thank god I have great family, friends and supporters to help focus on the positives! Youre all truly special.'

His boy: Little Abel stayed safe from the sun with a hood over his face

Cheeky! Sam sported just his boxers during their al fresco changing session

Hold me close: They walked side-by-side while Sam pushed their pushchair

Shelby also shamed one troll by sharing a screenshot of their hurtful message, which attacked Abel's appearance, to her Instagram story.

The reality star told her troll: 'The only ugly person around here is you for thinking you can message me saying such VILE things? So unnecessary.

'My baby is the most BEAUTIFUL boy in the world and so is my boyfriend and ALL of my family!!!!

'So take yourself off social platforms if you think this is how you message people. FYI we'll all continue making gorgeous babies,' she concluded.

Happy couple: The couple have just jetted on their first family holiday

Family fun: Sam was also busy sharing a glimpse of the family holiday on Saturday as he uploaded a short video onto his Instagram story

'Actually sad that people go out their way to be mean': Abel looked adorable as he laughed in a neon green and grey Nike onesie in Shelby's post

Baby bullies: Shelby shamed one troll by sharing a screenshot of their hurtful message to her Instagram story
They have been happily married since 2015.

And Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright proved they're as smitten as ever, as they were seen heading out after enjoying a lunch date at The Hamyard Hotel in London on Tuesday.

The actress, 34, looked stunning as she put on a casual chic display in a denim jumpsuit that she paired with a grey blazer while walking out with the former TOWIE star, also 34.

Stylish: Michelle Keegan put on a casual chic display in a denim jumpsuit and a grey blazer as she stepped out with husband Mark Wright for lunch in London on Tuesday

Michelle's ensemble highlighted her slender figure as she walked slowly behind Mark in a pair of white trainers while departing the hotel.

She brushed her brunette locks into a sleek, straight style and accessorised with a white wide-brimmed hat.

Keeping safe amid the coronavirus crisis, Michelle made sure to wear a face mask while out and about, and she kept her personal items in a Fendi handbag.

Mark, meanwhile, kept things simple by wearing a black padded jacket with dark jeans and a matching raincoat.

Stunning: Michelle's ensemble highlighted her slender figure as she walked slowly behind Mark in a pair of white trainers while departing the hotel

Looking good: Michelle brushed her brunette locks into a sleek, straight style and accessorised with a white wide-brimmed hat

Safety first: Keeping safe amid the coronavirus crisis, Michelle made sure to wear a face mask while out and about, and she kept her personal items in a Fendi handbag

Last week, Michelle looked besotted as she cuddled her cousin Katie Fearnehough's young son, nine-months old Brody Allen, in a snap shared to Instagram.

The broody actress shared a glimpse of her maternal side as she gushed: 'he's just too much,' alongside the post, which saw her hold the baby boy in her arms and pucker up to plant a kiss on his cheek.

Adorable Brody was Michelle's guest of honour at her beauty launch bash and was dressed in a sweet linen shorts and sleeveless shirt for the occasion.

Heading out: Mark opted not to wear a face mask while outside like wife Michelle

All that glitters: Michelle wore a gold pendant necklace to complement her attire

Comfy: Mark, meanwhile, kept things simple by wearing a black padded jacket with dark jeans and a matching raincoat

The Our Girl star looked radiant in a white floral dress, complete with an off-the-shoulder neckline, while shielding her eyes with Ray-Ban shades.

Michelle and husband Mark regularly take to Instagram to share snaps of themselves with little Brody, who they clearly adore.

And her Mark's father, Mark Snr, awkwardly begged the couple to make him a grandfather on one such post shared by the TOWIE star last year.

Broody: Last week, Michelle looked besotted as she cuddled her cousin Katie Fearnehough's young son, nine-months old Brody Allen, in a snap shared to Instagram

Family matters: Michelle's cousin, Katie Fearnehough gave birth to little Brody last September

Mark uploaded a shot of himself holding Brody, and his father was quick to lead the comments with suggestions of grandchildren.

He penned: 'Lovely baby and it's about time you made me a grandad and your mum a grandma.'

Last year, Michelle admitted that she felt 'frustrated' by constant questions about when she and Mark Wright will have a baby.

Demands! Mark's father, Mark Snr, awkwardly begged the couple to make him a grandfather on one such post shared by the TOWIE star last year

The actress, who has been married to the TOWIE star turned TV presenter, for six years, hit out at sexist double standards - admitting queries about when she is going to have a baby do 'bother' her now.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, she said: 'A few years ago it didn't bother me and I answered the question.

'But now I think, "I don't need to answer that because nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors".

'I remember when I finished Our Girl people were like, "Is it because you're going off to have a baby?"

Frustrated: Last year, Michelle admitted that she felt 'frustrated' by constant questions about when she and Mark Wright will have a baby (Pictured with Brody)

'I know for a fact if Mark finished a job, nobody would ask him if he was going to have a baby. It's not fair. It does make me feel frustrated.'

Michelle and husband Mark have been together since late 2012 when they met while they were both on holiday in Dubai.

The former TOWIE star popped the question nine months later and the pair married in a lavish ceremony at Hengrave Hall in Suffolk in May 2015.
Lily Collins kissed her rescue dog Redford and chatted to her fiance Charlie McDowell on Tuesday as she took a moment's break from filming season two of Emily In Paris in France.

The actress, 32, focused on her partner, 36, and their four-legged friend before putting her thespian skills to good use on the bridge set near the Eiffel Tower

She wore an orange jumper with a plaid mini skirt, highlighting her slender legs.

Sweet! Lily Collins kissed her rescue dog Redford and chatted to her fiance Charlie McDowell on Tuesday as she took a moment's break from filming season two of Emily In Paris in France

Emily styled her brunette locks in chic waves and talked to the cast and crew.

She was surrounded by elaborate lighting and filming equipment, with a white marquee for production situated at one end of the bridge.

Her fiance appeared to be a doting pet owner as he stood next to a bicycle, holding their pooch in his arms.

Charlie sported grey trousers and a face mask whilst Lily planted a kiss on Redford's head and affectionately rubbed his wiry hair.

Three musketeers: The actress, 32, focused on her partner, 36, and their four-legged friend before putting her thespian skills to good use on the bridge set near the Eiffel Tower

Vibrant: She wore an orange jumper with a plaid mini skirt, highlighting her slender legs

Team effort: Emily styled her brunette locks in chic waves and talked to the cast and crew

Earlier in June, the daughter of Phil Collins and actress Jill Tavelman documented her fiance's trip to France.

On her Stories, she shared a sweet snap of Charlie kissing Redford and told her fans: 'My boys are coming soon.'

She also shared a picture of furry Redford in the departure lounge and wrote: 'Don't give daddy a hard time.'

Producer and writer Charlie, who normally lives with Lily in Carpinteria Santa Barbara, admitted the prospect of an 11 hour flight would be interesting for their four-legged friend.

Chic: Lily also rocked a soft make-up look which highlighted her delicate features

Set-up: She was surrounded by elaborate lighting and filming equipment, with a white marquee for production situated at one end of the bridge

Landmark: The iconic Eiffel Tower could be seen off in the distance

Adorable: Her fiance appeared to be a doting pet owner as he stood next to a bicycle with their pooch

He shared a picture of the pup in a carrier and wrote: 'Well let's see how an 11 hour flights goes.'

He then shared the same picture of their dog in the departure lounge joking: 'I didn't take a sleeping pill. You took a sleeping pill.'

At the end of last year, Charlie and Lily adopted their rescue dog and were living together in Los Angeles amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The happy couple started dating in 2019 and they got engaged in September 2020.

Lily will continue filming Emily In Paris until mid-July, with production taking place in Paris, Saint-Tropez and other French locales.

Loving: Charlie sported grey trousers and a face mask whilst Lily planted a kiss on Redford's head and affectionately rubbed his wiry hair
After buying Belizean isle Blackadore Caye in 2005 for $1.75M, Leonardo DiCaprio had planned to 'change the world' by building a luxury eco-resort scheduled to open in 2018.

However, protests and backlash from Belize locals and fishermen have effectively stalled the 46-year-old Oscar winner's ambitious plans for the 104-acre, 2.2 mile-long sandbar.

Protesters took offense to Leonardo's idea of 116 floating villas built on a platform supported by pylons with artificial reefs, which would 'destroy the fish breeding grounds.'

Environmentalist: After buying Belizean isle Blackadore Caye in 2005 for $1.75M, Leonardo DiCaprio had planned to 'change the world' by building a luxury eco-resort scheduled to open in 2018 (pictured in 2020)

Groups like Defend Blackadore Caye and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust organized campaigns against the resort with reported $5M-$15M 'living homes,' research station, residents club, and an anti-aging center.

'For DiCaprio to label this plan as environmentally conscious is just a sales pitch,' tour company operator Rebecca Arceo told The Sun on Tuesday.

'He's a complete hypocrite in my opinion. Fly fishing is a huge deal in Belize for the tourism industry. To call his plan green is totally disgusting.'

The climate change activist envisioned building the 'greenest luxury development ever,' which would restore 'the biological health of species on the island and in the waters around it.'

'Do the right thing': However, protests and backlash from Belize locals and fishermen have effectively stalled the 46-year-old Oscar winner's ambitious plans for the 104-acre, 2.2 mile-long sandbar (pictured in 2018)

Concept design: Protesters took offense to Leonardo's idea of 116 floating villas built on a platform supported by pylons with artificial reefs, which would 'destroy the fish breeding grounds'

Stalled: Groups like Defend Blackadore Caye and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust organized campaigns against the resort with reported $5M-$15M 'living homes,' research station, residents club, and an anti-aging center

Leonardo's development team allegedly promised the Belizean government that his resort would amass $10M in annual revenue and create 400 new jobs.

The Sun acquired recent aerial shots of Blackadore Caye, located behind the world's second largest barrier reef, which revealed only sparse trees and wooden shacks.

'There's been a lot of public pressure on him,' an activist told the outlet.

'People were bristling. They got really bent out of shape by the notion that he was going to "heal" us by building an over-the-top resort for rich people.'

Tour company operator Rebecca Arceo told The Sun: 'For DiCaprio to label this plan as environmentally conscious is just a sales pitch. He's a complete hypocrite in my opinion. Fly fishing is a huge deal in Belize for the tourism industry. To call his plan green is totally disgusting'

'View of the Gaia Welcome Plaza': The climate change activist envisioned building the 'greenest luxury development ever,' which would restore 'the biological health of species on the island and in the waters around it'

Abandoned? The Sun acquired recent aerial shots of Blackadore Caye, located behind the world's second largest barrier reef, which revealed only sparse trees and wooden shacks

Dr. Dionne Chamberlain, representative for Blackadore Caye Development Group, said plans will only move forward if they meet the most 'rigorous environmental and ecological standards.'

'All plans for Blackadore Caye remain in preliminary stages. We appreciate all feedback throughout the ongoing planning process and look forward to continuing productive conversations with the local community to advance the right plan,' Chamberlain said in a statement.

'No new development on Blackadore Caye has occurred, however rigorous foundational ecological planning and studies have taken place including a three year scientific investigation undertaken to determine the causes of the environmental issues on Blackadore, (including coastal erosion, on-island soil degradation, and the on-going influence of climate change). To counteract the effects of erosion and soil degradation, a long-term restoration plan was developed and implemented using a variety of hybrid restoration techniques.'

She continued: 'In collaboration with all local stakeholders, the development group made adjustments to the original plans, including removing originally contemplated over-the-water structures, to address concerns that were raised. Revised plans remain in preliminary stages.

Premieres later this year on Netflix! Audiences can next catch Leonardo as low-level astronomer Dr. Randall Mindy in Adam McKay's asteroid disaster comedy Don't Look Up

'The development group continues to gather input from all local stakeholders to ensure interests are aligned, and continues to evaluate the most advanced environmentally sustainable practices. The project will only move forward if the most rigorous environmental and ecological standards are met.'

Audiences can next catch DiCaprio as low-level astronomer Dr. Randall Mindy in Adam McKay's asteroid disaster comedy Don't Look Up, which premieres later this year on Netflix.

Don't Look Up also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Cate Blanchett, Chris Evans, Tyler Perry, and more.
Stills from the new BBC drama The North Water tease Colin Farrell in his latest role - and all signs of Hollywood glam have truly vanished.

The Irish actor, 45, is seen in the gritty series - which is set to air in the autumn - sporting a thick beard, his lock dark locks looking grimy.

The get-up is a far cry from Colin's usual red carpet look.

Gritty: Stills from the new BBC drama The North Water tease Colin Farrell in his latest role - and all signs of Hollywood glam have truly vanished

In scenes on the boat, he's seen puffing a cigar, his face smeared with coal, his hand wrapped in a grimy bandage.

The Miami Vice star plays Drax - a whale harpooner.

He wears a black winter coat and a scarf for scenes that were shot in the Arctic, north of the Svalbard Archipelago, known for its freezing climes.

Those working on the show sailed 81 degrees north, filming on the pack ice. This is said to be the furthest point north a drama series has ever shot before.

Worlds apart: The Irish actor, 45, is seen in the gritty series - which is set to air in the autumn - sporting a thick beard, his lock dark locks looking grimy. The get-up is a far cry from Colin's usual red carpet look [pictured R in 2018]

Cold as ice: In scenes on the boat, he's seen puffing a cigar, his face smeared with coal, his hand wrapped in a grimy bandage. The Miami Vice star plays Drax - a whale harpooner

The series is also set in Hull and takes place in the late 1850s.

It is an adaptation of Ian McGuire's novel of the same name.

It features five episodes, and follows Patrick Sumner, an ex-army surgeon who signs up as ships doctor on a whaling expedition, after being kicked out of the forces.

Jack O'Connell plays Patrick, who finds himself embroiled in tension with Drax. Line Of Duty's Stephen Graham also stars, fresh from his latest role opposite Sean Bean in Time.

Things get tense between the men on the expedition as they find themselves further and further from dry land, and civilisation.

Usual look: Colin is pictured at the premiere for Widows at the Toronto International Film Festival three years ago

Cast: The North Water stars Jack O'Connell as Patrick, who finds himself embroiled in tension with Drax. Line Of Duty's Stephen Graham also stars, fresh from his latest role opposite Sean Bean in Time

Tom Courtenay, Peter Mullan, Sam Spruell and Roland Mller also star.

Colin completed filming The North Water last year. The show began production in October 2019 through March 2020, when the pandemic halted shooting despite nearly wrapping.

The rest of the series was picked up later and shot on a sound stage in the UK.

Feeling the chill: Those working on the show sailed 81 degrees north, filming on the pack ice. This is said to be the furthest point north a drama series has ever shot before

Colin will also star in The Batman, which he was spotted shooting scenes for recently in Glasgow, with Robert Pattinson.

Colin will play notorious super villain The Penguin for the film, which was also delayed in production.

It was first slated for a June 2021 release but will now hit cinemas in March 2022.

The North Water will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer this autumn.
She never fails to turn heads with her incredible sense of style.

And Lizzie Cundy, 53, ensured all eyes were on her as she looked as glamorous as ever leaving the arts club in Mayfair with Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli, 65, on Tuesday.

The pair turned heads as they arrived at the charity function with Lizzie sporting a bright pink and orange ensemble.

Style: Lizzie Cundy ensured all eyes were on her as she looked as glamorous as ever leaving the arts club in Mayfair with Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli on Tuesday

The former WAG paired her off-the-shoulder minidress with a cream chain strap handbag.

She completed the look with cream cage tie heels and she looked chic in black framed sunglasses.

Bruno donned a casual outfit in a Khaki jacket, Jeans and boots which he styled with a cream T-shirt.

The choreographer continued to show off his natural silver locks which are in stark contrast to the jet black tresses fans of Strictly Come Dancing are used to seeing him sport.

Stunning: The pair turned heads as they arrived at the charity function with Lizzie sporting a bright pink and orange ensemble

Gorgeous: The former WAG paired her off-the-shoulder minidress with a cream chain strap handbag

Casual: Bruno donned a casual outfit in a khaki jacket, Jeans and boots which he styled with a cream T-shirt

Loving life: Lizzie and Bruno seemed in great spirits as they chatted away with the doorman at the private members club

He looked in great spirits and accessorised with a black and brown satchel and a pair of sunglasses.

The pair where joined by Joy Desmond, wife of media mogul Richard Desmond, she turned heads in a pink fur cape.

The philanthropist wowed in white jeans and a frill detailed blouse which she paired with a pearl necklace and funky shades.

She accessorised with a stunning red handbag with floral detailing and a pair of red Versace heels.

Glam: The pair where joined by Joy Desmond, wife of media mogul Richard Desmond, she looked glamours in a pink fur cape

Style: The philanthropist wowed in white jeans and a frill detailed blouse which she paired with a pearl necklace and funky shades

It was recently revealed that Bruno and his fellow Strictly pal Craig Revel Horwood have landed their own motoring show on ITV.

Both Craig, 56, and Bruno are passionate about vehicles, and their new programme will 'combine their love of both cars and travel as they motor the length and breadth of the nation,' according to The Mirror.

Speaking about the exciting new venture - which has a working title of Craig and Bruno's Great British Adventure - Bruno said: 'I always had nice cars. I love driving around Regent's Park with the hood down.'

He added: 'I suppose that is, kind of, my extravagance.'

Stunning: She accessorised with a stunning red handbag with floral detailing and a pair of red Versace heels

Craig, however, only passed his driving test in 2011, but told the outlet of his 'passion' for classic cars, namely his Triumph Stag, which the star spent an impressive 35,000 restoring.

He explained: 'People stare when they see it coming down the road and there is nothing better on a beautiful day than driving along with the top down.

'I love the roar of the exhaust as I drive through a tunnel or listening to the powerful sound reverberate off buildings. It's absolutely wonderful.'

The news of Bruno and Craig's new show comes after it was reported that Strictly bosses are planning to resume their usual run of 13 weeks for its upcoming series.

Fun times! The trio seemed in high spirits as they chatted away with one another on the outing

Camera ready: The group posed up a storm as they left the private members club together

It was also reported that the much-anticipated Blackpool special will be back this year, after travel restrictions meant a trip to the seaside town last year was impossible.

A source confirmed to The Sun: 'They're going to put on a full series this year. That means 13 episodes will and all of the themed weeks. The pinnacle will be the trip to Blackpool and that's always been the way on Strictly.

'As things stand, the whole show will head to the North West in November. Everyone is really excited.'

Strictly's eighteenth series faced major setbacks and was forced to go ahead with strict social distancing protocols in place.

Fantastic four: Lizzie took to Instagram to document her outing with Bruno and Joy as well as their friend Gui Siqueira

This meant the annual Blackpool trip was scrapped, and the competition only ran for nine episodes.

However, the BBC succeeded in keeping the show on air despite a handful of COVID-19 outbreaks, with the likes of Katya and her celebrity partner, world champion boxer Nicola Adams, 38, testing positive for the virus and leaving the show early.

Bruno is reported to have ruled out a return to the 2021 judging panel after he missed last year's show due to his commitments on the judging panel for the US version Dancing With The Stars.

Bruno is said to have told friends he 'can't commit' to the upcoming series.
Friends star James Michael Tyler's manager and friend has given an update about the actor's ongoing battle with 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.

Speaking to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Tyler's manager Toni Benson said that he's been responding well to treatment, saying: 'He wants to live.'

'He's going to fight this,' Benson told the publication. 'Lately he's been having amazing days. He's done his second round of chemo and so far he is doing really well. And he's hopeful it will be effective.'

'He's going to fight this': Friends star James Michael Tyler's manager says he's responding well to chemo amid stage 4 prostate cancer battle (the actor pictured Monday)

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.

Iconic: Tyler appeared in all 10 seasons of Friends as Gunther. the manager of the Central Perk coffee shop

'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.'

But his manager Benson says he remains optimistic, saying: 'Though he's wheelchair bound, he's very mobile,' adding: 'He has the most amazing attitude... I don't think he's going anywhere for a long time.'

Benson went on to tell the outlet that 'besides his wife, his main focus is changing people's lives' in raising public awareness of prostate cancer.

She explained: 'It's so important to be checked and he wants to spread the word. He's feeling very positive.'

Tyler said Monday that doctors were optimistic when he was first diagnosed but the cancer started 'mutating' at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'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.

Staying positive: In an Instagram post on Monday, Tyler wrote: 'Just finished chemo round 2 last week! Thank you all so much for your outpouring of love and support'

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.

Emotional: Tyler's manager said the actor is keen to raise public awareness about getting checked for prostate cancer

Battle: 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

He also said his cancer was not caught early and was only detected during a routine check up three years ago.

In an Instagram post on Monday, Tyler wrote: 'Just finished chemo round 2 last week! Thank you all so much for your outpouring of love and support.'

'It means the world to me. Please click the link in my bio. Early detection can make all the difference. #pcf #prostatecancerawareness #prostatecancer #prostatecancerfoundation.'
Vicky McClure was spotted getting into character as a stoney-faced bomb disposal operative during dramatic funeral scenes for her new ITV drama Trigger Point.

The actress, 38, who has reunited with Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio for the series, donned a smart black suit to record the scenes outside St Paul's Church in Harlow in Essex.

Vicky is set to play ex-military bomb disposal expert Lana Washington who is pushed to her breaking point after discovering a series of improvised explosive devices threatening London during a terrorist campaign.

Pensive: Vicky McClure was spotted getting into character as a stoney-faced bomb disposal operative during dramatic funeral scenes for her new ITV drama Trigger Point

During the scenes, it appeared that Vicky's character Lana and her colleagues were bidding farewell to one of their own, as a coffin covered with the Union Flag was carried into a hearse.

The team sent the car on its way before heading back into the church, hinting that perhaps the London terrorist plot hits them close to home.

While Vicky displayed a stoney expression while recording the scenes, between takes she could be seen laughing alongside her co-stars, and even launched into an impromptu dance routine.

Dramatic: The actress donned a smart black suit to record the scenes outside St Paul's Church in Harlow in Essex

Militant: Vicky is set to play ex-military bomb disposal expert Lana Washington in the series, and this is the first time she's been seen on set

Sharp: She sported a smart all-black ensemble as she filmed scenes of her counter-terrorism police team attending a funeral of one of their own

Jovial: While Vicky displayed a stoney expression while recording the scenes, between takes she could be seen laughing alongside her co-stars

Once recording had wrapped for the day, Vicky could be seen briefly stopping to sign autographs for waiting fans, before jumping into the car to head home.

The actress is starring in Trigger Point, which is produced by Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio's HTM Television, alongside Adrian Lester, who will play fellow bomb disposal operative Joel Nutkins.

The upcoming series focuses on counter terrorism policing and the extraordinary work of the Metropolitan Police Bomb Disposal Squad.

Trigger Point will see a terrorist campaign threaten the capital over the summer with the bomb disposal operatives, known as 'Expos', at the forefront of urgent efforts to find out who is behind the bombings before fatalities escalate.

Having fun? She also appeared to launch into an impromptu dance with one of her co-stars while a crew members watched one

No high five? The pair appeared to displaying a handshake of sorts in a break from filming

Going high and low: The acting duo appeared to be in good spirits during a break from their busy production schedule

Coming soon: The actress is starring in Trigger Point, which is produced by Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio's HTM Television, alongside Adrian Lester

Vicky's character Lana and Adrian's Joel are both ex-military with the two close friends after serving together in Afghanistan.

Recent first look snaps saw Vicky and Adrian as their characters dressed in their bomb disposal operative uniforms as they investigate a crime scene.

Vicky also took to her Twitter to share the news as she shared a collection of photos from the show.

She tweeted: 'Meet Lana Washington & Joel Nutkins! Were off to an explosive start!! Cant wait to reveal more as we go alongweve got an incredible cast!!

'And the crew are creating absolute gold! Trigger Point!! @ITV @HTMTelevision @AdrianLester #triggerpoint.'

New series: The upcoming series focuses on counter terrorism policing and the extraordinary work of the Metropolitan Police Bomb Disposal Squad

Gripping: Trigger Point will see a terrorist campaign threaten London with the bomb disposal operatives, known as 'Expos', at the forefront o efforts to find out who is behind the bombings

Exciting: Vicky's character Lana and Adrian's Joel are both ex-military with the two close friends after serving together in Afghanistan

New series: The six-part thriller series has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama, Polly Hill, who will oversee production from the channel's perspective

The six-part thriller series has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama, Polly Hill, who will oversee production from the channel's perspective.

Vicky isn't the only Line Of Duty star to take on a new police role with her co-star Adrian Dunbar, who is best known for playing Superintendent Ted Hastings, set to play retiring Detective Inspector, Alex Ridley, in ITV's new drama Ridley.

Of the new show, Adrian, 62, said earlier this month: 'I don't think I've ever headed into a production with more excitement and enthusiasm.

'As an actor I know how rare it is to be given such a wonderful opportunity, and the combination of Polly Hill and Chloe Tucker at ITV and Jonathan Fisher at West Road Pictures means we are in both safe and creative hands.

'Jonathan and I worked closely together on the very successful series Blood, and I'm confident we can bring some of that magic to Ridley.

Transition: Vicky isn't the only Line Of Duty star with a new role, as Adrian Dunbar, who played Superintendent Ted Hastings play will appear in ITV's drama Ridley

'Here's to getting the team together and developing a show that audiences can find both entertaining and engaging.'

The plot sees Ridley replaced by his former protegee, Acting DI Carol Farman, who later enlists him as a police consultant on a complex murder case.

This then takes a dark and unexpected turn, and he is enticed out of retirement into his former role and revives his partnership with Carol.

Paul Matthew Thompson - one of the lead writers of ITV detective drama Vera - has written and co-created the show, alongside Jonathan, and both will act as executive producers.

Looking sharp: One of the drama's other cast members, Mark Stanley was also dressed in a sombre ensemble as he arrived for filming

Ready to film: The cast, which appear to form the 'Expo' team were seen exiting the church after recording the funeral scenes

Sad: It seems that a recent terrorist attack may have hit the team closer to home, judging by the funeral setting

Taking place: The scenes were being filmed at St Paul's Church in Harlow in Essex

Typecast! First look snaps released last week showed Vicky in character as the bomb disposal expert, weeks after appearing in Line Of Duty's sixth series finale

Famous role: She is best known for playing DI Kate Fleming in the BBC's critically-acclaimed drama Line Of Duty since 2012 (pictured left in Line Of Duty and right in Trigger Point)

Jonathan said: 'I couldn't be happier to be getting started on Ridley, as we continue to build the West Road production slate with our second commission for ITV.

'We're so excited to be teaming up once again with the inimitable Adrian Dunbar, bringing to life Paul Matthew Thompson's characterful and engaging scripts.

'ITV has a fine tradition of nurturing much-loved detective series, and it's a real privilege to be bringing Ridley to the channel.'

Paul added: 'I am thrilled to be working with Jonathan Fisher and West Road Pictures to bring Ridley to life for ITV.

'Equally delighted that he'll be portrayed by the iconic Adrian Dunbar. With his maverick idiosyncrasies, a heart on sleeve empathy and a unique approach to solving crime we hope Ridley will soon join the canon of favourite TV detectives.'
Million Dollar Listing New York star Luis D. Ortiz insisted his ex's abuse allegations are 'completely untrue' amid an ugly international custody battle over their two-year-old daughter.

Ortiz defended his saint-like character and pleaded for privacy during a Tuesday morning chat on Good Day NY with Rosanna Scotto as he promoted his latest Netflix special, Amazing Vacation Rentals.

The reality star has been accused of 'harassment and abuse' by the mother of his child, Nikita Singh, in an online crowdsourcing campaign titled 'Justice for Nikita & Leela Legal Bills,' where she claimed he's falsely accused her of abducting their child, Leela, to live in the UK.

Talk about it: Million Dollar Listing New York star Luis D. Ortiz insisted his ex's abuse allegations are 'completely untrue' amid an ugly international custody battle over their daughter

When prodded about the allegations, Luis said: 'Well, I mean, just like I said to every other person, I will never ever talk about my daughter in public.

'Everything that's been put online is completely untrue, and the reason I haven't responded is number one, I don't have to; number two, this is the private life of my daughter; and number three, this is something that we have to do on our own.'

He added: 'Regardless of what's been said, you've known me for millions of years, and everybody that's known me for millions of years  I am a saint.

'I love my family and I've always been a family man, and I will continue to do what I have to do, but on my own personal time and in my privacy. I don't have to share that with anyone.'

Tough discussion: When prodded about the allegations, Luis said: 'Well, I mean, just like I said to every other person, I will never ever talk about my daughter in public'

'Everything that's been put online is completely untrue, and the reason I haven't responded is number one, I don't have to; number two, this is the private life of my daughter; and number three, this is something that we have to do on our own,' he said

Honest approach: Ortiz defended his saint-like character and pleaded for privacy during a Tuesday morning chat on Good Day NY with Rosanna Scotto as he promoted his latest Netflix special, Amazing Vacation Rentals

Leela's birth was filmed for the hit reality show back in 2019, with camera crews even welcomed into the delivery room in New York City.

'This is my family and regardless of people wanting to know something about it, everybody has their own story and I think that always should stay between the people in it, regardless of celebrity, regardless of you being known,' he said. I'm here to show the world to everybody, I'm here to inspire everybody, not to talk about my personal problems.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Ortiz who has so far not been unavailable for comment. He had previously spoken about his plans to 'co parent' the child with Singh.

In her GoFundMe campaign, Singh wrote: 'I am currently fighting for my basic human right to live a normal stable life with my daughter. Out of fear I have never spoken openly about the levels of suffering I endured from Luis D Ortiz and other members of his family.'

She claimed Ortiz is demanding that she and daughter Leela return to the USA immediately.

Singh  who currently raised 1,031 of her 100,000 goal  added: 'He has made a false child abduction allegations and we may now be forced to return to the USA. I may be at risk of losing my own child.'

Last July, Ortiz told fans that he would be spending five months away from his daughter to film a new project for Netflix, titled The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.

Asking for help: Ortiz's ex-girlfriend Nikita Singh has started up a GoFundMe page where she makes a series of allegations against the realtor

In an Instagram post, he wrote that his new project meant 'continuing to provide for my family' but that it was sad 'because I will be away from my family for the next five months' saying he 'cried like a little b***h on my way out.'

Following the birth of their child, Singh claims Ortiz made the choice 'not to be present in his child's life' and even claims that she is being 'watched and followed' by Ortiz and members of his family.

She claimed: 'I am fearful of him and his form of abusive control over me and my daughter Leela. He is demanding that we return to the USA immediately so that he can have control over me once more. I have requested assistance from the UK government as I do fear for our safety if I return.'

Singh goes to allege that she has distanced herself from 'some of the forms of abuse' from Ortiz but that it 'feels like he is continuing to attempt to harass and torment me' by using their daughter as a way to gain control of our lives'.

Happier times: The birth of their child was covered in an episode of his show Million Dollar Listing: New York in 2019 (pictured above on the show)

'I have not stopped Luis from seeing his child. My lawyer has clearly stated so in writing. In fact inviting him to see Leela,' Singh claims.

She finishes her plight writing: 'I am publicly reaching out and asking for support and to bring awareness of our situation. This is the longest Leela has lived in one place and I am begging to not uproot her. Unfortunately when it comes to abuse and mental health most people refuse to get involved. So I am asking the public for their help.'

The birth of their child was covered in an episode of his show Million Dollar Listing: New York in 2019.

Cameras even went into the delivery room to capture Ortiz meeting his daughter Leela for the first time, when she was born on March 8 that year in New York City.

Fundraiser: Singh currently has 651 raised of her 100,000 goal

Singh also appeared in the property reality show, as she was seen from her hospital bed following the birth.

'Obviously, not planned, and, you know, theres a lot more to the story, and I wish I could tell it,' Ortiz said on the show. 'I'm genuinely happy thinking about it, but I just want to make sure I do things right.'

A year prior to Ortiz becoming a father, the reality star revealed his battle with depression and suicidal thoughts in a 2018 Instagram post.

'For the past year I have been struggling with depression and during the last three months all I can think of  day and night  is putting an end to it all,' he wrote.

Ortiz shocked fans when he left the show during season five in 2016, before later coming back.

During an appearance on the The Real Deal Coffee Talk podcast two weeks ago, Ortiz addressed rumors that he had 'abandoned his family.'

'I decided that I don't want to speak about it to anyone,' he said. 'About my daughter. Because I don't need to, first of all. Second, it's nobody's business. Especially for respect for my family, for my daughter. Having this public debate or even engaging it in it is super small-minded.'

Last week, Ortiz announced his new vacation rental show for Netflix, telling fans: 'I really really hope you enjoy it, we went through a lot making it, so if it inspires and has a positive impact on those who watch I will be very very happy!'
Dani Dyer and her boyfriend Sammy Kimmence were reportedly able to celebrate his first Father's Day together after his sentencing was delayed.

In April, Kimmence, 25, made a last-minute change to plead guilty to scamming two men out of 34,000 and was due to appear back at Portsmouth Crown Court to hear his sentence on June 11 - after being told he could face jail time.

A source has now claimed that because of the date being pushed back amid the pandemic, the parents got to soak up the day with their son Santiago, five months.

Family: Dani Dyer and her beau Sammy Kimmence were reportedly able to celebrate his first Father's Day together after his sentencing was delayed (pictured with baby Santiago in April)

They told The Sun: 'Shortly before he was informed that his sentencing was going to be delayed. The pandemic has done this to a number of cases in court.

'The delay meant he was able to spend this special day with Dani and their baby son Santiago.

'Sammy put his hands up and admitted his crime and he will take his punishment when the time comes.'

MailOnline has contacted Dani Dyer's representative for further comment.

Waiting: In April, Kimmence, 25, made changed his plea guilty after scamming two men out of 34K and was due to appear back in court on June 11 (pictured with Dani and Santi in March)

At the time of his last court appearance, Kimmence was granted conditional bail until the hearing of his case on June 11 where he was at 'risk of a custodial sentence'.

Earlier this year, Dani reportedly vowed to stand by her boyfriend as he faces jail after pleading guilty to fraud.

In a statement, the star's representative confirmed they are 'still together' after he appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court and admitted duping two men out of 34,000.

When asked whether they were still in a relationship, Dani's representative told The Sun they are 'still together.'

A source close to the star, who welcomed her first child with him in January, added: 'She's vowed to stand by him, he's the father of her baby.'

Parents: The couple, who rekindled their relationship after Dani's winning stint in the Love Island villa, welcomed their first child Santiago in January (pictured on Tuesday)

MailOnline contacted representatives for Dani Dyer for further comment at the time.

It comes after Kimmence was warned in April that he faces jail after he admitted scamming two elderly men out of 34,000 by posing as a financial investor.

The entrepreneur duped Peter Martin, 90, and Peter Haynes, 80, between 2016 and 2018 by persuading the vulnerable pensioners to allow him to invest their money.

The 25-year-old's victims were said to have been clients at a legitimate investment company, S&S Trading Ltd, where Kimmence previously worked.

A previous hearing was told Kimmence took the clients on when the business stopped operating, falsely claiming he was authorised to provide financial services.

Now Kimmence, who had denied all the charges and first pleaded not guilty, faces a possible prison sentence after a last-minute change of plea.

Proud parents: A source has claimed that because of the sentencing date being pushed back amid the pandemic, Kimmence got to spend Father's Day with his family (pictured in April)

Kimmence, appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court, Hampshire, as his trial was expected to start, pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud, totalling 33,919.

The judge warned him his offences were so serious they crossed the custody threshold and he could be sent to jail.

Standing in the dock, Kimmence, dressed in a black suit with a blue tie, spoke only to confirm his name and plead guilty to each charge.

The court heard Kimmence, who announced the birth of his and Dani's son Santiago in January, used one of his victims' bank cards to withdraw more than 1,200 for himself and also racked up credit card charges of more than 1,300.

He also admitted to getting Peter Martin to transfer him 22,912 on one occasion, and 400 on another. He conned Peter Haynes in a similar way to the tune of 7,927.

Martin died in November last year aged 91 while Haynes suffers from Alzheimer's.

Defending, Craig Harris asked for a pre-sentence report to be made and said: 'He is a relatively young man of previous good character, the offences go back into his late teenage years.

'This is a case that crosses the custodial threshold but might be within a range which I argue could be suspended.'

He added: 'Quite a lot has gone into this young man's life in the last few years. He is seeking to reimburse the losses he has caused so some time is also needed to allow him to do that.'

The court previously heard how Mr Haynes was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year and has moved from Okehampton, Devon, to live closer to his daughter in Leeds.

Still together: Earlier this year, Dani reportedly vowed to stand by her boyfriend as he faces jail after pleading guilty to fraud (pictured with her son in May)

Adjourning the hearing for sentencing, Recorder Nicholas Haggan, QC, said: 'The offences to which you have pleaded guilty are serious offences, it's accepted they cross the custodial threshold and you are at risk of receiving a custodial sentence.

'Given you are young man of no previous convictions, I am going to order a sentencing report. I am going to grant you conditional bail.'

He ordered a pre-sentence report and added: 'I am going to grant conditional bail until the hearing of your case which is on 11 June. The fact I am granting bail affords no indication of what the sentence will be. You are at risk of a custodial sentence.'

Dani, who is the daughter of EastEnders star Danny Dyer, shot to fame on Love Island in 2018. She had previously been in a relationship with Kimmence but struck up a new partnership with Jack Fincham in the villa before going on to win the show.

But the 24-year-old rekindled her romance with Kimmence shortly afterwards and there have been rumours that the pair may be getting married in the near future.
She welcomed son Kingston last year with partner Austen Rydell.

Billie Lourd, 28, took to Instagram with two beautiful black and white breastfeeding photos to celebrate Kingston turning nine-months-old in a new post on Tuesday.

The happy moment comes just days after her late mother, Carrie Fisher, was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Mommy moment: Billie Lourd, 28, took to Instagram with two beautiful black and white breastfeeding photos to celebrate Kingston turning nine-months-old in a new post on Tuesday

'#iNsTaGrAm vs #reality of breastfeeding a 9 month old,' Billie penned in the caption of the post.

The images see the mother of one holding her big baby boy and feeding him while wearing a comfortable looking cotton dress.

In the 'Instagram' version, the actress looks serenely down at her son while he rests, comfortably and eats.

The 'reality' one is much more lively with the baby tossing one chubby hand back while Lourd smiles happily trying to hold him.

'#iNsTaGrAm vs #reality of breastfeeding a 9 month old,' Billie penned in the caption of the post.

Billie and Austen welcomed Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell, their first child, last September.

His birth came less than four years after her mom Carrie Fisher and her grandmother Debbie Reynolds died on consecutive days in December of 2016.

Carrie was honored for her life's work in front of the camera just last week with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her Star Wars costar Mark Hamill paid homage to Carrie with a touching gallery of photos of the pair.

Mom and dad! Billie and her partner Austen Rydell welcomed Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell, their first child, last September

'I congratulate & salute of 38 new #HollywoodWalkOfFame honorees- Welcome to the neighborhood!' Hamill wrote in the caption. 'Much love & a very special 1-finger salute to the incomparable, hilarious & irreverent force of nature that was my space sis Carrie Fisher. ' he added.

'Her star will blaze from here to eternity,' Mark concluded, adding a pair of star emojis.

Mark and Carrie were both cast in the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope, as Luke and Leia, respectively.

They went on to reprise the roles in two successful sequels in 1980 and 1983, before again portraying the clandestine twins in later sequels, beginning with 2015s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Tragically, Fisher died after suffering cardiac arrest on a flight home to Los Angeles from production on Star Wars in London in December 2016, before she could complete work on the final trilogy.
She married Daniel Craig in a small wedding ceremony with just four guests on June 22, 2011.

And Rachel Weisz also kept it low key on their 10th wedding anniversary as she was spotted on the phone while pushing an empty stroller - no doubt their two-year-old daughter's - through Brooklyn on Tuesday.

The actress, 51, kept it casual in jeans and a white shirt while Daniel, 52, is currently in Europe shooting Knives Out 2.

Casual: Rachel Weisz also kept it low key on their 10th wedding anniversary as she was spotted on the phone while pushing an empty stroller through Brooklyn on Tuesday

The star added to her look with a blue belt and white trainers, she accessorised with a pair of sunglasses.

She pulled her brunette locks back in a chic bun and hung a cream mesh bag off the empty stroller during her walk.

Rachel married Daniel in a small secret wedding ceremony comprising of just four guests on June 22, 2011.

They were married in front of Daniel's daughter with Fiona Loudon, Ella, 28, Rachel's Henry, 14, which she has with Darren Aronofksy and two family friends.

Apart: The actress, 51, kept it casual in jeans and a white shirt while Daniel is currently in Europe shooting Knives Out 2

Busy: The star added to her look with a blue belt and white trainers, she accessorised with a pair of sunglasses

Chic: She pulled her brunette locks back in a chic bun and hung a cream mesh bag off the empty stroller during her walk

The couple began dating in 2010 on the set of the horror film Dream House, in which they play husband and wife.

Before meeting each other, Rachel was engaged to Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky, whom she dated for nine years, and Daniel was engaged to girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell for five years.

In 2018 the pair had a daughter together, which they are very private about, so much so they have no publicly revealed her name.

Daniel is currently filming Knives Out 2 in Europe so the pair are having to celebrate their 10 year milestone on separate continents.

Running errands: The busy mother-of-two went make-up free for the stroll around Brooklyn

Happy couple: Rachel married Daniel Craig, 52, in a small secret wedding ceremony comprising of just four guests on June 22, 2011 (pictured 2020)

Meanwhile, Daniel's daughter Ella enjoyed a meet-up with his ex-fiancee Satsuki Mitchell recently - a decade on from their split.

The James Bond star and Hollywood producer Satsuki, 42, went their separate ways back in 2010 after a seven-year relationship and three-year engagement.

Actress Ella, 28, posted a photo of herself hanging out with Satsuki over the weekend with the pair both wearing masks - indicating the snap was taken recently.

She also shared a screen grab of her FaceTiming Satsuki, showing the pair still share a close bond.

Close: Daniel's daughter Ella recently enjoyed a meet-up with his ex-fiancee Satsuki Mitchell recently - a decade on from their split

Friends: She also shared a screen grab of her FaceTiming Satsuki, showing the pair still share a close bond

During her relationship with Daniel, Satsuki was a regular fixture on his arm at red carpet events.

But following the news that Daniel had tied the knot with Rachel in 2011, whom he is believed to have left Satsuki for, the producer was apparently less than impressed.

Her father Christopher told the Mail at the time: 'His sudden marriage came out of nowhere. We heard about it like everyone else, by reading the newspapers. She doesnt mention his name now and tells me off if I do.

Satsuki has only just reached a happy place. She has since said, more than once, that the break-up was the best thing for her.

Split: The James Bond star and Hollywood producer Satsuki, 42, went their separate ways back in 2010 after a seven-year relationship and three-year engagement

She knew he was not the man she wanted him to be and there was something wrong in the relationship.

Daniel welcomed Ella during his marriage to Fiona which lasted from 1992-1994.

Ella recently shared a snap of a family gingerbread house to Instagram, which left fans wondering if she had inadvertently revealed the name of Daniel and Rachel's daughter.

The house featured the names Daniel, Rachel, Ella and Henry, with a fifth name, Grace, which appears to be the moniker of Ella's half-sister.
Angelina Jolie is back home with her family after doing some charitable work with the United Nations.

The 46-year-old's first order of business when she was back in Los Angeles was heading out to grab a gourmet bite to eat with a few of her children at Baltaire in Brentwood.

Jolie was seen Monday night heading into the hot spot with 17-year-old Pax and 16-year-old Zahara following her trip to Burkina Faso for World Refugee Day.

Family dinner: Angelina Jolie's first order of business when she was back in Los Angeles was heading out to grab a gourmet bite to eat with a few of her children at Baltaire in Brentwood

Angelina looked stunning in a sophisticated white wrap dress that draped around her thin frame and nude pointy toe pumps with a midnight blue silk facemask.

Her brunette hair was styled in a sleek blow out and left down to cascade around her shoulders.

With her at the high-end eatery was son Pax in black pants, a grey printed button-up and some funky black and white Chuck Taylors.

Daughter Zahara kept things classic but young in a long sleeve black bodycon mini dress and sneakers.

The kids: Pax donned black pants, a grey printed button-up and some funky black and white Chuck Taylors while Zahara kept things classic but young in a long sleeve black bodycon mini dress and sneakers

Gorgeous: Angelina looked stunning in a sophisticated white wrap dress that draped around her thin frame and nude pointy toe pumps with a midnight blue silk facemask

The actress shares her six children - Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15 and 12-year-old twins Knox and Vivian - with ex-husband Brad.

The exes do not currently co-parent amicably and have been battling in court over custody for several years.

Angelina just returned back to the states after working in her capacity as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy in Burkina Faso for World Refugee Day.

Highlighting how the number of displaced people in the world has doubled in the past year, she said in the West African nation: 'There is nowhere I would rather be today than here, with refugees, the people I admire most in the world.'

Using her platform: Angelina just returned back to the states after working in her capacity as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy in Burkina Faso for World Refugee Day

'There is nowhere I would rather be today than here, with refugees, the people I admire most in the world. 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.'

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.

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.

Back home: Jolie's personal life has been in headlines quite a bit recently as she has been spending time with her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller at his apartment in New York during a recent visit (seen in 1999)

Jolie's personal life has been in headlines quite a bit recently as she has been spending time with her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller at his apartment in New York during a recent visit.

Angelina and Jonny were married in 1996 after meeting on the set of their movie Hackers a year prior, but separated shortly after and officially divorced in 1999.

The actress and Pax were spotted heading into Miller's Brooklyn home last week for a visit. And, a day prior Jolie spent hours with her former flame at home enjoying dinner and wine.

The visits came after Angelina was reportedly left 'bitterly disappointed' after a court awarded joint custody to her ex Brad Pitt with the star allegedly set to appeal the decision with a hearing due for July 9.
She has made no secret of her dream of becoming a Victoria's Secret model.

And Lucciana Beynon proved on Tuesday she has what it takes to stand next to the industry's top talent as she showcased her sensational figure during a trip to Mexico.

The 19-year-old daughter of tobacco tycoon Travers 'The Candyman' Beynon flaunted her curves in a barely there two-piece while soaking up the sun in Cancun.

Sizzling hot: Lucciana Beynon proved on Tuesday she has what it takes to be a supermodel as she showcased her sensational figure during a trip to Mexico

She posted a gallery of photos to Instagram in which she displayed her best angles as she posed on a balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

Her tiny beige bikini top struggled to contain her ample assets, while her black string bottoms sat high on her hips, drawing attention to her hourglass frame.

Lucciana captioned the snaps, 'Buenas tardes,' which is Spanish for 'good afternoon'.

The 19-year-old daughter of tobacco tycoon Travers 'The Candyman' Beynon flaunted her curves in a barely there two-piece while soaking up the sun in Cancun

Perfect: Her tiny beige bikini top struggled to contain her ample assets, while her black string bottoms sat high on her hips, drawing attention to her hourglass frame

While she certainly looks sensational in skimpy swimwear, Lucciana revealed earlier this month that was as far as she was prepared to go.

During an Instagram Q&A on June 1, she shut down rumours she was about to join the subscription-based adult website OnlyFans.

She responded with a simple 'no' when asked about starting an OnlyFans account.

Not happening! While she certainly looks sensational in skimpy swimwear, Lucciana revealed earlier this month that was as far as she was prepared to go. During an Instagram Q&A on June 1, she shut down rumours she was about to join the subscription-based adult website OnlyFans

In April last year, Lucciana showed off her jaw-dropping bikini body while self-isolating at her family's Gold Coast mansion.

The teen model flaunted her curves in a yellow bikini in a sizzling Instagram selfie.

Lucciana is already an international model and often jets around the world for photo shoots and runway shows. She was most recently living in the UK.

Sizzling hot: In April last year, Lucciana showed off her jaw-dropping bikini body while self-isolating at her family's Gold Coast mansion

In October 2019, she shot a bikini campaign for British online retailer ASOS in London and shared several behind-the-scenes videos of herself on set.

Sharing a glimpse of her first outfit, she flaunted her curvy figure in a swimsuit featuring cut-out details on her waist and across her cleavage.

She then changed into a skimpy white bikini and another lilac-coloured two-piece.

Rising star: Lucciana is already an international model and often jets around the world for photo shoots and runway shows. She was most recently living in the UK

Lucciana, who looks like a long-lost Kardashian sister, previously spoke of her plans to permanently relocate to the U.S. after finishing high school.

She told the Gold Coast Bulletin back in 2017: 'When I finish school I'll still be 17, so as soon as I turn 18, I'm going to move to America forever.'

'I want to become a Victoria's Secret Angel and then ultimately become a supermodel,' she added.

First look: Lucciana modelled a lilac bikini during her busy day on set in October 2019

Lucciana, whose mother is Venezuelan former beauty queen Ninibeth Leal, has a contingency plan for when her modelling career eventually ends.

'Once my time is up, because you know modelling doesn't last forever, I'll get involved in the family business and invest in property,' she said.

Lucciana's father is Australian businessman Travers Beynon, who is known for his polyamorous lifestyle and wild parties at his Gold Coast mansion.
She is balancing raising three children with her thriving acting career.

And Jennifer Garner mixed fashion with function as she enjoyed some time to herself in Brentwood, California on Tuesday.

The actress, 49, teamed her pretty floral blue dress with a pair of matching trainers.

Flower power! Jennifer Garner mixed fashion with function while out in Brentwood, California on Tuesday

Jennifer looked stunning in the quaint yet stylish frock which buttoned down the front and showcased a bit of leg.

The collared dress also put her toned arms on full display.

With no mask in sight, the actress was also able to showcase her stunning complexion.

She looked beautiful with her glossy brunette hair styled down and a touch of fringe framing her forehead.

Putting her best foot forward! Garner strode comfortably about town in her blue trainers

The outing comes after it had been reported Jennifer briefly stopped by her ex Ben Affleck's house for his Father's Day celebrations.

While dropping off her son Samuel, nine, at Ben Affleck's house, where the actor, 48, was celebrating Father's Day on Sunday, the actress embraced and kissed her former mother-in-law Christine Boldt, according to E! Online.

'In the afternoon, Jennifer Garner dropped off their son Sam to hang out with Ben. Sam was excited to be there and ran inside,' a source told the website.

Best tressed! She looked beautiful with her glossy brunette hair styled down and a touch of fringe framing her forehead

'Jen gave Chris Affleck a hug and a kiss,' the insider added. 'They all seemed very cordial and happy to see each other. It looked like Ben had a nice low-key Father's Day at home with his family.'

Jennifer and Ben share three children, Violet, 13, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel.

The couple separated in 2015 after 10 years of marriage, before finalizing their divorce in 2018.

Co-parenting! Jennifer shares Violet, 13, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, nine, with her ex-husband Ben Affleck (pictured 2014)

While they are no longer together romantically, Jennifer and Ben have been spotted over the years co-parenting their three children together, and last month Ben posted a gushing tribute to Jennifer in honor of Mother's Day.

Both Jennifer and Ben have also moved on romantically since ending their marriage.

While Jennifer is back with businessman John Miller, Ben has been making waves over his newly rekindled romance with former fiancee Jennifer Lopez.

Their renewed relationship seems to be a kind of wish fulfillment for the Out Of Sight actress, who sees Ben as 'the one that got away,' a source recently told Page Six.

'Jennifer always saw Ben as the one that got away. She was crushed after they broke up, though she felt at the time that she had no other choice but to call off their engagement,' the insider said.
Samantha Armytage has been blasted by Sunrise viewers for firing off a brutal tweet describing her ex-colleague Natalie Barr as 'desperate' for her job.

The former Sunrise host, 44, made headlines on Monday after she criticised Natalie, 53, on Twitter for continuing to speak about her in the press, three months after taking over as anchor of Seven's breakfast show.

Critics have since blasted Sam on social media, accusing her of exhibiting 'catty' behaviour with her 'unnecessary' post.

'What happened to supporting the sisterhood?' Ex-Sunrise host Samantha Armytage (left) has been slammed online over her tweet about Natalie Barr (right) being desperate for her job

'Catty behaviour is unbecoming. This tweet is totally unnecessary,' one fan raged.

'Such a low blow on your part for posting this,' another agreed.

Other viewers rushed to Natalie's defence, praising her for remaining dignified amid the pair's feud.

'Not cool': Critics blasted Sam on social media, accusing her of exhibiting 'catty' behaviour with her 'unnecessary' post

'Hey Sam, what happened to supporting the sisterhood? Nat is a natural and so authentic at doing the job with class,' one person wrote.

'Glad Nat is a woman that doesn't need to post unnecessary tweets,' another added.

The TV presenters' rivalry was exposed last week after Natalie told The Australian Women's Weekly the pair weren't friends outside the workplace.

'Nat is a natural and so authentic at doing the job with class': Other viewers rushed to Natalie's defence, praising the 53-year-old for remaining dignified amid the pair's feud

On Monday, Sam brushed off a question about their rivalry on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, before taking a swipe at Natalie on Twitter hours later.

'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),' Sam 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.

On the attack: The feud between Samantha and Natalie escalated on Monday, with former anchor Sam firing off a brutal tweet describing her successor as desperate for the top job

'Nat's wanted the job forever... and she's finally got it': Samantha had brushed off a question about their feud on Kyle and Jackie O, before taking a swipe at Natalie on Twitter hours later

Natalie, the show's longtime newsreader, replaced her the week following her departure.

Sam's tweet contradicts Natalie's own account of her promotion to co-anchor, as she has always said she didn't aspire to be host and was surprised when Seven offered her the job in March.

The Twitter broadside came after Sam offered a very telling response on Kyle and Jackie O when questioned about rumours she didn't get along with her successor.

Having her say: The Twitter broadside came after Sam offered a very telling response on Kyle and Jackie O when questioned about rumours she didn't get along with her successor

During the live interview earlier on Monday, she momentarily froze when asked about Natalie's previous claim they weren't friends outside the workplace.

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.'

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.'

Caught off-guard: During the live interview, she momentarily froze when asked about Natalie's claim they weren't friends outside work. Pictured from left: Sam, Natalie and Kylie Gillies

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?'

She 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.

'I thought everyone might forget about me when I was having my little sabbatical, but it seems they're not, you know?' she said.

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?'

'Look, there's nothing interesting going on there, honestly. I'm just doing my thing, out in the country,' she added.

It comes after Natalie revealed for the first time she didn't have a close relationship with Sam, whom she replaced as Sunrise anchor on March 15.

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.

New chapter: Sam stepped down as host of Sunrise in March to spend more time with her husband, equestrian businessman Richard Lavender

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,' 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.'

Not friends: It comes after Natalie 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 told AWW last week they weren't friends outside the workplace

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
Joel Edgerton and his long-term partner, Vogue fashion director Christine Centenera, welcomed their first child last month.

And the couple had a special visitor on Tuesday.

Former Cosmopolitan beauty editor turned multi-millionaire beauty entrepreneur, Zoe Foster-Blake, was seen stopping by the couple's Sydney home to congratulate her good pals.

Fashionable friends! Former beauty editor turned multi-millionaire entrepreneur Zoe Foster-Blake visited her famous pal Joel Edgerton and Christine Centenera in Sydney on Tuesday after the couple welcome their first child

Zoe, who is also a mother-of-two, was spotted waving to one of the new parents as she strolled up the driveway to their two-storey property.

The brunette wore her favourite $1500 Camilla & Marc trench coat over a cashmere sweater and a pair of baggy trousers.

The 40-year-old, who is known for her love of expensive sunglasses, shaded her eyes with orange-coloured frames and wore patent New Balance sneakers on her feet.

Chic: The brunette wore her favourite $1500 Camilla & Marc trench coat over a cashmere sweater and a pair of baggy trousers.

Christine and Zoe have been friends for years, and often spent time together along with fellow fashion editors, Bronywyn McCahon and Justine Cullen.

Zoe is one of Australia's most successful female entrepreneurs, with an estimated fortune of $36million.

She became a multi-millionaire before the age of 40 thanks to her Go-To beauty empire.

She launched the brand in 2014, and almost seven years later, Go-To now sells one unit of Transformazing Face Masks every 90 seconds, and has sold more than 200,000 bottles of Face Hero face oil in the last year.

In 2018, Go-To was stocked in 400 Sephora stores in the United States, and about 120 stores in Australia.

Hi there! Zoe, who is also a mother-of-two, was spotted waving to one of the new parents as she strolled up the driveway of their two-storey house

In her early career, Zoe worked at magazines such as Mania and Smash Hits. She later became a beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, a beauty director at Harper's Bazaar and editor in chief of beauty website Primped.com.au.

Joel and Christine welcomed their first child last month.

The actor and filmmaker shared the news in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying Christine had given birth a few days prior in Sydney.

'I just ran away from the hospital for a moment. I can't even put it into words. I'm in love,' he said.

Baby joy! Joel and Christine welcomed their first child last month. The actor and filmmaker shared the news in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday, saying Christine had given birth a few days prior in Sydney

The Boy Erased star revealed he was worried about missing the birth, as he was filming a project interstate.

'I was very nervous because I was working in Queensland and there are some border issues with Sydney and Queensland that pop up,' he said.

'I was getting very nervous that I'd get stuck.'

Fortunately, Joel was able to leave the set and return to Sydney in time for his child's arrival.

'I was working with some wonderful people who said, "We will move heaven and earth to make sure you don't miss something this important,"' he added.

Christine had been pictured arriving at a North Sydney hospital a week earlier as she prepared to give birth.

She works as the fashion director for Vogue Australia and is also the designer of her own line, Wardrobe NYC.

Editors in arms: Christine and Zoe have been friends for years, and have often spent time together along with fellow fashion editors, Bronywyn McCahon and Justine Cullen

The couple never officially confirmed they were expecting a child, even after photos surfaced of Christine with a visible bump in January.

In February, the Daily Telegraph reported that Joel was 'thrilled' to become a father.

Joel and Christine debuted their relationship at GQ Australia's Men of the Year Awards in Sydney in November 2018.
The screen star stunned fans when he revealed he spent two years learning to paint like artist J.M.W. Turner for a 2014 biopic.

And Timothy Spall appeared to be in great spirits as he celebrated his artistic talents at a private viewing of his first solo exhibition Out Of The Storm on Tuesday.

The actor, 64, was joined for the evening at the Pontone Gallery in London by his stylish wife Shane, 67, who rocked a gingham maxi dress for the occasion.

Talent: Timothy Spall looked dapper at a private viewing of his first solo exhibition Out Of The Storm with his stylish wife Shane at the Pontone Gallery in London on Tuesday

Timothy cut a dapper figure for his big night, donning a smart navy suit with a bright blue shirt and suede shoes.

The Auf Wiedersehen, Pet legend completed his ensemble by adding a quirky twist and accessorising with a fun bolo tie.

Shane also looked sensational in her maxi dress, which featured a belted waist and chic collar, and she styled with funky orange shoes.

Actor turned artist! The Auf Wiedersehen, Pet legend, 64, donned a smart navy suit and added a quirky twist with a fun bolo tie for the evening celebrating his impressive art skills

Also joining the happy couple, who have been married since 1981, was DJ Tim Westwood, 63, and cinematographer Dick Pope, 74.

While theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn, 81, kept things casual in jeans and trainers while actor Sir Ben Kingsley, 77, looked sharp in a purple suit.

Model Nancy Sorrell, 43, also caught the eye in a patterned mini dress and bright lipstick as she posed for a snap with her comedian husband Vic Reeves, 62.

Timothy is showcasing 20 pieces of his artwork in his first solo exhibition, following a career in the TV and film industry which spans over four decades.

Screen stars: Actor Sir Ben Kingsley was one of Timothy's pals who supported his exhibition

Smart: Tim Westwood (left) was also spotted posing for some snaps with Timothy and Sir Ben

Relaxed: Theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn cut a more laid-back figure in jeans and tan trainers (pictured with Timothy and standing infront of one of the actor's paintings)

His Out of the Storm exhibition- which was created over a six-month period - will run from 18 June until 18 July at Pontone Gallery in central London.

He was approached by gallery owner Domenic Pontone to produce a presentation after 14 of his paintings were shown at Salford's Lowry Gallery two years ago.

On his surprise venture, the Harry Potter star told The Guardian in May: 'Talk about being a bit stunned. I've always liked a challenge but I thought: Jesus, can I do this?

'Thousands of brilliant artists never get recognised and I'm aware of that as well. That's not lost on me, that I've been given this opportunity when there are brilliant artists who don't get a look in.

Taking it all in: Timothy seemed to be deep in conversation with Sir Trevor as they perused the art work during the star-studded evening

In attendance: Sir Ben (left) looked sharp in a purple jacket and black T-shirt while Tim (left) opted for a grey shirt and black skinny jeans

Picture time: The DJ sported a serious expression as he posed for a snap after looking at the artwork being exhibited

'I've applied myself to this, not as an evening thing or a hobby but as an absolute determined thing. I went through it and did it. I went through the whole process and I'm not an impostor because I've done it.'

Timothy was mentored by consultant Tim Wright when he picked up the brush for the critically-acclaimed Turner film, which saw the thespian scoop the Best Actor prize at the 67th Cannes Film Festival.

On his efforts, the screen legend previously told The Independent: 'You always spend a lot of time working on a character, but preparing for Mr Turner is the most Ive ever done.'

Chatting away: Cinematographer Dick Pope (left) spoke with another guest at the gallery event

Looking good: Model Nancy Sorrell, 43, also caught the eye in a patterned mini dress and bright lipstick as she posed for a snap with her comedian husband Vic Reeves, 62

Classy: The couple sipped wine while walking around the gallery and admiring Timothy's work

Paint expert Tim added: 'I quickly realised he was the sort of person who was going to be responsive and intrigued by the subject.

'He had an interest in art as well  no real training but he was certainly interested in Turner, obsessed by Turner. He was very tenacious. He never cut corners and was very diligent  it was quite impressive to see.'

In 2019, Timothy - who has been passionate about art since he was a teen but turned to acting instead - portrayed the role of another artist, L. S. Lowry, in Mrs Lowry & Son - a film based on the late drawer's life.

Cool: Actor Ben Whishaw also cut a fashionable figure in a blazer and leather shoes

Where it all started: Timothy stunned fans when he revealed he spent two years learning to paint like artist J.M.W. Turner for a 2014 biopic (pictured in the film)

The King's Speech star previously recalled painting in between takes and used some of the 16,000 pictures he had stored on his computer to find his style.

The occasional presenter was given an 'intense' art foundation course to help him portray the professionals to the best of his abilities.

On Pontone Gallery's site, Timothy's exhibition is explained as: 'His thorough preparation for his award-winning role as Mr Turner in the eponymous film, laid the groundwork for this foray into painting.

'This experience provided the spark and confidence to set himself a rigorous and public challenge. Mounting such an exhibition is not done lightly, and Pontone Gallery is delighted to present Spall's inaugural solo exhibition in London.'
Lori Harvey has been in the midst of a whirlwind romance with actor Michael B. Jordan.

But the 24-year-old was spotted without her hunky Hollywood beau as she headed to a Pilates class in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.

The daughter of Steve Harvey mastered 'athleisure' style in a pair of black high-waisted leggings and a grey sweatshirt.

Riding solo: Lori Harvey was spotted without her hunky Hollywood beau Michael B. Jordan as she headed to a pilates class in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning

The cropped style of Lori's top allowed her to show off a bit of her enviably toned midriff.

She strolled down the sidewalk outside the pilates studio in a pair of adidas YEEZY Foam RNNR sneakers in 'Sand.'

Harvey had her essentials tucked away inside of a bright green woven handbag by Bottega Veneta, while keeping her cellphone and keys in hand.

She wore her raven tresses in a sleek bun and highlighted her already gorgeous features with a strategic amount of makeup.

Nailed it: The daughter of Steve Harvey mastered 'athleisure' style in a pair of black high-waisted leggings and a grey sweatshirt

Pop of color: Harvey had her essentials tucked away inside of a bright green woven handbag by Bottega Veneta, while keeping her cellphone and keys in hand

Adding a hint of glamour to her look, Lori fastened a pair of silver hoops to her ears and rocked a fresh French manicure.

Lori's solo outing in West Hollywood on Tuesday comes amid controversy surrounding her boyfriend Michael B. Jordan's recently launched rum line J'Ouvert.

J'Ouvert happens to be a direct reference to a well-known festival celebrating Caribbean culture, something that is held annually in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada during Carnival, as reported by Yahoo! on Tuesday.

'Derived from the Antellian Creole French term meaning 'daybreak,' J'OUVERT originated in the pre-dawn streets of Trinidad, as celebration of emancipation combined with Carnival season to serve as the festival informal commencements. Crafted on those same islands, J'OUVERT Rum is a tribute to the party start,' reads the rum's packaging.

Backlash: Lori's solo outing in West Hollywood on Tuesday comes amid controversy surrounding her boyfriend Michael B. Jordan's recently launched rum line J'Ouvert;

Cultural: J'Ouvert happens to be a direct reference to a well-known festival celebrating Caribbean culture, something that is held annually in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada during Carnival, as reported by Yahoo! on Tuesday

Jordan, who is based in Los Angeles and born/raised in New Jersey, has had his connection to the Caribbean culture called into question, with many online branding his rum endeavor as 'cultural appropriation.'

Some internet sleuths, coming to the star's defense, have speculated that Michael may have 'a local co-owner or a partner with Trini roots' in connection to the rum line, but that has yet to be confirmed.

According to the outlet, the bigger issue at hand seems to be with the Black Panther star's attempt at 'trademarking J'Ouvert for the rum.'

Controversy: Jordan, who is based in Los Angeles and born/raised in New Jersey, has had his connection to the Caribbean culture called into question, with many online branding his rum endeavor as 'cultural appropriation'

Citing J'Ouvert's cultural significance, a Change.org petition in opposition to the trademarking has garnered 'more than 8,500 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.'

The model also recently addressed disparaging remarks made by her former partner Future about her and her current boyfriend.

She gave a rare interview to Bustle earlier this month in which she explained why she did not respond to the disparaging lyrics referencing her and Michael in the rapper's latest track.

'I just try to stay up here and take the high road in every situation,' Lori told the magazine.

Romance: Harvey and beau Michael B. Jordan confirmed their relationship at the beginning of this year following months of speculation

The runway star is known for being extremely close-lipped about her personal life, which she indicated is what her 3.7 million Instagram followers expect from her.

'I think they get from me that I try to just not let any type of negativity or rumors or anything like that make me stoop down to that level and go back and forth with it or whatever,' Harvey said.

'Just maintain my position of I know who I am, I know what's going on,' she continued. 'So I think that would probably be what they get from me, because I am private, so I like to just give enough.'

Lori, who is the stepdaughter of TV host Steve Harvey, and Future, 37, first sparked dating rumors at the end of 2019 when they spent New Year's Eve together.

Speaking out: Lori Harvey recently broke her silence after her ex-boyfriend Future slammed her and her beau Michael B Jordan in his new single; Lori pictured in 2019, Future pictured in 2017

The rumors were later confirmed when the pair went on a romantic vacation in Jamaica to celebrate Harvey's 23rd birthday.

However, the two split in August 2020 and Future included bitter lyrics about the socialite in the extended version of his collaboration with 42 Dugg, Maybach.

'Tell Steve Harvey I don't want her,' Future rapped. 'One thing I never seen was a b**ch leave.'

'Must've forgot to tell her daddy she begged me not to leave,' he continued.

'Put baguettes on ya ankles damn near up to ya knees / She didn't have a choice, but to go f**k a lame after me.'

High road: She recently gave a rare interview to Bustle in which she explained why she did not respond to the disparaging lyrics referencing her and Michael in the rapper's latest track; Lori and Future pictured

The 5ft3in beauty characteristically remained silent after the negative lyrics were made public. She and Jordan confirmed their relationship at the beginning of this year following months of speculation, but she revealed they first crossed paths 'a few years ago.'

She said: 'We met actually a few years ago. We had some mutual friends. I think we met out, just in passing.'

Asked if they had a connection back then, she laughed and said: 'I was like, 'He's cute!'

Both stars are usually very private but have shared glimpses of their romance on Instagram, and Lori explained they feel they owe it to fans to 'give enough' of themselves, but always have conversations before they make anything public.

Thriving: The 5ft3in beauty characteristically remained silent after the negative lyrics were made public. She and Jordan confirmed their relationship at the beginning of this year following months of speculation, but she revealed they first crossed paths 'a few years ago; Michael and Lori pictured

She told Bustle: 'I think we're both very private people naturally. So we just decide, if we take a picture or whatever it is, do you want to post this? Do we not? We have a conversation about it, like, 'You want to post this or we keep this to ourselves?''

'We know there are people that love and support us and want to see us. So [we want to] give just enough, but keep the majority of it just for us. We're trying to find a balance.'

And Lori insisted her relationship with the 34-year-old Black Panther star is 'more serious' than any of her previous romances.

She added: 'I think just as I've gotten older and interests change, I think this was something that I just decided to be a little bit more public with because it's a more serious relationship. So I'm just handling it differently.'
Taryn Manning plays a racist neighbor who causes problems for a new Black family in her neighborhood in the first trailer for the new movie Karen.

The film also stars Corey Hardrict (American Sniper) and Jasmine Burke (Saints & Sinners) as Malik and Imani, who move across the street from Karen.

It didn't take long for Karen to be trending on Twitter, with fans BASHING the film from writer-director Coke Daniels, calling it a blatant rip-off of Jordan Peele's 2017 thriller Get Out.

Trailer: Taryn Manning plays a racist neighbor who causes problems for a new Black family in her neighborhood in the first trailer for the new movie Karen

Rip-off: It didn't take long for Karen to be trending on Twitter, with fans BASHING the film from writer-director Coke Daniels, calling it a blatant rip-off of Jordan Peele's 2017 thriller Get Out

The trailer opens with Malik and Imani moving into their new home in suburban Atlanta, with Malik saying, 'This is a long way from East Point.'

They get their first glimpse at their neighbor, Karen Drexler while moving in, as we catch up with Karen at lunch with a friend, telling her the new neighbors are Black.

She then goes up to a table of two Black men, asking them to 'keep it down,' and if they don't comply, 'I'll tell the manager,' with a conniving smile.

New home: The trailer opens with Malik and Imani moving into their new home in suburban Atlanta, with Malik saying, 'This is a long way from East Point'

Neighbors: They get their first glimpse at their neighbor, Karen Drexler while moving in, as we catch up with Karen at lunch with a friend, telling her the new neighbors are Black

Keep it down: She then goes up to a table of two Black men, asking them to 'keep it down,' and if they don't comply, 'I'll tell the manager,' with a conniving smile

Back at home, Malik and Imani notice Karen installing new security cameras on her home, with Malik saying, 'Somebody's taking their home security serious.'

Another shot shows Karen going out to meet Malik in their driveway, introducing herself and then saying he needs to be, 'taking your trash cans off the curb right when the trash is picked up.'

Imani asks if she's nice, and says she is, but she can't get past the fact, 'we have a white, entitled neighbor named Karen.'

Trash: Another shot shows Karen going out to meet Malik in their driveway, introducing herself and then saying he needs to be, 'taking your trash cans off the curb right when the trash is picked up'

Entitled: Imani asks if she's nice, and says she is, but she can't get past the fact, 'we have a white, entitled neighbor named Karen'

They invite Karen over for dinner, as Karen inappropriately mentions Imani is, 'slaving away in the kitchen.'

Another scene from the trailer shows Karen being filmed by, 'some very suspecting teenagers' as she's on the phone with the police.

Later that night, the kids are being lined up by the police, with one saying he left his ID at home.

Dinner: They invite Karen over for dinner, as Karen inappropriately mentions Imani is, 'slaving away in the kitchen'

Filmed: Another scene from the trailer shows Karen being filmed by, 'some very suspecting teenagers' as she's on the phone with the police

Kids: Later that night, the kids are being lined up by the police, with one saying he left his ID at home

Karen starts coming unhinged, asking, 'How the heck did you move to this neighborhood,' while pushing their trash cans over.

She's seen talking to someone on the phone, stating, 'You take care of him and I will take care of her,' as Malik gets pulled over by the police.

Malik and Imani are told by someone in the police department they have uncovered some disturbing information on her and her brother, who happens to be a cop.

Take care: She's seen talking to someone on the phone, stating, 'You take care of him and I will take care of her,' as Malik gets pulled over by the police

Karen's young daughter tells Imani that she doesn't like Black people, and when Imani says, 'Well, I'm Black,' she says, 'I know, she doesn't like you either.'

The trailer winds down with a number of rapid shots including Malik put in handcuffs, Imani wanting to sell the house and the discovery of a soap dispenser with a confederate flag.

Karen tells Malik and Imani, 'You people are very angry,' as Karen reiterates, 'Bad things happen to people who don't comply' as the trailer comes to an end.

Cuffs: The trailer winds down with a number of rapid shots including Malik put in handcuffs, Imani wanting to sell the house and the discovery of a soap dispenser with a confederate flag

Bad things: Karen tells Malik and Imani, 'You people are very angry,' as Karen reiterates, 'Bad things happen to people who don't comply' as the trailer comes to an end

The trailer was not received well on Twitter, with writer Roxane Gay tweeting, 'Is that Karen movie preview an SNL thing or is it real?'

Another Twitter user, Juno Maxwell, called the trailer, 'unbelievably cringe' adding there is no 'nuance or subtlety.'

Compare: Another Twitter user, @m00nlithalo showed how the film was trying to copy Jordan Peele's films like Get Out and Us.

SNL or real: The trailer was not received well on Twitter, with writer Roxane Gay tweeting, 'Is that Karen movie preview an SNL thing or is it real?'

No nuance: Another Twitter user, Juno Maxwell, called the trailer, 'unbelievably cringe' adding there is no 'nuance or subtlety'

Compare: Another Twitter user, @m00nlithalo showed how the film was trying to copy Jordan Peele's films like Get Out and Us

Chris Williamson said, in reference to the Karen trailer, that Hollywood should,' stop trying to copy Jordan Peele's work. It can't be done lol.'

Filmmaker Lexi Alexander added, 'I can't believe that Karen movie got financed.'

Philip Lewis added a meme stating that was his reaction when the Karen movie gets nominated for an Oscar.

Chris talks: Chris Williamson said, in reference to the Karen trailer, that Hollywood should,' stop trying to copy Jordan Peele's work. It can't be done lol.'

Can't believe: Filmmaker Lexi Alexander added, 'I can't believe that Karen movie got financed'
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Nacogdoches, TX (75965)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
ARVADA, Colo. (AP)  A gunman is believed to have shot and killed an officer and another person in a shopping district in a Denver suburb Monday before being fatally shot by police, authorities said.

An officer responded to a call at 1:15 p.m. about a suspicious incident near the library in the city of Arvada, and about 15 minutes later, a 911 call came in about shots fired and the officer hit, Deputy Chief Ed Brady said at a news conference. The officer who was killed has been identified as Gordon Beesley, a 19-year Arvada department veteran, police said later Monday, according to The Denver Post.

Another person believed to have been shot by the gunman was taken to a hospital and died, police said. The attacker also was shot and killed.

Authorities didn't immediately describe the circumstances of the shooting but said no one else is believed to have been involved.

Earlier, police said there were two suspects.

The shooting occurred in Olde Town Arvada, the citys downtown district with shops, restaurants, breweries and other businesses. Its listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of downtown Denver.

It comes three months after a gunman opened fire and killed 10 people, including a police officer, at a supermarket in Boulder, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Arvada.

The Arvada officers death, just the third in Police Department history, was especially painful after the mass shooting in nearby Boulder, Arvada Mayor Marc Williams said. Arvada police helped respond and investigate that attack, he said.

This is by far the saddest day for our Police Department, Williams said.

The mayor said he was in his car in the area shortly before 2 p.m. when literally I saw 11 police cars with their flashing lights and sirens on race past me. I knew something serious had happened. I didnt know how serious.

Arvada resident Brady Turner said he was pulling into the Army and Navy store in the area when he noticed police cars driving in behind him and a person on a stretcher being put into an ambulance in between the parking lot and the store. He said he took off in his car.

I just got out of there, Turner said.

About five minutes later, he heard gunshots near the library about a block away.

Arvada closed its City Hall and canceled a City Council meeting to provide resources to investigators and other first responders. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a statement expressing his condolences to the officers family and friends, while the Colorado State Patrol tweeted: All our love to the @ArvadaPolice and the family, blood and blue, of their fallen officer. We stand with you.

Police vehicles drove behind a hearse carrying the body of the slain officer to the Jefferson County coroner's office, and some residents lined a street with flags to watch the procession.

John Garrod of Arvada held a black and white flag with blue stripes at the beginning of a line of about 30 police cars before the procession, a flag he hangs outside his house whenever an officer is killed. His son, brother-in-law and nephew are all in law enforcement, he said.

It breaks my heart whenever this happens but especially when it happens so close to home," Garrod said. These are the same officers I wave to when I am walking my dog."
GENEVA (AP)  Canada and 40 other countries on Tuesday urged China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access so independent observers can visit its western Xinjiang region, while a Chinese envoy demanded that Canadian authorities stop violations of human rights at home.

The mutual finger-pointing, which preceded admissions from Canadas envoy about shortcomings in her countrys rights record, came in a debate at the Human Rights Council, the U.N.'s top human rights body.

The showdown in the largely virtual council session exposed an ongoing rift between the West and allies of China, which has been increasingly pushing back against the criticism of its human rights record.

Chinese envoy Jiang Duan inveighed against Canadas past mistreatment of Indigenous peoples and the recent discovery of the remains of more than 200 children at an Indigenous boarding school in Canada. He called for a thorough and impartial investigation into cases of crimes against Indigenous peoples and faulted racism and xenophobia in Canada.

We urge Canada to immediately stop violations of human rights, he said, adding that U.N. bodies should keep following the human rights issues in Canada.

Canada has also repeatedly used human rights as an instrument to promote its political agenda, Jiang said.

Canada presented a statement from 41 mostly Western countries that echoed widespread concerns among human rights groups about detention centers in Xinjiang, where hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities have been held.

We urge China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the High Commissioner, Canadian ambassador Leslie Norton said, referring to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

Bachelets office has been trying since the start of her tenure in 2018 to arrange a visit to Xinjiang and she said Monday she hoped to carry one out by year's end.

Norton cited credible reports that over 1 million people have been arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang  some facing torture and other inhuman treatment  and that Uyghurs and others face disproportionate surveillance and restrictions on their culture.

China has insisted the centers are used for training and to help fight terrorism in Xinjiang.

The statement from Norton also called for an end to the arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities, and also expressed concerns about human rights in Hong Kong and Tibet.

Chinas statement about Canada was on behalf of several other countries, including Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Iran and Syria.

We acknowledge that Canada has historically denied the rights of Indigenous peoples through assimilationist policies and practices, said Norton. We know that the world expects Canada to adhere to international human rights standards. We, too, expect no less of ourselves.

Canada held its National Indigenous Peoples' Day celebrations on Monday.
TOKYO (AP)  Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida pleaded for patience from disgruntled shareholders Tuesday and promised a turnaround at the Japanese automaker, which is projecting a third year of losses as it struggles to distance itself from a scandal over its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

What we have worked on during years of hardship will bear fruit, Uchida said at the annual regular shareholders meeting.

Attendance was limited at the meeting, which was also relayed online due to pandemic precautions.

One shareholder got up and demanded a detailed disclosure of Ghosns alleged wrongdoing, saying questions about governance remained unanswered.

Another shareholder also addressed the Ghosn scandal, saying the problem should have been solved internally instead being handed over to prosecutors.

Nissan Motor Co., based in the port city of Yokohama, has been struggling in recent years. Its brand image was battered by the 2018 arrest of Ghosn over various financial misconduct allegations.

Ghosn jumped bail and fled to Lebanon in late 2019. But his arrest shocked Japan and raised serious questions about leadership at the maker of the Leaf electric car, Z sportscar and Infiniti luxury brand.

We are sorry to have caused such worries. We are doing our best to recover your trust. I have not forgotten this for a moment, said Uchida.

All shareholders remained anonymous and were identified with numbers.

Separately, another shareholder got up to express his outrage that there have been no dividends for two years, while some executives still are paid huge salaries.

Uchida assured investors the automaker was doing its best to avert a third straight year of losses.

Slammed by weak sales during the pandemic, Nissan is projecting a 60 billion yen ($540 million) loss for the fiscal year ending in March 2022. Thats smaller than the losses racked up in the previous two years.

Uchida said profitability was improving, and asked shareholders to give Nissan a bit more time to prove itself. Nissan boasts fine technology in automated driving and electric vehicles, he said.

Please be assured we will continue with improvements, said Uchida.

At the end of the two-hour meeting, shareholders approved the reappointment of the 12 directors. They include Uchida; Jean-Dominique Senard, an executive from French alliance partner Renault, and seven outside directors.

The approval was shown by applause. Votes were also submitted by proxy and online in advance.

Another proposal, which demanded the disclosure of the alliance agreement between Renault and Nissan, known as RAMA, for Restated Alliance Master Agreement, was rejected. Nissan management had opposed that, saying confidentiality was necessary.

The relationship between Renault and Nissan has been a recurring sticking point. Ghosn was sent in by Renault to salvage Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy in 1999.

Nissan officials have testified they turned to Japans criminal authorities to get Ghosn arrested because they feared the alliance was excessively dominated by Renault.

One shareholder at Tuesday's meeting urged Nissan to apologize to Greg Kelly, a former top executive at the company who is being tried in Tokyo, charged with under-reporting Ghosns compensation. Kelly, an American, says he is innocent.

Uchida declined comment on Kelly's case.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
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The court, after hearing the submissions, granted bail to the accused, saying his detention will serve no purpose as the probe into the matter is completed and nothing has to be recovered from him. (Representational image)

Mumbai: A Mumbai court has granted bail to a man suffering from 'Peter Pan Syndrome' in connection with a case of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Special Judge S C Jadhav on Monday granted bail to the 23-year-old accused on a bond of Rs 25,000 and several other conditions.

Appearing for the accused, advocate Sunil Pandey, stated that his client is suffering from the 'Peter Pan Syndrome'- a term used to describe an adult male or female who is socially immature.

"The victim's family knew about their relationship. But, her family didn't like their relationship due to the boy's illness and poor background and also had a grudge against his family members," Pandey told the court.

The lawyer further said the victim had the knowledge of what she was doing and got into the relationship voluntarily.

However, special public prosecutor Veena Shelar opposed the plea and denied all the allegations made by the applicant.

The prosecution contended that there is prima-facie sufficient material on record to show the involvement of the applicant in the commission of the offence.

There is no material on record about the illness of the accused applicant. If the accused is released on bail, he may tamper with the evidence in the case, the prosecutor said.

The court, after hearing the submissions, granted bail to the accused, saying his detention will serve no purpose as the probe into the matter is completed and nothing has to be recovered from him.

The court noted that the victim's statement "prima facie shows she herself left her parents' house and joined the company the accused".

The facts of the case indicate the girl (even though she is a minor) had sufficient knowledge and capacity to know full import of what she was doing and only thereafter voluntarily joined the applicant, the court observed.
Vijayawada: With a view to encourage entrepreneurship among women, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday released the second tranche of YSR Cheyutha, crediting Rs 4,339.39 crore to the accounts of 23,14,342 women beneficiaries. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the government signed an MoU with major companies as Amul, Allana, ITC, HUL, P&G and Reliance and several banks to support women entrepreneurs in establishing grocery stores, dairy farms and other businesses.

YSR Cheyutha will provide financial assistance of Rs 18,750 per annum to women belonging to SC, ST, BC and minorities in the age group of 45 and 60. The scheme will directly benefit around 23 lakh women from weaker sections to support their families financially. So far, the state government spent Rs 8,943 crore on this scheme for the last two years, benefiting women by all means.

Through this scheme, around 78,000 women have started grocery stores, where the goods will be supplied at below the market price to help them earn an additional profit of around Rs 10,000. Similarly, 1.19 lakh women have opted for the dairy sector and are getting an additional income of Rs 5-15 on each litre of milk supplied to Amul. Also, around 70,000 women have shown interest in rearing sheep and goat units to increase their family income. In the first year, the state government provided financial assistance of Rs 1,510 crore for beneficiaries of YSR Cheyutha through banks, the CM said.

He said if any eligible beneficiary is left out of the scheme, she can apply at respective village secretariat and their applications will be verified immediately and the benefits provided. In this regard, the government set up YSR Cheyutha Call Centre 0866-2468899, 9392917899 to connect beneficiaries with corporate companies and banks. A command control centre is also set up to monitor the call centre and provide training and assistance to the beneficiaries.

Around six lakh widows, single and specially-abled women, who are receiving monthly social pensions, are also entitled to the scheme. The CM added that there are no restrictions on the utilisation of the amount, where the beneficiary can use the amount as per her wish.

Reiterating that the government gives priority to women welfare, he stated that the government had made laws to provide 50 per cent reservation to women in all nominated posts and nominated works, the first of its kind in the country. In the state cabinet, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister roles are being led by women and the government even brought Disha Bill which is yet to be approved by the Centre. Special Disha police stations have been set up in each district to crack down crime against women and Public Prosecutors are also appointed to oversee Disha cases in each district.

The CM said the government had launched Disha and Abhay apps for immediate help to the women in distress. Besides these, 900 mobile patrolling teams were also set up especially in those sensitive areas where crime is likely to occur and a woman police officer has been appointed in the village and ward secretariats.
New Delhi: The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is likely to approve Phase III trial data of Covaxin on Tuesday, sources said.

The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the drug regulator reviewed Covaxin's Phase III trial data on Tuesday and the vaccine's efficacy has turned out to be 77.8 per cent. Covaxin is an indigenous COVID-19 vaccine produced by Bharat Biotech.

The Hyderabad-based company had submitted data from the Phase III clinical trials of Covaxin to DCGI over the weekend.

The sources said that Bharat Biotech's 'pre-submission' meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) will take place on Wednesday for approval for Covaxin.

Covaxin is one of the three COVID-19 vaccines which have been given authorisation in the country for vaccination against COVID-19. The company has developed the vaccine in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
A student receives COVID-19 vaccine dose during a special vaccination drive organised by the Karnataka government for the students, who are going abroad for education and employment, in Bengaluru. (Photo: PTI/File)

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said the government will consider opening higher educational institutions in a phased manner after vaccinating students and teachers, following recommendations from the Dr Devi Shetty-led expert committee on possible COVID-19 third wave.

He said the committee has advised accelerating vaccinations as vaccines are the solution for COVID control.

"The committee has supported the relaxations in COVID curbs announced by the government, and have suggested opening up educational institutions in the days to come, starting with higher education colleges, after vaccinating," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with the committee, he said with regard to opening schools and colleges, the committee has suggested giving priority to students and teachers in vaccination, to start classes in a phased manner by reopening colleges for students above 18 years to begin with, after vaccinating them.

"The government is considering opening higher educational institutions in a phased manner after vaccinating students and teachers," the Chief Minister said in response to a question. No discussion has been taken with regard to opening schools as those below 18-years are not yet vaccinated, and clinical trials are on to vaccinate them.

The Karnataka government had recently constituted a 13-member expert committee headed by eminent cardiologist and founder of Narayana Health Dr Devi Shetty to analyse and advise to control a possible third Covid-19 wave in Karnataka.

The committee met the Chief Minister today and submitted an interim report.

"We have had detailed discussions regarding preparations for the COVID third wave.It is being said that children will be infected in a bigger number during the third wave and in this backdrop the committee has made some recommendations," Yediyurappa said.

Listing some recommendations made by the committee, the Chief Minister said, it has asked for setting up of HDU, ICU units for children at taluk and district hospitals and also at medical college hospitals, and to set up children hospitals.

The committee has given some suggestions aimed at securing human and financial resources and to get help from experts to control the third wave, he said. They include getting help from various medical organisations, resolving the shortage of doctors and nurses, getting support from voluntary organisations, resource mobilisation with the help of corporate bodies, and most importantly public participation.

Noting that the committee has suggested giving priority towards getting rid of malnutrition, the CM said it has suggested providing psychiatric service at every hospital aimed at increasing the morale of children infected by COVID. It has made certain recommendations, among others, towards addressing the shortage of oxygen.

Not wanting to divulge much on the report, Dr Shetty said, "It's an interim report,not the final report..we have addressed everything about COVID. It's a complex decision (reopening of schools).. no single body can take a decision," and added tdhat the government will consult multiple bodies and experts and take a call.
Rajiv Gandhi's assassination was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile leader. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday said it will hear after three weeks a plea of A G Perarivalan, serving life sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, seeking grant of parole.

A vacation bench of justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari took note of the fact that the lawyer for Perarivalan has circulated the letter seeking adjournment of hearing in the case.

There is a letter (for adjournment). List after three weeks before an appropriate bench, the bench said in its order.

On November 23 last year, the top court had extended by a week the parole of Perarivalan for undergoing the medical check-up and had directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide police escort to him during his visit to doctors at a hospital.

The CBI, in its affidavit of November 20, 2020, had told the apex court that the Tamil Nadu Governor has to take a call on grant of remission to Perarivalan.

The CBI had said Perarivalan was not the subject matter of further investigation carried out by the CBI-led Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) which is conducting a probe on the aspect of larger conspiracy as per the mandate of the Jain Commission report.

The top court is hearing the plea of 47-year-old Perarivalan seeking suspension of his life sentence in the case till the MDMA probe is completed.

On November 3 last year, the top court had expressed unhappiness over the pendency of a plea by a convict seeking pardon in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case for over two years with the Tamil Nadu Governor.

In its 24-page affidavit, the CBI said it is for the Tamil Nadu Governor to take a call on whether remission is to be granted or not and in so far as the relief is concerned the probe agency has no role .

"Present petitioner is not the subject matter of the further investigation carried out by MDMA. The further investigation conducted by MDMA is only limited to the mandate provided to it by the Jain Commission Report, the central agency had said, adding that a progress report by MDMA on further investigation and its status was submitted to the designated court in Chennai.

The Jain commission of inquiry in the assassination of the former prime minister has recommended a probe into larger conspiracy by MDMA and it required monitoring/tracking of absconding suspects and the role of Sri Lankan and Indian nationals in the case.

The CBI had further said that the top court had already on March 14, 2018, dismissed an application by Perarivalan for recall of the May 11, 1999 verdict of the top court, holding him guilty in the case.

It had said the claim of the petitioner that he is innocent and did not have knowledge about the conspiracy to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi is neither acceptable nor maintainable .

The top court had earlier asked the counsel for petitioner, A G Perarivalan, whether the court can exercise its jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution to request the Governor to decide his plea of pardon filed under Article 161.

Article 161 empowers a Governor to pardon a convict in any criminal case.

The top court had said, "We don't want to exercise our jurisdiction at this stage but we are not happy that a recommendation made by the government is pending for two years."

The state government earlier told the top court that the Cabinet had already passed a resolution on September 9, 2018 and recommended to the Governor for the premature release of all seven convicts in the case.

The MDMA was set up in 1998 on the recommendations of the Justice M C Jain Commission of Inquiry which had probed the conspiracy aspect of Gandhi's assassination.

Perarivalan's counsel had earlier said his role was only limited to procuring nine-volt batteries, which were allegedly used in the improvised explosive device (IED) that had killed Gandhi.

The top court had earlier dismissed a plea of Perarivalan seeking recall of the May 11, 1999, verdict upholding his conviction.

It had said the material brought on record before it does not inspire confidence to interfere with the verdict in which Perarivalan and three others were initially awarded the death sentence, which was later commuted to life term.

Perarivalan's counsel had earlier said that he was just 19 years old when the incident took place and had no knowledge of what he was doing and for what purpose the batteries were purchased.

Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at a poll rally.

Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed. Gandhi's assassination was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile leader.

In its May 1999 order, the top court had upheld the death sentence of four convicts -- Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham and Nalini.

In April 2000, the Tamil Nadu Governor had commuted the death sentence of Nalini on the basis of the state government's recommendation and an appeal by former Congress president and Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia Gandhi.

On February 18, 2014, the top court had commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with that of two other prisoners -- Santhan and Murugan -- on the grounds of an 11-year delay in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.
Tamil Nadu has already taken up the issue with the Ministry for Ports and Shipping, strongly opposing such steps to reduce the autonomous role of states in regulation and management of minor ports, he said. (PTI)

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has opposed the Draft Indian Ports Bill 2021, dealing with the management of minor ports, with Chief Minister M K Stalin writing to his counterparts of eight states including West Bengal and Kerala, calling for their objection to the proposal.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has framed the draft bill to modify the current management model of minor ports and a meeting of the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) has been called with the state Ministers on June 24 to discuss it, he said.

The communication issued on June 21 was released on Tuesday by the state government.

According to the existing Indian Ports Act, 1908, the powers to plan, develop, regulate and control minor ports vest with the state governments concerned but the latest draft "proposes to change this and transfer many of these powers to MSDC, which has so far been only an advisory body," he said.

"Further to this, many powers currently exercised by state governments would be taken over by the Union government," he said in his letter to the CMs of Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and the union territory of Puducherry.

"You will agree that the present system has led to good development of minor ports, under the states. This move of the Central Government to bring a new Bill will have long term adverse implications on the management of minor ports, since the state governments will not have any major role anymore, if the Bill is passed," Stalin said.

Tamil Nadu has already taken up the issue with the Ministry for Ports and Shipping, strongly opposing such steps to reduce the autonomous role of states in regulation and management of minor ports, he said.

"Therefore, I propose that all the coastal states and union territories should express their objection to this new draft Indian Ports Bill 2021 and take joint action to prevent any move to dilute the powers already vested with the states."

"I also request that, all our state governments must communicate these comments on similar lines, opposing the above bill during the MSDC Meeting on June 24," he added.
Adding fresh free vaccination at government centres for the 18-plus category will mean a bigger requirement of vaccines. (ANI)

Hyderabad: The new phase of free Covid-19 vaccination for the 18-plus years category that was launched in the country on Monday will take some time before it arrives in Telangana state, it is learnt.

According to health department officials, Telangana state, with its current stocks of vaccines, was focused on vaccinating people from high-risk categories that include people in the 18-44 age group, along with vaccinating those in the other upper age groups and those with existing comorbidities.

The new phase of free vaccination was recently announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Centres plan to provide vaccines free to all states.

According to the officials here, the current vaccination drive in the state is likely to continue till the end of this month with the existing doses supplied so far to the state.

Around 70 lakh people in the state will require, beginning July, to start getting their second dose shots. Adding fresh free vaccination at government centres for the 18-plus category will mean a bigger requirement of vaccines.

On Sunday, the health department said a total of 1,06,210 people had received their Covid-19 shots of whom 1,03,145 got their first dose and 3,065 their second.

According to the Union ministry of health, on Monday Telangana state administered a total of 1,46,302 doses of vaccine.
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday expressed his anguish over the rape of a young nursing student at Seethanagaram. The unfortunate incident that took place overnight at Prakasam Barrage has enraged me. Such incidents should not have happened. The government and the police department should do everything they can to prevent such incidents from repeating.

Addressing a gathering while releasing the YSR Cheyutha programme, the Chief Minister said, I strongly believe that true freedom is achieved only when women can walk freely in the middle of the night without fear

As your protector, I will work hard to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

Meanwhile, the police speeded up the investigations to nab two men involved in the rape incident. Cops are tracing the whereabouts of old offenders including the blade batch that used to wander along the banks of Krishna during night hours.

The police installed a picket at Seethanagaram Pushkar Ghat and arranged lighting as a preventive step. According to the sources, two culprits belonging to Seethanagaram are involved in the rape incident. They were involved in several other cases.

Telugu Mahila president and former MLA Vangalapudi Anitha on Tuesday visited GGH at Guntur and consoled the rape victim. She alleged that there was no protection to women under Jagans rule. She blamed the government for not giving an assurance that the victim would be given a government job.
The Pfizer CEO said that a significant local manufacturing of vaccines that is happening at the Serum Institute of India will provide the backbone of vaccinating the Indian people. (AFP Photo)

Washington: US Pharma giant Pfizer is in the final stages of an agreement with India to supply anti-COVID-19 vaccines, CEO Dr Albert Bourla said on Tuesday, observing that the domestically manufactured vaccines would be the backbone of vaccinating the Indian people.

Addressing the 15th edition of the India-US Bio Pharma & Healthcare Summit being organised by the US-India Chamber of Commerce, Dr Bourla also said that Pfizer has made a specific plan that the mid and low-income countries, which includes India, will receive at least two billion of such doses.

"My hope is that very soon we will finalise the approval of the product in India by the Indian health care authorities and the agreement with the government so that we can also start sending vaccines, on our side, Bourla said.

The Pfizer CEO said that a significant local manufacturing of vaccines that is happening at the Serum Institute of India will provide the backbone of vaccinating the Indian people.

"But getting the additional mRNA vaccines from us and also from Moderna will contribute significantly," he said.

Pfizer, he said, is confident of producing three billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines and another four billion by next year, making it seven billion in all.
The apparent recent volte face by Beijings imperial overlord Xi Jinping, who called for the creation of a fresh, favourable image of a lovable and humble Middle Kingdom reminds one of a popular Bengali saying: Bhooter mukhe Ram naam. (It is not a translation, but it has some of the same meaning as the devil quoting scripture.) The Hindu belief of the absurdity and impossibility of an evil and foul spirit of a dead man remembering Lord Ram, the ultimate in purity and pristine divinity --seen in the context of the Peoples Republic in relation to the rest of the world -- takes the whole scenario into the realm of farce. It can never be!

As long as Beijing and its 1.4 billion-plus population remains under the yoke of Emperor Xi and the ruthless and heartless Communist Party of China, which marks its centenary on July 1, the image of love and humbleness will prove elusive. Xi, who has been his nations paramount leader since 2012 (first as CPC general secretary, then as President), has followed a policy of avoidable aggression against the whole world, including all of Chinas neighbours such as India, but with little to show for it. This so-called change of heart is just a tactical shift, in line with traditional Chinese deception as advocated in Sun Tzus Art of War and Chairman Mao Zedongs Military Writings. Xi, like his mentors, tried to deploy the traditional tricks of the Dragons offensive-defence deceit: Two steps forward, one step back.

It will, therefore, be foolhardy to fall for Xis charm offensive; instead, we should study what lies behind the CPCs new strategy. Can Chinas diplomats and soldiers truly shed their much-practised wolf warrior tactics and turn a new leaf? Unlikely. Playing to the gallery and muttering a few catch words like lovable and humble cant convert the Han warriors into apostles of love, virtue, piousness, piety and mercy as advocated by Lord Buddha or philosopher-king Ashokas initiative to spread peace, harmony and universal brotherhood after the devastation of Kalinga. Can Xi really spread Buddhism, the religion of peace, with his diplomatic wolves across the world? As they say, charity begins at home, and so can Beijings overlord make a start in Xinjiang and Tibet, in Taiwan and Hong Kong, with his new mantra of love and togetherness? Can we see the effects first in the Ladakh Himalayas and as non-Chinese vessels exercise their right of passage through the South China Sea to know that lovable China is for real?

To this writer, Chinas motives and machinations stand brutally exposed due to the Wuhan-origin virus, which has devastated the demography of the entire planet. In all this, it is important to understand the way that some Chinese (Han) people -- especially all who belong to the imperial durbar in Beijing and those who take their cues from them -- look at the rest of the world. To them, China is the sole civilisation and the rest of the world are barbarians who are inferior -- and thus need to be subjugated. The barbarians deserve contempt and should be made to kowtow before the Beijing durbar! Those who cant be bullied should be conquered with cash, backed up by the PLAs ever-expanding forces on land, sea and cyberspace -- with its troll army spreading its tentacles. The aim is to buy up every possible strategic asset overseas, by resorting to hostile takeovers of foreign tech companies, luring foreign politicians with cash or kind and manipulating the media by any or every means to build the image of the lovable Chinese.

A single countrys example will demonstrate this. The United Kingdom is a particular target of the CPCs unwelcome attention, mainly due to its colonial history with a much-weakened Middle Kingdom -- the Opium War (1839-1842), the retention of Hong Kong by London as a coveted commercial base up to 1997, the loot of the Chinese Emperors Summer Palace (1860) by British forces (which included a fair number of Indian soldiers), and the loss of almost all Chinese ports to the combined might of the West and Japans subjugation of Chinese territory in the early twentieth century. Britains strategic assets are thus a prime target for the CPC (like the Carthage must be destroyed psyche) for long.

Little wonder then that a top UK daily flagged in May 2021: How China is buying Britain. It showed how Chinese investors amassed a portfolio of UK businesses, infrastructure, property, and other assets worth nearly 135 billion pounds, almost twice as previously suspected. What shook the British establishment was the swift and largely unnoticed buying spree which included purchases worth at least 44 billion pounds by Chinese state-owned-enterprises, linked to the PLA or CPC, or both. Alarmingly, over 80 of the 200 Chinese investments uncovered were since 2019, a time when London-Beijing ties started growing tense. Wasnt that a hostile takeover bid? These included critical British infrastructure providers like Thames Water, UK Power Networks, Heathrow Airport; in addition to shares in FTSE, 100 companies, prime property in London and at least 17 private schools. New Statesman reported in July 2020: Weak rules allowed China to acquire significant stakes in British nuclear power, oil, steel, water, and transport. In a classic reversal of historical forces, the East Asian Company of China was taking revenge on the old East India Company of our history books.

The CPCs economic/commercial invasion of London is a clear warning. The Chinese are coming is no longer a slogan, what is real is that the Chinese have come to corner all. All nations in the world should heed the danger signs -- because the threat is real. And many have begun to wake up and started taking steps to protect themselves from the China virus is virtually every sector -- from health to hydrology, commerce, industry, technology, and much more. The total war has begun, and its not the way the CPC had envisaged. The Belt and Road Initiative is no longer looking so attractive to foreigners, and many are challenging the Chinese, posing a serious threat to the CPC overlords grand plans. Hence his call to his minions to make China a lovable nation!

Post-script: As Xis New Delhi ambassador Su Weidong urged India  Lets cooperate, not confront each other  came some other news: In one, Chinese scam cheats 5 lakh Indians of crores; and in another, Dangerous Chinese spy-cum-criminal caught on India-Bangla border. Are these the actions of a lovable country?

The writer is a Supreme Court advocate. The views expressed here are personal.
Two tonnes of ganja worth a whopping Rs 15 crore in the wholesale market has been seized in a joint operation by NCB officials from Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Officials described the drug haul as the biggest ever.

Acting on a tip received by the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Bengaluru zonal unit, officials intercepted a truck near the Pedda Amberpet toll plaza in Hyderabad on Sunday. An inspection confirmed the smuggling. Four people, including the truck driver, were subsequently arrested, officials said. They have been identified as K Kale, S Kale, C Kale and B Dhoralkar, all from Osmanabad, Maharashtra.

The contraband was stuffed between raw cashew nut shells in 1,080 packets, each of which weighed about two kilograms.

Amit Ghawate, Zonal Director, NCB, Bengaluru, said the ganja had been sourced from the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border and was headed to Pune and Mumbai.

According to NCB officials, ganga cultivated illegally in the Naxalism-affected areas near the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border is smuggled to Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and across the ocean to Sri Lanka.
Parents' groups from two prominent schools in South Bengaluru staged protests on Monday against the "exorbitant fees" even as the new academic year is to begin in less than two weeks.

Parents said schools were forcing them to pay the fees in full by threatening to block access to online classes. "The schools aren't even giving us the option of paying the fees in instalments. They want the entire fee in one go," a parent said.

B N Yogananda, General Secretary, RTE Students' and Parents' Association, urged the state government to intervene.

"A majority of the private schools function out of CA sites allotted by the government. They are harassing parents over fee payments. The government must act against them," he said.

The fee row erupted last year after parents complained that schools had insisted on full payments though no physical classes were held for students of grades 1-8. The government later stepped in and ordered that schools cannot collect more than 70% of the fees.

This year, the row resurfaced days after the government released the academic calendar for 2021-22, specifying the start of online classes from July 1 onwards.
Police say they have cracked the case relating to a conspiracy to murder Kannada film producer Umapathy and his brother Deepak Gowda.

The brothers produced the Kannada big-budget film Roberrt, starring Darshan. It was simultaneously released in Kannada and Telugu and will soon be dubbed into Hindi. It was released on March 11, 2021. The investigation took the Bengaluru South division police to distant Nepal, where they arrested Kariya Rajesh.



Bengaluru South division police recently

arrested 37-year-old Kariya Rajesh,

a rowdy sheeter from Bengaluru.

He was holed up in the Nepali city of Pokhara.



Kariya Rajesh is a 37-year-old rowdy sheeter from Bengaluru, and was holed up in the Nepali city of Pokhara.

His arrest from a hotel, police say, has blown the lid off some murky dealings in Kannada film financing.

Kariya Rajesh is a close associate of Bombay Ravi, hatchet man of Rashid Malbari, a sharp-shooter from the Dawood Ibrahim gang, a senior investigator told Metrolife.

In late 2020, police had arrested 11 men allegedly sent by Bombay Ravi to bump off Umapathy and Deepak because he suspected they were funding another rowdy called Cycle Ravi. They have recently arrested two more which takes the number to 13. Bombay Ravi received a supari from a third party to finish off Deepak and Umapathy. The supari reignited a long-standing enmity between Bombay Ravi and Cycle Ravi, both of whom are wanted in several criminal cases, the investigator says.

Roberrt, produced by Umapathy and Deepak, did well as a post-lockdown release, but another film made on a high budget didnt run even for a week, the investigator says.

Shadowy players who cant reveal the source of their money invest anonymously in film production, and the underworld plays a role in the deals, he says. The police have provided security to Deepak and Umapathy.

Tech challenge

The callers used Wickr Me, a private messaging service, which has its origins in the US. We will have to take help under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between India and the US to get the relevant information, explains the officer. Another senior officer, who has investigated some sensational cases, including the Gauri Lankesh murder case, says that gang rivalries and supari killings have come down.

Supari killers are hired to settle personal scores. In 2016, we had a case in the West division and last year we had one in the Central division, explains the officer. Gangs are disintegrating with some members shifting to white collar crimes, he says.

Instead of indulging in assault and extortion, which is profitable but risky, many launch Ponzi schemes and multi-level marketing schemes, where money flow is steadier. This way they trap a lot of gullible people, observes the officer.

A stranger walked into my house

Film producer Deepak Gowda had a visitor on December 11, 2020.

He walked in and handed me a phone and asked me to speak to someone on a video call. The man on the line introduced himself as Bombay Ravi and asked if my brother and I were funding the underworld activities of his rival Cycle Ravi. He claimed Cycle Ravi had invested in our movie Roberrt. I was taken aback and said I had nothing to do with him, Deepak told Metrolife. The caller also asked Deepak if he worked closely with the cops to hatch a plan.

A few days later, the Jayanagar police, who had received a tip-off, called Deepak and advised him and his brother Umapathy not to step out of the house because their life was under some sort of threat. While Deepak lives in Banashankari, Umapathy stays in HSR Layout.

Police had just then arrested 11 people carrying weapons and machetes, and collected information about the plot to kill the brothers. I got another call on January 11, again threatening us. We understood this was their method to extort money. We also realised that we had enemies from within the film industry, says Deepak. The brothers run multiple businesses and have produced two films: Hebbuli and Roberrt under the banner of Umapathy Productions. The latter film had an ambitious budget of over Rs 40 crore, and did well on the big screen before it went to OTT. We came into film production because we are passionate about making films and wish to take the Kannada film industry to a global level. Our films are doing well and our meteoric rise in the industry hasnt gone down well with a lot of people. Also, this is a rivalry between Bombay Ravi and Cycle Ravi, and they have made us pawns, adds Umapathy.

Umapathy was on a bike ride with Darshan to Kerala, when he heard of the murder conspiracy. We are old timers in Bengaluru and our forefathers own large tracts of land. We pay taxes. Why would we need help from the underworld? If I know how to run my business, I also know how to protect it using lawful means, he told Metrolife.
An array of Opposition leaders will be meeting Sharad Pawar in New Delhi Tuesday amid signs of an emerging regional grouping ahead of the 2022 Presidential polls and 2024 general elections with the NCP boss acting as sort of the magnet to bring diverse political forces together.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who had led poll strategy campaigns of a number of Chief Ministers from the Opposition camp in past, including that of Mamata Banerjee and M K Stalin this year, on Monday had a nearly two-hour-long meeting with Pawar, his second in a fortnight, triggering a buzz of his attempts to aid the emergence of an alternative Opposition front to take on the Modi-led BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said Pawar will work from Tuesday to unite all Opposition parties and the meeting that he chairs will also dwell on the political situation in the country, apart from discussing the upcoming Lok Sabha session.

The meeting will be attended by former Finance Minister (in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA) and TMC leader Yashwant Sinha, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, CPI's D Raja, NC's Farooq Abdullah, journalist-turned-former-BJP leader Sudheendra Kulkarni, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari, former JDU (suspended) MP Pawan Verma, former Congress (suspended) spokesperson Sanjay Jha, former Rajya Sabha MPs K T S Tulsi (Congress), Advocate Majeed Memon (NCP) and Javed Akhtar (nominated), and NCP MP Vandana Chavan.

Read | Poll strategist Prashant Kishor meets Sharad Pawar

Yashwant Sinha, a bitter critic of Modi is playing a key role in the Opposition unity attempts under the banner of Rashtriya Manch floated by him in 2018.

Malik tweeted that besides them, other eminent persons from different sections like Justice A P Singh, Karan Thapar, journalist-turned-former-AAP leader Ashutosh, former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi, K C Singh, Colin Gonsalves, economist Arun Kumar, and Pritish Nandy will also be attending the meeting.

It will be interesting to see if any senior Congress leader attends the meeting as the main Opposition party earlier stonewalled the attempts to project Pawar as the probable Chairman of UPA before the next general elections.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had pitched for it in March this year even as Pawar, in December last year, had distanced from such a campaign saying he has no interest in becoming UPA Chairperson.

The meeting of Pawar with regional leaders in the national capital is happening also at a time when former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan's remarks about a Congress Chief Minister and talk of 'going solo' in upcoming Mumbai local bodies polls. This has created rumblings in the MVA government headed by Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray in which Pawar plays a key role in keeping the allies united.

Also Read | Wider alliance of anti-BJP parties necessary: NCP leader Nawab Malik after Pawar-Kishor meet

The meeting of Pawar with regional leaders on Tuesday is being seen as a corollary to Opposition Chief Ministers following a common strategy of writing letters to the Prime Minister on Centre's Covid-19 strategy. Also, following her party's West Bengal victory, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee calling for larger Opposition unity attempts.

The meeting, which is of a preliminary kind with no clear contours of a united Opposition face as yet, is, however, significant as this explores the future of how Opposition leaders will work together given Presidential elections are due next year. Pawar is a leader with relations across the political spectrum and can pull strings, which not many in the Opposition can do.

In the 2012 President poll, UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee had managed to breach the NDA ranks and got support from its allies JDU and Shiv Sena. Many believe that while Pawar is indeed the magnet of Opposition unity for the 2024 polls, the 2022 Presidential polls could serve as the first key test for any such attempt.

With the Congress so far not opening its cards on the matter, the regional grouping could be looking at the possibility of a non-Congress, non-BJP National Front kind of arrangement for the time being.

Before the meeting of Opposition leaders at Pawar's residence, the NCP general body also met in Delhi on Monday.
Released: June 22, 2021

The Countys Heat Plan details resources to help vulnerable residents cope with extreme heat

Summer officially began on June 20 and our region has already experienced several hot days and humidity even before the official start of the summer season.

Delaware County Council joined the Countys Office of Services for the Aging (COSA) and PECO on June 22 to announce the Countys 2021 Heat Plan.

COSA and the County Office of Adult and Family Services offer assistance to elderly and vulnerable residents throughout the summer. Several County programs are in place to help residents cope with hot weather and humidity which can cause dehydration and other health complications.

While many of us enjoy the sunshine and the warmer weather during the summer months, the heat can be dangerous, especially for our vulnerable and older residents, and also our pets, said Delaware County Councilwoman Christine Reuther. We need to take precautions and be informed and also check on our vulnerable loved ones and neighbors.

Residents are encouraged to visit the Countys website to read the 2021 Heat Plan and learn about the resources the County provides. Residents should also take precautions during heat waves and high humidity and check in with elderly and disabled family members and neighbors who are at greater risk for heat-related illnesses.

A 24-hour Emergency Heat Information Line is now active through the summer. Residents can call 610-872-1558. The information line will provide weekly heat safety tips and reminders, emergency information, and locations where people can seek relief from the heat.

Cooling fans, home checks on vulnerable residents, access to transportation, and other resources are also available to residents during extreme temperatures.

Air-conditioned senior centers typically have extended hours during a heat wave however, some senior centers and adult daycares remain closed or have limited hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents should check with their senior center to find updated days and hours.

Each year, COSA purchases cooling fans to distribute to residents in need. Once again, this year PECO has generously donated fans as part of PECOs Summer Fan Distribution Program. PECO donates 500 fans each year through local organizations across southeastern Pennsylvania. This year, the fans donated to Delaware County residents were purchased from Hardware & Supply Company, a veteran-owned small business in Chester.

"At PECO, safety and affordable, reliable, service are most important for our customers and the communities we serve, said Doug Oliver, Vice President, Government and External Affairs, PECO. As temperatures begin to climb, its essential that we equip them with the resources and support they need. With our PECO Summer Fan Distribution program, we are able to keep our customers cool during these hotter months and help ensure their energy services remain affordable.

The fans will be distributed to seniors in need. For more information, call: 610-872-1558. Residents can also call their local senior center to learn how to receive a fan.

Some Hot Weather Safety Reminders:

Stay Hydrated. People need to drink before they feel thirsty. However, if someone experiences signs of heat exhaustion, drinking water is not enough to reverse the symptoms. Individuals should seek medical help if they are experiencing heat exhaustion.

People who work outside should be aware of the symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion and take precautions.

Check on elderly and disabled family members and neighbors who are at greater risk for heat-related illnesses.

Remember the safety of pets during the warmer weather and give them plenty of water.

Never leave anyone, including a pet in a car.

The full 2021 Heat Plan can be found here: https://delcopa.gov/pdf/21HeatPlan.pdf
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Highlights of this day in history: France falls to Nazi Germany on what becomes a day of several key events during World War II; Joe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling in their boxing rematch; Entertainers Judy Garland and Fred Astaire die. (June 22)
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Derry, NH (03038)

Today

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
There are renewed concerns about vandalism and fires being started at the site of a disused school in Derry.

The former site of Thornhill College at Culmore Road has been derelict for many years after the school moved to a new campus across the road.

Since then, the disused site and the empty buildings on it have regularly been vandalised.

There have been a number of fires on the site in recent days, including one last night.

SDLP councillor Angela Dobbins said she was on the scene last night.

"This site has been the subject of anti social behaviour and arson on numerous occasions," she said.

"Ive been in contact with the owners but despite boarding up the doors and windows and having security onsite they feel powerless at preventing these attacks.

"Three fire appliances with crews, one of which came from Belfast tackled the blaze until extinguished, the firefighters werent sure if anyone was inside or not.

"These buildings are so unsafe and unstable that even the firefighters are putting their lives at risk let alone the youngsters who started the blaze.Do they not realise just how dangerous their actions are?

"There are residents around this site that should not be subjected to this nightly disturbance nor residents in Culmore and in Strathfoyle opposite the site should not have to endure fumes from the smoke each time its set alight.

"Ive asked for a meeting of PSNI, FRS and the owners in order to find a possible solution."

There are currently plans to build a retirement village on the former school site at Culmore.

Condemning the latest vandalism, Sinn Fein councillor Sandra Duffy said she would be keen to see the plans for the site moving forward.

"This building is a danger and there can be no more planning hold ups, it needs sorted before someone is seriously hurt," she said.
A County Derry seaside town has one of the top 10 promenades in the UK, according to an article published in The Guardian.

The inclusion of Portstewart in a top ten list of the UKs best piers and promenades has been welcomed by Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Cllr Richard Holmes.

The resort was named in a recently published article in The Guardian, informed by its readers travel tips.

Cllr Holmes said its place on the list was wholly deserved.

The Guardian piece perfectly sums up Portstewart Promenade in a few short paragraphs. It is indeed a happy place for so many and offers everything that visitors enjoy in a traditional seaside setting," he said.

The beauty of a Portstewart sunset is unrivalled no matter where you go in the world and were fortunate to have places of such inspiring beauty on our doorstep.

As the only location in Northern Ireland included on the list, Im very proud that Portstewart has been recognised in this article for its unique visitor offering which has reinforced its unwavering popularity with the public since Victorian times.
Pupils from a County Derry primary school who went viral last winter for their political art have been welcomed to Stormont by the Finance Minister.

Conor Murphy today welcomed the pupils and teachers from St Brigids Primary School in Mayogall, who first hit the headlines last year with their imaginative portraits of Stormonts Executive Ministers.

The Finance Minister invited the children to visit the Stormont Estate where they met the First Minister, deputy First Minister, Agriculture, Education and Infrastructure Ministers to chat to them about their artwork and plans for the future.

Minister Murphy said he was delighted to extend the invite to the school.

The creative pupils of St Brigids Primary School lifted all our spirits during a challenging year," he said.

"I wrote to them in November to congratulate them and told them when circumstances permitted they would have to come up to Stormont. Its great that today has arrived and it is lovely to meet the children and the teachers behind the project.

This has been a tough year for school children, especially for Primary 7 pupils, so Im delighted to welcome the pupils and teachers here today to enjoy everything that the Stormont Estate has to offer.

The P7 pupils were treated to a guided tour of the Stormont Estate, taking part in the Woodland and Bug Trails before making the most of the Mo Mowlam playpark.

Mary OKane, Principal at St Brigids Primary School welcomed the invitation which she says has been a high point for the pupils in their last few weeks of primary school.

This visit has been a highlight in our P7 calendar," she said.

"Our art project certainly captured the Executives attention and it is great to see our Ministers taking the time to engage with the pupils.

"The art project has certainly sparked our P7s interest in local politics and I hope this visit inspires them further as they move to post primary school.

"Id like to thank Minister Murphy for the invitation as the visit to Stormont is a first for many of our pupils.
A man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly transporting drugs from Derry to Belfast on the 212 bus, a court was told today.

Police were contacted by a passenger on the bus who said they had seen a man taking drugs during the journey to Derry.

When the bus arrived at Foyle Street station at 8.10pm on Saturday, Martin Ferguson was searched by police as he got off the bus.

Officers found 300 Diazepam tablets and a quantity of white powder on his possession.

The 29-year-old was in no state to be interviewed due to the consumption of drugs and had to be taken to Altnagelvin Hospital.

He remained in the hospital until yesterday when he was arrested and taken to Strand Road police station.

During police interviews, he made no comment about the drugs.

Ferguson, who is from Belfast, appeared before Derry Magistrates Court today where he was charged with possession of Class A and Class C drugs and possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply.

A bail application was made on his behalf.

However, a police officer told the court that they objected to Ferguson being released on bail because of the likelihood of him reoffending.

The officer said that Ferguson was arrested nine days ago in 'exactly' the same circumstances when he was allegedly caught bringing drugs to Derry from Belfast on the bus.

The officer said the defendant had 12 previous convictions, and three ongoing cases before the court which involved drug offences.

The officer said Ferguson had recently been living with his girlfriend at an address at St Brecan's Park in the Waterside area of Derry.

The police officer said that there had recently been a death at the address due to the 'misuse of prescription drugs'.

The officers said that 'most of the deaths in the city come from prescription drugs' and added that, if released on bail, Ferguson would continue to bring drugs from Belfast to Derry.

Defence solicitor, Ciaran Toland, said his client had an 'exceptionally low' IQ of 60 and was an 'extremely vulnerable' person.

Mr Toland said efforts were being made to secure a 'supervision order' to help deal him with his issues.

The solicitor said that if remanded in custody, Ferguson was someone who could be 'taken advantage of very easily'.

Mr Toland said his client had been living at the Sr Brecan's Park address for several months with his girlfriend.

While he recognised that it was 'not ideal', Mr Toland said it was the only bail address available to Ferguson as his parents refused to accept him at their home in Belfast.

Judge Barney McElholm said he did not wish to remand Ferguson in custody given his difficulties.

However, he said that if he released him to the address at St Brecan's Park, he would 'keeping doing what he's doing' because there would not be adequate support for him.

Judge McElholm said he understood the pressures on the health and social care sector, but raised concerns about the lack of support for people such as Ferguson who were dealing with addiction.

One could adopt a cynical attitude of 'it's their own fault they choose to take drugs' but one cannot simply hide behind that because there are knock-on effects for the rest of the community because of the activities of addicts.

And to protect ourselves we need to be addressing this but nobody seems to be addressing it.

Judge McElholm said it was not just about the harm that Ferguson 'might do to himself'.

He is going to Belfast, and this is the second time he has been caught, and returning with a substantial amount of prescription medication.

As the police officer rightly points out the recent deaths we have had, and we have had quite a few in this city from drug use, are not the hard drugs that one would normally look, like heroin etc, etc, it is prescription medication illegally obtained and people overdosing on them.

Judge McElholm said he was prepared to release Ferguson on bail to live at his parents's address in Belfast.

He added that if his mother refused to accept him, then he would remain in custody.

As part of his proposed bail conditions, Ferguson is banned from entering Derry and must not taken drugs.

The defendant is due to appear before Derry Magistrates Court again on July 1.
Shahid Kapoor reveals his web series debut is a quirky crime drama, says its very different from his previous work

Ahead of his digital debut, actor Shahid Kapoor says he is "nervous" about venturing into a new medium.

Kapoor, the star of movies such as "Jab We Met", "Kaminey", "Haider" and "Kabir Singh", is headlining an untitled series, created and written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK of "The Family Man" fame for streamer Amazon Prime Video.

During an Instagram Live session on Monday evening, Kapoor said his success in the movies doesn't guarantee acceptance on OTT platforms.

"I'm very nervous about making my digital debut because I really feel that actors who might have been liked and loved on the big screen, might or might not be appreciated on a digital platform," Kapoor said.

The 40-year-old actor was interacting with his fans to celebrate two years of his 2019 blockbuster "Kabir Singh".

The long form formats are more difficult to pull off because actors have to ensure that the audiences continue to remain interested in their characters, Kapoor said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor)

"You can't just be okay if people like you for a couple of hours. They need to be interested in your character, connect with you and you need to hold their attention for 9-10 episodes. I don't think I'm experienced in that space. So it would be interesting to see how people react to me on that platform," he added.

The actor said he always wanted to feature in a long-form content as it offers scope to flesh out a nuanced portrayal of a character.

"Most of the time when I've finished my movies, whether it was 'Haider' or 'Kabir Singh', I always used to hope I've been able to bring out every aspect of this character. When you have more time, it allows you to share more of him with the audience.

"It'll be interesting to see how they respond to that, whether they like me in that space, whether I'll be able to do something different as opposed to what I do in a movie."

Kapoor, however, was tight-lipped about the much-awaited series.

The actor said he was "not allowed to say much" but teased that the project would be a departure from his previous works.

"I have loved Raj and DK's work for a while. I really enjoyed seeing 'The Family Man' and I totally loved season two. The web series is very different from anything that I've ever done. It's going to be exciting. It's a quirky crime drama," he added.
Ireland Co-signs Benelux Declaration on LGBTQI+ Rights in Hungary at 22 June General Affairs Council

Press release

Ireland has supported a declaration by the Benelux Countries that expresses grave concern regarding the Hungarian Parliaments adoption of amendments to a bill that discriminate against the LGBTQI+ community in Hungary.

The Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, T.D. gave Irelands support to the declaration at the General Affairs Council Meeting in Luxembourg on 22 June. The Benelux-led declaration criticises Hungarys unacceptable use of child protection as a pretext for introducing measures that violate freedom of expression as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and unjustifiably target the LGBTQI+ community in Hungary.

Commenting on co-signing the Benelux declaration, The Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, T.D. said

I wholeheartedly endorse this declaration initiated by the Benelux member states that criticises this most recent anti-LGBTQI+ turn by Hungary. Legislation of the kind recently introduced by the Hungary Assembly has no place in the European Union. The EU is founded on fundamental values including equality and respect for human dignity and human rights; this bill is an affront to these principles. I once again urge Hungary to reconsider this measure. I echo the Declarations call for the European Commission to use all of the tools at its disposal to ensure Hungary respects EU law.

ENDS

Press Office

22 June 2021

Notes for Editors On 15 June, the Hungarian National Assembly passed a bill on stricter measures against paedophile criminals and on amending legislation related to the protection of children by a 157 to 1 vote. The Speaker of the Parliament will now send the Bill to the President for signing. It is possible for the President to refer the Bill to the Constitutional Court for consideration. The Bill provides for restrictions in media (including advertising) on content regarded as encouraging homosexuality or gender transition. There is also a de facto prohibition on talks on LGBTQI issues in schools and educational programmes. The new legislation further stigmatises the LBGTQI community in Hungary and will have a chilling effect on NGOs advocating for LGBTQI rights and organisations who support these issues. International reaction and disapproval has been noticeable. Commission President Von der Leyen tweeted a statement expressing concern and saying this would be examined to see if it breaches EU law. Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes (Belgium is the current holder of the Benelux Presidency) noted that Benelux ministers were very concerned about the new Hungarian legislation and intend to make a joint statement at the 22 June GAC. Ireland is adding our support to this initiative. The Declaration contends that by falsely equating homosexuality with paedophilia, the bill stigmatises LGBTQI+ people in Hungary and violates the communitys rights to equality and human dignity. In addition, the declaration argues that the bill interferes unduly with freedom of expression rights by restricting LGBTQI+ representation in media. The declaration urges the European Commission to respond to ensure the Hungarian LGBTQI+ communitys rights are protected. Embassy Budapest social media has communicated Irelands concerns about this law, including making a clear statement of support echoing the US embassys expression of deep concern about the anti-LGBTQI+ aspects of the law. Embassy Budapest is coordinating this years statement by Embassies in Hungary supporting the Budapest Pride Parade, which takes place on 24 July. There have been three Article 7 Treaty on European Union (TEU) hearings at the General Affairs Council since 2018 in relation to Hungarys adherence to the EU values enshrined in Article 2 TEU. The most recent hearing was on 22 June. Ireland has actively participated in each of these hearings, illustrating our commitment to maintaining Art 2 TEU values, not least respect for human rights.

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Minister Coveney addresses the UN Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan

Press release

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney T.D., spoke today at the UN Security Council High Level Quarterly Debate on Afghanistan.

The meeting focused on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, and follows the release on 15 June of the UN Secretary-Generals latest quarterly report on this issue.

Addressing the online meeting of the Council, Minister Coveney emphasised Irelands concern at the lack of progress in the peace process.

The people of Afghanistan have repeatedly made clear their strong desire for peace. Those engaged in violence - including the Taliban - must respect this desire. A ceasefire, and a serious engagement in peace negotiations, is the only way to end the cycle of violence.

The Minister made clear that any easing in sanctions and restrictions can only be considered when genuine progress is demonstrated in reducing violence and in progressing the peace negotiations, in accordance with Resolution 2513.

The Minister highlighted that all Afghans, and especially women, need to be meaningfully engaged in peace negotiations, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The peace process in its substance must also protect the rights of women. The international community cannot support any rollback of the rights of more than half of the Afghan population. Womens rights cannot be the price of peace.

Minister Coveney also stressed the need for a response to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, and condemned in the strongest terms the recent attacks on vaccination workers and against Halo Trust employees.

In concluding, the Minister again appealed to the Taliban to re-join and constructively engage in the Doha process, noting that it is essential to addressing the urgent humanitarian and development needs of the Afghan people.

ENDS

Press Office

22 June 2021

Notes for Editors This meeting, chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Eva-Maria Liimets, is one of the High Level events of Estonias Presidency of the UN Security Council in the month of June. Estonia and Norway are the current co-penholders on Afghanistan on Security Council. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Haneef Atmar participated in the meeting. Briefings were provided by Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Ms. Deborah Lyons; Executive-Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ms. Ghada Waly; and Director of the Afghan Womens Network, Ms. Mary Akrami. This meeting is the second quarterly debate on the situation in Afghanistan since Ireland took up its seat on the Security Council on 1 January 2021. The mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is due for renewal in September 2021, during Irelands Presidency of the Security Council.

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Minister Thomas Byrne TD Participates in 22 June General Affairs Council Hearings

Press release

As part of his attendance at the meeting of the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Tuesday 22 June, Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, T.D. participated in an Article 7 Treaty on European Union (TEU) hearings in relation to Hungarys adherence to EU values and rule of law issues in Poland.

The 22 June Hungary hearing was the latest assessment by the General Affairs Council of whether Hungary has breached the foundational EU values enshrined in Article 2 Treaty on European Union (TEU). These values include respect for human rights, human dignity, equality, and the rule of law.

The hearing in relation to Poland was a further examination by the General Affairs Council of whether aspects of recent Polish judicial reforms have weakened rule of law standards in Poland.

Ireland joined with fellow EU member states to use the hearing as a chance to call upon Hungary and Poland to uphold their obligations under Article 2.

Commenting The Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, T.D. said

Ireland is committed to maintaining the values upon which the EU is founded and to which all member states have signed up. As such, I welcomed the opportunity to express our concerns about Hungarys and Polands adherence to EU values. Todays hearing had added significance given the recent law passed by the Hungarian parliament, which represented an unacceptable attack on the rights of the LGBTQI+ community in Hungary. At todays hearing I made Irelands firm opposition to this discriminatory legislation clear

ENDS

Press Office

22 June 2021

Notes for Editors Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) holds that The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.

holds that The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. Article 7 TEU establishes the process by which the European Council can determine that there is a clear risk of a breach or existence of a breach of the EU values by a Member State. The Commission, European Parliament or a third of Member States can invoke Article 7. Where the existence of a breach is determined, measures can be taken against the Member State in question, including the suspension of rights deriving from the treaties. Where the European Council determines that a breach exists, Article 7 also defines how measures can be taken against the Member State in question. Unanimity is required for the determination of the existence of a breach under Article 7

establishes the process by which the European Council can determine that there is a clear risk of a breach or existence of a breach of the EU values by a Member State. The Commission, European Parliament or a third of Member States can invoke Article 7. Where the existence of a breach is determined, measures can be taken against the Member State in question, including the suspension of rights deriving from the treaties. Where the European Council determines that a breach exists, Article 7 also defines how measures can be taken against the Member State in question. Unanimity is required for the determination of the existence of a breach under Article 7 The first Council hearing in relation to Hungary at the General Affairs Council (GAC) was in 2018 on foot of the European Parliaments adoption of the Sargentini report, which examined issues of concern relating to the state of democracy, the rule of law, and civil liberties in Hungary. A second hearing followed at the September 2019 GAC with no resolution.

which examined issues of concern relating to the state of democracy, the rule of law, and civil liberties in Hungary. A second hearing followed at the September 2019 GAC with no resolution. Article 7 was invoked by the European Commission for the first time in relation to Poland in December 2017. The first Article 7 hearing regarding Poland was in June 2018, followed by subsequent hearings in September and December 2018. The reforms of Polands justice system are the Commissions main focus in the Article 7 procedure. These reforms have increased the influence of the executive and legislative powers and weakened judicial independence.

Ireland is a firm supporter of EU values. Ireland has actively participated in Article 7 hearings and discussions at the GAC, demonstrating our commitment to safeguarding EU values.

On 15 June, the Hungarian National Assembly passed a bill on stricter measures against paedophile criminals and on amending legislation related to the protection of children by a 157 to 1 vote. It is expected the bill will become law.

International reaction and disapproval has been noticeable. Commission President Von der Leyen tweeted a statement expressing concern and saying this would be examined to see if it breaches EU law.

Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes (Belgium is the current holder of the Benelux Presidency) noted that Benelux ministers were very concerned about the new Hungarian legislation and intend to make a joint statement at the 22 June GAC.

The Benelux Declaration contends that by falsely equating homosexuality with paedophilia, the bill stigmatises LGBTQI+ people in Hungary and violates the communitys rights to equality and human dignity. In addition, the declaration argues that the bill interferes unduly with freedom of expression rights by restricting LGBTQI+ representation in media. The declaration urges the European Commission to respond to ensure the Hungarian LGBTQI+ communitys rights are protected.

Ireland is a co-signatory to this statement.

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Statement by Minister Coveney at the UNSC Debate on UNAMA - Afghanistan

Statement

Madam President, thank you.

I would also like to thank Special Representative Lyons, Executive Director Waly, and in particular Ms Akrami for her remarks and her personal experience.

I would also like to acknowledge the presence of my colleague, Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and also thank him for his contribution.

Given the magnitude of the challenges facing Afghanistan, this Council must ensure UNAMA has the backing necessary for its critical work.

Ireland looks forward to working with you, Special Representative, and with Council members, on the UNAMA mandate renewal over the coming months.

I would like to make three points if I may, on todays debate..

My first point is to express our concern at the lack of progress in the peace process.

Violence is causing or exacerbating the many challenges facing Afghanistan, making it the most dangerous country in the world for civilians today. Continued conflict and instability in Afghanistan also threatens regional peace and security as well.

Recent months have seen deliberate and sickening attacks against journalists, civil society actors, human rights defenders, humanitarian and medical workers, as well as minorities.

We have seen abhorrent violence directed towards schoolchildren, adding to the already high level of grave violence committed against Afghan children.

It is deeply disturbing, that women and girls are being specifically targeted, to sow fear about the exercise of their fundamental rights.

I utterly condemn these attacks and their intent, and our thoughts are of course with the victims and their families.

The people of Afghanistan have repeatedly made clear their strong desire for peace. Those engaged in violence - including the Taliban - must respect this desire. A ceasefire, and a serious engagement in peace negotiations, is the only way to end the cycle of violence.

Ireland and our EU partners are also clear that any easing in sanctions and restrictions can only be considered when genuine progress is demonstrated on reducing violence and in progressing the peace negotiations, in accordance with Resolution 2513.

The Doha negotiations have the full support of the international community, and I thank Qatar for facilitating these negotiations.

The peace process must remain Afghan-owned and Afghan-led, but Ireland supports an enhanced role for the UN in facilitating and supporting the parties.

I urge Afghanistans neighbours and regional partners to use their influence to promote a sustainable peace, and welcome the engagement of the Secretary-Generals Personal Envoy in building regional consensus for peace initiatives.

It is also crucial that Afghanistan never again be used as a base for international terrorism, or as a centre for illicit drug production that finances and fuels terrorism and organised crime.

Madam President,

My second point is that all Afghans, and especially women, need to be meaningfully engaged in peace negotiations, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

For Ireland, ensuring women are at the table in all peace talks and processes is not empty rhetoric. It is a position that has been informed by lived experience on our own Island.

Globally, the evidence speaks for itself. Womens participation in peace processes contributes to stronger outcomes, and to better and more enduring peace agreements.

Afghan women are demanding to be heard. Yet they continue to be severely underrepresented in, and excluded from, peace negotiations. This is unacceptable and must be remedied. Participation is their right.

The peace process in its substance must also protect the rights of women. The international community cannot support any rollback of the rights of more than half of the Afghan population. Womens rights cant be the price of peace.

Fair and inclusive representation also means ensuring the participation of Afghanistans young people, civil society and minority groups.

When I spoke at the Afghanistan Conference last November, I set out our position on current and future support to the Afghan government, which relies on the adherence to the principles set out in the Afghanistan Partnership Framework.

Minorities in Afghanistan must be able to live in peace and security.

All Afghans must be afforded equal rights to reach their own potential.

Madam President,

My third point is on the need for a response to the rapidly deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

14 million Afghans are experiencing severe food insecurity. Half of all children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition.

Ireland will support the Afghan government in addressing the country's urgent humanitarian and security needs. Humanitarian actors are needed in Afghanistan now more than ever and must be protected and supported.

I condemn in the strongest terms the recent attacks on vaccination workers, and against Halo Trust employees, whose demining work was helping local communities to live and farm safely.

While having made little contribution to climate change globally, Afghanistan is particularly at risk from the impacts of climate change.

Compounding this are the decades of conflict, which have prevented the necessary adaptation and mitigation measures being taken, further increasing the countrys vulnerability.

Ireland, as co-chair of the Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security, will work to ensure that this Council does more to understand the impact of climate-related security risks which undoubtedly are contributing to an already difficult and unstable situation in Afghanistan.

In conclusion, I call again on the Taliban to re-join and constructively engage in the Doha process, which clearly has not been happening.

Doing so is essential to building peace. It is essential to determining Afghanistans governance and its future. And it is essential to addressing the urgent humanitarian and development needs of the Afghan people.

We as a Council must stand with Afghanistan and its people.

We will continue to support their desire to build a fair and sustainable peace, and a stable and prosperous future, for all Afghans.

Thank you.

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Duncan, OK (73533)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
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The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed prospects for an early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying that U_S_ expectations of talks would plunge them into a greater disappointment.


Regina Braker, a retired educator with journeys through many places and experiences, enjoys getting to know people along the way.
Rural Oregonians who want to move border say they no longer recognize their state
US$25 million sovereign loan by EBRD to power distribution utility in Tajikistan

Asian Development Bank (ADB) providing US$ 85 million grant

Introduction of billing and metering infrastructure, creation of new employment opportunities

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are contributing towards greater efficiency of Tajikistans Shabakahoi Taksimoti Bark (STB), a state-owned power utility responsible for electricity distribution, by providing a financial package of US$ 110 million.

It consists of an EBRD sovereign loan of up to US$25 million and an ADB grant of US$85 million and will fund the introduction of advanced metering and grid enhancements in seven municipalities across Tajikistan. The project, which will also help install billing systems and facilitate various grid improvements, will be implemented in the countrys capital Dushanbe as well as in the cities and districts of Buston, Dangara, Konibodom, Isfara, Istaravshan and Panjakent.

It is expected that upon implementation the project will help reduce STBs power losses by around 30 GWh and cut CO 2 emissions by almost 2,000 tonnes annually.

The latest project under the EBRDs Tajikistan Energy Efficiency Framework, it will also help create employment opportunities for local young people.

To date, the EBRD has invested 765 million through 140 projects in Tajikistans economy.
WHEN farmers son, Pat McMahon from Meelin, North Cork, was backpacking, he liked travelling roads less travelled. In 2004, one of those roads travelled found him lost in a slum area in Varanasi, Northern India.

Sometimes you can feel lost, and in the next moment, you realise that you are exactly where you should be, says Pat.

This was the case in this situation when I found Tiza and an 18-month infant literally dying of malnutrition. It is hard for us to imagine that a child could be on this earth for this period of time and weigh less than six pounds in weight.

Pat first encountered hunger at an early age. When he was 11 years old in 1984, the images from the dreadful famine in Ethiopia were sent across our TV screens.

I remember turning to my mother and saying that we must do something and her response was, yes, we must, says Pat.

Doing something then was emptying his piggy bank of his savings and donating the money to Live Aid.

Those images on TV really struck me, says Pat.

As a teenager, one of the great questions we have is what were going to do with our lives, adds Pat.

He recalls sitting on his bed one evening, and within the myriad of thoughts he had, one recurring thought became his focus.

I just wanted to help people.

Pat went on to become a registered nurse after training for three years in London.

Because of his training, he knew the life-threatening situation Tiza was in when he found her in dire circumstances in 2004. He acted promptly.

Within 30 minutes, I found a private paediatric hospital where Tiza started her slow recovery to health, says Pat.

Within, he had agreed with the hospital owners to rent permanently ten beds to treat children such as Tiza.

Tiza and Paddy.

For almost a decade, the ten-bedded unit was full of children like Tiza and children who were critically ill and were too poor to pay for treatment in Government hospitals.

It can be easy to be critical of our health and social welfare systems in Ireland, says Pat.

Still, when you work in developing countries, you realise that very often, the difference between life and death is how much money you have or can borrow.

In 2015 the project changed its name from the Varanasi Childrens Hospital to Mothers First.

While there is great value in treatment, ultimately, we need to be preventing hunger and malnutrition, explains Pat.

In 2015, the project turned its focus on delivering food-based interventions to mothers who are pregnant and malnourished themselves.

The facts are difficult to comprehend, between 20% to 40% of babies in developing countries are born malnourished, explains Pat.

The reason that they are malnourished is that the mothers themselves are malnourished.

The main beneficiary of the food that we give to the mothers is their unborn child. We continue the food-based interventions for four months after they deliver.

Mothers First saves lives, and it changes lives.

The nutritional support that we provide from conception is life-changing for the children.

The project has now been running for more than 16 years and has saved thousands of children.

Our nature, Pat says, is that we dwell far more on our failures than we do on our success. He recounts to me the story of the first child he saw dying of malnutrition.

Wherever in the world we live, and whoever you are, theres something inherently wrong when a child dies, says Pat.

A soul lost to the world. When that childs only reason for dying is lack of food, and you witness this, it changes you. It is like a vacuum that takes your light for a while.

Pat kept vigil over the child he desperately tried to help.

I never left his bedside all night.

As if it has just happened, he tells the story of going out of the hospital for five minutes at 6.30am. When he returned, the atmosphere had changed entirely.

The tears of the parents could be heard, and their pleading eyes begged me to do something, says Pat.

He couldnt save this childs life.

I got on a bicycle, and I cycled as far away as possible to a remote spot by a river outside the city limits, says Pat.

I remember the city was waking up as usual at 7am and I thought, do they not know a child has died?

If Pats remarkable story could be summed up in one way, it is that when he saw an opportunity; he acted on it.

Shortly after he found the malnourished mother, they started setting up food distribution programmes in villages for malnourished pregnant mothers.

When you set up a new programme, you will always have to deal with the most severe cases first, says Pat.

Once programs are established, you find these cases earlier and so less critical.

A few months into the programme, some villagers asked Pat to come and see a woman in her hut as she was in a bad way. It is not so much the words they use but the tone.

I knew this was serious, he says.

Little did he know what he was about to see would change the direction and focus of his lifes work.

As he walked into the dark clay hut, he saw a mother and two of her children dying of malnutrition.

But it was like what I was seeing was as if my own memory, says Pat.

For those five minutes in the hut, I lived there. I fell to my knees when I left the hut, I asked profoundly and deeply why? Why, in a world of plenty, do we still have extreme poverty?

Within two months, Pat was in Milan at a global conference on nutrition.

The main thing he noticed is that the conference was full of words. Academics and policymakers are discussing hunger and malnutrition with minimal experience working directly with people living in extreme poverty.

Pat has become a strong international voice for hungry people. He played an instrumental role in getting anaemia for women included as an indicator of Sustainable Development goals. The final meetings were in the UN buildings in Ethiopia.

Pat McMahon, Meelin, Co. Cork, doing his barefoot charity walk.

The sessions were about to close, and anaemia for women was still not included.

There were representatives from more than 40 countries and UN Agencies such as Unicef.

I raised my placard to speak. It felt like there were l00 butterflies in my stomach.

That didnt deter him.

Pat spoke from his heart that went beyond the statistical jargon of the meetings.

They listened.

He is passionate about his mission to help highlight and raise awareness about world poverty and hunger.

The majority of my work is advocacy, wiring papers and reports and highlighting policy changes, says Pat.

He outlines how Covid-19 has caused a humanitarian food crisis.

From May last year, we started to see the impact on the global hunger level. It is estimated that an additional 135 million people have been pushed into extreme food insecurity, says Pat.

This year, he felt that he wanted to symbolically mark the growing hunger crisis in a personal way. It started as a one day fast on the first Monday of January and has built up to fasting every Monday for the entirety of this year.

It is not easy, he says. Fasting from 8pm Sunday evening to 8 am, Tuesday morning.

Its a long stint.

When youre hungry, reading data about world hunger gives you a sense of empathy, and the figures become more alive, Pat says.

He believes we can all do more for the plight of hunger in developing countries.

We often feel disempowered to act on the issues that are happening in our world right now. The reality is that only through the general public taking action can meaningful will change take place.

34% of all the food we grow never gets eaten, and there are over 800 million people in our world who do not get enough to eat every day. We can all do our bit.

Even if you skipped one meal a day and donated the price of it to the hungry, that would make a difference, says Pat.

I think the media here should cover the issue of world hunger much more.

We all have a responsibility to raise awareness. People dont realise the incredible hunger statistics.

Information for the general public is important.

That is not all Pat has been doing this year. On International Womens Day on March 8, he walked eight miles barefoot due to hunger disproportionately affecting women.

On April 12, Pat again took to the roads barefoot on finding out that famine has now been declared in two countries, Yemen and South Sudan.

Famine means that people are literally starving to death.

Pat has one more event planned for October 16 to mark World Food Day.

He will attempt to climb Carrauntoohil, Irelands highest mountain, barefoot while wearing a suit and tie.

Barefoot symbolises the hardship of hunger and poverty, he explains.

The suit and tie is the seriousness of the problem and the need for meaningful debate on hunger.

You can support Paddy incredible work directly by check out their events page on the website, donate online www.mothersfirstcharity.org, or you can text Mother 50300 to donate 4.
An urgent appeal has been issued to find a Cork man who has been missing in New York City since Saturday.

Cork native Ryan Cody was last seen after 8 pm on Saturday night on 19 June at Austin Public in the Forest Hills area in Queens.

Ryans brother, Anthony Cody has urged anyone with information to contact him or the gastropub, Austin Public.

In a Facebook post, he said that anyone who spoke with Ryan on that day said Ryan was very disorientated and confused.

Could anyone who has any information please let us know we are extremely worried about Ryan."

Anthony Cody is appealing to the public to share any posts on social media and for anyone in the area to help with the search for Ryan.

"Any Irish people out there try come together and bring my baby brother home please," he said.

"Any information of any sighting after 8 pm on Saturday night could be vital."

A Go Fund Me page has been set up in the hopes of getting family members over to New York as soon as possible in order to help with the search for the young man.

We are extremely concerned for his safely and well being and need to get family members on their way out there as soon as possible to help with the search.

Anthony Cody told Irish Central that Ryan is 6 foot 2 or 3, has blonde hair, and a samurai tattoo on his left arm.
Two new eight-tonne Copper Pot Stills have been successfully transported from Scotland to Cork to replace almost 50-year-old models that are to be retired from duty at the Jameson Distillery in Midleton.

The two new pot stills arrived into the Port of Cork over the weekend and travelled to Midleton by road.

A spokesperson for the Jameson Distillery in Midleton confirmed that the Distillery took delivery of two new copper pot stills on Monday, June 21.

The two new pot stills arrived into the Port of Cork over the weekend and travelled to Midleton by road.

The transportation of the large vessels caused quite a stir locally with many pictures and videos appearing on social media of the strange sight.

The Distillery said the two pot stills will replace two stills that have been in operation in the Barry Crockett Stillhouse since 1974.

The pot stills are handmade by master coppersmiths Forsyths of Scotland and weigh eight tonnes each, with a capacity of over 75,000 litres.

Installation will commence immediately and we expect that they will be fully operational by August 2021, marking the completion of the project to upgrade equipment in this stillhouse which began last summer with the installation of similar new stills.

The pot stills are handmade by master coppersmiths Forsyths of Scotland and weigh eight tonnes each, with a capacity of over 75,000 litres.
AS the summer holidays approach, my immediate reaction tends to be one of relief that at least I dont have to make any school lunches for the next few months.

The relief, however, is quickly followed by a more panicked: What on earth am I going to do to keep them entertained all summer?

After all the false starts and crushed hopes last year, when I held on to our pre-Covid booked plans and tickets until the last minute, hoping for some miracle, I have been reluctant to make any plans at all this year.

In fact, one of my strategies to get through the past six months has been to live in the moment, just focusing on getting through each day and week as it happened, without the mental energy to think further ahead. This has worked pretty well. It has also, however, meant that I am now looking at a family calendar for July and August which is just one big, blank, open space.

Heading to the beach this summer?

Well just do day trips, I announce cheerfully. But when it comes to thinking of where to go on these day trips I falter. Where to, exactly? Will the beaches not be packed? Will we even get parking? And as I am vaguely contemplating an overnight somewhere, I find myself heading for but sure, havent we got food at home territory. Weve been home for over a year already, everyone is comfortabe. Do we really need to be somewhere else?

It might be a long two months.

This mental paralysis, akin to how I feel when trying to think of what to cook for dinner, is not surprising. Living through a pandemic, even for those of us who escaped its more traumatic consequences, is mentally exhausting. And the simple, mundane decisions we used to make without a second thought suddenly came with a whole other set of implications and consequences  literally with the potential to be life-or-death related. Meeting friends. Going to work. Getting your hair cut. Trying to figure out when you could see your parents next.

And while the restrictions to some extent made it easier by taking the decision-making out of our hands, not being able to make these simple choices has had an impact too. Things that used to be within our control were suddenly not. The inability to plan for the future, genuine fears about safety, job security and mental health  our brains are not designed to deal with this level of uncertainty and ambiguity on an ongoing basis. No wonder we are frazzled, and no wonder the simplest things might seem like mammoth tasks right now.

But something needs to go into that calendar.

Like with everything else, we are all in different boats as far as the summer is concerned, too. Not everything is available to everybody. So for everyone looking forward to the staycation they booked months ago, there will be someone who simply cannot afford one. Or who never got it together to book one in the first place. And for everyone whos finally able to visit and spend long-awaited time with family, there are those whose family might be elsewhere, no longer with them, or unavailable for other reasons. Many will be working through the summer, perhaps with limited childcare options. For those parenting alone family trips might just be that bit more challenging to organise, never mind get through. And the reality is that even with holidays planned, there are still going to be days and weeks of time to fill with. something.

You may not be able to go off on holidays, but you can still find fun things to do. Picture: Stock

But regardless of where we are at, I dont think I am alone in wanting this to be a good summer. One to remember, in a positive way. A bit of respite after a long year. With expectations lowered, sure, and with the knowledge that little things can be as enjoyable as big things.

I ask my kids what they would like to do, what their ideal summer would look like considering were not going on any actual holidays. Their requests are simple enough, coloured perhaps by what has been available to them for the past 14 months. Go to the beach. Bake. Arts and crafts and fun stuff. Spending time with their friends.

And armed with this I start making some tentative plans. And figure that it will, somehow, all be OK.

Maybe not always Instagram-worthy and maybe not always according to plan, but OK.

Because heres the thing. Who am I to say that the Instagram-worthy and according-to-plan days are the best? For all our making-memories hashtags we cant really control what our children remember from their childhood and what bits are most important to them.

Sometimes it is the little things kids remember. Like an impromptu trip to the shop for icecream. Picture: Stock

My youngest son recently entertained me with a lengthy recollection of something we had done years ago, which I really had thought nothing of at the time. To him, it had been a brilliant day out. When my daughter was small, I took her to a beautiful childrens theatre production. I had high hopes for it, thinking she would love it. It didnt go well. She was restless and fidgety and after 20 minutes I admitted defeat and left. I remember being upset that she hadnt got to enjoy this amazing event I had planned for her, and that on some level I felt she should have done better work at appreciating.

Nothing can make us as frustrated as our kids not enjoying an activity we specifically picked out for their benefit. But then we walked to the bus stop, she jumped in every puddle she could find, we got to sit upstairs at the front seats on the double decker bus and she was ecstatic.

And I realised that you cant always script fun.

So allow yourself to have aspirations about a fabulous, memory-worthy time, but dont feel that you need to live up to the fantasy of a happy holiday that you either think other people are having, or that you have in your own mind. Accept the reality of your life, your circumstances, your childrens preferences and personalities. And your own.

Do get up early, pack up and go to the beach or the park if you can. We have so many amazing amenities at our doorstep. Go to Fota. Explore walks you havent taken before, places you havent visited, or stick with your tried or tested favourites.

And for the days when you cant, think of little things you can do to make the everyday a bit more special. Abolish bedtimes for a day. Announce an impromptu trip to the shop to buy ice cream. A barbecue for dinner. Balloons. Bubbles (of the soapy kind, although if you fancy some of the drinkable type for yourself, why not). Hot chocolate on a rainy day.

Dont worry too much about screen time  sometimes the guilt-induced anxiety we feel around this is more detrimental than any amount of screen time could be.

Although do have a look at child-centred offerings like Kinderama, created by Cork-based Stef McSherry, for some guaranteed safe and interactive online content. Or incorporate technology into the outdoor by checking out Wanderful in Dromkeen woods, an augmented reality trail which teaches children about Irish wildlife. Make popcorn and have a movie night. Have a water fight. Embrace a bit of mess.

And take a deep breath and perhaps a sigh of relief. We have come through a long winter, in more ways than one. Lets enjoy this summer. Weve earned it.

Ingrid Seim is a psychological coach and the founder of Avenues Consultancy & Coaching.
Cate McCurry, PA

The boss of Aer Lingus has defended the airlines decision to close its Shannon Airport base, saying it was the right decision to get the company profitably flying.

Chief executive Lynne Embleton said the amount of flights out of Shannon meant it was not cost-effective to have a crew based at the airport.

Ms Embleton also said the airline will not be reversing its decision to remove the cabin crew from its Shannon base.

Stobart Air informed Aer Lingus earlier this month that it was terminating its franchise agreement and was in the process of appointing a liquidator.

TD Joe Carey said it was a very traumatic time for cabin crew and their families (Steve Parsons/PA)

The decision led to the cancellation of all Aer Lingus flights operated by Stobart Air.

Ms Embleton told the Oireachtas Transport Committee: Its the structure of the amount of flying and schedules that we are able to operate to and from Shannon, it simply didnt support an ongoing crew base in the way that was cost-effective.

Fine Gael TD Joe Carey said it was a very traumatic time for cabin crew and their families.

They have endured a really troublesome time over the last 18 months since the pandemic, he added.

We really need answers because there has been very little feedback from Aer Lingus on Shannon, on its commitment to Shannon and its commitment to people that deliver a really good service, particularly travelling to Heathrow and North America and into Europe.

Any time there is a crisis in Aer Lingus, the first place it looks to is Shannon.

Ms Embleton said: I appreciate it is a difficult time for staff in Shannon.

There is no strategic retreatment from Shannon, that is not our strategic intent.

In fact, I hope that we will want the same thing, that we keep Ireland connected.

It is the case that there has been no flying from Shannon since March 2020 and it is the case that the cabin crew base was expensive and an impediment to restoring flights.

When I look at restoring flights, the best chance of getting aircraft back up in the air is having a cost-base that allows us to drive cash back into the business and a travel policy that encourages people to fly.

Ms Embleton said she was not able to give a commitment to reinstate cabin crew.

We will not be reversing that decision. It is the right decision to get Aer Lingus profitably flying, generating cash, supporting jobs, she added.

When passengers can fly without impediments, I am confident we will be able to restore flights to the US, to Heathrow but Im not giving a date today.

Ms Embleton was also critical of travel restrictions that apply to people travelling from the UK and the US into the Republic.

She told the committee that passengers arriving into Ireland from Britain and the US should be treated the same as those arriving from Europe from July 19th.

We dont believe an evidence-based approach would conclude there should be differences in approaches between travellers UK-Ireland and US-Ireland and the rest of the EU, Ms Embleton added.

We believe that it is a further impediment to aviation getting back on its feet and starting to see that recovery we all need.

She described the quarantine policies as anti-family as unvaccinated children travelling from the US or UK would have to self-isolate.

Ms Embleton also said that antigen testing should be used as part of the pre-departure screening.

That view is shared by other countries in the EU and adopted that standard, she added.

The Irish policy still insists on PCR testing, which is more expensive, less convenient and again another impediment to restoring travel.
On a hot day in early summer last year, there was a press conference held on the lawn of the Mason Historical Courthouse in Ingham County. It was being held by the Thomas More Law Center and was not terribly well publicized, at least not in mainstream media. Despite that, there were approximately three dozen people in attendance, including election-agitator Patrick Colbeck.

The announcement was that the Thomas More Law Center and their allies like the so-called Election Integrity Fund were ramping up efforts to preemptively oppose the efforts to ensure that every Michigander was afforded their right to vote.

For those who have never heard of the Thomas More Law Center, you might learn all you need to know by reading the tagline from their website The Sword and Shield for People of Faith or their slogan Battle Ready to Defend America. You might also learn from a news bulletin on their website that teachers are Islams Secret Agents. The is the sort of intemperate rhetoric that serves no purpose but to mislead and rile a certain group of people.

For those who may not have heard of Patrick Colbeck, he is a former State Senator, former Republican candidate for Governor, and author of legislation that would take Michigans social studies curriculum and turn it into a reactionary Republicans dream, including removing the word democratic when referring to our form of government because it felt too partisan and eliminating negative references to the Ku Klux Klan and positive references to the NAACP.

Michigan had blessedly been rid of Patrick Colbeck since his failed effort to become Governor in 2018, and I, along with many many others, were hopeful that he would fade into the night like so many other failed candidates. Alas, whenever the Republican Party needs a crackpot to rally the fringes of their base, there he is. And there he was, a policy advisor for the Election Integrity Fund, clapping away at the press conference.

What happened next was pretty well publicized. The wildly unpopular President repeatedly told those that consumed right-wing media that if he lost the election, it had to be fraudulent. Then he lost and claimed it was fraudulent. Then he tried to interfere with the Wayne County Board of Canvassers into failing to certify the results. Then he tried to influence Michigans Republican leadership into failing to certify the election and send the electors votes to the electoral college. Then he tried to get Mike Pence to reject electoral votes, illegally. And, in a final act of desperation, sent a violent mob to overthrow Congress. This is not political opinion, this is fact.

The election was over; the Michigan results were certified by 83 County Boards of Canvassers, the State Board of Canvassers, and then confirmed by 250+ audits and a state-wide Risk Limiting Audit.

Then, months later, Arizona decides to allow a third party group to audit its election results. I use quotation marks because what they are doing does not actually qualify as a professional election audit. So little care is being taken that one member is under fire for absconding with election data to Montana, and the machines that are being examined will have to be decertified due to their handling through this process, costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Who should resurface in Michigan to demand that we, too, let vigilantes rifle through our election equipment but Patrick Colbeck. This time he appeared with a group on the Capitol steps with several thousand affidavits demanding an audit in the style of Arizona. The group had reserved the space under the category of Prayer Event and Colbeck stood and told the crowd that it did so because demanding these audits was a spiritual battle the likes of which the world has not seen since Pontius Pilate.

But, like I said, this is not about Patrick Colbeck.

He is merely the face of the mob. If it were not him, it would be someone else. What Patrick Colbeck, Donald Trump, Mike Shirkey, Meshawn Maddock, and the Republican leadership at the state and federal level have done is foster a violent environment across the country.

A recent study from the Brennan Center says that 1 in 3 election administrators have reported that they do not feel safe in their jobs and nearly 1 in 5 listed threats to their lives as a job-related concern.

Higher profile elections workers like Brad Raffensperger, from Georgia, and his family have faced direct death threats. In Michigan, a County Clerk had an elected member of a school board hundreds of miles away threaten her dog and say that he had seen the inside of her house. The crowd at the rally that Colbeck attended called for clerks to be taken away in shackles.

As a result of this, career professional administrators and their staff are leaving the field entirely in droves. These are local and county clerks, many of whom have 20+ years of experience, who are unwilling to continue to put their safety on the line.

Make no mistake: When our clerks are under fire, our democracy is under fire.

This all begs the question of who will take over these jobs, who will run to become the next County and local Clerks. I worry that the very same people who are making the threats today will be running to do the job tomorrow. We are already seeing this at the State level, with a Republican candidate for Secretary of State traveling to observe the goings on in Arizona and with Trump acolyte Mellissa Carone running for the state legislature. It is not a big leap to imagine that they will come for election administrators jobs next.

If these election conspiracy theorists are elected to be charged with our elections, we will simply have the foxes guarding the henhouse, and our democracy is what will suffer.

So, I promised you that this was not a blog post about Patrick Colbeck, and it was not.

It is, however, about the environment that he and others within the Republican Party have created, nurtured, grown, and unleashed upon professional election administrators. The ones that simply endeavored to give every qualified, registered voter the opportunity to vote and who came under pressure and threatening circumstances because of him and his ilk.

Patrick Colbeck and the elected leaders of the Republican party must step up to the microphone and tell their grassroots activists that it is time to stand down. Stop the threats and stop the violence. The 2020 presidential election was fairly run, fairly won, and is now done. Failing to do so may get Patrick Colbeck what he wanted after all, an update to Michigan social studies curriculum removing references to America as a democracy.

Because we will have lost it.

OK, it was a little about Patrick Colbeck.
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Josephine Smith Lively Davis passed away June 27, 2021, at the age of 83 at her home in Decatur, Alabama. A celebration of life will be at Ridout's-Brown Funeral Home on Friday, July 2, 2021. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to noon. Funeral services will follow in the chapel at noon with Cha
The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into Google's alleged violation of competition law through its ad tech policies. Regulators, who have spent the past two years informally consulting on the probe, will now assess whether Google is favoring its own services by restricting rivals' access to user data for ad purposes.

As part of the wide-reaching investigation, the Commission will look at Google's display and video advertising on YouTube, Google's ad management platform and inventory marketplace Ad Manager and AdX, along with the user data restrictions it places on third-parties including online ad rivals, publishers and general advertisers. Regulators will also examine Google's decision to end individual user tracking on Chrome and Android as part of its Privacy Sandbox changes.

Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetize their online services, said Margrethe Vestager, the EUs antitrust chief. We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack.

As the Commission notes, there is no legal deadline for concluding an antitrust case. That ultimately means that an investigation that has been informally gestating for two years could take just as long to reach its climax. If Google is found to have violated antitrust rules, it will be levied with fines and remedies. Though, not for the first time.

The EU has already fined Google for abusive ad practices on three occasions between 2015 and 2018. The web giant's Privacy Sandbox is also under investigation in the UK.

Google said it would cooperate with the EC to illustrate the advantages of its ad products for businesses and the public. "Thousands of European businesses use our advertising products to reach new customers and fund their websites every single day," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. "They choose them because theyre competitive and effective. We will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission to answer their questions and demonstrate the benefits of our products to European businesses and consumers.
If you havent already bought a new gaming monitor in the online shopping chaos we like to call Prime Day, Samsung might have something to halt any rash purchases. It unveiled its latest batch of budget Odyssey gaming monitors, including a flat rather than a curved model that can do 4K at 144Hz. Unlike Samsung's curvy G9 and G7 models, the new Odyssey G7 28 (G70) has a flat panel and uses IPS rather than QLED tech, which means it wont be as bright. With HDMI 2.1 compatibility, it can do 4K resolution at up to 144Hz, so it'll support Sony's PS5 and the Xbox Series X models at 4K 120Hz with room to spare. Alas, Samsung hasnt offered prices for this, the most interesting model. However, a pair of new 1080p G3 monitors, with 144Hz refresh rates, will land at the start of July.

 Mat Smith

Bigger robot plans.

Hyundai

Hyundai has sealed its acquisition of Boston Dynamics as it pushes further into the field of robotics. The Korean carmaker now owns an 80 percent stake in the company known for its commercially available robo-dog, Spot, valuing it at $1.1 billion. Hyundai's grand plan for the company is to create a "robotics value chain" that spans robot component manufacturing, construction and automation. While the company has been exploring Star Wars-style walking vehicles that rely on robotics, it seems it's just as interested in Boston's automated warehouse workers. Continue reading.

From headphones to robot vacuums, these are the gadgets worth buying.

Engadget

Finding good deals on your own on Amazon will be even harder than usual over the next 24 hours. We've done the hard work of sifting through the plethora of mediocre sales, and there are price reductions on some of the best smartphones, headphones, speakers, laptops, SSDs and robot vacuums. Here are some shortcuts to the best Apple deals and the best deals outside Amazon. Continue reading.

It'll spill the beans during a Mobile World Congress session.

Samsung is one of the biggest names still taking part in this year's Mobile World Congress (albeit not in-person), and it'll offer our first proper look at what it's been cooking up with Googles Wear OS. It may not pack the punch of Samsungs Unpacked events, but if youre looking for compelling smartwatches beyond Apple, it might be worth your time. Continue reading.

That doesnt mean he'll direct any of them, though.

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 surprise, given some of Spielberg's previous statements about streaming movies. In a 2018 interview, Spielberg voiced opposition to streaming movies being eligible for Academy Awards: "Once you commit to a television format, you're a TV movie."

Amblin has worked with Netflix in the past. It produced The Trial of the Chicago 7 , which scooped up six Oscar nominations this year. This deal will cover at least two films a year. Continue reading.

A costly hodgepodge.

Engadget

The HP Elite Folio, with its unique leather build and pull-forward touchscreen, is a compelling convertible on paper. Theres also a Wacom stylus and LTE connectivity. According to Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low, its still incredibly expensive at $1,889, especially for a Windows on ARM device. Continue reading.

Amazon Prime Day 2021 highlights

Engadget Amazon includes a free 128GB microSD card when you buy a Switch Lite

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Enid, OK (73701)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.
Enid, OK (73701)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are reportedly planning a secret trip to the U.S. for a very important mission - to make peace with Prince Harry. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also believed to be bringing their children to Santa Barbara, California, to visit the newborn Lilibet Diana.

As of now, Prince Harry permanently moved to Santa Barbara. And due to the ongoing global pandemic, it has been difficult for the two brothers to have a proper heart-to-heart conversation.

According to The Daily Star, the two were locked in a "bitter feud" after Prince Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey. And now, the brothers are expected to try and work things out during an upcoming reunion trip.

US Weekly also reports the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are planning to meet their new niece, Lilibet.

They agree that it is also fair that they can visit them at their home.

Princess Diana's Sons In Talks Of Making Amends With Each Other Through A Reunion In America

The source also mentioned that they could resolve a mutual understanding between the two Princes face-to-face than having it on call. Other than that, they will also embark on their "peace talks" with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

A source from the palace said, "There's a shared desire to move on." It seems like Royal watchers will also be desperate to see how Princess Diana's sons will go after they meet up.

There is a mutual desire for the "peace talks" to be kept under the radar in this meetup.

Still, the reunion was short-lived as the Duke of Sussex returned to America shortly after the event ahead of Lilibet's arrival.

The brothers have drifted in recent months, with Harry publicly claiming William is trapped in the institution while criticizing the parenting skills of Prince Charles.

READ ALSO: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle' More Respectable' Than Prince William and Kate Middleton, Survey Reveals

Royal Watchers Believe It May Take A While For The Two To Fix Their Relationship

Despite having always shared an incredibly close bond, the brothers have drifted with each other as Harry publicly claimed William is "trapped" in the institution.

According to this article, while there is still a long way to heal, there is a general feeling that the brothers need to put their rage at one side between one another.

"At the end of the day, William and Harry both realise blood is thicker than water," according to an insider.

READ MORE: Princess Diana Was So' Desperate' To Do THIS Before Tragic Death, Reveals Last Person She Called

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Miranda McKeon took the tragic news to her social media account with a lengthy caption that explains her current situation with breast cancer.

The actress, 19 posted a candid photo of her in a pink hospital gown with the caption, "Pink is my new color!!!!!"

McKean continues to share about her recent diagnosis with a "heavy yet hopeful heart."

As her caption reads, "In these slides I have shared information on what my past 4 days have looked like.."

"Why I have decided to share this on social media, information on my cancer, a note not to be scared, and a message to my family and friends."

According to sources, the teenager included actual notes in her handwriting, assuring her fans not to worry about her.

The notes also include a more precise explanation of her diagnosis but nothing too explicit.

"I won't get super specific because I don't want people Googling and scarring themselves."

The star confirmed that she would be getting treatment for her breast cancer with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery sometime in the future.

Miranda clarifies that she is still waiting for the results of all the tests that she took before confirming the type of surgery she'll be getting.

"The good news is breast cancer is very treatable and very curable and I WILL BE OKAY!" the actress ends positively.

Miranda McKean Gets Comforted by Her Fans After Sharing Her Journey in Finding Out About Her Illness

Miranda plays the role of Josie Pye in "Anne with an E," a Canadian period series available on Netflix.

The starlet has gained supporters over the years, and they've made their presence known as McKeon goes through a difficult period Hello Magazine reports.

Fans filled the comment section with sweet messages, "Miranda my heart. I'm sending you all my love and strength. This is so heartbreaking." and "Stay strong, Miranda. We love you so much."

While a different commenter gave her an empowering message, "Still looking chic in the hospital robe!! You're going to crush this I love u."

READ ALSO: #SaveManifest: NBC Cancels' Manifest' Series Despite Being Number 1 On Netflix, Fans And Cast Protest

'Anne with an E' Suddenly Discontinued on Netflix, Series Finally Has a Reason

Everything is finally making sense after Miranda McKeon's announcement, as fans were starting to wonder why the successful Netflix series was abandoned.

Based on this article by Explica, "Anne with an E" had been one of the most successful shows on the streaming platform.

It can consider that the show is at the height of popularity, with fans gathering more than enough signatures to petition Netflix to continue with another season.

However, millions of people are now aware of the true reason why they discontinued the program.



READ MORE: Netflix's 'Awake' Review: 'Jane The Virgin' Gina Rodriguez Movie Made Critics' Sleepy'

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
At a joint meeting on June 15, the Trustees said they would be interesting in sharing the Essex Police and Recreation and Parks departments with the Town of Essex, in the event of separation.
2021-06-22

Maeci

Italy will host and co-chair with the United States the Plenary Ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS on 28 June, in Rome. This is a very important event for the 83 members of the Coalition, more than half of whom will be attending at Ministerial level, two years on from the last full-format meeting. It is also a recognition of Italy's efforts in combating the terrorist group, in both the military and civilian spheres.

The Rome Ministerial meeting will be an opportunity to reaffirm the Coalition's cohesion in ensuring a lasting defeat of Daesh, to reaffirm the common commitment to the stabilisation of the liberated areas in Syria and Iraq, and to strengthen cooperation in the thematic working groups. Furthermore, as prompted by Italy, ample space will be dedicated to combating the threat posed by organisations affiliated to Daesh in other areas, particularly in the Sahel and in various regions of Africa, a phenomenon that has grown in size and danger in recent years and which poses serious risks for the security of the Mediterranean region.
Feature Article

Bahran honored with Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Service

As a policy advisor in Washington, the Los Alamos scientist was called upon during Middle East crisis

DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory

Rian Bahran was recognized for his service as a senior science and policy adviser for nuclear deterrence policy from January 2019 to May 2020 and a special assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from May 2020 to this June. (Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory)

Los Alamos, N.M., June 22, 2021 - Rian Bahran, a Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist on assignment in Washington, D.C, has received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service for his exemplary performance.

"This recognition from the Department of Defense reflects Rian's dedication and commitment to vital national security issues," said Deputy Laboratory Director for Weapons Bob Webster. "Los Alamos National Laboratory is proud of the extensive contributions that Rian has made."

Bahran was recognized for his service and contributions as a senior science and policy adviser for nuclear deterrence policy from January 2019 to May 2020 and a special assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from May 2020 to this June.

"Dr. Bahran performed with distinction during a period in which the Department of Defense implemented outcomes of the Nuclear Posture review," the citation reads. Among his duties, he oversaw the implementation of the Nuclear Posture Review, which establishes nuclear policy, strategy, capabilities and force posture.

Bahran also led various national and international forums related to the technical aspects of U.S. extended deterrence to NATO, and served as the Department of Defense policy lead for the successful negotiation of a nuclear accident-incident agreement. The U.S. government relied on his technical insights and policy support related to arms control, nonproliferation, nuclear testing, and strategic stability dialogues. During a crisis in the Middle East, Bahran, a bilingual Yemeni-American, was called on to support the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Secretary of Defense with his language and regional expertise.

"It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and my time has left me with a distinct understanding of the serious challenges we face. I am truly appreciative of the opportunities that the Laboratory provided that allow me to have a substantive impact on protecting the security of our nation/globe and defending our democratic values," Bahran said.

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About Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is managed by Triad, a public service oriented, national security science organization equally owned by its three founding members: Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), and the Regents of the University of California (UC) for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, June 22, 2021 -- Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed the first methodology to assess symptoms associated with continuous exposure to traumatic stress from rocket attacks and other security threats, which are not currently measured by diagnostic criteria.

Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the study identified three distinct factors: exhaustion/detachment, rage/betrayal, and fear/helplessness.

"Exposure to ongoing life risk exists wherever people experience continuous terror, rampant crime and civil war," says lead researcher Dr. Aviva Goral, a graduate of the BGU School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, and a researcher at the PREPARED Center for Emergency Response Research (PREPARED).

"Current scales assess the more commonly known effects of exposure to traumatic stress, mainly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This limits patient assessment and may lead to misdiagnoses and ineffective treatment," says Dr. Goral. "The research was conducted to address this gap by developing a validated, comprehensive assessment tool, the Continuous Traumatic Stress Response (CTSR) Scale."

In the study, researchers sampled 313 adults who were and were not exposed to ongoing security threats between December 2016 and February 2017. Exposed respondents lived in communities bordering the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, where frequent rocket attacks require them to find shelter in 30 seconds or less. Researchers compared the concurrent validity of CTSR relative to the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS).

The findings indicated that the CTSR measures a construct related to, but distinct from PTSD; responses to ongoing exposure to threat are wider and more intensive than those associated with single traumatic exposure and may include cognitive, behavioral, and emotional effects that are not part of traditional PTSD criteria.

Among CTSR criteria, a reduced sense of safety, distrust, and mental exhaustion emerged with ongoing exposure to stressors. Other items including social withdrawal, feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, estrangement, and feelings of constantly being threatened, are also symptoms of ongoing exposure to trauma.

"These findings imply that it is not exposure to ongoing threats per se, but rather the level of perceived threat (i.e., likelihood of injury or harm), that accounts for the difference in the prevalence and severity of CTSR stress symptoms," Dr. Goral says. "Compared with distant communities, border-adjacent communities are much more vulnerable to rockets and tunnel infiltration, creating an atmosphere of tension and fear."

"This study, and the diagnostic tool it yields, could benefit Israel and people around the world who suffer from continuous trauma and related symptoms," says Doug Seserman, chief executive officer of Americans for Ben-Gurion University. "We look forward to seeing new research and development from BGU that continues to build off of this promising work."

"Now, further studies are being conducted with larger samples and in broader populations around the Gaza envelope," says Prof. Limor Aharonson-Daniel, head of PREPARED and Dr. Goral's Ph.D. supervisor. "Future research will include international implementation in various languages, and with other populations exposed to ongoing conflict or persistent civil war (e.g., Syria). This cross-cultural research will help identify the similarities and differences between conflict zones and cultures and facilitate the generalization of the CTSR scale.

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About the Researchers

Other BGU PREPARED researchers that participated in this study include: Prof. Mooli Lahad, Tel-Hai Academic College co-supervisor of Dr. Goral in her PhD research of this topic, Dr. Paula Feder-Bubis, BGU Department of Health Systems Management. In addition, Prof. Norm O'Rourke BGU School of Public Health, and Prof. Sandro Galea. Dean of the School of Public Health at Boston University contributed significantly to the manuscript published.

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.
New research examined the effect of different parenting styles during adolescence on crime among African American men. The study found that parenting styles characterized by little behavioral control placed youth at significant risk for adult crime, even though some of those styles included high levels of nurturance. In contrast, youth whose parents monitored them, were consistent in their parenting, and had high levels of behavioral control were at lowest risk for adult crime.

The study, by researchers at the University of Georgia and Mississippi State University, is forthcoming in Criminology, a publication of the American Society of Criminology.

"We examined parenting styles rather than parenting behaviors, which allowed us to look at various combinations of parenting behaviors--things like warmth, monitoring, and consistent discipline--as they naturally co-occur rather than treating them as though each occurs in a vacuum," explains Leslie Gordon Simons, professor of sociology at the University of Georgia, who led the study.

In their analysis, the authors went beyond how parenting is typically studied to include styles that use corporal punishment. This approach allowed them to examine the impact of corporal punishment in the context in which it takes place (e.g., the presence or absence of nurturance or behavioral control).

The researchers examined longitudinal data on 318 African American men to identify the effects of eight parenting styles in early adolescence on crime in young adulthood. The participants, from a sample initially recruited from Iowa and Georgia, were part of the Family and Community Health Study and were generally representative of African American families in poor, working-class, and middle-class neighborhoods.

The researchers assessed parents' style when youth were 10 and 12 years old and identified eight styles of parenting: authoritative, no-nonsense, authoritarian, vigilant, permissive, lax, neglectful, or abusive. The researchers also measured criminal behavior when youth were 22 and 25 years old. In addition, the study considered how childhood traits (e.g., conduct problems, poor self-control), as well as background and social-environmental variables (e.g., parents' education, community violence), were likely to affect the quality of parenting and youth's antisocial behavior. Researchers also observed the effects of parenting styles mediated by factors that can cause criminal behavior, including antisocial behavior, negative emotions, affiliations with deviant peers, and involvement with the criminal justice system.

The study found that found that parenting styles that involved high levels of behavioral control (e.g., authoritative, authoritarian, no-nonsense) reduced the risk of crime in adulthood. In contrast, the study found that parenting styles with low levels of behavioral control (e.g., abusive, permissive, and lax) significantly increased the risk for crime in adulthood. The harmful consequences of abusive parenting (harsh corporal punishment in the absence of nurturance or behavioral control) are not surprising, but the negative consequences of permissive parenting (which were characterized by indulgent levels of warmth without behavioral control) and lax parenting (which involves high levels of nurturance combined with corporal punishment) suggest that parenting styles lacking monitoring and consistent discipline are more likely to put youth at risk for later criminal behavior, even when parents are warm and nurturing.

"This suggests that parenting with a lot of responsiveness is not, on its own, sufficient to reduce risk for criminal involvement," notes Tara Sutton, assistant professor of sociology at Mississippi State University, who coauthored the study.

The study also found that the effects of corporal punishment on crime depend on the parenting context in which the punishment occurs: It can enhance monitoring and consistency of some parenting styles (e.g., no-nonsense), but in the absence of these behaviors (e.g., lax, abusive parenting styles), it is a risk factor for later participation in crime. The authors note that although some parenting styles that include corporal punishment were effective at deterring adult crime, past research has found that there are costs associated with this this discipline strategy, such as adolescent depression, anxiety, and poor school performance.

The authors identified as a limitation that their study considered only one outcome--crime; studying other outcomes might yield different results. For example, experiencing warm, nurturing parenting as an adolescent may be associated with later success at being a loving romantic partner or father.

Also, while the study considered the impact of parenting during adolescence on criminal behavior during early adulthood, it did not consider the extent to which parenting might moderate the effects of various criminogenic factors (e.g., neighborhood crime), so the authors suggest the study be viewed as a conservative estimate of the effect of parenting on adult crime.

"Most studies on predictors of crime have focused on peer affiliations, neighborhood disadvantage, racial discrimination, and transitions to adulthood, with less attention to the effect of parenting during adolescence on adult criminal behavior," notes Dr. Simons. "Our study suggests that parents, who are the primary socialization agents during their children's formative years, continue to have considerable influence over their adolescents' later criminal behavior."

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The study was supported by National Institutes of Mental Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Institute of Drug Abuse.
Rather than levelling inequality, as the Great Depression did, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities around the world allowing some wealthy investors to benefit from the crisis and make a fortune on the misfortune of others.

During March to December last year, U.S. billionaires increased their wealth by over one-third, to one trillion dollars, while millions of Americans faced deep financial hardship.

New research from Copenhagen Business School has examined how American "shadow banks"- which are less regulated and include private credit intermediaries such as private equity, venture capital, and hedge fund firms - have invested in ways that extract profit from the misfortunes of frontline workers, struggling companies, and distressed sectors.

The research focused on industry reports and news media coverage of the industry to track investments made by shadow banks during the crisis as well as their investments leading up to the crisis that affected the safety and security of frontline workers when the coronavirus hit.

"We found that while the most economically vulnerable have suffered the brunt of the pandemic's hardship, those with financial capital have profited from struggling and booming sectors alike. The work of shadow banks has contributed to growing economic and social inequality during the crisis," says lead author Megan Tobias Neely, and assistant professor in the Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School.

The research is published in the American Behavioral Scientist journal.

Influence of shadow banks

While the general public is mostly unaware of shadow banking, this sector has been one of the fastest growing areas of finance since deregulation in the early 1980s. The research states that shadow banks have since played a central role in shaping how executives manage companies, often placing pressure on companies to downsize their workforces and cut wages and benefits for the sake of the shareholders.

"Private equity invests in private companies and often proactively influences how executives run the company," says co-author Donna Carmichael, PhD Researcher in Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. "Venture capital, a type of private equity, invests in start up companies and provides guidance to entrepreneurs. Hedge funds invest in both public stock markets and private companies."

Healthcare, grocery, and distribution drivers have been some of the industries hardest hit even before this crisis. The authors cite Eileen Applebaum and Rosemary Batt's pivotal research to show how private equity has helped to create the conditions that made frontline workers vulnerable in the first place. These investors have targeted the U.S. healthcare industry with negative impact on hospitals, urgent care, and ambulances.

"Private equity firms often try to quickly turnover companies and invest less, or not at all, in new technology, workers' skills, quality improvements, and emergency equipment stockpiles like personal protective equipment. This has had the effect of increasing healthcare costs and overburdening underpaid healthcare staff," says Donna Carmichael.

"Women, especially women of colour, are disproportionately the workers who have been put at greatest risk during the pandemic. One-third of jobs held by women are 'essential,' and women compose 52% of frontline workers, including nine out of ten nurses and two-thirds of grocery store and pharmacy clerks. And so, the pandemic has made women 'essential and expendable' at the same time," adds Megan Tobias Neely.

COVID-19 crisis

The research underlines how, during the pandemic, shadow banks profited by investing in both booming sectors (such as health technologies and delivery services) and those that have struggled (including the airline, energy, and hospitality sectors). "Many companies in the latter sectors have seen their share prices sharply drop as their revenue plummets and investors sell off shares," says Donna Carmichael.

Short-selling occurs when an investor borrows a security and then sells it on the open market. If the price drops, they can then buy back the stock at the lower price and make a profit on the difference.

This is where shadow banks come in, to invest in turning those companies around or to short-sell (that is, bet against) the stock. "This is what hedge funds did that sparked the recent 'GameStop Rebellion. An example of short-selling during the crisis is how one hedge fund manager made a $1.3 billion profit by shorting shopping mall stocks, knowing they'd be hit hard by covid shutdowns," says Megan Tobias Neely.

"It can be seen as a riskier investment, and you can also lose money, but it is less regulated than other investment firms because the US Securities and Exchange Commission views these wealthy and institutional investors as less in need of protection. The climate of laissez-fair economics, the notion that markets will self-regulate and should be deregulated, has allowed shadow banks to thrive," adds Neely.

Moving forward

The research hopes to raise awareness of how the everyday work being done in financial services can have adverse consequences for working conditions and inequality. The ramifications are often unintentional.

"The people working in these industries understand their work as making companies more efficient and providing savings for people to retire and for institutions like university endowments and sovereign wealth funds (the investments of governments)," adds Megan Tobias Neely.

This research has important takeaways for public policy to address hardship and inequality among average workers during and after the crisis. Tax and regulatory reforms are a possible avenue for change to address these pressing social issues.

"Another way forward is democratising corporate decision-making among workers and improving representation of workers, consumers, and communities on corporate boards. Even though many have called to Build Back Better, the prospects for a more equal and equitable future is still far away,"concludes Donna Carmichael.

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Engineers at Duke University have devised a system for manipulating particles approaching the miniscule 2.5 nanometer diameter of DNA using sound-induced electric fields. Dubbed "acoustoelectronic nanotweezers," the approach provides a label-free, dynamically controllable method of moving and trapping nanoparticles over a large area. The technology holds promise for applications in the fields ranging from condensed matter physics to biomedicine.

The research appears online on June 22 in Nature Communications.

Precisely controlling nanoparticles is a crucial ability for many emerging technologies. For example, separating exosomes and other tiny biological molecules from blood could lead to new types of diagnostic tests for the early detection of tumors and neurodegenerative diseases. Placing engineered nanoparticles in a specific pattern before fixing them in place can help create new types of materials with highly tunable properties.

For more than a decade, Tony Jun Huang, the William Bevan Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke, has pursued acoustic tweezer systems that use sound waves to manipulate particles. However, it becomes difficult to push things around with sound when their profile drops below that of some of the smallest viruses.

"Although we're still fundamentally using sound, our acoustoelectronic nanotweezers use a very different mechanism than these previous technologies," said Joseph Rufo, a graduate student working in Huang's laboratory. "Now we're not only exploiting acoustic waves, but electric fields with the properties of acoustic waves."

Instead of using sound waves to directly move the nanoparticles, Huang, Rufo and Peiran Zhang, a postdoc in Huang's laboratory, use sound waves to create electric fields that provide the push. The new acoustoelectronic tweezer approach works by placing a piezoelectric substrate--a thin material that creates electricity in response to mechanical stress--beneath a small chamber filled with liquid. Four transducers are aligned on the chamber's sides, which send sound waves into the piezoelectric substrate.

These sound waves bounce around and interact with one another to create a stable pattern. And because the sound waves are creating stresses within the piezoelectric substrate, they also create electrical fields. These couple with the acoustic waves in a way that creates electric field patterns within the chamber above.

"The vibrations of the sound waves also make the electric field dynamically alternate between positive and negative charges," said Zhang. "This alternating electric field polarizes the nanoparticles in liquid, which serves as a handle to manipulate them."

The result is a mechanism that mixes some of the strengths of other nanoparticle manipulators. Because the acoustoelectronic nanotweezers induce an electromagnetic response in the nanomaterials, the nanoparticles do not need to be conductive on their own or tagged with any sort of modifier. And because the patterns are created with sound waves, their positions and properties can be quickly and easily modified to create a variety of options.

In the prototype, the researchers show nanoparticles placed into striped and checkerboard patterns. They even push individual particles around in an arbitrary manner dynamically, spelling out letters such as D, U, K and E. The researchers then demonstrate that these aligned nano-patterns can be transferred onto dry films using delicate nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes, 3.5-nanometer proteins and 1.4-nanometer dextran often used in biomedical research. And they show that all of this can be accomplished on a working area that is tens to hundreds of times larger than current state-of-the-art nanotweezing technologies.

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This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01GM132603, R01GM135486, UG3TR002978, R33CA223908, R01GM127714), the United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (W81XWH-18-1-0242), and the National Science Foundation (ECCS-1807601).

CITATION: "Acoustoelectronic Nanotweezers Enable Dynamic, Large-Scale Control of Nanomaterials," Peiran Zhang, Joseph Rufo, Chuyi Chen, Jianping Xia, Zhenhua Tian, Liying Zhang, Nanjing Hao, Zhanwei Zhong, Yuyang Gu, Krishnendu Chakrabarty, and Tony Jun Huang. Nature Communications, June 22, 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24101-z
Warming seas are driving many species of marine life to shift their geographic ranges out of the tropics to higher latitudes where the water is cooler. Florida's reefs will not be able to make that northward move, however, as they will be caught between intolerably hot tropical waters and increasingly frequent water-cooling cold snaps, according to new findings from Florida Institute of Technology, the U.S. Geological Survey, and several other institutions to be published June 22 in Nature's Scientific Reports.

Populations of the main species of reef-building corals are already in dire condition, to the extent that they are listed under the Endangered Species Act. With no where to go, the corals will decline even more drastically.

Corals are colonies of animals related to sea anemones. They have single-celled algae living inside them that feed them with carbohydrates the algae make by photosynthesis.

The coral colonies lay down limestone to make reefs that protect shorelines from storm waves and provide habitat for fish that feed half-a-billion people worldwide.

In Florida, spiny lobster, snapper and grouper find shelter, food and breeding sites in coral reefs, which NOAA estimates generate $4.4 billion in local sales in the Sunshine State and more than 70,000 related jobs.

Now climate change is raising temperatures and disrupting the tight, symbiotic relationship between the corals and their algae, to the point that corals are dying all over the world. One common prediction is that corals will simply migrate north and build reefs where the water is cooler. But more frequent freezes in Florida will prevent corals from escaping north and re-establishing reefs away from the tropics.

"It's just not as simple as predicting the corals will move north," said lead author Lauren Toth. Toth, who received her Ph.D. at Florida Tech in 2013, is a research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey's St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Fla. "Thousands of years ago, corals and coral reefs moved north along Florida's east coast when the climate warmed, but things are different now. Rapid climate change looks to be increasing the number of cold fronts from the polar vortex that are dipping down into Florida."

Co-author Richard Aronson, a marine scientist at Florida Tech and Toth's doctoral advisor, said, "All of us on the Eastern Seaboard know the jet stream is wobbling more and dipping southward more frequently, bringing us bad winter storms and bitterly cold weather. The corals along Florida's east coast will be hammered from the north by freezes on the anvil of rising temperatures in the south. They won't be able to shift locations from the Florida Keys to the east coast."

William Precht, co-author and a marine biologist at the Florida-based consulting firm Dial Cordy and Associates, Inc., pointed out that beyond their essential ecological role, coral reefs' economic contribution to Florida's economy means their loss could have a wide-ranging impact. "That is a very obvious reason why Floridians--and everyone else for that matter--should be concerned about the impacts of climate change on corals," he said.

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The research was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Science Foundation. Scientists from Florida Atlantic University, Nova Southeastern University and the University of South Florida collaborated on the study.

The paper, "Climate and the latitudinal limits of subtropical reef development," is available by request by contacting Adam Lowenstein at adam@fit.edu. The paper remains under embargo until 5 a.m. June 22.
Since 1995, several new quantum states of matter have been created in ultracold gases such as the celebrated Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) which are atoms or subatomic particles cooled to near absolute zero or - 459.67 F. This achievement was followed by the creation and detailed exploration of degenerate Fermi gases, Tonks-Girardeau gas of hard-core bosons, and spin-orbit-coupled BEC, all fundamental states of quantum matter. A recent addition to the set is the prediction and experimental demonstration of quantum droplets (QDs), built of coherent atomic waves in binary (two-component) BEC. This is an extension of BEC beyond the limits of the usual mean-field (MF, alias semi-classical) approximation, with the averaged action of quantum fluctuations around the MF states (known as the Lee-Huang-Yang effect) leading to drastic changes in static and dynamical properties of the quantum gas.

A recent review of experimental and theoretical results for QDs, in both 3D and effectively 2D settings, addressed the condensates with contact and dipole-dipole interactions. The theoretical part includes results for QDs with embedded vorticity, which have not yet been created in the experiment.

To further explore the theory, a research team led by Dr. Yong-Yao Li at Foshan University published their new findings in Frontiers of Physics co-published by Higher Education Press and Springer Nature.

Another ingredient of various 2D and 3D models which helps to stabilize zero-vorticity and vortical solitons is a spatially periodic (lattice) potential. In the experiment, such a potential can be readily induced in the form of an optical lattice, i.e., a spatially periodic force exerted onto atoms in BEC by a resonant optical field, created by pairs of laser beams illuminating the condensate in opposite directions. The new findings make an important step forward in the theoretical analysis of 2D QDs, by adding a lattice potential.

"The paper addresses a sufficiently interesting topic, viz., the interplay of the Lee-Huang-Yang (LHY) corrections to the mean-field dynamics of BEC and a spatially periodic 2D potential. Addition of lattice potentials helps to produce new species of stable fundamental and vortical quantum droplets in two dimensions. The analysis is systematic, and produces comprehensive results for the existence and stability of several species of 2D soliton-like modes, both fundamental and vortical ones." Said Boris A. Malomed at Tel Aviv University, Israel.

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This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through Grant Nos.11905032 and 11874112, the Key Research Projects of General Colleges in Guangdong Province through Grant No. 2019KZDXM001, the Foundation for Distinguished Young Talents in Higher Education of Guangdong through Grant No. 2018KQNCX279, and the Special Funds for the Cultivation of Guangdong College Students Scientific and Technological Innovation (No. xsjj202005zra01).

NOTE: The study first appeared online on December 02, 2020. Its print version was published in Frontiers of Physics Volume 16, Issue 3, on June 15, 2021.

About Higher Education Press

Founded in May 1954, Higher Education Press Limited Company (HEP), affiliated with the Ministry of Education, is one of the earliest institutions committed to educational publishing after the establishment of P. R. China in 1949. After striving for six decades, HEP has developed into a major comprehensive publisher, with products in various forms and at different levels. Both for import and export, HEP has been striving to fill in the gap of domestic and foreign markets and meet the demand of global customers by collaborating with more than 200 partners throughout the world and selling products and services in 32 languages globally. Now, HEP ranks among China's top publishers in terms of copyright export volume and the world's top 50 largest publishing enterprises in terms of comprehensive strength.

The Frontiers Journals series published by HEP includes 28 English academic journals, covering the largest academic fields in China at present. Among the series, 13 have been indexed by SCI, 6 by EI, 2 by MEDLINE, 1 by A&HCI. HEP's academic monographs have won about 300 different kinds of publishing funds and awards both at home and abroad. About Frontiers of Physics
AMES, IA - The Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program announces Iowa State University and its partners as the fourth testbed in a diverse portfolio of large-scale research platforms located throughout the United States. Designated as ARA: Wireless Living Lab for Smart and Connected Rural Communities, the new platform in central Iowa complements the technical specialties of earlier PAWR platforms, adding a focus on technologies for rural broadband connectivity.

ARA will establish its wireless living lab across Iowa State University, the city of Ames and surrounding farms and rural communities in central Iowa. Creating a deeply programmable infrastructure, ARA will feature a wide range of wireless technologies as well as an application focus on precision agriculture in both crop and livestock farms. The NSF grant includes $8 million in federal funding and a matching investment in the form of cash and in-kind contributions from PAWR industry consortium partners. In addition to $7 million from NSF, the ARA platform has received another $1 million in financial support from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Leading the ARA project for Iowa State is Hongwei Zhang, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "ARA enables research in end-to-end broadband infrastructures for rural and remote areas, and it features high-performance, programmable platforms in wireless access, wireless backhaul, and edge and cloud," Hongwei said. "By supporting fundamental communication services such as ultra-reliable, low-latency communications, ARA enables field research studies such as tele-operations of vehicles or drones, that are of interest to rural and urban regions but are difficult to conduct in urban settings in early stages of the exploration."

"This is what Iowa State University's land-grant mission is all about - bringing to bear our research and innovation to meet the needs of Iowans," said Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen. "Rural broadband has become an essential need. Iowa State is very excited to work with our partners to develop affordable wireless technologies that will help connect and create opportunities for families, schools, farms, and communities across the state."

With the launch of this rural broadband platform, ARA joins PAWR testbeds including: POWDER-RENEW in Salt Lake City, Utah; COSMOS in the West Harlem neighborhood of New York City; and AERPAW in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. The PAWR program is designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of promising technologies and applications, ensuring continued U.S. leadership in wireless communications while also preparing the emerging workforce for new job opportunities in the digital economy.

ARA Platform Details

ARA is based out of Iowa State University with a team that will work in close collaboration with state, community, and industry partners. Select partners include Iowa Communications Network (ICN), Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT), Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS), Iowa Regional Utilities Association (IRUA), Iowa Communications Alliance, the city of Ames, Story County, local school districts, the Meskwaki tribal nation, Woodland Farms, U.S. Cellular, Collins Aerospace, and John Deere. Researchers from the University of California - Irvine, The Ohio State University and International Computer Science Institute are also key members of the project team.

The ARA testbed will produce a heterogeneous network environment featuring a wide range of wireless technologies. For backhaul connectivity, ARA will create a multi-modal, high-capacity wireless mesh network including low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite links, a free-space optical (FSOC) platform, and long-distance millimeter wave (mmWave) and microwave point-to-point communications. In the radio access network (RAN), ARA will employ low-UHF massive MIMO (mMIMO) and other platforms to enable research across multiple frequencies including the TV white space (TVWS) band, CBRS band, and several others.

The ARA platform will feature software defined radios (SDRs) and programmable off-the-shelf equipment. This virtualized and programmable network will support research in areas such as bandwidth aggregation, channel bonding, dynamic and spectrum sharing; as well as resilient, high-throughput, and long-distance wireless backhaul and access; which are expected to lay the foundation for more affordable rural broadband service.

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To learn more about ARA, visit http://www. arawireless. org .

For more information on the PAWR program, visit http://www. advancedwireless. org .

About the National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2019, its budget is $8.1 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 50,000 competitive proposals for funding and makes about 12,000 new funding awards.
Increased risk of cancer due to a genetic predisposition in first- and second-degree relatives is long-established but has previously only been studied in white or European populations.

Now, a new study published in eLife is the first to demonstrate that the inherited risk of early-onset cancer is significantly higher among Latino and African American families for solid tumors, and Asian/Pacific Islander families for blood-based cancers, compared to non-Latino white families in California.

"Cancer clustering within families, meaning the devastating diagnosis of more than one early-onset cancer within the same family, usually points to a genetic cause. Interestingly, family cancer clustering has only been examined previously at the population level in white, or European origin population studies," says study author Joseph Wiemels, PhD, a member of the Cancer Epidemiology Program at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and professor of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "In this study, we looked at clustering of cancer cases in young family members in California over the past 30 years within non-white populations and compared it, for the first time, to white populations. We found that family-based cancer clustering occurs more frequently among minority populations."

Researchers used California population-based health registries to evaluate the relative cancer risk among parents, siblings and children of patients diagnosed with cancer by the age of 26. Between 1989 and 2015, they identified 29,632 early-onset cancer patients and then examined cancer incidence in 62,863 healthy family members. They found that overall, mothers and siblings of those cancer patients had a higher relative risk of early onset cancer. But when they looked at the role of race and ethnicity in genetic predisposition, they found that for patients with solid tumors, the familial cancer risk was significantly higher for Latino and non-Latino Black mothers and siblings compared to non-Latino white families. Asian/Pacific Islanders had a higher familial risk for blood-based cancers compared to non-Latino whites.

This study demonstrates the need for increased scrutiny on familial cancer clustering in minority populations. This information could help health care providers and genetic counselors offer more precision-based care and advice, particularly in the multiethnic populations that reside in Los Angeles County.

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About this study

In addition to Dr. Joseph Wiemels, the study's other authors include Qianxi Feng, MPH, Ivo S. Muskens, MD, Adam J. de Smith, PhD, Amy C. Yee, MPH, W. James Gauderman, PhD, and Thomas Mack, MD, all of Keck School of Medicine of USC; Eric Nickels, MD, Keck School of Medicine of USC and Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Charite Ricker, MS, CGC, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center; Andrew D. Leavitt, MD, University of California, San Francisco; and Lucy A. Godley, MD, PhD, University of Chicago.

This work was funded by the V Foundation (Grant FP067172). Additionally, this study was supported by the California Department of Public Health, the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Program of Cancer Registries.

About USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

At the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, more than 250 dedicated physicians and scientists are leading the fight to make cancer a disease of the past. As one of the eight original National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States, USC Norris has revolutionized cancer research, treatment, and prevention for nearly 50 years. Multidisciplinary teams provide the latest research-based care at USC Norris Cancer Hospital, a 60-bed hospital, as well as outpatient clinics throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.
New Orleans, LA - An analysis conducted by a group of investigators including Tamara Bradford, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, found that children and adolescents with Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) initially treated with intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) plus glucocorticoids had a lower risk of new or persistent cardiovascular dysfunction than IVIG alone. The research was part of the Overcoming COVID-19 Study, a nationwide collaboration of physicians at pediatric hospitals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The results were published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, available here.

The researchers analyzed surveillance data on 518 children and adolescents with MIS-C who were admitted to US hospitals between March 15 and October 31, 2020. Eighty-nine (17%) received IVIG only; 241 (47%) received IVIG and glucocorticoids; 107 (21%) received IVIG, glucocorticoids, and a biologic; and 81 (16%) received other treatments, including glucocorticoids only, a biologic only, glucocorticoids and a biologic, or IVIG and a biologic. They found that initial treatment with IVIG plus glucocorticoids (103 patients) was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular dysfunction on or after day two than IVIG alone -- 103 patients or 17% vs. 31%. Among those who received IVIG plus glucocorticoids, left ventricular dysfunction occurred in 8% and 17% of the patients, respectively, and shock resulting in vasopressor use in 13% and 24%. The use of adjunctive therapy was also lower among patients who received IVIG plus glucocorticoids than among those who received IVIG alone -- 34% vs. 70%.

"Because MIS-C cases have been sporadic, following surges of COVID-19 cases, we haven't had the benefit of randomized clinical trials of treatment strategies," notes Dr. Bradford, who practices at Children's Hospital New Orleans.

The authors write that evaluating clinical outcomes in patients with MIS-C who were treated with various immunomodulatory therapies could provide insight into their effectiveness. Until published data that define best practices are available, these data provide clinicians with additional evidence to guide treatment for MIS-C. The ongoing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of variants of concern may promote continued outbreaks of MIS-C in the United States and internationally. Additional evidence-based studies are needed to examine the generalizability of these findings across a broad range of geographic regions and practice settings.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines MIS-C as a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19 or had been around someone with COVID-19.

As of June 2, 2021, a total of 4,018 patients in the US have met the MIS-C case definition, with 36 deaths. Of those, 100-149 have been in Louisiana.

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The study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under a contract with Boston Children's Hospital.
For both songbirds and humans, the longer the phrase the shorter the sounds

If you listen to songbirds, you will recognize repeated melodies or phrases. Each phrase is made up of distinct sounds, strung together. A study from researchers at McGill University has found that the song phrases of many songbird species follow patterns that are similar to those used in human speech. At least in some respects.

The songbirds the researchers studied, like humans---no matter what language they speak---tend to use shorter elements (whether these are words or sounds) when they are putting together longer phrases. Linguists speculate that this pattern, known as Menzerath's Law, may make communication more efficient by making things easier to understand or say.

But the McGill team suggest that, at least in songbirds, physical factors such as muscle fatigue and limited lung capacities may also play a role. They also speculate that similar factors could contribute to seeing Menzerath's Law in humans.

Do physical elements play a role in songbird (and human) vocal patterns?

"Although we see Menzerath's Law in all the songbird species we looked at, and others have seen it among primates and penguins, we aren't sure this necessarily reflects enhanced communication efficiency in non-human animals," said Jon Sakata, a professor in McGill's Biology Department and the senior author on the paper that was recently published in Current Biology. "It is possible that these patterns of communication that we saw in songbirds are caused by physical predispositions and constraints."

Interestingly, Sakata also notes that the brain mechanisms regulating breathing and vocal muscles seem to be organized in similar ways in birds and humans.

Even song from untutored birds follow similar patterns

The idea that physical elements may play a role in these song patterns is supported by the fact that when the researchers compared the song patterns of birds that had been typically reared and tutored by their parents with those that had not been taught to sing by their parents (untutored birds), they found the same patterns.

"The individual units of sound made by untutored birds were very different from those made by the typically raised birds," said Logan James, the first author on the paper and a former PhD student in Professor Sakata's lab, now a post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. "However, the 'rules' by which they organize these aberrant elements is indistinguishable from typically raised birds. These results suggest that physical predispositions or limitations may play a role in producing these song patterns."

Further work will need to be done in this area to see whether this is indeed the case. For example, work linking species variation in the strength of Menzerath's Law to species variation in the biomechanics of vocal production would be a useful next step.

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The research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, MEXT/JSPS KAKENHI, the Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, and a Heller award.

To read: James et al., "Phylogeny and mechanisms of shared hierarchical patterns in birdsong" in Current Biology

DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.015

About McGill University

Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill University is Canada's top ranked medical doctoral university. McGill is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with research activities spanning two campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,800 international students making up 31% of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 19% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Scientists are pursuing a new strategy in the protracted fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus by engineering nanobodies that can neutralize virus variants in two different ways.

In lab studies, researchers identified two groups of molecules that were effective against virus variants. Using different mechanisms, nanobodies in each group bypassed mutations and disabled the virus's ability to bind to the receptor that lets it enter host cells.

Though vaccination is enabling the resumption of some pre-pandemic activities in parts of the world, SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly working its way around vaccines by mutating itself. In this study, the nanobodies neutralized three emerging variants: Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

"Companies have already started introducing the variants of concern into the construct of booster shots of the existing vaccines," said Kai Xu, assistant professor of veterinary biosciences at The Ohio State University and a co-lead author of the research. "But the virus is constantly mutating, and the speed of mutation may be faster than we can capture. Therefore, we need to utilize multiple mechanisms to control the virus spread."

An accelerated article preview of the study is published online in Nature.

Nanobodies are antibodies derived from immunization of camelid mammals - such as camels, llamas and alpacas - that can be re-designed into tiny molecules that mimic human antibody structures and functions.

For this work, the researchers immunized llamas to produce single-chain antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. They also immunized "nanomice," transgenic mice with a camelid gene that had been engineered by research fellow Jianliang Xu in the lab of Rafael Casellas, senior investigator at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), to generate nanobodies similar to those produced by camelids.

The team enhanced the nanobodies' power by immunizing the animals first with the receptor binding domain (RBD), a part of the viral surface spike protein, and following with booster shots containing the entire spike protein.

"By using this sequential immunization strategy, we generated nanobodies that can capture the virion by recognizing the receptor binding domain with very high affinity," Xu said.

The scientists tested different nanobodies' neutralization capacity, mapping the surface of the RBD, conducting functional and structure analyses, and measuring the strength of their affinity to narrow the candidate molecules from a large library to six.

The coronavirus is highly infectious because it binds very tightly to the ACE2 receptor to gain access to lung and nasal cavity cells in humans, where it makes copies of itself to infect other cells. The receptor binding domain on the spike protein is fundamental to its success in attaching to ACE2.

"That RBD-ACE2 interface is on the top of the receptor binding domain - that region is the primary target for the protective human antibodies, generated by vaccination or previous infection, to block the viral entry," Xu said. "But it is also a region frequently mutated in the variants."

The way mutants have emerged so far suggests long-term reliance on current vaccines will eventually be compromised, the researchers say, because antibody effectiveness is affected significantly by those mutants at the interface.

"We found that certain nanobodies can recognize a conserved region of the receptor binding domain, a hidden location that is too narrow for human antibodies to reach," Xu said. And attaching at this location, even though it is some distance away from where RBD connects to ACE2, still accomplishes what is intended - blocking SARS-CoV-2 from entering a host cell.

The other group of nanobodies, attracted to the RBD-ACE2 interface, while in their original form could not neutralize certain variants. However, when the researchers engineered this group to be homotrimers - three copies linked in tandem - the nanobodies achieved potent neutralization of the virus. Altering the structure of the nanobodies that attached to the conserved region of RBD in the same way enhanced their effectiveness as well.

There is much more research ahead, but the findings suggest nanobodies could be promising tools to prevent COVID-19 mortality when vaccines are compromised, Xu said.

"Our future plan is to further isolate antibodies specifically against emerging variants for therapeutic development, and to find a better solution for vaccines by learning from those antibodies," he said.

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An HIV vaccine researcher at the NIH before joining Ohio State, Xu collaborated with multiple labs on this research. Jianliang Xu and Rafael Casellas of NIAMS, and Peter Kwong of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, are also equal contributors on the study. In addition to numerous NIH agencies, co-author institutions include Rockefeller University, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University and the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.

Contact: Kai Xu, Xu.4692@osu.edu

Written by Emily Caldwell, Caldwell.151@osu.edu
By sending a Black Brant IX rocket on a 15-minute flight to space and back, researchers from Rochester Institute of Technology, Caltech, Kwansei Gakuin University, and Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute glimpsed traces of light from the earliest stages of the universe. The Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment-2 (CIBER-2) completed a successful first launch on June 7 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the first of four planned over the next several years.

Led by principal investigator Michael Zemcov, an assistant professor in RIT's School of Physics and Astronomy and Center for Detectors, the experiment aims to better understand extragalactic background light, which traces the history of galaxies back to the formation of the first stars in the universe. Zemcov said data collected by the study could help resolve discrepancies about how many stars exist in the universe.

"Scientists do this measurement different ways and we're having a really hard time to make the results of those different ways agree," said Zemcov. "So there's a mystery going on. Why aren't all these measurements agreeing? I think that CIBER-2 will start to unravel some of that."

The experiment leverages an observational technique called intensity mapping used to study the structure of the universe. The rocket spends 6-7 minutes in space each flight, taking measurements in six infrared wavelengths to help the researchers analyze the diffuse infrared glow in our skies. Recent alumna Chi Nguyen '21 Ph.D. (astrophysical sciences and technology), whose thesis and much of her graduate career were focused on the project, called the launch exhilarating.

"It feels amazing, a lot of weight off my shoulders," said Nguyen. "It's really exciting right now because we're pulling the data and I can actually see star images. I think this is a great experiment and we're doing a lot of interesting work in astronomy. It may take a while to get the science out of it but I think it has been a very successful first launch."

Nguyen will next head to Caltech for a position as a postdoctoral researcher under Professor Jamie Bock, co-principal investigator of CIBER-2 and Zemcov's former mentor.

Four RIT researchers spent the last several months in New Mexico helping to prepare the rocket for launch--Zemcov, Nguyen, astrophysical sciences and technology master's student Michael Ortiz, and Serena Tramm, an astrophysical sciences and technology Ph.D. student. The experiment was nearly ready for launch in February 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic brought the project to a halt. Fortunately, after sitting idle for 15 months, the device just needed a few adjustments during testing and the launch went off without incident.

After launch, the researchers collected the payload, recovered the data from the on-board hard disk, and shipped the CIBER-2 device back to Rochester. In the months ahead, the team will analyze the data and make modifications in preparation for the next launch, expected this time next year.

The project is part of NASA's Sounding Rockets Program, which uses rockets such as the Black Brant IX to carry scientific instruments for short sub-orbital flights at low vehicle speeds to carry out experiments. Zemcov called the program an ideal experiential learning opportunity for students.

"I think part of the mission of the sounding rocket program is to be a place where we can train the next generation of space scientists in a relatively low-risk environment," said Zemcov. "The students get hands-on experience in the details of the engineering and the science and then get to think about how they would transfer those skills to bigger missions. That's part of why the program exists, and we should remember that."

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For more information, contact Luke Auburn at 585-490-3198, luke.auburn@rit.edu, or on Twitter: @lukeauburn.
HOUSTON - (June 22, 2021) - We can't detect them yet, but radio signals from distant solar systems could provide valuable information about the characteristics of their planets.

A paper by Rice University scientists describes a way to better determine which exoplanets are most likely to produce detectable signals based on magnetosphere activity on exoplanets' previously discounted nightsides.

The study by Rice alumnus Anthony Sciola, who earned his Ph.D. this spring and was mentored by co-author and space plasma physicist Frank Toffoletto, shows that while radio emissions from the daysides of exoplanets appear to max out during high solar activity, those that emerge from the nightside are likely to add significantly to the signal.

This interests the exoplanet community because the strength of a given planet's magnetosphere indicates how well it would be protected from the solar wind that radiates from its star, the same way Earth's magnetic field protects us.

Planets that orbit within a star's Goldilocks zone, where conditions may otherwise give rise to life, could be deemed uninhabitable without evidence of a strong enough magnetosphere. Magnetic field strength data would also help to model planetary interiors and understand how planets form, Sciola said.

The study appears in The Astrophysical Journal.

Earth's magnetosphere isn't exactly a sphere; it's a comet-shaped set of field lines that compress against the planet's day side and tail off into space on the night side, leaving eddies in their wake, especially during solar events like coronal mass ejections. The magnetosphere around every planet emits what we interpret as radio waves, and the closer to the sun a planet orbits, the stronger the emissions.

Astrophysicists have a pretty good understanding of our own system's planetary magnetospheres based on the Radiometric Bode's Law, an analytical tool used to establish a linear relationship between the solar wind and radio emissions from the planets in its path. In recent years, researchers have attempted to apply the law to exoplanetary systems with limited success.

"The community has used these rule-of-thumb empirical models based on what we know about the solar system, but it's kind of averaged and smoothed out," Toffoletto said. "A dynamic model that includes all this spiky behavior could imply the signal is actually much larger than these old models suggest. Anthony is taking this and pushing it to its limits to understand how signals from exoplanets could be detected."

Sciola said the current analytic model relies primarily on emissions expected to emerge from an exoplanet's polar region, what we see on Earth as an aurora. The new study appends a numerical model to those that estimate polar region emissions to provide a more complete picture of emissions around an entire exoplanet.

"We're adding in features that only show up in lower regions during really high solar activity," he said.

It turns out, he said, that nightside emissions don't necessarily come from one large spot, like auroras around the north pole, but from various parts of the magnetosphere. In the presence of strong solar activity, the sum of these nightside spots could raise the planet's total emissions by at least an order of magnitude.

"They're very small-scale and occur sporadically, but when you sum them all up, they can have a great effect," said Sciola, who is continuing the work at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. "You need a numerical model to resolve those events. For this study, Sciola used the Multiscale Atmosphere Geospace Environment (MAGE) developed by the Center for Geospace Storms (CGS) based at the Applied Physics Laboratory in collaboration which the Rice space plasma physics group.

"We're essentially confirming the analytic model for more extreme exoplanet simulations, but adding extra detail," he said. "The takeaway is that we're bringing further attention to the current model's limiting factors but saying that under certain situations, you can get more emissions than that limiting factor suggests."

He noted the new model works best on exoplanetary systems. "You need to be really far away to see the effect," he said. It's hard to tell what's going on at the global scale on Earth; it's like trying to watch a movie by sitting right next to the screen. You're only getting a little patch of it."

Also, radio signals from an Earth-like exoplanet may never be detectable from Earth's surface, Sciola said. "Earth's ionosphere blocks them," he said. "That means we can't even see Earth's own radio emission from the ground, even though it's so close."

Detection of signals from exoplanets will require either a complex of satellites or an installation on the far side of the moon. "That would be a nice, quiet place to make an array that won't be limited by Earth's ionosphere and atmosphere," Sciola said.

He said the observer's position in relation to the exoplanet is also important. "The emission is 'beamed,'" Sciola said. "It's like a lighthouse: You can see the light if you are in line with the beam, but not if you are directly above the lighthouse. So having a better understanding of the expected angle of the signal will help observers determine if they are in line to observe it for a particular exoplanet."

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Co-authors of the paper are Rice graduate student Alison Farrish and David Alexander, a professor of physics and astronomy and director of the Rice Space Institute, and computational physicist Kareem Sorathia and physicist Viacheslav Merkin at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

The National Science Foundation and NASA supported the research.

Read the abstract at https:/ / iopscience. iop. org/ article/ 10. 3847/ 1538-4357/ abefd9 .

This news release can be found online at https:/ / news. rice. edu/ 2021/ 06/ 22/ nightside-radio-could-help-reveal-exoplanet-details/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Nightside barrier gently brakes 'bursty' plasma bubble: http://news. rice. edu/ 2019/ 12/ 20/ nightside-barrier-gently-brakes-bursty-plasma-bubbles-2/

Space Plasma Physics at Rice: https:/ / physics. rice. edu/ space-plasma-physics

Wiess School of Natural Sciences: https:/ / naturalsciences. rice. edu

Images for download:

https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2021/ 03/ 0405_PLANET-1-WEB. jpg

Rice University graduate student Anthony Sciola, pictured at Kaldidalur (The Cold Valley) in Iceland, has developed a numerical model to enhance the analysis of radio signals from exoplanets. Though the instruments to obtain such data are not yet available, they could help determine what planets have protective magnetospheres. (Credit: Courtesy of Anthony Sciola)

https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2021/ 06/ 0405_PLANET-2-WEB. jpg

Rice University scientists have enhanced models that could detect magnetosphere activity on exoplanets. The models add data from nightside activity that could increase signals by at least an order of magnitude. In this illustration, the planet's star is at top left, and the rainbow patches are the radio emission intensities, most coming from the nightside. The white lines are magnetic field lines. (Credit: Anthony Sciola/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,978 undergraduates and 3,192 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
Imagine flexible surgical instruments that can twist and turn in all directions like miniature octopus arms, or how about large and powerful robot tentacles that can work closely and safely with human workers on production lines. A new generation of robotic tools are beginning to be realized thanks to a combination of strong 'muscles' and sensitive 'nerves' created from smart polymeric materials. A research team led by the smart materials experts Professor Stefan Seelecke and Junior Professor Gianluca Rizzello at Saarland University is exploring fundamental aspects of this exciting field of soft robotics.

In the factory of the future, man and machine will work side-by-side - in harmony, as a team, joining forces whenever necessary - just as if the robot co-worker was made from flesh and blood. While collaborative robots ('cobots') are already being deployed in industrial production lines, real hand-in-hand teamwork involving robots and their human counterparts is still some way off. The problem lies in the physical proximity of human co-workers, whose actions - unlike those of a robot - do not follow predictable algorithms. A human worker can become tired or distracted and may act suddenly or even illogically as a result. This has clear implications for safety and explains why the robot arms currently used on production lines are often housed in cages. For anyone who gets too close, things can get dangerous. Typically, industrial robots are large, heavy machines. But they are also powerful, fast and agile and are used for a wide range of operations, like welding, assembling, painting, stacking and lifting. However, the motions that they execute are dictated wholly by the programs that control them. And if someone gets in their way or too close, the consequences can be serious.

The team led by Professor Stefan Seelecke and Junior Professor Gianluca Rizzello of Saarland University and the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) in Saarbrucken are working on new, smart types of robot arms. 'Our technology is based on smart polymer systems and enables us to create novel soft robotic tools that are lighter, more manoeuvrable and more flexible than the rigid components in use today,' explains Stefan Seelecke. An accidental shove from one of these robotic arms of the future would be more like being pushed by a human co-worker (and less likely to land you in hospital).

The material used for these new soft robot arms is a special kind of polymer known as a 'dielectric elastomer'. The Saarbrucken researchers are using this composite material to create artificial muscles and nerves. The special properties of dielectric elastomers make it possible to develop systems inspired by the ingenious designs found in nature. These elastomers can be compressed, but can then be stretched to regain their original shape. 'We print electrodes onto both sides of the elastomer material. When we apply a voltage, the two electrodes attract each other, compressing the polymer and causing it to expand out sideways,' says Dr. Gianluca Rizzello, Junior Professor for Adaptive Polymer-Based Systems. The Italian research scientist has been working in Seelecke's team since 2016. The elastomer can thus be made to contract and relax, just like muscle tissue. 'We exploit this property when designing our actuators,' explains Rizzello. By precisely varying the electric field, the engineers can make the elastomer execute high-frequency vibrations or continuously variable flexing motions or even remain still in a particular desired intermediate position.

The researchers then combine a large number of these small 'muscles' to create a flexible robot arm. When combined in this way to form a robot tentacle, the interplay between the muscles produces motions that mimic those of an octopus arm that can twist and turn in all directions. Unlike the heavy, rigid robotic limbs currently in use, which, like humans, can only execute motions in certain directions, these new robot tentacles are free to move in almost any direction. Gianluca Rizzello together with his doctoral student Johannes Prechtl recently won the Best Paper Award at the RoboSoft 2021 conference for their work on developing a prototype dielectric-elastomer-based tentacle - just one of the numerous accolades earned by Professor Seelecke's research team. The team hopes to have the tentacle prototype fully developed in about a year's time.

When it comes to imparting intelligence into polymeric materials, Gianluca Rizzello is something of an expert. He provides the control unit (i.e. the robot's 'brain') with the input needed to move the arm in an intelligent manner - a highly complex and ambitious task. 'These systems are significantly more complex than the robot arms in use today. Using artificial intelligence to control polymer-based components is substantially more challenging than controlling conventional mechatronic systems,' explains Rizzello. As the elastomer muscles also have sensor properties, they can act as the system's nerves, which means that the robot arm does not need to be equipped with additional sensors. 'Every distortion of the elastomer, every change in its geometry causes a change in the material's capacitance, which enables the team to assign a precise electrical capacitance value to any specific deformation of the elastomer. By measuring the capacitance, we know exactly what shape the elastomer has adopted, which allows us to extract sensor data,' explains Rizzello.

This quantitative data can then be used to precisely model and program the motion of the elastomer arm. The focus of Rizzello's research work is on developing intelligent algorithms that can train these novel robot tentacles to move and respond in the required manner. 'We are attempting to uncover which physical properties are responsible for the behaviour of these polymers. The more we know, the more precisely we can design the algorithms to control the elastomer muscles,' says Dr. Rizzello.

The technology being developed in Saarland will be scalable. It can be used to create miniature tentacles for medical instruments or to make large robot arms for industrial applications. But unlike the heavy robot arms in use today, the robot limbs built from smart elastomers will be far lighter. 'Our robot arms don't need to be driven by motors or by hydraulic or pneumatic systems - they can be powered simply by the application of an electric current. The elastomer muscles can also be produced in shapes that meet the requirements of a particular application. And they consume very little electric power. Depending on the capacitance, the electric currents that flow are in the microampere range. This type of soft robot technology has huge promise for the future as it is both energy efficient and cost-effective to manufacture,' says Stefan Seelecke in summary.

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This research is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the Priority Programme SPP2100 'Soft Material Robotic Systems'.

Journal papers

J. Kunze, J. Prechtl, D. Bruch, B. Fasolt, S. Nalbach, P. Motzki, S. Seelecke, and G. Rizzello, "Design, Manufacturing, and Characterization of Thin, Core-Free, Rolled Dielectric Elastomer Actuators," Actuators, vol. 10, no. 4, p. 69, Mar. 2021 (DOI: 10.3390/act10040069). others a.o.: DOI: 10.1109/TRO.2019.2944592, DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2019.00150

International conference proceedings

a.o.: J. Prechtl, J. Kunze, D. Bruch, S. Seelecke, and G. Rizzello, "Modeling and Parameter Identification of Rolled Dielectric Elastomer Actuators for Soft Robots," in Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XXIII, 2021, p. 115871H (DOI: 10.1117/12.2581019)

Questions can be addressed to: Professor Stefan Seelecke, Intelligent Material Systems Lab, Saarland University: Tel. +49 (0)681 302-71341, Email: stefan.seelecke(at)imsl.uni-saarland.de

Junior Professor Gianluca Rizzello, Tel. +49 (0)681 302-71358, Email: gianluca.rizzello(at)imsl.uni-saarland.de
As you drive down the highway, you may notice an increasing number of hybrid and electric vehicles. Alternative energy automobiles are on the rise contributing to the global effort to reduce carbon emissions. As we move together down this road, researchers are looking to determine new solutions to this ongoing problem.

Dr. Muzammil Arshad, instructional assistant professor for the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering at Texas A&M University, and a team of multidisciplinary student researchers conducted a study to analyze the performance of hydrogen-enriched fuel on spark engine performance and efficiency. This solution could make significant contributions to helping automobiles become more environmentally friendly.

"Due to climate change as well as a focus on reduced emissions and deprivation of fossil fuel reserves, there has been immense research to reduce emissions," said Arshad. "This has led to investigating effects of dual fuels on the emissions as well as engine performance parameters because we don't want to lose the combustion characteristics by injecting a secondary fuel."

Two multidisciplinary students, Jonathan Rodriguez and Miriam Alanis, contributed significantly and are co-authors of the research. As undergraduate students at the Higher Education Center at McAllen (HECM), this accomplishment is an impactful stepping stone.

Their research was accepted into the 12th U.S. Annual Combustion Meeting hosted in College Station, where they presented their findings.

"I think presenting at the conference was wonderful," said Alanis. "From the study, we were able to produce tangible results that could potentially be meaningful and useful."

This study was also recently published in the Petroleum and Chemical Industry International journal.

"These accolades establish our research and give it credibility," said Rodriguez. "We are making progress at the HECM. I believe we are part of the first student research project conducted on campus. As an undergraduate, I didn't believe it was an experience I would achieve until Dr. Arshad developed the project."

Spark ignition engines are commonly used in various small SUVs and sedans. In these engines, gasoline merges with air and is ignited by a spark formed by the spark plug, creating combustion. The car can convert thermal energy into kinetic by burning the fuel, allowing the car to move.

"We have performed numerical simulations to understand and predict the performance of spark ignition engines by introducing hydrogen in various quantities and predicting the effect on various efficiencies, in-cylinder pressure and emissions," said Arshad.

The goal is that by adding hydrogen, the car will be more fuel-efficient and produce less harmful emissions. The researchers also analyzed whether significant changes would be required to current spark ignition engines to account for the addition of hydrogen.

"Originally, we thought the difference in the in-cylinder pressure due to the enrichment could create issues that would require major modifications to the engine," said Rodriguez. "Our findings show a reduction in the in-cylinder peak pressure, consequently insinuating that we do not need major modifications to the engine to use this dual fuel. This research has potential value in the fuel market while leaving the vehicle market untouched."

As the first research initiative at the HECM, Arshad is thrilled with the results and plans to conduct similar projects with students in the future.

"Research experience and publications are a major skill they can now showcase on their resumes," said Arshad. "They also learned skills such as time management, working under pressure, meeting deadlines and presenting in front of large audiences. All of these skills are valuable and will help them in the future."

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MISSOULA - The map of Montana Kayla Irish pulls up is peppered with red circles, each cluster providing details behind one of today's timely topics - childhood vaccination.

The project, led by Dr. Sophia Newcomer in the University of Montana's Center for Population Health Research, is the first spatial scan analysis to identify hotspots of undervaccinated children across Montana and evaluate whether they are due to social or geographic barriers.

CPHR is funded through the National Institutes of Health, and the analysis is part of a collaborative study with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to help inform the state's public health measures.

Irish, a history and math major from Lewistown set to graduate from UM this fall, became involved in January after taking a statistics course with UM math Professor Jon Graham, who also is the Data and Modeling Core director of CPHR.

Irish said the project is the first to use data, rather than anecdotes from physicians, on why childhood undervaccination exists in the state.

"Montana is already undervaccinated, and this study overall is trying to find out why and where," Irish said.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that by age 2, when they are most vulnerable, children receive the combined 7-vaccine series. These vaccines work against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; polio; measles, mumps and rubella; hepatitis B; varicella; Haemophilus influenzae type b; and pneumococcal disease.

According to the CPHR and Montana DPHHS study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Montana lags behind the 2019 national childhood combined 7-series vaccination rate of 71%. Just 62% of the children studied completed the vaccine series, and only 38% received them on time - fewer than two in five.

Partnering with DPHHS, the CPHR Data and Modeling Core analyzed immunization data on Montana children born between 2015 and 2017, which includes more than 30,000 kids. Newcomer, an assistant professor in UM's School of Public and Community Health Sciences, led the research effort as one of several projects ongoing in CPHR.

Irish and Graham then used biostatistical modeling and a spatial statistical technique known as spatial scan analysis to identify and create the maps of clusters of undervaccination.

"This technique takes measurements of some variable of interest on a landscape and identifies hotspots of unusual values," Graham said. "Kayla and I read several papers on the spatial scan method, learned how to implement it in the R statistical software package and applied it to the vaccination data."

The research method considers hundreds of thousands of areas throughout the state to identify large and small geographic hotspots with the highest rates of childhood undervaccination of the combined 7-vaccine series. In addition to identifying the clusters, separate analyses identified groups where children may be undervaccinated due to access barriers such as geographic distances and those where parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children.

To identify patterns suggestive of parental hesitancy, the researchers looked for inconsistency in the number of vaccines children received in the series or vaccines spread out over multiple clinic visits.

"Say you have all the different vaccines in the combined 7- vaccine series," Irish said. "If five of them are perfectly on time and two of them aren't happening, that's a pretty clear sign of parents consciously electing not to vaccinate with certain shots."

According to the spatial analysis, parental hesitancy on vaccination is concentrated in the western part of the state.

Structural or access barriers, in contrast, mainly show up on the eastern side. To determine potential structural barriers, the team looked at children missing final vaccine doses or receiving them late.

Irish said looking at the two factors helps researchers understand how to increase vaccination rates in certain areas. Interventions to structural barriers, for example, might include hiring more vaccine program providers or creating programs in nontraditional settings for areas where clinics may be inaccessible, while social media tools and physician-client discussions may aid in addressing parental hesitancy.

"I think it's really cool because the long-term objective of this study is to test and determine ways to intervene," she said. "This is an amazing and great map for that."

Rain Freeman, UM's epidemiology specialist and the project's data manager, analyst and programmer, said national Vaccines for Children Program data showed a substantial dip in routine, pediatric vaccine orders at the beginning of the pandemic. And Montana was not immune to that trend.

Although more recent CDC data shows an uptick in vaccine orders again, it is not enough to catch up on the missed doses. Freeman said making sure children are vaccinated on time is crucial to preventing diseases during COVID-19 like measles, which needs a 95% vaccination rate for herd immunity.

"The problem is if vaccination rates for these preventable diseases dip too far below the estimated thresholds for herd immunity, we're worried that we could have multiple epidemics or outbreaks occurring as social interaction becomes a little more normal," she said.

As a history major, Irish is interested in predicting the next preventable disease outbreak. Promoting community health, helping write a scientific paper, and using and managing data while working on the CPHR project also has prepared her for grad school.

"I'm gaining the skills I'll be needing anyway," she said. "It's unbelievably useful to me. I cannot recommend undergrad research too much."

The CPHR team is currently drafting a paper on these analyses and will submit it for publication in the coming months.

"It's hard not to be excited," Irish said. "I feel so much satisfaction. In computer science, it feels like in everything you do, you write a little bit of code and it always fails, and when you see it actually works, it's so cool. And I have so many of those moments here."

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By Courtney Brockman, UM News Service
What causes an eruption? Why do some volcanoes erupt regularly, while others remain dormant for thousands of years? A team of geologists and geophysicists, led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has reviewed the literature on the internal and external mechanisms that lead to a volcanic eruption. Analyzing the thermo-mechanics of deep volcanic processes and magma propagation to the surface, together with magma chemistry, the geologists determined that most of the magma rising from depth actually does not cause a volcanic eruption. They also show that older volcanoes tend to produce less frequent, but larger and more dangerous eruptions. Their findings, published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, will help refine models of volcanic processes to reduce the impact of volcanic eruptions on the more than 800 million people living near active volcanoes.

Volcanic activity remains difficult to predict even when it is closely monitored. Why didn't Mount Fuji erupt after the strong earthquake in Tohoku, Japan? Why did the eruption of Eyjafjallajokul generate such a large amount of volcanic ash? In order to determine the causes of volcanic eruptions, geologists and geophysicists led by Luca Caricchi, professor at the Department of Earth Sciences of the Faculty of Science of the UNIGE, have taken up the existing literature and analysed all the stages that precede an eruption.

The path of magma from the depths of the Earth

Magma is molten rock that comes from tens of kilometres depth and rises to the Earth's surface. "During its journey, magma can get trapped in reservoirs within the Earth's crust, where it may stagnate for thousands of years and potentially never erupt", explains Meredith Townsend, a researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Oregon (USA). Specialising in thermomechanical modelling, the American researcher focused on calculating the pressure required for the magma to break up the rocks surrounding the reservoir and rise to the surface. Eleonora Rivalta, a researcher at the Potsdam Research Centre for Geosciences (Germany) and the University of Bologna (Italy), studied the propagation of magma as it rises to the surface: "If it is runny enough, that is if it does not contain too many crystals, magma can rise very quickly by a sort of self-propelled fracking", she continues. If magma crystallises more than 50%, it becomes too viscous and its march towards the surface stops. Magma can also take different paths, vertical, horizontal or inclined. Luca Caricchi specialises in magma chemistry, which provides vital information about the state of the magma before a volcanic eruption occurs. "The chemistry of magma and the crystals it contains provide vital information on the sequence of events leading to a volcanic eruption, which is valuable to better interpret the monitoring signals of active volcanoes and anticipate- whether an eruption might occur", explains the Geneva-based researcher. Finally, Atsuko Namiki, a researcher at the Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Nagoya University (Japan), has analysed the external triggers of an eruption, such as earthquakes, tides or rain: "These alone cannot cause an eruption, the magma has to be ready and awaiting a trigger."

"For an eruption to take place, several conditions must be met simultaneously. Magma with less than 50% crystals must be stored in a reservoir", begins Luca Caricchi. Then this reservoir must be overpressurised. The overpressure can be the result of internal phenomena such as a renewed injection of magma or the exsolution of magmatic gases or it can rise to critical values because of external events such as earthquakes. Finally, once the pressure is sufficient for the magma to start rising, there are still many obstacles that can prevent the magma from erupting.

The age of the volcano as a primary criterion

This comprehensive analysis sheds a light on the behaviour of volcanoes that can change over their lifetime. "When a volcano is just starting to be active, its reservoir is rather small (a few km3) and the surrounding crust is relatively cold, which leads to many frequent, but small and rather predictable eruptions", explains Luca Caricchi. It's a different story with old volcanoes. "Their reservoir is bigger and the rocks around them are hotter. When new magma is injected, it does not generate much overpressure because the rocks around the reservoir deform and the growth continues", says the geologist. As an example Mt St Helens (USA) started erupting 40'000 years ago (a time lapse by geological standards) and its last eruption in 2008 was small and not dangerous. On the contrary, Toba (Indonesia) started erupting explosively about 1.2 million years ago and its last eruption 74000 years ago was cataclysmic. It totally destroyed the surroundings and had an impact on global climate.

Eventually, the accumulation of large amounts of magma will lead to large eruptions. "Moreover, the warning signs are very difficult to detect because the high temperatures decrease seismic activity and the interaction between gases and magma modifies their composition, making it harder to understand what is going on underneath", he says. The higher the rate of magma input, the faster the volcano 'ages'.

Knowing the age of the volcano, which can be dated by analysing the zircon in the rocks, allows geologists to understand the stage of life of the volcanoes. "There are currently 1,500 active volcanoes, and about 50 of them erupt each year. Knowing whether or not to evacuate the population is crucial and we hope that our study will contribute to decrease the impact of volcanic activity on our society", continues Luca Caricchi. "Hopefully our findings will be tested on volcanoes that have been studied extensively, such as those in Italy, USA and Japan, and transferred to other volcanoes for which there are less data, such as in Indonesia or South America."

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Irvine, CA - June 22, 2021 - A new University of California, Irvine-led study reveals albumin (Alb), among the most abundant proteins in the body, activates a proton channel (hHv1), also widespread in the body, giving sperm the ability to penetrate and fertilize an egg, and allowing white blood cells to secrete large amounts of inflammatory mediators to fight infection.

The study titled, "Direct activation of the proton channel by albumin leads to human sperm capacitation and sustained release of inflammatory mediators by neutrophils," was published today in Nature Communications.

Researchers examined the physiological connection between Alb and human voltage-gated proton channels (hHv1), which are both essential to cell biology in health and diseases. They also demonstrated the mechanism by which Alb binds directly to hHv1 to activate the channel. This research explains how sperm are triggered to fertilize, and neutrophils are stimulated to release mediators in the innate immune response, describing a new role for Alb in physiology that will operate in the many tissues expressing hHv1.

"We found that the interaction of Alb and hHv1 activates sperm when they leave semen and enter the female reproductive tract because Alb is low in semen and high in the reproductive tract. We now understand why albumin supplementation improves IVF," said first author Ruiming Zhao, PhD, from the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at UCI School of Medicine. "We also found the same Alb/hHv1 interaction allows the white blood cells called neutrophils to produce and secrete the inflammatory mediators that kill bacteria and fight infection. However, it's important to note that the inflammatory response itself can lead to disease."

The essential stimulatory role of Alb in the physiology of sperm and neutrophils via hHv1 suggests that Alb will have as-yet unrecognized enhancing or deleterious roles in the other tissues, including the central nervous system, heart and lungs, and will influence cancers of the breast and gastrointestinal tract.

"It is exciting to discover that a common protein has the power to activate the proton channel. This finding suggests new strategies to block or enhance fertility, and to augment or suppress the innate immune response and inflammation," said senior author Steve A. N. Goldstein, MD, PhD, vice chancellor of Health Affairs at UCI and distinguished professor in the School of Medicine Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology & Biophysics, and in the new School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

hHv1 is implicated in a wide range of biological processes in addition to the capacitation of sperm and the innate immune responses included in the study. The channels have notable roles in proliferation of cancer cells, tissue damage during ischemic stroke, and hypertensive injury of the kidney. Because Alb is ubiquitous at levels that vary in different human compartments in health and disease, the potentiation of hHv1 by Alb described in the paper will be widespread, tissue-dependent, and play both salutary and unfavorable roles in human physiology.

"We have modeled the structural basis for binding of Alb to the channel that leads to activation and changes in cellular function, and we are now conducting in vivo studies of viral and bacterial infections. Our next steps include studies of the effects of inhibitors of the Alb-hHv1 interaction on infection, inflammation and fertility," said Goldstein.

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The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina, Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Argentina, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina, Agencia Nacional de Promocion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Argentina, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Direccion General de Asuntos del Personal Academico, and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Fronteras.

About UCI Health Affairs

UCI Health Affairs comprises the schools, institutes, and centers in the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences and an academic health system, UCI Health. The college unites the disciplines of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, and population and public health to advance a transformative educational and healthcare delivery model that is patient-centered, science-based, transdisciplinary, and team-delivered.

About the UCI School of Medicine

Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, and nearly 150 doctoral and master's students. More than 700 residents and fellows are trained at UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers an MD; a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program; and PhDs and master's degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA, an MD/master's in public health, or an MD/master's degree through one of three mission-based programs: the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), the Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC), and the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The UCI School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit som.uci.edu.
The shift to home working brought about by the pandemic could cost the UK economy up to 32bn a year in lost personal income tax.

Highly paid workers who live abroad but work in the UK will pay their income tax in their country of residence, rather than to HMRC - which researchers say could cost billions each year.

This new mobility of the workforce can also affect where corporate income tax is paid and value created, as well as VAT and where goods and services are purchased.

Professor Rita de la Feria, Chair in Tax Law in the University of Leeds' School of Law, co-led the new research with Dr Giorgia Maffini, Tax Policy expert, at PWC, London.

Their paper, The Impact of Digitalisation on Personal Income Taxes, is published in British Tax Review.

Professor de la Feria said: "The acceleration of digitalisation and the spread of remote working internationally as a result of the pandemic poses very significant challenges to personal income taxes.

"New mobile workers are likely to be at top of the income distribution, and even a small number could result in significant revenue losses to the UK, of between 6bn and 32bn.

"The likely effect will be a tightening of employment rules, introduction of new tax avoidance rules, and increased personal income taxes competition with countries fighting to attract new mobile workers.

"The impact of these labour changes is likely to be more significant in countries like the UK, which relies heavily on income tax - especially from a small number of high-income - and now potentially mobile - taxpayers.

"How big these challenges are, and how countries will react to them, will be a key issue in the coming years."

Total income tax paid in the UK in 2018-19 was 187 billion, with 35% paid by the 4.2 million higher rate taxpayers, and 31% from additional rate taxpayers.

An estimated 31% of UK jobs can be carried out remotely - of which an as-yet unknown share will be internationally mobile.

Assuming only higher and additional rate taxpayers are internationally mobile, the researchers say the potential loss in income tax would be between 2% and 10% of the total revenue - between 3.8bn and 19bn a year.

Including Social Security contribution losses of between 2.7bn and 13bn a year, the total income tax revenue loss would amount to between 6.5 billion and 32.5 billion a year.

The researchers say recent global tax discussions have focussed on solving challenges to corporation tax posed by digitalisation, but the pandemic-led shift to remote working could pose an even bigger crisis.

Professor de la Feria said: "This crisis has the potential for much wider economic and societal ramifications than the challenges to corporation tax. The challenges of adapting our tax systems to a digital economy are far from over; indeed, they have just started."

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Further information

For media enquiries contact University of Leeds press officer Lauren Ballinger via l.ballinger@leeds.ac.uk.

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The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 38,000 students from more than 150 different countries, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University plays a significant role in the Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes.

We are a top ten university for research and impact power in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and are in the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2021.

The University was awarded a Gold rating by the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework in 2017, recognising its 'consistently outstanding' teaching and learning provision. Twenty-six of our academics have been awarded National Teaching Fellowships - more than any other institution in England, Northern Ireland and Wales - reflecting the excellence of our teaching. http://www. leeds. ac. uk

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Study from UNC-Chapel Hill shows a vaccine could be effective against COVID-19, SARS and other coronavirus-related diseases

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Scientists at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health have developed a universal vaccine that protected mice not just against COVID-19 but also other coronaviruses and triggered the immune system to fight off a dangerous variant.

While no one knows which virus may cause the next outbreak, coronaviruses remain a threat after causing the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the global COVID-19 pandemic.

To prevent a future coronavirus pandemic, UNC-Chapel Hill researchers designed the vaccine to provide protection from the current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and a group of coronaviruses known to make the jump from animals to humans.

The findings were published in Science by lead authors David Martinez, a postdoctoral researcher at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a Hanna H. Gray Fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Ralph Baric, an epidemiologist at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and professor of immunology and microbiology at the UNC School of Medicine, whose research has sparked new therapies to fight emerging infectious diseases.

The lead authors worked with a team of scientists from UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill are playing a key role in coronavirus vaccine development. After testing the effectiveness of the first generation of COVID-19 vaccines, they pivoted to look at a second-generation vaccine: one that targets sarbecoviruses, Baric said.

Sarbecoviruses, part of the large family of coronaviruses, are a priority for virologists after two caused devastating disease in the past two decades: SARS and COVID-19.

The team's approach started with mRNA, which is similar to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines used today. But instead of including the mRNA code for only one virus, they welded together mRNA from multiple coronaviruses.

When given to mice, the hybrid vaccine effectively generated neutralizing antibodies against multiple spike proteins -- which viruses use to latch onto healthy cells, including one associated with B.1.351, known as the South African variant.

"The vaccine has the potential to prevent outbreaks when used as a new variant is detected," said Baric, a trailblazer in pandemic preparedness.

The paper includes data from mice infected with SARS-CoV and related coronaviruses and the vaccine prevented infection and lung damage in mice. Additional testing could lead to human clinical trials next year.

"Our findings look bright for the future because they suggest we can design more universal pan coronavirus vaccines to proactively guard against viruses we know are at risk for emerging in humans," Martinez said. "With this strategy, perhaps we can prevent a SARS-CoV-3."

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The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health and the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory, with funding from the North Carolina General Assembly, supported the study.
Poll of 1,161 Ontario students shows attitudes toward cannabis differ from alcohol, creating potentially risky and dangerous driving behaviour

Ontario students are more likely to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after smoking cannabis than drinking alcohol, a new study from researchers at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Medicine has revealed.

The study, published in Preventive Medicine, found 10 percent of licensed Ontario high school students reported driving within an hour of cannabis use. Driving after drinking alcohol was much less prevalent, with 3.5 percent of students doing so.

The study, led by master's student Nathan Cantor, found that students who favour cannabis legislation and perceive cannabis to be less risky were more likely to report driving after cannabis use. The study found that graduated licencing programs tended to sway behaviours with students holding a G2 licence four times more likely to report driving after cannabis use compared to those with a G1 licence.

"This work reveals that Ontario adolescents perceive cannabis to be less risky than alcohol, and this perception affects other risky behaviours," says principal investigator Dr. Ian Colman, a Full Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health. "The reason this is important is that it suggests that educating adolescents about the risks of cannabis use may be effective in reducing the dangerous practice of driving after cannabis use."

"We need to debunk the myth that cannabis use does not impair drivers," says Cantor, lead author of the study whose data originates from the period prior to the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada.

"There's a good evidence base that shows acute cannabis consumption is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle crash, especially for fatal collisions. This association is likely even greater in adolescents - this population has less driving experience, and proportionally represent a higher burden of motor vehicle crashes."

The study polled 1,161 students with valid driver's license about their driving behaviors, drug use, and attitudes regarding cannabis use as part of the 2017 Ontario Student Health and Drug Use Survey. The authors note the prevalence of cannabis-impaired driving should be continuously monitored moving forwards.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Another candidate to consider for the authorship of the QUICK article is Nerin Gun, a Turkish-American writer who was born in Rome. He emigrated from Germany to the United States after World War II and changed his name from Emrullah Nerin Gun to Nerin Gun.

In 1964, Gun published one of the first books on the JFK assassination, Red Roses from Texas.

You can read a .pdf version of the book here.

Nerin Gun also worked for the Italian newspaper Epoca.

President Lyndon Johnson receiving Italian publisher Giorgio Mondadori at the White House on April 28, 1964. On the right is Nerin Gun.

Harry Truman with Nerin Gun, April 1964.

Nerin Gun was mentioned during the Warren Commission testimony of J. Edgar Hoover :

Mr. DULLES. May I add one other thing just to interrupt. I wish you would add to your list a book called "The Red Roses of Dallas" by a man named Gun. He is a more reliable correspondent.

Mr. HOOVER. He is a Philadelphia correspondent.

Mr. DULLES. He has been living in this country since 1946. I have met him over here. Let's see, he was at Dallas at the time. He was then reporting, I think, for the Italian newspaper Epoca.

Mr. HOOVER. That is not the same one.

Mr. DULLES. He might have been lying. This book is full of lies. But I think it is a book that ought to be added, too, and I will see that a copy is sent to the Bureau.

Mr. HOOVER. I would appreciate that.

Given Nerin Gun's interest in the JFK assassination, it's not surprising that he would take an interest in the Garrison investigation. While the QUICK article has no indication that Gun was involved, a CIA memo claimed that he was the author:

There is nothing in the QUICK magazine article that mentions Nerin Gun. However, some amazing propinquity suggests that Gun and Garrison had something important in common: Dachau.

From a 1989 interview with the Los Angeles Times:

"The son and grandson of lawyers, Garrison went to a public high school here [New Orleans] and entered the Army a year before Pearl Harbor. He flew light planes as an artillery spotter in Europe, and arrived at Dachau the day after troops supported by his artillery unit had liberated it."

And Nerin Gun was imprisoned at Dachau :

And Gun wrote a book about the Americans liberating concentration camps :

And so, perhaps Gun and Garrison bonded over their war experiences.

Paul Hoch found that Paris Match in France and TEMPO in Italy had also run articles on the Garrison investigation in 1967 - and both appeared to be possibly related to the one that ran in QUICK. Perhaps there was a clue about the author in one of the two magazines.

The Paris Match article was different. It was dated a month earlier than the QUICK article and it was a first-hand report by Nerin Gun, who had been in New Orleans in late February 1967. He interviewed Jim Garrison and David Ferrie.

Here is a translation of the Paris Match article:

On the day before his death, Ferrie told me "Oswald? I Didn't Know Him"

Nerin Gun, author of "Red Roses in Texas," was investigating in New Orleans. He spends hours with a former pilot who knew Oswald. The next day we find the body of the witness in his room. The thirteenth violent death of the Kennedy affair.

[picture of Nerin Gun] Ferrie told me...

The name of David F. Ferrie was first mentioned the day after the Kennedy's assassination. A certain Ed Voble [sic; Voebel] phoned a New Orleans television station and in essence said: "We were serving in the same unit of the Civil Air Patrol under the direction of David F. Ferrie. However, I have just recognized the silhouette of Ferrie in certain news scenes filmed from the drama in Dallas" The information was passed on to the District Attorney's office. Jim Garrison, who then arrested and released Ferrie. The FBI and the Warren Commission noted the incident but gave it no particular importance.

Three years passed. On January 31 of this year, a Cuban exile named Miguel Torres, sentenced to nine years in prison for theft, was transferred to the special prison in New Orleans to be placed at the disposal of the District Attorney Jim Garrison. According to Torres, there would have been a conspiracy, set up in New Orleans, of which he would have been the executor, "The contract man," according to the expression of American gangsters.

However, the District Attorney Garrison has been investigating for several months now a report by David Lewis, a private investigator, who claims to have a list of conspirators. Among them was a Cuban who was in Dallas at the scene of the assassination hidden behind a billboard and a pilot who served in the same unit at Oswald and who was also in Dallas on the day of Kennedy's death, ready to transport Oswald to Mexico from where the alleged assassin could have returned to Havana.

Was this pilot David F. Ferrie? Did DA Garrison, who was getting ready to arrest him, think so?

I saw David Ferrie exactly the day before his death on the afternoon of February 21, 1967 in New Orleans. Apparently, this doomed man did not fear for his life.

Ferrie received me in his two-room apartment, furnished with that very heavy and messy taste that one can define "old New Orleans". There are books everywhere, even on the small sofa and in the small kitchen. Ferrie drinks continuously. Soon we are going out together to have a drink in a bar some distance away, because Ferrie wants to avoid any photographers posted in the neighborhood. He also claims to be under police surveillance and complains about it.

"I am only an amateur pilot, but from time to time, I agree to hire out my services. I like to drive, but it is expensive and so you have to mix business with pleasure. My current profession: I am a psychologist. No, I don't have any diplomas, but people come and ask me for advice - that they are having trouble with their wives, an employee, and I try to help them."

Ferrie is extremely nervous when he speaks. His face is bony and he has a very long, very thin nose, eyebrows, like a "circumflex accent," marked with a pencil, and a poorly groomed wig, and eyes like a rabbit who does not have a moment's rest. His is not very tall, but he looks slender. He doesn't speak with that slowness and that sweet accent that characterizes the people of New Orleans. In fact, he is not a native. He's a man from Ohio who came here fifteen years ago. He admits having accepted from time to time jobs as a private detective.

His reputation in New Orleans is not good. In the newsrooms, he is referred to as an informer and as a liaison between the community, the lawyers, and the police.

"This whole story bothers me enormously. This Garrison prankster wants to get people talking about him at all costs. He is not happy to have liquidated downtown (the pleasure district). Now he is looking for something else. It smacks of politics a mile and a half away. Do not speak to me of justice, or of truth. All these people who take care of Kennedy have one thing in mind: to make money.

I've been sick for three months, Ferrie continued. I have encephalitis. I have horrible headaches. Then my heart gives me pain. It doesn't work like it used to and yet I'm far from fifty.

"I never knew Oswald. He and I lived in different worlds. Him in the shallows towards the docks and I, look out the window. My neighborhood is good, not fancy, but decent. Oswald himself could not afford a plane ride.

"Yes, I served in the Civil Air Patrol (the Civil Air Patrol is a paramilitary organization, classified as reserves, whose volunteer pilots assist in emergencies, searches, transport of drugs, injuries). Oswald was never in the Civil Air Patrol."

I pointed out to Ferrie that I had called Marguerite Oswald, Oswald's mother, that very morning, and that she claimed that Oswald had been in the Civil Air Patrol. I even remember that once she showed me a picture of Oswald in uniform from that group.

"That old woman must be confused with some other organization," said Ferrie. Do not forget that she had ceased all relations with her son for a long time and especially when he lived in New Orleans...Finally, everything I know about this affair, I told the FBI. Garrison just had to ask them. And you could do the same. It's not that there is anything to hide. But it all happened three years ago. I don't remember all the details. And if today I am wrong, people will say that I did it on purpose, that I lied, that I am hiding the truth and it will be quite a story again.

I HEARD FOR THE FIRST TIME OSWALD'S NAME

"I was not in New Orleans on the day of Kennedy's assassination, it is true. In fact, upon hearing the news, I decided to go to Dallas. At the time I was working for a lawyer, G. Wray Gill, very much like his personal detective. I worked with the help of two friends and the three of us decided to drive to Dallas. We left New Orleans a little before four in the afternoon, November 22, 1963. It was I who drove - a blue Buick station wagon - when the radio announce that a certain Oswald had been arrested. It was the first time I had heard the name, so we changed our minds and instead of going to Dallas, we went to Houston, then to Galveston and the surrounding area to hunt wild geese. I did not return to New Orleans until Sunday. A funny surprise awaited me. That crazy Garrison man had burst into my apartment. Look, I had to have my door repaired: he confiscated my papers, photos, books...."

"Garrison then had his assistant Klein arrest my friends and me under the pretext that we were wanted fugitives. It was ridiculous. Everyone knows that I am a fanatic anti-communist. I hate Castro.

"A few weeks ago, a weekend in January, I received an invitation to testify at the grand jury. Instead of being sent in the room I was asked to go see Louis Ivon, the District Attorney's chief investigator. I have known Ivon for a long time. I do not hesitate to tell him my surprise and annoyance. Ivon says it is just a formality and he asks me about 1963. I tell him he better read his own files. Then I ask him what it's all about.

We have discovered a plot. There was a plot in New Orleans hatched in the summer of 1963 to assassinate Kennedy, And that's it. I don't know anything else.

I had no questions to ask Ferrie and I remember that his last words were to find the restaurant Antoine's, very famous in New Orleans, where he advised me to go to dinner. I also remember that I left one of those tiny flasks of whiskey that the airlines give out to first-time passengers, and that I usually put in my napkin. He wished me "good luck" and smiled at me. I can't believe that less than twenty-four hours later this man was going to be found dead in his room.

LEWIS: AFRAID FOR THE LIFE OF MY CHILDREN

And I think of the words that prosecutor Jim Garrison had said to me a few days earlier when he solemnly asked me not to reveal anything to the local newspapers. "I fear," he said "that such revelations will impede the progress of my investigation and cause the violent deaths of some witnesses." I didn't take it seriously. Today, I began to believe that he was only telling me the strictest truth.

Previously I had visited detective David Lewis, whose initial report triggered the investigation. He is 26 years old, married with four children, and works for a bus company.

"Garrison's investigation is not a hoax, there has been a conspiracy. I was aware of the phases of the plot. I was in the right place at the right time. I knew the people involved in the plot. I knew Oswald..."

But Lewis refused to give the names of the five people he said he had denounced in his special report to Garrison. He looked very worried:

"These people are extremely dangerous. They are thugs, they are capable of anything. They were powerful enough to assassinate the president of the United States, and so I believe they are capable of getting rid of a little man like me. I have received threats. I am telephoned at night. I am going to leave New Orleans and hide; I fear for my children. My wife lives in terror."

In Jim Garrison's office, I had heard an assistant District Attorney speak in hushed terms about a group of anti-communist conspirators who wanted revenge on Kennedy for the failure of the Bay of Pigs. I also learned that Oswald lived between June and September 1963 in New Orleans on 4907 Magazine Street. It was at this time that he would have met the Cuban conspirators - like Miguel Torres, now in prison for burglary. I have tried to see Torres in prison - the visit was authorized but Torres refused to see me. He sent word to me through the chief warden, Sheriff Louis Hay, that he was not afraid to speak up but that "he preferred to testify openly when the time came (provided he was still alive)."

Lee Oswald's mother, Marguerite Oswald, had nothing but praise for the District Attorney, "I am with him and I will help him. He's showing that the Warren Commission hasn't uncovered the truth. Yes, there must have been a conspiracy and my son was only part of such a conspiracy as a secret agent of the U.S. government."

I telephoned Marguerite Oswald after hearing the news of the death of David William Ferrie. She told me, "I have always thought that Ferrie was involved in the case. I never understood why the Warren Commission didn't bother to interview this man whose actions were so strange. I hope that we will not once again say his death was only due to chance."

A few things stand out from this Nerin Gun article. First, he actually visited David Ferrie, who told him he was suffering from encephalitis, and had terrible headaches. This is consistent with what Ferrie told other journalists. This was just before he died of a berry aneurysm. Second, Garrison might well have told Gun information that was not widely reported:

"And I think of the words that prosecutor Jim Garrison had said to me a few days earlier when he solemnly asked me not to reveal anything to the local newspapers."

Did that give Gun carte blanche to write an article for QUICK?

The Italian magazine TEMPO contained the same article as in QUICK with a few small edits. There was no clue regarding the writer.

And so it is unclear as to whether Nerin Gun or Lawrence Schiller wrote the QUICK article. Both had access to Garrison and both had discussions with Garrison when he was espousing his theory of a homosexual plot.

For some unknown reason, the CIA was certain that Gun was the author. Unfortunately, we have been unable to determine why the CIA came to that conclusion.

It's certainly possible that the two of them worked together. Schiller was the kind of journalist who no qualms about using information gained from working for a client and then using it for himself. The 1996 Chicago Tribune article noted that Schiller :

"...was shooting under contract for Life magazine, yet always working on his own, always an outsider, a lone wolf hungry for the big kill.."

O. J. Simpson's book, I Want To Tell You: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions, was written in collaboration with Lawrence Schiller to raise money for his defense . Schiller then produced a television show and a book exposing the defense teams methods :

"Lawrence Schiller, author of "American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the O.J. Simpson Defense," had unprecedented access to Simpson and his dream team during the 1995 criminal trial, obtaining secrets of their defense strategy and Simpson's state of mind before and after the trial." (hat tip to Tim Cridland for finding the O. J. Simpson example)

Schiller gained access to Jim Garrison because of Life Magazine, and selling Garrison's story to the world would have been a nice coup. Nerin Gun was the perfect person to translate the article and to help place it in Europe.

One thing is certain - the article did represent Garrison's thinking at the beginning of his investigation.

Tomorrow's Blog Post

Final Thoughts on 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

Jim Garrison Feigns Indication at the Mention of Clay Shaw's Homosexuality
From: Dr. Judith Briles --The Book Shepherd For Immediate Release: Dateline: Denver , CO Tuesday, June 22, 2021

One of our attendees has had to have emergency surgery. Grab her spot at her deep discounted cost. Only ONE spot is available. Call Judith to put your name on it: 303-885-2207. Would you like a hands-on workshop to soar your speaking that is limited to a small number of participants? Would you like to start making money with your book? Bet you would. Comments from a recent Unplugged from old time speakers who thought they had all the tips and tricks they needed:  I got more in two hours than in my 10 years of being a speaker  Wow, Wow, Wow. Yup, there is always something to learn that can be immediately implemented for your author success. JOIN me this weekend at Judith Briles Speaking Unplugged if you want to make BIG bucks with your book? How? By creating the ultimate speech that will grab the attention of meeting planners and engage any audience. The result? Meeting planners bring you back  and refer you to their peers who bring in speakers. And, participants want to take you home via the purchase of your book. Whats also cool when you speak at an event is that you get paid immediately. You dont need to discount the price of your bookoffer it at full price for your book that is made available at any event. And heres a bonus: you become a sought after presenter for other groups. Ill show you how. Your takeaways include: The how to of structuring a speech around your book and expertise.

The moxie of delivering hooks and methods in using storytelling to support key points and hook an audience.

Discovering the power of openings and closings for every presentation.

Using unique marketing strategies that are easy-peasy.

All details are here on my website. Experience two days of me  NO pitches to buy other stuff, just Judith Briles Speaking Unplugged delivering an amazing depth of speaking and marketing information that she has derived from her 35 plus years as a professional speaker that has taken her to 22 countriesfrom Finland to Brazil and all 50 states. If you want to sell truckloads of books; have fun; and become a buzz 

this is the only workshop you should be attending. Judith Briles Speaking Unplugged  JUNE 25-26, 2021 I promise  it will will change your authoring life Site: Embassy Suites Denver Tech Center North

7525 East Hampden Avenue, Denver CO 80231

Room rates $124 (includes a full breakfast, lunches, plus late afternoon snacks and adult beverages Are you ready to create the speech that will get you booked and re-booked  get the answers to the questions you have  all of them? Judith is the master book publishing coach and guide. Dont have an oh-oh moment and miss out. My words of, Yes, you can  will convert to yours: YES, I Can! See you next month. Reserve Your Spot NOW for 2 Colorful Brain-Jammed Days, including meals. ALL Details are on TheBookShepherd.com site under Events. One of our attendees has had to have emergency surgery. Grab her spot at her deep discounted cost. Dr. Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. She empowers authors and works directly with authors who want to be seriously successful and has been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 37 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms, Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers, and How to Create a $1,000,000 Speech. Her personal memoir When God Says NO-Revealing the YES When Adversity and Loss Are Present is a #1 bestseller on Amazon. Collectively, her books have earned over 45 book awards. Judith speaks throughout the year at publishing conferences. Throughout the year, she holds Judith Briles Book Unplugged experiences: Publishing, Speaking, Marketing, and Social Media. All are two-day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. Join Judith live for the AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing podcast on the Toginet Radio Network HERE. Follow @AuthorUYOUBooks and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a Like at AuthorU, and join the Facebook group Book Publishing with The Book Shepherd. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact me. 2021 All Rights Reserved- Judith Briles, The Book Shepherd


Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Four times as many troops and vets

have died by suicide as in combat

[20 Years of War: A Costs of War Study, Brown University]

Suicide Prevention: Some Facts and Simple Truths

Using data from the Brown University Cost of War Project, author Thomas Suitt of Boston University estimates 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans of the post 9/11 wars have died by suicide, significantly more than the 7,057 service members killed in post-9/11 war operations. Month after month, year after year, we learn that billions of dollars spent on suicide prevention might be more wisely targeted.

*A focus on preventing veteran suicide began in 1958 with the opening of the first suicide prevention center in the United States. During the mid 1990s, a paradigm shift in addressing veteran suicide occurred with the development of the first of many national strategies.

*The annual number of deaths by suicide in the U.S. increased by 35% from 1999 to 2018, with an estimated 48,344 deaths in 2018.

*Veteran suicide rates are again on the rise.

*More than 6,000 Veterans, Guardsmen, active duty Service members, and Reservists die by suicide each year  more than were killed in action in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts from 2001 to 2014 combined.

*The VA reports that a veteran with a TBI is twice as likely to commit suicide.

*The overall Veteran suicide rate is 1.5 times higher and the female Veteran suicide rate is 2.2 times higher than the general populations suicide rate after adjusting for age and sex.

*Veterans ages 1834 had the highest suicide rate in 2017. The suicide rate for Veterans ages 1834 increased by 76% from 2005 to 2017. The absolute number of suicides was highest among Veterans 5574 years old.

*In 2017, 69% of veteran suicide deaths were due to a self-inflicted firearm injury, about 50% higher than the general population.

*About 70 percent of veterans who commit suicide do not use VA facilities. The recidivism rate for those who do use VA facilities in unreasonably high given the hundreds of thousands of treated veterans who remain disabled with a negative to degenerating quality of life.

*Service member suicide numbers have been increasing in the face of over a decade of Suicide Prevention Programs and billions of dollars in Suicide Prevention spending.

*In 2018, for example, 41.7% of service members who killed themselves had never deployed to a combat zone. Of course, no one seems to know or investigate whether they had, or acquired, brain injuries prior to enlistment or while in training.

*Preventing suicide is less difficult than predicting who will commit suicide.

*Preventing suicide one time is not the same thing as understanding the factors that led to suicidal ideation.

*Ignoring a fundamental cause of suicide is one reason the suicide rate, 20 per day, continues to climb. COVID only exacerbates the problem. A fundamental cause of suicide is brain injury. A brain injury is a wound to the brain. Untreated and/or misdiagnosed brain wounds do not get better. Symptoms may recede, but the underlying injury can fester for a long time, leading to behavioral, emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual breakdowns that can lead to violence and suicide.

*Executive Order 13861: Presidents Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS), is another national strategy to amplify and accelerate the progress in addressing the Veteran suicide epidemic in our nation.

*PREVENTS is an organizational, data-centric approach to what is fundamentally a medical set of problems. Better communication is good, but should not be a substitute for healing underlying physiological causes of suicidal ideation.

*For example, Step 3, Implementation Strategy Planning may be organizationally sound but is medically barren: For each of the four areas of focus in the PREVENTS Roadmap (programs, policies, research, and communications), develop an execution plan that includes role specification, major tasks, timeline, security, and privacy safeguards, resource requirements, implementation support requirements (e.g., technical assistance), process and outcome evaluation plan, and risks and contingencies.

*Brain health is mentioned one time in PREVENTS in the context of preventing suicide, and then only in the context of identifying research and programs. Mental Illness, frequently equated with suicidal ideation, is currently lumped under Mental Health. a psychological injury/problem, and infrequently seen as a result of a physical injury that can be healed.

*Veterans in the throes of suicidal ideation relentlessly talk about how hopeless they feel, how little they sleep, and how death can end their pain, both to themselves and to their families.

It is well documented that brain injury affects executive function and increases depression.

Depression is present in at least 50 percent of all suicides. While antidepressants are designed to decrease the symptoms of depression, they occasionally have the opposite effect and can increase suicidal thoughts and actions, especially in children and adolescents up to age 25.

*Depression and suicidal ideation are common effects of PTSD and TBI. Treating PTSD/TBI with hyperbaric oxygen therapy is proven to reduce depression and suicidal ideation, and allow patients to get off almost all their drugs.

*Current suicide prevention training advises If you see something, say something. Instructors should also advise: If you have a brain injury, get Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Functional Medicine protocols to heal the wound to your brain.

* To help prevent suicide, Fix the Hard drive; the software will run better. Put another way, the recidivism rate is extremely high for brained-injured veterans who do not get the benefit of brain-wound healing provided by Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Functional Medicine protocols. Palliating symptoms without fixing the brain-wound is not adequate medical care. Current protocols and standard of care at the NICoE, Intrepid Spirit Centers, and the myriad mental health clinics across DoD and the VA are inadequate for treating and healing brain wounds. They do not talk about brain wounding, they do not provide Informed Consent about alternative treatments like HBOT, and they continue to insist that more money spent on research will reverse the suicidal trends  despite two decades of experience to the contrary.

The information provided by TreatNOW.org does not constitute a medical recommendation. It is intended for informational purposes only, and no claims, either real or implied, are being made.
San Antonios GrayStreet Partners and Houstons Midway Holdings have teamed up to redevelop the former Lone Star Brewery site on the South Side. Theyre also battling each other in court over property along Broadway.

Midway filed a lawsuit last week alleging GrayStreet breached a contract that gives Midway the right of first refusal to develop a massive, mixed-use community on land across from the Pearl.

Its the second time in less than a month that GrayStreet has been sued over a right of first refusal on the property. On May 21, Denver-based McWhinney Real Estate Services Inc. filed a federal lawsuit in an attempt to stop GrayStreet from selling the land to San Antonios Fulcrum Development.

On ExpressNews.com: Denver company sues San Antonios GrayStreet to stop sale of property across from the Pearl

GrayStreet and Midway want to turn the dilapidated Lone Star Brewery complex into a mixed-use development spanning more than 1 million square feet. A Midway spokesperson said Lone Star District, as the development is known, is an unrelated project when asked what affect the dispute may have on those plans.

Mikal Watts, Midways lawyer, said hes hopeful Midway Chairman and CEO Bradley Freels and GrayStreet managing partner Kevin Covey can resolve their differences.

William Luther /Staff photographer

My goal is that the two of them will resolve this dispute so that they can develop the Lone Star Brewery as partners, Watts said, speaking Tuesday from Brussels, Belgium, where he was taking depositions in another case. All of the discussions have been constructive.

Last month, the City Council awarded $24 million in subsidies for Lone Star District. GrayStreet and Midway have said they plan to invest nearly $600 million in the project.

Covey and Peter French, GrayStreets director of development, didnt return calls Tuesday about the Broadway dispute.

Midway filed suit because a sale of the Broadway land is imminent, Watts said.

The sale is about to happen and my client, Brad Freels, needs to be protected, Watts added. I think hes now protected. But this is not a warpath. This is a path towards hopeful peace. Im confident we can get there in short order.

On ExpressNews.com: City Council $24 million worth of subsidies for former Lone Star Brewerys redevelopment

State District Judge Tina Torres on Friday issued a temporary restraining order that prevents GrayStreet from disbursing any monies received from the sale of the Broadway property. The judge issued the order without GrayStreet having an opportunity to challenge Midways application.

In its lawsuit, Midway says GrayStreet promised it would be an equal equity partner in the ownership of the property and project, dubbed Broadway East.

As part of the project, Midways says it provided architectural and design services, performed infrastructure and traffic evaluation and attended public hearings where it was presented as GrayStreets partner.

Brad did a lot of work on this project, Watts said. Midway seeks more than $1 million in damages.

Last fall, GrayStreets French said the firm was working with Midway to turn the 20 acres on Broadway into a 1.6-million-square-foot community with multifamily housing, retail and hospitality space, offices and an outdoor plaza.

The $560.8 million development was expected to take about a decade to complete. Work on an apartment complex, part of the first phase, has been slated to start in February.

In January, however, it was revealed that GrayStreet had put 14.7 acres of the Broadway East site up for sale. The listing included parcels stretching from Broadway past North Hackberry Street and between Casa Blanca and Carson streets.

GrayStreet has yet to file an answer to the lawsuits.

SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

In its lawsuit, McWhinney wants the court to issue an injunction that would prevent GrayStreet from selling the property to Fulcrum Development.

The threat of harm here is real, substantial and incapable of being reversed at trial, McWhinney said in its May 21 lawsuit. In particular, without an injunction from this court, GrayStreet will close on the Fulcrum (deal), therefore divesting McWhinney of the right of first refusal to buy the property under similar terms and conditions as Fulcrum.

GrayStreet attorney Charles Murray had informed McWhinney that its right of first refusal had expired no later than April 16, according to a letter attached to the lawsuit. GrayStreet entered into the purchase agreement with Fulcrum after McWhinneys agreement expired, Murray added.

Murray expressed concern that McWhinneys claim would cause Fulcrum to pull out of the deal, resulting in potentially significant damages to Covey and his partners.

Under the terms of McWhinneys deal, it would pay $36 million for an 80 percent stake in the entity. That would value the land at $45 million. McWhinney said it later upped its offer by 7 percent.

While negotiations for the property were underway, McWhinney said that unbeknownst to it, GrayStreet entered into six separate purchase and sale agreements with Fulcrum on April 19.

On May 10, the suit added, Covey disclosed that GrayStreet had received a higher offer from Fulcrum. Covey promised to send McWhinney the terms of any final competing offer to allow it to exercise its right of first refusal, the complaint said.

pdanner@express-news.net
Thelma and Robert Reyes missed Fiesta terribly when it was canceled last year because of COVID-19. And they were saddened when it was moved from its usual time slot in April of this year to June as the pandemic lingered.

So when they heard about the first-ever City-Wide Fiesta Porch Parade, they jumped in to turn their South Side home into a parade float.

On ExpressNews.com: Fiesta crowd revels in return to normalcy at the Texas Cavaliers River Parade

We entered in the Best Memory category, said Thelma, who was still buzzing several days after learning their home was awarded the Grand Prize winner as the best in the contest, which was co-sponsored by a partnership of the Battle of Flowers and the Fiesta Flambeau associations.

She said she came up with the concept, which recreates a typically Fiesta event, complete with food booths and mannequins dressed in their Fiesta finery, while Robert supplied the elbow grease to make it happen.

After both street parades were canceled this year, organizers borrowed the porch parade idea from the city of New Orleans which, in response to the cancellation of Mardi Gras in February, challenged homeowners to decorate their yards and front porches Mardi Gras-style, transforming them into glittery, glorious house floats.

The event was organized by a committee made up of members of the two parade associations and entrants were judged on the creativity of their decorations. Winners received cash awards, overnight stays at Estancia Del Norte hotel, dinner for two at the hotel restaurant, gift certificates from Amols Party & Fiesta Favors and more.

The idea already was copied in April by residents in the neighborhoods in and around King William when the King William Fair Parade was canceled, as well in other cities, including Mobile, Alabama and Galveston.

This more recent porch parade was truly a city-wide affair, with more than 100 homes, businesses and schools entering from across town to competing for cash prizes as well as such as hotel stays, dinners, gift certificates and gift baskets.

Parade officials say they were pleased with the response to this first-ever event  and that it may not be a one-shot deal.

The enthusiasm it stirred up, especially after the pandemic was absolutely worth it, said Melissa Branch, Battle of Flowers Parade chairwoman. We still have to review things, but personally I have to say Im enthusiastically optimistic this might become a regular Fiesta event.

Here are this years winners:

Thelma and Robert Reyes

Grand Prize: If theres ever a need to move Fiesta, organizers can put it in Thelma and Robert Reyes front yard, which overflows with food and beverage booths, cutouts of mariachis playing music and pickup trucks heading to the parades, decked-out mannequins, flags, papel picados, signs reading Its time to Fiesta, God Bless America and much more.

Fiesta has always meant so much to us, Thelma said. The parades run in our family, ever since we both marched when Robert was on the drill team at Harlandale High School and I was on the pep squad.

She said that while it took them three days to put up the decorations, it took two weeks to conceive of the idea itself.

We do it because we love bringing joy and happiness to the neighborhood, she said, adding that the prizes, including $1,000 cash and a package worth more than $1,500, are amazing.

Location: 134 E. Villaret, near S.W. Loop 410 and Pleasanton Road. Still on display.

On ExpressNews.com: Fiesta crowd revels in return to normalcy at the Texas Cavaliers River

William Luther /Staff photographer

Best Fiesta Memory: Theres hardly a Fiesta memory that goes unnoted on Mary Montezs front lawn. You can practically smell the chicken-on-a-stick booth, the house is festooned with paper flowers, there are mariachis and, of course, a sign exhorts, Show us your shoes!

And you cant miss the 12-foot skeleton, nicknamed Bones, looking down on it all from the height of the second-floor balcony.

We always go to the parades as a family, so we have lots and lots of Fiesta memories to choose from, said Montez. And weve decorated our house for as long as weve lived here, so we already had mos of the decorations we needed.

Location: 526 Clovis Place, in the Harlandale neighborhood. Still on display.

William Luther /Staff photographer

Most Puro San Antonio: David Aleman has a passion for his hometown and his community, said his granddaughter, and so he decorated his home to represent that special style known as puro San Antonio.

It would be difficult to think of a Fiesta San Antonio icon thats not included in Alemans decorations, from papel picados, sombreros, guitars and serapes to colorful chains and mariachis all surrounding a huge flowered Fiesta wreath hanging on the front door.

We really missed not having Fiesta these past two years, Aleman said.

Location: 427 Koehler Court, near Hot Wells Blvd., and S. New Braunfels Ave. Still on display.

Cristina Davila

Best Use of Color: Artist Cristina Davila recently started her own business hand-making Fiesta decorations. So she took advantage of what she had to create a bright and vibrant front yard filled with oversize pinatas, burros, flowers, cascarones and cactuses, all in hot pink, bright orange, lime green and sunshine yellow.

Long, thick curtains of colored material that she cut into strips from plastic table cloths, hang over the front porch, framing it all.

San Antonio is a bright and colorful city, and I wanted my home to reflect that, she said. I was especially happy to see that once I started decorating, my neighbors started decorating their houses, too.

Location: 527 Tara Drive, near San Pedro and Loop 410. Still on display.

On ExpressNews.com: A Night in Old San Antonio brings new tech, cooler temperatures for opening

Kasey Wiggins

Best Use of Lights: Kasey Wiggins, who describes herself as a crafter, took her inspiration from both the Battle of Flowers and the Fiesta Flambeau parades in a way that comes alive once the sun goes down.

Most everything in her yard, including windows made to look like pinatas, flowers and two huge skulls flanking the front door, was painted in fluorescent colors that glow eerily under undulating black lights.

Especially at night, I get a lot of people driving by real slow to look at the decorations, she said.

The win was somewhat bittersweet for Wiggins, who chose the theme Somewhere Klover the Rainbow to memorialize the baby she recently lost and had planned to name Klover. Its a sad time for me, but decorating for Fiesta has helped me get through it, she said.

Location: 16423 Ledge Park, near U.S. 281 and Thousand Oaks. No longer fully on display.

William Luther /Staff photographer

Best School: Dolph Briscoe Middle School. Students at this Northside ISD school combined this past school years school theme reunion with re-creations of the long trains from the gowns worn by Fiesta queens. In addition to the decorated trains that hung in the schools main entryway, the 20 or so students who were involved dressed a mannequin in a Fiesta outfit, made oversize medals, and created a colorful, tissue flower-filled sign reading Fiesta.

It was a good experience because about 30 percent of our students are military connected, so many of them had no idea what Fiesta even is, said principal Christina Rather. It helped them bond with our other students whove been going to Fiesta events for years.

The school plans to use the $5,000 prize it will receive to make its covered patio more inviting with furniture and other items so students can work out there when the weather is nice.

Location: 4265 Lone Star Parkway near Loop 1604 and Alamo Parkway. No longer on display.

Dolph Briscoe Middle School

Best Business: 711 S. Presa St. The Lavaca hair studio Angeline De Carlo Salon, is very community-oriented, participating in the King William Parade and various art fashion shows around town. So when owner Mary Alice Medina and her staff heard about the porch parade they went all-out to represent.

The front lawn of their modest building is occupied by several gaily dressed mannequins that look like theyre preparing to watch a parade. This includes a cheeky copy of Bernie Sanders wearing a face mask at the presidential inauguration, except hes wrapped in a colorful serape and theres a large margarita on a table next to him.

We truly missed Fiesta, Medina said. But the porch parade is something different and exciting. Something the whole city can participate in.

Location: 711 S. Presa St., in the Lavaca neighborhood. Still on display.

rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
This story was the result of a partnership between NBC News and Hearst newspapers.

Texas child welfare workers and family courts will be required to consider additional medical opinions before taking children from parents in cases of suspected child abuse, under a new law going into effect Sept. 1.

The law, signed Friday by Gov. Greg Abbott, also orders a state commission to study the work of state-funded doctors who are tasked with diagnosing child abuse. The commission will propose improvements to the process that Texas Child Protective Services workers follow when relying on these doctors medical reports.

The legislation follows a 2019 NBC News and Hearst newspaper investigation into the plight of parents who were accused of abuse based on mistaken reports by doctors. State Rep. James Frank, a Republican from Wichita Falls and one of the bills sponsors, said its goal is to prevent CPS from taking children from parents based on flawed or incomplete medical reports.

False removals are traumatic for kids first and foremost, but also for their parents, he said. So we have to be more precise in the way we go through the removal process. I think sometimes when an expert in a white suit says something, theres a tendency for CPS to go, Theyre 100 percent right. But thats not always the case.

The NBC News and Chronicle reporting focused on the work of child abuse pediatricians, a small but growing subspecialty of doctors who work closely with state child welfare agencies. When a child  especially one too young to speak  comes into a hospital with serious injuries, child abuse pediatricians review medical images and witness statements to determine whether the injuries were accidental or inflicted.

Child abuse pediatricians provide expert reports and court testimony in thousands of child welfare cases across the country every year, shielding untold numbers of abused children from additional harm. But when the evidence is not clear, the investigation found, a mistaken or overstated diagnosis of child abuse can devastate a family.

Under the new law, caregivers accused of abuse based on a medical report will be allowed to request that CPS get another opinion from a doctor whose expertise is relevant to the childs injuries. And when parents get a second medical opinion on their own, the law will require judges to consider that evidence before issuing orders for children to be taken into state custody.

In 2016, Ann Marie Timmerman rushed her lethargic 4-month-old son to a Houston hospital, where she learned he had suffered a small amount of bleeding around his brain. A child abuse pediatrician told CPS that the injury could only have been the result of abuse.

Based on that opinion alone  and without considering a report from a pediatric neurosurgeon who disagreed, saying the injury was probably the result of childbirth  CPS took emergency custody of the baby, records show. The agency dropped the case seven months later based on additional medical findings.

The first thing Timmerman saw when she woke up Saturday morning was a text from an advocate with a single sentence bearing the news: The governor signed the bill. She shook her husband awake: Its official! she told him.

Timmerman, one of the parents featured in the NBC News and Hearst series, made several trips to Austin to testify in support of the law. She said if it had been in place five years ago, her baby might not have been stripped from her care.

This would have stopped it, Timmerman said. We had the treating neurosurgeon in the hospital saying it was birth trauma  we had the second diagnosis right there and CPS chose not to talk to him.

Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees CPS, said the agency does not comment on legislation or its handling of individual cases.

The law also might have made a difference in the case of Melissa and Dillon Bright, whose ordeal was chronicled in the 2020 NBC News and Wondery podcast Do No Harm. In their case, a Houston child abuse pediatrician told CPS that their 5-month-olds head injuries didnt match the Brights account of him accidentally falling head-first from a lawn chair onto their concrete driveway. The Brights consulted a pediatric radiologist who disagreed, but neither CPS nor a judge considered that opinion before taking emergency custody of both of the Brights children, records show.

A judge later ordered CPS to return the Bright children to their parents and issued a $127,000 sanction against the state agency for its handling of the case.

Child welfare advocacy groups in Texas have broadly endorsed the new laws goal of preventing needless child removals but have also raised concerns about potential unintended consequences. Child abuse pediatricians, for example, warned lawmakers this spring that the process of seeking additional medical opinions could lead to delays in removing children from dangerous homes.

In the end, the law passed with broad bipartisan support in both chambers of the Texas Legislature. State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat and a lawyer who handles CPS cases, said he supported the bill because it ensures that the agency and judges have more information to make better decisions for children and families.

Like all things that CPS does, there is a delicate balance, he said. If you tip it too far on one side, then you will have kids who are returning to families that are abusing them, and if you tip it too far the other way, then you have families that are having their kids stripped away because of a medical mistake. And this is an attempt at trying to figure out ways that we can make the process a little more fair.
Despite a bipartisan push from state lawmakers, Texas middle and high school students wont be required to learn about preventing family violence, dating violence and child abuse.

Senate Bill 1109, which would have implemented such instruction in public schools, was among the 21 bills vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott after they were approved by both chambers of the Legislature.

The measure, named the Christine Blubaugh Act in memory of a 16-year-old Grand Prairie girl who was murdered by an ex-boyfriend in 2000, would have mandated that Texans learn about prevention efforts at least once in middle school and twice in high school. Those lessons would have included information about the prevalence and signs of dating violence, ways to report abuse and resources available to students.

It also would have required classroom lessons about the districts dating violence policy, which addresses the districts plans to uphold student safety, enforce protection orders, train teachers and offer counseling to affected students, per the states education code.

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But Abbott said that while these are important subjects, SB 1109 fails to recognize the right of parents to opt their children out of the instruction.

The Texas education code allows parents to temporarily remove their child from a class, such as sex education, for religious or moral reasons.

I have vetoed similar legislation before on this ground, because we must safeguard parental rights regarding this type of instruction, Abbott said in a memo. I look forward to working with the Legislature on a narrower approach.

The bill had been approved with bipartisan support, moving 29-2 through the Senate and 99-48 in the House.

State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas and the legislative author of the bill, said he was disappointed in the veto. But Abbotts office had contacted him to relay the governors concerns, and he was assured that they would work with us next session.

Young love is supposed to be beautiful, West said in a statement. Young love isnt supposed to hurt, and no, it isnt supposed to kill. But unfortunately, it does.

Grand Prairie Assistant Police Chief Ronnie Morris, who wrote the bill with Blubaugh in mind after responding to her murder two decades ago, said he was "stunned" by Abbotts veto. He said the governors objections to the bill ignored the fact that parents can often be perpetrators of domestic violence.

Plus, he said, statistics show that most Texas parents are not having conversations with their children about dating and family violence.

"I'm just absolutely devastated for kids in our state because I think that this bill would have saved lives and even helped stop the cycle of domestic violence and abuse before it even started," Morris said.

He plans to continue working with West and other legislators to pass the bill next session  but is hoping that Abbott would also consider adding the measure to an expected special session later this year.

Texas students already receive some education on family and dating violence prevention in school, though SB 1109 would have implemented more specific mandates. The State Board of Education, which sets educational requirements for public school students, met in the fall to revise the states health curriculum standards and included several provisions on dating and family violence prevention.

Those standards, which take effect next academic year, aim to show middle school students the impact of interpersonal violence and the importance of seeking guidance and help to maintain personal safety, including family violence and bullying. High school students also receive some instruction on dating violence prevention in health courses, but those classes are optional.

SB 1109 would have clarified how often students must learn about violence prevention and required it for high school students. West said the measure would have aligned with the states recently approved curriculum standards.

In total, the bill would have mandated about four to six hours of education over several years, supporters said.

The measure would have helped Blubaughs family identify the warning signs theyd seen when she was experiencing teen dating violence, her twin sister, Dawn Blubaugh-Inocencio, testified at a hearing on the bill in April. Blubaughs mother, Debra, also spoke in support of the bill, as did Grand Prairie police officers.

These children were young, too, and they had never really been around it, Debra Blubaugh testified before the Senate Education Committee. They didnt know what the signs were. I believe, had she had this information in high school, it would have started a conversation.

She added: Its too late for my daughter, but its not too late to save other kids and other families from the hell that weve been living through.

cayla.harris@express-news.net

twitter.com/caylajharris
U.S. Army North, a nationwide command headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, sent thousands of medical teams to a half-dozen states to fill critical gaps in COVID-19 care and assist overworked doctors and nurses.

Then, it pivoted to help with vaccinations as the pandemic eased. Now, with caseloads dropping and vaccination numbers up, the reinforcements are no longer needed and the mission has been ended.

Army North, a joint force under the U.S. Northern Command consisting of units from all the armed services, said its last personnel to help out  from the Air Force  left a New Jersey facility on Monday.

It had provided active-duty support to federal vaccination efforts since Feb. 4, overseeing around 150 military medical and support personnel from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force who worked in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

They administered around 5 million vaccines.

We end our COVID-19 support mission where it began, in the Northeast, said Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of Army North, in a prepared statement. As demand for federal military support for pandemic response declines, so, too, can our presence.

At the height of the pandemic, units directed from San Antonio helped support civilian hospitals across the nation over the past 18 months  including some in San Antonio. At one point in November, the command had around 560 military medical personnel working alongside civilian healthcare providers treating patients sickened by the virus in six states and the Navajo Nation.

It shifted the mission over time to help civilians vaccinate people in their communities.

Weve never had a mission of this scale before, said Nicole Wieman, an Army North spokeswoman.

The command has responded to natural disasters such as hurricanes and has supported firefighters in California, but this was unique, she noted.

The command worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state and local officials to meet what an Army North press release called the national preparedness goal, which defines what it means for the whole community to be prepared for all types of disasters and emergencies.

Texas sent 80 military medical personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force to support three hospitals in Abilene, Lufkin and Eagle Pass in late January. The operation worked the same way around the country, with military teams jetting into cities and towns to help doctors and nurses cope with their COVID caseloads.

It supported vaccination centers across the country, from California, Colorado and Florida to Louisiana, Maryland and Massachusetts. Some were in Texas. Around 500 troops supported six vaccination centers in Houston, Dallas, Arlington and Hurst.

Including help with repatriation efforts that brought Americans home from China at the start of the pandemic over 10,000 active duty military under our charge have responded time and again to support our nation in its time of need, said Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, according to the release.

He called the past year and a half an unprecedented challenge not only here, but around the world. By answering the call and contributing to our whole-of-nation efforts, we have shown our resilience and strength to meet whatever challenges the future holds.

sigc@express-news.net
Texans love their dogs, no doubt. But now, some Texans are calling out Gov. Greg Abbott, alleging that he does not.

The Republican governor killed 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, banning the use of heavy chains to tether dogs, requiring animal control and shelters to scan lost dogs for microchips and giving tax breaks to pet rescue facilities.

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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.

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."

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 from the House and Senate in the Texas legislature, 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."

Tom Reel, Staff / Staff photographer

CRACKING DOWN ON TEACHERS: Abbott signs new education law forbidding lessons on systemic racism

"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.

Many dog lovers on Twitter are also 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."
This is the most discussed boat ever in San Antonio.

Thats what Express-News reporter Scott Huddleston said on this weeks edition of the Puro Politics podcast, with regard to a requested vessel that has inflamed tensions between Sheriff Javier Salazar and County Commissioner Trish DeBerry.

Salazar went before the Commissioners Court in April to get approval of a $20,000 donation from the Bexar County Sheriffs Foundation for the purchase of a rescue boat.

On ExpressNews.com: DeBerry, Salazar spar over sheriff's request to accept $20,000 gift for search and rescue boat

Salazar initially talked about using the boat for search missions and more recently has touted its potential for preventing drownings in nearby counties.

You have to wonder how many lives can one boat save, Huddleston said, especially if its not already deployed on a body of water. Unless the sheriff has a crystal ball to know where that kind of operation is going to be needed.

DeBerry referred to the requested boat as a shiny new toy for Salazar and questioned whether it was the most prudent use of the foundation funds. The commissioners asked Salazar to come back with more information about maintenance, liability, operations and storage plans for the boat.

Two months later, Salazar was photographed posed with the owners of Black Rifle Coffee Co. as they presented him with a $32,000 donation for the rescue boat.

One of the companys co-owners criticized DeBerry on Instagram, prompting respondents to make all manner of vile comments about the county commissioner.

On ExpressNews.com: Sheriff Salazar urges everyone to 'chill' in wake of Black Rifle Coffee Co. social media firestorm

As a result, County Judge Nelson Wolff has declared that the county will not accept the donation from Black Rifle Coffee.

Underlying the boat debate is DeBerrys concern about inefficiency within the sheriffs office and her frustration with the sheriffs unavailability to meet with her.

From Salazars perspective, DeBerry is going out of her way to target him for criticism.

Hear more about this and other issues on the latest episode of Puro Politics.

ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
Theres something about summer and space travel.

Maybe its that sublime footage of a Saturn V rocket taking off against the blue Florida sky in 1969. You know, that slow-motion rise, clouds of steam and sheets of ice flaking off the massive black and white rocket, that bold red USA and billows of flame and smoke.

The clips appear in every video montage about the 1960s. You can almost hear Norman Greenbaums song Spirit in the Sky.

Apollo 11 landing on the moon on July 20, 1969, is the main reason space and summer seem to go together. But other space milestones have occurred in the summer months. On June 3, 1965, San Antonio native Ed White became the first American to walk in space.

On May 30, 2020, SpaceX sent two astronauts to space from American soil for the first time since 2011. The spectacle offered a brief escape from the realities of the pandemic, political chaos and civil turmoil. The launch, known as Demo 2, carried echoes of the late 60s.

On ExpressNews.com: This is not SpaceX property: Elon Musks company looks to rename South Texas town Starbase

2021 is shaping up to be a big space summer, and Texas is playing a leading role, much like it has in the past. But Texas summer space jam doesnt involve NASAs Johnson Space Center as much as it does two commercial space companies, SpaceX and Blue Origin.

The state could see at least two historic launches as two battling billionaires  Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos  look to push their commercial space endeavors to the next step. And its not a stretch to say San Antonio is at the crossroads of this new space race.

NASA

SpaceX plans to lob its Starship into orbit for the first time from its South Texas launch facility. According to plans filed with the Federal Communication Commission, a Super Heavy booster will carry Starship into orbit and return to Earth, splashing down in the Gulf 20 miles off the coast of Boca Chica. The Starship will continue its flight and perform a powered landing into the ocean about 60 miles off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, roughly 90 minutes after launch.

Its an impressive plan with a tight timeline. Elon Musk tweeted in March the company planned to do the test flight in July, but thats looking less likely. Federal licensing and authorizations are pending. The Boca Chica orbital launch tower is still under construction, and the company hasnt fully built or tested the Super Heavy booster.

On ExpressNews.com: SpaceXs Boca Chica venture has all the versus categories covered

Then theres the continued legal skirmishes, land battles and the contingent of South Texas SpaceX critics. In the companys latest legal battle, the Cameron County district attorney sent SpaceX a cease and desist letter over complaints its private security staff had illegally denied access to public roads.

But its risky to doubt SpaceX. The commercial space juggernaut surprises critics time and time again.

Oh, and speaking of juggernauts  lets talk about the Super Heavy booster. With at least 29 Raptor engines, the 230-foot-tall stainless steel beast will be one of the most powerful rockets ever built. And all those engines likely pass through San Antonio on their way to Boca Chica from SpaceXs McGregor test facility.

Then, near Van Horn out in West Texas, Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos plans to fly to space along with his brother, Mark, an unnamed customer who paid $28 million for the seat and another passenger who hasnt been identified yet.

Theyre scheduled to launch July 20 aboard a reusable Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. The flight will last about 11 minutes, taking the crew above the 62-mile-high threshold of space. Blue Origins space capsule is fully automated. It features large windows and room for six passengers.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio firm is working on moon launch pads for NASA

New Shepard has had 15 successful consecutive missions, including three escape tests. Bezos and his crew mates will be the first people to fly in the capsule.

And dont forget Richard Bransons commercial space firm, Virgin Galactic. While not in Texas, its a close neighbor at Spaceport America outside Truth or Consequences, N.M., about 100 miles from El Paso.

Virgins Unity spacecraft had a successful flight to space May 22 from the spaceport. The success spawned speculation that Branson might try to beat Bezos to space in July, but Virgin hasnt announced the timing of its next flight.

Closer to home, in San Antonio, Southwest Research Institute remains the areas space heavyweight, and it has a busy summer scheduled.

On ExpressNews.com: Starbase, Texas? Really?

First, NASA announced June 10 that it selected a SwRI payload to go to Schrodingers Basin on the far side of the moon to study the lunar crust, mantle and core. Maybe that research will help Exploration Architecture and University of Texas at San Antonio researchers in the citys burgeoning moon infrastructure scene.

Then, SwRIs Lucy spacecraft, which will study the Trojan asteroids, is shipping to Cape Canaveral in July in preparation for an October launch.

Also over the summer, scientists are calibrating SwRIs MASPEX  Mass Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration  an instrument that will fly on Europa Clipper, a spacecraft scheduled to launch in 2024.

The Juno spacecraft, which carries SwRI instruments and got an extended lease on life in January, begins its follow-on mission in August that will include multiple flybys, expanding its investigation to the larger Jovian system.

UVS-JUICE, a SwRI instrument on the European Space Agencys Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission, is on the spacecraft in Toulous, France. Its undergoing environmental vacuum tests this month in preparation for a September 2022 launch.

Finally, the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, a constellation of four SwRI spacecraft studying the suns and Earths magnetic fields, got a three-year extension.

So heres to the Texas-size space summer. Someday, todays space footage may dominate the video montages from the 2020s.

What will the soundtrack be?

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
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is expected to fall short of his commitment to shipping 80 million COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad by the end of June because of regulatory and other hurdles, officials said as they announced new plans Monday for sharing the shots globally.

The White House announced the final allocations for the doses, with 60 million shots going to the global COVAX vaccine-sharing alliance and 20 million being directed to specific partners. But fewer than 10 million doses have been shipped around the world, 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.

Officials said that while the U.S.-produced doses are ready, deliveries have been delayed due to U.S. and the recipient countries' legal, logistical and regulatory requirements.

What weve 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," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Psaki said shipments will go out as soon as countries are ready to receive the doses and the administration sorts out logistical complexities, including vaccination supplies like syringes and alcohol prep pads, cold-storage for the doses, customs procedures and even language barriers.

Psaki said she was not aware of how many doses would be shipped by the end of the month.

The excess doses are not needed in the U.S., where demand for vaccinations has plummeted in recent weeks as more than 177 million Americans have received at least one shot.

On May 17, Biden announced that "over the next six weeks, the United States of America will send 80 million doses overseas. This will be more vaccines than any country has actually shared to date  five times more than any other country  more than Russia and China, which have donated 15 million doses.

Earlier this month, Biden announced that on top of the 80 million, the U.S. was purchasing 500 million doses from Pfizer to donate globally over the coming year, with the first deliveries expected in August.

Biden initially committed to providing other nations with all 60 million U.S.-produced doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has yet to be authorized for use in the U.S. but is widely approved around the world. The AstraZeneca doses have been held up for export by a weekslong safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.

Given declining domestic demand, Biden was expected to be able to meet the full 80 million commitment without the AstraZeneca doses. The White House unveiled plans earlier this month for the first 25 million doses for export from existing federal stockpiles of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and some have already begun shipping.

On Monday, it revealed plans for 55 million more shots.

Through COVAX, the latest batch of doses will include about 14 million for Latin America and the Caribbean, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Panama and Costa Rica; approximately 16 million for Asia for India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Cambodia and the Pacific Islands; and about 10 million for Africa, with countries selected in concert with the African Union.

About 14 million doses will be shared directly with Colombia, Argentina, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, Oman, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia.
DALLAS (AP)  More than 150 employees at a Houston hospital system who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine have been fired or resigned after a judge dismissed an employee lawsuit over the vaccine requirement.

A spokesperson for Houston Methodist hospital system said 153 employees either resigned in the two-week suspension period or were terminated on Tuesday.

The case over how far health care institutions can go to protect patients and others against the coronavirus has been closely watched. It's believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. But it wont be the end of the debate.

Earlier this month, a federal judge threw out the lawsuit filed by 117 employees over the requirement. The hospital system's decision in April to require the vaccine for workers made it the first major U.S. health care system to do so.

The Houston Methodist employees who filed the lawsuit likened their situation to medical experiments performed on unwilling victims in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes called that comparison reprehensible and said claims made in the lawsuit that the vaccines are experimental and dangerous are false.

Hughes, who dismissed the lawsuit on June 12, said that if the employees didn't like the requirement, they could go work elsewhere.

Those who filed the lawsuit have already appealed the judges dismissal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The hospital system had required employees to complete their immunization by June 7. The next day, 178 employees were suspended for two weeks without pay for not complying.

Jennifer Bridges, a registered nurse who is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against Houston Methodist, said her director called her Tuesday to ask if she'd gotten the vaccine yet or made any effort to do so. She said that when she replied absolutely not," she was told that she was terminated.

We all knew we were getting fired today," said Bridges, 39. "We knew unless we took that shot to come back, we were getting fired today. There was no ifs, ands or buts.

She had worked for 6 years at the medical-surgical in-patient unit at Houston Methodists hospital in the suburb of Baytown.

Bridges said Tuesday was also her first day at her new job at a company that sends nurses into people's homes.

Im hoping if we win this at a federal level then theyre going to create laws to protect employees from having to go through this anywhere else in the country, said Bridges, who said she does not have confidence in the vaccine's safety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that while a small number of health problems have been reported, COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective.

Other hospital systems around the country, including in Washington, D.C., Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania and most recently New York, have followed Houston Methodist and have also gotten pushback.

Legal experts say such vaccine requirements, particularly in a public health crisis, will probably continue be upheld in court as long as employers provide reasonable exemptions, including for medical conditions or religious objections.

Harris Methodist has said some employees got medical or religious exemptions, and some were deferred for pregnancy or other reasons.

But Houston Methodists president and CEO, Marc Boom, has said nearly 25,000 of the systems more than 26,000 workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

You did the right thing. You protected our patients, your colleagues, your families and our community. The science proves that the vaccines are not only safe but necessary if we are going to turn the corner against COVID-19, Boom said in a statement to employees.
FAIRFIELD  A Facebook post about racism is at the center of a defamation case in town, according to court documents.

According to the complaint, Jason Gladstone, a town resident, has sued Laura Karson, a member of Fairfields Democratic Town Committee and Representative Town Meeting, over a social media post he claims, among other things, included false and defamatory statements regarding him.

Karson filed a special motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing, among other things, she has made an initial showing that Gladstones complaint is based on her exercise of her right to free speech, her right to petition the government and her right of association under the constitution in connection with a matter of public concern; that Gladstones claims were insufficiently pled; and that Gladstone cannot establish probable cause that he will prevail on any of his claims.

As of Tuesday, Karsons special motion to dismiss is pending and Gladstone has not yet filed an opposition to the special motion to dismiss.

When reached for comment prior to Karsons filing of the special motion to dismiss, Karsons attorney did not respond to a request for comment and Gladstone, a New Canaan attorney, said all information is in the court documents and declined to comment further.

The suit stemmed from an email sent from Superintendent Mike Cummings to the Fairfield Public Schools community, according to court documents. According to the special motion to dismiss, Cummings said in the email that in the wake of national demonstrations and conversations about racism over the past summer, and with acts of violence against Asian Americans on the rise, he was reaffirming Fairfield Public Schools commitment to racial awareness and anti-racism.

In the superintendents email, which is quoted in Karsons special motion to dismiss, Cummings expressed the school districts commitment to raising staff awareness of inherent biases.

Fairfield Public Schools is committed to continuing to examine our own policies, practices, beliefs, and actions so that we can become aware of the hurt we may cause students, staff, and the community, when we are unmindful of our own inherent biases, Cummings wrote, as quoted in Karsons special motion to dismiss.

Gladstone responded to Cummings email, copying elected officials like Karson, suggesting the superintendent was out of line for his message.

I am truly offended that you would insinuate that I am inherently racist or biased within your March 19, 2021 email, according to the special motion to dismiss.

On March 24, Karson sent an email to Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick to garner support for Cummings.

Throughout the pandemic, Mr. Cummings has demonstrated steady leadership, always putting the best interests of our children first. He is to be commended for dealing with all the challenges COVID-19 has put on our children, teachers, administrators and parents. These are tough times for all of us, but tearing down an educator, accusing him of calling others racists, when in fact he was trying to share his own reflections and ask for everyone in the community to do better, will not lead to a stronger Fairfield, K arson wrote in the email, which is quoted in the special motion to dismiss.

A s quoted in the special motion to dismiss, she also expressed in the email to Kupchick that Gladstone was outraged that Mr. Cummings insinuated he was inherently racist, which couldnt be farther from the truth and Mr. Gladstone and others on the email chain exhibited white fragility, a discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice.

According to Karsons special motion to dismiss, in an attempt to gain support for the superintendent, Karson posted a copy of her email to Kupchick in the Facebook group, Fairfield Standing United, an advocacy group representing residents of Fairfield and New Haven counties that focus on advocacy of social and political issues on federal, state and local levels.

According to the special motion to dismiss, Gladstone on April 12 sent Karson a letter demanding a full retraction for allegedly defamatory statements in her Facebook post. According to the special motion to dismiss, following receipt of the retraction request, Karson removed her original post and on April 21 posted a retraction.

I characterized the tone and tenor of Mr. Gladstones email as a disrespectful and offensive and suggested that it exhibited white fragility and that he was tearing down an educator. I understand that these comments offended Mr. Gladstone and I hereby retract them, Karson said in her retraction, as quoted in her special motion to dismiss.

According to court documents, Karson was still served with Gladstones complaint on May 4.

If the court grants Karsons special motion to dismiss, she is seeking the cost of attorneys fees.

In his affidavit in support of his application for prejudgment remedy, Gladstone claims the allegedly defamatory statements have damaged him financially in the amount of $1 million. Judge Barry Stevens denied the application for prejudgment remedy on May 5.

As discussed at the conference today, there appears to be insurance coverage for this matter, and the application of a prejudgment attachment is denied without prejudice to reclaim, the order states.
After several Fulton County, Ga., poll monitors testified last year that boxes of mail-in ballots for Joe Biden looked liked theyd been run through a photocopy machine, state investigators quietly broke the seal on one suspicious box and inspected the hundreds of votes it contained for signs of fraud, RealClearInvestigations has learned exclusively.

At the same time, a key whistleblower told RCI that state investigators pressured her to recant her story about what she and other poll monitors had observed -- what they called unusually pristine mail-in ballots while sorting through them during last Novembers hand recount.

I felt I was under investigation, said Suzi Voyles, a longtime Fulton County poll manager whose sworn affidavits have been used by election watchdogs to sue the county for access to the ballots in question.

Although the ballots are at the center of disputes about the Georgia presidential race, which Joe Biden won by just 12,000 votes, the state never disclosed its probe to the public or to election watchdogs suing to inspect the ballots.

State officials also neglected to inform the judge hearing the lawsuit that they were conducting such an inspection, even though the judge had issued a protective order over the ballots in January. In a nine-page amicus brief recently filed in the case, attorneys for the office of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger urged Superior Court Judge Brian Amero to deny petitioners requests to inspect the ballots, calling them a fishing expedition.

Frances Watson, chief investigator for the secretary of states office, confirmed in a statement to RCI that she sent investigators to Fulton County earlier this year to inspect the batches of sealed ballots. Poll monitors involved in last Novembers hand recount had described the mail-in ballots in sworn affidavits as devoid of creases and folds and featuring identically bubbled-in marks for Biden. But the state said it could not find any ballots matching that description.

Our investigators looked into it and didnt find anything, she said, while adding the investigation is still ongoing.

The watchdogs question why state officials did not disclose their activities to the court and fear they may have tampered with the sealed ballots, which are at the center of their lawsuit seeking access to all 147,000 absentee ballots cast during the 2020 election in Fulton County, which includes much of Atlanta.

Led by longtime Georgia poll watcher Garland Favorito, founder of VoterGA.org, the court petitioners say the state has failed to inform the judge overseeing their case that they broke the chain of custody over the pallets of shrink-wrapped absentee ballots warehoused in a locked county facility in Atlanta.

If the secretary of states office did that, they tampered with the ballots and violated Georgia state law, which restricts the handling of ballots to authorized elections officials involved in the tabulation and care of the ballots, Favorito said. He also noted that Judge Amero had placed the ballots under a protective order in January. They would have had to ask for a court order to unseal and inspect those ballots and they never did that.

Raffenspergers office seemed to acknowledge the ballots were still under seal when it urged Amero to prevent the watchdogs from inspecting the ballots.

The security and confidentiality of ballots is to be strictly maintained, attorneys for Raffensperger argued in the brief they filed with Amero in April, and the court should be cautious in granting petitioners access to ballots that Georgia law requires to remain under seal, which makes it a felony as soon as petitioners were to lay hands on them.

Raffenspergers office did not respond to questions about why it did not inform the court about its probe, although it acknowledged that this is the first time its inspection of the ballots  which began in early January  has been publicly disclosed. Judge Amero did not respond to requests for comment.

Biden narrowly won Georgia thanks to a late-night tally of absentee ballots in Fulton and other Democratic strongholds. The revelation that state authorities have already unsealed and investigated the ballots in question is a new twist in a case that has seen the firing of poll managers who blew the whistle on the suspicious ballots; a recent breach of security at the warehouse that Fulton County officials were supposed to be guarding around the clock; and an 11th-hour attempt by county officials to dismiss the court-ordered inspection of those ballots  many of which came from Atlanta area drop boxes whose chain of custody documentation has mysteriously turned up missing.

Last month Amero ordered Fulton County to unseal its 147,000 absentee ballots and allow the petitioners to inspect them under certain restrictions, but the county filed a motion to dismiss the case. Amero is expected to rule on the motion later this month.

The issue is further muddied by Suzi Voyles allegation, never previously reported, that she was pressured to recant her testimony about the pristine ballots. In sworn affidavits last November, Suzi Voyles said she observed that a large batch of mail-in ballots for Biden did not appear to have been folded or handled like she would have expected from her two decades of working elections in the county. She also said that the marks for Biden were identical, as though they had been filled in by a copying machine rather than a pen or pencil.

In a Jan. 7 interview, which took place at a secretary of states office in Atlanta, Voyles told RCI that an investigator identifying himself as Paul Braun grilled me for over two hours about her testimony. She said he was joined by another official whom she said was from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. She added that the investigators did not have a copy of her affidavit and did not know the box number and batch numbers of the ballots in question.

I smelled a rat when they didnt know the batch numbers when they were clearly denoted in my affidavit, Voyles said.

She added the investigators gave no indication" they had gone to the warehouse to find the suspicious ballots or were conducting any kind of forensic investigation. Voyles said the investigators kept trying to convince her she might have been mistaken about her observations.

I did not recant, she asserted. The ballots that I saw had been pre-printed [for Biden]. Its a very serious thing in my opinion. Thats what I swore to under penalty of perjury. Recanting would be perjuring myself.

Watson told RCI that Voyles stated that she may have been mistaken about the batch number and provided a different batch number."

I never said that, Voyles insisted.

"The second batch number provided by Ms. Voyles did not exist, Watson added.

Voyles contended she never provided any other batch numbers. Watson also revealed that investigators went to Fulton County and reviewed the batches identified by Ms. Voyles, but found no ballots that looked as Ms. Voyles described. Favorito said his groups attorney plans to file a motion to depose Watson and Braun to understand exactly what investigators have done regarding the boxes of absentee ballots in question.

Favorito said he does not doubt Voyles testimony and said the ballot images his group has reviewed support her account of anomalies.

At no time has Susan Voyles claimed she was mistaken, Favorito said. She has consistently stood by her affidavit since she submitted it almost seven months ago.

Asked if Voyles is under criminal investigation, Georgia Secretary of State Communications Director Ari Schaffer said, I have no reason to believe shes under investigation for perjury. Last December, Raffensperger condemned the unexplained firing of Voyles by Fulton County elections officials and called on them to rehire her.

As RCI previously reported, Voyles is one of four Fulton County poll monitors who signed affidavits swearing they observed the same pattern of irregularities in stacks of mail-in ballots for Biden. All of them suggested the ballots had been photocopied.

Favorito, who did not vote for Trump, said the state has also tried to interview one other witness  poll monitor Robin Hall  and said he himself is under investigation. He suggested state investigators are trying to intimidate witnesses into backing off their testimony, and are more interested in investigating whistleblowers than finding evidence of ballot fraud.

Schaffer said he was unsure whether the other affiants have been interviewed. Ill have to check on the other three witnesses, he said.

Favorito added that the discovery of hard evidence of fraud in Georgias largest county would be embarrassing for Raffensperger, who is running for reelection with little support from the Georgia GOP, which recently censured him for creating opportunities for fraud by agreeing to the relaxation of voting rules during the 2020 election.

He is worried that we will uncover serious wrongdoing on the part of the secretary of state, not just Fulton County, Favorito said.

Voyles pointed out that Raffensperger has been too quick to declare the 2020 Georgia election free of fraud. Most recently, he was blindsided by revelations that Fulton County election officials had misplaced the required chain-of-custody forms documenting the collection of almost 20,000 mail-in ballots from 36 largely unsupervised drop-off boxes Raffensperger agreed to let Democrat-controlled Fulton County distribute across the Atlanta area ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

New revelations that Fulton County is unable to produce all ballot drop-box transfer documents will be investigated thoroughly, Raffensperger tweeted June 14, adding that Fulton officials failed to follow state rules regarding the boxes. This cannot continue.

Voyles said Raffenspergers office is increasingly concerned about its pre-election decision to mollify demands by Democratic voter-rights group to make it easier to vote by absentee ballot.

They are investigating us to divert attention from their consent agreement with [Democratic activist] Stacey Abrams, she said.

We never should have had any drop boxes. We wouldnt have had chain-of-custody problems and the other problems with absentee ballots if they hadnt put in those drop boxes, Voyles added. "It was negligence.
Farmers and brewers are teaming up to begin a three-year trial to identify disease resistant hop varieties to feed UK demand for low-impact beer.

Brewers and hop merchants say demand for environmentally friendly beer and locally-sourced ingredients has accelerated since the pandemic.

But there is a lack of UK-grown organic hops, with currently only three such growers supplying the market.

Hops are notoriously vulnerable to disease and pests in the UKs temperate climate, leaving conventional growers heavily reliant on a dwindling number of agro-chemicals, and organic growers facing two-in-five crop failures.

To tackle this issue, the field lab, run through the Innovative Farmers programme, is bringing hop growers together with the Organic Research Centre to co-design practical on-farm research.

UK-grown organic hops are very difficult to get hold of," said Greg Pilley, field lab coordinator and founder of Stroud Brewery, one of only five dedicated organic breweries in the UK.

"The challenge of growing them is the largest barrier to increasing production of UK organic beer.

By collaborating as a supply chain, were aiming to identify varieties that farmers can grow more confidently.

"As a brewer Id like to have regular UK supplies of organic hops  there is also a huge variety of flavours to tap into, which could help British brewers create more distinctive products.

Its hoped the research, which involves two growers, the breeder Charles Faram, Stroud Brewery, and River Cottage, could benefit conventional growers too, added Helen Aldis, programme manager at Innovative Farmers.

We hope that if new disease resistant hop varieties are found that can grow effectively in a UK climate then more growers will be encouraged to grow them both in organic and conventional systems," she said.

Fourth generation hop grower and mixed farmer, John Walker in Worcestershire, is one of the farmers involved in the project, and is trailing three hedgerow varieties.

He said: Organic hops are a real challenge. They arent very reliable and although we get a decent premium, you get a lower yield.

"Pests and disease are a real problem, the main ones being damson hop aphids, downy and powdery mildew, Verticillium Wilt and two-spotted spider mite.

The varieties Im trialling are all resistant to aphids and we hope Verticillium Wilt, but Im hoping to have an ongoing programme of trials as we need to find more than one variety.

"Brewing trials will be done as we go along to make sure that they have a desirable flavour in the beers.

A lack of genetic diversity is one of the main drivers of disease and pest vulnerability in hops, started by a consolidation of breweries and varieties post-WW2 to feed a more commercial beer industry.

In its heyday in 1865, there were 77,000 acres of UK hops being grown, but now its less than 2,000, and were down to about 50 growers and 25 varieties, said Will Rogers, group technical director at Charles Faram, a grower-owned hops breeder, which sells about 70% of the UKs hop crop.

Its a very specialist crop to produce and currently for organic farmers we expect at least a 40% crop loss over five years. The lack of diversity is also limiting flavours for brewers

Mr Rogers said the company was receiving a growing number of enquiries about organic hops, particularly from craft brewers.

But currently, most organic hops were imported, particularly from Belgium, Germany, and New Zealand, he said.

We see an opportunity for organic hops in the UK but also for export. There are some markets  France in particular  where organic provenance is booming.

To tap into the growing UK market, Stroud Brewery plans to use the hop varieties identified by the field trial in three new organic beers made in collaboration with the rural cookery school and organic food brand, River Cottage.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, cook, broadcaster and founder of River Cottage, will launch the beers with Stroud Brewery this summer.

He said: Brewing and drinking beer is one of the stitches in our cultural fabric, and we are much enjoying our collaboration with the brilliant team at Stroud Brewery.

We hope and expect to see growing interest in sustainably produced beers that support UK farming and livelihoods, biodiversity, wildlife, and good agricultural practice.

"These new beers will give drinkers the chance to choose organic, and British, and to be part of this mission.
Dry weather conditions and increased farming activity could increase the fire risk over this year's harvest, NFU Mutual has warned.

With harvest around the corner, farmers have been urged to 'think prevention, people, plans and place' to reduce the risk of a combine fire.

Last year, the rural insurer dealt with more than 80 combine harvester fire claims across the country.

Behind the figures is the devastation to lives and property, disruption to harvest and difficulty finding replacement machines at the busiest time of year.

Andy Manson, MD of NFU Mutual Risk Management Services, said fire remained one of the greatest risks to farmers' lives and property.

He urged farming businesses to download the What3Words app, which helps emergency services find locations easily.

As well as taking preventative steps and regular maintenance to reduce the risks were urging farmers to share their fire plan with everyone on farm," Mr Manson said.

NFU Mutual has also introduced an insurance discount for farmers installing accredited suppression systems on their combine harvesters.

Mr Manson explained that suppression systems were one of the most effective ways for farmers to protect themselves, combines and the harvest.

"When an engine bay catches fire, the systems rapidly detect, contain and extinguish fire, he added.

In 2018, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue dealt with 12 combine harvest fires just in one day.

Deputy Divisional Commander Jason Lawley said farmers must never be complacent about the risk of fire.

"If the worse thing happens and there is a fire, having an emergency plan and staff trained on what to do is important," he said.

"If you need to call the fire service, ensure your directions are clear to where any fire is. The What3Words app is used by most fire services and can make a real difference in getting fire engines to the right place quickly.

"Having information to hand in a folder with farm plans, details of dangerous substances such as chemicals and fertiliser and how to access water supplies is vital."

How can I prevent a combine fire this harvest?

NFU Mutual has provided tips to farmers to help them prevent a combine fire this harvest:

 Ensure planned preventative maintenance (PPM) is up to date and in accordance with the manufacturers service schedule before using any machinery

 Fit a suppression system that meets P-mark status to contain, extinguish and prevent fire

 Regularly clean out dust and chaff from hot spots in combines and balers and check the machine over when you finish use for the day

 Switch off engines and ensure moving parts have stopped before clearing blockages or carrying out maintenance

 Always stop to investigate hot-running engines or bearings

 Have a plan in place in the event of fire including a system for keeping in contact with lone workers and anyone working or living on farm

 Keep mobile phones on you at all times  its no use to you if its left in a tractor or pickup cab

 Make sure drivers are aware of the locations and heights of power lines and check that you will safely pass under wires

 Make sure there is a fire extinguisher on the combine  and that it is regularly maintained - and that you know where the nearest water source is

 In very dry conditions, keep a bowser filled with water on hand, and be prepared to create a fire break in the event of a crop fire

 Use the What3Words app so that emergency services can find your location easily

 Remind staff to keep well-hydrated, take sufficient rest breaks and monitor for fatigue, stress and mental ill health symptoms.
A new industry network will launch this summer looking to tackle the carbon footprint of UK crop production.

The YEN Zero will bring together the entire food supply chain, including growers, to meet the industrys target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040.

The network is a new initiative by researchers from ADAS, the largest independent environmental and agricultural consultancy in the UK.

The production of crops, including cereals and oilseeds, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions primarily through the use of artificial nitrogen fertilisers and cultivation choices.

Currently, there is no standard for measuring GHG emissions in crop production, which makes it difficult for those further up the supply chain to quantify the agricultural contribution to their total emissions.

YEN Zero will undertake the analysis and benchmarking of combinable crop carbon footprints on a per-field basis with the aspiration of growing this to carbon accounting on a whole-farm scale.

This benchmarking of crop GHG intensities will enable fair and easy comparison of emissions among farms, fields and crops.

From there, it will be possible to see what agronomic practices are driving these emissions and test which mitigation strategies work best on farms.

Successful strategies will then be shared with members of the network. Researchers will also work directly with growers to help optimise their production with reduced inputs.

The network will create a space where knowledge can be shared around key net-zero topics, and metrics for calculating cropping carbon footprints can be agreed to create consensus across the industry.

From July, ADAS researchers will host a series of workshops for YEN Zero members to gain and share knowledge regarding key net-zero issues.

These workshops will be run as open forums addressing issues such as soil carbon sequestration potential, effective mitigation strategies and methodologies for calculating cropping carbon footprints.

Daniel Kindred, head of agronomics at ADAS, said: We are really excited to have such strong support from organisations across the supply chain to bring our YEN approach to tackling carbon emissions.

"By working together, we can develop a shared understanding of the issues, and share ideas and experience of what works for the industrys journey towards net zero."

A number of organisations are currently engaging in YEN Zero, these include AHDB, Defra, Syngenta, Bayer, Origin Fertilisers, Hutchinsons, Nestle, Anglian Water, John Fergus & Co and Glenmorangie.

The network is still looking for more groups that would like to join the initiative. Those interested have been told to contact christina.baxter@adas.co.uk.
Auctioneers Harrison & Hetherington have announced a debut standalone sale for one of the country's rarest native breeds, Shetland cattle.

Being conducted on behalf of Shetland Cattle Breeders Association (SCBA), the online auction will start on 30 September and will end 48 hours later.

Founded in 2000 by a group of mainland UK breeders, the SCBA aims to conserve for future generations the valuable genetic resource Shetland cattle represent.

The association is now looking to sell their pedigree cattle to both potential new breeders and established herds.

The timed auction is for breeding stock  cows, heifers, and bulls. Entries are open until 1 September, with the catalogue of entries ready to view from 22 September.

The sale is open to pedigree cattle registered with the Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society, with all animals offered for sale having full registration status or pending for young calves.

Heather Pritchard, pedigree sales manager at H&H said: Were really looking forward to this standalone auction. In addition to attracting interest from a range of buyers, the sale will also help to raise the profile of the Shetland Cattle breed."

With a reputation for quality and originally bred for their hardiness, Shetland cattle are now spread throughout the UK, with herds also established in Texas and Australia.

In the UK, there are only 1,500 female Shetland cattle, 15% of which can be found on the Shetland Islands themselves, with a further 50% in England and Wales, and the remainder in Scotland.

The cattle are dual-purpose, but the SCBA have long recognised their multi-purpose qualities.

The females are ideal for crossing, producing cross-bred suckler calves, and the cross-bred Shetland heifers to commercial bulls also produce beef calves.

One of the faster finishing, grass fed native breeds, they produce good quality beef which commands a substantial premium price.

Rosemary Champion, secretary of the SCBA, said: This is an exciting opportunity to showcase some quality Shetland Cattle and we have high hopes for this first ever standalone auction.

People are increasingly looking for native breeds which are easy to rear, something Shetland Cattle are perfect for.

"Theyre very robust and relatively self-sufficient, as well as being well suited to calving and producing premium beef.

"Their calmness has long been recognised, as well as their ability to readily out-winter in poor grazing conditions.
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
The selections of Uruguay and Chile confronted this Monday by the phase of groups of the Glass America. The combined charrua began underneath in the marker by means of Eduardo Vargas to the minute 26 of the party, butto l 66' could break a strong drought without seeing door thanks to the so much of Luis Suarez, the one who anticipated to Arturo Vidal almost in the line of the arch.

However, it is important to highlight that the combined celestial follows without achieving the triumph. Only it has been able to add a point on the six parties contested, and precise come close victories to be in second phase and, fundamentally, avoid at all costs to Brazil in quarter-finals of the competition.

Chile took advantage of the clear opportunity of goal in the first part of the commitment, with a big golazo of Eduardo Vargas. But the Chilean picture waned physically in the second part, yielding totally the initiative to the rival. Nevertheless, it inscribed his name in the second phase of the Glass America after the result of this Monday.

The scales was bent in favour of Uruguay, although this have not transformed in the marker. With Suarez and Cavani of tip, Giorgian of Arrascaeta loose by behind the tips, and in the half Matias Neighbouring by the centre, Fede Valverde to right, and Nico de la Cruz by left-handed, but with the clear reference to cover the interventions of the Chilean Mauritius Island.

To by the victory

In spite of the command of Chile in the marker, Uruguay did not go down the arms, as it knew that it depended on to add points to be supported by life. Facundo Torres was the most influential change, moved game by right, appealed to his skill, and the few minutes of his entry took out a zurdazo that diverted Bravo to the corner. The celestial forward executed the shot of corner, cabeceo flawless in the edge of the area girl Matias Neighbouring, and Suarez, anticipating to the mark of Arturo Vidal, broke the maleficio with his goal number 64 with the celestial.

Uruguay could win the commitment. Edinson Cavani Connected of head after centre of Matias Vineyard, but did not happen of a fright for Bravo, the one who did not arrive to divert it. Suarez had also another chance, near of the end, with shot thought from the edge of the area, looking for put it against a stick, but the round brushed the stick and went out.
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Anupam Kher is known to voice his opinions on everything happening in the country. He is an aware citizen and an active one too, he likes to write or speak about burning issues of the country. With qualities like these it is only obvious that people keep questioning him about his plans of joining politics.





Recently while talking to the local media of Himachal Pradesh, the actor revealed that there are no plans of joining politics. He said, "The question of me joining politics does not arise."







While being asked about when he last contested Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh in 2017, Anupam Kher said, "If you shake hands with a person, people start arriving at a conclusion according to their convenience".

Thanks for clearing the air around it Mr. Kher!




Taapsee Pannu has taken Russia in style for a summer vacation with her sister Shagun Pannu. The actor started her trip with a stop in Moscow for three days and served us some beautiful pictures that got us envious of her. Now, shes made a stop for a few days in St. Petersburg. Taapsee has shared some picturesque clicks of her and her sister from the city and we cant help but wait for life to go back to normal so we can travel again.

One of her latest pictures on social media is of her pacing down the street as she gets late for dinner. Distracted by the beautiful surroundings, Taapsee captioned it, These lanes can be pretty enchanting. Got late for dinner! Runnnnnnnnn! But thats not the best part of the image. Taapsee is seen wearing a summery cotton saree for her outing. Pairing a beige printed saree with a blue blouse and white sneakers, we cant imagine someone looking so cool, comfy and glam at the same time during a vacation. She reminded us of old photos of Nargis, who frequently went to Russia in the 50s and 60s

Check out the picture below.
Techfetch, a leading US-based job portal for IT positions, is taking the next big step and branching into Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)

ASHBURN, VA / ACCESSWIRE / June 21, 2021 / Techfetch, a prominent IT job portal in the USA, is delighted to announce the addition of a new service - Techfetch RPO. The new recruitment process outsourcing venture is geared to take up the entire acquisition cycle for medium to large enterprises. Techfetch will manage every part of the recruitment process, from sourcing talents, assessing their skills, and interviewing them to negotiate the salary and onboarding.

The RPO Service is backed up by Techfetch job portal, visit https://www.techfetch.com/

Recruitment process outsourcing is a part of business process outsourcing. Companies can now easily hand over either the entire or a portion of their recruitment cycle to Techfetch RPO. The expert recruiters at Techfetch RPO handle numerous tasks, from searching for relevant talent to maintaining a database to negotiating an offer. The global market for RPO is set to reach $14.5 billion in the next five years, with a CAGR of 19.7%.

A spokesperson from TechFetch observed, "Recruitment, particularly for national or global companies, is time-consuming. Given the pandemic and need for remote working, finding the right talent has become even more complicated. With our recruitment process outsourcing, we take over the burden for our clients. We rely on a blend of expert recruiters, technology, and approach to satisfy a client's recruitment prerequisites, making it more efficient and cost-effective."

Techfetch aims to leverage its vast data bank of talent spanning the US for the new RPO service. They will rely on data-driven tactics to filter out suitable talent, delivering measurable results. With a unique combination of consulting and outsourcing services, they will focus on hiring and retaining people who grow with the organization. Currently, they offer clients the flexibility to pick from seven different plans: end-to-end RPO, project RPO, hybrid RPO, direct recruitment, bench marketing, and RPO consulting services.

The company spokesperson further commented, "Recruitment cycles ebb and flow. We help companies scale up when their hiring needs exceed capacity. Once an organization gives the skill and talent requirement, our integrated RPO service completes the rest of the process. Acting as an extension of the employer brand, we even offer customized solutions that resolve a business's unique challenges."

About Techfetch RPO

Techfetch RPO is a US-based recruitment process outsourcing expert. They help companies attract, engage, onboard, and retain talents with their expert, people-focused RPO solutions.

For more information, please visit https://rpo.techfetch.com/.

To get in touch with them, go to https://rpo.techfetch.com/contact-us/

CONTACT:

20130 Lakeview Center Plaza, Suite 400,

Ashburn, Virginia 20147, United States

Contact Person: Mariana Joseph

Phone: +1 7035442029

Email: rpo@techfetch.us

SOURCE: Techfetch

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652594/Techfetch-Announces-The-Launch-Of-Their-RPO-Services
LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, today launched the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2021 to recognise outstanding students, education providers and best practice.

Creative Assembly, the UK's largest developer, behind the Total War series and an upcoming sci-fi FPS, is the headline sponsor of the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2021. As a multi-award-winner for their education work, Creative Assembly utilises the skills and passions of their 800 employees to provide industry outreach to students across the globe. The Awards are further supported by BeautyLabs International, a company pioneering the future of enhanced reality in the beauty and wellness industries.

The TIGA UK Games Education Awards will be open to entry from 21stJune 2021. The closing date is 28thJuly 2021. The winners will be announced in a fast paced virtual Awards ceremony on 23rdSeptember 2021.

Award categories:

Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Artist Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Designer Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Programmer Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Production/Enterprise Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Computer Games Technology Outstanding TIGA Post Graduate of the Year Outstanding TIGA BTEC Learner of the Year * TIGA FE College of Year Innovative Teaching Award Excellence in University - Industry Collaboration Excellence in Games Research Best Student Business Diversity Award Creative Assembly Best Student Game 2021

A Special Award will also be announced at the ceremony. For more information see: https://tiga.org/education-awards/about To enter see: https://tiga.org/education-awards/enter

TIGA's charity partner for the Awards will be The Passage. The Passage has been the caretaker of the homeless community in London for the past 40 years. The Passage's aim is to provide the support to help people transform their lives through outreach services, three residential projects, befriending programmes and the UK's largest Resource Centre. The Passage offers practical support with employment, welfare rights, immigration, and accommodation, as well as tailored advice for mental health or addiction issues and victims of modern slavery. The Passage believe that homelessness is everyone's responsibility and by working together we can be part of the solution. For further details please visit www.passage.org.uk or contact media@passage.org.uk

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said:

"The UK video games industry depends on a highly skilled workforce and cutting edge research, both of which are provided by higher education. TIGA now wants to strengthen the relationship between industry and higher education via our TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2021. Our Awards will recognise outstanding students, the best education providers, and good practices, such as excellence in diversity.

"The global pandemic has resulted in difficulties for many students in terms of anxiety, loneliness and isolation. The TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2021 will help to reward and recognise student achievements in what has proven to be a highly challenging year. The pandemic has also created significant challenges for the homeless and so we are pleased to be working with The Passage, our charity partner.

"I would like to thank Creative Assembly, our headline sponsor and BeautyLabs international, for supporting excellence in skills and learning and for making the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2021 possible. We look forward to announcing the winners of the Awards on 23rdSeptember 2021."

Emma Smith, Head of Talent at Creative Assembly said;

"We have long been advocates for excellence in games industry education; it's at the core of our award-winning Legacy Project. There are so many talented students in the UK who will go on to create incredible games and we want to play our part in helping them get there. Creative Assembly is delighted to be the headline sponsor of the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2021 and we will also be offering expert mentorship to the Graduate of the Year and BTEC Learner of the Year winners."

Mark Gerhard, Co-Founder and CEO of Beauty Labs International Ltd, said:

"Beauty Labs, a leading provider of AI for the connected consumer, is proud to be an inaugural sponsor of the TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2021. Excellence in education is at the very heart of creating innovative compelling consumer experiences and pioneering a smarter future."

Notes to editors

*FE colleges that are members of TIGA will have the opportunity to nominate a 'TIGA BTEC Learner of the Year' from each of their TIGA accredited courses. TIGA will review all the submissions and award the best nominees the accolade of 'TIGA BTEC Learner of the Year'. Students from TIGA accredited courses will be eligible for the Award.

For more information see: https://tiga.org/education-awards/about

To enter see: https://tiga.org/education-awards/enter

To see the categories: https://tiga.org/education-awards/2021-categories

Get in touch:

Tel: 0845 468 2330

Email: info@tiga.org

Web: www.tiga.org

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tigamovement

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/tiga




BERMUDA, June 22, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - You are cordially invited to join us for this Global Virtual Summit celebrating men who have empowered the voices of women & girls around the world as we discuss new paradigms in reshaping the global digital economy and celebrate the launch of The State of Women Podcast Network in partnership with The State of Women Institute, SHEQONOMI, and Women Investing in Women DIGITAL.1. Inviting all global partners & leaders committed to the economic empowerment of women to join us for various strategic opportunities2. Our 3-day event will engage women entrepreneurs & women owned enterprises build bridges for global international trade & commerce3. Join us in setting a new global standard for the economic empowerment of women, especially small and large scale women entrepreneurs from leading economies, emerging markets, and industry thought leaders and mavericks leading Post-Pandemic Recovery.Register here: https://hopin.com/events/strongertogetherGlobal investment into women led companies has reached an all time low during 2020. We are seeing many innovative ideas come out of developing nations across the globe that deserve more visibility and connectivity with qualified investors and partners who can help them grow and scale. Amplifying Her Voice will serve as a global platform that will bring such stakeholders together from within Women Investing in Women Digital's virtual tribe to a broader global community of women entrepreneurs, investors, technologies, and industry professionals to accelerate both communication and unprecedented digital connectivity. This Roundtable will be the beginning of a series of conversations where professionals from within the global innovation ecosystem may listen, learn, and share best practices with the global women's entrepreneurship ecosystem where our global network of women investors and philanthropists will be invited. Your will have the opportunity to share your CALL's to Action from local, regional, and global standpoints that will hopefully be a starting for deeper conversations and partnerships leading to change, investment, impact, and transformation.About Amplifying Her Voice (June 22-24, 2021):We brought together thousands of women from around the globe for International Women's Day. We have learned from mothers around the world this Mother's Day. And this June 22 to 24, in honor of this Father's Day, we're inviting you to join us for the Amplifying Her Voice Father's Day "Stronger Together" Summit as we join forces with the fathers speaking up and fighting for gender equity, safety for all, full economic participation for everyone, and more--all while raising the next generation of empowered, ambitious, equality-focused young people.Hear from the dads in our lives about gender roles, supporting children's gender expression, confidence, independence, the role of feminism in fatherhood and in men's lives, the importance and challenge of being allies to girls and women, navigating masculinity, mental health, preventing violence, fulfillment as fathers, supporting their partners, encouraging girls (and children of any gender) to pursue their dreams, the experiences of sons and daughters, and more.The State of Women is an inclusive and gender-affirming organization. Amplifying Her Voice "Stronger Together" is in honor of Father's Day, but we welcome all voices. As a women's organization, our primary focus is on issues that affect women--including cisgender, transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, genderfluid, and agender people. We welcome this opportunity to join together in conversation as we all learn now we can help one another feel truly heard, seen, understood, empowered--and amplified.Each paid "Investing in Women" ticket supports 500 women to attend for FREE! We have 50+ countries represented so far and are looking forward to having a truly inclusive event for people of all genders, backgrounds, and experiences to learn and grow together. EVERYONE is welcome to listen, connect, and learn from our allies in the fight for gender equality. We never want cost to be prohibitive for any of our events or initiatives, if anyone is not able to afford a ticket, please email lily@thestateofwomen.org. All sessions will be recorded and shared free of charge post event.About Anu BhardwajFounder Anu Bhardwaj is a serial social entrepreneur and philanthropist, listed on the 2020 Inc Magazine Global Top 100 Female Founders and one of 7 female Award Recipients of the 2020 Transform Fund from the Islamic Development Bank (from a pool of 5,000 applicants worldwide). Anu also co-chaired the 2nd Annual Blockchain for Impact Summit at the United Nations HQ in 2019, and is the founder of Women Investing in Women Digital with over 1M international followers, The State of Women Institute, and SHEQONOMI which has produced a suite of women-led and women focused podcast APPS on Android, iOS, and KaiOS.About The State Of Women InstituteThe State of Women Institute is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of women and girls through programs and initiatives that support the creation of various forms of digital media (including podcasts, video documentary, social media related, print, AR and VR). The State of Women Podcast Network, launching Spring 2021 on GooglePlay, Android, and KaiOS, encompassing 300 women podcasters from across five continents. The State of Women Institute will be partnering with Women Investing in Women DIGITAL, SHEQONOMI, and a long list of reputable global non-profits and change makers across 100+ countries worldwide in leading "Amplifying Her Voice" Global Virtual Summit in honor of Father's Day 2021.About SHEQONOMISHEQONOMI is on a mission to bring women's voices to the main stage, and that alone has the power to change the trajectory of our entire planet. SHEQONOMI is a highly unique podcast platform - built organically by millennial women to serve 2 billion women globally, where content creation and listening are rewarded.Contact: ANU BhardwajMobile: +18587367460Email: Anu@womeninvesting.inSource: The State of Women InstituteCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Government of Dominica is reaffirming its commitment to the education sector after a ceremony recently took place on the island to mark the beginning of the Mahaut Primary School construction. Once completed, the school is anticipated to herald new opportunities for local children while also providing jobs with teachers and administrators. Notably, the project will be funded by Dominica's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme - a vital tool in supporting national development initiatives across the island in various sectors.

Over the last few years, Dominica's CBI Programme has invested roughly $26 million into sponsoring the education of students abroad, placing tutors with students and rehabilitating 15 schools that were devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. During the ceremony for the primary school, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit highlighted that his government was responsible for making secondary education on the island 100 percent accessible, building the Dominica State College and ensuring that transportation along with uniforms and textbooks were also freely available.

Octavia Alfred, the Minister for Education, noted: "This government continues to invest heavily in the improvement of our school plans to ensure the comfort of students, teachers and administrators. Spaces for teachers and students with proper ventilation, lighting, water, electricity, and internet service all contribute to the creation of a learning environment where students can flourish."

Established in 1993, Dominica's CBI Programme has been crucial to the nation's sustainable development. Not only has it contributed to education, but it has also backed healthcare initiatives, including the construction of a state-of-the-art hospital, multiple health centres, hurricane-resistant homes and environmentally friendly resorts and villas. It supports the island's commitment to becoming the world's first climate-resilient nation, a feat announced by Prime Minister Skerrit at the United Nations in 2017.

For savvy investors looking for a safe and stable destination for themselves and their families, Dominica's CBI Programme offers a trusted route to second citizenship that has been internationally hailed by independent studies like the annual CBI Index. Applicants need only make an economic contribution to the country's Economic Diversification Fund or purchase pre-approved real estate to become citizens of the island - if they pass the necessary security checks.

Once becoming citizens, investors gain access to increased travel freedom to over 140 destinations, alternative business prospects and a second home in a stable democracy with ties to major hubs like the United States and the United Kingdom.

Contact:

+447867942505

pr@csglobalpartners.com

www.csglobalpartners.com
TROY, MI / ACCESSWIRE / June 21, 2021 / As Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, J.D initiated an investigation into toxic metals in baby food to find alarming levels from a variety of companies. In response, the Congressman has introduced the Baby Food Safety Act, in which, the FDA responded to the Oversight investigation by introducing their "Closer to Zero" campaign. In today's online issue of Food Safety Magazine, Congressman Krishnamoorthi provided an exclusive op-ed on how the campaign does not go far enough nor fast enough. For full access to the op-ed, click here.

"Parents across the country would be shocked to learn that the federal government sets limits on the amount of heavy metals in bottled water, but not for the very first foods they feed their babies. I know I was," Krishnamoorthi said. "My daughter, who is now 4 years old, was eating these products only a short while ago. Knowing that she might have consumed these foods and been harmed makes my blood boil. The calls and letters I've received from worried parents around the country break my heart. Parents need to trust that our government is protecting our children. Companies manufacturing and selling baby food must not be allowed to cut corners."

"We are pleased that Congressman Krishnamoorthi trusted our publication to deliver his important message about the government's role in protecting children," said Stacy Atchison, publisher of Food Safety Magazine. "As the leading voice focused on food safety issues, we hope the congressman's expectation that the Biden Administration will be a willing partner in safeguarding our children from harmful consumer products. We agree wholeheartedly that we must ensure that families can trust the safety of the food they feed their children. There is no higher priority-and no time to waste."

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, J.D., serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, the Committee on Oversight and Reform and as Chairman of its Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Vice-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Immigration Task Force, and as an Assistant Whip for the Democratic caucus. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and received his J.D. tor from Harvard Law School.

Food Safety Magazine owned by BNP Media builds the knowledge and expertise of 29,000+ readers whose daily responsibilities demand a sound scientific and ROI-oriented approach to implementing and managing food safety protocols and technology throughout their supply chains.

# # #

For further information, contact:

Amy Riemer, Media Relations

978-475-4441 (office) or 978-502-4895 (cell)

amy@foodsafetysummit.com

SOURCE: Food Safety Magazine

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652590/Food-Safety-Magazine-Features-Exclusive-Remarks-From-Congressman-Krishnamoorthi-on-Toxic-Metals-in-Baby-Food
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 21, 2021) - Western Troy Capital Resources Inc. (TSXV: WRY.H) ("Western Troy" or the "Company") announces a proposed non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $500,000 comprised of up to 3,333,333 units at a price of $0.15 per unit (each such unit being comprised of one common share and one warrant) (the "Offering"). Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one common share for $0.20 at any time within 12 months after closing. All securities issued pursuant to this private placement will be subject to a four (4) month hold period. Completion of the Offering is subject to receipt of all required regulatory and NEX approvals.

Closing is expected to occur after July 10, 2021. The proceeds of the private placement will be used for general working capital and to assist in conducting due diligence of potential business opportunities.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons as defined under applicable United States securities laws unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Western Troy

Western Troy has been engaged in mineral exploration and mine development, as well is reviewing potential alternatives to enhance shareholder value.

Contact Information:

Western Troy Capital Resources

Stephen Dunn, CEO

Tel: 416-361-2827

Email: dunnsteve@protonmail.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (including the NEX Board) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward-looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including "will", "anticipates", "expected to", "plans", "planned" and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Company's management discussion and analysis as filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88249
BEIJING, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a news report from Beijing Review:

Eighty-one-year-old Shi Huifang could never forget her life-changing decision to venture out into Xinjiang, a remote and bare land to her in northwest China, some six decades ago. She wanted to escape poverty and create a better life for herself by putting in hard work in a new place.

At the same time, this was also a good chance for her to step away from a relationship with a young man because the man's family was even poorer than hers. "His shanty with thatched roofs did hold me back," Shi said.

However, she didn't expect her boyfriend to find out about her decision and give up his job as a hydraulic engineer in Jiangsu, a province in east China, to follow her to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, some 4,000 km away.

Shi's father, secretly hoping that someone could and would look after her in the totally unknown place, gave a nod to their marriage. Shortly after their wedding they set off on their journey to Xinjiang in July 1959, when she was 19 and her husband was 24.

Recalling her early days in Xinjiang, Shi said, "We worked all day long and built almost everything from scratch." She participated in the construction of canals as well as farming. She got the chance to attend medical training and almost became a teacher before giving birth to her first child in 1962, and then became a house wife.

Although Shi rarely shared these memories with her children, the conversation came into a natural flow when her granddaughter became curious about her own roots.

I am that granddaughter.

My grandma was among the first batch of pioneers moving from Jiangsu to Xinjiang as a campaign to develop the country's border land started in the 1950s, when China was suffering bouts of famine.

From 1959 to 1960, over 120,000 young adults moved to Xinjiang from Jiangsu. They were farmers, technicians and teachers. In Changji, 40 percent of the reclaimed wasteland was brought under cultivation by those new settlers, who also developed 80 percent of water projects. Around 75 percent of them eventually opted to stay and contribute to the development of the region for a lifetime.

Seeing is not believing

I myself lived in Xinjiang up to the age of 17 when I left to pursue my university education in the capital city. I never thought too much about how others see life in Xinjiang.

However, as more and more international attention zoomed in on my hometown, the biases harbored by some people struck me hard. The terms that several Western journalists used to report on Xinjiang, such as forced labor and tight security checks sound so foreign to me. Has the Xinjiang where I grew up really changed? With this question, I traveled back to Xinjiang frequently in the past three years, exploring the region from south to north and from countryside to city.

On the whole, the region features more security checks than before, which is true, and indeed inconvenient. Police check every single passenger's ID. All luggage must go through a scannerLocal people, including myself, have complained about it. But we value safety much more than convenience.

From 1990 to the end of 2016, thousands of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang killed a large number of innocent people and hundreds of police officers according to a 2019 white paper entitled The Fight Against Terrorism and Extremism and Human Rights Protection in Xinjiang. Behind the brutal and frightful aggression loomed the radicalized religious penetration launched by separatists.

"Villagers were forbidden to sing and dance during weddings by some radicalized religious people until some five years ago," Mahmut Saidil, a former village head in Aksu Prefecture in south Xinjiang, told me. "Life necessities such as a tea pot, soap or basic communication tools were tagged as non-Halal and villagers were instructed not to use them."

I wish human right fighters could have stood up for those villagers at the time, battling extremists together with all other Chinese people, regardless of ethnicity and religion.

The textile industry, the pillar industry in the region, was reported as the main industry to employ "forced labor" to pick cotton or work in the factories. Fact is that the mechanization of cotton-picking started as early as 2001 in Xinjiang, and was widespread in 2009.

Fang Xu has worked as a sales support person for cotton-picking machinery for more than 10 years. He is now a sales support manager for the cotton-picking machine division of Urumqi-based China Railway Construction Heavy Industrial Corp. (CRCHI) Xinjiang Co. Ltd.

CRCHI's cotton-picking machinery entered the region in 2019. Before that, imported machines dominated the market.

"About 90 percent of the cotton-picking machines were imported before," Fang said. "But domestic brands have boomed in recent years."

"Farmers were reluctant to use machines in the beginning," Mahmut elaborated. His hometown of Aksu in the southern part of Xinjiang is the major production base of long-staple cotton. "Cotton-picking machines have been used here for more than a decade and the technology is updating year after year," he said.

The more information I got from my contacts in Xinjiang, the more respect I want to show my grandparents who paved the way for today's Xinjiang. I also realized just how an individual's perspectives can be limited by lack of first-hand information. I welcome more people to Xinjiang to learn about it.

Comments to ffli@bjreview.com

By Beijing Review reporter Li Fangfang

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1537508/Image1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1537507/Image2.jpg
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - June 21, 2021) - Hemostemix Inc. (TSXV: HEM) (OTC: HMTXF) (FSE: 2VFO) ("Hemostemix" or the "Company") announced today that, further to its June 11, 2021 news release and pursuant to the closing of the offering of debenture units of the Company ("Debenture Units"), Peter Lacey, a director and Chair of Hemostemix, acquired the 2,500 Debenture Units. Each Debenture Unit consisted of a $1,000 principal amount debenture (each, a "Debenture") and 2,500 common share purchase warrants ("Debenture Warrants"). The principal amount of the Debentures may be convertible, only at the option of the Company (and not at the option of the holder), into common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") of the at a price of $0.40 per Common Share. Each Debenture Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.55 per Common Share until June 10, 2023, subject to accelerated expiry provisions. Prior to the offering, Mr. Lacey held 4,491,891 Common Shares, or approximately 7.80% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares. Mr. Lacey also held 4,500,000 common share purchase warrants and 555,000 stock options. Mr. Lacey now controls 4,491,891 Common Shares, or approximately 7.80% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares, the Debenture in the principal amount of $2,500,000, 10,750,000 common share purchase warrants (including the Debenture Warrants) and 555,000 stock options. Assuming the conversion of the Debenture and the exercise of the common share purchase warrants (including the Debenture Warrants) and the stock options, Mr. Lacey would own or control 22,046,891 Common Shares, or approximately 29.35% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares. The acquisition of the Debenture Units by Mr. Lacey was made for investment purposes. Mr. Lacey may increase or decrease his investment in Hemostemix depending on market conditions or any other relevant factors. The head office address for Hemostemix is Suite 1150, 707 - 7th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 3H6. The address for Mr. Lacey is 38501 Range Road 272 , Red Deer, Alberta T4P 0X6.

ABOUT HEMOSTEMIX

Hemostemix is a publicly traded autologous stem cell therapy company. A winner of the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Award, the Company developed and is commercializing its lead product ACP-01 for the treatment of CLI, PAD, Angina, Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, Dilated Cardiomyopathy and other conditions of ischemia. ACP-01 has been used to treat over 500 patients, and it is the subject of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind trial of its safety and efficacy in patients with advanced critical limb ischemia who have exhausted all other options to save their limb from amputation.

On October 21, 2019, the Company announced the results from its Phase II CLI trial abstract entitled "Autologous Stem Cell Treatment for CLI Patients with No Revascularization Options: An Update of the Hemostemix ACP-01 Trial With 4.5 Year Followup" which noted healing of ulcers and resolution of ischemic rest pain occurred in 83% of patients, with outcomes maintained for up to 4.5 years. The Company owns 91 patents across five patent families. For more information, please visit www.hemostemix.com.

Contact: Thomas Smeenk, President, CEO & Co-Founder

TSmeenk@Hemostemix.com Tel. 905-580-4170

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88254
SOFIA, Bulgaria, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 110,000 employees and annual revenue of 12 billion. European number one in Cloud, High-Performance Computing and Cybersecurity, the group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 73 countries.

To beat hyperscalers, grow Atos Virtual Oracle Computing (VOC) Hotel revenues and maximize profits from the service, they needed to upgrade their platform. So, the VOC Hotel 2.0 project was launched. The aim was to continue providing top-quality services while decreasing operating overheads. Atos needed a storage solution with utmost reliability and pay-per-use billing aligned with the pricing model provided to VOC Hotel customers. Ideally, the solution would run on cost-effective hardware - with advanced functions delivered by software.

Atos selected the StorPool Storage platform for the extreme reliability and speed they observed from a StorPool system deployed on standard servers fully stacked with NVMe SSDs. StorPool solved the hardware lifecycle management issues which Atos was battling with for years. The new storage system delivered an always-online environment, which doesn't require service downtimes and survives hardware failures - providing an always-on 24x7 hosting platform.

With the new StorPool-powered platform, Atos easily replaces hardware components like failed servers or SSDs, and performs software and firmware upgrades in-flight - without impacting customer applications.

As a result, Atos reported a notable decrease in costs per TB for storage licenses and maintenance, leading to an overall cost reduction. Using StorPool's best-in-class SDS platform allowed Atos to build a public cloud service with unmatched flexibility, reliability and speed. The company streamlined hardware lifecycle and cost management, improved its operations, and eliminated the customer-visible maintenance windows and service downtimes.

"The StorPool product is perfect from cost, flexibility (grow-as-you-go), and performance point of view. Second - and for us equally important - is the way the StorPool team helps us to build the most advanced hosting platform and their fast and committed support in case of an issue.", Hink Wiersema, Product Manager and Architect at Atos.

StorPool Storage is an agile storage platform designed for large-scale cloud infrastructure, which helps companies gain the competitive edge they need to excel in their markets. StorPool converts sets of standard servers into primary storage systems. Its team has experience working with various clients - Managed Services Providers , Hosting Services Providers, Cloud Services Providers, ?nterprises, and SaaS vendors.
Updated version of highly sensitive and accurate COVID-19 PCR kit accounts for known and future viral mutations

INCHINNAN, Scotland, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announced the launch of a new CE-IVD-marked COVID-19 test. The TaqPath COVID-19 Fast PCR Combo Kit 2.0. expands Thermo Fisher's menu of highly accurate tests that detect active SARS-CoV-2 infections.

The kit uses an advanced assay design which compensates for current and emerging variants by using eight total targets across three genomic regions of the virus. This approach helps to ensure the test provides accurate results even as the virus that causes COVID-19 continues to mutate.

"COVID-19 variants can be more transmissible and potentially impact efficacy of diagnostics, vaccines and therapies, threatening to reverse progress made in the past year," said Manoj Gandhi, M.D., Ph.D., senior medical director, genetic sciences for Thermo Fisher. "We are working to empower our customers to prepare for the next stage of the pandemic by future-proofing our test design against likely mutations and to provide continued confidence in their results."

The TaqPath COVID-19 Fast PCR Combo Kit 2.0 test assesses raw saliva directly with a turnaround time of two hours to enable widespread, high-frequency testing. The first generation TaqPath COVID-19 CE-IVD RT PCR Kit and the TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit, which use a different assay design, respectively, received initial CE-IVD certification and Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2020.

For more information on the TaqPath platform, please visit: www.thermofisher.com/covid19evolved

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $30 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 80,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.




eureKARE Establishes Scientific Advisory Board of World Leading Experts from Microbiome and Synthetic Biology Research

Paris, France - 22 June 2021: eureKARE ("the Company"), a pioneering new company focused on financing and building next generation biotechnology companies in the disruptive fields of the microbiome and synthetic biology, today announces the establishment of its scientific advisory board (SAB) comprising world-renowned experts across the fields of microbiology, biotechnology, biology, and synthetic biology.

The newly formed SAB will guide eureKARE's mission as it taps into the under exploited fields of European science to create and support new business ventures. The members of the SAB will also provide a scientific review and high-level advice to support eureKARE's growing portfolio of companies.

The SAB will be led by ProfessorAntoine Danchin who was previously the Director of the Department Genomes and Genetics at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. As a geneticist, Professor Danchin is known for his research in the fields of biology from the structure and function of adenylate cyclase, to the modelization of learning in the nervous system and the early development of genomics and bioinformatics.

Serge Pampfer, Chief Scientific Officer at eureKAREsaid:"I am delighted to welcome this esteemed group of scientific advisors to eureKARE. Each member of the scientific advisory board provides a tremendous knowledge base and perspective that will be invaluable to eureKAREas we seek to identify, select and nurture the best of European science to create new companies within the disruptive research fields of the microbiome and synthetic biology."

Professor Antoine Danchin, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board, said:"It is a pleasure to have been appointed as Chairman of eureKARE'sscientific advisory board.I look forward to working closely with the team and its portfolio to foster some of Europe's most exciting new ideas into transformational companies."

The eureKARE SAB members are as follows:

Antoine Danchin: Chairman of the SAB, Honorary Professor at BGI Shenzhen and University of Hong Kong.

Leroy Hood: Member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

Pamela Silver: Professor in the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Harvard Wyss Institute.

George Weinstock: Professor and Associate Director for Microbial Genomics at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine.

Philippe Marliere: Scientific Director at ISSB Evry and Chairman of Omne Possibile.

Joel Dore: Director of Research at the Micalis Institute (Universite de Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech) and Scientific Director of the Centre of Excellence for Microbiome Analysis, MetaGenoPolis.

Felix Rey: Professor at Institut Pasteur.

Sven Panke: Professor of Bioprocess Engineering at ETH Zurich.

Additional information on all of the SAB members can be found on eureKARE's website, https://eurekare.eu/people/

-End-

About eureKARE

eureKARE is a pioneering new company focused on financing and building next generation biotechnology companies in the cutting-edge fields of the microbiome and synthetic biology. eureKARE has a two-step investment approach to deliver long-term value creation. The Company supports translational research by creating and financing new companies out of high value European science through its biotech start-up studios eureKABIOME (Microbiome) and eureKASYNBIO (Synthetic biology). The Company also intends to invest in more mature biotech companies and will systematically propose to offer some liquidity to early investors, thereby addressing a critical need in the European biotech field. Guided by its influential founder, Alexandre Mouradian, and a pan-European team, eureKARE has a rapidly growing portfolio of companies that have the potential to disrupt the life sciences industry.

eureKARE is headquartered in Luxembourg, with a presence in France & Belgium. For more information visit: https://eurekare.eu/

Contact



eureKARE SA

Marina Shapochnik, Head Investor Relations

marina.shapochnik@eurekare.eu

Consilium Strategic Communications

Amber Fennell, Jonathan Birt, Melissa Gardiner, Carina Jurs

+44
Inventum Genetics GmbH and Universitat Marburg agree on a collaboration

The project company of Xlife Sciences AG Inventum Genetics GmbH has signed a collaboration agreement with the Philipps-University of Marburg. In this way, Inventum Genetics has the exclusive opportunity to develop new therapeutic targets using high-quality genetic data.

ZUERICH, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / The cooperation between Inventum Genetics and the University of Marburg is a long-term agreement. In a first projects, new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for oncological, neurodegenerative and age-related diseases are be identified using the latest genetic and molecular biological processes. Oliver R. Baumann, CEO der Xlife Sciences, is delighted with the additional prospects for drug development: "All common diseases, like the majority of all oncological, neurodegenerative and age-associated diseases, are multifactorial in cause, not just caused by a singular genetic defect. Rather, multifactorial diseases are characterized by the fact that they are based on (exogenous) environmental factors and (endogenous) genetic risk factors. In this particular project with the University of Marburg, cellular disease mechanisms of multifactorial diseases are to be elucidated. For this purpose, cells are stimulated with exogenous risk factors. It will then be examined how the cells react to it depending on their genetic makeup."

The agreement with the Philipps-University of Marburg gives the university the right to pursue the results achieved in its own research and to industrialize them, provided Inventum Genetics does not use the results itself. In this case, Inventum Genetics would benefit from the royalties generated by the university.

About the Philipps-University Marburg

The Institute for Human Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine at the Philipps-University of Marburg, under the leadership of Professor Dr. Johannes Schumacher is well recognized by high-ranking publications in research in the field of human genetics. The institute operates a molecular laboratory with high quality equipment and is therefore able to deal with complex issues in the context of molecular genetic research.

About Inventum Genetics GmbH

Inventum Genetics GmbH is a subsidiary of Xlife Sciences AG, which is active in research, development, manufacturing and the sale of medical and biotechnological products, especially in the field of genetics. For more information, please visit: https://www.inventumgenetics.com

About Xlife Sciences AG

Xlife Sciences AG is a Swiss company with focus on investing in promising technologies in the life science industry. Xlife Sciences AG is building the bridge from research and development to healthcare markets by supporting researchers and entrepreneurs in positioning, structuring, developing and implementing their concepts. Together with industrial partners or universities, Xlife Sciences AG leads projects through the proof-of-concept phase after an invention disclosure or start-up. Subsequently, the firm focuses on out-licensing or selling the company, often with a combination of a strategic partnership. Xlife Sciences AG offers its investors direct access to the further development of innovative and future-oriented technologies at a very early stage. For more information, please visit: www.xlifesciences.ch

For media inquiries:

Dennis Lennartz, Head Investor Relations, Xlife Sciences AG, Tel. +41 44 385 84 60, dennis.lennartz@xlifesciences.ch

For scientific inquiries:

Dr. Frank Ploger, Chief Scientific Officer, Xlife Sciences AG, Tel. +41 44 385 84 62,

frank.ploeger@xlifesciences.ch

SOURCE: Xlife Sciences AG

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652623/Xlife-Sciences-AG-Collaboration-with-the-University-of-Marburg
BIO-UV Group (Euronext Growth - FR001334549 - ALTUV), a specialist in disinfection systems for water treatment, surfaces, and spaces, with its American partner The Columbia Group, Inc. a service and engineering company supporting the U.S. Government, have been selected by the U.S. Navy, following an international call for tenders, to develop a military version of its UV ballast water disinfection system to equip future ships of the United States Navy.

Until now, military vessels have operated outside the scope of the "USCG Standards for Living Organisms in Ship's Ballast Water Discharged in US Waters" regulation applicable since 2016 and which governs the management of ballast water in American waters. However, future American military vessels will need to be equipped with ballast water treatment systems. Working with The Columbia Group, BIO-UV will design ruggedized ballast water treatment systems, covering ship ballast pump capacities from 300 m3/h up to 1,000 m3/h.

To win this call for tenders, BIO-UV was able to rely on its experience acquired with the French and foreign navies which have recently included a contract for the equipment of twelve mine-hunting vessels for the Belgian and Dutch navies on behalf of the shipbuilder Piriou Group.

BIO-UV is part of a very small global group of companies that have developed a UV water disinfection system and have to date the double certification IMO (International Maritime Organization) since 2013 and USCG (United States Coast Guard) since 2018. This dual certification provides BIO-UV with a major advantage over its competitors by enabling it to guarantee shipowners that their vessels will be able to sail anywhere in the world and in particular in the United States coastal waters.

Benoit Gillmann, President and CEO of BIO-UV, says:

"After several years of writing, preparation, and negotiations, we are pleased to have been selected in association with The Columbia Group, to design the ballast water treatment systems that will equip future U.S. Navy ships. Three years after obtaining the AMERICAN USCG certification, this new step represents a recognition of our know-how and a new prestigious reference for a French SME such as BIO-UV."

About BIO-UV Group

Created in 2000, BIO-UV Group designs, manufactures and markets innovative ultraviolet water and surfaces treatment systems, and since September 2019, Ozone and AOP.

The range of equipment developed by the Group is aimed at several markets: ground, marine and surfaces.

Listed on Euronext Growth - Paris (FR0013345493 - ALTUV), BIO-UV Group has granted the "Innovative Company" label by Bpifrance and is eligible for the French "PEA-PME" investment scheme.

Contacts:

BIO-UV Group

+33 (0)4 99 13 39 11

invest@bio-uv.com Investors relation

Mathieu Omnes - ACTUS

+33 (0)1 53 67 36 92

momnes@actus.fr Press relation

Serena Boni - ACTUS

+33 (0)4 4 72 18 04 92

sboni@actus.fr

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce major breakthrough advances in its pre-clinical research program on its AccuTOX (free AccumTM or AccumTM variants) molecules as potent anti-cancer agents.

The AccumTM technology platform is very efficient at enhancing intracellular delivery of proteins of pharmacological interests such as ADCs or vaccine antigens. Defence's scientific team recently identified a novel function for the use of "free" AccumTM and its recently developed variants as anti-cancer molecules.

"The AccumTM technology platform is displaying multiple targets in its versatility. You can use it with ADCs or any other protein of interest such as vaccine antigens to enhance their intracellular delivery to target cells. We additionally discovered that when delivered without direct linking onto protein, the AccumTM moiety behaves as a toxic "bullet" to cancer cells. Such discovery re-enforces the idea that AccumTM can be exploited for various applications without the need to develop other unrelated molecules," said Sebastien Plouffe, CEO of Defence Therapeutics.

The Defence team engineered a large library of AccumTM variants (over 50 so far). They are currently being testing for their therapeutic efficacy against breast, colon, melanoma and lymphoma cancers. In addition, a new strategy is currently being developed to engineer an "intelligent" Poly-AccuTOX molecule (a chain of various AccuTOX molecules) capable of selectively killing a wide range of cancer cells without collateral side effects.

Global Immunotherapy Market size to reach USD 117 billion by 2026 according to Market Study Report LLC.

About Defence:

Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUMTM technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells by inducing their entrapment escape. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.

For further information:

Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director

P: (514) 947-2272

Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com

www.defencetherapeutics.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88057
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Lynx Global Digital Finance Corporation (CSE: LYNX) (OTC Pink: CNONF) (FSE: 3CT0) ("Lynx" or the "Company") is pleased to provide further guidance to the worldwide business and investment community. Since implementing its corporate acquisition growth strategy early this year, Lynx Global has successfully acquired four companies in Southeast Asia and Australia. The Company has since integrated these four businesses, into a streamlined unified global payment network. Direct Agent 5 Inc., the Company's flagship acquisition has processed a total transaction volume of US$200 million since the beginning of 2021 - By combining the portfolio of payment licenses, services, technologies, product offerings and partnerships offered by the various entities (now subsidiaries), the management team of Lynx Global has successfully achieved the first phase of its mission statement:

"To build a single digital payment ecosystem that can link all individuals and businesses in underbanked and underserved emerging markets to the local and global economy"

The Company's operational hub is centred in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The region is recognized and well documented the most attractive growth market for digital payments. Management's strategy to create a single platform that has the licenses and technology infrastructure to enable any business to connect to the digital economy is beginning to bear fruit.

In a recent study completed by Google, Temasak and Bain and Company, "e-Economy SEA 2020 - At full velocity: resilient and racing ahead" they highlighted the following.

40 million new users have recently gained access to the internet

70% of the region's population in now online

Digital Gross Transaction Value will almost double in the next five years growing from $620 billion in 2020 to $1.2 Trillion in 2025

The Company is organizing its operations around vertically integrated payment offerings which are required to digitize cash and payments and seamlessly integrate traditional businesses and digital businesses in servicing of the global economy. Operations and services for revenue growth are organized as follows:

B2B/B2C - Cash in/Cash out, Remittance, Forex and Cryptocurrency

Merchant acquiring - processing credit card payments on behalf of ISO's, Other PSP's, Aggregators, and/or large merchant clientele

Card issuing - providing businesses with branded physical or virtual card solutions

Digital asset management and custodial services

The Company generates revenues by charging either a fee per transaction, or a percentage of the transaction value and further benefits from foreign exchange revenues.

OUR SUBSIDIARIES - TODAY

Direct Agent 5 Inc. ("DA5") (Philippines and Australia) {Australia formerly Arkin Technologies}

DA5 is Lynx Global's BRB and B2C facilitator of cash in/cash out transactions inclusive of remittance, forex, and cryptocurrency.

DA5's national network of cash in/cash out locations combined with its management and settlement middleware software platform provides the Philippines, a market with a 70% unbanked and underbanked population with the critical entry layer required to convert the 80% cash-based economy to a digital economy. Since acquiring DA5, the company has expanded its presence outside of the Philippines to become an international brand with its recent integrations to Pipit Global (worldwide payout network) and FinFan (Vietnam's largest remittance service provider). The Company's Management has also renamed Arkin Technologies Pty. Ltd., to Direct Agent 5 Pty. Ltd. (DA5 Australia), to expand the brand. With Australia and the Philippines now operating under the same brand and technology platform, Lynx Global's licensed remittance, forex and cryptocurrency services are now available in multiple countries in the region.

DA5 has successfully expanded its service and future revenue streams by integrating to several other digital wallets and services. These additions will offer local businesses and consumers multiple ways to successfully digitize their cash. In the past two months DA5 has successfully expanded its market reach and product and service offerings and continues building a strong engine to grow future revenues in its quest to become a recognized global leading solutions provider for in remittance, forex, and cryptocurrency.

Payright Pte. Ltd. ("Payright")

Euromonitor along with Credit Suisse, forecasted in January 2020, that of the $240 Trillion Total Addressable Global payments market, only 13% of these transactions were carried out across global network cards, representing approximately $30 trillion of value exchanged. The same report went on to state that Lynx's target market of APAC would see the greatest and most rapid increase in card usage and growth anywhere in the World through 2023 with a CAGR in excess of 14%.

Payright is focused on servicing the global card issuing market by providing a card management system and platform to connect business to the world's payment infrastructure through one API. A modular, customizable solution for Pay In, Pay Out and Card-Issuance allows banks, other payment providers, corporate clients, and businesses to issue of physical and virtual cards branded cards globally. The branded cards offer the capability to provide their user base with a functional solution to load, collect and disburse funds in local currencies to over 100 countries. This modern holistic payment solution offers multiple issuing and processing innovations, including open APIs, JIT Funding, and Tokenization as a Service.

Payright has obtained direct working relationships with global card issuing partners, and now has identified and is finalizing a number of client use cases covering a diversity of industry sector opportunities whereby Payright will provide Custom Branded cards to clients seeking to implement seamless innovative global pay out disbursement solutions.

Vasu International Payment Solutions Inc. ("Vasu")

Vasu is dedicated to providing clients with high-quality and customized credit card processing services, particularly high-risk ones. It is an enterprise-focused business, offering to global customers payment processing and technology solutions and infrastructure particularly targeting large global merchants, payment aggregators, or other payment solution providers that operate in different verticals and geographies. Some of its key verticals include retail, streaming, travel, cryptocurrency, and licensed regulated gaming.

Vasu has executed and secured a long-term agreement with a recognized registered Independent Sales Organization (the "ISO"). The ISO facilitates billions of dollars of annualized total payment processing volume for thousands of merchants worldwide. As part of its continual strategy to expand and diversify its payment processing networks the ISO determined in its best interests to engage Vasu and its evolving global payment processing network services.

Vasu has now already begun the merchant onboarding process of certain of the ISO clients within the Vasu processing infrastructure an expects that no later than the beginning of Q4 (August 2021), Vasu will begin to process transactions for the ISO.

Each of Vasu and Payright have exclusive strategic partnerships with either of an Electronic Money Issuer ("EMI") and Major Payments Institution ("MPI") license holders, in the Philippines and Singapore, respectively. Combined with its payment technology partner each of these Lynx Global subsidiaries is preparing to be one of a small and specialized and worldwide reputed companies actually offering merchant acquiring and card issuing services in multiple countries.

By adding and implementing these payment services to an integrated global network Lynx will offer global e-commerce and local businesses with the capability to directly connect to each other and play a major role in the growth of digital payments in the market.

Michael Penner, CEO of Lynx Global added, "Although the adoption of payments to online and digital channels has become an area of significant focus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a majority of global monetary transactions in particular those servicing the underserved and the underbanked are facilitated by way of cash or other traditional pathways. We have seen this as a tremendous opportunity and found our niche - rather than trying to separate and focus entirely on the "switch to digital" - we instead have seen the greatest opportunity in the streamlining the interconnection between the old and the new/ the tradition and the digital. Our payment network infrastructure and the vertical elements it supports, in turn opens up the market to be used by any individual or business in the World, no matter of their size or status. if one wishes to transact whether by card, cash or cryptocurrency, and whether mobile, online or in person, we have a simple and effective solution. We look forward to continuing to expand our network as we move it towards fulfillment of the realization of our overall goal to continually improve business and cost efficacy through the introduction and facilitation of cutting-edge financial technology solutions."

ABOUT LYNX DIGITAL GLOBAL FINANCE:

Lynx seeks to become a leader in financial technology, solutions, and services for large-scale merchants, financial institutions and other B2B industry partners by way of integration to the Lynx digital payment platform. The Company's payment solutions are powered by a broad suite of payment technologies and services. The Company has targeted banking and fintech relationships in ASEAN and Oceania, a region with a population approaching 700 million, that can provide Lynx a financial network hub location to service and operate a global traditional and digital financial infrastructure. By working with selected banking and/or licensed EMI partners, the Company will be able to offer a digital payment platform with a full suite of payment solutions, which may include merchant acquiring solutions; card issuing; remittance and forex; and custodial digital asset services, including digital wallet services. The Company seeks organic growth while investigating potential strategic acquisitions that may contribute critical technology applications, additional services, and revenue streams, and that can complement or enhance existing offerings and potentially increase or expedite the path to future profitability. While Lynx believes that significant near-term opportunities exist for the Company's strategic initiatives, there can be no assurance that goals and objectives will be reached or that any such underlying efforts or agreements will provide successful or positive outcomes should they be implemented.

For more information, please contact:

Michael Penner, CEO

(604) 396-9974

mpenner@lynxglobal.io

www.lynxglobal.io

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation, including the described initiatives of DA5, DA5 Australia, Vasu and Payright and the absolute goals and objectives of Lynx. The economic materiality of the agreement(s) between DA5, DA5 Australia, Vasu or Payright, and any of the parties referenced or connected to any of these companies herein, is unknown due to the contingent nature of results that may be generated. At this point in time, Lynx considers the described business relationships unlikely to yield a substantial short-term economic benefit for Lynx or the subsidiaries, however, Lynx and each subsidiary considers that the described business relationships support the organizations strategic growth plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "will be", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events, or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of Lynx to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including capital expenditures, other costs, or implied future forecasts. The Company further again cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. Lynx will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88244
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Cruz Cobalt Corp. (CSE: CRUZ) (OTC Pink: BKTPF) (FSE: A2DMG8) ("Cruz" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has hired Vital Drilling Services of Val Caron, Ontario to conduct the Company's planned upcoming 2021 drill program in the historic Cobalt Camp of Ontario.

Cruz is one of the largest landholders in the historic silver-cobalt producing region of Cobalt, Ontario, with five separate projects in the world-famous silver-cobalt camp. Cruz's projects are in the direct vicinity of First Cobalt Corp. On Dec. 22, 2020, the government of Canada and the government of Ontario announced a joint $10-million investment in the First Cobalt Corp. refinery in Cobalt, Ontario. (see map below).





Cruz's Ontario Silver-Cobalt Properties



To view an enhanced version of this map, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4754/88250_cdc6b7e6f4c85a15_002full.jpg

Jim Nelson, President of Cruz states, "We are pleased to have now hired a drill contractor for our upcoming 2021 drill program in the historic silver-cobalt producing region of Cobalt, Ontario. This drill program is expected to begin shortly and will be fully funded by flow-through funds already on-hand. On June 17, 2021, in a recent electric vehicle (EV) segment featured on CNBC, consulting firm Alix Partners, who tracks auto-investments around the world, announced that through 2025 the auto-industry is estimated to invest $330 billion on EV infrastructure, in addition to having an estimated 24% of all auto-sales being EV's by 2030. EV sales are expected to surge for the rest of this decade along with the demand for battery metals. Cruz is in a unique position to potentially capitalize on both our cobalt and lithium assets. Not only does Cruz have cobalt projects in Ontario & Idaho, we also have a lithium project in the Clayton Valley of Nevada, being one of the few companies that has access to the deepest parts of the only lithium brine basin in production in North America (see map below). Cruz currently has approximately $1.5 million in the treasury, including flow-through funds. We are about to come into a major news flow cycle and management remains confident that 2021 will be a transformative year for the Company as Cruz has multiple strategically located, and ethically sourced, cobalt and lithium projects in North America."





Clayton Valley Ownership Map

To view an enhanced version of this map, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4754/88250_cdc6b7e6f4c85a15_003full.jpg

The technical contents of this release were approved by Greg Thomson, PGeo, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Cruz Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Cruz may not necessarily be indicative of the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties.

About Cruz Cobalt

Cruz currently has twelve projects located throughout North America, comprising five in Ontario, four in British Columbia, two in Idaho, and one in Nevada. Cruz's five separate Ontario projects are all located in the vicinity of the town of Cobalt, making Cruz one of the largest landholders in this historic silver-cobalt producing district. Cruz's Ontario projects, which are prospective for Cobalt, diamonds and silver include the 1,525-acre Coleman cobalt project, the 988-acre Johnson cobalt project, the 6,146-acre Hector cobalt project, the 1,458-acre Bucke cobalt project and the 1,453-acre Lorraine cobalt project. The company's BC projects include the 1,542-acre War Eagle cobalt project, the 2,552-acre Larry diamond project, the 5,572-acre Jax diamond project, and the 1,529-acre Mark diamond project. Cruz's USA projects include the 2,211-acre 'Idaho Cobalt Belt Project', the and the 80-acre 'Idaho Star Cobalt Prospect', and the 240-acre 'Clayton Valley Lithium Prospect' in Nevada. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Cruz may not necessarily be indicative of the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties.

If you would like to be added to Cruz's news distribution list, please send your email address to info@cruzcobaltcorp.com.

Cruz Cobalt Corp.

"James Nelson"

James Nelson

President, Chief Executive Officer, Secretary and Director

For more information regarding this news release, please contact:

James Nelson, CEO and Director

T: 604-899-9150

Toll free: 1-855-599-9150

E: info@cruzcobaltcorp.com

W: www.cruzcobaltcorp.com

Twitter: @CruzCobalt

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88250
Actively Integrating into the Global Capital Market to Embrace ESG Development Philosophies

HONG KONG, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co., Ltd. (the "CPIC" or the "Company"; Stock code: 2601.HK, 601601.SH, CPIC.LSE) celebrates its first anniversary of listing on the London Stock Exchange (the "LSE").

On 22 June 2020, CPIC successfully completed the issuance of Global Depositary Receipts (GDR) and officially listed on the LSE, becoming the first China's insurance company simultaneously listed in Shanghai, Hong Kong and London, as well as the first insurance company in China to issue GDR. This was the first time that Chinese accounting standards have been used under the Shanghai-London Stock Connect mechanism. It is also the first time the Cornerstone investor mechanism was used for GDR issuance. At the time of listing, it was the largest GDR issuance in UK since 2015 and the largest London IPO in 2020.

Fruitful results achieved on the first anniversary of the listing, continuing to benefit the Company

As one of the earliest stock exchanges established in the world, LSE is also the largest stock exchange in Europe and the seventh largest in the world. As an internationally established stock exchange, LSE provides an active financing environment with distinct advantages in financing cost, as well as an excellent way for international investors to enter the European capital market. The GDR price has been rising since the completion of the issuance, setting a new record of 11.90% in a single day on 25 February 2021. As of 17 June 2021 with a closing price of US$27 per share, GDR's share price has increased by over 50% in the year since its listing.

By introducing the ESG pioneer, Swiss Re Group (the "Swiss Re") as a cornerstone investor, CPIC continued to optimize its shareholding structure, improve the governance mechanism and accelerate its ESG strategic layout, so as to deeply integrate the philosophy of green and sustainable development with insurance operations. At present, Swiss Re has dispatched senior executives to the board of directors of the Group. By performing their duties, they will continue to play a role in the corporate governance mechanism, which will help strengthen the Group's professional operation capabilities in its core insurance business. In addition, through listing in Shanghai, Hong Kong and London simultaneously, the company has greatly enhanced its international influence and connected to the mature European markets. Under the background of China's continuous efforts to deepen its opening-up, it further integrated into the global financial environment, and shared the development benefits of China's insurance industry with high-quality capital from all over the world.

In the face of unfavorable factors including the recurring global pandemic, fluctuating market environment and the uncertain international situation, the Group adheres to long-termism and focuses on the core business, thereby delivering solid business results and sustaining increase in overall strength. In 2020, the Group's operating income amounted to RMB422.182 billion, of which insurance business income amounted to RMB362.064 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.2%; operating profit amounted to RMB31.14 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 11.7%, and the net profit attributable to the parent company recorded RMB24.584 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the total assets of the Group amounted to RMB1,771.004 billion, representing an increase of 15.9% over the same period last year, with basic earnings per share of RMB2.63. As of the end of 2020, the number of CPIC customers reached 147.473 million, representing an increase of 8.915 million compared with that of the end of last year.

Actively embrace ESG development philosophies and adhere to long-term value

Since the listing on the LSE for one year, CPIC has adhered to its responsibility to society, customers and shareholders and embraced the ESG philosophies of sustainable development. In March this year, CPIC and Swiss Re jointly held the ESG summit, announcing the integration of ESG philosophies into its daily operation. In April, CPIC once again co-hosted an ESG-themed summit with the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange (SUAEE) and UBS, focusing on carbon neutral to build a new model of insurance industry that supports green and low-carbon development. Through benchmarking global and domestic excellent practices, CPIC continues to optimize the overall working logic of ESG. The top-level design of ESG field was successfully completed at the Board Meeting of CPIC in March earlier. CPIC will continue to strengthen the development and innovation of sustainable insurance products on the liability end, while further promoting green investment on the asset end, thereby integrating ESG philosophies into company operations in an all-around way.

In order to actively respond to the national strategic policies, CPIC has made great efforts to develop green insurance to promote green and low-carbon development. As of the end of 2020, CPIC cumulatively provided environmental protection liability insurance to 4,360 companies in China, with SA of over RMB7.9 billion. CPIC also fully facilitated the development of new energy vehicles to support green travel, providing risk protection for 742,000 new energy vehicles in 2020. In addition, for environmental governance, green ships, advanced manufacturing, new infrastructure and many other fields, CPIC tailor-made exclusive insurance services for the sustainable development of the ecological environment.

In terms of green investment, CPIC has been exploring the use of long-term capital advantages of insurance, combined with the unique protection functions and risk management of the insurance industry, to promote the cultivation and development of green industry. CPIC actively participated in green investment projects advocated by national policies in the fields of new energy, green technology, environmental protection, pollution prevention, green finance through the form of debt investment plans, equity investment plans and industrial funds, to provide financial support for the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. As of the end of 2020, CPIC invested over RMB54 billion in renewable energy, water conservation and environmental protection.

Mr. Kong Qingwei, chairman of CPIC, said: "The successful issuance of GDR by CPIC on LSE marked an important milestone for the move of China insurance industry towards the international capital market, which opened a new chapter in the international development of CPIC. In an era of constant changes and uncertainties, CPIC will continue to adhere to the long-term and value-oriented strategy, remain customer-oriented, and pursue high quality development through transformation and reform. Leveraging the platform advantages of listing in the three markets, the Group will further strengthen its overseas market layout, and actively explore new growth and diversified business deployment on the liability end, thereby driving the sustainable and steady growth of business and enhancing shareholder returns in the long-run."

About China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co., Ltd

China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "CPIC", or the "Company"; Stock Code: 2601.HK, 601601.SH, CPIC.LSE) is an insurance holding company incorporated on the basis of China Pacific Insurance Company, which was established on May 13, 1991. It is a leading insurance group headquartered in Shanghai, which is the first insurance group simultaneously listed on Shanghai, Hong Kong and London Stock Exchanges. CPIC is a leading comprehensive insurance group; the Company provides a broad range of risk solutions, financial planning and asset management services to over 100 million customers via its nationwide network of distribution and diversified services platforms.

This press release is distributed by Wonderful Sky Financial Group for About China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co., Ltd.
The human capital, governance and organisational development expert moves to Omnix International from Arabtec Holding PJSC where he served as Group HR Director since 2015.

DUBAI, UAE, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday end-to-end technology solutions and services provider Omnix International has announced the appointment of Emirati human capital and recruitment veteran Rashed al Hameli as its Chief Support Services Officer, effective immediately. The appointment comes as the UAE-based industry leader in digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud, and smart infrastructure launches its vision for the next phase of development, dubbed 'Omnix 2.0: The Premier Partner of End-to-End Digital Solutions', by which the company renews its focus on customer requirements through highly customisable solutions and extensive support.

Al Hameli joins Omnix International with over 20 years of experience as a senior leader in human resources, recruitment and training across high-profile public and private enterprises in the United Arab Emirates, including Adnoc Refining 'Takreer', the Dubai International Financial Centre, Tanmia, Etihad Airways, the UAE Ministry of Health, and most recently, Arabtec Holding PJSC.

In his new role, al Hameli will be responsible for an extended range of critical functions, including HR, admin, procurement, warehousing, media, IT and public relations, paving the way for the company's research and software development divisions to focus on core functions. Known for his strategic approach to management and long experience in organisational development, al Hameli is also expected to refine and sharpen Omnix's procedures in a manner that serves its ambition for growth.

Al Hameli's proven record in managing human resources at the highest standards of engagement and competence makes him a key driver of Omnix's targeted transformation, and will help the company attract and retain talent, as well as develop comprehensive frameworks for talent acquisition and performance management.

Commenting on the appointment, Fakharany said: "Our most valuable asset is our people, and having a strong leader such as Rashed al Hameli managing our support services creates a solid foundation upon which we can write the next chapter in our progress. Rashed is in command of the skills, experience and knowledge necessary to lead this tremendously important function at Omnix International, and we couldn't be happier to have him with us."

In his statement, Rashed al Hameli said: "Omnix International is a well-known name in all its fields of work - and for many good reasons. The company's deep roots in the UAE, its prestigious status in the market and region-wide profile make it an ideal place to create impact and effect meaningful change. Being a member of the executive team at Omnix is an opportunity to contribute to a remarkable story of progress, and I look forward to all the work we will do together."

Rashed holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Suffolk University, Boston, USA, and has completed the Senior Leadership Executive Programme of the London Business School. He is also the recipient of the Leadership Certificate of Dubai Government, and is a member of several industry committees. These include the Interviewing Committee at Adnoc Refining, the HR Committee at Tanmia, and the Job Evaluation Committee at the Dubai International Financial Centre.
LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wavex, a Microsoft Gold partner providing leading managed IT and security services has announced the launch of APEX Advanced Threat Detection (ATD), a completely new solution that leverages their APEX platform to monitor risky IT behaviors and offer clients an early warning of cyber threats.

Most data breaches can go undetected for months, leaving hackers unhindered to cause wide-spread damage. According to a report by IBM*, it took companies 228 days, on average, to identify breaches in 2020. The need for early and accurate threat detection is now more vital than ever.

Despite the availability of data highlighting potentially risky user behaviors, many of the indicators of a breach could also be legitimate staff activity. It has, therefore, been difficult for a security service to respond appropriately without having an on-going dialogue with staff, which would be time-consuming for both parties when most alerts are benign.

APEX ATD continuously monitors risky IT behaviors, capturing alerts from Azure & Office 365. Depending on the activity, it then validates risk with relevant teams in customers' organization (staff, managers, or the IT department) who receive detailed notifications directly to their desktop.

Ex.:

"Have you just forwarded your email to Hotmail?"

"Have you just deleted a lot of data?"

If the actions are not by staff, then it must be a hacker. When the notifications appear, staff need only click on "Investigate" and appropriate remediation is performed. Reducing 228 days to mere minutes.

"With most businesses now capitalizing on the benefits of Office 365 and Azure, the fight against cyber-crime has shifted away from the office network and into the Cloud. Businesses relying on a firewall and antivirus are no longer secure. APEX ATD complements our growing arsenal of security solutions which are all designed to help keep our clients safe and ahead of the rapidly changing threat landscape," said Gavin Russell, Wavex CEO.

About Wavex

Founded in 1998, Wavex offers industry-leading managed IT and security services, project delivery and expert IT advice to London-based SMEs.

As a Microsoft Gold partner, we utilize the best of Microsoft, complemented by our IT managed services and a range of unique systems, built in-house.

We can act as a client's IT department or supplement an in-house team. Contact us to discuss high-quality IT support for your business.

*IBM Security - Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1530800/Wavex_ATD.jpg

Contact Details:

tellmemore@wavex.co.uk

+44 (0)207-030-3210

www.wavex.co.uk
Partnership will provide existing and new customers with local support and expertise for Finastra's solutions across multiple geographies in Europe

LONDON and ATHENS, Greece, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra has established a new partnership with Uni Systems Information Technology S.M.SA (Uni Systems), an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems integration company that specializes in Information Technology landscape transformation in Europe. Uni Systems will be bringing Finastra treasury, risk and payments software - Fusion Treasury, Fusion Risk and Fusion Global PAYplus respectively - to local markets with on-the-ground implementation and support services.

Constantine Serros, Banking and Financial Services Business Unit Director at Uni Systems, said, "We are excited to announce this new business partnership with Finastra. As a global leader in the fintech space, Finastra brings deep expertise coupled with leading solutions in the domains of treasury, payments and risk, which we aim to leverage further with our local footprint, knowledge and technology integration capabilities. We are certain that this partnership will help European financial institutions on their journey to digital transformation - a vision which both Finastra and Uni Systems share."

The partnership will enable customers to benefit from local expertise and high-level professional services alongside Finastra's trusted technology solutions. It covers selected customers in multiple geographies in Europe, including Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.

Michael Henssler, General Manager, Treasury and Capital Markets and Risk at Finastra said, "Uni Systems is an exciting new member of our Fusion Orbit partner program. We are looking forward to reaching wider markets across Europe with this collaboration. Uni Systems' specialized consultants are now trained and certified in delivering our solutions, both in the cloud and on-premise, and we are confident they will also deliver quality professional services to our customers."

For further information please contact:

Caroline Duff

Global Head of PR

T +44 (0)7917 613586

Ecaroline.duff@finastra.com

finastra.com

About Uni Systems

Uni Systems, a member of Quest Group of companies, is a long-standing strategic ICT partner to financial institutions, public organizations, telecom operators, enterprises and institutions in the European region providing integrated solutions and value added services since 1964. Today, the Company invests substantially in its European perspective and demonstrates a proven record of accomplishment in complex and critical IT projects in more than 26 countries through its subsidiaries in Belgium, Romania, Luxembourg, Italy and Spain. For more information, please visit www.unisystems.com

About Finastra

Finastra is building an open platform that accelerates collaboration and innovation in financial services, creating better experiences for people, businesses and communities. Supported by the broadest and deepest portfolio of financial services software, Finastra delivers this vitally important technology to financial institutions of all sizes across the globe, including 90 of the world's top 100 banks. Our open architecture approach brings together a number of partners and innovators. Together we are leading the way in which applications are written, deployed and consumed in financial services to evolve with the changing needs of customers. Learn more at finastra.com

LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Corporate headquarters

4 Kingdom Street

Paddington

London W2 6BD

United Kingdom

T: +44 20 3320 5000

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/967510/Finastra_Logo.jpg
The "Denmark Cards and Payments Opportunities and Risks to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

'Denmark Cards and Payments Opportunities and Risks to 2024' report provides detailed analysis of market trends in Denmark's cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including cards, credit transfers, cash, and direct debits during the review-period (2016-20e).

The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review-period and over the forecast-period (2020e-24f). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including market shares of issuers and schemes.

The report brings together the publisher's research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers detailed regulatory policies and recent changes in regulatory structure.

This report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into Denmark's cards and payments industry, including

Current and forecast values for each market in Denmark's cards and payments industry, including debit and credit cards.

Detailed insights into payment instruments including cards, credit transfers, cash, and direct debits. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.

E-commerce market analysis.

Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing Denmark's cards and payments industry.

Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit and credit cards.

Scope

Danes are increasingly opting for electronic payment solutions instead of cash. According to a payment behavior survey conducted by Danmarks Nationalbank in the second half of 2019, the share of Danes not carrying cash for payments increased from 16% in 2017 to 34% in 2019. Most of this shift is being driven by individuals aged 15-29. Yet electronic payments are also being embraced by senior citizens aged 70-79. As per the same survey, senior citizens have displayed a change in in-store payment behavior, with the share of cash among total payments decreasing from 40% in 2017 to 22% in 2019 for these individuals. Electronic payments in Denmark are supported by increasing use of mobile wallets including MobilePay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal as well as the Dankort app.

The growing e-commerce market is encouraging companies to launch online shops in Denmark. In March 2020, online marketplace Hverdag.dk launched in the country. The marketplace enables grocery, cosmetics, book, and toy retailers to sell their products online to customers. Similarly, in March 2020 grocery chain Salling Group established an online food and grocery delivery platform. The platform which is expected to commence operations in early 2021 will enable home delivery of food from its supermarket chain fotex.

Contactless cards were introduced in Denmark in August 2015. Today major banks including Danske Bank, Jyske Bank, Arbejdernes Landsbank, SEB, Sydbank, and Nykredit all offer contactless cards. The onset of COVID-19 has further accelerated the use of contactless cards. According to leading merchant acquirer Nets, contactless payment usage is high in Denmark in comparison to other Nordic countries. As per Nets data, 86% of all card payments made in-store in the country were contactless during the last week of October 2020, in comparison to 77% for Norway and 70% for Finland.

Key Topics Covered:

Payment Instruments

Card-based Payments

Merchant Acquiring

Ecommerce Payments

Buy Now Pay Later

Mobile Proximity Payments

P2P Payments

Bill Payments

Alternative Payments

Job Analysis

Payment Innovations

Payment Infrastructure Regulation

Appendix

Companies Mentioned

Arbejdernes Landsbank

Danmarks Nationalbank

Danske Bank

Jyske Bank

Nordea

Sydbank

Mastercard

Visa

MobilePay

PayPal

Apple Pay

Google Pay

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/87l1kc

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005547/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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Latest customer attitudes study suggests strategies for improving customer engagement

Guidewire Software Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), the platform general insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently, today released Love, Hate or Indifference its 2021 insurance attitudes study.* Findings indicate that the relationship between UK customers and general insurers still has room for enhancement as the country comes out of lockdown and plans for a post-pandemic recovery.

Compared to last year's study, UK customer interest in insurance that might protect them from pandemic triggered losses has gone into reverse. There is less potential demand for insurance against job loss (2021, 14%; 2020, 20%), and against sickness (2021, 14%; 2020 19%). Only online identity theft protection is slightly up at 14% compared to 2020's 12%.

Elsewhere in Europe, demand for pandemic protection insurance remains high. For example, in a parallel study in France, French insurance customers are more interested in sickness protection (37%) and job loss protection (31%). German customers who were also surveyed are even more likely to say the pandemic would make them consider insurance products like sickness protection (43%), job loss (37%), online identity theft (20%), and payment protection (25%).

The research suggests negative opinion has hardened about the apparent lack of support by insurers for their customers during the pandemic. More than a quarter (26%) of UK customers do not think that the industry did enough to help people in need. This compares to 17% of customers when Guidewire asked the same question in its 2020 study and the pandemic was in its early days.

A continuing lack of valued connection and engagement between insurers and customers seems to lie behind this low opinion. Almost one in three respondents say insurers sell overpriced products, are reluctant to pay out claims or are a necessary but inconvenient service. While this has increased from last year (23%), the proportion of customers who say their insurer understands them and they value their products has flatlined at 15% year-on-year.

Insurers recognise the necessity to bridge the gap with their customers but further evidence of the need for clearer understanding lies in how even insurers' efforts to respond supportively to the pandemic have not resulted in more positive consumer opinion. While one in ten customers (11%) say they have received a refund on their policy most (63%) are unaware that refund deals even exist.

Feedback from customers does suggest ways that insurers could engage with them better:

Alert services could bridge gap two thirds (66%) of respondents say they would access a service from their insurer that sent warnings about issues to help prevent damage instead of just covering losses. The extent to which new services could improve the quality of customer experience is highlighted by how those who say insurance is 'necessary but inconvenient', are even more positive (72%) on alert services.

two thirds (66%) of respondents say they would access a service from their insurer that sent warnings about issues to help prevent damage instead of just covering losses. The extent to which new services could improve the quality of customer experience is highlighted by how those who say insurance is 'necessary but inconvenient', are even more positive (72%) on alert services. Personalised, simplified insurance products hold real appeal - one in two (55%) respondents would be interested in consolidating their insurance policies and only dealing with one insurer who can cover all risks with one personalised insurance package. Even among those who think insurance is overpriced, this consolidation message has appeal for most (58%).

- one in two (55%) respondents would be interested in consolidating their insurance policies and only dealing with one insurer who can cover all risks with one personalised insurance package. Even among those who think insurance is overpriced, this consolidation message has appeal for most (58%). Tap into early user trend for pay as you go - Usage based insurance (UBI) could address customer negativity around for value for money. While the study revealed there are few (9 percent) existing customers of UBI products, most respondents (60%), say they can see the value of UBI for them. The 55+ age group (65%), seems particularly open to the concept. Even for those customers who say they are deeply negative about insurers, most (59%), warm to UBI.

Commenting on the study, Keith Stonell, managing director, EMEA, Guidewire Software said, "Like their customers, insurers have experienced a tough journey during the pandemic. This reaffirms how important it is for insurers to get closer to their customers, and build on relationships that have been put under heavy pressure. The opportunities to remedy indifference, even negativity among customers, are very achievable; and the development of truly useful alert services, more personalised consolidated products, and usage based policies offers insurers a proven path to engaging with their customers more effectively and sustainably."

*Methodology

Guidewire commissioned independent research company, Censuswide, to conduct a targeted study of 3,000 insurance consumers in the UK, France, and Germany. The study comprised an online survey of people over the age of 18 who had taken out or renewed one of the most common types of general insurance (e.g. household items, motor vehicles) within the last 12 months. The study was carried out in April 2021.

About Guidewire

Guidewire is the platform general insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently. ?We combine digital, core, analytics, and AI to deliver our platform as a cloud service. More than 400 insurers, from new ventures to the largest and most complex in the world, run on Guidewire.

As a partner to our customers, we continually evolve to enable their success. We are proud of our unparalleled implementation track record, with 1,000+ successful projects, supported by the largest R&D team and partner ecosystem in the industry. Our marketplace provides hundreds of applications that accelerate integration, localisation, and innovation.

For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com and follow us on twitter: @Guidewire_PandC.

NOTE: For information about Guidewire's trademarks, visit https://www.guidewire.com/legal-notices.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005301/en/

Contacts:

Daniel Couzens

Allison Partners

+44(0)203 971 4308

guidewire@allisonpr.com

Louise Bradley

PR Communications EMEA, Guidewire

+44(0)7474 837 860

lbradley@guidewire.com
Secure 4G and Wi-Fi capabilities, two-way audio, geo-tagging, and alarm features combine with Eagle Eye Networks true cloud infrastructure for unrivaled body camera offering for retail, guarding companies, in-home service companies, and other commercial entities

Eagle Eye Networks, the global leader in cloud video surveillance, today introduced the first-of-its-kind 4G, direct-to-cloud body camera designed specifically for commercial use. This new offering provides commercial customers with affordable access to feature-rich, professional-grade body camera services, which improve staff safety and accountability, trigger immediate response, and provide valuable evidence, all while protecting assets and keeping communities safe. Eagle Eye Body Cameras are now available for order with delivery in Q3.

Body cameras dissuade aggression, improve accountability, and reduce false accusations. Employees from private security guards to retail staff, in-home service providers, and delivery workers feel safer and more valued when wearing body cameras.

Global research organization Omdia has identified body cameras in non-law enforcement applications as a top trend in 2021, saying the potential addressable market for commercial body-worn cameras dwarfs that of law enforcement. In the U.S. alone, Omdia estimates private security guards outnumber police officers 2-to-1, and says new commercial body camera users in retail, for example are rapidly emerging.

"The commercial body-worn camera market is ripe for new entrants," said Paul Bremner, Principal Analyst in Omdia's critical communications group. "Features such as cloud connectivity, 4G, live streaming, GPS, and price, are important to retailers, delivery services, guards, and others in the commercial sector. New body cam providers who can break the old law enforcement body camera mold with reasonably priced, feature-rich, professional-grade body cameras are positioning themselves to fill a growing need the commercial market is searching for," Bremner said.

Resellers are welcoming the arrival of body cameras that meet their needs. Jaime Abad Valdenebro, Chief Executive Officer at OmniCloud, said he is excited that Eagle Eye Networks is launching commercial body camera support to its Eagle Eye CameraManager platform. "Fixed IP cameras integrated with 4G-enabled body cameras represent the extension of video cloud services in a real mobile environment, providing a new disruptive video surveillance solution," Valdenebro said.

"In a smart city application, Eagle Eye's new 4G, direct-to-cloud body cams will provide extra protection for security guards and ensure patrols are completed on time. The 4G is important, because it gives the user live access to body camera video. It will make a high performance true cloud video surveillance system even more powerful," he added.

With Eagle Eye Body Cameras, users can:

Use 4G or Wi-Fi for live streaming, real-time remote viewing, and direct to cloud recording

Blend fixed, mobile, and body-worn cameras, making it easier for your entire surveillance system to work together

Stream to a monitoring or security operations center and use geo-tagging for immediate response and support

Experience a larger viewing area with fisheye capabilities that are dewarped in the Eagle Eye Cloud Management Application

Manage a large number of cameras in the cloud and watch from a control room

Use two-way audio to clearly communicate

Protect your people at work and in the community

Future-proof your investment with hardened cameras that offer "law enforcement-level" durability and quality at an affordable price

Gain flexibility for live streaming and video retrieval during docking with rapid recharge capabilities

"The demand for high-quality body cameras that connect to the cloud has been growing for several years, accelerating even more with the pandemic, social unrest, and the shift to providing more in-home, curbside, and remote services," said Dean Drako, Founder and CEO of Eagle Eye Networks. "Traditional law enforcement body cameras use a high-dollar subscription model, which is too steeply priced for commercial customers. Eagle Eye Networks will support the new Eagle Eye Body Cameras at the same low subscription cost of fixed cameras, making the solution affordable for commercial customers accustomed to paying up front for advanced cameras with affordable long-term subscriptions," he added.

Body cameras are initially available on the Eagle Eye Networks CameraManager platform, with availability on the Eagle Eye Cloud Video Management System (VMS) in 2022. The Eagle Eye Body Cams can also be protected with Eagle Eye Networks industry-leading rapid replacement service.

Click here for more information.

ABOUT EAGLE EYE NETWORKS

Eagle Eye Networks is #1 in cloud video surveillance worldwide. Our 100% cloud managed solutions provide cloud and on-premises recording, bank-level security and encryption, and broad analog and digital camera support all accessed via the web or mobile applications. Businesses of all sizes and types utilize Eagle Eye solutions for operational optimization and security. All products benefit from Eagle Eye's developer friendly RESTful API platform and Big Data Video Framework which allow for indexing, search, retrieval, and analysis of live and archived video. Eagle Eye sells its products through authorized global resellers and installation partners. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, Eagle Eye has offices in Europe and Asia-Pacific. For more information, please visit www.een.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005416/en/

Contacts:

EAGLE EYE PRESS CONTACTS

GLOBAL HQ

Martha Entwistle

mentwistle@een.com

+1-512-473-0500



AMERICAS

Megan Gillis

mgillis@een.com

+1-512-473-0500



EMEA

Max van Riel

mvanriel@een.com

+81-3-6868-5527



APAC

Chie Takizawa

ctakizawa@een.com

+31 (0) 20 26 10 460
Talenom Plc, Press release 22 June 2021 at 13.00 EEST

Talenom Plc welcomes new franchise entrepreneurs in Kotka-Hamina and Vantaa Aviapolis

Talenom Plc has concluded new franchise agreements and welcomes Jussi Auvinen in Kotka-Hamina and Jari Rintala in Vantaa Aviapolis as the company's new franchise entrepreneurs, both starting the first of September 2021. The agreements bring Talenom's total number of franchisees to 23.

In the franchise model, independent franchisees offer the same accounting services to their customers locally as Talenom's other offices and acquire new customers for Talenom. The bookkeeping activities themselves are concentrated in Talenom's highly automated units in Oulu and Tampere, which utilize scalable production processes. The franchising model allows for expanding the business efficiently also to smaller market areas in Finland.

"It's great to gain new franchise entrepreneurs in our growing chain. They bring along

more momentum in our organic growth. We welcome warmly Jussi and Jari to

Talenom's team and wish them success in helping our customers!" say Otto-Pekka Huhtala, CEO of Talenom, and Jouni Harkonen, Head of Franchising at Talenom.

Talenom is a growth company that generates new accounts through active sales efforts. Expanding the franchise model supports the company's organic growth strategy. The company intends to continue expanding its franchise chain to new locations also in the future.

TALENOM PLC

Further information:

Otto-Pekka Huhtala

CEO, Talenom Plc

+358 40 7038 554

otto-pekka.huhtala@talenom.fi

Talenom is an agile and progressive accounting firm established in 1972. Our business idea is to make day-to-day life easier for entrepreneurs with the easiest-to-use digital tools on the market and highly automated services. In addition to comprehensive accounting services, we support our customers' business with a wide range of expert services as well as financing and banking services. Our vision is to provide unbeatable accounting and banking services for SMEs.

Talenom has a history of strong growth - the average annual increase in net sales was approximately 15.5% between 2005 and 2020. At the end of 2020, Talenom had 912 employees in Finland and Sweden at a total of 47 locations. Talenom's share is quoted on the main list of the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
SENS ANNOUNCEMENT

(the "Notice" or "Announcement")



ISSUER

ZCCM INVESTMENTS HOLDINGS PLC ("ZCCM-IH")

[Incorporated in the Republic of Zambia]

Company registration number: 771

Share Code: ZCCM-IH

ISIN: ZM0000000037

Authorised by: Chabby Chabala - Company Secretary

SPONSOR

Stockbrokers Zambia Limited

[Founder Member of the Lusaka Securities Exchange]

[Regulated and licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zambia]

Contact Person: Natasha Nelson

Contact Number: +260-211-232456

Website: www.sbz.com.zm

APPROVAL

The captioned Notice or Announcement has been approved by:

the Lusaka Securities Exchange ("LuSE") the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Stockbrokers Zambia Limited ("SBZ")

RISK WARNING

The Notice or Announcement contained herein contains information that may be of a price sensitive nature.

Investors are advised to seek the advice of their investment advisor, stockbroker, or any professional duly licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zambia to provide securities advice.

ISSUED: June 22, 2021

ZCCM INVESTMENTS HOLDINGS PLC

[Incorporated in the Republic of Zambia]

Company registration number: 771

Share Code: ZCCM-IH

ISIN: ZM0000000037

["ZCCM-IH" or "the Company"]

CHANGE IN DIRECTORATE

Pursuant to section 3.59 of the LuSE Listing Requirements, the Board of Directors of ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc (the "Board") wishes to announce the appointment of Mr Michael Chibonga as a Director on the Board of Directors of the company with effect from 7 June 2021.

Mr Chibonga is a Director at the Mining Cadastre Department at the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development ("MoMMD"). He holds a Bachelor of Mineral Sciences-Mining Engineering from the University of Zambia and a Masters of Engineering Science-Project Management from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Mr Chibonga has vast experience at senior level management. Prior to his appointment as Director at the Mining Cadastre Department, Mr Chibonga held the position of Head-Mining Cadastre Unit from 2013 to 2018. He has worked at the Ministry in various portfolios, amongst others, Mining Engineer and Senior Mining Engineer. He has also worked at Konkola Copper Mines PLC between 2003 and 2005 when he was on secondment from MoMMD.

The Board looks forward to Mr. Chibonga's contributions to the Company in his capacity as Director on the Board and wishes him well.

Mr. Chabby Chabala

Company Secretary

ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc

Issued in Lusaka, Zambia on 22 June 2021

Lusaka Securities Exchange Sponsoring Broker T | +260-211-232456



E | advisory@sbz.com.zm



W | www.sbz.com.zm



Stockbrokers Zambia Limited (SBZ) is a member of the Lusaka Securities

Exchange and is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zambia

First Issued on 22 June 2021

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Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-69783-zccm-ih-change-in-directorate-sens-21062021.pdf


CGB executive chairman Dato' Faisal Zelman

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Main Market-listed Central Global Berhad's ("Central Global") shareholders have passed all the resolutions at the Group's AGM for the financial year ended 31 December 2021 held virtually today.Central Global shareholders passed resolutions to re-elect executive chairman Dato' Faisal Zelman, executive director Mr. Tobby Tan and independent director Mr. Lee King Loon to the board of directors. All three were appointed to the board on 26 February 2021. Shareholders also passed the resolution to appoint Baker Tilly Monteiro Heng PLT as the Group's auditors in place of the retiring auditors, KPMG PLT.Central Global executive chairman Dato' Faisal Zelman said: "We are pleased that the virtual AGM went smoothly without any technical hiccups. We fielded questions from shareholders on the Group's outlook and prospects as well as our ongoing plans to expand the manufacturing and construction businesses.""We shared at the AGM that the board is seeking opportunities for the construction arm through strategic partnerships as we believe that the landscape for the construction business is changing and that such partnerships are the way forward for us. We also spoke to shareholders about our plans to upgrade the machinery of the manufacturing arm in order to make the processes more productive and cost-efficient.""We remain cautiously optimistic and will continue to monitor the changing outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic and make changes to daily operations accordingly with as little disruption as possible to the business. We are confident that the plans we are implementing will benefit the Group in the long-run."Among Central Global's plans is an approved private placement of 18 million new shares to fund an upgrade of the manufacturing arm's capacity as well as funding for an existing construction project in Penang. Central Global was also awarded a construction project located in Lahad Datu, Sabah valued at RM101 million. The Group is currently in discussions for several construction projects.Source: Central Global BerhadCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices fell slightly on Tuesday amid profit taking after rallying the previous day on hopes for a quick recovery in demand in the U.S. and Europe. Brent crude futures for August settlement dropped 47 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $74.43 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for July delivery were down 50 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $72.62 a barrel. Brent jumped 1.9 percent and WTI climbed 2.8 percent in the previous session. Both benchmarks have risen for the past four weeks on hopes of economic revival and expected pick-up in summer travel on the back of increasing vaccination coverage. Meanwhile, expectations for an early return of Iranian crude faded after Ebrahim Raisi, an ultraconservative cleric who's generally hostile toward the West, emerged as the winner of June 18 elections. He's due to take over from Rouhani in mid-August. BofA Global Research raised its Brent crude price forecasts for this year and next, saying the global oil market will continue to be undersupplied. Goldman Sachs is expecting firmer oil prices moving forward. The American Petroleum Institute is due to release its latest estimates of U.S. crude oil supply data later in the day. 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.
TAIPEI, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As one of Asia's most diverse and multicultural countries, Taiwan is a hub of creativity where artists can engage with society and have their voices be heard. Under this foundation, the National Concert & Theater Hall (NTCH) has become one of Asia's most liberal and dynamic cultural landscapes. This year from June 16 to 27, NTCH is bringing its vibrant performing arts scene to the world with Taiwan Week Online 2021, which features 11 groups of artists and two discussion forums from 23-24 June at 7:30 pm (GMT+8).

From traditional to contemporary, indigenous and foreign, the 12-day event is jam-packed with diverse productions from leading creators and performers. Participating artists in the Dance Forum include Cheng Tsung-lung, named one of 50 Contemporary Choreographers (Routledge & CRC Press); Bulareyaung Pagarlava, a choreographer from the Paiwan Tribe who connects indigenous culture with modern audiences; Huang Yi, named by Dance Magazine as one of the "25 to Watch"; and choreographer Chou Shu-yi, who created "The Centre", a thought-provoking dialogue on equality and freedom.

Directors taking part in the Theater Forum include Wang Chia-ming, the first Taiwanese director to present work at the Festival d'automne a Paris; Singaporean director Ong Keng Sen, who joined hands with Robert Wilson's beloved Asian actress Wei Haimin; and Wang Jhao-cian, the leader of Our Theatre, Taiwan's most ambitious modern theater in Taiwanese Hokkien.

Taiwan Week Online 2021 will welcome respected directors such as Didier Deschamps, former Director of Theatre National de Chaillot; Alistair Spalding, Artistic Directorof Sadler's Wells Theatre; Serge Rangoni, Artistic Director of Theatre de Liege; and Nils Haarmann, Dramaturg of Schaubuhne Berlin. These directors will engage in dialogue with artists, exploring the stories behind their work.

"From the work I have viewed so far I can see that Taiwan's choreographic scene is still as vibrant and innovative as ever," said Alistair Spalding.

While Didier Deschamps mentioned: "Four very different artists give us their beautiful creations and deliver their thoughts about the world and creation."

Nils Haarmamn looks forward to "starting a dialogue and an exchange with the theatrical world of Taiwan, see where differences and common grounds lie, we can learn from or inspire each other."

"The energy, inventiveness and ability of Asian artists to vitalize the performing arts by connecting today's techniques with their immense culture and tradition is a source of inspiration for us all," said Serge Rangoni.

To view the full program, please visit https://npac-ntch.org/international/taiwanweek/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1538660/NTCH_Taiwan_Week_image.jpg


ESPOO (dpa-AFX) - Nokia Corp. is providing flexible working solutions for its employees consequent to the COVID-19 pandemic.



Effective January 1, 2022, all Nokia employees will have the flexibility to work up to three days a week remotely. They will also get increased support for flexible working hours and fully virtual working.



The Finnish telecom, IT, and consumer electronics company's majority of employees have worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company's existing COVID-19 work from home policy remains in effect globally until the end of 2021.



The updated guidelines followed a company-wide survey in which around 26,000 employees responded about their remote working experience during, and working preferences after, the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Nokia had approximately 92,000 employees in 130 countries.



In the survey, conducted at the end of 2020, 91 percent of respondents felt that they had retained or increased their productivity during their work-from-home time. They said they want to work two to three days per week remotely, on average, up from an average of two days before the pandemic.



Among the respondents, 81 percent still prefer to come to the office for at least some of the time during their working week to connect with colleagues.



In a statement, the company said the flexible working practices reflect its open, fearless, and empowered cultural essentials and support inclusion and equal opportunity, while retaining productivity.



Nokia also plans to rethink and redesign office spaces to better reflect post-COVID working arrangements and support collaboration. Many sites will see up to 70 percent of office space allocated to teamwork and meetings. The company plans to reserve less space for concentrative workspaces.



The company already reconfigured some pilot sites, including offices in Dallas, Singapore and Budapest, in 2021, with further sites expected to be completed by the end of the year.



By the end of 2021, Nokia also plans to launch a smart office solution, allowing employees to book workspaces and office amenities, as well as toolkits and guides.



The planned changes to a new hybrid model and refurbishments of offices will proceed on a country-by-country basis.



Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO of Nokia, said, 'The pandemic forced organizations to change. Technology gave people the tools to innovate. In many cases, the results have been too good to go back to the old way of doing things.'



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

NOKIA-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
Invesco Bond Income Plus Ltd - Result of AGM

Invesco Bond Income Plus Limited

Result of AGM

Result of the Annual General Meeting of Invesco Bond Income Plus Limited held on 22 June 2021:

Shareholders approved the following resolutions on a poll:

Resolution Votes For (including votes at the discretion of the Chairman Votes Against Votes Withheld 1 30,745,217 99.84 50,411 0.16 67,230 2 30,399,762 99.48 158,769 0.52 304,327 3 30,840,811 99.98 5,757 0.02 16,290 4 30,646,418 99.59 126,216 0.41 90,224 5 30,717,736 99.8 62,740 0.2 82,382 6 30,627,429 99.67 101,759 0.33 133,670 7 30,632,408 99.62 115,934 0.38 114,516 8* Withdrawn Withdrawn Withdrawn 9 30,632,529 99.64 109,495 0.36 120,834 10 30,614,050 99.64 109,750 0.36 139,058 11 30,554,597 99.55 137,325 0.45 170,936 12 30,556,255 99.26 226,464 0.74 80,139 13 30,731,699 99.71 87,872 0.29 43,287 14 30,545,131 99.19 250,867 0.81 66,860

* Resolution 8 was withdrawn as Mr McMaster was no longer eligible for re-election.

Total Voting Rights were 168,577,596.

The full text of the resolutions passed was as follows:

Ordinary Resolutions:

1. To receive the annual financial report for the year ended 31 December 2020.

2. To approve the Report on Directors' Remuneration and Interests.

3. To approve the Company's Dividend Payment Policy to pay four quarterly dividends to shareholders in May, August, November and February in respect of each accounting year.

4. To re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers CI LLP as the Company's auditor.

5. To authorise the Audit Committee to determine the remuneration of the auditor.

6. To re-elect Mr Tim Scholefield a Director of the Company.

7. To re-elect Ms Heather MacCallum a Director of the Company.

8. This Resolution was withdrawn.

9. To elect Ms Caroline Dutot a Director of the Company.

10. to elect Mr Tom Quigley a Director of the Company.

Special Business:

Ordinary Resolution

11. THAT, in accordance with Article 158 of the Company's Articles of Association, the Directors of the Company be and they are hereby released from their obligation pursuant to such Article to convene a general meeting of the Company within six months of the AGM at which a special resolution would be proposed to wind up the Company.

Special Resolutions

12. THAT, pursuant to Article 14.1 of the Company's Articles of Association, the Directors be and are hereby empowered to issue shares, up to 10% of the existing shares in issue at the time of the AGM, without pre-emption.

13. THAT, pursuant to Article 8.2 of the Company's Articles of Association and Article 57 of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 as amended (the Law), the Company be generally and unconditionally authorised:

(a) to make purchases of its issued ordinary shares of no par value (Shares) to be cancelled or held as treasury shares provided that:

(i) the maximum number of Shares hereby authorised to be purchased shall be 14.99% of the Company's issued ordinary shares, this being 15,251,006;

(ii) the minimum price which may be paid for a Share is 1p;

(iii) the maximum price which may be paid for a share must not be more than the higher of:

(i) 5 per cent. above the average of the mid-market values of the Shares for the five business days before the purchase is made; and

(ii) the higher of the price of the last independent trade in the shares and the highest then current independent bid for the Shares on the London Stock Exchange;

(iv) any purchase of shares will be made in the market for cash prices below the prevailing net asset value per share (as determined by the Directors);

(v) the authority hereby conferred shall expire on the earlier of the conclusion of the next AGM of the Company held after passing of this resolution or 15 months from the date of the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier.

14. THAT, the period of notice required for general meetings of the Company (other than AGMs) shall not be less than 14 days.



22 June 2021

Contact:

Hilary Jones

JTC Fund Solutions (Jersey) Limited

Telephone: 01534 700000
DENVER, June 22, 2021, the best place for IT professionals to buy cloud products, today announced that it has expanded its partnership to a global agreement with Nerdio to offer managed service providers (MSPs) access to its advanced Nerdio Manager for MSP platform. The Azure managed application empowers MSPs to build effective and successful Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) practices.



"Through the expanded agreement with Nerdio, Pax8 partners now have access to simplified AVD management," said Ryan Walsh, Chief Product Officer and Channel Chief at Pax8. "As companies begin transitioning back into their offices, many will maintain some aspect of remote work, enabled through Microsoft's AVD solution. This will expand the scope and opportunities for partners worldwide, and we are excited to enable the process. Nerdio Manager for MSP provides Pax8 partners a centralized solution to deploy, manage, and optimize virtual desktop environments across all tenants, enabling efficiency and driving productivity."

Nerdio Manager for MSP allows for automatic provisioning of complete AVD environments, connects to existing deployments in minutes, and optimizes environments with powerful autoscaling. Through the advanced solution, MSPs can achieve substantial savings of up to 75% on Azure compute and storage costs while enhancing their Azure migration journey.

"Nerdio is thrilled to be strengthening our relationship with Pax8 by offering its expansive partner community our innovative Nerdio Manager for MSP product," said Joseph Landes, Chief Revenue Officer at Nerdio. "With our solution, Pax8 partners will have a streamlined approach to managing AVD and enabling their clients' remote workplaces. Pax8 provides an extensive route to market for us to reach MSPs worldwide so that together we can drive partner success and growth through our technology."

Nerdio Manager for MSP provides partners the following benefits:

Wizard-driven Azure cost calculator

Simple, intuitive management and monitoring portal

Per-user Azure cost reporting

Overlays on top of existing deployments

Best-practices configuration

Performance and utilization monitoring

Alerting and notification capabilities

Image creation and management

Performance optimization



To learn more about Nerdio Manager for MSP, please visit www.pax8.com/en-uk/.

About Pax8

Pax8is modernizing how partners buy, sell, and manage cloud. As a born-in-the-cloud company, Pax8 simplifies the buying journey, empowering its partners to achieve more with cloud technology. The company's technology displaces legacy distribution by connecting the channel ecosystem to its award-winning transactional cloud marketplace. Through billing, provisioning, automation, industry-leading PSA integrations, and pre and post-sales support, and education, Pax8 is a proven disruptor in the market. Pax8 has ranked in the Inc. 5000 for three consecutive years - #68 in 2018, #60 in 2019, and #111 in 2020 - as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the US. If you want to be successful with cloud, you want to work with Pax8. Get started today at www.pax8.com.

Follow Pax8 on Facebook, LinkedIn, andTwitter.

About Nerdio

Nerdioempowers Managed Service Providers.



Media contact:

John Trent

PR Manager at Pax8

jtrent@pax8.com
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX: CXB; OTCQX: CXBMF) (the "Company" or "Calibre") is pleased to announce that the Company has been added to the VanEck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE: GDXJ) ("GDXJ"). Calibre was added to the GDXJ Index on June 18, 2021.



In addition to the inclusion into the GDXJ, Calibre is pleased to announce the appointment of David Londono as the new General Manager for the Limon Mine Complex. David has over 35 years of experience in the mining industry, including significant work in mine management and optimization. Mr. Londono's most recent roles were General Manager of the Detour Lake Gold Mine, and later Vice President of Projects for Kirkland Lake Gold post the Detour acquisition. David has worked with Barrick, AngloGold Ashanti, Glencore, Imerys, supporting operations around the world and holds Master's degrees in Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and Business Administration from Regis University in Denver. The incumbent General Manager at Limon, Felix Bermudez, will become the General Manager of Pavon, with Nestor Concha continuing as General Manager of the Libertad Mine Complex.

Senior Vice President and CFO John Seaberg is departing the organization and the Company would like to thank John for his contributions over the past two years and wishes him well in his future endeavors. The Company's VP Finance, Paulo Santos, CA has been appointed interim Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Santos is a Chartered Professional Accountant with over 20 years of experience in accounting, financial management and reporting, corporate governance, treasury management and mergers and acquisitions. Immediately prior to joining Calibre, Mr. Santos was Chief Financial Officer of Northern Empire Resources Corp. which was acquired by Coeur Mining in 2018. Before joining Northern Empire, he was Treasurer and Corporate Secretary at Newmarket Gold Inc. a TSX-listed Australian gold producer. Mr. Santos was a key member of the team that completed the successful merger between Newmarket Gold and Kirkland Lake Gold in 2016.

Darren Hall, President & CEO stated: "Inclusion into the GDXJ is a significant milestone as an indication of the Company's ongoing growth which provides Calibre investors improved liquidity, trading flexibility, value and a higher profile.

"I am pleased to welcome David, his skills and leadership will benefit not only Limon, but our expanding 'hub-and-spoke' operating strategy as we transition current leadership to focus on continued growth at Pavon, Libertad and development of our emerging high-grade district at Eastern Borosi. We are making significant progress at Eastern Borosi with land purchases and engineering activities with currently 7 diamond drill rigs completing infill and geotechnical drilling.

"I would like to wish John all the best in his future endeavors. Paulo has a fulsome understanding of the Company's finances and disclosure as he has been involved with the Company since the acquisition of the Libertad and Limon gold mines in 2019. We have commenced a search to find a permanent CFO to lead the organization as we continue to execute and grow our business into a quality mid-tier gold producer."

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Darren Hall"

Darren Hall, President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Ryan King

Vice President, Corporate Development & IR

T: (604) 628-1012

E: calibre@calibremining.com

W: www.calibremining.com

About Calibre Mining Corp.

Calibre Mining is a Canadian-listed gold mining and exploration company with two 100%-owned operating gold mines in Nicaragua. The Company is focused on sustainable operating performance and a disciplined approach to growth. Since the acquisition of the Limon, Libertad gold mines and Pavon Gold Project, Calibre has proceeded to integrate its operations into a "Hub-and-Spoke" operating philosophy, whereby the Company can take advantage of reliable infrastructure, favorable transportation costs, and multiple high-grade mill feed sources that can be processed at either Limon or Libertad, which have a combined 2.7 million tonnes of annual mill throughput capacity.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Calibre's control. For a listing of risk factors applicable to the Company, please refer to Calibre's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2019, available on www.sedar.com. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Calibre's forward-looking statements.

Calibre's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. Calibre does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / Sativa Wellness Group Inc. (CSE:SWEL)(OTC PINK:SCNNF) ("Sativa Wellness" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that today the Company will open its 40th clinic, and that it is also expected to list through Patient Access. Travel restrictions in the United Kingdom keep revenues flowing into the Company through the clinic network, as the clinics service the high level of demand for business travellers going to 'Amber List' countries. Sativa has also introduced blood testing for COVID-19 immune response through some of the clinics. The listing approval on Patient Access, a National Health Service numbering 12 million registered users, is expected to boost customer numbers even further.

Geremy Thomas, Executive Chairman, says: "Q2 revenues are very strong. Sativa has much to look forward to as restricted international travel remains reliant on PCR testing and blood testing for vaccine validation comes on stream."

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Marc Howells

Chief Executive Officer

Sativa Wellness Group Inc.

+44 (0) 20 7971 1255

enquiries@sativawellnessgroup.com

www.sativawellnessgroup.com

Anne Tew

Chief Financial Officer

Sativa Wellness Group Inc.

+44 (0) 20 7971 1255

enquiries@sativawellnessgroup.com

www.sativawellnessgroup.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Sativa's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'plans', 'expects' or 'does not expect', 'is expected', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates' or 'does not anticipate', or 'believes' 'plan is' or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will be taken', 'will continue', 'will occur', 'will be achieved' or 'shortly'. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to information concerning the Patient Access boosting customer numbers, that future revenues are contingent on government policy related to the COVID-19 pandemic and that Sativa has a lot to look forward to as restricted international travel remains reliant on PCR testing.

Although Sativa believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this press release, and include but are not limited to information concerning the Patient Access boosting customer numbers and restricted international travel remaining reliant on PCR testing and other tests will come on stream. Sativa does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Sativa Wellness Group Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652586/Sativa-Wellness-Group-Announces-the-Opening-of-Its-40th-Clinic-and-Listing-on-the-UK-Patient-Access
SmartGATE Insights and Power Impact Assessment Drives 100% Sales-win Rate

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / Legend Power Systems (TSXV:LPS)(OTCQB:LPSIF), a global leader in commercial electrical system solutions, today announced a follow-on sale of eight SmartGATE Platforms to a major international property owner / operator. The eight unit follow-on order brings the total number of SmartGATE Platforms installed in this customer's multi-family buildings to ten and comes after evaluating 8 properties with Legend's SmartGATE Insights assessment. This represents a 100% conversion of SmartGATE Insights to full SmartGATE Platform sales bookings1.

"We figured if we assessed eight buildings, we could make sense of moving forward with the purchase of two or maybe three SmartGATE Platforms", said the Senior Manager of Energy Operations for the customer property group. "When Legend presented the SmartGATE Insights results, we saw an opportunity to actually move forward with SmartGATE Platforms purchases for all 8 properties."

"SmartGATE Insights has again proven itself with a major commercial property owner," said Mike Cioce, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Legend Power Systems. "This multiple system follow-on purchase demonstrates this customer's commitment to global electrification and decarbonization efforts. We are seeing more and more leading firms in multiple commercial real estate verticals express interest in Legend's SmartGATE to enhance their decarbonization strategies. We are pleased with SmartGATE Insights' strong conversion rate and are proud that some of the largest commercial real estate owners and operators in the world are trusting us to be part of their critical corporate missions."

Legend and the customer are actively planning SmartGATE Insight assessments for additional multifamily properties across the US and Canada.

About SmartGATE

SmartGATE is an industry-leading, turnkey solution which identifies and fixes underperformance and waste in the electrical system of a commercial building. These performance issues often impact key areas of commercial real estate metrics including occupant safety and satisfaction as well as financial performance. This waste can also lead to higher operating costs, lower net operating income and other potential financial risks to the building owner, including adverse tenant experiences.

About Legend Power Systems Inc.

Legend Power Systems Inc. (www.legendpower.com) provides an intelligent energy management platform that analyzes and improves building energy challenges, significantly impacting asset management and corporate performance. Legend's proven solutions support proactive executive decision-making in a complex and volatile business and energy environment.

1Sales bookings are a non-GAAP measure which the Company believes are an indicator of success of the Company's sales efforts. The Company defines sales bookings as commitments from customers either in the form of a purchase order, a purchase agreement or both, for the purchase of the SmartGATE Platform. Sales bookings are not recognized as revenue in the Company's financial statements in relation to the fair value of deliverables until both i) a SmartGATE Platform is delivered to a customer and the customer takes legal possession of it, and ii) the installation of a SmartGATE Platform is substantially complete in the customer facility. Although the Company has not generally experienced an occurrence of a sales booking not becoming revenue recognized in its financial statements, there is no guarantee that all sales bookings will be result in deliveries and acceptance of the SmartGATE Platform. There remains a risk that a customer may cancel a sales booking and no related revenue would be recognized by the Company. Furthermore, there is no guarantee as to when the Company will complete the delivery and installation of the SmartGATE Platform, which can take from between one to twelve months after the sales booking is entered. Delays in delivery and installation could materially delay the recognition of revenue generated from a sales booking.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Vanry, CFO

+ 1 604 671 9522

svanry@legendpower.com

Sean Peasgood, Investor Relations

+ 1 647 503 1054

sean@sophiccapital.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities or performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Such risks, uncertainties and factors are described in the periodic filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, including the Company's quarterly and annual Management's Discussion & Analysis, which may be viewed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements other than as may be required by applicable law.

SOURCE: Legend Power Systems Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652618/Legend-Power-Sells-8-SmartGATE-Platforms-in-Follow-on-Order-to-Major-International-Property-Owner-Operator
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / Talisker Resources Ltd. ('Talisker' or the 'Company') (TSX:TSK)(OTCQX:TSKFF)is pleased to announce complete and partial drill assay results from its ongoing 100,000 metre drill program at the Bralorne Gold Project in British Columbia (see Figure 1). Today's release is headlined by a 106.75 metre interval of near-surface bulk-tonnage gold mineralization within the Pioneer Block that returned an average grade of 1.17 g/t gold in hole SB-2021-026 (see Figure 1); assay results are also included for holes SB-2021-022 and SB-2021-029 drilled within the Pioneer Block. This near-surface gold mineralization at Pioneer is hosted in a coarse-grained felsic intrusive and is characterized by excellent grade consistency (see Table 2). More drilling is required to determine the lateral and vertical extents and geometry of the felsic intrusive hosting these broad zones of near-surface gold mineralization at Pioneer. With five drill rigs operating on site, the Company expects to receive more assay results from both the Charlotte Zone (0 to 350m) and the High-Grade Zone (350 to 750m) soon.

Key Points:

The host of the mineralization, coarse-grained felsic intrusive has been defined for 3,200m along strike, is open at depth beyond 1,000m and averages 250m wide in the central area tapering to 50m width at the ends of the body (see Figure 1).

Mineralization is characterized by a well-distributed vein network of smaller veins (similar to the Charlotte Zone) distributed between the larger veins that are the defining characteristic of the classical Bralorne deposit.

The intrusive-hosted mineralization was first intercepted at Pioneer in Talisker's first hole at Bralorne, SB-2020-001 intersecting 98.95m at 0.54 g/t. A second hole, SB-2020-002 also intersected the edge of the body returning 23m grading 0.40 g/t.

The distribution of the vein fracture network provides a consistency of grade over a broad intercept (see results table below).

Five additional holes have been drilled targeting the intrusive body (SB-2021-030, SB-2021-034, SB-2021-035, SB-2021-040) all intersecting multiple vein zones with visible gold (see Table 1) the best of which, SB-2021-040 intercepted 22 major vein zones with 12 occurrences of visible gold.

Talisker currently has five drill rigs on site and has completed 38,860 metres of its current 100,000 metre drill program, A sixth drill rig is expected to arrive early in July.

Table 1: Pending Intercepts with Visible Gold and Major Vein Count Drillhole Intrusive intercept Visible Gold Count Major Vein Zones Assay Results SB-2021-026 ~110m 3 14 This Release SB-2021-029 ~230m 4 6 This Release SB-2021-030 ~130m 3 9 Pending SB-2021-034 ~180m 1 16 Pending SB-2021-035 ~256m 2 7 Pending SB-2021-040 ~440m 12 22 Pending

Grade Consistency a Key Highlight at Pioneer

The 1.17 g/t gold over 106.75m intersection in hole SB-2021-026 drilled at the Pioneer Block represents the broadest and most consistent interval drilled at the Pioneer Block to date, and supports the Company's interpretations that near-surface bulk tonnage gold mineralization extends well beyond the Charlotte Zone to the northwest (see Figure 1 and 2). Importantly, the grade profile through this 106.75m intersection, in addition to the broad zones of mineralization intersected in holes SB-2021-022 and SB-2021-029, shows excellent consistency; hole SB-2021-26 also includes several narrower zones of high-grade gold mineralization highlighted by 67.80 g/t gold over 0.55m.

Today's assay results are exclusively from drilling at the Pioneer Block. While hole SB-2021-26 remains the highlight with 1.17 g/t gold over 106.75m, hole SB-2021-22 also returned consistent, broad zones of gold mineralization including 0.59 g/t gold over 16.40m and 0.32 g/t gold over 31.75m, which follows from holes SB-2020-001 and SB-2020-02 drilled last year, both of which returned 0.54 g/t gold over 98.95m and 0.40 g/t gold over 23.00m respectively.

Pioneer Block

The Pioneer zone was periodically mined between 1945 and 1965 with production from eight veins. The coarse-grained felsic intrusive (CGFI) hosting these broad zones of gold mineralization at Pioneer is a vertical intrusive body that outcrops at surface. The CGFI is intruded by fine-grained felsic and intermediate-mafic dykes (both is which also host gold mineralization). The intrusive body is bound by a basaltic unit to the northeast and the Cadwaller Fault to the southwest; however, the lateral and vertical extents and geometry of the CGFI remains unknown due to limited drilling. An additional hole is planned "up-plunge" of hole SB-2021-26 to determine the proximity of gold mineralization relative to the surface. Gold mineralization is characterized by a high-density network of quartz veins interspersed with larger veins between 0.20m to 1m wide that include crack and seal textures and minor pyrite and arsenopyrite and periodic occurrences of visible gold (see Table 1).

Terry Harbort, President and CEO of Talisker commented, "As drilling at the Charlotte Zone continues to define near-surface, bulk tonnage gold mineralization, we are pleased to see similar near-surface gold mineralization at the Pioneer Block, located over 2km to the southeast. This follows the discovery of near-surface gold mineralization at the King Block (see press release of April 7, 2021). We are particularly impressed by the grade consistency at Pioneer, and drilling is planned to determine the lateral and vertical extents of this gold-mineralized intrusive body. Together with the King Block, we have now identified three zones of near-surface gold mineralization distributed over a 3.8km strike length, with areas between the three zones still to be tested. With five drill rigs operating, we have a large backlog of samples at the lab and we expect this backlog to be reduced as the assay lab returns to normal operations. We remain on track to deliver our initial mineral resource estimate from Bralorne in 2022."

Drill Hole Data

SB-2021-022 - Pioneer Block

Complete assay results have been received for this hole.

An unknown vein zone was intersected at 92.10m and produced 0.59 g/t Au over 16.40m, including 1.02 g/t over 5.75m.

An unknown vein zone was intersected at 138.80m and produced 1.04 g/t Au over 3.20m.

An unknown vein zone was intersected at 174.10m and produced 1.49 g/t Au over 4.50m, including 1.86 g/t over 3.10m.

An unknown vein was intersected at 207.1m and produced 1.64 g/t Au over 2.15m.

The Main Vein was intersected at 269.9m and produced 3.26 g/t Au over 1.55m.

The J Vein was intersected at 332.25m and produced 2.05 g/t Au over 3.30m, including 2.83 g/t over 1.70m at 333.35m.

The Pioneer CGFI Zone was intersected at 345.45m and produced 0.32 g/t Au over 31.75m, including an unknown vein zone from 352.00 producing 0.56 g/t over 5.6m.

This hole drilled to a final depth of 404.0 m on March 30, 2021.

SB-2021-026 - Pioneer Block

Complete preliminary assay results have been received for this hole.

An unknown vein zone was intersected at 135.15m and produced 0.75 g/t Au over 2.15m.

An unknown vein was intersected at 168.00m and produced 11.55 g/t Au over 0.55m.

The Main Hanging Wall Vein was intersected at 222.00m and 0.89 g/t Au over 6.45m.

The Main Vein was intersected at 286.85m and produced 18.15 g/t Au over 2.50m, including 74.80 g/t over 0.50m.

The Pioneer CGFI Zone was intersected at 298.15m and produced 1.17 g/t Au over 106.75m. Highlights of this zone include: An intercept of an unknown vein zone at 340.00m producing 8.52 g/t Au over 0.50m An intercept of an unknown vein zone at 354.40m producing 20.20 g/t Au over 0.50m An intercept of an unknown vein zone at 362.80m producing 14.45 g/t Au over 2.60, including an intersect at 364.85m producing 67.80 g/t Au over 0.55m.

This hole drilled to a final depth of 593.4m on April 12, 2021.

SB-2021-029 - Pioneer Block

Complete preliminary assay results have been received for this hole.

An unknown vein zone was intersected at 112.10m and produced 0.72 g/t Au over 7.45m.

An unknown vein zone was intersected at 212.30m and produced 0.44 g/t Au over 7.45m.

An unknown vein was intersected at 240.95m and produced 13.10 g/t Au over 0.80m.

The Main Vein was intersected at 318.20m and produced 8.49 g/t Au over 1.05m, including 17.70 g/t Au over 0.50m at 318.75m.

This hole drilled to a final depth of 809m on April 28, 2021.

Bralorne Gold Project Drill Holes SB-2021-022, 026, 029 Diamond Drill Hole Name From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Zone Method Reported SB-2021-022 92.10 92.65 0.55 0.13 Unknown Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 92.65 93.70 1.05 0.35 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 93.70 94.50 0.8 2.86 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 94.50 96.00 1.5 0.24 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 96.00 97.35 1.35 0.03 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 97.35 98.45 1.10 0.73 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 98.45 98.95 0.50 2.28 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 98.95 99.45 0.50 2.42 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 99.45 100.35 0.90 0.22 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 100.35 101.10 0.75 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 101.10 101.85 0.75 0.03 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 101.85 102.35 0.50 0.44 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 102.35 103.10 0.75 0.13 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 103.10 104.55 1.45 0.23 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 104.55 105.40 0.85 0.35 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 105.40 105.90 0.50 0.08 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 105.90 106.50 0.60 0.19 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 106.50 107.00 0.50 1.45 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 107.00 107.50 0.50 1.69 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 107.50 108.50 1.00 0.46 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 138.80 139.85 1.05 0.24 Unknown Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 139.85 140.35 0.50 1.18 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 140.35 140.85 0.50 2.26 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 140.85 142.00 1.15 1.19 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 174.10 175.00 0.90 0.51 Unknown Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 175.00 175.50 0.50 0.97 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 175.50 176.00 0.50 1.15 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 176.00 176.50 0.50 3.20 Unknown Zone Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 176.50 177.00 0.50 1.25 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 177.00 177.50 0.50 1.12 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 177.50 178.10 0.60 2.56 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 178.10 178.60 0.50 1.77 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 207.10 207.90 0.80 0.98 Unknown Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 207.90 208.45 0.55 4.53 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 208.45 209.25 0.80 0.31 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 269.90 270.40 0.50 3.13 Main Vein Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 270.40 270.95 0.55 1.31 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 270.95 271.45 0.50 5.53 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 332.25 333.35 1.10 1.45 J Vein Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 333.35 334.05 0.70 2.13 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 334.05 334.55 0.50 1.96 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 334.55 335.05 0.50 4.68 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 335.05 335.55 0.50 0.75 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 345.45 346.40 0.95 0.25 Pioneer CGFI Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 346.40 347.00 0.60 0.14 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 347.00 348.50 1.50 0.34 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 348.50 349.00 0.50 1.39 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 349.00 349.50 0.50 0.07 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 349.50 350.00 0.50 0.20 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 350.00 350.50 0.50 0.03 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 350.50 351.00 0.50 0.13 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 351.00 351.50 0.50 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 351.50 352.00 0.50 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 352.00 352.85 0.85 0.81 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 352.85 353.35 0.50 0.92 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 353.35 354.15 0.80 0.27 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 354.15 354.65 0.50 1.52 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 354.65 355.55 0.90 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 355.55 357.00 1.45 0.23 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 357.00 357.60 0.60 1.06 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 357.60 358.45 0.85 0.07 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 358.45 359.00 0.55 0.39 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 359.00 359.50 0.50 0.29 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 359.50 360.40 0.90 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 360.40 361.00 0.60 0.02 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 361.00 362.30 1.30 0.23 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 362.30 363.60 1.30 0.15 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 363.60 364.40 0.80 0.67 Pioneer CGFI Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 364.40 365.65 1.25 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 365.65 366.40 0.75 0.39 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 366.40 367.90 1.50 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 367.90 368.65 0.75 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 368.65 369.35 0.70 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 369.35 370.85 1.50 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 370.85 372.35 1.50 0.10 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 372.35 373.85 1.50 0.48 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 373.85 374.85 1.00 1.84 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 374.85 375.95 1.10 0.28 Au-AA26 SB-2021-022 375.95 376.70 0.75 0.38 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-022 376.70 377.20 0.50 0.25 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 135.15 135.65 0.50 0.47 Unknown Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 135.65 136.20 0.55 1.40 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 136.20 136.70 0.50 0.83 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 136.70 137.30 0.60 0.31 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 168.00 168.55 0.55 11.55 Unknown Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 222.00 222.50 0.50 1.98 Main Hanging Wall Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 222.50 223.00 0.50 0.79 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 223.00 223.50 0.50 1.79 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 223.50 224.00 0.50 1.95 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 224.00 224.50 0.50 3.28 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 224.50 225.50 1.00 0.05 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 225.50 226.00 0.50 0.52 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 226.00 226.90 0.90 0.18 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 226.90 227.95 1.05 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 227.95 228.45 0.50 0.71 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 286.85 287.50 0.65 4.65 Main Vein Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 287.50 288.00 0.50 74.80 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 288.00 288.60 0.60 3.97 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 288.60 289.35 0.75 3.43 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 298.15 298.70 0.55 1.93 Pioneer CGFI Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 298.70 300.20 1.50 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 300.20 300.70 0.50 1.49 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 300.70 301.70 1.00 0.02 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 301.70 302.20 0.50 0.21 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 302.20 302.70 0.50 0.21 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 302.70 303.80 1.10 0.24 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 303.80 304.30 0.50 1.15 Pioneer CGFI Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 304.30 305.00 0.70 0.10 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 305.00 305.50 0.50 0.28 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 305.50 306.80 1.30 0.04 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 306.80 307.75 0.95 0.44 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 307.75 308.25 0.50 0.17 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 308.25 309.75 1.50 0.04 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 309.75 311.25 1.50 0.04 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 311.25 311.75 0.50 0.12 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 311.75 312.35 0.60 0.08 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 312.35 313.10 0.75 0.71 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 313.10 313.95 0.85 0.09 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 313.95 314.65 0.70 0.19 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 314.65 315.15 0.50 0.23 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 315.15 316.00 0.85 0.60 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 316.00 316.70 0.70 0.66 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 316.70 317.25 0.55 0.76 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 317.25 317.90 0.65 2.95 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 317.90 318.45 0.55 4.44 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 318.45 319.00 0.55 0.73 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 319.00 319.60 0.60 1.50 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 319.60 320.20 0.60 0.52 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 320.20 320.70 0.50 0.94 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 320.70 321.20 0.50 1.70 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 321.20 322.00 0.80 0.43 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 322.00 322.50 0.50 1.28 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 322.50 323.15 0.65 1.16 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 323.15 323.75 0.60 1.41 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 323.75 324.35 0.60 0.46 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 324.35 325.00 0.65 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 325.00 326.00 1.00 0.02 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 326.00 326.50 0.50 0.70 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 326.50 327.30 0.80 1.39 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 327.30 328.50 1.20 0.32 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 328.50 329.50 1.00 0.09 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 329.50 331.00 1.50 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 331.00 331.90 0.90 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 331.90 332.40 0.50 0.79 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 332.40 333.00 0.60 0.60 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 333.00 334.50 1.50 0.34 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 334.50 336.00 1.50 0.13 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 336.00 337.40 1.40 0.13 Pioneer CGFI Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 337.40 337.90 0.50 0.46 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 337.90 338.40 0.50 3.61 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 338.40 339.00 0.60 0.39 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 339.00 339.50 0.50 0.88 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 339.50 340.00 0.50 0.68 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 340.00 340.50 0.50 8.52 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 340.50 342.00 1.50 0.52 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 342.00 343.40 1.40 0.50 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 343.40 344.00 0.60 0.75 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 344.00 345.00 1.00 0.47 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 345.00 345.50 0.50 0.30 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 345.50 346.25 0.75 0.10 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 346.25 346.90 0.65 0.17 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 346.90 347.60 0.70 1.86 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 347.60 348.65 1.05 0.76 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 348.65 350.00 1.35 0.11 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 350.00 351.30 1.30 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 351.30 352.00 0.70 1.28 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 352.00 352.90 0.90 0.04 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 352.90 353.90 1.00 0.05 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 353.90 354.40 0.50 0.35 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 354.40 354.90 0.50 20.20 Au-SCR24 SB-2021-026 354.90 355.60 0.70 0.20 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 355.60 356.50 0.90 0.62 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 356.50 357.75 1.25 0.12 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 357.75 358.45 0.70 5.41 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 358.45 359.60 1.15 0.08 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 359.60 360.20 0.60 0.19 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 360.20 361.70 1.50 0.02 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 361.70 362.80 1.10 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 362.80 363.40 0.60 6.30 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 363.40 364.00 0.60 1.26 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 364.00 364.85 0.85 1.11 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 364.85 365.40 0.55 67.80 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 365.40 366.00 0.60 1.66 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 366.00 366.60 0.60 1.22 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 366.60 367.75 1.15 1.31 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 367.75 368.25 0.50 0.66 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 368.25 368.75 0.50 3.63 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 368.75 369.35 0.60 0.64 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 369.35 370.10 0.75 0.47 Pioneer CGFI Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 370.10 371.40 1.30 0.53 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 371.40 372.65 1.25 0.76 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 372.65 373.15 0.50 0.65 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 373.15 373.80 0.65 2.35 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 373.80 374.40 0.60 2.12 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 374.40 375.05 0.65 1.86 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 375.05 375.55 0.50 6.58 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 375.55 376.30 0.75 0.41 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 376.30 377.00 0.70 6.59 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 377.00 377.50 0.50 0.27 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 377.50 379.00 1.50 0.22 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 379.00 380.00 1.00 0.74 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 380.00 380.50 0.50 1.39 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 380.50 382.00 1.50 0.12 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 382.00 383.50 1.50 1.77 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 383.50 385.00 1.50 0.02 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 385.00 386.40 1.40 0.25 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 386.40 386.95 0.55 0.29 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 386.95 387.45 0.50 0.04 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 387.45 388.10 0.65 0.83 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 388.10 388.60 0.50 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 388.60 389.15 0.55 0.41 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 389.15 389.65 0.50 0.28 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 389.65 391.00 1.35 0.18 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 391.00 392.50 1.50 0.53 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 392.50 394.00 1.50 0.04 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 394.00 395.50 1.50 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 395.50 396.00 0.50 0.03 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 396.00 396.50 0.50 1.19 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 396.50 397.00 0.50 1.10 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 397.00 397.60 0.60 2.20 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 397.60 398.20 0.60 1.19 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 398.20 399.00 0.80 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 399.00 399.65 0.65 0.03 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 399.65 400.25 0.60 0.48 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 400.25 400.75 0.50 0.39 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 400.75 401.45 0.70 0.27 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 401.45 402.10 0.65 0.44 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 402.10 402.60 0.50 0.94 Pioneer CGFI Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 402.60 403.15 0.55 0.27 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 403.15 403.75 0.60 1.52 Au-AA26 SB-2021-026 403.75 404.90 1.15 0.28 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 112.10 112.60 0.50 1.13 Unknown Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 112.60 113.55 0.95 0.27 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 113.55 114.50 0.95 0.19 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 114.50 115.05 0.55 1.37 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 115.05 115.55 0.50 0.41 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 115.55 116.20 0.65 2.04 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 116.20 116.90 0.70 0.04 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 116.90 117.40 0.50 2.38 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 117.40 118.20 0.80 0.06 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 118.20 119.55 1.35 0.59 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 212.30 212.80 0.50 1.19 Unknown Zone Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 212.80 213.65 0.85 0.60 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 213.65 215.00 1.35 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 215.00 215.50 0.50 1.26 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 215.50 216.00 0.50 0.45 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 216.00 216.50 0.50 0.92 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 216.50 217.70 1.20 0.14 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 217.70 218.90 1.20 0.01 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 218.90 219.75 0.85 0.81 Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 240.95 241.75 0.80 13.10 Unknown Vein Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 318.20 318.75 0.55 0.12 Main Vein Au-AA26 SB-2021-029 318.75 319.25 0.50 17.70 Au-SCR24 Notes:

Diamond drill hole SB-2021-022 has collar orientation of Azimuth 202; Dip -45

Diamond drill hole SB-2021-026 has collar orientation of Azimuth 201; Dip -52

Diamond drill hole SB-2021-029 has collar orientation of Azimuth 213; Dip -58



True widths are estimated 40 - 90% of intercept lengths and are based on oriented core measurements where available. Method reported includes the most up to date information as of this press release.

Talisker is providing an opportunity for shareholders and other interested parties to participate in a Webinar to be held at 4 pm ET on Thursday, June 24, 2021. To register, please click on the following link - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6NRXbXbwTsiogTSH11jE3g . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

About Talisker Resources Ltd.

Talisker ( taliskerresources.com ) is a junior resource company involved in the exploration of gold projects in British Columbia, Canada. Talisker's projects include the Bralorne Gold Complex, an advanced stage project with significant exploration potential from a historical high-grade producing gold mine as well as its Spences Bridge Project where the Company holds ~85% of the emerging Spences Bridge Gold Belt and several other early-stage Greenfields projects. With its properties comprising 282,403 hectares over 258 claims, three leases and 198 crown grant claims, Talisker is a dominant exploration player in the south-central British Columbia. The Company is well funded to advance its aggressive systematic exploration program at its projects.

For further information, please contact:

Terry Harbort

President & CEO

Terry.harbort@talliskerresources.com

+1 416 361 2808

Mick Carew

VP, Strategic and Corporate Development

mick.carew@taliskerresources.com

+1 604 803 7711

Qualified Person

The technical information contained in this news release relating to the drill results at the Bralorne Gold Project has been approved by Leonardo de Souza (BSc, AusIMM (CP) Membership 224827), Talisker's Vice President, Exploration and Resource Development, who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Sample Preparation and QAQC

Drill core at the Bralorne project is drilled in HQ to NQ size ranges (63.5mm and 47.6mm respectively). Drill core samples are minimum 50 cm and maximum 160 cm long along the core axis. Samples are focused on an interval of interest such as a vein or zone of mineralisation. Shoulder samples bracket the interval of interest such that a total sampled core length of not less than 3m both above and below the interval of interest must be assigned. Sample QAQC measures of unmarked certified reference materials (CRMs), blanks, and duplicates are inserted into the sample sequence and make up 9% of the samples submitted to the lab for holes reported in this release.

Sample preparation and analyses is carried out by ALS Global in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and SGS Canada in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Drill core sample preparation includes drying in an oven at a maximum temperature of 60C, fine crushing of the sample to at least 70% passing less than 2 mm, sample splitting using a riffle splitter, and pulverizing a 250 g split to at least 85% passing 75 microns (ALS code PREP-31 / SGS code PRP89).

Gold in diamond drill core is analysed by fire assay and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) of a 50g sample (ALS code Au-AA26 / SGS code GO_FAA50V10), while multi-element chemistry is analysed by 4-Acid digestion of a 0.25 g sample split with detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) for 48 elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Hf, In, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Re, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta, Te, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr).

Gold assay technique (ALS code Au-AA26 / SGS code FAA50V10) has an upper detection limit of 100 ppm. Any sample that produces an over-limit gold value via the gold assay technique is sent for gravimetric finish (ALS method Au-GRA22 / SGS method GO_FAG50V) which has an upper detection limit of 1,000 ppm Au. Samples where visible gold was observed are sent directly to screen metallics analysis and all samples that fire assay above 1 ppm Au are re-analysed with method (ALS code Au-SCR24 / SGS code GO_FAS50M) which employs a 1kg pulp screened to 100 microns with assay of the entire oversize fraction and duplicate 50g assays on the undersize fraction. Where possible all samples initially sent to screen metallics processing will also be re-run through the fire assay with gravimetric finish provided there is enough material left for further processing.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words 'could', 'intend', 'expect', 'believe', 'will', 'projected', 'estimated' and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on Talisker's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the operations of the Company and the timing which could be affected by the current global COVID-19 pandemic. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to Talisker. Although such statements are based on reasonable assumptions of Talisker's management, there can be no assurance that any conclusions or forecasts will prove to be accurate.

While Talisker considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined, risks relating to variations in grade or recovery rates, risks relating to changes in mineral prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of minerals, risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, and regulatory risks, including risks relating to the acquisition of the necessary licenses and permits, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and Talisker is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

Figure 1: Map showing 7 zones that comprise the Bralorne Project, the Charlotte Zone, drill holes included in this press release, major gold-bearing quartz veins (white) and associated bounding structures, surface infrastructure and details of Talisker's current 100,000 metre resource drilling program.

Figure 2: Cross-section through the Pioneer Block of the Bralorne Deposit showing major intersections within hole SB-2021-026, as well as downhole observations of visible gold in holes SB-2021-030 and SB-2021-040, assay results of which have yet to be released.

Figure 3: Long-section through the Bralorne deposit showing the extent of the course-grained felsic intrusive (CGFI) unit, the rock unit hosting the 1.17 g/t gold over 106.75 metre intersection in hole SB-2021-026.

SOURCE: Talisker Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652601/Talisker-Intersects-117-gt-Gold-over-10675-Metres-of-Intrusion-Hosted-Mineralization-in-the-Pioneer-Block-at-Bralorne
Committee of recent DoD leaders highlights company's commitment to accelerating the deployment of Open Standards mission systems

Pacific Defense, an emerging aerospace technology company delivering open standards solutions, announced today the formation of a strategic advisory board comprised of recognized Department of Defense former leaders who bring a depth of experience and leadership to the company. Following launch of the company in 2020, Pacific Defense is expanding its strategic focus as it accelerates the development and adoption of modular, open standards mission systems enabled by advanced software applications and AI/ML technology.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005479/en/

David Norquist (Photo: Business Wire)

"Our country is encountering unprecedented security challenges from peer adversaries in the form of advanced cyber and electromagnetic capabilities, placing greater demand on US and coalition forces to rapidly advance electromagnetic spectrum operations mission systems built on true open standards with the ability for rapid capability deployment and technology refresh," said Travis Slocumb, CEO of Pacific Defense. "In a world of rapidly advancing commercial technology, coupled with aggressive adversarial military expansion and challenging budget environments, our strategic advisory board of experts will aid our decision-making processes and expand our reach to help our customers meet this unprecedented security challenge."

The anchor members of the Pacific Defense advisory board include:

David Norquist Most recently serving as Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Norquist's service to the nation spans over 30 years in various roles. Mr. Norquist began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow and a Program Budget Analyst for the Department of the Army before joining the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense as a professional staff member. From 2002 to 2006, he served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense in the Office of the Comptroller. In 2006, former President George W. Bush selected him to be the first Senate-confirmed Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to assuming the role of Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Norquist was appointed as the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/CFO. Mr. Norquist was also a Partner with Kearney and Company, a certified public accounting firm focused exclusively on the federal government.

Alan Shaffer Most recently serving as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition Sustainment), Mr. Shaffer has a long, distinguished career in service to our nation in both civilian and military roles. Before entering the federal government in 2000, Mr. Shaffer served 24 years as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force and retired in the grade of Colonel, holding positions in command, weather, intelligence, and acquisition oversight. He has employed these skills furthering our nation's science and technology progress at home and abroad, including three years as Director of the NATO Collaboration Support Office, where he was responsible for promoting S&T collaboration in the 5,000-scientist-strong NATO network.

"As an anchor member of the Pacific Defense advisory board, I am thrilled to be part of an organization that is focused on addressing the department's most pressing challenges," said Shaffer. "Our nation's adversaries have demonstrated the ability to go very fast and operate in non-conventional ways. Pacific Defense was built from the ground up to address the department's need for agility and non-traditional solutions. I'm looking forward to helping the company focus and accelerate its mission."

"The character of warfare is changing and to succeed DoD needs innovative firms that understand the electromagnetic spectrum to bring new technologies to bear on this critical domain. Pacific Defense is a non-traditional company focused on delivering truly open, affordable capabilities in an agile development framework," said Mr. Norquist. "I'm excited to join this dynamic industry team that is responding to the Department's call for change and look forward to helping them build their company as it works to help solve our Nation's challenging security problems."

About Pacific Defense

Headquartered in El Segundo, California, Pacific Defense has assembled a portfolio of industry leading technology companies including: Spectranetix (based in Sunnyvale CA), Perceptronics Solutions (based in Falls Church VA), and Spear Research (based in Nashua NH). Pacific Defense was formed to support the DoD's disciplined movement to modular open standards, including CMOSS/SOSA, and to mirror the way military services address EMS warfare with holistic mission planning and execution. Pacific Defense takes an organic, commercial-minded approach to developing military-use advanced solutions delivering EW, SIGINT, Comms and C2 capabilities to the DoD. Products are designed from the outset for modern, AI-driven autonomy with CMOSS and SOSA-aligned hardware and software. This includes state-of-the-art processing that can readily follow the evolution of commercial technology with complete data sharing across networks and platforms. See more information at www.pacific-defense.com and www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-defense

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005479/en/

Contacts:

Pacific Defense Media Contact

For more information contact:

Kent Mader

info@pacific-defense.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Canbud Distribution Corporation (CSE: CBDX) (FSE: CD0) ("Canbud" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce that its subsidiary Empathy Plant Co. has joined Plant-Based Foods of Canada (PBFC).

PBFC was founded in 2018 and has since acted as the collective voice of plant-based food companies. As a division of Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP), they work to keep consumers, governments and industry participants informed about the benefits of plant-based foods. The goal of PBFC is to move regulations forward to support innovation, growth and make plant-based eating more available to the masses.

CEO Steve Singh comments: "We applaud the efforts and tireless pursuits of PBFC. With their collective industry voice and amazing expertise, they have been able to help companies like Empathy Plant Co. maneuver more easily in the ever-shifting regulatory landscape in Canada. Their vision and execution are crucial if we are to help move the needle in terms of sustainability. We couldn't be more thrilled to be part of their mission to make plant-based eating more available to all."

As Empathy Plant Co. nears commercialization it will benefit from the resources provided by PBFC to help navigate the plant-based CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) landscape and strengthen their development pipelines. PBFC data-sets and industry insights will help reinforce Empathy Plant Co.'s DTC (Direct to Consumer) and brick and mortar sales strategies. With rapid progressions and pivots in the Canadian health, nutrition and wellness space, alongside PBFC, Empathy Plant Co. will continue to innovate and strive to be part of positive changes in the plant-based environment.





About Canbud Distribution Corporation



Canbud Distribution Corporation is a science and technology health and wellness company that encompasses plant based, psychedelic pharmaceutical and non-psychedelic nutraceutical, and hemp cannabinoids (CBD) verticals.

www.canbudcorp.com

https://www.instagram.com/canbudcorp/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/canbudcorp

https://www.linkedin.com/company/canbud-distribution-corp/?viewAsMember=true

https://www.instagram.com/empathyplantco/?hl=en

About PBFC

Plant-Based Foods of Canada (PBFC) acts as a collective voice for the producers of plant-based products. We use our voice to advocate for a modernized regulatory environment that will allow members to market their products effectively and to make them accessible to all consumers.

With this growing demand for plant protein in mind, key members of the plant-based foods industry have come together in PBFC to use our common voice to bring awareness to issues shaping the sector.

Website

https://www.plantbasedfoodscanada.ca/







For further information, please contact:

ir@canbudcorp.com

or

Robert Tjandra, President and COO

Tel: 1 416 847 7312

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, any securities of the Corporation and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any such security.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Corporation as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Forward-looking information includes information including statements with respect to the future exploration performance of the Corporation. Forward-looking information is based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses that, while considered reasonable by the Corporation at the date the forward-looking information is provided, are inherently subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. The risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information may include, but are not limited to (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) risks inherent in the CBD, psychedelics and vegan protein industries in general or (iii) risks generally associated with the Corporation's business, as described in the Corporation's public filings on SEDAR, which readers are encouraged to review in detail prior to any transaction involving the securities of the Corporation. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Corporation does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88167
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Big Ridge Gold Corp. (TSXV: BRAU) ("Big Ridge" or "Company") announced today that the Company has elected to accelerate the expiry date of 22,075,000 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") issued on July 8, 2020, in connection with a subscription receipt offering completed by the Company under its predecessor name, "Alto Ventures Ltd.".

While the original expiry date of the Warrants is May 29, 2022, the Warrants provide that the expiry may be accelerated by notice in circumstances where the closing price of the Company's common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange is at or above $0.25 for ten consecutive trading days (the "Acceleration Trigger"). The Company confirms that the Acceleration Trigger was satisfied as of market close on June 21, 2021. Accordingly, the Company shall provide notice today to the holders of the Warrants that the expiry date shall be accelerated to 4:30 p.m. (Vancouver time) on July 22, 2021, being the 30th day following the date of such notice (the "Early Expiry Date"). Any Warrants remaining unexercised after the Early Expiry Date will be cancelled.

As of market close on June 21, 2021, a total of 22,075,000 Warrants of the 22,325,000 Warrants originally issued had yet to be exercised. Each Warrant is exercisable into one Common Share at a price of $0.20 per Common Share. Accordingly, if all the outstanding Warrants are exercised, gross proceeds to the Company will total $4,415,000. Warrant holders who wish to exercise their warrants should contact Jim Kirke, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, by email at jkirke@bigridgegold.com or by phone at 416-627-1796.

About Big Ridge Gold Corp.

Big Ridge Gold Corp. is an exploration and development company managed by a disciplined and experienced team of officers and directors. The Company is committed to the development of advanced stage mining projects using industry best practices combined with strong social license from our local communities. Big Ridge owns 100% interest in the highly prospective Oxford Gold Project located in Manitoba, 100% interest in the Destiny Gold Project in Quebec where Clarity Gold Corp. is earning up to a 100% interest and is exploring in the Beardmore-Geraldton gold belt in Ontario. Big Ridge is now the operator of the Hope Brook Gold Project located in Newfoundland and Labrador.

For more details regarding the Company's projects, please visit our website at www.bigridgegold.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

Mike Bandrowski,

President & CEO

For Further Information Contact:

Mike Bandrowski,

President & CEO

BIG RIDGE GOLD CORP.

1 Yonge Street, Suite 1801

Toronto, ON, M5E 1W7

Tel: 416-540-5480

Email: Mike@bigridgegold.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "intends", "estimates", "envisages", "potential", "possible", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events. All forward-looking statements are based on Big Ridge's and its employees' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Big Ridge, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Big Ridge does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on our behalf, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88192
Vancouver, British Columbia and Johannesburg, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG) ("Platinum Group" "PTM" or the "Company") announced today that Mr. Enoch Godongwana has been appointed as a non-executive independent director to the Company's board, bringing the number of directors to seven. Mr. Godongwana obtained an Msc degree in Financial Economics from University of London in 1998 and has served in numerous roles in government, trade unions and industry. Mr. Godongwana brings invaluable knowledge of the South African business environment. He spent the early part of his career working for the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa, holding a number of key roles until becoming General Secretary. He went on to hold a number of South African governmental roles, including Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises of the Government of South Africa from 2009 to 2010, Deputy Minister of Economic Development from 2010 to 2012 and member of Parliament from 2009 to 2011. Mr. Godongwana is currently serving as the non-executive Chair of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and is a non-executive director of Mondi plc.

Platinum Group CEO R. Michael Jones commented, "We are very pleased to welcome Enoch Godongwana to the Board of the Company. His extensive South African experience will be a valuable asset to the Company as we work through the financing and development of the world class Waterberg Palladium, Platinum and Gold Mine."

About Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

Platinum Group is the operator of the Waterberg Project, a bulk underground deposit in northern South Africa. Waterberg was discovered by the Company and a definitive feasibility study concluded it can be one of the largest fully mechanised, low cost platinum group metals mines in the world with palladium as the dominant metal. Platinum Group Metals is also co-founder of Lion Battery Technologies with Anglo American working on cutting edge patented technology to put palladium and platinum in lithium batteries.

On behalf of the Board of

Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

R. Michael Jones

CEO and Director

For further information contact:

R. Michael Jones, President

or Kris Begic, VP, Corporate Development

Platinum Group Metals Ltd., Vancouver

Tel: (604) 899-5450 / Toll Free: (866) 899-5450

www.platinumgroupmetals.net

Disclosure

The Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to the Waterberg Project becoming one of the largest and potentially lowest cash cost underground platinum group metals mines globally, financing and mine development of the Waterberg Project, the market for platinum group metals, the potential of platinum group metals in batteries, and Lion Battery Technologies' development of next generation battery technology. Although the Company believes any forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. The Company directs readers to the risk factors described in the Company's Form 20-F annual report, annual information form and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com, respectively.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88211
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Gold79 Mines Ltd. (TSXV: AUU) ("Gold79" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that based on the positive results from initial mapping and sampling in 2021, the Company has again significantly expanded its land package with the staking of 171 new claims. The Gold Chain project now consists of 361 Bureau of Land Management claims covering approximately 2,800 hectares and five patented claims covering 37.9 hectares (Figure 1).

Highlights from the 417 samples reported in this release include:

25.47 g/t Au on the Sheep Trail Ledge near the Banner Mine;

8.78 g/t Au on the Red Hill Ledge at the Banner Mine;

18.4 g/t Au in the Sugarloaf Peak area;

11.47 g/t Au on the Sunset Vein; and,

0.725 g/t Au from the Frisco Mine Trend

Mr. Derek Macpherson, President & CEO, stated, "The mapping and sampling completed in 2021 continues to suggest that the scale of mineralization is much larger than previously thought, as such, the Company moved aggressively to double its land position in the North Oatman District. Gold79 now controls approximately 12km of altered and mineralized rocks in this trend, coupling scale potential with solid historical exploration results."

Mr. Macpherson continued, "We have seen increased exploration and staking activity in the region. We believe recent exploration success by other companies operating in the area has resulted in a staking rush across the wider Oatman District. Our aggressive staking has allowed us to establish one of the largest land positions in the region."

Mr. Macpherson also noted, "The combination of our recent field success and historical drill results, has the Company ready to start its first drill program in more than two years. This summer, we plan to follow-up on historical drilling and complete a maiden drill program at the Banner Mine."













Figure 1. View of the Gold Chain Property As it Has Evolved with Initial Sampling Results



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5717/88245_picture1.png

Field studies were initiated in the Fall of 2020 and focused on Gold Chain Hill, Black Dyke and the Roadside Mine, all prospects with historically identified gold mineralization (1980s). This work identified a close spatial relation between gold mineralization and rhyolite dikes which prompted recon-type activities to the east from the Roadside mine. Early conclusions drawn from this preliminary regional work is that gold-bearing veins, breccia and stockwork from mines and prospects between the Katherine and Sugarloaf Mtn./Philadelphia Project (Figure 1; ~12 km) reveal striking similarities including gold/silver ratios, mineralogy, vein textures, wall rock alteration and proximity to rhyolite dikes. Additional geologic comparison to the Moss Mine, ~15km south (Figure 2) and the Oatman district, an additional several kilometers to the southeast, suggests that the Katherine district is the northern extent of the Oatman district, and this roughly defined chain of gold occurrence is heretofore referred to as the North Oatman Trend.





Figure 2. Location of the Gold Chain project, with internal prospects, and the expanded land position relative to surrounding competitor activities.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5717/88245_picture2.png

This new work has identified two extensive, and distinct, geologic environments hosting gold mineralization.

North Oatman Trend - This trend is defined by a rhyolite dike complex which can be traced from the Katherine mine to the Arabian mine (Philadelphia Project, Arizona Silver), both historic gold producers, over a distance of about 10 kilometers (Figure 2); the dike complex is up to several hundred meters wide and dips moderately to the south-southwest.

Frisco Graben Trend - This northwest-trending graben is defined by two, sub-parallel normal faults which outline an area measuring 6 kilometers of strike and up to 1.7 kilometers wide. The southeast extension of the graben hosts the Frisco mine (Figure 2; Frisco Gold). Recon sampling has identified weak gold-in-rock anomalies in the southeast portion near the Frisco mine. The graben is dominated by quartz-clay-hematite alteration of the volcanics and likely well above the precious-metal horizon, suggesting gold mineralization may increase with depth.

North Oatman Trend

The North Oatman trend gold mineralization, in quartz-calcite-adularia-fluorite veins and veinlets, is spatially associated with the rhyolite dike complex for about 10km (Figure 2). At least two dominant controls on gold have been identified and fit within a 'trans-tensional' structural regime: Type A. Parallel to the rhyolite dike complex at the footwall contact with the Precambrian granite and internally between distinct phases of the dike complex; and, Type B, transverse structures (north-trending) which host discrete veins, i.e. Sunset and Banner veins. Controls A and B are distinct with Type A related to right-lateral strike slip movement and Type B are "normal" faults. In other words, these rocks were fractured at roughly the same time and had access to the same fluids. The main difference is that the Type A are narrow, discontinuous veins (pinch and swell) contained in broader envelopes of broken or 'damaged' rock filled by gold-bearing veinlets or 'stockwork' zones, i.e. Northern Vertex's Moss mine while Type B controls result in more continuous, discrete veins and breccias formed in an extensional environment, i.e. Oatman district.

Banner Mine Area - Type A target

The Banner mine (Figure 3) is located along the North Oatman Trend about 2 km east of the Roadside mine where historical drilling is highlighted by 39.6m at 0.72 g/t Au. The mine sits a few hundred meters higher in elevation where the rhyolite dike complex has been pervasively silicified and altered and invaded by several faults parallel to the Precambrian contact. The mine was developed on the Red Hill Ledge, a broad mineralized fault breccia, and an inclined shaft was sunken to a depth of 450 feet with limited development on the 250-foot level. The mine is not accessible but initial sampling at the shaft's collar has resulted in 4 meters of 1.23 g/t Au and 1.0 m of 8.78 g/t Au within a broad zone, up to 20 meters thick, of quartz-calcite epithermal mineralization. This zone can be traced for over 500 meters to the west toward the Roadside mine. The Banner Mine was developed circa 1918 but very limited information on the mine is available.





Figure 3: Preliminary geologic map of the Banner Block showing the Banner Mine, Red Hill Ledge, Sunset Vein and initial sampling results.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5717/88245_picture3.png

Sunset Vein - Type B target

This vein (Figure 3) intersects the Red Hill Ledge at the Banner mine and can be followed to the south for 700 meters as a broad, up to 50 meters, steeply dipping complex of quartz-calcite veins, breccia and stockwork. A broad zone of chalcedony veining has developed at the intersection with a footwall split, the East Sunset vein (Figure 3). Most of the quartz veining is composed of chalcedony with low gold values. The surface expression of this vein suggests that it is the upper level of an epithermal system; sampling of mine dumps from a shaft on the vein returned 11.47 g/t Au.

Robert Johansing, VP of Exploration, stated "The Sunset vein is hosted by a distinct structural environment and clearly more extensional owing to the pronounced widths of the vein breccia and adjacent veinlets. This outstanding vein exposure sits in the hanging wall of the Red Hill Ledge. The intersection of these perpendicular trends provides Gold 79 with a very attractive target".

Gold Chain Hill, Black Dyke and Roadside Mines - Type A targets (Figures 4 thru 6)

These targets were the focus of much of the historic drilling in the 1980s and 1990s. Recent work has identified a close spatial relation with rhyolite dikes where gold mineralization is hosted by quartz stockwork in silicified rhyolite (Gold Chain Hill and Roadside mine) and extensive vein breccia bodies (Black Dyke mine) adjacent to a rhyolite dike and/or flow dome complex. In all three prospects, gold mineralization occurs in surface exposures and historic drilling suggests that it continues to depth. Historical geologic models utilized low-angle detachment faults as a control versus steeper dike contacts employed in this work. All exposures are isolated 'inselbergs' within broad aprons of alluvial material.







Figure 4: Geologic map of the Gold Chain Hill area showing a north-dipping stockwork zone beneath alluvial cover.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

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Figure 5: Geology of the Black Dyke vein breccia developed on a south-dipping fault adjacent to an altered dacite/rhyolite intrusive complex.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5717/88245_picture5.png







Figure 6. Geology of the Roadside Mine area showing historic and proposed drill holes across the Precambrian - rhyolite dike complex.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5717/88245_picture6.png

Hyperspectral Survey Results

Gold79 contracted Ethos Geological to use its machine learning and advanced statistical methods to analyze data captured by satellite multispectral resources. This work proceeded in four phases:

selection and assimilation of the available satellite multispectral data; classification of the minerals using over 2100 available mineral spectra; factor analysis of the minerals; and insight into the alteration families for the purpose of identifying hydrothermal activity and predicting gold deposition and/or prospective mineral trends.







Figure 7. Hyperspectral survey results over the Gold Chain project (Factor 10) showing positive correlation between, among others, the following: thuringite; montmorillonite; pyrolusite; and pyrite.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 7, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5717/88245_picture7.png

Factor 10 nicely defines areas of moderate to strong alteration including quartz-illite-pyrite in the North Oatman trend (Roadside-Banner-Sugarloaf) and quartz-clay-hematite in the Frisco Graben. Mapping by Gold79 has clearly defined a close spatial relation between gold mineralization and these styles of alteration as was also documented in the Oatman district.

Jefferson Canyon Anniversary Payment

The Company has issued 351,337 common shares of the Company in connection with the second anniversary payment of US$25,000 due under the terms of the Jefferson Canyon, Nevada property option agreement. The common shares issued have a statutory hold period until October 10, 2021. The Company now has 121,789,792 common shares outstanding.

Qualified Person / Quality Control and Quality Assurance

Robert Johansing, M.Sc. Econ. Geol., P. Geo., the Company's Vice President, Exploration is a qualified person ("QP") as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release. Mr. Johansing has also been responsible for all phases of sample collection, labelling, bagging and transport from the project to American Assay labs of Sparks, Nevada. Samples were then dried, crushed and split, and pulp samples were prepared for analysis. Gold was determined by fire assay with an ICP finish, over limit samples were determined by fire assay and gravimetric finish. Silver plus 34 other elements were determined by Aqua Regia ICP-AES, over limit samples were determined by fire assay and gravimetric finish. Standard sample chain of custody procedures were employed during field work until delivery to the analytical facility.

About Gold79 Mines Ltd.

Gold79 Mines Ltd. is a TSX Venture listed company focused on building ounces in the Southwest USA. Gold79 holds 100% earn-in option to purchase agreements on three gold projects: the Jefferson Canyon Gold Project and the Tip Top Gold Project both located in Nevada, USA, and, the Gold Chain Project located in Arizona, USA. In addition, Gold79 holds two projects with minority interest being a 37.1% interest in the Greyhound Project, Nunavut, Canada under JV by Agnico Eagle Mines Limited and a 20% carried interest in the Taviche Project in Oaxaca, Mexico now under option to Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

For further information regarding this press release contact: Derek Macpherson, President and Chief Executive Officer by email at dm@gold79mines.com or by phone at 416-294-6713. Gold79's website is located at www.gold79mines.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release may contain forward looking statements that are made as of the date hereof and are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions which involve risks and uncertainties associated with our business including any private placement financings, the uncertainty as to whether further exploration will result in the target(s) being delineated as a mineral resource, capital expenditures, operating costs, mineral resources, recovery rates, grades and prices, estimated goals, expansion and growth of the business and operations, plans and references to the Company's future successes with its business and the economic environment in which the business operates. All such statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of, and are intended to be forward-looking statements under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements contained herein that are statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution readers of this news release not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual results or conditions to differ materially from current expectations. Please refer to the risks set forth in the Company's most recent annual MD&A and the Company's continuous disclosure documents that can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Gold79 does not intend, and disclaims any obligation, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88245
XUZHOU, China, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- XCMG (000425.SZ) now ranks 6th - the highest-ranking Chinese brand - in the "Top 40 Global Aerial Work Platform Manufacturers 2021" list (Access M20) released by Access International, a magazine affiliated to KHL Group.

In 2020, the sales of aerial work machinery in Europe and the United States were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanks to the effective and strong control of the pandemic by the Chinese government, China's economy recovered quickly and aerial work machinery manufacturers delivered outstanding results in the global market.

"Aerial work equipment is a sunrise industry with vast potential for future development, so XCMG must grasp new opportunities from this development to build an industrial sector worth billions and become an absolute leader in the field," said Wang Min, chairman and CEO of XCMG.

Earlier this year, 6 units of XGS28 aerial work platforms completed the peripheral steel structure maintenance project in the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in 30 days, which will be hosting the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

The XGS28 aerial work platform is a star model with a maximum working height of 28.2m, maximum payload of 340kg and maximum gradeability of 45 percent. It's structured as three sections of telescopic arms and tower arm mechanism, with a small fly jib featuring a wide work range. The dual payload control system can adjust the work range depending on the payload, meeting different loading requirements. The model is an ideal choice for buildings, bridges, steel structures and stadium construction.

XCMG's top aerial work platform products also include XGS22, a model suitable for large-load constructions at high operation heights. The XGS34 has the widest operation reach among products of the same class, and XGS58, which covers a working height range of 22m to 58m, is suited for high-altitude projects.

With a new manufacturing base for fire safety equipment put into full operation by December 2019, a new generation of XG series aerial work platforms were released. XCMG now has a product portfolio of more than 40 models of aerial work platforms, including forklifts, crank arm and straight boom types.

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CHICAGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Mosquito Repellent Market by Repellent Type (Spray, Vaporizer, Cream & Oil, Coil, Mat), After Bite Type (Lotion, Balm, Gel, Roll-on), Distribution Channel (Hypermarket & Supermarket, Independent Stores, E-commerce) and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Mosquito Repellent Market was valued at USD 6.9 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 9.0 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 5.6% between 2021 and 2026.

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The global market for mosquito repellents is driven by strong demand from consumers, increase in mosquito-borne diseases, and increasing mosquito infestation across the world.

On the basis of repellent type, the spray segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2026.

Mosquito repellent sprays, also known as aerosols in many countries, are a type of dispensing system which creates an aerosol mist of liquid particles. Mosquito repellent sprays are easier to use than other forms of mosquito repellents as external utilities are not required. They also work faster as compared to the aforementioned products and are highly effective as they are applied directly to clothes, skin, or sprayed on surfaces. When mosquito repellent sprays are used, the insecticide floats around like a gas filling the space, thus reaching and landing on everything, including mosquitoes.

Among distribution channel types, the Independent Stores segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2026.

An independent store is a type of retail store that focuses on offering specific product categories rather than retailers who sell an array of consumer goods. Department stores, specialty stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, and discount stores, among others, are considered under the independent stores category in this report. Developing countries of the world have a huge network of independent retail stores that also offer mosquito repellent products apart from other consumer goods. Consumers of these countries prefer to buy goods from these local shops as they provide a bouquet of consumer goods.

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Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing regional segment in the Mosquito Repellent Market.

Market growth in the Asia Pacific region can be attributed to the high population density and prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases in countries such as China, India, Japan and Indonesia. The Asia Pacific region also has numerous OEM and SME firms engaged in production of mosquito repellents which are supplied to the market at a cheaper rate than branded products. Malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis are the most common mosquito-borne diseases in these countries. Increasing consumer awareness related to mosquito repellents is also aiding the growth of this market in the Asia Pacific region.

SC Johnson & Son, Inc. (US), Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (UK), Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc. (US), Godrej Consumer Products Limited (India), BASF SE (Germany), Natura & Co Holding SA (Brazil), 3M Company (US), Dabur India Ltd. (India), Jyothy Labs Limited (India), PelGar International (UK), AoGrand Group (China), Enesis Group (Indonesia), Herbal Strategi (India), Sawyer Products, Inc. (US), and Himalaya Global Holdings Ltd. (India) are among the key players leading the market through their innovative offerings, enhanced production capacities, and efficient distribution channels. Other noteworthy players included in this report are Sarex Chemicals (India), J.K. Fragrances (India), Soorya Industries (India), Repellers India LLP (India), Guangzhou Topone Chemical Co., Ltd. (China), Fujian Gaoke Industry and Trade Co., Ltd. (China), Jimo Quimica Industrial Ltd. (Brazil), Synvita CC (South Africa), Peaceful Sleep (South Africa), Dermatanical Pty Ltd. (South Africa), TANATEX Chemicals B.V. (Netherlands), Helan Cosmesi di Laboratorio S.r.l (Italy), Juno Laboratories Pty Ltd. (Australia), Industrias Quimicas Megar (Spain), and Hannox International Corporation (Taiwan).

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Step-out exploration drilling expands mineralized envelope to the south, northeast and east:

Hole MK-20-276 intersects 70.80 g/t Au over 0.4 metres and 10.20 g/t Au over 1.2 metres, extending the resource envelope approximately 50 metres to the south.

Hole MK-20-266 intersects 8.80 g/t Au over 1.0 metre within a wider section of 6.47 g/t Au over 3.0 metres, and a second zone of 2.25 g/t Au over 12.0 metres, including 13.8 g/t Au over 1.0 metre, thus extending the resource envelope 75 metres to the northeast.

First drill hole of the 14,300-metre Phase 2 drilling program intersects visible gold and further extends the mineralized envelope 50 metres to the east.

Phase 2 drilling started with one drill in April and will accelerate with the addition of a second drill in June.

High-resolution magnetic survey conducted over newly staked claims.

MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / MONARCH MINING CORPORATION ('Monarch' or the 'Corporation') (TSX:GBAR)(OTCQX:GBARF) is pleased to announce the final results for its 2020 exploration diamond drilling program on its wholly-owned McKenzie Break project, located 25 kilometres north of Val-d'Or, Quebec. The results include several significant intersections as Monarch continues to extend the high-grade portion of the recently estimated resource towards the northeast and south.

Diamond drilling was carried out in 50-100-metre step-out holes, with 14 holes drilled (6,697.4 metres). All assay results are now available for the remaining 8 holes of the second half of the program (4,097.4 metres). The most recent results for the resource expansion drilling program include hole MK-20-276, drilled at the southern limit of the mineralized envelope, which intersected 70.80 g/t Au over 0.4 metres and 10.2 g/t Au over 1.2 metres. The hole is approximately 113 metres from hole MK-20-255, which intersected 13.95 g/t Au over 14.35 m (see press release dated July 23, 2020), and has extended the mineralized envelope approximately 50 metres to the south.

Hole MK-20-266 intersected 8.80 g/t Au over 1.0 metre within a larger section of 6.47 g/t Au over 3.0 metres, at a vertical depth of 240 metres. Approximately 80 metres down the hole, a second, wider zone was intersected, assaying 2.25 g/t Au over 12.0 metres, including 13.8 g/t Au over 1.0 metre. This intersection is 75 metres northeast of the current resource envelope. Hole MK-20-267, located southeast of MK-20-266 and 104 metres east of the resource envelope, intersected 5.79 g/t au over 1.0 metre. The current drill results show good grade continuity towards the northeast and east. Other significant results are shown in Figures 1 to 4 and in Table 1, below.

Figure 1: McKenzie Break property - Plan view with recent assay results.

Figure 2: McKenzie Break property - Sectional view with recent assay results.

Figure 3: Expansion of mineralized envelope to the S.

Figure 4: Expansion of mineralized envelope to the NE.

Monarch started drilling the 14,300 metres of Phase 2 of its drilling program with one drill rig in April and plans to add a second drill rig in June. The program is designed to further expand and delineate the mineralization. The first hole, MK-21-268, located 50 metres east of the resource envelope, is now complete. Visual examination has identified visible gold in two areas in the hole, both associated with quartz-tourmaline veins with pyrite over 1.7 metres, hosted in an altered diorite. Assay results are pending.

"We are very pleased with the results of drilling program in that we have been able to expand the mineralized envelope beyond the limits of the previous mineral resource estimate," said Jean-Marc Lacoste, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monarch. "The most recent drill results to the northeast and south, beyond the boundaries of the resource estimate, demonstrate that the mineralized envelope is still open and lies at a relatively shallow depth. We are continuing to follow and expand this high-grade portion of the resource by diamond drilling, and will also be testing similar features elsewhere on the newly-expanded property."

Monarch has conducted a high-resolution detailed airborne magnetic survey on a 25-metre line spacing over much of the northern and southern parts of the property, including the new claims staked in March 2021. Final maps are pending. The magnetic survey will help in defining the geology and identifying magnetic signatures typical of the current mineralized zones.

Table 1: Significant assay results

Hole From

(m) To

(m) Width*

(m) Au

(g/t) MK-20-261 273.0 274.0 1.0 1.38 MK-20-262 No significant assays MK-20-265 239.0 242.0 3.0 2.52 MK-20-266 244.3 247.3 3.0 6.47 Incl. 245.3 246.3 1.0 8.80 MK-20-266 326.0 338.0 12.0 2.25 Incl. 326.0 327.0 1.0 13.80 MK-20-267 372.0 373.0 1.0 5.79 MK-20-276 155.7 156.1 0.4 70.80 MK-20-276 263.6 264.8 1.2 10.20 MK-20-277 201.0 202.0 1.0 2.70 MK-20-278 No significant assays

*The width shown is the core length. True width is estimated at 80-85% of core length.

Table 2: Drill hole location

Hole Easting

(UTM) Northing

(UTM) Az

(deg.) Dip

(deg.) Length

(m) MK-20-261 310285 5358381 230 -88 471 MK-20-262 310326 5358452 230 -88 410 MK-20-265 310088 5359221 230 -88 651 MK-20-266 310200 5359121 230 -88 648 MK-20-267 310288 5359013 230 -88 651 MK-20-276 310106 5358352 230 -88 375 MK-20-277 310156 5358352 230 -88 426 MK-20-278 310253 5358349 230 -88 465.4

About McKenzie Break

Gold mineralization occurs in an elongated diorite unit or lens within a shallow embayment of the Pascalis Batholith. Monarch continues to have drilling success beyond the limits of the recent resource update provided by Geologica and GoldMinds (see Table 3 and press release dated February 8, 2021). The mineralized envelope currently measures 800 metres by 650 metres and has been tested down to a vertical depth of 400 metres. The Corporation will continue drill testing the limits of the defined mineralized envelope as well as other priority targets on the property, including targets on the newly-staked claims to the south (see press release dated March 8, 2021), with its 14,300-metre Phase 2 drilling program. Drilling resumed in April and will accelerate with the addition of a second drill in June.

Table 3: Combined resources (in-pit and underground) by category for the McKenzie Break deposit at the selected cut-off grades (GoldMinds Geoservices Inc.)

Area (cut-off grade) Indicated resource Inferred resource Tonnes

(t) Grade (g/t) Ounces (Au) Tonnes

(t) Grade (g/t) Ounces (Au) Pit-constrained (0.50 g/t Au) 1,441,377 1.80 83,305 2,243,562 1.44 104,038 Underground (2.38 g/t Au) 387,720 5.03 62,677 1,083,503 4.21 146,555 TOTAL 1,829,097 145,982 3,327,065 250,593

Notes:

Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. An Inferred Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to a Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, market or other relevant issues. The quantity and grade of reported inferred resources are uncertain in nature and there has not been sufficient work to define these inferred resources as indicated or measured resources. The database used for this mineral estimate includes drill results obtained from historical records and up to the recent 2018-2020 drill program. Mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.50 g/t Au for the pit-constrained and underground mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 2.38 g/t Au within reasonably mineable volumes. These cut-offs were calculated at a gold price of C$1,980 ounce. The pit-constrained resources were based on the following parameters: mining cost $3.5/t, processing, transportation + G&A costs $27/t, Au recovery 95%, pit slopes 15 degrees for overburden and 50 degrees for rock. The underground reasonably mineable volumes were based on the following parameters: mining cost $98/t, processing, transportation + G&A costs $27/t, Au recovery 95%, dilution of 15% at 0 g/t Au with a minimum stope dimension of 10m x 10m x 5m. The geological interpretation of the deposits was based on lithologies and the typical mineralized interval mainly composed by diorite hosted shear zones. The mineral resource presented here was estimated with a block size of 5m X 5m X 5m for the pit-constrained and for underground. The blocks were interpolated from equal length composites calculated from the mineralized intervals. Prior to compositing, high-grade gold assays were capped to 60 g/t Au applied on 0.6-metre composites. The mineral estimation was completed using the inverse distance squared methodology utilizing two passes. For each pass, search ellipsoids followed the geological interpretation trends were used. Tonnage estimates are based on rock specific gravity of 2.77 tonnes per cubic metre for all the zones. Results are presented undiluted and in situ. Estimates use metric units (metres, tonnes and g/t). Metal contents are presented in troy ounces (metric tonne x grade / 31.10348). This mineral resource estimate is dated February 1, 2021, and the effective date for the drillhole database used to produce this updated mineral resource estimate is September 28, 2020. No economic evaluation of the resources has been produced.

The resource estimate was prepared by Merouane Rachidi, P.Geo., Ph.D., and Claude Duplessis, P.Eng., of GoldMinds Geoservices Inc., both qualified persons under National Instrument 43-101.

Sampling consists of sawing the NQ-size core into equal halves along its main axis and shipping one of the halves to AGAT Laboratories in Mississauga, Ontario, for assaying. The samples are crushed, pulverized and assayed by fire assay, with atomic absorption finish. Results exceeding 3.0 g/t Au are re-assayed using the gravity method, and samples containing visible gold grains are assayed using the metallic screen method. Monarch uses a comprehensive QA/QC protocol, including the insertion of standards and blanks.

The technical and scientific content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by Louis Martin, P.Geo., the Corporation's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Monarch

Monarch Mining Corporation (TSX:GBAR) is a fully integrated mining company that owns four advanced projects, including the fully permitted past-producing Beaufor Mine, which has produced more than 1 million ounces of gold over the last 30 years. Other advanced assets include the Croinor Gold, McKenzie Break and Swanson properties, all located near Monarch's wholly owned and fully permitted Beacon 750 tpd mill. Monarch owns 28,725 hectares (287 km2) of mining assets in the prolific Abitibi mining camp that host 588,482 ounces of combined measured and indicated gold resources and 329,393 ounces of combined inferred resources.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements in this press release involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Monarch's actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied therein. Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Jean-Marc Lacoste

President and Chief Executive Officer

1-888-994-4465

jm.lacoste@monarchmining.com

Mathieu Seguin

Vice President, Corporate Development

1-888-994-4465

m.seguin@monarchmining.com

Elisabeth Tremblay

Senior Geologist - Communications Specialist

1-888-994-4465

e.tremblay@monarchmining.com

www.monarchmining.com

Table 4 - Monarch combined gold resources

Tonnes

(metric) Grade

(g/t Au) Ounces Croinor Gold1 Measured Resources 80,100 8.44 21,700 Indicated Resources 724,500 9.20 214,300 Total Measured and Indicated 804,600 9.12 236,000 Total Inferred 160,800 7.42 38,400 Beaufor mine2 Measured Resources 121,000 5.62 21,900 Indicated Resources 310,100 7.10 70,800 Total Measured and Indicated 431,100 6.68 92,700 Total Inferred 134,600 6.96 30,100 McKenzie Break3 In-pit Total Indicated 1,441,377 1.80 83,305 Total Inferred 2,243,562 1.44 104,038 Underground Total Indicated 387,720 5.03 62,677 Total Inferred 1,083,503 4.21 146,555 Swanson4 In-pit Total Indicated 1,864,000 1.76 105,400 Total Inferred 29,000 2.46 2,300 Underground Total Indicated 91,000 2.86 8,400 Total Inferred 87,000 2.87 8,000 TOTAL COMBINED5 Measured and Indicated Resources Inferred Resources 588,482 329,393

1 Source: Monarch Gold prefeasibility study (January 19, 2018) and resource estimate (January 8, 2016). This resource was completed for Monarch Gold and has not been reviewed by a qualified person for Monarch Mining as required under National Instrument 43-101 and is thus considered as an historical estimate.

2 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Beaufor Mine, December 18, 2020, Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada, Carl Pelletier, P. Geo., InnovExplo Inc. and John Langton, P. Geo., JPL GeoServices Inc.

3 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Evaluation Report on the McKenzie Break Property, February 1, 2021, Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada, Alain-Jean Beauregard, P.Geo., Daniel Gaudreault, P.Eng., Geologica Groupe-Conseil Inc., and Merouane Rachidi, P.Geo., Claude Duplessis, P.Eng., GoldMinds GeoServices Inc.

4 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Swanson Project, January 22, 2021, Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada, Christine Beausoleil, P. Geo. and Alain Carrier, P. Geo., InnovExplo Inc.

5 Numbers may not add due to rounding.

SOURCE: Monarch Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652550/Monarch-Mining-Continues-to-Expand-the-McKenzie-Break-Mineralized-Envelope-With-708-gt-Au-Over-04-M


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar extended its decline against its major rivals in the European session on Tuesday, as yields on Australian ten-year government bonds fell in reaction to China's regulation to prevent hoarding and speculation of iron ore transactions.



Iron ore prices fell amid tighter regulations imposed by the Chinese authorities to rein in speculation and hoarding.



Iron ore is a major export for Australia and Chinese regulation would have an impact on the economy.



Investors await testimony by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for more clues about the future path of monetary policy.



Although Powell acknowledged that the U.S. economy continues to show 'sustained improvement' and predict a pickup in employment, other policy makers' diverging views have triggered a debate about an early tapering of the stimulus program.



The aussie dropped to a 4-1/2-month low of 1.5873 against the euro, from a high of 1.5794 seen at 7:30 pm ET. Next key support for the Australian currency is seen around the 1.62 region.



The aussie weakened to 0.7494 against the greenback and 82.79 against the yen, down from its previous high of 0.7545 and a 4-day high of 83.27, respectively. The next likely support for the aussie is seen around 0.72 against the greenback and 80.00 against the yen.



The Australian currency depreciated to near a 3-week low of 0.9283 against the loonie and a 5-day low of 1.0750 against the kiwi, following its early highs of 0.9330 and 1.0789, respectively. The aussie is likely to challenge support around 0.90 against the loonie and 1.06 against the kiwi.



Looking ahead, U.S. existing home sales for May will be published in the New York session.



At 10:00 am ET, Eurozone flash consumer sentiment index for June will be out.



At 2:00 pm ET, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies on the central bank's emergency lending programs and current policies before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, via satellite.



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LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HH Global is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement on Monday 21 June 2021 to fully acquire Adare International from the private equity firm Endless LLP.

Adare is a British-headquartered provider of marketing services with strong procurement, creative and data offerings.

The combined global business will consist of more than 4,000 employees across more than 50 countries, generating approximately $2.1bn in annual sales as HH Global consolidates our leading position in the sector.

Consistent with the recent merger with InnerWorkings, the fundamental rationale for the deal is the strategic fit, in that the businesses are tremendously complementary.

Geographically, the acquisition enhances our international footprint and scope, particularly in Europe and Latin America. From a solutions perspective, Adare has an excellent procurement offering, as well as bringing expanded content and interactive service lines which we're excited about taking to our clients.

The clients and brand portfolios fit well, allowing us to drive more aggregation and leverage in the marketplace and provide suppliers with meaningful opportunities to expand their business and utilise more capacity.

The excellence of Adare's people and culture played a critical part in the decision to acquire and bring the best talent in the industry together.

It's worth noting that Adare's choice of HH Global as acquirer is a reflection of our reputation and status.

Group CEO of HH Global Mike Perez said "We are delighted to be bringing Adare International and HH Global together. We're excited about the potential of our combined company. This comes because we'll have increased geographical coverage, extended service lines, and enhanced purchasing power - and most critically because we're bringing the best people in the industry together. We are very much looking forward to welcoming Adare's clients and people to HH Global once the acquisition closes".

CEO of Adare International Andrew Dutton said "We are delighted to be joining HH Global as it accelerates its growth journey. It is an incredible milestone for Adare and a testament to the outstanding team we have assembled and the rapidly growing client portfolio we have created. Our combination will provide our customers with enhanced services and our teams with expanded career opportunities. We are looking forward to working with our new colleagues as we begin the transition to deal completion".

The transaction is subject to further legal processes, which are expected to take between 8-12 weeks.

About HH Global

Founded in 1991, HH Global is a global outsourced marketing execution provider. Applying proven processes, industry-leading technology, and the deep expertise of our employees, we develop innovative solutions that drive down the cost of our clients' physical marketing procurement and content development, while improving quality, sustainability, and speed to market.

HH Global has a presence in more than 50 locations across Europe, North and Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We work with some of the largest, exciting and most progressive global brands. These contracts involve dealing with multiple stakeholders from different regions, coordinating high-profile, business-critical print, POS (temporary and permanent), promotional merchandise, luxury packaging and creative projects.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Summa Silver Corp. (TSXV: SSVR) (OTCQB: SSVRF) (FSE: 48X) ("Summa" or the "Company") is pleased to report the results from two geophysical surveys at its Hughes Property, near Tonopah Nevada.

Key Highlights

First-Ever Exploration using Geophysics: Covering the unexplored hydrothermal alteration zones present on the eastern half of the property, these surveys are the first-ever known to have been done on the property, which consists of the eastern half of the historic Tonopah Mining District and its extension.

Un-Drilled High Priority Targets: Numerous targets are defined which will be ranked and systematically evaluated by geological and structural mapping and as well as soil geochemical surveys which are now in progress (see attached figures).

IP - Resistivity Surveys: 42 line kilometers of both 3D and 2D induced polarization (IP) and resistivity data were collected to identify zones of alteration at depth which may be associated with high-grade silver and gold mineralization.

Drone-Magnetic Survey: 330 line kilometres of drone-based, high-resolution magnetic data were collected to refine the property-scale structural model.

Core Drilling Update: The previously announced 10,000 m drill program is well underway with 10 holes completed. Two core rigs are fully operational on the project. All holes have intersected zones of quartz veins, stockworks and breccias featuring visible silver-sulfosalt minerals, which is often a strong indication that the core is mineralized. Upon receipt of assays, the results will be compiled and announced in a timely manner.

Galen McNamara, CEO, stated: "The presence of multiple, major and compelling targets that not only remain completely unexplored but also occur in the shadow of one of the richest silver districts in the United States is an exciting development. We look forward to integrating these new targets with geological and soil surveys that are now in progress as we advance them towards the drilling stage in the near future."





Figure 1: IP Geophysical Data and Property Targets



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7983/88257_summaimage1.jpg





Figure 2: Anomaly A - One of Multiple New Targets



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7983/88257_summaimage2.jpg

Geophysical Surveys

Based on an interpretation of the high-resolution magnetics data, several key faults are identified (e.g., Mizpah, Belmont, Halifax and Ruby) as well as new, previously unrecognized parallel-striking faults and structural intersections. These prospective northwest-trending faults transect the property and cross-cut Mizpah Formation volcanic rocks; host to high-grade silver and gold bearing veins throughout the district. The IP and resistivity data further outlined numerous coincident high-chargeability and high-resistivity features spatially related to these northwest-trending structures. These anomalies are interpreted to be structurally controlled silica alteration zones host to possible sulfide mineralization. One immediate target of interest (Anomaly A; Figures 1 and 2) is centred 500 metres east of the Ruby discovery where limited drilling has intersected broad zones of silica + clay alteration with local vein-hosted silver and gold mineralization in SUM20-10 (see News Release dated December 17th, 2020). This coincident broad high-chargeability and high-resistivity anomaly as well as anomalies B through D will be further investigated with detailed geological and soil geochemical surveys and possible exploration drilling.

Magnetics Survey

A property-wide drone-based magnetic geophysical survey was conducted by Pioneer Exploration Consultants Ltd. of Saskatoon, Canada (see News Release dated December 17th, 2020). The survey footprint covered the entire Hughes property and consisted of 330 line kilometers at an average height of ~35 metres above ground. Lines consisted of 50 metre spaced north-south oriented lines and 100 metre spaced east-west oriented lines. The purpose of the survey was to provide insights into the orientation and strike-extent of near-surface, property-scale structures.

Induced Polarization Survey

Over 3 km2 of 3D IP data and over 21 line kilometres of conventional 2D dipole-dipole data were acquired by SJ Geophysics of Langley, Canada. Thirteen north-south oriented, 150 metre spaced lines comprised the 3D grid and 6 east-west oriented, 400 metre spaced lines and 3 north-south oriented lines comprised the 2D survey. The goal of both surveys was to investigate the mineralization potential of recently identified property-scale structures. High-chargeability anomalies are interpreted to represent zones of high-sulfide content, likely disseminated, as these minerals and textures may generate a strong IP-effect.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Galen McNamara, P. Geo., the CEO of the Company and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Summa Silver Corp

Summa Silver Corp is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company. The Company has options to earn 100% interests in the Hughes property located in central Nevada and the Mogollon property located in southwestern New Mexico. The Hughes property is host to the high-grade past-producing Belmont Mine, one of the most prolific silver producers in the United States between 1903 and 1929. The mine has remained inactive since commercial production ceased in 1929 due to heavily depressed metal prices and little to no modern exploration work has ever been completed.

Follow Summa Silver on Twitter: @summasilver

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/summa-silver-corp/

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Galen McNamara"

Galen McNamara, Chief Executive Officer

info@summasilver.com

www.summasilver.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Kin Communications

Nima Shafigh

604-684-6730

SSVR@kincommunications.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This news release contains certain "forward looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. The forward-looking information contained herein is provided for the purpose of assisting readers in understanding management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. These forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the release of assays, and the exploration and development of the Company's mineral exploration projects including completion of surveys and drilling activities.

Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual actions, events or results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: the requirement for regulatory approvals; enhanced uncertainty in global financial markets as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic; unquantifiable risks related to government actions and interventions; stock market volatility; regulatory restrictions; and other related risks and uncertainties.

Forward-looking information are based on management of the parties' reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on such management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88257
Identifies New Copper and Molybdenum Mineralized Zone

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Royal Road Minerals Limited (TSXV: RYR) ("Royal Road" or the "Company") is pleased to announce further interim drilling results from its Caribe gold discovery in northeastern Nicaragua.

The Caribe project forms a part of the Company's Strategic-Alliance agreement (see press release; September 6, 2017) with Hemco Mineros Nicaragua ("Hemco" a subsidiary of Colombia's Grupo Mineros S.A. MINEROS: CB) and is located in the highly prospective "Golden Triangle" of northeastern Nicaragua. Royal Road Minerals is operator of the Strategic Alliance.

Royal Road's exploration team discovered the Caribe project during reconnaissance exploration in February of 2018. Outcrop at Caribe is concealed under soil and laterite cover and there is no previous record of mining or mineralization in the area. In 2019, Royal Road and Hemco completed an initial 4-hole, exploratory drilling program at Caribe which returned promising results for gold (see Press Release October 7, 2019). A follow-up diamond drilling program commenced at the project during August of last year and has returned encouraging initial results including CB-DDH-016, 100.45 meters at 1.0 gram per tonne; CB-DDH-017, 90 meters at 1.0 gram per tonne and CB-DDH-015, 63 meters at 1.0 gram per tonne gold (see Press Releases November 10, 2020, February 11, 2021, March 17, 2021 and Table 1). Results for a further 3 exploratory drill holes have now been returned. Significant results include:

CB-DDH-021 29 meters at 1.0 gram per tonne gold

CB-DDH-022 12 meters at 1.2 grams per tonne gold (within a broader halo of 44 meters at 0.7 grams per tonne gold)

CB-DDH-023 10.1 meters at 1.85% Copper equivalent1

(not true width and the company does not have sufficient information to make a determination of the true widths of the drill hole intersections)

The complete lack of outcrop, often significant depth of soil and laterite cover and the brecciated nature of the volcanic sequence at Caribe means a constant reinterpretation of geological models as drilling advances and the project slowly reveals itself. This interpretative process is currently frustrated by congestion and slow turnaround times at our contract geochemical laboratory. In some cases turnaround times can exceed 40-days from sample delivery to the receipt of final results.

____________________________________

1 See Table 1 for copper equivalent calculation.

Information from recent deep-drilling, the relogging of previous drill holes and the reprocessing and reinterpretation of geophysical data has defined what appears to be a broadly structurally controlled system represented primarily by a regional-scale northwest-southeast trending fault zone and subsidiary (possibly tensional) northeast oriented zones (corridors, see Figure 1) that are apparent in the magnetic data. Limited core orientation information implies that the northeast corridors host steeply-dipping gold-mineralized hydrothermal breccia bodies with a sulfide-rich matrix composed of pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite. Gold is also hosted in a broader, probably northeast dipping, stratabound (lower temperature) halo around these breccia bodies, see Figure 1.

Multi-element analyses of drillhole geochemical data and the copper mineralization intersected in drill hole CB-DDH-023 are interpreted to imply a concealed copper and molybdenum (possibly porphyry style) mineralized system located outside the limits of the lower temperature gold mineralized halo.

TABLE 1: CARIBE PRELIMINARY DRILL RESULTS TABLE (> 0.9 g/t GOLD) GOLD COMMENTS HOLE ID E N Z(m) DIP AZIM DEPTH FROM TO LENGTH (m)* GRADE (g/t) 2019 Program CB-DDH-001 793252 1530691 49 60 306 94.55 2.00 30.00 28 1.1 CB-DDH-002 793252 1530688 49 60 111 138.57 1.00 14.00 13 1.0 33.00 37.00 4 1.0 CB-DDH-003 793254 1530689 49 60 42 112.85 78.00 80.00 2 1.7 BOGGED AND ABANDONED 110.00 112.85 (EOH) 2.85 1.2 CB-DDH-004 793346 1530775 44 60 40 67.10 13.00 31.00 18 1.0 BOGGED AND ABANDONED 62.00 67.00 (EOH) 5 1.0 2020-2021 Program CB-DDH-005 793258 1530689 43 60 220 100.65 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTIONS >1g/t GOLD CB-DDH-006 793350 1530772 36 60 40 160.12 28.00 102.00 74 0.9 129.00 143.00 14 1.0 CB-DDH-007 793349 1530769 36 60 220 123.52 22.00 28.00 6 1.0 BOGGED AND ABANDONED 61.00 63.00 2 1.0 65.00 77.00 12 1.0 83.00 89.00 6 1.0 CB-DDH-008 793395 1530824 35 60 40 79.30 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTIONS >1g/t GOLD CB-DDH-009 793270 1530770 38 60 125 161.65 9.00 14.00 5 1.0 BOGGED AND ABANDONED 37.00 82.00 45 1.0 123.00 158.00 35 1.1 CB-DDH-010 793296 1530664 37 60 305 114.37 0.00 42.00 42 1.0 CB-DDH-011 793338 1530633 35 60 40 80.82 38.00 80.00 42 1.0 BOGGED AND ABANDONED CB-DDH-012 794646 1532046 37 60 360 184.52 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTIONS >1g/t GOLD CB-DDH-013 794646 1532046 37 60 335 131.15 CB-DDH-014 793875 1532118 40 60 40 180 CB-DDH-015 793349 1530771 43 90 0 190.62 18.00 26.00 8 1.0 BOGGED AND ABANDONED 53.00 62.00 9 1.0 88.00 151.00 63 1.0 CB-DDH-016 793314 1530813 43 60 125 149.45 49.00 149.45 (EOH) 100.45 1.0 BOGGED AND ABANDONED CB-DDH-017 793295 1530744 43 60 90 244 51.00 141.00 90 1.0 BOGGED AND ABANDONED CB-DDH-018 793364 1530641 35 60 40 68.62 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTIONS >1g/t GOLD BOGGED AND ABANDONED CB-DDH-019 793296 1530664 35 50 40 102.17 0.00 35.00 35 1.0 BOGGED AND ABANDONED 56.00 66.00 10 1.0 79.00 82.00 3 2.1 CB-DDH-020 793604 1530412 37 60 40 67.1 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTIONS >1g/t GOLD BOGGED AND ABANDONED CB-DDH-021 793345 1530846 88.00 117.00 29 1.0 CB-DDH-022 793498 1530892 37 60 236 353.8 75.00 87.00 12 1.2 97.00 99.00 2 1.0 110.00 117.00 7 1.0 186.00 191.00 5 1.0 CB-DDH-023 793498 1530892 37 60 40 340.07 188.90 199.00 10.10 0.6 0.86 960 43 COPPER % MOLYBDENUM ppm SILVER ppm

*NOT TRUE WIDTH AND THE COMPANY DOES NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO MAKE A DETERMINATION OF THE TRUE WIDTHS OF THE DRILL HOLE INTERSECTIONS

DOWN HOLE CUT-OFF 0.2 g/t gold

MAXIMUM INTERNAL DILUTION, 10 Meters

COPPER EQUIVALENT = COPPER % + (GOLD% X 5850) + (MOLYBDENUM% X 3) + (SILVER% X 83)









Figure 1



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4008/88185_Fig1.jpg

Exploratory drilling is continuing at Caribe. The Company also intends to complete IP geophysics at the project and is currently awaiting delivery of a portable Rotary Air Blast/Reverse Circulation (RAB/RC) drilling rig with capacity to sample beneath the soil and laterite cover across a wide area.

"We are very excited by both the immediate near-surface gold potential and the possibility of a deeper porphyry-style system at Caribe and pleased that the project seems to be finally giving up its secrets," said Dr Tim Coughlin, Royal Roads President and CEO. "Laboratory turnaround times have been very frustrating and we are working with our contractors to ensure that this situation is rectified."

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The information in this news release was compiled, reviewed and verified by Dr. Tim Coughlin, BSc (Geology), MSc (Exploration and Mining), PhD (Structural Geology), FAusIMM, President and CEO of Royal Road Minerals Ltd and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Royal Road Minerals employees are instructed to follow standard operating and quality assurance procedures intended to ensure that all sampling techniques and sample results meet international reporting standards. More information can be found on Royal Road Minerals web site at www.royalroadminerals.com.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control:

Diamond drill core is cut in half over 1-meter downhole intervals using a core saw. Samples are prepared and assayed by independent and ISO accredited laboratories of Bureau Veritas Minerals (BVM) and their local subsidiaries. Bagged 1-meter samples are collected from site and delivered to BVM sample preparation laboratories in Managua. Samples are prepared using the BVM codes PRP70-250 plus PUL85, where samples are crushed to 70% less than two millimeters, a riffle split of 250 grams is collected and then pulverized to better than 85 per cent passing 75 microns. Prepared sample pulps are then sent for analysis to BVM labs in Vancouver, Canada. Gold is analyzed by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish and a measurement range of 0.005 to 10 ppm. Samples over 10-ppm gold are re-analyzed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Multielement concentrations are analyzed by four-acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Samples over 10,000ppm Cu, Zn, Pb or Mn and 200 ppm W, are re-analyzed with four acid digestion and Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer (ICP-ES). Commercially prepared standards (gold-copper pulps), blanks (pulps and coarse chips) and field duplicates are inserted into the sample stream by Royal Road Minerals for a total of 15% QA/QC to ensure sample precision. In the case of duplicate analyses of a sample, the average of both analyses is used as the final reported value. Unless otherwise stated, gold grades are not capped for calculation of length-weighted averages.

Cautionary statement:

This news release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements") including statements relating to the Hemco-Mineros Alliance and those describing the Company's future plans and the expectations of its management that a stated result or condition will occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or developments in the Company's business or in the mineral resources industry, or with respect to the Hemco-Mineros Alliance, to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all disclosure regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that is based on assumptions about, among other things, future economic conditions and courses of action, and assumptions related to government approvals, and anticipated costs and expenditures. The words "plans", "prospective", "expect", "intend", "intends to" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which may also include, without limitation, any statement relating to future events, conditions or circumstances. Forward-looking statements of the Company contained in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to, those related to the Hemco-Mineros Alliance, Hemco-Mineros, and the Company's plans exploration plans.

The Company cautions you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. There is no guarantee that the anticipated benefits of the Hemco-Mineros Alliance and the Company's business plans or operations will be achieved. The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, among others: economic market conditions, anticipated costs and expenditures, government approvals, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with Canadian provincial securities regulators or other applicable regulatory authorities. Forward-looking statements included herein are based on the current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions of the Company management and, in part, on information provided to the Company by Hemco-Mineros, and, except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change.

For further information please contact:

Dr. Timothy Coughlin

President and Chief Executive Officer

USA-Canada toll free 1800 6389205

+44 (0)1534 887166

info@royalroadminerals.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88185
HONG KONG, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) (0003.HK) and State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC) are co-hosting the first global innovation competition, TERA-Award, with US$1 million as top prize and potential application scenarios for winning projects. The two parties held a cloud launch ceremony in Beijing and Hong Kong under the theme of "Exploring zero-carbon innovations for the future".

TERA-Award aims to recruit projects from start-ups around the world to help address global environmental issues, and attain China's dual carbon goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Dr Lee Ka-kit, Member of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and Chairman of Henderson Land Group and Towngas remarked, "The dual carbon goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality are among the country's key strategies. The advancement and innovation of energy technology drive the energy revolution and transformation and advance the dual carbon goals. It is the duty of energy corporations to aid in the complex, enormous systematic work behind carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This competition offers a significant monetary prize and, more importantly, an open platform for start-ups to connect supply with demand by providing application scenarios that power the rapid realisation of smart energy and innovative technology."

Focused on energy supply, energy demand, green transportation and the energy internet, TERA-Award encourages global start-ups and project teams to submit original technology and patents for judging by a panel comprising experts from Towngas, SPIC Central Research Institute, Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments Limited, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University and The University of Hong Kong.

Mr Qian Zhimin, Chairman of SPIC, stated, "China's fossil energy makes up about 84% of its energy consumption. The challenging goal of carbon neutrality is a visionary cause that requires the synergy of technology, the system and the institution. SPIC and Towngas are sharing platforms, application scenarios, resources and funding with winning teams to advance the dual carbon goals, promote innovative growth and drive the R&D of new technology to propel the development and application of advanced smart energy technology."

Applications are accepted until 31 August 2021 at www.tera-award.life, with an online briefing session on 29 June 2021.

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ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (22 June 2021) - IMCD N.V. (hereafter "IMCD" or the "Company") announces that all resolutions proposed to the shareholders at the Company's Annual General Meeting ("AGM") held today were adopted. This includes the adoption of the financial statements for the year 2020 and approval of the dividend proposal of EUR 1.02 per share in cash. The dividend calendar is as follows: Thursday 24 June 2021 - Ex-dividend date

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.
French Industrial Group to Showcase NEXT's Solar Installation to Global Network of Architects, Building Owners, and Commercial Developers

NEXT Energy Technologies, Inc., makers of a proprietary transparent photovoltaic (PV) coating that transforms commercial windows into energy-producing solar panels, today announced the delivery of a PV Prototype Window Wall to Bouygues Construction in Paris. Bouygues is a leading construction firm that specializes in complex commercial projects around the globe.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005309/en/

NEXT Energy Technologies' Solar Prototype Window Wall (Photo: Business Wire)

The PV Prototype Window Wall was delivered by NEXT in collaboration with its partners, Walters Wolf, a leading commercial curtainwall manufacturer and glazing subcontractor headquartered in Fremont, California, and commercial glass fabricator, Glassfab Tempering Services/Solarfab in Tracy, California.

"NEXT's technology is both unique and promising. We're proud to support their collaboration with Bouygues Construction and will continue to work side by side with them in bringing their product to market," said Nick Kocelj, President of Walters Wolf.

"We support NEXT Energy in their focused effort in providing a unique and innovative product to the architectural market. When presented the opportunity to participate in this project, we were eager to assist in any way possible," said Brian Frea, President of Glassfab Tempering Services/ Solarfab.

NEXT's proprietary transparent photovoltaic coating transforms commercial windows into energy-producing solar panels by converting unwanted infrared and UV light into electricity. This fully integrated system can help enable buildings to power themselves with their windows which retain their traditional transparency and performance.

The prototype installation consists of 10 transparent photovoltaic windows that supply electricity to a battery that powers an interactive display as well as auxiliary charging outlets, for phones, tablets and other electronics. The purpose of this prototype demonstration is to showcase the power generation functionality, the exceptional transparency and aesthetics, and the seamless integration of NEXT windows into a standard glazing system designed by Walters Wolf to carry the electronics, wiring and hardware that comprise the balance-of-system. This direct integration into traditional commercial window and framing systems effectively extracts costs typically associated with packaging and installation of solar.

Installed in a typical commercial high-rise office building, the first generation of NEXT windows would offset as much as 10-20% of its power needs, and over a 30-year timeframe, such a building would produce about 20 million kWh of clean power, saving an average of $170,000 annually on utility bills and reducing 14,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the equivalent of powering 1,700 homes for an entire year. In the coming years, NEXT windows will be commercially available for window sizes up to 5 ft. x 10 ft (1.5 x 3 meters).

A Supply Chain Solution to The Climate Crisis

NEXT's photovoltaic coatings are applied to commercial windows during the window fabrication process, integrating with existing manufacturers without disrupting established workflows and supply chains. This capital-efficient business model reduces risks to customers, removes barriers to adoption, and accelerates speed to market, all while adding a high-value product to the market. This direct integration into traditional commercial window and framing systems effectively extracts costs typically associated with packaging and installation of solar.

"We are excited to be one of the first global construction companies pioneering NEXT's revolutionary transparent solar panel windows. This innovation will allow Bouygues Construction to offer its clients a simple, sustainable, and profitable solution for buildings that are autonomous in the management of their energy," said Christian De Nacquard, R&D and Innovation Director, Bouygues Batiment International.

Meeting European and International Climate Standards

The European Union aims to be climate-neutral by 2050, requiring a fundamental transformation of the construction and building sectors. 100% of new commercial buildings in California will be designed to zero net energy (ZNE) standards by 2030. Globally, buildings generate an estimated 40% of annual GHG emissions.

"Addressing the climate crisis at the corporate level requires creative and cost-effective solutions. Commercial buildings are an excellent example of something that can be re-imagined and improved to reduce carbon emissions and overall impact," said Daniel Emmett, CEO of NEXT.

"At a more personal level, we're seeing employees returning to office buildings after more than a year of lockdown vocally prioritize healthy and sustainable work environments as a requirement of in-person work. In a recent survey, 74% of employees said they'd consider changing jobs if their company did not meet their requirements for a healthy and sustainable office environmentcontinued Emmett.

NEXT will release a report based on a survey of professionals and building managers this summer that will explore people's attitudes and priorities for healthy and sustainable office buildings. The full report will be published at https://www.nextenergytech.com/.

The announcement of the solar Prototype Window Wall comes just weeks after NEXT announced its $13.4 Million Series C round of funding.

About NEXT Energy Technologies, Inc.

NEXT Energy Technologies is a Santa Barbara, California company developing transparent energy harvesting window technology that allows architects and building owners to transform windows and glass facades into producers of low-cost, on-site, renewable energy for buildings. NEXT's technology is enabled by proprietary organic semiconducting materials that are earth-abundant, low-cost, and are coated as an ink in a high-speed, low-cost, and low energy process. For more information, visit https://www.nextenergytech.com/.

About Bouygues Construction

With 58,000 responsible and committed employees in more than 60 countries, Bouygues Construction designs, builds and operates projects in the sectors of building, civil works and energies and services. A leader in sustainable construction, the Group sees shared innovation as its primary added value and ensures that health and safety are its top priorities. It has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 and offers its customers a wide range of low-carbon solutions. In 2020, Bouygues Construction generated sales of 12 billion.

For more information: https://www.bouygues-construction.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005309/en/

Contacts:

Eric Becker

104 West Partners for NEXT Energy Technologies

eric.becker@104west.com
WEST MELBOURNE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / BK Technologies Corporation (NYSE American:BKTI) today announced that Portland Fire & Rescue has selected BK's new BKR 5000 portable communications technology for purchase and deployment.

BK President Tim Vitou commented, "Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) is Oregon's largest fire and emergency services provider and demands communications technology with exceptional performance, because every second counts. We are pleased to provide our new BKR 5000 portable communications technology to help PF&R ensure its community is safe and protected from fire, medical, and other emergencies."

The BKR 5000 comes in three tiers allowing maximum flexibility and customization for the user's mission-critical needs and has been designed to meet the requirements of today's tough Public Safety communications environment. The BKR 5000 was designed and developed by the BK Technologies engineering team with extensive input from customers to incorporate the features and options needed by first responders.

A full line of accessories is available including intelligent battery and charging solutions, IP68 remote speaker microphones, and the popular BK wildland fire alkaline battery "clamshell". The new BKR 5000 is expected to be a platform that enhances BK's ability to address significant new vertical markets leading to expanded growth and market share.

About BK Technologies

BK Technologies Corporation manufactures high-specification, American-made communications equipment of unsurpassed reliability and value for use by public safety professionals and government agencies. BK Technologies is honored to serve these heroes with reliable equipment when every moment counts. The Company's common stock trades on the NYSE American market under the symbol "BKTI". Maintaining its headquarters in West Melbourne, Florida, BK Technologies can be contacted through its web site at www.bktechnologies.com or directly at 1-800-821-2900.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements concern the Company's operations, economic performance and financial condition and are based largely on the Company's beliefs and expectations. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks, some of which have been, and may further be, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, include, among others, the following: changes or advances in technology; the success of our land mobile radio product line; successful introduction of new products and technologies, including our ability to successfully develop and sell our anticipated new multiband product and other related products in the planned new BKR Series product line; competition in the land mobile radio industry; general economic and business conditions, including federal, state and local government budget deficits and spending limitations, any impact from a prolonged shutdown of the U.S. Government, and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the availability, terms and deployment of capital; reliance on contract manufacturers and suppliers; risks associated with fixed-price contracts; heavy reliance on sales to agencies of the U.S. Government and our ability to comply with the requirements of contracts, laws and regulations related to such sales; allocations by government agencies among multiple approved suppliers under existing agreements; our ability to comply with U.S. tax laws and utilize deferred tax assets; our ability to attract and retain executive officers, skilled workers and key personnel; our ability to manage our growth; our ability to identify potential candidates for, and consummate, acquisition, disposition or investment transactions, and risks incumbent to being a noncontrolling interest stockholder in a corporation; impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the companies in which the Company holds investments; impact of our capital allocation strategy; risks related to maintaining our brand and reputation; impact of government regulation; rising health care costs; our business with manufacturers located in other countries, including changes in the U.S. Government and foreign governments' trade and tariff policies, as well as any further impact resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; our inventory and debt levels; protection of our intellectual property rights; fluctuation in our operating results and stock price; acts of war or terrorism, natural disasters and other catastrophic events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; any infringement claims; data security breaches, cyber-attacks and other factors impacting our technology systems; availability of adequate insurance coverage; maintenance of our NYSE American listing; risks related to being a holding company; and the effect on our stock price and ability to raise equity capital of future sales of shares of our common stock. Certain of these factors and risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties, are stated in more detail in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 and in the Company's subsequent filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Company Contact:

IMS Investor Relations

John Nesbett/Jennifer Belodeau

bktechnologies@imsinvestorrelations.com

(203) 972-9200

SOURCE: BK Technologies Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652501/Portland-Fire-Rescue-Selects-BK-Technologies-BKR-5000
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - PerkinElmer Inc. (PKI) agreed to buy SIRION Biotech GmbH, a provider of viral vector-based technologies that drive improved delivery performance for cell and gene therapies. The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of 2021. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, privately held SIRION has about 50 employees based in Germany, the U.S. and France. The deal will complement PerkinElmer's Horizon Discovery portfolio which includes gene editing and modulation tools for CRISPR, CRISPRi and RNAi, custom cell lines for bio production and base editing technologies, PerkinElmer said in a statement. 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.
- NetworkNewsWire Editorial Coverage

NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Even though medical marijuana had been legal in some U.S. states for more than a decade, the substance didn't gain much recognition until Colorado set the market on its head in 2012 by making adult-use marijuana legal. Since then, other states have followed suit, while in 2018, Canada went all-in to become the first developed nation with weed legalized at the federal level. Not surprisingly, North American companies and investors were tripping over themselves trying to capitalize on the massive burgeoning market. In all market segments, plenty of lessons were learned as everyone from companies to investors to lawmakers worked to organize a brand new market; lessons that the new generation of multistate operators such as Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) (Profile) have leveraged to more efficiently execute their business models. RWB is following in the footsteps of large first movers such as Curaleaf Holdings Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF), Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF), Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) and Cresco Labs (CSE:CL) (OTCQX:CRLBF), companies that survived the early days to hold valuations in the billions of dollars.

Grand View Research forecasts the global legal marijuana market to grow 14.3% annually to reach $84 billion by 2028.

by 2028. RWB is emerging as a dominant MSO, with licenses, cultivation space and dispensaries in top U.S. markets.

Products are already in more than 700 dispensaries; its PV products are no. 1 selling vape in Michigan .

. RWB has acquired licensing, branding rights of High Times dispensaries and High Times cannabis-based CBD and THC products.

Click here to view the custom infographic of Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. editorial.

Learn from Elders to Capture Chunk of $84 Billion Market

The green rush is in full swing, including medical marijuana now being legal in 36 U.S. states and recreational marijuana legal in 16 more plus Washington, DC. A recent survey by Pew Research indicates that 91% of Americans say marijuana should be legal for use by adults in some form, which begs the question about when Congress will take up the issue to overturn federal prohibition. To that point, market analysts at Grand View Research see legalization and better understanding of therapeutic benefits as key drivers in the global legal marijuana market growing 14.3% annually to reach $84 billion by 2028.

While most think that trumpeting first-mover status is the optimal position, that isn't always necessarily true. Look what happened to MySpace and AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) as they faded to irrelevance as Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram exploded in popularity to challenge incumbent platforms. Second movers can enjoy advantages as they learn from pioneering entities that paved the way. Specific to the cannabis business, there is no shortage of companies that learned from sad experience the price to pay for expanding too fast, overpaying for acquisitions, or building a business a mile wide and a foot deep.

Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF) is a compelling mix of old and new that is methodically building a commanding position in the United States. as a multi-state operator (MSO). In fact, the company refers to itself as a "super state operator," a reflection of its strategy to remain hyperfocused on dominating specific markets before expanding to others, which ensures it doesn't get spread too thin. The company has the capital to move aggressively after raising $44.5 million this month, part of which went to retire $7.7 million in debt.

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Red White & Bloom's business is initially targeting seven states with lucrative cannabis markets: California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Massachusetts. About 91% of the $24.6 billion global cannabis market was generated in the United States in 2020, with these states instrumental in market share.

Cumulatively across the states, the company owns, or has agreements for, licenses (cultivation, processor and distribution), millions of square feet of cultivation space for CBD (cannabidiol) and cannabis, and dispensaries (either open or leases that will be retail locations), in addition to distribution networks that have their popular brands in 700+ dispensaries.

A House of Premium Brands

Red White & Bloom is employing strategic brand acquisitions and partnerships to become a top-three player in U.S. cannabis, as well as its nonpsychoactive cousin hemp. RWB's model is derisked by leveraging longstanding and popular brands.

In the world of marijuana, arguably the most recognizable brand is 46-year-old High Times(R), which is a portfolio brand of RWB after an acquisition deal last year. Per the agreement, RWB has licensing and branding rights of High Times dispensaries and High Times cannabis-based CBD and THC products in Michigan, Illinois and Florida. The company also acquired branding of High Times hemp-derived CBD products nationally in the U.S. carrying the Culture(R) brand.

RWB's portfolio also contains Platinum Premium Cannabis Products (PV). As the name implies, Platinum CBD and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the cannabinoid responsible for the high feeling from ingesting cannabis) products are premium goods manufactured to the highest industry standards for safety and purity.

Mid-American Growers is also an important part of the portfolio, a brand that began as an eight-acre greenhouse half a century ago and which has grown into a 3.6 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art technology and R&D facility under glass. Mid-American product bag includes CBD Icy Relief Salve, CBD Icy Relief Roll-on and CBD Gummies. This dovetails with RWB's upcoming PURA H&W of CBD cosmetics.

Impressive Core Markets

RWB is staring down a long list of catalysts, many of which are centered on its core markets of Michigan and Illinois. Michigan is the fastest-growing cannabis market in the country, with sales topping $1 billion less than one year after legal recreational marijuana sales started in 2019.

This is a growth springboard opportunity for RWB, which recently received its prequalification for a cannabis license in Michigan. The licensing paves the way for RWB to take control of eight stores open currently, with two more awaiting licenses and eight more turnkey ready that will be branded High Times. PV is sold in 200-plus dispensaries and is the top-selling vape in the state. Furthermore, the company is prequalified for a processing license for oils, edibles and concentrates, and is planning three indoor cultivation facilities, including one under construction.

The Illinois market is booming after adult-use was legalized in June 2019, and RWB is moving forward in this space as well. The company recently signed a definitive agreement to acquire the issued and outstanding shares of Cannabis Capital Partners Inc., an arm's length Ontario special purpose vehicle with rights to concurrently purchase medically and recreationally approved THC cultivation center licenses in Illinois. Assets also include a 23,572-square-foot active cultivation and manufacturing operation as well as the associated inventory and the real estate assets, include two acres of land.

Currently a $1.2 billion market and growing, Illinois' approach to the cannabis market remains fragmented. RWB aims to maintain and expand the existing cultivation license but could be in line for significant expansion if given the green light to utilize its 3.6 million-square-foot greenhouse located only a couple hours from the existing licensed facility. The much larger facility could easily add significant revenue via 100,000 pounds of product produced at sub-$500 per pound cash cost and sold at $2,500 per pound wholesale. PV and High Times products would be launched as well.

C$32 Million in Sales and "Just Getting Started"

As impressive as the existing asset list is, the fact remains that RWB is still in its infancy, with some deals only recently being finalized that will serve as key inflection points. Early this month, RWB reported adjusted sales for Q1 2021 of C$32.2 million, up 2.4% from Q4 2020. Removing the forex effects of the strengthening Canadian dollar, the gain was 5.5%. The company also reached positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $460,000 for the first quarter.

The kicker is that those financial results don't include the RWB assets in Michigan that are not yet migrated under the corporate umbrella, the Florida acquisition which took place at the end of April, nor did the results include the Illinois assets, which are still waiting on regulatory approval to close before being added to RWB's books.

"Those assets when coupled with the significant market share of our Platinum brands, makes us a significant player in Michigan - and we're actually just getting started," commented Brad Rogers, RWB Chairman and CEO, in a recent news release. The company added that it remains active in looking for new acquisitions, is expanding its cultivation footprint in Florida and plans to have new Florida retail stores open during 2H 2021 as well.

Investors Love MSOs

While an upstart such as Red White & Bloom is still a microcap, Wall Street and Bay Street have shown their interest in MSOs. The rationale is simple insomuch that majors are whipping up big revenue numbers as the markets continue to emerge, which makes them good long-term holds.

Curaleaf Holdings Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) is a top provider of cannabis consumer products and industry-leading service product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. Curaleaf brands includes its eponymous products, as well as Select and Grassroots. The company has operations in 23 states with 106 dispensaries, 23 cultivation sites and more than 30 processing sites; the company employs more than 4,800 team members, while also being the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe . During Q1, Curaleaf reported $260 million in sales, putting it on track to top $1 billion this year.

. During Q1, Curaleaf reported in sales, putting it on track to top this year. Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF) manufactures and distributes a portfolio of branded cannabis products including Beboe, Dogwalkers, Dr. Solomon's, incredibles, Rythm and the Feel Collection. The Chicago -based company also owns and operates national retail cannabis stores called Rise, has 14 manufacturing facilities, licenses for 103 retail locations and operations across 12 U.S. markets. During the first quarter, Green Thumb reported a revenue surge of 89.5% year-over-year to $194.4 million .

-based company also owns and operates national retail cannabis stores called Rise, has 14 manufacturing facilities, licenses for 103 retail locations and operations across 12 U.S. markets. During the first quarter, Green Thumb reported a revenue surge of 89.5% year-over-year to . Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) is primarily a vertically integrated seed-to-sale company and is the first and largest fully licensed medical cannabis company in the state of Florida . Trulieve cultivates and produces all of its products in house and distributes those products to Trulieve-branded dispensaries throughout the state as well as directly to patients via home delivery. The company is also a licensed operator in California , Massachusetts , Connecticut , Pennsylvania and West Virginia . Trulieve generated $619 million in revenue in the last year, but its recent acquisition of Harvest Health will put it over the $1 billion mark annually.

. Trulieve cultivates and produces all of its products in house and distributes those products to Trulieve-branded dispensaries throughout the state as well as directly to patients via home delivery. The company is also a licensed operator in , , , and . Trulieve generated in revenue in the last year, but its recent acquisition of Harvest Health will put it over the mark annually. Cresco Labs (CSE:CL) (OTCQX:CRLBF) is one of the U.S.'s largest vertically integrated MSOs. Employing a consumer-packaged goods approach, Cresco is the biggest wholesaler of branded cannabis products in the country, with brands including Cresco , High Supply, Mindy's Edibles, Good News, Remedi, Wonder Wellness Co.(TM and FloraCal Farms(R). Cresco's national dispensary operates under the moniker Sunnyside . For Q1, Cresco reported revenue of $178.4 million , up 168.8% from the year prior quarter. Indicating the expectations of more growth, management provided guidance of annualized revenue run-rate of more than $1 billion by the end of 2021.

Some critics have knocked the legal cannabis market as getting off to a slower-than-expected start over the last few years. Perhaps that is true, but the type of results the aforementioned companies are producing indicate that the U.S. cannabis market is alive and well, which could easily lead to some consolidation in the coming years as bigger companies look to immediate expand their footprint through acquisitions.

For more information about Red White & Bloom Brands, please visit Red White & Bloom Brands.

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NINGBO, China, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Solis has been recognized with the Top PV Brand 2021 seal for inverters in the USA, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, The Netherlands and India. This recognition is based on the results of surveys amongst solar installers in those markets carried out by EUPD Research, an economic and market research institution based in Bonn, Germany.

During the data collection stage of the "Global PV Installer Monitoring 2020/2021", EUPD Research interviewed companies in the solar sector about their purchasing habits, the brands they use regularly and other key variables. As a result, the Solis brand achieved excellent results in terms of customer preference, brand awareness, satisfaction, and recommendation of the brand. As a result of the positive feedback Solis achieved the nomination of Top PV Brand in 2021.

"Although climate change is a global task for mankind, the energy transition is taking place in every region around the world. As a global inverter manufacturer, Solis has already positioned itself excellently in various regions worldwide, and is able to convince customers with the products. The Top Brand PV seal, as the voice of the installers, is an impressive testament for the excellent work towards the energy transition."Markus A.W. Hoehner, Founder & CEO of EuPD Research Sustainable Management GmbH

"Solis has a well established reputation across Europe and we are delighted to be recognised for this award for the 6th year running with EUPD Research. For over 15 years Solis has been focussed on designing and producing high quality string inverters, and the fact that installers are voting for our brand year after year reinforces our product quality and service level. Offering string inverters from 0.7kW to 255kW, as well as single phase and three phase hybrid inverters for battery storage, we are looking forward to the future of solar energy across Europe." says Sandy Woodward, Sales Director Europe at Solis

The award is based on the "Global PV Installer Monitor", an annual survey of PV installers across the world, and is awarded to module, inverter and energy storage manufacturers, as well as wholesalers. For further information about Solis Top Brand PV 2021 Award, please visit www.solisinverters.com.

Solis, developing technology to power the world with clean energy.

Click here for more information.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1538654/EUPD.jpg
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc. (CSE:VEGI) ("Boosh" or the "Company") announces it is scheduled to begin shipping their first shelf stable entrees by the end of September, 2021, approximately three months earlier than anticipated.

In February, 2021, Boosh acquired plant-based shelf stable vegan cheese assets from a Canadian limited partnership called Vegan Canteen ("VC"). In addition to receiving a variety of assets including, but not limited to, plant-based powdered cheese recipes which are anticipated to be incorporated into numerous Boosh products, the Company is developing the products to enhance their flavour with even more "cheesy punch" to match the Boosh brand expectations. The two new cheese flavors include "Better Cheddar" and "Nacho Cheese."

"We loved the Vegan Canteen vegan cheese powder, but we pushed for even more cheesy flavour so now it's over the top delicious. To stay true to our healthy mantra, the first three ingredients are nutritional yeast, pea protein and tapioca compared to many of our competitors in which their first three ingredients are sugar, oil and salt. With Boosh, you feel like you are eating something to curb that "fast food" craving yet it's actually very healthy and leaves you feeling energetic and satisfied," states Connie Marples, founder and president of Boosh. Connie continues, "In addition to the cheese products the Vegan Canteen division developed a vegan gluten-free pepperoni that, during taste tests while served on pizza, fooled non-vegans into thinking it was a meat-based pepperoni." The pepperoni is expected to launch the first quarter of 2022."

Connie concludes, "I'm extremely pleased with the results we have gotten with our enhanced cheeses, and with our tasty, nutritional and fun-to-eat pepperoni. It's so flavourful, and even crisps up when cooked just like meat-based pepperoni! And to compliment all of that, the texture in your mouth is very similar to pepperoni because of the plant-based proteins and fibre."

On behalf of the Board of Directors

James Pakulis

Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (833) 882-6674

Investor Relations

Contact - Edge Communications Group

Email: invest@booshfood.com

Telephone: (236) 237-1315

About Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc.:

Boosh Plant-Based Brands Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Boosh Food, is the gateway to experiencing high quality, non-GMO, gluten free, 100% plant-based nutritional comfort foods for the whole family. We currently offer six frozen meals which are sold throughout Canada, and in the summer will be expanding our meals to include three refrigerated products. Boosh, good for you and good for planet earth.

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, the Company's proposed use of the proceeds of its initial public offering. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88260
Red Light Holland to Acquire 51% of Acadian Exotic Mushrooms from Holburne Mushroom Farm and Carleton Mushroom Farms Owners Mike and Fernando Medeiros

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) (FSE: 4YX) (OTC: TRUFF) ("Red Light Holland" or the "Company"), an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal, recreational market in the Netherlands, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire a 51% stake in Acadian Exotic Mushrooms Ltd. ("AEM"). AEM is a dormant gourmet mushroom production facility co-owned by leading Canadian mushroom farming groups/individuals Holburne Mushroom Farm and Mike and Fernando Medeiros (the "Vendors"). Upon completion of start-up activities, the 22,000 square foot facility, which sits on approximately 4 acres of land in Eel River Crossing, New Brunswick, is expected to produce up to 5,000 pounds of Shiitake mushrooms per week. AEM will also have the ability to produce, package and distribute a wide variety of fresh mushrooms while offering an assortment of dried options and the potential to produce functional mushroom consumer packaged goods.

"I couldn't be more excited to be going into business with mushroom farming veterans Mike Mediros, Fernando Medeiros (owners of Carleton Mushroom Farms) and Holburne Mushroom Farm. We are talking about industry leaders in the production, packaging and sales of mushrooms in Canada, with combined annual production north of 13 million pounds per year and decades of experience," said Todd Shapiro, CEO and Director of Red Light Holland. "This move will add another revenue generating farm to the Red Light Farms division, and could serve as a potential future production site for naturally occurring psilocybin, if and when regulations permit. Additionally, due to the strength of their distribution networks and relationships, the Vendors have provisionally agreed to purchase all sales of the entire produce for the next three years at a minimum price, effectively guaranteeing revenue for the partnership! I also envision throwing some kick ass concerts on the owned land!"

"Myself, Fernando and Holburne Mushroom Farm have really enjoyed building a relationship with Red Light Holland over the last several months," said Mike Medeiros, co-owner of Carleton Mushroom Farms. "Our group has industry leading expertise that we look forward to bringing to this operation and is very bullish about the future of the psilocybin industry, making Red Light Holland an ideal partner for us on this project."

Further details of the proposed 51% acquisition will be announced once available.

About Mike and Fernando Medeiros and Holburne Mushroom Farm

Carleton Mushroom Farms was founded in 1984 by Mike and Fernando's parents and remains a family run business. Mike and Fernando took over day to day operations in 2005. In recent years growing capacity has tripled, and yields have steadily increased to 12 million pounds per year. Carleton Mushroom Farms implements cutting edge technologies from around the world as part of their growing practices. Website: https://www.carletonmushroom.com/.

Holburne Mushroom Farm is a local family owned and operated business that specializes in growing fresh, organic Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms since 2005. Production of Organic Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms has steadily increased to current yield of 1.3 million pounds per year. Proudly, the largest fresh, Organic Shiitake Mushroom growers in Canada.

About Red Light Holland

The Company is an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale (through existing Smart Shops operators and an advanced e-commerce platform) of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal market within the Netherlands.

For additional information on the Company:

Todd Shapiro

Chief Executive Officer & Director

Tel: 647-204-7129

Email: todd@redlighttruffles.com

Website: https://redlighttruffles.com/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, AEM or their respective subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained in this news release. Examples of such information include statements with respect to: the non-binding letter of intent to acquire 51% of AEM; the production capacity of AEM; statements about the Company's partnership with AEM; and expectations for other economic, business and/or competitive factors.

Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including the ability of the parties to negotiate definitive documentation and receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary approvals; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the transaction; inherent uncertainty associated with projections; expectations regarding future growth and expansion of the operations of the business; regulatory and licensing risks; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial and stock markets; risks related to infectious diseases, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the cannabis and magic psychedelics industries, including the global regulatory landscape and enforcement related to cannabis and psychedelics, political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws; compliance with extensive government regulation and the interpretation of various laws regulations and policies; public opinion and perception of the cannabis and psychedelics industries; and such other risks contained in the public filings of the Company filed with Canadian securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, including the Company's annual information form for the year ended March 31, 2020.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward- looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. In particular, there is no guarantee that the acquisition of 51% of AEM will proceed, or if it does proceed it will reflect the understanding of the parties as of the date of this release. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88277
GUANGZHOU, China, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Banggood officially kicked off its global Summer Prime Sale themed "Shop Your Passion" on June 21, following a 4-day price storm scheduled for July 7-10. This will be the longest such promotion in the company's history. Banggood VIP members will be able to lock in the exclusive global discount starting from July 5.

In addition to summer and vacation items that are at the top of everyone's shopping list, Banggood will also offer popular brands and products during this promotion, including Xiaomi mobile phones DJI drones, and Creality 3D printers. Starting from June 28, $999,999 in allowance will be made available to shoppers.

Extra-long summer promotion, with fantastic warm-ups

On June 21, Banggood kicked off this year's summer promotion with a Saver Deposit Sale, a Banggood Official Recommendations list, and an Early Bird Summer Sale.

With Saver Deposit Sale, Banggood shoppers can reserve items available for pre-sale by putting down a deposit of $1 or $3 starting from 4:00PM (UTC+8) on June 21. Shoppers who have put down a deposit will be entitled to additional discounts, which will be credited when the item is paid for in full.

Banggood's sales data for the past year show that sales in the personal care and health, technology, smart home and outdoor categories have been well ahead of expectations, with personal care and health demonstrating particularly significant growth. As a result, the Banggood Official Recommendations lists will continue to recommend well-rated products from these popular categories. Specially, the Most Popular Ranking List will bring together new, hot-selling and favorably reviewed products, based on data and user reviews, with the aim of providing shoppers with targeted recommendations.

Early Bird Summer Sale offers an extreme early access to shop best sellers at a great price from June 21th to June 24th. Top valued brands including Xiaomi, Blitzwolf and Eachine will offer exclusive benefits of the Sale.

Special regional offers with globally synchronized promotions

With more than ten years of expanding into global markets, Banggood has not only established a strong local logistics and service support system, but also gained insights into the expectations of local shoppers everywhere. In a move to fully optimize the shopping experience no matter where the shopper is located, in addition to recommendations based on shopper profiles, Banggood will launch special offers with local features. As examples, to facilitate shopping on the platform, interest-free installment plans will be on offer in Brazil and Germany, while limited-time free shipping will be available in Italy and Hungary, and the After-pay service will be rolled out for the first time in the US, the UK and Australia.

The Banggood Affiliate Program will hold the 2021 Summer Prime Sale Affiliate Honor Partners contest where the top 10 winners will have a chance to win trophies, prizes and commissions. Sign up to learn more and to be on the way to earning great commissions here.

About Banggood

Banggood is a global leading online shop, offering millions of products that are well-selected. From consumer electronics, tools, home, toys, sports, to clothing, everything could be delivered to one's front door with several clicks.

For more information, please visit: https://www.banggood.com/aboutBanggood.html
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / NV Gold Corporation (TSXV:NVX)(OTCQB:NVGLF)(FSE:8NV) ("NV Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Howard Golden as Director of the Company, who will replace Dr. Odin Christensen. After nine years on NV Gold's Board, Dr. Christensen's goal is to move to the role of Technical Consultant to the Company and to focus on his primary interest and strength in geological field work and project technical evaluation. He will be available to assist the NV Gold technical team, led by VP Exploration Thomas Klein, who was recently appointed on June 14th, 2021.

"I am thrilled to have Howard join NV Gold's Board and bring over 40 years of global exploration experience and multiple mineral discoveries to our team. Attracting the high calibre of exploration experience that Howard brings is a statement of the quality of projects and management of NV Gold. I have had the opportunity to know Howard for several years, and I look forward to working closely together in the evaluation and advancement of a potential future mineral discovery within NV Gold's expansive portfolio," commented Peter A. Ball, President & CEO of NV Gold. "I truly want to thank Odie Christensen for his dedication to NV Gold for nearly 10 years as a Board member. I look forward to having Odie continue to work with our company as a Technical Consultant as we commence our busiest season in many years. Odie's extensive geological experience worldwide and in Nevada, along with his commitment to careful geological field work and thoughtful data integration will be invaluable as we finalize our exploration plans and focus on making 2021 an amazing year for NV Gold and our shareholders."

Mr. Golden brings over 40 years of experience in the mining industry, across six continents. He has held senior executive roles with some of the largest mining operators in the world and played a pivotal role in the discovery of the Syama, Oyu Tolgoi, Agbaou and West Musgrave ore deposits. Prior to assuming his current role leading ASX listed Arrow Minerals Ltd, Mr. Golden was the Global Exploration Manager for Nordgold, with projects spanning across Africa, South America, Canada and Russia. Mr. Golden also held the role of General Manager, Exploration of Rio Tinto, responsible for discovering and acquiring resources in Central and West Africa. Prior to Rio Tinto, he spent three years as Regional Director of Exploration at Kinross Gold Corporation in Russia, where amongst other tasks, he was responsible for increasing the company's gold reserves through the discovery, identification, acquisition, and economic evaluation of gold deposits in Russia. He also held the role of Chief Geophysicist of WMC Resources in Australia and was Principal Geoscientist for BHP Minerals for 18 years. Mr. Golden has a proven global track record of leading multi-disciplined exploration programs in different climates, conditions and regulatory regimes.

"I look forward to joining NV Gold and their dynamic team in their focused hunt for the next large mineral discovery in Nevada," stated Howard Golden. "Nevada is one of the most mineral-rich locations in the world. I have had the opportunity to review assets globally over my 40 years in the business, and NV Gold is well positioned with its advanced exploration portfolio and a dynamic management team that is energized to focus the shareholder dollars into the ground."

"NV Gold controls an interesting and diverse portfolio of gold exploration projects. I look forward working with Thomas Klein and the NV Gold exploration team, to advance these properties for drill testing. NV Gold has an opportunity for an effective, aggressive, yet focused exploration season and is well positioned for mineral discovery. It is great to work with a management team that is focused on generative exploration and creating the opportunity for a mineral discovery," commented Dr. Odin Christensen.

The Company also advises that it has granted under its stock option plan, incentive stock options to Mr. Golden for the purchase of up to 200,000 common shares at a price of $0.35 per share for a period of five years, subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About NV Gold Corporation

NV Gold (TSXV:NVX)(OTCQB:NVGLF)(FSE:8NV) is a well-financed exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Reno, Nevada and is focused on delivering value through mineral discoveries in Nevada, USA. Leveraging its expansive property portfolio, its highly experienced in-house technical team, and its extensive geological data library, 2021 will be NV Gold's busiest exploration year in its corporate history.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Peter A. Ball

President & CEO

For further information, visit www.nvgoldcorp.com or contact:

Peter A. Ball, President & CEO

Phone: 1-888-363-9883

Email: peter@nvgoldcorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's planned exploration activities, the potential for a discovery at its properties, and acquisition of new gold projects are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include regulatory issues, market prices, availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals, the extent to which mineralized structures extend on to the Company's Projects and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE: NV Gold Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652607/NV-Gold-Appoints-Howard-Golden-as-Director
Y-T-D sales total $15.6 million

CHICO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTCQB:AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction and forestry conservation, announced that it has received $981,500 in equipment orders. Year-to-date, AmeraMex has announced sales of approximately $15.6 million.

AmeraMex CEO Lee Hamre commented, "We are kicking off the week with orders totaling approximately $1 million. These orders consist of forklifts, loaded container handlers, large capacity forklifts, a utility yard truck, and a 135-foot manlift. The equipment is shipping next month to sawmills and logistics companies located in California, the Pacific Northwest and Mexico.

"We are having a great year and believe it will be our best year since 2008 when the Company reported $23.6 million in revenue," added Hamre.

The Taylor XLC-975 Dedicated Loaded Container Handler is designed to handle Loaded Containers stacked up to 5-High. This truck features a Heavy-Duty Taylor designed Top-pick 4-point spreader, 236-in. wheelbase, 388 HP Tier 4 Final diesel engine, and End-User diagnostics that allow the customer to customize operating parameters and troubleshoot most codes without the need for a service call. Taylor Big Red... Port Operations Specialist! Common applications include, but not limited to, Port Operations, Stevedoring & Container Yards, Intermodal.

About AmeraMex International

AmeraMex International sells, leases, and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. AmeraMex, with a US and international customer base, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional corporate information, online heavy equipment inventory/ pricing and videos.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as 'believe,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'plan,' 'potential,' 'continue' or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Investor and Media Relations

McCloud Communications, LLC

Marty Tullio, Managing Member

Office: 949.632.1900 or Marty@McCloudCommunications.com

SOURCE: AmeraMex International, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652581/AmeraMex-International-Inks-Equipment-Orders-Totaling-Approximately-1-Million
Corporate Vision magazine has recognized Vantagepoint A.I.'s VantagePoint Software in this year's Corporate Excellence Awards.

WESLEY CHAPEL, FL / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / Vantagepoint A.I ., the first company in the world to give independent traders the power of predictive artificial intelligence on their home computers, has been recognized again by Corporate Vision magazine. The Corporate Excellence awards, a global, jury-selection awards program, named VantagePoint software "Best A.I.-Powered Trade Software Solutions Provider."

"Our traders have the power of crunching thousands of data points in seconds on their own computers;" says Vantagepoint President, Lane Mendelsohn, "our patented predictive technical analysis and global intermarket analysis give traders an edge in the markets. They don't have to rely on anyone else for trading ideas or advice. That's pretty life changing!"

Vantagepoint's company motto is Empowering Traders Daily, and the company has been helping independent traders in over 160 countries do just that for over 40 years. Traders have data-driven insights into market reversals one to three days in advance. The software is third-party verified at up to 87.4% accuracy. Traders have more than five points of confirmation for their trading decisions and are able to time their entries and exits for maximum profitability and protection in today's volatile markets.

"Everyday we receive emails from our VantagePoint traders letting us know that our software is helping them achieve their financial goals whether it's ensuring financial stability for themselves and their families, transitioning to trading full time, retiring early, creating a legacy, or contributing to their community in meaningful ways," notes Mendelsohn. "We love seeing traders succeed. Awards are meaningful, but our traders' successes are what fuels our passion for what we do!"

See how predictive A.I. is leveling the trading field for independent traders at a live, interactive training . Traders in attendance suggest which markets will be reviewed at each class. Attendees benefit from seeing what the A.I. forecast is for their favorite markets.

About Vantagepoint AI, LLC. Vantagepoint's artificial intelligence-based software forecasts Stocks, Futures, Forex, and ETFs with proven accuracy of up to 87.4%. Family-owned, Vantagepoint employs over 90 team members and is actively committed to giving back in the Tampa Bay community including regularly donating a portion of revenue to Shriners Hospitals for Children and The Children's Cancer Center. See artificial intelligence in action with a demonstration: www.vantagepointsoftware.com/demo

Media Contact: Lisa Moretti, lisam@vantagepointsoftware.com

SOURCE: VantagePoint Software

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652573/VantagePoint-Software-Named-Best-AI-Powered-Trade-Software-Solutions-Provider
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Gold Royalty Corp. (NYSE American: GROY) ("GRC") and Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTCQX: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold") are pleased to announce that they will jointly host a Town Hall Meeting on Friday, June 25, 2021 at 11:00 am EST.

Trey Wasser President & CEO of Ely Gold Royalties and David Garofalo, CEO & Chairman of Gold Royalties Corp., will be providing shareholders and interested stakeholders an update on the recent transaction announced June 21, 2021; "Gold Royalty and Ely Gold to Combine to Create a Leading Precious Metals Royalty Company". The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session where attendees will be able to ask any questions they may have of management.

To register for the Town Hall Meeting, please click this link: https://www.bigmarker.com/ftmig1/Ely-Gold-Royalties-June-Town-Hall?utm_bmcr_source=ELY

About Ely Gold Royalties Inc.

Ely Gold Royalties Inc. is a Nevada focused gold royalty company. Its current portfolio includes royalties at Jerritt Canyon, Goldstrike and Marigold, three of Nevada's largest gold mines, as well as the Fenelon mine in Quebec, operated by Wallbridge Mining. Ely Gold continues to actively seek opportunities to purchase producing or near-term producing royalties. Ely Gold also generates development royalties through property sales on projects that are located at or near producing mines. Management believes that due to Ely Gold's ability to locate and purchase third-party royalties, its strategy of organically creating royalties and its gold focus, Ely Gold offers shareholders a favorable leverage to gold prices and low-cost access to long-term gold royalties in safe mining jurisdictions.

About Gold Royalty Corp.

Gold Royalty Corp. is a gold-focused royalty company offering creative financing solutions to the metals and mining industry. Its mission is to acquire royalties, streams and similar interests at varying stages of the mine life cycle to build a balanced portfolio offering near, medium and longer-term attractive returns for its investors. Gold Royalty's diversified portfolio currently consists of net smelter return royalties ranging from 0.5% to 2.0% on 18 gold properties covering 12 projects located in the Americas.

For additional information, please contact

Gold Royalty Corp.

Telephone: (833) 396-3066

Email: info@goldroyalty.com



Ely Gold Royalties Inc.

Trey Wasser, President & CEO

Telephone: (972) 803-3087

E-mail: trey@elygoldinc.com



Ely Gold Royalties Inc.

Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer

Telephone: (647) 964-0292

E-mail: jjobin@elygoldinc.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information:

Certain of the information contained in this news release constitutes 'forward-looking information' and 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws ("forward-looking statements") and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Ely Gold's and GRC's actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied therein. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements relating to: the proposed transaction and the Arrangement; the ability of the parties to satisfy the conditions to closing of the Arrangement; and the anticipated timing thereof; and the anticipated timing, benefits and effects of the completion of the Arrangement, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, obtaining required shareholder and regulatory approvals, exercise of any termination rights under the Agreement, any inability to satisfy the other conditions in the Agreement, material adverse effects on the business, properties and assets of Ely Gold; and any inability of the parties to realize the benefits of the proposed transaction. Although each of Ely Gold and GRC has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Neither Ely Gold nor GRC undertakes to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88247
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed StrikeForce Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: SFOR) ("the Company"), a company that helps to prevent cyber theft and data security breaches for consumers, corporations, and government agencies. CEO of the Company, Mark Kay joined Stock Day host, Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by asking about the Company's latest SafeVchat developments. "We released SafeVchat 2.1 this week, and will be put out a PR on Wednesday of this week," said Kay. "It is a great release and we are very excited," he continued. "It definitely deals with a lot of the features and issues that people have had in the past," said Kay, adding that the newest version of the platform offers importing capabilities. "We have done a lot with this new product," he shared. "Starting this week we will be selling it on SafeVchat.com to consumers, and small businesses."

Kay then elaborated on the new features of SafeVchat 2.1, which will include a more user-friendly interface, as well as improved audio and video. "It also has virtual backgrounds," added Kay. "It's out there now and it's definitely better than all of the other video conferencing tools out there that we've seen, and we will keep working on it," said Kay. "Recording is not part of it yet, but we are having it worked on," he explained. "Within weeks we will be getting the recording piece on it as well."

Jolly then congratulated Kay for the Company's recent up listing to the OTCQB. "We got on the OTCQB, and we got on there safely," said Kay, adding that the Company has been working towards this achievement since December. "That is major," he added. "It keeps us above five cents, which is great for now and we expect to go much higher."

"We did start another Reg-A to raise $7.5 million, of which we have already raised $1.5 million," continued Kay. "Any individual shareholder that is interested can definitely be part of it," he shared. "We are also going to be doing a lot of marketing, as we promised we would, with American Eagle," said Kay. "They are doing digital marketing, as well as advertising with us starting next week," he continued. "They will also be doing a new website for us, which will be ready in about one month."

Jolly then asked about the price point for SafeVchat 2.1, as well as potential revenue projections. "We could be close to a million dollars by the end of this year," shared Kay. "We're just starting to sell it further," he explained, adding that the Company recently added new members to their sales staff. "We're gaining more progress than we have ever done, and we feel very good, very strong about where we are going."

"What is the vision going forward?" asked Jolly. "Going after commercial companies is the goal," said Kay. "We are also accepting consumers as we will have it selling on our website starting about next week," he added. "We don't want to be involved with large companies yet. We need to get our name out there and we need to get the marketing going," said Kay, noting that in the meantime the Company will be focusing on small to medium sized businesses. "It is going to be a very strong play."

To close the interview, Kay encouraged listeners and shareholders to take a look at the Company's SafeVchat platform, as well as their additional safety services. "SafeVchat is going to be the best conference tool in the world, as far as we can see."

To hear Mark Kay's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7891303-strikeforce-technologies-inc-discusses-all-new-safevchat-2-1-features-and-capabilities-with-the.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the Company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

About StrikeForce Technologies Inc.

StrikeForce Technologies helps to prevent cyber theft and data security breaches for consumers, corporations, and government agencies. It provides powerful two-factor, "Out-of-Band" authentication, keystroke encryption along with mobile solutions. StrikeForce Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: SFOR) is headquartered in Edison, N.J., and can be reached at www.strikeforcetech.com or by phone at (732) 661-9641 or toll-free at (866) 787-4542.

Safe Harbor Statement:

Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "may," "intend," "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with: the sales of the company's identity protection software products into various channels and market sectors, the issuance of the Company's pending patent applications, COVID-19, and the impact of economic, competitive and other factors affecting the Company and its operations, markets, product, and distributor performance, the impact on the national and local economies resulting from terrorist actions, and U.S. actions subsequently; and other factors detailed in reports filed by the company.

Media contact:

George Waller

Gwaller@strikeforcetech.com

(732) 661-9641

About The "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America.

SOURCE:

Stock Day Media

(602) 821-1102

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88278
- Superior performance during low light conditions and temperature variations along with advent of 8K resolution technology fuel the growth of the global organic CMOS image sensor market

PORTLAND, Ore., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Organic CMOS Image Sensor Market by Image Processing (2D Sensor and 3D Sensor), Array Type (Linear Image Sensors and Area Image Sensors), Application (3D Imaging, Video, Machine Vision, Biometrics, and Others), and Industry Vertical (Consumer electronics, Automotive, Medical & Life Sciences, Security & Surveillance, Robotics, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2028." According to the report, the global organic CMOS image sensor industry garnered $1.19 billion in 2020, and is expected to reach $2.87 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 12.4% from 2021 to 2028.

Prime determinants of growth

Superior performance during low light conditions and temperature variations along with advent of 8K resolution technology fuel the growth of the global organic CMOS image sensor market. However, excess heat generated with implementation of the organic sensor technology restrains the market growth. Contrarily, increase in usage of image sensors in automobiles and reliability for wide applications create new opportunities in the next few years.

Download Sample PDF (290+ Pages PDF with Insights): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2357

Covid-19 Scenario

Manufacturing activities have been hindered due to lockdown in many countries. In addition, supply chain disruptions, hindrances in raw material procurement, and ban on export in China restrain the organic CMOS image sensor market growth during the pandemic.

restrain the organic CMOS image sensor market growth during the pandemic. The demand from various industry verticals including consumer electronics, automotive, and robotics has been lowered significantly. However, the requirement from the medical & life sciences industry increased during the pandemic.

The 2D sensors segment to continue its dominance in terms of revenue during the forecast period

By image processing, the 2D sensors segment accounted for the largest share in 2020, holding nearly two-thirds of the global organic CMOS image sensor market, and is estimated to maintain its dominance in terms of revenue throughout the forecast period. This is due to its high performance in applications including machine vision and automation, medical and life sciences, logistics, and robotics. However, the 3D sensors segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 13.3% from 2021 to 2028, owing to rise in demand in medical imaging solutions.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Organic CMOS Image Sensor Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/2357?reqfor=covid

The area image sensors segment to grow at the fastest

By array type, the area image sensors segment is estimated to manifest at the highest CAGR of 13.8% from 2021 to 2028, owing to its usage in medical applications such as X-ray. However, the linear image sensors segment held the highest share in 2020, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global organic CMOS image sensor market, and is projected to continue its leadership status during the forecast period. This is due to its wide usage in encoders, positioning detectors, and image readers as they provide high sensitivity, small in-put terminal capacitance, variable integration time feature, and optimum video data rate of up to 10MHz.

North America to maintain its lead position by 2028

Based on region, North America contributed to the highest share in 2020, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global organic CMOS image sensor market, and is estimated to maintain its lead position by 2028. This is due to presence of many key players and surge in use of high tech products in this region. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to portray the fastest CAGR of 16.1% during the forecast period, owing to surge in demand from developing countries such as China, India, and South Korea.

Schedule a FREE Consultation Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/2357

Leading market players

Canon Inc.

ams AG

NikkoIA SAS

Fujifilm Holdings Corporation

Panasonic Corporation

OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

Siemens AG

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Sony Corporation

Xenics nv

Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter

Get more information: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access

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Power Management Integrated Circuits Market by Product Type (Voltage Regulators, Motor Control IC, Integrated ASSP Power Management IC, Battery Management IC, and Other Power Management IC) and End Use (Automotive & Transportation, Consumer Electronics, Industrial, Telecom & Networking, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027

DC-DC Converter Market By Input Voltage (5-36V, 36-75V, 75V and Above), Output Voltage (3.3V, 5V, 12V, 15V and Above), Mounting Style (Surface Mount and Through Hole), Application (Smartphone, Servers & Storage, EV Battery Management Unit, Railway, and Medical Equipment): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027

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- Previously part of IFS, WorkWave provides software solutions for field service management serving small-to-medium sized businesses with a particular stronghold in the US pest control industry

- WorkWave announces the completion of two transformational add-on acquisitions in the US, Real Green and Slingshot, to further strengthen its leadership position in asset-light field service management software

- EQT and TA Associates will leverage their strong sector experience, global platforms and extensive advisory networks to support WorkWave's accelerated growth agenda as a standalone portfolio company

STOCKHOLM, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT is pleased to announce that WorkWave (the "Company") will become a standalone portfolio company of the EQT VIII and EQT IX funds ("EQT Private Equity') following its separation from IFS, a global provider of enterprise software focused on the moment of service.

Headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, WorkWave is a frontrunning software solutions provider for the field service management (FSM) industry and serves verticals including the green industry, cleaning & janitorial, and route management with a particular stronghold in the US pest control market. WorkWave was originally acquired by IFS, an EQT Private Equity and TA Associates portfolio company, in 2017 and since then, has completed several strategic initiatives, including strengthening its product platform and launching a highly appreciated payments offering.

With WorkWave and IFS performing exceptionally well (IFS growing cash EBITDA over 70 percent in 2020) and the two businesses serving increasingly different customer groups, it became clear over time that WorkWave's full potential journey could be even further accelerated under a standalone ownership. As part of the full potential strategy, WorkWave is completing two transformational add-on acquisitions in the US, Real Green Systems ("Real Green") and Slingshot.

The acquisition of Real Green, a Michigan-based provider of software and payment solutions for the FSM industry, further cements WorkWave's strong position in asset-light FSM software. Moreover, the acquisition of Slingshot, a provider of customer call center software headquartered in Utah, demonstrates WorkWave's commitment to building a company that is the best partner in the industry for its customers.

The two acquisitions are expected to add significant strategic value to WorkWave and its customers by further strengthening the multi-vertical software, payments and service offering for field service management. Moreover, the add-ons provide an exceptional platform to accelerate growth via organic initiatives and additional strategic M&A.

Johannes Reichel, Partner within EQT Private Equity's Advisory Team, said, "Having followed WorkWave closely under IFS' ownership, we are extremely impressed by the management team's execution of transformative strategic initiatives. This has cemented WorkWave's position as an industry leader helping to create the best service organizations possible and thereby generating superior growth. Further, we are very excited about the recent transformational acquisitions and the strategic value they will bring to the WorkWave platform and WorkWave's customers."

David F. Giannetto, CEO at WorkWave, further commented, "WorkWave is now entering a phase where our products will improve and expand rapidly as we increase what was already an industry-leading level of investment into our technology development and support capabilities. The acquisition of RealGreen represents two successful and fast-growing companies coming together to create something truly special. It marks the beginning of a new chapter where WorkWave will help our customers go beyond service to create effective, fast-growing, highly profitable service organizations that also deliver the best service experience possible."

Darren Roos, CEO of IFS, who will now serve as WorkWave's Chairman of the Board, concluded, "I am confident that, under David Giannetto's leadership, WorkWave will continue to transform into something unique. WorkWave is expanding its position as a market leader to new verticals and continuing to solidify the deep connection with its customer base that it is known for."

Existing IFS minority shareholder TA Associates will remain invested in WorkWave alongside EQT Private Equity and new partner Serent Capital, the former owner of RealGreen. WorkWave's CEO, David F. Giannetto, will continue to lead the combined company, further supported by IFS CEO and WorkWave Chairman of the Board, Darren Roos.

The transactions, including the separation of WorkWave from IFS and the add-on acquisition of RealGreen, are expected to close by the end of June 2021. The acquisition of Slingshot was completed on 30 April 2021. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value or financial details related to the deals.

Kirkland & Ellis and PwC served as advisors to EQT Private Equity.

Contact

EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT

EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with more than EUR 67 billion in assets under management across 26 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with total sales of approximately EUR 29 billion and more than 175,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com

Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

About WorkWave

For nearly 40 years, WorkWave has been building best practices into its market-leading field service and last mile software solutions to allow best-in-class companies to grow their business, service their customers, and maximize their money. Its solutions empower service-oriented companies to reach their full potential through scalable, cloud-based software solutions that support every stage of a business life cycle, including marketing, sales, service delivery, customer interaction, and financial transactions. WorkWave is a trusted partner for thousands of customers across a wide variety of industries, including pest control, lawn care, cleaning, HVAC, plumbing and electrical, and last mile delivery. WorkWave's award-winning culture and solutions have been recognized in the SaaS Awards, the Cloud Awards, the American Business Awards, the NJBIZ Best Places to Work Awards, and the Stevie Awards for Great Employers.

More info: www.workwave.com

About RealGreen

Walled Lake, MI-based Real Green Systems has more than 35 years of experience providing software and marketing solutions for the lawn care, landscaping, arbor care, and pest control industries. Its flagship solution, Service Assistant, is the premier customer relationship management software used by thousands of companies worldwide to streamline and grow their businesses. Along with offering a complete portfolio of integrated solutions, including: Automated Marketing Assistant, Customer Assistant Websites, Measurement Assistant, Mobile Live, Routing Assistant, and Real Green Payment Processing, Real Green Systems continues to partner with other industry innovators to provide leading-edge business operation software with the broadest range of features and the most advanced marketing tools.

More info: www.realgreen.com

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HONG KONG and SHANGHAI, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (hereafter "Ping An" or the "Group", HKEx:2318; SSE:601318) announced that it is #1 among global banks and insurance companies in the 2021 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, issued by Kantar Millward Brown. Its brand value has increased by 13% year-on-year to US$38.054 billion and it is ranked 49th among all companies in the list.

Ping An maintained its top position among global insurance brands for the sixth consecutive year, and ranked seventh among the 18 Chinese brands in the list. China is once again second only to the U.S. in the number of brands in the Top 100.

The total brand value of the top 100 brands increased by a record 42% year-on-year, which is more than four times the average growth rate of the past 15 years. The top 100 brands' total brand value reached US$7.1 trillion, which equates to the combined GDP of France and Germany. The rise in brand value was due to the recovery of market confidence driven by the launch of COVID-19 vaccines, governments' economic stimulus policies and continuously improving economic prospects.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands is one of the world's most influential and largest brand valuation reports. The brand valuation ranking combines rigorous analysis of Bloomberg's market financial data with extensive consumer insights from over 4 million consumers around the world, covering over 18,000 different brands in 51 markets.

Ms. Doreen Wang, Global Head of BrandZ at Kantar Millward Brown, said, "Chinese brands have managed to achieve strong growth and became an increasingly important global driving force amid a difficult year. As the Chinese economy achieved a stable and solid recovery, Chinese consumers are optimistic about the future. Therefore Chinese brands, which are able to meet the ever-changing demand of consumers through innovation gain love and loyalty from the market.

"Chinese companies have never ceased to invest in brand building in a challenging time, given that they realized the need to shift from speedy growth to quality growth and to focus on creating domestic brands rather than domestic products."

Despite the impact of COVID-19, Ping An has continued to pursue steady progress by continuously advancing its "finance + technology" and the "finance + ecosystem" strategies. Ping An adheres to the philosophy of "expertise makes life simple, technology makes financial services heartwarming, and healthcare makes life better".

For the year ending December 31, 2020, Ping An's revenue amounted to RMB1,321,418 million. Net profit amounted to RMB159,359 million. Total assets amounted to RMB9,527,870 million. In 2020, Ping An served more than 218 million retail customers and more than 598 million internet users.

Technology makes financial services more heartwarming

Ping An aims to provide customers with high-quality services, including financial products, healthcare and technology, to safeguard the safety and health of millions of families.

Ping An continues to develop innovative technology to improve customer experience. In 2020, Ping An Life pioneered "Smart Advance Payment Services" in the insurance industry to provide relief for medical costs for customers, making advance compensation payments of more than RMB260 million last year. Ping An Property & Casualty launched contactless "One-click Claims Services" for auto accidents, which have been used by over 2.34 million customers through the Ping An Auto Owner app. Ping An Bank launched the "Smart Anti-fraud System "(SAFE) for its retail business, which has helped to prevent more than RMB2.4 billion of losses from fraud attacks since its launch.

In 2020, OneConnect, Ping An's technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions, established partnerships in 20 overseas countries and regions to develop new infrastructure for financial services. OneConnect's virtual bank officially opened for business in Hong Kong, and OneConnect teamed up with China Merchants Port Group to develop smart ports and facilitate trade across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Ping An's ecosystems help society

Ping An develops financial services, healthcare, auto services, and smart city services ecosystems by leveraging its leading innovative technologies and extensive experience in financial services and healthcare. As of December 31, 2020, Ping An's smart city business had served 151 cities across China. In healthcare, Ping An Good Doctor's revenue of online healthcare services for 2020 grew strongly by 82.4% year-on-year. Benefiting from the "finance + ecosystem" transformation strategy, Ping An acquires new users by expanding its ecosystems to provide customers with "one account, multiple products, and one-stop services".

Setting ESG standards in China

In 2020, Ping An donated supplies and cash exceeding RMB180 million to combat COVID-19. It also continued to expands the Ping An Rural Communities Support program, providing more than RMB29,834 million in poverty alleviation funds to benefit an impoverished population of 730,000. The program also helped build and upgrade 1,228 rural clinics and 1,054 rural schools, and trained nearly 12,000 village doctors and 14,000 village teachers.

Last year, Ping An also invested a cumulative total of more than RMB5 trillion of financial resources, including insurance funds and bank credit, to support the real economy. It rolled out its artificial intelligence-driven Environmental, Social and Governance (AI-ESG) smart management platform to support and enable responsible investments. It also launched the Xinhua CN-ESG Evaluation System together with Xinhua News Agency's China Economic Information Service to set national ESG evaluation standards with Chinese characteristics. As of December 31, 2020, Ping An's responsible investments exceeded RMB1.03 trillion.

Other Chinese brands in the BrandZTM Top 100 include Tencent (5th), Alibaba (7th), Moutai (11th), Meituan (34th), JD.com (44th), TikTok (45th), Huawei (50th), ICBC (51st), Haier (65th), China Mobile (68th), Xiaomi (70th), Baidu (77th), Pingduoduo (81st), AIA Insurance (81st), Didi (93rd), China Construction Bank (94th) and KE Holdings (96th).

About Ping An Group

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. ("Ping An") is a world-leading technology-powered retail financial services group. With over 220 million retail customers and 611 million internet users, Ping An is one of the largest financial services companies in the world. Ping An focuses on two over-arching domains of activity, "pan financial assets" and "pan health care", covering the provision of financial and health care services through our integrated financial services platform and our ecosystems; in financial services, health care, auto services and smart city services.

Our "finance + technology" and "finance + ecosystem" transformation strategies aim to provide customers and internet users with innovative and simple products and services using technology. As China's first joint stock insurance company, Ping An is committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate reporting and corporate governance. The Group is listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Ping An ranked 6th in the Forbes Global 2000 list in 2021 and ranked 21st in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2020. Ping An also ranked 49th in the 2021 WPP Kantar Millward Brown BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list.

For more information, please visit www.group.pingan.com and follow us on LinkedIn - PING AN.
CHICAGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Industrial Robotics Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Type (Articulated, Collaborative Robots), Component, Payload, Application (Handling, Processing), Industry (Automotive, Food & Beverages), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, (including the prices of peripherals, software, and system engineering) the market is projected to grow from USD 42.2 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 75.3 billion by 2026; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.3% from 2021 to 2026. Owing to COVID-19, the industrial robot market had to face headwinds for 2019-2020. The anticipated shortage of skilled laborers in manufacturing industries has paved way for the growth of automation in industries. In addition to this, the growing demand for collaborative robots across all industries has also been a crucial factor in driving the growth of the industrial robotics market. The collaborative robots are targeted toward both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises and hence have a wide-scale adoption owing to their versatility.

Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=643

"Market for traditional industrial robots projected to have larger share during the forecast period"

The traditional industrial robots segment is expected to hold a larger share of the market throughout the forecast period, both in terms of value and volume. Traditional industrial robots have been around for a much longer time than collaborative robots, which have only gained traction in the last decade. Industries such as automotive, electronics, and metal account for the major use of these robots as their production process imperatively needs to be heavily automated. They are well suited for high-volume production and have been fundamental in scaling up productivity in major industries such as automotive. Various types of traditional industrial robots are designed for different applications specific to the industry. Articulated robots are widely used for handling applications such as pick-and-place, part transfer, palletizing, and sorting in heavy-duty industries such as automotive and metals and machinery. SCARA robots have a better operational speed and hence are preferred more in manufacturing processes in electrical and electronics industry worldwide. The parallel robots are more suitable for high-precision assembly applications. Owing to their versatility in adaption, varying types with a considerable variation in the payload capacity, the traditional industrial robots are expected to maintain the largest market share during the forecast period.

"Handling application to dominate industrial robotics market in terms of size in 2021"

Handling application is expected to hold the largest share of the industrial robotics market in 2021. The handling application includes various sub-types such as material handling, machine tending as well as bin-picking which are currently booming. The handling application has industry-wide usage in varied industries ranging from the automotive, chemicals, electrical and electronics to food and beverages because of which is expected to register a fairly large amount of the market share in 2021.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Industrial Robotics Market"

297 - Tables

66 - Figures

347 - Pages

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"Automotive industry to maintain the largest size of industrial robotics market during the forecast period"

The automotive industry is one of the largest users of industrial robots. In automotive manufacturing, spot welding and painting robots are used extensively. Articulated robots are generally used for most of the tasks; however, parallel robots are used for assembling smaller components, such as pumps and motors. Welding has been one of the first and most popular applications of industrial robots in the automotive industry. Spray painting automation is another popular application in assembly lines, mainly to protect workers from toxic fumes. Robots provide consistency in paint application and minimize wastages. Machine tending and material removal are a few of the other applications where robots are used. As majority of the processes involved in automotive manufacturing and assembly are automated, the automotive industry has to employ industrial robots on a large scale, which makes it the largest demand generator for the adoption of industrial robots.

"Market for Industrial Robotics in APAC estimated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period"

The industrial robotics market both for the traditional and collaborative robots in APAC is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. As far as collaborative robots are concerned, the rising costs of labor in the APAC region have caused the SME industries, in particular, to incline towards industrial adoption by integrating collaborative robots in their manufacturing processes to make the operations more efficient and cost-effective. China is at the forefront in the adoption of traditional industrial robots owing to the increasing demand of automation given the fact that there is a significant growth in its geriatric population in recent years. Other APAC countries such as Taiwan and Thailand are also not far behind in terms of adopting automation to seek a cost advantage through automation in the wake of rising labour costs. The automotive, electrical & electronics, food and beverage industries from the APAC region are the major demand generators for the adoption of industrial robots.

Key players in the industrial robotics include ABB (Switzerland), FANUC (Japan), YASKAWA (Japan), KUKA (Germany), Mitsubishi Electric(Japan), DENSO CORPORATION( Japan), Kawasaki Heavy Industries(Japan), Seiko Epson (Japan) and NACHI-FUJIKOSHI (Japan). Apart from these Rethink Robotics (Germany)Franka Emika (Germany), Kassow Robots (Denmark) are among a few emerging companies in the industrial robotics market.

Related Reports:

Smart Factory Market With COVID-19 Impact by Component (Industrial Sensors, Industrial Robots, Industrial 3D Printers, Machine Vision Systems), Solution (SCADA, PAM, MES, Industrial Safety), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026

Top Robotics Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Top Industrial Robotics (Articulated, SCARA, Cartesian, Parallel, Collaborative), Top Service Robotics (Logistics, Domestic, Medical, Defense, Rescue, and Security) - Global Forecast to 2025

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Presenting an unconventional product developed by a chemist from MIT

Darkening gray hair without harmful hair dye ingredients

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / MODA MODA Inc. (President Aiden Bae), a cosmetics and pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor, has recently launched a shampoo brand 'MODA MODA.' It showcased its first distinguishing shampoo product 'Pro-Change Black Shampoo' through the world's largest crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter, from June 22nd, entering the testbed for global markets.

Kickstarter link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/826952734/hair-darkening-shampoo-without-harmful-dyeing-ingredients/description

After seven years of joint research and development with Dr. Haeshin Lee (Ph.D.), a chemist from MIT, 'Pro-Change Black Shampoo' is successfully commercialized. This product is formulated with a natural antioxidant, patented with its natural ingredients, which reacts with oxygen and sunlight to darken gray hair into blackish brown gradually.

This product was designed based on the browning phenomenon of the insects' wounded area facilitated by the self-healing substance and the Maillard reaction of fruits facilitated by the antioxidant substance. In the absence of the pernicious hair dye ingredients, the eight hazardous additives and animal/mineral ingredients, this product prominently demonstrates a gradual darkening of the gray hair only with 2,000 PPM of Antioxidant Active Ingredients and 100% plant-extract substances.

The Antioxidant Complex (including Black Sesame Extract, Black Mulberry Extract, Black Truffle Extract, Black Cumin Seed Extract, Black Cherry Extract) is the primary raw material of this product. Such active ingredient protects the scalp and hair and provides vitality, helping to resolve middle-aged consumers' concerns by darkening gray hairs, minimizing hair loss, and boosting hair volume. According to the human body application test results, single usage has shown immediate darkening of gray hairs. Moreover, four weeks of use has demonstrated significant changes in various areas such as hair dyeing, retention, scalp cleansing, and the improvement of scalp erythema.

'Our product excludes harmful hair dye ingredients (PPDA, Toluene-2,5-Diamine Sulfate, m-aminophenol, p-aminophenol, and p-Phenylenediamine) and the eight additives (Silicon, Paraben, Sulfate, Mineral Oil, PAM, Imidazolidinyl urea, Triethanolamine, Artificial colorant, and Fragrance),' Dr. Lee explained the background of development.

He added 'This product is formulated with EWG Safe Grade ingredients. By employing nature's browning mechanism, a Catecholamine reaction enables to return of the melanin-less gray hair into natural black-brown color. Succeeding in the commercialization of the use of safety-guaranteed ingredients, our product is not limited to individuals who require frequent hair dye. Cancer patients can also use this product safely.'

MODA MODA Inc. also designed the world's first multifunctional shampoo container, applying a patented 3-step oxygen blocking technology. This 3-step sealing mechanism, composed of an aluminum pouch, disc valve, and a shaft, is customized to perfectly block oxygen exposure, preserving the shampoo formula from oxidizing.

Beginning from June 22nd, MODA MODA's Pro-Change Black Shampoo was first introduced on Kickstarter. After a month of receiving funding, it will be distributed through other North American distribution channels, such as Amazon and other on-and-offline retail markets in mid-July 2021.

Media Contact

Company: MODA MODA Inc.

Contact: Anna Lee

Telephone: +82-10-8673-7569

E-mail: yimijin@imodamoda.com

Website: https://www.imodamoda.com/

SOURCE: MODA MODA Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652645/MODA-MODA-Utilizing-Natural-Ingredients-to-Prove-Its-Hair-dyeing-Effect-on-Kickstarter
Announcement on the Increase in Shareholdings in the Company by the actual Controller's Concerted Actor

Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hongkong, 22 June 2021 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-share 690D.DE, A-share 600690.SH, H-share 06690.HK) received on 18 June 2021 the notice from the Company's actual controller, Haier Group Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "Haier Group") and its concerted actor Qingdao Haichuangzhi Management Consulting Enterprise (Limited Partnership) (hereinafter referred to as "Haichuangzhi"), notifying that Haichuangzhi has increased its A shareholdings in the Company through the trading system of Shanghai Stock Exchange. The relevant information is announced as follows:

I. Information of the Shareholding Increase

The Shareholding Increase is based on confidence in the Company's future development and reasonable judgment of the Company's current investment value. The particulars of Shareholding Increase are as follows:

Entity to Shareholding Increase Time Number of shares increased in Shareholding Increase (share) Average price for Shareholding Increase (RMB/share) Amount for Shareholding Increase (RMB) Percentage of the total share capital(%) Method Haichuangzhi 18 June 2021 362,490 26.31 9,536,512.45 0.0039 Shareholding increase through the secondary market

II. Holding changes before and after the Shareholding Increase

Before the Shareholding Increase, Haichuangzhi held 73,011,000 A shares of the Company, accounting for 0.78% of the Company's total share capital while Haier Group held 1,072,610,764 A shares of the Company, accounting for 11.41% of the Company's total share capital. Haier Group's concerted actor Haier Electric Appliances International Co., Ltd. (currently named as "Haier COSMO Co., Ltd.") held 1,258,684,824 A shares of the Company, accounting for 13.39% of the Company's total share capital. Qingdao Haier Venture & Investment Information Co., Ltd. (??????????????), a concerted actor of Haier Group, held 172,252,560 A shares of the Company, accounting for 1.83% of the Company's total share capital. Haier International Co., Limited, a concerted actor of Haier Group, held 58,135,194 D shares of the Company, accounting for 0.62% of the Company's total share capital. HCH (HK) Investment Management Co., Limited, also a concerted actor of Haier Group, held 538,560,000 H shares of the Company, accounting for 5.73% of the Company's total share capital. Haier Group and the aforementioned parties acting in concert held 3,173,254,342 shares of the Company in aggregate, representing 33.76% of the Company's total share capital.

After the Shareholding Increase, Haichuangzhi holds 73,373,490 A shares of the Company, accounting for 0.78% of the Company's total share capital. Haier Group and the aforementioned parties acting in concert (including Haichuangzhi) together hold 3,173,616,832 shares of the Company, accounting for 33.77% of the Company's total share capital. The actual controller and controlling shareholder of the Company have not changed since the Shareholding Increase.

III. Subsequent Shareholding Increase Plan

Based on the confidence in the long-term development of China's capital market and the Company's business prospects, Haichuangzhi intends to continue to increase its shareholdings in the Company's A shares through the trading system of Shanghai Stock Exchange within the time frame permitted by relevant laws and regulations in the next 6 months (from the date of the Shareholding Increase) with an accumulated amount of shareholding increase no less than RMB300 million and the shares of which shall not exceed 2% of the Company's total issued shares (including the purchased shares of the Shareholding Increase). There is no price range for the Shareholding Increase, so Haichuangzhi and / or other concerted actors of Haier Group will gradually implement the shareholding increase plan according to the Company's stock price fluctuations and the overall trend of the capital market.

IV. Risk of uncertainty on the implementation of the shareholding increase plan

This shareholding increase plan may not meet expectations due to changes in capital market conditions and other factors

V. Other explanation

1. If the Company's total share capital changes during the period of the Shareholding Increase, the relevant proportion will be adjusted accordingly. The Company will follow up on the shareholding increase of the above-mentioned entity and perform the disclosure obligations in a timely manner in accordance with relevant regulations.

2. Haichuangzhi and Haier Group have undertaken that it will strictly comply with the relevant regulations of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Shanghai Stock Exchange on changes in the equity of listed companies and the sensitive period of stock trading in the process of implementing the plan of increasing its shareholdings in the Company and will not reduce its shareholdings in the Company during the implementation period and within the statutory period.

3. This shareholding increase plan and Shareholding Increase are in compliance with the Securities Law of the People's Republic of China and other laws and regulations, departmental rules and Shanghai Stock Exchange Business Rules and other relevant regulations.

Note: This Announcement has been prepared in both Chinese and English. Should there be any discrepancies or misunderstandings between the two versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.

About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized mass production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as smaller household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience.

IR Contact:

Yao Sun (Sophie) - Haier Smart Home Germany

T: +49 6172 9454 143

F: +49 6172 9454 42143

M: +49 160 9469 3601

Email: y.sun@haier.de
DZ BANK AG Frankfurt am Main - Pre Stabilisation

RNS Number: residue number system

Frankfurt am Main, 22. Juni 2021

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

Pre-Stabilisation Notice

Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW)

DZ BANK AG (contact: Ralph Ockert; telephone: +49 69 7447 7051) hereby announces, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilising Managers named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014).

The security to be stabilised: Issuer: KfW Guarantor (if any): Federal Republic of Germany Aggregate nominal amount: Tap EUR benchmark Description: 0.00%, due 15. Juni 2026 Offer price: 101.816% Other offer terms: Payment 29. Juni 2021, denoms 1k/1k, soft bullet Stabilisation: DZ BANK AG Stabilisation Coordinator:

Stabilising Managers: DZ BANK AG

BNP Paribas

Danske Bank

Stabilisation period expected to start on: 22.06.2021 Stabilisation period expected to end on: no later than 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over-allotment facility. The Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: Luxembourg Stock Exchange (Regulated Market)

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilisation Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, there is no assurance that the Stabilisation Manager(s) will take any stabilisation action and any stabilisation action, if begun, may be ended at any time. Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, any EEA Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the "Prospectus Directive") before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that Member State.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Casa Minerals Inc. (TSXV: CASA) (OTC Pink: CASXF) (FSE: 0CM) (the "Company" or "Casa") announces that is has completed the second tranche of the private placement financing by issuing a total of 3,600,000 units of the Company (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.125 per Unit for total gross proceeds from both tranches being $2,500,000.

The units consist of one common share of the Company (a "Share") and one transferrable Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable into an additional Share at a price of $0.30 for term of 1 year following the issuance (the "Expiry Date"), as noted in the press release of June 4, 2021 the warrants are subject to subject to acceleration clause.

In conjunction with the closing of the second tranche of the placement the Company will pay $3,750 cash and issue 30,000 brokerage warrants having the same terms as noted above.

The proceeds of the private placements will be used towards funding exploration programs on the Pitman and Arsenault Projects in British Columbia, Canada US $45,000 will be used to pay the acquisition of the Congress Mine, Arizona, USA and a portion will be used for general and administrative expenses.

Closing of this Private Placement is subject to final approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company further announces a new non brokered Private placement offering of up to $500,000 (the Financing) through the sale of 2,272,727 Units at a price of $0.22 per unit. Each Unit shall consist of one common share (the "Shares") and one Share purchase warrants (the "Warrants"). Each Warrant shall be exercisable for a period of 12 months warrants at $0.30 per shares. The warrants shall be subject to an acceleration clause. If the closing price of the Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") is greater than $0.45 for 10 consecutive trading days, then the Company may, at its sole option, elect to provide notice (the "Acceleration Notice") to the holders of the Warrants, which Acceleration Notice may be provided by news release, that the Warrants will expire at 4:00 p.m. (Vancouver time) on the date that is 30 days from the date of the Acceleration Notice (the "Accelerated Expiry Date"). In such instance, all Warrants that are not exercised prior to the Accelerated Expiry Date will expire on the Accelerated Expiry Date.

The Company may pay finder's fees on a portion of the Private Placement in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). In accordance with the requirements of the Investment Dealer Exemption, the Company confirms there is no material fact or material change related to the Company which has not been generally disclosed.

The Private Placement is subject to the approval of the Exchange.

The Private Placement securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), or under any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, or delivered within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy such securities in the United States.

On Behalf of Board of Directors

Farshad Shirvani, M.Sc. Geology

President and CEO

For more information, please contact:

Casa Minerals Inc.

Farshad Shirvani, President & CE

Phone: (604) 678-9587

Email: contact@casaminerals.com

https://www.casaminerals.com

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information." In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88227
Carnival Corporation Announces Initial 2030 Sustainability Goals

World's largest cruise company reaffirms commitment to sustainability with new 2030 targets and 2050 aspirations incorporating six focus areas to further strengthen environmental, social and governance performance

Newly announced goals and aspirations build on company's achievement of 2020 sustainability goals a year ahead of schedule, with additional progress details expected to be released in its annual Sustainability Report later this summer

MIAMI, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company, today announced its initial set of 2030 sustainability goals, as part of the company's ongoing commitment to sustainability and compliance throughout its global operations.

Following the achievement of its 2020 sustainability goals, Carnival Corporation has established new sustainability goals for 2030 and aspirations for 2050, incorporating six key focus areas that specifically align with some of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. These areas include: climate action; circular economy (waste reduction); sustainable tourism; health and well-being; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); and biodiversity and conservation.

Detailed below, Carnival Corporation is announcing several new goals, targets and aspirations for 2030 and beyond for two of its six focus areas that will guide its actions to further strengthen its environmental, social and governance performance. Carnival Corporation's sustainability commitments under the climate action and circular economy focus areas include:

Climate Action:

Achieve a 40% reduction in carbon rate per available lower berth day by 2030, relative to a 2008 baseline.

Confirmation that the company peaked its absolute carbon emissions in 2011, despite an approximately 20% capacity increase between 2011 and today with an additional 19% capacity increase on order, and a commitment to continue to reduce emissions over time, and identify a pathway to decarbonization.

Expand its alternative fuels strategy across its liquefied natural gas (LNG) program and battery, fuel cell and biofuel capabilities.

Deliver a 50% reduction in absolute air emissions of particulate matter by 2030 relative to a 2015 baseline, despite an over 10% capacity increase since 2015 and the additional 19% capacity increase on order.

Increase fleetwide shore power connection capability to at least 60% of the fleet by 2030.

Achieve net carbon neutral operations by 2050.

Circular Economy:

Achieve 50% reduction in single-use plastic items by the end of 2021, relative to a 2018 baseline.

Achieve 30% per capita food waste reduction by 2022 and 50% by 2030, relative to a 2019 baseline.

Increase fleetwide coverage of Advanced Waste Water Treatment Systems to at least 75% by 2030.

Aspire to build zero emissions ships by 2050.

Carnival Corporation will detail additional 2030 sustainability goals and 2050 aspirations covering all six of its focus areas in its 2020 Sustainability Report to be issued later this summer.

"At Carnival Corporation, our highest responsibility and top priorities are always compliance, environmental protection, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we touch and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside personnel," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "The 2030 goals and our aspirations for 2050 are an important next step in our sustainability journey and support our efforts to establish a path to zero emission cruising over time."

Added Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation: "Our new 2030 sustainability goals demonstrate our ongoing commitment to ingraining sustainability in all aspects of our operations across our nine brands, while providing us clear, measurable targets and metrics to improve our performance and overall efficiency across our shoreside and shipboard operations."

The new set of 2030 sustainability targets and 2050 aspirations build on the momentum of the company's performance relative to its 2020 sustainability goals, which were achieved and in some cases surpassed in 2019, a full year ahead of schedule. As the company continues to work toward the broad restart of guest cruise operations, it is maintaining its focus on its environmental, social and governance performance, including continued progress on its sustainability efforts through the pause in guest cruise operations.

As part of its strategic plan for carbon footprint reduction, the company leads the cruise industry's use of LNG to power cruise ships with a total of 11 next-generation cruise ships that will have joined the fleet through 2025, which will represent nearly 20% of its total capacity, including four ships already in operation. The company also pioneered the use of Advanced Air Quality Systems on board its ships and is promoting the use of shore power, enabling ships to use shoreside electric power where available while in port.

In addition, the company has implemented broad initiatives to optimize onboard energy use, and innovative hull designs and coatings to reduce fuel consumption by minimizing frictional drag, along with trialing innovative technologies for generating power on cruise ships, including battery power and fuel cells.

These efforts, along with a series of others underway, support and strengthen Carnival Corporation's long-term commitment to sustainability, responsible operations and protecting the environment, as outlined in its 2030 sustainability goals and 2050 aspirations. Additional information on Carnival Corporation's sustainability efforts is available at www.carnivalsustainability.com.

Cautionary Note Concerning Factors That May Affect Future Results

Some of the statements, estimates or projections contained in this document are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions with respect to us, including some statements concerning our 2030 sustainability targets and 2050 aspirations. These statements are intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. We have tried, whenever possible, to identify these statements by using words like "will," "may," "could," "should," "would," "believe," "depends," "expect," "goal," "anticipate," "forecast," "project," "future," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "target," "indicate," "outlook," and similar expressions of future intent or the negative of such terms.

Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are many factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. This note contains important cautionary statements of the known factors that we consider could materially affect the accuracy of our forward-looking statements and adversely affect our 2030 sustainability targets and 2050 aspirations. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include the risk factors discussed in Item 1A of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange rules, we expressly disclaim any obligation to disseminate, after the date of this document, any updates or revisions to any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

About Carnival Corporation & plc

Carnival Corporation & plc is one of the world's largest leisure travel companies with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines sailing to all seven continents. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.

Additional information can be found on www.carnivalcorp.com, www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com.

Carnival Corporation Media Contacts: Roger Frizzell, Carnival Corporation, rfrizzell@carnival.com, (305) 406-7862, or Mike Flanagan, LDWW, mike@ldwwgroup.com, (727) 452-4538
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Margaret Lake Diamonds Inc. (TSXV: DIA) (FSE: M85) (OTC: DDIAF) ("MLD" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a site visit has been completed at the Old Nick Nickel-Cobalt project in Southern British Columbia, June 14-17, 2021. Examination and sampling of surface nickel and cobalt bearing bedrock mineralization from trenches originally completed by Newmont Mining Corporation of Canada Ltd. ("Newmont") occurred. This fieldwork included collection of 12 rock samples of 0.5 - 1.0 meter interval length and a 50kg bulk sample for confirmatory metallurgical analyses. The samples have been submitted to Actlabs (Kamloops, BC) for 8-Peroxide ICP OES geochemical analysis. The Company has begun permitting activities for the purpose of drilling. See press release dated Thursday, June 3, 2021 and British Columbia MINFILE 082ESW055 for detailed information regarding the deposit and claims.

Historical Exploration

The Old Nick deposit is defined by 51 drill holes totaling 4,417 meters and 19 trenches totaling 1,533 meters. Mineralization occurs over at least 500 meters along strike. There is significant potential to expand the deposit both along strike and down dip of the known mineralization as well as within the same prospective stratigraphy elsewhere on the property. The Old Nick deposit consists of two northeast trending stratiform-type nickel mineralized zones. The Upper Zone has an average width of 100 meters while the lower is approximately 10 to 20 meters wide. Laterally the zones extend for at least 500 meters along strike. From 1967 - 1968 Newmont completed extensive trenching and as well as metallurgical testing. The property has been explored intermittently since that time. In 2007 David K. Makepeace, P. Eng. defined a historic Inferred Mineral Resource estimate of 17.24 million tones at a grade of 0.1914% Ni and 0.0095% Co. This estimate was prepared in compliance with National Instrument 43-101, but has not been independently verified by the Company and is not to be relied upon.





Figure 1. NW trending trenching along the properties main strike zone

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7928/88256_a6c3b43ab468293d_002full.jpg





Figure 2. Neil Foran, CEO Margaret Lake Diamonds Inc. inspecting NW trending trenching along the properties main strike zone

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7928/88256_a6c3b43ab468293d_003full.jpg





Figure 3. The core shack containing the 2004 Core has been located and logging has begun

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7928/88256_a6c3b43ab468293d_004full.jpg





Figure 4. Surface grab samples, including 50kg bulk sample for purpose of confirming previous MET results

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7928/88256_a6c3b43ab468293d_005full.jpg

Highlights of the 2004 drill campaign

Drill hole East

UTM North

UTM From (m) Intercept Length (m) Nickel % Cobalt % DHN04-1 346145 5434473 13.34 4.66 0.266 0.020 (Azim/Dip 340o/-45o)



32.00 79.95 0.155 0.012





Incl. 32.00 11.00 0.169 0.011





Incl. 49.90 6.70 0.199 0.014





Incl. 61.00 25.96 0.183 0.012





Incl. 91.50 7.50 0.185 0.011





116.50 19.50 0.143 0.010













DHN04-2 346114 5434193 56.50 7.50 0.161 0.010 (Azim/Dip 340o/-50o)



83.50 3.00 0.151 0.010





95.50 27.00 0.225 0.014





137.50 30.00 0.205 0.012













DHN04-3 346254 5434529 17.00 79.00 0.148 0.009 (Azim/Dip 340o/-60o)



103.50 18.00 0.180 0.010 DHN04-4 345965 5434654 4.27 35.73 0.121 0.007 (Azim/Dip 160o/-45o)

























DHN04-5 345984 5434630 12.5 40.50 0.127 0.007 (Azim/Dip 340o/-60o)

























DHN04-6 346062 5434302 17.2 40.30 0.128 0.008 (Azim/Dip 340o/-55o)



60.50 26.00 0.140 0.008





109.00 6.00 0.126 0.007













DHN04-7 346100 5434664 17.00 13.50 0.177 0.010 (Azim/Dip160o/-55o)

















59.00 6.00 0.151 0.008













DHN04-8 346341 5434521 35.05 20.70 0.183 0.011 (Azim/Dip 340o/-60o)



55.75 7.40 0.158 0.008





67.00 61.50 0.139 0.008





Incl. 78.00 16.80 0.179 0.014





Incl. 99.25 4.90 0.154 0.009





Incl. 108.41 5.59 0.166 0.011





133.00 9.5 0.147 0.008





146.72 5.78 0.130 0.009













DHN04-9 346428 5434427 32.50 9.00 0.190 0.009 (Azim/Dip 337o/-45o)



45.00 7.50 0.167 0.011





55.50 4.50 0.173 0.008





70.5 3.00 0.146 0.007





91.50 70.00 0.169 0.010













DHN04-10 346267 5434269 12.00 52.50 0.178 0.010 (Azim/Dip 340o/-50o)



101.50 9.00 0.131 0.007

Qualified Person

The Qualified Person for this news release is Jo Shearer 'P. Geo.' an independent economic geologist with extensive experience in mineral exploration throughout North America. A Qualified Person under the provisions of National Instrument 43-101.

Contact Information

Neil Foran

Chief Executive Officer

(604) 681-7735

neil@margaretlakediamonds.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantee's of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of metals, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88256
Nominations for the telecom industry's most prestigious awards program will close July 1

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / Light Reading (www.lightreading.com), the market-leading online community for the global communications sector, today announced that entries to Light Reading's Leading Lights awards program will be closing in less than two weeks, on July 1, 2021.

The Leading Lights is Light Reading's awards program recognizing the industry's top companies and their executives for outstanding achievements in next-generation communications technology, applications, services, strategies and innovation.

This year's program will feature 26 categories, including the Light Reading Hall of Fame. New for 2021, Light Reading has updated some of its awards categories; expanded the list; and included several awards for outstanding use cases, giving service providers and vendors a chance to tout their technologies, strategies and services in action.

To view the full list of Leading Lights categories, click here.

Entries cost $399 for the first entry and $100 off each additional entry. For Leading Lights entry fees, click here.

To enter the Leading Lights Awards, visit us here http://awards.lightreading.com.

The Leading Lights Finalists will be announced at The Big 5G Event in Denver during the week of August 30, 2021. The Leading Lights Winners will be announced via an online video on October 1, 2021. A Leading Lights after-party, to celebrate the contest's finalists and winners, will be held during the week of October 26, 2021, to coincide with our editorial staff's tradition of attending and covering Mobile World Congress Los Angeles.

To view the list of FAQs, click here.

CONTACT:

Amy Averbook

Marketing Consultant, Light Reading

marketing@lightreading.com

About Light Reading

Light Reading is an independent B2B digital media platform providing daily news analysis and insight for the global communications networking and services industry. Our broad readership and solid reputation make us the leading resource for telecom, mobile and cable network operators; cloud services players; and all the companies that develop and supply them with technology, applications and professional services. Light Reading has over 500,000 qualified registered users, our websites attract over 1.3 million monthly page views and our newsletters are sent out to 220,000 opt-in subscribers. Our brand is also active across all social media channels, with over 100,000 members and followers. The Light Reading Group incorporates a dedicated research division, Heavy Reading; more than 15 successful annual industry events, including the Big 5G Event; several targeted online communities, including The 5G Exchange, Connecting Africa, and Broadband World News, that dig even deeper into key areas of the global communications industry; and its sister industry news site Telecoms.com.

SOURCE: Light Reading Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652654/Less-Than-Two-Weeks-Left-to-Enter-Light-Readings-Leading-Lights-Awards
Bisichi Plc - Result of AGM

Bisichi PLC ("the Company")

The Company announces that at the Company's 109th Annual General Meeting held on 22 June 2021 at 24 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NE the following results in regard to ordinary resolutions concerning ordinary business.

The votes were as follows:

Resolutions 1-8 were passed with voting conducted on a show of hands.

Proxies received in respect of those resolutions passed on a show of hands are shown below:

Resolution VOTES

FOR % VOTES

AGAINST %

(2) VOTES

TOTAL % of ISC VOTED

(3) VOTES

WITHHELD

(1) 1 - To receive and adopt the Company's annual accounts 7,772,571 100 0 0 7,772,571 72.80 0 2 - To approve the Remuneration Report 5,600,167 72.05 2,172,404 27.95 7,772,571 72.80 0 3- To re-elect Mr Andrew Heller 5,600,167 96.53 201,250 3.47 5,801,417 54.34 1,971,154 4 -To re-elect Mr Robert Grobler 7,571,321 97.41 201,250 2.59 7,772,571 72.80 0 5 -To re-elect Mr John Wong 5,600,167 96.53 201,250 3.47 5,801,417 54.34 1,971,154 6 - To appoint Kreston Reeves LLP as auditors of the Company 7,772,571 100 0 0 7,772,571 72.80 0 7 - To authorise the directors to determine the remuneration of the auditors 7,772,571 100 0 0 7,772,571 72.80 0 8 - To authorise the directors under section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 to allot shares in the Company 7,772,571 100 0 0 7,772,571 72.80 0

1 A vote withheld is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of votes validly cast for or against a resolution.

2 The percentage excludes votes withheld as these are not votes in law.

3 ISC - Issued Share Capital. As at the date of the AGM, the Company's issued share capital (excluding treasury shares) consisted of 10,676,839 Ordinary Shares of 10 pence each, carrying one vote each. Therefore the total number of voting rights as at the date of the AGM was 10,676,839.

A copy of the resolutions passed at the AGM has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for viewing at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism and will be uploaded to the Company's website shortly.

For further information, please contact:

Garrett Casey

Secretary

Bisichi PLC

Tel: 020 7415 5000

22 June 2021

END
TPT Global Tech and TPT MedTech Subsidiary and EDSM merger will focus on technology, med-tech and behavioral health serving communities in need with TPT shareholders receiving subsidiary stock as a dividend

SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / TPT Global Tech, Inc. ("TPTW" or the "Company") (OTCQB:TPTW) today announced its subsidiary, TPT Strategic ("TPT Strategic" OTCBB: INOQ) has signed a merger agreement with Education Systems Management, LLC ("EDSM") to create a merged public entity. As previously promised, it is the intent that current TPT shareholders will receive TPT Strategic stock as a dividend after the merger is complete and appropriate shares are registered with the SEC under a registration rights agreement. TPT Strategic will become a non controlling interest to TPTW after the merger. In addition, both parties will enter into a software development and licensing agreement for the development of a standalone backend and front-end telemedicine technology platform which is not to exceed $3.5M in cost. Currently, EDSM has approximately $4 million in revenue and is profitable. Closing is expected on or before August 1, 2021.

As was first announced, each company will bring to the new entity the ability to market an array of products and services across the country that will include, but are not be limited to, consulting and medical staffing for TPT MedTech's QuikLAB and QuikPASS infrastructure build out for proposed strategic testing through its high complexity laboratories. Beyond that, the new entity will provide testing, research and development for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, Pharmocogenics (PGx), and Toxicology to include just a few. Additionally, there will be a focus on Primary Care, Specialized Subspecialties such as Behavioral Health, School Based Health Care with Mental Health monitoring via High Tech POS/EHR Streamlined Systems around the nation. The newly merged business has also pledged to support a higher research contribution and more testing for Sickle Cell.

In merging its subsidiary with Education System Management, TPT will be aligning itself with one of the nation's most prominent citizens and a universally revered community leader, Dr. Carroll Harrison Braddy. Dr. Braddy is the CEO and Founder of EDSM which is the parent company of National Youth Placement Corporation www.nationalyouthplacement.org, an organization dedicated to assisting at-risk youth through evidenced-based programs and providing comprehensive treatments for these adolescents. Specifically, Dr. Braddy's specialty is in behavioral health and addiction disease.

"TPT Global and its subsidiaries are always seeking symbiotic relationships that play to our core strengths that bolster shareholder value. This merger is a perfect example of just that and we are very pleased to keep our promise and intent to deliver the TPT Strategic share dividends to our TPT Global Tech Shareholders," said Stephen Thomas, Chairman & CEO of TPT Global Tech. "We hold much promise for this relationship given that EDSM founder Dr. Braddy is among the most highly respected leaders in the country for his work in Behavioral Science and Juvenile Justice as well as Restorative Reform. The new entity will be perfectly positioned to capitalize on his experience and connections."

As a leading Behavioral Scientist, Dr. Braddy developed one of the first Intensive Residential Treatment Facilities-ASAM 3.5(American Society of Addiction Medicine) for adolescents in Georgia. The facility is accredited with two locations, and several outpatient clinics. Dr. Braddy's philanthropic efforts are centered on children with special needs, autism research, neuroscience, global education and urban city revitalization. Managing assets in the tens-of-millions, Dr. Braddy, who has dedicated so much of his professional career to serving at-risk citizens, particularly urban youth, desires is to continue his work in community development, implementing and building treatment facilities throughout the country for behavioral health and addiction treatment. He currently, serves on several non-profit boards, governmental administrative boards and serves as a senior expert consultant for local and state government. EDSM has been studied by the University of Utah which resulted in a white paper showing ESM as one of the nation's most comprehensive treatment programs in a national comparative analysis. In addition to expanding TPT's reach, we know that working closely and in coordination with Dr. Braddy and his team further illustrates our commitment to helping all communities, particularly underserved communities, in the State and across the country."

"I'm excited about such a strong merger. At EDSM, we believe in the power of serving humanity. This merger will address behavioral heath and science breakthroughs through the use of artificial technology, laboratory medicine, substance abuse treatment and education, just to name a few. Our research division and development teams will collaborate together to immediately begin to solve many of the needs that will globally impact our people all around the world. To this regard, EDSM will remain faithful to its call; to serve humanity and speak for the unspoken," said Carroll Harrison Braddy, MD, DBH MBA and CEO of Education System Management of Atlanta.

About TPT Global Tech

TPT Global Tech Inc. (TPTW) based in San Diego, California, is a technology-based company with divisions providing telecommunications, medical technology and product distribution, media content for domestic and international syndication as well as technology solutions. It's TPT MedTech subsidiary is a provider of Covid/Health testing services on a global scale and its industry-leading platforms are helping travelers get back to travel, events take place and generally speaking helping life get back to a new normal. TPT Global Tech offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PAAS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS). It offers carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT Global Tech also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cell phone services, Mobile phones Cell phone Accessories and Global Roaming Cell phones.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings, and pursuit of new markets are forward-looking statements. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases, the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.

Shep Doniger

561-637-5750

sdoniger@bdcginc.com

IR-Frank Benedetto

619-915-9422

SOURCE: TPT Global Tech, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652665/TPT-Global-Tech-Subsidiary-Signs-Merger-Agreement-with-Education-System-Management-Which-Merged-Company-Will-Specialize-in-Behavioral-Health-and-Telemedicine
Expansion of the Group's presence in Germany, Europe's largest spine market

First successful step for the new Implanet-OSD entity

Regulatory News:

IMPLANET (Paris:ALIMP) (Euronext Growth: ALIMP, FR0013470168, eligible for PEA-PME equity savings plans), a medical technology company specializing in vertebral and knee-surgery implants, today announced the signing of a distribution contract in Germany with ulrich GmbH Co. KG for its JAZZ implants and the OSD cervical plate.

ulrich medical, a company based in Ulm, Germany, that develops, produces and markets innovative medical technologies, is a renowned specialist in the spinal implant and contrast media injector sector. Its spinal implant department is characterized by internationally recognized implants made primarily of titanium that are used to treat injuries and diseases of the whole spine. The Group has more than 450 employees, generated revenue of over 110 million euros and is one of the largest manufacturers of spinal implants in Germany.

This distribution contract will cover Germany, Europe's leading spine market that offers considerable potential and is estimated at over 300 million dollars1, and other European countries (Austria, Scandinavia, Spain and UK for the cervical plates, Austria and Switzerland for JAZZ implants). This strategy is consistent with the partnerships signed with SeaSpine and KICo.

Implanet already has a presence in Germany through its direct sales model via its Frankfurt-based subsidiary (Implanet GmbH), headed by Stephan Collardey, Implanet's Country Manager for Germany. This partnership with ulrich medical further strengthens this presence and will secure a certain level of revenue in the future. The companies are now mutually preparing the launch of the products by ulrich medical within the course of the last quarter of 2021.

Ludovic Lastennet, Implanet's CEO, stated: "I am first and foremost delighted with this initial success for the new Implanet-OSD entity just weeks after the acquisition was completed. Now, armed with its greater size and a more comprehensive and innovative range, the Group has been able to realize this strategic agreement with ulrich medical, a major player in Germany, Europe's leading spine market. This partnership is perfectly in line with our development strategy, replicating the indirect sales model that has already proven its effectiveness via our partners SeaSpine and KICo, and shows our ability to market, directly or via international partnerships, technologies that meet the market's highest standards

Klaus Kiesel, Chief Executive Officer of ulrich GmbH Co. KG, added: "We are eager to begin this collaboration with Implanet, which produces high quality spine implants that are recognized by the sector. The JAZZ range and the OSD cervical plate will substantially strengthen our product offering aimed at spine treatment for our German surgeons and their patients as well as for our international distributors in the countries covered by the agreements

Upcoming financial events:

H1 2021 revenue, July 6, 2021 after market

- H1 2021 results, September 21, 2021 after market

About Implanet

Founded in 2007, Implanet is a medical technology company that manufactures high-quality implants for orthopedic surgery. Its activity revolves around two product ranges, the latest generation JAZZ implant, designed to improve the treatment of spinal pathologies requiring vertebral fusion surgery, and the MADISON implant designed for first-line prosthetic knee surgery. Implanet's tried-and-tested orthopedic platform is based on product traceability. Protected by four families of international patents, JAZZ and MADISON have obtained 510(k) regulatory clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, the CE mark as well as the ANVISA authorization in Brazil. Implanet employs 29 staff and recorded 2020 sales of 6.0 million. For further information, please visit www.implanet.com. Based near Bordeaux in France, Implanet established a US subsidiary in Boston in 2013. Implanet is listed on Euronext Growth market in Paris.

The Company would like to remind that the table for monitoring the equity line (OCA, OCAPI, BSA) and the number of shares outstanding, is available on its website: http://www.implanet-invest.com/suivi-des-actions-80

1 Company information

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005776/en/

Contacts:

IMPLANET

Ludovic Lastennet, CEO

David Dieumegard, CFO

Tel.: +33 (0)5 57 99 55 55

investors@Implanet.com

NewCap

Investor Relations

Mathilde Bohin

Nicolas Fossiez

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Implanet@newcap.eu

NewCap

Media Relations

Nicolas Merigeau

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Implanet@newcap.eu
Regulatory News:

Theraclion Strengthens Its Board of Directors

THERACLION (Paris:ALTHE) (ISIN: FR0010120402; Memo: ALTHE, PEA-PME eligible), an innovative company specializing in ultrasound therapy (using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound or HIFU), announces the arrival of a health specialist, Mehdi El Glaoui. He joins the board of directors and also invests 1.5% of the company's capital.

Two weeks after the announcement that Bernard Sabrier and Unigestion, acting on their own behalf, had crossed thresholds in Theraclion's shareholding, Mehdi El Glaoui, known for his success in healthtech, decided to invest and join the company's board. "Theraclion offers very interesting development potential. Beyond its technology, which can transform the surgical gesture, the combination of imaging and robotization with artificial intelligence can propel the company much further in terms of treatments and development." states Mehdi El Glaoui.

Mehdi El Glaoui was convinced of the company's value creation. He decided to personally participate in Theraclion's future.

"Mehdi El Glaoui, brings us the expertise and vision to take our company from an innovative medtech model to a truly disruptive healthtech company. Theraclion will then be truly positioned to transform the world of healthcare. Mehdi understands that our ultrasound platform has potential far beyond the treatment of thyroid, breast and varicose veins. The developments he supports, accelerate our innovation for exponential growth." said David Caumartin, CEO of Theraclion.

About Mehdi El Glaoui

Swiss resident since 2008, Mehdi El Glaoui is a Doctor of Pharmacy from the Faculty of Pharmacy of Paris V (1980), Associate Professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of Liege (2001-2007). He was Chairman and CEO of Cassenne Laboratories (1987-1996) and Wyeth Laboratories (1997-2007). He became Chairman of Louis Dreyfus Commodities in Geneva (2009-2012), then board member as of 2012. In 2011, he founded Majorelle International, a company specialized in the development of pharmaceutical products in Gynecology and Urology. Majorelle International has sold 60% of its French subsidiary Laboratoires Majorelle in 2021 to the American fund EW Healthcare Partners.

About Theraclion

Theraclion has developed an innovative echotherapy solution using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound for the treatment of varicose veins, SONOVEIN. The treatment solution, which obtained CE marking in April 2019, is based on the leading-edge echotherapy treatment expertise developed by Theraclion over years for non-invasive ablation of breast fibroadenomas and thyroid nodules using its ECHOPULSE solution. Further improvements to the ECHOPULSE technology are the foundation for SONOVEIN to provide the only non-invasive ablation therapy for varicose veins. This procedure allows for treatment without a catheter, chemical injection, or incision. An operating room is not necessary, and the treatment can be performed at a doctor's offices or in clinics, as well as in hospitals. Venous pathology is widespread worldwide and generates around 5 million treatment procedures per year, according to Millennium research Varicose Vein Device Market Study 2015. Theraclion's technological solutions are based on high-tech ultrasound medical devices that are precise and easy to use for practitioners.

Located in Malakoff, near Paris, Theraclion brings together a team of 25 people, more than half of whom are dedicated to R&D and clinical trials.

For more information, please visit the Theraclion website: www.theraclion.com and the patient site: https://echotherapie.com/echotherapy/

Theraclion is listed on Euronext Growth Paris

Eligible for the PEA-PME scheme

Mnemonic: ALTHE ISIN code: FR0010120402

LEI: 9695007X7HA7A1GCYD29

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006046/en/

Contacts:

Theraclion

David Caumartin

Chief Executive Officer

david.caumartin@theraclion.com

Tel: 33 (0)1 55 48 90 70

Anja Kleber

VP Marketing, Market Access Sales Francophonia

anja.kleber@theraclion.com
(AMF Autorite des Marches Financiers)

Regulatory News:

Genkyotex (Paris:GKTX) (Brussels:GKTX):

Genkyotex shares ISIN code FR00011790542 Euronext Paris Brussels Date Number of shares making

up the share capital Number of voting rights May 31, 2021 14,083,408 Theoretical number of voting rights(1): 14,083,408 Number of voting rights exercisable at a shareholders'

meeting(2): 14,074,165

(1) In accordance with Article 223-111 of the AMF's General Regulation, this number of shares is calculated based on all shares carrying the right to vote, including those stripped of voting rights.

(2) Less shares stripped of voting rights.

About Genkyotex

Genkyotex is the leading biopharmaceutical company in NOX therapies, listed on the Euronext Paris and Euronext Brussels markets. Its unique platform enables the identification of orally available small-molecules which selectively inhibit specific NOX enzymes that amplify multiple disease processes such as fibrosis, inflammation, pain processing, cancer development, and neurodegeneration. Genkyotex is developing a pipeline of first-in-class product candidates targeting one or multiple NOX enzymes. The lead product candidate, setanaxib (GKT831), a NOX1 and NOX4 inhibitor has shown evidence of anti-fibrotic activity in a Phase II clinical trial in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC, a fibrotic orphan disease). Based on its positive Phase II results, a phase 3 trial with setanaxib in PBC is being planned. Setanaxib is also being evaluated in an investigator-initiated Phase II clinical trial in Type 1 Diabetes and Kidney Disease (DKD). A grant from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) of $8.9 million was awarded to Professor Victor Thannickal at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to fund a multi-year research program evaluating the role of NOX enzymes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic lung disease that results in fibrosis of the lungs. The core component of this program is a Phase 2 trial with setanaxib in patients with IPF scheduled to recruit patients in first semester of 2020. This product candidate may also be active in other fibrotic indications.

Genkyotex also has a versatile platform well-suited to the development of various immunotherapies (Vaxiclase). A partnership covering the use of Vaxiclase as an antigen per se (GTL003) has been established with Serum Institute of India Private Ltd (Serum Institute), the world's largest producer of vaccine doses, for the development by Serum Institute of cellular multivalent combination vaccines against a variety of infectious diseases

For further information, please go towww.genkyotex.com or investors@genkyotex.com

Disclaimer

This press release may contain forward-looking statements by the company with respect to its objectives. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs, estimates and expectations of Genkyotex's management and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as the company's ability to implement its chosen strategy, customer market trends, changes in technologies and in the company's competitive environment, changes in regulations, clinical or industrial risks and all risks linked to the company's growth. These factors as well as other risks and uncertainties may prevent the company from achieving the objectives outlined in the press release and actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, due to various factors. Without being exhaustive, such factors include uncertainties involved in the development of Genkyotex's products, which may not succeed, or in the delivery of Genkyotex's products marketing authorizations by the relevant regulatory authorities and, in general, any factor that could affects Genkyotex's capacity to commercialize the products it develops. No guarantee is given on forward-looking statements which are subject to a number of risks, notably those described in the universal registration document filed with the AMF on April 30, 2020 under number 20-0434, and those linked to changes in economic conditions, the financial markets, or the markets on which Genkyotex is present. Genkyotex products are currently used for clinical trials only and are not otherwise available for distribution or sale

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005904/en/

Contacts:

Genkyotex
New exposure-based innovations enable proactive vulnerability remediation across hybrid environments

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Skybox Security, a global leader in security posture management, today announced new vulnerability prioritization capabilities with prescriptive remediation analysis. Customers can now zero in on specific remediation options that have the greatest impact on reducing exposure to cybersecurity attacks. The new capabilities are the first in a series of upcoming innovations that automate risk scoring and remediation across complex hybrid environments.

"In an ideal world, remediation happens as soon as an exposure is discovered. Skybox is making this possible," said Gidi Cohen, CEO and founder, Skybox Security. "No other security software offering is able to provide the comprehensive and accurate prioritization, exposure analysis, and remediation options that Skybox does. Security leaders can now make better decisions faster."

This latest release makes vulnerability management more precise and efficient by presenting numerous remediation alternatives beyond patching. Available now, Skybox identifies remediation options to pinpoint the best course of action. This innovation advances Skybox's mission to proactively secure complex hybrid and multi-cloud networks through a single platform approach to security policy management and vulnerability and threat management.

Large enterprises are contending with millions of vulnerabilities. The average time to remediate a vulnerability is 85 days. However, research shows that 14% of exploits are published before patches are available, and 80% of public exploits are published before the CVE is published. That is no longer acceptable given today's dynamic emerging environments and widespread, reoccurring corporate breaches.

Advancing beyond the traditional scan-and-patch tactic, Skybox identifies the remediation solutions that will fix the highest number of vulnerability occurrences and address exposed assets that are most likely to be exploited. Available now, remediation options include applying IPS signatures, firewall rules, security tags, configuration changes to network and security devices, software updates, and patches across vulnerable assets.

Threat intelligence, paired with vendor-agnostic multisource data aggregation, powers the industry's only multidimensional network model

Skybox continues to enrich its multidimensional network model through new integrations across leading hardware and software partners based on customers' needs. The latest release includes new integrations with Claroty and VMware NSX-T, as well as extended capabilities for F5 Networks Big-IP and the Arista Networks Extensible Operating System (EOS). The new Skybox connectors advance security posture management across disparate environments, including operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, software-defined data centers, SD-WAN, and other cloud services.

Advancing the industry's most sophisticated exposure analysis with new data-driven capabilities

The Skybox Security Posture Management Platform is an automated and unique vendor-agnostic solution that identifies and remediates threats across complex environments from a single view. The new features build on the industry's most advanced exposure analysis that identifies exploitable vulnerabilities and correlates to network configuration and security control data. This approach is distinctive to Skybox.

"Focusing on the top 1% of 'perfect storm' vulnerabilities has been a game-changer that makes the most out of security resources," said Craig Ashwood, managing director, Orca Tech. "Enterprise-wide discovery means fewer silos, so CISOs sleep better at night."

The latest release is available now.

Learn more about the Skybox Security Posture Management Platform:

Demo video: Remediation Solutions View

SC Award 2021: Skybox wins best vulnerability management solution

Vulnerability and threat research: Skybox Research Lab Trends Report 2021

About Skybox Security

Over 500 of the largest and most security-conscious enterprises in the world rely on Skybox for the insights and assurance required to stay ahead of dynamically changing attack surfaces. At Skybox, we don't just serve up data and information. We provide the intelligence and context to make informed decisions, taking the guesswork out of securely enabling enterprises at scale and speed. Our unified security posture management platform delivers complete visibility, analytics, and automation to quickly map, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities across your organization. The vendor-agnostic platform intelligently optimizes security policies, actions, and change processes across all corporate and cloud environments. With Skybox, security teams can now focus on the most strategic business initiatives while ensuring enterprises remain protected.

We are Skybox. Secure more, limit less. https://www.skyboxsecurity.com/

Media & analyst contact

Ashley Nakano, Corporate Communications

skyboxglobal@allisonpr.com

 2021 Skybox Security, Inc. All rights reserved. Skybox Security and the Skybox Security logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Skybox Security, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product specifications subject to change at any time without prior notice.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1537963/Prescriptive_Vulnerability_Remediation_Solution.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1011662/Skybox_Security_logo.jpg
This information is not intended for, and shall not be accessible, published, distributed or circulated to persons resident or located in the United States of America, Canada, Japan or Australia, and is not an offer to subscribe for or sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy securities of Advicenne in the United States, Canada, Japan or Australia. Any person who wishes to access the information and documents contained on Advicenne's website must first satisfy himself/herself that he/she is not subject to local laws or regulations prohibiting or restricting such right of access or requiring registration or approval of the securities in order to acquire them. Advicenne will not accept any liability arising out of the breach by any person of the applicable laws or regulations.

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN

Regulatory News:

Advicenne SA (FR0013296746 ADVIC) (the "Company"), a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative treatments for those suffering from rare renal diseases, announced today the launch of a capital increase by means of an accelerated bookbuild offering reserved to the category of investors described below (the "Offering"), for an amount of approximately 10 million euros.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to finance the resumed clinical development of Sibnayal (ADV7103) in phase III in distal Renal Tubular Acidosis (dRTA) in the United States. The proceeds will also finance the phase III of Sibnayal (ADV7103) in cystinuria in both North America and Europe, which may need additional funding to get its market approval in both territories. Finally, proceeds will serve for general corporate purposes.

The Company believes that its current cash and cash equivalents before the Offering will be sufficient to fund its operations until October 2021 and that it will need an additional amount of around EUR 10 million, to meet its funding requirements on the next twelve months. Taking into account expected Offering gross proceeds of EUR 10 million, the Company's cash and cash equivalent should be sufficient to funds its operations until July 2022.

In the context of the Offering, the Company is considering issuing new ordinary shares (the "New Shares") without shareholders' pre-emptive rights pursuant to the 26th resolution of the combined general meeting of the shareholders of the Company held on June 14, 2021 and in accordance with Article L. 225-138 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) and the decisions of today's board of directors of the Company. The Offering will thus be reserved to the following category of beneficiaries natural or legal entities (including companies) trusts and investment funds or other investment vehicles whatever their form (including, without limitation, any investment fund or venture capital company, including any FPCI, FCPI or FIP), governed by French or foreign law, whether or not shareholders of the Company, that invest on a regular basis, or having invested at least one million euros over the last 36 months, in the health or biotechnological sectors. The New Shares may cover a maximum of 1.617.530 ordinary shares of the Company, i.e. up to 20 of its outstanding share capital.

In accordance with the 26th resolution of the combined general meeting of the shareholders of the Company held on June 14, 2021, the issuance price of the New Shares will be at least equal to the Company's volume weighted-average price of the Company's shares on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris over the three trading days immediately preceding the setting of the issuance price, possibly reduced by a maximum discount of 15%.

The offering price per New Share, as well as its final number, will be determined following an accelerated bookbuilding process starting immediately and expected to end before the start of trading on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris on June 23, 2021, subject to acceleration or extension. The Company will announce the results of the Offering as soon as possible following the closing of the order book in a press release, which will specifically indicate the main final terms of the Offering. Settlement-delivery for the New Shares issued in connection with the Offering is expected to occur within 2 business days from the closing of the capital increase.

No prospectus is required to be approved by the French financial markets authority (Autorite des marches financiers the "AMF") in connection with the Offering.

Gilbert Dupont is acting as Global Coordinator and sole Bookrunner for the Offering.

The Offering is not subject to any guarantee. However, the Offering is the subject of an agreement entered between the Company and the Global Coordinator and sole Bookrunner.

Standstill and lock-up provisions

In connection with the Offering, the Company has entered into an abstention commitment, which restricts the issuance of additional ordinary shares ending 90 days after settlement and delivery of the New Shares, subject to customary exceptions as well as the ability to request a waiver from the Global Coordinator and sole Bookrunner. The Company's main shareholders and members of the Company's board of directors have undertaken not to sell any shares in the Company for 90 days following the settlement and delivery of the New Shares, subject to customary exceptions and the ability to request a waiver from the Global Coordinator and sole Bookrunner.

This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

Risk Factors

The Company draws the public's attention to the risk factors related to the Company and its activities presented in section 3 of the Company's universal registration document filed with the AMF on December 23, 2020 under number D.20-1017, as updated, as the case may be, in its 2020 financial annual report published on May 3, 2021 and press releases, copies of which are available free of charge on the website of the Company (www.advicenne.com).

In addition, investors are invited to consider the following risks: (i) the market price for the Company's shares may fluctuate and fall below the subscription price of the shares issued pursuant to the Offering, (ii) the volatility and liquidity of the Company's shares may fluctuate significantly, (iii) sales of Company's shares may occur on the market and have a negative impact on the market price of the shares, and (iv) the Company's shareholders could undergo a potentially material dilution resulting from any future capital increases that are needed to finance the Company.

About Advicenne

Advicenne (Euronext: ADVIC) is a pharmaceutical company founded in 2007, specializing in the development of innovative treatments in Nephrology. Its lead drug candidate is currently in late-stage clinical trials for two kidney diseases: dRTA and cystinuria. ADV7103 has just received a Marketing Approval (MAA) for the treatment of dRTA. Headquartered in Paris, Advicenne has been listed on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris since 2017 and was cross-listed on the Euronext Brussels stock exchange in 2019.

For additional information see: https://advicenne.com/

Disclaimer

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy ordinary shares of the Company, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

This announcement is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation

With respect to Member States of the European Economic Area (including France), no action has been taken or will be taken to permit a public offering of the securities referred to in this press release requiring the publication of a prospectus in any Member State. Therefore, such securities may not be and shall not be offered in any Member State other than in accordance with the exemptions of Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation or, otherwise, in cases not requiring the publication of a prospectus under Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation and/or the applicable regulations in such Member State.

This press release and the information it contains are being distributed to and are only intended for persons who are (x) outside the United Kingdom or (y) in the United Kingdom and are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), (ii) high net worth entities and other such persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order ("high net worth companies", "unincorporated associations", etc.) or (iii) other persons to whom an invitation or inducement to participate in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Market Act 2000) may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons in (y)(i), (y)(ii) and (y)(iii) together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire securities to which this press release relates will only be engaged with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this press release or any of its contents.

This press release may not be distributed, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States. This press release and the information contained therein do not, and will not, constitute an offer of securities for sale nor the solicitation of an offer to purchase securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction where restrictions may apply. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The securities of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, and the Company does not intend to conduct a public offering in the United States.

The distribution of this press release may be subject to legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Any person who comes into possession of this press release must inform him or herself of and comply with any such restrictions.

Any decision to subscribe for or purchase the shares or other securities of the Company must be made solely based on information publicly available about the Company. Such information is not the responsibility of Gilbert Dupont and has not been independently verified by Gilbert Dupont.

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, shares in the Company in any country. This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to the Company's objectives. Such forward-looking statements are based solely on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management and involve risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, uncertainties involved in the placing on the market and commercialization of Advicenne products. The Company's objectives as mentioned in this press release may not be achieved for any of these reasons or due to other risks and uncertainties. No guarantee can be given as to any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements, which are subject to inherent risks, including those described in Chapter 3, "Risk Factors," of its universal registration document, filed with the latter on December 22, 2020 as updated, as the case may be, in its 2020 financial annual report published on May 3, 2021.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005942/en/

Contacts:

Advicenne

David Solomon, Chairman

Didier Laurens, CEO

+33 (0)4 66 05 54 20

Email: investors@advicenne.com

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott, Ashley Tapp, Davide Salvi

+44 (0)20 3709 5700

Email: advicenne@consilium-comms.com

NewCap

Financial communications

Dusan Oresansky, Emmanuel Huynh

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Email: advicenne@newcap.eu

Ulysse Communication

Media relations

Bruno Arabian

+33 (0)6 87 88 47 26

Email: advicenne@ulysse-communication.com
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Switzerland stock market ended slightly weak on Tuesday as traders chose to take some profits after recent gains. After a slightly lower start, the market shed further ground, stayed weak till the end of the session despite staging a recovery of sorts. The benchmark SMI ended down by 13.15 points or 0.11% at 11,982.48, after scaling a low of 11,913.44 and a high of 11,991.31 intraday. Roche Holding shed about 1.1%. Swatch Group, UBS Group and Novartis ended lower by 0.4 to 0.6%, while Credit Suisse closed lower by about 0.3%. Sika, ABB and Geberit gained 1 to 1.2%. Lonza Group advanced 0.7%, while Partners Group, Holcim and Givaudan ended higher by 0.3 to 0.5%. Among the stocks in the Mid Price Index, Flughafen Zurich ended more than 3% down. Dufry and Logitech both closed lower by about 0.75%. OC Oerlikon Corp climbed 2.15%. Schindler Ps, VAT Group, Schindler Ps, Ems Chemie Holding and Georg Fischer gained 1 to 1.7%. Data released by Swiss National Bank showed Switzerland's current account surplus widened to CHF 15.93 billion in the first quarter of 2021, from CHF 10.16 billion in the same period last year. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday that Switzerland has managed to cope well with the coronavirus pandemic from a financial perspective. In its latest country report, the IMF applauded Swiss Covid support measures and monetary policy. 'Switzerland has navigated the pandemic well. Covid-19 has had major social and economic impacts, but an early, strong, and sustained health and economic policy response helped contain the contraction of activity,' the IMF said in a statement on Monday. The Swiss economy shrunk by 3% in 2020, less than most other wealthy European countries. The IMF says it expects Swiss growth to hit 3.5% in 2021 and 2.8% in 2022. These are in line with Swiss National Bank predictions. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Southern Silver Exploration Corp. (TSXV: SSV) (the "Company" or "Southern Silver") has closed the recently announced non-brokered private placement for 6,000,000 units ("Units") at a price of $0.50 per Unit for gross proceeds of $3,000,000 ("Non-Brokered Placement"). Each Unit consists of one common share (each a "Unit Share") and one half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable into one common share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$0.75 at any time on or before June 21, 2023.

As a result of Southern Silver's completion of the Non-Brokered Placement and the previously announced bought deal placement ("Bought Deal Placement") (Red Cloud Securities Inc. ("Underwriter") acted as sole underwriter and bookrunner under the Bought Deal Placement of 18,000,000 units for gross proceeds of $9,000,000), the Company has now received a gross total of $12,000,000 from the two offerings (the "Placements").

The net proceeds from the Placements will be used for:

exploration and advancement costs of the Company's Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in Durango State, Mexico including a mineral resource update on the project, scheduled for Q4 2021;

new green fields drilling on the recently acquired El Sol claim (NR-03-20), located adjacent to the Cerro Las Minitas claims and just 2 kilometres west-northwest of the Mina La Bocona target;

additional exploration drilling on the Company's Oro Cu-Mo-Au Porphyry Project located in southern New Mexico, scheduled to commence in Q4 2021; and

general working capital purposes.

Relative to the Placements, the Company paid cash commissions to the Underwriter of $630,000 and issued to the Underwriter 1,260,000 compensation options, with each compensation option exercisable into one Unit at a price of C$0.50 at any time on or before June 16, 2023. The Company also paid a cash advisory fee to Fort Capital Partners of $240,000 and issued to Fort Capital Partners 480,000 finder warrants, with each finder warrant exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of C$0.50 at any time on or before June 16, 2023 and June 21, 2023 respectively for warrants received for the Bought Deal Placement and for the Non-Brokered Placement. Additional finders' fees and commissions may be paid by the Company in relation to the Units sold in the Non-Brokered Placement.

All securities issued in connection with the Bought Deal Placement and the Non-Brokered Placement respectively bear legends restricting trading of the securities until October 17, 2021 and October 22, 2021. Both Placements are subject to final TSX Venture Exchange acceptance.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Units, nor was there any sale of the Units in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Units offered will not be, and have not been, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a U.S. person.

Cerro Las Minitas Project

The Cerro Las Minitas project is an advanced exploration stage polymetallic Ag-Pb-Zn-Cu Skarn/CRD project located in southern Durango, Mexico.

Exploration on the project continues with two drills targeting the east side of the Cerro and has now completed 52 core holes totaling 19,065 metres since restarting drilling in September 2020. Assay results from 17 drill holes are pending and are anticipated over the coming weeks.

Southern has now tested over 650 metres of strike length along the east side of the Cerro to depths of up to 500 metres primarily in the South Skarn and Mina La Bocona target areas. Three bonanza grade mineralized zones have been identified and testing of a potential fourth high-grade zone is nearing completion all of which will be incorporated into the upcoming mineral resource update on the project.

The CLM Project remains one of the largest undeveloped silver-lead-zinc projects in the world and is wholly owned, unburdened by royalties, fully financed and fully permitted.

The Cerro Las Minitas project as of May 9th, 2019 contains a Mineral Resource Estimate, at a 175g/t AgEq cut-off, of(1)

Indicated - 134Moz AgEq: 37.5Moz Ag, 40Mlb Cu, 303Mlb Pb and 897Mlb Zn

Inferred - 138Moz AgEq: 45.7Moz Ag, 76Mlb Cu, 253Mlb Pb and 796Mlb Zn

A total of 150 drill holes for 67,375metres have been completed on the CLM Project with exploration expenditures of approximately US$27.0 million equating to exploration discovery costs of approximately C$0.09 per AgEq ounce to the end of 2020.

(1) The 2019 Cerro Las Minitas Resource Estimate was prepared following CIM definitions for classification of Mineral Resources. Resources are constrained using mainly geological constraints and approximate 10g/t AgEq grade shells. The block models are comprised of an array of blocks measuring 10m x 2m x 10m, with grades for Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn values interpolated using ID3 weighting. Silver and zinc equivalent values were subsequently calculated from the interpolated block grades. The model is identified at a 175g/t AgEq cut-off, with an indicated resource of 11,102,000 tonnes averaging 105g/t Ag, 0.10g/t Au, 1.2% Pb, 3.7% Zn and 0.16% Cu and an inferred resource of 12,844,000 tonnes averaging 111g/t Ag, 0.07g/t Au, 0.9% Pb, 2.8% Zn and 0.27% Cu. AgEq cut-off values were calculated using average long-term prices of $16.6/oz. silver, $1,275/oz. gold, $2.75/lb. copper, $1.0/lb. lead and $1.25/lb. zinc. Metal recoveries for the Blind, El Sol and Las Victorias deposits of 91% silver, 25% gold, 92% lead, 82% zinc and 80% copper and for the Skarn Front deposit of 85% silver, 18% gold, 89% lead, 92% zinc and 84% copper were used to define the cut-off grades. Base case cut-off grade assumed $75/tonne operating, smelting and sustaining costs. All prices are stated in $USD. Silver Equivalents were calculated from the interpolated block values using relative recoveries and prices between the component metals and silver to determine a final AgEq value. The same methodology was used to calculate the ZnEq value. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves until they have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral resource estimates do not account for a resource's mineability, selectivity, mining loss, or dilution. The current Resource Estimate was prepared by Garth Kirkham, P.Geo. of Kirkham Geosciences Ltd. who is the Independent Qualified Person responsible for presentation and review of the Mineral Resource Estimate. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate and therefore numbers may not appear to add precisely.

About Southern Silver Exploration Corp.

Southern Silver Exploration Corp. is an exploration and development company with a focus on the discovery of world-class mineral deposits. Our specific emphasis is the 100% owned Cerro Las Minitas silver-lead-zinc project located in the heart of Mexico's Faja de Plata, which hosts multiple world-class mineral deposits such as Penasquito, San Martin, Naica and Pitarrilla. We have assembled a team of highly experienced technical, operational and transactional professionals to support our exploration efforts in developing the Cerro Las Minitas project into a premier, high-grade, silver-lead-zinc mine. The Company engages in the acquisition, exploration and development either directly or through joint-venture relationships in mineral properties in major jurisdictions. Our property portfolio also includes the Oro porphyry copper-gold project located in southern New Mexico, USA.

Robert Macdonald, MSc. P.Geo, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and supervised directly the collection of the data from the CLM Project that is reported in this disclosure and is responsible for the presentation of the technical information in this disclosure.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Lawrence Page"

Lawrence Page, Q.C.

President & Director, Southern Silver Exploration Corp.

For further information, please visit Southern Silver's website at southernsilverexploration.com or contact us at 604.641.2759 or by email at ir@mnxltd.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Southern Silver Exploration Corp. does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88311
CUPERTINO (dpa-AFX) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) on Tuesday announced a worldwide initiative called Today at Apple Creative Studios, which offers people from underprivileged communities opportunities to interact with career-defining mentors, secure industry skills training and creative resources. At the Creative Studios, young people will also have complete access to all Apple products like iPhone, iPad and Mac. The company plans to launch Creative Studios first in Los Angeles and Beijing where it will work with local organizations to connect youth from the marginalized communities with mentors and artists. The project will then be replicated in Bangkok, London, Chicago and Washington D.C in the later half of the year. At the Today at Apple Creative Studios, young people with interest in areas like music, film, photography, art and design can get full access to complete artistic education. Spread over a period of 8-12 weeks, the designated mentors will offer the youth important sessions, industry secrets and nurture their creative expressions and talent. All this will be done in partnership with Apple and other members and on completion of the programme, Apple will display the participants final works at their local Apple store. Commenting on the Creative Studios concept, Deirdre O'Brien, Senior Vice President, Retail + People, said, 'Creativity and access to education are core values for Apple, so we are absolutely thrilled to kick off Today at Apple Creative Studios in Los Angeles and Beijing and to bring this meaningful program to several more cities this year. Building on our long history of using stores as a venue to host local artists to educate and inspire, Creative Studios is one more way we're providing free arts education to those who need it most. 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.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures settled lower on Tuesday, weighed down by speculation that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies will likely agree to increase crude production. Profit taking by traders after crude oil prices rose to their highest level since 2018 contributed as well to the weak close of the commodity. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for July ended down $0.60 or about 0.8% at $73.06 a barrel on the expiration day. WTI Crude oil futures for August, the new front-month contract, ended down $0.27 or 0.4% at $72.85 a barrel. Oil prices rose in recent sessions on hopes of economic revival and expected pick-up in summer travel on the back of increasing vaccination coverage. Meanwhile, expectations for an early return of Iranian crude faded after Ebrahim Raisi, an ultraconservative cleric who's generally hostile toward the West, emerged as the winner of June 18 elections. He's due to take over from Rouhani in mid-August. BofA Global Research raised its Brent crude price forecasts for this year and next, saying the global oil market will continue to be undersupplied. Goldman Sachs is expecting firmer oil prices moving forward. On the supply front, OPEC and allies have been gradually increasing production since May as per the decision taken a few months ago. The OPEC+ is now set to meet again on July 1 to take stock of the situation, and it is being speculated that the group will consider hiking production further. Traders now await weekly oil reports from the American Petroleum Institute (API) and Energy Information Administration (EIA). The API's report is due later today, while the EIA's inventory data is due out Wednesday morning. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Pancontinental Resources Corporation (TSXV: PUC) ("Pancon" or the "Company") announced that, further to its press release of June 10, 2021, it has settled an aggregate of $103,000 of indebtedness owed to certain non-arm's length creditors of the Company through the issuance of an aggregate of 515,000 common shares ("Common Shares") of the Company at a deemed price of $0.20 per Common Share (the "Debt Settlement"). All securities issued in connection with the Debt Settlement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

The Debt Settlement constitutes a "related party transaction" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), as insiders of the Company were issued an aggregate of 515,000 Common Shares. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the Company is not listed on a specified market and the fair market value of the Common Shares issued to the insiders in connection with the Debt Settlement does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. A material change report will be filed not less than 21 days before the closing date of the Debt Settlement. This shorter period was reasonable and necessary in the circumstances, as it was necessary for the Company to complete the Debt Settlement to immediately improve the financial position of the Company.

About Pancon

Pancon is a Canadian junior mining company focused on exploring the prolific and underexplored Carolina Slate Belt in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, USA. In January 2020, Pancon won the exclusive right to explore the former Brewer Gold Mine property. Between 1987-1995, Brewer produced 178,000 ounces of oxide gold from open pits that extended to 65-meter depths, where copper and gold-rich sulphides were exposed but could not be processed by the oxide heap leach processing facility (Zwaschka, M. and Scheetz J.W., 1995, Detailed Mine Geology of the Brewer Gold Mine, Jefferson, South Carolina, Society of Economic Geologists). Brewer hasn't been explored since 1997, and most of the tools used previously to explore the property have since been updated with more advanced technologies. Brewer is a high sulphidation system driven by a sub-volcanic intrusive and possibly connected to a large copper-gold porphyry system at depth, as indicated by: widely known prospective geology, including diatreme breccias; associated high sulphidation alteration; gold and copper mineralization; and geophysics (Schmidt, R.G., 1978, The Potential for Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Deposits in the Eastern United States, U.S. Geological Survey). Pancon's 100%-owned, 1,500-acre Jefferson Gold Project nearly completely surrounds the 1,000-acre former Brewer Gold Mine property, and both Jefferson and Brewer are located 12 kilometers northeast along trend from the producing Haile Gold Mine, which produced 137,413 ounces of gold in 2020 (https://oceanagold.com/operation/haile/).

For further information, please contact:

Layton Croft, President & CEO or Jeanny So, Manager, External Relations

E: info@panconresources.com

T: +1.647.202.0994

For additional information please visit our new website at www.panconresources.com and our Twitter feed: @PanconResources.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking 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 Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88301
SEATTLE / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / AGA Finance , mining-backed yield farming protocol, is auctioning a green NFT, along with 1 WBTC mined net-zero, to celebrate strides in its CarbonNeutral initiative. AGA has collaborated with Seattle artist Electric Coffin and curation portal Phosphene to bring the regenerative NFT to life. A regenerative NFT powered by a regenerative miner, AGA hopes to reverse the effects of mining across the small-mid cap industry.

As part of tangible leaps toward its 2025 sustainability plans, AGA's mining operation is not only challenging the industry standard itself, recently securing net-zero CarbonNeutral accreditation, but is also developing a standard by which small-medium cap miners can become net-zero.

"We're serious about our role as custodians of the planet and giving eco-conscious investors a way to earn a passive income. CarbonNeutral certification of our bitcoin and liquidity mining is just one part of the mission. Our vision to develop a standard so small-medium cap miners can be recognized as net-zero carbon ensures a sustainable future across the industry," said Tomasz Wojewoda, AGA CEO.

How carbon neutrality is baked into AGA Finance

Accreditation Each Bitcoin AGA mine will now be net-zero CarbonNeutral accredited by Natural Capital Partners using a combination of clean energy and carbon removals to offset their remaining footprint.

New AGAc-AGAcr tokens ( explainer here ) AGAc-AGAcr will build a pool of capital for renewable energy funding. Funds will be used to build a renewable infrastructure to house others' mining operations. This renewable infrastructure will also be utilized in the migration of both existing and new AGA miners as AGA works towards a 100% renewable energy goal. Presently, a portion of the pool will be used to purchase carbon removal assets to offset currently unavoidable carbon emissions for both AGA and other miners as AGA builds the infrastructure to transition itself and others to 100% renewable energy sources.

( ) 2025 mission AGA mining operations are conducted at significantly lower environmental costs compared to the rest of the open market, with the goal of eliminating all carbon and removing the need for carbon removals by 2025.



AGA's very first CarbonNeutral wrapped bitcoin is included with the auction

To celebrate, AGA is giving away its first net-zero WBTC (valued at $34,513 at time of publishing) with the (1/1) Electric Coffin NFT auction, minted net-zero carbon.

View the NFT here .

"We used the laser eyes of the polar bear as an endorsement of mining bitcoin to challenge the polarizing views that crypto is net-bad for the environment. We took inspiration from Ecuador's geothermal news to signify the explosive and regenerative change we're seeing within the space closer to home as we look up at Mount Rainer and all the promising NFT projects we're involved in," said Duffy De Armas, Electric Coffin.

"Electric Coffin's NFT packs a punch viscerally, with purpose, and does it with a smile. We wanted to work with partners equally passionate about pushing crypto's sustainability conversation forward. We want to push the boundaries of sustainable mining and what better way to do that through a regenerative NFT and token working towards carbon neutrality," said Sarah May, CMO, AGA Finance.

Save the date

The auction goes live on Foundation June 24 and is live for just 24 hours. Minted and auctioned net-zero, complete with 1 WBTC giveaway, mined net-zero CarbonNeutral .

All emissions from this sale and the 1 WBTC mined has been offset by credits purchased by AGA Finance.

Follow along on Twitter for live auction updates.

For press enquiries, contact sarah@aga.finance.

View NFT video and NFT image .

About AGA

AGA is a Mining Backed, High APY - DeFi, Governance Token with monthly rewards supported by Bitcoin and Liquidity mining. Tokens earn monthly rewards and are used for governance. Proceeds from sale of AGA Tokens are invested into mining equipment and liquidity. Profits from mining are used to fund monthly rewards and buy back AGA tokens.

About Electric Coffin

Electric Coffin is a Seattle-based collaborative artist group exploring the intersection of art and commerce. Electric Coffin's work is a combination of irreverent mashups of advertising ephemera, kitschy slogans, logos and copy, animal mascots, and punk color sensibilities that, rather than just being the usual sledgehammer statement about the modern world's slavish devotion to consumer-driven lifestyles and weird nostalgia for items aggressively marketed to us in our youth, surreptitiously turns it all around on its head to use empty ad drivel to speak to genuine explorations of the questing spirituality of humanity.

About Phosphene

Phosphene is a curated portal offering regenerative NFTs. Phosphene curates artwork from mid-career and impact-oriented artists and musicians and sells them on relevant NFT marketplaces. Phosphene believes that there is a real market to serve collectors who share the same impact values and want to collect unique artworks by recognized artists.





Related Images





SOURCE: AGA Finance

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652733/AGA-Finance-Launches-a-Carbon-Neutral-Token-and-NFT-With-1-WBTC-Giveaway
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - June 22, 2021) - Excelsior Mining Corp. (TSX: MIN) (FSE: 3XS) (OTCQX: EXMGF) ("Excelsior" or the "Company") announces that President & CEO, Stephen Twyerould, will present at the Copper Up virtual conference hosted by PI Financial Corp on Thursday, June 24th at 1pm (Pacific Time). Those wishing to participate in the webinar can do so by registering here.

Topics to be covered during the presentation will include:

Operations Update.

Confirmation of improving fluid flow rates as per the on-going wellfield optimization program.

Discussion of the Gunnison Project's environmental attributes as they relate to ESG.

About Excelsior Mining

Excelsior "The Copper Solution Company" is a mineral exploration and production company that owns and operates the Gunnison Copper Project in Cochise County, Arizona. The project is a low cost, environmentally friendly in-situ recovery copper extraction project that is permitted to 125 million pounds per year of copper cathode production. The Feasibility Study projected an after-tax NPV of US$ 807 million and an IRR of 40% using a US$ 2.75 per pound copper price and a 7.5% discount rate.

Excelsior's technical work on the Gunnison Copper Project is supervised by Stephen Twyerould, Fellow of AUSIMM, President & CEO of Excelsior and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Twyerould has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

Additional information about the Gunnison Copper Project can be found in the technical report filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com entitled: "Gunnison Copper Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Feasibility Study" dated effective December 17, 2016.

For more information on Excelsior, please visit our website at www.excelsiormining.com.

For further information regarding this press release, please contact:

Excelsior Mining Corp.

Concord Place, Suite 300, 2999 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85018.

JJ Jennex, Vice President, Corporate Affairs

T: 604 723 1433

E: info@excelsiormining.com

www.excelsiormining.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" concerning anticipated developments and events that may occur in the future. Forward-looking information contained in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the results of the Feasibility Study, including operating and capital cost estimates and the economic benefits from the Gunnison Copper Project; (ii) the details of the operations plan; (iii) the timeline to a 25 million pound per annum production rate; and (iv) expectations for the resolution of carbon dioxide issues and increased flow rates.

In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, expectations and anticipated impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, copper and other metal prices, the timing and amount of future development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs (including the price of acid), the availability of labour, material and acid supply, receipt of and compliance with necessary regulatory approvals, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the construction of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined including the possibility that mining operations may not be sustained at the Gunnison Copper Project, risks relating to variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates, risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to changes in copper and other commodity prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of copper and related products, risks related to increased competition in the market for copper and related products, risks related to current global financial conditions, risks related to current global financial conditions and the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources, access and supply risks, risks related to the ability to access acid supply on commercially reasonable terms, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of mining activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes, increases in capital and operating costs and the risk of delays or increased costs that might be encountered during the construction process, regulatory risks, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interests, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88345
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V and ASX: EMN; OTCQX: EUMNF) (the "Company" or "EMN"), announces that it has granted stock options to certain employees to purchase up to an aggregate of 500,000 common shares of the Company. The stock options are exercisable for a term of ten years at an exercise price of $0.59 per common share. The options will vest one-third on the date of grant, and one-third on each of the first and second anniversaries of the date of grant.



The Company also announces the cancellation of 484,669 unvested stock options held by former employees, directors and consultants of the Company.

About Euro Manganese:

Euro Manganese Inc. is a battery materials company whose principal focus is advancing the development of the Chvaletice Manganese Project, in which it holds a 100% interest. The proposed Project entails re-processing a significant manganese deposit hosted in mine tailings from a decommissioned mine, strategically located in the Czech Republic. The Company's goal is to become a leading, competitive and environmentally superior primary producer of ultra-high-purity Manganese Products in the heart of Europe, serving the lithium-ion battery industry, as well as other high-technology applications.

This announcement was authorized for release by the CEO of Euro Manganese Inc.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), or the ASX accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact: Euro Manganese Inc. Marco A. Romero Fausto Taddei President & CEO Vice President, Corporate Development +1 (604)-681-1010 ext. 101 & Corporate Secretary +1 (604)-681-1010 ext. 105 Media inquiries: Ron Shewchuk Director of Communications +1 604-781-2199

E-mail: info@mn25.ca

Website: www.mn25.ca

Company Address:

#709 -700 West Pender St., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6C 1G8




Commerce Ventures, a San Francisco, Calif.-based venture capital firm focused on innovations across the retail and financial services ecosystems, closed its fourth fund, at over $150m in committed capital.

The funds investors also include more than 10 current and former public company CEOs and dozens of senior executives and entrepreneurs from across the firms industry. In addition to these investors, 25 of Commerce Ventures portfolio company leaders invested in this vehicle.

Founded in 2013, Commerce Ventures has established itself as a sector-focused investor in platforms and enablers who are helping incumbents as well as challengers redefine retail and financial services. The firm has invested in over 80 companies since inception, including FinTech platforms such as Bill.com, Forter, Marqeta, MX and Socure and RetailTech companies including leaders in frictionless checkout (Grabango), reCommerce (Trove), post-purchase (Narvar) and embedded insurance (Mulberry).

With the additional capital, Commerce Ventures will continue to back companies that are transforming how consumers Shop (Retail Tech), Spend (Payment Tech), Save (Banking/Investing Tech), and Secure (Insurance Tech) their assets  collectively referred to as the Commerce Continuum. The firm deploys its investment strategy, investing initially as a non-lead participant in early stage rounds, and then opening its network of strategic individuals and corporate partners to help each company portfolio grow, recruit, and consider strategic options.

FinSMEs

22/06/2021
GI Partners, a San Francisco, CA-based private investment firm, closed its private equity fund, GI Partners Fund VI, at $3.9 billion.

GI Partners Fund VIs diverse investor base represents 15 countries and includes sovereign wealth funds, pensions, financial institutions, investment management firms, and family offices.

The fund continues the firms focus on control-oriented investments in North American companies with solid downside protection and substantial growth potential across four key sectors: Healthcare, IT Infrastructure, Services, and Software.

GI Partners Fund VI was activated in November of 2020 with the acquisition of Valet Living, the largest nationally recognized, full-service amenities provider to the multifamily housing industry, and was followed in April of this year by the acquisition of Aras, a product lifecycle management software provider for companies in the automotive, aerospace & defense, high tech, industrial, and other end markets. In the past six months, GI Partners completed the sale of portfolio companies MRI Software, Consilio, and Logibec.

The Private Equity group, consisting of over 35 investment professionals, is led by Managing Directors Hoon Cho and Travis Pearson, who were promoted to Co-Heads of Private Equity in 2020.

FinSMEs

22/06/2021
Twelve universities across the UK have teamed up to launch Impact 12, a multi-million-pound impact investment fund.

Developed by Social Investment Scotland (SIS), an impact investor and responsible finance provider based in Edinburgh, in partnership with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Northampton, Coventry and eight universities comprising the MICRA Project (Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Keele, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham and Warwick), the fund will support mission-led university social ventures motivated by beneficial social or environmental impact, rather than solely by profit.

Impact 12 aims to accelerate the development and success of impact-led social ventures spun out of universities. It will support social ventures with innovative finance tailored to their needs, including equity investment and debt. The fund will launch later this year with an initial fundraising target of 8m. The capital raised will be deployed to support up to fifteen social ventures from across the partner universities, with both seed and follow-on funding over the next ten years.

Impact 12 will be managed by SIS Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIS, which provides the tools and investment required to help early-stage mission-driven businesses grow and deliver social impact at scale. SIS Ventures will shortly be recruiting a dedicated Impact 12 Senior Investment Manager whose initial focus will be fundraising.

FinSMEs

22/06/2021
Oyster, a London, UK- and San Francisco, CA-based provider of a human resources platform, raised a $50m Series B funding round.

The round was led by Stripes with participation from existing investors Emergence Capital and The Slack Fund and with the addition of Avid Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its HR platform to more countries around the world.

Founded in Jan 2020 by Tony Jamous and Jack Mardack, Oyster is an HR platform for globally distributed companies. It enables growing companies to hire anywhere in the world with compliant payroll and local benefits and perks.

Revenue increased by 8X since the beginning of 2021, from a growing number of Distributed HR offerings, including multiple modes of employment (for both Contractors and Full-Time Employees), and an assortment of Benefits catering to the special needs of distributed teams. Oyster has also expanded its country coverage to 91 countries which account for more than 95% of the employable knowledge workers of the world. Those countries include India, Egypt, Peru, the Philippines, Lebanon, Thailand, Nigeria among others from the developing world.

FinSMEs

22/06/2021
Primer, a San Francisco, CA-based Natural Language Processing (NLP) company, closed a $110M Series C funding round.

The round was led by Lee Fixels Addition with participation from Steadfast, Sands Capital, and Hank Crumpton, former Ambassador-at-Large and US Coordinator for Counterterrorism and existing investors Lux Capital, DCVC, Amplify Partners and more.

The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations, stepping up recruiting efforts both in the US and globally, and its business reach. Starting with new offices in London and Singapore, the company is set to expand its presence across Europe and Asia.

Led by Sean Gourley, CEO & Founder, Primer provides an industrial-grade NLP platform that enables organizations to create structure and pull insights from vast amounts of data to support fast decision-making.

The company will build on the recent commercial release of Primer Automate, a no-code solution for users to build and train their own NLP models on their data. Automate offers a number of NLP Engines straight off-the-shelf. Primer Analyze offers access to intelligence through a scalable, self-curating knowledge base that can analyze billions of documents in seconds. This capability allows analysts to search through large-scale document caches and databases to extract the information that matters the most.

The NLP technology, which can read and write in English, Russian, Chinese and Arabic, is deployed by some of the worlds largest government agencies, financial institutions, and Fortune 50 companies.

The company also announced an integration with Microsoft Corporation to make Primer natively available within Microsoft Azure, as well as a partnership with Palantir Technologies, Inc. to make it available within the Palantir platform to deploy operational AI to US Government missions.

FinSMEs

22/06/2021
Securitize, Inc., a Miami, FL-based digital asset securities company, raised $48m in Series B funding.

The round was co-led by Blockchain Capital and investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Tactical Value, which were joined by new investors Ava Labs, IDC Ventures, Migration Capital, NTT Data and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and existing investors Blockchain Ventures, Borderless Capital, Global Brain, Mouro Capital, Ripio, Ripple and SPiCE VC.

Participants in this Series B roundas well as previous and existing investorswill receive their shares in the form of digital asset securities issued by Securitizes platform.

Founded in 2017, Securitize is a digital asset securities company providing a solution leveraging the blockchain to allow companies to compliantly raise capital and enable individual investors to participate. Securitize has leveraged its digital platform to support more than 150 brands and 300,000 investors.

The company will add Pedro Teixeira, Co-Head of Morgan Stanley Tactical Value, to its Board of Directors, where he will join Securitize co-founder and CEO Carlos Domingo, Securitize co-founder and President Jamie Finn, SPiCE VC co-founder and Managing Partner Tal Elyashiv, and Blockchain Capital co-founder and Managing Partner Brad Stephens.

FinSMEs

22/06/2021
Transmit Security, a Tel Aviv, Israel- and Boston, MA-based Identity Experience company, raised $543m in Series A funding, bringing the companys pre-money valuation to $2.2 billion.

The round was led by Insight Partners and General Atlantic, with participation from Cyberstarts, Geodesic, SYN Ventures, Vintage, and Artisanal Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to increase its reach and expand its primary business functions, investing in key global areas in order to grow the organization.

Led by CEO and Co-Founder Mickey Boodaei, and President and Co-Founder Rakesh Loonkar, Transmit Security uses biometric authentication to provide a natively passwordless identity and risk management solution to large brands. From onboarding to authentication to smart authorization for both customers and workforce across every channel, the technology reduces all forms of identity attrition and saves enterprises costs. Customers include six of the seven largest financial institutions in the U.S, two of the largest merchants in the U.S., and many financial organizations, merchants and online service providers in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

FinSMEs

22/06/2021
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iQOO launched the iQOO 3 in India last year, and the iQOO 7 series earlier this year. The most recent iQOO Z3 5G brings 5G and Indias first Snapdragon 768G SoC in an affordable price tag. It also has extended RAM, 55W fast charging and more features that you rarely see in smartphones in this price range. The specifications looks great on paper. Let us dive into the review to find out what the device has to offer.

Box Contents

iQOO Z3 5G 8GB + 256GB version in Cyber Blue colour

Clear Silicon case

USB Type-C Cable

55W Super FlashCharge wall adapter

SIM ejector tool

Quick start guide and Warranty information

Display, Hardware and Design

Starting with the display, the iQOO Z3 features a 6.58-inch Full HD+ LCD sceen with a pixel resolution of 2408  1080 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio 2.5D curved glass screen with gentle rounded corners and a pixel density of about 401 PPI. The display is bright, offers good colour output since it has 96% NTSC Colour Gamut and DCI-P3 colour gamut and the sunlight legibility is good as well. Since this has an LCD screen, you dont have to worry about the low brightness tint issue that is being faced by most smartphones.

The main highlight of the display is its 120Hz display refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate, which when enabled offers a buttery smooth user experience, especially when you are scrolling through the UI and when gaming. You can also set it to 90Hz refresh rate. When you set it to smart switch, it can switch to high refresh rate automatically depending on the content, thus saving the battery. It also has HDR 10 support, which works for YouTube. The phone comes with Panda glass protection.

Under the display options, there are different options to adjust colours based on your preference. There is also an eye protection mode that lets you reduce the displays blue light emission, so it doesnt cause eye strain when you are reading at night. There is Dark mode, similar to other iQOO phones, and you can even schedule it.

The phone has dynamic effects option that includes ambient light effect that lets you enable animation effect when you receive notifications. This makes up for the lack of always-on-display. You can also disable or change animation for charging, screen on/off and more.

The phone has a water drop style notch that houses a 16-megapixel camera, which doesnt disturb when watching videos since it occupies a small space. Above the display there is an earpiece on the top edge. The phone also has the usual set of proximity and ambient light sensors, as well as a gyroscope and a magnetic sensor, otherwise known as a magnetometer.

Coming to button placements and ports, the phone has a fingerprint sensor on the right side embedded into the home button. Above that there is a volume rocker. On the top there is a hybrid SIM slot that takes two nano SIM cards or a nano SIM and a microSD card up to 1TB. There is also a secondary microphone on the top. The bottom part has a 3.5mm audio jack, secondary microphone, USB Type-C port and a speaker grill.

Even though the phone has a large screen, it is easy to hold since it is 75.3mm wide. It weighs 185.5 grams and is 8.5mm thick, making it thinner and lighter than the predecessor. The Cyber Blue colour variant has an innovative curtain coated matte plating process that delivers delicate touch and diffused soft light. The red and blue contrasting design shows a changing rainbow of light and shadow on the surface, like the neon lights of Cyber City, bright and full of dynamics. Even though the phone has a plastic finish, the phone feels solid to hold. You can use the bundled clear protective case to prevent it getting scratch.

The phone also comes in Ace Black colour that uses an innovative silver surface ion plating process presents a brighter black with more depth, as vast as deep space. The unique deep light of the texture makes the classic black more glossy.

Camera

The phone packs a 64-megapixel primary rear camera with ISOCELL GW3 1/1.97 sensor, 0.7m pixel size, f/1.79 aperture, EIS along with a secondary 8-megapixel 120 ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 2-megapixel macro sensor with 1.75m pixel size and f/2.4 aperture. There is also a 16-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture.

The camera UI is familiar with other iQOO smartphones running Funtouch OS 11. On the top there are toggles for flash, HDR, AI, Macro, Framing lines, Countdown, Frame and settings. You can switch between ultra-wide (0.6x), 1x and 2x options. There are also options for filter and light effect. On the bottom, you can switch from photo to night mode, portrait, video and the more option offers 64MP mode, Panorama, Live photo, Slo-mo (1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps), time-lapse, AR stickers, Doc and Pro mode that lets you shoot in RAW, adjust white balance, focus, shutter speed (1/12000s to 32 seconds), ISO (50 to 3200) and option to select main and ultra-wide cameras. The company has enabled Cam2API by default, so you can side-load ported Google Camera APKs for advanced editing, including RAW capture.

Coming to the image quality, daylight shots came out well with good dynamic range, thanks to quad-pixel technology that gives you get 12MP output. HDR shots are better with improved dynamic range, and it is recommended to enable auto HDR. Wide-angle shots from the 8MP camera is good, and the portrait shots have decent edge detection even without a dedicated sensor. 2MP macro camera is decent for capturing images as close as 4cm, but using 2x mode in the main camera offers better results.

Low-light shots are good, and the super night mode makes it better , while specialised night filters make the images look artistic. Images with flash are good, and the flash is not overpowering. Daylight front camera shots from the 16-megapixel front camera is good, and the portrait shots have decent edge detection even though it is done using software.

It can record videos at 4k resolution at 60 fps that you rarely see in phones in the price range. Another main highlight in the camera is the EFB autofocus tracking the tracks a subject taking up the biggest proportion of the frame. You can tap to change subject. The tracking is continuous. It can also track face when eyes cannot be tracked, and then track human bodies when faces cannot be tracked.

Check out the camera samples (Click the image to view the full resolution sample.).

Software, UI and Apps

The Funtouch OS experience has been imrpoving. With its FunTouch OS 11 based on Android 11 offers several customization options. System-level dark mode, the ability to change the systems icons and colour scheme, Android 11 gestures, and a lot of animation effects choices for various aspects of the system. It has May Android security patch.

For serious gamers, there is a feature in FunTouch OS 11 called Ultra Game Mode, which contains loads of settings that can improve the gaming experience. Notifications and incoming calls can be muted, the SoC can be set to the max performance and accidental touches can be prevented. Additional features include S-Capture, Smart split, Smart motion, Quick action, Easy touch, One-handed mode and more.

Even though there are pre-installed apps, they can be uninstalled. Also, with the pre-installed apps are two app store alternatives to the Google Play Store, namely the V-AppStore and Game Center, of which the latter is an app store purely for gamers.

Out of 8GB LPDDR4x RAM, you get 8.4GB of usable RAM, and about 3GB of RAM is free when default apps are running in the background. Out of 256GB, you get about 226GB of free storage. It has UFS 2.2 storage, and we got sequential read speeds of about 983MB/s.

Fingerprint sensor

The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that unlocks the phone quickly. You can add up to 5 fingerprints. You can also use the fingerprint for app local and payments in apps. The phone also has face unlock.

Music Player and Multimedia

The default Music Player also has equalizer and DeepField sound effects. It doesnt have FM Radio support. Audio through the speaker is quite loud and clear. Since the speaker is present on the bottom, audio doesnt get muffled when the phone is on a flat surface. Audio through bundled earphones is good as well. This has Widevine L1 so that you can play HD content on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and other streaming apps.

Dual SIM and Connectivity

The iQOO Z3 5G comes with X52 5G modem and has support for two (N77 and N78 ) 5G Network Bands in India. It has 4G VoLTE with support for Carrier Aggregation on 4G, so you can see 4G+ symbol when its enabled automatically. Other connectivity options include Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, VoWiFi / Wi-Fi calling support, Bluetooth 5.1 LE and GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO. Moving on, the call quality is good, and we did not face any call drops and the earpiece volume was loud.

The iQOO Z3 5Gs body SAR is 0.75W/Kg and the head SAR is at 0.94W/Kg, which is well under the limit in India which is 1.6 W/kg (over 1 g).

Performance and Benchmarks

The iQOO Z3 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 768G SoC, making it the Indias first smartphone to use the chip. The SoC is built on Samsungs 7nm process node, and it has 1 Kryo 475 Prime CPU clocked at 2.8GHz compared to 2.4GHz in the 765G, so the CPU performance is increased by 15%. It has 1 Kryo 475 Performance CPU clocked at 2.2GHz and 6 Kryo 475 Efficiency CPUs clocked at up to 1.80GHz, same as the 765G.

The Adreno 620 offers a smooth gaming performance even in graphic intensive games, and the phone doesnt get too hot even during long hours of gaming, thanks to five-layer liquid cooling system that uses Super Liquid Cooling Pipe, 5814mm graphite layer, high thermal copper foil, thermal gel and has 6 temperature sensors to reduce the temperature of the phone by 10 C.

As expected, the smartphone is great for day-to-day use. Navigating the system was smooth and animations throughout the UI had no hitches. Apps open more or less quickly, and they stay open in RAM for a reasonable amount of time. With the Extended RAM technology, it can extend a part of the memory to be used as an extra RAM. With added 3GB RAM (1GB in 6GB RAM version), the performance of an 8GB RAM is equivalent to that of a 11GB RAM. User experience is greatly improved in multi-application scenarios. Improve apps hot start rate for faster start speed.

Check out the synthetic benchmark scores which places the iQOO Z3 on top beating the Snapdragon 750G and Dimensity 800U powered 5G phones, as well are other 4G phones in the price range.

Battery life

Coming to the battery life, the phone packs a 4400mAh (typical) built-in battery, same as the iQOO 7 5G. It lasts for a whole day even with heavy use with 4G enabled and multimedia use, and more than that with average use. I got close to 6 hours of screen on time. Since the phone has support for 55W Flash charge fast charging, it takes just 55 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%, and 0 to 50% takes just 19 minutes using the bundled charger.

Conclusion

To sum up, the iQOO Z3 5G ticks all the boxes with a powerful Snapdragon 768G 5G SoC offering a smooth performance and lag-free gaming experience coupled with five-layer liquid cooling system and a 120Hz high refresh rate screen and 55W fast charging making it a compelling buy in the price segment right now. It also has built-in 5G support making it future-proof. For the price, the iQOO Z3 is a great deal for those who are looking for a phone that ticks all the boxes under Rs. 20,000.

Pricing and availability

Priced starting at Rs. 19,990 for the base 6GB RAM with 128GB storage version, it goes up to Rs. 22,990 for the 8GB RAM with 256GB storage version. The phone is already on sale on Amazon.in and iQOO.com. With the Flat Rs. 1500 off on SBI Credit cards, the effective price of the phone is Rs. 18,490, which is good deal. Additionally, it also offers no cost EMI up to 6 months and 100% refund on when you return the phone within 7 days.

Pros

120Hz HDR display is good

Good camera performance in daylight

Smooth performance

Good battery life with 55W fast charging

Cons

Some prefer a punch-hole display

Low-light camera performance could be better
Lately, Samsung has started providing 25W fast charging on many of its mid-range smartphones. On similar lines, another upcoming Samsung Galaxy smartphone with support for 25W fast charging is expected to be announced soon as it has received FCC certification.

The FCC documentation reveals that the Galaxy M22 4G will carry the model number SM-225FV and will support 25W fast charging. Further, it will be a Dual-SIM phone with support for various LTE bands, Dual Band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), NFC, Bluetooth 5.0.

Galaxy M22 4G surfaced on Geekbench last month and is expected to be powered by a MediaTek Helio G80 processor paired with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB internal storage. Other expected specifications include a 90Hz Super AMOLED display, 48MP rear camera (primary), 13MP front-facing camera, 6000mAh battery, and Android 11.

It is expected to come in Black, Blue and White colours and is expected to launch in Europe soon. We can also expect the phone to launch in India as well.

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Roger Eddy is a retired member of the Illinois House, serving the 109th Legislative District from 2003 to 2012 and serving on the Special Investigative Committee on the impeachment of Rod Blagojevich.
Pictured is a sign at the edge of Harvest Green, a master-planned community in Houston. Residents of Harvest Green are served by MUD 134E. Jason Kirby, a board member of the MUD, led the opposition to a proposal by Agmenity to annex a 288 acre plot of land near Harlem Road and would have added an additional $40 million tax burden to residents. The proposal was rejected in a Dec. 16 board meeting. (Photo by Stefan Modrich)
Acqua Di Pino: A Tribute To Pino Silvestre Heritage

New Fragrances



A true classic of the perfumery world, PINO SILVESTRE, the fragrance made in Italy in the '50s really revolutionized the market and became a trendsetter popular even today. The fresh smell of pine needles, juniper berries, fresh basil and calming cedarwood in the iconic flacon designed in the shape of a pine cone in green glass is a true classic appreciated worldwide for its unique image and its ability to express the true essence of nature.

Pino Silvestre Original from 1955 has had many flankers, as well as modern compilations of three fragrances launched in 2014 as the True Essence Of Wood collection (Oud Absolute, Rainforest, Underwood ), and the Collection Selection (Deep Charisma, Modern Dandy, Perfect Gentleman) launched in 2018. Now, the next step from Mavive is to offer the ACQUA DI PINO concept as a real tribute to its Pino Silvestre heritage by focusing on the iconic elements which make it so popular.

The bottles are redesigned and very beautiful. As the brand explains, "The ACQUA DI PINO concept takes inspiration from Pino Silvestre's main features of nature, freshness, virility. ACQUA DI PINO is a collection of fragrances, initially a FOUGERE (eau de toilette) and a COLOGNE (eau de cologne concentree), and in the future it will be widened by other olfactive proposals targeting a male consumer, but not only. "Acqua di Pino positioning is in line with the Pino Silvestre brand image and experience, very affordable considering the olfactive quality and the packaging appeal."

Both fragrances arrive in modern flacons with clean lines and with a wood-look pinecone cap.

ACQUA DI PINO FOUGERE

Acqua di Pino Fougere is a fresh, fougere, ambery and marine fragrance composed by perfumer Nisrine Grillie.

"This fragrance is a burst of freshness: orange and lemon from sunny lands contrast the most sparkling marine notes, and adorable fir needles kissed by the sun dance with joyful pink berries. Lavandin brings the fragrance an indisputable virility and contemporary yet timeless elegance, while a wonderful geranium together with clary sage and violet leaves seduces you with a captivating smile. A crispy Annurca apple adds personality to the fragrance while the dry-down of woods and musk bewitch you with the delicate strength of an enfolding hug that remains with you forever. An intense and enveloping fragrance freshness, for a man of indisputable virility and elegance."

Top notes: Brazilian orange, Italian lemon, marine notes, Siberian fir needles, pink pepper

Middle notes: lavandin abrialis, clary sage absolute, violet leaves, geranium from Egypt, Annurca apple

Base notes: dry amber, Atlas cedarwood, Haitian vetiver, Indonesian patchouli, musk

ACQUA DI PINO COLOGNE

Acqua di Pino Cologne is a sparkling, citrusy, green and ginger fragrance composed by perfumer Luca Maffei.

"This Eau de Cologne concentree opens up with sparkling notes of bergamot, orange and lemon, paired with the aromatic nuances of rosemary. In the heart, ginger and sage are hugged by a veil of smooth and soft iris. On the bottom, an elegant cedarwood accord is rounded by the musk note."

Top notes: Calabrian bergamot, orange, lemon, rosemary

Heart notes: ginger, sage, green accords, iris

Base notes: cedarwood, musk

Both fragrances arrive in modern flacons with clean lines and with wood-look pinecone caps. Acqua di Pino Fougere is available as a 125ml Eau de Toilette, while the Acqua di Pino Cologne is available as 125ml Eau de Cologne Concentree.
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A team from the Royal Canadian Navy came out on top in the Defense Department's an




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Catherine Stroud, from left, Abe DeAnda and Liz Turner, all with SMART Family Literacy, pose for a photo with Leonard Woolsey, president of Southern Newspapers Inc. and publisher of The Daily News, and Yvonne Mascorro, circulation and audience director for The Daily News, on Monday, June 21, 2021, after receiving a $10,000 gift from The Daily News and the Carmage and Martha Ann Walls Foundation.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 81F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 81F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Get behind the wheel of an iconic muscle car and travel through the mythical American West. Participate in illegal street races. Escape from the police. Or just enjoy a drive through beautiful plains and curvy mountain roads. Heading Out is a game for everyone who yearns for freedom, space and speed.



Thanks to its rouge-like-ish structure, individual runs in Heading Out will be radically different every time. It is up to the player to decide their destination and the route they will take. During the journey they have to pay attention to the car's condition, money, gas level and the police whos on their tail. The player may encounter more than 100 unique events presented in the form of short comics. Almost every one of them concludes with a meaningful choice  its consequences will impact the rest of the journey. Will you share fuel with a stranger? Will you call your old friend? Or maybe get into a fight with stoned hippies?

A character creator in the form of a psychological test will allow the player to create their perfect driver. What are you most afraid of? What are your dreams? Are you close with your family? Radio hosts following the main character's journey will learn more about the driver over time and comment on both their actions and past.
In a move with possible statewide implications, the House on Monday voted to fast-track a Bend affordable housing plan by allowing the city to skip much of the time-consuming land use approval process in state law.

House Bill 3318 was approved 42-16. By the afternoon, the bill had been sent to the Senate Rules Committee. No hearing date has been set as yet.

With the Legislature expected to adjourn by Friday, the bill would need to move extraordinarily swiftly to a vote that would send it to Gov. Kate Brown.

"The fact that it is already in Senate Rules has to make me think it is being seriously considered," said Erik Kancler, lobbyist for the City of Bend. "It is late, but it has a chance."

HB 3318 would allow Bend to bring a 260-acre parcel near Stevens Road into its urban growth boundary to be developed as up to 800 units of affordable housing. The other half of the large parcel of land, roughly 380 acres, is already within the boundary and was sold by the Department of State Lands to a developer. The tract sits east of SE 27th Street.

The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Jason Knopf, D-Bend, and Rep. Jack Zika, R-Redmond. They argued on Monday that state action was necessary to alleviate an affordable housing crisis.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Gettysburg, PA (17325)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly clear. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

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A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly clear. Low near 60F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
NEW YORK, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Ubiquiti Inc. (NYSE: UI) between January 11, 2021 and March 30, 2021, inclusive (the Class Period), of the important July 19, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline.



SO WHAT: If you purchased Ubiquiti securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Ubiquiti class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2069.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 19, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience or resources. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Ubiquiti had downplayed the data breach in January 2021; (2) the attackers had obtained administrative access to Ubiquitis servers and obtained access to, among other things, all databases, all user database credentials, and secrets required to forge single sign-on (SSO) cookies; (3) as a result, intruders already had credentials needed to remotely access Ubiquitis customers systems; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants positive statements about Ubiquitis business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Ubiquiti class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2069.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

lrosen@rosenlegal.com

pkim@rosenlegal.com

cases@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
SAN ANTONIO, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CloudCommerce, Inc. ( CLWD ), a technology driven provider of digital advertising solutions, today announced that SWARM, the Companys AI-driven advertising solution, reduced media costs by more than 60% for Energy in Focus, a web based platform that showcases diverse information on energy in California. Based on the first-round results, the client has committed to a second round.



Energy in Focus turned to CloudCommerce to better understand which creative initiatives would be best for their different audiences, such as b2b partners and its public advocacy audience. SWARM analyzed the top 5 previous posts from Facebook and used artificial intelligence to develop creative variations which ran on other media platforms. The result: the cost was reduced by more than 60%.

Now, CloudCommerce is under way with a second round. SWARM will perform optimization and then scale to new news sources. Also, insights gained from the campaign will be shared with the client to help identify media content that will be relevant to its various constituents.

We were very confident that we could help Energy in Focus, said Andrew Van Noy, CloudCommerce CEO. SWARM has yet to fail us or any of our clients. To date, every test or initial campaign has led to a follow-on engagement. Also, another benefit of using artificial intelligence is that SWARM learns as it goes. And, unlike the human mind, its learned knowledge is indelible.

CloudCommerce recently announced that it will change its corporate name to AiAdvertising, Inc. For more information about AiAdvertising, please visit the Companys new website at www.AiAdvertising.com.

About Energy in Focus

At Energy in Focus, providing relevant data is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that showcasing diverse information on energy in California is essential, and were passionate about providing a platform for multiple points of view. Hearing all sides of the story is the only way to make informed decisions that directly influence Californias future.

About CloudCommerce

CloudCommerce is a technology driven provider of digital advertising solutions. Our flagship solution, SWARM, analyzes a robust mix of audience data to help businesses find who to talk to, what to say to them, and how to market to them. We do this by applying advanced data science, behavioral science, artificial intelligence, and market research techniques to discover, develop and create custom audiences for highly targeted digital marketing campaigns. For more information about the Company, please visit www.CloudCommerce.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements are included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Risk Factors section of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Musk Metals Corp. (Musk Metals or the Company) (CSE: MUSK) (OTC: EMSKF) (FSE: 1I30) is pleased to announce multiple upcoming 2021 work programs on its highly prospective portfolio of 100% owned Lithium projects throughout world class mining camps in Canada.

Elon Lithium Project, Abitibi Quebec

Musk Metals 100% owned Elon Lithium project spans over 245 hectares in the La Corne and Fiedmont townships of Quebec, strategically located approximately 600 meters northeast of the Lithium Amerique du Nord (North American) project (formerly Mine Quebec Lithium), which produced over 907,000 tonnes of material, at 1.40% Li2O from 1955 to 1965 (Boily et al, 1989). The Elon lithium property has excellent infrastructure support with road network, railway, electricity, water, and trained manpower available locally with active lithium exploration and mining projects in the vicinity.

There are several historical and currently active lithium and molybdenum prospects/mines located approximately 3 km to 20 km from the property such as:

Lithium Amerique du Nord (now closed mine Quebec Lithium, which was formerly owned by RB Energy 600m to the south)

Authier Lithium (owned by Sayona Mining of Australia located 30 km west)

Valor Lithium, Duval Lithium, Lacorne Lithium, International Lithium, Vallee Lithium, and Moly Hill.



Musk Metals has started a two-phase exploration work program includes data compilation, geological mapping, trenching and sampling in Phase 1 followed by diamond drilling and metallurgical testing in Phase 2. The Company has recently completed a high-resolution heliborne magnetic survey conducted by Prospectair Geosurveys Inc. that identified magnetic anomalies in preliminary data.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

Elon Claim Map and Adjacent Properties

The survey consisted of traverse lines oriented N015 to properly map the dominant magnetic/geological strike, and with a 50m line spacing. Control lines were flown perpendicular to traverse lines and at a 500 m line spacing with a total survey distance of 205 l-km. The closely spaced flight lines and low flying high resolution magnetic survey comissioned by Musk Metals will vector future exploration efforts to those areas of high merit. Musk Metals is planning a two-phase exploration work program include the following: data compilation, geological mapping, trenching and sampling in Phase 1 followed by diamond drilling and metallurgical testing in Phase 2.

The Elon Property appear to contain the three favorable geological features for rare metal pegmatites, such as the presence of concordant stacked sills; the presence of a compressed, near vertical, syntectonic mobile zone that is the host of pegmatite intrusion; and dominantly mafic volcanics lithologies as host rocks, often with intercalated metasediments and gabbroic rocks (Pearse & al., 2016).

The circular shaped low magnetic anomaly in the central part of the Property might be associated to a felsic/intermediate intrusion (Figure 1) and could the original source of the mineralized fluids in the area. Magnetic high structures could be associated with mafic and ultramafic horizon, which appear to fit with observation by the MERN and is consistent with historic geological observations in the area. Interpreted magnetic lineaments west and south of the interpreted intrusion could be the manifestation of regional faults. These faults could have been used for the fluids to migrate from the intrusion to a flexing competent host rock (the mafic unit) to be trapped and accumulate.

The interpreted intrusion, the interpreted magnetic structures and the interpreted mafic units are good targets for a Phase 1 exploration campaigns.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

Interpretation of Elon Magnetic Survey Results

Pakeagama Lithium Project, NW Ontario



Musk Metals 100% owned Pakeagama Lithium project spans 1,490 hectares and is located in the heart of the Electric Avenue pegmatite field of northwestern Ontario and contiguous to Frontier Lithiums (FL: TSX.V) claim group and only 3km south of the PAK and SPARK lithium deposits.

Neighboring Frontier Lithium recently completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment that outlines life of project revenue of $8.52 billion over 26-year total project life, and a chemical plant producing 23,174 tonnes of battery-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH-H2O) per year. The area hosts excellent infrastructure support with road network, railway, electricity, water, and trained manpower available locally.

Musk Metals is planning a two-phase exploration work program includes data compilation, geological mapping, trenching and sampling in Phase 1 followed by diamond drilling and metallurgical testing in Phase 2. Phase 1 program is now being planned to commence summer 2021.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

Musk Pakeagama claims proximity to the PAK and Spark lithium deposits of Frontier Lithium

Musk Metals CEO and Director, Nader Vatanchi states, Musk Metals is planning 2021 work programs on both of our highly prospective lithium projects situated in active lithium camps with lithium deposits in close proximity. An in-depth interpretation of the recently completed high-resolution heliborne magnetic survey at Elon, is now underway to follow up on the multiple magnetic anomalies identified in the in preliminary data. This interpretation will focus on three favorable geological features for rare metal pegmatites and assist in identifying high priority drill targets.



Field crews are being retained for initial exploration on our Pakeagama lithium property situated next to one of North America's highest-grade, large tonnage hard-rock lithium resources in Ontarios Electric Avenue, contiguous to and only 3km south of the PAK and SPARK lithium deposits.

We anticipate an active 2021 exploration season on our lithium and our gold properties as we continue to progress forward in some of Canadas premier mining camps.

Qualified Person

Steven Lauzier, P.Geo OGQ a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the geological information provided in this news release.

Make sure to follow the Company on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as well as subscribe for Company updates at www.muskmetals.ca

About Musk Metals Corp.

Musk Metals is a publicly traded exploration company focused on the development of highly prospective, discovery-stage mineral properties located in some of Canadas top mining jurisdictions. The growing portfolio of mineral properties exhibit favorable geological characteristics in underexplored areas within the prolific Electric Avenue pegmatite field of northwestern Ontario, the Abitibi Lithium Camp of southwestern Quebec, the Golden Triangle district of British Columbia, the Mineral Rich Red Lake mining camp of Northwestern Ontario and the Chapais-Chibougamau mining camp, the second largest mining camp in Quebec, Canada.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Nader Vatanchi

CEO & Director

For more information on Musk Metals, please contact:

Phone: 604-717-6605

Corporate e-mail: info@muskmetals.ca

Website: www.muskmetals.ca

Corporate Address: 303  570 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2P1

Neither Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS (INCLUDING PUERTO RICO, THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, GUAM, AMERICAN SAMOA, WAKE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) OR TO ANY U.S. PERSON (AS DEFINED IN REGULATION S OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED) OR IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO RELEASE, PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS (IN PARTICULAR, THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED KINGDOM) MAY BE RESTRICTED BY LAW

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS (INCLUDING PUERTO RICO, THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, GUAM, AMERICAN SAMOA, WAKE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) OR TO ANY U.S. PERSON (AS DEFINED IN REGULATION S OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED) OR IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO RELEASE, PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS DOCUMENT IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS (IN PARTICULAR, THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED KINGDOM) MAY BE RESTRICTED BY LAW

SSCP Lager BidCo announces final tender results for senior secured bonds

SSCP Lager BidCo AB (publ) (SSCP) today announces the final results of its invitation dated 16 June 2021 to the holders of its 2019/2024 SEK 900,000,000 senior secured floating rate notes with ISIN SE0013358686 (the Bonds) to tender their Bonds for purchase by the SSCP for cash (the Tender Offer).

The Tender Offer was made on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in a tender information document dated 16 June 2021 (the Tender Information Document), available on the website of SSCP (www.logent.se). Capitalised terms used in this release but not defined have the meanings given to them in the Tender Information Document.

SSCP hereby announces that is has, in accordance with the process set out in the Tender Information Document, determined the Purchase Price of the tendered Bonds to 103.00% of the nominal amount of each Bonds and that the Final Acceptance Amount being accepted for tender in the Tender Offer is SEK 89,875,000.

In addition to the Purchase Price, SSCP will pay an amount equal to any accrued and unpaid interest on the relevant Bonds (in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions of the Bonds).

Settlement of the Tender Offer will occur on 28 June 2021.

Settlement of the transactions pursuant to the Tender Offer will occur as a secondary trade via Nordea Bank Abp (the Dealer Manager). All tendering Bondholders should coordinate the trade bookings with their local sales representative immediately.

SSCP further announces its intention during the upcoming months carry out open market purchases of Bonds not repurchased in the Tender Offer at a purchase price corresponding to the Purchase Price. Such purchase by SSCP will be considered on a case by case basis. Bondholders interested can reach out to their usual credit sales contact at Nordea. For the avoidance of doubt, SSCP is not under any obligation to accept any such Bonds for purchase pursuant to this announcement.

Information about the Tender Offer may be obtained from the Dealer Manager.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Dealer Manager and Tender Agent SSCP

Nordea Bank Abp SSCP Lager BidCo AB (publ)

Email: nordealiabilitymanagement@nordea.com Mats Steen, CEO Logent Group

E-mail: mats.steen@logent.se

Sara Fors, CFO Logent Group

E-mail: sara.fors@logent.se

This information is information that SSCP is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 12:45 CEST on 22 June 2021.





SSCP Lager BidCo AB (publ) (SSCP) today announces the final results of its invitation dated 16 June 2021 to the holders of its 2019/2024 SEK 900,000,000 senior secured floating rate notes with ISIN SE0013358686 (the Bonds) to tender their Bonds for purchase by the SSCP for cash (the Tender Offer).

The Tender Offer was made on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in a tender information document dated 16 June 2021 (the Tender Information Document), available on the website of SSCP (www.logent.se). Capitalised terms used in this release but not defined have the meanings given to them in the Tender Information Document.

SSCP hereby announces that is has, in accordance with the process set out in the Tender Information Document, determined the Purchase Price of the tendered Bonds to 103.00% of the nominal amount of each Bonds and that the Final Acceptance Amount being accepted for tender in the Tender Offer is SEK 89,875,000.

In addition to the Purchase Price, SSCP will pay an amount equal to any accrued and unpaid interest on the relevant Bonds (in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions of the Bonds).

Settlement of the Tender Offer will occur on 28 June 2021.

Settlement of the transactions pursuant to the Tender Offer will occur as a secondary trade via Nordea Bank Abp (the Dealer Manager). All tendering Bondholders should coordinate the trade bookings with their local sales representative immediately.

SSCP further announces its intention during the upcoming months carry out open market purchases of Bonds not repurchased in the Tender Offer at a purchase price corresponding to the Purchase Price. Such purchase by SSCP will be considered on a case by case basis. Bondholders interested can reach out to their usual credit sales contact at Nordea. For the avoidance of doubt, SSCP is not under any obligation to accept any such Bonds for purchase pursuant to this announcement.

Information about the Tender Offer may be obtained from the Dealer Manager.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Dealer Manager and Tender Agent SSCP

Nordea Bank Abp SSCP Lager BidCo AB (publ)

Email: nordealiabilitymanagement@nordea.com Mats Steen, CEO Logent Group

E-mail: mats.steen@logent.se

Sara Fors, CFO Logent Group

E-mail: sara.fors@logent.se

This information is information that SSCP is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 12:45 CEST on 22 June 2021.

Attachment
25B annual European skincare market with burgeoning CBD demand

60-year experience in skincare and dermatological products

Woman operated and owned

Highest quality products with already established EU compliance

Both Synthetic and Non-Synthetic CBD allows multiple advertising opportunities unavailable to non-synthetic CBD producers

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- New You, Inc. (OTCQB: NWYU ) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, ST Brands, enters the European skin care industry through its Stock Purchase Agreement with Primus Skincare, a Europe-based, CBD-focused, luxury skincare line. The companys SKUs were picked up for distribution in Spain, UK, Switzerland, the Balkans, Austria, Germany, and Italy. The company plans to expand into the Gulf and Hong Kong late 2021.

60% of the shares of Primus were purchased at a valuation of $1,750,000, with $250,000 due upon completion and the remaining amount of $800,000 to be paid in shares of New You, Inc.

The acquisition represents ST Brands entry into the multi-billion dollar luxury skin care market with an initiative led by fashion and luxury entrepreneur Federica Primus. For the last decade, Ms. Primus has been a pioneer in skincare and fashion with such brands as Archetipo High Fashion, Pergola NYC, and Girlpower.

The European beauty and personal care market is estimated to be 90 billion per year, with skincare alone accounting for roughly 25 billion*.

CBD-infused products are in increasingly high demand globally with consumers demanding and willing to pay premiums for sustainably produced products.

The exciting potential of CBD in skin care offer those who are first to market an unprecedented market opportunity, commented Ms. Primus. The combination of our pioneering CBD focus with ST Brands financial and branding resources is powerful and we believe will lead to great success in the exploding European CBD beauty and wellness field.

The Primus teams expertise and brand give us a jump start in the European CBD skincare market, which means we can quickly seize on the opportunity to gain market share and also provide synergies with other ST Brands products, stated New You Executive Chairman, Jay Frankovich. A big factor in our decision to acquire this brand, is Federicas pioneering vision and prescience when it comes to fashion and consumer trends along with her proven ability to execute.

Primus CBD Skincare plans a number of product launches in 2021 which it plans to announce over the next two quarters. They are also one of the only European certified Halal Products in the market. The company plans to activate its launch in the Gulf at the end of 2021.

Primus Skincare is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ST Brands, Inc. (STB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of New You, Inc. (NWYU). STB was acquired by NWYU on May 27, 2021. Additional details regarding the acquisition can be found at https://sec.report/Document/0001262463-21-000215/#nwyu8k.htm .

About New You, Inc.

New You, Inc. (OTCQB: NWYU) wholly-owned subsidiary, ST Brands Corp is a holding company of branded assets that create, develop, market, and sell unique and proprietary cannabidiol (CBD) products to various segments of the global consumer market.

ST Brands applies financial, operational, branding resource infrastructure to deliver turnkey business services and achieve economies of scale in sourcing, production, packaging, and sales.

The Company seeks to acquire scalable cannabis companies with the potential to become sector leaders in the legal cannabis market. We provide growth capital and expert professional oversight in exchange for stock in their company.

Brands are selected for strong unique selling propositions, strategic value to other portfolio companies and potential for ST Brands services to enhance cash flow and/or the assets equity value.

Products are sold through several channels, including wholesale to retailers, online direct-to-consumer, and white labeling for branded resellers.ST Brands provides its collection of brands and global resources in market research, brand creation and design, supply chain management with GMP and ISO materials, digital marketing and promotion, all to improve cost efficiency, expedite time to market and maximizing growth in each market.

The Company seeks to capitalize on the scaling challenges facing individual CBD consumer products with solutions to issues including global branding obstacles, supply chain fragmentation, traceability, and compliance.

Safe Harbor Act

Statements in this press release that are not based on historical fact are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies, and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "goal," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms. We believe expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, although we cannot guarantee achievements, future results, levels of activity, performance, or other future events. These statements are based on management's current expectations and actual results may differ from these forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including risks related to our ability to raise additional capital, liquidity, revenue growth, operating results, industry, regulations, technology, and products, any of which could cause us to not achieve some or all of our goals, or cause our previously reported actual results and performance to change or differ from future results, performance, or achievements, including those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this press release unless otherwise required by law.

Contact:

info@stbrandsinternational.com
Dublin, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Tank Level Monitoring Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The tank level monitoring market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.26% over the analyzed period to reach a market size of US$1,080.953 million in 2026 from US$807.050 million in 2019. Tank Level Monitors are used in liquid tanks to measure the amount of substance remaining in the tank. Level monitoring in the tank is quite crucial as it is linked with the safety and security of workers and the prevention of potential hazards and accidents. Burgeoning growth in oil and chemical industries will increase the market growth of tank level monitoring. Rising oil demand and discovery of oil fields in the Middle East and Africa area is projected to provide market stability and opportunity. Further, technological advancement and innovation in the industry will open up new market prospects during the forecasted period. However, instances of false echo discourage the market, ultrasonic level monitor. Requirement for skilled workforce further constraints the market.



The oil and chemical industries will provide robust growth opportunities for the global tank level monitoring market during the forecasted period.



Based on end-users, the tank level monitoring market is segmented as oil and gas, chemical, energy and power, automotive, mining, and others. The Oil and gas, chemical, and mining industries will have a dominating share in the tank level monitoring market during the forecasted period. These industries are also anticipated to provide robust growth opportunities owing to the booming demand for oil, chemicals, and other products. Data from a monthly report by International Energy Agency (IEA) states that the global oil demand is forecasted to increase by 6% in the year 2021, to average 96.5 million barrels per day, an increase by 5.5 billion barrels per day. The demand had dipped by 8.7 million barrels per day in 2020 owing to the covid pandemic and lockdown.

Further, the discovery of new oil fields across the Middle East and Africa along with the redevelopment of existing fields will open more market prospects for tank-level monitoring equipment. Saudi Arabia Aramco, for instance, sanctioned the approval for the development and maintenance of oil and gas brownfields in the region in November 2020. Furthermore, the organization also announced the discovery of 2 new oil and gas fields in the northern border region in August 2020 and 4 new fields in early December 2020. Also, the recent discovery of the Luiperd gas field, at the South Coast of Mossel Bay, South Africa in February 2021, has been termed as a game-changer for the oil and gas industry, providing growth opportunities for tank level monitors. Other projects such as Tanzania LNG Liquefication Plant, Tanzania, Rovuma LNG Liquefication Plant, Mozambique, and Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park, Nigeria, open several growth doors for the tank level monitoring industry. Etan & Zabazaba Oil Fields in Nigeria, Nambire Refinery complex, Angola, Rumaila Oil Field in Iraq, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, and others are a potential market for the industry.



Float and Tape Gauge are widely used tank-level monitors. However wireless tank level monitors are expected to grow at an auspicious rate to gain significant market share.



Based on technology, the tank level monitoring market is fragmented into float and tape gauge, capacitance, ultrasonic, conductivity, radar-based, and data transmission. Float and tape gauge are anticipated to hold a significant share of the market during the forecasted period. Float-style sensors are widely used in liquids and fluids that have bouncy similar to that of water. Accompanied with this, a plethora can be used to estimate other variables such as temperature and pressure. Ultrasonic is another leading tank level monitoring equipment that facilitates monitoring. However, the ultrasonic device may give false echo or information. Poor quality power source, improper cable routing, not using shielded cables, chemical incompatibility, poor mounting angle, and inappropriate application give rise to false echo in the ultrasonic level monitors. This could be avoided using high-accuracy ultrasonic devices and ensuring proper connectivity.



Furthermore, with technological advancement and innovation, the launch of wireless tank level monitors opens up wide market opportunities for the industry. Wireless level monitors reduce the chaos of wiring and are more effective. Cellular modems, wireless mesh networks, and wireless serial radios are gaining considerable favorability and are predicted to grow at a noteworthy rate. The product cost, however, may hinder the market growth. Furthermore, the lack of a skilled workforce constrains the market notably.



COVID-19 Pandemic Insights.



The coronavirus pandemic negatively impacted the tank level monitoring market. To break the cycle of the virus, governments around the world adopted several containment measures including a halt in the construction industry, delaying the ongoing projects and sanction new projects, and hence contracting the market demand. However, with economic recovery, it is anticipated that the industry will grow at a considerable rate.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Product

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Invasive

5.3. Non-Invasive



6. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Technology

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Float and Tape Gauge

6.3. Conductivity

6.4. Ultrasonic

6.5. Capacitance

6.6. Radar-based

6.7. Data Transmission



7. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by End-Users

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Oil and Gas

7.3. Chemical

7.4. Energy and Power

7.5. Automotive

7.6. Mining

7.7. Others



8. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. United States

8.2.2. Canada

8.2.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. Brazil

8.3.2. Argentina

8.3.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. Germany

8.4.2. France

8.4.3. United Kingdom

8.4.4. Spain

8.4.5. Others

8.5. The Middle East and Africa

8.5.1. Saudi Arabia

8.5.2. UAE

8.5.3. Israel

8.5.4. Others

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. China

8.6.2. India

8.6.3. South Korea

8.6.4. Taiwan

8.6.5. Thailand

8.6.6. Indonesia

8.6.7. Japan

8.6.8. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrative

9.3. Mergers, Acquisition, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

10.1. Schneider Electric

10.2. Gauging Systems Inc.

10.3. Piusi S.p. A.

10.4. Emerson Electric Co.

10.5. TankScan (ATEK Access Technology)

10.6. Varec Inc.

10.7. Graco Inc.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8rrgut
New York, NY, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNITED NATIONS, New York, 22 June 2021  Guidance on fighting corruption for companies and other stakeholders from civil society and the public sector was launched on 17 June 2021 at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit.

The high-level session entitled UNITING AGAINST CORRUPTION: Launch of the UN Global Compact Anti-Corruption Collective Action Playbook featured speakers from BASF S.A., National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine, Siemens Integrity Initiative and Global Compact Network India. The publication follows the recently concluded Special Session of the UN General Assembly against corruption (UNGASS).

Through a six-step approach, the Uniting against Corruption: A Playbook on Anti-Corruption Collective Action enables companies to make a clear diagnosis of their local corruption landscape, identify and engage stakeholders and apply the Collective Action methodology to address identified corruption challenges and to mitigate potential business risks. While private sector efforts have traditionally focused on developing and implementing internal anti-corruption compliance programs as a response to international and national legal and regulatory standards and frameworks, Collective Action can complement existing regulation or fill a void when regulation is inexistent or not enforced.

Commenting on the Playbook launch, CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, Sanda Ojiambo, said: Corruption hinders economic growth and social development and can weaken much-needed trust in public institutions and businesses, wasting supplies and resources. Collective Action is important to advance integrity and achieve a level playing field for all market actors. This Playbook is an important tool for ensuring we can bring an end to a systemic issue that is too complex for any one company to tackle alone.

The Playbook is part of the UN Global Compacts work on the Tenth Principle which states that Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. The Playbook is part of the UN Global Compact Project Scaling up Anti-Corruption Collective Action within Global Compact Local Networks, which is funded under the Third Funding Round of the Siemens Integrity Initiative.

About the United Nations Global Compact

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 12,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative  one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.

For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org

CONTACT

Alex Gee +447887 804594

alex@mackworthassociates.com and media@unglobalcompact.org
English French

MONTREAL, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Opus One Gold Corp. Inc. (OOR: TSXV) (Opus One Gold or the Company), a mining exploration company focused on exploring for high quality gold and base metal assets in accessible areas is pleased to present new drilling results and the extent of its gold discovery on its Noyell Gold project, located 25 km south of the town of Matagami, Abitibi, Quebec. The final highlight of the winter drilling was obtained in our very last hole of the program, NO-21-12, which returned 6.02 g/t Au over 2.5 m in Zone 1.



The discovery area is located within an under-explored portion of the Casa-Berardi-Douay-Cameron deformation zone which host the Casa Berardi gold mine (actual gold producer) and the Vezza Gold Mine (past producer). The Noyell property is located 10 km to the east of the Vezza gold Mine, in the same geological environment.

A total of 5,104 metres in 12 holes were drilled on the property this winter. Holes NO-21-01 to NO-21-08 and NO-21-12 were drilled in the vicinity of the two successful holes drilled in 2020, at 50 m spacing to the east and below the latter. Holes NO-21-09 to NO-21-11 were drilled on IP anomalies in the eastern portion of the property. All results from the winter drilling program have been received and compiled.

The Main mineralized zone (Zone 1) strikes in an east-west direction and dips steeply to the south (see Figures at the end). So far, it has been recognized for over 600m laterally and from surface down to 350m. Its true thickness varies from 0.5m to 10m with an average of approximately 3-4m. The geometry of the mineralized zone is noticeably simple and continuity is excellent. Zone 1 appears to be spatially related to a narrow unit of oxide Iron Formation (2-3m thick). Most mineralized intercepts consist of a silicified stockwork of quartz and sulphides (pyrrhotite, pyrite and arsenopyrite). Best gold grades are associated with sulphide rich intervals. This zone could be, at least in part, related to replacement of the iron oxides by iron sulphides. In most instances, Zone 1 is located within a competent greywacke unit which is not broken up or sheared. The tables below show all results obtained within Zones 1 and 2 in 2021. Unreleased results from Zones 1 and 2 are from holes NO-21-07, 08 and 12

TABLE 1 - ZONE 1

DDH From To g/t Au Length (m) Metal Factor NO-21-01 237,5 238,1 0,06 0,6 0 NO-21-02 309,3 312 0,46 2,7 1,2 NO-21-03 302,6 303,7 8,07 1,1 8,9 NO-21-04 421 424,5 4,84 3,5 16,9 NO-21-05 421,8 424,5 6,27 2,7 16,4 NO-21-06 404 410,5 4,47 6,5 29,1 NO-21-07 403,5 405,5 2,38 2 4,8 NO-21-08 394,5 395,1 0,72 0,6 0,4 NO-21-12 425,5 428 6,02 2,5 15,2

True width is approximately 80% of core length

TABLE 2 - ZONE 2

DDH FROM TO G/T AU LENGTH (M) NO-21-01 290,50 291,00 3,18 0,50 NO-21-02 361,30 364,50 1,22 3,20 NO-21-03 348,00 352,00 0,56 4,00 NO-21-04 475,80 477,80 0,57 2,00 NO-21-05 471,00 472,00 1,04 1,00 NO-21-06 461,00 463,00 1,15 2,00 NO-21-07 455,20 455,70 0,80 0,50 NO-21-08 442,00 444,40 0,24 2,40 NO-21-12 476,70 484,10 0,34 7,40

Zone 2 is a gold anomalous tabular body located some 40 m to the north of Zone 1. At this stage, it is of limited economical interest.

Opus One Gold carried out a complete compilation and re-interpretation of recent and historical drilling and is presenting a longitudinal section of Zone 1 exhibiting the extent of the mineralized body at Noyell. All past and recent mineralized intervals pertaining to Zone 1 are presented in Table 3.

TABLE 3  MINERALIZED INTERVALS ZONE 1

DDH From To g/t Au length m Met. Factor 88-39 140,4 144,8 5,01 4,4 22,0 88-38 136,8 138,5 3,13 1,7 5,3 94-02 259,22 261,57 3,84 2,35 9 94-14 232,9 235,55 3,28 2,65 8,7 95-17 282,5 287 2,82 4,5 12,6 2007-10 312 315 5,26 3 16 2007-11 247,7 250 4,74 2,3 10,9 2007-12 282,8 286,5 4,25 3,7 15,7 2007-13 286,3 291,5 2,3 5,2 12 2007-14 255,2 260 2,77 4,8 13,3 NO-20-01 374,6 381,1 2,05 6,5 13,3 NO-20-02 294,9 306,1 3,54 11,2 39,6 NO-21-03 302,6 303,7 8,07 1,1 8,9 NO-21-04 421 424,5 4,84 3,5 16,9 NO-21-05 421,8 424,5 6,27 2,7 16,4 NO-21-06 404 410,5 4,47 6,5 29,1 NO-21-07 403,5 405,5 2,38 2 4,8 NO-21-12 425,5 428 6,02 2,5 15,2

The above table shows that 18 mineralized intervals (Metal Factor above 4.8) have intersected Zone 1 so far, including 10 historical holes. The longitudinal section of Zone 1 illustrates that, so far, the mineralization has been traced from surface (below 15-20 m of overburden) down to the 350 m level and laterally (east-west) for approximately 600 m. Zone 1 is open at depth and to the west. Hole NO-21-03 indicates that it also could be open to the east. It shall be noted that less than 10,000m of drilling has been completed on this zone so far, by four different operators, indicating that the discovery is still at a very early stage of exploration.

Exploration holes NO-21-09, 10 and 11 were drilled to probe IP anomalies found in a geological context that resembles the environment of Zone 1. However, none of these holes intersected Zone 1 type of mineralization. Even though sulphide rich intervals were cut, only weakly anomalous results were returned from these holes.

A preliminary observation about the genesis of this gold deposit is that it appears that the presence of oxide facies bedded Iron Formation (BIF) is necessary to mobilize the gold. The presence of a strong quartz-sulphide stockwork without BIF (like the one observed in hole NO-21-07) is not sufficient to attract and retain the gold flowing through the hydrothermal system. Although not all BIFs are associated with gold anomalies, they remain a good exploration tool for future drilling programs.

BIFs are lenticular sedimentary units. They can disappear laterally and vertically and reappear not too far away. This is what we observe in the eastern part of Zone 1 where the BIF is absent in holes NO-21-07 and 08 and reappears in hole NO-21-03. If this is confirmed, this deposit could comprise many zones.

Mr. Louis Morin, CEO, states: "Opus One Gold Corp is happy with the conclusion of its Winter 2021 drill program on its Noyell property. We got a better picture of our Gold bearing ore body that remains totally open towards West and depth (Ref: Figure 3). We found that our ore body has a remarkably simple geometry. This is especially encouraging as our drill holes were done at shallow depth and frequently, economical Gold deposits tend to be located at depth in Abitibi area. We achieved among the least expensive exploration program cost in Quebec province; this is compliant to our commitment in using efficiently our investors money on the ground."

All samples collected during the winter of 2021 drill program were prepared and assayed at ALS Minerals (Vancouver), a certified laboratory. Our QA/QC program consisted in the insertion of a control sample every 9 samples. Control samples consisted in a blank as well as two certified standards (one low grade and one high grade for gold). All samples above 5 g/t Au were re-assayed with FA. The gold value used in this report is the average of AA and FA results.

Pierre ODowd, P. Geo, [Independent Consulting geologist] acts as a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release.

For more information, please contact:

Louis Morin

Chief Executive Officer & Director

Tel.: (514) 591-3988

Michael W. Kinley, CPA, CA

President, Chief Financial Officer & Director

Tel: (902) 826-1579

info@OpusOneGold.com

Visit Opus Ones website: www.OpusOneGold.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/874b7ce6-c460-4a09-ab14-e346af1ae910

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a0812c0e-a643-4c96-97bd-b9bc84d915bb

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2aaae47a-3976-4321-bc50-a64e478436fe

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/94d719f5-149b-48ee-a3da-400dd0fa01ef

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/305b58b4-5053-4bc9-9198-9c8a8801b5a9
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MAG Silver Corp. (TSX / NYSE American: MAG) (MAG or the Company) reports that at its annual general and special meeting (the AGSM) held on June 21, 2021, MAGs Shareholders approved by majority: to elect all seven directors standing for election; to re-appoint Deloitte LLP as the Companys auditor; and to support the Companys approach to executive compensation.



The Company wishes to sincerely thank Derek White, who did not stand for re-election at this years AGSM, for his tremendous contribution as a director of MAG. Peter Barnes, Chair of the Board, remarked, Derek has been an extremely valuable member of the MAG Board for almost 14 years, and he will be truly missed. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Detailed results of the total shares voted at the AGSM are set out below along with the votes in regard to Say on Pay.

Motions: Nominees Total

Votes Cast Total

Votes For Total Votes

Withheld %

For %

Withheld Peter Barnes 54,160,068 54,051,721 108,347 99.80 0.20 George Paspalas 54,160,068 54,105,939 54,129 99.90 0.10 Tim Baker 54,160,068 54,095,977 64,091 99.88 0.12 Jill Leversage 54,160,068 53,979,852 180,216 99.67 0.33 Selma Lussenburg 54,160,068 54,036,228 123,840 99.77 0.23 Daniel MacInnis 54,160,068 54,095,208 64,860 99.88 0.12 Susan Mathieu 54,160,068 54,087,829 72,239 99.87 0.13





Total

Votes Cast Total

Votes For Total Votes

Withheld %

For %

Withheld Appointment of Auditors 64,592,235 63,170,434 1,421,801 97.80 2.20





Total

Votes Cast Total

Votes For Total Votes

Against %

For %

Against Say on Pay 54,160,067 53,352,729 807,338 98.51 1.49

George Paspalas, President and CEO of MAG, extends his thanks to the Shareholders of the Company for their continued strong support.

About MAG Silver Corp. ( www.magsilver.com )

MAG Silver Corp. (MAG: TSX / NYSE A) is a Canadian development and exploration company focused on becoming a top-tier primary silver mining company by exploring and advancing high-grade, district scale, silver-dominant projects in the Americas. Its principal focus and asset is the Juanicipio Project (44%), being developed in a Joint Venture partnership with Fresnillo Plc (56%), the Operator. Juanicipio is located in the Fresnillo Silver Trend in Mexico, the world's premier silver mining camp, and the Joint Venture is currently developing an underground mine and constructing a 4,000 tonnes per day processing plant which is expected to commence commissioning in Q4 2021. Underground mine production of development material commenced in Q3 2020, and an expanded exploration program is in place targeting multiple highly prospective targets both at Juanicipio by the Joint Venture and by MAG at the Deer Trail 100% earn-in project in Utah.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor the NYSE American has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.



This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts are forward looking statements, including statements that address future mineral production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Although MAG believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in commodities prices, changes in mineral production performance, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, political risk, currency risk and capital cost inflation. In addition, forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, including that data is incomplete and considerable additional work will be required to complete further evaluation, including but not limited to drilling, engineering and socio-economic studies and investment. The reader is referred to the Companys filings with the SEC and Canadian securities regulators for disclosure regarding these and other risk factors. There is no certainty that any forward-looking statement will come to pass and investors should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements.

Please Note: Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosures in MAG's annual and quarterly reports and other public filings, accessible through the Internet at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov LEI: 254900LGL904N7F3EL14
LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a conversation with Capital Market Laboratories (CMLviz), Chief Financial Officer of PagerDuty Howard Wilson had clear messages:



The tailwinds that drive the business are as strong as ever.



Customer accounts over $1 million in value grew 55% year-over-year in fiscal Q1 2022.



PagerDutys strategic move in the September 2020 quarter to offer a free tier as a fully functioning platform in response to COVID has helped enterprise and mid-market accounts  increase. Further, the conversion rates from free to paying has been better than [the company] expected.



PagerDutys international revenue grew thirty-eight per cent in Q1 and now represents 25% of total revenue.



PagerDutys integrations with Zendesk and with Salesforce gives the company access to a large population of potential users over time.



In a conversation with the CFO, we discussed the quarterly results and growth potential moving forward.

Read: PagerDuty (PD): The freemium model is proving itself, says CFO

Media queries

Alicia Newman, Managing Director

Capital Market Laboratories

support@cmlviz.com
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 
Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@skagitpublishing.com for help creating one.
One of the topics of discussion at the French Grand Prix was the sausage kerbs at the exit of the second corner. Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen both damaged their front wings at the awkward sausage kerbs, which were there to keep the drivers inside the track. After Friday practice several drivers went to Michael Masi for an explanation.

The race director himself was clear at the time and looking back on the race weekend Masi reckons he made the right decision."There are probably a number of elements there. One was those kerbs were in place last time we were here in 2019. And secondly, they were over two metres from the edge of the track, so you had to be completely off the track to actually come in contact with them," Masi acknowledges to Motorsport.com.

No problems in the race

After the discussions on Friday night, Masi still had some doubts if there really were no adjustments that needed to be made."But they were reviewed on Friday night following the discussion at the drivers' meeting. I went and physically went to look at them at Turn 2, as much to satisfy myself that everything was correct."

"Having come off two street circuits at Baku and Monaco, it is quite clear there are physical limits there and it was the same in this circumstance. And, to be fair, during the race there were no issues at all," Masi acknowledged. In Austria, the kerbstones are likely to be a topic of conversation again, as they have often been called into question at the fast Red Bull Ring in recent years.
Red Bull has rubbished claims that Max Verstappen is racing ahead of Mercedes because of an improved Honda engine.

While Honda did supply the Dutchman and Sergio Perez with fresh engines at Paul Ricard, reports that it allowed Red Bull to crank out more power were denied by team boss Christian Horner.

"They took a tremendous step forward with their engine," Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is quoted by the Finnish broadcaster MTV.

Horner rubbished the claim.

"We can't make any improvements to the engines," he said, referring to covid-era restrictions. "So I don't know what he's talking about.

"We used a thinner rear wing, which is why our straightline speed was good. Honda is doing a great job, but we didn't get any horsepower increase."

Whatever the reason, Lewis Hamilton was surprised with Red Bull's step forward.

"They were suddenly three tenths faster on the straights," said the seven time world champion.

"We need to analyse whether it was just the rear wing or something else."

Another explanation is that while Red Bull is determined to seize the opportunity and finally beat Mercedes to a title in the 'power unit' era, Mercedes has openly stopped developing its 2021 car.

"We are 100 percent focused on next year," Wolff admitted to Corriere dello Sport.

"We have to remember that there are many seasons that come after this one. That's why we are focusing on setup and tyre work to go faster this season, not aerodynamics."

Red Bull's ability to ace the so-called 'undercut' at Paul Ricard is another area that caught Mercedes by surprise in France.

"We'll look at that to keep improving," Wolff admitted. "But I think we had a solid race car and I'm glad we saw an exciting race."

And another pair of exciting races now lies ahead in Austria - on a circuit owned and named after Red Bull.

"It's a power-hungry circuit," said Hamilton. "You've got those long, long straights, so we could see something similar.

"We've got three days to see if we can make any adjustments and improvements. Maybe - if we maximise absolutely everything - maybe we can give them a run for their money."

(GMM)
Canada has launched the $1.5-billion Clean Fuels Fund with a call for proposals for projects that increase Canadas capacity to produce clean fuels. Seamus ORegan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources, made the announcement during the World Hydrogen Technologies Convention hosted by the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and supported by the International Association for Hydrogen Energy.

Introduced in the strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, and reaffirmed in Budget 2021, the fund grows the domestic clean fuels market, supports the implementation of the Clean Fuels Standard and delivers on early actions outlined in the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada.

The fund supports building new or expanding existing clean fuel production facilities, including hydrogen, renewable diesel, synthetic fuels, renewable natural gas and sustainable aviation fuel. It also supports feasibility and front-end engineering and design studies.

It will also establish biomass supply chains to improve logistics for the collection, supply and distribution of biomass materials, such as forest residues, municipal solid waste and agriculture crop residues, as well as the development of essential codes and standards. These investments benefit farmers, grain handlers, forest harvest operators, saw mills and municipal waste services by opening up new opportunities for both traditional feedstock products, such as canola and forest feedstock, as well as new value streams from agriculture, forest and municipal.

The call for proposals for projects to increase domestic clean fuel production capacity is open until 29 September 2021. Natural Resources Canada will provide funding through conditionally repayable contribution agreements of up to 30% of the total eligible project costs, to a maximum of $150 million, per project.
Greensburg, IN (47240)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
GREENWICH  In an early sign of summer, the Georgia Peach Truck arrived in Greenwich on Tuesday morning to the delight of fans of the fresh fruit.

This was not a truck filled with ordinary fruit  the peaches inside came direct from farms in the South, giving New Englanders a rare treat of what some say are the best peaches they have ever eaten.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday that private industry needs better safeguards to avoid calamitous consequences in the event of cyberattacks like the ones that have targeted American infrastructure and corporations.

You have to have a secondary method if your first method is shut down. You have to have depth, and we need to work with them on that," Garland said, one week after a meeting between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin that included discussion of a spate of Russia-linked ransomware attacks in recent months.

Such hacks, including a ransomware attack last month on Colonial Pipeline, are extremely dangerous, Garland said. The Justice Department has responded with a task force focused on ransomware.

In a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with reporters, his first since being confirmed in March as the countrys chief law enforcement officer, Garland also reiterated his concerns about the death penalty, defended the Justice Departments position in a defamation case against former President Donald Trump and insisted that the government would work to protect both journalists personal safety and their ability to conceal their confidential sources.

The conversation occurred as Garland has faced demands from Democrats to swiftly undo or reverse positions taken by the Justice Department during the Trump administration, including aggressive leak investigations in which law enforcement obtained phone records of journalists and congressional officials.

The Justice Department inspector general is now investigating, and Garland met last week with executives from news media organizations after pledging that the government would abandon the practice of seizing reporters' records in an effort to identify their sources.

Garland, who has made several major announcements during his tenure but taken no questions from reporters before Tuesday, did not reveal any new details about how those subpoenas were authorized and did not answer when asked when he had learned about the issue.

But he said it was clear the balance the department had sought for decades to strike between upholding journalists' First Amendment rights and guarding against the disclosure of classified information is not sufficient for your protection."

He said he believed journalists need sources to expose wrongdoing and bad decision-making inside the government and "I'm going to do everything I can to help protect you from being forced to reveal those contacts.

Garland also defended the Justice Department's decision to maintain its position, first argued last year, that Trump cannot be held personally liable for crude and disrespectful remarks he made about a woman who accused him of rape because he made the comments while he was president.

Democrats had looked to that case as one place where Garland's Justice Department might make a dramatic shift in position. Instead, the department's stance has not changed. Garland said the case law that government lawyers had reviewed tilted in favor of the argument that defamatory statements made to the news media by a public official are protected by law.

The question for us, though, is really a question of law, unrelated to how we feel about Trump's statements, Garland said. We don't have one rule for Republicans and one rule for Democrats, one rule for a current president, one rule for the former president.

He was noncommittal on Democratic calls for an investigation into the potential politicization of decisions made in the Trump Justice Department, saying he did not want career officials to feel unnecessarily second-guessed by new appointees applying political lenses to things.

But every new manager, every good manager, looks over what's happened in their agency, their company, whatever it is  and make judgments, he said.

Garland also said he has concerns about the death penalty, in part because of the exonerations that have happened as well as the disparate impact the punishment has had on minority communities, and has been personally reviewing the department's processes in that area. He said he expected to have a more extensive statement on the death penalty soon.

The Trump administration revived the death penalty last year after a nearly two-decade-long hiatus in federal executions.

Though activists widely expected Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, the White House has been mostly silent.

____

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
ATLANTA (AP)  Four Georgia residents are suing the state Department of Labor, saying delays in processing, paying and hearing appeals on unemployment claims violate state and federal law.

The suit was filed last week in Fulton County Superior Court and announced Tuesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The plaintiffs are asking a judge to certify the suit as a class action on behalf of other people who have suffered delays.

Among other things, the plaintiffs demand that the judge order the department to follow the law and that the state pay people money damages.

The suit outlines three different areas where it says the state agency has fallen down  in determining whether someone is entitled to unemployment benefits, in paying benefits quickly after awarding them and in granting timely appeals when benefits are denied.

State lawmakers sought to try to strip Mark Butler, the elected Republican labor commissioner, of some of his power during this year's regular session of the General Assembly, but Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed the bill. Lawmakers say they were deluged with hundreds, if not thousands, of complaints by constituents who said they were unable to communicate with the department or unable to resolve disputes.

Applicants for unemployment benefits in Georgia have experienced extreme delays at every step of the process, including waiting several months for a GDOL claims examiner to consider their application for benefits and determine their eligibility, to receive payments for which they have been deemed eligible, and to have their appeals hearing scheduled, the lawsuit states. Applicants frequently go months without being able to reach anyone at the GDOL or being contacted by someone at the GDOL.

The suit argues Butler is violating state law that requires that determinations and payments be made promptly. It also argues that the limbo violates the plaintiffs' 14th Amendment right to due process under the U.S. Constitution.

Butler has acknowledged that the department was deluged with applications, especially last year, and has blamed earlier underfunding by state lawmakers for sapping some of the agency's capacity. However, he said the agency has caught up.

This is obviously another politically motivated lawsuit. Just like previous lawsuits, we expect to prove that this suit does not have merit," Butler said in a statement. "These groups believe that unemployment insurance should be paid to everyone who applies, regardless of their qualifications.

Butler says Georgia is above-average in how quickly it processes claims.

Department officials didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the lawsuit.

Plaintiff Von King, who filed for benefits after leaving her moving company job to take care of her child because of a lack of child care, has been waiting for an appeal to be heard since August. Plaintiff Gereline Thompson says she got a notice in June 2020 indicating her claim had been approved after she was laid off by the Burke County school system, but said shes never been paid. Plaintiff Danielle Johnson says the department has never decided whether she is eligible for benefits after her initial claim in March 2020.

The suit says the plaintiffs have faced months of uncertainty while struggling to pay rent and utilities, feed themselves and their families, and pay other regular expenses like medical bills and car payments.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has been involved in at least two earlier lawsuits against the department. One was a lawsuit filed in January by workers. A second was a public records lawsuit filed in March.

In April, Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as well as the six Democratic U.S. House members from the state, asked the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate delays. Earlier this month, under questioning from Ossoff, a Labor Department nominee pledged in a hearing that the federal government would help Georgia update its computer systems.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
Lisa and Peter Marshall were watching a wedding scene on a TV show late last year when he suddenly looked at his wife and exclaimed, "Let's do it!' "

"Do what?" she asked.

When he pointed to the TV, she asked: "Do you want to get married?"

He said yes with a big smile.

"Well, OK - we should get married then," Lisa Marshall recalled telling him.

The next day, she wondered whether her husband would remember asking her, and he didn't. He also didn't remember their first wedding, said Marshall, and for the past six months he has thought of her simply as his favorite caregiver.

Peter Marshall, 56, has early onset Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia that generally afflicts people in their 30s to 60s and makes up about 10% of Alzheimer's cases overall.

"It's been devastating, but I've done my best to stay positive and focus on one day at a time," said Lisa Marshall, 54, who lives in Andover, Conn. "My mantra has always been to have no regrets."

In January, her husband's mind began declining at a faster pace. And so 20 years after their romance began, with her husband's recent proposal, it seemed like perfect timing to renew their vows, she said.

"It was then that I started thinking, 'Maybe we really ought to do this,' " she said, adding that her daughter, Sarah Brehant, urged her to do it.

Brehant, 32, runs a wedding planning business and told her mom that she'd organize the entire event.

"I knew that my stepdad, who I am very close with, was there through some of the toughest times of my life," Brehant said. "He means so much to me, and my mom is my best friend, so I was proud to be able to take on such an important role."

Brehant contacted a dozen vendors she regularly works with and asked if they'd be interested in making a wedding happen in six weeks, she said.

They all volunteered to help at no cost, she said, from the Mill 1 reception center in Holyoke, Mass., to the florist and the saxophonist who offered to play "Unforgettable" as Lisa Marshall walked down the aisle, Brehant said.

On April 26, as family members and a few friends looked on, Brehant walked her mother to join hands with her stepfather. Officiating the vows was Adrianne DeVivo, a dementia specialist at Hartford Healthcare who helped Lisa Marshall set up a care plan for her husband, and is licensed to perform weddings.

When Lisa Marshall joined her longtime husband at the altar, he leaned in and gave her a kiss.

"It was just magical - straight out of a fairy tale," she said, adding that a video of the wedding is starting to circulate on YouTube.

"There wasn't a dry eye, and I was over the moon," she said. "I hadn't seen Peter that happy in a long time."

The two once lived across the street from each other in the same neighborhood in Harrisburg, Pa., and a romance blossomed between them in 2001 after they had each divorced, Lisa Marshall said.

He had moved to Connecticut to work as a compliance manager for a financial company, while she worked in radio advertising, she said. Between them, they had five children.

"We had a long-distance relationship for eight years because neither one of us wanted to uproot our children," Lisa Marshall recalled. "But after my youngest went off to college, we decided to get married."

On Aug. 13, 2009, the Marshalls were married in front of their adult children in a beachside gazebo in Turks and Caicos. Then Lisa Marshall moved to Andover to start a new chapter with Peter.

She didn't anticipate that the "for better or worse" part of their wedding vows would be put to the test about seven years later, she said.

In 2017, Peter began giving her directions to their own home and he had difficulty finding the words he needed to finish sentences, Lisa Marshall said.

"Instead of the word 'airplane,' he'd say, 'that thing that goes up in the sky,' " she said. "He also became pretty forgetful, but the word deficiency was really hard to ignore."

In 2018, Lisa Marshall took her husband to a neurologist for some tests and the results showed that he had early onset Alzheimer's.

"Before his diagnosis, I always thought that Alzheimer's was an old person's disease," she said. "Now I know better."

In January 2019, Peter's memory worsened and he had to quit his job, Lisa Marshall said. The following year, she also quit her job to become his full-time caregiver.

To cope with the daily devastation of watching her husband's memory fade, she started a Facebook blog, Oh Hello Alzheimer's, which she hoped might help other caregivers facing the same challenges.

"I get messages every day from people saying, 'Thank you - now I don't feel so alone,' " she said.

Since the wedding, she has noticed an even more rapid decline in her husband's cognitive ability.

He now spends almost an hour making his bed each day and he needs constant supervision, she said. Five days a week, she gets a break for a few hours when a bus driver picks him up and takes him to adult day care.

Lisa Marshall knows the day is approaching when she might have to place him in a memory care center, but she said she can't think about that yet.

"One day at a time," she said. "I don't know who I am to him now, but I know that he definitely loves me and feels safe. When the bus brings him back home each day, we'll sit on the porch for an hour and hold hands."

On difficult days, she remembers what her husband told her as they danced to their favorite song, "Brown-Eyed Girl," after they renewed their wedding vows.

"He whispered in my ear, 'Thank you for staying.' "
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP)  Nevada lawmakers approved the transfer of $2.7 billion in federal coronavirus relief to a state account on Tuesday, paving the way for millions in new spending for schools, food subsidies and housing assistance on Tuesday.

Members of the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee met in Las Vegas and approved $40 million in rental assistance, $12 million for homeowner's assistance, $5.6 million to the state's unemployment insurance system and additional funds to hire auditors to oversee $1.1 billion in relief funds designated for elementary and secondary schools.
Alex Kassers decision to resign from the state Senate took local politicians by surprise Tuesday  and while they expressed support for her personal decision, some speculated about how the seat would be filled.

It is a shock, said Joe Angland, chair of the Greenwich Town Committee. She did a great job in Hartford, and I and the people in the state feel this is a great loss.

But in Stamford, the chair of the Stamford RTC said he was not sad to see the Democratic senator step down.

While I dont wish a divorce or its trappings on anyone, Im happy shes out of office, said Fritz Blau. She originated the failed toll push and never seemed to understand what it means to struggle and inhabit the middle class.

The political jockeying to come will certainly be entertaining, he said.

Kasser, who had represented all of Greenwich, the northern part of Stamford and western New Canaan, announced her resignation on her website. She cited ongoing divorce litigation against her husband, Seth Bergstein, as the reason for stepping down, effective immediately, and said she was moving from town.

The divorce is scheduled to go to trial in early September in Stamford Superior Court, according to the court website.

Electing a successor

The Greenwich DTC put out a statement on Twitter thanking Kasser for all she did for us as our state senator and wishing her all the best as she navigates this next part of her life. The DTC tweeted it would share details about what comes next for the 36th Senatorial District as they are confirmed by the state.

Under state law, Gov. Ned Lamont has 10 days to issue a writ of election for voting on a successor. The special election must be held 46 days after Lamont issues the writ.

Any major party conventions in the 36th District to select a candidate must take place 36 days before the special election.

This would be the second special election in Greenwich in the past two years and the third in Stamford to fill seats in the state legislature.

State Rep. Stephen Meskers, D-150th District, said he was surprised by Kassers announcement but noted the full-time commitment of the job even when the legislature is out of session.

I am sorry to lose her as a colleague, Meskers said. I wish her the best of luck.

Angland said he expected the Greenwich DTCs Executive Committee to meet soon to discuss possible candidates.

Its too soon for me to think of a particular person, but I would think somebody from Greenwich might well be interested in running, Angland said.

Stamford Democratic City Committee Chair Josh Fedeli, who thanked Kasser for her service to the 36th District and specifically her Stamford constituents, also said it would be premature to speculate about candidates to replace her.

On the Republican side, no discussions have taken place, either, said Greenwich Republican Town Committee Chair Dan Quigley.

The news of Sen. Kassers resignation came as a surprise to the RTC, Quigley said. I wish Alex and her family all the best going forward, and I thank her for her service to the community.

Meskers, when asked whether he would run for the open seat, said, It would be irresponsible of me to not consider all of my options.

State Rep. Harry Arora, R-151st District, said he is seriously considering running for the now-vacant seat.

I am being encouraged by many and discussing with other Republican leaders. I hope to make a decision in the next few days, said Arora, who is in his first full term as state representative.

Ryan Fazio, a Republican from Greenwich, unsuccessfully challenged Kasser for the seat in the 2020 election. On Tuesday, he declined to discuss his political future.

I wish Sen. Kasser and her family the best and do not have anything to say about politics at this moment, Fazio said.

More political reactions

Stamford Mayor David Martin, another Democrat, praised Kassers time in office.

We appreciate Sen. Kassers hard work for the residents of the City of Stamford. During the time she served, she expressed an ardent interest in our city and always acted as such. Although Stamford may have been just a small part of her district, she consistently provided ongoing support for the many needs unique to Stamford, Martin said.

New Canaan Town Council Chairman John Engel said he was also surprised by Kassers resignation, but I understand her reasons and why she cannot continue.

Looking forward, this is such a critical and exciting time in Connecticuts history to finally grow our economy, pay down debt, rebalance pensions, solve our transportation and affordable housing challenges and emerge from COVID as one of the winners, Engel said.

Greenwich, Stamford and New Canaan need a candidate in the 36th who works both sides of the aisle and can hit the ground running on these critical issues, he said.

State Rep. Tom ODea, R-125th District, which includes part of New Canaan, said he is hopeful we will get another Republican in Hartford. We need more Republicans in Hartford.

But state Sen. Will Haskell, D-26th District, which includes part of New Canaan, said, Alex has been a great friend and colleague and she will be sorely missed.

Kasser was a pleasure to campaign with and they learned together how Hartford works, Haskell said. The individual who replaces Kasser in the Senate will have big shoes to fill, he said.

Staff writer Grace Duffield contributed to this story.
Kantar: Amazon has the most valuable brand globally, followed by Apple and Google

Kantar published its BrandZ report, which lists the most valuable brands globally. The #1 spot is held by Amazon with a brand value of $684 billion, up a whopping $268 billion (+64%) compared to last year.

It was the first to become a half-a-trillion-dollar brand, the second one is Apple, which holds the #2 spot with $612 billion (+74%), followed by Google at $458 billion (+42%).

Samsung is #42 on the list, Huawei is a bit further down in #50, then further down is Xiaomi at #70. This is an improvement of 11 places compared to last year and the brand now between Budweiser and BMW.



The Xiaomi now has the 70th most valuable brand in the world (up 11 places), according to Kantar

The fastest growing brand this year was Tesla, which shot up 275%, followed by TikTok with +158%, the two companies are #47 and #45 on the list, respectively.

The Top 100 on the BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands list for 2021 are some interesting additions  Nvidia at #12, Qualcomm at #37, AMD at #57, Snapchat at #82 and Spotify at #99. And, of course, Zoom at #52, the popularity of group video calls exploded over the last year.

Subscription businesses grew in popularity during the pandemic and lifted their brands up the ladder: Xbox is up 55%, Disney is up 13%, Netflix is +55% and Spotify improved enough to get into the Top 100 for the first time.

Below is the full BrandZ infographic showing the Top 100 most valuable brands around the world:

Source 1 | Source 2
Last month we learned Motorola is preparing to announce a bunch of new Edge branded smartphones codenamed Sierra, Berlin, Berlin NA, and Kyoto. Today, leakster Evan Blass revealed the last one will be launched as the Edge 20 Lite.

Additionally, Blass revealed that Motorola smartphones codenamed Lisbon and Saipan will be introduced as G60S and G50 5G, respectively.



Motorola Edge

Motorola already launched a phone with the G50 moniker and 5G connectivity in March, but that one was codenamed Ibiza, and it's unclear how the Saipan will differ from it.

Blass didn't divulge any specs of the Edge 20 Lite, G60S, and G50 5G, but rumors have it that the Kyoto will feature a 16MP or 32MP selfie camera, while the primary camera on the rear will use a 108MP sensor joined by 8MP ultrawide and 2MP depth units.

Source
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Incomplete Theft, by Ralph Burke

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The Incomplete Theft

Author: Ralph Burke

Release Date: June 21, 2021 [eBook #65659]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INCOMPLETE THEFT ***

The Incomplete Theft By Ralph Burke Stealing a new space ship principle from

Earth seemed like an easy enough task for the

alien. But how does one deliver a principle? [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy

February 1957

Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that

the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

Torlyn Khy smiled grimly to himself as he thought of the approaching completion of the new Earth spaceship. Thus far, his disguise had completely fooled the Earthmen; they didn't even begin to suspect that a Valdorian spy was among the engineers who were building the Skyjumper.

High above the spacefield it loomed, a great sphere of metal that housed the new teleportation drive. Torlyn Khy looked up at its impressive bulk. Unlike the common type of spaceship, which had a top speed of ten thousand lights, the new drive could take the ship from Earth to any point in the galaxy in a fraction of a microsecond. If it were successful, Earth would win the war against Valdor in a matter of months.

And if not

John Mitchell, the Chief Engineer of Sahara Spaceport, said: "She's a beauty, isn't she, Pete?"

Torlyn Khy, in his disguise as Earthman "Peter Blane," smiled and said, "Yes. She's a real beauty. When will she be finished?"

"This afternoon," Mitchell said. "The boys are tightening the last bolts and putting in the final wiring now. The job's just about over, Pete."

Good! thought Torlyn. I'll be able to take it tonight. To be able to bring both the spaceship's plans and the ship itself back to Valdor would be a major feat. It would result in a fine promotion.

The ship was entirely different from any other vessel ever built. The hyperkinetic generator in its center generated a spherical force field around the ship which projected it to wherever it had been aimed for.

It was simple to operate; all the pilot had to do was set up the co-ordinates of his target, turn on the hyperkinetic generator, and press the activator button. The generator itself did the rest. The field enclosed the ship, and instantaneously the ship was a hundred or a thousand light-years away.

That evening, Torlyn Khy stepped out of his room and strolled over toward the spaceship. It was surrounded by guards, and it was bathed in the blaze of a battery of searchlights, but that did not bother the Valdorian. Earthmen were such stupid fools! It would be a blessing for them if the Valdorians took them over and showed them how to run their lives efficiently. On Valdor, everyone had a job and he did it. He obeyed his superiors without asking questions, and the society, therefore, was efficient.

But these Earthmen! Such a lax, sloppy, inefficient society! They needed more regimentation, more precision. They needed to learn to obey orders. And they would learnafter the Valdorian victory.

"Evening, Mr. Mitchell."

"Good evening, Captain. Nice night, isn't it?"

Torlyn Khy looked around warily and saw the lean, spare figure of John Mitchell standing some distance away. He was talking to a man in a military uniform, one of the guards posted on the project. The Valdorian ducked away; he didn't care to be seen. Not tonight, of all nights.

He walked all around the spaceship, studying it carefully from all angles, keeping well out of sight of the guards that surrounded it.

The ship appeared to be ready to go; all he had to do was get inside and take off. Simple. Very simple, Torlyn Khy thought. The greatest victories are always simple.

The ship was supposed to be lifted above the atmosphere on her jets before the hyperkinetic generator was used, but the generator could, in an emergency, be used on the ground. Torlyn Khy smiled. As far as he was concerned, this would be an emergency. The Earthmen, he thought pleasantly, would feel very foolish when their greatest ship simply vanished from under their noses.

After making a thorough reconnaissance of the area, the Valdorian decided he was ready. He switched on the tiny power pack at his waist, and the invisibility belt he was wearing was energized. If anyone had been watching the shadows where Torlyn Khy was standing, they would have seen a faint blue glow as the Valdorian faded slowly from sight.

Then, boldly, the alien strode toward the Skyjumper. Nothing stood in the way of success now.

He walked directly across the well-lighted safety area, and the guards paid not the slightest attention.

At the airlock door, he paused to take stock of the situation. He had to move fast now. The success of the whole mission depended on timing from here on out. The guards, naturally, would see the airlock door swing open; they would know something was wrong. It would take them, he estimated, about four minutes to bring up heavy armament to blast the door open.

Moistening his lips nervously, he decided to correct the estimate. Better make it three minutes for safety's sake, he thought.

In that time, he would have to warm up the generator and punch the co-ordinates for the planet Valdor into the big guiding computer. Doing that would require, say, two minutesgiving him a minute's leeway. Good!

He waited until the guards all seemed to be looking away from the airlock door. Then he pressed the lock. The door swung open, and Torlyn Khy stepped quickly inside.

There was a shout from one of the guards below, but they were too late to do anything; the Valdorian had the airlock door closed before they could see what had happened. He turned the master switch on the inside of the door, which locked the door against any outside interference.

He grinned sardonically. The fool Earthmen would have a devil of a time doing anything now!

The next thing was to switch off his invisibility belt. It was difficult to do delicate work if you couldn't see your own arms and fingers, and punching co-ordinates into a computer was a delicate job.

He turned toward the inner doorand, at that moment, the door opened! An Earthman stepped out, an engineer named Harris who had apparently been making some last-minute adjustments on the ship.

"Oh, hello, Blaine," Harris said. "I"

Without a word, the Valdorian leaped forward, taking the Earthman by surprise. He slammed his fist into Harris' abdomen, and he doubled up in pain.

Torlyn Khy jumped back as the Earthman's foot suddenly sliced toward him. The toe of the engineer's foot hit him stingingly alongside the jaw, but the Valdorian managed to grasp the foot and twist.

Then he bent and picked Harris up, and knocked him down again with a crashing blow to the chin.

He left the unconscious Earthman on the floor, locking him inside the airlock. He would be no trouble there.

The real trouble was that the fight had delayed his timing; it must have taken all of a minute, and in a split-second operation such as this an interval of a minute could be fatal. Without wasting any more time, he got moving. His jaw hurt where the Earthman had slugged him, and his fingers felt stiff.

He ran down the corridor to the control room. The big automatic computer was ready to go. Torlyn Khy switched it on, waited for a moment, and then hastily began punching co-ordinates into the computer. He had to hurry; the Earthmen might blast their way into the ship at any moment. Still, he dared not make an error; if he did, the ship might end up a thousand light-years from where it was supposed to materializeperhaps in the heart of a sun.

There was perspiration dripping from his brow by the time he was finished. He turned on the hyperkinetic generator and waited for it to warm up. Still there was no sound from the airlock.

A red indicator light on the control panel came on, telling him that the generator was ready. With a triumphant smile, Torlyn Khy reached out and pressed the activator stud.

Outside the ship, the guards watched the airlock door.

"I wonder why Dr. Harris did that?" said a lieutenant.

"Who knows?" a sergeant replied.

They had seen the airlock open and close, but knowing that Harris was still inside, they had thought little of it. Still, it was odd.

The airlock door swung open again. Harris stepped out, looking dazed. The lieutenant ran toward him, and quickly the engineer explained what had happened.

"You mean he's inside there? We've got to stop him!"

"It's too late," Harris said. "He didn't know that I was doing some adjusting inside there. Go ahead and look."

The lieutenant went to the inner door of the airlock and peered in. The whole inside of the ship was gone, vanished as though it had never been.

"I had just made a slight adjustment of the generator." Harris said quietly. "The power field was cut down, so the projector field was smaller. I'm afraid our spy simply projected the inside of the spaceship out into the interstellar vacuum and left the hull behind."

He shook his head grimly. "Poor devil. He'll have quite a surprise in store for himunless he can live without air!"

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INCOMPLETE THEFT ***




Haiti - UN : High insecurity in Haiti evoked in Geneva





Monday, June 21, 2021, at the opening of the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, denounced serious setbacks in human rights around the world.



Regarding the situation in Haiti, the High Commissioner expressed concern at the continuation of "political unrest linked in part to a disagreement on the organization of a referendum on a new Constitution and the organization of elections in September". For Ms. Bachelet, the Haitian authorities must guarantee the right to vote in security conditions.



"In the meantime, the populations face high levels of insecurity and the Government's apparent difficulties in combating this trend." In addition, police reportedly failed to intervene in a number of recent clashes between criminal groups in the capital Port-au-Prince.



These incidents killed at least 50 people, displaced more than 10,000 people and worsened already very limited access to basic services.



Bachelet strongly condemns the violent attacks against the Haitian National Police, with the deaths of at least 25 police officers since January. She calls on the authorities to take all possible measures to ensure the protection of all Haitians and to address the root causes of the violence.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34006-haiti-insecurity-situation-in-haiti-un-report.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33947-haiti-armed-clashes-more-than-1-500-displaced-people-humanitarian-assistance-is-organized.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : The lives of nearly 86,000 Haitian children under 5 threatened





The number of children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Haiti could more than double this year, warned Jean Gough, UNICEF's Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, after a recent report, after a recent 7-day visit to Haiti.



Acute malnutrition in children under 5 has increased by 61% in the past year in Haiti. In 2021, an estimated 217,000 Haitian children could suffer from acute malnutrition compared to 134,000 during the same period last year, according to estimates in the Humanitarian Needs Overview. In the first three months of the year alone, the number of admissions of children with severe acute malnutrition to health facilities in Haiti has increased significantly by 26% compared to last year.



According to projections, more than 86,000 Haitian children under the age of five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year, up from 41,000 last year, and could die if they do not. was not getting emergency assistance.



UNICEF is alarmed at the increase in malnutrition over the past year, and is concerned about the shortage of ready-to-use therapeutic foods in the coming weeks.



For 2021, UNICEF needs US $ 48.9 million to meet the humanitarian needs of 1.5 million people in Haiti, including more than 700,000 children, who have been significantly exacerbated by the pandemic of COVID-19. So far, this humanitarian appeal has remained almost completely underfunded.



There is a certain "donor fatigue when the country experiences a chronic emergency for years and years", acknowledged Antonio Marro, UNICEF emergency specialist in Haiti, recalling that after the earthquake of January 2010 "many aid has arrived in Haiti".



Recalling that 46% of the Haitian population is food insecure and external aid represents more than a third of the state budget.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34033-haiti-flash-12-of-the-haitian-population-on-the-verge-of-famine.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33257-haiti-humanitarian-haiti-launches-an-appeal-for-$2356m.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33236-haiti-crisis-44-million-haitians-will-need-humanitarian-aid-in-2021.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31437-haiti-usa-$15m-to-fight-against-food-insecurity-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-32605-haiti-taiwan-donation-of-1-000-tonnes-of-food-assistance-rice.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Spain : Compulsory vaccination certificate for Haitians

The Spanish Embassy has relaunched the Schengen visa service in Haiti, under the following conditions : all requests must be made by email to the mail : emb.pprincipe.vis@maec.es The Embassy will send you the necessary information and the required documentation. Once all the documentation has been collected, for health reasons, the procedures at the Embassy will be done exclusively by appointment. IMPORTANT. In addition to the Schengen visa, all Haitians must present a Covid-19 vaccination certificate to enter Spain.



Kenscoff : Firefighters block the road

On Monday the road to Kenscoff was blocked by fire trucks to claim salary arrears...



General Electric will produce blackouts

EDH announces a new test (black start) by General Electric with turbine II of Centrale III at Carrefour. Turbine II will remain on the grid for 4 to 6 hours. The test will create a general blackout for a little while, then the control unit will restore the grid. These repeated tests on the network are essential before commissioning the new central III at Carrefour. EdH asks its kind customers to prepare for it and apologizes for any inconvenience this operation may cause.



Displaced from Martissant

On Monday, Prime Minister ai Claude Joseph met all the representatives of the sectors concerned by the situation of the displaced persons of Martissant in order to assess the situation and coordinate, with the Ministers of Finance and Social Affairs as well as the Directors General of the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES) and the National Migration Office (ONM) support and return of these people to their homes in accordance with the instructions of the Head of State.



Covid : Raising awareness about vaccination (Video)

The Ministry of Health is starting to sensitize the population to vaccination even if no official date has been announced concerning the arrival of the first doses of vaccine in Haiti "M ap pran vaksen kont nouvo kowonaviris la pou m ka viv san ke sote".







HL/ HaitiLibre


















By William Schwartz | Published on 2021/06/21

Kim Chang-joo's reputation as an editor is well-known. He won the Blue Dragon Award for Best Editing on "A Hard Day" back in 2014. He has done many projects since then, including "The Admiral: Roaring Currents", "Tunnel", "Real", "Take Point", "Kingdom" and "Kingdom - Season 2". But the upcoming "HARD HIT" will be the first for Kim Chang-joo in the director's chair. In a recent interview, Kim Chang-joo discussed his feelings on the thriller film.

Advertisement

According to Kim Chang-joo, he first got the idea to make a film of his own from director Bong Joon-ho when he worked with the legendary filmmaker on "Snowpiercer" back in 2013. Purportedly, Kim Chang-joo heard the story of how Bong Joon-ho got the idea for "Snowpiercer" from picking up a comic book at a store in France, and having his heart moved to bring the story to screen. This conceptualization gave Kim Chang-joo the courage to strike out on his own, provided the right idea.

Kim Chang-joo claimed to have originally wanted to be a director, only to drift into becoming an editor upon realizing just how important the process was to filmmaking. Introspective by nature, Kim Chang-joo enjoyed the relative isolation of the editing room. Kim Chang-joo has also cultivated a reputation for using edits to signify important narrative subtleties. This led to his receiving offers from many production companies, eventually settling on "HARD HIT" for his debut.

Kim Chang-joo also stated that his work as an editor strongly influenced his work as a director via a cooking analogy. A meal is only as good as its ingredients, which the editor must mix together. So as Kim Chang-joo thought about what material he would want access to in the editing room, he had a better idea what needed to be filmed and how. Kim Chang-joo was less confidence at his acting direction, but described his cast as exceptional talents who could compensate for his inexperience.

True to his training, "HARD HIT" is a very lean feature at only ninety minutes. Kim Chang-joo described the film's energy as being highly animalistic, with characters constantly in a rush to complete new objectives. Kim Chang-joo emphasize this same quality to cast and crew, hoping to transfer this manic energy as a representation of the lead character's own hurried psychological state. "HARD HIT" will open in South Korean theaters on June 23rd.

Written by William Schwartz
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A move by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that puts the brakes
Pedro Hernandez with Associated Crafts/Willet Hauser Architectural Glass replaces outer glass with acrylic at First Lutheran Church. They also cleaned the stained glass and painted the frames.

Thanks to the good will of the community through donations large and small, Havre's First Lutheran Church refurbished its stained glass windows for the first time since 1950.

"They haven't been replaced, they've just been refurbished and this protective coating added. Because of age and the settling of the building over time, they were in danger of, I think, panels falling out, something about the frame, just weathering and becoming weaker," Pastor Megan Hoewisch said.

"We wanted to preserve the beauty of the stained glass windows. Because of generous donations made in memory of lost loved ones, we had enough to go forward with the project. The summer was the perfect time to do it," she added.

Hoewisch said the repairs only took about two weeks. To her knowledge, the refurbishing is the first time the windows have been worked on since they first were put in.

"The windows are looking gorgeous. The dirt of many, many years has been washed off and more light is pouring into the building now. The frames around the windows used to be peeling paint and now they're glossy and new. They look better on the outside and on the inside," Hoewisch said.

The refurbishing work, done over the summer, helped preserve a scene from the Gospel of John which has been a part of the church for many years.

"The windows in the nave, which is the body of the church, many of those are grapevines that wrap around the window with bunches of grapes and leaves. That's, you know, from the Gospel of John, of abide in me. Jesus says we're supposed to be part of the vine that is the body of Christ. In the body of the sanctuary, we've got this reminder that we are part of the vine, we are bunches of grapes within this larger hole," Hoewisch said

"Then the cross in the front of the church is also filled with bunches of grapes, which is another reference to Communion and the wine that we drink at Communion but there's also a serpent at the bottom of the cross, reminding us of what the cross is there to triumph over the powers of sin and death," she added.

Hoewisch said there are nails, a hammer and a whip on the edges on the two sides of the horizontal beam to represent the crucifixion but the body of Christ is not on the cross because Christ is no longer on the cross.

She said Christ not being on the cross represents that Good Friday, when Jesus was on the cross, was not the end of the story as the church believes Christ was raised from the dead.

"I think for us the cross that's the stained glass window in the front of the church, it's a sign of hope and God's triumph over all of the forces of evil," Hoewisch said.

Hoewisch said she thinks the congregation is thrilled with the work, knowing there were so many gifts given in memory of loved ones that have made this project possible.

"It's kind of like the light from many, many souls is shining down on us," Hoewisch said. "I think that that sort of community-led work is really important, because, you know, it's not just one person's donation that made this possible, even though we are grateful for several larger donations that helped us get here. Really, it's the memories of many, many loved ones that have contributed to it."

The church website says in-person and virtual worship through Facebook is at 9:30 Sunday mornings and all are welcome. The site says radio broadcasts of services are on station KOJM 610 AM starting at 11 a.m.
Havre City Judge Virginia Seigel poses in November 2015, in her U.S. Army helicopter pilot uniform. Seigel, who left her judge position to start working for U.S. Border Patrol in 2019, died with her granddaugher, Elise Lowrance, 6, in a plane crash in Utah Thursday.

Editors note: This version corrects the spelling of Elise Lowrance.

Former Havre City Judge Virginia Seigel and her granddaughter, Elise Lowrance, 6, died Thursday when the plane Seigel was flying en route to a Father's Day event in California crashed in the Deseret Peak Wilderness in Utah.

Alexandra Seigel, daughter of Virginia Seigel and mother of Elise, said she found out for certain Sunday.

"It's been really hard," she said. "I'm trying to keep going for the rest of my kids."

She said the family of her husband, James Lowrance, are in town helping take care of their other children, Emily, 8, Amber, 4, and Ezra, 3.

She said her mother was taking Elise to California as a Father's Day surprise for Elise's great-grandfather.

"She really wanted to meet him," Seigel said.

She said the two were probably some of the best people she ever met.

"They were really full of life," Seigel said, "very vibrant people. They loved to play outside, they loved to kayak and swim and go to the park.

"Everything that kids like, my mom liked, too," she added.

She said Elise loved to bicycle - "She named her bike Ocean," she added.

And both loved music, with Virginia Seigel playing guitar and Elise playing the piano.

Alex Seigel said she was sick the week before the two left for California, and Elise would play on the piano, trying to make her feel better.

"They both really loved people," she said "They were always trying to make people laugh, to take care of people."

The crash also started a fire at the crash site. Utah officials report the Morgan Canyon Fire, now at 157 acres, was caused by the crash.

Virginia Seigel was elected city judge in 2013 after starting as the administrator for the Hill County Justice Court in 2010.

Seigel announced her retirement in November 2018, effective in January 2021, to take a position with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Seigel was a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Army for 14 years, 10 years as a helicopter pilot and four in the military special forces. While serving in the military Seigel flew in the United States, Germany, Iraq and Korea.

Federal Aviations Administration lists that Seigel had a commercial pilot certificate and instrument qualifications for helicopters and had private privileges for a single engine land airplane like her 1966 Cessna Piper 28-21490 she was flying Thursday.
Red Cross Blood Drive is Tuesday, July 20, from noon to 6 p.m.

By Carla Jenewein

Chinook Red Cross blood drive coordinator

Appointments for the July 20 blood drive in Chinook are highly encouraged by the Red Cross. However, the Red Cross does realize that an appointment is not always possible.

Due to the difficulty at the past two drives to accommodate walk-ins, there has been communication between myself and the Senior Donor Recruitment Rep at American Red Cross in Great Falls. He has informed me that they have added staff to our blood drive scheduled here in Chinook July 20 so that those walking in can donate. We will be giving the walk-in donors the option of waiting until we can see them or having them come back when there is an open time slot.

We do not want to turn any donor away.

Due to the critical need for blood, we are asking for all blood types, but especially Group O as Group O is the Universal Donor type and can donate red blood cells to anybody.

We do have slots still available for Power Red donations. Power Red is for type O, A negative or B negative donors; donation frequency is every 112 days, up to three times per year; you must be in good health and feeling well; male donors must be at least 17 years old in most states, at least 51 tall and weigh at least 130 lbs; Female donors must be at least 19 years old, at least 55 tall and weigh at least 150 lbs.

Red Cross says a Power Red is similar to a whole blood donation, except a special machine is used to allow people to safely donate two units of red blood cells during one donation while returning their plasma and platelets to them.

The drive is open for scheduling so please go to http://redcross.org to schedule your appointment. It is never too early.

Red Cross also gave a pandemic update.

As more and more people have become vaccinated and the number of COVID-19 cases are significantly reduced, we have reached an important milestone in the battle against the pandemic. We are so very grateful that our country has reached a point where we can begin to alleviate some of the burdens that COVID-19 has placed on all of us, Red Cross said.

The Red Cross has updated its pandemic safety protocols in alignment with CDC and OSHA guidance. Heres what you need to know:

 Fully vaccinated individuals including staff and blood donors will no longer need to wear face masks or socially distance beginning May 21.

 Unvaccinated individuals will continue to be required to wear face masks and socially distance. We encourage donors to bring their own face mask that covers both their nose and mouth. If a donor does not have a mask, we will provide one. If a donor does not want to wear a mask, we ask they postpone their donation for a later date.

 If your location requires face masks, the Red Cross will adhere to more stringent face mask requirements. Please notify your Red Cross Account Manager at least 72 hours before your next blood drive if face masks will be required.

 In addition, where state and/or local guidance is more stringent than the most recent CDC guidelines, we will follow the more stringent state or local guidelines.

 Proof of vaccination will not be a requirement. We trust that our blood donors will provide honest responses  its what our eligibility process is built upon. We will continue to rely on the honesty of our blood donors when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination and face masks.

At each blood drive, Red Cross staff continues to follow the highest standards of safety and infection control. Our commitment to operate blood drives in the safest way possible for our donors, volunteers and staff remains a top priority.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Chinook Tuesday, July 20.
Jill Shackelford, Kerr Countys consultant on aggregate production operations, speaks during an informational meeting Monday, June 21. She lauded the local APOs and their neighbors for their willingness to work together for the best possible outcomes for all.
Here are anti-vaxxer rants YouTube removed

When a speaker asked audience members if they mistrusted Covid-19 vaccines, many raised their hand.

EDITORS NOTE: This story contains direct quotes from citizens during a meeting of the Board of Commissioners, many of which have been challenged or debunked by the CDC, FDA or other public health or research agencies. Were reporting them so readers will have access to speech uttered in a public meeting and no longer available on YouTube.

During a June 16 meeting of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners, anti-vaccination speakers called Covid-19 shots dangerous and implored commissioners not to spend money promoting them.

Speakers falsely implied that commissioners intended to spend some of its $22 million American Rescue Plan money to promote the shots, accused the county health department of attempting to cover up information on a whiteboard during a public meeting, called the Covid vaccines ineffective and dangerous and compared public health campaigns promoting the shots to crimes against humanity, Hitlers propaganda and Nuremberg 2.0.

YouTube removed the video on Thursday shortly after it was posted and denied County Attorney Russ Burrells appeal of its decision the next day. "We have reviewed the content carefully and have confirmed that it violates our medical misinformation policy, YouTube said. We know this is probably disappointing news but it's our job to make sure that YouTube is a safe place for all."



Here are comments citizens made at the meeting, followed by remarks by county Director of Public Health Steve Smith and CDC or FDA reports on the anti-vaxxers assertions.

We have been manipulated and misdirected from the beginning, David Nock said. Its not your fault for falling prey to the mainstream media. Factual data should have been made available prior to making any decision regarding informed consent and freedom of choice. Hitlers own propaganda master quoted, If you tell a lie long enough it becomes the truth. There is more truth suppressed every day, he said. Scientists and doctors are starting to speak out, he said. The vaccine was never intended for our safety but to accomplish a task before the vast majority sees the truth. The vaccine, Nock said, is causing death and injury worldwide. The biggest atrocity is urging humans to allow gene-altering and toxic materials to be injected in good faith. We are not human test subjects but we are when we are getting these injections.



More than 310 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been given in the United States from December 14, 2020, through June 14, 2021, the CDC says.

Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Covid-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA).

Millions of people in the United States have received Covid-19 vaccines since they were authorized for emergency use by FDA. These vaccines have undergone and will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that Covid-19 vaccines are safe.  Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following any vaccination, including Covid-19 vaccination. Vaccine monitoring has historically shown that side effects generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose. For this reason, the FDA required each of the authorized Covid-19 vaccines to be studied for at least two months (eight weeks) after the final dose. Millions of people have received Covid-19 vaccines, and no long-term side effects have been detected.



Crimes against humanity

Jay Pfeil, a Black Mountain artist, sounded the alarm about children getting the vaccine. We have been lied to. The lies are so huge, its mind-boggling," she said. "Its hard to wrap your mind around how the big lies are.  I have friends whose children are injured by vaccines. To force this on children is criminal, its crimes against humanity. Its experimental, not even a vaccine, if you really look into whats going in that. Doctors who are coming out and speaking the truth are being suppressed, their reputations destroyed, they lose their job and some of them have even been killed. This is huge and we need to stop the insanity of the fear around this virus.  A child is not mentally equipped to make that decision (to get a shot) and yet were pushing it on our kids in schools. This is criminal and each of us needs to stand up and make a choice: Are you for God, humanity, freedom of choice in what we put in our bodies? Its devastating whats happening in this country right now.

The risk of Covid-19 in children is insignificant and yet this experimental agent that is not medically necessary is being pushed, Janice Parker said. A group of scientists in Canada concluded that we made a big mistake. We are inadvertently inoculating people with a toxin.

'Nuremberg 2.0'

Lee Emerson, Polk Countys Republican Party chairman, called the vaccine an unapproved experimental shot pushed by public health campaigns. In addition, they are immorally and illegally coercing people with monetary and other enticements. Thats happening here in Henderson County. HHS has a whiteboard that they call a war room. The HHS people didnt want us to see this board and take screenshots. There are over 6,000 deaths and they say theyre 90 days behind in reporting and almost a half million injuries." A thousand lawyers and 10,000 doctors are getting ready to file the largest court case and crimes against humanity case ever conducted," he said. "This is Nuremberg 2.0.



At the end of the public comment period, Health Director Steve Smith responded. There were some comments made about forcing people to take a vaccination or coercing them, he said. I just want to say I regret that that was anybodys interpretation. We have honorable public health staff and medical community partners and no one to my knowledge has ever crossed that line.



Contrary to what the legacy media, big tech and for-profit science says, there are thousands of doctors speaking out on the dangers of these new gene therapy drugs, also known as Covid vaccines, Carolyn Widener said. Americas Front Line Doctors has sued to halt the vaccine for young people. There are other doctors that have outlined their judgments about the Covid vaccine (as) unnecessary, the vaccines lack efficacy and vaccines are dangerous.



Founded by Simone Gold, a doctor and lawyer, Americas Frontline Doctors says its a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that speaks out against government overreach and the politicized science surrounding Covid-19. Throughout the pandemic, AFLDS has been a powerful voice for doctors and patients who have been misinformed, victimized and silenced by public health bureaucrats, the media and politicians, it says.

One medical website, MedpageToday, said the organization became infamous in July after a viral press conference that protested government lockdown restrictions and spread inaccuracies ranging from the ineffectiveness of masks to claims that hydroxychloroquine could cure Covid-19. Now, those same doctors  the majority of which have no experience treating Covid-19 patients  have launched a campaign to warn Americans that they should not be forced to take an experimental vaccine, while failing to mention the safety trials and large phase III efficacy trials, along with the fact that no vaccine mandate exists. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/90536

'Blanket of fear'

Darcy Rose also warned against vaccinating children.

They do not deserve these shots," she said. "They do not deserve using them as drug pushers, of swaying their buddies and peers to get the shot by rewarding them with a gift card. This just goes so against everything that I feel right inside of me.  When we went on lockdown, every red flag went up inside of me. I felt the entire globe being laid with a blanket of fear over them and I had to step way, way back because I knew instinctively that this was wrong but I needed to know why. I looked at everything. I looked at the media. I was listening to the underground  and every evidence kept telling me that there was something not brought out in the moment. We need to approach this and back way off.

'President was cured taking hydroxychloroquine'

Susane Brown said when she and others attended a recent meeting of the county Board of Health they "were astonished to find that that department is already under way with a program to pressure several groups of people in our county to get this vaccine  students, Hispanics and elderly, she said. They had it all up on a whiteboard and it was so secret evidently that they wouldnt even let the people who attended this meeting photograph it. What is going on here?  Why isnt the health department required to inform people of sensible alternatives such as hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, or zinc or vitamin D or vitamin C. These are all substantiated remedial alternatives. Our own president was cured taking hydroxychloroquine. Im sure you know that.

Smith, the public health director, explained what happened regarding the whiteboard. That was a variety of guidance  which was used in a staff kind of war room about Covid-19, he said. I had left that on those whiteboards so board members could see some of the activity that had been playing out for several months, and what I had not realized was that there was some personal staff member phone numbers on there. That was the only aversion for that board being photographed. But Im almost certain that the board was indeed photographed by an attendee. There was no attempt to hide or to be secretive about any public information.

Teenagers 'follow the herd'

Helen Stewart said she had been trying to warn young coworkers against the shot. I have been researching this since Day 1, she said. I was a teacher 50 years ago  and I now work as a cashier at Ingles and I work with young people and I have been talking to them about this issue since Day 1 and what I have found is that they just follow the herd. Theyve been programmed in schools, theyve been socialized in their education and they just follow what theyre told. Theyre not doing critical thinking on their own. I bring facts to them and they listen and they say, Oh no, Im young, Im going to die. I remember that. Dont smoke, you might die from smoking. That was the big thing when I was a kid. But now its this, and guess what? Every single one of them are getting the shot. Ive gone to the girls and said, Do you know you can become unable to have children? Thats a huge, huge possibility.  I have to wear a mask to work. The masks dont even work. The companys telling me, You have to wear a mask. Now the companys telling me, You have to have a vaccine in order to take off your mask. The mask never worked.  Babies are wearing masks. They dont do anything but you know what they do? They prevent you from breathing. They prevent you from getting oxygen. I see old people wearing masks.  Please do your research. We have done it. We are against it. Do not force us. Let us make our own decision.

There is no scientific evidence to suggest that the vaccine could cause infertility in women, the FDA says. In addition, infertility is not known to occur as a result of natural Covid-19 disease, further demonstrating that immune responses to the virus, whether induced by infection or a vaccine, are not a cause of infertility. Reports on social media have falsely asserted that the vaccine could cause infertility in women and the FDA is concerned that this misinformation may cause women to avoid vaccination to prevent Covid-19, which is a potentially serious and life-threatening disease.  After a person is vaccinated, their body produces copies of the spike protein, which does not cause disease, and triggers the immune system to learn to react defensively, producing an immune response against SARS-CoV-2. Contrary to false reports on social media, this protein is not the same as any involved in formation of the placenta.

Weaponized useful idiots

Dont be a weaponized useful idiot, which is used by tyrants historically, Laurie Fisher urged the commissioners. They weaponize the good nature of people through carrots, like $11 million, and sticks of many sorts. Theres tons of information on the dangers of vaccines. This last one is the freak vaccine of them all. Its not even a vaccine. Its a genetic device. It is not an antigen to get an antibody response. It is a DNA-modifying device that has all sort of nefarious intent behind it. You can find this information out. They are very credible people  Nobel laureates, award-winning doctors  all over the globe, doing their best to educate. Theyre censored. That should cause a red flag. Why would someone censor that doctor? You can inform yourself just as we informed ourselves.
Friends, family and fellow soldiers remember Tony Case

A Junior ROTC member presents flag to Tommy and Lori Redmond, Cases stepfather and mother, as niece Isabella Redmond looks on.

Friends, family and fellow soldiers celebrated the life of Tony Case during a memorial service Saturday at his alma mater, East Henderson High School.

The Henderson County Honor Guard presented the colors, fired a three-volley salute and played Taps in his honor and two Junior ROTC students presented a flag to Tonys mother and stepfather, Lori and Tommy Redmond.

Case, a U.S. Army combat veteran of the Afghanistan War, took his own life last Nov. 19 at the age of 37. Because of the public health restrictions on gatherings, the family was unable to hold a memorial until this past weekend.

Blair Craven, Tonys cousin, shared stories about growing up with Tony in Hendersonville, becoming roommates at East Carolina University and having good times with family and friends over the years.

Chris Whorley, a physician assistant who traveled to the service from New Mexico, went through boot camp with Tony and both became forward observers in northern Afghanistan. They remained close after they were discharged from the Army. A graduate of East Carolina University, Case could have become an officer. Instead, he opted to remain a sergeant.

Sgt. Tony Case served as a forward observer with the 10th Mountain Division.He was the kind of man that wanted to start from the bottom and work his way up and earn the trust of his men, Whorley said from the stage of Easts auditorium, where Case starred in several musicals. One thing anybody can take from this is to not suffer in silence. Talk to your friends, talk to your family. Who knows what might be different.

Jason Fields, another 10th Mountain Division veteran, described Cases experience at Barge Matal as one of the most hazardous in the war.

The Taliban came in because they were trying to stop the voting, said Fields, who was a mortar gunner. Barge Matal was the most dangerous place in Afghanistan at the time. There were no roads in there and there were three mountains overlooking the village. Our unit went in to try to make it less of a haven for insurgents. We helicoptered in. It became the flashpoint for all of the Taliban in this very raw area.

When your job is shooting bad guys you couldnt be in a place with more bad guys to shoot, he said. In any job you have good people and bad people so the bad people, you need to give them silly stuff to do. Tony was really good at his job. He was one of the more active forward observers in the unit. What the forward observers have to do is mark positions up in the hills where theyre attacking us or on rivers where they attack us from. They try to pre-identify those targets. That way the mortars and artillery from the main base can immediately point at that position.

The F.O. is kind of the most important part of the fire mission, Fields added. Its extremely dangerous because you have to be right out front. F.O.s cant hide in the rear. You have to be able to move with the commander. You have to be right in the middle in order to both direct the fire and get the orders to send fire.

After he came home from Afghanistan, Case trained to be a physical therapy assistant, bought a camper and took off with his rescue dogs, Cerby and Willie Pete. He took physical therapy travel jobs in Arizona, Washington state and other places out west. Friends and family said they had no detected no clues that Case was struggling.

It was hard to take because he had posts on Facebook that seemed so awesome  fishing, hunting, Fields said. You dont realize that the hurting is still there.

Did his friend Whorley have any inkling?

No, he did a really good job of covering it up, he said. I saw him in October less than a month before he passed and I asked him if he was happy and doing good. He told me everything was fine.

It was utter shock when he got a text about Tonys death. I had to reread it several times, (thinking) No thats not real. Then I called his mom and she told me everything.

Armed Forces Day, Shuford Edmisten said during the service, is for those on active duty. Veterans Day is for those of us who have hung up our uniform. Memorial Day is for those who never got a chance to take their uniform off. I feel like that was Tony Case.

After the memorial service, American Legion motorcycle riders, sheriffs deputies and city police escorted the funeral procession from East Henderson High School to American Legion Post 77 for a reception and barbecue dinner. Tonys mother, Lori, was especially impressed with the escort.

She was really happy about that, said Fields, who is an attorney in Washington, D.C.

I thought the service was really wonderful, he added. Afterwards, we got a chance to spend more time with the family. He had a very, very close family and we were very honored to have gotten to spend time with them. This has not been easy for them but it may begin the process of finding peace.
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A SURGEON from Henley who won an employment tribunal against an industry regulator says he will continue to fight against racism within the NHS.

Omer Karim had been working at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough for 20 years when allegations of bullying were made against him in 2013.

He was a senior consultant in the urology department and an internationally renowned specialist in prostate cancer and robotic surgery.

Reading Employment Tribunal decided that Mr Karim was discriminated against by the General Medical Council on the grounds of his race  he is a Muslim of Sudanese and Irish heritage.

The terms of the settlement will be finalised in the coming weeks.

The GMC is a public body and charity that maintains the official register of medical practioners.

Mr Karim, 62, said the same charges were brought against a white doctor but these were dismissed. He also said the GMC deliberately withheld evidence that would have proved his innocence.

He now works at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea in robotic kidney and cancer surgery.

He has written to the GMC and the Health Secretary, calling for a public inquiry into how investigations of doctors are carried out.

Mr Karim described being wrongly accused of bullying as pretty devastating.

He said: You feel as though everything has collapsed and is falling apart. When youve done nothing, you realise people can be so vindictive.

I was discriminated against by the GMC and I had clear-cut evidence that I was innocent but they withheld evidence during my fitness-to-practice tribunal in 2018.

It is a landmark victory and the first time it has ever been done against the GMC.

They basically look at your name and where you are from and they decide the case beforehand based on that  it is pretty shocking, to be honest. My background was the only difference between me and the guy who was let off and he was my main comparison throughout this whole case. He was white and I have a Muslim name and Im mixed race.

In America, if you are very good, you will get to the top of your profession very quickly because you will bring financial benefits.

Unfortunately, with the NHS, there is an undercurrent of hidden racism and, sadly, it is rife throughout the system, right up to the regulator.

It is very disappointing for a number of doctors who work hard for many years before they notice this. It is there, unfortunately.

Mr Karim lives in Peppard Lane with his wife Helen, 62, a former midwife, and they have two grown-up children, Joseph and Lizzie, who both live in London.

In 2013, he and colleagues at Wexham Park raised concerns with the Care Quality Commission that ethnic minority doctors were bullied.

The GMC decided not to take any action.

In the same year, the regulator received allegations about Mr Karims behaviour. The case was dismissed but the hospital launched two investigations.

In 2014, he went on local radio after the fromer Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was criticised by the Care Quality Commission in order to defend the reputation of staff.

He explained: I was a whistle-blower. Our hospital was very supportive of the local population but failed its CQC report, which came out in May 2014.

I was invited to go on the radio because, the day before, the chief executive had been on and was asked whether he would allow his family or relatives to go to hospital and he said no.

We were shocked by this because we knew it was a good hospital and the CQC report said the hospital had failed due to years of bad management and underfunding. A lot of the consultant body were very upset because we had a great reputation and were second-to-none.

I said on the radio, It is there in black and white in the CQC report  the hospital has failed because of years of bad management and underfunding.

The minute I said that, the hospital had it in for me. I had allegation after allegation made against me. At the time, there were three senior consultants in the urology department. We were excluded from the hospital and they set up an internal investigation.

Mr Karim was referred back to the GMC later that year and suspended from work.

In 2015, the interim orders panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service imposed restrictions on his practice, pending the outcome of the GMCs investigation. The restrictions were lifted later that year but his case was not heard until 2018.

Mr Karim said: The GMC immediately called me for another hearing and put conditions on my registration. That is very damning for a doctor.

When you get conditions on your registration, you lose all your private practice because insurance companies drop you like a stone.

They decided to suspend me again and continued with a disciplinary hearing against me.

Having lost my private practice, I had the choice of whether or not to face the disciplinary at the hospital but I was guaranteed to be dismissed.

Because the NHS is a monopoly employer, once you are dismissed, you never work in the NHS again.

I was effectively blackmailed into signing a settlement agreement, walking away with nothing and not suing them for any discrimination, harassment or loss of earnings. He resigned in 2015 and has since worked as a locum in other parts of the country.

After the GMC investigation, he attended a fitness-to-practice hearing in 2018 and was cleared of any wrongdoing. Mr Karim said: At that point, I said, The GMC should not have done this to me so I decided to sue them.

I knew that one white colleague had exactly the same allegations against him. They dropped his case after six months and didnt take it further.

The GMC chose to not believe the allegations against him but believe the allegations against me. This was clear-cut discrimination.

They were basically trying to strike me off as a doctor. I won the case because the tribunal judge and panel saw that I was discriminated against and treated differently.

The main thing is the GMC were so blinkered. Right at the beginning, they had evidence that would have proved my innocence and they didnt disclose it.

It only came out after 2018 and nobody has answered to that yet. Even at this tribunal, they were reluctant to release recordings that they had in their possession, which would have shown I was innocent.

The employment tribunal said the GMC should have been conscious of the adverse position of ethnic minority doctors in considering the complaint.

The ruling, made by Judge Andrew Gumbiti-Zimuto, said: We have come to the conclusion that there is a difference in the treatment of the claimant in contrast to Mr L, a white doctor.

We do not consider that there has been a credible explanation for the difference in the treatment.

We consider that there is evidence from which we could conclude that the difference in treatment of the claimant in comparison with Mr L and the delay were on the grounds of his race.

A spokesman for the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, which replaced the old trust, said: We have worked hard to develop an open and inclusive culture across our trust.

We want to be the best possible employer for all our people and will continue doing everything we can to listen to staff and eliminate inequalities throughout our organisation.

The GMC said it would fully consider the tribunals findings.
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Provo, UT (84601)

Today

Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. N winds shifting to ESE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. N winds shifting to ESE at 10 to 15 mph.
Provo, UT (84601)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
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Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett informed the United States and other countries seeking to rekindle the Iran nuclear deal to "wake up." According to Bennett, Ebrahim Raisi, an apprentice of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would set up the tenure of violent hangmen.

Discussions continue to revive a landmark negotiation to limit Iran's nuclear program. According to Bennett, Iran's "regime of brutal hangmen" wants nuclear weapons, which Iran has consistently denied.

Condemnation of Raisi as Iran's President

On Sunday, Israel denounced the election of hardline judge Ebrahim Raisi as Iranian president. It remarked that world powers should not negotiate with Israel on a new nuclear deal, reported Reuters.

According to Bennett, who replaced Benjamin Netanyahu the previous week following the former prime minister's failure to form a new government, "Raisi's election is, I would say, the last chance for world powers to wake up before returning to the nuclear agreement, and understand who they are doing business with," reported Fox News.

Bennett added that they must not be allowed access to weapons of mass destruction and that he will not be changing his position on the matter.

According to diplomats, there was a progression on the renewing of the deal, which the United States withdrew from under former President Donald Trump. Gaps remain to be bridged. Israel opposes the deal, reported BBC.

Iran's chief jurist who is under US sanctions for human rights contraventions, Raisi, won over 62 percent of ballots in Saturday's election that was marked by extremely low turnout defined by voter apathy. Less than half the nation's qualified voters cast their vote.

Read Also: Israel Launches Airstrikes on Gaza Strip 3 Weeks After a Cease-Fire Halted 11 Days of Fighting

The Iran elected hardliner is the nation's top judge who holds ultra-conservative views. He was elected as the new president on Friday in a presidential race widely regarded as being orchestrated to favor his win. The president-elect will be inaugurated in August. He has been associated with previous executions of political prisoners.

Bennett has pulled through with Netanyahu's view that the United States should not rejoin the nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from in 2018. According to the Biden government, it wanted to restart deals with Iran regarding returning to the negotiation the Obama government arranged with global powers in 2015.

Negotiators from the six undersigned nations -- the United Kingdom, the United States, China, France, Russia, and Germany - and Iran have been holding discussions since April to revive the negotiation. It witnessed Iran restrict its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief. But, Iran has been contravening the negotiation since the US unilaterally left it.

The Biden administration has begun talks with the nations remaining to be participating in the accord.

The nations on Sunday gathered for a sixth round of indirect discussions between the Iran and United States in Vienna. They adjourned for the delegates to come back to their capitals.

Related Article: Israel's Netanhayu Out of Office, Bennett Sworn in as Prime Minister, Leading a "Government of Change"

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The situation is dire for the US space initiative, said a space and security expert who warned that US policymakers are falling short. Sending up three Chinese astronauts to an unfinished space station signals a challenge for the US space administration.

Above and beyond the confines of earth

According to Brandon Weichert, author of "Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower," during an interview with NTD last June 19," The very first thing the Chinese will do to win the fight in a space war against the Americans would be to take out or impair our satellites in a space Pearl Harbor."

He added that the US is ill-prepared to take the fight into space and he believes that it is not prepared to defend or strike back.

Managing the thrust of the CCP in their space program is the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO). The CMSEO is controlled by the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is then overseen by the Chinese Military, reported the Epoch Times.

The CMSEO is headed by Hao Chun, but the manned space program is controlled by Gen. Li Shangfu, the department boss of the CMC.

China's space technology

The Chinese manned space program is difficult to separate from its military counterpart. Three of the Chinese astronauts are part of the Chinese air force. They are Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo. Read also: US Space Force Just Launched a Tactical Satellite After 21-Day Deadline

These three ex-air force members will be staying on the Chinese space station for 90 days, which is the longest stay for Chinese in space since 2003. Tiangong, the space station, will be upgraded with modules next year in 2022.

The International Space Station (ISS) was launched in 1998 and is a joint partnership with the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, and other member nations of the European Space Agency. China was banned from 2011, after doubts about the intention of the Chinese leadership.

The ban is highlighted by a US law that prevents NASA from working with entities from the People's Republic of China (PRC) due to security concerns. The mistrust and stems from an incident in January 2007 when China deployed an anti-satellite missile at one of its inactive weather satellites, causing international worry

Weichert focused on two technologies by the CCP that can knock out a US satellite. One of them is a huge robotic arm that is 30 feet long and can carry 20 tons. It is connected to the orbiting space station.

He added, cited Toys Matrix, "During peacetime, the arm can be used to dock ships onto the space station. In war, it can be manipulated to grab satellites or push them from orbit to wreck them."

Another piece of technology that concerns Weichert is the presence of lasers on the Tiangong. The lasers for clearing space debris, Weichert is concerned it can shoot at other satellites to damage it severely. In 2018, a study concerning laser technology was published that served as inspiration for placing it on the station.

Weichert's interview gives insight into how this US expert fears the advancing Chinese space program can possibly give Beijing the upper hand.

Related article: How an F-15 Eagle Shoots down a Satellite on September 13, 1985

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) clarified earlier statements he made in an interview that some people interpreted as an announcement that former President Donald Trump wanted to be the House speaker, reported The Week via Yahoo. People misunderstood this statement and claimed that MacCarthy was saying that Trump himself wanted to be the House speaker, creating various speculations.

McCarthy's Opinion on Trump's Future

McCarthy responded to opinions on the former President Donald Trump's potential to be voted as House speaker, reported the Epoch Times.

During a Fox News interview, McCarthy was asked to share his perspective on Donald Trump's future. McCarthy answered, "You know, I have talked to President Trump many times. He tells me he wants me speaker, and I think he should be president."

McCarthy's statement got a lot of people confused. They thought that McCarthy just said Trump wanted to be House speaker.

To clarify this, McCarthy's office released a statement. His office acknowledged that his words may be misinterpreted and were not "crystal clear," reported the Daily Caller.

In an interview last Friday, the GOP minority leader said that they will focus on taking back the house for the Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections. Most of the time, during midterms, the Democrats fail to win the House majority.

Read also: House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy to Vote on the Ousting of Liz Cheney on May 12

What more can we expect from the Democrats?

McCarthy expounded on his will to win back the House majority for the Republicans. He claimed that the Democrats have been using the majority to accomplish things that seem unconstitutional. Aside from altering the election law, they also intend to turn Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. into states. They are doing all these activities to "change the structure and constitutionality of [the US] so they can maintain control illegally," he added. McCarthy stressed out that they never want things like these to happen.

Based on the Constitution, the speaker of the house does not need to be a sitting member of the congress, though throughout the history of the U.S. only the appointed representatives have been deemed as speakers.

How did speculations on Trump's desire to be a speaker begin?

One of Trump's interviews with commentator Wayne Allyn Root sparked speculation and discussion on Trump's desire to be a House speaker. Trump said that there's a probability for him to assume the said position.

When Trump was asked about a congressional bid in June, he responded, "You know, it's very interesting."

Trump's office also released a statement that he will be conducting his first post-presidential rally in Ohio on June 26.

Save America PAC. It described it as an event where Trump will push for candidates and his MAGA agenda.

During the event, Trump will endorse Max Miller who is trying to unseat Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio). It can be recalled that Gonzales was one of those who voted to impeach Trump and was warned that his tenure would be contested by someone endorsed by the ex-president.

Related article: House Republicans Show Concerns on Climate Change, Clean Energy

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As soon as next month, Congress will be grappling going over its debt cliff. Congress agreed to let the government borrow through July 31 under a 2019 negotiation during former President Donald Trump's administration. But by the end of July, Washington will possibly hit the debt limit. This means the federal government will surpass the permitted threshold of the amount allowed to spend in around five weeks unless Congress takes action. President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders in Congress will be facing a challenge as soon as that deal expires.

Psaki: Biden Believes Congress Will Lift Debt Limit

According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday, President Biden expects Congress to lift the legal limit on the federal debt notwithstanding the impending bout with the GOP overspending. The secretary, during a Monday White House briefing, stated that Biden believes lawmakers will once again alleviate the United States from defaulting on its debt. This is following legislators suspending or raising the debt ceiling three times under the previous president.

At that point, the Treasury Department could take what is known as remarkable measures to maintain the government's solvency. However, it is not clear how long it will be able to maintain this. In the Senate, raising the debt limit is conditional on the filibuster. This means that Democrats will need Republican support, reported MSN.

Bouts over the debt ceiling are usually contentious as members of Congress battle over the details Scrapping over the debt ceiling is entirely different compared to other legislative bouts, reported Fox News.

Read Also: US Pulls Antimissile Batteries From Middle East Countries, Realigns Mission to Confront China and Russia

According to Psaki, "The President believes that Congress will do what they've done three times during the Trump administration, which is to raise the debt ceiling. We know that that will be a central focus and discussion, probably even in here, come the fall, but he expects they will do what they've done three times [under Trump]," reported The Hill.

Republican senators remarked they do not expect their assembly to provide the 10 votes required to hike the borrowing limit. According to Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, it is unlikely that the GOP will support raising the debt ceiling.

The legal threshold on how much debt the United States government can hold is slated to kick back in on August 1. This provides Congress and Biden less than two months to keep the government from going over its debt cliff. GOP lawmakers agreed to lift the debt ceiling three times under Trump's tenure. However, they have cautioned Democrats they will not do so again unless Democrats agree to debt reduction measures, including spending cuts.

Another member of leadership, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), contended that lawmakers regularly use the debt ceiling to attempt to figure out a form of mechanism to control future debt. Contending with this issue establishes a high-profile financial bout with remarkable implications for the global economy.

Related Article: United States to Spend $3.2B for Antiviral Drugs for Coronavirus, Expected to Arrive by Year's End

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Dong Jingwei, China's top counterintelligence official was rumored to have defected to the United States last February as many talks, the majority of which came from anticommunist and pro-Trump groups, suggest the agent brought evidence of the origin of the COVID-19 virus.

Despite widespread rumors about the coronavirus coming from a lab leak in Wuhan, China, there is no credible evidence to support the claims. Scientists believe that the virus transferred itself from an infected animal to a human being, most likely from a wet market in the Asian region, where people and various meat products frequently come in contact with each other.

No conclusive evidence has been offered yet on the origin of the COVID-19 virus, but the Chinese government's apparent secrecy of the topic continues to fuel speculation. The situation has since attracted the blame onto Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Chinese Intelligence Agent Defected?

The rumors about 57-year-old Dong, who was the second most powerful person in the Ministry of State Security, and his daughter, Dong Yang, started five months ago. The talks came from Hong Kong and appear to have disturbed Beijing's government. China's officially sanctioned media reported that Dong was seen at an MSS seminar on the mainland, within 24 hours of a June 17 story on the matter, The Daily Beast reported.

However, the report did not include information such as the location of the event or photographs or video recordings of Dong making his speech, fuelling rumors that it was a cover-up. Dr. Han Lianchao, a former Chinese foreign ministry official who defected after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, said the Chinese Communist Party would never admit an MSS personnel's defection.

Read Also: New York City Mayoral Volunteer for Eric Adams Stabbed, Suspect Fled the Scene

The rumors claim Dong traveled from Hong Kong to the U.S. on February 10 with his daughter. Chinese pro-democracy activists living overseas said there was evidence that suggested the two fled Hong Kong with top-level intelligence regarding the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

While China continues to deny the agent's defection, the country's leader ordered the swearing an oath of top officials of the CCP's Central Committee ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the group, which is on July 1.

Appearing Again in China?

The Chinese government claimed Dong ordered other spies to hunt down anti-China forces, contrary to the defection rumors' claims. Amid the talks of the agent's defection, many members of the international community are working on identifying the exact origins of the COVID-19 virus, UPI reported.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization (WHO) said during this month's G7 summit that most of the studies regarding where the coronavirus started were inconclusive. He noted that nearly 3.75 million worldwide have died from the illness, who all deserve justice by having the source of the virus revealed to the world.

Amid the rumors and discussions about the COVID-19 virus theories coming from a laboratory in Wuhan, United States President Joe Biden ordered a close intelligence review of the coronavirus' origins last month, reported the Independent via Yahoo.

Related Article: Chinese Spymaster Dong Jingwei Allegedly Escapes China Bringing Evidence of COVID-19 Lab Leak from Wuhan Institute.



Related Article: GOP-Led States Dismiss Federal Gun Laws Amid Recent Mass Shootings in the US

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For more than a year, Dr. Anthony Fauci has received a tremendous amount of public attention. Some former President Donald Trump supporters and COVID-19 skeptics have made the infectious disease expert the center of bizarre viral conspiracy theories. With the recent revelation on hundreds of Fauci's emails to several national media sources, the hatred has only grown.

On Sunday, when he appeared on the New York Times Opinion podcast "Sway," Anthony Fauci, the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and White House chief medical advisor, addressed the criticism. Fauci said that no matter how hard he tries to block out the noise, he can't ignore the impact the criticisms have on his family. Death threats and outrageous messages sent to his wife and daughters have been among the most severe and alarming forms of harassment he and his family experienced.

Fauci says he is unconcerned of the criticisms

According to Business Insider, Swisher also mentioned some of the recent personal assaults on Fauci, like Roger Stone's comparison of the doctor to Hitler and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' tweet about "freedom over faucism." Some of Fauci's colleagues have refrained from speaking publicly about vaccinations because of the response, which he described as an orchestrated attempt to discredit the truth effectively. However, he feels that the more severe the statement is, the more political it appears.

During the podcast, the health authority justified the controversial statements, claiming that the apparent shift in recommendations is due to "the way science works." Fauci claimed he and his family had received death threats from the public after being compared to Hitler and after suffering a storm of criticism, much of it from high-profile GOP legislators.

During the early emergence of COVID-19 crisis in spring of 2020, Fauci urged Americans not to worry about wearing face masks. Then later on, he eventually became a strong proponent of public masking, claiming that his early dismissal of face coverings resulted from a lack of supplies for health workers.

The veteran infectious disease specialist who has led the National Institutes of Health since 1984 has also come under fire for diverting people's attention away from the reports that state COVID-19 may have leaked from a Wuhan virus lab. He has since stated that he is open to such notion.

Per Daily Mail, Fauci said he was unconcerned about the acclaim and condemnation he has gotten due to his role as the de-facto face of the US COVID-19 crisis; but he was taken aback by comparisons to Adolf Hitler. He claimed he places "very little weight in the praise, and very little weight in the craziness of denouncing [him]," as delivered in a preview of his podcast interview with Axios.

Republican critics want Fauci, who currently serves as Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, dismissed. Fauci has repeatedly sought to explain that his suggestions changed as scientific understanding evolved, eliciting vehement criticism from republican politicians. They sarcastically dubbed him King Tony Fauci earlier this month after the immunologist argued that assaults on him were "attacks on science."

Read Also: CDC, FDA Investigate Massive Tuberculosis Outbreak Linked to Contaminated Bone Repair Product Used in Over 100 Patients

Republicans urged Fauci to resign

After Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn, Marco Rubio, and Tom Cotton called on Fauci to resign or face termination, he claimed that he misled the Americans about the origin of COVID-19. Following a furious interview in which he accused his critics of conducting "anti-science" assaults, Sen. Marsha Blackburn accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of seeking opportunities to deflect criticism of his first handling of the COVID-19 lab leak allegation, Fox News reported.

Blackburn pressed Fauci to explain why he did not look into the lab leak theory sooner and why he did not speak out against earlier reports dismissing the likelihood. During the podcast, Fauci expressed his doubts about the lab leak theory, claiming that the existing information evaluated by virologists showed COVID-19 was entirely consistent with anything developed from bat viruses. He went on to say that specialists haven't discovered any proof to back up the theory that the virus was bioengineered.

Related Article: Fauci Emails Released: Republicans Urge Infectious Disease Expert to Testify Against COVID-19 Origins Probe



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Last week, the Chinese state-run media called for the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), where many conspiracy theories believe the COVID-19 virus originated from, to receive a Nobel Prize despite mounting criticisms as investigators are once again revisiting the lab leak theory.

During an interview, Dr. Shi Zhengli, who is also known as the "Bat Lady" for her work, emotionally denied the Wuhan Lab's involvement in the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Many reports have come out that suggest China's secrecy regarding the pandemic sow doubts of Shi's statements.

Zhao Lijiang, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, supported Shi and her lab, arguing that just because Wuhan scientists were the first ones in the world to discover the gene sequences of novel coronavirus did not mean they were responsible for the outbreak.

Nobel Prize

The official argued that if the first publication of a high-quality virus sequence was grounds to blame the person responsible, Professor Luc Antoine Montagnier should have been blamed for HIV. However, some have said that China's attempt to award the lab with a celebratory prize suggests the government was not planning on changing anything despite the pandemic, Fox News reported.

Despite the craziness of the lab leak theory, the secrecy of the Chinese government regarding the Wuhan lab warranted the NIH, WHO and Dr. Fauci to say that an investigation was at least justifiable. The conspiracy is further fueled by the fact that no bat has been found to be carrying the COVID-19 virus.

Similarly, some scientists who initially dismissed the lab leak theory are now saying the claim should be investigated further. Some even announced they were only hesitant to show support previously in fears of being labeled racists.

Read Also: The Russians Once Covered up a Deadly Lab Leak, Scientist Says Investigating the Origins of COVID-19 is 'Critical'

The Nobel Prize should be awarded to people or research groups who have succeeded in demonstrating outstanding achievements in the past five years, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said while arguing they should be recipients of the prize.

Renewed Conspiracy Theories

Recently, talks about the Wuhan lab being the origin of the COVID-19 virus have been regaining traction. However, the China state-run media has called accusations of the Wuhan lab were slanderous and baseless.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said the WIV was able to identify the pathogen after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, completed the entire virus genome sequencing and virus isolation at breakneck speeds. The institute was also able to compare and identify the similarities between the coronavirus and the SARS virus.

The Wuhan lab was reportedly nominated for the CAS' "2021 Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement Prize" by the Chinese state-run media. The media also recognized Shi as being nominated as an "outstanding contributor," Yahoo News reported.

The state-run media claimed that the WIV did outstanding work related to the coronavirus, impacting millions of lives worldwide. They also said that the breakthroughs of Pfizer, Moderna, Oxford and Johnson & Johnson in the last 18 months would not have been possible without the early works of the Wuhan laboratory, National Review reported.



Related Article: 'Black Fungus' Epidemic Plagues India Amid COVID-19 Emergency

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The American Red Cross is asking people to donate blood because of a severe blood shortage. Last week, the Red Cross staged the state's largest single-day blood drive in collaboration with NBC Connecticut, Telemundo CT, and the Hartford Yard Goats. The event was a huge success, with 310 units of blood collected. Even though it exceeded the goal of 300, there are only enough units to keep Connecticut hospitals stocked for one day.

Connecticut hospitals require around 302 units of blood each day, says the American Red Cross. This comes at a time when the country is experiencing a blood shortage. "With America opening up after the pandemic, individuals are starting to take care of some of the medical procedures that weren't being taken care of previously," said Peter Boucher of the American Red Cross.

An unusual rise in trauma, emergency transplant prompts blood shortage

Aside from trauma and organ transplants, elective procedures postponed during the pandemic are now on the rise, depleting the country's blood supply. Connecticut Children's Hospital's Dr. Michael Isakoff said the hospital had not been adversely affected, but they are making preparations, CT via MSN reported.

At Connecticut Children's, Isakoff is the medical director in charge of cancer and blood diseases. The nation's blood shortage is alarming, as cancer and anemia sufferers frequently require transfusions. Several circumstances cause the scarcity, says Isakoff. During the pandemic, several blood drives were canceled. This, along with the resumption of elective operations, has resulted in an imbalance.

According to the Red Cross, hospitals are also responding to unexpectedly high cases of trauma and emergency transplants. Blood needs at trauma hospitals are up 10% over last year, according to officials. State hospitals are reviewing the issue, per the Connecticut Hospital Association.

Read Also: Parents Submit Face Masks for Lab Testing; Harmful Pathogens Found on Children's Face Masks

Blood shortage could risk patients' life

When a patient learns that they have been chosen for a life-saving transplant, but the procedure must be postponed owing to blood shortage, it may be distressing. In hospitals around the country, there is a significant blood shortage, and supplies are critically low. The University of Louisville Hospital is no exception.

According to a transplant surgeon at the hospital, several causes, including an increase in trauma cases, results in more transplants conducted in the United States. Individuals rescheduling elective procedures that were canceled during the pandemic are also contributing to the shortage. The lack of blood is highly alarming to the UofL Health Traumer Transplant Center staff.

Transplanting livers, lungs, and hearts necessitates a huge volume of blood, and postponing such surgeries might put some patients' lives at risk. "One of the things we're starting to tell people is, 'You might have to bank some blood for yourself," says Dr. Christopher Jones, a transplant surgeon at the University of Louisville, as per WAVE3.

Cancer patients use about a fourth of blood donations, and the American Red Cross is experiencing a severe blood shortage, so thousands of people need help. To fulfill hospital demand in Vermont, the Red Cross needs to collect 80 pints of whole blood per day.

To give blood, you must weigh at least 110 pounds, according to the Red Cross. If you have just had a COVID-19 shot, there's no need to wait before donating. Per NBC5 via MSN, it is partnering up with the Red Cross for a community-wide blood drive on Friday. The blood drive is being held across Vermont, northern New York, and western New Hampshire.

Related Article: CDC, FDA Investigate Massive Tuberculosis Outbreak Linked to Contaminated Bone Repair Product Used in Over 100 Patients



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Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be finalizing a plan to fix the social care system. However, a crucial meeting on social care reform with the government's most senior ministers, scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed because proposals have not been agreed upon.

Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock were scheduled to meet to propose a solution to soaring social care costs, but it has been postponed. After becoming Prime Minister, Johnson declared that he had a clear strategy to address social care problems once and for all.

Proposals on social care reform remain contentious

There is still no agreement between the Treasury and Downing Street on what the plans should be and how the costs of social care should be paid. No final decisions or announcements are expected soon. Cross-party negotiations on social care changes would take place only after the plans have been announced, restricting the participation of other parties early on, according to Downing Street.

"When we set out our proposals, we will set out our path forward from that point," the Prime Minister's official spokesperson stated at a press briefing, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The Prime Minister has pledged to provide a plan to fix the social care system by the end of the year. One of the plans considered is a 50,000 cap ($69,597.25) on costs to prevent families from selling their properties to pay for care. However, it would force the Treasury, which is already cash-strapped, to find billions of money each year. The newest gaffe is "very upsetting" for hundreds of families facing mounting care home expenses, said Jeremy Hunt, the ex-Health Secretary, and the Health Select Committee Chairman, as per The Sun.

There are concerns that Red Wall Tories may protest over a flat-rate healthcare cost ceiling, which some describe as a new poll tax. Someone living in a 150,000 ($208,791.75) Doncaster property would pay the same as someone living in a 2 ($2.78) million London property. Instead, they are quietly asking the Prime Minister to impose a ceiling based on a proportion of an individual's assets.

Read Also: Prince Charles Won't Let Grandson Archie be a Prince, Source Close to Meghan Markle, Harry Reveals

Families face huge annual payments on social care

Hunt urged Boris Johnson today to put Treasury concerns aside and find the billions required to pay a ceiling on health-care prices. The severity of the problem was highlighted last night as disturbing new figures revealed that thousands of needy families face crippling annual payments of 35,000.

Per Daily Mail, the average fee for residential property was 672 ($935.39) weekly in 2019 and 2020, up 3% from the previous year, and 29% more than in 2011 and 2012. Dementia patients have considerably less to pass on to their offspring due to the high expenditures, which frequently necessitate the sale of the family house.

Because the average length of stay in care homes is two years, a limit of this amount would benefit tens of thousands of individuals. On the other hand, the Chancellor is concerned about the expenses, which may reach 10 ($13.92) billion each year. He also stated that Tory governments should not undertake anything that would force a tax rise on individuals.

Related Article: PM Boris Johnson Unveils $1.39 Billion Trade Partnership With India, To Create 6,000 UK Jobs



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Five diners are still at large after abducting and assaulting a waitress in New Jersey. When the waitress confronted a group who tried to leave the restaurant without paying for their bill, the waitress was physically attacked. The police reported that the suspects dragged the waitress into their car and fled the scene.

According to Washington Township police, the incident happened at a restaurant in Gloucester County, south of Philadelphia, at around 11:15 p.m., Saturday.

New Jersey waitress left abandoned after being abducted, assaulted

Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik told NBC Philadelphia, "The vehicle's running, the headlights are on, and they are ready to flee the area, the back door's open. At that point, there's some sort of confrontation at the vehicle and our victim ends up inside the vehicle."

The waitress was abandoned on the side of a highway. Gurcsik informed the station that the victim had bruises on her face and neck, as well as potential trauma.

It was a brazen assault, robbery, and perhaps kidnapping, according to Gurcsik. Three males and two women were spotted, and the vehicle was identified as a white Dodge Durango. A surveillance camera from outside the restaurant caught the incident.

The restaurant Nifty Fifty's said in a statement, "We value our employees and want them to know that no amount of money is worth their lives, nor is it their responsibility. We are sending thoughts and prayers to our employee for a speedy recovery."

A video captured the assault showing the unnamed waitress being abducted and attacked by the five suspects. As the others drove off with the victim inside the car, one suspect ran away from the restaurant.

Read Also: Missing US Student, Ex-Marine Found Dead in Russia Days After Sending Cryptic Text to Her Mom

Authorities seek help from the public to identify the suspects

The video was released, and police are asking the public to help identify the five suspects at large as of Monday morning. During the incident, the waitress was able to run back to the restaurant and call the police.

She was transported to a nearby hospital to treat the bruises on her face, head, and neck. The waitress was traumatized, claimed Gurcsik. Meanwhile, the suspects were last spotted in Monroe Township on Route 42 south.

The staff was asked to write down all information about the suspects, such as their vehicle's license number and any other relevant information. Per Daily Mail, Washington Township Police did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.

The event adds to a tumultuous year for restaurant staff, who are often maltreated when dealing with unruly customers. Servers and bartenders are advised to avoid physical confrontation, said Gurcsik during the interview. Avoid chasing after alleged suspects as well as confronting them on your own, he added, The Washington Post via MSN reported.

Anyone with information regarding the suspects should contact Det. M. Longfellow at mdlongfellow@pd.twp.washington.ny.us or call 856-589-0330 ext 1160.

Related Article: WATCH: Masked Gunman Seen Opening Fire on Young Children, Terrifying Scene Shows New York's Increasing Gun Violence



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Georgia is set to remove more than 100,000 names from the state's voter registration roll in what they say is an attempt to ensure election integrity.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Friday released a public statement that detailed plans of the state government to remove more than 100,000 names from the voter rolls, noting that the registrations were "obsolete and outdated." The state secretary also said that the move is part of an effort to ensure the integrity of the U.S. election.

Election Integrity

"Making sure Georgia's voter rolls are up to date is key to ensuring the integrity of our elections," Raffensperger said in the news statement. He went on to say that is the reason why he took Stacey Abrams to court in 2019 to remove nearly 300,000 obsolete voter files before the November election. According to his statement, Raffensperger said that those who are not qualified to vote should be removed from the rolls.

The removal of the 101,789 voter files is based on the 67,286 obsolete files associated with a National Change of Address form submitted to the U.S. Postal Service. It also culled from the 34,227 files that had election mail returned to the sender. At least 276 people also had no contact with election officials for the past five years. The state of Georgia also removed 18,486 voter files of dead individuals, based on data given by the state's Office of Vital Records and the Electronic Registration Information.

The recent effort to remove the names from the state's voter files is the first time the state has conducted a "major cleaning" of its voter rolls since 2019. However, the state regularly removes the files of convicted felons or the deceased.

Read Also: Iran Nuclear Deal: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Cautions US to Wake Up Before Returning to Nuclear Agreement

Fulton County Audit

On Saturday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, called out Raffensperger for only removing the voter files now and not during the November 2020 election.

"Are you worried about Fulton audit?" Greene tweeted.

.@GaSecofState why are you just now removing 100,000 voters off of Georgias voter rolls?



We know that these voters should not have voted in the November 2020 Presidential election.



Are you worried about Fulton audit? #TrumpWon  Marjorie Taylor Greene  (@mtgreenee) June 19, 2021

The Fulton audit refers to three separate investigations on accusations of election officials mishandling ballots in the 2020 election. On May 21, a Georgia judge agreed to open more than 145,000 absentee ballots filed in Fulton County.

However, the three separate audits did not find any evidence of fraud or wrongdoing that could have affected the results of the presidential election in Georgia.

This is not the first time that Rep. Greene has accused Georgia of election improprieties. In April, she claimed Fulton County saw widespread fraud during its election for chairperson. According to Newsweek, she said that the votes were collected in nine red solo cups and there were more votes than voters.

The removal of names from the voter rolls came after the state enacted a new 98-page bill that imposes new voting restrictions. Under the new bill, voters in urban and suburban counties would have limited access to ballots. It would now also be a crime to offer water bottles to voters waiting in line, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

Related Article: American Airlines Cancels Flights Due to Staff Shortages as US Carriers Scramble to Manage the Resurgence of Travel Demands

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One study said that catastrophic change is a regular occurrence, which starts and ends in a regular span of time.

Destruction and rebirth like clockwork

Using data that spans over 260 million years, researchers have studied major changes on planet earth like mass extinctions and massive changes of the sea level reported Daily Mail. The group is from New York University and they are proposing that the ancient events were self-repeating clusters space over a period of 27.5 million years. They suggest that these events are not a random occurrence over millions of years.

Why these pulses happen at all, and how these occur in the earth's inner core is part of the mystery. Tectonic plates move as part of these rhythmic cycles. The planet's orbit in space also seems to be part of the puzzle.

Members of the study estimate that the last pulse geological activity happened only 7 million years ago and the next one is due in 20 million years.

What scientists say

Study lead, Michael Rampino, a geologist and faculty member of New York University Department of Biology said that most geologists think that these events are random, cited Sciencedaily.

He added that the data from the study indicates it is a cyclical phase and happens regularly, like cosmic clockwork on the dot, every 27.5 million years based on their calculations.

Read also: The Bottom Water Changes the Climate Extremely and Impacts it Severely

Previous studies have shown that all the stages of major geologic changes, including volcanoes and anything else that causes changes on the land, including animals are from 26 to 36 million years. One problem is the accuracy of dating these ancient events are not precise. Rampino utilized the newest methods to date the changes accurately. He gathered a collection of 89 major geologic changes over 260 million years, basing on the baseline of 27.5 million years as the start of each major phase.

When did it happen?

Their study focused on 10 major timepoints in the proposed 260 million-year timeline when the earth's pulse was felt. These pulses were kept on schedule by something that has not been comprehended by science. Once the cycle begins there is no stopping it.

Rampino added that the study questions the so-called random events, that other scientists consider over periodic destruction and creation of the earth, noted NYU.

The evidence of the earth pulse

Last year, the results were published and centered on mass extinction over time during the earth's entire existence. The new paper says that it is a combination of several events that happen in several epochs, which led to the changes seen now.

The researchers studied the major extinction of any animals with four limbs, as to how it happened, and worked a hypothesis.

Many of these recognized factors in the 27.5 million-year cycle is an asteroid collision and devastation caused by volcanic magma. One thought is that it could be influenced by the orbit of the earth in space, which brought it into contact with comet showers, like the one that killed the dinosaurs. When the asteroid caused mass extinction it was called a K/T Extinction Event and thought as the cause of a mysterious heartbeat of geologic changes every 27.5 million years.

Related article: French Government Will Build the Polar Pod for Studying the Antarctic Ocean for Long-Term Investigation

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Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite internet unit, Starlink, hopes to be able to deliver continuous worldwide service by September but would need to obtain regulatory clearances first, according to its president Gwynne Shotwel.

Starlink already offers beta services in 11 countries, according to Shotwel. They aim to install 12,000 satellites in total at the cost of about $10 billion. Shotwel told a Macquarie Group technology conference via a webcast that the company successfully deployed 1,800 satellites.

All those satellites aim to reach their operational orbit to have continuous global coverage by the September timeframe. But she noted that they have to work to the regulatory process in each country to provide internet services.

Will Starlink internet satellites be available to all countries?

In May, Elon Musk claimed that the low-Earth orbiting satellite network has received over 500,000 preorders for its internet service and that there would be no technical issues meeting demand. This year, the US Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX's plan to put certain Starlink satellites in a lower earth orbit than initially intended to deliver high-speed broadband internet to individuals who currently lack access.

The announcement comes after Starlink received more than 500,000 preorders for its much-anticipated broadband service in May. Despite the massive amount of the order, Elon Musk claims that the firm will meet it.

It's worth mentioning, though, that not everyone is getting the high-speed connection they expected, as per Gizmodo via MSN. As previously noted, some parts of the United States, such as Michigan and Wisconsin, have slower download speeds than local fixed broadband providers, which is unfortunate considering the service's cost.

Read Also: Colonial Pipeline Ransom Mostly Recovered, but US Still Vulnerable to Attacks

Starlink space internet had a thermal shutdown

Recently, Elon Musk's SpaceX internet service was reportedly overheating, with Starlink support stating that if the terminals reach a particular temperature, they will go into "thermal shutdown." A Starlink beta user shared an image of an error notice from the Starlink app earlier this week: It says: "Offline: Thermal shutdown."

The user reportedly called Starlink customer service, who stated that the dish will go into thermal shutdown at 122 F and would resume when it reaches 104 F. The user said on Reddit that after he wet the dish with his sprayer, he immediately heard YouTube restart streaming.

On very hot days, some users have also experienced problems, with one user stating that the warmth of his roof is enough to render Starlink unusable. According to Ask Me Anything on Reddit, Starlink is certified to work in temperatures ranging from negative 30-40  Cand has a self-heating capability to deal with various weather situations.

Per The Independent, this isn't the only problem with the satellite internet service. Users of Starlink have been compelled to construct "idiotic contraptions" to get around trees, which may easily disrupt the network. Starlink has an app to assist users in checking for "obstructions," but it requires the phone to be held at knee height to work, which is in direct contrast to the high altitude that would give customers the most significant internet connection.

Related Article: China Successfully Launches First Astronauts for Space Station Construction After Being Banned From ISS



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According to the World Health Organization, Delta is the quickest and most efficient COVID-19 variant. It will 'pick off' the most susceptible individuals.

COVID-19 Delta Variant, A Threat for Countries With Low Vaccination Rollouts

According to a published article in CNBC News, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the extremely infectious Delta variant is the quickest and strongest coronavirus strain. They warned that it will the most hit susceptible individuals, particularly in areas with low Covid-19 immunization rates,

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, said during a press conference that the Delta variant is more deadly since it spreads more efficiently between people, and it will ultimately locate those susceptible individuals who will get very sick, need hospitalization, and perhaps die.

He also added that through the donation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, global leaders and public health authorities may assist in protecting the most vulnerable, according to a published article in MSN News.

Read Also: Parents Submit Face Masks for Lab Testing; Harmful Pathogens Found on Children's Face Masks

Delta is Now Becoming a Dominant Variant

According to the WHO, Delta is rapidly becoming the prevalent form of illness globally. Delta was designated a "variant of concern" by the FDA last month. The World Health Organization, classified the new strain as a "variant of concern" because has been proven to be more infectious, lethal, and resistant to existing vaccinations and treatments.

Delta has just surpassed its native Alpha version as the main strain in the United Kingdom, where it was first identified last autumn. In the United Kingdom, the Delta variant currently accounts for more than 60% of new cases, according to BBC News.

Moreover, Delta has already expanded to 92 countries, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical director for COVID. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it currently accounts for at least 10% of all new cases in the United States and is on its way to becoming the prevalent variety in the country.

WHO Calls To Faster Vaccinations

The WHO has been pushing rich countries, notably the United States, to contribute dosages of the vaccine. The Biden administration said earlier Monday where it would ship 55 million vaccine shots, the most bulk of which will be given via COVAX, the WHO-supported vaccination program.

Van Kerkhove said that vaccinations are very efficient in preventing serious illness and death. He also added that is the purpose of the vaccines' design and that is what they must be utilized for. This is the reason why COVAX, WHO, and all of their partners have been advocating, that these vaccines reach people most at risk.

COVID-19 Delta Variant is More Lethal

According to WHO experts, there have been reports that the Delta variant produces more severe symptoms, but additional study is required to validate those findings. Nonetheless, there are indications that the Delta strain may cause distinct symptoms compared to other variants.

No variation has truly discovered the mix of high transmissibility and lethality, but WHO experts stated Monday that Delta is the ablest, quickest, and fittest among the variants of COVID-19 circulating the world.

Related Article: COVID-19 Delta Variant Spreads to 80 Countries; New Mutation Called 'Lambda' Explained

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A tornado outbreak in the state of Illinois on Sunday left at least five people injured and a dozen homes damaged.

Officials for the National Weather Service on Twitter said that on Sunday, at around 11 p.m., a tornado touched down near the suburban area of Woodridge. The storm traveled east and ended after 1 a.m.

[11:11 PM CDT] Confirmed tornado (via tornado debris signature) near route 53/75th street in Woodridge. If you're in the path of this storm, take cover now! #ilwx  NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) June 21, 2021

Powerful Tornado

The storm left five people injured, with one currently in critical condition while four others sustained minor injuries. The residents have since been taken to the hospital, Naperville City Director of Communication Linda LaCloche said, according to NBC News.

Naperville authorities also received over 125 reports of property damage. At least a dozen homes sustained extensive damages from the storm outbreak. Some reportedly suffered torn roofs and broken windows, while others reported downed power lines and gas leaks.

Trees have also been knocked over by the storm, Naperville Fire Chief Mark Pucknaitis told the publication.

The officer estimated that at least 20 people have been displaced because of the storm outbreak.

Fire and rescue teams are scheduled to canvass the tornado's path to assess whether it caused any further damages or injuries.

Read Also: American Airlines Cancels Flights Due to Staff Shortages as US Carriers Scramble to Manage the Resurgence of Travel Demands

Alabama Storm Car Crash

In Alabama, a deadly storm known as Tropical Storm Claudette hammered the Southeastern state on Saturday morning. The storm dumped heavy rain across Alabama after coming ashore from Louisiana early that morning.

Tropical Storm Claudette led to the death of 10 people, including nine children and one adult, in a pile-up involving multiple vehicles on Interstate 65 in Butler County.

According to the Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranches, eight of the children killed in the accident, with ages ranging from 4 to 17, came from the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, which provides a home for neglected and abused school-age children.

Children who are taken to the ranch participate in daily family devotions, attend church and schools in their local communities and take part in extracurricular activities to provide them with stability, according to their website.

Officials for the Butler County office also reported the death of a 29-year-old father and his 9-month-old daughter during the pile-up. The two victims were in another vehicle during the incident.

According to the account of a CNN producer named Lacey Willis, the weather had been bad an hour before the deadly crash. She noted that while it wasn't raining during the wreck, the roads had been covered in water.

Willis had been sitting in the backseat of her car with her 6-month-old daughter. Their car hit a guard rail and set off the airbags. Willis, her daughter, and her husband had exited their vehicle when they noticed that other vehicles in the pile-up had caught on fire.

"I'm barefoot, standing on I-65, walking, walking far enough away," she said. "I was just praying."

Willis said rescue personnel were able to pull the driver of the bus of the Girls Ranch. However, they were not able to reach the children in time.

In another vehicle, rescue personnel had pronounced the 29-year-old father had died at the scene. The 9-month-old child was rushed to the Regional Medical Center where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Related Article: Zookeeper Fatally Wounded As He Tried to Escape Rogue Siberian Tiger That Leapt From Its Cage

Related Article: Zookeeper Fatally Wounded As He Tried to Escape Rogue Siberian Tiger That Leapt From Its Cage

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The condition of the Great Barrier Reef has worsened to such an extent that it should be listed as "in danger," according to a United Nations committee on Tuesday. The Australian government immediately opposed this.

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee advised the distinction. It acknowledged the climate crisis as the driving factor behind the aggravation of the largest coral reef in the globe.

Ocean Warning

In 2020, researchers discovered the reef, found off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, had lost more than half of its coral populations in the previous 30 years due to ocean warning. The UN report's advisory indicates that a sped-up action to bolster water quality and mitigate climate change was important to turn this decline around. It indicated that Australia should take action immediately, reported Axios.

Flawed Process

According to the Australian federal government, the listing was an erroneous process that ignored its effective management plans. The Australian government believes the listing was politically motivated.

Scientists supported the declaration overnight by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). They stated the government's lack of action to address climate change and its threat is to blame, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

The most recent bout is part of an ongoing dispute between the Australian government and UNESCO over the status of the iconic site.

The reef stretches for 2,300km (1,400 miles) off Australia's northeast coast. It gained World Heritage ranking in 1981 for its large scientific and intrinsic vitality, reported BBC.

For years, Australia has been fighting to keep the reef, a significant tourist attraction that supports numerous jobs, off the "in danger" list. UNESCO noted in 2015 that the outlook for the reef was poor but maintained the status of the site.

Read Also: Germany, Australia Sign Hydrogen Deal, Aims to Produce the Cheapest Clean Hydrogen in the World

The inclusion will be voted on at the China committee meeting in July.

According to the Australian Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley, the government will vehemently oppose the listing. She contended the government was investing in reef protection. Ley remarked that officials in Canberra were appalled by the move. They accused UNESCO of backflipping on earlier affirmations that the reef would not be declared endangered.

She also implied to Australian news outlets that China's government could have influenced the report's advisory as the current UNESCO chair.

Relations Between Australia, China

The association between the governments of Australia and China has been aggravated in the past few years. Australian officials blamed the Chinese Communist Party for disrupting domestic politics while Beijing said Canberra has a "Cold War mentality."

The panel's draft "in danger" listing for the Great Barrier Reef's status could be the first move in a process that witnesses the multibillion-dollar tourism drawcard and generator of 60,000 jobs removed from the World Heritage sites list.

According to Ley, the federal and Queensland state governments were investing over $3 billion to improve water quality and protect the reef's fisheries.

Related Article: Angry Octopus Attacks Man on Australian Beach, Viral Video Shows

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Virtual supervisors are paid by Live Eye Surveillance Camera to shout at employees or scream at petty criminals trying to rob a store. This is a remote service that has Indian nationals living overseas watching stores 24/7, for any business willing to pay a fee.

The company offering this service is Live Eye Surveillance of Washington State, which offers its services by monitoring the workplace virtually. On the other end is a person halfway around the world who is paid to watch the CCTV, all times of the day.

Perpetual surveillance of businesses and employees

Given the title 'process analysts' by the virtual security firm, they are all remotely working in India. According to the firm's site, these virtual supervisors are supposed to assist remote workers. They also report dubious activities, assuring employees are safe by screaming threats at criminals and reminding employees to do their jobs. Critics say that it is close to voyeurism and invasive, reported Indy 100. They also said the use of remote technology is exploitation, and many experts say that constant monitoring can affect an employee a lot while jeopardizing the mindset of employees.

I'll be watching you, Live Eye

Eva Blum-Dumontet, a senior researcher at Privacy International where she studies the impact of technology and human rights and how they are related, says that when employers monitor their employees it will become toxic in the long run for the mental health of all employees, cited Motherboard.

Read also: Iraqi Drones Trying To Get Intelligence Were Shot Down by Air Defense System That Housed Us and Coalition Forces

Remote supervisors are too bossy?

One incident that was seen on video is particularly discomfiting. In one instance, a convenience store clerk is dealt with harshly by the Indian on the other end. The remote supervisor said the employee took too much time sipping a drink before scanning it and buying it. Management may consider this situation a positive, but employees might resent it.

But, the controversial CCTV virtual security system can sometimes work in defending businesses and their workers, at the least when it comes to theft.

An attempted robbery at a convenience store

In a well-known convenience store, the live surveillance camera caught two armed men trying to rob the ship. They were threatening the clerk, so they can get the money from the stores' case register. They kept the gun pointed at the store clerk the whole time.

The process analyst starts talking via the speakers to say that the police have been alerted and are on their way. Hearing this, the robber ran off from the store, and the employee came out unharmed. Hearing the analyst's voice made them think twice, giving credence to the technology.

Captured footage from Live Eye in this attempted store robbery is used by the remote CCTV company to promote its services to its possible clients. But this is an isolated incident, anything could have gone wrong anytime ending in tragedy for a live Eye Surveillance Camera.

No one knows what will come out of the technologies used when India virtual supervisors work as Live Eye Surveillance camera analysts. Hopefully, there will be more positive results from hearing another person on the other end of the camera.

Related article: US Air Force Developing Microdrones With Flapping Wings Instead of Rotors for Monitoring Combat Zones

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Anchor/Multimedia Journalist

Hello! I am the weekend anchor as well as a reporter for Your News Now! You can reach me with news tips (or just to say hello!) at khonigford@wlio.com.
Now Open

22 June 2021

With its laidback charm, abundance of culture and easy duality of sea and city, it's no wonder that the Nobis group chose Palma as the location for its first property outside Scandinavia. Opened this June in the Mallorcan capital, Concepcio by Nobis brings together the Swedish brand's signature Scandi style with a sophisticated Spanish charm, both played out in a historic building that is located on the border of the city's Old Town. Home to just 31 guestrooms, Concepcio by Nobis is as much a spot in which for people to socialize in as it is an intimate place to stay, as witnessed in the property's flow of open spaces that include a restaurant, bar and lounge, rooms for meetings and events, and a standout pool and terrace area. With an elevated design concept by long-time architecture partner Wingardhs, and frequent recognition of local craft and artisans, this new hub promises to excite.

Set in a central part of Palma where the Old Town meets the Santa Catalina district, Concepcio by Nobis holds court in a corner of the city that is steeped in history. Named for the street on which it is locatedCarrer de la Concepcio, once a well-known marketplace for olive oilthe hotel occupies a site that dates to the mid-16th century and a property that at various points in time has been a soap factory and a private residence. The result is a building infused with numerous elements of the past in a locale where buzzy modern bars and restaurants jostle with cultural landmarks like the Placa d'Espanya, Mercat de Santa Catalina, and Mercat de l'Olivar.

It all makes for a scenic backdrop to a hotel that places great emphasis on aesthetics. Revamped by Swedish studio Wingardhs, alongside Spanish firms Jordi Herrero Arquitectos, and Eduardo Garcia Acuna Arquitecto, the 16th-century setting now beams with layers of brass and wood. This is accented with a heavy inventory of furniture, lighting, and fittings from internationally regarded brands in a testament to the hotel's design credentials. As well as Carl Hansen armchairs in guestrooms and lighting from Orsjo, the property is peppered with pieces from brands that include Artek, HAY, and B&B Italia, which comfortably co-exist alongside the building's carefully restored arches, pillars, and vaults. This seamless merger of the old and the new is epitomized in the creation of a series of bespoke tiles; the result of a partnership with local ceramics brand, Huguet. Inspired by the Mallorcan landscape, the specialists have created a green and white watercolor-style tile designed by Wingardhs exclusively for the hotel, with each piece handmade by Huguet's skilled craftspeople in a workshop just east of Palma, and applied to the entrance floor, accommodations, and bathrooms.

A similar Mediterranean spirit is evident in the guestrooms and suites, all 31 of which are also underlined by a poignant Scandinavian presence. Here, bright white walls are contrasted with black beams and doors, and a mix of both dark and neutral textiles feature alongside locally crafted carpentry, all bathed in natural light. In addition to Huguet's bespoke tiles in bathrooms and coffee tables by Zanat, standout details include latticed canvas headboards by Swedish brand Gemla and floor lamps by Le Klint, while the generously sized Terrazza Room also features its own private patio. Bathroom amenities by cult Swedish fragrance brand Byredo complete this cool mix, and nod to both the hotel's Scandi roots and its overarching theme of contemporary elegance.

The hotel's public areas introduce a fluidity of spaces in which guests may easily glide from room to room. Meeting, dining, working and resting are all facilitated in Concepcio by Nobis' expansive loungea room defined by communal tables and various nooks ideal for both spontaneous gatherings and moments of peace. Organized functions can be entertained in the hotel's meeting room and chambre separee, two stylish spaces that have been dressed by Wingardhs in vintage furniture and chandeliers. Elsewhere, the hotel's in-house restaurant Xalest serves up a simple, yet authentic menu of Mallorcan-inspired classics crafted with a contemporary touch by local chef Xema Alvarez, alongside a bar where tapas, regional wine and bespoke cocktails are also available. It's all rounded out with a rare treat in this citya spacious outdoor area in which a sunny terrace and an outdoor pool come together for a serene oasis in central Palma. Further repose is expedited in the hotel's ground floor sauna and relaxation area, while guests seeking a higher tempo will appreciate the adjacent gym that meets all the requirements of a modern city fitness space.
Renovation

22 June 2021

Long before Meatpacking's cobblestone streets became one of the most highly trafficked neighborhoods in New York City, Michael Achenbaum bet on the district's future: creating the iconic Gansevoort Meatpacking Hotel and credited for helping to galvanize the neighborhood to become the burgeoning destination it has been renowned to be ever since.

Fast forward almost 17 years later, as the tourism industry and New York City come back to life after the COVID-19 pandemic, Gansevoort Meatpacking is fueling the neighborhood's renaissance, once again, with a multimillion dollar rebrand and renovation. Working with food and beverage partners handpicked for their elevated offerings as well as a robust, one-of-a-kind art collection, Achenbaum is banking on creating a luxury hotel that will serve as a magnet for the neighborhood once again and bring the Meatpacking District roaring back post-pandemic.

With New York City recently announcing a $30 million tourism campaign to help boost hotels and restaurants and the City fully reopening on July 1st, Meatpacking is poised to make the biggest comeback amid the COVID-19 pandemic. New luxury brands to the neighborhood include Restoration Hardware, Rolex, Bally, Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana and Lucid Motors - to name a few.

Gansevoort guests will feel the evolution of the property as soon as they cross the ipe plank threshold and step through the 9th avenue vestibule into a 1,700-square-foot lobby and common area that showcases cutting edge art and design. Designed by Achenbaum and the hotel's Creative Director and Designer Olivier Weppe, in collaboration with Gidich + Sepulveda Architecture, the space features warm wood finishes and brass paired with a porcelain tiled floor in a concrete tone that mimics the neighborhood's iconic cobblestone streets. Upon entering, guests are immediately drawn to a bookcase that houses Banksy's unmistakable 2003 "Flying Copper" piece flagged by striking blue leather banquettes perfect for catching up with a friend over happy hour or reading the paper. The check-in area exudes a mysterious air, clad in a sumptuous black African stone and accented by backlit frosted glass walls. In the lobby also stands the "Standing Shadow - Blue" by Richard Hambleton, the pioneering street artist that became known as the Shadowman for the silhouettes he painted at night on the walls of lower Manhattan. Hambleton, who emerged from the New York City 80s art scene alongside the likes of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, is known to have inspired Banksy's work. In the adjacent elevator bank, guests will find a contemporary mixed-media and multi-dimensional Hassan Hajjaj piece, "Marque 2013."

The lobby experience continues with Gansevoort Meatpacking's newest food and beverage venue, Coffee & Cocktails (C+C), an open-air cafe that transports guests to the streets of Paris or Italy, serving sandwiches and light bites with cocktails at night inspired by top destinations around the globe. C+C offers both indoor and year-round al fresco seating in the heart of the bustling neighborhood.

Gansevoort Meatpacking's 186 guestrooms have also been renovated and elevated, bringing elements and inspiration of the Meatpacking District into the design, inviting guests to step into their own Meatpacking loft. Designed by Achenbaum, Weppe and Duncan Miller Design, the neutral color palette in the guest rooms offers travelers a sense of comfort and ease from the moment they set their bags down. Drawing on the hues of the neighborhood, a blue and grey ombre wallpaper reflects the waterways of the Hudson River just outside the window, and a backlit walnut headboard, inspired by the famed High Line, serves as a focal piece of each room. As a tribute to the hotel's own evolution and history in the neighborhood, artwork juxtaposes photography from the Meatpacking District almost two decades ago against modern imagery snapped in the same neighborhood. Each room carefully balances design with technology, discreetly layering in tech enhancements to amplify the guest experience, including built-in wireless end table chargers, The MIRROR, the interactive home gym - the first hotel to offer a MIRROR device in every guest room, and Google Nest Hub with Google Assistant for Hospitality.

What has always been one of the most desirable suites in New York City, The Penthouse at Gansevoort Meatpacking has an entirely new look, completed in partnership with Italian contemporary furniture designer, Poliform. The Poliform Penthouse at Gansevoort Meatpacking is the brand's first fully designed hotel suite in the United States. The space itself is a 1,700-square foot duplex, designed both for a comfortable stay - whether short- or long-term - and built to entertain. Poliform tapped into their network of international designers to collaborate on the products, and each element is shoppable should a guest decide they can't live without one of the pieces. The Penthouse features 20-foot floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hudson River, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace flanked by dramatic bookcases, a full kitchen and wet bar, three full bathrooms, and a cozy, yet indulgent private sleeping area.

Art is a critical piece of the brand's identity and experience. Gansevoort Meatpacking features art from Achenbaum's personal collection. Each piece of artwork displayed throughout the property showcases a different aspect of the hotel's personality with mixed media and bright color schemes. In addition to the Bansky, Richard Hambleton and Hassan Hajjaj pieces displayed in the lobby, and then and now photography from Stephanie Klein and Olivier Weppe of the neighborhood, The Poliform Penthouse plays gallery for works from renowned artists Frank Stella, Daniel Mazzone, Mick Rock and Fabio Mesa.

For food and beverage as refined as their surroundings, Gansevoort Meatpacking turned to LDV Hospitality (Scarpetta, The Seville, American Cut) to concept the hotel's signature dining venue that will open in Spring 2022. LDV Hospitality, known for their operations at the Bulgari in London and Gurney's in Montauk, will also additionally collaborate with the hotel team to bring C+C to life.

Gansevoort Rooftop, the famed downtown oasis with unobstructed 360-degree views of Manhattan, has been completely refreshed and is divisible for private events, big or small. The menu will feature luxe versions of classic cocktails and dishes - from bubbly libations to wagyu sliders. In addition to cocktails, a full menu inspired by the Union Square Green Market will bring elevated poolside fare. Gansevoort Meatpacking will introduce a sushi bar pop-up in partnership with rapidly expanding Kissaki, Michelin-rated sushi restaurant known for their outposts in NYC and the Hamptons. Saishin at the Gansevoort Rooftop by Kissaki Hospitality Group will be an 850 sq foot space with seating for up to 50 including a 16 seat omakase bar.

Come fall 2022, guests will have the iconic rooftop experience with Gansevoort Meatpacking as well as a new underground experience. The hotel will welcome a basement karaoke and bowling bar featuring a game room, karaoke - featuring private rooms for intimate experiences, as well as two bowling lanes.
Now Open

22 June 2021

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is pleased to announce the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos, marking the debut of the iconic luxury hospitality brand in this island paradise. Situated on the world-famous Grace Bay in Providenciales, The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos offers an idyllic tropical getaway, seamlessly blending the natural beauty of the destination with the legendary service and elegant accommodations for which The Ritz-Carlton brand is known.

Designed by Coleman Partners Architects, L.L.C., The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos is inspired by the island's natural splendor. Through the use of rich wood, the design narrative is rooted in the destination's Lucayan heritage, paying tribute to the people who have inhabited the islands, while the endemic flora of cactuses, sisals and sponges from Turks and Caicos are gracefully incorporated in the surroundings. This includes the native turk-head cactus, which is uniquely adapted in the arid climate and provides a magical desert charm.

The resort features 147 refined ocean view guest rooms, including 23 suites, which evoke beachfront elegance and showcase the stunning turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos also offers five three-story penthouse suites with private rooftop plunge pools and endless horizon views. A signature Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge offers an exclusive sanctuary that offers private check-in, a dedicated Club Concierge, and multiple culinary presentations throughout the day, in addition to dedicated service at the beach.

The resort offers a wide range of amenities designed for either a private getaway or engaging family vacation, including an adults-only pool with private cabanas and a recreation pool, both set within lush tropical landscapes. The Lady Grace, the private catamaran of The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos, give guests an opportunity to explore beyond the shores, while activities such yoga on the beach are also available. A signature Ritz-Carlton Spa offers a true seaside oasis, and an opportunity for guests to relax and recharge with therapies inspired by the calming power of the ocean. Guests will enjoy a rejuvenating and personalized experience where an extensive menu of treatments embrace indigenous plants, offering a holistic approach to wellness. The resort's youngest guests can explore the natural wonders and cultural traditions of the island through the resort's signature Ritz Kids program. Children ages four through 12 can explore the island while gaining a better understanding of the marine life through educational activities or develop their inner artist with beach-inspired arts and crafts.
Appointment

22 June 2021

Absolute Hotel Services' Senior Vice President of Operations - Asia, Mr. Frank Clovyn, is delighted to announce the promotion of Mr. Anders Lund as Area General Manager - Bali.

A Swedish national, Anders Lund joined Absolute Hotel Services in 2018 as the General Manager of Eastin Ashta Resort Canggu. As a result of his passion and dedication to the role, the property has shown solid financial growth, combined with ever increasing customer satisfaction levels and service quality delivery.

Anders started his hospitality career in 2011 working in the food and beverage department at Rros Hotell, Rros as an Assistant Food & Beverage Manager. In 2013 he moved to Thailand to become the Operation Service Manager at Aleenta Resort. After a year in the role, he joined Swiss-Belhotel, Indonesia as Regional Operations Executive providing operational support to all their hotels in Indonesia. In 2016, Anders joined Karma Reef Resort, Gili Meno, Indonesia as their General Manager.
Appointment

22 June 2021

Mr. Frank Clovyn, Senior Vice President of Operations - Asia at Absolute Hotel Services, announced the promotion of Ms. Chandra Sekar Pratiwi as Executive Assistant Manager of U Paasha Seminyak Bali.

Chandra Sekar Pratiwi, an Indonesian national, started her career in hospitality back in 2005 at the Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa Dubai where she worked as a Restaurant Hostess before moving to the Shangri-La Hotel Dubai in 2008 to be their new Guest Relations Officer. Chandra was quickly promot ed to Guest Relations Supervisor, working her way up to the Assistant Guest Relations Manager role before landing the Duty Manager position in 2016.

Chandra joined U Paasha Seminyak Bali in early 2018 as Front Office Manager and was promoted to Room Division Manager later that year.
Press Release

22 June 2021

For the week of June 12, U.S. hotels had more than 90% of the guests and charged more than 90% of the rates that they did during the same week in 2019, despite lower demand from business travelers and groups.

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The latest Market Recovery Monitor report from STR, CoStars hospitality analytics firm, shows that U.S. hotels sold 25 million rooms during the week  1.6 million more than the previous week, and 91% of the room demand recorded during the comparable week in 2019.

Photo: STR

U.S. hotel occupancy averaged 66% over the full week, which was the highest level since November 2019. Weekend occupancy was better, reaching 81% on Saturday and averaging 78.8% for the full weekend  higher than the comparable weekend in 2019, and the best weekend occupancy since the fall of 2019. Occupancy averaged above 62% every day but Sunday and Monday.

Including temporarily closed hotels, weekly U.S. hotel occupancy was 63%, the highest since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and weekend occupancy also set a pandemic-era record at 75%.

Photo: STR

For the third consecutive week, average daily rate increased and was better than 90% of what it was in the comparable week in 2019. Weekend ADR was above the 2019 comparable for the third straight week. Hotels in the top 25 U.S. markets had a dragging effect on the ADR index to 2019, with ADR that was about 70% of the levels achieved in 2019.

With the strong week, U.S. hotel revenue per available room was 81% of the level achieved during the same week in 2019. According to STRs Market Recovery Monitor, the U.S. hotel industry reached recovery mode.

Photo: STR

More than 72% of all U.S. hotel markets posted RevPAR that was 80% of 2019 levels or better  and 45% of all hotels posted RevPAR that was higher than the comparable week in 2019.

Just under a third of all markets are still in the depression or recession categories, with RevPAR at 50% of 2019 levels or below. Urban, higher-chain scale hotels with 300 or more rooms continue to post the lowest RevPAR relative to 2019.

Photo: STR

Weekly Performance Highlights

Room demand increased in all but six U.S. hotel markets. The biggest decline in demand was in Columbus, Ohio, a week after the city hosted the PGA Tours Memorial Tournament.

The Miami market sold more hotel rooms during the week than it did over the same week in 2019, despite demand declining week over week.

The largest gain in room demand was in Chicago, where hotels still sold 35% fewer rooms than they did in 2019.

Overall, nearly 40% of markets had demand at or above 2019 levels; and every market in Florida, except Orlando, and South Carolina outperformed 2019 weekly demand.

Only the New York, San Francisco, Syracuse and Washington, D.C., markets posted weekly occupancy below 50%, factoring in temporarily closed hotels.

Among open and operating hotels in New York, weekly occupancy rose to 62% as room demand increased to its highest level since the start of the pandemic. More than 70% of New Yorks open hotels reported occupancy above 60% for the week. In contrast, only 48% of open hotels in D.C. had occupancy above 60%.

Upper-midscale hotels  the largest branded chain scale  had 70% occupancy on a total room inventory basis for the week, the highest among chain scales and the highest level since October 2019. Economy hotels had the next highest occupancy at just under 66%. Occupancy was lowest among luxury (48%) and upper-upscale (51%) hotels. Both chain scales have been hampered by the performance of large hotels in urban locations, where total room inventory occupancy remains in the 40% to 49% range. Excluding those hotels, occupancy for both chain scales would be approximately five percentage points higher.

Across the U.S. and all chain scales, large hotels reached 52% total room inventory occupancy during the week, marking the first time above 50% in more than a year.

Isaac Collazo is VP Analytics at STR.

This article represents an interpretation of data collected by CoStar's hospitality analytics firm, STR. Please feel free to contact an editor with any questions or concerns. For more analysis of STR data, visit the data insights blog on STR.com.
Press Release

22 June 2021

Across the globe, we have experienced the loss of things we took for granted and the collective power of continued, small actions.

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By adhering to advice from scientists, all of us have played a part in getting closer to defeating the Covid-19 pandemic. Digital acceleration and social media allowed us to adapt and share information that changed the trajectory of critical decision-making.

Looking back to before Covid-19, the UK had the largest aviation market in Europe and the third largest globally, contributing 22 billion to GDP and directly providing 230,000 jobs. 16 months into the pandemic and travel to and from the UK continues to be limited in scope with current restrictions prohibiting travel at scale.

The impact of restrictions is staggering. Globally, more than 62 million travel and tourism related jobs were lost in 2020 alone, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. Of course, restrictions were necessary. But were now at a crossroads.

International travel connects the world, enabling families and friends to reunite, opportunities to arise, culture to flourish, perspectives to widen, and millions of families to benefit from employment.

The UK has led the vaccination race with 82% of the adult population receiving the first dose and 60% the second doses (as of 21 June), according to gov.uk. It was hoped that this would lead to an easing of restrictions. We are, after all, seeing the safe opening up of shops, restaurants, and bars but the UK travel industry remains in lockdown.

By contrast, were seeing a relaxation of travel restrictions across Europe. On the 11 June EU countries agreed to easing travel restrictions that will allow fully vaccinated tourists to avoid tests and quarantines. The revised guidelines come as the EU introduces Covid-19 certificates that will indicate whether a person is vaccinated, has immunity because they were previously infected or has had a recent negative test. The system is set to be ready by the 01 July.

Our neighbours in Europe have a timeline for travel reopening whereas the UK Travel Sector is still in limbo.

On the 23 June trade bodies across the aviation and travel industries are coming together for a travel industry day of action (#traveldayofaction) requesting the UK government to support a safe return to international travel.

The day of action will be calling on the government to:

Allow international travel to return safely and in a risk managed way by properly implementing the Global Travel Taskforces plan.

Bring forward a package of tailored financial support to recognise that the unlocking of international travel, and hence businesses ability to trade and generate income, will be much slower than first anticipated, and more gradual than for businesses in the domestic economy.

On the day itself there are ways that we can support #traveldayofaction.

UK residents can send a letter to their local MP urging them to speak up for our industry.

On the day itself like, share, retweet posts on #traveldayofaction.

In the UK and beyond, individuals can make a difference by researching facts, writing to decision-makers and sharing on social channels, from reputable sources. Just as stemming the spread of the virus couldnt have happened without each and every one of us, so to will safely re-opening international travel for the benefit of millions.

Blog author: Varinder Atwal, Senior Director, Global Supplier Management, CWT
Opinion Article

22 June 2021

November 26, 2008 is etched as a black letter day in the history of hotels in India. It would not be wrong to say that before that date and largely after it too, most parts of India have been considered safe and essentially terror free. Still, that red mark in our recent history plays heavily on our minds and the ecosystem we live in.

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To make a corny and a tad inappropriate joke, it is common to be bitten by a mosquito in India than to be hit by a missile. But that winter day in 2008 has been exceptionally and uniquely horrific.

Amongst a dozen high traffic, high in visibility and attention drawing venues chosen for terror attacks were two high profile hotels. Taj Mahal Palace was one of them where terrorists struck with shootings and explosions.

The Vice President and the General Manager of the Hotel at the time, who sadly lost his family in the attacks, the celebrated Corporate Chef, and each and every employee on duty that fateful night stood like human shields to protect the guests and ensure their safety. The call of duty and service was so high that while there were 30 casualties, about 250 people were rescued.

The 2018 Indian-American-Australian film, Hotel Mumbai, captures the essence of the spirit, the sensibility and the sense of service of Taj  the Company and its employees, rather well.

The heartfelt gratitude from the then Chairman  Ratan Tata  and the Company was immediate. It came via plaques, roll of honour, rehabilitation programs and a Trust that was created to help rebuild lives.

The synergy between the Company and its workforce was so outstandingly remarkable that the Hotel opened its doors to the guests just three months after the attack.

Taj hotels have been known to take very good care of their staff. It is often said in the hotel circles that people prefer to retire from the hotel than leave to join elsewhere.

The exemplary attitude of the Taj employees and the ethos of the Company around its internal and external customers have set an industry benchmark. I cite the example of the 2008 crisis only to highlight this facet.

Yet again, we are in the midst of another grave crisis  one which has been more tentacularly penetrating. For generations of people and work places, the Covid Crisis has been singularly novel and unprecedented.

And once again, the Puneet Chhatwal helmed hotel company is setting new standards of excellence both in employee attitude towards service and organizational care and concern towards its employees.

Like in the case of earlier crises, in the present one too, Taj hotels truly embody the quintessence of its Tajness, a philosophy that upholds nobility and sincere care among its six pillars. Chhatwal, an impeccable leader, has been carrying forward the torch of Tajness admirably.

The goodness of a company, primarily, is as good as its people. Since the core comprising of the internal team must be kept strong in order to face any challenge, I decided to ask Gaurav Pokhariyal, the Taj Groups Senior Vice President and Global Head - HR, on the steps taken by the award-winning hotel chain.

Here follows my conversation -

L. Aruna Dhir - Taj Hotels have been regarded as a Company with pronounced leadership where safeguarding of and heedfulness towards employees go. This was reflected well during the horrific 26/11 incident too. In the midst of the present, novel Corona virus catastrophe, what steps has Taj taken to ensure employee goodwill, employee safety around health and morale-boosting?

Gaurav Pokhariyal - From the beginning of the pandemic and now in Phase 2 we have stayed emotionally engaged with our teams. We leaned on our values of Trust, Awareness and Joy to ensure that we keep all our teams motivated and future-focused on the opportunities the situation presented while we handled the immediate health and safety needs. To deal with the inescapable uncertainty it was required that we stay connected and provide regular health and safety updates. IHCL has an employee loyalty index of over 90%, creating a family like ecosystem at work. Hence, multiple communication groups were created so that employees could stay updated about the wellbeing of colleagues as well as the business health of the hotels.

Many structured processes were put in place to facilitate a smooth, seamless flow. Continuous communication was maintained through the intranet, mails, and WhatsApp groups.

Regular town halls, daily departmental meetings and weekly engagement activities were scheduled to share the updates and provide assurance towards health and safety.

A cohesive effort was made to include the families as well.

The Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (IHCL), the parent company of Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, put in place initiatives and practices that positively impact our colleagues who work hard towards its success.

To this end, we introduced Stay Well, the wellbeing program. The program entailed a focus on interventions that have a positive bearing on physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, in turn creating an environment that is healthy and happy. The objective of introducing a holistic program was to sustainably influence employee health.

As a first step, we partnered with Healthify Me and worked on a scalable app-based technology solution to weigh into physical health.

Additionally, as a part of the Stay Well initiative, at no cost to the employee, IHCL also extended the EAP (Employee Assistance Program) in collaboration with an ISO certified firm to provide for emotional and psychological well-being of employees.

Internally we also initiated the care givers program which provided employees and families support and guidance towards handling a medical condition where required

L. Aruna Dhir - What steps did you take to ensure employee engagement when the hotels were shut during Lockdown?

Gaurav Pokhariyal - The sui generis situation presented an opportunity for us to launch multiple virtual learning & development initiatives that have helped build employee capability for the present as well as the future needs.

IHCL partnered with leading international partners to provide access to several learning applications, be it for functional training, building business acumen or enhancing language skills.

Even while at home employees were trained and updated with the new standards at work. Virtual sessions were conducted to share with them the product and work design changes. This provided them with ample assurance and confidence on how a safe workplace was created.

Through the year we have conducted Live webinars focused on health and well-being for employees and their families to benefit from.

L. Aruna Dhir - In a people- centric industry such as ours, how was Work From Home (WFH) encouraged and planned around?

Gaurav Pokhariyal  IHCL, an organization with a rich legacy and heritage, has always enjoyed the honour of nurturing an employee base that has always demonstrated a very high sense of ownership. When the going is tough they are motivated to stay involved and support each other and the organization.

The IT team ensured that employees were extended additional access to organizational data and tools so that WFH could proceed seamlessly.

Focus has been on the work output rather than the timings maintained by employees, thus allowing for the required flexibility in schedules for all concerned.

Managers and teams have embraced technology solutions provided for remote working. All involved in WFH are trained to use these platforms and sensitively manage work life balance at the same time

L. Aruna Dhir - What about Operations staff? How were they kept involved?

Gaurav Pokhariyal  The TATA group and IHCLs foundation of values has always driven employees to seek a larger sense of purpose, and this held true even during the pandemic.

As and when the regulations eased, employees eagerly offered to return to the service of guests and the community.

During the lockdown, safety of our employees was our primary concern hence the hotels were staffed only for basic upkeep and maintenance. It was also the legal requirement to not have more than 10%  30% operations staff in the hotels at any point in time.

Therefore, all operations colleagues were engaged through virtual learning and were integrally involved in the Groups wellness efforts. Over 10400 employees were trained through socially distanced classrooms and readied to deliver a safe and healthy workplace for all our stakeholders.

Many cross functional teams were put together, which provided considerable opportunities for all to ideate, think out of the box and share suggestions towards both, a safer workplace and initiating new ventures.

IHCL embarked on few new businesses, the success of which has been possible due to our committed and motivated staff members.

Qmin, IHCLs gourmet food delivery platform was launched in June 2020. Since its launch in Mumbai, Qmin has expanded its presence in 14 cities across the country, delivering favourites from over 60 iconic Taj restaurants.

In the wake of the nation-wide lockdown, where social distancing was the need of the hour, IHCL gave their esteemed customers a chance to get their hands on some select essential products  such as curated hampers, laundry services and favourite meals - while experiencing a touch of legendary hospitality right in the comfort of their homes, with its [email protected] services.

We also unveiled a new concept of homestays - ama Stays & Trails. It is the first branded product in the homestay market in India.

In partnership with AB InBev, the worlds largest brewer, IHCL introduced Indias first 7Rivers Brewpub. This first-of-its-kind brewpub boasts an on-site microbrewery at the hotel.

A re-energized suite of offerings has been put together for Chambers (the Members only Club), making the Club unparalleled. The services are available across the globe now.

Keeping the sensitivity of the situation in mind, we came up with initiatives such as Taj Wellness Retreats, Urban Getaways, Bizcation, Special Bubble Holidays, The Floor is Yours and Re-imagined Epicure; among a host of others.

A large number of our devoted and dedicated colleagues helped in operationalizing these new businesses with the famed Tajness in place

L. Aruna Dhir - Have you devised initiatives to look after the families of the employees too? How have you done that?

Gaurav Pokhariyal  At the peak of the pandemic, IHCL launched the Taj for Family initiative, underlining our commitment to the larger community which includes the families.

Our Associates have come together in solidarity to volunteer and contribute to a benevolent fund through the initiative. A helping hand was provided via this fund for our colleagues in the industry and their families who need aid and support in these trying times.

IHCL has existing practices such as the Hospitalization assistance policy, Group Term Life coverage and Group Personal Accident Coverage which have been availed by our employees. During the pandemic, organizational assistance has been extended to all families towards consultation with and intervention of doctors and hospitalization.

To combat the pandemic, the organization provided a panel of on-call doctors pan India with specialist doctors emplaned for consultation by employees. This was especially useful for employees who resided in remote locations where medical facilities were limited.

Using the organizations extensive network, the internal Covid care teams across the country have helped families with medicines, Oxygen tanks and Hospital beds where required.

Care givers continuously engage with families of employees to ensure physical and emotional haleness. Immediate family is also eligible to use the services through the Employee Assistance Program offered by the organization for emotional and psychological wellbeing.

During the Pandemic, it has once again come to the fore that organizations that care for their internal teams are the ones that will continue to instill confidence in their customer. My chat with Pokhariyal defines this maxim well.

Gaurav Pokhariyal, an alumnus of the Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland and IHM Pusa, the premier Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, is a long-term Taj Lieutenant. He is known for his decision making ability, commitment and passion towards his work; and with the present crisis he has his larger responsibility cut out for him.

"The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don't feel valued, neither will your customers." Sybil F. Stershic - author & founder of Quality Service Marketing has aptly said.

And Taj has this down pat!
Oil retreated after hitting $75 a barrel in London for the first time in more than two years, as Russia and other OPEC+ nations were said to consider increasing production.

Brent crude edged above $75 in Asian trading hours as price indicators and inventory data showed that demand still outstrips supply. The gains faltered as Russia -- which jointly leads the OPEC+ coalition with Saudi Arabia -- was said to mull a proposal that the group continue to revive halted output in August.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners have been gradually restoring supplies shuttered during the pandemic, and will gather on July 1 to weigh another hike. While Saudi Arabia has signaled it prefers to maintain a cautious stance, the roaring comeback in demand is putting pressure on the kingdom to open the taps.

The market is hungry for oil, Saad Rahim, Trafigura Groups global chief economist, said Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television. Prices could top $100 a barrel in the next 12 to 18 months, he said.

Brent has rallied more than 40% this year as a strong rebound from the pandemic in the U.S., China and Europe underpins higher fuel consumption, although fresh virus waves in parts of Asia are a reminder that the recovery will be uneven. Brent is also the most expensive against Middle Eastern oil in 21 months.

Other market gauges reflect growing strength, with one timespread for West Texas Intermediate expanding to the widest backwardation in seven years. Genscape Inc. reported stockpiles at the key American storage hub of Cushing fell again last week from the lowest level since March 2020, according to people familiar with the matter.

One bit of bearish news amid all the optimism is Chinas crackdown on the nations private refiners. A second batch of 2021 crude import quotas allocated to the independents was about 35% less than last year, which will crimp flows into a sector that accounts for around a quarter of Chinese processing capacity.
Shane Bevel at Shane Bevel Photography

Oklahoma pipeline operator Williams has reached an agreement with Houston-based driller Beacon Offshore to provide offshore gas gathering and transportation services and onshore gas processing services to the Shenandoah offshore field.

Williams will support the deal through its Discovery System, a 477-mile network of underwater pipelines in the central Gulf of Mexico that feed a pair of natural gas and natural gas liquids processing plants in Paradis, La.
After Serena Houlihans mother passed away from brain cancer in 2009, the former retail industry veteran decided it was time to take inventory of her life. Shed made a name for herself at Saks Fifth Avenue, Gap, Club Monaco and Coach in New York as a merchandising and buying executive before moving to Houston with her husband, who works in oil and gas.

Once they settled in the Bayou City, Houlihan landed a vice president title at Charming Charlies  the now-shuttered accessories company  but that wasnt enough. Fashion no longer fulfilled her. She and future business partner Amanda Goller dreamed of creating a product that was more than just a profit  one with heart.

When Houlihans stepmother-in-law was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2019, she knew what to do. And, what to give.

I knew what she needed because my mother had been through the same protocol, Houlihan says. There are so many gifting platforms out there now but nothing for women going through a medical crisis, especially cancer. My stepmother-in-law was a woman of fantastic taste. I struggled to find a care package that was elevated.

She and Goller, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor, couldnt believe that curated gift boxes for women in crisis didnt already exist in the e-commerce world. So they designed some, and Le Wren Care was born.

My mothers name was Wren and Amandas moms name is Gretchen Lee, Houlihan says of their companys name. Wren the bird is in many cultures known as a caregiver, symbol of caretaking, support and nurturing.

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

The duos own experiences as caregivers inform the products they select for each gift box. Their goal is to take the guesswork out of supporting a loved one going through a difficult time.

Goller previously worked as a management consultant in the oil and gas industry. Shes now chief financial officer of Le Wren and logs hours remotely from Atlanta, where her family relocated.

Houlihan, who says shes been in the product development sector for her entire 15-year career, utilizes her skill set to ensure that every care package is thoughtfully constructed.

One of my favorite parts of the business is being a product person. I try to source only from women-owned business and also want to make sure were supporting companies of a smaller scale. Artisan, handmade  things that cant be found on Amazon or (at) Target.

Her stepmother-in-law became Le Wrens first customer, in September 2020, when she purchased a package for a family friend recovering from surgery. Houlihan included a neck therapy wrap from Slow North, an all-natural boutique in Austin, a Tech Candy Bed Fellow bed valet, lavender candle and cashmere socks.

The concept behind it is incredible, because I like to send care packages to friends and I have family who doesnt live in the states, says Natasha Valasek, Houlihans real estate broker and a repeat Le Wren customer. Everyone Ive sent them to is because of a passing. The presentation alone is beautiful, then you start considering her why. Everything she includes shows how much she cares. Its things people dont think about.

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Valasek explains that most gift boxes on the market focus on snacks or treats. Le Wren might send a comforting nighttime lip balm or a pillow spray to help calm anxiety. Her other favorite items to request are cashmere blankets and a carefully selected book.

One of the people I sent one to reads a lot and teaches a lot, she says. He could not believe the book that (Serena) included. You can just tell that theres thought behind it.

One of Valaseks recipients was so impressed that they gifted her a Le Wren care package as a thank-you.

Houlihan isnt surprised. Word of mouth has been her biggest source of business. Youre touching two clients at the same time, the recipient and the gift-giver, she says.

Instagram also generates a significant number of referrals. And Pinterest has been an unexpected source for traffic, too.

Shes fulfilled approximately 250 orders since Le Wren first launched. Ahead of its one-year anniversary, Houlihans big goal is to move the operation out of her guest bedroom and into a proper workspace. She and Goller would like to double their volume next year, though theyre cognizant of not growing too big, too fast.

In their case, its not just business, its personal.

amber.elliott@chron.com
Project Row Houses, a Houston non-profit and series of 22 historic shotgun-style houses in historic Third Ward, was named a beneficiary of MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett's recent round of charitable gifts.

Scott, whose current net worth is valued at $57 billion following her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, pledged to donate more than $2.7 billion to 286 organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked, according to a statement. She previously gave $5.8 billion to working charities in 2020, and married Jewett, a high school chemistry teacher, in early 2021.

"We were definitely surprised," says Project Row Houses development director Andrea Greer.

The organization was founded in 1993 by James Bettison, Bert Long, Jr., Jesse Lott, Rick Lowe, Floyd Newsum, Bert Samples, and George Smith. They were inspired by the work of German artist Joseph Beuys and African-American painter Dr. John Biggers to be catalysts for transformational change in communities through art, history and culture. Today the site boasts 39 structures spanning five city blocks as a venue for art initiatives, exhibitions, neighborhood development and activities.

Project Row Houses has chosen not to disclose the amount it received from Scott and Jewett, said executive director Eureka Gilkey.

"The money is an unrestricted grant," she said. "We're in the process of finalizing our strategic plan. It will go toward some of the goals in our new plan which should be wrapped up by the end of our fiscal year."

Gilkey added that Project Row Houses is "not at liberty to discuss the selection process" per instructions from donors Scott and Jewett.

The Houston Chronicle reported last week that Scott had "gone public as the donor providing free tuition to 2021 graduates going to San Jacinto College this fall."

FREE TUITION: San Jacinto College anonymous donor gives free tuition to 2021 high school grads

"We're very excited," Gilkey said. "It will go a long way toward what we do in Third Ward and our neighbors in Third Ward. I'm very impressed by the depths of (Scott's) giving and the organizations she chose that are often overlooked. It's quite surreal because it's not everyday that something like this happens."

amber.elliott@chron.com






If youve been eating in Houston long enough, especially if you have a sweet tooth, chances are youve had a taste of Deluxe Vanilla without even knowing it.

Houston couple Claudia Farinola and Brad Dorseys line of vanilla extracts and bean pastes spike desserts in some of the citys most popular spots, including Magnol French Baking, SweetCup Gelato, Coltivare, Theodore Rex, Whiskey Cake, Bread Man Baking, Common Bond and Michaels Cookie Jar, to name a few.

Deluxe Vanilla also features in Crave Cupcakes, which Farinola and Dorsey founded in 2008. This is where their foray into vanilla started: They were sourcing it for their own baked goods and werent happy with the market.

We have seen the ups and downs of vanilla prices, Dorsey says. As the prices seemed to go up, the quality seemed to go down.

Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron, and demand has compelled some producers to cut corners  picking beans too early or too late, for example. One day in 2013, Dorsey was complaining about it to his brother, who studies malaria in Africa; his brother suggested they make their own products with the farmers there.

The couple started making vanilla extracts for Crave Cupcakes, then launched the side business in 2017, selling to other restaurant and bakery clients in Texas.

Where Deluxe Vanilla is used Better Luck Tomorrow, Bread Man Baking Co., City Kitchen Catering, Coltivare, Common Bond, Crave Cupcakes, Dessert Gallery, Ida Claire, Jodycakes, Local Foods, Magnol French Baking, Michael's Cookie Jar, Niko Niko's, Squable, SweetCup Gelato, The Grove, Theodore Rex, Treat Cupcakes, Underbelly Hospitality Group, Union Kitchen and Whiskey Cake. See More Collapse

Today, Deluxe Vanilla works with one partner in western Uganda for 90 percent of its vanilla beans. They are organically grown in the fertile lands near the Rwenzori Mountains and harvested at just the right time, then aged eight weeks, conditioned and shipped to Deluxes vanilla lab in Houston. The vanilla grown here is the same as in Madagascar: V. planifolia is less sweet and has a higher vanillin content than other varieties.

Dorsey and Farinola front all the costs, and Dorsey travels to Uganda to meet with farmers. From the onset, they wanted to make sure the growers and employees received fair wages, and that no child labor was involved; their business partner could guarantee that.

The couple also donates 1 percent of Deluxe Vanillas sales  about 10 percent of profits  to the Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, a Ugandan nonprofit that fights against diseases such as malaria.

Thats the life of the product, Dorsey says. Were proud to be part of that.

Deluxe Vanilla sells six products: grade A vanilla beans (for classic French baking like at Magnol); pure vanilla extract and pure vanilla extract with bean paste, both competitively priced at $160 a gallon; two types of a bakers blend of pure vanilla extract and artificial vanilla, one with bean paste; and clear vanilla, an inexpensive product ($15 a gallon) used for white fondant and frosting.

Deluxe Vanilla uses organic corn alcohol for the extracts, and all of them, except the clear vanilla, are finished with toasted American oak chips for two weeks. They found this addition removes bitterness and heat from the alcohol, smoothing it out and adding some complexity to the product.

Since 2017, Deluxe Vanilla has doubled its sales every year. Last summer, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the duo decided to give away free product to customers  and even people who werent Deluxe customers  as a token of appreciation and to help them get through. They did so for Chris Shepherd, and a month later his Underbelly Hospitality company became a client.

In 2020, Deluxe Vanilla also launched 4-ounce bottles of vanilla extract to sell at retail for colleagues who devoted some of their restaurant space to markets, including Local Foods and Whiskey Cake.

Dorsey and Farinola have decided to keep the small bottles permanently and expand that part of the business, so Houstonians can get their hands on the product directly and bake with it themselves.
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.
Missouri City wants to hear from the community about a proposed November bond referendum during a workshop on Tuesday, June 29.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Adult Protective Services, local officials raise awareness about elder abuse

The 2021 Bond Exploratory Committee and city staff plan to hold the public input workshop from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the community center in the City Hall complex at 1522 Texas Parkway.

The night will begin with a welcome by the committee along with an overview presentation regarding proposed projects and bonds they have been discussing for the past month, said Interim City Manager Bill Atkinson, in a news release. Then the public will have a chance to walk around and review information at various stations set up by project type, including transportation, parks and facilities.

Committee members and city staff will also field questions at each station. The community will be able to interact and share feedback, which will aid the committee as it prepares to put a recommendation before city council during a joint-special meeting on Monday, July 12, Atkinson said.

In the meeting, council will mull calling a bond election. Any subsequent bond referendum would appear on the Tuesday, Nov. 2, general election ballot.

Top hits: Get Houston Chronicle stories sent directly to your inbox

For updates, visit www.missouricitytx.gov; like the city on Facebook; follow it on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or Nextdoor; or call 281-403-8500. Also, watch Missouri City Television (channel 16 on Comcast and Channel 99 on AT&T), or take advantage of the MCTX Mobile app, which is offered for free in Google Play and the Apple app store.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
The Sugar Land City Council recognized Fort Bend ISDs Sarah Sutar for receiving the Texas Teachers of Tomorrows 2021 Teacher of the Year award.

Education nonprofit TTT presented Sutar with a $5,000 check in May.

Sutar, who teaches math and science at Sienna Crossing Elementary in Missouri City, was selected from 500 nominees. The nominations were from more than 7,000 first-year teachers who are part of the TTT network around the state.

We dont thank our teachers enough for the sacrifices they make for our children, said Mayor Joe Zimmerman. We charge you with educating our children and they are with you all more than us as parents. So, I want to make sure that you know how much we appreciate you. Our community can only be this great community as long as we have great school districts.

Sugar Land resident Sutar hails from a long line of teachers. She was hired last year as part of a state COVID-19 waiver that allowed school districts to employ Alternative Certification Program candidates who had not yet completed their tests. During her first year of teaching, Sutar completed an ACP program and passed her TExES exams, all while dealing with the challenges of the pandemic.

Sarah handled every obstacle that came her way with style, grace and a smile, said Carolyn Sabahi, Sutars mentor. She found a way to learn new curriculum, reach children through a screen and welcome them back onto campus.

Since 2016, TTT has given the Teacher of the Year award to an educator nominated by a district official or school administrator. Sutar was nominated by Rachel Rosier, principal at Sienna Crossing Elementary.

At the same meeting, the council recognized July 17 as Lemonade Day 2021 for Sugar Land and the Houston metro area.

Ten-year-old Sugar Land resident Sabrina Roesler received another proclamation from the council, commending the tween business entrepreneur for her lemonade business Fresh n Juicy.

Established in 2007 in Houston, Lemonade Day is a fun, experiential program teaches students the basics of entrepreneurial learning. Mentors follow a curriculum and provide guidance through workbooks or the My Lemonade Day app.

I didnt just learn how to have my own lemonade stand, Sabrina said. I learned things that my mom didnt learn til college.

Lemonade Day participants keep the money they earn after paying back their investors and are encouraged to spend some, save some, and share some of their profit with a cause that matters to them. Sabrina Roesler donates a percentage of her earnings to the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation, a brain cancer research organization.

Lemonade Day has expanded to 84 licensed markets in 31 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Bermuda along with six US military bases. More than 1 million children and thousands of adult mentors have participated in Lemonade Day since 2007.

juhi.varma@hcnonline.com
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Five inmates have been charged with murder in the death of another inmate during a hostage-taking incident at an Oklahoma jail.

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater filed charges Monday and says more are expected after further investigation into the incident at the county's detention center, according to The Oklahoman.

Two inmates were charged with first-degree murder and three others were charged with second-degree murder for alleged actions that led to the death of Curtis Montrell Williams, 34, after taking a detention officer hostage.

A video released by the Oklahoma City Police Department shows inmates drag, beat and stab a jailer before police shot and killed Williams, who was holding a homemade knife to the neck of jailer Daniel Misquez.

Gregory Allen Jordan, 32, and Justin Taylor Leslie, 22, were charged with first-degree murder. A police detective identified them in court affidavits as two of the main leaders of the riot and hostage taking. Video evidence and statements by Misquez and other witnesses place them as being directly involved in this incident, according to police detective Rocky Gregory.

Leslie was also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He is accused of repeatedly stabbing Misquez in the upper thigh while he was held defenseless on his stomach on top of a table.

Darius Brian Pleasant, 23; Marlon Brando Craft II, 43; and Charles Glen Johnson, 27, were charged with second-degree murder.

Johnson used the officers cellphone to livestream the officer being held hostage, the detective said.

Jail officials said Misquez was treated at a hospital for injuries that werent life-threatening.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  Dozens of wildfires were burning in hot, dry conditions across the U.S. West, including a blaze touched off by lightning that was moving toward northern Arizona's largest city.

The mountainous city of Flagstaff was shrouded in smoke Monday, and ash was falling from the sky. The national forest surrounding it announced a full closure set to begin later this week  the first time that has happened since 2006.

Intense heat that has hampered firefighting efforts more broadly was expected to moderate in the coming days. But, the National Weather Service noted it could bring uncertainty for fire crews.

The humidity and the possibility of some scattered rainfall is a good thing," said meteorologist Andrew Taylor. "The lightning is not a good thing.

In California, firefighters still faced the difficult task of trying to contain a large forest fire in rugged coastal mountains south of Big Sur that forced the evacuation of a Buddhist monastery and nearby campground.

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.

More land has burned across Arizona so far to date with new wildfire starts quickly shifting resources. While humans are to blame for an overwhelming majority of wildfires, lightning started a 31-square mile (80-square kilometer) blaze west of Sedona that was moving toward Flagstaff.

A top-tier management team had been ordered to oversee the blaze that's burning in grass, juniper, chaparral and ponderosa pine.

Some campers already evacuated, and residents of rural areas have been told to prepare to evacuate on a moment's notice, said Coconino County sheriff's spokesman Jon Paxton.

If the fire continues its northeastern push, hundreds of people in Flagstaff  a college city about two hours north of Phoenix  also could be impacted, Paxton said.

Fire officials were mapping out a plan to starve the Rafael Fire of fuel as it moves through rugged terrain, canyons and wilderness, said fire information officer Dolores Garcia.

As of Monday, it was moving parallel to Interstate 40 along the Coconino and Yavapai county lines. The fire was about 16 miles from Flagstaff, but it's hard to say how quickly it was spreading through various terrain, Garcia said.

Two national forests in northern Arizona made rare announcements to close completely to visitors starting Wednesday because of concerns they won't have enough resources to respond to any future wildfires.

We have limited resources, and were tapped right now, said Brady Smith, a spokesman for the Coconino National Forest that surrounds Flagstaff.

The Coconino last issued a full closure in 2006. The nearby Kaibab National Forest, which borders the Grand Canyon, last fully closed in 2002. Both forests are popular for hiking, camping, fishing and other recreation because they sit at higher elevations and are much cooler than the state's desert areas.

Arizona is at the highest level of preparedness for wildfires. Evacuations were in place for fires west of Phoenix, northeast of Tucson and near Heber. Some local roads also were closed.

A top-tier management team was overseeing a blaze near the communities of Pine and Strawberry where residents also were evacuated. The fire has burned among the treetops, with wind carrying flames far ahead.

Firefighting crews have yet to contain any of the wildfire's perimeter. The lightning-sparked blaze was estimated at 51 square miles (132 square kilometers) Monday.

Firefighters in Oregon were focused on two wildfires, one burning near the state's highest peak and another in the southern part of the state that was threatening 125 structures.

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. But homeowners were allowed to return as containment reached 50%. ___

Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles and Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon, contributed to this report.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Investors will have another chance to hear from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger when the two top Berkshire Hathaway executives sit down together for an interview next week.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, tens of thousands of people would pack an Omaha arena each spring to listen to Buffett and Munger spend hours answering questions at Berkshire's annual meeting. This year, the two men offered their wit and wisdom at an online version of the company's shareholder meeting.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  A former correctional officer has been sentenced to 20 days in jail after pleading guilty to helping an inmate escape after developing an inappropriate relationship.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Destiny Harris, 23, pleaded guilty Monday to aiding in the escape of Rashad Williams, 18, from Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center last year. Williams and a second prisoner, 20-year-old Jabar Taylor, were the first inmates to break out of the center in 20 years.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A Utah woman will serve up to 30 years in prison for her involvement with the death of a police officer as a teenager, a sentence that comes after the state Supreme Court overturned her original conviction.

Meagan Grunwald's boyfriend fired the fatal shots, but her role as a 17-year-old getaway driver originally got her a sentence of up to life in prison in the slaying of Utah County Sheriffs Sgt. Cory Wride.
Police on Tuesday afternoon in northwest Houston arrested two people suspected of stealing catalytic converters, officials said.

Patrol officers, K9 and helicopter units and deputy constables with Harris County Precinct 1 assisted with apprehending the suspects around 2:30 p.m. on the 7000 block of Woodsman Trail, according to the Houston Police Department.

Police said the suspects have been stealing catalytic converters from vehicles. Theft of the car parts soared in Houston and Harris County last year.

Authorities expect to arrest more people in connection with the ongoing investigation.
A man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend and her mother and then firing shots at a Houston police officer has been charged, officials said.

Prosecutors charged Lewis Trinidad Nunez, 46, with murder and attempted capital murder of a police officer. He was scheduled to appear Tuesday morning in the 351st District Court before Judge Natalia Cornelio, court records show.

The shooting happened around 9:15 a.m. Sunday at a home on the 1000 block of East Tri Oaks Lane in northwest Houston, police said. Nunez lived at the residence, according to an address listed in court records.

Officer H. Tran of HPD's northwest patrol division was dispatched to the residence on a report of a domestic disturbance, police said. As police pulled up to the address, Nunez shot 64-year-old Rita Lillard in the doorway, killing her, authorities said.

Tran, who witnessed the shooting, got out of his vehicle and ordered Nunez to drop his weapon, police said. Nunez fired shots at the officer, who returned fire and struck Nunez multiple times, police said. Nunez then barricaded himself inside the residence, police said.

After SWAT showed up at the house, Nunez surrendered and was transported to the hospital. He remained there as of Tuesday morning.

Officers found a second woman dead inside the residence. Family members identified her as 39-year-old Virginia Jenni Lillard, the shooter's girlfriend.

No police officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire.

The HPD special investigations unit, internal affairs division and Harris County District Attorney's Office are investigating the officer shooting, per custom.
A security guard shot and killed a man Monday afternoon at a northeast Houston apartment complex, police said.

Two men were allegedly exchanging gunfire near the apartment complex on the 9600 block of Crofton Street when the security guard heard shots and went to investigate, Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department said in a TV interview.

When the guard confronted them shortly after 3 p.m., one man ran into an apartment, Crowson said. The other alleged shooter was inside a car.

"At some point, the security officer felt like he was threatened by the man in the vehicle and directed gunfire at the male in the vehicle," Crowson said.

The unidentified man died at the scene.

Homicide detectives responded to conduct an investigation and review surveillance video.
Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff

Police are investigating the death of a man after he started a fight late Saturday with a bouncer outside a downtown Houston bar, according to authorities.

Homicide investigators reported that the unidentified 29-year-old man, believed to be homeless, picked a fight with the bouncer around midnight outside Pastry War, a cocktail bar at 310 Main Street.
Technical difficulties, frustration and confusion dominated a virtual meeting hosted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Monday evening, meant to give residents a chance to speak about the contaminated Union Pacific site in Fifth Ward.

At issue was an application that Union Pacific filed 6  years ago with TCEQ to clean up a rail yard site where the ground and groundwater were contaminated with creosote, a wood preservative used for decades there to treat railroad ties.

The Environmental Protection Agency considers creosote a probable human carcinogen. State health officials have found higher rates of adult cancers and childhood leukemia in the area, though they didnt link the cancers to a specific cause.

At the meeting, introductions and rules, brief technical presentations and comments from advocates and public officials, including lengthy efforts to try to patch in U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, took up much of the first 2  hours.

State Sen. Borris Miles, a Houston Democrat, set the tone in opening remarks from where he listened with what he said was a full room of people at the Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center: Im sure youre not going to like what you hear tonight.

Kevin Peterburs, a Union Pacific senior manager, explained the company now intends to build a wall underground to restrict the flow of groundwater and build wells in residential areas to pump out creosote. (Already, theyve capped contaminated soil, he said.)

For local officials, advocates, academics, lawyers and residents who spoke, this proposal fell short. They wanted more research, more assurance residents could live healthy lives there and more equity in how the neighborhood was treated.

The feedback came in fits and starts: Some people who were called on werent able to unmute. Some people who were called on werent there. Others were very difficult to hear. TCEQ later said in a statement with all technology there can sometimes be challenges.

But those who could be heard were clear.

Loren Hopkins, from the citys health department, called the plan incomplete and inadequate.

Jason Gibson, an attorney representing hundreds of residents, asked, Can we believe Union Pacific when theyre self-reporting and self-policing?

More residents in the last portion of the meeting took the floor:

It seems like from listening that they still dont want to be accountable, Ursula McGee said. Why do they need to be granted a permit for 30 years and only giving us as residents over here a Band-Aid job?

Patricia Arthur explained that her mother and father lived just north of the site. Her father died of esophageal cancer, her mother of brain cancer and her son-in-law, who lived there later, of nasopharyngeal cancer, she said.

She too opposed the plan, calling on Union Pacific to remove all of the creosote. Another speaker, Barbara Beal, said it felt like Union Pacific had no compassion for what they faced.

Please stop wasting our time and making us dance around you guys, said Isis Berruete, who grew up in Fifth Ward. I need actual solutions to this.

Berruete echoed Jackson Lees suggestion that another meeting be held  next time in person.

More Information Send TCEQ your feedback. Written comments on the proposal can be mailed to Office of the Chief Clerk, TCEQ, Mail Code MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, TX 78711-3087, or submitted online at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/. The permit number is 50343. The comment period ends Aug. 30. See More Collapse

emily.foxhall@chron.com | Twitter: @emfoxhall
The Harris County Sheriff's Office on Monday confirmed a cannonball discovered last week in downtown Houston did not pose any danger, a spokesman said.

Officials from the sheriff's office bomb squad performed a controlled disruption at an HCSO facility in the Atascocita area, according to Thomas Gilliland, a spokesman for the Harris County Sheriffs Office. He did not elaborate on how that procedure was performed.

Construction crews found the cannonball buried 18 feet underground near Caroline and Preston streets last Thursday while performing work tied to the Harris County Heating and Cooling Facility. At first, an x-ray of the cannonball did not reveal whether it contained explosive materials, though Gilliland said after performing tests, officials now believe it did not have any ignitable or explosive contents.

We are confident it was hollow, but it is still being investigated by experts, Gilliland said. We are working on a small video for a look at the behind-the-scenes, (and) it will be ready sometime this week.

While some Civil War-era cannonballs were made of solid iron, others were filled with gunpowder, shrapnel or projectiles. Such shells still can explode more than 150 years later, frequently leading authorities to detonate antique ordnance.

The cannonball weighed about 98.5 pounds, Gilliland said, and "possibly" belonged to Confederate forces. Officials believe a weapons depot may have operated at the location above where the cannonball was discovered.

Houston historian Mike Vance told the Chronicle last week the cannonball likely would have belonged to Confederate forces in part because the Texas Revolution, another possible source, did not really come to Houston.

When the cannonball was discovered last week, authorities briefly closed nearby streets and parts of the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center as a precaution. Shortly after, bomb squad officials took the cannonball to a secure location to detonate it, according to Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
The city paid $1.7 million for allegedly counterfeit N95 masks earlier this year, and federal prosecutors have seized the money from the company that provided them, according to court documents.

Houston police are investigating the company, Med-Tech Resources LLC, for felony trademark counterfeiting. Homeland Security investigators also are involved, according to affidavits and police reports filed in the case to seize the money. No charges have been filed to date.

The city has filed a claim and is seeking recovery of the money in the civil forfeiture action, said Mary Benton, communications director for Mayor Sylvester Turner. The city of Houston is also pursuing and reserving all of its legal rights for recovery of the money outside of the civil forfeiture proceeding.

A representative for Med-Tech said it did not know the masks were counterfeit when it purchased and provided them.

The case dates back to last fall when the city agreed to purchase 1.25 million 3M masks for nearly $3.4 million from the Oregon-based company.

The city had set a policy during the pandemic of paying for items only after receiving them, in an effort to avoid the kind of fraud that appears to have ensnared it in this case.

The boxes of masks arrived in January with the 3M insignia on the containers and purported trademarks on the masks. After an initial inspection, the city sent the company two payments Jan. 8 and Jan. 12, totaling nearly $1.7 million.

Amid reports of counterfeit masks across the country and a large number of seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, city officials grew suspicious of their purchase, according to the court documents.

The court records say city employees tried to verify the masks on the manufacturers website, but were unable to do so. On Jan. 19, city officials contacted 3M directly to authenticate them. The next day, a company representative replied: The product from this seller is counterfeit and we recommend that you DO NOT use product from this seller.

The masks, intended for first responders and other city employees, were never used, according to a police report filed in the case.

HPD began its investigation Feb. 1, with investigators talking with 3M to confirm the masks were counterfeit.

The shipment had a holographic seal with the word Peru that 3M said it never used and had been found on other counterfeits. The masks also had inauthentic printing, and their construction did not conform to 3M standards, according to testimony from the company. The lot number associated with the masks also was invalid, and investigators said the masks appeared to be discolored.

I have determined that these respirators are counterfeit and did not originate from any 3M Manufacturing facility, wrote Christine McCool, a product development specialist for 3M, in an affidavit.

Jerry Adams, the citys chief procurement officer, called Med-Tech on Feb. 1, and told the company the city would not pay the outstanding balance or accept the remaining 350,000 masks, according to the police report. Adams said the owner of the company, Mike Modrich, offered to take back any deceptive masks and refund the city.

A day later, however, the city sent Med-Tech another payment of $774,836, though it later was able to stop that transfer after contacting the bank. It is unclear why the city sent another payment after learning the masks were counterfeit.

On Feb. 16, federal investigators seized the $1.7 million from the company. The city has filed a request with the federal government to recover the money.

The city also may have overpaid for the masks. The city purchased them at an average price of $2.71 per mask, more than double the manufacturers maximum price, prosecutors wrote in their court filing. In the police report, Adams said other vendors who submitted bids could not provide the masks.

However, because of the scarcity of the 3M 1860 mask, the city of Houston purchased masks from (Med-Tech) because they were the only vendor who could fulfill the citys order, the police report said.

Houston was not the only government that allegedly purchased counterfeit masks from Med-Tech. Another shipment went to the state of Maine, and federal prosecutors there have seized $3.6 million from the company, according to the Portland Press Herald. Maine overpaid as well, shelling out about $2.50 per mask.

Fraudulent vendors and scams were prevalent in the early months of the pandemic, amid nationwide shortages of equipment, prompting the Justice Department and FBI to issue warnings to local governments. An employee from 3M told Houston police in February the company has been overwhelmed with an influx of counterfeit masks.

Turners office did not respond Tuesday to written questions regarding the case. A Houston police spokesman declined comment other than to say the investigation was continuing. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas did not respond to inquiries.

Modrich did not respond to a request for comment.

Modrich previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2019, according to court records. That case, also involving Med-Tech, stemmed from a scheme to defraud CBP by undervaluing imports to lessen the customs fees, according to his plea deal. Modrich also misrepresented the company as a woman-owned business to win a federal government contract, records show.

Ken Lots, a salesman for the company, told the Chronicle Med-Tech was not aware the masks were counterfeit when they purchased them and provided them to the city of Houston.

According to Lots, Med-Tech bought the masks from a Colombian company, which then sent the masks to a third-party distributor in Hong Kong before they headed to the United States. Lots said Med-Tech has lost millions of dollars in the effort.

Gabrielle Banks contributed to this report.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
Discovering the Carmen Cortez Papers was a revelation for Jordan Villegas.

Villegas said he learned little in Houston schools about civil rights activism among Mexican Americans or Hispanic residents locally or statewide.

Working with Carmen Cortez Papers has been so fantastic, said Villegas, now a doctoral student in history at Columbia University. He is working on a dissertation about the Chapultepec Club, a group of young Mexican American women, including Cortez, who dared to question the system and fought against racism in the 1930s.

The digitization of the Carmen Cortez Papers is one of several changes made at the Houston Public Library to reflect and increase accessibility to the history and culture of Hispanic people. The library launched a Hispanic & Latino History webpage from its website landing page, recently updated with about 30 online pathways linking to thousands of digitized articles and collections. In addition, the librarys Houston Metropolitan Research Center almost doubled its Hispanic Digital Collections available online, and there is a plan to build a $19 million facility for a Hispanic History Research Center.

The dearth of classes and materials for Hispanic studies has long been a sore point for Latinos, who represent more than 45 percent of the citys population.

Gabriela Mindiola, a Mexican American studies and world history teacher at Northside High School, said the availability of the library resources online is very relevant now. The Texas State Board of Education approved a Mexican American course in 2018 after a long fight by activists in the state pushing for ethnic studies, and there is more demand for materials for such classes.

The webpage is a first for the Houston Public Library, said Mikaela Selley, archivist for Hispanic collections. We are excited for users to engage with this new resource page, and we plan to continuously update it to ensure that it is current and robust.

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Villegas said the Cortez papers have given him a window into this moment in Mexican American political history and social history that often gets buried because of how we tell the history of Mexican Americans in the U.S. There is so much of that civil rights history that is barely known, things that happened in Houston and Texas.

Carmen Cortez was born in 1913 at Mission San Juan in San Antonio and spent most of her life in Houston, where she went to school, studied business in college and became an activist.

Cortez and about 25 Mexican American women in their late teens and early 20s founded the Club Femenino Chapultepec in 1931. It grew from an outlet to learn job skills to a group that advocated for social justice.

But the events that most interest Villegas are related to a document demanding measures to correct racial injustices that was produced and signed by Cortez and two other Chapultepec women in 1937 after a police killing of a Mexican American man.

Years later, Cortez rebelled against the auxiliary role that women were given in the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, the oldest national Hispanic civil rights organization still active in the country, founded in Texas.

The archives View the Houston Public Library's Hispanic & Latino History site and all of its resources at houstonlibrary.org/hispanic See More Collapse

LULAC Texas State Historian David Contreras said it is ironic that many LULAC councils that fought for civil rights didnt allow women to be active members.

Contreras, who is also vice chair of Harris Countys Hispanic culture heritage commission, was instrumental in pushing for the development and digitization of the Hispanic archives and securing funds for an initiative last fall that facilitated making more than 1,100 items available online on the Hispanic Digital Collections.

The library has done a great job updating the Hispanic and Latino webpage. Its absolutely beautiful, Contreras said. Its the largest online clearinghouse I have seen (focusing) on Mexican American and Latino history.

Tony Diaz, a writer and member of the Houston Mayors Hispanic Advisory Board, said the Houston Public Librarys Hispanic history database is a fantastic characterization of what happens when a major institution teams up with community members, and a lot of credit goes in this case to Contreras.

The big picture

Selley said the Hispanic & Latino History webpage links to resources that belong to the library as well as select resources that exist elsewhere.

Our intention is not to gather every existing resource but to offer a curated selection of databases and websites that relate to scholarship around these topics, Selley said.

Before the creation of this webpage, digital material about Hispanic history and culture was scarce on the library website and difficult to find. Users would have to know about its existence and search the site to be able to find anything.

While the library dedicated significant resources to African American history and Houston and Texas history, much less was done to showcase the rich history and culture of the largest population group in Houston, and Latino leaders criticized this neglect.

Now the website includes a wealth of information for researchers, the curious and teachers who want to enrich their students curricula with diverse local histories.

Having access to tools like this is so important for the classroom because it provides information that is pertinent to cultural studies that are generally not organized or easy to find elsewhere, said Mindiola, the high school teacher. I welcome this new resource and will definitely share it with my colleagues.

For Contreras, the Hispanic & Latino webpage and the Hispanic collections page are a preview of what a planned Hispanic History Research Center could provide for Houston. The projected center has an allocation in the citys Capital Improvement Projects, which would begin the design process in 2024 and construction the next year.

It will be a fantastic addition to the city, but we need to make sure that the plan actually moves from papers to real construction of the building, Contreras said.

We need to push for the building, which will be great for Houston but also a wonderful tourism attraction, Diaz said. Imagine a state-of-the-art archive in the building where we can have beautiful exhibits about our history, the history of Houston families. ... Maybe Cortez?

olivia.tallet@chron.com

Twitter.com/oliviaptallet
A man was fatally shot Monday night in southwest Houston, police said.

The shooting occurred around 8:45 p.m. in the 10800 block of Greenwillow Street, said Detective Rossow of the Houston Police Department.

Police detained witnesses and a possible suspect for questioning, he said. Investigators believe there was an altercation between two people that turned deadly when someone pulled out a firearm.

Authorities were seeking a warrant to search the apartment where the man was shot.

julian.gill@chron.com
A 19-year-old girl was killed and two men were injured Monday night when two shooters opened fire into a vehicle in northwest Houston, police said.

Officers responded around 9:20 p.m. to the 8000 block of Grow Lane in the Kempwood area where they found three gunshot wound victims inside a white Cadillac, said Houston police assistant chief Daryn Edwards.
Mayor Sylvester Turner and Crime Stoppers have boosted the reward seeking information on the fatal shooting of a 62-year-old woman in a southeast Houston gym parking lot last week.

Turner said he had raised an additional $10,000 to increase the Crime Stoppers reward to $15,000 for tips that lead to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the shooting of Elsa Mikeska.

Someone out there knows something about what happened, proclaimed Turner. Starting today, the enhanced reward in the Elsa Mikeska case is an opportunity for you to do the right thing.

Additionally, Turner said local businesses have contributed an additional $25,000 that will be used to increase Crime Stoppers awards for tips to help solve existing and future cases.

Mikeskas daughter Lauren Hanigan thanked the mayor, police, friends and strangers for their support following her mothers death.

My mother loved this city, and this has been really hard for us, but seeing the support has been so overwhelming, and so touching, she said.

According to Houston police investigators, Mikeska arrived at the Life Fit Gym in the 10500 block of Fuqua around 4:51 a.m. last Thursday. As she walked toward the entrance, a white Chevrolet SUV pulled in and two men got out and called to Mikeska. One of them then fired a shot as Mikeska ran toward the gym entrance. The incident was captured on surveillance video.

Anyone with information on the shooting or the perpetrators is asked to call the Houston police homicide unit at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS.

treyvon.waddy@chron.com
The city of Houston on Monday asked the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on a recent appellate court ruling that rejected Mayor Sylvester Turners attempt to strike down a key provision of state law governing how firefighters negotiate their wages and benefits.

The case stems from a 2017 lawsuit filed by the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, which claims Turners administration did not negotiate in good faith during failed contract talks between the city and fire union that year.

As part of that lawsuit, the firefighters invoked a provision of state law that allows a state district judge to set their pay after Turner declined to enter contract arbitration. The city responded by arguing it was unconstitutional for judges to determine the pay of firefighters and police officers without firmer guidelines for doing so.

In an appeal filed Monday, attorneys representing the city asked Texas highest civil court to reverse a ruling last month by Texas 14th Court of Appeals, in which a panel of justices found the provision challenged by the city does not run afoul of the Texas Constitutions separation of powers clause, which prohibits one branch of government  the judiciary, in this case  from exercising power that belongs to another branch.

Under state law, public employers must provide firefighters and police officers with compensation and other conditions of employment that are substantially the same as those of comparable private sector employment.

In the Supreme Court filing, the city contended that provision does not provide specific enough guidelines for courts to determine firefighter pay, an argument that was rejected by the appeals court in May. Still, city attorneys wrote in the latest filing that the law governing police and firefighter compensation has existed under a legal cloud with respect to the unconstitutional delegation of legislative power accomplished by this judicial enforcement mechanism.

Houston fire union president Marty Lancton blasted Turner for filing the appeal and said it would ensure the city will waste more taxpayer dollars on the long-running lawsuit.

This is a sign of a desperate man who is willing to waste thousands more taxpayer dollars and punish hard-working Houston firefighters and their families to protect his pride, Lancton said in a statement. We are confident the outcome before the states highest court will be the same as it was in the lower courts.

Earlier this month, Houston city council approved a 6 percent pay raise for firefighters as part of the citys $5.1 billion annual budget that will take effect July 1. Turner, whose term expires in January 2024, has said he plans to award firefighters additional raises totaling 18 percent over three years, though firefighters have noted the future raises are not locked into a contract, have not been approved by city council and could be rescinded by Turner at any point.

Turner also has acknowledged the raises will be funded by federal coronavirus stimulus funds that will run out after next year. Lancton has characterized the raises as a bonus that is not even close to fully compensating firefighters for their stagnant pay, which has gone up by just 3 percent since 2011. The fire union has rejected offers they said included too many concessions.

Had Turner opted against an appeal, the city and fire union would have returned to state district court, where a judge would have decided firefighters pay for up to a year and compensate them for past losses.

Meanwhile, firefighters are collecting signatures for a charter amendment that would make it easier to bring contract talks with the city to binding arbitration. Union officials say they are aiming to place the measure on this years November ballot.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
Senate Republicans blocked a sweeping elections bill on Tuesday, with all 50 GOP senators  including Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz  declining to open debate on legislation that took Texas battle over proposed voting restrictions to a national stage.

S.1, the so-called For the People Act, would have marked a huge expansion of federal voting law, requiring states to implement automatic voter registration, offer mail-in ballots and use new voting machines, among other provisions. Its the response that Texas Democrats had been hoping for after they staged a dramatic walkout last month to kill a voting restrictions bill at the state level.

But the federal legislation faced fatal objections from Republicans, who call the bill government overreach. Sixty senators needed to agree to start debate, but the party-line vote fell far short of that threshold.

The vote leaves the future of state-level elections law in Texas in question, even as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York pledged to continue fighting for reform in Congress. But the result was a clear victory for Republicans, both nationally and in the state.

Cornyn said Monday that S.1 is a politically-motivated federal takeover of our elections.

The one-size-fits-all federal mandate won't improve public confidence in our elections, Cornyn said. It will be seen for what it is in a transparent way: a partisan, political takeover  a coup detat, really  of the way that our elections are run. Elections should be run by the folks who are elected and who are accountable to the states.

Cruz echoed similar sentiments at a news conference, nicknaming the roughly 900-page proposal the Corrupt Politicians Act.

It is a brazen power grab, Cruz said. It is an attempt by Democrats to federalize elections and to ensure that Democrats cannot lose for the next hundred years.

BACKGROUND: Texas Democrats call on Congress to help fight voting restrictions

The elections bill, which also faces some opposition from moderate Senate Democrats, had become a top priority for the partys leaders amid a wave of voting restriction laws popping up in red states. Many of the Republicans spearheading the efforts have embraced former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

President Joe Biden has vowed what the White House calls the fight of his presidency over ensuring Americans access to voting. But without changes to Senate rules, key planks of his agenda, including the voting bill, appear stalled.

The voting rights battle in Texas took center stage as federal lawmakers pushed forward with S.1. Texas House Democrats walked out of the lower chamber just hours before a key legislative deadline last month, breaking quorum and temporarily killing Senate Bill 7, the omnibus elections bill that Republicans touted as a way to make elections more secure and restore public faith in the elections process.

The measure, which Republicans have pledged to revive in a special session, would have outlawed several voting methods piloted in Harris County last fall, including 24-hour polling sites and drive-thru voting.

It 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. Democrats said those provisions would have disproportionately harmed Black and Hispanic voters.

RELATED: Texas Republicans now say lowering the bar for overturning elections is bad policy. So why did they try?

Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, castigated Democrats for the move, accusing them of abdicating their responsibilities as legislators. He stripped the Legislatures funding as punishment.

But national Democrats praised the House members decision, and Vice President Kamala Harris invited several lawmakers involved in the walkout to the nations capital for a meeting earlier this month. The state legislators also met with several Democratic congressional leaders, as well as staff members for West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin III  a moderate who has voiced objections to the sweeping elections proposal in the U.S. Senate.

We hope that Sen. Manchin takes our experiences to heart, state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, said after the meeting with Manchins staff last week. Across the country, there is an assault on democracy, and the battleground is in state legislatures. Congress needs to act.

Manchin, who hedged for weeks on whether to support the measure, ultimately voted in favor after it was amended with provisions he proposed.

On Tuesday, Martinez Fischer led a coalition of nearly 500 state lawmakers from across the nation in penning a letter to Congress in support of S.1 and other election law changes. Hundreds of bills that would make it harder to vote have been proposed in state legislatures this year, they said.

We are out of options, the lawmakers wrote. We need your help.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.

cayla.harris@express-news.net
Houston, MO (65483)

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Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 60F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2021 file photo, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson delivers the State of the State address in Jefferson City, Mo. Missouri's Republican governor and attorney general have told the U.S. Department of Justice that they stand by the state's new law that would ban police from enforcing federal gun rules. Gov. Mike Parson and Attorney General Eric Schmitt wrote in a letter Thursday, June 17, 2021, that they plan to enforce the law, which would penalize local police departments if their officers enforce federal gun laws. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson File)
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From traffic lights to bins, across the world, internet-connected technology is being integrated across all manner of everyday city infrastructure. Smart city technology can provide cities with real-time information which can be analysed to offer insights into how people interact with the city. These insights can be used to make cities operate more efficiently and ensure that cities are responding to the changing needs of their citizens.

However, like any internet-connected device, smart city infrastructure runs the risk of being targeted by bad actors who wish to disrupt the operation of city life.

This blog post explores the extent to which smart cities are vulnerable to attack by hackers and considers the steps that can be taken to prevent them from being compromised by nefarious actors.

Connected and vulnerable

Its an unfortunate fact of our increasingly more connected lives that as we connect more devices to the internet, we provide hackers with more opportunities to access our devices, compromise our networks, and gain access to personal information. In recent years, as we have added more Internet of Things (IoT) devices to our home networks, such as smart lightbulbs and thermostats, there is a chance we may be weakening the overall security of our networks. Experts have warned that these small IoT devices may not have the necessary level of sophisticated defences required to protect them from attack.

Naturally, as these devices normally perform relatively inconsequential tasks (such as turning on a lamp) and dont tend to host a great deal of personal data, many consumers do not consider the danger they could pose if compromised. Research has found that hackers may be able to gain access to entire home networks through hacking a single IoT device. This can enable hackers to access other connected devices, such as a phone, which holds a large amount of personal data. This can allow hackers to steal personal data, covertly spy on unknowing users, and gain access to email/social media/bank accounts.

Therefore, as more small-scale infrastructure is connected to the internet, hackers will have more opportunities to take advantage of devices with lax security. In the context of smart cities, these vulnerabilities may be able to gain access to systems that operate critical city infrastructure.

Smart city vulnerabilities

A key component of the development of smart cities is the fostering of a network of interconnected devices which cover a wide variety of city activities and functions. Through collecting and analysing this data, cities will be able to improve the way they operate in real-time and better respond to the needs of citizens. As such, smart city technology will have to be integrated into systems as simple as a streetlight and as complex as the public transit system.

As previously discussed, IoT devices have varying levels of protection against hackers, and this is no different in the context of the smart city. Research conducted by UC Berkley found that small smart city infrastructure, such as CCTV systems and traffic lights, were more vulnerable to attack than more significant infrastructure, such as smart waste and water management systems. Vulnerabilities at any point of a network can allow hackers to gain access and potentially to compromise a more critical part of city infrastructure.

Recently published guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) indicated that smart cities are a target for hackers, and warned that if systems are compromised there may be destructive impacts. For example, if a hacker can gain access to a smart traffic management system, they may be able to take the system offline and create traffic gridlock across a city. This would cause mass disruption and prevent people from moving around, which could result in threats to public safety. As a result, ensuring smart cities are protected from bad actors will be crucial as more city infrastructure is integrated into smart internet-connected systems.

Protecting the smart city

Although smart cities will undoubtedly be a target for hackers, several actions can be taken to protect them from attack, and mitigations can be put in place to protect the wider smart city network if a single device is compromised. Ensuring that smart cities are designed with security at their core is vital. Adding on security at a later date will be ineffective and experts believe a bolt-on approach may pose more of a security risk.

Guidance from the NCSC sets out the importance of understanding who is supplying the infrastructure and being aware that some companies may have links to foreign governments who may wish to gain access to UK systems for nefarious purposes.

Key steps that the NSCS advice should be taken to protect the smart city include:

Understanding the goal of the smart city and potential unforeseen impacts.

Examining the threats posed to the smart city.

Setting out the governance of smart city cybersecurity and ensuring staff have the correct skills.

Understanding the role of suppliers in the delivery of smart city infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Being aware of relevant legal and regulatory requirements (particularly surrounding data protection).

Final thoughts

The development of smart cities may provide opportunities to create cities that are more efficient and responsive to the needs of citizens. Unfortunately, as more infrastructure is connected to the internet, hackers are provided with more opportunities to disrupt systems and harvest personal data. The levels of disruption and data will undoubtedly make smart cities an attractive target for bad actors.

Therefore, to reap the benefits of the smart city, it will be vital that security is at the core of the development of the smart city, and that local authorities ensure they have a clear understanding of who is responsible for cybersecurity.

Source: https://theknowledgeexchangeblog.com/2021/06/21/are-smart-cities-at-risk-from-hackers/
The town of Delcambre will be the focus of this weeks Positively Iberia! radio show.
North Adams Council to Talk Sewer, Fiscal 2022 Budget

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Residents on Woodlawn Avenue are asking the city to defray some of the costs in connecting several homes along the street to the city's sewer system.

Four families on the avenue say they have "pursued city sewer-hookup to no avail" and that the line stops at 78 Woodlawn and does not include the homes at 94, 100, 108 and 116 Woodlawn. The septic at 108 Woodlawn has failed, they wrote in a letter to the City Council, and the property will not perk.

They have an estimate of about $42,000 to have the four properties connected, which does not include tanks or unforeseen circumstances. They say the Department of Public Works has offered to donate piping and fittings but the city has rejected taking this on as a project.

"We are asking the City for monies to help cover the cost of the contractor's fees in addition to the donated piping and fittings," the group asks.

President Jason LaForest is asking the administration to take on this project through expected monies from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The city is anticipating $3.7 million but there are conditions on how it can be spent.

"The inclusion of these homes on city sewer would have ecological benefits, improve the quality of life of our constituents on Woodlawn Avenue, and offer an appreciable return on investment for the city," LaForest wrote to the council.

The issue has been placed on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting.

The City Council also will be voting on the proposed $42 million spending plan for fiscal 2022 on Tuesday.

The budget was given a final review last week by the Finance Committee, which voted to recommend it as presented, including the addition of a deputy fire chief, the reclassification of several positions, and a $17,769,074 school budget approved by the School Committee last week.

What won't be recommended is bumping up the mayor's salary as first broached by Councilor Marie T. Harpin at a City Council meeting on June 8. Harpin had pointed out that  with this budget  there would be seven positions making more than the mayor.

She again raised the subject at last week's Finance Committee meeting but the committee and the mayor said it would be too late in the process because it would put the budget out of balance.

"My plan was to vote the budget, vote the classification plan, and then do this in the summer/fall, effective July 1 of next year," said committee Chairwoman Lisa Blackmer. "Make it effective fiscal 2023 because we can't add to the budget."

Mayor Thomas Bernard, who is not running for re-election, also recommended that the conversation be done ahead so the wage increase would fall in the next fiscal year.

"There was ample opportunity for the council, the committee, or individual members to make this request prior to budget submission," he wrote to the Finance Committee and City Council. "This was the process that was followed in 2019, the last time the mayor's salary was adjusted."

Harpin had, in fact, been the one to bring the wage increase into the budget discussions for fiscal 2020 as chair of the Finance Committee in 2019. The classification and compensation plan had been amended at that time to raise the salary of the mayor by $4,000 to $88,470 effective Jan. 1, 2020 (after the 2019 election). It was the first time the salary had been increased in nearly a dozen years.

The council will also be asked to accept the transfer of $300,000 for a feasibility study for Brayton School. The School Committee voted to take these funds from the school choice account, which has more than $2 million in it.

The council is expected to pass zoning ordinance changes presented at public hearing last week that include giving the Planning Board and building inspector authority to revoke a special permit or levy fines if the applicant fails to abide by the permit.
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Ephrata-based group and its donors have helped countless kids go to college since 1996
OLYMPIA  The leader of the state Department of Ecology claims that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is attempting to reverse the states clean water rule.

Ecology Director Maia Bell on Wednesday said the EPAs 30-day comment period began April 8 without notification to Ecology, tribes, or the public.

Im shocked EPA did not engage with Washington before moving to change the clean water rule, Bellon said. This is a blatant violation of the principles of cooperative federalism and states rights. I am also very concerned EPA failed to consult with Washingtons federally recognized tribes, disregarding federal trust and treaty obligations.

As of Wednesday, EPA had not shared with Ecology any information on their proposal to reverse the current clean water rule in Washington.

The rule establishes water quality standards for lakes, rivers and marine waters to protect the health of people and fish, and to manage pollution caused by industries and municipalities, according to Bellon.

The current rule, which became known as the fish consumption rule, was finalized for Washington in 2016 after extensive public processes.

For more than two and a half years, weve worked with communities, tribes, local governments, and businesses to implement the clean water rule, said Bellon. We fully expect any actions EPA takes now to reverse course will result in costly litigation that benefits no one. It is unnecessary and counterproductive to create this atmosphere of regulatory uncertainty  we already have a path forward that will lead to protective and practical clean water permits.

Ecology has communicated with EPA in recent months that the state opposes any actions that would delay or prevent Washington from continuing to implement the clean water rule.

Ecology intends to submit formal comments by May 8, 2019, opposing any federal actions to reverse the 2016 clean water rule.

The EPA memo is available on the regulations.gov website. More information about the clean water rule in Washington is available.
Report: Teen who allegedly burned CWU Pride flag says he did it in retaliation for theft of his Christian flag
Radio presenter Titus Badejo was brutally murdered by armed men outside Club 407, in Ibadan, on 19 June. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in calling on the authorities to investigate this terrible crime and prosecute Badejo's killers.

Titus Badejo, also known as Eja Nla, was a well-known radio presenter who worked for Naija FM in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. He was also an actor and a disc jockey.

He was driving home from a club with friends when two gunmen stopped him and brutally shot him. According to witnesses, the journalist was the only person targeted by the assailants, who quickly left without taking anything from him or the car. At the moment, the murderers remain unidentified by the police.

The motives for the murder of Titus Badejo are still unclear. The Nigeria Union of Journalists Oyo State Council has taken action by calling on the police and the government to find and arrest his killers. The union also expressed its concern about the spate of senseless killings and avoidable deaths.

Titus Badejos murder, which the NUJ describes as "one death too many", takes place in a country considered dangerous for journalists, where media workers are often attacked, arrested, or even killed. Killings of civilians, in general, are frequent and go often unpunished.

Press freedom is also under attack in the country. On 4 June 2021, the government announced that Twitter was banned in Nigeria, seriously undermining freedom of expression and the right to information.

The General Secretary of the IFJ, Anthony Bellanger, said: We urge the Nigerian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the killing of Titus Badejo and ensure those behind this appalling murder face the full force of the law. Nigeria must protect journalists, and ensure accountability for crime against them to end impunity. The IFJ sends condolences to our colleagues family and friends.
Citizens and journalists may face criminal prosecution under Thailands censorship laws for criticising the governments AstraZeneca vaccine rollout, produced by a company owned by Thailands King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) urges the government to repeal the censorship laws and ensure freedom of expression is protected.

In Thailand, Siam Bioscience, a biopharmaceutical company owned by Thailands King, entered into a contract in 2020 with AstraZeneca to produce 200 million vaccine doses a year for distribution in Southeast Asia. Throughout the vaccine rollout, existing laws that have been used in the past to censor journalists or criminalise freedom of expression have fuelled a hesitancy towards criticising the AstraZeneca rollout.

Thailands censorship laws include the lese majeste law, making it illegal to insult the monarchy and carries a prison sentence of 15 years. On March 23, a leading Thai opposition politician at the time, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, was charged under this law after voicing doubts on the government vaccine rollout in a Facebook live stream.

Juangroongruangkit said that the government had mishandled the vaccine campaign and given Siam Bioscience an unfair advantage due to their affiliation with the King.

According to the Financial Times, Siam Bioscience hosted an AstraZeneca launch event and did not invite journalists.

The IFJ has produced guidelines for reporting on Covid-19 vaccines that can be found here.

The IFJ said: Thailands lese majeste legislation is detrimental to the freedom of expression in the region, limiting journalists' ability to produce critical journalism on the countrys vaccine rollout and to educate the public about the importance of vaccines. The IFJ urges the Thai government to repeal censorship laws, including the lese majeste legislation and ensure freedom of expression is protected."
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the Ukrainian authorities to continue to pursue the killers of Cherkasy journalist Vadym Komarov, two years after his death following a brutal attack.

The call came as the head of the Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor's Office Oleksandr Voronin and deputy head of the Cherkasy police Yevhen Rohachov updated reporters at a press conference about the progress of the investigation.

During these 2 years, more than 1,700 interrogations and more than 200 investigative leads have been followed. Data from hundreds of cameras and more than 1000 phone calls have been analyzed.

The investigation is still ongoing. An identikit of the alleged perpetrator was created but, unfortunately, the identities of the perpetrators and masterminds of the murder are still unknown.

This was the first large public report on this case and came in response to the initiative of the leadership of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova. Last week, the Prosecutor General held a special meeting with NUJU representatives, at which she personally heard a report on the investigation into the murder of a journalist and instructed the authorities to deliver a public report to journalists in the region where Vadym Komarov lived and worked.

The President of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine Sergiy Tomilenko said: Unfortunately, in Ukraine we still record a high level of aggression against journalists. One of the powerful mechanisms of struggle is public reports of law enforcement agencies and public control. In recent years, NUJU has managed to combine the efforts of the Minister of the Interior, the Prosecutor General, and the Chief of National Police to make the journalistic profession in Ukraine safer.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: We welcome the fact that the authorities are continuing to pursue this case and have carried out extensive investigations but remain concerned that the killers have still not been identified. The authorities must continue to pursue this case with vigour to ensure there can be no impunity.

Ukrainian journalist Vadym Komarov died on June 20, 2019, after he was the victim of a brutal attack in May. Mr. Komarov was known for his investigations and his hard-hitting reporting on local authorities. The IFJ/EFJ has been monitoring this incident since the attack.
Bancassurance leader BPI-Philam urges Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) to protect their hard-earned savings from unexpected expenses amid the pandemic. With the still rising number infections of COVID-19 variants worldwide, it has become even more urgent to have life insurance protection that would safeguard OFWs and their families.

As COVID-19 variants continue to evolve and spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) had begun to assign labels as to Variants of Interest or Variants of Concern. Just last month, the government reported that three close contacts of an OFW infected with the COVID-19 variant first detected in India, known as Delta or B.1.617.2, also tested positive.

OFWs sacrifice so much to save for their families and for their futures, but the sad reality is that its possible lose everything in one unfortunate incident. The hospitalization of a family member due to severe COVID-19 infection alone could wipe out years worth of their savings. Weve heard the same thing happen many times, and we want to help change it so weve made it our mission at BPI-Philam to assist OFWs through difficulties to enable them and their families to live healthier, longer, and better lives wherever they are, said Surendra Menon, BPI-Philam Chief Executive Officer.

Just recently, BPI-Philam extended its free Php200,000 COVID-19 insurance for qualified BPI and BPI-Philam customers to help Filipinos stay secure during these uncertain times. This free insurance coverage can be supplemented with other insurance plans like BPI-Philams Critical Care 100, which has health coverage that provides financial protection from setbacks caused by medical emergencies.

Many OFWs employment requires them to travel to-and-fro, increasing their chances of exposure to the virus. Having life insurance can serve as financial protection from tapping into their savings for medical bills and similar expenses.

OFWs are also encouraged to think for the long-term and be prepared for the worst. Life insurance can help them achieve their goal of having financial freedom upon retirement. For those who want to start saving and even invest, there are life insurance products that have an investment part that may help grow their funds. These allot a portion of their premiums to the policyholders life insurance coverage, while the remaining portion goes into an investment fund, which may continue to grow even after the full payment of the policy.

For OFWs, having the right life insurance plan gives their families back home peace of mind knowing that they are protected. They can live a worry-free life, letting them focus on accomplishing their goals. BPI-Philam helps by offering the right life insurance products that allow them to protect what they have built over the years and reach their ultimate goal of coming home sooner.

More information about BPI-Philam is available at its website, Facebook page, via the virtual assistant Bessie (on Messenger), or through a Bancassurance Sales Executive at BPI and BPI Family Savings Bank branches nationwide.
Leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc. shared its 2020 contributions to the countrys sustainable development through initiatives that reduced carbons emissions, improved resource efficiency of operations, and uplifted communities and business partners.

The company discussed accomplishments in these areas and commitments to further improve until 2030 in its first Integrated Annual Report that follows the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which sets standards for reporting sustainability performance.

Cara Ramirez, Holcim Philippines Vice President of Communications: This Integrated Annual Report is a reflection of our companys commitment to transparency about our sustainability performance, and pledge to be partner of progress beyond cement. Following the GRI standards helps us to go beyond reportorial requirements of corporate regulators to provide stakeholders a full view of our efforts to deliver business results and positively impact the environment and our communities.

The company grouped its sustainability targets under four pillars: Climate and Energy, Circular Economy, Environment, and People and Communities. These are aligned with the sustainability priorities of global building solutions leader LafargeHolcim Group and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Under Climate and Energy, Holcim Philippines disclosed that carbon emissions per ton of cement produced are at 608 kilograms in 2020, 22.15% lower versus 1990 levels. This was driven by investments in efficient production technology and shift towards more blended cement products such as infrastructure cement Holcim Solido, general purpose cement Holcim Excel and masonry cement Holcim Wallright. The company is looking to further reduce emissions aligned with the LafargeHolcim Groups target of 475 kilograms CO2 per ton of cement by 2030.

On Circular Economy, Holcim Philippines aims to significantly increase usage of alternative fuels such as qualified residual wastes through its co-processing technology, and alternative raw materials for its products to require less clinker. In 2020, the company co-processed 70,680 kilograms of wastes through unit Geocycle to reduce usage of traditional fuels. These also enable the company to help partners in the public and private sector divert discarded materials away from landfills.

Under the Environment pillar, the company reported that it withdrew 290 liters of freshwater per ton of cement produced in 2020. Holcim Philippines aims to lower this further to 262 liter per ton of cement by 2030 through efficiency initiatives and utilization of rainwater.

Finally, Holcim Philippines listed programs that uplift communities and partners under the People and Communities pillar. Among the highlights was the 164,913 people assisted in 2020 through its Holcim HELPS corporate citizenship campaign, which focused on community health and sanitation projects in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 80 companies, including ClassPass and theSkimm, signed a letter Monday calling for Congress to pass voting rights legislation.

"We can all agree a healthy democracy and vibrant economy depend on participation in our election system free from discriminatory practices," the businesses wrote in the letter, which was published with advocacy groups Vote.org, When We All Vote, and Declaration for American Democracy.

The letter is in part a response to bills introduced this year in state legislatures to restrict voting--389 of them in 48 states this session, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a left-leaning think tank.

One of the bills the businesses are supporting, the For the People Act of 2021, would expand voter registration and install independent redistricting commissions, among other provisions. It passed in the House in March and is scheduled for a procedural vote in the Senate on Tuesday.

Republicans have widely panned the bill, and shot down Senator Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) more limited proposal, arguing that it prevents states from exercising the right to run their own elections. Without GOP support, Democrats will not be able to overcome a filibuster and bring the measure up for a vote.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, vice president for development at the Brennan Center, says the letter highlights a continued increase in political advocacy among businesses. "Their voice matters here," she says. "It's really an important shift in our American political story."

Taking a stand in such matters can benefit a company's bottom line. A 2021 report by Cambridge, Massachusetts, research and consulting firm Forrester found that 43 percent of consumers, when given the choice between two products, would prefer the one made by a business that publicly promotes its own political values.
Anya Taylor-Joy has revealed why she almost quit acting right before her breakout roles in The Queens Gambit and Emma.

The actor was asked about that moment in her career during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Taylor-Joy, who is now 25, explained that she began having doubts after booking a series of roles and having put all of [her] energy into fleshing out other people as opposed to her own identity.

So I got Jane Austens Emma as a job, and that really panicked me, because it was a role that was supposed to be beautiful from the offset, and I hadnt done that  Id played creatures, outsiders, whatever, she told the publication.

For some reason I guess that triggered some childhood trauma and I was like, I cant do it. Theres no way, Im going to really let people down.

She explained that she ended up working almost through a whole year in order to star in Emma, Last Night in Soho, and The Queens Gambit.

I had, collectively, a week off that entire year; it was crazy, and I was already starting off at an emotional space where I was like, Oh, I dont know if I can do this, she said. But its the year that has most changed me. I just fell in love with my job again.

Asked whether she actually considered stopping acting around that time, Taylor-Joy replied: I know it sounds crazy now, but yeah, I was.

In February this year, Taylor-Joy won the Golden Globe for Best Actress  Miniseries or Television Film for her performance in The Queens Gambit. She was also nominated in the Best Actress  Motion Picture Comedy or Musical category for her role in Emma.
Two rebels were killed in a clash between a newly-formed anti-junta militia group and security forces in Mandalay on Tuesday, local reports said.

Myanmars security forces clashed with Mandalays newly formed Peoples Defence Force but the group claimed that it fought back after the military raided one of its bases, Myanmar Now reported.

Officials from the Peoples Defence Force told local news that two of its members were killed and six arrested.

Reuters reported that fighting against the countrys military junta  that overthrew the democratically-elected government in a coup on 1 February this year  has involved lightly armed militias confined to small towns and rural areas so far.

Since Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and several charges levelled against her lately, the country has seen numerous protests all across. Groups opposing the military rule have criticised the junta for using force to quell protests.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group in Myanmar, security forces have killed at least 873 protesters since the coup and thousands have been displaced. The junta, however, refutes these claims.

Meanwhile, a member of the militia identified as Captain Tun Tauk Naing told Reuters by telephone: The fight has started. There will be more fights.

Myanmar Now reported that gunfire could be heard in the neighbourhood. The video footage taken by a resident of the area shows repeated gunshots ringing in the area.

About 20 soldiers carried out the raid on the group, sparking a gunfight with the military which deployed three armoured cars to the area, the local news said.

In other parts of Myanmar, in earlier incidents, the army responded with artillery and airstrikes after militia groups launched attacks on soldiers, Reuters said, with casualties on both sides and tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes.

The army-owned Myawaddy television reported that security forces raided a house and that armed terrorists had fought back with small weapons and bombs. It however mentioned that four people were killed and eight arrested while some security forces were seriously hurt.

On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly had called for a stop to the flow of arms to Myanmar and urged the military to respect the results of a November election and release political detainees, including Ms Suu Kyi.
BP is planning to drill for fossil gas on the edge of the worlds largest cold-water coral reef  raising the risk of biodiversity loss, further global heating and toxic fuel spills.

The British oil giant has begun construction work on a fossil fuel project close by to the 580km-long coral ecosystem off the coast of west Africa, which is in an area crucial for migrating waterbirds, as well as threatened sharks, turtles and whales, according to an investigation by Unearthed and SourceMaterial shared with The Independent.

The project is the first step in a series of developments in the region that, if approved, aim to produce around 40 trillion cubic feet of gas over the next 30 years, according to an independent estimate from Rystad Energy, a research firm.

When burned, this amount of gas would produce 2.2 billion tonnes of CO2  nearly twice the annual energy emissions of the entire African continent. In global terms, it equates to between 0.3 and 1 per cent of the remaining global carbon budget left to keep the global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

A BP spokesperson said they were unable to comment on Rystads projection, and declined to provide their own forecast.

BP has previously promised to slash its emissions to net zero by 2050 and to cut its oil and gas production by 40 per cent within a decade. The oil firm is also a partner of Prince Charless Terra Carta initiative, which aims to bring prosperity into harmony with nature.

Last month, a major assessment from the worlds energy watchdog, the International Energy Agency, said there can be no further fossil fuel expansion in any country beyond 2021 if global climate goals are to be met.

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, a think tank based in Nairobi, Kenya, described further fossil fuel development as a a major threat to Africas food security, water security and public health.

Any future oil or gas drilling will ultimately undermine our livelihoods and development, he told The Independent.

We cant excuse a company like BP, at a time when it seems to be taking climate change more seriously, simultaneously bankrolling a project that may end up having a big impact on Africas carbon footprint and future.

BPs fossil gas development threatens an expansive cold-water coral reef off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal (TL, Sven Loven Centre, Uni Gothenburg)

The Independents Stop Fuelling the Climate Crisis campaign is shining a light on UK support for fossil fuels ahead of Cop26, a major climate summit being held in Glasgow in November.

BPs Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project will develop a new gas field 2.7km below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Senegal and Mauritania. Such a deep drilling project has never been attempted before in Africa, but previous research shows deep sea gas production can cause long-lasting damage to fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs.

The first 20-year phase of the project has already been approved, with drilling expected to produce gas in two years time. It is one of BPs three developments in the pipeline for the west Africa region, where it hopes to operate for at least 30 years if it is able to obtain approval.

An environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) carried out for the project, seen by The Independent, Unearthed and SourceMaterial, states that an eruption of a well used in the production process could lead to a spill of condensate, a liquid byproduct of natural gas.

Though it says the chances of a spill occurring are extremely rare, it warns that any such event could prove lethal or damaging to the unique ecosystems surrounding the project site, according to the assessment.

The area chosen for the project is close to key sites along the east Atlantic flyway, a major migration route for millions of birds travelling between the bottom of Africa and the Arctic. Birds using the route include Eurasian spoonbills, grey plovers and red knots.

Eurasian spoonbills are one of many species that travel along the east Atlantic flyway (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The gas project is also just 5km away from Diawling National Park, which hosts 250 different bird species as well as monkeys, warthogs and monitor lizards. It is a similar distance away from the marine protected area of Saint-Louis, a key site for local fishing and feeding whales and dolphins.

Without careful management, BPs construction and drilling operations could threaten these important wildlife hotspots and the livelihoods of local fishing communities, Sandra Kloff, a consultant marine biologist who has worked in the region for 25 years, told The Independent.

She added that the wildlife in the region already faces large threats from overfishing by international companies.

Since the 1980s, it has been a total wild west for biodiversity off this northwest African coast despite scientific proof that this region is the most important feeding area for charismatic wildlife in the Atlantic Ocean  and in spite of the fact that these waters are home to the longest cold water coral mounds, she told The Independent.

BP has previously pledged to reduce harm to biodiversity by committing to not establishing new oil and gas operations in Unesco world heritage sites or in nature reserves that meet a set of specific criteria. Its Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project does not contravene these rules.

Awa Traore, an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, said BPs actions amounted to greenwashing.

More fossil fuel production is only going to expose communities to more harm, undermining the renewable energy investment which can effectively lift millions of people out of poverty, she told The Independent.

By adopting renewable energy instead of fossil fuels, African countries have the opportunity to leapfrog dirty energy to meet their energy security needs, with massive potential benefits for the population.

A BP spokesperson said: We want to help conserve the marine ecosystem in Mauritania and Senegal and the projects environment and social impact assessment was approved by the governments and regulators of both Mauritania and Senegal when the project was sanctioned for development.

The spokesperson added that BP was currently developing an additional biodiversity action plan for the project alongside scientists and other stakeholders.

This will integrate the latest scientific data and allow us to identify and implement appropriate biodiversity-related mitigation and management measures for the project, the spokesperson said.

We are working to set up an independent scientific panel of national and international scientists for peer review of our plans.

They added that emissions from the first phase of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project will be included in BPs climate targets.

Emissions from any further projects that were approved and developed would also be included as and when they began operation, the spokesperson said.
Ernest Hemingway famously said that writers should write hard and clear about what hurts. Although Hemingway may not have known it at the time, research has now shown that writing about what hurts can help improve our mental health.

There are more than 200 studies that show the positive effect of writing on mental health. But while the psychological benefits are consistent for many people, researchers dont completely agree on why or how writing helps.

One theory suggests that bottling up emotions can lead to psychological distress. It stands to reason, then, that writing might increase mental health because it offers a safe, confidential and free way to disclose emotions that were previously bottled up.

However, recent studies have begun to show how an increase in self-awareness, rather than simply disclosing emotions, could be the key to these improvements in mental health.

In essence, self-awareness is being able to turn your attention inward towards the self. In doing so, we can become more aware of our traits, behaviour, feelings, beliefs, values and motivations.

Creative writing encourages people to choose their words, metaphors and images in a way that really captures what theyre trying to convey

Research suggests that becoming more self-aware can be beneficial in a variety of ways. It can increase our confidence and encourage us to be more accepting of others. It can lead to higher job satisfaction and push us to become more effective leaders. It can also help us to exercise more self-control and make better decisions aligned with our long-term goals.

Self-awareness is a spectrum and, with practice, we can all improve. Writing might be particularly helpful in increasing self-awareness because it can be practised daily. Rereading our writing can also give us a deeper insight into our thoughts, feelings, behaviour and beliefs.

Here are three types of writing which can improve your self-awareness and, in turn, your mental health:

Expressive writing

Expressive writing is often used in therapeutic settings where people are asked to write about their thoughts and feelings related to a stressful life event. This type of writing aims to help emotionally process something difficult.

Research shows that expressive writing can enhance self-awareness, ultimately decreasing depressive symptoms, anxious thoughts and perceived stress.

Hemingway: Write hard and clear about what hurts (Getty)

Reflective writing

Reflective writing is regularly used in professional settings, often as a way to help nurses, doctors, teachers, psychologists and social workers become more effective at their jobs. This type of writing aims to give people a way to explicitly assess their beliefs and actions for learning and development.

Writing reflectively requires a person to ask themselves questions and continuously be open, curious and analytical. It can increase self-awareness by helping people learn from their experiences and interactions, which can improve professional and personal relationships as well as work performance. Both are key indicators of good mental health.

Creative writing

Poems, short stories, novellas and novels are all considered forms of creative writing. Usually, creative writing requires imagination as well as, or instead of, memory, and uses literary devices like imagery and metaphor to convey meaning.

Writing creatively offers a unique way to explore thoughts, feelings, ideas and beliefs. For instance, you could write a science fiction novel that represents your concerns about climate change or a childrens story that speaks to your beliefs about friendship. You could even write a poem from the perspective of an owl as a way to represent your insomnia.

Writing creatively about challenging experiences, like grief, can also offer a way to communicate to others something which you feel is too complicated or difficult to say directly.

Creative writing encourages people to choose their words, metaphors and images in a way that really captures what theyre trying to convey. This creative decision-making can lead to increased self-awareness and self-esteem as well as improved mental health.

Writing can offer a way to communicate something which you feel is too difficult to say directly (Getty)

Writing for self-awareness

Self-awareness is a key component for good mental health and writing is a great place to start.

Why not take some time to write down your feelings about a particularly stressful event that has happened during the pandemic? Or reflect on a difficult work situation from the last year and consider what you have learned from it?

If you prefer to do something more creative, then try responding to this prompt by writing a poem or story:

Think about the ways your home reveals the moment we are currently in. Is your pantry packed with flour? Do you have new objects or pets in your home to stave off loneliness or boredom? What you can see from your window that reveals something about this historic moment?

Each of these writing prompts will give you a chance to reflect on this past year, ask yourself important questions, and make creative choices. Spending just 15 minutes doing this may give you an opportunity to become more self-aware  which could lead to improvements in your mental health.

Christina Thatcher is a creative writing lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University. This article first appeared on The Conversation
The government has tested a new emergency alert system by sending blaring sirens out of peoples phones.

The tool is designed for use when authorities need to send out urgent alerts about terrorist incidents, fires or other major dangers. It will be rolled out fully in summer.

Before then, however, the government is running tests on the system that see users receive alerts to ensure it is functioning.

It had warned that users across the UK could receive a message, which could be read out, as well as a loud siren-like noise even if the device was set to a silent mode.

The Government said there was a small chance Android handset owners across the UK may receive a test alert between 1pm and 2pm on Tuesday.

Another test is due to take place next week for both iPhone and Android devices, but will be limited to the those situated in Reading, Berkshire only.

This is a mobile network operator test of the Emergency Alerts service, the alert read.

You do not need to take any action. To find out more, search for gov.uk/alerts.

The system is expected to launch fully at some point this summer, providing information and advice to certain areas affected by an incident.

They are broadcast from masts to every compatible mobile phone or tablet in range, based on a persons current location.

Other countries such as the US already use such technology to make people aware of imminent danger from threats such as tornadoes, and even used it in some states for the coronavirus pandemic.

The Government does not need an individuals phone number to send the alert and has assured that no data will be collected or shared.

Alerts will not be received if the device is turned off or in aeroplane mode, and users can also opt to block them within the settings.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Kerstin Emhoff has opened up about her occasional frustration at being known by many only as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoffs ex-wife, despite having a successful career of her own.

The film producer and founder and CEO of production company Prettybird addressed her desire to be recognised as more than just the famous ex-wife of Vice President Kamala Harriss husband during an interview with Politico, where she joked about her accomplishments being turned into listicles about the current administration.

I went from building a company from scratch and just trying to get attention to my company, my partners, my directors, the work that were doing non-stop to you Google me and its like crazy websites of Five things you dont know about Doug Emhoffs ex-wife or Kamala Harriss Husbands ex-wife, Emhoff told the outlet while laughing. I dont want to just be the famous ex-wife. I am accomplished in my own right.

Ms Emhoff, whose resume includes productions such as the music video for the Nine Inch Nails song Closer and Beyonces Formation, according to Politico, also worked on the HBO documentary about the Osama Bin Laden manhunt and on a potential upcoming documentary on flipping Georgia blue.

As for whether she ever imagined shed be in the political spotlight, the 54-year-old, who shares daughter Ella, 22, and son Cole, 26, with the countrys first second gentleman, revealed that if anyone was interested in politics during her marriage to Mr Emhoff, it was her - but that she never wanted to be in politics.

Doug was never really political, the kids arent political, she said. I never wanted to be in politics but Id have CNN running 24/7 in the house.

Despite not having an interest in politics, the movie producer, who divorced from Mr Emhoff in 2008, was an outspoken supporter of President Biden and Vice President Harris during the election.

Ms Emhoff also remains close with her ex-husband and the vice president, with their blended family becoming the subject of praise on Inauguration Day after she proudly attended the ceremony alongside her and Mr Emhoffs children.

The vice president previously opened up about the positive relationship she has with the mother of her stepchildren in a 2019 essay for Elle, in which she described Ms Emhoff as an incredible mother and a dear friend.

We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional, she wrote at the time.

While Ms Emhoff has a friendly, and functional, relationship with the couple, she told Politico that there is one activity they all have not been able to enjoy together since Ms Harris took office, as it likely wouldnt go over well with her Secret Service.

When she was [California attorney general] and senator, Id meet them at the SoulCycle by their house, and wed take a class together, she said, adding: Theres just no chance of doing that now weve talked about that but I think it would torture Secret Service.

However, while her ex-husbands life may be a matter of public interest, the mother-of-two still wishes to maintain a level of privacy, with Ms Emhoff declining to reveal whether she is dating anyone, as she doesnt need any people that are in my personal life getting any spotlight.

Its already complicated enough, she told the outlet.
Police are still looking for a man who has been on the run for 17 days since he fled a crown court dock upon hearing he would be jailed for dangerous driving.

Nathan Oloyowang, 22, appeared at Wood Green Crown Court, north London, on 4 June to be sentenced.

Moments after the judge declared he would spend 10 months behind bars, Oloyowang smashed his way through a perspex screen and sprinted out of the court building.

Security guards tried, and failed, to catch up with him  one even suffered a hand injury trying to detain the defendant after he climbed out of the dock and ran down three flights of stairs.

Scotland Yard on Monday appealed for help from the public to catch Oloyowang, as it nears three weeks since he escaped.

On Friday 4 June at about 3.30pm  a 22-year-old man was sentenced to ten months in prison for dangerous driving, Metropolitan Police said earlier.

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 added: 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.

Oloyowang lives in the NW3 area of Camden, also in north London, and is described as being black, 6ft 1in tall, with a heavy build and short dark hair.

He was clean shaven when he was last seen, the Met added, before advising anyone who might see him not to approach him directly, but to call 999.

Oloyowang was convicted of dangerously driving a grey VW Passat through Euston in March 2019.

His trial concluded in late March and he was due to be sentenced by recorder Ms Jennifer Newcomb on 4 June, which is when he escaped from the dock in court seven.

Questions are likely to be asked about the current security at north Londons Wood Green Crown Court (PA)

Oloyowangs escape is not the first to occur at Wood Green Crown Court this year  though it is currently the only successful one.

In January, another dangerous driver, 19-year-old Marian Vasilica Dragoi, launched his own escape bid from the dock in court nine.

After being jailed for 46 weeks by Judge Andrew Holmes, Dragoi leapt over a chest-high barrier and made it down four flights of stairs before he was apprehended by guards who spotted him approaching on CCTV.
A furious culture wars row has erupted at Westminster over a report that blames the use of the term white privilege for undermining the educational chances of white working-class children.

Conservative members of the Education Select Committee were accused of inserting the controversial claim for political reasons, in a way that one Labour MP said risked legitimising narratives of white supremacy.

In a highly unusual move, the committee split along party lines, with Labour members refusing to back the publication of a report that raised questions over whether bodies which use the white privilege terminology should continue to receive funding from public sources.

And they tabled an alternative report  voted down by the committees Tory majority  that branded the argument over terminology a red herring designed to distract attention from the true causes of educational under-achievement, which they identified as the systematic deindustrialisation and underinvestment of successive Conservative governments.

Meanwhile, a headteachers union said the row risked distracting from more significant elements of the report, which warned that white working-class pupils have been forgotten and let down by decades of neglect in an education system that condemns them to falling behind their peers and accused the government of being reluctant to address their problems.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the committees decision to enter the debate does not seem helpful and is likely to divert attention from the rest of the report. Schools were already well aware of their responsibility to provide opportunities for discussion in a sensitive, balanced and measured way, he said.

The majority report, released on Tuesday after being voted through by the committees six Conservative members, voiced concerns that the use of the phrase white privilege  increasingly widespread since the murder of George Floyd and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement  may be alienating to disadvantaged white communities and it may have contributed towards a systemic neglect of white people facing hardship who also need specific support.

The report cited US research which found that learning about white privilege may reduce sympathy for white people who are struggling with poverty and said the committee shared concerns expressed by equalities minister Kemi Badenoch over a risk of some pernicious ideology beginning to spread to organisations and charities that work with children.

Finding that white pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are far from privileged in the education system, it recommended that schools should consider whether they are breaching equality duties by promoting politically controversial terminology including white privilege.

And it urged the Department for Education to issue guidance to all bodies to which it issues grants about how to deliver teaching on the issue in a balanced, impartial and age-appropriate way.

Labour members of the committee said the report was being used to stoke culture wars at a time when Downing Street is using the so-called war on woke to attract working-class votes from Sir Keir Starmers party.

They said the inquiry had found no evidence that the idea of white privilege affects outcomes for disadvantaged white pupils, while there was a wealth of evidence that their chances in life were harmed by lack of investment.

To make recommendations which pit different groups within our multi-ethnic working class against each other in a struggle for meagre resources is to do an injustice to our most disadvantaged children, including specifically white communities that have been left behind, they said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 29 June 2021 Toshiyuki Inoko, leader of TeamLab, poses for a photo following an interview with AFP in an interactive kinetic installation "Floating Flower Garden: Flowers and I are of the Same Root, the Garden and I are One" during a media preview of the TeamLab Planets Garden Area in the Toyosu district of Tokyo AFP/Getty World news in pictures 28 June 2021 Youths crawl on the ground while holding wooden mock rifles during a military summer training camp organised by the Islamic Jihad group, in Gaza City AP World news in pictures 27 June 2021 Juventudes Matheus Jesus in action with Flamengos Rene in the Brasileiro Championship Reuters World news in pictures 26 June 2021 A boat passes off shore as members of the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team look for possible survivors in the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building Getty World news in pictures 25 June 2021 The last super moon of 2021 behind the 66-metre tall Millennium cross in Skopje, North Macedonia Reuters World news in pictures 24 June 2021 Nikhil Sachania steers his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X with co-driver Deep Patel ahead of the 2021 Safari Rally Kenya during a side-by-side super special at Kasarani near Nairobi AFP/Getty World news in pictures 23 June 2021 A football fan sits in the stands before the UEFA EURO 2020 Group E football match between Sweden and Poland at Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg AFP/Getty World news in pictures 22 June 2021 A child holds a Chinese flag near the museum of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party during a media tour organised by the local government in Shanghai on June 22, 2021 AFP/Getty World news in pictures 21 June 2021 Jun 21, 2021; 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Comments by Ms Badenoch and the recent report from Tony Sewells government-commissioned Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities show a clear ideology beginning to form that borders on an authoritarian attack on freedom of speech and an insidious attempt to prevent racialised communities from articulating their experiences of racism, the Labour MPs warned.

Ian Mearns, the Labour MP for Gateshead, said he had never seen such a strident attempt to use a report for political purposes in his 11 years on the cross-party committee, which normally goes to some lengths to ensure its reports win consensual support of members from across the political spectrum.

The issue of white privilege terminology was not raised by witnesses to the inquiry but by Conservative MPs who seized on a blog by the charity Barnardos offering advice to parents on how to explain the idea to their children, he said.

The inclusion of that section is unfortunate and unnecessary Mr Mearns told The Independent. With all the culture wars stuff that is going on at the moment, we were concerned that this would be seized upon as though it was central to the discussion.

We were concerned that it would be a distraction from the real issue, which is that poorer children whatever their background are underperforming at school.

Another Labour member of the committee, Apsana Begum, asked: Is it a coincidence that Downing Street seem to have a bit of an agenda on this specific area in electoral terms, in terms of which party represents the white working class?

I think there is a specific agenda here which borders into aligning itself with legitimising narratives which are quite dangerous around white supremacy.

Ms Begum said that while she could understand that many white working-class people would not feel that concepts of privilege applied to them, it would be very concerning if the government seized on the report as a justification for withdrawing funding from organisations that use the term.

But the committees Conservative chair, Robert Halfon, who did not take part in the votes on alternative versions of the report, denied that it was being used to stoke culture wars.

I come from a Jewish background; my father was an immigrant and I know about antisemitism and racism and I despise them, he told The Independent.

However, the term white privilege is wrong-headed because it implies collective guilt over individual responsibility. Its wrong-headed because it implies that all white people, whatever their circumstances  particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds  are privileged. And it is wrong-headed because white working-class boys and girls underperform in every stage of the educational system compared to most other ethnic groups.

Of course there will be fierce debate and disagreement about these issues, but we have to confront difficult issues and not sweep them under the carpet. We have to challenge conventional thinking, and thats what this report tries to do.

The report found that disadvantaged white pupils have been let down by muddled policy thinking.

It highlighted data showing that in 2018-19, just 53 per cent of white British pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) met the expected standard of development at the end of the early years foundation stage.

On GCSE performance, it also pointed to statistics showing that just over 17 per cent of the same group achieved at least a strong pass (grade 5 or above) in English and maths, compared with 22.5 per cent of all FSM-eligible pupils.

After taking evidence from experts, the committee said many factors had contributed to the poor data, but said it was unconvinced by the governments claim that the gap can be attributed to poverty alone.

It pointed to other factors, including family experience of education, disengagement from the curriculum, regional economics and underinvestment, and a failure to address low participation in higher education.
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.
After more than a year in lockdown, tourists have taken up travel again, breathing life back into airline and hospitality businesses, but leaving others  like state and national parks and public lands  reeling from the sudden onslaught of visitors.

High Country News reports that the first five months of 2021 have been the busiest ever for western US public lands, despite it being only the start of tourist season.

This has left agencies managing these lands, which are often underfunded and understaffed, fighting against land destruction, pollution, and an increase in tourist deaths.

In Oregon, state parks were overrun by out-of-state visitors, which prompted state officials to increase the camping fees for non-residents after residents complained they could not find anywhere to camp.

In 2020, Zion National Park saw approximately 500,000 visitors between January and April, far fewer than the nearly 900,000 that visited the previous year during the same time period. In 2021, however, that number shot up far beyond what the park saw in 2019 and 2018, with more than 1.2m visitors traveling to Zion in the four-month period.

Similar numbers exist at other national parks; Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Glacier, Canyonlands, Arches and Crater Lake National Parks all saw higher numbers of visitors in the first four months of 2021 than the similar period in the past three years, according to National Parks data.

The only park in the data that saw a decrease was Joshua Tree National Park in the deserts of California, which saw a slight decrease from its 2019 numbers. Even still, more than 1.2m people have visited the park in 2021.

The explosion of visitors brought with it a tidal wave of trash and damage to some of the parks.

In Utah, a National Park Ranger reported collecting nine pounds of human waste along a single stretch of trail, and had to clean more than 1,000 drawings or etchings that people made into the rocks.

"This year has been over the top with new visitors who really are not educated as to how to appropriately recreate," Joette Langianese, the director of a nonprofit called Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks, told The Associated Press. "For example, throwing garbage just on the ground and not in the garbage can, or walking off the trail or stepping on the [cryptobiotic] soil."

In Yosemite National Park, overcrowding and visitors traveling off trail caused damage to the shallow root systems of the giant sequoia trees the park is known for.

"While the National Park Service did build a raised walkway to solve some of this problem, too many visitors driving to, parking and scrambling around the trees remains a problem," Michael Childers, a historian and national park expert at Colorado State University, told Live Science. "We all want to experience these places, but we can't all go at once."

Along with increased trash and increased damage to the parks also comes an increase in tourist injuries and deaths.

The volunteer search and rescue team in Washington County, Utah, responded to 170 incidents in 2020, 40 more incidents than reported in the previous year. More are expected this year as the tourist numbers surge.

In Colorado, 12 people have already died in avalanche-related incidents during the 2020-2021 winter season, which matched the modern record high set in 1993, and 34 people have drowned in the state's lakes. That number did set a record for the state.

The wave of new visitors has prompted some parks and public lands to consider tightening the number of visitors allowed in, and in some cases parks have considered closing to mitigate further damage.

The Associated Press reported that since the start of 2021, Arches National Park has closed its gates more than 80 times due to the influx of visitors.
These days, theres no love lost between Donald Trump and many of his former allies. In an interview on Monday, the former president trashed his vice president Mike Pence, and said he was disappointed that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court he helped engineer hasnt decided major cases his way.

I am very disappointed. I fought very hard for them, but I was very disappointed with a number of their rulings, Mr. Trump told Real Americas Voice network anchor David Brody, adding, Second-guessing does no good, but I was disappointed with a number of rulings that they made.

During his time in office, Mr Trump appointed a rare three justices to life-time appointments on the Supreme Court: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, all of whom are staunch conservatives.

And while the 6-3, right-leaning court threaten bedrock rulings like Roe v Wade, which established protections for abortion rights, it has at times gone against what Mr Trump likely wished and expected.

Last week, in a 7-2 decision, the court held that that Donald Trump, Texas and 19 other states challenging the Affordable Care Act did not have standing to attack the landmark 2010 healthcare law, arguing that they hadnt shown a concrete injury to them under the policy, which now imposes a $0 penalty on those without insurance.

While in the White House, Mr Trump promised to replace Obamacare while holding onto key provisions like protecting those with pre-existing conditions. A replacement was never created, and the Trump administration took the rare step of ceasing to defend the ACA in court.

The high court has also struck out against Mr Trump in other ways, allowing New York prosecutors wide-ranging access to his financial records as part of a series of escalating criminal investigations into his business dealings, which he called "the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our Country.

"The Supreme Court never should have let this fishing expedition happen, but they did," Mr Trump said in a statement at the time. "This is something which has never happened to a President before, it is all Democrat-inspired in a totally Democrat location, New York City and State, completely controlled and dominated by a heavily reported enemy of mine, Governor Andrew Cuomo."

Mr Trump also lashed out at his former vice-president Mike Pence, who he incorrectly and falsely argued couldve stopped Congress from certifying the 2020 election results.

Well, Ive always liked Mike and Im very disappointed that he didnt send it back to the legislatures when you have more votes than you have voters in some cases, and when you have the kind of things that were known then, Mr Trump said, adding, I think you may have found that you would have had a different president right now had he sent them back.

The former president has been keeping his name in the headlines as he mulls a potential 2024 presidential comeback campaign.
The White House has hit back at Republican congressman Jim Jordan after he attacked the Biden administration on the price of gas.

The Ohio lawmaker took to Twitter to try and compare the higher price of fuel in June 2021 to the lower cost during the final year of the Trump administration.

Average gas price: June 2020: $2.21 June 2021: $3.07, Mr Jordan tweeted on Monday. President Bidens economy!

The congressmans social media activity caught the eye of White House press secretary Jen Psaki who shot back at Mr Jordan.

You forgot to mention that gas prices are the same now as they were in June 2018. Or that this time last year unemployment was 11.1% - today its 5.8%, she tweeted.

@POTUS agrees families shouldnt pay more at the pump  thats why hes opposed to GOP proposals to raise the gas tax.

White House chief of staff Ronald Klain also jumped in and defended the administration.

Gas was cheaper in 2020 because the pandemic limited travel -- and the unemployment rate was over 13%, he tweeted.

Today: gas prices are where they were in 2018, unemployment is below 6%, and growth is the highest in 40 years. June 2020 v. June 2021? Happy to have that debate!

Experts say that the fall in gas prices in 2020 was because of the economic downturn brought on by the global pandemic.

Generally when demand is as strong as it is, youre not going to find any discounts, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy told The Hill last week.

I think theres going to be some pent up demand numbers here and there throughout the summer and thats going to influence price.

Mr De Haan also jumped into the debate pointing out that prices were also high under Mr Trump in June 2018 and June 2019.

You forgot a few years, so Ill help, he tweeted at Mr Jordan.

And he also took issue with Ms Paskis own statistics on gas prices.

The same? Thats untrue as well. $2.96/gal in June 2018 does not equal todays $3.05. The average in June hasnt fallen under $3, he tweeted at Ms Psaki.
New York prosecutors are now investigating Donald Trump s former bodyguard and chief operating officer, Matthew Calamari , The Wall Street Journal has reported.

The two ongoing probes of the Trump Organization  one led by New Yorks attorney general and the other by the Manhattan district attorney  are reportedly investigating whether Mr Calamari received fringe benefits, such as cars and apartments, from the company without paying taxes.

Experts say the inclusion of Mr Calamari shows the investigations are widening their net on the fringe benefits issue. Prosecutors had already been looking into whether the family of Allen Weisselberg , the Trump Organizations chief financial officer, received such benefits, according to CNN .

Neither Mr Calamari nor Mr Weisselberg have been accused of any wrongdoing. But receiving tax-free perks can potentially be a crime, experts say, and prosecutors could use the threat of any possible charges to pressure either man into testifying against Mr Trump.

So far, however, that pressure has not shown any signs of working on Mr Weisselberg. According to The Washington Post , the CFO is still showing up for work at Trump Tower, and investigators have complained of his lack of cooperation.

Last month, CNN revealed that both New York probes have been investigating the longtime Trump executive. But according to the Post, investigators believe he still speaks regularly with Mr Trump. On 14 June, the former presidents birthday, the newspaper spotted Mr Weisselberg entering Trump Tower at a time when Mr Trump was in the building.

Jennifer Weisselberg, the CFOs former daughter-in-law, has reportedly been cooperating with investigators since last fall. She has alleged that Mr Weisselberg and Mr Trump helped fund the lavish lifestyle that she and her ex-husband Barry Weisselberg, who worked at the Trump Organization, enjoyed. This reportedly included tuition payments at New York private schools and rent-free stays in Trump Organization apartments, which could raise potential red flags for investigators.

I know for a fact Donald wrote those checks, she told CNN in April.

The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, convened a grand jury last month to decide whether to indict the former president.

Mr Trump has denounced the investigations as baseless and politically motivated.

This is a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history, he said after the grand jury was announced. It began the day I came down the escalator in Trump Tower, and its never stopped.

The Independent has contacted the Trump Organization for comment, but has not yet heard back.
New Yorkers will head to the polls on Tuesday in the citys mayoral primary election. And for the first time, the city will use ranked-choice voting to determine the nominees for mayor.

Ranked-choice voting, passed by ballot initiative in 2019, allows New Yorkers to rank up to five candidates on their mayoral primary ballot, though depending on which partys primary in which they participate, they may not have that many options. While a large field of Democrats are running, just two GOP candidates will be on the ballot.

In order to advance to the general election, a candidate must either be ranked no 1 on votes from 50 per cent or more of all voters, or win a runoff that consists of rounds of counting votes after each of which the candidate with the least number of votes will be eliminated. Individual ballots will only be counted as one vote for one candidate, but if the highest-ranked candidate on a voters ballot is eliminated, the ballot will change to be counted for the next-highest-ranked contender.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, one of the front-runners in the Democratic mayoral primary (Getty Images)

Supporters of the system point to higher voter turnout rates and less negative campaign tactics as candidates fight for larger segments of the voting population.

Ranked Choice Voting also leads to more diverse candidates winning office. Cities that have implemented Ranked Choice Voting have elected more women and more women of colour, making their elected officials more representative of their communities, reads the citys website.

Because the votes will likely be counted in several rounds, the official results could take weeks to be reported.

The general election will almost certainly be won by a Democrat in the heavily blue city, making Tuesday election the most-watched aspect of the contest. A poll released on Monday that was shared with The Independent indicated that Maya Wiley, Eric Adams, and Kathryn Garcia currently lead the field as frontrunners, with Andrew Yang also capturing a significant portion of the vote.

Other jurisdictions in the US have implemented ranked-choice voting as well, but New Yorks move in 2019 to switch to the system made the city the most-populous jurisdiction in the country to do so.

Andrew Yang and Kathryn Garcia campaign together (Getty Images)

Mr Yang and Ms Garcia, respectively fourth and third in the poll, appeared jointly at a campaign event over the weekend encouraging their supporters to rank both candidates on their ballots in an an effort to stave off the dominance of Mr Adams, who leads the poll, as well as Ms Wiley who in recent weeks has received high-profile endorsements from congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats.

The move was sharply criticized by Mr Adams, who is Black and argued that Mr Yang, an Asian American, and Ms Garcia, a white woman, were conspiring to prevent a person of colour from becoming the citys next mayor.

Pressed on whether his comments were racist by themselves given the ongoing surge of anti-Asian violence across the US including in New York, Mr Adams corrected himself and said that he believed Mr Yang and Ms Garcia did not want a Black or Latino person to become mayor, and doubled down on criticizing them for appearing together on Juneteenth.
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India Singapore trade ties received a boost when the two countries signed their bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in 2005. Over the years, the bilateral trade relationship has steadily grown and complimented by commercial and business partnerships through multiple treaties and agreements.

This is reflected in data from the financial year (FY) 2020-21 when Singapore stood out as Indias top investor, accounting for a 29 percent share in the total incoming FDI received by India. Singapore is also Indias largest Asian trading partner, with its exports valued at approximately US$9 billion in FY20.

Traditionally an information technology (IT) and telecom hub, Singapore has also developed into a base for Indian companies and start-ups. Singapore hosts headquarters and corporate offices of over 8,000 Indian companies, including Tata Communications, TCS, Quest Global etc.

Indian businesses have also identified Singapore as their gateway to emerging Asia-Pacific markets, given its location.

What makes Singapore a top hub for Indian investors?

Indian companies form the single largest foreign business community in Singapore due to the countrys enabling investment environment, advanced infrastructural set-up, and location in Southeast Asia, which serves as a launchpad to access markets in Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia etc.

Relatively integrated markets, greater ease of doing business, and the supply deficit for information technology expertise versus high-tech opportunities present in the region are some of the factors that add to Singapores appeal among Indian investors.

The outward Indian FDI to Singapore stood at US$62.9 billion (till August 2018), making Singapore one of the top destinations for Indian investments. Major sectors inviting Indian investments were IT, real estate, manufacturing, construction, renewable energy, and pharmaceuticals. In March 2021, the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and IIT-Kanpurs Start-Up Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) collaborated to set up a launchpad for tech-based start-ups.

Key factors that make Singapore a preferred base are as follows:

Ease of starting and doing business: According to the World Banks Ease of Doing Business report, with benchmark year as 2019, Singapore ranked second among the most business friendly destinations in the world. In approximately two-three days, domestic or foreign entrepreneurs can successfully start a business. Gateway to the ASEAN region: Southeast Asian regions investment ecosystem is propelled by a combined GDP of US$2.7 trillion, as well as a 650 million strong population, with the younger generation driving consumption growth. According to a report titled e-Conomy SEA 2020 by Bain & Company, the Southeast Asian region is entering a new phase of growth, and by 2024, the region can expect an addition of at least 10 new unicorn companies. Extensive agreements and treaties: Key agreements between India and Singapore include the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (2005) and its second review (2018), Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) (1994; protocols signed in 2011), Bilateral Air Services Agreement (1968; revised in 2013), Defence Cooperation Agreement (2003; Enhanced Agreement signed in 2015), MOU on Foreign Office Consultations (1994), Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (2005), Mutual Recognition Agreement on Nursing (2018), as well as cooperation in fintech (2018).

The India-Singapore DTAA ensures the avoidance of double taxes, lowers withholding taxes, and offers access to a preferential tax regime, all of which play an important role in reducing the tax burden for a Singapore-holding company structure. The India-Singapore DTAA states that dividend income is taxed in the recipients state of residence according to following rates:

10 percent if the recipient company holds a minimum of 25 percent of the shares of the company paying dividend. 15 percent in all other cases.



Singapore also has an extensive double tax treaty network with most countries worldwide, which combined with coupled with the absence of capital gains and dividends tax, makes it a very attractive jurisdiction for business investments through a Singapore-incorporated holding company.

Conducive tax regime: Viewed as simple and investor friendly, Singapores tax system holds the most appeal for Indian businesses. There is no imposition of tax on dividends or on capital gains. Also, Singapore follows a tiered approach in imposing both corporate and personal taxes. For the first three years, newly incorporated businesses receive considerable tax benefits. They enjoy full tax exemption on their first US$74,570 of chargeable income. Moreover, corporate taxes are capped at a rate of 17 percent. A uniform GST of seven percent is levied across the country. Robust infrastructure and efficient bureaucracy: Traditionally an IT and electronics hub, Singapore boasts of data centers as well as other state-of-the-art infrastructural facilities, which makes it a top investment destination. Financial hub: Singapore has grown its network of venture funding communities to become Asias top hub for start-up funding. This is primarily the reason why many Indian start-ups like Mobikon have chosen Singapore as their operational headquarter. Several schemes like the business angel scheme, spring start-up enterprise development scheme, technology enterprise commercialization scheme, and sector specific accelerator programs, are offered in Singapore. The following avenues can also be looked at, while considering funding options in Singapore  ace.org.sg; www.bansea.org; www.investmentnetwork.sg. Immigration requirements: In Singapore, an employment pass can be issued to foreign professionals, managers, and executives who get a minimum monthly salary of US$2,684.52. In addition, foreign entrepreneurs intending to start and operate a new business in Singapore can apply for the EntrePass. Intellectual property (IP) protection regime: The IP policy of the Singaporean government is aimed at encouraging innovation and growth of commerce and industry in Singapore. Efficient dispute resolution mechanism: The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has provided a seamless experience for Indian disputed parties, who have been able to find a quick resolution to their disputes with minimized time and associated costs. Limited export import (EXIM) duties: There is no export duty in Singapore, and customs duty on imports is limited to four categories of dutiable goods  intoxicating liquors, tobacco products, motor vehicles, and petroleum products and biodiesel blends.

Entry options for foreign companies

India businesses looking to establish their presence in Singapore can consider the following options:

Private companies limited by shares: A private company limited by shares, also known as a private limited company, is by far the most preferred structure among small and medium-sized (SME) foreign companies for setting up a local business presence in Singapore. It can benefit from tax incentives available to local companies. It is also a separate legal entity from its directors, shareholders, and officers of the company; this means that the foreign holding company cannot be held for the liabilities of its subsidiary. In addition, the holding companys liability is limited to the share capital subscribed in its subsidiary. Key requirements for setting up a private company limited by shares are: Reservation of company name Appointment of company officers Registered address

A private company limited by shares, also known as a private limited company, is by far the most preferred structure among small and medium-sized (SME) foreign companies for setting up a local business presence in Singapore. It can benefit from tax incentives available to local companies. It is also a separate legal entity from its directors, shareholders, and officers of the company; this means that the foreign holding company cannot be held for the liabilities of its subsidiary. In addition, the holding companys liability is limited to the share capital subscribed in its subsidiary. Key requirements for setting up a private company limited by shares are: Branch office: It is an option for foreign entities that plan to legally commence their operation in Singapore. It is not eligible for exemption from taxes and other liabilities since it is considered a legal extension of the parent company. The name of the branch office must be the same as the parent company and as a legal extension of the parent company. The parent company must hold the ultimate legal responsibility for all liabilities. It must also be registered with Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), which is responsible for the monitoring of new companies in Singapore. Key requirements for setting up a branch office are: Reservation of name of branch office Appointment of company officers Registered address

It is an option for foreign entities that plan to legally commence their operation in Singapore. It is not eligible for exemption from taxes and other liabilities since it is considered a legal extension of the parent company. The name of the branch office must be the same as the parent company and as a legal extension of the parent company. The parent company must hold the ultimate legal responsibility for all liabilities. It must also be registered with Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), which is responsible for the monitoring of new companies in Singapore. Key requirements for setting up a branch office are: Representative office (RO): It is an ideal option for companies that wish to explore business opportunities in Singapore. It is a temporary setup with no legal persona, and therefore it cannot engage in any trading or business activities. It is only permitted to conduct market research and feasibility studies. Key requirements for setting up a representative office are: The parent company must have been established for more than three years. The parent company has incurred an annual sales turnover of more than US$250,000. The foreign chief representative is from its headquarters; alternatively, the RO may appoint a Singapore citizen to fulfil the role of the chief representative. The RO does not hire more than five local employees as support staff.

It is an ideal option for companies that wish to explore business opportunities in Singapore. It is a temporary setup with no legal persona, and therefore it cannot engage in any trading or business activities. It is only permitted to conduct market research and feasibility studies. Key requirements for setting up a representative office are: Variable Capital Companies (VCC) : It is a new corporate structure for all types of collective investment schemes (investment funds) in Singapore. It was launched in January 2020 by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). The VCC is regulated under its own legal framework through the Variable Capital Companies Act and offers more operational flexibility compared to investment fund structures currently available in Singapore through trusts, limited partnerships, or private limited companies. The VCC must have at least three directors who are Singaporean residents. At least one director must be a representative of the fund manager. The VCC will require a Singapore regulated and licensed fund manager or it can employ the services of a Singapore licensed bank to be the fund manager. The entity cannot be self-managed. The VCC can have a single shareholder or hold a single asset. The requirements for investment funds listed under the Existing Securities and Futures Act (SFA) will apply to VCCs. The VCC must have a registered office in Singapore and appoint a Singapore-based secretary. It must be audited by a Singapore-based auditor and present its financial statements as per the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or US GAAP.

: It is a new corporate structure for all types of collective investment schemes (investment funds) in Singapore. It was launched in January 2020 by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). The VCC is regulated under its own legal framework through the Variable Capital Companies Act and offers more operational flexibility compared to investment fund structures currently available in Singapore through trusts, limited partnerships, or private limited companies.

Key takeaways

Entrepot activities, where goods are transhipped and sometimes processed or manufactured in the immediate area, account for about one-third of Singapores export trade. Singapore facilitates Indian re-exports, has signed several free trade agreements and has a wide DTAA network, provides viable funding options for Indian firms and start-ups incorporated in the country, excellent infrastructural and logistics support, as well as an easy and stable business environment. Its recognition as a global financial hub makes it the primary choice among Indian businesses who aim to internationalize.
Indiana, PA (15701)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.
Flash sales by e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart in India could soon become a thing of the past as the government is set to issue tight guidelines for them.

As per the draft regulations, no e-commerce entity shall allow any display or promotion of misleading advertisements, whether in the course of business on its platform or otherwise.

Representational Image

E-commerce firms must also ensure that none of their "related parties and associated enterprises" are listed as sellers on their shopping websites, and no related entity should sell goods to an online seller operating on the same platform.

What it says

Further, if the norms come into effect, every e-commerce shall establish an adequate grievance redressal mechanism having regard to the number of grievances ordinarily received by such entity from India.

Amazon and Flipkart, among others, will have to appoint a Chief Compliance Officer, a Resident Grievance Officer and a nodal contact person in India.

The revised Consumer Protection (E-Commerce Rules), 2020, also propose that all e-commerce companies operating in India will need to be registered with the government.

BCCL

Foreign e-commerce players must not make direct sales to consumers, and can only operate a marketplace for sellers, a move that could affect firms like Ailbaba and Club Factory.

The proposal, which is applicable to both Indian and foreign players, is open for public consultation until July 6.

The rules also call on companies to make suggestions of alternative products before customers make purchases "to ensure a fair opportunity for domestic goods."

Flipkart

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which has long demanded stricter e-commerce norms to protect the interest of offline traders, has hailed the draft norms.

CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal termed the new draft as 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".
The tiger population in Assam's Manas National Park increased to 46 in 2021 from 30 last year, bringing cheer among forest officials and wildlife enthusiasts amid the pandemic gloom. In 2010, there were only 10 tigers in Manas but its population increased to 30 last year and in this year's census by camera-trapping, 46 big cats were spotted, Park Director Amal Chandra Sarma said.

BCCL/ Representational Image

"A rise of 16 tigers, which is over 50 per cent, in a year is indeed a remarkable achievement and the increased sightings indicate that conservation efforts are working in the park," he said. Among the 46 Royal Bengal Tigers, 19 are adult females, 16 male adults, three sub-adults and seven cubs, he added.

Enlisted in the 'World Heritage Site in Danger List' in 1992, Manas came a long way in its conservation journey getting back its world heritage status in 2011, the officer said. "It is heartening to note that four tigers were sighted outside the core in the 350 sq km First Addition area for the first time," Sarma said.

File Photo

The survey covered forest divisions and wildlife sanctuaries in a phased manner with the camera traps first placed in Bansbari and Bhuyanpara ranges and later at the Kahitama, Panbari, First Addition and Bornadi, he said. The population of other animals like the Bengal Florican increased to 74 this year from 60 in 2014, while 129 swamp deers were recorded against 99 last year.

During the 2019-20 census, there were 28 leopards and seven black panthers in the park and their populations were also expected to increase this year, Sarma said.

Big cat boom in Madhya Pradesh

Foresters recently spotted nearly 41 tiger cubs in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh.



BCCL/ Representational Image

According to officials, they have spotted a total of 41 tiger cubs in the protected area, including actual sightings and those identified from camera traps.

These tiger cubs, they said range from newborns to one-year-olds.

As per the data, four eight to 10-month-old cubs were spotted in Kallavah beat, while 12 in the same age group were seen in Pator.




Pakistan PM Imran Khan has defended his silence on reports about the genocide of Uighur Muslims in China, as per TNN. He said that Islamabad discussed such matters with Beijing behind closed doors. He asked why the world was fixated on Xinjiang while ignoring what India was doing in Kashmir. It is much more relevant, he said in his interview with Axios HBO.

The interviewer specifically asked why Imran was so vocal about Islamophobia in the West while remaining silent on the status of Muslims in Chinas Xinjiang.

AFP

China has been one of our greatest friends in most difficult times. When we were really struggling, our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue. We respect the way they are and whatever issues we have, we speak behind closed doors, he replied.

He branded the Wests dismissal of Kashmiris and their taking up the cause of Uighurs as hypocrisy. China had informed us that the abuse of Uighurs being reported in the media was exaggerated, Khan added.

His comments on China, Xinjiang, the treatment of Uighur Muslims, J&K and India has sparked a debate on Indian and Pakistani social media, with many netizens criticising his remarks. Some called the comments total moral cowardice.

AFP

About Pakistans expanding nuclear programme, Khan said, I am completely against nuclear arms. I always have been. The moment there is a settlement on Kashmir, the two neighbours would live as civilised people. We will not need to have nuclear deterrents.

Khan also drew criticism for his remarks on women. He said temptation plays a role in causing violence against women in Pakistan. If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots, he said. The interviewer pointed out that Khans statement appeared hypocritical as he had spent decades as a playboy and was often photographed with women in skimpy garments. This is not about me, Khan responded. Its about my society. My priority is how my society behaves so when I see sex crimes going through the roof we sit down and discuss how to tackle it. It is having an impact in my society.




'By hook or by crook' is the mantra governments across the world are adopting to get their citizens vaccinated against COVID-19. This certainly is what president of Phillippines has done too. He says either get vaccinated or get imprisoned.

President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as the Philippines battles one of Asias worst outbreaks, with a cumulative total of more than 1.3 million cases and 23,000 deaths.

"You choose, vaccine or I will have you jailed," Duterte said in a televised address on Monday following reports of low turnouts at several vaccination sites in the capital, Manila.

AP

In contradiction with health officials

Duterte's remarks contradict those of his health officials, who have said that while people are urged to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, it was voluntary.

"Don't get me wrong, there is a crisis in this country," Duterte said. "I'm just exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the government."

As of June 20, Philippine authorities had fully vaccinated 2.1 million people, making slow progress toward the government's target to immunize up to 70 million people in the country of 110 million this year.

CNN

Criticised for his approach

Duterte, who has been criticized for his tough approach to containing the virus, also stood by his decision not to let schools reopen.



In the same address, Duterte took a swipe at the International Criminal Court, after an ICC prosecutor had sought permission from the court for a full inquiry into the drug war killings in the Philippines.

Drug war probe

Duterte, who in March 2018 canceled the Philippines' membership of the ICC's founding treaty, repeated he will not cooperate with the probe, describing the ICC as "bulls**t."

"Why would I defend or face an accusation before White people. You must be crazy," said Duterte, who after winning the presidency in 2016 unleashed an anti-narcotics campaign in which thousands have died.

PTI

Human rights groups say authorities have summarily executed drug suspects, but Duterte maintained those killed had violently resisted arrest. Sought for comment, ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said: "The court is an independent judicial institution, and does not comment on political statements."


The Joe Biden administration says 31 million people have health insurance because of the law, which also survived two earlier challenges in the Supreme Court. (whitehouse.gov photo)
Neena Guptas memoir, Sach Kahun Toh, is about her journey from childhood in Delhi to the National School of Drama to being a single mother and struggling to make it as an actor. (publicity photo)




We need to show Congress that there is overwhelming grassroots support for voting rights and protections. Join us and rally at all four corners of Winchester & Steven's Creek Boulevard!



Where: Intersection of Winchester Blvd & Steven's Creek Blvd. at San Jose / Santa Clara border (sidewalk outside of Santana Row)



When: Tuesday, June 29, 5:30 PM



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Why We Are Rallying for Voting Rights



https://deadlinefordemocracy.org/



Whatever our color, background or zip code, most of us believe that voters should pick our leadersour leaders do not get to pick their voters. When it comes to our elections, we want a transparent process we can trust, where Americans have equal freedom to vote, whether we live in a small town or big city, the south or the north.



But today, a handful of extremist politicians have put up barriers to silence our voices based on what we look like or where we live. Its time for national standards for voting so all of us have a say in key decisions like affordable care, quality jobs, and a healthy future.



Together, we can ensure Americans can safely and freely cast our ballots so that every voice is heard and our elections reflect the will of the people.



But every day, we get closer to a very real deadline to take action to pass

the S.1 For the People Act.

_____________________________________________________________

The S.1 For the People Act is officially making its way to the Senate. Congress needs to know that we demand they protect voting rights NOW!We need to show Congress that there is overwhelming grassroots support for voting rights and protections. Join us and rally at all four corners of Winchester & Steven's Creek Boulevard!Where: Intersection of Winchester Blvd & Steven's Creek Blvd. at San Jose / Santa Clara border (sidewalk outside of Santana Row)When: Tuesday, June 29, 5:30 PMMORE INFO: https://www.facebook.com/events/534390967973573/ ORGANIZATIONSOrchard City IndivisibleIndivisible San JoseTogether We Will: Indivisible Los GatosCALLING MORE GROUPS: Co-sponsors wanted!Please email us at orchardcityindivisible [at] gmail.com to join._____________________________________________________________Why We Are Rallying for Voting RightsWhatever our color, background or zip code, most of us believe that voters should pick our leadersour leaders do not get to pick their voters. When it comes to our elections, we want a transparent process we can trust, where Americans have equal freedom to vote, whether we live in a small town or big city, the south or the north.But today, a handful of extremist politicians have put up barriers to silence our voices based on what we look like or where we live. Its time for national standards for voting so all of us have a say in key decisions like affordable care, quality jobs, and a healthy future.Together, we can ensure Americans can safely and freely cast our ballots so that every voice is heard and our elections reflect the will of the people.But every day, we get closer to a very real deadline to take action to passthe S.1 For the People Act._____________________________________________________________ For more event information: https://www.facebook.com/events/5343909679...

Added to the calendar on Tuesday Jun 22nd, 2021 11:49 AM
After 15 years of partnership, were saying goodbye to UNICEF to focus on financial health in the communities we operate in.

ING is sharpening our focus on community investment to reflect the changing needs of our own communities, as the coronavirus pandemic brings long-lasting social and economic challenges.



Our new community investment approach supports local programmes that contribute to an inclusive economy: one where everybody has the opportunity and capability to participate. This relates closely to our brand and belief that everybody should have the freedom to do their thing.



Its a global approach that will make local impact. All of ING will be working together towards the same impact goal: to help 3 million people gain better access to the economy by 2025.



Bittersweet

Given this new focus, INGs global partnership with UNICEF will end as of 1 July 2021. Its a bittersweet farewell, as our partnership has achieved great things.



Our Power for Youth programme focused on giving adolescents opportunities to learn, build their skills, and to influence government policies and services that affect them. We started in 2015 with the goal to directly reach 500,000 adolescents in nine countries by the end of 2021. So far weve reached 1,285,000 adolescent boys and girls!



The work weve done together will continue to have a lasting impact. Weve managed to include 21st century skills and financial literacy in the curriculum of the education system of China, Philippines, Vietnam, Montenegro and Kosovo. This means that for the next five years at least (minimum time between two curriculum reforms), millions of more students will benefit.



I know many colleagues, like me, will have mixed feelings about seeing our partnership with UNICEF go, said Anne-Sophie Castelnau, global head of Sustainability. Im glad the work weve done will live on. But I also see the need to shift our focus. I think we can make an important impact by helping people with jobs and skills in the communities we live and work in.

What now?

Research has shown that vulnerable people (women, refugees, young people, etc.) are being hit harder by the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, negatively affecting their financial health. ING countries will be able to identify which groups are most relevant for them.



For example, in Spain youth unemployment is a challenge, while in Turkey its women who are more often excluded from the economy. Local countries can then apply to a global ING fund that will be available to amplify their impact.



Donations to our UNICEF partnership that were already made will still be used for project funding until the end of the year.
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FORMULA ONE: Pirelli has determined that the tire failures at Baku were caused by  wait for it  the way the tires were being run. AND, the tires were not being run properly while out on track. Huh? Political doublespeak perhaps? The high kerbs at the Paul Ricard Circuit for the French Grand Prix seemed to have damaged several cars during practice.

As an interesting aside, you can virtually drive the circuit on Google Earth Pro Street View. Give it a try!!

Mad Max Verstappen won the race in spite of a first lap overcook which let Hamilton take the lead.

Lewis finished second after some head-scratching Mercedes pit decisions, followed by Perez in third.

Max now has a 12-point lead over Lewis, and Red Bull has a commanding 37-point lead in the manufacturers race.

Im sure there will be some VERY interesting meetings auf Deutschland today!! LOL

Canadian star Lance Stroll, who lost his chance to advance from first round qualifying due to a session stoppage, started 19th and finished a very respectable 10th.

INDYCAR: Apparently, Penske Racing has diagnosed the problem with Will Powers no start, at the final restart, in the second race at Belle Isle.

It seems that the spec McLaren Applied Technologies TAG-400i ECU went into boot Mode.

The same thing happened last year to Hunter-Reay at Texas. Wasnt the winning car on Sunday at Detroit a McLaren? Hmmm.

Meanwhile at the gorgeous and LONG (4 miles) Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Alex Palou took the win, followed by Colton Herta and Will Power.

CUTLINE: Alex Palou, en route to victory at Road America. Credit: Chris Owens / IndyCar

NASCAR: Ryan Preece won the Camping World Series Truck race at Nashville Superspeedway Friday night and won a guitar to go along with the prize money. How fitting for the Country Music Capitol!

The last time the trucks raced there was ten years ago. Todd Gilliland was second followed by Grant Enfinger in third. Canadian Stewart Friesen was fifth and is currently ninth in points. It was amazing to see trucks running as many as four-wide on the fast track.

In Xfinity, Kyle Busch won again, followed by Justin Allgaier and Harrison Burton. Canadian Alex Labbe started 29th and finished 17th.

The Cup cars returned yesterday to Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since 2011 when Dover Motorsports decided to shutter (thankfully temporarily) the facility.

Kyle Larson dominated, leading 264 out of the 300laps for his third consecutive victory for Hendrick Motorsports.

Ross Chastain finished second followed by William Byron. Poor Quin Houff lost a wheel on the first lap and finished last.

Ryan Blaney lost his brakes and hit the wall sending him to the infield care center and his car to the garage.

The track is quite wide (and fast) and there were occasions when cars were four-wide. Denny Hamlin continues to lead the points, but Larson has closed to within nine points. All three classes head to the three-cornered Pocono Raceway Saturday and Sunday.

CUTLINE: Kyle Larson continued his hot streak, at Nashville Superspeedway. Credit: Logan Riely  Getty Images

NHRA: This weekend, NHRA heads to the nicest track on the circuit, Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. The Bader family has done an incredible job on their track.

IMSA: Heads to Watkins Glen this weekend.

SRX: The second race in Tony Stewart and Ray Evernhams Superstar Racing Experience was held Saturday night at the BAD fast and beautiful Knoxville Speedway, Iowa on DIRT!!

And a RINGER showed up. Scott Bloomquist is one of the best on dirt. Tony Stewart won over Hailie Deegan and Ernie Francis, Jr.

Bloomquist went way wide on a late race start and went to the back ending up ninth. It was a very entertaining race and the FULL crowd loved it.

CUTLINE: Tony Stewart won on the dirt at Knoxville Speedway. Credit: SRX

Upcoming SRX races: June 26  Eldora, July 3  I.R.P., July 10  Slinger and July 17  Nashville Fairgrounds.

We attended one of the last Cup races at Nashville Fairgrounds in 1986 and I was astounded at the number of signs and shouts saying, anybody but Waltrip (D.W.)!! Plus we have attended several All American 400s there. VERY fast track.

DID YOU KNOW: Mike McColl of McColl Racing Enterprises in London builds cars and spare parts for NASCARs European Series (over 60 so far), Pintys Series, APC, ACT and Superstocks.

As well, he builds cars for the magical Area 27 bunch out of BC run by former CASCAR standout Trevor Seibert.

I met Mikes father, Burt, in the tech lanes at St. Thomas Dragway 56 years ago. He and partner Brian Blimp Setterington drag raced a 65 Falcon with a 289/271 4 speed named the Halfast Ford (say it fast)!!

They soon switched to stock cars and Burt began building stock cars in the two car shop behind his home in Wheatley while still working for Union Gas.

They moved the shop closer to the 401, then to St. Thomas followed by a move to Exeter Road in London. They now have an incredible state of the art shop just minutes off the 401 building and repairing race cars as well as selling parts. A wonderful success story for a great family.

CANAM STOCK/SUPERSTOCK: They were at St. Thomas Dragway on the weekend but Saturday was a rainout. On Sunday Jim Lindsay, in his Ford 6-cylinder with Weber carbs Pepper Mill won the wheels up final over Wally Clark. Two really nice veterans still at it and still getting it done!!

And finally, if your local race track has a big race upcoming let me know and I will be happy to mention it in an upcoming blog. motionman@rogers.com

Until next week!!
Local Twin Cities artists Enzyrose, Eyenga Bokamba, Noah Lawrence-Holder, LeShon Lee, and Meadow Gillispie, talk about their reaction to the murder of George Floyd, the trial of Derek Chauvin, and life as a black artist during this time.
MILAN/PARIS/KUALA LUMPUR  Italys top insurer Generali has agreed to buy AXAs insurance assets in Malaysia and take full ownership of a joint-venture it runs in the country to strengthen its local presence.

The deals will turn Generali into the second-biggest player in Malaysias property and casualty (P/C) insurance market while also allowing the company to enter the local life insurance sector, it said on Tuesday.

The total consideration for the combined deals is around 262 million euros ($312 million).

The sale is part of French insurer AXAs efforts to streamline its business in a restructuring launched by Chief Executive Thomas Buberl, a process which includes selling assets in some countries and markets to boost returns.

In December, for example, AXA agreed to sell its insurance activities in Greece to Generali.

Under the latest deal, Generali will buy around 53% of a joint-venture between AXA and Malaysias Affin Bank, dubbed AXA Affin General Insurance. It will also take a 70% stake in another AXAs JV with Affin dubbed AXA Affin Life Insurance.

AXA will receive around 140 million euros [$167 million] from the two sales, the French insurer said on Tuesday.

Generali has also asked Malaysian authorities to allow it to increase its 49% stake in local joint venture MPI Generali Insurans Berhad to 100%. Generali plans to merge this later with AXA Affin General Insurance.

Generali will then operate in Malaysia through two companies, one in the P/C business and the other in the life insurance, holding 70% of each company, while Affin Bank will own the remaining 30%.

Generali and Affin Bank will also strike an exclusive bank-insurance agreement to distribute P/C and life insurance products.

We are excited to be taking the (merged company) into the second position in the general insurance business arena and I look forward to growing our businesses together, Affin President and Group CEO Wan Razly Abdullah Wan Ali said in a statement.

The deals are expected to complete in the second quarter of 2022, Generali and AXA said.

Generali sees a negative impact from the deals of around 3.5 percentage points on its solvency ratio.

HSBC acted as sole financial adviser to Generali on the Malaysian deals.

($1=0.8401 euros) (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro in Milan, Matthieu Protard in Paris and Liz Lee in Kuala Lumpur; editing by Valentina Za and Jane Merriman)

Topics Mergers Property Casualty AXA XL
These international People Moves include recent appointments at Howden Australia, which hired three people from Marsh; a new hire at Strategic Risk Solutions in Luxembourg and a promotion at Liberty Specialty Markets in London.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Howden, the London-based international insurance broker, announced the appointment of Matt Bacon as CEO, Howden Australia, one of the newest entrants to the Australian broker market.

Bacon joins alongside Stuart McKellar, appointed head of Commercial & Affinity, and Nick Chubb, who has been appointed head of Financial Lines. All three appointments are effective from 22nd June 2021.

Bacon joins Howden from Marsh, where he was the CEO of the Mercer Marsh Benefits business for the Pacific region. Prior to this, he was the CEO of JLTs People Risk consulting business for Australia and New Zealand.

McKellar joins Howden from Marsh, where he was previously deputy leader for Corporate, Commercial & Affinity, and Chubb also joins from Marsh, where he was previously deputy head of its Financial & Professional Services (FINPRO) practice.

Howden Australia, which launched on March 1, 2021, is focused on specialist industry and product segments such as financial lines, corporate risks, commercial and affinity, workers compensation, group risk and alternative risk transfer solutions.

David Howden, CEO, Howden Group Holdings, commented: Australia has been a key strategic market for the group since we launched DUAL in 2004, and now the time is right for us to also enter the Australian market as a broker. We have already proven to be a magnet for the markets leading entrepreneurial talent and we believe that Matt is the perfect leader for the broking business as we look forward to challenging the status quo and providing a dynamic choice for our people, our clients, and insurers.

***

Strategic Risk Solutions, the Concord, Mass.-based independent insurance company manager, announced that Maxime Schons has been appointed to the position of managing director, European Finance and Compliance, in the companys office in Luxembourg.

Schons, who joins SRS on Sept. 1, 2021, will also serve on the executive committee of SRS Europe Operations and will be appointed to the SRS Europe board of directors.

Schons comes to SRS from Risk and Reinsurance Solutions SA (2RS), where for the past five years he has been chief operating officer. Joining 2RS in 2013, Schons held a variety of leadership roles and had responsibility for leading teams in all aspects of captive management, risk management, compliance and business development. He also ran mandates as licensed manager and/or director for a significant number of reinsurance captives in Luxembourg and France.

Prior to joining 2RS, Schons was financial controller for PayPal Europe, treasury manager at Eurowatt HQ, and a senior manager in Big4.

While Schons will be based in Luxembourg, his role has a pan-European focus, commented SRS President and CEO Brady Young. We are seeing strong growth in Europe, both in new formations and takeovers, and the continued addition of senior personnel in our European domiciles is in response to the demand.

With over 25 years experience, SRS provides management and consulting services to a wide range of insurance company structures, from single parent captives to complex commercial insurers and reinsurers. SRS has operations in the United States, Europe, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and South Africa.

***

Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, announced the promotion of Jennifer Quinn to underwriting manager, Strategic Assets, London, with immediate effect.

Quinn reports to Terry FitzGerald, head of FinPro Lines. She has oversight of the London Strategic Assets book of business, which covers cyber, intellectual property, and property GAP coverage. She is responsible for growing the cyber and strategic assets offering and building LSMs market position, working with a team of underwriters in London.

Quinn joined LSM in 2019 as a senior underwriter in the Strategic Assets team. Prior to joining LSM, she spent 13 years in the London market, building her experience underwriting cyber, tech errors and omissions, and commercial professional indemnity.

Topics Excess Surplus Australia
The Chicago-based specialty wholesale brokerage Ryan Specialty Group has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed initial public offering (IPO) of up to $100 million.

The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined.

Upon completion of the proposed IPO, Ryan Specialty Group Holdings will be the sole managing member of Ryan Specialty Group, LLC and will exclusively operate and control all of its business and affairs.

Founded by Patrick G. Ryan in 2010, RSG is a provider of specialty products for insurance brokers, agents and carriers. It provides distribution, underwriting, product development, administration and risk management services by acting as a wholesale broker and a managing underwriter.

Ryan Specialty Group Holdings intends to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RYAN.

According to its SEC filing, RSG is the second-largest U.S. property/casualty insurance wholesale broker and the third-largest U.S. property/casualty managing general agency and underwriter. Its distribution network has more than 650 producers who have access to more than 15,500 retail insurance firms and over 200 excess and surplus lines carriers.

Since 2010, RSG has completed 40 acquisitions in various specialties and geographies. In September 2020, RSG acquired All Risks Specialty, the fourth largest wholesale distributor. RSG says the All Risks acquisition advanced many of its strategic priorities and enhanced its competitive position. The firm is currently merging All Risks Specialtys binding authority service model and premium scale with its own technology platform, The Connector, through which retail clients can receive quotes and bind policies online

For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, RSG generated:

 Revenue of $1,018.3 million and $765.1 million, respectively;

 Total revenue growth of 33.1% and 25.3%, respectively; and

 Organic Revenue Growth Rate of 20.4% and 17.5%, respectively.

RSG said its financial performance includes a 49.6% and 33.1% increase in revenue from March 31, 2020 to March 31, 2021 and 2019 to 2020, respectively. Despite the rapid pace of growth, while its net income margin decreased due to costs primarily associated with the All Risk acquisition, the broker was able to expand its adjusted net income margin and adjusted EBITDAC margin from March 31, 2020 to March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2019 to December 31, 2020.

In its SEC filing, RSG notes that more than 70% of the total premiums it places goes to the excess and surplus lines market, which has been growing faster than the admitted market. It believes the higher rate of growth of the E&S market is due to the shift towards complex risks, which it says will insulate the E&S market from broader economic trends. It expects this increase in complex risks to continue, citing cyber threats, health risks and the digital economy.

The firm believes it has various competitive advantages including robust access to capital, freedom from channel conflict with its retail insurance broker clients, and its platform that can drive revenue and cost synergies.

We believe that as the complexity of the E&S market continues to escalate, wholesale brokers that do not have sufficient scale or the financial and intellectual capital to invest in the required specialty capabilities will struggle to compete effectively. This will further the trend of market share consolidation among the wholesale insurance brokers who have these capabilities, the firm wrote.

Its growth strategy stresses attracting and retaining top talent; continuing to innovate with products for the changing risks in life sciences, cyber and professional services and other areas; continuing to make strategic acquisitions; deepening its relationships with retail brokers; building its binding authority business and investing in its operations.

RSG feels it can grow as a preferred broker in an industry where retail brokers and carriers are consolidating and limiting the wholesalers with which they do business. Also, its Connector technology allows it to better serve retail insurance brokers by placing their smaller-premium accounts efficiently.

RSG said it has identified certain markets as near-term potential growth opportunities: cyber, hired non-owned auto and New York habitational spaces.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office tribunal that has gained a reputation for canceling patents to continue operating, but reined in the power of its in-house judges.

The justices, in a 5-4 ruling authored by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, upheld a 2019 lower court decision that the judges on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board were appointed in a way that violates a U.S. Constitution provision intended to ensure accountability for powerful government officials.

The U.S. government had appealed the lower court ruling in a legal challenge pursued by privately held Florida-based medical device company Arthrex Inc.

The ruling indicates that the tribunals current structure failed to provide for enough direct review of the patent judges  who have power to invalidate issued patents  by their superiors who are accountable to the U.S. president to satisfy constitutional requirements.

While the Supreme Courts majority found that the administrative patent judges were improperly appointed, a different majority of justices also concluded that the problem could be fixed under the Constitution by giving the Patent and Trademark Offices director the power to review decisions by the judges.

The Supreme Court took a different approach than the solution offered by the Washington-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a specialized patent court, to remove certain job protections for the judges, giving their superiors more power to fire them at will.

Noting that billions of dollars can turn on a decision by the board, Roberts wrote, What matters is that the director have the discretion to review decisions rendered by APJs (administrative patent judges). In this way, the president remains responsible for the exercise of executive power  and through him, the exercise of executive power remains accountable to the people.

The solution prescribed by the justices would allow the tribunal to continue to operate, though the Patent and Trademark Office has already said more than 100 cases will have to be reconsidered.

The board, an administrative court run by the Patent and Trademark Office, takes a second look at patents issued by the agency and often cancels them, much to the dismay of some inventors. The tribunal, created by Congress in 2011, adjudicates the validity of hundreds of patents annually and has invalidated more than 2,000 patents.

The tribunals reviews have become a quick and cheap way for companies that are prime targets for infringement suits, such as such as Apple Inc and Alphabet Incs Google, to try to invalidate patents. Litigation before the tribunal is seen by many companies as a more efficient alternative to resolving cases in federal court.

Arthrex had challenged the constitutionality of the judges appointments after the tribunal in 2018 invalidated part of the companys patent for a surgical device for re-attaching soft tissue to bone. British-based rival Smith & Nephew PLC had requested the review of Arthrexs patent.

Mondays ruling rejected Arthrexs argument to hold the entire tribunal unconstitutional and said that the agencys director should now decide whether the dispute should be reheard.

At issue was whether the patent judges were appointed in violation of the Constitutions so-called appointments clause, which requires certain high government officials  known as principal officers  to be named by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Other inferior officers with lesser authority may be appointed and supervised by department heads, who are themselves named by the president. A president can fire principal officers at will, but patent judges, as members of the civil service, possess certain job protections including from unrestricted removal.

The dissenting justices called the ruling unnecessary.

Just who are these principal officers that Congress unsuccessfully sought to smuggle into the executive branch without Senate confirmation? About 250 administrative patent judges who sit at the bottom of an organizational chart, wrote conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by the courts three liberal justices.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)

Topics Legislation
Creditors who say they were swindled out of more than $200 million by the former owners of the liquidated CastlePoint group of insurance companies may proceed with most of the claims they made in a New York lawsuit, a California appellate court ruled.

A panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal last week reversed a San Francisco County Superior Court decision, rejecting arguments by the California Department of Insurance that allowing the creditors lawsuit to proceed would interfere with liquidation proceedings.

The panel ruled that an injunction barring legal claims against the CastlePoint estate  which was imposed when the insurance commissioner liquidated the company  does not block six of the 10 causes of actions listed in the lawsuit.

The judges wrote that they are not persuaded that allowing these claims to proceed in New York will deplete the assets of the CastlePoint estate or disrupt the liquidation plan.

CastlePoint started out as Tower Group International, Ltd., a Bermuda-based group of 10 insurance companies. Tower borrowed $175 million from Alesco Preferred Funding and other investors by selling trust preferred securities, known as TruPS.

When Towers stock price declined in 2013, its shareholders sold the company for $143 million to ACP, a reinsurer owned by the Karfunkel Family Trust. The Karfunkels quickly sold off much of Towers assets to AmTrust and National General Holdings Corp.

Towers financial condition continued to deteriorate. In 2016 the company reached an agreement with regulators in six states to merge all of the Tower companies into CastlePoint and enter into a conservation plan. The California Insurance Department was appointed conservator. The department later liquidated the company and started the process of selling off its assets to pay unresolved claims.

Alesco and other plaintiffs in October 2017 filed a lawsuit in Manhattan that accuses the Karfunkel family, AmTrust and other defendants of conspiring to loot Tower Group by selling off the best assets while leaving the carriers poor performing book of business to be conserved as CastlePoint. The suit says the defunct company now owes $220 million on the TruPS securities, including interest. The lawsuit seeks to recover that money from the Karfunkels, AmTrust and National General, whom they accuse of fraud and unjust enrichment.

Theres one catch. After Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones was appointed as conservator of CastlePoint in 2016, he agreed to accept a $200 million contribution from the AmTrust, National General and the Karfunkel Trust to pay pending claims. The conservation agreement also enjoins the insurance carriers creditors from pursuing claims against the Karfunkel Trust, ACP, AmTrust and Tower without the insurance departments approval. In 2016, Jones released those parties from any claim the insurance department may have concerning their involvement with CastlePoint.

When the creditors sought permission to proceed with their lawsuit, Jones argued that doing so would be inequitable because it would deny the defendants the benefit of their bargainpurchased at a cost of over $200 million, according to a footnote in the opinion.

The appellate court said it found that argument remarkable.

If the Commissioner is suggesting he is authorized to sell protection from third party claims that will not interfere with the liquidation of CastlePoint, he is mistaken, the panel said.

The panel said some of the claims in the New York lawsuit clearly would potentially interfere with the liquidation process. The court said claims that sought compensation for actions that took place as part of the conservation and liquidation process were clearly barred by the injunction.

The court said other causes of action that are not related to the conservation and liquidation, such as breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference may proceed against the Karfunkel family, Tower and ACP.

Topics Carriers
Louisiana parishes recovering from two hurricanes that struck last year are now in line to get a total of more than $176 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

Edwards discussed the funding at a livestreamed news conference in Baton Rouge with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. The total includes $136 million in newly approved funding, added to $40 million approved earlier.

Twenty-five parishes around Louisiana are in line for some of the money as a result of hurricanes Laura and Delta. The bulk of it, more than $144 million, will go to southwest Louisiana parishes, where the storms came ashore and did most of their damage. Edwards said $112.6 million is available for hard-hit Calcasieu Parish; $9.5 million, for Cameron Parish; $13.5 million for Beauregard; $6.2 million for Jefferson Davis and $2.6 million for Allen.

One caution for those parish governments: Edwards said a 25% local match is required. He said that will be very challenging for some of the local governments, but added that he is working with congressional leaders and the White House to find ways to help those governments obtain the matching money.

Were going to continue that process of trying to find solutions to continue to help with the recovery thats going on here, Crisswell said later.

Other parishes for which FEMA mitigation money will be available for the two hurricanes include Acadia, Caddo, Claiborne, Grant, Iberia, Jackson, Lafayette, LaSalle, Lincoln, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, Union, Vermilion, Vernon and Winn.

The news conference was held June 17 as Louisiana officials eyed a broad, developing low-pressure system in the Bay of Campeche that was expected to move northward toward the state  possibly developing into a tropical depression.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana
An Oklahoma City physician has paid more than $300,000 to settle civil penalty claims related drug abuse prevention and control laws, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Oklahoma reported.

Albert T. Nguyen, M.D., paid $325,000 to settle civil penalty claims stemming from allegations that he violated the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 and its regulations, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

Dr. Nguyen is the owner and sole physician at the Budget Medical Clinic in Oklahoma City.

From approximately November 2016 to May 2017, Dr. Nguyen operated two clinic locations in Oklahoma City, federal authorities alleged. When Dr. Nguyen was seeing patients at one location, he routinely left pre-signed, blank prescriptions at the other location, which non-physician practitioners used to issue prescriptions to patients for controlled substances that they did not have the authority to prescribe.

The prescriptions were not issued in the usual course of professional practice, and Dr. Nguyens conduct violated the requirements contained in the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 and its regulations, according to the Justice Department.

Dr. Nguyen did not admit liability with the settlement and the government did not make any concessions about the legitimacy of the claims. The agreement allows the parties to avoid the delay, expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty involved in litigating the case.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Office of Diversion Control, with assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda R. Johnson and Ronald R. Gallegos prosecuted the case.

Source: U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Oklahoma

Topics Claims Oklahoma
The size of wood pellet stacks and low water pressure may have contributed to a spectacular blaze that burned for days in May at a warehouse on the Georgia coast.

The Brunswick News reports that Georgia Ports Authority Chief Administrative Officer James McCurry Jr. discussed findings from a state fire marshals report with Glynn County commissioners.

The authority owned the East River Terminal in Brunswick, which burned.

McCurry said the report found concerns about the height of pellet stacks and how they were managed. He also said water pressure was low when firefighters battled the blaze.

McCurry said pellets cant be stored outside because they break down in rain. He said the amount of pellets stored in a remaining building will be limited.

McCurry said port officials havent decided if they will rebuild.

Firefighters from several counties battled a blaze that filled the sky with flames and smoke from a warehouse larger than a city block. The warehouse was used by Canadian company Logistec to store pellets awaiting shipment to Europe to be burned to generate electricity.

Officials have said the blaze resulted from spontaneous combustion from heat inside the huge pellet pile. The burned warehouse was built in 2016 to replace two buildings destroyed by a previous wood-pellet fire in July 2015.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Georgia
New Mexicos largest city has sued companies involved in the design and construction of a rapid transit system over light fixtures that have fallen or werent secured.

The Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus system has been plagued with problems that include electrical charging, wheelchair access on platforms, mirrors hitting canopies and crashes on the bus routes that run along Central Avenue, a major city corridor.

Albuquerque is seeking at least $2.5 million in compensatory damages and another $10 million in punitive damages as part of a lawsuit it filed last week regarding the light fixtures.

At least 46 streetlights either have fallen to the ground or had to be removed because they were being held in place by only electrical wiring, endangering the public, the lawsuit contends. Some of the 25-pound lights have fallen up to 25 feet onto the street, according to the lawsuit.

Ill-fitting screws and other parts provided by the manufacturer caused the lights to loosen from light poles, according to a reported prepared for the city.

The company that manufactured the lights, California-based Environmental Lighting for Architecture Inc., told the Albuquerque Journal that the firm has reached out to the city in hopes a swift and amicable solution can be found.

The firms president, Scott Jones, said the lighting fixtures had been modified by an outside source against its recommendations.

The general contractor for the bus system, Bradbury Stamm Construction, and Massachusetts-based Dalkia Energy Solutions, which was hired to convert the citys streetlights to LED lighting, did not respond to the newspapers requests for comment.

Another defendant, New Mexico-based architectural firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, said it had no part in the selection or installation of the streetlights and should not have been named in the lawsuit.

The city of Albuquerque said it spent about $494,000 to secure, retrofit and replace streetlights on the bus route.

The city began service on the route in November 2019 using diesel-powered buses after it rejected electric buses that had insufficient battery life and other problems.

Former Mayor Richard Berry had proposed the bus system as a way to transform Central Avenue. Some businesses argued it restrict access for customers and lead to more traffic problems.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Mexico
Waitlist for All Sponsorships and Exhibit Hall Space; Agenda Full; Price Increase June 26.

NEW YORK, JUNE 21, 2021  InsureTech Connect (ITC) has announced that its sales have been so robust for its October 2021 Vegas event that it has had to waitlist new requests for all sponsorships and exhibit hall space. The expo hall will showcase an unprecedented amount of insurance innovation this year, including 100 startups.

ITC wishes to thank its new presenting sponsor, Bold Penguin; its title sponsors, AKUR8, At-Bay, Capgemini, Carpe Data, CCC, DataRobot, Earnix, EY, Haven Life, HealthCare.com, Hyperscience, Salesforce, Socotra, Swiss Re, ValueMomentum; and all sponsors and partners for helping to make its return to Vegas a roaring success.

The agenda is also full, with the industrys most news-making and influential speakers slated to take the stage at the Mandalay Bay. Here are just a few of the luminaries from the insurance ecosystem who will be in attendance:

Ilya Bodner, CEO & Founder, Bold Penguin (acquired Jan. 21)

Evan Greenberg, Chairman & CEO, Chubb

Jenn Knight, CTO & Co-Founder, AgentSync ($25mm in Mar. 21)

Chris Krebs, Fmr. Director, Dept. of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Edmund Murphy III, CEO & President, Empower Retirement

Lisa Pollina, Board Member, Munich Re

Andrew Rose, President  OnStar Insurance, General Motors

Assaf Wand, CEO & Co-Founder, Hippo ($350mm in Nov. 20)

Greg Williams, CEO, Co-Founder & President, Acrisure ($3.4bn in Mar. 21)

Julian Teicke, CEO & Co-Founder, wefox ($650 million in Jun. 21, largest funding round in history for an insurtech)

Prices are increasing on June 26. Attendees can take advantage of some of the lowest prices of the year by registering before Saturday.

About InsureTech Connect

InsureTech Connect (ITC) is the worlds largest insurtech event, offering unparalleled access to the largest and most comprehensive gathering of tech entrepreneurs, investors, and insurance industry executives from across the globe. Founded by Jay Weintraub and Caribou Honig, ITC has been attended by over 25,000 people from 65+ countries. InsureTech Connect 2021 will be held October 4-6, 2021 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

For more information, please visit http://www.insuretechconnect.com/

Topics InsurTech Tech
Battle of the Food Trucks

RTE Player, from 9am

Food truck chefs from across Ireland go head-to-head to be crowned Irelands finest food truck.

Bake Off: The Professionals

C4, 8pm

The teams must create a grand occasion showpiece  a Religieuse a lAncienne (a choux pastry and custard mountain)  to serve 24 people, with two different flavours of eclairs inspired by the theme of time travel.

Inside Coca-Cola

Virgin Media One, 9pm

Documentary revealing how a murky brown medicine invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in 1886, containing cocaine, became the best-selling soft drink of all time.

Coca-Cola bottle in 1906 and in more recent times

The Nest

RTE One, 10.05pm

Surrogacy thriller. Tensions reach breaking-point between the couple and their surrogate and when Kaya loses control, Dan questions what he really knows about the teenager he has invited into his home.

Martin Compston, Sophie Rundle and Mirren Mack in The Nest

Sport

UEFA Euro 2020: England v Czech Republic or Croatia v Scotland (ko 8pm, RTE2).

Radio

Arena RTE 1, 7pm: Sean Rocks talks to artist Amanda Coogan about her role in the Rua Red Gallery, Tallaght's 'Magdalene Series' of exhibitions and response works.

The Alternative 2FM, 10pm: A double-dip into the RTE sessions archives: a February 1994 Fanning Session from incendiary outfit Scheer; and a 2013 Studio 8 session from songwriter Constance Keane, aka Fears - whose debut LP finally released this month.
Outgoing DUP leader Edwin Poots said he nominated a First Minister in opposition with his partys wishes to fight the damaging Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Agriculture Minister also said he regretted the fallout from nominating Paul Givan to replace Arlene Foster as Stormonts First Minister, but said it was the right thing to do.

First Minister Paul Givan (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Poots announced he was quitting as leader of the DUP on Thursday, just three weeks after taking up the role, amid party anger that he pressed ahead with reconstituting the Stormont Executive alongside Sinn Fein.

On Monday, Jeffrey Donaldson, who ran against Mr Poots in the partys leadership contest, confirmed he will run to become the next leader of the DUP.

Mr Poots told Sky News: My focus was on the Northern Ireland Protocol first and foremost because constitutionally that is what is damaging Northern Ireland.

Our best asset at this moment in time in fighting the Protocol is actually having the Assembly.

Asked whether he regretted nominating Mr Givan, Mr Poots said: I regret the fallout from it. I think it was the right thing to do and its the right thing to do to ensure we have maximum leverage.

Ultimately it was my intention had we not got success on the Protocol then I would have been prepared to pull Paul Givan out of that job.

That was something which I wished to express but didnt get the opportunity to express.

Mr Poots was left with little alternative other than to end his brief but tumultuous tenure as leader at a heated three-hour crisis meeting of party officers at DUP headquarters in Belfast on Thursday evening.

Edwin Poots leaves the DUP headquarters in Belfast after he said he will stand down as the party leader (Brian Lawless/PA Wire)

I knew at the party officers meeting they were in a particular place, and ultimately, the majority of them hadnt wished me to be leader in the first instance, he said.

It comes amid a turbulent two months in the partys history, which began with an internal heave against Mrs Foster.

Asked if he now regretted the ousting of Mrs Foster, Mr Poots replied: Because I filled the position that Arlene held, people perhaps think I had much greater role in that than I actually had.

There was lots going on the DUP. There was a significant issue there and 85% of the Assembly group had a particular view and thats reflected.

I dont wish to make things more difficult for Arlene. Shes now moved on.

Asked who was to blame for the meltdown in the party, Mr Poots said it would be wrong to blame any one individual for the heave against Mrs Foster.

It was more a collective of opinions than individuals and I think those opinions were very widespread, he said.

So I think it would be wrong to apportion to any individual the ousting of Arlene Foster.

Mr Poots also told the news channel that his family had been hurt by recent events.

Theyre hurt because they see hurt inflicted upon me, he said.

I would suggest to any politician to look after your family first and foremost because when everyone else moves on your family are still there.
It is premature to make concrete decisions around international travel due to the Delta Covid-19 variant, an immunologist at the University of Limerick has warned.

This follows confirmation the Delta variant now makes up 20% of cases across the country including a probable outbreak in Athlone which is being investigated by public health doctors in the Midlands. Dr Augustine Pereira, director of Public Health North East, said it is also investigating probable delta cases in Louth.

Dr Elizabeth Ryan, a lecturer in immunology at UL, said: Through the whole pandemic, when we look to our neighbours, we are looking in a crystal ball to see our future.

Delta dominant in England

That is in reference to figures from the Office for National Statistics in the UK which now shows Delta as the dominant variant in England, though the trend for Northern Ireland is uncertain.

Dr Ryan said: The way things have evolved in the UK over the last month with the expansion of Delta is very likely similar [to Ireland]. It is still relatively low here, but it is reasonable to expect a similar spread will happen here.

Dr Ryan said caution should be taken with the next steps for opening up including indoor dining and international travel.

Its not time to relax just yet, she said. I think international travel could be premature. It depends on where the vaccine levels are. We have to be careful.

She expects evidence on the spread of the virus generally will feed into those decisions.

I would like to be optimistic, but I think we have to be really cautious and make decisions carefully. Delta does change the complexion of things.

Dr Ryan said indoor dining and international travel are good ways of mixing people in close proximity  and offer opportunities for transmission.

Variant more transmissible

This variant is more transmissible than the Alpha or B.117 variant first identified in the UK, which is currently the most dominant strain here.

However, data from Public Health England published this week shows two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines provide protection against this new variant to the same level as against other variants.

Dr Ryan said: There is really good evidence from the UK that the vaccines are protecting against hospitalisations with the Delta variant. People who are coming to hospital in the UK tend to be either not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

She urged anyone who now eligible for a vaccine to take this up but added that in contrast to January when a new variant hit Ireland before the vaccination programme had started, we are in a stronger position now.

Vulnerable older people and most in the priority groups on the vaccine list are now at least partially vaccinated.

Dr Ryan said people in their 60s waiting on their second shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should be offered this as soon as possible, as well as completing vaccines for any other vulnerable groups.

The vaccines will help break the link that we had before with cases and hospitalisations. It wont be the same as it was, because more people are vaccinated now.

Dr Mary Favier, a GP in Cork and former president of the Irish College of General Practitioners also urged caution.

Speaking to RTE, she said deferring the easing of restrictions on indoor facilities for two to three weeks could make all the difference.
Hermit 'nuns' who had established an unauthorised prayer retreat near Leap in West Cork have cleared the site, bar a wooden fence, and are to pay 1,000 in fines and legal costs to Cork County Council.

Sr Irene Gibson, who says she is a Carmelite Nun of the Holy Face of Jesus, had been convicted of a breach of Section 154 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, in late 2019 in relation to an unauthorised development at Corran South near the village of Leap in West Cork.

That came after she had first established the prayer retreat in 2016 and a year after Cork County Council had first brought enforcement proceedings against her, resulting in a prosecution before Skibbereen District Court in May 2019.

In December 2019, Sr Irene and her younger colleague, New Zealander Sr Anne Marie Loeman, were given time to relocate and return the site to its original condition. The matter had been due before court in April last year but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Judge James McNulty heard last September that while significant downsizing at the site had taken place, the women were still resident there and had had little success in their plans to relocate.

Judge McNulty had suggested at that time that they could consider relocating to a different part of the country.

Sr Irene Gibson, Carmelite Nun of the Holy Face of Jesus pictured at a previous hearing at Skibbereen District Court with Sr Anne Marie of the Holy Family Carmelite Hermitage, Leap, Co Cork. File Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

But in Skibbereen District Court on Tuesday, solicitor for the local authority, Margaret Noelle OSullivan, said there had been significant progress and the site had been almost completely cleared, bar the wooden fence.

That includes removal of the last four wooden pod cells and a red storage container.

Sr Irene said she and her colleague have since moved to another site, an existing property which does not require any planning permission and where they are repairing the roof and ensuring water supply.

The minimum fine for the offence is 2,500, unless proof is provided of an inability to pay.

Sr Irene Gibson told Judge James McNulty that she had some monies in her bank account, from benefactors, and that it was not her money, adding that the funds were to build at their new location.

I get a small income each week from the government and I am happy to pay something from that, she said, adding that she received 200 per week.

We are getting funds each week from benefactors and a fundraising campaign.

Judge McNulty said: Your benefactors might want you to put matters right, finally, as you depart this place.

He said it was a case of putting things right and, in modern terms, leave no trace.

He said he wanted Sr Gibson to pay 1,000, comprising 500 of a fine and another 500 as contribution to the local authoritys legal costs.

Sr Gibson said she would be able to pay within a month.

The matter was adjourned until July 27 next for payment of the monies, with both sides excused from attending if the fine is paid by then.

As for the orange wooden fence the judge had commented that it was not visually offensive or structurally obtrusive and would be practically invisible to any passing motorists.

The council had said it was keen for that final aspect of the enforcement order to be complied with but the judge said: I think we have come a long way. Nature will take its course. Nature will green it for us.

If Cork County Council are so offended by the fence they can make their own arrangements.

Sr Irene Gibson, Carmelite nun of the Holy Face of Jesus, leaving Skibbereen District Court and Sr Anne Marie of the Holy Family Carmelite Hermitage, Leap, Co Cork. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Cork Courts

The judge was also told that a religious statue also remains at the site, but Philip OSullivan of Cork County Council, who inspected the site on Monday this week to provide the court with an update, said that statue could remain there as it had never referred to in the enforcement notice.

Sr Irene and her colleague have been engaged in a number of controversial actions, including breaking lockdown as part a group of people who took part in an exorcism of the Dail before last Christmas.

They were also were recently ordered to remove medicinal claims about an ointment they had been selling.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) confirmed that the claims had been removed from social media about a black salve ointment which was claimed could cure "abnormal skin growths".

The pair, who have raised thousands of euro online, have also claimed they are members of what they call the Carmelite Order of the Holy Face but a spokesperson for Bishop of Cork and Ross has said the women do not belong to any religious community which is in communion with the Catholic Church.

Neither Sr Gibson nor Sr Loeman spoke on entering or leaving the court.
Over the centuries the seaside town of Youghal hasnt lacked for new residents  some welcome and some unwelcome  including Vikings, medieval monks, plantation landlords such as Sir Walter Raleigh and Victorians who built elegant holiday homes by the strand.

Local auctioneers say that in pandemic times the town has  like many coastal areas  been attracting new residents who have spent lockdown in cities and now want to live and go for walks by the sea. Youghals long sandy beach and its new boardwalk, going all the way to Redbarn, are a huge draw, observes Fiona Hennessy of Sherry FitzGerald Hennessy.

But like elsewhere in the country, the town is experiencing a supply shortage and the few properties which are coming on the market are being bought up quickly. Many of the 32 Youghal properties advertised on the internet are no longer available and three-bed semis seem to be particularly scarce.

We recently listed a thee-bed semi in Meenougher with a guide of 220,000 and it was gone within a week  for above its guide, Ms Hennessy said. Seeing an increase in Cork city buyers coming to Youghal to buy affordable homes by the sea, Ms Hennessy expects the development of a greenway on the old railway line, set to open in 2024, to attract even more new residents in the future.

The eco-boardwalk at Claycastle beach near Youghal, Co. Cork. Picture Denis Minihane.

Auctioneer Brian Gleeson says he has seen a surge in demand for both permanent residences as well as weekend homes and that all properties on his books in Youghal and West Waterford are now under offer.

In recent weeks we have had over 20 viewings for a two-bed, semi-detached property 10 Kilcoran Place in Youghal with a guide price of 190,000  bidding has now gone up to 275,000.

The highest-priced property on the market in Youghal  Montmorenci House, a restored 13th Century residence with a guide of 695,000, has according to Mr Gleeson seen an increased level of interest in recent times.

House sales above 500,000 are rare in Youghal but last year Mr Gleeson sold a five-bed modern detached house at Kellyville, Bawnmore for 700,000 which seems to be the most expensive residential property sale in the area in several years.

Although some social housing has been built in Youghal in recent years, there has been little private development. However, Redbarn Construction is planning to start construction this week on a 15-house development at Lis an Oir on the Raheen Road. Expected to go to market in October it will consist of three-bed semis which will be priced in the region of 240,000.

Redbarn Construction also has ongoing plans for the old Loreto Convent and school building and its four-acre site, which is being developed as Ashton Court and will have 44 apartments and townhouses when complete Redbarn Construction director David ORourke says that phase one, consisting of 23 high-end apartments, is expected to be released on the market in 2022.

A further development is also being planned by Redbarn Construction at the old Seafield Textiles factory site. We are currently working on a master plan for the five-acre site and are looking at building 80 units  which will include three-bed semis as well as two-bed bungalows suitable for senior citizens and some commercial development, reveals Mr ORourke.

Knockmonlea East, Youghal 390,000

It has taken two extensions to transform a once tiny semi-detached cottage at Knockmonlea East into a very sizable country farmhouse style property.

Now offering over 3,000sq ft of living space, its a split-level home with four bedrooms, three bathroom,s and two family rooms. Its decorated in traditional style with features that include timber ceiling beams, redbrick fireplaces and antique radiators. Located within a five-minute drive from Youghal beach, the property is on the market with Sherry FitzGerald ODonovan who are guiding it at 390,000.

Auctioneer Clare Fox said they are receiving interest from the UK, Dublin, and Cork City.

VERDICT: Country living with oodles of space, a polytunnel and a chicken coop.

Ardmore, Co Waterford 185,000

A buyer in search of a property thats old world, charming and affordable might travel beyond Youghal to Ardmore in West Waterford to take a look at this cute thatched cottage at Laois An Uisce.

Located in Grange 11km from Youghal, it dates from the 1850s and has a guide of 185,000. Describing it as picture-perfect, auctioneer Brian Gleeson says the two-bed, 807 sq ft property has been sympathetically restored and well cared for by its owners.

Accommodation includes a living room with an inglenook fire, a kitchen with traditional style units, a bathroom and two bedrooms including one en suite.

On a site of 1.4 acres, the cottage has a well, a septic tank and outbuildings.

VERDICT: Very cute.

Pier Head, Store Street 150,000

At the affordable end of the Youghal property market, No 310 Pier Head is a two-bed apartment with a guide of 150,000.

Situated on the third floor of the 2007-built eight-floor apartment block on Store Street in the centre of town, it overlooks the River Blackwater from double doors in the living room.

Padraig Hyde of Hyde Properties said the apartments are popular with both holiday home buyers and owner-occupiers. We recently went sale agreed on No 206 which has a guide of 145,000 and is being bought by an owner-occupier. Accommodation includes a kitchen/living room with a Juliet balcony as well as a bathroom and two bedrooms one en suite.

VERDICT: Central and affordable.

Greencloyne 560,000

No 29 Copperalley Close in Youghal is a high priced high, spec house has been generating good interest.

Its been on the market just two weeks and we already have a bid of 535,000, says auctioneer Brian Gleeson, selling agent for the 2003 built almost 3,000sq ft house.

Although it looks like a two-storey house from the front it has three floors of living space including a basement level with a spacious gym and a garage.

Its features include underfloor heating, solar panels, security cameras, monitored alarm system and electric entrance gates. Located in a cul de sac of individually built houses in Greencloyne its within a short drive from the town centre.

VERDICT: Spacious, modern and energy-efficient.
Burma Despite Myanmar Regime's Denial, Locals Insist Troops Burned Down Their Village

Kin Ma Village on June 16 after being burned down. / CJ

Homeless residents of a Magwe Region village have insisted that their houses were deliberately burned down by Myanmar junta forces, despite repeated regime claims that their soldiers were not responsible for the arson attack.

On June 15, Kin Ma Village in Pauk Township, Magwe Region was burned down by junta forces after they reportedly took a large number of casualties during a firefight with civilian resistance fighters near the village.

An elderly couple died in the fire and almost the entire village of 240 houses was burned down. Around 1,000 villagers have been left homeless and are currently living in the forest or with relatives in nearby villages.

The military regime has repeatedly claimed via junta-controlled media that the fire started in the village around 2:50pm, after PDF terrorists  the militarys euphemism for civilian resistance forces  torched the house of U Kyaw Htay, a member of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, while retreating from the firefight.

Citing a detailed investigation into the fire, the junta has claimed that around 40 PDF terrorists set fire to U Kyaw Htays house because he did not support the local Peoples Defense Force (PDF).

However, villagers told the Irrawaddy that U Kyaw Htay and his family are supporters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party and are actively opposing the militarys coup.

U Kyaw Htay is a NLD supporter. His brother-in-law is a NLD leader in our village. They also led the anti-regime protests, a villager said.

U Kyaw Htays house, which survived the initial fire, was subsequently burned down by junta forces on the afternoon of June 15, residents said. The villagers also said that regime soldiers raided the village from about 11.20am following the clash with the local PDF.

Around 60 junta reinforcements than arrived in the village, where they threatened and swore at the villagers. But most of the residents had already fled the village by then.

The fire in Kin Ma was started at 2pm at the house of villager U Aung Tin Win, which is located at the southern end of the village opposite the school where junta troops were deployed until the evening of June 15.

After deploying at the school, they started torching the two nearby houses at the southern end of the village, a local told the Irrawaddy.

Villagers said also that the houses in the eastern part of the village caught fire quickly as there was a strong wind blowing northwards.

Junta forces also burned down the remaining houses in the village and killed a cow for food.

The home of former village head U Htay Aung, an NLD member, was set on fire separately. The regime has accused U Htay Aung of being a founder and supporter of the local PDF, according to junta-run newspapers.

Regime media has also repeatedly claimed that their forces evacuated two female villagers over the age of 80 from the fire. However, the regime has said nothing about the elderly couple who died in the fire.

Following widespread news reports about the burning of Kin Ma, the British Ambassador to Myanmar, Dan Chugg, said that the military continues to commit terrible crimes and has no regard for the people of Myanmar.

The US embassy in Yangon also said in a statement that the horrific act is consistent with past atrocities committed by the military against people of all ethnicities and from all regions.

The military continues to demonstrate a complete disregard for human life, the US embassy statement said.

Both the US and UK embassy statements were attacked by the junta for relying on inaccurate information.

One female villager who lost her house and all her possessions in the fire said that the military regime never releases the correct news. Only pro-military supporters believe the regime news reports.



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Burma Eight Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Karen State: KNLA

A Karen National Liberation Army combatant. / KNLA

Eight junta troops died and four others were injured in clashes with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in Hpa-an, Karen State, on Monday, according to the Karen National Union (KNU).

The combined forces of Myanmars military and Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) clashed with Brigade 1 of the KNLA, the armed wing of the KNU, in four locations on Monday in Hpa-an.

Brigade 1 is active in Hpa-an, Kyaikto, Thaton and Bilin townships. Clashes erupted near four villages in Hpa-an because junta troops and the BGF entered the area without prior notice, said a Brigade 1 officer.

There was an encounter as they didnt notify us about their movements. Their troops were deployed on roads near Mee Pon and Lel Taw Gyi villages. We only came across them as we passed, he said.

Each skirmish only lasted a few minutes and KNLA troops retreated. Eight junta troops died and four others were injured while the KNLA suffered no casualties, said the officer. The military was unavailable for comment.

There have now been 10 clashes between Brigade 1 and Myanmars military since the February coup, according to the brigade.

Junta reinforcements have since arrived.



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Burma EU Sanctions Myanmar Junta Cabinet Ministers, Attorney General

The regime-appointed Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Soe Htut is among eight individuals targeted by the EU's latest sanctions. / The Irrawaddy

The European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on Monday on eight Myanmar officials  including the countrys police and navy chiefs  responsible for deadly crackdowns on pro-democracy protests and for cutting the internet in the wake of the juntas Feb. 1 coup.

The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes on the attorney general, five ministers and two deputy ministers and are the third round of restrictions imposed by the EU since the military takeover.

Three economic entities active in the gems and timber sectors, either state-owned or controlled by the military, have also had their assets frozen to restrict the juntas ability to profit from Myanmars natural resources.

Also sanctioned is the War Veterans Organization, which provides support to former members of the Myanmar military.

The individuals targeted by the sanctions are responsible for undermining democracy and the rule of law and for serious human rights violations in the country, the EU said, while stating that the four entities blacklisted contribute directly or indirectly to the militarys revenues or activities.

Among the five ministers sanctioned are Lieutenant General Soe Htut of the Home Affairs Ministry. The ministry controls the Myanmar Police Force which, along with the military, has been responsible for brutal crackdowns on anti-regime protesters.

Admiral Tin Aung San, navy chief and Transport and Communications Minister, is among the eight individuals targeted by the latest sanctions. His ministry was responsible for cutting internet access in March in an effort to stifle pro-democracy demonstrations.

The others ministers sanctioned include Border Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Tun Tun Naung, Planning, Finance, and Industry Minister U Win Shein and Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Minister U Khin Maung Yi.

Two deputy ministers blacklisted are Major General Aung Lin Tun of the Defense Ministry and Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun of the Information Ministry. The Brig-Gen is the leader of the regimes information team as well as the juntas spokesperson.

Attorney-General Daw Thida Oo has also been targeted by the sanctions.

Coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy were previously sanctioned in March.

A total of 43 individuals and 6 entities related to the regime are now subject to EU sanctions. Those restrictions include asset freezes and a prohibition from making funds available to the listed individuals and entities. All the listed persons are also subject to a travel ban that prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territory.

Myanmar has been reeling socially, economically and politically since the democratically-elected government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted by the junta in February.

Anti-regime protests following the takeover were lethally crushed by regime security forces, sparking international condemnation as well as sanctions by the United States and the EU.

As of Monday, at least 837 people have been killed nationwide by junta forces, while thousands more have been detained.

Over four months on from the coup, the regime is still unable to control the country. Formerly peaceful protesters are now taking up arms in response to military rule and deadly bombings and shootings targeting the regime are now taking place weekly.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Officials on Bangladesh Border Test COVID-19 Positive

Maungdaw District General Administration Department. / Min Aung Khine

A senior official and a lower-ranking staffer of the Maungdaw District General Administration Department in Rakhine State, western Myanmar have tested positive for COVID-19. Maungdaw is a border town next to Bangladesh.

The two were tested for the virus after they fell sick on Sunday, said Dr. Nu Cathie San, the medical superintendent of Maungdaw Hospital.

They are receiving medical treatment and are in good condition, so there is no need to worry about their health, she told The Irrawaddy.

The two officials were transferred to Maungdaw last month from Kawthaung in Tanintharyi Region, a port that borders Thailand. Neither official has made any work trips since then. The source of their infections remains unclear, said Dr. Kyi Lwin, the head of the Rakhine State Public Health Department.

They dont have any travel history this month. But they came from Kawthaung. So we cant yet determine the source of their infections, he said.

Five other staffers from the Maungdaw General Administration Department who have been in contact with the two officials have been placed under quarantine, added Dr. Nu Cathie San.

U Maung Ohn, a former Rakhine State lawmaker and Maungdaw resident, suggested that COVID-19 infections in the district stem from neighboring Bangladesh. He urged authorities to restrict illegal border crossings.

There are people who cross the border illegally. I think the virus was transmitted from them, because they [the two patients] have had meetings with village administrators in the township, he told The Irrawaddy.

On June 17, 31 crew members from a cargo vessel which returned to Sittwe from Bangladesh tested positive for coronavirus. The previous day, one boatman from Maungdaw and nine others from Sittwe tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Bangladesh.

Civil society organizations in Rakhine have called for a halt to border trade following a surge in imported cases.

The State Administration Council, which is how the junta describes itself, has said it will continue bilateral border trade in line with COVID-19 regulations. The military regime resumed border trade with Bangladesh in April, two months after their coup.

Most trade with Bangladesh goes through the Maungdaw and Sittwe border trade centers, which were closed from June 2020 to April this year after a man returning from Bangladesh tested positive for coronavirus.

Between January and June 21, Rakhine State recorded 77 COVID-19 cases, 72 from Sittwe and five from Maungdaw, according to the state public health department.

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Burma Myanmar Junta Troops Battle Civilian Resistance Fighters in Mandalay

Junta snipers on a building in Mandalay during the clash on Tuesday. / CJ

Junta forces raided a base of the Peoples Defense Force (PDF) in Mandalay on Tuesday morning, resulting in a clash.

Junta troops reportedly raided a boarding school where PDF fighters were based in Hton Tone ward at around 7.30 a.m.

They sniffed us out. They came to our base at between 111st and 112nd streets on 54th Street and we shot at them as they came, said the person in charge of the Mandalay PDFs urban guerilla warfare unit who uses the pseudonym Bo Tun Tauk Naing.

PDF fighters were withdrawing from the base as their colleagues from other parts of the town rushed to rescue them.

I heard three of our fighters have been injured. We dont know yet how many have been detained. Our weapons will be seized if they [junta troops] are able to overrun our base. But they wont be seized if our troops can retreat successfully, Bo Tun Tauk Naing said.

Junta forces used grenades in the fighting, the PDF said. Junta troops are also using snipers and armored vehicles in the clash.

Junta troops arrived around 7 a.m. and opened fire at 111st and 54th streets. It was not heavy shooting. Then there was an exchange of fire between 8 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. So far, junta troops have not yet raided houses. But they are detaining every man on sight, said a resident of Hton Tone Ward.

He said he heard the sounds of machine guns and grenades. Locals are staying indoors during the shootout.

The Mandalay PDF was formed by local resistance fighters who underwent military training provided by ethnic armed groups. They operate under the parallel National Unity Government.



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Burma No Evidence for Myanmar Juntas Charges Against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi: Lawyer

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is seen in Magwe Region in January 2017. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

There is no evidence to support the charges against detained Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, one of her lawyers said. Trials have begun in five of the cases brought against her by the military since its Feb. 1 coup, which include possession of illegally imported walkie-talkies, breaching COVID-19 restrictions and sedition.

The State Counselor discusses her defense strategy for each case with her legal team prior to the trial hearings and gives us all the necessary instructions, said U Kyi Win, a member of the legal team

U Kyi Win is defending Daw Aung San Suu Kyi against two charges involving alleged possession of illegally imported walkie-talkies, which is an offense under Article 8 of the Export and Import Law, and Article 67 of the Telecommunications Law.

The prosecution has been presenting evidence in those cases since June 14; the cases continue to be heard each Monday.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested in the early hours of Feb. 1. Two days later police accused her of illegally importing and using radio transmitting and receiving equipment at her residence in Naypyitaw. Thus she is accused of breaching the Export and Import Law, which bans the importing of restricted items without permission. The devices are widely available on the market in Myanmar.

The police said in February that nine ICOM communication devices used by Daw Aung San Suu Kyis security team were found during a search conducted by a team from the Commander-in-Chiefs Office (Army) on Feb. 1.

These devices were not seized from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as she had been in detention since 3 a.m. on Feb. 1. The evidence was collected after 6 a.m. on that day, from a total of 10 people: a personal assistant and the security team. All of them are staff of the Ministry of Home Affairs. [Based on these facts] a through cross-examination was conducted [by the defense], U Kyi Win said, discussing last weeks testimony.

He added that the defendant is not guilty of any of these accusations.

Ten witnesses are scheduled to testify in the two cases, and the legal team expects both cases to be completed at the same time.

The legal team representing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was not able to hold its first meeting with her until late May, nearly four months after she was placed under house arrest.

Another member of the legal team, lawyer Daw Min Min Soe, said the State Counselor paid attention and listened with interest throughout every court hearing in each case, and told her lawyers which testimony was false and how she wants them to defend her.

On Monday, prosecution witnesses also testified at Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myints trials on charges of violating Article 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law.

The defense objected to documents submitted to the court by the prosecution, but the special court in Naypyitaws Zabu Thiri Township accepted all documents, including photos.

The defense lawyers declined to provide details of their objections on Monday, however.

Last Tuesday, the legal team also objected to evidence presented at court hearings in Daw Aung San Suu Kyis trials for allegedly violating COVID-19 restrictions and the sedition law, on grounds of authenticity and relevance.

Both trials continue on Tuesday.



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Burma UPDATED: Two Civilian Fighters Killed Amid Shootout With Myanmar Junta Troops in Mandalay

The regimes armored carriers on the move in Mandalay on Tuesday morning during a raid on a local PDF base by junta troops. / CJ

A Mandalay civilian resistance group fighting against the military regime said two of its members were killed and six arrested by junta troops following a raid on one of the groups bases on Tuesday morning.

Fighting broke out between the Peoples Defense Force Mandalay (Mdy PDF) and the troops during the raid in the citys Chanmyathazi Township.

On Tuesday afternoon, military-run Myawady TV said eight PDF fighters were killed and eight arrested during the shootout, while some junta troops were seriously injured.

However, the person in charge of the Mandalay PDFs urban guerrilla warfare unit, who uses the pseudonym Bo Tun Tauk Naing, told The Irrawaddy that only two resistance fighters were killed.

Among the six arrested are civil servants on strike and students. Some weapons were also seized, he said.

Junta troops reportedly raided a boarding school where PDF fighters were based in Hton Tone ward at around 7.30 a.m.

They sniffed us out. They came to our base at between 111st and 112nd streets on 54th Street and we shot at them as they came, Bo Tun Tauk Naing said.

PDF fighters attempted to withdraw from the base as their colleagues from other parts of the town rushed to rescue them.

Junta forces used grenades in the fighting, the PDF said. Junta troops also used snipers and armored vehicles in the clash.

Junta troops arrived around 7 a.m. and opened fire at 111st and 54th streets. It was not heavy shooting. Then there was an exchange of fire between 8 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. So far, junta troops have not yet raided houses. But they are detaining every man on sight, a resident of Hton Tone Ward said in the morning while the clash was still going on.

He said he heard the sounds of machine guns and grenades. Locals stayed indoors during the shootout, he said.

Following the fighting, the US and Canadian embassies in Yangon on Tuesday called for a cessation of violence and for the protection of civilians, saying they were disturbed and concerned by the fighting in Mandalay.

The Mandalay PDF was formed by local resistance fighters who underwent military training provided by ethnic armed groups. They operate under the parallel National Unity Government.

The story was updated on Tuesday afternoon to reflect the latest situation.



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The Bahamas just got a lot more interesting with this summers expansion to Baha Bay. It will be available to guests of Baha Mar Resorts, the Grand Hyatt, SLS, and Rosewood.

The opening is set for July 2.

Baha Bay is a 15-acre oceanfront water park, consisting of a duelling water coaster, 24 slides, a winding river, and a 500,000-gallon wave pool.

For adults, relaxation is available at the beachfront infinity pool looking over the sea. And for those looking for some night-time activity, adults can visit the outdoor casino, built specifically to take advantage of the Bahamas beautiful weather and views.

On the other hand, younger guests will have a blast in the splash zones and mini water slides.

The President of Baha Mar, Graeme Davis recently said this, Baha Bay will provide our guests with new exceptional experiences, suitable for all ages, as we continue to redefine the Caribbean vacation.

The Bahamas has waived pre-arrival testing requirements for vaccinated tourists.

For unvaccinated tourists, they must show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than five days before arrival.

Unvaccinated travelers are also required to complete a daily health questionnaire and take a rapid COVID-19 antigen test on the fifth day of their trip.

Children 10 and younger are also exempt from testing.

Baha Mar offers a curated three-night stay at the SLS Baha Mar complete with a private round-trip transportation from the airport in a Tesla and a full-day excursion to Rose Island with a private villa and sea turtle experience.

The resorts also provide testing and give guests who test positive for the coronavirus the option of either a complementary private jet to get home or a free stay in a suite with a daily dining credit.

For more information, click here.
June 14, 2021

The summer tradition of Concerts on the Quad will return to Idaho State University in July, with three concerts and two play performances by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.

Concerts begin on July 8, with vocalist, songwriter and guitarist Racquel Cole. On July 15, Tom Catmulls Last Resort will perform, and John Rush, known as the Human iPod, will perform July 29. All concerts start at 6 p.m.

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will perform "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on July 22 at 6:30 p.m. and "Cymbeline'' on July 24 at 6:30 p.m.

The concerts and plays are free and open to the public.
Microsoft's "next generation of Windows" will be debuting later this month and they're promising big changes. Is it a major Windows 10 update or will it be something new entirely?

Windows 11 Leak

Dubbed the "Windows 11" by the public, Microsft hasn't actually released any information on what the next version of the operating system will be called.

Last month, Windows 10 users received an update called version 21H1 but that wasn't the only thing new for the operating system. At the Microsoft Build 2021 developers conference, CEO Satya Nadella teased the "next generation of Windows" in his keynote.

According to CNet, Nadella called it "one of the most significant updates of Windows of the past decade." He has been self-hosting the next-gen OS and "is incredibly excited."

The redesign leak from the Chinese site Baidu includes a more modern look and new features to the Start menu, Action Center, File Explorer, and Taskbar. The Verge notes the Mac-like interface wherein the Start menu is more simplified. There are a lot more rounded corners found on context menus and apps as well.

The new Windows also has a new startup sound.

Since Windows 10X was scrapped, Microsft decided to take the best bits of the 10X OS to the main Windows 10. Other features developed for the operating system will find their way to other parts of Windows in the future.

check out our full Windows 11 hands-on for more. And yes, there's a dark mode and you can move the Start menu back to the left side



 Lots more information here: https://t.co/VDS08QPsl5 pic.twitter.com/3wP57DEJak  Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 16, 2021

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Windows 7 Users to Get Windows 11 Free?

With the next generation of Windows coming around the corner, it looks like Microsft has plans to offer a free upgrade when the new OS debuts, Tom's Hardware says.

This is of course, based on a leaked build configuration package of the new operating system that hasn't been officially revealed yet. Microsoft could have changed their plans since then or they didn't have any plans to give a free upgrade at all.

The keys found in the configuration package suggest that Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users will be able to upgrade to Windows 11 at no cost. This would make sense as a free upgrade to Windows 10 has been done before, and the promotion is still valid to this day as long as you have a valid key for Windows 7, 8, or 8.1.

Windows 7 users, especially, should look into upgrading as Microsoft officially dropped support for the operating system in January 2020, according to Tom's Hardware. Windows 8.1 will follow in January 2023 and Windows 10 won't be supported by October 2025.

Join us June 24th at 11 am ET for the #MicrosoftEvent to see whats next. https://t.co/kSQYIDZSyi pic.twitter.com/Emb5GPHOf0  Windows (@Windows) June 2, 2021

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Windows 11 Release Date

Microsoft is hosting another virtual event, this time to unveil the Windows 10 redesign. The event will showcase what the company has in store for Windows.

The live stream will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time on June 24. To catch the live broadcast of the event, you can head over to the Microsoft website.

Not much else is said about the event other than: "Join us to see what's next for Windows."

Related Article: Next Generation Windows OS Release Date: Microsoft CEO Teases Store Changes, New Features in Build 2021
The god of mischief is continuing his journey with the Time Variance Authority and this time, the twists of "Loki" Episode 2 are leaving everyone with a lot of questions.

Let's do a recap, flesh it out, and fall down the "Marvel "Loki" series rabbit hole, shall we?

'Loki' Episode 2 Recap

Before we talk about all that's gone down in the second episode of "Loki" titled "The Variant," do note that the rest of this article is filled with spoilers. You have been warned.

Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, discovers that another version of him is causing mayhem across the Sacred Timeline, killing TVA agents left and right. This Loki Variant is gathering the reset charges the agents use to maintain the proper flow of time, Cnet said.

Agent Mobius M. Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, recruits our Loki to hunt the variant, believing that he can give the TVA a "Loki perspective" into the Variant's nefarious scheme.

The Multiverse

The Variant "bombs" the Sacred Timeline by sending countless stolen reset charges to various points in time, creating new branches, or restoring the branches the TVA has already reset. This could be the setup for other elements of the MCU's Phase Four like "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

Thor: Ragnarok

Loki discovers the Ragnarok from the previous (future?) "Thor: Ragnarok" movie and he seems genuinely saddened to see Asgard's destruction and the death of close to 10,000 Asgardians, Cnet pointed out.

He also found out about his adoptive parents' deaths, his reconciliation with his brother, and his heroic death at Thanos's hands. That must have been rough.

But let's talk about Episode 2's ending.

The Variant is Lady Loki

Comic book-canon Lady Loki has now debuted in the MCU. According to the comic books during J. Michael Straczynski's run as writer on "Thor," all of Asgard was reborn after the Ragnarok, including Thor. The god of thunder was tasked to look for the reborn versions of his fellow Asgardians and discovered that Loki is now a female, said Den of Geek. Lady Loki's character was very villainous in the comic books, too.

Sophia Di Martino plays Lady Loki and from what she's told our Loki, he isn't relevant to whatever she's planning, telling him: "This isn't about you" before vanishing into a time portal. Loki jumps in after her, leaving Mobius and the other TVA Agents.

But if you do happen to have a non-English language dub of the episode, the credits will having you wondering...

Who Is Sylvie?

Di Martino's foreign market credits cast her as "Sylvie" and not "The Variant," Cnet remarked. With her blonde hair, maybe she isn't actually Lady Loki but another comic book character: Sylvie Lushton or the Enchantress was a regular girl until being reborn Lady Loki gave her powers.

Den of Geeks also noted that this could be a whole other character entirely, as MCU is under no obligation to be faithful to the comics. If the Variant's cryptic conversation with Loki is any clue, something else could be going on.

BREAKING: In the cast credits for #Loki episode 2, the true identity for Lady Loki has been shown to be Enchantress! pic.twitter.com/wQKd7HSQrI  Faraz Hanif (@_MARVEL4LIFE_) June 16, 2021

Read Also: Marvel 'Loki' Series: Episode 1 Spoiler and Easter Eggs, Episode 2 Release Date on Disney Plus

Easter Eggs and Golden Nuggets from 'Loki' Episode 2: 'The Variant'

In this episode, we follow our Loki and Agent Mobius to 1985, 79 AD, and 2050. Mobius' hologram showed a bunch of Loki variants, including a Tour de France-winning cyclist.

A Roxxcart store is presumable an offshoot of Roxxon, Cnet said. The ruthless oil corporation is often seen in the background of the MCU movies and in the shows "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Agent Carter," and "Cloak & Dagger.'

Loki gave detailed explanations of illusion projection and duplication casting, and he's bound to give a demonstration of it in action this season. Also, his profile indicates his gender as "fluid." He's a shapeshifter, after all.

We learn that Mobius has never met the Time-Keepers, and he's probably the nicest TVA agent ever. He signs the paperwork in Ravona's office with a pen that says "Franklin D Roosevelt High School." Could this mean anything?

Some of the most intriguing branches that splintered off the Sacred TImeline include 0051 Hala or the Kree's homeworld, 1001 Xander where the headquarters of the Nova Corps are, 1382 Ego which is Star Lord's Celestial dad, 1982 Titan otherwise known as Thanos' homeworld, 1984 Sakaar from "Thor: Ragnarok," 2004 Asgard, and 2301 Vormir which is the resting place of the Soul Stone, Cnet enumerated. Although it is unlikely we will be able to visit these branches, it was a nice touch.

#Loki Episode 2 goes full detective mode and fully tosses us into this mind-bending world of the TVA. Some strong emotional moments & big laughs bring us to what is already one of the most insane - & unbelievably important - cliffhangers to a Marvel episode to date. Score: 9/10 pic.twitter.com/qhtKGUyXNi  DR Movie News  (@DRMovieNews1) June 16, 2021

'Loki' on Disney Plus

Watch out for the next episode of "Loki" on June 23, PT/ 3a.m. ET/8 a.m. GMT. It will be streaming exclusively on Disney Plus.

The remaining episodes of the series will be available every Wednesday until the sixth and last episode scheduled on July 14.

Related Article: Marvel 'Loki' Series: Complete Release Dates Per Episode, Trailer, Where to Watch Online
Top cryptocurrencies suffered another major blow Monday after China further intensified its crackdown on the sector, cutting state power to Bitcoin mines in Sichuan province.

Bitcoin plummeted nine percent Monday morning--falling to its lowest price in nearly two weeks at below $33,000 a coin--while Ethereum and Dogecoin slid massively from six to nearly 15 percent in the last 24 hours, Forbes reported.

Ethereum is pegged at $1,967.27, falling 6.02 percent as EthereumPrice.Org noted. Meanwhile, Dogecoin made an even sharper fall to $0.22, a 14.78 percent drop in the last 24 hours and 32.16 percent from last week, Forbes Advisor added.

Ethereum Price Prediction: Freefall Below $1800 Feared

With the price reaching below the $2,000 level, Ethereum is seen to maintain key support at $1,985.79, Investing Cube said. If this gives way, however, a further drop to $1,844.20 is predicted, and worse a free all to $1,737.45. If things get better and prices would bounce from current support lines to $2,047.27 (which has been the lows of April 20 and June 20), prices could regain at $2,143.44.

Read Also: Ethereum Price Prediction: Analyst Forecast Reveals Huge ETH Value Surge to Defeat Bitcoin

Beijing officials targeted Bitcoin mines in Sichuan, wherein huge amounts of electricity is used to paralyze the blockchain network. Last weekend's crackdown led to a halt of 90 percent of Bitcoin production, Forbes quoted Chinese state media Global Times as saying.

The disruption led to a steep decline in Bitcoin's hashrate, referring to the computational power in mining and processing Bitcoin transactions.

Forbes cited a 2020 study saying that China has accounted for 80 percent of global Bitcoin operations, with Sichuan as the second most intensive mining region. This is due to low cost of electricity in China, which made it a select location for Bitcoin mining.

But fossil fuels, most notably coal, has been running these power stations that run the Bitcoin mining operations, which go against China's climate initiatives. This also led to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's canceling of Bitcoin as a payment option for the company's electric vehicles, a development that likewise shed a considerable portion of Bitcoin value.

China's Widening Cryptocurrency Crackdown

China also shuttered Bitcoin mining operations in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, Forbes further reported. It has also banned cryptocurrency trading as a policy to prevent the volatile nature of the market from "infringing" upon financial order.

Initial crackdowns in mid-May led to a loss of trillions of dollars in the cryptocurrency market, which has yet to recover from the debacle. Currently, the cryptocurrency market's total value is now at $1.4 trillion, which Forbes said is about 54 percent of its value just before the China regulatory crackdown last month.

China's State Council, in a Reuters report, vowed to shut down cryptocurrency mining and trading to manage financial risks. China's central bank also convened local banks and payment firms, including China Construction Bank and Allpay to clamp down on cryptocurrency trading.

Agricultural Bank of China also complied with state guidance to put a stop to prohibited cryptomining activities and transactions.

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This year's Mobile World Congress (MWC21) holds a lot of exciting surprises, possibly including the next-generation Samsung Smartwatch.

Samsung officially teases their participation in the event, where they will "reimagine smartwatches, creating new opportunities for both developers and consumers." Details of the full event, including its date, time, and live stream link have been revealed as well.

The MWC is an annual event where some of the biggest technological developers like Samsung, Sony, Nokia and other similar companies unveil their new plans, products and services for the rest of the coming year. Unfortunately, last year's event was canceled due to the pandemic.

For 2021, Samsung is holding the MWC event virtually, streamed through their official channels and the MWC website

Samsung Galaxy MWC Virtual Event Date and Time

Samsung tweeted an invitation to their virtual Samsung Galaxy session. Their post was captioned: "Tune in to the virtual Samsung Galaxy session at the Mobile World Congress #MWC21 on Monday, 28 June." It came with a link to their official YouTube Channel, where the event will be streamed live. The event starts at 13:15 ET (10:15 PT / 18:15 BST)

Ready to learn how the Galaxy Experience can empower you?

Tune in to the virtual Samsung Galaxy session at the Mobile World Congress #MWC21 on Monday, 28 June: https://t.co/a5dH36ojEN pic.twitter.com/4pZRGCLP4B  Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) June 21, 2021

Samsung possibly has many exciting surprises for the coming months. TechRadar predicts that the tweeted banner photo might include some of the devices advertised in the event. It consists of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy S21 FE, and Galaxy Tab S8.

However, the internet is excited for one particular reveal for MWC21.

Read Also: Stimulus Check 2021 Update: How to Get Financial Assistance to Help You Pay for Your Mortgage

Next Generation Smartwatch, Wear OS Teased!

Over these last few months, leaks for a next-generation smartwatch have been circulating around the internet. Specifically, Google I/O announced that their smartwatch technology would partner with Samsung Mobile Tizen to create a unified wearable technology.

The collaborative project between these two opens up the potential of creating a new smartwatch powerhouse with its own fantastic OS system. The Verge reported that this new smartwatch is tentatively named "Wear."

Both companies have kept the details of the smartwatch development a secret. However, Samsung seems ready to give answers with their advertisement banner.

At the time of writing, the only information available for the new "Wear" smartwatch remains as speculations and theories. "Wear" smartwatch might incorporate features similar to Google smartwatch-like Tiles, Widget Function, User Shortcuts, and Task Switching capabilities. It might also support Google's vast app library, including the iconic health fitness app, FitBit.

However, the wait for official updates is not long! So save the date on June 28th where Samsung will likely unveil the full details, specs, and features of the incoming smartwatch "Wear."

Note, however, to take this information with a grain of salt. The smartwatch "Wear" features and Samsung's announcements are all subject to change according to the company's plans. All the specifics will be revealed in the full coverage of the Samsung MWC21 event.



Related Article: iPhone 13 Rumor Hints Cheaper Price vs. iPhone 12! Early Release Date, Colors, Apple Upgrades, and More Leaks
On National Selfie Day, Toyota Research Institute (TRI) showed how to best commemorate this special occassion by having its friendly, unnamed robot not only take photos of itself but also do chores around the house.

And some of these chores include wiping a transparent table or moving a drinking glass, which robots find difficult to distinguish or process. As TRI said in an Engadget report, "most robots are programmed to react to objects and geometry in front of them" and they could not differentiate an object it perceives and its reflection, leaving them confused with transparent and reflective surfaces.

Toyota Robot Trained to Perceive 3D Geometry While Detecting Objects, Surfaces

To overcome this problem, TRI said researchers developed a novel method to train robots in perceiving "the 3D geometry of the scene while also detecting objects and surfaces." This sophisticated process lets the robot understand an object in a space, move them to their proper places, and distinguish, say, a mirror from a glass table.

In this TRI video, the robot senses objects in its 3D geometry, thus enabling it to identify all kinds of wipeable surfaces such as counters and tables. It would also spot transparent drinking glasses and place them aside. All of these completed milestones are then used as programmable data for the robot to recreate and reuse instead of gathering physical data then perform a task.

Read Also: New Boston Dynamics YouTube Video Shows Three Robots Dancing 'Do You Love Me'

Letting robots understand specific home environments "poses special challenges because of the diversity and complexity of our homes where small tasks can add up to big challenges," TRI vice president for robotics Max Bajracharya said. His team has been tasked to develop robotic capabilities to assist humans in an aging society, the Engadget report further said.

Toyota Robot Trained to Assist Humans, Not Replace Them

Elderly care has been the focus in its research, with completing such house tasks an important milestone in its continuing progress. In an interview with TechCrunch, Bajracharya said allowing people to stay at their homes longer and living independently is just one of the project's goals, especially for the elderly population. He considers the growing elderly sector having a "really interesting socioeconomic impact, in terms of workforce."

Toyota, he said, is looking at "how these people can keep doing their jobs, so they can get the fulfillment from doing their jobs or staying at home longer." He added that the company thiks about being "human centered and amplify people."

TRI's immediate goal is to train the robots to clean and help around the house, and the company emphasized it is not doing this to replace human work but to assist people with their daily tasks, Cnet sharred. Such becomes increasingly important for elderly people who may need help around the house, carrying their groceries, or other domestic tasks.

And of course, the robot will be happy doing that for you, while happily taking that selfie, of course.

Related Article: The 'Ugo Robot' Intended To Replace Aging Workers Is Now Used To Help With The Coronavirus
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.

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
The pandemic put many things in perspective; transitioning the workforce home, driving critical applications and resources into the cloud and accelerating wholesale transformation. A lot has changed since last years ITEXPO, and as Rocky Balboa once said, Its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. The ripples of COVID touched all, but SD-WAN and modern networking buoyed industry during the uncertainty of the past 15 months.

This week, SD-WAN Expo kicks off, and today, Adaptiv Networks announced the arrival of My Connect, a user friendly, secure and cost-effective WFA solution. CEO Bernard Breton explained, My Connect addresses the need of work from anywhere workers, designed for the road warrior, promising a remote worker good quality for video calls and access to company resources via SD-WAN. The new solution solves a business problem and allows us to test new gen software, continued Breton.

Adaptiv serves the SMB and medium enterprise with its 100% channel approach by removing barriers of business digital transformation with amazingly simple and effective cloud connectivity. From a Gartner perspective, Adaptiv wont be named in the Magic Quadrant; however from analyst firms like InfoTech Research Group that focus on the mid-market, actual user rankings place the SD-WAN provider second-to-none.

Further fortifying this position was last summers Elfiq acquisition that addressed demands for higher bandwidth and more throughput, and expanded Cloud Network footprint to offer SD-WAN-as-a-Service in Europe. Commenting on the addition Breton noted, This was very strategic for us because it expanded our product lineup to service customers who need more powerful edge networking features, and the ELFIQ channel partners provide us with global market reach. We also brought in many talented people that have strengthened the Adaptiv Networks team and they are helping us accelerate our vision and product roadmap.

Speaking of product roadmap, the Adaptiv team is neck deep in R&D, currently fine-tuning its SASE service portfolio. In the not too distant future, Adaptiv partners will be able to offer base and advanced SASE products, with the base delivering a cloud-first product with the same flavor of Adaptiv SD-WAN at a reasonable price point. The advanced will deliver additional capabilities and a completely ZTNA framework.

Breton highlighted, Our product roadmap is focused on creating more value for our customers and for our partners. Were continually enhancing our feature set to provide more business insights through the centralized management portal, increase performance and control for cloud applications, and enable secure, agile SD-WAN access from anywhere.

When looking to add more value, SASE is the logical next step. Breton explained, SASE creates tremendous value for customers because it simplifies the network edge by consolidating access with security. Its a great opportunity for partners.The first official SASE offering is on track to launch by year end 2021 and will deploy as a simple add-on to any existing Adaptiv solution.

Bretons enthusiasm to return to live events was oozing through the Zoom viewing window. SD-WAN Expo enables a location for Adaptiv to reconnect with existing partners, and grow its channel ecosystem with new partners. Find the team in booth 445, and they will gladly illustrate how SD-WAN-as-a-Service can help differentiate offerings and maximize profitability.

Tomorrow morning, Breton makes his 2021 SD-WAN Expo stage debut in the panel, State of SD-Wan: A View from the C-Suite where attendees will gain insights on the challenges business leaders are facing, the need for digital transformation, and the business value created by SD-WAN from a panel of SD-WAN industry leaders. In his second appearance in the spotlight, Breton joins the panel WFH 101 with SD-WAN where the audience will learn ways SD-WAN helps remote workers stay connected and productive.

For Adaptiv, 2020 represented a year of growth, despite not quite meeting its own expectations. Some MSPs surged while others seized over the past year, but the cloud-powered work from anywhere future that lay ahead signals greener pastures. Mark Bretons words 2021 will be stronger. Youll see.

Its not too late to join us at SD-WAN Expo! Register today!

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
Cloud master agent and distributor Jenne, Inc. has been selected as a distributor for Boom Collaboration across the United States. As part of this new business partnership, Jenne Inc. will now offer Boom's extensive product line to customers, including audio/video devices, video cameras, all-in-one devices, as well as technical accessories and enhancements.

Boom Collaboration is excited to partner with a strong value added distributor that also is a leader in the US collaboration space, said Fredrik Hornkvist, CEO, Boom Collaboration. Jenne's excellent team combined with their vast experience and expertise in the market is a perfect match for our portfolio of solutions. Our partner centric approach aims to support and help resellers navigate the recently reshaped landscape for communication and collaboration. With this market set for a massive growth over the next few years, our reseller base is more important than ever.

Remote working has grown to be much more feasible over the last decade due to advancements in digital technology, but has appeared to solidify itself into modern work culture as a result of the pandemic. As hybrid work environments continue to soar in popularity, the two companies are in a prime position to claim a major stake in the digital collaboration market. According to Frost & Sullivan, the USB camera market is expected to grow to nearly $1.4 billion by 2023.

Jenne is excited to be adding Boom Collaboration to our portfolio of collaboration solutions, said Vince Piccolomini, senior vice president of operations and alliances. Boom Collaboration provides easy-to-deploy high quality audio and video devices, which ensure a good quality user experience during the on-line meeting and collaboration sessions in which we all spend so much time participating. Jennes value added resellers will benefit with the addition of the Boom Collaboration product line to offer to their end-user customers who are looking for more quality options in audio and video devices that will enhance their collaboration experience.

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Jenne Inc. will be joining ITEXPO from June 22-25 in Miami Florida , where attendees will be able to view a live demonstration of new features for Avaya Cloud Office. Jenne Inc. will be located at booth #522 at the Miami Convention Center.Edited by Luke Bellos
COMPANY NEWS: Fastly, a global edge cloud platform provider, today announced it has been appointed to the cloud marketplace (CMP) managed by the Australian Government's Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), reducing barriers to working with government departments and agencies.

The CMP is a digital sourcing arrangement for cloud services and cloud consulting. The CMP can be used by federal, state and territory governments in Australia, as well as Australian higher education providers and other organisations.

"We already enable the private sector to run their websites and applications more securely and with greater agility and control, allowing them to innovate and experiment using our best-of-breed cloud technologies. Just as we serve enterprise customers on the internet worldwide in the private sector, we want to bring these same tools to the public sector for the benefit of all Australians," said Fastly area vice president for Australia and New Zealand Derek Rast.

"Fastly plans to continue to invest in its Australian presence across its network and workforce expansions as we support more private and public entities in securing and delivering their digital experiences with proven reliability and high-performance compute power."

By joining the DTA's CMP, Fastly can bring its suite of best-in-breed cloud services, including its edge cloud platform, content delivery network (CDN), and web application, API, and cloud security, to a broader range of federal, state and territory buyers via the BuyICT platform.

Fastly's edge technology can be used by government buyers to secure high-profile, public-facing websites, APIs and apps that provide important information and government services to Australians. Fastly also offers broad support for websites powered by a range of content management systems (CMSs), including Wordpress, Drupal and other open source platforms.

About Fastly

Fastly helps people stay better connected with the things they love. Fastly's edge cloud platform enables customers to create great digital experiences quickly, securely, and reliably by processing, serving, and securing our customers' applications as close to their end-users as possible  at the edge of the internet. Fastly's platform is designed to take advantage of the modern internet, to be programmable, and to support agile software development with unmatched visibility and minimal latency, empowering developers to innovate with both performance and security. Fastly's customers include many of the world's most prominent companies, including Pinterest, The New York Times, and GitHub. Australia and New Zealand customers include Freelancer, Kogan, Linktree, Nine, NRL, Radio New Zealand, Seven Network, Trademe and Vodafone.

For further information, visit: https://www.fastly.com
Nvidia AI LaunchPad provides immediate access to Nvidia-powered infrastructure and software through hybrid-cloud providers, starting with Equinix.

Equinix customers can use AI LaunchPad to develop AI applications on Nvidia DGX SuperPODs managed via the Nvidia Base Command Platform, which will also be offered on Nvidia-certified systems from Dell, Lenovo and other vendors.

Customers can also securely deploy and manage AI applications across distributed edge infrastructure at Equinix by using the Nvidia Fleet Command managed cloud service, more on which below.

"Today's enterprises are looking for a simple, comprehensive solution that provides instant access to the resources they need to build and deploy AI with ease," said Nvidia head of enterprise computing Manuvir Das.

"Nvidia AI LaunchPad puts AI at the fingertips of enterprises everywhere with fully automated, hybrid-cloud infrastructure and software for every stage of the AI lifecycle."

By using AI LaunchPad at Equinix (or another interconnected hub), organisations can have secure, high-speed access via Equinix Fabric (or similar) an ecosystem of companies.

"Many industries use private clouds to keep costs down by having computing resources close to the data, for performance, data privacy, ownership and sovereignty reasons," said Equinix vice president of business development Steve Stienhilber.

"With Nvidia AI LaunchPad globally available at Equinix, enterprises will have immediate access to Nvidia software and Nvidia certified infrastructure in a comprehensive hybrid-cloud solution."

AI LaunchPad includes Nvidia AI Enterprise, a cloud-native AI and data analytics software suite for VMware vSphere on Nvidia certified systems.

The combination makes it easy to deploy AI in Equinix data centres with near bare-metal performance across multiple nodes for large, complex training and machine learning workloads, according to Nvidia.

"Enterprises are seeking solutions that enable them to easily integrate AI into their existing infrastructure," said VMware cloud platform business unit senior vice president and general manager Krish Prasad.

"VMware vSphere is critical to mainstreaming AI in the enterprise, and now, Nvidia AI LaunchPad will deliver our AI-ready enterprise platform as a turnkey solution to rapidly deploy, manage and scale AI workloads."

The first AI LaunchPad offerings at Equinix are expected this winter.

Nvidia Fleet Command is a managed edge AI services platform, designed to help organisations securely deploy and manage AI applications on Nvidia certified systems across thousands of locations, combining the real-time processing that comes with edge computing with the ability to centrally install, update and manage software.

The platform is now generally available.

"The ability to deploy and manage AI applications at the edge is one of the most complex problems facing businesses as they move toward an Internet of Things era, including smart factories, intelligent retail and smart cities," said Das.

"Nvidia Fleet Command drives efficiency across a business, helping scale edge AI with unprecedented speed."

Fleet Command, offered on a subscription basis directly from Nvidia, can be combined with the Nvidia Base Command cloud-hosted development hub.
Telsoc is inviting viewers to watch and listen media and communications consultant Giles Tanners discuss a government proposal in light of the hybrid view of TVs future as proposed in Tanners recent paper, Should TV move? co-authored with Jock Given.

The Federal government has proposed a surprisingly early, second digital dividend from the re-farming of TV spectrum, which would see the 600 MHz band auctioned for wireless broadband in 2025. Meanwhile, the extra efficiency of better video compression would supposedly allow the five free-to-air TV networks to squeeze into only three, shared TV channels in each area.

Media and communications consultant Giles Tanner whose interest lies in broadcasting and radio frequency spectrum management will discuss the proposal in light of the hybrid view of TVs future proposed in our recent paper, Should TV move? co-authored with Jock Given.

Consideration of the various directions TV transmission might evolve highlights some potential challenges for the TV industry, for the government, and for the long tail of Australians who still depend on free-to-air TV. While the paper marks a welcome start to an important microeconomic reform process, Tanner concludes that the public interest issues at stake may go wider than those government has articulated to date.

The event will be presented via Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided to registered attendees via email on the evening prior to the presentation.
"We are delighted to welcome Tristan as our local channel leader. Tristan has been a long time member of the Aruba family and has demonstrated expertise in every role throughout his career with us. I love the fact that Aruba is one of those rare places where people can come and grow a career, and Tristan is a great example of this," said Aruba South Pacific director Pat Devlin.

"Having moved from strength to strength, I am confident Tristan will thrive in his new position. Most importantly, I am looking forward to the energy, engagement and enthusiasm he will bring to our partner community."

Rajah first joined Aruba in 2010 as a graduate before moving into sales and territory development positions, most recently that of mid-market sales manager.

He holds a bachelor of commerce degree from Macquarie University.

"I am very proud and excited to begin this next chapter with Aruba. Over the past decade, I have had the chance to work alongside some of our industry's best minds across our partner and customer community," said Rajah.

"I look forward to hitting the ground running, speaking with new and existing partners on how we can make business easier for them, as well as broadening the resources and solutions on offer to our partners."

In related news, Aruba ANZ's channel sales manager Deke Rayner-Harvey has moved to parent company HPE to take on the role of commercial and mid-market sales manager for storage.

"We congratulate Deke on his new position and are delighted he remains part of the HPE family," said Devlin.

"Deke's contribution to Aruba over the past five years as SMB and channel sales manager is unparalleled and we wish him every success in his new role."
Ok, so the creative renaming of the ACCC is my idea, and not Addertons, but Peter has done the sums, and clearly, the communications competition conundrum isnt adding up - why were there no consumer protections put in when the TPG and Vodafone merger was approved?

On Monday 21 June, the ACCC (Australias Competition and Consumer Commission) put out a news release titled Australian consumers now paying more for mobile plans, which iTWire covered here.

This prompted a response from Boost Mobile founder Peter Adderton, who is a strong and vocal consumer advocate in the telco space in Australia and the US.

Adderton notes some interesting quotes from the ACCCs release, which come from ACCC Chair Rod Sims, and these included:

"When markets end up with a smaller group of large look-alike players with stable positions, competition is muted and consumers pay more.

"The ACCC opposed the merger of TPG and Vodafone because we were concerned it would lead to higher mobile prices, and result in three similar providers with little incentive to compete strongly,

"Our analysis shows that consumers will now be left paying significantly more for a range of mobile phone plans at Telstra, Optus and Vodafone,

So, what did Adderton have to say?

Adderton said: The ACCC has let consumers down on the TPG-Vodafone merger, they had the opportunity to support competition in other ways, but instead let it slide. But it's not too late to fix it.

I met with the ACCC in 2018 and begged them to look at the wholesale market, and to advocate for regulations to make sure smaller providers were protected. This would have, in turn, protected competition in the market. The ACCC was solely focused on objecting to the Vodafone-TPG merger as its Plan A. They had no Plan B. I always said they were not going to be able to block it, and they should have instead taken the opportunity to make sure that the merger went through with protections.

The big telcos have an obligation to look after their shareholders, and you cannot fault them for that. It is the ACCC that should have worked with TPG and Vodafone to make sure that MVNOs had a place in their new combined network on favourable terms, just as the Department of Justice did in the US when it ensured that Dish had a very favourable wholesale deal in the Sprint-T-Mobile merger. MVNOs have benefits for carriers as well, but they need protections to make sure they are able to negotiate good deals.

Ive always said that Australia cannot support a fourth network, but we can support a healthy wholesale market. And it is through MVNOs, wholesalers and private brands that competition can be fostered.

There is a long history of MVNOs driving value for consumers, yet the ACCC didnt give this part of the market the respect it deserved in terms of the role it plays in delivering choice, value and competition.

The reason prices have increased or will increase is because the ACCC didnt protect the wholesale market as MVNOs like we called for. They have let consumers down on this, need to take some responsibility and do something about it. Im willing to work with the ACCC to help guide them on that, the same offer I made when we met years ago. Its not too late.

Boost Mobile is always fighting for consumers, to deliver the best price and more choices. But right now I feel like Im spending more time fighting for consumers in the telco space than the ACCC is, Adderton concluded.

So, Rod Sims your move. Back in 2018, the ACCC was heralding the price drops competition was bringing. Will the ACCC stand by and let telcos take the mickey, or does Australias tiger-like competition tsar have some teeth after all?

It seems the ACCC is visiting the dentist. Well just have to wait and see, but for now, those fearsome looking teeth are probably just dentures.
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This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
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.
Jacksonville, TX (75766)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.




Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support.
Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.
Should I Ask My Friends If They Are Vaccinated?

COVID-19 vaccine etiquette and considerations for all the people in your life.

By Keri Althoff and Elizabeth Stuart | June 21, 2021

If youre fully vaccinated, almost all interactions are quite low risk for you. But you might still want to know about others vaccination status to help think through how to make activities as low risk as possible for everyone.

This is particularly true if you interact regularly with high-risk individuals or people who havent been vaccinated yet, such as children under 12 years old.

You can get practice and gain comfort in asking friends about their vaccination status before interacting closely with them. Below are a few specific examples of navigating some tricky scenarios.

If you learn that someone isnt vaccinated, when appropriatewith close friends and family, for exampleconsider asking them why not and see if you can help address their concerns. (See How Can I Talk to My Friends and Family About Vaccines)

Let us know what questions youre hearing: publichealthquestion@jhu.edu

SCENARIO: I am fully vaccinated. How can I ask my friends if they are also vaccinated before we hang out? Should it change our plans if someone is not?

Absolutely! If you are hanging out with fully vaccinated friends, you can enjoy each others company without masks and social distancing.

If there are unvaccinated friends in the mix, you may wish to enjoy your gathering outside or in spaces where masking and social distancing is more comfortable. Asking your friends about their vaccination status is as simple as I have been vaccinated for COVID-19. Have you? If they dont wish to answer, you should engage with the person as if they are unvaccinated.

SCENARIO: My dentist told me that shes not going to get vaccinated. Should I find another provider?

It is perfectly appropriate to seek out service providers who you know are vaccinated.

SCENARIO: My friend told me that asking someone about their vaccination status is a HIPAA violation. Is that true?

It is not a violation of HIPAA to ask someone about their vaccination status. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) restricts doctors and insurance companies from disclosing information about their patients.

SCENARIO: My fiance and I are finally rescheduling our postponed wedding for later this summer. Is it ok to ask that guests who plan to attend get vaccinated beforehand so everyone can be safe? Should we require proof of some kind?

Encouraging guests to be vaccinated to attend your wedding is appropriate. You may even wish to gather information on an individuals vaccination status on the RSVP card.

But people may be dishonest about their vaccination status, proof may be difficult for vaccinated people to provide, and there may be people who are vaccinated but still practice masking and social distancing as extra layers of protection for themselves (particularly if they are immune compromised) or others in their household. You might want to also consider how or whether knowing that information would or would not change your plans.

Unless you have a small gathering and you are confident everyone is vaccinated, remind your guests of the CDC guidance for unvaccinated people and provide masks and space for guests to socially distance themselves.

SCENARIO: Im newly back into the dating scene and eager to meet people. How can I ask them about their vaccination status before we hang out?

Communication is key to relationships. Asking about vaccination status can help build communication and is important for understanding how to follow CDC guidelines.

Read more about Dating in the Time of COVID-19

SCENARIO: My 12- and 14-year-old kids are newly fully vaccinated and want to hang out with their friends, but there are some kids under 12 who havent been vaccinated and others whose status we dont know. How can we keep everyone safe?

A general rule is that if youre going to be gathering with people from multiple households who arent vaccinatedor if you dont know everyones vaccination statuslook for lower-risk activities:

Stay outdoors

Keep masks on while indoors

Keep the group small

When considering gatherings, keep in mind local COVID-19 spread and protection in your community. The number of cases per 100,000 population and the proportion of people vaccinated can help guide your decision-making. If COVID-19 rates are high and the gathering is large and among people whose vaccination status is largely unknown, or if there are going to be lots of children, consider more safety measures or even postponing the event for a later time.

This guidance could also apply to families who each have children older than 12 and children younger than 12 under the same roof who want to socialize with other families.

Keri Althoff, PhD 08, MPH 05, is an associate professor in Epidemiology with a joint appointment at the School of Medicine. She is the Provosts Fellow for Research Communication at Johns Hopkins.

Elizabeth Stuart, PhD, AM, is the associate dean for Education at the Bloomberg School and a professor in Mental Health, Biostatistics, and Health Policy and Management. She was recently appointed as a Bloomberg Professor of American Health.
The Impacts of COVID-19 on Diabetes and Insulin

With insulin becoming unaffordable to many diabetics in the US, how has this community fared during a pandemic, unemployment, and loss of employer-sponsored health care?

By Grace Fernandez | JUNE 10, 2021

Forty-year-old Jennifer Walton was at the height of her career in crisis communications and living in Colorado.

When she was suddenly let go by her employer at the start of the pandemic, her first thought wasnt I need to look for a new job immediately. It was How much money do I have, and how much insulin have I hoarded?

For Walton and 1.6 million other type 1 diabetics, insulin is as necessary as water, yet its one of the most expensive drugs in the U.S. For her and so many others, the everyday reality of hoarding or rationing insulin was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diabetes affects how our bodies turn food into energy. When a non-diabetic consumes food, glucose levels spike and the pancreas releases insulin to turn that sugar into energy. Diabetics must inject insulin multiple times a day to keep glucose levels controlled.

Uncontrolled glucose levels over time can lead to bad health problems such as heart disease, kidney failure, retinopathy, and even loss of limbs, says Mihail Zilbermint, MD, expert in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, and an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Essentially any organ that needs blood supply is at risk of failure if you have diabetes.

While insulin is the key to managing diabetes, many diabetics struggle to afford this life saving drug. The price of insulin in the last 20 years has risen over 300%, says Mariana Socal, MD, an associate scientist in Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School, forcing people like Walton to ration and hoard insulin, consequently leading to life-threatening conditions like organ failure due to high glucose levels over time.

According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are more likely to have serious complications from COVID-19, especially if their diabetes is not well managed. A study in the journal Diabetes Care found that the odds of a COVID-19related hospitalization and greater illness severity for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are three- to fourfold higher than patients without diabetes.

Zilbermint, who is an endocrine hospitalist, helps manage patients glucose levels, which are often hard to control when a diabetic is fighting off an infection. It doesnt help that dexamethasone, a drug used to treat COVID-19, can raise blood sugar to dangerous levels. Patients who had diabetes and developed a COVID-19 infection required enormous amounts of insulin, says Zilbermint.

Zilbermint says that he saw an increase in complications in diabetic patients during the pandemic. Many were unable to afford insulin as a direct result of unemployment and loss of health care during the pandemic. For Walton, losing her job meant going from a co-insurance plan sponsored by her employer that cost about $50 a month to a COBRA premium plan that costs $650 a month.

I was lucky in that I had a decent amount of savings, but COBRA decimated it, said Walton. Walton said without her savings, she says, she probably would have gone into bankruptcy.

Not all are as lucky as Walton. A survey conducted by the American Diabetes Association found that 9% of diabetic patients could not afford medical care during the pandemic, 2% experienced disruption to their insurance coverage, and 50% could not regain coverage.

Walton dreads September 30, the day her COBRA coverage runs out. For the last six months Ive been hoarding insulin and picking up prescriptions as soon as I can, so that I can fill them as much as possible before September 30, says Walton.

Some states have capped out-of-pocket copayments for insulin, but this offers little help to the Americans whove lost their jobs and their employer-sponsored health insurance during the pandemic. While the three insulin manufacturersNovo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, and Sanofiannounced cost-sharing support during the pandemic, Socal says its hard to know if these programs are even working and how long they may last because these manufacturers are not accountable to anyone.

There are valid reasons to believe that there is a gap between what [insulin] manufacturers announce and what they put into practice, says Socal.

Is there hope that one day this essential drug will be affordable to all who need it?

Socal says many policymakers agree on the problem. The challenge is agreeing on the solution.

Grace Fernandez is a communications and marketing specialist in the Office of External Affairs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Will There Be a Fall 2021 Resurgence of COVID-19 in the U.S.?

Infectious disease modelers explore how COVID-19 could play out in the next six months.

Interview by Josh Sharfstein | June 17, 2021



Public Health On Call This conversation is excerpted from the June 4 episode of Public Health On Call. Subscribe to Podcast

Last fall and winter saw a surge in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. after numbers dropped in the summer. Will that happen again this year?

Justin Lessler, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, worked with several teams of modelers to explore possibilities based on different vaccination rates and levels of other controls, such as mask wearing and distancing. In this Q&A, adapted from the June 4 episode of Public Health On Call, Lessler discusses several different scenariosand the troubling element that the models didnt consider.

Youve spent a lot of your time in the last year working on models to understand the spread of the virus, and you have recently worked with a group of modelers to look to the future from where we are today. Can you tell us about this work?

This is a multi-modeling effort we call the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub. We wanted to bring in teams with different perspectives and different assumptions to try to get the best sense across the scientific community of how things might proceed in different conditions. This is how we do weather forecasting, and we think its the right way to do infectious diseases as well.

What is the difference between scenario modeling and forecasting, and how that is applicable to this model that you build for the future?

In forecasting, were really trying to say what will happen. For a lot of reasons, we can only do that for a little bit into the future, kind of like in weather forecasting, where you can have a decent 10-day or maybe 14-day forecast, but you really cant go much further than that. The COVID-19 Forecast Hub, another multi-modeling effort, realizes that and limits their forecasts to four weeks into the future.

But people who are planning for, say, how long we will need to support people who are put out of work by the pandemic, or what the impacts might be of lots of vaccination hesitancythey need to know how things might unfold in longer timeframes of three months, six months, or maybe even longer. And then we get into the realm of what I call planning scenarios. We specify some conditions about how things might unfold based on our best understanding of the world now, and then, under multiple scenarios where things unfold in slightly different ways, project how the epidemic might unfold. But were perfectly upfront and clear that changes in policy, changes in how people react, or unexpected new variants of the disease could completely change these, so we dont claim them to be forecasts.

What scenarios were you looking at?

We looked at a 2-by-2 table of scenarios where one dimension was all about vaccination. While in previous rounds the questions around vaccination were often about supply, now theyre about hesitancy and demand. So one scenario [assumes that] demand is going to be highmost people who say they might get the vaccine eventually get it, and we get up to around 83% of the eligible population being vaccinated at a national level. In the low-vaccination or high-hesitancy scenario, we assume that just under 70% of the eligible population actually gets vaccinated.

The other dimension was control measures other than vaccination. We call them nonpharmaceutical interventions, or NPIs. This is the suite of basically everything else: mask wearing, both mandated and by individual choice; restaurant capacity rules; and even personal decisions about whether to go out and do activities as before the pandemic occurred.

So these teams looked at four different scenarios: high vaccination plus a reasonable amount of NPIs, all the way down to low vaccination and not a lot of mask wearing or other types of restrictions.

Yes, exactly.

In three of the four scenarios, we see cases going down and staying low, deaths going down and staying low, and hospitalizations going down and staying low. If we have low vaccine hesitancy, or were very slow and cautious in how we ease back NPIs, thats where the models send us. We level off at lower numbers [of cases], and they get lower a lot faster, if you both keep some control in place and have high vaccination. If were high on either dimension [NPIs or vaccination], numbers go down.

But if we have low vaccination and quickly roll back the NPIs, then we start seeing resurgences in the fall. Thats one of the places the models start having the most variation between them, with some thinking things could get really bad quite quickly, and others thinking things will be relatively good but still seeing moderate increases in cases.

In scenarios where there arent as many people as wed like to see vaccinated, and people give up their mask and other things, what are we looking at for the fall in terms of deaths?

Just to give you a sense of where we are now, were seeing around 4,000 incident deaths per week. In the most optimistic scenario, by the end of October that gets down to under 70.

70 deaths for the whole country, per week?

Per weekif we have high vaccination and we keep control measures in place. In contrast, if we have lower levels of vaccination and roll back our control measures a lot, then after having a lull in the summer, well be coming back up and seeing something like 2,500 deaths a week again. Thats a little bit better than where we are now, but trending the wrong way.

Even in the scenarios with low vaccination and moderate amounts of NPIs, or low NPIs and high vaccination, you see less than 300 deathsbut thats still two or three times more than you see in the most optimistic scenario. Basically, if you succeed on any one of the axes, things like start looking a lot better than they do now. But if you fail on both, or dont get where you want to in both, the pandemic continues.

How possible is it that we see more than one of these scenarios in different parts of the country?

Its completely possible. The teams were free to take this national average of 70% overall vaccination rate and apportion that between states based on what weve seen so far in terms of vaccination. When you look at that, plus the number of cases the states have seen already, numbers stay low in some stateslike New Jersey, which had a lot of cases and has a pretty good vaccination rate alsoeven in the worst-case scenario. But then if you look at places like Maine, which hasnt had a lot of cases in the past, you see some pretty significant resurgences in the most pessimistic scenario. But it is certainly the case that the whole country isnt necessarily going to follow any one of these.

In pretty much all of these different scenarios we see a big decline over the summer. But in some of the scenarios, it really goes up quite a bit in the fall.



So, I see the summer as a critical time for the vaccination campaign. We may be lulled into a sense of security by having so few cases, but if were not doing everything possible to get people vaccinated in that period, we could be paying for it in the fall. Do you think thats a fair conclusion?

I think thats completely fair. Even though we had last year some localized surges, for the most part nationally we were in pretty good shape over the summer. And then as soon as fall and winter hit, numbers started really going up again. We need to keep that in mind as we think about this year and keep those vaccinations coming.

Also, all these scenarios are a little bit optimistic in one way: They dont account for a more-transmissible variant or a variant with partial immune escape coming along, which could put us in an even worse position. I think the best way to insure against that is to keep the vaccination rates high over the summerand as new populations become approved to get the vaccine, make sure we get it out into those groupsso that we have the immunity to protect us from the unexpected in the future.

Update: On June 15, the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub released its sixth round of projections. Key takeaways include:

In scenarios with a 60% more transmissible variant, the Hub expects a national surge of cases to grow over the summer, peaking around mid-September to early Octoberwhich is also when schools open and seasonal effects might kick in.

Increasing vaccination coverage from 75% to 86% nationally will help curb the wave and cause it to decrease quicker, but it will not prevent this surge.

Surges will be strongest in states with lower rates of vaccination.

The transmissibility of new variants has a greater impact on future cases than raising vaccination levels from 75% to 86%: A 60% more transmissible variant will result in a surge regardless of vaccination rates, while variants that are only 20% more transmissible may not.

There is still a lot of uncertainty about highly transmissible variants in terms of magnitude and timing, but the main point is

Higher levels of vaccination coverage will prevent cases and save lives, regardless of how transmissible new variants may be.

See the data here.

Joshua Sharfstein, MD, is the vice dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement and a professor in Health Policy and Management. He is also the director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and a host of the Public Health On Call podcast.
Page Content

The Citys Emergency Management Services (EMS) has kicked off its annual Winter Safety Campaign with the overarching goal of assisting residents to avoid fire hazards during the coldest months of the year.



The campaign is also designed to provide vulnerable communities with adequate information to avert fire dangers in hostels, backyard dwellings and informal settlements.



Since the winter season began, the Citys Disaster Management Unit has received several calls of fire outbreaks in George Goch.



Some of the challenges that the community face are fires that are caused by children playing with matches as well as fires caused by overloaded plugs, unattended burning candles and paraffin stoves, says Kemane Mokitle from Disaster Management.



The winter safety campaign is a partnership between the Citys Directorates of Public Safety, including EMS, Disaster Management and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD).



Mokitle says the City decided to launch the campaign at the George Goch hostel because of the vulnerability of residents there. In addition, all 200 informal settlements in the municipality have been identified as susceptible to fire hazards.



During the campaign launch, residents of George Goch received mini fire extinguishers and winter gloves and hats. Community members were also advised to make their area fire safe by not storing wood, paper and plastic which burns easily. Residents have been urged to check gas appliances regularly to ensure they are not leaking, rusted or damaged.



Sparks from electric wires and plugs can start a fire. Residents should put paraffin stoves on a flat surface, where it cant fall or get knocked over, Mokitle emphasises.



The Citys Disaster Management Unit provides sponge mattresses and blankets to families affected by fires. The unit receives donated food parcels and hygiene packs from NGOs to distribute to needy families.



In case of a fire outbreak, residents are encouraged to use the toll-free number 112 to contact disaster management using any cellphone network.



Written by Ayanda Radebe


ETSU is best in Tennessee for computing degree programs, according to two rankings
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Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a public charity. It can be found at missouriindependent.com.
Pictured, at right, are volunteers for the Literacy Volunteers of the Eastern Panhandle. Over the weekend, LVEP trained 16 new volunteer educators as the program continues to see growth.
Olivia Travis has taken her role as Berkeley County Miss Outstanding Teen seriously, handling the responsibilities as a queen with care, as she dedicated herself to community service, a lifelong passion. Travis will be competing at the West Virginia Miss Outstanding Teen pageant on Friday at Airborne Church.
Cote dIvoire, a country with rich ethnic diversity, has numerous traditional kings and chiefs. Symbols of cultural heritage and identity of several peoples, they have often been called on by governments during the crises that have rocked the country. But is their work real reconciliation or just to put out the fires ignited by those very political leaders?

It is not so long ago, in October 2020, that electoral violence erupted again in Cote dIvoire. Protests against a third mandate for current president Alassane Ouattara left 85 people dead across the country. These deaths occurred in inter-communal violence mostly in the interior.

A political not an ethnic problem

Traditional leaders on the frontlines worked to restore calm. This was the case in Bocanda, a stronghold of the opposition PDCI-RDA party, located more than 200 kilometres from the capital Abidjan. Chief Brou, the traditional leader of Bocanda, is proud of his contribution to avoiding serious violence at a time when tensions between the ruling RHDP party and the PDCI-RDA were close to beoming conflict between the Baule and Malinke populations.

We played our part, he says. When things got heated, we had to intervene. When they [young opposition demonstrators who meant to attack the mayor of the city from the ruling party] started stirring up trouble, I went to the hotspot several times. Thats why there was no killing here in Bocanda. We held several meetings with the communities, explains the 60-year-old. We called both sides together. We insisted that this is a political problem, not an ethnic one, and everything calmed down. The traditional leader also works alongside the Ivorian state. The authorities use us for reconciliation. A joint civil-military platform has been set up with us for reconciliation, he says.

Our role is to settle differences

Akeo Antoine, chief of the village of Anonkoua-Koute, has participated in this reconciliation process for many years. This man, whose term as chief ended in January 2021, has remained honorary chief of the village inhabited by people of the Ebrie ethnic group. Located north of Abidjan, Anonkoua-Koute was the scene of serious violence on March 6, 2011. Reputedly close to former president Laurent Gbagbo, the village was the target of an attack that day that cost the lives of a dozen people.

In essence, our mission is to settle disputes that come to our attention, both small fights, small thefts and inter-community conflicts. This is our mission, says the traditional leader. Akeo Antoine has participated in reconciliation efforts by the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CDVR) set up after the 2010-2011 crisis. When we are called upon, we are obliged to do so, he says.

Its all for show

But in Cote dIvoire, the role of traditional chiefs remains strongly tied to political will. Often invited to public ceremonies for folklore, they complain that their influence is limited. We would like our voice to be heard more. Our role has become too honorary, laments Ble Mathias, a Bhete community leader in the Ayame region of southeast Cote dIvoire.

For this former postal worker who then became an agricultural worker 20 years ago, Ivorian chiefs do not carry the same weight as in some neighbouring countries. In countries like Burkina Faso with the Mogho Naaba or Ghana, the kings and traditional chiefs are strong and respected. Here, many of them live on donations from politicians. How can we be correct in these conditions? he asks.

Anzouan Isidore, chief of the village of Koffikro in the heart of Akan country in central Cote dIvoire, does not see reconciliation as something for the people. It is the politicians who are at the root of the crises, not the people, he says. This reconciliation has become like a business. Everyone says reconciliation, but the problems come when there is an election and with the messages politicians deliver to the people. If they dont change their ways, we will always have the same problems, says this former accountant. All that is being done is for show. What has happened, those who have lost relatives, nothing can change that. There is no reconciliation to be done. What is needed is a change in political methods.

Traditional leaders Chamber decline invitation for Gbagbos return

Cote dIvoire did set up a National Chamber of Traditional Kings and Chiefs (CNRCT) in 2014. But the institution, which is based in the countrys political capital Yamoussoukro, is struggling to find its feet and prove itself independent of government. Appointed by Ouattara, its president is the king of Grand-Bassam, Nana Amon Tanoe. And it is still waiting for its legal powers. The Chamber has been waiting for its organic law since 2017. For the moment, we do not have this legal document that constitutes the essence of the institution, says an official of the CNRCT, on condition of anonymity.

In recent days, the Chamber declined an invitation from Gbagbo supporters to participate in a reception for the returning ex-president, acquitted in January 2019 by the International Criminal Court. The CNRCT board, in a note published on Friday, June 4, said it welcomes and approves the return of a son of the country, who returns without hatred to accelerate the process of national reconciliation. As for the reception, all the chiefs say they do not feel qualified to participate, it tries to explain. We propose that primacy in any circumstance is given to the security and peace of Ivorians.

This was not to the taste of Gbagbo supporters, who did not refrain from mentioning that, according to them, King Tanoe is close to Ouattara. What is a shame is to see that we are remembered only for libations during inauguration ceremonies of buildings or during elections to win a few votes. But when it comes to the problems that affect the country, people think that we are not important enough, says Ble Mathias.

Gbagbo, a son of the country

Some traditional leaders were finally present at Abidjan airport on June 17 to witness Gbagbos return. Although his eventful arrival did not allow them to interact with him, many are convinced that his return is a good thing. He is a son of the country who has many supporters and is returning home. It is good for peace and social cohesion, was the measured comment of Anzouan Isidore.

The ruling RHDP party has spoken of this return stressing Ouattaras will for reconciliation. By making the presidential pavilion at the airport available to the welcome committee of former president Laurent Gbagbo, President [Ouattara] has made a very strong gesture, indicating his will to bring the ongoing national reconciliation process to a successful conclusion, said Agriculture Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, spokesman for the RHDP.

As for Gbagbo, he did not use the word reconciliation in his first speech to his supporters. It was brief, and ended with a combative statement: Mr. Secretary General () I am your soldier, I am mobilized. Thank you, he declared on the evening of his return, June 17.
More than 40 countries led by Canada voiced grave concerns at the UN Human Rights Council Tuesday about Chinas actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet  triggering a fierce backlash from Beijing.

The widely anticipated joint statement had been in the pipeline for several days and was delivered on day two of the 47th session of the council in Geneva.

We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Canadas ambassador Leslie Norton said.

The statement was backed by Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States, among others.

Beijing must allow UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet and other independent observers immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang, and end the arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, it said.

Credible reports indicate that over a million people have been arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang and that there is widespread surveillance disproportionately targeting Uyghurs and members of other minorities and restrictions on fundamental freedoms and Uyghur culture, it said.

The statement cited reports of torture or cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilisation, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children from their parents.

The number of signatories is an increase from the 22 ambassadors who wrote to Bachelet in 2019 condemning Chinas treatment of the Uyghurs.

China denies mistreating the Uyghurs, once a clear majority in their ancestral homeland until the state helped waves of ethnic Han Chinese migrate there. Beijing insists it is simply running vocational training centres designed to counter extremism.

Bachelet told the council on Monday she hoped at last to visit Xinjiang this year and be given meaningful access.

Tuesdays statement was bound to further enrage Beijing, which decries what it says is the interference by foreign powers in its internal affairs.

The joint declaration also expressed concern over the deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong and the human rights situation in Tibet.

The move came after US President Joe Bidens first foreign trip, in which he garnered G7 and NATO unity in pushing back against Beijing, with Washington identifying China as the pre-eminent global challenge.

The statement sends a crucial message to Chinas authorities that they are not above international scrutiny, said Agnes Callamard, head of the rights group Amnesty International.

But countries must now move beyond handwringing and take real action, she added.

 Chinas counter-attack 

Aware that the statement was coming, China had responded before it was even delivered.

Beijings representative read out a statement on behalf of a group of countries deeply concerned about serious human rights violations against the indigenous people in Canada.

Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria and Venezuela were among the co-signatories, according to the United Nations.

Historically, Canada robbed the indigenous people of their land, killed them, and eradicated their culture, the statement said.

It referenced the recent discovery of 215 unmarked graves at a former residential school in western Canada  one of many boarding schools set up a century ago to forcibly assimilate Canadas indigenous peoples.

We call for a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases where crimes were committed against the indigenous people, especially children, the statement said.

The representative of Belarus read another joint statement on behalf of 64 countries, supporting China and stressing that Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet were Chinese internal affairs.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada had acknowledged and was seeking to make amends for wronging its indigenous peoples.

In Canada, we had a truth and reconciliation commission, he told journalists. Where is Chinas truth and reconciliation commission. Where is their truth?

The journey of reconciliation is a long one, but it is a journey we are on, he said. China is not recognizing even that there is a problem.

That is a pretty fundamental difference and that is why Canadians and people from around the world are speaking up for people like the Uyghurs who find themselves voiceless, faced with a government that will not recognize whats happening to them.
San Diego (Border report)  The southern border is 1,954 miles long, and Ramon Castro plans to walk to each one in 45 days.

A week from today, Castro, a US Marine Corps veteran and the founder of the US Veterans Home Initiative, will embark on a journey across the US-Mexico border to bring the needed awareness and immediately seek for the past. Deported American veterans who served the country received relief.

Ramon Castro is a member of the Brawley (California) City Council and served in the US Marine Corps for 7 years. (Provided by: Brawley City)

American veterans who are legal residents but not American citizens are being deported back to their original countries.

When veterans encounter legal problems, the US government does not have a policy to protect them from deportation, which often leads to immediate deportation.

According to AVHI, there are no exact figures on how many veterinarians have been deported.

This walk is part of the call to action, which considers three goals, requiring the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Congress to act quickly and boldly to help deported U.S. veterans proudly serve the country. .

The three goals outlined by the organization are:

Implement and simplify the process for service personnel and veterans to become citizens immediately.

Stop expelling American veterans.

Forgive all American veterans deported and take them home.

Castros so-called Going Forward: A Parade to Bring Home Our Deported Veterans is scheduled to begin in San Diego on June 28 and end on August 11 near Brownsville, Texas. He planned to stop along the way and cross the border to visit deported veterans.

According to AVHI, it cooperates with multiple organizations across the country and Mexico. The organization is located in Brawley, California.

Castro currently serves as the City Councillor of Brawley and has served in the Marine Corps for seven years.

Visit the BorderReport.com homepage to learn about the latest exclusive reports and breaking news on the US-Mexico border issue.
Prosecutors are seeking 30 years in prison for Fujimori on the grounds that he had made allegations of corrupt funds in previous campaigns.

A Peruvian judge rejected the prosecutors request to return the presidential election candidate Keiko Fujimori to prison because she allegedly failed to comply with the bail conditions she faces on money laundering and corruption charges.

Fujimori, the eldest daughter of the imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori, faces trial for claiming that she received $1.2 million from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to fund the 2011 and 2016 presidential elections.

Prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez told Judge Victor Zuniga on Monday that Fujimori had contacted a witness in the case and violated bail restrictions.

However, the judge believed that the accusation was unfounded because she had not been warned, so Fujimoris bail period was extended.

For her part, Fujimori said the prosecutors request was arbitrary, disproportionate and unjust because dozens of her supporters demonstrated outside.

Fujimori has been detained for 16 months before trial. She denied the accusations against her.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, Fujimori was conditionally released in May last year and was prohibited from leaving Peru or communicating with co-defendants or witnesses in the case.

Prosecutors have stated that they will seek a sentence of 30 years in prison for the 46-year-old daughter of the former president who was convicted.

Potential flash point

After the second round of the presidential vote on June 6, when the country was already highly nervous, the hearing was a potential flashpoint.

Fujimori faced the socialist Pedro Castillo.

Castillo declared his victory After appearing with more than 44,058 votes, the total number of votes exceeded 17.5 million.

However, Fujimori refused to admit defeat and requested the disqualification of up to 200,000 votes on the grounds of fraud, but she did not provide public evidence.

Over the weekend, thousands of supporters of the two candidates, Fujimori and Castillo, took to the streets, calling for democracy to prevail, and demanding that the election jury that weighed Fujimoris fraud allegations speed up its work. [Alessandro Cinque/Reuters]

In the election, Castillo was a teacher and union leader, and was supported in most impoverished rural areas. He and the free market businessman Fujimori are descendants of a powerful family whose supporters include most of Peru Urban elites.

During the weekend, thousands of supporters of the two candidates took to the streets calling for democracy to prevail, And let the election jury weighing Fujimori fraud charges work faster.

If Fujimori wins the election, criminal proceedings against her will cease until her term ends.

Ipsos Peru, a polling agency, said that statistical analysis of votes shows that there is no evidence that abnormal voting patterns are biased towards any one candidate.
Scottus News

after Amy How





8:52 p.m.

On the day the court makes a major ruling University Sports with Securities Law, Order list Last weeks private meeting of justices did not cause a sensation on Monday morning. The court did not add any new cases to the fall file, but it did require the federal government to weigh the state Supreme Courts interpretation of federal regulationsa move that could put the potential successor of Justice Stephen Breyer into the spotlight.with In a separate order In the news released late on Monday morning, after the Biden administration ended the plan, the judges challenged the Trump-era asylum policy.

The judges called on acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Elizabeth Prelogar in Marin Housing Authority v. ReillyThe center of this case is the interpretation of a regulation passed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that defines income for the purpose of a federal program (called Section 8) that provides subsidies to help low-income families Pay the rent. In the following decision, the California Supreme Courts specific question is that the federal government is now required to comment on whether the compensation received by parents for taking care of a severely disabled adult daughter should be included in the income for public housing management When the Bureau calculates the Section 8 subsidy. The California Supreme Court, which is very divided, ruled that compensation should be excluded from income. The Chief Justice of the Court, Tani Cantil-Sakauye (Tani Cantil-Sakauye) wrote a dissenting opinion, which was also joined by Justice Leondra Kruger, who is often referred to Mentioned as one of President Joe Bidens candidates for the Supreme Court.

Separately, in Mayorkas v. Innovation Law Laboratory, The Supreme Court rejected the challenge to the Trump administrations stay in Mexico policy, which allows the Department of Homeland Security to require non-Mexican immigrants seeking asylum at the southern border to stay in Mexico while waiting for a US hearing. Being fired is not unexpected. The court agreed to weigh the policy in October 2020, but in February, the Biden administration had asked the judge to remove the case from the February debate schedule.

in Newsletter submitted in June, Prelogar urged the court to invalidate the lower courts ruling and send the case back, and instructed the district court to dismiss the 2019 order prohibiting the federal government from implementing the policy. Prelogar argued that the case has no practical significancethat is, it is no longer an on-site disputebecause the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Majorcas ended his remain in Mexico on June 1. policy. In an unsigned order, the judges did just that.The order was also shelved because it had no practical meaning Requests from a group of countriesLed by the State of Texas, joined the lawsuit to defend the policies of the Biden administration.

The judges will hold another private meeting on Thursday, June 24. This will be the last regular meeting of judges before the summer adjournment. The court is expected to issue the order for the meeting on Monday, June 28, and will almost certainly issue an additional set of orders after the last opinion day of the term.

This article is Originally published in Howe on the Court.
The United Nations said on Monday that more than 8,500 children were used as soldiers in various conflicts around the world last year, and nearly 2,700 others were killed.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Annual report on children and armed conflict submitted to the Security Council Covers the killing, mutilation and sexual abuse of children, kidnapping or recruitment, denial of assistance, and targeting schools and hospitals.

The report confirms that 19,379 children were violated in 21 conflicts in 2020, of which Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen were the most affected.

The investigation found that 8,521 children were used as soldiers last year, another 2,674 children were killed in various conflicts, and 5,748 were injured.

One out of every four victims of serious violations is a girl, and most of them are victims of sexual violence.

The report also includes a blacklist

On the other hand, after the United Nations has contacted relevant countries, at least 12,643 children will be released by armed groups and troops in 2020.

The report also includes a blacklist designed to humiliate all parties to the conflict, hoping to push them to implement measures to protect children. For a long time, the list has been controversial among diplomats, saying that both Saudi Arabia and Israel have exerted pressure in recent years to not be included in the list.

Israel has never been included on the list, and the Saudi-led military alliance was removed from the list in 2020 after it was first named and humiliated for killing and harming children in Yemen.

In order to quell the controversy surrounding the report, Guterres released a blacklist in 2017 into two categories. One lists the parties that have taken measures to protect children, while the other lists the parties that have not yet taken measures.

There were few major changes to the list announced on Monday. The only states on the list that have not taken measures are the Myanmar army  killing, maiming, and sexual violence against children  and the Syrian government army  recruiting, killing, maiming, and sexual violence against children, and attacking schools and hospitals.
Some countries have allowed the COVID vaccine to be replaced with a second dose, and a number of medical studies are underway.

A government spokesperson said on Tuesday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for the second time after receiving the first dose of AstraZeneca.

The 66-year-old received the first dose of AstraZenecas vaccine in April. More than two weeks ago, German authorities recommended that this vaccine be used only for people 60 years and older.

Millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been vaccinated safely in Europe, but concerns about rare blood clots in a very small number of recipients linger, which means some of the early priority groups due to age or previous health conditions Human conditions have been delaying access to it, preferring to wait for another vaccine.

Dozens of countries suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March, or restricted it to the elderly. However, several of them Including Germany -After the health regulatory agency stated that the benefits of the injection outweigh any risks, the use has been fully or restrictedly resumed.

In April, Germany recommended that people who received the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine should receive a different vaccine in the second dose. Several other European countries have made similar decisions.

After a difficult start, vaccination work in Germany has accelerated dramatically in recent weeks. As of Tuesday, one-half, or 51.2% of the population had received the first dose of vaccine.

Mixed vaccine

Some experts believe that switching the COVID vaccine to a second dose can enhance immunity, and a number of medical studies are ongoing.

A small study in the United Kingdom on the use of different COVID vaccines in two doses found that people who received one dose of AstraZeneca (and vice versa) after receiving Pfizer vaccine were more likely to report mild or moderately common post-vaccination symptoms. Instead of vaccinating the same type of dose twice.

Novavax, which is developing a coronavirus vaccine, said on May 21 that it will participate in a mixed and matched COVID-19 vaccine trial to test the use of additional vaccine doses from different manufacturers as a booster. The trial will begin in the UK in June.

At the same time, Canada, facing a shortage of supplies, suggested that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can be used interchangeably.

The Canadian National Observer said that the Canadian government said on Monday that Pfizers weekly shipments of 2.4 million doses were delayed, causing provinces to change Pfizers appointment to Moderna, and urged people not to cancel their injections. Report.

Officials in Ontario have notified residents that they may be vaccinated with different mRNA vaccines-Pfizer BioNTech and Modernas advanced technology for injection.

We hope you will be fully protected as soon as possible, the national observer quoted doctor David Williams as saying.

The mixed vaccine is safe, he said.

Officials in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec have urged citizens and residents to do the same.

The governor of Quebec, Francois Legault, said on Monday: Our public health department said that you can have the same or mixed ones, and the advantages are much higher than the very small risks.
From June 28, people no longer need to wear masks outdoors, because the risk level decreases as the number of cases decreases.

The Italian government stated that from June 28, Italians will no longer need to wear masks outdoors because of the decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in one of the countries most affected by the pandemic in Europe.

Masks were mandatory in October last year, when the country was entering a second wave of infections, and the authorities were working to contain the surge in cases across the country.

The government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi has been steadily lifting restrictions since April, allowing restaurants, bars, cinemas and gyms to reopen, and allowing free movement across the country.

Wearing a mask is one of the last remaining rules.

The government said on Monday that it will not be completely cancelled; people will still be required to wear masks in indoor public areas and on public transportation.

People will be advised to continue to carry masks when leaving home, and be prepared to wear them outdoors when there are crowds and activities with a high risk of virus transmission (such as large gatherings).

The decision will take effect from next Monday, when the country is expected to become a COVID-19 white area, which is the lowest risk level of the four-layer color coding system used by Italy to calibrate the curbs in its 20 regions.

Nineteen areas are already white.

The small area north of Valle dAosta is an exception-it is yellow, indicating the second lowest level of risk.

From June 28th, we will no longer need to wear masks outside the white area, Health Minister Roberto Speranza wrote on Facebook after receiving advice from a committee of government experts.

Prior to this, other European countries such as France and Spain have also made similar decisions, although Europe is still concerned about the spread of the new, highly contagious delta virus.

26% of Italians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while approximately 52% have received at least one dose.

The vaccination figures are basically the same as those of other EU countries.

At the same time, cases are currently at the lowest level in 2021, and pressure on hospitals is steadily alleviating. On Monday, there were 21 deaths across the country and 495 new infections.

In total, Italy recorded 127,291 coronavirus deaths and 4.25 million infections.
After the murder of George Floyd was captured last summer and spread across the world, many white communities found themselves trapped in what can best be defined as Great White Awakens .

Before Freud was killed, Brenna Taylor, Ahmed Abery and many other black victims also lost their lives in 2020 in state-sponsored violence. But the 8-minute 46-second video of Freuds death became a catalyst for the flood of corporate and political anti-racism manifesto.

The actual follow-up to these statements is mainly Inconsistent , But organizations and governments are still trying to find ways to attract black communities. In North America, a public aspect of outreach activities is the establishment of federal holidays to commemorate important dates in national (black) history.

On June 17, US President Joe Biden sign The June National Independence Day Act became law, turning June 19 into a federal holiday. This date is of great significance to African Americans, because June 19, 1865 marked the last enslaved blacks in Galveston, Texas, realizing that according to President Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, They are free.

A few months ago in Canada, members of the House of Commons voted for recognize August 1 is the National Liberation Day to commemorate August 1, 1834, the day when slavery was officially abolished in the British Empire.

Although these two federal declarations may look very similar, the reality is that they are actually quite different. June Festival is not Liberation Day, nor is Liberation Day.

Not only did the black Canadian community not celebrate June Festival, nor did black Canadians.

Celebration of black leaders

Although the June Festival is an event with a history of 155 years, it can be traced back to the original celebration On June 19, 1866, newly released black men and women Gallup Investigation It was found that 68% of white American adults either know a little or not at all about Juneteenth.

The reason is that June Festival has always been a tradition of black leaders, black organizations and black celebrations that originated throughout the South during the reconstruction period.

June 1 is our July 4, Shanita Hubbard, an American writer and journalism lecturer at the University of Toronto, told CBC. We really dont need the federal government to recognize it to make it legal. We legalize it ourselves.

Although slavery is banned on the surface, it is actually enshrined in the U.S. Constitution through a clause in the Constitution. Article 13 Amendment , Which pointed out that slavery can still exist as punishment for crimes, which opened the door to mass imprisonment. However, the celebration of June Festival continues.

Representative James Clayborn on the center left stretched out his hand to meet Representative Maxine Waters, while Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (center) watched the Congressmen celebrate the June 17th National Independence Day, which was signed on June 17. bill. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

When white citizens and political organizations united to destroy all the political and social progress that blacks had achieved by establishing a racial hierarchy known as Jim Crow, blacks continued this tradition.

Although violence from white family terrorist organizations, such as White Citizenship Council The Ku Klux Klan became so bad that it caused the great migration of African Americans to move around the United States, and the blacks continued this tradition in their new places.

As the historian Isabel Wilkerson wrote Other suns warmth, Texans went to Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle and other places theyve been on June Day.

Although black people, like the rest of the United States, may have to go to work on June 19 during the past 154 celebrations, the importance of this date has been deeply rooted in the African American community due to their perseverance. .

A different Canadian experience

For many reasons, the history of the black community in Canada is different from the black heritage in the United States.in spite of less Statistics Canada reports that more than 10% of black Americans collectively were born in foreign countries less More than 10% of black Canadians were also born to parents in Canada (compared to 58.4% of the Canadian population).

As of 2016, about half of the black population in Canada has been recognized as immigrants, and the most black immigrants were from 2001 to 2010. These black immigrants mainly come from countries such as Jamaica, Haiti, Nigeria and Ethiopia, which have their own unique cultures, beliefs and traditions. This does not in any way make the experience of black Canadians less than that of African Americans, but it does make a difference.

Although Canada has a rich black history community Nova Scotia , Owen Sound, Ontario , with Salt Spring Island , We also have a young and developing black community, made up of first and second generation Canadians and their immigrant elders, who are establishing what Canadian black identity means to them.

Bee Quammie, who was born in London, Ontario, said: When I think of Liberation Day, my mind automatically thinks of the Caribbean, because my parents hometown of Jamaica is also one of the islands commemorating the day of August 1. Writer, Orator and educator. She continued to tell CBC, I didnt know that Canada had a Liberation Day until I was an adult. 

The Caribbean parade held in Toronto every year is an expression of the experience of black Canadians. (Christopher Kasaroff/Canada Press)

Today, black Canadians either blindly equate their hundreds of years of experience in this country with the experience of descendants of American slavery, or compare their current cultural norms with those of African Americans. For so many black Canadians in the latter group, it is difficult to determine our origin while trying to distinguish our black identities.

At this moment, it is more important to recognize our unique and evolving identity than to be indifferent to our southern neighbors.

Unique identity

If the federal government really wants to help the Canadian black community, it must give priority to supporting our new organic cultural celebrations.For example, for many black people in Ontario, this looks like Caribbean Sea The Caribbean-style street festival, founded in Toronto in 1967, has now become a huge black cultural tradition in the province.

In fact, eliminate For many black people in Ontario, the proliferation of police and cage-like fences in demonstrations will be a more important act than setting August 1st as Liberation Day.

It is important to understand the similarities of prejudices that exist among black diasporas around the world. However, it is equally important to understand the nuances that define our particular ethnic and racial experience.

Canadian citizens, organizations, and political institutions must avoid trying to confuse the experience of African Americans with the experience of black Canadians.

Liberation Day is not a June celebration in Canada, like Viola Desmond Rosa Parks, not Canada. The black community in Canada does not need the same burdens as African Americans. What we need is space and support to develop our own heritage in this country.

For more stories about the experience of black Canadiansfrom anti-black racism to success stories in black communitiescheck out Black Canadians, a CBC project that Canadian blacks can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham strikes back at sturgeon over Scotland travel ban

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said in response to Scottish Chief Minister Nicholas Sturgeons comments: I found that this insult was not directed at me, but at those who were directly affected by her announcement. This is not just about The direct impact of Greater Manchester is also an impact on our reputation as a city.

If the first minister of a country stands up at a press conference and announces that the second city in the UK is implementing a travel ban, it will have an impact. People in other parts of Europe and around the world have heard it. So its not just A more localized matter between us and Scotland, it has an impact on our urban areas.

I dont think we have the respect we deserve. Im mainly talking about the people of Greater Manchester, not myself. It has a real impact. It has an impact on the people who book holiday cabins, and they have to work because of work. go with.

So the suggestion, as todays chief minister did,Oh, its all about politics and attitude, to them, to those people.

Why is Bolton under the travel ban today because it has a much lower case rate than Dundee? How fair is this?
The East Side Mare fanaticism seems to have reached new heights in the Philadelphia area, but it may make some followers of HBOs Murder Mystery series stand on the wrong side of the law.

Lower Providence Town Police has warned fans of the show not to trespass into private homes in Wallingford, Delaware County. Detective Mare Sheehan, played by Kate Winslet, and other characters in this seven-episode limited series live.

Yes! They took a lot of pictures in our town, which is good, the police said in a statement posted to social media. Yes! Katelives in Wallingford is really cool.

No!!! Its not cool to go to the house where they filmed and harass the property owners and their children day and nightreally! the police continued. This is a house. Get over it.

Police Information?: Yes! They shot a lot in our town, which is good. Yes it is! ! Kate is really cool Life Publisher Lower Providence Police on Monday, June 21, 2021

The owner of the Wallingford house where the Winslet character lives Tell 6ABC Fans will not stop walking into her property. One example happened late at night when a fan came to the house and looked through the front window of the house.

Another fan cursed the homeowner after being asked to stop filming the house while his family was playing on the front lawn. The homeowner said that the increasing attention and traffic around their home made her daughter afraid to go out now.

The police are now telling fans to stop and think about it before heading to the fictional world of East Town and say they will not issue a warning. Officials have been set up in and around the area, ready to take necessary actions.

Signs of no trespass and private property have been posted. The police stated that they will not tolerate unauthorized entry, obstruction of traffic and disturbance of law and order.

The Mare of the East City is set in the western suburbs of Philadelphia and tells the character of Winslet. She tried to solve a murder investigation and two missing persons cases while struggling in her personal life.

Parts of this series were filmed before the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic. Once it is deemed safe to resume filming, the actors and crew will re-assemble and complete the production in 2020. Filming locations were in Philadelphia areas, such as Wallingford, Cotsville, Chatsford, Phoenixville and Springfield, as well as a few neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

All seven episodes of East City Mare can be played on HBO Max.
Double Jebi

Matt Hancock (Matt Hancock) said that the British will be simultaneously vaccinated with influenza and Covid booster shots as part of the fight against the virus this winter.

The Minister of Health said that he was worried about the impact of the flu after the least number of cases in a year.

He said this winter was full of challenges and added that he hoped that no further lockdown restrictions would be required.

We are worried about the flu this winter because peoples natural immunity will decrease, because we have not been infected with any severe flu for 18 months, he told Time Radio.

We had a difficult winter in 2019. Due to Covid restrictions, we did not get the flu at all last winter, so this is something we worry about.

We will launch a very important flu vaccination campaign this fall-maybe at the same time, you may get the Covid booster vaccine and flu vaccine at the same time, and we are testing whether this can be done.
Israeli police used stun grenades and sprayed skunk water on Palestinians during the tension in the Sheikh Jarrah area of ??occupied East Jerusalem.

Earlier in the evening, there was a clash between Jewish settlers and Palestinians. Israeli media reported that chairs and stones were thrown between the two sides.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said that 20 Palestinians were injured in the fighting, and there were reports of several arrests.

Later on Monday, Israeli police could be seen raided Palestinian houses and threw stun grenades at residents.

Sheikh Jarrah has been a place where Israeli police frequently suppressed Palestinians, who protested threats to deport dozens of Palestinian families in support of hardline Israeli settler groups.

Israel called it a real estate dispute, while Palestinians and human rights organizations said the case highlighted discriminatory policies aimed at driving Palestinians out of Jerusalem.
According to the police, the clergy admitted that they promised to pass grades in exchange for the sexual favors of a male student.

According to the police, a religious clergyman accused of sexually assaulting a student in a religious school in Lahore, Pakistans second largest city, has been arrested and confessed to his crimes. These allegations sparked public outcry. Rear.

Aziz-ur-Rehman, who was arrested in the northwest town of Mianwali on Saturday, denied the allegations in a video posted on social media earlier.

We have been able to arrest this criminal. We will use it as a test case, interrogate him, conduct scientific and professional investigations, prosecute and convict the court, Punjab Provincial Police Chief Inan Ghani said, Lahore is the right one. The capital of the province.

We want our children to be protected from these child harassers and protect our society for our future.

On Monday, the police said Rehman had admitted the charges against him, saying that he had promised that the student would pass the test scores in exchange for sexual benefits.

According to the magistrates order, Rehman will be detained by the police for at least four days.

On June 17, after the student came forward to accuse the clergyman, the police filed a criminal lawsuit against him. A previous video showed Rehman having sex with the student.

The case was registered in accordance with a provision of Pakistani law that involved physical intercourse with any man, woman or animal that violates the order of nature and criminal intimidation.

In the criminal proceedings, the student claimed that Lehman, a senior teacher at the religious seminary where he was studying, first accused him of cheating in the exam and barred him from taking further exams.

According to the complaint, the clergy allegedly subsequently proposed that if the student makes him happy, he would be allowed to take and pass the exam.

[D]Although three years have passed, I was beaten every Friday during this period, but he did nothing and started blackmailing me more, the student said in the complaint.

The student then secretly recorded a video of abuse and first shared it with the seminary authorities-he said they did not take these allegations seriously-and then shared it with the police.

In a video message released before his arrest, Lehman strongly denied these allegations, accused the student of poisoning him with unspecified substances, and then recorded the video.

Take Allah as a testimony, I swear, in my own sense, I have never done this before, he said. Actually, before this video was made, the boy made me drink something, after which I stopped being sane.

Sexual abuse of children is a common problem in South Asian countries, with more than 2,960 cases Child abuse According to the rights group Sahil, the company was registered in 2020.

Of these cases, more than 62% involved some form of sexual abuse, including rape and forced filming for pornographic purposes.
The countrys military monitors opened fire on the Liberal government, accusing the Office of the Secretary of Defense of trying to control the investigation and ignoring reform proposals.

Gregory Licks fierce criticism was included in a position paper released on Tuesday, which was caused by the ongoing investigation of sexual misconduct in the military.

He called for the Office of the Ombudsman to be completely independent and report to the Parliament instead of the Office of the Minister.

When leaders turn a blind eye to our suggestions and concerns in order to advance political interests and their own self-protection or professional development, it is members of the national defense community who bear the consequences, Leike said on Tuesday 20.

It is clear that the rewards of inaction far outweigh the actions.

His remarks and written statements reflect the testimony of his predecessor Gary Walburn, who told a parliamentary committee last winter that Secretary of Defense Hajit Sajan refused to view evidence of alleged misconduct by the former Chief of Defense Staff and retired General Jonathan Vance. . The Ombudsmans Office received it.

Walbourne has made similar complaints and suggestions about independence.

In Licks position paper, he cited how the ministers office put aside the report and delayed the publication and provision of the report to the public.

He wrote that the inspectors had been given instructions to conduct systematic investigations, only to revoke these orders without justification.

The report cited an example from last week, The Department of Defense tried to control the review and approval of issues, which were prepared for military personnel participating in the ongoing employment fairness system investigation.

The report said: Because the approval process proposed by the department would undermine the independence of the investigation, the office was delayed. Leek also said that he had seen some cases where the Ministry of Defense sat idly by sensitive information that may displease the military.

This cannot be sustained, Lick wrote in his report.

He also accused the department and the military of trying to negotiate the independence of the Ombudsmans Office.

The report stated: Reporting directly to Parliament will eliminate political influence and ensure that all relevant information and recommendations concerning the Canadian Armed Forces and the Ministry of National Defense are delivered to all members of Parliament in a timely manner.

Lick said the inability of the government and the military to deal with sexual misconduct may be directly related to the lack of accountability.

The report said: Only when actions are taken will the scandal cycle triggered by research, independent oversight recommendations, semi-solutions, and resistance by the Ministry of Defense or the Canadian Armed Forces be broken.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today announced three new Senate appointments-former national union leader and current mayor of Cornwall, Ontario. And the CEO of Port St. Johns-he is cutting the 15 vacancies that have accumulated in the Red Room over the past two years.

With these new candidates, Trudeau has now appointed 55 senators in the House of Lordsan unusually high number of appointments for a prime minister.

More than half of the current senators are appointed by Trudeau. With the 2013-15 spending scandal raging, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper allowed the place to keep increasing vacancies, which gave Trudeau more opportunities to appoint senators who were friendly to him to promote an independent Senate.

Hassan Yussuff-who was chairman of the Canadian Labour Conference (CLC) until last week-will represent Ontario in the Senate.

Some in the union movement accused the Guyana-born labor leader of being too close to the ruling Liberal Party.

At last weeks conference, the CLC affirmed its long-term support for the New Democracy Party, rather than the opposition of Yussuff and others, who said they favor a more pragmatic approach to political alliances.

During his tenure at CLC, Canadas largest labor organization, Yussuff was appointed by the Liberal government to serve in a number of advisory agencies, including the North American Free Trade Agreement Commission, the Canadian Coal Power Workers and Community Just Transition Working Group, and a net-zero advisory agency.

Before taking over the CLC, Yussuff worked in the now-defunct Canadian Auto Workers Union. Yussuff was the first person of color to hold an executive role at the CLC. He has received numerous leadership awards and honorary doctorates from two universities.

When asked by CBC News last week whether he would accept the Senate appointment, Yusuf did not comment. He said: I will be open to anything that I think can contribute. If I think I can contribute, I will seriously consider it.

Although Yusufs appointment was made shortly after he ended his service at the CLC, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) stated that the three candidates announced on Tuesday were all recommended by the Independent Advisory Committee for the Appointment of the Senate. Use performance-based to select an application process that is open to all Canadians.

Yusuf, who joined the Senate, is another leader who has been associated with the Liberal Party in the past. Bernadette Clement, the current Mayor of Cornwall, Ontario, will also represent Ontario.

Clement ran for the Liberal Party in the 2011 and 2015 federal elections in the Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry constituency and lost. Clements mother is French Manitoba, and his father is from Trinidad. Clement was the first black woman to serve as the mayor of Ontario.

Clement is a professional lawyer and the executive director of the Roy McMurtry Law Clinic, a non-profit organization that provides legal advice, services and agency services to low-income people in Cornwall and surrounding areas.

In November 2020, Bernadette Clement, Mayor of Cornwall, Ontario. (Jonathan Duball/Radio Canada)

James Quinn, the current president and chief executive officer of Port St. Johns, will soon represent the House of Lords in New Brunswick.

Before entering the private sector, Quinn worked in the government for decades. According to the biography provided by the PMO, Quinn held senior positions in the Canadian Coast Guard at sea and on shore and several other federal government departments for 32 years. He served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Quinn is also an honorary lieutenant colonel in the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (The Loyal Company) of the 5th Division of the Canadian Army.

Ms. Clement, Mr. Yussuff, and Mr. Quinn are exemplary civil servants and community leaders who have dedicated their careers to changing the lives of others. I look forward to working with them and all the senators. We will continue to work with the global COVID-19 pandemic. Struggle, take measures for our recovery, and rebuild a more resilient and inclusive Canada for everyone, Trudeau said in a media statement.

According to the Constitution, the Governor-General officially appoints Senators to the Upper House from a list provided by the Prime Minister.

Since the resignation of former Governor Julie Payette in January due to the scandal, the deputy royal position has been vacant for six months. Since that resignation, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Richard Wagner (Richard Wagner) has served as the countrys chief executive and is expected to be sworn in among these newly appointed people.

Like the 52 other Trudeau senators appointed before today, the three newly elected senators are expected to serve as independent senators.

The Senate now has five different parties and groups-the Liberal/Conservative duopoly that once defined the House of Representatives has been removed.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau portrayed parliament as a toxic and obstructive place and opposed his minority government agenda, which has fueled speculation about a possible election later this year.

The Liberal Partys budget enforcement bill is one of the legislation being debated in the House of Commons, and the bill is set to expire in the summer on Wednesday.

With time running out for the pending bill to pass, Trudeau and his ministers have been calling on the opposition Conservative Party to use procedural tactics to delay voting.

On Tuesday, Trudeau said that with the help of the Quebec Group and the New Democratic Party, his government has promoted a ban on conversion therapy and made it possible for Canada to achieve net zero emissions by the middle of this century (both introduced last fall).

The Prime Minister said that he welcomed the parliamentary review of the work of the government, but it was disturbing to find that opposition lawmakers asked the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada to publicly humiliate in the House of Commons for failing to release information.

Conservatives said that the agency needs to explain in detail why two scientists were escorted out of Canadas highest security laboratory in Winnipeg two years ago and were eventually fired, indicating that security issues in China may be involved.

But Trudeau said that PHAC Chairman Iain Stewarts recent admonition to lead the agency in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic was motivated by purely partisan political purposes.

Trudeau said outside the steps of Rideau Cottage: We have seen a certain degree of obstruction and toxicity in the house, which is really worrying, he said after going to Europe to attend an international conference and was quarantined under COVID-19 regulations.

You never know when the election will come

Inside the House of Representatives, a government official responded to the difficulties that this moment posed for opposition parties and political authorities.

One of the unquestionable problems with minority parliaments is that you never know when the election will come, said Mark Grayson, a member of Ontario and a permanent member of the House of Representatives.

Regardless of whether the rumors are true or not, according to traditional views, two years must be equal to the standard length of the minority parliament.

October will be two years after Trudeau was re-elected after forming a majority government for the first time in 2015.

At a meeting of the House of Commons late on Monday night, the Liberal Partys proposed changes to the Canadian Broadcasting Law were passed during the third reading and will be submitted to the Senate.

Conservative MPs strongly opposed the C-10 bill and voted against it, saying that it gives the government the power to monitor Canadians social media and calling it an attack on freedom of speech.

If this controversial bill is passed, the Conservative government will support Canadians and repeal this severely flawed legislation, Alan Reyes, a critic of the partys heritage, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Only Canadas Conservative Party will continue to fight for Canadian freedom.

Another vote faced by lawmakers is to propose a ban on the widely condemned practice of changing someones LGBTQ status to heterosexual, which the Liberal government reintroduced last fall after adjourned last summer.

Some Conservative MPs rallied to oppose the governments definition of conversion therapy, saying that it not only criminalizes coercive practices, but also violates peoples ability to speak freely and seek help on sexual and gender issues.

His press secretary said before the vote on Tuesday that, despite his concerns from backbenchers, Conservative Party leader Erin OToole would vote for the ban on conversion therapy.
The President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, threatened to send people who refused to get the coronavirus vaccine to prison because the government imposed border controls on the country to highly vigilant new cases of the Delta variant.

You can choose: you get vaccinated, or I will send you to jail, Duterte said in Tagalog in a pre-recorded address on Monday night.

The Philippines started its vaccination program in March, but there have been reports of low turnout rates at several vaccination centers in the country, despite reports that people are also scrambling to obtain a limited supply of Pfizers BioNtech vaccine.

Duterte admitted that he was getting more and more annoyed by these fools who refused to be vaccinated, and then threatened to give them vaccinations for pigs.

You are all stubborn.

Duterte also threatened to shoot the Filipino It was discovered that lockout restrictions were violated during the pandemic.There have been several cases since that threat The alleged offender was killed by the authorities, Including an elderly man and a former soldier who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to data from the vaccine tracking agency Herd Immunity PH, as of Monday, only about 1.95% of the countrys estimated population of 110 million have been fully vaccinated.

According to another government report on Monday evening, 8.4 million doses of vaccine have been vaccinated. At least 6.2 million people received the first dose of the vaccine, and 2.15 million people were fully vaccinated.

As of Monday, the Philippines has reported 1.3 million coronavirus cases, of which nearly 56,000 are still active. Many new cases attributed to a surge in infections in Mindanao, Dutertes political stronghold. More than 23,700 people died, including 138 on Monday.

Duterte said those who refuse to be vaccinated should leave this country and either go to India or the United States.

The Philippine medical community has been stepping up its efforts to encourage citizens to be vaccinated against the coronavirus and open vaccination points in churches, shopping malls and movie theaters to make it easier for Filipinos to obtain the vaccine.

The government has taken Incentives to get a COVID vaccine, Including gifting cattle.

There is a crisis

This country is facing a crisis. A state of emergency, Duterte added, while warning that he could order all village chiefs across the country to list all people who have not been vaccinated.

Earlier in the day, the Philippine health department reported the detection of four new cases of highly infectious delta variants, prompting the government to raise the restrictions to a high alert level.

Ministry of Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire (Maria Rosario Vergeire) said at a media briefing on Monday: We hope to further prevent the entry of this Delta variant.

Everyone is on high alert, Virgil added, adding that all local governments have been told to remain vigilant.

Earlier this month, a health worker injected a resident of the China Huaxing vaccine against the COVI-19 coronavirus in a movie theater that has become a vaccination center in the suburbs of Manila. [Ted Aljibe/AFP]

All four new cases are from Filipinos who have returned from abroad, bringing the total number of officially detected cases to 17, of which one has died and one is still in the hospital.

The Delta variant was first discovered in India, which is facing a health crisis after a surge in cases and tens of thousands of deaths this year.

To help curb the spread of this variant, the Philippines will continue to ban entry from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman and the United Arab Emirates until June 30.

The Philippine laboratory also reported another 14 cases of Alpha variants first discovered in the UK, and 12 cases of Beta variants first discovered in South Africa.

At the same address on Monday night, Duterte also directed his anger at the International Criminal Court, Before deciding whether to investigate his governments crimes against humanity allegations related to his drug war, he is considering evidence that resulted in thousands of deaths.

This ICC is fucking. Why should I defend or face charges in front of white people? You must be crazy, the President of the Philippines mistakenly said of the international court of 18 judges of different nationalities, races and genders. Say.

Our laws are different. Our criminal procedures are different. How should you get justice there?
Thousands of people gathered on Republic Square in Yerevan on Monday night to listen to Nikol Pashinyans victory speech, after he won a decisive election victory despite public anger.

He told the flag-waving crowd that his re-election meant that the crisis was now over, referring to protests against him after defeating Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh War last year, which triggered a quick poll on Sunday.

He said that the government can once again work as usual to build a new Armenia.

After seeing the exchange of threats and insults in the divided election campaign, he also called for unity to make some people worry that confrontation would spread to the streets.

Months of protests against his handling of the war led to an internal political crisis, and Prime Minister Pashinyan stepped down in April.

Since the vote, rallies for and against Pashinyan have been held, but there have been no reports of violence or arrests.

The League of Armenia ranked second with 21% of the votes, led by former President Robert Kocharyan, has announced plans to challenge the election results.

During his tenure, Kocharian was accused of manipulating election results, leading to protests in 2008 and severe police suppression, resulting in 10 deaths.

However, election observers did not express concerns about the legitimacy of the vote  this was the second free and fair election in Armenia after the Velvet Revolution in 2018.

Experts say that results are the key to the countrys future, and the way Armenian society manages post-war political development may determine the success or failure of its democracy.

Some people said this could also mean a softening of relations with rivals Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Many people tout the vote, which involves 26 parties and groups, but it essentially becomes a two-horse race because it provides a choice between security and democracy, and democracy is among the best.

Pashinyan came to power after leading the 2018 revolution, promising to carry out reforms such as the anti-corruption movement, while Kocharyan represented the overthrown old guard who promoted the expansion of the armed forces.

The campaign involves false information, false narratives, and the manipulation of peoples fears by all parties, said Sossi Tatikyan, Armenian foreign and security policy adviser. Many people voted for Pashinyan because they are worried about the return of the previous government, which is related to corruption and restrictions on political and civil rights.

However, Tatikyan believes that the vote shows that the Armenians are determined to resolve national defense, security, and economic issues without sacrificing democracy and human rights.

However, not everyone agrees.

According to reports, protests took place in Stepanakert, the main city of Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday.

The area is an internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory, even if it is Armenia, it is managed by ethnic Armenians who want to leave or join Armenia.

Several wars have been fought for it, including last years conflict. More than 6,000 people have died on both sides.

After the Armenian leader Arayk Harutyunyan of Nagorno-Karabakh congratulated Pashinyan on his victory, protesters in the area demanded his resignation.

Armenias Soviet era dominance over Russia also followed the vote closely, and they soon congratulated the convincing victory and the victory of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Last year, Turkey supported Azerbaijan during the six-week war, providing cutting-edge weapons such as drones, which helped influence the fighting in their favor.

Turkey and Armenia have no formal relations, and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993. The relationship between Baku and Yerevan is similar.

However, Pashinyans victory may mean a thaw; he is the leader of signing an agreement brokered by Russia to end the conflict and return large tracts of territory captured in the previous war to Azerbaijan.

During his visit to Baku last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a regional platform involving six countries-Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia-will be established to promote Integration of the area.

We are willing to make all kinds of sacrifices. So is Mr. Putin. With the measures taken in this regard, the region will become a zone of peace, he said.

We hope Armenia can hold this hand in solidarity and take this opportunity to shape a common future together.

In May, Pashinyan said: Turkey is our enemy, but this hostility must be controlled, implying that it may deviate from years of hard-line hostility.

Vicken Cheterian, a political analyst who teaches international relations at Webster University in Geneva, said that there may be changes in the status quo within the next year.

After this election, I think there will be at least some more serious attempts to see how the post-war and post-election relationship between Armenia and its neighbors will form, he said.

We will see whether there will be a serious normalization process, or whether borders, communications and diplomatic exchanges will be opened, or whether we will return to the same pattern.

However, when it comes to Russia, experts predict that there will be no major changes in policy, but Moscows influence may continue to grow.

For Pashinyan, post-conflict increases in dependence on Russia will be difficult to manage, especially because it led to the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire and its 2,000 peacekeepers are still stationed there.

The election results pose little challenge to Armenias relations with Russia. Compared with Armenia, Russia enjoys a structural advantage before and after the Velvet Revolution, said Anna Ohan, a non-resident senior scholar of the Carnegie Russia and Eurasian Project. Said Anna Ohanyan.

After the war, Russia now has more cards in Biarmenia, but Armenias continued reliance on participatory politics has allowed it to gain influence in the Kremlin. With this election result, Pashinyan will continue to cooperate with the Kremlin in execution. Trilateral Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement.
Team Flores

The Carrera Panamericana, the longest-running rally-type automobile event in the world, officially announces the route for this year where it will once again travel the roads of Mexico,

La Carrera Panamericana also defines a legendary, 70-year racing tradition This year it will be held from October 15 - 21, 2021

Long celebrated as one of the most intense, grueling challenges in motorsports, La Carrera Panamericana is widely regarded as a bucket-list undertaking for car racing competitors to successfully complete, much less to win. The Race the most important and longest road rally-type automobile event in the world. More than 80 classic cars manufactured between 1940 and 1972 will cross Mexico in a route of 3,000 kms.

Mexico Tourism

Spanning seven days through tight, winding roads of Southern Mexico -- the race progresses across mountainous roads, then through crowded towns with cheering people, all on the way up to the Northern Mexican border. The race begins in Oaxaca and ends in Saltillo, Mexico.

In 2020, Mexican-born race car driver Karlo Flores knew he wanted to tackle the race, but in a car never before used for this race. He decided on entering the Sport Mayor Class in a special, one-of-a-kind custom GT40.

Team Flores

Flores was confident that the powerful wide body GT40 could make a strong run at La Carrera Panamericana. And, 2020 was the first time a GT40 ever entered the field, and no one knew what to expect driving it on such uneven terrain.

I picked the GT40 because of the sheer beauty that the car has, and the great history behind it, comments Flores. Some other pilots were a bit skeptical at first, mentioning that the GT40 is more of a track car than one designed for La Carrera Panamericana. At the time, I thought that they might be right, but I like to do things a little differently, so I took a chance.

Team Flores

Team Flores

Historically, the GT 40 piloted by Flores is one of the most iconic vehicles to ever compete in motorsports history. Flores already knew the GT40 could dominate a relatively short track run -- but had to set his car for the rigors of a week-long road racing event. With no previous GT40 cars ever having competed at the event, Flores and his team entered uncharted territory.

It is really difficult to push a car to a level that it really wasnt designed to do, continues Flores. The GT40 is many things, but we really didnt know what to expect taking on the classic La Carrera Panamericana. We took the chance to pursue something that is important to us. Often, thats an important dimension of what La Carrera Panamericana brings out in its competitors.

Team Flores

The results at La Carrera Panamericana were history in the making, Flores won the Sport Mayor Class in the GT40. 2020 marked the first time in history that a GT40 ever entered the field, as well as the first time an iconic race car won the class at La Carrera Panamericana.

The GT40 handled impeccably in the road race.

Twisting roads, uneven surfaces, mountain roads, crowded streets, natural hazards, vertical drops, and a lack of sleep all combine to make La Carrera Panamericanas seven-day endurance event a difficult engagement. Driver and navigator need to sync exactly as each day of racing constitute 15 and 18 hours; and drive teams and mechanics work tirelessly preparing and repairing their teams car for the next day.

La Carrera Panamericana is run as a stage race, featuring a combination of speed and transit stages. Speed stages are timed, closed-road races requiring entrants to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time. Transit stages are run as a time-speed-distance rally, with driver and navigator attempting to finish a stage at a specific time. The combination of scoring in both types of stages determines the overall winner.

As La Carrera Panamericana looks forward to welcoming drivers all around the world again in October, Karlo Flores and his special GT40 will again be attempting to make history with another landmark victory.

To learn more about his historic run, and the last great road race in La Carrera Panamericana, vsee www.drivinglacarrera.com.

Also,

www.lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx

facebook.com/lacarrerapanameri...

instagram.com/lacarrerapanamer...

twitter.com/panaoficial?lang=e...

Team Flores

GT40 traveling through more low deserts of Mexico

Treat Flores

Winning with the GT40 in 2020. Hope to repeat the victory in 2021
NBC News - During his 46 days at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, an asylum-seeker who was detained there said he witnessed horrible conditions that were not suitable for humans.

The recently paroled detainee, who did not want to use his name pending his asylum case, spoke on the phone with NBC News and recounted there was little food, a lack of toilets, no hot water and extremely cold temperatures inside the facility.

Immigration attorneys and advocates are sounding the alarm over conditions at the detention center run by the New Orleans field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying it's deteriorated over the past few months.

The former detainee said that at one point, a protest broke out over conditions in his unit and the men were pepper-sprayed. I begged them to take me out of the room because I couldnt breathe with my asthma. One man fainted in front of me. But they left me there," said the detainee, who is originally from Cuba and made his way to the U.S.-Mexico border from Guyana.

He said it was tough to access medical care; whenever he would request a medical appointment for his asthma, he would have to wait five days to see a doctor.

The Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative of Louisiana, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, has written two letters to the Department of Homeland Security over reports of abuses and inhumane conditions at Winn.

At least one detainee was hospitalized after attempting suicide and there are reports of others contemplating taking their life as well, according to the letters sent to Homeland Security, as well as accounts of former detainees and attorneys.

The attorneys included a long list of grievances, including units for 44 people having only one urinal, two toilets and two showers. In one instance, a detainee allegedly found a live cockroach in his food. Another detainee removed a cyst from his stomach due to lack of medical attention. Hunger strikes have broken out over the conditions at the facility and have resulted in the use of pepper spray. The letters also cite what advocates and detainees describe as racist language by guards in the facilities.

This is why we are calling on Mayorkas to immediately end all contracts with Winn and open an investigation into NOLA ICE, Mich Gonzalez, an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

In one instance, described in the June 10 letter to Homeland Security, a detainee reported to Gonzalez he was handcuffed and forced to the ground with his face pushed against the floor. The client repeatedly said he couldnt breathe and believes the officers knee was on his neck. He was placed in isolation where he attempted suicide and was later deported. The detainee, who spoke English, overheard guards at Winn refer to other detainees as "illegal dogs" and "dumb a----. One officer told him "I'm white, I don't know Spanish."

In response to an NBC News inquiry about the specific allegations from the former detainees and attorneys, an ICE spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody.

NBC News contacted Winn Correctional Center over the allegations, but the facility referred questions to ICE.

According to Gonzalez, the population size in the detention centers overseen by the New Orleans ICE field office has swelled to about 6,000 from about 1,000 several months ago.

The uptick is due to a number of reasons, including increased migration patterns, as well as an uptick in unauthorized border crossings, many from asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico after having been turned away at the border due to Title 42, the public health order enacted during the coronavirus pandemic by the Trump administration that is still in effect.

Those who are detained and are seeking asylum are supposed to be given a credible fear interview within the first 14 days of being in ICE custody, Gonzalez said, but its taking weeks or months.

In Louisiana and Mississippi ICE facilities, there are hundreds of people waiting for a credible fear interview (CFI), but the Asylum Offices only have access to one or two phone lines to conduct the interviews, Gonzalez said. Moreover, theyre not providing appropriate language access and are denying swaths of CFIs even though the threshold for establishing credible fear should be low. Its not supposed to be a full asylum hearing.

The number of detained asylum-seekers in Louisiana grew after the state cut the number of state inmates in its prisons by enacting sweeping criminal justice overhaul measures in recent years. In its place, more local for-profit prisons set up contracts with ICE to house migrant detainees.

Lara Nochomovitz, a private lawyer with a large client base in Louisiana who helps coordinate post-release services, said her clients are constantly complaining of racism from the guards, which is detailed in the Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative letter to Homeland Security. In addition, many of those being released have to post high bonds, attorneys say, contributing to more mental health crises among detainees.

There have been more men crying when I meet with them than ever before, she said.

Attorneys say more detainees are being put in solitary confinement. Homero Lopez, executive director of Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy in New Orleans, said there are some very egregious cases. Lopez said he has seen cases where gay men are placed in solitary confinement for their protection because they were assaulted or harassed by other detainees. He said one of the issues with isolation is there is no process in place to fight solitary confinement or to get time reduced.

In an April letter to Mayorkas, the American Civil Liberties Union asked that 39 ICE facilities be closed  11 are in Louisiana and include Winn.

Its not the first time Louisiana detention centers have come under fire in recent years for reasons including their excessively low rates of parole and paroling asylum-seekers with unusually high bonds.

Another detainee whose name is also being withheld told NBC News that he spent 46 days at Winn and said conditions were horrendous.

Originally from Cuba, the detainee made his way to the border from Uruguay.

He said there was flooding recently at the facility and everyones belongings got wet.

We are constantly being threatened with deportation. No one ever tells us there is a possibility we can stay in the country, he said after being released on parole from Winn last week.

They make us feel bad. I thought when I got here, the attention would have been different," the man said. "They treated me like a dog. I felt disillusioned."
LAFAYETTE  Gulf Coast Bank and the Patout Family are establishing a $50,000 scholarship endowment at South Louisiana Community College in memory of Charles A. Patout, founder of the community bank. This investment is part of the banks celebration of 50 years in business this year.

We chose to create the Charles A. Patout Endowed Scholarship because SLCC offers education that is accessible. The variety of programs and the number of SLCC campuses is great and were excited to be a supporter of all that the college does. Education is the key to a better life and we want this for everyone, said Pat Patout, chairman of the board.

Charles Patout founded Gulf Coast Bank in 1971 in Abbeville with four employees. Today, the Bank has grown to 9 branches with 120 employees. Patout passed away in 1999 and left a legacy of hard work and service behind him.

Our father had so much passion for the Bank and all the communities we get to serve. He understood we had to earn customers business. They have to want to choose us, said Paul Patout, president and CEO of Gulf Coast Bank.

The Charles A. Patout Endowed Scholarship will be eligible for match dollars from the Louisiana Board of Regents, which if successfully funded, will bring the total endowment to $100,000. Once invested, the scholarship will be awarded each year to a full-time SLCC student studying Business and holding a minimum 2.5 grade point average. With the banks presence throughout Acadiana parishes, any Louisiana resident attending one of SLCCs campuses and meeting the GPA and program criteria can apply.

Gulf Coast Bank has partnered with SLCC since 2013 in a number of ways and was recognized in 2020 as the SLCCs Benefactor of the Year. The Bank has offered time and expertise through its President and CEO, Paul Patout, serving as a key voice on the SLCC Foundation board in its early years of development. In addition, Gulf Coast Bank has partnered with the Lt. Dronet Marine Corps League in Abbeville to offer an annual scholarship for a student who graduated from a Vermilion Parish high school and who is studying at SLCCs Gulf Area Campus in Abbeville. The Bank also helped to underwrite several initiatives and events at SLCC, including the Foundations scholarship 5K.

In typical fashion of the Patout family, they are celebrating an incredible milestone in their business by giving back to the community, said Lana Fontenot, executive director of the SLCC Foundation. The secret sauce behind their success has been genuine care, and its evident in the way Gulf Coast Bank and the Patout family support the local community.

Under the leadership of the Patout brothers, Paul Patout as President & CEO, and Pat Patout as Chairman of the Board, Gulf Coast Bank has become known throughout Acadiana for its continued generous support and commitment to the local community. In 2019, Paul and Pat Patout received a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the American Legion Vermilion Post 29, in appreciation of their efforts and contributions over the years. Gulf Coast Bank was named Business of the Year by the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce in 2019, as well as by the Louisiana Cattle Festival in 2016. In 2015, Paul Patout and Pat Patout received the Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA) Leaders in Philanthropy award for their contributions to Vermilion Parish and the greater Acadiana area.

The endowed scholarship, which will live in perpetuity, is expected to be awarded beginning in 2023.
BATON ROUGE, LA  School is out, summer is here, and the weather is hot. So Attorney General Jeff Landry is encouraging Louisiana parents and guardians to practice safety when it comes to children and hot vehicles, especially amid the tragic news of a 2-year-old boy dying after being left inside hot car in Iberia Parish.

There have been over 700 hot car deaths in the last 20 years; and unfortunately, a Louisiana family recently lost a child in this heartbreaking manner, said Attorney General Landry. Louisiana is one of the top states in the Nation to suffer hot car deaths so, as we lift up in prayer our mourning New Iberia neighbors, let us also take the steps necessary to help prevent these fatalities in the future.

According to Kids and Car Safety, 56% of hot car deaths are the result of children being unknowingly left in vehicles and about 26% get in on their own and become trapped. To help reduce the chances of this happening, Attorney General Landry offers caregivers of children the following tips:

Make a routine to open the back door every time you park.

Leave something in the backseat that you need  such as a shoe, a wallet, or a phone; when you go to retrieve it at the end of the ride, you will notice the child.

Keep a stuffed animal in the car seat when it is empty; when you put the child in the car seat, move the animal to the front passenger seat as a reminder.

Get the child out of the vehicle before worrying about groceries or other items  even if the child is sleeping or content.

If someone else (including a spouse) is dropping your child off at daycare or school, insist he or she contact you once the child is delivered safely.

Be extra careful during busy times, changes in schedule, periods of crisis, and holidays.

Keep your vehicle locked and your keys securely out of a child's reach.

Teach your child to honk the horn or turn on the hazard lights if stuck in a vehicle.

Be on alert for vehicles that might have an unattended child left inside. If you see a child alone in a vehicle, immediately call 911 and help make sure the child gets out as soon as possible.
Lafayette, LA  Gregory Labbe, Electric Operations Manager at Lafayette Utilities System (LUS), received the Harold Kramer-John Preston Personal Service Award during the American Public Power Associations National Conference in Orlando, Florida. The award recognizes individuals for their service to the American Public Power Association (APPA).

We are immensely proud of Greg achieving this well-deserved award, says LUS Interim Director Lowell Duhon. Having worked side-by-side with Greg during this past hurricane season, I see the tireless work and leadership he displays, said Duhon.

Labbe, celebrating his 35th year at LUS, has contributed to many areas across public power, especially demonstrating great leadership in 2020 with his activities around mutual aid. From coordinating the restoration of Lafayette and cities throughout Louisiana during Hurricanes Laura and Delta to assisting utilities across the southern US, he has become a reliable resource in emergency response and disaster recovery. He played a key role in the facilitation and coordination of Louisiana Energy and Power Authority (LEPA) members mutual aid plan that allowed for rapid response and restoration effort following last years multiple storm events.

Labbe sits on the Board of Directors of LEPA and his team are active supporters of APPAs Mutual Aid Working Group and annual participants in the APPAs Lineworkers Rodeo.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Louisiana intends to spend $180 million over three years on grants to telecommunication firms that construct broadband internet infrastructure in underserved communities.

Officials are hoping to lessen a technology gap exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The Advocate reports the problem is particularly acute in Louisianas rural communities. That's where residents are widely dispersed and internet providers have little incentive to shell out the capital it takes to install fiber cables.

Louisiana lawmakers earmarked millions in federal coronavirus relief aid to try to address the problem, by subsidizing broadband projects. Gov. John Bel Edwards' newly created Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity will run the grant program.
Does context matter when a racial slur is used? Thats whats at the heart of a hearing Wednesday night over whether a Lees Summit teacher and coach should be fired.
On screen partner Hyeri and Jang Ki Yong who are currently appearing in tvN's fantasy-romance series My Roommate is a Gumiho are hailed as the most trending K-drama actors!

Hyeri and Jang Ki Yong as the Most Trending K-drama Actors for the Third Week of June

The Good Data finally revealed new sets of lists showing the Korean celebrities who topped the list as the most buzzworthy K-drama actors for the third week of June.

Here are the names of stars who made it to the top 10 of the most trending actors. Starting from idol-actress Hyeri, who consecutively remains at the top spot for almost two weeks already. Following her on the rank is none other than her current leading man, Jang Ki Yong, who made it on the second spot.

 my roommate is a gumiho (2021) pic.twitter.com/Cipkm23Nlx    (@dramasmoments) June 18, 2021

The two have always been the talk of the town ever since their drama My Roommate is a Gumiho aired on tvN and iQiyi. Being shown on various platforms made it easier for other fans to watch the weekly episodes of the said series.

my roommate is a gumiho woodam has one of the best umbrella scene shots that i've ever seen pic.twitter.com/JbNdta42d0  ky (@jihyouned) June 18, 2021

Plus, their strong and heart-fluttering chemistry is what makes the audience crave for their next scenes.

"Nevertheless" Lead Stars Song Kang and Han Soo Hee Entered the Top 10 List

Meanwhile, Song Kang made a strong start by attaining the third spot. He may be new in the list, but knowing how he trended on Twitter for consecutive days due to his new drama, Nevertheless will make every fan so proud of him.

Doom at Your Service actress Park Bo Young preserves her rank at the fourth spot. Another new name was able to climb to the fifth spot, Idol-actor Park Ji Hoon impressively reserved his spot. He is currently in the drama At a DistanceSpring is Green, and playing as the male lead character.

Beautiful and Nevertheless actress Han Soo Hee confidently landed on the sixth spot, it was also her first time to be on the list for the month of June. Joining her at the seventh spot is actor Seo In Guk, he ranked fifth during the second week of June but fell to a lower rank.

Going strong is Penthouse actress Lee Ji Ah who is in the eighth spot, and Mine star Lee Bo Young in the ninth spot. Another Penthouse star joined Lee Ji Ah on the list, actor Uhm Ki Joon was back at the tenth spot.

In Case You Missed It: 'Nevertheless' Episode 1: Han So Hee Meets Song Kang after Her Devastating Breakup

What can you say about the new list of the most buzzworthy K-drama actors? Don't forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins.
By Alexandra Meeks, CNN

(CNN) -- The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a federal judge's controversial ruling that overturned California's longtime ban on assault weapons, in which he likened the AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife.

In an order Monday, a three-judge panel on the federal appeals court issued a stay of US District Judge Roger Benitez's order earlier this month that overturned California's three-decade old assault weapons ban.

The state's current assault weapons laws will remain in effect while further proceedings continue, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement on Twitter.

"This leaves our assault weapons laws in effect while appellate proceedings continue," Bonta said in a tweet. "We won't stop defending these life-saving laws."

In his order on June 4, Benitez, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, called firearms that have been labeled assault weapons "fairly ordinary, popular, modern rifles."

"Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment," Benitez said in the ruling.

The ruling sparked criticism from numerous California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom who said the AR-15 is a "weapon of war."

When Benitez overturned the state's ban on assault weapons, he gave the state 30 days to challenge the ruling. Bonta filed an appeal less than a week later, calling it "fundamentally flawed."

The 9th Circuit court said both parties will file a status update within 14 days.

An AR-15 style rifle has been the weapon of choice for the most violent mass killings in modern history, including in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado; the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh; the Route 91 Harvest musical festival in Las Vegas; a massacre at a church in Texas; the Pulse nightclub in Orlando; a high school in Parkland, Florida; and the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Judge Benitez previously ruled against other state firearm restrictions. Last year, he ruled California's ban on high-capacity magazines was unconstitutional. He also struck down the state's restriction on remote purchases of gun ammunition.
MEDFORD, Ore.  The latest airline to begin operating from the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport is offering a travel contest tailored to recent high school and college graduates in our region.

Aveo announced Tuesday that it will give away 42 round-trip tickets to 2021 graduates from a high school, college, university, or trade/technical school. The offer is good for grads 18 or older living within 150 miles of the Medford airport, and winners will receive two tickets.

This has been a challenging school year for students trying to remain academically engaged while often studying remotely, said Avelo Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy. The Rogue Valley is home to dozens of schools. We are inspired by the perseverance of the Class of 2021 and we cant imagine a better graduation gift than to help fuel their inspiration to travel and explore new places.

Graduates can enter the contest at the Avelo website. They can also earn a second entry to increase their chances by posting a graduation picture on Twitter or Instagram and tagging @AveloAir and #AveloGradSweepstakes.

The entry deadline is July 20, and winners will be randomly selected by August 17. Travel has to be completed by December 31 of this year.

Overall, the company says that its giving away more than 500 tickets to grads across 12 communities in the western U.S.
DRAIN, Ore.  The operators of a topless bar in the little Douglas County town of Drain were arrested over the weekend for allegedly serving alcohol even though the bar's liquor license had been revoked.

According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies learned just before 3:30 a.m. on Saturday morning that the Top of the Bowl strip club had been serving alcohol without a license.

Top of the Bowl got into hot water with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) in the fall of 2020, when the agency pulled the bar's liquor license for allegedly violating coronavirus restrictions. Though the owners were able to negotiate a 50-day suspension with the OLCC, they ran afoul of the agency again almost immediately after the suspension ended, ultimately surrendering their license.

"Oregon law specifically outlines illegal sales of alcohol, including membership fees, without a license," the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies said that they went to the strip club on Saturday and spoke to manager Richard Morin and Jamie Hennricks, the owner and bartender. Once there, deputies saw that alcohol was being served in exchange for "tips/donations," with the bar allegedly providing a "suggested" amount. Officers seized the alcohol that they found.

Morin and Hennricks were arrested and lodged at the Douglas County Jail on charges for Mixing, Storing or Serving Liquor Without A License, a class-A misdemeanor.
SALEM, Ore.  In a near-unanimous vote, the Oregon House of Representatives passed a bill on Monday that would invest in long-term rental assistance for youth at risk of homelessness.

If passed by the Senate and signed into law, House Bill 2163 would put $4.5 million toward a program that would help people younger than 25 who are transitioning out of foster care, homelessness, residential mental health and dependency treatment facilities, or corrections and detention facilities.

Our youth need to have a roof over their heads if theyre going to overcome the trauma of homelessness and begin to work towards greater financial stability, said Demcratic Rep. Wlnsvey Campos, a caseworker and vice-chair of the Committee on Housing. This is going to give folks the support they need to feel safe and supported, as they pursue career and educational opportunities.

House Democrats cited federal data that placed Oregon in the top five states in terms of homelessness rates in the nation. About one-third of unaccompanied homeless youth in Oregon were formerly in the foster care system. Nationally, youth of color tend to be over-represented among the homeless, especially Black youth.

Half of adults who are chronically homeless experienced homelessness as a youth or young adultso it is especially important that we address the challenges these young people face, said Rep. Julie Fahey, chair of the Committee on Housing. By providing long-term rental assistance through this legislation, we will be investing in the long-term well-being of youth who are at the beginning of their journey to stability.

HB 2163 would establish the rental assistance program within Oregon Housing and Community Services, with consultation from other state and community-based organizations that serve youth. The bill would also direct OHCS to collect program data and contract with housing and social service providers to deliver the assistance and aid in data collection.

The bill passed the House 57-1, with only Republican Rep. E. Werner Reschke of Klamath Falls voting against. It now goes on the the state Senate.
COOS BAY, Ore.  Oregon State Police is looking for one piece of the puzzle that remains missing after 30-year-old Oen Nicholson allegedly killed three people in North Bend and forced a woman to drive him halfway across the country.

After the homicides in Coos County, OSP said that Nicholson traveled along Highway 126 near Noti in Lane County, where he ditched his vehicle. Though he is believed to have resurfaced in Springfield before approaching 34-year-old Laura Johnson outside of her work, investigators are still trying to piece together what happened in between.

"It is believed that Nicholson obtained a ride from someone in the Noti area to Springfield where Laura Johnson was abducted and taken to Wisconsin," OSP said in a statement.

Nicholson was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday morning, with officials indicating that he surrendered willingly. Johnson was found safe and returned to her home in Oregon.

Oregon State Police is requesting anyone with information or that might have given Nicholson a ride from Noti to Springfield to contact the Oregon State Police at 1-800-442-0776 or *OSP and leave information regarding OSP Case # SP21-168713.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.  Oregon State Police seized pounds of narcotics after searching the vehicle of a driver on Highway 97 over the weekend, the agency said.

Shorly after 7 p.m. on Saturday, a trooper from the Klamath Falls Area Command stopped a vehicle for "failure to drive within its lane" north of Klamath Falls. According to OSP, the trooper noticed signs of criminal activity and got consent to search the vehicle.

The search uncovered 55.1 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.2 pounds of cocaine, and 1,027 grams of suspected fentanyl pills concealed inside the vehicle.

OSP identified the driver as 36-year-old Daniel Ponce Gonzalez of Yakima, Washington. A passenger in the vehicle was identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Madrigal Birrueta of Madera, California. Both men were lodged in the Klamath County Jail on charges for Unlawful Possession and Delivery of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession and Delivery of Cocaine, Unlawful Possession and Delivery of a Schedule II Controlled Substance, and Possession of a Forged Instrument.

Agents from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations office in Medford and the Drug Enforcement Administration helped OSP with the investigation.
MEDFORD, Ore.  Thunderstorms are in the forecast this week, and forestry officials across southern Oregon are bracing for the potential of lightning-sparked fires and winds that could become the catalyst for spread amid unseasonably dry conditions.

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest said that it's ready for an aggressive initial attack on any new wildfire starts.

We have a phased approach in place for predicted events that well use to ensure adequate staffing. Our forest is ready to host those assets whether that be at the ranger district level, or in a centralized hub at the staging area for forest-wide distribution. Our intent is for quick detection, aggressive initial attack and efficient use of the resources we have, said Acting Fire Staff Officer Dan Quinones.

Resources on hand include 16 engines, a Type 3 dozer, two 10-person crews, a Type 1 water tender, air attack and fixed-wing recon platforms, staffed lookouts, and support from the Rogue Valley Interagency Communications Center and the Medford Air Tanker Base.

If any of the fires get beyond initial attack, RRSNF said that J. Herbert Stone Nursery is prepared to serve as a staging area for reinforcements. Smokejumpers, single-engine air tankers, and large airtankers are available to be brought in from central Oregon.

According to the Oregon State Fire Marshal, the central Oregon location is no coincidence. The state has been staging resources here so that they are prepared to head wherever the fires are worst.

We know the conditions across the state are dry, and with thunderstorms in the forecast, even the smallest spark could trigger a wildfire, that is why we are prepositioning these resources, Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. We cant control the weather, but we can plan for what we can control, and that is strategically placing resources ahead of this weather event.

The threat of thunderstorms is especially high east of the Cascades and into Klamath County, where firefighters were already battling the Cutoff Fire and now the Pool Fire.

StormWatch 12's forecast on Monday predicts that these storms will materialize in the afternoon and evening, particularly in northern Klamath County. Moreover, some of the early lightning events may come without precipitation, increasing the risk of fire starts in the extremely dry condition.

During the summer of 2018, thousands of lightning strikes from a dry storm sparked more than 100 separate fires across the region. Some of those fires grew to cover tens or hundreds of thousands of acres in Josephine and Jackson counties.
The last person who asked me that is still missing.

If you need me, I'll be underwater.

It's a dry heat.

You call this hot? Bring it on.

Vote

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Two Kenosha men face a pair of felonies each for the theft and use of an Electronic Balance Transfer card.

Thomas D. Merritt, 36, and Justin W. Tidwell, 42, both were charged this week in Kenosha County Circuit Court with felony counts of misappropriation of identifying information and unauthorized use of food stamps.

Both made their initial appearances Tuesday. Merritt was released on a $1,000 signature bond, while Tidwell received a $250 cash bond. Merritt is due back in court June 30 for an 8:15 a.m. preliminary hearing, while Tidwell will return for a preliminary hearing July 6, at 9:30 a.m.

The first felony carries a possible fine of $10,000 and six years in prison, while the other carries a maximum fine of $10,000 and three years, six months in prison.

According to the criminal complaint:

A Kenosha Police Department detective investigated a fraudulent transaction at Wal-Mart, 3500 Brumback Blvd., in the Town of Somers that occurred in April. The detective met with the victim, who stated that her EBT card had been missing for about two weeks.
While an investigation continues into the death of a woman found in a burning Brighton farmhouse, a family member of the woman is being held at Kenosha County Jail, after being taken into custody in Illinois the day after the fire.

Lori Pizur, 57, was found dead in her family home, 21700 Burlington Road, on the afternoon of June 7 after neighbors reported the house was on fire. Sgt. David Wright of the Kenosha County Sheriffs Department said detectives are continuing to investigate her death and the fire.

Three days after the fire, the Kenosha District Attorneys Office filed an emergency bond motion, asking for a $50,000 bond for a 29-year-old family member of Pizur for a case that had been underway before the fire.

According to the motion, the 29-year-old man had been out on bond for a 2020 case and the bond motion is connected to that case. But the motion indicates the man is also being investigated in connection with the fire. Autopsy results indicate that the body believed to be Lori Pizur had no soot in the lungs, indicating that she was deceased before the fire, the motion states.
With the current superintendent leaving, and Dan Wade stepping aside, I hope the board takes this opportunity to get things correct for KUSD.

You would never know it by the budgets or the constant whining by the teachers union about money but KUSD has had declining enrollment for 11 straight years with no end in site.

I can still see the charts, when I was on the board, presented by the administration explaining how we needed another high school because the district would gain enrollment for as far the eyes could see. Three years after, leaving the board, the trend of declining enrollments started.

In 2021 we are actually educating nearly 3,500 less students (at $13,000 per head, $45.5 million) than in 2011.

At this time it would be wise for the board to see how many less teachers and administrators have been cut since 2011. Actually, they should also be looking to close two elementary schools, at least one middle school and probably at least the downtown high school.

Pick a new superintendent familiar with strategic planning, please.

Keep in mind population growth is falling to alarming numbers with 22 states (including Wisconsin) having more deaths than births in 2020.
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An excerpt from Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win.

The American epidemic of unnecessary medical treatment is one of the reasons your health care costs keep going up. Experts estimate its wasting hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Thats not some number thats detached from you and me. We pay higher monthly insurance premiums and larger deductibles because of all this care the system is providing that people dont need. Examples are all around us. Many women still get annual cervical cancer testing when its recommended every three to five years. Healthy patients are often subjected to a battery of unnecessary lab work before elective operations. Surgeons perform spine operations when patients might be better off with physical therapy.

What are you supposed to do about unnecessary medical care? Well, sometimes theres nothing you can do about it. If youre undergoing emergency treatment or something urgent, there may not be time to check and make sure everything theyre doing is necessary. But thats not true in many cases. Thus, any strategy to protect your paycheck and pocketbook needs to address how your money gets thrown away on things you dont need. Every medical procedure or drug comes with physical risks, especially when its unnecessary. And it all comes at a cost  we waste money and contribute to higher medical costs for ourselves and others.

In this chapter, youll learn about the extent of the unnecessary health care treatment and how to avoid it yourself. I will share the key questions you can consider and pass along to your doctor to ensure you dont undergo treatment that you may not need.

The health care system wastes obscene amounts of money  and its costing you

Its rare for anyone to try and tally the precise cost of unnecessary care. But when they do, the estimates are staggering. The Washington Health Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to making care safe and affordable, analyzed insurance claims from 1.3 million patients who received one of 47 tests or services that are considered overused or unnecessary. What they found should make patients and doctors rethink that next referral. In a single year, more than 600,000 patients underwent a treatment they didnt need, costing an estimated $282 million. More than a third of the money spent on the tests went to unnecessary care, their study found.

Unnecessary medical care has become so normalized that I dont think people in the system see it, Dr. Vikas Saini told me. Saini is president of The Lown Institute, a Boston think tank focused on making health care more effective, affordable and just. Lown researchers have shown how overtreatment happens across the spectrum of medical care. Doctors may push for Caesarean sections for their own convenience, not so moms and babies can be healthy. Breast cancer, prostate cancer and thyroid cancer get over-diagnosed, leading to harmful and costly treatment. Around a third of colonoscopies are unnecessary, research has shown. Thats not just wasting our money. Its also putting us at risk of harm.

Many studies highlight factors that contribute to the problem. Doctors who take money from pharmaceutical companies are more likely to prescribe the pricey brand-name drugs manufactured by those same companies. Research has also shown that doctors who own their own magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines ordered substantially more MRIs on their patients.</p?

Saini and his research colleagues put it bluntly: Physicians routinely act in conformity with their financial interests.

Saini also pointed out that the whole industry is pushing clinicians to do more, whether the patient needs the treatment or not. Providers are getting constant messages from superiors or partners to maximize revenue, Saini said. In this system we have, thats not a crime. Thats business as usual.

This has been going on for so long because patients can hardly push back. They have a hard time shopping for care and often dont have control over the care they receive, Saini said. The medical evidence may support multiple paths for providing care, but patients are unable to tell what is or is not discretionary, he said. Time pressure adds urgency, which makes it difficult to discuss or research various options. Its sort of this perfect storm where no one is really evil, but the net effect is predatory, Saini said.

Another surgeon used a different saying to describe the motives behind overtreatment: Doctors eat what they kill. In other words, they get paid a fee for performing an operation or doing treatment or seeing more patients. No action, no payment. The industry makes its money by doing stuff  whether you and I need it or not.

In other words, doctors are just like the rest of us. If my publisher paid me a dollar a word for this book, trust me, youd be getting overtreated, too. I might write a million words!

Its hard to question your doctors when they are pressing a course of treatment. But these are conversations you should be demanding. You are the customer, so you have every right to assert yourself. Plus, you will get stuck with the bill, and its likely to be overpriced. So your time for action is now. You must prepare in advance so you can ask the right questions. Here are some of the key questions you can ask to avoid unnecessary care.

1. Ask the Choosing Wisely campaigns five key questions to make sure you receive the tests, treatment, and procedures you needand avoid ones you dont.

Do I really need this test or procedure or medication? Ask how whats being recommended will specifically address whats ailing you or your loved one.

What are the risks? All drugs and treatment have possible side effects. What are they? What are the chances that test results will be inaccurate or inconclusive? Could those results lead to more testing or another procedure? Project the treatment plan forward and see how certain it is to lead you where you want to go.

Are there simpler, safer options? Sometimes the treatment is more dangerous than the disease. Or, something like changes to your lifestyle or eating habits or exercise can have the same effect.

What happens if I dont do anything? Will your condition get worse  or possibly better  if you dont do anything right away?

How much does it cost? Often there are less expensive tests or treatments. Sometimes the treatment is cheaper if you dont use insurance, so check the cash price. See if there are generic drugs instead of brand-name medication.

2. Consult the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force next time you are considering some type of medical treatment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, known as NICE, performs a similar function in England.

3. Get a second opinion before agreeing to any costly or invasive treatment or any medication.

4. Ask your doctor or medical practitioner what I consider to be the single most important question before undergoing any treatment or test or agreeing to take any medication: What happens, or what are the risks, if we wait?

Marshall Allen is a journalist and author of Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Two wildfires are burning in the driest places in the state right now, but experts at Oregon State University said that doesnt reveal much about what fire season will look like this year.

According to Meg Krawchuk, associate professor at OSU specializing in conservation biology and fire ecology, geographic differences make it difficult to compare fires in different areas of Oregon.

The S-503 fire on the Warm Springs Reservation in Wasco County and Cutoff Fire in Klamath County are two of the fires burning in Oregon right now.

Krawchuk said just because eastern and central parts of the state are seeing fire activity doesnt necessarily mean western Oregon is also in for a rough season.

They're almost apples to oranges, Krawchuk told reporters. I mean, they are still fires, but east side and west side fires and the drivers, implications, human footprint, all intermixed within that. I think there's an interesting conversation that we need to have when we're trying to say is this like last year? Actually, it's nothing like last year.

Krawchuk said last year, western Oregon had a relatively calm fire season right up until September. There were similar hot, dry conditions. Combined with a historic wind event, fires exploded across the western part of the state.

Erica Fleishman, Oregon Climate Change Research Institute director, said its too early to know with certainty whether climate change is driving high fire activity.

Climate change is a factor. We can't simply pin it on climate change, but it is a factor, Fleishman said.

Fleishman said there are always going to be unusually dry and unusually wet years.

However, Fleishman said one thing is certain: weather patterns we're seeing this year are consistent with what has been projected as the climate continues to change.

The vast majority of fires in the western United States are caused by humans. Human activity combined with dry, hot conditions is what experts said makes for devastating fires.
ALBANY, Ore.  A former South Albany High School principal is suing the school district.

Nain Nate Munoz filed the suit last month, claiming Greater Albany Public Schools (GAPS) racially discriminated against him and created a hostile work environment.

He filed a complaint alleging unlawful employment action, specifically citing discrimination and retaliation.

Munoz was interim principal and then principal of South Albany from July 2018 to June 2020.

He identifies as being of Mexican American descent.
NORTH BEND, Ore. -- The suspect in the triple murder in North Bend, 30-year-old Oen Nicholson, was apprehended all the way in Wisconsin.

According to court documents, Nicholson had been staying at the Mill Casino since October. Police say this is where he killed his 83-year-old father, Charles Nicholson.

Linda and Anthony Oyster were also allegedly struck by Oen Nicholson. The documents also say the couple was walking near the Mill Casino and RV Park when they were hit by a 2019 White Dodge pickup truck allegedly driven by Oen Nicholson. The investigator on the case said there is no reason the truck should have veered off the road and hit the couple and it appeared to be intentional. Anthony died on the scene, and Linda is at RiverBend Hospital in Springfield in critical condition.

Oen Nicholson also allegedly killed Jennifer Davidson at the Herbal Choices Marijuana Dispensary.

A close friend of Davidson was Jenny Harless. Harless said it's difficult to describe how she feels about her friend and former colleague's death.

"It's a mixture of a bunch of emotions honestly," Harless said. "It's confusion and anger. Honestly, I feel like she took the bullet for a lot of us, because there's a lot of us who work within the company and she was in the wrong spot at the wrong time."

Harless also went on to say that Davidson was bright and a motherly figure to everyone she knew.

Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier was unable to comment at this time due to the ongoing investigation.
NORTH BEND, Ore. -- Oregon State Police is requesting the publics assistance with the triple murder investigation in Coos County.

According to OSP, suspect Oen Nicholson, 30, crashed the vehicle he was driving along Highway 126 near Noti in Lane County. He reportedly set the vehicle on fire and ran in to the woods.

It's believed that Nicholson obtained a ride from someone in the Noti area to Springfield, where he allegedly kidnapped Laura Johnson. However, authorities have yet to clarify this part of the timeline and identify who may have given Nicholson a ride.

Nicholson is accused of killing Jennifer Davidson, 47, Charles Nicholson, 83 and Anthony Oyster, 74, in North Bend before the kidnapping in the Gateway area. At last check, Linda Oyster, 73, is in fair condition.

RELATED: AUTHORITIES ESTABLISH TIMELINE OF NORTH BEND MURDERS, SPRINGFIELD KIDNAPPING

If you have any information or if you gave Nicholson a ride from Noti to Springfield, OSP asks that you contact them at 1-800-442-0776 or *OSP and leave information regarding OSP Case #SP21-168713.

KEZI spoke to Katie Thompson, a friend of Jennifer Davidson, on Tuesday.

Its a weird feeling to be connected to something like that in some way," Thompson said. "Its never super pleasing to find out that something like that happened."

Thompson said the first thing she thought about was Davidson's son and shared he and his mother had a very close relationship.

She said Davidson was encouraging, motherly and friendly to everyone she met.

She was always wanting to know what was going on and how are you doing and all that of that," Thompson said. "She really did not care about herself a whole lot when it came to the daily aspect of things. You never really saw her struggle a whole lot. She was always so worried about everybody else and checking in with everybody else to make sure theyre okay."

A prayer ceremony was held by the Coquille Indian Tribe Tuesday, June 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the Mill Casino Hotels fire pit for anyone who was affected by these tragedies.

RELATED: TRIBE PLANS PRAYER CEREMONY FOR MURDER VICTIMS

Margaret Simpson is the general manager of The Mill Casino and a member of the tribe.

The tragic events that happened on the Coquille Indian Tribe's land has devastated our community, Simpson said. We are grieving with everyone that has been affected."

She said staff moved quickly into action when the devastating moments took place.

Our hearts are with those that have been affected by this tragic event, Simpson said. We will continue to do our part in supporting the healing of our community. And tonight, we will be opening our hearts as Coquille people to share our hearts, to share our spirits and to grieve with the community. We are with all of you.

Royce Savoy worked with Laura Johnson for six months.

She was a very good kind-natured person -- soft spoken and very easy to get along with, Savoy said. You feel very calm in her presence. I without a doubt believe the story of her abduction. She is also, because of who she is, very capable of talking sense into someone or in this case convincing this individual to turn himself in.

Stay with KEZI 9 News for the latest updates.
EUGENE, Ore.  John Dory is a handsome gray and white tuxedo cat who is so friendly he will walk right up to you and ask to be petted.

John Dory has a great purr and likes to rub his head against everyone he meets. Before he arrived at Greenhill Humane Society he lived as an abandoned stray in a neighborhood. One resident tried to give him a home, but when his cat and John Dory did not get along, the man decided to take John Dory to Greenhill so he can find a permanent home.

He described John Dory as an active, playful cat who loves to bat toys around the house and might appreciate access to the outdoors if possible.

He should be the only pet in the home and would do best in a household with older, cat-savvy children or teenagers.

John Dory is 3 years old and is a large cat with a very soft coat. His fee is $60, which helps pay for shelter expenses such as vaccinations, microchip identification, spaying or neutering, a certificate for a free veterinary exam, post-adoption support and more.

John was Tuesdays Pet of the Week on KEZI 9 News. Every Tuesday, KEZI showcases a homeless pet on the Midday newscast at 11 a.m. and again at 4 p.m.

If you are interested in John Dory or the other animals at Greenhill Humane Society, more information is available here. A video of John Dory can be watched here.

Greenhill Humane Society is located at 88530 Green Hill Road and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its phone number is 541-689-1503. Appointments are available.

To ensure a good match is made, potential adopters must go to the animal shelter in person to meet with the animal and kennel staff. All family members should be present to ensure the animal is compatible with everyone in the household.
EUGENE, Ore. -- The Eugene City Council unanimously passed an ordinance to temporarily ban the use of fireworks in a segment of southeast Eugene Monday night.

The ban is in effect for areas south of 18th Avenue and east of Agate Street. In this area, fireworks will be prohibited through the remainder of 2021 and 2022. The sale of fireworks is also banned in this area in 2022.

Council members shared that the temporary ban is due to the areas drought conditions and the potential for wildfires.

This comes as the Eugene City Council passed a motion proposed by City Councilor Matt Keating on May 24 regarding the temporary ban.

This decision was made in a public hearing Monday evening.

Eugene resident Jude Cloud said that although he enjoys fireworks, he supports the proposed temporary ban.

"I love fireworks, they are gorgeous, and they are pretty," Cloud said. "But with how likely it is for a fire to come from them, I think a temporary ban would be beneficial."

As of now, Oregon law bans the possession, use, or sale of any firework that flies into the air, explodes, or travels more than 12 feet across the ground. You can only light fireworks on July 3 and 4, December 31, and New Year's Day in Eugene.

Possession of illegal fireworks is a class B misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of $2,500 and six months in jail.

Eugene resident Todd Shorask said he is also in favor of the proposed ban.

"I'm fine if they ban fireworks in the south university neighborhood," Shorask said. "I can get all the fireworks I need at Autzen or someplace like that."
NORTH BEND, Ore. -- There are still many unanswered questions about how 30-year-old Oen Nicholson made his way from a wrecked car in Noti to the police department in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about 2,200 miles away.

Here's what we know so far.

RELATED: NORTH BEND MURDER SUSPECT FACES MULTIPLE CHARGES

At about 10 a.m. on June 18, Nicholson hit an elderly couple with a car at the RV campground near Mill Casino in North Bend. Anthony Oyster, 74, was killed and Linda Oyster, 73, was seriously injured.

Minutes later, North Bend police were called to Herbal Choices Marijuana Dispensary where they found the body of 47-year-old Jennifer Davidson. Nicholson reportedly shot and killed her, according to police.

Shortly after, police found the body of Nicholson's father, 83-year-old Charles Nicholson, at the RV campground near Mill Casino. The suspect reportedly sliced his father's throat. The exact time this murder happened is still unclear.

Nicholson fled the scene in his father's pickup truck, police said.

MORE: NORTH BEND MURDER SUSPECT TURNS HIMSELF IN TO WISCONSIN AUTHORITIES

At 12:10 p.m., the Lane County Sheriff's Office received reports of a single-vehicle crash on Highway 126 near Noti.

Then, at 12:19 p.m., the first Lane County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived on the scene, but the driver was nowhere to be found. Officials quickly determined the vehicle involved was linked to the three earlier murders that occurred in North Bend.

A witness reported seeing the driver run into the woods, and several law enforcement agencies began working to close down Highway 126.

"The person had last been seen going off into the woods," Lane County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Tom Speldrich said. "It didn't take long at all for us to realize that the vehicle that had been crashed or driven off the road was the suspect's white dodge pickup truck earlier from Coos County."

Meanwhile, at 12:30 p.m, 34-year-old Laura Johnson was preparing for her lunch break at Cabela's on Gateway Street in Springfield.

She was seen walking to her car and leaving for her break. Security footage showed Johnson later returned to her original parking spot. This is when police said she was approached by Nicholson. She was reported missing the next morning.

RELATED: FATHER OF KIDNAP VICTIM FOUND IN WISCONSIN SPEAKS OUT

Back in Noti, authorities locked down Highway 126 by 12:45 p.m. at the latest, according to the sheriff's office. Highway 126 remained closed until 5:20 p.m., officials said. That's when authorities determined the suspect had likely already fled the area.

Sunday morning at 6:05 a.m., Nicholson turned himself in to authorities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Johnson was also found in Wisconsin, according to the Springfield Police Department. She flew back to Oregon and was reunited with her family that same night.
NORTH BEND, Ore.  After three murders in North Bend last week, the Coquille Indian Tribe is planning a prayer ceremony.

The tribe said they join the community in grieving the deaths, which are especially painful as two took place on tribal lands at the Mill Casinos RV park.

Oen Nicholson, 30, is accused of killing Jennifer Davidson, 47, Charles Nicholson, 83, and Anthony Oyster, 74, in North Bend before kidnapping a woman in Springfield and forcing her to drive to Wisconsin, where he turned himself in to authorities.

If you were affected by the tragedy and would like to attend, the ceremonial prayer fire is scheduled to start at 5:30 on Tuesday at the Mill Casino Hotels fire pit on the south end of the property.

MORE: NORTH BEND COMMUNITY MOURNS LOSS OF THREE MURDERED VICTIMS AFTER SUSPECT CAPTURED

While the tribe plans to offer prayers in their ancestral tradition, people of all faiths are welcome to join.

Please join us in offering prayers for family members, friends and community, and help us to begin our process of healing, said tribal Chairman Brenda Meade.

Those who attend are asked to not photograph or record the ceremony.

Parking will be available in the open area just south of the RV park, and a shuttle will take attendees to the ceremony.
Bebe Cools wife Zuena Kirema revealed that she tested positive for Coronavirus about a month ago. This revelation comes a month after her husband, Bebe Cool, through a video on Snapchat denied the allegations that his family was suffering from COVID-19, saying, he was only battling malaria and typhoid.

Zuena says her worst mistake was treating herself from home because it made the situation worse.

She has further called upon Ugandans to put on their masks and follow the SOPs that have been put in place by the government.

Below is her experience explaining the situation;

Today marks one month since I was discharged from Mulago hospital where I was battling Covid 19. Mine started as simple flu, followed by cough and before I knew it, I had lost my taste and sense of smell. I immediately knew it was covid so I decided to treat myself from home (worst mistake) my health started deteriorating. I got a fever, a running stomach, vomiting and I started sweating profusely. Hubby immediately made the decision to take me to Mulago hospital. At first, I was scared of Mulago after the sad stories we keep hearing, but to my surprise, I got the best care in Mulago hospital. I can assure you that everything was free; accommodation, food and medication. The only time hubby pulled out money was when theres specific medicine needed urgently. If I didnt have 2 friends of mine that went to Mulago before me, I would think Im just being treated differently. I am here to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Mulago hospital and all other medical personnel who have put their lives on the line to save Ugandans. To those battling the disease, I pray you pull through because I know what youre going through. To those that have lost loved ones, may the Lord comfort you and Rest their souls in peace. Lastly, I would like to sensitise people out there to stop discrimination. It takes 10 to 14 days in your system and within that time if youve been on treatment, youve defeated the virus. Once youre hospitalised, you can only leave the hospital when you test negative. So dont think because someone had it and they were discharged, theyll pass it on, wrong. Its no longer a disease to hide but rather to learn from and save others. Lets keep safe and keep posting our positive stories to encourage the sick out there. Wear your mask, Sanitize, Keep indoors if you must.  Zuena Kirema

Uganda currently has 72,679 COVID-19 cases and 680 deaths.
By Benjamin Jumbe

The Ministry of Gender labour and social development has cautioned members of the public about calls for registration for the much-anticipated government covid-19 relief support.

The link circulating on social media is urging members of the public that are interested in the government covid-19 support grant to apply soon.

The advert further claims that the first applicants are to get their payments within 24 hours after approval.

The ministrys public relations officer Frank Mugabi says the ministry, under the national multifactorial covid-19 task force is finalizing the process of identification of categories to be considered for government support.

The ministry is further urging members of the public to wait for official communication from the government on the matter with clear details of the amount to be given and eligibility.

The others, he said, are Boda Boda cyclists and taxi operators. These were identified as those among the vulnerable poor whose incomes have been adversely affected by the new 42-day lockdown.

Earlier, the Kampala Resident City Commissioner Hussein Hudu revealed that the government had identified youth in Kampala city slums and single mothers among the four categories of vulnerable persons eligible for covid19 cash grants.
By Juliet Nalwooga

Opposition Chief Whip in the 11th Parliament, John Baptist Nambeshe has expressed doubts on whether the government will deliver mobile money cash token as announced by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja.

The government resolved to use mobile money services to deliver cash handouts to the vulnerable urban poor whose daily incomes have been affected by the second Covid-19 lockdown to avoid delays and other challenges experienced with the distribution of food relief during the first lockdown.

Information about the list of eligible beneficiaries and the actual amounts to be given out is yet to be released by officials from the Office of the Prime Minister and the ministry of gender, labour and social development.

However, Nambeshe says the government has, since last year in March when the first Covid-19 case was reported, made a lot of promises that are yet to be fulfilled.

The government in April last year during the first lockdown distributed food to the urban poor, majorly in the Kampala Metropolitan area, but a number of eligible people said they didnt get it.
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM PDT SATURDAY... * WHAT...Hot temperatures with highs in the mid 90s to near 100. Lows in the mid 50s to upper 60s. * WHERE...Quincy, Pomeroy, Nezperce, Cheney, Hayden, Nespelem, Ephrata, Odessa, Winchester, Worley, Othello, Brewster, Wenatchee, Peck, Moses Lake, Rockford, Cashmere, Coulee City, Spokane, Wilbur, Bridgeport, Coeur d'Alene, Craigmont, Omak, Okanogan, Lapwai, Culdesac, Lewiston, Davenport, Entiat, Grand Coulee, Clarkston, Post Falls, Gifford, Kamiah, Oroville, Chelan, and Ritzville. * WHEN...Until 7 PM PDT Saturday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned area, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors that may be sensitive to the heat. &&
Innovators and trailblazers in Irish agriculture have been recognised by the RDS through their Sustainable Agriculture Awards - with two Kilkenny winners!

The RDS Sustainable Agriculture Awards were announced online in what is a first in the Societys 290-year history. Usually presented in front of a live audience in the RDS Concert Hall as part of the RDS Spring Awards, the judging and presenting of the 2020 Awards were delayed due to the impact of Covid-19.

Husband and wife, Ben and Charlotte Colchester of Drumeen farm, Urlingford, were awarded the Sustainable Farming Award. They have been passionate about organic farming since the 1970s and paved the way for many other organic food producers that have followed. Over many years they have also shown how biodiversity can be incorporated into high efficiency farming and in recent years produced their own award-winning Second Nature Oils.

The runner-up in the 2020 RDS Sustainable Rural Enterprise Award is Castlecomer Discovery Park.

Castlecomer Discovery Park is a social community enterprise operating on a not for profit basis.

Set in the former grounds of the Wandesforde Estate, Castlecomer Discovery Park comprises 80 acres of stunning natural woodland and lakes and began as a community project to rejuvenate the town of Castlecomer following the closure of the coal mines in 1969.

In 2019 the park attracted 144,000 visitors. The park has been a catalyst for the regeneration of Castlecomer and has created 26 full time equivalent jobs and provided training and career opportunities for those most at risk of long-term unemployment in the area.

According to Mark Gibson, Teagasc, and member of the RDS Sustainable Agriculture Awards judging panel: it was an honour and a pleasure to see the quality and diversity of the award applicants through the judging process. I would like to congratulate all the winners and thank them for welcoming us over recent weeks to see their work first-hand. It is important that we learn from these examples so that others can be inspired by their success.

The purpose of the RDS Sustainable Agriculture Awards is to recognise Irish farmers, agri-entrepreneurs and innovators, and celebrate their work in meeting the sustainability challenge. Our 2020 award winners are excellent examples of how it is possible to balance economic, environmental and social sustainability.

Agri-food employs over 160,000 people and has exports worth over 14 billion. It has always been vital for Ireland and can maintain that vitality through the type of innovation we are acknowledging today says Geraldine Ruane, Chief Executive of the RDS. The high standard of todays winners and runners-up demonstrates that the move towards greater sustainability, both environmentally and economically, is well underway. Greater innovation and sustainability is key for the continued prosperity of rural Ireland and we all need to play our part in contributing to this ongoing transition.

The winners in each category received 2,000 prize money, an RDS Silver Medal and a certificate of merit. Runners up received 1,000 and a certificate of merit.

Doirin Graham, Clare Local Development Company, and member of the RDS Sustainable Agriculture Awards judging panel added: These have been extraordinary times and I would like to commend my colleagues on the judging panel for their dedication over the past year in reviewing the applications and judging these awards. The process was delayed due to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions, so we are delighted to now be able to recognise the excellent applicants and celebrate the winners.

She continued: Thank you again to all who applied for the awards. Without our applicants these awards would not be possible so I would like to call on all those involved in the sustainable development of the sector to consider applying for the 2021 awards which are now open for entries.

The RDS has encouraged innovation and best practice in Irish agriculture since its foundation in 1731. The RDS Sustainable Agriculture Awards are a continuation of this tradition with a renewed focus on sustainability as Ireland addresses climate change.

The Awards have been expanded in 2021 to include new categories for agri start-ups and social impact. The closing date for 2021 entries is July 30 and details of the awards and how to apply are available via: www.rds.ie/rds-foundation/agriculture
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An exciting Kilkenny startup is creating waves by combining smart technology with comedy. Founded by Kilkenny technologist Brendan Morrissey with business partner comedian Jason Byrne, iLaugh is an app that gives established comedians and their fans a platform to make everyone laugh.

The clever social network is specifically for comedy, allowing users to post content from all over the world. The app is free to download and has many cool features including its own ticketing platform built in and 'Tips' where fans can tip verified comedians for their work.

The Kilkenny based startup has already been downloaded and used in over 50 countries and is quickly becoming a huge success.

Mayor Andrew McGuinness who visited the group this week said, "Its great to see local entrepreneurs doing well and exciting that this is happening on our doorstep. iLaugh has all the ingredients to be a huge success and its just one exciting project that Brendan Morrissey and Jason Byrne are working on from their Kilkenny HQ. I'm looking forward to seeing all of their projects come into fruition because I know they will bring positive attention to Kilkenny along with jobs and great opportunities.
Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune has encouraged Kilkenny people to have their say on the future running of Europe ahead of the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe.

The Conference on the Future of Europe is seeking to give people from all walks of life across Europe a greater say on what they expect from the European Union, which should then help guide the EUs future direction and policy-making.

MEP Clune said: "We want to hear from people in Kilkenny and want you to have your say in how Europe is run. We want to hear peoples views on topics like education, pandemics, agriculture and other important topics.

"Irelands place in Europe is as important as ever and now is the chance to have your say on its future. The online platform for the Conference on the Future of Europe is now open meaning Irish people can now put forward their ideas and suggestions.

"This is a great opportunity for people to have their say on the future of Europe. It is a chance to shape how topics like climate change, healthcare, education and agriculture will be delivered across the EU over the coming years. It is vital that our voices are heard as we look to shape the future of how Europe will operate."

To have your say, click here.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - American Airlines is being forced to cancel hundreds of flights through at least mid-July.

While officials at Rochester International Airport aren't at liberty to say if or what flights are canceled because that's up to American Airlines, they can say that a labor shortage is a major reason for those cancellations.

Tiana O'Connor with RST said all three of the airlines are hiring. All of the capacity restrictions on flights have been lifted, so that means airplanes are full again. O'Connor explained that's why airports need all the help they can get. "In anticipating continued passenger growth, all of the companies here at the airport - airlines included, TSA included - are all hiring," she said. "So there are positions available right now and for the vast majority of those positions, you don't need any previous experience. It's mostly on-the-job training that's offered."

TSA checkpoint numbers continue to grow nationwide, averaging nearly two million travelers per day. O'Connor said RST is on track to reach its average number of travelers from before the pandemic. "We have been seeing growth with our passengers each week so far this month," she explained. "So we're right now seeing about 60% of our travelers as we would have in pre-pandemic levels. So those numbers have continued to grow." O'Connor said nationwide, there's about a 25 to 30% decrease in air travelers now compared to this time in 2019.

The Denver hub recently opened for direct flights out of RST. O'Connor said those flights are about 78 to 80% full, which is one of the best performing routes at RST right now. The airport is adding two more routes next February. Those are direct flights to Phoenix and Fort Myers.
CRESCO, Iowa  A Howard County man is pleading not guilty to a violent home invasion.

Tyler Dane Harbin, 30 of Cresco, is charged with first-degree burglary and domestic abuse assault.

Authorities say Harbin illegally entered a home in the 100 block of N Park Place in Cresco around 4 am on May 31 by using a plastic card on the front door lock. Harbin then allegedly jumped on a female victim and hit her several times in the head, causing bruising and injury to her left ear.

Court documents state the victim tried to reach for her cell phone to call police but Harbin took the phone and threw it on the floor, breaking it.

A trial is scheduled to begin on July 28.
ROCHESTER, Minn.- While some camps are just starting on Monday, J.E.T.S. Gymnastics welcomed back its little campers for another week of fun. Children spent Monday morning doing arts and crafts and getting some exercise. After COVID-19 forced the camp to close last summer, it's seeing an increase in enrollment this year.

"People are excited to have that opportunity to get their kids back out into the community interacting with other children," says owner David Arnett. "I think the whole social aspect was hard for a lot of families and their kids. That's been a big push for people to get back out."

According to Arnett, enrollment is up five-10 percent than usual. The camp has around 35 campers this week and is expecting a total of 300 for the summer.

"It was really really exciting for us and we're just happy we can do it safely and see the kids back in the gym."

J.E.T.S. Gymnastics mini summer camps will run until early August. It's also planning to open up another location in Rochester off of Commerce Drive Northwest. Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2022.
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP)  A Kansas man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing his girlfriend in Iowa in 2018.

The Fort Dodge Messenger reports that 34-year-old Zackery Bassett, originally from Elwood, Kansas, must serve at least 35 years of the sentence that was handed down Monday. A jury in February convicted Bassett of second-degree murder in the death of 50-year-old Andrea Solokowski. She was killed in September 2018 in Webster City, Iowa.

Prosecutors said Bassett had abused and stalked Solokowski, of Sioux City, Iowa, for more than a year before her death. An autopsy found injuries consistent with asphyxiation but Solokowskis cause of death was listed as undetermined.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A Worth County man pleads guilty over drugs found in a Cerro Gordo County motel.

Joe Coyle, 55 of Manly, has entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine. Law enforcement says it found 35 grams of meth, a digital scale, marijuana, 39 white tablets, and unused drug packaging when it searched the Mason City motel room where Coyle was in September 2020.

Coyle is now scheduled to be sentenced on August 23.
NORTHWOOD, Iowa  A Minnesota man is sentenced for a high-speed chase across the Iowa/Minnesota border.

Jamie John Kujak, 32 of Albert Lea, pleaded guilty to one count of eluding for the January 27, 2020 incident. Authorities say he sped away from an attempted traffic stop on Highway 105 in Worth County, starting a pursuit that reached speeds of 90 miles per hour.

The chase went into Minnesota, past Albert Lea and through Glenville, before a Freeborn County sheriffs deputy used his vehicle to stop Kujaks vehicle at the corner of 850th Street and 150th Avenue. Another officer then used his patrol car to pin the drivers side door of Kujaks vehicle close to prevent his escape.

Kujak has been ordered to pay a $315 fine.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  A not guilty plea is entered over a Charles City apartment break-in.

Parelle Doran Hayslett, 25 of Charles City, is now scheduled to stand trial on August3.

Hayslett was charged with second-degree burglary after law enforcement said Hayslett went to an apartment in the 500 block of Hulin Street in Charles City on April 25 and kicked in the front door, breaking the deadbolt and the frame.

Hayslett allegedly then tried to force open the bedroom door while making statements about killing someone if he got inside.

Authorities say someone in the bedroom held the door shut and called 911.
MARION TOWNSHIP, Minn.  A driver is facing a drunk driving charge after crashing into a power pole Monday afternoon.

The Olmsted County Sheriffs Office says it happened around 4:48 pm in the 200 block of 45th Street SE. Deputies say Samantha Richardson, 33 of Rochester, was driving east when she went off the road and the pole, knocking out the power to some in the area.

Deputies say a preliminary breath test showed Richardson had a blood alcohol level of .187, more than twice the legal limit. A search warrant was sought for a blood sample from her and a DUI charge is pending based on the results.

The Sheriffs Office says Richardson suffered minor injuries in the crash.
HOWARD COUNTY, Iowa  Two people were seriously injured in a three-vehicle collision Friday in Howard County.

The Sheriffs Office says it happened around 5:30 pm at the intersection of Highway 63 and A46. The Sheriffs Office says westbound Aureliano Santiz, 29 of Fort Dodge, failed to obey the stop sign at the intersection and was struck by northbound Lina Watson, 69 of Evansville, Indiana. Santiz vehicle was then pushed into the southbound lane and was hit by Hilary Jeon, 37 of Ham Lake, Minnesota.

The Howard County Sheriffs Office says Santiz was trapped and had to be freed from the vehicle by mechanical means. Both Santiz and Watson were flown to Mayo Clinic in Rochester with what are described as serious injuries. Jeon and two child passengers suffered minor injuries and were taken to Regional Health Services of Howard County Hospital.

This collision remains under investigation and charges are pending.

The Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement, Chickasaw County Sheriffs Office, Cresco Fire Department, Elma Fire Department, Howard County Ambulance, Howard County First Responders, Howard County Emergency Management, and Cresco Towing and Recovery all assisted with this crash.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  A Bremer County man accused of child sex crimes in Floyd County is taking a plea deal.

Michael Douglas Ahrenholz, 43 of Waverly, has pleaded guilty to one count of lascivious acts with a child. Law enforcement says Ahrenholz sexually touched a child in 2019 and exposed his genitals to a child in 2020.

His sentencing is set for August 16. Charges of second-degree sex abuse and indecent exposure will likely be dropped as part of the plea deal.
Lynn Grooms writes about the diversity of agriculture, including the industrys newest ideas, research and technologies as a staff reporter for Agri-View based in Wisconsin.
A local leader says teaching appropriate conflict resolution is key to preventing shootings such as the incident that left three dead and four wounded in North City Monday night.
(WFOR/CBS NEWSPATH) -- The homeowner says his home carries priceless sentimental value and he wont sell it, no matter the noise, rubble or price.
Eric Ivers has begun exploring the idea of how neighboring Illinois counties could eventually become part of Missouri.
KFVS/CBS NEWSPATH)  A Kansas City nurse hopes to set a new speed record by paddling the entire length of the Mississippi River in 45 days.
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COLUMBIA - Columbia City Council will meet Monday night to vote on approving funds toward several community outreach programs.

According to a council memo, the funds for Love Columbia would go toward the acquisition of a home which would be used as transitional shelter for families with children experiencing homelessness.

Jane Williams, the Executive Director of Love Columbia, said the money will help families in need.

"We're so happy that the city is partnering so that it will add another house to the six that we already have and can create a path forward for homeless families really for a long, long time in Columbia," Williams said.

The new house will help homeless families get back on their feet.

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"To be able to have a house with a yard that you can call home for a period of time after you've experienced the trauma of homelessness, it's like a dream come true come true for people," Williams said.

Council will also host a work session at 5 p.m. Monday in the council chambers. Columbia residents are invited to share their thoughts on how the city should spend nearly $25 million, which the city expects to receive through the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

There will also be vote on the consulting firm who will search for a new city manager. Current city manager John Glascock announced his retirement, set for January 2022, on June 10.

According to a council memo, the approval of this resolution by the City Council will allow CPS HR Consulting to do a national search without having to go through the bid process. This would speed up the search process, the memo says.

KOMU 8 will stream Monday's council meeting at 7 p.m. in the above media player, on KOMU.com, the KOMU 8 News app and KOMU 8 streaming apps on Roku, Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire.
Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Missouri... Missouri River at St. Charles. Missouri River at Washington. Missouri River at Hermann. Missouri River near Chamois. Missouri River at Jefferson City. River forecasts are based on observed precipitation and forecast precipitation for the next 24 hours. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Rainfall heavier than forecast could cause river levels to rise even higher than predicted. The National Weather Service will monitor this developing situation and issue follow up statements as conditions change. This product, along with additional weather and stream information, is available at https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lsx. && ...The Flood Warning is now in effect until Sunday evening... The Flood Warning continues for the Missouri River at Jefferson City. * Until Sunday evening. * At 9:45 AM CDT Friday the stage was 25.9 feet. * Flood stage is 23.0 feet. * Moderate flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast. * Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 9:45 AM CDT Friday was 26.1 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to fall below flood stage early tomorrow afternoon and continue falling to 10.3 feet Wednesday morning. * Impact...At 26.0 feet, Pumping from a ditch in Hartsburg, MO begins. At this height...numerous county roads near McBaine... Easley...and Ashland are flooded. These include Coats Lane... Grocery Branch...Burr Oak...Old Plank...Cedar Tree...Jemerson Creek...Christian School...Claysville...and Soft Pit Hill Roads. && Fld Observed Forecasts (1 pm CDT) Location Stg Stg Day/Time Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Missouri River Jefferson Cit 23.0 25.9 Fri 9 am 23.2 19.6 15.9 12.1 MSG &&
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Mostly clear. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON SATURDAY TO 9 PM MDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...Afternoon of 93 to 100 in valley locations each afternoon, with overnight lows only dropping into the low to mid 60s. * WHERE...Southern Snake Plain, Southern Highlands, Albion and Marsh Highlands to include Pocatello, Blackfoot, American Falls, Fort Hall, Albion, Almo, Rockland, Downey, McCammon, Lava Hot Springs, Malad, Thatcher and Preston. * WHEN...From noon Saturday to 9 PM MDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures, the long duration nature of the heat, and poor overnight relief may cumulatively increase heat stress for humans and pets over time and cause heat illnesses to occur, particularly among those working or recreating outdoors, as well as the homeless, elderly, children, pregnant, and those with health issues. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&
(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) Missouri Governor Mike Parson is calling on state lawmakers to face what he says is a grim reality.

During a news briefing in Jefferson City Monday, Parson threatened budget cuts.

The governor is blaming political maneuvering in his own republican party for a $1.4 billion budget deficit.

State lawmakers failed to renew the federal reimbursement allowance program that funds the MO HealthNet Medicaid during the regular legislative session.

Parson says if lawmakers don't come up with a solution soon, the entire state will feel the consequences.

If we lose this FRA funding or if it has to be reorganized by the federal government, it's going to cost the state millions upon millions of dollars. Probably hundreds of a million dollars and there's no use in taking a chance in that. It's probably one of the best systems in the country and here we are today trying to get this thing across the finish line, Governor Parson said.

The governor has given his fellow republicans a deadline of noon Tuesday to get a deal hammered out or he will call them back to Jefferson City for a special legislative session.
Competition for trash business in Caddo, DeSoto could end up in court
BILLINGS - Masks for staff and students are no longer required for Billings Public Schools, according to Superintendent Greg Upham.

In an email, Superintendent Upham wrote, "Students and staff may, of course, continue to wear masks if they so wish. This modification applies to all Billings Public School facilities and to summer educational programs currently in session and or scheduled for a later date."

One exception to the updated masking policy, however, is the school bus. In practice with the CDC, all passengers and drivers must continue to wear a mask on school buses, including buses operated by public and private school systems.

School bus operators can refer to the Department of Education's COVID-19 Handbook pdf icon[PDF  27 pages]external icon for additional guidance.

For more information from the CDC on masking while on the school bus, you can visit https://bit.ly/3gJfSW8.

This announcement comes after the CDC updated their guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals. One of the changes is that the CDC is no longer recommending that everyone wear masks.

You can read the CDCs Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People for more information.

If CDC guidelines change, Superintendent Upham says he will take the appropriate measures and monitor the information provided by state and local health authorities.
UPDATE: JUNE 22 AT 9:08 A.M.

The Buffalo Pasture fire is currently 65 percent contained and burning 244 acres as of Monday, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Wildland Fire Management updated.

BIA said in a release the fire still has invisible flame smoldering underneath limestone canyon walls at its north and south extremities, and on the southwest ridge toward Little Bull Elk Canyon.

Type 3 incident commander trainee Tracy Spang said the cool winds on Sunday only rained enough to "make the roads less dusty", according to BIA's release. On Monday, crews set down a hose over the canyon walls to help with mop up underneath.

According to BIA, crews will mop up the south side of the fire to clear smoke 50-feet from the fireline Tuesday. On Monday, Mad River hotshots left for a new task, and the fire moved to a Type 4 management.

BIA reminds the public to be mindful of accidental fires due to vehicles or careless burning.

An RV caught fire in the West Dunmore fire at around noon on Saturday on the Camp 1 Road west of Dunmore, according to BIA. Two propane tanks exploded causing a two acre fire. Two BIA engines put out the fire with the help from Big Horn County Rural Fire. BIA said someone left something hot at the Pryor Dump resulting a small fire west of Pryor on Edgar Road Saturday night.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

UPDATE: JUNE 18 AT 11:18 A.M.

Additional crews have arrived at the Buffalo Pasture Fire.

An update from the Crow Agency says the Buffalo Pasture Fire has grown to 328 acres, and that damp mountain weather and time may help the fire from growing further.

The update says crews may enter the canyon bottom within a day once they can cool the fire edges to reduce risk to their escape route up the canyon sides.

On Thursday, a Type 2 IA crew from Oregon and two engines arrived to help Crow crews and three engines at spike camp in the tribal buffalo pasture.

A Crow squad and the crew from Oregon built line on the southwest and east side ridges Thursday.

We are softening it up, said Duty Officer, Randy Pretty On Top. Single-engine air tankers dropped retardant to slow fire spread to the northwest into the main Little Bull Elk Canyon, where the fire gained about five acres Thursday.

Around half of the over 50 person firefighting crew are part of the Crow crew, and the Mad River hotshot crew from Northern California is traveling up the mountain Friday morning.

In addition, students completing a rookie school Friday are graduating into firefighters who will assist at the incident Crow Agency reports.

UPDATE: JUNE 16 AT 1:33 P.M.

The Buffalo Pasture fire is currently a estimated 250 acres Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Wildland Fire Management (BWFM).

BWFM said in a release the heavy timber in the canyon created unsafe conditions for crews to dig line until the fire cools down substantially. Crews dropped fire retardant that reduced the speed of the initial run north toward Bighorn Lake, BWFM said.

The fire is climbing up the northeast and southwest canyon walls Wednesday--BWFM said limestone walls are holding in some of the fire.

The mountains at the Cowboy Camp near Windy Point are closed at this time--a spike camp will be at the Hunter's Cabin.

Crews haves requested a heavy and light helicopter, hotshot crew, water tender, local crew and camp crew to the fire. BWFM said air resource and elite crews have left to battle higher priority fires close by.

BWFM said the Crow Tribe is thinking about putting fire restrictions in place.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

CROW AGENCY, Mont. - A 100-acre fire is burning deep in the Little Bull Elk Canyon on the Crow Reservation Tuesday.

According to a release from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Wildland Fire Management (BWFM), the Buffalo Pasture Fire is located southwest of the road between Little Bull Elk Ridge and the buffalo pasture, and west of the old hunter's cabin and the new cabin.

There are 800 to 1000 tons of heavy timber per acre in the canyon forest that have not burned in many years; thus, BWFM said the fire will create a lot of smoke.

BWFM said flames are 100 to 150-feet high with heavy fuels on each side of the canyon's steep walls.

A four-person module and a heavy engine with three aboard is on their way to the fire.

Crews are going to work to prevent the fire from moving into the Black Canyon and protect the cabins on the pasture.

BWFM said the more than 15 people in the Black Canyon are safe at this time.

A Red Flag warning is in effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday with expected wind gusts of up to 35-miles-per-hour and a cold front later.
BILLINGS - For the first time since 1947, the Montana Association for the Blind is hosting their summer orientation program for the blind and visually impaired in Billings.

"This year we have a lot of local Billings students, so it seems like the need is here, Executive Director of the Montana Association for the Blind Dr. Jocelyn DeHass said.

Dr. Dehaas says this program is meant to transform the lives of students, giving them the tools to be independent.

"I wish I could have you come on the first day when they walk in and they're scared and unsure, and when they leave, they're walking strong and confident. They can do a lot of things they never imagined they could do," she said.

By the end of the program, some students are so independent, they return as staff members in future programs.

One of those former students, Rhonda Cochrane, has been part of the program since 1991.

It saved my life, Cochrane said. So I wanted to give something back. I've been almost every one of the instructors that we have and now the office manager."

Within the educational programs, blind and visually impaired students have many options, including how to cook a roast and how to use an iPad, or even a keyboard.

The staff understands the hardships of being blind or visually impaired. Which is why they are available to anyone who wants a helping hand.

"It's hard to admit, maybe that's not the word, that you're blind, but we're here to help, Cochrane said. Get a hold of somebody, don't sit back and wonder what you could've done. Call us and we will help."
HELENA, Mont. - The Montana Office of Public Instruction will be hosting a Montana Education Virtual Summit on Thursday, June 24 and Friday, June 25.

Speakers at the event will include world renown educators and authors, such as Dr. Yong Zhao, Dr. Dan Popov and Dr. Peter Liljedahl, according to a release.

The summit will also feature breakout sessions that offer Montana educators the opportunity to discuss implementation of required plans under the U.S. Department of Educations (USED) guidance for use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, as well as big picture topics like state assessments and social emotional learning.
What was the best piece of wisdom you received as a kid that is worth passing on to todays younger generation?
ROME, JUN 22 - Italy's Marco Bellocchio is to to get a career Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes FIlm Festivakl on July 6-17, organizers said Tuesday, joining Jodie Foster as this year's two recipients of the honour. Bellocchio, 81, whose films include Fists in the Pocket, The Prince of Homburg, The Nanny, The Religion Lesson, Win, Dormant Beauty and The Traitor, will receive the award along with Foster on the final evening of the fest. The cult and engage director will also present his latest work, Marx Can Wait, in the Cannes Premiere section of the fest. A friend of late cinema great Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bellocchio's other films include China is Near (1967), Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina (Slap the Monster on Page One) (1972), Nel Nome del Padre (In the name of the Father - a satire on a Catholic boarding school that shares affinities with Lindsay Anderson's If....) (1972), Victory March (1976), A Leap in the Dark (1980), Henry IV (1984), Devil in the Flesh (1986), and My Mother's Smile (2002), which told the story of a wealthy Italian artist, a 'default-Marxist and atheist', who suddenly discovers that the Vatican is proposing to make his detested mother a saint. In 1991 he won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 41st Berlin International Film Festival for his film The Conviction. In 1995 he directed a documentary about the Red Brigades and the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, entitled Broken Dreams. In 2003, he directed a feature film on the same theme, Good Morning, Night. In 2006 his film The Wedding Director was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. In 2009 he directed Vincere (Win), which was in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival. He finished Sorelle Mai, an experimental film that was shot over ten years with the students of six separate workshops playing themselves. He was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in 2011. His 2012 film Dormant Beauty was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. Bellocchio condemned the Catholic Church's interference in politics after the premiere of his latest controversial film, which was about a high-profile euthanasia and right-to-die case, involving Eluana Englaro. (ANSA).
MILAN, JUN 22 - President Sergio Mattarella said Tuesday that Italy needs a fresh start as it overcomes the COVID-19 pandemic, not a return to business as usual, during the inauguration of the Politecnico di Milano's new campus . "This new campus highlights the need to look to the future in synch with what our country is going through, a time of a new start, not a return to the conditions of before the pandemic, but the start of new, different conditions, fit for the situation that will come in the future," Mattarella said. The Head of State also called for greater cooperation within the European Union in managing the arrival of asylum seekers. "Migration is a worldwide phenomenon and it should be addressed in a global way," he said. "Major challenges should be faced in a collaborative way within the international community and, as regards us, within the oasis of peace and rights that is the European Union". (ANSA).
ROME, JUN 22 - An Italian policeman has been placed under investigation for excessive use of force after shooting a 44-year-old Ghanaian man who was brandishing a knife near Rome's Termini rail station on Saturday afternoon, judicial sources said Tuesday. The measure is a formality in order to keep the case moving forward, they said. The man is now in detention at Rome's Policlinico Umberto I Hospital. He is not in a life-threatening condition, the hospital has said. Rome prosecutors have opened a separate probe into what happened. (ANSA).
ROME, JUN 22 - The Vatican has expressed concern that an anti-homophobia bill being examined in parliament could breach the 1929 Lateran Treaty that regulates relations between the Italian State and the Holy See/Catholic Church if it becomes law, sources said on Tuesday. The concerns about the so-called Zan bill were raised in an informal communique to the Italian embassy to Holy See from Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, the sources said. The Zan bill features measures to prevent and combat discrimination and violence based on motives linked to a person's sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. It would make such acts an aggravating factor in felonies, like racism already is. The Holy See's communique reportedly said the bill could affect the religious freedom that the Lateran Treaty guarantees the Catholic church. Several of Italy's centre-right parties oppose the Zan bill and an alternative homophobia bill has been presented by Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) and Matteo Salvini's League. The League has been especially active in trying to block the Zan bill, describing it as "divisive and ideological" and arguing it could hamper freedom of expression. The Zan bill's backers say this is not true, arguing the text has safeguards to ensure that, for example, Catholic politicians can still publicly say they think homosexuality is sinful. When asked about the Vatican's intervention on Tuesday, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, said "there is certainly the concern of the Vatican and of each one of us." Enrico Letta, the leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) that backs that bill, said he was open to making amendments. "We support that Zan bill and, naturally, we are willing to have dialogue," Letta told RAI radio. "We are ready to look at the legal issues of contention, but we support the framework of the law, which is a civilized law". Letta added that he wanted to read the communique before commenting further. Vatican sources, meanwhile, said the Holy See did not want to halt the Zan bill completely but see it "reshaped so that the Church can continue to perform its pastoral, educational and social activities freely". Premier Mario Draghi said he would answer questions about the issue in parliament on Wednesday. "It is an important question," he said. (ANSA).
Edwards said he is looking forward to featuring some of his artwork in the exhibit and helping out local organizations.

Theres nothing in the show thats outside of Walworth County, Edwards said.

The idea for the art exhibit came about while Edwards purchased some rugs from Nateshi, noticed some of the artwork featured at the business and informed Nateshi about his artwork.

Edwards said he showed some of his paintings to Nateshi, and he was impressed with his work and they decided to host the art exhibit.

Nateshi said he feels area residents will enjoy Edwards artwork.

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It all came together, and these pieces have the feeling of something people would like to pick up in Lake Geneva, Nateshi said. Its something related to Lake Geneva. The artwork is family orientated, family friendly, colorful and cheerful.

Edwards, 75, said he has been interested in artwork since he was 5 years old.

I bought my own pencils and paper from money my relatives gave me, Edwards said. So Ive been at it for 70 years.
RACINE  Two youth died this week after they were pulled from Lake Michigan off Racines beaches. On Monday, one more girl was taken by Flight For Life after she was pulled from the water, while another was rescued with just minor scratches.

The 14-year-old girl who was airlifted Monday is currently "in critical condition" at Children's Hospital in Wauwatosa, Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said during a Tuesday morning press conference.

"Lake Michigan is very unpredictable ... Riptides are very unpredictable," Schmaling said. He said that the 14-year-old, who is from Milwaukee, was swimming with a friend when they appeared to be "pulled out by a very swift current."

The pier/causeway near North Beach "is a very natural area for rip-currents to exist," added Capt. Bradley Friend, a leader of the county's Dive/Rescue Team. He added that in strong currents common in Lake Michigan, that can be up to 8 mph, even Olympic swimmers would struggle swimming back to shore when caught in that.

County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said that, two weeks ago, there was another near-drowning of a young girl who was saved by witnesses.

"We're done watching this occur," Delagrave said. "You can't put a dollar amount on human life ... We're going to do something about this."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, food systems faced disruptions from staff shortages and supply chain issues. Now, a Virginia Tech researcher is assisting with efforts to help plants themselves from facing their own pandemic.

Just like human diseases, plant diseases dont have arbitrary boundaries. These diseases dont stop at a border crossing or a port of entry. Thats why plant disease surveillance, improved plant disease detection systems, and predictive plant disease modeling  integrated at the global scale  are necessary to mitigate future plant disease outbreaks and protect the global food supply, according to a team of researchers in a new commentary published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The manuscript offers a unique and timely perspective on plant diseases, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, said David Schmale, a co-author on the paper and a professor in the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. What would happen if the world lost a staple crop, such as wheat, to a plant disease pandemic? The manuscript considers current tools and capabilities in the context of climate change and growing human populations. There is a clear opportunity to bring researchers together that work on the epidemiology of human diseases and plant diseases.

Schmale was a part of a team of experts, led by North Carolina State University, that met in Raleigh, North Carolina, a few years ago to discuss plant diseases and their impacts on food security. This manuscript is the result of that meeting, and many of the experts that were there in Raleigh are co-authors on the paper.

The idea is to detect these plant disease outbreak sources early and stop the spread before it becomes a pandemic, said Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University and the papers lead author. Once an epidemic occurs, it is difficult to control, Ristaino said, likening the effort to the one undertaken to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Ristaino said that the efforts from a wide range of scholars  so-called convergence science  are needed to prevent plant disease pandemics. That means economists, engineers, crop scientists, crop disease specialists, geneticists, geographers, data analysts, statisticians, and others working together to protect crops, the farmers growing crops, and the people fed by those crops.

A Threat to Global Food Security

While some diseases are already under some sort of global surveillance  such as wheat rust and late blight, an important pathogen that affects potatoes and caused the Irish Potato Famine  other crop diseases are not routinely monitored.

A new strain of the fungal pathogen that causes wheat rust turned up in 1999 (Ug99) and has moved quickly throughout Africa, recently flying over the Red Sea into Yemen.

Globalization of food trade is another factor for the jump of plant pathogens and further risks a food supply already strained by a growing world population and human diseases.

Research is underway to model the risk of plant-pathogen spread and help predict and then prevent outbreaks, the researchers report in the paper. Modeling and forecasting disease spread can help mobilize mitigation strategies more precisely to stop these plant pandemics.

Our work extends the concept of One Health to plant disease pandemics and the threat they pose to global food security, Schmale said. People, domestic animals, and plants are all tightly connected through each other and the environments that they share. These connections are changing, and we must address the threat of high-risk plant pathogens to staple food crops to safeguard global food security.
A Colorado police officer and suspect were both dead after they opened fire in a shopping district in a Denver suburb.

The Arvada Police Department said that the deceased officer was responding to a shooting in the city's Olde Town district, according to a Fox News report.

Meanwhile, the suspect died at the scene and was taken to another hospital. The police officer was also placed in a hospital after the shooting incident.

Arvada Deputy Chief Ed Brady said that they have yet to release the identity of the veteran police officer until his family has been notified.

Arvada police revealed the suspect has shot and killed another person. However, the victim's identity has not yet been released publicly.

READ MORE: Colorado Cop Suspended Due To Inappropriate Conduct With a Minor

Police Investigation

Police had also searched a vehicle in the area for explosives, according to a CBS Local report.

Police said they are not looking for any additional suspects, adding that there is no longer any threat to the public.

Witnesses said that they heard gunshots and ran for cover inside a restaurant. Meanwhile, police advised the public to stay away from the area during the investigation.

Authorities had closed much of Olde Town Arvada on Monday night due to the ongoing investigation.

Arvada Mayor Marc Williams said in a statement that it is a sad day for the city of Arvada. He added that the community has been very safe for many years.

He also noted that the city has only lost two officers on duty in the history of the city. Those incidents did not involve any firearm.

Williams said that the community is shocked and saddened due to the incident, reminding them how important that police officers are safe as they own them so much.

Meanwhile, Brady did not offer any additional information and did not take questions from reporters at the news conference.

He also did not state a motive for the shooting or explained why one of the people was called a Samaritan, according to a Denver Post report.

Employees at the Arvada Chamber of Commerce sheltered in the building's basement more than an hour after the shooting.

Arvada Chamber President Kami Welch said that their hearts are with the Arvada Police Department and to those who were affected today.

Community Grieving

The mayor was only a few blocks away from the scene and saw a dozen police officers going to the shopping district.

He did not hear any gunshots but he said he knew something was wrong because of the fast patrol cars heading to the area.

Williams said that Olde Town is such a vibrant part of their community.

The City Hall was closed for the remainder of the day after the shooting. Officials also canceled the City Council meeting that was scheduled for Monday night.

The Arvada officer that was killed in the second Colorado police officer to die while responding to shooting this year.

In March, Boulder police officer Eric Talley died while responding to a mass shooting inside a King Soopers grocery store.

Gov. Jared Polis said that his thoughts are with the family and friends of the officer who was killed in the line of duty.

READ NEXT: Colorado Shooting Suspect Was Bullied and Anti-Social, Brother Says

WATCH: Shooting in Olde Town Arvada leaves officer dead - from 9News






Former President Barack Obama's ethics chief Walter Shaub on Monday criticized President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, for selling his artworks at prices ranging up to half a million dollars.

Walter Shaub said that Hunter Biden should not have priced his artworks at such a high cost since he has no history of selling art, The Daily Wire reported.

Hunter's artworks will reportedly sell from between $75,000 to $500,000, depending on the size and scope of the work.

Shaub told Fox News that the idea of Hunter Biden capitalizing on his relationship with his father by selling art at high prices has been keeping the public in the dark about who's funneling money to him.

He noted that there was a "shameful and grifty" feeling to this arrangement. The former ethics chief added that there was a risk of influence-seekers funneling money to the Biden family.

Walter Shaub noted that Hunter and his art dealer, Georges Berges, should disclose the identity of the purchasers of the said artworks. He said in that way, the public can see who might be trying to gain access to the government.

"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 noted.

RELATED ARTICLE: A Hunter Biden Painting to Go on Sale for up to Half a Million Dollars

Hunter Biden's Artworks

Hunter Biden said he does not paint from emotion or feeling. Instead, he thinks painting is much more about trying to bring forward the universal truth, according to a Fox News report.

Berges plans to promote the art through a private viewing in Los Angeles, with an exhibition in New York in the fall later this year.

Hunter's art dealer also represents Sylvester Stallone. Georges Berges was once arrested in California for assault with a deadly weapon and terrorist threats.

Berges said Hunter's artworks have that authenticity that he sees in many artists he loves. He noted that a lot of the issues thrown at Hunter Biden make the president's son produce really great work.

Art dealer Alex Acevedo told New York Post that anybody who buys the artworks would be guaranteed instant profit as he is the president's son, and everybody would want a piece of that. Acevedo further noted that he is not impressed with modern art at all, but he was "floored" with Hunter's works.

Hunter Biden was asked if his father is a fan of his art. He replied by saying that his dad loves everything that he does.

Art consultant Martin Galindo has a different opinion, saying he was not a fan of Hunter's works. Galindo, however, told The Post that he was very positive that Hunter will do well in the market as the industry is very much about "like clout."

Hunter Biden did not have any formal study as an artist. However, he noted that it was something he was doing since he was seven years old. His new studio is in a three-story garage on his property.

Before diving into the art industry, Hunter published a memoir that had gained traction for its unyielding honesty on his life as a crack addict, Washingtonian reported.

Hunter Biden has been living with his new wife, Melissa Cohen, with their son, whom he named after his late brother, Beau.

READ MORE: #RacistHunter and #RacistBiden Trend on Twitter Over Report That Hunter Biden Used Racial Slurs in Texts

WATCH: 'The Five' Question How Hunter Biden's Art Could Be Worth Up to $500K - From Fox News






The World Health Organization (WHO) warned the public against the Delta COVID variant, saying the virus strain is potentially more lethal to vulnerable people.

WHO officials issued the warning on Monday, June 21, addressing it to world leaders and public health officials, CNBC reported.

WHO warned that the Delta variant is highly contagious and is the "fastest and fittest" SARS-CoV-2 strain that would affect vulnerable people, especially in places with low COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Last month, the organization declared the Delta a "variant of concern" since it has been seen to be more contagious, more deadly, or more resistant to present vaccines and treatments.

Executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, Dr. Mike Ryan, confirmed that Delta is more "lethal because it's more efficient in the way it transmits between humans."

Ryan further noted that it would eventually find those vulnerable individuals who will become severely ill to be admitted to hospitals and "potentially die."

On Friday, June 18, WHO said the Delta COVID variant is becoming the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide.

READ NEXT: Instacart Entices COVID Vaccine Takers, Offers Snacks as Prizes to Online Grocers

WHO: COVID Vaccines Offer Protection Against Delta Variant

Studies suggested that the Delta COVID variant, first identified in India, is more transmissible than the Alpha variant. Alpha COVID variant was known to be more contagious than the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 that emerged from Wuhan, China.

WHO cited reports stating that the Delta variant also causes "more severe symptoms." However, the organization underscored that more research is needed to confirm the said reports.

Ryan said a way to protect those vulnerable from the Delta strain is through vaccinations.

"We can protect those vulnerable people, ththose frontline workers," said Ryan, adding that people who were left unvaccinated remain at even further risk.

The WHO official further noted that a lack of protection to those in the front line is a "catastrophic moral failure at a global level."

Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, seconded Ryan's claims, urging the people to get vaccinated.

Delta COVID Variant in the U.S. and Worldwide

Bloomberg reported about genomic data from Helix that revealed that the Delta COVID variant is growing faster in U.S. counties with lower vaccination rates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that the said variant makes up 10 percent of all new cases in the United States.

Former Food and Drug Association (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb earlier said that the Delta variant is likely to become the dominant COVID strain in the U.S. CDC echoed what the former commissioner said.

In the U.K., Delta became the dominant virus strain, accounted for at least 60 percent of the new COVID cases in the country. According to Bloomberg, the Delta variant was growing "more than twice as fast" as the Gamma variant, the strain that was first seen in Brazil.

To date, WHO's technical lead for COVID, Maria Van Kerkhove, said the Delta COVID variant had struck at least 92 countries.

READ MORE: U.S. Stretches Travel Restrictions at Canada and Mexico Until July 21, DHS Says

WATCH: DELTA Variant COVID and Why it's Concerning - From Doctor Mike Hansen
Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, also known as AMLO, promised a thorough investigation into the shootings that happened near the U.S.-Mexico border over the weekend.

Initially, the death toll of the said shooting was reported to be 18, including the four suspects killed by the security forces. However, state security forces confirmed Monday, June 21, that 15 civilians were killed, Reuters reported.

AMLO has called for a federal investigation in the string of shootings that happened in Reynosa City near the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday, June 19.

AMLO said it was a cowardly attack that took the lives of "innocent people." The Mexican president noted that evidence indicated that the 15 victims were innocent bystanders, Al Jazeera reported.

READ NEXT: Ex-Mayor in Mexico Admits Role in the Murder of a Journalist

AMLO Vows to Investigate the Shootings Near the U.S.-Mexico Border

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, June 21, AMLO said he would direct the attorney general's office to investigate the attacks that claimed the lives of more than a dozen of people.

The Mexican president asked the federal prosecutors to take over the case as he vowed for a "thorough investigation."

AMLO noted that the attacks indicated that it was not a confrontation but rather "a commando" that shot civilians who were not involved in any conflict.

The security forces said in a statement that the multiple shooting incidents in Reynosa City were committed by gunmen who "were aboard several vehicles."

The Mexican government's latest homicide figures showed a decrease in killings in the country. Reports said that nearly 3,000 homicides occurred in Mexico last month, higher than the homicide records in May 2020.

The Mexican government noted that homicides in the country declined at least 2.9 percent in the first five months of 2021 compared with last year.

The director of the civic anti-crime group Common Cause, Maria Elena Morera, said that many Mexicans had been injured in incidents like the one in Reynosa City.

"In the face of so much violence, people prefer not to let the pain in, and turn away," said Morera.

Involvement of Gulf Cartel in the Shootings

Authorities are still in the process of finding out the motive for the spate of deadly gun violence in Reynosa City, which is across the U.S-Mexico border from McAllen, Texas.

Reynosa is known to be a battleground for factions of the Gulf Cartel fighting for control. Experts believe that Gulf Cartel has an internal struggle since 2017.

The Gulf Cartel usually targets rival gunmen or security forces. But the victims of the latest shooting were different since they were innocent civilians composed of taxi drivers, workers, and a student.

The Mexican president sought to avoid confrontations with drug cartels. Reports noted that AMLO prefers to address underlying social problems such as youth employment.

READ MORE: Mexico Sinkhole Now Larger Than a Football Field, Swallows House and Traps 2 Dogs

WATCH: WorldView: Deadly Violence Near U.S.-Mexico Border - From CBS News
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that pro-abortion President Joe Biden does not see his Catholic faith "through a political prism," and his faith is personal to him.

"He (Biden) goes to church nearly every weekend. He even went when we were on our overseas trip. But it's personal to him, he doesn't see it through a political prism," Psaki noted.

Jen Psaki also said they are not going to comment on the inner workings of the Catholic Church, The Federalist reported.

"The View" co-host Meghan McCain said she was troubled by Biden's support of abortion despite saying he personally opposes it. McCain said the president is doing grave spiritual harm to himself and the country.

While discussing a recent decision by U.S. Catholic bishops that could result in a rebuke of the president for his abortion views, McCain argued that Joe Biden was "walking a very fine line" between his politics and personal faith.

Joe Biden reversed his stance on the Hyde amendment in 2019. The provision seeks to prevent the use of federal funds to pay for abortions in most cases. He excluded the Hyde Amendment from his proposed budget to Congress in May, Fox News reported.

McCain further noted that as far as she is concerned, abortion is murder, which means the government funding of the killing of the unborn.

McCain has a close relationship with Joe Biden as he was close to her father, Sen. John McCain. She noted that for someone who claims to be pro-life, she never understood this argument.

Jen Psaki had declined to directly answer a question from a reporter, asking if the president thinks a 15-week-old unborn baby is a human being.

Psaki simply answered it by saying that Joe Biden "supports a woman's right to choose," according to another Fox News report.

RELATED ARTICLE: Pope Francis and Pres. Joe Biden Meeting: Why Did It Not Happen?

Joe Biden's Potential Communion Ban

Roman Catholic bishops in the United States have voted to press ahead with moves that could result in Joe Biden being banned from receiving communion due to his abortion stance.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently voted by three to one to draft new guidance on the eucharist, The Guardian reported. The Vatican had signaled its opposition regarding the matter.

Conservative bishops are behind the movement to draw up a new teaching document that seeks to say that Catholics who opposed the church's stance on abortion should be denied holy communion.

Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend said they need to accept the discipline that those who persist in "grave sin" are not to be admitted to holy communion.

Meanwhile, a critic of Pope Francis and a leading conservative, Cardinal Raymond Burke, earlier said those politicians who publicly support abortion are "apostates."

Burke noted that these politicians should not only be barred from receiving communion but deserve excommunication.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, said it is not the bishops who have brought them to this point, but rather it was some of the public officials.

Naumann said that Joe Biden is a Catholic president doing the most aggressive things they have seen on life at its most innocent.

Some U.S. bishops warned against the "weaponization" of the eucharist. Wilton Gregory of Washington and Francis Malooly of Wilmington, Delaware, said the president is welcome to receive communion at their churches.

Joe Biden, the U.S.' second Catholic president, earlier said he personally opposes abortion but recognizes that others do not share his view.

When the president was asked whether he would be denied communion, he answered by saying it was a private matter and he does not think that it is going to happen.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Unleashes Several Gaffes at G7 Summit

WATCH: Biden Scraps Ban on U.S. Funds for Abortion Counseling, Expands Healthcare Access - From AFP News Agency






Convicted killer Scott Peterson is reportedly feeling anxious as he waits for the retrial decision. California Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo will announce her retrial decision on Aug. 24.

The California Supreme court was ordered to re-examine Peterson's murder convictions last November, Crime Online reported.

Kron 4 noted that Massullo would announce a retrial if Peterson's habeas corpus petition provides enough information to get one. But an evidentiary hearing will follow if the judge has decided that there is not enough information regarding the matter.

The defense earlier said that they have enough evidence to destroy the timeline that put Scott Peterson on death row for murdering his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner, in 2002.

RELATED ARTICLE: Scott Peterson Murder Case: District Attorney Wants Him off Death Row

Scott Peterson Off the Death Row

In May, a California district attorney said in a court filing that she would not be seeking a new death sentence against Peterson.

The Stanislaus County district attorney's office noted that it would drop efforts to restore the penalty thrown out last year by the state Supreme Court, NBC News reported.

The California justices earlier ruled that the death sentence could not stand as potential jurors were excluded after saying they disagreed with the death penalty.

Laci Peterson's family has reportedly no doubt that Scott Peterson killed his wife and their unborn child. They said they think he deserves the death penalty but does not want to pursue the punishment as the process is too painful to endure once again.

The family's sentiment was stated by District Attorney Birgit Fladager in her filing in San Mateo Superior Court.

Massullo is reviewing when to resentence Scott Peterson to life without parole after Fladager said she would not seek to retry the case's death penalty portion.

The judge is also considering if Peterson should get an entirely new trial due to juror misconduct. The consideration is based on a juror's failure to disclose that she had sought a restraining order against her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend in 2000.

Scott Peterson's Murder Case

Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant with their unborn son when she was reported missing a day before Christmas in 2002.

Scott Peterson caught the attention of investigators because he seemed to be lacking concern over his wife's disappearance, and he refused to take a polygraph test.

In January 2003, Amber Frey, a massage therapist, came forward and admitted that she started dating Peterson two months earlier. She said she was unaware that he was married.

Frey contacted the police on Dec. 30, 2002 after realizing the connection of Peterson to the missing woman in the news.

Four months after Laci Peterson went missing, locals found two decomposed bodies washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay, according to a Biography report.

Scott Peterson was arrested on Apr. 18, 2003. It was the same day that the bodies were identified as Laci and Conner. When he was arrested in La Jolla, California, Peterson was sporting a dyed-blond hairdo and goatee.

He was also driving a car with his brother's ID card, several cellphones, and around $15,000 in cash. Meanwhile, Peterson maintains his innocence.

READ MORE: Scott Peterson Is off Death Row and Laci Peterson's Family Is Devastated

WATCH: Convicted Killer Scott Peterson Appears in Court in Death Penalty Retrial - From NBC Bay Area






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A pilot festival in Dublin that could pave the way for bigger events like the Electric Picnic is set to take place with the Government's blessing in July.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin has announced details of a pilot live music event at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin on Saturday, July 3.

She has tweeted that 3,500 fans will be able to attend having undergone Rapid Antigen Tests for Covid-19 to gain entry. She also says social distancing of 1 metre will be required.

Hosted by comedy duo The 2 Johnnies, Gavin James, Denise Chaila, Lyra, Wild Youth, Sharon Shannon and Wyvern Lingo will perform full sets at Ireland's first music festival in over 15 months.

The outcome may be used to roadcheck the viability of other festivals this summer and Autumn. The Electric Picnic wants to hold a three day 70,000 festival in Laois at the end of September.

MCD, which has links to Electric Picnic, is promoting the Dublin pilot.

There is opposition to Laois to the Electric Picnic happening due to Covid-19 concerns.
First Dates Ireland is planning for a brand-new series and wants people from Laois to be among those around Ireland to apply!

The hit RTE2 show is looking for men and women from Laois to join them in the restaurant. If you'd like to be in with the chance of nabbing a date in the First Dates restaurant this summer - there's still time to apply!

The show also welcomes applications from 'extras' to be background diners.

So, what are you waiting for? For more information or to APPLY ONLINE go to: cococontent.ie/firstdates

To be an extra go here.

Read also: LAOIS FIRST DATES FROM THE PAST

Joining maitre D' Mateo Saina, are barman Ethan Miles, and waiters Alice and Pete, who help set the scene and give romance the best possible chance to flourish.

First Dates Ireland is filmed in Coda Eatery at The Gibson Hotel where every moment is captured by over 20 cameras in the first fixed-rig show of its kind to be made in Ireland.

The singletons who visit the restaurant range in age from 20 to 70 plus. The unobtrusive cameras allow the daters to forget they are being filmed and start bonding... or not!

The tables are set, the champagne is on ice, and the doors are ready to open up and welcome in a whole new set of singletons looking for love. Fill in an application form below for the chance to find love in the First Dates restaurant!
A new law to ban the farming of mink and other animal furs in Laois and other counties after the Government committed to shutting down the industry.

Nearly three years after the former Minister for Agriculture announced that the then Government had approved the banning of new firms setting up and the phasing out of the existing businesses, it's emerged that a ban is on the way.

The Green Party made it a promise that the new Government must deliver on when it joined Fianna Fail and Fine Gael in coalition in 2020.

There are three mink farms operating in Ireland. The Vasa Ltd Fur Farm has operated for several years in Vicarstown, Co. Laois. The others operate in Donegal and Kerry. The Department of Agriculture said in 2019 that these are seen as large farms producing approximately 110,000 pelts per annum.

The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue is expected to get the goahead from Ministers to ban fur farming in Ireland and to provide a compensation scheme.

The three farmers are set to be compensated for the closing down of their operations. Earnings, redundancy and demolition fees will all be factored into the size of the pay outs.

The prohibition is not expected to begin until early in 2022.

Thousands of animals were culled at the farms in 2020 after a Covid-19 variant linked to mink was discovered in Denmark. The variant was not found on Irish farms.

Animal rights activists have campaigned for the ban. There have been several protests at the farm in Laois.

A 2012 Department of Agriculture report said the industry claims to be responsible for approximately 62 full-time jobs and staff salaries of some 1.3m per annum.

It said CSO statistics put the value of exports in 2010 at 4.992m. It said mink pelts are exported via international auction houses in Helsinki and Copenhagen.

The report said the fur sector creates up to 60,000 full-time jobs in Europe and the value of EU-farmed fur came to

1.5 billion in 2010.
Local Fianna Fail TD James Lawless has been elected the National Secretary of the Fianna Fail Party.

The National Secretary is one of the most prominent senior roles in the administration and organisation of the party on a national level.

The Kildare North TD said I am absolutely delighted. It is one of the highest organisational roles in the Party and I look forward to working with the Taoiseach Micheal Martin TD and the other members of the National Executive of Fianna Fail in the year ahead

Mr Lawless said one of his first roles in Fianna Fail many years ago was as Secretary of his own Cumann in Sallins and he has served as a member of the National Executive of the Party for several years.

He added: I am very familiar with the operational oversight and governance work that comes with this role within the party.

The role of National Secretary of Fianna Fail will have many challenges ahead not least the continued work to renewing our policy focus within the organisation and to especially to reconnect with our members after this pandemic,"
The Seanad has heard calls for a second judge in Co Kildare to help with the backlog of family law cases.

Women's Aid said today that the number of people who contacted the domestic violence support service increased by over 40% last year compared to 2019.

Women reported high levels of emotional, physical, sexual and economic abuse from their partners, in some cases as a direct result of Covid-19 restrictions.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin said today in the Seanad that family law is particularly under resourced at present and shed added that "I know we will face a tsunami" due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senator O'Loughlin added: "It is important that we get ahead of it as Covid-19 eases, and it is particularly important that we get a second judge in Kildare to hear family law cases."

Last year, Women's Aid said 29,717 people contacted the domestic violence support service - up 43% compared to 2019.

Some 95% of those who contacted the 24-hour national helpline were women, 5% were men.

The majority of contacts were made through Helpline calls, 1,460 used support conversations on the Women's Aid Instant Messaging Service and there were 830 replies to emails.

In 2020, the helpline team heard over 22,600 disclosures of abuse against women, 16,200 of which were disclosed as emotional abuse.

Just over 4,000 disclosed physical abuse, 1,500 said they were economically abused, there were 777 disclosures of sexual abuse.

Women said they had been raped, beaten and choked by abusive partners.

709 women said they were threatened with murder, 148 were abused while pregnant, 28 suffered a miscarriage because of the abuse while 340 said they had been raped.

The level of fear, desperation and isolation experienced by thousands of women across the country last year, is evident in the report.

CEO of Women's Aid, Sarah Benson said on RTE's Morning Ireland said the helpline team at Women's Aid reported a particularly acute year of distress for women in 2021 with many reporting a 'suffocating' feeling due to the public health restrictions in place.

She said that for women who were already subjected to abuse before the pandemic, the additional restrictions stripped away "the small tactics they used to try and get respite or manage the situation".
One of the men accused of assaulting Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney allegedly visited a garda station before making what the State argues was a "preparatory" journey to Cavan one day before Mr Lunney was abducted, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

The court heard evidence that gardai tracked the man from Store Street garda station which led them to a Renault Kangoo van that the prosecution alleges was used to bring some of the accused men from Dublin to Cavan and back to Dublin on the day Mr Lunney was abducted and the previous day.

Sean Guerin SC for the prosecution has said it is the State's case that the previous day's journey was for "preparatory purposes".

Lawyers for the accused are challenging the admissibility of CCTV evidence.

A 40-year-old man known as YZ, Alan OBrien (40), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, Darren Redmond (27), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 and Luke OReilly (67), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan have all pleaded not (NOT) guilty to false imprisonment and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17, 2019.



Detective Garda Alan Jones told Mr Guerin that he became aware that the accused man known as YZ had visited Store Street Garda Station in the early afternoon of September 16, 2019.

Det Gda Jones said he found CCTV footage of YZ at the garda station and "tracked him from there". He said footage from various locations led him to a red Volkswagen with a registration ending in 782 that went to the Island Quay apartments in Dublin 3.

A male got out, he said, and walked in the direction of the car park to the apartment complex before a Renault Kangoo van passed and flashed its lights.

"Then it was a question of tracking the Kangoo van," the garda said.



Det Gda Jones also tracked the movements of the van the following day, September 17, when Mr Lunney was abducted and assaulted.

The garda also discovered footage of an Audi and two short clips of a Transit van after hearing that Mr Lunney had described being put into the boot of an Audi and later being put in the back of a Transit van.

He sought footage from camera systems at motorway toll booths, garages and business and residential premises in various locations.

Following requests from the garda investigation team, Det Gda Jones also tracked the movements of the Kangoo on October 23 and downloaded footage of people buying mobile phone top-ups at various times for phones allegedly linked to the offences.

The detective said that when canvassing for CCTV footage he told homeowners and business owners that gardai required the footage for a criminal investigation. In some cases he referred the CCTV operators to section 41.b of the Data Protection Act which allows gardai investigating criminal offences to access CCTV footage.

Under cross examination Det Gda Jones told Michael O'Higgins SC, defending YZ, that he has been involved in gathering CCTV for about six years.

He said he is aware "in broad terms" of the provisions under the Garda Siochana Act 2005 which restrict where and in what circumstances gardai can place their own CCTV cameras.

The witness agreed that gardai are not allowed to "put cameras on every street corner but are reliant on members of the public" who make their footage available to gardai.

CCTV footage, the garda agreed, has "revolutionized how cases are prosecuted."

The garda also said he was aware that prior to the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) in 2018, anyone operating a CCTV system was required to register.

Det Gda Jones said he was not aware of any discussion in An Garda Siochana about the possibility that gardai were using material that might have been unlawfully generated.

The witness agreed with Giollaiosa O'Lideadha SC, for Alan O'Brien, that in every case the CCTV operators allowed him to access the system and "take what you want".

He agreed that the conditions under which private operators use CCTV had not been addressed in garda training and he was not in a position to ask operators whether they were complying with the law.

The garda also agreed that the "origin of the trail" that led to specific CCTV footage being sought was mobile phone data which gardai had seized early on in the investigation.

The defence has previously challenged the admissibility of the mobile phone data and the three judges of the non-jury court are expected to rule on that in the coming days.

Mr Lunney has told the court that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings.

His abductors cut him with a Stanley knife, stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.

The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, and Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh.
Exchange session with residents on the Jim Deva Plaza in Vancouver, as part of Places for People. VILLE DE VANCOUVER

Cet article, publie dans le cadre du Wellbeing Cities Award 2021 (Prix Mieux vivre en ville) , est egalement accessible en Francais

 If you dont like the sea, if you dont like the city, if you dont like the mountains, go and get lost...  These were Jean-Paul Belmondos words in Breathless (  A bout de souffle  ), a film by Jean-Luc Godard. We strongly advise these unhappy people to avoid Vancouver, the biggest city in British Columbia where all these attractions co-exist. Located on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, overlooked by the North Shore mountain range, dotted with parks and home to a truly dynamic, multicultural downtown, Vancouver combines shopping streets, business headquarters and residential towers. The metropolis regularly competes for one of the top spots in the worlds cities where it is best to live. 

But the assets of this downtown area, a rarity in North America, threaten to be transformed in the near future into real urban challenges : populated today by some 101,000 residents, the heart of Vancouver is expected to be home to 30,000 additional inhabitants within 20 years. Its density will then be close to that of Manhattan. Its gentrification, which is already underway, is causing the price per square metre to soar, as well as creating an increasingly strong divide between the different populations living there. The  Downtown Eastside  in the north of the city is now one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada, with a concentration of drug problems, prostitution, violence and mentally distressed populations.

The Places for people programme, which was a finalist for the Wellbeing Cities Award 2021, was born of the conviction that the city can only respond to these challenges by rethinking the way its inhabitants share public space. A communal space is becoming more and more essential: as a result of increasingly cramped housing due to rising rents: streets and parks are becoming the outdoor living room for many inhabitants. In order to imagine the transformation of these neighbourhoods over the next thirty years,  Places for people  is based on a totally innovative approach, which takes the exact opposite view of urban planning habits: it is no longer up to the inhabitants to adapt to the spaces imagined for them by architects or designers, it is up to them to design the urban developments in which they wish to live in function of their habits and situation.

A bottom-up approach

Il vous reste 57.84% de cet article a lire. La suite est reservee aux abonnes.
GARDAI have launched an investigation following the theft of a 'vintage postbox' from a Limerick village at the weekend.

The unusal theft occurred at Ardpatrick sometime between close of business on Friday and Monday morning when it was reported to gardai.

The green postbox, which was mounted on a timber pole, was installed nearly 20 years ago following the closure of the village post office.

Gardai at Kilmallock are investigating the theft which is said to have angered and upset local residents.

A spokesperson for An Post confirmed to the Limerick Leader the post box, which was located at a green area near the centre of the village, was in use and that post was collected from it 'as normal' on Friday evening.

It's not known if there was any post in the postbox when it was stolen.

An Post says efforts to source a replacement post box are underway and it is hoped it can be installed in the coming days.

Gardai are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information about the theft to contact them.
ALMOST six in 10 adults, in one area of Limerick are out of work, a new report has shown.

And eight out of the 10 unemployment blackspots in the Republic of Ireland are in the city, the study, described as scandalous has revealed.

On average, Limericks unemployment rate is around 14%, due in part to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But in Johns A, an electoral ward which covers St Marys Park, the rate is at 58.3%, with a number of other areas across the northside and southside seeing levels of unemployment between 40% and 50%.

Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan, who commissioned the report in his role as chairman of the enterprise trade and employment Oireachtas committee said:

For Limerick to have eight of the top 10 blackspots is absolutely scandalous. There should have been specific interventions into these areas to make sure there was help.

He accused government of a total abandonment of city communities.

The data, based on the results of the census, reveal that there are in total 18 unemployment blackspots across the county.

In the top 10, the other so-called blackspots are in areas at Galvone, Ballynanty, Abbey which takes in parts of Pennywell, Prospect and Kileely.

They are joined by Glentworth C, which include areas of the Hyde Road, and Mount St Laurence, which include estates near the graveyard.

In 2006, just four areas of Limerick were in this top 10, and back in 2002, there were none.

Mr Quinlivan added: These unemployment areas dont seem to change year-on-year, the only thing which does change is the order. In that different parts of the city would have higher numbers than others. Its a real indictment on this government over the last number of years and particularly our national leaders who have stood by.

In February, Limericks live register stood at 7,242.
A LAND bank at the Old Cratloe Road will remain designated for housing under the councils new development plan  despite opposition from some.

Some 14 hectares behind the Old Country Club at the Old Cratloe Road near the route of the proposed Coonagh to Knockalisheen Road were earmarked to be rezoned for enterprise and employment under the development plan.

However, after an amendment to keep the land zoned as residential from Cllr Frankie Daly was passed, it will now appear in the plan under this designation. If the plan passes without change, it means houses can be built on the site.

But four of Cllr Dalys six colleagues who represent the area north of the Shannon actually voted against the proposal.

Cllr Daly pointed out the population is expected to grow under the National Planning Framework.

To facilitate this growth, it is essential that there are adequate lands available for residential development within the city and environs, he said, pointing out it will benefit the new university at Limerick Institute of Technology.

There was opposition from Green councillors Sean Hartigan and Sasa Novak, Labours Conor Sheehan, Independent Elisa ODonovan plus Sinn Feins John Costelloe and Sharon Benson, who referred to Cllr Daly as a turncoat. Despite being asked to withdraw that remark by Mayor Michael Collins, Benson refused to do so during the meeting

These councillors expressed concern at the loss of land for job creation opportunity, pointing out one of the benefits as part of the Coonagh/Knockalisheen road is supposed to be job creation.

Despite this, it went to a roll-call vote, and Cllr Dalys motion to retain housing was carried by 31 votes to six.
THE Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in partnership with Limerick City and County Council and Creative Ireland has announced the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention will take place (virtually) at the University of Limerick later this week.

The convention (NAFCo) is a cultural exchange and meeting place for artists, academics, and enthusiasts that brings together scholars, practitioners, teachers and other stakeholders to share ideas, practices, research and knowledge about the field of fiddle performance and related dance, from the cultures and diaspora of the North Atlantic region.

Uniquely structured, it combines a festival with an academic conference, featuring interactive workshops, concerts, interviews, public lectures, academic papers, and more.

The showcase of fiddling and dancing was started by Aberdeen Universitys Elphinstone Institute in 2011 and has subsequently grown in size to include events in Canada and Scotland.

Among this years line-up is Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens and renowned English folk group, The Unthanks.

This year will also feature the acclaimed group The Provenance. Led by Frankie Gavin, The Provenance comprises Sorcha Costello, Eadaoin Ni Mhaicin and Ciara OBrien, three powerful, highly experienced fiddle players and stars in their own right.

They have won numerous awards and All-Ireland competitions, and toured the world both in a solo capacity and in a range of groups and orchestras.

Speaking ahead of the convention, festival Director Dr Niall Keegan said: I am delighted to facilitate this years event with its focus on the fiddle traditions of the Ireland and our nearby cousins. We are bringing this virtually to the world. Of course, we still miss the opportunity to meet in person but we will continue to show the value of music and place in the new digital spaces we have lived in for the past fifteen months.

Dr Pippa Little, Culture and Arts Officer and Creative Ireland Programme Co-ordinator, Limerick City and County Council added: We look forward to this celebration of the fiddle tradition and to developing knowledge and understanding nationally and internationally through this convention, held here digitally in Limerick. For music lovers there are on-line performances and educational materials are available for our schools.

Dr Sandra Joyce, Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance said the convention will be a unique experience and will be presented in a distinctive way given the pandemic.

"A wealth of academic discourse, performances, workshops and more awaits participants, centred on the fiddle and related areas, such as song and dance. We look forward to welcoming the world, virtually, to Limerick for NAFCo 2021, she said.

The convention is a partnership between the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Creative Ireland and Limerick City and County Council.
Indian billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, who oversees the $46 billion Aditya Birla Group spread across 36 countries, is no longer keen to acquire any firm with a globally diversified supply chain as protectionism and the pandemic increasingly curb the movement of products and people.

We wouldnt look at a company or a business where you source in one corner of the world and sell in another corner of the world," Birla told Haslinda Amin in an interview during the Qatar Economic Forum. Thats a reset that has happened on account of growing protectionism."

Acquisitive conglomerates such as the one Birla helms -- he has acquired more than 40 companies in the last 25 years -- are now pivoting toward creating regional strongholds that can avoid getting tripped up in an increasingly divided world. Even cross-border M&A needs to have a strong element of regionalization," according to Birla, in this new world.





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The powerful US Chambers of Commerce has launched a massive campaign to address the acute shortage of skilled and professional workforce in America, prominent among which includes urging the Biden administration and Congress to double the number of H-1B visas and eliminate per-country quota for the Green Card.

The most sought-after H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The demand to increase the H-1B quota, which currently is at 65,000 and another 20,000 for those who have higher studies from the US, is part of the America Works campaign launched by the US Chambers of Commerce early this month.

As we stand on the cusp of what could be a great American resurgence, a worker shortage is holding back job creators across the country," US Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Suzanne Clark said.

Through the America Works Agenda, the US Chamber is calling for doubling the cap on employment-based visas, doubling the quota on H-1B and H-2B visas and implementing other reforms to the legal immigration system to help employers meet the demand for high-demand jobs in labour-strapped sectors. It is also calling for growing federal investments in employer-led job education and training programmes and expanding access to childcare for working parents.

We must arm workers with the skills they need, we must remove barriers that are keeping too many Americans on the sidelines, and we must recruit the very best from around the world to help fill high-demand jobs," Clark said.

The Chamber called for changes to be made on the issuance of employment-based immigrant visas including doubling the cap on employment-based immigrant visas from 140,000/year to 280,000/year.

Eliminate the practice of counting spouses and minor children under the annual Green Card quota, which, if done alone, would practically double the amount of employment-based immigrant workers our nation admits every year, it said.

Eliminate the Per-Country Caps that punish individuals from certain countries with arbitrarily longer wait times, and when done in combination with expanding the annual quota, will avoid the creation of several new backlogs within the system," the US Chambers said.

It urged the Biden administration to provide international students who graduate from US universities with more opportunities to obtain employment-based green cards upon graduation and enhance and expand the opportunities for entrepreneurs to obtain permanent residency so they can build their businesses in the United States.

US Chambers is also urging the administration to responsibly reinstate routine visa processing at consulates around the world so companies can obtain and retain the workers they need without significant operation disruptions to their businesses.

Create a new, geographically targeted visa programme, along the lines of the Heartland Visa proposal, that will drive economic and population growth into American communities struggling with the serious economic and social problems caused by significant population loss," it said.

It also seeks to expand access to H-2A agricultural worker visas for non-seasonal agricultural businesses, such as dairies and livestock producers, and ensure that the programme meets the future needs of American agriculture.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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Beijing: China has convened a key ministerial conference of Asia Pacific countries on Wednesday to discuss cooperation of its Belt Road Initiative (BRI), days after G7 countries headed by the US announced plans to Build Back Better World" (B3W) to counter Beijings multi-billion-dollar infrastructure development initiative.

The Group of Seven (G7) comprising the US, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, France and Japan at their London conference on June 12 agreed to launch B3W to counter Chinas growing influence by offering developing nations an infrastructure plan that would rival the BRI project.

State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will preside over the Asia and Pacific High-level Conference on the Belt and Road Cooperation with the theme of "Promoting Cooperation on Combating the Pandemic for Sustainable Recovery" via video link, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian announced at a media briefing here on Tuesday.

More than 30 parties, including foreign ministers or economic ministers of relevant countries in Asia-Pacific and representatives of the UN and other international organizations will attend the meeting, he said.

"This is a high-level international conference on the Belt and Road Initiative with a wide range of participants, which reflects the high priority all parties attach to and support they lend to BRI," he said.

The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013, aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea route.

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship project of the BRI. India has objected to China as the CPEC is being laid through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Analysts here cautioned Beijing about the US successfully pushing its B3W plan to counter the BRI, which has become a signature initiative of China to build infrastructure projects around the world to enhance its influence.

Commenting on the B3W, Shi Yinhong, a US relations specialist at Beijings Renmin University, said the US plan was not good news for China".

"All of the stated goals of the B3W, described as a values-driven, transparent and sustainable infrastructure partnership, are obviously targeting China," Shi told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post earlier.

Shi said the infrastructure plan and the US efforts to unite allies to confront China were the basis of the emerging Biden doctrine, which was essentially about winning the competition with China and showcasing the superiority of the democratic system.

"It could easily be turned into a key part of the US-led ideological struggle with China. It could be defined as a rather belated offensive to push back against Chinas belt and road project, which has shown signs of retreat especially after the coronavirus crisis," he said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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About 0.5% of the global population is on the brink of famine this year, with $6 billion in funding needed to avert a crisis, the United Nations World Food Programme warned.

More than 500,000 people are already facing famine in Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen, with 41 million more teetering on the very edge" across 43 countries, the agency said Tuesday in a statement. That figure has climbed by more than half since 2019, stoked by conflict, climate change and economic shocks.

A recent surge in prices for staples, coupled with depreciating currencies, is compounding food insecurity in countries including Nigeria, Lebanon and Zimbabwe. Global corn prices have nearly doubled from last year, and wheat costs are up by 30%, said the agency, which was the latest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

I am heartbroken at what were facing in 2021," said David Beasley, the WFPs executive director. I want to emphasize just how bad it is out there. Today, 41 million people are literally knocking on famines door."

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PARIS : The trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy concluded Tuesday in Paris, after a month during which the court sought to determine whether he broke laws on campaign financing in his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid.

The verdict is to be delivered on September 30. Prosecutors have requested a six-month prison term, as well as a six-month suspended sentence and a fine of 3,750 euros (USD 4,468).

Sarkozy, France's president from 2007 to 2012, denies wrongdoing. He is accused of having spent almost twice the maximum legal amount of 22.5 million euros (USD 27.5 million) on the re-election bid that he lost to Socialist Francois Hollande.

The trial comes after Sarkozy, 66, was found guilty on March 1 of corruption and influence peddling in another case. He has appealed that verdict.

In their conclusions last week, prosecutors said Sarkozy knew weeks before the 2012 election that his campaign financing - strictly limited under French law - was getting close to the legal maximum. They accused him of having ignored two notes from his accountants warning against racking up additional expenses.

Instead, he gave instructions that led to more money being spent and did not put in place a supervision system, prosecutors said.

Sarkozy is the signatory and the only person responsible for his campaign financing. He is responsible for monitoring expenses, which he did not do," prosecutor Vanessa Perree said.

He showed his intention to exceed (the limit) by continuing to hold his rallies," she added.

Prosecutors said on March 10, 2012, eight weeks before the presidential election runoff, the campaign's budget was already above the legal limit. The next day, Sarkozy held a giant rally at Villepinte, north of Paris, which alone cost 6 million euros.

Closer to election day, Sarkozy held almost one rally per day, including two major ones in Paris at a cost of several millions of euros.

During his one-day appearance at the Paris court last week, Sarkozy vehemently denied wrongdoing.

He said the extra money did not go to his campaign, but instead helped make other people richer.

He said, voice often raised in anger, that he followed the financial recommendations of his staff, including cancelling two planned rallies. I don't see where I was careless, where I was negligent," he said.

He said he never" gave any direct instructions to service providers in charge of the organisation, because he had a team to do that.

We made mistakes, probably... But was there malicious intent, fraudulent intent? No, no," he said.

Sarkozy's lawyer, Gesche Le Fur, argued on Tuesday that her client could not be blamed for the amount of spending because he was not aware of the fraud and did not order it.

He signed no contract, no invoice, he accepted to restrict expenses. He is respectful of the values of the Republic."

In addition to the former president, 13 other people are on trial, including members of his conservative Republicans party, accountants and heads of the communication group in charge of organizing the rallies, named Bygmalion.

They face charges including forgery, breach of trust, fraud and complicity in illegal campaign financing.

Some have already admitted wrongdoing and detailed the system of false invoices that was meant to cover up the overspending.

Prosecutors requested mostly suspended prison sentences, and up to one year in prison for the Bygmalion co-funder.

The defendants disagree on everything. The declarations are not credible, possibly they are lies," Perree said.

Sarkozy retired from active politics in 2017, but is still playing a role behind the scenes within his party, The Republicans.

French media have reported that he may end up supporting centrist President Emmanuel Macron, through an alliance with figures on the traditional right, in next year's presidential election.

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The strange behavior of a star that dimmed, nearly disappeared, and then brightened back to its normal brilliance has left astronomers scratching their heads. Though other stars are known to dip in brightness on occasion, none are so dramatic or sustained, leading to speculation that this "blinking star" is an entirely new class of object.

The mysterious entity was spotted by the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) survey, which uses the VISTA telescope located atop Cerro Paranal mountain in Chile's Atacama Desert to look at nearly 1 billion stars using infrared light. After perusing the data, the team conducting the survey noticed that a single star lost 97% of its glare and then brightened again over the course of roughly six months.

"It's really quite unusual, that's not something that's been seen before," Philip Lucas, an astrophysicist at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K., told Live Science.

Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe

The researchers named the star VVV-WIT-8, where WIT stands for "What Is This?," he added. The object is an old, cool star about 100 times bigger than the sun, located 25,000 light - years away in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, near the center of the Milky Way .

Some stars, called Cepheid variables, have regular fluctuations in brightness, but astronomers only saw the object dim once during the time the survey looked at it. (The survey has been running since 2010, and the dip occurred in 2012.) There are also stars like Epsilon Augirae, which is partially eclipsed by a large dust disk every 27 years, though it only loses 50% of its brightness when this happens.

The slow and lasting nature of the brightness dip suggested that something was passing in front of VVV-WIT-8, yet if it had a companion star orbiting it, telescopes should have picked up light from such a partner, Lucas said.

Furthermore, whatever was causing the light loss seemed to be "really thick, almost as impenetrable to light as a solid object," he added.

Lucas and his colleagues still aren't sure what's going on. "There's a lot of possibilities and none of them quite work," Lucas said. Their findings appeared June 11 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society .

One possibility is that a random object happened to fly in front of the star, though the researchers think this is unlikely given the extremely small odds of such a chance alignment. Another is that VVV-WIT-8 has natural dips just as Cepheids do, though no Cepheid has ever been seen fluctuating to such an extreme degree.

The scientists' current favored explanation is that a large, dusty disk of material surrounds the star and occasionally passes in front of it, blocking its light. A similar occurrence happened during the recent dimming of the famous star Betelgeuse, which may have shot out a huge cloud of dust that obscured its brightness, as Live Science's sister site Space.com reported .

If a dust disk surrounds VVV-WIT-8, the disk might be orbiting on its own or it could surround some kind of dense companion  either a dim star or perhaps even a black hole, Lucas said. Black holes tend to shine brightly in X-rays , so the team is hoping to conduct further observations to see if they can spot any such energetic light coming from the region.

An orbiting object also means that telescopes might capture another dipping event sometime in the future. But data from the dip suggests that the two companions would be separated by at least 20 times the distance between Earth and the sun, Lucas said, implying that the obscuring entity could take hundreds of years to pass in front of the star again.

The idea that there is a companion with a thick disk is "probably the most complete description that can fit the data," Tabetha Boyajian, an astrophysicist at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge who was not involved in the work, told Live Science.

But additional research will be needed to pin down an explanation, she added. She noted that the last sentence of the team's paper ends with an exclamation point.

"When you end a paper with an exclamation point, it's a telltale sign that we need to do more work," she said.

In the meantime, the researchers have identified two more stars with similar light-loss behavior, meaning there might be other objects that can help them solve this mystery.

Originally published on Live Science.
Egyptian pharaoh Seqenenre Taa II may have died on the battlefield, overwhelmed by attackers armed with daggers, axes and spears.

That's according to a new computed tomography (CT) study of the pharaoh's damaged mummy, which revealed new facial wounds that ancient embalmers tried to disguise. The pharaoh had a huge slice in his forehead, cuts around his eyes and cheeks, and a stab wound at the base of the skull that may have reached the brain stem. The attackers, it seems, surrounded the defeated ruler on every side.

"This suggests that Seqenenre was really on the front line with his soldiers, risking his life to liberate Egypt," study lead author Sahar Saleem, a professor of radiology at Cairo University, said in a statement .

Related: Egyptian mummy 'cold case' closed: Takabuti was stabbed to death

The mummy of Seqenenre Taa II was first discovered in the 1880s. Even then, archaeologists noticed several prominent wounds on the pharaoh's face. (Image credit: Sahar Saleem)

A war over hippos

Seqenenre Taa II (also spelled Seqenenre Tao II) was the ruler of southern Egypt between about 1558 B.C. and 1553 B.C., during the occupation of Egypt by the Hyksos, a people who probably came from the Levant . The Hyksos controlled northern Egypt and required tribute from the southern part of the kingdom. According to fragmentary papyrus accounts, Seqenenre Taa II revolted against the occupiers after receiving a complaint from the Hyksos king that the noise of hippos in a sacred pool in Thebes was disturbing his sleep. The king lived in the capital city of Avaris, 400 miles (644 kilometers) away. On this trumped-up charge, the Hyksos king demanded the sacred pool be destroyed  a grave insult to Seqenenre Taa II.

This insult may have been the prelude to war. Text on a carved rock slab found in Thebes recounts that Seqenenre Taa II's son and immediate successor, Kamose, died in battle against the Hyksos.

No one knew what had happened to the pharaoh, even after his mummy was discovered in 1886. Archaeologists noticed wounds on the skull and speculated that he'd been killed in battle or perhaps murdered in a palace coup. The 19th-century archaeologists who found the mummy reported a foul smell when they unwrapped it, leading them to suspect that the mummy had been hastily embalmed on the battlefield.

The new study uses X-rays from multiple angles to build a 3D image of the pharaoh's mummy. The pharaoh's remains are in poor condition, with bones disarticulated and the head detached from the rest of the body.

An x-ray of the mummy of Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa II. The skull and many of the bones are disarticulated. (Image credit: Sahar Saleem)

Violent death

Nevertheless, the wounds on the skull tell the story of a brutal death. The pharaoh had a 2.75-inch-long (7 centimeters) cut across his forehead, which would have been delivered from an ax or sword stroke from above. This wound alone could have been fatal. Another potentially fatal slice above the pharaoh's right eye was 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) long and possibly made by an ax. More cuts on the nose, right eye and right cheek came from the right and from above and may have been delivered with an ax handle or blunt staff, the researchers said.

Meanwhile, someone in front of the king swung a sword or an ax at the pharaoh's left cheek, leaving another deep slice. From the left, a weapon  probably a spear  penetrated the base of his skull, leaving a 1.4-inch-long (3.5 cm) wound.

Early archaeologists had previously reported many of these wounds, but Saleem and her colleague, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, discovered a new set of skull fractures covered by embalming material. Concentrated on the right side of the skull, the damage seems to have been caused by a dagger and a heavy, blunt object, perhaps an ax handle.

The mummy's hands were flexed and clenched, but there were no defensive injuries on his forearms, leading the researchers to suggest that perhaps Seqenenre Taa II's hands were bound when he died. He may have been captured on the battlefield and executed by multiple attackers, Saleem said in the statement.

Radiologist Sahar Saleem stands with the mummy of Seqenenre Taa II during CT scanning. (Image credit: Sahar Saleem)

Although researchers have discovered pharaoh mummies with violent wounds before, there had been no evidence of pharaoh battlefield deaths until now, Saleem told Live Science. For example, Ramesses III had his throat cut in a palace coup, she said. Historical accounts tell of Ramesses II and Thutmose III taking part in battle, but there is no evidence of injuries on their mummies. The mummy of an unidentified nobleman had an arrow embedded in its chest, Saleem said, which may have occurred in battle.

The fact that embalmers tried to patch up Seqenenre Taa II's skull wounds suggests that he wasn't hastily embalmed, the researchers wrote in their new study, published today (Feb. 17) in the journal Frontiers in Medicine . The pharaoh's desiccated brain was also stuck to the left side of his skull, suggesting that someone laid him on his side after his death, either at the place where he fell or while his body was being transported for embalming.

Seqenenre Taa II may have lost his life in battle, but his successors eventually won the war. After Kamose died, Seqenenre Taa II's consort, Ahhotep I, likely acted as regent, continuing the rebellion against the Hyskos. When Seqenenre Taa II and Ahhotep I's son Ahmose I came of age, he inherited the throne and finally pushed out the foreign occupiers. Ahmose I would unify Egypt and launch the New Kingdom, the period of ancient Egypt 's peak power between the 16th and 11th centuries B.C.

Originally published on Live Science
The U.S. blood supply used for transfusions is critically low  a situation that's been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to news reports.

Last week, the American Red Cross, which supplies 40% of the nation's donated blood, reported that it is experiencing a "severe blood shortage," according to a statement from the organization.

The Red Cross typically carries enough donated blood to last for five days if donations were to suddenly halt, according to the Boston Globe . But now, the supply of type O blood  the most in-demand blood type for transfusions since it can be donated to individuals with any blood type  would last only half a day, the Globe reported.

Related: What's the rarest blood type?

The shortage extends to blood donation centers across the United States.

"The current situation with the blood supply is the most concerning I have seen in my career," Dr. Claudia Cohn, chief medical officer of the American Association of Blood Banks, told ABC News .

"The majority of blood centers are now reporting a one-day supply or less of blood, far below the levels for which they normally strive," Cohn said.

A number of factors have contributed to the shortage. Blood donations typically drop in the summer months as people go on vacation and schools, which hold blood drives, are closed, the Globe reported. But the pandemic has only added to the problem  fewer people are coming out to blood drives in general, and many blood donation centers are still understaffed, the Globe reported.

What's more, hospitals have seen an increase in patients coming in for surgeries that they had put off during the pandemic, increasing the demand for blood.

"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 in the statement.

U.S. hospitals have also seen an increase in trauma cases requiring transfusions. Compared with 2019, the demand for blood at trauma centers has increased 10%, according to the Red Cross.

The shortage could lead to further delays in elective surgeries and cause hospitals to implement even stricter criteria for using blood products in patients, ABC News reported.

"It means blood may not be available for all patients when it is needed, leading to suboptimal care for some patients," Cohn told ABC News.

People interested in donating blood can schedule appointments through the Red Cross or American Association of Blood Banks .

Originally published on Live Science.
This still is from a U.S. Navy jet's video of a UFO sighting.

This month, the U.S. government is set to release a UFO report put together by the intelligence community and the Pentagon, including a specially created Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force.

That task force was established to provide insight into the nature and origins of purported aerial objects, primarily reported by Navy personnel , that exhibit behavior that's tough to explain  and could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security.

Such news has boosted to stratospheric heights the "I told you so" believers who have long argued that unidentified flying objects are skimming through our skies, piloted by extraterrestrials chalking up interplanetary frequent flyer mileage points in the process.

Related: 7 things most often mistaken for UFOs

However, are UAPs doing a disservice to UFOs? Are they really one and the same phenomenon?

Maybe UAPs are time travelers and we, Earthlings from the future, are the pilots? Or perhaps they're adventurers from far-off worlds just checking us out. Maybe UAPs are advanced high-tech drones built by other nations, or maybe they're home-built craft sponsored by some super-secret U.S. program?

For the moment, lets put all that aside and ask: What, if anything, will the governments UAP report reveal? And what will happen next?

Cut-and-dry report?

There are already those who say that the report will basically amount to a "nothingburger."

"Im interested in the report, but less than optimistic anything significant will surface," said Scott Miller, chair and professor of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Wichita State University.

It will likely be a typical, cut-and-dry government report, Miller added  a review of sightings, void of conjecture, sensitive to political issues and absent of any classified information. "Of course, these characteristics will leave it wide open to criticism and opportunity," he told Space.com.

Miller suspects that many of the sightings are related to individuals or nations simply doing some "spying." Building and operating high-performance unmanned aerial vehicles is relatively easy for experienced individuals and, especially, countries. He envisions people making their own aircraft and operating them in places they shouldnt be, such as within restricted airspace where UAPs have been sighted.

"The Chinese and Russians could easily do this sort of thing, from within the U.S., using hobby and other common resources," Miller said. "If I was them, I would make sure my spy vehicle looked otherworldly. Being seen while spying isnt desired, but the related confusion that ensues adds to the noise of their mischief. Its also funny to them."

No longer taboo

Ravi Kumar Kopparapu, a research scientist in planetary studies at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said hes hoping that a number of things happen after the UAP report is released. Firstly, the scientific study of UAPs should not be a taboo anymore.

"We should remember our history. Scientists should be able to openly talk about the detailed needs for a scientific study," Kopparapu said.

Secondly, reliable data collection and availability are paramount.

"Without complete data, the scientific study of UAP will forever be a fringe topic. Snippets of edited videos are not reliable data, and nothing meaningful can be deduced from them," Kopparapu said. Ideally, what is needed is simultaneously collected data from different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum  optical, infrared and radio, for example.

"If there is such data available already, it would need to be analyzed by appropriate experts and scientists, making sure they have comprehensive data. There may be false positives, but that is the nature of science," Kopparapu added.

Lastly, Kopparapu said there should be a coordinated effort from interested scientists of different disciplines, such as atmospheric scientists, aerospace experts, physicists and experienced engineers/technicians. Combining their talents, theyll need to look at the data to figure out the nature of this phenomenon.

"Again, removing the taboo will significantly propel forward this particular collaborative effort among scientists," Kopparapu said.

UFO watch: 8 times the government looked for flying saucers

Solid data

More important than the Pentagon report is the need to gather solid data that is shared with the scientific community, said Robert Powell, executive board member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU). The group promotes and encourages the rigorous scientific examination of "anomalous phenomena" known around the world as UAPs and UFOs, among other terms, the organizations website explains .

The SCU was founded in 2017 and its ranks include university professors, former NASA researchers, ex-defense industry employees, and individuals out of the tech industry.

Powell said the coalition has publicly called for the release of all unclassified data associated with UAPs held by the federal government without compromising national security sources and/or methods.

"In addition, we called for the publication of data and research results from various federal agencies in the public domain in order to promote the scientific research and analysis of UAP. We maintain this position and look forward to the release of additional data by the federal government," Powell said.

'When' are they coming from?

One mind-bending possibility that warps space and time is that UAPs/UFOs are time travelers from the future. They are us.

Michael Masters, a professor of biological anthropology at Montana Technological University in Butte, is author of "Identified Flying Objects: A Multidisciplinary Scientific Approach to the UFO Phenomenon" (Masters Creative LLC, 2019).

"My general thoughts on the report is that, regardless of what comes out of it, the attention it's drawn to the UFO phenomenon  in association with all the leaked videos and images  can only help to push us closer to an understanding of what is and has been observed in our skies," Masters said.

Masters is doubtful the soon-to-be-issued UAP report will reveal all that is known about the phenomenon, or even a fraction of it.

"But regardless of the amount that is or is not divulged, any information conveyed, in accordance with the long-overdue attention this topic has garnered, can only help inch us closer to a time when the true nature of these events is fully understood and appreciated," Masters said. "I also think that, as we continue to recognize the reality of the UFO phenomenon, the question is going to innately turn from, 'Are UFOs real?' to 'What are UFOs and where, or perhaps when, are they coming from?"

Scientific understanding

The notion of UFOs should be taken seriously, said Carol Cleland, a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Colorado University, Boulder.

"If you actually look at the history of major scientific discoveries  discoveries that change scientific thought in fundamental ways  what you find are phenomena that were there all along but not recognized for what they represent," Cleland said in an interview published by CU Boulder Today .

We'll have to wait and see what the coming UAP report says. But, Cleland said, people are generally expecting that it will characterize the sightings as unexplained, despite a variety of data gathered by sophisticated instruments and observations made by highly trained people.

If that is indeed the case, "then you have a truly baffling phenomenon," Cleland said.

"It might represent a problem with your instruments, which you should know about because thats the kind of mistake that has potentially serious consequences, including war," she said. "Alternatively, it could represent natural phenomena that transcend our current knowledge of physical phenomena and perhaps even pose a challenge to current physical theory. That is just as important to investigate, because it might lead to major changes in scientific understanding. Finally, and this is what I dreamt of as a child, it might represent extraterrestrial technology ."

Leonard David is author of the book "Moon Rush: The New Space Race," published by National Geographic in May 2019. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. This version of the story published on Space.com.
Denham Springs, LA (70726)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
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Bill Murray invites the audience to travel with him as he recites Walt Whitmans Song of the Open Road, 9 in the new trailer for New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization. The clip premiered via Variety.

The Andrew Muscato-directed film, which was culled during Murray and renowned cellist Jan Voglers final New Worlds European tour performance at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece during their 2018 New Worlds tour, will premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in July. The trailer shows them rehearsing for the show, as well as the nights performance. Murray also sings I Feel Pretty from West Side Story and Van Morrisons When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God. Violinist Mira Wang and pianist Vanessa Perez provide accompaniment.

Murray and Vogler first debuted material from their New Worlds classical album in the summer of 2017 in Dresden, Germany followed by an American premiere in Napa Valley. The New Worlds LP arrived that September.

Murray described the project at the time as the collision of America and Europe, to the New York Times. We are from four different continents. And when the continents come together, the music moves right across the peninsulas from one to the other. Its just a short journey from one continent to the other.
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Memento International (Call Me By Your Name) has closed a raft of sales on Leah Purcells Australian revenge tale The Drovers Wife, and Alex Camilleris Luzzu which world premiered at SXSW and Sundance, respectively.

After selling North American rights to The Drovers Wife to Samuel Goldwyn, Memento has sold The Drovers Wife to the U.K. (Modern Film), Latin America (Encripta), Greece (Spentzos), Bulgaria (Film Vision), Ex Yugoslavia, (Megacom), Indonesia (PT Falcon) and Airlines (Anuvu). The film is being handled by Roadshow Films in Australia.

A searing Western thriller, the play The Drovers Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson is a reimagining of Henry Lawsons classic short story The Drovers Wife and an adaptation of Purcells successful Australian stage play.

The story is set in 1893, and centers on the heavily pregnant Molly Johnson (Purcell) and her children, who struggle in isolation to survive the harsh Australian landscape after her husband leaves to go drove sheep in the high country. One day, she finds a shackled Aboriginal fugitive named Yakada (Rob Collins) wounded on her property and forms an unlikely bond with him. Molly soon becomes the target of the suspicious lawman Nate Clintoff (Sam Reid) who sends an officer to her home. The encounter between Molly, the officer and Yakada turns deadly and results in a tragic chain of events with Molly becoming a symbol of feminism and anti-racism.

Luzzu won Sundances Special Jury Award for its lead actor, Jesmark Scicluna, and was acquired by Kino Lorber for North American. Memento International has now scored more deals on Luzzu for Switzerland (Trigon), Brazil (Synapse), Indonesia (PT Falcon). Kino Lorber will release the film later this year.

Camilleris feature debut, Luzzu follows the journey of Jesmark, a struggling fisherman on the island of Malta who is forced to risk everything by entering the world of black market fishing in order to provide for his wife and newborn baby.

Memento International recently boarded international sales on Legend of Destruction, an animated feature by Israeli filmmaker Gidi Dar (Ushpizin), produced by Lama Films (Tel Aviv on Fire, Paradise Now) and created by the artists behind the Oscar-nominated Waltz With Bashir.

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In Paris Hiltons This Is Paris, the hotel heiress and entrepreneur says her work ethic is driven by money. She says she wont slow down until she makes one billion dollars.

The doc, available on YouTube, was shot two years ago. Now, at age 40, Hilton tells me she truly feels that money isnt everything.

It was such a goal of mine before because I wasnt happy in my personal life, Hilton says on Tuesdays episode of the Just for Variety podcast. And also just going through what I went through, I always saw money as freedom and independence, and not being controlled. And I think thats why I just had that as my focus in life. And now that I am so incredibly happy and in love in my personal life Im not really interested in billions anymore. Im more interested in babies.

Hilton is engaged to venture capitalist Carter Reum. Their wedding planning will be chronicled in Paris in Love, an upcoming docuseries on Peacock. When This Is Paris premiered in September 2020, the former Simple Life star told Varietys Angelique Jackson that she wasnt interested in another reality series. Its not reality television, Hilton insists of the Peacock project. Its a docuseries.

By now, most of the world knows Hiltons story. She was a rebellious debutante who became famous when she was just a teenager. A sex tape made her a ubiquitous punching bag for late-night hosts and social commentators. Controversy seemed to follow Hilton everywhere, even thought she was successfully launching her business empire. Shes branded everything from perfumes to hotels and has become a much in-demand DJ.

But underneath it all was a young girl in pain. Hilton revealed in This Is Paris, for the first time, that she was mentally and physically abused at the Provo Canyon School in Utah after being sent there by her parents when she was 16. She has since become an activist, pressing for legislation to regulate boarding schools. In April, she was on hand for a ceremonial bill signing in Utah that requires more oversight of youth treatment centers after she testified for its passage before lawmakers. I totally felt like Elle Woods when I was speaking at the [Utah] senate, Hilton says, referring to Reese Witherspoons iconic Legally Blonde character. When I went and signed the bill with them I literally felt like I had that Elle Woods moment.

Hilton also revealed in the doc that she was abused by at least four ex-boyfriends. She hasnt named her alleged abusers, nor has she heard from any one of them. Ive changed my number so many times that they cant get a hold of me, but I have had their friends reach out to me because theyre all nervous that Im going to say their names, Hilton says. I think people are very nervous that theyll be exposed.

She then adds, Maybe I will one day, but Im not ready yet.

In one of the most telling scenes in This Is Paris, she has a raging boyfriend  whom she had only been seeing for a couple of weeks  kicked out of the Tomorrowland music festival just as she was about to take the stage. That was just a nightmare, having to deal with that at one of the most important shows of my life, Hilton explains. When people get insecure and jealous and weird, I just couldnt take it anymore. And Ive never stood up for myself before. That was the first time. It felt really good to be like, Get the hell out of my life! Im happy that I finally stood up for myself.

She continues, Im sick of people using me. Im just not going to have negative people in my life anymore. Ive wasted too much time having bad people in my life who were only trying to use me.

The doc, says Hilton, has been the most healing experience after suffering for more than two decades from insomnia and severe nightmares.

While she certainly isnt shedding her public persona  the baby voice, the designer clothes, the over-the-top glam  Hilton is learning to live with her true self. Im still very playful at heart, she says. I can be a serious businesswoman when Im in the boardroom and then I can also be fun and playful because Im just very childlike.

Listen to the full interview with Hilton above. You can also find Just for Variety at Apple Podcasts or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

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In a press conference hosted by festival director Jose Luis Rebordinos, the San Sebastian Film Festival announced it will drop its gendered prizes for its 69th edition, to be held on-site and partly online from Sept. 17-25. Rebordinos also confirmed this years official competition sections and unveiled the festivals main poster, which features a smiling Sigourney Weaver.

Rebordinos explained that the festival will no longer make a gender distinction in performance awards, and that the Silver Shell for best actor and best actress will be replaced by the Silver Shell for best lead performance and best supporting performance.

The change arises from the conviction that gender, a social and political construct, is no longer a criterion that we follow to distinguish between performances, he elaborated. The criterion for the jury will be to distinguish between good and bad performances, so we will be joining our friends at the Berlin Festival on the path that they have already started down.

These are times of change and decision making. We are closely following the current debates within the feminist movement on this and other issues. We have no certainties, but we do have the will to continue evolving and to help build a fairer and more equal society, he finished.

Other more temporary changes were announced, including limitations regarding physical attendance at many of the festivals venues. The Velodrome, for example, will not host its traditional high-capacity screenings as the largest exhibition space at the fest, nor will there be any opening and closing parties. The festival will, however, host Flowers in Hell: The Golden Age of Korean Cinema, a retrospective meant for last years edition.

This years competition sections stick to the same formula established at past editions, including the New Directors, Horizontes Latinos, Zabaltegi Tabakalera, Perlak, Culinary Zinema and, celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Nest section for student filmmakers.

Before the presentation finished, Rebordinos also unveiled this years official poster which features a black and white photo of American actor Sigourney Weaver bordered by pastel paint splotches. Weaver proved a highly popular winner of a Donostia Award, the festivals career achievement equivalent, in 2016.

The festival is pleased and honored to announce that the image for its 69th edition will be Sigourney Weaver, an exceptional actor much loved by the public who has shone in the entire range of genres with characters that form part of the universal imagery of cinema, said Rebordinos.

Adhering to a growing trend among many international festivals, San Sebastian is pushing for greater year-round relevance, and launched today its Z365 platform as a means to that end. Accessible on the festivals website anytime from anywhere, visitors can find content concerning the festival proper as well as browse a new section which includes activities organized by the festival during the rest of the year.

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Fifteen years after launching as an independent production company in Ukraine, Star Media has evolved into an international media group, with a multichannel network on YouTube thats made it the largest film and TV content aggregator in Russia and CIS.

Protecting content in the digital age, however, is an uphill battle, which is what prompted the company to launch the anti-piracy service ContentScan earlier this year.

ContentScan is a fully automated service that uses machine learning to detect and remove pirated content wherever it appears online. The service works on YouTube and other VOD platforms, as well as live TV broadcasts, including sporting events, removing content worldwide at the request of rights holders.

Since its inception, ContentScan has blocked more than 14 million search result links to websites hosting pirated content on Yandex, the leading Russian search engine, and more than 13 million on Google. That effectiveness, says Star Media CEO Maria Grechishnikova, has had a direct impact on the companys bottom line.

As soon as we got ContentScan and started to protect our contentwe saw up to 50% increase in all revenues gained from VOD, says Grechishnikova, including both YouTube and other streaming platforms. That was an amazing result, and we still see it. This piracy protection, together with our experience and work with YouTube, gives us the amazing results we have.

MCN Star Media is currently home to more than 12,000 titles spread across a network of 65-plus channels. In total it has more than 24.5 million subscribers, with Star Media president Vlad Riashyn expressing hopes to grow that number to 40 million by years end. MCN Star Media content on YouTube has racked up more than 13 billion views, a number that Riashyn says is growing by an additional 570 million each month.

ContentScan has not only allowed Star Media to protect its own properties, but has benefited a host of rights holders, including partners such as leading Russian distributor Planeta Inform and production house Bazelevs, as well as the countrys largest broadcaster. The service has removed pirated links to popular Russian films and TV series such as Six Degrees of Celegration, Calambur: The Fools Village, Comedy Club and Under Military Law (pictured), as well as foreign series like The Walking Dead.

ContentScan recently became a member of FRAPA (the Format Recognition and Protection Association), a global organization seeking to create and enforce legal protection for television formats, and was awarded by the Russian Association of Film and Television Producers for its successful efforts to combat piracy.

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BERLIN (AP)  Zimbabwean writer and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga has been awarded a prestigious German prize for a body of work that has made her a prominent African literary voice.

Dangarembga, 62, was announced on Monday as this year's winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, which is endowed with 25,000 euros ($29,700) and has been awarded since 1950. Dangarembga will receive it in Frankfurt on Oct. 24.
Two men landed behind bars for using a vessel to smuggle marijuana from Guerrero, Mexico to Zapata, states an arrest affidavit.

Agustin Rolando Garcia Jr. and Luis Antonio Arias were charged with possess with the intent to distribute marijuana and conspire to possess with the intent to distribute the marijuana.

The case unfolded June 16, when the Drug Enforcement Administration agents received information that Arias would be transporting marijuana from Mexico to Zapata in the early morning of June 17.

Arias was previously known to DEA agents for his involvement in previous investigations. DEA agents already had knowledge of Arias residence and established surveillance at Arias residence, states the affidavit.

Air and Marine Operations maintained surveillance on two men who departed the area in a gray pickup. The pickup arrived at a residence and entered through the fence under a carport. Shortly after, the pickup departed the residence with a boat trailer connected to the pickup and a boat on the trailer.

The vehicle then arrived at the Falcon Lake County Park and Boat Ramp. DEA special agents observed the two men deploy the vessel off the trailer and into the lake.

Special agents observed the vessel return to the boat ramp. One man disembarked the vessel while the other put the vehicle in position to load the vessel onto the boat trailer. They drove up the boat ramp but stopped to inspect the vessel. Authorities then approached the two men. Both took off running before law enforcement apprehended them. Authorities identified them as Arias and Garcia.

DEA special agents and U.S. Border Patrol agents then discovered multiple bundles of marijuana in the vessel. The contraband weighed 659.18 pounds and had an estimated street value of $395,508. Arias allegedly agreed to provide a post-arrest statement.

Arias claimed full knowledge that he was transporting marijuana from Guerrero, Mexico to Zapata, Texas aboard the vessel and that he was going to be paid for his services, states the affidavit.

Meanwhile, Garcia declined to provide a statement.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced through Twitter that the non-essential travel ban on both the Mexican and Canadian border will continue through July 21, a full month after the previous extension.

The DHS stated the reason behind the extension was to reduce the spread of COVID-19 while also ensuring access for essential trade and travel.

Another month of restrictions will continue to hurt our economy & keep loved ones apart, Rep. Henry Cuellar tweeted in response. Although Im encouraged by positive developments between DHS, the White House, Canada and Mexico to ensure we reopen land ports of entry, there must be more transparency around negotiations.

The news comes as both Cuellar and city officials have previously touted publicly the hope that the ban would be lifted starting on June 21.

Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz first brought up the date on June 3 during the weekly COVID media briefing. Cuellar echoed it while stating it was still unofficial a few days later at a June 8 press conference at International Bridge I.

We dont have an exact date, but every indication is its coming soon, Cuellar said earlier this month. The vaccine that we sent off to Mexico, (Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations) Marcelo Ebrard said he was going to use those vaccines to be sent to the 39 border towns with the U.S. so they can open up the border.

Each expressed concerns about the June reopening date, stating that Title 42 could potentially be removed causing an influx of migrants. And seeing as they had not received a plan from the federal government at that time, opening in June was concerning.

However, the government never officially addressed a specific date for the bridges to be reopened or any plans for the removal of Title 42, and they have now agreed to another one-month extension of the closure.

In the past week, it started to become clear that another month extension was a possibility. In his Conversation with Cuellar virtual press conference, Laredos representative stated that despite more significant news from the White House and their discussions with both neighboring countries, Mexico would need additional vaccine doses for the border communities. He also said the June 21 opening was now more uncertain and that we are hoping somewhere between the 21st and July 4 to hear some news.

This will be the 16th consecutive month the bridges have been closed. Some headway was also previously made late last year as Cuellar said that unless lightning strikes from the White House there would be an announcement on the border reopening during last October. But the bridges were closed once again, and COVID cases skyrocketed in the winter anyway.

During the aforementioned press conference at the bridge in early June, Laredo Chamber of Commerce Miguel Conchas said that despite larger chain stores still maintaining normal sales, local businesses are still struggling. And while Laredo and other border towns in South Texas are opening back up, many rely on Mexican shoppers.

A factor that may have influenced the decision this time around may have been the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last Thursday, the CDC issued a Level 3: Reconsider Travel Health Notice for Mexico, indicating a high level of COVID-19 in the country. They added that travelers going into the southern country need to make sure they are fully vaccinated, and unvaccinated travelers should avoid any non-essential travel.

According to the New York Times, 53% of the United States is partially vaccinated and 45% is fully vaccinated. But Mexico has just 22% of its population partially vaccinated and only 13% fully vaccinated.

Saenz said last week that he heard through governmental channels the U.S. has forwarded 1.35 million vaccines to Mexico, with doses expected to primarily be used near the border. Of that total, 11,000 doses were to be diverted to Nuevo Laredo, and officials were acquiring another 10,000 doses from Laredo.

"We need Nuevo Laredoans to get vaccinated, especially with the bridge restrictions expected to be lifted soon," Saenz said at the time.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
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.

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.
BOSTON (AP)  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, Putins 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 dont know whether Congress or the president is in favor, she said.

And as Goldstein reminded lawmakers, paying doesnt guarantee that youll get your data back or that sensitive stolen files wont end up for sale in darknet criminal forums. Even if the ransomware crooks keep their word, youll 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  cybersecurity 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 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 werent 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.

Theres a reason why thats 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 systems 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 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 doesnt 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 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 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 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 wont protect unprepared victims from potentially going bankrupt if they dont 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.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Nearly a hundred carcasses of turtles with throat and shell damage, as well as a dozen dead dolphins and a blue whale, have washed ashore in Sri Lanka since a container ship burned and sank, raising fears of a severe marine disaster.

Ecologists believe the deaths were directly caused by the fire and release of hazardous chemicals while the Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl burned for 12 days and sank last week off Sri Lankas main port in the capital Colombo. Government officials, however, said these causes were provisionally confirmed and the investigation was continuing.

The fire started on the ship on May 20 and dead marine species started washing ashore days later.

A ship manifest seen by The Associated Press said 81 of the ship's nearly 1,500 containers held dangerous goods.

The Sri Lankan navy believes the blaze was caused by its chemical cargo, most of which was destroyed in the fire. But debris including burned fiberglass and tons of plastic pellets have severely polluted the surrounding waters and a long stretch of the island nations famed beaches.

Post-mortem analysis on the carcasses are being performed at five government-run laboratories and separately by the Government Analysts Department, said an official of the wildlife department who spoke on condition of anonymity as the official was not authorized to speak to the media.

Provisionally, we can say that these deaths were caused by two methods  one is due to burns from the heat and secondly due to chemicals. These are obvious, said Anil Jasinghe, secretary of the environment ministry.

He refrained from giving an exact cause, saying post-mortem analysis are still being conducted.

Thushan Kapurusinghe of the Turtle Conservation Project blamed the fire and chemicals the ship carried for killing the turtles.

With over three decades experience on turtle conservation, Kapurusinghe said the dead turtles had oral, cloacal and throat bleeding and "specific parts of their carapace have burns and erosion signs.

The sea off Sri Lanka and its coastline are home to five species of turtles that regularly come to lay eggs. March to June is the peak season for turtle arrivals.

Lalith Ekanayake, a marine and coastal ecologist, suspects, based on the nature of the fire and amount of chemicals, that at least 400 turtles may have died and their carcasses may have sunk in the sea or drifted to the deep sea.

Sri Lanka plans to claim compensation from X-Press Feeders, the ship's owner, and already have submitted an interim claim of $40 million.
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.
Sheriff Martin Cuellar announced that the jail passed its Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspection for a 13th consecutive year with a perfect score.

We continue to make history at the Sheriffs Office, Cuellar said. I couldnt be any prouder right now of the hardworking men and women we have working at our office.

Authorities said the unannounced, meticulous inspection began on Thursday with the inspector completing the assessment on Friday. Areas inspected included health and safety, building maintenance, life safety equipment and procedures, inmate to guard ratio, and medical, classification and kitchen compliance, among others.

Cuellar said that after taking office in 2009, he made it a top priority to ensure the safety of personnel, inmates and visitors. Improvements made under Cuellars administration include a gated jail parking lot, security checkpoint, the installation of 24-7 indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras/lighting, an X-ray body scanner, among other features.

COVID-19 posed some challenges. But the Sheriffs Office grabbed the bull by the horns.

While this past year was difficult due to COVID-19, I am proud to say our staff never stopped working. We had to implement many new policies and procedures for the safety and well-being of staff and inmates, and I am proud of the work that was accomplished, Cuellar pointed out.

Currently, the jail has one one COVID-19 positive inmate with no symptoms and under doctors watch. This inmate, transferred from the Bexar County Jail in San Antonio, is housed in a negative pressure cell and is isolated from the general population, authorities said.

Passing this inspection for the 13th consecutive year is an indication of the staff we have working at the Sheriffs Office. These employees take ownership of their job. They take pride in their job. Todays results show how hard they work to take care of the inmates and of our facilities. Thirteen years of successfully passing this jail inspection shows the Webb County Jail is a safe jail and lessens the liability to our county, Cuellar said.
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed 20 bills that were passed during this years legislative session, including two criminal justice priorities of the House speaker, legislation that would have banned tethering dogs outside with heavy chains, and a bill that would have required students to be taught about the perils of domestic violence.

The 20 bills in total that were vetoed mark the fewest made by Abbott since 2005. There were 1,073 bills passed by the Texas Legislature in total.

Abbott vetoed 13 bills authored by Democrats and seven by Republicans. Twelve of the vetoes targeted bills that originated in the House, and eight were from the Senate.

His most explosive veto came Friday when he signed the state budget but used his line-item veto to reject funding for the Texas Legislature, its staffers and legislative agencies. The move was retribution after Democrats broke quorum in the final days of the session to block the passage of Senate Bill 7, a GOP elections bill that would have overhauled voting rights in the state.

Abbotts office declined comment for this story.

Criminal justice priorities

Among the bills Abbott vetoed over the weekend was House Bill 686  which would have allowed for earlier parole eligibility for inmates convicted of certain crimes if they were younger than 18 years old when the crime was committed. The bill would have required parole panels to consider the inmates age and mental state at the time of the crime, among other factors, when determining parole eligibility.

House Bill 686 was authored by Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and included in Republican House Speaker Dade Phelans bipartisan criminal justice priority package called Smarter Justice, Safer Texas.

In his veto statement, Abbott said that while he commends the bills author for encouraging and recognizing rehabilitation among young inmates, he felt the bill conflicted with the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, which would result in confusion and needless, disruptive litigation.

Moody and Phelan declined comment for this story.

Another House criminal justice priority bill vetoed was Senate Bill 281 by state Sen. Juan Chuy Hinojosa, D-McAllen, which called for the ban on using statements obtained through hypnosis in a criminal court. If passed, the bill would have helped bring an end to a controversial practice that law enforcement in Texas used close to 1,800 times over the course of 40 years, according to a Dallas Morning News Investigation.

Abbott said he objected to a late amendment to the bill that would have barred statements that a person makes long after the hypnosis from being used as evidence in a criminal trial. He said that change would dramatically expand its scope in an unacceptable way.

Hinojosa could not be reached for comment.

Protection for Dogs

Another bill that fell victim to Abbotts veto was Senate Bill 474, known as the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act. The bill would have made it illegal to chain up dogs and leave them without drinkable water, adequate shade or shelter. It also called for a ban on tethering dogs with heavy chains.

Im disappointed in the governor, said Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville. I don't agree with everything he does, but I respect him when it comes to quality of life and protecting life. I want to include dogs in that issue.

Abbott said Texas already has the statutes in place to protect dogs from animal cruelty, and the penalties proposed in Lucios bill seemed excessive.

Texas is no place for this kind of micro-managing and over-criminalization, he said in the veto statement.

Shelby Bobosky, executive director of Texas Humane Legislation Network, a nonprofit that lobbies in support of animal rights, said the organizations members are devastated by the veto, and the bill would have clarified the vague language that makes the statute completely unenforceable.

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, she said in a statement. 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.

Animal-loving Texans created the hashtag #AbbottHatesDogs on Twitter to express their disdain for the veto.

It's not a political issue with me  it's a humane issue, Lucio said. We need to do our best to take care of them.

Rural Broadband

A key issue of the legislative session was protecting and expanding broadband access particularly in rural Texas. House Bill 2667 would have provided universal service fund assistance for Texans.

Abbott named broadband access as one of his priority items for the legislative session, but he shot down the bill saying it wouldve imposed more taxes on Texans everywhere.

The bill proposed that those receiving assistance through the Texas Universal Service Fund  which helps those in the states receive basic telecommunications services  be charged a universal fee for services. An analysis of the bill stated that recent decisions from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which funds the TUSF, has placed customers in rural areas at risk of losing telephone services or paying high costs for services.

What a lot of people dont understand is that there are still parts of Texas, including parts of the rural district that I represent, where you dont have access to internet, some areas dont have access to cell service and even some areas don't have access to landline phones, said Rep. John E. Smithee, a Republican representing the Dallas area.

He also said broadband expansion was also signed into law through other measures, such as Senate Bill 5. This established the creation of the State Broadband Development Office, designed to expand broadband internet access, through The University of Texas System.

Other bills

Abbott also vetoed Senate Bill 1109, which would have required middle school and high school students to learn about child abuse preventation, family violence and dating violence. He said in his veto explanation that he opposed the legislation because it doesnt give parents the option to opt out of instruction.

Abbott also vetoed Senate Bill 237 that would have reduced penalties for criminal trespassing by allowing police to cite and release individuals instead of arresting them. Abbott said this change would have a troubling impact on businesses and homeowners in Austin that count on criminal trespass arrests from homeless people who refuse to leave their properties. He said it would also go against making arrests in border communities.

It would allow (and tempt) agencies to categorically mandate cite-and-release for this crime, taking away an important tool for officers to keep Texans safe, Abbott wrote.

All of Abbott's veto statements that were released Monday are available here.

Disclosure: University of Texas System has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Next week, June 20 to 26, is national volunteer week. According to Volunteering New Zealand, more than one million people in Aotearoa volunteer for an organisation, contributing $4 billion to the economy each year.

That represents 159 million hours of formal volunteer labour annually. According to the Volunteer NZs State of the Sector report, the changing landscape of volunteering has presented challenges. Some organisations that relied on aged volunteers are still waiting for volunteers to return after Covid-19.

Further, aged volunteers are increasingly time-strapped as they are looking after grandchildren, with both parents required to work to sustain a household.
Lockport, NY (14094)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable.
Food, Wine, & Dining

By Ls Cohen Published: June 22 2021

Serving up authentic Greek dishes.

Long Island is not exactly a desert of Greek restaurants. The traditional diners that are so ubiquitous here all usually have a greek specialty section, and many are very good (we recommend the Chicken Souvlaki at Heritage Diner in Mount Sinai.)

Authentic Greek food is not so easy to pin down. Yeros in Saint James recently opened and their claim to fame is their authentic Greek fare.

Their menu features all that youd expect from a Greek restaurant like souvlakis, platters, and salads. They also have some great grilled dishes including grilled octopus, with char-broiled, herbs and lemon-olive oil blend ($14.95), grilled vegetables, made with eggplant, zucchini, portobello mushroom, and Greek balsamic glaze ($7.95), a feta kebab, with feta-stuffed lamb and beef sausage ($8.95), a baby lamb chops, made with salt, pepper, oregano, and fresh lemon juice (Market Price), and more.

On Yelp, user Onetwo 4, from Sound Beach, loved Yeros and gave it four stars.

Delicious food, Onetwo 4 wrote. Very authentic! Reminds us of the dinners we had in Greece!

Bill S.said it is the best Greek food being served in the area.

Tori V, from Hauppauge, thought their online ordering was seamless and very user friendly.

The food was great - all of the produce- lettuce, tomatoes, etc was very fresh, she wrote. The portions were great, not too big and not too small. Can't wait to order again!

Location: 429 Rte 25A, Saint James, (631) 980-9376.
School & Education, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness

By Chris Boyle Published: June 22 2021

"Congratulations and thank you to our third round winners - you have done a great service to your communities," Cuomo said.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the third-round winners of the 'Get A Shot to Make Your Future' incentive for a full scholarship to a SUNY or CUNY school. Winners receive a full scholarship to any New York public college or university, including tuition and room and board. New York State will administer the random drawing and select 10 winners a week over five weeks. Three drawings remain after this week. Once a 12- to 17-year-old has received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, a parent or legal guardian can sign them up for upcoming drawings here . Federal COVID-19 relief and outreach funds will be used to cover the cost of this vaccination incentive program.

"The vaccine is the best weapon we have against the COVID virus and although we have hit a 70 percent vaccination rate, we still have more work to do to get every single New Yorker vaccinated," Governor Cuomo said. "Younger New Yorkers still have the lowest vaccination rates in the State, and this incentive offers 12 to 17-year olds a unique opportunity to make their futures in exchange for taking action to protect themselves and their loved ones. Congratulations and thank you to our third round winners - you have done a great service to your communities."

The third-round winners are:

Kelly Moscoso-Yanes, Nassau County, NY

Victoria Romero, Nassau County, NY

Niaja Land, Brooklyn, NY

Jordan Gallusser, Otsego County, NY

Emily Brodsky, Suffolk County, NY

Nicholas Keirstead, Monroe County, NY

Brian Hoffman, Erie County, NY

Aleksander Sosa, Suffolk County, NY

Madison Pennington, Erie County, NY

Ryan Hsu, Queens, NY

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said, "New Yorkers have made tremendous progress in ending the pandemic by getting vaccinated. But we must continue to help our younger populations see the benefits of getting vaccinated as wellthe 'Get A Shot to Make Your Future' is a great way to help us achieve this goal. I congratulate the third round winners on receiving a scholarship, and we welcome them to the SUNY family. With this scholarship, they will have access to many opportunities and a high-quality education that will set them up for success."

CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez said: "Congratulations and thank you to the latest winners for doing their part to help speed the recovery from this horrific pandemic. Education will be integral to New York's resurgence, and there has never been a better time to attend a CUNY college and begin building the skills needed to join the region's workforce and help build back better."

New York State Higher Education Services Corporation President Dr. Guillermo Linares said, "Congratulations to the week three winners of the 'Get a Shot to Make your Future' Vaccine Incentive Scholarship drawing. With the drawing in its third week, we are continuing to see a rise in the number of 12-17 year old's getting vaccinated as infection rates decline across our state. Vaccinating all New Yorkers, including our young people, is the surefire way to help us counteract this virus and help return New York to its new normal."

The New York State Department of Health and New York State Higher Education Services Corporation has verified the vaccination status of winners.

The winners will receive up to four years of full-time undergraduate study which includes the following components:

Tuition: An amount equal to tuition at the State or City University of New York's in-state tuition rate.

Non-tuition Costs: Room and board and allowances for fees, books, supplies and transportation up to the cost-of-attendance at SUNY or CUNY colleges.
Leesburg, VA (20175)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Ensure you get a print copy of the Loudoun Times-Mirror delivered weekly to your home or business!

Complete online access is included with all print subscriptions purchased online. Plus, up to four other members of your household can share online access through this subscription with their own, individual linked accounts at no additional charge.

(Are you a current advertiser? Ask your sales rep for our special advertiser rate code!)
(Alliance News) - Carnival PLC on Tuesday said its P&O Cruises brand will resume Mediterranean and Atlantic cost holidays on September 25, saying it's confident that European countries will allow UK tourists to enter.

But the company cancelled two long-haul cruises scheduled for January, saying the move was forced because of the "length and complexity" of the trips.

Shares in Carnival were up 1.4% to 1,746.40 pence in London.

The Mediterranean and Atlantic coast journeys will follow UK-only cruises, beginning on Sunday and continuing throughout the summer.

"We are confident that destinations will soon open up their borders both for UK travellers and also for cruise ships. Spain and its islands and the Caribbean are both looking very positive and we are seeing, one by one, countries publicly looking forward to welcoming us back," P&O Cruises President Paul Ludlow said.

Countries including France and Germany have banned non-essential travel from the UK, while those returning from most countries in Europe are required to quarantine for at least five days.

All adult customers on cruises departing between September 25 and December 31 will be required to have their second vaccine dose at least 14 days before sailing.

Carnival's Holland America Line will resume cruises from San Diego, California in September, the company announced late Monday.

By Ivan Edwards; ivanedwards@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
By Nancy Lapid

June 21 (Reuters) - The following is a roundup of some of

the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and

efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the

illness caused by the virus.

COVID-19 brains show inflammation, "circuitry" problems

The brain inflammation and impaired "brain circuitry" seen

in people who die of COVID-19 look a lot like what doctors see

in the brains of people who die of neurodegenerative conditions

such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, researchers

reported on Monday in the journal Nature. Analyses of brain

tissue from eight people who died from COVID-19 and 14 others

who died from other causes showed "striking changes" in the

COVID-19 patients' brains, Stanford University researcher Tony

Wyss-Coray told Reuters. His team at Stanford, with colleagues

at the University of Saarbruecken in Germany, analyzed thousands

of genes in each of 65,309 individual cells taken from the

brain-tissue samples. Genes involved with cognition,

schizophrenia and depression were more often "turned on" in the

COVID-19 patients' brains, they found. "There also were signs of

distress in neurons in the cerebral cortex, the brain region

that plays a key role in decision-making, memory and

mathematical reasoning," the researchers said in a statement.

"These neurons ... form complex logic circuits that perform

those higher brain functions." Wyss-Coray said his team could

not find the virus itself in the brain, which suggests that

"virus infection in the rest of the body could be enough to

cause neurological symptoms, even in people who do not die from

the disease." The findings, Wyss-Coray noted in a statement,

"may help explain the brain fog, fatigue and other neurological

and psychiatric symptoms of long COVID." (https://go.nature.com/3gP88AL)

Poor sleep history linked with more severe COVID-19

Poor sleep habits may be linked with higher risk for severe

illness in patients with COVID-19, according to Harvard

University researchers. They analyzed survey responses from more

than 46,000 participants in the long-term UK Biobank study,

including 8,422 who tested positive for COVID-19. Participants

had answered questions from 2006 to 2010 about sleep duration,

daytime sleepiness, insomnia and body clocks. For the new study,

based on their responses, the researchers assigned scores

ranging from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating multiple poor

sleep "traits." In participants with COVID-19, poor scores were

associated with higher odds of death. This was true even after

researchers accounted for issues known to be risk factors for

poor COVID-19 outcomes such as sleep apnea, obesity and smoking,

they reported on Friday in the journal Clinical Infectious

Diseases. Even people with two occasional or one frequent poor

sleep trait appeared to experience higher risks for

hospitalization and death, although the difference was not

statistically significant and more study is needed to confirm

the finding, the researchers said. Poor sleep affects the immune

system and blood clotting, both of which are key to the body's

fight against COVID-19, and "tracking sleep behavior may have

importance in identifying those at increased risk for COVID-19

mortality and hospitalization," the authors said. (https://bit.ly/2Ut2MUB)

Most COVID-19 antibody drugs likely work against variants

Most COVID-19 antibody drugs that are approved for emergency

use in the United States - and some that are still in

development - are likely to protect against variants of the

novel coronavirus, new data suggests. In test tube experiments,

researchers exposed the antibodies, alone and in combinations,

to "engineered" versions of mutated virus and to actual virus

obtained from patients infected with Alpha, Beta, or Gamma

variants - first identified in Britain, South Africa and Brazil,

respectively - or variants first seen in New York, California or

India. Then, in mice and hamsters, they tested the antibodies

against the Beta variant, which is "most likely to escape

neutralization ... and has the most resistance to COVID-19

vaccines," the research team said in a statement. Some

individual drugs appeared to lose effectiveness against the

variants in test tubes - but in the animals, low doses of most

of the drugs, given in combinations, were protective, the

researchers reported on Monday in the journal Nature. Another

advantage of the combinations is that they "seemed to prevent

the emergence of resistant viruses," study co-author Jacco Boon

of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis said in

the statement. "Resistance arose with some of the monotherapies,

but never with combination therapy." (https://go.nature.com/3xJuOJL)

Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl in an external browser for a

Reuters graphic on vaccines in development.

(Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Will Dunham)
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Tuesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







Trackwise Designs PLC - company which produces products using circuit technology - Reports revenue growth to GBP6.1 million for 2020 from GBP2.9 million posted the year before. The company notes its resilient response to the pandemic, with progress made against all elements of its strategy. The company swings to pretax profit of GBP406,000 from GBP129,000 loss posted the year before. "What has become clear during the early part of 2021 is evidence of increasing supply chain stress, with increased prices and lengthening delivery timescales for a number of key raw materials. Sales have not been lost but this is impacting our ability to complete some orders on a timely basis," notes Chief Executive Philip Johnston.







Accsys Technologies PLC - London-based chemical technology company - Generates revenue of EUR99.8 million for the financial year to March 31 versus EUR94.1 million the year before. The company notes that its sales volumes were up 4.5% for the year with a rapid recovery after the initial impact of Covid-19 in the first quarter. Pretax profit, however, falls to EUR340,000 from EUR1.5 million year-on-year, as finance expenses increase to EUR4.2 million form EUR2.9 million. Other operating costs also came in higher, at EUR28.5 million versus EUR26.3 million the year before. "I remain confident in the significant long-term growth opportunities ahead and in our ability to execute our strategy in pursuit of sustainable growth for our world-leading high performance, sustainable construction products," says CEO Robert Harris.







Value & Indexed Property Income Trust PLC - investment company - Reports net asset value total return and share price total return of 12% and 39%, respectively. This compares with the FTSE All-Share Index total return of 27%. The total return from the equity portfolio was 27% and from the property portfolio was 2.3%. The trust declares a final dividend of 3.6p per share, making total dividends of 12.3p per share for the year to the end of March compared to 12.1p per share in the previous year. NAV per share, meanwhile, rose to 271.10p from 253.14p year-on-year.







JPMorgan Japan Small Cap Growth & Income PLC - investment company - Reports the return to shareholders of 48% for the financial year to March 31, while the company's total return on NAV was 42%. The trust's benchmark, the S&P Japan SmallCap Net Return Index (in sterling terms), returned 22% over the same period. The company declares quarterly dividends totalling 21.9p per share for the year, up form 17.7p paid the year prior. NAV per share, meanwhile, improved to 550.0p from 401.8p year-on-year.







Petro Matad Ltd - Mongolia-based production company - says it focused on progressing the block XX exploitation licence application during 2020, working closely with the relevant Mongolian government authorities. The company generates revenue of USD64,000 in the year versus USD769,000 the year prior, resulting in pretax loss of USD3.3 million form USD16.8 million. Petro Matad explained that its employee benefits expenses were reduced to USD1.6 million form uSD4.1 million year-on-year, while exploration and evaluation expenditure dropped to USD433,000 from USD10.9 million.







Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund PLC - investment company - Reports NAV total return for the six months to the end of March of 24% compared to the 29% from the company's benchmark, the FTSE 250 ex Investment Trusts Index. NAV per share as at March 31 was 696.11p versus 435.01p posted the year before. "In the absence of a further serious wave of Covid-19 infections in the UK, the board remains optimistic about the prospects for the second half of the company's financial year," says Chair Robert Talbut.







ICG Enterprise Trust PLC - investment firm - Reports NAV per share of 1,402p as at April 30 and NAV per share total return during the quarter to April-end of 1.6%. ICG says portfolio return on a local currency basis during the quarter was 3.4%. The company proposes first quarter dividend of 6p per share, an increase of 1p compared to the quarter ended April 2020. "Looking ahead, we believe the quality and breadth of investment opportunities we are seeing will lead to a very strong year of deployment for our high conviction investments," says Oliver Gardey, head of Private Equity Fund Investments at ICG.







Hargreave Hale AIM VCT PLC - investment firm - Reports NAV per share as at the end of March of 95.71p versus 56.70 posted the year prior. Says share price on March 31 stood at 90.00p, representing a 6.0% discount to NAV. The company cuts its dividend per share to 2.65p from 4.00p paid the year before.







Providence Resources PLC - Irish oil and gas exploration company - Reports loss for 2020 of EUR10.4 million versus EUR26.9 million in 2019. Providence says its primary focus is properly on Barryroe, however, its licenses in the North Celtic Sea hold significant near field appraisal and exploration potential and will be incorporated into future plans.

Separately, Providence Resources says Non-Executive Chair Pat Plunkett is stepping down following the annual general meeting to be held on July 22. James Menton, currently senior independent non-executive director, will assume the role of chair following the AGM.







By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Chaarat Gold Holdings Ltd - gold miner in Armenia and mine developer in Kyrgyz Republic - The gold miner enters into new investment agreement with Turkish construction firm Ciftay Insaat Taahhut ve Ticaret AS. Chaarat will retain 100% ownership of the Tulkubash and Kyzyltash projects, both in the Kyrgyz Republic, with Aiftay becoming a strategic investor in Chaarat. Aiftay will receive a maximum of USD25 million in cash and up to USD17.3 million in new Chaarat shares.

Chair Martin Andersson said: "I am very pleased with the outcome of the positive dialogue and the resulting strengthened cooperation with our partner Aiftay. The simplified agreement confirms the confidence in the Chaarat management team and the Tulkubash project. The team at Aiftay worked with Chaarat representatives in the past and has worked on our Tulkubash site for some time now and mutual trust has been established. With their experience as a construction and mining contractor, Aiftay is well placed to perform the agreed construction and mining services."

Current stock price: 25.00p

Year-to-date change: up 4.2%

By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
daVictus PLC - Asia-focused food & beverage sector investor - Says it has completed an equity fundraise of GBP36,000 through the issue of 1.2 million shares at a price of 3.0 pence per share. The fundraise is to provide additional working capital for the company.

Current stock price: 3.0p

By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Spectral MD Holdings Ltd started trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday, after raising GBP11.3 million through an oversubscribed initial public offering.

The Dallas-based firm produces predictive analytics, proprietary AI algorithms and imaging systems to assist with medical treatment. Spectral MD's technology, including its DeepView wound imaging system, aims to improve the accuracy and speed at which damaged tissue is identified and treated.

The company raised the funds through the issue of 19.2 million shares at a price of 59 pence each, with SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP acting as nominated adviser, broker and bookrunner.

At the start of trading, Spectral MD had an issued share capital of 136.1 million shares, giving a market capitalisation of GBP80.3 million on admission, based on the placing price.

Shares in Spectral MD were opened at 64.34p Tuesday, up 9.1% from the offer price of 59p.

Net proceeds from the placing of around GBP9.5 million will be used to develop and trial a product that identifies diabetic foot ulcers, meet the necessary regulatory approvals in Europe, expand US distribution and provide the group with working capital.

Chief Executive Wensheng Fan said: "These funds will support further development of our [diabetic foot ulcer] application, build a greater UK and European presence and help the company gain the necessary regulatory approvals to bring the DeepView technology into these markets.

"We are now well funded to develop our [diabetic foot ulcer] technology through to commercial launch, which positions us well in a significant and continually growing market worldwide. Diabetes affects over 30 million people in the US and more than 415 million globally," Fan added.

By Scarlett Butler; scarlettbutler@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK joining a trans-Pacific free trade agreement would unlock "unparalleled opportunities" as the Foreign Secretary begins three days of talks underpinning the government's "tilt" towards the Indo-Pacific region.

The prime minister said there was an "exciting opportunity to build on this country's entrepreneurial spirit and free-trading history" as negotiations will formally launch on Tuesday over the UK becoming part of the Comprehensive & Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The CPTPP is a free trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

The UK applied to join in February, and earlier this month the CPTPP announced that the accession process would begin.

Dominic Raab arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday ahead of the accession process beginning on Tuesday.

The UK already has trade agreements with seven CPTPP members, but Johnson said: "Membership of the CPTTP free-trade partnership would open up unparalleled opportunities for British businesses and consumers in the fast-growing Indo-Pacific.

"It's an exciting opportunity to build on this country's entrepreneurial spirit and free-trading history to bring economic benefits across the whole of the UK."

The government said CPTPP members have a combined GDP of GBP9 trillion, and it is hoped that joining the alliance would open up access to some of the world's biggest current and future economies.

Officials predict that UK exports to CPTPP countries will rise by 65%, or GBP37 billion, by 2030.

And the government said CPTPP membership would lower tariffs on British cars and whisky, with tariff-free trade for 99.9% of exports.

The government also said any deal would help British farmers sell beef and lamb into countries such as Mexico, as CPTPP countries would account for 25% of global import demand for meat by the end of the decade.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss added: "This part of the world is where Britain's greatest opportunities lie. We left the EU with the promise of deepening links with old allies and fast-growing consumer markets beyond Europe, and joining the high-standards Trans-Pacific Partnership is an important part of that vision.

"Membership would help our 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. It is a glittering post-Brexit prize that I want us to seize."

Speaking ahead of the visit, Raab said: "The UK is committed to strengthening our friendship across the Indo-Pacific.

"We are demonstrating this through our commitment to join CPTPP, partner with ASEAN and invest more energy, time and effort in our bilateral relations in the region."

While in Vietnam, the Foreign Secretary will deliver opening remarks at the 5th Asia-Europe Meeting on the UK's ambitions for its Indo-Pacific tilt to an audience of representatives from more than 50 countries.

He will also meet Vietnamese leaders, including President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son to discuss the implementation of the UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Agreement, in addition to subjects such as global health security, climate change and combatting serious organised crime.

Raab will then travel to Cambodia to meet Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn to set the UK's ambition to bid for ASEAN dialogue partnership status ahead of Cambodia taking up the chair of ASEAN.

Raab's visit to Cambodia will be the first carried out by a UK Foreign Secretary since the British Embassy reopened there 30 years ago.

He will then continue to Singapore, with a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss geo-political security and climate change, as well as the international response to Covid.

The Foreign Secretary will also meet Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and address British and Singaporean business leaders from across Asia Pacific, highlighting the economic and strategic benefits of CPTPP and the UK's wider trade and foreign policy priorities for the region.

The trip will be Raab's fifth visit to South East Asia since becoming Foreign Secretary, and it comes after the government's Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy in March set out a "tilt to the Indo-Pacific" as Britain establishes its post-Brexit place in the world.

It also comes as the UK's carrier strike group, led by the HMS Queen Elizabeth, makes its maiden visit to the region.

By Geraldine Scott, PA Political Correspondent

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Mastercard FoundationMastercard Foundation Appoints Robin Washington to Board of Directors22-Jun-2021 / 12:00 CET/CEST Mastercard Foundation Appoints Robin Washington to Board of Directors TORONTO, ONTARIO - African Media Agency - 22 June 2021 - The Mastercard Foundation announced changes to its Board of Directors. Robin L. Washington was appointed to the Board and long-time Board member President Festus G. Mogae will be retiring. "I'm thrilled to welcome Robin Washington to the Board," says Zein M. Abdalla, Mastercard Foundation Board Chair. "As you can see from Robin's biography, she brings a fantastic range of operational experience and insight that will benefit the Foundation enormously as we continue to expand our impact." Robin L. Washington is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Alphabet, Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., and Salesforce.com. She served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Gilead Sciences, Inc. from May 2008 until November 2019, where she oversaw Global Finance, Facilities and Operations, Investor Relations and the Information Technology divisions. Prior to Gilead, she was the Chief Financial Officer of Hyperion Solutions, Inc. Ms. Washington is a certified public accountant. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Pepperdine University. "The Mastercard Foundation does not shy away from the complex challenges facing the world in these unprecedented times," says Washington. "They have an ambitious goal that will drive meaningful change and impact the lives of millions of young people living in poverty. I am looking forward to being a part of the Foundation's Board and contributing to this important work." Current Board member President Festus G. Mogae is retiring from the Board after 11 years of service. He led the Republic of Botswana from 1998 to 2008 and focused his efforts on fighting poverty and unemployment as well as reducing the spread of HIV/AIDs. President Mogae is the recipient of several international awards, including the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership and the Grand Cross of the Legion d'honneur presented to him by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008 for his exemplary leadership in establishing Botswana as a "model of democracy and good governance." President Mogae currently serves as a Trustee of the Rhodes Trust and is an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. "President Mogae is deservedly celebrated for his work across Africa and globally. He has long been an advocate for peace and a supporter of human rights, and his active leadership has enabled the advancement of economic and social progress on the continent," says Abdalla. "On behalf of the Foundation, I sincerely thank him for his wisdom and service over the years. He will be deeply missed." Mastercard Foundation Board of Directors The Mastercard Foundation Board of Directors currently includes:  Zein Abdalla, Mastercard Foundation Board Chair and retired President of PepsiCo, Inc.  Valerie Amos, CH, Director of SOAS, University of London and former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator  The Honourable Louise Arbour, Jurist in residence at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada  Doug Baillie, Retired Chief Human Resources Officer of Unilever  Craig Calhoun, Professor of Social Sciences, Arizona State University  Jennifer Fonstad, Co-Founder, Aspect Ventures  Dr. Jendayi Frazer, Managing Partner, African Exchange Holdings Company; President of 50 Ventures, LLC; and former U.S Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs  Jay Ireland, Retired President and CEO, GE Africa  Jim Leech, CM, Senior Advisor with McKinsey & Company; former Chancellor of Queen's University; and retired CEO of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan  Michael Sabia, Deputy Minister of Finance Canada and former Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Prize recipient  Robin L. Washington, Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Gilead Sciences, Inc. About the Mastercard Foundation The Mastercard Foundation is a Canadian foundation and one of the largest foundations in the world with more than $39 billion in assets. For more than a decade, the Foundation has advanced financial inclusion and education in Africa, improving the lives of more than 45 million people living in poverty. The Foundation was created in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. Since its inception, the Foundation has operated independently of the company. The Foundation's policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by its Board of Directors and President and CEO. For more information on the Foundation, please visit: www.mastercardfdn.org For more information, please contact: Toni Tiemens Head of Corporate Communications ttiemens@mastercardfdn.org Dissemination of a CORPORATE NEWS, transmitted by EQS Group.The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Exton, PA (19341)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Britain is working on easing travel restrictions for the fully vaccinated to allow people to enjoy a summer holiday on Europe's beaches but the plans are not finalised yet, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday.

Currently British citizens are essentially prevented from travelling to most countries - including those in the European Union - as the quarantine and testing rules are so cumbersome and expensive.

British tourists are the second biggest outbound holiday spenders in Europe after Germans so their absence hurts the economies of southern Europe while the British tourism sector is reeling from a ruinous loss of income due to the restrictions.

Hancock told Sky News that the government did want to let people have a family holiday abroad, but only when it was safe to do so.

"The whole point of the vaccine programme is to be able to remove restrictions, and for people to be able to be kept safe by the vaccine, rather than by these rules," Hancock told LBC.

"So we are working on a plan for double vaccinated people, using tests, to have that testing regime in place, instead of having to have the quarantine, in some circumstances," he said.

Asked by Sky if vaccinated people would get their freedom back by August and so enjoy a foreign holiday this year, Hancock said he understood people wanted their freedoms back.

For months, British ministers have given a host of contradictory signals about when and how travel rules will be eased more than a year since the most onerous restrictions in Britain's peacetime history were imposed to halt the virus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that travellers would face hassle and delays this year if they sought to go abroad because the priority would be keeping the country safe.

Johnson, who was slow to impose an initial lockdown in 2020, is wary of moving too fast to open up travel as the Delta variant first detected in India spreads.

Britain has the seventh highest death toll from COVID-19 globally of nearly 128,000 deaths but has one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world, with 80% of adults having received a first COVID-19 vaccine dose and nearly 60% a second shot.

HOLIDAY TIME?

Popular European holiday destinations for Britons, including Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece, are currently rated "amber", which require returning passengers to take three expensive COVID-19 tests and isolate for 10 days on return.

But travel companies are desperate to avoid another summer lost to COVID-19, and have demanded the government acts.

European Union countries have already agreed to an easing of travel restrictions over summer that will allow fully vaccinated tourists to avoid tests or quarantines and broaden the list of EU regions from which it is safe to travel, but Britain has yet to announce a similar scheme.

Britain's leading travel companies such as the British Airways-owner IAG and easyJet have cut thousands of jobs and raised billions of pounds to survive the pandemic.

The Times newspaper reported that Britain would announce an easing on Thursday to allow British holidaymakers who have had both coronavirus jabs to enjoy more quarantine-free travel from August.

It is unclear how children - who have not yet been offered a vaccine in Britain - will travel. Hancock refused to give details or a timeframe for an easing of restrictions but said he was supportive of a change.

"It is absolutely something we're working on - it's something I want to see," he said.
The following editorial was published in the June 18 of the Traverse City Record-Eagle:

(AP) Getting yourself to a public meeting is not unlike getting yourself to the Secretary of States office. The air is filled with bureaucratic jargon; confusing papers need to be shuffled; many rules need to be followed and theres usually a fair bit of waiting before your turn.

Thats why people often dont go to public meetings. They have lives, commitments, better things to do.

But the redistricting listening sessions being convened across the state are drawing healthy crowds and vigorous comment.

It is our first citizen-led effort to draw the lines of congressional districts, and the 13 new members of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission have a long state history of gerrymandering to correct.

Southeast Michigans 14th Congressional District that runs from Detroit to Grosse Pointe to Pontiac looks like a deranged lightning bolt, said Harper Woods resident Cheryl Costantino in a Detroit Free Press story chronicling the listening sessions in Detroit this week, where many residents came to complain about the vote-packing Republican-drawn maps of 2011, and weigh in on the map of the future.

U.S. Census data so far shows Michigan losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Theres racial disparity, urban and rural lines, and communities of interest  areas tied together by historical, economic or cultural similarities  to consider.

It is a difficult, messy job. But we expected our states citizens to show up, and they have  like they have since the beginning. More than 61 percent of Michigan voters gave a citizen-led process the thumbs up in the 2018 proposal. Our 13 commissioners (four Republican, four Democrats and five unaffiliated) were winnowed from more than 9,000 applications.

The group is about halfway through its live listening sessions and is offering several ways to make public comments, including by dialing 211, where the helpline offers translation services in 200 languages.

People can also make and submit their own maps at https://www.michigan-mapping.org/

The commission will need to submit a map this November, and there is much to be done in the coming months.

But Michigan, with this massive participatory effort, has shown that its ready to draw the line at the past, for a more equitable future.
MANISTEE  Leslie Laskey "demanded honesty" and was "insightful." He influenced change at the Ramsdell Theatre's Hardy Hall.

"He was not the same to any person," said Dr. Charles Dumanois, a long-time friend who lives in Manistee. "He changed the way he was with everybody he met. .. (He was) perhaps the brightest man I've ever met."

A nationally renowned artist born in Eastlake, Laskey died June 17, just over two weeks shy of his 100th birthday.

The Manistee City Council had taken action earlier this month to proclaim July 2, 2021 to be Leslie J. Laskey Day, in recognition of the contributions (Laskey) has made during his extraordinary life.

An event in honor of Laskeys 100th birthday will now be made into a celebration of his life, at his home in Manistee, according to Mayor Pro-Tem Mick Szymanski.

Leslies talents and resources have benefitted many people and public interests in Manistee to include supporting the renovation of the historic Vogue Theatre and most recently with a sculpture gifted to West Shore Community College, Manistee Campus to be placed adjacent to the riverwalk, Szymanski stated at a June 15 Manistee City Council meeting.

RELATED: Lesley Laskey exhibit opens to high reviews at WSCC

For over 30 years, Laskey taught at the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He was made Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in 1987.

A singularly gifted individual with an insatiable curiosity, Leslie's talents were numerous. He was a painter, a sculptor, a photographer and a poet, as well as an incredible cook and the consummate dinner host. Above all, he was a cherished friend and much beloved mentor, wrote the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts on June 18.

Laskey began his multi-faceted career at the age of 17, when he participated in Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio drama in 1938.

He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and was among the troops that landed on Omaha Beach, early on D-Day, 1944. As part of a combat engineering unit, he later fought in the Battle of the Bulge and at the wars end, Laskeys unit liberated prisoners from German concentration camps.

Upon his return, Laskey enrolled in the Institute of Design in Chicago, where he studied under American Bauhaus pioneer Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. He then taught for three years at the School of Design at the University of North Carolina in Raleigh, and was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation grant for work in graphic arts.

Laskey began teaching at the School of Architecture in 1956 where he earned several honors, including the Washington University Distinguished Faculty Award in 1982 and the Distinguished Professor Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in 1985-86.

He was also the subject of a 2012 documentary called "Forty-Seven Views of Leslie Laskey", which showcased his legacy as a multi-disciplinary artist, teacher and poet. The full documentary is available on Vimeo.

Laskey divided his retirement between homes in St. Louis and Manistee. He had planned a return trip to attend the Leslie J. Laskey Day celebration, before being admitted to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

His prolific prints and paintings have been showcased at the Mark Pasek Gallery in New York, as well as numerous venues in both St. Louis and Manistee.

RELATED: Leslie Laskey donates paintings to Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts

Laskey donated three of his paintings to the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts in 2020. Two of the three paintings are still on sale at the Ramsdells website, with profits going to benefit the Hardy Hall gallery.

"Leslie influenced so many of the changes at the Ramsdell Theatre's gallery, Hardy Hall. Anytime we tell people the story of why we knocked down and replaced the Hardy Hall walls, we always say it's because Leslie was one of those artists who declined an invitation to present his art against the red panels that used to be there," said Ramsdell executive director Xavier Verna. "He kept us on our toes and inspired positive change for the artistic community in Manistee County. He was a good friend, and we miss him."

Despite his talents as an artist and architect, his greatest attribute may have been as a mentor for those that knew him.

"He defined for me, the word mentor," said Dumanois. "Something really interesting about him, was the circle of people he brought to himself every year. And that was because of his life as a mentor."

"He had hundreds and hundreds of architecture students, art students, that he dealt with throughout the years. Dozens of them came back to see him every summer in Manistee to get their batteries charged. And what they did is they brought to him problems that they were having in their life. Many of them were architects, problems that they were having were in their art, because many of them were artists. And he would sit and talk to them and listen to them and help them deal with these problems and they always left recharged," Dumanois continued.

RELATED: WSCC accepts donation of Leslie Laskey artwork

Laskey was an expert dinner host, a voracious reader and an eager and willing listener, Dumanois said.

Dumanois, said his friend could have profound impacts on those in his life. A retired physician, Dumanois said it was Laskey who made him comfortable with aging.

"He made me more interested in getting old," Dumanois said. "As a younger guy you fear advanced age. What am I going to be? Am I still going to be interesting? Am I going to be able to still offer things to people that will make them want to come to me, or talk to me, or listen to me?

"And he embodied that, because the people who came to see him or really substantial people, leading architects in Seattle, or Los Angeles, or New York, or Chicago. I mean, big deals. And they came to him because he made life better for them because he could talk to them about things they needed his help with or wanting to talk about it in he was interesting enough to keep younger people excited coming to him," he continued. "And that, to me, was something really good about getting old."

RELATED: Vogue presents documentary on artist, Manistee native

Laskey was said to have continued his artistic pursuits until nearly the end of his life. He explained his continued devotion toward the arts in the 2012 documentary.

You cant retire, what you have to do is steal free time  you cant just have free time, Laskey had said. Stealing free time is in order for you to really live and work and that whole idea that work is life, at least if you want to be productive. If you want to be an artist, I dont think you can do it on Thursdays.

He is survived by fellow artist and long-time partner Frank Schwaiger.
The third day of action in Matchday 3 at Euro 2020 gets underway this Tuesday, with the final fixtures of Group D taking centre stage today.

The Czech Republic will face England at Wembley Stadium at 21:00 CEST, with Croatia and Scotland set to face off at the same time at Hampden Park.

Here, we have all the details you need on how to watch these final fixtures from Group D.

What are the kick-off times for today's Euro 2020 matches?

With this final round of group fixtures, both matches in the group have been scheduled to take place at the same time to ensure the final moments of the first round are as fair as possible. That means we have Czech Republic vs England and Croatia vs Scotland at the same time of 21:00 CEST.

June 22 at 21:00 CEST: Czech Republic vs England, Wembley Stadium

June 22 at 21:00 CEST: Croatia vs Scotland, Hampden Park

Where to watch Czech Republic vs England and Croatia vs Scotland

The fact there are multiple matches on at the same time means that watching Euro 2020 is a little more complicated than it has been up until now, at least in some countries. In Spain, for example, Croatia vs Scotland is on Be Mad, while the Czech Republic's clash with England is on TeleCinco.

In the United Kingdom, the England match will be on ITV1 while the Scotland fixture will be on ITV4. In the USA, ESPN's channels and platforms have all this Tuesday's fixtures.
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Jun. 17If another 207 of the 7,086 people who voted in Tuesday's special election had cast a ballot for Devan Seabaugh, the Metro Atlanta Ambulance executive would have punched his ticket to the Gold Dome as House District 34's next state representative. But in lieu of an outright victory in the special election to replace Bert Reeves, Seabaugh will now square off against Democrat Priscilla ...
Jun. 20Some Smyrna residents have mixed feelings over a proposed makeover of the city's downtown area, and they were on full display at a Saturday town hall. The forum was hosted by Ward 5 Councilwoman Susan Wilkinson, and of the approximately 50 people who attended, most had concerns about the design. Their reasons and level of concern, however, varied. Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton has proposed ...
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Meadville, PA (16335)

Today

Showers with the chance of some thunder this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Showers with the chance of some thunder this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Official statistics and research studies investigating gender differences in suicide show suicide rates are generally higher in men than in women. The result is not the same throughout the world due to cultural differences.



A new study by Colorado State University gives perception about factors that contribute to men's suicide vulnerability. The study is based on Professor of Psychology, Canetto's theory that men's suicide mortality is more related to men's private-life behavior apart from factors of their public lives.



Though previous theories predicting high male suicide rates happen when their employment and economic-provider roles are under threat, they do not fully explain men's suicide vulnerability.



Support programs for engaging in family care work can reduce suicide mortality in men.

men overinvest in economic-provider work, and underinvest in family care work, this pattern makes them vulnerable to suicide when economic-provider work is threatened or lost.



The researchers involved in this study examined suicide, male family caregiving, and unemployment in 20 countries and found that suicide rates were lower in countries where men reported more family care work. They also show employment benefits did not reduce male suicide rates.



Here family caregiving is defined as providing personal care or education for a child, and/or providing care for a dependent adult.



"Our study took a public health perspective. It examined population-level social and economic factors that may be driving population suicide patterns, across a range of countries", said Canetto, Professor of Psychology, Colorado State University.



The findings of this study reported in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology suggest incorporating support for engagement in family care work in programs aimed at reducing men's suicide mortality.







Source: Medindia According to Canetto,The researchers involved in this study examined suicide, male family caregiving, and unemployment in 20 countries and found that suicide rates were lower in countries where men reported more family care work. They also show employment benefits did not reduce male suicide rates.Here family caregiving is defined as providing personal care or education for a child, and/or providing care for a dependent adult."Our study took a public health perspective. It examined population-level social and economic factors that may be driving population suicide patterns, across a range of countries", said Canetto, Professor of Psychology, Colorado State University.The findings of this study reported insuggest incorporating support for engagement in family care work in programs aimed at reducing men's suicide mortality.Source: Medindia Though previous theories predicting high male suicide rates happen when their employment and economic-provider roles are under threat, they do not fully explain men's suicide vulnerability.
A transgender activist from Delhi, Rudrani Chettri has opened up about her love story and as we are celebrating Pride Month, her story can instil faith in many people who are struggling to find a place in society.



If you have watched Vikas Khannas debut film The Last Color, you must be familiar with Rudrani.

Recently, she shared her love story with Official Humans Of Bombay.

Recalling her first date with Shadab, she said, On our first date at a coffee shop, Shadab pulled out the chair for me & said, Please baithiye; I was stunned. I was 38 & had dated a few men before. But no one had done this for me! He asked, Chai or coffee? It was a big deal; being a transwoman, I wasnt used to being treated respectfully.

Rudrani said Shadab wasnt like the men she had dated before as he was treating her with the utmost respect. He didnt come to her with any pre-conceived notions and he genuinely wanted to pursue the relationship without any prejudices.

Shadab & I met online in 2017. Within a week, he asked me out; Id agreed reluctantly. In the past, men had only used me for sex; my ex had cheated on me & said, How can one get serious with a woman like you? Id given up on finding a partner. Shadab had recently broken up with his ex too; we connected. I remember bluntly telling himIm a transwoman; I knew Shadab was straight. He retorted, For me, youre a woman, I had goosebumps.

But just then, he told me, Im 21; we had a 17 year age gap! To top it all, he was a Muslim & I, a Hindu, but Shadab didnt care, she said.

She went to add, Before parting, he said, It was so nice to meet you! After, we met for dates & movies. 2 months later, he said, Would you like to meet my mom? Id expected drama, but Ammi said, Shadab pareshan kare toh mujhe batana. That day, I thought, Theres hope after all. Even my mom addressed him as Jamai babu! Over time, he met all my trans friends. After work, hed help me buy groceries & wed cook dinner. After a few months, it felt right to move in together.

They had already moved in together and everything was just perfect for the two. Shadab made it even more special by proposing to her on his knees.

Once, while we were having dinner, he confessed, I love you. I playfully said, Youll get a reply only if you confess in front of everybody. So, on my birthday, in front of all our friends, he went down on one knee & said, Rudrani, I love you!, she said.

She takes pride in the fact that he doesnt care about societal notions and he always holds her hands whenever they are out in public.

The best part is that Shadab follows his heart, he doesnt care what people think. Whenever we go out, he always holds my hand. I ask him, Dont you care what people might think of you? & he says, Hum kisi ke baap ka thodi khate hai? Sabse kyun darna?, added Rudrani.

She said that their bond is pure and she doesnt want to label it with any tag.

What Shadab & I share is a bond deeper than romance, so, we dont want to label it with marriageweve been together for 4 years! Today, Im 42 & hes 25. Sometimes, I fear things might not be the same 10 years from now. When I tell Shadab, If you fall in love with somebody better, choose her, he simply shrugs it off & says, This is for life, she concluded.

People are celebrating their love story and calling it a beautiful bond.

They feel their story should reach all those who are finding it hard to come out of their closets because of societal pressures.

 Official Humans Of Bombay Instagram

 Official Humans Of Bombay Instagram

 Official Humans Of Bombay Instagram

We have so much respect for this amazing couple.


The Pandemic has not just changed the way we perceive normal in terms of what we wear, how we step out, how we eat or how we cannot meet friends and family, but it has also put a dragging brake on all travel plans, regardless of you wanting a drive to Kasauli, or saving up for that Summer trip to Italy. While most of us are in our cocoons and refuse to risk travelling anywhere for a long time, some people cannot stop the bug from biting them and will still face all odds to make that travel plan happen. So in view of the current global scenario, here are 6 countries which are actually allowing Indian tourists with a few conditions attached:



1. Russia

The worlds largest country is opening its doors for Indians. Besides the recent buzz around vaccine tourism, you can actually visit the country with a valid visa, a negative Covid report 72 hours prior to your travel and on filling a health declaration form on arrival.

2. Iceland

If one has the money to shell out, a desire to go to see this beautiful magical place, and is fully vaccinated, then the pandemic wont affect the travel plan. A luxury travel company called Luxe by KFT is reportedly offering a private flight to Iceland from India with no quarantine. There are work from hotel packages, and even a luxe explorer package for travel enthusiasts. The one-way ticket for economy class costs around Rs 110,000 onwards.

3. Serbia

You can travel here though the flights are super limited, given the current situation. A Covid negative report not older than 48 hours is required, but this is non-applicable for passengers younger than 12 years.

4. Rwanda

If Safari and a classic African vacation is your vibe, and the pandemic is not going to stop you, then you can actually visit Rwanda with a few conditions attached. Besides a negative report, you will have to fill a passenger locator form, then go to a government authorised hotel to get tested once again. You can find the list of hotels and more information on www.rbc.gov.rw.

5. Turkey

You have to be under quarantine for 14 days and the country has some moderate restrictions in place for now. Your Covid negative report cannot be older than 72 hours before your flight and also, you must test negative after your quarantine period is over in order to finally get out and move around.

6. Egypt

The requirements to travel here include a 72 hour prior test, and a rapid test on arrival. In case one tests positive, then one can either choose to fly back or quarantine in the country until they test negative. Health insurance is also mandatory.




Being a politician isnt easy and comes with a lot of expectations and responsibilities from the citizens they vow to serve. Since politicians are the public figures for people who are expected to address their problems, they often find themselves on the receiving end of the wrath and anger of the public if they fail to do so. It has happened many times that politicians are hurled abuses at, thrown shoes at and even physically assaulted in public places.



 Twitter

Even the biggest and leading politicians have been attacked and assaulted by their own public multiple times including Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who was slapped and the then PM of India, Dr Manmohan Singh who was almost hit by a shoe flung on him.



 Twitter

Here are six such incidents where Indian politicians were attacked and assaulted by the public, in public.



1. Arvind Kejriwal (2019)

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been attacked in public not once but several times. He was slapped by a person during a roadshow in 2019 when a man in a red shirt climbed on the ministers jeeb and hit him in front of everyone.

2. Jagan Mohan Reddy (2018)

The YSR Congress leader Jagan Mohan Reddy, before he became the CM of Andhra Pradesh, was stabbed in the arm (yes, you read that right) at Vizag Airport by a fan who was taking a selfie with him.

3. Dr Manmohan Singh (2009)

The then Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh nearly escaped a shoe attack as the target fell short and couldnt hit him. It happened when a student from the crowd flung a shoe at him during an election rally in Ahmedabad.

4. P Chidambaram (2009)

P Chidambaram was serving as the Union Home Minister in April 2009 when a journalist threw a shoe at him at a press conference. He did it in protest against CBIs clean chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 Sikh riots case.

5. Sharad Pawar (2011)

The NCP Chief Sharad Pawar was the Agriculture Minister in the Congress-led UPA government when he was slapped while exiting the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) headquarters.

6. Rahul Gandhi (2016)

Another shoe attack was when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was targeted during a roadshow in Uttar Pradesh because the attacker was upset with Gandhi for carrying on with the rallies and not paying tribute to the martyrs of Uri attack.
Graveside services for James Arnold McGowen will be held Sunday morning 8:30 a.m., at Enondale Cemetery. Bro Doug Stokes will be officiating. Stephens Funeral Home is honored to assist in the arrangements. Mr. McGowen was born on Oct. 27, 1956, in Mobile, Ala. the son of Mildred and Ralph Mc
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In summer 2020, The New York Times coordinated a nationwide project to document the lives of Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved collaborating with 11 other local newsrooms around the U.S. The Messenger-Inquirer was the only newspaper from Kentucky in the collaboration. The resulting collection of stories was published Oct. 23, 2020, in the New York Times print edition and at nytimes.com/outofwork. The following list is the Messenger-Inquirer's local unemployment coverage from that time period; read more by clicking the "New York Times Project" header. Click on "Out Of Work In America" to go to the full
Local

RWRA nixes idea of third wastewater plant

Joe Schepers RWRA executive director

The Regional Water Resource Agency is moving forward with plans to update both its existing wastewater treatment plants rather than construct a third plant from scratch.

Sean OBryan, RWRA director of engineering, said that Commonwealth Engineers of Evansville, Indiana, have been contracted to provide preliminary treatment plant modeling for both its David W. Hawes water reclamation facility, at 1722 Pleasant Valley Road, and the Max N. Rhoads water reclamation facility, at 1201 Ewing Road North.

They spent a lot of time looking at the third treatment plant option, OBryan said during Mondays RWRA meeting. The process model shows nutrient deficiency at David Hawes plant due to a third treatment plant.

OBryan said this would create an issue where RWRA would have to possibly add chemicals to its treatment process.

So through that evaluation, it was determined that the (proposed) Panther Creek Plant is not feasible, he said.

Both sewage treatment plants are currently operating at above the capacity for which they were designed. RWRA has signed an agreement with the Kentucky Division of of water to fix the situation no later than 2024.

Joe Schepers, RWRA executive director, said previously that the expected cost of the project would be $50.5 million.

Schepers said during the meeting Monday that RWRA is working to see what grants would be applicable for the update project.

This is the largest project we have ever taken on and it is also corresponding with some of the different grants that are coming out, he said. We have been working with basically everyone we can get ahold of at this point.

Schepers said the two significant grants that ideally could be used for RWRA Long-Term Control Plan projects are Senate Bill 36 and the American Recovery Plan Act, or ARPA.

We should get about $300,000 of Senate Bill 36 dollars, Schepers said.

While the final legalities of the how ARPA funds can be utilized are still being worked out, Schepers said Daviess County is expected to receive roughly $9.9 million, while the city of Owensboro is expected to receive roughly $5.7 million.

In other business, RWRA Safety Director Holly Castlen has been selected to serve as the agencys new director of environmental compliance, a newly created division that RWRA has never had before.

Schepers said there were numerous applicants for the position, and a group of 10 were interviewed with three applicants selected to move onto the next round of the process.

When we got down to it, the best person that filed all three categories that we are looking for is actually sitting right here in this room, so we are promoting Holly Castlen from safety and environmental to director of environmental compliance.

Castlen will begin her new role next month.

Nathan Havenner, Messenger-Inquirer, nhavenner@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-228-2837
KABUL  Following the inter-parliamentary talks for inclusive peace, the Acting Minister of Women's Affairs; representatives of women members of the National Assembly, civil society; and human rights spoke to members of the German Parliament through VTC.

Welcoming the participants to the meeting, the Afghan Ambassador to Germany, Mr. Yama Yari called the inter-parliamentary dialogue important in strengthening peace and preserving Afghanistan's gains over the last two decades.

The Acting Minister of Women's Affairs Mrs. Hasina Safi; Chairwoman of the House Committee on Women and Human Rights Mrs. Nahid Farid; Chair of the Women's Parliamentary Group for Political Participation Mrs. Shinkai Karookhail and members of the group Mrs. Shukria Issakhel, Mrs. Ruqia Nayel, Shegofah Nourzi; and members of the High Council for Reconciliation as well as the human rights institutions expressed their concerns regarding the plight of the people, particularly of the Afghan women, and the possibility of losing the hard-gained human rights achievements of the past two decades. They called on the German parliament to support the Afghan people, particularly the Afghan security forces, who have always been at the forefront of the fight against international terrorism.

At the end of the meeting, Ms. Gabi Weber, Sabine Zimmermann, Leni Breymaier, Simon Schmiller, and other members of the German Parliament assured their Afghan counterparts of the German Bundestags continued support to the Afghan people, underscoring the importance of cooperation between the two countries parliaments.
Lynsey Mukomel 15175992746 Attorney General

June 22, 2021

LANSING - "This package of bills is not just a good idea, it is a moral imperative," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel told members of the House Judiciary Committee this morning as she testified on a bill package implementing fundamental reforms impacting guardians and conservators.

After a 12-stop listening tour in 2019 and dozens of senior town halls, Nessel and members of the Task Force heard a number of similar and disturbing stories surrounding guardianships and conservatorships.

While court-appointed guardianships can be beneficial for some, when used inappropriately or without the critical safeguards the bill package provides, guardianship itself can result in the abuse of older adults and strip individuals of their most basic rights.

"The bills, and our continued work in this area, are fundamental to restoring basic human rights and dignity to people who have worked hard their entire lives. Now, they need us to make sure that our guardianship and conservatorship system is in place to fight for them, and that is what this bill package does," said Nessel.

As part of her testimony, Attorney General Nessel brought attention to problems that the Department of Attorney General and partner organizations in the Task Force repeatedly see. To combat those issues, the legislation will:

Require a judge to justify on the record why a family member who is willing to serve as a guardian is not suitable. While the law already provides that family members have priority, the modification serves as an additional safeguard to ensure family members get due consideration;

Eliminate a judge's ability to prevent a challenge to an appointed guardianship/conservatorship for up to six months;

Require guardian and conservator certification and visitation frequency;

Establish a clear asset/income threshold for appointment of a conservator;

Improve the basic standard for medical testimony; and more.

Nessel was joined by subject matter experts Christopher Smith - State Bar Elder Law & Disability Rights Section, Salli Pung - State Long Term Care Ombudsman, Nathan Piwowarski - Lake County Public Administrator, and Alison Hirschel and Nicole Shannon - Michigan Elder Justice Initiative. The group offered testimony on key sections of the legislation.

Each bill is linked below:

House Bills 4847, 4848, 4849, and 4850.

Senate Bills 503, 504, 505 and 506.
New tools, planning help coastal communities strive and thrive in light of constant change

New tools, planning help coastal communities strive and thrive in light of constant change

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy hosts a webinar on coastal community resiliency later today. This article one the topic, by Andrea Brown of the Michigan Association of Planning, is from the recently released State of the Great Lakes Report.

Communities create master plans as a tool to use so they can thrive, both now and in the future. More and more, there is a sense that these plans should focus on making a community as resilient as possible. In the past year, the rising level of the Great Lakes and the COVID-19 pandemic are dramatic examples of the adversity communities are facing.

As the professional association for community planners and appointed land use officials in the state of Michigan, the Michigan Association of Planning (MAP) understands that community planning directly affects long-term community resiliency in a complex and changing world. Resilience is the ability of a community to recover or "bounce back" from adversity -- whether an economic downturn, extreme weather, environmental disaster or demographic shift.

Over the past six years, MAP has partnered with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's (EGLE) Coastal Management Program, the University of Michigan (U-M) and the Land Information Access Association (LIAA) to develop strategic approaches that increase the knowledge of municipal planners and officials about community resilience.

An early objective of the partnership was to introduce the idea of integrating coastal sustainability and resilience into municipal master plans. U-M and LIAA provided the technical expertise and science-based approaches, while MAP provided access to professional planners as well as appointed and elected municipal leaders. Together, we developed and delivered a master planning process for a community resilience workshop curriculum to prepare municipalities to create and adopt their own local resilience policies. Long-term resilience starts with adopted municipal plans and policies that establish the steps that are necessary to position a community for resilience success.

MAP also published an issue of our magazine on resilience planning best practices and hosted a daylong Resilience Summit, which highlighted national experts, our partners and local practitioners who are doing the work in Michigan.

Building on shared knowledge and experience, MAP's next round of EGLE funding provided a grant match for six coastal communities to hire planning consultants to assist in developing and adopting local resilience plans. This pilot project served to build the knowledge of private sector planners, enhancing their experience and positioning them to provide resilience planning services to municipalities throughout the state. MAP also developed and launched a workshop for planning consultants to ensure they possess the necessary skills to successfully work with local governments.

Once a plan is adopted, implementation is key. MAP has received additional funding from EGLE to assist communities seeking to implement resiliency policies and ordinance changes identified in their master plans. This would enable municipalities to take actions that might otherwise be delayed due to inertia, leadership changes or cost. Grand Haven is a successful example.

Educating local officials is an important first step, but even when equipped with tools and best practices for resiliency planning, there are barriers to moving from planning to implementation. To help coastal leaders understand the range of policies and solutions to prepare for and respond to high waters, MAP produced a publication, Survive and Thrive, which summarized lessons learned from the pilot communities.

Next up? MAP, in coordination with EGLE's Coastal Management Program, Michigan Sea Grant and U-M, will pilot a leadership academy for coastal communities. The academy will consist of a sequence of three intensive, peer-learning virtual workshops for local decision-makers dealing with coastal hazards. The approach is intended to build and nurture a cluster of 12-15 local community leaders from several jurisdictions who will forge the strong relationships necessary to carry forth strategies to respond to the impacts of rising Great Lakes water levels and the resolve to collectively work together going forward.

Participants in the academy will come away from this experience with the technical knowledge and local partnerships necessary to advance planning and zoning changes in their community that provide non-structural approaches to coastal shoreline protection. Participants will return to their communities and organizations as ambassadors for coastal resilience, to lead local efforts to educate the community and build on momentum acquired at the leadership academy.

Photo caption: Public comments tabulated on a sign after a City of Trenton zoning ordinance session. (Credit: Beckett Raeder Inc.)

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Funding available for electric, hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicles

Funding available for electric, hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 22, 2021

Nick Assendelft, Public Information Officer, AssendelftN@Michigan.gov, 517-388-3135

Debbie Swartz, Environmental Quality Specialist, SwartzD@Michigan.gov, 517-582-1578

In support of Governor Whitmer's priorities for a just transition to a low carbon transportation sector, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced today it is offering a second round of funding for electric, hydrogen fuel cell or diesel-electric hybrid commercial and mass transit vehicles to replace older, diesel-fueled models. Grants can also be used to buy charging stations for the electric vehicles.

The application window opens today and runs through Aug. 20, 2021. A webinar has been scheduled for 1 p.m. July 13 to explain the funding opportunity and to answer questions from potential applicants.

A total of $16 million through EGLE's Fuel Transformation Program (FTP) has been allocated to replace medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks, shuttle and transit buses (Classes 4-8) and port drayage vehicles. School buses are not eligible for funding. Individual grants range from $50,000 to $3 million.

The request for proposals information is posted on the Fuel Transformation Program website.

Individuals needing language assistance or accommodations for effective participation at the webinar should contact Joel Roseberry at 517-599-9494 RoseberryJ@Michigan.gov by June 29 to request language, mobility, visual, hearing, translation and/or other assistance.

EGLE's Fuel Transformation Program has among its goals reducing nitrogen oxide emissions to improve air quality and increasing the adoption of zero emission vehicles and equipment by removing financial obstacles to replacing older diesel vehicles. The transportation grants help EGLE to leverage available funding for an equitable and clean transportation sector that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps businesses transition to a low-carbon future of economywide carbon-neutrality by 2050.

Future rounds of grants will allocate up to $9 million to replace freight switchers, Great Lakes ferries and tugs and install shore power and offer up to $5 million to replace airport ground support equipment, port cargo handling equipment and forklifts. Funding details will be announced in 2022 and 2023.

All the grants are supported with Volkswagen diesel settlement funds allocated to Michigan. The Michigan Volkswagen Settlement Beneficiary Mitigation Plan has details about the various vehicle and equipment replacement options. The settlement money must be distributed by October 2027, a decade after the money was allocated to the states.

For more information about the RFPs, contact Debbie Swartz at SwartzD@Michigan.gov.

# # #
LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general and two cities in calling on the Postal Regulatory Commission to oppose Postmaster General DeJoy's efforts to increase delivery times for First-Class Mail and other essential postal services. Forty percent of all First-Class mail in the United States will be slowed down by these proposed changes.

The action is another step being taken by attorneys general around the country to protect residents from further slowdowns and disruptions in their mail service. In August 2020, Nessel also joined a coalition of 13 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the federal government for unlawful changes to the USPS's operations that led to slowdowns across the United States.

Last year, media reports indicated that several mail sorting machines had been removed from facilities in Detroit, Pontiac and Grand Rapids, further contributing to service disruptions. According to the lawsuit, cutbacks at the Pontiac facility resulted in a reduction of the amount of mail that could be processed by 394,000 pieces of mail per hour.

"For more than 200 years, people across the country have relied on the U.S. Postal Service for timely delivery of everything from mail and ballots to medications and paychecks," Nessel said. "Postmaster General DeJoy continues to make reckless changes to the postal service that only further delay and disrupt operations. The Postal Regulatory Commission must reject these efforts to avoid further degradation of these essential services."

The attorneys general submitted a statement of position to the Postal Regulatory Commission, an independent federal agency that provides transparency and accountability of the U. S. Postal Service's operations, to urge the USPS to focus its attention on improving from the mistakes of the previous year, not implementing changes that would further degrade service:

"One year ago, the Postal Service implemented a series of purported cost-saving initiatives that had a devastating effect on mail service. Those initiatives, which included drastic changes to USPS's policies with respect to extra and late trips, were implemented virtually overnight without any prior input from the Commission. Mail delivery across the nation slowed, and Americans who depended on the Postal Service for the delivery of prescription medication, paychecks, and other necessities were left stranded. The increased delays also made it more difficult for the States to perform a variety of essential functions and provide critical services to their residents.... Regrettably, it appears that the Postal Service is poised to repeat many of these mistakes."

The statement of position reminded the Postal Regulatory Commission of the obligations and benefits of the USPS, including its commitment to provide prompt, reliable service of necessary, life-saving goods to all residents of Michigan.

The proposed service standards would slow down mail delivery for a significant portion of First-Class mail, which would significantly hinder the USPS's mission to provide reliable service. This change would hinder state and federal governments in delivering essential services in a timely manner, including providing public assistance to low-income individuals and families, running driver's license renewal and child welfare programs, and administering elections.

The group also acknowledged the difficulties put upon postal service workers by these cuts, and how critical it is for the Commission to prevent further changes after a disastrous year, writing:

"Indeed, the events of the past year caution strongly against imposing sweeping changes of the type the Postal Service proposes. The Postal Service has faced enormous challenges as a result of the pandemic, and postal employees have performed their jobs admirably under incredible strain. The Postal Service has already once imposed sweeping changes in the face of these unprecedented challenges, and the result was disastrous. As the Inspector General found, the July 2020 cost-saving initiatives were implemented without adequate planning and were poorly communicated, leading to a rapid decline in service from which the Postal Service has not fully recovered...The Postal Service should abandon its current effort and refocus its energies on fixing its ongoing performance deficiencies."

Joining Attorney General Nessel in submitting the statement of position are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia. The attorneys general were also joined by the City of New York, and the City and County of San Francisco.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Democrats' sweeping attempt to rewrite U.S. election and voting law suffered a major setback in the Senate Tuesday, blocked by a filibuster wall of Republican opposition to what would be the largest overhaul of the electoral system in a generation.

The vote leaves the Democrats with no clear path forward, though President Joe Biden declared, This fight is far from over.

The bill, known as the For the People Act, would touch on virtually every aspect of how elections are conducted, striking down hurdles to voting that advocates view as the Civil Rights fight of the era, while also curbing the influence of money in politics and limiting partisan influence over the drawing of congressional districts.

But many in the GOP say the measure represents instead a breathtaking federal infringement on states authority to conduct their own elections without fraud  and is meant to ultimately benefit Democrats.

It failed on a 50-50 vote after Republicans, some of whom derided the bill as the Screw the People Act, denied Democrats the 60 votes needed to begin debate under Senate rules. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold her office, presided over the chamber as the bill failed to break past that filibuster barrier.

Biden praised Senate Democrats for standing together against the ongoing assault of voter suppression that represents a Jim Crow era in the 21st Century." In a statement from the White House, he said that in their actions, though unsuccessful on Tuesday, they took the next step forward in this continuous struggle.

The rejection forces Democrats to reckon with what comes next for their top legislative priority in a narrowly divided Senate. They've touted the measure as a powerful counterweight to scores of proposals advancing in GOP-controlled statehouses making it more difficult to vote.

Once again, the Senate Republican minority has launched a partisan blockade of a pressing issue," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said from the chamber floor. He vowed that the vote was the starting gun and not the last time voting rights would be up for debate.

Whatever Democrats decide, they will likely be confronted with the same challenge they faced Tuesday when minority Republicans used the filibuster  the same tool that Democrats employed during Donald Trumps presidency  to block consideration of the bill.

Republicans showed no sign of yielding.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell called the bill a a solution looking for a problem and vowed to put an end to it. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz dismissed it as "partisan legislation, written by elected Democrats, designed to keep elected Democrats in office.

And, more graphically, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito called the bill a despicable, disingenuous attempt to strip states of their constitutional right to administer elections" that "should never come close to reaching the presidents desk.

Pressure has been mounting on Democrats to change Senate rules or watch their priorities languish. A group of moderate Democratic senators, however, including Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, have ruled that out, denying the votes needed to make a filibuster change.

Biden has vowed what the White House calls the fight of his presidency over ensuring Americans access to voting. But without changes to Senate rules, key planks of his agenda, including the voting bill, appear stalled.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat and senior pastor at the Atlanta church Martin Luther King Jr. once led, called minority Republicans willingness to prevent debate on the voting bill a dereliction of duty.

What could be more hypocritical and cynical than invoking minority rights in the Senate as a pretext for preventing debate about how to preserve minority rights in the society, Warnock said during a floor speech Tuesday.

The changes being enacted in many Republican states are decried by voting rights advocates who argue the restrictions will make it more difficult for people to cast ballots, particularly minority residents who tend to support Democrats. Republicans, cheered on by Trump, talk instead about fighting potential voting fraud and say the Democrats' concerns are wildly overblown.

As the Senate discussion churns, more changes could be coming to the bill.

Democrats want to protect against intimidation at the polls 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.

They also want to limit the ability of state officials to remove local election officials. Georgia Republicans passed a 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.

But Democrats have divisions of their own. Until Tuesday, it wasn't even clear that they would be united on the vote to bring the bill up for debate. Manchin, a moderate from West Virginia, announced earlier this month that he couldn't support the bill because it lacked Republican support.

Manchin flipped his vote to a yes after Democrats agreed to consider his revised version. His proposal was endorsed by former President Barack Obama and called a step forward by Biden's administration.

Manchin has proposed adding provisions for a national voter ID requirement, which is anathema to many Democrats, and dropping a proposed public financing of campaigns. The ID requirement would be less strict than ones pushed by Republicans in certain states and allow voters to provide non-photo ID such as a utility bill.

Those changes did little, however, to garner the bipartisan support Manchin was hoping for. Senate Republicans said they would likely reject any legislation that expands the federal government's role in elections. McConnell dismissed Manchin's version as equally unacceptable.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Alaska Republican, said some aspects of the Democratic bill were laudable and she supports other voting rights legislation, like a reinstatement of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013.

But, ultimately, she said the sprawling bill amounted to a one-size-fits-all mandate coming out of Washington D.C. that "in many cases doesnt work.

Months in the making, Tuesdays showdown had taken on fresh urgency as Trump continues to challenge the outcome of the 2020 election and new limits move ahead in Republican-led states.

State officials who certified the results of the 2020 election have dismissed Trumps claims of voter fraud, and judges across the country have thrown out multiple lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies. Trumps own attorney general said there was no evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Biden administration officials are insisting that the election of a hard-liner as Irans president wont affect prospects for reviving the faltering 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. But there are already signs that their goal of locking in a deal just got tougher.

Optimism that a deal was imminent faded as the latest talks ended Sunday without tangible indications of significant progress. And on Monday, in his first public comments since the vote, incoming Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi rejected a key Biden goal of expanding on the nuclear deal if negotiators are able to salvage the old one.

At the same time, Raisi is likely to raise Iran's demands for sanctions relief in return for Iranian compliance with the deal, as he himself is already subject to U.S. human rights penalties.

I dont envy the Biden team, said Karim Sadjapour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who has advised multiple U.S. administrations on Iran. I think the administration now has a heightened sense of urgency to revise the deal before Raisi and a new hard-line team is inaugurated.

President Joe Biden and his team have made a U.S. return to the deal one of their top foreign policy priorities. The deal was one of President Barack Obamas signature achievements, one that aides now serving in the Biden administration had helped negotiate and that Donald Trump repudiated and tried to dismantle as president.

Despite Raisi's impending presidency, Biden administration officials insist prospects for reaching an agreement are unaltered. They argue that Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who signed off on the 2015 deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, will make any final decisions regardless of who is president.

The presidents view and our view is that the decision leader is the supreme leader, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. That was the case before the election; its the case today; it will be the case probably moving forward.

Iran will have, we expect, the same supreme leader in August as it will have today, as it had before the elections, as it had in 2015 when the JCPOA was consummated for the first time," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

But hopes for substantial progress fizzled last week ahead of the Iranian election amid a flurry of speculation about the impact of the vote on the indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in Vienna. Diplomats and others familiar with the talks had thought the last round, the sixth, could produce at least a tangible result even if it fell short of a full deal.

Now, that round has ended and a seventh round has yet to be scheduled as Raisi, Irans conservative judiciary chief, brandished an absolute rejection of anything more than Irans bare minimum compliance with the 2015 agreement in exchange for a lifting all of U.S. sanctions.

In his public comments Monday, Raisi brushed aside U.S. calls for Iran to agree to follow-on discussions on expanding the initial nuclear deal to include its ballistic missile program and its support for regional groups that the U.S. designates terrorist organizations.

Its nonnegotiable, Raisi said'

Iran experts agree it will be a tough, if not impossible, for Biden to get Iran to go beyond the nuclear agreement.

Im very skeptical that once weve lifted the sanctions to get them to return theyll feel any incentive to come back and negotiate more concessions, Sadjapour said. And, if we coerce them with sanctions to come back to the table, theyll argue that weve abrogated our end of the nuclear deal. Again.

Critics of the nuclear deal maintain that the administration has already given away too much in exchange for too little by signaling its desire to repudiate Trump's repudiation of the nuclear deal. And, they say that even if Iran agrees to some sort of additional talks, the pledge will be meaningless.

It was pretty obvious that the Iranians were never gong to negotiate in good faith beyond the JCPOA, said Rich Goldberg, a Trump administration National Security Council official who has espoused a hard line on Iran.

But now, even if the administration gets some sort of face-saving language from the Iranians about future talks, Raisi has already said they're not interested. The jig is up, he said. You cant come back to a skeptical Congress, allies and deal opponents and say the promise means anything it means when Raisi has already said it doesnt.

But administration officials are adamant that as good as the nuclear deal is, it is insufficient and must be improved on.

We do see a return to compliance as necessary but insufficient, but we also do see a return to compliance as enabling us to take on those other issues diplomatically, Price said, adding that the point had been made clear to the the Iranians in no uncertain terms.

An additional complication is that 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.

Psaki and Price both said that the U.S. will continue to hold Raisi accountable for human rights violations for which he was sanctioned by the Trump administration.

Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and set about a maximum pressure campaign on Iran that included re-instating all the sanctions eased under the agreement along with adding a host of new ones.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed prospects for an early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying Tuesday that U.S. expectations of talks would plunge them into a greater disappointment.

Kim Yo Jongs blunt statement indicates that the diplomatic impasse over North Koreas nuclear program is likely to continue unless the North suffers greater pandemic-related economic difficulties and needs urgent outside assistance, some experts said.

Hope for a restart of nuclear talks flared briefly after Kim Jong Un said last week that his country must be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, though more for confrontation. U.S. National Security adviser Jake Sullivan called Kims comments an interesting signal.

On Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong derided Sullivans response.

It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself, the official Korean Central News Agency quoted her as saying. The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment.

Shin Beomchul, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said North Korea has been communicating the same message for months -- that it has no intention to return to talks unless the United States offers meaningful concessions, likely in the form of eased economic sanctions. The Biden administration, for its part, doesnt want to budge either, he said.

Both parties are locked in a waiting game -- North Korea wants the United States to make concessions first, and the United States has no intentions to match a level of action the North is demanding, Shin said.

On Monday, during a visit to Seoul, Sung Kim, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea affairs, said Washington is willing to meet the North anywhere, anytime without preconditions. But he stressed that the Biden administration would continue to pressure North Korea with sanctions over its nuclear and missile ambitions.

Just before Kim Yo Jongs statement was released on Tuesday, Sung Kim met South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young and said Washington and Seoul remain committed to seeking the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. Lee said he hoped North Korea would return to the negotiating table at an early date and called the current situation a very good chance to resume talks.

Sung Kim later met South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and the two said they would strive to resume U.S.-North Korea talks, Moons office said. The South Korean government didnt immediately comment on Kim Yo Jongs statement.

As a precondition for the talks resumption, North Korea has repeatedly called on the United States to lift its hostile policy toward it, an apparent reference to the U.S.-led sanctions and regular military drills with South Korea. But experts say the Biden administration won't ease sanctions or make other major concessions before North Korea takes concrete steps toward denuclearization.

North Korea may only ease its stance if it can no longer endure its ongoing economic hardship, some experts said. Kim Jong Un has admitted North Korea faces what he described as its worst-ever crises, due to drastically reduced international trade caused by pandemic-related border closings, mismanagement, the economic sanctions and crop-killing storms last year.

The deadlock could be prolonged unless theres a change in the conditions facing the North, such as greater economic or pandemic-related difficulties, Shin said.

Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said Kim Yo Jongs statement suggested North Korea isnt ready to rejoin talks anytime soon.

A mutual distrust and antagonism run so deep that the resumption of the North Korea-U.S. talks is difficult. Even if the U.S. and North Korea meet, itll never be easy to find common ground, Cheong said.

Last Thursday, Kim Jong Un ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation, especially to get fully prepared for confrontation, in order to protect national security and dignity.

In an interview with ABC News, Sullivan said Sunday that 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.

U.S. officials have suggested Biden will take the middle ground between former President Donald Trumps direct dealings with Kim and ex-President Barack Obamas policy of strategic patience. Details of Bidens North Korea policy havent been publicly released.

U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at striping North Korea of its nuclear program has stalled since February 2019, when the Americans rejected a North Korean demand for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities during a summit between Kim and Trump.
In 1926, George Morrow dropped a bottle with a note in the Cheboygan River, instructing the potential finder to return it to him.

Now, 95 years later, the recovered bottle is being returned to Morrows daughter.

Michele Primeau said she was shocked by the unexpected news of the bottle turning up, but she wasnt surprised by her father dropping it in the river in the first place.

I can remember one time we threw a bottle in Lake Huron with a note as I recall (during a camping trip to the Thumb), Primeau said. When he finished our basement in our house, he put a note in the wall. He was always doing little things like that.

Primeau said although the recent recovery was surprising, it was nice to be reminded of her dad, just in time for Fathers Day.

Morrow has been deceased for 30 years, but the newfound note put Primeau in touch with who he was as a young man. Morrow would have been a 17-year-old boy when he dropped the bottle in the Cheboygan River.

The note was dated November when he dropped it (around his birthday), Primeau said. He was real sentimental, and I can just see him doing that on his birthday or right around that time.

Primeau only learned of the bottle thanks to a meticulous search by internet detectives to reunite the bottle with Morrows living relatives.

Rene Szatkowski had been scrolling on Facebook when she saw a Cheboygan tour companys post asking if anyone knew of a George Morrow.

After doing some research and digging online, Szatkowski found Primeaus number and contacted her to tell her about the recovered bottle.

I said (to Primeau), people are looking for you online, and I was trying to explain to her the situation, asking her if she was related to Morrow, Szatkowski said. I love cool stuff like that, and I just knew that if it were me, I would totally want to know, so I said to myself, Im going to try to do a little digging.

Although Szatkowski had no initial intention of getting involved, she said she was happy to play a part in connecting a newfound heirloom back to its family, nearly a hundred years later.

Primeau said she was shocked to learn that thousands of people were searching for her and that so much information on her father was available online.

Currently, Primeau is still considering the next steps for the message and bottle.

She said she wants Nautical North Family Adventures, the tour company that found the bottle, to keep the note, so they can help keep her fathers memory alive.

I was really anxious to get it back, and then I thought about it last night, Primeau said. I thought, what a nice tribute to my dad to have his name live on like that since (the diver) can share the story with people when she gives her boat tours.

I dont know, Id kind of like to see my dads name live on like that. I think he would like that.

Whether it had been Morrows first message in a bottle is unknown, but it definitely wasnt the last. Primeau said theres likely still one in Lake Huron  though she doesnt expect that one to be found any time soon.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP)  International criticism of Nicaragua's government grew on Tuesday after another night of arrests in Managua. Fifty-nine countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council signed onto a statement expressing concern over arbitrary arrests and the restriction of fundamental rights.

Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that since her last report on the situation in Nicaragua in February, my office has observed a worrisome and rapid deterioration in the human rights situation."

"This makes more distant the possibility that Nicaraguans are able to fully exercise their political rights in the Nov. 7 elections, said Bachelet.

Also Tuesday, the international organization Human Rights Watch released a report detailing the politically motivated arrests in recent weeks of nearly 20 potential political candidates, prominent businessmen, former government officials and political leaders.

The organization called on the U.N. Security Council to invoke Article 99 of its charter to raise this issue in the U.N. Security Council and present it as a growing crisis involving grave human rights abuses, which could undermine stability in the region.

Daniel Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term as president and has been systematically clearing his path of potential challengers through arrests for alleged crimes against the state. The government had already significantly reduced the public space for opposition to maneuver through repressive laws and intimidation.

High-profile arrests and other serious human rights violations against critics appear to be part of a broader strategy to eliminate political competition, stifle dissent, and pave the way for President Daniel Ortegas re-election to a fourth consecutive term, Human Rights Watch said.

Late Monday, Nicaragua police announced they had placed former first lady Maria Fernanda Flores Lanzas, wife of ex-President Arnoldo Aleman, under house arrest for alleged crimes against the state.

There was no mention of Aleman or his whereabouts. The police statement said she would remain under guard while the allegations against her were investigated.

Also Monday, sports journalist Miguel Mendoza was arrested and journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, son of former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, said via Twitter that police had raided his home. He demanded they respect the well-being of his sister-in-law and others with her.

They will not be able to silence journalism, he wrote. Police raided the offices of his online news outlet Confidencial in May and the government seized the outlets old offices in December 2018.

Earlier, Nicaraguan writer and former Vice President Sergio Ramirez said there was no chance of free and fair elections in Nicaragua and that the opposition should refuse to participate in voting that would only legitimize Ortegas victory.

Last week, most members of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States condemned the Nicaraguan governments actions and called for the immediate release of political prisoners. On Monday, Argentina and Mexico, two countries who abstained from the vote, recalled their ambassadors from Nicaragua for consultation over the developments.

The U.S. Treasury Department this month imposed sanctions on Ortegas daughter and a top army official, as well as several others close to the president.

Nicaragua Foreign Affairs Minister Denis Moncada said in an interview with Venezuelan television that Nicaragua was no one's colony and would not accept foreign interference. He said the people arrested in recent days were not presidential candidates, but rather leaders of nongovernmental organizations that receive financing from the United States and European Union and intend to destabilize the country.

The gravity and intensification of the Ortega governments brutal crackdown on critics and members of the opposition in recent weeks requires a redoubling of international pressure, said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch.

The organization's report noted that more than 108,000 Nicaraguans have fled the country since street protests began in April 2018 and were violently put down by the government. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found that 328 people were killed and some 2,000 wounded. Ortega has maintained those protests were a foreign-backed coup attempt.

Most of the arrests in recent weeks have been related to allegations that opposition figures accepted foreign financing for activities against the government.

Even before the latest crackdown, more than 100 political prisoners were already jailed in Nicaragua, the report said, documenting three cases of women who suffered assault and sexual aggression during their imprisonment.

In developing the report, Human Rights Watch interviewed 53 people in Nicaragua, including 46 activists, lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders and opposition figures who were victims of harassment of arbitrary detention. It said the government had not responded to its request for information on those cases.

There is virtually no chance Nicaraguans can exercise their fundamental rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, nor to vote and run for public office, if they are seen as opposing the ruling party, Vivanco said.
LONDON (AP)  Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party on Tuesday named veteran lawmaker Jeffrey Donaldson as its new leader, weeks after he narrowly lost the election to lead the senior partner in Northern Irelands government.

The party said that when nominations closed at noon, no one had come forward to challenge Donaldson, the sole candidate to replace Edwin Poots.

Following the completion of our party processes Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP will be the next leader of the Democratic Unionist Party," said party chairman Maurice Morrow. The choice will be ratified by the DUPs central executive committee on Saturday.

Poots was chosen over Donaldson in a party contest in May, but resigned last week after colleagues revolted over a deal to appoint new leaders to the Protestant-Catholic power-sharing administration in Belfast.

The turmoil in the DUP was fueled by Britains economic split from the European Union at the end of 2020, which has shaken the political balance in Northern Ireland, part of the U.K., where some people identify as British and some as Irish.

Post-Brexit trade rules have imposed customs and border checks on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K., angering Northern Irelands British unionists who say the new checks amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken ties with the rest of the U.K.

Tensions over the new rules contributed to a week of street violence in Northern Irish cities in April that saw youths pelt police with bricks, fireworks and gasoline bombs.

The DUP is demanding the U.K. government scraps the new rules, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, which are designed to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

Donaldson said Tuesday he would speak to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the earliest opportunity to emphasize that it is not realistic to expect stability when every unionist representative in the devolved institutions opposes the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The government and those who claim to be protectors of peace and stability, must step up and deal with the Protocol in a manner which respects the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom," he said.

Poots broke with tradition by deciding not to serve as first minister of Northern Ireland, instead appointing Paul Givan to the post last week. Donaldson has said he will quit his seat in Britain's House of Commons and return to the Belfast Assembly to take up the post of first minister.

The DUP, which is rooted in the fundamentalist Free Presbyterian Church, opposed Northern Irelands 1998 peace accord. It later became reconciled to it and shares power with the Irish Republican Army-linked Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein.
BETHEL  An off-duty Connecticut state trooper found stumbling and apparently intoxicated in a local parking lot got into his car and disregarded an officers attempt to pull him over before getting arrested at his home this weekend, police said Tuesday.

State police said Trooper Andrew Murphy has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested by Bethel police early Sunday morning.

Bethel police Lt. George Bryce said Murphy was not on duty when the incident occurred and was driving a personal vehicle.

An arrest report shows Murphy, 33, was also charged with disobeying the signal of an officer and interfering with an officer around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

Bethel police said an officer saw Murphy in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven on Stony Hill Road stumbling and apparently intoxicated.

The officer approached and told Murphy not to drive his parked vehicle, police said. But Murphy disregarded the officer and began driving, police said.

With his lights and siren on, the officer then tried to pull Murphy over, police said. However, police said Murphy continued driving until pulling into the driveway of his residence. When Murphy got out of the car, a DUI investigation began, police said. Police said Murphy also tried to get back into the car, despite being ordered not to do so.

Murphy was arrested and released on bond, which was listed as $1,000 on the arrest report.

Murphy has been a member of the state police since July 5, 2019. Murphy is assigned to Troop A in Southbury. The barracks is responsible for patrolling parts of northern Fairfield and southern Litchfield counties from the New York border as far east as Waterbury and Wolcott.

State police said Murphy has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

He is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Danbury on June 28.
NEW HAVEN  It was days after an anti-bias training workshop and Brennan-Rogers Principal Laura Roblee reported being troubled.

The 20-year veteran of the school district walked into a colleagues office at her school and said she was unclear about the use of the term whiteness during the workshop, according to the investigative summary report the school district released Monday.

I wasnt understanding it and was taking it personal, Roblee said to the colleague, according to the written statement released Monday by Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey.

The conversation reportedly went on and Roblee told those investigating the incident that she stated something to the effect that if I had said blacks or (the n-word) we would have an issue with it, the report says.

According to the apologetic Roblee that was the end of the conversation.

Yet it was the beginning of a controversy that has thus far led to Roblees demotion, a public outcry, and the release Monday of the executive summary of a district investigation into the matter.

The four-page summary, plus attachments, details an investigation opened on March 31 by Taryn Bonner. The investigation included interviews with staff, written statements and a fact finding interview with Roblee and a union representative.

Tracey, during an afternoon press conference read a statement from Roblee Monday that said she was disgusted and horrified by her use of the word and apologized to those she said it to days after the incident occurred.

I realized I did something wrong and I understand there have to be consequences. I wish I could take it back and find a logical reason that it came out of my mouth, Roblees statement reads.

The investigation determined the principal had used the n-word on March 16, 2021. That she used it a second time three days later is disputed, although Roblee admits to being upset and louder than normal when the schools assistant principal asked her about saying the word to the teachers, the report says.

Roblee, according to the report, said the word just came out, and was not premeditated.

According to the investigation, Roblee said she felt betrayed by the teachers as she thought she was having a confidential conversation.

She called it an ignorant comment that does not define who she is as a person, educator or human being.

To help repair the harm, Roblee said she will be engaging in counseling to process why she would say such a hurtful thing and to ensure it doesnt happen again.

The report concluded it was careless of Roblee to use such racially charged hurtful language with subordinates in the workplace and did violate board policies on ethics for administrators.

Her actions, in this context are inexcusable, the report states. It also notes that Roblee has not had any other disciplinary action taken against her.

Tracey said the action she took in demoting Roblee was fair.

Had the principal said the word directly to an individual it would have been a different story, Tracey said.

A leader of the Greater New Haven Clergy Association, while waiting on the release of an investigation on Roblee said Monday that someone should lose their job over the incident.

Somebody has got to go, said the Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber, president emeritus of the organization.  ...There has to be some transparency here.

Kimber was among a group of Black clergy and city leaders who traveled from outside school administrative offices on Meadow Street to Lighthouse Point on Monday in search of the superintendent, press in tow.

The clergy had requested and reportedly were told no to a request to meet with Tracey over the incident. They heard she might be at gathering of teachers at Lighthouse Point so moved their press conference there.

As of noontime, they were still in search of the promised report and was told it might be coming from Mayor Justin Elickers office. The mayors office, however, said the superintendent was going to release it to the school board but did not say when.

The delay fed frustration over the issue since the school board voted 4-3 last to accept Traceys recommendation to demote and reassign the Brennan-Rogers principal to an unspecified assistant principal role after two-closed door sessions.

At the board meeting, the demotion was approved, with Elicker, President Yesenia Rivera, Matthew Wilcox and Ed Joyner voting in favor of the change. Darnell Goldson, Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur and Larry Conaway voted against the move,

What Tracey called a slip of the tongue, Kimber and others called an affront to the entire New Haven community.

It is a derogatory word, a demeaning word, said Kimber, saying that in addition to the report he wants details on who compiled it and who was interviewed for it.

The Rev. Steve Cousin, pastor of Bethel A.M.E Church in New Haven, Connecticut, said what he is after is accountability and transparency.

That the report had not been released by that point, Cousin said, creates a shroud of doubt over what occurred.

Honda Smith, an alder from the ward where Brennan-Rogers is located, said her concern is for the children and families of the school.

I want to see the report, Smith said. The whole city wants to see it.

The report comes days after teachers at Brennan Rogers signed their names to a letter expressing complete disappointment with the handling of the situation.

Throughout the last several months our voices at Brennan have been silenced in the investigation and incident that happened concerning Laura Roblee, Kristen Rodriguez, a fourth grade teacher at the school said in a June 18 email to the board.

The letter, signed by 39 staff members  roughly half the staff  says that they, along with Assistant Principal Karissa Stolzman, were not supported and that an attempt was made to try and sweep this act under the rug, by the decision to transfer Roblee to another school.

Staff said the initial leave came without any explanation to staff.

We were and still are completely left in the dark, said the staff letter. We understand that legal matters cannot and should not be discussed. However, there was an opportunity to send out a general email letting our staff know she would be on leave and then provide us with actual support. 

Staff, students and families have been provided with no counseling according to the letter.

Roblee Report by Helen Bennett on Scribd

Check back for updates.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Albuquerque detectives on Monday were investigating the citys latest string of deaths  three more cases that could push New Mexicos largest city closer to smashing a previous homicide record.

Police Chief Harold Medina hosted a virtual town hall on social media Monday evening to discuss the citys crime trends and answer questions submitted by residents.

Even though his officers are making arrests, Medina alluded to challenges within the criminal justice system, saying prosecutors and courts need more resources to keep up with the volume of cases. He also said the police force is balancing its fight against crime with identifying those offenders who can benefit from treatment for substance abuse or other issues that might be at the root cause of their behavior.

I believe there are individuals that can change," Medina said,  ... but at the same time, we have to be tough on crime and there has to be a line drawn in the sand.

Medina said that line is drawn when an individual turns to violence and is affecting the community.

While some cities around the U.S. have seen an increase in homicides over the last year, Albuquerque has been grappling with high homicide rates even before the pandemic. It set a record in 2019, when it had 80 killings for the entire year.

If the latest cases are classified as homicides, that will push the city's total so far this year to more than 60.

Members of the police department's command staff said during the town hall that the nexus for homicides, particularly shootings, seems to involve drugs as well as parties where there's drinking involved.

The commanders and lieutenants also talked about their successes over recent months in bringing down property crimes in various parts of the city by more than 10% in some cases and their efforts to tackle speeding and street racing.

The city's reputation when it comes to crime is a big challenge for Democratic Mayor Tim Keller in his re-election bid. While some community groups are frustrated by the looming stigma, Keller's administration argues that it has been trying new tactics that include using acoustic surveillance to combat gun violence and the creation of a new community safety department.

Officers also are increasing their presence in problem areas and working more with community groups and neighborhood associations as part of what they described as a proactive approach.

The Albuquerque police officers' union earlier this year mounted a $70,000 campaign aimed at encouraging residents to pressure the city's elected leaders to focus more on fighting crime rather than spending millions of dollars on oversight related to a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  The Rev. William Barber II called Monday for members of Congress and legislative leaders around the country to commit to fighting poverty and systemic racism.

The civil rights leader and co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign addressed a crowd in a public plaza near North Carolinas legislature. The gathering kicked off a year of events for the Third Reconstruction project, building toward a march next summer in Washington.

Barber said ending poverty and addressing social problems must become a top legislative priority. He said goals include raising minimum wage; protecting voter rights; and guaranteeing quality health care, housing and education.

The issue is not scarcity of money. Its not a scarcity of ideas. The only issue is a scarcity of moral consciousness. And the only way that changes is for us to realize that we have work to do, he said, according to prepared remarks released before the rally. We will do it. We have to do it. Because we refuse to give up on America.

Participants were urged to ask their member of Congress to support a U.S. House resolution that would affirm their commitment to fighting poverty and low wages.

In a pre-recorded video, President Joe Biden applauded the work of Barbers campaign.

Rev. Barber, weve been together to commemorate tragedies as we were in Tulsa. Weve been together to celebrate victories. But I dont think weve ever been together at a time of such opportunity to deliver dignity for our nations poor and low-wage workers and make ending poverty not just an aspiration but a theory of change, he said.
After addressing concerns over the working relationship between two of Connecticuts top law enforcement officials, the Criminal Justice Commission voted Tuesday to reappoint Chief States Attorney Richard J. Colangelo Jr. and Deputy Chief States Attorney Kevin D. Lawlor.

The vote came after three meetings over the past 40 days to consider the reappointments for the top prosecutor and his second-in-command who oversees operations in the Division of Criminal Justice. Both were reappointed with unanimous votes.

Calling it the elephant in the room, Commissioner Reginald Dwayne Betts asked Colangelo if there were any problems between the two given that Lawlor was a finalist last year for the chief states attorney role, which ultimately went to Colangelo.

There were challenges. Kevin and I worked through them, Colangelo told the commission Tuesday. It is a situation where we have different skill sets.

Both longtime prosecutors in Connecticut, Colangelo said there were growing pains as there is any new relationship working together.

He went on to say: I think the division is in a really good place.

When offered an opportunity to make remarks Tuesday, Lawlor said he understood that comments made in earlier meetings may have given the impression that he was not enthusiastic about his position in the DCJ.

That could not be further from the truth and if I could give you that impression, I do sincerely, wholeheartedly apologize for any answers that led you to that conclusion, Lawlor said.

Given the concerns, Lawlor said: I wholeheartedly agree that this is a team operation. That [Colangelos] success is the divisions success, and its our success.

Colangelo, a career prosecutor, was appointed in January 2020 to finish the term of longtime Chief States Attorney Kevin Kane, who retired in December 2019 after 13 years leading the division and more than four decades as a prosecutor.

Before becoming chief states attorney, Colangelo served for about five years as the states attorney in Stamford, where he oversaw the investigation into the disappearance and presumed death of Jennifer Dulos and the ensuing prosecution of her estranged husband Fotis Dulos. Fotis Dulos died by suicide weeks after he was charged with murder.

Since his appointment, Colangelo has helped the division and its cadre of prosecutors navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended court proceedings across Connecticut amid closures and new restrictions.

Colangelo, the eighth chief states attorney since the role was created in 1973, will serve a five-year term.

The commission also voted to reappoint Lawlor, first appointed deputy chief states attorney in 2018, to a four-year term overseeing DCJ operations.

Lawlor previously was the states attorney in the Ansonia/Milford Judicial District, where his prosecutions included Christopher Plaskon, who was convicted of killing 16-year-old Jonathan Law High School student Maren Sanchez in 2014.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP)  Two women linked to a mobile home fire in western Maryland last week have been charged with arson, according to Maryland fire investigators.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal announced Tuesday that investigators determined that the women, aged 39 and 66, were involved with intentionally setting a Hagerstown mobile home on fire on June 15. Multiple witnesses saw the pair at the home and then observed smoke and flames a short time later, officials said. No one was home when the fire broke out at the home owned by the younger womans mother.
After the death of conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh in February, a local talk radio station has found a replacement.

WTIC-AM1080, a Hartford-based commercial AM radio station, has announced a new show from former talk radio producer and host, and senior editor of the Lowell Sun newspaper in Massachusetts, Tom Shattuck. Shattuck's new show, "The Tom Shattuck Show," will air Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in place of the "Rush Limbaugh Show."

"The Tom Shattuck Show" aired its first show on June 21.

WTIC has been serving the people of Connecticut for almost one hundred years and Im truly honored to be given the opportunity to contribute to the legacy of this great station, Shattuck said in a press release. These are extraordinary times and I look forward to talking about our politics and culture with the thoughtful, astute WTIC audience.

Contributed by David Heim, Audacy

According to the Journal Inquirer, Shattuck has been a frequent voice at WTIC, filling in for different radio spots for the station's programming. Shattuck is set to host shows from both his home in Massachusetts and at the station's office in Farmington.

The radio station aired Limbaugh's nationally-syndicated show until he died on February 17 after complications from lung cancer. According to a press release, the time slot granted to the "Rush Limbaugh Show" will be split between "The Tom Shattuck Show" and "The Todd Feinburg Show."

According to Fox News, conservative radio hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton are taking the place of Limbaugh's show on Premiere Networks. WTIC turned down the show in favor of local programming, according to the Journal Inquirer.

WTIC is a part of the Audacy network of radios and podcasts.
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.
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.
The federal government will investigate its past oversight of Native American boarding schools and work to uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences of policies that over the decades forced hundreds of thousands of children from their families and communities, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Tuesday.

The unprecedented work will include compiling and reviewing records to identify past boarding schools, locate known and possible burial sites at or near those schools, and uncover the names and tribal affiliations of students, she said.

To address the intergenerational impact of Indian boarding schools and to promote spiritual and emotional healing in our communities, we must shed light on the unspoken traumas of the past no matter how hard it will be, Haaland said.

A member of New Mexicos Laguna Pueblo and the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary, Haaland outlined the initiative while addressing members of the National Congress of American Indians during the groups midyear conference.

She said the process will be long, difficult and painful and will not undo the heartbreak and loss endured by many families.

Starting with the Indian Civilization Act of 1819, the U.S. enacted laws and policies to establish and support Indian boarding schools across the nation. For over 150 years, Indigenous children were taken from their communities and forced into boarding schools that focused on assimilation.

Haaland talked about the federal government's attempt to wipe out tribal identity, language and culture and how that past has continued to manifest itself through long-standing trauma, cycles of violence and abuse, premature deaths, mental health issues and substance abuse.

The recent discovery of children's remains buried at the site of what was once Canadas largest Indigenous residential school has magnified interest in the troubling legacy both in Canada and the United States.

In Canada, more than 150,000 First Nations children were required to attend state-funded Christian schools as part of a program to assimilate them into society. They were forced to convert to Christianity and were not allowed to speak their languages. Many were beaten and verbally abused, and up to 6,000 are said to have died.

After reading about the unmarked graves in Canada, Haaland recounted her own family's story in a recent opinion piece published by the Washington Post.

Haaland cited statistics from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, which reported that by 1926, more than 80% of Indigenous school-age children were attending boarding schools that were run either by the federal government or religious organizations. Besides providing resources and raising awareness, the coalition has been working to compile additional research on U.S. boarding schools and deaths that many say is sorely lacking.

Interior Department officials said aside from trying to shed more light on the loss of life at the boarding schools, they will be working to protect burial sites associated with the schools and will consult with tribes on how best to do that while respecting families and communities.

As part of the initiative, a final report from agency staff is due by April 1, 2022.

Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, which had about 80 boarding schools, called the announcement encouraging and said anything that can be done to address those troubling chapters of history is a positive thing.

I hope we dont discover gruesome incidents like were discovered in Canada. I just think its good in this country to have conversations about what happened to Native American children, Hoskin said.

Navajo Nation President Nez also offered his support for the initiative, noting discrimination against Native Americans continues today on many fronts  from voter suppression to high numbers of missing and murdered people.

Last week, Congress and President Biden established Juneteenth as a national holiday, in observance of the end of slavery, which I fully support as a means to healing the African American community," Nez said. Now, from my perspective as a Navajo person, there are so many atrocities and injustices that have been inflicted upon Native Americans dating back hundreds of years to the present day that also require national attention, so that the American society in general is more knowledgeable and capable of understanding the challenges that we face today.

This is not the first time the federal government has attempted to acknowledge what Haaland referred to as a dark history.

More than two decades ago, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Gover issued an apology for the emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual violence committed against children at the off-reservation schools. Then in 2009, President Barack Obama quietly signed off on an apology of sorts that was buried deep in a multibillion-dollar defense spending bill; the language had been watered down from the original legislation introduced years earlier.

___

Associated Press writer Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

___

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Gover's last name.
MANCHESTER  As police continue to investigate the killing of 13-year-old Zaniya Wright, whose body was found in the basement of a Manchester apartment building last week, many questions remain unanswered.

Dr. James Gill, the states chief medical examiner, said Saturday the girl was strangled, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Wrights mother reported her missing to Manchester police around 8:30 p.m. Thursday. By 8:30 a.m. the next morning, police found the girls body in the basement of the South Adams Apartments on Olcott Street, according to Lt. Ryan Shea.

Shea said on Monday there was nothing new in the case to report.

Its still unclear what Wright, a seventh-grader at Illing Middle School, was doing in the apartment building. Shea said she did not live there. Police have not indicated how long they believe Wrights body was in the basement.

No arrests have been made and authorities have not said if they have identified any potential suspects.

Late last week, Shea said investigators are doing everything they can to piece together the circumstances that led to the girls death, including talking to anyone who might have seen her or talked to her after she was reported missing.

Manchester Superintendent of Schools Matthew Geary called Wrights death terrible news in a letter to the public schools community the day her body was found. He said counselors were available Friday night and Saturday morning for anyone who wanted to talk about what happened or needed a safe space to grieve. School officials declined to comment on claims a family friend told WFSB that Wright was bullied at school.

A GoFundMe campaign, set up over the weekend by Joanne Sciulli, is seeking to raise money to help support the girls family. Sciullis connection to the family was not immediately clear.

There are no words of comfort that we can offer to Zaniyas family at this time, but we know that we do not want them to be burdened with funeral and other expenses to ensure they have the ability to focus on their grief and trauma, Sciulli wrote in the fundraisers description.

Sciulli said she hopes the funds donated through this campaign will cover all funeral expenses and provide financial support for the family during this surreal time. Any funds raised that are not needed to cover the expenses will be used to find ways to honor Wrights memory, Sciulli said.

Over $2,000 has been donated as of Monday morning.

The fundraiser described Wright as bright like the sun ... beautiful like the sea.

Anyone with information is urged to call police at 860-645-5500.
More than four times as many troops and veterans of the wars since 9/11 are believed to have died by suicide than were killed in the wars themselves, a new study from Brown University has found.

In a paper released Monday as part of its Costs of War series, Brown's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs estimates that 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken their own lives over the last nearly 20 years.

That is far greater than the 7,057 service members who died in war operations since 9/11, the institute said in the report, "High Suicide Rates Among United States Service Members and Veterans of the Post-9/11 Wars."

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The military's rising suicide rates have caught up to the growing problem across the U.S. population, the institute said.

This represents a significant -- and "deeply alarming" -- shift, it said. In the past, active-duty service members have died by suicide less frequently than civilians.

But the suicide rate in the military now has surpassed the age-adjusted civilian rate, the report said, and suicide rates among post-9/11 war veterans surpass civilian rates.

The report said some elements unique to the wars of the past two decades may have led to a "suicide epidemic."

One of the wars' signature weapons, the improvised explosive device, led to a wave of traumatic brain injuries or "polytraumas" -- cases where wounded troops sustained multiple injuries or severe injuries in at least two areas of the body.

Studies suggest that between 8% and 20% of post-9/11 service members have sustained at least one -- frequently more -- TBIs throughout their career, the report said. A 2012 study of U.S. allies in Afghanistan, cited by the report, found that nearly half of all deployed service members had experienced at least one TBI, and nearly 13% had suffered more than three TBIs.

Improving medical treatment has also kept wounded service members in uniform longer than previously, allowing some to redeploy after sustaining severe trauma, the institute said.

"These compounding traumas contribute to worsening suicide rates as service members deploy and redeploy after sustaining severe injuries," it added.

But there are other factors at play as well. While the nation has been at war nearly two decades, the Watson Institute said, the public is largely disinterested.

The high level of trauma of all kinds -- mental, physical, moral and sexual; stress and burnout troops and veterans have been exposed to; the military's culture and training; access to guns; and difficulty reintegrating into civilian life are also contributing to high suicide rates, the institute found.

"High suicide rates mark the failure of the U.S. government and U.S. society to manage the mental health costs of our current conflicts," the report said.

Of the troops who die by suicide, the report said, a disproportionate number are young white, non-Hispanic men in their 20s, in the Army or Marine Corps. Suicide rates are also higher for those who were divorced or separated, or facing financial difficulties.

The Watson Institute said the military must reconsider and change the parts of its culture that "overburden" service members with moral responsibility or blame for actions or consequences that were largely out of their control, and "overwhelmingly produces feelings of self-blame, guilt and weakness." The military also trains service members to put the needs of accomplishing the mission above their own well-being, the report said.

The military's masculine culture may make service members less likely to reach out for help for their trauma, because they don't want to look weak in front of others, it added.

The Watson Institute recommended that the military limit deployments to reduce troops' exposure to traumatic events, and improve its screenings for conditions such as post-traumatic stress, TBIs, depression and suicidal ideation so they are universal and taken seriously.

The military and Veterans Affairs Department are trying to help service members and vets who may be at risk of suicide, the report said, but their efforts haven't been enough. Some branches of the military still treat those who seek help with their mental health "like criminals," it added.

The VA also needs to cut bureaucracy that holds up access to care, hold ineffective and inefficient employees accountable, expand its specialized health care, hire more post-9/11 veterans, and update the technology used at medical care centers, the report said.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

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A federal jury on Friday concluded earplug manufacturer 3M has some liability for an Army veteran's hearing loss after using their product during military service.

The jury determined the Minnesota-based company failed to provide warnings about their product, though the earplug was not defective, according to court documents from the trial held in Pensacola, Fla. The plaintiff, Lloyd Baker, had been diagnosed with hearing loss and tinnitus, and his damages were given an estimated worth of $1.7 million by the jury.

However, jurors found 3M only held 62% of liability and is responsible for that percentage of the damages, or about $1.05 million. The remaining responsibility fell to Baker, according to court documents.

"We are humbled by the bravery and courage shown by service members like Lloyd Baker, not only for their service to our country, but also for standing up against 3M on behalf of all the veterans who now face preventable hearing loss and tinnitus as a result of the [combat arms earplug version 2]," according to a statement from Baker's attorneys, who include Bryan Aylstock of Aylstock Witkin Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC; Shelley Hutson of Clark, Love & Hutson GP; and Christopher Seeger of Seeger Weiss LLP.

Representatives for 3M issued a statement that said their product has always been "safe and effective to use, and on Friday, a jury agreed that the product was not defective."

The verdict was the third this year as part of a series of trials from a multidistrict litigation case that includes more than 240,000 veterans. All claim their hearing was damaged from using 3M earplugs that were issued for use during military service primarily during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the first trial, held in April, a jury awarded $7.1 million to three Army veterans who said they suffered hearing loss and tinnitus because of the earplugs. 3M won in the second trial in May, which involved one veteran.

This year's cases have been bellwether trials, which can be used in multidistrict litigation to present a representative of the cases before a jury to gain information for potentially reaching a settlement for all cases. It can help both parties determine the costs of subsequent litigation.

Two more are scheduled for September and October and a third for early next year. Meanwhile, 3M said it will explore options to appeal.

"Friday's outcome, as well as our win in the last bellwether trial, affirms our confidence in our case, and we will continue to defend ourselves in this litigation," 3M said in a statement.

Plaintiffs have claimed the company knew of design flaws in the dual-sided earplug that would allow it to slip imperceptibly while worn. Work on the earplug began in 1990s, and it was used in the military until 2015.

No recall was ever issued on the product and version 4 of the earplug remains in use by the military, according to 3M.
The National Guard is facing a severe funding shortage after its months-long mission securing the U.S. Capitol after the Jan. 6 pro-Trump assault. If the force isn't reimbursed $520 million soon, it will have to cancel training events, schools and weekend drills, and even ground aircraft, Military.com has learned.

According to a memo from the Guard to Congress and obtained by Military.com, funding to recuperate the costs the force spent from Jan. to May on Capitol security needs to be assured by July 1. If not, commanders in all 54 U.S. states and territories will be notified to brace for halted operations and the potential cancellation of drills in August and September.

Annual training in July could be shortened or canceled, the memo states. Come Aug. 1, all events and schools will be halted, it adds. If that happens, the National Guard Bureau estimates "thousands'' of soldiers will lose out on enough service time this year to affect their retirement.

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On top of unit-level training being canceled, the memo states that 2,000 "functional and occupational" schools will be suspended. This would likely mean courses troops take to reclass into new jobs and schools necessary for promotion, which could be a serious blow to career progression for officers and enlisted members. The memo said that school slots will be shifted to 2022, but noted "funds are not projected to be available."

Pentagon leaders warned Congress its failure to act will have serious consequences for the Guard.

"It will impact their ability in the near term to be able to train and adequately prepare the Guard for its future, for its current responsibilities," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Senate Appropriations Committee last week.

It is unclear how full-time troops will be impacted and whether they would be sent home temporarily; the National Guard Bureau wasn't able to immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Army Guard will also cease all ground vehicle maintenance activities and halt all vehicle movement until sometime in fiscal 2022, which starts in October. The Guard estimates stalled training will set the force back "8-12 months" on vehicle readiness. Affected areas could range from training for gunnery, to qualifying soldiers to maintain and operate vehicles.

All Army Guard rotary wing operations are expected to be severely impacted. The Guard told Congress it will restrict flying and maintenance on aircraft. Aviation units "are unlikely to recover for 10-14 months," according to the memo.

The Air National Guard will cut back two weeks worth of flying, which could have a vast impact on both the force's ability to fly and pilots to maintain certifications. This would compound the Air Guard's efforts to recover from the pandemic's impact on training and reduced flying time.

Last week, Military.com reported that the National Guard will eliminate retention bonuses on July 1, the same day commanders will be warned to start reining in training. A spokesman for the Guard said the two issues are separate; the Guard already has far exceeded its retention goals this year and will not hand out bonuses for continuing service until sometime next year.

The House passed a bill to reimburse the National Guard and bolster Capitol security in May. The Senate is still crafting its own bil, but it is unclear how long it will take to pass its legislation once finished.

One lawmaker pointed out that the Capitol Police will also run into funding issues soon.

"Without Senate action, the National Guard, which provided protection to the Capitol after the attack of January 6, will have to begin cutting training in August," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement. "Senate Republicans have refused to join bipartisan negotiations to address these urgent security needs, and now the Capitol Police risks running out of funding this summer."

A spokesperson for Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the top Republican on the committee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the total reimbursement the Guard is requesting.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

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The Coast Guard has decommissioned two patrol boats that have been safeguarding the waters of the Persian Gulf since 2003.

The 110-foot Island-class patrol boats Aquidneck and Adak were decommissioned in a ceremony at Naval Support Activity Bahrain on June 15. It marked the end of an overseas deployment that began Jan. 29, 2003, when the two were loaded, along with several others, onto a Military Sealift Command ship in Norfolk, Virginia, for transit to the Persian Gulf region.

Before they were forward deployed to Bahrain, Aquidneck was homeported in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, and Adak in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

"Thank you to every single crew member who has ever served aboard Aquidneck and Adak, from the plank owners to the final crew and all the crews in between," said Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander, during the ceremony. "You selflessly volunteered to deploy from your family, friends and home, accepting the inherent risks and adversities to serve your country. You built a legacy for these two cutters that will not soon be forgotten."

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The boats spent the last 18 years conducting operations in the Persian Gulf, with their crews conducting maritime patrol operations and safeguarding oil terminals at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom and ensuring the flow of commerce alongside U.S. Navy vessels.

In 1994, Adak took part in Operation Able Vigil, rescuing Cubans from makeshift vessels during a mass migration effort; in 1996, it responded to the crash of TWA Flight 800 in New York, retrieving bodies and belongings.

On Sept. 11, 2001, it was one of the first vessels to arrive in New York Harbor, acting as on-scene commander to coordinate the evacuation of more than 500,000 people.

Aquidneck had a strong history of search and rescue and counter-drug operations off the Atlantic Coast before deploying to Bahrain.

They have been replaced by two of the service's newest vessels, the Sentinel-class fast response cutters Charles Moulthrope and Robert Goldman, which arrived in Bahrain on May 25.

Eventually, the remaining Island-class cutters assigned to Task Force 55, U.S. 5th Fleet -- Monomoy, Maui, Baranof and Wrangell -- also will be replaced with Sentinel-class vessels.

The Adak and Aquidneck are slated to be sold to Indonesia under the Excess Defense Articles program. But a nonprofit group, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Adak Historical Society, has been petitioning the federal government to donate the vessel to be operated as a museum.

James Judge, a former Coast Guardsman who spent 13 months aboard the Adak during the Iraq War, serves as president of the society.

"We have a plan in place to make the USCGC Adak into a museum to showcase Coast Guard history and to serve as a 9-11 memorial," Judge wrote in a Change.org petition that has garnered more than 11,700 signatures. "Additionally, the ship will serve as an education platform for youth in the Tampa Bay area. It will also make trips each year to various port cities around the U.S. to showcase Coast Guard history."

The group's efforts have won the support of several lawmakers, including Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.; Charlie Crist, D-Fla.; and Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who wrote President Joe Biden to express support for retaining the vessel and preserving it as a museum.

"We believe that the Adak should be preserved for its historical significance," they wrote. "The men and women who served on the Adak displayed true heroism, and we believe that this sale to Indonesia fails to honor their service."

The New York Post reported June 14 that the State Department plans to continue with the sale.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

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Mental health disorders, injuries and COVID-19 were listed as the top reasons that U.S. service members were evacuated from the U.S. Central Command area of operations in 2020, according to a new report from the Defense Health Agency.

Last year, 1,207 troops out of an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 stationed in the region were flown to hospitals in the U.S. or Europe for medical reasons, including 59 with combat injuries, according to the May Medical Surveillance Monthly Report published by the Defense Department.

Among the evacuations, 27%, or 328, were for mental health conditions, and 19% were for non-battlefield injuries such as broken bones or sprains. At least 10%, or 121, were thought to be the result of COVID-19, although medical records listed most as "other" or "encounter for administrative examination;" just 23 officially were evacuated over the coronavirus.

"Taking into account these administrative examinations would make COVID-19 the third leading cause of medical evacuation out of CENTCOM AOR in 2020. However, not all of these evacuations may have been medically necessary and may have instead been driven by guidance, policies, and procedures in-theater," noted the authors.

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Over the past five years, mental health disorders were the most frequent reason for medical evacuations, followed by non-battlefield injuries, ill defined conditions, musculoskeletal disorders and digestive system conditions.

As with the general U.S. population, mental health diagnoses have been on the rise in the military over the past decade. However, the overall rate of mental health diagnoses in the American military remains significantly lower than the rate in the U.S. According to the National Association for Mental Illness, one in five adults in the U.S., or 20%, experience a mental illness in a given year, while the lifetime prevalence for mental illness is 50% among all Americans. In 2018, the overall DoD rate was 8.3%. More than a quarter, or 25.2%, of all women on active duty in 2018 had a history of a mental health condition, while 16.2% of men had received a diagnosis during their lifetime.

In 2020, the pattern changed slightly as the result of COVID-19, with male service members having higher percentages of evacuation for non-battlefield injuries and the coronavirus compared to women.

The majority -- more than 80% -- of those evacuated returned to normal duty status after they received medical care outside the area of operations. And 63% of those evacuated for battle injuries also returned to duty immediately after they were treated.

According to the report, battlefield injuries were relatively stable over the past five years, peaking in 2017 at 71. In 2020, there was a spike in January of roughly 26 battle injuries, which the writers surmised was related to the Iranian ballistic missile attack on Iraq's Al Asad Airbase.

For men, the top reasons for evacuation were severe stress or adjustment disorders, COVID-19, wrist or hand fractures, back pain, leg fractures or an episode of major depressive disorder.

Women's reasons for evacuation included severe stress or adjustment disorders, an episode of major depressive disorder, recurrent major depression, other anxiety disorders, COVID-19 and leg fractures.

The authors noted that some conditions that prompted medical evacuations in 2020 may be preventable, noting that even though access to mental health services in deployed settings has improved over the years, there is still spotty access in some places.

"In addition, although the number of mental health care providers in Afghanistan increased from 2005 through 2010, this number decreased after 2013 as part of the overall drawdown of U.S. troops from the region," they wrote.

The findings, they concluded, "highlight the continued need to tailor force health protection, policies, supplies, equipment, and practices based on characteristics of the deployed force, as well as the nature of military operations."

As of Monday, the Pentagon had tallied 199,420 cases of COVID-19 among U.S. service members, including 1,726 hospitalizations. Twenty-six have died.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

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The Defense Department's Office of Inspector General is asking Congress to take steps to empower its new deputy IG in charge of rooting out extremism in the ranks, and secure its independence.

The Pentagon's deputy inspector general for diversity and inclusion and extremism in the military was established by the National Defense Authorization Act that took effect Jan. 1. It is in charge of conducting audits and investigations into supremacist and criminal gang activity in the armed forces.

In a report to Congress released last week, the IG's office said that it is already working on projects that directly cover those areas, such as evaluating the Pentagon's efforts to address extremism, diversity and inclusion programs, and sexual assault at the Naval Academy.

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And the IG has its eyes set on more projects it could work on beginning next year, such as auditing how well military entrance processing stations identify supremacist, extremist or gang member recruits. But if the office doesn't get more resources, it said, it won't be able to get all of those projects done.

The IG said it needs more funding starting in fiscal 2022 to hire 80 more employees over a two-year period, as well as additional facilities, equipment and operational expenses, to work on diversity, inclusion and extremism. The Office of Personnel Management also gave the IG permission to hire three more Senior Executive Service members, including the new deputy IG.

The hiring will start this year with a dozen new staff members, paid for with money already in the budget, to stand up the office and lay the groundwork for its mission. If the IG gets the rest of its funding in 2022, it will hire the rest of the core staff then.

The Pentagon's IG also needs money to speed up the deployment of an investigations case management system to other IGs throughout the military, the report said. The Pentagon and the IG must develop new ways to track and report extremist, supremacist and criminal gang activity by service members, it added.

But the IG cautioned that Section 554 of the NDAA, as it is currently written, has provisions that "significantly challenge" the office's independence and should be changed.

The IG's office said the section of the law giving Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin the power to appoint and assign duties to the deputy IG, and having the deputy IG report to him, is particularly problematic.

As written, the deputy IG would be "required to simultaneously serve two leaders with distinct and often divergent interests," the IG's report said. "In practical effect, the deputy inspector general is a DoD employee detailed to duties in the DoD OIG, which undermines the independence of the DoD OIG from the DoD and the secretary of Defense in fact and appearance."

This could undermine the new deputy IG before it even gets started, according to the report. If complainants don't believe their concerns will go to an independent, objective organization, they might not come forward with reports of extremist, supremacist or criminal gang activity in the military, it explained.

The IG also said the NDAA has redundant reporting requirements that compromise the office's independence. Section 554 of the NDAA requires the new deputy IG -- not the Defense Department's IG -- to submit semiannual reports to the secretary of defense and the IG.

But the deputy IG also is required to submit annual reports to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, as well as other additional reports when directed by the SecDef or the IG.

The defense secretary's authority to direct the deputy IG to write reports puts the office's independence at risk, the IG wrote.

For now, a temporary fix appears to have been found. Austin agreed to delegate power to appoint the new deputy to the Pentagon IG, and clarified that the deputy will be a member of the defense IG's leadership team.

But the IG said it is still possible -- albeit unlikely -- that a future SecDef could rescind that delegation and reclaim power to appoint the deputy.

The IG said it has worked with lawmakers' staff and the DoD Office of Legislative Affairs to propose an amendment to the law that fixes the independence issues, clarifies roles and responsibilities, and clears up the redundant reporting requirements.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

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The federal government's watchdog agency is recommending that the Navy make significant changes to the Surface Warfare Officer, or SWO, career path.

The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, report, released last week, was commissioned following two at-sea collisions involving Navy ships in 2017 that resulted in the deaths of 17 sailors and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Both incidents were blamed in part on failures by SWO watchstanders.

The report found two key issues in the way the Navy currently runs the program: over-commissioning and poor retention.

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As an example, the report notes that the destroyer Mustin averaged 18 SWO trainees aboard the ship despite having a requirement for six, and the cruiser Monterey averaged 21 despite needing eight.

Both the report and military retention experts note that overmanning leads to inadequate training and less time to do it.

"That's leading to career frustration, and it's leading to an inability to promote," said Katherine Kuzminski, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

Problems rising through the ranks then feed the retention challenge, Kuzminski argued.

"If you're looking five years down the line and you think you have no chance of promoting, then why stay?" she said.

One Navy official also noted that SWOs are highly sought after in the civilian sector, which can often place different demands on them than the service.

"When you layer on the amount of time you're spending at sea away from your family, if it feels like it's in service of a promotion, then it may seem worth it, but I think there's a certain existential crisis that happens if you don't see a path forward for yourself," Kuzminski said.

The GAO report notes that only 33% of SWOs stayed in the community after 10 years, compared with 45% of other Navy officers. Among just SWOs, only 12% of female officers stayed beyond the 10-year mark, compared with 39% of their male counterparts.

These figures come after the Navy has already implemented changes to address training shortfalls in the community, including allowing only those in line for command to pursue SWO qualification and requiring officers to keep logbooks of their bridge hours. However, the report argues that some of these changes have yet to yield results.

"We found that the U.S. Navy has not yet analyzed relevant logbook data for trends between the number of SWOs aboard ships and competition for limited training opportunities," it states.

Other changes, like not assigning junior SWOs to ships undergoing long maintenance periods or extending sea tours, "may have exacerbated the issue of hindering training opportunities at sea, since they ultimately reduce the number of ships new officers can serve aboard," the report adds.

For its part, the Navy "welcomes the GAO's feedback regarding the training of Surface Warfare Officers," Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a U.S. Naval Surface Forces spokesperson, said in a statement.

"Our continuous and iterative evaluation of our training enables our officers to lead the most capable and advanced Surface Fleet in the world," she added.

The GAO argues that the Navy should fundamentally reevaluate the SWO career path, something the branch has not done "for over a century." Specifically, the report suggests that the service model itself after the navies of U.S. allies and allow SWOs to specialize rather than remain generalists their entire careers. This would allow it to better retain some of the "more than 20 percent of new SWOs commissioned [that] are expected to either leave the SWO community for another U.S. Navy community" or split their time between specialties.

This is a model that doesn't exist in any other military branch, Kuzminski noted.

"If you commissioned [as] infantry, you may take a functional area and become a staff officer, but you're not really going to transfer from infantry to armor."

According to a survey within the report, 65% of SWOs believe that "specialized SWO career paths would best prepare them for their duties." Just 16% prefer the current model.

Ultimately, the GAO report made seven recommendations to Navy leaders that include developing retention plans, better analyzing the data it already collects, and reevaluating and making significant changes to the career path of SWOs.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@monster.com.

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The Pentagon is nearing a decision on whether it should create a Space Force National Guard to supplement the newest military branch.

During a House Armed Services Committee hearing last week, top leadership from the Air Force and Space Force said they have completed a report required by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act detailing whether and how to best organize Guard and Reserve components within the Space Force. The report was originally due to Congress in March.

"We've done the report; it's complete. It's all through coordination; it's waiting for a final briefing," Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond told lawmakers.

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Acting Air Force Secretary John Roth added that the report is with leadership within the Office of the Secretary of Defense and soon will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget before congressional committees receive the final study.

"We've been operating with the Guard for 25 years. It provides critical capability, both people-wise and equipment-wise," Raymond said. "We can't do our job without them today, and we can't do our job in the future without them."

Nearly 2,000 personnel across 14 National Guard units with space-related missions reside in California, Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Colorado, Ohio, New York and Guam. Arkansas also has one unit with a space-focused targeting mission.

Key leaders, including Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, have advocated to Congress on the need for a part-time volunteer force within the Space Force.

According to its posture statement, the National Guard provides 60% of the Space Force's offensive electronic warfare capability. Roughly 11% of the Defense Department's space personnel are Guardsmen, Hokanson told lawmakers last month.

Top brass sought a Space Force National Guard almost immediately after the sixth military branch was founded in 2019. In February 2020, five adjutants general made a case that their Guardsmen, who already do extensive work on offensive and defensive space missions, should report directly to the Space Force.

"Personally, I don't see how we have a Space Force without a Space Guard," said then-Maj. Gen. Michael Loh, the adjutant general for the Colorado National Guard. Loh, now a lieutenant general, has since been promoted to oversee the Air National Guard.

During a briefing at the time, Loh told reporters that those personnel create a "force multiplier" of expertise, not only because of their military service but also because many use relevant skills in their civilian day jobs.

Loh and other generals said that aligning the Space Force with a Space Guard element would also help the service become more independent.

"If we don't bring the Guard over, then I don't know if they're really truly independent. Because then we have to go ask, 'Mother, may I?' to somebody else," said Brig. Gen. Patrick Cobb, deputy director of space operations at the National Guard Bureau headquarters, during the press briefing with Loh.

Cobb explained that additional steps are required if the Space Force needs to call up Guardsmen attached to other services. He compared space to cyberwarfare, noting that officials 10 years ago were questioning whether the Guard should be involved in cyber activities.

"There were some folks who [were] trying to not allow us to get into cyber," Cobb said. "Fast-forward to now, we've been doing support for elections -- governors and state election officials have asked for it."

-- Steve Beynon contributed to this report.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: Space Guard 'Among My Most Pressing Concerns,' National Guard Chief Tells Congress
Even Chesty couldnt explain why he picked up the nickname. Born Lewis Burwell in 1898, the man who would retire as Lt. Gen. Puller almost denied the United States Marine Corps one of its most legendary heroes by trying to join the Army in 1916.

The Corps should hang a portrait of Martha Puller in the Marine Corps Museum for refusing to allow him to join the military before he was old enough.

Lewis was the kid who grew up listening to the romantic stories of the Civil War. These were not just stories about the big names of men who led armies and won battles. Puller grew up listening to the personal tales of the veterans who fought in those battles. He wanted to have stories of his own. He probably never thought hed be the most decorated Marine ever -- or that telling him goodnight would be a Marine Corps slogan for the next century (or more).

Here are just a few more facts about Lt. Gen. Lewis B. Chesty Puller that will explain the Corps love for this one man.

1. Hes Relatable to Every Marine.

No matter what kind of Marine you are, Chestys been there. Hes the Marines Marine because hes been both officer and enlisted, served on both active duty and the Reserves and in peacetime and in war. Chesty Puller, who died in 1971 at the age of 73, did it all in his 37 years of service.

He not only worked his way up from private to lieutenant general; he had to earn a commission twice. He first attended Virginia Military Institute but wanted to get into World War I so badly that he enlisted and went to boot camp at Parris Island. He never made it to Europe, but he went to NCO training and officer candidate school. Despite pinning on second lieutenant, postwar force reductions meant he got bumped back to corporal and sent to the Reserves.

2. He Served in Four Wars.

Some historians tend to gloss over those years between World Wars I and II as the interwar years when it comes to the United States, but it was an important and busy time for United States Marines. Puller was sent to Haiti, where he fought some 40 battles with Haitian rebels and earned his promotion to second lieutenant.

Puller later was sent to the occupation of Nicaragua, where he earned his first two Navy Crosses fighting Sandinista rebels over some three years. He commanded Marines in China and in the United States before World War II and the Korean War kicked off.

3. He Really Is the Most Decorated Marine.

Although he never was recommended for the Medal of Honor, the United States highest award for valor in combat, he doesnt need one to be considered the most decorated Marine ever. Over the course of his four wars, countless engagements and instances of solid leadership, he earned more than his share of chest candy.

He was awarded the second-highest award six times, five Navy Crosses and one Army Distinguished Service Cross, along with the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit with combat V, a Bronze Star with combat V and three air medals -- just to name a few.

Puller surveying the land before mobilizing in the Korean conflict.

4. Chesty Is Also the Most Quotable Marine.

If not the most quotable U.S. military officer ever. Which is saying a lot, considering U.S. military personnel used to say the coolest lines all the time, as if they had their own team of writers. None of them ever will come close to the bon mots Chesty Puller used to drop, even in official correspondence during a war:

All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us ... they can't get away this time."

"Great. Now we can shoot at those bastards from every direction."

Take me to the Brig. I want to see the real Marines.

5. He Didnt Let His Fellow Marines Down.

Letting down a Marine was, in Pullers words, the worst thing you could do as a Marine. And when the stuff hit the fan, he really lived those words. At Guadalcanal, three companies of his Marines were cut off from the main force by a much larger Japanese force. Marines tried to break through to them, but some believed they were lost.

Nope. Puller went out to the beach to flag down the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Ballard and organized a relief force to land on the beach again. He also coordinated the destroyers guns to shell the Japanese, allowing the trapped Marines enough latitude to make an escape. A week later, Chesty and his Marines came back to this part of the island and wiped out the Japanese defenders.

6. Chesty Puller Did Not Accept Defeat.

Later in the fight for Guadalcanal, Chestys battalion of Marines and a battalion of soldiers from the U.S. Armys 164th Infantry Regiment fought and held Henderson airfield on Guadalcanal from a larger Japanese force. Despite being outnumbered, they held the field, inflicting a heavy toll of more than 1,400 casualties on the enemy.

The intensity of the fighting earned Puller his third Navy Cross. He recommended two of his own Marines for Medals of Honor during the firefight, one of them being Marine Corps legend John Basilone.

7. He Was Not Intimidated by Anything.

When Puller and his Marines landed at Inchon during the Korean War, the North Koreans held much of the peninsula. The United Nations forces were landing deep behind enemy lines and faced the possibility of being pushed back into the sea. The Marines didnt flinch and were moving and fighting within a day.

Looking at a potential combat death in the face didnt stop at Inchon. When the Marines advanced within mere miles of the Yalu River, North Koreas border with China, the Chinese intervened. A massive force of Communist soldiers surrounded the Marines at the Chosin Reservoir. Massively outnumbered, Puller was quoted as saying, We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things."

It wasnt just bravado, the Marines fought their way south while putting so much hurt on the Chinese that nine out of the 10 attacking divisions never saw action again.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

Want to Learn More About Military Life?

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Left-hander Brian Johnson, who had been pitching for the Milwaukee Milkmen of the independent American Association, has signed a minor league pact with the Angels, per an announcement from the Milkmen (Twitter link).

Johnson, now 30 years old, was the No. 31 overall draft pick by the Red Sox back in 2012 and rated as one of the organizations top pitching prospects over the next six years. The lefty dealt with shoulder, hip and elbow injuries throughout his time with the Sox, however, which combined to limit his effectiveness. He was a serviceable option with the Red Sox from 2017-18 before struggling in 2019 and ultimately going unclaimed on waivers. Boston released him in 2020, after the left-hander pitched to a 4.74 ERA in parts of four seasons at the MLB level (171 innings).

Johnson made just two appearance for the Milkmen this season, during which time he hurled five shutout innings with seven hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. Hell presumably head to the Angels Salt Lake affiliate in Triple-A  a level at which hes pitched to a 3.21 ERA with a 20.2 percent strikeout rate and a 9.0 percent walk rate over the life of 278 innings.

The Angels have had far better health in the organization in 2021 than they have in recent years. Reliever Luke Bard is currently the only pitcher on the Major League injured list for the Halos, but many of their veteran arms have struggled. Jose Quintana (7.22) and Dylan Bundy (6.68) have career-worst ERA marks, while Griffin Canning (5.07), Andrew Heaney (4.45) and Alex Cobb (4.41) have more passable but still-underwhelming results. Cobb, in particular, has had some poor luck in terms of balls in play and stranding runners, though his 21.2 K-BB% and 60.6 percent grounder rate are both excellent.

Johnson adds yet another experienced left-handed arm to an Angels organization that is deep in southpaw options. In addition to Quintana and Heaney, the club currently has Patrick Sandoval, Tony Watson, Alex Claudio and Jose Suarez on the MLB roster. Dillon Peters and Jose Quijada are both on the 40-man roster but currently in Triple-A, while Thomas Pannone and Packy Naughton give the Halos another pair of non-roster options down in Salt Lake.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday took a serious note of the spate of fake coronavirus (COVID) vaccination scams in Mumbai and asked Maharashtra government and the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corp (BMC) to catch the kingpins and unearth the entire racket. The HC also asked them to put together a policy to ensure that citizens are not scammed and submit their plan before it by Thursday.

A division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni was upset that scamsters were playing with peoples lives to make money and ordered the state to ensure that the scamsters are punished strictly. The HC has also directed the state to track vaccines being released.

The bench, while hearing a petition filed by an activist, was informed that there were multiple instances of housing societies and educational institutions being scammed by persons claiming to be attached with some private hospitals and holding fraudulent vaccination camps. The scam came to light only after people who got vaccinated could not get their certificates verified.

The court has also directed the BMC to ensure that the medical officer of each ward is keeping track of vaccination drives being conducted privately in their respective wards. The bench noted that the fraud was reported only in the western suburbs and asked the state to track and trace the main perpetrators and the brains behind it.

About 390 residents of Hiranandani Heritage Club in Kandivali (West) were vaccinated against Covid-19 on 30 May 2021. The beneficiaries paid a total of Rs4.56 lakh, which amounted to Rs1,260 each dose. However, the vaccinating team did not have laptops and the vaccine beneficiaries received certificates in the name of different hospitals.

The Kandivali housing society, which recently came into limelight for an alleged vaccination scam was not the only one to fall for the scam. Bollywood producer Ramesh Taurani found himself in a similar situation after 365 of his employees, who were jabbed on 3rd June did not receive their vaccine certificates. He has confirmed to the police that Sanjay Gupta from SP Events had carried out the vaccination drive for his staff. Mr Taurani paid Rs1200 per dose plus GST for each of his employees.

In yet another case, a college from Borivali claimed that it may have been cheated in such a vaccination drive on its campus conducted by an event management company earlier in June. The college authorities later lodged a formal complaint with the police.

Meanwhile a similar incident was reported by Matchbox Pictures, which organised vaccination camps for their 150 employees. The production staff got their first shot of Covishield on 29th May (again through SP Events), the same group, which organised camps for Tips and the Kandivali housing society.

In all these cases, (more than the money lost) the people have been worried about what was actually given to them - was it actually Covishield or was it saline water or something else?
We had mentioned in Mondays closing report that Nifty, Sensex were headed higher. On Tuesday, the indices opened higher but lost all of its gains and ended flat. On the NSE, there were 1,207 advances, 792 declines and 55 unchanged.

The trend of the major indices on Tuesdays trading are given in the table below:

Jet Airways resolution plan has received approval from the NCLT. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) have been given 90 days from June 22 to allot slots to the airline.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone has been excluded from investment by Norway's largest pension fund, KLP and the KLP Funds with effect from June 2021, due to the business having links with Myanmars military.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on Tuesday said it along with one of its subsidiaries have reached an agreement with Celgene Corporation (Celgene) to resolve a patent litigation.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the additional equity stake acquisition in United Breweries by Heineken International B.V.

Info Edge net profit came in at Rs 66.7 crore for the quarter ended 31 March 2021 compared to Rs 41.6 crore YoY. Revenue declined 10.2% YoY to Rs 290 crore.

Avanti Feeds consolidated net profit declined 20% to Rs 69.7 crore compared to Rs 87 crore YoY. Revenue rose 6.1% to Rs 1,098.1 crore compared to Rs 1,035 crore, YoY.

IIFL Home Finance plans to raise funds through a public issue of non-convertible debentures for an amount aggregating up to Rs 5,000 crore.

Engineers India has bagged a Rs 111 crore order from Numaligarh Refinery for revamping their delayed coker unit by enhancing its capacity from 0.306 MMTPA to 0.560 MMTPA as well as enabling it to process tougher feed.

Jaiprakash Associates reported consolidated profit of Rs 424.41 crore compared to Rs 3,068.10 crore YoY. Revenue rose to Rs 2,517.2 crore from Rs 1,876.03 crore YoY.

Indian Bank launched a qualified institutional placement of shares to raise around Rs 4,000 crore.

MM Forgings reported net profit of Rs 34.1 crore during the quarter ended 31 March 2021 compared to Rs 3 crore in the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Revenue shot up 75.9% to Rs 293.3 crore compared to Rs 166.7 crore, year-on-year.

VST Tillers Tractors reported profit of Rs 12.93 crore compared to a loss of Rs 3.38 crore YoY. Revenue rose to Rs 194.74 crore from Rs 119.80 crore YoY.

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:

The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has directed PNB Housing Finance to stall the proposed preferential issue of shares worth up to Rs4,000 crore to entities led by the The Carlyle Group Inc. PNB Housing Finance, however, has filed an appeal before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) against the SEBI directive.

The company received a letter from the capital market regulator on June 18 calling it to comply with the legal provisions in the matter.

"The current resolution bearing item no. 1 (Issue of Securities of the company and matters related therewith) of EGM notice dated 31 May 2021 is ultra-vires of AOA (articles of association) and shall not be acted upon until the company undertakes the valuation of shares as prescribed under 19(2) of AOA, for purpose of preferential allotment, from an independent registered valuer as per the provisions of applicable laws," a regulatory filing by PNB Housing Finance quoted the letter as saying.

SEBI further said that the report shall be considered by the company's board while deciding on the preferential issue of shares and warrants.

In the exchange filing, PNB Housing Finance also said that the company and its Board of Directors have considered the SEBI Letter, and "continue to believe that the company has acted in compliance with all relevant applicable laws, including the applicable pricing regulations prescribed by SEBI, and the Articles of Association of the Company, and that such Preferential Allotment is in the best interests of the Company, its shareholders and all relevant stakeholders".

In a regulatory filing on Monday, PNB Housing Finance says, "Company has filed an appeal before the SAT against the letter issued by the SEBI on 18 June 2021."

On May 31, the housing finance company announced that its board has approved a capital raise of up to Rs4,000 crore, led by entities affiliated to The Carlyle Group Inc.

Pluto Investments S.a.r.l., an affiliated entity of Carlyle Asia Partners IV, L.P. and Carlyle Asia Partners V, L.P., agreed to invest up to Rs3,185 crore through a preferential allotment of equity shares and warrants, at a price of Rs390 per share, the bank had said in a regulatory filing.

Existing shareholders of the company, funds managed by Ares SSG and General Atlantic, were also likely to participate in the capital raise.

After the proposed preferential issue, PNB would have continued to be the promoter and a key stakeholder in the company.

The company had then said that pursuant to the SEBI's 'Takeover Regulations', the proposed transaction will trigger a mandatory open offer by Pluto Investments S.a.r.l. for the purchase of up to 26% equity shares of PNB Housing Finance from public shareholders.

As part of this transaction, Salisbury Investments Pvt. Ltd., the family investment vehicle of Aditya Puri, senior advisor for Carlyle in Asia and the former CEO & Managing Director of HDFC Bank, would also invest in the capital raise.

After the transaction, Mr Puri was expected to be nominated to the PNB Housing Finance Board as a Carlyle nominee director in due course.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Afternoon temperatures between 95 and 100 degrees. * WHERE...Portions of central, north central, and west central Montana. * WHEN...Until 9 PM MDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Hot daytime temperatures may cause heat illnesses. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. &&
ELKINS PARK  A speech made at Cheltenham High Schools commencement ceremony earlier this month prompted Joel Fishbein to step down as president of the Cheltenham School Board.

Giving up leadership of the school board is not an easy decision, but it is an important first step to help our community heal from the hurt I caused at the June 3 high school commencement ceremony, Fishbein said in a letter addressed to the Cheltenham community that was posted to the school districts Facebook page on June 16.

He tendered his resignation from the school boards top leadership post on June 14, more than a week after the graduation ceremony, according to a June 16 letter from members of the school board.

- Advertisement -

Fishbein said in his letter to the community that he plans to serve the remainder of my term as an active member of the board. This term is set to end in 2024, according to a school district spokesperson.

Fishbein's speech was given as more than 350 graduating seniors participating in the ceremony wore caps and gowns as they sat on the Cheltenham High School stadium field. They listened to a number of speeches from fellow students, Principal Renato Lajara, Cheltenham School District Superintendent Wagner Marseille, and school board members, including Fishbein.

Fishbein began his remarks by praising the Class of 2021 on their perseverance and accomplishments as they reached this important milestone during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As the graduating seniors embark on their next chapter, Fishbein encouraged them to do what you love. Do what you are good at. Do what makes you happy. You will have the greatest chance of success.

His speech contained an anecdote about Frederick Douglass from historian and Boston College Professor Heather Cox Richardson. Fishbein quoted parts of a May 23 post from Richardsons blog, Letters from an American.

His sense of relative normalcy included having good friends in the area and falling in love with a woman who would become his life, Fishbein said. It was enslavement but within that existence it was a pretty good position.

He went on to speak of Douglass journey, adding that his scheme for escaping (sic)  to freedom from slavery was ridiculously easy.

Douglass took an enormous risk with the greatest of consequences and he most definitely changed the world, Fishbein said as he concluded his remarks. We are in a time of great change and those of you who learned resilience the hard way and have the courage to follow your passions and take risks may very well change the world. We all look forward to watching as you do it. Good luck to all of you.

Fishbein noted in the letter that several people including students, teachers, administrators, and his colleagues "shared their feelings about my words and their impact upon them."

From them, I have learned that I had an enormous blind spot in my understanding of the trauma our countrys history of slavery and continuing racism has inflicted, Fishbein said.

I apologize most of all to the students, Fishbein said. I am deeply sorry that my poor choice of subject matter and words inflicted further pain particularly on what should have been their joyous occasion. I am also deeply sorry for causing division and hurt in this community that I love.

Two versions of the June 3 Cheltenham High School graduation were uploaded on June 10 to the CheltenhamVideo Youtube page.

The edited version has been viewed 1,149 times as of June 22. Prior to the start of the more than two-hour-long video features a disclaimer message informing the viewer of the change:

Please be advised, a section of this video (46:00-50:26) has been removed because it contains material which reflects a whitewashed account of the systemic violent subjugation of generations, and denigrates and trivializes the horrors, trials and tribulations of the enslaved as well as those who were able to escape enslavement.

The unedited version, which contains Fishbeins speech in its entirety, had 449 views as of June 22.

I did not share my speech with anyone in advance and I should have, Fishbein said in the letter. This mistake revealed a hole in our board process.

During a June 15 leadership election, Pamela Henry was appointed as school board president and Daniel Schultz selected as vice president, according to a June 16 letter from members of the Montgomery County school board.

When asked about her reaction to Fishbeins speech, Henry told MediaNews Group Monday in an email interview in the weeks following the commencement ceremony that I did not feel the topic was appropriate for the celebratory nature of the event.

School board members outlined several next steps in the June 16 letter addressed to the community:

All commencement speeches will be reviewed by the board and the graduation committee.

The board will continue its cultural proficiency training led by Dr. Barbara Moore Williams.

The board will work with student representatives to identify opportunities to connect with students through town halls and other events.

The board will continue updating and adopting district policies to ensure they are aligned with our commitment to equity.

In his letter, Fishbein stressed the importance of cultural proficiency.

With the help of your feedback, I have become even more deeply aware of the urgency of cultural proficiency in our district, he said. I have more listening and learning to do, and I am committed to this work.

We strive to make this district a welcoming and supportive place for all of the families we serve. We recognize that trust is earned through action, and will work to rebuild the trust of the Cheltenham community, the school board said in a statement.

Henry emphasized community collaboration and engagement as key priorities as she assumes this new role.

Ongoing community collaboration and engagement is important, Henry said. I am focused on our vision of equity and inclusion, ensuring all voices are heard and that our students are equipped to succeed.
Lansdale, PA (19446)

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Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

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Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
June 22, 2021

U.S., EU Profess Support For Belarus Then Launch A War Against Its People

In there attempt regime change the country the U.S. and the European Union have launched an economic war against the people of Belarus.

First they doubted the results of elections in Belarus which the longtime socialist President Alexander Lukashenko had won against an politically unexperienced English teacher who was backed by a 'western' aligned group with a strong neoliberal program.

Belarus is still a mostly socialist industrialized country with many production assets owned by the state and relatively good social services. The people of Belarus have seen their neighbor countries Russia and the Ukraine go through extreme economic problems and poverty after the Soviet Union broke down. Neoliberalism had ruined those countries. It is thus quite plausible that a majority does not want to experience that in their own country and that Lukashenko has indeed won the votes of that majority.

The U.S. and EU claimed election fraud and supported demonstrations and riots against the results. This was an obvious color revolution attempt directed from the outside by 'western' supported forces.

The demonstrations soon died down. The color revolution attempt had failed. A few sanctions against some Belorussian politicians and functionaries were issued by the U.S. and the EU with claims that they are supporting the people of Belarus. But the effort soon ran out of steam and went no further.

Then a mysterious bomb threat against a plane flying from Greece to Lithuania led to the pilot deciding to land the plane in Minsk. Two passengers on board had outstanding warrants against them and were arrested after passing through passport control. A U.S. paid agitator for the color revolution immediately claimed that plane had been 'hijacked' to arrest the two people.

However the evidence provided so far shows that this was a typical bomb threat as they happen every once a while all over the world and that the pilot's decision to land in Minsk was absolutely normal. The authorities in Belarus reacted to the incident exactly as they are supposed to do.

But the whole western media and its politicians promoted the 'hijacked' propaganda version.

Moon of Alabama has discussed the evidence and laid out the timeline, narrative control and consequences of the incident.

The fake story propagandized by the media reignited the regime change efforts and was used to rush out new sanctions against Belarus. These are no longer directed at only a few persons but aim at the core of the Belorussian economy and thereby at all its people.

As the New York Times headlines:

Belarus Faces Expanded E.U. and U.S. Sanctions, Targeting Economy

European Union foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, also voted on Monday to hit important parts of the Belarus economy  banking, oil and tobacco and, notably, the potash industry  representing an effort to broaden the punishment by penalizing organizations rather than just individuals responsible for repression. Those sectoral sanctions are expected to be confirmed by European heads of state and government who meet later this week.

...

We didnt use economic sanctions in the beginning because we know they affect everyone, because they affect the economy, Mr. Borrell said. But he also said that Brussels was prepared for a fifth round of sanctions if necessary.

...

Asked Monday morning about what these sanctions are expected to accomplish, Mr. Borrell, the blocs foreign policy chief, said the new sanctions would increase the pressure for change. Sanctions are a way of putting pressure on the government of Belarus, he said. And these are going to hurt the economy of Belarus, heavily. What do you expect when you punish something? To change their behavior.

Borrell admits that the new sanctions against the economy of Belarus will hurt all its people.

His 'theory of change' is that the 'sanctions increase the pressure for change'. But there is no evidence that the theory works.

Economic sanctions that hurt all people of a country tend to strengthen the government. Pushed into poverty the people become more reliant on government help. I am not aware of any example where sanctions which pushed people into poverty have then let to the people overthrowing the government they depend on.

Neither will the sanctions change Lukashenko's behavior one bit. They will only confirm his opinion about the 'west'.

Even while the U.S. and EU profess support for the people of Belarus they are punishing them by plunging them into poverty.

As Stephen Gowans noted on Twitter:

With friends like these, enemies are redundant.

---

Previous Moon of Alabama post on the Ryanair incident in Belarus:

They will hurt all people in Belarus. Those people who the U.S. and EU claim to help.

Posted by b on June 22, 2021 at 17:29 UTC | Permalink

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On June 21, 2021, Lorain City Council voted 6-4 on a spending plan that includes buying the former Cotton Club bar, 1764 E. 28th St. The bar has been a trouble spot in the past but council's dissenters questioned if the purchase was an appropriate use of federal aid to help Lorain recover from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Rebecca Starck, president of the Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital, speaks June 22, 2021, during an online meeting of the Lorain County Community Protection Team. The group of health experts, local elected and community group leaders meets biweekly to discuss effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Moultrie, GA (31768)

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Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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(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.
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).
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Eight people were arrested outside of Sen. Ted Cruz's Houston home on Monday during a protest calling for action to fight climate change.

The Sunrise Movement, the group behind the protest, said members had marched 400 miles over 40 days from New Orleans' Mercedes-Benz Superdome to Houston for the protest.
Jacy Lewis/Reporter-Telegram

The citys Animal Services division has spent the entire $215,000 budgeted for spay-neutering vouchers this fiscal year. On Tuesday, the Midland City Council will vote to spend another $150,000 to cover the last five months of the fiscal year.

The city reported in agenda documents that it has transferred funds from Community Services to cover any shortfalls in the past. However, due to last years budget cuts and this years plan to keep the budget flat, there are concerns that such a transfer will not take place.
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Billie Vanderbilt, 72, resident of Boley, left us on Thursday, July 1, 2021 from her home. Service arrangements are pending in the Hyde Park Chapel of the Keith D. Biglow Funeral Directors, Inc., in Boley. biglowfunerals.com
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Some Horry County Council members have been hesitant to support impact fees because state law severely limits how they can be used. For example, impact fees can help pay to construct a fire or police station, but they cannot be spent on the salaries of firefighters or officers. Thats because the levies are collected just once, while those salaries must be paid every year. With this in mind, do you think Horry County Council should raise impact fee? Choices are:

You voted:
A St. Louis-based energy company has filed a lawsuit seeking use of temporary access roads on land controlled by the Betty Ann Jefferson Trust, Philip and Zena Brown and Marc Steckel.

Spire STL Pipeline has asked U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois to grant the company possession of the easement and temporary access road, which they claim is necessary to complete work ordered by the same court.

The pipeline, known as the Spire STL Pipeline, covers 65 miles across Scott, Greene and Jersey counties in Illinois and St. Charles and St. Louis counties in Missouri.

In a statement from Spire, the company said the access is necessary for the company to perform certain remediation efforts.

With limited time to complete the pipeline under federal requirements, Spire tried its best to come to agreements with the remaining landowners, spokeswoman Raegan Johnson said. However, Spire could not justify paying customers inflated market prices and it was necessary to utilize the laws of eminent domain in some cases. That said, Spire is responsible for compensating landowners for the use of their land and hopes to resolve all outstanding agreement issues.

Several landowners and municipalities filed suits against the company or made agreements with the company to restore land to its former condition after the pipelines construction.

In March, the court ordered Spire to perform additional remediation efforts on certain properties following reports from the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

To complete those, Spire said in its lawsuit, it needs access to the roads; an agreement was modified in January after the company believed it no longer needed access.

According to the suit, which represents only one side of the case, The Browns and Steckel refuse to allow Spire STL Pipeline to access the temporary easement areas on their properties and refuse to permit Spire STL Pipeline to use temporary access road TAR-010.

Spire said it will continue to work to fulfill its agreements with landowners affected by the pipeline.

From construction through operation, Spire remains committed to partnering with each landowner along the pipeline route to ensure there is little to no impact on the landowners continued use of the land, Johnson said. For the nearly 70% of landowners who reached agreements with Spire and have replanted, their crops have come back faster than expected. We will continue to perform restoration activities and monitor environmental conditions until the pipeline right-of-way sees regrowth matching its surrounding area.

The Browns and Steckel could not be reached Monday for comment.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N.s top envoy for Afghanistan urged the international community on Tuesday to do everything possible to push the Taliban and the government from the battlefield back to the negotiating table, warning that inertia and the lack of action might lead to more years of bloodshed and conflict.

Deborah Lyons told the U.N. Security Council that she cannot overstate her concern at the current situation, saying every major trend -- politics, security, the peace process, the economy, the humanitarian emergency and tackling COVID-19 -- is either negative or stagnant.

She said the Talibans increasing violence over the past year, even as now stalled peace talks began in Qatar in September, and its latest intensified military campaign have led to significant advances for the insurgents.

More than 50 of Afghanistans 370 districts have fallen since the beginning of May, the U.N. special representative said in a virtual briefing to a ministerial meeting of the council. Most districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn.

She also pointed to a 29% increase in civilian casualties in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year, including major increases among women and children. She singled out the May 8 attack on girls leaving school in a majority-Hazara area of Kabul that killed nearly 100 young female students, and two attacks this month that killed 11 people clearing mines in Baghlan province and five people engaged in polio vaccinations in Nangarhar province.

While Afghans knew international forces would be leaving, Lyons said U.S. President Joe Bidens mid-April announcement that the remaining 2,500-3,500 troops would be gone by Sept. 11 sent a seismic tremor through the Afghan political system and society at large because of the speed of their departure.

A U.S.-led coalition launched an invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to hunt down and destroy the al-Qaida network and its leader, Osama bin Laden, blamed for the 9/11 attacks on America, and overthrew the Taliban, who during their rule imposed a harsh brand of Islam that stripped virtually all rights from women.

Under a February 2020 agreement with the United States, the U.S. agreed 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 America, to reduce violence, and to enter negotiations with the government aimed at reaching a permanent cease-fire and restoring peace to the war-battered country.

Lyons said, however, the drivers of conflict seem for now to overwhelm hoped-for negotiations.

For the Taliban to continue this intensive military campaign would be a tragic course of action, she warned. It would lead to increased and prolonged violence that would extend the suffering of the Afghan people and threatens to destroy much of what has been built and hard won in the past 20 years, including the rights of women which she stressed are not negotiable."

Afghanistans Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar told the council the Afghan people have recently witnessed the worst violence of the past two decades, accusing the Taliban of failing to honor any obligations in the February 2020 agreement and instead stepping up violence and leaving the country and region dangerously unstable.

He pointed to the Talibans failure to cut ties with international terrorist groups, saying it is hosting not only al-Qaida but also regional terrorist groups ... in pursuit of their violence campaign against both Afghanistan and other countries. He didnt mention the Islamic State extremist group which has been blamed for recent attacks on minority Hazaras.

With the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops to be completed in the coming weeks, Atmar urged the international community to try to persuade the Taliban to honor its agreement with the United States and the Security Council resolution supporting it. He said it should also establish a mechanism to monitor implementation of the agreement and to take appropriate measures to ensure compliance.

Atmar said Afghanistan is at an inflection point in its history  of hope for achieving a sustainable peace after four decades of imposed war and fear of falling back into protracted conflict.

He urged the Taliban to explain to the world community why they said they were fighting foreign troops in Afghanistan and are killing their fellow Afghans, and especially civilians, where the foreign troops are leaving the country now.

As a key obstacle to peace, the U.N.s Lyons pointed to the lack of unity among Afghanistans quarrelsome leaders which is essential for peace talks with the Taliban. The foreign minister didnt mention this issue.

Lyons said the Afghan people and diplomatic community have been alarmed at the lack of political unity." She expressed cautious optimism about recent moved by President Ashrad Ghanis government and other political leaders to come together to discuss pressing security issues, but said the real test will be whether this reinforces the peace process and strengthens state institutions.

Lyons urged the Security Council and regional countries to make every effort to avoid the country going down the path of more bloodshed and suffering and return to negotiations.

The tragic history of conflict need not repeat itself -- but left to its own and our inertia it just might, she said.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield reiterated the U.S. commitment to Afghanistans safety and security and continuing support for its security forces and economic and humanitarian needs.

She also urged countries with influence to press for negotiations between the Taliban and the government to move forward toward a peace settlement with the full participation of women.

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Ghani and and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the countrys High Council for National Reconciliation, which oversees the governments negotiation team with the Taliban, at the White House on Friday. In April, Biden said the U.S. was leaving Afghanistan having achieved its goals: Al-Qaida had been greatly diminished, bin Laden was dead, and America no longer needed boots on the ground to fight any terrorist threat from the country.

To the Taliban, we reiterate that the military path will not lead to legitimacy, ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said, noting that council members from Europe, Russia and China have also stressed that there is no military solution to the conflict.

The world will not recognize the establishment in Afghanistan of any government imposed by force, nor the restoration of the Islamic Emirate (under the Taliban), Thomas-Greenfield warned. There is only one way forward: a negotiated and inclusive political settlement through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process.
NEW YORK (AP)  A former CIA software engineer accused of leaking secrets to WikiLeaks notified a judge Tuesday that he wants to represent himself at an October retrial on espionage charges.

Joshua Schulte, 32, plans to proceed on his own behalf, defense attorney Sabrina Shroff told U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty during a court hearing.

The judge then directed prosecutors to submit legal papers on issues surrounding a hearing that would be conducted to ensure Schultes right to a fair trial is protected.

Shroff said the judge may have to decide if Schulte is fit to represent himself and then could assign his lawyers to assist him as what is known as standby counsel.

Schulte has pleaded not guilty in the 2017 release of secrets by WikiLeaks that resulted from what prosecutors have labeled the largest leak of classified information in CIA history.

The so-called Vault 7 leak revealed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android smartphones in overseas spying operations and efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices.

After a year-long investigation, authorities arrested Schulte, who had already left the CIA after falling out with colleagues and supervisors and moved to New York City to work at a news agency.

His lawyers argued at his first trial last year that the leak could have been made by many others. A jury then deadlocked on the espionage charges while convicting him of less serious charges of contempt of court and making false statements.

Prior to his arrest, Schulte worked as a coder at the agencys headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where some of the CIAs digital sleuths design computer code to spy on foreign adversaries.

In January, Schulte represented himself in a court filing in which he complained that he was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment by being forced to await trial in solitary confinement in a vermin-infested cell of a jail unit where inmates are treated like caged animals.

After the October trial, Schulte will face child pornography charges in a separate trial.
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Jordan C. Kaufmann, 33, of 710 W. State St. was arrested at 3:46 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of West Court Street on charges of aggravated battery and resisting or obstructing a peace officer. He was accused of kicking an officer in the leg and trying to resist being arrested.

 Andrew M. Lindsey, 18, homeless, was arrested at 1:09 a.m. Monday on charges of theft and resisting or obstructing a peace officer. He was accused of taking someones cellphone in the 1300 block of Lincoln Avenue and running away from police while being arrested.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 License plates were stolen between 8 p.m. Sunday and noon Monday from a car parked in the 900 block of Allen Avenue.

OTHER REPORTS

 Police were called about 3:49 p.m. Monday to a report of several people fighting at Goodwill, 1205 W. Morton Ave., but those involved left before police arrived.



Pike County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Derek E. Greenwood, 39, of Griggsville was arrested at 6:08 p.m. Sunday on charges of theft and aggravated home repair fraud.

 Crystal S. Spiker, 40, of Hull was arrested at 10:07 p.m. Saturday on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Katie N. Bland, 28, of Louisiana, Missouri, was arrested at 5:41 p.m. June 14 on a charge of use of a forged credit or debit card, a petition to revoke or modify bail and on Pike County, Missouri, warrants accusing her of theft of a motor vehicle/watercraft/aircraft, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

 Carl G. Stauffer, 51, of Nebo was arrested at 2:57 p.m. Saturday on a petition to revoke probation and on a Scott County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court.

 Joseph M. Scranton, 38, of New Canton was arrested at 9:15 p.m. June 14 on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident and on an Adams County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court.

 Amber M. James, 45, of New Canton was arrested at 1:05 a.m. Thursday on an aggravated assault charge.

 Charles M. Dominguez, 38, of Pearl was arrested at 7:07 a.m. June 15 on an assault charge.

 Brian K. Fox, 40, of Pekin was arrested at 1:55 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Armond B. Moore, 41, of Quincy was arrested at 1:51 p.m. June 14 on a hold for the U.S. Marshal Service on a charge of violation of federal regulations.

 Eli B. Clay, 39, of Wentzville, Missouri, was arrested at 6:57 p.m. June 14 on a charge of obstructing justice and on a Jersey County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court.

Pittsfield Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Christina M. Grubb, 38, of Florissant, Missouri, was arrested at 12:24 a.m. June 15 on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

 Emily S. Hidalgo, 24, of Griggsville was arrested at 8:35 p.m. June 14 on a petition to revoke.

State police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Christopher D. Wood, 36, of Barry was arrested at 5:23 p.m. June 15 on a petition to revoke.

 Terry D. Eisenburg, 50, of Barry was arrested at 1:39 p.m. Friday on a charge of predatory criminal sexual assault.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
Walt Disney Worlds 50th anniversary party starts Oct. 1 View Photo

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Walt Disney World is planning an 18-month celebration in honor of its 50th anniversary.

All four parks at the Lake Buena Vista, Florida, resort will take part in The Worlds Most Magical Celebration, beginning Oct. 1, Disney announced Tuesday.

On Oct. 1, 1971, the resort opened to guests, culminating years spent planning and developing Walt Disneys magical dream, officials said in a statement announcing the celebration. Since then, the vacation destination has expanded from Magic Kingdom, to include EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The resort also includes multiple themed hotels, water parks and Disney Springs, a shopping and restaurant venue.

The celebration will include a new nighttime show called Disney Enchantment, at the Magic Kingdom. The show will have enhanced lighting, fireworks and immersive projection effects that extend from the Cinderella Castle down Main Street, U.S.A.

EPCOT will feature Harmonious, a show at the World Showcase Lagoon which the statement said is one of the largest nighttime spectaculars ever created for a Disney park. The show will feature new interpretations of classic Disney songs, reimagined in more than a dozen languages by a diverse group of 240 artists from around the world.

At Animal Kingdom, Disney KiteTails will feature performers flying windcatchers and kites at the Discovery River to the beat of favorite Disney songs.

All the favorite Disney characters  including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Chip n Dale  will be part of a collection of special golden sculptures debuting at all four parks Oct. 1. Guests will be able to interact in surprising ways with the 50 characters featured in the Disney Fab 50, the statement said.

Characters will also be dressed in sparkling custom-made costumes for this special occasion.

Another special feature on Oct. 1 is the opening of Remys Ratatouille Adventure in EPCOT. This ride will take guests into the flavorful world of Disney and Pixars Ratatouille. A new restaurant, La Creperie de Paris also debuts Oct. 1 at EPCOT.

The celebration will also feature Beacons of Magic each night at all four parks. Cinderellas castle will illuminate Magic Kingdom with pixie dust. A warm light will emanate from the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom as magical fireflies gather to usher in the magic of nature. At Hollywood Studios, the Hollywood Tower Hotel will be awash in a brilliance evoking the golden age of imagination and adventure. And EPCOT will feature new lights that will shine across the reflective panels of Spaceship Earth, connecting to one another in a symbol of optimism resembling stars in a nighttime sky.
Scottish leader, Manchester mayor spar over virus travel ban View Photo

LONDON (AP)  Scotlands leader has defended a ban on nonessential travel between the country and the northwest English city of Manchester after its mayor lambasted the decision and called for compensation.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Monday that the ban on people from Manchester and nearby Salford entering Scotland was made on public health grounds based on COVID-19 levels in the area. Although Scotland is part of the U.K., its government has powers over matters relating to public health.

New coronavirus infections around the Greater Manchester area are running higher than most places in the U.K., which in the midst of what scientists describe as a third wave of infections as a result of the delta variant first identified in India. Another 10,633 new cases were recorded on Monday, one of the highest daily levels since February, when the U.K.s second wave of new infections and deaths was coming under control during a strict lockdown.

Recent surveys suggest about 1 in 200 people in the Greater Manchester area have had the virus, three times higher than the rates of infection in Scotland.

These are public health measures, Sturgeon told the BBC. I have a duty, and its one I take very seriously, to keep Scotland as safe as possible.

Andy Burnham, the Labour Party mayor of Greater Manchester, said the ban, which took effect Monday, was insulting and had come out of the blue. He said he thinks the Scottish government should compensate those who will suffer financially from the ban.

Its not just the direct impact on Greater Manchester, its on our reputation as a city, he said. Its had an impact with people with holiday cottages booked, people who are having to go for work reasons.

Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party that wants to take Scotland out of the U.K., countered by suggesting that Burnham, one of the highest-profile politicians in the opposition Labour Party, was playing politics.

Ive always got on well with Andy Burnham and if he wants to have a grown-up conversation, he only has to pick up the phone. But if, as I suspect might be the case, this is more about generating a spat with me as part of some positioning in a Labour leadership contest in future, then Im not interested, Sturgeon said.

Im serious about doing that job in a way that keeps Scotland as safe as I possibly can, she added.

___

Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

By PAN PYLAS

Associated Press
California State Capitol Building View Photo

Sacramento, CA  In 2018 California lawmakers approved a bill that requires at least one woman sitting on the board of directors for corporations based in California.

Proponents of Senate Bill 826 stated the goal was to advance equitable gender representation on California corporate boards. It has resulted in companies expanding boards or filling seats with women when they come open.

It was signed by former Governor Jerry Brown and took effect on December 31 of 2019. At the end of this year, the rule will expand to two women on the board if the corporation has five directors, and three women if it has six or more.

The Pacific Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit on behalf of Creighton Meland Jr., a shareholder of OSI Systems. He argues that the law unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of sex. The lawsuit was initially thrown out by a lower court which ruled that Melands lawsuit had no standing. But yesterday, it was revived by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. It unanimously felt that Meland has the right to sue the state.

Last September an additional bill was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that will require public corporations based in the state to also add members of underrepresented groups to all boards, like racial minorities or members of the LGBT community. A lawsuit has also been filed against it by the non-profit conservative group Judicial Watch.
Claims of murder plot against GOP candidate in Florida court View Photo

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Claims by a Republican congressional candidate that another GOP hopeful plotted to kill her landed Tuesday in a Florida courtroom.

Anna Paulina Luna, who plans to run for Floridas District 13 seat after losing a race for the slot in 2020 to Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, contends in court documents that GOP challenger William Braddock is stalking her and wants her dead. Luna has filed a petition for a permanent restraining order. Pinellas County Circuit Judge Doneene Loar had previously granted a temporary restraining order for Luna and a conservative activist and friend of hers, Erin Olszewski, after the allegations surfaced.

In court Tuesday, Braddock, who has already filed as a GOP candidate, told a judge he opposes the injunction and wants to obtain, review and validate any evidence against him. He did not directly address the accusations but has denied them in the past and called them politically motivated.

I dont know what they have, he said in court.

Loar agreed to delay the hearing until July 9 to allow both sides to exchange evidence. She said the temporary restraining orders against Braddock and Olszewski will remain in effect, and she cautioned him to not violate them.

In her petition, Luna claims she received text messages recently between Braddock and some associates in which he allegedly said he wanted to take me (Luna) out. She also said others told her that means he intends to kill me.

I do not feel safe and I am currently in fear for my life from Mr. Braddock, Luna said in her petition.

The case took a darker and somewhat bizarre turn last week when Politico reported that Olszewski had secretly recorded a phone call with Braddock earlier this month in which he says the alleged Russian and Ukrainian hit squad could kill Luna within 24 hours.

Lunas going to go down and I hope its by herself, Braddock says in the recording, according to Politico, which said it had obtained the recording. For the better or the good of the majority of the people, weve got to sacrifice the few.

According to the report, Braddock described the hit squad as being armed for close-battle combat to make sure nothing was left to chance.

No snipers. Up close and personal. So they know the target has gone, Braddock said, according to the Politico report. The online news site quoted Braddock as saying he hadnt heard the recording and that there there was no proof it was him on it.

The recording was not mentioned in Lunas petition or in Tuesdays hearing, which was conducted by video conference. Politico said Olszewski turned the recording over to law enforcement officials, who declined to release any information to The Associated Press, citing an ongoing investigation. No criminal charges have been filed.

Olszewski did not respond to phone calls and emails from the AP. Her attorney, Katherine Yanes, said in an email Tuesday that they were pleased with the judges ruling keeping the injunction in place but had no further comment.

In 2020, Luna lost by about 24,600 votes to the far better-known Crist in the District 13 congressional race in Pinellas County. Crist, a former Republican Florida governor who has held several other high-profile offices, is running for governor in 2022 as a Democrat.

A slew of candidates are running for the district, which could be key to determining which party controls the U.S. House after next years elections.

Among the other candidates in the race are Democratic state Reps. Ben Diamond and Michele Rayner. More candidates are expected to join the campaign.

By CURT ANDERSON

AP Legal Affairs Writer
Biden pushes effort to combat rising tide of violent crime View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden plans to lay out new steps to stem a rising national tide of violent crime, with a particular focus on gun violence, as administration officials brace for what they fear could be an especially turbulent summer.

The worry over crime is real and believed to be fueled by the pandemic, which has created economic hardship, displacement and anxiety. But there are also tricky politics at play. The spike in crime has become a Republican talking point and has been a frequent topic of conversation on conservative media.

White House aides believe that Biden, with his long legislative record on crime as a former senator, is not easy to paint as soft on the issue, and the president has been clear that he is opposed to the defund the police movement, which has been effectively used against other Democrats to paint them as anti-law enforcement. But Biden also is trying to boost progressives efforts to reform policing. And while combating crime and reforming the police dont have to be at odds with each other, the two efforts are increasingly billed that way.

In a speech on Wednesday, Biden is to unveil a series of executive orders aimed at reducing violence, and he will renew his calls for Congress to pass gun legislation, aides said. Ahead of the speech, the Justice Department announced new strike forces aimed at tackling gun trafficking in five cities.

The White House also planned to convene a meeting Wednesday with Attorney General Merrick Garland; the Democratic mayors of Baltimore and Miami-Dade County and the Republican mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota; the Democratic attorney general of New Jersey; the police chief in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and community activists. White House staff members have also been in touch with legislators and congressional staff.

Yes, there need to be reforms of police systems across the country. The president is a firm believer in that, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. But there are also steps he can take as president of the United States to help address and hopefully reduce that crime. A big part of that, in his view, is putting in place gun safety measures  using the bully pulpit but also using levers at his disposal as president.

In April, Biden announced a half-dozen executive actions on gun control, including cracking down on ghost guns, homemade firearms that lack serial numbers used to trace them and that are often purchased without a background check.

There is also new federal funding from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package directed toward municipal governments, allowing them to keep more police officers on the street. Aides said Biden would also urge a swift confirmation of his choice to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

But Biden is limited in his power to act alone. The House passed two bills requiring background checks on all firearms sales and transfers and allowing an expanded 10-day review for gun purchases. But that legislation faces strong headwinds in the Senate, where some Republican support would be needed for passage.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Tuesday that she has seen double-digit increases in murder and violent crime nationwide.

It is staggering. It is sobering, she said at a violent-crime forum held by the Washington-based Police Executive Research Forum. And its something that DOJ is committed to do all we can to reverse what are profoundly troubling trends.

Monaco said the Justice Department would launch strike forces in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to help reduce violent crime by addressing illegal gun trafficking, building on an initiative begun last month.

If the federal effort sounds familiar, it is. Federal operations have often been launched to help cities facing spiking crime. President Donald Trump announced something similar last year when he and then-Attorney General William Barr launched Operation Legend, named for a boy who was shot to death in Kansas City, Missouri. In that effort, hundreds of investigators were deployed to nine cities with rising crime, prioritizing the arrest of violent criminals.

Trump, though, laid blame for the spike in crime on protesters who demonstrated against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He claimed that Democrats were allowing crime to run amok in their cities. But despite pockets of violence in both Democratic- and Republican-run cities, the protests were mostly peaceful. A Harvard Radcliffe Institute study found there were no injuries reported in 97% of the events. Still, Republican leaders continue to echo Trumps claims.

And while crime is rising  homicides and shootings are up from the same period last year in Chicago; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Portland, Oregon; Baltimore; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Houston  violent crime overall remains lower than it was a decade ago or even five years ago. And most violent crimes plummeted during the first six months of the pandemic, as people stayed indoors and away from others.

Crime started creeping up last summer, a trend criminologists say is hard to define and is likely due to a variety of factors such as historic unemployment, fear over the virus and mass anger over stay-at-home orders. Public mass shootings have also made an alarming return.

Many of us  if not most of us  are seeing a rise in crime, while at the same time, were hearing calls for reform, Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said of cities in remarks at the police forum. And some of those calls are to the extreme of dismantle and defund  while all of the same time were sworn to protect the people.

Interest in guns, too, is on the rise. The number of people stopped from buying guns through the U.S. background check system hit an all-time high of more than 300,000 last year amid a surge of firearm sales. And several states have passed laws barring federal gun control laws from taking effect.

Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields said lax gun laws and the presence of illegal guns on the streets are compounding the violence.

When everyone can have a gun, they tend to, she said. And it just leads to more illegal guns on the street.

The Justice Department recently announced a sweeping investigation into the Louisville police over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death by police during a raid at her home. A similar investigation was launched into the Minneapolis police force.

The rise in violence comes against the backdrop of a national debate on policing and as a police reform bill is being crafted in Congress. Psaki on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that a presidential event focused on cracking down on crime would undermine that legislative effort.

As a senator, Biden wrote several major anti-crime packages, including a 1994 bill that contained provisions now viewed by some as an overreaction to the crime spikes in the 1980s and 1990s. Critics say those bills helped lead to mass incarceration of Black Americans, and Bidens involvement became a flashpoint in his 2020 campaign.

Biden has expressed second thoughts about some aspects of the legislation, and he has acknowledged its harmful impact on many Black Americans. But he and his allies still hold out the laws provisions to address domestic violence, ban assault weapons and finance community policing.

___

Lemire reported from New York.

By COLLEEN LONG, JONATHAN LEMIRE and MICHAEL BALSAMO

Associated Press
RICHMOND, Calif. (AP)  Police are seeking the motive for a deadly shooting at a San Francisco Bay Area house party during the weekend.

More than one person walked up and fired into the gathering late Sunday night in Richmond, police Sgt. Aaron Pomeroy told reporters Monday.

Two victims died at the scene, a third died at a hospital and five others were wounded.

Police Lt. Matt Stonebreaker said the party was advertised on Facebook and most of those who attended didnt know each other.

It was the second mass shooting in the Bay Area during the weekend.

Oakland police said Monday that a shooting that killed one person and wounded seven others at Lake Merritt on Saturday appeared to be gang-related, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The shooting occurred as thousands were gathered to celebrate the new Juneteenth holiday.

Investigator Leo Sanchez said multiple shooters were involved.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said hes ready to face possible charges in any local court for the thousands of killings under his anti-drug crackdown but never before the International Criminal Court, which he has repeatedly ridiculed.

The ICC's outgoing chief prosecutor said last week that a preliminary examination found reason to believe crimes against humanity had been committed during Dutertes crackdown on drugs between July 1, 2016, and March 16, 2019. She said she had sought authorization to open a formal investigation and the courts judges had 120 days to decide.

The dates cover the period when Duterte launched his police-enforced crackdown shortly after winning a six-year presidential term up until when he withdrew the Philippines from the court.

Why would I defend or face an accusation before white people? You must be crazy, the brash-talking Duterte said Monday night in his first public reaction to the prospects of an ICC investigation of his deadly campaign.

He ridiculed the ICC, saying he would never get justice from the court, but added, I will readily face a court, be accused in a Philippine court, before a Filipino judge.

The 18 judges from the ICC hail from around the world, including judges from Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and North America.

More than 6,000 mostly poor drug suspects have been killed during the drug crackdown, according to government pronouncements, but human rights groups say the death toll is considerably higher and should include many unsolved killings by motorcycle-riding gunmen who may have been deployed by police.

Duterte has denied condoning extrajudicial killings of drug suspects although he has openly threatened suspects with death and has ordered police to shoot suspects who dangerously resist arrest.

We kill them because they fight back, he said Monday.

Duterte said drug dealers were a threat to national survival that had to be dealt with to prevent the Philippines from ending up like Mexico, which he described as being almost a failed state, where drug syndicates could field candidates in local elections.

Thats why I want to slap the judges there. You are fools," Duterte said. You want my country to go down the drain.

Despite his administrations massive crackdown against illegal drugs, Duterte acknowledged the drugs remained a major problem. During his presidential campaign he vowed to eradicate the drug problem in three to six months, but said after winning the presidency that he underestimated the enormity of the problem.

Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019 in a move critics said was an attempt to evade accountability. The ICC prosecutor said the court still has jurisdiction over crimes alleged while the Philippines was still a member of the court.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  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 recent battlefield victories while peace talks have stalemated.

The Taliban's gains came as the Pentagon reaffirmed the U.S. troop withdrawal was still on pace to conclude by early September.

Fighting around Imam Sahib district began late Sunday and by midday 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 (.6 miles) 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.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Monday said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has regularly reviewed the U.S. withdrawal, which he said is on pace and will be finished by early September. It is a dynamic situation, and weve said that from the very beginning, Kirby said.

Austin is looking at the situation every day with a fresh set of eyes to see if, you know, the pace we are setting is the appropriate pace. Among the uncertainties, officials have said, is the State Departments needs for embassy security and its decisions about getting interpreters and other Afghans who worked with the Americans out of the country.

Talks between the government and the Taliban taking place in Qatar have 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.

Later this week, President Joe Biden will meet 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 in Washington, according to a White House statement, is intended to reaffirm 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."

___

Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Kabul and Bob Burns and Nancy Benac in Washington contributed to this report.
Sometimes wealth is the product of effort and hard work, and other times it is mere luck. That is clear to the peasant couple Rani and Sankalp Parihar , who accidentally planted some of the most expensive mangoes in the world . Now they have Miyazaki mango trees whose cost per kilo is around 270,000 rupees (about $ 3,630 or 74,600 Mexican pesos).

The story of these horticulturists, inhabitants of the city of Jabalpur, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, seems like something out of a movie. It all started four years ago, when the Parihar went to Chennai, in the south of the country, to buy some trees to plant. On the train he met a mysterious man who offered him the valuable plants.

He offered me these saplings and asked me to take care of them like our babies. We planted them in the orchard without knowing what variety of mangoes they would produce,  Sankalp told The Times of India .

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In 2020, when the trees grew and began to bear fruit, they noticed that they were very different from other more common types of mangoes. These had a rather unusual intense ruby color.

Since I didn't know the name of this variety, I named the fruit after my mother Damini. Later, we did research on this variety and found the real name. But he's still Damini for me , "Parihar added.

To his surprise, they turned out to be Miyazaki mangoes originating in Japan, which are among the most expensive in the world.

Madhya Pradesh-based orchardist Sankalp Parihar hires security guards & dogs to prevent theft of expensive mango trees



Some people told me that the variety of mango sold at Rs 2.70 lakh per kg in market last year. A customer from Mumbai has offered me Rs 21,000, Parihar said pic.twitter.com/aX1NxvQ4qQ - ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2021

According to Japanese media, last year each kilo of this variety had a price of 270,000 rupees in the international market , that is, about 3,630 dollars or 74,600 Mexican pesos. And if you only want one piece, it will cost you about $ 50 (about 1,000 MXN).

Luck has a price

News of the rare Miyazaki mangoes spread throughout the town, attracting potential buyers and criminals alike. Parihar says that last year thieves broke into her orchard and stole 14 mangoes. Fortunately, they managed to save the trees and will be able to continue producing the valuable fruits.

After the incident, the farmers decided to hire three security guards and nine dogs to protect the rare trees and the seven mangoes they own. Also known as 'sun eggs' , they are rarely grown in India and considered a luxury gift in Japan.

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Rani noted that they have also been contacted by various mango growers and fruit lovers. For example, a businessman offered to buy just one of his mangoes for 21,000 rupees ($ 282 or 5,775 Mexican pesos).

A Mumbai jeweler is willing to pay whatever price we quote. But I have clearly said that we will not sell it to anyone. We will use the fruits to grow more plants , Rani Parihar said bluntly.

Currently, the couple own a total of 150 Miyazaki mango trees , of which only four are bearing fruit.

Why is Mango Miyazaki so expensive?

The Miyazaki mango is the second most expensive in the world , only behind the Noor Jahan mango, which is grown in Afghanistan. This variety was cultivated for the first time in 1984, in the Japanese city of the same name. Currently, it is considered one of the most expensive fruits on the planet and is only found in countries such as Bangladesh , Indonesia and the Philippines .

To develop to fruit, Miyazaki mango trees require a warm climate and long hours of sunshine. Mangoes of this type are distinguished by their ruby red color and their egg-like shape. They weigh between 350 and 900 grams, their peel is edible and they have 15% more sugar than other varieties, which makes them extremely sweet, according to the India Today medium.

It is expensive because its production is very low and its flavor is very sweet. It looks very different. People abroad give away these mangoes, " said RS Katara, deputy director of the Madhya Pradesh horticulture department.

The official claimed that he inspected the orchard and confirmed that the fruit is rare in India. He also indicated that they will re-examine the fruit before promoting it to farmers.

"I asked some local scientists to go and inspect the tree and the fruit to see if it is real or hybrid and why it is so expensive," said GS Kaushal, former director of the Madhya Pradesh horticulture department. "People should only grow it after scientists approve of the quality of this mango ."

Also a team of scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University of Jabalpur are planning to study the mangoes, confirmed their secretary Rewa Singh Sisodia said.

While they are pears or apples (or authentic Miyazaki mangoes), the two horticulturists have become local celebrities and, if they know how to capitalize wisely on the windfall, they could become millionaires with the fortune that, in their case, is falling from the trees .

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
(Bloomberg) -- Tiny oil company Torchlight Energy Resources Inc. saw its shares more than double in a week after it became the latest stock touted on Reddit as a possible short squeeze.

The Plano, Texas-based company jumped as much as 74% to $10.88 a share on Monday before paring some gains. Torchlight, which has a market capitalization of about $1.2 billion, is the second-biggest gainer on the Nasdaq this year. At the end of the first quarter, its market value was about $266 million.

In December, Torchlight announced a deal to combine with Metamaterial Inc., a Canadian company that describes itself as a designer and manufacturer of complex films and other materials called metamaterials. Torchlight said Monday that the deadline for closing the agreement with Metamaterial had been extended to June 30 to allow for the payment of a preferred stock dividend.

Torchlight warned last month in a federal filing that it might go out of business, saying its accumulated losses of almost $114 million since its inception and expects more losses in the development of its business. The company was incorporated in 2007 in Nevada as Pole Perfect Studios Inc., which planned to offer fitness classes it said were centered around a firemans pole often found in gentlemans clubs.

Derek Gradwell, a spokesman for Torchlight, didnt immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment. Shares of the company rose 58% to close at $9.92 on Monday.

Torchlight may be getting a boost from a broader recovery in U.S. energy stocks as oil prices rebound from a pandemic-driven collapse in demand. But unlike the U.S. shale industry, which is poised to generate more than $30 billion of free cash this year, Torchlight isnt turning a profit. The company reported in last months filing that its oil and natural gas revenue tumbled 97% from a year earlier to $2,471 for the first three months of this year.

Since 2010, our primary focus has been the development of interests in oil and gas projects we hold in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Torchlight said in the filing last month. We also hold minor interests in certain other oil and gas projects in Central Oklahoma that we are in the process of divesting.

The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil companies in the state, lists Torchlight as being inactive for more than four years. Although it received a total of three drilling permits in the West Texas counties of Hudspeth and Tom Green in 2015 and 2016, the company hasnt reported any production to the regulator.

In 2019, short seller White Diamond Research published a report alleging that Torchlight had questionable management and that its Orogrande drilling project in West Texas was worthless. Torchlight was defended by Roth Capital Partners analyst John White, who said the companys test results had met or exceeded expectations.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Different_Brian/Getty Images

San Antonio Texas, June 18th, 2021  Discovery Village At Dominion will host their 3rd annual car show to benefit the Alzheimers Association on June 26th, 2021 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. at 8670 Heuermann Road, San Antonio Tx 78256. This event is open to the public and will include live music, food, raffles, and live auctions. There is no charge for attendees, however, donations for the Alzheimers Association will be accepted.



Participants who would like to enter their car, truck, or motorcycle are welcome. There is a $25-dollar charge for participants entering their vehicle that includes a t-shirt, lunch, raffles, and trophies. All proceeds will go directly to the San Antonio Alzheimers Association.



Discovery Village At Dominion is a continuum care community, offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Nestled in the hill country, Discovery Village At Dominion offers the best in senior living with spacious floor plans, beautiful amenities, and superb dining.



For more information, to RSVP, or to participate in the event, please call 210-840-8000 and ask to speak with Rick Herbert. Visit www.DiscoverDominion.com to learn more about Discovery Village At Dominion.



ABOUT DISCOVERY SENIOR LIVING

Discovery Senior Living is a family of companies that includes Discovery Management Group, Morada Senior Living, Discovery Development Group, Discovery Design Concepts, Discovery Marketing Group, and Discovery At Home, a Medicare-certified home healthcare company. With almost three decades of experience, the award-winning management group has been developing, building, marketing, and operating upscale senior-living communities across the United States. By leveraging its innovative Experiential Living philosophy across a growing portfolio of almost 12,000 existing homes or homes under development, Discovery Senior Living is a recognized industry leader for lifestyle customization and, today ranks among the 10 largest U.S. senior living operators and providers.


The local artist responsible for "Pandemic Loteria" and the "F*** Gregg Abbott" lawn signs, Rafael Gonzalez Jr., also known as Pinche Raf, is hosting an event where fans will have the opportunity to mingle and purchase the papel picado with the anti-gubernatorial message emblazoned on shirts, lawn signs, and stickers.

RELATED: San Antonio artist creates a festive sign, gives the bird to Texas Governor

This Friday, June 25, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Fiesta Friday "Hot Off the Press" event co-hosted with Gonzalez's printing partners, Pride Printing, will offer paletas and beer.

Guests will also have the opportunity to buy limited edition versions of the popular Pandemic Loteria set by the artist.

3 1 of 3 Courtesy of the artist Rafael Gonzales Jr. Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy of the artist Rafael Gonzales Jr. Show More Show Less 3 of 3





I was inspired to create the papel picado piece after witnessing protests at the Texas Capitol and other cities/towns across our state where the phrase was prominent. Its essentially a protest piece against the Governor who has, in my opinion, failed Texans time and again, Gonzales previously told MySA.

The festivities will also feature a giveaway, according to the artist. The "Pinche Prizepack" will include a signed limited edition Pandemic Loteria, and one lawn sign, sticker, or shirt. More details on the giveaway are to come.

RELATED: San Antonio artist decks out man cave with 'Puro Pinche Spurs' mural in time for NBA restart

The event will take place at 307 El Paso Street. Merchandise is sold on a first come first serve basis and cash is preferred.
Tim Burdick /Associated Press

Do you miss sea turtle releases? A wildlife sanctuary in Port Aransas is hosting one this weekend at Mustang Island.

The Amos Rehabilitation Keep with the University of Texas Marine Science Institute invites the public to watch more than 10 large sea turtles return to the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, June 26. According to its Facebook event, the release will start at 10 a.m. at Mustland Island Marker 35. The beach is nearly 170 miles Southwest of San Antonio.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to get younger Americans vaccinated for COVID-19 as the White House acknowledges it will miss two key vaccination benchmarks and as concern grows about the spread of a new variant that threatens to set the country back in the months ahead.

The delta variant, first identified in India, in the last two weeks has come to represent more than 20% of coronavirus infections in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. That's double what it was when the CDC last reported on the variants prevalence.

The delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said at a White House briefing on the virus. Good news: Our vaccines are effective against the delta variant.

He added: We have the tools. So lets use them, and crush the outbreak.

The White House on Tuesday acknowledged that President Joe Biden will fall short of reaching his goal of vaccinating 70% of all American adults with at least one shot by Independence Day. But it tried to paint an optimistic picture nonetheless by stressing that the nation had reached that threshold for those aged 30 and older and expects to meet it for those age 27 or older by the July 4 holiday.

Biden also expects to miss a second goal  fully vaccinating 165 million adult Americans by July 4. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients projected it will take several more weeks to hit that number. On Monday, the U.S. crossed 150 million fully vaccinated.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki rejected the idea that the missed July 4 benchmarks would represent a failure for the administration, telling reporters, We dont see it exactly like something went wrong."

Still, administration officials said they were redoubling their focus on vaccinating younger Americans age 18-26, who have proved to be least likely to get a vaccine when its available for them.

The nationwide rate of new vaccinations has dropped off precipitously over the past month even as shots have become more available, with fewer than 300,000 Americans now getting their first dose per day on average  a pace that, if sustained, will have the U.S. not reaching Biden's 70% goal until late July at the earliest.

Officials are also increasingly. concerned about regional variations in the vaccination program.

More than 16 states and the District of Columbia have vaccinated 70% of their adult population. But others  particularly in the South and Midwest  are lagging substantially behind, with four not having yet reached 50% vaccination rates.

The White House said meeting Biden's vaccination goals is less important than the pace of the nation's reopening, which is exceeding even its own internal projections as the overwhelming majority of the nation's most vulnerable people are fully vaccinated and cases and deaths are at their lowest rates since the earliest days of the pandemic, averaging about 11,000 new infections and fewer than 300 deaths per day. More states are opening back up, with Michigan on Tuesday becoming the latest to do away with a mask mandate and virus restrictions. The state had the nations worst outbreak this spring.

We have succeeded beyond our highest expectations, Zeints said.

Americans at highest risk for complications from COVID-19 are overwhelmingly vaccinated, according to CDC data, but only 53% aged 25-39 have received one dose. Among those 18-24, it's 47%.

Where the country has more work to do is particularly with 18 to 26 year olds, Zients said.

Zients and government experts said the rise of the delta variant should motivate younger Americans to get vaccinated.

The reality is many younger Americans have felt like COVID-19 is not something that impacts them, and theyve been less eager to get the shot, Zients said. However, with the delta variant now spreading across the country, and infecting younger people worldwide, its more important than ever that they get vaccinated.

The variant is taking root as there are warning signs about a possible surge in cases in unvaccinated corners of America. Rural sections of Missouri, including Springfield and Branson, have seen a dramatic spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks that health officials attribute in part to the delta variant spreading among younger, unvaccinated residents.

There is a danger, a real danger that if there is a persistence of a recalcitrance to getting vaccinated that you could see localized surges, said Fauci.

Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, Alabama and Idaho are all below 40% of their population with at least one dose of vaccine.

The White House planned to focus on increasingly local vaccination pushes, with first lady Jill Biden traveling Tuesday to Mississippi and Tennessee to promote vaccinations and Biden himself set to visit North Carolina on Thursday.

The variant is accounting for half of new infections in the regions that include Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

___

AP writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.
Carlos Javier Sanchez /Contributor

San Antonio's award-winning writers Shea Serrano and Adam Serwer will discuss the "cruelty" of the President Donald Trump era next week.

Serrano and Serwer, a writer for the Atlantic, will discuss the latter's book "The Cruelty is the Point" in a June 29 Zoom chat hosted by Nowhere Bookshop, an Alamo Heights bookstore owned by author Jenny Lawson.
American Airlines is canceling a slew of flights for the next two months, in large part due to internal challenges as the airline gears up fully for business post-pandemic.

As of Monday morning, 134 American flights were canceled and another 260 were delayed, according to the flight tracker FlightAware. Another 123 flights were canceled on Sunday, and 119 were cancelled on Saturday, per the site.

The trend is likely to continue through July as American anticipates "adjusting a fraction of our scheduled flying through mid-July," said the airline in a statement to multiple media outlets. KXAN in Austin reports that American will cancel 50 to 80 flights  around 1% of its scheduled trips  through July.

The airline is pinning the cancellation on staffing shortages, though the airline did not specify which crewmembers it currently lacks.

Per Airline Geeks, almost a third of flights on Boeing 737s were canceled on Sunday. The travel site speculates that the shortage is coming from pilots not fully trained on those particular aircrafts.

Bad weather was also an issue, the airline noted. Its hubs in Charlotte and Dallas/Fort Worth were especially afflicted by inclement weather for at least 9 days in the first two weeks of June, reported CNBC, creating travel disruptions that are impacting the number of flight cancellations.

"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," said American spokesman Derek Walls in a statement to SFGATE.

Demand is rapidly growing for travel. More than 2.1 million travelers took to the skies on Sunday, per the Transportation Security Administration, the highest number so far this year and quadruple the number of fliers last year. That said, travel hasn't fully returned to normal levels  2.7 million people took air travel at that date in 2019.

"Our focus this summer  and always  is on delivering for our customers no matter the circumstance," added Walls in a statement. "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."
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Bird Song of the Day

12 minutes (!): Dawn song from a male, often faint as he flew all around his territory. Best portion in the tenth minute. Includes barking dogs, what I think is an owl, human remarks.

* * *

#COVID19

At reader request, Ive added this daily chart from 91-DIVOC. The data is the Johns Hopkins CSSE data. Here is the site.

I feel Im engaging in a macabre form of tape-watching. Ive been thinking of new charts to monitor to alert us to the next outbreak, assuming there is one, but for now, the data from the South means Ill stick to the status quo.

Vaccination by region:

Now all falling together.

Case count by United States regions:

Decline has resumed.

Here are the case counts for the last four weeks in the South (as defined by the US Census: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia):

Texas has unfizzled, but Florida, capital of Latin America, leads.

Big states (New York, Florida, Texas, California):

Test positivity:

South still fallen off its cliff.

Hospitalization (CDC):

Continued good news.

Deaths (Our World in Data):

Continued good news.

Covid cases worldwide:

It looks to me like al the regions have had three peaks, although of different heights and at different times. Except Southeast Asia, which has had two. Hmm

* * *

Politics

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51

They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery. Frank Herbert, Dune

They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord

Capitol Seizure

Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, Forceful on Jan. 6, Privately Are in Turmoil [Wall Street Journall]. The far-right group the Oath Keepers is splintering after board members accused the founder of spending its money on hair dye, steaks and guns. The leader of the Proud Boys, choked off from the financial system, is printing Black Lives Matter T-shirts to make money. Members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers appeared well-organized at the Capitol, some coordinating with walkie-talkies and wearing military-style outfits. Behind the facade of power is a yearslong cash crunch exacerbated by internal discord and isolation from financial firms and social media. Fallout from Jan. 6 made it all worse.  And then, of course, there are the agents provocateurs. One assumes.

Biden Administration

Progressives count their foreign policy wins with Omar flap in rear view [Politico]. Ilhan Omar started out in Congress as a somewhat lonely critic of decades of U.S. policy in the Middle East. Now, six months into her second term, the Minnesota Democrat has new and diverse allies. That friendlier posture toward Omar indicates that her partys shift on Americas role in the Middle East was more than just a short-term fixture of the recent 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. California to Pay off all Past Due Rent Accrued During COVID, Giving Renters Clean Slate [Newsweek].  Well, so much for the recall.

Realignment and Legitimacy

What happened to Glenn Greenwald? Trump happened  and put the lefts priorities to the test [Jonathon Cook]. Key paragraphs: The problem with characterising Trump as a supremely evil figure is that all sorts of authoritarian political conclusions flow from that characterisation  precisely the political conclusions we have seen parts of the left adopting. Robinson may not expressly share these conclusions but, unlike Greenwald and Taibbi, he has largely ignored or downplayed the threat they present. If Trump poses a unique danger to democracy, then to avoid any recurrence: We are obligated to rally uncritically, or at least very much less critically, behind whoever was selected to be his opponent. Following Trumps defeat, we are dutybound to restrain our criticisms of the winner, Joe Biden, however poor his performance, in case it opens the door to Trump, or someone like Trump, standing for the presidency in four years time.

We must curb free speech and limit the free-for-all of social media in case it contributed to the original surge of support for Trump, or created the more febrile political environment in which Trump flourished.

We must eradicate all signs of populism, whether on the right or the left, because we cannot be sure that in a battle of populisms the left will defeat the right, or that leftwing populism cannot be easily flipped into rightwing populism.

And most importantly, we must learn to distrust the masses  those who elected Trump  because they have demonstrated that they are too easily swayed by emotion, prejudice and charisma. Instead, we must think in more traditional liberal terms, of rule by technocrats and experts who can be trusted to run our societies largely in secret but provide a stability that should keep any Trumps out of power. Greenwald and Taibbi have been focusing precisely on this kind of political fallout from the Trump presidency. And it looks suspiciously like this, as much as anything else, is what is antagonising Robinson and others. How QAnon captured the American church [QAnon]. The recent Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey was the latest in a series of polls to find widespread support for the core tenets of QAnon among American evangelicals. A quarter of white and Hispanic evangelical Protestants agreed with Qs central claim of a paedophilic cabal. Asked whether there is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders, 26% of white evangelical Protestants and 29% of Hispanic Protestants agreed there was. A pot coming to the boil: As passengers return to air travel in big numbers, the FAA has reported an uptick in unruly and dangerous behaviors by travelers #WSJWhatsNow pic.twitter.com/re9juuTCqR  The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 22, 2021

Stats Watch

Manufacturing: United States Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index [Trading Economics]. The Manufacturing Activity Index in the US fifth district including the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and most of West Virginia rose to 22 in June of 2021 from 18 in May. It was the highest reading since October 2020

* * *

Insurance: Entitled To Profit: In Texas, Title Insurance Is a Total Scam [Texas Observer]. Title insurance has an origin in usefulness, says Jessie Lunsford, a longtime Austin real estate developer. Real estate law is complex, and a propertys chain of title can have defects that are difficult, if not impossible, to discover. In addition to muddled boundaries, unrecorded easements and liens, and other problems with decades-old paperwork, little of which is digitized, its possible for the long-lost heirs or ex-spouses of past owners to reappear and assert an ownership interest in a piece property. In theory, title insurance protects against these risks. In practice, such claims are vanishingly rare. The exact number per year is not available, but the title insurance industrys loss ratio of 1.2 percent is far lower than other insurers usually incur. Its tough to find a developer, attorney, agent, or broker who has been involved in a title dispute, or even heard of one. Lord knows Ive never filed a claim, said Lunsford, who has purchased some 30 properties in his career. Given the high price, he says, Its a total scam.'

Tech: Facebooks VR ads test loses first game after backlash [BBC]. The first game developer signed up to test Facebooks plan to put adverts into Oculus VR games has reversed course after a backlash from players. It comes days after Facebook announced it would place adverts inside players headsets, starting with shooter game Blaston. It was the only named title listed to take part. But its maker, Resolution Games, has now said its game isnt the best fit for in-game advertising. After an outcry from gamers, the company issued a statement to media outlets from chief executive Tommy Palm, saying it had seen the feedback. Some good points have been made, and we realise that Blaston isnt the best fit for this type of advertising test. Therefore, we no longer plan to implement the test in Blaston, he said.  Thats a damn shame.

Tech: The Soft Corruption of Big Techs Antitrust Defense [Big Technology]. When New York State Senator Michael Gianaris called a hearing last September to discuss his new Big Tech antitrust bill, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft all declined to appear. But as he sorted the schedule, the Progressive Policy Institute, a radically pragmatic think tank, asked to send a representative. Alec Stapp, that representative, mounted a robust defense of Big Tech in prepared remarks at the session. But when Giannaris started asking about PPIs funding, he clammed up. In my role in research, Stapp said. Im not privy to the full donor list or who gives how much money. Left unsaid was that Apple, Facebook, and Google are all PPI donors, a fact that still frustrates Gianaris. If Big Tech wants to defend itself, he told me, It should have the courage to do so. That courage seems to be slipping away as support for antitrust action against Big Tech builds. These companies are instead paying third parties like PPI to make their case for them, and the organizations reliably advance their arguments, do so with spotty disclosure, shield them from criticism, and add credibility to their defense. Its money well spent for the tech giants. All the while, the third parties tell us  and themselves  they arent bought. Stapps PPI is relatively unknown, but its not alone. The Brookings Institution, an esteemed think tank, takes money from Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Yet it implausibly insists the money doesnt influence its positions.

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Todays Fear & Greed Index: 32 Fear (previous close: 30 Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 54 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jun 21 at 12:18pm. No longer stuck in neutral!

Rapture Index: Closes unchanged [Rapture Ready]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 187(Remember that bringing on the rapture is a good thing, so high is better.)

Department of Feline Felicity

Heathcliff, for real?

Groves of Academe

Rejecting Test Surveillance in Higher Education (PDF) [Lindsey Barret, SSRN]. The Abstract: The rise of remote proctoring software during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the dangers of surveillance-enabled pedagogy built on the belief that students cant be trusted. These services, which deploy a range of identification protocols, computer and internet access limitations, and human or automated observation of students as they take tests remotely, are marketed as necessary to prevent cheating. But the success of these services in their stated goal is ill- supported at best and discredited at worst, particularly given their highly over- inclusive criteria for suspicious behavior. Meanwhile, the harms they inflict on students are clear: severe anxiety among test-takers, concerning data collection and use practices, and discriminatory flagging of students of color and students with disabilities have provoked widespread outcry from students, professors, privacy advocates, policymakers, and sometimes universities themselves. To make matters worse, the privacy and civil rights laws most relevant to the use of these services are generally inadequate to protect students from the harms they inflict. Colleges and universities routinely face difficult decisions that require reconciling conflicting interests, but whether to use remote proctoring software isnt one of them. Remote proctoring software is not pedagogically beneficial, institutionally necessary, or remotely unavoidable, and its use further entrenches inequities in higher education that schools should be devoted to rooting out. Colleges and universities should abandon remote proctoring software, and apply the lessons from this failed experiment to their other existing or potential future uses of surveillance technologies and automated decision-making systems that threaten students privacy, access to important life opportunities, and intellectual freedom.

Black Injustice Tipping Point

A thread on the Emancipation Proclamation and geopolitics:

The Emancipation Proclamation is a crucial document, not least of all because it ensured the Union could win the American Civil War. [A #JuneTeenth2021 Thread] pic.twitter.com/9IvQeLZaek  Paul Poast (@ProfPaulPoast) June 19, 2021

Educate Yourself: Seattle Human Rights Commission Dismisses Complaint Over Requiring Whites To Pay Reparations Fees For Pride Event [Jonathan Turley]. There is a controversy in Seattle over plans for a pride event to charge people more based on their race. The Seattle Human Rights Commission is under fire this week after sending a letter dismissing a complaint over the announcement that the Taking B(l)ack Pride on June 26th would charge White entrants a reparations fee. The Commission told Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson of Capitol Hill Pride that they needed to educate themselves and consider the harm that they would cause by being participants in the event. Update: While the response of the Commission caused outrage from many, Lipson and LeFevre quickly apologized for even raising the issue. Promotional material for Taking B(l)ack Pride was posted on Facebook as a BLACK AND BROWN QUEER TRANS CENTERED, PRIORITIZED, VALUED, EVENT. The Facebook page adds: White allies and accomplices are welcome to attend but will be charged a $10 to $50 reparations fee that will be used to keep this event free of cost for BLACK AND BROWN Trans and Queer COMMUNITY.'  Ive always been suspicious of that allies concept. I dont see individuals having allies as problematic; but collectives that have allies tend to be sovereigns.

The 1619 Project:

One of the reasons the 16*9 Project mobilized elites is it's pure culture war anti-politics. For all the ideology and drama, what political issues does it map on to? A 15$ minimum wage? Progressive taxation? Universal healthcare? No one knows. And that's the point.  Sam Haselby (@samhaselby) June 17, 2021

I think the 1619 Project maps to reparations, and reparations is what the PMC believes will save capitalism. Reading between the lines:

Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen: "We as a country are missing out on so many venues for growth because our capital is bottlenecked by race and region. Research has shown that decreasing barriers faced by African-Americans would produce substantial gains." pic.twitter.com/OTh8lCwFLy  The Hill (@thehill) June 19, 2021

Notice Kamala in the background.

Guillotine Watch

Behind elite boarding schools veneer of trust and family, sexual misconduct was ignored [Los Angeles Times]. The school encourages informal, familial relationships among students and teachers, most of whom live on campus, dine and camp together. This, combined with rigorous academics, has long attracted the scions of some of the wealthiest families in the country, including the young Howard Hughes. But these very values that distinguished Thacher created a climate in which boundaries blurred, leaving youths susceptible to grooming by adults, unchecked harassment and alleged rapes.  Sounds a lot like Yale Law School.

Class Warfare

Internal Amazon documents shed light on how company pressures out 6% of office workers: [Seattle Times]. Amazon systematically attempts to channel 6% of its office employees out of the company each year, using processes embedded in proprietary software to help meet a target for turnover among low-ranked office workers, a metric Amazon calls unregretted attrition, according to internal company documents seen by The Seattle Times. The documents underscore the extent to which Amazons processes closely resemble the controversial management practice of stack ranking in which employees are graded by comparison with each other rather than against a job description or performance goals  despite Amazons insistence that it does not engage in stack ranking. The documents also highlight how much of Amazons human resources processes are reliant on apps and algorithms, even among the companys office workforce. And they provide the most detailed picture yet of how Amazon uses performance improvement plans to funnel low-ranked employees out of the company. The company expects more than one-third of employees on performance improvement plans to fail, documents show. Amazon has previously said that its performance improvement plans arent meant to punish employees. The policies described in the documents reviewed by The Seattle Times apply to the companys office workforce, who comprise a minority of Amazons roughly 950,000 U.S. employees. Amazons warehouses replace workers much more frequently, The New York Times has reported: Before the pandemic, annual turnover rates at Amazon warehouses reached 150%  Arbeit macht frei.

Amazons Greatest Weapon Against Unions: Worker Turnover [HuffPo]. [T]he National Employment Law Project found that the turnover rate in the local warehouse industry increases significantly when Amazon comes to town. Warehouse churn more than doubled in several California counties after Amazon facilities opened, averaging more than 100%. The Seattle Times conducted its own analysis of Amazons workforce data last year, putting the companys turnover at 111% during the pandemic. A New York Times investigation published this week put the figure even higher, at 150%, showing that Amazon was shedding 3% of its workers every week before the pandemic began. Under a turnover rate of 100%, every theoretical position inside the warehouse would turn over once in a year, on average. That has huge implications for organizing. . At an Amazon warehouse, high turnover means a union would be losing cards every day as workers leave and new employees unfamiliar with the campaign replace them. Even if the union manages to win an election, high turnover could hurt its position at the bargaining table if some of the most active organizers have quit or been fired. And churn could even help the employer purge the union from the facility by convincing newer workers to decertify it.

Rich professionals are scammers favourite targets [Financial Times]. Scam artists, says Tamlyn Edmonds, a partner at specialist fraud prosecution law firm Edmonds Marshall McMahon, are increasingly targeting high-net-worth people. Clients, she adds, sometimes come to her having lost hundreds of thousands, even millions, to fraudsters. But the real reason the rich are being targeted is because technology makes sophisticated scamming much easier. We have moved on from emails from obscure princes. A scam these days might involve a call to your mobile  but from a number that matches your banks. Scammers issue fake company prospectuses to attract investors and clone villa-rental websites to defraud holidaymakers. They impersonate celebrities, wealthy businesspeople (recently Elon Musk) and tax officials. They also know a lot about you. Social media is just the start; in the UK they may look you up at Companies House (which gives an idea of your income) and on the Land Registry. There are dozens of information sources that can help them convince you they are the real deal. Scammers also often invest a lot of time in working their marks. Weve seen people groom targets for 10-11 months, Edmonds says.  Or. maybe the rich are just not that smart?

News of the Wired

Maybe I should have put this up under Politics:

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Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (PM):

PM writes: Wild Iris  Basket Flat, WA

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Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the recently concluded and  thank you!  successful annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:









Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated.

If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!2:00PM Water Cooler 6/8/2021
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

I stumbled across a reference to the Mindat site (Mineral Database) in Hacker News, and as a fan of citizen science, I thought I should go look at it, and see if there was anything post-worthy. There was, at least I think so. Some NC readers will surely find Mindat useful, since its a really good site on minerals and where to find them. However, Mindat also shows how platforms like Google and Wikipedia are playing a highly dubious role in organiz[ing] the worlds information, as Google puts it. First, Ill look at Mindats history and site architecture. Then Ill look at a use case  geodes in Iowa  and compare Mindat to Wikipedia as a widely accessible and free encyclopedia, as WikiPedia puts it. Spoiler alert: Mindat wins. Finally, Ill look at Mindat and Google (and Google and citizen science generally).

Here is a page on Mindats history, as told by its founder, Jolyon Ralph, at least as far as 2010. Mindat began as a personal computer database project Ralph wrote from scratch, starting on Christmas Day 1993, using C++ on his 386 laptop; it ran as a DOS application. Ralph than rewrote it for Windows 95. Then he had the key insight:

But the big problem was still that all data had to be entered by me, by hand, the other users of the software could not contribute. For several years I looked at different solutions to this problem, but it was only in 2000 that I came up with the plan to convert it into a website and program that so that others could edit. This was, by the way, a year before Wikipedia was launched.

Here is a random example of the resulting online community in action. From 2010:

I have long noted that the Greek roots of some mineral names are wrongly spelled or translated in the name origin field in the database. I will start trying to make some corrections, although this is probably going to be a rather long thread. Here are a few: Glaucocerinite: From the Greek  for sky-blue and  for wax-like, in allusion to its colour and appearance. Also I think there are some better Glaucocerinite photos than the one currently used as a head-photo. I would suggest http://www.mindat.org/photo-293676.html that shows a very high-quality specimen with top colour. The same applies to the name of Natroglaucocerinite.

Great stuff! (And in my mind, what the Internet should be all about. If you want to become an influencer, this is the way to do it.) There is an extensive manual to make sure contributors adhere to data entry standards and dont go off the rails. in addition, the work is reviewed: This information is entered by an army of volunteers worldwide and then verified by our team of experts.

Mindats site architecture is complex. It doesnt look like it should be, but it is. It bundles together functions that are generally standalone applications, all centered on minerals:

Mindat.org is the worlds leading authority on minerals and their localities, deposits, and mines worldwide. Mindat.orgs mission is to advance the worlds understanding of minerals. Mindat.org has been collecting, organising, and sharing mineral information since October 2000. It is now an essential resource used daily throughout education, academia, and industry.

Mindat is at once a message board, an image host, and a blogging platform, besides being an encyclopedia.

Mindat is a board, with threaded messages. (Here is a thread on Whats your least favourite mineral name, and why?)

Mindat is a photo host, like Flickr or Photobucket. (Here is one users photo page: Museu de Ciencia e Tecnica  Escola de Minas  UFOPs Photo Gallery.)

Mindat is a blogging platform, like Blogger or WordPress. (Here is a post on Micromineralogy in a day hospital, which is worth a read if you have a minute or two.)

But Mindat would be nothing if it were not also an encyclopedia, so lets turn to that function, and compare it to Wikipedia, also an encyclopedia. I happen to know that the geode is Iowas official state rock. So first I will compare the entries for geode in both encyclopedias., and then Iowa.

Here is Wikipedias definition of geode:

A geode (/di.od/; derived from the Greek , meaning Earth-like) is a geological secondary formation within sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter (which may include crystals) are secluded. The crystals are formed by the filling of vesicles in volcanic and sub-volcanic rocks by minerals deposited from hydrothermal fluids; or by the dissolution of syn-genetic concretions and partial filling by the same, or other, minerals precipitated from water, groundwater or hydrothermal fluids.

And here is Mindats:

Geodes (Greek   ge-odes, earthlike) are commonly independent spherical masses of resistant mineral matter that are usually hollow. The extreme filling of a geode so that it is solid is also common. Some people refer to completely in-filled geodes as nodules, but the two names are not always consistently used. Geodes differ from nodules in that a nodule is a solid mass of mineral matter, but some nodules may have a tiny void space in their interiors and the distinction between a geode and a nodule may be barely discernible if the cavity is miniscule. Geodes differ from vugs in that geodes can be separated free from any matrix, because the walls of geodes are strong enough to maintain the integrity of their initial shapes. Geodes differ from vugs in possessing an outer mineral layer which is more resistant to weathering than the host rock.

If I had a rock in my hand and wondered whether it was a geode, I think Mindats definition would be far more useful.

And now Iowa (and this is really a set-up for Mindat). From Wikipedia:

Iowa (/aow/ (About this soundlisten))[7][8][9] is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east and southeast, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, and Minnesota to the north.

A generic entry, in other words. We do learn that Iowa has an Inanimate insignia, a rock: the geode. And here is Mindat:

With Mindat, search yields me a map of all the known locations in Iowa where geodes can be found, down to the granularity of individual, named sites. If I am in Jackson County, I can go to the Bellevue Sand and Gravel Company. It even has its own page! (There is also a more conventional page for the State of Iowa, that includes the same map, but also has a lot more geological information.)

And now we come to the platforms. Here are the results for a Google search on geode:

The (crapifed) Google search page has a Featured Snippet from DesertUSA, and a Sidebar item from Wikipedia. Lets look at each in turn.

In the Featured Snippet, there seems to be no obvious rationale for choosing DesertUSA as a source. As its name implies, and its About page states, DesertUSA has information on national parks, state parks, BLM land, and the Colorado River and its lakes. It has no particular focus on geodes. Their page on geodes contains inanitities like Geodes are a variable phenomenon, which means that they may be created in various different ways. If you compare their snippet on geodes to Mindats defintion above, you will see that they are wrong that geodes are always hollow, wrong that geodes are always lined with crystals, wrong and wrong on the definition of nodule. DesertUSA do, however, does sell crystals in their shop. Perhaps thats why Google featured them.

In the sidebar, there is one source: Wikipedia. I hope I have persuaded you, readers, that Mindat also deserves to be there, if not replace Wikpedias entry entirely. Why is it not?

I could believe it was coincidence that an encyclopedic, community-driven site like Mindat did not appear in Googles sidebar, were it not for an apparent pattern and practice of suppressing such sites entirely. Readers will be familiar with the Macaulay Library from Water Cooler; its my source for the Bird Song of the Day. So lets Google horned owl and see what we get:

How odd. Wikipedia in the Featured Snippet; Wikipedia in the sidebar. No Macaulay Library to be seen. Can anyone seriously argue that Wikipedia is a better source for information on Great Horned Owls than the Macauley Library?

Mindat needs donations to survive. By not throwing eyeballs and clicks toward the better content Mindat provides Google, the giant monopoly, is actively harming that community (in addition to making it harder to produce the worlds information). And Wikipedia, the beneficiary of Googles malevolent algorithms and policies, is no better. Michael Olenick wrote at NC:

Ignoring Wikipedia, which is every bit as much a monopoly and a monopolist as the rest, is a dire mistake. There is nothing positive about sucking away users from high-quality content published by individuals, small blogs, or focused wikis . Theyre not providing some type of public service by providing free content for Google to monetize without worries about being sued for copyright violations (and, surprise, Google funds Wikipedia).

Perhaps, somehow, this post will get onto Lina Kahns desk. Following that unlikely event, perhaps an even more unlikely event will follow: The Biden administration and Congress will allow her to do something about it.

* * *

I forgot. Geodes are really beautiful. From Mindat:
(Natural News) Over the past week, the right has given enormous attention to two pieces of exceptionally violent and demented anti-white rhetoric vomited out from Americas rotten academic establishment. For American patriots who have endured a barrage of racialized hatred against them for years on end, these latest incidents may not be worth dwelling on too long.

(Article republished from Revolver.news)

For years, the right has shied away from admitting exactly what the left has been pushing. Demands for reparations, celebrations of rioting, and hyperbolic screeds from university campuses have been ridiculed, dismissed, or denounced as socialism, Marxism, or neutral concepts like critical race theory.

These labels arent enough. The nature of Americas new extremism wave requires the right to be honest and frank about what it is. Its not socialism, or Marxism, or liberal fascism. In 2021, America is facing a steadily-growing amount of anti-white racism. And the surest sign of this ideologys success is that its chief opponents are terrified to even say what it is. Left unchecked, the rhetoric of anti-white racism is growing from casual abuse to quasi-genocidal.

At Yale University, psychoanalyst Aruna Khilanani delivered a lecture on The Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind. The lecture, delivered in early April, was apparently so unremarkable to those watching it that it didnt attract any notice for two months. The lecture only became known to the wider public when Bari Weiss published a transcript on her Substack. Some of the quotes Weiss highlighted were:

-This is the cost of talking to white people at all. The cost of your own life, as they suck you dry. There are no good apples out there. White people make my blood boil. -I had fantasies of unloading a revolver into the head of any white person that got in my way, burying their body, and wiping my bloody hands as I walked away relatively guiltless with a bounce in my step. Like I did the world a fucking favor. -We keep forgetting that directly talking about race is a waste of our breath. We are asking a demented, violent predator who thinks that they are a saint or a superhero, to accept responsibility. It aint gonna happen. They have five holes in their brain. Its like banging your head against a brick wall. Its just like sort of not a good idea. -We need to remember that directly talking about race to white people is useless, because they are at the wrong level of conversation. Addressing racism assumes that white people can see and process what we are talking about. They cant. Thats why they sound demented. They dont even know they have a mask on. White people think its their actual face. [Bari Weiss]

Meanwhile, in one of the countless execrable journals funded by Americas higher education racket, Donald Moss of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute published a paper, On Having Whiteness, that characterizes white people as susceptible to a malignant, incurable brain condition that turns them into psychopathic monsters.

Whiteness is a condition one first acquires and then one hasa malignant, parasitic-like condition to which white people have a particular susceptibility. The condition is foundational, generating characteristic ways of being in ones body, in ones mind, and in ones world. Parasitic Whiteness renders its hosts appetites voracious, insatiable, and perverse. These deformed appetites particularly target nonwhite peoples. Once established, these appetites are nearly impossible to eliminate. Effective treatment consists of a combination of psychic and social-historical interventions. Such interventions can reasonably aim only to reshape Whitenesss infiltrated appetitesto reduce their intensity, redistribute their aims, and occasionally turn those aims toward the work of reparation. When remembered and represented, the ravages wreaked by the chronic condition can function either as warning (never again) or as temptation (great again). Memorialization alone, therefore, is no guarantee against regression. There is not yet a permanent cure. [Sage]

There is no charitable way to spin what Khilanani said or what Moss wrote, though many of course are already trying. This is race hatred. The very fact of being white is equated with parasitism, turning one into a hideous, warped monster. The rhetoric is sexualized  insatiable and voracious are both directly used to describe sexual appetites, while perverse evokes perverted  to represent white people as metaphorical and perhaps literal rapists. And of course, this evil is nearly impossible to eliminate. And even if controlled or suppressed, whites are ready at a moments notice to regress back into their evil ways, with no permanent cure.

Or, to rephrase Mosss words slightly, there is not yet a final solution to the Whiteness Question.

This is genocidal rhetoric, and it would be obvious to everyone if it were written about any other group. Nobody writes about Asianness as a condition. Nobody talks about needing effective treatment for brownness. The academic who wrote about parasitic blackness as a voracious and perverse force would lose his job instantly.

Lets not beat around the bush. This is anti-white hatred. It doesnt matter at all if Moss is white. First, there has always been a suicidal streak to radical leftism, since the days when the Duke of Orleans voted to guillotine Louis XVI only to be executed himself ten months later. Second, the lefts violently anti-white rhetoric doesnt have to encompass all white people. Rather, it serves the political purpose of automatically treating American whites as class enemies, who are only to be spared ill-treatment or dispossession by special dispensation.

That doesnt mean mass murder is inevitable or imminent. But this sort of rhetoric is the exact kind of dehumanizing, totalizing rhetoric used to justify the worst atrocities against the largest groups of people. Labeling white people as insatiable parasites, as fonts of white fragility or whitelash or white rage responsible for all of Americas political ills, fuels the cultural moment where it is acceptable to racially discriminate against white people, denying them jobs, university seats, and other opportunities purely on the basis of race. It drives an environment where leaders openly talk about levying special taxes aimed at white people or seizing their assets to redistribute to more favored races.

Its necessary for the right to label exactly what is going on. Yet right now, those who are most aware of the danger remain hesitant.

James Lindsay is an American mathematician who gained notoriety in 2018 for hoaxing the grievance studies industry with a series of bogus papers bearing titles like The Conceptual Penis as a Social Construct and Our Struggle is My Struggle, which rewrote portions of Hitlers Mein Kampf to make it a feminist tract.

Since his hoax, Lindsay has continued to warn about the disastrous and even deadly ramifications of Americas new totalitarian ideology. And after Mosss sickening paper dropped, Lindsay sounded the alarm:

In light of "On Having Whiteness," which characterizes white people as parasites with no known permanent cure, I'm going to re-up this statement I made before about Wokeness containing the seed of a genocide. https://t.co/Pjiy4AiMcY  James Lindsay, intentionally unendurable intellect (@ConceptualJames) June 9, 2021

Lindsay clearly states what he means, and his meaning is also intuitive to anybody willing to use common sense. This isnt about mass murder being imminent, or that if it did happen it would target all white people or only white people. That is a reductionist oversimplification. But what is happening is very clear: anti-white extremists on the left are being casually allowed to propound the most violent, psychopathic rhetoric possible about white people as a collective, and this is dismissed as some meaningless flourish.

Yet disturbingly, Lindsays comments were met with immediate and even over-the-top hostility from his own supposed ideological allies.

Opposition to "wokeness" & Critical Race Theory is one thing. Suggesting that the majority racial group in the US is on the verge of being slaughtered is another. If a sharp line is not drawn between the 2, they will become conflated by progressives to discredit anti-CRT efforts;  Claire Lehmann (@clairlemon) June 9, 2021

Lots of Lindsays supporters are arguing that Ive misrepresented him. I just dont see how thats the case. pic.twitter.com/rhhrEi53wr  Claire Lehmann (@clairlemon) June 10, 2021

Even Chris Rufo, who has done heroic work both exposing and banning critical race theory at the state and local level, reacted to Lindsays statements with dismay.

The language is really awful and reckless, especially in a lot of the "critical whiteness studies" material. But this all operates in the postmodern/symbolic world. We should be careful of making hyperbolic predictions/warnings.  Christopher F. Rufo  (@realchrisrufo) June 9, 2021

We respect the work that Rufo has done, but he is dead wrong on this matter. Calling the violent fantasies of extremists merely symbolic is playing along with the lefts ratchet strategy, where rhetoric steadily gets more expansive and more explicit in its demands, while reserving the right to say just kidding! every time there is pushback. This ratchet is how America went from police reform to abolish the police and abolish prisons. And its how America has gone from symbolic demands for reparations to American cities literally awarding money to some people based on skin color.

This is a recurring problem for Rufo, as well. Last month, when Marc Lamont Hill asked Rufo to say a single positive thing about being white, he was unable to answer.

What do you like about being White? I asked this question to anti- Critical Race Theory advocate Christopher Rufo. He stated that Whiteness was always only painted as negative, so I asked him to offer something different. Peep his response: pic.twitter.com/H5IkAyv2Co  Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) May 26, 2021

Even Rufo, despite all his victories, is letting himself be mentally conquered by the lefts ideology. Its an ideology that, on a basic level, sees the very word white as intrinsically bad, and practically dangerous to utter.

No other group is treated this way. No other groups defenders are forced to contort themselves like this. Defenders of Chinas Uighurs arent forced to say that theyre really just defending the right of Uighurs to be treated as individuals. It isnt Uighur supremacy when they demand fair treatment and oppose the destruction of their culture. It isnt dangerous for the concept of Uighurness to exist. If a Chinese Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote a bestseller condemning the dysfunction of people who believe they are Uighurs, everybody would immediately recognize the sinister undertones, the desire to erase and deny the very existence of a group one hates. Yet the actual Ta-Nehisi Coates writes exactly that about people who believe they are white, and the Globalist American Empire treats him as a leading intellectual.

Every day, ordinary American white people are subjected a propaganda blitzkrieg that treats them as the intractable source of all problems in America, incapable of reform or redemption. Even the mildest statement in defense of white people as a group is treated as an unthinkable taboo.

In D.C. the local government rewarded the worst looting in decades by painting BLACK LIVES MATTER in mammoth letters down a major street less than one week later. But at Ohio Wesleyan University in 2019, the FBI came in to criminally investigate someone putting up posters that simply said Its okay to be white. The FBI also joined with state and local police to investigate the same sign at Western Connecticut State University. Its okay to be white hasnt been linked to a single act of mayhem and destruction yet it is treated as a national crisis, while dozens of major riots in the name of BLM have only entrenched it as state ideology. Why? Because, in America right now, it is emphatically not okay to be white.

All white people are racist, only white people are racist, and reverse racism doesnt exist may not be believed by everyone, but they are stale tropes resurrected endlessly when needed to justify new discriminatory policies or more anti-white agitation.

In early 2020, Anthony Ferrill murdered five coworkers at the Molson Coors brewery in Milwaukee. Subsequent coverage subtly suggested the workers may have deserved it due to racism at the plant, since an unknown person left a noose in Ferrills locker five years before the shooting. What was the fix? As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote a year later, changes to the companys policies to disfavor whites.

In the 12 months since the shooting, Molson Coors says it has hired a consulting firm to review its policies, pledged to hire more people of color and given employees more opportunities to share criticism and feedback  work executives say they know must continue. But efforts to speak to current employees about their experience were unsuccessful. An expert in workplace discrimination and diversity said lasting change requires a hard look at a companys values and sustained effort from supervisors up and down the chain of command on every part of an employees experience: from hiring and promotions to the way their complaints are handled. [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

America cannot survive if the right continues to live in denial about what is happening. They are not simply locked in a battle with Marxism or critical race theory. Both could vanish tomorrow, and the real threat would remain. The actors of the Globalist American Empire who call white supremacy the nations top security threat, or blame nice white parents for the problems in education, or melt down over birdwatching being too white, arent being motivated by the finer points of Marxism. Theyve simply been trained, at an instinctive level, to despise white people. Less white is good, more white is bad. And once that concept has been made explicit, even the worst atrocities become possible.

The vast majority of Americans do not want to live in a country marred by racial hatred. They believe in fairness, equal opportunity, and treating people as individuals. Even in California, despite a huge spending advantage and the support of almost every nexus of power in the state, a proposition to legalize explicit racial discrimination failed decisively with the states voters.

The lefts rhetoric of race hatred is evil, but its also unpopular. It survives because its proponents lie about what it is, and their enemies are too frightened to call them out. Contrary to the lefts repeated smears and lies, the right has long avoided racializing Americas policy debates. Even now, half a decade after it became cringeworthy, its still more common to see Republicans accuse Democrats of being the real racists against Americas non-whites than it is to see them bluntly state the truth about the lefts anti-white impulses.

The time for this to change is now. From now on, it is the duty of the rights opinion leaders to openly say what the extremist anti-white left is doing: Deliberately tolerating and enabling violent, dehumanizing, and yes, pre-genocidal rhetoric against innocent American white people. Americans of all races will be ready to resist this. But they need leaders who will honestly say what is happening.

Read more at: Revolver.news and AntiWhite.news.
(Natural News) Notice how its all the blue states that are still enforcing mask mandates and pushing the hardest for vaccination? The scamdemic is how the election was stolen by the REAL white supremacists (Democrats), who hate Blacks, and Jews, and Christians, and all Americans for that matter. The hooded Democrats are still hard at work cheating, lying, stealing, persecuting, race-bating, and staging events to keep their base wallowing in hate, racism and stupidity.

Yet, its no surprise, because the Democrat Party has been crushing human rights and constitutional freedoms since its inception. Yes, the Democrat Party defended slavery and FOUNDED the Ku Klux Klan, a.k.a. the KKK (those masked freaks that burned churches and hanged Blacks, including women and children).

Let us not forget its been the Democrat Party thats fought AGAINST civil rights and racial equality. BLM and Antifa are anti-fascist about as much as hanging Blacks is pro-equality. Its a huge sham, and tens of millions of young Americans fell for the ploy, supporting more KKK-style burning of Black-owned businesses and killing Blacks on the streets of every metropolitan city you can name. Democrats support riots. Democrats support releasing all criminals from jail, including the Whites who kill Blacks. Oh, wait, you didnt think about that yet, did you. Let it simmer in your brain for a minute.

The hooded freaks have now become the Covid-masked freaks, who hate a whole race of people and use violence to express it

You know, hating ALL White people is just as racist as hating all Black people. Dont be stupid. Stop supporting the Democrats. The Democrat Party made cancel culture go viral. The Democrats own the right arm of all propaganda, including Google, Fakebook, Twitter, most of YouTube content, all the major TV networks, and of course, the bloody newspapers (that all the local schmucks think is real news).

The Blue States are wrought with masked haters, who want everyone without a mask arrested violently, thrown in jail, force-vaccinated and fined huge sums of money just for being alive. Seize them!

Most of the masked Democrats are suffocating so badly in their masks from the lack of oxygen that theyre pent-up-anger is worsening by the day, by the hour, by the minute, and they would absolutely LOVE to see some Trump fans and non-mask wearing patriots be hung in town square, so they could cheer it on like Hunger Games.

Covid-masks have become the new KKK hoods for the Democrats and the race-hating lib-tards

Covid-masks have become the KKK hoods for the Democrats and the libtards that push their hate agenda as hard as humanly possible. They would love to burn down some Jewish temples and Christian churches, where people worship the God who grants us wisdom and serenity. Democrats love their KKK masks because they can riot in the streets, throw bricks and fire bombs at police, beat down anyone with a red shirt or hat on, and loot stores for merchandise, and they cant be identified by video or camera (or so they believe).

Yes, the Democrats imposed segregation, remember? Now they want to segregate the unvaccinated, Hitler style. Mad-masked Demoncrats are enraged when they see a non-KKK member (unmasked American) walking outside, or in a store, and they want to kill them, if they could only get away with it. They want to send us all to concentration camps and have us gassed to death, just for putting them at risk, even though the Covid vaccines are the greatest health risk theyll ever take.

The Republicans wanted to end slavery. The Republicans want to end Covid-masks. Donald Trump supported Blacks and Jews. He worked wonders for womens rights, especially in the workplace. Trump was never a racist  it was all just video tricks edited by the KKK-founding Democrats, who now support Iran, a country thats wants to wipe Israel off the map.

The biggest con the Democrat Party ever pulled off was convincing nearly all Black Americans that they support them

The Democrats thought up a strategy in the 1960s, once Blacks were finally allowed to vote, that would trick most of them into voting for their own demise. They knew they needed monetary help getting on their feet, so instead of helping them get jobs, they invented WELFARE, keeping them in cycles of government dependency, and thus winning their votes year in and year out. It worked. Democrats also kept the ghettos full, and put liquor stores, porn shops and fast food joints on every metro corner. Keep them broke, their minds dirty, and their bellies full of poison. That was the plan, and still is today. Can you see it now?

Democrat policies have re-enslaved Blacks and all Americans. Masks, social distancing, closing all non-essential businesses for Covid  this has all been a Democrat plan from the outset. Their plan is to wipe out the middle class so everyone is poor and in need of Big Government rescue. Its time to take off that KKK-Covid mask and be free!

Make smart health decisions. Choose natural medicine. Eat clean, unprocessed, organic food. Take key supplements like vitamin D and zinc. Oh, and keep that mask on China Joe, you fake President. We know your party supports genocide of Blacks and Jews. Maybe you should go ahead and put a few Ks on that mask, just so you can represent properly.

Tune your internet frequency to Pandemic.news for updates on how to prepare for the upcoming VACCINE PANDEMIC and the Demoncratic communist apocalypse.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

NaturalNews.com

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com

TheGatewayPundit.com
Facebook Is Hub of Sex Recruitment in U.S., Report Says

(Natural News) (Article republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)

CBS News reported:

The majority of online recruitment in active sex trafficking cases in the U.S. last year took place on Facebook, according to the Human Trafficking Institutes 2020 Federal Human Trafficking Report.

The internet has become the dominant tool that traffickers use to recruit victims, and they often recruit them on a number of very common social networking websites, Human Trafficking Institute CEO Victor Boutros said on CBSN Wednesday. Facebook overwhelmingly is used by traffickers to recruit victims in active sex trafficking cases.

Active cases include those in which defendants were charged in 2020, as well as those in which defendants were charged in previous years and charges were still pending in trial last year or the case was on appeal.

Facebook Faces Antitrust Investigations in Europe

Common Dreams reported:

European regulators late last week announced two separate antitrust investigations into Facebook regarding its use of advertising data.

The probes, one from the European Commission and the other from the U.K.s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), come amid sustained scrutiny over the breadth and impact of the social media giants data collection practices.

European Commission regulators will focus on Facebooks advertising data gathered in particular from advertisers in order to compete with them in markets where Facebook is active such as classified ads.

Further assessment will be given to whether Facebook ties its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its social network, in breach of EU competition rules, the commissions said.

Condition of Employment: Hospitals in DC, Across the Nation Follow Houston Methodist in Requiring Vaccination for Workers

MSN reported:

Most hospitals in Washington, D.C., will require employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, joining a growing number of health care systems and other businesses nationwide in opting for the controversial mandate.

The hospitals will each set a date after which vaccination will be a condition of employment, the District of Columbia Hospital Association said in a statement Tuesday. The hospitals will comply with all federal and district laws regarding exemptions for medical or religious reasons, the statement said.

Canada Privacy Regulator Says Federal Police Broke Laws Using Facial Recognition Software

Reuters reported:

The Canadian federal police force broke the law when they used facial recognition software, the countrys top privacy regulator found in a report released on Thursday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in February 2020 that for four months they had been using Clearview AI, a U.S.-based facial recognition software company that cross-references photos with a database compiled from photos posted to social media. It is not clear when the RCMP stopped using the software.

Clearview AI has been barred from operating in Canada since July 2020.

Victoria Filmmakers Documentary Examines Sinister Side of Facial Recognition Technology

Times Colonist reported:

Discriminator, director Brett Gaylors new independent film about facial recognition software, is as close to a horror movie Hollywood has ever produced  but theres nary a ghost, serial killer, or unexplained phenomenon anywhere in sight.

The Victoria filmmakers short film about how technology companies are worming their way into our lives has a doomsday quality to it, and should leave viewers an overwhelming sense of dread. Will it? Probably not, which is a scarier proposition than much of what appears in Discrimination.

Have an Amazon Device? The Tech Giant May Help Itself to Your Wi-Fi

News Nation reported:

Do you own an Amazon smart device? If so, odds are good that the company is already sharing your internet connection with your neighbors unless youve specifically told it not to.

On Tuesday, the company launched a program that forces users of many Echo smart speakers and Ring security cameras to automatically share a small portion of their home wireless bandwidth with neighbors. The only way to stop it is to turn it off yourself.

Amazon says the program, called Amazon Sidewalk, is a way to make sure lights, smart locks and other gadgets outside the home and out of reach of a Wi-Fi connection stay working.

But some experts warn that the technology is so new that privacy and security risks remain unclear. And almost no one seems happy that Amazon forced consumers into Amazon Sidewalk  or that many people may not know they can opt out of it.

India and Tech Companies Clash Over Censorship, Privacy and Digital Colonialism

NPR reported:

One night last month, police crowded into the lobby of Twitters offices in Indias capital New Delhi. They were from an elite squad that normally investigates terrorism and organized crime, and said they were trying to deliver a notice alerting Twitter to misinformation allegedly tweeted by opposition politicians.

But they arrived at 8 p.m. And Twitters offices were closed anyway, under a coronavirus lockdown. Its unclear if they ever managed to deliver their notice. They released video of their raid afterward to Indian TV channels and footage shows them negotiating with security guards in the lobby.

The May 24 police raid  which Twitter later called an intimidation tactic  was one of the latest salvos in a confrontation between the Indian government and social media companies over what online content gets investigated or blocked, and who gets to decide.

Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org and FacebookCollapse.com.
(Natural News) The axis of liberal media outlets and their allied activist groups  CNN, NBC News, The Washington Post, Media Matters  are in an angry uproar over a recent report questioning the foreknowledge and involvement of the FBI in the January 6 Capitol riot. As soon as that new report was published on Monday, a consensus instantly emerged in these liberal media precincts that this is an unhinged, ignorant and insane conspiracy theory that deserves no consideration.

(Article by Glenn Greenwald republished from Greenwald.Substack.com)

The original report, published by Revolver News and then amplified by Fox News Tucker Carlson, documented ample evidence of FBI infiltration of the three key groups at the center of the 1/6 investigation  the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and the Three Percenters  and noted how many alleged riot leaders from these groups have not yet been indicted. While low-level protesters have been aggressively charged with major felonies and held without bail, many of the alleged plot leaders have thus far been shielded from charges.

The implications of these facts are obvious. It seems extremely likely that the FBI had numerous ways to know of any organized plots regarding the January 6 riot (just as the U.S. intelligence community, by its own admission, had ample advanced clues of the 9/11 attack but, according to their excuse, tragically failed to connect the dots). There is no doubt that the FBI has infiltrated at least some if not all of these groups  which it has been warning for years pose a grave national security threat  with informants and/or undercover spies. It is known that Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio has served as an FBI informant in the past, and the disrupted 2020 plot by Three Percenters members to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) was shaped and driven by what The Wall Street Journal reported were the FBIs undercover agents and confidential informants.

What would be shocking and strange is not if the FBI had embedded informants and other infiltrators in the groups planning the January 6 Capitol riot. What would be shocking and strange  bizarre and inexplicable  is if the FBI did not have those groups under tight control. And yet the suggestion that FBI informants may have played some role in the planning of the January 6 riot was instantly depicted as something akin to, say, 9/11 truth theories or questions about the CIAs role in JFKs assassination or, until a few weeks ago, the COVID lab-leak theory: as something that, from the perspective of Respectable Serious Circles, only a barely-sane, tin-foil-hat-wearing lunatic would even entertain.

This reaction is particularly confounding given how often the FBI did exactly this during the first War on Terror, and how commonplace discussions of this tactic were in mainstream liberal circles. Over the last decade, I reported on countless cases for The Guardian and The Intercept where the FBI targeted some young American Muslims they viewed as easily manipulated  due to financial distress, emotional problems, or both  and then deployed informants and undercover agents to dupe them into agreeing to join terrorist plots that had been created, designed and funded by the FBI itself, only to then congratulate themselves for breaking up the plot which they themselves initiated. As I asked in one headline about a particularly egregious entrapment case: Why Does the FBI Have to Manufacture its Own Plots if Terrorism and ISIS Are Such Grave Threats?

In 2011, Mother Jones published an outstanding, lengthy investigation by reporter Trevor Aaronson, entitled The Informations, which asked: The FBI has built a massive network of spies to prevent another domestic attack. But are they busting terrorist plotsor leading them? Aaronson covered numerous similar cases for The Intercept where the FBI designed, directed and even funded the terror plots and other criminal rings they then boasted of disrupting. A widely praised TEDTalk by Aaronson, which, in the words of organizers, reveals a disturbing FBI practice that breeds terrorist plots by exploiting Muslim-Americans with mental health problems, featured this central claim: Theres an organization responsible for more terrorism plots in the United States than al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab and ISIS combined: The FBI.

So far from being some warped conspiracy theory, that the FBI purposely targets vulnerable people and infiltrates groups in order to create attacks and direct targets to engage in them is indisputably true, well established, and a commonly reported fact in mainstream liberal media. Exactly that has been happening for decades.

Yet the DNC-loyal sector of the corporate media reacted to the Revolver News article and Carlsons segment which raised these questions as though they were positing something that no sentient being could possibly regard as viable. CNN  which spent years leading its viewers to believe that the Kremlin controlled the U.S. Government through sexual and financial blackmail  published what they labeled a fact-check that denounced this as a haywire theory that is nothing more than a conspiratorial web of unproven claims, half-truths and inaccurate drivel about perceived bombshells in court filings.

As it usually does, The Washington Post  which told Americans that Russians had invaded the U.S. electricity grid and that a huge army of Kremlin-loyal American writers was shaping our discourse  echoed the instant CNN/liberal consensus by mocking it as Tucker Carlsons wild, baseless theory, claiming that its the kind of suggestion journalists in other organizations would quite possibly be fired for if they sought to push it nearly as hard. The standard liberal blob of HuffPost/ DailyBeast/ BusinessInsider all recited from the herd script. A laughable conspiracy theory, chortled The Huffington Post, who has done more to help the FBI find citizens allegedly at the Capitol riot than any local law enforcement agency.

What accounts for this furious liberal #Resistance to questioning the FBIs role in the January 6 riot and asking whether there are vital facts that are being concealed? There was one minor analytical flaw in both the Revolver News article and Carlson segment that they seized on by pretending that it was central to the question rather than what it was: a completely ancillary distraction. It is true that it is highly unlikely, probably close to impossible, that the FBI would refer to someone they were directing or collaborating with as an unindicted co-conspirator because, by definition, someone working at the behest of the FBI would not be a conspirator in a plot since they would lack the necessary intent to forward that plot (their intent, instead, is to tell the FBI what is being plotted). CNN hauled out some career federal prosecutor and current corporate lawyer, their Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig, to spend five minutes pretending that this single-handedly destroys the case.

But rather than some devastating theory-destroying point, this is ultimately irrelevant to the evidence marshaled by Revolver News. While it is true that unindicted co-conspirator almost certainly does not refer to FBI informants or operatives, the numerous references to Person-1, Person-2, etc. very well could [indeed, in the case of the FBI-directed plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer, CHS-1, CHS-2, etc. (confidential human source) is how the FBI informants driving that plot were referenced]. These are common tactics that the FBI uses to reference the acts of their own unindicted informants without revealing their identity. And while some of the unnamed-but-referenced people in the charging documents are known (one is the spouse one of those charged), several are not.

The questions raised by the Revolver News reporting, which none of these smug FBI defenders and guardians of the liberal consensus can answer, remain:

How is it remotely credible that the FBI did not have informants in these three groups that they have been identifying as major threats for years, especially given the reporting that the leader of the Proud Boys  conveniently arrested the day before January 6  was an FBI informant in the past, along with the confirmed reporting that the FBI had multiple informants in the Michigan Three Percenters case?

Why are low-level protesters being charged with major crimes while the alleged organizers of this riot and the leaders of these groups have not been?

Why are enormous amounts of video surveillance footage from January 6 still being concealed?

What happened to the alleged planting of pipe bombs near the Capitol?

Why did the FBI not take more aggressive action given the once-denied but now-confirmed fact that the social media platform Parler sent the FBI advanced warnings of specific plots to use violence at the Capitol?

A big deal:@RepMaloney: "Committee has obtained docs showing that  Parler sent the FBI evidence of planned violence in DC on January 6. Parlor referred this content to FBI for investigation OVER 50 TIMES" including "specific threats of violence being planned at the Capitol." pic.twitter.com/67ZsMxyPJn  Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) June 15, 2021

If the FBI had advanced knowledge of what was being plotted yet did nothing to stop the attack, it raises numerous possibilities about why that is. It could be that they just had yet another intelligence failure of the kind that they claimed caused them to miss the 9/11 attack and therefore need massive new surveillance authorities, budget increases, and new Patriot-Act-type laws to fix it. It could be that they allowed the riot to happen because they did not take it seriously enough or because some of them supported the cause behind it, or because they realized that there would be benefits to the security state if it happened. Or it could be that they were using those operatives under their control to plot with, direct, and drive the attack  as they have done so many times in the past  and allowed it to happen out of either negligence or intent.

Nobody is claiming to know the answers to those questions, including Revolver News, Carlson, or anyone else. Instead, they are doing the work of actual journalists  pointing out the gaping holes in the public record about what we do and do not know about an event that is being exploited to launch a new domestic War on Terror, prompt massive new police and security state spending, and empower and justify new domestic surveillance and censorship authorities. Anyone not asking these questions or, worse, trying to delegitmize them, is a propagandist and has no business calling themselves a journalist.

But why does this description apply to so many in the undifferentiated liberal corporate media blob, the employees who work for media corporations and barely pretend any longer to conceal their DNC-supporting posture? One answer is that, as a result of the Trump years, they now revere security state institutions like the FBI and CIA, and are thus reflexively angered by suggestion that these agencies may be less than truthful in their statements and less than honorable in their conduct:

But the primary reason is that their newsrooms are filled with former FBI operatives, CIA agents, and other former employees of the security state. CNN has more FBI agents and federal prosecutors working for it than anyone outside of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI headquarters in Washington. When they go to analyze any matters involving the FBI, they rely on career FBI agents and officials to tell them what to think. And youll never guess what these FBI operatives tell them: trust the FBI; only malicious conspiracists wonder if the FBI is lying and has been engaged in treachery; those who malign the FBI are liars. Here is just one of CNNs countless FBI operatives doing her job:

In virtually every segment that they have done since the Revolver News article was published, CNN, in order to angrily mock questions about the FBI, brings on FBI officials like former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe  who got caught lying to the FBI and barely escaped prosecution for it  to insist that the honorable agency would never do any such thing:

CHRIS CUOMO: Lets talk about what is true, and not true, in this scenario. Former FBI Director Andrew McCabe. Person one, person two, unindicted co-conspirator, those are you guys. Those are  those are Feds, undercover. Whats the reality? ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FBI: The reality, Chris, is that were going to  were going to go into, very briefly, a little law lesson here, because I am convinced that your viewers are smarter than Tucker Carlson.

Just think about a purported news outlet saying this: Lets talk about what is true, and not true, in this scenario. Former FBI Director Andrew McCabe.

While MSNBC prefers ex-CIA officials like John Brennan, CNN is practically overrun with former FBI officials, agents and operatives. But NBC News is also the home to FBI caricatures like this:

Look at these FBI cartoons these media corporations employ. Then they haul them out to tell everyone that only malignant conspiracists and insane losers would ponder the possibility that the FBI was engaged in deceit or other forms of manipulation regarding an event that has taken on central importance in their quest for more power and money. And their liberal viewers and the liberal journalists who watch these networks nod in agreement because they think they are hearing from the real, honest experts: the security state agents they have been trained to revere.

But all the mockery in the world does not make these questions disappear. Of course the FBI was infiltrating the groups they claim were behind these attacks. There may be good reasons why that did not enable the FBI to stop this riot or why they have not yet indicted these ringleaders. But those answers are not yet known. And gullible conspiracists are not the ones who want answers to these questions but, instead, are the ones doing everything possible to protect the FBI from having to provide them.

Read more at: Greenwald.Substack.com and FBICorruption.news.
(Natural News) A full 19 days prior to the official announcement of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, drug giant Moderna sent covid vaccine samples to the University of North Carolina (UNC), new evidence shows.

A confidentiality agreement that recently came to light suggests that Chinese Virus injections were already being manufactured before anyone even started testing positive, proving once again that this whole thing was schemed long in advance.

Prashant Bhushan tweeted information about the agreement, dated Dec. 19, 2019, between Tony Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Ralph Baric, who we now know collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) to conduct illegal gain of function research on bat coronaviruses.

So, on Dec. 19, 2019, 19 days before the plandemic became official, injections for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) were signed off on for later release. That sure is a whole lot of 19s.

According to Great Game India, the confidentiality agreement states that providers Moderna and the NIAID agreed to transfer mRNA coronavirus vaccine candidates jointly developed by the aforementioned entities to UNC, where Baric works.

Baric was the first to sign off on it, followed by Jacqueline Quay, Director of Licensing and Innovation Support at UNC on Dec. 16, 2019. The agreement was also signed by two representatives from the NIAID, including Amy F. Petrik, a technology transfer specialist who signed it on Dec. 12, 2019.

Another signatory was Barney Graham, an NIAID investigator. His signature, however, was not dated. There is also Sunny Himansu, a Moderna investigator, and Shaun Ryan, Modernas Deputy General Counsel, both of whom signed it on Dec. 17, 2019.

Fauci, Moderna, NIAID, UNC and Baric all complicit in covid scam

Again, the World Health Organization (WHO) did not officially announce the existence of the Wuhan Flu until Dec. 31, 2019, when it was announced that a cluster of viral pneumonia cases had appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Even at this point, however, there was no evidence to suggest that the viral pneumonia cases had anything to do with a coronavirus, let alone what has now come to be known as the Chinese Virus.

It was not until early 2020 that the WHO or any other public health agency switched from unknown cause to covid in terms of reporting on the phenomenon. And yet Fauci and his friends already had a vaccine ready and waiting, which Donald Trump then started to aggressively push through Operation Warp Speed.

On Jan. 9, 2020, or 1/9  another 19  the WHO started to report that Chinese authorities had determined that the outbreak was caused by a bat coronavirus that was later officially dubbed as SARS-CoV-2, the successor to the original SARS from past media reporting.

It is about time that Fauci and friends appeared before a proper court of law to explain themselves. How and why did they have a coronavirus injection ready and waiting before there was even a plandemic? And how and why is Fauci still even working in government after decades of lies and abuse of his post?

The Fire Fauci Act could not be more relevant. If passed, Faucis salary would be immediately reduced to $0 and an official Senate confirmation would be required to fill his position with someone else.

Just goes to show you this was a pandemic built on lies and deflection, wrote one commenter at Great Game India. And political parties are involved up to their necks. Your own government is conspiring to kill you.

No big surprise here because they had it planned a very long time albeit the virus didnt come about by them until 2019, wrote another. Who are they?

More related news about Chinese Virus deception can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

GreaetGameIndia.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) When Fulton County, Ga., poll manager Suzi Voyles sorted through a large stack of mail-in ballots last November, she noticed an alarmingly odd pattern of uniformity in the markings for Joseph R. Biden. One after another, the absentee votes contained perfectly filled-in ovals for Biden  except that each of the darkened bubbles featured an identical white void inside them in the shape of a tiny crescent, indicating theyd been marked with toner ink instead of a pen or pencil.

(Article by Paul Sperry republished from RealClearInvestigations.com)

Adding to suspicions, she noticed that all of the ballots were printed on different stock paper than the others she handled as part of a statewide hand recount of the razor-thin Nov. 3 presidential election. And none was folded or creased, as she typically observed in mail-in ballots that had been removed from envelopes.

In short, the Biden votes looked like theyd been duplicated by a copying machine.

All of them were strangely pristine, said Voyles, who said shed never seen anything like it in her 20 years monitoring elections in Fulton County, which includes much of Atlanta.

She wasnt alone. At least three other poll workers observed the same thing in stacks of absentee ballots for Biden processed by the county, and they have joined Voyles in swearing under penalty of perjury that they looked fake.

Now election watchdogs have used their affidavits to help convince a state judge to unseal all of the 147,000 mail-in ballots counted in Fulton and allow a closer inspection of the suspicious Biden ballots for evidence of counterfeiting. They argue that potentially tens of thousands may have been manufactured in a race that Biden won by just 12,000 votes thanks to a late surge of mail-in ballots counted after election monitors were shooed from State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

We have what is almost surely major absentee-ballot fraud in Fulton County involving 10,000 to 20,000 probably false ballots, said Garland Favorito, the lead petitioner in the case and a certified poll watcher who runs VoterGa.org, one of the leading advocates for election integrity in the state.

He said the suspect ballots remain in the custody of the election officials and inaccessible from public view.

We have confirmed that there are five pallets of shrink-wrapped ballots in a county warehouse, Favorito said in an interview with RealClearInvestigations.

He and other petitioners were ordered to meet at the warehouse May 28 to settle the terms of the inspection of the absentee ballots. But the day before the scheduled meeting, the county filed a flurry of motions to dismiss the case, delaying the inspection indefinitely.

We will be in court on June 21 to resolve these motions, said Favorito, calling them another roadblock the county has tried to throw in their way. He expects talks over the logistics of the inspection to resume after the Fourth of July holiday.

As part of his May 21 order, Superior Court Judge Brian Amero requested officials guard the warehouse around the clock until an inspection date can be set. But just eight days later, a breach in security was reported after sheriffs deputies left their post for a couple of hours.

The front door was [found] unlocked and wide open in violation of the court order, Favorito said.

County officials confirmed that a motion-detection alarm was triggered Saturday, May 29, shortly after the deputies drove away from the building in their patrol cars around 4 p.m. But they said a locked room where the ballots are kept was never breached or compromised.

Favorito is not convinced, and his lawyer is seeking to obtain the video footage from building security cameras. How do we know for certain there was no tampering with the ballots? asked Favorito, who said he did not vote for Donald Trump.

News of the security lapse caught the attention of the former President, who has claimed his loss to Biden was marred by fraud. In a statement, he implied election officials in the Democratic-controlled county are trying to hide evidence of fraud. They are afraid of what might be found, he asserted.

Trump is also closely monitoring the ongoing election audit in Arizona, another red state that turned blue in 2020. If evidence of fraud is found in these key swing states, it might help confirm suspicions the election was stolen from Trump and the 74 million who voted for him  as a recent poll found 61% of Republicans believe  as well as provide the proof of voter fraud that Democrats and major media have long claimed doesnt exist.

The cases could potentially give other battleground states incentive to take steps to tighten election security and root out fraud, including passing legislation to limit the use of controversial mail-in drop boxes and require the verification of signatures on such ballots. In Georgia, relatively few mail-in ballots were rejected for invalid signatures in the November general election, even though several thousand had been disqualified for signature issues in the primary election.

In a move that inspired national boycotts alleging voter suppression, Georgia recently passed a law limiting, but not removing, the drop boxes. The state had installed them for the first time in 2020 under pressure from Democratic groups, who argued officials needed to make voting easier for minorities who didnt trust the mail and feared going to the polls during the COVID scare.

The 38 drop boxes Fulton distributed throughout the county in the November election will be cut to eight in the future. The boxes had been largely unregulated and unattended  located outdoors, open 24 hours a day and available for drop-offs until the evening of Election Day, prompting complaints of ballot stuffing and double voting. But now they have to be located inside election offices or early voting locations, and can only be available during the hours when early voting is permitted. The new law also requires ballots be printed on special security paper.

Voting by mail traditionally was limited to voters who had clearly defined and well-documented reasons to be absent from the polls. But Democrats in key swing states lobbied to relax the rules in the middle of the election and amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mail-in or drop-off ballots create opportunities for voter error and fraud. In a typical election, one in 20 mailed ballots are rejected, according to recent studies. More than 534,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during the 2020 Democratic primaries alone.

Still, both Republican and Democratic officials in Georgia say they have found no credible evidence of widespread fraud in the general election. Democrats, as well as many major media outlets, have written off Favoritos groups allegations of fraud as conspiracy theories.

This is nothing more than a circus thats being put on by those who promote the big lie  that Trump won the election, said Robb Pitts, the Democratic chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Where does it end? The votes have been counted. The elections have been certified. Its over.

Pitts effectively controls the county elections board through his Democratic appointee Mary Carole Cooney, who runs the board. They are in charge of securing the pallets of disputed Biden mail-in ballots awaiting inspection in the county warehouse.

But Judge Amero, who federal elections records show is a Democratic donor, felt compelled to unseal the ballots for a forensics review after reading the sworn affidavits submitted by election monitors. Here are key witnesses in the case:

Suzi Voyles, a veteran Fulton poll manager who audited the Nov. 14 recount at Georgia World Congress Center, testified she examined several stacks of ballots of about 100 ballots each from a cardboard box marked Box No. 5  Absentee  Batch Numbers 28-36. She said these ballots came from the ballot [drop] boxes that had been placed throughout Fulton County.

Most of the ballots had already been handled; they had been written on by people, and the edges were worn. They showed obvious use, she wrote in her Nov. 17 affidavit. However, one batch stood out. It was pristine. There was a difference in the texture of the paper, and these mail-in ballots hadnt been folded even though they ostensibly had been removed from envelopes.

All but three of the 110 ballots in the bundle  which had been labeled State Farm Arena  were marked for Biden and appeared to be identical ballots.

The most alarming peculiarity was the identically marked ovals next to Bidens name. In every ballot, The bubble next to Joseph R. Biden had a slight white eclipse in the bubble, she said, leading her to believe that the batch of 107 Biden ballots had been copied from a single ballot.

Voyles speculated that additional absentee ballots had been added [for Biden] in a fraudulent manner at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on election night.

The void she and other auditors witnessed in the exact same spot of the oval filled in on 107 ballots for Biden was alarming to us, Voyles said in an RCI interview. Every single bubble was precisely alike. I had never seen that before in 20 years of election monitoring.

But when she and other recount workers raised concerns with county election officials, we were told not to worry about it, she said. They seemed uninterested in the [integrity of the] ballots.

After Voyles later blew the whistle in affidavits and state election hearings, she was fired as a poll manager by the Fulton County Department of Elections. I got the boot for speaking the truth, she told RCI.

Robin Hall , a certified Fulton County recount observer, also testified she witnessed a number of boxes of absentee ballots marked 100% for Biden that appeared to be perfectly filled out as if they were pre-printed with the presidential candidate selected. She stated: They did not look like a person had filled this out at home. All of them looked alike.

, a certified Fulton County recount observer, also testified she witnessed a number of boxes of absentee ballots marked 100% for Biden that appeared to be perfectly filled out as if they were pre-printed with the presidential candidate selected. She stated: They did not look like a person had filled this out at home. All of them looked alike. Judy Aube also worked at the World Congress Center on Nov. 14 where she observed the same thing: suspicious batches of mail-in ballots for Biden whose markings appeared identical, as if they had been duplicated by a machine and not filled out by a voter at home.

also worked at the World Congress Center on Nov. 14 where she observed the same thing: suspicious batches of mail-in ballots for Biden whose markings appeared identical, as if they had been duplicated by a machine and not filled out by a voter at home. Barbara Hartman, another election official auditor, also doubted the authenticity of absentee ballots she handled that she said were never folded, as would normally be the case for ballots returned in an envelope by mail or dropped in a box. The absentee ballots looked as though they had just come from a fresh stack, she swore in her affidavit. I could not observe any creases in the ballots and [it] did not seem like they were folded and put into envelopes or mailed out. Also, The majority of the mail-in ballots that I reviewed contained suspicious black perfectly bubbled markings for Biden, Hartman stated, adding that they looked as if they were stamped.

The veteran poll watchers found no plausible explanation for the anomalies other than possible fraud.

Read more at: RealClearInvestigations.com and VoteFraud.news.
(Natural News) The reason why some women are victimized by sexual violence is because privileged white women have long wanted all bad men to be imprisoned, contends a new Oxfam staff training document.

At the root of all sexual violence against women is a feminist ethos of locking up men whom they believe are a negative force on earth. This push results in black and brown men lashing out and causing harm in response, Oxfam purports.

Mainstream feminism centres on privileged white women and demands that bad men be fired or imprisoned, the document explains alongside a photo of a white woman crying.

White women crying and demanding that something be done about those who threaten them only legitimizes criminal punishment, harming black and other marginalised people, it further contends.

Staff at the charity are being told to read a book that supports this premise, concluding that: Mainstream feminism is supporting, not undoing, the root causes of sexual violence.

Participating in this training is reportedly voluntary, and the Cult of LGBTQ is already flying off the rails with rage over the fact that women who embrace whatever-wave feminism we have reached are being told that their actions contribute to sexual violence.

White feminist tears are a form of white supremacy

The four-week learning journey, as it has been dubbed, recommends that staff read the book Me Not You: The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism by Alison Phipps, a professor of gender studies at the University of Sussex.

White feminists in particular, the book says, need to take a step back and ask themselves if their beliefs and actions are causing more harm when they claim to try to fight sexual violence.

White feminist tears deploy white woundedness, and the sympathy it generates, to hide the harms we perpetuate through white supremacy, Phipps wrote on Twitter account, summarizing the claims made in her book.

In other words, white liberal women and their allies are a serious problem in society, and every time they whine and cry about something they are perpetuating more white supremacy from a place of privilege.

As to be expected, white feminists are reeling with more white tears and white woundedness at the suggestion that they might be guilty of doing something wrong. Naomi Cunningham, a white woman, says that even making this suggestion at all is a violation of the Equality Act, which bans harassment in the workplace on the basis of sex.

The message seems to be that a woman who reports a rape or sexual assault to the police and presses charges is a contemptible white feminist,' Cunningham surmised.

I think any woman could make an arguable case that this has created or contributed to an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, which is how the Equality Act defines harassment.

In other words, bashing men in all realms of life is no problem and never violates any equality provisions in the workplace, but the minute a white feminists fragility is challenged, all sorts of laws are instantly broken.

Ironically, Cunninghams rush to call on the law to save her and her feminist crew from feeling offended is just another act of white supremacy, according to the Oxfam curriculum.

We believe everyone has the right to freedom of gender identity and expression and will do everything we can to ensure those rights are respected and upheld within our organisation and through our work, a spokesman for Oxfam is quoted as saying in response to Cunninghams objections.

Oxfam treats all allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse extremely seriously and actively encourages people to report wherever they have a concern. How to report is covered thoroughly in our staff training provision.

More related news about feminism and the continued degradation of Western society can be found at Collapse.news.

Sources for this article include:

Ovarit.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Anders Sandberg of the University of Oxford suggests looking for hypothetical star-sized structures called Dyson spheres to find aliens. He notes that if advanced alien civilizations do exist, they may have built one of these spheres and used it as a supercomputer, solar-capture technology or habitat.

I think you can find a bunch of very different uses, said Sandberg, who is a senior research fellow at the Oxfords Future of Humanity Institute. Energy collection is just one. You can, of course, talk about it as living space, which is usually what science fiction tends to do, because it creates an amazing sense of awe when you get so much space.

What is a Dyson sphere?

A Dyson sphere is a theoretical mega-structure that encircles a star with platforms in tight formation. It is the ultimate solution to a lack of living space and insufficient energy production, as it provides enough room for habitation and can capture all the energy emitted by the star.

The structure was named after British-American mathematician Freeman Dyson, who first speculated about Dyson spheres in 1960. He suggested that the land area and energy needs of an intelligent alien species would grow exponentially as its population and industries grew at a modest one percent per year.

To ensure its survival, the alien race would build a structure bigger than its star. Called a Dyson sphere, the structure would be built by taking apart a Jupiter-sized planet and spreading its mass in a spherical shell. The shell would then be placed at twice the Earth-sun distance and could be made comfortably habitable, Dyson said.

However, his idea did not take off at the time because it was quite radical. What Freeman Dyson did in his Dyson sphere paper is of course point out that, actually, we might want to look for industrial activities that are not intended to communicate, Sandberg said, referring to the fact that the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligences (SETI) efforts decades ago consisted mostly of listening for strange radio signals.

Its just that [aliens] create structures that we would not normally see in nature and that would be very visible because theyre so extreme. And that was a crazy idea back in the sixties and seventies. People were not really ready for it.

In 1999, Sandberg published a paper that discussed how Dyson spheres would work. He hypothesized that these mega-structures would probably be used as star-size supercomputers to power an advanced artificial intelligence, which he playfully called Jupiter brain.

He was inspired to use the term after other scientists joked about literally converting Jupiter into a giant computer. There are some practical problems with that, mostly cooling, but the name is kind of quite cool to play around with, the Oxford fellow said. (Related: Study: There are 36 other ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS in our own galaxy, but humanity is too far away to communicate with them.)

Dyson spheres are hard to spot despite their size

Sandberg said that fully operational Dyson spheres would be visible over several light-years because they are bigger than the stars they surround and give off tremendous amounts of heat and energy. But if Dyson spheres do exist, they are hard to spot at the moment because they might be currently inactive, according to Sandberg.

In 2017, the Oxford fellow led a study that attempted to resolve the Fermi paradox, which is the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence for ET and various high estimates for its probability.

He and his colleagues argued that a Dyson sphere is currently estivating  or hibernating  because its makers might be waiting for when its star has begun to run out of energy. If a Dyson sphere were to be fully activated only after that, it would be more efficient because it would operate better in a low-temperature environment.

We hence suggest the aestivation hypothesis  the reason we are not observing manifestations of alien civilizations is that they are currently (mostly) inactive, patiently waiting for future cosmic eras, the researchers wrote. (Related: Astronomers detect mysterious radio signal coming from neighboring star.)

However, SETI astronomers might still be able to spot a Dyson sphere by looking at certain signatures. Sandberg said that humanity could look for the infrared energy that such a structure emitted, plus unusual light curves which could indicate the presence of alien-made materials.

Space.news has more about the search for alien life.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Space.com
(Natural News) The U.K. announced its plan to open up Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations for teenagers this summer. British Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the plan on June 6 during a news appearance. His comments followed the countrys vaccine regulator approving the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine for use in those aged 12 to 15.

The countrys Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) permitted the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for teenagers on June 4. Hancock lauded the agency during his June 6 Sky News appearance. Im delighted that the [MHRA], having looked very carefully at the data with typical rigor and independence, has  said the [Pfizer vaccine] is safe and effective for those who are over the age of 12, he said.

However, the health secretary clarified that he would take advice from the countrys Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) when it comes to inoculating teenagers. He continued: We are taking advice from the JCVI on putting that into practice. As of writing, the U.K. has given more than 40 million Britons their first COVID-19 vaccine doses. The country is currently vaccinating those over 30 years old  with adults under 30 next in line.

In a piece for the Sunday Telegraph, Hancock remarked that a huge proportion of the latest [COVID-19] cases are in children. He continued: Crucially they can pass it on. [The] spread [of COVID-19] among children does have an impact on others. The secretary emphasized the value of vaccination in his article, saying that it would also prevent school disruptions in case children catch the pathogen.

Hancock also mentioned that the B1617 variant of the coronavirus made the governments decision to ease lockdown restrictions more difficult. The variant first discovered in India appeared to be 40 percent more transmissible than the British B117 strain. Nevertheless, he insisted that current COVID-19 vaccines still provided protection against the Indian B1617 variant.

The plan to vaccinate teenagers ties in with the U.K.s vaccine passport objective

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair argued on June 6 that fully vaccinated Britons should be granted greater personal freedom. He explained that relaxing measures for inoculated people would encourage others to follow suit. [It] makes no sense at all to treat those who have had vaccination the same as those who havent, Blair said.

Hancock replied that the issue raised by Blair would be addressed by a government review on COVID-19 certification. The review helmed by Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is expected to release its report soon.

According to the health secretary, it was inevitable that proof of vaccination or testing would be required for international travel as other countries would call for it. However, he said that the U.K. has not gone there yet when it came to domestic travel.

In anticipation of this demand, the National Health Service (NHS) rolled out an update on its app that effectively turns it into a digital proof of vaccination. A report by the Daily Mail said the NHS apps newly added vaccine record service allows registered Britons to indicate that they are fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the update in a May 17 tweet that said: As of today, the NHS app shows your COVID-19 vaccine record. (Related: New update to UK NHS tracking app turns it into a VACCINE PASSPORT.)

The NHS app is available to Britons aged 13 years old and up who have registered with a general practitioner in England. It allows patients to book medical appointments and request prescriptions. A government source told the Mail that the vaccination status update was designed to comply with other countries requirements for travelers. However, they clarified that there has been no decision if such a scheme will be put in place domestically.

Recent moves by the British government appeared to contradict this statement. The Financial Times (FT) earlier reported that England is set to adopt vaccine passports for large events this summer, quoting government officials. According to the governments proposal, the NHS app may be used to verify is someone is vaccinated for COVID-19 or not before they can attend an event with more than 1,000 people. The plan also outlined that unvaccinated Britons may be required to undergo rigorous COVID-19 testing. (Related: England now ready to adopt vaccine passports for mass events.)

A government spokesperson told FT that vaccine passports could have an important role to play both domestically and internationally, as a temporary measure. They added that digital COVID-19 certificates via the NHS app could help open up higher-risk settings safely. The NHS apps certificates would consider a recent negative test, complete vaccination schedule or natural immunity after sickness into account, the spokesperson continued.

Visit MedicalTyranny.com to read more articles about the U.K.s plans to vaccinate and track its population.

Sources include:

FT.com 1

DailyMail.com

FT.com 2
(Natural News) During the height of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States last year, Amazon made the equivalent of three years worth of profits in just one. But this growth came at the expense of its hundreds of thousands of workers, who were routinely mistreated and overworked.

These revelations come from an examination of Amazons practices during the pandemic. (Related: Amazon workers FORCED to work amid rising coronavirus cases, decry workplace as living hell.)

From July to Oct. 2020, Amazon hired an additional 350,000 new workers, more than the population of 20 state capitals, including Honolulu, Richmond and Salt Lake City.

But the company has been unable to solve its high turnover rate. Even before the pandemic, the turnover was already at roughly 150 percent a year. This is nearly double the average turnover rate in the retail and logistics industries. To put this turnover rate into context, it means that Amazon replaces its entire hourly workforce every eight months.

The high turnover rate is the result of Amazons extreme reliance on intense and rigid productivity metrics. Workers are monitored every single second they are at work. Metrics tell bosses how fast workers get their job done and how much time they spend off task, such as during bathroom breaks. If people spend too much time off task, they could get fired even if their performance before that day was consistently stellar.

Despite the clear evidence that Amazon has been overworking and mistreating its workers, Amazon executives still deny any wrongdoing. Vice President of Human Resources and Global Customer Fulfillment Ofori Agboka said 98 percent of everythings going great  people are having the right experiences and supposedly getting the help they need when they want it.

Agbokas only concern was how the social distancing and masking policies set up at the height of the pandemic made it harder for managers to engage with employees.

Stories of Amazon workers show the company did not care about their well-being

Media outlets also investigated working conditions in the companys only fulfillment center in New York City, known as JFK8.

Alberto Castillo had been working for Amazon at JFK8 for five years. While working mandatory overtime in the early spring of 2020, he became one of the first people in the site to test positive for COVID-19. He was hit by fevers and infections and suffered extensive brain damage. On tests of responsiveness, his wife said, His score was almost nothing. Doctors told the wife that Castillo would never again speak, eat or work.

Castillo was proud to be working for Amazon. When he first informed his superiors of his infection, he was told to take as much unpaid time off as he needed to recover. But at the same time, the company told JFK8 that workers in every department would be on mandatory overtime. Castillos wife received emails from Amazon telling her husband to report to work.

Whenever the wife attempted to reach out to Amazon to explain her husbands situation, she would be met by a massive automated email and call system that gave her disjointed and confusing responses. At one point, the automated systems mysteriously halted disability payments to Castillo.

The wife was able to speak to actual human resource workers to get the payments reinstated, but after that, her dialogues with the company reverted to phone trees, automatic replies in emails and voicemail messages from managers asking when Castillo would come back to work.

This was the result of Amazons automated systems. They broke down when Amazon workers like Castillo had to deal with sickness, child care issues or other extenuating circumstances.

Another JFK8 employee, Dan Cavagnaro, also experienced firsthand how Amazons focus on maximizing profit at the expense of its employees hurt him and others like him.

Cavagnaro started working at JFK8 in 2018. At the height of the pandemic, he filed for an extended leave early in 2020 to avoid getting COVID-19. By late spring, he was struggling to tell his employers that he would come back in June. By July, he was mistakenly fired by Amazons automated system. He could not even reach anyone to help him out.

Please note the following, he wrote in his final, unanswered email plea. I WISH TO REMAIN EMPLOYED WITH AMAZON.

In an interview, Agboka acknowledged that the company was relying too heavily on technology to manage its employees.

Were recognizing that in many times, where we thought self-service was good, self-service was not the only  cant be the only  solution, he said. Every experience matters. And when the experiences arent right, weve got to find a way to fix it.

But it was not entirely clear how Amazon would fix it or even if it was willing to reconsider its reliance on the systems that track its employees by the second.

Are they going to address the issue of an expendable workforce, asked Cavagnaro. Are there going to be any changes?

Taking all of this together shows that Amazons corporate culture openly valued maximum profits at the expense of employee safety and quality of life.

In Amazon founder and chairman Jeff Bezos final letter to shareholders as CEO in April 2021, he asserted that he wanted the company to become the worlds best employer and safest place to work.

But for such a dream to happen, changes need to take place because Amazons culture of rapid growth at the expense of its workers is fundamentally incompatible with one that treats workers humanely.

Sources include:

SeattleTimes.com

Axios.com

FastCompany.com
(Natural News) The federal government appears to be doing everything in its power to starve farmers of the precious water they need to grow our food, and some of these devoted laborers are speaking out about it.

In Oregon, farmers who legally own the water in Upper Klamath Lake, but who are being told they cannot use it, have decided to stage a protest because it is their constitutional right to do so.

Its ours and the federal government actually just stole it, stated farmer Dan Nielson to RTs Ruptly video agency. No due process of law, no compensation.

According to Nielson, the feds are in violation of farmers property rights as guaranteed by the United States Constitution any time they attempt to restrict legal water usage as is now happening in Oregon and elsewhere.

Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation attempted to close the canal at the top of Upper Klamath Lake that controls the flow of irrigation water from the lake to nearby farms. Nielson and others responded by setting up an American flag-colored tent right next to it.

The governments excuse is that there is not enough water available for everyone due to extreme drought. It also claims that allowing farmers to access the water they rightfully own threatens an endangered salmon species that inhabits the lake.

According to an RT report, this salmon and other fish that live in the lake hold spiritual significance to the Native American tribes who live upstream of it. Because of this, every crop that relies on that water should die, and everyone should consequently starve, to avoid upsetting the sacred fish.

Farmers say theyll release water themselves if government refuses to follow law

A similar situation is occurring in California, where farms are drying up and reservoirs are being drained right into the ocean, all to supposedly preserve sacred fish that might die if crops get watered.

Klamath Irrigation District president Ty Kliewer announced that the restrictions in his area have left thousands of farmers on the Oregon-California border without a steady supply of water.

The impacts to our family farms and these rural communities will be off the scale, he laments.

The nations food supply is already in dire straits due to other problems with the post-covid economy, and now it stands to be completely decimated by these latest water restrictions. At what point will America completely run out of food due to government mismanagement of our natural resources?

With much on the line, affected farmers say they are ready to go open up the canal themselves if the government refuses to come to its senses and abide by the law of the land.

If [the Feds] dont bulge  I think were going to end up taking it, Nielson says. Its the only way the government gets it.

Legally, the government either needs to step out of the way or purchase the impacted land from farmers. The government cannot just turn off the water it does not own, as it is currently doing.

As you may recall, the state of Oregon is also trying to ban all raising of livestock throughout the state, which would deliver another death blow to the nations food supply.

Local militia are on the ready for when the time comes to defy the governments illegal orders by turning back on the canal. Another outraged farmer told Grant Knoll at Jefferson Public Radio that he and others are planning on getting D.C.s attention.

Were going to turn on the water and have a standoff, he admitted.

More related news about the federal government can be found at Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheWashingtonStandard.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) projected that the U.S. Army could slash about 30 percent of its hydrocarbon fuel use by means of electric vehicle (EV) batteries and other clean technologies. However, it warned that a military force powered by renewable energy is not something to anticipate in the immediate future. Nevertheless, the Army has moved to further its forays into renewable, zero-emissions energy.

NAS wrote down the projection its new report, which recommended the Army continue using hydrocarbon fuel as a main energy source. While it argued that the military ought to reduce its dependence on such fuels in the future, it also veered away from encouraging the use of electric vehicle batteries entirely on the field.

In total  actions recommended  would result in a projected 32 percent reduction in the fuel needed to be transported to the field, and are based largely on technology that is available today, the NAS report indicated.

The report illustrated that the weight and size of EV batteries and the availability of electricity make these power sources unsuitable for use in the battlefield. These factors also put electric vehicles at a disadvantage compared to their fuel-powered counterparts.

Furthermore, NAS closely examined the fuel consumption prospects for an armored combat brigade team into 2035 at the Armys request. Armored combat brigades are known for heavy fuel usage. The limitations on EV batteries mentioned in the report made them unsuitable for use in actual battlefield scenarios. Thus, the academy recommended the continued use of hydrocarbon fuels for the time being.

But the report did not close the door entirely on non-hydrocarbon power sources. A press release by NAS about the report said: Hybrid technologies using [internal combustion engines], generators, power electronics and battery storage are an encouraging option  on which the Army has already initiated work. (Related: Report: All new US cars and trucks can be electric by 2035, claim green energy advocates.)

The Army is now treading the waters of renewable, zero-emissions energy

True enough, defense contractors are stepping up to the challenge  and Chicago-based NanoGraf Corporation is one such company. It introduced a new silicon formula for EV batteries that promised to pave the way for more improvements. With the backing of the Department of Defense (DoD), NanoGrafs new technology could accelerate the Armys 32 percent fuel use reduction sooner.

NanoGraf described its new battery technology as a breakthrough in energy density of silicon anode cells. The company added that this enables the development of consumer electronics, electric vehicles and military equipment with longer battery life, lighter weight and shorter charge cycles. A $1.65 million DoD grant enabled the company to achieve this milestone.

NanoGraf President Kurt Chip Breitenkamp said: Energy density has plateaued, only increasing eight percent or so over the last decade. We just achieved a 10 percent increase in a little under a year. This is over a decades worth of innovation in one technology.

The company elaborated that its technology made use of a proprietary doped silicon alloy material architecture to overcome issues that come with the use of silicon in batteries. Silicon allows batteries to store ten times more energy at the cost of battery durability. NanoGraf said that the silicon-based alloys, alongside a protective inorganic and organic coating, help stabilize the active material during charge and discharge.

Furthermore, the Chicago-based firm touted its products advantages over its conventional counterparts. First, the NanoGraf batteries can be customized to capacities between 550 mAh/g and more than 1,400 mAh/g compared to the current graphite-based anodes and their 372 mAh/g capacity. Second, NanoGraf batteries are made using a low-cost, high throughput wet chemistry process  giving it an advantage when it comes to manufacturing costs.

The Army also sees potential in the NanoGraf battery to be used in electronic gear carried by todays soldiers. Lighter, portable batteries promised by the company seem to fulfill this purpose. However, it would definitely take some time before the NanoGraf battery is sold on the market. (Related: The U.S. is not ready for an all-electric future.)

Aside from transporting energy, the Army has also considered the idea of generating energy on the battlefield. NAS reported that the military branch plans to achieve this using portable and transportable solar panels. Together with new energy storage technology and self-forming energy micro-grids, the Army aims to reduce its reliance of conventional hydrocarbon fuel.

Visit Electricity.news to read more about the use of next-generation EV batteries on military vehicles.

Sources include:

CleanTechnica.com

NationalAcademies.org

GlobeNewsWire.com
(Natural News) The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent nearly $6 billion over the past 17 years trying to improve agriculture, mainly in Africa. This is a lot of money for an underfunded sector, and, as such, carries great weight. To better understand how the Gates Foundation is shaping the global agriculture agenda, GRAIN analyzed all the food and agriculture grants the foundation has made up until 2020.

(Article by Grain republished from Grain.org)

We found that, while the Foundations grants focus on African farmers, the vast majority of its funding goes to groups in North America and Europe. The grants are also heavily skewed to technologies developed by research centers and corporations in the North for poor farmers in the South, completely ignoring the knowledge, technologies and biodiversity that these farmers already possess.

Also, despite the Foundations focus on techno-fixes, much of its grants are given to groups that lobby on behalf of industrial farming and undermine alternatives. This is bad for African farmers and bad for the planet. It is time to pull the plug on the Gates outsized influence over global agriculture.

In 2014 GRAIN published a detailed breakdown of the grants made by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote agricultural development in Africa and other parts of the world. Our main conclusion then was that the vast majority of those grants were channelled to groups in the U.S. and Europe, not Africa nor other parts of the global South. The funding overwhelmingly went to research institutes rather than farmers. They were also mainly directed at shaping policies to support industrial farming, not smallholders.

Much has happened since then. For starters, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce in May this year, leaving the future of the Foundation and its grant-making in doubt. The news came as Bill Gates himself came under fire for supporting Big Pharmas patent monopoly on COVID-19 vaccines, for effectively preventing peoples access across much of the world, and for how he treats  or mistreats  women.

The Foundations agenda with agriculture has also been coming under increased scrutiny. A 2020 report from Tufts University concluded that its work in Africa completely failed to meet the objectives that it had set itself. The African Centre for Biodiversity published a string of reports denouncing the Gates Foundation for pushing GMOs and other harmful technologies onto Africa. Amongst all this, the U.S. Right to Know collective started a Bill Gates Food Tracker to monitor the multiple initiatives that Gates is involved in to reshape the global food system.

GRAIN wondered whether the Gates Foundation had been receptive to the criticism of its food and agriculture funding. So we set out to update our 2014 report, downloaded the Foundations publicly available grant records and created a database of all of the Foundations grants in the area of food and agriculture from 2003 to 2020  almost two decades worth of grant-making.

The results are sobering. From 2003 to 2020 the Foundation dished out a total of 1130 grants for food and agriculture, worth nearly $6 billion of which almost $5 billion is supposed to service Africa. There was no shift to try and reach groups in Africa directly, no refocusing away from the narrow technological approach, and no moves to embrace a more holistic and inclusive policy agenda.

Of course, the Gates Foundation is about much more than just making grants. The Foundations Trust Fund, which manages the Foundations endowment, has big investments in food and agribusiness companies, buys up farmland, and has equity investments in many financial companies around the world. These, and other activities of Gates in the area of food and agriculture, are illustrated in the infographic that accompanies this report.

Gates Foundation fights hunger in the South by giving money to the North

Graph 1 and Table 1 provide an overall picture of GRAINs research results. Almost half of the Foundations grants for agriculture went to four big groupings: the global agriculture research network of the Consortium Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA  set up in 2006 by the Gates Foundation itself together with the Rockefeller Foundation), the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF  another technology center pushing Green Revolution technology and GMOs into Africa) and a number of international organizations (World Bank, UN agencies, etc.).

The other half ended up with hundreds of research, development and policy organizations across the world. The Gates Foundation claims that 80% of their grants are meant to serve African farmers. But of the funding to these hundreds of organizations a staggering 82% was channelled to groups based in North America and Europe while less than 10% went to Africa-based groups.

The breakdown of the NGOs that the Gates Foundation funds is even worse. Almost 90% of this funding goes to groups in North American and Europe whilst just 5% is directly channeled to African NGOs. The Gates Foundation seems to have very little trust in African organizations serving African farmers. Not that we would want the Gates Foundation to just send more of its grants directly to Africa if it comes with the same corporate industrial farming agenda. But it illustrates the point of where the priorities of the Foundation lie.

For contrast, Oxfam spends over half of all its funding directly in Africa, and over a third in Asia and Latin America, a lot of it through local NGOs in these regions.

The Gates Foundation gives to scientists, not farmers

As can be seen in Graph 2, the single biggest recipient of grants from the Gates Foundation is the CGIAR- a consortium of 15 international research centers launched in the 1960s and 70s to promote the Green Revolution with new seeds, fertilizers and chemical inputs. The Gates Foundation has given CGIAR centers $1.4 billion since 2003.

Another priority for the Gates Foundation in its funding is to support research at universities and national research centers. Again, the vast majority of the Gates grants go to universities and research centers in North America and Europe. Together, all this research gets almost half (47%) of the Gates Foundations funding.

The Gates Foundations support for Green Revolution-style research extends beyond the scientists. One of the most significant recipients of Gates Foundation funding is a high-profile advocacy organization called the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The Gates and Rockefeller Foundations launched AGRA in 2006 as a farmer-centered and African-led institution. The reality is anything but.

AGRA implements a top-down Green Revolution agenda with the main focus being to get new seeds and chemicals developed by Gates funded research centers and corporations into the hands of African farmers. AGRA establishes, funds, coordinates and promotes networks of pesticide and seed companies and public agencies to sell and supply agriculture inputs to farmers across Africa. It also actively lobbies African governments to implement policies that favor seed and pesticide companies, such as patents on seeds or regulations that allow for GMOs.

The Gates Foundation has given AGRA a whopping $638 million since 2006, covering almost two thirds of its overall budget. But AGRAs results are underwhelming to say the least. In the countries where AGRA is active, yields of staple crops increased only 18% over the past 12 years  far short of AGRAs goal of doubling yields. Meanwhile, undernourishment (as measured by the FAO) increased by 30% in those countries.

Instead of acknowledging that their data shows a complete failure to achieve their objectives and changing their approach accordingly, Bill and Melinda are doubling down. In early 2020 they launched their own new research institute called Gates Ag One. This enterprise claims to speed up the development of new seeds and chemicals and get them to farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia more quickly. Where will the institute be based? Not in Ethiopia or Sri Lanka but in St. Louis, USA, home of Monsanto and other GMO and pesticide giants.

The Gates Foundation buys political influence

In many subtle and not so subtle ways the Gates Foundation grants are used to push policy makers to implement its top-down industrial farming agenda.

One recent example is the 2021 High-Level Dialogue on Feeding Africa that was held on April 29-30 this year. This forum, funded by the Gates Foundation, and organized by a number of Gates Foundation grantees such as the African Development Bank, CGIAR and AGRA, was meant to launch a policy and funding agenda to further push the Green Revolution into Africa.

The event attracted no less than 18 African heads of state and several other high-profile personalities. But, most remarkable of all, is that of all the international organizations with activities in Africa on the long speakers list of the dialogue, virtually all are Gates grantees. The forum concluded with a commitment to double agricultural productivity, something AGRA and the Gates Foundation have been promising and failing to deliver for the last decade and a half.

Of course, AGRA itself is also actively pushing the African policy agenda. AGRA is among the key conveners of the annual Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) which calls itself the worlds premier forum for African agriculture and has been convening annual meetings for the past decade. Partners include some of the main global agrochemical corporations, such as Bayer, Corteva and Yara, and of course the Gates Foundation itself.

Unsurprisingly, its agenda is clearly oriented to push government policies towards more chemical inputs, fertilizers and hybrid seeds. On its website, AGRF has a special section it calls the Agribusiness deal room, which has directly facilitated over 400 companies with targeted investor matchmaking and hosted more than 800 companies to explore networking opportunities. This is clearly market matchmaking serving corporate interests, not farmers.

While most of the Gates grants are aimed at pushing technological solutions, many are also oriented towards policy change. A total of 45 grants address policy or policy makers. For example, Iowa State University got a grant to support implementation of policy changes aimed at increasing the supply of new seeds to farmers in Africa.

The World Economic Forum received a grant to support a policy platform for ag innovation and value chain development, whilst the African Centre for Economic Transformation got a grant to promote agricultural transformation in Africa aimed at policy reforms. In addition, the Foundation is actively involved in bankrolling the Enabling the Business of Agriculture project, implemented by the World Bank, amongst many other initiatives.

Gates enthusiasm for GMOs is made clear through its grant database. Michigan State University received $13 million to create a center in Africa that provides training for African policy makers on how to use and promote biotechnology. The African Seed Trade Association got a grant to increase farmers awareness of the benefits of replacing their older varieties of crops with newer seed.

AATF got $32 million to increase awareness on the benefits of agricultural biotechnology and another $27 million to fund the approval and commercialization of GMO maize in at least four African countries. So the Gates Foundation is not only funding public acceptance of GMOs, it is also directly funding the approval and commercialization of GMOs in Africa.

Gates grantees are clearly carrying the Gates agenda and influencing global agricultural policy. In just over a decade, the Gates brainchild in Africa, AGRA, has managed to maneuver itself from nowhere right into the centre of agricultural policy discussions across the continent. Similarly, while resistance to GMOs in Africa remains high, the AATF is managing to get legislation adopted to accept GMOs, as seen most recently in Ghana.

Its just as important to look at who the Gates Foundation is supporting as who they are not supporting: African farmers. The Foundation provides zero funding to support farmer seed systems, which supply 80 to 90% of all the seeds used in Africa. Instead, it provides a lot of funds to initiatives that destroy them.

Furthermore, the Gates Foundation props up biofortification as a solution to malnutrition, taking funds and attention away from much more practical and culturally appropriate efforts to improve nutrition by enhancing on-farm biodiversity and peoples access to it. Over the last decade or so, the Gates Foundation has given $73 million to biofortification initiatives that essentially seek to artificially pack nutrients into single crop commodities.

Then, of course, there is Bill Gates himself. Sitting down with heads of state, policy makers and business leaders, Gates tries to convince them that his view of the world is the one to go after. The world has gotten used to pictures of him shaking hands or sitting shoulder to shoulder with the leaders of the world. Indeed, many of those leaders seem very eager to be in these pictures and heed his advice.

The most recent display of this was at Joe Bidens virtual Leaders Summit on Climate where Gates shared his vision on how to fight the climate crisis. His recipe to tackle the climate crisis is very similar and equally dangerous to how he wants to feed the world: develop new technologies, trust the market, and put in place policies so that corporations can make it all happen faster.

Gates clearly isnt listening to or learning from the people on the ground. So why should anyone listen to him? Rather than being listened to, Gates and his top down corporate technology agenda must be resisted and stopped in its tracks.

GRAIN wishes to thank Camila Oda and Maria Teresa Montecinos for their help in compiling the database and to A Growing Culture for their feedback on the draft and their work on the infographic.

Click here and here to consult all the food and agriculture grants of the Gates Foundation.

Table 1: Gates Foundation agricultural grants by type of grantee, 2003-2021

Agency $US million Main recipients CGIAR 1,373 The CGIAR is a consortium of 15 international research centres set up to promote the Green Revolution across the world. Gates is now amongst its major donors. Main recipients include: IFPRI ($223 million), CIMMYT ($346m), IRRI ($197m), ICRISAT ($151m), IITA ($166m), ILRI ($74m), CIP ($91m), and others. Most of the grants are in the form of project support to each of the centres, and many of them are focusing on developing new crop varieties. AGRA 638 A total of 20 grants for core support and AGRAs main issue areas: seeds, soils, markets, and lobbying African governments to change policies and legislation. Intl orgs (UN, World Bank, etc.) 601 World Bank  IBRD ($192m); World Food Programme (WFP) ($99m); UNDP ($54m.); FAO ($88m.) UN Foundation ($76m). The lions share of the grants to the World Bank are to promote public and private sector investment in agriculture ($70m), WFP is supported to improve market opportunities for small farmers, UNDP to establish rural agro-enterprises in West Africa, and the support to FAO is mostly for statistical and policy work. AATF 170 AATF (African Agricultural Technology Foundation) is a blatantly pro-GMO pro-corporate research outfit based in Nairobi. The bulk of the Gates support is to develop GMO drought-resistant maize, a project that has already miserably failed according to many. But it also gets support to raise awareness on agricultural biotechnology for improved understanding and appreciation, and to get legislation approved for allowing GMOs in African countries. Universities & National Research Centres 1,393 Over three quarters of all Gates funding to universities and research centres goes to institutions in the US and Europe, such as Cornell, Michigan and Harvard in the US, and Cambridge and Greenwich Universities in the UK, amongst many others. The work supported is a mix of basic agronomic, breeding and molecular research, as well as policy research. A lot of it includes genetic engineering. Michigan State University, for example, got $13m to help African policy-makers to make informed decisions on how to use biotechnology. Although most of the Foundations grants are supposed to benefit Africa, barely 11% of its grants to universities and research centres go directly to African universities and research institutions ($147m in total, of which $30m for the Uganda based Regional University Forum set up by the Rockefeller Foundation). Service delivery NGOs 1,446 The Gates Foundation sees these as agents to implement its work on the ground. They include both large development NGOs and foundations, and the activities supported tend to have a strong technology development angle or focus on policy and education work in line with the Foundations philosophy. A whopping 70% of these grants end up with US-based beneficiaries, and another 19% in Europe. African NGOs get 4% of the NGO grants ($73m total, $36m of which goes to groups in South Africa, and another $13m for Farm Concern International- an NGO based in Nairobi with the mission of building market-led business models for small farmers). Corporations 244 A relatively minor share of Gates funding goes directly to the corporate sector. Most of the grants are for specific technologies developed by the corporations in question. Major grantees include the World Cocoa Foundation ($31m), a corporate outfit representing the worlds major food and cocoa processors, for improving marketing and production efficiency, and Zoetis (a Belgium based veterinary transnational  $14m) for getting veterinary products to farmers. Total 5,865

Table 2: Gates Foundation agricultural grant recipients, top 10 countries 2003-2021

(Excludes grants to CGIAR, AGRA, AATF and International organisations)

Country $US million Main recipients USA 1,657 The USA is by far the largest recipient country of Gates agricultural grants meant to benefit farmers in poor countries: $1,657 million dished out in over 400 grants. Recipients include US universities and research institutions to produce crop varieties and biotechnology research for farmers in Africa (e.g. Cornell University, a whopping $212m in 26 grants), big NGO projects mostly oriented to develop technology and markets (e.g. Heifer, $51m, to increase cow productivity and Technoserve Inc., $51m, to push new technologies), and several policy and capacity building projects to push the foundations agenda in Africa and elsewhere. UK 466 A total of 81 grants with a focus on research such as for the University of Greenwich to work on pests and diseases in cassava and other crops (10 grants totalling $73m), and for the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (9 grants totalling $169m) to produce livestock medicines and vaccines sold by the private sector to African farmers. Germany 154 8 grants for the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) to develop supply chains for African cashew and rice farmers and other projects ($57m), and another three grants for the German Investment Corporation to work on African cotton and coffee farming ($47m), amongst others. India 98 Total of 33 grants to a variety of grantees including three grants to PRADAN ($34m for women farmers training), and three grants to BAIF ($16m) to give farmers access to the latest livestock breeding technologies. Netherlands 95 Mostly for five grants to the Wageningen University for agronomic research on grain legumes, supporting digital farming and other projects ($57m). Canada 74 A total of 20 grants mostly towards universities to ensure adoption of new technologies, develop commercial cassava seed supply chains in Tanzania, and to produce vaccines for livestock diseases, amongst other programmes. Australia 61 A total of 24 grants mostly to universities and research centres (including $30 million for the University of Queensland) to develop sorghum and cowpea hybrids for Africa, and provide genetically improved cattle, amongst other programmes. China 48 Mostly for the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (two grants totalling $33 million) to develop new rice varieties for farmers across the world. Uganda 46 Mostly for RUFORUM (two grants totalling over $30 million to support agricultural research universities in the region). RUFORUM was established as a programme of the Rockefeller Foundation in 1992 and became an independent Regional University Forum in 2004. Kenya 43 Grants for Farm Concern International to create market-oriented value chains for a number of crops, and to a number of agribusiness companies active in the region to do the same. Total top 10 2,742 $US2.7 billion, or almost half of all agriculture funding from Gates went to grantees in these 10 countries: over 90% to countries in the North.

Read more at: Grain.org and FoodSupply.news
(Natural News) Bioweapon research has been taking place for over a decade, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and EcoHealth Alliance arent the only US institutions funding this unethical, highly controversial research in Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology. In fact, U.S. taxpayer money is also being funneled into bioweapons research through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) along with funds from Google Inc.!

Suspiciously, Google helped fund Peter Daszaks EcoHealth Alliance and helped pay for studies that involve the engineering of many different types of viruses. Dr. Daszaks group openly collaborated with Dr. Shi at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and Google was behind much of this gain-of-function research.

Google helped fund gain-of-function coronavirus research and helped conceal the evidence trail online

Googles participation is of special importance, because the laboratory origins of SARS-CoV-2 have been covered up for over a year by the Google search engine and covid-19 misinformation policies put in place by Facebook and Twitter. Big Tech is complicit in the coverup of SARS-CoV-2 origins because Big Tech had a financial stake in this controversial research.

A 2010 study on bat flaviviruses, authored by EcoHealth Alliance Dr. Peter Daszak and Vice President Jonathan Epstein, was funded by Google.org. A 2014 study on henipavirus spillover, authored by Daszak, also lists Google.org as a financial supporter. A 2015 study by Daszak and Epstein investigated bat reservoirs for a wide range of zoonotic agents, including lyssaviruses, henipahviruses, SARS-like coronaviruses, Marburg viruses, Ebola viruses and astroviruses. A 2018 study named Serologic and Behavioral Risk Survey of Workers with Wildlife Contact in China was also authored by EcoHealth Alliance and made possible by financial contributions from Google.org.

This 2018 study went above and beyond to learn how pathogens with pandemic potential transmitted in a highly exposed human population at the animal-human interface. The biased study focused on laying the groundwork for suppressing any inquiry into the possibility of laboratory leaks of pathogens with pandemic potential. The paper states that a majority of human infectious disease have an animal origin and therefore investigating the human-animal interface is the most important factor for understanding disease emergence. The paper authoritatively stated that SARS emerged in humans and other mammals in wet markets in an attempt to downplay the potential for laboratory leaks or perhaps use the animal-human interface to create a pandemic pathogen in the lab and then conceal its origins in the Wuhan wet market.

When Daszak was placed on the World Health Organizations COVID-19 instigation team, he hid from all the previous gain-of-function research he conducted over the years and immediately came to the conclusion that a lab leak theory is conspiracy theory. Google helped perpetuate these claims and tried to algorithmically bury the trail of evidence for the decades-long laboratory work on coronaviruses that preceded the Wuhan outbreak. A network of fact checkers including Politfact, fell in line with the censorship plan, and called any lab theory false misinformation. This brainwashing and censorship continues, despite leading work by scientists and intelligence officials showing the extensive network of laboratory research that sought to make coronaviruses more lethal to human immune systems.

Daszak arrogantly lists the generous support of the American people for funding his macabre work in China

In the 2015 paper on gain-of-function research, Daszak acknowledges NIH grant AI069317. He also thanks Google.org and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). He said USAIDs funding was made possible by the generous support of the American people. Interestingly, not many American people would vote to send their hard-earned money to China to develop a potential pandemic pathogen. In fact, in 2014, the US government placed a moratorium on gain-of-function research in the United States. This did not matter to the NIH, the NIAID or Dr. Peter Daszak, however. They had connections in China and could offshore their work quite easily.

The USAID does indeed funnel taxpayer money to various international bodies, including the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, an organization steered by Bill Gates, who openly admits his desire to vaccinate every man, woman and child. In fact, USAID has given $2 billion in taxpayer funds to GAVI and promises another $2 billion to GAVI by 2022. The money is being used to finish the original purpose of gain-of-function research, which is to test out new vaccines on populations. (Viruses are being engineered into potential pandemic pathogens for the sole purpose of testing out new vaccines.) This falls right into Bill Gates plan to vaccinate the entire world population by providing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. This conspiracy is now a reality and half the worlds population has been duped by psychopaths who like to mentally abuse people, censor the truth and experiment on populations.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

EcoHealthAlliance.org [PDF]

EcoHealthAlliance.org [PDF]

PlosOne.org

NaturalNews.com

USAID.gov

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) When then-President Donald Trump first suggested early in the COVID-19 pandemic that the Wuhan coronavirus may have originated in a lab in that city, it immediately made sense.

First and foremost, Trump has seldom been proven wrong about the things he says, despite the fact that his usual detractors in the hate-stream media and the hater Democrat Party reflexively discount him because they are hapless partisans. Never mind how many times those fools have been proven wrong.

With that in mind, its interesting to see how many of those same people are now changing their tune about the lab-leak theory Trump espoused early on, just as details begin to leak about a high-level Chinese defector who is now in U.S. custody and is allegedly spilling the beans about COVIDs true origins, along with details about a host of other bioweapons programs being pursued by Beijings military.

He alleges that the current pandemic was caused by a lab leak, and that bats were the real cover-up story. The defector alleges that while the lab leak was an accident, it was allowed to spread, Townhall reported.

In addition, according to the most recent developments, the identity of the defector has been confirmed: Hes definitely a high-ranking Chinese counterintelligence official, so what he has to say is being taken very seriously.

According to Matthew Brazil and Jeff Stein at Spy Talk:

Chinese-language anti-communist media and Twitter are abuzz this week with rumors that a vice minister of State Security, Dong Jingwei defected in mid-February, flying from Hong Kong to the United States with his daughter, Dong Yang.

Dong is, or was, a longtime official in Chinas Ministry of State Security (MSS), also known as the Guoanbu. His publicly available background indicates that he was responsible for the Ministrys counterintelligence efforts in China, i.e., spy-catching, since being promoted to vice minister in April 2018. If the stories are true, Dong would be the highest-level defector in the history of the Peoples Republic of China.

Red State has since confirmed the reporting with its own sources, so the guy is legitimate. And heres what he has reportedly divulged to U.S. intelligence officials thus far:

 Info about early pathogenic studies of the COVID-19 virus

 Models of how the virus would spread, damaging the U.S. and the rest of the world

 Financial records showing which organizations and governments funded COVID-19 research as well as work on additional biowarfare research (Dr. Anthony Fauci, beware?)

 The names of U.S. citizens who are giving China intelligence (this is huge)

 Names and records of U.S. business leaders and public officials who have gotten ChiCom money

 Details surrounding meetings that U.S. government officials had, maybe unwittingly, with spies from China and Russia

 Details about how China got access to a highly secretive CIA communications system that led to the death of dozens of Chinese citizens who were working for our premier spy agency

Theres more, and it directly relates to our current leadership.

Dong also has provided DIA with copies of the contents of the hard drive on Hunter Bidens laptop, showing the information the Chinese government has about Hunters pornography problem and about his (and Joes) business dealings with Chinese entities, Jen Van Laar of Red State noted.

Some of the files on Dong have proven to shine a light on just how it was that the sale of Henniges Automotive (and their stealth technology) to Chinese military manufacturer AVIC Auto was approved, she added, citing highly classified technology that aided Beijings stealth fighter technology.

In September, a new film titled, Riding the Dragon: The Bidens Chinese Secrets, detailed a number of business deals Hunter Biden did as a board member of the Beijing-based BHR Partners investment firm, the New York Post reported at the time.

The deals served the strategic interests of the countrys communist government and military  and may have imperiled American national security, The Post added.

Sounds like our new Chinese counterintelligence friend has confirmed that. Now  whats going to come of it?

Sources include:

NYPost.com

RedState.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who also works as a nuclear power expert has reportedly committed suicide by jumping off the roof of an office building.

The CCP says it does not know why 58-year-old Zhang Zhijian killed himself in northeastern Chinas Heilongjiang Province. However, Zhang worked as a professor of nuclear power at Harbin Engineering University (HEU) and was also a deputy principal of the school and member of its CCP standing committee.

Did Zhang say or do something that caused him to be suicided by the CCP? The communists would never admit to this even if it were true, and local police are already declaring that there is no need for a murder investigation because it is clear that Zhang killed himself  though they cannot say why.

Public data shows that Zhang wore many hats in his career, including as head of the HEUs College of Nuclear Science and Technology; director of the Nuclear Power Simulation Research Center (NPSRC), one of Chinas key national defense labs; chief of the Office of Development and Planning; and an executive director of the Chinese Nuclear Society.

Zhang was pretty high up the CCP pyramid, in other words. The HEU is also deeply intertwined with the Chinese military, which means Zhang may have also been involved with that cabal as well.

There have been many suspicious CCP suicides in recent months

Historically, the HEU was the predecessor to the Peoples Liberation Army Military Institute of Engineering, which was founded with technical support from the former Soviet Union back in 1953.

Currently, the HEU is tied to Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is the predecessor to Chinas Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

The HEU is also officially sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Commerce, having been officially listed on its Entity List on May 23, 2020, for its involvement in military activities and weapons of mass destruction.

Oddly enough  or perhaps not, depending on your perspective  there have been a slew of mysterious CCP-related suicides over the past several months, mostly among high-level officials within the party.

Li Xiaoqiu, deputy director of the Culture and Tourism Department of northwestern Chinas Inner Mongolia region, reportedly hanged himself in a library in Hohhot city, the capital of the region. This incident occurred on May 17.

Gao Guoliang, deputy director of the Yanshi Public Security Bureau in Luoyang city, located in central Chinas Henan Province, also reportedly killed himself in an extreme manner in his office just five days prior to Lis death.

Both incidents were reported with minimal details, creating added suspicion. In Lis case, a suicide note was supposedly left behind, but Chinese authorities refused to disclose its contents. Geos death was reported with even fewer details.

Then we have Ma Hui, director of the command center of the Heping District Public Security Bureau in Tianjin city. Ma reportedly jumped from the top of the 27-story Seton Center on April 30. As with the others, little is known about the events surrounding his alleged suicide.

Keep in mind that Joe Biden recently handed control of Americas power grid to the same CCP that is now seeing a wave of mysterious suicides among its highest-ranking officials. Could there be a connection?

In the fentanyl capital of the world, some near genius physicist chooses to kill himself by jumping off a building? asked one commenter at The Epoch Times, suspicious of the official stories surrounding these deaths.

Anyone who can make plutonium can also put together a nice death cocktail!

More related news about communist China can be found at Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Todays Situation Update podcast covers a lot of breaking news on world events, including:

Chinas grain shortage and attempted famine cover-up

Espionage  high-level Chinese spy dumps dirt on corrupt US officials

The NSA seems to have declared war on the FBI as a civil war erupts inside the deep state swamp

13-Year-Old Boy Dies Three Days After Taking Second COVID Shot; the masses begin to awaken to vaccine dangers

American Airlines is canceling hundreds of flights a day as a 737 pilot shortage worsens is it the vaccine?

US doctors are suffering under a trance of mass hypnosis warns Dr. Peter McCullogh

In addition, the last section of the podcast discusses the what if possibility that at least some covid vaccines may contain exotic technology that, once injected into the body, activates a self-assembly process to build a biocircuitry interface using elements from the victims own blood.

Although this sounds like science fiction, we seem to be living in a dystopian sci-fi scenario with biological weapons, magnetic nanoparticle magnetofection technology, Orwellian surveillance and all-out government propaganda to coerce everyone into taking a depopulation spike protein injection. (So dont tell me ANY theory is out there. This is 2021. Global depopulation extermination is under way. Our entire reality is now out there.)

In addition, the Moderna company openly describes their vaccine injections as installing an operating system, which by definition means a platform to receive additional commands or instructions for execution. How are those commands received? From external electromagnetic waves?

Dr. Peter McCullogh has described vaccine-pushing doctors as being in a kind of mind-controlled trance. His exact words from a recent interview: (emphasis added)

What we have learned over time is that we could no longer communicate with government agencies. We actually couldnt communicate with our propagandized colleagues in major medical centers, all of which appear to be under a spell, almost as if theyve been hypnotized Good doctors are doing unthinkable things like injecting biologically active messenger RNA that produces this pathogenic spike protein into pregnant women. I think when these doctors wake up from their trance, theyre going to be shocked to think what theyve done to people

Heres the video where he states this:

What if it isnt a spell or a trance but rather a self-assembled, embedded biocircuit that has taken control over their neurology?

What if some vaccines are simple spike protein bioweapons injections, but other vaccines are designed to place people in a kind of trance where elements of their neurology are controlled through external signals and commands?

Never forget this published research: Superparamagnetic nanoparticle delivery of DNA vaccine. (PubMed link). It explains:

The efficiency of delivery of DNA vaccines is often relatively low compared to protein vaccines. The use of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) to deliver genes via magnetofection shows promise in improving the efficiency of gene delivery both in vitro and in vivo.

That same study reveals the only two elements necessary to create SPIONS (magnetic nanoparticles) are Iron and Oxygen, both present in human blood:

We describe the production of Fe3O4-based SPIONs with high magnetization values (70 emu/g) under 15 kOe of the applied magnetic field at room temperature Polyethylenimine was chosen to modify the surface of SPIONs to assist the delivery of plasmid DNA into mammalian cells due to the polymers extensive buffering capacity through the proton sponge effect.



Although this isnt the same as a self-assembling nanotech biocircuitry system, it hints at the existence of exotic technologies that are exploring such approaches to controlling neurology via external influences (such as electromagnetic fields).

If such technology exists and is being deployed right now, it would explain the seeming hypnosis or trance under which millions of people now seem to suffer as they continue to demand more bioweapons injections into children and pregnant women. Perhaps there is a simpler explanation, however. Perhaps todays doctors are just brainwashed, gullible cowards who care nothing if they harm or kill billions of people as long as they dont lose their lucrative medical salaries.

Will people ever wake up from this trance and realize theyve become vaccine murderers? Nobody knows

Learn more in todays bombshell Situation Update podcast:

Brighteon.com/41404368-f451-4c8a-b16b-7d158a81d317

Find a new podcast each weekday at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
(Natural News) The vaccine advisory group of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) planned to hold an emergency meeting on June 18 to discuss reports of heart inflammation in young individuals following a second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

Formally known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the group makes recommendations on how to use vaccines to control diseases in the U.S. The recommendations are nonbinding but the CDC often takes the recommended action. ACIP meetings are open to the public and committee documents are publicly available, ensuring transparency in decision-making.

According to the meeting agenda, the first portion of the meeting was to feature an update on COVID-19 vaccine safety, which covers myocarditis cases seen after the administration of vaccines built on messenger RNA technology.

Myocarditis is a condition that involves inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include fever and fatigue, as well as shortness of breath and a very specific type of chest pain. Patients tend to say their chest hurts more when they lean forward. The pain tends to subside when they lean back.

Americans as young as 12 develop myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination

Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, deputy director of CDCs Immunization Safety Office, said during a June 10 presentation to the vaccine advisory group of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that there have been 226 confirmed cases of myocarditis after vaccination among Americans younger than 30, and that 250 more cases are under investigation.

Shimabukuro said the CDC will continue to evaluate myocarditis cases following vaccination and assess the benefits and risks of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which both use mRNA technology, ahead of the emergency meeting.

Those between ages 12 and 24 accounted for more than half of the myocarditis cases in people below 30 that have been reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), despite representing just a fraction of people who have received the vaccines. (Related: Dr. Zelenko: Covid vaccine mandates for children are coercive human experimentation, crimes against humanity.)

We clearly have an imbalance there, Shimabukuro said.

According to Shimabukuro, not all of the reports submitted to VAERS will turn out to be accurate. But he added that the higher-than-expected rate of the myocarditis cases among Americans below 30 is consistent with the data from Israel.

Israels Ministry of Health identified over 200 cases in men between 16 and 30 years old, a vast majority of those happening at the younger end of that range. That equates to a risk of between 1 in 3,000 and 1 in 6,000 of suffering from myocarditis.

Members of FDAs vaccine advisory group express concerns about the myocarditis data

Members of the FDAs Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, to whom Shimabukuro made his presentation, expressed concerns about the myocarditis data.

Because weve all discussed at fair length the concern about myocarditis and other side effects, which seem to generally be worse after the second dose, I think we need some studies on single dose and whether that might be adequate going forward, Dr. Mark Sawyer, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, told colleagues during the meeting.

I think the myocarditis is something that needs to be looked at closely because were likely seeing the tip of the iceberg, added Dr. Michael Kurilla, director of the Division of Clinical Innovation at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

Pfizer said it supports the CDCs assessment of the heart inflammation cases, noting that the number of reports is small given the number of doses administered.

The FDA expanded Pfizers emergency use authorization to include children as young as 12, even though the pharmaceutical companys own clinical trials of the vaccine showed disturbing effects on young people.

Pfizer gave the vaccines to one group of children between ages 12 and 15 while another group got a placebo. Among children who received just the first dose of the vaccine, rates of serious symptoms were higher across the board  including symptoms consistent with myocarditis.

COVID-19 vaccine for infants may be available in fall

The New York Times reported that COVID-19 vaccines may be available in the fall for American children as young as six months. Pfizer announced on June 8 that it was moving to test its vaccine in children between ages 5 and 12. It will begin testing the vaccine in infants in the next few weeks. (Related: Children must not be vaccinated for COVID-19.)

Compared with adults, children are much less likely to develop severe illness following infection with COVID-19. But nearly four million children in the U.S. have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Marquette County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Robert Lorinser, also a family practice physician, said that until more concrete science is provided, the vaccines should still be administered to everyone they are authorized for.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine and associate chief at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Epoch Times in an email that the CDC could end up recommending only vaccinating children who have not recovered from COVID-19 because there is a link between COVID infection and myocarditis.

Other possibilities mentioned by Gandhi include giving a single dose of the Moderna or Pfizer shots to those under the age of 20, lowering the dosage amount and extending the duration between doses one and two in the young.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NBCNews.com

KeweenawReport.com

NYTimes.com
(Natural News) In a recent Senate hearing, Dr. Rand Paul interrogated Dr. Anthony Fauci on coronavirus gain-of-function, an unethical field of research that was banned in the US in 2014, but was funded multiple times by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), where Fauci presides as director.

Dr. Fauci repeatedly and adamantly perjured himself during the Senate hearing, lying to the American people about his level of involvement in the ongoing experiments on viruses and human immune systems. He altogether denied that the NIH and NIAID was involved in gain-of-function research, even though the NIAID approved $3.7 million in grants that were sent to Dr. Peter Daszak at the Eco Health Alliance and funneled to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. The NIH even designed a public health emergency loophole that allowed Chinese researchers to subvert the moratorium on gain-of-function experimentation.

Dr. Fauci now denies any involvement with coronavirus gain-of-function experimentation, but prominent people who worked alongside Fauci during the early months of the covid-19 scandal are beginning to speak out against him. Dr. Peter Navarro, who served as Defense Production Act Policy Coordinator to Trump, lays out several undisputed facts against Fauci. The facts show that Fauci is the father of virus engineering schemes that led to either an accidental or intentional release of highly-evolved coronavirus strains that resemble bioweapons.

Faucis arrogant denial is a prelude to more investigations against NIH officials and Chinese scientists

With Faucis perjury now public, his destiny now consists of investigation, trial and potential charges of criminal misconduct and crimes against humanity. After-all, Faucis NIAID signed off on $3.7 million in grants for Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence. Fauci funneled millions in American taxpayer funds to Chinese scientists, who had easy access to the Chinese military. According to Chinese military documents, the CCP discussed the development of an aerosolized bioweapon to cause the enemys medical system to collapse. Fauci was either strategically used by the Chinese or was strategically working with the Chinese military to acquire highly-engineered coronavirus strains to attack human populations.

Since 2014, Faucis NIAID signed off on thirty studies on this very topic of virus engineering, and over half of these studies include authors from the Chinese Communist Party. Thirteen of the studies included scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Each one of these studies is transparent about who funded them. Each gain-of-function study was funded by the NIAID. This grant money went directly to Peter Daszak at the New Yorks EcoHealth Alliance and to Dr. Shi Zhengli, Director of the Wuhan Institute of Virologys Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases.

One study on the Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Bat Coronavirus lists the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as the funding source to Peter Daszak and Zheng-Li Shi under grant number NIAID R01AI110964. As a direct beneficiary of Faucis grant, Dr. Daszak bragged in a TV interview about how simple it was to use gain-of-function at the Wuhan lab to make viruses more deadly.

Shi Zhengli, the infamous bat lady, was the beneficiary of seven other NIH grants. She collected coronavirus strains from the caves of Yunnan China and worked with Ralph Barric from the University of North Carolina. They collaborated on gain-of-function techniques, and ways to exploit human immune systems. Fauci also funded this research, allowing the scientists to use the loophole to subvert the gain-of-function moratorium that the NIH strategically designed.

The evidence shows that Fauci is a ring leader of a global crime syndicate

The moratorium on gain-of-function experimentation was necessary, because highly infectious pathogens have routinely escaped from the most secure labs, including the virus that escaped from the Beijing Virology Institute in 2003, initiating the first SARS epidemic. Even though the US State Department warned in 2018 about a lack of safety protocols at the Wuhan lab that could trigger a second SARS outbreak, Fauci continued to allow American and Chinese researchers a pathway to exploit the moratorium on gain-of-function experimentation. According to Australian journalist Sharri Markson, Fauci used a low-level White House meeting in December 2017 and met with NIH Director Francis Collins to discuss ways to subvert the 2014 moratorium on gain-of-function research to ultimately enhance the lethality of these man-made viruses.

The National Security Council during the Obama Administration understood the risks that are currently haunting the world today. Experts such as former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, along with doctors like Sanjay Gupta and Nicholas Wade, are now speaking publicly about the origins of this laboratory assembled, man-made virus. They join a growing chorus of scientists, such as Yuri Deigin, and immunologist Nikolai Petrovsky, who have dissected the molecular biology of SARS-CoV-2 and raised the possibility that the virus was manipulated.

Dr. Fauci has been a leading voice for shutdowns that inflict trillions of dollars in damage, destroying the livelihood and health of countless Americans. Faucis advice has led to isolation and germaphobia mindsets, as government holds people down for more experiments on their bodies and minds. Faucis advice has led to the suspension of civil liberties, and initiated wide scale human rights abuses. It is not ironic that he is also the father of these gain-of-function experiments on viruses and human immune systems. Should he ever own up to his involvement in these crimes against humanity, any future confessional he makes will never compensate for his longstanding arrogance and pride, let alone repair the damage that has been wrought across the world because of the choices he made.

If Fauci continues to pretend he is ignorant of all this illicit activity, he is even more guilty. As the director of the NIAID, he would be guilty of compounding and longstanding dereliction of duty that enabled crimes against humanity. Ignorance of the crimes that he is directly associated with, is definitely no excuse for these crimes, especially when these crimes occurred over several years on multiple accounts, all on his watch.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) It is finally coming out that the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic was largely politicized, at least here in the United States, to defy the Donald Trump presidency.

When it was first falsely claimed that the Chinese Virus originated in bats  we now know that bats have not been sold as food in Wuhan for at least the past two years  the experts were basing their assessment not on actual science but rather on their hatred for Trump.

Because Trump was among the first to propose the lab origin theory early last year, those who did not like the president, including many scientists, felt compelled to defy him with a different narrative. That different narrative had no actual basis in science, of course, but was rather concocted simply to go against whatever Trump was saying about it.

Consequently, most of America was plunged into a state of baseless fear that they might catch the Wuhan Flu from an animal, as you may recall from the winter of 2020. That narrative eventually switched to one of fear that the novel virus had jumped from animals to humans, making everything with breath a potential vector.

We now know, of course, that the whole thing was manufactured by medical fascists like Tony Fauci to implement more government tyranny against the people. Lie after lie was conjured up to keep America and much of the rest of the world locked up at home, masked and unable to earn a living  all while the billionaires became multi-billionaires.

Science no longer exists; its always just politics now

Yahoo! News, of all places, is now admitting that the lab origin theory holds weight, and was only denied for most of last year to contradict Trump. In other words, it was all just partisan politics as usual, which we have come to expect out of D.C.

Its a rather infuriating development, given the sanctimonious fashion in which numerous scientists, journalists, and Democratic politicians rejected it as a racist conspiracy theory,' writes Andrew Stiles for The Washington Free Beacon.

Furthermore, the scientists are basically admitting that their previous efforts to dismiss the theory werent based on any scientific evidence. They just didnt want to admit that Donald Trump and other Republicans who called for further investigation into the lab leak theory might have been onto something.

It would be an understatement to say that China has not exactly been transparent throughout this entire saga. The communist regime has repeatedly denied any responsibility for the Chinese Virus, instead blaming the U.S. for unleashing it on the world.

There is certainly some truth to this, as Fauci and others have been sending millions of taxpayer dollars to their friends in China to conduct illegal gain of function research on bat coronaviruses for quite some time.

Despite continued denial of such, Fauci has already been incriminated through his leaked emails, which prove that he lied under oath before Congress by claiming that he has never had any involvement with illegal gain of function research.

Now, Fauci is having to contend with actual science as well, which shows that it would have been all but impossible for Chinese Germs to magically transfer from bats to humans without some tinkering in the lab.

Hilariously, some of the same scientists who vehemently denied the lab origin theory are now reluctantly admitting that there might be some truth to it, and that they only denied such because they believed Trump to be a racist monster.

At the time, it was scarier to be associated with Trump and to become a tool for racists, so people didnt want to publicly call for an investigation into lab origins, one of them is quoted as saying.

To keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

FreeBeacon.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Those who have been injected for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) are greater than six times more likely to die from a circulating variant like Delta than are unvaccinated people who just say no to strange experimental drugs from Tony Fauci and the government.

New data published by Public Health England on Friday found that compared to non-jabbed people, those who took the poison for the Chinese Virus are far more likely to suffer an excruciating death upon exposure to one of the many Wuhan Flu variants that the media says are spreading.

As it turns out, experimental gene therapy chemicals make the human immune system more prone to sudden death upon exposure to Chinese Germs than if that immune system was simply left alone to do its job naturally without pharmaceutical interventions.

Entitled, SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England, Technical briefing 16, a paper covering the data shows that Chinese Virus variants are pretty much a non-issue to begin with, as the vast majority of people who encounter them never even know it.

The minute few who do end up dying with a variant more than likely already had the shot, research shows. The even more minute few who did not get the shot and still end up dying after testing positive more than likely had a weakened immune system or some other health problem such as heart disease or obesity.

Most people have a zero percent chance of dying from a Chinese Virus variant

Public Health England even admits that the risk of dying with a Chinese Virus variant is exceptionally low, especially if a person has not received the jab. Those who do take the jab are much more likely to suffer and die, it turns out, which apparently comes with the territory when trying to stay safe.

Even so, the fake news media is ratcheting up the propaganda about the spread of variants, calling it the fifth or sixth or whatever wave we are on now, all the while urging the public to get injected as many times as necessary to flatten the curve.

Despite the fact that the injections are now known to be spreading the variants, the lying news media is hoping that most people have very short-term memories and will forget the truth out of fear that they might once again test positive for the Wuhan Flu.

In addition to higher death rates, vaccinated people who test positive for a variant are more likely than the unvaccinated to require hospitalization for their Chinese cold.

According to the latest data, a full 2.0 percent of vaccinated people who test positive for the Delta variant require emergency care, compared to only 1.48 percent of unvaccinated people.

The current data is in keeping with data published last week by Englands public health agency that also showed a six-times greater death rate among the fully vaccinated than the unvaccinated and a hospital admission rate of 2.3 percent among those fully vaccinated at least two weeks earlier compared with just 1.2 percent among the unvaccinated, further explains Celeste McGovern from LifeSiteNews.

All of this is only verifying what Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) research Stephanie Seneff warned about antibody-dependent enhancement, or ADE, which is basically vaccine-induced immune damage that makes a person more prone to getting sick.

It is conceivable to me that the laser-beam specificity of the induced antibodies is offset by a general weakening of innate immunity, Seneff says.

I also suspect that massive vaccination campaigns may accelerate the rate at which the vaccine-resistant mutant strains become dominant among all the SARS-Co-V2 [coronavirus] strains.

To keep up with the latest nonsense about Chinese Virus variants, be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A tax enforcer from Chesterfield County, Virginia has threatened to fire county government employees who refuse to receive a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Chesterfield County Commissioner of Revenue Jenefer Hughes has already issued notices of corrective action to unvaccinated employees. In her letter, dated June 7, she wrote:

You have been placed on corrective action for your failure to get one of the three [Food and Drug Administration] approved COVID-19 vaccines, which are now freely available at the Countys Employee Medical Center, the [Virginia State University] vaccine center, various pharmacies and doctors offices. You have also not submitted an application for accommodation under the Americans [with] Disabilities Act, nor for other medical or religious accommodation.

In the same letter, Hughes explained that she has made getting vaccinated against COVID-19 a requirement for continued service in my office.

Part of our service is to keep our taxpayers and ourselves safe and healthy, she wrote. She then continued the letter by lecturing the recipient about the level of trust that is instilled in local government officials and employees. Local government workers supposedly need to become models for county residents by getting vaccinated.

Hughes lectured her unvaccinated employees in the letter by telling them that the Chesterfield County Revenue Office is entrusted with the responsibility of interpreting and applying state and local tax codes fairly and equitably. County residents will supposedly only trust revenue office workers to base their decisions on facts and evidence if they get vaccinated.

During an interview on Thursday, June 10, Hughes said that she would not be able to live with herself if she somehow risked a taxpayer or an employee contracting the coronavirus and taking it to their families just by coming into the office.

Hughes said she notified her staff of her new policy verbally several months ago and in multiple emails dated April 22, May 10 and May 19. She added that she has received a lot of emails and calls complaining about her vaccine mandate, but she is not going to change her mind.

Hughes is granting exemptions and accommodations for people with medical, religious and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) reasons.

We discussed ADA compliance, medical exemptions, any other medical exemptions, the religious exemption, which, I think thats very important, she said. The accommodation weve agreed on is that theyll remain masked and Ill be reviewing that toward the end of July because, given my policy, by that time all staff in the office who can be vaccinated will be vaccinated.

Revenue office employees have until June 30 to get vaccinated. If they do not get vaccinated or begin the process of becoming fully vaccinated by this time, Hughes said these people will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Ill bend over backwards to help them get to a place where we can retain them, claimed Hughes. I dont want to lose a single person. She said terminating an employee will be her very last resort.

According to Hughes, as of Thursday, around 82 percent of the workers in the county revenue office have been fully vaccinated, are going through the process of getting vaccinated or have received an exemption. The remaining 18 percent of her staff are facing corrective actions.

Hughes receives criticism over vaccine mandate

Republican State Sen. Amanda Chase, whose district includes Chesterfield County, strongly criticized Hughes letter and her departments vaccine mandate. She posted a picture of one of the letters the revenue office gave out to unvaccinated employees on her personal Facebook account. She encouraged her constituents to call the revenue office to let Hughes know how they feel about the policy.

This has to stop! The Chesterfield Commissioner of Revenue is actually threatening people who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine, wrote Chase.

Despite Chases protests, it does not look like Hughes policy will be going away soon.

The Chesterfield County Communications & Media Office said that neither the county administrator nor the county board of supervisors are in a position to order Hughes to change her policy. This is because, as the media office put it, Hughes is a constitutional officer who was elected to her position.

The media office urged anybody who believes Hughes vaccine mandate is discriminating against them or violating their civil rights to report to the Virginia Attorney Generals office to have the situation investigated.

Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, has adopted a similar non-interventionist approach.

From the governors position, Im not mandating anyone to get vaccinated, he said during an interview with the local affiliate of mainstream media outlet CBS. Northam added that he has left the decision to mandate vaccines up to the employers.

We have three effective and safe vaccines and the only way to get this pandemic in the rear-view mirror is for folks to get out there and get vaccinated, he added.

It seems like the only way Hughes will be forced to relent on her vaccine mandate is if one of her constituents or employees sues her, or if enough people call up her office to criticize her for her mandate. (Related: Over 100 Houston Methodist Hospital employees sue over COVID vaccine mandate.)

Learn more about how local politicians like Hughes are forcing their employees to get the coronavirus vaccine by implementing vaccine mandates by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

NationalFile.com

WTVR.com

WRIC.com
(Natural News) The worlds most powerful magnet is ready to be shipped to France for a project that will replicate the nuclear reactions taking place on the sun. Made of six magnetic packs, the magnet will be placed in the core of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a $24 billion donut-shaped machine designed to generate electricity via nuclear fusion, or the joining of two or more nuclei.

California-based energy company General Atomics built the magnet in San Diego and will transport it using a special transport heavy truck to Houston. From Texas, the magnet will be shipped to southern France where the tokamak is being built.

When fully assembled, the 1,000-ton magnet measures 59 feet tall and 14 feet wide. It can create a magnetic field with a strength of 13 Tesla, which is 280,000 times stronger than Earths magnetic field. Due to its weight, the support structures for it will have to be able to withstand forces equal to twice the thrust of a space shuttle lift-off.

The magnet will play an important role in the projects mission to establish fusion energy as a safe and virtually limitless source of abundant, carbon-free electricity, according to John Smith, director of engineering at General Atomics.

This project ranks among the largest, most complex and demanding magnet programs ever undertaken, he said.

Harnessing fusion energy

Nuclear fusion is the nuclear reaction that powers the sun and other stars. In a fusion reaction, two light atomic nuclei combine under very high temperatures to form a single heavier nucleus. This process releases four times the amount of energy produced by nuclear fission, or the splitting of atoms. Nuclear power plants generate electricity through fission.

A feasible way to replicate nuclear fusion is to smash together two widely available isotopes of hydrogen  deuterium and tritium  inside a toroidal (donut-shaped) fusion reactor called a tokamak. This process generates enormous amounts of energy while producing only a neutron and helium, which is a harmless gas.

Fusion does not produce greenhouse gases and long-lived radioactive waste. The risk of nuclear accidents is also low since the reaction simply stops if containment is lost.

The ITER project, a joint research venture involving 35 countries, including the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, India and France, will be a critical test for the technology and laws of physics that underpin the commercial production of fusion-based electricity. The lessons learned from the project will be used for designing the first generation of commercial fusion power plants, which are planned to be brought online between 2040 and 2050. (Related: We are now a step closer to harnessing nuclear fusion.)

Fusion has the potential to provide safe, environmentally friendly energy as a realistic replacement for fossil fuels during this century, said Bernard Bigot, director-general of the ITER Organization. With a nearly unlimited global supply of fuel, it also has the potential  in complement with renewable energies  to transform the geopolitics of energy supply.

For the organizations experiment, a small amount of deuterium and tritium gas will be injected into the ITER. The hydrogen gas is then superheated to convert it into plasma, the ionized state of gas. Giant superconducting magnets, including General Atomics magnet, will create magnetic fields that will confine the plasma and keep it away from the tokamaks metal walls.

When the plasma reaches 270 million degrees, fusion occurs and very high-energy neutrons escape the magnetic field. The neutrons will eventually hit the tokamaks walls and transfer their energy as heat. The heat will then be captured and used for generating electricity.

Powerful magnets needed to enable nuclear fusion

General Atomics magnet is Americas biggest contribution to the ITER project. It is among the three arrays of magnets that will create the magnetic fields needed to confine the plasma for long periods of time.

As the central solenoid, the magnet will be placed in the tokamaks center and will generate the inner magnetic field directed along the poloidal direction, or the short way around the torus. A second stack of magnetic rings will be installed just outside of the central solenoid. It will generate the toroidal field, which is directed the long way around the torus. These two magnetic fields will create an enclosure that locks the particles in the plasma.

A third stack of magnets, which will be placed around the ring of the tokamak, will produce an outer poloidal magnetic field that will confine the plasma inside the vessel. Together, the three magnets will create a powerful, invisible cage for the plasma that conforms precisely to the tokamaks metal walls. (Related: New design suggests a solution for next-gen fusion power plants.)

The ITER will be the first fusion reactor to generate more thermal energy than the fuel required to heat the plasma. It will also be the first fusion reactor to sustain fusion for long periods of time. When it goes online, it will generate 500 megawatts of thermal fusion power  more than 30 times the current record achieved on the Joint European Torus, a tokamak located in the U.K.

The ITER is currently 75 percent complete. The final large-scale components will be installed by 2023, with the first plasma scheduled to be generated by 2025, according to the ITER team.

Read more stories about fusion power technology at FutureScienceNews.com.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

IAEA.org

Energy.gov
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT SUNDAY... ...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IS CANCELLED... * WHAT...Temperatures up to 95 to 103. * WHERE...Portions of central, south central and southeast Washington and central, north central and northeast Oregon. * WHEN...Until 8 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&
DON Chief Executive Officer Court Hower, right, is interviewed by Will Hall for an America By Design segment. Hall is the chief creative officer for the RAIN Agency, a leading combined teams of strategists, engineers and designers.
This section contains news stories about events and culture across the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community. It also includes a calendar of events to publicise your events.

Please bear in mind that currently most events are cancelled because of the coronavirus situation. Some event organisers may not have notified us of cancellation, so please check any event before you try to attend.

Please e-mail the following details of your event to Network Norfolk Events : Date, event title, what it involves, start and end time, location (if you include a postcode we can attach an e-map to your entry), contact name and tel no for more details. The details must be received at least two weeks before the event, ideally longer.



This listing contains the next 20 events. If you require information on events even further ahead then visit the comprehensive Calendar database section of this website.

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By ANI

NEW DELHI: The Covid-19 pandemic's recent peak in India has amplified the importance of work experience and professional connections as youngsters are found twice (2.5x) as worried as their older cohorts about the impact on their careers.

According to the latest edition of LinkedIn workforce confidence index, nearly 30 per cent of Gen Z professionals (born after 1997) and 26 per cent of millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are troubled due to lack of jobs in comparison to 18 per cent of Baby Boomers (between 1946 and 1964).

The uncertainty widens when it comes to finances as one in four Gen Z (23 per cent) and millennials (24 per cent) report being more worried about their debt or expenses when compared to just half as many Boomers (13 per cent).

At the same time, average time for fresh graduates to find a new job has also increased by 43 per cent (from 2 to 2.8 months) in 2020 compared to pre Covid-19 times in 2019. A total of 1,891 professionals were surveyed from May 8 to June 4.

But while the conversion time has increased, so have remote opportunities as LinkedIn platform data further suggests that the proportion of entry level jobs labelled as 'remote' posted between January to March 2020 have increased by 9x between 2020 and 2021.

Significantly, the second wave has worsened 'shecession.' Twice as many working women are worried about the availability of jobs and time for job-seeking compared to working men.

The individual confidence index (ICI) scores of female professionals fell from plus-57 in March to plus-49 in early June -- a 4x decline compared to working men (plus-58 in March to plus-56 in June).

India's working women are thus 2x more likely to be worried about the availability of jobs, their professional network and time devoted to job seeking than working men.

This uneven impact has also bruised the financial stability of working women as 1 in 4 (23 per cent) female professionals are concerned about growing expenses or debt in contrast with just 1 in 10 (13 per cent) working men.

Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager for LinkedIn, said despite a modest revival, confidence levels of working women and young professionals are among the lowest in today's workforce.

Twice as many working women are concerned with job availability compared to working men and 30 per cent of Gen Z professionals worry due to lack of jobs, he said.

"Remote jobs can be the ray of hope, to provide the much-needed flexibility and growth in opportunities to help them bounce back into the workforce," said Gupta.

Besides, 'self-care' appears to have become a greater priority for job seekers.

While one in two job-seekers value employee benefits (55 per cent) and salary (53 per cent) more post Covid-19, an equal number of job-seekers are found prioritising work-life balance (48 per cent) and location flexibility (50 per cent) when looking for a job.
Arshad Khan By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has given approval to the Kalrock Capital and Murari Lal Jalan consortiums bid for Jet Airways, eight months after the lenders had given a go ahead to its resolution plan.

According to the resolution plan of Kalrock Capital and UAE-based NRI Murari Lal Jalan, which was approved by the Committee of Creditors in October 2020 by 97% vote share, around Rs 1,100 would be paid in tranches in five years. The resolution professional of Jet Airways  Ashish Chhawchharia  had received claims of Rs 44,000 crore out of which he admitted claims of around Rs 15,400 crore.

Resolution Professional Ashish Chhawchharia said he is hopeful of the airline reviving and that if everything goes well, Jet Airways could return to the skies by the end of 2021.

Securing airport slots key challenge for Jet Airways

According to Resolution Professional Ashish Chhawchharia, Jet will initially operate on 20 routes, with 20 narrow body aircraft and five wide-bodied aircraft. He, however, added that it was difficult to say by when the issue of available slots will be resolved. Among the challenges the airline may face in the future, the biggest is to secure its historical slots at airports.

The bankruptcy court has granted 90 days to the consortium to apply for the same. However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and regulator DGCA had stated that the airline cannot reclaim lost slots since they are not an asset but merely permissions, which remain with the airline subject to the fulfilment of certain requirements. It added that allocation of slots will happen in accordance with the existing guidelines. Jet Airways had about 700 slots that allowed it to land/depart from busy airports like Mumbai and Delhi.

These slots were reallocated to other airlines after Jet suspended operations in April 2019 due to rising debt and shortage of funds. In a statement, the consortium also said that it awaits the written order by the National Company Law Tribunal approving the Resolution Plan and shall inform all stakeholders on next steps for the revival of their beloved airline  Jet Airways.

It added that the consortium wants to work alongside the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and all its competitors to put Jet Airways back in the skies. A fter many rounds of bidding, a consortium led by UK-based Kalrock Capital and UAE -based investor Murari Jalan was chosen by Jet Airways Committee of Creditors (CoC) as the winning bidder of the airline on 17 October 2020. Karlock and Jalan plan to split their share in Jet in a ratio of 49-51 and may end up controlling 89 per cent of the airline. The remaining will be provided to financial creditors. According to the resolution plan, the consortium had proposed a total cash flow of Rs 1,375 crore for the revival of the company.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU:Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle on Monday said that there are suggestions to start a dedicated Covid-19 hospital to treat children in Bengaluru. This comes at a time when there are concerns that the third wave of Covid-19 may hit children hard.

Speaking to reporters, Jolle said a final decision will be taken after consulting Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Community halls in urban areas and residential schools in rural areas will be used as Covid Care Centres (CCCs) for children where mothers will also be allowed, she said.

Jolle said hospitals have been identified in Bengaluru to treat children. So far, 141 ICU beds with ventilators, 116 ICU beds, 712 general beds, and 430 HDU beds have been identified to provide care for children in BBMP limits, she added.

Around 2.38 lakh children in the state were infected with Covid-19 and these include 67,687 children in the age group of 0-9 years and 1,70,565 children in the age group of 9-18. Fifty one children died of Covid-19 in Bengaluru. The minister said 50 children have lost both their parents to Covid-19 in the state and the government will provide each child Rs 3,500 per month and free education. For girls who have completed 21 years of age, Rs 1 lakh will be given, she added.

On vaccination for children, the minister said 30 children are part of the clinical trials in the state. On reopening of schools, she said it will be discussed with the education minister and action will be taken based on the recommendations of the expert committee looking into the matter.

Jolle said that the government has identified 9,761 malnourished children and 124 children with severe malnutrition during the lockdown period. In the last one year, 39 POCSO cases have been registered and action has been taken in 37 cases. Also, 168 complaints related to child marriages have been registered in Karnataka in the last one year of which 122 were stopped and FIR has been registered in 28 cases. Since April this year, the government has stopped two child marriages, she added.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: With Unlock 2.0 starting from Monday, social distance went for a toss as people crowded bus-stops and traffic gridlocks greeted motorists on Bengaluru streets. Shops, bars, hotels, gyms and other commercial establishments opened with 50 per cent capacity. Self-service eateries (darshinis) saw a 10 per cent increase in business, but not at par with the pre-pandemic times, said Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association president PC Rao.

Business at hotels was not up to our expectations. Many hoteliers, who have dine-in establishments, did not open fully as they are waiting to see if customers turn up. We cannot call employees back unless customers arrive. The business will not pick up until and unless bachelors return from their hometowns. Also, hotels are allowed to open only till 5 pm. We expect the business to pick up after 10 days, Rao said.

Gyms were open, but members seemed hesitant to turn up. Karnataka Gym and Fitness Centre Owners Association president AV Ravi said, We are following all precautions. We are sanitising, asking our members to maintain social distance. We are also regularly cleaning the place. We expect the business to pick up after a month. New admissions are not coming and only 3 or 4 out of 10 customers are turning up.

There are 7,000-odd gyms under the association, although it is not clear how many are still functional, as they were shut for almost two years. They had previously asked the government to be included in the financial relief package, waiver of taxes and electricity bills but their demands were not met. Now, they also have to bear an additional cost if they have to remove ACs and make room for natural ventilation, as the government has not allowed air-conditioned gyms.

Production units and industrial establishments have been allowed to function with 50 per cent staff in all districts. Manjunatha Prasad, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department and Member Secretary, State Executive Committee, passed the order after considering the weekly moving average positivity rate of districts as on June 20, and consistent declining trend of the case positivity rate in certain districts, including Udupi, Bengaluru Rural, Shivamogga, Ballari, Chitradurga and Vijayapura.

BBP MANAGEMENT YET TO TAKE DECISION ON REOPENING

BENGALURU: While some commercial activities have been allowed under Unlock-2, tourism activities are yet to start, including the opening of Bannerghatta Biological Park. Even as the Zoo Authority of Karnataka has left the decision of reopening to the managements and the local administration, BBP management said that the zoo will be opened only after consultation with veterinarians, health department and government officials. We found that there are many positive cases in and around Bannerghatta villages. The health of the locals is also crucial while opening the zoo, as many staffers are from the vicinity. Also, the SOPs need to be prepared keeping in mind the third wave, an official said.

ALSO WATCH | Bharat Biotech's Covaxin shows 77.8% efficacy in Phase 3 trials
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday said it may not accept the clean chit report of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) against former local administration minister S P Velumani if it finds that day has been turned into night.

Only if there are stark allegations for action to be taken will we interfere. If there are only small things, that does not interest the court. If the government has accepted the report, the court will not interfere but if day has been turned into night, then the court will not accept the same, the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the former minister, said that once the state government has accepted the report of the DVAC, nothing else remains. A preliminary inquiry was conducted by a superintendent of police rank officer appointed by the high court.

Responding to the submission, the high court bench said: It is the government which has accepted the report, the court might not have accepted the report

The issue pertains to a PIL moved by NGO Arappor Iyakkam to register an FIR and order a probe by a special investigating team (SIT) against Velumani over alleged corruption in allotting tenders of Chennai and Coimbatore corporations.

Representing the petitioner, advocate V Suresh submitted that the petitioner has filed a series of counters against the DVAC report. Since he wanted to make his submission in a physical hearing, the court adjourned the plea after four weeks.

On March 26, the court dismissed a plea moved by Velumani seeking contempt of court action against the NGO as an utterly frivolous petition.

Velumani has alleged that reports accusing him of corruption in awarding contracts of Chennai and Coimbatore corporations are being published continuously by the NGO on social media in violation of a court order.

According to the former minister, on October 18, 2019, a division bench of the court appointed superintendent of police Ponni attached to the DVAC to conduct a preliminary inquiry. Accordingly, the officer completed the inquiry and forwarded the report to the state government for further action, the petitioner said.

After due examination, on January 22, 2020, the state decided to drop further action in the matter based on the preliminary inquiry report and requested the division bench of the court to close the petition, he added.
Somrita Ghosh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: "Jinko jana thaa wo toh jaa chuke, aab unki yaad me kuch achha karna hai, gaon ka bhala ho jaye (Those who were destined to depart left us. Hence, the thought of remembering them in the best possible way, which can later benefit the village)," says 25-year-old Rinku Tyagi who lost his mother and grandfather to the pandemic in a span of one week in the last month.

In memory of their loved ones, Rinku and other residents of a small village have started a plantation drive. Around 30 families in Shikarpur village located at Najafgarh lost at least one of their family members in the devastating second wave of COVID-19 in the national capital.

Seventeen-year-old Aayushi Tyagi who lost her 70-year-old grandfather Omprakash Tyagi believes that the concept of planting trees has a good motive and hence is easily accepted by the villagers. "Instead of wasting money by building status or anything else, planting trees in memory of deceased relatives was a refreshing idea. In the coming years this will eventually benefit the villagers. I am sure even my grandfather would be happy over the fact that we did something which would serve the society as a token of remembrance," says Aayushi.

Amid the pain and suffering, the idea of planting saplings in the village came from Gulshan Tyagi, who works with the Delhi Police. While Gulshan shied away and refused to comment, his associate in the initiative Paras Tyagi, who is the co-founder of NGO Cycle-India, says they were motivated by a team of five people from a nearby village who maintains 10,000 plus samplings.

"The concept of plantation of lakhs of trees by government is never successful because samplings are never cared for due to cost of maintenance. Plantations by families in their farms and own land will take care of these challenges. We found this socially relevant and environmentally sustainable," he said.

A few other villages in Najafgarh area such as Dhansa, Issapur, Malikpur, Samaspur Khalsa and Ujwa are also planting trees. Issapur village alone has set the target of 10,000 trees while the rest are following.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A fraudster has duped film producer Suresh Babu of Rs 1 lakh under the pretext of providing COVID-19 vaccines. The suspect identified as Nagarjuna Reddy is now absconding after collecting the money from the producer. A case has been registered at Jubilee Hills police station under sections 406 and 420 of the IPC.

On May 31, 2021, Suresh Babu received a call from Nagarjuna Reddy, who offered to provide vaccines for 500 people that would cost Rs 1 lakh. Suresh Babu agreed to the offer and transferred Rs 1 lakh into the account of T Laxmi, Nagarjuna Reddys wife.

After the amount was transferred, Nagarjuna Reddy stopped responding to Suresh Babu and the vaccines were also not delivered. Later it was found that the amount was withdrawn immediately after it was transferred into the account and Nagarjuna Reddys mobile was switched off.

Realising that they were cheated, Suresh Babus staff lodged a complaint at Jubilee Hills police station on Monday, following which a case has been registered. Police said a hunt is on to nab Nagarjuna Reddy. They are also verifying if Nagarjuna Reddy had cheated more people in the same way.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Two migrants working at a brick kiln, accused of killing their colleague at Yacharam on the citys outskirts in 2019, were sentenced to imprisonment for seven years. The court, while delivering the verdict, relied on the statements of four other workers who were witnesses to the murder and tried to stop the accused, and on scientific evidence. The court also imposed a fine of `3,000 on each.

The convicted Manubodh Punji and Niranjan Punji and the deceased Lavan Baag, belonging to Naupada district of Odisha, were working at a brick kiln in Ravirala village under Adibatla police limits of Rachakonda commissionerate. On the night of March 25, 2019, when the three persons and four other workers at the brick kiln were consuming alcohol, Lavan started abusing family members of the accused. The accused picked up a stick and struck Lavan with it on his head. Lavan was shifted to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

The police filed a chargesheet two months after the incident. Later during the trial, the court examined the eyewitnesses to the murder and also the reports from the forensic lab and delivered the verdict on Monday.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which is probing the seizure of 2.91kg of heroin from a Zimbabwean national, suspects that the accused was a frequent flyer to India. Chigaza Sharon was intercepted by a team led by NCB superintendent Ashish Ojha at the airport while she transited to New Delhi via Bengaluru and Kochi airport on Saturday evening. Sharon had started her journey from Johannesburg in South Africa.

To unearth details of the drug smuggling syndicate, Chigaza was quizzed by the NCB on Sunday. She admitted to interrogators that she has been to New Delhi and Bengaluru before. She didnt know that the consignment she handed over to persons in Bengaluru and New Delhi contained drugs. However, this was her first visit to Kochi. She is suspected to be the member of a drug smuggling syndicate which is active in the country. The contraband seized from her is worth over K20 crore, said a Kochi airport official. Meanwhile, as per the NCBs preliminary findings, the heroin recovered from Chigaza Sharon is of Afghan origin.

An investigation is on into the source of the heroin. Based on the quality of the contraband seized, it must have originated from Afghanistan. Most likely, the African drug cartel was the main supplier. We suspect that the drug was to be supplied to someone in Bengaluru. After handing over the consignment to an unidentified person in Bengaluru, the accused was to proceed to New Delhi where she would have received the remuneration online, an NCB official said.

The NCB also received information that two other foreign nationals, who accompanied Chigaza, had reached New Delhi on Sunday morning. We have identified them. They are foreign nationals who started from Qatar. We have shared information to our units in Bengaluru and New Delhi. They will be arrested soon. We dont know whether they were also carrying drugs during the transit via Kochi airport, the NCB official said.

This year, over 500kg of heroin was recovered on transit via airport and sea route in Kochi. Before the arrest of Zimbabwean national, the Coast Guard had intercepted four Sri Lankan fishing vessels with heroin in separate incidents off Kerala.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Yoga should be considered as a part of the healthcare system in the state and not as related to a particular religion or faith, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Speaking after inaugurating the International Yoga Day celebrations here on Monday, he said a vast majority of people will lose the benefits of yoga if it is associated with only a particular religion or faith.

Yoga should be a part of our daily life as it would strengthen the health of a society. Yoga is a fitness programme based on science and it provides fitness to mind as well as body, so it has to be promoted, said the chief minister. On the occasion, Health Minister Veena George said yoga boosts immunity and it has a great significance in these Covid times.

The theme of International Yoga Day is Yoga for Health - Yoga at Home. Since Kerala is the considered diabetic capital of the country, practising yoga can help keep the lifestyle diseases at bay, she said. We need immunity against diseases, not treatment. Yoga can play a big role in boosting the immunity of the society, she said.Padma Vibhushan P K Warrier, managing trustee and former chief physician of Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, was honoured during the function.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Ahead of his digital debut, actor Shahid Kapoor says he is "nervous" about venturing into a new medium.

Kapoor, the star of movies such as "Jab We Met", "Kaminey", "Haider" and "Kabir Singh", is headlining an untitled series, created and written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK of "The Family Man" fame for streamer Amazon Prime Video.

During an Instagram Live session on Monday evening, Kapoor said his success in the movies doesn't guarantee acceptance on OTT platforms.

"I'm very nervous about making my digital debut because I really feel that actors who might have been liked and loved on the big screen, might or might not be appreciated on a digital platform," Kapoor said.

The 40-year-old actor was interacting with his fans to celebrate two years of his 2019 blockbuster "Kabir Singh".

The long form formats are more difficult to pull off because actors have to ensure that the audiences continue to remain interested in their characters, Kapoor said.

"You can't just be okay if people like you for a couple of hours. They need to be interested in your character, connect with you and you need to hold their attention for 9-10 episodes. I don't think I'm experienced in that space. So it would be interesting to see how people react to me on that platform," he added.

The actor said he always wanted to feature in a long-form content as it offers scope to flesh out a nuanced portrayal of a character.

"Most of the time when I've finished my movies, whether it was 'Haider' or 'Kabir Singh', I always used to hope I've been able to bring out every aspect of this character. When you have more time, it allows you to share more of him with the audience.

"It'll be interesting to see how they respond to that, whether they like me in that space, whether I'll be able to do something different as opposed to what I do in a movie."

Kapoor, however, was tight-lipped about the much-awaited series.

The actor said he was "not allowed to say much" but teased that the project would be a departure from his previous works.

"I have loved Raj and DK's work for a while. I really enjoyed seeing 'The Family Man' and I totally loved season two. The web series is very different from anything that I've ever done. It's going to be exciting. It's a quirky crime drama," he added.
By Express News Service

KOZHIKODE: A 15-year-old boy from Delhi who went missing in 2019 was reunited with his mother in Kozhikode on Monday. Monty was rescued by the Railway Police and the Railway Childline on June 14 and later shifted to the Childrens Home here.

The officials managed to trace the name and the native place of the boy, who does not speak and is mentally challenged, after examining the tattoo on his hands. After contacting officials with the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme in Delhi, the boys family was identified.

The mother, Anita, broke down on seeing her son. I ran from pillar to post looking for him but couldnt find him. My prayers have finally been answered, Anita said. She arrived on Monday from Shakarpur located in north-east Delhi. She said that they could not continue the search for her son because of the Covid escalation.

The child welfare inspector, Ashraf, said: When we showed some pictures of places from Delhi and Shakarpur, the boy showed some excitement, especially after seeing the pictures of his village. Thats how we confirmed that he belongs to Shakarpur. It was indeed a blissful and emotional moment to see the mother and son uniting after 2 years.
Express News Service

Even as doctors and public health experts fretted in the last week over the visuals of people in Delhi- NCR shopping and eating out (despite the 50 per cent cap on seating), according to restaurateurs and bar owners, this is the week that will really be an indicator of how quickly the F&B industry is going to bounce back. And thats because the Delhi government has allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages from today as well as extended the operating hours for restaurants from 8:00pm up to 10:00pm.

Avantika Sinha Bahl, Owner of Mai Bao and Kampai, says, "We opened on Thursday and response has been better than expected. We were losing on dinner service with the 8:00pm restriction, and so the hope now is that footfall will be more promising in the coming days."

Saurabh Luthra, Founder of Romeo Lane, says that the Sunday announcement was a wow moment, "as last week, business started coming in but given that we could only serve food within limited hours, it was a very tough situation".

"The complete experience of dining out is incomplete without drinks and given the work scenario, people mostly step out post 7:00pm only. With the serving hours and liquor serving permission in place, we are looking forward to good days ahead," he says.

Indeed, while international conglomerates like McDonalds and the like saw encouraging footfall from last Monday itself, the stand-alone restaurant section has been much more cautious. Kanishk Tuteja, Founder 1 Oak, Nukkad and we Qutub, says, I had opened only one outlet of mine out of three, considering without liquor and limited serving hours, my other two places would have seen more losses than gains. Now I am happy as we will be able to open all three outlets.

Similarly, Akshay Anand of Ophelia that isnt opening till later this week, says, The first weeks business was not too slow at the places that had opened, but we plan to open by Wednesday, so that we can welcome back our clients with the complete experience of our outlet.

For Amit Rekhi, Partner, Music & Mountains, the past week has been very rewarding and encouraging. We did not feel the pressure of too many footfalls as we have been very careful with the number of covers, which is 50 per cent capacity. Despite that, it was a wonderful feeling to welcome back our regulars. The fact that people are feeling comfortable at our restaurant makes us hopeful that we will be able to serve better.

Amit Bagga, Founder of Daryaganj, is even more hopeful, noting, "We have seen an overall 60 per cent recovery since the last time we were fully operational in March. Our delivery sales are steady and dine-in sales have been a bonus; both are now contributing 50-50 to our sales. Also, as we are a foodfocussed brand, liquor doesnt make much of a difference to us, but now with the extended time and liquor being allowed, I am optimistic that things will improve as this increases the APC."

Summing up the hopes for the industry is restaurateur Zorawar Kalra, who says, "This is a very positive move for an already beleaguered industry, and is in sync with what other states are allowing. This will now ensure more and more restaurants open up as with these relaxations the viability of opening a restaurant no longer remains a question mark."

"This also helps in added revenue for the exchequer and the industry, but more importantly it will positively affect employment in the sector. For now, all patrons and restaurants need to ensure responsible consumption and service in order to ensure there is no spike in cases. It is essential for the survival of this industry which is the second largest employer of human capital in the country," he added.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The recruitment for the clinical trial of the country's first indigenously-developed COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, among children in the age group of 6-12 years will begin at the AIIMS here from Tuesday.

This will be followed by the clinical trial of children in the age-group of 2-6 years.

The enrolment of children volunteers aged 12-18 years at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been completed and they have been given the first dose of Covaxin.

"The recruitment process for the clinical trial of Covaxin among children in the age group of 6-12 years will begin from Tuesday," Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at the Centre for Community Medicine at the AIIMS, told PTI.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had granted permission for conducting the phase 2/3 clinical trial of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin among children aged two to 18 years on May 12.

The trial is to be conducted in three parts -- 175 volunteers each in the groups aged 12-18, 6-12 and 2-6 years.

In the trial, the vaccine will be given by the intramuscular route in two doses on day 0 and day 28.

Covaxin, indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is being used in adults in the country's ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The clinical trials will evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of the vaccine in children.

The government recently cautioned that even though COVID-19 has not taken a serious shape among children till now, its impact can increase among them if there is a change in the virus behaviour or epidemiology dynamics and said preparations are being strengthened to deal with any such situation.

A national expert group has been formed to review COVID-19 cases in children and approach the pandemic in a renewed way to strengthen the country's preparedness, NITI Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul had told a press conference.

The group has examined signs that were not available four-five months before, he had said.
By Express News Service

SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair an all-party meeting with at least 14 politicians of Jammu and Kashmir, including former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah, in Delhi on June 24, officials said on Saturday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also likely to attend the meeting, the first such exercise since the Centre announced abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and its bifurcation into UTs in August 2019. The meeting comes amid reports that the Centre may discuss the restoration of statehood and other important issues concerning J&K.

While it remains to be seen whether the Kashmir politicians would raise the Article 370 revocation issue, a senior BJP leader said no talks can be held on it as the J&K's special status was "scrapped forever". As a goodwill gesture, the government on Saturday released PDP leader and Mehbooba Mufti's maternal uncle Sartaj Madni, six months after he was detained on December 21, a day before the counting of votes for the DDC polls.

Officials said Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reached invited the leaders to the meeting at the PM's residence to discuss future course of action for the UT.

National Conference, PDP meet today to decide response on Centre's invite

Other leaders who were invited include Tara Chand, GA Mir, Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress), Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Sajjad Lone (People's Conference), Ravinder Raina, Nirmal Singh, Kavinder Gupta (BJP), Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami (CPM), Altaf Bukhari (Apni Party), and Bhim Singh (Panthers Party).

The National Conference and the People's Democratic Party will be meeting on Sunday to decide their response on the Centre's invite. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who headed the PDP-BJP coalition government from 2016 to 2018, confirmed that she received a call from the Centre for the June 24 meeting in Delhi. She has convened a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) in Srinagar to take a call on the invite.

Similarly, NC leaders would be meeting to chalk out their strategy for the meeting. "Farooq received a phone call. However, we have not received any written invitation, which could specify the APM agenda," senior NC leader and MP Hasnain Masoodi said. Apni Party vice-president Ghulam Hassan Mir termed the invite as a "very significant" development.

Political commentator Noor Mohammad Baba said the Centre's change in Kashmir policy may have been prompted by both internal and external factors. "There are more strategic factors. Kashmir is not like any other place in India. It is being watched. There are external agencies. The UN agencies are also keeping an eye on the situation. Something positive is being considered after some persuasion and some work has been done," he said.
By PTI

JAMMU: The Congress on Tuesday decided to attend the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday, with its leader G A Mir asserting that the restoration of full statehood of Jammu and Kashmir will be its "priority number one".

The decision to attend the deliberations with the prime minister was taken at a meeting chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, according to the party's Jammu and Kashmir unit spokesperson Ravinder Sharma.

The Congress meeting was attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior leaders Karan Singh, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rajni Patil, G A Mir and Tariq Hameed Karra, the spokesperson said.

"Congress will keep restoration of full statehood on priority number one irrespective of the agenda of the meeting," said Mir, who is among the 14 invitees from Jammu and Kashmir along with party colleague and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

"We will try to convince him (PM) to restore full statehood. All parties who are taking part in the meeting are facing huge public pressure for restoration of statehood," he told PTI.

Mir said that no official agenda has been conveyed to them.

"They should have conveyed the agenda of the meeting," he added.

The meeting is the first such exercise since the Centre announced the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and its bifurcation into union territories on August 5, 2019.

According to officials, the prime minister's scheduled meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir is part of the Centre's initiatives to bolster political processes, including holding assembly elections, in the union territory.

Congress' declaration come safter the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) said it will attend the all-party meetingon Thursday, as per a statement by alliance chairperson Farooq Abdullah.

The announcement came after PAGD leaders met at Abdullah's Gupkar Road residence here on Tuesday to discuss the Centre's invitation to leaders from Jammu and Kashmir.

"We have received the invitation from the prime minister and we are going to attend (the meeting)," Abdullah, who was flanked by other leaders of the alliance, told reporters after the meeting.

Fourteen leaders from Jammu and Kashmir have been invited to the meeting to be chaired by the prime minister to discuss the future course of action for the union territory.

The meeting is the first such exercise since the Centre announced the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and its bifurcation into union territories on August 5, 2019.

The PAGD chairperson said the alliance was confident that it would be able to put its stand before the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister during the meeting at New Delhi.

"When the meeting ends, we will brief you here as well as in Delhi on what we did there, what we said and what was their response," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference president said.

Asked what would be the stand of the alliance, Abdullah said, "You all know our stand and there is no need to repeat it."

"Whatever our stand was, is still there and will be there," he added.

Various constituents of the PAGD have approached the Supreme Court with a petition asking for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and its statehood.

The PAGD is a six-party alliance of mainstream parties which came into existence after the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.

Abdullah said all those invited will attend the meeting.

"(PDP chief) Mehbooba ji, me, (CPI-M leader) Tarigami sahab and all those who have been invited from us (the alliance), will go," he said.

As the invitation is to individual leaders of various parties "they all will go and all will speak there", the NC leader added.

Asked about the agenda of the meeting, Abdullah said "no agenda has been pitched from their side (the Centre)".

"We can talk about any issue there," he added.

The alliance's vice-chairperson and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti reiterated her party's stand and said that she would press for the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir along with statehood.

"We will talk on what has been snatched away from us, that it was a mistake and it was an illegal and unconstitutional act, without restoring which, the issue of J-K and the situation in J-K and peace in the whole region cannot be established," Mehbooba said.

Talking to reporters, PAGD spokesman and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami also hinted at seeking the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir during the meeting with the prime minister.

"We will not ask for the stars, but will seek what has been ours and should be ours only. As we have no information on the agenda of the meeting called by the PM, we will reiterate the stand of the PAGD there, before the highest leadership," he said.

The CPI(M) leader said the meeting with the prime minister was an opportunity and assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh that the leaders were going to Delhi to "advocate on their behalf".

"We will advocate in that court on the behalf of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. We will appeal to the PM of India about safeguarding the guarantees under the Constitution, which we have been given before, and to reconsider them," he said, apparently referring to the erstwhile state's special status.

Tarigami said there should be no misconception among the people that the alliance leaders were going to sign on to the agenda set by the Centre.

"No, we are not. We are going to see what proposal the PM of India has. If it is in our interest, the interest of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, then we will say yes and if otherwise, there is going to be a big no," he said.

Another PAGD member and Awami National Conference (ANC) senior vice president Muzaffar Shah said, "There can be no compromise on Article 370 and Article 35A," which were revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

Shah is not among the invitees to the meeting.

According to officials, the prime minister's scheduled meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir is part of the Centre's initiatives to bolster political processes, including holding assembly elections, in the union territory.
By PTI

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of hiding the actual number of deaths due to COVID-19.

Through this, he said, the BJP government is actually hiding its face.

Yadav's remarks came a day after a report claimed that the death toll due to COVID-19 in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh from July 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 was up to 43 times higher than the official figures.

Its findings are based on a comparison of the official death toll in these districts during the nine-month period with the excess deaths registered in the state's Civil Registration System (CRS).

The mortality data was accessed through a Right to Information (RTI) application.

In a tweet in Hindi, Yadav said, "According to information accessed through the Right to Information, it has come to light that the death toll in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh in the nine months of the pandemic till March 31, 2021 is up to 43 times higher than the government figures.

" "Actually, the BJP government is not hiding the death figures but its face," he said.

As of Monday, Uttar Pradesh's COVID-19 death toll stood at 22,224 while the total number of cases was 17,04,476, according to a government bulletin.

PTI SAB DIV DIV 06221150 NNNN
By PTI

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday directed the state Education department to explore the possibility of restarting schools and colleges for students of classes 10 and 12 in the villages without COVID-19 cases.

Those villages and towns which have not reported fresh coronavirus cases for a long time and where there are no chances of finding new infections could be considered for reopening of schools and colleges.

Students can start going to schools and colleges and attend classes like the pre-pandemic period, the state government said in a statement.

The CM also directed Education department officials to assess such villages and towns where schools and colleges can be allowed to resume, it said.

Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad, state Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the CMO Ashishkumar Singh, ACS, School Education Department Vandana Krisha, CMO Principal Secretary Vikas Kharage and other officials of the school education department attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Gaikwad briefed the officials about the department's ongoing exercise of compiling data of the students who lost both parents due to COVID-19.

Database of such students will be used to frame a state-level policy of bearing their educational expenses.

The chief minister has asked Gaikwad to submit the proposal with an estimated requirement of the funds, the statement said.

The CM also directed the department to study the formula being used by boards like CBSE for assigning marks to students of classes 10 and 12 whose exams stood cancelled due to the pandemic.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed the first set of troops of newly raised Tibetan unit, Special Tibetan Army Unit (STAU), in the strategically important Chumbi Valley between Sikkim and Bhutan.The PLA has deployed a new set of militia, which is known as Mimang Cheton (MC), in the Chumbi Valley under Yatung County in Tibetan Autonomous Region, said a source. The MC consists of local Tibetan youths recruited and trained by the PLA.

Two batches of MC, each comprising about 100 youths, have been recruited, with the first 100 having completed their training and currently deployed at various locations in Chumbi Valley viz Yutung, Cheema, Rinchengang, PB Thang and Phari, the source said. The second batch is currently undergoing training at Phari.

The PLA raised the STAU keeping the locals adaptability, knowledge of the language and awareness of weather conditions and general terrain, with altitude ranging between 11,000 ft towards Arunachal Pradesh and nearly 18,000 ft close to Karakoram in Ladakh. It wants to exploit the locals familiarity with the area to its advantage by deploying these troops mostly in the bordering areas, the source said.

Currently the unit personnel have neither uniform nor ranks. The troops of the new unit, after completing their training, are taken to Tibetan monks for their blessings. China being a communist nation, there has no such previous practice. This is possibly a new strategy of PLA to get some mileage in Tibet region.

Knowledge of local language, weather

PLA raised STAU keeping the locals adaptability, knowledge of the language and awareness of weather conditions and general terrain, with altitude ranging between 11,000 ft towards Arunachal and nearly 18,000 ft close to Karakoram in Ladakh
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A day after India achieved nearly 86 lakh daily Covid vaccinations as the union government took over the task of supplying free vaccines for adults in all government hospitals across India, the vaccination numbers fell by nearly 40 per cent on Tuesday.

A total of 52.83 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Tuesday, in comparison to 86.16 lakh doses given on Monday as all adults became eligible to receive the shots free of cost in government hospitals across the country.

Nearly 64 per cent of the doses administered on Monday were in rural areas and nearly 65,000 of total 67,000 Covid vaccination centres were government facilities while women comprised about 46 per cent of the total vaccine recipients.

ALSO READ: Centre declares delta plus as variant of concern, tells states to strictly isolate Covid cases with new variant

Senior authorities conceded that while Mondays show was a sign of Indias ability to vaccinate at scale, it will remain a challenge to sustain the momentum per day even during the remaining days this month.

Officials said that of about 12 crore vaccine doses available for June, 9.5 crore doses have already been exhausted which leaves only about 2.5 crore doses for 8 days.

Monday was actually an orchestrated capacity demonstration to show that we are capable of carrying out this high number of vaccinations but current dose supplies might constrain efforts to sustain the pace, a top official in the Union health ministry said.

From Monday, the Union government is responsible for procuring and supplying 75 % of the total vaccines available in the country which will be used for inoculating all adults in government hospitals while 25 per cent vaccines will be available for procurement by private hospitals.

ALSO READ: 81 lakh get shots as jabs rise 62 per cent in one day

V K Paul, who heads the national Covid task force and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19, underscored that the day one vaccination figures demonstrate India's ability to carry out vaccination on large scale for days and weeks together.

All this was possible because of planning and coordination between central and state governments and taking up the task work in mission mode," said Paul.

We need to do our daily work, maintain our social life, open schools, businesses, take care of our economy; we will be able to do all this only when we are able to vaccinate at a fast pace.

N K Arora, chairperson of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India, on the other hand said the country could even achieve 1.25 crore vaccinations in a day.

This is not unprecedented. In one week, we give polio vaccines to around 17 crore children, he said.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the drug regulator will discuss reviewing the Phase III data of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin on Tuesday.

The meeting is taking before Bharat Biotech's 'pre-submission' meeting on Wednesday with the World Health Organization (WHO), for the approval for their COVID vaccine 'Covaxin'.

According to sources, "The Subject Expert Committee will meet today to review the Phase III data of Covaxin."

The Hyderabad-based COVID vaccine manufacturing company Bharat Biotech submitted data from the Phase III clinical trials of Covaxin to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) over the weekend, according to government sources.

"We have received the data from the phase III trials," a senior government official confirmed.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is one of the three vaccines which are currently being used in India. The phase III data of its vaccine have been questioned various times and that is what makes the data crucial which will ascertain the efficacy of the vaccine.

The company has developed the vaccine in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

In a press briefing a few days ago by the Union Health Ministry, Dr V K Paul, who is a member (Health) Niti Aayog and also the head of the COVID task force of the country, said that the company would be submitting the data within seven to eight days.

In May, Bharat Biotech had said that an emergency use listing (EUL) application had been submitted to WHO, with regulatory approvals expected between July and September.
By PTI

KOLKATA: The Congress' West Bengal unit on Tuesday accused the BJP of conspiring to divide the state claiming that it is a part of a larger gameplan of the RSS, the ideological parent body of the saffron party.

BJP MP John Barla recently sought a separate union territory comprising north Bengal districts, another Lok Sabha member of the party, Saumitra Khan, raised a similar demand for the Junglemahal region in the southern part of the state.

The Bengal BJP leadership, however, said it is not in favour of the state's division.

"It is known that the RSS is behind every such move by the BJP. (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi is influenced by the RSS and it has a longstanding plot to carve out Muslim- dominated regions in different states," state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters.

"They have that plan for Uttar Pradesh, they have that plan for West Bengal," he said without elaborating.

Chowdhury, also the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, claimed that the BJP would have executed "this heinous plan" after a certain period had it formed the government in West Bengal.

"But after the defeat in the assembly polls, they are desperate and impatient to fulfil their agenda immediately.

Bengalis must stand united and protest across the state against this diabolical gameplan of the BJP," he said.

Chowdhury claimed that Narendra Modi is scared that he is losing popularity and is desperate to retain power in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

"That is why they (BJP) are taking resort to such conspiracies. They want to disturb the Trinamool Congress regime as it won with a huge majority in the assembly polls," he said about BJP.
By PTI

KOLKATA: Several ethnic groups, which has spearheaded agitations for creation of separate states in north Bengal over the past few decades, have now rejected a BJP MP's controversial demand for an union territory comprising all districts of the region, calling it an "unrealistic" and "vindictive" move.

John Barla, the saffron party MP from Alipurduar, recently sparked a political debate in the state when he called for bifurcation of Bengal, drawing sharp retort from the TMC and other parties.

Barla, during an interaction with the party's north Bengal leaders, also said he would take the matter up in Parliament during the upcoming Monsoon session.

His views were endorsed by BJP MP from Alipurduar Jayanta Roy and some other leaders.

The state unit of the BJP, however, distanced itself from the demand and said "it was not the official stand of the party and more of a personal opinion of Barla".

Ironically, Barla's demand did not find resonance among the prominent identity-based groups in the region - the Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJM), Greater Cooch Behar People's Association (GCPA) and those backing the Kamtapur movement.

They said it was an attempt to create unrest ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

Barla, who had earlier led an agitation for an autonomous tribal area in the region, reasoned that north Bengal has long been neglected and its separation from the TMC-led state could be the only way to usher in development.

"There have been movements here in the past for a separate Kamtapuri, a greater Cooch Behar and Gorkhaland. That prompted me to raise this demand. And to be honest, north Bengal region has faced neglected for a long time. It should be made into a separate union territory," the BJP MP, who has stayed firm on his stance, said.

The tribal leader from Terai-Dooars also said he and other leaders from the region would be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on this issue.

His remarks have kicked off a political storm in the state, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the ruling TMC vehemently opposing it.

"We are opposed to any division of Bengal. We will never allow any such thing," she said.

The TMC, which had used the sub-nationalism card to trounce the BJP in the March-April assembly polls, was quick to brand the saffron party as an "anti-Bengali" organisation which wants to divide the state to avenge its defeat.

North Bengal, with its eight districts including picturesque Darjeeling, is both economically important for West Bengal as it houses the money-minting tea, timber and tourism industries.

The place is strategically important for the country for its Siliguri corridor, commonly known as 'chicken neck', as it connects the mainland with the northeastern states.

The region, which shares border with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, has witnessed several violent statehood movements since the early eighties by various ethnic groups such as Gorkhas, Rajbanshis, Koch and Kamatapuri communities.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, rejecting Barla's stance, said, "What purpose would a union territory or a separate state comprising all north Bengal districts serve? We wanted a separate state of Gorkhaland.

We have been fighting for it since the 1980s.

We don't trust the BJP; they have fooled us since 2009.

" The demand for Gorkhaland was first made in the 1980s, with the Subhas Ghisingh-led GNLF launching a violent agitation in 1986, which dragged on for 43 days, resulting in the deaths of hundreds.

The movement led to the formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 1988.

After the TMC took over the reins in Bengal in 2011, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was formed with GJM supremo Bimal Gurung as its chief.

But peace was short-lived in the region as Gurung rekindled the agitation in support of Gorkhaland in 2013, and engineered a 104-day-long strike in 2017, accusing the TMC government of trying to "wipe out" Gorkha identity.

Giri, who belongs to the Gurung faction of the GJM, claimed that the BJP was making "false promises" and his outfit, which joined hands with the TMC just ahead of the assembly polls after years of rivalry, now, has full faith in Banerjee as she has promised a permanent political solution.

Echoing him, Bangshi Badan Barman of GCPA said a separate UT was not the same as the demand for an independent state for Rajbanshis, who make for the largest chunk of Scheduled Caste population in the state.

"The Cooch Behar princely kingdom was merged with India after Independence with a promise of a C-category state.

But that promise was not fulfilled, and part of the Cooch Behar kingdom was divided between Assam and West Bengal.

So carving out north Bengal as a state or UT won't be of much help," he told PTI.

Barman also questioned the timing of Barla's proposal and sought to know why the BJP leadership did not raise the matter during the assembly polls.

The leaders of the Kamatapuri movement in north Bengal, which also led to the formation of militant outfit Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), feels the demand is "unrealistic" and an attempt "to settle scores after assembly polls drubbing".

"It is not only diversionary but also unrealistic.

The needs of people in north Bengal vary from district to district.

"We will not back this call for a UT status.

We want a separate state for Kamatpuris.

The TMC government has carried out various developmental projects in the region since 2011.

Even then, there is a lot that is left to be done," said Nikhil Roy, president of the Kamtapur Peoples' Party (United).

Once dreaded for its aggression, the Kamatapuri movement, which sought a separate state consisting of parts of north Bengal and a few districts of Assam, is just a pale shadow of its former avatar as several of its top leaders are either behind bars or have returned to the mainstream under the TMC regime.

Even the GCPA and GJM, too, are in disarray over factional feuds and have lost their past influence.

Barla's remarks, although, failed to evoke any response among the separatist leaders, it led to churning in the BJP's rank and file in the region.

Several leaders openly spoke against it and have expressed their desire to leave the party.

The party's Alipurduar district president, Ganga Prasad Sharma, switched over to the TMC on Monday.

Slamming the saffron camp, TMC leader and minister of state for north Bengal development Sabina Yeasmin said, "The BJP cannot digest the humiliating defeat it faced in the last assembly polls.

It is now trying to break Bengal.

But the people of this state and the TMC will never allow their sinister plans to succeed.

" Sensing that the Union territory narrative would harm the party's support base in the state, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh clarified that no such plan was in the offing.

"Barla's comment is not the official stand of the party.

The BJP has no such plans," he said.

Among leaders of other parties, Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya pointed out that "such a proposition would only divide the masses and never become a reality" as the proposal has to be first passed in the assembly.

Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said both the TMC and the BJP have adopted "double standards" over separate statehood demands in the region.

"This time, the BJP is at the receiving end, and the UT demand by John Barla will harm the the party both politically and electorally," he said.

North Bengal, which sends eights MPs to Lok Sabha, had voted hands down for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as the party bagged seven seats.

The TMC, however, was able to recover much of its lost ground in the assembly polls held earlier in the year.

PTI PNT RMS RMS 06221249 NNNN
By Express News Service

JAIPUR: The Ashok Gehlot government has decided to change the uniform of 80 lakh students of government schools in Rajasthan.

At present, the school uniform has brown colour trousers and light brown shirts.

In 2017, the former BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje had changed school dresses after two decades. The Congress had accused the move of being aimed at saffronisation as it was rather similar to the Khaki uniform of RSS.

A special committee has been formed to decide the colors for the new dress.

However, to prevent any additional burden on parents, the government will distribute the new dresses free of cost to all students. In this years budget, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had announced that his government would provide free uniforms to children in public schools.

Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasara said: The color of the school dress may change but what will be the color of the new school dress be? This will be decided by a special committee. Free clothing will be offered to children in all public schools. For this, we will decide to put money in the parents account via DBT or we may just provide the new dress to students.

The Gehlot government had considered changing the dress of public schools last year and had even formed a committee for it. But the proposal was blocked due to the Corona crisis.

Last year, the BJP opposed the proposal to change school dress, saying it would put a lot of unnecessary burden on parents of students.

According to the estimates, the Rajasthan Government's decision to junk the earlier uniform will cost it over Rs 400 crore.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRI NAGAR: With the Centre yet to specify the agenda for the June 24 All-Party Meeting (APM) on Jammu and Kashmir to be chaired by PM Narendra Modi, the Gupkar alliance is in a fix over participation.Leaders of the six-party Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD)  formed last year to push for Article 370 restoration  will meet at the residence of National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday to chalk out a strategy for the talks.

Four of the alliance leaders, including Farooq and his son Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP and Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami have been invited for the APM, which is the first major outreach by the Centre since abrogation of Article 370.Abdullah will continue consultations with party leaders tomorrow. He will take a final call on the partys participation in the APM after attending the Gupkar Alliance meeting tomorrow, a senior NC leader said.

The PDPs Political Affairs Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, met on Sunday and authorised party president Mehbooba Mufti to take a call on participation in the APM. She too would be taking a final call after attending the Gupkar Alliance meeting.A senior PDP leader said Mehbooba, who has been very vocal against Article 370 revocation, is reluctant to attend the APM. She says attending the APM is useless as it will focus on the delimitation process. She feels it as an attempt to discredit the mainstream leaders, said a PDP leader.

PAGD spokesman and CPIM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said the Gupkar Alliance would meet and decide how many of their leaders would attend the APM and what issues they would be raising before the PM. We will be discussing the modalities, approach and strategy, said Tarigami. Our chairman has already made it clear that we are not averse to talks.Sources said the Gupkar leaders would decide that all of them, if they attend, will talk on Article 370 restoration even if the agenda is the delimitation process or poll.
DEHRADUN: Residents of Haldwani city performed Yoga Asanas in dumping ground surrounded by garbage heaps on International Yoga Day in Haldwani in Nainital district of Uttarakhand.

This was in protest against dumping garbage in vicinity of Indira Nagar and Banbhulpura localities of Haldwani city.

Locals performed asanas on mounds of garbage which can range anywhere between 60-65 lakh tonnes in the said dumping ground.

Sartaj Alam, a resident of the city who was one of the Yoga performers at the garbage mound told The New Indian Express, "We have been protesting dumping of garbage in the locality for years now. Solid waste from Nainital, Ramnagar and Haldwani is dumped by local municipal bodies at the same spot causing various health issues of skin, lung and heart endangering lives of over 12,000 people. Our Prime Minister talks about 'Swacch Bharat' and this is what we get from the officials of Uttrakhand."

According to the residents, the waste also includes medical waste being dumped without following any guidelines.

Interestingly, Uttarakhand High Court in year 2018 had issues a series of directions to address the problem of unscientific disposal of medical waste into the rivers and rivulets of the hill state.

The medical waste being dumped in the area violates at least four laws- The Forest Conservation Act 1980, The Environment Protection Act 1986, The Public Liability Act 1991, and Biological Diversity Act 2002.

We have been protesting from time to time and given only empty assurances from the district administration and local municipal officials, alleged the residents.

Jogender Rautela, mayor of Haldwani-Kathgodam Municipal Corporation who won elections in 2018 and promised to address the issue said, "The work is in progress and we will have a suitable solution soon."
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration on Tuesday decided to attend the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on June 24. The leaders of the six-party alliance will pitch for restoration of J&Ks special status and release of prisoners.

We will be attending the meeting in New Delhi on June 24. All the Gupkar alliance leaders who have been invited for the Delhi meet will attend, the Gupkar alliance chairman and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah told reporters after a meeting of leaders of the alliance at his residence today.

Four Gupkar Alliance leaders including Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and CPM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami are among 14 J&K political leaders invited for the June 24 meeting to be chaired by PM Modi.

With the Centre not specifying any agenda for the meeting, Abdullah said they can talk on any and every issue. Our stand is known to everybody, he said.

The Gupkar alliance spokesman and CPIM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said they want to assure people of J&K and Ladakh that they will be pleading their case before the PM. We will plead the case of the people of J&K and Ladakh. Whatever guarantees we have under the Indian constitution, we will appeal to the PM for protection and safeguarding of those guarantees. We will appeal to him to reconsider the August 5, 2019 decisions.

The Gupkar alliance, which has vowed to fight for Article 370 restoration, was formed by seven parties in October last year. However, one of the parties, Peoples Conference, quit the alliance in January this year after the DDC election results.

The PDP chief and former CM Mehbooba Mufti said they are not against the dialogue. We hoped that the Centre would take some confidence building measures. After the outbreak of COVID-19, prisoners were released outside J&K and the same should have been done in J&K, she said.

If they really want to reach out to people and us (mainstream leaders), whom they have been humiliating for the last two years, at least they should have released the political prisoners, she said and demanded release of all political prisoners of J&K. And those who cannot be released should be brought back to J&K, she added.

Another Gupkar Alliance leader and Awami National Conference vice president Muzaffar Shah said there would be no compromise on Article 370 and 35A.
By PTI

MUMBAI: A Mumbai court has granted bail to a man suffering from 'Peter Pan Syndrome' in connection with a case of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Special Judge S C Jadhav on Monday granted bail to the 23-year-old accused on a bond of Rs 25,000 and several other conditions.

Appearing for the accused, advocate Sunil Pandey, stated that his client is suffering from the 'Peter Pan Syndrome'- a term used to describe an adult male or female who is socially immature.

"The victim's family knew about their relationship. But, her family didn't like their relationship due to the boy's illness and poor background and also had a grudge against his family members," Pandey told the court.

The lawyer further said the victim had the knowledge of what she was doing and got into the relationship voluntarily.

However, special public prosecutor Veena Shelar opposed the plea and denied all the allegations made by the applicant.

The prosecution contended that there is prima-facie sufficient material on record to show the involvement of the applicant in the commission of the offence.

There is no material on record about the illness of the accused applicant.

If the accused is released on bail, he may tamper with the evidence in the case, the prosecutor said.

The court, after hearing the submissions, granted bail to the accused, saying his detention will serve no purpose as the probe into the matter is completed and nothing has to be recovered from him.

The court noted that the victim's statement "prima facie shows she herself left her parents' house and joined the company the accused".

The facts of the case indicate the girl (even though she is a minor) had sufficient knowledge and capacity to know full import of what she was doing and only thereafter voluntarily joined the applicant, the court observed.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The NCP held its national executive meeting on Tuesday and discussed the current national issues, the party's future policies and its role in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

The meeting was chaired by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar and attended by party leaders Supriya Sule, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare among others.

The meeting, which was held at Pawar's residence here, lasted for about two hours.

The future goals of the party were discussed in detail at the meeting, Pawar said in a series of tweets in Marathi and English.

"I had a detailed discussion with my committee members on our future policies, our role in the next Lok Sabha (polls) and current national issues," he said.

ALSO READ | Wider alliance of anti-BJP parties necessary: NCP leader after Sharad Pawar-Prashant Kishor meet

Among various issues, the meeting also discussed the local body elections to be held in Mumbai next year, Patel said.

"The party's work was evaluated at the meeting, which also discussed the state elections to be held next year," the Rajya Sabha MP told reporters.

Pawar is scheduled to host a meeting of the leaders from several opposition parties and eminent personalities at his residence later in the day to discuss the current scenario in the country amid the speculation about the possible formation of a third front against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A senior NCP leader, meanwhile, said the meeting to be hosted by Pawar has been organised by Rashtra Manch convenor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Yashwant Sinha.

"Sinha had approached Pawar in this connection and the NCP chief agreed to host the meeting.All the leaders participating in the meeting have been invited by the Rashtra Manch, not the NCP," he said.

"This meeting is highly overrated and speculative," he added.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: The ruling Janata Dal-United in Bihar is confident that the proposed Union Cabinet expansion will accommodate leaders from the National Democratic Alliance partner, a senior party leader said.The Nitish Kumar-led party has 16 members in the Lok Sabha. The JD-U is the part of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) both in Centre and the State. Thus, it is natural for the JD-U to be in the Union Cabinet. We are ready for it, JD-U national president RCP Singh said on Monday.

Singh added that it is up to Nitish Kumar to decide as to who will get the berth from the JD-U quota. For this, there is no such so-called formula to join the Union Cabinet, he stated categorically.The bureaucrat-turned politician asserted that the JD-U is an ally of the NDA and not a trade organisation. Naturally, what an ally in government deserves to get will naturally come. There is an alliance for development and it will complete its five year-term in Bihar also.

Meanwhile, Nitish will leave for Delhi on Tuesday amid speculations that he may meet with senior BJP leaders and that a formal discussion may take over the next Cabinet expansion. At the time of government of first cabinet of NDA government, the JD-U had refused to be in the cabinet saying that the party deserved a proportional participation in the cabinet. At that time of cabinet formation, JDU was reportedly offered one berth in the cabinet against the demand for three.

Cut back to 2021, after the last Bihar elections in which the JD-U slipped to third position, its bargaining power has been somewhat contained.On being asked about the number of berths from JD-U quota, RCP Singh said it would not be right to say anything about the number of seats but it is sure that JD-U will be in the Union Cabinet.

Two names doing rounds

If sources are to be believed, one-two ministers in the new Modi ministry after reshuffle will be from the Janata Dal-United. The names doing the rounds are RCP Singh and Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh  both are considered close to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi courted controversy after he hesitated to call al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden a terrorist. In an interview with a local Afghanistan channel, Qureshi was asked if he disagreed that bin Laden was a martyr to which the Pakistan foreign minister replied: I will let that pass.

The interviewer had earlier reminded Qureshi of how Pakistan PM Imran Khan had called bin Laden a martyr in the National Assembly. The Pakistan foreign minister tried to defend Khans statement saying: He was quoted out of context. And, a particular section of the media pairs it up. Qureshis comments assume significance as they come close to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary from June 21-25 where the terror finance watchdog will decide on Pakistans continuance in its Grey List for not acting on the issue of terror financing. Al Qaeda founder was killed by American forces in a raid in Pakistans Abbottabad, less than a mile away from the countrys Military Academy.

Qureshi in the interview also defended the Taliban saying the organisation is ready for peace and they have suffered as well. If you try and create this impression that the violence is high because of Taliban...that would be an exaggeration. Pakistan has been in talks with the Taliban as part of the peace process, with its leadership being hosted by the country. Qureshi said Islamabad does not support any terrorist group when asked if it supported any Pakistan-based terror groups like the JeM and LeT. ens
By PTI

JAIPUR: BJP national general secretary and its incharge for Rajasthan, Arun Singh, on Tuesday cautioned the party workers against making any statement that weakens the party and said they may face action for such comments.

Singh also asked the party's state unit to prepare a list of such workers.

Reacting to some reported statements from the supporters of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje that "Raje is BJP and BJP is Raje", Singh said such statements weaken the party.

"I do not think that any prominent leader has given this statement. However, even if a general worker gives this kind of statement, then it certainly weakens the party. No one should give such statements which make the party weaker," he told reporters after a semi-virtual working committee meeting.

He said he has asked the state unit to prepare a list of those who are giving these statements.

"We will talk to them, and if this continues then action would be taken. Enough is enough," he said.

"If one has to give a statement, then it should be against the Congress government," he said, while targeting the Ashok Gehlot government in the state.

He alleged that the law and order in the state has deteriorated and the people are "fed up with the Congress rule".

Singh said that the day cabinet expansion takes place in Rajasthan, there would be an "explosion" in the Congress.

On a question about CM candidate in BJP, he said it is decided by the party's parliamentary board and not by a single leader or any MLA.

"It is for the parliamentary board to decide the name of the CM candidate. The party has contested elections in some states while projecting a CM candidate while in some states, we have fought elections without presenting a CM face," he said.

In the semi-virtual working committee, Singh appreciated the party workers for helping people during the Covid pandemic.

He said the government should give unemployment allowances to youths and the issues of farmers should be redressed.

Singh also highlighted the achievements of the Modi government and said BJP leaders and workers should publicise the works of the Modi government among people.

BJP state president Satish Poonia, Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and other leaders were present in the party's state headquarters while former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, union minister Arun Ram Meghwal, RS MP Omprakash Mathur and others attended the meeting through video conference.
Sumi Sukanya Dutta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Union government on Tuesday declared the delta plus variant of Covid-19 as a variant of concern and also issued an advisory to 3 states, Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh where this strain has been detected in 22 samples, to take immediate measures to curb its spread.

In the advisory issued, state chief secretaries of the three states have been asked to take up immediate containment measures in the districts with clusters, as identified by the Covid genomic surveillance network INSACOG, including preventing crowds, intermingling of people and widespread testing.

The other crucial measures suggested to spread the curb of the mutant virus include prompt tracing as well as vaccine coverage on a priority basis. The states, through the advisory, were also asked to send adequate samples of positive persons promptly to the designated laboratories of INSACOG so that the clinical epidemiological correlations can be made.

ALSO READ: One COVID-19 case with delta plus variant of virus detected in Mysuru

INSACOG, a network of 28 laboratories in the country, has attached delta plus variant with increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells and potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response, the Union health ministry announced.

So far, the Centre said, 22 cases of this variant have been detected in 6 districts in India which include 16 cases in two districts of Maharashtra and 6 more isolated cases in two districts each in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.

The districts where this VoC has been found in genome sequenced samples include Ratnagiri and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra, Palakkad and Pathanamthitta Districts of Kerala and Bhopal and Shivpuri districts of Madhya Pradesh.

This variant has also been identified in 9 countries  US, UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, China and Russia, apart from Indiaso far and has raised worries that it may be resistant to existing Covid vaccines though this fact is yet to be established.

ALSO READ: Daily vaccinations fall by 40 per cent after record breaking show

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday had said the spread of delta plus variant had been detected in 6-7 districts in the state but the Centre on Tuesday associated just two districts in the state with the variant.

Scientists working with INSACOG explained that the new delta plus variant has been formed due to further mutation in the delta or B.1.617.2 variant, first identified in India which was largely responsible for the ferocious second Covid wave in the country.

There is an indication that delta plus variant may be more apt to cause severe Covid19 and is also looking better designed to evade monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment for the infectious diseasethese facts definitely are causing a lot of anxiety, said an expert.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress-affiliated NSUI on Tuesday initiated a campaign ''Thank You For What?'' in response to the UGC's directive of asking universities to put up posters thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for starting free vaccination for people aged 18 and above.

The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) put up the posters under the campaign at the Delhi University on Tuesday and will also put them up at other varsities.

NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan appealed to the students to counter Prime Minister's posters by raising questions.

"Should we thank the PM for not declaring any relief packages for the students? Should we thank the PM for not making any vaccination policy for the students? Should we thank the PM for not giving any relaxation in the fees and loan for the students ? Should we thank the PM for ignoring the voices of the unemployed? Should we thank the PM for being the reason to ruin the academic year of the students?" he said.

The NSUI plans to reply to these PM posters on the university campuses by initiating the campaign of ''Thank You for What'' posters, he added.

Kundan said issues concerning the students should be addressed and money should be spent for their welfare.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a major exercise involving the warships and aircraft, the Indian Navy and Air Force are going to Participate in a Passage Exercise with US Navy Carrier Strike Group Ronald Reagan during its transit through Indian Ocean Region on 23rd and 24th June 2021.

As per the Indian Navy, "The two-day exercise aims to strengthen the bilateral relationship and cooperation by demonstrating the ability to integrate and coordinate comprehensively in maritime operations."

The Indian Naval Ships (INS) Kochi and Teg along with P8I and MiG 29K aircraft and Indian Air Force will be engaged in joint multi-domain operations with the Carrier Strike Group comprising Nimitz class Nuclear aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Halsey and Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh.

The Exercise is taking place in the Area of Responsibility of Southern Air Command. Indian Air force informed, "It will see the IAF forces operate from bases under four operational commands and will include Jaguars & Su-30 MKI fighters, AWACS, AEW&C and Air to Air Refueller aircraft. The US CSG is expected to field F-18 fighters and E-2C Hawkeye AEW&C aircraft."

The Exercise will include high tempo operations which will, "include advanced air defence exercises, cross deck helicopter operations and anti-submarine exercises." the Navy said.

"Indian Navy and US Navy regularly undertake a host of bilateral and multilateral exercises which underscore the shared values as partner navies, in ensuring commitment to an open, inclusive and a rule-based international order," added the Indian Navy.

The reports indicated that the Japan based US CSG, currently in the Indian Ocean, is on transit to the Middle east to provide support in completing the US Force withdrawal from Afghanistan.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India and China are likely to hold another round of diplomatic talks this week on eastern Ladakh with a focus on moving forward in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday.

They said the talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) are expected to focus on broad principles to bring down tensions between the militaries of the two countries in eastern Ladakh.

The talks may take place on June 24, said one of the people cited above.

The last round of WMCC talks took place on March 12.

It is learnt that another round of Corps Commander-level talks will be held following the diplomatic dialogue.

India and China were locked in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year.

However, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

The two sides are now engaged in talks to extend the disengagement process to the remaining friction points.

India has been particularly pressing for the disengagement of troops in Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang.

According to military officials, each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control in the sensitive sector.

There was no visible forward movement in disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points as the Chinese side did not show flexibility in their approach on it at the 11th round of military talks.

Last month, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said that there can be no de-escalation without complete disengagement at all friction points in eastern Ladakh and that the Indian Army is prepared for all contingencies in the region.

Gen Naravane also said that India is dealing with China in a "firm" and "non-escalatory" manner to ensure the sanctity of its claims in eastern Ladakh, and that it was even open to initiating confidence-building measures.
Shonaleeka Kaul By

In this series, we attempt to redress the glaring academic neglect of the longue duree historical identity of Kashmir and the knowledge vacuum that underwrites political discourse on the Valley. We do so by delving into some essential aspects of 2,000 years of the formative history of this prodigious land. These show early Kashmir was historically never isolated or insular, as she is made out to be, but incredibly open and cosmopolitan; and she was overwhelmingly Indic in her genesis and composition rather than unique.

Indeed, Kashmir is as unique as any and every region of this most diverse country called India. But the assumption that this uniqueness derived from an isolation from the Indic mainstream is simply unhistorical. So in particular this series presents the staggering historical evidence of the connected histories of Kashmir and the rest of India, which the world has conveniently forgotten.

We saw last time how textual testimony after testimony from observers outside Kashmirfrom the rest of India and foreign chroniclersestablished a clear understanding of her belonging well within India from at least the 5th century BCE onwards. It is only natural then that evidence from inside early Kashmirarchaeology, linguistics, script, politics, art, literature, philosophy, religionalso attests to a constant synchronicity with the Indic mainland. Yet this has been completely overlooked in the modern narrative on the Valley. Let us look at some of these cultural markers from Kashmirs founding history.

Civilisation comes to Kashmir at the same time as in the rest of India circa 6th century BCE, and in the same form, designated as the Northern Black Polished Ware culture. NBPW is associated with the rise and spread of cities, punch-marked coinage, commerce, and state society in the Ganga Valley and central India, and then over most of the subcontinent, in a phenomenon known as Second Urbanisation. The site of Semthan, 44 km south of Srinagar, has yielded important evidence of this diagnostic NBPW material culture from 500 to 200 BCE, including the same deluxe pottery, silver and copper punch-marked coins (including a type associated with the Mauryan kingdom of Bihar!), building construction, copper and iron objects, and stone and terracotta beads.

All these appearing in the Valley simultaneously with the rest of India is significantbut should not be surprising. For Kashmir was in fact within reach of one of the two great pan-Indian trade and communication routes of the time, the Northern Uttarapatha, which ran from Peshawar to Bengal, and in turn connected with the Southern Dakshinapatha, which extended from Bihar into peninsular and coastal India.

Now, Kashmir was geographically and historically proximate to two of the north-western-most cities of the Uttarapatha: Takshashila in the Peshawar plains via the Baramulla Pass, and Shakala (Sialkot) in Punjab through the Sidau, Toshamaidan and Pir Panjal Passes. So the great ancient Indian travel and communication network connected through Shakala and Takshashila to Srinagar, in the process no doubt transmitting Indic culture, material and intellectual, back and forth. In fact Takshashila and Shakala themselves were great centres of Sanskritic learning. But while at Takshasila we also get remains of Hellenistic material culture, in Kashmir we hardly do.

Speaking of Sanskrit, it is among the earliest historical languages we have in Kashmir, just like the rest of India. This is seen in the first Kashmiri texts, Nilamata Purana (7th century) and Rajatarangini (12th century), composed in Sanskrit; in the long list of Kashmiri place-names that are all derived from Sanskrit (Anantnag, Srinagar, Sopore, Baramulla, Tulmul, Kanraz, Maraz and so on); and in a large number of the coins and inscriptions recovered, not just from Kashmir but also from Gilgit-Baltistan, Jammu, Ladakh and Peshawar, which mention the Indic epithets of local kings like maharaja and shri, and their Sanskritic names, like Meghavahana, Navasurendradityavarman, Lalitaditya, etc. Iconic historical documents from this wider culture region, such as the Buddhist Gilgit manuscript and the mathematical Bakhshali manuscript, are also in Sanskrit.

Indeed it is through Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan that, along with Buddhism, Sanskrit, which was described by the 7th century Chinese traveller Xuan Zang as the language of India, spread in the trans-Himalayas, i.e in Khotan, Kucha, Turfan and Sogdia. There is abundant epigraphic and manuscript evidence for this in those lands from the fifth to the tenth century CE.

But what about Kashmiri, the vernacular tongue? Though there is little evidence of it being written before the 13th century, literary references suggest that it was spoken from early on. The origins of Kashmiri is a significant question since language is deemed an important indicator of ethnic and cultural identity. So where did Kashmiri come from?

George Griersons view from 150 years ago that Kashmiri was a Dardic and not Indo-Aryan (IA) language like Sanskrit has long been rejected. After the work of linguists George Morgenstierne and Colin Masica, it is now known that so-called Dardic languages like Kashmiri and Shina cannot be distinguished from IA languages at all but are simply a bundle of aberrant IA hill languages. Moreover, as S S Toshkhani and others have demonstrated, Kashmiri can be traced to a form of speech that closely resembles archaic or Vedic Sanskrit, sometimes mediated through Prakrit. Thus Kashmiri and Sanskritand indeed the vast majority of Indian languages from the IA familywould then be cognate languages, so that linguistically as well we are looking at a horizontal continuum between Kashmir and the rest of India.

(To be continued)

(The first part of this monthly series was published on 20 April 2021. The second part was delayed due to unavoidable reasons)

Shonaleeka Kaul, Associate Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

(shonaleeka@mail.jnu.ac.in)
N Sathiya Moorthy By

Recent media reports on the China-funded Colombo Port City Project in Sri Lanka has upped the ante for the Indian strategic community once more. They either believe that it is a new project or have forgotten the years-old origins of an international financial hub on the lines of Dubai and Singaporeespecially for China to try and gain international currency status for its yuan on the lines of the US dollar and euro.

The Port City project has been around for close to a decade. The current hype is over the Sri Lankan Parliament hurriedly passing a law, cleared in advance by the nations Supreme Court, for the management of the SEZ under construction. Yes, how much China could and would use the facility to upset the regional economy, especially that of India, is a real concern. However, there are greater realities that India needs to evaluate through the medium- and short-terms.

The Port City is only the second China-funded project in Sri Lanka, involving Chinese possession of Lankan territory. Critics will now link it to the Hambantota Port project where China has a 99-year lease of Sri Lankan territory, compromising the nations sovereignty. There is a sort of national consensus and acceptance in the matter.

Internal Sri Lankan differences about the Port City, too, are only in the details. But no devil is hiding behind those details, for the Indian strategic community to celebrate. Whatever bedevils Sri Lanka in the process is going to hit India harder than what is visible.

The larger concern for India should not be stand-alone or clubbed Chinese projects in Sri Lanka, or elsewhere in the neighbourhood. It should be more about the reason for such nations to seek out Chinese funding at a high cost and risk for their respective economy and sovereigntywhen others have shut their doors, whatever the reason and justification.

Nations around India, truth be told, have become unviable economic entities. Decades ago, Southeast Asian nations envied Sri Lankas economic status. Even post-War Japan was not up to it. Its not so after the two JVP insurgencies and the decades-long ethnic war in Lanka. The politico-bureaucratic leadership since then has blamed its own failures and wanton mismanagement on these two causes, more so the latter.

According to the latest Fitch figures, Sri Lankas foreign currency debt repayments up to 2026 alone stand at a whopping $26 billion. And China is not the only creditor. The incumbent government even said that Chinese debts accounted only for a tenth of the total debt, accumulated by successive governments over decades.

The reality is that Sri Lanka has only territory to sell and sovereignty to pledge. The nation is not alone in it. Common neighbour Maldives professionalised the process decades earlier, when the sleepy fishing nation took to big-ticket international tourism to boost its economy.

Maldives, too, cannot hope to become a manufacturing hub. Then and now, there are only uninhabited islands to offer in return for hard cash, to spend on food and housing, health and education. When a new government found the inherited till empty in the last decade, it quickly extended the existing 40-year lease period by 10 years, in return for an additional $10 million fee across the table.

Sri Lanka and Maldives are not alone. Indias northern neighbours, Bhutan and Nepal, too have counted on what nature has bequeathed on them to make ends meet. They have been harvesting money out of their water resources. India has put in big money to build huge reservoirs and set up massive power-generating units and transmission towers, and pays for the hydroelectricity it thus imports.

Indian conundrum: All this should not cloud India into thinking that the nation is free of similar traps. No. India may not have a China knocking on its doors. Instead, it chose the US-led West long ago. With the advent of the economic reforms circa 1991, successive governments have been selling the nations PSUs, which the post-Independence generation had built brick by brick. In its place, they have not created any other tangible asset, either.

If anything, the Centre even has had a disinvestment ministry. No one is also talking anymore about such PSU sales being a one-off affair, to ward off an imminent crisis. It is unlike the country pledging its gold reserves with the Bank of England ahead of the reforms.

Blame it on poor administration and corruption in the past, or on demonetisation, GST and the Covid pandemic now, no one is talking about two things: that India will soon stop this sale of the family silver to pay for foodand guns; more importantly, no economist is saying that the nations economy is on a quick and steep recovery mode.

What does it all mean for the Indian strategic community? The next time anyone questions Sri Lankas economic strategy, they need to have their answers ready to questions that wont touch upon Indias security concerns. They may be quizzed, instead, about Indias sale of PSUs, the likes of which Sri Lanka does not have.

N Sathiya Moorthy, Distinguished Fellow & Head-Chennai Initiative, Observer Research Foundation

(sathiyam54@ nsathiyamoorthy.com)
In the midst of all elsesandwiched between phased unlocking and serial waves of pandemic paniccomes the prime ministers call for an all-party meeting on Jammu & Kashmir, on June 24. The agenda is not quite clear even to the invitees, but the assumption is it would be a step towards restoration of the democratic process in the state. Why else would the loaded word delimitation be swirling in the air?

When the PM meets the leaders of eight mainstream J&K parties, it will mark the first political initiative since statehood was withdrawn, J&K bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status via Article 370 endednot to speak of the large-scale detentions and arrests that followed. Even former CMs and Union ministersthose who had actually been participating in the Indian electoral processhad not been spared long stints of house arrest. Now, PM Modi is trying to win over those same figures, seeking consensus for the delimitation exercise, which began in early June. For elections to take placeAssembly or UT that process would have to be complete. Could this eventually lead to restoration of statehood? Discussion and dialogue are basic ingredients of any democracy, and a prerequisite for restoration of peace. Of the two main local parties, Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference has indicated his willingness to talk. The PDPs Mehbooba Mufti is still uncertain, though other members of the Gupkar alliance (of which shes also a part) seem on board.

In the changed international environment, where US president Joe Biden is committed to an immediate time schedule to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and China is acting up on the borders, its imperative that New Delhi puts its house in order. Washington may be on the same page with New Delhi when it comes to Beijing, but on Kashmir things may be a little different. A thaw will harm no one.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 74 children who lost parents due to Covid will be first to receive the financial aid announced by the government. The women and child welfare department has issued orders to give beneficiaries a fixed deposit of Rs 3 lakh and a monthly aid of Rs 2,000 to the joint account of the child and the present guardian.

The monthly financial aid will continue till the child reaches the age of 18. Minister for Women and Child Welfare Department, Veena George, said that educational expenses of the child will be met from the Chief Ministers Distress Relief Fund till graduation. Finance department will make provisions in this regard, she said. The beneficiaries will be those who either lost both parents or lone parent, to Covid.

The state started considering financial aid to children after second wave of Covid resulted in the death of hundreds of people in the age group of 30 and 50, leaving the lives of children in uncertainty. As per the official records, over 12,000 people lost their lives to pandemic. However public health activists warned that the actual numbers would be at least four times the official figures leading to the denial of benefits to a lot of children orphaned by the pandemic. They demanded the government to set the records proper to ensure social justice to the families affected.
By PTI

KOCHI: Accusing filmmaker Ayesha Sulthana, booked for sedition, of violating mandatory home quarantine rules, the Lakshadweep administration on Tuesday warned of stringent action against her if she repeated it.

In a caution notice to Sulthana, District Collector S Asker Ali, who is also chairman of the Disaster Management Authority, alleged that Sulthana, who arrived at Kavaratti on June 19 after being summoned by police for questioning, moved out of the place of her stay, visited public places and mingled with other people, violating the seven-day mandatory home quarantine rule in force in the islands since May 12.

Sulthana, an islander, was booked by Lakshadweep police for sedition while she was in Kerala.

She returned to the islands after being summoned by the Kavaratti police in connection with the case.

The administration said Sulthana was exempted from the mandatory quarantine provision only for the purpose of interrogation in the case against her.

It alleged that she violated the home quarantine direction and roamed in public places, interacted with the public, visited a First Line Treatment Centre and interacted with COVID-19 positive patients.

Terming these actions are "certainly illegal", the administration in its notice said, "Hence you are hereby cautioned that stringent actions will be taken against you if you are violating the quarantine rule again, which is specified as per the Standard COVID Protocol (SOP) that is in place in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep".

She was booked by the Kavaratti police on June 9 for alleging that the Centre used biological weapons against the people of Lakshadweep.

She made this allegation while participating in a debate telecast by a Malayalam news channel on June 7.

The complaint was filed by a BJP leader on the islands.

Sulthana was allowed to leave after the initial round of interrogation on Sunday.

A source close to her said she has been directed to appear before the police again on Wednesday.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Veteran Malayalam poet and lyricist Poovachal Khader, the unsung wordsmith who had written for about 400 films in the Malayalam tinsel world passed away here in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Khader, 72, had been undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at the Government Medical College Hospital. His condition worsened recently after he was diagnosed with pneumonia and he breathed his last by in the early morning.

In a career that spanned over five decades, Khader had written over a thousand songs in around 400 films. The lyricist who mesmerised the music buffs with a number of ever green hit songs in the Malayalam film industry began his musical journey from the historic town of Kozhikode. Khader alias Muhammed Abul Khader who was on December 25, 1948 at Poovachal near Kattakada in Thiruvananthapuram, had did his polytechnic in Thrissur and later his AIME from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram.

And his first posting with the Public Works Department was in Kozhikode town which proved to be the turning pointing of his musical life. Later director IV Sasi introduced Khader to Malayalam film industry through the 1973 film Kavitha. However, the movie Kaatuvithachavan gave Khader a real break in his career with the songs Mazhavillin ajnaathavasam' sung by Yesudas and Neeyente prarthana kettu' by Mary Shaila which created ripples in the 70s.

The movie Kayalum Karayum' has cemented position in the Malayalam tinsel world following which he took a break from his government service and shifted his base to Chennai to be a full-timer in the Malayalam film industry. In the next two decades, Khader penned some of the ever green memorable songs in Malayalam.

Songs like Natha nee varum kalocha (Chamaram), Shararanthal thiri thaazhhum (Kayalum Karayum), Sindoora sandhyaykku mounam (Choola), Ente janman neeyeduthu (Aattakkalasam), (Itha Oru Dhikkari), Etho janma kalpanayil (Palangal), Poomaaname (Nirakkoottu) and Anuraagini itha en (Oru Kudakkeezhil) are some of his ever green hits. The songs of Ulsavam had established him as a lyricist to reckon with.

Khader was used to write poetry from his student days and he had penned songs for theatre and radio in his early days apart from light songs. An anthology of Khader's poems Kaliveena' was published in 1974 and a collection of children's poems Paduvaan Padikkuvaan' in 2006. He is survived by his wife Aamina and children Thushara and Prasuna. The funeral will be held at Poovachal Juna Masjid on Tuesday. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolence in his demise. His death is a great loss for the Malayalam film industry, he said in his condolence message.
By Express News Service

KENDRAPARA: Reeling under extreme financial crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, a woman allegedly sold her 10-month-old baby for Rs 5,000 in Kendrapara district on Sunday.The infant girl was rescued by district child protection office and police on Monday and kept in custody of a child care centre.

The 34-year-old mother, identified as Arundhati Roul of Mahuri within Rajkanika police limits, reportedly sold her baby girl to a childless couple of nearby village as she was unable to sustain her family in absence of work.

A mother of three daughters, Arundhati used to work as a domestic help in houses of several villagers to eke out a living. However, when the deadly second COVID wave swept through the district, her employers asked her to discontinue her service.

She apparently tried other means of livelihood but failed. Her financial condition had deteriorated to such an extent that she was unable to arrange two square meals for her daughters. "In order to fight poverty, she was forced to sell her infant," Sarpanch of Mahuri gram panchayat Mamata Manjari Mallick said.

Arundhati had married one Samir Roul around 11 years back. However, her husband deserted her last year following which she came back to her parents' house at Mahuri with her daughters.

After the news of the sale of baby spread, some villagers informed the local administration about the incident. The district child protection office and police swung into action and rescued the infant on Monday. The baby girl has been shifted to the government-run child care institute (CCI) at Kora village.

District child protection officer (DCPO) Pravas Chandra Das said, "Besides the baby, we have also rehabilitated the other two minor daughters of Arundhati at the CCI so that proper care can be taken of them."
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: A day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a special scheme 'Ashirbad' for children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic, opposition BJP and Congress have raised questions on the initiative and asked what will happen to those who have lost both their parents prior to April 2020.

The Opposition political parties have also sought to know the method by which the government will arrive at the correct number of such children.

The government should first clarify how it will get the correct data about the orphans, former finance minister Panchanan Kanungo said, adding that even now it is suppressing the number of COVID deaths in the State.

The Congress leader demanded that the State government should first try to come out with a correct list of such orphans or else there will be discrepancies in its implementation.

BJP State general secretary Golak Mohapatra demanded that the State government should include children who have lost their parents in natural calamities and not only due to the pandemic. "Odisha has seen many natural calamities during the last 21 years including several cyclones. Government should also find out children who have lost their parents to the calamities," he said.

Mohapatra also alleged that the Ashirbad scheme is a duplicate of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced on May 30 for children orphaned due to COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme announced by the Prime Minister will be funded from the PM CARES and take care of everything starting from their education, health and other requirements, he added.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A Covid helpline named Saarthi was launched on Tuesday to provide Covid consultation, vaccination guidance, and non-Covid consultation for the trucking community.

Apart from Tamil, the service is also available in Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, and Assamese

The pan-India helpline launched by Apollo Tyres and Ashok Leyland targets truck drivers, helpers, and their family members. To avail the services, the members of the trucking community can call on 7028105333 between 1000 to 1700 hours from Monday to Saturday, according to a release.

Members of the trucking community, who have tested COVID positive, and are in-home quarantine, can get Doctor Consultation by calling on the helpline. They can also get guidance on nutrition during the infection period. For non-COVID patients, doctor consultation and prescription would be provided as a part of the Saarthi initiative.

Beneficiaries from the trucking community seeking guidance on vaccination will be provided with counselling to clear their doubts regarding the vaccine, help with registration on COWIN/Arogya Setu portal, scheduling of appointment at the nearest government hospital, help with downloading of vaccination certificate and post-vaccination medical assistance if required.

Telerad Foundation is the technical partner for the helpline service, the release added.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has drafted an economic and social roadmap that includes a separate Budget for agriculture, a legislation to protect students from NEET and priority for Tamil medium students in State government jobs.

Addressing the 16th Assembly session, Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday said the government would soon release a White paper on the States finances and streamline the delivery of various public services by government agencies by enacting a Right to Services Act. He said the government also aims to set up satellite towns in sub-urban areas and form a committee to formulate schemes for revival of MSMEs.

Turning towards the governments social justice agenda, the Governor asserted that the government would tread the path shown by Dravidian ideologue, Thanthai Periyar. This government is determined to transform Tamil Nadu into a society with self-respect, with an empowered citizenry enjoying their rights, the Governor said.

Purohit reiterated the DMKs views on federalism, stating that, Strong States are needed to create a strong Union. This government will staunchly stand in defence of the rights of the States and constitutionally oppose any infringement of such rights. At the same time, we will maintain a cordial relationship with the Centre as partners in the process of nation building.

The DMK government, through the Governors address, assured the people that it would be a government for all and not a partys government.The Governor said that this government would ensure that native Tamils, especially those that have studied in Tamil-medium and government schools, would be given priority in recruitment for government posts. The requisite changes to undo past orders which are contrary to this intent would be undertaken at the earliest.

Giving an account on the expeditious steps taken for preventing Covid, the Governor said, So far, Rs 335.01 crore have poured in as contributions to the Chief Ministers Public Relief Fund from various quarters, and of this Rs 241.10 crore has been allocated for Corona-related works. He added that the government had taken necessary measures to counter the possible third wave.
T Muruganandham By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Former Health Minister C Vijaya Basker on Tuesday urged the DMK government to clarify whether the NEET National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will take place in Tamil Nadu or not as the students are confused at the moment.

Participating in the discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governors address in the Assembly, Vijaya Basker recalled that the DMK had, in its poll manifesto, promised that they would scrap the NEET if they came to power. Now the students are confused whether the NEET will take place or not. So, the government should clarify.

The former Minister recalled that the AIADMK had been consistent in scrapping NEET ever since it was introduced during the previous DMK regime on December 21, 2010, when the party was part of the Congress-led UPA government.

Vijaya Basker also wanted the government to clarify the stand of the DMK government on the 7.5 percent reservation given for government school students, a move initiated during the AIADMK regime.

There is nothing about it in the Governors address. Already, there are reports that the present government intends to provide 2.5 percent additional reservation to the government-aided schools. The government should clarify this also. he said.

However, the Health Minister, in his reply, did not touch upon this point.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A 24-year-old man, who was accused of kidnapping and raping a minor girl at Yacharam of Rachakonda Commissionerate in 2017, was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years on Monday. The court also imposed a fine of `3,000.

The convict Ramavath Naresh, who is from to Nalgonda district, developed a friendship with the victim, who was then 17. Later, he proposed to her and promised to marry her. In 2017, he confined her in a hut for a few days, where he had intercourse with her several times.

He later dropped her at her place and fled. The police initially registered a kidnapping case and later added rape POCSO Act charges to it. He was sent to judicial remand and a chargesheet was filed in December 2017. The IX Additional District Court at LB Nagar examined the statements by the victim and witnesses, scientific evidence produced by the prosecution and delivered the judgement.
By AFP

LUXEMBOURG: Thirteen of the EU's 27 member states on Tuesday voiced their "grave concern" at a new law in Hungary they said discriminates against LGBTQ people while claiming to protect children.

"Stigmatising LGBTIQ persons constitute a clear breach of their fundamental right to dignity, as provided for in the EU Charter and international law," they said in a joint statement initiated by Belgium and whose signatories include Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The statement was released as EU European affairs ministers held a regular meeting in Luxembourg, this one focused on rule of law issues in Hungary and Poland, both of which Brussels sees as straying from EU values.

Hungary's right-wing government last week passed a law banning educational programmes and materials for children that it deems "promoted" homosexuality, sexual identity different from that at birth, or gender reassignment.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, attending the meeting, defended the law, saying it is "against only the paedophiles".

In the joint statement, the EU countries said the legal amendments adopted by Hungary "discriminate against LGBTIQ persons and violate the right to freedom of expression under the pretext of protecting children".

It said the law "deserves to be condemned," adding: "Inclusion, human dignity and equality are core values of our European Union, and we cannot compromise on these principles."

The European Commission, as the guardian of the EU treaties, should "use all the tools at its disposal to ensure full respect for EU law, including by referring the matter to the ECJ (European Court of Justice)," the EU countries urged.

The other signatories to the text were Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia.

Belgium's Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes said her country took the lead on the declaration because "the new Hungarian legislation undermines the fundamental values of the Europe we stand for".

She added that "we also have a duty to tell our partners when we are deeply convinced that they have taken the wrong path".
By PTI

WASHINGTON: A federal US court is all set to hold on Thursday an in-person extradition hearing of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

A team of officials from India is believed to have arrived in the US for the proceedings that will take place in a federal court in Los Angeles. US District Court Judge in Los Angeles Jacqueline Chooljian in her order on April 5 had moved the in-person extradition hearing of 59-year-old Rana to India from April 22 to June 24.

The United States government, in multiple submissions before the court, has made a declaration in support of the 'United States' Surrebuttal in Support of its Request for Certification of Extradition'. Rana is sought in India in connection with his involvement in the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack.

Rana, a childhood friend of prime convict David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10, 2020 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

He has been declared a fugitive by India. Headley (60) was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack. Rana has opposed his extradition to India, arguing that he has already been convicted by a US court in Chicago.

The United States government asserts that the premise of Rana's argument is incorrect because the Indian substantive charges are not considered lesser included offenses of their conspiracy charges. As per the India-US Extradition Treaty, the Indian government has requested the formal extradition of Rana, and the United States has initiated this extradition proceeding.

The US government has argued that Rana meets all the criteria warranting certification of his extradition to India.

These are: the court has both personal and subject matter jurisdiction, there is an extradition treaty between the United States and India that is in full force and effect, and the crimes for which Rana's extradition is sought are covered by the terms of the treaty.

In his previous court submission on February 4, Rana's attorney had argued that Rana's extradition is barred under Article 6 of the United States-India extradition treaty because he had previously been acquitted of the offences for which his extradition is sought, and under Article 9 of the treaty because the government has not established probable cause to believe that Rana committed the alleged offences.
By PTI

BEIJING: China on Tuesday politely declined UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's call for a 'meaningful access' to verify the 'serious' reports of human rights violations in the restive region of Xinjiang, saying she is welcome for a "friendly visit" but not to pursue a probe with 'presumption of guilt'.

The US and the EU besides many other countries have accused China of committing genocide against the minority Muslim Uygurs in Xinjiang and called for an international probe by human rights groups.

In her address to the 47th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Bachelet said, 'I continue to discuss with China modalities for a visit, including meaningful access, to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and hope this can be achieved this year, particularly as reports of serious human rights violations continue to emerge.

China has been vehemently refuting allegations of interning millions of Uygurs in mass detention camps, which were officially termed as education camps, in a bid to wean them away from religious extremism.

Asked for his reaction to Bachelet's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here that the remarks made by the chief of the top UN human rights body on Xinjiang-related issues "runs counter to facts".

"We welcome the High Commissioner to come to China to visit Xinjiang. We have long issued an invitation to the High Commissioner to come to China for a visit to Xinjiang and we are in communication on this issue.

"This visit should be a friendly visit with the aim of promoting bilateral exchanges and cooperation rather than to pursue a so-called investigation with the presumption of guilt", Zhao said.

"We firmly oppose any attempt by anyone to seek political manipulation by using this issue and to exert pressure on China," he said.

Without directly naming the US and EU, which are pressing for a probe into the allegations of genocide against Muslim Uygurs in Xinjiang, Zhao said some countries are spreading "lies and misinformation" on Xinjiang to smear China and contain China's development.

"Their attempts are only doomed to fail," he said. China accuses East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which is entrenched in Uighur Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang province, of being responsible for numerous violent attacks in the province and outside, including one at the Forbidden City in Beijing in 2013, killing several people.

It had sharply criticised the US for delisting the Xinjiang's separatist militant outfit from its list of terrorist organisations last year, saying it reflected Washington's 'double standards' on fighting global terrorism.

Bachelet, in her remarks to the Council, had also sharply criticised China's crackdown in Hong Kong after imposing the National Security Law to take control of the former British colony.

"It has now been a year since the adoption of the National Security Law in Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region), on which my Office has expressed serious concerns," she said.

"We have been closely monitoring its application and the chilling impact it has had on the civic and democratic space, as well as independent media," Bachelet said in an apparent reference to the police crackdown on journalists, specially on the independent media house Apple Daily whose editor and other staff faced prosecution.

She underlined that since July 1 last year, 107 people have been arrested under the National Security Law and 57 have been formally charged, with the first case coming to trial later this week.

"This will be an important test of independence for Hong Kong's judiciary in its willingness to uphold Hong Kong's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in accordance with the basic law," Bachelet said.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami has said that New Delhi is keen to resume the export of COVID vaccines to Dhaka as soon as possible.

"We hope the problem will be resolved soon," he told local media after a meeting with Awami Jubo League Chairman Fazle Shams Parash and added that there is no word yet when exports would resume. "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.

Parash, meanwhile, recalled Indias help during the 1971 Liberation War and said India has always been by Bangladesh's side. "India is our friend of bad days and partner in good days as well," he said. The Awami Jubo chairman said that the current coronavirus pandemic was discussed with the Indian High Commissioner.

According to local Bangladeshi media, Doraiswami also watched two documentaries of the Awamis humanitarian activities during the pandemic. Bangladesh had started its inoculation drive against coronavirus with the AstraZeneca vaccine procured from the SII. However, due to the second wave of the pandemic in India, vaccine exports have temporarily come to a halt.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has ruled out hosting American bases in Pakistan for military action inside war-torn Afghanistan, fearing it might lead to his country being "targeted in revenge attacks" by terrorists.

In an opinion piece in The Washington Post newspaper ahead of US President Joe Biden's meeting with top Afghan leaders at the White House later this week, Khan also questioned the efficacy of such US bases in Pakistan.

"We simply cannot afford this. We have already paid too heavy a price," Khan said, amid reports that the US continues to focus on Pakistan for a military base in the region.

Elaborating the reasons for not giving nod the US to have bases in Pakistan, which were earlier allowed after 9/11 to coordinate operations in Afghanistan, the prime minister said, "If Pakistan were to agree to host US bases, from which to bomb Afghanistan, and an Afghan civil war ensued, Pakistan would be targeted for revenge by terrorists again."

According to media reports, the US used the Shamsi air base in Balochistan to carry out hundreds of drone strikes since 2008.

The drone strikes focused primarily on suspected Al Qaeda operatives in mountainous tribal areas, but also crossed the border into Afghanistan.

"If the United States, with the most powerful military machine in history, couldn't win the war from inside Afghanistan after 20 years, how would America do it from bases in our country?" Khan asked.

Khan, however, underlined that Pakistan and the US have the same interests in Afghanistan: a political settlement, stability, economic development and the denial of any haven for terrorists.

"We want a negotiated peace, not civil war," he wrote. The prime minister said Pakistan is ready to be a partner for peace in Afghanistan with the US but "we will avoid risking further conflict" after withdrawal of American troops.

Amid the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, the US is looking for options to keep a close eye on the region and is talking to other countries about it.

Pakistan, however, has told the US that it will not give its bases and reiterated Islamabad's commitment to Afghan peace.

Biden's talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the Chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah on Friday will discuss US troop withdrawal amid a surge in fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban across the country.

Khan said Pakistan in the past had made a mistake by choosing between warring Afghan parties, but it learned from that experience.

"We have no favourites and will work with any government that enjoys the confidence of the Afghan people. History proves that Afghanistan can never be controlled from outside," he said.

Khan said Pakistan suffered so much from the wars in Afghanistan. "More than 70,000 Pakistanis have been killed. While the United States provided USD 20 billion in aid, losses to the Pakistani economy have exceeded USD 150 billion." He said tourism and investment dried up and after joining the US effort, "Pakistan was targeted as a collaborator, leading to terrorism against our country from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other groups".

He also questioned the use of US drone attacks, which "I warned against, didn't win the war, but they did create hatred for Americans, swelling the ranks of terrorist groups against both our countries".

Khan said there are more than three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and their number may increase in case of further civil war in Afghanistan.

He said most of the Taliban are from the Pashtun ethnic group and more than half the Pashtuns live on the Pakistan side of the border.

"This is why we have done a lot of real diplomatic heavy lifting to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, first with the Americans, and then with the Afghan government.

"We know that if the Taliban tries to declare a military victory, it will lead to endless bloodshed. We hope the Afghan government will also show more flexibility in the talks, and stop blaming Pakistan, as we are doing everything we can short of military action," he said.

Khan said promoting economic connectivity and regional trade is the key to lasting peace and security in Afghanistan.

"Further military action is futile. If we share this responsibility, Afghanistan, once synonymous with the 'Great Game' and regional rivalries, could instead emerge as a model of regional cooperation," he said.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: US Pharma giant Pfizer is in the final stages of an agreement with India to supply anti-COVID-19 vaccines, CEO Dr Albert Bourla said on Tuesday, observing that the domestically manufactured vaccines would be the backbone of vaccinating the Indian people.

Addressing the 15th edition of the India-US Bio Pharma & Healthcare Summit being organised by the US-India Chamber of Commerce, Dr Bourla also said that Pfizer has made a specific plan that the mid and low-income countries, which includes India, will receive at least two billion of such doses.

ALSO READ: Bharat Biotech's Covaxin shows 77.8 per cent efficacy in phase 3 trial data

"My hope is that very soon we will finalise the approval of the product in India by the Indian health care authorities and the agreement with the government so that we can also start sending vaccines, on our side," Bourla said.

The Pfizer CEO said that a significant local manufacturing of vaccines that is happening at the Serum Institute of India will provide the "backbone of vaccinating" the Indian people.

"But getting the additional mRNA vaccines from us and also from Moderna will contribute significantly," he said.

Pfizer, he said, is confident of producing three billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines and another four billion by next year, making it seven billion in all.
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Whippany, NJ (07981)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
STAMFORD  Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church will distribute over 30,000 pounds of food on the West Side at its 150 Fairfield Ave. location from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Come by and get a box; theres no questions asked, the Rev. Robert Jackson Jr. said of the upcoming drive.

This isnt the first food distribution the church has hosted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but for this coming weekend, Jacksons congregation has upped the stakes.

This is by far our largest giveaway to date, Jackson said.

Throughout the pandemic, Bethel A.M.E. targeted 500 of fill-in-the-blank as a goal. For example, the church gave out more than 500 coats during its autumn jacket drive. In December, volunteers distributed more than 500 toys.

But on Saturday, theyre planning for way more than 500.

With the help of partner organizations  particularly the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state Department of Agriculture  the church plans to distribute 1,400 boxes of food.

There are so many boxes, each weighing about 22 pounds, that Bethel A.M.E. expects to have a forklift on site to transport the boxes. The National Guard will help deliver the pallets of non-perishable goods to the church parking lot earlier that day.

Jackson said community members are encouraged to drive to the giveaway, given the size and weight of the boxes. However, the church welcomes walk-in visitors as well. Food boxes are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Though the congregation is not accepting food donations for the upcoming giveaway, those interested in volunteering at the food distribution can contact the churchs office at bethelstamford@optimum.net or call (203) 348-3879.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
3 1 of 3 Facebook / Southbury Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Google Maps / Google Show More Show Less 3 of 3





SOUTHBURY  Police are searching for the person responsible for burglarizing the Old Country Store Deli on South Britain Road last week.

Surveillance footage showed a white man breaking into the store around 11:06 p.m. Wednesday and stealing multiple vaping devices and cigarettes before leaving through a window and taking off on a dark sportster-style motorcycle.
Pikeville, KY (41501)

Today

Mainly clear skies. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
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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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"Everyone can find hurt if they look hard enough for it," Cynthia Oliver writes. "But what the moment calls for is a greater good, to live up to the American promise. We need to be a collectivity that cares for each other and not simply one's own comfort."
Marine Corps veteran Ray Elliott is an author and former high school teacher who lives in rural Urbana. He can be reached at rayelliott23@att.net.
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 studies -- experiments conducted in a dish -- indicate 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. 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." Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, Senior Author, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine

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 researchers -- led by co-first authors Rita E. Chen, an MD/PhD student, Emma S. Winkler, an MD/PhD student, and Brett Case, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher -- tested 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 Organization -- Alpha (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 antibodies -- singly or in the same combinations in which they are given to treat patients -- a 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, PhD, 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 & 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 resistance -- although, in my opinion, the use of specific combinations will make this less of an issue."
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".
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. Various strains appear at the same time for influenzas, and this multivalent vaccine can combat such strains." Inhwan Hwang, Professor, POSTECH

This study was conducted with the support of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the National Research Foundation of Korea.
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. The emphasis on increasing diversity is critical to the future of biomedical sciences." Matthew Allen, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Wayne State's College of Liberal Arts and 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.
For individuals with a migrant background affected by dementia, access to medical information and care services can be hampered due to language barriers and cultural differences from the native population: This is because culturally sensitive medical and nursing care as well as multilingual information materials are not yet standard - neither in Germany nor in many other parts of Europe.

However, the way the topic of "dementia and migration" is approached varies greatly between countries. DZNE researchers have analyzed the situation in 35 European countries as part of a research project funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Their results are compiled in the "EU Atlas: Dementia & Migration", which presents the state of affairs with extensive data and maps - and addresses country-specific experiences, challenges and also examples for good practice.

In this online event, experts from different European countries will discuss the findings of the research project, lessons for practice, and conclusions for health care and politics.
Increased risk of cancer due to a genetic predisposition in first- and second-degree relatives is long-established but has previously only been studied in white or European populations.

Now, a new study published in eLife is the first to demonstrate that the inherited risk of early-onset cancer is significantly higher among Latino and African American families for solid tumors, and Asian/Pacific Islander families for blood-based cancers, compared to non-Latino white families in California.

Cancer clustering within families, meaning the devastating diagnosis of more than one early-onset cancer within the same family, usually points to a genetic cause. Interestingly, family cancer clustering has only been examined previously at the population level in white, or European origin population studies. In this study, we looked at clustering of cancer cases in young family members in California over the past 30 years within non-white populations and compared it, for the first time, to white populations. We found that family-based cancer clustering occurs more frequently among minority populations." Joseph Wiemels, PhD, study author, member of the Cancer Epidemiology Program at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and professor of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC

Researchers used California population-based health registries to evaluate the relative cancer risk among parents, siblings and children of patients diagnosed with cancer by the age of 26. Between 1989 and 2015, they identified 29,632 early-onset cancer patients and then examined cancer incidence in 62,863 healthy family members. They found that overall, mothers and siblings of those cancer patients had a higher relative risk of early onset cancer. But when they looked at the role of race and ethnicity in genetic predisposition, they found that for patients with solid tumors, the familial cancer risk was significantly higher for Latino and non-Latino Black mothers and siblings compared to non-Latino white families. Asian/Pacific Islanders had a higher familial risk for blood-based cancers compared to non-Latino whites.

This study demonstrates the need for increased scrutiny on familial cancer clustering in minority populations. This information could help health care providers and genetic counselors offer more precision-based care and advice, particularly in the multiethnic populations that reside in Los Angeles County.
In the eyes of the tech industry, mental health treatment is an area ripe for disruption.

In any given year, 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience a form of mental illness, according to federal estimates. And research indicates only about half of them receive treatment in a system that is understaffed and ill distributed to meet demand.

For tech startups looking to cash in on unmet need, that translates into more than 50 million potential customers.

Venture capital firms invested more than $2.4 billion in digital behavioral health apps in 2020  more than twice the amount invested in 2019  touting support or treatment for issues from burnout and depression to ADHD and bipolar disorder. At least seven mental health app companies have achieved "unicorn" status and are valued at more than $1 billion.

But even as industry hype mounts, researchers and companies are scrambling to prove these apps actually work. Of the estimated 20,000 mental health apps available for download on personal computers and smartphones, just five have been formally vetted and approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which largely has taken a hands-off approach to regulating the space.

"Development has really outpaced the science," said Stephen Schueller, a clinical psychologist at the University of California-Irvine who specializes in the development and evaluation of digital mental health products.

Type "depression" or "anxiety" into an app store, and you'll be met with a dizzying list of results. There are thousands of "wellness" apps like Headspace that counsel people on breathing exercises and other techniques to help them feel more mindful. Apps such as Woebot and TalkLife profess to help manage conditions like anxiety and postpartum depression using games, mood journaling or text exchanges with peers or automated bots.

Some apps are meant to be used alongside in-person therapy, and others on their own. Several of the most popular, like Talkspace, BetterHelp and Ginger, promise access to treatment with a licensed therapist over text message, phone or video. Others, including Brightside and Cerebral, connect users to psychiatrists who can prescribe antidepressants.

Most products make their money by charging consumers a monthly or annual fee, with the option to purchase extras like video sessions with a therapist. Others contract directly with employers or insurers.

And, yes, a small portion of these apps have promising research to back them up. Several studies, for example, have found that cognitive behavioral therapy, a mainstay of treatment for depression and anxiety that seeks to help patients change negative thought patterns, is as effective when delivered using web-based platforms as when done in person by a licensed professional. And the pandemic has bolstered claims that patients are willing to trade in-person visits for the ease of online connection.

"Digital mental health can be viewed as a way to extend the mental resources that we have," said David Mohr, who directs the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. A step-care model, for example, would allow patients with milder symptoms to be treated via technology while reserving in-person care for patients who need something more.

The challenge for consumers is separating the apps that might help from those that offer little more than distraction  or could actually do harm.

Some companies offering mental health treatment had recently been doing something totally different  for example, an online seller of erectile dysfunction and hair loss treatments has started offering psychiatric evaluations and prescribing and selling antidepressants.

Tech companies are by nature for-profit and, in the rush to compete in a saturated market, many are selling a product with an appealing user interface but little evidence of effectiveness. A 2020 analysis by Australian researchers reviewing nearly 300 apps for anxiety and depression found just 6% of the companies that boasted an evidence-based framework in the app store description for their products had published any evidence.

Nor do star ratings and download totals offer much context: An April study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School found little correlation between app store metrics and treatment quality.

"No one is competing based on privacy, safety or evidence. They're competing on aesthetics, in part, on page ranking, marketing on brand awareness," said Dr. John Torous, director of the digital psychiatry division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and one of the authors of the April study. There's an implicit assumption that the app is better than nothing. But what if it isn't better than nothing?"

One problem, said Dr. Ipsit Vahia, a geriatric psychiatrist and medical director of the McLean Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, is that randomized control studies of the kind that might prove an app's effectiveness can take years, far slower than the rapid innovation in tech. "In general, the health care industry and the technology industry work at very different paces," Vahia said.

Dr. David Mou, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital who is chief medical officer at Cerebral, said he agrees that everything new in health care must be done deliberately and conservatively to avoid patient harm. But he said some people in the mental health field are painting all companies with the same brush and failing to differentiate those that are data-driven from those trying to grow at any cost.

"They look at us and say we're all VC-backed bros in a basement trying to redesign health care. And that's not true. It may have been true 10 years ago, but it isn't true today," said Mou. The long-term winners, he said, will be those that are "evidence-based and measure quality like crazy."

Cerebral offers online therapy and medication management and delivery for a range of mental illnesses. The monthly subscription fees range from $29 to $325, depending on the level and frequency of care, as well as insurance coverage. Mou said Cerebral is already able to demonstrate some advantages. While many top hospital systems might have a months-long wait for care, he said, someone in crisis can reach a Cerebral provider almost immediately. "Within minutes you are able to talk with someone with one of our instant live visits. That in itself is a huge win."

Even critics of the tech explosion are quick to acknowledge that the current brick-and-mortar system of mental health is dated and inadequate. In recent years, the issues surrounding mental illness and lack of access to treatment have infiltrated public dialogue. Brain illnesses that many families once squirreled away from view have become the stuff of celebrity culture and dinner-table chatter.

Yet even as advocates have made strides in acceptance, truly improving the lives of people with mental illness has proven stubbornly difficult. Over the past several decades  while the U.S. successfully lowered death rates for cancer, heart disease and other major illnesses  deaths by suicide and drug overdose have continued to climb.

Federal law theoretically requires insurance companies to cover brain illness as they would any other illness. But finding affordable care remains a challenge, largely because of a shortage of licensed mental health professionals and ongoing inequities in insurance coverage.

In a nation where huge swaths of the population lack a primary care doctor and health insurance  but most everyone has a cellphone  connecting people to treatment via mobile apps would seem a logical solution. And, for some, the opportunity to talk about their mental health challenges anonymously makes online treatment an attractive alternative.

Still, many of the experts who welcome the potential for innovation in mental health treatment acknowledge that consumers are getting little guidance in how to choose a reputable option. "Wellness" apps that promote a healthy lifestyle or apps that help people manage their disease without providing specific treatment suggestions can avoid FDA regulation. But even those that offer patient-specific diagnoses and treatment recommendations that would seem to fall squarely under the FDA's authority do not seem to garner the agency's attention, according to industry experts.

"The FDA has been really, really lax on enforcing in digital health for reasons that are not entirely clear to me," said Bradley Merrill Thompson, a lawyer at Epstein Becker Green who advises companies on FDA regulations. "Anybody could spend 20 minutes on the app store and find dozens of examples of apps that make medical device claims, and that have been doing so for some time, without any effort by the FDA to rein them in."

In response to questions from KHN about its approach to regulating mental health apps, the FDA sent a brief statement. "As circumstances change and new needs arise, FDA is ready to meet and address these challenges, especially in the areas of mental health," the statement reads in part. "We would like to see more evidence-based products in this area, which is why we remain committed to facilitating the development of additional safe and effective therapies for patients who rely on these products."

Dr. Tom Insel, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, has a unique view of the evolving landscape. In 2015, Insel left his job as director of the National Institute of Mental Health, a post he had held since 2002, trading the halls of government for the open floor plans of Silicon Valley to work in digital mental health. He started at Google's Verily, then co-founded Mindstrong Health, a startup researching how smartphone technology could be used to predict and diagnose mental health crises. He has since left to advise California officials on behavioral health issues.

Insel said he believes in the promise of digital mental health but that it will take time to find its highest and best use. He noted, for example, that most of the apps on the market focus on the problem of access: They make care more convenient. But they're overlooking a more basic problem: quality. Unlike most fields of medicine, mental health providers rarely measure whether the care they provide makes patients better.

"A lot of what we need is not just more access. It's not just recreating the brick-and-mortar system and letting people do it by phone or Zoom," Insel said. Instead, he argued, digital health should focus on measuring whether treatments improve people's lives.

"I have no doubt that this field will transform mental health treatment and diagnosis," Insel said, "but we're in the first act of a five-act play. I don't think we're anywhere near the kinds of solutions that we need in the real world."
After decades of scientific efforts, the search for successful treatments of many cancers and most metastatic disease, Alzheimer's and other incapacitating and/or deadly conditions sometimes seems to have hit a wall. The time has come to include a new perspective into the equation: the patient perspective, a unique insight that may help bring those walls tumbling down.

Why? No one knows better what it means to experience a disease than those who live with it, and a true multidisciplinary approach to tackle disease must not only have patients at its center, but also partner with them across the research process, from basic science to clinical studies. The challenge now is for both patients and researchers to team up for greater impact.

In Europe, policy-makers are already investing in creating an environment where these partnerships can thrive. The Trio Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which sets the political agenda, has co-signed the Declaration on effective cancer research "Europe: Unite against Cancer", which explicitly commits to support patient engagement in cancer research (see below).

A joint national and international online forum on June 23rd will look at how partnerships between patients and scientists can help ask better questions, improve research designs and increase the translation of research findings into the clinic. This original online forum, driven by both patient organizations and academic research institutes, is the first of a series of events that mark the beginning of a new era in medical research.

Portuguese session, 10-11:30am (GMT+2/ Brussels):

A first focus on the situation in Portugal will bring together patient representatives and scientists, among other healthcare stakeholders, to identify good practices and challenges for more effective research. A roundtable of people leading successful partnerships will illustrate and discuss how patients have been involved in research, contributing an essential perspective for increased impact of scientific results.

International session, 12-1:30pm (GMT+2/ Brussels), in English:

Experience-based insights will be presented by pioneers Jan Geissler, chair of the Workgroup of European Cancer Patient Advocacy Networks (WECAN), and Bettina Ryll, founder of Melanoma Patient Network Europe (MPNE) and member of the Horizon Europe Cancer Mission Board. Also during this session, a roadmap for patient participation in research in Europe will also be discussed, with the presence of participants and officials from Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, the countries that currently compose the Trio Presidency of the Council of the EU. This Global session will be closed by Prof. Dr. Manuel Heitor, the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

The event is a partnership between Portuguese Patient organizations and networks such as the European Patients' Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI), Plataforma Saude em Dialogo, EVITA Cancro, the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Society, with the Portuguese National School of Public Health and the Champalimaud Foundation/UM Cure 2020 European Consortium.

The initiative is also a response to the challenge made by patient advocates from the Melanoma Patient Network Europe and the Workgroup of European Cancer Patient Advocacy Networks (WECAN) in the context of recent advances in Europe, and aims to promote a joint and constructive reflection on the different opportunities for the involvement of patients in research.
A study of healthcare workers administered the first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine in Italy showed that they had reduced symptoms and faster viral clearance even within six days of vaccine administration.

Several vaccines are now being used worldwide to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. One of these is an mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. The BNT162b2 vaccine has a lipid nanoparticle containing an RNA that encodes the spike protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The vaccine is administered intramuscularly in two doses.

However, there is some evidence that even one dose of the vaccine can provide some protection against asymptomatic infection. In Italy, vaccination started in late December 2020 with the first doses administered to identified priority groups.

Researchers from Italy investigated the effect of one dose of the BNT162b2 on symptom duration and viral clearance in healthcare workers. They reported their results in the journal Vaccines.

COVID-19 Vaccine. Image Credit: hedgehog94/Shutterstock.com

Effect of single-dose

The team analyzed routinely collected data for healthcare workers vaccinated between December 2020 and February 2021. They identified documented cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, types of symptoms, symptom duration, and the time it took for viral clearance.

During the administration of the first dose of the vaccine, 18 healthcare workers tested positive within 12 days of getting vaccinated and half showed symptoms. Giving the healthcare workers the first vaccine dose reduced the duration of symptoms and viral clearance even within six days of administration. Since the median incubation time of SARS-CoV-2 is about 56 days, the infections probably occurred just around the time of vaccination.

Five tested positive between 13 and 21 days of getting the first dose and about 40% of them showed symptoms. The presence of symptoms and viral clearance was much shorter in this case.

Thus, even one dose of the vaccine is effective in reducing symptoms and time for viral clearance in healthcare workers vaccinated for less than six days. Although the results show the benefit of even a single dose of the mRNA vaccine, the authors point out some limitations, which include a low number of samples obtained making the statistical analysis of lower quality.

Single-dose beneficial

With a shortage of vaccines in several European countries, strategies are being considered to defer the second dose to provide at least partial protection to a larger proportion of the population. However, there is also the risk of incomplete protection, especially for people at a high risk of infection.

The results indicate one dose of the vaccine reduces symptoms and the time for viral clearance, suggesting a high impact of even one dose of the vaccine. Since a shorter duration of symptoms and the time to reduce viral loads can reduce virus transmission, giving one dose of the vaccine can also significantly reduce the spread.

However, reduced symptoms and a quick decrease in viral load can lead to the undercounting of the number of asymptomatic individuals, who form a significant proportion in COVID-19 transmission. This makes it important to investigate a shift to potential asymptomatic infections after only a single dose of the vaccine.

Currently, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends postponing giving the BNT162b2 vaccine to people with high-risk exposure assuming the first dose is not effective. However, as shown in this study, because of the shorter duration of viral clearance and reduced symptoms, giving at least one dose could be beneficial.
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Rice University in Houston, silicone breast implants with a smoother surface design have less risk of producing inflammation and other immune system reactions than those with more roughly textured coatings.

Results of the experiments using mice, rabbits and samples of human breast tissue advance knowledge of how the body responds to such implants, providing new information to physicians and affirming the benefits of certain smoother surfaces, the researchers say.

A summary of the experiments, funded by an implant manufacturer, are published June 21 in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Breast implants, surgically inserted following mastectomies or to augment breast size, can be filled with either saline or silicone, but both types have a silicone outer shell. Previous studies showed that most of the 400,000 women each year in the U.S. who receive silicone implants will need to have them replaced within 10 years because of pain and shape shifting of the implant caused by immune system cells that contribute to scarring and fibrous tissue.

"Our aim is to provide patients with as much information as possible so they can make informed decisions to guide their own personal health," says Joshua Doloff, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical engineering at The Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a first author of the research, which began during his postdoctoral training at MIT.

Doloff, whose research overall focuses on the interface between implantable devices and the human body, says scientists have long known that the immune system biologically walls off foreign objects in the body by creating inflammation and scarring that can be disfiguring and painful.

For the past decade, scientists have been examining how to design implant surfaces in ways that reduce such effects.

Previous studies found that implants with absolutely smooth coatings produce strong immune rejection responses over time, and according to Doloff, they may also more easily "flip" inside the body and contribute to a higher rate of replacement.

So, manufacturers also marketed implants with textured surfaces to try to address immune system rejection and to "stick" like Velcro to human tissue, enabling better and more stable positioning in the body. More than 90% of breast implants used in the U.S. are characterized as smooth, according to the researchers, whereas most implants used outside of the U.S. have more rough textured coatings.

An implant with the highest degree of textured surface was taken off the U.S. market in 2019 because of its links to higher rates of a type of cancer called breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma among patients with these "macrotextured" implants.

In the current study, the researchers analyzed outcomes of placing in mice tiny versions of implants with five different surface designs. The implants included one with a completely smooth surface, one slightly contoured at the level of an individual human cell, as well as others with different surfaces. Of note, they also implanted one with the 90-micron macrotextured surface like the implants taken off the market.

Establishment Labs helped manufacture the mini-implants, using similar manufacturing methods used in the market. Two of the full scale commercial implants, including one with a surface design that includes a roughness of approximately 4 microns on average as well as other characteristics including skewness and the number, distribution and size of contact points, are also manufactured by Establishment Labs, which funded the research.

For the past 10 years, we have consistently seen exceptional outcomes with Motiva implants. The paper by Dr. Langer and his colleagues provides a critical understanding of our surface technology and validates the superior clinical and aesthetic outcomes reported with our devices. This study establishes a new scientific standard to which all implant technologies should be held. Most importantly, these findings will help surgeons and their patients make better informed decisions in their selection of breast implants. Juan Jose Chacon-Quiros, CEO and Founder of Establishment Labs

Among human-scale size implants used in rabbits, the implant with design features that include a 4 micron surface roughness resulted in the least fibrous tissue surrounding it -; about 10 times less -; at three weeks and six months post-implantation when compared with the 90 micron implant.

Tissue surrounding implants in mice and rabbits with the specific design that includes a 4 micron roughness had the highest activity of the gene FOXP3, suggesting the production of more immune cells called Tregs, which act as traffic police to reduce the amount of inflammation and fibrous tissue created by immune system cells.

The research team also sequenced genetic expression levels from specific cell types in the tissue surrounding implants in mice to find that genes associated with pro-inflammatory responses, including STAT1 and CXCL10, increase about fivefold to tenfold with more highly textured implants.

Among tissue collected from implants removed from 15 healthy patients at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the Costa Rican Institute for Research and Teaching on Nutrition and Health Foundation, patients with implants with design features that include a 4 micron surface roughness had the most significantly reduced fibrous tissue formation surrounding the implants compared to the more heavily textured devices or to completely smooth ones.

Doloff says other areas of active research for implantable devices include development of biosensors that can detect rupture, leakage or inflammation of surrounding tissue. He says the surface design that includes roughness of 4 microns may be worth studying in biomaterials other than breast implants. He also plans to study the amount of immune response, inflammation and fibrous tissue among implants in women following cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Engineers should know how something works, not just that it works, so we can improve on existing technologies." Joshua Doloff, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University
Gilbert J. Rake, 88, of Bonita Springs, FL passed away on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 with his loving wife by his side. He was born in Starlight, IN, son of Henry and Catherine Rake. Gil proudly served his country in the United States Army. Following the service, he worked as an accountant with
Goldsboro, NC (27530)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Cloudy. Low 64F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Cloudy. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
(Newser)  Crowds are growing larger at the monthly meetings of the Georgia board considering what to do about the giant carving of Confederacy leaders in Stone Mountain. But officials seem no closer to an answer. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association decided to make a few changes last month, but they weren't enough to placate people who want the monument removed. A museum exhibit will tell the story of the carving, as well as the site's ties to the Ku Klux Klan. But having to make those decisions could increase the volume and the pressure on the board, NPR reports. "Where we go from there?" asked the board's chairman, the Rev. Abraham Mosley. "I don't know." Putting the site in a Georgia context seems like a challenge. None of the three menConfederate Gens. Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, and Confederacy President Jefferson Daviswas from the area, and no battles were fought there. As a piece of history, it's not that historic, having been completed in 1972.

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Attendance at Stone Mountain State Park is still holding around 3 million per year, but Stone Mountain's chief executive said there are costs. "We've lost business from major corporations that used to do business with our hotels and come to the park for gatherings, that they no longer do so due to the Confederacy issue," Bill Stephens said, per CNN. His options are limited, partly because of a state law that protects Confederate monuments. Also, there's a permanence to the thing. "To remove the carving would take a small tactical nuclear weapon," Stephens said. "Three acres of solid graniteit's probably not going anywhere, that's why we're telling the story about it." That's fine with a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans who wants the carving to stay, saying it's "local history, Georgia history, your history, my historyit's all common history, folks." A civil rights attorney said the monument doesn't reflect his goals for Georgia. "It should be inclusive," he said, "it should tell all of the history, and it should remove the hate, starting with the carving." (Read more Confederacy stories.)
(Newser)  A plan to protect Tasmanian devils from extinction came at a hellish price for penguins and other birds on an Australian island. Researchers say that after a small number of the carnivorous marsupials were shipped to Maria Island, east of Tasmania, in 2012, the island's population of 3,000 breeding pairs of little penguins disappeared, the BBC reports. The BirdLife Tasmania conservation group says the introduction of the devils also had a "catastrophic impact" on Maria Island's shearwater colonies, while the island's Cape Barren geese, normally ground-nesting birds, have been trying to nest in trees to avoid the predators.

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Dr. Eric Woehler of BirdLife Tasmania says bird populations always suffer when mammals are introduced to the region's islands, the Guardian reports. "Losing 3,000 pairs of penguins from an island that is a national park that should be a refuge for this species basically is a major blow," he says. The 28 devils introduced in 2012 grew to a population of more than 100 by 2016. At the time, authorities feared that a contagious facial cancer would cause their extinction in the wildbut they now believe the cancer itself might go extinct. Devil numbers have rebounded in Tasmania, and the species has now been reintroduced to mainland Australia. Woehler argues that the removal of the "insurance population" on Maria Island would not "have any adverse consequences for the devil." (Read more Tasmanian devil stories.)
(Newser)  In the early months of the pandemic last year, then-President Trump wanted to send Americans infected with COVID-19 to the same place his Republican predecessor sent enemy combatants, according to a new book from two Washington Post journalists. In Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damien Paletta write that Trump, wanting to keep US infection statistics low in February 2020, said infected US tourists from a cruise ship should be sent to Guantanamo Bay. The book says Trump asked, "Don't we have an island that we own? How about Guantanamo?" He reportedly added: "We import goods. We are not going to import a virus."

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The authors say the proposal was rejected after shocked aides at the White House Situation Room meeting pushed back against it, the Guardian reports. Abutaleb and Paletta say the book is based on more than 180 interviews, including conversations with senior White House staff members and health officials. The Post, which was provided with an advance copy, says the book depicts Trump as "ineffectual and out of touch," with feuds among his advisers and the president's insistence on following his hunches leading to a chaotic federal response to the pandemic. In mid-March last year, the authors write, Trump shouted at then-HHS Secretary Alex Azar that testing was "killing" him in the polls and asked, "What idiot had the federal government do testing?" According to the authors, Azar responded, "Uh, do you mean Jared?" (Read more coronavirus stories.)
(Newser)  Airlines, flight attendants, and pilots are calling for the US Justice Department to prosecute unruly and violent passengers. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday, the trade group Airlines for America and unions for pilots and flight crew cited a "substantial increase in and growing escalation of passengers' unruly and disruptive behavior onboard aircraft, particularly toward crew members. These incidents pose a safety and security threat." In January, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a zero-tolerance policy toward passengers who cause disturbances aboard aircraft or violate federal rules by refusing to follow flight crew instructions. Since then, the FAA has received more than 3,000 reports of unruly behavior and opened 465 investigations into assaults, threats of violence, or interference with air crews, the AP reports.

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Many cases involved passengers who refused to wear masks aboard aircraft during the coronavirus pandemic. Through May, the FAA has sought some kind of enforcement action more than 400 times this year and pursued 57 civil penalties. So far, it has announced $368,000 in fines on 21 passengers. Noting that federal law calls for up to 20 years imprisonment for passengers who intimidate or interfere with crew members, the letter urged "that more be done to deter egregious behavior, which is in violation of federal law and crewmember instruction ... 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 Justice Department confirmed that it had received the letter but declined to comment.

(Read more unruly passenger stories.)
(Newser)  It's Election Day in New York City. More precisely, Tuesday is the Democratic primary in the mayoral race, and the winner is all but assured to become the city's next mayor in November's general election. The race has an interesting twist: The city is using ranked-choice voting for the first time, which makes it trickier to predict a winner and could delay results for weeks. Details:

Candidates: An Ipsos poll has Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on top with 28%, followed by entrepreneur-turned-politician Andrew Yang (20%), former sanitation chief Kathryn Garcia (15%), and civil rights attorney Maya Wiley (13%). Four other candidates at between 1% and 8% trail them. But as Ipsos points out, the ranked-choice system means the outcome is very much up in the air.

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Ranked-choice: On Tuesday, voters can rank up to five candidates in order of preference. If one candidate takes more than 50% of the vote outright, that person is the winner, and ranked-choice doesn't come into play. If nobody gets 50%, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and that candidate's second-choice picks are doled out. If no candidate has 50% after that, the process repeats until somebody does. The Washington Post and the AP have detailed explainers. Advocates say it's a more democratic way of picking elected officials. The system has been used for years in some US locales, including San Francisco, but if New York's high-profile test goes well, it could be copied more extensively.

On Tuesday, voters can rank up to five candidates in order of preference. If one candidate takes more than 50% of the vote outright, that person is the winner, and ranked-choice doesn't come into play. If nobody gets 50%, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and that candidate's second-choice picks are doled out. If no candidate has 50% after that, the process repeats until somebody does. The Washington Post and the AP have detailed explainers. Advocates say it's a more democratic way of picking elected officials. The system has been used for years in some US locales, including San Francisco, but if New York's high-profile test goes well, it could be copied more extensively. Waiting game: Don't expect a winner Tuesday. In fact, USA Today reports that the winner might not be named until July because of the ranked-choice system and the necessity of waiting for absentee ballots. The first ranked-choice analysis encompassing all absentee ballots (assuming such an analysis is necessary) won't be conducted until July 6, notes the AP.

Don't expect a winner Tuesday. In fact, USA Today reports that the winner might not be named until July because of the ranked-choice system and the necessity of waiting for absentee ballots. The first ranked-choice analysis encompassing all absentee ballots (assuming such an analysis is necessary) won't be conducted until July 6, notes the AP. Crazy finish: In part because of the ranked-choice system, the home stretch of the race has been "full Technicolor berserk," writes David Freedlander at New York. One big example is the decision by Yang and Garcia to campaign together in an attempt to hurt frontrunner Adams. Freedlander looks at the late strategies of the four leading candidates.

In part because of the ranked-choice system, the home stretch of the race has been "full Technicolor berserk," writes David Freedlander at New York. One big example is the decision by Yang and Garcia to campaign together in an attempt to hurt frontrunner Adams. Freedlander looks at the late strategies of the four leading candidates. Broad strokes: Adams is seen as the law-and-order candidate, pushing for increases in police, while Wiley is the favorite of progressives, advocating for a reallocation of police funds, per the Hill. Yang and Garcia are closer to Adams on the public safety front, notes USA Today. However, Garcia is emphasizing her government experience, along with climate change policies. Yang started the race strong with great name recognition and his plan to institute a basic-income program, but he has since faltered.

(Read more New York City stories.)
(Newser)  A controversial ruling overturning California's assault weapons ban has now been blocked. The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday issued a stay of the order that was issued earlier this month, CNN reports. In issuing his order overturning the three-decades-old ban, US District Judge Roger Benitez had compared the AR-15 to a Swiss army knife, saying that like the knife, the assault rifle is "a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment."

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California's attorney general then appealed his ruling, which Gov. Gavin Newsom had called a slap in the face to those whose loved ones have been killed by the military-style weapons. The AG, Rob Bonta, says on Twitter that the appeals court ruling "leaves our assault weapons laws in effect while appellate proceedings continue." Both parties are to file a status update within two weeks. Per the Los Angeles Times, the stay is also pending decisions in other cases currently before the court that relate to guns. (Read more California stories.)
(Newser)  The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed prospects for early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying Tuesday the US expectations for talks would plunge them into a greater disappointment. Kim Yo Jong issued the statement after US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan described as an interesting signal her brothers recent statement that North Korea must be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, but more for confrontation. A Korean proverb says that In a dream, what counts most is to read it, not to have it. It seems that the US may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself, Kim Yo Jong said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment, she said.

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Her statement came as the top US envoy on North Korea affairs, Sung Kim, is visiting South Korea, the AP reports. Earlier Tuesday, Sung Kim said during a meeting with South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young that Washington and Seoul agreed on the commitment to pursue complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. Lee said he hopes North Korea would return to talks at an early date. Sung Kim said Monday he hoped to see a positive reaction from the North soon on US offers for talks though he said US-led sanctions on North Korea will stay in place. In recent months, the North Korean leader 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, in an apparent reference to the sanctions and regular US military drills with South Korea.

(Read more Kim Yo Jong stories.)
(Newser)  A Democratic senator from Rhode Island is playing defense after he was grilled this week about his family's long-standing membership at an exclusive beach club. GoLocal Providence describes Bailey's Beach Club in Newportwhich has had Sheldon Whitehouse, his wife, and other relatives as members for decadesas a "who's who [of] Newport, Palm Beach, and New York wealth," but also one that's "all white." On Friday, the outlet asked Whitehouse about the club, formally known as the Spouting Rock Beach Association, including whether it has accepted any minorities since the last time the outlet broached the subject with Whitehouse nearly four years ago. "I think the people who are running the place are still working on that, and I'm sorry it hasn't happened yet," Whitehouse replied, adding that the club is "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."

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In 2017, Whitehouse told the outlet he thought "it would be nice if [the club] changed a little bit, but it's not my position." Per GoLocal, Whitehouse had vowed during his 2006 Senate run to exit the club, though his rep, Richard Davidson, told the Washington Post that promise was never made. Whitehouse did transfer his club shares to his wife, Sandra (now one of the club's biggest shareholders), and he's no longer himself a member, Davidson added. He went on to say that the club "has had and has members of color," and that there is "no such restrictive policy" on members' race or ethnicity. On Monday, Whitehouse said the club had told him it had "diversity of membership," per Politico. When pressed on whether the club had minorities as members, Whitehouse said, "I believe that there are. I don't spend a lot of time there." A woman who answered the phone at the club would only tell the Post it was "a very small beach club," with no further comment. (Read more Sheldon Whitehouse stories.)
Spencer Tscherpel, left, and his wife, Paige, embrace as they watch police officers line up for a procession after a shooting in Olde Town Arvada on Monday in Arvada, Colo. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via AP)

Spencer Tscherpel, left, and his wife, Paige, embrace as they watch police officers line up for a procession after a shooting in Olde Town Arvada on Monday in Arvada, Colo. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via AP)
(Newser)  The UN's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization wants the Great Barrier Reef added to a list of World Heritage Sites that are "in danger," while calling on Australia to address climate change with "accelerated action at all possible levels." Australia's government says it's "stunned" by and will "strongly oppose" the recommendation, which it sees as political, noting the agency previously assured the government it would not make such a move. The government committed some $2.2 billion to improve the health of the world's biggest coral reef system off Australia's northeast coast after UNESCO debated the 1,400-mile-long reef's "in danger" status back in 2017. But UNESCO, which raised concerns about Australia's slow progress in improving water quality in 2017, now says the government has failed to meet key targets in that area, per the BBC.

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Other sites have been added to the list due to pollution, insecurity, and war, reports the Guardian. If the recommendation is adopted on July 16, the Great Barrier Reef would be the first site placed on the list mainly due to the effects of climate change. The recommendation appears to back scientists and global leaders who say Australia isn't doing enough to address climate change. Scott Morrison's government has made no updates to the country's 2015 commitment to limit emissions to no more than 28% of 2005 levels by 2030. Counters Environment Minister Sussan Ley: "There are 83 natural World Heritage properties facing climate change threats so it's not fair to simply single out Australia." The move could hurt tourism, and the country at large, as the reef supplies some $4.8 billion to the national economy. (Read more Great Barrier Reef stories.)
(Newser)  Facilitating love matches is no walk in the park, especially during a pandemic, hence Bumble's worldwide staff is getting a paid "fully offline" vacation this week. The dating app, which requires women to make the first move, has closed all of its offices so its 700 employees can have the week off, reports the BBC. Some customer support staff will remain working so users can continue to use the app, but they'll also get a week off at a later date. The app said this was "a way to thank our team for their hard work and resilience," per CNN. In a since-deleted tweet, Head of Editorial Content Clare O'Connor wrote that Bumble founder and Tinder alum Whitney Wolfe Herd made the decision "having correctly intuited our collective burnout."

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The app had an impressive stock market debut this year, along with huge growth in user numbers. Paid users of Bumble and Badoo, a dating-focused social network Bumble owns, jumped 30% in the three-month period ending March 31 compared to the same period in 2020, per the BBC. Offering up a week's vacation is rare in corporate America but becoming more common after a pandemic year. LinkedIn gave all of its 16,000 employees a week off in April after surveys showed evidence of burnout, reports CNN. Similarly, social media management platform Hootsuite will shut down its offices for a company-wide "Wellness Week" from July 5-12, per CNBC. The company notes this will be "separate from each employee's vacation allotment." (Read more apps stories.)
(Newser)  An Indiana woman, expected Wednesday to be the first of more than 400 people charged in the Capitol attack to be sentenced, has agreed to plead guilty to a single federal charge, saying movies and books have showed her what life is like for nonwhite people. In a letter to the judge, Anna Morgan-Lloyd of Bloomfield apologized for entering the Capitol building and failing to remove herself from a violent crowd. Had she done so, violent participants "may have lost the nerve to do what they did," wrote the 49-year-old grandmother, per the Indianapolis Star. "For that I am sorry and take responsibility." Attached to her letter were movie and book reports for Schindler's List, which tells of a factory owner's efforts to save 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust, and Just Mercy, which explores Bryan Stevenson's career fighting against racial injustice in the legal system.

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Morgan-Lloyd said she'd "lived a sheltered life," per HuffPost. But "I've learned that even though we live in a wonderful country, things still need to improve. People of all colors should feel as safe as I do to walk down the street." On Facebook, she'd described Jan. 6 as the "best day ever," adding she was among "the first 50 people" inside the Capitol, per WUSA. But she now says she's "ashamed" at how the events of the day unfolded. Initially charged with four counts, she'll plead guilty to misdemeanor parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building in exchange for three years probation, a $500 fine, and 40 hours of community service, per WUSA. Acting US Attorney Channing Phillips has agreed to the deal, acknowledging her remorse, lack of criminal history, and cooperation. Authorities note she didn't engage in violence or damage property. (Read more Capitol attack stories.)
(Newser)  Connecticut has gone from charging some of the highest rates in the nation for prison phone calls to providing them free of charge. A vendor with the state contract has been charging as much as $5 for a 15-minute call, WTNH reports. Inmates, including juveniles, will now be entitled to at least 90 minutes of phone time per day, eliminating a financial and emotional barrier to families trying to stay connected. "Corporations can no longer be allowed to exploit the love between incarcerated people and their familiesnot in our state, not on our watch," said a sponsor of the legislation, per USA Today. The governor has signed the legislation, which could take effect early next month. Connecticut, which is holding 8,960 people in its system, is the first state to make prison and jail calls free.

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The current charges were a motivator among legislators, per the Hartford Courant. "When someone who is incarcerated wants to call home, wants to call a loved one, stay in touch with kids, stay in touch with family, with friends, with support network in the community," another lawmaker said, "the state of Connecticut has been gouging them for years." Inmates who are in touch with their families are less likely to wind up back in prison, he said. A price reduction had been announced that would have taken effect in July, but it would have dropped the state's phone charges only from 50th least affordable in the nation to 45th. Much of the reason is the 68% commission the state takes on phone charges, per CT News Junkie. (Read more prison stories.)
(Newser)  A Singapore woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison in what authorities say was one of the worst cases of "maid abuse" imaginable. Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 40, pleaded guilty earlier this year to dozens of charges, including culpable homicide, in the 2016 death of live-in domestic worker Piang Ngaih Don, the BBC reports. Prosecutors said the 24-year-old Myanmar national, who arrived in Singapore in October 2015, was humiliated, starved, tortured, and killed by Muruguyan, the wife of a policeman. Piang weighed just 53 pounds when she died in July 2016 after being assaulted several times in a few hours. Prosecutors said Muruguyan's 61-year-old mother sometimes joined in the assaults.

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The sickening abuse was captured on CCTV installed in the family's home, reports the South China Morning Post. Prosecutors said Piang was stamped on, choked, hit with brooms, and burned with an iron. Her meals often consisted only of bread soaked in water. Defense lawyers argued for a shorter sentence, saying Muruguyan had been diagnosed with post-partum depression and obsessive compulsive personality disorder, the Straits Times reports. Prosecutors said the conditions were the reason Muruguan wasn't charged with murderbut they shouldn't be a "free pass" for her "cruel and heinous" behavior. "The violence is a function of the accused viewing the victim as a lesser human being," the deputy public prosecutor said. (Read more Singapore stories.)
(Newser)  Two century-old Catholic churches on Indigenous land in southern British Columbia burned to the ground on Monday, Canada's National Indigenous Peoples' Dayroughly a month after the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children at the former Catholic-run Kamloops Indian Residential School. Flames were reported at Sacred Heart Church on land of the Penticton Indian Band shortly after 1am, per the Vancouver Sun. About two hours later, another fire was reported 25 miles away at St. Gregory's Church on Osoyoos Indian Band land just north of the Washington state border. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police describe the fires, which destroyed both churches operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nelson, as suspicious. Oliver Fire Chief Bob Graham says early indications suggest arson with "a liquid accelerant" at St. Gregory's, per the CBC.

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The Rev. Thomas Kakkaniyil says the church had security as it hosted its first in-person service in more than a year on Sunday, but not overnight. He speculates the local Indigenous population was not involved. "It was done on the Osoyoos First Nation land but not by those people," he tells the Sun. The Penticton Indian Band says both bands are "in disbelief and anger over these occurrences as these places of worship provided service to members." "We are sensitive to the recent events, but wont speculate on a motive," RCMP Sgt. Jason Bayda tells the Sun, which reports most of BC's 28 residential schools were operated by the Catholic Church, with funding from the federal government. The government apologized in 2008, but the church has yet to do so, per the Washington Post. Bayda says police will look at "all possible motives" if arson is confirmed. (Read more fires stories.)
(Newser)  A French-Moroccan man claims to have done what decades of sleuths have failed to docrack two unsolved ciphers left by the Zodiac Killer and reveal his identity. But as the New York Times reports, the claims of 38-year-old Faycal Ziraoui aren't exactly being embraced by the large online community devoted to the case. For the record, Ziraoui says the cipher known as Z13 reveals the killer to be the late Lawrence Kaye, who sometimes went by Kane. The cipher actually reveals the name "KAYR," but Ziraoui says that's a typo consistent with previous errors made by the killer in his puzzles. The name will be familiar to those who follow the case, because Kaye has long been considered a suspect in the San Francisco Bay Area murders of the 1960s and '70s.

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Ziraoui also claims to have cracked the cipher known as Z32, which he says reveals the precise location of a school the killer threatened to blow up. As the Times explains it, the key to Ziraoui's discoveries came in December, when other code-breakers solved another of the killer's ciphers. Ziraoui says he essentially used the same encryption key on the two remaining unsolved ciphers. Things still get weedy, however. Ziraoui used "calculations based on trigonometry, probabilities, with the reinforcement of semiology and geomagnetic fields," per pressfrom.info, citing a story in a French magazine from earlier this year. Generally, the online Zodiac community considers the ciphers Ziraoui claims to be have cracked to be unsolvable because they're too short. Neither the FBI nor the San Francisco police would comment on Ziraoui's claims. (Read more Zodiac killer stories.)
Lorde's return to the stage has been five years in the making, following a long hiatus from touring and making music.

Her single 'Solar Power' dropped earlier this month, giving fans a taste of her forthcoming album of the same name - the release date of which remains a mystery.

The tour will begin on February 27 in Upper Moutere, near Nelson, before heading to Lower Hutt, Havelock, New Plymouth and Auckland.

Lorde will then perform in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, with her Kiwi and Aussie shows making up a global tour that will see her make stops across Europe, The UK and North America.
"We are still suffering and for the sake of the affected whanau of March 15 we would kindly request to have some patience when planning for such a movie or docudrama. This is not the time," wrote the March 15 Whanau trust, which represents 78 affected whanau of shuhada and wounded victims.

Now Hunt is throwing his support behind calls for the voices of the affected whanau and victims to be heard.

"The Human Rights Commission echoes the concerns expressed by the Muslim community concerning the reports of the They Are Us film," Hunt says in a statement on Tuesday.

"The lack of appropriate consultation, sidelining of those affected by focusing on the actions of the Prime Minister, and the short time since the horrific events of March 15 have all been raised as concerns for the Muslim community in respect of the film.

"As the Human Rights Commission, we hear the Muslim community and we encourage others to hear them as well when they say this film should not go ahead."

A petition calling for a film to be cancelled has gained more than 70,000 signatures. Its organisers say the film "centres white voices" and it's not appropriate for director Andrew Niccol - "someone who has not experienced racism or Islamaphobia" - to lead and profit off a story that's "not his to tell".

These points were elaborated on in a Newsroom article by anti-racism campaigner Guled Mire, who questioned Niccol's history of writing and casting non-white characters.

"Niccol is not the screenwriter you call in when you want to write a movie about white supremacy, Islamophobia, racism or xenophobia," he wrote.

"The fact this proposed film has even surfaced is indicative of a worldwide industry that fails to understand Muslims and portrays us in a way that reinforces stereotypes and feeds into a white saviour narrative."

Hunt says he wants to see more dialogue regarding representation in stories and media to counter Islamophobia.

"As a country, we have a responsibility to do all we can to ensure that Muslim New Zealanders are represented accurately in stories," he says.

"Countering Islamophobia in the media is just one of many steps we need to take to build an inclusive society. While this is long-term work, we can start by listening to the views, and acting on the advice, of the communities directly affected by the terrorist attacks of March 15 2019."
Ahu Moana

The strategy acknowledges that matauranga Maori (traditional knowledge) held by mana whenua can help in caring for and conserving the gulf. It proposes 'Ahu Moana' pilot projects - where local communities and mana whenua can work together on coastal management.

"These projects will follow mana whenua and local communities as they work together to deliver their shared fisheries and/or conservation objectives in their nearshore coastal areas," the plan states.

"Mana whenua and local community groups leading the pilot projects will consider what governance arrangements (if any) and what actions are needed to deliver their shared goals."

Gulf co-governance

Governance in the Gulf is currently overseen by the Hauraki Gulf Forum.

The Government's strategy says the Forum, as it currently exists, is unlikely to be able to address environmental challenges and resolve issues of governance arrangements.

And it refers to previous reviews which called for "stronger emphasis on co-governance and greater representation of mana whenua".

While the strategy says a full review isn't within its scope, it suggests the future governance entity needs greater statutory authority and an increased emphasis on co-governance.

"Co-governance improves decision-making because it brings a broad range of knowledge, values, traditions and experiences to the governance table," it notes.

"It places an emphasis on kaitiakitanga and uses intergenerational timeframes for decision-making, encouraging longer-term thinking and potentially better environmental outcomes."

And it disputes arguments from co-governance critics who argue it could limit public influence in decision-making.

"Entities established through Treaty settlements generally include local authority representation and, therefore, public input," it says.

'Fish don't do race'

But these points have come under fire from Seymour, who calls co-governance "unnecessary" and "divisive".

"Revitalising the Gulf is the latest example of the Government's drive to give power to people based on who their grandparents were through co-governance," he says.

"A fishing reserve is not a cultural construct, it's just a place where fishing is banned to give fish a chance. There is no need for special Maori knowledge. We can all see that if you stop catching fish in certain areas there will be more of them.

"Not only is co-management unnecessary, it is divisive. It can only mean that some people will get a greater say, and perhaps greater rights according to who their grandparents were."

While the strategy will set up 18 new marine protection areas, 11 of these - the new high protection areas - will include a provision for customary practices.

But Seymour says fish "don't do race" and protection should be based on good science to "maximise fishing opportunities for all New Zealanders".

"There is no doubt there will be a rahui here and a customary catch there, meaning reserves are not created equal for all people," he adds.

"ACT supports marine reserves, but allowing some Maori to customary take in a fishing reserve makes the policy more about race than fishing."
"In 2019 a report called He Puapua came to Government but was never shown to one NZ First Cabinet minister. This report was deliberately suppressed," Peters said.



Ardern dismissed Peters' claims on Monday.

"That is certainly not my recollection because I usually will recall those papers where they've come through and for any given reason they've been unable to progress," Ardern told reporters.

"That's not my recollection for that paper at all."

National leader Judith Collins has accused the Government of trying to implement "separatism by stealth", pointing to plans for a Maori Health Authority and Maori wards in local councils, both of which are recommended in the He Puapua report.

Paradoxically, the report was commissioned as a response to former Prime Minister John Key - Collins' old boss - signing New Zealand up in 2010 to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

The Government never released the full report publicly and, because it's never been to Cabinet, it hasn't agreed a position on it. Collins says she was leaked an un-redacted copy of the report by someone concerned about the recommendations.

Ardern said last month the report wasn't released to the public over concerns it could be misconstrued as Government policy.

Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson has prepared a Cabinet paper outlining a possible Government response to the report recommendations, which is expected to be revealed soon.

Peters described the report as a "recipe for Maori separatism", echoing Collins.

He said Labour knew it and "that's why they suppressed it till after the election in the full knowledge that NZ First is for one flag, one country, one law".

"It was a gesture of ingratitude and bad faith," Peters said.

Collins, despite sharing similar concerns to Peters about He Puapua, told Magic Talk on Monday she doubts NZ First will make a comeback in 2023.

"I give him credit and I'm never rude about Winston Peters because I think you've got to give people credit for doing what they do," she said. "But ultimately, I think his boat has sailed."

NZ First picked up 2.6 percent of the vote at last year's election - well below the required 5 percent.

Ardern said despite their differences, she and Peters worked well together.

"I won't actually cast back over that period and say anything now that I wouldn't have said at the time.There were a lot of things we didn't agree on but there were a lot of things we did and we got a lot of good things done."

Ardern was asked if she would work with NZ First again.

"I have never been in the position of ruling in or out those existing parties that I've worked with before because I've demonstrated that I could work with them.

"But it feels like a very big hypothetical at the moment for New Zealand First. There's a number of stages before that ever becomes even a relevant consideration."
A National Party MP has deleted a tweet calling Winston Peters a "s*x maniac" with the ability to "f**k a whole country at once".

Chris Penk, the MP for the sprawling north Auckland electorate of Kaipara ki Mahurangi, made the comment after the New Zealand First leader described members of his former party as "sex maniacs".

Peters, who lost his place in Parliament at last year's election, this week returned to the political arena. NZ First held its AGM at the weekend, and on Monday the 76-year-old made headlines when he was asked why he chose to form a coalition with Labour rather than National in 2017.

"You look at the sex maniacs and the mess that they're in now and tell me, what option did I have?" he told Newstalk ZB.

He didn't elaborate on which National MPs he considered to be "sex maniacs".

Penk took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to hit back at Peters.

"Winston Peters is the real s*x maniac because he can f**k a whole country at once," he wrote, in response to a tweet by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's former chief of staff Neale Jones, who said he "can't stop laughing" at Peters' comments.
Here's the latest on the pandemic from around the world overnight.

Europe

Russia

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that people who were not vaccinated against COVID-19 or did not have immunity would be unable to work in all workplaces in Russia and that those people could be discriminated against.

"The reality is such that discrimination will inevitably set in. People without vaccination or immunity will not be able to work everywhere. It is not possible. It will pose a threat to those around them," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Russia reported 546 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday, the most confirmed in a single day since February.

UK

Britain is working on easing travel restrictions for the fully vaccinated to allow people to enjoy a summer holiday on Europe's beaches but the plans are not finalised yet, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday.

Currently British citizens are essentially prevented from travelling to most countries - including those in the European Union - as the quarantine and testing rules are so cumbersome and expensive.

Crowd capacity at Wembley Stadium will be increased to more than 60,000 fans for the semi-finals and final of Euro 2020, the British government said on Tuesday.

The new levels mean the stadium will be at 75 percent capacity for the final three games, which conclude with the final on July 11. All ticket holders will need to have either a negative COVID-19 test or proof of full vaccination - two doses received 14 days before the fixture.
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The WalletHub data analysis looked at more than a dozen key indicators in its annual ranking of the nations most patriotic states.
Friends and family of Peter Horace-Wright stage a vigil Monday, June 21, 2021, in downtown Fairbanks on the first day of the murder trial of Ryder Smith, who is accused of fatally shooting Horace-Wright in 2019.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The 4th edition of the annual forum of Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) will kick off today under the theme Strategies of Achieving Food Security: Challenges and Opportunities. The virtual forum, which will continue until June 23, will spotlight challenges to food security, in light of the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to achieve food security in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Representatives Council Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal, Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh and Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa will participate in the inaugural session of the forum to shed light on the visions of the legislative and executive branches.

The opening session also includes a panel discussion in which the Minister of Works, Municipality Affairs and Urban Planning Essam bin Abdullah Khalaf and Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani will take part.

Derasat Board of Trustees Chairman, Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa will deliver the inaugural speech.

A host of officials and specialists will participate in the forum which will cast light on the concept and reality of food security in Bahrain and the Kingdoms strategies to face this challenge.

Regional and international experiences will also be reviewed alongside mechanisms of achieving food security at the Gulf level.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas royal directives are underway to form a roadmap and achieve sustainable food security in the Kingdom.

Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, also Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Development and Infrastructure Projects, said the government is committed to implementing strategic projects to ensure a stable national food production for the future.

He also assured that the Kingdoms food stocks are adequate during this time of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Deputy Prime Minister made the remarks yesterday at the opening of the Strategies of Achieving Food Security: Challenges and Opportunities Forum, which is organised by the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat).

The three-day virtual forum, which will continue until tomorrow, focuses on challenges to food security.

The opening session also witnessed the participation of House of Representative Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal and Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh, in the presence of ministers, Shura and Representatives Council members, and other senior officials.

Among the highlights of yesterdays session were the following:

 Approval of the establishment of a national committee for food security to follow up the strategy and propose policies to enhance local production

 A government company that incubates food security projects and the development of a marine aquaculture centre

 Allocating 26 sites for soilless farming and fish farming projects

 The initiatives to regulate fishing Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah delivered a speech in which he outlined the Kingdoms strategy and proposed policies to particularly enhance local production.

The royal directives aim to develop and implement strategic projects for national food production, and invite investment institutions to direct their capital to value-added development areas at the appropriate time, said the Deputy Prime Minister.

The competent government agencies will put in place the executive mechanisms in the shortest period and in the most efficient way in an effort to overcome difficulties and urgent challenges such as those imposed by the pandemic.

One of the most important lessons learned from the pandemic, the Deputy Prime Minister noted, is to be constantly well-prepared to provide food for all in a sustainable manner at all times.

The Deputy Prime Minister also said that the Ministerial Committee for Development and Infrastructure Projects is preparing the National Food Security Strategy, which aims to ensure the sustainable availability of food, encourage the use of innovative production systems, and reduce food waste.

The strategy is nearing completion and will be submitted to the Council of Ministers during the second half of this year for approval.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Citizens and residents share the responsibility to ensure all doses, including booster doses, are taken punctually to protect themselves and others from the virus, such as the Delta variant.

This was emphasised by the Cabinet during its weekly meeting, held remotely, and chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, yesterday.

The Cabinet hailed the progress of the Kingdoms national vaccination campaign, which has to date administered two million vaccine doses within six months of its launch, protecting 69.4% of the total population with at least one dose. The Cabinet noted that the campaign, which has increased its vaccination capacity recently, is making real progress.

It also commended His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas continued appreciation of first responders and their contribution to the success of national mitigation efforts.

In this regard, the Cabinet noted the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to grant two additional promotional ranks in the civil service or equivalent for first responders in the Kingdom  a step that recognises their efforts to safeguard the health of all.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain Odia Samaj members with their families celebrated the 7th International Yoga Day yesterday by conducting a yoga awareness virtual camp under the leadership and direction of the BOS Executive Committee. Saritanjali Nayak, renowned yoga therapist from the Indian state of Odisha, graced the occasion.

She explained the benefits of yoga and performed several yoga asanas and breathing exercises immensely benefitting Samaj members and their families. The theme of the celebration was Yoga for Wellness, Be with Yoga & Be at Home.

It is in line with global concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasising the importance of maintaining good health within the constraints of social distancing.

The virtual programme was organised by BOS ladies members. Yoga demonstrations were also performed by some of the prominent members of the Bahrain Odia Samaj.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Interior Ministry has issued a statement concerning wrong allegations against Bahrain and its people in a show aired by the Qatari Al Jazeera channel.

The show revealed the unprofessionalism of the channel and its interference in the internal affairs of countries; the Interior Ministry clarifies the following:

First: The show of the Qatari Al Jazeera channel lacks physical and legal evidence, as convicts at the Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre in Jau are serving their sentences in criminal and terrorism and arent political cases. They had fair trials and finished all judiciary phases attended by NGO representatives from inside and outside Bahrain to meet the criminal justice rules.

Second: The analysis of the channel shows indicates its political allegations and incitement approach that goes against the directives of the GCC leaders and citizens who look forward to reinforcing cooperation and coordination to meet peoples inspirations, as highlighted in the Al-Ula statement.

Third: The continuation of the Qatari channel of the incitement approach and attempt to overlook the accomplishments of Bahrain reveal the hopeless conspiracy of Al Jazeera against Bahrain and its human rights, organisations and laws achievements. Qatar as the sponsor of the channel, couldnt achieve even some of Bahrains milestones.

Fourth: While rejecting the unprofessional approach of the channel, the efforts of Bahrainis and Gulf nationals to reveal facts and expose the policy of Al Jazeera are appreciated.

Finally: The Interior Ministry continues to enforce the law and promote human rights, as the Kingdom had moved the reinforcement of human rights culture in police work. The clarification comes as part of the dedication of the Interior Ministry to reinforce transparency in highlighting facts.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain Health Minister Faeqa Bint Said Al-Saleh inaugurated the first specialized clinic at the Al-Shamil Medical Centre to implement the new treatment protocol for active COVID-19 cases, using "Sotrovimab" and drugs that develop monoclonal antibodies, the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.



The new treatment protocol is part of Bahrains continuous efforts to combat coronavirus, the ministry said in a statement carried by BNA.

During the inauguration, which was attended by the British Ambassador Bahrain Roddy Drummond, Bahrain health sectors officials and a delegation from the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) company, the minister affirmed the governments keenness to deliver the best and latest approved treatment for infected persons, as well as to protect them from the COVID-19s dangerous health repercussions.

She pointed out that the challenges created by the pandemic require more efforts to confront it, especially regarding ways to consolidate the health security of societies, stressing that Bahrain will continue adopting pioneering initiatives and exerting all efforts to combat the virus.

The minister also said that the visiting delegation from GSK will be informed closely about Bahrains experience, as well as train the medical staff on the guiding principles on using the right medicine and implementing the protocol of the new drug to achieve efficacy and maximum benefits.

Sotrovimab is given to infected persons via the intravenous line (IV), under the medical supervision of government hospitals, and will not be available for sale in pharmacies or private hospitals.

It is to be noted that Bahrain's National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) has approved "Sotrofimab" for emergency use, a new drug by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for the treatment of COVID-19.

The decision to add "Sotrovimab" to COVID-19 treatment protocols follows emergency use approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well a comprehensive review of GSK's clinical trials.

Sotrovimab-VIR-7831 develops monoclonal antibodies and is used to treat infected adults and adolescents with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms who are at risk of their condition deteriorating and resulting in hospitalization.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Civil Aviation Affairs has announced that an update of the entry procedures via Bahrain International Airport will take effect on June 25th, 2021. The move is in line with the directives of the Executive Committee and the recommendation of the National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (Covid-19).

According to the new regulations, all passengers, vaccinated or unvaccinated, arriving in the Kingdom of Bahrain, aged 6 or above, have to present an approved (PCR) test certificate with a (QR Code) before boarding the plane. The test has to be undergone 48 hours before departure for passengers authorized to enter the kingdom and who are coming from countries on the red list. Passengers coming from countries not on the red list must undergo the PCR test 72 hours before departure.

According to the new update, all passengers from all countries must undergo the PCR test again upon arrival in the Kingdom of Bahrain and on the 10th day after arrival. The cost of the tests can be paid through the BeAware Bahrain application and the platforms at the airport that permits you to pay in cash or electronically by credit cards. It has also been decided to limit the issuance of visit visas upon arrival at Bahrain International Airport to those coming from the countries that are allowed to obtain them according to the procedures for visit visas to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Civil Aviation Affairs noted that the precautionary quarantine will continue to be applied for ten days for all travellers coming from the countries listed on the red list and all unvaccinated travellers aged 6 years and above. The precautionary quarantine can occur in the passengers homes or places designated for isolation licensed by the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA).

The entry of travellers coming from the countries listed on the red list (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Vietnam) will continue to be suspended on all flights, including those coming from those countries who will enter the kingdom temporarily, except for citizens and holders of valid residence visas in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The exception also includes travellers coming from countries that are not listed on the red list.

1- Among the requirements of the precautionary quarantine and PCR test before boarding the plane: Vaccinated passengers having certificates approved by the countries whose vaccination certificates have been approved according to the decision of the Minister of Health, or mutual agreements signed to recognize vaccination certificates.

2- Among the precautionary quarantine requirements: Vaccinated passengers who hold vaccination certificates issued by the United States, Britain, the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Microsoft yesterday announced that Bahrain International Circuit, the home of motorsport in the Middle East, has migrated its core business and financial systems to Microsoft Cloud.

In collaboration with Microsofts systems integration partner ACME, BIC migrated business functions such as financials, supply chain, and procurement to Microsofts cloud-based Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations while the HR and payroll models are in progress.

The implementation resulted in near-zero downtimes, involved total data migration and configuration to Bahraini localisation in line with Bahrains cloud-first policy.

We were able to achieve enhanced productivity from an always-on solution that lived in the cloud, said Sanjeewa Karunatilake, Finance Director, Bahrain International Circuit.

The Dynamics 365 cloud platform helped deliver a twin boost to both team performance and productivity through real-time data analysis and reporting capabilities supercharged by advanced visualisation tools offered by Microsoft PowerBI technology.

We also make significant costs savings because of less complexity in management and maintenance, along with faster turnarounds and upgrades.

Microsoft partner Almoayyed Computers Middle East supported BIC in its implementation of Dynamics 365.

We are proud to be associated with the Home of Motorsport in the Middle East and to support BICs vision to be a regional leader in digital transformation, said SM Hussaini, CEO of Almoayyed Computers Middle East.

Digital transformation is a key component towards achieving sustainable business and services, said Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, Country Manager, Microsoft Bahrain & Oman.

In line with the aspirations of Bahrain Vision 2030 and the iGAs Cloud-First Policy, BIC can now look forward to enhanced agility, greater security, high availability and lower costs across its core business functions.
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NEW MILFORD  The towns first New Milford Apple Festival locked in its dates Monday night during a Parks and Recreation Department meeting.

The board unanimously approved Sept. 25 and 26 for the event.

We were trying to think of something different, something unique, said Pat Hembrook, executive secretary to the mayor.

Event planning will be led by Hembroke, who has spent years organizing and running festivals and events throughout New Milford. From Village Fair Days to the Teddy Bear Festival to the local art festival, Hembrook has built a resume for producing townwide events.

I really needed to make sure I had the date before I could go any further, Hembrook said on Tuesday.

Residents were disappointed when Village Fair Days was canceled for again this year, and Mayor Pete Bass was looking for another event to bring people downtown. He asked Hembrook for input, and she suggested an apple festival, something shed always wanted to do in New Milford, Hembrook said.

The apple festival is not meant to replace Village Fair Days  which is expected to return next year  but give residents a chance to celebrate.

Apple Fest is still in the early planning phases, but is expected to run from 10 a.m. to about 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on the southern parts of the town green. A carnival along with booths run by local vendors and small businesses are likely. Hembrook hopes to include apple-themed events like an apple pie-eating contest or an apple pie-baking contest.

Everything would be apple-oriented, Hembrook said Monday.

Electricity will not be provided, so once it gets dark, booths will have to close for the day.

However, Hembrook said its possible Saturdays schedule could run until 6 p.m. because she is trying to secure a band to come play as it gets dark.

We have a lot of ifs that are still in the air, Hembrook said.

But so far, she has been working with the farmers market to let them know about the opportunity, and plans to encourage Bank Street businesses to set up on the sidewalks or create promotions for their stores during the event. She is making fliers and creating a social media Facebook strategy to publicize Apple Fest.

In Connecticut, September marks the beginning of apple-harvesting season. With more than 60 varieties grown by farmers across the state, this town festival comes at the right time.

Southington, Monroe, West Haven, and Glastonbury have apple festivals planned for the fall, but this would be the first time an event like this came to the New Milford town green.

This article has been corrected to show the correct spelling for Pat Hembrooks name. It is Hembrook not Hembroke.
BERLIN (AP)  The head of the European Union's executive Commission said Tuesday she will propose shifting the bloc's financial aid for migrants in Turkey away from emergency humanitarian relief to long-term support.

The EU and Turkey agreed a deal in 2016 under which the bloc provides billions to help Syrian refugees in Turkey, and in return Ankara works to stop migrants departing its territory for Greece. Despite criticism from rights groups, the agreement is seen as a model for similar deals between the EU and North African nations.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Russias foreign minister says Moscow disagrees that there is no alternative to deliver humanitarian aid to Syrias rebel-held northwest except from Turkey as the U.N. and many Western nations maintain, insisting deliveries are possible across conflict lines within the country.

He hinted that Russia will block U.N. renewal of the one remaining border crossing whose mandate expires July 10.

Sergey Lavrov said that since April 2020 Russia has seen continuous attempts to block joint humanitarian convoys by the United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent to northwest Idlib from Syrias capital Damascus by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest militant group there, with the connivance of Ankara.

It obstructs sustainable deliveries from inside the country, Lavrov said in a recent oral statement conveyed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Unfortunately, the information on Turkish sides positive steps does not enjoy real-life proof," he said.

In January 2020, Russia scored a victory for its close ally Syria, using its veto threat to force the Security Council to adopt a resolution reducing the number of border crossing points for aid deliveries from four to two  from Turkey to the northwest. It also cut in half the year-long mandate that had been in place since cross-border deliveries began in 2014 to six months.

Last July, Russia scored another victory for Syria by forcing the Security Council to limit humanitarian aid deliveries to just one crossing point, from Turkey to northwest Idlib at Bab al-Hawa.

Many countries including the United States had argued for restoring the Al-Yaroubiya crossing point from Iraq in the northeast that was closed in January 2020. It had been a primary delivery point for health and medical supplies, especially needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Russia argued that aid should be delivered from within Syria across conflict lines, and threatened to veto more than one crossing point.

With the mandate for the Bab al-Hawa crossing nearing an end, secretary-general Guterres and many countries have been speaking out and stressing the critical importance of keeping it open.

The Security Council is scheduled to discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria, including cross-border aid deliveries, on Wednesday.

Lavrov accused Western donors, who are the major providers of humanitarian aid to Syria, of blackmailing, by threatening to cut humanitarian financing for Syria if the mandate for Bab al-Hawa is not extended.

We consider it is important to resist such approaches, he said.

We believe that further concessions to the Americans and Europeans under the pressure of financial threats will undermine the credibility of the United Nations, its Charter and the Security Councils resolutions, which stipulate to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, non-interference into (a) countrys internal affairs and compliance with international humanitarian law, he said.

In early June, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield went to the Bab al-Hawa crossing in Turkey and stressed that there is no viable alternative to deliver aid and meet the vast needs of vulnerable people in northern Syria. She also said there is an urgent need for additional crossings.

Former U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, who just stepped down, told the council last month that delivering aid across conflict lines cannot replace cross-border deliveries and called the cross-border operation at Bab al-Hawa a lifeline.

If it isnt reauthorized, he warned, food deliveries for 1.4 million people every month, millions of medical treatments, nutrition for tens of thousands of children and mothers and education supplies for tens of thousands of students will stop.

But Lavrov disagreed, saying Russia has received information that U.N. agencies providing humanitarian assistance to northwest Syria are currently actively working on alternative routes of humanitarian deliveries in the event the cross-border point `Bab al-Hawa is closed.

He said representatives of the U.N. World Food Program, which supplies 80% of cross-border deliveries, have already agreed with Damascus and keep seeking the agreement by Ankara to fill WFPs warehouse in the town of Sarmada in the (Idlib) de-escalation zone via cross-line delivery.

Lavrov said the U.N. World Health Organization is inclined towards the similar option for delivering medical supplies including COVID-19 vaccines.

He said WFP and WHO have well-organized cooperation with the Syrian authorities" who provide timely authorization for their humanitarian missions.

Lavrov also cited improvements in deliveries to the northeast after the closure of Al-Yaroubiya, saying coverage there has increased 35-45% and could increase to 60% if funds are available.

The situation where Turkey in reality fully controls the provision of humanitarian assistance to Syria is also unacceptable, he said.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Terry Shoemaker, Arizona State University

(THE CONVERSATION) Since the 1970s, white American evangelicals  a large subsection of Protestants who hold to a literal reading of the Bible  have often managed to get specific privileges through their political engagement primarily through supporting the Republican Party.

In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan symbolically consolidated the alliance by bringing religious freedom and morality into public conversations that questioned the separation of church and state. In 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act into law. In October 2020, President Donald Trump appointed a conservative Christian, Amy Coney Barrett, to the Supreme Court, and went on to win 80% of the white evangelical vote in the following months election.

Trump went so far as to appoint a faith consultant board composed of influential evangelical leaders. They included Paula White, a well-known pastor and televangelist; and James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, a leading organization in evangelical efforts to embed family values into politics. These panel members heralded gestures by Trump, such as signing the Presidential Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty, which targeted enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 tax law requiring houses of worship to stay out of politics in order to remain tax-exempt.

Although its debated what specifically constitutes an evangelical, many agree that they are conservatives who are highly motivated by culture war issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and sexuality.

But even though evangelicals are often presented as monolithic in the media, current research signals a more complex picture.

Over the past six years, I have been working with an interdisciplinary team of scholars at the American Academy of Religion to analyze generational shifts in evangelicalism and religion more broadly in the United States. We are finding that some of the younger evangelicals are openly questioning their religious and political traditions. In short, the majority of white evangelicals are aging and a portion of younger evangelicals are engaging in both religion and politics differently.

Leaving the faith versus reforming from within

My research consists of hours of participant observation within younger evangelical faith communities, along with 50 in-depth, qualitative interviews with individuals who were raised in the politically charged evangelicalism in the southeastern United States, a region dominated by evangelicals.

Taken together, this research indicates increasing disaffection among white millennial and Gen X evangelicals with the cultural and political preoccupations that have strongly motivated their parents and grandparents. There is a growing number of Exvangelicals who disavow their previous stances on same-sex marriage, race and sexuality.

Evangelicals, often citing the biblical text, typically maintain that marriage is between one man and one woman. Over 75% tend to worship in racially segregated congregations and favor gun rights and ownership more than other faith groups.

But my interviewees tend toward intense critiques of their previous religious tradition, as well as rejecting the evangelical faith completely.

This data parallels other scholarship unearthing racialized structures within white, American evangelicalism like the work of sociologist Robert P. Jones and religious studies scholar Anthea Butler. Likewise, historian Kristen Kobes Du Mezexamines how hypermasculinity is embedded in American evangelicalism.

Expanding religion and politics

My research reveals communities of younger evangelicals who are expanding their religious boundaries and rethinking their stances on culture war issues, as well as questioning the merits of the culture war.

These younger evangelicals are trying to reform their communities from within the tradition as loyal but highly critical members. Sometimes these groups are called emerging evangelicals or progressive Christians, with some debating whether evangelical as a label is redeemable.

I observed several younger evangelicals working within their religious communities to encourage acceptance of those outside of the Christian tradition as co-religionists on similar faith paths. They herald interfaith interactions as positive. One interviewee proudly detailed to me how her church partnered with the local imam and Muslim community to educate each other on their religious practices and volunteered together at a local food bank. This kind of attitude typically is resisted by their older evangelical counterparts, as I learned in previous research. Many traditional evangelicals believe that their faith is the sole path to religious redemption, and interfaith cooperation might harm their followers.

Additionally, some younger evangelicals tend toward adopting spiritual resources outside of the Christian tradition. Whether incorporating meditation techniques or yoga, my interviewees highlighted the ways in which they are exploring their religious and spiritual beliefs.

This contrasts with older evangelicals who perceive their tradition as providing all necessary resources for spiritual growth and reject any outside or Eastern influences. One interviewee noted that she had to change evangelical churches after her evangelical church prohibited her from being both a church member and a local yoga instructor.

Losing interest in the culture war

Many of the younger evangelicals in my study stated that their stances on culture war issues were significantly different from the evangelical majority of the past 50 years, which aligns with the findings of a 2017 Pew Research Center poll. This survey found that younger generations of millennials are more liberal than older evangelicals on numerous political issues.

My interviewees cited an acceptance and welcoming of those who identify as LGBTQ into their communities as both members and leaders. They support and ally with the objectives of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. In sum, they are actively dismantling many of the insider/outsider distinctions established by older white evangelicals and transforming what it means to be a politically engaged evangelical in America.

Furthermore, many of the people that I spoke with cited a culture war fatigue. Some believe that evangelicalisms multi-decade investment in campaigning for these conservative stances and alliance with the Republican Party actually harmed the evangelical tradition instead of empowering it, while others are simply trying to opt out of the culture war and focus on their faith instead.

Interviewees also told me that often their views are creating familial conflict, since their parents and grandparents cannot understand why any evangelical would not be committed to the older generations conservative political causes.

Political conversion

Research to date, including my own, has yet to measure how widespread these shifts of attitude and belief among young white evangelicals may be. But there is other evidence of internal unraveling.

Take a recent announcement by Beth Moore, an influential evangelical speaker and author, that she has decided to leave the Southern Baptist Convention  the largest evangelical group in the U.S.  and end her relationship with a prominent evangelical publisher.

Or consider former Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president of its policy arm and pastor Russell Moores recent departure from the Southern Baptist Conventions leadership, amid leaked communications over the denominations handling of racial issues. These developments indicate a growing internal struggle over who can legitimately claim authority for the evangelical tradition.

The last several decades of American politics have been dominated by culture war issues, with white evangelicals in positions of national power. But as my research is documenting, a political transformation seems to be underway. With younger, white evangelicals rethinking their alliances and continued participation in the culture wars, it is possible that conservative politicians may not be able to count on white evangelical support for much longer.

This could have broader implications for the American political landscape. Without evangelical support and influence, the issues that are often at center stage could drastically change.

Editors note: This article has been updated to clarify Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barretts faith as a conservative Christian and pastor Russell Moores title.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/white-gen-x-and-millennial-evangelicals-are-losing-faith-in-the-conservative-culture-wars-162407.
By 2026, the Tamil Nadu government plans to begin implementing the third master plan for the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The government established a five-member economic advisory board to provide advice to the CM.

On Monday, the DMK administration, led by M K Stalin, revealed its intentions to revive Tamil Nadus economy and improve the states infrastructure. The governments primary aim was to provide efficient administration and public services. To make this possible, the Right to Services Act would be passed, and the Lokayukta will be revived.

By 2026, the state government plans to begin implementing the third master plan for the Chennai Metropolitan Area. He also announced the commencement of Singara Chennai 2.0, an ambitious project to build new technology-based infrastructure in the state capital.

The government established a five-member economic advisory board to provide advice to the CM, with specific terms of purpose. Nobel laureate Prof Esther Duflo, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, former Union Government economic advisor Arvind Subramanian, Delhi School of Economics Prof Jean Dreze, and former Union Finance Secretary S Narayan make up the council and is expected to assist the administration in developing a speedy and inclusive growth strategy, as the states economy has slowed in last few years.

Later in the evening, the Tamil Nadu government released an official order announcing the new economic advisers to the Tamil Nadu chief minister. In addition, the new council will work with the state planning commission. The states priority is to expand its industrial economy both geographically and in terms of industrial sectors. Purohit stated that the authorities would take all required measures to assist additional firms in establishing bases and creating jobs in Tamil Nadu.
Chinese military advisers being part of key oversight committees of WIV evidence towards the active role of Chinese military in WIV. It has been reported that secret military experiments were carried out at WIV. It turns up that Beijing knew about bats being isolated in military laboratories of Chinese army and warned of potential threat of virus from bats.

China is feeling the heat and pressure over probe into the origins of the COVID-19. Experts speculate a link between Wuhan laboratory and Chinese military amid the scrutiny of the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic emerged from the Wuhan lab.

The WIV Chinese laboratory is misleading the world by listing members of the Chinese military on its oversight committees and mentioning international scientists without their knowledge, according to an investigation. 14 international members listed on WIV website have never been consulted along with the inclusion of scientists who have never worked on virology in list. Scientists listed on WIV website as part of committees say that neither they ever visited WIV nor they have been contacted by WIV.

Fabrizio Gatti, an Italian author, said the Wuhan Institute of Virology deleted all of the names from its website last year after he contacted the scientists to ask them about their roles.In his book The Infinite Error he reveals untold secrets of pandemic by the Chinese that could have been avoid. Heidentified two Chinese military scientists on the committee lists, saying their presence fuelled suspicion that the laboratory was being used by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army before the pandemic struck. He also sheds light on timeline of pandemic untold by official sources and traces the journey of the virus: from bats to laboratories.

Chinese military advisers being part of key oversight committees of WIV evidence towards the active role of Chinese military in WIV. It has been reported that secret military experiments were carried out at WIV. It turns up that Beijing knew about bats being isolated in military laboratories of Chinese army and warned of potential threat of virus from bats. Sources indicate that live bat coronaviruses procured by PLA were kept alive in labs.

Above mentioned points, direct towards the fact that there is a link between WIV  Chinese lab and the PLA  Chinese Military.
He added that such distractions lead the young men to cause such crimes, which are a consequence of temptation in their society. When asked if the apparel of women is a factor in the rising cases of sexual assaults, he answered that if a woman wears flimsy clothes then it wil certainly affect men. He cited this line of reasoning to common sense.

Imran Khan, the President of Pakistan, drew significant criticism from the International community upon him over his remarks on sexual assaults. Not two months have passed since, and he has once more repeated this scandal. During the previous interview in April, Imran Khan had attributed the rising number of sexual violence incidents in his country, particularly against minors, to the fahashi (meaning obscenity/vulgarity) practiced by the victims.

In another interview held afterward, he advocated for the implementation of the purdah (here, covering of body) to prevent sexual harassment and violence. He said that they dont have much nightlife (Discos, clubs etc.) there so as to avoid temptation and it is a part of their different type of society. He added that such distractions lead the young men to cause such crimes, which are a consequence of temptation in their society. When asked if the apparel of women is a factor in the rising cases of sexual assaults, he answered that if a woman wears flimsy clothes then it wil certainly affect men. He cited this line of reasoning to common sense.

The spokeswoman of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Marriyum Aurangzeb, lashed out at Imran Khans statements. She tweeted that the world has received an insight into a mindset of a sick, misogynistic, degenerate & derelict Imran Khan. She also blamed the choices of men who commit such heinous crimes, and not the women who choose to dress according to their wishes. She also brought up the teachings of Allah who placed great importance on self-control.

According to the government records of Pakistan, approximately 11 rape cases are filed on a daily basis, not counting the cases that foes unreported. In the past six years, 18,000 cases were reported in the province of Punjab alone.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  The health of the Chesapeake Bay improved to a grade of C in 2020  up from a C-minus in 2019, according to an annual report card by scientists released Tuesday.

Individual indicators on the health of the nation's largest estuary had mixed results in 2020, but the report released by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science found the overall bay-wide trend continues to improve over time.

For the first time, the report card examined new indicators of watershed health, including stewardship, protected lands, walkability, and heat vulnerability. Scientists have been putting a focus on assessing not just the environment, but also the social and economic factors that influence ecosystem health.

This years report card provides new insights in our journey of restoring the Chesapeake Bay," said Dr. Peter Goodwin, the president of UMCES. Improvements in our environment go hand-in-hand with improvements in our communities.

Seven out of 15 regions showed significantly improving health trends, the report said.

Dissolved oxygen and total nitrogen scores improved, while chlorophyll a and total phosphorus scores declined. Water clarity, benthic community  organisms in the bottom of the bay  and aquatic grass scores decreased slightly.

Because of the pandemic, UMCES said there was a monitoring gap from March to May. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ecosystem health of the bay are not yet known, besides a reduction in atmospheric nitrogen, which has a declining trend, continued by reduced travel during 2020.

The overall grade for the Chesapeake watershed was a B-minus for 2020. That's the same as it was in 2019, which was the first year UMCES included a separate grade for the overall watershed, which includes the six states of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, as well as the District of Columbia.

The report card has been released in each of the last 15 years. The analysis of the watershed's health uses 23 reporting regions. It incorporates both ecological and social indicators in its scores. Four new watershed health indicators were assessed this year including: stewardship index, protected lands, heat vulnerability index and walkability.

The stewardship index looks at actions residents are taking to support the bay, volunteerism, and civic engagement. The report said there was room to grow in this area, which scored a D-plus grade.

The protected lands indicator measures the valuable lands protected in the watershed that maintain water quality and habitat, sustain forests, farms, and communities and support community values.

The heat vulnerability index focuses on climate safe neighborhoods throughout the watershed and includes data on tree canopy, impervious surface, temperature and poverty.

Walkability describes how many people can walk to a park in 10 minutes, which was particularly important in a pandemic year.

UMCES incorporated socioeconomic indicators in the 2019 report card for the first time in addition to ecological indicators.

UMCES says it is expanding on those indicators by having graduate students at the state's university system develop an environmental justice index. More indicators will be added next year, particularly ones that address economic disparities.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  Continuing efforts to boost South Carolina's economy following pandemic-related hardships, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday announced a cash infusion for the state's technical colleges, aimed at training the jobless in new skills as they reenter the workforce.

During a news conference in Anderson, the Republican said he's allocating $8 million in federal coronavirus relief aid to a partnership between the state's 16 tech schools and the Department of Employment and Workforce.

Starting this week, the agency will contact the 87,000 South Carolinians already eligible for jobless benefits to advise them of tuition-free, short-term training classes designed to quickly prepare them for jobs like welding and truck driving, according to Tim Hardee, president of the states technical college system.

The funds come from a total of more than $48 million provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, to be used at the governor's discretion. In other allocations, McMaster has directed funds to the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce.

He tried to direct $32 million to provide tuition grants for private schools, saying he wanted to give more families the option  especially if their own schools would not reopen for in-person instruction because of the pandemic but the state Supreme Court ruled that allocation unconstitutional.

All they have to do is apply, McMaster said Tuesday, of the training for in-demand technical jobs. If this works as well as we are confident it will, we are hopeful this will be a permanent part of our career process in South Carolina.

McMaster was one of the last governors in the country to issue a statewide stay-at-home order last year, and among the first to begin reopening the economy. He's frequently highlighted his view of the parallel needs to get South Carolina's businesses back on track, while still reining in the pandemic.

We cannot keep businesses closed forever, McMaster said during a June 2020 briefing, as cases in the state hit a new record high. Even in this situation, when we are still faced with a deadly virus, we must accelerate our economy.

At that same briefing, the state public health official overseeing pandemic response said she was more concerned about COVID-19 in South Carolina than I have ever been before.

But the governor has also been adamant that individual South Carolinians must do what he believes is their part to shore up the economy. Last month, he announced that, starting June 30, South Carolina will opt out of the federal unemployment programs that have been providing extra money to jobless residents. He claimed that unprecedented workforce shortages were created in part by the extra money.

We had to end the benefits, state Rep. Brian White said Tuesday. But you don't just cut people off without giving them a hand up.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com.MegKinnardAP.
DE SOTO, Mo. (AP)  A suspect is dead after being shot in an exchange of gunfire with police in eastern Missouri.

The shooting happened Tuesday morning in De Soto, a town of 6,300 residents about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department is handling the investigation. Sheriff Dave Marshak identified the man who died as Noah D. Sharp, 26, of St. Louis.

The shooting happened about 8 a.m. Tuesday when three De Soto officers responded to a call about a domestic disturbance.

Sharp came out of the home and fired at the officers, who returned fire, Marshak said. The home belonged to Sharp's ex-girlfriend and he occasionally stayed there.

From (our) initial investigation, we believe officers gave verbal commands to drop the firearm as the suspect began shooting, Marshak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Investigators believe Sharp didnt intend to survive the encounter with officers, according to sheriffs spokesman Grant Bissell. He died at the scene.

One De Soto officer officer suffered a minor injury.

The three officers who responded to the scene were placed on administrative leave, which is customary after police shootings.

Sharp in 2015 was sentenced to jail after pleaded guilty to stealing a car and driving while intoxicated. He also pleaded guilty in 2015 to third-degree assault.
NEW HAVEN  The former city principal who used a racial slur should resign or be fired, local community leaders say.

Using the districts central office as a backdrop on Tuesday, members of the Greater New Haven Clergy Association suggested they might stage a sit-in in the superintendents office if Laura Roblee, who was demoted to an unspecified central office role, remains with the district.

The Rev. Steve Cousin, pastor at AME Methodist Church, said he does not think Roblee should work at any of our schools and does not think she should be at central office. He also said he thinks Roblee should apologize in person.

But Cousin and others also said Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey should have responded sooner and criticized Mayor Justin Elicker, who sent a campaign solicitation last week in which he touted what he called the right decision for supporting the decision to demote a principal who used a racial slur.

That behavior is not acceptable and doesnt reflect the values of the city or of New Haven Public Schools, Elicker said in the emailed solicitation.

Elicker did not respond to a request to comment on the situation or his campaign email.

He did announce in a press release appointments to the citys Core Equity Team.

Also known as the as the JEDI, or Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, City Taskforce, the group is meant to be a coalition across city departments and of varying seniority levels.

Elicker was one of four school board members to support the demotion of Roblee, in lieu of a more serious penalty. Board members Darnell Goldson, Dr. Tamika Jackson-McArthur, and Larry Conaway voted against the superintendents recommendation.

At a Governance Committee meeting of the school board Monday, Jackson-McArthur fielded comments from the public who sought out the Zoom meeting hoping for answers.

Kirsten Hopes-McFadden, a New Haven teacher, said she wanted to know where the public can turn to get questions answered about the situation.

Im very disappointed in the report, said Hopes-McFadden.

It was mostly what the principal said, she said.

Teresa Johnson, who also joined the Zoom session, said it seemed an attempt was being made simply to downplay the situation.

If it goes with this minor consequence  what about next time? Johnson asked. I cant see healing until this woman is fired.

Jackson said it is clear to her that healing needs to occur.

I hear you, Jackson said. She called it a big hit to the community.

Goldson, meanwhile, said the investigation report, made public on Monday amid growing pressure, told him things he didnt know when the board met behind closed doors on June 14 to discuss the recommended demotion.

I was under the impression this (slur) was made at equity training..., Goldson said. That is not the case. It was used as an excuse. This wasnt her talking her truth at this training  it happened days later and there were two separate (alleged) instances. That was very surprising to me.

According to the released four-page investigative summary, Roblee went to two white colleagues days after the anti-bias training workshop to talk about her confusion with the term whiteness.

Roblee told investigators she stated something to the effect that If I had said blacks or (the n-word) we would have an issue with it, the summary says.

Those teachers reported the exchange to Karissa Stolzman, the assistant principal, the summary says.

Goldson called it troubling that Roblee denied in the report that she said the slur again in the presence of the assistant principal, who is Black.

Roblee told an investigator she did not recall using it during the meeting with the assistant principal but admitted to being upset and louder than normal, the summary says.

A teacher who overheard the exchange reported hearing hysterical shouting and slamming on the desk which she attributed to Roblee, the summary says.

Roblee told investigators she felt betrayed by the teachers as she thought she was having a confidential conversation, according to the summary.

The report found Roblee violated board policies on ethics for administrators.

Goldson said he is still working through the evidence and is seeking more, including a report by board attorneys.

My goal was never to punish, Goldson said. But to get to the truth and respond.

While not calling for Roblees resignation, Goldson said if it were him, he would resign.

Tracey also told the board in an email Tuesday that plans are being made to address the Brennan Staff and assistant principal, who expressed feelings of hurt.

I myself will reach out, Tracey wrote, adding that staff discomfort had not been brought to her attention until recently.

The Rev. Boise Kimber, president emeritus of the Clergy Association, at the Tuesday press conference said the group has not discussed what they will do if Roblee does not resign.

He said he does want to find out why Tracey did not act sooner and realize that staff remain concerned over a situation that occurred in March.

I was born in Alabama. I understand the word. I heard Gov. George Wallace and others use the word growing up, Kimber said.

Kimber and others said to have Tracey referred to the use of the word as a slip of the tongue was insulting and insensitive.

Similarly, they said to have the superintendent read Roblees letter of apology at a press conference was insulting.

In her two-page account of the situation, Roblee stated that she was disgusted and horrified by her use of the word and apologized to those she said it to days after the incident occurred.

I realized I did something wrong, Roblees statement reads. I wish I could take it back and find a logical reason that it came out of my mouth. She goes on to say the comment does not define who she is as a person, educator or human being.

Cousin said if someone were going to own up to their mistakes, they need to be the one to do the speaking.

We are still waiting for a public apology, Cousin said.

Elickers challenger in the mayoral primary race, Karen Dubois-Walton on Tuesday said that given the inadequate investigation report on the Roblee situation that was released, how can we still not be asking for a real investigation?

The board made an uninformed decision based on a long-delayed report, without asking for a real investigation, she said.

In response, Elicker said: The daily negative press conference from my opponent and her friend, Dr. Kimber, are not the what the city need right now. Pointing fingers at one another and not offering suggestions is not leadership.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  A man who died in a gun battle with officers after he shot a state transportation worker on a remote Nevada highway last week has been identified as a 34-year-old from Northern California who may have ties to a homicide there, authorities say.

Zachary Minissale of Nevada City, California, was shot last Wednesday after fleeing the scene of the shooting of the Nevada Department of Transportation worker on State Route 278 in Eureka County, Nevada Highway Patrol Lt. Eddie Bowers said Monday. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
NEW YORK (AP)  Matt Negrin's campaign to ban election deniers from television news failed to achieve his original goal, which was to prevent a significant number of Americans from believing the lie that Donald Trump didn't lose the presidential election to Joe Biden.

Instead, it has provoked a persistent debate over the role of political journalists, along with illustrating how television news and the politicians who depend upon its cameras have changed.

Negrin, a former journalist and now producer at Comedy Central's The Daily Show, wrote a December column for The Washington Post saying that TV journalists who invite Republicans on the air should begin by asking if they believed Biden won the election. If they don't say yes, the interview should end.

He's aggressively continued the effort on his personal Twitter account, saying mainstream news programs that book officeholders who voted against accepting election results are helping to spread misinformation.

Many in the news business believe that stance goes too far, that a journalist's role is to question ideas and point out inaccuracies or outright fictions, not to pretend they don't exist. Two Sunday morning hosts, Jake Tapper and Chris Wallace, recently revealed themselves as polar opposites on the point.

While it's not a formal policy, Tapper said he hasn't booked election deniers on CNN's State of the Union and on his weekday show, The Lead.

It's a discussion I think everyone in the news media should be having, Tapper told Politico. Should those who shared the election lie that incited the deadly attack on the Capitol and that continues to erode confidence in our democracy be invited onto our airwaves to continue to spread the Big Lie? Can our viewers count on these politicians to tell the truth about other topics?

Wallace, of Fox News Sunday, has said he's willing to talk to all sides and has no rules about the order of questions. I dont think moral posturing goes well with newsgathering, Wallace said in a statement last month.

When Florida Sen. Rick Scott appeared on his show Feb. 28, Wallace asked whether Biden won the election fair and square. Absolutely, Scott replied.

Led by Trump, suspicion about the 2020 results has remained, despite elections officials calling it secure and the dismissal of court challenges. A Quinnipiac University poll taken six months after the election found 29% of Americans, and 66% of Republicans surveyed said Biden was not legitimately elected.

Confronting deniers is not a subject many in the business are eager to address publicly. No one on NBC's Meet the Press, ABC's This Week or CBS' Face the Nation, for example, would speak to The Associated Press about it.

What would Tim Russert do? The former Meet the Press host was the acknowledged king of Sunday morning political talk shows before his death in 2008, and his former producer said Russert believed in exposing ideas that many found repugnant. Russert memorably interviewed former KKK leader David Duke in 1991.

But Betsy Fischer Martin, executive producer of Meet the Press from 2002 to 2013, wonders how many such opportunities exist now. In today's climate, many politicians prefer friendly TV venues, like Fox News for conservatives or MSNBC for liberals.

It's human nature in many ways that you want to pick a program that is going to give you more of a platform than a tough interview, said Fischer Martin, executive director of the Women in Politics Institute at American University.

Booking deniers is less of an issue when many don't want to be booked in the first place.

The current Meet the Press moderator, Chuck Todd, alluded to this while writing for Politico in January. A handful of GOP senators make themselves available for interviews, he wrote, but they're few and far between.

Unless they need to reach a broader electorate, many Republican officeholders don't see the point of such faceoffs, said Alex Conant, a GOP consultant and founding partner of Firehouse Strategies in Washington.

If you're a conservative, the truth is, you don't care too much about liberal voters, Conant said. They're never going to support you, and there's not much benefit to subjecting yourself to a tough interview.

Frank Sesno, a former CNN Washington bureau chief, lands on the side of interviewing deniers. Yet he wonders whether that would be worthwhile if questions are ignored, talking points spouted or empty fights instigated.

It's not a question of banning them, said Sesno, professor at George Washington University. You just don't want them on the air because they're not going to be a good guest.

Some recent interviews prove his point.

ABC News' Terry Moran grew exasperated last month in repeatedly and fruitlessly asking GOP spokesman Paris Dennard whether he accepted the results of the 2020 election as legitimate. It's a yes or no question, Moran said.

Biden was president, Dennard said. He wouldn't go further. Moran kept trying, asking whether he was scared to answer or didn't believe democracy worked last November.

You can be an American citizen who can accept the fact that Joe Biden is president as well as being concerned about election integrity, Dennard said.

Todd's May 11 interview with Rep. Dan Crenshaw devolved into a fight when the Texas Republican was asked about his support for an effort to overturn the election. Crenshaw said it was time to move on and attacked the liberal and pro-Democratic media for continuing to bring up the subject.

Don't start that, Todd said. There's nothing lazier than that.

The interview soon ended.

I understand where the invite and confront people are coming from, said Jay Rosen, a New York University professor and author of the PressThink blog. But in practice, the confrontation with a determined fabulist or denialist rarely works out to the viewer's advantage.

Few interviewers have the ability to effectively expose hypocrisy on live television, Negrin said. Even when a journalist can, politicians will take from the invitation to come on the air a message that they can say whatever they want and will still have a platform.

The online provocateur said that he's been pleased that television producers and hosts are at least thinking about these issues.

It's been (nearly) six months since the insurrection, eight months since the election, and I think a lot of hosts just want to get back to normal  interviewing Republicans, interviewing Democrats, Negrin said. That's what they do.

"But, to me, it's important to remember what happened.
BOSTON (AP)  Complaints about alcohol being delivered to beaches in South Boston prompted a reminder from the state that it's not allowed to deliver to go beverages to state parks or beaches.

In a meeting and advisory this month, the Massachusetts Licensing Board reminded institutions with certain kinds of liquor licenses that they are not allowed to deliver alcohol to public beaches, the Boston Globe reported Monday.
NEW HAVEN  With just over a week left in the fiscal year, the state has yet to disburse Tweed New Haven Regional Airports $1.5 million annual subsidy and Tweed Executive Director Sean Scanlon said he worries the Connecticut Airport Authority is sitting on the money.

But CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon, whose agency oversees Bradley International Airport, said the money for Tweed comes from a tax on the sale of aviation fuel, primarily at Bradley, and that fund has been down significantly as a result of a drastic drop in aviation activity as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In recent months, there has been some recovery, but its certainly not back to where it was, Dillon said. Tweed was offered a portion of their subsidy back in the fall, for which they never signed the grant. He estimated that proposed grant at $200,000 to $300,000.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

It was my understanding that subsequently Tweed decided to take this matter up with the Office of Policy and Management, Dillon said. He said he did not know what came of those discussions.

Dillon, who has called for more coordination between Tweed and Bradley if Tweed is going to expand  is in charge of the disbursement, with approval by Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management Melissa McKaw.

An OPM spokesman did not immediately to respond to a request for comment.

We agree that coordination is important. But it must be coordination amongst partners, not coordination (with) somebody who holds something over our head, said Scanlon.

Scanlon said he didnt understand how the money could not be there.

Every week for the last few weeks I have read an announcement in the paper of a new airline announcing that theyre serving Bradley, and Bradleys load factors have gotten better and better in recent month, Scanlon said.

With regard to any lower figure, Its not his offer to make. Were owed $1.5 million based on what the General Assembly approved, Scanlon said. He offered us half the money and wanted us to sign a letter agreeing to various conditions, he said.

The idea that he didnt have the money to give me in July of 2020 when we were just three months into the pandemic is understandable, but now were a year... past that ... and I know for a fact that he has collected enough in the last six months to give us what they are supposed to give us.

Dillon acknowledged that there has been some improvement in recent months. Its starting to recover, so we may have to do a recalculation of whats owed, he said.

Contributed / AvPORTS

But Tweed, as well as many airports  just about any airport across the country  received federal assistance to make up for the loss of many revenue streams, and its deficiency has been more than made up by the federal assistance that they have received and will be receiving, Dillon said.

Scanlon also is a Democratic state representative representing Guilford and Branford, and is the House chairman of the legislative Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. He said his legislative position is a totally separate issue and has never come up in his discussions with Dillon.

The General Assembly has long allocated Tweed the $1.5 million subsidy, which comes from taxes on aviation fuel sales. It shifted the authority to disburse it from the state commissioner of transportation to the executive director of the CAA when it passed Public Act 19-123 on July 9, 2019.

Scanlon said Dillon initially told him in early 2020 that the CAA didnt have the money because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since then, he said he has spoken to Dillon several times and Ive spoken to the Secretary. I have expressed to her and the administration my uneasiness with the CAA in relation ... to this situation...

Scanlon acknowledged that its a short-term problem, however, because we hope that this will be the last fiscal year that would require the subsidy.

Tweed and its contract manager, Avports LLC, announced plans last month for a project totaling more than $100 million to lengthen Tweeds existing by 1,035 feet to clear the way for more direct flights to more destinations and build a new, carbon-neutral, 74,000-square-foot terminal  roughly three times the size of the existing terminal  with four gates, expandable to six gates on the East Haven side of the airport.

Avports, under a new 43-year contract with Tweed, will front the money for the project, eliminating the need for existing state and city subsidies, which currently total $1.8 million per year.

They also announced the start of new air service by start-up Avelo Airlines in the third quarter of this year. Avelo also has agreed to a $1.2 million contribution for shorter-term improvements at the existing terminal to provide a better experience for passengers while the new terminal is being planned, designed and built.

A new entrance to the airport would be off Proto Drive, with an approach along Hemingway Avenue in East Haven.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
Kristen H. Emes, 73, of Niagara Falls, NY, passed from this life on June 25, 2021. Born on May 8, 1948 in Niagara Falls, NY, she was the daughter of the late Harry and Helen Elizabeth "Betty" (nee Long) Emes. Kristen was a lifelong resident of Niagara Falls, NY, and graduated from Stella Nia
Marvel Architects is working to redesign the unused portion of the former Rainbow Mall. The plan will restore pedestrian access through the center of the building and add services, such as retail, restaurant and tourist amenities, on the ground-level. (Michele DeLuca/file photo)
The United Arab Emirates has again suspended flights to and from Nigeria, 48 hours after lifting the initial ban.

The United Arab Emirates has again suspended flights to and from Nigeria, 48 hours after lifting the initial ban.

The Dubais Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management had earlier announced the resumption of flights from Nigeria on Saturday after several months of a ban in line with the countrys Covid-19 protocols.

In the statement released via the UAE government official website, travel protocols were also provided for inbound passengers from South Africa, Nigeria and India.

In the statement, Nigerian passengers were required to present a negative test result for a PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure.

In addition, The negative PCR test certificate should carry a QR Code and the test must have been conducted by labs approved by the Nigerian Government. Passengers must also undergo a PCR test on arrival in Dubai.

The decision which was meant to be effective by 23rd June has been reversed as revealed in an announcement by Emirates Airlines in a statement via its official website on Monday

In line with government directives, passenger flights to and from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) are suspended with effect from 21 June 2021 until further notice. The statement read

The airlines also revealed that customers travelling to and from Lagos and Abuja will not be accepted for travel. Likewise, passengers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE

The airline also reaffirmed its committment to Nigeria while looking forward to resuming passenger services when conditions allow.
The Ondo State High Court sitting in Olokuta Akure, Ondo State, on Monday did not grant bail to Kemisola Ogunniyi, one of the EndSARS prot...

The Ondo State High Court sitting in Olokuta Akure, Ondo State, on Monday did not grant bail to Kemisola Ogunniyi, one of the EndSARS protesters, who delivered baby in prison.

Ogunniyi was among those who were arrested and standing trial for allegedly vandalising property during the EndSARS protest which took place in Akure, the state capital, last year.

The 18-year-old lady gave birth to a baby boy in the prison last Wednesday.

The state government has expressed its readiness to secure the bail of the defendant.

However, the matter did not come up in on Monday as the counsel for the defendant stated that the judge, Justice Omolara Adejumo, said she was not aware of the bail application made by the counsel.

The defendants counsel, Tope Temokun, explained that, he sought the audience with the judge and he was told that the bail application would be heard on Tuesday.

He said, The assurance we had was to get her released today , but as a lawyer, I know the procedure. That is not to say that we should allow the naming ceremony to take place in prison. And we are fighting against that seriously.

The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Charles Titiloye, said, There are procedures for all court matters. It was a court order that put the person in the custody and the court order has to be followed in securing her bail. So Tuesday is not too late. We have to follow the court procedure.
Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari has said that the current banditry related attack being experienced across the nation is a creati...





Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari has said that the current banditry related attack being experienced across the nation is a creation of the Nigerian people.

Masari disclosed this Monday, while speaking at the commissioning of the Katsina State office of the Council of the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN),

He admitted that the country was going through a very difficult time but that with determination Nigerians can overcome it, as every part of the country has something to offer.

The Katsina Governor urged Nigerians to come up with survival strategy for the nation.

He further admonished Nigerians to be mindful of what they plan to handover to the next generation.

He equally challenged those living in Katsina to desist from running away from troubled areas for fear of the notorious bandits.

He said rather, they should fight back and ensure they won over them.

They always say the hard way is the best way. We are in a very difficult time. These are times that challenge our capacity, our thinking, our capabilities of coming up with survival strategy for the nation.

Every part of the country has something that they can survive and progress on. People before us have lived on these lands and survived on it

What we are handing over to the next generation should be something that would make them proud that their grandparents were here before.

The challenges of life has always been with human beings right from the beginning of time and they are surmountable.

The challenges that were created by us, why cant we fight and win over it?

These rascals in the forest are not better human beings than us.

Why should I take N10 million Naira and give to a kidnapper?

I should take that 10 million to also buy gun and kill him too.

Its no longer about Federal Government has not done this or that.

Will running, relocating from villages save our lives?

If you relocate from Block A to Block B and gradually the bandits reached Block B, what would you do? Will you go to Block F and continue to run indefinitely?

We will stay here, fight it and win over it.

Nobody should leave his place. If they take arms against you, take arms against them too, Governor Masari said

Meanwhile, while congratulating COREN for the beautiful edifice and coming to Katsina State, Masari decried the high cost of construction materials and equally challenged Nigerian Professional bodies to always come up with something that is affordable and purely Nigerian.

I think the challenge before professionals in Nigeria is how to come up with something that is purely Nigerian; something that is affordable because cost of any form of construction in Nigeria is on the high side, Masari said

He urged the professionals to look inward.

I think there is need to look inward more to see what we could do with what we have to achieve what we need as a people and as a country, the Governor said.

The President of COREN, Engr Aliyu Rabiu on behalf of COREN expressed their appreciation to Governor Masari for the love he had always shown them.
Eucharia Anunobi has revealed that her father refused to sponsor her up to university because he felt the girl child was useless. The No...





Eucharia Anunobi has revealed that her father refused to sponsor her up to university because he felt the girl child was useless.

The Nollywood actress brought this revelation to light via her Instagram page while celebrating her recently acquired doctorate degree.

The film star said her dad refused to train her after high school because he believed it was pointless since the female gender cant carry his name anywhere.

Just look at the girl, whose rich father refused to train after high school, that he had no need for a girl child. That the female gender is useless to him and cant carry his name anywhere, the actress wrote in part.

That he rather concentrate and train the male children to any level of education that they desire. And this girl child struggled all by herself and is a model, a former beauty queen, a famous superstar actress, a preacher.

And now that girl is a Ph.D. holder in Christian Education and Ministerial Arts. And she has engraved her fathers name on the map of the world, still carving it, and will keep carving it until the return of Jesus Christ.

The film star didnt, however, reveal how she ended up acquiring tertiary education despite the odds she initially faced.

Born in Owerri, Imo state, Eucharia had, after secondary education, proceeded to the Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu where she graduated with a national diploma in Mass Communication.

She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree after studying the English Language at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Eucharia came into the limelight for her role in the movie series Glamour Girls in 1994. She has gone on to star in hundreds of movies including Abuja Connection and Letters to a Stranger.




Wells Fargo, a prominent American multinational financial services company, has promised to investigate allegations of racial discriminati...

Wells Fargo, a prominent American multinational financial services company, has promised to investigate allegations of racial discrimination against Oluwaseun Adeoye, who is believed to be its staff.

The companys response followed a post by Joyce Agbanobi, a US-based Nigerian lady (in the picture above), wherein she called out Adeoye for allegedly body-shaming her during this years Fathers Day celebration.

Agbanobi, a strategy & analytics staff with Amazon, had shared a screenshot of the message Adeoye sent to her via her page on Linkedin, a professional networking platform.

In the post, the Nigerian man appeared to have asked Agbanobi why her skin is so black and advised her to bleach her skin.

Why is your skin so very dark/black? Or I think its the way the sun was facing you though, he had allegedly written.

The lady, however, replied: is that a question or are you expecting an answer to this question?

But in what seemed to be his response, Adeoye wrote: Youre still black as charcoal at the end of the day. Go and bleach dear.

In her reaction, Agbanobi, a business analyst and tech educator, said she never expected such a remark from a fellow black who is also from her country.

Agbanobi also recounted how she faced similar treatment from those around her while growing up in Nigeria, a development she said made her hate her skin at the time.

Today is a great day and I am super excited to celebrate fathers for all that they do and how they constantly put their lifes on the line for their families! But also on a great day like this, another black mature man @oluwaseun Adeoye working for Wells Fargo who I barely know, deemed it fit to colour shame me for no reason, she wrote.

But why??? What was my offense??? I grew up hating my skin, was bullied, insulted and sort just because I am black, went through this as a Nigerian in Nigeria black nation (surprising right but its the fact)! 6years ago I would have taken @oluwaseuns Adeoye advice by going to change my skin color for any amount and cried myself to death!

But no, I am not that girl anymore! I am a strong black successful woman and I love my skin but will not allow this bully to run around the street emotionally abusing women!

In 2021 and on a beautiful day like this, when we celebrate fathers I didnt expect a message like this from another black man but this has to stop here!!! @oluwaseun Adeoye a Wells Fargo employee has to be called to order, we need to protect other women from people like him!!!





In its reaction, Wells Fargo commended Agbanobi for bringing the matter to its attention while asking her to forward details of the conversation to the companys email for proper review.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Joyce, and were so sorry to learn of this experience. Could you please send us an email at socialmedia@wellsfargo.com with more details and the screenshot attached? Well forward this to our HR department for review. Thanks, it replied.

It remains unclear if Adeoye is indeed a staff of the company as another user claimed  in the comment section of the post  that he works with the Bank of America (BoA).
A yet-to-be identified man was allegedly shot dead at Water bus stop, along University of Ibadan, Ojoo Road on Monday after withdrawing so...

A yet-to-be identified man was allegedly shot dead at Water bus stop, along University of Ibadan, Ojoo Road on Monday after withdrawing some cash at the Automated Machine (ATM)

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the man was shot in his private part and rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Ojoo area of Ibadan where he was confirmed dead.

An eyewitness said the man was shot dead after withdrawing a huge amount of money from a new generation bank at the University of Ibadan.

He said that his killers were suspected to have trailed him to the bus stop, where he was shot.

I saw him when he was taken to the hospital in a Micra car. I just left school when the incident happened.

I saw the guy and I am sure he was dead, the witness said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Adewale Osifeso, said he was yet to be briefed of the incident.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Rain diminishing to a few showers by morning. Low 57F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Rain diminishing to a few showers by morning. Low 57F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Authorities are hailing a monumental binational collaboration that occurred on Thursday when a crew of wildland firefighters from Mexico wer
New Orleans musicians Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Tarriona "Tank" Ball and David "Dee-1" Augustine Jr., plus visual artist Brandan "BMike" Odums, collaborate on "Graduation Energy," a new song and music video celebrating high school graduates in the class of 2021.

They were brought together for the "Graduation Energy" project by the XQ Institute, a national organization dedicated to educational innovation and reform.

The song and video acknowledge the challenges the coronavirus pandemic created for newly minted graduates. Members of the Edna Karr High School marching band and the New Orleans Youth Ensemble also appear in the video. It was shot outside BMike's mural-covered compound on the edge of the Bywater neighborhood and was set to premiere on Tuesday.

The XQ Institute was co-founded and funded by Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Russlynn Ali, who served as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education during President Barack Obama's first term, co-founded the institute with Jobs, and is its CEO.

It is "dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in life." The organization works with individual schools and entire school districts to implement innovative programs and fresh approaches to high school education.

One of the XQ Institute's initiatives is the XQ Yearbook, a digital yearbook for high school students, teachers and others to interact and share their ideas and experiences.

For every valid submission to the 2021 XQ Yearbook, the institute has pledged to donate $2 to support mental health for students and young people.
After spending half of his life behind bars in connection with a fatal nightclub shooting in Slidell, former No Limit rapper McKinley Mac Phipps Jr. received parole Tuesday, with state officials praising him for mentoring young inmates and pursuing vocational training during his time in prison.

Phipps exact release date had not been set at the conclusion of his 10-minute hearing before the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole. Nonetheless, the boards unanimous decision to grant him parole brings him closer than ever to being freed  with conditions  from a sentence that originally wasnt supposed to lapse until 2030.

I want to say thank you for this opportunity, an emotional Phipps, 43, said during his hearing, which was streamed online. I definitely want to say Im sorry to the family of the victim and to just anyone who was affected by this.

A St. Tammany Parish jury in 2001 found Phipps guilty of manslaughter following the killing of 19-year-old Barron Victor Jr. the previous year at a packed Club Mercedes in Slidell. Victor was shot when a scuffle broke out during a performance at the club by Phipps, then a 22-year-old artist with a new record deal at the No Limit label helmed by New Orleans rap legend Master P Percy Miller.

Phipps received a 30-year sentence that isnt set to expire until February 2030. But he and his supporters have maintained that he was wrongfully convicted. His case got national attention in 2015 after five witnesses told The Huffington Post that authorities coerced them into saying that Phipps was the shooter when Victor was slain.

At least twice since 2016, Phipps has applied for clemency, which allows a governor or president to pardon a person or commute their sentence. The first request failed. But in April, citing a recommendation from the pardons board that he should get immediate parole eligibility, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards granted clemency to Phipps.

That action from Edwards set the stage for Tuesdays parole board hearing, where a three-member panel provided the most detailed account yet on Phipps life behind bars.

Board members Bonnie Jackson, Alvin Roche and John Wise said Phipps had not incurred a single disciplinary infraction behind bars in the last 18 years, and if he kept that up, he would be eligible for an August 2024 good time release anyway.

Additionally, the board said, Phipps had participated in programs that allowed him to mentor younger inmates. He also sought out vocational education while incarcerated, landing him a work-release job at a shipyard in Lafourche Parish as well as certification in air conditioning and heating.

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I just tried to do what I was told and tried my best to be obedient, in so many words, Phipps said when asked to describe his approach to life behind bars.

Jackson, Roche and Wise all voted in favor of granting parole to Phipps, though his freedom is to be conditional at first. Roche ordered Phipps to observe a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, avoid establishments which serve alcohol, and perform six hours of community service a month with at-risk youth.

Theres so many young people that need your guidance, Roche said. Tell them your story and lead them in the right direction.

Phipps must also meet with his parole officer weekly during the first three months after his release, Roche said.

Phipps mother, Sheila, and his wife, Angelique, spoke at Tuesdays hearing. Both pledged to help Phipps comply with his parole conditions.

No one spoke in opposition to granting parole to Phipps.

Phipps said his post-release plans included helping his mother run her art studio and gallery once released. He said he also had an offer to work as a painter at a construction business owned by a friend.

And, Phipps continued, I just want to reconnect with my family, with my wife, my son.
A federal judge sentenced a businessman and a former White House military aide Tuesday to 8 years in prison each for scamming foreign investors out of $15.5 million meant for post-Hurricane Katrina development projects.

District Judge Greg Guidry, whom President Donald Trump nominated the the court, handed the sentences to Maryland businessman William Bart Hungerford and Timothy Milbrath, a retired Air Force colonel who was the White House Military Offices chief of staff under three presidents.

The men were convicted at a three-week jury trial in 2019, but their sentencing was delayed until this week due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At trial, prosecutors said the men persuaded foreigners to pump money into proposed developments.

The sales pitch was irresistible: In addition to an 18% to 26% annual target profit, investors would receive a permanent U.S. green card through a special government program, and they would aid a world-famous citys comeback.

Milbraths military background burnished the pair's credibility. They even got the blessing of former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who made their project an official regional center for investors under the controversial EB-5 visa program.

But projects like a proposed hotel and conference center in the 3000 block of General de Gaulle Drive in Algiers never materialized. Prosecutors said Hungerford and Milbraith instead funneled money to themselves, sometimes buying vacation and rental properties. Each man made an estimated $4.7 million out of the scam.

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Ex-White House aide, business partner convicted in post-Katrina foreign investment fraud case Federal court jurors in New Orleans on Friday convicted a former top military aide to three U.S. presidents and his business partner on charge

This elaborate scheme to defraud our community, taxpayers and those lawfully seeking permanent residency in the United States, occurred in the wake of one of the most tumultuous times in our citys history, which makes this crime more egregious, interim U.S. Attorney Duane Evans said.

Hungerford's attorney, Eddie Casting, said the judge granted his client a downward departure from sentencing guidelines. Hungerford, 60, intends to appeal the case's outcome.

Attorneys for Milbraith, 65, didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. In a pretrial motion, Milbraith argued for a downward departure from sentencing guidelines due to his exceptional record of military service, physical condition and the extreme recommended sentence.

However, in a letter last year, New Orleans city attorney Sunni LeBeouf said the men harmed the citys reputation at a difficult time and should be punished accordingly.
A woman who sued the city of Kenner after her phone was confiscated while she tried to videotape a City Council meeting has vowed to appeal after a state judge in Jefferson Parish dismissed her case last month.

A Kenner police officer took Traci Fernandez's phone during a March 2020 council debate about the city's garbage contract. Fernandez filed a lawsuit in May 2020 in 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna, arguing that taking her phone violated the state's open meetings law. State District Judge Michael Mentz ruled against Fernandez last month, but conceded that the issue was one for an appeals court.

Fernandez's lawyer, Stephen Petit, said he had already filed paperwork to notify the court of an appeal.

"While I respect the judge immensely, I just disagree with his ruling," he said. "That's what the appellate courts are for."

The case centers on a pair of clauses in the state's open meetings law. One says that meetings "may" be recorded; and the other says that government entities such as the Kenner City Council have the right to set rules that will maintain decorum at such meetings.

The police officer who seized the phone was acting under a City Council policy that forbids citizens from filming or recording the meetings, even though they are open to the public and streamed online. Before the council took up the matter, the council clerk reminded the several dozen attendees that cell phones were to be turned off and recording was not permitted.

"Plaintiff's actions during the attempted recording and/or photographing of the meeting were not conducted in a manner which could negatively affect the decorum of the meeting," Fernandez's suit argued. Fernandez "had a right to record the meeting and was prevented from doing so under threat of arrest and the actual confiscation of personal property," the suit continues.

Kenner to pay Robert Ramelli $215,000 after issuing him 22,000 littering tickets in garbage dispute The City of Kenner has paid $215,000 to its former garbage contractor, Ramelli Janitorial Services, to settle a federal lawsuit Ramelli filed 

The suit named the city and all seven City Council members as defendants. It asked the judge to order the council to rescind its prohibition on video recording by meeting attendees and said that each defendant could be liable for civil damages up to $500.

Attorneys for the city said the council had met its responsibilities under the open meetings law.

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"The City provided Plaintiff with physical (in-person) and electronic (the meeting's recording, in its entirety, is on YouTube) access to the public meeting," city attorneys argued a written motion. "At no point did Defendants breach any duty" to the plaintiff, the motion says.

On May 20, Mentz agreed with the city and ruled in the city's favor, saying that he thinks state law gives bodies like the Kenner City Council the right to set rules that forbid video recording. But Mentz allowed that it could be a question for a higher court.

"I think it's an interesting issue," he said during the hearing. "I'm anxious to see what the Fifth Circuit says about it."

+2 Kenner signs new trash-collection pact as vendors sling allegations, counter-allegations A rollicking fight over Kenners lucrative trash-collection contract entered a new phase Thursday night when the Kenner City Council voted 6-1

Petit said Fernandez is willing to take the case all the way to the Louisiana Supreme Court if needed.

"We think it's that important," he said.

Fernandez might have at least one powerful legal ally: Attorney General Jeff Landry told the council in a letter last year that he thinks their prohibition on recording violates the open meetings law.

An attorney for the city declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing its status as ongoing litigation.

"Judge Mentz made the correct ruling," Joyce Sallah, a Kenner city attorney. "We are confident the appeals court will do the same."
A Mississippi murder suspect jailed in New Orleans while waiting extradition was found dead in his cell Tuesday, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office did not release the name of the detainee. But a law enforcement source familiar with the case said the inmate was Anthony Hunt, 37.

On June 12, Hunt engaged in a standoff with New Orleans police while inside of a Tulane Avenue hotel room. He eventually surrendered and was booked into the Orleans Justice Center, where he was being held on a $1 million bond while waiting to be extradited to Moss Point, Mississippi.

Police in that town accuse Hunt and Jamichael Jenkins of fatally shooting Devonte Carson on May 27.

The Sheriff's Office said the man, identified by the source as Hunt, was found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday morning, according to a statement. Medical staff treated him and brought him to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

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Murder suspect from Mississippi wanted in a standoff, another standoff suspect in custody The New Orleans Police Department sent its SWAT team to arrest a man wanted in connection to a homicide in Mississippi after he barricaded him

The hospital diagnosed Hunt as suffering from cardiac arrest, according to the Sheriff's Office. Authorities are investigating whether any illegal substances were involved, the law enforcement source said, because a medical screening done when Hunt was booked into the jail showed he was in good physical health.

Since 2014, 19 inmates have died inside the jail, according to news reports and a Loyola University database. Five deaths were overdoses, according to the coroner.

The Sheriffs Office has been under a federal consent decree designed to curb rampant violence, self-harm and contraband in the city's lockup since 2013, but it has still struggled to contain the flow of illegal drugs inside jail walls.

Staff writers Matt Sledge and Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed to this report.
When troubles in the New Orleans Police Departments district task forces bubbled to the surface last year, a video of officers talking about their arrest of a Black man in the French Quarter stoked public concerns.

Behind a closed door, a circle of cops discussed how they found the mans hidden gun, and why theyd searched him in the first place. Defense attorneys cried foul, saying the video revealed cops lying to justify a bogus arrest.

The response from NOPD brass was swift. Superintendent Shaun Ferguson suspended all eight district task forces, which specialize in "proactive" policing, and investigators launched a criminal probe of the cops from the video.

There was more: A federal court-appointed monitor soon dropped a damning audit that found NOPD task force officers in other districts routinely stopped people on specious grounds, kept shoddy records and rolled with lax supervision.

But many months later, the 8th District officers at the center of the controversy -- accused of conducting illegal searches, penning bogus police reports or testifying falsely in five French Quarter encounters -- were all cleared of wrongdoing.

A lengthy investigation overseen by a group led by Deputy Chief Arlinda Westbrook accepted the officers explanations of the video and exonerated them in January. And it went further still, accusing the defense attorneys who blew the whistle of twisting the facts while fooling state judges.

+10 Protesters sue NOPD over use of tear gas during confrontation on Crescent City Connection last June Alleging police had no legitimate basis to break up a large crowd marching against police brutality last June, three protesters have filed a

The report found that Officers Jason Collins, William Knowles, Samuel Senter, Jordan Sherr and their supervisor, former Sgt. Mark Mumme, did nothing wrong while hunting in plainclothes for illegal guns in the citys tourism center.

Ferguson signed off on the report in February, closing the book on one of the highest-profile cases of alleged misconduct in the nine years since the NOPD began operating under a reform agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Orleans Public Defenders call the report a misfire that glosses over real evidence of unconstitutional behavior by the task force cops.

The NOPD limited its internal review to a handful of 8th District cases. The report found that the 8th District task force officers were justified, despite how some judges viewed it.

The video of officers conferring at the station house on Royal Street came in the case of Radon Ray, who was searched in the early morning of New Years 2019 on Bourbon Street. The task force officers turned up an illegal gun, marijuana and ecstasy pills.

In a police report, Sherr got credit for the arrest. But Senters body-cam video shows a supervisor, Knowles, asking about the location of the gun, and receiving a response from Senter. Knowles then offers a recap.

+2 NOPD officer's killing of Apollo the puppy was his second fatal shooting of a dog since 2012 The killing of an 18-week-old puppy by a New Orleans police officer earlier this month marked the second time that officer shot and killed a d

You put your hand on his waist and when you put your hand on his waist you felt a gun, he says. Hey, its all good. Thats what happened.

Senter puts his hand on his body-worn camera, and the video cuts out.

The scene was enough for Orleans Parish Criminal District Judge Darryl Derbigny to find that Senter and Knowles were engaged in an attempt to fabricate the report on Rays arrest. The Louisiana Supreme Court later agreed to suppress the search.

Upon viewing that video, it gave me great concern. It gave me great pause, Ferguson said last year before a City Council committee. We dont condone such behavior.

No 'disconnect' found

But the internal review led by Sgt. Kevin Thompson found the officers had reasonable suspicion to detain Ray and probable cause to arrest him. Their closed-door meeting at the station house, the review found, was an innocent attempt to recount the facts accurately in a police report -- not an effort to agree on a plausible narrative.

Thompson credited statements from the officers, who hewed closely to what a prosecutor argued in a brief a year before: That they had no reason to make up a story about Rays arrest, because it was clean.

Senter said that he answered Knowles question about the location of Rays gun because hed witnessed the collar, not because he made the arrest. Knowles said he was simply trying to get a play-by-play from the group.

Though Derbigny had found a disconnect between the video and the testimony of the officers who arrested Ray, the PIB review said the judge must have missed some footage.

It also noted that former NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison had granted the 8th District task force officers special permission to wear their body-worn cameras covertly -- an allowance that has since been rescinded.

The review cleared the 8th District cops in Rays arrest and four other stops highlighted in a complaint. Among them was a pair of searches in which former Criminal District Judge Arthur Hunter found the officers used marijuana as an excuse to search the men for evidence of more serious crimes.

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that so-called pretextual stops are legal, even if police use something as minor as a traffic violation to fish for evidence. But Hunter ruled that the men the cops had spotted on Canal and Bourbon Street had hand-rolled cigarettes, which the state Supreme Court says isnt reason alone to stop them because they could contain tobacco alone.

Hunter concluded that one of those arrestees, Joshua Jordan, was singled out as a result of profiling him to be a suspected criminal.

+3 Internal report details chaotic June 3 standoff, teargassing on Crescent City Connection bridge The New Orleans Police Department deployed teargas on a crowd of protesters so quickly on June 3 that several officers didnt have time to don masks.

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The NOPD review, however, took the officers view that they saw enough to stop and arrest the suspects.

The report blamed the decisions by courts to toss those searches on a failure by the DAs office to subpoena the right officers to testify, as well as a policy that let task force officers operate with their body-worn cameras concealed, denying the cops video evidence that would corroborate their accounts.

The stops were within the bound of the law but it was the prosecutions duty to present a sound case, Thompson wrote. The arresting officers were not directly responsible for the lack of preparations on behalf of the Prosecution.

The NOPD report is limited to a handful of cases. Allegations of racial bias draw only cursory mention -- mostly focused on denials by the officers. Sherr reacted with anger when asked if he was targeting young Black men, calling the claim absolutely disgusting.

The officers were cleared of both criminal and administrative misconduct, according to an NOPD spokesman.

The case is considered closed, Gary Scheets said.

An attorney for several of the officers, Donovan Livaccari of the Fraternal Order of Police, praised the department for a thorough investigation.

I get it that the political atmosphere surrounding law enforcement is what it is, but these are real people, not Robocops, Livaccari said. These allegations hurt real people and their families, and I'm glad in this case that it all worked out.

The conclusion means that in both of the Public Integrity Bureaus highest-profile investigations from 2020, officers were cleared of all wrongdoing. The department also declined to sanction the cops who fired tear gas and projectiles at protesters approaching the Crescent City Connection last June.

Arrests by French Quarter undercover unit scrutinized after 'disconnect' between body-cam video, testimony A small group of plainclothes New Orleans police detectives on the lookout for guns in the French Quarter has been called out repeatedly by ju

The report comes as the city has been pressing U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to end nine years of federal oversight that began under former Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Advocates have expressed concern at what will happen when theres no court-appointed monitor to root out constitutional lapses on the force.

At some point the federal consent decree will end. What independent oversight will be in place, and will it be adequate to ensure there wont be slippage, and there wont be backsliding? asked veteran New Orleans civil rights attorney Mary Howell.

Howell, who declined to comment on the review of the 8th District cops, favors beefing up resources at the Office of the Independent Police Monitor, a city agency that was set up to review the NOPDs actions.

Stella Cziment, the acting Independent Police Monitor, said Monday that the agency will conduct a thorough case review of the NOPDs investigation into the 8th District task force cops, and that its assessment will be made public.

Cziment, whose office referred a complaint about the five officers to the Public Integrity Bureau in May 2020, said NOPD never alerted her office to the results of its investigation clearing the officers.

Ideally we would like to be informed of the close of high-profile investigations (that) are of public concern so we can immediately conduct a case review if determined necessary, she said. The NOPD leadership is aware of our intention to review this investigation.

Unlike some misconduct probes that the office monitors as they happen, Cziment said her office wasnt involved in the NOPDs investigation of the 8th District cops.

Blaming the messenger?

The NOPDs report was a bitter disappointment to the defense attorneys who complained about the cops in the first place. In the end, they -- and not the officers -- drew its harshest comments.

5 NOPD officers under criminal investigation, and public should be 'disturbed,' Shaun Ferguson says Four New Orleans Police Department officers and their former supervisor have been sidelined amid a criminal investigation into a body-camera v

The report accused Thomas Frampton, a University of Virginia law professor and former Orleans Parish public defender who lodged the complaint, of drumming up a false scandal over a beef with the DAs office.

The department claimed that Frampton cherry-picked cases as part of a spat with a prosecutor. He declined to comment.

The NOPD also took aim at Diana Yu, a staff attorney for the Orleans Public Defenders who defended Ray in court.

Yu willingly met with the Public Integrity Bureau for an interview, but the report accuses her of false testimony for the way she asked Sherr about the station house video during a court hearing.

Yu described Knowles as saying Where did you find the gun? The actual verbiage on the video was, Where was the gun?

The report said Yus question misled the judge into finding a more sinister motive from the officers in the bodycam footage.

In a statement, the Public Defenders Office dismissed that claim, saying Yu provided the video to the courts directly and they came to the right conclusion.

There was no false testimony as the report claimed. Simply evidence of unconstitutional behavior, to which the courts agreed, said Lindsey Hortenstine, a spokeswoman for the Orleans Public Defenders.

With these findings, NOPD has disregarded the concern and call for accountability by the community, the truth determined by the Courts, and demonstrated a grave lack of understanding of the court process.
A 19-year-old University of New Orleans student is fighting for her life in the ICU after being shot at a party in New Orleans East earlier this month.

Nadia Abed was attending the outdoor party on June 6 in the 10100 block of South I-10 Service Road (map) when police say an unidentified assailant slipped through a hole in the fence and began shooting.

A bullet struck Abed in the back of her head and passed through her face.

"My daughter didn't even get the chance to save herself from this tragedy," said her mother, Leshawn Hamad-Abed, who spoke out for the first time Monday.

+3 Nine people, not eight, shot at New Orleans East gathering, police say; other crime briefs Authorities on Monday raised the number of people shot outside a gathering in New Orleans East two days earlier from eight to nine.

Abed, a graduate of John Ehret High School in Marrero, had just finished her freshman year at UNO where she was studying business administration. She loves hanging out with her friends, and if she's not doing that, she's in her bed watching Netflix with her cat, "who misses her so much," her mother said. She also enjoyed doing nails and makeup and had just started a new job.

Hamad-Abed said she has started a GoFund me page to help raise money for Abed's medical bills and facial reconstruction surgery.

"Now she has to be reminded every time she looks in the mirror," Hamad-Abed said.

New Orleans police have yet to make an arrest or publicly named suspects in the case. But there has been some legal fallout for the venue that hosted the party, Da Perfect Spot.

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The landlord, Edward Johnson, has filed a lawsuit seeking to evict the business.

Johnson's suit claims that tenant ONeal Leo Bryant pledged to use the venue for video game, board game and bounce house parties.

Instead, Bryant was hosting nightclub parties and charging patrons for tables and bottles without providing security, according to the suit, filed by attorney Chelsea Cusimano.

The parties would also allegedly spill out into spaces well beyond the suite that Bryant leased. That was exactly the type of party that was occurring when the shooting broke out, the suit argues.

An affidavit provided by another of Johnsons tenants describes the chaotic moments after the gunfire started. The tenant was there at night and recounted hearing people  crying and screaming that they did not want to die before approaching some of the wounded and trying to treat them with a first aid kit.

Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese signed a temporary restraining order last week barring Bryant from hosting events that go outside the boundaries of the space he leases. The order also requires any events hosted at that location by Bryant to cater to children and conclude by 7 p.m.

Reese set a June 29 hearing for arguments on whether or not to extend the temporary restraining order by making it an injunction.

Bryant declined to comment on the pending litigation.
After the controversial approval earlier this month of the Alzheimer's drug aducanumab, interest and hope in the expensive treatment is high in Louisiana, a state with a heavy burden of Alzheimers disease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the infusion treatment that targets a protein associated with Alzheimer's on June 7. But the approval came despite the decision by an independent committee not to endorse it. After the FDA approval, three of the 11 voting committee members on the FDA panel resigned, citing a lack of regard for the committee's recommendation and a concern over how similar drugs in the pipeline will be handled in the future.

That's left doctors and other caregivers in Louisiana, where an estimated 92,000 residents over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's disease, trying to weigh for themselves whether the benefits are worth the risk  and the cost. Around 204,000 people care for those patients, most of them unpaid family members, according to a 2021 report from the Alzheimers Association.

Dr. Demetrius Maraganore, chair of the neurology department at Tulane University School of Medicine, said that since the approval, "the phone is ringing off the hook" with people who have questions about the drug and whether it might help their loved one.

Until June 7, we really had no tools in our toolbox for Alzheimer's disease, said Maraganore. We had some Band-Aids, some medicines that improved symptoms sometimes, a little bit. For the first time, we've got a toolbox and now its open.

But there are plenty of critics of the drug, which Biogen, its manufacturing company, expects to ring in at $56,000 per patient per year before insurance. While proponents say the approval may encourage other drug companies, many of whom have abandoned Alzheimer's research in recent years, to stay in the fight, critics say the risk  and cost  outweighs the benefit.

+2 New Alzheimers drug approved by the FDA despite independent advisors warnings The FDA is requiring the drugmaker to conduct a follow-up study to confirm benefits for patients.

The scientific community is concerned, and Im one of those, said Dr. Nicolas Bazan, director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health and an adjunct professor at the Karolinska Institute, a Swedish medical and research university. Its very strange for me as a scientist to witness the approval of this. There are really unprecedented irregularities.

Stanley Cohn is one of those thousands of caregivers trying to understand whether to pursue the new treatment. His wife was diagnosed three years ago at age 62. Shes been prescribed the usual medications now available for Alzheimers, which only address symptoms rather than the underlying cause of the disease. Cohn can't be sure if they are making a difference.

When youre desperate, you hope, said Cohn, 65, who lives in New Orleans. This drug does provide some hope. But as Im reading, not as much hope as I had thought.

Aducanumab, which will be marketed under the brand name Aduhelm, is intended to slow the cognitive decline caused by Alzheimers, the most common type of dementia. It does so by targeting amyloid, a protein that builds up and clumps into plaques in the brains of Alzheimers patients that many scientists believe causes the disease. It does not reverse the disease or cure it.

The drug is delivered through a monthly intravenous infusion.

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The two clinical trials for aducanumab were conducted only with people in the earlier stages of the disease whose brains had high levels of amyloid.

In both studies, patients had decreased levels of amyloid. In one of the two trials, the drug was also shown to slow cognitive decline. People who received the drug declined 22% more slowly than those who got the placebo.

But the other trial showed no benefit to patients. And the FDA label for the drug does not consider disease severity  it simply says for the treatment of Alzheimers disease.

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That leaves the prescribing up to the doctor. Some area doctors said theyre still trying to figure out what their requirements for prescription might be, keeping in mind the drug has only been tested on people with some degree of independence.

I think what were leaning toward is the trial criteria that has been studied, said Robert John Sawyer, a neuropsychologist at Ochsner Health. The health system, Louisiana's largest, is attempting to come up with some guidelines for who would benefit from the drug. Other factors will involve the discretion of the prescribing physician and emerging evidence as more studies offer additional data.

Maraganore said he will require patients to have an MRI within one month of starting treatment and a spinal fluid examination to make sure they do in fact have higher-than-normal amyloid in the brain. While the amyloid plaques are considered a hallmark of Alzheimers, they don't occur in other types of dementia, such as vascular dementia and fronto-temporal dementia. For those patients, the drug could be dangerous.

But there are also risks for people who meet the trial criteria. About 40% of patients in the two studies had brain swelling or bleeding after taking aducanumab, though it was described as mostly mild.

What you need to do is see the risk-benefit, said Bazan, who works in research full time and does not see patients clinically. The risk here is huge and the benefit is slim at best.

Bazan falls into a camp of neurologists that believe an amyloid-busting drug is not enough to stop Alzheimers. He and others often point to a spaghetti-like protein called tau and neuroinflammation, also found in high levels in the brains of people with Alzheimers. Hes studying how stopping inflammation very early in the progression of the disease might halt Alzheimers attack on the brain.

Because of the uncertainty of the drugs effectiveness, the FDA has also required Biogen to conduct a Phase 4 trial using real-world participants over nine years. The study will enroll 6,000 people at 200 sites, Maraganore said, at least one of which he will run in the New Orleans area. Biogen did not respond to requests for a list of study sites.

+17 For nearly 50 years, this Louisiana town has been on the forefront of heart research BOGALUSA  Whenever Wendy Perrette saw the big white trailer outside her elementary school, she knew it was going to be a good day.

Aduhelm could be on shelves in as little as two weeks, according to Maraganore, who is in touch with Biogen, the drugs manufacturer. But it will take time to get the official Phase 4 trials started  probably two or three months, he estimated.

In the meantime, Maraganore, who sees patients at clinics in Covington and Metairie, will enroll patients in another trial, the International Collaboration for Real-World Evidence in Alzheimers Disease, or ICARE-AD, another Phase 4 study that will contribute data toward the FDAs continued approval of the drug.

We need more information, said Maraganore. Im still learning about this treatment and Im still deciding if this treatment is effective and safe, and I want to do that in the context of a carefully monitored clinical trial.

Ochsner will potentially be involved in the FDA-mandated Phase 4 site and will be recruiting racial and ethnic minorities for the ICARE-AD study, Sawyer said.

Cohn is still gathering his own research to decide whether its something hell pursue for his wife.

Im asking caregivers who I know are seeing physicians at some of these leading institutions  What are you hearing from Mayo Clinic? Well, heres what Im hearing from Northwestern, said Cohn.
An afternoon of heavy storms brought several inches of rain and street flooding to the New Orleans area on Monday afternoon, just days after Tropical Storm Claudette poured down on the region.

Forecasters issued a "considerable" flash flood warning after up to 2.5 inches of rainfall dumped on Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany parishes and the surrounding area. More rainfall amounts are expected  up to four inches an hour  as storms continue to move through the area from the west.

Parts of Jefferson and Orleans parishes were recording more than 4.5 inches an hour, NWS reports said.

The flash flood warning, in effect until 6:45 p.m., was upgraded to the "considerable level" because of the increase in lightning and 4 to 5 inches of rainfall produced in Monday's storms. The change in the warning activated alerts on phones and televisions.

+9 Photos, video: Drivers, paddleboarders navigate New Orleans floodwaters after heavy rain Heavy rains caused flash flooding in parts of New Orleans on Monday, with reports of flooded or impassable roads in Mid-City, Lakeview, Haraha

At the Canal Boulevard underpass in Lakeview, the road was closed in both directions as heavy rainfall drained into the low-lying spot. And the floodwaters rose quickly; a marker at the underpass' lowest point showed that water rose a foot and a half in roughly 30 minutes.

Daniel Dominici, 54, drove around the barricade blocking Canal in a large truck carrying tools and other items in an open truck bed. He made it through the roughly four feet of water, but many of his belongings floated away. He returned a few minutes later to try to retrieve them.

Dominici, who cuts trees and scraps metal for a living, said he lives in the neighborhood and had made it through the flooded underpass before.

"But this time it was a lot deeper," he said.

Across New Orleans, residents posted photos and videos to social media of street flooding near City Park, by Lake Pontchartrain, in Harahan and more. Here is what we found:

Lakeview

The water is covering the neutral ground and both sides of the 6800 block of Argonne in Lakeview pic.twitter.com/kOoRsOcOv1  Keith Spera (@KeithSpera) June 21, 2021

Underwater sidewalk in Lakeview pic.twitter.com/DH8nDIp0kM  Keith Spera (@KeithSpera) June 21, 2021

Crossing flooded Mouton St in Lakeview pic.twitter.com/MofuRfq09K  Keith Spera (@KeithSpera) June 21, 2021

Even the fire trucks are dealing with too much water on General Haig St in Lakeview pic.twitter.com/0hy78oX9WL  Keith Spera (@KeithSpera) June 21, 2021

Neutral ground parking restrictions lifted in New Orleans amid flood advisory Monday With a patch of heavy rains moving through the New Orleans area, city officials lifted the neutral ground parking ban after forecasters issued

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Marconi Drive underpass

Flooding creates a mess at the Marconi Dr. underpass in NOLA. One SUV already stalled out. #wwltv #wwl @WWLTV pic.twitter.com/JDk09swaaC  Mike McDaniel (@McDanielWWLTV) June 21, 2021

Harahan

Canal Boulevard

Carrollton

Carrollton Ave is kind of underwater. Water as high as the benches at Claiborne Ave bus stop at 5:50pm. pic.twitter.com/VwEoMf1Es7  Robert Morris (@UptownMessenger) June 21, 2021

Mid-City

New Orleans area

Well hours later, I dont need to worry about filling Cookies water bowl (and we have a new swimming pool but dont worry Cookie is at home snuggled in bed watching her shows). #rain #wetnola #nola #crazyweather #flooding #streetflooding #craziness #cookie pic.twitter.com/wBxWW6SEtD  Chef Kevin Belton (@ChefKevinBelton) June 21, 2021
Its tough staying healthy and safe during the pandemic. Its hard to manage, though, if you dont have the information you need.

We hadnt been hearing from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission because its not a health agency. But what they think is important now. The EEOC has made it clear that employers, not employees, get to decide whats required in the workplace. Of course, most good employers take into consideration company culture, and employee and customer concerns. Then there are state legislators.

Just before winding down its regular session, the Louisiana legislature approved and sent to Gov. John Bel Edwards a couple of measures focused on prohibiting local and state agencies from requiring vaccinations. Among other things, this might have an impact on some of our government hospitals. It might mean hospital leaders are forced to allow unvaccinated workers continue to work, no matter what is best for patients.

The pandemic isnt over. The virus is alive and deadly.

Im glad some businesses are protecting their interests by requiring masks, and Ill cooperate. But there are different types of businesses. When I go to buy nails or screws at a hardware store, Im most likely going to spend a few minutes looking, a few minutes in the check-out line, and then Im out of there. Shopping takes longer, but Im not there all day. Hospitals are entirely different, including those that are in state buildings.

Whether private or public, the average hospital stay in our state is about five days. Whether you or a loved one is staying in one of the 1,042 beds that are a part of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge and Ascension or one of the 15 beds at Assumption Community Hospital in Napoleonville, you want to know that youre getting the best attention and health care possible. It shouldnt matter which of the states 263 hospital campuses youre being treated at, for hours or days. It matters who takes care of you, who prepares your food, who changes your linens, who provides your medicine and checks your temperature and who takes you into surgery if you must go under the scalpel.

We dont know how many vaccinated employees there are at which hospitals, but Im willing to bet there arent any with a 100% vaccination rate. I think thats important information patients should know. Anecdotal evidence indicates that most of our hospitals arent doing well with having fully vaccinated employees, and that's troubling.

The Louisiana Hospital Association doesnt run hospital and health care systems. The group represents them. When I asked President and CEO Paul A. Salles whats going on with our hospitals, he said the hospitals and health systems are in discussions about requiring employee vaccinations. Each hospital has the right to decide, he said, and hes not aware of any mandatory vaccinations at this point. Louisianians trust that hospitals are there to care for them in a safe environment; thus, the health and safety of patients, who are likely dealing with serious health issues, will be the starting point for any hospitals policy decision, he added.

My starting point is with hospital and health care leaders. Vaccines have proven to be safe and effective. Theres no big achievement with final, full approval by the FDA. Its simply a matter of time in the field. These vaccines are some of the most studied ever. There are more than 318 million doses administered and theyve significantly reduced hospitalizations and deaths. Shouldnt people charged with keeping people healthy be vaccinated?

Houston Methodist Hospital has been in the news recently because CEO Dr. Marc Boom decided the best course of action for his patients is a fully vaccinated workforce. More than 100 unvaccinated hospital employees filed a lawsuit claiming they were being forced to be human guinea pigs since the vaccines have emergency and not final approval. Boom explained: It is rather simple  as health care workers we must do everything possible to keep our patients safe and at the center of everything we do.

Thats the kind of hospital leader I want, and the kind of hospital where I want to stay, if I must. Hospitals should be honest and up and upfront, sharing vaccination rates. Consumers beware.
An American Black Bear is pictured climbing a tree in the backyard of a Norman home May 19. The Animal Welfare Oversight Committee discussed Monday how wildlife entities are now better prepared for future bear encounters after the black bear was shot in Norman last month.
Abbott Township, Pa.  A barn in Potter County may be looking a little bare these days.

Pennsylvania State Police at Coudersport said they are investigating the theft of 40 to 50 boards from the exterior walls of a barn located at 1516 Germania Road in Abbott Township. Total value is the boards is estimated at $600.

Anyone with information may contact PSP Coudersport at (814) 274-8690.
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How It Ends tackles last day on Earth with star-studded cast that filmed during lockdown: No one had anything to do
Motorola's 2021 smartphone line-up will expand to include 3 new models soon - according to the famous leaker Evan Blass, at least. The tipster claims these new units will include a new 20 Lite variant for the Edge series, as well as an S version of the recently-released G60. They will apparently be joined by the confusingly-named G50 5G.

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Motorola has already released a number of new phones, including the Moto G20, G60 and G100/Edge S. The prolific leaker Evan Blass has just asserted that more are on the way in 2021, and that each one, like their contemporaries, comes with its own city-themed code-names.

These mystery phones are the Motorola "Saipan", "Lisbon" and "Kyoto", now rumored to be called the Moto G50 5G, Moto G60S and Edge 20 Lite respectively on their launch. This new claim does line up with earlier tips pointing to the release of the latter, potentially accompanied by others currently known only as "Berlin" and "Sierra" later this year.

Of these new alleged Edge variants, the "Kyoto" is, despite its alleged new Lite moniker, projected to launch with a powerful 108MP main rear camera, possibly joined by an 8MP ultrawide-angle lens and a 2MP depth-sensor. Then again, not much is known about the rest of its specs, never mind those of the "Moto G Saipan" or "Lisbon".

On the other hand, based on their claimed new product names, we might be justified in expecting cut-down or modified versions of their pre-existing 6.5-inch HD+ and 6.8-inch FHD+ Android 11-powered counterparts.

On that note, Blass' latest claims (should they prove accurate) imply a puzzling redundancy in the "Moto G50 5G": its apparent immediate predecessor has a Snapdragon 480 SoC, and, thus, already covers the "new" phone's USP; it is even called the G50 5G on platforms such as Amazon. Motorola may not have long to clear this apparent discrepancy up during the rest of its 2021 release cycle.
Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 60F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 60F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.
Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

A few passing clouds. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Readers may contact him via e-mail at lpitts@miamiherald.com.
Franciscan Health did not disclose what positions would be eliminated.

The nonprofit health care entity that has $5.6 billion in assets and $3.2 billion in revenue in 2019 plans to invest $45 million to tear down the oldest parts of the hospital and renovate what's left.

The shrunken Franciscan Health Hospital will continue to provide primary care, acute care, in-patient stays on a short-term basis, imaging services, laboratory services, wound care, dialysis and prenatal care, as well as 24/7 emergency services. Most of the hospital beds and surgical services will no longer be there.

It also will keep open the adjoining Franciscan Health Catherine McAuley Clinic Hammond, which will continue to offer health care to uninsured patients and under-served communities.

The conversion of our Franciscan Health Hammond facility to an eight-bed acute care hospital and ER will affect some current staff positions," Franciscan Health spokesman Robert Blaszkiewicz said. "Since informing our employees last month about the changes, we have focused on moving as many team members as possible into other positions within Franciscan Health and the Franciscan Physician Network. Our human resources team is assisting current employees in continuing a path toward their career and personal goals with Franciscan or elsewhere.
WHITING  Authorities are close to securing charges for a hit-and-run crash that took the life of a Whiting man.

Police and firefighters responded on Sept. 13, 2020, to the 2000 block of Indianapolis Boulevard in Whiting, where a victim in a hit-and-run crash was reportedly seriously hurt, according to a release from the Whiting Police Department.

A deceased man, later identified as Richard Paul Garza, of Whiting, was found at the scene. The area was blocked off and agencies launched an investigation.

Witnesses told police that they saw a vehicle flee the scene after the crash and gave a description of it, which was dispersed among local authorities.

The Lake County coroner's office arrived along with Indiana State Police accident reconstruction officers to assist Whiting detectives.

Detective Lt. Jeff Allard and Detective Cpl. Dan Macon of the Whiting Police Department gathered evidence in the following months to secure charges against the suspect.

Police said that formal criminal charges are expected to be filed later Tuesday or Wednesday, in which the suspect's identity will be released.
VALPARAISO  Jurors listened to a recording of a phone call during which John Silva II voiced concern about convincing authorities he had nothing to do with the Feb. 25, 2019, slayings of two Lake County teens.

The evidence was played Tuesday morning as prosecutors wrap up their murder case against 20-year-old Silva after just more than three weeks at trial.

Silva and the woman with whom he fathered a child discussed on the recording that he went along with Valparaiso resident Connor Kerner the day of the slayings with the expectation of carrying out a drug deal. He has claimed to have no idea Kerner would go on to murder Thomas Grill, 18, of Cedar Lake, and Molley Lanham, 19, of St. John.

"That's why I recorded it," he said, referring to a cellphone audio recording he made of the shootings.

The woman in the call suggested, "Take your punishment for the drug deal. But you did not hurt those kids."

Prosecutors have argued that Silva, of Hamlet, was in on the killings carried out about noon in the garage of Kerner's maternal grandparents' home in Boone Township. He is charged with two counts each of murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury.
However, there was a massive amount of power outages. As of Tuesday afternoon, NIPSCO reported 99% of the outages had been restored, but 400 customers remained without power.

Power was said to have been restored to the majority of households in Chesterton, LaPorte and Valparaiso by 6 p.m. Tuesday. Hobart was expected to have restored by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

Residents in Gary and Portage should have their outages repaired by noon Wednesday, according to NIPSCO.

"It can be frustrating to see power restored in other parts of your town or city or even across the street from your home," NIPSCO said in a news release Tuesday. "You may be on a different circuit than your neighbor. An outage affecting your home may call for a repair needed down the street or in another part of your neighborhood. Rest assured, even if you dont see our trucks, our crews are focused on finding and fixing your outage as quickly and safely as possible."

While the NWS received no reported sightings of a funnel cloud touching down in Lake or Porter counties, a tornado's funnel cloud is not always visible, meteorologist Rafal Ogurek said.

Radar suggested there was a strong rotation of close inbound and outbound winds with high velocity in Northwest Indiana on Sunday night, Ogurek said.
Although PCES would allow for a nurse to accompany Schwartens daughter at SELF, Schwarten wanted her daughter to be able to attend the elementary school at Valparaiso Community Schools she would traditionally attend. Because of that, her case alleges PCES violated her daughters right to a free public education.

She feels she shouldnt have to choose between her daughters physical health needs and her other social and emotional needs that may not be meet by going to a facility that is more isolated from other children.

When it comes to special education, Michael said, children should be in the least restrictive environment. Just because a child has a medical condition, they shouldnt be put in a different school or classroom, she said.

"It starts to become pretty discriminatory," she said. "It's not something we would allow in other areas of life."

There are situations where a child may need to be in a different environment or taken out of a traditional classroom to receive more individualized instruction as part of a "good and appropriate education," but she said children shouldnt be placed in a different building just because they have a medical condition.
HOBART  Authorities have identified a man who died early Saturday morning when his SUV was struck by another vehicle after he ran a red light during a high-speed police chase in Gary.

Gregory Hoskins, a 47-year-old man whose home address is unknown, was killed in the crash that took place at 39th Avenue and Broadway in Gary Saturday.

Police say Hoskins disregarded a Hobart police officer who tried to pull him over for running a stop sign about 1:20 a.m. Saturday near 39th Avenue and Tennessee Street. After the officer turned on his lights, the driver sped westbound and drove through several more stop signs.

The officer chased the driver until he was hit on the driver's side by a vehicle driving north on Broadway, according to police. The vehicle spun out, struck a traffic light pole and rolled onto its roof, police said.

After the crash, the officer checked on the man in the gray SUV. The man was unconscious, and the officer could not start lifesaving measures because of the position of the SUV, police said.

Hoskins was unconscious in the overturned SUV. The officer couldn't reach him to do CPR and Gary Fire Department medics attempted to get him out of the vehicle but he died at the scene of the crash, police said.
CROWN POINT  Local nonprofit Mission One is set to host its third Veterans of Valor event Saturday.

The event, to be held at Bulldog Park in Crown Point, 183 S. West St., includes a bike run, a concert, games, a bounce house for children, raffles, food from Mission BBQ, alcoholic beverages, a fireworks show and a vehicle donation, according to the event's Facebook page.

There also will be a special guest speaker, the event description states.

Opening ceremonies will be presented by the Pipes and Drums of the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

Johnny Boersma, founder and president of Mission One, told The Times registration for the bike run is from 8-10 a.m., with the motorcycles set to take off for an about 60-mile journey around 10-10:15 a.m. Saturday.

Plaques will be given out to honor fallen fire fighters, one in Merrillville and another in Hobart, during the bike run, and also will be given to the sheriff's departments for Lake and Porter counties.

Boersma said the concert begins at 2 p.m., which will run "all night."
There is no news from Auschwitz

New York Times article by A.M. Rosenthal, 1958

By Sonia Sanchez

along that funeral plain

green wipes away old waves

that rolled the eyes

and tangled flowers veil vile kennel dust

bequeathed to dawns.

the years are done.

the earth bent toward canals bears

sterile bowels repenting woven eyes

while bone-filled drifts that scattered blood

yield other births.

death is not there: no special people

trailing alien dens,

or children moving in the rain of ash

unraveling minds.

life is not there: not even myths that rode

young stallions to a circus tent

and carried torches on a convent wire

beyond the tides.

no other signs that men patrol chained

sheets of sea.

i grieve our empty ships.

there is no news from Auschwitz.

Reginald Dwayne Betts is a poet and a lawyer. He created the Million Book Project, an initiative to curate microlibraries and install them in prisons across the country. His latest collection of poetry, Felon, explores the post-incarceration experience. In 2019, he won a National Magazine Award in Essays and Criticism for his article in The Times Magazine about his journey from teenage carjacker to aspiring lawyer. Sonia Sanchez is a poet, writer, playwright, professor and activist. She was a leading figure of the Black Arts Movement during the 1960s and 1970s and is the author of more than a dozen books of poetry, plays, short stories and childrens books.
Populist Eastern European leaders face unpopularity

A right-wing populist wave in Eastern European countries such as Slovenia, Hungary and Poland, lifted by Donald Trumps 2016 victory, has met a serious obstacle: Its leaders are not very popular, in large part because of their response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is now being countered by an uncharacteristically united opposition. In Poland, the deeply conservative government has shifted to the left in economic policy to win back support. And in Slovenia, the approval rating of the hard-right governing coalition has fallen from 65 percent to 26 percent.

To oust these leaders and capitalize on growing fatigue with their divisive tactics, their opponents must continue getting their act together. In Hungary, a diverse and previously feuding array of opposition parties has united, while in Slovenia, Prime Minister Janez Jansa only narrowly survived an impeachment attempt by opposition legislators and defectors from his coalition.

Analysis: The Slovene philosopher Slavoj Zizek, a self-declared moderately conservative Marxist, said it was too early to write off the nationalist leaders in power. Their most important asset, he said, was the disarray of their opponents.
Mark Peel, one of a handful of young, educated California cooks enamored with local ingredients who emerged in the 1970s and 1980s and created a looser, farm-focused style of cuisine that would change the trajectory of American food culture, died on Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 66.

Mr. Peel was admitted to a hospital with unusual pain nine days earlier and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of germ cell cancer, his daughter Vanessa Silverton-Peel said.

Mr. Peel helped write the rules for a new culinary canon based on the highest quality and freshest regional ingredients but also on a casually beautiful presentation that he likened to an unmade bed with fine linen.

It should look disheveled, he said. A little messy. As if it fell from heaven.

Mr. Peel worked at restaurants that would come to define California cuisine before anyone called it that, among them Spago, the star-studded West Hollywood restaurant that Wolfgang Puck opened in 1982. But his biggest platform was the restaurant Campanile as well as the adjacent La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles, both of which he opened in 1989 with his wife at the time, the chef Nancy Silverton, and Manfred Krankl.
Kevin Faulconer, the former Republican mayor of San Diego who is challenging Mr. Newsom in an upcoming recall election, said the rent relief program was only a temporary fix.

One-time gimmicks are no substitute for permanent tax relief, Mr. Faulconer said Monday. California is unaffordable for middle-class families, thats why theyre leaving our state en masse.

Before the pandemic, housing and homelessness regularly ranked as the top issues for voters and last year the state lost population for the first time, as middle-class homeowners fled the state for cheaper housing elsewhere. While some of this was driven by one-time factors, the state has consistently seen more people leave than move in from another state over the past decade, and in the process lost a net of 900,000 residents to out migration. The issue has become so prevalent that bitterness about incoming Californians has stoked a backlash in cities like Boise, Idaho, where housing prices have jumped with the influx of newcomers with bigger home-buying budgets.

Worried that the pandemic would exacerbate what is already the states most pressing issue, California responded aggressively, passing one of the nations strictest eviction moratoriums and moving some 35,000 homeless Californians into hotels, a model that has proliferated nationwide. The governor has proposed spending $12 billion on homelessness, including $7 billion to buy motels and apartments to convert them into shelters and $1.75 billion to build affordable housing.

While government efforts have been key to keeping tenants housed during the pandemic, rental programs in California and elsewhere have been plagued with problems and slow to get the money out. Studies show that about a third of tenants have at some point used federal stimulus or unemployment money to pay their rent since last year, but a much smaller number, as low as 2 percent, have been able to access a rental program. Consequently, a majority of renters still had to borrow or draw on savings to cover bills during the pandemic, leaving them less able to weather future emergencies as the economy recovers.

On Monday, state lawmakers were working on a bill to extend the eviction moratorium past its June 30 expiration date, according to several officials in the Legislature who requested anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations. A vote could come as early as this week. Lawmakers are expected to extend the eviction moratorium and cover 100 percent of the rent for lower-income tenants, up from 80 percent of their rent bill through current programs, the officials said.
Consuewella Africa, whose two young daughters were among 11 victims of a police siege in West Philadelphia in 1985 that began when officers tried to arrest four members of the revolutionary group MOVE and ended after the police dropped a bomb on its fortified commune, died on Wednesday in Philadelphia. She was 67.

Her death was confirmed by MOVE, which said she had been hospitalized several weeks ago with lung problems.

The group said Ms. Africa had become ill after officials at the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton publicly acknowledged in April that anthropologists had been using the unidentified bones of one of the sieges young victims for research and in teaching an online course on forensics.

Ms. Africa, MOVEs former minister of confrontation, was in prison at the time of the siege. She had been arrested in 1978 following the groups armed standoff with the police in the Powelton Village section of Philadelphia, in which an officer was killed. She was paroled in 1994.
WASHINGTON  A federal judge on Monday partly dismissed claims filed by Black Lives Matter, the American Civil Liberties Union and others accusing the Trump administration of abusing its power to violently disperse a protest outside the White House last year.

The lawsuits alleged that the government violated protesters civil rights and conspired to clear Lafayette Square so President Donald J. Trump could walk to a church near the White House, where he held a Bible outside in a photo op.

But in the 51-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, a Trump appointee, said the claims of a federal conspiracy were simply too speculative to allow those parts of the suits to proceed. She also ruled that the federal officials at the time who were named as defendants, such as Attorney General William P. Barr and Gregory T. Monahan, the acting chief of the U.S. Park Police, were entitled to qualified immunity and could not be sued for damages over the episode.

Judge Friedrich did, however, allow lawsuits challenging continued restrictions of protester access to Lafayette Square and against local police agencies in Washington and Arlington County, Va., to proceed.
WASHINGTON  A push by Democrats to enact the most expansive voting rights legislation in generations is set to collapse in the Senate on Tuesday, when Republicans are expected to use a filibuster to block a measure that President Biden and his allies in Congress have called a vital step to protect democracy.

Despite solid Republican opposition, Democrats plan to bring the voting rights fight to a head on the Senate floor, by calling a test vote to try to advance the broad federal elections overhaul, known as the For the People Act. As Republican-led states rush to enact restrictive new voting laws, Democrats have presented the legislation as the partys best chance to undo them, expand ballot access from coast to coast and limit the effect of special interests on the political process.

We can argue what should be done to protect voting rights and safeguard our democracy, but dont you think we should be able to debate the issue? Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said on Monday in a last-ditch appeal to Republicans to let the debate proceed.

But in the hours before the vote, Democrats conceded they were facing defeat  at least for now. Even if they succeeded in securing the votes of all 50 senators in the Democratic caucus, party leaders were expected to fall well short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and begin debating the bill.
President Bidens national security adviser said on Sunday, days after Mr. Biden attended his first face-to-face summit meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin, that the United States was preparing more sanctions against Russia in response to the poisoning of Aleksei A. Navalny, the countrys most prominent opposition leader.

We are preparing another package of sanctions to apply in this case, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said on CNNs State of the Union, referring to Mr. Navalnys treatment.

Mr. Sullivan was vague when pressed on the timing of the sanctions or what they would include, saying only that additional action would come as soon as we develop the packages to ensure that were getting the right targets.

When we do that, he said, we will impose further sanctions with respect to chemical weapons.

In April, the Biden administration imposed its first sanctions on Russia for the poisoning and imprisonment of Mr. Navalny. But those penalties were not specifically directed at Mr. Putin or the oligarchs who support him.
Each month, about 100 art students and Rivera tourists might have seen it at the college, Maynez estimated. He has formed a symbiotic relationship with the mural. Years ago, when his wife became ill with Alzheimers, the fresco work sustained him. And when she died in May 2020, he said, It saved my life.

Maynez, 74, is self-taught. Traveling around the world, he (along with Julia Bergman, a college librarian who died in 2017) unearthed letters, diaries, oral histories and even some of Riveras notes for his autobiography, My Art, My Life. Maynez translated some of Riveras writings, built a robust website with a blog and has worked on preserving the murals legacy with 3-D pictures online.

He can tell you why Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, and Robert Fulton, who engineered the steamboat, are in the foreground of part of the mural: Because both men also were painters, Maynez said, They set the theme of reconciliation of art and science.

Take a step back, and the arc of people across the fresco stands out. Notice that it resembles the arc of the Golden Gate Bridge, he said. And the mother hovering over a dead child? Thats Rivera paying homage to Guernica, painted by his friend Picasso.
WHAT YOU CAN SEE FROM HERE

By Mariana Leky

Translated by Tess Lewis

Everyones heard of the kiss that turns a frog into a prince. But the Brothers Grimm story The Frog King; or, Iron Henry belongs equally to the princes servant. When his master is cursed to amphibiousness, faithful Henry wraps his own heart in three iron bands to keep it from bursting from grief. The spoiled princess who releases the prince releases Henrys heart as well.

Iron Henry is just a passing metaphor in Mariana Lekys charming new novel, What You Can See From Here, translated from the German by Tess Lewis, but the reference is significant. Set in West Germany at the end of the Cold War, the novel concerns a motley crew of villagers, each characterized, in the Grimm tradition, by one or two fixed qualities. Theres the narrator, Luisa, an imaginative 10-year-old; her wise grandmother, Selma, who helped invent the world; the optician who loves Selma but hasnt told her; Luisas feckless, globe-trotting father, who thinks everyone should let more of the world in; Luisas mother, whos having an affair with the ice cream man; and various modern witches and woodsmen.

When Selma dreams of an okapi (an incongruous animal, much more incongruous than death), the village is thrown into crisis. Always, this means someone is about to die. Everyone makes preparations, but the inevitable still shocks them all. Luisas grief is the most acute, threatening, like Iron Henrys, to characterize her entire being  that is, until years later, when a handsome Buddhist named Frederik arrives. With a happy ending now in sight, the village rushes wildly to secure it.
Amazon did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday.

In an opinion column this month for Salon, Randy Korgan, a Teamsters official from Southern California who has been the national director for Amazon since the position was created last year, wrote that the union would bypass traditional workplace elections conducted by the National Labor Relations Board.

Instead, Mr. Korgan wrote, the union will focus on building support from both Amazon workers and from other warehouse and delivery workers and community members, and it aims to bring the company to the bargaining table by orchestrating strikes, boycotts, protests and other actions.

Amazon defeated a conventional campaign organized by a retail workers union at a warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., this year, after which a number of union leaders suggested that a shift to the strategies highlighted by Mr. Korgan might be more fruitful. Those union leaders pointed out that federal labor law gives employers large advantages during election campaigns  allowing companies to hold mandatory anti-union meetings, for example  and that the government cannot fine employers who violate the law. (The retail workers union is challenging the results of the election at the Bessemer warehouse, accusing Amazon of intimidating workers.)

Support for the approach is far from unanimous within the labor movement, however.

In an interview after the election in Alabama, Stuart Appelbaum, the head of the retail workers union that oversaw the campaign, said seeking to win union elections at Amazon warehouses should remain a focus. If you want to build real power, you have to do it with a majority of workers, Mr. Appelbaum said at the time.

The Teamsters union holds its convention every five years and uses it to set the priorities that the union will pursue until the next convention. The resolution states that momentum for the Amazon campaign has been building since the unions last convention in 2016.
Mongolia promised its people a Covid-free summer. Bahrain said there would be a return to normal life. The tiny island nation of the Seychelles aimed to jump-start its economy.

All three put their faith, at least in part, in easily accessible Chinese-made vaccines, which would allow them to roll out ambitious inoculation programs when much of the world was going without.

But instead of freedom from the coronavirus, all three countries are now battling a surge in infections.

China kicked off its vaccine diplomacy campaign last year by pledging to provide a shot that would be safe and effective at preventing severe cases of Covid-19. Less certain at the time was how successful it and other vaccines would be at curbing transmission.
Recent Sale

$3.75 MILLION

189 First Street (between Third Avenue and Whitwell Place)

Brooklyn

This 6,680-square-foot industrial building in Gowanus was built in 1940. It was delivered vacant to ABC Collision, an auto repair shop that has been operating in the area for more than 20 years. The building had been in the owners hands since the 1970s.

Buyer: ABC Collision

Buyers Broker: Thomas Cordasco of Thomas Cordasco Company

Seller: Advanced JAF Holding

Sellers Brokers: Dan Marks, Daniel Lebor and Adam Tannenbaum of TerraCRG and Jakub Nowak and Jake Torre of Marcus & Millichap
You can go a long way in your life as an eater without questioning the widespread belief that a kebab is grilled meat or fish on a stick. If you are paying attention, you will eventually notice that for some kinds of kebab the stick is optional and for others it is entirely absent. But the grill, whether it is a tandoor, a hibachi, a campfire or a hulking stainless-steel gas-fired backyard monster with Wi-Fi-connected temperature probes, may still strike you as a constant, the common denominator of all kebab equations.

All preconceived notions, though, fall apart instantly upon a single encounter with the chapli kebab. In the vast, far-flung, heterogeneous kingdom of kebabs, the chapli kebab is a platypus. A Pashtun staple, prepared at roadside stands and sit-down restaurants in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is a hand-shaped meat patty that is neither skewered nor grilled, but fried to a shimmering mahogany in bubbling animal fat or oil. The fat is not used sparingly. One celebrated location in Rashakai, Pakistan, fries its chapli kebab in a pan the size of a kiddie pool.
Headliner

Fresco by Scotto

This neighborhood restaurant, run by Marion Scotto, along with her children, Elaina Scotto, Rosanna Scotto and Anthony Scotto Jr., has emerged from its pandemic hiatus in good shape. (It was open briefly last fall for outdoor dining only.) Its not your typical local spot  its been a Midtown Manhattan magnet for the worlds of television, fashion, business and politics since 1993  and that its busy again is a healthy sign. Now, for summer and beyond, it has an alluring new look with sidewalk seating surrounded by verdant lemon trees for a hint of Capri. Theres also a new chef, Ben Kacmarcik, who was at Pastis. (In 2016, his Bourdainesque expose, A Kitchen Lost : An Open Letter on the End of a Kitchen Era, was published.) Some items hes added to the three-course lunch ($39), four-course dinner ($84) and a la carte menus include a mozzarella tower, grilled Caesar salad, lemon primavera pasta, paccheri amatriciana, yellowfin tuna panzanella and a rainbow ice cream tower.

34 East 52nd Street, 212-935-3434, frescobyscotto.com.

Opening

Anything at All

This restaurant in Graduate Roosevelt Island, the first hotel on the island since its redevelopment, is run by Marc Rose and Med Abrous of Call Mom, a hospitality company. They have JaToria Harper, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America who worked at a number of Marriott restaurants, as executive chef. Lindsey Verardo, who studied in France and worked at the Leonelli restaurants in New York, among others, is pastry chef. Estelle Bossy, who worked for Union Square Hospitality Group, runs the beverage program. The dinner menu features lamb tartare, creamy gnocchi with seafood and asparagus, and a Wagyu burger. At lunch, there will be a fried chicken sandwich and a crispy mushroom sandwich. Panorama Room, a spacious rooftop bar and lounge, will open next month.

Graduate Roosevelt Island, Cornell Tech, 22 North Loop Road, Roosevelt Island, 929-447-4700, graduatehotels.com/Roosevelt-island/restaurant.

Bandits

A room complete with wainscoting, booths, checkerboard flooring and a disco ball is the setting for a long list of drinks, notably beer cocktails inspired by street food. The food side includes baked clams, a smash burger, wings and variations on tater tots.

44 Bedford Street (Leroy Street), banditsnyc.com.

Thief

John McNulty, who created bars for Cocktail Kingdom Hospitality Group, is on his own at this new neighborhood watering hole. For summer, its serving friesling (frozen riesling), special confections from Mikey Likes It Ice Cream, and snacks like smoked ham and gruyere sandwiches and mini vegan corn dogs. Theres music, too. (Opens Wednesday)

595 Union Avenue (North 11th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 203-570-6347, thiefnyc.com.
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

This month, from a steep red staircase overlooking The New York Timess newsroom, Dean Baquet, the executive editor, announced that the staff had won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for its coverage of the coronavirus.

The Times, which has received 132 Pulitzers since they were first awarded in 1917, has won in the public service category, regarded as the most prestigious of the prizes, six times. Wesley Morris, a Times critic at large, also received a Pulitzer, his second, for criticism for his writing on the intersection of race and culture in America.

The Pulitzer board recognized several facets of the coronavirus coverage. The Times reported early on the outbreak in China in January 2020. Tracked cases across the nation and the world through an intensive data project. Relayed developments 24 hours a day. Reported on the race to understand the virus and the failure of governments to respond. Documented racial and social inequities of the pandemic. Provided vivid accounts of suffering worldwide. And observed the monumental death toll.

That coverage encompassed not just articles but graphics, video, data journalism, design, photography and podcasting. The effort drew upon the full resources of the newsroom, with many staff members putting themselves at personal risk and others taking on new roles to meet the demands of the coverage or provide support. And all of it was executed with nearly all employees working remotely and as The Times also covered the nations racial unrest, the impact of climate change and a tumultuous presidential campaign and election.
A cold, calm night is best, says Tim Easley, an illustrator in London who recently self-published a book of his black-and-white photographs of the moon. When its hot, the air kind of wobbles a bit and makes things blurry, he says. Ever since childhood, Easley has been obsessed with all things space. But when it comes to turning his camera skyward, he concentrates on the moon; other celestial bodies are too small and hard to see in the middle of a light-emitting city.

Dont try to go out and photograph the moon with your smartphone. Even if its plump and low on the horizon, seemingly enormous to the naked eye, youll try, and it just comes out a tiny white dot, Easley says. Instead, use a camera with manual controls and a zoom lens. Easley shoots with a 1,200-millimeter telephoto lens, but even a 100-millimeter lens will do. Exact settings will depend on your camera and the moons phase, but a good starting place is a shutter speed of at least one two-hundredth of a second; aperture around F10; and light sensitivity, or ISO, at 100.

When photographing something so far away, stability is essential. Set up a tripod and anchor it to the ground with something heavy, like a backpack. So as not to jiggle it, use a remote shutter-release cable, or set up a timed shot so that you can press the button and hold your body still while the cameras shutter opens. Dont even breathe, Easley says.

A full moon is bright and lit straight on, which makes photographing the dimensionality of its cratered surface difficult. Try photographing a crescent, waxing or waning moon instead so you can see its spherical shape beneath a bit of earths shadow. You can shoot the moon in the day or night. Use photo apps to track the moonrise and set times and stargazing apps to forecast visibility. Sometimes Easley sets an alarm so he can catch a moonrise or the moons passage across his sliver of urban sky.
This has been years in the making, said DeVaughn Ward, senior legislative council for the Marijuana Policy Project, a nationwide advocacy organization for marijuana legalization and one of the proponents of Connecticuts bill. The amount of revenue that will be generated and directed back into our distressed communities is an unprecedented investment in communities of color.

A study by the University of Connecticut found that the marijuana industry could generate between $784 million and $952 million in revenue in the state over five years. That would be enough to help jump start the states economic recovery from the pandemic, the studys authors said.

Tuesdays signing marks an end to years of failed efforts to legalize the drug after the state approved it for medical use in 2012. Years later, dispensaries were still fighting to open for business.

People of color have been disproportionately penalized for marijuana possession in Connecticut, which decriminalized the possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana in 2011. Black people in the state were four times more likely to be arrested than white people for possession of marijuana, according to a report published last year by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Under the new law, the smell of marijuana alone will no longer be legal grounds to stop and search people. Nor will the suspected possession of up to five ounces.

The war on cannabis, which was at its core a war on people in Black and Brown communities, not only caused injustices and increased disparities in our state, it did little to protect public health and safety, Mr. Lamont said in a statement last week, after the State Senate passed the bill.

Were not only effectively modernizing our laws and addressing inequities, were keeping Connecticut economically competitive with our neighboring states, he said.
Eric Adams, who made public safety a main focus of his campaign, had a sizable lead, though the final outcome will not be determined for weeks.

A campaign that began behind the pandemic-imposed safety measure of Zoom screens ended on Tuesday in a five-borough, bare-knuckled brawl as Eric Adams, a former police captain, took a sizable lead over a splintered field of Democrats in the primary race to become New York Citys next mayor.

Maya Wiley, a former civil rights attorney and past adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio, was narrowly in second, followed closely by Kathryn Garcia, a former city sanitation commissioner. Neither had conceded in a spirited race whose outcome will shape how the city emerges from the pandemic.

With Democrats far outnumbering Republicans, the Democratic primary winner would be the heavy favorite in November.

With nearly 90 percent of the votes counted, Mr. Adams led in four of the citys five boroughs  everywhere but Manhattan  though the final results, including the first-ever use of ranked-choice voting for the city, are expected to take weeks.

Here are five takeaways from the mayoral primary:

1. Eric Adams is leading after defining himself on public safety.

A former New York Police Department captain and the current Brooklyn borough president, Mr. Adams framed his candidacy from the start as that of a blue-collar Black man who could battle both rising crime and the citys history of discriminatory policing.

Speaking often of himself in the third person  telling the Eric Adams story  he paced the field in centering his campaign on public safety at a moment when a spike in shootings has raised anxiety among New Yorkers. Recent polls have shown that crime emerged as the top issue for voters.

Im not running just to be the mayor, Im running to save my city, he said before the polls closed Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, he led with roughly 30 percent of the vote  nearly 10 percentage points ahead of his closest rivals  though the final results will be decided in the coming weeks through ranked-choice voting.

What a moment, what a moment, what a moment, Mr. Adams said, in a speech celebrating being the first choice on Tuesday.

Pre-election polls had shown Mr. Adams consolidating a plurality of Black support, even with three other prominent Black candidates in the field, Ms. Wiley, Ray McGuire and Dianne Morales, who is Afro-Latino.

And on Tuesday his support was indeed strongest in Black communities in Brooklyn and Queens, as he paired his relatively moderate platform with appeals based on his up-from-the-bootstraps biography as a Black leader who made it in New York.

While the Democratic Party has been seized with an internal debate about how to tackle the historical mistreatment by police of Black and Latino New Yorkers, Mr. Adams defined his candidacy firmly in opposition to the defund the police movement, saying at one point that was a conversation being pushed by a lot of young white affluent people.

He has leaned on his years in the N.Y.P.D. for credibility on the issue of crime and had some of his sharpest exchanges of the race with Ms. Wiley over the issue, at one point accusing her of wanting to slash the Police Department budget and shrink the police force at a time when Black and brown babies are being shot in our streets.

2. Because of ranked-choice voting, the counting isnt over yet.

Image Kathryn Garcia had formed a last-minute alliance with Andrew Yang and he had urged his voters to rank her second. Credit... Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

In one of the more dramatic developments of the race, Ms. Garcia struck up a late alliance with Andrew Yang, the former 2020 Democratic candidate for president, in the final weekend before the primary, as they campaigned together and he urged his voters to rank her second on their ballots (she did not return the favor).

That could benefit Ms. Garcia as she narrowly trailed Ms. Wiley as of early Wednesday, and second-choice support from Yang backers could vault her ahead.

The 2021 race is New Yorks first time using ranked-choice voting citywide and it has injected uncertainty into the process.

Olivia Lapeyrolerie, a former adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio, said the system had completely upended any notion of ideological purity.

Democratic voters in this city arent wedded to labels but who they think is the best choice to lead our recovery, she said.

For now, the chance for either Ms. Garcia or Ms. Wiley to catch Mr. Adams would seem to depend on having won the overwhelming support of the others backers.

Both candidates, at times, had leaned into running to be the first female mayor of the city, though they never campaigned in tandem as Ms. Garcia did with Mr. Yang. (On Tuesday, Beyonces Run the World (Girls) was playing at Ms. Wileys election night party; Ms. Garcia removed a white blazer onstage to reveal a shirt that said feminist on it.)

It is time for a woman to lead this city, Ms. Garcia said. She urged patience ahead of complete tabulation. This is going to be not only about the 1s but the 2s and 3s.

Ms. Garcias speech was a reminder of her relative newcomer status on the political scene, after a New York Times editorial board endorsement helped her emerge as a favored candidate of the citys educated elites. On Tuesday, she couldnt help but remark on the literal glare of the television stage lights. By the way, they are awfully bright right now, she said.

3. Andrew Yang went from first to fizzled.

Image Though Andrew Yang was an early leader in the race, according to some polls, he soon faded and lagged to a fourth-place finish. Credit... Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times

The Andrew Yang for mayor boomlet started, fittingly enough, with a tweet.

It was the night of the 2020 primary in New Hampshire and just as Mr. Yang was dropping out of the presidential race, Howard Wolfson, the longtime political consigliere to Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, tweeted that Mr. Yang would make a very interesting candidate for NYC Mayor in 21.

Mr. Yangs optimism-infused and energetic candidacy did make waves from the moment he entered. He quickly raised money from loyal supporters, struck up some surprise alliances, including with leaders in the Orthodox Jewish community, zoomed to the front of early polls and attracted an overwhelming amount of media attention.

The bright glare of that spotlight seemed to dim Mr. Yangs star and on Tuesday he had lagged to fourth place and conceded the race. Celebrity candidates tend to fade, said Jonathan Rosen, a Democratic strategist in the city.

The outsized attention on Mr. Yang did reshape the race. Patrick Gaspard, a veteran New York political operative, lamented on Twitter that it allowed other candidates to be woefully unexamined until close to the end.

In those final weeks, Mr. Yang had flashed a sharp edge as he sparred with Mr. Adams over both policy and personal matters, highlighting questions about where exactly the Brooklyn borough president lives.

Turned out I was right  he was an interesting candidate, Mr. Wolfson said on Tuesday. But interesting does not always equal successful.

4. Maya Wiley and the progressive momentum stalled in the first ballot.

Image Maya Wileys performance underscored the struggle by progressives to form a winning coalition. Credit... Hilary Swift for The New York Times

At the start of 2021, the left-leaning lane in the mayors race looked to be dangerously overcrowded. But the stars seemed to align about as well as possible for Ms. Wileys progressive candidacy in the closing weeks of the campaign.

An allegation of sexual harassment from two decades ago against Scott Stringer, the city comptroller, paralyzed his campaign in late April, as some early backers abandoned him. On Tuesday, the collapse was so complete that he was in fifth places in parts of the Upper West Side  his home turf.

Then Dianne Morales, who had inspired a left-wing following for her unabashed presentation of progressivism, was hobbled by internal problems, including a unionization effort by her campaign staff that devolved into an acrimonious public fight.

Then Ms. Wiley won the endorsements of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezand Senator Elizabeth Warren.

But the results on Tuesday showed that progressives struggled to form a winning coalition in the mayors race with three of the top four finishers  Mr. Adams, Mr. Yang and Ms. Garcia  all running either more moderate or technocratic campaigns.

For Ms. Wiley, mathematical hopes are still alive that she could overtake Mr. Adams as more ballots, and second choices, are counted.

5. Progressives hold hope elsewhere even if Adams wins.

Image Tali Farhadian Weinstein addressing supporters at her primary night celebration in Midtown Manhattan. Credit... Sarah Blesener for The New York Times Image Alvin Bragg speaking alongside his family at his primary night celebration in Harlem. Credit... Dave Sanders for The New York Times

While Mr. Adamss lead was dispiriting to some on the left, New Yorks progressives did hold out hope in some other key down-ballot races.

In Manhattan, the district attorneys race was too close to call with Alvin Bragg, a progressive, holding a narrow lead over Tali Farhadian Weinstein. Ms. Weinstein, a more moderate Democrat, had injected more than $8 million of her own money into her campaign in the races final weeks, earning the ire of progressives for the spending and her ties to Wall Street.

In the city comptroller race to replace the termed out Mr. Stringer, Brad Lander, a progressive from Park Slope, Brooklyn, led Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, by a similar margin as Mr. Adams led Ms. Wiley in the mayors race. Like Ms. Wiley, Mr. Lander had been endorsed by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and Ms. Warren.

Jumaane Williams, the current New York City public advocate and an outspoken progressive, cruised through his primary and won roughly 70 percent of the vote.

In one of the marquee City Council races for the left, Tiffany Caban, who previously ran for Queens district attorney, was leading by a wide margin with backing of the Democratic Socialists of America. Other progressive favorites were leading in council seats, including Sandy Nurse and Jennifer Gutierrez.

In Buffalo, New Yorks second-largest city, India Walton, a Democratic Socialist, was poised to upset the four-term incumbent Democrat, Byron Brown. Mr. Brown is a former New York Democratic Party state chairman and a close ally of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Katie Glueck and Michael Gold contributed reporting.
Maya Wiley spent Tuesday afternoon in Harlem hugging voters and stopping to take photos with children. She was losing her voice. It was raining on and off. But she was determined to finish the race strong.

Im feeling a lot of excitement and emotion from people about the historic nature of this race, said Ms. Wiley, who would be the first Black woman elected mayor of New York. She said she had been at a public housing complex on the Lower East Side of Manhattan when a woman came up to her and started crying.

Ive had little girls, 6 or 7 years old, looking up at me with eyes that say, I see something different for myself because of what Im seeing in front of me, she said, holding back tears. Its deeply moving.
It might be inevitable in a contest with over a dozen candidates, but the Democratic primary for New York City mayor has been full of twists, turns, drama and recrimination.

Here are some key moments that shaped the race.

April 28: Sexual assault accusation against Scott Stringer

Mr. Stringers role as progressives anointed candidate was upended when Jean Kim, a woman who worked on his 2001 campaign for public advocate, accused him of groping her and putting his hands between her legs. Mr. Stringer, the city comptroller, denied the accusation but lost several key endorsements. Still, he pushed forward and spoke strongly at debates. This month, a second woman accused him of making unwanted advances in 1992 when she was working at a bar he co-owned. He said he did not recall the woman.
As far as the eye could see, New York City was covered with Democratic candidates for mayor on Tuesday.

Maya Wiley rode on the back of a scooter through Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Andrew Yang interrupted a brunch on the Upper West Side. Eric Adams, by turns triumphant and tearful, basked in the sound of supporters chanting his name after he voted in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

From the Bronx to Staten Island, voters also turned out, heading to the polls to choose the Democrat who will almost certainly become the next mayor of the nations biggest city as it charts a still-tentative course toward recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The fractious primary, with more than a dozen candidates, has been filled with unknowns and is in some ways unprecedented. It is New Yorks first citywide experience with ranked-choice voting, in which voters can choose up to five candidates in many of the races on this years ballot. Under the system, the candidate with the most first-place votes after the initial count might not be the ultimate winner, and the final results may not be known for weeks.
The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Irans elections are insignificant. Regardless of who wins, the argument goes, in the end, its the supreme leader who calls the shots.

That is shortsighted. Yes, the coronation of Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi as president in one of the least competitive elections in the Islamic Republics history  an outcome Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, intended  consolidates all power into the hands of the hard-liners. And yes, the hard-liners win might spell a tougher security approach domestically to stifle critics and ensure they preserve their grip on power as the system prepares for transitioning to what comes after the 82-year-old supreme leader.

But transitions, especially in tightly controlled societies, can be extremely perilous affairs. For them to go as smoothly as possible, leaders want calm and stability externally so that they can focus their attention on what preoccupies them domestically. And thats where the United States might actually have a real opportunity to make progress on the nuclear talks with Iran.

Mr. Raisis ascendancy to the presidency may very well be a steppingstone on his way to the pinnacle of power. Another possibility: Ayatollah Khamenei empowered a pliant president who would not challenge his authority, so that he could usher in institutional changes, like transforming Irans presidential system into a parliamentary one, which could lessen infighting.
Up to 26 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage. These losses can be as physically painful as they are emotionally wrenching. And yet many patients are not offered the best care for their miscarriages because of abortion politics.

Both of us have had miscarriages. We each visited our doctors for scheduled ultrasounds between eight and 11 weeks of pregnancy, expecting to see a little bean-shaped baby-to-be with a reassuring heartbeat. Unfortunately, all we heard was quiet. No motion. No beautiful pulse. Only stillness.

These pregnancies would miscarry; there was no way to stop it. The only questions were how and when our bodies would begin to move through the physical acts of loss.

In an ideal world, our health care providers would have offered us the best possible treatment to move the process along quickly, with the least amount of pain and in the privacy of our homes. That treatment would have begun with us each taking one pill of mifepristone, which would have blocked the hormone progesterone and signaled to our bodies that the pregnancies we carried were at an end. That would have been followed by several pills of misoprostol, which would have caused the cramping and bleeding needed for our bodies to swiftly finish our miscarriages. Then we could begin the process of healing and prepare, in both our cases, to try for another pregnancy.
Its an odd thing to admit, but having a baby has provided a radical simplifier for life during a pandemic.  Bryan Boyer, Detroit

My second child was born early on in the pandemic. Time has mutated: creeping and galloping in the same hour. What strikes me is that becoming a family used to be a social act; friends and community shaped our family. This was certainly the case with my first child, who sparked endless conversations, went many places and was held by so many people in her first year. By contrast, my second child has been held by immediate family only, has seen friends and neighbors through masks and has never been in a restaurant, bus or child care center. Our world, and his, is much smaller. Im hopeful that we can gradually begin to grow back.  Ashley Telman, Chicago

The circumstances of his birth affected us profoundly

My wife, a social worker at a hospital, tested positive for Covid in March when she was 33 weeks pregnant. When her symptoms worsened, doctors recommended that she have a C-section, and our son was born that evening. I was not allowed to be with her in the hospital. I dont think I have ever been as scared as I was that evening, fearing the worst and not being able to do anything about it.

The C-section was successful in taking pressure off my wifes lungs and she recovered and was able to come home four days later. Our son was in the neonatal intensive care unit for the next 22 days. Neither of us was allowed to visit him. The nurses did their best to help, sending pictures and making Zoom calls, but it was still a very difficult time.

He is now 1, and happy and healthy. But the circumstances of his birth affected us profoundly.  Christopher Brown, Covington, Wash.

Having a baby during the pandemic was very stressful and isolating  I wasnt sure if the hospital was safe; I wasnt able to have my mother as my doula. But it was also healing. No visitors there or later at home meant no stressful visitations, hurrying to get dressed or trying to host. I was able to heal physically much quicker than after my first pregnancy.

My baby was a salve to the grief of the pandemic. I often cried over him, and when my husband offered to take him, Id clutch him close. His love was pure, his smile without fear, his needs simple. That said, I was in weekly therapy for a while to help manage my postpartum depression.  Diane Kerstein, Seattle
Once you come here, its hard to leave, said Ms. Duff, whose film roles include Napoleon Dynamite and The Wedding Pact, and who spent time this year shooting a movie in Fort Wayne, Ind. She noted that each of the friends booked gigs not long after closing on their Austin homes, which felt like a nod from the universe.

I almost feel more connected to my craft and why I love acting, said Ms. Sigler, who had just returned from recording dialogue at a studio in downtown Austin for an ABC pilot she shot in Los Angeles. When the calls come in, its a beautiful surprise. Im still on things and Im still a businesswoman and its still my career, but I dont feel the pressure around it because we took a stand for ourselves and we made decisions for our families.

With its bohemian charms, natural splendors and lack of state income taxes, Austin has been courting Californias twin economic engines, Hollywood and Silicon Valley, for years, all while trying to maintain its cherished Keep Austin Weird credibility. According to Rice Universitys Kinder Institute for Urban Research, about 90,000 Californians moved to Texas in 2018 and 2019. The pandemic has only deepened the romance. Austin enjoyed a P.R. blitz of high-profile corporate relocations and expansions last year, with tech giant Oracle moving its headquarters there from Redwood Shores, Calif., and Mr. Musk announcing Teslas $1 billion gigafactory on the southeast edge of town.

The housing market, already in a decade-long development frenzy, wound up defying the pandemic and roaring back to life. In May 2021, the median sale price in the Austin metro area hit an all-time high of $465,000, according to the Austin Board of Realtors. High-end home prices spiked 24 percent, according to Redfin, the most of any area in the country.

Still, anyone used to California prices sees Texas as a bargain, said Scott Michaels, an Austin real estate agent with Compass, who described cutthroat, all-cash bidding wars that drew 40 to 60 offers on a single property. Its a challenge because were competing with people moving from out-of-state, and theres just not a lot of inventory on the market, he said.

For Ms. Sigler, who is from Long Island, Austins square footage and outdoor space were revelatory. There was a lot of like, Oh my God, look what we can get for this. Look at the life we can give ourselves, you know, compared to what were able to afford here in L.A., she said. I just feel like were taking a big, deep breath since we got here.
Ei-ichi Negishi, who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2010 for developing techniques now ubiquitous in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, died on June 6 in Indianapolis. He was 85.

His death, at a hospital, was announced by Purdue University, where Dr. Negishi was a professor for four decades. No cause was given.

Dr. Negishis Nobel-winning research involved chemical reactions that produce complex organic compounds  large carbon-based molecules used in drugs, plastics and many other industrial materials. Coaxing one carbon atom to bond to another can be difficult, but Dr. Negishi and other chemists figured out that metals, palladium in particular, could be used as intermediary matchmakers.

In these reactions, two carbon-based molecules first stick to the palladium. The palladium then disconnects from them, and the two carbons attach to each other, forming a new, larger molecule. With the palladium working as a catalyst, the organic chemistry reactions can run at lower temperatures with fewer steps, reducing cost and waste.
In the video, forceps nudge a piece of squid that sits on a ramp as an offering. Suddenly, a snowflake moray eel named Qani heaves its muscled bucatini of a body out of the water and onto the ramp. It opens its mouth and bites the squid. The eel pauses a moment, opens its mouth again and, as if its tongue were a conveyor belt, sucks the squid even deeper into its mouth using a secret second set of jaws in its throat.

This particular eel mukbang, to Rita S. Mehta, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was cinematic gold: footage that showed the bite, the prey transport with secondary jaws and the swallow. Her team had taped loads of footage of the eels feeding on the ramp, but none that showed the act from beginning to end.

Dr. Mehta first described the moray eels second set of choppers, known as pharyngeal jaws, in 2007. When a moray hunts, it seizes its prey with the teeth of its outer jaw, and then its pharyngeal jaws leap forward out of the throat and into the mouth to grasp the prey and drag it deeper into the eels body.

Now, Dr. Mehta has described how snowflake eels and other morays use their pharyngeal jaws to feed just as effectively on land as in water, according to a study published this month in The Journal of Experimental Biology.
The AR-15 is good for both home and battle, he wrote, adding: One is to be forgiven if one is persuaded by news media and others that the nation is awash with murderous AR-15 assault rifles. The facts, however, do not support this hyperbole, and facts matter.

But the judge granted a 30-day stay of the ruling at the request of Californias attorney general, Rob Bonta, a move that allowed Mr. Bonta to appeal it.

In a decision on Monday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit further extended Judge Benitezs stay, pending resolution of another case challenging the ban. The stay shall remain in effect until further order of this court, the judges wrote.

The three judges were Senior Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Silverman, nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton; Circuit Judge Jacqueline H. Nguyen, nominated by President Barack Obama; and Circuit Judge Ryan D. Nelson, nominated by President Donald Trump.

Mr. Bonta welcomed the ruling on Monday. This leaves our assault weapons laws in effect while appellate proceedings continue, Mr. Bonta said on Twitter. We wont stop defending these life-saving laws.
The White House publicly acknowledged that the U.S. is likely to miss President Bidens July 4 vaccination goal.

The virus is ravaging Colombia, where the death toll surpassed 100,000.

In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to jail those who refuse Covid shots.

Get the latest updates here, as well as maps and a vaccine tracker.

Delta spreads in Africa

Africa is bracing for a wave of infections, driven in some places by the Delta variant.

Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are grappling with surges, and new lockdowns and restrictions. South Africa, the continents worst-hit nation, has reported new infections doubling in just two weeks time. Tunisia, where hospitals are full and oxygen supplies are low, is enduring a fourth wave.

Its just one country, following another, following another, said our colleague Abdi Latif Dahir, who covers East Africa for The Times.

According to official numbers  which represent a fraction of the true scale  Covid-related deaths in Africa have climbed by nearly 15 percent last week compared with the previous one, the W.H.O. said. And the countries are not vaccinating anywhere near fast enough. Fewer than 1 percent of Africas people have been even partially vaccinated, by far the lowest rate for any continent.

Abdi recently reported on the crisis in Kenya, which experts say may become the next India.

Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India, Kenyas president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and other politicians have drawn large gatherings with mostly unmasked crowds  particularly at a major holiday held in the western Kisumu County  even as health officials pleaded with the countrys leaders to avoid the events.
Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tiebreaking vote to confirm President Bidens nominee to run the Office of Personnel Management, Kiran Ahuja, overcoming Republican objections to her nomination that centered on her views on racial justice.

Ms. Ahujas confirmation follows a tumultuous period at the federal human resources agency. O.P.M. had five different directors, three of them acting, while President Donald J. Trump was in office, with one of the confirmed directors quitting under pressure from the White House and the other fired by the president.

Kiran Ahuja is a qualified, experienced and dedicated public servant who we are looking forward to leading the Office of Personnel Management in its work protecting the safety of the work force, empowering federal employees, and building a federal work force that looks like America, said Chris Meager, a White House spokesman.

The unified Republican objections centered on Ms. Ahujas remarks last year, when she ran a Seattle-based philanthropic organization, following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Republicans Use Filibuster to Block Voting Rights Bill The move in the Senate dealt a blow to Democrats efforts to counter a wave of ballot restrictions in Republican-led states.

Republicans block a sweeping voting rights bill, dealing Biden and Democrats a defeat. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:58 - 0:00 transcript Republicans Filibuster Voting Rights Bill Senate Republicans used the filibuster on Tuesday to block debate on an ambitious Democratic bill aimed at countering a wave of ballot restrictions in G.O.P.-controlled states. The For the People Act is about setting basic national standards to make sure that all voters in this country can vote legally in the way that works for them, regardless of what ZIP code they live in, regardless of if they live in a big city or in a suburb or out in a small town in Western Minnesota. It is about reducing the power of big money in our elections by ending secret spending by billionaires and special interests. And it is about making anti-corruption reforms to ensure politicians work for the people, not for themselves. The federal takeover elections shouldnt happen. I urge my colleagues not to support it happening. The American people dont want to see the things imposed on our election system that are in this bill. And I urge my colleagues to vote against this harmful legislation. On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. Three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to. All we wanted to do here on the floor was to bring up the issue of voting rights and debate how to combat these vicious, oftentimes discriminatory voting restrictions. And today, every single Democratic senator stood together in the fight to protect the right to vote in America. Regrettably, our efforts were met by the unanimous opposition of the Republic  of the Senate minority. Once again, Senate Republicans have signed their names in the ledger of history along Donal  alongside Donald Trump, the big lie and voter suppression, to their enduring disgrace. Senate Republicans used the filibuster on Tuesday to block debate on an ambitious Democratic bill aimed at countering a wave of ballot restrictions in G.O.P.-controlled states. Credit Credit... Erin Schaff/The New York Times Republicans on Tuesday blocked the most ambitious voting rights legislation to come before Congress in a generation, dealing a blow to Democrats attempts to counter a wave of state-level ballot restrictions and supercharging a campaign to end the legislative filibuster. President Biden and Democratic leaders said the defeat was only the beginning of their drive to steer federal voting rights legislation into law, and vowed to redouble their efforts in the weeks ahead. In the fight for voting rights, this vote was the starting gun, not the finish line, said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader. But the Republican blockade in the Senate left Democrats without a clear path forward, and without a means to beat back the restrictive voting laws racing through Republican-led states. For now, it will largely be left to the Justice Department to decide whether to challenge any of the state laws in court  a time-consuming process with limited chances of success  and to a coalition of outside groups to help voters navigate the shifting rules. Democrats best remaining hope to enact legal changes rests on a long-shot bid to eliminate the legislative filibuster, which Republicans used on Tuesday to block the measure, called the For the People Act. Seething progressive activists pointed to the Republicans refusal to even allow debate on the issue as a glaring example of why Democrats in the Senate must move to eliminate the rule and bypass the G.O.P. on a range of liberal priorities while they still control Congress and the presidency. They argued that with former President Donald J. Trump continuing to press the false claim that the election was stolen from him  a narrative that many Republicans have perpetuated as they have pushed for new voting restrictions  Democrats in Congress could not afford to allow the voting bill to languish. Liberal activists promised a well-funded summertime blitz, replete with home-state rallies and million-dollar ad campaigns, to try to ramp up pressure on a handful of Senate Democrats opposed to changing the rules. Mounting frustration with Republicans could accelerate a growing rift between liberals and more moderate lawmakers over whether to try to pass a bipartisan infrastructure and jobs package or move unilaterally on a far more ambitious plan. But key Democratic moderates who have defended the filibuster rule  led by Senators Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona  appeared unmoved and said their leaders should try to find narrower bipartisan compromises, including on voting and infrastructure bills. The Democrats voting rights bill would usher in the largest federally mandated expansion of voting rights since the 1960s, ban partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, force super PACs to disclose their big donors and create a new public campaign financing system. Republicans never really considered the legislation, or a narrower alternative proposed in recent days by Mr. Manchin. They mounted an aggressive campaign in congressional committees, on television and finally on the Senate floor to portray the bill as a self-serving attempt to federalize elections to benefit Democrats. These same rotten proposals have sometimes been called a massive overhaul for a broken democracy, sometimes just a modest package of tweaks for a democracy thats working perfectly and sometimes a response to state actions, which this bill actually predates by many years, said Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader. But whatever label Democrats slap on the bill, the substance remains the same.

For Democrats and voting rights groups, the push for federal voting protections is far from over. Vice President Kamala Harris talks with reporters on Tuesday on Capitol Hill after a voting rights bill failed in the Senate. Credit... Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times For many Democrats and voting rights groups, the failure to advance the partys major elections bill on Tuesday felt like the arrival of the inevitable, the final thud of a tree crashing in the woods after wavering for months. And everyone heard it. Unable to halt the relentless push by Republican state legislatures to pass a host of voting restrictions, many Democrats had rested their hopes on a long-shot bid to enact a federal voting law that would undo much of the G.O.P. legislation and expand access to voting for millions around the country. But on Tuesday, as it became increasingly clear that passing federal voting legislation would be a steep challenge, Democrats, civil rights groups and voting rights organizations reaffirmed their resolve to fight in Congress for voting protections. The pathway is Congress must do their job, said Derrick Johnson, the president of the N.A.A.C.P. When the Voting Rights Act was adopted in 1965, people thought it was a long shot. Its our jobs as civil rights organizations to make possible what other people think is impossible. We continue to push forward. Though the bill, known as the For the People Act, struggled to garner universal support among Democratic senators, it had been perhaps the ultimate overarching objective for Democrats who have been beaten badly in state legislatures for much of the past two decades, allowing Republicans to draw gerrymandered state legislative districts to hold onto power and move nearly unimpeded in their recent quest to pass new voting laws. Some voting rights groups expressed frustration with initial Democratic efforts, arguing that even though the issue was nominally the partys top legislative goal  as evidenced by its H.R. 1 and S. 1 marking in Congress  it has not been treated with the requisite urgency. Yet they also hoped that the failed vote on Tuesday would vividly demonstrate the gravity of the situation. I have yet to see Democrats act like this is the No. 1 priority on their agenda, and I suspect that we will start to see that after today, said Nse Ufot, the chief executive of the New Georgia Project Action Fund, a voting rights group. Today is the starter pistol. Today marks the beginning of the escalation. The blockade of the Democratic legislation in Congress came on the same day that Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the states Legislature to begin July 8, as Republicans there resumed their attempt to pass an expansive bill of voting restrictions.

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News Analysis This is how the Democrats strategy on a voting rights bill morphed over two years. Speaker Nancy Pelosi promoting the For the People Act in March. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times The Democrats expansive voting rights and ethics bill did not start as a battle for the future of democracy, as they frame it, or as the partisan power grab that Republicans call it. The initial driver was the ethical norm-breaking of President Donald J. Trump and his White House. When House Democrats sat down to write the bill in 2019, passage was the farthest thing from their minds. Democrats running for the House in Republican-leaning districts had campaigned on a poll-tested message of ending corruption in Mr. Trumps Washington, rooting out money from politics, and ending partisan gerrymandering. Their newly elected speaker, Nancy Pelosi, wanted to enshrine those campaign pledges as the first bill of the new Democratic House, House Resolution 1  a transformative measure, but with Republicans controlling the Senate and Mr. Trump in office, one that had no chance of becoming law. By this year, circumstances had changed dramatically  after the effort by Mr. Trump and his supporters to overturn the results of the 2020 election and amid a rush by Republicans to enact a wave of state-level legislation impeding ballot access  but the bill had not. What started out as a largely political document suddenly was portrayed by Democrats as an imperative to preserve voting rights and a crucial test of democracy itself. And although Republicans in Congress made it clear they would oppose any bid to expand ballot access, Democratic leaders vowed to use their narrow majorities in the House and the Senate to try to push it through. The failure of that strategy became clear on Tuesday. With Republicans making good on their promise to block it, a first procedural vote in the Senate left the legislation far short of the 60 votes it needed to advance, dooming the bill and leaving Democrats with an issue to campaign on  but not the big legislative victory progressives had sought. The blockade will preserve the status quo post-Trump, freezing action indefinitely in Washington as Republicans at the state level proceed, largely unencumbered, with new laws curtailing early and mail-in voting, while installing partisans to oversee and certify the next election.

4 on the Saudi team that killed Khashoggi got paramilitary training in the U.S., a Times investigation finds. A demonstrator held a picture of Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after his killing in 2018. Credit... Osman Orsal/Reuters Four Saudis who participated in the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi received paramilitary training in the United States the previous year under a contract approved by the State Department, according to documents and people familiar with the arrangement. The instruction occurred as the secret unit responsible for Mr. Khashoggis killing was beginning an extensive campaign of kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudi citizens ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, to crush dissent inside the kingdom. The training was provided by the Arkansas-based security company Tier 1 Group, which is owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. The company says the training  including safe marksmanship and countering an attack  was defensive in nature and devised to better protect Saudi leaders. One person familiar with the training said it also included work in surveillance and close-quarters battle. There is no evidence that the American officials who approved the training or Tier 1 Group executives knew that the Saudis were involved in the crackdown inside Saudi Arabia. But the fact that the government approved high-level military training for operatives who went on to carry out the grisly killing of a journalist shows how intensely intertwined the United States has become with an autocratic nation even as its agents carried out horrific human rights abuses. The State Department initially granted a license for the paramilitary training of the Saudi Royal Guard to Tier 1 Group starting in 2014, during the Obama administration. The training continued during at least the first year of former President Donald J. Trumps term. A State Department spokesman declined to confirm whether it awarded licenses to Tier 1 Group for the Saudi training. This administration insists on responsible use of U.S. origin defense equipment and training by our allies and partners, and considers appropriate responses if violations occur, said the spokesman, Ned Price. Saudi Arabia faces significant threats to its territory, and we are committed to working together to help Riyadh strengthen its defenses. Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes and

Suicides among post-9/11 veterans are four times as high as combat deaths, a new study finds. A marker for Cpl. Kindall Johnson, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Springfield. He died by suicide. Credit... Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star, via Associated Press As the last remaining American troops prepare to depart from Afghanistan and Congress debates removing presidential war-making powers for the first time in a generation, there is a growing understanding that the veterans of Americas longest wars have a far greater risk of suicide and other mental health concerns than those who came before. A new report from the Costs of War Project at Brown University found an estimated 30,177 active duty military personnel and veterans who have served since the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have died by suicide, compared with the 7,057 killed in military operations during the two-decade global war on terror. Among those who died by suicide, not all served in combat roles, suggesting that the problems that led to their suicides went beyond many of the often-cited causes, such as the high number of traumatic brain injuries and other severe combat-related wounds. The study pointed to service members exposure to mental, moral, and sexual traumas; the influence of the militarys hegemonic masculine culture; access to guns; and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life. The study also questioned the impact of the militarys reliance on guiding principles which overburden individual service members with moral responsibility or blameworthiness for actions or consequences over which they may have little control. The overall suicide rate for veterans is 1.5 times as much as the rate for civilians. Among post-Sept. 11 veterans between 18-years-old and 35-years-old, the rate is 2.5 times that of all civilians, the report found, and double that of civilians the same age. A great deal of money and legislation has been focused on fighting veteran suicide, yet the numbers have moved very little. The total number of veteran suicides increased by 36 from 2017 to 2018, the latest data available from the Department of Veterans Affairs, even as the veteran population fell by 1.5 percent. Lawmakers hope new programs passed in the last year that focus on veterans from the post-Sept. 11 period and those in rural areas will have more profound effects. Veterans who die by suicide often do not seek V. A. services, so other means of reaching them may be more successful. While most American veterans did not serve in the post-Sept. 11 wars, suicide rates for those who did rose from an average of 32.3 per 100,000 between 2005 and 2017 to 45.9 per 100,000 in 2018, the report found, drawing a firm line between service in those wars and special risk. Thomas H. Suitt III, the author of the report, said it was important to focus on that set of suicides, rather than the broader cases in the military. For active service members, the rates look similar to those of the civilian population, he said in an email. Indeed, the Department of Defense has a quick line they use that points that out, as though it is comforting. However, historically, rates among active component service members were lower than the general population and usually decreased in wartime.



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Garland will not review the Justice Departments actions under Trump. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said on Tuesday that reviewing the previous administrations actions was a complicated question. Credit... Tom Brenner for The New York Times Attorney General Merrick B. Garland backed away on Tuesday from doing a broad review of Justice Department politicization during the Trump administration, noting that the departments independent inspector general was already investigating related issues, including aggressive leak hunts and attempts to overturn the election. Democrats and some former Justice Department employees have pressed Mr. Garland to uncover any efforts by former President Donald J. Trump to wield the power of federal law enforcement to advance his personal agenda. Their calls for a full investigation grew louder after recent revelations that Mr. Trump pushed department officials to help him undo his election loss and that prosecutors took aggressive steps to root out leakers. Answering questions from reporters at the Justice Department on Tuesday, Mr. Garland said that reviewing the previous administrations actions was a complicated question. He noted that managers typically sought to understand what previous leaders had done, but said he would stop short of a comprehensive review in part to keep career employees from concluding that their work would be judged through changing political views. I dont want the departments career people to think that a new group comes in and immediately applies a political lens, Mr. Garland said. He also invoked the investigations by the Justice Departments inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, noting that they spoke to the question of whether Mr. Trump had improperly used the departments powers to investigate and prosecute. Its his job to look at these things, Mr. Garland said of Mr. Horowitz. Hes very good at this  let us know when there are problems and what changes should be made, if they should be. I dont want to prejudge anything. Its just not fair to the current employees.

Sanders signals openness to adjusting SALT cap to retain key votes as he maneuvers to pass Bidens agenda. Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, signaled an openness to adjusting the cap on how much taxpayers can deduct in state and local taxes. Credit... Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent in charge of the powerful Senate Budget Committee, signaled on Tuesday an openness to adjusting the cap on how much taxpayers can deduct in state and local taxes as he seeks to secure the support of nearly every Democrat in Congress for a multitrillion-dollar economic package. Some congressional Democrats have warned that they may not support any changes to the tax code that do not also address that provision, put in place during the Trump administration, because of the impact on their constituents. A draft budget document circulated by staff members on Capitol Hill and obtained by The New York Times included money to address the cap, which primarily increases the tax bills of higher-income residents of high-tax states like New York and California. The funding was not included in Mr. Bidens original proposals and could amount to a partial repeal of the cap for some taxpayers. I have a problem with extremely wealthy people being able to get the complete deduction, Mr. Sanders said in an interview, though he did not comment on specific details. I think thats an issue well have to work on. Democrats have begun to move forward to pass some, if not all, of Mr. Bidens economic agenda through the fast-track budget reconciliation process in order to bypass a Republican filibuster in the Senate. But the openness from Mr. Sanders underscored the breadth of compromises that rank-and-file lawmakers may have to accept to secure the necessary support of all 50 senators who caucus with Democrats and nearly every House Democrat. Mr. Sanders, who has pushed for as much as $6 trillion in spending should bipartisan negotiations on a narrower infrastructure package collapse, said he had asked Democrats on his committee to outline their priorities as he moves to build consensus around an outline. OK, look, what do you think? What kind of numbers youre comfortable with? And where would you like to cut back? Mr. Sanders said as he described his approach. We havent heard a lot about the cutting back. But he acknowledged the challenge in such maneuvers even as he pushes for various liberal priorities, including expanding Medicare benefits and eligibility and more spending. Were going to have to make sure that we end up with numbers that 50 members can agree on, he said. Mr. Sanders said he had not yet received a commitment from every senator for a $6 trillion package, even as he warned that a bipartisan infrastructure agreement would clear the Senate only with the promise that every Democrat would also support a reconciliation package. Were going to have to work hard, and, you know, make some trade-offs, and so forth and so on, he said. I am more than willing to speak to every member and hear what they have to say. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, were expected to meet with White House officials Tuesday evening to discuss both bipartisan talks and the reconciliation process. Among those expected to attend the meeting, according to an official familiar with the plans, were Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council; Steve Ricchetti, a top adviser to Mr. Biden; Louisa Terrell, the director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs; Shalanda Young, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget; and Susan Rice, the White House domestic policy adviser. The meeting comes after a series of lengthy huddles on Tuesday between a bipartisan group of centrist senators and White House officials. Those talks, spearheaded by Senators Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, and Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, are expected to continue Wednesday.

The Senate confirms Kiran Ahuja, Bidens nominee to run the Office of Personnel Management. The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kiran Ahuja, President Bidens nominee, to run the Office of Personnel Management.





Credit... Andrew Harnik/Associated Press Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tiebreaking vote to confirm President Bidens nominee to run the Office of Personnel Management, Kiran Ahuja, overcoming Republican objections to her nomination that centered on her views on racial justice. Ms. Ahujas confirmation follows a tumultuous period at the federal human resources agency. O.P.M. had five different directors, three of them acting, while President Donald J. Trump was in office, with one of the confirmed directors quitting under pressure from the White House and the other fired by the president. Kiran Ahuja is a qualified, experienced and dedicated public servant who we are looking forward to leading the Office of Personnel Management in its work protecting the safety of the work force, empowering federal employees, and building a federal work force that looks like America, said Chris Meager, a White House spokesman. The unified Republican objections centered on Ms. Ahujas remarks last year, when she ran a Seattle-based philanthropic organization, following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. You cant be a true ally to Black communities until you take it upon yourself to understand our racialized history in its most intimate and heinous forms, she wrote last June. And learn, as I did, that all forms of discrimination flow from the subjugation of Black and Indigenous people. Before the vote, Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, sought to tie Ms. Ahuja to critical race theory  a framework used to look at how racism is woven into seemingly neutral laws and institutions  which Republicans have used as an organizing tool to energize conservative voters during the Biden presidency. Im concerned that as the federal governments H.R. director, Ms. Ahuja could use her platform to promote radical ideologies that seek to divide rather than unite the American people, Mr. Hawley said. She could bring critical race theory back into federal government training. Much to the consternation of some conservatives, Mr. Biden on Inauguration Day rescinded a Trump-era executive order that forbade some workplace diversity and training programs for federal employees and contractors. Ms. Ahuja, an Indian-born immigrant who was raised in Savannah, Ga., worked in the Department of Justice and as the executive director of President Barack Obamas Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. With her confirmation, Ms. Ahuja returns to the personnel agency where she served as chief of staff during the final two years of Mr. Obamas administration.

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The Federal Reserve chair says the United States needs more inclusive prosperity. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:56 - 0:00 transcript Powell Says Economy Is Rebounding On Tuesday, Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, testified that gross domestic product was on track to grow at the fastest rate in decades while inflation rates in certain categories of goods and services were likely to decline as the recovery continues. Since we last met, the economy has shown sustained improvement. Widespread vaccinations have joined unprecedented monetary and fiscal-policy actions in providing strong support for the recovery. Indicators of economic activity and employment have continued to strengthen, and real G.D.P. this year appears to be on track to post its fastest rate of increase in decades. Much of this rapid growth reflects the continued bounceback in activity from depressed levels. The sectors most adversely affected by the pandemic remain weak, but have shown improvement. How much of the recent rise in inflation do you attribute to artificially low prices from early in the pandemic, and how much do you attribute to other effects, like supply bottlenecks pushing up prices and a genuine rebound in economic activity? Well, a pretty substantial part or perhaps all of the overshoot in inflation, comes from categories that are directly affected by the reopening of the economy, such as used cars and used cars and trucks in particular. Theres sort of a perfect storm of very strong demand and weak supply due to the reopening of the economy and various factors. Those are things that we would look to stop going up and ultimately, to start to decline as these situations resolve themselves. They dont speak to a broadly tight economy into the kind of thing that has led to high inflation over time. What were seeing now, we believe, is inflation in particular categories of goods and services that are being directly affected by this unique historical event that none of us has lived through before, called re-opening the economy after closing it. So you see extremely strong demand for labor, for goods, for services. And you see the supply side caught a little bit flatfooted in trying to catch up. On Tuesday, Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, testified that gross domestic product was on track to grow at the fastest rate in decades while inflation rates in certain categories of goods and services were likely to decline as the recovery continues. Credit Credit... Pool photo by Al Drago Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, said on Tuesday that the central bank was focused on returning the economy to full strength, and he emphasized that the Fed would be more ambitious and expansive in its understanding of what that meant. Speaking before House lawmakers on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Powell emphasized that the Fed was looking at maximum employment as a broad and inclusive goal  a standard it set out when it revamped its policy framework last year. That, he said, means the Fed will look at employment outcomes for different gender and ethnic groups. Theres a growing realization, really across the political spectrum, that we need to achieve more inclusive prosperity, Mr. Powell said in response to a question, citing lagging economic mobility in the United States. These things hold us back as an economy and as a country. The Fed cannot solve issues of economic inequality itself, he said. Congress would need to play a role in establishing a much broader set of policies. But Mr. Powells explanation of full employment came as many lawmakers wanted to talk about the second of the central banks two goals: stable inflation. The Fed chair was quizzed repeatedly about the recent pickup in price gains, with Republicans warning that the trend could become dangerously entrenched  even quoting statistics about recent jumps in bacon and used-car prices  as Democrats warned that the central bank should not be quick to react to the price pressures. Theres sort of a perfect storm of very strong demand and weak supply due to the reopening of the economy, Mr. Powell said, adding that much or all of the recent overshoot in inflation came from short-term bottlenecks. They dont speak to a broadly tight economy. Mr. Powell added that price jumps have been bigger than expected and that the Fed was monitoring them closely, but he said they were still expected to wane over time. He also acknowledged that economic data was uncertain now, given quirks in supply and demand as businesses reopen. We have to be very humble about our ability to really try to draw a signal out of it, Mr. Powell said. He said he had a level of confidence that strong price gains would be temporary but was not certain when bottlenecks would clear up. Nevertheless, the goods and services categories where costs are picking up quickly, like restaurants and travel, are clearly tied to the pandemic. It should not leave much of a mark on the ongoing inflation process, he said.

Senate panel discusses legislation on statehood for Washington, D.C. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:22 - 0:00 transcript Washington, D.C., Mayor Urges Statehood Legislation Mayor Muriel E. Bowser encouraged a Senate committee on Tuesday to consider legislation that would make Washington, D.C., the nations 51st state. We ask you to right the wrong that occurred some 220 years ago when the residents of the District of Columbia were stripped of their full congressional representation. And we ask you to do it now. The Constitution left the issue of democracy for residents of the District of Columbia to the Congress. The House of Representatives has passed the Washington, D.C., Admission Act twice, and the White House has indicated its support for the bill through a statement of administration policy. Our democracy is truly in the hands of this Senate. It is the time for the U.S. Senate to support the D.C. petition for statehood. In two weeks, the country will celebrate our Independence Day and the establishment of the United States as a sovereign nation, free from taxation without representation. Yet the 700,000 predominantly Black and brown residents of Washington, D.C., have continued to pay taxes without representation for over 200 years. As we celebrate our nationhood, I appeal to this Senate to end the ongoing systemic injustice faced by a growing population in D.C., and vote for statehood in the 117th Congress. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser encouraged a Senate committee on Tuesday to consider legislation that would make Washington, D.C., the nations 51st state. Credit Credit... Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters A Senate committee on Tuesday discussed legislation that would establish Washington, D.C., as the nations 51st state, after the House passed the measure along party lines earlier this year. The legislation would create a state called Washington, Douglass Commonwealth  in honor of Frederick Douglass, the Black emancipation and civil rights leader  represented by a single voting representative in the House and two senators for its more than 700,000 residents, many of whom are people of color. Some government property  including the National Mall, the White House and Capitol Hill  would be left under federal control. While the measure is unlikely to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold given widespread Republican opposition and skepticism among some moderate Democrats, Senator Tom Carper, Democrat of Delaware, pushed for the Homeland Security Committee to hold the hearing, just the second on the topic in the chambers history. He oversaw the first such hearing in 2014, when he served as chairman of the committee. Our nations capital is home to more than just monuments and museums; it is home to American families who go to work, start businesses, pay their taxes and contribute to Americas economic prowess, Mr. Carper said as the hearing began. As every Congress passes, we are failing these fellow Americans and coming well short of our founders rallying cry of no taxation without representation. Momentum for statehood has intensified since that inaugural Senate hearing, as advocates and allies of the movement have argued that making the nations capital a state would end the disenfranchisement of district residents. The pandemic underscored the disparate treatment of the district, which received less federal emergency relief through the expansive coronavirus aid bill than expected because it is not a state. President Biden has also said he supports statehood for the district. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the districts lone nonvoting representative in the House, and Senator Joe Lieberman, an independent who pushed for the legislation during his time in the Senate, appeared before the committee to speak on the issue. One Democrat on the committee, Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, has not yet said whether she supports the legislation, although 45 of the senators who caucus with Democrats have signed on. Republicans have argued that the bill is unconstitutional, an argument that the White House has privately sought to counter with suggested changes.

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Covid-19 News: Over 150 Texas Hospital Workers Are Fired or Resign Over Vaccine Mandate The virus is surging across Africa, where less than 1 percent are vaccinated. The White House publicly acknowledged the U.S. will likely miss President Bidens July 4 vaccination goal.

153 Texas hospital workers are fired or resign over mandatory vaccine policy. A demonstrator held a sign in protest at Houston Methodist Hospital in Baytown, Texas, in early June. Credit... Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle, via Associated Press More than 150 staff members at a Houston-area hospital were fired or resigned on Tuesday for not following a policy that requires employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The hospital, Houston Methodist, had told employees that they had to be vaccinated by June 7 or face suspension for two weeks. Of the nearly 200 employees who had been suspended, 153 of them were terminated by the hospital on Tuesday or had resigned, according to Gale Smith, a spokeswoman for the hospital. Ms. Smith said employees who had complied with the vaccine policy during the suspension period were allowed to return to work a day after they became compliant. The hospital did not specify how many workers had complied and returned to work. Vaccine hesitancy has been high among frontline health care workers: Surveys showed that nearly half remained unvaccinated as of mid-March, despite being among the first to become eligible for the shots in December. A March 2021 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that health care workers had concerns about the vaccines newness and their possible side effects, both of which are common reasons for waiting to be vaccinated. Earlier this month, dozens of employees who had not been vaccinated by Houston Methodists deadline protested outside of the hospital against the mandatory vaccine policy. The protest followed a now dismissed lawsuit filed last month by 117 Houston Methodist employees against their employer over the vaccine policy. The workers lawsuit accused the hospital of forcing its employees to be human guinea pigs as a condition for continued employment. Jennifer Bridges, a nurse who led the Houston Methodist protest, had cited the lack of full F.D.A. approval for the shots as a reason she wouldnt get vaccinated. U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes, in the Southern District of Texas, rejected a claim by Ms. Bridges, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, that the vaccines available for use in the United States were experimental and dangerous. The hospitals employees are not participants in a human trial, Judge Hughes wrote. Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the Covid-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer. Arthur Caplan, a professor of medical ethics at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, said the vaccine requirement was no different than other mandates for health care workers, like getting an annual flu shot, keeping up with immunizations and wearing hairnets. He noted that some health care workers have been fired in the past for refusing to get flu shots and said that states like New York require it. Health care workers have three special ethical responsibilities, Dr. Caplan said. One is protect the vulnerable, people who are really at risk of a disease. Secondly, put patient interests for first. It doesnt say, put your choice first. Third, theyre supposed to do no harm. Dr. Caplan also condemned a comparison by the lead plaintiff in the Houston case, Ms. Bridges, between hospital workers and Nazi concentration camp prisoners. He suggested that the hospital employees who refused to get vaccinated would be better off in a different line of work. Its like youre in the wrong job there, buddy, he said. Jesus Jimenez and

Coronavirus cases spike in Africa. The India example is not lost to us. Awaiting laboratory results at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu, Kenya. Credit... Brian Otieno for The New York Times With medical supplies depleted, vaccines scarce, doctors lamenting physical and mental fatigue and hospitals turning away patients for lack of beds or oxygen, health officials say they fear a wave like the one that ripped through India in April and May could be looming in western Kenya and other parts of Africa. All of Africa is vulnerable, as the latest wave of the pandemic sweeps the continent, driven in part by more transmissible variants. Fewer than 1 percent of Africas people have been even partly vaccinated, by far the lowest rate for any continent. I think the greatest risk in Africa is to look at what happened in Italy earlier on and what happened in India and start thinking we are safe  to say its very far away from us and that we may not go the same way, said Dr. Mark Nanyingi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Liverpool in Britain. He called a surge now gripping western Kenya a storm on the horizon. Covid-related deaths in Africa climbed by nearly 15 percent last week compared to the previous one, based on available data from almost 40 nations, the World Health Organization said. But experts say the true scale of the pandemic far exceeds reported figures in Africa, where testing and tracing remain a challenge for many countries, and many nations do not collect mortality data. In late May, before Kenyas president and other leaders arrived to celebrate a major public holiday, health officials in Kisumu on Lake Victoria saw disaster brewing. Coronavirus cases were spiking, hospital isolation units were filling up and the highly contagious Delta variant had been found in Kenya for the first time  in Kisumu County. Local health officials pleaded with the politicians to hold a virtual event instead, but their objections were waved away. In the weeks since, all reports show an alarming surge in infections and deaths in the county of just over 1.1 million people, with the virus sickening mostly young people. The India example is not lost to us, Dr. Nyunya said.

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Heres what to know about the Delta variant in the U.S. Medical personnel remove the body of a Covid-19 victim from the coronavirus ward at the Honorio Delgado Hospital in Arequipa, Peru, last week, following an outbreak of cases of the Delta strain in the city. Credit... Diego Ramos/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images The super-contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is now responsible for about one in every five Covid-19 cases in the United States, and its prevalence has doubled in the last two weeks, health officials said on Tuesday. First identified in India, Delta is one of several variants of concern, as designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. It has spread rapidly through India and Britain. Its appearance in the United States is not surprising. And with vaccinations ticking up and Covid-19 case numbers falling, its unclear how much of a problem Delta will cause here. Still, its swift rise has prompted concerns that it might jeopardize the nations progress in beating back the pandemic. The Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate Covid-19, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, said at the briefing. The good news, he said, is that the vaccines authorized in the United States work against the variant. We have the tools, he said. So lets use them, and crush the outbreak.

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Morgan Stanley says no vaccine, no entry. A view of the offices of the financial trading company Morgan Stanley in New York City. Credit... Justin Lane/EPA, via Shutterstock Morgan Stanley will require employees and visitors to be vaccinated against the coronavirus when they enter its New York offices next month. Starting July 12, employees, contingent workers, clients and visitors at Morgan Stanleys buildings in New York City and Westchester County must attest that they are fully vaccinated, a person familiar with the matter said, citing a memo from Mandell Crawley, the banks chief human resources officer. Staff members who dont will be required to work remotely, added the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel-related matters. Although the requirement relies on an honor system for now rather than proof of vaccination, it will allow the bank to lift other pandemic protocols, such as face coverings and physical distancing. Some office spaces for Morgan Stanleys institutional securities, investment and wealth management divisions already allow only those who have received their shots to work from their desks. Companies across America are grappling with the question of whether to ask employees about their vaccination status, or to require those returning to offices to be vaccinated. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said last month that both actions were legal. Still, some senior executives have worried about pushback from employees. This month, Goldman Sachs said its employees in the United States would have to report their vaccination status. Other big Wall Street banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, are encouraging workers to disclose their vaccination status voluntarily. BlackRock, the asset manager, will allow only vaccinated staff to return to the office beginning next month, Bloomberg reported. Those firms, however, stopped short of also asking clients and visitors to attest to being vaccinated. The Financial Times reported earlier on Morgan Stanleys vaccine requirements. Lauren Hirsch contributed reporting.

In the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte threatens to jail those who refuse shots. A vaccination point in Manila on Tuesday. The Philippines is struggling to tamp down one of Southeast Asias worst Covid-19 outbreaks. Credit... Mark R Cristino/EPA, via Shutterstock President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has threatened to send anyone who refuses a coronavirus vaccine to jail, as the country grapples with one of the worst outbreaks in Asia. There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency, Mr. Duterte said during a weekly television program late Monday, which included an expletive-laced rant against those who chose not to get a vaccine. If you do not want to get vaccinated, I will have you arrested, Mr. Duterte added. Dont force my hand into it, and use a strong-arm method. Nobody wants that. He continued on to urge anyone who did not want to be vaccinated to leave the Philippines, and go elsewhere, like India or America. Mr. Duterte, a strongman leader who has long used thuggery, threats and calls for violence as part of his political persona, said he was exasperated by citizens who chose not to heed the government on vaccination, before ordering all local officials to look for those refusing to be immunized. Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers, said that jail time for those refusing shots would be illegal. There is no law that specifically empowers the president to order such arrests for said reasons, even if this is a health emergency, Mr. Olalia said. Mr. Dutertes spokesman, Harry Roque, a former rights lawyer, said on Tuesday that in Philippine jurisprudence, a president can compel compulsory vaccination. But he said that this should be supported by legislation. The Philippines is struggling to tamp down one of Southeast Asias worst Covid-19 outbreaks, with the government on Monday reporting 5,249 new cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1.3 million. The authorities have been trying to acquire more vaccines and have secured a supply contract for 40 million shots from Pfizer-BioNTech. The country has some 12.7 million doses, most of them from Sinovac of China. But the Philippine vaccination program has been hobbled by distribution bottlenecks, as well as public fears. In 2017, the government halted a dengue immunization program after shots developed by the French drug firm Sanofi were linked to a severe form of the disease. More than 830,000 school children had received the shot and dozens of deaths were reported by the time it was halted.

Cuba reports a high success rate for its homegrown Abdala vaccine. Cuban officials began using two locally developed vaccines in May, before Phase 3 trials were complete. A man received a dose in Havana last Thursday. Credit... Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters Cuba began its Covid-19 mass vaccination campaign more than a month ago with homegrown, unproven vaccines, wagering that they would prove effective enough to blunt the rapid spread of the coronavirus on the cash-strapped Caribbean island. The gamble appears to be paying off. The Cuban health authorities said on Monday that their countrys three-shot Abdala vaccine had proved about 92 percent effective against the coronavirus in late-stage clinical trials. Throughout the pandemic, Cuba has declined to import foreign vaccines while striving to develop its own, the smallest country in the world to do so. The announcement places Abdala among the most effective Covid vaccines in the world, according to data from clinical trials, on a par with Pfizer-BioNTechs 95 percent rate, Modernas 94.1 percent, and Russias Sputnik V at 91.6 percent. On Saturday, Cubas state-run biotech corporation, BioCubaFarma, said that another of its vaccines, Sovereign 2, had 62 percent efficacy after two of its three required doses. Results for the full three doses are expected in the next few weeks. The vaccine news was seen as a rare cause for celebration on an island that has been hammered both by the pandemic, which has devastated its tourism industry, and by Trump-era economic sanctions that have not been eased by the Biden administration. Cuba is currently experiencing its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic. It reported 1,561 new cases on Monday, a record. In May the health authorities began a mass vaccination campaign in Havana before the completion of Phase 3 trials, which assess a vaccines effectiveness and safety. The emergency step was intended to help combat the Beta variant, first detected in South Africa, which was spreading rapidly in the Cuban capital. Close to one million Cubans  about 9 percent of the national population  have now received all three doses of either Abdala or Sovereign 2, according to official figures. Officials say they are seeing a slowing of the viruss spread in Havana, where vaccinations have been concentrated so far. Countries including Mexico, Argentina, Vietnam and Iran have expressed interest in Cubas coronavirus vaccines. The high announced rate of efficacy could reinforce hopes that biotechnology exports will help lift Cuba from the depths of its economic crisis.

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With eight million shots in a day, India tries to energize its vaccination effort. Receiving a Covid shot during a door-to-door vaccination and testing drive in West Bengal State, India, on Monday. Credit... Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters India administered 8.6 million doses of Covid vaccines on Monday, setting a national record on the first day of a new policy that offers free vaccines for all adults and aims to energize a lackluster inoculation effort. Despite a slow start characterized by supply shortages and bickering between the states and central government, officials say that vaccine production and procurement are being accelerated to ensure that all of Indias roughly 950 million adults are fully vaccinated by the end of the year. Mondays total was the most Covid shots given in a single day in any country besides China, and the surge may have been partly because the vaccines were widely available and free for the first time to those younger than 45. Local news reports have also suggested that Mondays record may have been made possible by holding back vaccines in some states run by the governing party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In one state, Madhya Pradesh, the number of administered doses had shrunk to just 692 a day before the start of the new policy on Monday, when 1.6 million doses were suddenly administered. And the boost was probably temporary  available supplies suggest that it would be difficult to sustain such a pace over the coming weeks. India has increased the availability of doses to 120 million this month, from about 75 million in May. About 135 million doses are expected to be available in July. The inoculation drive relies almost entirely on two vaccines manufactured in India, and government officials have said that the companies behind those vaccines, the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech, have promised to deliver a total of about 1.3 billion doses from August to the end of the year. The remaining doses are expected to come from other vaccines still under assessment or trial. In India, a nation of about 1.4 billion people, the task ahead remains enormous. Although the country has administered nearly 290 million doses of vaccines so far, according to government data, less than 5 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Less than 20 percent of people have received at least one dose. The government has worked to iron out supply issues and ease online registration requirements that have hampered vaccine access, especially in parts of the country where smartphone and internet availability are spotty. Still, vaccine hesitancy  born of local superstitions, as well as misinformation spread by some political and religious leaders  could be another hurdle for India before it meets its ambitious goal of inoculating all adults by the end of the year. The effort to ramp up vaccinations comes as the worst of Indias devastating second wave appears to be over, with most of Indias major cities easing restrictions and reopening the economy. India reported about 42,000 new cases on Monday, down from a peak of more than 400,000 in early May. The weekly test positivity rate has remained below 5 percent for two consecutive weeks, a sign that undetected cases in the population are also decreasing. At least 390,000 people have died of Covid in India, according to official figures, although experts believe that is a significant undercount.

Thailand opens a holiday island to vaccinated tourists. Local residents at a beach on the island of Phuket, Thailand, in April. Credit... Jorge Silva/Reuters Dreaming of golden beaches and the caress of tropical breezes? Then consider a holiday on the island of Phuket. Thats the pitch being made by the government of Thailand, which has seen its tourism-dependent economy battered by the pandemic. On Tuesday, the Thai cabinet approved a plan, called Phuket Sandbox, that will allow vaccinated international visitors to roam the island without having to quarantine for 14 days, as is the current policy for arrivals in Thailand. Im very excited that its finally happening, said Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, the head of the Phuket branch of the Thai tourism authority. Business here has been devastated. With this reopening, at least the people are being given the chance to welcome tourists again. But Phuket Sandbox  which is scheduled to start on July 1 with five flights from Singapore, Qatar, Israel and the United Arab Emirates  may not deliver the economic boost that its supporters were hoping for. And the late date of formal approval, with many international travelers having already made summer plans, makes it unlikely that crowds of sun seekers will be descending on the island anytime soon. The plan allows for tourists fully inoculated with World Health Organization-approved vaccines to spend 14 days on Phuket without having to be confined to a hotel room. After two weeks and multiple Covid-19 tests, the tourists, who must be from countries considered at low or medium risk for the coronavirus, will be allowed to travel to the rest of Thailand. While in Phuket, they will be able to swim and snorkel, drink beer and enjoy an invigorating Thai massage, all with hardly any restrictions. (Masks are still mandatory in public, however.) Health officials have warned that Phuket Sandbox could be suspended if coronavirus infections on the island rise beyond 90 cases per week. Thailand is currently suffering from its worst outbreak since the pandemic began, and a mass vaccine rollout is far behind schedule. Only about 3 percent of the countrys 70 million people have been fully vaccinated, despite government promises to administer 100 million doses by the end of the year. To prepare for Phukets reopening, the Thai government began funneling vaccines to the island this year. Even so, less than 45 percent of people in Phuket have been fully vaccinated, according to health officials. And many were inoculated with the Sinovac vaccine, which may not be as effective against variants as other shots. Some Thai doctors argue that the country shouldnt open up so quickly, even for a pilot project on a sequestered island. There is still a risk when you welcome them without quarantining that they carry the virus into the country, especially when it is the variant of concern, said Thira Woratanarat, a public health expert at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. There will be a chance that it will spread in the community. Hannah Beech and

The Euro 2020 soccer tournament will be decided in London after all. The Czech Republic and Englands players line up before the Euro 2020 match at Wembley Stadium in London today. The stadium capacity will be raised to 75 percent for the final matches. Credit... Pool photo by Matt Dunham The semifinal and final matches of this summers European soccer championship will be played as scheduled at Wembley Stadium in London, tournament organizers said Tuesday, ending speculation that Britains pandemic travel restrictions would prompt a relocation. European soccers governing body, UEFA, reached a deal with the British government after days of intense talks over UEFAs request for exemptions that would allow thousands of overseas supporters  and as many as 2,500 V.I.P.s  to attend the matches. The statement announcing the agreement did not specify which exemptions had been granted. But it said that the stadiums attendance ceiling would be raised to 75 percent of capacity for the matches  the biggest crowds to attend a sporting event in Britain since the start of the pandemic. Officials briefed on the statement said the British government had broadly agreed to let in the V.I.P.s  including commercial and broadcast partners and soccer dignitaries  but would probably admit only a small number of supporters from nations involved in the matches. A recent surge in coronavirus cases in Britain has forced the government to back away from plans to lift its remaining social-distancing restrictions this week. Several members of the Scotland and England teams who played a game at Wembley last week are now in isolation after testing positive.

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The virus is ravaging Colombia, where the death toll surpassed 100,000. Relatives spreading the ashes of family members who died from Covid-19, at the nature reserve of Paramo de Guerrero in Cogua municipality, Colombia, on Monday. Credit... Raul Arboleda/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images Colombia, where a surging coronavirus and a dearth of vaccines have led to widespread protests, has surpassed 100,000 recorded Covid-19 deaths, just the 10th country to pass that milestone. Colombia and the wider Latin American region have become emblematic of the global divide between richer nations like the United States, Britain and Israel, which have reliable access to Covid vaccines, and poorer ones that lack them and are left grappling with rising death tolls. The crisis has been particularly acute in South America, now home to seven of the 10 countries with the highest average daily death toll per person, according to a New York Times database. The list also includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay. On Sunday, the Covid-19 death toll in Brazil surpassed 500,000, putting it behind only the United States and India in the total number of deaths. The situation in South America is in sharp contrast with wealthier countries, where government officials have lifted emergency orders that require people to wear masks and practice social distancing. Colombia has been averaging more than 500 deaths per day since the spring, according to the Colombian Ministry of Health. On Monday, Colombia reported 648 deaths, another record. Less than 10 percent of Colombias population of about 51 million is fully vaccinated, public health data showed. Colombias surge has steadily been worsening for months. In the spring, Claudia Lopez, the mayor of Colombias capital, Bogota, warned residents that they should brace for the worst two weeks of their lives. The crisis has exacerbated public anger in Colombia, with demonstrations over a pandemic-related tax overhaul intensifying as the nation grapples with rising infections and deaths. There has also been an uptick in abuses by the national police force, with officers beating, detaining and killing protesters, sometimes opening fire on peaceful demonstrations and shooting tear gas canisters from armored vehicles, according to interviews by The New York Times with witnesses and family members of the dead and injured.

C.D.C. researchers identify 1,200 cases of post-vaccination heart problems, noting they remain very rare. A teenager receiving a Covid-19 vaccine in Philadelphia last month. Currently, the C.D.C. strongly recommends the shots for Americans ages 12 and older. Credit... Hannah Beier/Reuters The coronavirus vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna may have caused heart problems in more than 1,200 Americans, including about 500 who were younger than age 30, according to data reported on Wednesday by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, the benefits of immunization greatly outweigh the risks, advisers to the C.D.C. said. They strongly recommended vaccination for all Americans 12 and older. The heart problems are myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle; and pericarditis, inflammation of the lining around the heart. The risk is higher after the second dose of an mRNA vaccine than the first, and much higher in men than in women. Researchers do not know why. But the side effect is very uncommon, just 12.6 cases per million second doses administered. C.D.C. researchers estimated that every million second doses given to boys ages 12 to 17 might cause a maximum of 70 myocarditis cases, but would prevent 5,700 infections, 215 hospitalizations and two deaths. Agency researchers presented the data to members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which makes recommendations on vaccine use in the United States. (The scientists grouped together pericarditis and myocarditis for reporting purposes.) Most cases were mild, with symptoms like fatigue, chest pain and disturbances in heart rhythm that quickly cleared up, the researchers reported. Of the 484 cases reported in Americans under age 30, the C.D.C. has definitively linked 323 cases to vaccination. The rest remain under investigation. These events are really very rare, extremely rare, said Dr. Brian Feingold, an expert on heart inflammation in children at the UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh. That needs to be taken in context with illness and morbidity and mortality related to Covid. Separately, more than a dozen federal and professional medical organizations said in a joint statement on Wednesday that myocarditis is an extremely rare side effect, and only an exceedingly small number of people will experience it after vaccination. The C.D.C. advisers met as the Biden administration publicly acknowledged that it expected to fall short of its goal of getting 70 percent of Americans partly vaccinated by July 4. The shortfall, officials said on Tuesday, resulted in part from reluctance among younger Americans to be immunized. Its unclear what causes myocarditis, or why it is more common in young men than in women. The first cases linked to coronavirus vaccines were reported in Israel, mostly among young men aged 16 to 19 years. Israel recorded 148 cases between December and May, 95 percent of them mild. In the United States, too, myocarditis has been more common in men and boys: Up to 80 percent of cases after the second dose were in males. There has also been a clear age difference, with the side effect clustered in individuals in their late teens and early 20s. The vast majority of patients with myocarditis recovery fully, noted Dr. James de Lemos, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who reported one of the first cases in January. Covid-19 itself may cause heart problems in young people. A large study of collegiate athletes showed that 2.3 percent of those who had recovered from Covid-19 had heart abnormalities consistent with myocarditis. Its going to be many-fold more common to get heart muscle inflammation from getting Covid than you would from getting a vaccine, even in young men, Dr. de Lemos said. Vaccination is becoming an even more urgent priority, given more contagious variants of the coronavirus now circulating in the United States, Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the Food and Drug Administrations vaccine safety committee, said in an interview. We are not close to being near where we need to be in terms of the percentage of the population that should be vaccinated, Dr. Offit said. And youre going to head into winter when youre going to have a generally under vaccinated population.

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The pandemic affected mental health and college plans for U.S. high schoolers. Brighton High School seniors during their graduation ceremony at Fenway Park in Boston last week. Credit... Brian Snyder/Reuters Nearly 80 percent of American high school juniors and seniors say the coronavirus pandemic has affected their plans after graduation, and 72 percent of 13- to 19-year-olds have struggled with their mental health, a new survey shows. The survey, conducted by Americas Promise Alliance, a nonprofit group, found that 58 percent of teenagers reported learning entirely or mostly online in the 2020-21 school year, and 22 percent said that they had learned about half online and half in person. Nineteen percent said they had learned mostly through in-person instruction. The results are from a nationally representative survey of 2,400 high school students conducted in March and April. Among those who said the pandemic had affected their plans after high school, one-third said they would attend college closer to home; one-quarter said they would attend a two-year college instead of a four-year institution; 17 percent said they would attend college remotely rather than in person; and 16 percent said they would put off attending college. Seven percent said they were no longer planning to attend college. Nearly half the respondents who changed their plans said they were doing so because of financial pressure, suggesting that the pandemic will probably widen educational inequalities among young adults. Given the extraordinary swell of racial-justice activism over the past year, the survey also asked students about how their schools had handled race issues. Two-thirds reported that the history of racism had been taught at their schools. But Asian, Black, Latino and multiracial students were less likely than white students to say that the curriculum represented their own racial and ethnic background.

British music festivals, a summer tradition, are in doubt for a second year. Festivalgoers at the Download Festival in Donington Park, England, last Friday. The three-day festival is a test event to examine how Covid-19 transmission takes place in crowds, with reduced capacity. Credit... Joe Giddens/Press Association, via Associated Press CASTLE DONINGTON, England  At 5 p.m. on Friday, a metal band called Death Blooms walked onstage in a field in Derbyshire, England, and launched into a pummeling track to open Download Festival, Britains first large-scale music festival to take place since the pandemic began. A second later, several hundred rain-soaked fans  including two men dressed as bananas  began careering into one another in front of the stage at Donington Park, arms and legs flailing, smiling ecstatically as they formed the first legal mosh pit in the country in 15 months. Since the 1970s, music festivals have been a key part of the British summer: events where teenagers get a first taste of parent-free vacations, music fans find community and people generally get very muddy and carefree. But there is widespread concern that few events will go ahead this year despite nearly half of Britains population having been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. And organizers say they risk going bankrupt. Several major festivals were canceled for the second year in a row after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that social-distancing measures would continue in England until at least July 19. Download, too, was initially canceled in March. Last weekends hastily arranged special edition was able to go ahead only because it was part of a government trial to see whether and how cultural life could return safely. Previous pilot events  two 3,000-person club nights and a 5,000-capacity rock concert in Liverpool  led to eight cases of potential coronavirus transmission, according to one of the scientists involved, Iain Buchan. Download 2021 had a significantly reduced capacity of only 10,000 fans, and the lineup featured only British acts to avoid the risks of international travel and quarantines. Attendees had to take a coronavirus test before going in, and agree to another one five days after the festival. But once inside in the grounds, masks werent required  though head banging, moshing and drunken conversations at the campsite were prevalent.

Louisiana, lagging in vaccinations, gambles on a lottery. Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and his wife, Donna Edwards, at a news conference last week announcing cash prizes and scholarships to encourage vaccination. Credit... Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate, via Associated Press Like many states in the South, Louisianas vaccination rate has lagged significantly behind the national average, particularly among older adults, a trend that has troubled public health officials. Some 22 percent of adults 65 and older still have not been vaccinated, compared with 12 percent nationally, according to a New York Times database. Just 34 percent of the states population has been fully vaccinated, compared with 46 percent nationally. Louisiana is one of the latest states to resort to dangling financial incentives to get more shots into arms, a strategy that has kindled a broader debate over the effectiveness and wisdom of monetary enticements. It is holding a lottery, which will be paid for with federal coronavirus relief funds. At the lotterys unveiling last week, a jazz band played the state song, You Are My Sunshine, and Louisianas governor, John Bel Edwards, revealed a giant check for $1 million. Mr. Edwards said amid the festivities that the money would go to a Louisiana adult who had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. He said that the state would give away a total of $2.3 million in cash prizes and scholarships over a month. Registration for the lottery  marketed as Shot at a Million  began this week. Before launching our own program, we wanted to see how well it worked in other states, and, quite frankly, weve been impressed by the success that theyve had, Mr. Edwards said in announcing the lottery. Louisianas vaccination rate, as a share of its population, is lower than every state but Mississippi. Six of the bottom eight states are in the South: They include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee. The Biden administration has made a concerted push to overcome vaccine hesitancy, particularly in the South. This week, the first lady, Jill Biden, visited Tennessee and Mississippi to encourage people to get vaccinated, while President Biden visited a mobile vaccination site in North Carolina on Thursday. Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio announced in May that five people would each win $1 million; the last winners were announced on Wednesday. On Thursday, Mr. DeWine said the state would focus on smaller incentives, like $25 DoorDash gift cards at select locations, and on expanding outreach and access to shots. We want our people to be protected, Mr. Edwards said. This is the way that we accomplish that. It is the way we can make sure that we return to normalcy and are able to safely gather. Dr. A. Mark Fendrick, the director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design, said in an interview that there was a compelling case for conducting lotteries but that they should be open only to people who were fully vaccinated. The people that we need to reach to get vaccinated, independent of their political affiliation, have been shown to be those populations who are likely to buy lottery tickets, he said. Dr. Fendrick, a primary-care physician who has studied consumer incentives for health care behavior for three decades, said it was too early to determine the effectiveness of the lotteries. In some states, he said, the lotteries coincided with making the vaccine available to teenagers, which could skew the numbers. He suggested comparing the vaccination rates in states with lotteries to those without them. I really want to see Michigan versus Ohio, he said. On Wednesday, North Carolina held its first lottery drawing as part of a similar vaccination push. Every other week, it will give away $1 million and a $125,000 scholarship to an adult and a teenager who get the vaccine. Similar initiatives have been promoted by California, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico and Washington. In Oregon, however, the pace of vaccinations slipped since May, when Gov. Kate Brown announced a $1 million giveaway, The Oregonian reported this month. Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Ms. Brown, said in an email on Tuesday night that the drop-off in vaccinations was to be expected as more residents had the shot. Oregon, he said, needed to inoculate less than 42,000 people to reach its target of at least 70 percent of adults having received at least one shot. Mr. Boyle said that the Take Your Shot, Oregon campaign was part of a broader strategy that included using more and smaller vaccine clinics to lift the vaccination rate. No individual strategy is expected to have a singularly massive impact or to wholly reverse vaccination rate trends, he said. Each strategy adds a little energy to the overall effort. Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting. Correction : June 25, 2021 Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the date of North Carolina's first vaccination lottery drawing. It was June 23, not June 30.

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WASHINGTON  Four Saudis who participated in the 2018 killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi received paramilitary training in the United States the previous year under a contract approved by the State Department, according to documents and people familiar with the arrangement.

The instruction occurred as the secret unit responsible for Mr. Khashoggis killing was beginning an extensive campaign of kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudi citizens ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, to crush dissent inside the kingdom.

The training was provided by the Arkansas-based security company Tier 1 Group, which is owned by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. The company says the training  including safe marksmanship and countering an attack  was defensive in nature and devised to better protect Saudi leaders. One person familiar with the training said it also included work in surveillance and close-quarters battle.

There is no evidence that the American officials who approved the training or Tier 1 Group executives knew that the Saudis were involved in the crackdown inside Saudi Arabia. But the fact that the government approved high-level military training for operatives who went on to carry out the grisly killing of a journalist shows how intensely intertwined the United States has become with an autocratic nation even as its agents committed horrific human rights abuses.
Any Democratic lawmaker who still supports the filibuster is complicit in the voter suppression that we know will happen next year, said Ellen Sciales, a spokeswoman for the Sunrise Movement, a progressive group of young climate activists. They must realize that voter suppression is just as existential a threat as climate change, because tackling one is inextricable with the other.

The blockade of the Democratic legislation in Congress came on the same day that Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the states Legislature, as Republicans there resumed their attempt to pass an expansive bill of voting restrictions.

Democratic state lawmakers in Texas  one of the few major battleground states led by Republicans in which the party has not yet passed a new voting bill  pledged to keep up their efforts on the ground to stymie the bill, but said that help from Congress would be essential.

Were without a doubt holding the line in Texas, said State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat who helped organize the dramatic late-night walkout to stall the previous G.O.P. voting bill last month. Were using every tool at our disposal, and well continue to do so.

But he added, It is very clear that the best approach and the best policy is to have a national standard for voting.

Mr. Martinez Fischer said the next voting bill in Texas, which Republicans are likely to pass, would remind Americans of the scale of voter restrictions being enacted at the state level.

Republicans in other states are also moving forward with new voting legislation. On Tuesday, Wisconsin Republicans passed a bill  certain to be vetoed by Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat  that would make absentee voting more difficult, especially for disabled and older people, and would prohibit local election clerks from completing missing information like addresses on the envelopes of absentee ballots.
Cuba began its Covid-19 mass vaccination campaign more than a month ago with homegrown, unproven vaccines, wagering that they would prove effective enough to blunt the rapid spread of the coronavirus on the cash-strapped Caribbean island.

The gamble appears to be paying off.

The Cuban health authorities said on Monday that their countrys three-shot Abdala vaccine had proved about 92 percent effective against the coronavirus in late-stage clinical trials.

Throughout the pandemic, Cuba has declined to import foreign vaccines while striving to develop its own, the smallest country in the world to do so.

The announcement places Abdala among the most effective Covid vaccines in the world, according to data from clinical trials, on a par with Pfizer-BioNTechs 95 percent rate, Modernas 94.1 percent, and Russias Sputnik V at 91.6 percent.
MADRID  Spains government on Tuesday approved pardons to a group of separatists serving long prison sentences for their involvement in a failed attempt to form a breakaway state in the northeastern region of Catalonia, a major olive branch in a conflict that has long divided the country.

The pardons, approved by the Spanish cabinet and announced at a news conference, made good on recent promises by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to reconcile with a separatist movement that in 2017 rocked Spain with an independence referendum. Spains courts declared the vote illegal and the government ordered a crackdown, confiscating ballots and even sending in riot squads to beat many who tried to vote.

Officials also ordered wide-ranging arrests, including those of the nine politicians and independence activists, who were originally given sentences between nine and 13 years, on charges that included sedition and misuse of public funds. The prisoners were jailed about three and a half years ago.

In an announcement from the prime ministers palace, Mr. Sanchez offered a conciliatory tone that signaled a shift from past confrontational stances by the government against the prisoners. He said pardoning them was in the public interest.
Certainly if its a worry for the Holy See, it is a worry for each one of us, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the prefect for the Vatican office for Laity, Family and Life, said when asked about the letter in a news conference on Tuesday. And a concern of which we naturally agree with.

An official from the Vaticans Secretariat of State said that the letter did not get into details, but referred to an article of the Lateran Treaty that clearly guaranteed religious liberty for the church in the practicing and teaching of its beliefs. He said the proposed law, if passed as is, would trample on those rights.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the letters contents, said that while the Vatican often sent such letters after the passage of laws, it decided in this instance to intervene early, during the legislative process, to try to stop it. The Vatican, the official said, considered itself well within its rights to do so, given the terms of the treaty.

In the Vaticans reading of the bill, only admitting men to the priesthood, restricting marriage to a man and a woman, and refusing to teach gender theory in Catholic schools would all be considered discriminatory, and a crime. Asked why the Vatican had not intervened so strongly in other countries that have passed similar laws, the official said that, as far as the Vatican understood, the proposed law went further than other places.

The letter delivered to the Italian government, the official said, asserted that in the long tradition and teaching of the church, the differences between the sexes is critical, and that recognizing that difference was not discrimination, but part of its belief system. He added that the treaty guaranteed that the church would have the right to practice and teach that difference in Italy.

On Nov. 4, Italys lower house of Parliament approved a bill to add anti-L.G.B.T. motives to an existing law that makes discrimination, violence or incitement based on someones race or religion a crime punishable with up to four years in prison. To improve awareness and sensitivity to the issue, the law also establishes a national day of awareness about the dangers of anti-L.G.B.T. violence, including in schools.

Most Western European democracies have implemented similar laws, but in Italy, its passage in the Senate has met opposition from Catholic associations, right-wing politicians and even some feminist groups.
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has threatened to send anyone who refuses a coronavirus vaccine to jail, as the country grapples with one of the worst outbreaks in Asia.

There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency, Mr. Duterte said during a weekly television program late Monday, which included an expletive-laced rant against those who chose not to get a vaccine.

If you do not want to get vaccinated, I will have you arrested, Mr. Duterte added. Dont force my hand into it, and use a strong-arm method. Nobody wants that.

He continued on to urge anyone who did not want to be vaccinated to leave the Philippines, and go elsewhere, like India or America.
Dreaming of golden beaches and the caress of tropical breezes? Then consider a holiday on the island of Phuket.

Thats the pitch being made by the government of Thailand, which has seen its tourism-dependent economy battered by the pandemic. On Tuesday, the Thai cabinet approved a plan, called Phuket Sandbox, that will allow vaccinated international visitors to roam the island without having to quarantine for 14 days, as is the current policy for arrivals in Thailand.

Im very excited that its finally happening, said Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, the head of the Phuket branch of the Thai tourism authority. Business here has been devastated. With this reopening, at least the people are being given the chance to welcome tourists again.

But Phuket Sandbox  which is scheduled to start on July 1 with five flights from Singapore, Qatar, Israel and the United Arab Emirates  may not deliver the economic boost that its supporters were hoping for. And the late date of formal approval, with many international travelers having already made summer plans, makes it unlikely that crowds of sun seekers will be descending on the island anytime soon.
The most egregious practices are largely the same as they have been for nearly 20 years, said Rebecca Borne, a senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, an advocacy group. Charging a fee averaging $35 apiece for things that cost the bank very little, charging overdraft fees on small debit transactions, charging up to $140 in fees in a single day and calling that a limit.

Its not clear whether the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or other regulators will pursue any changes. Overdrafts have the potential to be very costly for consumers, a bureau spokeswoman said, and we are continuing to monitor market activity in this area.

But lawmakers have taken notice. Democrats in both chambers of Congress plan to reintroduce bills that would create more overdraft protections, banning overdraft fees on debit transactions while adding other safeguards.

And during a hearing last month, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, rebuked big bank executives for continuing to charge overdraft fees to struggling consumers during a pandemic.

Ms. Warren called Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, star of the overdraft show, noting that his bank collected nearly $1.5 billion in overdraft fees last year. (A JPMorgan spokeswoman said it waived more than $430 million in overdraft fees at customers requests from January 2020 through March 2021.)

Many large and regional banks offer accounts without overdraft fees, where overdrawn amounts are simply declined, but some have begun only recently: Chase began offering such account in 2019, and Wells Fargo started last year. The top 20 banks nonetheless collected about $6 billion in overdraft fees in 2020, down 32 percent from 2019, while the three largest banks, Bank of America, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo, accounted for $4 billion of that, Mr. Cassidy of RBC Capital said.

In many cases, however, it has been smaller banks that have netted outsize fees. Aaron Klein, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, recently found that several small banks had become overdraft giants, relying on overdraft fees as their main source of profit. At six banks, overdraft revenues accounted for more than half of their profit, he said.
The Nevada Division of Tourism plans to award a $600K two-year PR contract to attract visitors from Mexico, Central and South America to the Silver State in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.

The potential partner must possess a strong understanding of working with Latin American travelers and tour agencies, as well as the US commercial services, chambers of commerce and international trade entities in key cities.

It may be required to team with the state's local tourism partners in Las Vegas, Reno, Virginia City, Elko and Lake Tahoe.

The firm will organize FAM trips for tour operators to sell the Nevada product beyond Las Vegas and participate in trade shows in Latin American markets.

Travel Nevada requires ongoing outreach through press releases and other forms of communication to keep the state on top of journalists' minds, according to the RFP.

The selected firm will engage consumers and travel trade through appropriate social media channels and actively post information, offers and ideas regarding travel to Nevada.

Proposals are due July 6.

Read the RFP (PDF).
The European Commission released on 6 November its reports on progress towards EU accession of candidate countries Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey. It also provided progress reports on potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia including Kosovo (under UN Security Council Resolution 1244).

At the same time, the EC released its Enlargement Strategy 2007-2008, which includes proposals for revised European and Accession partnerships for each country.
A man who was allegedly found with 22 empty beer cans in a car following a high speed chase in the Midlands which left a garda in hospital has been sent forward for trial.

William Lawrence (36) Cloncovid, Kilcogy, Co Cavan appeared at a sitting of Longford District Court today (Tuesday) charged with four counts of endangerment and a single charge of carrying out a petrol drive off on March 22, 2021.

The court previously heard how gardai had been alerted to a suspected drink driver travelling in the O'Connor Park and Great Water Street areas of Longford town.

Gardai Ronan Duffy and John Hanley attempted to intercept and stop the vehicle as it sped off along St Mel's Road.

It was at this stage, the accused who was on bail at the time, allegedly drove straight through a junction and onto the Ballinalee Road where gardai managed to pull up alongside the vehicle after getting caught up in traffic.

It was at that point Garda Hanley tried to grab the keys from the car's ignition while the car began to move forwards resulting in the garda's hand getting caught in the window.

A high speed chase ensued before the car Mr Lawrence was alleged to have been driving crashed into a wall just yards from a creche outside Longford Women's Link in Ardnacassa.

Mr Lawrence sustained serious injuries as a result of the incident, including a dislocated hip and broken ankle.

It was also alleged 22 empty cans of Carlsberg had been found in the car after the crash.

At this morning's court sitting, Garda Jasmina Milincic gave evidence of having served the book of evidence on the accused.

Mr Lawrence, who was wearing a green jacket and black tracksuit bottoms, stood quietly in the body of the court as state solicitor Mark Connellan said the DPP had directed the case to be sent forward to the Circuit Criminal Court for trial on indictment.

Judge Seamus Hughes gave Mr Lawrence the alibi warning, telling him that if he intended to use an alibi in his defence he must inform the State solicitor's office within 14 days.

Legal aid was also granted to Mr Lawrence with Judge Hughes remanding the accused on bail to the next sitting of Longford Circuit Criminal Court on October 5.
Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan has launched a scathing attack on the Governments controversial Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021.

Deputy Nolan was speaking after she spoke in opposition of the legislation which was passed by the Dail last week. The Bill will now move to the Seanad where it is likely to also pass with Government and opposition party support.

This legislation is, without doubt, one of the regressive and damaging pieces of law to come before the Oireachtas in many years. That is why I am so passionately opposed it," Deputy Nolan said.

"I informed Minister Eamon Ryan that I am from a county that is bearing the brunt of a so-called just transition, a transition which the Minister felt only merited a single mention in a 7,000-word document.

"Yet he now wants to impose this unjust transition model on to every county in Ireland.

"That is a huge insult to the people of the midlands, and indeed rural and urban Ireland.

"It was absolutely shameful that the Minister also rejected over 200 amendments from all the Opposition after we put forward constructive options and reached out and tried to be collaborative. It is appalling. It reeks of elitism and the fact that the Minister does not care about how the real arrogance of the Government is being perceived.

"Last year I and my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group pleaded with the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, to accept amendments to the Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020. She refused to accept those amendments. As a result, we have ongoing chaos continuing in the forestry sector. Does the Minister think that is fair to counties such as Laois and Offaly, where we depend on employment in forestry and in Bord na Mona?" Deputy Nolan continued.

"If he does not think it is fair, then why is he replicating the approach to the Forestry Bill with this Bill?

"The former leader, the great Taoiseach Sean Lemass must be turning in his grave to witness what is going on and the way the Government is selling out the country, selling out the people and walking on the ordinary rural people of this country.

"That is why I had no hesitation in telling the Minister that this will not be forgotten and that will not be forgotten for the wrong reasons.

"I urge the Minister to try to be constructive because it is shameful. I have dealt with hundreds of workers. I have dealt with horticultural workers, peat-harvesting workers and workers in Bord na Mona and what the Minister is doing is disgraceful. These are workers with bills and mortgages and the fact that the Minister cannot even provide alternatives is disgraceful.

"The Minister should be standing up and explaining to the people of the midlands how importing briquettes and peat makes sense. When one looks at the carbon footprint created by the transportation of German briquettes or peat into this country, is the Minister for real? What planet is he on? The Minister is not on planet Earth; that is for sure. We can see that.

"What is even more alarming is that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has now confirmed through its own analysis that the cost of implementing the Governments Bill will cost 20 billion each year until 2030.

That is 180 billion at a minimum. And all of this for a Bill that explicitly de-prioritises employment. It is incomprehensible and it must be rejected before the damage is done and the costs skyrocket, concluded Deputy Nolan.
Fianna Fail TD for Laois-Offaly, Barry Cowen, has again voiced his disappointment and frustration regarding the delays surrounding the delivery of Just Transition in Offaly. The Clara TD will meet his party leader and Taoiseach Micheal Martin to discuss the matter in July.

Deputy Cowen was at the forefront of Fianna Fails negotiations and commitment to establish and ensure that revenue raised from carbon taxes would fund Just Transition in areas and counties most impacted by decarbonisation.

Deputy Cowen who has been in communication with An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, in recent months on this very issue, commented, "The slow pace & lack of progress to date is a far cry from where Id expected to be today. In recent weeks I have posed a series of written PQs to Minister Eamon Ryan on Just Transition matters. Unfortunately, his responses confirmed my fears with just 166,000 been drawn down to date.

"I recently outlined my concerns in writing to An Taoiseach and in response while he acknowledged that, unfortunately, Covid-19 restrictions have had an impact on the speedy implementation of Just Transition in the Midlands, An Taoiseach assured me that this government is fully committed to its full implementation.

"I alongside local TDs from the regions affected, together with council officials met with MEPs this morning to outline the importance of the Governments submission in relation to the territorial Just Transition plans which define the territories in which the Just Transition Fund will be used. It is imperative that this plan aids the counties most impacted by job losses associated with decarbonisation.

"I recently sought a meeting to discuss the lack of progress to date with An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, and can confirm that a meeting has been scheduled for July 9th. I have extended an invite to TDs from Laois-Offaly and Senator Hackett to attend the meeting also. I look forward to discussing the issues outlined and ensuring that the exit from peat in the Midlands is managed in a fair way," concluded Deputy Cowen.
Laois Offaly based Green Partys Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Senator Pippa Hackett has welcomed the Governments move to ban fur farming which will included the shutdown of a mink farm in Laois.

Minister Pippa Hackett spoke after Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConologue secured Cabinet approval for the drafting of an amendment to the Animal Health and Welfare Bill.

This is an important and progressive piece of legislation which is supported by the vast majority of the general public. The Green Party have long called for it, and support has been expressed too by many animal welfare groups, and the representative body for veterinary surgeons in Ireland, Veterinary Ireland," she said.

There are currently three active farms in the State that breed and rear mink for the purposes of pelting for the fur industry, which will be closed under the new plan.

The Vasa Ltd Fur Farm has operated for several years in Vicarstown, Co. Laois. The other farms are in Donegal and Kerry.

Minister Hackett continued: In calling for a ban, Veterinary Ireland has previously said that no welfare standards or inspection regimes can prevent welfare problems being encountered regularly on fur farms. These farms cannot provide for the five freedoms of animal welfare, particularly in relation to the need to express normal behaviours.

I recognise that this is a very emotive issue for many, but we must recognise that in the past, there have been occasions when mink have been purposely released, which has resulted in catastrophic destruction to some of our wildlife. This was particularly the case for some threatened species of birds, and indeed I have seen at first hand the damage mink have done to wading birds in the Shannon Callows.

I am delighted to be part of the Government which will see this progressive and historic development come to pass, she said.

Speaking about the timing of the Bill, Minister Hackett concluded: It is proposed to enact the legislation as soon as possible in 2021, with prohibition to begin in 2022." More below link.

Her Department said the Bill provides for the legislative framework to (a) implement a prohibition on the keeping of animals primarily for their fur or skin, (b) provide for a scheme of compensation for the fur farming businesses currently operating and (c) introduce other miscellaneous amendments to the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.

The Programme for Government 2020 includes a commitment to bring forward legislation that prohibits fur farming in the State.

The Department of Agriculture said there are now societal concerns relating to the farming of animal primarily for their fur or skin. It sayd the statutory prohibition on fur farming will impact directly on three farming businesses that are currently conducting a lawful business.

For this reason, the Department added that the draft legislation includes a scheme of compensation for the farm businesses affected by the prohibition. It said the proposed compensation scheme is designed to be fair and reasonable to the fur farming operators concerned whilst also being fair to the taxpayer.

A statement said the draft legislation includes some technical amendments to the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and a repeal of the Milk (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1979 which is surplus to requirements and not being replaced.

Referring to the Bill the Minister said The prohibition on fur farming in the State is in line with similar bans being implemented, or about to be implemented, in many jurisdictions across Europe and further afield.
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Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

San Francisco-based private investment firm GI Partners closed buyout fund GI Partners Fund VI at $3.9 billion.

The private equity fund, which focuses on North American health care, information technology infrastructure, services, and software companies, exceeded its fundraising target of $3.25 billion, a press release from GI Partners said.

GI Partners Fund VI's diverse investor base represents 15 countries and includes sovereign wealth funds, pensions, financial institutions, investment management firms, and family offices. Philip Yau, Managing Director at GI Partners, said, "Our limited partners have demonstrated conviction in our resilient strategy, team and leadership, and operating principles. We are grateful for their support and thank them for the opportunity to be stewards of their capital."

Investors in the new fund include the $299.8 billion California State Teachers' Retirement System, West Sacramento; and $171.5 billion Washington State Investment Board, Olympia.

Rick Magnuson, Executive Managing Director and Founder of GI Partners, said, "As we celebrate our firm's 20th anniversary, we move forward with a deep team of dedicated professionals who are integral to our continued success. We remain committed to delivering value for our investors by utilizing the disciplined and differentiated strategy that we have refined since our founding."

The previous fund, GI Partners V, closed at $2.8 billion in 2017.

......................

To view our full article Click here
Sorry for the metaphor, but in this case, its really called for (get it?). On May 25-26, Dubai hosted one of the largest post-pandemic events for the movers and shakers of the Cryptoverse - AIBC Summit 2021 The summit was held at the Intercontinental Festival City  Dubai, welcoming over 4,500 participants. The emerging tech-focused expo ran in parallel with the AGS summit, an event focusing on digital marketing, affiliate marketing, 
An Iowa woman who hit a teenager on a moped and left him to die in 2018 has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison
Fire crews remain on scene after a fire was extinguished at 3046 Newland Way in Oskaloosa on Monday. An deceased individual was found inside the home, and authorities believe a self-inflicted gunshot was the cause of death. Investigators said the fire was intentionally set in at least six difference places.
Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has visited war-weakened Burkina Faso to show solidarity with people who continue to welcome the displaced, despite grappling with their own insecurity, and said the world isnt doing enough to help
An Arizona man authorities identified as the driver who plowed his pickup truck into a group of bicyclists at a weekend race has a criminal history of driving while intoxicated
A sheriff says a Chicago man who allegedly shot and wounded a sheriffs deputy during an armed robbery at an Iowa gas station and then evaded an extensive manhunt for hours has been arrested
The Italian fidei donum missionaries who are engaged in pastoral service in Mary Queen of Peace Parish in Chae Hom, in northern Thailand, have started a project to grow and market coffee. This product is characterized not only by its quality but also, and above all, by the use of the proceeds: scholarships for young people, training of villagers in the management of sustainable crops and the general improvement of the standard of living. The parishs pastoral action, which was officially inaugurated over ten years ago, adopted the fundamental values described in Pope Francis Encyclical Laudato Si, even before its publication.

The origins of the mission



The mission in Chae Hom, which belongs to the Diocese of Chiang Mai, arose from the wish to start missionary cooperation between the dioceses in the ecclesiastical region of Triveneto, Italy, which was voiced for the first time at the ecclesial Conference of Aquileia (Udine), in April 1990. The suggestion was confirmed a few months later, in December of the same year, with the publication of Saint John Paul IIs Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, which indicated the Asian continent as one of the territories to be given preference.

Seven years later Fr Pietro Melotto and Fr Gabriele Gastaldello, of the diocesan clergy of Vicenza, began their pastoral service in Chae Hom, accompanied by Bishop Antonio Mattiazzo, at that time Bishop of Padua. In 1999, they were joined by Fr Bruno Rossi and Fr Lorenzo Biasion, from the Diocese of Padua, and four years later by Fr Giuseppe Berti, from the Clergy of Verona. To complete the group from Triveneto, came the Xaverian Sisters, the Community of Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne Antide Thouret and, between 2008 and 2010, Fr Attilio De Battisti and Fr Raffaele Sandona of the Clergy of Padua and then Fr Bruno Soppelsa from the Diocese of Belluno.

On 1 May 2000, the Mary Queen of Peace Parish was officially established in Chae Hom. It comprises an area of over 3,000 sq. km. and is entrusted with the pastoral care of 40 villages, mostly scattered over a mountainous area, populated by a great variety of ethnic groups: Akha, Lahu, Karen, Yao, Isaan, Lisu, Hmong, each of which maintains its respective culture, language and traditions.

The parish stands on a pre-existing structure, both from the point of view of the buildings and the pastoral work, initially administered by the pime missionaries who worked especially with small communities from China, Burma and Laos, offering them material and spiritual assistance. The percentage of Christians, out of a population of about 120,000, is about 1%.

Activities in the centres



Among the first necessities that the missionaries at the Mary Queen of Peace Centre had to face, was that of providing access to schooling to the children and young people living in the villages. The uneven, disconnected path between the mountains and the plains, the rainy season and the lack of qualified staff had deprived the youngest, for a long time, of the opportunity to attend any form of schooling. Thus, four centres were opened in which hundreds of young people from more than 40 villages and seven different tribes, found a point of reference and hospitality.

To date, only two of them are open, the parish priest, Fr Bruno Rossi, explained, a sign that the travelling conditions to reach the schools independently have improved. Much of the parishs work, which also consists in giving spiritual assistance in the villages and the formation of local catechists, has enabled the missionaries to contact people from different tribes, cultures, languages and traditions.

In Thailand, only 0.5% of the population is Catholic. Most of the population is Buddhist and in the local tribes there is further division into various memberships. Our parish, Fr Bruno continued, is closely linked to the service the educational centre offers to minors and vice versa. The first thing we take into consideration when a person approaches us is his/her state of need, apart from any membership. We are all children of God, therefore in our daily work we try to help and love everyone, without reserve. The itineraries of evangelization, then, constitute a clear, open proposal to all. Those who wish to approach us may do so freely, perhaps by asking some questions arising from having met our community.

A response to pollution



A Report by the Air Quality Life Index of Chicago, published in 2019, stated that life expectancy may be shortened by a couple of years due to air pollution: for days, during the monitoring period, Chiang Mai was the most polluted city in the world, far exceeding the maximum levels of pollution foreseen by international standards.

One of the main causes of these excessive levels is the custom of burning off, mostly used in the cultivation of maize, namely the burning of agricultural residue to increase fertility and prepare the soil for the next harvest. The pesticides and chemical fertilizers used to spray the various crops, which then drain into the waterways in the rainy season, contribute to the environmental pollution.

Some practices also had serious consequences on those who came to the Parish of Mary Queen of Peace in Chae Hom. When the faithful approached the altar to receive the Eucharist, Fr Bruno Rossi explained, we noticed that their hands had red dust on them, the residue of pesticides. That was a turning point for us: we realized that we were distributing the Body of Christ, a gesture of full and true Life, to sick hands that showed signs of death.

The missionaries then suggested that the coffee plantations in the mountainous parts of the country be extended to the hilly areas in the valley. Fr Bruno told us how the idea to start organic farming began from tasting some beans grown by the families of students who lived in the parish. The quality of the product was good but the local populations method of roasting it did not produce the aroma to which the missionaries were accustomed in their homeland. Thus, in 2012 with the arrival of the first roasting machine and, thanks to subsequent improvements, we were able to begin a process of organic production and sale capable of respecting a high quality resource and of safeguarding nature and peoples health. The competitive sale price has made it possible to restore dignity and relaxation to the farmers who live in the villages in Chae Hom and to finance scholarships for students. Moreover, the work is regulated by the non-profit institute called Laudato Si Social Enterprise created with the aim of contributing to the common good in full compliance with the law and State regulations and inspired by the values contained in Pope Francis Encyclical of 2015.

Forerunners of Laudato Si



The production of Caffe Bruno began more than ten years ago, even before the publication of Laudato Si, but the principles that inspired the action of the missionaries and their co-workers can be found fully in the words Pope Francis delivered in the document to guide the care of the common home. We have tried to protect work and rest, Fr Bruno Rossi said, as well as the communities wish to live in a healthy, safe environment. We have also tried to take care of our common home, by respecting nature and harmonizing mans work with it. It is a need that springs from the depths of the spirit, an attention whose values are also fully in accord with Asian culture. A spontaneous orientation, that we then found described and systematized in Pope Francis Encyclical, which expressed and strengthened our action. Nature, for us Christians, can also be an important vehicle for getting closer to God, as Saint Francis taught and as Laudato Si reaffirms: it offers us support and we should learn to respect it in order to trigger a virtuous cycle.

Fr Bruno jokingly compared his parishioners to coffee beans: one different from the other, each with its own unique and unrepeatable story. What makes the difference then, is the roasting, or the ability to extract the best from each one, just like a good teacher does with his or her pupils. We are able to produce around 800 kilos of roasted coffee per month, packaged and shipped throughout Thailand. The biggest orders generally come from hotels, the parish priest said, and from tourists who are curious to taste coffee roasted, Italian-style. The pandemic has created many difficulties linked to the lack of tourists, but this does not mean that the project has stopped. Indeed, our aim is to encourage the cultivation of indigenous tea plants and we are continuing to work on a recently-started project that involves the cultivation and processing of cocoa. It can grow equally well in the plains, and provide support to the parishioners who live there and cannot grow coffee.

Agata Rita Borracci

Cube Radio  Salesian University Institute of Venice and Verona


CELINA [mdash] Doyle Eugene Brittain Doyle Eugene Brittain was called to the lord on Wednesday, June 9th of 2021 in Mckinney, Texas. Doyle was born in Sigourney, Iowa and one of six children to the late Alfred and Bertha Brittain. His late siblings were Verle, Orbie, Eldon, Ruby, and Vera. H
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Mid-Michigan local Ryan Mularz first entered Molasses Smokehouse and Bar two years ago on a packed evening, a few months after the business opened.

Mularz was a material handler at Dow Chemical for six months but took up a side job in the restaurant business in hopes of finding a more fitting schedule.

I was just looking to pick up a serving job because its a little more flexible as far as days you can work and hours, he said. He applied to Old City Hall in Bay City, but was told by the assistant manager at the time that Molasses, which is managed by the same company, better suited his personality.

Mularz quit his job at Dow soon after he realized the possibilities offered by the occupation he had left in 2015.

In one weekend, I made just as much money in three days at Molasses that I did in two weeks at Dow, he said. So, I ended up just leaving there.

Mularz was a server at Molasses for one year before becoming a bartender. He said he has fun doing both.

The thing I like about bartending, you can make a cool drink or just, you know, feel proud about it and what not, he said. Its just nice when people say like, Oh, thats a good drink or just (something about) the way it looks or how you present it.

The bar serves an array of beer, cocktails, and wine, but Mularz said his favorite drink to make is the Pink Pear  a mix of gin, triple sec, ruby red grapefruit juice, and pear syrup.

It just looks cool, he said. Its like a dark, cloudy pink.

But drinks infused with sugar and fruit only appeal to some. Mularz said he prefers something more straight up.

I like bourbon on the rocks, to be honest, he said.

Mularz works part-time, typically during the second half of the week. His bartending schedule has given him the availability to explore things like stocks.

I trade index funds and stuff. I'm trying to become full-time in that, he said. That's the one thing that I do like about bartending, or Molasses, too, in general, is that I have the time off that I need to be able to put my energy into other things, but also have the ability to make X amount of dollars and live comfortably by only working three to four days a week.

Nonetheless, Mularz said he enjoys working in such a casual and comfortable environment.

I get to come to work, wear a ball cap backwards with a flannel, and just chit-chat it up, he said. Its not too fine dining, but we have a pretty nice menu with good food, so it evens out.

The atmosphere is not the only part of work Mularz likes. He said he has made some great friends there, too.

Everybody here, mostly, has been here since I was here, he said. We all have fun together, we hang out outside of work, all pretty much the same age.

He said one friend and co-worker stood out to him.

Our regional manager, Kurt (Busard), is probably one of the best people in Midland to know, he said. He knows everybody in town, and he's got great connections, good guy.

Mularz plans to move to Florida in the fall of this year to pursue his ventures in a warmer climate.

My goal is to full-time trade, he said. I enjoy the beach; it sounds really basic, but its my happy place.
Royal Oak-based law firm Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers filed administrative claims on June 18 on behalf of more than 400 Michigan residents against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its role in causing the May 19, 2020 Edenville Dam failure.

The aggregate amount of the claims for this group of claimants exceeds $334 million, according to a news release.

The dam failure led to the destruction of thousands of homes and businesses and hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage along the Tittabawassee River and Wixom, Sanford, Secord, and Smallwood lakes; and the draining or partial draining of those lakes.

The administrative claims allege that FERC negligently entrusted the license to operate the Edenville Dam to a private owner, Boyce Hydro, which it knew or should have known was unwilling or incapable of operating the dam safely.

The claims also allege that FERC failed in its mandatory duty to monitor the operation of the dam to ensure that Boyce Hydro, the owner at the time, was equipped with the necessary capital, experience, and willingness to safely maintain the dam.

The State of Michigan, through its agencies, and FERC had the power and the obligation to ensure the safety of residents and their properties from negligent owners and bad corporate actors. Instead of exercising this authority in a prudent manner, the federal and state governments became complicit in a hazardous dam operation by negligently entrusting the license to a careless and heartless operator. This tragedy represents a massive failure of state and federal governments. State and federal government must be held accountable for its role in causing this disaster, said Michael Pitt, Senior Partner of Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers.

Pitt added that a coalition of law firms and attorneys is preparing administrative claims on behalf of clients. Ultimately, there will be more than a thousand claimants and the amount the federal government will owe will exceed $1 billion," Pitt said.

The June 18 administrative claims were filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). Under this law, the federal government can be held accountable for its negligence in causing harm and injuries to the parties bringing these claims.

We are not giving up on our community. This is where we want to be," lakefront property owner and claimant Dave Krieger said in the news release. "We were totally innocent, and we have to pay to clean up someone elses mistakes. That is not right. This catastrophe was caused in part by FERCs negligence, and they must do what is necessary to clean up the mess it caused and to compensate every single person for their losses.

"It is hard to believe that this dam has been considered dangerous for 26 years and that FERC licensed Boyce without requiring it to make the dam safe to operate. It is shocking that the federal government would do something so reckless. We want to be fairly compensated so that we can rebuild our lakes and our lives.

Since 1993, FERC has listed the Edenville Dam as a "High Hazard" structure and has issued multiple mandates to the dams owners for safety upgrades and maintenance without any meaningful follow-up enforcement activities by federal and state agencies.

Residents filing administrative complaints within two years of injury under the Federal Tort Claims Act can ask for compensation for damages. The federal government has unlimited time to either negotiate a settlement or deny the administrative claim. If a denial is issued or there is no agency decision after waiting six months, each individual then has six months to file a federal court lawsuit against the federal government for relief.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin.

Friday, June 18:

11:08 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to a Jerome Township residence regarding a verbal argument between a 33-year-old female and her 40-year-old live-in boyfriend. The female went to a relative's residence for the night. No assault occurred.

10:55 p.m. - A deputy responded to a Jerome Township residence regarding a verbal dispute. The complainant advised that his girlfriend locked him out of the house. The 60-year-old woman reported that her 64-year-old live-in boyfriend made verbal threats. Both parties refused to leave. The male agreed to sleep in his vehicle for the night until they both sobered up.

10:49 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to a Homer Township residence regarding a stolen vehicle complaint. The complainant, a 52-year-old Homer Township male, reported his son stole his car and forged his signature on the title. The crime occurred in Genesee County, and the complainant was advised to contact Genesee County to file a report.

10:39 p.m. - A deputy responded to a Jerome Township residence regarding a female screaming into a phone. A deputy contacted her, and she advised that she wanted to report a suspicious vehicle that she had reported numerous times previously. The caller suffers from alcoholism.

10:36 p.m. - Officers found cocaine during a traffic violation stop in the area of Contractor Court and Waldo Avenue. The driver was also operating with a suspended license.

10:23 p.m. - A deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for an equipment violation in Lee Township. The driver, a 33-year-old Ingersoll Township female, had a suspended Michigan driver's license. The female was cited for driving with a suspended license and given a warning for the equipment violation. A report was completed and forwarded to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office for review.

8:20 p.m. - A 51-year-old Jerome Township male reported that someone keyed his vehicle at his residence. The damage was estimated at $500. The complaint is under investigation.

8:17 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to a Larkin Township residence regarding a domestic dispute that occurred between a 23-year-old Larkin Township female and a 25-year-old Larkin Township male. The parties were separated for the remainder of the night. A report was sent to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office for review.

7:36 p.m. - Officers responded to a case of larceny on Gerald Court.

6:02 p.m. - A deputy responded to the ER for a report of a delayed assault involving a juvenile. A 15-year-old juvenile assaulted a 36-year-old Arenac County male. The juvenile sustained minor injuries because of the assault. The 36-year-old male refused to prosecute as he is letting his girlfriend, the child's mother, handle the incident.

4:24 p.m. - Deputies assisted EMS with a 29-year-old male who had accidentally overdosed on prescription medications in Mills Township. The male refused treatment by EMS. The male agreed to go to the ER with his mother, who later arrived on scene. The male was turned over to his mother to seek treatment.

3:55 p.m. - A deputy responded to a two-vehicle traffic crash in Midland Township. A UD-10 traffic crash report was completed.

1:24 p.m. - A 46-year-old Mills Township woman reported that she fell victim to a phishing scam of $836 on the internet and was defrauded out of a saddle. The woman only requested to have the incident documented in order to report it to her financial institution. The victim was later contacted by Hanceville Police in Alabama who had recovered the saddle. The woman is working with that agency to return the saddle to her possession.

1:14 p.m. - A 59-year-old male advised that his 71-year-old brother was violating a court order by removing property from their deceased parents' home. A court order was issued by Bay County Probate Court prohibiting any property be removed from the residence and/or property. Deputies documented the incident and advised the complainant to follow up with his attorney.

12:30 p.m. - Officers responded to a case of criminal sexual conduct on Willow Street.

7:06 a.m. - A deputy was dispatched to the area of East River Road near Smiths Crossing for the report of a single-vehicle crash.

2:35 a.m. - Officers responded to an OUID in the area of Jerome Street and West Buttles Street.

Thursday, June 17:

11:37 p.m. - Officers responded to a fireworks complaint on East Meadowbrook Drive.

10:56 p.m. - Deputies conducted a traffic stop at a Jerome Township location for an equipment violation. Deputies contacted the 36-year-old male driver and discovered the male didn't have a valid license or insurance on the vehicle. The male was given a verbal warning for the equipment violation but was cited for DWLS and no insurance. A report is being sent to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

10:44 p.m. - Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash at Wyllys Street.

8:48 p.m. - Deputies conducted a traffic stop at a Hope Township location for speeding. Deputies contacted the 22-year-old male driver. It was discovered that the male didn't have insurance on the vehicle. The male was given a verbal warning and was cited for no insurance. A report is being sent to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

8:18 p.m. - Officers responded to an OWI in the area of North Saginaw Road and Sturgeon Avenue.

7:31 p.m. - Deputies made contact via telephone with a 37-year-old Jerome Township male and a 28-year-old Jerome Township male. Both men advised they had two fishing poles taken from their vehicle the night prior. One fishing pole was valued at $333 and the other was valued at $112.

6:59 p.m. - A citizen called 911 to report a civil issue. The caller reported to Dispatch that he bought a vehicle from a Greendale Township residence, received the title, and drove away. As he drove down the road, the vehicle broke down. The caller wanted his money back and called 911. A short time later, the subject called back and advised that the matter was settled and he did not want police assistance.

5:52 p.m. - A 14-year-old female was having suicidal thoughts. Deputies spoke to the female, who requested to be transported to the ER for an evaluation. The juvenile was later transported by EMS to Mid-Michigan Medical Center ER for an evaluation. The juvenile's guardian responded to the ER to complete the petition for evaluation.

4:34 p.m. - Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Isabella Street and Currie Parkway.

3:12 p.m. - A 50-year-old Larkin Township female reported an item valued at $500 stolen from her residence. No suspects are known at this time.

2:17 p.m. - Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Campus Ridge Drive.

10:01 a.m. - A deputy was dispatched to the area of South Meridian Road near West Isabella Road for the report of a two-vehicle crash. A UD-10 was completed.

9:01 a.m. - A deputy was dispatched to the area of North M-18 near West Dana Road for the report of a car/deer crash. A UD-10 was completed.

2:19 a.m. - Officers responded to a vehicle crash and driving under the influence.

1:38 a.m. - Officers responded to a domestic verbal dispute in the area of Ashman Street and East Larkin Street.

1:19 a.m. - Deputies conducted a traffic stop at a Greendale Township location. Deputies contacted the 38-year-old male driver. During the stop, it was discovered that the male didn't have a valid driver's license. The male was cited for driving with a suspended license. A report is being sent to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

12:23 a.m. - Officers responded to a case of trespassing at Wellness Drive.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin.

Sunday, June 20:

10:36 p.m.  Deputies responded to a verbal argument between a 20-year-old male and a 29-year-old male in Ingersoll Township. The parties were separated for the night.

5:07 p.m.  The Sheriff's Office was called to assist in Larkin Township because a 30-year-old intoxicated male was having a mental breakdown related to military-related PTSD. The male was walking along the roadway and refused to return to the family property. While the deputy was on the way, the family called back cancelling law enforcement response because the male became compliant and returned home.

12:34 p.m.  The owner of a construction company received word that there was an unknown person on his worksite in Jerome Township. The owner called the Sheriff's Office to check the site but there was no one present once the deputy arrived.

12:08 p.m.  A deputy came upon a disabled vehicle in the roadway. The driver had just purchased the vehicle and while he was driving the vehicle home, the passenger front tire broke free. The deputy provided traffic control while a family friend replaced the tire. While making the repairs, it was discovered the vehicle was missing numerous lugnuts, causing the loss of the tire. The tire was replaced, and the vehicle was moved off the roadway.

3:07 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Greendale Township residence for a minor in possession complaint. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with a 37-year-old Beaverton female, who told deputies her daughter was consuming alcohol at her fathers residence. Deputies attempted to contact the occupants inside the residence and received no answer. Deputies contacted Child Protective Services to advise them of the situation. A report was sent to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review.

12:32 a.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Jasper Township residence for an unwanted person complaint. Upon arrival, they made contact with a 73-year-old Jasper Township male. The male advised that his sons ex-girlfriend had been consistently driving past his house harassing him. The male said she left the area and he did not believe she'd be back. Deputies instructed the male on how to obtain a PPO against the female to prevent future contact.

Saturday, June 19:

11:28 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Edenville Township roadway regarding an assault between a 23-year-old Beaverton male and a 34-year-old Hope Township male. Both parties had minor injuries and no EMS was needed. A report will be forwarded to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review.

11:17 p.m.  Officers responded to a fireworks complaint on Holly Court.

10:14 p.m.  Officers responded to a driver operating without a suspended license in the area of Bay City Road and South Saginaw Road.

9:08 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Greendale Township residence for a criminal sexual conduct report involving two juveniles. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the parents of an involved juvenile. The parents, a 29-year-old Greendale Township female and a 29-year-old Mount Pleasant male, were interviewed regarding the CSC. The investigation was turned over to the Detective Bureau for further investigation.

9:06 p.m.  Officers responded to a vehicle crash on Eastman Avenue.

8:14 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Geneva Township residence regarding a bond condition violation. The suspect, a 34-year-old Mount Pleasant male, was gone upon deputies arrival. A 29-year-old Warren Township female advised that the male damaged her car and house while at the residence. A report was sent to the Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review.

5:18 p.m.  A 41-year-old Larkin Township resident contacted the Midland Sheriff's Office due to an ongoing investigation by the state related to unemployment fraud. The caller was provided a report number and the Investigative Unemployment fraud hotline phone number.

4:34 p.m.  A deputy, Midland Township Fire Department, and MidMichigan EMS responded to an Ingersoll Township residence for a death investigation of a 65-year-old female. The death appeared to be of natural causes.

12:18 p.m.  A Lee Township homeowner called the Sheriff's Office because he located a vicious cat under his porch. A deputy responded and found an adult cat that appeared to be mortally wounded due to an automobile crash. The cat had long unkempt gray hair with no collar, and its right front shoulder/leg was injured and appeared to be a compound fracture. The injury was infected, producing an odor attracting insects and larvae. The cat had no identification and the deputy checked with all surrounding neighbors with no results. Central Dispatch checked various veterinary clinics, Humane Society, and Facebook for reports of a lost cat with no results. Upon the direction of administration, the cat was euthanized.

11:20 a.m.  Officers responded to a case of larceny on Colony Drive.

10:25 a.m.  Deputies were notified of a possible noise complaint at a Homer Township location. The complainant wished to remain anonymous. The complainant reported that a loud semi parks in a driveway near their residence. The semi's generator runs throughout the night, keeping the complainant up. Deputies attempted contact with the owner of the semi, who did not answer. While deputies were at the residence, no violation was witnessed.

6:57 a.m.  A 38-year-old reported he had a verbal dispute with his 41-year-old brother over property. Deputies arrived and the complainant advised the issue had been resolved. The complainant gathered his property and later left without incident.

2:36 a.m.  A 22-year-old Ingersoll Township woman called 911 regarding unwanted Facebook messages from her 42-year-old mother who lives in Saginaw. She was advised to block her mother on Facebook. She was also referred to her probation officer regarding other concerns.

1:24 a.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Warren Township residence regarding a suspicious situation. Deputies contacted the caller, a 50-year-old Warren Township female. The female advised a male wearing a white shirt and light-colored jeans knocked on the door and asked for a ride. The caller refused and the male left the residence and was walking eastbound. Deputies patrolled the area and were unable to locate the male.

Friday, June 18:

11:58 p.m.  Officers made a warrant arrest in the area of Hubbard Street and West Main Street.

11:36 p.m.  Officers responded to a case of domestic violence on Dublin Avenue.
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, has appealed to the international community to show a dispassionate understanding of the ongoing political crisis in Mali, especially the events of May 25 which toppled the transitional administration
GOUDOUBO, Burkina Faso (AP)  Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has visited war-weakened Burkina Faso to show solidarity with people who continue to welcome the displaced, despite grappling with their own insecurity, and said the world isnt doing enough to help.

The humanitarian crisis in the Sahel seems to me to be totally neglected. It is treated as being of little geopolitical importance," Jolie told the Associated Press. Theres a bias in the way we think about which countries and which people matter.

While Burkina Faso has been battling a five-year Islamic insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State thats killed thousands and displaced more than one million people, it is also hosting more than 22,000 refugees, the majority Malian.

As Special Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Jolie marked World Refugee Day on Sunday in Burkina Fasos Goudoubo refugee camp in the Sahel, where she finished a two-day visit. She spoke with the camps Malian refugees and internally displaced people in the nations hard-hit Center-North and Sahel regions.

After 20 years of work with the U.N. refugee agency, Jolie told the AP the increasing displacement meant the world was on a terrifying trajectory towards instability, and that governments had to do something about the conflicts driving the vast numbers of refugees.

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.

Funding levels for the response are critically low and with growing numbers of people forced to flee ... the gap is widening, UNHCR representative in Burkina Faso Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde told the AP.

The attacks are also exacerbating problems for refugees who came to the country seeking security.

We insisted on staying (in Burkina Faso), (but) we stay with fear. We are too scared, said Fadimata Mohamed Ali Wallet, a Malian refugee living in the camp. Today there is not a country where there isnt a problem. This (terrorism) problem covers all of Africa, she said.



Mednick reported from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

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

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NORMAL  As Heartland Community College works to rebound from COVID-related drops in enrollment, it is working to get the word out about available financial support and new options for home-schooled students.

As of Tuesday morning, fall semester registration was up 7.5% compared to this time last year.

But Sarah Diel-Hunt, vice president for enrollment and student services, cautions that the increase might not hold up through the whole process.

Dont get too optimistic because were up right now, she said Tuesday. Im watching the trend lines.

Heartland experienced a 10% drop in enrollment last fall, much like community colleges across the state.

I do have some concerns obviously about crawling out of an enrollment decline over the last year.  Were starting with fewer students, said Diel-Hunt.

One bright spot in the fall enrollment picture is an increase in new student registrations. That is up nearly 50% from a year ago and up 7% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Her big concerns are students who attended in the fall or spring but did not receive a degree or certificate and have not yet enrolled for fall and students who have been away from Heartland for a full year.

She knows some students may have paused their education last year because they thought online education during the pandemic wasnt a good option for them. Others may have run into financial difficulties during the pandemic because of lost jobs or reduced hours, she added.

She wants them to return.

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Once you stop that momentum of working toward that degree, its hard to get them back, said Diel-Hunt.

The college is reaching out to those students not only with emails and letters but even phone calls in some cases.

In addition to the usual state and federal student financial aid, such as Illinois Monetary Award Program and federal Pell grants, there is federal money to help with COVID-related financial losses and things like obtaining a computer or internet access. The college also has an emergency fund for students.

Heartland also is looking for ways to increase the number of high school graduates in the college district who choose to continue their education at Heartland.

It is offering a College Now Alumni Tuition award of $500 to those who took at least one dual credit college class in high school and enroll in Heartland as a full-time students.

Diel-Hunt said the college thinks it has room to grow among students in area career centers who took dual credit courses in areas such as early childhood education, information technology, welding and health careers.

Come and finish that credential at Heartland because youre needed in the community is her message to those students.

Another area on which Heartland is focusing is home-schooled students.

Heartland has been able to offer tuition-free dual credit courses to regular high school students because qualified teachers at their high schools are serving as the instructors. Thats not an option for home-schooled students.

So, working with the Home School Advisory Committee it formed almost two years ago, Heartland is offering a tuition reduction of about 50% to home-schooled high school students who want to take classes at Heartland for dual credit.

Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota

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NORMAL  An uptown business petitioning the town for stricter regulations on smoke and tobacco shops.

Jennifer Pirtz, owner and founder of Uptown Dance, 114 W. North St., presented the petition to the Town Council to consider tightening zoning ordinances that would "allow all businesses to coexist without being detrimental to each other."

"My clients and I are disappointed that, after all the investing into this favorite spot, that there hasnt already been zoning ordinances for this type of thing, Pritz said Monday during a Town Council meting.

More than 200 people have signed the petition, which was filed on change.org.

Pirtz filed the petition after a new tobacco shop moved into the building next door to her dance studio. She said she is concerned about the signage and proximity to child-centric areas.

My clients and I were shocked as it is a far cry from the boutique shops and eating establishments that line this street, said Pirtz, who is currently in the process of purchasing her building.

She added that she and her clients are concerned about signage, people loitering outside the building in the evening hours, and the number of smoke shops in Normal.

Outdoor dining

Restaurant patrons and visitors to uptown Normal can continue to enjoy the town's ample outdoor dining options through the end of the year.

Picnic areas and other expanded outdoor dining areas were enacted through the town's emergency ordinance in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The emergency ordinance, originally extended to November, expired when the state entered Phase 5 of its reopening plan.

"We've had pretty overwhelming support from the uptown businesses based on the unique circumstances of being in a pandemic," Town Planner Mercy Davison said Monday during a Town Council meeting.

Davison added that she and town staff had spoken with both restaurant and retail businesses in uptown.

The Town Council unanimously agreed extending the outdoor dining options through the end of the calendar year to allow town staff and business owners time to discuss the future of outdoor dining in Normal.

Landmark Drive sidewalk

A $320,295 project to improve sidewalk accessibility on Landmark Drive in Normal is moving forward this summer.

The Town Council unanimously approved awarding a contract bid for the project to J.G. Stewart Contractors Inc. for construction of a new sidewalk on the west side of the road, which would run from College Avenue to Arborwalk Drive.

Construction could begin in late July or in early August, and will address ADA compliance issues, providing better access to several commercial businesses in the area.

Public comments on special meeting

Three public commenters spoke out Monday night over how a special Town Council meeting was conducted last week.

The special meeting was held after Trustee Stan Nord during a June 7 council meeting said City Manager Pam Reece was not following the Illinois City Managers Association ethics code.

During the June 14 special meeting, six of the seven Town Council members stated their support for Reece, who they said has behaved ethically and professionally. Later in the meeting, Nord called on the town to adopt an official code of ethics.

Doug Fansler, Karl Sila, and David Paul Blumenshine questioned how the special meeting was conducted, specifically with a public commenter speaking about the issue prior to the meeting.

Sila and Blumenshine both in April ran for Town Council.

"We were told this was not coordinated or restricted, but as Mr. Fansler said, how did the public commenter know," Sila asked. He added, "In my experience, Stan has worked very hard to represent the tax payers."

Fansler asked Trustee Kevin McCarthy, who on June 14 said Nord has not provided evidence of unethical misconduct by Reece, if he asked other council members to provide evidence to their statements made about Nord.

Blumenshine spoke in support of Nord, calling the special meeting uncalled for and a poor representation of the town of Normal.

Hes probably one of the most challenging, obnoxious, pushy people that I've ever met, but I've learned more from Stan Nord than I have learned from people involved in public service," he said. "Stan takes it personally to represent people.

Intergovernmental agreement approved

Later in the meeting the council approved 6-1 a $54,000 intergovernmental agreement for continued partnership with the McLean County Regional Planning Commission. Nord was the only "no" vote on the agreement.

The MCRPC has provided long-range planning services for the town for more than 40 years. It is for the same amount the town payed for services the previous fiscal year.

Upcoming services through the MCRPC include a new comprehensive planning plan incorporating the latest census data once released. The data has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic and is expected to be published in late summer.

The MCRPC will also help the town in preparation for federal and state grant funding applications. Its application service helped Normal receive the Vision Zero grant, and funding for the pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) project.

Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry.

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EDWARDSVILLE  Arguably the most controversial issue in Edwardsville for the past year is one step closer to a conclusion.

Early Monday morning with little fanfare, workers took the bronze Ninian Edwards statue off its pedestal and began preparing to put it on a concrete pad even with the ground. They aren't moving it out of a downtown park, as a local group had requested.

Officials plan to eventually install a plaque to explain Edwards' story, not only as the city's namesake and a key figure in early Illinois politics, but also as a slave owner who led attacks on Native Americans.

"While the City realizes the past cannot be erased, we can certainly learn from it and use history as a tool for improvements in the future," Mayor Art Risavy stated in a news release on Monday.

"One of my goals during my term is to increase diversity within our volunteer committees and our workforce."

Risavy, who was elected mayor in April, asked workers to change the way the statue was displayed after reaching agreement with members of Edwardsville City Council, according to his office.

Group will keep trying

Risavy formerly served as an alderman on the city's Administrative and Community Services Committee, which has been grappling with the statue controversy since spring of 2020.

That's when a local group, now known as Our Edwardsville, asked officials to move the Ninian Edwards statue out of downtown to show that the city is a place where diversity is valued and racism isn't tolerated.

Ezra Temko, one of the group's leaders, on Monday called taking the statue off its pedestal "a good step." But he promised to keep promoting the idea of moving it to a new location, "a place of education rather than a place of honor."

"We'd like the city to continue to network and think about this and creatively consider what places there are (for the statue)," said Temko, an assistant professor of sociology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

"We're certainly not opposed to removal of the statue from its pedestal, but we don't see this as solving the issue and making this a welcoming plaza or a welcoming entrance to the downtown. It's still a distortion of history and the honoring of Ninian Edwards' legacy of perpetuating slavery."

Temko noted that some officials had signaled support for moving the statue to another location, such as Madison County Historical Museum or Lusk Park, but the museum staff cited logistical problems and park neighbors opposed the idea.

Passion on both sides

The United States has seen renewed and widespread unrest over statues of slave-owning historical figures since May 2020, when George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, who was later convicted of his murder.

In the early 1800s, Edwards was the Illinois Territory's only governor, a U.S. senator and the state's third governor. The settlement of Edwardsville was incorporated in 1819.

In 2008, local residents raised money to build a small, wedge-shaped park near Madison County Courthouse and install the statue, trees, benches and a fountain.

The park's name was changed from Ninian Edwards Plaza to City Plaza in November after months of social-media debates, letters to the editor, meeting testimony and at least one formal protest.

Some local historians and other residents argued that the statue should remain in place as a representation of the city's history, even though societal values have changed in the past 200 years.

"I want to thank those who participated in the discussion, both for and against the removal and/or relocation of the statute," Risavy stated in the news release. "I believe removing the statue from its pedestal and relocating the statue in the park is in the best interest of the City at this time."

Officials plan to apply for a grant later this year to pay for a new plaque that provides more information than the current one mounted on a stone next to the statue.

Committee reactivated

Also on Monday, Risavy announced that the city is reorganizing and reactivating its Human Relations Committee, formerly the Human Relations Commission, which hasn't been operational for several years.

The mission of the committee's volunteer members will be to improve race relations and generate positive dialogue about modern issues for the betterment of the community.

"Given the social and racial climate that's challenging us as a city, state and nation, it's key that committees such as this exists to help connect the community and elected officials with the citizens it represents," former commission member Paul Pitts said.

Pitts is retired assistant chancellor of affirmative action and diversity at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Human Relations Committee members are expected to be appointed in July. Their first meeting in August will focus on affordable housing in Edwardsville and diversity training for city employees.

In March, officials held an open forum at the Wildey Theatre to discuss affordable-housing options and grant opportunities. The city's planning department recently completed a study on the issue and plans to hire a consultant to create goals and strategies.

___

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Tim Harts life was too brief  but it was the one he wanted to live.

Hart died this month at 36 from injuries suffered while parachuting to fight a forest fire in New Mexico. How a kid from Illinois ended up as a smokejumper out West is unlikely but seemed, to those who knew him, the inevitable result of him pursuing his dreams.

Growing up in north suburban Wheeling and Beach Park, attending Zion-Benton Township High School, Hart always wanted to be outdoors. When he got a job at a grocery store, he bribed the other workers to always let him collect the carts, just so he could work outside.

He joined the Youth Conservation Corps in Lake County, where he enjoyed his time fixing trails and foot bridges, hacking out invasive buckthorn, even swimming through muck to unblock culverts.

As he studied forestry at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Hart joined the Saluki Fire Dawgs, and conducted prescribed burns and forest management. After he graduated cum laude, he became a wildland firefighter, and in 2016 became a smokejumper  someone who jumps out of planes to fight forest fires.

He was the kind of guy who was never going to stop below the top of something, his wife, Michelle Hart, said. He had to climb it all the way to the top.

Hart was injured in a hard landing May 24 while responding to the Eicks fire in southern New Mexico, and was flown to a hospital in El Paso, Texas, but died June 2, authorities said.

At a memorial Saturday in Harts adopted hometown of Cody, Wyoming, Gov. Mark Gordon and the U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen spoke in his honor. His crew came on stage for the ringing of a bell nine times, to signal the end of Harts duties. Also speaking was his mother, Pam Hart, a retired nurse who now lives in Kenosha.

She noted that Hart had a special bond with his father, Gene Buddy Hart, who once served as a volunteer firefighter while the family lived for three years in Saudi Arabia, and who died when Hart was 18.

Pursuing his firefighting career, Hart moved repeatedly, working to protect national forests across the country. He even spent a winter in Wyoming living out of his pickup truck to be near his work.

For years, he applied to become a smokejumper, but was rejected because there were so many more applicants than openings. In 2016, he was one of only three among 300 chosen for smokejumper training. Three years later, he became a squad leader at the West Yellowstone Smokejumper Base.

He met his wife, Michelle, in Cody, and the two got married there outdoors in December 2019, which she remembers as beautiful but freezing.

Hart was an avid hunter of elk, deer and waterfowl, and taught himself to play drums, guitar and bluegrass banjo music. He hand-built furniture for his wife, mother and sister, planted a fruit tree orchard at his home and could make his own whiskey.

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.

Along the way, smokejumpers face a series of risks, especially jumping near fires in mountainous, forested terrain. In Harts case, he was parachuting into very rugged terrain near the Continental Divide.

The forest service is investigating what happened in Harts case, but said only that he suffered multiple injuries after a hard landing. Family members said they were confident proper precautions were taken.

The family asked that anyone wishing to make a contribution may donate to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which has the stated goal of helping the families of injured and deceased firefighters. There is also a GoFundMe page that has raised $121,000.

He died doing what he loved, his mother said. Were very proud of him.

Above all, his mother said, Hart was a conservationist. While driving through Yellowstone National Park, she said, they saw part of the forest that burned in 1988. It was sad to see the destruction, she said, but hopeful to see the new growth.

Tim won the lottery, his sister Meg said. He wanted to be a smokejumper. He got the wife, the house, the land and the dog he wanted. His life was absolutely perfect.  I dont know a lot of people who could say they absolutely loved their job and their life, but Tim could.

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Fans were feeling the urgency of the moment in our weekly chat. Here are the highlights.

Q: Any surprise to John Mozeliaks comments to Derrick Goold that he is prepared to play it out without significant changes to the team, with an add or two of a retread? After getting burned parting with prospects that have blossomed elsewhere, Mozeliak will not repeat that mistake again. Do you see it the same way?

A: Foremost is that the Cardinals don't have a lot of prospects to trade. And, yes, they don't want to get burned. Mozeliak has made it clear he wants to improve the club incrementally until August, when he should have most of his club back for the final two months, including Jack Flaherty, Jordan Hicks, Miles Mikolas, Harrison Bader, etc. The Cardinals need to improve to keep pace with the other teams in their division. There will be no significant breakup of the current club --yet. But these next two weeks are vital because then come two weeks of games with San Francisco and Chicago, still without most of those injured players.

Q: At what point are Paul DeJongs struggles no longer a small sample size? Its pretty telling that Edmundo Sosa is hitting in front of him.

A: DeJong is of large concern to me. He isn't hitting at all and should be hitting no higher than seventh until he rights himself. Sosa isn't exactly tearing it up now, either, although he has been a valuable fill-in. If the Cardinals' outfield had any depth, they could sit DeJong for a few days and play Sosa at short, but Sosa is needed at second if Edman has to play outfield.

The Cardinals aren't going to win anything unless DeJong gives them something offensively.

Q: Im looking at next year already, and Im pretty excited about the pitching. The rotation should be Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, Alex Reyes and the two lefties at AAA (Matthew Liberatore, Zack Thompson). Am I correct to feel elated about the future, even if Im down on this years offering?

A: The starting pitching will stack up as you indicated, with the addition of Miles Mikolas, who is being paid through 2023, so you have to include him. Johan Oviedo is starting to show he belongs, too, and what's wrong with having Adam Wainwright back? He's the best they have right now. Next year's rotation could be a good one. Others of you probably aren't wanting to wait for that.

Q: Can we agree the Cardinals are a flawed and poorly constructed team? They dont hit, dont pitch well, and even rank at the bottom in defense. The bench is horrible, and immediate organizational depth is non-existent.  What would you do to make the Cardinals a World Series contender again, and how soon could it happen?

A: I don't think you can objectively look at the Cardinals until Jack Flaherty, especially, is back, along with Harrison Bader, Jordan Hicks and Miles Mikolas. And they all will be this year, unless something else goes awry. Then, we can better see what it might take. The Cardinals are not a World Series contender as currently configured, but this isn't really their team.

Q: The Cardinals have become the worst kind of club. Irrelevant. Can you offer some hope for the remainder of the year? It appears that this club is caught in the middle. Not bad enough to sell off assets yet not good enough to contend.

A: Hold onto the facts that the Cardinals hardly are buried in the division race, they have a seemingly easier schedule in front of them, and that they ultimately will get back their injured players. And that there are 92 games to go, not 12.

Q: Will Yadier Molina be back in 2022? Would you bring back Adam Wainwright to work out of the bullpen and spot start?

A: I would bring back Wainwright to start. He easily will lead the staff in innings pitched this season. And maybe wins, too. Molina, I would hope, would be back. The Cardinals do not have a catcher ready to step in for him yet, and he's still valuable as a starter.

Q: Why trade for Nolan Arenado if the franchise is not committed to putting a lineup around him that maximizes his prime years?

A: When the deal for Arenado was made, I'm sure the Cardinals thought Paul DeJong would be a productive, middle-of-the-order hitter behind Arenado, and that has not happened. Arenado hasn't exactly been lighting it up lately, either, so there's room for improvement there. I'd like to see Dylan Carlson lead off and Pau Goldschmidt and Arenado hit second and third to find out how that dynamic works.

Q: Should we be concerned about Nolan Arenado opting out at the end of this year or next if things don't drastically improve? I can almost see Arenado and Jack Flaherty wearing Dodger Blue in 2024.

A: I don't see Arenado opting out of a contract that pays him so well and from a place he is so happy. That would not be a great strategy, either, if there would be a labor stoppage and he would be a free agent, rather than already employed.  And, as for Flaherty, I could see him pitching for the Dodgers in 2024. Or here.

Q: Are you convinced Tyler ONeill is the real deal? I'm skeptical.

A: I believe O'Neill is on the cusp of something significant. He should be a 30-homer guy and a Gold Glover for years to come, and he has the speed to steal 20 bases.

Q: In all of your years covering Bob Gipson, did you ever see him hit a batter and then the batter rushed the mound? Or was the league afraid of him?

A: No. And yes.

Rick Hummel @cmshhummel on Twitter rhummel@post-dispatch.com

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Conservatives have a special purgatory for uppity black women who dare question Americas founding myths.

New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones  her Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project centralized slavery in Americas origin story, a heresy that inspired laws banning her work from classrooms  now lives there. And shes about to have company.

In her new book, The Second, Emory University history professor Carol Anderson takes on an even more sacred cow: guns. She argues that the Second Amendment  which supposedly came about solely as a hedge against tyranny  had at its heart a much less noble concern: Southern states demanded the right to bear arms because they feared rebellions by enslaved Africans.

All that talk about a well-regulated militia? Anderson told me in a telephone interview that that was just the cover story. State militias had not performed well either in fighting off the British or in defending against a domestic uprising: Shays Rebellion. What the militia was really good at, however, was putting down slave revolts.

So the South held America hostage. It refused to join the new nation unless it was guaranteed the right to keep its guns. Not that this was the regions only demand. Ultimately, the Constitution contained several clauses protecting slavery and slave owners.

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?

By its loud silence, the group gave tacit approval of what Anderson calls the fractured citizenship of African Americans. When they were enslaved or free blacks, when they were Jim Crow blacks or when they were post Civil Rights Movement black folks, that did not alter how the right to bear arms, the right to a well-regulated militia and the right to self-defense did not apply to them.

Yet the same people who keep silent when Black people are deprived of those rights  and their lives  are only too happy to tell us how we all need guns for self-defense. As Anderson noted, when Black is perceived as Americas default threat, that argument puts Black folks in the crosshairs. Indeed, all of us end up enduring daily mass shootings so that some of us can be ready when the hypothetical Black man comes through the hypothetical window.

In The Second, Anderson highlights the manifest hypocrisy of the Constitutions most troublesome amendment. She makes a compelling case that, for all the noble rhetoric, it was created mainly to oppress.

And that it is still working as designed.

Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Email lpitts@miamiherald.com.

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NORMAL  Public Works Director Wayne Aldrich is retiring after 24 years with the town.

Aldrich, who helped lead development on the uptown Normal redevelopment project, announced his retirement on Monday during a Town Council meeting. It was his last meeting before his official retirement in August.

"When you get older, you say, well, it's my time to turn the reins over to the next generation," Aldrich told The Pantagraph on Monday. "I think we've got some great folks here on staff at the town of Normal that can certainly take over."

Aldrich was hired was hired in 1997 as the town engineer and was appointed to uptown development director in April 2002.

"Wayne led what has probably been the most impactful and remarkable municipal projects in much of Illinois, but certainly the town of Normal," City Manager Pam Reece said Monday during a Town Council meeting. "Wayne's legacy in our organization and our community is probably indescribable."

In recent years, he has led the charge in planning the $22.69 million pedestrian underpass in uptown Normal. During the project, Aldrich has worked with the town and partners to secure $21 million in federal and state grants for the project.

Though he said he is sad to leave prior to its completion, Aldrich said he is confident in the planning and work that has taken place to ensure the project moves forward.

"In that case, I'm very proud of where we are," he said. "In a sense, its a good place to be, and to turn it over to some very qualified individuals here at the town. I think we have great consultants and again great relationships with other agencies to get that project built.

Of the projects he has worked on, Aldrich noted the uptown development project, restoration of the Camelback Bridge over Virginia Avenue, and a comprehensive Sanitary Sewer Master Plan just a few of his most memorable achievements.

For an engineer like me, sometimes we forget its about people," he said. "Uptown was certainly about people and thats the greatest satisfaction to get, just watching people walk down the sidewalk that werent there before and enjoying things.

Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry.

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Chipmaker TSMC is reportedly set to grant supply priority status to Apple for the company's iPhone 13 Chip orders going into the third quarter of 2021. This comes despite Taiwans chipmaker battling orders for automotive and other device chips amid shortages in supply.

Digitimes is reporting that "TSMC will give supply priorities to orders for automotive ICs and those placed by Apple in the third quarter of 2021, followed by chip orders for PCs, servers and networking devices, according to sources at fabless chipmakers."

The report also noted that other Apple chip suppliers such as Genesis Logic and Parade Technologies are also increasing supplies to meet Apple Orders for the third quarter of this year, which are up about 30 percent  40 percent more than the second quarter orders.
This began when axelbeingcivil started the discussion on my blog, on 7-7-21. His words will be in blue.

*****

A belief in demons, even the devil, does not mean a belief in Hell or eternal separation from God. God sends malicious and malevolent spirits to serve his purposes at several points in the Bible, and they are described as faithful attendants of his court. When Satan appears in the Book of Job, he is given no reproach or chastisement. If people accept that God sends hardships to test them or for them to struggle against, why not devils to inflict misery and suffering? After all, omnipotence means God intends for the suffering to happen anyway, right?

Thats an extreme form of Calvinism, which is a tiny minority position in historic Christianity. Did you used to be a Christian? If so, what kind? Are you an atheist now?

I admit, I have many negative things to say about Calvin  his conception of what justice, compassion, and mercy look like is nothing but rebranded sadism  but I do think he was one of the rare few people to understand the implications of omniscience and omnipotence as to evils presence in the world.

That said, I dont think this is Calvinism. The notion that Satan acts only and solely as God permits is a part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. See:

Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries  of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature  to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him.

Paragraph 395 of the Catechism. This notion  that Satan and all his evil are only and solely what God permits, for some ostensible purpose (usually to test people or to allow for Gods own glorification)  is fairly mainstream.

I was Christian, yes. Now, I would call myself an agnostic atheist. Still fond of chatting with my former coreligionists, though.

Yes, of course, God permits evil (His permissive will). Its not His perfect will. Therefore, He causes no evil; He only permits it.

What kind of Christian were you; what denomination?

If something only occurs because you permit it, whats the difference between you causing it and not? It feels like, if you were to analyze that through the principle of moral cooperation, itd be obvious that it is indeed evil.

If I, say, knew that someone was preparing to commit a mass shooting and had evidence of that, and I could prevent it with no fear of harm to myself (or indeed anyone), but chose not to, in what way am I not morally culpable?

(And, yes, I am aware that opens the door to holding ourselves culpable for all kinds of evils-by-tacit-approval. I actually believe that is the case. Humans cant be said to be at all perfect.)

As for what kind, hard to put a pin in it, but always some kind of Protestant. In my life, Ive been a part of Anglican, Methodist, and Baptist church communities.

I permit my teenage daughter to go out and party with her friends. If she decides to start taking heroin or to drunk drive, is that therefore my fault? Or is it hers? Did I cause that?

The analogy here doesnt really work, since you lack perfect knowledge and perfect power and perfect compassion. You also didnt create heroin or the intoxicating effects of alcohol or any of the fundamental laws of the cosmos, much less a thing like injury and death. Hence, the level of responsibility you bear is very different than someone who did.

Assuming here that the doctrine of Hell is correct for the moment, and the native seat of Satan is a bronze throne at the heart of a lake of fire, lord of his prison-city, the only reason that the infernal powers may have any control or influence over Earth and its inhabitants is divine remit. That is, if God simply declared that those rebellious and emphatically former heavenly princes could not enter Earths spheres or have influence over it, they would indeed have no influence. The only reason they have any whatsoever is Gods direct say-so.

Since God also knows whether these infernal powers mean good or ill, what they both intend to do and will do (which may not be the same thing) if allowed to proceed, and that God is perfectly capable of halting them without the slightest issue if so desired It stands to reason that they only and solely act at Gods discretion. That would make God responsible for their actions, even without having directed them.

Consider, by way of analogy, a parole board. These are people whose job it is to weigh individual convicts on their merits and likelihood of reform, and to approve the release of those who merit the opportunity of being redeemed to society and retaining those who still present a threat.

Imagine if a parole board, in its entirely limited and human capacity, had strong evidence of a convict up for release not merely being a potential threat but actively and openly planning to do harm to someone or likely even many someones. Im talking about threatening writings, declarations of hatred, detailed plans, etc.

If that parole board decided, in full knowledge, to release that inmate anyway, we would rightly consider them culpable in whatever suffering inevitably followed. Just because their hands werent the ones that got dirty doesnt change that they were in a position of power and authority and, rather than use it to protect the public, they did the opposite.

And that, in turn, is a degree of responsibility we purely demand from mere humans; flawed, frail, feeble things, herein infused with only a modest amount of power. To how much higher standard must be held one in whom all power and all authority is invested?

It doesnt matter how powerful or knowledgeable God is, as to whether He wants to allow human free will. He allows it, knowing perfectly well all the bad things that will result, because He thinks that is better than the alternative: us being a bunch of robots.

My daughter just came home and said she almost got into an accident on the freeway. So say she had actually gotten killed? Would I then say it was my fault because I allowed her to get a drivers license? No. Its understood that with driving comes a risk of getting injured or killed. Almost everyone takes that risk because its better than the alternative.

I deny that what God permits, He is responsible for. The very existence of other free wills that exist besides God and His decisions and freedom, means that He is not responsible, just as parents caused their children to come into existence, but are not responsible for every decision they make beyond the age of reason. He allows the evil that results for the sake of this freedom as the better choice of the two.

Most of the bad and evil things that happen, we blame God for. Were always blame-shifting: between each other, and between us and God. I recently wrote about how we blame God for the Nazi Holocaust, which is ludicrous, seeing that we had every ability to prevent WWII and all that went with it from happening (at least the European part of it), by listening to Churchills warnings about Nazi military build-up.

The parole board is a decent argument / analogy. But I think we can defeat it by noting that God and human beings are on entirely different planes. There is, therefore, a sense in which He sets the world and human free will on their courses and then gets out of it and says in effect, okay, have at it. I gave you everything you need to be happy, but also a free will, which includes the possibility of evil. You have to choose which course to take. Dont blame ME when you make stupid or evil choices (and you will make many of those).

But human judges and prisoners are on the same plane, and we have to have a system of justice, just as God has cosmic justice. But the latter (most importantly) also includes the afterlife and is not just this life.

And so God sees all the evil we do, and provides the way past it, and the way for anyone to be saved and to have a fulfilled, joyful life (even with suffering). And He gives us the possibility of a blissful eternal life. THAT is where evil is finally controlled and obliterated, and where Gods perfect will (us being fulfilled and pain-free in union with Him) is supreme and in place for all eternity. For some reason He wants to leave it as it is now, before we get to that point. We dont (and I think, cant) totally understand that. But, as best I can make out, I think it comes down to what a truly free will entails (contrary choice).

Its a matter of perspective. Once we are in heaven with God, and the time (metaphorically) is a trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion times more than the time we spent on earth, then all the suffering will be seen to be worth it, and God will be known and understood as quite a fair and loving Being after all.

But in atheism you have all the suffering and no cosmic justice (Mao and Hitler and Stalin were no more punished than anyone else) and its all meaningless in the end and we are annihilated. Thats the problem of good thats a lot more serious than even the thorny problem of evil. I would certainly be in despair and take the nihilist view if I believed that.

Ive written about this many times on my Philosophy page (2nd section down). Probably my most extensive single treatment is this paper:

Problem of Evil: Treatise on the Most Serious Objection (Is God Malevolent, Weak, or Non-Existent Because of the Existence of Evil and Suffering?) [2002]

First, let me say that this is a fairly considerable reply, thanks for taking the time!

I do have to start by saying, though, that I think the issue I was raising has become a little muddled with time and analogy; understandably so, but muddled just the same.

This wasnt about human free will. I find that topic fascinating, and I will respond to what youve said, but, first, I want to refocus here and emphasize what the issue was.

This was a discussion about diabolic forces being allowed to act upon humanity. If Satan is truly active in the world, as Catholic doctrine would argue he is, the argument of free will cannot really be made for him, can it? The Architect of Malice cannot be said to be a beneficiary of that same liberty; judgment has been passed, sentence made. His prison has been prepared; its walls raised, its bars set. The key to such a jail rests entirely in the hands of the Almighty.

Hence, while you are making arguments about free will for humans, such arguments cannot be raised for diabolic influences. Malefic powers have no place in that equation, since their choice has already been made, their punishment levied, and any access to our world is solely at the discretion of God. Otherwise, the prison of Hell would be no prison at all.

This is in keeping with the Catechism, as I brought up initially: Any action Satan takes is expressly with Gods permission. Unlike human beings, who exist amongst each other and interact with one another naturally, the unholy princes of the Pit have no such special place to argue for freedom.

So, even if we were to otherwise completely agree on the matter of human free will, I would answer that diabolic powers and wicked spirits still act only and solely at the discretion of the divine.

Now With that out of the way

I have to start by saying that I dont believe in libertarian free will. I dont think this belief relies solely on materialism (though it is bolstered by it), as is evidenced by plenty of religious authors recognizing that divine omniscience naturally requires predestination, culminating in Calvins writings (whom, as I believe Ive said already, I find clear-sighted on this point but essentially on this point only).

By way of simple proof:

1. Either a given effect is determined by a cause or set of causes, or it is stochastically random. That is, if something happens, it is either caused to happen by something else, or it arises entirely and unpredictably at random, regardless of prior events.

(This is not purely binary; an effect could theoretically have some non-random and some random causes, but the point is that a given individual cause must either be one or the other.)

2. If an effect is the result of random causes, it cannot be said to meaningfully arise from any intent or choice; it is random and is not occurring in relation to anything else, including any theoretical actors decision-making.

3. If it is the result of a set of causes, any time those exact same circumstances occur, the same result will follow. That is, if you rewound time, the exact same situation would always recur. In such a case, it is impossible for any actor to change what they would do, because they will always do what theyd do in that specific set of circumstances. While even small variations might change the outcome, an identical set will not.

Hence, the idea that people have free will  that we can be anything but products of causal chains  is not logically sound.

But For the sake of argument, lets set even that aside.

I still think itd be reasonable to argue that free will is not a sufficient answer to the problem of evil within this theological framework, and the evidence of that answer likes in the idea of the World to Come.

It is said that, in the World to Come, there will be no sin, for the Law will be written on the hearts of all its inhabitants. This can be interpreted in one of two ways.

First, humans will exist in some state where they have free will but will somehow be sinless. If that is the case, free will is not incompatible with sinlessness and the problem of evil persists. Evil could be eliminated while retaining free will.

The other way to interpret it is that humans will no longer have free will, but instead be eternally bound to a morally positive state.

Myself, I dont find terror in either of these situations. Either of them is better than what currently exists. If the price of everyone loving one another is people being unable to choose *not* to love one another I cant call that a negative. There are plenty of ways humanitys will is currently limited already  we cant fly just by wishing it, or banish undesired emotions, say  so I find no particular problem in accepting some limitations to banish others. Its just a question of what those limitations are, whom theyre imposed by, etc.

But even if we grant that

You bring up mentions of some of humanitys worst atrocities, and say that they happened as a result of inaction on the part of good people, and I agree. In doing so, though, you set the very standard youre trying to deny: That inaction is tantamount to tacit acceptance. As you ay, the world had every opportunity to prevent it, refused, and so was complicit (and I would count Churchill amongst the complicit, for his refusal to put a stop to the march of fascism in Spain by supporting the opposition there, but he saw it as too valuable a buffer against communism). Yet one persons inaction does not excuse anothers. If we are, at the last judgment, to be held accountable for our own sins, with But my brother- never been allowed as an excuse, then surely the standard is the same.

If we hold the Great Powers of Europe responsible for their refusal to stand up and do the right thing, the same standard must surely apply to the Almighty. If inaction is culpability, then so much more the culpability of the most powerful. If we hold tiny mortals, with all their mortal fears and pains to suffer if they choose to risk everything they love in service of the common good, how much more heavy must the moral debt be on one unimpeachably mighty enough to do the job with no threat, no fear, no exhaustion?

I think you might offer a fair answer, for the record, about divine perspective. Perhaps our suffering means little to God; the depths of our agonies and miseries little more than children crying over a scraped knee in the perspective of a being who has seen stars be born and die. I think I could empathize with such a being and, if I stood before it and it acknowledged as such, admit it a benign flaw in the face of the cosmic good it provides.

But its still a flaw, and posits a God whose mind is alien to our own; who cannot understand our suffering and pain, and does not think it worthwhile to find a way around it. If we suffer, so what? It builds character. It posits a God who is not quite all-knowing or, if not that, not quite as perfectly compassionate.

Ill conclude by saying that, once upon a time, I thought the same thing about atheism but, honestly, after ending up in that pool myself, my perspectives only grown more compassionate? I dont attribute that to atheism, mind, just Getting older. I was a very dumb when I was younger, as young people tend to be (and have a right to be), and I am sure I will think myself just as dumb in ten years. Lifes like that.

The truth is Realitys awful sometimes. Bad people often do bad things and get away with it, and thats miserable. But its not an excuse not to care, or to try.

I still care about other human beings. I still care about beauty and joy and happiness, and easing pain. I dont have an objective reason for caring about any of those things, I just do, and those who do not will likely never agree with me on things and theres nothing I can do to change that. There are things I take on faith still  that humans are, overall, basically good; that things will, on average, keep improving; that people can, through collective action, overcome their failings and improve the world for everyone; that compassion and love are worthwhile, and should be extended at every opportunity  and I dont feel a particular need to seek objective justification for them, because I dont think there is any.

There are not atoms of agape or molecules of mercy, but we can still make love real with our kindness and our actions. Maybe it seems dull or boring to an outsider but They feel the same to me as they do to you. If nothing else, we can agree that compassion is a good thing and build common ground from there.

If you want me to review the rest of your works before commenting further, Ill happily do so.

Cheers.

I dont see how Satan and the demons are any different than human beings in this regard. They rebelled and were allowed to wreak havoc. Again, its Gods permissive will but not His perfect will. You appear to not make that distinction (which would collapse everything into Gods perfect will). You say they were judged. They were by being kicked out of heaven and out of the ranks of the obedient angels, but they have yet to be finally judged. Their judgment is inevitable because they made their choice against God.

The devil is not yet in hell, according to biblical and Christian theology. He will be sent there at the time of the general judgment / Second Coming (Rev 19:20; 20:10). The Bible, in both Job and Revelation, shows Satan being allowed to do evil, but not totally. He is partially constrained, and he (and demons) can be resisted by human beings:

Job 1:12 (RSV) And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand. Job 2:6 And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, he is in your power; only spare his life. Job 42:10, 12 And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, . . . [12] And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning . . . Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Mark 3:14-15 And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach [15] and have authority to cast out demons: Mark 6:12-13 So they went out and preached that men should repent. [13] And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them. Mark 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons . . . Luke 10:17-20 The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name! [18] And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. [19] Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. [20] Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. [2] And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, [3] and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while. . . . [7] And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison [8] and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. [9] And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, [10] and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.Any action Satan takes is expressly with Gods permission.

Of course, just as is any action we take. You used exactly the right word: permission; as opposed to His perfect will. Catholic (and most Protestant) doctrine holds that human beings can do absolutely no good thing whatsoever without the prior enabling power of Gods grace. So in that sense, He makes possible all our actions. At the same time we freely cooperate with that grace, and so retain free will. Its just that every good thing could not have been done without His grace.

The devil and his demons have no such grace, so that is the essential difference there. But they have freedom to tempt and cause evil to occur until Judgment Day, when they will lose even that. One might say they have a suspended sentence. :-)

I have to start by saying that I dont believe in libertarian free will. I dont think this belief relies solely on materialism (though it is bolstered by it), as is evidenced by plenty of religious authors recognizing that divine omniscience naturally requires predestination, culminating in Calvins writings (whom, as I believe Ive said already, I find clear-sighted on this point but essentially on this point only).

Predestination is not incompatible with free will. Both are held together in a paradoxical relationship. Its a very deep mystery and barely comprehensible by human minds, but this is mainstream Christian teaching. And how they go together, I explained above: we freely cooperate with Gods grace. Its not irresistible grace (Calvins false teaching). And the damned arent predestined to hell for all eternity, with their own free will and choices having nothing to do with it (double predestination: another serious error).

My own soteriological view is Congruistic Molinism. It holds that God (being out of time and omniscient) takes onto account how we freely respond to His grace, in His decision to predestine the saved. Catholics do believe in predestination (its a dogma)  we have different schools of thought as to how that works  , but we dont believe its inconsistent with free will, and we reject the predestination of the damned, coupled with a denial of their free will to choose heaven or hell. Calvinist doctrine makes God not only the author of evil, but an outright Evil Agent. It turns Him into something I would never choose to serve and worship. I understand that they dont view it that way, but it is the inevitable logical reduction of their positions. And this is why I was always an Arminian as a Protestant.

I think, like most atheists, you are hyper-rational and cant see the forest for the trees. You think free will is wiped out and cant exist with an omniscient God Who predestines, and so you have been brought to despair and atheism. I dont know your whole story but I know that dichotomous / either/or thinking is a central error in Protestantism. The idea of cooperation with God (or merit in Catholicism, when we do it the right way) is the solution to the perceived problem.

At any given point in life we have the prerogative to choose God or to rebel against Him. Its not all foreordained: not every action we do. God knows what we will do, but it doesnt follow that He caused everything we do (in the exclusionary sense that we have no causative influence). I always use the example of knowing that the sun will rise tomorrow. I dont cause that at all, but I know with a very high degree of certainty that it will take place.

God ultimately caused it by bringing about the laws of physics, whereby the earth rotates and travels around the sun once a year. The earth secondarily caused this by continuing to rotate according to those laws (God need not supervise the laws of science every second). Foreknowledge is simply not the same as micro-management causality / pan-causality (to coin a phrase!). We really are free to choose for or against God; for good and not evil. At the same time, God already was the sole cause of a choice for good, through His grace.

God is like the Water Department. It sends me the water I need in my house. It sends the water to the faucet that goes into the hose to fill my backyard pool (where I will be today in a few hours). So one can always say that the Water Department was the cause of that water, for my own use. But we can also say that I caused it (secondary agent) to flow through the faucet by turning it on, and the hose also was a secondary agent, used to direct a bunch of water into my pool, or to my grass and flowers, or my car, as the case may be. Both things are true. The Bible clearly teaches this paradox in several passages:

Mark 16:20 (RSV) And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen. 1 Corinthians 3:8-9 He who plants and he who waters are equal, and each shall receive his wages according to his labor. For we are Gods fellow workers; you are Gods field, Gods building. 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me. (cf. 15:58; Gal 5:6, 6:7-9) Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (cf. Titus 3:5-8)Hence, the idea that people have free will  that we can be anything but products of causal chains  is not logically sound.

This is untrue. One simply has to accept paradox and a both/and scenario of primary and secondary, or multiple / complex causation (which we see in life all around us), and to reject a linear, hyper-rationalistic either/or thinking. Chesterton said that the problem with a madman is not that he has no logic at all, but that he has nothing but logic.

First, humans will exist in some state where they have free will but will somehow be sinless. If that is the case, free will is not incompatible with sinlessness and the problem of evil persists. Evil could be eliminated while retaining free will.

Yes, that is true in heaven, because then we are no longer subject to original sin and the world, the flesh, and the devil. Thats the difference. Our free will choices are hampered by these opposing forces (and to see how subtle those are, read Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis). When we are finally redeemed, those forces are removed, so that we can freely always choose to do good and not sin, just as God does.

We could have done so all along, but we chose to rebel, and so God in effect had to go to Plan B. Plan B is a lot tougher road than Gods original Plan A would have been, because He has to work around all the evil and stupid choices we make as fallen human beings. But in the end we can be saved, if we will cease our rebellion and decide to follow Him.

If we hold the Great Powers of Europe responsible for their refusal to stand up and do the right thing, the same standard must surely apply to the Almighty.

That gets back to my earlier argument about God and human beings not being on the same plane. He creates us and lets us be truly free, which includes our choosing to rebel against Him, if that is our choice, just as any parent doesnt say to their child, you MUST love me! He or she wants this to be a free, voluntary choice. Then it actually has meaning and depth.

So God created and then allowed us autonomy to do as we please. By the same token He created the universe and the laws of science, which now operate on their own, with minimal intervention from God. He does a miracles now and then, but its an exception. In my long paper that I linked to, I get into how God made scientific laws as they are and why He cant (in a reasonable, predictable, uniformitarian universe) interfere with them every two seconds and do miracles all day long, one after another. Ive expanded on that argument in other papers, in reply to atheist demands for massive miracles all the time from God, failing which they will get mad at Him as unfair and then deny His existence.

Perhaps our suffering means little to God; the depths of our agonies and miseries little more than children crying over a scraped knee in the perspective of a being who has seen stars be born and die.

This is not true at all, according to the biblical revelation. Youre talking about a so-called deist god. Jesus shows us how God cares about us. He stated:

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Revelation 3:20-21 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. [21] He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Jesus suffered horribly and died. He didnt remove Himself (as God) from the suffering we go through. He, too, endured it. Thats love, not indifference.

In the end, the joys of heaven make up for anything we go through.

Romans 8:18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

This fact of a heavenly bliss that never ends changes everything. If you want to criticize Christianity, you have to take all of it into account, and a big part of it is the state of heavenly bliss for all eternity going forward.

It would be like accepting a deal of if you are willing to endure a slight cut to your finger, Ill give you an all-expenses-paid trip around the world for three months! Who would refuse that deal? Heaven compared to our sufferings is infinitely more desirable than my weak analogy. Its all a matter of perspective. You just have to believe its true. You have the opportunity to do just that, right now, as I share these things with you.

And this life isnt all bad, either. Ive gone through a lot of suffering in my life (my only brother and sister are both dead, etc.) but I am tremendously happy with my life, as a disciple of Jesus. Hes true to His word. There are many blessings before we get to heaven.

But its still a flaw, and posits a God whose mind is alien to our own; who cannot understand our suffering and pain, and does not think it worthwhile to find a way around it. If we suffer, so what? It builds character. It posits a God who is not quite all-knowing or, if not that, not quite as perfectly compassionate.

But He did find a way around it; we just dont like it, because its not perfect bliss. He gave us a way through grace to have joy through suffering, and to have the greatest meaning in our lives. And once we pass this test of obedience and allegiance, then we are rewarded with heaven. You seem to think thats not a worthwhile transaction. I think it is the greatest conceivable reward and ultimate solution to our suffering on earth.

But atheism offers . . . nothing . . . no ultimate meaning to life, no solid reason why anyone should even seek to be good and do good; no enduring existence that lasts forever. You yourself freely admit this (you are consistent):

I still care about beauty and joy and happiness, and easing pain. I dont have an objective reason for caring about any of those things, I just do, . . . I dont feel a particular need to seek objective justification for them, because I dont think there is any.

You say: humans are, overall, basically good. This drastically undercuts the argument from evil, which always super-emphasizes all the wicked things human beings do to each other. You have to explain why all these bad things keep happening: how human beings commit such horrible evils if in fact they are basically good??!!! You have to make out that its all conditioning and education and being sheep or what not. But its much deeper than that.

I say that only Christianitys doctrine of human beings capable of both great good and the most depraved evil, explains the actual course of human history. And so the Nazi Holocaust happened because a bunch of people followed their basest evil instincts and went wild with it (the mass genocide of helpless children in the womb is an even worse manifestation of this evil). But the Nazis were defeated because people also had enough good in them and enough of Gods grace to defeat this massive societal evil.

In atheism, we all die and cease to exist: the good and the evil alike. There is no ultimate justice or cosmic justice. Thats what atheism offers. Thank God atheism isnt true. But the despair and futility you think you see in Christianity is actually in your system of belief. Thats what you have to grapple with: how to come to terms with that dreadful reality of a godless, meaningless, horrific, dark, bleak universe. You want to do good (I believe) you because you still have the fumes of Christianity and enough grace in you to still desire it. If God didnt exist, you wouldnt have these impulses to do good and to love; to care about other human beings.

If there is no God (as you either believe or suspect), then just forget about Him (i.e., that issue). Let Christians go on with their delusions and fantasies. Your problem is how to create some inadequate partial meaning without a God or ultimate purpose.

So that is the Christian counter-reply: God offers heaven as His ultimate solution to our suffering. He offers grace and the power and ability to have great joy and happiness in this life, even alongside great suffering. It all has a purpose. You have no reason or purpose in atheism. You freely admitted it. I didnt even have to make the argument I am making. You grant and concede it (and you are correct!).

And I think that should give you pause and reconsider just which worldview is 1) true, and 2) offers joy and happiness and meaning. The true illusion or delusion or fantasy is an atheist world in which we somehow work up the gumption for life to have meaning even though we know down deep that it has none. Thats not reality. That is pretending that reality is not what it is (granting the premise of atheism), and going on in life as if there is indeed meaning (a la existentialism).

***

Photo credit: Matryx (4-19-20) [Pixabay / Pixabay License]

***

Summary: Excellent, substantive dialogue with a friendly, non-insulting agnostic on the problem of evil: that thorniest of issues; with my retort regarding the corresponding atheist problem of good.
I read a lot of religion blogs and news sites. Or, more precisely, I scan a lot of religion blogs and news sites, looking for something that might be of interest to me. Any time I see the word Pagan or witch I stop scanning and read more closely. Are they talking about us?

Or are they taking these terms out of context and using them as scare words?

More often its the latter.

Such was the case this week when I came across an article from Religion News Service by Bob Smietana titled At Founders event, Southern Baptists urged to choose Bible over paganism, CRT. I thank the editor for putting paganism in quotes, since what the Southern Baptists were complaining about has nothing to do with actual Pagan religion.

Part of me thinks theyre not talking about us, lets ignore them and move on. Im not going to fight anyone over the word Pagan. Its part of my religious identity, but honestly, the term is so broad it doesnt have much of an emotional connection for me.

But the truth matters. Its ironic that someone who argues that Christianity isnt whatever Christians want it to be feels free to grab a term from another religion and use it in a context where it doesnt fit. So I think its worth looking at this in a little greater depth.

Fundamentalist Christians ranting against moderate Christians

The paganism quote came in a conference ahead of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. From the RNS article:

Jared Longshore, vice president of Founders Ministries and an associate pastor at Grace Baptist Church, criticized Saddleback Church, a California megachurch, for ordaining several women pastors during his speech at the Be it Resolved conference. Longshore called CRT and other liberal ideas part of a new version of paganism. That pagan religion, he said, has infiltrated SBC life, and finds truth in human teaching rather than the Bible. He described the recent battles in the SBC as being between true religion and a new religion.

While Mainline Protestants have become more and more liberal (both theologically and politically) over the past 60 years or so, the Southern Baptist Convention has become far more conservative. Fundamentalists began their takeover of the denomination in 1979 and have succeeded in purging Southern Baptist churches of moderates (there were never any liberals in the SBC). They enforce their orthodoxy with a zeal that would make the Inquisition proud.

One of the speakers insisted there can be no peace in the denomination without doctrinal purity.

Southern Baptists have every right to set their own boundaries. And as someone who grew up and suffered in that environment, Im happy to see them creating one circular firing squad after another. I explored their decline in another post last month  I see no need to revisit it here.

But lets do look at the specifics of this charge.

Pagan = not us, and therefore wrong

Longshore and others like him are using pagan in the way that 19th century (mostly English) academics lumped ancient Greeks and Romans in with Hindus, Buddhists, and contemporary indigenous peoples. It became a catch-all term meaning not like us, therefore wrong and in need of correction.

More details about what he means can be found in a piece he wrote last year titled Pagan America Dressed in Christianity, where he goes into greater detail about what he thinks is Pagan.

First and foremost, Black Lives Matter. He calls attempts to remedy societal systems where people of color have little or no voice virtue signaling. He calls the murder of George Floyd a senseless killing but condemns the response to that murder as rebellion. As with this years controversy over Critical Race Theory, his recommended approach to racism is to pretend it doesnt exist.

To his credit, Longshore criticizes Donald Trumps photo op with a bible. But he cant do it without giving thanks to God for the judges President Trump has put in place.

Mainly, hes complaining about what he calls unregenerate Christians. I know the precise theological statement hes making here  people who are active in the church but who are not truly born again. But one of the things that caused me to question what I was being taught all those years ago was the simple observation that being born again rarely made a difference in someones life. The Calvinist response to that is that such people are not among the Elect. But to a now-outsider, that sounds very close to the No True Scotsman fallacy.

In any case, unregenerate Christians are not Pagans. Theyre simply Christians deemed to be insufficiently orthodox.

Were losing power and influence

Any time I see a Christian complaining that America is becoming Pagan, what I hear is my religion no longer dominates the mainstream culture and Im scared. And sure enough, Longshore says:

We enjoy freedom of worship within the four walls of our church, but have no concept of the full exercise of religion at all times and in all places.

This is the kind of religious freedom that demands the right to dictate employees health care, refuse to serve gay people, deny the existence of trans people, and to pray its prayers in public settings while refusing to allow others to pray their own prayers.

Religious freedom means everyone is treated equally. That means Baptists have no more privilege than Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, or Pagans.

Real Pagans, not insufficiently orthodox Christians.

The evolution of religion in America

The 500-year decline of Christianity in the West is accelerating. Most assume what will replace it is atheism. I dont think so.

Some philosophers call our species homo religiosus. I often argue that polytheism is humanitys default religious perspective. In 2014 I wrote a post titled Organic Religion, where I said:

Even if religion were to completely disappear, it would quickly return because people have religious experiences all the time. This is organic religion, a religion not of doctrine but of experience, not of rules but of relationships, not of the intellect but of the soul.

At one point I thought we would eventually see Pagan temples, shrines, and priesthoods in every town though I never expected to see that in my lifetime. Im now less optimistic about that. Religion is becoming more and more individualized  Wiccas coven model may be what we end up with instead. With all the support Ive received from (and hopefully, given to) a small handful of local co-religionists over the past 15 months, its hard for me to argue against it.

Fundamentalist Christianity will not go away  authoritarian religion will always appeal to some people. It will simply continue to decline in numbers and in influence, as those raised in it realize its truth claims are unsupportable, and that there are other options.

What a real Pagan America would look like

I hope that over time, America really does become Pagan, or at least that Pagan ideas become more common. What would that mean?

It would begin with a respect for Nature, not as resources but as a person  as our Mother. Humans have as much right as any other species to modify our environment for our benefit, but we have no right to destroy ecosystems and to drive other species to extinction.

It would include not just religious tolerance but religious acceptance. A Pagan society would recognize that different Gods call different people to worship and work with Them in different ways. We would judge religions by how they inspire their followers to live in harmony with others, not by how closely they resemble ours.

It would emphasize the virtue of hospitality, especially of caring for others in need. And it would emphasis the virtue of reciprocity: of doing and returning favors, and of a gift for a gift.

It would not be a perfect society. Pagans are human and humans are imperfect. We are more politically diverse than many assume  we would still argue over priorities, and over the best ways to achieve them.

And if we decide that some of our own are insufficiently Pagan  we have the right to set our own boundaries too  I trust that we will simply point out their shortcomings in a plain and objective manner, and not use the name of a different religion to slander them.
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For much of the past decade, the economic story of Ghana has been an overwhelmingly positive one. The country has leapfrogged past its neighbors in the region to garner one of the highest GDP-per-capita rates in Africa, while the services sector of the economy has multiplied in size several times over. Meanwhile, foreign direct investment (FDI) was at an all-time high prior to 2020, and Ghana had surpassed South Africa to become Africa's largest gold producer.



However, the rate of progress can sometimes obscure a fundamental vulnerability in the economy - the fact that Ghana is overwhelmingly reliant on commodities exports. In fact, 80% of the entire export revenues of the Ghanaian economy are derived from the export of just three commodities: cocoa, oil, and gold. Let's break down the centrality of primary commodities to the Ghanaian economy and what this might mean for the future.



Cocoa Exports: $2.9 Billion



Ghana's largest export by far is cocoa products, including beans, butter, and powder. Ghana's biggest export partner by a huge margin is Switzerland, which buys close to $1 billion worth of cocoa products from Ghana every single year.



Although the demand for cocoa has remained steady and has grown modestly over the past decade, looming supply shortages present an acute vulnerability to the Ghanaian economy. Some have predicted that cocoa will become extinct by 2050, with the years leading up to "day zero" being marked by $300 chocolate bars, as cocoa products increasingly become a top-tier luxury item.



Ghana's economy is so reliant on cocoa that the country's credit rating was dramatically downgraded by S&P last year almost immediately after cocoa prices fell on the international market. Ghana's reliance on cocoa could prove to be a serious liability in the years and decades to come.



Crude Oil Exports: $2.6 Billion

Source: Pixabay



Many of the world's largest economies, from Russia to Saudi Arabia to Norway to Canada, are heavily reliant on oil exports. Ghana is no exception. The country exports more than 55,000 barrels of oil per day, making it one of the largest oil exporters in Africa (although Nigeria is the kingpin when it comes to African oil). Crude oil exporters are heavily reliant on the price of oil, which is why Ghana's outlook suffered so much when oil prices dropped last year.



However, in 2021, oil prices are rising faster than they have in years due to an unprecedented demand boom, presenting opportunities for investors as well as exporters. As a result, those looking to trade commodities on the global marketplace are attempting to capitalise, by using online brokers to speculate on the booming price of oil. Whether Ghana will see long-term benefits from the oil commodities boom remains to be seen.







Gold Exports: $2.4 Billion



Finally, there is the gold. Ghana has a massive metals mining industry but has only recently become a major gold exporter. Nowadays, the country exports hundreds of tons of gold every single year, translating to billions of dollars worth of revenue.



In times of crisis, having a large gold mining industry can be a boom, as demand for gold surges and investors look for a "safe haven" commodity to park their cash. However, in more placid economic times, a large gold sector can be a vulnerability, as deflating prices drag down GDP. For now, Ghana's gold is an asset, but this might not continue forever.



These are the commodities that drive the vast majority of Ghana's economy. As the government continues to attempt to diversify, things may change. The only question is how quickly.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The quality and nature of light in our lives can have a huge effect on our physical and mental well-being. It can also dramatically influence our moods and emotions. Bright and vibrant light can energize us, lift our spirits, and make us sociable, and a muted and atmospheric light can create an introspective and intimate setting. The power and manipulation of light is something that has always fascinated Vivian Carolina Sanchez, CEO of The Lighting Studio.



Ever since I can remember, Ive always been mesmerized by light, said Vivian with a grin. As a young girl in Venezuela, I used to watch the sunrise and the sunset and I would stare hypnotized at how the color of the landscape would change. I was also fascinated by the diverse range of shades and hues the sun would cast dependent on its point in the sky. I recall being spellbound on how the Sun could transform the contours and appearance of absolutely everything at different points of the day.



Vivian Carolina Sanchezs unguarded and infectious passion for light is typical of how she approaches life in general. A few minutes in her company and her natural charm and ebullience will win the most reserved soul over. When she speaks of light, she lights up herself with an inner fire.



Vivian explained, To put it simply, Ive always regarded light as something of a magician. Being a curious soul, as I grew, I hatched a plan to draw back the curtain and find out how I could manipulate light to create shadows, reflections, refractions, and color. In essence, I wanted to control and shape light to create an aesthetic effect that would strike a chord with others.



After graduating as a civil engineer, with a leaning toward projects that required a lot of design and creativity, Vivian Carolina Sanchez met her future husband Gustavo and began to focus on her other true love, lighting design.



Vivian revealed, After learning everything I could about the lighting business, I coupled it with my natural passion for light and architecture, and my husband and I moved to Miami to focus on design from a completely new perspective.



This new perspective paved the way for The Lighting Studio. Vivian Carolina Sanchezs global company specializes in developing lighting design projects in both the architectural and bespoke sectors.



Vivian explained, The idea behind The Lighting Studio is to offer our clients the opportunity to see how the manipulation and careful use of light can dramatically enhance the interiors of their homes.



Vivian added, I think we are all perhaps a little guilty of taking light for granted because its always there. We always underestimate how light can affect our moods, emotions, and physicality in everyday life. At The Lighting Studio, we can help you create the sort of light that is both aesthetically pleasing and beneficial. Light is empowering, light is enriching, and as a company, light is our guide.

















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The presidential advisor on health says the government will continue to strengthen surveillance at the airport to avert the influx of such variants.



Ghana has recorded its first case of the new Indian variant of COVID-19, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, the presidential advisor on health has confirmed.



He said the infected passenger has since been isolated for treatment.



Speaking to Nana Yaa Mensah on the Asaase Breakfast Show Tuesday (22 June), Dr Nsiah Asare said the case was detected from a passenger arriving in the country through the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).



Yes, this is someone arriving at the Kotoka International Airport who tested positive. So you know once you have this variant all over, by all means, the world is a very small village, they move everywhere and if you are not very careful and open your eyes at the airport, you will have some of them slipping through to the communities, he said.



Dr Nsiah Asare added, The most important thing is that once we isolate the person and manage, that is the best way to go. As you can remember, we are one of the countries who do spot check at the airport and that is something that we should cherish.



Dr Nsiah Asare said the government will continue to strengthen surveillance at the airport to avert the influx of such variants.



What we do is that anybody who comes to our airport from September is tested of an antidote test and if you are found positive, we isolate you, and now the protocol is that on the third day we pick another sample to check if their positive or not..to avoid the importation of any variant into the country, he said.



He, however, said the detection of the Indian variant will not lead to a revision of travel guideline issued by the Ghana Health Service following the recent upsurge in cases recorded at the Kotoka International Airport.



We still go by the advisory because the most important is to make sure that people dont go to where they are not supposed to go to 



Dr Nsiah Asare advised Ghanaians to continue to observe the COVID-19 protocols to help avert a third wave in the country.



The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified this coronavirus variant, first found in India last year, as a variant of global concern.

Source: Asaase Radio









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The main opposition political party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has asked the Chief Justice to withdraw his disciplinary complaint against Dr Dominic Ayine.



The Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah has reported lawyer Dr. Dominic Ayine to the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council (GLC) for statements he allegedly made during a panel discussion on Presidential Election Petitions and their impact on Africa's Democracy.



A copy of the petition, signed by the Judicial Secretary Justice Cynthia Pamela Addo, accuses Dr. Ayine of questioning the independence of the Judiciary due to the manner the Supreme Court adjudicated the 2020 presidential election petition.



The petition says Dr. Ayines basis for his assertion during the discussion is the Supreme Court's failure to apply the rules of procedure as well as the consistent and continuous dismissal of the petitioner's applications or reliefs.



These comments are made against the backdrop of the Supreme Court discharging Dr. Ayine on a charge of contempt for similar comments made against members of the Supreme Court during the Election Petition hearing. Dr. Ayine apologized profusely when he appeared before the Court on the Contempt charge and admitted to having made comments which were unbecoming of a Lawyer of his standing and a former Deputy Attorney-General."



His Lordship the Chief Justice therefore finds his alleged disparaging comments totally unacceptable and would like you to investigate this matter further, the petition said.



NDC reaction



Addressing a press conference in Accra Monday morning (June 21, 2021), the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr John Asiedu Nketiah said the complaint by the Chief Justice to the General Legal Council was an "intimidation."



"According to my common sense, it doesn't make sense to invite Dr Ayine to the Disciplinary Committee," Mr Asiedu Nketiah said.



He said the action against Dr Ayine was "unjustified, it is but a symptom of a larger problem."



"It is no coincidence that virtually all the lawyers who have reported to the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council by the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah in recent times are aligned to the NDC. What is the Chief Justice's personal interest in the punishment of NDC affiliated lawyers..., that he initiate unwarranted against them."





"We dare say that such treatment will not be meted out to lawyers who are aligned to the NPP [New Patriotic Party] for reasons best known to the Chief Justice himself."

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A civil society organisation with interest in protecting the environment has advised the government to institute a mining bond for small scale miners as a condition for their licences so that the proceeds will be used to reclaim lands damaged by the mining expeditions.

Tropenbos Ghana has estimated that it will cost a minimum of GH100,000 per acre to reclaim pits created by illegal mining activities, commonly called galamsey.



The Project Coordinator of Tropenbos Ghana, Mr Kwame Appiah Owusu, said this in an interaction with the media in Koforidua after a stakeholder dialogue on sustainable small scale mining, and urged the government to enforce land reclamation bonds to prevent lands from further deterioration.



Dialogue meeting



The national multi-stakeholder dialogue meeting was organised by Tropenbos Ghana and funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).



It was christened: "Sustainable small-scale mining for national development; strengthening the roles of district and community level stakeholders".



Tropenbos has started a pilot reclamation effort in some three districts, and Mr Appiah Owusu said over 40 per cent of the lands in those districts were lost to galamsey at the peak of the menace.



The three districts are Amansie West District and Asante Akyem Central Municipality, both in the Ashanti Region, and Abuakwa South Municipality in the Eastern Region.



Mr Appiah Owusu said the level of land degradation in those districts had made it very expensive to reclaim lands in those areas.



He said although a lot of areas had been destroyed by galamsey per their assessments, they could be restored, if the needed funds were made available.



The Deputy Director, Operations, of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr Ransford Sekyi, called for a progressive reclamation of all lands and water bodies affected by illegal mining.





He described the reclamation exercise at affected areas as very necessary but expensive, and stressed the need to design progressive methods for effective reclamation of the affected lands.



Recruitment



Mr Sekyi said the EPA had recruited over 200 new staff to make sure their presence was felt around the country to help in the management of the lands, especially areas affected by galamsey.



He said the extensive destruction of the lands had been due to the lack of investment in identifying the particular spots of ore deposits.



"Identifying the right spot of the ore deposits would make mining less destructive as just few portions of the land would be dug to extract the minerals, he said.



It is the lack of proper planning and investment in that regard that has led to the destruction of portion of lands that do not have any ore deposits," he added.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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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









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President 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









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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NPP member, Nana Fredua Agyeman Ofori-Atta has advised the Ghana Police Service to support the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey's vision in making Accra work.



The Minister has introduced operation "Let's Make Accra Work" geared at eradicating lawlessness and improper behaviours of residents in the Greater Accra Region.



He explained the operation is to ensure no resident infracts the laws governing the Capital City.



He pledged his commitment to this course.



As a result, the Minister has indicated onion traders at Agbogbloshie will be relocated whether they like it or not.



Whether they like it or not, we will move them because we have made an alternative arrangement for them. I have heard they have gone to some mallam [spiritualist] to kill me. They are kidding. They should tell the mallam [spiritualist] to return to his hometown because so far as God exists, nothing will happen to Henry Quartey by the grace of God, and by July 1, 2021, we shall move them, Mr Quartey said on an interview on Accra-based NET 2 TV.



Nana Fredua, commenting on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', wondered why the Police is not helping the Minister.



He advised them to be proactive in executing their duties to maintain law and order.



According to him, maintaining law and order should be a daily activity not a ''day's event'', hence he wants the Police to join forces with the Minister to accomplish his goals.



"It should not be a one day event. It's not an event. It should be a frequent thing . . . We must ensure the laws work in this country," he urged the Police to be up and doing.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu has urged Ghanaians to be vigilant and security-conscious in their daily activities to make crime difficult for armed robbers.



He added that aside from the provision of logistics by the government to aid the operation of the security agencies to protect lives and properties in the country, Ghanaians must be ready to help the security agencies with valid information to make their work very easy.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Dr Henry Kokofu posited that Ghanaians must desist from flaunting their wealth and things which will entice thieves and armed robbers to attack them.



According to him, the citizens must find an alternative means other than their usual way of conducting themselves in order to make it difficult for criminals to track and harm them.



He said Ghanaians must be vigilant and security-conscious.



"We have to make stealing difficult for the thieves; we display a lot of things that interest armed robbers and thieves. The most important thing is that the security agencies need our help."



The government is doing its part by providing the logistics they need to operate with but if we give the security agencies everything without helping them with information and also become security-conscious, it will be difficult to curtail crime.



He, however, warned against the political interference as well as the involvement of high profile people in the work of the security agencies; thus, these people make it difficult for the security agencies to perform their duties to the fullest and thereby make some people get away with crime.



He again warned that the perpetrators of crime have no regard for any political colour, and encouraged the need for the collective responsibility of Ghanaians to help the security agencies with information that will help them to combat crime in the country.



Criminals dont have to identify the political parties of people before killing them and so it is our collective responsibility to fight crime. The people in the security agencies are human beings like us and their work requires information that we may provide them, and so if we dont show interest and speed up with information, it will make their work very difficult, he urged.



Counting the cause of crime rate in the country, Dr Kwabena Kokofu asserted that some people from troubled neighbouring countries are partly responsible for the hike in the crime rate in the country as they smuggle their way into the country to commit crime.



He added that some of the criminals from neighbouring countries also receive an invitation from their Ghanaian counterparts to come into the country to carry out the heinous crime together.



He, therefore, backed the claim of some security experts that the rise in the crime rate in the country is a result of the government fight against illegal mining [Galamsey] activities, but added that it is not an excuse for anyone to engage in other social vices as an alternative means of survival.



Watch video below





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, has called for the decoupling of moral education from other subjects to help stem the growing moral decadence in society.



He attributed increased cases of sexual abuse and other forms of immorality to the breakdown in the importance attached to morality in the upbringing of children, and added that if moral education became a stand-alone subject, more attention would be devoted to its teaching to build the morality of children, so that they would grow with it.



I want to beg this country called Ghana that we should bring serious moral teachings into our schools, spread them and make them stronger at every level. We should also refrain from the notion that morality is relative, he stated.



Delivering a sermon at the Ebenezer Congregation in Sunyani last Sunday as part of his 10-day working visit to the Brong Ahafo Presbytery of the PCG, the Moderator said the nation stood to lose if moral education was neglected.



The Brong Ahafo Presbytery of the PCG comprises the Ahafo Region and some parts of the Bono, Bono East and Ashanti regions.



Statistics



Providing statistics, the Moderator said the Bono Regional office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service recorded 26 defilement and rape cases in 2019, with the figure increasing to 33 last year.



He expressed delight at efforts to increase the number of students who opted for the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).



Father's Day



Touching on the celebration of Father's Day, which fell last Sunday, Rt Rev. Prof. Mante reminded fathers that the observance of the day was not only for the one who donates the biological sperm but the one who, beyond the donation of the biological sperm, nurtures children, provides for the family in both the present and the future and lives an exemplary lifestyle.



He explained that all children considered their fathers as heroes and so most drunkards and others who indulged in other forms of immorality in society copied the lifestyles of their fathers.



It doesn't matter whether you explain to them (children) that the consumption of alcohol and the smoking of cigarettes are meant for adults or not; they will practise how to do it because they consider you as their heroes, he stated.



I pray to God that fathers will lead exemplary lives for their children and other people's children to copy, he added.



Rt Rev. Prof. Mante asked fathers who interpreted discipline as abuse and vented their anger on their children to change for the better.



Venting your anger on your children is not discipline, he stated, and urged fathers to deal with their hearts, since fatherhood was a challenging business which demanded love, not abuse, for the nurturing of children to harness their innate potential.



Reverends and honourables



Rt Rev. Prof. Mante, who is also the Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, further called on Christians and people who had been entrusted with responsibilities in the country to strive to be honourable and fair, so that God could use them to effect changes in society.



Those who are called honourables must work towards reaching a point where they will deserve praise and respect, he stated.



He explained that pastors and politicians were referred to as reverends and honourables, respectively, because they deserved praise and respect.



He, therefore, called on them to understand their call by working towards improving the lives of the people, instead of using their positions to milk society for their own good.



Respect



The Bono Regional Minister, Ms Justina Owusu-Banahene, asked women to accord men the needed respect in their quest to assert their independence, since it was an undisputed fact that men were heads of their families.



As part of the visit, Rt Rev. Prof. Mante and Ms Owusu-Banahene jointly planted a coconut seedling to whip up support for the government's Green Ghana initiative.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President Akufo-Addo has appointed Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid as the chief executive officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), one of the most sought-after positions in government.



The NPA oversees all operations in the multibillion-dollar downstream petroleum sector.



The appointment takes effect from 1 July 2021. The news was communicated in a letter dated 17 June.



Dr Hamid, 50, previously served in the first-term government of President Akufo-Addo as the minister of information and subsequently as the minister for inner-city and zongo development. He also served as the deputy national campaign manager for President Akufo-Addos successful second-term bid in 2020 and was in charge of campaign communications.



The NPA currently boasts over 5,000 service providers and, according to 2020 estimates, an annual sales value of between GHC24 billion and GHC28 billion (US$4-US$5 billion), which is roughly 7% of Ghanas GDP. The industry works closely with international suppliers such as BP, Glencore, Vitol and Trafigura to supply approximately 80% of the petroleum products currently consumed in the country.



Dr Hamid will champion the mission of the NPA, which is to regulate, oversee and monitor the downstream petroleum industry in Ghana for efficiency, growth and stakeholder satisfaction and to ensure that its vision, which is to be a catalyst for economic transformation and growth in Ghana, is achieved.



Think tank boss



Dr Hamid succeeds Hassan Tampuli, the immediate past NPA chief executive, who was elected as the MP for Gushegu on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party in December 2020, and has since been nominated to serve as a deputy minister of transport.



Dr Hamid served as leading spokesman for Nana Akufo-Addo from 2008 until 2017, when he became the information minister and presidential spokesperson.



Before that, he was the executive director of the Danquah Institute and a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast.



Celebrated for his honesty and integrity, Dr Hamid has gained a reputation over the years as a trusted loyalist and close confidant of President Akufo-Addo.



Mustapha Abdul-Hamid entered Tamale Secondary School in 1987 to sit for his Advanced level examinations. In 1991 he entered the University of Cape Coast to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree, eventually majoring in religious studies.



He subsequently obtained an MPhil and a PhD in religious studies from the same university.



Key contributor



The institution that Dr Hamid will be leading was established by an act of Parliament, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Act 2005 (Act 691), to regulate the downstream petroleum industry in Ghana.



As a regulator, the NPA ensures that the industry remains efficient, profitable and fair and, at the same time, that consumers get value for money. The downstream petroleum industry in Ghana encompasses all activities involved in the importation and refining of crude oil as well as the sale, marketing and distribution of refined petroleum products in the country.



Commercial activities of the industry include: importation, exportation, re-exportation, shipment, transportation, processing, refining, storage, distribution, marketing and sale of petroleum products. The petroleum industry is one of the key subsectors and a major contributor to Ghanas gross domestic product.



Since the establishment of the National Petroleum Authority in 2005, the Authority has supervised the acceleration of the petroleum downstream deregulation process by facilitating the removal of restrictions on the establishment and operations of facilities, as well as on importation of crude oil and petroleum products.



In June 2015, the NPA successfully implemented the final phase of the deregulation process  price liberalisation. This involved the full removal of control over pricing of petroleum products by the government.



Private importers, distributors and retailers are empowered to set ex-refinery and ex-pump prices with no intervention by the government. The Ghana downstream petroleum industry boasts over one million metric tonnes worth of state-of-the-art storage infrastructure.



Given the countrys position on the coast of West Africa, as well as the countrys democratic credentials, security and stability, Ghanas downstream industry is well placed to store strategic stocks of petroleum products efficiently as well as serve as a reliable point for exportation to neighbouring, land-locked countries.



This is evident from the rising volumes of petroleum products that Ghana is exporting.

Source: Asaase Radio









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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Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Franklin Asiedu Bekoe has refuted reports the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines are not effective against the new Indian COVID-19 variant called Delta variant.



The Delta variant is said to be the most contagious Covid-19 variant and it originates from India.



The new variant has been recorded in Ghana.



Head of the West Africa Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens, WACCBIP, of the University of Ghana, Professor Gordon Awendare confirmed that the Delta variant is one of the forty-five (45) variants currently in Ghana.



Overall we have about 45 or 46 different variants. The trend shows that all these normally come from travellers. Now that the Delta (Indian Variant) is taking over, its just a matter of time before it will come here in large quantities. We have a few here but its going to increase, Professor Awendare said on Joy Prime.



Professor Awendare added; Now we have to be looking at the right vaccines. All this while, weve been fixed on AstraZeneca and Sputnik V but we have to shift towards more of Pfizer and others which have a better chance of protecting against this variant. Because the future is, we are going towards these aggressive variants.



Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified this coronavirus variant as a variant of global concern.



The news has pumped fears into some Ghanaians and even more frightening is the report that those who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine is at risk to this new variant.



Speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi, Dr. Franklin Asiedu Bekoe says there is no cause for alarm.



He revealed the AstraZeneca is still effective despite the Delta variant.



"The vaccine we received is not water. It's so effective," he stated.



"One thing that's most important is what we call population immunity . . . For now, government is trying to see that we will get more vaccines and then we can build that immunity. I think to state the vaccine, AstraZeneca, is so effective," he further explained.



Dr. Bekoe advised the citizenry to strictly adhere to the protocols with particular emphasis on wearing of their nose masks, social and physical distancing.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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State Transport Corporation (STC) CEO, Nana Akomea has charged airport authorities and the Police to be extra-vigilant to prevent the spread of the Indian Coronavirus variant.



Ghana has recorded the Indian variant, also called Delta variant, said to be the most contagious Covid-19 variant.



The Delta variant originates from India and is reportedly the cause of the increases in COVID-19 cases in India and UK.



Head of the West Africa Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens, WACCBIP, of the University of Ghana, Professor Gordon Awendare confirmed that the Delta variant is currently a part of 45 variants in Ghana.



Overall we have about 45 or 46 different variants. The trend shows that all these normally come from travellers. Now that the Delta (Indian Variant) is taking over, its just a matter of time before it will come here in large quantities. We have a few here but its going to increase.



Now we have to be looking at the right vaccines. All this while, weve been fixed on AstraZeneca and Sputnik V but we have to shift towards more of Pfizer and others which have a better chance of protecting against this variant. Because the future is, we are going towards these aggressive variants, Professor Awendare said on Joy Prime.



The World Health Organization (WHO) says the Indian variant is a variant of global concern.



Speaking on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", Nana Akomea was worried that Ghana has recorded the new variant.



Nana Akomea complained that Ghanaians have relaxed in observing the COVID-19 protocols, fearing should the new variant be prevalent in the community, it will not augur well for the country.



He called on the authorities to step up and enforce the protocols.



"They should be extra-vigilant at the airport. The isolation centers should also be extra-vigilant . . . We must tighten the protocols . . . The Police must start strict enforcement for the next one month or so to make sure the Delta doesn't spread into the population," he stressed.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has expressed satisfaction with work so far undertaken on the construction of a GH36 million watermelon juice factory, being established in Walewale in the North East Region.



Touring the facility on Tuesday, 22nd June 2021, at the commencement of his 2-day tour of the North East Region, President Akufo-Addo visited Champion Foods and Beverages Limited, a wholly owned Ghanaian beverage manufacturing, distribution and marketing company.



The President was informed that the company is employing the use of PET line technology, as compared to the Tetra Packs technology, and it is being financed with a facility from the Ghana EXIM Bank.



With minor construction works to be undertaken, President Akufo-Addo was informed that the overall project is 90% complete, with offices and staff accommodation at 80% completion, and plant, equipment, and machinery all on site ready to be installed.



Full operationalization of the factory has been deferred to March 2022, with the company having installed a 10 metric tonnes per hour facility.



It is expected that, upon completion, the company will create direct employment opportunities for 300 Ghanaians and over 2,000 indirect workers, including farmers and aggregators, to be engaged in an out-grower scheme, covering parts of North East, Northern and other Regions of the country.



1D1F TAMANA RICE FACTORY



The President also visited Tamanaa Company Ltd., a rice farming and processing company located in Nasia near Walewale, which is also operating under Governments 1-District-1-Factory initiative.



As a result of the support received from Government, the company has been able to expand its operations, by adding a 250-metric ton per day rice milling facility, to its already existing 40 metric ton per day plant.



So far, some 148 workers have been employed, with the company generating a turnover of some $1.5 million annually.



The company markets 60% of its rice as parboiled and the remaining 40% as non-parboiled under the brand name Nasia Star Rice.



Tamanaa company currently engages over 4,000 rice farmers and aggregators operating in the West Mamprusi, East Mamprusi, Savulugu, Nanton and Mamprugu-Moagduri Districts.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A group known as the Asante Professionals Club, is incensed about some comments made against Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, by the founder and leader of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills.



The groups outrage about the disparaging comments stems from what they say was the Bishops complete ignoramus utterances.



In a viral audio, the renowned global evangelist in a sermon about kingship cited the Asantehene as an example and questioned his impact and legacy beyond the yearly celebrations of his reign.



Not only has the message offended the King's subjects amidst social media anger, but there are also some persons who have threatened to attack Lighthouse Chapel branches in Kumasi, the seat of the Asantehene.



However, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has apologized to the Asanehene explaining that the offensive sermon was preached 20 years ago.



He also thanked the King for handling the matter graciously.



But in a statement to set the records straight, the Asante Professionals Club maintained that since Otumfuos enthronement in April 1999, he has been an agent of peace and development in Asanteman and beyond.



Key amongst Otumfuos unmatched achievements the group says includes the following:



Establishment of the $45 million Bodukwan Multi-Fruit Processing Factory

Establishment of the $95 million Kumasi Mall

Establishment of $100 million Asanteman Development Fund

Otumfuo Education Fund providing scholarship to brilliant but needy students

Support to the Government of Ghana in engaging the Bretton Wood institutions and other investors

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation supports rural communities with educational infrastructure, computers and healthcare.

Securing $174million to support Ghana's educational sector

Otumfuo undertook the Manhyia Palace COVID19 Humanitarian Relief valued at $1million

Conflict resolution under the 2002 Dagbon Chieftaincy Crisis

Institutionalization of the Kumasi Declaration in the 2012 Presidential & Parliamentary elections

Establishment of the Asanteman Broadcasting Cooperation (ABC)





Thats not all, the Asantehene is said to have provided educational assistance to hundreds of thousands of young Ghanaians to become the doctors, engineers, and other technical experts the country desperately needs.



In particular, under Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, over 600,000 students have benefitted from full scholarships and financial support through the Otumfuo Education Fund.



Additionally, close to one (1) million desks and another one (1) million school materials have been distributed to students across the country.



According to the group, What is interesting to note is that the beneficiaries of all of these social interventions are not limited to Asantes but drawn from all the ethnic groups across the country, the statement read in parts.



In his apology statement however, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills Mills also acknowledged the achievements of the Asantehene over the years.







Source: citinewsroom









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The most contagious Covid-19 variant, originating from India, has been recorded in Ghana. Head of the West Africa Center for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens, WACCBIP, of the University of Ghana, Professor Gordon Awendare confirmed that the Indian variant, also known as the Delta variant, is one of the forty-five (45) variants which are currently in Ghana.



The Indian strain has caused huge spikes in India, and a serious increase in cases in the UK despite the fact that large sections of the population in those countries are vaccinated.



Overall we have about 45 or 46 different variants. The trend shows that all these normally come from travellers. Now that the Delta (Indian Variant) is taking over, its just a matter of time before it will come here in large quantities. We have a few here but its going to increase, Professor Awendare explained to Daniel Dadzie on JoyPrimes Prime Morning.

Professor Awendare called on the government to immediately enforce the Covid-19 preventive protocols to stem a potential spread of this deadly variant.





In addition, he added that the controls at the Airport must be tightened to stop more importation of the variant.

Professor Awendare revealed that the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines are not effective against the Indian variant.

Now we have to be looking at the right vaccines. All this while, weve been fixed on AstraZeneca and Sputnik V but we have to shift towards more of Pfizer and others which have a better chance of protecting against this variant. Because the future is, we are going towards these aggressive variants, he stressed.



The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified this coronavirus variant, first found in India last year, as a variant of global concern.

It said preliminary studies showed that this specific mutation spreads more easily than other variants.

A mutation is elevated from a variant of interest to a variant of concern (VOC) when it shows evidence of fulfilling at least one of several criteria, including easy transmission, more severe illness, reduced neutralisation by antibodies or reduced effectiveness of treatment and vaccines according to the global health body.

Source: myjoyonline,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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Rwandas High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, has underscored the steady development of mutual ties between Rwanda and Ghana, in spite of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.



She noted that the strong relations between the two countries, which had developed over the past 27 years and enhanced through the shared vision of the governments of both countries, should serve as a catalyst to propel trade and investment flows between the two countries for economic growth and improvement of livelihoods in the face of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.



Since 1994, our leadership has continued to nurture a deep and lasting relation and cooperation between our two countries which constitute a solid foundation for stronger partnership in various areas.



As a High Commission, which was established last year in the middle of this pandemic, we have been able to make these strides, not only by our effort, but largely by this spirit and teamwork, and I want to reassure you that we are here to stay and fully committed to continue serving and facilitating this cause unreservedly, she said.



Key areas



In this regard, Rwanda has identified three key areas of focus for stronger cooperation with Ghana, namely tourism, trade and business investment, and education.



Dr Aisa Kacyira made this known at a welcome reception hosted by the Rwanda High Commission in Ghana for a 32-member Rwandan delegation, who are in Ghana to explore tourism and business opportunities that will create significant, large-scale benefits for the two countries.



The visiting Rwandan delegation comprises leaders from both the private and public sectors, and is led by Rwandas Chief Tourism Officer, Belise Akaliza.



The visit is a reciprocal one to an earlier visit to Rwanda by Ghanaian public officials, business executives and a media contingent in March this year.



Organisers interest



Organisers of the visits expressed the hope that the familiarisation tours, which are being conducted within the context of trade and tourism, would serve as a window to grow partnerships between Rwanda and Ghanaian businesses and public institutions.



At the event, the Special Advisor to Ghanas Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Nana Osafo-Adjei, recounted the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had had on the tourism sector, which, he said, had also affected operators in related industries because of the reduced consumer demands.



He said the government had set various initiatives in motion aimed at boosting the recovery of the tourism sector, stressing that he expected the visit of the Rwandan delegation to Ghana to help the mobilisation of an increased South-South collaboration.



Tourism, trade and investment are not independent dockets but interrelated because through visiting one another, we are able to discover the opportunities available, thereby boosting business and trade, as well as investing in each others economies.



More broad-looking visits like the familiarisation tours conducted between Rwanda and Ghana will be key building blocks to working towards Agenda 63 of the Africa we want, he said.



Agenda 63 encapsulates not only Africa's aspirations for the future, but also identifies key flagship programmes which can boost Africa's economic growth.









Source: graphiconline.com









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State Prosecutor Hilda Craig, a Senior State Attorney has informed the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court that a group of four people visited her on behalf of Samson Agharlor, the man said to have masterminded the kidnapping of two Canadian ladies.



Agharlor, a Nigerian national and three others are facing charges including unlawful imprisonment of the ladies.



In court on Tuesday when the matter was called for further cross-examination of 10th Prosecution Witness in the case, the State Attorney asked the court to warn the accused person of his behaviour.



According to her, a group of four people came to her office with one said to be called Raymond.



The State Attorney said they claimed they were there on behalf of the 1st Accused (Aghalor) but she asked them to leave immediately.



She warned the accused never to send anyone to their office in respect of the case and any other case.



She said anything else regarding the case should go through his lawyer.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









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Minority in Parliament is accusing government of running away from accountability. This comes after Finance Minister, on Thursday, failed to show up in Parliament to provide answers on how much President Akufo-Addos latest foreign trips cost the taxpayer.



Ken Ofori-Atta was billed to appear to answer questions on the issue, but he has requested for more time. Ranking Member on Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa says the delay tactics appear to be efforts to conceal the truth.



Now weve brought them to a more appropriate forum where they are constitutional bound to be accountable and there are all of these delayed tactics.



The President had earlier being accused by the Minority of ostentatious spending even as the country goes through economic hardship.



Per their calculations, President Akufo-Addo spent 345,000, i.e. 2,828,432.80 at the current exchange rate in flight cost during his nine-day visit to France, Belgium, South Africa, and back to the country.



Speaking after the failure to appear, Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that this is a pinnacle of luxury adding that this is about protecting the public purse.



It must strike you as very strange because really what do they have to hide. Its as though something is happening behind the scenes and they need time to complete whatever they are doing, he stressed.



Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa further argued that these are not the tenets of accountability of good governance, if you have nothing to hide if you dont need to buy time to do something untoward you just respond.



But Majority Chief Whip in Parliament Frank Annor Dompreh says the Minister of Finance has nothing to hide.



If a member has a question regardless whether the question has been advertised for in the other paper or not, you have the responsibility to follow up at the Speakers secretariat especially where your leader has told you that the question has been deferred because answers are not ready.



He added that in his view, it is preemptive and quite unnecessary for a member to hold a press conference and begin to read meaning to words as if the minister was afraid to come and answer the questions not knowing the minister was in the house today he answered a similar question.







Source: myjoyonline,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









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National Communications Officer for the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi says Dr Dominic Ayine has done nothing wrong in his presentation at the CDD organized forum to warrant the Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah to write to the General Legal Council of Ghana to punish him [Ayine].



Sammy Gyamfi in an interview on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show on Tuesday, 22nd June 2021 said that the 1992 Constitution allows Dr Dominic Ayine to offer his opinion on the ruling of the Supreme Court on the 2020 election petition.



Ghana is a democratic country and so the 1992 Constitution which is being used to govern the country allows everybody to express their opinion or the freedom of expression. In view of this, anybody can express their opinion or views after a judgment has been given on a case.



The opinion may not favour the Chief Justice, or it may not base on law, and it may be wrong, but that is the opinion of someone and the person is entitled to it and the law says that the person cannot be persecuted or harassed for expressing their opinion.



According to Sammy Gyamfi, it is unfathomable for the Chief Justice to write to the General Legal Council of Ghana to punish Dr Dominic Ayine for expressing his opinion on the verdict of the Supreme Court on the 2020 election petition when other lawyers expressed their opinion on the same verdict of the Supreme Court.



Lawyers from both NPP and NDC expressed their opinions; while the NPP lawyers supported the ruling of the Supreme Court on the 2020 election petition, the NDC lawyer, Dr Ayine disagreed with the ruling of the Supreme Court and that has angered Justice Anin-Yeboah to write to the General Legal Council to punish Dr Ayine, he wondered.



We in the NDC would have understood Justice Anin-Yeboah if his petition to the General Legal Council is based on the fact that he [Dr. Ayine] has denigrated and insulted the 7 judges who sat on the 2020 election petition, but he did not rebuke the Supreme Court. Dr Ayine was talking about his confidence in the Judiciary and nobody can punish anybody about his or her opinion on an issue, he argued.



Watch Video Below





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.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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The Site C Dam location is seen along the Peace River in Fort St. John, B.C., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. A United Nations agency says Canada's largest national park is now so threatened that it could likely be placed on the list of World Heritage sites in danger. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
John Garrod, of Arvada, stands holding a blue line flag at the beginning of a line of about 30 police cars lined up for a procession in honor of the officer who was fatally shot in Arvada, Colo., on Monday, June 21, 2021. A gunfight between two men and police officers at a shopping district in a Denver suburb left an officer and one of the suspects dead, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Colleen Slevin)
Police and firefighters respond after a truck drove into a crowd of people during The Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival in Wilton Manors, Fla., on Saturday, June 19, 2021. WPLG-TV reports that the driver of the truck was taken into custody. (Chris Day/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
Jago, a police dog, is seen in an undated handout photo. Alberta's police oversight agency has released new details about last week's death of a man whose pursuit, arrest and death near a provincial park also resulted in the death of a police service dog. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-RCMP, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
The last thing you expect to see while spending a quiet day fishing is a Bigfoot moving about on the shoreline and throwing rocks. A Kentuc...
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A Battelle-led team featuring a cadre of universities is now in charge of the Savannah River National Laboratory at the Savannah River Site, the result of an exhaustive, monthslong contract transition.

Battelle Savannah River Alliance officially took the reins Monday, marking the start of a new era for the Department of Energy lab south of Aiken.

Were excited to have this opportunity to be a part of a very bright future at SRNL, and appreciative to the DOE for trusting us with this important mission, said Mark Peters, Battelles executive vice president for global laboratory operations. Now, we are eager to begin officially working to ensure the delivery of high impact science, technology and engineering solutions into the future through a significant expansion of SRNLs core competencies and programs.

The Energy Department greenlit the shift to Battelle Savannah River Alliance in February, approximately two months after it had awarded the team the management contract, which is valued at $3.8 billion over the course of a decade.

With the Battelle team installed, the lab is no longer fused to Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the top contractor at the Savannah River Site.

For all practical purposes, we are an independent national laboratory under a BSRA (management-and-operations) contract, Dr. Vahid Majidi, the lab director, said in a Monday interview. Majidi led the lab under Savannah River Nuclear Solutions; he will continue in that capacity under Battelle Savannah River Alliance.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the lab director said, was helpful in navigating the transition minefield and helping us create this new enclave  a standalone national lab with a discrete management contract. We did a number of testings during the last month or so just to make sure everything was in place, so we can go forward.

The labs close relationships with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and other Savannah River Site players  Savannah River Remediation, the liquid-waste contractor, for example  will continue and are expected to flourish. The lab portfolio includes everything from nuclear waste cleanup and nuclear nonproliferation to forensics and energy manufacturing.

Battelle has a wealth of national lab experience: The company already oversees thousands of employees at other labs across the U.S.

Battelles operated labs across the DOE complex, Savannah River Site manager Michael Budney said in January, and theyre well known to DOE, so we believe its going to be a great partnership.

Battelle Savannah River Alliance is supported by South Carolina, Clemson, S.C. State, Georgia and Georgia Tech universities as well as Longenecker and Associates and TechSource Inc. The Energy Department in December 2020 said the arrangement with regional universities will further DOEs goal to increase academic involvement in the management of the laboratory.
One of the Charleston areas best-known shellfish growers is getting out of the business, citing changes in the regulatory and natural environment.

Dave Clammer Dave Belanger by 2019 was looking for someone to buy his 30-acre McClellanville lease, processing facility and boat, arguing that clams and oysters couldnt thrive in waters warmed by climate change. A recent permitting fight hardened his desire to move to Southwest Virginia and raise cattle.

I didnt break any laws, I didnt do anything wrong, Belanger said of a few alleged administrative violations which apparently held up the reissuance of his licenses.

Erin Weeks, a spokeswoman for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources Division, said state law prohibits the agency from disclosing license data, but she confirmed Belanger is among the states 36 mariculture permit holders.

I think it changed my personality, Belanger said of the time and money he says he spent defending his operation.

Oyster farming has become more contentious in recent years as floating cages have held both the promise of increased revenue for growers and threat of visual blight on seemingly unspoiled South Carolina landscapes. Opponents of floating cage farms also maintain the operations could interfere with boating safety and water access.

Belanger does not use floating cages, which are a feature of eight farms statewide.

But he shares some citizen concerns about how industry oversight is conducted. As The Post and Courier in May reported, South Carolinas management of commercial oyster farming (is) a secretive process that largely takes place in closed-door meetings outside of the publics view.

The S.C. Shellfish Growers Association has called for more transparency in the permitting process.

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Were trying to be a lot more transparent about everything, Ben Dyar, head of DNRs shellfish management program, told The Post and Courier earlier this year.

An accidental shellfish grower, Belanger, 67, acquired his first batch of clam seed while consulting on a local clam farms bankruptcy. He started harvesting clams in the early 2000s and introduced Capers Blades oysters in 2008. The slender singles quickly gained a loyal following of high-end chefs, including Mike Lata of The Ordinary.

Lata declined to comment on Belangers impending departure, noting how long its been since Belanger first started talking up the idea.

Belanger asserts this time hes serious about decamping to the mountains.

I am leaving, he said, allowing that hes a full decade behind the life plan he originally sketched out. Retiring. My partner and I are going to buy a small farm, raise some cattle and put up a few yurts for a yoga retreat.

Even if Belanger relocates, his name will stay behind. Hes planning to hand over his brand to whoever buys the business so Clammer Dave will remain a fixture of local menus.

And if we ever have food festivals again, he adds, hell happily return to Charleston to serve as its face.
Prisma Health is entering a 10-year partnership with German technology company Siemens to become more efficient and improve patient care, the companies announced June 22.

Prisma staff members will work with technology experts from the Siemens Healthineers division to evaluate how the company uses technology to treat patients, including the use of artificial intelligence.

Prisma Health, the state's largest hospital system, needs to keep improving how it works as the challenges of health care, from rising costs to keeping a trained workforce, keep mounting, Prisma Health CEO Mark O'Halla said.

"We have to get better  better outcomes and cheaper," O'Halla said.

One of the roles that technology can play is to make work more efficient for the staff, both through better systems and training, said Dave Pacitti, president for the Americas of Siemens Healthineers, the health care tech portion of the German engineering giant.

That should bring more time for clinical staff to treat patients, he said.

No financial terms of the 10-year partnership were disclosed, but Pacitti said it is his company's largest partnership with a health care provider.

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Artificial intelligence will be used to study how Prisma Health is treating patients by analyzing the collected data with no names of patients attached, O'Halla said.

AI also will be able to help care for individual patients, Pacitti said. One example: an AI system can work in the background as a doctor or other staff members examine computer images from a scan, looking to highlight areas on the image that that need more scrutiny.

The deal will include adding more modern diagnostic equipment from Siemens and making sure that the systems are deployed around the state in the most efficient way possible, O'Halla said.

For Siemens, the deal will provide direct clinical feedback on how its systems work in medical offices.

Prisma Health operates 18 hospitals, including the former Palmetto Health system in the Midlands. Headquartered in Greenville, it employs more than 30,000 staff members.
COLUMBIA  Hobby Lobby will bring a new store to the Columbia area located at Harbison Court, the shopping center anchored by Nordstrom Rack and Marshall's.

Work already is underway on the large former Babies' R Us store location to get it ready for the craft retailer.

No opening date has been announced, and a message to the shopping center's management, Big V Properties, was not returned, but the new location is listed on its website.

Hobby Lobby currently has locations on Sunset Boulevard in Lexington, U.S. 1 in West Columbia and Two Notch Road in the Northeast.

The chain closed its store off Forest Drive in 2019, directing customers on the east side of Columbia to visit the location in Camden.

The craft store company operates 900 store locations across the country.

More 7-Eleven in the Midlands

Another 7-Eleven has opened in the Midlands, this one now open at 1231 Longgreen Parkway, on the fast-growing Killian Road corridor.

Another 7-Eleven is ready to open soon in Lexington on 5229 Sunset Blvd.

Overall, the chain will have 10 locations in Richland and Lexington counties once the Sunset Boulevard location opens.

The 7-Eleven at Longcreek is operated by Applegreen, a retailer from Ireland that in 2017 acquired S.C.-based The Brandi Group, according to trade magazine CSP.

Brandi Group was the originator of the Pitt Stop chain of convenience stores.

New in Five Points

It's not student housing coming to Five Points, but a student housing office.

Walk2Campus Properties is moving its rental office from one of its the Vista to 2002 Blossom St., according to Julie Smith, executive vice president of leasing and property management for the company.

The company offers several locations of student housing in Columbia for rent, including Pulaski Square Townhouses and Carolina Heights.

The new office location formerly served as the Fit Columbia yogavstudio, which moved to 2121 College St. in the neighborhood last December.

Walk2Campus hopes to be set up in its new office by July 15, weeks before the students will return from the summer.

Oil on Garners Ferry

Something new is going up at a former Kangaroo Express convenience store location at 7800 Garners Ferry Road at the intersection with Hazelwood Road.

The site has been cleared and will become a Take 5 Oil Change location. Craig Waites of Colliers International South Carolina represented the seller in the transaction.

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Have any Midlands business news to share in the column? Reach Mike Fitts at mfitts@postandcourier.com.
COLUMBIA  Columbia residents who get a COVID-19 vaccine during the next month could score roundtrip airfare.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and other officials will announce June 23 a partnership with Columbia Metropolitan Airport and American Airlines to award two roundtrip airline tickets to someone who receives a vaccine between now and the end of July.

A name will be drawn in a lottery at the end of the campaign.

"Our work is nowhere near being done," Benjamin said. "We need to keep up the sense of urgency."

People throughout the city have received reverse 911 calls with information about the vaccine and help with transportation to vaccine clinics. The city's "It's your shot" public relations campaign has plastered billboards, trash trucks and found its away into water bills delivered throughout the area.

The effort is part of a push to achieve 70% of residents vaccinated by July 4.

"Without much deeper vaccination penetration, were going to start seeing an uptick (in cases)," Benjamin said June 22 during a virtual panel of the U.S. Conference of Mayors that included Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top medical adviser to President Joe Biden. "Were asking folks to step up their game and to realize that yes even here today in Columbia, South Carolina, people are still dying from the virus."

In South Carolina about 40% of residents are completely vaccinated and 47% have received at least one shot, according to state health officials. In Richland County, 4,240 of every 10,000 residents are fully vaccinated and 4,950 of 10,000 have received at least a dose, state data shows.

On the call with a handful of mayors through the country, Fauci warned of the growing presence of the Delta variant of coronavirus, which started in India, makes up the vast majority of cases in the United Kingdom and is creeping up among U.S. cases.

"Good news is if you're vaccinated, you're very very well protected," Fauci said. "If you're not vaccinated, you really are at risk...Those communities are going to get infections that could have been entirely avoidable."

The 70% vaccination goal isn't an endpoint, he said, but a milestone to the larger plan of stamping out the virus by late summer.

As part of that effort he encouraged local elected leaders to tailor campaigns to their area.

In Dayton, Ohio, police, fire and public works vehicles parade through neighborhoods to encourage vaccines, accompanied by food trucks and Visa gift card giveaways, said Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Fauci went door-to-door in Washington, D.C., with Mayor Muriel Bowser to encourage vaccines.

In Columbia, mask ambassadors have been reenlisted as vaccine ambassadors, Benjamin told the panel. That includes parking and code enforcement officers, park rangers and fire marshals.
IRMO  Christina Melton, the outgoing Lexington-Richland Five superintendent, will receive a lump sum of $226,368 as part of a settlement agreement to resign effective June 30 and will relinquish the S.C. Superintendent of the Year award she received last month.

School board members hoped to avoid any mudslinging by including a $20,000 penalty for anybody who makes "negative or disparaging statements or remarks" in the settlement agreement released June 22.

After nearly two hours behind closed doors at a special meeting June 22, Lexington-Richland Five trustees unanimously approved Akil Ross, a former Chapin High School principal named Americas best in 2018 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, as Meltons successor.

Ross, who left to start Irmo-based educational consulting firm HeartEd shortly after becoming the district's director of secondary education in 2018, told reporters he would not comment on his role until he starts on July 1. Ross was credited with raising Chapin High's graduation rate from 82 percent to 96 percent during his tenure.

A salary for Ross was not released. Melton earns $175,000 a year.

Trustees left the meeting without commenting to reporters but issued a statement later.

"District Five is extremely fortunate to have Dr. Ross lead our district. He is a well-respected educational leader throughout the district, state and country," board chairwoman Jan Hammond said. "The entire board is looking forward to working with Dr. Ross to continue our district's tradition of excellence."

The statement did not mention Melton, who has led the 17,500-student district since 2017, nor the settlement.

After announcing unexpectedly on June 14 plans to step down, Melton must now return her S.C. Association of School Administrators' 2022 Superintendent of the Year honor, Executive Director Beth Phibbs confirmed to The Post and Courier.

Phibbs said the title can only be held by superintendents who are "actively on the job," according to American Association of School Administrators eligibility guidelines.

Phibbs said a successor will be named as South Carolina's top superintendent on July 1.

The reasons for Melton's resignation remain unclear.

Melton has not said why she is leaving, and Lexington-Richland Five school board leaders have not shared publicly any differences with the superintendent that would lead to her departure.

Some trustees and parents disagreed with the safety precautions the district took during the COVID-19 pandemic, including limiting in-person classes and requiring masks.

Trustee Ed White resigned mid-meeting on June 14 after a closed session where he said he refused to sign a confidentiality agreement over Melton's departure. He said Melton was pushed out by a small group of trustees. Melton announced her resignation about 20 minutes after White left.

Melton was absent from the June 22 special board meeting, but about two dozen people rallied outside district headquarters in support of the superintendent before the meeting.

"Christina Melton has been the best superintendent we've ever had. I've been in this district since first grade, and I've seen a bunch of them," said Laney Minter, who graduated June 18 from Spring Hill High School.

Like many others in attendance, Minter was wearing a T-shirt adorned with a sunflower  Melton's favorite. Others held signs reading "Know Thy Impact," which Melton adopted as her motto.

"Having worked for her and having worked for the previous superintendents, she is bar none like nobody else," said Beth Gossett, who worked in the district for 12 years. "Some of our previous superintendents probably were not as forward thinking as Dr. Melton is, so what I'm afraid of is we're not going to get someone who is as forward thinking. She's been pushing us for the last four years and our district is outperforming other districts."

When she won the state superintendent award in May, Melton said she was "humbled every day by the responsibility of leading my school district.

This has been a challenging year for all superintendents, but I do believe we have all done our best to put our students, staff and families first in the decisions we have made. My continued mission will be to make a positive impact in the lives of children and teachers in our community.
GEORGETOWN  Hours after South Carolina's six Republican U.S. House members sent a letter asking Clemson University and the University of South Carolina to discontinue teaching critical race theory, Georgetown County GOP hosted an educational meeting June 21 on the popular political talking point.

The county party brought in Kristin Bohan, an area psychologist, to explain critical race theory, which proponents say examines how racism has shaped American laws and history and how that has continued to impact the lives of non-White people today.

Critical race theory is not being taught in Georgetown, or any, schools in the United States, Bohan stressed.

"Critical race theory isn't a curriculum ... it's really a philosophy. Think of it more as a way of approaching knowledge," Bohan told the gathering of 100 people.

Conservatives have condemned critical race theory and The New York Times' 1619 Project over the past year, saying it makes White children feel guilty for racist actions their ancestors, not them individually, committed.

The problem with critical race theory, Bohan said, is not the individual philosophy, but the people who often use it on things like social media to shame and guilt others into believing racism is inherent and unchangeable.

"Kids today are being raised in this environment where we really believe we can divide the world into good and bad people ... but we are all good and bad," she said.

The Georgetown County GOP said in a Facebook post that Bohan, who specializes in working with adolescent girls and women with eating disorders, body-image issues, anxiety and depression, claims she is not an expert on critical race theory.

But in an interview after she spoke, Bohan said she gets frustrated when people talk about things they know nothing about and went into the night with a goal of educating people.

S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, a Republican, said June 3 that critical race theory has no place in South Carolina schools, and a bill was introduced in May in the state General Assembly that aims to ban teaching that students "by virtue of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin, are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members of the same sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin."

The State Department of Education has no information on whether critical race theory is being taught at state schools, where curriculum and lesson plans are set locally.

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"It is impossible for me to say critical race theory is not in South Carolina schools because there are always going to be instances of teachers or individuals pulling information that could be (tied to critical race theory)," said Ryan Brown, a spokesman for the Education Department.

The agency is receiving many complaints from parents that their children are being taught critical race theory in classrooms, Brown said, but that the term's recent politicization has made way for many different interpretations as to what exactly it is.

"There are school districts that have social and emotional learning and teachings on racism and equity, and those things, if they are taught in a recommended manner, they don't touch anywhere near critical race theory," Brown said. "But we've got to teach kids about racism, there's no way around that; it is part of our state and country's history."

The Georgetown event drew leaders from both parties.

"Hopefully people got a way to research," Georgetown GOP Chair Karol Anderson said. "There were Republicans and Democrats, so I think everybody got a glimpse."

Georgetown County Democratic Chair Marianne Mackey also attended the meeting, held at Waccamaw Library in Pawleys Island.

Georgetown County School District did not immediately respond to questions on if critical race theory is taught in its classrooms, though a Horry County Schools spokeswoman said the district uses the state's curriculum standards for social studies that does not include critical race theory or The 1619 Project.

In a letter to Clemson and USC, the state's six Republican U.S. House members said critical race theory says America is racist and that systemic racism continues to play a role in its history and society.

"We ask you prevent any such classes from being taught and instead encourage your University leadership to focus on celebrating what unites our young people rather than exaggerate what divides them," the letter posted Monday evening to Rep. Ralph Norman's Twitter said.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Myrtle Beach, SC (29577)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 68F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 68F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
CONWAY  During a routine Horry County School board meeting, a local conservative group spoke out against teaching Critical Race Theory in K-12 schools.

Critical Race Theory and its theorists believe law and legal systems are inherently racist, and those systems have continued to impact the lives of non-White people today.

The Grand Strand Patriots, an Horry County group, member Ken Coleman, who is White, said he does not want the theory taught within HCS.

"It is a very strong possibility (CRT) will not die a slow death. It's going to stay around," Coleman said. "I'm just hoping our session here tonight will convince the board that is not the way to go in this county  or in the state."

HCS Spokesperson Lisa Bourcier confirmed Horry schools do not teach Critical Race Theory or the 1619 Project; instead, they utilize the South Carolina Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.

The Rev. James Cokley, who is Black, disagrees with this choice.

"We need to understand that many of our African American students are disadvantaged because many of your teachers do not understand the cultural differences between the races and how it affects learning behaviors and attitudes," Cokley said.

Cokley, who preaches at Cherry Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Conway, said it's not as if he is for or against CRT, adding HCS board members are not doing their due diligence and falling for misinformation.

"I was greatly appalled to discover that our board would make public comments ... without first taking the time to be briefed, or to be educated on the subject matter to which they're discussing," Cokley said. "Especially when this board is responsible for the education of our children."

Chairman Ken Richardson posted on his personal Facebook page that he disagrees with CRT.

"I will never support any program that teaches the children to hate America," Richardson wrote in the post.

While the other HCS members haven't taken an official stance on CRT, the same cannot be said about South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, who said June 3 that Critical Race Theory has no place in South Carolina schools.

Along with Spearman's statements, there is a bill in the state general assembly that wants to ban teaching students that "by virtue of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin, are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members of the same sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin."

State Department of Education Spokesperson Ryan Brown said the state education standards have no tenets about Critical Race Theory, but that curriculum and lesson plans are set by each school and teacher, not at a state level.

Brown added it is impossible to say CRT is not being taught in South Carolina schools as teachers could pull information tied to the theory.

"There are school districts that have social and emotional learning and teachings on racism and equity, and those things, if they are taught in a recommended manner, they don't touch anywhere near Critical Race Theory," Brown said. "But we got to teach kids about racism. There's no way around that. It is part of our state and country's history."

And the issue doesn't just affect K-12 schools. On June 21, multiple South Carolina Congress members, including Rep. Tom Rice, who serves both Horry and Georgetown counties, signed a letter asking Clemson University and the University of South Carolina to discontinue teaching CRT.

Coleman believes CRT will further separate an already divided country.

"I do not believe that white people in the United States have any extra privilege than anyone else does," Coleman said. "Everybody has got the same advantages and opportunities. All you have to do is take them and work at it."

But for Cokley, privilege based on skin tone is an American truth.

"Persons are often viewed from the lens of color, rather than their character, resulting in one race often being privileged over another," Cokley said. "Any individual facing the truth knows that this is the case in the United States of America. And anyone who denies that this happens every day in our country is not willing to accept the truth."
If you ask Principal Ryan Cumback, hell say that Saniyah Drayton and Darius Brown are the best and brightest that West Ashley High School has to offer.

If you ask Petty Officer 1st Class Fred Davis, the schools Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps instructor, the two students represent what it means to be NJROTC cadets.

Every blue moon, you get those cadets that stand out amongst the rest, Davis said. From the beginning of freshman year, they stood out.

Drayton and Browns qualities werent just noticed and admired by their teachers. They earned each student more than $180,000 in NROTC scholarships for their upcoming college careers.

The two students are the first in the schools history to receive the scholarships. They each had to meet academic and physical standards. For Brown, that meant doing a minimum of 62 situps, 51 pushups and running a mile in 11 minutes.

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Drayton, who had different physical standards because she is a woman, had to do 62 situps, 24 pushups and run a mile in at least 13 minutes and 30 seconds.

The two students also had to achieve at least 2.75 grade-point average, an 1100 on the SAT or a combined reading and math score of 44 on the ACT. The application process in itself required focus and discipline from the two cadets.

I told myself, 'OK, this is what we need to do. Lets just get it done, Brown said.

Brown received the NROTC National Preparatory Program Scholarship, which will cover his tuition at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La.

Drayton received the NROTC National Minority Scholarship, which will cover the costs for her to attend Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. Both of the scholarships require the cadets to be involved in ROTC throughout their college career and serve at least five years in the Navy.

For both students, the scholarships mean future financial stability and the opportunity to go to college before serving as officers. Both Brown and Drayton said they would have enlisted in the military had they not gotten the scholarships.

I dont even know if I still grasp the idea that I get to go to school for free, Drayton said. To be the first here to do it and to be the first in my family, I think its really cool for me.

The scholarships are more than just a financial opportunity for the two students. Both felt a desire to continue participating in ROTC, as the program helped shape them throughout high school.

For the past four years, the students have been spending much of their time in the schools NJROTC classroom, where they have developed deep relationships with their instructors and fellow cadets.

From the first day that I walked into the ROTC classroom on the 600 hallway of this school, Ive been in love with the program, Brown said.

Both Brown and Drayton said the programs dedication to teaching students teamwork, leadership and discipline helped them to be successful in their careers.

The students took the ROTC lessons in stride, Davis said. They both showed exceptional leadership and a desire to help others and volunteer. Above all, the two students are team players.

"They took to ROTC like a duck to water when it came down to it," Davis said.

The program teaches students to begin with the end in mind." Without that mantra, Drayton doesn't know if she would have earned her scholarship.

I knew that at the beginning I wanted to get a scholarship, Drayton said. And now here I am, four years later, with the scholarship. (It taught me) the importance of having discipline within your life to do things, try new things and be structured to get where you want to be.
A coalition of Charleston-area activists is ratcheting up pressure on elected officials to implement a sweeping series of public safety and social service reforms.

In a document titled "Revisioning Public Safety," the coalition of 11 groups outlined its demands on June 22 to Charleston County Council, Sheriff Kristin Graziano and 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson.

Proposals included divesting from traditional law enforcement, investing in community programs, building community trust, limiting law enforcement power, bolstering transparency, ensuring protections for incarcerated people and implementing bail reforms, among other measures.

The memo comes as Wilson continues to investigate the Jan. 5 homicide of Jamal Sutherland, a 31-year-old Black man with mental illness who died in Charleston County jail after deputies pepper- sprayed him, shocked him with Tasers and pinned him to the floor when he refused to leave his cell for a bond hearing on a minor misdemeanor charge.

Sutherland's death sparked renewed outrage among activists, who drew parallels to the May 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Among the coalition's demands was the creation of a Public Safety Accountability Council made up of residents who would be independent of law enforcement or elected officials.

The council would have oversight power over law enforcement agencies, the ability to cap budgets, subpoena power, ability to inspect detention facilities, make recommendations on enforcement and jail policies and to discipline and fire police and jail officers in Charleston County.

"Jamal Sutherland should still be alive today," the memo began. "Our collective stands in solidarity with the Sutherland family and extends our unconditional support in seeking justice for Jamals wrongful death."

Wilson provided The Post and Courier with her response to the memo sent to Frank Knaack, the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina executive director.

"It is clear you put much thought into your email and nine-page memo," the solicitor wrote. "I am happy to meet with you and all stakeholders to discuss further. From your work on wrongful convictions with an Innocence Project and with Appleseed, I am certain you understand the need for a thorough investigation in the Sutherland matter. I know that you appreciate the need for a fair prosecution, should one arise."

Wilson said she would not bring charges without having all critical evidence at hand.

"No well-meaning person (or group) should want anyone, be it police officers or citizens, prosecuted without such," she said. "I am working to ensure that our community and everyone else involved are afforded an investigation that is fair, thorough and complete. To preserve the integrity of the continuing investigation, I will not discuss specific evidence or challenges. We can, however, discuss the general principles you address in your memo at a convenient time."

The Charleston County Sheriff's Office said it also received the list of demands.

"We are reviewing them as part of our ongoing conversation with the group," according to the Sheriff's Office.

For the coalition, which includes the state ACLU, Black Liberation Fund, Charleston Immigrant Coalition, Charleston Activist Network, Charleston BLM and six other groups, Sutherland's death is a sign that the criminal justice system in Charleston County is broken and requires sweeping changes to fix, not incremental reforms.

"Mr. Sutherlands death wasnt the result of a few bad apples, but of a system that stops, arrests, convicts and incarcerates Black and Brown people at staggering rates compared to white people," the coalition wrote.

Black people are more likely to face police harassment and violence and to live with substandard housing, transportation, wages, public education, health care, healthy food, clean air, water and credit, among other disparities, the coalition wrote.

"We must take the billions of dollars we pour into our police and criminal justice system each year and reinvest it into our communities," they wrote. "This will not fix all of our injustices, but it will be a major and necessary start."

Also included in the coalition's demands are:

Prioritize funding for mental health care and supportive services instead of punishment and criminalization;

Arrest and charge Lindsay Fickett and Brian Houle, the former deputies involved in Sutherland's death;

All institutions and agencies involved in Sutherland's death must release their policies and procedures for responding to people in mental health crisis;

Clarify the situations that would warrant law enforcement being called to respond to someone in mental health distress; and

Conduct an independent, after-action review of the Sutherland case, spanning all institutions and agencies involved.

The groups also called for the Sheriff's Office to commit to protecting protesters' First Amendment rights and to limit interactions between law enforcement and demonstrators, according to the memo.

Protesters have clashed with law enforcement for the last year, particularly in downtown Charleston, where they say city police and other agencies have unfairly targeted peaceful demonstrators and used excessive force.

Most recently, Justin Hunt, of the group Stand as One, was arrested in April, days after he allegedly failed to obtain a permit for a protest that saw marchers try to get onto King Street.

Activists are also pushing for the county to create Community Safety and Violence Prevention departments to oversee city police and county deputies as well as two newly created departments  a Community Response Department and a Traffic Enforcement Department.

Both new departments would be staffed by unarmed, civilian personnel, with the Community Response Department consisting of professionals trained in mental and medical health as well as social workers and others who are independent of law enforcement, according to the memo.

To read the coalition's full list of demands, visit the ACLU of South Carolina's website: aclusc.org.

Olivia Diaz contributed to this report.
North Augusta City Council voted 5-0 to send a sketch plan of the Seven Gables Flythe property for the new Public Safety headquarters to the city's planning commission. Council members David McGhee and Eric Presnell were not in attendance.

While citizens have mixed reactions about the property, the council wants and encourages public engagement on the topic before making an informed decision. Mayor Briton Williams said there will be many instances where citizens can voice their concerns to the council.

Being on the planning commission when this happened last time, I know that one of the things that did not happen was ... any ability to do a sketch review and (get) any kind of feedback, Williams said. And we learned from that, so we are going down the right road with planning commission and how to do this. We are also opening it up for people to understand what the path would be going forward.

While no North Augusta residents spoke before council on Monday about their concerns with the potential site, the frustration of fighting on behalf of the Seven Gables Flythe property feels redundant to many outspoken citizens online.

Council also passed the Riverside Village noise ordinance unanimously.

The noise ordinance will extend to 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights in Riverside Village. The rest of the city will keep the citywide ordinance of 10:30 p.m.

Council has previously stated this is step one in improving the noise ordinance citywide.

The next planning commission meeting is scheduled for July 15, according to the North Augusta government website. Renderings for both East Buena Vista and Georgia Avenue are available online for the public to view.

Other business

 The North Augusta Greeneway will be closed from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. between Cypress Drive and Riverbluff Drive on Wednesday. A wastewater line will be fixed during that time and no homeowners will be affected.

 Council agreed to take part in the Veterans Local Government Fellowship program. The national program helps veterans transition out of the Armed Forces and work in managerial city government positions. This will be the second program of its kind in South Carolina.

 Council agreed for a Miracle League field to be built at Riverview Park. The RECing Crew will use this field as a joint facility with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism programs. This is just the right thing to do, Williams said. Its good for people, and its good for families.

 North Augusta is now participating in the Lower Savannah Regional Home Consortium, an initiative that helps increase affordable housing opportunities for low-income individuals.
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More than a year after suffering through the twin blows of the pandemic and the worst rioting in a century, King Street is at a crossroads. Charlestons premier shopping and dining district needs a new vision and strong leadership to point the way forward.

By some measures, the street is healthy. It still includes one of the Southeasts largest and most diverse mixes of urban shops, offices and restaurants  more than 350 altogether. Other cities might hope for just one block of historic architecture thats been so creatively reused.

And people are returning: Cellphone data show about as many people walking along King Street as there were before the pandemic hit.

But by other measures, the street is struggling. The number of vacancies remains too high, even if it is nowhere near the streets nadir in the 1970s and 80s. That is an outsize concern because of questions swirling around the future of traditional brick-and-mortar retail and post-pandemic office space needs.

The streets raucous late-night scene poses a public safety problem; high-profile violent crime has made some people feel unsafe, as did the rioting. More homeless people are lying in front of storefronts, particularly vacant ones, and there are complaints about cleanliness.

All of this has created a debatable perception that Mayor John Tecklenburg and City Council have lacked a sense of urgency in responding to these significant problems.

But there are some encouraging signs. A recent story by The Post and Couriers Andrew Brown and Emily Williams explained how some property and business owners are starting a larger, much-needed conversation about King Streets coming era, including whether they should tax themselves more to keep the street safer, cleaner and more attractive.

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The idea of forming a business improvement district  now in the works  strikes us as a positive step because it would let King Streets biggest stakeholders pay for the upgrades. Thats the opposite approach most cities and towns take to revitalize an area; they often turn to tax increment financing districts to create a revenue stream, but it is property owners outside those districts who carry the heaviest load.

The city did something similar when Mayor Tecklenburg worked in economic development under Mayor Joe Riley. They created a successful special tax district that charged the streets property owners for their share of upgrading the street with new sidewalks, streetlights and trees. This time, the districts money wouldnt go to the city for specific work but instead would go to a new nonprofit that would decide how to spend it. Its an idea thats worked well in other cities, including Columbia, where such a district helped rejuvenate Main Street.

For more than a year, the Charleston Downtown Alliance has met regularly to talk about small steps that the city and nonprofit could take quickly to improve the street. Creating a business improvement district would be a welcome enhancement of the alliances efforts, but it must convince enough businesses its a step worth taking. Ultimately, state law requires a majority of property owners to sign off.

While the Joseph P. Riley Center for Livable Communities is working on a vision statement for King Street, it might be more constructive to have an organization that continues to discuss the streets ongoing evolution rather than the best ideas at a particular point in time. Theres a lot to juggle, from the streets appearance to its vacancy rate to the desired diversity and local flavor.

The city should map out possible boundaries for the district and suggest how much it might charge and what services and public amenities it might pay for. Transparency and accountability would be needed on spending, and residents should not be harmed by any changes.

The discussion around creating such a district reflects the streets vibrancy and even more so the number of local leaders who want to ensure its future is brighter still. Thats an encouraging sign.

Bob Siegel, a downtown Charleston resident and former CEO of the clothing brand Lacoste USA, had it right a year ago when he said, If we do nothing right now, I guarantee you the business will continue to decline and there will be more and more vacancies.
The decision to suspend tariffs in the ongoing Boeing-Airbus trade dispute is a classic case of good news-bad news.

The good news is that the United States and the European Union agreed to suspend tariffs in the trade dispute for five more years. The tariffs initially were suspended for four months ending in July.

The bad news is that the tariffs  originally imposed on each other in retaliation for subsidies they had given to their respective competing airplane builders  were essentially kicked further down the road. Halting them entirely could have signaled a broader, welcome reset on trade among the essential allies. The five-year suspension likely means both sides want to retain the ability to go at each other again in the future.

Unfortunately, as the United States and the EU have drifted apart over the past two decades, conflicts that once were treated as nettlesome family spats have been allowed to turn into major controversies that are damaging to both sides. Both would benefit in particular by amicably settling disputes over trade policies and commitments to a common defense rather than allowing them to corrode the vital relationship.

The tariffs, which were in effect from October 2019 to February 2021, have been costly: They covered $12 billion of traded goods and cost the United States $1.6 billion, according to Tom Lee of the American Action Forum, a center-right group that analyzes economic, domestic and fiscal policy issues.

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These are hardly debilitating penalties in a two-way trade relationship that reached $1.3 trillion in 2018. But in a sign of how bitter the 16-year Boeing-Airbus trade dispute had become, each sides punitive tariffs were chosen to inflict economic damage and went beyond the aircraft industry. Suspending them an additional five years should provide an economic boost for other parts of the U.S. economy.

We hope the United States and EU use this opening as a springboard to broadly improve their trade relations. If they cant work out their differences on other trade disputes, those remaining obstacles will be a drag on the expected benefits from the tariffs suspension.

On a positive note, Mr. Lee predicts that suspending these tariffs  and, we hope, repealing them in the future  will increase economic cooperation between the United States and the EU. A strong partnership will be key to countering the rising economic influence of China and its distortive trade practices.

The Biden administration pitched the strategy of a multilateral approach on this front during the presidents recent overseas trip. Such trade deals  especially the various iterations of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade  helped hold together the western alliance in the past and could help to do so in the future.

Efforts to reach accords on economic matters over the previous two administrations regrettably have fallen victim to rising populism in both the United States and Europe. The EU also has grown increasingly rigid in foreign affairs due to trying to hammer out a consensus among 27 countries, each with its own set of priorities and needs.

The United States and the EU recognize the importance of standing together when possible against China amid strong challenges to the international rules on which they both rely. Now they must overcome lingering populist fears on trade, make the Boeing-Airbus detente permanent and settle their remaining trade issues.
COLUMBIA  Gov. Henry McMaster joined 14 other Republican state executives in urging the federal government to expedite the release of census data needed to begin redistricting, warning that the pandemic-induced delay could jeopardize their ability to finish the process in time for the 2022 elections.

In a June 22 letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, McMaster and the other governors wrote the delayed release of the 2020 population counts are putting them "in a nearly impossible situation to redraw lines prior to the 2022 election cycle."

The U.S. Census Bureau announced in mid-February the data release, typically scheduled for the end of March, would be pushed back by six months until the end of September largely due to difficulties conducting the census during the coronavirus pandemic. Officials later said they hope to get the numbers out by way of an older format by August.

But the governors asked Raimondo to instead give them the data this month or "as soon as possible." They cited federal court affidavits they said suggest the data processing would be complete by June 24.

"Further delaying the release of redistricting data negatively impacts redistricting efforts nationwide, places state governments in an unnecessarily precarious position, and presents compounding delays in operations at every level of government," the governors wrote.

A Census Bureau spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The agency has already released state-by-state population counts needed to determine how many congressional seats each state has. South Carolina's seven congressional districts remained unchanged on that front. The state added a U.S. House seat following the 2010 census.

But states need more granular data to redraw the boundary lines for electoral districts at the congressional, legislative and municipal level, a process that happens every 10 years in attempt to keep the districts at relatively equal sizes.

The delay has already caused headaches for some South Carolina cities with off-year municipal elections.

In Charleston for example, the City Council opted to continue using the old voting districts for its 2021 elections. But it may be forced to hold special elections after the new maps are complete if any council members no longer live in the districts they were elected to represent.

State lawmakers are planning to return to Columbia as soon as the data is released to begin the redistricting process. The new maps will need to get approval from the Republican-led Legislature and McMaster, and then they could still be subject to litigation after that, as has often happened in the past.
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Berks hits a COVID milestone by moving into low risk of community spread category for the first time
Guest column

We need to address infrastructure needs today
Keep your eyes on New York City tonight and tomorrow, as it goes to the polls for the primary election for a new mayor. That sound youre not hearing is the worry of progressives that the winning candidate just might be Eric Adams, the black Brooklyn borough president who appears to be the most conservative candidate in the field, at least when it comes to law and order issues thatbig surpriseare the number one concern of New Yorkers according to recent polls. Cant imagine why that might be the case. Adams supports a return to the more aggressive policing practices (including stop and frisk) that kept crime under control under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Late polls show Adams with the most support in a five-candidate Democratic field, at about 28 percent. The problem with the election is that New York has decided to go in for ranked choice voting, a scheme popular with clever reformers (who should be known as deformers) who otherwise prattle on about majority rule but give us a scheme in which candidates who dont get the most first preference votes might not actually win or advance to a runoff. As the New York Times explains this morning:

The New York City primary is underway, but it could be weeks before we find out who won the top contest: the Democratic race for mayor. . . Only New Yorkers first-choice votes will be counted right away, but their other choices could potentially be decisive. In other words, it cannot be assumed that the candidate who is winning after first-choice votes are counted on Tuesday will end up the winner. Another candidate could get more second- and third-choice votes and overtake the early leader.

This is how San Francisco ended up with Chesa Boudin as their DA.

Among the many problems with ranked-choice voting is that it absolves voters (especially marginal voters) of actually having to choose between competing candidates, and weigh tradeoffs between them. It will also enable the losers and their interest group supporters to claim, with plausibility, that the ultimate winner lacks a mandate. Ranked choice voting is an ideal system for the permanent government.

I am guessing ranked choice voting, if more widely adopted, will actually lead to a decrease in voter turnout, as voters will find it confusing and unsatisfying. In a surprising but welcome even-a-blind-squirrel-finds-an-acorn moment, the usually liberal columnist Damon Linker has a strong column on the defects of ranked-choice voting:
Not everyone associated with the Black Lives Matter movement is a crook, but a lot of them are. We know that Patrisse Khan-Cullors, one of BLMs founders, has bought more than $3 million worth of luxury real estate in recent months. Being a BLM activist is a lucrative gig, with American corporations throwing hundreds of millions of dollars at the various BLM entities. God only knows what they do with it. Trying to get to the bottom of BLMs finances is like tracing Mafia money.

Now, another Khan-Cullors grift has come to light. The New York Post reports: Nonprofit tied to Patrisse Cullors failed to disclose significant donations.

Dignity and Power Now, a group started by former BLM boss Khan-Cullors in 2013, raked in hundreds of thousands in donations but claimed otherwise to the IRS, public documents show. It received at least $225,000 in 2016, but told the IRS that the charity had not made more than $50,000 that year, according to public filings. Failing to meet that revenue threshold meant that the group didnt have to file a complete federal return, which would outline all of its spending and donations.

As fraudulent behavior goes, this is pitifully dumb. Non-profits like Dignity and Power Now have to report to the IRS, and while that agency is friendly to left-wing organizations, there are limits. The problem is that certain types of donors to non-profitsi.e., other non-profitshave to report their contributions. So the receiving organization cant report less than what is disclosed by those donor organizations:

It was given $100,000 by the Los Angeles-based Resnick Foundation and $125,000 by the California Initiative, public records for the two donors show. The donation from the Resnick Foundation, a charity controlled by billionaire couple Stewart and Lynda Resnick, was sent to Dignity and Power Now in January 2016, said a spokesman for the Resnicks Wonderful Company. The donation also appears on the Resnick Foundations 2015 federal tax filings, which detail the groups spending from October 2015 through September 2016. The California Initiative made two separate donations of $100,000 and $25,000 to Dignity and Power Now in 2016, records show. The donations were filtered through Community Partners, a nonprofit that helps administer funds for grassroots charities, according to tax filings. In addition to its apparent failure to disclose the donations to the IRS, Dignity and Power Now did not disclose the cash in its filings to the California Attorney General, which regulates charities in the state.

This is peak 2021. Billionaires donate to BLM, apparently to soothe their consciences, although what they have done wrong, I have no idea. BLMs grifters, in turn, spend the money on high living and real estate buying sprees. The donor organizations comply with IRS regulations, while the various BLM entities have no idea what they are doing, and blow millions on their leaders buying sprees while failing to report honestly to the IRS.

Some would say this is a scandal, but what do you think the chances are that the IRS will crack down on BLM entities the way it did on wholly innocent conservative organizations during the Obama administration? Maybe BLM thinks the IRS is in its pocket. Maybe BLM is right.
The Washington Post offers a look at the leading Democratic candidates for mayor of New York City. There are four of them: Eric Adams, Maya Wiley, Kathryn Garcia, and Andrew Yang.

According to the Post, Adams is the frontrunner. Hes ahead in the polls, and 18 of the 26 New York political consultants, lobbyists, strategists, and other influential New York political figures interviewed by the Post predict that Adams will win.

Predicting the outcome is made complicated, however, by the citys new ranked-choice voting.

Why is Adams ahead of the field? Because hes the one Democrat who takes a hard line on crime. Says the Post:

Adams, a moderate Democrat, former police officer and Brooklyn borough president, praised Mike Bloomberg  who championed an aggressive policing method called stop and frisk  as one of his favorite mayors in the citys history. He even credited former mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who is reviled among New York Democrats, for taking on some dysfunctionality in the government, while offering broader criticisms of his tenure. . . . He has called for more police on the streets, not fewer.

This seems like a winning message at a time when violent crime continues to rise in New York City. The Post denies that, objectively speaking, violent crime is a big deal. It relies on the fact that crime hasnt reached the levels of the 1980s and early 1990s.

But thats small consolation to those who actually live in the city  the folks who should know. The Adams campaign says that crime had been the top issue in every campaign poll. Its the issue that has driven Adams to first place in the polls.

If Adams wins, his victory will send a strong message to Democrat pols throughout America. Whether that message would be sufficient to cause Democratic candidates to step back from BLMs anti-cop policing agenda and begin to take law and order seriously is a separate question.

What of Adams main rivals? One of them, Maya Wiley, is all-in on the BLM anti-police agenda, and has received the endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as her reward. Wiley promises to slash the size of the police force. In a recent debate, she would not even commit to having police officers armed, although she later did.

Wiley might make a good mayor of Fantasy Land, but not New York.

Wiley represents the Mayor de Blasio wing of her party. Tellingly, though, she says she is not seeking de Blasios endorsement. The other three leading candidates have said the same thing.

Garcia is the establishments choice for mayor. Shes a longtime city official and former Sanitation Department commissioner.

Garcia surged in recent polls after securing major endorsements. She purports to stand for good, efficient government.

New York City could use that after de Blasios reign. But if voters want safer streets above all, they likely will turn to Adams.

Yang, of course, is the guy who punched slightly above his weight during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary season. In the mayoral race, he led early on in some polls, but has faded.

The Post attributes Yangs fade to attacks for never voting in a New York City election, leaving during the pandemic, running after he lost his presidential bid, having little management experience, and not being previously involved in the city.

The word dilettante comes to mind.

Election day is tomorrow.
Sheldon Whitehouse is among the most obnoxious members of the Senate. Hes also among the most hypocritical.

Whitehouse calls himself progressive and an opponent of systemic racism. Yet, the New York Post reports that the Rhode Island Senator has belonged for decades to an all-White beach club. I call that regressive.

Whitehouse has confirmed the truth of this report. Whats his defense? He says I think the people who are running the place are still working on that and Im sorry it hasnt happened yet.

Asked whether all-White clubs should exist in this day and age, Whitehouse responded, Its a long tradition in Rhode Island.

Since when is tradition an excuse for membership in a racist organization?

Whitehouse added that there are many of them [segregated clubs] in Rhode Island.

Maybe, but no one is forcing Whitehouse to belong to one of them.

Bill Otis invites us to contemplate what the reaction would have been (1) to reports that Jeff Sessions belonged to an all-White club and (2) to answers like the ones Whitehouse gave in response to such reports. Sessions would have been skewered by the Sheldon Whitehouses of the Senate.

Were working on it? Its a long tradition? We just need to work our way through the issues?

What year is this, 2021 or 1971?

Its worth adding that Whitehouses wife Sandra is one of the three largest shareholders in the all-White club. Thus, the Whitehouses arent just club members, they are major stakeholders.

Furthermore, Whitehouse pledged to quit the club in 2006, when he first ran for the Senate, according to the New York Posts report. That was 15 years ago. I guess hes still working on it.

When confronted in 2017 with his broken promise, Whitehouse said, I think it would be nice if they changed a little bit, but its not my position.

In other words, racism, though not nice, is acceptable. So says the progressive Democratic Senator who now chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights.
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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has initiated a process for the review of existing licensing structure in the Nigerian telecommunications industry, according to Ikechukwu Adinde, the commissions public affairs director.

The commission said that the move was in demonstration of its responsiveness to global trends and the new dynamics in the Information and Communications Technology ecosystem.

In a statement on Tuesday, in Abuja, Mr Adinde said the NCC Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) Umar Danbatta had already inaugurated an in-house Standing Committee to carry out the task towards achieving the set goals.

Mr Danbatta, while inaugurating the committee, stated the need for the review as being informed by the wide range of technological advances and the convergence of technologies and services, which have characterized the global telecoms space over the years and whose impact was increasingly being felt in Nigeria.

The current licensing structure is almost 20 years old, he noted, hence the need for an urgent review to reflect new licensing trends in line with international standards, while providing opportunities for improved revenue for government.

Therefore, it is evidently clear that this Standing Committee, drawn up from competent hands in various departments of the Commission, is perfectly suited and capable of addressing the enormous task of reviewing the existing license structure of telecom licensees in Nigeria, the NCC official added.

Mr Danbatta noted that the work of the committee would be carried out in phases, to ensure effective delivery of its task and enable the NCC to institute a process that would lead to the review of the terms and conditions of the various license categories.

These, the EVC said, would include licensing fee, as well as identification of the limitations of the various license categories, with a view to clearly determining licenses that should be phased out or amended.

He outlined seven-point deliverables expected of the committee to include, a comprehensive review on existing licenses; report and recommendations on consultative fora; and a report on recommended new license undertakings.

Others include a report on recommended amendment to license fees and durations; a report on benchmarking of licenses with similar jurisdictions, a report on the impact of certain licenses on other license holders.

These would be in addition to recommended solutions, as well as an updated regulatory framework for new and amended licenses as the case may be; and a final report on the project with all relevant recommendations.

Mohammad Babajika, the Director, Licensing and Authorisation, NCC and Chairman of the Committee, , assured the management of the committees resolve to deliver on the terms of their assignment.

A new draft framework for new and amended licenses was expected at the end of the committees assignment and after due consultations with industry stakeholders.

(NAN)
The Director-General of the National Commission for Museum and Monument (NCMM), Abba Tijani, has said that the German, Nigerian and British governments have agreed to build a museum in Edo State to house all returned Benin Bronzes.

The Benin Bronzes are a group of more than a thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin.

Most of them were looted by British forces during the Benin Expedition of 1897.

Two hundred pieces were taken to the British Museum in London, while the rest found their way to other European museums. A large number are held by the British Museum with other notable collections in Germany and the United States.

Abba Tijani, NCMMs director-general, made the disclosure on Monday at an event marking the 2021 International Museum Day celebration in Enugu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event is held every May 18, but Enugu Museum could not observe its own due to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

The DG said it was partnering British Museum to conduct excavation into unearthing Benin antiquities.

Mr Tijani, represented on the occasion by the Curator, National Museum of Unity, Enugu, John Kachikwu, said the antiquities stood a chance to portray Benin, NCMM, and Nigeria in a positive light.

According to him, the excavated site will form part of the proposed museum, to house the Benin Bronze returned.

The archaeological site will be part of a living, open-air Museum, and a major tourist site in the making.

German Government, Edo Government, NCMM and Royal Benin Palace are jointly setting up a museum centre in Benin City, to form a cultural hub with the Obas Palace. And we shall replicate this in other cultural centres like Ife, Kano, Igboukwu, and others, Mr. Kachikwu said.

He noted that Benin City in the future would become a major global tourist attraction like Venice and Padua.

The director-general said the world-renowned British architect, David Adjaye, was assigned to develop this hub.

Mr Tijani also said the German Government, the Federal and State Governments had agreed to release numerous priceless antiquities belonging to Nigeria.

These are several hundreds of Benin Bronze, looted in 1897 and the return is expected to commence in 2022. In March as well, the University of Aberdeen has also agreed to return an important Benin Bronze to Nigeria; and a few weeks ago, an Ife Bronze was brought back from Mexico.

And we are currently arguing a case before an International Mediation Panel to return an Ife Bronze head, valued at $5 million. Success in this may lead to the discovery and recovery of other antiquities stolen during the burglary episode, Mr Tijani said.

He also noted that the Ife Bronze head was retrieved from Belgian in London, and it is one of eight other antiquities stolen in a burglary that occurred in the National Museum, Jos, Plateau in 1987.

(NAN)

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Monday in Abuja that it would deploy 5,346 personnel to 2,673 registration centres for Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) resuming nationwide on June 28.

Its chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made the declaration at the presentation of INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) and the online registration portal for the exercise at a meeting he held with media executives.

IVED is an Android tablet to be used in place of the existing Data Capturing Machine used for CVR in previous exercises.

Mr Yakubu said before now INEC had 1,446 registration centres where it registered 14. 2 million voters between 2017 and 2018.

Learning from the experience of what happened, we have now almost doubled the number of those centres.

Our hope is that unlike 14.2 million we registered in the previous exercise, we are targeting a minimum of 20 million registrants this time. It will take the number of registered voters to about 100 million, Mr Yakubu said.

He said that the majority of the 5,346 personnel to be deployed would be INEC officials, while ad-hoc staff would be used where the Commission lacked the required number of personnel.

He said the Commission was working with stakeholders for the security of personnel and equipment to be deployed.

Mr Yakubu disclosed that the design for both the online portal and IVED were done by INEC engineers, taking into consideration Nigerias peculiarity, including weather, for its durability.

He said registrants would be able to know where machines for registration are located via the portal.

He also noted that the Commission was working on ensuring that Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for internally-displaced persons were reproduced for them so as not to be disenfranchised, adding that many would have lost their cards while under siege.

Mr Yakubu also said PVCs for newly-registered voters would be produced on quarterly basis after the registration, noting that the list of the registrants would be displayed at the registration units for claims and objections.

Presenting the online portal and IVED, INECs Director of ICT, Chidi Nwafor, said the portal was designed to serve various needs of eligible Nigerians for the registration.

These, according to Mr Nwafor, include new registration, review of registration, and review of personal details or voting centres, PVCs replacement or collection.

As a new voter, you can pre-register online, or as a registered voter, you can revalidate your voter registration, request to update your information or transfer your voter registration to another polling unit, he said.

He said that registrants could register their details online before going to the nearest registration centre selected by them for photographs and fingerprints to complete the exercise.

Mr Nwafor said the portal was designed in a way that once an intending voter completed the online registration, an appointment for physical registration would be generated by the portal for the registrant.

He added that any registrant who could not meet up with the appointed date and time could reschedule the appointment via the same portal.

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He said the portal also made provision for people to contact the Commission in the event of challenges during online registration.

He noted that a registrant had 14 days to complete the online pre-registration and a year to complete the whole process.

He advised registered voters to make use of the portal to identify polling units or centres nearest to them.

Mr Nwafor also assured that the Commission was putting adequate security in place to protect the device and the portal against hacks or cybercrime.

He also said that concerns about underage voter registration would be taken care of as those that registered online would still visit the registration centre before the process could be completed.

The media executives in a communique issued after the meeting suggested that the CVR be devolved to INEC LGA Council offices based on thorough appraisal of security situations and related factors.

They also recommended that the CVR be gradually devolved to other designated registration centres nationwide after assessments of security situations and other factors relating to safety of personnel and materials.

They tasked relevant stakeholders, especially political parties, traditional institutions, religious leaders and Civil Society Organisations to mobilise all eligible registrants to participate in the CVR.

(NAN)
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has provided insight into why President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), were unable to deliver on their electoral promises during their first four-year tenure.

Mr Lawan lamented that the plan of the APC to deliver on most of its promises to Nigerians was stalled in the first tenure of the President Buhari administration as a result of the feud between the National Assembly and the Executive arm of government.

Mr Lawan spoke on Monday night in a speech delivered to close the First Progressives Youth Conference 2021 which held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

He said, When we were voted in 2019 as leaders of the National Assembly, we were conscious of one thing, that our mandate that was given to us by Nigerians in 2015 had suffered disruption and dislocation.

For four years (2015 to 2019), our government could not perform optimally because of the then crisis between the parliament  the National Assembly  and the Executive arm of government.

So, APC had already lost four very important years. And, that was supposed to be the years that we should have convinced Nigerians that they took the right decision by voting out a PDP administration in 2015.

What are our options? We are one party in different arms of government. Our policies are supposed to be the same. Our programmes and projects are supposed to be the same, whether youre in the legislature or the executive.

So long as you are APC, that is your programme and project, that is your government and you are bound to make it succeed.

So, we took the conscious decision of working in harmony that our relationship must be characterized by consultation, coordination, partnership and mutual respect, that we must succeed in the second tenure (2019  2023).

Otherwise, in 2023, many would like to see our backs if you cant provide the services expected of you in your first four years.

[And] you to change and do better, why would anybody give you eight years?

So, we felt we have an obligation to Nigerians who voted for us, to our people in APC and to our country, that we must work in such a fashion and manner that government is able to deliver services to Nigerians.

The Senate President also said the APC may face challenges after the exit of President Buhari from office in 2023, except timely interventions are taken to avert same.

According to him, the party must begin to plan ahead to sustain the goodwill and legacies of the present administration by ensuring that its leaders hand over power to competent youths in the All Progressives Congress.

He noted that by doing so, the party would be able to retain its appeal and nationalistic outlook beyond the 2023 general elections.

Mr Lawan said, Whether we like it or not, the truth is, President Muhammadu Buhari remains the person with the bulk of the support we get across this country in APC.

[And] when he leaves, he would still have some roles, but I daresay that it is after he leaves office that APC will face its challenge.

Yes, we have to know our value then, and the value of APC presently is APC minus President Muhammadu Buhari. Whatever it is, that is the value of APC.

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So, we need to do a lot to build this party, and we need our youths more than ever before for them to continue with this legacy that this administration has established all over the country.

That means we have to see our selves as brothers and sisters regardless of where we come from.

The Senate President added that, our tribe or even ethnic group, our religious persuasion should not matter when it comes to uniting this country.

[And] as APC, the onus is on us to provide security and an economy that will bring growth and development to give people the kind of life that is meaningful.

We can ask others to join us, but we are the ones to do it, so we need all hands on deck.

The Senate President further disclosed that the ongoing amendment to the 1999 constitution will accord priority to inclusion of youths in governance.

He explained that the aim was to ensure that power is divested to younger generation in a way that allows them to participate in the process.

Power is not given by opposition. When were out of power or when we came in, another party was in control of the country  the PDP.

There was no way the PDP could have given us power a la carte, but the people of Nigeria mobilized and, of course, that government was voted out.

But when it is a family affair, and this is my position, power is given not taken. Imagine yourself and your children, you want them to be better than you.

But when you say power will not be given, that family is dysfunctional. So, power is given and can be given. How I wish it would be given.

I am with you and I am on your side. I am still on the side that we can give power to our youths.

We should enable them, prepare them and tell them this is the way to go. You have seen us do it, and you can do better because of the energy and capacity that you have.

These days, our youths have more capacities, what they may lack is that clout.

So, we also have to mentor our youths, but we have to give them the opportunity to participate in governance.

I really feel we can do better to have more youths and more women in our government and party positions.

SOURCE: PRESS UNIT OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT`S OFFICE
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While Nigeria is upbeat about the sharp decline in the cases of coronavirus infection, the countrys centre for disease control (NCDC) has said a total of 289 Nigerians have died from Cholera disease between January and June, 2021.

NCDC, which disclosed this in a statement on Monday, a copy of which PREMIUM TIMES obtained, noted that the disease is currently ravaging eight states of the federation.

The disease centre listed the affected states as Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Zamfara, Bayelsa and Kaduna.

Cholera  a diarrheal disease that can kill within hours if not promptly treated, is endemic in Nigeria, with outbreaks reported as far back as the 1970s.

According to NCDC, in the last one month, an increasing number of cholera cases has been reported in most of the aforementioned states, with 441 suspected cases and six deaths recorded in Plateau alone, last week.

The cholera outbreak in Bauchi last month has spread across nine districts in the state with the state capital, Bauchi, being the worst hit, Mohammed Maigoro, the state health commissioner said, in a report by African News in late May.

So far, we have recorded 20 deaths and 322 cases from the cholera outbreak in nine local government areas of Bauchi in the past two weeks, Mr Maigoro was quoted as saying, in the publication.

The Bauchi metropolis has been worst affected, accounting for half of the fatalities and 147 out of the 322 reported cases, he added.

The NCDC said between January and June 22, 2021, a total of 10,833 suspected cholera cases have been reported including 112 laboratory confirmed cases.

But surprisingly, there has been a sharp drop in infections and deaths from COVID-19 since March.

NCDCs emergency protocols

Towards averting the risk of large outbreaks across states, NCDC said it has activated a multi-sectoral National Cholera Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), following an increase in the cases.

The agency said; The National EOC has been supporting states to ensure a coordinated, rapid and effective response to the ongoing outbreak. This includes the deployment of National Rapid Response Teams (RRT) to support the response at state level, provision of medical and laboratory supplies, scale up of risk communications amongst other activities.

Additionally, the resources that have been developed as part of Nigerias COVID-19 response are being used to strengthen the response to the cholera outbreak. This includes the digitalisation of the national surveillance system, establishment of laboratories and treatment centres, training of health workers among others.

Cholera disease

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacillus.

The disease spreads through contaminated food and water, reappearing periodically in countries unable to secure access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation like Nigeria.

It is a preventable and treatable epidemic-prone disease. The number of cholera cases tends to increase with the onset of the rainy season.

The risk of death from cholera is higher when treatment is delayed. It is very important to visit a health facility if you have symptoms such as watery diarrhoea and vomiting.
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President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the National Assembly to approve a supplementary budget of N895 billion.

His request was conveyed in a letter to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who read it at the start of plenary on Tuesday.

Mr Buharis request comes about two weeks after the Federal Executive Council approved the money.

The supplementary budget, according to the federal government, is specifically meant to enhance the capacity of the military and para-military agencies to tackle the various security challenges in the country.

The total of this expenditure is made up of N83.56 billion for COVID-19 vaccine programme, covering 30 billion vaccines from Johnson and Johnson vaccines and the logistics cost related to the deployment of that vaccine.

It also contains the sum of N1.69 billion for the Nigerian Comprehensive AIDS programme currently operating in the States and an additional contingency provision of N40 billion under the public service-wide wage adjustments to take care of the needs for allowances to the health and education sectors and other wage-related issues, the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, had said on June 9.

The council, she said, also approved an aggregate sum of N770.60 billion to enhance the capacity of the defence and security agencies to address current and emerging security challenges in our country.

As part of the financing source for the supplementary budget, the Council also gave the approval to draw down on some existing World Bank loans totalling about N39.58 billion.

We have also been given approval to withdraw N135 billion from some special reserve lobby accounts to part-fund this supplementary budget but specifically related to COVID-19 vaccine, salaries and other health-related expenditure as well as the recurrent component of the defence and security expenditures.

The approval also contained the permission to borrow N722.53 billion for security expenditures, which will be from the domestic international capital market, she said.

The approval by the Senate will be done on another legislative day after the appropriate committee has considered the presidents request.
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The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja, has declared that there were elements of corruption in Farouk Lawans conduct as the chairman of then House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the fraud around fuel subsidy regime.

Angela Otaluka, the trial judge, arrived at this finding while delivering judgment in the trial of Mr Lawan on bribery charges on Tuesday.

She was still reading the judgment as of the time of filing this report at about 2.20 p.m on Tuesday.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the court has dismissed Mr Lawans preliminary objection against the trial that has spanned nine years.

The former lawmaker is being prosecuted on charges of or receiving a bribe of $500,000 from Femi Otedola, a billionaire oil magnate. The money was part of the $3milllion Mr Lawan requested to have the businessmans firms removed from the list of companies indicted for fuel subsidy fraud.

While evaluating evidence in her judgement on Tuesday, the trial judge, Ms Otaluka, noted that from the pool of evidence before the court, the prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, had established a case of corrupt practices against the defendant in Count One of the charge that borders on corruptly requesting for a bribe of three million dollars.

Count One of the charges is not based on suspicion but on credible evidence. The defendant (Mr Lawan) corruptly asked for $3million and received a $500,000 bribe in two tranches from Femi Otedola.

The conduct of the defendant established the ingredients of corruption which he was charged to court, as he did not report any case of inducement to any law enforcement agency, the judge says.
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The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja, has sentenced a former federal lawmaker, Farouk Lawan, to seven years imprisonment for taking bribes while serving as the chairman of the defunct House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the fraud around fuel subsidy regime in 2012.

Angela Otaluka, the trial judge, handed down the verdict in a hours-long verdict on Tuesday.

She found the former legislator guilty of all the three counts of bribery.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the court has dismissed Mr Lawans preliminary objection against the trial that has spanned nine years.

The former lawmaker is being prosecuted on charges of or receiving a bribe of $500,000 from Femi Otedola, a billionaire oil magnate. The money was part of the $3milllion Mr Lawan requested to have the businessmans firms removed from the list of companies indicted for fuel subsidy fraud.

The judge declared in the course of reading the judgment that Mr Lawans conduct had elements of corruption.

While evaluating evidence in her judgement on Tuesday, the trial judge, Ms Otaluka, noted that from the pool of evidence before the court, the prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, had established a case of corrupt practices against the defendant in Count One of the charge that borders on corruptly requesting a bribe of three million dollars.

Count One of the charges is not based on suspicion but on credible evidence. The defendant (Mr Lawan) corruptly asked for $3million and received a $500,000 bribe in two tranches from Femi Otedola, the judge said.

The judge also dismissed Mr Lawans claim that he received the $500,000 to obtain proof of moves by Mr Otedola to induce him and members of his committee.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja in a landmark ruling today restrained the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and its agents from unlawfully imposing sanctions or doing anything whatsoever to harass, intimidate, arrest or prosecute Twitter and/or any other social media service provider(s), media houses, radio and television broadcast stations, the Plaintiffs and other Nigerians who are Twitter users, pending the hearing and determination of this suit.

The ruling followed the suit filed against the government by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 concerned Nigerians arguing that the unlawful suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, criminalization of Nigerians and other people using Twitter have escalated repression of human rights and unlawfully restricted the rights of Nigerians and other people to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom in the country.

The court gave the order after hearing arguments from Solicitor to SERAP, Femi Falana, and lawyer to the government Maimuna Shiru.

The court said: The court has listened very well to the objection by Nigeria. The court has this to say. Any interference with Twitter is viewed as inference with human rights, and that will violate human rights. Therefore, this court has jurisdiction to hear the case. The court also hereby orders that the application be heard expeditiously. The Nigerian government must take immediate steps to implement the order.

This development was disclosed today by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare.

Reacting to the ruling, Femi Falana said: The intervention of the ECOWAS Court is a timely relief for millions of Nigerians using Twitter who have been threatened with prosecution under the provision of the Penal Code relating to sedition.

Contrary to the assurance credited to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN that violators of the Twitter would not be prosecuted, the Federal Government filed processes in the ECOWAS Court threatening to prosecute Nigerians using Twitter for violating the suspension under the provisions of the Penal Code relating to sedition.

It is extremely embarrassing that the Federal Government could threaten to jail Nigerians for sedition, which was annulled by the Court of Appeal in 1983, in the case of Arthur Nwankwo vs The State.

The suit and the ruling followed the suspension of Twitter by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed after the social media giant was banned in the country for deleting President Muhammadu Buharis tweet. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) also ordered TV and radio stations to suspend the patronage of Twitter immediately, and told them to delete unpatriotic Twitter.

The substantive suit has been adjourned to July 6 for hearing of the substantive suit.

It would be recalled that SERAP and the concerned Nigerians had in the suit No ECW/CCJ/APP/23/21 sought An order of interim injunction restraining the Federal Government from implementing its suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, and subjecting anyone including media houses, broadcast stations using Twitter in Nigeria, to harassment, intimidation, arrest and criminal prosecution, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The suit, read in part if this application is not urgently granted, the Federal Government will continue to arbitrarily suspend Twitter and threaten to impose criminal and other sanctions on Nigerians, telecommunication companies, media houses, broadcast stations and other people using Twitter in Nigeria, the perpetual order sought in this suit might be rendered nugatory.

The suspension of Twitter is aimed at intimidating and stopping Nigerians from using Twitter and other social media platforms to assess government policies, expose corruption, and criticize acts of official impunity by the agents of the Federal Government.

The free communication of information and ideas about public and political issues between citizens and elected representatives is essential. This implies a free press and other media able to comment on public issues without censor or restraints, and to inform public opinion. The public also has a corresponding right to receive media output.

DOWNLOAD JUDGEMENT HERE

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and the full enjoyment of this right is central to achieving individual freedom and to developing democracy. It is not only the cornerstone of democracy, but indispensable to a thriving civil society.

The arbitrary action by the Federal Government and its agents have negatively impacted millions of Nigerians who carry on their daily businesses and operational activities on Twitter. The suspension has also impeded the freedom of expression of millions of Nigerians, who criticize and influence government policies through the microblogging app.

The suspension of Twitter is arbitrary, and there is no law in Nigeria today permitting the prosecution of people simply for peacefully exercising their human rights through Twitter and other social media platforms.

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The suspension and threat of prosecution by the Federal Government constitute a fundamental breach of the countrys international human rights obligations including under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and Article 19 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.

The suspension has seriously undermined the ability of Nigerians and other people in the country to freely express themselves in a democracy, and undermined the ability of journalists, media houses, broadcast stations, and other people to freely carry out their professional duties.

DOWNLOAD JUDGEMENT HERE
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, sentenced Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives, to seven years imprisonment for receiving N500,000 bribe while serving as the chairman of the Houses ad-hoc committee investigating the fraud around fuel subsidy in 2012.

Angela Otaluka, the trial judge, found Mr Laman guilty of all the three counts of corruption and bribery.

Delivering judgment in the case, Ms Otaluka said Mr Lawan demanded N3 million and received $500,000 from Femi Otedola, a Nigerian billionaire oil mogul in 2012.

He took the bribe to remove Mr Otedolas oil company, Zenon Oil and Gas, from the list of firms indicted for fraud in the fuel subsidy regime, the judge ruled.

Mr Integrity, cap banker

PREMIUM TIMES had detailed how Mr Lawan, was seen in a video clip concealing wads of dollar bills he took from Mr Otedola in his cap.

He later replaced the cap on his head after stuffing it with the foreign currency notes.

The prosecution said the video clips were recorded at Mr Otedolas Abuja residence in a sting operation organised along with the State Security Service (SSS).

The court was told Mr Lawan was captured during his visits to Mr Otedola to negotiate and take the bribe.

Part of the clips were tendered as evidence and played in the open court for the view of the judge and others witnessing the proceedings at the time of the trial.

The revelation in the video clips had jolted many members of the Nigerian public who had popularly nicknamed him Mr Integrity due to his anti-corruption posture as a veteran lawmaker.

A member of then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Shanono/Bagwai constituency of Kano state, Mr Lawan, the diminutive former lecturer, had been re-elected four times, and was planning to contest the 2015 governorship election.

The development ruined his reputation and political career.

Judgment

Delivering the judgement that lasted over three hours on Tuesday, the judge held that the prosecution led by Adegboyega Awomolo, proved his case beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Lawan demanded and received a bribe.

The prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant (Mr Lawan) demanded and received the sum of $500,000 from Mr Femi Otedola in order to exonerate his oil firm from an investigation by the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on fuel subsidy probe.

The ingredients of Count 1, 2 and 3, have been established by the prosecution.

The defendant, being a public officer in 2013, obtained the sum of $500,000 from Mr Otedola for his personal use. His visit to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was an afterthought.

I hereby find the defendant guilty of counts 1, 2 and 3 of the charge, the judge held.

She then sentenced Mr Lawan to seven years in prison for counts 1 and 2, each and to five years imprisonment for Count 3.

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I therefore order and sentence the defendant to a term of seven years imprisonment for corruptly asking for a bribe of three million dollars and receiving $500,000 as part of the bribe. This is for counts 1 and two.

On Count 3, the defendant is sentenced to five years imprisonment without an option of fine, the court declared.

Restitution

Not done, the judge ordered Mr Lawan to make restitution of the $500,000 bribe he took from Mr Otedola to the Nigerian government.

Restitution order is hereby made. The defendant is to return the sum of 500,000 dollars he received from Mr Otedola and remit the same to the federal government. This is the judgement of the Court, Ms Otaluka said.
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The Corps Commander of the Ekiti State Security Network (Amotekun), Joe Komolafe, has identified the prohibition of arms bearing by Amotekun corps, as a major drawback in the fight against banditry and other security challenges in the South-west.

Mr Komolafe, a retired Brigadier General, spoke on Monday while featuring on an interview programme on Crest FM 87.7, Akure.

He said although the corps had made giant strides in tackling insecurity and banditry in the region, it would do better if allowed to bear automatic weapons.

According to him, there was no provision in the law establishing the security to bear such calibre of arms as AK47 and other automatic weapons.

He said the situation poses some difficulty in dealing with the bandits who are heavily armed with automatic weapons.

Only the police are given the authority to bear such arms and when we apprehend the suspects we hand them over to the police for prosecution, he said.

But even though we dont have weapons, when they see us they run away, because we have a way we handle such situations and they know us, so when we come in they leave.

He, however, noted that the corps would continue to carry out its responsibilities of keeping the states and the region safe with or without the sophisticated weapons.

Local hunters had been incorporated into the corps, who are usually armed with Dane guns and other locally made weapons.

Ekiti State has been witnessing violent kidnappings and banditry in recent times, with a number of persons losing their lives in the process.

Survivors of such attacks only made it after ransoms were paid to their abductors.

Callers on the programme raised concerns over the possibility of bandits released by the police after they were arrested.

But Mr Komolafe noted that it was the responsibility of the police to ensure the suspects were prosecuted, adding that the police and the state were responsible for the prosecution of those arrested.

He assured that the Amotekun Corps would continue to provide the needed security, in spite of its limitations.
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The police in Edo State said it would rely on legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) as investigation continues into the killing of a 79-year-old man, Osariakhi Oronsaye by his 13-year-old son.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the incident occurred at Egbon Estate in Evbuotubu, Benin City, on Sunday.

The police spokesperson in the state, Kontongs Bello said on Monday in Benin that the minor status of the offender had made it imperative for the police to liaise with the DPP for the investigation.

He said no stone would be left unturned in the police investigation to unravel the motive behind the crime.

I can confirm to you that the command is discussing with the DPP over the case. It is an unfortunate case, but we are also conducting our investigation to ensure that we unravel the case.

The culprit is a minor, so we must be sure of what we are doing, Mr Bello, a superintendent of police, said.

NAN gathered that the deceased had reported his son to the Evbuotubu Police Station a week ago, but later pleaded with the police to leave the boy alone.

The boy, however, later allegedly axed his father to death in his sleep in the early hours of Sunday.

(NAN)
Nigerias commercial nerve centre, Lagos, has overtaken Nairobi, Kenya, to become Africas top startup ecosystem.

According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021, released by StartupBlink, Lagos switched places with Nairobi as the continents top start-up hub.

The Nigerian city of Lagos has become the top African startup ecosystem, ranked 122nd after switching places with Nairobi, Kenya, which now ranks 136th, the report said.

Lagos is also ranked in the global top 50 cities for E-commerce & Retail Technology and in the global top 100 for both Transportation Technology and Education Technology, the report said.

Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, saw a massive increase in ranking, jumping 601 spots to 353rd globally and second in Nigeria, surpassing the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

The nations capital ranked 3rd nationally, fell 12 spots to 466th, while Port Harcourt decreased by 6 spots to 906th.

The report said the newest Nigerian city in the rankings, Enugu, ranks 978th globally and 5th nationally.

Benin City increased nine spots to 979th, while Kano jumped 14 spots to 981st.

In total, Nigeria has seven cities in the global top 1000 and continues to have the highest number of ranked cities of any African nation.

Index

The Global Startup Ecosystem Index is built using data points processed by an algorithm that takes into account several dozens of parameters including the number of startups, the size of the domestic market, the ease of doing business, amongst others.

The report said the top 5 countries have all maintained their rank from last year, although there are several deep changes.

The United States maintains a massive lead over the 2nd ranked United Kingdom as the effect of Brexit finally takes effect.

Buoyed by its massive consumer market and more than 500 active startups, one of the largest in Africa, Nigeria saw a notable increase, leaping 5 spots to now rank 63rd globally.

However, the nation still remains 3rd in Africa behind South Africa and Kenya.

Regional Outlook

The Middle East and Africa region saw very positive momentum in the rankings this year. The region has a total of 74 startup ecosystems represented in the global top 1,000 cities ranking, up from 55 during the previous year.

Although the number of cities ranked in the global top 100 remained stable, the regions representation among cities ranked 101-200 increased from 6 last year to 8 this year, showing that ecosystems in this region are continuing to develop.

North America no longer produces the highest number of ranked ecosystems globally as the European region now has the most cities with 386 cities while North America has a total of 297 startups in the global top 1,000.

West Africa had a good year, according to the report, and all ranked countries (Nigeria, Ghana, and Cape Verde) improved their rankings. Eastern Africa grew from 4 to 6 countries in the global top 100 while Northern Africa retained its three representatives. Two of the three nations in North Africa, Tunisia and Morocco, however declined in rank.

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Southern Africa had a good year as South Africa broke into the global top 50, and Namibia joined the rankings.

Central Africa still has no representation in the rankings.

The report added that challenges such as a lack of financing options, unpredictable regulatory decision making and a lack of broadband internet infrastructure, were rife in Nigeria.

It urged the government to develop and strengthen existing entrepreneurship programmes and legislation that would support entrepreneurship.

Notable startups that helped the growth of Nigeria in the index include Flutterwave, VerifyMe and Mono.
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About 119 persons have died in Kano State from cholera between March 5 and this week, the state Ministry of Health has said.

The deaths were recorded from the over 3,000 persons who contracted the disease within the period.

An assistant director of public health in the ministry, Bashir Lawan, told PREMIUM TIMES that the epidemic has affected 33 out of the states 44 local government areas

According to Mr Lawan, over 2,000 of the infected persons have recovered, while over 100 are currently receiving treatment at different health facilities in seven local government areas.

From March 5, this year to date June 22, we have recorded 3,209 who contracted this disease. We have treated 2,996 and 105 are currently receiving treatment at different health facilities in 7 local government areas, he said.

Mr Lawan said Gaya and Bichi local government areas have the highest number of infected persons.

He attributed the success recorded in curtailing the epidemic to several measures taken to control it.

According to him, the measures include sensitisation on personal hygiene and sanitation, among others.

On Monday, the Kano State House of Assembly called on the Kano state government to expedite action in order to curtail the spread of cholera in the state.
A former member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Kassim Kassim, has said the continued description of the former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, as a sponsor of the dreaded Boko Haram sect is unacceptable and unfair.

Mr Kassim, a stalwart of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was reacting to a reports on the race for the national chairmanship position of the party and the reference to an accusation by an Australian hostage negotiator, Stephen Davies, that Mr Sheriff was a sponsor of the insurgents.

The former lawmaker said the former governor has consistently rejected the tag and that if the allegation was to be true, the successive administrations in his home state and the federal government would have exposed him.

He said the tag is a ploy by the opposition to weaken his campaign to lead APC as the national chairman.

He said; As far back as December 10, 2004, the State Security Service (DSS) had cleared him of the allegation. The SSS in their report claims that Stephen Davis and others fraudulently conspired to blackmail and implicate Sheriff and Mala Othman, former APC chairman of Borno State as sponsors of Boko Haram.

If Sheriff was involved in sponsoring Boko Haram he would have been arrested by DSS and other security operatives for questioning.

He said there is an attempt to discredit Mr Sheriff ahead of the possible zoning of the position of the APC national chairman to the North-east in order to weaken his chances.

APC national chairmanship slot

It is uncertain whether the ruling party would zone the position of the national chairmanship to the North-east where Mr Sheriff had served as two-term governor and represented his state, Borno, in the Senate more than once.

But the former governor, who led the All Nigerias Peoples Party (ANPP) to the merger talks that culminated in the formation of the ruling APC in 2013, before he left for the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has shown interest in the position if zoned to the North-east.

In February, while confirming his interest to run for the office, this newspaper reported him to have said, the leadership of the party has not been zoned to any particular zone of the country for now. People have expressed their interests across the country.

But the real thing is that whether I will run for the office or not will be determined by what the caretaker committee takes as a decision on where the leadership of the party will go. Whether it will go to another place or it will remain in our zone.

If it goes to another zone, I will not contest. But if it stays in our zone, I will contest.

Controversial

Speaking about the former governor, Mr Kassim said having served in the senate twice and being the first governor to be reelected in the state, Mr Sheriffs legacies could not be wished away by mere condemnation.

He said the new leadership in the state could trace their emergence to what he described as Mr Sheriffs political sagacity.

He said Mr Sheriff singlehandedly installed his successor, Kashim Shettima, after his initial choice was assassinated.

He practically dragged Mr Shetima into politics from the banking sector and made him a governor using his vast networks and goodwill.

He first made him a commissioner in 2007. Today, apart from Governor Babagana Zulum and a few others, every politician, both national and at the state level from Borno State, made it through the Sheriff empire.

He said it is on record that during the Third Republic, Mr Sheriff of the NRC had defeated Kolo Kingibe of the SDP, wife of Babagana Kingibe, to emerge Senator for Borno Central in 1992.

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He added; Sheriff was also elected a senator on the platform of the UNCP during General Sani Abachas military regime and returned in April 1999 as Senator on the platform of APP during the Fourth Republic.

In 2003, he ran for governor of Borno State on the ANPP platform and won and he was re-elected in 2007 and in both cases he defeated the PDP candidate, Kashim Ibrahim Imam
The mass kidnapping of students from their schools is becoming a norm in Nigeria, particularly in the northern part of the country.

The country has witnessed at least 11 cases of kidnapping of pupils and students from their schools since 2014. Over 700 students and pupils have been kidnapped since December, 2020.

Just before sunset on Thursday, gunmen attacked the Federal Government College Birnin-Yauri, a secondary school in Kebbi State, and abducted dozens of students from their dormitories.

The armed bandits killed a police officer and kidnapped at least 80 students and five teachers during the attack.

Three of the students are dead, according to the BBC Hausa. Security forces continued their search and, by Sunday morning, authorities were still counting the missing.

Less than a quarter of the kidnapped students have since been freed by security operatives in shootouts with the bandits.

The latest attack occurred just over three weeks after 169 students were abducted by armed bandits from an Islamic school in Niger State. Those abducted pupils are yet to be released at the time of this report.

More than 700 students have been kidnapped by bandits since December, forcing some states to shut down schools.

The scourge has spread since the abduction of more than 300 boys from a boarding school in Kankara, Katsina State, last December.

Two months later, gunmen raided another school  this time in Niger State  taking 27 students into their hideouts.

Then in late February, bandits forced 317 girls from a school in Zamfara State, firing into the air for over two hours as they raided the village, residents said at the time.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the breakdown of security in the North-west and North-central regions of the country has led to a surge in kidnapping and banditry.

Armed bandits have taken advantage of an ineffective government and weak security presence to continue their reign of terror on villages and schools.

These criminal gangs maintain camps in various forests, including the Rugu forest, which links Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states. From their hideouts, they organise raids on rural communities, schools, homes and Nigerias road networks.

Timeline

PREMIUM TIMES highlights the cases of mass kidnapping of students from schools in Nigeria in the last seven years.

April 14, 2014: Boko Haram terrorists abducted 276 schoolgirls from their dormitories in Chibok, Borno State at a time the students were writing their final year exams. About 57 of the girls managed to escape at different times while on transit with their abductors and more than 100 have been released in talks with the government. About 100 Chibok girls have yet to be accounted for.

February 19, 2018: About 113 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram at a government girls secondary school in Dapchi, Yobe State. Most of the girls were later released while a few died. One of them, Leah Sharibu, is still with the Boko Haram.

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December 11 2020: Gunmen attacked the Government Boys Science Secondary School in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State and abducted over 300 students. All the boys were released about a week after the abduction.

December 20, 2020: At least 80 pupils were kidnapped at an Islamic school in Mahuta, Katsina State. The students were released after negotiation with their abductors but the government denied paying any ransom.

February 17, 2021: Bandits kidnapped 27 students at a government science college, Kagara, Niger State. All the students were later released after negotiations.

February 26, 2021: Bandits kidnapped 317 female students of Government Girls Secondary School Jangebe, Zamfara State, in an early morning raid on their school. One of the students died while the rest were later released after negotiations.

March 12, 2021: Armed bandits kidnapped 27 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State. The students were released after negotiations, nearly two months after they were abducted.

April 21, 2021: About 17 students of Greenfield University were kidnapped by armed bandits in Kaduna State. The bandits killed five of the students and released the remaining 14 who were held captive for more than a month. The families of the victims admitted paying over N100 million ransom before the students were released.

May 30, 2021: 169 pupils were kidnapped at Salihu Tanko Islamic school, Tegina, Niger State. Many of the students are reportedly ill and still with their abductors as of press time.

June 11, 2021: Bandits kidnapped eight students and some lecturers at Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zaria, Kaduna State. The students were still with their abductors at the time of this report.

June 17, 2021: Armed bandits overpowered police officers and kidnapped 80 schoolchildren and five teachers at the Federal Government College Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State. Three students have died while seven have been rescued by the Nigerian Army.
A student expelled by Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden, has given the university authorities seven days to restore his studentship or face legal actions.

The student, Iniobong Ekpo, was in his final year at the Department of Agricultural Engineering when he was expelled for publishing a derogatory and defamatory article in 2019 on Facebook against the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

He was first suspended indefinitely from studies before his expulsion two months ago.

Mr Ekpo used a pseudonym, Afrosix Jaara, to write the article in which he accused Mr Emmanuel of reneging on a promise he allegedly made in 2017 to give financial reward to the then graduating students of the university.

Its 2 years and 166 days since he promised, yet none of the graduands received a naira even the first class graduands were unattended to when they went to his office, Mr Ekpo wrote in the Facebook post, adding that Mr Emmanuel may have scammed the students.

The governor by virtue of his office is the Visitor to the university which is owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government.

The university, in the expulsion letter, said Mr Ekpos article was a breach of the matriculation oath and a violation of the university rules and regulations enshrined in the Student Information Handbook.

The university said the student had appeared before a disciplinary committee.

No fair hearing

But Mr Ekpo, through a letter written to the university by his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said the university authorities did not give him fair hearing.

He said he was never invited to appear before a disciplinary committee before his suspension.

Apart from challenging his expulsion, the student is demanding N20 million from the university as general damages and gross breach of his fundamental rights.

The lawyer, in his letter to the university, said he was not aware of any lawsuit by Governor Emmanuel against the student over the alleged defamatory Facebook post.

We will like to know whether the Matriculation Oath Of the Akwa Ibom State University requires students to surrender their fundamental right to freedom of expression as guaranteed them by Section 39 of the Constitution Of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) upon admission into the University? the lawyer also said in the letter.

No regrets

Mr Ekpo told PREMIUM TIMES, Monday, that he has no regret about his actions. He vowed to pursue the case in the court no matter how long it would take.

The spokesperson for the university, Akaninyene Ibanga, refused to comment on the matter when this newspaper contacted him.

This is not the first time a student of the university has been punished over a Facebook post.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in 2019 how Joy Nkanang, then a second year student in the Department of Performing Arts in the Akwa Ibom State University, was suspended from studies indefinitely for calling the vice chancellor foolish on Facebook.

Ms Nkanang was later recalled by the university.

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The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja, has dismissed the preliminary objection filed by Farouk Lawan, against his trial involving allegation that he received $500,000 bribe while serving as the House of Representatives chairman of the ad-hoc committee investigating the fraud around the oil subsidy regime in 2012.

Angela Otaluka, the trial judge, dismissed Mr Lawans objection in her judgment being delivered on Tuesday.

The decision set the stage for the judge to consider the case on merit in the rest of the judgment.

Ms Otaluka is the third judge to handle the trial that has spanned over nine years.

Two judges who earlier handled the matter could not see it to the end as the first one was elevated to the Court of Appeal bench and the second withdrew after Mr Lawan accused her of bias.

Mr Lawan is standing trial for allegedly demanding $3 million bribe from billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, to remove his firms from the list of companies indicted for oil subsidy fraud by the House committee.

The defendant was said to have received $500,000 out of the $3million he demanded from Mr Otedola.

Dismissing Mr Lawans preliminary objection to trial on Tuesday, Ms Otaluka said the argument of the defence lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, that Mr Lawan was not a public officer going by the Section 2 of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Act, was untenable.

The judge held that a public officer is anyone who occupies a public office and who is remunerated with public funds as against Mr Ozekhomes argument that Mr Lawan was a mere political office holders.

Mr Lawan was the chairman of an ad hoc committee set up by the House in 2012 to investigate massive petrol subsidy fraud.

The committee found some oil companies culpable of defrauding the Federal Government via spurious subsidy claims. Zenon Petroleum and Gas Company, belonging to Mr Otedola, was also found culpable.

The committee enjoyed wide public approval of the committees work, with Mr Lawan appearing strict during public hearings on the matter.

He was later to be accused of had receiving bribe to clear some companies.

Mr Otedolas encounter with the former lawmaker involving the exchange of about $500,000 was a sting operation to collect evidence, the State Security Service later told the court.

Mr Lawan denied the charges.

More details later
The Ondo State High Court in Akure Tuesday granted bail to 18-year-old Kemisola Ogunniyi, who recently gave birth in prison while being detained in connection with the October 2020 #EndSARS protest.

This comes exactly nine months after she was arrested on October 22, 2020, and subsequently remanded in prison with about two-month-old pregnancy.

Her lawyer, Tope Temokun, spoke with our reporter after earlier confirming the development to journalists in Akure on Tuesday.

She has been granted bail by the court. We are running against time for the baby not to be named in prison.

We are happy that it is victory at last. For the bail conditions, I dont think it is something we cannot meet.

What is important to us is that Kemisola will be out of prison maybe in the next one hour. We will go to prison and bring her to court today and from there we will take her home, Mr Temokun said in a video clip shared to his Facebook wall on Tuesday.

He did not give details of the bail conditions. But PREMIUM TIMES understands that the ruling granting bail to the new mother was delivered by a judge of the state High Court, Omolara Adejumo, on Tuesday.

This newspaper had reported that Ms Ogunniyi was arrested by soldiers after the violence that erupted in the wake of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.

She was randomly picked up on the streets of Akure on for allegedly having connections with persons who torched the All Progressive Congress (APC) secretariat in Akure, Ondo State, during the nationwide #EndSARS anti-police brutality protest last year.

She was said to be about two months pregnant when she was arrested along with three others on October 22, 2020.

Those with whom she was arrested were Ayodele Bukunmi, Ojo Samuel, and Ani Obinna. They were all charged with conspiracy to commit arson, riotous assembly, stealing and malicious damage, and later remanded in Surulere Prison in Ondo West local government area of the state.

She gave birth in prison on June 16, and many Nigerians have since taken to social media platforms, particularly Twitter, to campaign for her release.

Her lawyer, Mr Temokun on June 17, wrote separate letters to the Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Charles Titiloye, and Chief Judge, Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, demanding her release.

Mr Titiloye in a statement on Sunday, confirmed the hope expressed by her lawyer on Saturday that she would be released soon.

He signalled in his statement that the state government which filed charges against her and others, would not be opposing Ms Ogunniyis bail application.

She was granted bail on Tuesday morning.

#EndSARS

Many young Nigerians had marched against police brutality in a protest that rocked the country in October 2020

The protest tagged #EndSARS later turned violent after it was hijacked by hoodlums who looted and destroyed stores, homes, warehouses, as well as private and public property, in different parts of the country.

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Soldiers brutally shot at young protesters who gathered at Lekki Tollgate in Lagos, in a desperate move to end the peaceful demonstration.

PREMIUM TIMES recalled that many Nigerians were arrested randomly in the wake of the #EndSARS protests.

This newspaper on Thursday reported that a protester, Nicholas Mbah, regained his freedom on Tuesday after spending eight months in Kirikiri prison in Lagos.
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Shortly after the rain started on Tuesday morning, the roof of the National Assembly began to leak, a sight which left many astonished.

It was the main lobby of the legislative complex  between both chambers  that had water dripping from the roof to other parts of the building. The Press Centre, where journalists sit to monitor plenary, was also affected.

The situation did not stop the lawmakers from proceeding with plenary even as cleaners battled to get rid of the water.

Tuesdays incident comes despite numerous budgetary allocations, amounting to billions of naira, for renovation of the National Assembly complex.

One of such was the approval of N37 billion by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019  an act that sparked outrage among Nigerians.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had said the allocation was because there has been no major renovation of the complex for 20 years and many parts of the complex are dilapidated.

He had also said the renovation will begin with the chambers and the committee rooms in the White House.

Although some repairs were done in the complex, it is not exactly clear how many committee rooms have been renovated, the level of repairs done and whether the roof was among the items scheduled for the repairs. Tuesdays incident will, however, cause many to question the judicious use of the amount spent on the renovation.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported how the federal government is pushing ahead to renovate the parliamentary complex with another N42 billion for the purpose of carrying out mechanical and electrical repairs in some parts of the building.

This is separate from the N9 billion in the National Assemblys 2021 budget which was set aside for general service.

This newspaper also reported how the legislative arm increased its budget from N128 billion proposed by the president to N134 billion this year, setting aside N9 billion for general services.
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Kemisola Ogunniyi, an 18-year-old lady, who recently gave birth in prison while being detained in connection with the October 2020 #EndSARS protest, has regained her freedom.

This comes nine months after she was arrested on October 22, 2020, and subsequently remanded in prison with about two-month-old pregnancy.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained pictures and video clips of Ms Oguniyi reuniting with her families on Tuesday.

In one of the videos, she appreciated Nigerians who fought for her release. It would be recalled that this newspaper earlier today reported that Ondo State High Court granted her bail on Tuesday.

Back story

Ms Ogunniyi was arrested by soldiers after the violence that erupted in the wake of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.

She was randomly picked up on the streets of Akure for allegedly having connections with persons who torched the All Progressive Congress (APC) secretariat in Akure, Ondo State, during the nationwide #EndSARS anti-police brutality protest last year.

She was said to be about two months pregnant when she was arrested along with three others on October 22, 2020.

Those with whom she was arrested were Ayodele Bukunmi, Ojo Samuel, and Ani Obinna. They were all charged with conspiracy to commit arson, riotous assembly, stealing and malicious damage, and later remanded in Surulere Prison in Ondo West local government area of the state.

She gave birth in prison on June 16, and many Nigerians have since taken to social media platforms, particularly Twitter, to campaign for her release.

Her lawyer, Mr Temokun, on June 17, wrote separate letters to the Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Charles Titiloye, and Chief Judge, Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, demanding her release.

Mr Titiloye in a statement , on Sunday, confirmed the hope expressed by her lawyer on Saturday that she would be released soon.

She has been released and now with her family ahead of Wednesdays naming ceremony of her new baby.
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The Nigerian government has announced that it has set up a committee to negotiate with social media giant, Twitter, a few weeks after a controversial government ban.

The committee includes five serving ministers of the Nigerian government, a statement from the information minister said.

Nigeria recently banned Twitter after the social media platform deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Nigerian government also accused Twitter of acting against the interest of Nigeria.

The ban has been condemned by many Nigerians, human rights groups and foreign governments as an attack on the freedom of expression.

See the full statement from the information ministry below.

TWITTER WRITES PRESIDENT BUHARI SEEKING RESTORATION OF ACCESS IN NIGERIA

*Approves Negotiations With Twitter Over Suspension

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of the Federal Governments Team to engage with Twitter over the recent suspension of the operations of the microblogging and social networking service in Nigeria.

The approval was announced in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who will chair the team.

The Federal Governments team also comprises the Attorney General of the Federation and Honourable Minister of Justice, Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment as well as other relevant government agencies.

Following the indefinite suspension of its operations in Nigeria, for activities that are capable of undermining Nigerias corporate existence, Twitter wrote to President Buhari seeking to engage with the Federal Government over the suspension, with a view to charting a path forward.

Segun Adeyemi

Special Assistant To The President (Media)

Office of the Minister of Information and Culture
The Lagos State Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Tuesday told the Judicial Panel of Inquiries on Police Brutality that injuries recorded in the aftermath of the Lekki shooting were predominantly fractures, machete wounds, and minor cuts.

In his testimony, he gave oral, visual, and documentary pieces of evidence in respect to the Lekki shooting incident.

These are some of the pictures of the hospitals that we visited, he said, pointing at a projector showing visuals of when the governor visited injured #EndSARS protesters at the hospitals.

In this Reddington hospital, these individuals were injured in that axis, some of them alluded to being injured in a stampede of running, falling over each other.

Predominantly, there were about 13 people injured in Reddington Hospital, Admiralty Way. The General Hospital also had 12 patients. The doctors in charge said there was one of those patients that were being moved to LASUTH, who had more severe injuries from machetes wounds.

At the time we were there, most of the injuries were all in the nature of cuts, bruises from machetes wounds, and stampede. Nobody at the hospitals said they were shot at.

Earlier, the lawyer representing the #EndSARS protesters, Adeshina Ogunlana, argued that it is the responsibility of the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to come forward and testify.

But the panel chairperson, Doris Okuwobi, a retired judge, said the governor is not compellable because he has been conferred immunity by the Constitution under section 308.

In his testimony, Mr Muri-Okunola noted that there has been controversy about the actual number of alleged deaths at the Lekki Toll incident. He added that since October 22, 2020, many of the people reported to have been killed, including Nollywood actress, Eniola Badmus, refuted their rumoured deaths.

He listed the names of those rumoured to have been killed to include Stephen Becky, Iraby of Oto-Auch and Joshua Ogbodo.

Others are Anthony Chechukwu alleged to have been shot by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate has been confirmed to have died in a motorcycle accident and Lucia Adu who was claimed to have died at the Lekki Toll Gate was confirmed to have been killed in an accident involving a stationary truck on 20th October 2020.

Chronology

Mr Muri-Okunola, who gave a chronological order of events from 8 October to 20 October 2021, said the protesters congregated in two major hotspots in the state, Alausa Government House and the Lekki Toll Gate.

On October 9, 2020, the states Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, alongside other officials, spoke to the protesters who converged on the Lagos Government House in Alausa, on their rights to demonstrate peacefully and shared foods and drinks with the protesters, he said.

He noted that on 13 October, Mr Sanwo-Olu again visited the protesters and went straight to the airport to present their five-point demands to President Muhammadu Buhari and the then Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu and a  statement was released by the spokesman of the President, Femi Adesina that the Nigerian Government had agreed to the five-point demand of the EndSARS protesters.

He said some days later, some guerilla protesters hijacked the noble demonstration which prompted Mr Sanwo-Olu to announce a curfew.

Violence escalated throughout the city of Lagos, with hoodlums infiltrating and the peaceful protest of this decentralized movement of #Endsars, he said.

Across the city, young men were manning makeshift checkpoints and barricading major roads and stopping cars on routes across the city. They were not carrying the placards and signs that had characterised earlier peaceful protests. The lives of both protesters and the rest of the citizens alike were put in danger.

Around 10.00 a.m. on the 20 of October 2020, the only police station was set on fire by suspected hoodlums who had hijacked the EndSARS protest in a reprisal attack fuelled by the alleged shooting of one of them by a policeman, hoodlums who had carted away ammunition looted from various police stations around the city unleashed mayhem around the city while destroying properties, mugging innocent citizens and threatening the lives of everyone that they came in contact with.

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The Head of Service said Mr Sanwo-olu confirmed two deaths, one of which was said to have died as a result of blunt force trauma at Reddington hospital.

Shots were fired

During cross-examination, Mr Muri-Okunola confirmed that he heard that military men from Bonny Camp were at the Lekki toll gate and based on video evidence they were armed and shots were fired.

However, he said the police and the army general in the state said that their officers were not deployed to the Lekki tollgate on 20 October 2020.

There are still controversies over the role of the army in the shooting at the toll gate. After armed soldiers opened fire at the protesters, the army, while appearing before the panel in November last year, said their men only fired live ammunitions and that no one was killed. The position contradicted its earlier claim that soldiers had nothing to do with the shooting at the toll gate.

The army has since stopped appearing before the panel.
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Fatahu Muhammad, the member representing Daura Federal Constituency of Katsina State in the House of Representatives, has defended the suspension of Twitter from operating in Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari hails from the constituency.

The federal government, on June 4, suspended the microblogging site from operating in the country.

The action attracted criticisms from groups and individuals at home and abroad, who felt it was an attack on freedom of expression.

On Tuesday, the government announced that it has set up a committee headed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, to negotiate with Twitter.

Mr Muhammad, who is reportedly a cousin to Mr Buhari, hailed the ban, arguing that Twitter was not food that Nigerians required.

The lawmaker spoke on Tuesday during the investigative hearing organised by the House joint committees on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values alongside the National Security, Justice and Commerce, on the controversial Twitter ban.

Are we eating Twitter?

The lawmaker, who is a member of the joint committee, said Nigeria should come first.

For God sake, what is social media? Are we eating social media? Let us go back to the resources, and harvest them, and let keep this thing aside, and face the real problem in Nigeria.

My colleagues have spoken the mind of their constituents. If I would speak the mind of my constituents, I would include the president, because out of 360 of us, I am the only one voted by the president. Look, Nigeria first, let us be honest to ourselves, let us call a spade a spade, he said.

While calling for the regulation of media, Mr Muhammad said the ban of Twitter, in response to the pulling down of Mr Buharis tweet, saved the government from embarrassment.

We should please regulate the media.

If the minister did not ban Twitter on the instruction of the President, the kind of insults to the sovereignty of Nigeria from the users of Twitter would be more than what we are facing. Lets tell ourselves the truth, Nigeria first. Sometimes, when I am reading tweets, I am disappointed with the youths (because) we are the future of Nigeria, he said.

The House had on June 8 resolved to investigate the ban of the microblogging site by the government.

The Chairman of the joint committees, Segun Odebunmi (APC, Oyo), said it will soon present its report to the House.
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The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced a Ponzi scheme operator, Umoren Edet, to seven years imprisonment for obtaining money under false pretence and issuance of dud cheques.

He was said to have fraudulently defrauded a woman of N7 million through a fraudulent Bitcoin deal.

A statement by the spokesperson for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren, said Mr Edet was jailed on Friday, June 18, 2021.

The judge, A.T. Mohammed, convicted him after he pleaded guilty to one count of advance fee fraud and ordered him to refund the N7 million proceeds of the crime, the statement added.

According to the EFCC, Mr Edet was originally arraigned on Thursday, June 28, 2018 on the same one- count charge and he pleaded not guilty to the charge, leading to a trial that lasted three years.

Specifically, Edet collected a sum of N7, 000,000 (Seven Million Naira only) from a petitioner ostensibly for bitcoin transactions. He neither transacted the business nor returned the invested money to the petitioner. This is contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No.14, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act, the anti-graft agency said.

Prosecuting counsel, Celestina Okorie, presented three witnesses against the convict, while the defence counsel, I. Ekwu, presented three witnesses.

In his judgment, Mr Mohammed found Mr Edet guilty as charged. The defendant was convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine.

He also ordered that the sum of seven million Naira he defrauded the victim be returned to her, EFCC also said.

Charge

The one count charge Mr Edet was convicted of reads, That you Umoren Moses Edet, sometime in 2017, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court with the intent to defraud, obtained the sum of Seven Million Naira (N7, 000,000.00) by inducing one Mrs. Amaka Joy to pay the sum of Seven Million Naira (N7, 000,000.00) for the purchase/trade in bitcoins assuring her under false pretense of making a 50% profits on the investment, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No.14, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
Again, the National Assembly has begun the process of amending the 1999 Constitution.

Between May and June, both the Senate and the House of Representatives Committees on Constitution Review held public hearings across the countrys six geopolitical zones.

The committees, statutorily chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege; and the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, invited the general public, executive and judicial bodies, traditional institutions, political parties, civil society organisations, professional bodies and others to attend and make submissions at the hearings.

During the hearings, some of the issues canvassed by Nigerians are the creation of more states, state police, devolution of powers, restructuring of the federation, electoral reforms, abrogation of immunity clause, tenure of office, financial autonomy for the judiciary and local governments and drafting of a brand new constitution.

Others are independent candidacy, age limit for political office contestants, separation of the office of the attorney general from the office of the justice minister, Land Use Act, women inclusiveness, referendum, increased in derivation, impeachment clause, etc.

At the beginning of the current exercise, the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, assured that the public hearings were a platform for Nigerians to make their contributions to the process.

We believe that we must do whatever is necessary to provide a platform for Nigerians to air their views, give their positions and canvass whatever they feel would make our country better, and make governance more efficient and successful, Mr Lawan said.

Like I said before, we have no preconceived positions on anything and, therefore, this is the time for our citizens to take the opportunity.

This is not the first time the lawmakers are embarking on the review of the constitution, which came into effect in 1999 with the return to democratic rule.

The legislature has been embarking on constitution review since the 5th National Assembly.

Although some amendments have been successful in the past, many others suffered serial failures but kept appearing in new proposals.

Prominent individuals, groups kick

Prominent groups and individuals have, however, expressed opposition to the ongoing review. While some said the process is a waste of time, others argued it is a waste of money. Consequently, they did not participate in the public hearings nor submit memoranda to the federal legislature.

Some of the them are:

Northern Elders Forum

The Northern Elders Forum said it was opposed to the review because it is not only a waste of time but also a waste of resources.

The groups spokesperson, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, advised the Senate to scrap the wasteful idea of giving Nigerians the impression that it is involved in a serious review of our Constitution.

It suggested that leaders of thought, elders, groups and professional organisations and representatives of government should come together to freely discuss every element of our co-existence as a country under principles of voluntarism, genuine representation, mutual respect and integrity of the process.

The outcome of this conference, it further said, should then be submitted to the National Assembly, which will then provide for a referendum in the constitution so that Nigerians could directly decide how they want the country to be structured and function.

Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEF, Middle Belt Forum

The SMBLF, which comprises the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Middle-Belt Forum, said the National Assembly is wasting its time amending the document, contending that what the country needs is a new constitution written by the people.

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The group urged the federal government to heed the genuine and reasonable nationwide calls for a transparent National Dialogue, and take urgent steps towards restructuring and birthing a new constitution; to bring back equitable harmony to the country.

Gov Makinde of Oyo State

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, while explaining why the state did not participate in the public hearings, also said the exercise is a complete waste of time.

What is constitutional review? It is just a complete waste of time really. In 2014, they took people to Abuja, they stayed there and they produced a document. Yes, President Jonathan did not sign it because he thought he was going to be re-elected and wanted to sign it after coming back, he said.

Mr Makinde had earlier called for restructuring and devolution of power but doubted that the review committee would perfect that.

Gov Okowa of Delta

Like his Oyo counterpart, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State also kicked against the review. For the governor, who is a former senator, Nigeria needs a new constitution rather than a review.

Gov Akeredolu of Ondo

On his part, Ondo Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, called for the return to the 1963 Constitution, which gave powers to the regions to develop at their own pace.

The 1963 Constitution, which reflected the republican status of the country, remained the best document for a country as heterogeneous as Nigeria, he said.

Ex-Gov Segun Osoba of Ogun

A former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, also advocated the return of the country to the 1963 Republican Constitution.

I wish we can go back to the 1963 constitution because, at that time, each of the regions developed at its own pace. So it would have been very beautiful if we went back to the 1963 constitution which was negotiated over and over with so many conferences. the return of the country to the 1963 Republican Constitution, he said.

Mao Ohuabunwa

A former senator, Mao Ohuabunwa , said the 1999 constitution is too flawed and that what Nigeria needs is a brand new constitution.

He said the 1999 Constitution was forced down on the throats of Nigerians by the military.

Afe Babalola

Afe Babalola, a legal icon, argued that there is no way the National Assembly could amend the constitution to cure the inherent defects.

He said rather than constitutional review, the National Assembly could have called for a National Conference where issues bedevilling the nation could be identified, discussed and resolved through a roundtable.

Mike Ozekhome

Another legal luminary, Mike Ozekhome, said the 1999 constitution is a bad document which cannot be amended.

The National Assembly members are afraid; they want to amend. Can you amend a bad document? Even if you give it one million amendments, it cannot solve our problems, he said.

Mr Ozekhome said Nigeria currently operates under a suffocative system, due to the constitution which he branded a false document from the pit of hell.

Hamza Mustapha

For Hamza Mustapha, a retired major and former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late military head of state, Sani Abacha, the current effort to amend the 1999 Constitution might not work, as it is being done in a rush.

Constitutional amendments are done to carry everybody along, but I can see a Constitutional amendment carrying a few elites in a hurry.

Constitutional amendments should be given time and should not be seen carrying the opinions of a few elites abandoning the majority.

Most Nigerians especially the downtrodden in rural communities are not even aware of what is going on, they dont even have the money to travel to the urban centres for public hearing.

At the end of the day, you end up listening to the views of a few elites in trying to amend the constitution, he said.

Lawmakers rebuff opposition

The spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, argued that the calls in some quarters to revert to the 1963 Constitution were unnecessary.

He, however, advocated the adoption of salient points 1963 and 1999 constitution to achieve a better result of the ongoing constitution review exercise.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday said the Nigerian government relied on the constitution, National Security Act, the Cybercrime law and Companies and Allied Matters Act, (CAMA) before it decided to suspend Twitters operations.

Mr Mohammed again explained why Twitter was suspended from operating in Nigeria.

He cited the activities of the Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, during the EndSARS protests as one of the reasons for the ban.

Mr Mohammed spoke on Tuesday at the investigative hearing organised by the House of Representatives joint committees on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values alongside the National Security, Justice and Commerce, on the controversial ban.

The House had on the 8th of June resolved to investigate the ban of the microblogging site by the federal government.

The government suspended the microblogging site on June 4, stating that its activities were inimical to the unity of Nigeria.

On Tuesday, the government set up a committee headed by Mr Mohammed to negotiate with Twitter.

Hearing

At the hearing, the minister decried the role played by Twitter during the EndSARS protests last October, saying that it did not only retweet the messages of the protesters but also raised funds for them.

During the EndSARS protest, the same Twitter played an unsavoury role, by making its platform to retweet, and not just retweet the messages of the EndSARS protesters, but raising funds for the EndSARS protesters, before it was hijacked by hoodlums, he said.

Nigerians have forgotten that these same EndSARS protests led to the death of 57 civilians, 37 policemen and 6 soldiers. We had about 246 government-owned properties destroyed, 200 brand new buses belonging to the Lagos State Government were razed to the ground, 83 warehouses were vandalised, and yet, Jack Dorsey crowdfunded the activities of EndSARS, that is why we said the activities of Twitter are suspicious.

Legality

While responding to questions on the legality of the ban, Mr Mohammed cited section 45 of the 1999 Constitution, the National Security Act, the Cybercrime law and Companies and Allied Matters Act CAMA as the laws guiding the government.

The minister said, While it is true, that sections 37,38, 40 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution make provision for freedom of speech, however, it is actually qualified by section 45 of the same constitution which is to the effect that Nothing in sections 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 of this Constitution shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.

(a) in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or

(b) for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of other persons.

Hon members, the only reason we suspended the operation of Twitter was because it was promoting disunity in Nigeria and became a national security risk.

As you can see the provision of section 45, leaves no one in doubt, that provision of section 39 is not absolute. The right to freedom of expression within the context of 39 makes it a qualified right in light of aforementioned section 45 which permits the restriction of civil liberty in the public interest.

If you look at section three of the National Security Act, which clothes the state security with the powers to preserve the internal security of Nigerian, it is very instructive that any platform that threatens the internal security of Nigeria will not be allowed to operate.

In this case, the federal government deemed the activities of Twitter in Nigeria to be inimical to the stability of this country.

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Meanwhile, the chairman of the committee, Segun Odebunmi (APC, Oyo), said the committee will present its report to the House.

He said, Like I said in the beginning, this is an investigative hearing, we are gathering our facts, and we will report back to the House by the special grace of God. So far so good, We have been armed with why Twitter was suspended.

To the journalists, we have done our own, we will push it back to you. This is the country where we all belong. We should do everything humanly possible to sustain this country.
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What is known is that the biggest threat to future elections is the general insecurity in the country. INEC has increased the number of polling units. It does not have enough staff to man every polling unit. Every election season, it recruits ad hoc staffBut who will allow his or her daughter or relation to work for INEC when there are threats that no election will be allowed in the South-East?

Some of the major challenges bedevilling the electoral process in Nigeria, and thus abbreviating the integrity of democracy in the country include, over the years: lack of access to polling units, the location of polling units in problematic parts, overcrowding, conflict, violence, the designation of places like shrines, mosques, churches and private residences as polling units, which grant the owners of such premises unassigned powers of control over the voting process. There is also the general climate of fear, opaqueness, insecurity and manipulation during every election season. Last week, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made notable progress in addressing these challenges, when it announced the completion of its delienation of new polling units for the country.

The last time new polling units were defined in Nigeria was 25 years ago by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON), as INEC was then known. At the time, the country had 50 million voters on the voters register. Over the years, it worked with an estimate of 120,000 polling units across the country, but an eventual census put the exact figure at 119,973 polling units. As the number of voters nationwide increased, the number of polling units remained static. Section 22 of the Electoral Act says each polling unit is not supposed to have more than 500 registered voters. But as more persons attained the age of franchise (18 in Nigeria), the polling units became congested, with many of them serving up to 2,000 to 3,000 voters. As new communities also emerged, especially in urban centres, voters had to travel long distances to get to the next available Polling Unit (PU). Many did not even bother, because of the stress involved, and so voter turn-out in every election was not a true reflection of the peoples commitment. Analysts often explained this away superficially as voter apathy, whereas there were underlying constraints that needed to be addressed.

In 2007, the predecessor of the current INEC Chairman, namely Professor Attahiru Jega, tried to update the polling units in the country to reflect the changing voter statistics and demographics. The exercise ran into troubled waters on the grounds of ethnicity and religion. Jegas INEC was accused of trying to give advantage to the North. He tried again in 2014. The exercise was, after a pattern, sabotaged by the politics of suspicion and motive-reading. In 2019, Jegas successor, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu also tried to bring the polling units in line with realities. He also failed. What was common to all those earlier efforts was that the exercises were proposed very close to the elections in 2007, 2015, and 2019, and hence, in a country where there is mutual suspicion and angst, and doubts about the integrity of electoral umpires, the populace was sceptical. So, what has Mahmoud Yakubu done this time that is different? It has been a week since the new polling units were announced: a total of 56,872 new polling units have been added, bringing the countrys total number of polling units up to 176, 846. Despite the fact that the 19 states of the North and the Federal Capital Territory got an additional 31,196 polling units, and the 17 Southern states an additional 25,676 polling units, there has been no usual outcry about ethnicity and imbalance or complaints about any surreptitious attempt to manipulate the figures. The expected reaction may be delayed, especially as INEC has promised to publish the entire list of polling units in 37 volumes, ahead of the commencement of the Continuous Voters Registration Exercise on June 28.

What is different, however, is that INEC has conducted this exercise far ahead of the 2023 General Elections. The new polling units have been created out of voting points and voting point settlements, which the electoral body introduced during the 2019 general elections to enhance access and the sovereignty of the voter. When the process of reviewing what was done in 1996 began, the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on INEC received over 10,000 requests from 26 states of the federation for new polling units to be created in their areas. In the end, INEC has arrived at an addition of 56,872 polling units. It also consulted, not just the National Assembly but groups in civil society, including the political parties and development partners. The inclusiveness of the process must have helped but INEC must now go a step further and publish the entire volumes of the designated polling units. Transparency is crucial. That should provide opportunities for scrutiny, review and amendments, where necessary.

What many Nigerians would even find more instructive is the announcement by the INEC Chairman that 749 polling units have been removed from inappropriate places: shrines, churches, mosques and private residences. The figure that has been announced is probably modest. The publication of the polling units must provide room for the electorate to help identify more of such strange locations

INECs efforts at solving a 25-year electoral riddle is commendable. With the expansion of polling units, voter access and representation will be enhanced. The average voter would not have to travel across kilometres to get to the nearest polling station. The problem of congestion has also been addressed. Room has also been created for the test-running of the new structure long before the 2023 General Elections. These new polling units will first be used, beginning with the November 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, and subsequently in the area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory on February 12, 2022; the Ekiti state gubernatorial election on June 18, 2022; and the one in Osun State scheduled for July 16, 2022.

What many Nigerians would even find more instructive is the announcement by the INEC Chairman that 749 polling units have been removed from inappropriate places: shrines, churches, mosques and private residences. The figure that has been announced is probably modest. The publication of the polling units must provide room for the electorate to help identify more of such strange locations where the integrity of the electoral process has been routinely compromised. This may sound strange to the international community or even to the uninitiated in the mores of Nigerian politics. But it is true. Can you imagine anyone walking into an open, communal shrine in a village, with the Chief Priest wearing an INEC tag, asking the voter to support a particular party? How much freedom of choice can voters exercise under such circumstances? Every election season, pastors and imams also become agents for candidates and political parties, as they struggle to support members of their own faith, and clients. They help to rig elections and cheat in Gods name. Nigerian clerics do not see anything sinful or criminal in this regard. Their moral compass is dictated by the conviction that heaven indeed only helps those who help themselves. There is so much doubtful spirituality in Nigerian politics.

Traditional rulers are just as notorious. You cant run for an electoral office in Nigeria without visiting the traditional rulers in your constituency. They are regarded as men of influence and authority, who can determine electoral outcomes by simply telling their people what to do. Many of them are partisan politicians in traditional garbs. When they tell you that a traditional ruler does not promote any political party, or that he is everyones father, believe that and deceive yourself. Even if a particular traditional ruler would not support you and you know, you must still go to his palace to pay homage and receive prayers and the blessing of ancestors. Yes, those ancestors! Nigeria must be one of the very few countries in the world where the dead also have a say in elections: they are served kolanuts, bitter kola and exotic drinks! During the 2019 election, we visited a particular traditional ruler, a few days to the election. When the king invited us into his living room, after a reception in the palace premises, the first thing I noticed was a big box beside the kings throne. It contained voters cards! Someone had actually told us that every election season, this particular king controls most of the polling units in his domain, and no one would dare challenge his directives. On election day, there were reports in other communities as well, of traditional rulers similarly acting as party contractors, and landlords threatening tenants with eviction or increased rent.

It is, therefore, precisely for this same reason that I think, good as the expansion and enhanced delineation of polling units by INEC may be, certain other critical steps would still have to be taken to safeguard the integrity of Nigerian elections. First on my list is the legal framework for elections. In 2018, the proposed amendment of the Electoral Act 2010 ran into troubled waters because the President refused to give his assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018, as passed by the National Assembly. The excuse then was that the process was out of time, given the closeness of the submitted Bill, as amended, to the 2019 general elections. The President refused to give his assent on three different occasions. The ninth National Assembly, upon its inauguration in June 2019, promised to make the Electoral Act Amendment Bill a major priority to be treated expeditiously. Public hearings on the Bill have been concluded since December 2020, there was even a retreat of lawmakers over it in January, but the federal legislators have been crawling at snails speed over this Bill and others, such as the Petroleum Industry Bill. They have been playing deaf and dumb.

Insecurity is another thing to worry about. In the last two years alone, 42 INEC facilities have been attacked in 14 different locations across the country. It got so bad that INEC had to appeal to the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency over INEC units nationwide. The leadership of the electoral body also visited the President to present a detailed report.

It is as if there is a deliberate attempt to frustrate demands by the electorate and other stakeholders for a modernisation of the electoral framework in Nigeria, in line with observed realities and omissions. The Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan even promised that the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 would be ready by May. One major concern is that in 2021, Nigeria should be able to have an electronic voting system, INEC must have a national data base through which results can be collated real-time with the aid of technology in order to ensure the transparency of outcomes. Many stakeholders have also called for a review of the cost of electoral participation, access for persons living with disabilities, and specific provisions to enhance womens participation. There is obviously no political will to reform the electoral system. Ahead of the Continuous Voters Registration exercise beginning June 28, INEC has now introduced an online Voter Enrolment Device to enable voters register online. It should be possible for Nigerians to vote online as well. A hybrid system can be experimented with, whereby disadvantaged voters without access to technology can vote physically at polling units, while in the urban centres, technology can be deployed. For this to work, INEC must have enough time to test run the new reforms. As things stand, the extant Electoral Act 2010 makes no allowance for the use of technology. Without the much-needed electoral reform, INECs innovations may be of no serious consequence.

The reviews of the 2019 elections by INEC and the high volume of litigations that followed the elections clearly indicated that the politicians and the political parties are part of the problem, if not the main problem, with elections in Nigeria. In the absence of an Electoral Offences Tribunal and the lack of capacity to pursue electoral offenders, big or small, to bring them to justice, Nigerian politicians have learnt to operate like bandits. They kidnap votes, disrupt the system, cheat, rig, promote violence with the aid of able-bodied thugs, high on dangerous, mind-altering drugs, and they get away with it. INEC Chairman Mahmoud Yakubu has also been preaching to Nigerian politicians to ensure internal democracy among their ranks, and to avoid a situation whereby excessive litigations place electoral outcomes at the mercy of the courts. Professor Yakubus admonitions sound like mere wishful thinking. For the Nigerian politician, the end justifies the means. He is groomed to win elections by any means possible, and those means do not exclude the assassination of opponents, arson, blackmail, and assault. The key strategy is this: win at all costs and let the opponent go to court. When the matter gets to the courts, another level of mischief is initiated. Nigerian judges are not as neutral as they should be in election matters. From dubious arithmetic to inverted judicial activism, Nigerian courts have gifted away elections in surprising manners without ever stating their reasons. The INEC Chairman may preach as he wishes, but what powers does he have to stop the Nigerian judiciary from jumping into the arena of partisan politics?

Insecurity is another thing to worry about. In the last two years alone, 42 INEC facilities have been attacked in 14 different locations across the country. It got so bad that INEC had to appeal to the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency over INEC units nationwide. The leadership of the electoral body also visited the President to present a detailed report. They were told that the government would ensure that those attacking INEC facilities will soon have the shock of their lives. Nobody knows what that means. What is known is that the biggest threat to future elections is the general insecurity in the country. INEC has increased the number of polling units. It does not have enough staff to man every polling unit. Every election season, it recruits ad hoc staff, which means from November 6 in Anambra, INEC would recruit more ad hoc staff. But who will allow his or her daughter or relation to work for INEC when there are threats that no election will be allowed in the South-East? With kidnappers and separatists running riot? It is the same in the South-West, where promoters of the Oduduwa Nation have warned politicians to stay away from the 2023 elections. Will the Nigerian government provide security and protect the integrity of future elections? Otherwise, INEC will be grossly handicapped.

Matters have not been helped by the Presidents contemptuous and divisive rhetoric on the key issues agitating the minds of the people. President Buhari says nobody will be allowed to restructure Nigeria under his watch because there is nothing to restructure. No country will allow that, he says. He is also opposed to the idea of a completely new Constitution. He has declared that his government will speak to those who want to dismember Nigeria in the language they will understand. President Buhari, at the twilight moment of his tenure, should be more concerned about his legacy. The least he can do, is to leave behind a Nigeria that does not tip over the edge of the precipice, after him.

Reuben Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, writes from Lagos.
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We should worry about the economic consequences of the assault on the social media and digital technology by an antediluvian cryptofascist crowd, unfazed by the comatose economy. Lai Mohammed and his gag warriors do not understand, and frankly they do not care, how their myopia affects the competitiveness of Nigerias economy.

At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 19th century England, textile workers (referred to as Luddites) protested mechanisation because they feared machines would replace the jobs they were doing by hand. In their futile attempt at stopping the Industrial Revolution, they burnt factories, destroyed machines and killed factory owners who purchased machines to replace human labour. Did they succeed? No! The Luddites were unable to stop the Industrial Revolution. The progress they fought so hard against birthed even more ferocious advances in the automation and efficiency that we have now taken for granted.

With modern day Luddites like Lai Mohammed, Abubakar Malami and their coterie of partisan chorale, history is repeating itself. By now, we understand the broad aspects of Buharis planned assault on democracy and free speech. He seemed determined to outdo himself by sponsoring media gag laws and digital emasculation that are more draconian than his infamous Decree 4 of 1984. We should worry about the economic consequences of the assault on the social media and digital technology by an antediluvian cryptofascist crowd, unfazed by the comatose economy. Lai Mohammed and his gag warriors do not understand, and frankly they do not care, how their myopia affects the competitiveness of Nigerias economy.

To them, what they do not understand or what does not fit into their immediate power machinations, must not stand. At every turn, attempts by young people to determine their destinies and fashion a way our of hopelessness and stagnation are frustrated by stifling innovation, paying lip service to the need for foreign and local investments, leading to the forced emigration of Nigerian innovators and creative talents to Ghana and other African countries who want them, by making Nigeria unconducive for business.

It is important to look at the grim realities we face. What margin of error can Nigeria afford, with a largely youthful demographic, an economic growth rate of 1.9 per cent, which is lagging behind a population growth rate of about 3.5 per cent? The answer is: There is no room for error at all. My focus on The Economic Consequences is a play on the celebrated work and improbable best seller of the economist, John Maynard Keynes. Published in 1919 after the Treaty of Versailles, The Economic Consequences Of The Peace was a foreboding about levying devastating reprisals against the defeated German people after the First World War. Keynes warning went unheeded, leading to the rise of Hitler and the Second World War.

This is not the time to rollover and allow a digitally ignorant Lai Mohammed and his pliant collaborators to have their way. We must fight the good fight and force them to see the link between openness, deepening of the democratic process, innovation and the creation of jobs. We should remind them that openness is destiny in the information age.

The punitive media bill which Nigerias Goebbels manque, Lai Mohammed, champions, will equally have devastating effects on genuine sustainable economic development, as opposed to ephemeral growth without development, which has been our bane since the time of the misinterpreted oil boom.

Although, a recent report published by Startupblink Ecosystem claims that Lagos has displaced Nairobi as Africas start-up hub, Nigeria as a whole still lags behind South Africa by a mile, and even Kenya. This is the time to rev up a gear and not to stymie the effort of innovators, creatives and entrepreneurs.

This is not the time to rollover and allow a digitally ignorant Lai Mohammed and his pliant collaborators to have their way. We must fight the good fight and force them to see the link between openness, deepening of the democratic process, innovation and the creation of jobs. We should remind them that openness is destiny in the information age. Mobile telephony has liberated us. Authoritarianism can no longer work. The appeal of authoritarianism fits into their control mindset, based on the creation of a low skills, low wages economy, which fosters a dependence syndrome that allows them to exert total control on peoples lives. However politically convenient this is in the short term, it is unsustainable on the long run.

Creating an army of hungry, jobless, young people is a disaster foretold. It is astonishing that the federated control freaks learnt nothing from the hijacking of the #EndSARS protest. Nigeria already unacceptably lags behind countries like Ghana in terms of gaining outsourced jobs. The attack on the social media will widen the gap further. Investments will be hit and that most crucial of ingredients, talents, will flee. If the government is not bothered about medical specialists leaving, the exodus of the most innovative young people is hardly likely to be of concern.

For sure, this odious chapter of Lai Mohammed will pass. We must demand a transition from a semi-democracy into a proper democracy Like the Luddites, Lai and company will be remembered for their Canutish resistance to technology and the social media culture. It is a futile chase and an attempt at stopping the unstoppable.

Woe betide a country under the jackboot of a self-centered crew frozen in a world, as they conceive it, which existed two hundred years ago. The future for stability in Nigeria is certainly bleak. Lais odious Bill obviously has an eye on the electoral calculus for 2023 but its effect on the economy will be far more devastating. For a start, the definition and, indeed, nature of work has changed. Many areas of economic participation have become borderless.

Does Nigeria need a Lai Mohammed? One of the key issues we must look at is the Ministry he heads. Of what importance is the Information (propaganda) Ministry in a democracy? The Information Ministry as a state-sponsored noise and propaganda machine, is part of the make up of authoritarian rule, which should have been disbanded, along with the ridiculous National Orientation Agency (NOA), a long while back. After the end of the second world war, all the occupied countries of Western Europe immediately disbanded the Ministries of Propaganda set up by Goebbels as part of the German occupation.

The Ministry of Information set up in Britain, as part of the war effort, was disbanded within weeks, after the end of the war. The Netherlands expressly forbids the setting up of any agency that might be (mis)construed as resembling a Ministry of information. Their Constitutional Courts will rule any such thing ultra vires. Nevertheless, the issue is beyond a transient monkey marionette; the structure and the very concept of a Ministry of information is incompatible with a democracy. It should be scrapped!

For sure, this odious chapter of Lai Mohammed will pass. We must demand a transition from a semi-democracy into a proper democracy. A democratic spring starts with the dismantling of fascist manifestations such as the Ministry of information, the NOA and having proper independent regulators, free of the government stranglehold and regulatory capture. Like the Luddites, Lai and company will be remembered for their Canutish resistance to technology and the social media culture. It is a futile chase and an attempt at stopping the unstoppable.

Bamidele Ademola-Olateju a farmer, youth advocate and political analyst writes this weekly column, Bamidele Upfront for PREMIUM TIMES. Follow me on Twitter @olufunmilayo
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Reckitt (formerly Reckitt Benckiser), the British based leading multinational and the makers of world-renowned brands like Dettol, Harpic, Mortein, Durex etc has announced the appointment of Akbar Ali Shah as the new General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa cluster (SSA) as well as the new Chief Executive Officer for Reckitt Nigeria.

Mr Akbars appointment follows the companys global rebranding as part of its ongoing journey of transformation towards rejuvenating sustainable growth. In his capacity as General Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa cluster, he will oversee Reckitts business in West & East African countries, namely Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania based out of Lagos.

With over 19 years of work experience in the FMCG sector and over 16 years working with Reckitt, Mr Akbar brings a wealth of knowledge and industry expertise to his new role as General Manager, SSA.

Since joining Reckitt in 2005, Mr Akbar has held various leadership roles including Country Manager, Pakistan; Country Manager, KSA; Sales Director, Regional Head of Trade Marketing in the Middle East Region; Business Development Manager Emerging Markets in North Africa and Commercial Director in Iran to mention a few.

Mr Akbars appointment as the new General Manager will play an integral role in the continual success of Reckitt within the African region and steer the company towards living its purpose and providing transformation in hygiene awareness, access to its products and achievement as they aim for the pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world.

Commenting on his appointment, Akbar Ali Shah said, Reckitt is a leading multinational company that produces the worlds most trusted hygiene and health brands. Here at Reckitt, we understand the role we play in the hygiene space and we are committed to helping everyone take the best possible care of the world we all share. We work with relentless energy and innovation to make the best possible products to protect, heal and nurture the millions of people who put their trust in our products.

I am humbled to continue to play a critical role at Reckitt, a company that strives to contribute to the growth, development and sustainability of the world we live in, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where I believe I will be able to contribute my quota to achieve the overall goal of the company.

According to the company, Mr Akbars appointment is also set to increase the companys customer portfolio by developing its purpose-led brands and driving consumer-centric and digital innovation. In addition to this, the new General Manager is also saddled with the responsibility of directly driving business relationship management and developing strategies to increase the market share of Reckitt in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
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The Kwara State Government on Monday presented a letter of appointment to the new Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, Ismail Yahaya.

Mr Yahaya is from the Alebiosu ruling house and was born on February 11, 1980.

A law graduate of the University of Ilorin and member of the United Kingdom Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, he succeeds Sikiru Atanda, who died in February after a brief illness.

Mr Yahaya was, until his appointment, the managing partner and Head of Chambers, CLARKE (SAN) and Muhammed Legal Office, owned by one of the foremost legal practitioners in the country, Robert Clarke (SAN).

At the event held at the State Secretariat Phase One in Ilorin, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Chieftaincy Affairs, Aliyu Saifuddeen, said the selection of His Royal Highness Oba Ismail Yahaya Alebiosu the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo is an honour well deserved.

I also wish to state categorically that His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has always accorded due recognition, respect and support to the traditional rulers since the inception of this administration. He ensures their welfare and comfort at all times. This has greatly assisted our royal fathers in the discharge of their traditional responsibilities, he added.

There is no doubt that Royal fathers are well respected and highly revered. They are veritable tools for grassroots mobilisation, cohesion, socio-economic and political development. They are the custodians of tradition and culture for people and they are always available to assist their subjects in the resolution of conflicts, he said.

The commissioner urged the new Olupo of Ajase-Ipo to use the position to promote peace, tranquillity and progress among his subjects.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, AbdulRazaq Alabere, called on the new monarch to always carry his people along in the developmental strides of the state government.

In his acceptance speech, the new monarch assured the people that he would be fair and carry everybody along in the discharge of his responsibilities.

Mr Yahaya commended Governor AbdulRazaq for his neutrality at ensuring that the choice of the people from the community prevails, promising to encourage peaceful coexistence among his people.

The monarch has received congratulatory messages from different quarters.

A former Minister of Youth and Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, congratulated Mr Yahaya on the new office.

Mr Abdullahi, in a statement made available to journalists in Ilorin, said the appointment of the 41-year-old, is a clear testimony to the emerging reality all over the world which requires capable and goal-oriented young people to take charge of leadership.

Its indeed gratifying that traditional and community leadership would now benefit from the resourcefulness and creativity of young people like Barr. Ismail Atoloye. Im immensely elated that the Ajase-Ipo community would continue to enjoy a vibrant leadership under the new Oba, Mr Abdullahi said.

Also, a former governorship aspirant and an aspiring National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Saliu Mustapha, said; At age 41, (it) is nothing but a clear representation of the ability and capability of our young people.

Barrister Ismail Bolaji Yahaya is from a very important part of our population -youth. And that obviously will breath prosperous era for the people of Ajase Ipo, he added.
A medical doctor has advised on how to prevent the death of children from pneumonia in Nigeria.

Isah Adamu, who is the Chief of Party, INSPIRING Project, Save the Children International Nigeria, gave the advice on Tuesday in Dutse, Jigawa State.

He spoke at an event to disseminate information on the worlds first-ever National Integrated Pneumonia Control Strategy and Implementation Plan.

Mr Adamu said children can be protected against pneumonia through immunisation, such as with the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) and Hib vaccines, reduction of household air pollution (particularly from cooking smoke) and improved nutrition.

He said the National Integrated Pneumonia Control Strategy, which is being implemented in Jigawa and Lagos states, should be scaled up across Nigeria.

We believe that efforts to control pneumonia must not only seek to equip hospitals or train healthcare workers but also engage communities and strengthen their capacities in addressing harmful norms, behaviours and practices that put children at greater risk, the official said.

Mr Adamu said the integrated strategy prioritises proven interventions that demonstrate the most potential to reduce disabilities and deaths from pneumonia.

The strategy seeks to strengthen the enabling environment (policy and financing, data and information systems, coordination and partnerships), demand-side (community prevention and care-seeking) and supply-side (service delivery, supply and distribution) aspects of pneumonia control.

Save the Children through the GSK partnership is confident that Jigawa state will take the lead among all other states in Nigeria towards adoption, prioritization and implementation of the integrated pneumonia control strategy and implementation plan as part of its aim towards ending preventable child deaths, Mr Adamu said.

Save the Children calls on the Jigawa state government to speed up the process of implementing the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and ensure equitable access to healthcare, especially for children and families at the local levels to reduce, if not eliminate out-of-pocket expenditures.

Save the Children and partners, is committed to continued collaboration with the Jigawa state government and contribute towards an accelerated reduction in child deaths, Mr Adamu said.

In his contribution, the Acting Country Director, Save the Children International Nigeria, Amaneul Mamo, said like many other diseases, pneumonia is fueled by socio-cultural and socio-economic barriers and inequities that put children from low-income families at the greatest risk of pneumonia deaths.

Mr Mamo said although pneumonia is preventable and treatable, Nigerias weakened health system, particularly at the primary healthcare level, means that more children will not have access to timely care.

The National Integrated Pneumonia Control Strategy delivers tangible priorities and recommendations; as well as coordination and accountability mechanisms to strengthen pneumonia control in a manner that is integrated into existing child health policies and strategies in Nigeria.

This emphasises that this strategy does not prioritize pneumonia-focused programming, or isolated approaches, but calls for a strong coalition of partners to put pneumonia on the map and ensure funding and progress matches its disease burden.

It is not acceptable to see that millions of children are dying every year from a disease that we have the knowledge and resources to defeat. We only need more commitment and dedication to ending the killer disease.

We have resolved, in line with the vision of our funder, that, we will continue to do our best through a partnership with our allies like GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and in collaboration with the government to ensure that children who are suffering from pneumonia have access to vaccines, antibiotics and oxygen, which are essential to stop the scourge of pneumonia, Mr Mamo said.

The Pneumonia control strategy

In 2020, Nigeria became the First Country to Launch a National Integrated Pneumonia Control Strategy and Implementation Plan. The strategy was developed through a multi-stakeholder collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and the Every Breath Counts Coalition.

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According to Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2018, the under-five death rate is 132 per 100,000 live birth. Childhood Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of these deaths.

Lack of access to vaccines, antibiotics and oxygen, indoor air pollution, and malnutrition are among major drivers of preventable deaths from pneumonia.

Save the Children International, Nigeria was the first to start state-level dissemination of the National Integrated Pneumonia Control Strategy and Implementation Plan, which was launched by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) in 2020.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Governor Godwin Obasekis administration of failing to address the water problem in the Edo Central District and other parts of the state.

The party described the situation as unbearable and unacceptable.

The partys position is contained in a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson in the state, Chris Azebanwan.

The APC faulted Mr Obasekis claim that his administration has within the last five years focused on water supply and, hence, sees no reason for water shortage in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the Edo governor had said there was no reason for people not to enjoy public supply of water in their homes, considering the resources his administration has so far committed.

But Mr Azebanwan in the statement, said the party was baffled by the water issue.

He said that of particular importance was the case of Edo Central, where the federal government, as far back as 2018, had completed and handed over the Northern Esan water supply scheme to the state government.

This water scheme designed to cover much of the senatorial district was estimated to have cost N3.85 billion and was supposed to generate two million gallons or nine million litres of water per day.

The project was initiated by the Federal Government, with expectation that in no distant time the state government would carry out the reticulation aspect of the scheme so that the people of Edo Central could have potable water.

In September 2019, the Edo Government publicly declared that a water reticulation project as part of the scheme, was nearing completion, it said.

It added that the state claimed it had concluded the training of communities to set up water associations while it planned to meter the water from the plant, to regulate usage and check leakages.

The APC said it was wondering why close to three years now, no drop of water was available from this water scheme to any home in the catchment area of the project.

The party called on the state government to admit that it had failed on that score, rather than making a further promise of how it intended to erect giant boreholes and lay pipes for the same purpose.

The people of the affected areas are tired of Governor Obasekis promises and have suffered for too long, waiting for water.

The best the government can do is to take action instead of gallivanting and claiming to be inspecting the water projects.

There are practical options to make water available and affordable to Edo people.

APC is willing and ready to give Governor Obaseki the blueprint for a viable and sustainable water supply scheme for the State, the party added.

(NAN)

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A socio-cultural group in Nigeria, the Urhobo Progressive Union has issued a strong reaction to a remark credited to President Muhammadu Buhari that those calling for a restructuring of Nigeria were naive and ignorant about the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

And again those who are discussing restructuring, my question is, what are you going to restructure? If you ask many Nigerians what they are going to restructure, you will find out that they have nothing to talk about.

Some of them have not even studied the 1999 Constitution. The 1999 Constitution is almost 70 to 80 per cent 1979 Constitution, the Executive Secretary, Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mohammed Shehu, said last week while representing Mr Buhari in an event in Zaria, according to a report by Vanguard newspaper.

The remark is interpreted as a foreclosure by the president on the agitation for restructuring which clearly is getting louder and more intense by the day.

The Urhobo Progressive Union, in a statement issued on Tuesday, described the remark credited to President Buhari as an invitation to forced marriage and therefore an invitation to violent uprisings.

The statement, signed by the President-General of the group, Joe Omene, said the remark was similar to pouring petrol on a raging inferno.

How will the foreclosure of such a civic avenue of dialogue, as the President is proposing, help to secure a country that is falling apart? Did the President actually endorse these volatile statements made on his behalf by this representative?

The group said every Nigerian long for a country where they can be proud to live in, where everyone and every group is treated as equals, but that that has not been the case since the country secured its independence from the British in 1960.

This, it said, is the reason the country is collapsing and in urgent need of the embrace of enduring solutions that will bring peace to the land.

The group said the 1999 Constitution and Nigerias kind of federalism is defective and would lead the country to nothing other than disaster.

Nigeria has become so riven with social strife emanating from disaffection with how federalism is practiced within the country, these disaffections and dissatisfaction are rooted in issues that have been identified before independence like the fears of the peoples of Niger Delta and have been repeated in several national conferences that have been suppressed whenever nationalities or fragments of their demographics agitate over such disaffections.

But these suppressed yearnings are snowballing everyday like the rumblings of a volcano about to erupt. These volcanic rumblings are evident in the increasing calls for secessions from diverse corners of Nigeria, the group said.

Continuing, it said, Even in the Presidents own state and geopolitical zone, there is abundant evidence that federal policing as currently prescribed by the Exclusive list of the distorted federal constitution has failed woefully, bandits and criminals have taken over most areas, such that farmers and peace-loving people in the North West can no longer carry out any meaningful activities to earn a living.

If the President cannot even see the obvious need for restructuring in his own backyard, it is hard to see how he can see or understand the imperatives for restructuring in other peoples domains. Yet, Mr. President needs to hear about restructuring as the only option left at this stage, even if these mute facts have been repeated often enough.

The group, which said secession is not synonymous with war, pointed at Great Britain as one example that Nigeria can learn from.

There was a Great Britain that later restructured without fighting war and formed a loose independent union of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland that is now known and called the United Kingdom.

The Unity of a people of diverse backgrounds cannot be a thing for a mere textbook definition. Unity of a people is an aspiration that, if desired, must be worked for by the various ethnic nationalities as a common mission and not an imposition at the convenience of one party at the expense of others, the group said.

The Exclusive list of the Current Constitution is centrist, it concentrates power to the federal centre rather than de-concentrate it to federating units or balance power between federal and federating units as federal principles demands, the consequence is that the extant constitution arrogates too much power away from federating units making them unproductive and dependent.

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States that are supposed to be centres of development are idle because they have no access to resources within their domain, they must sit and idle while the federal centre plans and implements how they will obtain and distribute electricity power for their needs, fuel for their consumption and productive needs, regardless of whether the federal centre is efficient in doing so or not, their destinies are yoked.

How do we expect to make progress and develop when the 1999 constitution domiciled 68 items to an unproductive federal centre that is only interested in only one item; Niger Delta oil, that it collects only rents and royalties from and is not interested in anything that will bring other investments to the sector as exemplified with the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that has been locked up in the chambers of the National Assembly since 2003?
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The Lagos State Government says it has given owners of the 45 buildings on the Lekki axis encroaching on canals three days ultimatum to remove all the illegal constructions or face sanctions.

This is contained in a statement on Monday by Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, spokesman of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

Mr Abdulraheem said LASBCA, General Manager, Gbolahan Oki, led the enforcement team of the agency on Sunday to inspect the areas before issuing the ultimatum.

He said LASBCA also marked all the building contravening the law.

Mr Oki said the buildings were sealed for contravening the physical planning regulations of the state, adding that the violators had three days to remove all the illegal constructions.

Most of the buildings on this axis have interlocking tiles erected across canals, and this is against the physical planning regulations of Lagos State.

The owners of these structures are supposed to build according to the building plan approvals given to them.

There are adequate setbacks that they should leave but unfortunately, the setback have been encroached upon.

This is the basic fact and everyone knows that the setbacks are no go areas for any form of construction. This is why we are here today, he said.

Mr Oki said at the expiration of the three-day ultimatum and the illegal encroachments are not removed, the state government will take necessary actions against the owners of the structures.

The manager said the setback areas with interlocking tiles were supposed to be green areas, stressing that the enforcement is aimed at regulating physical planning development in the state.

He added that green land setbacks are specifically reserved to help preserve the ecosystem as part of efforts to achieve the development plans in the state and make the environment organised and livable.

He said the enforcement exercise would continue on buildings, with or without planning permits, in conformity with construction regulations, adding that the exercise is also to intensify efforts to rid the state of illegal and unapproved building constructions.

He appealed to Lagos residents to always follow proper procedure in building construction works and obtain planning permits from the state government.

(NAN)
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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says six tankers, five trucks, and two cars were destroyed in a tanker explosion at Ogere on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday.

Earlier, FRSC Sector Commander in Ogun, Ahmed Umar, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), saying that it occurred at about 6.20 a.m.

Mr Umar had said the explosion occurred in front of Romona trailer park on the expressway.

Giving update, he said that one person had so far been rescued and taken to a private hospital in Ogere.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) has advised motorists plying the road to use alternative routes.

TRACE spokesman, Babatunde Akinbiyi, explained that the tanker ,which was laden with fuel, suddenly burst into flames affecting other vehicles.

Vehicles moving inbound Lagos should go through Saapade-Ode/Remo-Iperu-Sagamu to relink Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

In addition, vehicles moving inbound Ibadan should also go through Sagamu-Iperu-Ode/Remo-Saapade to relink Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Mr Akinbiyi said.

NAN reports that the incident was the fifth of such tragedies involving fuel tankers in the Lagos and Ogun State axis since the beginning of the year.

A similar fuel tanker-related fire was recorded on January 7 on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

On March 21, a fuel tanker was the cause of fire on Otedola Bridge, also on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in which many vehicles were burnt.

On March 25, a diesel-laden tanker went up in flames at the Ikotun area of Lagos, leading to the incineration of other vehicles and shops.

On June 17, fire from the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant at the Ogun State Property Investments Corporation (OPIC) Plaza in Lagos trailed a leaking gas truck which was on motion in the area.

This resulted in a fire snowball which engulfed many other vehicles and property.

25 cars were destroyed in the OPIC Plaza inferno, while 13 persons, mostly workers in the restaurant, sustained burn injuries.

(NAN)
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An Ikeja Magistrates Court on Tuesday ordered that a 25-year-old businessman, Gabriel Audu, who allegedly raped a seven-year-old girl, be remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre, pending legal advice.

The Magistrate, A.O. Layinka, who did not take the defendants plea, directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to the state Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

She adjourned the case until July 6 for the DPPs advice.

The defendant, who lives in Ikeja, is charged with threat to life and rape.

Prosecution Counsel, Lucky Ihiehie, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on June 5 at his residence.

He said the defendant defiled his neighbours daughter.

The defendant, he said, lured the girl to his room, raped her and threatened to kill her if she tells anybody.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 56 and 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 137 attracts life imprisonment for defilement.

(NAN)
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The police in Lagos have arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly raping his two-year-old daughter and their maid.

The suspect, Kingsley Achugbu, was arrested on Monday by police operatives attached to the Festac Division following a complaint by the maid.

According to a statement on Tuesday by the Lagos police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, the victims have been taken to the hospital for examination and care.

The police operatives attached to Festac Division of the Command, on Monday 21st, June, 2021, arrested one Kingsley Achugbu, m, 35, of Festac Area, Lagos, for alleged sexual harassment of his wifes housemaid (name withheld) and his biological daughter of 2 year old.

The housemaid had reported the matter to the police at Festac Division, in the company of one Mrs Justina Nelson, f, of Children and Vulnerable Persons Network and the police swung into action immediately.

The 2-year-old survivor has been taken to the hospital for medical examination and expert report for further investigation, Mr Adejobi said in the statement.

Reacting to the matter, the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, said the police command is ready to fight sexual offences and domestic-based violence headlong in Lagos.

Mr Odumosu reiterated zero tolerance for sexual offences like rape, defilement, sexual harassment and assault, and domestic-based, which he said have been the order of the day in the society.

The police boss promised to work with relevant government agencies and non-governmental organisations to fight the societal menaces to a halt in the state.

Mr Odumosu ordered that the matter be transferred to the Gender Unit of the Command for further investigation and possible prosecution of the suspect.

He appealed to members of the public to always report all cases of sexual harassment and assault and domestic-based violence to the police and other relevant agencies for necessary action.
A teenager (name withheld) on Tuesday narrated before an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court how she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a traditional healer who was to treat her father.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 17-year-old testified as the first prosecution witness at the trial of one Prince Tom for rape and kidnapping.

The teenager, who was led in evidence by the state prosecutor, Peter Owolabani, said she was a 15-year-old senior secondary student when Mr Tom came to her home on December 10, 2019, with a member of her familys church.

The witness said the defendant requested N25,000 as part of a fee to heal her father of stroke.

She said her mother told her to follow Mr Tom to a Point of Sale (POS) to withdraw the sum.

She said they went to some POS to make withdrawals but were unsuccessful because the operators had insufficient fund.

The teenager said that in their search for another POS, she and the defendant took a commercial motorcycle from her neighbourhood in Bariga to Ilupeju, both in Lagos State.

When we got to Ilupeju, my mother called him on the phone and I heard him telling her: She is my sister, I cannot do anything to her ma.

He approached a commercial tricycle park and informed the drivers that we were siblings who just came to Lagos from a village, and asked for a hotel around the area.

I had exhausted my transport fare, I am always staying at home, my parents do not allow me to go out; so, upon hearing him asking for a hotel, I told him I wanted to go back home.

He said that he was seeing something in the spiritual realm that if went go back home, my father would die, she said.

The witness said they went to a hotel (Osmak Hotel, Mushin) and the defendant paid for a room but she refused to follow him into the hotel room.

According to her, the defendant persuaded her to follow him so that they could pray for her fathers healing.

In the room, he was praying in Gods name and he brought out a black oil and said: In the next five minutes, your father is going to get up from his sick bed and walk.

After five minutes, he said it had been done and we should enjoy ourselves but I insisted that we should go home.

He asked if I was stupid and told me to lie on the bed.

I refused, and the next thing I felt was a gun pointed at my head.

I started shouting and he held my neck, removed my trousers and forcefully had sex with me.

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I went to the bathroom afterwards and was crying; he said I should not tell my mother what happened and asked if I had eaten. I said I had not eaten since 4 p.m., and the time was 8 p.m., she told the court.

The escape

The witness said they went downstairs and the hotel manager noticed bloodstains on her clothes and wanted to speak to her but the defendant refused and sent her back to the room.

She said the defendant came back to the hotel room, fell asleep and left the room key on the bed.

According to her, she could not sleep.

I took the key, opened the door, went outside and locked him inside. I went to the receptionist, she gave me her phone and I called my mother but it was our pastor who answered.

I explained everything that happened and gave him the address.

I saw the hotel manager and explained what happened and he told me that he noticed the bloodstains and wanted to speak with me.

The manager told the staff not to let the defendant out of the hotel room and they called the police who came to pick him up.

This was about 2 a.m. in the morning, she testified.

While being cross-examined by defence counsel, Kelechi Obi, the teenager said that though she lived in Lagos, she never went out.

She said that Mr Tom met her family for the first time that day and her mother was not aware that she was taken to a hotel by the defendant.

She said her mother trusted him to run the errand with her daughter because he came with a church member.

She said that during the period she was abducted, her mother sent N10,000 in two tranches of N5,000 to Mr Tom to hire a taxi for her to return home but he used the funds to buy food and pay for the hotel room.

Mothers testimony

The teenagers mother (name withheld) in her testimony, said she became afraid five minutes after the defendant left with her daughter.

I came to my senses and I ran to the bus stop to search for them. I called him on the phone and he told me that my daughter was at Ketu and I should pay N100,000 for her release.

I called my pastor and I told him to tell the church member who brought him to produce my daughter.

The defendant was flashing me and when I called back, he would be demanding N100,000 for her release.

He later said I should pay N5,000 for him to put my daughter in a taxi and I did so twice. I went to the Bariga Police Station to make a statement, she testified.

The woman told the court that at 2 a.m. the following day, her pastor called and told her that he had heard from her daughter that she was at Mushin.

We went to the Mushin Police Station.

When I saw her, I noticed blood all over her body and cried because she had never known a man. This man had sex with her, the woman said.

Elijah Udoh, pastor to the family, testified as the third prosecution witness, corroborating the claims of the teenager and her mother.

The judge, Abiola Soladoye, adjourned the case until July 21 for continuation of trial. (NAN)
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As parts of efforts to dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State in 2023, loyalists of late former governor Lam Adesina on Tuesday reunited at his home in Ibadan.

The meeting was attended by representatives of former commissioners, lawmakers, and close associates of the late leader.

They all agreed to work for the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the unresolved leadership tussle within the APC in the build-up to the 2019 governorship elections led to the emergence of Seyi Makinde of PDP.

The party members in a communique read by former caretaker chairman of Egbeda local government, Fatai Akinsanmi, and jointly signed by representatives, said they decided to meet so as to enhance better progressive politics in Oyo State and consolidate good governance as exemplified by successive progressive governments in the state.

We agreed to reconcile ourselves and everyone should return to their various constituencies to start mobilisation of more active members for APC for future electoral success.

They also commended the leadership of the APC in the state for what they described as effective and efficient administration of the party from the local to the national levels, advising that and everything should be done to avert future rancor within the progressive fold.
A bill to regulate human organs harvesting and transplantation has scaled its second reading in the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The bill scaled the second reading after it was read for the second time by the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, during plenary on Tuesday.

Mr Onafeko said the title of the bill was Lagos State Organ Harvest and Transplantation Bill 2021 .

He said that it is a bill for a law to regulate organ harvest and transplantation in Lagos State for other connected purposes.

The Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hakeem Sokunle, (Oshodi-Isolo 1) explained that the bill captured the legal framework for the regulation of organ transplantation from donors either living or dead to patients in need.

Mr Sokunle said the bill had seven parts with 37 sub-sections and tried to curb illegal trade in human parts.

Under its offence and penalties clause, the bill states that a person who removes the organ of another person for a reason other than for therapeutic purposes commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of 10 years without an option of fine.

The bill also stipulates that a person or any hospital and who, for the purposes of transplant, conducts, associates with, or helps in any manner in the removal of any organ without the permission of the authority commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N5 million or a term of 10 years, he said.

Contributing, Gbolahon Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2), said the bill would help in putting a stop to organ trafficking, while calling the attention of his colleagues to some grey areas in the bill.

Also, Rotimi Olowo (Somolu 1) condemned the act of harvesting organs for monetary gain in some parts of the country, adding that the bill would put an end to such as well as protect minors and the mentally ill.

Mr Olowo argued that the bill would bring about the sanctity of life and human dignity, while the penalties for such acts should be stiffer than what was prescribed in the bill.

The lawmaker added that the bill would provide certified medical laboratories for the organs donated and that this was aimed at stopping the involvement of quacks and the criminally minded.

Speaking, the Deputy Speaker, Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, condemned the high rate of organ trafficking in the country.

He explained that the bill was all encompassing and that it should be supported by all members of the house.

The Leader of the House, Sanai Agunbiade, described the bill as a product of deep reflection on the part of the state government.

ALSO READ: Lagos Assembly amends LASIEC law

Mr Agunbiade noted that the bill would improve procedure and discourage the act of organ harvesting for financial gain.

The bill will ensure that organ transplanting is not all-comers affair in the health sector in Lagos state, Mr Agunbiade said.

Commenting, the Speaker of the house, Mudashiru Obasa, said the bill would make provisions to criminalise the activities of ritualists.

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He directed that the administration of criminal justice law be studied so that the Organ Harvest and Transplantation bill considered would be all-encompassing.

The speaker then committed the bill to the committee on Health for public hearing. (NAN)
Justice Modupe Nicol-Clay of a Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), on Tuesday sentenced a 32-year-old labourer, Philip Ikechi, to life jail for murder.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Lagos State Government in 2015 charged Mr Ikechi before the court on a two-count charge of murder and causing bodily harm.

He had pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution called five witnesses in the case.

The judge held in her judgment that prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Mrs Nicol-Clay said: To prove the guilt of the defendant in the instant case, the prosecution called five witnesses who gave account of facts and synopsis of events that led to the death of the deceased, Mr Puadebi Yaige.

The First Prosecution Witness (PW1) stated that he was the one that carried the corpse of the deceased to his fathers house.

PW2 testified that on April 13, 2014, the defendant (convict) visited his friend Abu, while the defendant was there, he fought with his brother and threatened to kill everybody.

PW3 testified that on April 14, 2014, he was at Pako Bridge with the deceased (Puadbei Yaige) when the defendant and his gang, armed with knives, cutlasses and woods, attacked people.

PW3 stated that he and the deceased sighted the defendant leading the gang toward them and decided to wait since the defendant was their friend, the judge said.

She added that PW3 testified that the defendant ordered the gang to stab and kill anybody, and in the process, PW3 (Taofeek Aremu) was stabbed on the back.

PW3 stated that the deceased shouted and begged the defendant not to allow his gang to hurt him.

PW3 stated that the defendant did not listen, and in the process, the deceased was injured and killed.

To establish the guilt of a defendant, the prosecution may rely on any of the following ways: confessional statement of the defendant, direct eye witness account of a witness(es) and circumstantial evidence.

It is trite law that when an accused person is present at the scene of a crime, the plea of alibi fails.

She held that evidence before the court established that the defendant was at the scene of the crime.

The prosecution was able to prove its case beyond every reasonable doubt.

I find the defendant guilty of the offence, and he is accordingly convicted.

The convict is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment, the judge held.

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Earlier, prosecutor counsel, Yusuf Sule, told the court that the convict alongside his gang members murdered Mr Yaige by stabbing him with a knife.

He also said the convict caused bodily harm on Taofeek Aremu, by striking him with a machete.

According to the prosector, Mr Ikechi, and others at large committed the offences at 8.30 p.m. on April 14, 2014, on Plank Bridge in Kemberi Town, Okokomaiko area of Lagos State.

He noted that murder contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, while causing bodily harm breached Section 171 of the same law. (NAN)
With gas prices likely soaring for the holiday weekend, are you planning to travel or stay close to home?

You voted:
A Celebration of Life Service for David J. Tallman, NK2Y, will be held at the Plattsburgh United Methodist Church, 127 Beekman Street, Plattsburgh, NY on Saturday, July 10, 2021, at 3 P.M. on the front lawn of the church, weather permitting. It will be moved to the sanctuary for inclement we
PRESS-REPUBLICAN ARCHIVESProjects that Clinton County Home Bureau members will be working on next year were exhibited at the United Methodist Church in Plattsburgh Tuesday. Discussing some of the craft projects to be done are (from left) Mrs. Joseph Perras, past state junior president; Mrs. John Fallon, county secretary; Anne Jacobsen, house chairman of the Plattsburgh chapter and Mrs. Norma Mesic, county craft chairman. (1971)
SOUTH BEND, Ind., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AM General, global military-grade tactical vehicle and mobility systems provider, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production (MoMP) to facilitate Egypt's development of its domestic military automobile industry. The long-term partnership would establish a phased approach to investigate ways in which AM General can collaborate with the MoMP to develop and build tactical vehicles in-country.

"Today's signing ceremony further solidifies our long-standing relationship with the government of Egypt," said Andy Hove, AM General President and CEO. "We look forward to applying our manufacturing and design expertise to help grow the Egyptian automotive industry."

This collaboration will help facilitate the development of a domestic military automobile industry in Egypt. Together with the MoMP, the company will study the feasibility of developing an in-country assembly and manufacturing capability which will enable the MoMP to replace and/or supplement its existing HUMVEE fleet. The study will result in the development of a detailed plan to move forward with partnership agreement.

About AM General

AM General designs, engineers, manufactures, supplies, and supports specialized vehicles for military and commercial customers worldwide. Through its military business, the company is widely recognized as the world leader in design, engineering, manufacturing, and logistics support of military grade tactical vehicles, having produced and sustained more than 300,000 vehicles in over 70 countries. AM General has extensive experience meeting the changing needs of the defense and automotive industries, supported by its employees at major facilities in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, and a strong supplier base that stretches across 43 states. Please see more information about AM General at www.amgeneral.com .

Media Contact: Deborah Reyes, Global Marketing and Communications Director / AM General

E-mail: deborah.reyes@amgeneral.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/745139/AM_General_Logo.jpg

Related Links

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SOURCE AM General
Fope, Roberto Coin, Crivelli, Bros Manifatture, Unoaerre, Graziella Group, Chrysos, Karizia, World Diamond Group are among the big names already booked in: the expectation is one of business and networking with a global audience.

The VBI - Vicenzaoro Buyer Index, which periodically tracks the attitudes of a representative panel of jewellery insiders from all over the world, highlighted in June that confidence in future business has more than doubled compared to last year. Growing equally fast is the willingness of buyers from the Middle East and North America, as well as Europe and Italy, to take part in a physically-attended VOS.

On display at VOS 21, high-range jewellery and goldsmithing, components and semi-processed goods, diamonds, precious and coloured stones, visual merchandising, packaging and processing technologies.

And, as of this edition, space will also be given to independent brands in the modern watch segment, while the high-quality vintage watches in VOVintage will be joined by leading experts on Rolex and Patek Philippe.

And all VOS international buyers will also have an excellent opportunity to encounter art, good food and hospitality in the splendid ancient city of Vicenza and the Land of Venice.

ABOUT ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP

Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), listed on the MTA (screen-based stock exchange) organised and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A., has built up over the years, through its Rimini and Vicenza venues, a position of domestic leadership in the organisation of trade fairs and conferences, and has developed its foreign activities - also through joint ventures with global or local organisers, in the United States, United Arab Emirates, China, Mexico, India - which have positioned it among the leading European operators in the sector.

Italian Exhibition Group Press Contacts, Press Office Manager: Marco Forcellini, [email protected], Press office coordinator: Michela Moneta, [email protected],+39 0444 969401; International Press Office Coordinator: Silvia Giorgi, [email protected]



Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1538448/IEG_CEO_Corrado_Peraboni.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/723307/Italian_Exhibition_Group_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Italian Exhibition Group
- Reaffirms commitment to using advanced technology to enhance customer checkout experience

BENGALURU, India, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Shoppers Stop, the nation's leading premier retailer of fashion and beauty brands and Innoviti Payment Solutions, India's largest provider of payment solutions to Enterprise merchants, announced a pioneering concept of Dual-Display-UPI that makes it safer and faster for consumers to pay through UPI while shopping at Shoppers Stop outlets.

largest provider of payment solutions to Enterprise merchants, announced a pioneering concept of Dual-Display-UPI that makes it safer and faster for consumers to pay through UPI while shopping at Shoppers Stop outlets. Payments through UPI in multi-lane retail have been slow to take off with less than 4% penetration, as static QRs are hard to reconcile in modern trade and open to amount entry errors by consumers. They also delay checkout due to time taken by consumer to enter amount, and time taken by cashier to validate approval.

Dual-Display-UPI addresses this by using advanced technology to create a Dynamic QR that carries the payment amount, merchant credentials and a secure transaction token. The Dynamic QR is presented on a large display facing the consumer at the checkout. It also displays any offers that may be running on UPI payments for that transaction. A consumer can scan this QR while the cashier is packing goods. The offer if applicable is automatically applied, with the secure transaction token automatically reconciling the bill straight-through reconciliation. The customer receives the acknowledgement on the display, along with details of offer applied. Parallelizing the customer payment and cashier packing cuts the transaction time of a typical UPI transaction from about ~20 seconds to 10 seconds. The entire experience is touchless with neither the cashier nor customer having to touch the display, minimizing contact surface and interaction time between them. In addition to safety by virtue of being contactless, this feature aims to increase UPI transactions share at Shoppers Stop from the current 4%, further modernizing the checkout while saving time and effort for cashier and customer.

Innoviti uses payment technology to turn transactions into customer acquisition and retention tools for merchants, bank, and brands, by bringing them on to a common platform to deliver unique customer experiences such as this one. Businesses access each other's customers, expanding customer base to 3X customers, while at the same time slashing marketing costs to 1/3rd by jointly funding the campaigns. They accelerate sales with unmatched efficiencies. Innoviti had raised a Series C in May 2020 to further its differentiated strategy of servicing the retail market through category and segment specific products, and today leads the Enterprise market with a 76% market share of all payments processed.

Quotes:

"Payments through UPI have accelerated in the past few years due to a) massive marketing by consumer UPI apps and b) convenience for consumers. However, in multi-lane retail static QRs have failed to deliver. With Dual-Display UPI, Innoviti is bringing yet another innovation to organized retail that when combined with marketing promotions can drive a modern, superior, and rewarding checkout experience to consumers. Innoviti is committed to designing advanced technology solutions that can help our merchant, bank, and brand partners acquire and retain consumers faster and easier than possible otherwise." - said Mr. Hemant Taware, Chief Business Officer, Merchant Ecosystem Development, Innoviti.

"Payments through Dual-Display UPI, designed by Innoviti, will immensely benefit Shoppers Stop due to the flexibility, convenience, and security it provides, besides a contactless authentication, leading to faster and safer checkout. Shoppers Stop is dedicated to constantly improving the shopping experience for our customers through such innovations," said Mr. Karunakaran M, Chief Financial Officer, Shoppers Stop.

About Shoppers Stop Limited

www.shopperstop.com

Shoppers Stop Ltd. is the nation's leading premier retailer of fashion and beauty brands established in 1991. Spread across 84 department stores in 44 Cities, the company also operates premium home concept stores (11 Stores), 127 Specialty Beauty stores of M.A.C, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Smash box, Jo Malone and Arcelia and 23 Airport doors, occupying an area of 4.5 sq. ft. Shoppers Stop is home to one of the country's longest running and most coveted loyalty program 'First Citizen'. The company's one-of-a-kind shopping assistance service, 'Personal Shopper' is revolutionizing the way Indians shop, bringing more value, comfort, and convenience to customer experiences. The brands diversified Omni channel offering spans over 800+ recognized and trusted brands across an incomparable range of products that together serve our overarching objective of delivering customer delight.

About Innoviti Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, India.

https://www.innoviti.com

Innoviti Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is India's largest provider of payment solutions to Enterprise merchants with a 76% market share of all payments happening in this segment. It has been a pioneer in using technology to help businesses extract better value from retail transactions than anyone else. The company processes over 10B$ of merchant payments from over 1000+ cities with a volume throughput per installation that is 2X of the country's average. Bessemer Venture Partners, USA, FMO, Netherlands and Catamaran Ventures, India are investors in the company. The company has several patents filed for with two awarded. Innoviti is the winner of Mastercard's Innovation Wizards Award, Reliance's Most Promising Growth Consumer Finance Award and Deloitte Fastest Growing Companies in Asia award in 2020. Innoviti is the only Indian payments SaaS company to be awarded the coveted SOC3 seal of excellence for adherence to principles of trust in privacy, security, confidentiality, availability, and processing of transactions.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1041869/Innoviti_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.innoviti.com/



SOURCE Innoviti Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Deloitte Digital has finally put a price on brand with BrandWorth, a scoring system and new model designed for CMOs to determine the value of brand, which found that the relationship between brand score and revenue was 1 to $1.025 billion, meaning every 1% CMOs can increase their BrandWorth score can drive an incremental $1.025 billion in revenue per quarter.

Informed by this powerful insight, BrandWorth was developed as a precise, data-driven way to help CMOs measure and model brand impact over time, by audience and against their competitors; and manage brand towards top-line revenue growth across the organization. In the ongoing need to advocate for investment in brand, especially during times of economic downturn, this research and new tool for CMOs show that brand truly is a financial asset  one that can be leveraged to attract better talent, create pricing power, identify unexpected partnerships and generate sales beyond the now.

"Even though CMOs know intuitively that brand is more than just a marketing tool, I often saw them 'brand-splaining'  struggling to prove the business impact of good brand strategy without concrete metrics to support their case," said Maggie Gross, head of strategy, studios at Deloitte Digital, who created BrandWorth. "Marketers have had to rely on metrics like brand 'love' or consideration that just wasn't resonating with the rest of the C-suite. What they need is objective evidence that shows that investment in brand lifts every part of the company, including the bottom line, and does so with equal or greater lift than other areas of investment. BrandWorth can give them that."

Deloitte Digital conducted an analysis of 24,000 brands across 21 industries from 2016 to 2021 to develop BrandWorth. Within the scoring system, companies that scored above average showed 200% higher customer acquisition rates and 150% higher aided awareness, demonstrating brand's direct impact across all parts of the marketing funnel.

Four telling metrics were evaluated to determine BrandWorth scores, giving brands more precise insight into what areas of their brand needs investment. They are:

Values alignment: As corporate purpose and values increasingly took center stage over the past year, it's no surprise that values alignment proved especially powerful in the BrandWorth research. This metric measures whether an audience feels the organization shares their values and ultimately motivates them to engage.

Experience satisfaction: This measures whether the products and experiences leave the audience wanting more. In the BrandWorth research, experience satisfaction correlated more strongly to purchase intent than NPS scores or even perceptions of quality or value by 12%, proving that experience is about much more than a logo, tagline or digital ads and requires investment in departments outside of marketing such as sales, product development, service, operations and more.

Message memorability: Memorability not only fills the prospect funnel, it moves people through the funnel repeatedly and more frequently based on whether messages are reaching the audience at the right time, capturing their attention and creating desire. Messages that consistently reflect expected and desired behaviors of a brand tend to make them easier to recall and more positively influential.

Share of culture: Traditionally called "word of mouth," this measures the percentage of consumers surveyed who have heard or spoken about a brand positively. If a brand has a large share of culture, it reinforces to customers that by aligning with that brand, they're participating in something bigger. Share of culture keeps a product or service on consumer shopping lists and generates a halo of goodwill that has a positive impact every time they interact with a brand.

Deloitte Digital's BrandWorth offering can help companies across 22 industries, including retail, banking and automotive, measure and manage brand towards revenue growth. The team recently worked with a technology company to apply BrandWorth and helped them project out investment required to overtake their competitors in market penetration and successfully launch their IPO. To read the full BrandWorth study and learn more about how it can help CMOs advocate for brand investment, click here.

Deloitte Digital helps companies create new growth by elevating the human experience  with connected ideas, technology and talent. Our ambition is to make the best customer-oriented organizations in the world. Alongside all of Deloitte, we foster the connections necessary to shape a better future for our clients, our culture, our society and our planet. Visit www.deloittedigital.com or follow Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter to learn more.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500 and more than 7,000 private companies. Our people come together for the greater good and work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today's marketplace  delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthier society. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Now celebrating 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's more than 330,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the "Deloitte" name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

SOURCE Deloitte Digital

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MENLO PARK, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ActZero, an AI-driven cybersecurity startup whose mission is to democratize cybersecurity for small and mid-size businesses, today announced the launch of its Maturity Model, hosted within its new customer portal. The ActZero Maturity Model assesses environments against 137 critical ransomware controls, as well as other control sets for business email compromise protection, CIS, and CMMC. Businesses can immediately address the majority of critical ransomware controls by leveraging ActZero's Managed Detection and Response service, and use the customer portal to continuously monitor their environment to surface the most valuable hardening actions.

"IT security teams don't have time for low value work," said ActZero COO Chris Finan. "We want to help them identify the highest impact actions they can take to harden their environment, and focus our service on helping them quickly close critical control gaps, starting with ransomware and account takeover protection."

Earlier this month, following an Executive Order on improving the nation's cybersecurity, White House officials called on the business community and private sector to enhance their cybersecurity hygiene in the wake of high-profile attacks that hobbled critical infrastructure. Businesses of every size feel increasing urgency to improve their security posture, but small and mid-size businesses in particular often lack the resources  or the visibility  to address their gaps. While there is no shortage of frameworks for businesses to follow, in practice they often amount to a confusing patchwork of cybersecurity guidelines. ActZero, which is led by former White House cybersecurity officials, built their Maturity Model and continuous assessment system in response to these challenges.

The Maturity Model provides a powerful means of assessing an organization's IT environment against the most frequent and severe cybersecurity threats to identify key risks and prioritize the risk mitigation controls needed to achieve the desired IT or business outcomes. It distills the complex patchwork of requirements needed to address ransomware and account takeover risks, as well as CIS and CMMC controls, into a single set of prioritized actions for the organization. By leveraging ActZero's AI-driven Managed Detection and Response service, organizations are able to address the majority of these critical controls within just days.

Within the ActZero customer portal, businesses get centralized access to information about their security activity. Businesses can review recent events that ActZero registered as potentially malicious and, when necessary, take concrete actions to address them.

"We are committed to providing SMBs not only with exceptional monitoring and response services on our end, but also with the ability to assess, measure, and improve their security on their end," said Ronnie Duan, Senior Product Manager at ActZero. "Our new portal makes security-related info  from recaps of total monitored events to reports of specific malicious incidents  accessible and digestible to businesses, and our maturity model gives them insight into how to refine and bolster their own security posture."

As part of the announcement, ActZero is hosting a fireside chat on the importance of SMBs assessing their security for the current threat climate. To learn more and register, visit https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/18324/491122?utm_campaign=knowledge-feed&utm_source=brighttalk-portal&utm_medium=web.

About ActZero

ActZero is an AI-driven cybersecurity startup whose mission is to democratize cybersecurity for small and mid-size businesses. ActZero makes companies more secure by empowering teams to cover more ground with fewer internal resources. We combine threat hunting expertise with emerging AI and ML technology to identify more vulnerabilities more quickly, proactively recommend and prioritize actions to seal gaps, rapidly contain and remediate threats, and ultimately harden their customers' cybersecurity posture. And we illuminate a different path forward for IT and security professionals, that doesn't involve building one's own SOC. Above all, ActZero makes it simple for customers to scale coverage and reduce cybersecurity risk. For more information, visit https://actzero.ai.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Chelsea Allison

[email protected]

312.775.2856

SOURCE ActZero

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CHICAGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation emerges from pandemic shutdowns and capacity limits, local restaurants around the country are getting an eggstra boost from a popular menu mainstay  the incredible egg  and a healthy dose of hometown competition. Igniting America's passion for eating out, the American Egg Board (AEB) has partnered with celebrity chef Connie Lovely Jackson, aka Chef Lovely, and influencers across the country to showcase eggceptional dishes at their favorite local restaurants on TikTok in the nation's first #EggDishChallenge. To further help local restaurants rebound, the AEB is donating $10,000 each to ten selected restaurants across the country.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8908151-american-egg-board-partners-chef-lovely-restaurants-pandemic-eggdishchallenge-initiative/

Now through Tuesday, July 6, noteworthy food influencers will create and share videos taken inside local restaurants, championing their pick for the best egg dish in their city and challenging their followers to do the same. Every restaurant tagged in a TikTok with the #EggDishChallenge hashtag will be entered for a chance to receive one of ten $10,000 donations to help that winning restaurant with post-pandemic improvements. Chef Lovely will help choose the top 10 deserving restaurants.

"I've connected with many people who spent the last year inside their homes trying new ways to cook up eggs, but it's time to get out! It is more important than ever to inspire diners to safely return to their local restaurants and celebrate the incredible creations on those menus," said Chef Lovely. "I'm eggcited to team up with America's egg farmers on this TikTok challenge to get Americans back into restaurants and try some new, lovely egg dishes they may not be able to create in their own kitchens."

Restaurants were one of the hardest hit industries throughout the pandemic and consumers are looking for new ways to help restaurants recover. In a recent nationwide survey*, 76% of Americans surveyed said they'd take drastic or reasonable measures to help their favorite local restaurant stay in business after the pandemic ends, ranging from buying breakfast for their entire neighborhood to eating out with a friend once a month. The same survey also notes that one in four Americans is eating more eggs since the pandemic started  that number is even higher for those 18-54 years old (29%, vs. 19% among those 55 and older)  providing additional opportunities for restaurants to make eggs a part of their rebound.

The survey also revealed some surprising findings on how restaurant goers are enjoying their eggs across the country, including:

Of adventurous eaters who tried one of the tested egg dishes in the last year, nearly half (45%) tried huevos rancheros, a quarter (24%) tried chilaquiles and roughly 1 in 5 each have tried tortilla Espanola (21%) or bibimbap (18%).

Among the egg dishes tested, omelets (50%) are what Americans are most likely to order when eating out, with breakfast tacos (23%), Benedicts (21%), egg salad sandwiches (19%), Mexican skillets (19%) and cobb salads (18%) rounding out the top six.

Women are more likely than men to order healthier egg dishes, including avocado toast (17% vs 11%) and a cobb salad (22% vs 14%); and men are more likely than women to order a breakfast pizza (16% vs 10%) and a fried egg burger (18% vs 12%).

Tastebuds differ regionally! Houstonians order more likely to order breakfast tacos while eating out (48%) than people in other cities, while New Yorkers order an egg salad sandwich 10 percentage points more than the national average (29% vs a 19% national average).

Los Angeles and Minneapolis have the most adventurous eaters, and egg eaters or cookers in both cities (27% and 28% vs 20% nationally) are more likely to say their favorite restaurant prepares eggs better than they do at home.

More than a third (37%) of Seattleites who eat or cook eggs say "put an egg on it!" when ordering ramen, believing the dish is made better topped with an egg.

"Now that the country is reopening, it's time to support our local restaurants in their great comeback. Whether you're ordering classic favorites like the omelet or eggs Benedict, perfectly pairing an egg on a salad or burger, or trying a new-to-you dish like a bibimbap or tortillas Espanola, there are countless ways to love eggs at your local restaurants," said Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board. "The only thing better than enjoying an incredible egg dish while dining out is knowing you're helping America's restaurants at the same time. We can't wait to see what these influencers and their followers are ordering and to uncover the best egg dishes across America!"

To follow along with the challenge, view the #EggDishChallenge hashtag on TikTok.

For more information on additional ways the AEB is supporting local restaurants in the post-pandemic recovery, visit IncredibleEgg.org.

About Connie Lovely Jackson 'Chef Lovely' @cheflovely:

Connie Lovely Jackson, aka Chef Lovely, is a Celebrity Chef and TV Host of "Lovely Bites" on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. In her hometown of Chicago, Chef Lovely earned an AAS degree in Culinary Arts, a certificate in Professional Baking and Pastries, and a bachelor's degree in Culinary Management all from the Illinois Institute of Art Chicago. Staging and working in fine dining, catering and hotels, Chef Lovely sharpened her skills as a chef, leader and entrepreneur. At the age of 21, she became an Executive Chef at a nonprofit organization that instructed culinary arts to children and adults throughout the Chicagoland area at schools, firehouses, family resource centers and more. For the past 14 years, Chef Lovely has shared her passion for food through culinary instruction, including on her TikTok account @cheflovely. Chef Lovely held principal roles on Food Network's "Food Network Star," FOX TV's "Hell's Kitchen" and NBC's "Food Fighters." She has also made appearances on ABC's "The Chew," Hallmark Channel's "Home & Family" and many more.

About the American Egg Board (AEB)

Home of The Incredible Egg, the American Egg Board (AEB) is the national marketing organization of America's egg farmers. The AEB's mission is to increase demand for eggs and egg products through research, education and promotion. The AEB is located in Chicago, Ill. For more, visit IncredibleEgg.org.

* The American Egg Board partnered with research firm YouGov to survey 1,454 nationally representative US adults, ages 18+, through YouGov's omnibus. The survey was fielded online from June 2-3, 2021, with a margin of error of +/- 3% at 95% confidence.

SOURCE American Egg Board
ZURICH, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FINMA-regulated Investment Manager, Aquamarine Zurich AG announces the appointment of a new Chairman: Roland Gysi is replacing Adriano Vigano, who held the role of Chairman from March 2017. The Board has also appointed Andreas Mikos as a new, non-executive and independent Board member.

Roland Gysi is an independent asset manager and has been a member of the Aquamarine Zurich AG Board since its FINMA license was granted in 2015. Roland worked over 20 years at SBG followed by many years at UBS and Pictet, and since then over 10 years working as an independent wealth manager. He said: "Guy Spier's impressive longevity in the investment fund world speaks to his strength as an asset manager and I look forward to being part of Aquamarine's next successful chapter."

Guy Spier, Shareholder and CEO of Aquamarine Zurich AG said,

"We would like to thank both Adriano and Roland for their support in the early years of Aquamarine Zurich AG's transition from investment advisor to fully licensed FINMA investment manager of collective investment schemes. Adriano Vigano, who had a wealth of board experience to share, will now be focusing on the funding and launch of a Marc Foster-directed film, "Dangerous Odds" and we wish him the best of luck in this project. With the nomination of Roland Gysi, I am pleased to be able to continue working with such an accomplished financial industry expert as our new Chairman. We welcome aboard Andreas Mikos who brings relevant legal expertise to our Board of Directors. I look forward to working closely with both Roland and Andreas."

Adriano Vigano said: "It was a pleasure working with Aquamarine. Guy's approach to investing is refreshingly transparent and his commitment to aligning his partners' interest with his, via zero management fees and stiff hurdles, is a rarity."

Andreas Mikos is partner and attorney-at-law with Werder Vigano law firm. His practice focuses on intellectual property, contract, corporate, commercial and labour law. He said: "I am very happy to continue the fruitful relationship between our practice and Guy's investment Partnership."

SwissComply AG has handled Aquamarine's outsourced Compliance and Risk Management functions since 2015. Bettina Collart, Mandate leader, said: "Switzerland's future as a credible financial center relies heavily on being able to attract and hold on to human capital. I am pleased to help Aquamarine Zurich put down roots and support the development of Switzerland's financial ecosystem."

About Aquamarine Zurich AG: the investment manager whose investing philosophy is inspired by the original 1950's Buffett partnerships. The company's long-term goal is to build wealth and financial security for its partners by taking advantage of the miracle of compounding. The Swiss entity was founded in 2009 after Guy Spier, its principal and CEO, moved to Zurich from New York. From there, in 1997, he launched his Partnership with capital from family and friends, now grown to accommodate third-party investors and $300m AuM.

Press contact: Chantal Hackett, [email protected], +41-44-210-1900

SOURCE Aquamarine Fund

Related Links

http://www.aquamarinefund.com


AUSTIN, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After more than a year in lockdown, 76% of consumers in North America plan to travel within the next six months. According to a new Oracle Hospitality survey, 24% of respondents in the US and Canada plan to travel immediately, 31% in the next one to three months, and 21% by the end of the year.

People are largely traveling regionally, but venturing further from home. Domestic travel will account for 61% of travel plans (vs. 44% last year), 19% of people will stay within driving distance (vs. 47% last year), and 20% will go abroad (vs. 10% last year). Beaches (39%) and national parks (16%) are the favored destinations. No matter the location, 77% noted a COVID-19 vaccination is very or somewhat important in giving them the peace of mind to travel. In terms of getting on a plane, 18% do not feel safe doing so until they are fully vaccinated.

Last year, travelers cared most about navigating uncertainty with flexible hotel cancellation and refund policies. This year is all about the experience. To fend off competition from short-term property rentals, hoteliers are offering extended services from packaged excursions to new dining options. The majority of hotel executives surveyed (72%) are exploring opportunities for non-room revenue. And consumers are all in, with 68% noting they are very or somewhat interested in purchasing products or experiences from their hotel beyond the room.

"The pandemic has had a profound impact on the hospitality industry and continues to redefine how travel will look moving forward," said Alex Alt, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Hospitality. "The great news is that travel is on the rise and consumers are excited to get back out in the world. However, they have new and evolving expectations of what that experience will look like. Hoteliers are rising to the challenge to not only delight customers with a great stay, but also come up with services to boost revenue and compete with the growing short-term rental market."

The Oracle commissioned survey was conducted by Skift in May 2021. The survey "Back to Hospitality: Getting Smarter and More Profitable in a Post-COVID World," interviewed 4,467 global consumers and 537 hotel executives (including 773 people and 160 hoteliers in North America). View the full global report at: https://www.oracle.com/industries/hospitality/post-covid-hospitality-world/.

Spending beyond the room

After a year of saving money on lost vacations, travelers expressed a willingness to spend for a great experience. Top services consumers have already or are interested in purchasing from a hotel include:

92% - food from a hotel restaurant.

82% - drinks from a hotel bar.

83% - food takeout or delivery.

79% - tour or activity.

68% - tickets to an event.

77% - an extended stay.

63% - wellness or fitness services.

53% - subscription membership to hotel services.

39% - utilizing a hotel as a temporary office space.

Pandemic priorities have become permanent practices

The survey shows that the features and amenities that became a necessity during the pandemic will be the norm and desire moving forward:

76% of hoteliers are providing contactless payment options, 36% self-service check-in, 59% digital messaging services to limit staff and guest interactions, and 42% smartphone-based room keys.

67% of travelers hope to see increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting procedures remain the standard in hotels.

55% of consumers still want to see guest areas/public spaces arranged for social distancing.

11% of consumers plan to dine solely via room service to minimize contact. However, 30% plan to dine in hotel restaurants, and 48% expect to do both.

Redefining the Vacation

Being stuck at home has shifted consumer thinking around vacations and what is most critical in terms of space and amenities:

Rentals on the Rise :

: 54% of travelers said they plan to stay at a short-term rental property in the next twelve months.



43% for the ability to stay socially distanced and minimize COVID-19 risk.



57% chose the rental for the added privacy.



59% chose a rental for the access to a kitchen.

Hoteliers rethinking services to win over guests:

59% of hotel executives agree that non-room revenue will represent a growing share of their annual revenue in the next five years. Nearly half (43%) said non-room sources of revenue could represent as much as a quarter of their hospitality business in 2021 and another 24% said it could be between 26-50% of revenue within five years.



48% of hotel executives are upgrading community space amenities.



46% are considering promoting hotel-only amenities such as restaurants, gyms and pools.



26% are looking to add more live events and social activities.



28% are considering upgrading in-room kitchens to better compete with short-term rentals.

Oracle Hospitality brings more than 40 years of experience in providing technology solutions to independent hoteliers, global and regional chains, gaming, and cruise lines. The report asked questions of consumers and hotel executives to better understand the key factors defining the post-pandemic hospitality marketplace. The survey highlighted what consumers are looking for in this fast-changing and highly competitive landscape and how hoteliers are adapting to welcome back travelers. To learn more view there report here or visit www.oracle.com/Hospitality.

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

SOURCE Oracle

Related Links

www.oracle.com


580% record revenue growth in Q3 2021 compared to Q3 2020

Management to host earnings call June 23, after market open

VANCOUVER, BC, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Body and Mind Inc. (CSE: BAMM) (OTCQB: BMMJ) (the "Company" or "BaM"), a multi-state operator, is pleased to report its financial results for the third fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2021. Financial results are reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and all currency is in U.S. dollars.

Q3 FY2021 Financial Summary:

Reported Q3 FY2021 revenue of $7.16 million , a 13% increase over Q2 FY2021 ( $6.32 million ), and a 580% increase over Q3 FY2020 ( $1.05 million );

, a 13% increase over Q2 FY2021 ( ), and a 580% increase over Q3 FY2020 ( ); Gross profit of $4.27 million , an increase in excess of 55% over Q2 FY2021 ( $2.74 million );

, an increase in excess of 55% over Q2 FY2021 ( ); Net Operating Income of $0.71 million , an increase of 268% over Q2 FY2021 ( $0.19 million );

, an increase of 268% over Q2 FY2021 ( ); Net Loss of $ 0.25 million , an improvement of $0.90 million over Q2 FY2021 ( $1.15 million net loss)

, an improvement of over Q2 FY2021 ( net loss) Positive Adjusted EBITDA of $1.54 million *, an improvement of 133% over Q2 FY2021 ( $0.66 million );

*, an improvement of 133% over Q2 FY2021 ( ); Cash used in operating activities was $0.02 million for the nine months ended April 30, 2021 compared to $0.11 million for the six month period ended April 30, 2021 , which indicates the Company was cash flow positive for the three month period ended April 30, 2021

for the nine months ended compared to for the six month period ended , which indicates the Company was cash flow positive for the three month period ended Inventory of $3.52 million as of April 30, 2021 ;

as of ; At April 30, 2021 , BaM had $1.32 million in cash and a working capital surplus of $1.96 million ;

, BaM had in cash and a working capital surplus of ; Total Assets were $42.21 million and Total Liabilities were $9.41 million at April 30, 2021 ;

and Total Liabilities were at ; 109,077,778 common shares were issued and outstanding as of April 30, 2021 (109,077,778 as of June 21, 2021 ).

Operational Milestones for nine month period ending April 30, 2021 and to Date:

California:

ShowGrow Long Beach dispensary ownership transferred to 100% owned Body and Mind subsidiary to allow consolidation of revenues effective August 28, 2020 ;

; ShowGrow San Diego dispensary has commenced delivery service in addition to curbside pickup and other on-line ordering purchase options;

The Company has executed a lease and received local approval for a cannabis manufacturing and distribution facility in California .

Nevada:

Received cannabis distribution license from the state of Nevada ;

; Body and Mind branded products sold through almost all dispensaries throughout Las Vegas and Nevada ;

and ; Completed expansion of new cultivation space and new flower rooms are in use providing an increase in cultivation output by approximately 20%;

Worked with brand partner Her Highness to launch their female-focused brand into the Las Vegas market.

Ohio:

NMG Ohio production facility construction complete and State operational approvals received;

Ownership of The Clubhouse dispensary outside Cleveland, Ohio transferred to a 100% owned Body and Mind subsidiary to allow consolidation of revenues effective September 4, 2020 ;

transferred to a 100% owned Body and Mind subsidiary to allow consolidation of revenues effective ; Rebranded the dispensary as Body and Mind in September 2020 ;

; Commenced curbside and online express order purchasing options.

Arkansas:

Cultivation commenced with first plant batches in vegetative stage;

Body and Mind dispensary awarded "Best Dispensary in Arkansas " by Ark420.com;

" by Ark420.com; Commenced delivery and online ordering purchase options;

The facility construction Capex is complete with approximately 3,500 square feet of retail and approximately 6,500 square feet constructed for future cultivation and packaging operations.

"The continued growth across all of our markets is reflected in our record quarterly results and clean balance sheet as our operations continue to increase revenue, gross profit and EBITDA across our cultivation, production and dispensary platforms," stated Michael Mills, CEO of BaM. "In addition to growing revenues this quarter, our team has commenced cultivation in Arkansas and completed construction of the Ohio production facility. Both of these opportunities are expected to add revenue this fiscal year and allow expansion of Body and Mind branded offerings to new markets. Our development team is working on our California manufacturing and distribution opportunity and our licensing team continues to advance applications at state and local levels in our current states as well as applications in new states. Our team continues to actively review potential acquisitions and other opportunities to continue our growth and expansion."

*Adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP metric used by management that does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management defines the Adjusted EBITDA as the Income (loss) from operations, as reported, before interest, taxes, and adjusted for removing other non-cash items, including the stock-based compensation expense, depreciation, and further adjustments to remove acquisition related costs or gains. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is a useful financial metric to assess its operating performance on a cash adjusted basis before the impact of non-cash items and acquisition activities. The most comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP is net operating income (loss), which was presented above prior to the Adjusted EBITDA figure.

The unaudited consolidated interim financial statements for the quarter ended April 30, 2021 are available on SEDAR and EDGAR and should be read in connection with this news release.

The Company will be hosting earnings call on Wednesday, June 23nd, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.

Participants can dial 1-888-664-6392 or 416-764-8659 and use confirmation number 03306817 .

A replay of the conference call will be available at 1-888-390-0541 until June 30, 2021. Please use replay number 306817 #

View the Body and Mind video at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4Kv0IspqnY&list=PLpvtfnO6zJVIINtW_tLr3aeIuOpYqJmUR&index=3

About Body and Mind Inc.

BaM is an operations focused multi-state operator investing in high quality medical and recreational cannabis cultivation, production and retail. Our wholly owned Nevada subsidiary was awarded one of the first medical marijuana cultivation licenses and holds cultivation and production licenses. BaM products include dried flower, edibles, oils and extracts as well as GPEN Gio cartridges. BaM cannabis strains have won numerous awards including the 2019 Las Vegas Weekly Bud Bracket, Las Vegas Hempfest Cup 2016, High Times Top Ten, the NorCal Secret Cup and the Emerald Cup.

BaM continues to expand operations in Nevada, California, Arkansas and Ohio and is dedicated to increasing shareholder value by focusing time and resources on improving operational efficiencies, facility expansions, state licensing opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Please visit www.bodyandmind.com for more information.

Instagram:@bodyandmindBaM

Twitter: @bodyandmindBaM

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation of activities, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release.

Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

SOURCE Body and Mind Inc.

Related Links

https://bamcannabis.com/


BERLIN, Conn., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc. announces today that it has signed a multi-product agreement with Aggrega Pharma, LLC. under which Aggrega will develop, manufacture and supply pharmaceutical products for marketing, sale and distribution by Breckenridge. The agreement currently covers eight products in a variety of dosage forms, including solid oral, nasal spray, ophthalmic, injectable and transdermal products. For these eight products, one ANDA has been approved, four ANDAs have been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and three ANDAs are at advanced stages of development. Breckenridge previously launched Succinylcholine Chloride Injection, USP, 20mg/mL under this agreement, which is now available from Breckenridge as a carton of 25 vials. According to industry sales data, these eight products and their generics had annual sales of $500 million during the twelve months ending April 2021.

About Breckenridge:

Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc., a subsidiary of Towa Pharmaceutical (Osaka, Japan), partners with manufacturers nationwide and around the world to bring quality, cost-effective generic pharmaceuticals to U.S. patients. With our dedication to customer service, on-time delivery, reliable supply and quality manufacturing, we improve the health and quality of life of the patients we and our customers serve.

www.bpirx.com

About Aggrega Pharma, LLC:

Aggrega Pharma, LLC. is a first-class pharmaceutical company developing, manufacturing and marketing generic medications (injectable, ophthalmic, oral and topical finished dosage forms). The shareholders are 4 European companies: Bluepharma, Rafarm, Substipharm and Welding. Aggrega Pharma is committed to building a pipeline of complex and selected generic products by leveraging the vast R&D, clinical and manufacturing experience and capabilities of its members. Our portfolio includes products that are commercialized as well as products to be launched soon.

www.aggregapharma.com

For further information, please contact:

Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Robert Gasparino, Associate Vice President  Business Development

Tel: 860-828-8140

E-mail: [email protected]

*All brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.bpirx.com


RALEIGH, N.C., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadstep Behavioral Health, serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and severe persistent mental illness (SPMI), acquired Bethesda Lutheran Communities' residential and support programs in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Broadstep is a portfolio company of Bain Capital's Double Impact fund.

C. Lynn Mason, President and CEO, Broadstep Behavioral Health

"We are pleased to welcome Bethesda team members and the individuals they serve into the Broadstep family," said Lynn Mason, Broadstep's President and CEO. "Together, we look forward to addressing the many challenges facing behavioral healthcare and continuing to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities  a mission established by Bethesda almost 120-years ago."

Bethesda Lutheran Communities (BLC) provides services and support for those diagnosed with I/DD through community-based homes, day programs, at-home life-skills development, job placement, and behavioral support. By acquiring BLC homes in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, Broadstep continues its expansion of residential services in the Midwest, following on the heels of the acquisition of Good Hope Manor in Wisconsin in December.

The Case for Inclusion, released annually by the Ancor Foundation and United Cerebral Palsy, reveals a waiting list for housing and services of more than 26,000 people in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin  and more than 470,000 people nationwide. Rising costs, low medical reimbursements, reduced revenue from other sources, and the COVID-19 pandemic have adversely impacted programs for individuals with I/DD.

According to a report by the KUNI Foundation published by Spectrum Life Magazine, "People with intellectual and developmental disabilities face a housing crisis." Supply is not meeting demand in the United States.

"There are so many individuals that need help," said Mason, named President and CEO of Broadstep in 2019. "Behavioral health is still a segment of the population that is largely forgotten. That's not where they should be. Individuals with low IQs are not only challenged with their learning disability, many also struggle with behavioral health disorders that have never been addressed. At Broadstep, I believe we can build the right continuum of care and align with great community partners, health systems, and payers to help address these needs."

According to Dr. Scott Huntington, Ph.D., Broadstep's Chief Clinical Officer and former corrections system psychologist, undiagnosed and untreated behavioral health disabilities weigh heavily on the judicial system, with many individuals in prison. "Putting their quality of life in jail aside for a moment, the cost to keep and treat individuals in prison is three times the amount of those not incarcerated. This person, this child, this adult, is struggling, and we believe we have the opportunity within this healthcare system and with our partners to tackle these challenges. We want to make sure they can live a good quality, productive life and be an additive back to their communities."

When access to care is provided to this population, the positive impact is undeniable. According to a recent study by the American Journal on Public Health, Americans living with disabilities with no home support system receive less preventive care, have a higher incidence of chronic conditions, and visit the hospital and emergency department more often  leading to much higher health care spending than for the average adult.

About Broadstep Behavioral Health

Founded in Wisconsin in 1972, Broadstep Behavioral Health provides a continuum of physical, emotional, and mental support for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), mental illness, and co-occurring disorders. Broadstep offers a range of support programs, including residential group homes, specialized schools for children, and vocational and day programs that help foster life skills development and realize social and professional potential. Broadstep Behavioral Health operates in seven states (Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin). Visit www.broadstep.com to learn more.

About Bain Capital Double Impact (BCDI)

Bain Capital Double Impact is the impact investing strategy of Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm. Applying Bain Capital's value-added approach to impact investing, BCDI partners with companies to scale their growth and impact to solve critical social problems alongside a financial return. BCDI's areas of focus are health and wellness, sustainability, and education and workforce development. BCDI was named 2020's Global Impact Investment Fund of the Year by London-based Private Equity International.

Visit www.BainCapitalDoubleImpact.com to learn more.

Contact:

John Tote, VP of Business Development

Broadstep Behavioral Health

[email protected]

919-219-3944

Permission granted for redistribution

#Broadstep #Bethesda #BainCapital #NorthCarolina #Wisconsin #Illinois #Indiana #SouthCarolina #NewJersey #Nebraska #Boston #IntellectualDevelopmentalDisabilities #IDD #Autism #MentalIllness #LynnMason #DoubleImpactFund #JohnTote #ImpactFund

Robert Butler  Communications & Public Relations  www.RBButler.com

SOURCE Broadstep Behavioral Health
The move comes at a time of changing norms and shifting mindsets, as clients, attorneys, and allied staff return to the office after more than a year of remote work. Located at 181 Old Post Road in Southport, the unusual workspace was originally built in 1870 as a single-family home. The reimagined home-turned-office provides a combination of private, communal, and amenity spaces and has recently been renovated to offer open work areas and "war rooms" that facilitate collaboration between attorneys and the sharing of ideas.

"While the firm was well positioned to transition to a fully virtual work environment during the pandemic, our people are eager to return to the office," said Butler Tibbetts Managing Partner, Tim Butler . "We wanted to welcome everyone back with a more relaxed and less traditional working environment in keeping with our firm culture of togetherness and esprit de corps."

The opening of the Southport office is the latest in a string of strategic initiatives for the firm, including the launch of a dynamic new brand identity and recent partnership elevations, as well as forthcoming new attorney hires, philanthropic engagement in Southport, and a new office in Philadelphia.

Butler Tibbetts' clients range from major healthcare companies to individuals seeking marital settlement, real estate, and estate planning services. The firm will maintain a presence in Darien and continues to service clients from their Midtown Manhattan location.

About Butler Tibbetts

Butler Tibbetts guides clients through their most vulnerable moments in business and in life. We help businesses and individuals resolve disputes and create positive outcomes with precision and compassion. We are known for our depth of experience in complex commercial litigation, with a particular expertise in the managed care and healthcare industries. We also empower clients on a personal level in all aspects of marital and family law, real estate, and estate planning. With offices in Connecticut and New York, we serve companies, individuals, and communities in need across the Northeast. Learn more at butlertibbetts.com .

Media Contact

Krista Kellogg, Center Content

[email protected]

SOURCE Butler Tibbetts
VAUGHAN, ON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - CannTrust Holdings Inc. (" CannTrust " or the " Company ") has become aware of the press release issued today by the Ontario Securities Commission (the " OSC ") announcing that three former directors and officers at CannTrust (namely, Eric Paul, Peter Aceto and Mark Litwin) have been charged with offences under the Securities Act (Ontario) in connection with their alleged involvement in efforts to conceal the illegal growing of cannabis at CannTrust over a 10-month period in 2018 and 2019 and, in the case of Messrs. Paul and Litwin, their alleged trading in the Company's shares while in possession of the material, undisclosed information regarding the unlicensed growing. No charges have been laid against CannTrust, any of its subsidiaries or any of the current directors, officers or employees of CannTrust.

Mr. Paul is a former CannTrust chairman, who resigned all offices with the Company on July 25, 2019, in response to a demand made by the other members of CannTrust's board of directors. That demand followed a recommendation made by a special committee of the CannTrust Board, which had been appointed earlier to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Company's non-compliance with Health Canada regulations and ancillary matters. Mr. Aceto is the Company's former Chief Executive Officer, who was terminated for cause by the CannTrust Board on July 25, 2019, also as a result of the special committee's findings and recommendations. Mr. Litwin is a former director and vice chairman of the Company, who resigned from the CannTrust Board on March 12, 2021.

Since the completion of the special committee's investigation in 2019, CannTrust has been building best in class governance and compliance structures and processes. Regulatory compliance, risk management, and effective oversight have become integral to everything the Company does. In August 2020, CannTrust's operating licenses were restored by Health Canada and the Company resumed operations shortly thereafter.

CannTrust remains focussed on resolving its civil litigation claims and fully restoring its operations as a leading Canadian recreational and medical cannabis producer. The Company anticipates announcing the engagement of a replacement independent auditor during the third quarter and has initiated discussions with the OSC about proposing a plan and timetable for curing CannTrust's historical disclosure defaults, with a view towards later applying to the OSC for a discretionary order revoking the OSC's cease-trade order dated April 13, 2020. Those discussions remain at a preliminary stage, curing CannTrust's historical disclosure defaults will require a considerable amount of management time and expense and there can be no assurance at this stage that the Company will be successful in obtaining an order from the OSC or obtaining a listing for CannTrust's common shares before the end of the year, or at all.

About CannTrust

CannTrust is a federally regulated licensed cannabis producer. We are proudly Canadian, operating a portfolio of brands including estora, Liiv and Synr.g, specifically designed to surprise and delight patients and consumers.

At CannTrust, we are committed to providing an exceptional customer experience, as well as consistent and quality products through standardized processes. Our greenhouse produces Grade A cannabis flower, which is currently sold in dried flower, oil drops and capsule formats. Founded in 2013, our continued success in the medical cannabis market and subsequent expansion into the recreational business, led to us being named Licensed Producer of the Year at the Canadian Cannabis Awards 2018.

CannTrust is committed to research and innovation, investing in developing technologies for new products in the medical, recreational, and wellness markets, while contributing to the growing body of evidence-based research regarding the use and efficacy of cannabis.

Learn more at www.canntrust.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian Securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable United States safe harbor laws, and such statements are based upon CannTrust's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events.

Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "expect", "likely", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", "proposed", "estimate" and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "would" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy.

The forward-looking information and statements in this news release include statements relating to the expectation that CannTrust will announce a successor auditor and the expectation that CannTrust will settle certain civil litigation claims, emerge from creditor protection under the CCAA, obtain an order revoking the cease-trade order and obtain a stock exchange listing for its common shares. Forward-looking information and statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation: the outcome of the Company's contingent liabilities; the impact of any regulatory and other investigations; the Company's ongoing review of strategic and financing alternatives; risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments in Canada, the United States and elsewhere; the state of the cannabis industry in Canada generally; the willingness of a public accounting firm to accept an engagement as the Company's independent auditor; CannTrust's ability to timely cure its disclosure defaults and obtain an order revoking the OSC's cease-trade order; the willingness of a stock exchange to list the Company's common shares and CannTrust's ability to satisfy the requirements of such exchange; and, the ability of CannTrust to successfully implement its business strategies.

Any forward-looking information and statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and, except as required by law, CannTrust does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for CannTrust to predict all such factors. When considering these forward-looking information and statements, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in CannTrust's Annual Information Form dated March 28, 2019 (the " AIF ") and filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and filed as an exhibit CannTrust's Form 40-F annual report under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR at www.sec.gov (the " March 2019 Form 40-F "). The risk factors and other factors noted in the AIF could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information or statements. Readers are also reminded that CannTrust remains in default of its periodic disclosure requirements under applicable securities laws and stock exchange requirements, that its most recent AIF, Form 40-F and other disclosures do not reflect all risk factors that currently face the Company, and that the Company has not completed or filed the restatements of the financial statements included in the AIF or the March 2019 Form 40-F or otherwise filed an amendment to such Form 40-F, and that the Company has determined not to correct its prior filings or make any further filings in respect of periodic disclosure requirements under applicable securities laws and stock exchange requirements. None of the Company's securities is listed for trading on any stock exchange in any jurisdiction and, in Canada, trading in the Company's securities is subject to a cease-trade order issued on April 13, 2020 by the Ontario Securities Commission for CannTrust's failure to comply with its disclosure obligations under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE CannTrust Holdings Inc.

Related Links

https://www.canntrust.com/


WHITEHALL, Pa., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Headquartered in the US and founded by Bitcoin veteran and US Navy veteran Eric Grill, ChainBytes LLC is a leading BTM provider in the Bitcoin ATM industry. Their company has extensive experience in the financial, hardware, and software development of Bitcoin ATMs since 2012, servicing operators and enterprises looking to expand or get into the Bitcoin ATM business. ChainBytes plans to use El Salvador as its American hub to service its operations in the LATAM, US, and Canadian regions with the global supply chain distribution.

ChainBytes Bitcoin ATMs Soon in El Salvador ChainBytes Bitcoin ATM Warehouse, Ready to Ship to El Salvador!

To continue building their footprint in the Americas, their leadership team headed to El Salvador after a recent precedent by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, on making Bitcoin a legal tender in the country.

After discussions with advisors and top law firms, the leading Bitcoin ATM manufacturer, ChainBytes, sees a bright future for El Salvadorans and jobs in Bitcoin development to come. They plan to make El Salvador the manufacturing hub of Bitcoin ATMs for all of the Americas. Eric Grill, CEO of ChainBytes, recently stated that "El Salvador is showing leadership to the world in implementing Bitcoin as a legal currency. We believe in doing so the country is positioning itself to be more of a technology hub. ChainBytes wants to be a part of helping that succeed. Our initiative will provide the training and skilled jobs needed for all Salvadorans, which will, in turn, contribute to the economy and the nation."

ChainBytes will provide services to Salvadorans looking to operate Bitcoin ATMs in the country and collaborate with their government, legal entities, and partnerships to ensure the manufacturing hub succeeds and brings prosperity to the country. "El Salvador is a great move for the nation and the entire industry," says ChainBytes COO Tracy Jefferson, "it has free trade zones and service parks that will encourage more businesses to operate here. In addition, with the sea and air hubs in place, it makes sense for us to produce machines here for not only Salvadorans but to export throughout North and South America."

After only being there for a short time, the leadership team already sees the vast potential in El Salvador and what this initiative will bring to the world and Bitcoin development across LATAM and the Americas.

For more information and exclusive interviews, you can contact their Director of Global Marketing, Claudia Olah, at [email protected] or call ChainBytes HQ at +1 (415) 529-5777.

SOURCE ChainBytes LLC
Dr. James Kossin served as an atmospheric research scientist in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Weather and Climate. His research focuses on extreme storms and their relationships with climate and climate change. He has published over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, The Lancet, and The New England Journal of Medicine. He is presently a Lead Author on the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and served as a Lead Author on the IPCC AR5 and the Special Report on Extremes (SREX). He was the Chapter Lead Author on the Extreme Storms chapter of the Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA4) and a Lead Author on the U.S. NCA3 and CCSP reports. He is a Member Emeritus of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization Expert Team on Tropical Cyclones and Climate Change, and a member of the U.S. CLIVAR Working Groups on Hurricanes and Climate, and the Changing Width of the Tropical Belt.

As a public servant, Dr. Kossin has collaborated with a number of NOAA's industry stakeholders from the insurance/reinsurance and financial sectors, as well as catastrophe modeling and oil & gas companies seeking to better understand their exposure to climate change.

A strategic advisor with The Climate Service since the company's early days, Dr. Kossin has been awarded the Department of Commerce Gold Medal and the NOAA Administrator's Award for his contributions to the International and National Climate Assessment process, and the NOAA Bronze Medal Award for his work with the U.S. National Hurricane Center. He is Professor (adjunct) of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (AOS) at the University of Wisconsin and Honorary Research Fellow with the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), and the Center for Climatic Research (CCR) in the Nelson Institute.

"Working through the years with The Climate Service in an advisory capacity I have been thrilled to watch the company's growth and success," said Dr. Kossin. "Together with Dr. Timothy Hall and Dr. Terence Thompson, I am looking forward to building an unparalleled scientific team that will support and inform this burgeoning field with rigorous, transparent, and peer-reviewed science."

Dr. Timothy Hall, also an advisor to The Climate Service for several years, served as a senior scientist with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, where he led efforts to study extreme-weather risk, and his interests include the interactions among extreme weather, climate, insurance, finance, and public policy. He has worked as a consultant to top reinsurance companies, reinsurance brokers, risk-modeling companies, and Florida's Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. The author of 60+ peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters, and he was a lead author on the 2017 Climate Science Special Report of the National Climate Assessment. Dr. Hall is an adjunct professor of Applied Mathematics at Columbia University.

"From the start, I have been impressed with the TCS methodology and its dedicated focus on translating the academics of climate research into a decision-useful application for business and policymaking," said Dr. Hall. "I could not be more excited to join TCS, a team I consider to be the best in the business."

"Jim and Tim have already played an integral role in our work to embed climate data into global decision-making, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the team," said James McMahon, CEO of The Climate Service. "As well as being preeminent in their field, they are also considerate and exceptional people, as anyone who has worked with them knows."

About The Climate Service

Trusted by clients including the world's largest banks, asset managers, real estate investors, Fortune 500 firms, and public bodies including the US Federal Government, the Climanomics platform from The Climate Service enables climate risk assessment and reporting consistent with the TCFD framework . Providing asset and portfolio-level analysis, evaluating assets anywhere in the world, the platform projects risks and opportunities decades into the future. Our company's goal is to help investors, companies, and communities understand their risks from the changing climate and the opportunities from a transition to a lower-carbon economy. Our mission is to embed climate risk data into every decision on the planet and facilitate the world's transition to a low-carbon economy.

CONTACT: Julianne Hogan, [email protected]

SOURCE The Climate Service
DENVER, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Concord Summit Capital (CSCap), one of the nation's leading intermediaries between sponsors and providers of capital for commercial real estate debt and equity financing, announces its expansion and new office in Denver, CO to grow its real estate investment and advisory businesses.

"In addition to the capital markets advisory platform, the CSCap Denver team works with Summit Investment Management to acquire distressed assets and non-performing loans from banks and financial institutions across the country," said Kevin O'Grady, Managing Director and Principal of CSCap.

Peter Goergen, who previously served as a market CFO and managed acquisitions for developer, East West Partners, leads CSCap's Denver office as its Managing Director. Peter brings expertise structuring and executing complex real estate projects across asset classes with private equity firms, family offices, lenders, and other financial institutions. He graduated with Distinction from the University of Virginia and later with Honors, receiving an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business.

Joining Peter in launching CSCap's Denver office are Directors Tyler Beauregard and Dan Bresnahan, as well as Senior Analyst Mason Bender.

Tyler began his real estate career in 2002 after working as a derivatives trader for a Chicago-based hedge fund. Upon returning to Denver, he became the Managing Director for a real estate development and investment firm. For over 15 years he directed the company's development and investment portfolio and was directly in charge of over $250M in acquisitions, development and dispositions throughout the U.S., Mexico and Caribbean. Prior to joining Concord Summit Capital, Tyler worked in Aspen, CO sourcing and underwriting real estate opportunities for a group of high-net-worth individuals. Tyler has a deep understanding of structure finance and is a skilled negotiator.

Prior to joining Concord Summit Capital, Dan Bresnahan was a Vice President in the Real Estate Structured Finance group at JPMorgan Chase. Before JPMorgan, he worked at U.S. Bank and BMO Capital Markets covering REITs and real estate opportunity funds. Dan received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Creighton University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Mason Bender is an experienced financial analyst with a background in real estate investment. Over his career he has played a major role with many aspects of the development and acquisition processes. Prior to joining Concord Summit, he spent the last four years as an analyst for two national development firms Hilco Redevelopment Partners and Clarius Partners, both based out of Chicago.

"When we partnered with Kevin to launch the CSCap business in Miami in late 2019, we had a goal of expanding to Denver. Given the success and track record of the Miami office, I'm excited to open the new office in Summit's hometown with this talented team," said CJ Burger, CEO and President of Summit Investment Management.

Concord Summit also has regional offices in Los Angeles and Miami.

Learn more at www.concordsummit.com and contact the Summit Denver team at:

Peter Goergen: 434-270-5249 | [email protected]

Tyler Beauregard: 303-810-8559 | [email protected]

Dan Bresnahan: 312-933-0959 | [email protected]

SOURCE Concord Summit Capital

Related Links

https://www.concordsummit.com


A single material handling solution does not always address the many serialization-related requirements to which pharmaceutical manufacturers, repackagers, and CMOs must now adhere. In addition to the physical equipment, Covectra's team of engineers work with a manufacturer's in-house engineering team to customize the ATLAS Repackaging System based on any unique packaging configurations.

"Our new ATLAS Repackaging System further demonstrates our commitment to small and mid-sized pharma companies who often don't have the bandwidth or knowledge to handle serialization requirements in-house," said Steve Wood, President and Chief Executive Officer of Covectra. "Our engineering team's broad serialization experience is paramount to helping companies through their serialization journey. With the ATLAS Repackaging System, manufacturers have a simple solution to quickly address errors and to easily facilitate Good Manufacturing Practices when removing products for sampling during quality control processes."

Features and benefits of the ATLAS Serialization Platform include:

An agnostic system that connects to major brand printers, industry-accepted vision systems and barcode scanners

Customizable label layouts for packaging configuration recipes, orders for compliance or label artwork

Serial number management that indicates duplicated serial number scans, no read, invalid serial number, aggregation & disaggregation

Reprinting capability for serialized case or pallet labels

Flexibility to create partial cases or pallets

Post-lot rework: ability to decommission a product or remove samples

Relabeling: generates new serialized labels for each packaging level per GS1 and HDA requirements

Complete reporting features on reworked or relabeled orders

The ATLAS Serialization Platform is a complete solution designed to comply with GS1 and HDA specifications as well as DSCSA barcoding guidelines for serialized products at manufacturing or packaging operations. Designed in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices, the ATLAS Repackaging System is CFR 21 Part 11 compliant and well suited for use in pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.

Please visit our product page here to learn more.

About Covectra

Covectra provides complete serialization, track & trace and authentication technologies to secure, trace and manage products across the entire supply chain, extending to the unit dose level. Transforming supply chains with end unit traceability from the packaging line to the cloud, we enable customers to ensure brand protection, product safety and supply chain integrity in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, luxury goods and tobacco industries. With over 3 billion serial numbers issued worldwide, Covectra helps to combat counterfeiting and product diversion and to facilitate product recalls. To learn more, visit us at www.covectra.com, or follow us on Twitter at @COVECTRA1 and LinkedIn.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Laura MacSweeney, Red Javelin

339-221-0614

[email protected]

SOURCE Covectra
SAN DIEGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CUbroadcast, the credit union industry's leading video talk show, and Finopotamus, the only online magazine providing in-depth technology coverage exclusively to credit unions, today announced a partnership created to bolster the amount and quality of technology coverage for credit unions across North America.

"CUbroadcast is honored to partner with the fine gents from Finopotamus to enhance the coverage of financial technology for credit unions today," said CUbroadcast founder/host Mike Lawson. "A majority of our interviews revolve around technology for credit unions in some form, so it makes sense to partner with some of the best tech content creators in our industry. John, Roy and W.B. have a true passion for technology and credit unions that's hard to beat. Very excited to team up with them to help credit unions stay educated in this area -- ultimately enabling them to provide the best solutions to their members."

"Technology coverage for credit unions has dwindled significantly over the past few years. That's why we created Finopotamus," said Finopotamus co-founder John San Filippo. "I've known Mike for 25-plus years. His deep understanding of CU technology and his ability to attract and interview the true luminaries of the industry are second to none. I'm very excited about what we're going to be able to accomplish together."

The first phase of the partnership involves simple content sharing  Finopotamus posting CUbroadcast videos on its site and CUbroadcast posting Finopotamus articles on its site  but both organizations are committed to expanding the relationship and thereby expanding the services they're able to offer to help credit unions stay ahead of the technology curve.

About CUbroadcast

CUbroadcast is a video talk show for credit unions that started in 2010. It is a daily broadcast of informative and educational video interviews that address today's credit union issues, trends, and events with industry leaders, innovators, and advocates. For more information, visit www.cubroadcast.com.

About Finopotamus

Finopotamus is an online publication created by industry veterans W.B. King, John San Filippo, and Roy Urrico to bring credit unions technology news and original content not found elsewhere. The publication looks at technology best practices across multiple industries to bring credit unions the broadest range of relevant information. The publication's tagline is Fintech News for Hungry CUs. Visit www.finopotamus.com and follow Finopotamus on LinkedIn.

Contacts:

Mike Lawson for CUbroadcast, [email protected]

John San Filippo for Finopotamus, 619-467-0431, [email protected]

SOURCE Finopotamus LLC

Related Links

http://www.finopotamus.com


FORT COLLINS, Colo., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DH2i , the leading provider of multi-platform Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) and Smart Availability software, today announced the general availability (GA) of DxEnterprise (DxE) for Containers, enabling cloud-native Microsoft SQL Server container Availability Groups (AG) outside and inside Kubernetes (K8s).

Container use is skyrocketing for digital transformation projectsparticularly the use of stateful containers for databases such as Microsoft SQL Server. This growing stateful database container use is also generating a hard production deployment requirement for database-level high availability (HA) in Kubernetes.

For medium and large organizations running SQL Server, database-level HA has traditionally been provided by SQL Server Availability Groups (AGs). However, SQL Server AGs have not been supported in Kubernetes until nowhindering organizations' ability to undergo digital transformations. DxEnterprise (DxE) for Containers is the answer to the problem.

DxEnterprise for Containers accelerates an enterprise's digital transformation (DX) by speeding the adoption of highly available stateful containers. DxEnterprise (DxE) for Containers provides SQL Server Availability Group (AG) support for SQL Server containers, including for Kubernetes clusters. It enables customers to deploy stateful containers to create new and innovative applications while also improving operations with near-zero RTO to more efficiently deliver better products and services at a lower cost. Additionally, it helps organizations generate new revenue streams by enabling them to build distributed Kubernetes AG clusters across availability zones/regions, resulting in hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments which can rapidly adapt to changes in market conditions and consumer preferences.

"Kubernetes lacks SQL Server AG support, which is essential for using stateful containers in production," said Shamus McGillicuddy, Vice President of Research, EMA Network Management Practice. "DxEnterprise for Containers solves this problem. It enables AG support in Kubernetes."

"DxE for Containers is the perfect complement to Kubernetes' pod/node-level cluster HA," said Don Boxley, CEO and Co-Founder, DH2i. "DxE for Containers accelerates Digital Transformation (DX) by meeting the requirement of near-zero RTO/RPO high availability for cloud native stateful containers in Kubernetes."

"SQL Server containers are fast, simple-to-use and highly compatible with automation tools, such as the Kubernetes open-source container orchestration platform. Together, SQL Server and Kubernetes provide users with an ideal solution for automating many of the manual processes involved in deploying, managing and scaling cloud-native applications," said Ramnik Gulati, Director of Azure Data On-Premises Marketing, Microsoft. "By adding DH2i's DxEnterprise for Containers, users have the industrial-grade HA necessary to implement and accelerate their digital transformation."

DxEnterprise for Containers Features & Benefits:

Kubernetes SQL Server Container Availability Groups with automatic failover, an industry first  Enables customers to deploy stateful containers to create new and innovative applications

Near-zero recovery time objective (RTO) container database-level failover  Improves operations to more efficiently and resiliently deliver better products and services at a lower cost to the business

Distributed Kubernetes AG clusters across availability zones/regions, hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environment with built-in secure multi-subnet express micro-tunnel technology  Enables customers to rapidly adapt to changes in market conditions and consumer preferences

Intelligent Health & performance QoS monitoring, alerting management  Simplifies system management

Mix and match support for Windows and Linux; bare metal, virtual, cloud servers  Maximizes IT budget ROI

Organizations can now purchase DxEnterprise (DxE) for Containers directly from the DH2i website to get immediate full access to the software and support. Customers have the flexibility to select the support level and subscription duration to best meet the needs of their organization. Users can also subscribe to the Developer Edition of DxEnterprise (DxE) for Containers to dive into the technology for free for non-production use.

To learn more, please visit: https://dh2i.com/dxenterprise-for-availability-groups-in-containers

Tweet this: @DH2i Launches DxEnterprise (DxE) Smart Availability Software for #Containers https://dh2i.com/press/ #CloudNative #Microsoft #SQLServer #Kubernetes #K8s

About DH2i

DH2i Company is the leading provider of multi-platform Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) and Smart Availability software for Windows and Linux. DH2i software products DxOdyssey and DxEnterprise enable customers to create an entire IT infrastructure that is "always-secure and always-on." To learn more, please visit: www.dh2i.com , call: 800-380-5405 or +44 20 3318 9204, or email: [email protected] .

PR Contact:

Nicole Gorman

Corp. Comm./PR

DH2i

M: 508-397-0131

[email protected]

SOURCE DH2i

Related Links

http://www.dh2i.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy continues to expand solar power in North Carolina with construction starting on its 22.6-megawatt (MW) Stony Knoll Solar power plant. Once completed, it will be the largest solar plant in Surry County.

The project will be owned and operated by Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.* The project was selected as part of the competitive bidding process established by 2017's solar legislation in North Carolina.

The solar plant will contain 76,600 Trina Solar bifacial modules with single-axis tracking. The plant will be located on 195 acres in Dobson, N.C.  near Rockford Road. The facility will power the equivalent of 5,000 homes. It is targeting commercial operation by the end of 2021.

"Duke Energy is bringing more carbon-free, renewable energy to customers in North Carolina. We're pleased to add Surry County to our ever-growing list of solar locations as we significantly reduce carbon emissions on our path to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050," said Stephen De May, Duke Energy's North Carolina president.

Under North Carolina's Competitive Procurement for Renewable Energy, proposed projects must be built where there is a need for energy capacity on the Duke Energy system in North Carolina or South Carolina. The bids can come from any company, including Duke Energy, and can be in the form of power purchase agreements (PPA), utility self-developed facilities or utility asset acquisitions.

"We're pleased to continue to build upon the renewable energy resources in the state. The Stony Knoll solar project marks the third facility that we have announced in North Carolina this year and demonstrates our continued commitment to increasing clean energy generation in the state," said Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.

During peak construction, Stony Knoll Solar will create about 70 jobs. Along with indirect economic benefits that accompany solar project development, such as increased local spending in the service and construction industries, Stony Knoll Solar will also have a positive economic impact on the local community by providing local tax revenues to the county and local school districts, as well as meaningful payments to the participating landowners.

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions also supports the communities where its facilities and team members are based through the efforts of the Duke Energy Foundation. In January, the company awarded $10,000 to Copeland Elementary School in Dobson to fund the purchase of Chromebooks for students.

The facility's design, procurement of inverters, balance of plant systems and construction of the project will be performed by Swinerton Renewable Energy. The energy generated by Stony Knoll will be delivered through a 20-year power purchase agreement with Duke Energy Carolinas.

A leader in renewable energy

Duke Energy maintains more than 3,700 MW of solar power on its energy grid in North Carolina, which could power about 700,000 homes and businesses at peak output. The company also operates more than 40 solar facilities in the state. North Carolina currently ranks No. 3 in the nation for overall solar power. With nuclear, hydro and renewable energy, more than half of North Carolina's energy mix is carbon-free.

As one of the nation's top renewable energy providers, Duke Energy plans to double its enterprisewide renewable portfolio from 8 gigawatts (GW) of capacity to 16 GW by the end of 2025.

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is a nonregulated commercial brand of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK)  a Fortune 150 company and one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S.  headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is a leader in sustainable energy, helping large enterprises reduce power costs, lower emissions and increase resiliency. The team provides wind, solar, resilient backup power and managed energy services to over 1,000 projects across the U.S., with a total electric capacity of more than 5,100 megawatts of nonregulated renewable energy. Visit Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and follow on LinkedIn and YouTube for more information.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities  with goals of at least a 50% carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a top U.S. renewable energy provider, on track to operate or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements.

This document includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by terms and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "continue," "should," "could," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "will," "potential," "forecast," "target," "outlook," "guidance," and similar expressions. Various factors may cause actual results to be materially different than the suggested outcomes within forward-looking statements; accordingly, there is no assurance that such results will be realized. These risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Duke Energy's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the events described in the forward-looking statements might not occur or might occur to a different extent or at a different time than Duke Energy has described. Duke Energy expressly disclaims an obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

* Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is a non-regulated commercial brand of Duke Energy Corporation, which includes the following subsidiaries of Duke Energy Corporation that are registered to transact business in various states and may be branded as Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions for marketing purposes: Duke Energy One, Inc.; Duke Energy Commercial Enterprises, Inc.; Duke Energy Renewables, Inc.; Duke Energy Renewables Commercial, LLC; Duke Energy Renewable Services, LLC.; Duke Energy Renewables Storage, LLC; Duke Energy Renewables Wind, LLC.; Duke Energy Renewables Solar, LLC.; and REC Solar Commercial Corporation.

Contact: Randy Wheeless

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

Twitter: @DE_RandyW

SOURCE Duke Energy

Related Links

www.duke-energy.com


TORONTO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eco Depot Inc. (OTC : ECDP), a US publicly traded company is updating shareholders and market stakeholders of recent activities and their impact on the Company, as per Regulation FD

The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary Bronya Canada Group, Inc has been invited by the Federation of Latin American Cities, Municipal, Associations (FLACMA) to participate in various international events through FLACMA to offer the Bronya Climate Shield solution for the development of public buildings and social housing within the United Nations framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to fulfill the 20/30 Agenda.

FLACMA cooperates with the United Nations in its capacity as regional chapter of the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA)an organization that has been given consultative status by the Economic and Social Council. Likewise, it has participated in the activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The Latin American Federation of Cities, Municipalities and Municipal Associations (FLACMA) is a proactive organization of free adherence representing the 16,132 municipalities, cities and local government associations, networks, and unions municipalities of Latin America and the Caribbean. It is an international body that adheres to and promotes world and regional conventions signed by the national states of the Region. It is the official representation in the Region of the Union of Cities and Local Governments, UCLG, a world organization.

FLACMA represents Mayors, Intendants, Prefects, Municipal Presidents, Local Governments, Cities and Associations of Local Governments and manages relationships with International Institutions and programs like the United Nation's Social Development Goals Program United Nation's Habitat, Cities Alliance, amongst others. It addresses Climate change and the importance of the sustainable development of cities as a topic of debate that has been constantly defended in the main forums and global agendas and regional and international organizations. Likewise, it represents the interests and demands of local municipal management by promoting better societies.

The UN, governments, International Energy Agency, are calling for corporate support to meet clean energy 2030 SDG initiatives. Bronya Climate Shield instantly delivers up to 40% efficiency in energy consumption and flow, industrially, commercially, and domestically, minimizing global carbon production by reducing energy consumption via a simple, affordable application. Bronya Climate Shield incentivizes corporate support in 2030 SDG initiatives by lowering overall production costs, improving working conditions for workers, improving equipment functionality and safety. The agencies empower organizations to meet required global and national energy consumption goals and recognizes these as beneficial to their health and success.

Daniel Gosselin, CEO noted "The following letter of endorsement confirms we are moving in the right direction to address a number of points in the United Nations Framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goal's. We will begin working on a plan for FLACMA to make Bronya Climate Shield available to all municipalities within FLACMA jurisdiction."

Bronya Canada Group

Mr. Daniel Gosselin, President 20701 Sainte Marie Rd,

Sainte Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 5X5

Canada

June 17, 2021

Re: FLACMA / United Nations Social Development Goals (SDG)

Dear Mr. Gosselin,

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you and your team for demonstrating your Bronya Climate Shield Thermal Paint at our headquarters of the FLACMA Advisory Council in Madrid, on May 21, 2021.

We are very satisfied with the presentation and consider that it could be a very efficient solution to reduce carbon emissions through energy conservation and saving, as we were credited with during their visit to the ARNAIZ INSTITUTE.

This solution addresses a very important issue regarding climate change and the importance of thermal insulation aspects due to its reduction in energy consumption in the sustainable development of cities, as it is a subject of debate that has been constantly defended by this Advisory Council in forums, global agendas, and regional and international organizations. It is also an object of concern for the Municipal Associations in each of the Latin American countries. Hence the interest of the Advisory Council of the Latin American Federation of Municipalities in this type of solution.

As FLACMA participate in different international events on RESILIENCE and SUSTAINABILITY of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, we invite you, through this Council, to sponsor FLACMA to offer the Bronya Climate Shield solution, for the development of public buildings and social housing within the framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to fulfill the 20/30 Agenda.

We trust that Bronya Climate Shield will address responses to climate imperatives in line with mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and supporting investments in energy efficiency and use of renewable energy resources and technologies, and in that sense can help the actions that municipal governments develop to respond to these climate challenges.

Sincerely,

Leopoldo Arnaiz Eguren

Presidente ejecutivo

[email protected]

CONSEJO CONSULTIVO de FLACMA

ABOUT ECO DEPOT

Eco Depot, Inc. acquires, manages, and develops eco-friendly real estate assets and consumer brand products. Their focus is to provide investments, funding, and support for acquisitions, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and green companies dedicated to protecting the environment. Eco Depot is a development stage distributor of eco-friendly consumer brand products and is publicly traded Over the Counter at OTCMKTS: ECDP.

ABOUT BRONYA CANADA GROUP

Bronya Coatings Group, Inc. ("the Company") is based in Montreal and intends to commercialize a Multi-Purpose liquid thermal insulation paint Bronya Climate Shield product line in North America. The Company's mission is to establish third-party production facilities globally to reduce the costs associated with the business' supply chain. The Company also has established relationships with major home improvement stores on a worldwide basis.

ABOUT BRONYA CLIMATE SHIELD

Bronya Climate Shield increases energy efficiency, energy savings, and reduces carbon emissions through energy conservation. Product website: www.bronyaclimateshield.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This Press Release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has tried, whenever possible, to identify these forward-looking statements using words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "plans," "intends," "potential" and similar expressions. These statements reflect the Company's current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to it.

Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or advise in the event of any change, addition, or alteration to the information catered in this Press Release, including such forward-looking statements.

CONTACT:

Eco-Depot Inc

2300 West Sahara Avenue

Suite 800

Las Vegas, NV 89102

Website: ecdp.co

Tel: 1 (800) 323-7006

[email protected]

PRODUCT INQUIRIES:

+1-(844)-427-6692

[email protected]

SOURCE Eco Depot Inc.
LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- eDreams ODIGEO, Europe's largest online travel company and one of the largest European e-commerce businesses, today announced a strategic agreement with a worldwide leader in travel retail, Travelport. The deal will see eDreams ODIGEO integrating Travelport+, a next-generation platform that creates a simplified, capability-rich, marketplace for travel retailing.

The agreement strengthens eDreams ODIGEO's unique offering of travel content to consumers globally. Over the last 12 months eDreams ODIGEO has been developing a number of growth opportunities for the business, and today's announcement is one of many initiatives put in place to continue improving its unique customer proposition and lead the post-pandemic market once it is safe to resume travel.

The new agreement is significant as it will allow eDreams ODIGEO to further strengthen its capabilities as a multi-GDS company. This latest step to diversify and enhance the company's offer will allow it to provide more travel routes for customers, even more competitive prices, and increased flexibility and choice.

Overall, eDreams ODIGEO serves more than 60 million user searches every day, resulting in more than 9 billion different itineraries that are generated by combining travel options from over 660 airline carriers. Travelport+'s modern, lightweight, highly functional microservices distribution system will enable eDreams ODIGEO to access additional content from world leading airlines, as well as unique ancillaries and airline fare families, meaning customers will receive the cheapest fares for any existing flight, and the largest choice of unique enhancements and additional services. The platform's retailing and merchandising capabilities will offer eDreams ODIGEO customers more flexibility and choice in their bookings, allowing them to create tailored routes which meet their exacting requirements. The customer-centric approach is also poised to benefit the business' airline partners.

The agreement sees two travel-tech heavy weights join forces to drive innovation across the industry. eDreams ODIGEO is a technology-led business with one of the largest development teams in the European travel industry. The business is transforming the online travel booking experience with innovative products, it also boasts industry-leading capabilities in machine-based learning. Today, eDreams ODIGEO leverages its leading Artificial Intelligence capabilities to generate over 45 billion daily predictions to anticipate customer needs and travel demand. Travelport+, in turn, represents a multi-year investment by Travelport to accelerate industry innovation in multi-source content distribution, travel retailing and value generation. The combination of these leading technology capabilities will result in unparalleled benefits for travellers and increased competitiveness for both businesses.

Javier Bellido, Air Content Strategies Director at eDreams ODIGEO said: "The addition of Travelport's leading travel retail system into our flight content platform is yet another example of how the business is pivoting to strengthen its position after the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential that businesses really focus on meeting their customers needs in order to facilitate a rapid recovery in the travel sector. This agreement is testament to our commitment to putting the customers' experience at the forefront of our innovations. As a multi-GDS company, we are able to offer better connectivity and content globally. We are looking forward to working alongside Travelport to continue leading the transformation of the travel industry through the latest technologies."

Rob Brown, GVP and Managing Director, Global OTA at Travelport, said: "What we have implemented to date is just the beginning of the joint vision we share with eDreams ODIGEO. We are confident that Travelport+ will bring about real value for eDreams ODIGEO and its customers, and look forward to keeping them ahead of today's accelerating pace of change as we continue to execute our roadmap."

eDreams ODIGEO's CEO, Dana Dunne, and Travelport CEO, Greg Webb, will be discussing this agreement and the future of travel retailing at Travelport's virtual event, Hello Modern Retailing, on Thursday, 24 June. To register to attend the event, please visit travelport.com/hello-modern-retailing

SOURCE eDreams ODIGEO
HOUSTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG) will host a conference call and webcast to discuss second quarter 2021 results on Thursday, August 5, 2021, at 9 a.m. Central time (10 a.m. Eastern time). Please visit the Investors/Events & Presentations page on the EOG website to access a live webcast of the conference call. If you are unable to listen to the live webcast, a replay will be available for one year.

If you have any questions, please contact Angie Lewis at 713-651-6722.

About EOG

EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE: EOG) is one of the largest crude oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States with proved reserves in the United States and Trinidad. To learn more visit www.eogresources.com.

Investor Contacts

David Streit 713-571-4902

Neel Panchal 713-571-4884

Media and Investor Contact

Kimberly Ehmer 713-571-4676

SOURCE EOG Resources, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.eogresources.com


PITTSBURGH, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Joe Altieri of FlexScreen was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 East Central Award finalist. Now in its 35th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors unstoppable business leaders whose ambition, ingenuity and courage in the face of adversity help catapult us from the now to next and beyond.

Joe Altieri - FlexScreen CEO - East Central Finalist Joe Altieri - FlexScreen CEO

Joe was selected by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced during a special virtual celebration on August 5, 2021 and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world.

Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

Altieri created FlexScreen, the world's first and only flexible window screen, in his garage to solve the problems that plague regular aluminum window screens. Since he emerged with his prototype, Joe has grown FlexScreen into a multi-million-dollar company with five manufacturing plants in the US and Canada and a large workforce. FlexScreen has been featured on Shark Tank twice  the first time hooking a deal with Lori Greiner and the second time in a Shark Tank Update segment highlighting the company's growth. "I'm thrilled to be considered for the world's most prestigious award for entrepreneurs," said Altieri. "This is a dream opportunity, and I'm honored to be a finalist."

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation's most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2022.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. ey.com/us/eoy.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America. In East Central, sponsors also include PNC Bank, VRC, Oswald Companies and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Contact: Nicolas DeSarno

Company: FlexScreen

Tel: 412-477-2285

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE FlexScreen
LONDON and ATHENS, Greece, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra has established a new partnership with Uni Systems Information Technology S.M.SA (Uni Systems), an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems integration company that specializes in Information Technology landscape transformation in Europe. Uni Systems will be bringing Finastra treasury, risk and payments software  Fusion Treasury, Fusion Risk and Fusion Global PAYplus respectively  to local markets with on-the-ground implementation and support services.

Constantine Serros, Banking and Financial Services Business Unit Director at Uni Systems, said, "We are excited to announce this new business partnership with Finastra. As a global leader in the fintech space, Finastra brings deep expertise coupled with leading solutions in the domains of treasury, payments and risk, which we aim to leverage further with our local footprint, knowledge and technology integration capabilities. We are certain that this partnership will help European financial institutions on their journey to digital transformation  a vision which both Finastra and Uni Systems share."

The partnership will enable customers to benefit from local expertise and high-level professional services alongside Finastra's trusted technology solutions. It covers selected customers in multiple geographies in Europe, including Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.

Michael Henssler, General Manager, Treasury and Capital Markets and Risk at Finastra said, "Uni Systems is an exciting new member of our Fusion Orbit partner program. We are looking forward to reaching wider markets across Europe with this collaboration. Uni Systems' specialized consultants are now trained and certified in delivering our solutions, both in the cloud and on-premise, and we are confident they will also deliver quality professional services to our customers."

For further information please contact:

Caroline Duff

Global Head of PR

T +44 (0)7917 613586

E [email protected]

finastra.com

About Uni Systems

Uni Systems, a member of Quest Group of companies, is a long-standing strategic ICT partner to financial institutions, public organizations, telecom operators, enterprises and institutions in the European region providing integrated solutions and value added services since 1964. Today, the Company invests substantially in its European perspective and demonstrates a proven record of accomplishment in complex and critical IT projects in more than 26 countries through its subsidiaries in Belgium, Romania, Luxembourg, Italy and Spain. For more information, please visit www.unisystems.com

About Finastra

Finastra is building an open platform that accelerates collaboration and innovation in financial services, creating better experiences for people, businesses and communities. Supported by the broadest and deepest portfolio of financial services software, Finastra delivers this vitally important technology to financial institutions of all sizes across the globe, including 90 of the world's top 100 banks. Our open architecture approach brings together a number of partners and innovators. Together we are leading the way in which applications are written, deployed and consumed in financial services to evolve with the changing needs of customers. Learn more at finastra.com

LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Corporate headquarters

4 Kingdom Street

Paddington

London W2 6BD

United Kingdom

T: +44 20 3320 5000

SOURCE Finastra
The Robotic Prostatectomy Marked the Start of the Hugo RAS System Global Patient Registry

DUBLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), the global leader in medical technology, today announced the first patient procedure with the Hugo robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system. The robotic prostatectomy was performed June 19 by urological surgeon Ruben Olivares, M.D., at Clinica Santa Maria in Santiago, Chile.

The first patient procedure marks the beginning of the Hugo RAS system patient registry, which will collect clinical data to support regulatory submissions around the world.

A modular, multi-quadrant platform designed for a broad range of surgical procedures, the Hugo RAS system combines wristed instruments, 3D visualization, and a powerful surgical video capture option in Touch Surgery Enterprise with dedicated support teams specializing in robotics program optimization, service, and training.

"I'm proud to have performed the very first clinical procedure with the Hugo RAS system," said Dr. Olivares. "From the open console and modular platform to the instrumentation I know and trust, this innovative system is truly a partner in the OR. I feel energized by the possibility the Hugo RAS system brings to patients and clinicians and am honored to help pave the way for future surgeons, being able to offer a minimal invasive alternative on a regular basis."

With the Hugo RAS system, Medtronic is building on its decades-long history of bringing the benefits of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) to more patients around the world. With MIS, patients experience fewer complications, shorter hospital stays, and faster return to normal activities.1-3,

RAS delivers the benefits of MIS, yet accounts for less than three percent of all surgeries performed today,4 mostly due to historic cost and utilization barriers that put it out of reach for many hospitals.5 A global leader in open and laparoscopic surgery, Medtronic designed the Hugo RAS system to help improve robotics economics and utilization  based on input from hundreds of clinicians and hospital executives.

"Today, with the start of our Hugo RAS system patient registry, we're taking an exciting step forward to bring the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery to more patients in more places," said Megan Rosengarten, president of the Surgical Robotics business, which is part of the Medical Surgical Portfolio at Medtronic. "That's possible thanks to our shared vision with Clinica Santa Maria, the first institution to join our Partners in Possibility Program, a group of pioneering hospitals that will be among the first in the world to use the Hugo RAS system in support of our patient registry."

Clinica Santa Maria has more than 10 years of experience in robotic surgery, and today the clinic incorporates this new technology to continue offering its patients world-class surgical options, with high standards of quality and safety.

"We are committed to providing the most advanced and innovative care to our patients. In this context, robotic surgery is a minimally invasive alternative that we have been performing with excellent results for more than a decade, with a total of more than 2,000 interventions of this type to date," said Martin Manterola, chief executive officer, Clinica Santa Maria. "The alliance with Medtronic and the incorporation of the Hugo RAS system to our center places us as the first health institution in the world to use this new technology and is a milestone that reinforces the dedication and experience of our medical team."

The Hugo RAS system is not cleared or approved in the U.S. or Europe. Regulatory requirements of individual countries and regions will determine availability and approval or clearance timelines. Touch Surgery Enterprise is not intended to direct surgery, or aid in diagnosis or treatment of a disease or condition.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc ( www.medtronic.com ), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies  alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Compared to open surgery.

1 Fitch K, Engel T, Bochner A. Cost differences between open and minimally invasive surgery. Managed Care. 2015 Sep;24(9):408.

2 Tiwari MM, Reynoso JF, High R, Tsang AW, Oleynikov D. Safety, efficacy, and cost effectiveness of common laparoscopic procedures. Surg Endosc. 2011;25(4):1127-1135.

3 Roumm AR, Pizzi L, Goldfarb NI, Cohn H. Minimally invasive: minimally reimbursed? An examination of six laparoscopic surgical procedures. Surg Innovation. 2005;12(3):261287.

4 Based on internal estimates and Medtronic report, FY20 market model: procedural volume data.

5 Based on internal report prepared by Consumer Dynamics: quantitative research with U.S. and European surgeons and hospital executives. March 21, 2020.

Contacts:





Gary Jeanfaivre Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-203-833-2104 +1-763-505-4626

SOURCE Medtronic plc

Related Links

https://www.medtronic.com


If you are concerned that you might soon be the subject of an IRS tax audit or criminal tax investigation in 2021 or beyond, it is in your best interest to speak to a tax attorney as soon as possible. There are some steps you can take right now that may help prevent an unnecessary audit and save you critical time and money down the road.

At The Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing, we are ready willing and able to assist you with any of your tax needs. Our experienced domestic and international Tax Attorneys and CPAs will help guide you through the complexities getting back into compliance without facing criminal tax prosecution. Call our offices today at (800) 681-1295 or schedule online here to arrange a reduced rate initial consultation.

More Tax Audits in 2021 and Beyond

The IRS alleges that the tax gap or amount of unpaid taxes due to tax evasion schemes has been higher in previous years than most estimates have suggested. The discrepancy, according to IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, is due to certain tax evasion techniques that the IRS was previously unaware of, or otherwise unable to combat. In the recent past, the IRS has been subjected to sequestration mandated budget cuts and layoffs, hiring freezes and natural attrition that substantially weakened the agency over time, despite mandates from Congress that the IRS should be taking on more responsibility.

Only 0.01% of S corporations that filed a tax return in 2018 were subjected to a federal audit, according to public information gathered by the IRS. But proposed changes to the functional structure and budget of the agency suggests that the IRS will ramp up audit activity by "50% more than  the previous year," per IRS Deputy Commissioner De Lon Harris.

According to President Biden's proposed overhaul of the IRS, the funding increase will enable the IRS to crack down in a few ways:

Increase technological capacity to identify audit and criminal tax investigations targets more efficiently.

Bolster internal capability of handling analysis of larger pool of tax returns

Conduct audits at a rate that would cover a minimum income level for individuals and corporations

Force banks to disclose information about activity of wealthy account holders

These suggestions are not novel in any way. However, recent statements of both Republican and Democratic leadership on the hill suggest that these initiatives might have bipartisan support for the first time in over a decade. The Congressional Budget Office released a report in July 2020 that estimates a $20 billion increase in IRS funding over the next decade would create $61 billion in revenue  effectively paying for itself. Therefore, it is in the government's interest to spur the agency towards returning a high yield of previously undiscovered income through a higher rate of tax audits.

Protecting You or Your Business from More Likely Tax Audits in 2021

Individuals and businesses who aren't deliberately attempting to evade the IRS file their tax returns and other documents with the government every year. There are often inconsistencies with filings that may seem perfectly harmless but have the potential to draw the ire of the government. To avoid the heightened scrutiny and additional audit activity that will occur in 2021, you should act now to confirm that all your past and present filings comply with the Internal Revenue Code. The following are some examples of simple strategies you can implement now that could mend a disastrous problem of the future.

Keep Detailed, Organized Records

Depending on the complexity of your returns, you may choose to use a tax return software program, hire an external tax professional, or keep all your matters in house. No matter what route you have selected, you should be aware that most audits begin due to evidence of facial evidence of tax noncompliance on the returns. By ensuring that your returns are accurate, and your records are easy to access and readily comprehensible in their current form, you can head off the increased chances of IRS tax audit or criminal tax investigation in 2021 & beyond.

Be Mindful of COVID-19 Tax Code Adjustments

You may find it more difficult to navigate the Internal Revenue Code in 2021 due to more frequent alterations to the processes considering the pandemic. Do not be intimidated  a competent Tax Attorney and CPA can explain these new developments to you and make sure that you are not missing any opportunities or stumbling into trouble.

Keep in mind that you will be responsible for the content of your filings. Even if you hire a third-party tax professional who errs, yours is the name that will draw the government's scrutiny. If your financial circumstances are complex, you need to be sure that you are in the best hands possible.

If you are concerned about the increase in IRS audits in 2021, or with potential criminal exposure over your past tax filings, you should seek the counsel of an experienced dually licensed California Tax Attorney and CPA who can advise you on the inner workings of the IRS and agency audit and voluntary disclosure process. Only an Attorney can engage in the voluntary disclosure process that can protect you from an unpleasant criminal investigation and subsequent criminal prosecution if you indeed cheated on your past tax filings.

See the full version of this article here.

Public Contact: Dave Klasing Esq. M.S.-Tax CPA, [email protected]

SOURCE Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing, PC

Related Links

klasing-associates.com


ATLANTA, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC) plans to release Second Quarter Earnings on July 22, 2021. Management will also conduct a conference call on this date at 11:00 a.m. ET. The public may access the call and supplemental earnings deck on the Company's website at http://genuineparts.investorroom.com. The call is also available by dialing 877-407-0789. The conference ID is 13720671. A replay of the call will be available on the Company's website or toll-free at 844-512-2921, ID 13720671, two hours after the completion of the conference call.

About Genuine Parts Company

Founded in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a global service organization engaged in the distribution of automotive and industrial replacement parts. The Company's Automotive Parts Group distributes automotive replacement parts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium. The Company's Industrial Parts Group distributes industrial replacement parts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. In total, the Company serves its global customers from an extensive network of more than 10,000 locations in 14 countries. Genuine Parts Company had 2020 revenues of $16.5 billion. Further information is available at www.genpt.com.

SOURCE Genuine Parts Company

Related Links

http://www.genpt.com


DUBLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Carbon Monoxide Detector Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The carbon monoxide detectors market is evaluated at US$504.856 million for the year 2019 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.21% to reach the market size of US$673.626 million by the year 2026.



Carbon monoxide detectors refer to devices used to detect the presence of carbon monoxide in an indoor setting and hence helps protect from carbon monoxide poisoning. There is increased awareness regarding the hazards related to carbon monoxide poisoning which has surged the demand for carbon monoxide detectors and is anticipated to propel the growth of the carbon monoxide detectors market during the forecast period. Also, the incidences of carbon monoxide poisoning have been on the rise around the world which is expected to increase the usage of carbon monoxide detectors. Furthermore, governments of various countries and states around the world have been increasingly passing regulations to make the installation of carbon monoxide detectors mandatory which is another factor that is anticipated to bolster the growth of the carbon monoxide market during the forecast period.



The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease harmed the carbon monoxide detectors market. Due to the lockdown and trade restrictions implemented in various parts of the world, the supply chain of the carbon monoxide detectors market was hit which led to a decline in the carbon monoxide market in the year 2020. The factories were shut down due to strict Covid-19 measures and even where the factories were open, there was a shortage of laborers, which hit the carbon monoxide detectors market negatively. But the market is expected to recover and come to its normal pace from the year 2022 onwards.



Rise in carbon monoxide poisoning cases in some areas and increased awareness.



One of the key factors supplementing the carbon monoxide detectors market growth is the increase in the number of cases of poisoning related to carbon monoxide reported in many areas. The campaign group Project SHOUT in the United Kingdom has reported an increase in the cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in recent years. A report by the campaign group stated that carbon monoxide poisoning incidences have risen by a third over the last five years. The UK Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), which is one of the first emergency services that comes to action in the UK when there's a case of carbon monoxide leak, showed in its data that the cases of carbon monoxide poisoning have increased continuously from 2450 cases in 2014 to 3249 in 2019. This increase in the cases has increased the importance of carbon monoxide detectors which is anticipated to bolster the demand for carbon monoxide detectors during the forecast period.

According to CDC, United States reports more than 430 cases of deaths related to carbon monoxide poisoning every year. Also, owing to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, more than 50 thousand people have to visit the emergency department every year in the country. According to the article "Worldwide epidemiology of carbon monoxide poisoning" published in the National Library of Medicine, NIH, the carbon monoxide poisoning cases are estimated at 137 cases per million whereas the deaths are estimated to be 4.6 per million. Although the percentage of patients that have died have declined since last 25 years due to better treatment and improved medical facilities, the increased awareness regarding carbon monoxide poisoning has led to a rise in the adoption of carbon monoxide detectors and is anticipated to surge the growth of carbon monoxide detectors market during the forecast period.



Government regulations for installing carbon monoxide detectors.



Due to a large number of incidences of carbon monoxide poisoning cases, governments of various countries and states around the world have mandated the installation of carbon monoxide detectors, which is anticipated to be one of the prominent factors bolstering the growth of carbon monoxide detectors during the forecast period. In December 2020, Congress passed a bill in the United States which makes it necessary to install carbon monoxide detectors in federally subsidized housing. The National Fire Code of Canada has made it legally mandatory to install working smoke alarms on every level of the home and outside all sleeping areas in Yukon in Canada.

The National Building Code of Canada makes it necessary for the buildings built after 2009 to install carbon monoxide detectors, but recently in January 2021, the Mayor of Regna city stated that it is looking forward to making it mandatory to install carbon monoxide detectors in the city. In UK, Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 was passed which made it necessary for the landlords in the private sector to install a carbon monoxide alarm in any room containing a solid fuel-burning appliance with effect from 1 October 2015. There are many such mandates for the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in various countries and governments of other countries are now looking forward to mandating the installation, owing to the rising awareness of the hazards of carbon monoxide, which is anticipated to surge the growth of carbon monoxide detectors in the coming years.



North America to hold a significant market share.



Geographically, the North American region is anticipated to hold a significant market share owing to the government regulations for installing carbon monoxide detectors in the region. Furthermore, the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to witness substantial growth due to the rise in industrialization which has increased the demand for carbon monoxide detectors in the region.



Competitive Insights



Prominent/major key market players in the carbon monoxide detectors market include ABB Ltd, Nest Labs, BRK Brands Inc., among others. The players in the carbon monoxide detectors market are implementing various growth strategies to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors in this market. Major market players in the market have been covered along with their relative competitive strategies and the report also mentions recent deals and investments of different market players over the last few years. The company profiles section details the business overview, financial performance (public companies) for the past few years, key products and services being offered along with the recent deals and investments of these important players in the carbon monoxide detectors market.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology

3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Carbon Monoxide Detectors Market Analysis, by Sensor Type

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Opto-Chemical

5.3. Biomimetic

5.4. Electrochemical

5.5. Semiconductor



6. Carbon Monoxide Detectors Market Analysis, by Application

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Fuel Fired Furnaces

6.3. Gas Water Heaters

6.4. Charcoal Grills

6.5. Others



7. Carbon Monoxide Detectors Market Analysis, by End-Use Industry

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Medical

7.3. Automotive

7.4. Petrochemical

7.5. Building Automation

7.6. Industrial

7.7. Environmental

7.8. Others



8. Carbon Monoxide Detectors Market Analysis, by Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. USA

8.2.2. Canada

8.2.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. Brazil

8.3.2. Argentina

8.3.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. Germany

8.4.2. France

8.4.3. UK

8.4.4. Others

8.5. Middle East and Africa

8.5.1. Saudi Arabia

8.5.2. UAE

8.5.3. Others

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. China

8.6.2. India

8.6.3. Japan

8.6.4. South Korea

8.6.5. Taiwan

8.6.6. Thailand

8.6.7. Indonesia

8.6.8. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

10.1. ABB Ltd

10.2. Nest Labs

10.3. BRK Brands Inc.

10.4. United Technologies

10.5. Yondwin Enterprise Co. Ltd.

10.6. Leeo, Inc.

10.7. X-SENSE

10.8. Safelincs Ltd

10.9. MTI Industries, Inc.

10.10. Aeroqual Ltd

10.11. Robert Bosch GmbH

10.12. Siemens AG

10.13. Yokogawa Electric Corporation

10.14. Alphasense



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cimnxo



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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DUBLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Medical Biosensors Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2021 to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

New technology assessment in the medical biosensors market to exhibit significant growth during the forecast period



The global Medical biosensors market is growing productively, was valued at US$ 9.9 Bn in 2020

New technology assessment in the biological and electronic component of a biosensor in the portable devices is enhancing the overall growth significantly. Advancement in point-of-care testing, environmental monitoring and nanotechnology shows promising growth in near future.

High prevalence of chronic diseases along with diabetes, cardiovascular and cancer provides major opportunity in the global market. Blood glucose monitoring medical biosensors play a vital role in the global market, growing diabetic population in the urban areas is enhancing the demand for blood glucose monitoring biosensors.

Biosensor applications are boosting the demand in medical diagnostic field mainly, cholesterol monitoring, pregnancy testing, and drug discovery. For instance, as indicated by International Diabetes Federation statistics, the diabetic population is projected to influence more than 550 million people in 2030.



Moreover, the demand for portable and user friendly devices is gaining traction in the home healthcare diagnostics segment. Major factors driving the global demand of medical biosensors include, increasing popularity in the personalized medicine segment, higher inclination towards non-invasive medical biosensors, new product launches in the wearable medical biosensors industry, and wide usage of applications in the home diagnostics (blood glucose monitor, blood pressure, cholesterol, lead), genomics industry (clinical microsensor arrays), research laboratories, pain management and imaging operations.

Factors restraining the market growth include stringent regulatory environment in the developed nations, safety & security concerns in home care and point of care. Moreover, low awareness, less or no investment in R&D, and unmet need in the developing countries is restraining the overall growth of the market.



Electrochemical technology type segment is expected to register higher growth by the end of 2029



In 2020, electrochemical biosensors holds maximum market share, have greater advantages over thermal or optical detection. The penetration is high in the applications segment due to its higher stability, low limits of detection and wide response range.



Wearable biosensors show promising growth during the forecast period. Rising prevalence for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases along with demand for instant diagnostics globally is generating maximum revenue share. Other major factors driving the growth include development of nanotechnology-based medical biosensors, high demand for point-of-care devices, and public funding for development of genomics and proteomics.

Additionally, increasing population with chronic diseases and launch of new medical biosensors in the optical and electrochemical technology segment is driving the growth of the market.



Medical diagnostics segment dominated the market with a significant CAGR



Growth & development of the medical biosensors in the medical field is gaining traction during the forecast period. The medical diagnostics application section includes high usage of medical biosensors in the field of blood glucose monitoring, cholesterol testing, blood gas analyzer, drug discovery, pregnancy testing, and various infectious diseases. Medical biosensors are now considered as an important tool in the monitoring and detection of a wide range of medical or therapeutic conditions, majorly diabetes and cancer.



The rise in usage of biosensor technology in cardiac care and homecare testing is generating significant revenue share. A noteworthy development in the drug delivery applications (transdermal/iontophoresis), administrations of medical biosensors in lab on chip, biochip, clinical proteomics and advanced usage of medical biosensors for pain free diagnostics show significant growth in the market. Other major applications include high usage of blood glucose monitoring in the home care settings is also generating maximum revenue share in the global, market.



Increasing applications along with new technology launch, presence of top players holds North America in dominant position



In 2020, North America contributed maximum revenue share in the global medical biosensors market attributed to the rising technology advancement in the field of microelectronics and biotechnology. Increasing market penetration of electronic medical records, growing patient awareness levels, enhanced applications in the cardiac care and point of care segment is further going to spur revenue growth in the North America region.



Major external factors contributing to the growth include increasing R&D in the genomics segment, nanotechnology, increasing adoption of personalized technologically advanced products and expansion of miniaturized diagnostic equipment in developing economies is increasing significantly.

Nevertheless, in low economic countries such as South Africa, China, India, Brazil, and others, the accessibility of advanced equipment and facilities is inadequate. Less investment in R&D, unwillingness toward the implementation of latest treatment models, slow rate of exploitation and low awareness are few factors restraining the growth of the market. Increasing development of disposable biosensors by small or medium sized manufacturers in the Asia Pacific region and shifting interest towards home care is gaining traction in the global market.

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Preface



Chapter 2. Executive Summary



Chapter 3. Global Medical Biosensors (MB) Market: Market Dynamics and Future Outlook



Chapter 4. Global Medical Biosensors (MB) Market, by Technology Type, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)



Chapter 5. Global Medical Biosensors (MB) Market, By Application, 2019 - 2029 (US$)



Chapter 6. Global Medical Biosensors (MB) Market, by Geography, 2019 - 2029 (US$ Mn)



Chapter 7. Company Profiles

Pinnacle Technology Inc.

Polestar Technologies Inc.

Eastprint Incorporated

DuPont Biosensor Materials

Medical biosensors International Group Ltd.

Surfix BV

World Precision Instruments Inc.

Ercon Inc.

ACON Laboratories Inc.

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.

Innovative Medical biosensors Inc.

EG & IC Sensors Inc.

Molecular Devices LLC.

Abbott Laboratories Inc.

Nova Biomedical Corporation

ACCESS BIO Inc.

Silicon Kinetics

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3ifk2

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Talc Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The talc market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 3.6% during the period 2020-2026.



The overall cost reduction of paints is increasing the application of talc in the paints and coatings. The growth in the automotive industry is creating immense opportunities for the key players. The rising automobile and construction sector activities are boosting the market growth in the European region.

Manufactures such as Chevrolet, Audi, Volvo, and others establish their plants to drive the APAC market growth. The growing construction in the developing regions and government initiatives towards their infrastructure development is soaring the demand for paint and coatings, promoting the growth of the talc market share worldwide.



GLOBAL TALC MARKET SEGMENTATION



The global talc market research report includes a detailed segmentation by deposits, end-users, geography. The carbonate reserves are typically found in Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America, and APAC. The carbonates contribute over 65% to the global form of talc, followed by silicate and other forms of talc. The properties of rocks play an important role in determining the application of carbonate in various fields.

The carbonate deposits in the market will grow due to their wide usages in paint and coatings, construction, cosmetics, and personal care industries. The deposits depend on the transformation of existing rocks under hydrothermal activity. Talc chlorites are widely used in the ceramics industry to improve thermal shock resistance.



The Paper industry is one of the significant segments where talc is widely used. The recent trends indicate that the pulp and paper industry is continuing to boom in the upcoming years. The growth of e-commerce activities is expected to increase the demand for packaging material and will create growth opportunities for the pulp and paper industry during the forecast period. The evolution of the pulp and paper industry even after digitalization is supporting the growth of the talcum powder market across the globe.

INSIGHTS BY GEOGRAPHY



In APAC, the acceptance of talc is higher compare to any other developing region. APAC consist of robust manufacturing and other crucial industries. The consumption of talc in the APAC region is high due to the enormous population and increasing disposable incomes. The overall development in infrastructure in APAC is expected to grow around 44% by 2022, which will accelerate the growth of the market in the upcoming years.

In India, Rajasthan is a hub for talc mining, processing, and trade, with 49% of talc reserves followed by around 29% in Uttarakhand. Being a leader in eco-innovation and construction with sustainability, infrastructural developments in Denmark in the European region will be high during the forecast period. The growth of the construction industry can drive the scope for talc in the European region.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE



Imerys, Elementis Plc, Mineral Technologies Inc, IMI FABI SPA, Liaoning, and AIHAI Talc Co., Ltd are the major vendors in the global talc market. With the presence of global and domestic vendors, the industry is highly fragmented.

Mergers and acquisitions are benefitting the companies over the competition. Manufacturers with high financial and technical resources are posing a threat to the players. In 2020, the Toronto-based mining company Magris Resources Canada Inc acquired all the assets of Imerys Talc's (America Inc, Vermont Inc, and Canada Inc) for USD 223 million.

Talc producers in the world are investing in R&D to create innovation in the industry. The Chinese producers dominate the world market, contributing more than 50% of production in terms of volume.

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED

How big is the global Talc Market?

What are the key driving factors for the growth of the talc market?

Which region has the highest growth rate in the market?

Who are the key players in Talc Market?

Which Segment has the largest share in the talc market?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of The Study

4.3.1 Market Segmentation By Geography



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Overview



8 Growth Opportunity by Segment

8.1 By Deposits

8.2 By End-User

8.3 By Region



9 Market Opportunities & Trends

9.1 Increasing Use of Talc In The Automotive Industry

9.2 Superior Properties of Talc

9.3 Rapid Industrialization In Emerging Economies

9.4 Growing Middle-Class Population



10 Market Growth Enablers

10.1 High Demand In APAC

10.2 High Aspect Ratio Of Talc

10.2.1 Usage of High-Aspect-Ratio Talc in Other Products



11 Market Restraints

11.1 Slow Growth of Paper & Pulp Industry

11.2 Easy Availability of Substitutes



12 Market Landscape

12.1 Market Overview

12.2 Market Size & Forecast

12.2.1 Value & Volume

12.3 Five Forces Analysis



13 Deposits

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Talc Carbonates

13.4 Talc Chlorite



14 End-User

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Paints & Coatings

14.4 Ceramics

14.5 Pulp & Paper

14.6 Plastics

14.7 Construction

14.8 Pharmaceuticals

14.9 Cosmetics & Personal Care



Competitive Landscape

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6gvz4u

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

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BEAVERTON, Ore., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix, Inc. celebrates a milestone 75 years, as the famed Oregon-grown company reflects upon its legacy as a technology pioneer and status as a current industry leader. Credited with being "the seed that grew the Silicon Forest," Tektronix was established in 1946 by C. Howard Vollum and Melvin J. Murdock with the creation of the world's first time-base triggered oscilloscope. Renowned globally for its contributions to major technology breakthroughs, from the invention of color television to space exploration, Tektronix is credited as one of the most influential test and measurement companies in history.

Tektronix celebrates a milestone 75 years of innovation and industry-leading technology.

"For the past 75 years, Tektronix has been at the forefront of the world's greatest technological achievements, accelerating global advancements by empowering today's leading engineers and engineering students," says Tektronix president Tami Newcombe. "Our company is rooted in the forward-thinking mentality of a 75-year-old start-up, fueled by the same sense of curiosity and customer focus our founders celebrated."

In conjunction with its milestone anniversary, Tektronix has released several new products to market. An industry-first, the 6 Series B MSO mixed signal oscilloscope extended the company's award-winning oscilloscope portfolio to 10 GHz and 50 GS/s sample rates enabling engineers to test ever-faster and smaller computing systems powering today's digital world. With advancements in the 5G and automotive industries, Tektronix also released an industry-first, the TekExpressTM multi-gigabit automotive ethernet compliance test solution , to meet the requirements of complex automotive designs.

Highly in-tune with its customer base of engineers, technicians and scientists, Tektronix is constantly innovating for the engineer, empowering them to create and realize technological advances with ever greater ease, speed and accuracy. With a commitment to instilling a curiosity for experimentation and drive for new knowledge, Tektronix has strengthened its connection with engineering schools , including a renewed effort on diversity and inclusion to attract students of color and underserved communities to the industry and place leading edge equipment and software in the hands of the next generation of students at the world's top universities.

"We're engineering for the future by reducing the time between inspiration and realization," says vice president of engineering, Mehmet Aslan. "By breaking down the walls of complexity for engineers with our test and measurement solutions across the globe, we're enabling innovators to do more, accelerating global innovation. Our customers rely on us more than ever to solve electrical design challenges, from power efficiency to compute speed, and dramatically reduce their time to market."

Tektronix Timeline

1947: The first Tektronix 511 oscilloscope is sold to the University of Oregon Medical School for about $800.



1948: International sales begin in Sweden (to L.M. Ericsson Telephone Company).



1950s: Tektronix enables the first video tape recorder and the advent of color TV, going on to win seven Emmy Awards for its contributions to broadcasting and television.



1956: Tektronix earns its first of more than 3,200 U.S. patents, the first for Richard L. Ropiquet and Clifford H. Moulton, US2752527 "Method of Magnifying Waveforms on a cathode-ray tube and Circuit Therefor."



1958: Tektronix opens first manufacturing plant in Europe in Guernsey



1960s-1970s: Helps NASA achieve the Apollo moon landing, IBM design mainframe computers and wireless companies develop the cell phone.



1972: As part of re-opening diplomatic relations with China, US President Richard Nixon presents Tektronix broadcasting and test and measurement instruments to China.



1973: Tektronix is involved in computer-to-computer communication testing with IBM and university labs. The ARPANET tests were the forerunner to today's Internet.



1983: Tektronix opens its first China office.



1990s: Tektronix work in memory and power enables ever smaller and more energy efficient data centers and devices, helping drive massive adoption of mobile phone technology.



1995: Begins China manufacturing operations.



2007: Danaher Corp. purchases Tektronix for approximately $2.8 billion.



2010: Tektronix acquires Ohio-based Keithley lnstruments.



2016: Fortive Corp. spins off from Danaher, uniting industrial and test and measurement companies under the Everett, Washington based company.



2019: Releases TekDrive, the first cloud-based platform that allows engineers to share and collaborate on data directly from their oscilloscope to the cloud.



2020: Tektronix helps produce emergency ventilators at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and launches a partnership with Germany's Wuppertal University on research and development of 6G wireless.

Tektronix Innovation Forum

As part of its 75th anniversary and continued commitment to driving technological innovation, Tektronix presents its 2021 Tektronix Global Innovation Forum, hosted virtually from June 15 to July 16, 2021. For more information on the 2021 Tektronix Global Innovation Forum visit: www.tek.com/forum2021.

About Tektronix

Tektronix, Inc., headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, delivers innovative, precise and easy-to-operate test, measurement and monitoring solutions that solve problems, unlock insights and drive discovery globally. Tektronix has been at the forefront of the digital age for the past 75 years. More information on our products and solutions is available at Tek.com .

Follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , YouTube and Instagram , and to stay connected. Learn more from our engineers on the Tektronix blog and read our latest announcements in our Newsroom .

Tektronix, TekExpress and TekDrive are registered trademarks of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE Tektronix, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tektronix.com


Global Wealth Women was started by Global Wealth Management wealth advisor, Amber Kelly. Because of her experiences as a child, she recognized that retirement planning can be different for women due to their unique needs. Because of this, Amber made a commitment when she entered the financial industry to help women so that they too can have amazing retirements. Amber has already received the 2021 Financial Advisor Women's Choice Award for her work developing the GWW division. The Women's Choice Award Financial Advisor Program is the only recognition program that acknowledges well-qualified advisors who are committed to the women's market and effectively serve women clients. To learn more about Global Wealth Women or register for a workshop, visit www.globalwealthwomen.org or contact Amber directly at [email protected] .

About Global Wealth Management (GWM)

Global Wealth Management is an independent Fort Lauderdale-based investment management firm that specializes in retirement income and estate planning strategies for individuals and families planning for and living in retirement. GWM's main office is located at 2810 East Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 101, in Fort Lauderdale, FL. For more information, call (954) 533-7144 or visit www.askglobalwealth.com.

Securities offered only by duly registered individuals through Madison Avenue Securities, LLC (MAS), member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered only by duly registered individuals through Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory (GWM), a Registered Investment Advisor. MAS and GWM are not affiliated entities. The Women's Choice Award Financial Advisor program was created by Women Certified Inc., the Voice of Women, in an effort to help women make smart financial choices. The program is based on 17 objective criteria associated with providing quality service to women clients such as credentials, experience and a favorable regulatory history, among other factors. The inclusion of a financial advisor within the Women's Choice Award Financial Advisor network should not be construed as an endorsement of the financial advisor by Women Certified or its partners and affiliates and is no guarantee as to future investment success.

Contact: Hannah Myers

Global Wealth Management, Marketing Division

Phone: 954-533-7144

[email protected]

SOURCE Global Wealth Management

Related Links

www.askglobalwealth.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ChoiceFlows Inc. (Choiceflows) along with nonprofit Restart Partners today released a groundbreaking study revealing what worries customers about visiting businesses as they reopen, and actions business can take to attract customers while limiting COVID-19 transmission. Washington state is currently on track to fully reopen no later than June 30.

The new Smart WA online system includes a decision support tool that allows businesses to ask "what if" questions of the research data about customer preferences in the wake of COVID.

The study uses a Volumetric Choice Experiment (VCE) modeling approach developed by the founders of Choiceflows. Data from the study is being used to inform development of a new "Smart WA" online system that will help businesses tailor their reopening plans.

"This research indicates many people remain hesitant about visiting businesses," says Sandy Archibald with Restart. "This data gives us important insights about the kinds of actions and policies more likely to help customers feel safe and ready to return."

"We see wide variations on this hesitancy by type of business and by county," says Jordan Louviere, COO of Choiceflows, "Our research finds there are steps businesses can take to tamp down worry and get customers through the door."

Over 3000 people were interviewed in Washington in two waves in May  one wave before general mask mandates were lifted at the national and state level  and one wave afterward. Key findings include:

Those reporting being vaccinated would prefer to not use face covering with proof of vaccination by others in public settings. The most popular second choice is requiring masks of everyone.

People not planning to get vaccinated soon prefer masks not being required or encouraged. Their least preferred option was allowing only people with proof of vaccination to not wear face coverings.

Attitudes about face masks also differs across categories of businesses. Choice flows VCE research finds enforcing facemask rules and social distancing substantially increases planned visits over the next three months to most categories of businesses, including restaurants, bars, personal services, and retail. However, fitness service customers (gyms and yoga) place almost no importance on facemasks or social distancing requirements.

VCE research finds enforcing facemask rules and social distancing substantially increases planned visits over the next three months to most categories of businesses, including restaurants, bars, personal services, and retail. However, fitness service customers (gyms and yoga) place almost no importance on facemasks or social distancing requirements. Price increases over pre-COVID levels has a statistically significant negative effect on planned visits, even when businesses attribute increases as COVID-related. A moderate price decrease has a predictable effect of increasing planned visits to all business categories.

"These findings can help business owners make better decisions about which reopening policies will be most effective in attracting customers," says Kevin Clark, CEO of Choiceflows.

"Restart Partners partnership with Choiceflows and work with Tanjo AI since the beginning of this year has been truly remarkable," says Sandy Archibald, Founding Board Director for Restart Partners and Senior Research Fellow. "We look forward to sharing this research far and wide to improve the decisions business owners and managers need to make in Washington State."

The full report about the study can be found on the Choiceflows website: www.choiceflows.com under the Team in Action tab.

Choiceflows is also the lead in partnership with Restart Partners LLC and Tanjo AI for design, development, and release of the Smart WA (smartwa.us) online system along with an embedded decision support system (DSS) where you can ask "what if" questions of the VCE data to help businesses make reopening decisions. Both this system and the VCE research is chartered by Washington State Department of Commerce as part of its Safe Start initiative. Commerce's Safe Start is funded through a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

Richard Boyd, CEO of Tanjo AI says, "This use case is Tanjo at its best, machine learning that informs and clarifies current COVID conditions and helps people understand real opportunities for action."

Lisa Goodman, also a Founding Board Member and Senior Research Fellow of Research Partners working with the WA Department of Commerce, says "This research indicates a retail shop owner, for example, may want prominent signage emphasizing that facemask rules and social distancing policies are still in place. A business trying to increase revenue or offset costs may want to revisit potential price increases on their goods or services."

Choiceflows is a choice and decision modeling company founded by the inventor of Best-Worst Scaling (BWS, also known as "MaxDiff") and the pioneers in Discrete Choice Modeling (DCE), and most recently the invention of Volumetric Choice Modeling (VCE) and Customer-Company Alignment (CC-Align). Choiceflows co-founders Kevin Clark, Dr. Jordan Louviere, and Dr. Richard Carson, are all authors, and Louviere and Carson are among the most highly cited researchers in the world in their fields  choice modeling research and economics.

Restart Partners is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based and chartered in the State of Washington, dedicated to COVID-19 response for public good. Restart's mission is saving lives and livelihoods during the pandemic through science, data and policy that empowers communities. Restart employs evidence-based tools to protect the most vulnerable, increase public trust and encourage safe economic recovery.

Tanjo AI LLC is an award-winning artificial intelligence and machine learning company dedicated to achieving balance between human and machine interaction to optimize outcomes. Serving multiple industries from healthcare and education to financial and consumer market research, Tanjo helps customers gain greater business insight and drive actionable innovation. Tanjo was a finalist for the xPrize Pandemic Response Challenge based on unique machine learning human behavior models.

www.choiceflows.com | www.restart.us | www.tanjo.net

CONTACT:

Frank Ethridge

919-357-4452

Choiceflows

[email protected].com

SOURCE ChoiceFlows Inc.
"We are all committed to a seamless transition for residents, employees, and all stakeholders," said John Ehle, President of Hunt Military Communities. "All of us at Hunt Military Communities look forward to extending our 5-star service commitment to the military families at Ft. Sam Houston."

The affectionately dubbed "Fort Sam" has a rich history that dates back more than 170 years. Named for General Sam Houston, a hero in the Texas Revolution of 1836, it houses some of the oldest historical structures on any Army installation.

About Hunt Military Communities

Hunt Military Communities, the largest privatized military housing owner, offers unsurpassed quality and service to more than 165,000 residents in approximately 52,000 homes on Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army installations across the USA. We do this through our core values: safety, kindness, efficiency, enthusiasm, and selflessness and our 5-Star Service commitment. With a 50-year legacy and a partnership with the Department of Defense, HMC strives to ensure the integrity of our military communities and the families who live there. For more information, visit www.huntmilitarycommunities.com .

SOURCE Hunt Military Communities

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DENVER, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iN2L, the leading provider of person-centered digital engagement solutions for the senior living market, today announced that it has named JB Snodgrass as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Skip Hanson as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Snodgrass and Hanson will report to Lisa Taylor, CEO of iN2L, and will serve alongside the broader iN2L executive leadership team to continue to foster operational excellence and further scale iN2L's mission to meaningfully impact the lives of older adults through technology-enabled engagement solutions. The appointments also reflect iN2L's continued focus on growing its Support and Go-to-Market capabilities.

"I am thrilled to welcome JB and Skip to our iN2L team. Both are accomplished professionals with culture-driven leadership styles, extensive experience in their fields, and proven track records of building successful teams that deliver positive results," said Taylor. "I know JB and Skip will have an amazing impact on our clients, the older adults who use and benefit from our solution, and our organization, and I have great confidence that their leadership will be influential in continuing to accelerate iN2L's growth and innovation."

JB Snodgrass has extensive experience in financial leadership for a variety of companies, most recently with Vrbo, an Expedia Group company. Throughout his career, Snodgrass has been recognized for his skill at leading change management initiatives, championing innovative solutions, and identifying opportunities for strategic growth. As CFO, JB will be responsible for leading iN2L's finance organization and supporting the company's financial strength, as well as organic and inorganic growth.

"I'm very excited to be joining an organization that has not only experienced great success, but also has enormous potential for evolution as we continue to see a rise in demand for technology solutions that uniquely address the needs of our senior population," said Snodgrass. "This is a pivotal time for senior living technology companies, and I look forward to working with the talented team to execute iN2L's exciting growth strategy."

Skip Hanson is a C-level executive with a history of leading major business units, complex technology implementations, private-to-public company transitions, critical mergers and acquisitions transactions, and vital business integrations. Hanson served as President & Chief Administrative Officer at West Corporation (now Intrado). During his more than 18-year tenure at West, Hanson established strategic, cultural, and leadership improvements that grew revenue. At iN2L, Hanson will lead the transformation and alignment of key functional areas and direct the newly created Strategic Business Development and Partnerships team.

"iN2L is an exciting company with technology that's uniquely positioned to address the strong and growing need for social connection and purposeful engagement among older adults," said Hanson. "I'm thrilled to be a part of iN2L's solid leadership team and work with them to propel the organization to the next phase of growth."

To learn more about iN2L, its leadership team, and its industry-leading person-centered digital engagement solutions, visit iN2L.com.

About iN2L

As the market leader in content-driven engagement for seniors, iN2L has been creating possibilities, enjoyment, and connection for older adults since 1999. iN2L's expansive content library promotes wellness, empowerment, and engagement among older adults and is the foundation for activities that facilitate social interaction, cognitive and physical exercise and therapy, education, reminiscing, areas of interest, and memory support engagement. iN2L's touch screen engagement technology is a critical part of the experience in more than 3,700 nursing homes, assisted and independent living communities, memory care settings, CCRCs, life plan communities, and adult day programs and for older adults living at home. For more information, visit iN2L.com

Media Contact

John Gonda

(616) 309-4888

[email protected]

SOURCE iN2L

Related Links

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NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indiana Department of Education recently named Curriculum Associates a School Improvement Preferred Technical Assistance Partner to Support COVID-19 Recovery and Student Learning. The company, which was selected in part based on its evidence of success and capacity to deliver effective specialized assistance to meet the unique needs of schools across the state, will help educators in Grades K8 address learning loss or unfinished learning using the award-winning i-Ready program. Today, i-Ready serves more than nine million students and 25 percent of all Grades K8 students in the United States, including more than 130,000 students in Indiana.

"This coming school year, it will be critical to address unfinished learning and get students back up to grade level," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "Through the use of i-Ready, Indiana educators can assess students' current level of proficiency and then deliver personalized learning to help all studentsespecially those most significantly impacted by the pandemicmake real gains."

According to the Department of Education's website, school leaders seeking assistance in the areas of learning loss, supporting educators, sustainable innovation, and sustainable infrastructure are encouraged to choose approved School Improvement Technical Assistance Partners when using ESSER/CARES funds. All approved partners underwent a critical review this year, specific to their ability to support COVID-19 recovery and student learning loss, by the Department before being chosen. Curriculum Associates was specifically approved for i-Ready for learning loss.

i-Ready makes the promise of differentiated instruction a practical reality for Grades K12 teachers and students. It combines powerful assessments and rich insights with effective and engaging instruction in Reading and Mathematics to address students' individual needs.

The Diagnostic provides educators with actionable criterion-referenced and normative data to deliver impactful, equitable learning experiences. Teachers administer the Diagnostic at the beginning of the school year to chart a course for their instruction and to personalize i-Ready instructional paths. A midyear and end-of-year Diagnostic helps students and teachers measure growth and have data chats. Teacher-led and personalized instruction continues throughout the year to help students grow and access their grade-level learning.

To learn more about i-Ready, visit CurriculumAssociates.com/i-Ready.

About Curriculum Associates

Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.

Contact: Kati Elliott Charlotte Fixler

KEH Communications Curriculum Associates

(410) 975-9638 (978) 901-6066

[email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Curriculum Associates, LLC

Related Links

www.curriculumassociates.com


DALLAS, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE: J) has reaffirmed its commitment to responding to the climate change emergency by offering its entire workforce the Climate Solutions Accelerator course, a 90-minute online course designed to educate participants on climate change and the actions that can mitigate its impact before it is too late.

Jacobs is encouraging all employees to complete the course as part of its efforts to ensure they understand the role they can play in climate change action and continue to develop the critical future green skills and solutions needed for the continually evolving world.

A collaboration between the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS), University of Edinburgh, University of Stirling and Institute of Directors (IoD) Scotland, Climate Solutions Accelerator provides a quick, simple and rounded introduction to the fundamentals of climate change. The program focuses on the need-to-know information and outlines key solutions to respond to climate change, helping to explain how everyone and every organization can play a role to reduce emissions and informing businesses and organizations so they can better plan and predict future trends and legislation.

"Effectively responding to the threat of climate change requires all of us to work together  businesses, governments and communities around the world," said Jacobs Chair and CEO Steve Demetriou. "Our shareholders are becoming increasingly focused on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) transparency. Our clients are talking to us every day about how to decarbonize their businesses and move towards meeting national industry targets. And, our employees consistently expect Jacobs to lead by example when it comes to sustainability and climate action."

Jacobs' collaboration with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society is focused on education  recognizing that this is the vital first step on the journey to action. The Climate Solutions Accelerator course is designed to help empower businesses to focus on what they can do and how they can incorporate those changes into purposeful business strategies.

"It is the collective decisions we make each day, through the work we deliver for our clients and the way we live our lives at home, that can significantly impact our shift towards a low carbon future and a more sustainable tomorrow for all," added Demetriou.

Jacobs produced a Climate Action Plan in 2020, which outlined its commitment to achieving and maintaining 100% renewable energy, net zero carbon for the company's operations and business travel in 2020, and being carbon negative for its operations and business travel by 2030. Jacobs achieved net zero carbon in 2020, in line with global standard PAS 2060:2014. The Climate Solutions Accelerator will help Jacobs achieve and maintain these ambitious climate goals.

"We're absolutely delighted that Jacobs has shown such a great commitment to responding to the climate change emergency by enrolling its global workforce on the Climate Solutions Accelerator course," said Royal Scottish Geographical Society Chief Executive Officer Mike Robinson. "We have worked very closely with Jacobs to ensure the course is tailored specifically to their staff and requirements. Without doubt, climate change will increasingly define this next decade for businesses and policy makers, and it is crucial that every manager has a minimum basic knowledge and understanding of this critical and wide-reaching issue. Education is key in helping companies to respond to the climate change emergency, and to reach their climate targets."

Jacobs Vice President Global Sustainability Zoe Haseman said: "As we look ahead to COP26, we cannot underestimate the importance of greater collaboration and education for transformational action on climate change. Partnering with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society to create the Climate Solutions Accelerator course has provided a valuable learning resource to educate our people and empower them to act. It is only by garnering a collective response that we can ensure our business, the communities in which we live and work, wider society and our natural environment survive and thrive for generations to come."

Climate Solutions Accelerator enables participants to learn directly from the world's leading experts the practical solutions they can implement to respond to climate change. Its sister course, Climate Solutions Professional, offers the opportunity for those interested to delve more deeply into the climate change issue, consisting of four online modules lasting two to three hours long. On completion, the participants attend an online workshop delivered by expert project partners, in which participants will start to develop a Climate Action Plan for their business.

For further information on Climate Solutions Accelerator or Climate Solutions Professional, please visit: climatesolutionsnetwork.com

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

# # #

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 2, 2020, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 2, 2021, and in particular the discussions contained under Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Part II, Item 1 - Legal Proceedings; and Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:

Kerrie Sparks

214.583.8433

SOURCE Jacobs

Related Links

http://www.jacobs.com


ATLANTA, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In time for the iconic slider brand's 90-year anniversary next year, Krystal Restaurants LLC has named Alice Crowder as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Crowder previously served as the brand's Vice President of Marketing from 2014 to 2018 before leaving to head menu strategy and innovation at industry leader Tropical Smoothie Cafe. She is returning to drive relevance and preference for Krystal and its famous square burgers under the brand's new ownership group and along with a completely new management team led by industry veteran, Tom Stager.

"We have an aggressive growth plan at Krystal, and Alice will be instrumental in ensuring we meet our goals," said brand President, Tom Stager. "Her restaurant industry insight, especially with Southern brands, and layered on top of her packaged-goods leadership foundation, makes her uniquely qualified to bring our message to our guests, and to connect with them in new and more relevant ways. I know I speak for the whole team in saying we look forward to Alice's spot-on strategic direction, her creative vision and her ability to generate measurable bottom-line results as we bring the joy inherent in the Krystal brand to new and existing audiences."

In her previous role with the company, Crowder ran the marketing calendar and oversaw product innovation and promotions, sweepstakes contests, co-branding partnerships, a collaboration for the Peace Burger Sandwich, and even the brand's Guinness World Record of World's Largest Frozen Beverage. Crowder's extensive food & beverage expertise also includes multiple years with Denny's as their Sr. Director of New Product Marketing, and various senior leadership roles with Ovation Brands  the former parent company of buffet restaurant concepts such as Ryan's Buffet and Hometown Buffet. She transitioned to restaurant marketing after ten years of experience in packaged goods brand management with Royal Dutch Shell. Crowder is a graduate of Duke University and holds an MBA from Clemson University.

"I am honored and delighted to be returning to Krystal, a brand which I've always associated with joy and fun in the places I've called home," shared Crowder. "It's a true privilege to work with a brand that has the kind of history Krystal enjoys, and one that means so much to literally generations of guests. Our guests are going to be seeing us and interacting with us in completely new ways  ways that they tell us are meaningful to them  and when they give us the opportunity to serve them, we'll make sure every bite brings a smile."

About Krystal Restaurants LLC

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Krystal Restaurants LLC is the original quick-service restaurant chain in the South. Krystal hamburgers have been served fresh and hot off the grill on the iconic square bun since 1932. The company proudly sticks to the classics, but over the years, they've never been afraid to innovate.

Krystal has grown to be in 10 states with nearly 300 restaurants and continues to deliver a one-of-a-kind taste experience through their unique menu items that are offered at a great price. The company's Atlanta-based Restaurant Support Center serves a team of more than 3,500 employees. In 2019, the company was selected as USA Today's Top-10 Best Regional Fast Food List .

For more information, visit krystal.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram .

Contact: Nicole Warshowsky

305-631-2883

[email protected]

SOURCE Krystal Restaurants, LLC

Related Links

https://krystal.com


"For over a year now, dogs all across the country have been supporting their humans during some pretty tough times," said, Lagunitas BrewMonster Jeremy Marshall. "That's why Lagunitas wants to help fuel dog appreciation parties, or as we call them, 'Doggy Boondoggles.' We're super excited to be giving a few of our lucky fans the opportunity to host something special for their pup, their friends, their pup's friends, and everyone in between this summer."

100 winners from across the country will receive a $300 gift card they can use to purchase food and Lagunitas beer to fuel their Boondoggle, along with tons of party supplies and dog schwag from Lagunitas for their celebrations. Winners will be hosting their own special Boondoggle during the week of International Dog Day (Thursday, August 26).

To help all dogs find loving homes, Lagunitas will also be donating $20,000 to Best Friends Animal Society on International Dog Day this August. Dogs have been a part of Lagunitas' DNA since the brewery first started making IPAs back in 1993. Dogs are on every bottle of beer Lagunitas brews, and the company has been donating to dog-focused nonprofits for nearly a quarter century. Even the brewery's fermenters are named after four-legged family members that've gone to the great dog park in the sky.

The contest, which starts today, runs until July 23, and winners will be announced on August 23.

Additional contest rules and regulations can be found at: http://www.lagunitas.com/story/dogparty

About The Lagunitas Brewing Company

When The Lagunitas Brewing Company started on a kitchen stove back in 1993, no one could have imagined that a small, Northern California brewery would expand to over 37 countries, with the #1 selling IPA in the world. But what hasn't changed is our passion for edgy brewing, fresh music, our sense of community, and of course, dogs! While we're now brewing all over the world, we've always stuck to the roots of what makes us great -- water, hops, malt, and yeast, combined in mind-blowing ways to provide folks all over the world with the tastiest and freshest beer in the universe. As founders of the craft beer revolution, we're proud to bring our ruthlessly delicious IPAs to folks all over the globe, fueling stories and songs along the way. Wherever you go: Beer Speaks. People Mumble. Mumble along with us at: www.LAGUNITAS.com.

Contact: Max Wertheimer, (415) 302-1584, [email protected]

SOURCE Lagunitas
PRINCETON, N.J., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Learning Ally, a national nonprofit working with U.S. educators and parents to help solve the literacy crisis, has announced the student winners of its 2021 National Achievement Awards (NAA). This unique awards program is an annual component of the Learning Ally Whole Child Literacy approach, recognizing student development of literacy skills informed by the best practices of the science of reading, cognitive and environmental factors, through the use of the award winning Learning Ally Audiobook Solution.

For over 60 years, Learning Ally has offered two endowed scholarship (NAA) awards for the purpose of recognizing and rewarding students in high school and college who struggle to read, have a learning disability, or visual impairments and who have demonstrated exemplary academic performance and outstanding commitment in their classrooms and communities.

The two awards are respectfully named for longtime advocates for education equity and who were generous donors to the organization:

The Marion Huber Learning Through Listening Award (LTL) is given to student members who are high school seniors with learning disabilities in recognition of their academic achievement, leadership, and service to others.

(LTL) is given to student members who are high school seniors with learning disabilities in recognition of their academic achievement, leadership, and service to others. The Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award (SAA) is given to college students who are blind or visually impaired, who are high achievers and have overcome great obstacles in their schooling and beyond.

The top three winners from each category receive a $6000 scholarship award. Students who receive special honors receive between $2,000 and $3000 monetary awards.

Andrew Friedman, CEO of Learning Ally said, "We sincerely congratulate all winners and participants. These individuals have excelled academically, socially, emotionally, and professionally in all endeavors. They are exemplary role models and an inspiration to us all, and to all students who are challenged in ways many of us can never imagine."

Winners and Special Honorees of the Marion Huber Learning Through Listening Award

Samantha Widdison , Winner - Belmont, MA

, Winner - Carragon Olles, Winner - DePere, WI

Pauline Simonson , Winner - Salt Lake City, Utah

, Winner - Nicholas Talik , Special Honors - Houston, TX

, Special Honors - John Andrew , Special Honors - Gloucester, MA

, Special Honors - Benjamin Payson , Special Honors - Cape Elizabeth, ME

Winners and Special Honorees of the Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award

Katherine Barba , Winner - New Rochelle, NY

, Winner - Qusay Hussein , Winner - Austin, TX

, Winner - Jonathan Zobek, Winner - Kenilworth, NJ

Yolanda Keahey , Special Honors - Jersey City, NJ

, Special Honors - Debra Whitt , Special Honors - Springfield, MO

, Special Honors - Jennifer Ratliff , Special Honors - Oklahoma City , OK

To learn about the accomplishments of winners and honorees visit learningally.org/naa.

Educators and parents working with high school and college students with visual impairments and/or learning disabilities can learn about the NAA at learningally.org/naa.

To review the application process for student members who meet eligibility criteria visit learningally.org/NAA/Application.

Learning Ally is also proud to host the Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Teaching Award to recognize exemplary educators who demonstrate leadership and innovative efforts in classroom instruction to improve education equity for students who struggle to read because of learning differences and visual disabilities.

About Learning Ally

Learning Ally is a leading nonprofit education solutions organization dedicated to equipping educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 1.5 million students and 200,000 educators through our solutions and community, across the United States. Visit: www.learningally.org.

Media Contact:

Valerie Chernek

410.960.4060

[email protected]

SOURCE Learning Ally

Related Links

http://www.learningally.org


LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Environmental and land use law firm The Sohagi Law Group announced today that its Managing Partner Margaret Sohagi has been included in The Best Lawyers in America 2021 "Women in the Law" Business Edition. The special edition celebrates the accomplishments of women in the legal industry and includes every female lawyer recognized in the 27th edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Sohagi's practice for the last 30 years has focused on assisting cities, counties, and other public agencies navigate the legal complexities of land use, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Sohagi provides practical legal advice, working directly with lead agency counsel, staff, and appointed elected officials. When necessary, she ardently defends lead agencies' land use approvals and environmental determinations in judicial proceedings, and frequently heads mediation teams in settlement discussions.

As a longstanding CEQA instructor for California's Continuing Judicial Studies Program, Sohagi has the unique opportunity to instruct Superior Court judges, appellate justices and court attorneys. Sohagi keeps public agencies informed about the latest legal developments and trends, frequently presenting at planning and legal conferences and teaching at UCLA and USC. She also contributes to publications such as the Solano Press book, Exactions and Impact Fees in California.

Sohagi currently serves as the Chair of the Santa Monica College Foundation Board. In 2020 the Los Angeles Business Journal recognized her as a Leader in Law Award nominee and in 2019 the Daily Journal named The Sohagi Law Group a 'Top Boutique." The National Law Journal named Sohagi to its 'Elite Boutique Trailblazers' list in 2019.

Lawyers who are nominated for consideration for The Best Lawyers in America are voted on by currently recognized Best Lawyers working in the same practice area and located in the same geographic region. The awards and recognitions are based on the feedback received from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews undergo a thorough verification process to make sure they are currently still in private practice.

About The Sohagi Law Group

The Sohagi Law Group handles complex transactional and litigation matters for public agencies, including cities, counties, state agencies, special districts, commissions and authorities. Its attorneys draw upon their extensive expertise in all areas of environmental and land use law to advise clients navigate existing laws and regulations and keep them up to date on emerging environmental issues such as climate change and greenhouse gas regulation.

SOURCE The Sohagi Law Group
CARLSBAD, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "Our Children, THEIR Future" is a new annual charity event raising money for Global Children Charities in honor of Michael E. Gerber's Legacy. We intend to raise over 1 Million Dollars for our selected charities to support and expand the work these great charities are doing. Each charity receives 100% of the proceeds, split three ways.

More details about the event:



"Our Children, THEIR Future" is a new annual charity event raising money for Global Children Charities. Tweet this "Our Children, THEIR Future" Annual Global Children's Charity Event. July 25th @ 5 PM PST. Free Online Event. To Register for a gift or to donate, go to Https://OurChildrenTHEIRfuture.com.

Selected Charities:

BNI Foundation



Unstoppable Foundation



Advocates of Love

This is a Free Online Virtual Event

Gifts to all those who register.



Additional Gift to all those who donate.

Notable Founders Presenters include:

BNI



Trainual.com



1-800-Got-Junk



PAW Veterinarian Solutions



Systemology



FS Residential



US IP Attorneys



StartEngine.com

A similar event to Unstoppable Foundation

Info, to register, or donate

OurChildrenTHEIRFuture.com

Few authors have experienced the success Michael E. Gerber has enjoyed or created for his readers. Gerber's E-Myth books on small business and entrepreneurship have sold in the millions. Gerber is the author of the NY Times mega-bestseller, for two consecutive decades, "The E-Myth Revisited" and nine other worldwide best-selling E-Myth books concerning small business entrepreneurship, leadership, and management. Wall Street Journal calls his E-Myth Revisited "the most influential book on small business and entrepreneurship of all time." Millions have sold worldwide, published in 30 languages, taught in 118 universities. Gerber's books have been "Transforming the State of Small Businesses Worldwide" and the way small business owners think about what they do, how they do it, why they do it, and for whom they do it in ways unparalleled. Michael for over seven years held 60+ Dreaming Rooms where he taught these principles in a 2  day intensive incubator of entrepreneurs. He has since been teaching hundreds of thousands how to become financially independent through their small business.

His unique mindset about entrepreneurship and insights into small business ownership has created an entire industry of small business consulting services since founding his first business development firm, The Michael Thomas Corporation, in 1977.

Each children's foundation will receive 1,000 Scholarships to Radical U, its Online Entrepreneurial Trade School, for their sponsored children and families.

Contact Information:

Jordan S. Filkey | [email protected]

SOURCE Michael E. Gerber Companies
CHICAGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Microirrigation Systems Market by Type (Drip and Micro Sprinkler), Application (Orchard Crops & Vineyards, Plantation Crops, and Field Crops), End User (Farmers and Industrial Users), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Microirrigation Systems market size is estimated to be valued at USD 9.7 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach a value of USD 15.1 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.3% in terms of value during the forecast period. Factors such as growing commercial agriculture, higher yield requirement from the limited area of land, and the increasing production of fruits & vegetables through greenhouse agriculture methods. Microirrigation systems are being increasingly implemented by farmers in regions of high-water scarcity. These are some of the factors driving the growth of the microirrigation systems market globally.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=566

Micro sprinkler, by type, is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The market for microirrigation systems, by type, has been segmented into drip irrigation systems and micro sprinkler irrigation systems. Micro sprinklers are considered to be the most water-efficient irrigation systems. Micro-sprinkler irrigation is a low-pressure, low to medium-volume irrigation system suitable for high-value crops such as tree fruits. Micro-sprinkler irrigation saves water due to the high application efficiency and high-water distribution uniformity with little of any waste managed properly. Micro-sprinkler irrigation is ideal for irrigating sloping or irregularly shaped orchard blocks that cannot be flood/furrow irrigated. Micro-sprinkler irrigation applies water directly to the soil surface area, allowing water to dissipate under low pressure and infiltrate orchard soils in a wetted profile that uniformly meets water demand throughout the orchard block.

Plantation crops, y crop type, is projected to grow at the highest CAGR in the microirrigation systems market during the forecast period

The plantation crops segment is projected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. Plantation crops are a group of commercial crops of perennial nature, which, when cultivated extensively in tropical and subtropical situations, need the employment of labor throughout the year and the produce that is usually consumed after processing. Plantation crops are mainly artificially planted farms or forests established for commercial purposes to produce crops, particularly to cater to the international markets. Fast-growing plants such as cotton, coffee, tobacco, sugarcane, and rubber are planted in plantations. Banana plantations are the smallest orchard crop included in plantation crops in some regions. Tea is a beverage crop grown on plantations.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Microirrigation Systems Market"

333  Tables

48  Figures

297  Pages

Industrial users, by end user, is estimated to account for the highest CAGR in North America market during the forecast period

The demand for microirrigation systems varies on the basis of the type of establishment. Large farmers involved in commercialized farming, landscape irrigation, farming contracts given by companies for raw material sourcing, and various other corporations generate demand for microirrigation systems on a higher scale. Microirrigation systems use 20%-50% less water than conventional sprinkler systems and can reduce residential or commercial landscape irrigation water use.

Request for Customization: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=566

Asia Pacific is estimated to hold the largest market share during the forecast period

Over the last two decades, the irrigation sector in most countries in the Asia Pacific region has shifted its focus on the development of new irrigation systems to technology upgradation, management, and sustainability of irrigation systems. Agricultural production in the Asia Pacific region has shifted to commercial crops from traditional crops, wherein irrigation systems originally designed for grain production will have to upgrade and modernize their irrigation system management and possibly their infrastructure. Microirrigation plays a vital role as commercial crops are more sensitive to the timing and amount of water delivered. However, in areas where a shift to commercial crops has not occurred, farmers are not inclined to invest in irrigation.

Key Players:

This report includes a study on the marketing strategies and the product portfolios of the major companies that operate in the microirrigation systems market. The report has leading company profiles such as Jain Irrigation Systems Limited (India), Netafim Limited (Israel), The Toro Company (US), Lindsay Corporation (US), EPC Industries (India), Nelson Irrigation Corporation (US), Rain Bird Corporation (US), T-L Irrigation (US), Hunter Industries (US), Rivulis Irrigation Ltd (Israel), Chinadrip Irrigation Equipment Co., Ltd. (China), Elgo Irrigation (Israel), Antelco Pty Ltd (Australia), Microjet Irrigation Systems (South Africa), Irritec (US), Metro Irrigation (India), Irritec S.p.A. (Italy), Irrigation Direct Canada (Canada), Drip Research Technology Solutions (Turkey), DripWorks Inc. (US), and Raindrip, Inc. (US).

Related Reports:

Drip Irrigation Market by Component (Emitters, Drip Tubes/Drip Lines, Filters, Valves, and Pressure Pumps), Emitter/Dripper Type (Inline And Online), Application (Surface And Subsurface), Crop Type, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/drip-irrigation-systems-market-217216582.html

Sprinkler Irrigation Systems Market by Type (Center Pivot, Lateral Move, Solid Set), Crop Type (Cereals, Oilseeds & Pulses, Fruits & Vegetables), Field Size (Small, Medium, Large), Mobility (Stationary, Towable), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/mechanized-irrigation-system-market-29909492.html

Browse Adjacent Reports: Agriculture Industry Market Research Reports & Consulting

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Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

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Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/micro-irrigation.asp

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
SAN FRANCISCO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the new space race heats up, more humans will be traveling into space than ever before. Spaceflight causes many changes in human health. Humans cannot be sent into space without understanding how to protect and repair human DNA along with tissue regeneration while in space.

To understand stressors and develop countermeasures that can be used to protect and repair human DNA while in space, Vectorspace AI welcomes Mina J. Bissell, Ph.D., distinguished senior scientist (the highest rank bestowed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)/DOE) in the Biological Systems and Engineering Division, to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Bissell was previously head of the Biosciences division of LNBL for 14 years along with being the chair of the 200+ page report for the NASA Space Radiation Health Program study related to a mission to Mars.

Dr. Bissell is one of five recipients of the 2020 Canada Gairdner International Award, an annual honor given to scientists who have contributed to transformative human health research. She is Faculty of four Graduate Groups in UC Berkeley: Comparative Biochemistry, Endocrinology, Molecular Toxicology, and Bioengineering (UCSF/UCB joint program). She has challenged several established paradigms, and pioneered the field of tumor microenvironment. Using mammary gland and breast cancer her body of work has provided the foundation for the current recognition of the pivotal role that extracellular matrix (ECM) signaling plays in regulation of gene expression in both normal and malignant cells. Her laboratory pioneered the use of 3D organoids and techniques that allowed her to prove her signature phrase that after conception, "phenotype is dominant over genotype."

Vectorspace AI specializes in detecting hidden relationships in data via advanced networks of data engineering pipelines designed to generate datasets and visualizations applied to space biosciences and is a long time collaborator with the Bissell Lab at LBNL under U.S. government contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 along with the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) division.

Specifically, Vectorspace AI applies 'tip of the spear' unsupervised learning methods in AI/ML connected to NLP/NLU (Natural Language Processing/Understanding) biological language modeling to generate datasets used to create relationship networks between genes, proteins, diseases, micronutrients and drug compounds. Data engineering pipelines are one of the most important pillars underpinning accelerated scientific discovery.

Dr. Bissell will be advising on partnerships in space biosciences with companies and space agencies such as Virgin Galactic , SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA Space Biosciences, ESA, JAXA and others with a focus on research related to ' dynamic reciprocity ', the ECM (Extra cellularmatrix), TME (Tumor Microenvironment), exosomes, simulated microgravity, biomarkers, ocular, brain ECM, nutrigenomics, GCR (Galactic Cosmic Rays), HZE (High-energy and high-charge ions), Bragg peak and 'track' correlation analysis related to DNA repair pathways along with high/low LET (Linear Energy Transfer) radiation, telomere elongation/shortening, chromosomal translocations and dysregulated gene expression and additional multiomics research in connection to space biosciences.

Additional research includes analysis of key targets and key effects of particle damage correlated to type of particle and track including:

Targets:

DNA bases/genes

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Lipids

Mitochondria

Blood cells

Membrane receptors

Cell adhesion molecules

ECM

Immune cells

Stem cells

Endothelium

Exosomes

Effects:

Clustered DNA damage

Persistent mutations and chomosome aberrations

Reduced DNA and cellular repair

Drastic G M block and altered cell cycle kinetics

Enhanced cytokine activation

Tumorigenesis at high dose, high-LET or HZE

Apoptosis, autophagy, senescence, mitotic catastrophe, necrosis

Altered gene expression and differentiation

Changes in cell-cell comms and non-targeted effects

Changes in cell adhesion and motility

Changes in angiogensis

Specific applications in space biosciences will benefit all humankind indefinitely while also leading to new discoveries and applications in precision and personalized medicine which can be applied today along with drug repurposing, repositioning, and discovery connected to healthspan and revenue.

Working with groups such as NASA's Human Research Roadmap (HRP), NASA GeneLab and Biospecimen Sharing Program (BSP), Vectorspace AI will apply advanced techniques in bioinformatics, AR/XR (Augmented/Extended Reality) and visualization to enable the generation and acceleration of new hypotheses and discoveries in space biosciences. Resulting practical applications in space biosciences can immediately translate into on-ground solutions in all of Life Sciences including licensing and royalty opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry. Future roadmaps include applications in nanomedicine and advanced materials connected to spaceflight.

Vectorspace AI continues to maintain applications in the financial and cryptocurrency markets that provide hedge funds, asset management companies, and other institutions with datasets that generate alpha through its utility token, VXV. The token provides data lineage, provenance, governance and security for its datasets, which are mission critical for any data engineering operation today. Datasets are accessed through the VXV wallet-enabled API.

About Vectorspace

Vectorspace AI provides high value correlation matrix datasets to enable researchers with the ability to accelerate their data-driven innovation and discoveries using patent protected NLP/NLU. Clients save time in the research loop by quickly testing hypotheses and running experiments with higher throughput. Vectorspace AI originated in the Life Sciences dept. of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) where the founders developed the patents that drive the company's innovation for a variety of academic institutions including CERN. Visit https://vectorspace.ai

SOURCE Vectorspace AI

Related Links

https://vectorspace.ai


CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Secure, the leading industrial control system (ICS) cyber security technology company, today announced the appointment of Dr. Dennis Freeman as Technical Advisor, Mission Secure Government and Defense. Dr. Freeman has served in the Department of Defense in electronic warfare, cyber, and intelligence for decades. In his new role, he will work with Bob McAleer, President of Mission Secure Government and Defense, and play a strategic role in providing operational technology (OT) cyber security for the U.S. Government.

Dennis Freeman, Technical Advisor, Mission Secure Government and Defense

"Cyber security for industrial control systems is the soft underbelly of our national security establishment," said Bob McAleer. "Mission Secure was founded on the premise of protecting our military control systems from cyber threats. We are locking down systems for the Defense Department today, providing protection and resilience. We feel very fortunate to have Dennis as a part of the team. He has decades of experience in the cyber and intelligence fieldoften at the tip of the spear."

Dr. Freeman has a strong track record of delivering results in civilian and military roles within the U.S. Government. Prior to Mission Secure, Freeman served in the U.S. Government civilian service as the Deputy J2 (Intelligence) of the U.S. Special Operations Command (Europe). Prior to that, he served in positions of increasing responsibility, including as Director of Intelligence to the Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy, Chief of Staff for the Department of the Navy's Security policy, and Deputy Intelligence Director of Special Operations Command  Europe. He worked other positions for the USAF in digital/systems engineering and at JSOC, where he had a senior job in special technology and access programs.

Before serving in U.S. Government civilian service, Freeman served in the U.S. Air Force with over 21 years as an AWACS Airborne Communications Instructor/Evaluator with over 7,500 hours, 1,500 combat, with assignments to Tinker AFB, Elmendorf AFB, and JSOC, Fort Bragg with multiple deployments worldwide.

Freeman has been awarded the Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, Department of the U.S. Air Force Superior Civilian Service Award, and his military decorations include five Air Medals, Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Commendation Service Medal, three AF Commendation Medals, three Achievement Medals, Combat Air Crew, and Master Jump Wings.

Dr. Freeman graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree (honors) in Aeronautical Science and Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Computer Science from Capella University. Additionally, he was selected and attended the Army Executive Leadership Development Program in 2008 and is a graduate from the USAF Air War College in 2010.

"I was drawn to Mission Secure because of its tremendously capable team and its strong position in an unchartered field critical to our Federal Government and Defense Department: cyber security for industrial control systems," said Dr. Dennis Freeman, Technical Advisor of Mission Secure Government and Defense. "It's an area critical to our national security and one that has not to date received the attention it deserves. Mission Secure is laser-focused on delivering solutions to protect our key critical infrastructure. I am excited to continue to support our nation's defense in my new role at Mission Secure."

About Mission Secure:

Mission Secure, an OT cybersecurity leader, is setting a new standard in OT cyber-protection stopping OT cyber threats head-on. The Mission Secure Platform backed by 24/7 Managed Services is the first to seamlessly integrate OT visibility, segmentation, protection, threat hunting, and incident response delivering military strength, industrial grade OT protection. With Mission Secure, customers keep critical operations up and running and safe from harm. Learn more at https://www.missionsecure.com.

Follow Mission Secure: Blog, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Mission Secure Media Contact:

Roslyn Sakaguchi

[email protected]

832.925.8748 x 305

SOURCE Mission Secure, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.missionsecure.com


Growing the brand's retail footprint across the United States, the new six-pack is now available at Mariano's, Jewel-Osco, Tony's Finer Foods, and Binny's Beverage Depot in Chicago, Kroger in Michigan, Roundy's in Wisconsin, Albertsons in Southern California, and Winco Foods in Arizona, California, Indiana and Nevada. Each variety six-pack features Monaco Cocktails best-selling flavor profiles, including:

Citrus Rush: With hints of citrus, vanilla and floral notes, it combines vodka with an energy drink taste, but without the caffeine.

With hints of citrus, vanilla and floral notes, it combines vodka with an energy drink taste, but without the caffeine. Tequila Lime Crush: Reminiscent of a sparkling margarita, it is perfectly balanced premium tequila with hints of grapefruit.

Reminiscent of a sparkling margarita, it is perfectly balanced premium tequila with hints of grapefruit. Blue Crush: Styled after a Blue Hawaiian, it mixes premium vodka, gin, rum and tequila.

"We're so excited to bring our variety six-pack to grocery stores across the country, and heighten access for Monaco Cocktails in the supermarket channel," said Don Deubler, CEO of Atomic Brands. "As consumers are looking for more real spirit canned cocktails, our best-selling varieties deliver a perfectly premixed flavor experience in a convenient and affordable format."

The distribution momentum for Monaco Cocktails is a testament to the brand's leadership position in the booming ready-to-drink category. With two shots of premium spirits and 9% ABV in each can, the new six-pack joins the Monaco Cocktails portfolio of premium flavor options that deliver a refreshing taste with no gluten or malt.

For more information on Monaco Cocktails, please visit: drinkmonaco.com, and follow along on Instagram and Facebook (@drinkmonaco). To find a retailer near you, please visit the store locator.

About Atomic Brands

Chicago-based Atomic Brands was founded in 2006, launching a line of premium spirit-based cocktail beverages under the Monaco brand name in 2012. The company's products combine a unique blend of actual distilled spirits (9% alcohol content per container) with high-quality ingredients to provide a unique craft and artisan cocktail experience in the convenience and accessibility of sustainable beverage cans. For further information, please visit drinkmonaco.com and follow @drinkmonaco on Instagram and Facebook.

SOURCE Monaco Cocktails

Related Links

http://drinkmonaco.com


BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- My Eyelab, a retail brand of Now Optics, announced today it has signed an agreement which will bring nine new franchise stores to Alabama, marking the brand's debut in the state. Growth in the coming months will be driven by business partners Zain Attawala and Sagar Panjwani, current My Eyelab franchisees with 17 open locations in the Atlanta, Georgia market. Attawala and Panjwani also signed an agreement to open two additional stores in Atlanta.

The Alabama deal will bring nine new locations to the Birmingham, Huntsville, and Montgomery markets. The new stores will feature an experience focused on convenience and ease with a contemporary design that highlights the latest technology  offering stylish glasses at an affordable price and an experience that makes shopping for prescription eyewear fun and easy.

"We feel so grateful to be a part of My Eyelab franchising and we're incredibly excited to bring affordable eye care to the people of Alabama," said Zain Attawala, My Eyelab franchisee. "The success we've had in Atlanta exceeded our expectations, and with how great the unit economics are combined with low start-up and operational costs, investing further in My Eyelab and expanding our reach into several untapped markets was a no-brainer."

Under the leadership of founder and CEO Daniel Stanton, My Eyelab has led the retail eye care industry in ocular telehealth by leveraging proprietary innovative telehealth technology to provide patients with affordable and convenient eye exams. An assortment of over 2,000 frames to fit both style and budgets allows consumers the ultimate freedom to experiment with unique, stylish designs that fit their personal style. To date, the company has conducted more than 1 million telehealth eye exams, something no other retail eye care franchise can offer.

In addition to Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery, My Eyelab recently signed deals to bring locations to the Acworth and Peachtree City areas in Atlanta. The company currently has 62 franchise stores open and is on track to have 70 franchise units operating by year end. The new openings and signings in 2021 so far mark a 40 percent year-to-date growth rate over last year for My Eyelab, with 21 units currently in development. Between sister brands My Eyelab and Stanton Optical, Now Optics expects to have 247 stores by the end of the year.

For more information about My Eyelab, visit www.myeyelab.com. To learn more about franchise opportunities, visit www.myeyelabfranchise.com or contact Mike Wootton at [email protected].

ABOUT NOW OPTICS:

Now Optics is a leader in the eye care industry. Its retail brands, My Eyelab and Stanton Optical, are among the nation's fastest growing, full-service retail eye care centers. The company continues to expand its retail footprint with over 200 corporate and franchise locations in 28 states while delivering affordable eye health and eyewear solutions. The company consistently ranks among the largest optical retailers in the country by Vision Monday and was ranked #3 on Entrepreneur's list of Top New Franchises in 2021. Visit myeyelab.com or stantonoptical.com for more information. Find details about franchise opportunities at myeyelabfranchise.com .

SOURCE Now Optics
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Clean Energy Week (NCEW) today announced that its fifth annual celebration of the policies, industries, and innovations driving American clean energy will be held Monday, September 20 through Friday, September 24, 2021.

NCEW 2021 will be a hybrid of virtual conversations and in-person events in Washington, D.C. Among the unique programming offered throughout the week, the NCEW Policy Makers Symposium will convene lawmakers, energy advocates, and private sector leaders for enlightening and influential clean energy and climate policy discussions. Click HERE to register for the Symposium.

"National Clean Energy Week sends a powerful messageclean energy is the future and America is ready to lead the way," said Heather Reams, NCEW Chair and Executive Director of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Forum (CRES Forum), a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public and policy makers about the benefits of clean energy. "As America continues to rebound from the extraordinary challenges of the past year, clean energy is poised to give the United States a competitive edge by spurring economic activity and job creation. Across all 50 states, clean energy has proven to be a resilient, reliable solution to lowering emissions and improving our climate. Through powerful discussions among our nation's top clean energy thought leaders, NCEW will explore our country's rapidly expanding energy sector and the future of clean energy in America."

Founded in 2017, NCEW brings together government officials, industry associations, businesses, non-profits, and advocates in the clean energy space for events in Washington, D.C. and across America. This weeklong recognition will honor the clean energy sector's contributions to America's economic strength while reducing global emissions. In 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate issued bipartisan resolutions recognizing National Clean Energy Week and America's global leadership in clean energy, and more than half of the nation's governors signed proclamations officially recognizing "Clean Energy Week" in their states. Also in 2020, for the first time in NCEW history, members of Congress marked the week by introducing two bipartisan bills focused on energy and the environment.

The bipartisan NCEW Policy Makers Symposium will return this year, convening state and federal leaders for thoughtful discussion about the policies shaping the clear energy sector. Once again held virtually, the Symposium provides an opportunity for innovators, investors, advocates, and lawmakers from across the country to celebrate the latest in clean energy policy and technologies.

In 2020, the NCEW Policy Makers Symposium welcomed distinguished lawmakers including U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Braun (R-IN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK); former U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO); U.S. Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY), Sean Casten (D-IL), Kathy Castor (D-FL), John Curtis (R-UT), Darin LaHood (R-IL), David McKinley (R-WV), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Garret Graves (R-LA), and Tom Emmer (R-MN); and former Tennessee Governor Phil Bresdesen and former Deputy Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes. NCEW 2021 promises a similarly inspiring lineup, plus panel discussions led by some of the nation's clean energy leaders and networking opportunities to connect and collaborateboth virtually and in-personwith clean energy thought leaders across America.

NCEW's 2021 Steering Committee includes the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), Alliance to Save Energy, American Petroleum Institute (API), American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), American Clean Power Association, Biomass Power Association, Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN), Center for Liquefied Natural Gas (CLNG), CRES Forum, Energy Storage Association (ESA), Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), National Hydropower Association (NHA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

Additional information about NCEW, including sponsorship opportunities and Symposium registration, are available at https://nationalcleanenergyweek.org/.

National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), described by POLITICO as "a veritable who's who of the Clean Energy World," is an annual awareness week to recognize the value of clean energy including abundant job opportunities, economic growth, energy independence, consumer choice, lower energy prices, and a cleaner environment. Follow NCEW on Twitter (@NCEWConf) and Facebook (NationalCleanEnergyWeek) for event updates. www.nationalcleanenergyweek.org

SOURCE Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions
From traditional to contemporary, indigenous and foreign, the 12-day event is jam-packed with diverse productions from leading creators and performers. Participating artists in the Dance Forum include Cheng Tsung-lung, named one of 50 Contemporary Choreographers (Routledge & CRC Press); Bulareyaung Pagarlava, a choreographer from the Paiwan Tribe who connects indigenous culture with modern audiences; Huang Yi, named by Dance Magazine as one of the "25 to Watch"; and choreographer Chou Shu-yi, who created "The Centre", a thought-provoking dialogue on equality and freedom.

Directors taking part in the Theater Forum include Wang Chia-ming, the first Taiwanese director to present work at the Festival d'automne a Paris; Singaporean director Ong Keng Sen, who joined hands with Robert Wilson's beloved Asian actress Wei Haimin; and Wang Jhao-cian, the leader of Our Theatre, Taiwan's most ambitious modern theater in Taiwanese Hokkien.

Taiwan Week Online 2021 will welcome respected directors such as Didier Deschamps, former Director of Theatre National de Chaillot; Alistair Spalding, Artistic Directorof Sadler's Wells Theatre; Serge Rangoni, Artistic Director of Theatre de Liege; and Nils Haarmann, Dramaturg of Schaubuhne Berlin. These directors will engage in dialogue with artists, exploring the stories behind their work.

"From the work I have viewed so far I can see that Taiwan's choreographic scene is still as vibrant and innovative as ever," said Alistair Spalding.

While Didier Deschamps mentioned: "Four very different artists give us their beautiful creations and deliver their thoughts about the world and creation."

Nils Haarmamn looks forward to "starting a dialogue and an exchange with the theatrical world of Taiwan, see where differences and common grounds lie, we can learn from or inspire each other."

"The energy, inventiveness and ability of Asian artists to vitalize the performing arts by connecting today's techniques with their immense culture and tradition is a source of inspiration for us all," said Serge Rangoni.

To view the full program, please visit https://npac-ntch.org/international/taiwanweek/

SOURCE National Theater & Concert Hall, Taiwan
The progress report will be live streamed as an open conversation and will convene world leading experts to discuss critical issues

Natura &Co to announce the launch of a new data tool to aide conservation of the Amazon, and will call for the creation of science-based targets on biodiversity in order to achieve the Paris Agreement

Natura &Co set to be first multinational to ensure their workforce reflects the demographic composition of the societies in which it operates

SAO PAULO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Natura &Co  home of Avon, Natura, The Body Shop and Aesop global beauty brands  and the world's largest certified B Corp, will today give its first annual update on progress made and the challenges faced since the launch of its 10 year Commitment to Life plan in June 2020.

The plan sets out 31 targets which will see Natura &Co step up its actions to tackle some of the world's most pressing issues, including the climate crisis and protecting the Amazon, the defence of Human Rights and ensuring equality and inclusion throughout its network, and embracing circularity and regeneration by 2030.

The progress report will be livestreamed as an open conversation and will convene world leading experts on the biodiversity crisis, conservation of the Amazon, the circular economy and equality to discuss how businesses can play their part in solving environmental and social problems.

Key updates will include:

The launch of a new monitor tool called PlenaMata, in partnership with MapBiomas and InfoAmazonia. Currently data about the health of the Amazon is disparate and hard to use. This new portal, built in collaboration with multiple groups, will overcome that problem by create a centralised database to inform initiatives for the conservation and regeneration of the Amazon biome.

A renewed call to build an agreement on nature with the same importance it has been given to climate and carbon. The company supports the creation of science-based targets for biodiversity as Natura &Co believes that without a bold plan to reverse nature loss, the goals of the Paris Agreement will never be achieved.

As part of a commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, Natura &Co will set out a new plan to ensure its workforce reflects the demographic composition of the societies in which it operates. This will be a first for a listed multi-national business with a network in more than 100 countries and has many challenges around personal data and data protection laws in different countries. Natura &Co aims to develop new ways to tackle inequality and underrepresentation.

Roberto Marques, Executive Chairman and Group CEO Natura &Co, said; "We are sharing our progress  and our challenges - in the spirit of transparency, and in the spirit of collaboration. Our business model holds ourselves accountable to balance profit & purpose, which is why we will always report our social and environmental performance with the same transparency as we do our financial performance. With 75% of Fortune 500 companies not having carbon neutral commitments by 2030 in place, it's clear that the world has a long way to go. The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time, and it will be incumbent upon the private sector to step up and push for change in order for the goals of the Paris Agreement to become a reality. Equally, social justice will continue to be an aspiration unless businesses step up to ensure diversity and inclusion through every aspect of their structure and its entire network in which they participate. Our Commitment to Life vision is ambitious, but with collaboration, creativity, and care, we will achieve it."

Tasso Azevedo, founder of MapBiomas, said; "We are launching an instrument to engage the private sector, civil societies, local communities and governments to articulate the fight against deforestation and successful conservation and regeneration initiatives"

Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, said; "I am grateful to Natura &Co for convening this important dialogue on diversity equity and inclusion. While weve made some great strides toward the SDGs, persistent inequality threatens to derail our progress with gender inequality the most glaring of all and the COVID19 crisis has made the economic gender gap even wider. Threatening to slow or reverse any progress we have made. Embracing diversity and inclusion has proven not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do. I congratulate Natura &Co on their ambitious targets. Target setting is crucial for progress on diversity and inclusion, because what gets measured gets done. Our workforce should reflect the diverse world in which we live in. Responsible business leaders can and must set the tone from the top, because the evidence is clear, when women and other underrepresented groups are empowered, everybody wins"

Akanksha Khatri, Head of Nature and Biodiversity at World Economic Forum, said; "We are seeing an unprecedented interest in and commitment to fighting the climate and nature emergencies facing humanity. Despite this increasing attention on the topic of nature loss, there is still limited understanding on how it can be material to businesses and what the private sector can do to address this challenge. Business leaders, governments and heads of civil society organizations must come together to create an integrated nature action agenda to tackle the issues of climate, biodiversity, forests, oceans and sustainable development."

Highlights from the first year of progress:

Natura &Co's preservation of Amazon forest increased from 1.8 to 2 million hectares

Access Benefit Payments totalling 8.7MM R$ were made to communities in the Amazon

The gender balance of the management team reached 49%

On track to close a 0.9% unexplained pay equity gap by year end 2021

$4.87m was invested in regenerative solutions, such as Ekos Tukuma

was invested in regenerative solutions, such as Ekos Tukuma $94m was invested in causes, including donations to fighting COVID-19, supporting breast cancer awareness initiatives, and support for victims of domestic violence

About Natura &Co

Natura &Co is a global, purpose-driven, multi-channel and multi-brand cosmetics group which includes Avon, Natura, The Body Shop and Aesop. Natura &Co posted net revenues of R$36.9 billion in 2020. The four companies that form the group are committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact. For 130 years Avon has stood for women: providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily sold to women, through women. Founded in 1969, Natura is a Brazilian multinational in the cosmetics and personal care segment, leader in direct sales. Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand that seeks to make a positive difference in the world. The Australian beauty brand Aesop was established in 1987 with a quest to create a range of superlative products for skin, hair and the body.

SOURCE Natura &Co

Related Links

https://naturaeco.com


BETHESDA, Md., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nobelpharma America, LLC, (NPA) a pharmaceutical and medical device company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, announced the company received a National Sponsor award from the TSC Alliance recognizing the company's support for the Step Forward to Cure TSC event.

"At Nobelpharma America, we strive to learn about and increase awareness of diseases that are often overlooked, including facial angiofibroma associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)," said Yoshiki Kida, President & CEO of Nobelpharma America. "Our hope is to continue to work with the TSC Alliance and the TSC community to listen and learn from people living with this disease."

NPA is sponsoring numerous events that will focus on understanding and creating awareness of issues faced by the TSC community. As an example, NPA is working with the TSC Alliance to organize discussion panels to listen and learn from the collective experiences of people living with TSC. Nobelpharma America looks forward to further understanding issues faced by the TSC community.

Most recently, Nobelpharma America was a national sponsor for the Step Forward to Cure TSC Global Virtual Walk-Run-Ride. Through this event, the TSC Alliance raised substantial funds for support programs and groundbreaking research. NPA is proud to have been a part of this event.

"The TSC Alliance is grateful for all the work Nobelpharma America is doing in support of the TSC community," said Kari Luther Rosbeck, President and CEO of the TSC Alliance. "Nobelpharma America and the TSC Alliance share mutual goals and efforts to support individuals with TSC by providing much-needed information and gaining a deeper understanding about TSC."

About Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC):

TSC is a rare genetic disease that affects approximately one in 6,000 live births. Nearly one million people worldwide are estimated to have TSC, with approximately 50,000 in the United States. TSC causes non-cancerous tumors, or hamartomas, to form in vital organs including the skin. TSC may also cause facial angiofibromas, which are pink or red bumps usually located on the cheeks, nose, and chin that may cause bleeding, itching, redness, and significant disfiguration without treatment. Many individuals with TSC also present with autism, epilepsy, and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

About Nobelpharma America

Nobelpharma America, LLC (NPA) is focused on the commercialization of pharmaceuticals and medical devices that expand treatment options for people with rare diseases. In 2019, NPA became the first wholly owned global subsidiary of Nobelpharma Co., Ltd., which is based in Tokyo. The company, which is named after Alfred Nobel, remains committed to honoring his innovative and scientific legacy by developing treatments for diseases that often go overlooked because of the small number of individuals affected. For more information visit nobelpharma-us.com.

SOURCE Nobelpharma America
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan Pet Alliance (MPA) is Michigan's only statewide association of animal welfare organizations, including advocates, shelters and rescue groups. MPA aims to advance public policy, best practices and lifesaving measures to achieve the best quality of life for Michigan's pets.

Prior to 2021, there were approximately 1,195 professional trade associations in Michigan  nearly every industry in the state had one, except for animal welfare. Thanks to a new nonprofit that launched in January 2021 that is no longer the case. Michigan now has 1,196.

Michigan currently operates under antiquated laws, like the Dog Law of 1919, that do not adequately reflect the role companion animals play in the community and do not give law enforcement the tools it needs to protect animals from abuse and neglect.

"Most people love their pets like family, but there is a real disconnect between how people feel about companion animals and the existing laws to protect them," said Deborah Schutt, MPA chair. "One goal of our association is to speak with one legislative voice to help those who can't speak for themselves and to improve the care and treatment of our beloved pets."

Legislative reform is just one area of focus for the new association. MPA will also provide training, education and technical assistance to shelters and home-based rescue groups to help them achieve operational best practices, maximizing their resources to improve lifesaving.

"Many shelters and rescues are doing amazing work to help vulnerable animals," added Schutt. "By coordinating our efforts, our alliance will bring transformative change to what animal welfare means in Michigan."

MPA is a nonprofit charity led by an administration and board of directors comprised of animal welfare advocates from Michigan shelters, rescues and community outreach organizations. Working committees provide support to advance the mission of the association and its membership.

Membership to MPA is open to nonprofit animal welfare organizations, shelters and rescue groups located in Michigan, as well as to individuals, businesses and corporate supporters. For more information and to become a member, please visit MichiganPet.org.

Michigan Pet Alliance

Michigan's only professional trade association of animal welfare organizations, the mission of Michigan Pet Alliance is to work in collaboration and to speak with a single voice to eliminate abuse and neglect of Michigan's companion animals and to save all healthy and treatable homeless companion animals through training, technical assistance, education and advocacy. For more information, please visit MichiganPet.org and follow @MichiganPetAlliance on Facebook.

Contact:

Deborah Schutt, Chair

(313) 731-2244

[email protected]

SOURCE Michigan Pet Alliance

Related Links

https://michiganpet.org


ALPHARETTA, Ga., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following more than ten consecutive years of robust growth and the development of an impressive customer base throughout North America, Northpoint Commercial Finance is excited to announce their partnership with Reed Advisory Solutions LLC who will focus on expanding their Information Technology sector. The partnership will combine Reed's origination platform with Northpoint's financial solutions.

From a start-up finance company to an established entity with an international scope, Northpoint has continued to innovate, bring on knowledgeable people, and form strategic partnerships throughout the industry, including this latest exciting endeavor. As this next phase begins for Northpoint, it is expected that the partnership with Reed Advisory Solutions LLC will strengthen Northpoint's offerings and aid in providing the best support and financing opportunities to the Information Technology industry.

Dan Radley, President and CEO of Northpoint, says, ""The partnership with Reed Advisory Solutions LLC is a perfect fit for us, and we couldn't be more excited as many of Northpoint's senior leadership team members have worked closely with the individuals of Reed Advisory Solutions LLC throughout their careers, averaging over 25 years with proven results."

John Reed, founder of Reed Advisory Solutions LLC, states, "We are excited about the partnership and look forward to working with Northpoint to help grow their Information Technology business. With our experience and industry relationships combined with their top-notch customer service and flexible finance programs, will help fill a great marketplace need."

About Reed Advisory Solutions LLC

A unique & innovative platform Reed Advisory Solutions LLC recognizes that "one size does not fit all". Information Technology Vendors & Resellers are being impacted by the ever changing landscape of how end user clients buy and consume products. At Reed Advisory Solutions LLC this is why we are in business, we put relationships first and our knowledge and experience is helping fill the void. More information about Reed Advisory Solutions LLC and their products can be found at www.reedadvisorysolutionsllc.com

About Northpoint Commercial Finance

Northpoint, is owned by LBC Capital, a subsidiary of Laurentian Bank of Canada and has offices in Alpharetta, GA, and Burlington, ON. Laurentian Bank, which has been in business for over 175 years, acquired Northpoint Financial in 2017. Northpoint was created by floorplan industry veterans highly experienced in forming and managing specialty finance programs. Our dedicated program team is empowered to make quick credit decisions and our unique flexibility provides a significant advantage in today's often inflexible environment. More information about Northpoint and their offerings is available at www.northpointcf.com.

Contact:

Robert Wagner

503-305-6885

[email protected]

SOURCE Northpoint Commercial Finance

Related Links

www.northpointcf.com


PHOENIX, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As leading personal development company Oola continues to build its executive team, the company is proud to announce its latest addition of Janay Standifird as Chief Financial Officer.

In this new role, Standifird will oversee and manage Oola's global finances, including financial planning and reporting. Her knowledge of global financial systems and internal controls, global business strategies, building world-class teams, and risk mitigation will be a great asset to Oola.

Janay Standifird

"Adding Janay to our executive team was a natural decision. She has a strong reputation, and I look forward to her serving as a catalyst for our business, our independent ambassadors, and our customers," said Travis Ogden, Oola Global Co-Founder and CEO. "She is a true all-around partner, and we are fortunate to have her join our team."

As a CPA with 20 years of business and finance experience, Standifird most recently served as the CFO of a $2 billion per year network marketing company. She was responsible for global oversight of the company's finances and accounting, managing global internal controls and risk mitigation, and overseeing human resources and commissions. Prior to that, she served in key financial management positions at a top 100 direct selling company and two accounting firms.

Standifird joins network marketing veteran Travis Ogden, Oola Co-Founder and CEO, who joined forces with Oola co-founders Dr. Dave Braun and Dr. Troy Amdahl earlier in 2021. She is also the second female added to the executive team in the past month. Recently, Gina Stevenson was announced as Oola's new Chief Sales Officer.

"Joining Oola and another female on the senior leadership team is an honor," said Standifird. "Throughout my career, I have been a strong supporter of women in business as I believe women collectively have the biggest impact. I am excited to see what we can do with Oola as we get ready to launch in July."

Oola is gearing up to launch a new Independent Ambassador opportunity in July. To learn more about the Ambassador opportunity and register for the launch party on July 7th, visit www.oolalife.com. Stay up to date on the latest by following us @OolaLife.

About Oola

Founded in 2012 by international bestselling authors, work-life balance experts, and holistic healthcare providers, Dr. Dave Braun and Dr. Troy Amdahl, Oola provides a simple and easy-to-follow lifestyle framework designed to lead you, step by step, to a life of less stress, more personal growth, and a clearer path toward living your unique purpose. The concept originally ideated in 1997 as Dr. Braun and Dr. Amdahl worked to better themselves in the seven key areas of life -- Fitness, Finance, Family, Field (career), Faith, Friends, and Fun. Since then, the Oola lifestyle has become a global phenomenon, with over a million followers in 40 countries actively creating their best lives. In 2021, Oola announced an affordable personal development eLearning platform to add to its offerings. Launching in July 2021, the new platform will accelerate Oola's goal of impacting one billion lives in seven years.

Media: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eh2ovod77pgofjr/AAAtdi1HR8VJ3dQ0UTQGlzela?dl=0

Media Contact

Megan Dean

[email protected]

480-450-5029

SOURCE Oola Global
SHENZHEN, China, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 21, local time, phase III clinical fieldwork of the Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero cells) independently developed and manufactured by Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., Ltd. was officially initiated in Malaysia, and the first batch of enrolled subjects was vaccinated on-site.

In February this year, BIOKANGTAI and Malaysia's Yong Tai Berhad signed an Agreement on Phase III Clinical Trial of Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine and Product Procurement, reaching a consensus to further carry out the phase III clinical trials and commercialization of the agreed products in Malaysia. On May 31, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), Malaysia, approves the clinical trial of the vaccine. Subsequently, on June 11, clinical samples of the vaccine were delivered from Shenzhen, China to Malaysia.

BIOKANGTAI is China's leading biopharmaceutical enterprise. Over the past 30 years since its establishment, it has accumulated rich experience in vaccine research and development, and it also has a notable scale of vaccine industrialization in China. Since the company was listed on the A-shares market in 2017, its market value has continuously increased, ranking among the top 50 biopharmaceutical companies in the world.

In May this year, the BIOKANGTAI Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine was granted the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in China, making it the sixth COVID-19 vaccine variety approved in China and also the first COVID-19 vaccine variety approved in Guangdong province. Since the commencement of the large-scale vaccination of the vaccine on June 1, the cumulative dose of vaccination has reached millions, according to the statistics of local regulatory authorities, its adverse reaction rate is much lower than the average level, showing its excellent safety. In addition, according to the data of phase I/II clinical trials published on the medRxiv platform and in the National Medical Journal of China, in the phase II clinical trial of the vaccine, the geometric mean titer of neutralizing antibody against the vaccine virus in the vaccine group on day 0-28 of the immunization program is 2.65 times of that of the serum neutralizing antibody of the convalescents, with an expected protection rate of more than 90%.

Regarding this collaborative clinical trial, Miao Xiang, executive vice chairman of BIOKANGTAI, said, "In the face of the pandemic, BIOKANGTAI, together with our Malaysian partner, will provide Malaysians with COVID-19 vaccines which have been proven to be safe on a large scale, to help Malaysia overcome the epidemic as soon as possible with our responsibility and duty as a Chinese vaccine enterprise. At the same time, both companies will actively promote the roll-out of the phase III clinical trial, to accelerate the fair supply of COVID-19 vaccines as a public product in the world, especially in developing countries, by verifying the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine on a larger scale."

Datuk Wira Boo Kuang Loon, CEO of Yong Tai Berhad said, " The COVID-19 Vaccine will become a long-term demand, and we currently lack the technology to produce vaccines on our own, we hope to introduce the advanced technology of BIOKANGTAI and to promote local R&D and manufacturing."

SOURCE Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. Ltd.
POMPANO BEACH, Fla., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - ProBility Media Corp. (OTCPK: PBYA), an education company developing full-service training and career advancement tools for the skilled trade industry, desires to provide its shareholders with an update on the state of the Company.

(January 2016  January 2018):

Beginning January 2016 and through January 2018 , the Company acquired seven businesses (National Electric Wholesale Providers, One Exam Prep, W Marketing, Cranbury International, Contractor Preps, Disco Learning Media and North American Crane Bureau).

and through , the Company acquired seven businesses (National Electric Wholesale Providers, One Exam Prep, W Marketing, Cranbury International, Contractor Preps, Disco Learning Media and North American Crane Bureau). During 2016, the Company engaged an investment banking firm to facilitate a capital raise of between $5 million - $10 million dollars in order to support its expansion plans.

- in order to support its expansion plans. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company received an offer for a capital raise of $10 million in exchange for 55% of the Company's equity.

in exchange for 55% of the Company's equity. During the due diligence period, the Company utilized bridge loans on unfavorable terms to fund its ongoing operations.

Concurrently with the bridge financings, the Company had to switch auditors.

Between the bridge financings and the change in auditors, the Company did not have sufficient working capital to complete the audit required for the $10 million dollar capital raise and failed to secure that capital.

capital raise and failed to secure that capital. In response to the Company's unfortunate turn of events and during the summer of 2018, Management began a restructuring and cost-cutting program for the purpose of generating a profit. This program led the Company to aggressive reductions in operating expenses and the restructure of its debt.

(2019 - 2020)

During the first quarter of 2019, the Company worked to reduce overhead expenses by:

electing to become an "alternative reporting" company; Consolidating its business into three companies, North American Crane Bureau, One Exam Prep and Disco Learning Media. Eliminating non-profitable assets.

Through the efforts of the reorganization, the Company's revenue and operating expenses both decreased, however expenses decreased at a rate such that the Company's operating loss for 2020 was minimal.

During 2020, Covid-19 adversely affected operations and revenue. Specifically, the Company's target clients reduced expenditures on skilled labor training which resulted in a decrease in demand for the Company's products and services.

2021 - :

The recent lift of pandemic restrictions has allowed the Company, though its subsidiaries, to operate at pre-pandemic capacity and in 2020, the Company generated a profit.

The Company is continuing to cut its operating expenses by consolidating its labor and other costs and by paying down its debt.

In addition:

The Company's operations have expanded outside of its historical operating territory of Florida . The Company is making efforts to reduce dependence on third-party vendors and instead develop its own self-published online and classroom-based training products. The Company intends to become current with its filing obligations pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 15c-211 and OTC Markets Group, Inc Reporting Guidelines prior to September 28, 2021 .

About ProBility Media Corp.

ProBility Media Corp. is an industrial education and training company headquartered in Coconut Creek, Florida, offering education online and in person programs including training in a variety of vocational industries. ProBility is executing a disruptive strategy of defragmenting the education and training marketplace by offering high quality training courses and materials to prepare the workforce for excellence. ProBility services customers from the individual to the small business to the enterprise level corporation. For more information, visit http://www.probilitymedia.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect the Company's current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to it. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or advise in the event of any change, addition or alteration to the information included in this Press Release including such forward-looking statements, except as required by federal securities laws.

SOURCE Probility Media Corp.

Related Links

https://www.probilitymedia.com/


Later this summer, QDOBA will also be celebrating people who bring flavor to their communities by partnering with creative brand ambassadors, spotlighting employees, and launching a nationwide contest offering lucky fans a chance to win key prizes.

"Our goal is to give customers more exciting ways to show their flavor and create a meal that is tailored for their tastebuds," said Karin Silk, QDOBA Vice President of Menu and Off-Premises. "Unlike other fast-casual restaurants that sporadically innovate or typically provide one or two standard selections, we're continuing to add variety with new choices that are spicy, smoky, tangy and mild. Our newest add-ons are available at no extra cost for the customer  and provide the perfect finishing touch to any bowl, quesadilla or burrito."

Chef Katy Velazquez, Executive Chef at QDOBA, explains, "We drew inspiration from different regions in Mexico to bring some of the most incredible flavors to our customers. With QDOBA's newest additions, there are endless options  in fact, over one billion ways  to create unique and tasty combinations." The latest additions include:

Tangy Pickled Red Onions hand-sliced and pickled in-house, these bring bright, crispy flavor to any entree. "These onions are seen on tacos all over Mexico . Their zesty lime flavor is the perfect complement to any dish," she adds.

hand-sliced and pickled in-house, these bring bright, crispy flavor to any entree. "These onions are seen on tacos all over . Their zesty lime flavor is the perfect complement to any dish," she adds. Jalapeno Verde Sauce "This fiery blend is made from roasted jalapenos and Aji chiles, perfectly balanced with fresh cilantro, cotija cheese and lime juice to create a creamy, bright flavor with a spicy kick," says Velazquez. This was inspired by creamy, spicy and roasted jalapeno salsas found in Monterrey .

"This fiery blend is made from roasted jalapenos and Aji chiles, perfectly balanced with fresh cilantro, cotija cheese and lime juice to create a creamy, bright flavor with a spicy kick," says Velazquez. This was inspired by creamy, spicy and roasted jalapeno salsas found in . Chile Crema this somewhat spicy, creamy sauce "features smoky heat from chipotles in adobo and pairs well with everything," she notes.

this somewhat spicy, creamy sauce "features smoky heat from chipotles in adobo and pairs well with everything," she notes. Roasted Tomato Salsacrafted from fire-roasted, farm-fresh tomatoes, which are harvested at the end of the growing season, caramelized to perfection and blended with fresh cilantro. This is based on a classic mild table salsa.

"At QDOBA, we are making the world a more flavorful place by serving up some of the best Mexican eats out there and also through celebrating how our employees and customers add flavor to their lives and their communities," says Silk.

The new signature salsas, sauces and toppings will be available at all 740 QDOBA restaurants across the U.S. and Canada and can be added to personal creations ordered for delivery via QDOBA.com or the QDOBA app.

For more information, visit www.QDOBA.com .

About QDOBA Mexican Eats

QDOBA is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with more than 740 locations in the U.S. and Canada. QDOBA uses ingredients prepared in-house, by hand, and fresh throughout the day, to create delicious menu options. Guests can experience QDOBA's delicious flavors by enjoying one of its signature menu options that are chef-crafted for convenience and ease or by customizing their burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and salads to fit their personal tastes. For three years running, QDOBA has been voted the "Best Fast Casual Restaurant" as part of the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Discover more at www.QDOBA.com or on the QDOBA app, which is available for download on the iTunes App Store or Google Play . Fans can also connect with QDOBA on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

SOURCE QDOBA

Related Links

https://www.qdoba.com/


NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quality Medical Publishing (QMP) has added to its medical textbook series with The Art and Science of Extended Deep Plane Facelifting and Complementary Facial Rejuvenation Procedures from world-leading expert on aging face surgery, Andrew Jacono, M.D., FACS. Harnessing insights from over 2,000 facelift procedures, the 500-page textbook will be used to disseminate Dr. Jacono's gold-standard in advanced facelifting techniques to doctor colleagues around the globe. This publication is on the heels of QMP's operative video series release entitled "Extended Deep Plane Face Lift and Adjunctive Procedures for Rejuvenation of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Face" featuring Dr. Jacono.

Offered in response to international industry demand for an up-close look at Dr. Jacono's minimally invasive aging face surgery, the textbook focuses on Dr. Jacono performing the M.A.D.E. (Minimal Access Deep Plane Extended) hybrid facelift that he has pioneered which uses a short incision to minimize trauma to the face, while lifting the deep facial tissue and neck muscles simultaneously, resulting in a superior outcome. In order to create a natural and balanced result, he also shares his techniques to rejuvenate the forehead, eyelids and lips. These techniques include the repositioning of deep facial and eyelid fat to volumize the aging face, temporal lifting to open the eyes, fat grafting to restore facial volume, as well as a modified lip lift procedure to restore youthful volume and balance to lips and in turn, the lower third of the face.

"I'm proud to be able to contribute to the field of facial plastic surgery in such a meaningful way," says Dr. Jacono. "The collegial exchange of cutting-edge techniques and approaches are what continue to drive advancements in the field of facial plastic surgery," continues Dr. Jacono. "While I have lectured at countless international plastic surgery meetings and hosted over 200 colleagues from around the world at my Park Avenue aesthetic surgery center, this textbook from QMP offers an operating room view of my aging face surgery to all that would like to witness or revisit my techniques."

For a complete list of services or to learn more about Dr. Jacono and his practice, visit www.newyorkfacialplasticsurgery.com or call 212.570.2500.

About Quality Medical Publishing (QMP)

Quality Medical Publishing (QMP) is an independent medical publisher noted for the quality of its publications and the reputations of its authors. Since 1986, the company has produced award-winning landmark publications, which have had an enduring impact on the medical community and have helped shape the industry. Specializing in plastic surgery and facial plastic surgery, QMP offers the most current and comprehensive library of operative videos and eLearning courses, delivered on an HD streaming platform.

Their mission is to serve the educational needs of the medical community, informing physicians about the latest developments in the field. Explore www.qmp.com to learn more about our diverse print, digital, and online learning offerings for physicians and the businesses that serve them.

About Dr. Andrew Jacono

A world-leading expert on minimally invasive facelifting, New York Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Andrew Jacono, has presented clinical research at countless plastic surgery meetings and symposiums all over the world, including International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery and The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

A Castle Connolly Top Doctor, with offices in Manhattan and Great Neck, New York, Dr. Jacono is also Section Head of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at North Shore University Hospital Manhasset, Associate Clinical Professor, Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Director of the New York Center for Facial Plastic Surgery and Fellowship Director of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He published his third consumer book, The Park Avenue Face, in 2019 and has written numerous manuscripts and published articles in leading plastic surgery journals on a variety of surgical techniques, including minimally invasive endoscopic facial plastic surgery. With surgical privileges at six New York area hospitals, as well as an extensive background in Head and Neck Surgery with subspecialty training in Facial Plastic Surgery, Dr. Jacono is recognized amongst his peers for his innovative surgical techniques and skills.

Dr. Jacono has been featured on Good Morning America, Anderson, CNBC and CNN and in USA Today, Harper's Bazaar, Huffington Post, Parade, O, The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, GQ, Departures and Newsweek, among others.

SOURCE New York Center for Facial Plastic Surgery
TORONTO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaked infrastructure secrets - code, credentials and keys - which are exposed accidentally or intentionally cost companies an average of $1.2 million in revenue per year according to a new report from 1Password , the leader in enterprise password management. The Hiding in Plain Sight report explores how organizations are managing the explosion of sensitive information, the prevalence of secrets management shortcomings and the severe impact on the bottom line, including damaged corporate reputation, alienated customers and delayed product cycles.

"Secrets are now the lifeblood for IT and DevOps as they seek to support the explosion of apps and services now required in the modern enterprise" said Jeff Shiner, 1Password CEO. "Our research reveals that secrets are booming, but IT and DevOps teams are not meeting rigorous standards to protect them -- and in the process are putting organizations at risk of incurring tremendous cost. It's time for companies to take a hard look at how they manage secrets, and adopt practices and solutions to 'put the secret back into secrets' to support a culture of security."

Secrets Are Everywhere

Today, two in three (65%) of IT and DevOps employees estimate their company has more than 500 secrets -- and nearly 1 in 5 (18%) say they have more than they can count.

Managing Secrets is Expensive: IT and DevOps spend an average of 25 minutes each day managing secrets, at an estimated payroll expense of $8.5B annually across companies in the US.

IT and DevOps spend an average of 25 minutes each day managing secrets, at an estimated payroll expense of annually across companies in the US. More Apps, More Secrets: Half (51%) of IT/DevOps workers say their time spent managing secrets has increased in the last year, and for 10% it's more than doubled.

Loose Secrets Sink Enterprises

1Password's research found that losing control of secrets can damage many aspects of enterprise operations and undermine the bottom line.

Financial Pain: IT/DevOps workers whose company lost control of secrets said their company lost, on average, $1.2M . Ten percent of IT/DevOps who experienced secrets leakage said their company lost more than $5M -- amounting to billions across the national economy.

IT/DevOps workers whose company lost control of secrets said their company lost, on average, . Ten percent of IT/DevOps who experienced secrets leakage said their company lost more than -- amounting to billions across the national economy. Bad Business Side Effects: Two in five (40%) of IT/DevOps workers at organizations who've experienced secrets leakage report brand reputation damage; 29% say it led to lost clients.

Two in five (40%) of IT/DevOps workers at organizations who've experienced secrets leakage report brand reputation damage; 29% say it led to lost clients. Product Delays : IT/DevOps shared that 61% of projects are delayed due to poor secret management.

: IT/DevOps shared that 61% of projects are delayed due to poor secret management. Ex-Employee Risk Factor: Three out of four (77%) IT/DevOps workers say that they still have some amount of access to their former with over a third (37%) saying that they still have full access.

IT/DevOps Can't Keep Up With Secrets

More than half (52% ) of IT and DevOps workers say that the explosion of cloud applications has made managing secrets more difficult.

IT/DevOps Are Too Busy to Keep Secrets: The very people that should be keeping secrets aren't making it a priority; four in five (80%) employees of IT/DevOps organizations admit to not managing their secrets well.

The very people that should be keeping secrets aren't making it a priority; four in five (80%) employees of IT/DevOps organizations admit to not managing their secrets well. Secrets, Secrets Everywhere: One in four (25%) employees at IT/DevOps companies have secrets in 10 or more different locations and have shared with colleagues via insecure channels -- email (59%), chat services such as Slack (40%), spreadsheets/shared documents (36%) and text (26%).

One in four (25%) employees at IT/DevOps companies have secrets in 10 or more different locations and have shared with colleagues via insecure channels -- email (59%), chat services such as Slack (40%), spreadsheets/shared documents (36%) and text (26%). Undermining the Enterprise: IT/DevOps employees report that poorly managing enterprise secrets wastes time (48%), delays projects (38%), frustrates employees (36%) and disrupts workflows (33%).

Sloppy Secrets

IT and DevOps employees are concerned about the consequences of their companies not doing enough to secure their secrets. However, IT and DevOps employees also admit to being careless when sharing secrets, opening the door to potential leaks.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat: Nearly two thirds (64%) of IT/DevOps workers admit to reusing enterprise secrets between projects.

Nearly two thirds (64%) of IT/DevOps workers admit to reusing enterprise secrets between projects. Passing Notes Around the Server Room: One in three(36%) IT/DevOps workers say they'll share secrets over insecure channels to increase productivity and speed.

One in three(36%) IT/DevOps workers say they'll share secrets over insecure channels to increase productivity and speed. Enforcement Issues: Nearly all (97%) of IT/DevOps workers report their organization has a policy in place for enterprise secrets generation, but just over a third (36%) say their company is strict with its policy enforcement.

Nearly all (97%) of IT/DevOps workers report their organization has a policy in place for enterprise secrets generation, but just over a third (36%) say their company is strict with its policy enforcement. Terror Time: Half (51%) of IT/DevOps workers have explicit fears with the way their company currently handles secrets.

Bosses Are the "Leak" Link

Those with most at stake -- managers and VPs -- are more likely to circumvent security policies, reuse secrets and access production systems without permission.

Convenience Over Security: Sixty-three percent of team leads and managers and 67% of VP and above have ignored or worked around company security policies to meet COVID-19 work demands--nearly triple the rate of individual IT/DevOps contributors (25%).

Sixty-three percent of team leads and managers and 67% of VP and above have ignored or worked around company security policies to meet COVID-19 work demands--nearly triple the rate of individual IT/DevOps contributors (25%). VPs Are Double the Trouble: Four in five (81%) IT/DevOps VPs and above have reused secrets between projects, compared to 65% of team leads and managers. VPs and above are twice as likely to reuse secrets as individual contributors (39%).

The full report can be viewed HERE .

About 1Password

1Password is the leader in enterprise password management. By combining industry-leading security and award-winning design, the company provides private, secure and user-friendly password and secrets management to businesses and consumers globally. 1Password's Enterprise Password Manager is trusted by more than 80,000 business customers, including IBM, Slack, PagerDuty, WealthSimple and Gitlab. Learn more at 1Password.com.

Survey Methodology

1Password conducted this research using an online survey prepared by Method Research and distributed by RepData among n=500 full-time U.S. employees who work in their company's IT department or in a DevOps role at a company with more than 500. Data was collected from April 8 - April 21, 2021.

SOURCE 1Password

Related Links

https://1password.com


ASHLAND, Ore., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker today announces its return to private ownership, marking a seismic shift in the 25-year-history of America's original craft chocolate brand. SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker was recently purchased for an undisclosed sum from The Hershey Company, where it has been held since 2005, and the brand and manufacturing have relocated to a new craft facility in Ashland, OR. The brand, under new ownership, will make its official debut at booth 11542 at the NCA Sweets & Snacks Expo, held in Indianapolis from June 23-25, 2021.

"We are excited to take SCHARFFEN BERGER back to its private ownership roots. Embracing a founder mentality once again, we can infuse energy, passion and a deep love and respect for the brand back into everything we do," said Paul Cherrie, chief executive officer for SCHARFFEN BERGER. "SCHARFFEN BERGER has a rich history and an amazing quality heritage. We are honored to be able to carry forward founder John Scharffenberger's vision of making chocolate with the soul of a fine wine."

Cherrie brings not only entrepreneurial and leadership expertise but also deep confectionery experience to his role, having held global management positions previously at both Concord Confections (Dubble Bubble) and The Topps Company. Joining Cherrie at the helm of the new independent SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker is a team of industry experts who will ensure the brand's success from the outset. Cherrie continues, "It was paramount to bring a deeply experienced team on board to make sure we could live up to the SCHARFFEN BERGER name and reputation from our very first chocolate run. The level of expertise and pure passion for the brand that this team delivers is humbling."

Joining Cherrie at the helm of SCHARFFEN BERGER are chocolate industry veterans including:

Ray Major , Master Chocolate Maker a recognized leader in cocoa sourcing and production, Major has been in the confections industry for more than 45 years. He brings his extensive cacao sourcing, cocoa production, processing and chocolate making expertise to his role at SCHARFFEN BERGER, building upon the work he did with the brand while at The Hershey Company.

a recognized leader in cocoa sourcing and production, Major has been in the confections industry for more than 45 years. He brings his extensive cacao sourcing, cocoa production, processing and chocolate making expertise to his role at SCHARFFEN BERGER, building upon the work he did with the brand while at The Hershey Company. Wade Latz , Engineer Latz, an MBA and electrical engineer, spent 35 years at The Hershey Company, where he led Global Engineering for 10 years and was responsible for the entire US Supply Chain including Engineering, Manufacturing and all production planning and scheduling.

Latz, an MBA and electrical engineer, spent 35 years at The Hershey Company, where he led Global Engineering for 10 years and was responsible for the entire US Supply Chain including Engineering, Manufacturing and all production planning and scheduling. Peter Lord , Engineer Lord, a chemical engineer, spent 40 years at The Hershey Company where he designed some of the largest and most advanced chocolate making systems in the world, producing as much as a million pounds of chocolate a day.

Lord, a chemical engineer, spent 40 years at The Hershey Company where he designed some of the largest and most advanced chocolate making systems in the world, producing as much as a million pounds of chocolate a day. Chris Spirko , Chief Financial Officer  an experienced finance executive from M&M Mars.

 an experienced finance executive from M&M Mars. John Scharffenberger , AdvisorFounder Scharffenberger is working closely with Cherrie and the new leadership team to ensure the quality and nuance of the brand's original formulation are upheld, delivering complex, cacao-forward fine chocolate for baking, pairing and eating.

Founded in 1996 by winemaker John Scharffenberger and fine food enthusiast Robert Steinberg, SCHARFFEN BERGER led the American bean-to-bar craft chocolate movement. Combining practices of chocolate and winemaking, SCHARFFEN BERGER has long recognized the importance of the source of its cacao. SCHARFFEN BERGER travels the world in search of the finest beans, carefully selecting and blending beans from fabled cacao producing countries. The specific flavors of each bean combine to create chocolate with balance and pleasing complexitynot unlike a fine wine.

Beans from each region are picked for their unique flavor characteristicschocolate, fruit, spice, floral tobacco, leather, woody, earthyand are specially roasted to bring out these notes. SCHARFFEN BERGER blends these freshly roasted beans to produce its signature flavors, balanced and complex, highlighting the true, rich flavors of cacao.

"We are committed to carrying forward John's legacy, sourcing the finest cacao from the best Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and making the best tasting chocolate on the planet," continued Cherrie.

SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker crafts a select assortment of fine baking and tasting chocolate bars and chunks as well as cocoa powder. SCHARFFEN BERGER chocolate, in Milk (41% cacao), Semi-sweet (62% cacao), Bittersweet (70% cacao) and Extra Dark Unsweetened (99%), is available at premium grocers and specialty food shops across the US, and online at www.scharffenberger.com.

The company's new craft facility in Ashland, OR is running its first chocolate batch this month. "Our location in Oregon's Rogue Valley brings SCHARFFEN BERGER back to its West Coast homeland and ideally situates us among this country's leading craft and artisan wine, cheese and fine food makers. We are excited to join this community and look forward to learning from and partnering with these top-notch, like-minded craft companies," Cherrie concluded.

About SCHARFFEN BERGER

SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker is America's original craft chocolate. Founded in 1996 by winemaker John Scharffenberger and fine food enthusiast Robert Steinberg, SCHARFFEN BERGER pioneered the bean-to-bar chocolate movement, employing a craft process that is still in place today. Headquartered in Ashland, OR, SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker crafts a select assortment of fine baking and tasting chocolate bars and chunks as well as cocoa powder. Available in Milk (41% cacao), Semisweet (62% cacao), Bittersweet (70% cacao) and Extra Dark Unsweetened (99%), SCHARFFEN BERGER chocolate is sold at premium grocers and specialty food shops across the US and online at www.scharffenberger.com. For more information, visit www.scharffenberger.com.

SOURCE SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker

Related Links

http://www.scharffenberger.com


MONTVALE, N.J., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) recently upgraded its Synappx application suite to include touchless mobile authentication at the copier to extend to protected environments, such as PaperCut MF, through the rf IDEAS' WAVE ID Mobile card and mobile credential reader with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.

The updated Synappx Go application enables IT managers concerned with maintaining security to support a contactless solution as employees are increasingly returning to the office. With the Synappx Go app, mobile-centric workers can now use their smartphone to authenticate at the copier without requiring their ID card. Once authenticated, Synappx Go helps modern workers gain convenience and safety by operating shared copiers in the office from their smartphone without touching them. To accommodate all types of employees, IT managers still can support ID card tap, providing greater flexibility in implementation. Powered by Microsoft Azure, Synappx Go is built for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspaces, and provides additional layers of IT control. In addition, employees' mobile devices are not required to be on the corporate network, minimizing the need for mobile device management.

"rf IDEAS is proud of this collaboration with Sharp to bring a truly touchless, convenient and secure way to operate shared devices with smartphones to employees returning to the office in a wide variety of work environments," said Tod Besse, SVP, Global Sales and Marketing at rf IDEAS. "The new Synappx Go app working in tandem with our WAVE ID Mobile reader will have a major impact on workplace efficiency and security across all industries."

"As employees return to the office, IT teams are tasked with ensuring workplaces are secure and safe to return to," said Dave Farrell, SVP, Global Go To Market at PaperCut. "Together, PaperCut and Synappx Go can empower IT teams by providing control and security via PaperCut applications and convenience and safety with Synappx Go."

Other new functionalities of the new Synappx Go release include the ability to easily print or display texted photos or attachments on a multifunction printer (MFP) or professional display. Additionally, the new release provides enhanced remote operations for collaboration, including sharing PDF and image files on the display, helping modern workers collaborate safely and conveniently using the same mobile app that they use for copiers. Additionally, Synappx Meeting now includes autocasting to a professional display with Google Cast/Chromecast, as well as its already supported Barco's ClickShare and Miracast. It also has the added ability to connect to Zoom for ad hoc meetings, which allows users to instantly create, invite and start meetings, encouraging spontaneous collaboration in shared spaces.

"Sharp continues to execute on our strategy to enable our clients to create a Simply Smarter Workplace by easing collaboration, improving safety measures and ensuring information security," said Vince Jannelli, AVP, Software Product Management, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. "Our Synappx applications simplify and improve mobile collaboration and information sharing. By working with PaperCut and rf IDEAS, this latest release extends this value into secure hard copy environments."



The latest versions of Synappx Go and Synappx Meeting are available for download from the Microsoft Store, Apple App Store or Google Play.

About Sharp Electronics Corporation

Sharp Electronics Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corporation. Sharp is a worldwide developer of one-of-a-kind home appliances, networked multifunctional office solutions, professional displays and smart office technologies. Sharp has been named to Fortune magazine's 2020 World's Most Admired Company List, a ranking of the world's most respected and reputable companies.

About Sharp Imaging and Information Company

Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, strives to help businesses achieve Simply Smarter work through technology that is smart and easy to use. The aim of the Simply Smarter Workplace strategy is to accelerate collaboration, improve efficiencies, digitize workflows, and increase information security. Sharp's expansive line of products and solutions include interactive displays such as the award-winning Windows collaboration display and AQUOS BOARD interactive display, commercial displays, security-first laptops, desktop monitors and a full suite of multifunction copier and printer solutions.

For more information on Sharp's business products, visit our website at business.sharpusa.com.

Become a fan of Sharp business products on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram and watch us on YouTube .

Peppercomm for Sharp

Paul Merchan

212.931.6172

[email protected]

SOURCE Sharp Electronics Corporation

Related Links

http://www.sharpusa.com


CHICAGO and ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Crash Champions ("Crash" or the "Company"), a leading independent collision repair company, announced today that the Company has entered into an agreement with Signature Collision Centers ("Signature"), one of the largest family owned, independent collision repair companies on the East Coast, by which Signature will join the Crash platform through a strategic transaction. The newly combined company will operate under the Crash name and banner, creating a nation-wide platform with 118 locations strategically located across 12 states and Washington, DC.

Headquartered in Annapolis (MD), Signature operates 24 high-performing locations across states throughout the greater Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, and Washington, DC. Following the transaction, Signature founder and CEO Charles (Chuck) Pipkin will retain an ownership stake in Crash and transition to a new role as an Executive Board Member with the Company, where he will work closely with Crash Champions founder and CEO Matt Ebert to continue growing the business at the national level.

"This partnership represents a collaboration between two of the leading names in the U.S. collision repair industry," said Ebert. "Our growth strategy is rooted in identifying the right shops and owners who can be true partners and stewards of the Crash brand. This means not only creating near-term value when they join the Company through a transaction, but creating long-term value through continued contributions as members of our leadership and ownership teams. Chuck and his team are the ideal partners, and we're excited to welcome them to the Crash family and extend our brand to the East Coast."

"This is a monumental moment for Signature, one that we've been working towards for a long time," said Pipkin. "Since our founding in 2004, we have been committed to building this business with a very specific vision and set of values. As we looked to the future, it became clear that we needed to join forces with like-minded individuals in order to take our business to the next level and achieve the full value of our platform. Our search for that partner started and ended with Crash Champions, which not only has the team and resources to accelerate our growth, but shares the same operational ethos and commitment to excellence. This is the next logical step for our business, an exciting new chapter, and an ideal opportunity to continue building our legacy under a new powerful name and brand."

This will be the 42nd successful transaction that the Company has completed since July 2019. Through these transactions, Crash has transformed itself from a regional player operating eight locations in the greater-Chicago area, to one of the fastest growing collision repair companies in America, with what will be 118 locations across 12 states (California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin  and Washington, DC), at the closing of this transaction.

"We have enjoyed significant growth over the last two years by carefully planning and executing a national M&A strategy, including identifying the right targets, partnering with talented management teams, and properly integrating each operation into our platform," added Ebert. "Our pipeline for quality M&A remains strong, the Crash brand still has significant room to grow, and we look forward to continuing our marketplace expansion."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Contact:

Gaffney Bennett

[email protected]

About Crash Champions

Crash Champions is a leading independent collision repair company operating 118 state-of-the-art centers across 12 states  including: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin  and Washington, DC. Founded in 1999 as a single shop outside Chicago by industry veteran and entrepreneur Matt Ebert, today Crash Champions is a top national brand and one of the fastest growing collision repair companies in America. For more information, visit www.crashchampions.com .

About Signature Collision

Founded in 2004 by Charles "Chuck" Pipkin, Signature Collision is one of the largest independent collision repair companies on the East Coast. The company operates 24 collision repair centers across states throughout the greater Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, and Washington, DC. As part of its commitment to carriers and customers, Signature Collision embraces the Direct Repair Process model, which allows the company to offer lower rates to insurance partners and reinvest more in quality employees, equipment, training, and processes. As a result, carriers pay less and customers enjoy consistently high-quality service and workmanship. For more information, please visit www.signaturecollisioncenters.com .

SOURCE Crash Champions

Related Links

http://www.crashchampions.com


MALAGA, Spain, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2021, SKAL International has become an official member of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Associate Community. SKAL International has been working closely with WTTC since early 2020, when the Covid 19 pandemic hit the world.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is the global authority on the economic and social contribution of Travel & Tourism. WTTC promotes sustainable growth for the Travel & Tourism sector, working with governments and international institutions to create jobs, drive exports and generate prosperity. Council Members are the Chairs, Presidents, and Chief Executives of the world's leading private sector Travel & Tourism businesses. The World Travel & Tourism Council of 2020 is an organization that has developed enormously since its inception, yet it still holds the same core values and purpose. WTTC's Members remain the driving force behind its activities and policies.

"The current situation presents challenges that require all our collective energy. In this context, alliances between organizations are also crucial to building the necessary significant social pact. Building bridges is fundamental, and collaborations are the cornerstone to foster understanding and broad consensus. For this reason, Skal International continues to strengthen ties and promote joint work with prominent organizations in the sector to reconstruct the tourism industry. In addition to our ongoing work with the UNWTO, we have recently formalized a new alliance with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). We are now an associate member of WTTC. We have recently endorsed the Supporting Women in Travel & Tourism initiative, a document that recognizes the contribution of women around the world and the importance of an equitable environment for women to thrive as leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators," Said Daniela Otero, CEO, SKAL International.

In the framework of the cooperation agreement with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), SKAL International is now participating in rebuilding the tourism industry. As of June 8, 2021, SKAL International has become an authorized partner of WTTC to issue a "WTTC Safe Travels Stamp" for all Skal members who would like to apply and qualify for it.

The WTTC #SafeTravels Stamp was created for travelers to recognize destinations and businesses worldwide that have adopted the #SafeTravels health and hygiene global standardized Protocols. Eligible companies such as hotels, restaurants, airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, attractions, short-term rentals car, rentals outdoor, shopping, transportation, and airports will be able to use the stamp once WTTC outlines the health and hygiene protocols have been implemented.

"One of SKAL's stated objectives is to promote the development of the Travel and Tourism Industry worldwide through global partnerships. Our alliance with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is of strategic importance to our organization. We are proud of CEO Daniela Otero's work with the WTTC. As an Associate Member, we firmly support the Security and Travel Facilitation initiative WTTC #SafeTravels Stamp to help the industry recover from the Pandemic and re-start travel," Said Bill Rheaume, World President, SKAL International.

The WTTC #SafeTravels Stamp aims to align the private sector with common standards to ensure the safety of its workforce and travelers as each country or region moves to the "new normal." The stamp allows travelers to recognize businesses worldwide that have adopted this global health, hygiene, sanitation, and physical distancing protocols issued by the WTTC to Covid-19.

SKAL International is the world's largest global network of Tourism Professionals with over 12,700 members globally in over 100 countries, promoting Tourism, Business, and Friendship worldwide since 1934. Its members are Directors and Executives of the Tourism sector who relate to each other to address common interest issues, improve a business network, and promote destinations. For more information about SKAL International and membership, please visit skal.org.

Press Release Contact:

Burcin Turkkan - Senior Vice President SKAL International

PR/ Communications and Digital Media

[email protected]

SOURCE Skal International

Related Links

https://www.skal.org/


LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Whiplash, a provider of true omnichannel fulfillment and logistics services, continues to enhance its long-time partnership with client SodaStream, a top global sparking water brand. The 3PL played a central role in scaling operations to support SodaStream U.S. fulfillment in response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, setting the foundation for growth as consumer shopping behavior changes.

Whiplash's ability to support SodaStream's sudden increase in online sales was made possible by a powerful combination of advanced technology and logistics expertise, bred from decades of hands-on industry experience.

By shifting capacity between the 3PL's East Coast and West Coast facilities at the height of the pandemic, when many specialty and department stores were temporarily closed, Whiplash enabled SodaStream to make a seamless pivot to managing higher online order volumes. With ecommerce sales booming as a result of in-store retail restrictions, this flexibility made the brand better positioned to capitalize on key growth opportunities.

"When the pandemic took hold in March-April 2020, we were faced with our online order volumes surging beyond what we would normally handle even during peak season," said Robert Hedwall, Manager of Supply Chain and Logistics at SodaStream. "Whiplash was able to scale up fulfillment activities at our West Coast location ten-fold within just two weeks, and then scale down just as efficiently when normal patterns resumed in May. Their capacity to meet our newfound needs so quickly made them an invaluable partner during such a challenging time."

SodaStream has been a Whiplash fulfillment customer since 2010, marking one of the 3PL's longest and most successful partnerships to date.

"As the retail sector heads toward recovery in the latter half of 2021, it will be even more important for brands to choose fulfillment partners who can adapt to this dynamic environment," said Brian Weinstein, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Whiplash. "It's still too early to know what will happen to consumer shopping habits when restrictions end. While the strong growth of ecommerce is likely to continue, the depth of the shift back to brick-and-mortar sales is a larger unknown. That's why it's so important to partner with a 3PL that can pivot quickly to meet changing trends in the evolving omnichannel marketplace."

About SodaStream

SodaStream, part of PepsiCo, is the world's leading sparkling water brand by volume consumption. SodaStream enables consumers to enjoy endless bubbles at home, without hassle, and help save the planet. SodaStream bubbles are better for the consumerhealthy, easy to make, light to carryand better for the planetreplacing thousands of single-use plastic bottles with one reusable SodaStream bottle. Products are available at more than 80,000 retail stores across 46 countries. To learn more about SodaStream visit https://sodastream.com/

About Whiplash

Whiplash is a leading provider of direct-to-consumer fulfillment and retail logistics, including end-to-end customer care, transportation, distribution, and value-added warehouse services. Its high-performance operations are supported by its namesake ecommerce platform and a suite of advanced technology solutions, enabling the multi-channel connectivity required by the retail supply chains of today and tomorrow. Operating 18 distribution centers nationwide across more than 6.5 million square feet of space in addition to its international partner network, Whiplash brings emerging and established brands the scale and vision they need to grow and succeed.

For more information, visit: https://www.whiplash.com/

SOURCE Whiplash

Related Links

https://whiplash.com/


QINGDAO, China, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SOS Limited (NYSE: SOS) (the "Company"or "SOS") announced today that it has entered into a joint venture agreement with Niagara Development LLC ("Niagara Development"), a New Jersey limited liability company, for a joint venture to be based in Niagara, Wisconsin.

The joint venture, FD LLC, is expected to carry out crypto-currency mining operations and construct an international standardized Digital Super Computing Custody Operation Center.

Under terms of the agreement, Niagara Development will be responsible for providing up to 150MW of electricity, including electricity generated from renewable sources, and construction the Digital Super Computing Custody Operation Center. SOS will be responsible for the management, operations and financing of the joint venture. SOS remains committed to its block-chain strategy and strive to become a sustainability leader in the industry.

In response to developments in the laws and regulations pertaining to blockchain operations in China, SOS has begun shifting its bitcoin mining operations to the U.S. The majority of SOS' China operations, namely, its insurance businesses, call centers and ethereum mining businesses, remain unaffected and fully operational.

Yandai Wang, Chairman of SOS, commented, "SOS continues to increase its development of comprehensive blockchain solutions for digital trade, digital finance and other industries. We decided to acquire a sustainable power supply as far as possible, as we expand our blockchain operations into North America and look forward to successful operation of the joint venture. We continue to explore the possibility of acquisition of Niagara Development, Sherman Development LLC, and Park Falls Management LLC. Although at this point, we do not have any definitive agreement for such acquisition, we remain optimistic about our strategic expansion in North America."

SOS is an emerging marketing and solution provider based on blockchain and big data . It has about 20 million members in China. In July 2020, the headquarters of SOS moved from Gui'an new area to Qingdao West Coast new area. SOS has outlined its strategy in blockchain and cryptocurrency, including a series of measures to expand its business to cryptocurrency mining and cryptocurrency security and insurance. The core infrastructure of SOS' marketing data, technology and solutions to insurance and emergency rescue services is built on big data, blockchain-based technology, cloud computing, AI, satellite, and 5G network, etc. SOS has created a cloud "software as a service (SaaS)" platform for emergency rescue services, with three major product categories: basic cloud, cooperative cloud, and information cloud. This system provides innovative marketing solutions to clients, such as insurance companies, financial institutions, medical institutions, healthcare providers, auto manufacturers, and other service providers in the emergency rescue services industry.

SOS has obtained a national high-tech enterprise certification and the title of "Big Data Star Enterprise," awarded by the Gui'an New District Government. Staying on the forefront of digital technology innovation, the Company has registered 99 software copyrights and 3 patents. For more information, please visit: http://www.sosyun.com/

Certain statements made herein are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," "outlook," and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward-looking statements include timing of the proposed transaction; the business plans, objectives, expectations and intentions of the parties; SOS' estimated and future results of operations, business strategies, competitive position, industry environment and potential growth opportunities market acceptance of our products; the ultimate impact of the current Coronavirus pandemic, or any other health epidemic, on our business, our research programs, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole; our intellectual property; our reliance on third party organizations; our anticipated financial and operating results, including anticipated sources of revenues; our assumptions regarding the size of the available market, benefits of our product offering, product pricing, timing of product launches; management's expectation with respect to future acquisitions; statements regarding our goals, intentions, plans and expectations, including the introduction of new products and markets; and our cash needs and financing plans.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: Readers are cautioned that the outcome of any legal proceedings that have been, or will be, instituted against the Company or other parties to the JV following announcement of the JV and planned operations of the JV; the ability of the Company to meet NYSE listing standards following the transaction and in connection with the consummation thereof; the inability to engage in the operations of the JV; risks that the proposed operations disrupts current plans and operations; costs related to the JV's operations; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the ability of the JV to meet its financial and strategic goals, due to, among other things, competition, the ability of the Company to grow and manage growth profitability, maintain relationships with customers and retain its key employees; the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and other risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in other reports and other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") by the Company.

These forward-looking statements reflect the current analysis of existing information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. As a result, caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements. SOS may not realize its expectations, and its beliefs may not prove correct. Due to known and unknown risks, our actual results may differ materially from our expectations or projections. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact our expectations and projections can be found in our periodic filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. SOS' SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. SOS disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE SOS Limited
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sterling Organization, a vertically integrated private equity real estate investment firm, headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL, is pleased to welcome Bob Dake to its leadership team as Chief Operating Officer, Retail. Mr. Dake will formally start at Sterling on July 19, 2021, and will be responsible for and oversee the firm's retail real estate operating assets. He will lead the leasing, lease administration, property management, property marketing, and construction teams for a growing portfolio of retail real estate assets currently consisting of approximately 60 properties and more than 8 million square feet. Mr. Dake will sit on all the firm's retail fund investment committees.

Bob Dake, COO of Retail for Sterling Organization

"Our entire team is thrilled to be welcoming Bob to our senior leadership team," said Brian Kosoy, Managing Principal and CEO of Sterling Organization. "Bob is a proven dynamic leader and a highly respected Senior Executive who brings both tremendous experience and relationships to our team. We are excited to have Bob help guide our organization for many years to come as we navigate and capitalize on opportunities in a post-COVID-19 environment," added Brian Kosoy.

Mr. Dake joins Sterling from ShopOne Centers REIT where he most recently served as the firm's COO, overseeing a portfolio of grocery-anchored and necessity-based shopping centers across the country. Over the past decade, Mr. Dake has also held senior positions at Brixmor Property Group and Equity One. Mr. Dake is a Trustee of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and in 2020, Mr. Dake was recognized as one of ICSC's 4 under 40 honorees. He holds a BA from Miami University of Ohio and a Certificate in Real Estate Finance and Investments from NYU, Schack Institute of Real Estate.

"I am thrilled to join the Sterling Organization, which has consistently proven to be a leading owner, operator, and manager of high-quality shopping centers throughout the United States. I believe my institutional experience and deep industry relationships will provide a fresh perspective and prove beneficial in further establishing the company as a best-in-class owner and operator of retail real estate." said Bob Dake.

Sterling Organization is a vertically integrated private equity real estate investment firm whose national platform is focused on investing in consumer-centric real estate assets that serve the LAST HOUR function within the retail supply chain. Sterling Organization's LAST HOUR is a combination of services which includes the investment in, planning for, development of, and/or operation of real estate assets and physical networks that include shopping centers, other traditional brick and mortar retail properties, Neighborhood Fulfillment Centers, micro-fulfillment centers, logistics facilities and urban distribution centers that focus on and enable the efficient and rapid inventorying and distribution of consumer products to the ultimate customer resulting from their location or proximity to the population base they serve. From coast to coast, the West Palm Beach, FL based firm, and its principals, own more than 12 million square feet of real estate approaching $2.2 billion in value.

Dana Verhelst

Sterling Organization

[email protected]

Related Images

bob-dake.jpg

Bob Dake

Bob Dake, COO of Retail for Sterling Organization

SOURCE Sterling Organization
HOUSTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Kefas Mugittu (Ph.D.) and Mr. Christopher Ramirez have officially been appointed as co-chief executive officers of Houston-based biotechnology company Stramsen Biotech Inc.

Stramsen Biotech, Inc

Dr. Kefas Mugittu holds a PhD in microbiology from the University of Basel, Switzerland. He is a versatile and determined biomedical-cum-molecular biology scientist with more than 18 years of experience in infectious disease research. He was part of a group that implemented several antimalarial drug trials and therapeutic efficacy testing in Africa, including the large-scale WHO (n = 3000) Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) trials in 9 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kefas analyzed and compared the genetic profile of baseline and recurrent parasites in order to sort out recrudescent infections from new infections. He also profiled genetic drug resistance markers. Collectively, these findings paved the way for continent-wide withdrawal of malaria monotherapies and adoption of ACTs. Kefas then took up a Post-doctoral Fellowship position at the National Institute of Tropical Diseases in Singapore (NITD), where he worked on tuberculosis research using state-of-the-art laboratory facilities at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS). He developed a sensitive high-throughput molecular tool for tuberculosis strain identification and resistance profiling.

Mr. Christopher Ramirez received his liberal arts and business degree from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. He has an extensive career in managing franchises such us movie theatres and has held positions in several public relation companies which handled Warner Brothers, Miramax, and Disney clients. This gave him unique insight in the management, advertising and marketing industry.

"We plan to raise and invest millions of dollars for clinical trials, IND and FDA fees in the next 3 years. Dr. Kefas and Mr. Ramirez will lead this next phase of our clinical trials as we focus on expanding our operations in this dynamic biotechnology industry," Vice President Michelle Thompson said in her statement.

Stramsen Biotech Inc. has over six drug/medicine candidates in early-stage clinical trials. Five of these drug candidates have shown promising results for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, diabetic wounds, common Flu, as well as chronic and advanced stage cancers respectively. The sixth notable drug candidate is in the form of vaccine that targets Newcastle disease, an infection of domestic poultry and other bird species. A number of these drugs/medicine are currently in use in different countries overseas. Our mission is to test and prove the efficacy of these drug candidates for use in the US market.

www.StramsenBiotech.com

https://www.facebook.com/StramsenBiotech

https://twitter.com/stramsen

Toll Free Tel +1-800-485-2110

Direct Tel+1-713-260-2622

Media Contact:

Michael Smith



SOURCE Stramsen Biotech, Inc

Related Links

http://www.StramsenBiotech.com


SPRING, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Coconut Day (June 26), the Coconut Coalition of the Americas (CCA) has launched its Lighting Up Lives initiative to raise funds to install solar panel lighting for coconut farmers. CCA, the non-profit organization serving as the united voice for the coconut industry, has partnered with Primex Isle de Coco Foundation to identify the farmers and install the solar lighting. Farmer families who have young children are eligible for this program, and the solar lighting will provide power for three light sources in the home.

"Coconut farmers are essential to the coconut industry," said CCA Executive Director Len Monheit. "Lighting Up Lives allows us to have a direct impact on these essential workers' quality of life. The solar lighting will allow the farmers' children to do their homework at night, for families to read together and do other activities that require light." Many coconut farmers do not have electricity. CCA's Lighting Up Lives initiative will install solar panels to provide light to these homes.

"Coconut farmers are essential to the coconut industry," said CCA Executive Director Len Monheit. "Lighting Up Lives allows us to have a direct impact on these essential workers' quality of life. The solar lighting will allow the farmers' children to do their homework at night, for families to read together and do other activities that require light."

This program will benefit coconut farmers globally and the solar panel installation will take place from July to September.

CCA's core workplan is focused on growing the category, correcting coconut's allergen classification as a tree nut, changing the saturated fats narrative, supporting & enhancing sustainability practices, promoting quality standards, and defending the category against attacks.

Learn more about the Coconut Coalition of the Americas and how to contribute to the Lighting Up Lives initiative at CoconutCoalition.org.

About the Coconut Coalition of the Americas

The Coconut Coalition of the Americas (CCA) was founded in 2017 when coconut industry stakeholders realized that one unified voice was needed for the North American coconut trade. Industry members came together to steward the category and promote the facts about coconut oil and coconut products. CCA established National Coconut Day in 2019, which annually celebrates all things coconut and strives to increase awareness of coconut benefits.

About National Coconut Day

In 2019, the Coconut Coalition of the Americas founded National Coconut Day to celebrate the mighty coconut and increase awareness of its benefits. It's more than just a baking staple. On June 24, 2019, the Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed National Coconut Day to be observed on June 26th annually.

Media Contact:

Traci Kantowski

+1 (832) 843-7287

[email protected]

SOURCE Coconut Coalition of the Americas
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.

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

[email protected]

469-292-5290

SOURCE Toyota Motor North America

Related Links

www.toyota.com


CHANGZHOU, China, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 16, trucks loaded with Trina Solar's 210mm 670W Vertex ultra-high power modules left from the company's manufacturing center in Yancheng, in eastern China's Jiangsu province, and drove to the solar park in Dachaidan, Qinghai, in western China. It was the first of many such shipments, with all modules for the project on track to be delivered by the end of August, adding up to a total power output of 112MW.

https://www.trinasolar.com/sites/default/files/20210622133344.jpg

The modules are scheduled for use in the 100 MW Phase I of the Dachaidan PV Project, a massive facility that, when finished, will have a capacity of 1,000 MW. The project exclusively uses Trina Solar 670W series ultra-high power modules.

https://www.trinasolar.com/sites/default/files/20210622133401.jpg

The Dachaidan Region, located at the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin, is vast, with an average altitude of more than 3,400 meters, making it an ideal place for building solar power generation facilities. However, as the facility is located in the desert, the owner decided that he only wanted to use PV modules with high capacity and high reliability. After comparisons with rival products, the owner finally chose Trina Solar's 210mm 670W Vertex series of ultra-high power modules, a new series launched this year. The series has passed the TUV reliability test and been granted the IEC module performance standards certificates. Furthermore, they are already in mass production. The ability to already be shipping in bulk means that the PV 6.0 era is here while 600W+ modules are becoming the optimal solution as solar reaches price parity with grid-supplied electricity.

Trina Solar's 210mm 670W Vertex series module, which inherits 210mm Series' sophisticated non-destructive cutting and high-density packaging technologies, is a high-power, high-efficiency, reliable and high generating capacity product, suitable for large-scale ground power plants. From the upstream perspective, the module series boasts a reduction in the non-silicon cost of silicon wafers and cells, while, from the downstream perspective, the cost of racks, pile foundations, cables and labor of the mounting system has also been lowered. Compared with competitors' best 585W modules, the string power of the 670W module is 41% higher, while a saving of 2-3% is achieved in LCOE. When compared with mainstream 450W modules, the 670W version reduces the system BOS cost by 0.15-0.2 yuan/watt, and LCOE by 4-6%.

Sending more than 100 MW of 670W modules to Qinghai is just the beginning. As a pioneer and leader in the industry, Trina Solar has established six super factories worldwide that produce 210mm modules, including the factory in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, Suqian, Jiangsu Province, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, and in Vietnam. The Yancheng plant has an annual capacity of 5GW of the 210mm modules, the industry's first fully automated production workshop incorporating modular design and the ability to locally source all necessary parts not built in-house, as well as brand new welding machines capable of welding approximately 4,000 single modules per hour, the fastest in the industry today. The plant also has fully automated visual inspection equipment based on artificial intelligence which can directly detect product defects, resulting in a substantial improvement in inspection efficiency and product yield.

"We fully expect our total cell capacity to reach about 35 GW by the end of 2021, and total module capacity to reach about 50GW, of which both 210mm cells and modules will respectively account for more than 70% of all production," said Cao Bo, Deputy General Manager of Trina Solar. "In the bidding for many large-scale projects, high-power modules are a requirement in nearly 80% of them. At the just concluded SNEC, we found that more than half of the module makers participating in the exhibition already produce and offer 210 component products. In today's PV power plant market, ultra-high-power modules have become a mainstream choice and an inevitable trend as we enter the era of price parity."

SOURCE Trina Solar Co., Ltd
DUBLIN, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TriNet, a leading provider of comprehensive human resources for small and medium-size businesses (SMBs), today announced that Lisa Reevesveteran leader in product strategy, product management and next generation digitization, has joined the company as Chief Product Officer, reporting to TriNet Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Olivier Kohler.

Reeves comes to TriNet with extensive leadership experience in product management for human capital management solutions providers. She most recently served as Chief Product Officer for Zenefits, where she led the company's product management, design, strategy and program management functions. Prior to that, she was vice president of corporate strategy for Workday, which she joined through the acquisition of her startup GridCraft, a data-analytics platform she co-founded and led.

"Lisa brings more than 25 years of experience, expertise and leadership in technology and product innovation," said Kohler. "She has a deep understanding of small and medium-size business product needs and solutionsand is an incredible addition to the TriNet leadership team. On behalf of the entire company, I would like to officially welcome Lisa to TriNet."

"I am passionate about developing innovative products that help entrepreneurs and other small and medium-size businesses succeed," said Reeves. "I have had a long-standing admiration for TriNet and am thrilled to be a part of this world-class team."

Reeves holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Kalamazoo College, an MBA in international business from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and completed the "Women on Boards: Succeeding as a Corporate Director" executive education program at Harvard Business School.

She is on the Board of Directors at Vendasta and is a Blackstone Advisor for the state of Colorado. Reeves was also appointed by the Colorado House of Representatives to the Colorado Economic Development Commission and served from 2017-2019.

About TriNet

TriNet (NYSE: TNET) provides small and medium size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR solutions tailored by industry. To free SMBs from HR complexities, TriNet offers access to human capital expertise, benefits, risk mitigation and compliance, payroll and real-time technology. From Main Street to Wall Street, TriNet empowers SMBs to focus on what matters mostgrowing their business. TriNet, incredible starts here. For more information, visit TriNet.com or follow us on Twitter.

TriNet and the TriNet logo are registered trademarks of TriNet. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE TriNet

Related Links

https://www.trinet.com


Construction companies, and real estate investors, must ensure that their business partners have the proper insurance coverages to meet their contractual risk requirements. TrustLayer's collaborative risk management platform helps construction teams track, manage, and verify the compliance statuses of subcontractors , vendors, and other third party service providers. The new integration between Procore and TrustLayer enables quick access to valuable insurance compliance details within the Procore software.

"During these tough economic times, many subcontractors are not maintaining proper commercial insurance coverage," said John Fohr, Chief Executive Officer of TrustLayer. "The TrustLayer/Procore integration allows construction companies to speed up start times by automating the collection and tracking of compliance docs."

TrustLayer uses robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) to automate the verification of insurance and licenses. The detailed risk assessments of their subcontractors that the platform provides Construction Teams is now easily accessible from within Procore.

"Our partnership with TrustLayer brings next-generation risk management technology to construction teams to help protect their businesses with vital, real-time subcontractor insurance data," said Doug Gibson, Business Development Manager at Procore. "This integration is another example of how Procore is dedicated to helping the construction industry maintain maximum efficiency while also introducing the latest innovations and technology that work synergistically with our platform and benefit users."

The integration expands Procore's insurance section with certificate of insurance tracking and real time verification that policies and limits meet contract requirements. Keeping Procore companies and projects in sync with TrustLayer parties and projects adds an extra level of efficiency for users on top of the automated Certificate of Insurance, w9, professional & business license tracking which TrustLayer provides. The integration is available now in the Procore Marketplace to TrustLayer and Procore users or learn more at: TrustLayer.io/procore.

About TrustLayer

TrustLayer is a collaborative risk management application that helps reduce friction between businesses. The company uses robotic process automation (RPA) and AI to automate the verification of insurance, licenses, and compliance documents of their business partners (i.e., vendors, subcontractors, suppliers, borrowers, tenants, ridesharing, and franchisees). TrustLayer is a proud member of BrokerTech Ventures and over 20 of the top 100 insurance brokers have invested in the company. The company also received top honors at The Institutes' 2020 annual convention. Learn more at TrustLayer.io.

About Procore

Procore is a leading provider of construction management software. Procore connects people, applications, and devices through a unified platform to help construction professionals manage risk and build quality projectssafely, on time, and within budget. Procore has a diversified business model with products for Project Management, Construction Financials, Quality & Safety, and Field Productivity. Headquartered in Carpinteria, California, with offices around the globe, Procore is used to manage billions of dollars in annual construction volume. For more information about Procore, visit procore.com.

Media Contact:

Tana Rusitanonta

[email protected]

SOURCE TrustLayer

Related Links

https://trustlayer.io/


NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 15, 2021, approximately 70 leading FinTech professionals came together for an inspirational and strategic exchange between two emerging capitals from this growing industry - Atlanta and Berlin. Focusing on the successful cooperation between Berlin and the U.S., participants discussed new perspectives, future concepts and opportunities to further the development of the FinTech ecosystem. The event was organized by the Digital Business Association Berlin-Brandenburg in partnership with Berlin Business Office, USA, Berlin Partner and the Berlin Senate for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.

Key speakers included Kristi Brigman, Director, Corporate Solutions & Cyber Security, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Grant Wainscott, Metro Atlanta, VP of Ecosystem Expansion and Dr. Christian Segal, Sales Manager Digital Economy, Berliner Sparkasse who gave the participants an overview of their respective FinTech ecosystems. An expert speaker panel featured representatives from Berlin Finance Initiative, Invest Atlanta, ATDC, Georgia Tech, Pitches by Harpocrates (Berlin), Defynance, Safely and Trust Stamp (Atlanta).

More than 400 fintech companies in the Berlin region facilitate transactions all over the world. In the fiscal year of 2019/20 Berlin was the leader in VC investments for fintech startups ahead of other major German markets  Berlin with 197 startups, more than Munich Frankfurt and Hamburg combined (MEDICI 2020). Some of Berlin's shining stars are N26 (neobank), Raisin (savings marketplace), Billie (B2B invoicing and payments) and Omni:us (insurtech) and quickly growing Penta (challenger bank for SMEs) and Moonfare (investment in private equity funds).

As the state capitol of Georgia, Atlanta appears to be the U.S. equivalent of the Berlin fintech epicenter. Nicknamed "Transaction Alley", it rivals Berlin with impressive statistics. The +50 Atlanta-area fintech companies generate over $72 billion annually, representing over 70% of all U.S. payment transactions. Figures such as these have helped the city of Atlanta become one of the most important technology hubs in the U.S.

And therein lies the similarity between the two cities and surrounding regions. Both play an important role within their respective countries. Both have attracted and keep attracting investments from venture capitalists, established companies and innovative startups. Representing Berlin, the Berlin Business Office, USA is ready to pave the way!

Kristina Garcia, Berlin Business Office USA

Tel. +1-631-303-8866

[email protected]

SOURCE Berlin Business Office, USA
SAN FRANCISCO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Verana Health, a healthcare technology and analytics innovator transforming multi-specialty clinical data into real-world evidence, has promoted Hylton Kalvaria to Chief Business Officer, a newly created role, and announced a series of appointments to drive innovation and growth. The company adds this talent to further improve patient care by using high quality, clinically rich, real-world data from physicians to provide deep analysis into observational and prospective research.

To download a photo of Hylton Kalvaria, click here.

Mr. Kalvaria will lead the company's commercial strategy and operations while continuing to spearhead its strategic partnerships with medical associations, life science companies, and biomedical research institutions.

"With his ability to build trusted relationships, his operational skills, and his strategic vision, Hylton Kalvaria will lead the expansion of our end-to-end, healthcare data analytics platform as we look to connect clinical data across sources and settings to improve human health," said Marc Berger, CEO of Verana Health. "I look forward to working together to lay the groundwork for continued growth in the real-world evidence and clinical trial acceleration spaces."

"Verana Health has forged ties grounded in trust with some of the country's leading medical societies, life science companies, and academic institutions," said Mr. Kalvaria. "What sets Verana Health apart is our direct connection to multi-specialty, real-world data. I am excited to work with our experienced and talented team and partners to bring meaning to the de-identified data and ensure clinical richness and accuracy for deep analysis. Using Verana Health's technology platform and data analytic abilities, this team will pursue medical innovations and improvements in patient care."

Mr. Kalvaria, who has served as Verana Health's Head of Strategic Partnerships since November 2019, joined the company a year earlier as vice president of life sciences. Prior to joining Verana Health, Mr. Kalvaria led Flatiron Health's San Francisco office from September 2015 to November 2018. He previously served as Director of Biooncology Data and Technology Strategy at Genentech, where he served in increasingly senior positions from 2010 to 2015. He holds a bachelor's degree and an MBA from Duke University.

Sonja Wustrack promoted to Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations

Sonja Wustrack, who has served as Vice President of Commercial Operations since joining Verana Health in December 2019, has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations.

To download a photo of Sonja Wustrack, click here.

Ms. Wustrackwho brings more than 20 years of experience in academic and clinical research, public health surveillance, and clinical trial technology to Verana Healthpreviously worked at IQVIA, where she focused on enhancing customer engagement and demonstrating improved value for life sciences companies, payors, providers, and patients by leveraging real-world data and analytics to innovate clinical trial design and accelerate execution. She holds a master's in public health in epidemiology from the Tulane School of Public Health, and a bachelor's degree in biology from Vassar College.

Ann Watson named Senior Vice President, People and Culture

Ann Watson has joined Verana Health as Senior Vice President, People and Culture with a mission to build teams that will lead the next phase of the company's growth. Ms. Watson, who brings more than 20 years of experience in human resources and talent acquisition to Verana Health, joins the company from MasterClass, where she was Chief People Officer. She previously served as Chief People Officer at Varo Bank, and ran the employee experience organization at Fandom. She holds a bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University.

To download a photo of Ann Watson, click here.

Aracelis Torres promoted to Vice President, Quantitative Sciences

Aracelis Torres joined Verana Health as Senior Director, Head of Quantitative Sciences in November 2020 and recently was promoted to Vice President, Quantitative Sciences. She leads a team of data scientists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians who are working to develop and implement methodology to generate sound scientific evidence from clinical data.

To download a photo of Aracelis Torres, click here.

Dr. Torres joins Verana Health from Flatiron Health, where she worked from August 2016 to October 2020 in a series of senior roles to launch and lead development of customized datasets and analytics. She previously worked as a senior researcher in epidemiology for The Brooklyn Hospital Center, the City of Baltimore, and Johns Hopkins University. She is also currently an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where she teaches a course on large-scale data processing and analysis. Dr. Torres holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University, a doctorate in cancer epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a master's in public health from the Yale School of Public Health.

Lindsey Karberg named Vice President of Marketing

Lindsey Karberg joins Verana Health as Vice President of Marketing, where she brings more than 15 years of experience leading groundbreaking marketing and digital innovation efforts for global healthcare organizations, including three successful start-ups.

To download a photo of Lindsey Karberg, click here.

She joins from the pharmaceutical company AbbVie (formerly Allergan), where she took on roles of increasing responsibility, including leading digital marketing for the high-growth brand, CoolSculpting, and serving as the Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation supporting multiple therapeutic areas. She previously held consumer and digital marketing leadership roles at Natera and Merz Pharma. She holds a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and a master's in global marketing management from Boston University.

"I am excited by these additions to our leadership team," said Mr. Berger. "Together these appointments will usher in a new phase of growth by accelerating our work to harness the power of Verana Health's multi-specialty data platform to advance scientific insight on behalf of clinicians and patients."

About Verana Health

Verana Health is a healthcare technology and analytics company entrusted by key medical associations to manage multi-specialty, real-world data at every stage of the analytics processfrom entry to evidence. Anchored in ophthalmology, neurology, and urology, the Company acts as a linchpin in the healthcare data ecosystem, normalizing data and enhancing its clinical richness and quality to empower physicians and accelerate research for patients. By curating and applying advanced analytics to real-world clinical data, Verana Health helps life sciences partners enhance evidence generation, reinvent observational and prospective research, and drive innovations in specific disease areas. For more information on Verana Health, visit www.veranahealth.com .

Media contact:

David Cirilli

917.750.6862

[email protected]

Megan Moriarty

Amendola Communications

913.515.7530

[email protected]

SOURCE Verana Health

Related Links

https://www.veranahealth.com


BETHESDA, Md., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced today that it has hired Susan Mello as Group Head of Capital Markets. Based out of the company's Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey office, Ms. Mello will oversee all aspects of the company's Capital Markets platform, which structures debt and equity transactions through a wide range of capital sources.

Walker & Dunlop President Howard Smith commented, "We are thrilled to bring Susan to Walker & Dunlop to lead our rapidly expanding Capital Markets platform and join the ranks of our senior management team. She is the perfect leader to position our platform for continued success over the long term and to accelerate our progress towards our ambitious Drive to '25 objectives with a combination of great people, an expanding brand, and industry-leading technology. Her experience, deep relationships and reputation in the industry are unmatched, and we cannot wait to benefit from her strong track record going forward."

"I am very excited to join Walker & Dunlop to oversee the Capital Markets group and to play an integral role in the company's continued growth and success as a member of its senior management team," stated Ms. Mello. "I was extremely motivated by W&D's exceptional growth and ambitious long-term goals, and the role that the Capital Markets team will play in the company's future growth. Finally, diversity, equity, and inclusion are extremely important to me, and I am proud to be joining a company that has become a leader in this space."

Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop, Ms. Mello was Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at PGIM Real Estate where she oversaw a series of U.S. multi-product closed end equity funds, with direct responsibility for capital raising, investment strategy, portfolio construction and investment selection. During her time at PGIM Real Estate, Ms. Mello held a number of different roles in transactions and portfolio and asset management and was directly involved in the structuring, negotiation, and management of more than $5 billion of value-add investments. Prior to PGIM, Ms. Mello was a partner at McCarter & English, LLP law firm where she worked extensively on structuring real estate development investments and joint ventures.

Ms. Mello has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Rutgers University, an LLM in taxation from New York University, and a JD degree, with high honors from Rutgers University School of Law. She is a member of the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC); the Urban Land Institute (ULI), where she is on the leadership committee for Urban Development and Mixed Used Council, Gold; the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); and the tax policy committee of the Real Estate Roundtable. Ms. Mello is also active in diversity and inclusion efforts in the industry and is a member of NMHC's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the Steering Committee for KPMG's Women in Real Estate.

As the largest commercial real estate lender in the United States in 2020, Walker & Dunlop is a leader in the industry and continues to expand its capabilities and reach across the United States with a goal to originate $65 billion of annual debt financing volume by 2025. To learn more about our Capital Markets capabilities and financing options, visit our website.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD) is the largest provider of capital to the multifamily industry in the United States and the fourth largest lender on all commercial real estate including industrial, office, retail, and hospitality. Walker & Dunlop enables real estate owners and operators to bring their visions of communities  where Americans live, work, shop and play  to life. The power of our people, premier brand, and industry-leading technology make us more insightful and valuable to our clients, providing an unmatched experience every step of the way. With over 1,000 employees across every major U.S. market, Walker & Dunlop has consistently been named one of Fortune's Great Places to Work and is committed to making the commercial real estate industry more inclusive and diverse while creating meaningful social, environmental, and economic change in our communities.

SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc.

Related Links

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NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite meaningful and sustained efforts, the STEM talent deficit remains, with insufficient talent available to meet the demand. A new whitepaper from STEMconnector and McGraw Hill offers valuable insights from educators, administrators and employers regarding the position of two-year colleges in the STEM ecosystems and how opportunities can be created for students in these programs to pursue STEM degrees. The paper, which highlights case studies and outcomes from colleges using the McGraw Hill ALEKS adaptive learning solution for math and chemistry, shows how important online interactive learning programs can be for students experiencing learning loss as a result of COVID-19-related circumstances.

New paper from STEMconnector and McGraw Hill features insights from educators and employers on how to how to meet diverse student needs through adaptive technology

The white paper, entitled Meeting Students Where They Are: Two-Year Colleges & Equitable Opportunities in STEM, can be downloaded here: https://www.stemconnector.com/download-resource/meeting-students-where-they-are/

"Two-year colleges fulfill a vital role by providing an accessible option for those who do not fit into the specific box of a four-year college," said Dr. Jo Webber, FRSC, CEO of STEMconnector. "This includes students of different ages, students who may need to reskill, low-income families and students who need to work while gaining an education. We were excited to partner with McGraw Hill on this research and dive into online interactive learning programs and how they help meet the needs of all these different students."

The paper has been published at a unique and challenging time, when researchers are expecting students will need added support this summer and fall after disruptions in learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The research presented in this paper shows that underrepresented students are more likely to have faced disruptions in learning in the last year and need additional support," said Susan Gouijnstook, SVP of Innovation Strategy, Product Management and Operations for McGraw Hill's higher education group. "Adaptive technologies are uniquely prepared to help students rebuild the fundamental skills and knowledge required to succeed in math and science."

"In college level courses such as Math and Chemistry, there is a level of pre-requisite knowledge for students to master before being ready to take on additional topics," the paper says. "For students who have had less preparation in high school or have had a longer time away from the classroom, that foundational knowledge often needs reinforcement before students are fully prepared for the course."

Based on the theory of "knowledge spaces" from cognitive science, ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) uses artificial intelligence to create personalized and dynamic learning paths for K-20 students based on their unique needs. Since all students enter a course with varying levels of preparedness, ALEKS's technology pinpoints what students already know, what they don't and, most important, what they're ready to learn next. To date, ALEKS has helped more than 20 million students at thousands of K-12 schools, colleges and universities around the world.

About STEMconnector

STEMconnector is committed to increasing the number of STEM-ready workers in the global talent pool. Using our technology platform and network programming, we work with STEM-focused universities, colleges, and many of the world's largest companies to build and maintain a diverse and robust STEM workforce. Our mission is to educate, inform, and connect leaders with a vested interest in growing a STEM-ready workforce. Visit us at stemconnector.com or on Facebook , Instagram , Linkedin or Twitter .

McGraw Hill

McGraw Hill is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that drive results for students, parents, educators and professionals. We focus on educational equity, affordability and learning success to help learners build better lives. Headquartered in New York City, McGraw Hill has offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions for PreK-12, higher education, professionals and others available in more than 80 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn or Twitter .

Contact:

Tyler Reed

McGraw Hill

(914) 512-4853

[email protected]

SOURCE McGraw Hill

Related Links

https://www.mheducation.com/


The continuing spread of the coronavirus pandemic has compelled organizations across the globe to gradually flatten their recessionary curve by leveraging technology. Many businesses are going through response, recovery, and renewal phases. Building business resilience and enabling agility will aid businesses to move forward in their journey out of the COVID-19 crisis towards the Next Normal.

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

Download a free sample to know more about the global trends impacting the future of the chocolate market:

https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR41047

Major Five Chocolate Market Participants:

Arcor Group: The company provides different varieties and flavors of chocolate products under various brands such as Arcor, Cofler, and Tofi.

Barry Callebaut AG: The company provides different varieties and flavors of chocolate products such as ruby chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and caramel dore chocolate.

Nestle Group: The company provides different varieties and flavors of chocolate products under various brands such as KitKat, Aero, Cailler, Milkybar, and others.

The Hershey Co.: The company provides different varieties and flavors of chocolates such as HUGS Candy, HERSHEYS Milk Chocolate Bar, HERSHEYS Cookies n Creme Bars, HERSHEY SYMPHONY Milk Chocolate Extra Large Bars, and others.

Mondelez International Inc.: The company provides different varieties and flavors of chocolate products under various brands such as Cadbury, Toblerone, Alpen Gold, Marabou, and others.

Chocolate Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Chocolate market is segmented as below:

Product

Milk Chocolate



Dark Chocolate



White Chocolate

Geographic Landscape

APAC



Europe



MEA



North America



South America

Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include:

Global Truffle Chocolate Market - Global truffle chocolate market is segmented by product (boxed assortments-based truffle chocolate and seasonal-based truffle chocolate) and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

Request a Free Sample Report

Global Cocoa Market - Global cocoa market is segmented by product (cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder), application (confectionery, food and beverage, and others), and geography (Europe, MEA, APAC, North America, and South America).

Request a Free Sample Report

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Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Email: [email protected]

Report: www.technavio.com/report/chocolate-market-industry-analysis

SOURCE Technavio

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LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of an annual program designed to give back to nonprofit organizations nominated by ECMC Group employees in the communities where they live and work, the company's philanthropic arm, ECMC Foundation, will provide $1 million in grants to 101 nonprofits throughout the country. The grants aim to fill gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic, to address educational equity and to provide support to communities during this crucial time.

This year, ECMC Foundation has awarded grants across office locations in five states, as well as in the cities of several remote employees as part of the 2021 GO! Program (Generating Outcomes: Funding Innovation and Racial Equity in Education). The program, now in its seventh year, allows each employee under the Foundation's parent company, ECMC Group, to nominate and vote for local nonprofits to receive grants that support the Foundation's mission of improving educational outcomes among students from underserved backgrounds.

"The GO! Program is designed to engage all employees in thinking about the mission of ECMC Foundation and how it might be best achieved where they live and work," said Peter Taylor, president of ECMC Foundation. "We believe in supporting creative and innovative education programs and solutions in employees' local communities, and we look forward to seeing how these grants help organizations close educational equity gaps during this pivotal time in our nation."

Grant dollars will fund education programs spanning from early childhood through postsecondary education.

"Even as we begin the long road to recovery from the pandemic, nonprofit organizations continue to support our communities, despite experiencing challenges themselves," said Jeremy Wheaton, president and CEO of ECMC Group. "We are honored that ECMC Foundation continues to contribute in our communities to support the organizations that move the needle on education equity and to serve under-resourced populations of learners."

The following are a few testimonials from employees who nominated organizations to receive funding.

Iris Cumberbatch, senior vice president of corporate affairs at ECMC Group's headquarters in Minneapolis, nominated the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center due to its effort to support families over the past year. The organization received a $20,000 grant.

"The Hallie Q. Brown Center has taken on additional responsibility during the pandemic to distribute meals to children and families in their program and throughout the community," she said, "which aligns perfectly with our mission to support strong educational outcomes and our educational equity and basic needs focus areas."

Elizabeth Gruenbaum from ECMC Group's affiliate Altierus Career College in Tampa nominated Step Up For Students because of its mission around equity and student success. The organization received a $20,000 grant.

"When the opportunity arose to nominate an organization whose work in our community makes a difference in closing educational equity gaps amongst families of marginalized students, I could think of no more worthwhile nonprofit institution than Step Up For Students," said Gruenbaum. "I was honored to be able to nominate an organization that aligns so closely with ECMC Group's mission to provide educational solutions that help students succeed."

Chris DeSousa, a remote employee in New York, nominated the Art of Problem Solving Initiative because the organization aligns with her personal and professional vision for educational equity. This organization received a $20,000 grant.

"A child's opportunity to learn, dream and discover a career should not be dictated by resources," she said. "By providing a challenging education and a community of peers and mentors, from middle school through college, a pathway for hope is created and real change is realized."

Since the GO! Program first launched in 2015, it has awarded a total of $8.3 million through 525 grants.

About ECMC Foundation

ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation whose mission is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomesespecially among underserved populationsthrough evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation's vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.

About ECMC Group

ECMC Group is a nonprofit corporation focused on helping students succeed by creating, providing and investing in innovative educational opportunities. Headquartered in Minneapolis, ECMC Group and its family of companies are focused on advancing educational opportunities through financial tools and services; nonprofit career education and workforce training; and innovative, impactful and mission-aligned funding for programs to help students achieve their academic and professional goals and to address the future of work. To learn more, visit www.ecmcgroup.org.

SOURCE ECMC Foundation

Related Links

http://www.ecmcgroup.org


The five-day fashion week presented 23 fashion shows, 4 cloud fashion live streams, 2 fashion design contests, 4 industry conferences & forums, and one textile cloud exhibition. Almost 300 high-quality merchants and thousands of stylish fabrics were demonstrated online, fully showcasing the industrial strength, market vitality and urban charm of Shengze, the beautiful city of fashion. It also demonstrated its fashion characteristics of being 'native, original and popular' to the world.

Sun Ruizhe, Chairman of International Textile Manufacturers Federation and Chairman of China National Textile and Apparel Council, stated in his opening speech that Shengze, as a major textile town, is crucial to the high-quality development of the industry by leveraging its industrial synergy capacity of business clusters valued hundred billion yuan, its cross-regional development capacity of enterprises valued hundred billion yuan and its capacity to integrate resources in the market valued hundred billion yuan.

Li Ming, Party Secretary of Wujiang District, said in his speech that Wujiang has been known as 'the Land of Fish and Rice' and 'the Home of Silk' since ancient times, while Shengze being known as the Capital of Silk for thousands of years. Silk textile is the first industry valued hundred billion yuan in Wujiang, with chemical fiber production capacity accounting for one-tenth nationally and being the home to Hengli Group and Shenghong Group, both of which are world Fortune 500 companies. The turnover of silk market in China hit hundred billion yuan for eight years consecutively, forming an industry, a market, enterprises valued hundred billion yuan and growing together. It is unique across the province and even across the country.

The fashion week attracted fashion brands countries including Italy, France, Spain and the United States. It brought different fashion styles and cultural charm, and further showcased the complementary Oriental aesthetics and western classic style. It deeply integrated the top fashion design from three Chinese Golden Award winners - Zhang Zhaoda, Wu Xuekai and Zhang Yichao, as well as local brands such as SAINT JOY, SANGLUO, CHIAYI, ROMROL and ZI JINGHUA, making continuous efforts to integrate the original high-quality fabrics of Shengze with the creative design of "Big Power", leading the development of the industry.

Secondly, the finales of two design contests were held during the fashion week. One was the 'DONGFANG CUP' 2021 Chinese Women's Wear Design Contest jointly organized by China Fashion Designers Association and Shengze, the other was 'SHENGZE CUP' 2021 Jiangsu Top 10 Designers Award jointly organized by Jiangsu Fashion Designers Association and Shengze. Both events attracted many more domestic outstanding new designers to visit Shengze, allowing designers and fabric companies get a close contact, and realizing the industry transformation in Shengze. Meanwhile, industry forum and fashion summit events were successively held in Shengze, including China Design Summit, International Sustainability Forum On Advanced Functional Fibers, Yangtze River Delta Fashion Industry Alliance Silk Fashion Development Summit, and The 4th China Haute Couture Summit & 2021 China Fashion Association Customization Professional Committee Annual Meeting. It will continue to enhance the IP of 'SHENGZE FASHION WEEK', and further expand the international and domestic influence of textile industry in Shengze. The opening ceremony also featured the launching ceremony of the Yangtze River Delta (Shengze) Division of 2021 Rayli Affordable Luxury Brand Contest, the launch ceremony of 2021 'China Cup, Fashion Shengze' Digital Art Application Design Contest, and the launch ceremony of building a world-class textile industry cluster climate action demonstration zone themed 'being committed to sustainability and reaching carbon goal first', the launch ceremony of the 9th Jiangsu (Shengze) Textile Expo Cloud Exhibition and the May 5th Shopping Festival, etc.

Thirdly, the 'cloud exhibition' with offline connection realized new opportunities for transformation and development. As one of the 'highlights' of the fashion week, the 9th Jiangsu (Shengze) Textile Expo Cloud Exhibition was held as scheduled. It continued to take 'cloud' mode to connect 'fashion' elements. The five major exhibition halls showcased tens of thousands of high-quality and popular fabrics from home and abroad, where buyers could communicate with exhibitors 'online' without any distance.

While fully demonstrating the fashion vitality of Shengze under the condition of 'integration of industry and city', SHENGZE FASHION WEEK further promoted the upgrading of local industries and the construction of Jiangnan culture and brands, strived to build the "most beautiful window" for the thriving textile industry and local brands in Shengze, in areas of trendsetting, technological innovation, industrial connection and international trade.

SOURCE SHENGZE FASHION WEEK
CHELSEA, Mich., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 5 Healthy Towns Foundation (5HF) has announced that Stephen Petty will be its second-ever Chief Executive Officer.

Founding CEO, Amy Heydlauff, will retire in July 2021 after more than a decade leading the innovative, community-wellness foundation.

5HF serves the Michigan school districts of Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, and Stockbridge with a mission to cultivate personal and community wellness. The foundation oversees three wellness centers, supports five wellness coalitions with 90+ members, and collaborates closely with One Big Thing partners. One Big Thing is an effort to strengthen connection, engagement, optimism, and resilience in the region.

Steve lives in Dexter with his wife and two children and brings to 5HF a wealth of experience managing health and wellness programs.

He earned his BA (Hons) at the University of Manchester, England and holds certificates from Northwestern University and the University of Virginia. For the past 15 years, he's worked at the Ann Arbor YMCA, most recently as Vice President of Healthy Living & Social Responsibility. Along with overseeing programming and facilities, he's also provided leadership on advancing numerous health intervention programs.

"Steve's experience at the YMCA and his natural skills as a leader make him an excellent CEO choice to balance internal management responsibilities with the external visibility that is vital to achieving the strategic goals of 5 Healthy Towns," said Patrick Conlin, current Chair of the 5HF Board of Directors.

5HF coalition member, Ruth Vanbogelen, said she's, "especially excited about his work with youth programs and developing youth leaders  a natural fit for 5HF."

The foundation partnered with Michigan-based firm HR Collaborative to lead the nationwide search for its next executive leader. A seven-member selection committee composed of board members, 5HF staff, and community representatives selected Steve from a number of highly qualified candidates.

About 5 Healthy Towns Foundation:

5 Healthy Towns Foundation (5HF) is a private foundation governed by a volunteer board of directors that serves the Michigan school districts of Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, and Stockbridge. The mission of 5HF is to cultivate improvements in personal and community wellness by encouraging people in its five healthy towns to eat better, move more, avoid unhealthy substances, and connect with others in healthy ways.

For more information on 5HF, visit 5healthytowns.org, email [email protected], or call their office at (734) 433-4599.

SOURCE 5 Healthy Towns Foundation

Related Links

https://www.5healthytowns.org


NEW YORK and BRIXTON, London, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In an important move, the Harlem 125th Street Business Improvement District and the Brixton BID have announced the first ever Twinning of two such organizations. Both BIDs are located in communities with a long and rich history of being the epicenters for a convergence of diversity, informed by a high percentage of its population being of African descent, representing various parts of the diaspora, living and working within the BID's borders.

Harlem Brixton Artwork

Harlem (NYC) and Brixton (London) share a number of common traits beyond the socio-demographical makeup of their neighborhoods. These two communities share a similar history, social issues including inequities and crime, and in recent years, both have experienced a rapid socio-economic transformation, which many refer to as gentrification due to the new influx of wealthy individuals moving into the area.

The two BIDs were forged out of almost identical principles and values such as equality, togetherness, and social justice. Their mission reflects these values: to improve the quality of life for residents of their respective communities by improving the economic health and well-being of the community, and by creating programs that reflect the vibrancy and history of the people and the neighborhood.

The Harlem Community's 125th Street district is one of the most significant and important landmark streets in the city and carries the double name  Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It is the home of the world-famous Apollo Theater, the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, the renowned Hotel Theresa where Fidel Castro chose to stay in 1960, as did Malcolm X, poets extraordinaire Langston Hughes and Allen Ginsberg, and numerous other dignitaries and VIPs. Today it is a two-way mecca of business activities and tourism.

It mirrors its sister community of Brixton in south London, a multiethnic district, which has undergone significant change. Set within London's Borough of Lambeth, Brixton is considered by many, the home of Black Britain. The arrival of Empire Windrush in 1948 saw the growth of the African Caribbean community in Britain, many of whom settled in Brixton. In 1981 residents of Brixton rose up against systemic racism in the first Brixton Uprising; Eddie Grant's infamous 'Electric Avenue' was written in response to the uprising and references the famous market street, the first to be lit by electric lights in 1880s. Brixton's rich history dates back to the Saxon's and includes the UK's oldest working Mill, Victorian musical hall fame and the only national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain, Black Cultural Archives on Windrush Square.

Both Harlem and Brixton have been permanently infused by the culture, food, and experience of its Black population.

President of the 125th St. BID, Barbara Askins says, "Harlem and Brixton have similarly rich histories and are well positioned for important and positive change and growth. One of the main initiatives that we are both involved in is to begin framing a new streetscape for both business districts. We are repurposing non-traditional spaces in the community (freight doors in Harlem) and transforming them into canvases for community expression. We are very excited by the possibilities offered through this new friendship which we helped broker, and all of its promise."

Gianluca Rizzo, Managing Director of the Brixton BID says, "The twinning of our BIDs celebrates the defiant resilience of the communities we represent and celebrates their cultural roots, music, art, culinary soul, heritage, and much more. Brixton and Harlem are the beating hearts of our cities, sharing universal values and principles. Whilst we are part of sharing global progress, the BIDs act locally to support business and the communities we represent. Together with Harlem we believe our friendship can help create great opportunities for all."

The Exchange of Ideas

Uniting the two communities is central to the Twinning of the BIDs and both Ms. Askins and Mr. Rizzo have found a creative exchange of ideas to replicate that tie the two communities in meaningful and powerful ways.

Canvas for Change

In 2020, community residents in Harlem found themselves battling two major crises simultaneously  the pandemic and the demand for social justice. Understanding the overwhelming pain the community was grappling with, the 125th Street BID created the Harlem Canvas for Change. With the help of local business owners, plywood canvases, painted black, began popping up around the neighborhood with an invitation to all who wanted to express themselves, to fill the empty canvases with their messages. Within hours of the canvases appearing, the writing began. It was as though the flood-gates of emotions had been released and the collective grief, pain, anger, hope and fears of the people was captured in the writings and art work that filled the canvases.

As part of the partnership with the 125th St. BID, the Brixton BID hopes to recreate the Canvas for Change in their community. The BID will invite the community to write, paint, and draw messages in support of the 40th anniversary of the Brixton Uprising of 1981, the legacy of the Windrush Generation and the global Black Lives Matter Movement.

Activities around the introduction of the Canvas project will be memorialized through video, photography, audio testimonials and social media hashtags to become a digital archive to be held at the Black Cultural Archive on Windrush Square. This activation will take place in preparation for the large-scale mural of 1970s leading social justice activist Olive Morris that will transform Dorrell Place in 2022 to mark Olive's 70th Birthday.

Street Lamp Banner Project

Both BIDS have activated a community Street Lamp Banner Project. These banners have already begun to appear in Brixton and in Harlem, they will soon go up across the 125th Street BID's boundary. The Harlem 125th St. BID has partnered with the National Black Commission on Health, City University of New York School of Public Health, Blick Art Materials and the local owner of Settepani restaurant to produce a series of banners with reinforcing messages around health, safety, and social justice issues.

In Brixton, the BID has created and installed a series of 32 lamp post banners across the town's Centre supporting the Black Lives Matter global movement, and highlighting the Black British, African and Caribbean community and businesses. The Banners look to redefine the words Brixton, Community, BAME-owned and Black Lives Matter.

Brixton /brik-ston/ noun; originating from Brixistane meaning the stone of Brixi, a Saxon Lord. The global melting pot of South London with an African-Caribbean soul where music, arts, culture and food mix.

Community / Kuh-myoo-ni-tee/ noun; a group of people living in the same place or having a particular interest in common. Many Brixton organisations champion those who are historically marginalized and continue to work for equality.

BAME-owned / ,bi:.ei.em'i/ adjective; businesses owned and operated by those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. There are over 200 BAME-owned businesses in Brixton for you to support.

Black Lives Matter / black lahyvz mat-er / noun; a political and social movement emphasizing basic human rights and racial equality for Black people and campaigning against various forms of racism. BLM.

These projects are just the tip of the iceberg. The announcement of the Twinning signals the start of numerous events and activities designed to form a bridge connecting both communities. Both Ms. Askins and Mr. Rizzo hope that the Twinning will not only unite the two communities but will help to produce an exchange of dynamic new solutions to address systemic issues facing these two sister communities, protect the historic values of both Harlem and Brixton and preserve the African American/African-Caribbean legacy in both locations that serves as a strong foundation for positive and equitable change. Additionally, they hope the announcement of the Twinning will lead to an increase in tourism to both locations, and an exchange of e-commerce products and services, which is vital in the creation of jobs, development of infrastructure and can contribute to the overall economic health and wealth of both communities and the cities they are located in.

For more on the Harlem 125th Street BID and the Brixton BID visit:

125th Street BID Website Brixton BID

Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube

125th Street BID Press Contact

Sam Mattingly

SMC Solutions

(917) 331-9375

[email protected]

Brixton BID Press Contact

Jessica Dyer

Brixton BID

[email protected]

SOURCE Harlem 125th St. BID
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), in partnership with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), announced the three winning teams of the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC).

The annual competition seeks to strengthen entrepreneurial thinking among community college students by challenging them to develop STEM-based solutions to real-world problems. It also enables students to discover and demonstrate their capacity to use STEM to make a difference in the world and to translate that knowledge into action.

The first, second and third-place winning teams and their innovations are listed below.

First Place Winner

Pasadena City College (California)

Project: Nano-Bioconjugate Immunotherapeutic

Second Place Winner

Borough of Manhattan Community College (New York)

Project: Designing Virtual Reality Application for Autistic Children

Third Place Winner

Austin Community College (Texas)

Project: OASIS  the Officer Aptitude & Stress Information System

Last week, the 12 finalist teams from across the country attended a Virtual Innovation Boot Camp where they learned from entrepreneurs and experts in business planning, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, and marketplace dynamics. The Boot Camp culminated in a Student Innovation Showcase with STEM leaders and congressional stakeholders, and a 5-minute pitch presentation to a panel of esteemed industry professionals determining the winning teams.

"AACC is proud of the community college students that participated in the Innovation Challenge," said Walter G. Bumphus , president and CEO of AACC. "Our nation's community colleges are leaders and innovators in STEM curriculum and education and this competition fosters the development of those skills. We are thrilled to partner with the National Science Foundation to showcase these students and community colleges and extend congratulations to all of the participants who overcame the hurdles of the pandemic to provide these amazing solutions to real-world issues."

Among the ideas the 12 finalist teams presented this year are solutions for addressing the pandemic from biodegradable masks to at-home virus testing; virtual reality applications to provide life-skills training to children with autism; and electric vehicle conversion kits, among others.

"In the Community College Innovation Challenge, students tackle real-world problems. It has been inspiring, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to see how participants responded to this challenge with creativity and innovative ideas," said Karen Marrongelle, assistant director for NSF's Education and Human Resources Directorate. "Community colleges play an important role in building America's skilled technical workforce and it has been encouraging to see how participants have demonstrated their capacity to use STEM to make a difference in the world and translate that knowledge into action. Congratulations to all the winners for their hard work."

To receive updates about the CCIC's 2021 winners, follow @Comm_College or visit www.aaccinnovationchallenge.com .

About AACC

As the voice of the nation's community colleges, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), delivers educational and economic opportunity for nearly 12 million diverse students in search of the American Dream. Uniquely dedicated to access and success for all students, AACC's member colleges provide an on-ramp to degree attainment, skilled careers, and family-supporting wages. Located in Washington, D.C., AACC advocates for these not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to ensure they have the resources and support they need to deliver on the mission of increasing economic mobility for all. https://www.aacc.nche.edu/

About NSF

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2021 budget of $8.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts. https://www.nsf.gov/

SOURCE American Association of Community Colleges
SELBYVILLE, Del., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest report, "Acne Medication Market by Formulation (Topical, Oral), Product (Retinoids, Antibiotics, Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide, Azelaic Acid), Type (Prescription, OTC), Acne Type (Inflammatory Acne, Non-Inflammatory Acne), Distribution Channel (Retail Stores, Pharmacies & Drug Stores, E-commerce), Regional Outlook, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2027", by Global Market Insights Inc., the market valuation of acne medication will cross $13.1 billion by 2027.

Major acne medication market players include Johnson & Johnson, Galderma S.A., Reckitt Benckiser Group, Guthy-Renker, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and BioPharmX.

Acne is an immune-mediated, prevalent skin disorder with high prevalence among young adults. Severe and inflammatory acne causes permanent scarring on the skin surface, compromising the facial appearance that may have an adverse impact on the quality of life. Due to the growing prevalence of acne and the desire to maintain healthy facial skin, the concerns related to facial aesthetics have been rising in Latin America. A study was conducted by the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology to study concerns associated with facial treatment priorities and skin health among Latin Americans. According to this study, the majority of the participants agreed that they aspired to maintain facial health to look good. A significant number of participants were interested in adopting treatments to maintain their skin health. Around 35% of the people were concerned about the adverse impacts of acne and scarring on the skin. Thus, growing concerns related to facial skin health would increase the adoption of acne medications across the region.

Request a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3010.

Increasing concerns related to facial aesthetics especially in Latin America will boost product sales, which in turn will drive the acne medication market growth. With the population being highly cautious regarding their skin and looks, dermo cosmetics are gaining popularity and being increasingly used in Brazil. Moreover, the demand for facial aesthetics and skin health is growing in the region.

The topical medications segment dominated more than 66% of the acne medication market share in 2020 and is anticipated to reach over USD 8.6 billion by 2027 owing to higher compatibility and extensive use in combination with other acne treatment therapies. Topical medication is the first choice while treating mild to moderate acne conditions. It features high flexibility and can be combined with other acne treatments. Topical medications are superficially applied to infected skin surface and aid in reducing the acne-causing bacteria and prevents the skin from peeling and drying. Additionally, topical medications including benzoyl peroxide, which helps reduce the number of blackheads and whiteheads, further reducing the potential of a severe inflammatory acne outbreak.

The salicylic acid segment in the acne medication market accounted for 16% of revenue share in 2020 and is projected to grow at a 6.2% growth rate through 2027. Salicylic acid has been used extensively as a comedolytic agent in acne treatment. This agent is available as an over-the-counter preparation, including creams and lotions with variable strengths to suit the skin tolerance of the patient. Salicylic acid restrains comedogenesis by facilitating the desquamation of follicular epithelium. Several studies related to acne treatment have inferred that the use of salicylic acid is equally beneficial as the use of benzoyl peroxide in comedonal acne treatment.

The acne medication market for the OTC segment is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 6.2% by 2027 on account of the high popularity of OTC treatment options coupled with extensive marketing and promotional campaigns practiced by the industry players. OTC products are highly popular among the general population attributed to advertisement campaigns undertaken by the major players operating in the industry. This high popularity and awareness regarding acne treatment options further promotes the use of OTC products.

The inflammatory acne segment in the acne medication market is predicted to expand at a CAGR of 6.1% through 2027. Inflammatory acne represents the severe form of acne and is characterized by redness, swelling and irritation. Inflammatory acne can cause more serious and painful forms of blemishes including cysts and nodules. This acne is based deeper in the skin and possesses high potential of causing permanent scars. A growing number of people suffering with inflammatory acne would increase the demand for acne medication, thereby augmenting the industry growth during the forecast timeline.

The acne medication market for the e-commerce segment is poised to attain a CAGR of 7.4% during 2021-2027, led by the increasing preference for e-commerce and high usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Presence and availability of OTC products on the e-commerce portals would further assist the market expansion. Rising consumer expenditure on medical supplies along with the increasing internet penetration is majorly facilitating the rising demand for the e-commerce segment.

Brazil dominated the Latin America acne medication market and accounted for over USD 211 million in 2020 propelled by the rising prevalence of acne conditions among adolescents and the growing demand for acne treatment in the country. According to a published survey, the prevalence of acne among 18-year-olds in Brazil was reported to be around 90%, with the majority of participants having both inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions. Consultations with dermatologists related to acne conditions accounts for around 14% in the country. Rising concerns among the adolescents regarding acne diseases would foster the demand for acne medications.

Request a customization of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/roc/3010

Some of the major companies operating in the market include Johnson & Johnson, Galderma S.A., Reckitt Benckiser Group, Guthy-Renker, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and BioPharmX among others. These participants are undertaking several strategic initiatives such as collaborations, partnerships and product launches to expand their product portfolio and market presence.

Table of Contents (ToC) of the report:

Chapter 3 Acne Medication Market Insights

3.1 Industry segmentation

3.2 Industry landscape, 2016 - 2027

3.3 Industry impact factors

3.3.1 Growth drivers

3.3.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.4 Growth potential analysis

3.4.1 By formulation

3.4.2 By product

3.4.3 By type

3.4.4 By acne type

3.4.5 By distribution channel

3.5 COVID-19 impact analysis

3.6 Regulatory landscape

3.7 Porter's analysis

3.8 Competitive landscape, 2020

3.8.1 Company matrix analysis, 2020

3.9 PESTEL analysis

Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/acne-medication-market

About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision-making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

Contact Us:

Arun Hegde

Corporate Sales, USA

Global Market Insights Inc.

Phone: 1-302-846-7766

Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688

Email: [email protected]

Related Images

acne-medication-market-growth.png

Acne Medication Market Growth Predicted at 6% Through 2027: GMI

Major acne medication market players include Johnson & Johnson, Galderma S.A., Reckitt Benckiser Group, Guthy-Renker, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and BioPharmX.

SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc.
CENTER VALLEY, Pa., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aesculap, Inc. (Aesculap) announces that, beginning today, its Aesculap Mobile Learning Lab will embark on a six-month nationwide tour to provide accessible training on its comprehensive portfolio of medical devices and solutions for neuro and spine surgery.

Inside the 39-foot tractor trailer, healthcare professionals can explore self-guided video modules developed by surgical thought-leaders from around the country. The video modules will be coupled with interactive, hands-on demonstrations on actual products and state-of-the-art anatomic models. This immersive experience will assist in combating digital fatigue and travel restrictions endured by healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We want to provide surgical teams interested in using our products in their operating rooms an opportunity for hands-on education, which has been especially challenging in the past year," said Charles DiNardo, President, Aesculap. "The Aesculap Mobile Learning Lab creates an exciting environment where surgical teams can collaborate on best practices through conversations with Aesculap staff and participate in virtual and hands-on training modules."

Healthcare professionals who visit the lab during any of the 40 plus events will have the opportunity to train on innovative new technologies such as the Aesculap Aeos Robotic Digital Microscope, which combines the ergonomic and educational benefits typically found in exoscopes with the high-quality imaging and fluorescence capabilities of traditional optical microscopes along with proprietary digital and robotic functionalities. Visitors can expect to spend anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours in the truck, depending on their areas of interest.

"The Aesculap Mobile Learning Lab is aligned with our goal to provide solutions that enable our customers to optimize the management of surgical assets and improve OR efficiency," said DiNardo. "The event series creates major potential for augmentation of surgeons' existing skills with cutting-edge technological devices. We are looking forward to providing our partnered hospitals with the opportunities to gain new insights and solutions for their neurosurgical patients."

The tour kicks off with a stop at Aesculap's U.S. headquarters in Center Valley, PA.

To learn more about the Aesculap Mobile Learning Lab and tour plan, visit www.aesculapusa.com/mobilelab.

About Aesculap, Inc.

Aesculap, Inc., a B. Braun company, is part of a 180-year-old global organization focused on meeting the needs of an ever-changing healthcare community. Through close collaboration with its customers, Aesculap provides advanced technologies for neurosurgery, general surgery and sterilization technologies. Aesculap continues a proud heritage of leadership and responsiveness as we strive to deliver products and services that improve the quality of patients' lives. For more information, call 800-282-9000 or visit aesculapusa.com.

SOURCE Aesculap, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.aesculapusa.com


AMESBURY, Mass., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CTA Construction Managers, an ENR top 100 Contractor based in Waltham was approved unanimously at a recent Amesbury Elementary School Building Committee meeting. CTA has built more than 24 new area schools that participated in and were awarded LEED Certification or MA-CHPS Verified Leader status.



"We are pleased to be again working with the team at DiNisco Design and the owner's project management team at NV5 on this project. We expect to break ground this summer on the new 98,000 square foot school. It includes over 1.4 million pounds of steel and 5,000 cubic yards of concrete," said Jeff Hazelwood, Principal at CTA.



The school, scheduled to be completed in 2023, will provide much needed space to Amesbury's burgeoning elementary school population. In October 2019, residents voted in favor of building the new school next to the existing Cashman Elementary. The two buildings will create a "campus" where all Amesbury students grades Pre K-2 will attend the new Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School and students grades 3-5 will attend Cashman.



"Our combined team from CTA, NV5, and DiNisco Design bring a wealth of experience in designing and building K-12 schools," said Tim Dorman, Owner's Project Manager at NV5. Dorman emphasized that "following a rigorous design and permitting process, it is exciting to be moving into the construction phase and closer to delivering this important educational facility to the Amesbury community".



"The overall design achieves a symbiotic relationship between the new school, the Cashman School, the surrounding open space, as well as the adjacent residential neighbors. The new school's massing, visual character, and material selection is responsive to the site and residential context," said Donna DiNisco, President of DiNisco Design, the architectural firm behind the school's design.



In a testament to Amesbury's commitment towards sustainability, the school will utilize enhanced energy efficient systems, water conservancy, and indoor environmental qualities. The school will also achieve LEED-S silver certification according to DiNisco.



"We are looking forward to getting the construction phase underway with CTA," said Mayor Kassandra Gove. "I was able to tour Bresnahan Elementary School in Newburyport, also built by CTA, and was impressed with the building as well as Mayor Donna Holaday's positive experience with the project team. I am confident that CTA will be a great partner to work with and will build a school that our community will benefit from for generations to come."

About CTA Construction Managers, LLC.

CTA Construction Managers is a construction management and general contracting firm with a history of excellence in building academic, multi-family residential, commercial, civic, and senior care facilities. CTA has awarded over $100,000,000 in contracts to certified small, disadvantaged, minority, and women owned partners.



Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12874313



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE CTA Construction Managers

Related Links

https://ctaconstruction.com/


EATONTOWN, N.J., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Angel Medical Systems, Inc., (dba AngelMed) announced today the departure of Gordie Nye as CEO of the company effective immediately. He will be succeeded by Brad Snow, an experienced leader in the medical device industry who has served in a variety of senior roles at several successful med-tech startups.

AngelMed thanks Nye for his contributions over the last year. Snow will assume day-to-day leadership and see the organization through the final steps to commercial launch.

AngelMed is a proactive diagnostics company focused on advancing the long-term management of high-risk coronary disease with its flagship device the AngelMed Guardian, the first and only FDA-approved implantable cardiac monitor and patient-warning system for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events.

"I'm honored to serve as interim CEO and lead AngelMed forward at this pivotal time. There is tremendous respect for the company's history and disruptive technology. The AngelMed GUARDIAN System is a paradigm shift with the ability to enhance patient outcomes and quality of life for high-risk cardiovascular patients," said Snow.

Brad has been a member of AngelMed's Board of Directors since 2019 and is a seasoned med-tech executive with 25 years' experience in start-ups and emerging growth companies. He joins the company from his most recent leadership role as CEO of Sonacare Medical (now Sonablate Corp) where he led the organization through several strategic initiatives, inclusive of a significant multiyear sales agreement. Prior to Sonacare, Brad was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BTG plc where he oversaw 3 of their 4 commercial divisions experiencing hypergrowth. BTG plc was acquired in January 2020 for $4.2 billion by Boston Scientific. His previous leadership experience ranges from CEO to Commercial leader at SurgiTrac, ARAGON Surgical, Rubicor Medical, Fox Hollow Technologies, and RITA Medical Systems.

"We are fortunate to have had Brad on our Board for the last two years. His passion for the company and its technology and cardiovascular medical device commercialization expertise are an excellent match. I look forward to working with him in his new role," said Dr. David Fischell, co-founder and chairman of the board.

About AngelMed Guardian System

The AngelMed Guardian System is an implantable cardiac monitor and patient-warning system for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events. The AngelMed Guardian System is indicated for use in patients who have had prior acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events and who remain at high risk for recurrent ACS events. The AngelMed Guardian System is indicated as an adjunct to patient recognized symptoms.

About Angel Medical Systems, Inc.

Angel Medical Systems, Inc., is a proactive diagnostics company committed to advancing life-sustaining, personalized patient care, including the long-term management of high-risk coronary disease. Angel Medical Systems maintains a robust portfolio of U.S. patents relating to detecting cardiac events, including silent heart attacks.

All questions should be directed to:

Sean Pisani

Marketing Manager

[email protected]

732.542.5551 ext. 199

SOURCE Angel Medical Systems

Related Links

www.angel-med.com


BERLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the release of the new text variants suggestions feature, Berlin-based AI company Retresco, a pioneer in the area of Natural Language Generation, provides a software function that uses artificial intelligence to automatically produce phrasing suggestions in the form of complete sentences. This function automates the creative writing process and shortens it considerably, and it also significantly increases text variance without user intervention  therefore augmenting human creativity with the power of AI. Retresco is taking a pioneering step toward end-to-end text generation, commonly considered the future of NLG.

Retresco's NLG software (textengine.io) now independently suggests high-quality texts based on a sample sentence entered - within milliseconds and without any complicated setup by the user. The automatically generated texts can be adopted either partially or completely and can also be revised at any time. Human and machine thus work hand in hand: the software generates data-based text suggestions, while the human user ultimately decides how to use them. The result: significantly greater text variance, more efficient processes in the creation of texts, a better user experience, and support for the most difficult aspect of writing: creativity.

This new feature is particularly relevant in cases where large volumes of versatile, high-quality text are required at frequent intervals and often under time pressure. In e-commerce, for instance, online stores need numerous product descriptions that, above all, have to be highly varied and SEO-optimized  these texts must be created quickly, but they also need to be of the highest possible quality.

With the current feature release, Retresco is further expanding its pioneering technological activities in the field of AI-based language technologies and taking a decisive step toward end-to-end text generation. Alexander Siebert, CEO and founder of Retresco, explains: "Our long-term goal is a system that can easily be fed a single target sentence or text, learn from it, and automatically write a new text without human intervention. Retresco's new automatic creativity support is an important step toward achieving this. It considerably increases the degree of automation, speed, and deployability of NLG for our clients."

Retresco's new feature is setting benchmarks in the development and application of NLG: numerous other releases in the area of end-to-end generation will follow, enabling the machine creation of text with an even higher degree of automation, efficiency, and creativity.

Find more information here: https://www.retresco.com/augmenting-creativity/

Kristin Strauch

Head of Communications

[email protected]

+49 (0)171 788 72 70



SOURCE Retresco GmbH

Related Links

https://www.retresco.com


IRVINE, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The estimated average transaction price for a light vehicle in the United States was $41,263 in May 2021, according to the analysts at Kelley Blue Book. New-vehicle prices increased $2,125 (up 5.4%) from May 2020, while increasing $493 (up 1.2%) from April 2021.

"Last month's average transaction price performance highlights an all-time high in year-over-year growth for the month of May," said Kayla Reynolds, industry intelligence analyst at Cox Automotive. "Many manufacturers reported year-over-year gains in average transaction prices. The largest increase came from Mitsubishi, up 12% from this time last year."

Manufacturer May 2021 Transaction

Price

(Avg.)* April 2021 Transaction

Price

(Avg.)* May 2020

Transaction

Price

(Avg.)* Percent

Change April 2021 to May 2021* Percent

Change

May 2020 to

May 2021* American Honda (Acura, Honda) $32,564 $32,062 $29,412 1.60% 10.70% BMW Group $58,062 $57,747 $57,243 0.50% 1.40% Daimler $65,396 $64,893 $61,600 0.80% 6.20% Stellantis (Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram) $48,093 $46,888 $43,191 2.60% 11.30% Ford Motor Company (Ford, Lincoln) $45,802 $47,031 $45,508 -2.60% 0.60% General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC) $48,544 $46,801 $43,784 3.70% 10.90% Hyundai Kia $31,118 $30,755 $29,040 1.20% 7.20% Mazda $30,914 $30,565 $29,656 1.10% 4.20% Mitsubishi $25,221 $23,873 $22,525 5.60% 12.00% Nissan North America (Nissan, INFINITI) $32,554 $31,320 $32,680 3.90% -0.40% Subaru $33,525 $32,467 $31,131 3.30% 7.70% Tesla Motors $52,560 $50,705 $57,617 3.70% -8.80% Toyota Motor Company (Lexus, Toyota) $37,267 $36,349 $35,519 2.50% 4.90% Volkswagen Group (Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche) $46,356 $45,598 $44,096 1.70% 5.10% Volvo North America $52,148 $50,691 $48,291 2.90% 8.00% Industry $41,263 $40,770 $39,138 1.21% 5.43% *Kelley Blue Book average transaction prices do not include applied consumer incentives

As one of the most affordable manufacturers with the lowest average transaction price in May Mitsubishi reported recovery within the retail space moving into the second quarter of the year. A majority of the models within the Mitsubishi lineup experienced year-over-year average transaction price increases in May 2021. The latest Outlander and Outlander PHEV are Mitsubishi's highest-priced vehicles, with MSRPs starting at $25,795 for the 2022 Outlander and $36,295 for the 2021 Outlander PHEV. Overall, the Outlander model line saw sales more than double for May 2021 when compared to May 2020. The inclusion of the PHEV trim level within the model lineup aided sales and pricing gains.

Despite the large gap in average transaction prices for luxury and non-luxury segments in May 2021, non-luxury vehicles had a larger year-over-year price increase at 4.9% (up $1,805), while luxury vehicles climbed 2.9%, or $1,597, from this time last year. Standard full-size SUVs and pickup trucks contributed to the growth among non-luxury segments. The third and fourth highest-priced models within the segment include the GMC Yukon XL ($79,695) and Yukon ($77,031), both priced substantially above the industry and segment average.

Segment May 2021 Transaction

Price

(Avg.)* April 2021 Transaction

Price

(Avg.)* May 2020

Transaction

Price

(Avg.)* Percent

Change April 2021

to May 2021* Percent

Change May 2020 to

May 2021* Compact Car $23,403 $22,796 $22,395 2.70% 4.50% Compact SUV/Crossover $31,580 $31,034 $30,148 1.80% 4.70% Electric Vehicle $52,486 $51,518 $58,863 1.90% -10.80% Entry-level Luxury Car $47,548 $47,426 $44,707 0.30% 6.40% Full-size Car $40,774 $39,898 $38,315 2.20% 6.40% Full-size Pickup Truck $56,200 $55,727 $52,274 0.80% 7.50% Full-size SUV/Crossover $68,970 $68,386 $62,647 0.90% 10.10% High Performance Car $95,797 $94,826 $110,326 1.00% -13.20% High-end Luxury Car $105,124 $101,362 $102,912 3.70% 2.10% Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car $30,875 $30,159 $28,230 2.40% 9.40% Luxury Car $68,746 $68,244 $63,147 0.70% 8.90% Luxury Compact SUV/Crossover $48,111 $47,762 $46,305 0.70% 3.90% Luxury Full-size SUV/Crossover $98,209 $97,845 $88,950 0.40% 10.40% Luxury Mid-size SUV/Crossover $65,024 $63,265 $61,073 2.80% 6.50% Luxury Subcompact SUV/Crossover $42,064 $40,686 $39,176 3.40% 7.40% Mid-size Car $29,513 $28,769 $27,198 2.60% 8.50% Mid-size Pickup Truck $40,291 $39,244 $37,370 2.70% 7.80% Mid-size SUV/Crossover $43,095 $42,290 $40,535 1.90% 6.30% Minivan $42,105 $41,142 $36,471 2.30% 15.40% Sports Car $42,173 $41,667 $39,248 1.20% 7.50% Subcompact Car $20,004 $19,295 $18,592 3.70% 7.60% Subcompact SUV/Crossover $27,351 $27,018 $25,280 1.20% 8.20% Van $41,802 $41,408 $40,371 1.00% 3.50% Industry $41,263 $40,770 $39,138 1.21% 5.43% *Kelley Blue Book average transaction prices do not include applied consumer incentives

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/kelley-blue-book/, Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb and follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kbb_com/ (or @kbb_com).

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource, is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides market-reflective values on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book Trade-In Values and Kelley Blue Book Price Advisor tool, which provides a range for what consumers can reasonably expect to pay for a vehicle in their area. Car owners looking to sell immediately can also get a redeemable, transaction-ready offer with Kelley Blue BookSM Instant Cash Offer. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book is a Cox Automotive brand.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global company's more than 27,000 team members and family of brands, including Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Dickinson Fleet Services, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, VinSolutions, vAuto and Xtime, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book

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FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today issued its 2020 Sustainability Report, highlighting significant achievements in environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors that supported the company's 2020 Sustainability Goals  a five year strategy that concluded in 2020. This report marks a milestone for the company's ESG goals, while setting the foundation for new commitments and initiatives that address unmet societal needs, as well as drive improvements across the organization through 2030.

"We have been consistently recognized for our leadership in corporate social responsibility and innovation," said Tom Polen, chairman, CEO and president, BD. "The approach we took to our 2020 goals has enabled us to make a significant impact on critical global health care needs  especially this year, as we enabled diagnosis, treatment and vaccination for one of the greatest health care challenges in generations. We are driving innovation to serve the entire health care continuum, from discovery to diagnosis, to the process of care, to the treatment of disease, and activating new solutions to minimize our environmental footprint. We are making it a priority to celebrate our differences while challenging each other to continue advancing our own culture of inclusion, and we are speaking up to address systemic inequities.

"These achievements in our 2020 focus areas form a strong foundation that we will build upon over the next decade. As we communicate our 2030 sustainability vision, we will continue to demonstrate how an ethical and sustainable company can drive growth while supporting our communities  and society  for generations to come."

In 2015, BD launched a five-year sustainability strategy, focusing on four key areas that supported the company's ambitions between fiscal years 2015 and 2020, while addressing priority health needs aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and shared value creation. The strategy is driven by the company's purpose  advancing the world of health  and provides the framework for how BD manages, and makes an impact on, the most relevant ESG issues for the company and its stakeholders.

Innovation: contributing to more sustainable health care systems by improving outcomes, reducing costs and protecting patients and health care workers.

contributing to more sustainable health care systems by improving outcomes, reducing costs and protecting patients and health care workers. Access : supporting health system improvements in emerging and developing economies and reaching vulnerable populations globally.

: supporting health system improvements in emerging and developing economies and reaching vulnerable populations globally. Efficiency: working across the value chain to reduce environmental impacts and create positive social impact.

working across the value chain to reduce environmental impacts and create positive social impact. Empowerment: advancing a purpose-driven culture through workforce and community engagements.

Significant Achievements and Highlights from this year's report include:

Innovation: Over the past five years, BD has evolved its portfolio through two transformational acquisitionsCareFusion in 2015 and C.R. Bard in 2017. These acquisitions expanded BD's product and solution offering and BD subsequently leveraged its international network to broaden access of the acquired portfolio. Today, BD has leadership positions across many foundational areas in health care. For example, approximately 90% of all U.S. hospital inpatients receive care using a BD device and approximately 70% of all U.S. acute hospitals have connectivity to a BD data platform.



In August 2020 , BD was recognized for its fourth time in six years by Fortune magazine and named to its "Change the World List" for the company's extensive efforts in helping fulfill critical health care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the launch of an emergency use authorized SARS-CoV-2 test on the company's BD Veritor  Plus System, a rapid point-of-care antigen test system with a simple, digital display that returns results in 15 minutes; as well as the production of the BD SARS-CoV-2 Assay for the BD MAX Molecular Diagnostic System, a real-time PCR test intended for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in nasal, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal swabs or saliva samples, also under emergency use authorization. BD also significantly ramped production of its injection devices for the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The company recently announced that it reached the 2 billion injection device milestone for orders globally and has shipped more than 900 million around the world. Additionally, for the sixth year in a row, BD was named to the Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovators list in 2020, honoring the most innovative companies in the world.



Access: The company has been a pioneer in forging partnerships with leading health agencies and non-government organizations (NGO) to raise awareness of critical health challenges around the world, including the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low- and middle-income countries. The launch of a Massive Open Online Course, educating participants in the use of diagnostics related to AMR, has reached 13,000 people in more than 100 countries and is available in six languages. BD has also equipped more than 70 labs in 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia with diagnostic equipment and informatics solutions to help aid in the diagnosis of infections and guide physicians to provide appropriate antimicrobial prescribing and use.



In addition, collaboration with international organizations have helped to develop online education and training tools to strengthen health and laboratory systems. Through its partnership with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BD has deployed more than 300 Global Health Fellows to laboratories in six countries, which resulted in participating lab assessment scores increasing by at least 46% and as high as 196%. Over the course of the last four years, more than 4,000 nurses have been trained to reduce infusion-related infections among health care workers in China through the company's partnership with Project HOPE.



Between 2015 and 2020, BD expanded the number of facilities and employment in key markets around the globe, providing a deeper understanding of regional health system priorities and practices, and enabling BD to adapt its business strategy to meet those needs. This expansion resulted in emerging market revenue growth of more than $600 million during this time period.





Over the past five years, BD has evolved its portfolio through two transformational acquisitionsCareFusion in 2015 and C.R. Bard in 2017. These acquisitions expanded BD's product and solution offering and BD subsequently leveraged its international network to broaden access of the acquired portfolio. Today, BD has leadership positions across many foundational areas in health care. For example, approximately 90% of all U.S. hospital inpatients receive care using a BD device and approximately 70% of all U.S. acute hospitals have connectivity to a BD data platform. In , BD was recognized for its fourth time in six years by magazine and named to its "Change the World List" for the company's extensive efforts in helping fulfill critical health care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the launch of an emergency use authorized SARS-CoV-2 test on the company's BD Veritor Plus System, a rapid point-of-care antigen test system with a simple, digital display that returns results in 15 minutes; as well as the production of the BD SARS-CoV-2 Assay for the BD MAX Molecular Diagnostic System, a real-time PCR test intended for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 in nasal, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal swabs or saliva samples, also under emergency use authorization. BD also significantly ramped production of its injection devices for the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The company recently announced that it reached the 2 billion injection device milestone for orders globally and has shipped more than 900 million around the world. Additionally, for the sixth year in a row, BD was named to the Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovators list in 2020, honoring the most innovative companies in the world. The company has been a pioneer in forging partnerships with leading health agencies and non-government organizations (NGO) to raise awareness of critical health challenges around the world, including the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low- and middle-income countries. The launch of a Massive Open Online Course, educating participants in the use of diagnostics related to AMR, has reached 13,000 people in more than 100 countries and is available in six languages. BD has also equipped more than 70 labs in 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and with diagnostic equipment and informatics solutions to help aid in the diagnosis of infections and guide physicians to provide appropriate antimicrobial prescribing and use. In addition, collaboration with international organizations have helped to develop online education and training tools to strengthen health and laboratory systems. Through its partnership with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BD has deployed more than 300 Global Health Fellows to laboratories in six countries, which resulted in participating lab assessment scores increasing by at least 46% and as high as 196%. Over the course of the last four years, more than 4,000 nurses have been trained to reduce infusion-related infections among health care workers in through the company's partnership with Project HOPE. Between 2015 and 2020, BD expanded the number of facilities and employment in key markets around the globe, providing a deeper understanding of regional health system priorities and practices, and enabling BD to adapt its business strategy to meet those needs. This expansion resulted in emerging market revenue growth of more than during this time period. Efficiency: Over the course of five years, BD initiated more than 650 projects related to energy, water and waste efficiency saving $25.6 million and invested $47.5 million in dedicated capital funding for energy, water and waste reduction projects that supported the 2020 sustainability goals. The company reduced scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 58%, exceeding its target of 50%. In addition, the company reduced ozone-depleting substance emissions by 95%, meeting a target of 95%; and reduced water consumption by 53%, exceeding a target of 40%.



In 2020, BD completed 109 projects that contributed to lowering its environmental footprint and conserving natural resources. Water consumption decreased as a result of continued water conservation efforts, exceeding the company's target of 40% reduction of water use (normalized by cost of products sold). Additionally, in 2020, BD became the first company in the health care segment to use electric vehicles (EVs) to deliver products inside the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, Brazil . The use of EVs helps ensure business continuity and ensure reliable deliveries of product to meet customer needs.





Over the course of five years, BD initiated more than 650 projects related to energy, water and waste efficiency saving and invested in dedicated capital funding for energy, water and waste reduction projects that supported the 2020 sustainability goals. The company reduced scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 58%, exceeding its target of 50%. In addition, the company reduced ozone-depleting substance emissions by 95%, meeting a target of 95%; and reduced water consumption by 53%, exceeding a target of 40%. In 2020, BD completed 109 projects that contributed to lowering its environmental footprint and conserving natural resources. Water consumption decreased as a result of continued water conservation efforts, exceeding the company's target of 40% reduction of water use (normalized by cost of products sold). Additionally, in 2020, BD became the first company in the health care segment to use electric vehicles (EVs) to deliver products inside the metropolitan area of . The use of EVs helps ensure business continuity and ensure reliable deliveries of product to meet customer needs. Empowerment: BD is committed to fostering an environment that welcomes and empowers an inclusive and diverse workforce. Over the past five years, the company has established and invested in its teams, processes, policies and programs to embed inclusion and diversity into the core of its business strategy, including the establishment of a Global Inclusion Council and nine associate resource groups to provide professional development opportunities. The company has also implemented a supplier diversity program to ensure its supply base aligns with the diverse customers, communities and markets it serves, and BD is a member of the AdvaMed Board's Inclusion and Diversity Committee and subcommittee.



BD continues its longstanding focus on philanthropy, with BD donating product valued at $53.5 million to international relief agencies from FY 2016 to 2020, and BD and the BD Foundation providing $22.6 million in cash and product donations in FY 2020, including $2.8 million to the COVID-19 pandemic response. In 2020, the company celebrated its 15th year of the BD Volunteer Service Trip Program, which sends teams of associates to low-resource countries to help strengthen local health systems.



In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company redoubled its efforts to ensure the safety of associates and business continuity by implementing important safety measures, including institutionalizing the use of additional layers of PPE, redesigning facilities and process flows to minimize potential transmission of the virus, rolling out educational campaigns to modify behavior inside and outside facilities to reduce transmission, and conducting COVID-19 testing in locations where community infection spikes have impacted facilities.

Later this year, BD will announce new sustainability commitments that seek to address and further advance how the company manages risks and opportunities around its most significant ESG issues over the next decade. The strategy focuses on how the company will address climate change through reducing emissions across the supply chain and integrating climate impacts into various parts of its business strategy and decisions, while also addressing the impact of products and resiliency of the supply chain.

The company announced in 2020 its first phase of 2030+ sustainability goals, committing to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 46% by 2030 (from our 2019 baseline) and to be carbon neutral across direct operations by 2040. This science-based target is aligned with the 1.5C global emissions reduction pathway. In addition, BD continues to work with supply chain partners to quantify and reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions. The new sustainability commitments will also seek to strengthen the health of BD's workforce and communities around the world through the lens of well-being and equality for all.

For more information about the company's sustainability goals, view the 2020 Sustainability Report here: https://www.bd.com/en-us/company/sustainability-at-bd.

About BD Veritor Plus System and BD SARS-CoV-2 Assay for the BD MAX Molecular Diagnostic System

The BD Veritor Plus System and BD SARS-CoV-2 Assay for the BD MAX Molecular Diagnostic System have not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but have been authorized by the FDA under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use by authorized laboratories. BD SARS-CoV-2 Reagents for BD MAX System have been authorized only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, and the BD Veritor System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 has been authorized only for the detection of proteins from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. The emergency use of these products is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostics for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C.  360bbb3(b)(1), unless the declaration is terminated or authorization is revoked sooner.

About BD

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties are beyond the company's control, including without limitation, challenges relating to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, and products, and other factors listed in our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC. BD expressly disclaims any undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements set forth herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

Contacts:





Media Investors Jessica Offerjost Kristen M. Stewart, CFA BD Public Relations BD Strategy & Investor Relations 201-847-5297 201.847.5378 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)

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NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BLACK ENTERPRISEthe No. 1 Black digital media brand, with more than 8 million monthly unique visitorswill present its latest Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Virtual Summit, June 23. The DEI Virtual Summit will bring together a cadre of high-powered executives and top thought leaders to discuss African American representation and participation in corporate renewal a year after the emergence of COVID-19 and the new institutional focus on racial equity in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. The second installment of the highly acclaimed one-day event series will feature candid, engaging conversations with corporate leaders, as well as discussions on actionable solutions to systemic inequities in corporate America and broader society.

Equal parts progress report, strategic planning session, and call to action, the DEI Virtual Summit is designed to meet the urgency of our times. The DEI Virtual Summit will examine where Black executives stand as it relates to corporate mobility and whether Black entrepreneurs are gaining a larger slice of the corporate procurement pie. It will also offer instruction for Black professionals to advance in today's environment by navigating structural racism and corporate politics, building beneficial business networks, and gaining recognition for peak performance.

"The pledges made by corporate America over the past year was not the end, but the beginning of a reenergized effort to eliminate systemic racism and economic inequity," says BLACK ENTERPRISE CEO Earl "Butch" Graves Jr. "Now begins the process of action and follow through on commitments to challenge discrimination and invest in the success of Black communities and Black consumers of their products and services. All of us must play a role in holding corporations accountable for their treatment of Black people, both inside and outside of their organizations."

Confirmed speakers for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit include Morgan Stanley Vice Chairman & Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor Carla Harris; American Express Senior Vice President, Chief Colleague Inclusion & Diversity Officer Sonia Cargan; Boeing Global Services Supply Chain Vice President William A. Ampofo II; Merck Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence Vice President Celeste Warren; Toyota Motor North America Group Vice President, Social Innovation Sean Suggs; Wells Fargo Executive Vice President, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Jimmie Walton Paschall, The Executive Leadership Council CEO Michael Hyter; Management Leadership for Tomorrow Founder & CEO John Rice; and OneTen CEO Maurice Jones.

Registering for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit will enable attendees to:

Learn why diversity, equity, and inclusion should be a business priority

Develop best practices for retaining Black talent and placing them on the management track

Prevent career derailment due to unconscious bias, microaggressions, and other discriminatory behaviors

How to play a leadership role in compelling corporate America to make good on its racial equity pledges

Understand the importance of collective corporate leadership in bringing about lasting social change

And MORE!

Sponsors of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit include American Express Co., The Boeing Co., Merck & Co. Inc., Toyota Motor North America, and Wells Fargo & Co.

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit is from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. For complimentary registration and more information about sessions and speakers, visit www.diversity.blackenterprise.com.

BLACK ENTERPRISE is the No.1 Black media brand, with more than 8 million monthly unique visitors. Since 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE has been the premier business, career, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. BLACK ENTERPRISE produces video and podcast programming, virtual and in-person business and lifestyle events, other digital media. Visit www.blackenterprise.com for more information.

Related Links

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SOURCE BLACK ENTERPRISE

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SALT LAKE CITY, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC), America's leading veteran-owned and operated coffee company, is bringing back one of its most popular and patriotic brews just in time for Independence Day. Now through July 11, each purchase of BRCC's iconic Liberty Roast -- online or in any BRCC shop -- will support the company's mission of donating 1 million cups of coffee to active-duty troops serving at home and overseas. Service members and first responders are welcome to stop by BRCC shops for a complimentary bag of coffee.

Black Rifle Coffee Company

Soldiers' Angels, a non-profit organization that provides aid, comfort, and resources to the military, veterans, and their families, will support the effort by coordinating large-scale domestic and overseas coffee drops.

Select members of BRCC's Coffee Club will make coffee drops to service members in their own communities.

"As a veteran-owned business, we're always looking for new ways to give back to the service community," said BRCC's Vice President of Marketing Molly Schweickert. "Independence Day is an opportunity for us to appreciate the freedoms we enjoy in this country and to remember the men and women still serving under its flag. We're proud to be American, and we're proud to work with the BRCC community and partners like Soldiers' Angels to help fuel the men and women still sacrificing for our liberties."

"Soldiers' Angels is honored to once again partner with BRCC and ensure we get Liberty Roast into the hands of as many service members and veterans as possible," said Amy Palmer, President and CEO of Soldiers' Angels. "It's through great partnerships like this one that we are able to continue our vision at Soldiers' Angels, May No Soldier Go Unloved."

BRCC is a mission-motivated company that exists to give back to active-duty service members, veterans, military families, and first responders. Last year, the company donated more than 6 million cups of coffee and $770,000 to the service community.

The Liberty Roast

BRCC's Liberty Roast is a medium-bodied roast with hints of almond, honey, grapefruit, minimal acidity, and maximum freedom.

About Black Rifle Coffee Company:

Black Rifle Coffee Company is a veteran-owned coffee company serving premium coffee to people who love America. Founded in 2014 by Green Beret Evan Hafer, Black Rifle develops their explosive roast profiles with the same mission focus they learned while serving in the military. They're committed to supporting veterans, first responders, and the American way of life. With every purchase made, they give back. Learn more at: blackriflecoffee.com/pages/about-us.

About Soldiers' Angels:

Soldiers' Angels is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides aid, comfort, and resources to the military, veterans, and their families. Founded in 2003 by the family of General George Patton, hundreds of thousands of Soldiers' Angels "Angel" volunteers assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways. (Tax ID# 20-0583415). Learn more at www.soldiersangels.org.

Media Contact:

Farahn Morgan

[email protected]

276.393.5677

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SOURCE Black Rifle Coffee Company
NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueVoyant, a cybersecurity services company, today released the findings from its Defense Industry Supply Chain & Security 2021 report, which highlights critical vulnerabilities within the defense supply chain ecosystem. The report includes evidence of the exploitable cyber weaknesses of small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and demonstrates how cybercriminals are becoming increasingly adept at locating and exploiting the weakest link within the supply chain.

As part of its assessment of the scale of the problem for SMB defense companies, BlueVoyant examined the security of 300 subcontractor firms within the DIB using its third-party datasets and proprietary research. BlueVoyant identified the cybersecurity gaps in the subcontractors' security practices to garner a better understanding of the security posture of less visible members of the complex defense supply chain.

Key report findings include:

Over half of the 300 SMB defense contractors had critical vulnerabilities to ransomware[2].

More than a quarter (28%) of companies analyzed showed evidence indicating they would fail to meet the most basic, tier-1 CMMC requirement.

Manufacturing and R&D companies had the highest risk profiles when assessing email security, IT hygiene, malicious activity and vulnerabilities. Industry type was a stronger predictor of risk than company size alone.

48% of the companies showed severe vulnerabilities such as unsecured ports vulnerable to breach or exploitation, unsecured data storage and ports, and unsupported software.

Almost one-tenth of the companies analyzed showed critical vulnerabilities, evidence of targeted threat activity, and evidence of compromise.

100% of the large R&D companies assessed displayed network vulnerabilities, with 66% of these companies also showing evidence of targeting.

More than six months after the F5 and Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities were announced, nine companies still had the vulnerabilities on their networks.

In the U.S., securing the DIB is one of the most critical national security objectives and policymakers are acutely aware of the high stakes with cyberattacks. Businesses within this sector form the backbone of the U.S. defense industry and are high-value targets for nation state adversaries and other cybercriminals. Although defense contractors face the same opportunistic threats as any business, the DIB's biggest problem is the complexity of securing such an enormous ecosystem, spanning thousands of companies.

The introduction of new U.S. government regulations and compliance standards, such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), are set to improve the baseline of cybersecurity requirements. Yet, despite the discipline reflected in the new regulations, many challenges remain for smaller firms, which do not have the resources and budgets to deal with increasing, targeted cyberattacks.

Through its analysis, BlueVoyant identified addressable concerns for DIB companies with low organizational cybersecurity capabilities and provided key recommendations for improving the defense industry's overall security efforts. Key insights can help Department of Defense (DoD) and defense prime contractors focus their attention and can be used to support and extend recommendations that are present in the 2017 DSB Task Force report and in the 2020 Cyberspace Solarium Commission Report and include:

Continuous cybersecurity monitoring is a key component of a secure supply chain.

Prime contractors can reduce their risk exposure by focusing on the most high-risk segments of their supply chain. Findings align with prior reports that R&D companies are particularly vulnerable targets for malicious insertion in the supply chain and focusing on them can reduce risk to all segments.

Predictive analysis is possible based on quantitative measures and can provide the DoD and prime contractors with findings to help them identify and more effectively manage risk. However, more research with a larger sample size and wider variables is needed to truly measure the risk of an industry with this scale.

Commenting on the research, Austin Berglas, Global Head of Professional Services, BlueVoyant, said: "As prime contractors and other larger DIB members develop more robust and sophisticated security defenses, it's no surprise threat actors have pivoted towards targeting SMBs within the same supply chain. In particular, manufacturers and R&D companies are lagging in terms of their own cyber posture, leaving the entire defense industry wide open to the threat of ransomware and other third-party attacks.

"For an industry with such an expansive, interconnected digital ecosystem, supply chain security should be a fundamental consideration. Prime contractors are under enormous pressure to reduce the attack surface of the entire supply chain but are partly blind to the vulnerabilities that exist. For smaller companies, identifying ongoing risks and understanding overall supply chain health is a daunting but vital process, and more attention and resources should be dedicated to combating the growing threat."

Jim Rosenthal, founder and CEO, BlueVoyant, concluded: "The U.S. defense supply chain is a vital national security asset, but the DIB is currently in an inefficiently secure state. In the face of relentless and successful cyber espionage, the nation's primary focus should be on creating a secure and resilient supply chain. The two Executive Orders: one on American Supply Chains, and the other on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity, direct much-needed attention and funding to cybersecurity in the defense supply chain, but they are only the start. Closer co-operation between the DoD and the private sector is required to support a more vibrant, diverse and secure defense sector."

For more insights from BlueVoyant's Defense Industry Supply Chain & Security 2021 report, click here.

About BlueVoyant

At BlueVoyant, we recognize that effective cybersecurity requires active prevention and defense across both your organization and supply chain. Our proprietary data, analytics and technology, coupled with deep expertise, works as a force multiplier to secure your full ecosystem.

Accuracy. Actionability. Timeliness. Scalability.

Founded in 2017 by former Fortune 500 and former government cyber officials, BlueVoyant is headquartered in New York City and has offices in Maryland, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Manila, Toronto, London, Latin America and Budapest. Visit www.bluevoyant.com.

BlueVoyant Press Contacts:

Danielle Ostrovsky

C8 Consulting (Americas)

T: +1-410-302-9459

E: [email protected]

Jim Pople

C8 Consulting (EMEA)

T: +44(0)7955-030191

E: [email protected]

[1] https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/current-activity/2021/05/19/update-cisa-fbi-joint-cybersecurity-advisory-darkside-ransomware

[2] https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/current-activity/2021/05/19/update-cisa-fbi-joint-cybersecurity-advisory-darkside-ransomware

SOURCE BlueVoyant

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Hires Evan Seigerman to cover biotech and pharma as part of plans to deepen expertise and help drive growth

NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - BMO Capital Markets, the investment & corporate banking arm of BMO Financial Group (NYSE: BMO) (TSX: BMO), today announced that it has hired Evan Seigerman as a Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst covering the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Mr. Seigerman's hire is a key part of BMO's ongoing strategy to build out its healthcare franchise to meet the needs of clients. BMO continues to deepen its expertise and expand services in healthcare across the enterprise -- including Capital Markets, Business and Commercial Banking and Wealth -- where it has deep ties with clients from service providers to biotech innovators, and offers dedicated banking services to help healthcare professionals grow their businesses and manage their finances.

Mr. Seigerman will be based in New York and report to Bert Powell, Global Director of Equity Research. He will drive the expansion of BMO's healthcare research franchise, which currently consists of four analysts  including Mr. Seigerman  as well as:

Gary Nachman , who covers BioPharma/Biotechnology;

, who covers BioPharma/Biotechnology; Matthew Luchini , who covers Biotechnology; and,

, who covers Biotechnology; and, Matt Borsch, CFA, who covers Managed Care/Providers.

"Evan brings a deep understanding of the biotech sector across market caps and therapeutic areas," said Mr. Powell. "In addition, he brings a client-centric focus with the vision to build a market-leading research franchise."

Mr. Seigerman has over a decade of experience, most recently at Credit Suisse in New York where he covered the U.S. biopharmaceuticals sector. He has worked at Barclays Capital and Deutsche Bank Securities, also in New York, and was selected by Business Insider as a 2021 "Rising Star" of equity research.

In addition to Mr. Seigerman, Trung Huynh is joining the BMO healthcare research team to support the firm's expansion and growth. Mr. Huynh has more than ten years of experience covering therapeutic and pharmaceutical companies, and most recently was with Credit Suisse in London. He holds degrees from Imperial College and Loughborough University.

About BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets is a leading, full-service North American-based financial services provider offering equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, merger and acquisitions advisory services, securitization, treasury management, market risk management, debt and equity research and institutional sales and trading. BMO Capital Markets has approximately 2,600 professionals in 33 locations around the world, including 18 offices in North America.

BMO Capital Markets is a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), one of the largest diversified financial services providers in North America with US$760 billion total assets and nearly 43,000 employees as of January 31, 2021.

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

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CHICAGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BuildCentral today announced Geospex, a new planned construction visualization tool built for real estate, finance and construction industry professionals.

Geospex provides a new way for construction industry, finance and real estate professionals to better evaluate their key markets for growth opportunities and potential risks.

Geospex Planned Construction Visualization

Using ESRI geospatial technology, Geospex pairs planned real estate development data from BuildCentral with intelligent data layers to deliver comprehensive market-specific insights  all without having to comb through multiple tools and tabs. Intelligent data layers include parcel ownership data, nearby opportunity zones, U.S. Census data, MSA and zip code boundaries, real-time weather warnings, demographics, drive times and more.



"Geospex is the future of real estate market research," says Damian Eastman, CEO at BuildCentral. "Whether you're a builder, in finance, an industry supplier, or in real estate, you want to know where all the future commercial and residential developments are planned, when they're coming and who's responsible. With Geospex, you can visualize these future developments and stakeholders all plotted on a dynamic, interactive map for any U.S. zip code."



He adds, "Then, if you want to dig deeper, you can add more context using our library of intelligent data layers. Maybe you'd also like to see all the nearby opportunity zones and crime rates for your key regions? Add them both to see a more complete picture of that market, all on one screen. This is just one of dozens of ways Geospex can help you quickly assess both opportunity and risk in your core markets."

Key Geospex features include the ability to:

Visualize planned commercial and residential developments parsed by Census Region, MSA, State, County or Zip Code

Analyze any U.S. real estate market and see data layers for parcel ownership information, opportunity zones, demographics, crime rates, flood zones, weather warnings and more

Refine any search by drive time or radius, measure distances between two points and the area of any custom drawn polygon

Import user sales territories, distribution facilities, dealer locations, etc.

Geospex will be available starting June 22, 2021. For more information, visit https://info.buildcentral.com/geospex-map-features.

About BuildCentral

For over 20 years BuildCentral's databases of planned real estate developments have helped builders, suppliers, and investors discover new opportunities and customers.

Solutions include database and analytics products for commercial real estate, single-family & multi-family real estate, medical, hotel and retail/grocery developments, and the global renewable energy and mining sectors.

BuildCentral is part of the BCI Media Group with global operations spanning the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

Contact:

Matthew Holmes

BuildCentral

866-316-5300

[email protected]

SOURCE BuildCentral,Inc.
SINGAPORE, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

To all Shareholders

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting (the "Meeting") of CHINA YUCHAI INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (NYSE: CYD) (the "Company") will be held on Friday, July 23, 2021 at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time. In light of the current restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the health and safety of our officers, directors and shareholders, the Meeting will be held in a virtual meeting format only, via a live webcast, with no physical attendance at the Meeting.

Members entered in the Register of Members of the Company at the close of business on June 7, 2021 (New York time) (the "Members") are entitled to receive the Notice of the Meeting and to electronically attend, vote and submit questions at the Meeting. The Meeting will be accessible by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CYD2021 and using the unique 16-Digit Control Number included on the proxy form or on the instructions that accompany the proxy materials.

The Meeting will be held for the following purposes:

As Ordinary Business

1. To receive and adopt the audited financial statements and independent auditors' report for the financial year ended December 31, 2020.

2. To approve an increase in the limit of the Directors' fees as set out in Bye-law 10(11) of the Bye-laws of the Company from US$250,000 to US$556,229 for the financial year 2020 (Directors' fees paid for the financial year 2019 was US$569,013).

3. To re-elect the following Directors retiring pursuant to Bye-law 4(2) of the Bye-laws of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting of the Company:

(i) Mr Kwek Leng Peck

(ii) Mr Gan Khai Choon

(iii) Mr Hoh Weng Ming

(iv) Mr Neo Poh Kiat

(v) Mr Ho Raymond Chi-Keung

(vi) Mr Xie Tao

4. To re-elect the following Directors retiring pursuant to Bye-law 4(3) of the Bye-laws of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting of the Company:

(i) Mr Stephen Ho Kiam Kong (appointed on August 31, 2020)

(ii) Mr Li Hanyang (appointed on May 12, 2021)

5. To appoint Mr Wu Qiwei as a Director in place of Mr Yan Ping who will be retiring at the Meeting pursuant to Bye-law 4(2) of the Bye-laws of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting of the Company.

6. To authorize the Board of Directors (the "Board") to appoint up to the maximum of 11 Directors or such maximum number as determined from time to time by the shareholders in general meeting to fill any vacancies on the Board.

7. To re-appoint Ernst & Young LLP as independent auditors of the Company and to authorize the Audit Committee to fix their remuneration.

8. To transact any other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any adjournment thereof.

By Order of the Board

Hoh Weng Ming

President

Date: June 22, 2021

Notes:

1. Pursuant to the Bye-laws of the Company, no resolution of Members may be passed without the affirmative vote of the Special Share cast by the holder of the Special Share.

2. Members are encouraged to vote and submit their proxy in advance by internet, telephone or by mail per the instructions on the proxy form, no less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the Meeting, that is no later than 8:00 p.m. Singapore time or 8:00 a.m. New York time on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Beneficial owners of shares held in street name will need to follow the instructions provided by the broker, bank or other nominee that holds their shares.

3. To be admitted to attend, vote and submit questions at the Meeting, Members and proxies must enter the 16-Digit Control Number found on the proxy form or on the instructions that accompany the proxy materials.

4. As the Members will not be able to attend the Meeting in person and will be participating virtually in the Meeting, each resolution to be considered at the Meeting will be voted on by way of a poll. The Board considers voting by poll to be in the interests of the Members as a whole and ensures that the views of as many Members as possible are represented at the Meeting.

5. All questions submitted at the Meeting should be relevant to the business of the Meeting.

For more information:

Investor Relations

Kevin Theiss

Tel: +1-212-521-4050

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE China Yuchai International Limited

Related Links

http://www.cyilimited.com


ELKHART, Ind., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As cities re-open for summer travel and events, Cincinnati, Ohio, will host a major Christian convention. Duke Energy Convention Center will transform into a gathering place for Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) and its MennoCon biennial convention, July 6-10, 2021.

"We are excited to host MennoCon21 at the Duke Energy Convention Center," said Spectra's Ric Booth, general manager at the Duke Energy Convention Center. "Conventions such as MennoCon21 are a critical component to the health of downtown Cincinnati, driving hotel room nights and spending within our downtown restaurants and small businesses. The lifting of travel and capacity restrictions has allowed our local hospitality industry to get back to business and be 'Together Again!'" he added.

Cincinnati was an attractive choice for MC USA's convention planners, as almost 10% of the denomination's 530 congregations are in Ohio.

"Driving to Cincinnati takes less than a day for a large portion of our constituency," said Scott Hartman, MC USA director of event planning. "We are excited to bring youth and adults together from across our denomination for this faith formation event," he added. Hartman noted that the worship hall and seminar rooms will be set with extra seating to allow social distancing, if desired. In addition, MC USA is offering a virtual option, for the first time, in which participants can engage via a customized online event platform.

Themed "Bring the Peace," the MennoCon21 convention focuses heavily on MC USA's peace theology and social justice work, which are central to Anabaptist beliefs in Jesus Christ.

"As Christians we want to answer the divine call to join in the work of the Spirit, extending God's peace throughout our communities," said Glen Guyton, executive director of MC USA. "We are excited to demonstrate God's message of healing and hope as we engage the people Cincinnati."

Guyton will also unveil the denomination's new theme for the next biennium at the convention.

Mennonites 'Bring the Peace' to Cincinnati/2

MennoCon21 will feature daily worship services, Bible studies, hymn sings and educational seminars for youth and adults on topics addressing many of today's peace and justice issues. These issues include anti-racism, climate justice, gun violence, immigration justice, LGBTQ inclusion, mass incarceration and more. The seminars are led by leaders and experts from across the denomination, including Mennonite agencies, seminaries, colleges and ministry partners.

The convention is open to the public for a daily registration fee of $125 per person, or $350 for the entire event. Registration for the virtual experience is $99 and provides post-convention access for one month. For more information, including a list of seminars, visit www.convention.mennoniteusa.org

Editorial Contacts: Wil LaVeist, Chief Communications Officer, [email protected], 574-523-3077; Camille Dager, Multimedia News & Information Editor, [email protected], 574-523-3068

SOURCE Mennonite Church USA

Related Links

http://www.mennoniteusa.org


NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud at Work (www.thecloudatwork.com), a purpose-built Sage hosting solution, today announced that Oasis Solutions (Oasis), a leading Sage business partner, has selected it as its exclusive hosting provider for Sage clients. By migrating its Sage clients to Cloud at Work, Oasis enables them to take control of their businesses, and realize the financial benefits of SaaS, supported by the combined Sage application and cloud technology expertise of Oasis and the Cloud at Work team.

Oasis Solutions began delivering technology solutions in 1991 and today is a trusted strategic partner for hundreds of clients, ensuring that their information systems are aligned with their business objectives. By choosing Cloud at Work as its exclusive hosting provider, Oasis gives their Sage clients the increased agility needed to successfully compete in a post-pandemic world, while reducing costs, increasing profits, and streamlining processes to gain new efficiencies.

"We're delighted to welcome Oasis Solutions as a Cloud at Work alliance partner," said Tyler Bower, Director of Cloud at Cloud at Work. "We work hard every day to deliver the best experience for our partners and their Sage clients. When an organization with Oasis's stellar reputation trusts us to power their cloud strategy, it's a highly rewarding validation of our efforts. They've built a strong team and remarkable company, and we look forward to working with them in helping their Sage clients leverage the power, efficiencies and business benefits of cloud hosting."

"We wanted a hosting partner we could trust to help our clients as they transition their Sage solutions to the cloud," said Annette Manias, President of Oasis. "We needed someone that was highly technical but also who understood the Sage solutions our clients used. Lastly, we needed to be sure that our corporate cultures would align in putting our clients, people, and process first. In Cloud at Work we found a Sage hosting partner that ticked all these boxes and made the entire process for us and our clients easy."

Cloud at Work's recently announced Partner Development Fund allocates $1.5 million to Sage Business Partner customers who migrate their application to Cloud at Work. Sage users that sign on to move to Cloud at Work Hosting will receive a certificate of credit to be spent exclusively with their Sage Business Partner of Record. The funds can be used for any service, including upgrades, new software, services, and migrations.

About Cloud at Work

Cloud at Work gives users of Sage applications more capabilities and control to increase business performance using their technology investments. With a knowledgeable, highly responsive team of Sage application experts and advanced cloud hosting solutions personalized to customer strengths, Cloud at Work helps its customers pivot more quickly to capitalize on new business opportunities and resolve issues faster. Businesses using Sage trust Cloud at Work to help them achieve higher levels of business productivity and resiliency that outpace competitors and help them capture more market share. Visit thecloudatwork.com for more information.

About Oasis Solutions

30 Years of Solving Problems at the Intersection of People, Processes & ERP Software

Oasis Solutions has been recognized as a Best Places To Work award winner for the past four consecutive years. As a fast-growing company, we leverage the best tools and tactics that enable adaptability and growth during these times. Oasis is your local NetSuite, Sage 100, and Workday Adaptive Planning partner that offers expertise in accounting, human resource management, and custom software development. We have your long-term plan and business strategy in mind from the get-go. Oasis Solutions has offices in Louisville and Lexington, KY, TN, and NC. Let us help you set your team up for success by implementing the best tools for your business. Visit oasisky.com for more information.

SOURCE Cloud at Work

Related Links

https://www.thecloudatwork.com


Criptonite and Wave will address the increasing demand from European investors for new, secure and regulated crypto-asset investment products, targeting qualified investors across Switzerland providing diversified crypto investment solutions through regulated Actively Managed Certificates (AMC) focused on growth and income. AMCs are securitized portfolios similar to Exchange Traded Funds and have risen in popularity during the past decade due to the level of flexibility they offer.

"Both our companies were founded with a similar focus on private investors' needs and share a strong conviction that crypto investments must be treated with the same level of risk and investment management rigour as traditional assets," says Florian Rais, CEO and Founder of Criptonite. "There was an immediate connection because we speak the same language, share the same vision and our offerings certainly have parallels. All in all, I'm very excited about our new strategic partnership".

Speaking about the new partnership, Matteo Dante Perruccio, President International at Wave says "David Siemer and Ben Tsai founded Wave Financial with the idea that, although crypto is a new asset class, investors should have access to regulated, rigorously risk managed, compliant vehicles and strategies. As one of the early entrants in the crypto asset management sector, we have accumulated a deep knowledge of the digital asset markets and opportunities. I look forward to working with Criptonite to offer novel and highly attractive investment solutions to their professional clients. Initially, we will be focusing on specific themes, such as income growth, yield generation and diversified strategies, as well as selective portfolios".

"We help people make rational decisions," continued Rais. "I regard the growth within the digital assets ecosystem as a transformational phenomenon. As this asset class has grown very rapidly, many traditional asset and wealth managers are increasingly seeking assistance from outside specialists to help service their clients' crypto investment needs. Both Criptonite and Wave recognise the growing interest amongst traditional investors who want to participate in this new asset class".

Criptonite has proven over the years that it is able to select attractive investment management teams for the purpose of offering well-managed crypto investment products with an institutional focus. It manages the Next Gems Certificate which helps investors to achieve long-term capital growth by focusing on a mid to short-term swing trade strategy on major pairs of crypto assets. Criptonite will continue to expand its provision of innovative crypto investment solutions.

About Criptonite Asset Management

Criptonite Asset Management SA (CRAM) is a Geneva, Switzerland based investment management company that manages and promotes investment products focused on digital assets. The products managed are for institutional and qualified investors only. CRAM was founded by a seasoned investment manager who spent his whole career advising and managing HNWI assets; it is today surrounded by a team of highly skilled investment professionals. CRAM is registered with an auto regulated body (So-Fit), in accordance with the Swiss FINMA regulator requirements.

www.Criptoniteam.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/criptonite-asset-management

Media contact: [email protected]

About Wave Financial

Wave Financial LLC (Wave) is a Los Angeles based investment management company that provides institutional and private wealth digital asset solutions. Led by a team of highly experienced financial services professionals, Wave provides investable funds via their diverse investment strategies applied to digital assets and tokenized real assets. Wave also offers managed accounts for HNWIs and family offices seeking tailored digital asset exposure, bespoke treasury management services, and early-stage venture capital and strategic consultation to the digital asset ecosystem. Wave is federally regulated by the US Securities & Exchange Commission as an investment adviser.

https://wavegp.com/

SOURCE Criptonite AM
MASON, Ohio, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Management at Downlite Outdoor, a division of Downlite, a market leader in down and feather processing and a supplier of responsibly sourced performance fills, says the company has been unduly burdened by the current round of tariffs, and USTR tariffs give Chinese manufacturers a competitive advantage over American manufacturers. Small businesses across America are struggling to survive. COVID is only the most recent challenge.

Downlite

As noted in The Wall Street Journal on June 13 in an article by Josh Zumbrun, "The Biden administration's long-awaited review of tariff policy can't come soon enough for an Ohio bedding maker, which says it is being pummeled by U.S. levies on imported Chinese feathers. The exclusions that were granted to Downlite and thousands of other U.S. companies expired December 31, 2020, and the U.S. Trade Representative's Office says it won't consider granting new exclusions until it completes a top-to-bottom review of tariffs on these and other Chinese imports imposed by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, no tariffs were ever imposed on many of the finished bedding products from China"

"It's basically just helping the Chinese right now while hurting U.S. manufacturing," said Josh Werthaiser, president of Downlite's feather and down division.

One of Downlite's key raw materials was on the government '4A' list that designates the added tariffs, while Chinese-imported finished goods were on another list called 4B. The tariff list 4A was finalized and put into place on Sept. 1, 2019, while the other list 4B was never implemented. The result was the raw materials needed to make products in America by American workers, now carry higher tariffs. At the same time, finished products made entirely in China and imported into the USA were "never tariffed." This unexpected consequence continues to give China-made finished goods a clear cost advantage over USA manufactured products, putting Chinese factories to work while hurting American workers. This remains a crippling challenge to U.S. suppliers and manufacturers.

While the virus has ravaged the American economy, small businesses across America were already fighting to survive. Government regulation and policy have added costs and complexity at every turn. American manufacturers were bending under this pressure prior to COVID and family businesses are especially vulnerable. Downlite is one such family business fighting for its existence.

Downlite is a family-owned USA-based manufacturer of high-quality bedding: pillows, comforters, mattress pads. With multiple North American factories and warehouses and a long-standing history of supporting American workers, Downlite employs over 400 employees in Ohio and North Carolina alone.

When the Trump Administration announced tariffs on Chinese imports in 2018, a new set of challenges began. The tariffs on certain raw materials (specifically on "Tariff List 3") made American-made products less competitive than similar products made in China.

In response to this policy, Downlite took part in United States Trade Representative (USTR) hearings to explain why these raw materials should not be burdened with a tariff, citing lack of alternative supply sources, probable domestic job loss, and increased costs to the end consumer. Based on the guidance, the USTR removed those raw materials from a List 3.

The good news was short-lived. In mid-2019, the USTR announced "List 4," which once again included Downlite's core raw materials. Downlite returned to Washington, D.C., and made its case again to the USTR. This time, the USTR decided against removal of these materials from the list. Even worse, the USTR split lists, List 4A included all materials coming from China, where less than 75% of the total volume imported into the United States originated from China. Therefore, the Tariff remains high for those on these lists. The USTR apparently believed this would help American manufacturers. Unfortunately, it only made things worse.

Downlite has been working diligently with the current administration and the USTR to reinstate the previously approved exclusions. Unfortunately, these tariffs remain.

Please write the USTR at [email protected] or the Senate and the House to express support to have the tariff exclusion process restarted.

CONTACT:

Beth Cochran

[email protected]

406.579.7909

Related Files

WSJ.DLO. POLITICS.pdf

Related Images

u-s-downlite-facility-in-mason-ohio.png

U.S. Downlite Facility in Mason, Ohio



SOURCE Downlite
Dawn Kahle, current Habitat Board Chair and Vice President of Communications for Children's Health, and Habitat board member since 2016 will also pass the gavel to Juan Suarez as incoming Habitat Board Chair. Beginning next month, Mr. Suarez, who currently serves as the Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel for Southwest Airlines, will begin leadership of Habitat's Board of Directors to help guide the organization into its next phase of strategic growth.

"The combined talents and experiences of our incoming board members in the finance, nonprofit, human resources, legal, and real estate sectors, to name a few, present new opportunities for Habitat to lead Dallas in affordable housing," Dallas Habitat CEO Dave Crawford said. "Following a challenging year for our community, the volunteer commitment of these individual's time and talents to our mission is especially meaningful. I am confident with their guidance, building on the strategy we've outlined under Dawn Kahle's leadership, we are well-positioned to accomplish our bold goals. Their service will be instrumental in transforming our community by providing financial education, affordable housing and policies that further equity across the DFW metroplex."



Dallas Habitat's 34-member Board of Directors serves four 2-year terms and are responsible for providing governance and fiduciary oversight while furthering the organization's mission. The ten new board members include:



Courtney Acarregui , Vice President Investment Specialist at J.P. Morgan Institutional Wealth Management, Ex Officio Member

, Vice President Investment Specialist at J.P. Morgan Institutional Wealth Management, Ex Officio Member Dawn Blair , Real Estate Manager at City of Dallas - Department of Aviation

, Real Estate Manager at - Department of Aviation Murphy Cheatham, Principal for MDC Global

Alan Cohen , President and CEO of Child Poverty Action Lab

, President and CEO of Child Poverty Action Lab Cristi Lockett , Chief People Officer for Pizza Hut - Yum! Brands

, Chief People Officer for Pizza Hut - Yum! Brands Stacy Marshall , President of Southeast Fort Worth , Inc.

, President of , Inc. Olga Martinez Hickman , PhD, Executive Director of Bachman Lake Together

, PhD, Executive Director of Bachman Lake Together Sean Tate , Managing Partner of Tate Legal Counsel, P.C.

, Managing Partner of Tate Legal Counsel, P.C. Asheya L. Warren , CPSM, Principal and Founder of Praxis

, CPSM, Principal and Founder of Praxis Venezuela Williams, Area Human Resources Business Partner for Lowe's

"This last year has further highlighted the critical need for affordable housing here in Dallas. I am confident that our new board members will advance Dallas Habitat's mission to provide families with a safe, affordable place to live," said Habitat Board Chair, Dawn Kahle. "As we focus our five-year strategic plan around financial strength, growth and providing more pathways to homeownership, we are also placing the highest priority on equity for the communities and families Habitat serves. We expect our entire board to lead through this inclusive and equitable lens."

For additional information on Dallas Habitat, visit: https://dallasareahabitat.org

About Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity

Through affordable homeownership opportunities, financial education, advocacy, and neighborhood empowerment programs, Dallas Habitat transforms families, revitalizes neighborhoods, and is working together to build a better Dallas. Strategically bringing together public and private funding, community leadership and vision, and thousands of volunteerswe will break the cycle of poverty and transform our communities. Using affordable homeownership as an anchor for hope, change, and stability, Dallas Habitat has served more than 1,700 low-income families since 1986, resulting in an investment of approximately $179 million in more than 25 Dallas area neighborhoods. Learn more at dallasareahabitat.org .



SOURCE Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity

Related Links

http://dallasareahabitat.org


SALT LAKE CITY, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Davinci Virtual Office Solutions, the leading provider of global virtual business addresses, on-demand workspace offerings and live receptionist services, has been named to the Parity.org Best Companies for Women to Advance List 2021. This list recognizes organizations that have implemented a mix of exemplary benefits, policies, and programs that ensure women have significant opportunities to advance their careers.

Companies on the list were rated in areas of equality in hiring and promotion practices, inclusion, representation of women in leadership, and enablers, such as benefits and other policies, that help companies achieve equitable outcomes. For more details, visit: www.parity.org/best-companies.

"The companies that are on the 2021 list of Best Companies for Women to Advance are shining examples of companies that actually walk the talk and are helping create equal representation, now." said Cathrin Stickney, Parity.org founder and CEO.

"Davinci Virtual Office Solutions has been successful because of our ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusivity and equal opportunity. We embrace these fundamental values as part of our company culture," said Martin Senn, CEO of Davinci. "Our awesome workforce is comprised of over 80% of incredibly talented female professionals - we are proud to be associated with Parity.org," Senn added.

Davinci Virtual Office Solutions was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. For the past decade, the company provided virtual office solutions to over 50,000 companies and entrepreneurs worldwide. Clients can obtain prime business addresses, on-demand meeting & workspaces, live web chat services and live receptionist services  instantly  with the click of a button.

For more information please visit www.davincivirtual.com or www.davincimeetingrooms.com contact 888-863-3423.

About Davinci Virtual Office Solutions:

Davinci is the leading provider of turnkey virtual communications and virtual office solutions offering virtual office locations and services worldwide. With professional business addresses in over 5,500 prime locations, mail forwarding, lobby listings, conference rooms access, live receptionist services, resident agent services, and more, Davinci Virtual helps businesses maintain a global presence on a local budget.

About Parity.org

Parity.org is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap at the highest ranks of business leadership. You can follow Parity.org on Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter , and Instagram . Organizations wanting to take the ParityPledge or learn more about Parity.org should visit www.Parity.org .

Media Contact:

Serena Johnston

Davinci Virtual

801-990-9200

SOURCE Davinci Virtual Office Solutions

Related Links

http://www.Parity.org


NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global pandemic has changed almost every aspect of work life, but one thing remains the same: the looming necessity for business travel. Virtual interactions notwithstanding, the requirement for face-to-face meetings between teams and decision-makers is not going away. But it won't be business as usual.

For starters, business travel deemed non-essential has gone the way of a Zoom call. Further, the vast majority of those who have successfully navigated working from home can no longer justify the need for short term business travel, and if they try, the accountants are waiting for them. Business travel budgets will likely experience major cuts as ROI and bottom lines are assessed in a new light.

With corporate America 'returning to work' and embracing the 'new normal', in-person collaborations are thankfully no longer a rarity due to the proliferation of effective vaccines. That said, remote and hybrid work will remain a key aspect of business operations.

The 2021 Work Trend Index reveals that 73 percent of workers wish to retain the flexibility of remote work options, and 66 percent of businesses are considering redesigning their office spaces to facilitate hybrid strategies. Therefore, even business travelers will have to embrace the hybrid environment.

An Alternative to The Hotel Experience

As the effects of the global pandemic continue to reverberate, many business travelers are hesitant to return to a high-touch, high-density hotel format. As a result, many business travelers find themselves looking to extended-stay options that offer a diminished risk exposure.

Predicting an increase in extended-stay travel, Craig James, CEO and founder of DWELLoptimal, says the hybrid live|work solution represents a necessary progression for business travel. With an emphasis on productivity and consumer technology, the DWELL model differs from the "traditional, off-the-rack" extended stay.

"Most extended stay apartments create a tug-of-war between live and work," he notes. "Traditionally, it's been an apartment with a small desk. Our approach represents an evolution in prioritization."

While the corporate apartment concept has been around for decades, DWELLoptimal stands apart from an increasingly crowded landscape of branded accommodations. Created to optimize the live|work equation for corporations, DWELL places the focus for business travel on one underlying deliverable  productivity.

Prioritizing Security and Productivity

Without question, employee well-being remains the primary concern for 'return-to-work' protocols and business travel. Accordingly, DWELLoptimal units offer HEPA air filtration, no-touch integrated nutrition services, and in-unit fitness amenities. With keyless entry, virtual check-in/check-out, and industrial cleaning and sanitation protocols, DWELLoptimal aims to minimize the risk of potential air-borne and surface exposure to future COVID-19 variant strains.

Technology integration for the remote worker is of equal importance, with the explicit goal of maintaining peak productivity. In addition to the latest network protocols, IT security and encryption are integral features of DWELLoptimal's remote work deliverable. The technology behind virtual meetings creates an environment ripe for hacking and IT security threats. "We want to extend the latest security advancements to corporate clients  and we've assembled a framework to protect the remote worker," James says.

From a pure productivity standpoint, DWELLoptimal seeks to reduce travel friction at "every client interaction." "At our core, we want to power the productivity of the employee," James says. "That starts with eliminating travel friction in all the obvious ways. With instant Wi-Fi connections, Zoom conferencing and Slack integration, we're utilizing technology to give time back to the mobile employee."

Designed For Performance

Equipped with robust well-being, technology, and security features, DWELLoptimal tailored environments serve to meet personal and professional needs. It's a formula designed to keep mobile employees and top performers functioning at a high level.

It is also tailored to keep them onboard. Employee retention is an increasingly important consideration in the post-pandemic era. In January 2021, 41 percent of employees surveyed by Edelman Data x Intelligence said they were likely to consider leaving their current employer within the next year.

"In the quest for the best and most diverse talent, DWELL offers corporates an opportunity to use real estate as an attraction and retention tool. We create secure live|work environments that are designed for high-value employees to actually be valuable," James says. "Why wouldn't you give your employees access to more productive environments?"

About DWELL optimal | Where Business Lives

DWELLoptimal is a real estate technology company that provides a new standard in productivity-focused design for extended stay business travelers. The DWELL platform ushers in new efficiencies for the corporate traveler through technology-enabled, responsive environments that cater specifically to the needs of business. DWELLoptimal provides corporate clients with an integrated software platform for managing utilization, controlling unit environments remotely and allowing employees to tailor elements of their live|work spaces. The DWELL mission is to 'standardize and optimize' corporate extended-stay travel, enabling business travelers to be their most productive selves.

SOURCE DWELLoptimal Inc

Related Links

https://www.dwelloptimal.com/#/


NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- When COVID-19 forced the live event industry to completely shut down back in 2020, a group of expert live concert and performance technicians saw the ubiquitous need that emerged for a world going completely online. In August 2020, these skilled and experienced technicians pivoted to form ESS ( www.ess.rocks ), providing high-quality, turnkey solutions for anybody using virtual or online platforms for business and personal use.

ESS ROAD Case ESS GO Case

"There's a symbiotic relationship between the live and virtual realms," says ESS founder Robert Flood. "Our live concert and performance technicians with audio, lighting and video expertise stepped up quickly last year with turn-key solutions so that anyone using virtual meeting solutions could look, sound and feel amazing."

Less than a year later, ESS is leading the way with innovative solutions which provide high quality, easy-to-use, all-in-one digital and online options. Increasingly, ESS is being asked to advise businesses of all sizes and industries who need creative and turnkey solutions to best tell their story and conduct business online and in virtual environments.

According to ESS Partner and Managing Director John Flood, "The need to do more remotely and digitally has also provided the opportunity to streamline and be more efficient. ESS introduced the MyVideo ROAD Case and MyVideo GO Case all-in-one solutions in February 2021. These MyVideo Cases enable anyone to capture high quality video and photos simply and quickly in almost any location, without requiring technical expertise or a costly production crew. For example, the MyVideo ROAD Case delivers quality photography and video to and from remote locations for training, corporate communications, product demos and much more".

Arthur King, VP Business Development with Ultimate Sales, a leading foodservice broker in the convenience industry, describes the first time he saw the ROAD Case in action. "First, I didn't believe that it had a monitor inside until we opened the case. Everything we need is in the case and it just pops out. It's amazing because you don't have to worry about losing anything or any equipment getting damaged because everything we need is locked in there. It's clearly made to be a mobile AV studio. Frankly, this turnkey video case gives us an opportunity to make a film every week if we want, for very, very low cost."

Watch Arthur's short testimonial !

"The thought and engineering behind the MyVideo ROAD Case pays off handsomely with ease of use and high quality video. This is a huge boost for the training industry, " says 2Plus Communications Executive Producer Glenn Gautier.

The MyVideo GO Case was designed for ultimate mobility. For example, HR, Legal, as well as bloggers, can record professional quality interviews in person, broadcast live and also edit and playback later. The GO Case, similar in size to a rolling carry-on suitcase, is the perfect solution for any media capture opportunity including, but not limited, to corporate messaging, interviews, depositions, live streaming, job fairs, etc. According to B2B marketing expert Myra Kressner, "I also see this being deployed at conferences and trade shows for any industry (coming back Q3 2021) in many ways. It can record memorable, spontaneous live moments that otherwise would take many hours and dollars of pre-planning. The uses are almost limitless!"

ESS is the consummate re-invention story with solutions to meet evolving needs. Just as we did for world-class performers, ESS can make your virtual or online image Look, Sound and Feel Amazing.

About ESS

ESS was formed by live concert and performance technicians who make live event performers Look, Sound and Feel Amazing all over the world. In August 2020, our team of experts reinvented themselves, and are now using our technical expertise to solve common issues that people experience in the virtual world, while working to enhance business and personal imaging and branding.

ESS makes it easy by offering complete, professional bundled packages , individual items and customized solutions to perfect your online and digital image.

Learn more at the ESS Website and Store: www.ess.rocks

For more information please contact:

John Flood Myra Kressner

Partner and Managing Director President, Kressner Strategy Group

Ph: (912) 230-7056 Ph: 917-837-4058

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Executive Stream Solutions ESS
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 28-29, the Delegation of the European Union to the United States and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host the 2021 EU Defense Washington Forum, an annual conference dedicated to strengthening EU-U.S. cooperation on security and defense.

Now in its 10th year, the EU Defense Washington Forum brings together leading stakeholders and experts from the transatlantic security, defense and diplomatic communities for a timely analysis of critical issues, such as security implications of climate change, including in the Arctic; strategic competition with China and Russia; emerging and disruptive technologies; security challenges and responses relating to Africa; and hybrid threats.

Confirmed speakers include EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, the Defense Ministers of Canada, Denmark and Portugal, U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor, Jonathan Finer, and General Stephen J. Townsend, Commander, U.S. Africa Command, as well as over 25 leading EU and U.S. stakeholders and experts from the transatlantic security, defense and diplomatic communities.

The Forum will be held from 9:00 AM ET to 12:30 PM ET on Monday, June 28 and on Tuesday, June 29.

Please visit the event site for the full schedule, full list of speakers and registration.

SOURCE Delegation of the European Union to the United States

Related Links

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CHICAGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- G2 , the largest software marketplace, today announced $157 million in Series D funding at a valuation of more than $1.1 billion, bringing its total funding to $257 million.

G2's Series D round is led by Permira's growth fund, which makes minority investments in leading, scaling, tech-enabled and digital businesses, and proudly supported by existing investors including Accel, Emergence, and IVP. New strategic investors include HubSpot Ventures and Salesforce Ventures, who join prior strategic investor LinkedIn, as well as individual investor-entrepreneurs Auren Hoffman (LiveRamp and SafeGraph founder) and Thomas D. Lehrman (GLG founder via Teamworthy Ventures). Permira Partner and Head of the Menlo Park office Tom Eggemeier will join the G2 Board of Directors as part of the transaction.

G2 is the definitive online destination to discover, review, and manage the technology that businesses need to reach their potential. The platform is set to reach 60 million software buyers annually, with 100,000+ software and services companies in 2,000+ categories and over 1.3 million trusted user reviews. Nearly 60 percent of the Forbes Cloud 100 are G2 customers, including over 2,000 software customers such as Adobe, Autodesk, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoom. These companies utilize G2's Marketing Solutions to increase revenue, manage and grow their reputation, and gain valuable customer insights. In addition, nearly 1,000 companies use G2 Track to manage and optimize their annual software expenditures.

"Software spending will top $4 trillion this year, and is growing quickly with the need for digital transformation. Customers expect reliable, trusted reviews for everything they shop for and this is increasingly true for B2B software purchases where complexity is at an all-time high and trust is low," said G2 CEO and Co-Founder Godard Abel. "This funding will be a catalyst for G2 to expand our community and products, grow our team, and continue investing in our vision to be the place for software online."

"During my time at Genesys, I saw first-hand how the power and utility of authentic reviews influence enterprise software buyers to make more informed buying decisions. The G2 platform serves as an objective, real-time alternative to analyst reports, and with this investment, will be well-positioned to continue to grow and support more customers around the world," said Tom Eggemeier, Partner and Head of the Menlo Park office at Permira. "We are thrilled to be backing G2 and look forward to leveraging our extensive experience in backing and growing enterprise software and best-in-class technology platforms to further its market leading position."

Today, G2 is the largest, most trusted destination for software, with more visitors than all other software reviews sites combined. The company added 700 paying customers for its Marketing Solutions in the past 12 months and saw a 95 percent increase in organic traffic from software buyers.

"As a longtime investor in G2, we have seen how vital the company's marketplace is as software buyers face increasing pressure to answer the demands for digital transformation in their businesses," said Jules Maltz, General Partner at IVP. "We're bullish on the future for G2 and look forward to seeing the additional growth and success this fundraising round helps G2 achieve."

"At HubSpot, we believe that delivering a great customer experience is the key to growing better. So naturally, we're delighted to invest in G2  a platform that's powered by authentic reviews and dedicated to helping customers find the best solutions available in today's crowded software market," said Andrew Lindsay, SVP of Corporate and Business Development, HubSpot (for HubSpot Ventures).

To learn more about G2's platform offering or explore career opportunities, access the following resources:

Permira was advised by Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, and Moelis & Company.

About G2

G2 is the largest and most trusted software marketplace globally. More than five million software buyers each month trust G2, making G2.com one of the Top 1000 web destinations in the U.S. Additionally, 2,000 companies rely on G2 to build their reputation, manage their software spend, and grow their business -- including Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoom, Lyft, and more. For more information, visit www.g2.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn .

About Permira

Permira is a global investment firm that backs successful businesses with growth ambitions. Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds with total committed capital of approximately US$50bn (44bn) and makes long-term majority and minority investments. The Permira funds have made over 250 private equity investments in four key sectors: Technology, Consumer, Services and Healthcare. The Permira funds have an extensive track record in tech investing, having invested US$13.4bn in 52 companies across enterprise cloud adoption, SaaS, fintech and online marketplaces. Permira employs over 350 people in 15 offices across Europe, North America, and Asia.

The Permira and Permira Growth funds have previously backed and helped scale some of the largest and fastest-growing internet and technology businesses globally, including Genesys, Klarna, Mirakl, Nexthink, Relativity, Informatica, Allegro, Full Truck Alliance and Zwift. For more information, visit www.permira.com .

Media Contacts

For G2

Mission North for G2

Ali Ius

Email: [email protected]

For Permira

Nina Suter

Head of Communications

Email: [email protected]

Sard Verbinnen & Co

Brooke Gordon / Megan Bouchier / Devin Broda

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE G2

Related Links

https://www.g2.com


WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Healthcare Accreditation today announced that it is collaborating with Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, to support hotels seeking formal accreditation for their cleaning programs, as well as guest safety and satisfaction for medical and wellness travelers. The GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel Program, which provides assurance and external validation of a property's risk mitigation protocols and guest experience, includes two remote accreditation options: GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel for Medical Travel and GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel for Well-being.

"Before the pandemic, global wellness and medical travel generated over $700 billion of revenue annually, making it an important focus for many hospitality properties," said GHA CEO Karen Timmons. "In the wake of the pandemic, there is a growing consensus that consumers will turn to trusted sources as safety increasingly becomes a brand differentiator. GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel Accreditation ensures hotels comply with recognized industry-wide hotel cleaning and sanitation standards required by COVID-19, as well as customer experience and safety protocols specific to the needs and expectations of medical travel and wellness guests. GHA is proud to partner with GBAC to align the WellHotel programs with GBAC STAR and build trust and confidence on the part of guests traveling for medical care and well-being."

GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel for Medical Travel helps hospitality properties of all types, such as luxury, boutique, extended-stay, and airport hotels, put the appropriate safety protocols in place to care for medical travel guests. Meanwhile, GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel for Well-being is a framework that enables hotels to meet the needs of wellness-minded tourists. Properties can also achieve both accreditations at once through a combined application process.

The program is based on 38 elements, 20 associated with GBAC STAR and 18 for GHA WellHotel. Each have specific performance and guidance criteria that hotels must fulfill. Accredited hotels will receive a co-branded GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel seal to display in guest and employee areas to further build trust and confidence.

"Both GBAC STAR and GHA WellHotel Accreditation are built upon a strong commitment to cleaning, disinfection, infection prevention and guest experience, in order to protect facility visitors and employees," said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. "By aligning our programs with one another, we're able to offer hotels a comprehensive approach to accreditation and give both medical and wellness travelers greater peace of mind that these properties are safe and focused on their unique needs."

GBAC STAR is the cleaning industry's only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation for facilities. The performance-based program is designed to help facilities of all sizes establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for biohazard situations like the novel coronavirus.

For more information, visit wellhotel.org

About GBAC, a Division of ISSA

Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization's services include biorisk management program assessment and training, Forensic Restoration response and remediation, the GBAC STAR facility and service accreditation programs, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.

About ISSA

With more than 10,500 membersincluding distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners and associated service membersISSA is the world's leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Northbrook, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Mainz, Germany; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more information about ISSA, visit www.issa.com or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.

About GHA

The Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program is an innovative accreditation body with specialized foci in medical and wellness travel, safety, and well-being. Founded in September of 2016, GHA's initial purpose as an independent accrediting body centered on improving the patient experience for medical travelers and supporting healthcare providers in validating quality, increasing visibility, and implementing a sustainable business model for medical travel. Since then, GHA has developed a variety of programs covering the entire spectrum of the care continuum and offers certification and accreditation for stakeholders in all aspects of health and wellbeing.

SOURCE Global Healthcare Accreditation
DUBLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Polyester Resin: Global Markets" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global polyester resin market is expected to grow considerably during the forecast period due to increasing demand for polyester resin in buildings and construction, paint and coatings, tanks and pipes, and in the marine industry.

The continuous construction of skyscrapers and smart city projects in emerging economies, such as India and China, offer growth opportunities to the global polyester resin market. According to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the global construction industry is expected to reach $8 trillion by 2030, primarily driven by China, India, and the U.S.

Increasing demand for polyester resin from the paint, coatings, and energy industries drives the global polyester resin market. Good corrosion resistance, high-temperature tolerance, good mechanical properties, and ease of manufacturing are key benefits of using polyester resin.

According to Coatings World, the market value of coatings is continuously increasing, thereby initiating growth in the polyester resin market. Government projects in renewable energy offer growth to the market during the forecast period. For instance, in India, the PradhanMantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evamUtthaanMahabhiyaan (PM KUSUM) launched in 2019, aiming to add solar and other renewable capacities of 25,750 MW by 2022.

Continuous growth in the demand for packaged food items due to rising disposable income, along with the availability of different flavors, supports the growth of polyester resin in the packaging industry. The prospect of environmentally-friendly/bio-based polyester resin is expected to offer growth opportunities in the polyester resin market during the forecast period.

Rising awareness among consumers and organizations regarding the environmental impact and sustainability of chemical products minimizes the environmental footprint of chemicals, worldwide. Considerable growth can be expected in the polyester resin market with the widespread introduction of bio-based polyester resin soon.

However, certain factors impede global market growth: instability of raw material prices and characteristic disadvantages of polyester resin versus epoxy resins. There has been a recent spike in the price of raw materials (maleic anhydride) In 2019, methylmethacrylate prices increased by 30.0%, and polyester, epoxy, and polyurethane resin prices have also increased significantly. Due to fluctuating raw material prices, the cost of end-products of polyester resin will increase and consumption is expected to decrease, negatively affecting the market growth.

Report Includes:

An overview of the global polyester resin market and description of its applications in various sectors

Estimation of the market size and analyses of global market trends, with data from 2019, estimates for 2020, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2026

Impact analysis of COVID-19 pandemic on polyester resins market and highlights of the new products and technologies within the industry

Analysis of market trends and explanation of factors driving and restraining the growth and a relevant patent analysis

Market share analysis of the key companies of the industry and coverage of events like mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, collaborations or partnerships, and other key market strategies

Comprehensive company profiles of major players of the industry, including Alchemie Ltd., BASF SE, Deltech Corp., Mechemco Resins Pvt., Ltd., Polynt SpA, and SABIC

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights

Chapter 3 Market and Technology Background

Asia-Pacific Dominance

Unsaturated Polyester Resin

Eco-friendly Products

COVID-19 and the Global Polyester Resin Market

Recent Product Launches

Value Chain Analysis

Raw Material Analysis

Porter's Five Forces Analysis

Regulatory Framework

New Source Performance Standards (NSPS)

National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) and Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) Standards

Plastics Material, Synthetic Resin and Nonvulcanizable Elastomer Manufacturing

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)

SDAPCD Rule 67.12

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulation (EC) 1907/2006

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Limitations and Challenges

Market Opportunities

Global Impact of COVID-19

Impact of COVID-19 on Polyester Resin Production and Demand

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Polyester Resin Prices

Chapter 4 Market Breakdown by Type

Vinyl Ester Resin

Applications of EVER

Alkyd Resin

Alkyd Resin in Paint

Saturated Polyester Resin

Applications of Saturated Polyester Resin

Key Developments

Unsaturated Polyester Resin (UPR)

Advantages of UPR

Disadvantages of UPR

Product Offerings in UPR

Orthophthalic Resin

Isophthalic Resins

Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) Resin

Others (Gelcoat Resin and Terephthalic Resin)

Chapter 5 Market Breakdown by End User

Building and Construction

Growth Factors: Building and Construction

Marine

Paint and Coatings

Growth Drivers: Paint and Coatings Industry

Electrical and Electronics

Growth Factors: Electrical and Electronics Industry

Automotive and Transportation

Growth Factors: Automotive and Transportation Industry

Tanks and Pipes

Growth Factors: Tanks and Pipes Industry

Others (Wind Energy and Packaging)

Packaging

Chapter 6 Market Breakdown by Form

Liquid

Solid (Granules/Powder)

Expansion of Powder Polyester Resin Manufacturing Facility

Chapter 7 Market Breakdown by Region

Chapter 8 Patent Review/New Developments

Patents, by Category and Region

Europe

Japan

Chapter 9 Analysis of Market Opportunities

Competitive Dashboard

Key Activities

Chapter 10 Company Profiles

Alchemie Ltd.

Allnex Netherlands B.V.

AOC LLC

Arkema Group

Ashland Global Holdings Inc.

BASF SE

Bufa Gmbh & Co. Kg

Ciech S.A.

Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc.

Crystic Resins India Pvt., Ltd.

Deltech Corp.

DIC Corp.

The Dow Chemical Co.

Dupont De Nemours Inc.

Eastman Chemical Co.

Eternal Materials Co., Ltd.

Evonik Industries Ag

Gremolith Ag

Huangshan Huizhou Kangjia Chemical Co., Ltd.

Ineos Ag

Interplastic Corp.

Koninklijke Dsm N.V.

Lerg S.A.

Macroocean Materials Europe Gmbh

Marte Spa

Mechemco Resins Pvt., Ltd.

Miles Chemical Co.

Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.

Orgichemie Fz Llc

Poliya Polyester Industry And Trade Ltd.

Polynt Spa

Polychem Resins Int. Industries Llc

Qualipoly Chemical Corp.

Ran Chemicals Pvt., Ltd.

Reichhold Llc

Sabic

Satyen Polymers Pvt., Ltd.

Scott Bader Co., Ltd.

Serkim Resin

Showa Denko K.K.

Tianhe Co.

U-Pica Co., Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9qrmwg

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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DUBLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Tank Level Monitoring Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The tank level monitoring market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.26% over the analyzed period to reach a market size of US$1,080.953 million in 2026 from US$807.050 million in 2019. Tank Level Monitors are used in liquid tanks to measure the amount of substance remaining in the tank. Level monitoring in the tank is quite crucial as it is linked with the safety and security of workers and the prevention of potential hazards and accidents. Burgeoning growth in oil and chemical industries will increase the market growth of tank level monitoring. Rising oil demand and discovery of oil fields in the Middle East and Africa area is projected to provide market stability and opportunity. Further, technological advancement and innovation in the industry will open up new market prospects during the forecasted period. However, instances of false echo discourage the market, ultrasonic level monitor. Requirement for skilled workforce further constraints the market.



The oil and chemical industries will provide robust growth opportunities for the global tank level monitoring market during the forecasted period.



Based on end-users, the tank level monitoring market is segmented as oil and gas, chemical, energy and power, automotive, mining, and others. The Oil and gas, chemical, and mining industries will have a dominating share in the tank level monitoring market during the forecasted period. These industries are also anticipated to provide robust growth opportunities owing to the booming demand for oil, chemicals, and other products. Data from a monthly report by International Energy Agency (IEA) states that the global oil demand is forecasted to increase by 6% in the year 2021, to average 96.5 million barrels per day, an increase by 5.5 billion barrels per day. The demand had dipped by 8.7 million barrels per day in 2020 owing to the covid pandemic and lockdown.

Further, the discovery of new oil fields across the Middle East and Africa along with the redevelopment of existing fields will open more market prospects for tank-level monitoring equipment. Saudi Arabia Aramco, for instance, sanctioned the approval for the development and maintenance of oil and gas brownfields in the region in November 2020. Furthermore, the organization also announced the discovery of 2 new oil and gas fields in the northern border region in August 2020 and 4 new fields in early December 2020. Also, the recent discovery of the Luiperd gas field, at the South Coast of Mossel Bay, South Africa in February 2021, has been termed as a game-changer for the oil and gas industry, providing growth opportunities for tank level monitors. Other projects such as Tanzania LNG Liquefication Plant, Tanzania, Rovuma LNG Liquefication Plant, Mozambique, and Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park, Nigeria, open several growth doors for the tank level monitoring industry. Etan & Zabazaba Oil Fields in Nigeria, Nambire Refinery complex, Angola, Rumaila Oil Field in Iraq, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, and others are a potential market for the industry.



Float and Tape Gauge are widely used tank-level monitors. However wireless tank level monitors are expected to grow at an auspicious rate to gain significant market share.



Based on technology, the tank level monitoring market is fragmented into float and tape gauge, capacitance, ultrasonic, conductivity, radar-based, and data transmission. Float and tape gauge are anticipated to hold a significant share of the market during the forecasted period. Float-style sensors are widely used in liquids and fluids that have bouncy similar to that of water. Accompanied with this, a plethora can be used to estimate other variables such as temperature and pressure. Ultrasonic is another leading tank level monitoring equipment that facilitates monitoring. However, the ultrasonic device may give false echo or information. Poor quality power source, improper cable routing, not using shielded cables, chemical incompatibility, poor mounting angle, and inappropriate application give rise to false echo in the ultrasonic level monitors. This could be avoided using high-accuracy ultrasonic devices and ensuring proper connectivity.



Furthermore, with technological advancement and innovation, the launch of wireless tank level monitors opens up wide market opportunities for the industry. Wireless level monitors reduce the chaos of wiring and are more effective. Cellular modems, wireless mesh networks, and wireless serial radios are gaining considerable favorability and are predicted to grow at a noteworthy rate. The product cost, however, may hinder the market growth. Furthermore, the lack of a skilled workforce constrains the market notably.



Covid Pandemic Insights.



The coronavirus pandemic negatively impacted the tank level monitoring market. To break the cycle of the virus, governments around the world adopted several containment measures including a halt in the construction industry, delaying the ongoing projects and sanction new projects, and hence contracting the market demand. However, with economic recovery, it is anticipated that the industry will grow at a considerable rate.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Product

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Invasive

5.3. Non-Invasive



6. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Technology

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Float and Tape Gauge

6.3. Conductivity

6.4. Ultrasonic

6.5. Capacitance

6.6. Radar-based

6.7. Data Transmission



7. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by End-Users

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Oil and Gas

7.3. Chemical

7.4. Energy and Power

7.5. Automotive

7.6. Mining

7.7. Others



8. Tank Level Monitoring Market, by Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. United States

8.2.2. Canada

8.2.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. Brazil

8.3.2. Argentina

8.3.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. Germany

8.4.2. France

8.4.3. United Kingdom

8.4.4. Spain

8.4.5. Others

8.5. The Middle East and Africa

8.5.1. Saudi Arabia

8.5.2. UAE

8.5.3. Israel

8.5.4. Others

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. China

8.6.2. India

8.6.3. South Korea

8.6.4. Taiwan

8.6.5. Thailand

8.6.6. Indonesia

8.6.7. Japan

8.6.8. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrative

9.3. Mergers, Acquisition, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

10.1. Schneider Electric

10.2. Gauging Systems Inc.

10.3. Piusi S.p. A.

10.4. Emerson Electric Co.

10.5. TankScan (ATEK Access Technology)

10.6. Varec Inc.

10.7. Graco Inc.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pqdaeh



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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TSX: GPR | NYSE American: GPL

VANCOUVER, BC, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Great Panther Mining Limited (TSX: GPR) (NYSE-A: GPL) ("Great Panther" or the "Company"), a growing gold and silver producer focused on the Americas, today published its 2020 "Mining For Good" Sustainability Report. This marks the Company's second year reporting on its long-standing commitment in the areas of health, safety, environmental, social and governance management.

Robert Henderson, President and CEO of Great Panther stated: "This year's report not only explores how we have further advanced our sustainability programs, but also sets new performance targets for continual improvement as we emerge from what was arguably one of the most challenging years of our lifetimes. I am incredibly proud of our teams across the continent for having come together to deliver on our business objectives in a safe and sustainable manner."

Sustainability Report Highlights

Improved safety performance statistics across all sites with a 57% reduction to the lost time injury frequency rate and a 50% reduction to the lost time severity rate over 2019. Despite these improvements, the Company was saddened to report a fatality at its Guanajuato Mine Complex in May 2020 . Great Panther continuously updates its safety procedures and practices and provides ongoing safety training for employees and contractors.

. Great Panther continuously updates its safety procedures and practices and provides ongoing safety training for employees and contractors. Developed and implemented comprehensive COVID-19 prevention, monitoring and response plans following the World Health Organization's and local health authorities' guidelines working closely with local governments and communities.

Recorded zero fines or sanctions for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations, including zero reportable spills or tailings-related incidents.

Total water consumption decreased 4.4% from 2019; 82% of the water used at operations was recycled.

Community engagement expenditure almost doubled compared to 2019 to more than $740,000 in 2020, largely in support of the Company's COVID-19 response strategy, with over 21,000 beneficiaries from our programs.

in 2020, largely in support of the Company's COVID-19 response strategy, with over 21,000 beneficiaries from our programs. Women held 24% of leadership positions, including superintendents, managers, directors and vice presidents, and represented 16% of Great Panther's total workforce.

Established a Diversity Policy to ensure diversity of our Board of Directors and senior management team.

Great Panther's 2020 Sustainability Report was prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") Standards Core option and the GRI Mining & Metals Sector Disclosures. The report is Great Panther's annual commitment to transparent disclosure on non-financial performance across the material topics identified by the Company's internal and external stakeholders. The report and accompanying 2020 performance data and GRI Index are available to download on Great Panther's website at https://www.greatpanther.com/community/our-approach/.

ABOUT GREAT PANTHER

Great Panther is a growing gold and silver producer focused on the Americas. The Company owns a diversified portfolio of assets in Brazil, Mexico and Peru that includes three operating gold and silver mines, four exploration projects, and an advanced development project. Great Panther is actively exploring large land packages in highly prospective districts and is pursuing acquisition opportunities to complement its existing portfolio. Great Panther trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol GPR, and on the NYSE American under the symbol GPL.

SOURCE Great Panther Mining Limited

Related Links

www.greatpanther.com


SAN DIEGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenlight Guru, medical device quality management software (QMS) company, and proactive healthcare cybersecurity developer MedCrypt, today announce a strategic partnership to simplify the way medical device solution providers collaborate and increase the security posture of life-saving technologies. MedCrypt's cybersecurity software paired with Greenlight Guru's eQMS solutions offer medical device manufacturers (MDMs) both proactive security features and ongoing quality management services to ensure better security preparedness.

According to a 2021 IBM Security Report, cyberattacks on healthcare, manufacturing, and energy doubled in 2020 from the previous year, disrupting medical efforts and critical supply chains.

"Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving discipline, and as we've seen in recent healthcare-related cyberattacks, cybercriminals are constantly working to find exploitable weaknesses that disrupt the focus on patient care and safety. Now more than ever, medical device manufacturers need comprehensive guidance, quality management, and technical solutions to address the pre- and post-market guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," said Mike Kijewski, MedCrypt's CEO. "Our partnership with Greenlight Guru allows us to expand our reach and help more companies arm themselves with security features, eQMS solutions, and educational tools that will increase the security posture of the industry as a whole."

Under this new mutual referral agreement formed by Greenlight Guru and MedCrypt, the two companies will refer prospective clients to one another and co-market their cybersecurity software solutions, consulting, and quality management services to ensure clients understand and meet the FDA's requirements.

"We're excited to partner with MedCrypt to help our customers create devices that are secure by design," said David DeRam, CEO at Greenlight Guru. "This partnership will help medical device companies transform their approach to both quality and cybersecurity, ultimately getting their devices to market faster with less risk."

Greenlight Guru is one of the top marketing engines in the medical device industry with a popular blog, podcast, and virtual summit series. The companies anticipate leveraging their respective expertise to bring value to each others' audience via marketing and sales collaboration.

MedCrypt currently provides enhanced security features for medical products produced by Accuray, Liberate Medical, RefleXion, and recently expanded its referral program, adding EMERGO by UL to the list.

About Greenlight Guru

Greenlight Guru has the only medical device quality management (MDQMS) software designed specifically for the medical device industry. Your mission as a medical device consultant is our mission  to improve the quality of life through your clients. We're an assortment of bright, talented, and interesting people united to bring a higher quality of life, by changing the way people make medical devices. In order to do that, we have three core values. Our software connects disparate processes, simplifies your daily processes, people, and data for the first time ever. Increased visibility smooths your path to compliance and puts True Quality within reach. For more information, visit https://www.greenlight.guru.

About MedCrypt

MedCrypt is a San Diego-based company that provides proactive security for healthcare technology. MedCrypt's platform brings core cybersecurity features to medical devices with just a few lines of code, ensuring devices are secure by design. MedCrypt has raised a total of $9.4 million in funding with participation from Eniac Ventures, Section 32, Y Combinator, and more. The company is based in San Diego, California. For more, please visit www.medcrypt.com.

Press Contact:

Jenny Bourne

2087618447

https://www.medcrypt.co/

SOURCE MedCrypt

Related Links

http://www.medcrypt.com


PHILADELPHIA, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Affiliates of Harbor Group International, LLC ("HGI"), a privately owned international real estate investment and management firm, announced today the acquisition of Royal Athena, a Class A, 275-unit waterfront multifamily community in the greater Philadelphia area for $59.5 million.

Royal Athena is located in the newly rebranded Pencoyd Landing, home to a new $30 million, 11-acre redevelopment project that will soon become equipped with a public plaza, cafe, restaurant with terrace and access to trails and bike paths.

The private Pencoyd Bridge offers residents convenient access to Manayunk downtown. The district consists of 275 businesses, including shops, galleries, boutiques, bars and restaurants, making it a premiere destination for young professionals, families, and empty nesters.

Located 15 minutes from Philadelphia's City Center neighborhood, Royal Athena offers an urban feel combined with an exclusive suburban residential setting. Its close City Center proximity also allows for easy access to the region's top employers, universities, and nightlife attractions.

Transit-accessible, Royal Athena is a short walk to SEPTA's Wissahickon regional train station, affording access to City Center in 20 minutes, with stops in East Falls, Allegheny, North Broad, Temple University and Jefferson Station. Additionally, Interstate 76 and Route 1 are less than one mile away.

"Royal Athena is located in a strong Philadelphia submarket with healthy demographics and increasingly strong job drivers," said T. Richard Litton, Jr., President of HGI. "This strategic acquisition directly aligns with HGI's pursuit of luxury apartment communities that are attractive to residents."

The transaction was facilitated by Newmark sales broker Erin Miller and debt through Managing Directors Henry Stimler, Ari Schwarbad and Bill Weber.

About Harbor Group International

Harbor Group International, LLC, including its affiliates, is a private real estate and real estate related investment and management firm which controls a portfolio of worldwide assets valued at $13.5 billion. HGI is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia with offices in New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv. The company's real estate holdings include 4.3 million square feet of commercial properties and 48,000 apartment units. For additional information, please visit www.harborgroupint.com.

Media Contacts:

Morgan McGinnis

[email protected]

SOURCE Harbor Group International, LLC
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, SynED, a national non-profit organization that identifies emerging best practices for effective articulation between employers, job seekers, and education providers, announced that Henry Hua was selected as its national Cyber Hero for June 2021.

Henry Hua Henry Hua Selected as SynEDs Cyber Hero for Empowering a Generation

Hua is the Dean of Business and Computer Information Systems at Cypress College, a part of the California Community Colleges system. His passion for cybersecurity education and focus on building relationships with local employers is resulting in a pipeline of employment for community college students, opening doors to high-paying careers in the red-hot cybersecurity labor market.

Cypress College serves students from under-represented and low-income communities that might not always think about cybersecurity as a career path that's available to them. One of Hua's goals is to give them the confidence they need to see themselves in the field and acquire the skills it takes to get there.

"What we're trying to do is have everybody understand that they bring value and how to express that value to potential employers," Hua said. "We want our students to know that they're coming into the profession and coming into a career, not just taking a few classes here and there."

Steve Tran, CISO at MGM Studios, said Hua and his team at Cypress are very receptive and responsive to industry needs and want to do everything they can to make sure that students are set up to be successful from day one on the job.

"Cybersecurity is a complex, broad, and diverse field. Henry's pragmatic approach to the program is effective because he listens to the needs of the industry and the students to build a program that precisely meets their needs and demands," Tran said. "Most importantly, he cares about creating opportunities and lowering barriers to address the cybersecurity talent shortage."

It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day trends and the excitement of launching new programs, but Hua sees his work as something that serves a much bigger purpose.

"I always tell my team that we're here to change a generation, not to do something new that's fly by night," Hua said. "That mantra of changing a generation has always been something that we've carved into the work that we do."

Brandon Nguyen was a student in Cypress College's cybersecurity program and now serves as one of its mentors while he pursues a bachelor's degree from UC Irvine. He's worked with Hua since 2017 and considers him to be a valued mentor.

"Henry always has high goals for our program, but they only make the program better for our students and our partners," Nguyen said. "He is always on the lookout for projects, competitions, equipment, and resources that our students can use to increase their learning. He also seeks to partner with other institutions and industry to collaborate with them and strengthen cyber education community."

Hua became interested in cybersecurity while working as a data quality analyst for the North Orange County Community College District and earned a master's degree in information assurance from Cal Poly Pomona.

He saw the educational opportunity in the field when he began serving as Dean of Mathematics, Business, and Computer Technology at San Bernardino Valley College. Things picked up steam when he arrived at Cypress College in 2017 and met cybersecurity instructor Ben Izadi.

"We have a lot of opportunities in this space, especially in Orange County, right? It's kind of a hot topic, and there are a lot of companies out here," Hua said. "Ben and I just started to discuss what it is that we wanted to do and what our vision was for the program, and that snowballed into what we have today."

Cypress College offers an associate degree in cyber defense, as well as a cybersecurity certificate and a dual enrollment program that serves more than 1,000 K-12 students. It also has a robust CyberPatriot program that allows more than 400 high school and community college students to participate in the national competition.

Along with these cybersecurity-specific initiatives, Hua is also working to make cybersecurity part of the other disciplines within the Business & CIS department. He wants the college's students to graduate with a "Swiss army knife" mentality that will allow them to bring together various skills and experiences and stay nimble as industries continue to change.

"There isn't a business that doesn't need cyber. And without cyber, there is no business," Hua said. "We're trying to have students understand that this is a very dynamic relationship that allows people to work together in very different spaces that are closer than they think."

Izadi said the cybersecurity program has grown drastically in a short period of time thanks to Hua's vision and leadership. Cypress is one of three colleges in California to receive their CAE2Y (Center of Academic Excellence 2-Year) designation by the U.S. National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.

"Before I met Henry in 2017, our Cybersecurity program had only a handful of students and we barely had any engagement with the middle school and high school students," Izadi said. "In less than four years, through Henry's leadership and dedication, we have transformed our program into one that is nationally recognized."

About Cypress College

Cypress College transforms lives through lifelong learning with educational opportunities including transfer to four-year institutions, associate degrees, certificates, and a baccalaureate degree. We are dedicated to forging academic and career pathways to support the achievement of our students, enhancing their economic mobility, fostering equity, and enriching society.

About SynED

SynED is a non-profit organization that acts as a catalyst to help colleges and other higher education partners equip students with the skills they need to enrich their lives through education, knowledge, and skill acquisition, giving them rich career opportunities. SynED's CyberHero's series, which highlights cyber heroes who quietly go above and beyond in helping to prepare our national cyber force, is a monthly column published nationally. SynED also maintains a resource for CTE professionals at Cyber-Guild.org.

Contact:

866-420-4573

Liz Fraumann

[email protected]

SOURCE SynED
EL PASO, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jarritos, the authentic Mexican soda brand, and Duolingo, the world's largest language-learning app, have teamed up to give away free Spanish lesson subscriptions while one lucky winner will get to experience a trip to Mexico to experience Mexican culture and Spanish language firsthand.

Anyone in the U.S. who is keen to learn or brush up on their Spanish can enter to win a free 3-month Duolingo Plus subscription and an all expense paid four-night vacation for two to Mexico.

Jarritos and Duolingo Offer Chance to Win Free Premium Spanish Lessons and a Trip for Two to Mexico Tweet this Jarritos and Duolingo Offer Chance to Win Free Premium Spanish Lessons and a Trip for Two to Mexico Jarritos and Duolingo Offer Chance to Win Free Premium Spanish Lessons and a Trip for Two to Mexico

"Now that we can finally gather with family and friends and travel again, we wanted to give our learners the chance to put their Spanish language to the test by winning a trip to Mexico," said Sam Dalsimer, global head of communications for Duolingo. "Whether your motivation is traveling to Jarritos' country of origin, or just finding a local taqueria near you where you can order a Jarritos by properly pronouncing it, learning Spanish can unlock a whole world of possibilities close to home or abroad."

With over 500 million total Duolingo learners and 40 million monthly active learners, English is the most popular language being learned on Duolingo worldwide and Spanish is the most popular among U.S. learners. While all learning content on Duolingo is free, Duolingo Plus is the premium version of the app which removes ads and provides additional features.

"Since Jarritos is flavored by culture and rooted in rich Mexican tradition, partnering with Duolingo allows us to further celebrate our heritage by focusing on the language of our brand's birthplace," said Eric Delamare, director of marketing for Jarritos. "Something as simple as learning that the letter 'J' is pronounced like an 'H' in our brand name can unlock a whole new world of learning through language. Since our humble beginnings south of the border more than 70 years ago, we are proud that millions of consumers in 38 countries now ask for our 'super good' sodas by name. Let the fun begin and good luck to our enthusiastic Spanish language-learning, Jarritos-sipping contest entrants!"

Jarritos (Hah-ree-tos) means "little jugs" in Spanish and refers to the Mexican tradition of drinking water and other drinks in clay pottery jugs. With 13 flavors made with and inspired by classic Mexican ingredients, each Jarritos soft drink is full of flavor and refreshing taste, especially during the summer months.

Jarritos and Duolingo will select 100 winners for the Duolingo Plus 3-month subscription and one contest entrant to win a trip for two to Mexico including airfare, a four-night hotel stay, and a travel stipend for meals and other expenses.

To enter:

Follow both Duolingo and Jarritos on Instagram. On either brand's Instagram account, tag one friend who you'd want to join you on a trip to Mexico . Download the Duolingo App (iOS or Android) for free. Go to https://app.wyng.com/JarritosDuolingoSweepstakes to enter by sharing your name, email, address, Duolingo and Instagram handles.

The deadline to enter is July 20, 2021. This opportunity is only valid for those residing in the United States who are 18 years or older and have a valid passport.

About Jarritos

Created in 1950, Jarritos are delicious fruit-flavored sodas from Mexico. Sold in iconic glass bottles throughout the U.S., the brand offers 13 unique flavors, all made with natural flavors and real sugar. Jarritos flavors are mandarin, tamarind, pineapple, fruit-punch, lime, grapefruit, strawberry, mango, guava, hibiscus, passion fruit, cola and watermelon. Each unique flavor represents delicious sips of the brand's Mexican heritage. Jarritos is now distributed in 38 countries around the world. Find out more at www.Jarritos.com.

About Duolingo

Duolingo is the most popular language-learning platform and the most downloaded education app worldwide. The company's mission is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. Duolingo offers more than 100 total courses across 40 distinct languages, and is available on iOS, Android, and Web at www.duolingo.com.

Media Contacts

Duolingo: Michaela Kron

[email protected]

Jarritos: Brianna Hernandez

[email protected]

SOURCE Jarritos
"We are extremely excited to expand our South America offering to one of the most spectacular destinations on the planet. We have seen a clear trend of travelers seeking out truly unique and meaningful travel experiences, with a sharp increase in demand for the type of small ships / big experiences we offer. The pandemic has dramatically pushed this development forward. There is huge pent-up demand for traveling right now, and we are responding with this breathtaking new destination," said Hurtigruten Group CEO Daniel Skjeldam.

To offer guests one-of-a-kind experiences, Hurtigruten Expeditions has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with Ecuador-based Metropolitan Touring, the most experienced and renowned travel company in the Galapagos.

Guests will explore the Galapagos in style and comfort onboard the fully upgraded 90-guest MS Santa Cruz II, adding to Hurtigruten Expeditions' growing fleet of small purpose-built expedition cruise ships.

"This partnership brings together two companies that combine the best of two worlds: Hurtigruten Expeditions as a global player with an excellent reputation in expedition cruises, and our long history and deep knowledge of the Galapagos Islands. We are really excited to welcome the first Hurtigruten Expeditions' guests on board," said Metropolitan Touring CEO Paulina Burbano de Lara.

Metropolitan Touring has offered intimate and unique encounters with the islands' wildlife since they pioneered expedition cruises in Galapagos almost 70 years ago. Hurtigruten Expeditions pioneered expedition cruises in 1896 and has since grown to the world's largest expedition cruise line.

"This is a significant milestone in our 125-year history of exploring. The Galapagos is one of the world's ultimate expedition cruise destinations. It is a perfect match between two companies with a proud history, strong heritage, and passion for the well-being of our oceans and our planet," said Hurtigruten Expeditions CEO Asta Lassesen.

Beyond imagination

Starting from January 5, 2022, Hurtigruten Expeditions will offer nine-day adventures, visiting some of the most spectacular and iconic sites of the archipelago onboard MS Santa Cruz II, as well as two nights in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito before the six-night cruise. The package also includes a full-day visit to the Cotopaxi National Park, home to the Cotopaxi volcano, the highest active volcano in South America. It is also possible to add a four-day pre-program to Machu Picchu in neighboring Peru before embarking on the Galapagos adventure. To book, please visit Hurtigruten.com, call 866.662.0371 or contact your preferred travel agent.

As part of the partnership, the MS Santa Cruz II  including all suites and cabins, explorer lounge, dining room, bar, and other public areas - will be fully upgraded. A Hurtigruten Expeditions hallmark, a Science Area, will also be added, where guests and the onboard expedition team will create an even deeper understanding of the wonders they explore.

"Our unmatched experience in the Galapagos has enabled us to design and perfect the ideal way to explore the archipelago. Our itineraries are based on the concept of seeing as many of the 'Big 15' species as possible, with exclusive island and site visits. There really is no better way to see the islands," said de Lara.

With both companies sharing common values in investing in sustainability, all Hurtigruten Expeditions cruises to Galapagos are carbon neutral. Hurtigruten Expeditions guests will contribute directly to the protection of biodiverse forests in northwestern Ecuador, named a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2018.

"The Galapagos has long been regarded as one of the world's greatest natural sanctuaries. It's wild, isolated, diverse, and safe. As in all destinations, we will be working closely with local communities to ensure we play a positive role in long-term sustainability," said Lassesen.

Cruise highlights include exploring the Giant Tortoise breeding center, getting close to sea lions and land iguanas, bird watching, kayaking, and snorkeling, as well as daily lectures to better understand the islands, their history, and animal population both above and below the sea. Overall, the Galapagos is home to more than 9,000 species of wildlife, many of which are native only to the remote archipelago.

Last month, the Hurtigruten Group reported record-strong booking numbers for 2022, with booking levels almost 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels. With the addition of the Galapagos Islands, the growth is expected to accelerate further.

For more information, please contact:

Anders Lindstrom

Head of PR & Communications, the Americas

1.866.552.0371

[email protected]

For Galapagos-specific images, including the upgraded Santa Cruz II, please visit our Dropbox folder to download.

Please visit Hurtigruten's online media center here, where you can download high-res images, videos and see our press release archive.

About Hurtigruten Expeditions  the world leader in exploration travel

Hurtigruten Expeditions is the world's largest and leading expedition cruise line. With sustainability and exploration at core, we offer big adventures on small ships  taking you to some of the most spectacular areas of our planet.

Tracing our roots back to the great explorers and golden age of exploration, the curiosity, sense of adventure, love for our planet, and the art of exploration is deeply embedded in our DNA.

With Hurtigruten Expeditions, you can join fellow explorers on adventures to 30+ countries and more than 250 destinations, including Antarctica, Alaska, Northwest Passage, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Norway, British Isles, South America, Caribbean, and more.

Hurtigruten Expedition's fleet of seven small-size custom-built ships includes the world's first battery-hybrid powered cruise ships  and a variety of green technology enabling to explore more sustainably.

Onboard, you will join our team of experts. Hand-picked for your adventure, they will join you as you explore wildlife, nature, local communities and more, taking full advantage of our onboard Science Center and abundance of expedition equipment - making sure we can take you where the big ships can't.

As generations of explorers have done before us, we are always looking for new adventures and new areas to explore, and new adventures to embark on. Join us  and explore more!

About Metropolitan Touring

Metropolitan Touring is regarded as the pioneer in expedition cruising in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. Founded in 1953, the company owns and operates three expedition vessels in the archipelago and one hotel (Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel) on Santa Cruz Island. On the mainland, the boutique Casa Gangotena in the heart of the capital Quito's historic center, and Mashpi Lodge, a luxury cocoon from which to explore the forests to the northwest of Quito, form part of its portfolio. The company also operates in Colombia and Peru. In Ecuador, guests' carbon emissions are offset through the acquisition and management of endangered and biodiverse forests.

For more information, please visit www.metropolitan-touring.com

SOURCE Hurtigruten
The highly-anticipated Santa Cruz Sport Adventure Vehicle shatters both SUV and truck segments, creating an entirely new vehicle category. The Santa Cruz features a secure, open bed area which includes a lockable tonneau cover and hidden bed storage for diverse gear-carrying flexibility.

"Santa Cruz, with its bold styling, breaks open an all new segment territory, both for Hyundai and the industry as a whole. Open-bed flexibility coupled with closed-cabin security meets the changing everyday needs of its adventure-oriented buyers, while powerful and efficient engines and superb maneuverability ensure it is a pleasure to drive in urban or off-road environments. Our customers will wonder just how they managed before owning one," said Jose Munoz, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor North America.

HMMA recently completed a plant expansion project to support adding the Santa Cruz to HMMA's product mix. The addition of the Santa Cruz will further enhance HMMA's ability to adjust its vehicle production with market demand and stay competitive in the ever-changing automotive market.

"We are excited and honored to be producing Hyundai's first open bed vehicle for the North American market," said HMMA President and CEO, Ernie Kim. "The launch of the Santa Cruz is a further testament to the trust Hyundai Motor company puts in HMMA and our Alabama home. I am so proud of our Team Members for accomplishing this achievement while the world is going through such difficult times. We can't wait for our customers to experience the innovative design and world class quality the Santa Cruz will bring to the table."

The addition of the Santa Cruz will continue to sustain high-quality jobs at HMMA and throughout its supplier base.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz will begin arriving in U.S. dealerships later this summer.

For features and technical specifications please visit HyundaiNews.com

https://www.hyundainews.com/en-us/models/hyundai-santa_cruz-2022-santa_cruz

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, headquartered in Montgomery, Ala., is an independent manufacturing operation of Hyundai Motor Company, based in Seoul, Korea. HMMA currently produces the Hyundai Sonata, Elantra, Santa Fe, Tucson and Santa Cruz. Hyundai cars and sport utility vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced by more than 820 Hyundai dealerships across North America.

SOURCE Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC
LUND, Sweden, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alfa Laval will release second-quarter earnings on July 20th at 07:30 am CET. The telephone conference will start at 10.00 am CET.

To join the telephone conference  hosted by Alfa Laval's President and CEO Tom Erixon and CFO Jan Allde  sign up in advance via the link below. Once registered, you will receive a phone number, a participant pin, and a conference pin. Please dial in 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the event.

http://emea.directeventreg.com/registration/3593903

You can also follow the conference via a live webcast. A webcast link will be available on

Alfa Laval - Investors.

Contacts:

Johan Lundin

Head of Investor Relations

Phone: +46 46 36 65 10

Mobile: +46 730 46 30 90

Beata Ardhe

Phone: +46 46 36 65 26

Mobile: +46 709 36 65 26

www.alfalaval.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/alfa-laval/r/invitation-to-alfa-laval-s-second-quarter-conference-call,c3371737

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/905/3371737/1435150.pdf Invitation Q2 2021

SOURCE Alfa Laval
AUSTIN, Minn., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the first shovel hits the dirt today, Nu-Tek BioSciences, an innovative manufacturer rooted in the production of industrial ingredients used in the development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, celebrates as they break ground on their new facility, located in Austin, MN. With a facility design focused on the production of raw materials for biologics manufacturing, this will be the first facility dedicated to animal-free peptone production.

The 52,000 square-foot facility sits on a 9-acre lot in the Creekside Business Park. In addition to designing a facility for this unique manufacturing process, there was also a goal to design for Nu-Tek's anticipated growth. Upon completion, Nu-Tek is expected to create approximately 35 to 40 jobs at this facility.

"Perhaps the most notable part of the facility design is the size of the dryer, which is tailored specifically for Nu-Tek's process of harvesting the peptone from soybeans," stated ISG's Vice President and Food and Industrial Business Unit Leader, Brian Gjerde, PE. ISG, an architecture, engineering, environmental, and planning design firm with 11 offices across the Midwest provided the facility design services.

For Nu-Tek to manufacture peptones in their unique method, the facility requires a 10,000 square-foot drier tower. A structure this large and advanced delivered challenges that required creative solutions to prepare and extract peptones from sustainable soybeans, for use in a variety of products for the biomedical field.

Gjerde shared, "a major part of the design work proved to be the dryer tower. It's one of the larger towers we've done at almost 100 feet in the air, holding up the roughly 80-ton dryer." Despite these challenges, ISG's expert design team collaborated and planned a design in a methodical approach that made the most efficient use of timelines and schedules. "We began our design work in December, but with the ability to do both design work and planning all in-house, we were able to fast track the project and move promptly into the construction phase."

The next phase of this facility's construction will be entrusted to WDS Construction, in partnership with JCW Development, who attended the groundbreaking along with officials from the City of Austin and Mower County, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Dahmes Stainless Equipment, Horicon Bank, JCW Development, PACE Equity and other guests.

"ISG is honored to design and be involved with such a unique and advanced facility and project," states Gjerde. "We are confident that with their expertise, the project will flow smoothly and be completed at or before schedule next spring."

Stay connected to other firm events and news by visiting ISG's newsroom.

About Nu-Tek BioSciences

Nu-Tek BioSciences develops and manufactures peptones and protein hydrolysates for the biotech and wellness foods industry. Nu-Tek's portfolio of products are used in a variety of applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to industrial fermentations. Nu-Tek's peptones are most commonly used in microbiological media, fermentation nutrient systems, as well as cell and tissue culture media. They can also be found in the wellness foods sector, used in the manufacture of allergen-free probiotics, and serving as nutritional protein hydrolysates.

About ISG

ISG, a 100 percent ESOP firm, has a rich history, which extends over 48 years, of building trusting relationships with clients, stakeholders, and the community. As a full-service architecture, engineering, environmental, and planning firm with nearly 350 professionals in offices throughout Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota, ISG provides exceptional services, strategies, and guidance to a wide range of markets nationwide. ISG was named among the 100 fastest growing firms, best places to work for, and market excellence leader in the United States by Zweig Group, recognized as a Top 500 Design Firm by Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine, and has earned spots on numerous Top Workplace and project recognition lists. To learn more about ISG, visit ISGInc.com.

CONTACT: Tanya Pierce, [email protected], 952-426-0699

SOURCE ISG

Related Links

https://www.isginc.com


NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KCSA Strategic Communications ("KCSA"), a leading New York City-based integrated communications firm, announced the hiring of Kristin Cwalinski as a Vice President on the Company's Public Relations team. Ms. Cwalinski most recently was a Senior Producer on CNBC's "Power Lunch."

In her new position with KCSA, Ms. Cwalinski will serve as a senior media relations strategist and counselor. She will utilize her expertise across the entire media landscape to assist in securing opportunities for the firm's clients.

"KCSA is focused on bringing in and growing the best talent in the communications industry, which is why we leapt at the opportunity to bring in Kristin. Her experience as a senior producer at CNBC, her time at Fox Business, ABC and other outlets will provide our clients access to a seasoned journalist who knows how to shape impactful narratives," said Lewis Goldberg, Managing Partner and Principal at KCSA. "At our core, KCSA is focused on telling our clients' stories, whether it be through the media, directly to investors, or on social platforms to achieve a business objective. Kristin's unique set of skills and sensibilities will significantly augment our ability to be effective, strategic communicators."

Over her nearly 15-year career, Ms. Cwalinski has worked in broadcast journalism in many facets and was core to bringing to the fore many different emerging industries including cannabis, cryptocurrencies and, most recently, psychedelics. She booked and produced segments that have moved markets and helped defined the brands for mega-cap and micro-cap companies alike.

"KCSA has established itself as one of the best strategic communications firms in the country, and I've worked with their team for years. Some of the most exciting segments that I've produced have been with KCSA clients. Now that I'm on 'this side of the phone' I look forward to helping craft stories that will have an impact on valuation, public policy, industries and brands," said Ms. Cwalinski. "The KCSA team has been quietly recruiting me for more than two years and there was no other place I wanted to go when I decided to leave CNBC. The future of media and stories will be crafted by agencies such as KCSA and I want to be in the thick of that evolution."

KCSA has experienced unprecedented growth over the past year, with personnel up 150% year over year and business up 175% year over year. The Company continues to grow and is looking for talent. If you are interested in joining the team, please visit https://www.kcsa.com/careers.

About KCSA Strategic Communications

KCSA is a fully integrated communications agency specializing in public relations, investor relations and social media, with expertise in financial and professional services, technology, healthcare, digital media and cannabis. Since 1969, the firm has demonstrated strategic thinking and program execution that drives results for its clients in the ever-changing communications and digital landscape. The firm's clients are its best references. For more information, please visit www.kcsa.com.

SOURCE KCSA Strategic Communications

Related Links

http://www.kcsa.com


In October 2020, LABORIE and Urotronic Inc. (Urotronic), entered into a multi-faceted, strategic partnership 1 . Urotronic, a Minnesota-based medical device company, is currently conducting clinical trials in North America to support regulatory approval of Optilume  , a drug-coated balloon (DCB) technology for use in urethral strictures and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and in September 2020 was granted CE Mark approval for use in urethral strictures in Europe 2 .

Following the successful procedures, Dr. Patel commented, "We're delighted to be pioneering the Optilume Drug Coated Balloon technology to advance patient care for the treatment of urethral stricture. All of the procedures were performed safely and went very well. Optilume offers a minimally invasive alternative with the potential of fewer recurrences that is often seen in existing endoscopic treatment options. We look forward to closely monitoring our patient results and further developing this service as part of our treatment options for men suffering from urethral stricture at Epsom Urology".

In the UK, 16,000 men require admission to hospital each year because of urethral stricture disease and 12,000 of them need an operation at an annual cost of 10 million3,4 . The condition blocks the pathway for urine to exit the body from the bladder and can result in a painful, frustrating slowing of the urinary system. Strictures can be caused by infections, trauma, and other medical procedures that injure the lining of the urethra and can significantly impact patients' quality of life. Multiple endoscopic treatments of the same stricture are proven to lead to progressively worsening outcomes. After a third endoscopic treatment, the failure rate approaches 75% by 6 months and reaches 100% by two-years post-treatment5.

Optilume DCB combines balloon dilation to open the urethral stricture with the delivery of an anti-proliferative drug to prevent recurrence of the blockage. Published two-year clinical follow up data6 highlighted that Optilume DCB performed as intended in both opening blockages and preventing the formation of scar tissue, which can develop quickly following traditional endoscopic intervention. This minimally invasive technology is expected to have a significant impact in the urology community, offering a new treatment option for urethral strictures that traditionally may require major surgery or need frequent endoscopic retreatment.

Professor. Watkin continued to add, "We're encouraged by the early data seen in clinical trials of the Optilume Drug Coated Balloon, and as a specialist urethral reconstruction centre in the UK we believe offering a range of clinically effective treatment options and providing choice enables our service to evolve to the needs of patients and the health service. This novel technology has the potential to positively impact how urethral strictures are managed in the future benefiting patient's quality of life and potentially providing cost effectiveness to our national health service".

About Laborie Medical Technologies

Globally headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, LABORIE is a global developer and manufacturer of innovative medical technologies, offering complete care pathways and market-leading solutions through its broad portfolio of diagnostic and therapeutic products and services in Urology, Gastroenterology, Gynecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology. LABORIE is a portfolio company of Patricia Industries. For more information visit www.laborie.com.

About Urotronic Inc.

Urotronic, Inc., headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, is a clinical-stage medical device company currently conducting clinical trials to support global commercialization of their products. The Optilume drug-coated balloon technology provides a low cost, minimally invasive treatment option for men suffering from urinary track conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and urethral stricture. The prevalence of BPH and lower urinary tract issues rises markedly with increased age. BPH affects 70% of men 60-69 years of age and 80% of those 70 years of age or older. The drug-coated balloon technology under development creates a paradigm change from the methods currently used by urologists to treat these conditions. For more information on Urotronic and our products, please visit us at urotronic.com.

About Patricia Industries

Patricia Industries is a long-term owner that invests in companies and works to develop each company to its full potential. Patricia Industries is a part of the industrial holding company Investor AB, whose main owners are the Wallenberg foundations.

About Investor AB

Investor AB, founded by the Wallenberg family in 1916, is an engaged owner of high-quality, global companies. We have a long-term investment perspective. Through board participation, as well as industrial experience, our network and financial strength, we work continuously to support our companies to remain or become best-in-class.

REFERENCES

1. Cision PR Newswire 8th October 2020 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/laborie-medical-technologies-enters-into-strategic-partnership-with-urotronic-301148859.html

2. Cision PR Newswire 23rd September 2020 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-treatment-for-urethral-strictures-optilume-receives-ce-approval-301136116.html

3. The interactive population pyramid. Office for National Statistics. Available from: URL: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/populationestimates/flash_pyramid/default.htm.

4. Main procedures and interventions: 4-character OPCS codes 2009-10. The NHS Information Centre. http://www.hesonline.nhs.uk/Ease/servlet/ContentServer?siteID=1937&categoryID=215

5. Steenkamp JW, Heyns CF, de Kock ML. Internal urethrotomy versus dilation as treatment for male urethral strictures: a prospective, randomized comparison. J Urol. 1997 Jan;157(1):98-101. PMID: 8976225.

6. Mann, R. A., Virasoro, R., DeLong, J. M., Estrella, R. E., Pichardo, M., Rodriguez Lay, R., Espino, G., Roth, J. D., & Elliott, S. P. (2020). A drug-coated balloon treatment for urethral stricture disease: Two-year results from the ROBUST I study. Canadian Urological Association Journal, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.6661

SOURCE Laborie Medical Technologies Inc.
Launching A Dedicated Award for Women Short-Film Directors: Empowering Talented Women to Positively Impact the Future of the Film Industry

As an Official Partner of the Cannes Film Festival for more than 24 years, L'Oreal Paris has always been a feminist brand that champions women's empowerment, specifically in the world of film through its privileged relationship with iconic actresses who embody the values of the brand. Now, L'Oreal Paris is going even further with this commitment, with the launch of a dedicated award program for women in cinema. Short films, thanks to their flexible format and relatively low barriers to entry, have long been considered to reflect the future of the film industry; as such, this award will encourage promising directors to pursue their creative ambitions and provide funding that will empower women in overcoming the obstacles that they encounter.

"This exciting partnership with L'Oreal Paris represents a natural extension of the brand's ongoing support for Cannes and the wider cinema community," says Thierry Fremaux, Director of the Festival international du film de Cannes. "The Lights On Women Award will offer a much-needed opportunity to honour a deserving creator and aligns with the broader commitment of the Short Films competition and international film schools' short film programs to recognize the female talent of tomorrow," he adds.

A Striking and Urgent Need to Correct Gender Imbalance within the Film Industry

The under-representation of women in film is a major issue within the creative industry, with only 10.7% female film directors in Hollywood as of 2019*. Moreover, only 21.3% of short films are directed by women; and only 7 women have ever been nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards*. In light of these figures, the need to reduce bias and achieve greater gender balance is both striking and urgent.

A Unique Recognition Designed to Drive Creativity and Empowerment

The winner of the inaugural Lights On Women Award will receive financial support of up to 30,000. This unique recognition will also offer the winner a platform for increased visibility and will also gain access to a "sisterhood" of cinematic talent.

"L'Oreal Paris is a feminine and feminist brand; we believe in empowering women to overcome barriers and to have a long-term positive social impact within their communities," says Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, Global Brand President, L'Oreal Paris. "The massive under-representation of women in film requires large-scale support and I am proud to use our brand platform and resources to stand up for women's visibility, with the help of the incredible female actors who represent our brand. I firmly believe in advocating for talented women and holding space for them to shine."

Actor Kate Winslet adds, "What an honour to preside as Juror over this remarkable recognition for women film-makers and to have an opportunity to celebrate such incredible talent. It is essential that we work together as a community to pursue gender parity within our industry and I am delighted to support the L'Oreal Paris family on this important initiative."

SOURCE LOreal Paris
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marick Group, LLC, a Human Capital Management services provider, today announced it has been awarded a Region 4 Education Service Center national contract to deliver Cornerstone people development solutions through OMNIA Partners. This national contract allows Marick and Cornerstone to reach state and local governments, and other public sector organizations without going through a time and resource intensive procurement process.

"We are excited to have won the opportunity to work with OMNIA on this cooperative purchasing contract, which will help us and Cornerstone support the needs of our public sector clients," Said April Behtash, Managing Director, Sales and Delivery, Marick Group. "Marick is a go-to trusted advisor in the talent management space, and Cornerstone is recognized as a leading people development software provider. Our partnership allows our clients to realize their potential by recruiting, training, and managing top talent."

People development software and services are available through this contract to public sector organizations in all 50 U.S. States and the District of Columbia. The contract is established for a three-year period of performance through April 30, 2024, with an option to renew for two (2) additional one-year periods through March 31, 2026.

Cornerstone's people development solutions include:

Learning Management

Career Development

Content

Recruiting

Performance Management

Succession Planning

Marick Group services provide:

Implementation Services

Technical Consulting Services

Migration Services

Project Management Support

Post- Go Live Support

Training Services

About Marick Group, LLC

Marick Group is a go-to trusted advisor in the Human Capital Management software space. With unparalleled industry knowledge and experience in the public sector, they deliver customized solutions that perfectly fit their clients' needs. https://www.marickgroup.com/

About OMNIA Partners

OMNIA Partners, Public Sector is one of the largest and most experienced cooperative purchasing organizations dedicated to public sector procurement. Their purchasing power and industry-leading suppliers have produced a comprehensive portfolio of cooperative contracts and relationships, making OMNIA Partners a valued and trusted resource for organizations nationwide. Learn more at https://www.omniapartners.com/publicsector.

Media Contact:

Meg Hart

[email protected]

SOURCE Marick Group, LLC

Related Links

https://www.marickgroup.com


Million Dollar Challenge: Nation's Largest BIPOC Entrepreneurial Competition Returns for its Fourth Year Tweet this

Applications open in June 2021 and the finalists will be announced in July. Finalists will virtually attend the Boot Camp for Successful Pitches in August and September. The final pitch event will take place September 21, 2021 during Twin Cities Start Up Week.

Meda is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping BIPOC businesses succeed. The past three years of the Million Dollar Challenge resulted in 18 BIPOC businesses from nine states receiving financial awards, totaling nearly $4 million.

"The Million Dollar Challenge is the premier entrepreneurial competition specifically for BIPOC entrepreneurs to accelerate their business growth," said Meda President and CEO, Alfredo Martel. "As we continue dealing with the effects of COVID-19 and racial injustice, it has never been more important than now to invest in our communities' BIPOC businesses. Investing in them has proven to create jobs, boost economic development and increase equity - crucial needs in this time. We can't wait to begin our fourth year of the Million Dollar Challenge to continue impacting supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs across the nation."

Meda's services include business consulting, financing solutions and corporate and government opportunities, such as contracts and funding opportunities. Since its inception in 1971, Meda has assisted more than 23,000 BIPOC entrepreneurs and helped start more than 500 minority-owned, small businesses. Studies reveal that there is large disparity between the success of non-minority and minority business due to lack of financial, human, and social capital as well as racial discrimination. Meda hopes to shed a light on this issue and do its part to kickstart opportunities through the Million Dollar Challenge.

About the Metropolitan Economic Development Agency (Meda): Meda was founded by a group of Minnesota business leaders who saw minority business ownership as a positive, long-term response to rising economic inequity within minority communities in our state. Meda provides business development services, access to capital and corporate and governmental market support for minority entrepreneurs. Over the years, Meda has helped launch more than 500 minority businesses and assisted more than 23,000 Minnesota minority entrepreneurs. Today, Meda clients employ 6,000 Minnesotans and have a combined annual revenue of $1 billion. Meda operates a growing Community Development Fund Institution (CDFI) that provides needed capital for minority businesses to become sustainable. Meda is also the host organization for the Minneapolis Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center, which has been recognized by the MBDA as the top performing center four consecutive years from 2016- 2019. For more information, visit meda.net.

Contact:

Carol Schuler

[email protected]

612-281-7030

SOURCE Metropolitan Economic Development Association

Related Links

http://meda.net


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To meet a need that was evident following the COVID-19 pandemic, National Heritage Academies (NHA) took a different approach to education and opened their first fully virtual school: PrepNet Virtual Academy.

PrepNet Virtual Academy (PVA) is a Michigan-based, fully online, free public charter school serving students in grades K-12 with an early college program. PVA combines the best elements of virtual education with the social interaction of in-person learning that builds community and strengthens connections.

This unique educational experience provides Michigan families with the educational choice that fuels student success in life, college, and beyond. PVA is an option for families that may not live near an NHA school, but know and want to receive an NHA education. It is a long-term, 100% fully online learning option that will employ certified educators to support student learning.

"At PrepNet Virtual Academy students are ready for college and prepared for life," said Melissa VanKlompenburg, principal at PVA. "PVA impacts the trajectory of every student that enters its virtual classrooms. Creating lasting connections in a strong, supportive environment that is rooted in character education is a game-changer for the virtual world and makes our school a great example of what it means to enter into uncharted territory and push the boundaries for what access to high-quality education looks like."

PVA is taking a structured yet flexible approach to its learning environment, which mirrors the instructional model currently offered to more than 27,000 virtual learners across NHA's network.

While learning will take place virtually, the school day will resemble a traditional brick-and-mortar structure. For example, instructional days for kindergarten through sixth-grade students will include class check-ins, small groups, all subjects, student support, and daily specials, such as art and music. Learners in grades seven to 12 will follow a schedule similar to what would be found in a brick-and-mortar education structure, including an early college program where students earn an associate degree tuition-free while still in high school.

"Through advanced placement and acceleration of curriculum, PVA is offering each student the ability to graduate prepared for life-long success," said VanKlompenburg. "Coupling that with the early college associate degree, I see PVA as the steppingstone to a meaningful and fulfilling career."

Also offered through PVA will be an online micro-school, located in Grand Rapids. This will provide virtual and in-person learning to West Michigan families in a small, safe environment for those seeking individualized attention, structure, and support plus the social interaction.

The school is set to officially open its virtual "doors" and welcome students September 2021.

About PrepNet Virtual Academy:

PrepNet Virtual Academy is a Michigan-based, fully online, free public charter school serving students in grades K-12 with an early college program. For more information, visit prepnetvirtualacademy.com.

SOURCE National Heritage Academies

Related Links

www.heritageacademies.com


At a time when the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry is facing record labor shortages, operators are looking for ways to streamline operations, cut costs and implement solutions that drive a better and faster customer service experience. The pandemic drastically shifted the paradigm, creating new models for operator revenue streams that relied on drive-thru, takeout and delivery more so than ever before. While sixty to seventy percent of certain QSR sales came from the drive-thru lane pre-pandemic, as COVID spread, major QSRs experienced a jump as high as 90 percent. 1 Yet, the new delivery and drive-thru model have made the always-critical need of speed and efficiency an even bigger challenge as volume increases and staff decreases have added minutes to the clock for order completion. Because of this, total average drive-thru times slowed down by 29.8 seconds last year. 2

Savvy operators are warming up to the power of automation and robotics to accelerate recovery and meet demand. Miso Robotics has been leading the field in commercial kitchen automation through a robot-as-a-service (RaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) model that began with Flippy and has since branched out to CookRight. While these two flagship products focus on food specifically, implementation success has proven broader back of house tasks can benefit from intelligent operational efficiency. Miso Robotics and Lancer saw the need for beverage automation in the commercial kitchen  an area of order completion that has long been plagued with inefficiency as workers look to navigate compact, fast paced kitchens and unpredictable order volume during shifts.

"Lancer has consistently supplied the market with dependable products for more than 50 years and there was no question when it came time to decide who to partner with to create an automated beverage dispenser," said Jake Brewer, Chief Strategy Officer of Miso Robotics. "Lancer has a legacy of stand-out industry quality and shares in our vision for beverage innovation and futuristic design. Order fulfillment is a major factor for customer satisfaction and operators can't afford to have a beverage left behind when a delivery driver or customer visits. We are extremely excited to create a product that will not only make the lives of those working in commercial kitchens better, but will be a game changer for the industry as a whole to deliver a world-class customer experience."

The new automated beverage dispenser will integrate with the point of sales (POS) system and come equipped with a guided workflow for employees to ensure accurate order completion synced with driver and customer arrival times. The machine will be able to automatically pour drinks and advance beverages to enable an easy grab-and-go format for staff. When an order comes in, the connected approach will allow the beverage dispenser to 'know' the beverage needs associated with the order and will automatically issue the appropriate sized cup, begin pouring and seal the drink. The entire process is timed to complete as close as possible with the time the meal/remainder of the order is ready for hand off to the customer or delivery driver.

"Lancer has always stood out as a trusted global beverage dispenser manufacturer because we put our customer and partner needs at the forefront of every project we undertake," said Brad Davis, Director of Applied Technologies for Lancer Worldwide. "The quick service brands we work with every day are well aware of what their challenges are  they know they need more efficiency, and they know there is new technology out there that could make it possible. Miso Robotics will help us bring all the right pieces together for an innovative design that makes automation, connectivity, and intelligence possible for operators. We are excited to collaborate with them to bring this concept to life, and into the hands of operators around the world."

Miso Robotics' Series D Opens

The need for new technology to enter the back of house has quickly become a business imperative for quick service brands. As a result, interest in Miso Robotics has continued to surge. The company was able to able to raise over $25mm in crowdfunding during their Series C, which recently closed. On the heels of this partnership, the company is announcing the open of their Series D round raise  which kicks off with a market valuation of $350mm, a $270mm increase since their $80mm Series C open. To invest in Miso Robotics' Series D and Intelligent Automation visit https://invest.misorobotics.com/ today and shape the future of the commercial kitchen.

About Miso Robotics

Miso Robotics is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/.

About Lancer Worldwide

Lancer Worldwide, a leader in next-generation beverage dispensing, was established in 1967 in San Antonio, Texas. Lancer Worldwide leads in innovation and is committed to delivering a beverage dispensing experience that exceeds customer expectations. Through quality and a passion for innovation, Lancer creates products that generate profit for its global customers and gives them a distinct advantage in the marketplace. Lancer Corporation is a subsidiary of Hoshizaki Corporation, one of the world's largest suppliers of commercial kitchen equipment. Lancer Worldwide maintains sales and manufacturing facilities in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, China and the United Kingdom.

Press Contact

Diane Zuniga

909-510-0433

[email protected]

1 Bluedot: State of What Feeds Us Report

2 SeeLevel HX: 2020 SeeLevel HX Annual Drive-Thru Study

SOURCE Miso Robotics

Related Links

https://invest.misorobotics.com/


ARLINGTON, Va., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Small business and large corporations will likely not have to worry about the additional tax burden arising from the forgiveness or cancellation of their Payroll Protection Program loans in the majority states, according to Bloomberg Tax & Accounting's 21st annual Survey of State Tax Departments. Twenty-nine state tax departments responded they will follow the federal treatment of such forgiveness or cancellation under section 1160(i) of the CARES Act and will not treat these amounts as taxable income. An executive summary of the survey, which incorporates input on a wide range of corporate income and sales tax issues from senior state tax department officials from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and New York City, is available at http://onb-tax.com/pDzj50FbPp2.

21st Annual Survey of State Tax Departments focuses on continued impact of Covid-19 on corporate tax professionals. Tweet this Most States Indicate Following Federal Government In Treating PPP Loan Forgiveness As Nontaxable Income Per Bloomberg Tax & Accounting Survey

The 2021 Survey of State Tax Departments focuses on the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on areas that matter most to corporations: federal conformity, nexus issues, state sourcing provisions, the taxation of pass-through entities, the transition to economic nexus, and state tax policy for marketplace facilitators. The survey also explores how states are implementing their economic nexus rules post-South Dakota v. Wayfair, with a focus on economic nexus threshold calculations.

"Over the past 15 months, businesses have had to evaluate the numerous state taxation policies that emerged in response to Covid-19 and determine the evolving impact on their current and future workplace and business models," said Christine Boeckel, director, state tax analysis and content, Bloomberg Tax & Accounting. "Our survey provides key insights into shifting state policies and provides much-needed clarity to tax professionals by presenting the states' own interpretations of their rules and procedures as they adapt to new business paradigms."

"The Bloomberg Tax survey provides an excellent high-level view of what multistate companies and tax practitioners face on a daily basis: a complex and non-uniform enforcement landscape," said Matt Hedstrom, partner, Alston & Bird. "This complexity is only increasing, and this survey does a great job laying out the nuances that exist in this rapidly shifting landscape."

Other key takeaways from the survey include:

Thirty-seven states indicated that one to six employees who perform non-solicitation activities would create nexus for an out-of-state corporation if the employee is telecommuting from within their state. However, half of these states issued guidance pausing this nexus requirement for those employees working remotely because of Covid-19.

Only 15 states said they impose an entity-level tax on pass-through entities. However, these states were split on whether the entity must pay their entity-level tax: eight states said the tax is mandatory, but seven said it's optional.

Most states (33) responded that their sales tax nexus standard is based on both physical presence and economic nexus. A smaller, but not insignificant, number (seven) said they only use a physical presence standard or only an economic nexus standard (12). However, many of these states responded "yes" to more than one question, implying that they use both standards.

Sixteen states said that sales made by an affiliated company are counted towards economic nexus thresholds.

State tax professionals interested in learning more about this year's survey results and key trends can attend a complimentary Bloomberg Tax & Accounting webinar on Thursday June 24 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Registration is available at http://onb-tax.com/4BhS50F7KNp.

About Bloomberg Tax & Accounting

Bloomberg Tax & Accounting provides practitioner-driven research and technology solutions that deliver timely, strategic insights to enable smarter decisions. From our unparalleled Tax Management Portfolios to technology designed to streamline the most complex planning and compliance scenarios, we deliver essential news and analysis, practical perspectives, and software that help tax and accounting professionals around the globe mitigate risk and maximize business results. For more information, visit pro.bloombergtax.com.

SOURCE Bloomberg Tax & Accounting

Related Links

https://pro.bloombergtax.com


BOSTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MP, a full service Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions provider, is partnering with BPAS, a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts, to deliver integrated solutions for mutual plan-sponsor clients. The MP-BPAS partnership provides clients with 360-degree integration technology links and synchronized data between the plan sponsor, recordkeeper, administrator, and employees.

BPAS Logo

This new partnership eliminates manual uploads, reduces data entry errors, and protects data integrity for clients. Data will be updated automatically between BPAS and MP whenever a change is made to one of the systems, resulting in a 360-degree automation to all parties. Employers will benefit from MP's comprehensive payroll services and BPAS's defined contribution (DC) plan administration.

"We are excited to support MP and BPAS clients in a new way," said Jason Maxwell, CEO of MP. "We can now offer seamless, top-tier solutions for plan administration, as well as proactive and reliable HR and payroll services that save our clients significant time and improves operational efficiency."

"BPAS is committed to executing and streamlining the plan sponsor experience," said Paul Neveu, BPAS CEO. "We recognize that payroll providers and DC plan recordkeepers operate in a world of client choice. When we can create a partnership where two firms deliver refreshing new solutions to employers, we're going to jump at it. It's an opportunity to restore the confident silence back into plan administration."

MP serves clients across the nation, with a high concentration in New England. MP and BPAS began working together through advisor partnerships in 2014. "We have earned our clients' trust as they outsource their retirement plan needs to us," added Neveu. "We're proud of this partnership and are looking forward to a full rollout to clients. Additionally, MP will now be a provider of choice for BPAS clients, serving their HR, payroll, and benefits administration needs."

About MP

MP is a full-service HR and payroll services provider. Founded in 2004, it is headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts. The company serves clients from all industries and across all 50 states, helping them streamline human capital management to achieve their larger business goals. MP combines best in class technology with proactive and reliable customer service to help clients optimize performance. For more information, visit mp-hr.com.

About BPAS

BPAS is a national provider of retirement plans, benefit plans, fund administration, and collective investment trusts. With our breadth of services, depth of creative talent, and financial resources, we are well positioned to help our clients solve all their benefit plan challenges without the need to engage multiple providers. One company. One call.

The BPAS family of services includes: Plan Administration & Recordkeeping | Actuarial & Pension | Healthcare Consulting | IRA | VEBA HRA | Health & Welfare Plans | Fiduciary | Collective Investment Funds | Fund Administration | Institutional Trust

As a solutions-oriented national practice, we are committed to "Solving Tomorrow's Benefit Challenges Today." Visit bpas.com for more information.

Media Contact:

Amy Wieman

978-338-2129

[email protected]

SOURCE MP
LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Musick Peeler LLP Partner and Member of the Insurance and Litigation practices Karen L. Bizzini has been selected as a nominee for the 'Champion of Women' Award and recognized in the Los Angeles Business Journal's special supplement, published today. The 2021 Women's Leadership Awards honors the accomplished and impactful women business leaders in the Los Angeles community.

Bizzini specializes in insurance coverage and general business litigation. She has extensive arbitration, mediation, trial and appellate experience and regularly represents insurance companies in disputes arising under primary, excess and umbrella policies. She provides advice on a variety of coverage issues involving general liability, employment practices liability, professional liability, directors & officers liability, and premises liability.

Bizzini defends insurers in third-party lawsuits alleging environmental contamination, bodily injury, property damage, advertising injury, and "bad faith," and in first-party homeowner actions alleging earthquake, mold, water and fire claims. She has counseled clients on claims handling practices and developing insurance policy provisions. She also represents individuals and businesses in a variety of business disputes.

A Harvard Law School alum, Bizzini is a member of the Harvard Law School Association of Los Angeles and serves as a mentor for recent law school graduates through its Mentorship Committee. She is a member of the Women Rainmakers Roundtable, a networking organization of female partners of law firms located throughout the United States and Canada. Bizzini also served a three-year term on the State Bar of California's Committee on Women in the Law and was Vice-Chair of that Committee for one year.

Bizzini is a Lifetime Member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA) and served on its Board of Governors for six years. She also served for 11 years on the WLALA Public Action Grant Foundation Advisory Counsel, and for one year as its President. She mentors law students and recent law school graduates through the WLALA Mentoring Program.

The Los Angeles Business Journal is hosting a virtual awards ceremony on June 23, 2021, at 2pm. Information on the Women's Leadership Awards Program available here https://labusinessjournal.com/wsa2021/awardsprogram/.

About Musick Peeler

Founded in 1954, MusickPeeler has offices in five major commercial centers across California with over 100 attorneys practicing in 16 disciplines. For more information, visit MusickPeeler.com

SOURCE Musick Peeler
LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Musick Peeler LLP Partner Rosemary K. Nunn has been recognized in Commercial Real Estate Magazine as '2021 Commercial Real Estate Visionaries.' The inaugural issue honors noteworthy real estate professionals for their "successes and accomplishments during the last 24 months, as well as their exemplary leadership within their organizations and communities across Southern California," reported the Los Angeles Times B2B Publishing Team.

"Rosemary is a talented lawyer and a force in the construction space," said Musick Peeler's Managing Partner R. Joseph De Briyn. "She continually provides the firm's clients with the highest degree of strategy and service."

Nunn is a Partner in the firm's Orange County office and has over 20 years of experience in the construction field. The publication notes, "Rosemary has represented owners, developers, design professionals, contractors and subcontractors on myriad public and private projects. She counsels clients through every aspect of a construction project, from contracting to litigation, including early assessment and minimization of liability exposure and risk; cost effective dispute resolution; negotiating delay claims, disputed change order requests, and payment on projects with distressed parties, funding or bankruptcies; and robust representation through mediation, arbitration, or trial."

Nunn's practice is unique in that she handles both transactional matters as well as litigation. On the transactional side, she counsels clients from the initial stage of developing real estate, negotiating contracts with the design team and contractors, and assisting with RFPs, bids and prevailing wage compliance. In her litigation practice, she also counsels through construction hurdles such as termination of a party and assigning contracts to a new team, dealing with mechanics liens or payment and performance bond tenders and defending against both construction defect and bodily injury lawsuits.

Nunn has extensive experience handling both public and private projects: residential housing tracks; condos; high-end luxury homes; airports; parking structures; underground pipeline systems; luxury resorts and hotels; cold-storage refrigeration plants; power plants; soils, grading and demolition; utilities; Army barracks and associated campuses; community colleges; K-12 charter schools; warehouse and distribution centers; micro-tunneling under a large riverbed; and sanitation districts are just a sampling.

A frequent speaker in the construction and commercial real estate world, Nunn participated in a panel earlier this year entitled "Schedule Delays In The Construction Industry" hosted by AACE San Francisco and Associated General Contractors (AGC) California. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for AGC Orange County as well as the Chair of the ACG Legal Advisory Committee. Nunn completed her undergraduate degree at Pitzer College and earned her J.D. at UCLA Law School.

About Musick Peeler

Founded in 1954, Musick Peeler has offices in five major commercial centers across California with over 100 attorneys practicing in 16 disciplines. For more information, visit MusickPeeler.com.

SOURCE Musick Peeler
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman's uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to depart the International Space Station Tuesday, June 29, more than four months after delivering nearly 8,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware, and other cargo to the orbital laboratory.

Live coverage of the spacecraft's departure will begin at noon EDT on NASA Television, the agency's website, and the NASA app. Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft after NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, a Black woman broke through barriers of gender and race, calculating orbital mechanics for some of the first U.S. human spaceflights.

Flight controllers on the ground will send commands for the space station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach Cygnus from the Unity module's Earth-facing port. The arm will then maneuver the spacecraft into position and release it at 12:25 p.m. NASA astronaut Megan McArthur will monitor Cygnus' systems upon its departure from the space station.

After departure, Cygnus will deploy two cube satellites: the Ionosphere Thermosphere Scanning Photometer for Ion-Neutral Studies (IT-SPINS), which will add to researchers' fundamental understanding of Earth's Ionosphere, and the Khalifa University Students Satellite-2 (MYSat-2), which will train graduate students through the development and evaluation of its software.

Cygnus will then perform a deorbit engine firing to set up a destructive re-entry in which the spacecraft, filled with waste the space station crew packed, will burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Cygnus arrived at the International Space Station Feb, 22, following a launch two days prior on Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. It was the company's 15th commercial resupply services mission to the space station for NASA.

Learn more about Cygnus' mission and the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


LINCOLN, Neb., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of its record-breaking year for solar investments in 2020, Nelnet Renewable Energy, a brand of Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE: NNI), is proud to announce the closing of its first solar tax equity co-investor fund for 2021. Nelnet teamed up with six banks to invest $11.9 million in a portfolio of solar projects located in Rhode Island and New York. Joining Nelnet in this investment are Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust; First State Bank, Gothenburg, Nebraska; Security First Bank (Nebraska); and three other banks.

The portfolio of projects financed by this coinvestment is expected to generate over 20,000 megawatt-hours (MWhs) of solar energy per year for a group of community solar subscribers in New York and Rhode Island. Over the portfolio's 35year lifespan, the energy generated by the solar projects will offset an estimated 363,000 tons of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent amount of CO 2 emissions from consuming 37 million gallons of gasoline.

Nelnet and its co-investors are proud of their part in transitioning the country to a cleaner and more reliable energy source. "Nelnet has a strong culture of innovation, and we embrace our role as a leading tax equity investor and catalyst of change in building clean energy projects nationwide," said Jon Miller, director of Tax Equity Capital Markets.

Nelnet Renewable Energy's solar tax equity co-investment platform provides accredited investors with the opportunity to invest in solar projects across the U.S. Nelnet serves as the lead investor and underwriter alongside its co-investors. This unique structure, coupled with Nelnet's experience servicing over $500 billion in loan assets and commitment to superior customer service, is designed to unlock long-term value for Nelnet and its co-investor partners.

"We are committed to the environment and utilizing renewable energy sources wherever possible, and Security First Bank is excited to partner with Nelnet in this solar tax credit investment," said Security First Bank's president, John Daubert.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), "The solar investment tax credit is one of the most important federal policy mechanisms to support the growth of solar energy in the United States. Since the tax credit was enacted in 2006, the U.S. solar industry has grown by more than 10,000%  creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and investing billions of dollars in the U.S. economy in the process."

"We want everyone to have equal access to the benefits of solar, and this investment is a huge step toward providing countless homes and businesses with renewable energy to help themselves and the environment," said Scott Gubbels, executive director of Tax and Renewable Energy at Nelnet. Funded by Nelnet and its co-investors, this portfolio furthers Nelnet Renewable Energy's mission of powering communities with clean, cost-effective energy.

About Nelnet and Nelnet Renewable Energy: Nelnet (NYSE: NNI) is a publicly-traded diversified financial services and technology company focused on offering educational services, technology solutions, professional services, telecommunications, and asset management. Nelnet has approximately $20 billion in assets and services over $500 billion in loan assets. In addition, Nelnet made its first solar tax equity investment in 2018 and has since grown into one of the leading tax equity investors in utility-scale and distributed generation solar projects. Between Nelnet's capital and capital from its co-investors, the collaborative platform has funded over 86 solar projects to date, totaling $160 million of investment in solar energy. This experience, coupled with Nelnet's proven asset management capabilities and its alignment of interest as an investor alongside its partners, allows Nelnet to offer a unique co-investment platform to accredited investors based on shared value creation and positive environmental and social impact. For more information, visit NelnetInc.com/coinvesting.

Nothing herein should be construed as, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or hold, an interest in any security or investment product. Investments in investment products managed by Nelnet Renewable Energy are available only to "accredited investors," as such term is defined under federal securities laws. Investments are offered only via definitive transaction documents, and any potential investor should read such documents carefully, including all the risk factors relating to the investment, before investing.

SOURCE Nelnet Renewable Energy

Related Links

https://nelnetenergy.com


AUSTIN, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle today announced a new Oracle Support Rewards program to help customers speed migrations to the cloud while reducing their software license support costs. Now, customers making new commitments to buy Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services can earn rewards that reduce or even eliminate their Oracle on-premises technology licensing support bills.

With this program, all Oracle technology license support customers will earn at least 25 cents of Support Rewards for each dollar of OCI Universal Credits they purchase and consume. Customers with Oracle Unlimited License Agreements (ULA) will save even more  earning rewards at a 33 percent rate. This means that a ULA customer with an Oracle technology license support bill of $500,000 could eliminate that bill entirely by migrating $1.5M of workloads to OCI.

"OCI is Oracle's fastest growing business because we built a unique Generation 2 cloud infrastructure platform capable of running the most demanding mission-critical workloads faster, more reliably, and more securely than our on-premises systems," said Oracle Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison. "We want to enable more customers to take advantage of our Gen 2 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Oracle Support Rewards gives customers an easy way to simultaneously reduce their software support spend as they increase the speed of their cloud adoption."

CIOs and IT organizations are pressured to drive innovation, often without new budget. The Oracle Support Rewards program creates more value for existing Oracle technology customers, making adoption of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure even more cost-effective. Like frequent flyer miles, a customer's Support Rewards are automatically added in the OCI Console every month, and rewards can be applied anytime.

Oracle Support Rewards joins the Oracle Universal Credits, Oracle Bring Your Own License, Oracle Customer to Cloud, and the recently launched Oracle Cloud Lift programs, which are all aimed at accelerating customers' digital transformations while offering a great customer experience. Oracle Cloud Lift coupled with Oracle Support Rewards and OCI's already competitive pricing, makes it simple and cost-effective for customers to migrate more workloads to the cloud.

"Oracle is building differentiation in its cloud infrastructure services by staying laser focused on the unique needs of its customers," said Dave McCarthy, vice president, Cloud and Edge Infrastructure Services, IDC. "Oracle Support Rewards combined with flexible and transparent pricing are essential in attracting new business and accelerating adoption of OCI."

Customers and partners like Allegis Group, Cognizant, and Experian are already seeing value in this new program. Oracle partners benefit from added customer incentive to move to the cloud. In particular, cloud service providers can pass on the savings from Oracle Support Rewards to their OCI customers.

"Allegis Group is the global leader in talent solutions. Oracle has helped us design a robust cloud adoption strategy that balances benefits to our users and our business, with immediate modernization of core applications like PeopleSoft and adoption of SaaS over time," said Brian Lindner, Chief Information Officer, Allegis Group. "The Oracle Support Rewards program allows us to continue to use existing technology investments, dramatically lower costs, and invest in the future."

"Cognizant has worked with Oracle as both a partner and customer for more than 20 years to help our clients modernize their businesses and technology platforms," said Anil Cheriyan, executive vice president, Strategy and Technology at Cognizant. "The new Oracle Support Rewards program further gives Cognizant and our customers valuable incentives to move critical work to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure."

"As a leader in data and analytics, providing the best customer experience is extremely important to Experian. We work with Oracle for many of our core systems on-premises, from call center data analysis to financial reporting," said Mervyn Lally, Global Chief Enterprise Architect, Experian. "As we continue to adopt cloud-based solutions, Oracle Support Rewards makes it much easier for us to choose Oracle Cloud for the future of these systems. We believe that working with Oracle will allow us to further enhance our data processing and analytics capabilities in the cloud and help the millions of consumers and businesses we serve with our innovative solutions."

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Oracle's approach to cloud computing is based on the idea that the cloud should be engineered to support every application, rather than re-engineering applications to work with the cloud. Oracle's cloud infrastructure makes it easier to migrate critical enterprise applications to OCI and run them better than on-premises, and offers all the services developers need to build and run cloud-native applications. OCI simplifies management and security with autonomous services such as the world's only Oracle Autonomous Database and built-in, always-on security. OCI offers the most complete support for hybrid cloud strategies, including VMware environments and even bringing the cloud to a customers' own data center or to the edge. Customers can use OCI services in the Oracle public cloud, in their own data center, or anywhere in between, opening up the benefits of the cloud to more companies. It also offers technologies to simplify integration and data movement across multi-cloud organizations. In addition, OCI offers the best performance at significantly lower costs.

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.

Additional Resources

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

SOURCE Oracle

Related Links

http://www.oracle.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Nextdoor announced the launch of their COVID-19 Vaccine Map sponsored by Albertsons Companies and Moderna. The map will locate nearby vaccine appointment locations, including local Albertsons Companies pharmacy store banners such as Safeway, Vons, Albertsons, and Jewel-Osco, and allow neighbors to schedule an appointment or learn more about the vaccines with educational information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Throughout the pandemic, Nextdoor has played a critical role in helping neighbors connect to each other and to trusted, locally relevant information related to COVID-19. With the rollout of vaccines, neighbors have continued turning to Nextdoor to help guide one another through the process. According to June data from the CDC , 47% of the total U.S. population had not yet received a vaccine dose and the overall pace of vaccinations has slowed substantially. However, 37% of Nextdoor neighbors say they will be encouraged to get vaccinated by seeing more research into COVID-19 vaccines. With the Nextdoor Vaccine Map, neighbors will now be able to discover when, where, and why they should get vaccinated.

On the Nextdoor Vaccine Map, neighbors can input their zip code to find their nearest vaccine location and schedule an appointment simply with the click of a button. The map will also include trusted information from the CDC to help drive better understanding of and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

"We are honored to partner with Albertsons and Moderna to help spread awareness, education, and accessibility of COVID-19 vaccines to neighbors across the country," said Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar. "Brands recognize the importance of reaching people at the neighborhood-level with Nextdoor's unique targeting to encourage and support vaccinations. The Vaccine Map will help ease the burdens of the scheduling process while providing trustworthy, locally relevant information so neighborhoods can come together once again."

"Enabling COVID-19 vaccine accessibility across all communities and neighborhoods is our top priority during this public health crisis. The Vaccine Map from Nextdoor enables equitable access and education across thousands of neighborhoods," said Omer Gajial, Albertsons Companies SVP Pharmacy and Health.

"Moderna is committed to working with a coalition of partners to increase awareness and education of the importance of COVID-19 vaccination especially at the community level," said Michael Mullette, VP, Managing Director North America Commercial Operations of Moderna. "We are proud to partner with Nextdoor to assist people in identifying vaccine locations and to help ensure that accurate and relevant information on vaccination is available through the Vaccine Map."

The COVID-19 Vaccine Map is available nationwide at nextdoorvaccinemap.com and in the "more" section of the Nextdoor app.

About Nextdoor, Inc.

Nextdoor is the app where you plug into the neighborhoods that matter to you. Our purpose is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on. Neighbors turn to Nextdoor daily to receive trusted information, give and get help, and build real-world connections with those nearby  neighbors, local businesses, and public agencies. Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor in 276,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries. In the U.S., nearly 1 in 3 households uses the app. Nextdoor is a privately held company based in San Francisco with backing from prominent investors. For additional information and images: nextdoor.com/newsroom.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States. As of February 27, 2021, the Company operated 2,277 retail stores with 1,727 pharmacies, 400 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 20 manufacturing facilities. The Company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia with more than 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci's Food Lovers Market. The Company is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2020, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company gave $260 million in food and financial support, including $95 million through our Nourishing Neighbors Program to ensure those living in our communities have enough to eat. Albertsons Companies also pledged $5 million to organizations supporting social justice. These efforts have helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, social justice and programs for people with disabilities and veterans' outreach.

About Moderna

In 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a science research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across six modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for both clinical and commercial production at scale and at unprecedented speed. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna's capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use of one of the earliest and most-effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderna's mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and auto-immune diseases. Today, 24 development programs are underway across these therapeutic areas, with 14 programs having entered the clinic. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past six years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.

SOURCE Nextdoor, Inc.

Related Links

www.nextdoor.com


PITTSBURGH, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that on June 21, 2021, Region 6 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued an amended consolidated complaint against HCL America, Inc., a contractor at Google's Bakery Square office.

Since issuing its first complaint against HCL in October 2020, the NLRB has outlined in detail HCL's failure to bargain in good faith with the union representing its employees, who are negotiating for a first contract with the multi-billion dollar multinational. Most egregiously, the company has been eroding its Pittsburgh work force by moving work done here to its facility in Krakow, Poland, to retaliate against workers for exercising their right to choose union representation.

This week's amended complaint includes a request for an extraordinary remedy: an order to restore the work sent overseas. The complaint also includes a new allegation that HCL unlawfully froze wages in 2020. An administrative law judge is scheduled to hear the NLRB's case against HCL on July 19, 2021.

Meanwhile on Monday, HCL employees met with Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh in Pittsburgh, spotlighting the need for the U.S. Senate to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would remove unnecessary barriers to union organizing, make it easier to negotiate first contracts, and increase punishments for employers who illegally attempt to block workers' collective efforts.

However, on Tuesday, HCL employees were notified that they will not return to the Google Bakery Square office. They may continue to work remotely or could also be sent to a Google vendor office or HCL run office, none of which has been negotiated with the union.

The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.

More information, contact: Tony Montana, 412-562-2592, [email protected]

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)

Related Links

http://www.usw.org


The video highlights the benefits of engineered steel water pipe and showcases the pipe as it is being installed. The production crew filmed on site at the Northwest Pipe manufacturing plant in Saginaw, Texas, and at the nearby Lower Bois d'Arc water transmission pipeline jobsite. The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) project includes an 84" pipeline that will convey treated water from a new water treatment plant in Leonard, Texas, and ties into existing pipelines. The water main will serve 80 communities and support future growth in the region.

On-film interviews include Northwest Pipe personnel and clients. Michael Heitmann, CEO of Garney Construction, and Steve Long, Reservoir Project Manager for NTMWD, both talk about the scale of this project and teaming with Northwest Pipe. The segment also takes a precursory look at InfraShield, Northwest Pipe's proprietary seismic resilient joint.

"This segment highlights not only our hard-working manufacturing team but also speaks to the importance of safe, reliable water in any community. As our Nation's infrastructure continues to age, combined with rising population centers and concern over water conservation, the case for installing efficient, long-term pipelines could not be more timely," said Scott Montross, President and CEO of Northwest Pipe Company. "We look forward to seeing this informative and entertaining segment air on national television."

"EARTH with John Holden" is hosted by six-time Emmy Award winner John Holden, and airs weekly on FBN and BNN Bloomberg. Each show features multiple segments on companies with eco-friendly initiatives, or those that are enhancing the lives of Earth's inhabitants through health, business, and various other advanced technologies and solutions. FBN viewing channel options are available at http://www.foxbusiness.com/channel-finder.

After airing, a video of the broadcast will be available on the Northwest Pipe website and social media channels including LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter.

About Northwest Pipe Company

Founded in 1966, Northwest Pipe Company is a leading manufacturer for water related infrastructure products. In addition to being the largest manufacturer of engineered steel water pipeline systems in North America, the Company produces high-quality precast and reinforced concrete products, Permalok steel casing pipe, bar-wrapped concrete cylinder pipe, as well as linings, coatings, joints, and one of the largest offerings of fittings and specialized components. Northwest Pipe Company provides solution-based products for a wide range of markets including water transmission and infrastructure, water and wastewater plant piping, structural stormwater and sewer systems, trenchless technology, and piping rehabilitation. Strategically positioned to meet growing water and wastewater infrastructure needs, the Company is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, and has manufacturing facilities across North America. Please visit www.nwpipe.com for more information.

Contact:

Aaron Wilkins

Chief Financial Officer

Northwest Pipe Company

360-397-6294  [email protected]

SOURCE Northwest Pipe Company

Related Links

www.nwpipe.com


BOSTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NuvoAir - the digital health company on a mission to improve the lives of millions of people suffering from respiratory conditions - has raised $12 million to bring its chronic disease management and clinical trial platforms to even more patients and providers.

NuvoAir

The Series A funding round was led by AlbionVC, a VC with more than 20 years' experience investing in technology and healthcare, and comes off the back of a record 500% growth for NuvoAir in the first quarter of 2021. KAYA (formerly Enern), Amino Collective and existing shareholders Spiltan, Industrifonden and Novartis Pharma AG (dRx Capital) also took part.

Respiratory conditions create a massive burden for healthcare systems. Over 500 million people globally suffer from chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and over $300 billion is spent every year on managing these conditions.

NuvoAir helps improve the patient experience and level of care - the company has a Net Promoter Score score of 75 compared to the healthcare average of 38 - while relieving the time and cost burden by providing clinically validated technology for use in people's homes. Studies have found that NuvoAir reduces urgent hospital visits by more than 39% and the company has a 95% retention rate on its platform.

NuvoAir combines a patient app with connected devices, self-management content, care coordination services, and a provider portal to support members. The platform's technologies include a Bluetooth-enabled spirometer to remotely monitor lung function; a sensor that attaches to asthma and COPD inhalers; and Fitbit integration - all which feed data into the firm's advanced chronic disease management platform. The latest addition to this platform is NuvoAir Cough, released last month, which assesses changes in nighttime coughing.

Real-time, high-touch monitoring and care

From this platform, healthcare providers and patients can monitor clinically relevant data, identify important changes in health and behavior in real time, get data-driven insights into the effectiveness of medication, and help patients better manage their condition themselves. NuvoAir Care Coordinators, serving all 50 U.S. states, provide high-touch services to further support patients with complex needs in coordination with their healthcare teams.

In addition to the patient and provider benefits afforded by the NuvoAir platform, its technology has played a vital role in more than 30 clinical trials, allowing patients suffering from COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to gather and share data remotely with researchers.

To date, NuvoAir has partnered with providers across the U.S., U.K. and Europe, including Harvard Boston Children's Hospital, New Hampshire's Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Royal Brompton Hospital, King's College Hospital in London, as well as pharmaceutical giants Roche, Regeneron and Novartis. NuvoAir has carried out clinical trials in over 20 countries and is trusted by thousands of physicians.

Covid fuels a seismic shift towards digital health

The recent, record-breaking growth seen on the NuvoAir platform is, in part, down to the demand for remote treatment and trials in the wake of Covid-19. With many health systems and pharmaceutical companies forced to move away from face-to-face interactions, providers have relied on NuvoAir to remotely care for and study patients. This is a trend that is set to continue as more hospitals and patients further embrace technology that supports data-driven decisions for improved management of respiratory conditions and the reduction of hospital admissions and emergency care.

Demand for remote clinical trials, in particular, had already grown ten-fold over the past three years and was accelerated when Covid-19 halted the use of traditional, in-person models. Enabling patients to collect data from home allows frequent data collection and reduces the burden for patients and study sites to participate.

Expansion, development and clinical trials

The funding will be used to accelerate the expansion of the NuvoAir digital care platform in the U.S. and Europe; advance the development of new products and services; and support NuvoAir's partner and customer base for decentralized clinical trials around the world.

Concurrent with the financing, Gary Kurtzman, MD, has been appointed as NuvoAir's Chairman of the Board to support this strategic direction and U.S. expansion. Dr. Kurtzman has served on the boards of several healthcare companies including Propeller Health, a medicine adherence tech company working in respiratory health that was acquired by ResMed.

"We are very pleased to receive the support and deep insight of AlbionVC," said Lorenzo Consoli, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NuvoAir. "The growing demand for our solution and the possibility to serve more patients in need, drives and motivates our entire team. Thanks to this financing round, we will be able to further expand our technology, data science, and clinical service capabilities to empower more people with chronic conditions to live a better life."

"We're proud to be able to support NuvoAir, one of the few digital health companies active in both Europe and the U.S.," said Dr. Christoph Ruedig, Partner at AlbionVC. "The company has built an impressive respiratory disease management ecosystem with strong clinical evidence and a scalable care model that benefits patients, payers and providers."

"The next stage in the evolution of digital health is creating effective and scalable solutions to improve the lives of patients with complex medical conditions," said Dr. Kurtzman. "I am excited to be a part of this mission."

Published clinical evidence and peer-reviewed studies demonstrating NuvoAir's clinical impact, technological validity, and high patient satisfaction can be found on NuvoAir's website.

About NuvoAir

With offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Stockholm, Sweden, NuvoAir is a leading digital health company for chronic disease management and decentralized clinical trials. The NuvoAir Home platform blends connected devices with high-touch care coordination services to enable patients and their providers to proactively manage chronic conditions, resulting in better outcomes and lower costs. NuvoAir Home currently supports thousands of patients worldwide with COPD, cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, IPF, ALS, and muscular dystrophy. NuvoAir's decentralized clinical trial solution has been used in over 30 studies globally across all phases of drug development.

About AlbionVC

AlbionVC helps build the future of enterprise and healthcare. With 20+ years of experience in technology investments, the team focuses on B2B software and healthcare at Series A. AlbionVC manages c. $700m of venture funds currently invested in over 50 companies. AlbionVC is the technology investment arm of Albion Capital Group LLP, which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Contact

Meera Montan

Community Engagement Lead

[email protected]

Related Images

nuvoair-ecosystem.png

NuvoAir Ecosystem

SOURCE NuvoAir
"We believe this partnership is a win-win for consumers in Colorado who want a highly effective joint and muscle cream and for the medical patients in Oklahoma who crave a delicious, high-quality edible," said Jacqui Mills, registered nurse and co-founder of Bison & Rose. "Having Bison & Rose topicals in Colorado is validation that there is always room for improvement even in established markets and applying science to product development in the cannabis and CBD space is highly effective."

Bison & Rose was founded by Jacqui and her husband Dr. Stan Mills, a Ph.D. pharmaceutical scientist who has spent his career in pharmaceutical technology researching cancer therapies. Dr. Mills is responsible for pioneering treatments for terminal illnesses and has had nine patents and drugs approved by the FDA.

As medical marijuana laws passed in Oklahoma, Dr. Mills began researching cannabis and working on formulations with the plant. His initial work in cannabis was to treat Jacqui's lupus and arthritic conditions after traditional treatments began damaging her body.

"For cancer treatments, my approach was 'how do we destroy the tumor but not the body' and that challenge became the same approach for our cannabis products," said Dr. Mills. "We developed a method of making creams for Bison & Rose that work with the body to penetrate skin layers without hurting the tissue. We look at how the body functions and how conditions like arthritis affect the joints to determine how we are going to alleviate the pain."

Under the five-year licensing agreement, Rebel Edibles will market a single formula Bison & Rose Muscle and Joint Cream to the 225 stores in Colorado where Rebel is sold while seeking out new stores and points of distribution. Bison & Rose will carry the four flavors of Rebel caramel chews in two THC dosages in Oklahoma: Salted Caramel, Chocolate, Vanilla and Apple Pie.

"After meeting Stan and Jacqui, it was clear they are doing things right in a challenging medical market like Oklahoma," said Kelly Murtha, founder of Rebel Edibles. "With roots in science, I deeply believe in Bison & Rose products and know this is the right partner to bring Rebel to the state."

The Rebel edible line features individually wrapped gourmet caramels and fruit chews handcrafted with high quality ingredients and natural flavors. The gluten free caramels are made with 60% Couverture Belgium chocolate, Saigon cinnamon, Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans and organic cane sugar. The brand's Apple Pie Caramel Chew won second place for best edible at the 2019 Colorado High Times Cannabis Cup.

"We have always appreciated the consistency of these caramels and couldn't wait to bring the products to the medical market," added Jacqui Mills. "Rebel Edibles are Oklahoma's only premium infused caramel."

About Rebel

Rebel is an infused products company based in Aurora, CO. Licensed since 2016 and serving both the adult-use and medical markets in Colorado, Rebel's line of gourmet caramels and fruit chews are some of the best-tasting and most consistent edibles in the market. A High Times Cannabis Cup award winner for best edible in 2019, Rebel is growing its edibles line and expanding its footprint into other categories and geographies. Visit https://www.rebeledibles.com/ for more details.

About Bison & Rose

With more than 40 years of combined experience in the medical field, Dr. Stan and Jacqui Mills are creating medical cannabis and CBD products that are transforming lives in Oklahoma. By applying science and a proven approach for treating cancer and other terminal illnesses, Bison & Rose topicals are targeted for specific ailments including foot creams, skin creams, joint creams, muscle creams, sublinguals, and more. For more information, visit https://www.getbisonandrose.com/.

SOURCE Bison & Rose

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U.S.A., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As companies across the country announce their return to office plans, Olive , the company delivering innovation to healthcare through artificial intelligence (AI), is reinforcing its commitment to employees to never have to "return" through its novel flexible workforce model -- The Grid . Not only has the model empowered employees to work from anywhere, it has also supported unprecedented company growth through broader access to top talent.

Olivians working across The Grid over time

"I believe the term 'remote work' is dead and companies need to adopt more flexible work models. We've seen an enormous positive impact of our Grid model in the year since we launched it. There is no way we could have accessed all the talent we've needed to grow without this model," said Brian Rutkowski, Chief People Officer at Olive. "Not only does this model more successfully support our hiring needs, it's the right commitment for us to have made to our team members, who are all working hard to transform healthcare."

First-of-its-kind workforce model attracts employees from across the country, giving them ultimate flexibility

Since The Grid was launched in May 2020, Olive's workforce has grown from 230 in less than 20 states to 777 employees across 43 states -- with 82% of all hires since launch non-local to Olive's Hub (headquarters) in Columbus, Ohio. The balance of local versus non-local changed dramatically since before The Grid, when about 75% of employees worked in the Hub full-time. Today, 30% of Olive's employees are local to the Hub and 70% work either at substations (workplaces where 10 or more employees reside), AlphaSites (onsite AI command centers built within customer health systems), or elsewhere across the country.

Rather than being "in an office" or "out of office" employees are "on The Grid" or "off The Grid." Being on The Grid means that an employee is actively working from wherever they have chosen and are most effective, be that at home, in a cabin, on the beach, at Olive's Hub, an Olive workplace, or elsewhere across the country. Being off The Grid means they are not actively working, be it off-hours or vacation time.

Expanding benefits to support employee productivity and happiness

Olive continues to evolve its benefits to support its distributed team. By offering Marriott Bonvoy points to employees, Olive encourages team members to get away from work to relax, explore or try something new  while the company foots the bill. Through the Olive Getaways program, every employee can receive 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy reward points that can be redeemed for free nights at any Marriott property, airfare, travel experiences, gift cards, events and more.

The company also has a wellness program designed to actively incorporate mental and physical wellness into daily interactions amongst employees. And while many companies now offer unlimited PTO, Olive also has a mandatory PTO policy where employees are required to take at least three days off each quarter. In addition, Olive recently launched "No Meeting Wednesday," dedicating one day a week for employees to focus and not hold internal meetings as well as get some relief from Zoom fatigue.

Grid model provides access to top talent, including seasoned leadership

With a distributed workforce and recruiters placed across the country, Olive's Grid model has not only empowered team members, it has opened access to top talent including product, data and engineering talent, among other roles. This year, Olive anticipates it will more than double its number of employees to approximately 1,200.

In addition, the Grid model bolstered Olive's leadership, with eight non-Columbus-based senior executives joining since fall 2020. Most recently, Olive added three new executives:

Carly Eckert as a new GM and Executive Vice President to build out future product capabilities. Carly is a preventive medicine physician, clinical informaticist, and epidemiologist. She has worked in health innovation for six years, including closely with data scientists developing and implementing machine learning solutions in healthcare. Carly has deep experience in Responsible AI and an interest in leveraging data and technology to promote health equity and access to care for underserved populations. Carly will be working on The Grid from North Carolina .

as a new GM and Executive Vice President to build out future product capabilities. Carly is a preventive medicine physician, clinical informaticist, and epidemiologist. She has worked in health innovation for six years, including closely with data scientists developing and implementing machine learning solutions in healthcare. Carly has deep experience in Responsible AI and an interest in leveraging data and technology to promote health equity and access to care for underserved populations. Carly will be working on The Grid from . Geoffrey Martin as Chief Customer Officer. Geoffrey was previously at GE Healthcare where he served in executive positions working across the $18B GE Healthcare technology portfolio including Global CEO of GE Healthcare Partners. His work included driving strategic partnerships, large-scale consulting efforts and helping to bring Command Centers to Healthcare. At Olive, Geoffrey will support the scaling of Olive solutions to customers across the country, pushing hospitals, health systems and payers to the forefront of healthcare innovation. Geoffrey will be working on The Grid from Illinois .

as Chief Customer Officer. Geoffrey was previously at GE Healthcare where he served in executive positions working across the GE Healthcare technology portfolio including Global CEO of GE Healthcare Partners. His work included driving strategic partnerships, large-scale consulting efforts and helping to bring Command Centers to Healthcare. At Olive, Geoffrey will support the scaling of Olive solutions to customers across the country, pushing hospitals, health systems and payers to the forefront of healthcare innovation. Geoffrey will be working on The Grid from . Rebecca LaFond as Executive Vice President of Customer Experience, to build out the scaling of Olive's solutions to customers along with Geoffrey. Rebecca joins as part of Olive's acquisition of Empiric Health, where she was Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that, she held leadership positions in the Clinical Operations practices at Accenture and Huron Healthcare. Rebecca will be working on The Grid from Montana .

To learn more about Olive or join its growing team, visit www.oliveai.com .

About Olive

Olive's AI workforce is built to fix our broken healthcare system by addressing healthcare's most burdensome issues  delivering hospitals and health systems and payers increased revenue, reduced costs and increased capacity. People feel lost in the system today and healthcare employees are essentially working in the dark due to outdated technology that creates a lack of shared knowledge and siloed data. Olive is designed to drive connections, shining a new light on the broken healthcare processes that stand between providers delivering patient care and payers. She uses AI to reveal life-changing insights that make healthcare more efficient, affordable and effective. Olive's mission is to unleash a trillion dollars of hidden potential within healthcare by connecting its disconnected systems. Olive is improving healthcare operations today, so everyone can benefit from a healthier industry tomorrow. To learn more about Olive, visit oliveai.com .

Olive Media Contact:

Rachel Forsyth

[email protected]

SOURCE Olive
LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- International publishing house Nimble Books LLC today announced the debut novel of Indian-British author and world peace advocate Shaheen Chishti, entitled "The Granddaughter Project".

A modern visionary and one of the newest authors of British-Indian heritage, Shaheen Chishti has written a deeply emotional and raw story, poignantly telling the shared experience of three, very different women, who collectively use their voices to improve societal attitudes for their granddaughters. The men around these women, who play prominent roles in their lives, put them into desperate situations. Young and alone, they fight to overcome their experiences. The result is a masterful original fiction novel, as profound as it is awe-inspiring.

"The Granddaughter Project" grips the reader, as the complex past lives of the women are revealed and their connection to one another deepens.

Touching upon a vast range of themes, including gender inequality, racial oppression, wartime trauma and female emancipation, "The Granddaughter Project" also examines some of history's greatest tragedies, including The Holocaust which saw the systemic murder of six million European Jews during World War II, the 1958 Notting Hill race riots  a series of racially motivated riots that took place in the United Kingdom from August to September 1958  as well as the devastating Bengal famine of 1943, which claimed the lives of an estimated three million people due to widespread starvation, malaria and other deadly diseases.

Helga is a holocaust survivor, who grew up as the cherub of her family until the Anschluss of Austria. Separated from her family in Auschwitz, she survived the horrors alone and tried to begin a new life in Israel. In complete contrast, Kamla was born as a poor peasant girl and grew up during the Bengali Famine. With an alcoholic father, who abuses her mother, the family find themselves homeless and hungry. She survives and finds work in a women's shelter, eventually marrying Rajeev, who abandons her and their young daughter. Lynette leaves the Caribbean shores with her mother Pam, arriving in 1950s London. Living in appalling conditions, the pair struggle to make ends meet and contend with constant discrimination. When her mother dies, Lynette is left alone and at the mercy of the people around her. During the Notting Hill riots, she is beaten and left for dead, but she still survives.

These warrior women tell their stories for the first time to their granddaughters, hoping that they can succeed where they failed and that they feel empowered, inspired and supported to do what is best for themselves.

Shaheen Chishti, author of the "Granddaughter Project", said: "I am deeply humbled to be launching my debut novel, The Granddaughter Project. This is a work of love, which I hope will raise awareness of the importance of female empowerment and racial equality. I was fortunate to have been raised with so many inspiring women around me in my life  all of whom have shaped me into the person I am today. And so, I wanted this book to be a tribute to them and women around the world more generally  especially when it is saddening to know that many women are still being oppressed in so many communities around the world. This needs to change. I sincerely hope that my book contributes to that change. The empowerment of women is at the very heart of my religious beliefs and I want to make sure that my daughters know that they are just as important to society as men.

"Ultimately, I wanted to create a piece of work that unites people of regardless of their colour, nationality, religion or creed. Helga, Kamla and Lynette may be from totally different worlds, yet they share one experience: misery at the hands of men in their lives.

"I truly believe that this book demonstrates just how much of a melting pot the world is, but one in which we have more in common than is often assumed."

"The Granddaughter Project" is to be made available across several major international markets in June 2021, including the United States, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel, South Africa, Brazil, Ghana and Singapore.

For more information, please visit: http://shaheenchishti.com/books/ or if you would like to buy a copy of Shaheen's book, please visit:

Nimble Books "Where to Buy It" page with the links to Kindle formats: https://www.nimblebooks.com/the-granddaughter-project/

https://www.nimblebooks.com/the-granddaughter-project/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Granddaughter-Project-Shaheen-Chishti/dp/1608882381

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/syedsaheen.chishti

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEICrCvuryr6jZk8eT9SlkQ

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/syed-shaheen-chishti-745110120

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chishtishaheen?lang=en

For language or subsidiary rights, please contact:

Nimble Books | e: [email protected]

About Shaheen Chishti

Shaheen Chishti is an Indian-British author, world peace advocate and thought leader. Shaheen is a member of the London Literary Society and Muslim-Jewish Forum in London. He is also the founder of the Jewish Islamic International Peace Society. He is a descendant of the revered Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, whose shrine is also known as the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. Shaheen studied in Mayoor School, Ajmer before moving to London with his family at the age of 15. In London, he went to Holland Park School where he completed his secondary education. Thereafter, he pursued a degree in accountancy from London Guildhall University to become a professionally qualified accountant.

Shaheen's writings  fiction and non-fiction  primarily focus on the upliftment of women and the emancipation of Muslim women in particular. He believes that the "empowerment of women is at the root of Muslim teaching". "The Granddaughter Project" is Shaheen's debut novel.

An ardent believer in the Sufi philosophy of "Love towards all, malice towards none", Shaheen endeavours to promote the message of peace and solidarity of the Chishti Order of Sufism. Shaheen was born into the Syed Chishti family in India which traces its ancestry directly to Hazrat Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet. Shaheen had a multicultural and liberal upbringing, and he grew up with ideas of peace and harmony to all of humanity.

He currently lives in London and has two daughters, Yasmeen and Saima.

About Nimble Books LLC

An innovative, idiosyncratic independent publishing house established in 2006 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA by publisher Fred Zimmerman, Nimble has more than three hundred books in print on a wide variety of topics including politics, popular culture and military history. Nimble recently launched a suite of AI tools for booklovers: https://www.nimblebooks.com/nimbleai-whatsnew/.

SOURCE Shaheen Chishti
It's been more than two years since the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer and daughter of the company's founder Ren Zhengfei, by Canadian authorities on U.S. charges of alleged bank fraud. The extradition proceedings in Canada are still ongoing and have become a lightning rod of controversy in U.S.-China-Canada relations. It's an unprecedented case involving a Fortune 50 company executive.



During this webinar, the Panelists will discuss certain key elements of the case and the broader legal ramifications, including:



What kind of impact does this case have on customary international law?

Was this case too politically influenced?

Will this case impact corporate practices because of the targeting of a top-level executive/individual for the alleged sanction violations by a corporation?

What does this case tell us about sanction violations enforcement? Does it change anything?

Please register by clicking on the link below:



Topic: The Meng Wanzhou Case: The Broader Impact

Date/Time: 24 June, 11am  12pm EDT

Registration Link: https://lnkd.in/d45nj-j

Format: Panel discussion

Moderator: Umair Rahim, Editor - Lexology PRO

Panelists:



Joshua Dratel

Kevin O'Brien

Robert J. Anello

Alykhan Velshi

For further information contact:

Ford O'Brien LLP

575 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor

New York, NY 10017

(212) 858-0040

[email protected]

Website: www.fordobrien.com



Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Ford O'Brien LLP is a limited liability partnership formed in the State of New York.

MEDIA CONTACT: Katherine Jaskot, Esq.

Phone: (212) 858-0040

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Ford O'Brien LLP

Related Links

http://fordobrien.com


CHICAGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Parus Holdings, Inc., a pioneer in voice-enabled technologies, announced today that it has filed a second patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas against Google, LLC. The lawsuit alleges that Google infringes on Parus' patents for voice-browsing and device control technology. The lawsuit is based on U.S. Patent No. 6,721,705, U.S. Patent No. 7,881,941, and U.S Patent No. 7,386,455. Parus is seeking all available remedies, including damages against Google for all of its infringing sales. The lawsuit asserts that the infringement has been "willful," and requests that the defendant be ordered to pay treble damages and Parus'attorneys' fees, and be permanently enjoined from infringing the Parus Patents.

This is the second lawsuit Parus has filed against Google relating to its use of Parus' voice-user interface technologies for retrieving information. In July of 2019, Parus filed suits against Google, Amazon, Apple, Samsung and LG, asserting infringement on two of its patents. Those cases remain pending in the U.S. Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas.

This award winning Parus technology is the result of significant investment in research and development dedicated to serving our customers. "We believe that Google infringes upon Parus' patents," said Taj Reneau, Chairman and CEO of Parus. "We look forward to presenting our case in court and prevailing in this matter."

About Parus Holdings, Inc.

Parus Holdings, Inc. is a pioneer of voice-enabled unified communications and voice assistant solutions, including messaging, voice search, collaboration, video and real-time communications for mobile communities and over 50,000 business customers. Our patented solutions, our deep understanding of the needs and challenges of the customers we serve, and our passion for outstanding customer service have kept Parus at the forefront of the voice communications industry for more than twenty years. Parus brands include Webley, WebleyMD, ScreenSight, Parus Interactive and CommuniKate. Parus Holdings, Inc., founded in 1997, is a venture-backed, privately held company headquartered in the Chicago, Illinois.

SOURCE Parus Holdings Inc.

Related Links

parus.ai


Now called Peterman Brothers, the company is led by Chad and Tyler Peterman, the second generation of their family involved in the business. "My brother and I are proud of the company that our father, Pete Peterman, built from the ground up," said Chad Peterman, president of Peterman Brothers. "With this name change, we wanted to celebrate our family history and mark our 35 th year serving the residents of Indianapolis."

The name isn't the only new thing that the company is debuting. The rebranding includes the launch of a revamped website and the company's fleet of vans is being outfitted with fresh new branding. Founded in 1986, the company has grown to four offices in Indianapolis, Lafayette, Columbus, and Muncie, and recently added a new Bloomington location.

The company supports the development of skilled workers through its Peterman Top Tech Academy, a trade school dedicated to restoring honor and tradition to the skilled trades.

"The company's name may have changed, but its customers can still expect the same dedication to providing stellar service," Tyler Peterman said. "Our formula for success has been simple: Peterman Brothers is committed to providing the highest levels of customer service. That was Dad's focus when he founded the company, and it will remain our focus in the years ahead."

Peterman Brothers is available to help with any plumbing or cooling needs. For more information, call (317) 376-8090 or visit https://www.petermanhvac.com/ .

About Peterman Brothers

Founded by 1986, Peterman Brothers provides residential heating, cooling, and plumbing services in the Greater Indianapolis area. A second-generation family business, the company offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee with any new installation of HVAC equipment. All technicians are certified through the North American Technical Excellence (NATE) program and fully bonded and insured. Peterman Brothers offers provides 24/7 emergency service to its customers and offers several financing options with approved credit. To find out more, call (317) 376-8090 or visit https://www.petermanhvac.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

865-977-1973

[email protected]

SOURCE Peterman Brothers

Related Links

https://www.petermanhvac.com/


The #Learn2Earn Cash Giveaway is a collaborative initiative between Fredrick D. Scott LLC and The Scott Family Foundation Intl. that will provide immediate and ongoing cash assistance monthly at random, a minimum of $1,000, to the winners of the giveaway through his #GetRealWoke Podcast. To be eligible to participate, a person only need be a member of the #GetRealWoke Podcast LiveChat Community and be watching the #GetRealWoke Podcast at the time of a #Learn2Earn Cash Giveaway announcement. Each time the announcement is made, Fredrick will drop the link to his Podcast Studio in the Community tab of the #GetRealWoke Podcast Page (only LiveChat members will be able to access it), the first three people into the studio will be brought on live, one at a time, to tell the LiveChat community about themselves and what they would do with the money if they are the chosen winner. Once all three participants have had a chance to speak to the LiveChat community, the LiveChat community will vote for who they think should receive the money. The winner will be brought back on live and Fredrick will PayPal them their winnings immediately. Because the LiveChat community chooses the winner each time, there is no limit to how many times a person can be selected as the winner.

"For years I have assessed our community to find the core issues that prevent us from progressing as a collective," said Fredrick. "I have come to the conclusion that, while the lack of consistent, credible, financial literacy and business development education is a leading factor; the biggest issue is that we lack consistent, impactful, long-term financial support resources, programs and initiatives within our community to assist those in need in their time of need! Studies show that when these types of programs exist within a community, that community thrives collectively, long-term. Having grown up in a poor home and having been homeless myself in the past, I know firsthand that poverty is a blanket that smothers dreams, goals, ambition and long-term vision! With Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Stimulus Assistance and Rent Mortarium's coming to an end very soon, now more than ever, our community needs real solutions to help them navigate through what will be a very very difficult time ahead. In light of this, instead of being another voice highlighting the problem, I decided to simply execute and provide real solutions that impact our community in the way needed using my own resources to do so. The #Learn2Earn Cash Giveaway is just the first (and what I hope will be a meaningful) step in a long-range plan myself and my family foundation have in place to combat the issues our community faces in its journey toward growth, progress, elevation and the search for true equity!"

You can learn more about the #Learn2Earn Cash Giveaway here: https://youtu.be/uF1UU02LeTA

About Fredrick D. Scott:

Fredrick D. Scott is the CEO of The Scott Family Office Intl. A single-family office structure from which Fredrick stewards his family's assets. He is also the Chairman of the Board for the New York Citybased foundation, The Scott Family Foundation Intl., a Civil Society Organization (CSO) and member of the United Nations Global Compact. Fredrick is a private equity investor, business consultant, philanthropist and a contributing writer for Entrepreneur Magazine. Named one of Ebony magazine's "Top 30 Under 30" in May 2010 at the age of 25, Fredrick was, at the time, the youngest African American hedge fund founder in history.

Fredrick is the pioneer of the #GetRealWoke movement. Designed to foster economic stability, viability, and the uplifting of disenfranchised communities of color by providing financial literacy, business development and financial support programs and initiatives through his #GetRealWoke Podcast and The Scott Family Foundation Intl. You can learn more about Fredrick and these initiatives and programs by visiting https://fredrickdscott.com, on Instagram: @getrealwoke and by visiting the #GetRealWoke Podcast at: https://www.youtube.com/getrealwokepodcast

SOURCE Fredrick D. Scott LLC

Related Links

https://fredrickdscott.com/


MIAMI, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- P&O Cruises has announced its expected deployment and phased re-start plan for the remainder of 2021 and into early 2022.

Britannia will begin the planned western Mediterranean itineraries on September 25 and Iona will start her Atlantic coast holidays from the same date. These cruises will follow the series of UK coastal cruises beginning in June.

Ventura's first cruises will be the planned programme of Atlantic islands holidays from October 3.

Following the Mediterranean season, running until October, Britannia will reposition to the Caribbean for her winter season as scheduled, followed by Azura which will begin Caribbean fly/cruises slightly later than published from December 10, 2021.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: "We are very much looking forward to getting Britannia and Iona back to sea for the series of UK coastal cruises  staycations at their best - which are certainly proving very popular and then beginning our international re-start as we phase in each of the other ships.

"As we know the UK Government has developed a traffic light system for holidays abroad this summer. The current situation means that whilst unfortunately there will be a number of cancellations of itineraries on some ships, we are looking ahead and planning for the future with vigour.

"We are confident that destinations will soon open up their borders both for UK travellers and also for cruise ships. Spain and its islands and the Caribbean are both looking very positive and we are seeing, one by one, countries publicly looking forward to welcoming us back."

The length and complexity of Arcadia and Aurora's planned long haul cruises from January next year has forced their cancellation and these two ships will not begin sailing until next year. However a replacement itinerary for Aurora, with winter sun appeal, will be announced shortly.

In addition, following ongoing guest feedback P&O Cruises has reviewed its vaccination policy. For all cruises departing from September 25 to December 31, 2021, all guests 18 years old and over will be required to have completed their vaccination course a minimum of 14 days prior to sailing. All guests 17 years old and below will need to have completed their vaccination course a minimum 14 days prior to sailing or will require a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to travel. All guests will also require a negative COVID-19 test at the terminal. The PCR and COVID-19 test at the terminal will be provided on a complimentary basis. This vaccination and testing policy will be reviewed on a regular basis as the global situation continues to evolve.

The vaccination policy for the UK coastal cruises until September 24 2021, remains that all guests travelling, of all ages, must have completed their vaccination course a minimum of seven days prior to sailing (or 14 days prior to sailing if an approved single dose vaccine).

All guests who have had their cruise cancelled will automatically receive a Future Cruise Credit worth 125% of the standard deposit terms, and 100% of any additional monies paid. This Future Cruise Credit can be redeemed against any new booking made by the end of December 2021, on any cruise on sale at the time of booking. Cruises currently on sale run through to April 2023.

Please see www.pocruises.com for full details and the latest updates

Note to editors  new cruise schedule for 2021/222

Iona  UK coastal cruises from August 7 to September 25 then sailing Atlantic coast beginning with G133 on September 25, 2021

Britannia  UK coastal cruises from June 27 to September 25 then sailing Western Mediterranean beginning with B122 on September 25, 2021

Ventura  Currently paused up to September 4  two new cruises cancelled (N118 and N119)  then sailing Atlantic islands cruises from N120 October 3, 2021

Azura  Currently paused up to September 1  cancelled A118A to A124A inclusive  then sailing Caribbean fly/cruises from A125 / A125A December 10, 2021

Aurora  Currently paused up to September 1  9 new cruises cancelled  then sailing R202 Central Med on April 13, 2022 (although replacement itinerary for early 2022 will be announced shortly)

Arcadia  Currently paused up to September 14  10 new cruises cancelled  then sailing J204 March 27, 2022

About P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises is Britain's favourite cruise line, welcoming guests to experience holidays with a blend of discovery, choice, relaxation and exceptional service catered towards British tastes. P&O Cruises fleet of premium ships combine genuine service, a sense of occasion and attention to detail. In May 2021, P&O Cruises launched Iona, its first Excel class ship. The new LNG-powered ship, with 5,200-guest capacity, is the largest ship built to serve the UK market. Iona features enhancements to already successful brand signature venues from the existing fleet, as well as features newly developed for Iona. P&O Cruises second LNG-powered Excel class ship and sister ship to Iona is named Arvia, meaning from the seashore, and will join the fleet in December 2022. Arvia is an innovative and future-focused ship and will offer outstanding, varied and contemporary holidays. Arvia has been designed to travel to the sun all year-round and to maximise views of the ocean and the seashore from everywhere on board. With over 200 destinations worldwide, P&O Cruises itineraries are carefully curated to inspire discovery, and are varied to suit newcomers and experienced guests alike. With a wide choice of holidays from two days to three months there is something for everyone. P&O Cruises sails to Australia & New Zealand, Baltic, the British Isles, Canada, the Spain, Portugal & the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, Central America, the Far East & Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, South America, the South Pacific, the United States and Western Europe.

The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE:CUK).

Images

https://www.pocruisespresspictures.com/

SOURCE P&O Cruises
TORONTO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. (TSXV: PTU) ("Purepoint" or the "Company") today provided an update on its drill program at the 100%-owned Red Willow project within the eastern uranium mine district of the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan Canada. The 2021 Red Willow drill program has conducted follow-up testing of the "Geneva Shear" within the Geneva Zone, a target zone where previous operators have identified uranium mineralization associated with a hydrothermally altered, graphitic shear zone that returned up to 0.22% U3O8 over 1.0 metre at a shallow depth of 130 metres.

"The Geneva Zone uranium mineralization, identified by Eldorado Resources in 1984, represents an exceptional starting point to trace a known prospective structure along strike to previously untested areas." stated Scott Frostad, VP Exploration at Purepoint. "All three 2021 Geneva drill holes successfully intersected the Geneva Shear at various depths with hole GEN21-05 returning an average of 1,420 counts per second over 7.3 metres from our downhole gamma probe."

The radioactive Geneva Shear is now determined as having a strike of 155 degrees and a dip towards the northwest at -70 degrees. The projection of the shear towards the northeast suggests that previous vertical drillholes completed by Eldorado in 1984, searching for Unconformity-Style mineralization, would not have tested this basement-hosted structure. Towards the southwest, the shear projection remains untested for 1.8 kilometres towards drill hole RAD08-09 while crossing dense swamps and known conductors. Purepoint's drill hole RAD08-09 was a highlight of the 2008 drill program within the Radon Lake area, returning 283 ppm U over 1.1 metres from sandstone just above the unconformity, and was recommended for follow-up drilling.

Geneva Zone 2021 Drill Results

The 2021 Red Willow program has completed follow-up drilling within the Osprey Zone with three holes collared SW of Eldorado Resources' 1984 hole RAD-27 that intersected 0.22% U3O8 over 1.0 metres. The RAD-27 intercept was associated with strong hydrothermal alteration and graphitic shearing at a depth of 100 metres below surface. Highly anomalous radon-in-water results, discovered by Gulf Minerals Canada in 1971, are located 1.0 kilometre east-northeast of the 2021 drilling and the source remains unknown.

The three 2021 holes that targeted the Geneva Shear averaged 245 metres in length with a total of 729 metres being completed from the same drill pad. The holes targeted the shear zone at various depths and all successfully intersected the mineralized structure. The Athabasca Sandstone in this area is typically found to be 80 metres thick and the paleoweathering of the basement rocks extends a further 50 metres below the unconformity.

The initial hole, GEN21-03, intersected the Geneva Shear within the zone of paleoweathering, and returned an average of 520 counts per second (cps) over 6.1 metres from the downhole gamma probe starting at a downhole depth of 131.8 metres. The downhole survey returned a maximum of 1,160 cps. Graphite is considered to have been originally present but since destroyed by paleoweathering. The follow-up hole, GEN21-04, intersected the shear much deeper at 278 metres and returned an average of 515 cps over 1.6 metres from the downhole survey. Since the handheld scintillometer indicates that a percentage of the radioactivity is attributed to thorium, an eU3O8 result has not been attempted.

The third hole, GEN21-05, intersected the Geneva shear just below the basement paleoweathering zone starting at a depth of 155 metres. Radioactivity was associated with Pelitic Gneiss that displayed strong hydrothermal alteration, including hematite and local silicification, and was situated near the upper contact of a graphitic/pyritic shear zone. The downhole gamma survey returned an average of 1,420 cps over 7.3 metres with a maximum count of 5,175 cps.

Assay results for the 2021 Geneva Zone drill program will be released once they have been received. Note that the true thickness of the reported intercepts is currently unknown.

Next Steps

The next exploration priority at the Geneva Zone will be to follow the radioactive shear further to the SW. The extensive swamp present in the area dictated where the drill was setup this year and further drilling will need to wait until the winter months.

The drill is currently being moved to the Umfreville project to begin its inaugural drill program. To learn more about the Umfreville Project, view the project tour video at: https://youtu.be/Af6mNL5sQZg.

Red Willow Project

The 100% owned Red Willow property is situated on the eastern edge of the Athabasca Basin in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada and consists of 17 mineral claims having a total area of 40,116 hectares. The property is located close to several uranium deposits including Orano Resources Canada Inc.'s JEB mine, approximately 10 kilometres to the southwest, and Cameco's Eagle Point mine that is approximately 10 kilometres due south.

Geophysical surveys conducted by Purepoint at Red Willow have included airborne magnetic and electromagnetic (VTEM) surveys, an airborne radiometric survey, ground gradient array IP, pole-dipole array IP, fixed-loop and moving-loop transient electromagnetics, and gravity. The detailed airborne VTEM survey provided magnetic results that are an excellent base on which to interpret structures while the EM results outlined over 70 kilometres of conductors that in most instances represent favourable graphitic lithology.

About Purepoint

Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. (TSXV: PTU) actively operates an exploration pipeline of 12 advanced projects in Canada's Athabasca Basin, the world's richest uranium region. Purepoint's flagship project is the Hook Lake Project, a joint venture with two of the largest uranium suppliers in the world, Cameco Corporation and Orano Canada Inc. The Hook Lake JV Project is on trend with recent high-grade uranium discoveries including Fission Uranium's Triple R Deposit and NexGen's Arrow Deposit and encompasses its own Spitfire discovery (53.3% U3O8 over 1.3m including 10m interval of 10.3% U3O8). Together with its flagship project, the Company's projects stretch across approximately 185,000 hectares of claims throughout the Athabasca Basin. These claims host over 20 distinct and well-defined drill target areas with advanced geophysical surveys completed, and in some cases, have had first pass drilling performed.

Scott Frostad BSc, MASc, PGeo, Purepoint's Vice President, Exploration, is the Qualified Person responsible for technical content of this release.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Press release.

Disclosure regarding forward-looking statements

This press release contains projections and forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice.

SOURCE Purepoint Uranium Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.purepoint.ca


AUSTIN, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quali, the award-winning provider of Environments-as-a-Service infrastructure automation solutions, today unveiled its new brand vision, including a refreshed visual identity and the renaming of its two core platforms. Quali CloudShell (formerly CloudShell Pro) helps infrastructure teams rapidly deliver environments for dev, test, certification, support, demo, cyber security and other use cases while enforcing compliance, maintaining governance and controlling costs. And for application teams, Quali Torque (formerly Colony) delivers self-service environments built for DevOps that speed app development and delivery.

"CloudShell is the trusted brand for infrastructure teams who want to quickly roll out environments that are purpose built for their specific use cases. We wanted to build on the foundation that Quali has laid while augmenting the value that we bring to the industry," said Quali CEO, Lior Koriat. "At the same time, we want to chart new ground for an entirely different DevOps user base with our Torque platform. Today's announcement is just the beginning of the Torque story and our plans to take continuous environments for DevOps to market in a big way."

By using pre-built environment blueprints, Torque adds power and velocity to environment provisioning. Torque helps DevOps teams focus on building and improving applicationsunburdened from setting up and tearing down infrastructure or worrying about managing costs and compliance protocols. Most Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions require substantial manual processes to configure the ready to run environments developers need to be productive. By contrast, Quali's application-centric approach to delivering Environments as a Service automates the complexity, making it easier than ever to increase DevOps productivity. Additionally, infrastructure sprawl creates a growing burden for businesses to manage costs and compliance. Environment blueprinting with Torque helps DevOps users speed software delivery to accelerate innovation.

"The world needs a new way to approach infrastructure, one that actually ts the needs of developers and organizations, where infrastructure transforms from a burden to a launchpad that propels business forward. By streamlining infrastructure complexity, Quali gives teams the freedom to continue building the future," said Yoav Tzruya, Quali's Chairman of the Board and General Partner at Jerusalem Venture Partners who co-led Quali's recent round of venture funding. "The company's vision and market roadmap reflect its redoubled commitment to revolutionizing Environments as a Service."

The ability to deliver software with speed and safety at scale is more important to business success than ever before, and more difficult to achieve. By seamlessly removing obstacles and accelerating the complete development lifecycle at every level, Quali's CloudShell and Torque platforms deliver unbound environments fostering creativity, innovation and transformation to enable organizations with the freedom to build the future, anywhere and everywhere.

About Quali

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Quali provides the leading platform for Infrastructure Automation at ScaleTM. Global 2000 enterprises and innovators everywhere rely on Quali's award-winning CloudShell platform to create self-service, on-demand automation solutions that increase engineering productivity, cut cloud costs and optimize infrastructure utilization. For more information, please visit https://www.quali.com and follow Quali on Twitter and LinkedIn .

SOURCE Quali

Related Links

https://www.quali.com/


CHICAGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Lever for Change announced the Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) as the recipient of the $10 million 2030 Climate Challenge, an award sponsored by an anonymous donor to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Created and jointly managed by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), David Gardiner and Associates (DGA), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), RTC is the first and only coalition of renewable energy buyers, sellers, and service providers dedicated to scaling renewable thermal energy solutions. This funding will help RTC slash industrial thermal emissions 30% over the next decade, which in 2030 is equivalent to the emissions of 63 coal-fired power plants in one year, or over 54 million passenger vehicles driven for one year. (Source: EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator)

The Challenge was managed by Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that helps donors find and fund solutions to the world's greatest challenges, including racial and gender equity, economic development, and climate change.

"The Renewal Thermal Collaborative has the ambitious goal of reducing industrial thermal emissions, which, unlike other sectors of the economy, are projected to grow by 10.3% and become the second largest source of emissions in the U.S. by 2030," said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. "We are particularly excited by the Collaborative's potential to build consensus, create the multi-stakeholder community needed to overcome the current barriers blocking cost-effective renewable thermal solutions, and educate policymakers. Ultimately, we believe that this project will trigger system changes that will lead to full-sector decarbonization by 2050."

The U.S. currently has the second highest amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Thermal energy for industrial production generates 12.5% of those emissionsmore than the entire agricultural sector. Tackling this neglected wedge of emissions is critical. Yet, cost-effective renewable thermal energy solutions are largely unavailable.

The primary barriers impeding progress are an inadequate policy framework, technology that is undeveloped or too costly, and a lack of market and financing solutions. RTC will drive investments in technology, markets, and policy to increase thermal energy and reduce U.S. industrial thermal emissions by 30% by 2030 to decarbonize industrial heat at the scale and speed needed to put us on a pathway to fully decarbonize by 2050.

"The best initiatives aim to address big problems with bold targets and credible metrics to track progress. The Renewable Thermal Collaborative does all of these things," said Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF. "It will slash the growing but largely neglected emissions from industrial thermal energy use  without which there is no credible path to achieving our Paris Agreement targets. And it sets an ambitious goal of a 30 percent emissions cut by 2030, with a stepwise plan to get there over the next nine years. WWF is proud to partner with C2ES and David Gardiner and Associates on this initiative."

The 2030 Climate Challenge was launched in April 2020. Sixty-eight proposals were evaluated during a three-month process that included peer reviews, as well as a final review by an expert panel of more than 45 climate experts from the academic, philanthropic, and private sectors. Applications were evaluated based on four criteria: whether they were impactful, feasible, scalable, and durable. Five teams were named finalists in January 2021 and each worked with a team of technical experts to strengthen, revise, and re-submit their proposed solutions.

In addition to RTC, the other finalists of the Challenge included:

Building with Biomass : Using Buildings to Sequester Carbon at Gigaton-Scale : The Carbon Leadership Forum, in partnership with Endeavour Center, University of Colorado Boulder , and Building Transparency, proposes to convert buildings to carbon sinks by storing carbon in buildings using biogenic materials and reducing carbon emissions in all other building materials.

: The Carbon Leadership Forum, in partnership with Endeavour Center, , and Building Transparency, proposes to convert buildings to carbon sinks by storing carbon in buildings using biogenic materials and reducing carbon emissions in all other building materials. Upgrade Everyone : The First Gigawatt of Equitable Virtual Power Plants : Solar United Neighbors, in partnership with Liberty Homes , Clean Energy Works, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Resource Media proposes to accelerate proven inclusive utility investment to deploy residential energy efficiency upgrades to achieve greater energy system equity and 50% greenhouse gas reduction in communities served by partner utilities in a dozen states by 2025.

: Solar United Neighbors, in partnership with , Clean Energy Works, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Resource Media proposes to accelerate proven inclusive utility investment to deploy residential energy efficiency upgrades to achieve greater energy system equity and 50% greenhouse gas reduction in communities served by partner utilities in a dozen states by 2025. Scale Zero : Healthy, Zero-Emission, Affordable Housing for All : RMI, in partnership with Emerald Cities Collaborative, NYCEEC, Association for Energy Affordability, and Enterprise Community Partners, will decarbonize the nation's building sector through a two-pronged campaign focused on policy and retrofits of affordable multifamily housing in five states.

: RMI, in partnership with Emerald Cities Collaborative, NYCEEC, Association for Energy Affordability, and Enterprise Community Partners, will decarbonize the nation's building sector through a two-pronged campaign focused on policy and retrofits of affordable multifamily housing in five states. Turning Point : Driving Southeast Transportation Electrification: The World Resources Institute, Electrification Coalition, EVHybridNoire, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy will drive Southeast transportation electrification to increase EV market share to 50% and reduce annual CO2 emissions by 50 million tonnes by 2030.

All of the finalists for the 2030 Climate Challenge will be featured in Lever for Change's Bold Solutions Network, which seeks to match outstanding nonprofits and social enterprises from its competitions with additional donors and funding.

Lever for Change is calling on additional philanthropists to join efforts to fully fund all five of the finalists that were identified during this Challenge. Interested donors may contact Dana Rice, Vice President of Philanthropy.

More information on the 2030 Climate Challenge can be found at www.2030climatechallenge.org.

Renewal Thermal Collaborative

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), David Gardiner and Associates (DGA), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) founded the Renewal Thermal Collaborative (RTC) in 2017 to address the long-overlooked climate challenge of the heating and cooling footprint. The RTC is the leading coalition for organizations that are committed to scaling up renewable heating and cooling. The RTC has more than 20 large energy buyers representing approximately $1.3 trillion in market capital. The RTC also includes many renewable thermal suppliers and more than 60 energy practitioners from various sectors.

Lever for Change

Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, helps donors to find and fund solutions to the world's greatest challenges, ranging from racial and gender equity to economic development and climate change. Building on the success of the MacArthur Foundation's $100 million competition, 100&Change, Lever for Change customizes and manages open and transparent competitions for donors. In addition, the organization matches donors with nonprofits and social enterprises in its Bold Solutions Network, which includes solutions to significant social challenges that were highly ranked after rigorous evaluation in one of Lever for Change's competitions. The organization has developed and managed nine competitions, ranging in size from $10 million to $100 million, unlocking $582 million in funding for high-impact solutions and strengthening dozens of top organizations. For more information, visit www.leverforchange.org.

CONTACT:

Marc Moorghen, 773.789.1714, [email protected]

SOURCE Lever for Change

Related Links

https://www.leverforchange.org/


A frequent guest on Fox News and Newsmax , Hyman has never been afraid to break the political echo chambers and be the only liberal voice in the crowd. Whether the national conversation is around police brutality , climate change , or immigration reform , Hyman is ready to share a fresh perspective with the conservative side of the aisle that's positive, informed, and inclusive. As many right-leaning media outlets are criticizing the Biden administration, Hyman's new book serves as a voice of hope and a recognition of the new administration's achievements, encouraging readers to judge these policies on how they impact everyday life for Americans.

From healthcare and the COVID-19 pandemic to environmental policy and gun safety, Hyman also examines how Biden's first moves as president stack up against his campaign promises and work to move our nation forward. Build Back Better reviews the administration's actions by policy area and provides an overview of the president's first executive orders, cabinet appointments, and the administration's legislative progress.

Engaging and informative, Build Back Better is an open letter to conservatives and a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of American politics, and the nation itself.

Build Back Better is available on Amazon and published by Amplify Publishing. Kelly Hyman is available for interviews, features, and virtual events. She is an attorney at The Hyman Law Firm and has appeared on BBC, ABC, NBC LX, CBS, NBC, Law & Crime, CourtTV, Sky News, I24News, and numerous local affiliates. For more information, visit kellyhymanauthor.com.

SOURCE Amplify Publishing
STAUNTON, Va., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Secure Futures Solar has signed an agreement with Alerion RE, LLC, to provide up to $25 million in equity financing to develop, own and operate solar power projects in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. Solar projects will include K-12 public schools, colleges and universities, hospitals and local government facilities.

Prior to obtaining project financing from Alerion, Secure Futures had to seek capital for each new solar project from a variety of sources, which often delayed project construction. Funding with Alerion will greatly shorten the development cycle from years to months.

"We can now compress the timeline to provide on-site solar power to customers in education, healthcare and local government," said Dr. Tony Smith, President and Founder of Secure Futures. "We are pleased that Alerion has recognized the potential for commercial solar projects in sunny southeastern states that have recently removed legal barriers to making solar power affordable."

States in the U.S. Southeast are poised for growth in solar capacity over the next five years. Distributed commercial-scale solar power has been enabled by new state laws that allow customers to obtain solar energy systems with no upfront capital cost through power purchase agreements (PPAs) and service agreements with solar developers like Secure Futures.

With 2,546 megawatts in total solar generating capacity installed, Virginia currently ranks 11th nationwide and is projected to add 6,454 MW over the next five years, rising to 4th place among U.S. states, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. West Virginia currently ranks 50th nationwide, with 12.5 MW of solar generating capacity but is expected to add another 249 MW over the coming five years, rising to 46th place, according to SEIA. North Carolina has installed 7,132 MW of solar capacity, currently ranking the state 3rd nationally. In a competitive national market for solar power, the state's ranking is projected to fall to 10th place in five years, but North Carolina will still add another 2,993 MW in solar capacity over that period, according to SEIA.

Commercial solar power in Virginia was given a boost when power purchase agreements were legalized in most parts of the state in 2020. A similar boost for commercial solar is now expected in West Virginia, after the state legalized PPAs in May, 2021. PPAs are not yet allowed in North Carolina, but solar equipment leasing has been legal since 2018. State regulators have approved Secure Futures to offer a variation on a lease that provides many of the same benefits to a commercial solar customer as a PPA.

Once Secure Futures exhausts the $25 million in funding, Alerion has the option to make additional equity contributions to support additional projects.

"Coming in to projects with financing in advance at the favorable terms provided by Alerion will also allow Secure Futures to offer the most competitive rates on PPAs and service agreements to our customers, providing the best value on solar power," said Smith.

GreeneHurlocker PLC represented Secure Futures in the transaction. GreenFront Energy Partners served as Secure Futures' exclusive financial advisor, performing investment banking and advisory work to support the capital raise. GreenFront is an independent investment banking and advisory firm based in Richmond, Va, focused on the new energy economy.

"GreenFront team members were great to work with throughout our capital search process, and in securing and negotiating with the right investment partner to support our growth trajectory. We could not have imagined better teaming or investment partners," said Smith.

About Alerion RE, LLC

Alerion is a subsidiary of The Hartz Group, Inc. ("Hartz"), one of the largest privately-owned real estate development firms in the United States. Hartz has ranked among the top 25 U.S. Corporate Solar Users each year since 2013 as rated by the SEIA. Alerion was established in 2014 by Hartz to serve as an investment vehicle for renewable energy projects developed on non-Hartz properties.

About Secure Futures, LLC

As a market and policy leader, Secure Futures builds, owns, manages and funds affordable Resilient Solar Solutions for colleges and universities, schools, hospitals and businesses. Based in Staunton, Va., with offices in Richmond, Va, Wise, Va, and Charlotte, NC, the company combines state-ofthe-art solar technology with an innovative business model to make commercial scale solar readily affordable in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, helping customers to realize the economic, environmental, and community benefits of solar energy. As a Certified B Corp, Secure Futures has met the exacting standards for social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability established by the nonprofit B Lab. For more information: www.securefutures.solar.

About GreenFront Capital Partners

GreenFront Energy Partners is an investment banking and advisory platform focused on the new energy economy. GreenFront brings together the financial, intellectual, entrepreneurial, and natural resources to help meaningfully decarbonize the energy sector. GreenFront's service offering covers all aspects of Debt and Equity Capital Raising, PPA Advisory, and Buy-side and Sell-side M&A Advisory.

About GreeneHurlocker, PLC

GreeneHurlocker, PLC, located in Richmond, Virginia, provides a broad range of administrative law, business and corporate law, energy law, regulatory law and litigation legal services throughout the Mid-Atlantic. The firm's lawyers represent clients before state and local agencies, state commissions, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and state and federal courts in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and around the United States.

Media Contact:



Erik Curren

Marketing Advisor

Secure Futures Solar

(540) 466-6128

[email protected]

SOURCE Secure Futures LLC

Related Links

http://www.securefutures.us


Trading Symbol

TSX: SVM

NYSE American: SVM

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp" or the "Company") (TSX: SVM) (NYSE American: SVM) is pleased to report results from its 2021 exploration programs at the LME mine. Extensive exploration drilling and tunneling are ongoing at the LME mine, and all other mines at the Ying Mining District, Henan Province, China.

From October 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021, 17,752 metres ("m") from a total of 113 diamond drill holes, including 98 underground holes and 15 surface holes, were completed at the LME mine. Assay results for 102 holes have been received, with 52 holes intercepting mineralization. Currently, seven rigs are drilling at the LME mine.

Drilling Intersects High-Grade Veins in and outside the Resource Areas

The diamond drilling programs at the LME mine targeted blocks of known silver-lead-zinc veins in the resource areas that were previously missed due to limited drilling or tunneling, changes in the strikes and dips, and/or pinch-swelling of the pay-zones in the veins. Since access tunnels are already in place, any discovered high-grade blocks can quickly be converted to reserves and mined.

The high-grade intercepts for this period are associated with parallel veins LM5, LM5E, LM5E1, LM5E2, M5W, and LM5W2. Other veins include LM4W, LM4W2, LM6 and its parallel veins LM6E, LM6E2, LM6W and LM6W1.

Step-out drilling at the LME mine also hit high-grade silver-lead-zinc mineralization, including veins LM61 and LM66 to the south and vein ML18E to the north. Hole ZKG20AT1704 confirmed that the north-south striking vein T17E at the TLP mine extended southward to the area between the TLP and LME mines. These discoveries confirm the potential of high-grade silver-lead mineralization extending beyond the defined resource area of the LME mine.

Highlights of high-grade intercepts of vein LM5, LM6 and their parallel veins at the LME mine:

Hole ZKL5202SC intersected a 0.92 m interval ( 0.91 m true width) of vein LM5 grading 6,455 grams per tonne ("g/t") silver ("Ag"), 5.28% lead ("Pb"), 1.19% zinc ("Zn"), 10.00 g/t gold ("Au"), and 0.29% copper ("Cu") at the 498 m elevation;

intersected a interval ( true width) of vein LM5 grading 6,455 grams per tonne ("g/t") silver ("Ag"), 5.28% lead ("Pb"), 1.19% zinc ("Zn"), 10.00 g/t gold ("Au"), and 0.29% copper ("Cu") at the elevation; Hole ZKL51LM4E204 intersected a 0.76 m interval ( 0.68 m true width) of vein LM5E grading 1,538 g/t Ag, 5.65% Pb, 1.89% Zn, 0.73 g/t Au, and 0.38% Cu at the 573 m elevation;

intersected a interval ( true width) of vein LM5E grading 1,538 g/t Ag, 5.65% Pb, 1.89% Zn, 0.73 g/t Au, and 0.38% Cu at the elevation; Hole ZKL53LM4E208 intersected a 0.71 m interval ( 0.65 m true width) of vein LM5W2 grading 1,902 g/t Ag, 1.48% Pb, 0.32% Zn, 0.01 g/t Au, and 0.48% Cu at the 633 m elevation;

intersected a interval ( true width) of vein LM5W2 grading 1,902 g/t Ag, 1.48% Pb, 0.32% Zn, 0.01 g/t Au, and 0.48% Cu at the elevation; Hole ZKL5801SC intersected a 0.94 m interval ( 0.53 m true width) of vein LM6E2 grading 3,014 g/t Ag, 5.51% Pb, 0.39% Zn, 0.20 g/t Au, and 0.11% Cu at the 502 m elevation;

intersected a interval ( true width) of vein LM6E2 grading 3,014 g/t Ag, 5.51% Pb, 0.39% Zn, 0.20 g/t Au, and 0.11% Cu at the elevation; Hole ZKL53LM602 intersected a 0.65 m interval ( 0.64 m true width) of vein LM6W grading 1,596 g/t Ag, 2.06% Pb, 0.63% Zn, 0.05 g/t Au, and 0.27% Cu at the 680 m elevation; and

intersected a interval ( true width) of vein LM6W grading 1,596 g/t Ag, 2.06% Pb, 0.63% Zn, 0.05 g/t Au, and 0.27% Cu at the elevation; and Hole ZKLDB1712 intersected a 1.14 m interval ( 1.08 m true width) of vein LM61 grading 13.70 g/t Au, 19 g/t Ag, 0.51% Pb, 0.08% Zn, and 0.01% Cu at the 681 m elevation.

In-fill Drilling of Sub-Horizontal Gold Zone LM4E2

During this period, 22 out of the 44 holes targeting the sub-horizontal gold structures of LM4E2 intersected gold mineralization (Table 1).

Hole ZKL55LM4E203 intersected a 1.16 m interval ( 0.93 m true width) of vein LM4E2 grading 5.43 g/t Au and 70 g/t Ag at the 581 m elevation.

Table 1: Selected intercepts from the 2021 drill programs at the LME Mine

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Elevation

(m) Interval

(m) True Width

(m) Ag

(g/t) Pb

(%) Zn

(%) Au

(g/t) Cu

( %) Vein Ore Type ZKG20AT1704 91.46 92.16 872 0.70 0.66 389 1.29 1.41 0.05 0.04 T17E Ag-Pb ZKL51ALM4E201 23.28 24.03 593 0.75 0.46 5 5.41 0.24 0.10 0.02 LM4W Ag-Pb ZKL51ALM4E202 35.07 36.32 620 1.25 0.88 490 0.94 0.59 0.01 0.06 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL51ALM4E204 23.19 23.75 638 0.56 0.52 326 0.74 0.21 0.01 0.10 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL51ALM4E204 112.87 113.61 581 0.74 0.68 2,148 5.84 2.48 0.38 0.51 LM4E2 Au ZKL51ALM4E205 19.31 19.83 641 0.52 0.50 635 2.51 0.90 0.03 0.28 LM6W1 Ag-Pb ZKL51BLM4E201 24.50 25.13 640 0.63 0.51 123 0.28 0.15 0.01 0.09 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL51LM4E202 32.06 33.26 626 1.20 0.75 290 0.85 0.32 0.01 0.07 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL51LM4E203 23.74 28.83 634 5.09 1.01 104 0.75 0.18 0.01 0.05 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL51LM4E204 99.51 102.96 586 3.45 1.02 772 1.84 0.93 0.03 0.24 LM5 Ag-Pb ZKL51LM4E204 121.16 121.92 573 0.76 0.68 1,538 5.65 1.89 0.73 0.38 LM5E Ag-Pb ZKL5201SC 26.42 27.09 489 0.67 0.56 199 0.84 0.29 0.04 0.03 LM5 Ag-Pb ZKL5201SC 54.73 55.79 475 1.06 0.49 215 1.47 0.39 0.31 0.03 LM5E Ag-Pb ZKL5202SC 21.50 22.42 498 0.92 0.91 6,455 5.28 1.19 10.00 0.29 LM5 Ag-Pb ZKL5202SC 52.83 54.05 489 1.22 1.20 395 0.56 0.04 0.04 0.08 LM5E Ag-Pb ZKL5202SC 63.30 63.92 487 0.62 0.92 345 1.30 0.10 0.05 0.04 LM9 Ag-Pb ZKL5202Y 184.44 185.37 889 0.93 0.72 247 0.37 1.76 0.01 0.04 LM18E1 Ag-Pb ZKL5203SC 29.80 31.04 475 1.24 0.98 149 0.28 0.09 0.39 0.03 [1] Ag-Pb ZKL5204SC 23.36 23.94 485 0.58 0.50 837 3.17 0.14 0.76 0.03 LM5W Ag-Pb ZKL52LM6W01 22.76 23.32 541 0.56 0.30 200 0.48 2.05 0.03 0.06 LM6W1 Ag-Pb ZKL53ALM4E201 62.51 63.60 544 1.09 0.47 14 0.21 0.18 2.13 0.04 LM4E2 Au ZKL53ALM4E202 72.92 74.02 542 1.10 0.95 14 0.22 0.21 1.22 0.01 LM4E2 Au ZKL53ALM4E202 79.18 79.79 537 0.61 0.53 1 0.03 0.01 2.66 0.01 LM4 Ag-Pb ZKL53ALM4E202 281.67 283.34 370 1.67 0.52 204 0.64 0.36 0.46 0.03 LM5 Ag-Pb ZKL53ALM4E202 314.97 316.25 343 1.28 0.79 138 0.02 0.03 0.01 0.01 LM5E Ag-Pb ZKL53ALM4E203 163.55 164.51 510 0.96 0.77 104 0.27 0.46 0.01 0.16 LM5W2 Ag-Pb ZKL53ALM4E204 89.14 90.64 561 1.50 1.18 26 0.75 0.21 3.23 0.03 LM4E2 Au ZKL53ALM4E204 157.88 159.62 529 1.74 0.79 177 3.33 2.25 0.06 0.05 LM5W Ag-Pb ZKL53ALM4E205 54.15 55.52 565 1.37 1.05 3 0.04 0.02 2.30 0.01 LM4E2 Au ZKL53ALM4E207 82.72 83.55 571 0.83 0.65 2 0.04 0.00 2.50 0.01 LM4E2 Au ZKL53LM4E202 97.77 99.08 544 1.31 0.98 12 0.16 0.05 1.40 0.03 LM4E2 Au ZKL53LM4E202 132.69 134.22 523 1.53 1.14 2 0.02 0.01 1.62 0.01 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL53LM4E208 29.52 30.23 633 0.71 0.65 1,902 1.48 0.32 0.01 0.48 LM5W2 Ag-Pb ZKL53LM602 23.73 24.84 696 1.11 1.09 341 0.16 0.13 0.05 0.35 LM4W Ag-Pb ZKL53LM602 41.6 44.04 690 2.44 2.39 118 0.73 0.31 0.05 0.02 LM4 Ag-Pb ZKL53LM602 73.36 74.01 680 0.65 0.64 1,596 2.06 0.63 0.05 0.27 LM6W Ag-Pb ZKL53LM603 64.54 65.38 645 0.84 0.74 718 0.41 0.43 0.00 0.10 LM4 Ag-Pb ZKL53LM603 108.98 110.56 604 1.58 1.38 432 0.92 0.38 0.00 0.04 LM6W Ag-Pb ZKL53LM603 179.78 180.31 540 0.53 0.47 165 0.23 0.06 0.03 0.01 LM5W2 Ag-Pb ZKL5403SC 4.12 8.19 499 4.07 2.90 280 0.45 0.23 0.28 0.02 LM6E2 Ag-Pb ZKL5403SC 129.98 130.76 388 0.78 0.56 696 6.53 0.97 0.00 0.28 LM5E2 Ag-Pb including 7.59 8.19 496 0.60 0.47 1,238 2.04 0.82 1.24 0.06 LM6E2 Ag-Pb ZKL5404SC 44.52 45.39 477 0.87 0.76 239 0.24 0.11 0.05 0.02 LM5W Ag-Pb ZKL54ALM6W01 2.95 3.38 552 0.43 0.30 454 1.44 0.14 0.15 0.05 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL54ALM6W01 38.78 40.26 541 1.48 0.53 256 0.14 0.16 0.06 0.07 LM6W Ag-Pb ZKL54ALM6W01 129.54 130.08 511 0.54 0.39 29 0.08 0.05 1.59 0.01 LM4W2 Ag-Pb ZKL55ALM4E203 38.41 39.04 570 0.63 0.45 186 1.40 0.20 0.83 0.52 LM4E2 Au ZKL55ALM4E204 28.84 29.73 583 0.89 0.78 65 0.47 0.48 1.41 0.03 LM6W Ag-Pb ZKL55ALM4E204 33.78 35.77 579 1.99 0.88 9 0.16 0.12 1.73 0.01 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL55ALM4E204 50.26 51.65 568 1.39 1.22 154 0.83 0.63 0.24 0.03 LM6E Ag-Pb ZKL55ALM4E205 27.18 29.25 591 2.07 0.83 24 0.18 0.12 1.17 0.02 LM4E2 Au ZKL55ALM4E205 50.88 51.42 581 0.54 0.43 828 0.53 0.23 0.04 0.06 LM6E Ag-Pb ZKL55ALM4E207 76.91 77.88 593 0.97 0.58 108 0.32 0.25 1.28 0.02 LM4E2 Au ZKL55LM4E201 65.09 69.39 559 4.30 1.03 14 0.34 0.19 2.05 0.02 LM4E2 Au ZKL55LM4E202 84.70 85.92 565 1.22 1.00 27 0.67 0.21 1.98 0.02 LM4E2 Au ZKL55LM4E203 26.44 27.60 581 1.16 0.93 70 0.57 0.26 5.43 0.02 LM4E2 Au ZKL55LM4E203 78.30 79.10 539 0.80 0.63 2 0.35 0.00 1.51 0.01 LM5W2 Ag-Pb ZKL55LM4E204 47.45 48.49 578 1.04 0.98 16 0.09 0.27 2.22 0.01 LM4E2 Au ZKL5601Y 297.12 298.02 811 0.90 0.83 177 1.56 0.48 0.04 0.01 LM3_1 Ag-Pb ZKL5602Y 126.54 127.73 897 1.19 1.00 103 4.17 0.60 0.05 0.06 LM18E1 Ag-Pb ZKL5602Y 152.39 153.64 893 1.25 1.05 37 3.74 0.39 0.05 0.05 LM2_1 Ag-Pb ZKL57LM4E201 65.15 66.23 554 1.08 0.83 5 0.25 0.03 2.00 0.03 LM4E2 Au ZKL57LM4E204 46.03 47.56 585 1.53 0.91 14 0.30 0.36 1.20 0.02 LM4E2 Au ZKL57LM4E206 75.18 80.32 594 5.14 0.61 321 1.91 0.89 0.16 0.04 LM4E2 Au ZKL57LM601 89.62 90.96 807 1.34 1.32 311 0.73 0.31 0.05 0.05 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKL57LM601 120.89 123.60 794 2.71 2.67 143 2.42 0.08 0.05 0.02 LM5 Ag-Pb ZKL5801SC 4.9 5.84 502 0.94 0.53 3,014 5.51 0.39 0.20 0.11 LM6E2 Ag-Pb ZKL5802SC 5.53 6.5 500 0.97 0.81 328 0.32 0.10 0.05 0.05 LM6E2 Ag-Pb ZKL58ALM6E201 129.67 130.52 522 0.85 0.79 210 0.22 0.25 0.10 0.04 LM6E2 Ag-Pb ZKL58ALM6E201 190.78 192.56 484 1.78 1.64 88 1.40 0.46 0.07 0.06 LM5E1 Ag-Pb ZKL61B01 80.70 81.55 590 0.85 0.31 38 0.10 0.23 1.59 0.01 LM4E2 Au ZKL61E02 33.61 34.98 625 1.37 1.36 85 1.54 0.39 2.16 0.04 LM4E2 Au ZKL63ALM4E205 41.74 43.29 634 1.55 0.71 149 1.45 0.96 4.23 0.60 LM5 Ag-Pb ZKL63ALM4E205 76.36 78.66 618 2.30 0.54 60 0.70 0.14 0.91 0.01 LM4E2 Au ZKL63LM4E206 39.03 40.11 633 1.08 0.74 2 0.04 0.02 1.95 0.01 LM4E2 Au ZKL64Y09 49.20 49.74 806 0.54 0.47 18 3.35 0.19 0.05 0.01 LM2_2 Ag-Pb ZKL64Y10 36.31 36.81 826 0.50 0.43 19 3.30 0.15 0.01 0.01 LM2E Ag-Pb ZKL64Y11 31.34 31.83 830 0.49 0.40 13 4.46 0.08 0.01 0.01 LM2E Ag-Pb ZKL68Y01 107.42 107.92 726 0.50 0.38 392 2.31 0.21 0.03 0.02 LM6 Ag-Pb ZKLDB1712 238.15 239.29 681 1.14 1.08 19 0.51 0.08 13.70 0.01 LM61 Au ZKLDB51LM4E202 0.89 2.00 902 1.11 1.10 156 0.12 0.06 0.01 0.09 LM66 Ag-Pb ZKLDB56ALM4W01 264.50 265.30 952 0.80 0.79 397 0.58 0.12 0.10 0.04 LM4W Ag-Pb ZKLDB57ALM503 380.87 382.80 691 1.93 1.81 2 0.01 0.01 2.01 0.01 LM4E2 Au

[1] No vein id assigned

Quality Control

Drill cores are NQ size. Drill core samples, limited by apparent mineralization contacts or shear/alteration contacts, were split into halves by saw cutting. The half cores are stored in the Company's core shacks for future reference and checks, and the other half core samples are shipped in securely sealed bags to the Chengde Huakan 514 Geology and Minerals Test and Research Institute in Chengde, Hebei Province, China, 226 km northeast of Beijing, the Zhengzhou Nonferrous Exploration Institute Lab in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, and the Analytical Lab of the Inner Mongolia Geological Exploration Bureau in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China. All the three labs are ISO9000 certified analytical labs. For analysis, the sample is dried and crushed to minus 1 mm and then split to a 200-300 g subsample which is further pulverized to minus 200 mesh. Two subsamples are prepared from the pulverized sample. One is digested with aqua regia for gold analysis with atomic absorption spectroscopy ("AAS"), and the other is digested with two-acids for analysis of silver, lead, zinc and copper with AAS.

Channel samples are collected along sample lines perpendicular to the mineralized vein structure in exploration tunnels. Spacing between sampling lines is typically 5 m along strike. Both the mineralized vein and the altered wall rocks are cut by continuous chisel chipping. Sample length ranges from 0.2 m to more than 1 m, depending on the width of the mineralized vein and the mineralization type. Channel samples are prepared and assayed with AAS at Silvercorp's mine laboratory (Ying Lab) located at the mill complex in Luoning County, Henan Province, China. The Ying lab is officially accredited by the Quality and Technology Monitoring Bureau of Henan Province and is qualified to provide analytical services. The channel samples are dried, crushed and pulverized. A 200 g sample of minus 160 mesh is prepared for assay. A duplicate sample of minus 1 mm is made and kept in the laboratory archives. Gold is analysed by fire assay with AAS finish, and silver, lead, zinc and copper are assayed by two-acid digestion with AAS finish.

A routine quality assurance/quality control ("QA/QC") procedure is adopted to monitor the analytical quality at each lab. Certified reference materials ("CRMs"), pulp duplicates and blanks are inserted into each batch of lab samples. QA/QC data at the lab are attached to the assay certificates for each batch of samples.

The Company maintains its own comprehensive QA/QC program to ensure best practices in sample preparation and analysis of the exploration samples. Project geologists regularly insert CRM, field duplicates and blanks to each batch of 30 core samples to monitor the sample preparation and analysis procedures at the labs. The analytical quality of the labs is further evaluated with external checks by sending approximately 3-5% of the pulp samples to higher level labs to check for lab bias. Data from both the Company's and the labs' QA/QC programs are reviewed on a timely basis by project geologists.

Guoliang Ma, P. Geo., Manager of Exploration and Resource of the Company, is the Qualified Person for Silvercorp under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and given consent to the technical information contained in this news release.

About Silvercorp

Silvercorp is a profitable Canadian mining company producing silver, lead and zinc metals in concentrates from mines in China. The Company's goal is to continuously create healthy returns to shareholders through efficient management, organic growth and the acquisition of profitable projects. Silvercorp balances profitability, social and environmental relationships, employees' wellbeing, and sustainable development. For more information, please visit our website at www.silvercorp.ca.

For further information

Lon Shaver

Vice President

Silvercorp Metals Inc.

Phone: (604) 669-9397

Toll Free: 1(888) 224-1881

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.silvercorpmetals.com

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER - FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain of the statements and information in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the price of silver and other metals; the accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates at the Company's material properties; the sufficiency of the Company's capital to finance the Company's operations; estimates of the Company's revenues and capital expenditures; estimated production from the Company's mines in the Ying Mining District; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; availability of funds from production to finance the Company's operations; and access to and availability of funding for future construction, use of proceeds from any financing and development of the Company's properties.

Forward-looking statements or information are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information, including, without limitation, risks relating to: social and economic impacts of COVID-19; fluctuating commodity prices; calculation of resources, reserves and mineralization and precious and base metal recovery; interpretations and assumptions of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; exploration and development programs; feasibility and engineering reports; permits and licenses; title to properties; property interests; joint venture partners; acquisition of commercially mineable mineral rights; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors affecting the Company; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into the Company's existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in China and Canada; environmental risks; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management; internal control over financial reporting as per the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; and bringing actions and enforcing judgments under U.S. securities laws.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended March 31, 2020 under the heading "Risk Factors". Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

The Company's forward-looking statements and information are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this press release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements and information if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements or information. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information.

CAUTIONARY NOTE TO US INVESTORS

The disclosure in this news release and referred to herein was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The terms "proven mineral reserve", "probable mineral reserve" and "mineral reserves" used in this news release are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the "CIM Definition Standards"), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained in this news release providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, "Inferred mineral resources" are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.

Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019, the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "SEC Modernization Rules"), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of "Measured Mineral Resources", "Indicated Mineral Resources" and "Inferred Mineral Resources". In addition, the SEC has amended its definitions of "Proven Mineral Reserves" and "Probable Mineral Reserves" to be substantially similar to corresponding definitions under the CIM Definition Standards. During the period leading up to the compliance date of the SEC Modernization Rules, information regarding mineral resources or reserves contained or referenced in this news release may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be "substantially similar" to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral reserves or mineral resources that the Company may report as "proven mineral reserves", "probable mineral reserves", "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources" under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the reserve or resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules.

SOURCE Silvercorp Metals Inc

Related Links

www.silvercorp.ca


WASHINGTON, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK) President and Chief Financial Officer Don Allan will testify before Senate Finance Committee, Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness on June 22.

Allan will provide testimony on behalf of Stanley Black & Decker on the company's manufacturing and supply chain resiliency and discuss the importance of manufacturing in the United States.

"In this period of recovery from the impacts of the COVID pandemic, we believe a strategic U.S. trade agenda is critical to ensuring a robust and inclusive economic recovery," said Allan in a written testimony. "The agenda should support job creation in the U.S., expand access to new markets, and ensure global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. The U.S. trade agenda should also reconsider the Section 301 tariff regime on products of China, particularly those that are inputs used to support U.S. manufacturing."

Stanley Black & Decker is the largest hand and power tool manufacturer in the world and has been moving operations and its supply chain closer to U.S. customers over the past decade, adding U.S. manufacturing jobs and increasing its impact to local economies and communities where it operates.

The Senate Finance Committee, Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness hearing will take place on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The full testimony can be found on the Committee's website. The hearing can be viewed through the Committee's website.

About Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker, an S&P 500 company, is a leading $14.5 billion global diversified industrial with 53,000 employees in more than 60 countries who make the tools, products and solutions to deliver on its Purpose, For Those Who Make The World. The Company operates the world's largest tools and storage business featuring iconic brands such as DEWALT, STANLEY, BLACK+DECKER and CRAFTSMAN; the world's second largest commercial electronic security company; and is a global industrial leader of highly engineered solutions within its engineered fastening and infrastructure businesses. Learn more at www.stanleyblackanddecker.com.

SOURCE Stanley Black & Decker

Related Links

www.stanleyblackanddecker.com


BEACHWOOD, Ohio, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratos Wealth Enterprises ("Stratos"), part of Stratos Wealth Holdings, a family of wealth management firms on a mission to support the development of growth-minded financial advisors across the country, today announced that it has made a strategic investment in Summit Wealth Partners ("Summit"), an SEC-registered investment adviser firm that oversees $600 million in client assets.

Summit is led by Co-Presidents/CEOs Jason Print and Chad Warrick, with offices in Naples, Fla., and Grand Rapids, Mich., along with its headquarters in Orlando, Fla. Summit offers comprehensive wealth management for retirees and pre-retirees, with focuses on financial planning, tax strategies and cash flow planning. The firm includes six financial advisors among its 18 employees.

Lou Camacho, President of Stratos said, "We are thrilled to join with Summit as we invest in the growth and expansion of this truly dynamic firm. Jason and Chad are the type of young, growth-minded advisors we enjoy collaborating with  they are smart and strategic in their approach to running their business, enhancing their capabilities, and offering their clients a top-notch technology and service experiences. We look forward to the opportunity to work with them for years to come."

Stratos' investment will go towards enhancing Summit's already-robust client service and operational capabilities, with the goal of helping the firm run more efficiently, grow through enlistment of new clients and deepening of wallet-share of current clients, and recruit more advisors to its platform.

As part of the investment, Stratos is taking a non-voting, minority stake in Summit, which will continue to be led by Mr. Print and Mr. Warrick and do business under the Summit brand. Mr. Print and Mr. Warrick, along with Summit General Counsel William P. Kovacs, an investment lawyer with more than four decades in the wealth management industry, are maintaining stakes in the business. Other terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Mr. Print said, "Numerous RIAs and aggregators have knocked on our door to propose joining forces. We chose to partner with Stratos because the team there structured a deal that gives Chad and I the freedom and flexibility to run our business in the way we choose while leveraging Stratos' significant scale, resources, and expertise. Chad and I still have decades to go before we retire, and we firmly believe that the sky's the limit in terms of our potential thanks in large part to this strategic partnership. We're excited to hit the ground running with Stratos as we strive to achieve our highest business aspirations."

Stratos Wealth Enterprises is under the umbrella of Stratos Wealth Holdings. Jeff Concepcion, Founder and CEO of Stratos Wealth Holdings, said, "On behalf of the entire Stratos family, we offer Jason, Chad and their team the heartiest welcome as we embark on a new journey together. They have already built a track record for strong growth and exceptional client service, yet they possess that rare entrepreneurial 'fire in the belly' to do more. That is where Stratos can help with our resources, scale and expertise, and where we relish the chance to collaborate with financial advisors for whom the sky is the limit. Working together, we will reach new levels of success."

About Stratos Wealth Holdings

Stratos Wealth Holdings is a family of companies focused on supporting the growth and success of financial advisors across business models and affiliation structures. Stratos companies include Stratos Wealth Partners, Stratos Wealth Advisors, Stratos Wealth Enterprises, and Fundamentum. Stratos includes a national network of over 300 experienced financial advisors and financial planning practitioners working across 26 states throughout the country.

Stratos Wealth Partners, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, manages over $9.00 billion in advisory assets, and services through LPL Financial, over $7.56 billion in brokerage and third-party managed assets for a total of $16.56 billion as of March 31, 2021.

Stratos Wealth Advisors, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, manages over $1.93 billion in advisory assets as of March 31, 2021.

Fundamentum, LLC an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, manages over $571 million in advisory assets as of March 31, 2021.

Joseph Kuo / Andrew Wang

Haven Tower Group

424 317 4851 or 424 317 4859

[email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Stratos Wealth Enterprises
DUBLIN, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "United States IVD Market (By Application Segment, Products, Region, End Users), Impact of COVID-19, Major Deals, Company Profiles & Recent Developments - Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The United States In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) market is predicted to reach nearly US$ 37 Billion by 2026. In-vitro Diagnostics (IVD) serves a key role in the healthcare value chain by significantly influencing the quality of health outcomes, patient treatment, care and downstream resource requirements.

With an aging population, technological advances and the advent of point of care diagnostics, the United States IVD market is slated to show substantial growth in the future. The increase in the US in-vitro diagnostics market is majorly driven by a high prevalence of chronic diseases, such as heart diseases, cancer, asthma, and diabetes.

It is estimated that these diseases are responsible for the majority of deaths in the United States, killing more than 1.7 million US citizens annually. All of these conditions can be diagnosed and monitored using IVD products. Thus, IVDs have proved to be beneficial in managing these chronic conditions. However, some of the factors limiting the growth of the market are a lack of proper reimbursement policies and lack of skilled lab technicians.

Impact of COVID-19 on United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market



The COVID-19 outbreak has become a global stress test. The disease has infected over 110 Million people worldwide. Globally the death toll has reached 2,432,622 according to the latest statistics from the Worldometers (as of February 17, 2021). The number is still growing, and the duration of the pandemic is still difficult to predict.

The COVID-19 outbreak has created a sense of urgency and panic among people globally. While people are being advised to stay indoors, healthcare professionals and researchers have registered a state of urgency. In this scenario, the in-vitro diagnostics forms the crux of increased testing. Manufacturers in the in-vitro diagnostic market are focusing on developing novel technologies for maximum testing within a minimum period.

The novel coronavirus has accelerated the research and development activities in the in-vitro diagnostics market. Development and production in maximum numbers is the need of the hour. Therefore, quick FDA approvals are proving to be the cherry on the cake for the growth of the in-vitro diagnostic market.

United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market - Application Segments Analysis

On a segment basis, the POC - Professional segment accounted for the highest share of the United States IVD market, followed by the POC - OTC diabetes segment.

Immunoassays have become one of the primary and indispensable tools in the diagnosis and monitoring of all diseases and medical conditions.

The non-infectious immunoassays contribute significantly to the United States IVD market.

It is anticipated that the molecular microbiology segment will account for around 10% share of the United States IVD market by 2026.

The Clinical chemistry segment contributed over 7% to the United States IVD market in 2020.

Histology and Hematology segments are competing closely with each other to grab the maximum share of the pie.

Urinalysis captures the least share of the United States in-vitro diagnostics market.

United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market - Products Analysis

Instruments are the leading product segment of the United States In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) market, followed by the reagents segment.

The software segment contributed nearly 15% share to the United States IVD market in 2020, due to the growing preference for reliable and efficient diagnostic software.

The services segment captured the least share of the United States in-vitro diagnostics market, but it is likely to show impressive growth throughout the forecast period.

United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market - Regional Analysis

The largest share of the US in-vitro diagnostics market is currently in the South of the country with the West being second.

Midwest region accounts for over 22% share of the total US IVD market in 2020, as an increasing number of accredited laboratories opening in that area.

The North East region accounted for the least share of the total US IVD market.

United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market - End Users Analysis

Hospitals capture the highest share of the United States IVD market, owing to the large volume of diagnostic tests carried out in hospitals.

An increasing number of independent accredited laboratories are opening all over the country, thus driving the market for the laboratories segment.

The other end-users (Self Testing, Retail Clinics, Physician Office Labs, Others) segment contributed nearly a quarter to the United States IVD market.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Impact of COVID-19 on United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market

3. United States - In-Vitro Diagnostics Market and Forecast (2013 - 2026)

4. United States - In-Vitro Diagnostics Market Share and Forecast (2013 - 2026)

5. By Application Segments - United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market and Forecast (2013 - 2026)

6. By Products - United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market and Forecast (2013 - 2026)

7. By Region - United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market and Forecast (2013 - 2026)

8. By End User - United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market and Forecast (2013 - 2026)

9. United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market - Company Profiles

10. United States IVD Market - Major Deals

11. United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market - Growth Drivers

12. United States In-Vitro Diagnostics Market - Challenges

Companies Mentioned

Roche Diagnostics

Abbott Laboratories

Siemens Healthineers

Danaher Corporation

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Sysmex Corporation

Biomerieux

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc

Becton Dickinson and Company

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h9j4hb

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


SMYRNA, Ga., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraCap Management LLC, a privately held investment firm based out of Naples, Florida, announced today the sale of 23 Thirty Cobb Apartments for $41,100,000. The 222-unit apartment complex is located in the northwestern Atlanta suburb of Smyrna.

TerraCap Management

23 Thirty was acquired by TerraCap in August 2018. During their ownership, TerraCap completed several capital projects at the property, including a new leasing office, new common area amenities, updated landscaping, new exterior paint, and new package lockers. TerraCap also implemented a unit renovation program, upgrading select units and generating significant rent premiums.

Robert Witt, TerraCap Partner and Asset Manager, said, "We are thrilled to be exiting this property after completing the goals that we established in our business plan. Our renovation program allowed us to push rents up more than 30% over the previous classic lease. This was a solid performing property that is poised for more growth in the future, due to the existing classic units at the property and the organic rent growth in the Atlanta area."

23 Thirty is ideally located in Smyrna, GA with access to demand-driving amenities such as The Battery, a 1.5 million square foot mixed-use development adjacent to Truist Park, the home stadium of the Atlanta Braves. Matt Stewart, TerraCap Partner and Director of Asset Management said, "We are very pleased with the results of the 23 Thirty sale. The capital improvements we made to upgrade the unit interiors and exterior curb appeal unlocked significant rent premiums, highlighting the strong demand for well-located residential communities. Smyrna provides excellent access to nearby amenities and job centers across Cobb County. We are grateful to First Communities and CBRE for helping us achieve the goals in our business plan."

Keith Geiger of CBRE represented TerraCap on the sale. First Communities Management represented TerraCap on property management.

About TerraCap Management LLC

TerraCap Management LLC considers thematic factors such as business formation, employment growth and population growth on a market-by-market basis, as most metros and submarkets have different economic-based industries and therefore move through their economic cycles differently. TerraCap makes moderate strategic overweighting or underweighting to markets, depending on the specific economic drivers influencing supply and demand.

The Investment Manager has been in operation since 2008 with its headquarters located in Naples, FL, the firm also has offices in Tampa, FL, Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO. As operators, TerraCap believes it can make decisions more efficiently while leveraging expertise from property to property. The firm has over seven million square feet of commercial assets within its portfolio, with over one billion dollars of assets under management.

More information can be found at terracapmgmt.com.

For More Information, Contact:

Steve Good

239.898.4454

TerraCap Management LLC

[email protected]

SOURCE TerraCap Management
MILFORD, Mich., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The North Group (TNG), one of the top private security and risk management companies in the nation, has received the National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) certification, verifying TNG as a veteran owned business.

The NVBDC is the only Veteran Owned Business Certification organization developed by Veterans for Veterans. The purpose is to provide a credible and reliable certifying authority for all size businesses, ensuring that valid documentation exists of Veteran ownership and control. The NVBDC has become recognized as the source for corporations seeking certified Service-Disabled/Veteran Owned Businesses, and founding sponsors include Kellogg's, General Motors, and the Veteran Support Foundation.

Steven Hernandez, CEO of The North Group shared, "The North Group is proud of its roots and holds a very compassionate place for veterans. We have employed hundreds of veterans and will continue to do so in an effort to bring seasoned and experienced talent to the risk management and security market."

Headquartered in southeast Michigan, TNG offers custom security and risk mitigation solutions at both the individual and organizational levels. While most security companies service only one need, TNG manages complex projects with global teams of highly specialized individuals. TNG service offerings include:

Protective Services: Executive protection, workplace security, security drivers, residential security, venue/event security, global crisis management, asset transport, protective surveillance, tactical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM)

Executive protection, workplace security, security drivers, residential security, venue/event security, global crisis management, asset transport, protective surveillance, tactical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) Analyst Services: Due diligence, travel assessments, country briefs, secure travel planning

Due diligence, travel assessments, country briefs, secure travel planning Cybersecurity Services: System analysis and penetration testing, social media monitoring, cursory digital footprint validation, concentrated monitoring, digital forensics

System analysis and penetration testing, social media monitoring, cursory digital footprint validation, concentrated monitoring, digital forensics Crisis Mitigation: Threat assessments, red teaming, business continuity planning, emergency preparedness planning and training

Threat assessments, red teaming, business continuity planning, emergency preparedness planning and training Special Projects: Security system integration, crisis response, drone detection, electronic tracking, aviation support, specialized vehicle support

TNG operates worldwide with US management and offices in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Texas, Utah, and California. To learn more about The North Group, or to schedule a free consultation, visit tngdefense.com

About The North Group (TNG)

The North Group is an intelligence-driven, global risk management firm headquartered in southeast Michigan. TNG is expert in offering custom security solutions, protective services, crisis mitigation, and intelligence reporting at both the individual and organizational levels. Their team is comprised of subject matter experts from elite careers in federal and local law enforcement, military special operations, private security, and various intelligence agencies. For more information, visit tngdefense.com.

CONTACT:

Devon Bradley

Epic Blue Media

517-474-1573

[email protected]

SOURCE The North Group

Related Links

http://tngdefense.com


At the same time, this was also a good chance for her to step away from a relationship with a young man because the man's family was even poorer than hers. "His shanty with thatched roofs did hold me back," Shi said.

However, she didn't expect her boyfriend to find out about her decision and give up his job as a hydraulic engineer in Jiangsu, a province in east China, to follow her to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, some 4,000 km away.

Shi's father, secretly hoping that someone could and would look after her in the totally unknown place, gave a nod to their marriage. Shortly after their wedding they set off on their journey to Xinjiang in July 1959, when she was 19 and her husband was 24.

Recalling her early days in Xinjiang, Shi said, "We worked all day long and built almost everything from scratch." She participated in the construction of canals as well as farming. She got the chance to attend medical training and almost became a teacher before giving birth to her first child in 1962, and then became a house wife.

Although Shi rarely shared these memories with her children, the conversation came into a natural flow when her granddaughter became curious about her own roots.

I am that granddaughter.

My grandma was among the first batch of pioneers moving from Jiangsu to Xinjiang as a campaign to develop the country's border land started in the 1950s, when China was suffering bouts of famine.

From 1959 to 1960, over 120,000 young adults moved to Xinjiang from Jiangsu. They were farmers, technicians and teachers. In Changji, 40 percent of the reclaimed wasteland was brought under cultivation by those new settlers, who also developed 80 percent of water projects. Around 75 percent of them eventually opted to stay and contribute to the development of the region for a lifetime.

Seeing is not believing

I myself lived in Xinjiang up to the age of 17 when I left to pursue my university education in the capital city. I never thought too much about how others see life in Xinjiang.

However, as more and more international attention zoomed in on my hometown, the biases harbored by some people struck me hard. The terms that several Western journalists used to report on Xinjiang, such as forced labor and tight security checks sound so foreign to me. Has the Xinjiang where I grew up really changed? With this question, I traveled back to Xinjiang frequently in the past three years, exploring the region from south to north and from countryside to city.

On the whole, the region features more security checks than before, which is true, and indeed inconvenient. Police check every single passenger's ID. All luggage must go through a scannerLocal people, including myself, have complained about it. But we value safety much more than convenience.

From 1990 to the end of 2016, thousands of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang killed a large number of innocent people and hundreds of police officers according to a 2019 white paper entitled The Fight Against Terrorism and Extremism and Human Rights Protection in Xinjiang. Behind the brutal and frightful aggression loomed the radicalized religious penetration launched by separatists.

"Villagers were forbidden to sing and dance during weddings by some radicalized religious people until some five years ago," Mahmut Saidil, a former village head in Aksu Prefecture in south Xinjiang, told me. "Life necessities such as a tea pot, soap or basic communication tools were tagged as non-Halal and villagers were instructed not to use them."

I wish human right fighters could have stood up for those villagers at the time, battling extremists together with all other Chinese people, regardless of ethnicity and religion.

The textile industry, the pillar industry in the region, was reported as the main industry to employ "forced labor" to pick cotton or work in the factories. Fact is that the mechanization of cotton-picking started as early as 2001 in Xinjiang, and was widespread in 2009.

Fang Xu has worked as a sales support person for cotton-picking machinery for more than 10 years. He is now a sales support manager for the cotton-picking machine division of Urumqi-based China Railway Construction Heavy Industrial Corp. (CRCHI) Xinjiang Co. Ltd.

CRCHI's cotton-picking machinery entered the region in 2019. Before that, imported machines dominated the market.

"About 90 percent of the cotton-picking machines were imported before," Fang said. "But domestic brands have boomed in recent years."

"Farmers were reluctant to use machines in the beginning," Mahmut elaborated. His hometown of Aksu in the southern part of Xinjiang is the major production base of long-staple cotton. "Cotton-picking machines have been used here for more than a decade and the technology is updating year after year," he said.

The more information I got from my contacts in Xinjiang, the more respect I want to show my grandparents who paved the way for today's Xinjiang. I also realized just how an individual's perspectives can be limited by lack of first-hand information. I welcome more people to Xinjiang to learn about it.

Comments to [email protected]

By Beijing Review reporter Li Fangfang

SOURCE Beijing Review
ARA, the newest wireless testbed, adds a focus on technologies for low-cost, high-speed rural broadband connectivity. Tweet this

"The PAWR public-private partnership showcases NSF's unique ability to foster a national innovation ecosystem," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "By bringing together academia, industry, government and local communities, the ARA platform will support breakthrough solutions to connect the unconnected. As a result, we will be able to strengthen our efforts to address our Nation's digital divide, finally allowing millions of Americans to gain access to basic information and resources."

"This is a powerful partnership between NIFA, USDA's extramural funding agency, and NSF to foster an important step for improving the quality of life in rural America. Transferring high-speed broadband solutions to rural communities that so badly need them will positively impact businesses, agriculture, healthcare, education, and all aspects of rural life, helping build the local economy," said NIFA Director Carrie Castille.

"I am thrilled to hear Iowa State has received this grant to help bolster broadband connectivity in rural areas," said Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04). "This program reflects the importance of developing and utilizing public-private partnerships to spark innovation and expand broadband and precision agriculture capabilities, which will empower our producers to improve efficiency by taking a more targeted approach to farming practices. As the first and only PAWR testbed in the Midwest, I am excited to watch this project unfold  and I am hopeful it will lead to innovative solutions that will close the digital divide and improve the quality of life for rural Iowans and Americans."

ARA will establish its wireless living lab across Iowa State University, the city of Ames, and surrounding farms and rural communities in Central Iowa. Creating a deeply programmable infrastructure, ARA will feature a wide range of wireless technologies as well as an application focus on precision agriculture in both crop and livestock farms.

"ARA enables research in end-to-end broadband infrastructures for rural and remote areas, and it features high-performance, programmable platforms in wireless access, wireless backhaul, and edge and cloud," said Professor Hongwei Zhang, Principal Investigator for ARA. "By supporting fundamental communication services such as ultra-reliable, low-latency communications, ARA enables field research studies (e.g., tele-operations of vehicles or drones) that are of generic interest to rural and urban regions but are difficult to conduct in urban settings in early stages of the exploration."

"Ericsson is excited to contribute our equipment and expertise to this groundbreaking rural innovation platform," said Paul Challoner, Vice President of Network Solutions for Ericsson North America, a PAWR industry consortium partner. "ARA will help to redefine the research capabilities in rural America, in conjunction with PAWR and NSF, to develop technology to address the digital and mobility divides that currently exist in the U.S. The ARA platform will provide insights and technology advances needed to stimulate and support the economy of rural America."

With the launch of the rural broadband platform, ARA joins three other PAWR testbeds: POWDER-RENEW in Salt Lake City, Utah; COSMOS in the West Harlem neighborhood of New York City; and AERPAW in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. The PAWR program also features other resources and facilities including Colosseum, the world's largest radiofrequency emulator, and OpenAirX-Labs (OAX), a neutral lab environment for the development and testing of a benchmark, open source 5G software stack.

The PAWR program is designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of promising technologies and applications, ensuring continued U.S. leadership in wireless communications while also preparing the emerging workforce for new job opportunities in the digital economy.

ARA Platform Details

ARA is based out of Iowa State University where a team of researchers including students will work in close collaboration with state, community, and industry partners. Select partners include the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT), Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS), Iowa Regional Utilities Association (IRUA), Iowa Communications Alliance, city of Ames, Story County, local school districts, Meskwaki Tribal Nation, Woodland Farms, U.S. Cellular, Collins Aerospace, and John Deere. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, Ohio State University, and International Computer Science Institute are also key members of the project team.

The ARA testbed will produce a heterogeneous network environment featuring a wide range of wireless technologies. For backhaul connectivity, ARA will create a multi-modal, high-capacity wireless mesh network including low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite links, a free-space optical (FSOC) platform, and long-distance millimeter wave (mmWave) and microwave point-to-point communications. In the radio access network (RAN), ARA will employ low-UHF massive MIMO (mMIMO) and other platforms to enable research across multiple frequencies including the TV white space (TVWS) band, CBRS band, and several others.

The ARA platform will feature software defined radios (SDRs) and programmable off-the-shelf equipment. This virtualized and programmable network will support research in areas such as bandwidth aggregation, channel bonding, and dynamic spectrum sharing, as well as resilient, high-throughput, and long-distance wireless backhaul and access, which are expected to lay the foundation for more affordable rural broadband service.

To learn more about ARA, visit www.arawireless.org.

For more information on the PAWR program, visit the PAWR website at www.advancedwireless.org.

About the PAWR Project Office (PPO)

The Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research Project Office (PPO) manages the $100 million public-private partnership and oversees the research platforms. The PPO is co-led by US Ignite and Northeastern University, and funded by the National Science Foundation and PAWR industry consortium. The PPO collaborates closely with the wireless research community, local communities, and industry, in part through the industry consortium, in the design, development, deployment, and initial operations of the research platforms.

About US Ignite

US Ignite is a hightech nonprofit with a mission to accelerate the smart community movement. Our public-private partnership programs leverage advanced networking and data science to drive key outcomes for communities. Our work also enables new opportunities for wireless and IoT research designed to help narrow the gap between cuttingedge experimentation and scalable, realworld technology deployments.

About Northeastern University

Northeastern University is a global, experiential, and toptier research university, with the world's most innovative cooperative education program. Research in the College of Engineering looks at critical issues in materials, processes, systems, and infrastructure at every scalenano to macro to globalgrounded in a translational approach that integrates the values of fundamental and applied research to meet societal needs.

About the National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments, and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2021 budget of $8.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities, and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

About the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture

USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2020, NIFA's total investment was $1.95 billion.

CONTACT: PAWR Project Office, [email protected]

SOURCE Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR)
FAIRFAX, Va., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pyramid Systems has been named one of The Washington Post's 2021 Top Workplaces in the Washington, D.C. area. Selection is based solely on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC, which measured several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection. This year's honorees include government contractors, real estate firms, professional and business services, law firms and tech companies.

"Now in its eighth year, The Post's Top Workplaces list continues to highlight the companies in the Washington-area that are leaders in company satisfaction and engagement," said Washington Post Top Workplaces editor Dion Haynes. "Throughout the past 15 months, these companies have had to make quick decisions in order to keep their employees safe while also balancing productivity and efficiency, and their employees have taken note of this great work."

"We are so honored to be named a Washington Post Top Workplace for the second year in a row! We pride ourselves on having a family-like culture in which all employees feel connected, valued, supported, and included," Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Hwang said.

The Washington Post hosted a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, June 17 to recognize the top-ranked companies. For more about The Washington Post's Top Workplaces and to see the full list of this year's honorees, visit the website.

About Pyramid Systems, Inc.

Pyramid Systems is an award-winning technology leader driving digital transformation across federal agencies. We solve complex problems with advanced technologies and modern methodologies. By leveraging leading-edge cloud, analytics, and low-code platforms with Agile and DevSecOps approaches, we deliver highly secure, mission-critical solutions. Pyramid has professionalized innovation to deliver consistent results, reducing time from prototype to production to scale. We partner with clients to optimize for better citizen experiences, faster user adoption, greater efficiencies, and improved mission outcomes. Our unique culture is the main driver of why we build solutions that last. Learn more at PyramidSystems.com.



About The Washington Post

The Washington Post is an award-winning news leader whose mission is to connect, inform, and enlighten local, national and global readers with trustworthy reporting, in-depth analysis and engaging opinions. It combines world-class journalism with the latest technology and tools so readers can interact with The Post anytime, anywhere.

About Energage, LLC

Headquartered in Exton, Pa., Energage (formerly known as WorkplaceDynamics) is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools that help leaders to unlock potential, inspire performance, and achieve amazing results within their organizations. The research partner behind the Top Workplaces program, Energage has surveyed more than 47,000 organizations representing well over 16 million employees in the United States.

SOURCE Pyramid Systems, Inc.

Related Links

pyramidsystems.com


LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This enormous $14 trillion industry has been making headlines throughout the last year, but it could draw even more interest in the days ahead. That's because governments around the world have been backing climate change efforts with multi-trillion-dollar initiativesAnd investors are pouring piles of cash into sustainable ESG funds, more than doubling investments in the last year. Mentioned in today's commentary includes: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (NYSE: WAB), Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE: HMC), General Motors Company (NYSE: GM), Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F).

That's already brought on historic gains for companies like Ballard Power, which soared 243% in the last yearFuelCell, which took off 331% Or Plug, which has jumped 635% during that time.

Now, the mammoth global shipping industry is set to go green with pioneers like AmmPower Corp. (AMMP; AMMPF) leading the charge. It's been growing steadily in recent years, as we're now shipping more cargo than ever -- more than 11 billion tons of goods every year.

The 100-Year-Old Solution for the Next Generation of Transportation

AmmPower (AMMP; AMMPF) is designing revolutionary new technology to help power the next generation of ammonia.

Ammonia is already in high demand today for countless uses like producing fertilizer... With the chemical being said to hold up to 9x the energy of today's lithium-ion batteries, it's the perfect solution for powering massive vessels. And AmmPower's technology is expected to produce clean ammonia more efficiently with its modular, scalable, stackable solutions. The global push to go green in the massive shipping industry is giving AmmPower a rare blue-sky opportunity in the booming ESG trend.

Ammonia's Profit Double-Play

Hydrogen needs to be stored below a temperature of -253 degrees Celsius, adding a whole other level of costs with expensive equipment and infrastructure to move it from one place to another.

Ammonia, however, only needs to be kept at -33 degrees Celsius, a difference of more than 200 degrees. So ammonia (or NH3) can be used to capture, store, and transport hydrogen since it can be broken back down into hydrogen (H2) after being transported.

The Marine Mandate Changing Everything

For the $14 trillion global shipping industry, green ammonia could transform everything. Some experts predict green ammonia will be used to fuel large marine shipping vessels, significantly reducing carbon emissions in the process.

That sparked the beginning of a massive opportunity that AmmPower (AMMP; AMMPF) has taken advantage of by innovating on the latest technology in the industry. And the pedigree of AmmPower's team has given early investors plenty to be confident in based on their impressive track records.

Major Transportation Companies Are Fueling Hydrogen Adoption

Wabtec Corp. (WAB)

is an international technology provider who offers equipment and services geared towards solving problems within the freight rail industry- specifically related to cars or trains moving heavy loads across long distances without ever losing traction.

In the global market of freight and transit, Wabtec stands out. They are a company that provides technologies to help with everything from building new switcher locomotives to supplying railway electronics for various transportation modes in order to fulfill their mission: "We make what moves you."

In a recent release, Wabtec announced a partnership with General Motors (GM) where GM would provide "electric batteries and hydrogen fuel systems" for Wabtec's trains. These deliveries could begin within the next two years and could potentially transform the entire industry. This move comes as part of GM's wider shift towards alternative engine production, including fuel cells powered by hydrogen gas and electric vehicles.

GM is one of the most recognized automakers on the planet, and now they are branching out and ditching internal combustion engines, other legacy automakers will likely follow suit. Though General Motors has been around for a long time, this is a turning point for the company. They're making their best efforts to curb emissions.

Ford (F)

is another old-school automaker taking the dive into greener waters. In addition to brand-new electric versions of its best-sellers, the F-150 and iconic Mustang, it's also carving out its own position in the hydrogen race, as well. In fact, it recently even unveiled the world's first-ever fuel cell hybrid plugin electric vehicle, the Ford Edge HySeries.

"This vehicle offers Ford the ultimate in flexibility in researching advanced propulsion technology," said Gerhard Schmidt, vice president of research and advanced engineering for Ford Motor Company. "We could take the fuel cell power system out and replace it with a down-sized diesel, gasoline engine or any other powertrain connected to a small electric generator to make electricity like the fuel cell does now."

Honda Motors (HMC)

is another widely known automaker making major moves in the electric and hydrogen vehicle market. As one of the world's most valuable automakers, the company is a force not to be ignored.

In just one year, the company has seen its share price rise by 23%. It's a strong dividend player and a veteran in the industry. And thanks to its environmentally friendly approach to the automotive sector, it will likely be around for years to come.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TM)

has developed a fuel cell system module and looks to start selling it after the spring this year in a bid to promote hydrogen use and help the world achieve carbon neutrality goals, the world's largest car manufacturer said in February.

"In addition to its effort to popularize FCEVs, Toyota will continue to strengthen its initiatives as an FC system supplier to promote hydrogen utilization through the popularization of FC products together with various FC product companies with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions to curtail global warming and to contribute to the achievement of carbon neutrality," Toyota said in its statement.

By: Francis Rank

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FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS. This publication contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding expected continual growth of the featured companies and/or industry. The Publisher notes that statements contained herein that look forward in time, which include everything other than historical information, involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the companies' actual results of operations. Forward looking statements in this publication include that the global demand for ammonia and hydrogen as commodities will continue to increase; that the research and development in the energy sector will lead to adoption of hydrogen and ammonia as commercially viable fuel sources for the automotive, aircraft, marine, industrial or other sectors in the future; that governments will continue to implement initiatives supporting reduced carbon emissions and that ammonia and hydrogen will gain traction and commercial viability as potential carbon-free or low carbon fuel alternatives; that AMMP will be able to develop an efficient process and proprietary intellectual property for the production of green ammonia and that AMMP's process, if developed, will be adopted commercially to allow use of green ammonia and/or hydrogen as viable fuel sources; that AMMP will meet its proposed development program and funding milestones to develop its technology process and produce the proposed AMMP power units; that AMMP will be able to complete and establish its proposed manufacturing facility and produce ammonia power units which will be sold as commercially viable fuel alternatives; that investors will continue to seek opportunities for investment in green technologies and that hydrogen and ammonia will be considered as viable investment opportunities in the future; and that AMMP can carry out its business plans. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include the global demand for ammonia and hydrogen may not actually continue to increase if other energy alternatives such as solar, wind or hydroelectric are favored over ammonia and hydrogen; that the research and development in the energy sector may lead to rejection of hydrogen and ammonia as commercially viable fuel sources for the automotive, aircraft, marine, industrial or other sectors in the future, and that research may find that other fuels or energy sources provide safer, more cost efficient and/or more viable fuel alternatives; that governments may not implement the anticipated funding and initiatives to support reduced carbon emissions sufficient for ammonia and hydrogen to gain necessary traction or commercial viability as fuel alternatives; that AMMP may be unable to develop an efficient process or any unique proprietary intellectual property for the production of green ammonia or, even if developed, may ultimately fail to be adopted as commercially viable for any reason; that AMMP may be unable meet its proposed development timeline and funding milestones to develop its technology process and produce the proposed AMMP power units; that AMMP may be unable to establish its proposed manufacturing facility and produce ammonia power units, or if such units are developed, that they may not be sold as commercially viable fuel alternatives; that investors favor other clean energy opportunities than hydrogen and ammonia or that other fuel alternatives such as solar, wind and hydroelectric may be considered more commercially viable; and that AMMP may, for any number of reasons, fail to carry out its intended business plans. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and we assume no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

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LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading members of the California State Assembly and State Senate will present bold solutions to advance digital equity at an upcoming program presented by the Michelson 20MM Foundation on Friday, June 25.

"Digital Equity in the California Legislature: The Golden State's Historic Opportunity," is a webinar that will focus on the current legislation being debated in Sacramento.

Confirmed elected officials include:

Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curr y (D-4), author of Assembly Bill 14, the "Internet for All Act of 2021"

(D-4), author of Assembly Bill 14, the "Internet for All Act of 2021" Senator Anna Caballero (D-12), author of Senate Bill 28, the "Rural Broadband and Digital Infrastructure Video Competition Reform Act of 2021"

(D-12), author of Senate Bill 28, the "Rural Broadband and Digital Infrastructure Video Competition Reform Act of 2021" Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-33), author of Senate Bill 4, the "Broadband for All Act"

AB 24 and SB 4 are major legislative pushes designed to replenish and recast the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), the primary vehicle for state-funded broadband infrastructure projects. SB 28 focuses on rural, unserved, and underserved communities with funding support to build broadband networks that reach Californians lacking access to a high-speed internet connection and service.

"There is much at stake during this legislative session and tackling the digital divide is a top priority for the state," said Phillip Kim, CEO of the Michelson 20MM Foundation. "Governor Newsom proposed $7 billion for broadband in California, and there are several policies in motion at the legislative level. These conversations often remain within the confines of the Capitol. Our goal with this series is to shift that paradigm by making these policy deliberations more accessible."

Co-hosted by the California Community Foundation and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the event is the sixth installment of Michelson 20MM's Connecting California series, launched in 2020 to strengthen the collective understanding of the history and root causes of the digital dividesthe economic and educational gaps created by inequitable access to high-speed internet, computing devices, and digital literacy resources.

The event is free and open to the public. To learn more, visit www.20mm.org and register for Digital Equity in the California Legislature: The Golden State's Historic Opportunity Friday, June 25, 2021, at 11 a.m. PST.

About the Michelson 20MM Foundation

Michelson 20MM is a private, nonprofit foundation seeking to accelerate progress towards a more just world through grantmaking, operating programs, and impact investing. For more information, visit 20MM.org.

CONTACT: Geoffrey Baum

[email protected] or 310-806-9707

SOURCE The Michelson 20MM Foundation
CONCORD, Mass., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tripleseat , the leading web-based sales and event management platform for restaurants, hotels, and unique venues, has been named to the Boston Business Journal's Fast 50, representing the 50 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts. Tripleseat is ranked as the 14th fastest-growing company in the state.

The members of the BBJ's annual Fast 50 list are selected and ranked by the Business Journal's research department with a formula that analyzes revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. Businesses that have their headquarters in Massachusetts and reported revenue of at least $50,000 in 2017 and $1 million in 2020 were considered for the list. Nominees were not disqualified if they experienced a net loss during those years as long as they experienced positive growth.

CEO Jonathan Morse states, "We are honored to be recognized by the Boston Business Journal as one of the fastest-growing companies in the state of Massachusetts. The past year was a difficult one for the hospitality industry, but the Tripleseat team worked hard to provide venues with the best, most up to date software to help them drive business, manage events, and grow sales with new catering, takeout, delivery, meal kit, and tasting box offerings. We will continue to do our best in 2021 to move the industry forward."

"The economic shutdown sent a lot of companies' strategies and financials into uncharted territory in 2020, but as the Fast 50 illustrates, Greater Boston's fastest-growth companies pivoted and prospered despite it all," said Carolyn M. Jones, market president and publisher of the Boston Business Journal.

About Tripleseat

Tripleseat is a catering and event management platform used by more than 15,000 venues each day, enabling them to streamline the planning process and increase sales. To date, the Tripleseat platform has helped venues book over 6 million events and capture $15 billion in event leads. To learn more about Tripleseat, or to schedule a demo, please visit www.tripleseat.com .

Media Contact:

Azure Collier

Director of Brand Marketing

978-614-0490

[email protected]

SOURCE Tripleseat
SALT LAKE CITY, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Xenocor Inc. today announced a strategic investment by Barvest Ventures Inc., a member company of the Trudell Medical Group, which is a innovator and global leader in respiratory care and medical device development. This investment will enable Xenocor to ramp up production and respond to growing demand for the Xenoscope  an FDA-approved, single-use, fog-free, portable, high-definition (HD) laparoscopic imaging system.

Trudell Medical Group Partners with Xenocor, developer of the first single-use laparoscopic imaging system, Xenoscope Tweet this The 5mm Xenoscope a disposable articulating fog-free laparoscope system from Xenocor.

In addition, George Baran, Chair of the Trudell Medical Group will join the Xenocor board bringing years of market wisdom and insight in the areas of product development, production and global market distribution. Northgate Technologies Inc., a member company of Trudell Medical Group that designs and manufactures urology and minimally invasive surgical equipment, will be working closely with Xenocor to bring additional synergies to the relationship.

"Innovation has been critical for delivering solutions that improve quality of life and create positive economic outcomes. This has been our mission since our inception in 1922," said George Baran, Chairman of the Trudell Medical Group. "We feel our investment in Xenocor is a continuation of this tradition and see every reason for the Xenoscope to be successfully introduced into many markets around the world."

The Xenoscope

The Xenoscope offers both clinical and financial advantages that positively impact surgeons, staff, healthcare facilities and patients. The technological innovations provide vastly improved image quality (HD and fog-free), eliminate cross-contamination, reduce arc patient burn injuries, minimize technical complications and operation room downtimes. The compact, portable design is a single cord plug-and-play unit, which makes it possible for easy integration and usage in multiple locations. There are no large capital expenditures or expensive long-term maintenance contracts so the Xenoscope is readily accessible to markets of varying size.

"Not only is Trudell Medical Group a global leader in its product categories, but they also manufacture adjunct products that compliment our current offerings. This strategic investment alliance is a win-win partnership, which leaves the door open to additional innovation," said Evan Kelso, CEO of Xenocor. "We feel fortunate to have George Baran on the board and such a commanding ally as we move this product into broader availability."

Trudell Medical Group

Trudell Medical Group is a family-owned company founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Ontario, Canada. Trudell Medical Group member companies specialize in the development, manufacturing and distribution of innovative medical devices, including the well-known AeroChamber Plus valved holding chamber and the Northgate Technologies' NEBULAE I System, a high-flow Laparoscopic Insufflator. With distribution in over 100 countries, Trudell is focused on meeting the unmet needs of patients and delivering solutions that improve quality of life. www.trudellmedicalgroup.com

Xenocor

Xenocor offers a suite of leading edge, fog-free, single-use endoscopes for minimally invasive surgical procedures. This technology emerged from the Center for Medical Innovation at the University of Utah. The current product offerings are FDA cleared, CE Marked and patent protected. Xenocor is a privately held corporation, based in Salt Lake City, UT. Learn more at: www.xenocor.com.

Contact: Megan McFeely

[email protected]

(415) 609 8707

SOURCE Xenocor, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.xenocor.com


BOSTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TycoonInvest.com is an SEC-registered crowdfunding portal dedicated to helping startups and small businesses raise capital by selling equity or debt to the general public, as well as to accredited investors. In so doing, TycoonInvest provides businesses, their investors, their employees, their customers, and their community with the opportunity to collaborate and prosper in many different ways.

TycoonInvest's mission is two-fold; it strives to help build a world where:

Entrepreneurs make their dreams come true, no matter their background, financial means, network, or connections, and potentially create many sustainable jobs in their communities, well into the future.

Members of the general public have an easy-to-use, affordable opportunity to participate in investment opportunities that previously were only available to wealthy investors; thereby enabling the public to build wealth alongside those wealthy investors, and to participate directly in the efforts of startups and small businesses, in any industry, to prosper and serve their communities, all over the United States .



What value does TycoonInvest crowdfunding provide?

For startups and small businesses, TycoonInvest crowdfunding provides an easy-to-use, affordable, robust way for them to secure funding in circumstances that often make it difficult for such companies to obtain from banks, venture capitalists, or other traditional sources of capital; for example:

Funding for pre-revenue startups to pursue their business, from idea to reality.

Funding for startups with limited assets or collateral.

Funding for existing companies to grow quickly or recover from hard times.

Funding to acquire another business, real estate, or other major asset.

Funding to pursue marketing, operational efficiencies, or other strategic initiatives.

Funding to enable underserved and under-represented groups, such as female or minority-owned businesses, to have the opportunity to pursue their dreams on a more level playing field.

Most importantly, TycoonInvest crowdfunding helps companies acquire a community of investors who genuinely desire to see the company succeed, and who are motivated to help supplement and grow the company's customer base. The companies and all the constituencies they serve, benefit greatly from investors who are not only looking to profit from their investments but who also genuinely value the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of others and their communities.



In addition to providing companies with services to secure funding, TycoonInvest provides companies with access to high-quality, affordable business planning, legal, compliance, and other professional services to help them effectively start, grow, and sustain their businesses.



For more information about the investment opportunities, education, and services available to the TycoonInvest community of companies and investors, please visit TycoonInvest.com.



TycoonoInvest Portal LLC (dba TycoonInvest), is a Title III crowdfunding portal registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).



Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12838887



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE TycoonInvest

Related Links

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BOSTON, Jun 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UncommonGood believes small nonprofits can make a significant impact, and communities are essential in supporting those affected by Alzheimer's disease. That's why UncommonGood has partnered with Alzheimer's Family Support Center of Cape Cod (AFSC) for its next giveaway campaign.

UncommonGood

Created by caregivers for caregivers, AFSC works to help families navigate the painful complexities of caring for and supporting loved ones living with Alzheimer's and other dementia-related illnesses. Through support groups, consultations, care planning, education services, insurance guidance, and social and cultural programming, AFSC works alongside cognitive disease patients and their families every step of the way.

"The fantastic work the AFSC does is a constant reminder that a cognitive loss diagnosis is not the end for someone," says UncommonGood President and founder, Carolyn Driscoll. "The AFSC continues to shift the perspective and expectations of support for both the caregiver and the patient. They're not only offering necessary education and programming- they're giving the gift of genuine connection and care to those they serve. I speak from experience with my father; they are an invaluable and incredible organization."

Starting today, individuals can support the AFSC's mission-driven work with each entry to the UncommonGood sweepstakes, which also provides an opportunity to take home a $4,000 gift card to the Chatham Bars Inn in Cape Cod. While there is no purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes, those who do donate to AFSC support a life-affirming organization along the way.

About UncommonGood

UncommonGood is the champion of the universal greater good. They simplify nonprofit marketing and fundraising so that mission-driven organizations can be more efficient, strategic, and nimble in their efforts to make change. Through custom software, value-centered sweepstakes, branding and storytelling resources, and more, UncommonGood provides nonprofits with ways to fundraise and engage advocates and allies. By taking the most common challenges in running impact-driven organizations and giving organizations the tools they need to tackle them, UncommonGood acts as a constant partner and support system for those looking to create impact at scale.

Visit uncommongood.io to learn more about the event details.

Carolyn Driscoll

[email protected]

917-538-6361

Related Images

image1.jpeg

SOURCE UncommonGood
BOSTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, United States District Court Judge, Denise J. Casper granted Medea Inc.'s ("Medea") Motion for Summary Judgment in the matter of CRG Financial, LLC, et al. v. Two Diamond Capital Corp. and Medea Inc. (District of Massachusetts, Case No. 19-CV-10182-DJC).

In dismissing Medea from the case, the Court made clear that the Plaintiff, CRG Financial, LLC "has failed to show on this undisputed record of material facts, that Medea made any false representation of material fact, the first element of any fraud claim." Further, "[t]here is no suggestion in the record that Medea made the representation [asserted by CRG]Now on a fully developed record, Plaintiffs have not marshaled evidence of their fraud allegationsAccordingly, this Court concludes that the fraud claim fails for lack of evidence of any material misrepresentationsby Medea to Plaintiffs."

Medea's Chairman and CEO, Brandon Laidlaw stated earlier today that "we are extremely pleased that the District Court granted summary judgment in our favor on all counts. Throughout this litigation, we have remained steadfast in our position that CRG's claims were entirely without merit and the Court's ruling unequivocally confirmed this today."

About Medea Inc.

Medea Inc. is a distributor of commercial goods. In 2015, Medea introduced its patented LED technology, which provided the ability to create a personal message on a smartphone and transmit it via Bluetooth to a product. The technology, which debuted on its namesake vodka bottles, launched the Company's early success. Subsequent variations included the use of the technology on vases and wearables.

When the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted normal business activities, Medea was in a position to pivot from its core business model to assist in the production of much-needed personal protective equipment ("PPE") and test kits. The Company created a new division, Medea Medical Products ("MMP"), to respond to growing consumer requests. MMP has since emerged as one of the leading wholesale distributors of PPE and other health and safety products in the U.S. and Canada. At the height of the pandemic, MMP successfully delivered approximately 26 million face masks and N95 respirators to FEMA. The Company was also awarded a contract by the State of California to supply state, federal and local agencies with N95 respirators for up to 5 years. Subsequently, Medea has grown as a distributor to the private sector, including Lowe's, the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Galaxy, the Washington Capitals, AEG and Emerson Electric.

SOURCE Medea, Inc.
The report also offers information on the upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth.

Download Our Free Sample Report

Outdoor Advertising Market in India: Key Price Trends

According to the Outdoor Advertising price trends, higher anti-dumping duties imposed by the governments in countries such as China , the US, France , Germany , and India will increase the price of exported Outdoor Advertising.

, the US, , , and will increase the price of exported Outdoor Advertising. The steady increase in crude oil prices will drive the prices of raw materials such as optical fiber, PE, PVC, steel, and aluminum. This will propel Outdoor Advertising suppliers' manufacturing costs.

Insights Offered in this Outdoor Advertising Market Report

Top Outdoor Advertising suppliers and their cost structures

Top Outdoor Advertising suppliers in the US and their cost structures

Outdoor Advertising market spend analysis in the US

Outdoor Advertising price trends, and forecasts

Cost drivers influencing the Outdoor Advertising prices

Explore more about market opportunities: www.spendedge.com/report/outdoor-advertising-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Some of the top Outdoor Advertising suppliers listed in this report:

This Outdoor Advertising procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

JCDecaux SA

iHeartMedia Inc.

OUTFRONT Media Inc

QMS Media Limited

PUBLICIS GROUPE

Urban One (Interactive One, LLC)

Request a Free Sample Report to Know More

Regional Analysis

Further breakdown of the market segmentation at requested regions.

Market Player Information

Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players, vendor segmentation, and vendor offerings.

Know the strategies adopted by vendors during the COVID-19 Recovery Phase.

Speak to our Analyst for a Customized Report

Related Reports on Information Technology Market:

Creative Agency - Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report : The creative agency will grow at a CAGR of 8.82% during 2021-2025 . Prices will increase by 8%-10% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a low bargaining power in this market.

: The creative agency will grow at a . Prices will increase by 8%-10% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a low bargaining power in this market. IT Consulting - Sourcing and Procurement Market Intelligence Report : This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their it consulting requirements. Some of the leading IT consulting suppliers are profiled extensively in this report

: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their it consulting requirements. Some of the leading IT consulting suppliers are profiled extensively in this report Marketing Services - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: The marketing services will grow at a CAGR of 5.68% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 2.15%-2.85% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market.

To access the definite purchasing guide on the Outdoor Advertising that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis:

Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Outdoor Advertising TCO (total cost of ownership) favorable?

How is the price forecast expected to change? What is driving the current and future price changes?

Which pricing models offer the most rewarding opportunities?

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

To know more https://www.spendedge.com/request-for-demo

Contact

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UserZoom, the leader in Experience Insights Management (XIM), today announced that Laurie Schultz has joined its Board of Directors. Schultz brings over three decades of business development experience to the company, having a proven track record of delivering technology solutions to the market. She most recently served as Director and CEO of Galvanize, a leading provider of cloud-based security, risk management, compliance and audit software, and became the first Canadian female CEO to lead a technology company to unicorn status, after the company was sold to Diligent in April 2021.

"We're thrilled that Laurie is bringing her talents and wealth of experience to our board of directors," said Alfonso de la Nuez, Co-CEO and Co-Founder, UserZoom. "Laurie's impressive track record in bringing enterprise software solutions to market and beyond is a tremendous asset to our board, and we look forward to working together as we continue to expand UserZoom's presence in the market, as well as XIM's emergence as its own solution category."

"I'm very excited to join the team at UserZoom," said Schultz. "In today's digital experience economy, providing best-in-class experiences is a must, and successful businesses remain competitive by measuring and improving their digital experience through actionable insights. Not only is UserZoom at the forefront of this movement, but the company's people-centric and transparent culture also aligns very closely with my values."

Under her leadership, Galvanize raised over $100M in debt and equity, securing the company's position as a market leader across all major analyst reports and one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2018-2021), Most Admired Cultures (2018-2020) and Best Managed Companies (2019-2021). Prior to Galvanize, Schultz held senior management positions at Intuit, KPMG, Sage and Telus Communications.

Schultz has received multiple leadership awards including 2019 EY Entrepreneur of the Year - Pacific Region (Technology), 2019 Business in Vancouver's (BIV's) CEO of the Year, WXN Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100 (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 Hall of Fame), the 2015 Gold Stevie Award for North America's Female Executive of the Year, the YWCA's 2015 "Women of Distinction" award, BIV's 2014 "Women of Influence" award, and Minerva Foundation's 2013 "Excellence in Leadership" award. She holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Commerce degree, both received from the University of Alberta.

For more information, please visit https://www.userzoom.com/ .

About UserZoom

UserZoom is the all-in-one Experience Insights Management (XIM) solution. Its platform and services provide the quantitative and qualitative insights essential to measuring and improving digital experience. With offices in four countries, the company helps global brands such as Google, Oracle, Aetna, Santander, News UK and half of the Fortune 100 raise the bar for an outstanding digital experience. To learn more, visit www.UserZoom.com .

Media Contact

Brian Janson

Prosek Partners on behalf of UserZoom

[email protected]

(845) 705-2511

SOURCE UserZoom

Related Links

https://www.userzoom.com


MADRID, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- We have recently witnessed, once again, a professional athlete suffering a cardiovascular attack during a match. This type of incidence and the possible fatal consequences result from an individual's genetic makeup. Genetic science now makes it possible to know whether a person has an elevated risk to suffer this type of cardiovascular accident and to avoid one of the main causes of death in the world, with more than 17 million deaths each year.

The role of genetics as a diagnostic element has been fundamental for several years, as Dr. Izquierdo, Chief Medical Officer of Veritas Intercontinental, says: "Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is mainly due to coronary pathologies, especially in patients over 40 years old, but in younger patients, such as many high-performance professional athletes, the contribution of genetic factors to the pathogenesis of SCD is a key factor, since we usually find a clear pattern of family inheritance at its origin, such as cardiomyopathies or channelopathies".

To help in the detection and prevention of Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD), Veritas Intercontinental offers the myCardio genetic service, an innovative Exome sequencing and interpretation service, focused on genes related to hereditary heart diseases.

The analysis includes all genes recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) analyzing 100 genes based on their relationship with different hereditary heart diseases. The service includes genetic counseling for the prescribing specialist, which is essential for the correct interpretation of the results and clinical management of the patient.

"myCardio," explains Dr. Luis Izquierdo, "makes it possible to tackle the main types of cardiac disorders of hereditary origin and offers enormously valuable information to avoid the disease or to treat it much more efficiently. Until now, genetic tests related to hereditary heart disease have been very focused on certain pathologies, when it has been shown that there are many interactions between different heart conditions. myCardio allows a comprehensive approach to heart disease, with a new perspective that has been shown to be much more effective".

Advantages

Whole exome sequencing (WES) is the most appropriate tool to address the genetic heterogeneity present in inherited cardiovascular disease. Recent studies show a very significant improvement in diagnostic performance using exome sequencing compared to panels, since a high number of cases in which several mutations are recorded simultaneously are observed. The advantages of the exome are more prominent in those cases in which there is no high clinical suspicion, as well as those in which the patient has been recovered after an episode of sudden death.

The service covers the study of hereditary predisposition to Primary Cardiomyopathies, Metabolic Cardiomyopathies, Channelopathies and Arrhythmias, Syndromes with Vascular Affection, Rasopathies, other syndromes linked to cardiac pathology and other risk factors (Ischemic Heart Disease) such as Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

About Veritas Intercontinental

Veritas Intercontinental was founded in 2018 by Dr. Luis Izquierdo, Dr. Vincenzo Cirigliano and Javier de Echevarria, who have accumulated extensive experience in the field of genetics, diagnostics, and biotechnology, initially linked to Veritas Genetics, a company founded in 2014 by Prof. George Church, one of the pioneers in preventive medicine. Veritas was born with the aim of making genome sequencing and its clinical interpretation available to all citizens as a tool to prevent diseases and improve health and quality of life.

Since its inception, Veritas Intercontinental has led the activity and development of the Veritas market in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Japan; with the aim of making genomics an everyday tool used for proactive healthcare management.

Based on its leadership in the application of preventive genomic medicine (myGenome), Veritas Intercontinental has expanded its offer to other areas such as perinatal medicine (myPrenatal -NIPT- and myNewborn -neonatal screening-), oncology (myCancerRisk), or the mentioned cardiovascular pathologies (myCardio), thus becoming the benchmark in advanced genomics services.

For further information

https://www.veritasint.com



Marta Pereiro

[email protected]

+34 915 623 675

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/876462/Veritas_Intercontinental_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Veritas Intercontinental
"This is a big step for one of the most recognized brands in women's intimates and we applaud this critical initiative, along with the extraordinary group of women and thought leaders they have partnered with," said Michael Drescher, founder of Vibrant Body Company. "While it is a wonderful and needed step, we urge the VS Collective and the VS Global Fund to incorporate eliminating the unnecessary use of restrictive wires and potentially harmful chemicals in bras and underwear into these new initiatives."

Much like the beauty industry, the use of potentially harmful chemicals in the United States intimate's and greater textile industries at large, is virtually unregulated. Europe has banned over 1,000 chemicals in products touching the skin, while the United States has banned 40. That means in the United States toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, chlorine bleach, lead, heavy metals, and flame retardants can be found in materials used for workout clothes, jeans, baby clothes and yes, bras and underwear. "As an industry increasingly conscious of the role it plays in women's lives and its enormous potential for positive impact, the elimination of these chemicals is the imperative of our time and it's an initiative we must envision and execute together," said Drescher.

"Vibrant Body Company was founded to A) never use wires in our bras due to what studies show prolonged restriction to the breast or any part of the body does to women's health and B) ensure that none of our first layer intimates (bras, tank tops and underwear) contain potentially harmful chemicals and dyes. We are proud to have the OEKO-TEX certification to reinforce our focus on women's wellness. To our industry partner, I commend the powerful steps they have taken for women and am excited about how we can all address cancer prevention for women by ensuring customers never wear potentially harmful chemicals," said Drescher.

Why should women be concerned about toxic chemicals in their clothing? As an example, bras and underwear lay on top of the two of the most porous areas of a woman's body. Heat, moisture and sweat can create off-gassing of any chemicals in the fabrics, dyes and foams, enabling the chemicals to then seep through the skin, like a nicotine or vitamin patch.

"We invite Victoria's Secret and the extraordinary women of the VS Collective to join us in the campaign to demand textile regulations from our government and transition to offering "clean" intimates for women everywhere. This change isn't just in the hands of our government. The industry needs to come together in purposeful partnership with designers, suppliers and retailers, to create and implement stringent industry standards for all consumers  their health and lives, quite literally, may depend on it. If the intimates industry is truly about woman, then as an industry let's make it about the entire woman, every aspect of her healthy life." said Drescher.

About Vibrant Body Company

Vibrant Body Company (VBC) is a leader in "clean" intimates which includes the EveryWear Bra, tank tops and underwear. The company is OEKO-TEX certified and that includes every stitch, fabric, foam, and dye in the product line. VBC's mission is to change the way women feel and think about their breasts, bras and first layer. For more information visit vibrantbodycompany.com, or @vibrantbodycompany.

SOURCE Vibrant Body Company

Related Links

http://vibrantbodycompany.com


PLANO, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivify Health, the developer of the nation's leading connected care platform for remote patient care, announces the release of a new white paper, "Keys to Building a Successful Remote Patient Monitoring Program." Shifting regulations, the pandemic, and innovative technology solutions are motivating more health systems and hospitals to launch or re-launch remote patient monitoring programs (RPM) in 2021. The white paper sheds important insights into this new RPM revolution, outlining best practices when rolling out a program, including making smart technology decisions, selecting a partner based on the correct metrics, and ensuring the program will deliver on quality with full reimbursement.

To download the white paper, click here.

RPM is a one-to-many technology in which one clinician can monitor multiple patients' health at the same time. This monitoring can occur continuously, through daily snapshots, or some other frequency. RPM is primarily used to manage chronic conditions. It is also used in other situations, such as pre-and post-surgery, high-risk pregnancy, and in behavioral health, weight management and medication management programs.

Vivify's white paper explores the history of remote patient monitoring, its significant transformation in the past year, and why providers now see it as an attractive, long-term solution for caring for large patient populations.

RPM and telehealth have been under-utilized despite their early start in the 1960s and even with the recent widespread availability of broadband Internet and tremendous advances in medical monitoring technology. The reasons came down to lack of provider buy-in, government and commercial payer reimbursement barriers, and a challenging regulatory environment.

2020, however, represented a sea change for both RPM and telehealth, brought on by an urgent need to safely treat and manage large patient populations at home during the global pandemic. During this time, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and commercial health plans relaxed reimbursement rules to encompass more telehealth and RPM services. Healthcare organizations quickly realized that deploying an RPM platform can boost organizational efficiency, ensure compliance, reduce unnecessary ED visits, and improve care quality. As a result, even as the COVID-19-related surge abated and medical offices and bed space opened, many healthcare organizations have continued to pursue and even expand the programs they launched during the pandemic.

The white paper guides readers through the subtle but critical nuances of launching an RPM program, providing seven essential building blocks for achieving early success and a sustainable, long-term approach. They include:

Matching goals and metrics to specific needs such as lowering preventable readmissions

Starting with a single, engaged stakeholder and location

Selecting populations that can achieve quick, meaningful wins

Matching technology to target patient populations

Implementing self-contained technology kits

Eliminating EHR integration barriers

Choosing RPM solutions that offer continuous training options

The paper also includes a case study of Evansville, Indiana-based Deaconess Health System, an early adopter of RPM. The health system, which includes 11 hospitals with 900 beds, replaced its legacy RPM system with an advanced technology solution, cutting the 30-day readmission rate for its RPM population in half within the first year after the go-live.

To learn more about Vivify solutions for RPM, visit: https://www.vivifyhealth.com/solutions/

About Vivify Health

Vivify Health is the innovative leader in connected healthcare delivery solutions. The company's mobile, cloud-based platform powers holistic remote care management through personalized care plans, biometric data monitoring, multi-channel patient education and functionality configured to each patient's unique needs. Vivify Health serves the nation's largest and most progressive health systems, healthcare organizations and employersempowering clinicians to proactively manage the complexities of remote care and catalyzing employee health and productivity with a single-platform solution for all device and digital health data. The comprehensive, content-rich platform and turnkey workflow services enable providers to intuitively scale and maximize value across populations. For more information about Vivify Health, visit www.vivifyhealth.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Visit our Company Blog to access case studies, thought leadership and news.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Vivify Health

Related Links

https://www.vivifyhealth.com


$2.3 billion After-Tax NPV (8%) at Base Case metal prices

After-Tax IRR 19.5% at Base Case metal prices

Cashflow over the first four years of $965 million per year at Base Case metal prices

Base case development contemplates 25-year mine life

Extended Two-Phase development contemplates a 47-year mine life

Base Case metal prices: Cu: US$3.35/lb, Au: US$1,600/oz, Ag: US$24/oz, Mo: US$12/lb

VANCOUVER, BC, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Western Copper and Gold Corporation ("Western" or the "Company") (TSX: WRN) (NYSE American: WRN) is pleased to release the results of its Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA", or "Study") on its wholly-owned Casino copper-gold-molybdenum deposit in the Yukon ("Casino" or the "Project"). The Study considered the Project being constructed as an open pit mine, with a concentrator processing nominally 120,000 tonnes per day and a gold heap leach facility processing nominally 25,000 tonnes per day.

The Study supersedes all previous studies and incorporates the updated mineral resource with an effective date of July 3, 2020. The Study also incorporates outcomes of the Best Available Tailings Technology Study (the "BATT Study") completed in 2018 with participation by First Nations, the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board ("YESAB") and the Yukon Government. The design concept for the tailings management facility ("TMF") also reflects the guidance received from the Independent Engineering Review Panel.

The Study examines the development of the Casino Project, which comprises the processing of 1.3 billion tonnes of mineralized material for both the mill and heap leach, with deposition of mill tailings and mine waste in the TMF facility consistent with the design concepts considered during the BATT Study as a base case development.

"I am extremely pleased with the results from this PEA", said Paul West-Sells, President & Chief Executive Officer. "This Study reaffirms Casino as one of the very few long-life copper-gold projects with robust economics in a top mining district, the Yukon. We look forward to continuing working with our recent strategic investor, Rio Tinto, First Nations and other stakeholders to advance this project through additional engineering to feasibility."

In this news release, unless otherwise indicated, all further references to "$" are to Canadian dollars and references to "US$" are to United States dollars.

HIGHLIGHTS



Base Case* Payback period, years 3.0



NPV pre-tax (8% discount) $3.62 billion NPV after-tax (8% discount) $2.33 billion



LOM pre-tax free cash flow $13.0 billion LOM after-tax free cash flow $9.1 billion



IRR pre-tax (100 % equity) 23.3% IRR after-tax (100% equity) 19.5%



Initial Capital Investment $3.25 billion Total mineralized material mined 1.3 billion tonnes Mill mineralized material 1.1 billion tonnes Heap leach mineralized material 204 million tonnes



Mill operation 25 years Heap leach operation 23 years LOM strip ratio 0.38:1

Base Case metal prices: Cu: US$3.35/lb, Au: US$1,600/oz, Ag: US$24/oz, Mo: US$12/lb.

KEY CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS STUDY

The engineering design basis for this PEA is similar in most respects to earlier studies but includes several significant design improvements. The major changes include:

Tailings Management Facility

The TMF is sized to provide sufficient capacity to store approximately 712 Mt of tailings and 500 Mt of mining waste rock and overburden materials. The remaining 415 Mt of non-acid generating ("NAG") tailings will be used for dam construction following classification with hydrocyclones and dewatering screens. The TMF for the PEA includes design changes based on the recommendations from the BATT Study. The key changes to the TMF design concept include:

Substantial reduction in the quantity of free-standing water impounded during operations and a corresponding reduction of risk associated with this facility.

Closure by saturated NAG tailings cover limiting the need for a flooded cover.

A tailings dewatering facility to conserve additional coarse sand material for dam construction. Surplus sand produced through cycloning and screening operations will be used to buttress the downstream slopes of the main embankment.

Changes to the design of the starter dam to reduce construction risk.

Added a HDS water treatment facility to provide mitigation for potential water surplus conditions, However, surplus water is not expected under design operating conditions.

Updated Mineral Resource

The updated mineral resource, released in July 2020, was used as the basis of the PEA. For the purposes of the Study, only the measured and indicated mineral resources were considered as mill or heap leach feed. Inferred mineral resources in the pit are considered to be waste as there are limited inferred mineral resources in the designed pit.

Note that the Study reports on mineral resources, not mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Heap Leach Gold Recovery

New column testing on various lithology samples representing the feed to the heap leach indicated that the gold recovery in the heap leach could be increased from 66% to 70%.

Access Road

Costing for the access road was adjusted to incorporate the commitment from the Yukon and Federal government to fund portions of the access road. More detail can be found in the Western news release dated September 5, 2017.

Airstrip

The proposed airstrip has been relocated along the access road to limit the potential impact on caribou habitat.

FINANCIAL RESULTS

The Study indicates that the potential economic returns from the Project justify its further development and securing the required permits and licenses for operation.

The financial results of the Study were developed under commodity prices that were based on analyst projections of long-term metal prices and CAN$:US$ exchange rate ("Base Case" prices).

Note that an exchange rate of CAN$:US$ of 0.80 was used for the capital cost estimation for all metal price scenarios.

The following table summarizes the financial results:



Base Case Copper (US$/lb) 3.35 Molybdenum (US$/lb) 12.00 Gold (US$/oz) 1,600 Silver (US$/oz) 24.00 Exchange Rate (C$:US$) 0.80



NPV pre-tax (5% discount, $millions) 5,790 NPV pre-tax (8% discount, $millions) 3,620 IRR pre-tax (100% equity) 23.3%



NPV after-tax (5% discount, $millions) 3,900 NPV after-tax (8% discount, $millions) 2,330 IRR after-tax (100% equity) 19.5%



LOM pre-tax free cash flow ($millions) 13,000 LOM after-tax free cash flow ($millions) 9,070



Payback period (years) 3.0 Net Smelter Return ($/t milled) 28.14 Copper Cash Cost* (US$/lb) (1.13)

*C1 cash costs, net of by-product credits.

The financial results of the Study are significantly influenced by copper and gold prices, as is shown in the tables below:

Copper Price (US$/lb)* $2.50 $3.00 $3.35 $4.00 $4.50 $5.00 NPV pre-tax (8%) ($M) 2,290 3,070 3,620 4,630 5,410 6,190 NPV after-tax (8%) ($M) 1,400 1,950 2,330 3,040 3,590 4,140 IRR pre-tax 18.5% 21.4% 23.3% 26.6% 29.0% 31.3% IRR after-tax 15.4% 17.9% 19.5% 22.3% 24.3% 26.2% Payback (years) 3.7 3.2 3.0 2.7 2.5 2.3

Gold Price (US$/oz)* $1200 $1400 $1600 $1800 $2000 $2200 NPV pre-tax (8%) ($M) 2,580 3,100 3,620 4,130 4,650 5,170 NPV after-tax (8%) ($M) 1,600 1,960 2,330 2,700 3,060 3,430 IRR pre-tax 19.3% 21.3% 23.3% 25.2% 27.1% 29.0% IRR after-tax 16.1% 17.8% 19.5% 21.1% 22.7% 24.3% Payback (years) 3.5 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.6 2.5

*All other metal prices except those noted are the same as the Base Case.

Higher grade material is fed to the concentrator during the first four years of the concentrator operation. This factor, combined with the concurrent heap leach facility operation, results in higher yearly cash flows and other metrics during this period and contributes significantly to the Project's financial performance.



Years 1-4 Life of Mine Average Annual Pre-tax Cash Flow ($millions) 1,081 645 Average Annual After-tax Cash Flow ($millions) 965 528 Average Net Smelter Return (NSR) ($/t ore milled) 41.92 28.14 % of Revenue - Copper 50 47 % of Revenue - Gold 37 36 % of Revenue - Silver 3 3 % of Revenue - Molybdenum 10 14

CAPITAL COSTS

Total initial capital investment in the Project is estimated to be $3.25 billion, which represents the total direct and indirect cost for the complete development of the Project, including associated infrastructure and power plant. The following table shows how the initial capital is distributed between the various components.

Cost Item Total ($M) Process Plant and Infrastructure

Project Directs including freight 1,777 Project Indirects 390 Contingency 412 Subtotal 2,579 Mining

Mine Equipment 409 Mine Preproduction 211 Subtotal 620 Owner's Costs 52 Total Initial Capital Costs 3,251 Sustaining Capital 719 Total Life of Mine Capital Costs 3,970

OPERATING COSTS

Operating costs for the milling operation were calculated per tonne of material processed through the mill over the life of mine:



LOM

($/tonne) Milling $5.72 General & Administrative $0.45 Total $6.17

Heap leach operating costs were calculated per tonne of material processed through the heap leach over the life of the heap leach.



LOM

($/tonne) Heap Leach Operation $1.30 ADR/SART $4.67 Total $5.98

Mining costs were calculated to average $1.93 per tonne of material moved and $3.10 per tonne of mineralized material.



($/tonne) Cost per tonne material (material moved) $1.93 Cost per tonne mill feed (mill + heap material) $3.10 Cost per tonne mill feed $3.66

The combined mining and milling costs are $9.84 per tonne material milled for the life of mine, which compares favorably to the life-of-mine net smelter return of $28.14 per tonne at Base Case metal prices.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The Study evaluates the development of the Casino deposit as a conventional open pit mine, concentrator complex, and heap leach operation. The initial production will focus on the deposit's oxide cap as a heap leach operation to recover gold and silver in dore form. The main sulphide deposit will be processed using a conventional concentrator to produce copper-gold-silver and molybdenum concentrates. Key metrics of the processing plant are shown below:



Years 1-4 Life of Mine Strip ratio 0.28 0.38 Nominal Throughput



Mill (tpd) 120,000 120,000 Heap (tpd) 25,000 25,000 Average Annual Metal Production



Copper (Mlbs) 252 178 Gold (kozs) 339 231 Silver (kozs) 1,570 1,360 Molybdenum (Mlbs) 16.5 16.6 Average Annual Mill Feed Grade



Copper (%) 0.312 0.197 Gold (g/t) 0.360 0.226 Silver (g/t) 2.039 1.702 Molybdenum (%) 0.026 0.022 Average Annual Heap Leach Grade*



Gold (g/t) 0.359 0.259 Silver (g/t) 2.271 1.95 Copper (%t) 0.039 0.034 Recovery (Mill)



Copper (%) 84.5 86.6 Gold (%) 67.6 67.1 Silver (%) 55.3 53.1 Molybdenum (%) 65.9 71.3 Recovery (Heap)



Gold (%) 70.0 70.0 Copper (%) 18.0 18.0 Silver (%) 26.0 26.0 Annual Concentrate Production



Cu (dry ktonnes) 408 288 Mo (dry ktonnes) 13 13 Average Concentrate Grade



Copper Concentrate



Cu (%) 28.0 28.0 Au (g/t) 25.9 24.9 Ag (g/t) 119.8 147.1 Molybdenum Concentrate



Mo (%) 56.0 56.0

*Heap leach first four years grades taken from the start of the heap leach.

INFRASTRUCTURE

A new 132-km all-weather access road will be developed, extending from the end of the existing Freegold Road and generally following the alignment of the existing "Casino Trail" to the mine site. The Study contemplated that concentrates will be transported, stored and loaded on ships via upgraded facilities provided by the Port of Skagway, Alaska. The Project operating cost estimate includes the anticipated concentrate handling service charges based on use of the upgraded facilities.

SECOND PHASE DEVELOPMENT

The Study also examined extending the operation after treating the first 1.3 billion tonnes of mineralized material (Phase I) for approximately 25 years (Phase II) for a total life-of-mine of 47 years. The extended operation is achieved using the original concentrator and associated infrastructure at the same nominal processing rate of 120,000 tonnes per day. An additional 1 billion tonnes of mineralized material would be processed by the mill during the extended operation. A secondary TMF would be constructed downstream of the original TMF to accommodate the additional tailings and waste rock associated with extended operations.

The indicative capital requirements and economic performance indicators for the extended operations scenario is as shown below. As this table shows, the differences between Phase I capital costs and the combined Phase I + Phase II capital costs are the additional sustaining capital to construct the secondary TMF facility and the mine equipment required to support the Project through the additional years of mine life.

Cost Item Phase I

Total ($M) Phase I + II Total ($M) Process Plant and Infrastructure



Project Directs including freight 1,777 1,777 Project Indirects 390 390 Contingency 412 412 Subtotal 2,579 2,579 Mine



Mine Equipment 409 419 Mine Preproduction 211 206 Subtotal 620 625 Owner's Costs 52 52 Total Initial Capital Cost 3,251 3,256 Sustaining Capital 719 1,808 Total Life of Mine Capital Costs 3,970 5,064

The net present value and internal rate of return for developing the two-phase project are not significantly different from those for developing the single-phase project, however, the life-of-mine and life-of-mine cash flow increase significantly. Highlights from developing the Phase I + II development at Base Case metal prices are shown below:



Phase I

Development Phase I + II Development NPV pre-tax* (8% discount) $3.62 billion $3.70 billion NPV after-tax* (8% discount) $2.33 billion $2.38 billion





LOM pre-tax free cash flow* $13.0 billion $17.2 billion LOM after-tax free cash flow* $9.1 billion $12.0 billion





IRR pre-tax* (100 % equity) 23.3% 23.1% IRR after-tax* (100% equity) 19.5% 19.3%





Total mineralized material mined 1.3 billion tonnes 2.4 billion tonnes Mill mineralized material 1.1 billion tonnes 2.1 billion tonnes Heap leach mineralized material 204 million tonnes 240 million tonnes Average annual mill feed grades



Copper (%) 0.197 0.163 Gold (g/t) 0.226 0.192 Silver (g/t) 1.70 1.507 Molybdenum (%) 0.022 0.018 Average annual heap leach grades*



Gold (g/t) 0.259 0.245 Silver (g/t) 1.95 1.87 Copper (g/t) 0.034 0.034





Mill operation 25 years 47 years Heap leach operation 23 years 33 years LOM waste:ore ratio 0.38:1 0.47:1

*Based on Base Case metal prices: Cu: US$3.35/lb, Au: US$1,600/oz, Ag: US$24/oz, Mo: US$12/lb

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

The Project is located within the traditional territory of Selkirk First Nation. Aspects of the Project impact the traditional territories of the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, Tr'ondek Hwech'in, Kluane First Nation and White River First Nation. The nearest communities are the Village of Carmacks and Pelly Crossing, and the Project is 200 km upstream of Dawson City along the Yukon River.

Western is committed to developing and operating the Project in a safe, ethical and socially responsible manner. Western has been consulting extensively on the Project since 2008, and First Nations and their technical advisors have participated directly in the refinement of the tailings and mine waste strategy at the Project, as reflected in the design presented in the PEA.

Since 2006, Western has spent over $75 Million in Yukon advancing the Project, working with over 50 different Yukon and First Nations joint venture companies. Western is active in the local community, with longstanding support and sponsorship of over 30 local organizations and charities.

As the Project is further refined, Western will continue to seek feedback from and partnerships with local First Nations and communities and is committed to developing the Project with First Nations' and local community input.

LOOKING FORWARD

Based on the positive results of the Study, Western plans to advance the Project to establish a mineral reserve estimate for the Project with the ultimate objective of submitting an application for environmental assessment under the Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment Act, the first step in the permitting process.

CONFERENCE CALL

Western will hold a conference call and webcast on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 8 am Pacific Time (11 am Eastern Time) to discuss the Study.

Webcast access: http://services.choruscall.ca/links/westerncopperandgold20210622.html

Telephone access:

Vancouver local and International 1-604-638-5340

Toll Free North America: 1-800-319-4610

An archived recording of the conference call will be available by dialing 1-604-638-9010 or 1-800-319-6413 within North America, passcode is 7194. The webcast and presentation slides will be archived on the Company's website www.westerncopperandgold.com.

TECHNICAL REPORT & QUALIFIED PERSONS

M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation ("M3), a full-service Engineering, Procurement, Construction & Management firm, is recognized for its experience in copper processing and capabilities in the development and construction of mines and mineral processing plants. A National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) compliant technical report prepared by the following Qualified Persons will be posted on the Company's website (www.westerncopperandgold.com) as well as on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), and on EDGAR within 45 days:

Daniel Roth , P.Eng. of M3  Overall scientific and technical information, with a focus on project infrastructure, capital costs, and the economic analysis.

, P.Eng. of M3  Overall scientific and technical information, with a focus on project infrastructure, capital costs, and the economic analysis. Laurie Tahija , MMSA-QP, of M3  Metallurgy, recovery methods, and process operating costs.

, MMSA-QP, of M3  Metallurgy, recovery methods, and process operating costs. Michael G. Hester , F Aus IMM, of Independent Mining Consultants  Resource estimation, mining methods and mining costs.

, F Aus IMM, of Independent Mining Consultants  Resource estimation, mining methods and mining costs. Carl Schulze , P.Geo., of Aurora Geosciences  History, geology, exploration, drilling, and sampling.

, P.Geo., of Aurora Geosciences  History, geology, exploration, drilling, and sampling. Caroline J. Vallat , P.Geo., of GeoSpark Consulting Inc.  Data verification.

, P.Geo., of GeoSpark Consulting Inc.  Data verification. Daniel Friedman , P.Eng., of Knight Piesold Ltd.  Tailings and heap leach facilities.

The Qualified Persons have reviewed and approved the scientific, technical, and economic information contained in this news release.

ABOUT WESTERN COPPER AND GOLD CORPORATION

Western Copper and Gold Corporation is developing the Casino Project, Canada's premier copper-gold mine in the Yukon Territory and one of the most economic greenfield copper-gold mining projects in the world. For more information, visit www.westerncopperandgold.com.

On behalf of the board,

"Paul West-Sells"

Dr. Paul West-Sells

President and CEO

Western Copper and Gold Corporation

Cautionary Disclaimer Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information

Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Therefore, investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource could ever be mined economically. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of "measured mineral resources," "indicated mineral resources," or "inferred mineral resources" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. The mineral resource estimates contained herein may be subject to legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of such mineral resources. See the technical report, once filed, for more information with respect to the key assumptions, parameters, methods and risks of determination associated with the foregoing. The PEA is preliminary in nature, includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning anticipated developments in Western's operations in future periods. Statements that are not historical fact are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" as that term is defined in National Instrument 51-102 ("NI 51-102") of the Canadian Securities Administrators (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Certain forward-looking information should also be considered future-oriented financial information ("FOFI") as that term is defined in NI 51-102. The purpose of disclosing FOFI is to provide a general overview of management's expectations regarding the anticipated results of operations and capital expenditures and readers are cautioned that FOFI may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible" and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: mineral resource estimation; mine plan and operations; internal rate of return; sensitivities; net present value; potential recoveries; design parameters; economic potential; processing mineralized material; the potential of robust economics at Casino; advancing the Project through additional engineering and towards the next step in permitting and submission of an environmental and socio-economic effects statement; key changes to the TMF design; increases to the gold recovery in the heap leach; potential economic returns from the Project; estimated initial capital investment costs; estimated operating costs; estimated mining costs; development of the airstrip and all weather access road; anticipated concentrate handling service charges; developing and operating the Project in a safe, ethical and socially-responsible manner; plans for further development and securing the required permits and licenses for further studies to consider operation; market price of precious and base metals; or other statements that are not statement of fact. The material factors or assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements include prevailing and projected market prices and foreign exchange rates, exploration estimates and results, continued availability of capital and financing, construction and operations, the Company not experiencing unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, equipment failures, permitting delays, and general economic, market or business conditions and as more specifically disclosed throughout this document, and in the AIF and Form 40-F.

Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual results, performance or achievements of Western and its subsidiaries may differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks involved in fluctuations in gold, copper and other commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, recovery rates, production estimates and estimated economic return; risks related to joint venture operations; risks related to cooperation of government agencies and First Nations in the development of the property and the issuance of required permits; risks related to the need to obtain additional financing to develop the property and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in construction projects and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in Western's AIF and Form 40-F, and other information released by Western and filed with the applicable regulatory agencies.

Western's forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and Western does not assume, and expressly disclaims, any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Western Copper and Gold Corporation

Related Links

www.westerncoppercorp.com


DALLAS, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- [x]cube LABS announced today the launch of an agriculture industry focused report titled 'Agritech 2021: Transforming Agriculture with Digital Technologies' in collaboration with Grand Farm, on Thursday, July 15th, 2021 at the Cultivate Conference. Agriculture today faces challenges such as climate change, sustainability, shifting consumer demand falling grower income, and more. In this context, the report will provide a comprehensive overview of the industry and propose potential innovation opportunities that put the industry on the best course for the future. In addition, the report, which will be available for free, brings in detailed insights from a comprehensive survey conducted by [x]cube LABS, covering stakeholders across all key roles and segments of the industry. The report will feature insights from industry experts, showcase innovative Agritech use cases, and publish results from an independent study of global agriculture stakeholders.

Speaking to the press, Puneet Kalia, AgTech business leader at [x]cube LABS, said: "Multiple driving forces are transforming agriculture in significant ways, and this creates opportunities as well as significant challenges for stakeholders in this space. This report, put together in collaboration with key players across the agriculture industry, will fill an important gap and offer a comprehensive view of the transformative landscape at large. We're excited to launch this report at the Cultivate Conference."

The Cultivate Conference, hosted by Grand Farm, is an event focused on emerging technologies in agriculture and features attendees from leading agri-tech firms and research institutes.

"We're excited about this collaboration with [x]cube LABS," said Andrew Jason, Grand Farm Ecosystem Builder. "As the industry is set to undergo drastic innovation, they are a great partner to be leading this report as they've been leading digital transformation for years."

About Grand Farm

The Grand Farm Education and Research Initiative, energized by Emerging Prairie, capitalizes on the region's potential and expertise in the agriculture and technology industries. The Grand Farm Initiative will accelerate the research and innovation into technology which will be present on the farm of the future  impacting North Dakota, the United States, and the World by solving challenges in the agriculture industry and developing new opportunities.

About [x]cube LABS

[x]cube LABS is a leading digital transformation company working across diverse industries, including agriculture. [x]cube LABS has helped agriculture stakeholders worldwide with digital solutions that resolve critical bottlenecks and develop innovative digital products to transform customer engagement and business operations. Located in the US, Europe and Asia, [x]cube LABS has worked with more than 30 Fortune 2000 companies and has developed a reputation as a high-quality partner for building digital centers of excellence, customer experience transformation and IoT implementations. For more information, visit: https://www.xcubelabs.com

Contact

[x]cube LABS

Nilesh Jahagirdar 1-800-805-5783

[email protected]

SOURCE [x]cube LABS

Related Links

https://www.xcubelabs.com


GUANGZHOU, China, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As a global innovative technology healthcare service corporation, Guangzhou Yushangmei Health Management Co., Ltd. announced the acquisition of Totally Green Inc. (headquartered in Nevada, USA, stock code: TLGN) to which, Totally Green Inc. has conditionally agreed to dispose of, while Yushangmei agreed to acquire the controlling stake in the target company. Pursuant to the Sale and Purchase Agreement, Yushangmei proposes to acquire and Totally Green intends to sell the controlling stake in the target company (or its holding company).

The acquirer - Guangzhou Yushangmei Health Management Co., Ltd., is committed to building a global innovative advanced technology healthcare service platform, integrating the healthcare industry, high-tech Research and Development (R&D), digitalized operation, new media marketing and community services. Looking ahead, wellness ecosystem will be the development direction, in which international high-end services as core business of Yushangmei, by providing innovative technologies with big data, so as to pave the way for global diversified development.

Yushangmei owns a range of high-tech health products such as Fuhengbao, Miaoyiyan, and Jinshubao, which mainly focus on women's personal health care and are developed by self-dependent technology. The company has cooperated intensively with the R&D institutions for high-tech female reproductive health product, stem cells, biomedicine and universities in Mainland China. Yushangmei is indeed a superpower in terms of technological research and development with a complete sets for manufacturing, which leads them to has successfully launched a range of medical enzyme peptide and stem cells products in conjunction with multiple institutions.

What's more, with the use of digitalized technology, e-commerce system platform is perfectly created, while online and offline businesses are highly integrated. Taking advantages of the craze of high-end private yoga for ladies, and the live-streaming celebrities with tens of millions of fans base, Yushangmei does not only echoes to Belt and Road initiative by boosting international trade for health industry, but also helps increasing the membership base by breaking into a new global market, and will end up standing at the forefront of health industry using big data.

With the smart e-commerce retail, self-operated online shopping mall in Yushangmei has already been established. Through stringent control on the eligibility of the supply chain manufacturers, together with the adoption of an innovative F to C model, more favorable and high quality "private & health" products are expected to be delivered directly from manufacturers to corporate clients. This does not only helps more clients to save cost, but also facilitates more innovative brands to set up their own sales channels, eventually achieving the dream of having more national brands. As for the innovative healthcare system, which online and offline services are highly integrated, is also expected to have a considerable growth in value.

Through technology, the importance of healthcare and wellness will be deeply rooted to the people's hearts, thereby realizing an upgraded global strategy of health and ecological services.

The acquirer and acquiree of this acquisition are organizations that strive to serve customers with innovative technologies, in order to make services more accessible and better. Upon the completion of the acquisition, both parties will work together to carry out new marketing strategies and exploring global market, so as to bring positive impact by maximizing the potential of all providers and clients. Yushangmei and Totally Green are committed to strive for ideals, and will continue to excel by upgrading the technologies for R&D and the quality of service; meanwhile promoting the diversity, equality and values; as well as providing free and paid products and innovative high-quality service for all.

SOURCE Guangzhou Yushangmei Health Management Co., Ltd
Cloudbreak is a project generator with a diverse portfolio of assets and a strong pipeline of further deals

( ) has taken an indirect stake in a borate project under a deal negotiated by , a company in which it holds a 15.8% stake.

Temas has entered into a definitive option and joint venture agreement for the development of Erin Ventures Piskanja borate project in Serbia.

may earn a 50% interest in the Piskanja project by spending up to 10.5mln and issuing to Erin Ventures 250,000 common shares and 250,000 Temas warrants.

We are pleased to see Temas progress on this joint development agreement and look forward to seeing the commencement of the work programmes at the Piskanja project as part of the expenditure requirements, said Kyler Hardy, chief executive of Cloudbreak Discovery.

This news further supports our business model, and we look forward to updating the market with further news in due course.

The Piskanja project has an indicated mineral resource of 7.8 mln tonnes, averaging 31% boric oxide (B2O3), and an inferred resource of 3.4 mln tonnes, averaging 28.6% B2O3.

Boron is an essential mineral that is found in everything from eye drops, mild antiseptics, a supplement for building stronger bones and muscles to boric acid, which is used to toughen and increase heat resistance in pyrex.
Kavango has an extremely prospective portfolio of exploration assets in Botswana

( ) has appointed existing board member Ben Turney as chief executive.

Michael Foster, the outgoing chief executive, has decided to step down as CEO after 40 years in the mineral exploration industry. He remains on the board as a non-executive director.

Since joining the board earlier in the year, Turney has successfully instigated a number of important initiatives to improve operations, communications, financial management and commercial development.

He was instrumental in securing the strategic partnership with Spectral Geophysics and the terms of the deal with Mindea Exploration and Drilling Services/Equity Drilling Limited.

Subject to the approval of shareholders at this week's AGM, Hillary Gumbo, managing director of the company's subsidiary in Botswana and responsible for exploration activities in the country, will also join the board.

Gumbo was one of the founders of Kavango Minerals (Pty) Ltd, the company's operating subsidiary in Botswana, and has been an important member of the company's executive team for some years.

Gumbo is an experienced geophysicist with a degree in geology and an MSc in geophysics. His executive responsibilities for Kavango in Botswana will not be affected by his appointment to the board.

The culture at Kavango is a credit to all involved, said incoming chief Ben Turney.

Openness, honesty and creative thinking are the hallmarks of our team. It is a privilege to lead such a group and I will do everything I possibly can to live up to that responsibility. The opportunities for Kavango are considerable. We have three potentially major projects, in the Kalahari Suture Zone, at South Ghanzi and in the LVR joint venture, each of which we believe has a chance of delivering a major metals discovery.
An announcement might come as soon as Thursday according to the reports

The government is working on a plan to allow fully vaccinated people to travel more freely, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said today in an apparent contradiction of comments from Boris Johnson yesterday.

Hancock told Sky News the plans are not yet finalised though the Times reported that an announcement might come as soon as Thursday with fully vaccinated travellers no longer having to quarantine for ten days after visiting an amber list country.

"It is absolutely something we're working on - it's something I want to see," Hancock said.

Shares in the airlines rose on the reports even though Boris Johnson had warned yesterday travellers face a difficult year and there would be hassle.

Airline bosses have been outspoken critics of the governments traffic light system, especially following the addition of Portugal to the amber list earlier this month.

Spain, France, Italy and Greece are also on the amber list, which requires tend days of self-isolation and Covid-19 tests before travel and on days two and eight after returning

Airlines launch legal challenge.

Ryanair boss Michael OLeary has repeatedly called for a vaccine-based approach and has started legal action to get changes to the systems pointing out the UK has overseen one of the most successful vaccine roll-outs with 80% of adults receiving at least one shot.

TUI AG ( ) said today it was joining the legal action with travel association ABTA also considering whether to sign up.

Virgin Atlantic, British Airways's parent company IAG, and the Manchester Airport Group are already signed up to the writ.

Countries in the EU have already started to open up travel arrangements with a digital passport recently agreed that will allow fully vaccinated tourists to avoid tests or quarantines.

Ryanair ( ) shares rose by 1.3% to 16.66, easyJet ( ) 2.5% to 997.4p and Wizz Air ( ) by 2.1% to 5,084p.

-- adds comment about TUI, legal action --
Securities will remain halted until Thursday, June 24, or when an announcement is released to the market.

The company welcomes support from Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility for the Nolans Rare Earth Project.

Arafura Resources Limited ( ) (OTCMKTS:ARAFF) (FRA:REB) has been granted a trading halt by the ASX ahead of a proposed capital raising announcement that is material to the company.

The halt will remain in place until the start of regular trading on Thursday, June 24 or until an announcement is released to the market, whichever occurs earliest.

Shares last traded at 17 cents and the companys market cap is approximately $199 million.

Support from NAIF welcomed

Arafura has welcomed support from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) in relation to a potential senior debt facility as part of the funding package for its Nolans Rare Earth Project.

This support for the project 135 kilometres north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory has come in the form of a without commitment Letter of Support.

It sets out key terms for a potential senior debt facility:

Facility amount of up to A$100 million;

Up to 15-year facility term; and

Conditions that are required for a financing of such a nature.

Extremely pleased

Arafura managing director Gavin Lockyer said: We are extremely pleased to receive this support from NAIF.

We look forward to working with NAIF to meet the relevant conditions necessary to advance the process.
Following the non-executive chairmans resignation, the company is looking forward to continuing working with Gowans as a legal advisor to the company.

The company is expected to announce a new chairman in the coming weeks.

s ( ) non-executive chairman Patrick Gowans has resigned from his position as a director of the company.

The company has thanked Gowans for his contribution to the company as a director and looks forward to continuing to work with him in the capacity of a legal adviser.

Gowans has played a considerable role at Alice Queen as non-executive chairman for the last 18 months as well as a director of the companys Horn Island subsidiary, Kauraru Gold Pty Ltd, since 2017.

According to the company, he has resigned from these positions to focus on other commitments.

Sincere thanks

Alice Queens managing director Andrew Buxton said: We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Patrick for his significant contributions to Alice Queen over the last 18 months.

We look forward to continuing working with Patrick as a legal advisor to the company.

Embarked on a process

Buxton added: As we enter our next stage of growth, where we will be focusing on moving our flagship Horn Island Project closer to production, we will look to appoint a chairperson who will bring with them experience in overseeing companies as they transition from explorer, through development and move into production.

The company has embarked on a process and expects to be able to announce its new chairperson in the coming weeks.

Drilling to extend target area

The companys latest drilling campaign at its Mendooran Project within the Northern Molong Volcanic Belt of New South Wales has extended the target area.

Recent drilling by the gold and copper explorer has confirmed that prospective Macquarie Arc rocks lie a further nine kilometres to Mendoorans north.

While work at the project is still in its early stages, confidence is building thanks to other discoveries in the area that is within the prolific Lachlan Fold Belt.

Mendooran is in close proximity to Alkane Resources Limiteds ( ) Kaiser-Boda discovery which cemented the area as a hotspot for copper-gold finds.

Commitments for placement

Last month, the company received binding commitments for a $1.8 million placement to progress work at its Horn Island Project in Queensland, recent Fijian acquisition and its Northern Molong Project in NSW.

The placement has been managed by Fresh Equities Pty Ltd and was strongly supported by existing major shareholder Datt Capital.

The company intends to use proceeds to assess the value of the historic run of mine and ore stockpiles at Horn Island via a planned RC drill program along with progressing the review of historical exploration results in Fiji and starting a maiden preliminary field program.
The secondary listing also aligns with its future expansion plans for both its upstream and downstream business activities to capture the growth opportunities in the region.

OMH shares on Bursa Securities are now being traded independently from OMH shares on the ASX

OM Holdings Limited ( ) has made its debut on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad on Tuesday morning at an opening price of .72 per share, which is a 5.84% premium from the listing reference price of .57 per share.

The listing reference price was calculated based on the closing market price of OMH shares traded on the ASX of A$0.825 on June 21, 2021, multiplied by the closing Bank Negara Malaysias Australian dollar to the Malaysian ringgit exchange rate of A$1:RM3.1115.

Following the listing, OMH shares on Bursa Securities are being traded independently from OMH shares on the ASX.

The news pushed the companys shares on the ASX as much as 5.5% higher to A$0.87 in afternoon trade on Tuesday.

Significant milestone

OMH chairman and CEO Low Ngee Tong said: We are pleased to achieve this significant milestone in over the 20-year history of our company, as well as the positive reception of local investors in our shares on Bursa Securities.

Our secondary listing also aligns with our future expansion plans for both our upstream and downstream business activities to capture the growth opportunities in the region.

In time, we are hopeful that we will be able to grow our market presence amongst Malaysian investors, and boost the trading activity and liquidity for our shares in the Malaysian capital markets.

Shares available for trading

As of the listing date, a total of 16.8 million shares were available for trading on Bursa Securities, exceeding the aggregate of 10.0 million shares initially undertaken by the promoter of OMH.

As OMH shares are fully fungible between the two exchanges, shareholders can transfer their shares listed on the ASX to Bursa Securities, and vice versa for trading.

The trading price of OMH shares on Bursa Securities and ASX may differ due not only to currency fluctuations but also due to the demand and supply dynamics and difference in trading participants and investor bases on both exchanges.

Leading supplier of manganese ores, ferroalloys

OM Holdings is a vertically integrated manganese ore and ferroalloy company involved in the mining and trading raw ores, as well as the smelting and marketing of processed ferroalloys.

The Group is one of the worlds leading suppliers of manganese ores and ferroalloys, and seeks to be the main ferroalloy supply partner to major steel mills and other industries.

Powered by sustainable hydro-power, the company is pursuing growth and natural diversification into new commodities like silicon metal.

It has the lowest cost quartile smelter complex in Sarawak, Malaysia, the largest of its kind in Asia, excluding China and has operations in Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Africa.

Through its global trading network, it distributes products from its Asia-Pacific base to customers around the world.
Washington, June 22 : US 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 US interests but also to reduce the risk of miscalculation between our two countries." He also said Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov had returned to Washington DC, Xinhua reported.

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.

US-Russia relations are at their lowest point in years. The two sides have sharp differences over Ukraine, cybersecurity, human rights, and US 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 US intelligence community assessed that officers of Russia's Federal Security Service used a nerve agent known as Novichok to poison Navalny on August 20, 2020.

Russia has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying the Navalny case is a purely domestic affair and foreign intervention is not allowed.
Lucknow, June 22 : Over seven lakh people were administered the Covid vaccines in a single day in Uttar Pradesh, exceeding the target of six lakhs.

The state administered as many as 7,16,146 doses of Covishield and Covaxin on Monday, the highest it has touched since vaccinations began in January.

This takes the total doses administered in the state so far to 2,62,49,887.

Earlier in April, approximately 5.5 lakh people had been vaccinated for a single-day record.

Additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad, said that more than 7.16 lakh vaccines were administered on Monday.

"We plan to maintain this pace throughout the month," he added.

The state has set a target of vaccinating between 6 to 7 lakh persons per day from Monday till June 30 to reach a target of one crore for the month of June.

From July 1, it aims to vaccinate at least 10 lakh people a day so that by the end of August, the state can achieve its goal of having vaccinated 10 crore people.

"The government has set up special booths for women, parents whose children are less than 12 years old and is also carrying out special vaccination drives in blocks," said Navneet Sehgal, additional chief secretary (information).

He added that there were close to 8,500 vaccination centres in the state, of which 89 were private hospitals.

Till Monday, 2,21,90,836 have been administered the first dose while 12,49,021 have been administered both doses.

Lucknow continues to top the list of districts with the highest number of doses administered till now, at 12,49,021.

Ghaziabad inched its way to the top of the daily tally on Monday, having administered 27,925 doses. A close second was Gorakhpur which vaccinated 25,164 people.

Chitrakoot, with 96,234 doses administered till Monday, is the only district in the state which has not crossed the one lakh tally.

On Monday, too, it was also the district which administered the least number of doses at 2,660.

Aurraiya fared a little better. having vaccinated 3,034 people followed by Sambhal, which administered 3,083 doses on Monday.

In view of vaccine shortages in May and the early part of June, Uttar Pradesh had issued a global tender to procure vaccines but later cancelled it as the Centre revised its strategy.

The Centre is procuring 75 per cent vaccines and providing them to states free of cost while the remaining 25 per cent are being procured by private hospitals.
Lucknow, June 22 : The newly appointed BJP state vice-president Arvind Kumar Sharma, has sent a letter to party state president Swatantra Dev Singh, saying that the name and patronage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were enough for the BJP to win the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Sharma, a bureaucrat turned politician, said that Modi was 'still loved and as popular' as he was in 2013 -2014.

Sharma also said he was confident that the BJP would return to power with even more seats under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath and Swatantra Dev Singh.

The letter and the relevance of its contents, at a time when speculations of intense infighting within the state BJP are doing the rounds, have left political experts reading between the lines.

"Where was the need to write a letter to assert that Modi is as popular as before and his name alone can ensure a victory for the party? Surely Sharma is not naive as a politician and knows what and why he has written the letter," said a senior journalist.

Incidentally, another cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, Swami Prasad Maurya, has said that the choice of chief minister would be decided by the party high command if the BJP returned to power.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya has repeatedly maintained that the 'face' of the party in the Assembly elections, due next year, would be decided by the party high command.
New Delhi, June 22 : K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together, popularly called TXT, are known as the "it boys". They are number five on the Billboard 200 chart, and among a handful of South Korean super bands that have taken K-Pop to global high, courtesy a unique mix of foot-tapping beats and synchronised choreography.

TXT are a quintet comprising Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai. They made their debut in March 2019 with their maiden mini album titled "The Dream Chapter: Star". Like any other K-Pop celebrities, TXT too has a massive fan-base. They call their fan base MOA, or Moments Of Alwaysness. The band has a following of 6.9 million on Twitter and a whopping 8.6 million followers on Instagram.

Sharing the meaning of the band's name, Soobin tells IANS: "Tomorrow X Together means that you and I have come together under one dream to build a better tomorrow. The five of us create music together under a shared dream and passion for music, and we journey on together as a band with our fans, MOA, by our side." He adds that the name also "represents the shared experience and story of youth everywhere".

"Our music embodies our own stories as young people navigating this world, and I believe the subjects in our music are quite relatable for many living in this generation, no matter where they're from," Soobin explains.

The conversation shifts to why, the band's opinion, is K-pop such a worldwide rage.

"A distinct charm of K-pop is definitely the trendy music, performances, styles, and visuals. Although we can't speak for everybody, I think that K-pop is infectious in its ability to give joy to its audience," says Yeonjun.

TXT are deemed a voice of the youth and counted among leaders of fourth generation K-Pop.

Assessing their journey so far, Yeonjun says there is a longer journey ahead.

"We have come a long way, though a longer journey lies ahead. I am very proud of all our members. We have each grown both musically and individually, and our teamwork has also become that much stronger. We have been fortunate to be able to work with many genres and I think this musical diversity is surely becoming a forte of ours," Yeonjun says.

Huening Kai is thankful for the titles their fans have feted them with. "We can't express how happy it makes us when people tell us they were able to relate to the stories and emotions in our music. I hope we can continue to make songs that reflect the lives of youth everywhere," he says.

Tomorrow X Together have belted out chartbusters such as "Crown", "Can't you see me", "Cat & Dog", "Angel or devil", "New rules", "Fairy of shampoo" and "Poppin' star".

The band has come out with their latest album "The Chaos Chapter: Freeze". It begins the "Chaos Chapter", which is the band's second album following their previous "Dream Chapter" series. It tells the story of a boy who was frozen as a result of the onslaught of the world.

Taehyun opens up on what went into the making of the album. He says the quintet usually approach the album-making process by referencing other media.

"We, Tomorrow X Together, have always told our own story through our music. It's the same for our newest album. It's about the current sentiments of the young generation. We usually approach the album-making process by referencing other media with similar themes and trying to amplify and enrich our emotions.

"We then embed those emotions into our music through our own unique style. All in all, we are just very happy and thankful to have so many people successfully relate to the emotions and stories of our music," Taehyun added.

Beomgyu shared that they had the opportunity to work with many great individuals for "The Chaos Chapter: Freeze".

"They all brought their own colour and flair into the songs. Working with these artistes and producers allowed us to channel and express our emotions in a more diverse manner," Beomgyu said.

He added the band had a lot of conversations with their producers and there were many new ideas they could indulge in.

"All five of us were inspired and were able to put in our all to make this album. We're very proud of it." (Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)
Kanpur : , June 22 (IANS) A man has filed a case against his in-laws, accusing them of luring him into a marriage with a transgender, police said.

The man, in his complaint, has accused his in-laws of deceiving him by keeping him and his family in dark at the time of the marriage.

According to the complaint, the man, who got married on April 28, had discovered the truth when he tried to consummate the marriage. He claimed the genitals of his wife were not fully developed due to which she was unable to establish physical relations with him.

He said when he took his wife for a medical examination, he learnt that she was a transgender.

"A resident of Shastri Nagar married a woman from the Panki area of the district. After their marriage, the bride was found uncomfortable in making relationships with the groom, and told him that she had health issues. As the days passed, the man began to suspect that something was amiss. He finally took his wife to a gynaecologist for a check-up who confirmed that she was a transgender," said Police Inspector Kunj Bihari Mishra.

The man lodged an FIR along with the medical reports of his wife on Sunday. The FIR was filed under Section 420 (cheating) of IPC against the bride, her parents and the mediator.

The Inspector further said, "An FIR against eight persons, including man's in-laws has been lodged under relevant sections of the IPC, and investigations are underway. Action will be taken based on the investigations."
June 22 : While Tiger Shroff will resume work with Heropanti 2, he is also gearing up for his forthcoming film Ganapath as the makers have decided to commence shoot. The Vikas Bahl directorial is produced by Vashu Bhagnani and Jackky Bhagnani. Tiger will be seen playing a boxer in the sports-drama.

Ganapath, which also stars Kriti Sanon as the female lead, couldnt go on the floors earlier owning to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The film was slated to commence shoot from end of last year. Now the makers of the film have reportedly decided to commence the film in Mumbai on September 20. Later, the film will also be shot in London and some Eastern European countries. In February this year, Tiger took to social media and announced about Kriti being a part of the film. Khatam hua intezaar. @kritisanon Super excited to work with this bundle of talent again, the actor had written.

Kriti and Tiger will share screen space once again after the 2014 film Heropanti, which marked their Bollywood debuts. Sharing the news of her association with the film, the actress wrote on social media, "Meet Jassi! Super duper excited for this one! Teaming up once again with my very special Tiger Shroff. Can't wait for the shoot to begin. Let's kill it." Ganapath is touted to be a high octane action thriller, slated to release in 2022.

Meanwhile, Tiger Shroff will resume shooting for Heropanti 2 in July along with Tara Sutaria and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The Baaghi actor will head to Russia next month for the shoot. Some major action sequences and a song will be shot in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Besides Heropanti 2 and Ganapath, Tiger will also be seen in the Hindi remake of Rambo. Kriti Sanon will also be seen in Bhediya with Varun Dhawan, Bachchan Pandey with Akshay Kumar, and Adipurush with Prabhas.
Chennai, June 22 : Pharma major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on Tuesday said it along with one of its subsidiaries have reached an agreement with Celgene Corporation (Celgene) to resolve a patent litigation.

In a statement Sun Pharma said it along with its subsidiary has agreed with Celgene Corporation-a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb, to resolve the patent litigation regarding submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for a generic version of Revlimid (lenalidomide capsules) in the US.

As per the agreement, Celgene will grant Sun Pharma a license to Celgene's patents required to manufacture and sell (subject to USFDA approval) certain limited quantity of generic lenalidomide capsules in the US sometime after March 2022.

In addition, the license will also allow Sun Pharma to manufacture and sell an unlimited quantity of generic lenalidomide capsules in the US beginning January 31, 2026.

According to Sun Pharma, as a result of the settlement between Sun Pharma and Celgene under the US Hatch-Waxman Act, regarding the Revlimid patents, will be dismissed.

Additional details regarding the settlement are confidential. The agreement is subject to customary regulatory approvals, Sun Pharma said.
Colombo, June 22 : Sri Lankan authorities have temporarily lifted a nationwide travel restriction which was imposed in May to allow the public to leave their homes for essential work.

Army Commander and Head of the National Operations Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak, Gen. Shavendra Silva told Xinhua news agency that the country-wide travel restriction has been lifted for three days from Monday.

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 per cent 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 p.m. and lift it again on Friday at 4 a.m.

The country is presently facing a third wave of the the pandemic with the new variants causing a rapid spread.

The overall caseload and death toll toll stood at 239,689 and 2,581 currently.

Since April, over 100,000 new cases were reported from a new cluster, health officials have said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Lucknow, June 22 : The cyber cell of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested five persons who had created a fake website in the name of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust and duped innocents of crores of rupees.

Ashish Gupta, Naveen Kumar, Sumit Kumar, Amit Jha and Suraj Gupta, all residents of New Delhi, were arrested from GB Nagar.

Police have also recovered mobile phones, SIM cards and Aadhaar cards from them.

The FIR was first lodged by Anil Kumar Mishra, a member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust in Ayodhya on January 30 at Ram Janmabhoomi police station.

Mishra had alleged that a fake website, similar to the original one had been created, and it even had a QR code for financial donations.

The code was registered in the name of one Tejveer Singh. The case was transferred to the cyber cell of the Uttar Pradesh Police last month.

Superintendent of Police cyber cell Triveni Singh told reporters that the gang had been operating from Bihar and a team will be sent soon to arrest its other members.

"We worked on the case using electronic evidence, including data analytics," said Singh.

The donations from unsuspecting devotees for Ram temple were going directly into the accounts of the accused.
Paris, June 22 : An exit poll has revealed that candidates of the centre-right party, "The Republicans", was leading in the first round of the French regional elections marked by a historic abstention.

President Emmanuel Macron's ruling "The Republic on the Move" party, meanwhile, failed to anchor roots locally, Xinhua news agency quoted the poll as saying on Monday.

For the President, who had dispatched 15 ministers to the battle and saw his troops painfully reaching 10 per cent at the national level, "it's a setback", commented French daily Le Figaro on Monday.

The ruling party failed to secure a place for next the June 27 run-off in Hauts-de-France and Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes regions.

According to the IPSOS exit poll, "The Republicans" won 27.2 per cent of the national vote, ahead of the far-right on 19.3 per cent, followed by the Green party, the Socialist Party and "The Republic on the Move" on 11.2 per cent.

"This evening, it is the recognition of our work. 'The Republicans' is the party which collects the most votes," Christian Jacob, president of party, told TF1 television on Monday.

"The Republicans" emerged first in northern Hauts-de-France and Grand-Est regions.

It has an upper hand in Ile-de-France, the country's economic hub and main tourist destination.

In a tight race against conservatives, the anti-immigrant and anti-Europe "National Rally" party headed the poll in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region.

For a second round, its victory would be uncertain due to a traditional phenomenon of "Republican front" formed by a merge of party lists to block the far-right from winning.

In the elections on Sunday, some 19,000 candidates represented in 155 lists have competed for seats in councils of 13 French regions to mainly manage local transport, education, security and unemployment during a six-year term.

Under the election rules in France, any candidate who gets more than 50 per cent is declared the winner and there is no need for a second round.

For those who cannot reach an outright majority, they have to obtain 10 per cent in the first round of vote to head to the runoff on June 27.

Nearly one out of three French voters had cast a ballot to choose representatives at regional councils, marking a record low turnout at 26.72 per cent, sharply down from the 43 per cent in the first round of the 2015 election, according to the Interior Ministry.
'Most Covid vax in EU should be effective against Indian variant' Image Source: IANS News

Canberra, June 22 : Australia will ramp up the availability of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine after further limiting access to the AstraZeneca jab, a top official said here.

Addressing a press briefing here on Monday, Vaccine rollout coordinator and Royal Australian Navy Commodore Eric Young said that 136 vaccination centres will be administering the Pfizer vaccines by the end of July, up from 22 currently, as more supply becomes available, reports Xinhua news agency.

Coordinator General of Operation Covid Shield, Lt. Gen. John Frewen, said in the same press conference that at the moment they were still in a resource-constrained environment.

"But on current forecasts, we are looking forward to ramp-up of availability of Pfizer through August into September and into October," he said.

A meeting of the National Cabinet was held by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday to discuss the ramifications of the decision to restrict access to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Australian government announced earlier in June that the vaccine would be made available to people aged 60 and over on the recommendation of the technical advisory group on immunisation, rather than those aged 50 and over as was previously recommended.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the updated advice was based on new evidence demonstrating a higher risk for the very rare TTS (thrombocytopenia syndrome) condition in the 50-59 age group.

According to Hunt, AstraZeneca remains recommended for those aged 60 and over based on the much higher risk of illness and death from Covid in this age group, and the lower risk of this condition.

"All states and territories agreed to prioritize Pfizer appointments for people aged 40-59 and Phase 1a and 1b eligible people under the age of 40 years of age," Morrison said in a statement after the meeting on Monday.

As of Tuesday morning, there has been 30,356 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Australia, with 910 deaths.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Tel Aviv, June 22 : New Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from June 29-30, which will mark the first official visit by a senior Israeli official to the Gulf country, his office said in a statement.

During his trip, Lapid will inaugurate the Israeli Embassy in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying on Monday.

"The fruits of ties between Israel and the UAE will be enjoyed not only by the citizens of the two countries but also by the entire Middle East," it said.

Earlier on Monday, Lapid met the Ambassador of the UAE to Israel, Muhammad Al Khaja.

"Next week, I will pay a first official visit to the UAE in order to strengthen the relations between our two countries and peoples," he added in a tweet following the meeting.

Lapid, the centrist leader of the Yesh Atid party, was the driving force behind the forming of Israel's new cross-partisan coalition government which was approved by Parliament on June 14.

Israel and the UAE signed a US-brokered normalisation agreement in September 2020.

The UAE thus became the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to agree to formally normalise its ties with Israel.
Tehran, June 22 : The Iranian government has demanded guarantees from the US on the stability of the 2015 nuclear agreement in order to revive it, a top official said here.

"The US once showed during the Trump era that it can defiantly ignore the interests of other nations. They have to provide assurances in this regard," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Monday.

Khatibzadeh said he could not go into the details of the request for US guarantees concerning the agreement, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

On Sunday night, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi told the media in Vienna that it is Tehran's "natural request" that Washington guarantees it will not withdraw again from the JCPOA and re-impose sanctions on the country.

"It is impossible for us to return to the agreement without such a guarantee," Araqchi said after the sixth round of meetings of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA.

Khatibzadeh, in his press briefing, dismissed rumours about a transfer of the negotiations over the revival of the nuclear agreement to the team of Iran's new President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.

The spokesman stressed that the Iranian negotiating team has been working "without wasting time", in conformity with the policies set by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It is "not unlikely" that the next round of talks may be the last one, Khatibzadeh said.

A "clear draft concerning all matters" has been achieved in the negotiations and now a "political decision" must be taken "by all parties", he added.

The US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments related to the agreement from May 2019.

The JCPOA Joint Commission began in-person meetings on April 6 in Vienna to continue previous discussions about a possible return of the US to the landmark agreement.
San Francisco, June 22 : Big Tech is out to get conservatives and Microsoft should also face the same anti-trust scrutiny like in the case of Facebook, Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH) has said in a letter written to Microsoft President Brad Smith.

Stressing that despite Microsoft's size and market dominance, House Democrats curiously did not significantly examine Microsoft's conduct during their investigation of competition in digital markets, Jordan said in the letter (dated June 21).

He added that "Democrats also seem to have excluded Microsoft from scrutiny in their large package of bills to radically rewrite American antitrust law".

The US is currently investigating top tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google over alleged anti-competition practices.

"It is unclear why Microsoft has avoided significant attention from House Democrats. The Democrats' investigation excluded Microsoft from significant oversight and the Democrats' recently introduced bills include a definition of a "covered platform" that could be read to exclude Microsoft," Jordan argued.

Microsoft was yet to comment on his letter to Smith.

Jordan said that Microsoft has similarly censored conservative speech on LinkedIn in the US.

"Multiple LinkedIn users have reported Microsoft's censorship of posts related to Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden. In one case, LinkedIn removed a post about an official US Senate committee report concerning Hunter Biden," he said.

"LinkedIn has restricted accounts for posts related to COVID-19. Citing its 'misinformation' policy, LinkedIn censored posts that the coronavirus originated from a dangerous laboratory in Wuhan, China, as well as posts that criticised government-mandated mask requirements," Jordan added.

Over the last three decades, Microsoft has acquired over 200 companies.

"As Democrats have excluded Microsoft from antitrust scrutiny, commentators have noted how Microsoft has taken advantage of the circumstances to pursue an aggressive acquisition strategy," the Republican said in his letter.
London, June 22 : UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned of a "rough winter" as pressure on the National Health Service (NHS) could intensify due to possible new diseases amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

"You can never exclude that there will be some new disease, some new horror that we simply haven't budgeted for or accounted for," Johnson said on Monday 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.

"We're certainly going to be putting in the investment to make sure that they can," he added.

The Prime Minister said cases of the Delta variant are still rising and the public have to remain cautious, reports Xinhua news agency.

"It's going up by about 30 per cent a week in cases, hospitalizations are up by roughly the same amount and so, sadly, are ICU (intensive care units) admissions into intensive care.

"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 added.

The Prime Minister 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 per cent effective against the Delta variant after two doses, while the Pfizer jab is 96 per cent effective.

Nearly 43 million people have been given the first jab of a coronavirus vaccine while more than 31.3 million people have been fully inoculated with a second dose, according to the latest official figures.

The UK has reported a total of 4,656,535 coronavirus cases and 128,245 deaths.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, June 22 : Cybersecurity researchers have found an interesting piece of malware that, instead of stealing passwords or to extort a computers owner for ransom, blocks infected users computers from being able to visit a large number of websites dedicated to software piracy. However, the malware appears murky.

Researchers at Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, have detailed a curious cyberattack campaign that targets users of pirated software with malware designed to block access to websites hosting pirated software.

The developers disguise the malware as cracked versions of popular online games such as Minecraft and Among Us, as well as productivity tool such as Microsoft Office, security software and others.

The disguised malware is distributed via the BitTorrent platform from an account hosted on "ThePirateBay" digital file sharing website.

"Links to the malware are also hosted on Discord. Once installed, the malware blocks the victim's access to a long list of websites, including many that distribute pirated software," the researchers said in a blog post.

The researchers were not able to discern a provenance for this malware.

"But its motivation seemed pretty clear: It prevents people from visiting software piracy websites (if only temporarily), and sends the name of the pirated software the user was hoping to use to a website, which also delivers a secondary payload," they explained.

Andrew Brandt, principal threat researcher, Sophos, said: "Sometimes it is easy to see clearly what an adversary's end game is and why they have chosen a particular approach to achieve it. This is not one of those times".

On the face of it, the adversary's targets and tools suggest this could be some kind of anti-piracy vigilante operation.

"However, the attacker's vast potential target audience -- from gamers to business professionals -- make the ultimate purpose of this operation a bit murky," Brandt cautioned.

At least some of the malware, disguised as pirated copies of a wide variety of software packages, was hosted on game chat service Discord.

Other copies, distributed through Bittorrent, were also named after popular games, productivity tools, and even security products, accompanied by additional files that make it appear to have originated with a well-known file sharing account on ThePirateBay.

In this malware case, the attackers use an age-old approach of modifying the HOSTS file settings on an infected device to "localhost" a long list of websites, thereby blocking the user's access to them.

The malicious files are compiled for 64-bit Windows 10 and then signed with bogus digital certificates that wouldn't pass more than a very rudimentary check.

"Once downloaded and installed by a user, the malware hunts for files named 7686789678967896789678 and 412412512512512. If it finds them it stops any further launch of the attack," said Sophos researchers.

The malware also triggers a fake error message to appear when it runs, which asks people to re-install the software, they added.
Tehran, June 22 : Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said that the US must lift "all unjust sanctions" on Tehran and abide by their commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement.

"What I am saying to the US is that according to the nuclear deal, you were obliged to lift all sanctions and you did not. Go back and fulfil your commitments," Raisi said on Monday while addressing his first press conference as President-elect.

Regarding the European partners in the nuclear agreement, Raisi said they should not succumb to the "pressures and foreign policies" of Washington but instead fulfil 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 US President Joe Biden in case all American sanctions on Iran were cancelled and Tehran's demands were met, Raisi replied "no".

Raisi, the incumbent Chief Justice of Iran, won the presidential election held on June 18 by a landslide.

He won 61.95 per cent of the ballots on a voter turnout of 48.8 per cent, defeating the other candidates -- Mohsen Rezaei, Abdolnasswer Hemmati and Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi.

Seen as a hardliner by the West, he will assume office in August by replacing moderate outgoing President Hassan Rouhani, who was not allowed by the constitution to run for a third consecutive term.

Raisi has become the first Iranian President to be sanctioned by the US even before assuming office as he was designated in 2019.

The US blacklisted him for his role in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988 and his involvement in the crackdown on the 2009 Green Movement protests.
Amman, June 22 : Bassem Awadallah, Jordan's former Finance Minister and royal court chief, as well as royal family member Sharif Hassan Ben Zeid have pled not guilty to sedition charges against the regime.

The development was confirmed on Monday by Awadallah's chief lawyer Mohammad Afif to Xinhua news agency.

This first session of the trial was held on Monday under heavy security and closed to media.

The second session will be held on Tuesday.

If convicted of charges of incitement and sedition, the two defendants could get between three and 20 years in prison, The Jordan Times reported.

Last week, the State Security Court announced prosecution against Awadallah and Zeid, meaning they are charged with harming the safety and security of Jordan and destabilising the country.

Zeid was also charged with possession of narcotics, according to the state-run Petra news agency.

In April, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Prince Hamza, Awadallah, and Zeid had contacts with external powers to take some actions against the country.
New Delhi, June 22 : Anthony Fauci, Americas top infectious disease expert, has responded strongly to growing right-wing criticism and conspiracy theories connected to the release of thousands of his emails under freedom of information laws, according to media reports.

"'Fauci has blood in his hands', are you kidding me?" US President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser said in an interview with The New York Times on Monday.

"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." Fauci, who was also part of former President Donald Trump's coronavirus taskforce, argued that those attacking him are "actually criticising science".

A report in the Guardian newspaper said since the release of his emails earlier this month, mostly anodyne correspondence, Fauci has faced a growing range of hardline right-wing and conspiracy-tinged criticism.

Some such critics have focused on his advice, early in the pandemic, against wearing masks.

Others have homed in on a series of partially redacted emails, from Facebook's Chief Executive, Mark Zuckerberg, who contacted Fauci to thank him for his leadership and invite him to participate in an online Q&A session.

In his interview with the Times, Fauci pushed back.

"It is essential as a scientist that you evolve your opinion and your recommendations based on the data as it evolves," he said.

"And that's the reason why I say people who then criticise me about that are actually criticising science.

"The 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," he added.

He described the email exchange with Zuckerberg as "about as friendly and innocent of an email as you could possibly imagine", and called criticism of the correspondence "total conspiracy theory and total flight of fantasy".

Asked how he felt when he realised his emails were to be made public, Fauci said: "Once I knew that it got out there, and it was going to get very carefully scrutinised by very far-right, radical people who clearly are trying to discredit me, I said to myself, 'It is likely, I know, that you can pull out sentences from emails or take emails out of context or take an email that is perfectly innocent, followed up by an explanation and only show one aspect of it'." Fauci has served seven Presidents since 1984 but the pandemic and the Trump administration's chaotic response to it propelled him to newfound fame.

He also told the Times he put "very little weight in the adulation, and very little weight in the craziness of condemning me".

Fauci remains sceptical about claims that Covid-19 originated in a laboratory leak in Wuhan, as per the report.

I feel, as do the overwhelming majority of scientists who have knowledge of virology and knowledge of evolutionary biology, that the most likely explanation for this is a natural leap from an animal to a human," he told the Times He described the theory as a "very, very remote possibility", but said "I do keep an open mind".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Lucknow, June 22 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered action under the Gangster Act and National Security Act (NSA) against those involved in the conversion of deaf and dumb and physically challenged children and youth.

Two persons had been arrested from Delhi on Monday for forcibly converting over 1,000 people to Islam, police said.

The Chief Minister has ordered stringent action and asked the agencies to further probe the racket and dig deeper to arrest all those who are involved.

The state government has also ordered the authorities to seize the properties of the accused.

The two men in Delhi's Jamia Nagar were allegedly running an outfit involved in converting deaf students and other poor people to Islam in Uttar Pradesh with funding from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The arrests were made by Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad following the registration of an FIR in the case at Lucknow's ATS police station.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar identified the arrested accused as Mufti Qazi Jahangir Alam Qasmi and Mohammad Umar Gautam, both residents of Jamia Nagar in New Delhi.

The ADG said Gautam, who is himself a convert to Islam from Hinduism, boasted to the police of having converted at least 1,000 people to Islam, luring them with marriage, money and jobs.

"I converted at least 1,000 non-Muslims to Islam, marrying them all to Muslims," Kumar quoted Gautam as saying.

The outfit that they ran is 'Islamic Dawah Center', having access to funds from Pakistan's ISI and other foreign agencies, said the ADG.

He further said that the ATS had been working on the intelligence inputs that some people were getting funds from the ISI and other foreign agencies for converting poor people to Islam and spreading communal enmity in the society.

The ATS probe has resulted in the duo's arrest and they have been booked on various charges, including those under the Indian Penal Code and Uttar Pradesh's stringent anti-conversion law.

The ADG said the arrested accused would be produced before the court and the police would seek their custody for further probe into the case.
New Delhi, June 22: Palestine is actually the dream land of Judaism and the Jewish people. Its nucleus is the hill district of Judaea. Palestine became historically great because of the unique religious culture of the Jewish people.

Early Israelis possessed a strong centralising force in their monotheistic faith combined with a stern code of ethics, which set them apart from all their neighbours. Subsequently, constant attacks from the neighbours forced them to become hardened fighters to stand for their own existence and gave Israel a kind of unmatched political solidarity.

In 1020 BC 'Saul' became king of all Israel. He was succeeded by King David (c.1000-961 BC) who conquered outlying and adjoining territories. He was followed by King Solomon (c.961-922 BC) under whom Israel's political history found its height and culmination. He built Jerusalem as the golden city out of the lucrative undertakings of rich products brought from as far as Sophir (Sopare seaport in now Gujarat, India).

He built the Temple and Royal Palace in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 BC. History says that in 539 BC, Cyrus II of Perica who also conquered Babylonia, which was an ancient state founded in 1895 BC and subsequently dissolved in 539 BC. His first act was to decree the restoration of Judah and the building of the destroyed Jewish Temple. Jewish exiles in Babylonia returned to Jerusalem to begin work on the Temple. The work of rebuilding the Temple was prevented by political intrigues. After the accession of Darius I, the Jews started construction of the second Temple which was completed by March 515 BC.

Palestine was one of the main corridors to Egypt and it was used by Alexander the Great to attack the country. However, he left the Jews undisturbed. In fact, the Jewish priest continued to remain the Head of the State of Palestine - a fact less known.

Antiochus the Greek King, despoiled the Temple of all its wealth in 169 BC and established the altar of Zeus in the Temple at Jerusalem. Judas led a resistance at this "abomination of desolation" and after three years of intermittent warfare, he succeeded in purifying the Temple in December 165 BC while, Egypt was reorganising its army.

Finally in June 217-BC, Antiochus was defeated in Gaza by Ptolemy IV Philopator. It is a fact that he lowered taxes for the Jews, granted subventions to the temple and let the Jews live as per the laws of their forefathers.

Vespasian, the former Roman Emperor, captured Jerusalem in 70 AD. The Temple and the city of Jerusalem were again destroyed. The destruction of Jerusalem was followed by the dispersal of the Jews, for whom it had been their religious and political centre. The observances elaborated by the Rabbis (Jews Priests) prevented the absorption of the Jewish people into the Roman population. Palestine continued under direct Roman Rules. When Christianity was checked under Julian, he rescinded the edicts against the Jews in coming to the throne in 361AD and ordered the restoration of the Temple. The Roman Empire was portioned in 395 AD and Palestine came under the Byzantine emperor - Justinian (527-565 AD), who started elaborate building operations. The Golden Gate of the Temple, and part of the Church, which is now at Aqsa Mosque at Jerusalem, were constructed due to this Byzantine emperor.

In 1896, Theodor Herzl, a prominent Austro-Hungrian Jewish Journalist, playwright, Political activist, also known as the Father of modern Political Zionism formed a Zionist organisation and promoted Jewish immigration to the then Palestine in order to form a legitimate Jewish country claiming themselves as the original 'Sons of the Soil'. He issued his proclamation for the establishment of a Jewish State of Palestine, claiming that it was the original land of the Jews.

In this context it in interesting to note that in Malaysia, Son of the Soil or 'Bumiputra' are referred in the Malaysian constitution, which has provisions for the protection of the rights of the 'sons of the soil' and control over all administrative, education, economic and security related aspects of the nation.

Bumiputra (Bhumiputra as pronounced in Hindi) is a term used in Malaysia to describe Malays the indigenous people of Malaysia. The "Orang Asli" means the original son of the soil. The term is sometimes controversial but used similarly in Indonesia and Brunei also. To be Bumiputra, one of the parents has to be a Muslim Malay, as stated in the Constitution of Malaysia. The Federal Constitution defines Bumiputra Malay as a person, who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks Malay, conforms to Malay customs and is the child of a Malaysian parent.

Jerusalem is the sacred soil of all three major religions of the world, where arose the First Jewish Temple, the Christian Church and then the Islamic Mosque, all were constructed in Jerusalem as both the religion of Christianity & Islam had originated from Judaic monotheism. Any later constructions by anyone actually cannot justify and alter the Jewish identity in Jerusalem - as they were the actual "Bumiputras" or Sons of the Soil.

(The views expressed in the article are personal. This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
Berlin, June 22 : Germany's governing conservative parties, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), have presented their joint program for the upcoming federal election in September.

The 140-page manifesto entitled "Program for stability and renewal. Together for a modern Germany" was officially unveiled here on Monday by Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet and CSU leader Markus Soeder, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We combine consistent climate protection with economic strength and social security," Laschet said.

"We are making Germany a climate-neutral industrial country" that would provide good and secure jobs.

Germany could make "decisive progress in climate protection" if the country focused on innovations and new technologies, for example by supporting consumers in investing in particularly resource-friendly digital technologies, according to the program.

Despite the massive national debt caused by the Covid-19 crisis, the CDU/CSU coalition has firmly rejected tax increases.

At the same time, the parties promised to provide tax reliefs for low- and medium-income individuals and for families with children.

Stressing that the CDU/CSU's position has improved significantly as polls now put the union in the lead, Soeder said the manifesto meant "preserving the good, discovering the new, daring to set out, but shaping it with certainty".
New Delhi, June 22: The virtually defunct alliance of some Kashmir-based mainstream political parties, which has been deserted by two key constituents and has met only once in the last six months, would be deciding in Srinagar on Tuesday whether to attend or boycott the Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheduled meeting with the Jammu and Kashmir politicians on Thursday.

For the first time after the breakdown of Mehbooba Mufti's PDP-BJP government in June 2018 --more significantly, for the first time after withdrawal of the erstwhile State's special status and its bifurcation into the two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh in August 2019 -- Prime Minister Modi has called a round-table conference of the J&K politicians on the political stalemate in the last three years.

The Centre's invite has gone to the politicians through the Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla. It does not specify the agenda but the meeting is speculated, inter alia, to discuss the current political scenario and the prospects of the next Assembly elections with particular reference to the delimitation process. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, which was passed by the Parliament in August 2019, provides for the addition of seven new constituencies to the Assembly.

While the four seats of Ladakh have ceased to exist after it was granted the status of an independent UT, the effective strength of the J&K Assembly has reduced to 83 seats. With the addition of seven new seats, its working strength would rise to 90. Twenty-four seats would continue to remain reserved and vacant for the representatives of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) till the time that region comes back under the governance and administration of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Delimitation Commission of Justice (retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai is believed to complete its exercise in the next four or five months, even as it has been granted an extension of one year till March 2022. It has engaged all the five Lok Sabha members from J&K-three of National Conference (NC) and two of the BJP -- as its associate members. In spite of NC's disassociation, the commission is understood to have sought the relevant demographic records from the Deputy Commissioners and completed the basic exercise.

According to well-placed and knowledgeable sources, NC's Farooq Abdullah as well as PDP's Mehbooba Mufti had some serious reservations over attending their first meeting after August 2019 with the Prime Minister without a specific agenda. "They have apprehensions that the Centre would finalise the delimitation of the Assembly constituencies according to the BJP's suitability and portray the Kashmir-based parties' sanction to it," said a top ranking political source within the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD).

"I don't think there are bright prospects of the NC's and the PDP's participation (in Modi's meeting) until there is an agenda, or at least a public commitment, that the conference would deliberate upon the possibilities of the restoration of Article 370 and 35-A, full Statehood and reunification of Ladakh with J&K," said the political source. According to him, the PDP would also set the condition of its youth President Waheed-ur-Rehman Para's release.

Sources in the BJP, however, rule out any discussion on the PAGD's demand of the status quo ante in Jammu and Kashmir. "Let alone Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, no government in India can bring Article 370 and 35-A back," said a senior leader, pointing out how Congress had moved out of the PAGD ahead of the Assembly elections in five States. Congress had ditched the PAGD when Modi and Amit Shah challenged it to include restoration of Article 370 in its manifesto.

It was the first setback for the PAGD when Congress decided to contest J&K's District Development Council (DDC) elections independently and it fielded candidates against the NC and the PDP in October-November 2020. The second setback came in the former Minister Sajad Lone's resignation and his Peoples Conference's separation from the alliance in January 2021.

While the influence of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is limited to the one-odd segment of Kulgam, J&K Peoples Movement (founded and deserted by Shah Faesal) and the Awami National Conference are just fillers with no base. With these developments, the PAGD has numerically reduced from seven to five constituents-three of them insignificant.

Those invited by the Centre include four former Chief Ministers-Farooq Abdullah (NC), Omar Abdullah (NC), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) and Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress) and four Deputy Chief Ministers-Muzaffar Hussain Baig (PDP), Tara Chand (Congress), Nirmal Singh (BJP) and Kavinder Gupta (BJP).

The Centre has also invited Ravinder Raina, President of the BJP's J&K unit, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, President of J&K Pradesh Congress Committee, Bhim Singh, President of the J&K National Panthers Party, CPM's senior most leader and former State Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, the PC President Sajad Lone and the Apni Party (AP) chief Altaf Bukhari.

Until late on Monday, none of the five Lok Sabha members, including the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh, had been invited.

Reports springing from several quarters indicate that the AP and the PC, who had been projected as 'alternatives to the dynastic ruling parties' during the Governor's and the President's rule, are upset over the 'reinstatement and rehabilitation being granted to Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti's parties.

Separately, a group of the youth activists like Mir Junaid and Tauseef Raina, which had been created to neutralise the NC and the PDP in 2018 and 2019, is also reportedly upset with New Delhi's outreach to the traditional ruling parties. They feel they have been "used and thrown away like tissue papers".

Political analysts in New Delhi as well as Srinagar insist that the BJP-led Centre has gone for reaching out to the two traditional ruling parties after realising that the ardent pro-Indian youth activists had no room in the electoral politics. The AP's and the PC's influence was limited to just a few pockets of the valley. And that there was no alternative to winning back the NC and the PDP, albeit on the terms and conditions of the Modi government.

According to these analysts, it would be made unambiguously clear to the two parties that the BJP government at the Centre would not tolerate any accommodation to the separatists and the militants or legitimacy to the Pakistani narratives which the Valley-based parties did in a competition, particularly from 2002 to 2019.

"It's clear enough that the Kashmiri leaders will be reinstated and recognised only when they will contest the separatist and the Pakistani narratives politically. If they refuse, they will be made irrelevant in the electoral politics", said a senior journalist. He asserted that the Kashmiri politicians would have to toe the BJP line as they had been left with no strength. "None of them can independently hold a rally of 10,000 people. For the militants and the separatists they are the Indian agents and traitors. For New Delhi, they are linked to the separatists and the Pakistan," he said with a reference to Para's detention.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Panaji, June 22 : Goa Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat on Tuesday urged the state government to withdraw criminal cases filed against Puja Melekar, a third year BSc (TYBSC) student, who topped the Goa University in the final exams of Analytical Chemistry in the last academic year.

Melekar was one of the nearly two dozen residents of Shel-Melaulim, a village which was a proposed site for the Indian Institute of Technology-Goa campus, who were booked during the protests against the project.

"It is a matter of pride for all of us on the outstanding performance of the brave girl Puja Melekar of Shel-Melaulim who stood first in Goa University securing highest marks in Analytical Chemistry at TYBSC examination. I urge the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to withdraw all the cases filed against her and others during their protest against the IIT project at Shel-Melaulim," Kamat said.

In January this year, the Goa government was forced to scrap the IIT-Goa campus at Shel-Melaulim village, after sustained protests from villagers, who had accused the state government of orchestrating a landscam in the name of the project, while also objecting to hasty land acquisition procedures which were put in place to acquire 10 lakh sq. mts for the campus.

The protests peaked in January, resulting in some incidents of violence, for which several dozen protestors, including Puja Melekar, were booked.

The Goa government has refused to withdraw the criminal cases, including those of attempt to murder, filed against the residents, following a stand-off with the police.

Kamat, a former Congress Chief Minister, claimed that the withdrawal of criminal cases against Melekar and others, would inspire local residents of the village to aspire better in the field of academics.

"The action of the government will be the best gift to the young girl for her success and will also encourage others to work hard in academics and at the same time be the warriors to protect the environment, forest and identity of Goa," Kamat said, adding that Melekar was only protecting cultivable land in her village, which was being acquired for setting up an IIT campus.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Washington, June 22 : The US announced sanctions against Belarusian individuals and entities over alleged human rights abuse and the 23 May Ryanair flight diversion incident.

The Treasury Department said in a statement on Monday that it had designated five entities and 16 individuals, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's press secretary and the chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, the Belarusian Parliament's upper house, reports Xinhua news agency.

The State Security Committee, the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and their heads are also on the blacklist.

All property and interests of the individuals in the US are blocked, and American persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, said the statement.

Also on Monday, the European Union (EU) announced new sanctions against 78 individuals and eight entities in Belarus.

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 Council of the EU said that four rounds of restrictive measures on Belarus now apply to a total of 166 persons and 15 entities.

"The US and its partners will not tolerate continued attacks on democracy and the ceaseless repression of independent voices in Belarus," the Director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, Andrea M. Gacki said in Monday's statement.

"Today's actions, taken on both sides of the Atlantic, hold accountable those who continue to suppress the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people through abuses of human rights, attacks on the free press, and disregard for other fundamental freedoms.

"The recent forced diversion of Ryanair flight 4978 by the Belarusian government is one of many examples of the Lukashenko regime's continued disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Belarusian people in hopes of crushing the pro-democracy movement," she added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement that the State Department imposed visa restrictions on 46 Belarusian officials.

Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega were on board a commercial flight between Greece and Lithuania that was rerouted on May 23 to Minsk shortly before it reached Vilnius due to an alleged bomb threat.

No bomb was found, but both were detained.
New Delhi, June 22 : Eleven individuals who received the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine have developed a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome, clinicians in India and England have reported in two separate studies.

The studies, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Annals of Neurology, describe an unusual variant of Guillain-Barre syndrome characterised by prominent facial weakness. All the eleven cases were among people who had received that vaccine 10-22 days earlier.

Seven cases were reported from a regional medical center in Kerala, India, where approximately 1.2 million people were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine till April 22. The cases occurred within two weeks of the first dose of vaccination.

"Six out of the seven patients progressed to areflexic quadriplegia and required mechanical ventilatory support," said Boby Varkey Maramattom, from the Department of Neurology, Aster Medcity, Kochi, Kerala.

"The frequency of GBS was 1.4 to 10 fold higher than that expected in this period for a population of this magnitude. In addition, the frequency of bilateral facial weakness, which typically occurs in less than 20 per cent of GBS cases, suggests a pattern associated with the vaccination," he added.

Four cases were reported from Nottingham, England, in which approximately 700,000 people received the same vaccine. These were characterised by bifacial weakness with a paraesthesias variant of GBS occurring within three weeks of vaccination with the Oxford-AstraZeneca SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

"This rare neurological syndrome has previously been reported in association with SARS-CoV-2 infection itself. Our cases were given either intravenous immunoglobulin, oral steroids, or no treatment," said Jonathan Rhys Evans, Department of Neurology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK.

"If the link is causal it could be due to a cross-reactive immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and components of the peripheral immune system," wrote the authors of the report from England.

While the benefits of vaccination substantially outweigh the risk of this relatively rare outcome (5.8 per million), the research groups stressed that clinicians should be alert to this possible adverse event and look for this rare neurological syndrome following administration of Covid-19 vaccines.

"We suggest vigilance for cases of bifacial weakness with paraesthesias variant GBS following vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 and that post-vaccination surveillance programmes ensure robust data capture of this outcome, to assess for causality," Evans said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, June 22 : Tamil actor Kalaiyarasan, who plays Deepam in the new Tamil digital release "Jagame Thandhiram", says while digital platforms come with multiple benefits, his first love will always be theatres.

"Digital (medium) is very important to all films. In theatres, business has certain criteria but in the digital space we have the freedom to bring in new directors, stories and actors," he tells IANS.

The actor adds in the same breath: "Growing up, I have seen films in theatres. We would go and sit there for two hours and it's a great vibe. Whatever mood you're in, once you enter the theatre it's a different vibe. Digital world coming to us is something positive but I want to watch my films in theatres first and then have it on digital." Kalaiyarasan says he, too, like most others, would have loved to see "Jagame Thandhiram" in the cinemas first.

"I was badly waiting to watch 'Jagame Thandhiram' in theatres and to whistle with the fans. But I am happy that it has come online. My friends abroad will be able to see. I think everyone will get to see my film and it's a good thing for me," he says.

He feels he has gained from OTT as an audience, too. "Because of digital, in last one and a half year of the pandemic, I got to see so many films, irrespective of language and culture. Many things were new to me and I learnt so many things," he says.

"Jagame Thandhiram" stars Dhanush and Aishwarya Lekshmi in leading roles. The film streams on Netflix.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Ottawa, June 22 : The Canadian government has announced that "fully vaccinated" citizens and permanent residents can enter the country without having to undergo quarantine starting from July 5.

The announcement on Monday came as more than 75 per cent of eligible Canadians have received one dose of vaccine and over 20 per cent have received two doses, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Fully vaccinated" means having taken a full series of a vaccine, or a combination of vaccines that have been authorized by Health Canada, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson, at least 14 days prior to entering the country, according to the announcement.

The vaccinations do not have to be administered in Canada, it added.

The Canadian government requires all travellers, whether arriving by land or air, to now disclose vaccination information at the border including vaccination status and the timing and brand of vaccine received.

They must electronically submit Covid-related information to the government's ArriveCAN app before arriving, meet the pre- and on-arrival test requirements.

Entering fraudulent information into the app will result in fines of up to C$750,000 ($607,000) or six months in prison.

If approved, those accepted travellers will not have to quarantine.

Those arriving by air will also not be forced to stay at a government-authorised hotel and non-vaccinated children or dependent adults travelling with them will also be exempt from the hotel stay.

If a fully vaccinated traveller tests positive for Covid-19, they will be required to follow local public health guidance and quarantine requirements.

Children who aren't vaccinated will be able to go home with their parents but must quarantine for two weeks.

There are no changes to border restrictions for travellers who are not fully vaccinated.

Those who land by air will still have to stay in hotel quarantine for up to three days pending a negative arrival test, quarantine at home for the remainder of the 14-day period and take a test on day eight of their self-isolation period.

"As we've told Canadians all along, easing measures at the border will happen as we see our communities increasingly become safe," Health Minister Patty Hajdu said at a press conference on Monday.

"This is the first phase of our precautionary approach to easing Canada's border measures. At this time we are not opening up our borders any further," Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, also said at the press conference.

The government further announced that international commercial flights will continue to be funnelled through the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Calgary International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.

The government also "strongly" advises that Canadians avoid non-essential travel outside of the country.

Canada has so far 1,409,269 cases, with 26,080 deaths.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Chicago, June 22 : At least five people were injured, one critically, when a tornado tore through Chicago's western suburbs, according to authorities in the US city.

The tornado first hit Naperville at around 11.10 p.m. on Sunday night, injuring the five persons, Xinhua news agency quoted Kate Schultz, a spokeswoman for the Naperville city manager's office, as saying on Monday.

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 at around 11.30 p.m.

Authorities in Woodridge said no significant injuries had been reported there.

"The tornado travelled 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 said on Monday.

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.

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. on Monday 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.
Washington, June 22 : Three people were killed in a shooting in the US state of Colorado, authorities said, adding that the suspect was killed by the police.

The Arvada Police Department announced that that there was a shooting on Monday in Olde Town Arvada and described it as an "active situation" and "very large-scale scene", reports Xinhua news agency A police officer was killed in the square near the Arvada Library, and his identity will be released after the family is notified, KUSA-TV, an NBC-affiliated television station, reported, citing the Department as saying.

The police said the suspect will be identified by the coroner's office.

Another person, police believe, was shot by the gunman, and died after he was transported to the hospital, the news outlet reported.

Arvada, with an estimated population of 120,000, is located around 16 km from downtown Denver.

"We are closely monitoring the troubling situation in Arvada. My thoughts are with the family and friends of the officer who was tragically killed in the line of duty while swiftly and bravely responding to protect civilians in the area," said Colorado Governor Jared Polis in a statement.

"It's a horribly sad day for the city of Arvada," Arvada Mayor Marc Williams was quoted as saying by KCNC-TV, a CBS owned-and-operated television station, noting that the community has been very safe for many years and "only lost two officers on duty in the history of the city".

The shooting came after two high-profile mass shootings in Colorado this year.

Seven people, including a gunman, were killed after a mass shooting at a birthday party in Colorado Springs in the state on May 9.

Ten people, including one police officer, were killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder on March 22.

There have been 297 mass shootings and more than 20,800 people died from gun violence so far in the US this year, according to data from Gun Violence Archive.
New Delhi, June 22 : Nearly two years after the revocation of J&K's special status, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is all set to chair the All Party Meeting of J&K leaders in New Delhi. Kashmir based politicians, who remained in power for many years and had opposed the Centre's decision to change J&K's status-quo, need to acknowledge the fact that the newly carved out J&K Union Territory has witnessed massive development on almost all the fronts after August 5, 2019 -- when J&K was bifurcated into two union territories and Article 370,temporary provision of the Indian Constitution, was done away with once for all.

The transition of a 'separate state' into a 'super state' that too in a very short span of time is a remarkable achievement. It has proven the sincerity and commitment of Indian leadership towards the people of J&K.

Work is on to fulfill the promises that were made by the Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah, in Parliament when the Article 370 was scrapped. Prime Minister Modi had assured J&K people that the "new dawn has broken and there will be no looking back." He has remained true to his word.

Empowering a common man has been the mantra. The UT administration has focused on building "Naya Jammu and Kashmir'' and is working hard to achieve the goals that were set by the Indian Government after "biting the bullet" on August 5, 2019.

Socio Economic Development Nearly a year after J&K's special status was revoked, Union Minister of State (Home) G. Kishan Reddy in September 2020 had informed Parliament that the decision to scrap Article 370 has "fully integrated J&K into the mainstream of the nation".

He had stated that as a result all the rights enshrined in the Constitution of India and benefits of all the central laws that were being enjoyed by other citizens of the country were now available to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The change, he had said, brought about socio-economic development in Jammu and Kashmir. "Empowerment of people, removal of unjust laws, bringing in equity and fairness to those discriminated against since ages who are now getting their due along with comprehensive development are some of the important changes that are ushering both the new UTs towards the path of peace and progress," Reddy had said.

The Mos Home had stated that besides the regular flow of funds under various schemes by different central ministries, an amount of Rs 30,757 crore was allocated to J&K in the Financial Year (FY) 2020-21. "Under the Prime Minister's development package announced in 2015 for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Rs 80,068 crore continue to be spent for 54 projects in J&K and across sectors such as road, power, health, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, skill development, etc." (1) The funds from the PM's package are being utilized for setting up Indian Institutes of Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Indian Institutes of Management that would meet the aspirations of the local youth.

The AIIMS at Samba and Awantipora that were stalled due to land and forest issues have now been cleared for completion. Five new medical colleges at Baramulla, Anantnag, Rajouri, Kathua and Doda were approved.

The work on stalled projects -- such as the ShahpurKandi Dam project that has been in limbo for 40 years-- has been fast tracked.

Similarly, work has begun on several other such projects to ensure constant power supply, a crucial factor in the region's growth and development.

District Development Council Elections In December last year, the first local elections since the abrogation of Article 370 were held in Jammu and Kashmir. Huge participation of people in the polls shattered the myth that J&K people don't believe in democracy.

Nearly six million voters across the 20 districts were eligible to elect 280 members of District Development Councils (DDC).

About 1,000 candidates from various political parties, including National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Conference, Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and other political formations participated in the polls.

Aneesa Gul, 32, who fought on the BJP's ticket in central Kashmir's Chadoora village had told Al Jazeera that her party's "motive is only development and (to) erase unemployment and funding for women". "BJP will develop Kashmir better than Gujarat," Gul had claimed.

A youth Zahoor Ahmad, who contested polls as an independent candidate, from Theed village in Srinagar outskirts had stated that he wanted to gain power and work for the betterment of youth in his locality.(2) Before August 5, 2019, politics and power were always held by the leaders of traditional political parties in J&K. But during the past 2-years many new faces have emerged in the political arena of Kashmir.

The DDC elections posed a larger political question for J&K in the backdrop of the August 5 changes as these set the tone and tenor for the forthcoming events and restarted the stalled political process in the Union Territory.

New Industrial Policy The industrial scenario has changed drastically in the region during the past two years.

The "New Industrial Policy 2021-30" unveiled early this month by the J&K government provided further impetus to the sector, opening up the region to the world.

The new industrial policy, which came into effect on April 1, 2021, has a spending outlay of Rs 28,400 crore (Rs 284 billion), the largest incentive to date, on the industrial development of Jammu and Kashmir for the next 15 years. It is expected to generate an investment of Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) and employment of 4.5 lakh (0.45 million) over the plan period.

This is the first block-level development project that intends to undertake the process of industrialization at the very grassroots level using the local resources, skill, and talent available domestically. The policy specifically promises an era of socio-economic development in the region, catering to the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. There is no bar for outsiders to come and invest in the union territory (3).

J&K receives investment proposals worth Rs 15 billion According to the official figures, post August 5, 2019, more than 40 companies came forward with the investment proposals and the J&K Government accepted more than 30 proposals up to the tune of Rs1,500 crore (Rs15 billion). The companies that came forward were from various fields like renewable energy, hospitality, defence, tourism, skill, education, IT and technology and infrastructure (4).

5 lakh new jobs in J&K After the New Industrial Policy came into vogue, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the new industrial development scheme would further attract a huge investment of Rs 20,000-25,000 crore, besides providing employment avenues and opportunities to around 5 lakh youth.

The unemployment rate in the union territory dipped from 16.1 per cent in September 2020 to 9 per cent in March 2021 and LG Sinha had credited youth for this positive change (5).

According to the report prepared by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, J&K has less unemployment rate than Delhi, Goa, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.

The J&K Government has put in place robust and efficient digital network infrastructure in the hinterland to provide transparent financial services to the people.

Paving way for a strong Women Entrepreneur Ecosystem in J&K, the UT government announced a scheme -- Tejaswini under Mission Youth, through which financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the girls between the age group of 18-35 years is provided to start their business.

During the Back to Village programme, the J&K Government had set a target of around 9,000 youth to be identified for financial support for starting their enterprise. The expected target exceeded and 18,500 youth were extended financial support to set up their business units.

The J&K Government under Mission Youth aims to engage 80 per cent youth in livelihood generation by 2025.

18,000 posts advertised Last year the Jammu and Kashmir government had announced that 25,000 posts will be filled in the public sector and the government departments. During the past six months 18,000 posts have been advertised and the process is on to fill up the vacancies.

The aim of the present dispensation in J&K seems to ensure responsive, accountable, transparent governance. The promises that were made on August 5, 2019, are being fulfilled. The change in ground situation is ample proof of the fact that the Indian Government is out to transform J&K into a 'super state' to end the uncertainty that has prevailed in J&K since 1947.

1. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/removal-of-article-370-has-brought-socio-economic-development-in-j-k-ladakh-mha/story-0ioxNZ6veZsgL5Xlby9ViM.html 2. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/4/elections-resume-halted-political-process-in-kashmir 3. https://www.saudigazette.com.sa/article/606056/World/Asia/New-industrial-policy-opens-Indias-Jammu-and-Kashmir-to-world 4. https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-rs-15000-crore-worth-of-investment-proposed-for-jk-after-art-370-abrogation-2787258 5. https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/front-page-2/new-industrial-policy-to-create-5-lakh-jobs-in-jammu-and-kashmir/
Gitega, June 22 : The European Union (EU) had started the processes of lifting sanctions against Burundi that stops financial aid to the Burundian government, a top official said.

The announcement was made here on Monday by the EU Ambassador to Burundi Claude Bochu, Xinhua news agency reported.

In March 2016, the EU suspended its direct financial support to the Burundian government following the political crisis sparked by the controversial third term bid of then President Pierre Nkurunziza.

At the end of May this year, the EU working groups unanimously gave the direction to the bloc's judicial institutions to revoke the suspension of the financial aid to the Burundian government, Bochu told a press briefing after meeting President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

The move follows positive progress initiated by Ndayishimiye in terms of promoting governance, rule of law and human rights, he said, adding that the EU is expecting more positive results.

Bochu said that the EU together with other partners like the African Development Bank are going to finance the rehabilitation of the Port of Bujumbura and its surroundings before the end of this year, contribute funds to the farming sector.

The EU sanctions expire in October unless they are renewed for another year.

But a group of NGOs said in an open letter to EU Foreign Ministers on Monday that the bloc should not relax sanctions against Burundi until the regime there has stopped persecuting journalists and human rights activists.

Political opponents are being arrested and mistreated on a daily basis, the NGOs said in the letter, adding: "Dozens of new torture cases have been documented since the 2020 elections, and at least one detainee died in detention after being tortured by intelligence agents in 2021."
Nay Pyi Taw, June 22 : Eight armed men were arrested and eight others dead in Myanmar's Mandalay region on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the military-run State Administration Council's Information Team.

Handmade mines, hand grenades and small weapons were seized along with the armed men, the statement said.

The clashes took place after the security forces acting on a tip-off raided a house in Chanmyathazi township, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

It further said that four armed men were killed and some security forces received major injuries in the fierce clashes.

Meanwhile, some armed men in a car attacked the security personnel and ran away in the same township.

Four of the armed men were killed after the car hit an electricity transformer, the statement said.

More detailed information will further be released, it added.
New Delhi, June 22 : Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met the three-member Congress panel in Delhi amid escalating tension in the state unit with Navjot Singh Sidhu who has stepped up his attack against the chief minister.

Mallikarjun Kharge, who heads the panel, said after the meeting, "Everybody has said that they will fight the polls together and party is united under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi" While sources say the panel discussed the political situation of the state and also issues related to Sidhu and possible way out to resolve the issue. The panel has got a larger mandate for poll preparation apart from resolving factionalism in the state party unit.

While Sidhu is not relenting in his attack on the chief minister, he has insisted on an early resolution of issues. While state in-charge Harish Rawat has said that the matter is with Sonia Gandhi and refused to comment on statements made by Sidhu.

The panel is headed by leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge and Harish Rawat and J.P. Aggarwal are its members. The Congress panel has been authorised to resolve the issue without alienating any of the factions in the state. It submitted its report to party interim president Sonia Gandhi on June 10.

Sources said the panel has not recommended the removal of the chief minister and Amarinder Singh is likely to lead the party in the next elections. Instead, a slew of reforms have been suggested in the party state unit.

While the fate of Navjot Singh Sidhu is still not clear, sources said the panel wants his rehabilitation in the Punjab cabinet. Amarinder Singh is averse to Sidhu being elevated to the post of deputy CM but is ready to accommodate him in the cabinet, sources said.

The panel had met all the stakeholders in the party including chief minister Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Kabul, June 22 : Fourteen Taliban militants were killed after the Afghan Air Force targeted a hideout of the terror group in Samangan province, the Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday.

The strike which occurred late monday night in Qushmal village of Firoz Nakhchir suburban district also destroyed five rocket-propelled grenade launchers, two heavy guns, and seven assault rifles, the Ministry said in a statement.

The latest offensive comes as Afghanistan is witnessing an increase in security incidents as the Taliban outfit has intensified their activities since the start of the US-led forces pull out on May 1.

The militant outfit has claimed capturing more than 40 districts over the past one month.

According to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, five districts have been overrun by the militant group just over the past one week.

Security officials, without confirming the fall of districts, said "the government forces have made tactical retreat" and would soon launch counter-attacks to regain the districts.
Chennai, June 22 : The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered the following of the Uniform Guidelines for maintenance of social distance at Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltds factory near here as suggested by the state government.

The court also ordered Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health to inspect the factory early next month and posted the case after that.

The Directorate of Industrial Safety after inspecting the factories of Hyundai Motor India Ltd, Renault Nissan Automotive and Ford India Private Ltd had recommended the following in its report: Reducing the conveyor speed, relocation of jobs to different stations/sub-assembly areas shall be implemented;

Create new workstations to reduce the number of jobs per station;

Reduce the number of jobs per station by diverting some jobs to sub-assembly areas and pre-assembled modules may be introduced in the assembly lines;

Convert workstation with more than two workers into two worker works stations by reallocation of jobs;

Location and sequence of jobs in workstations shall be adjusted to maintain social distancing;

Provide face shields to workers;

Overlapping of workers due to job carryover to be avoided by providing extra allowance by stopover of the conveyor and necessary set up should be made for conveyor to be stopped;

Vaccination of all the workers on the assembly line.

The counsel for Renault Nissan Automotive said there was nothing in the state government report on consulting the workers in job allocation.

On the other hand, the counsel for the workers union Renault Nissan (India) Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS) said it is the workers who know the job and who does the job and they need to be consulted in job allocation while following the uniform guidelines.

The counsel for RNITS said the conveyor line of Renault Nissan is shorter than that of Hyundai Motor and hence the conveyor speed has to be taken into account.

According to the inspection report, Hyundai Motor has a total manpower of pre-lock down 12,291, post lockdown 10,532. The company rolled out 2,535 cars per day prior to the lockdown and post lockdown it was 1,816 cars per day.

The total length of Hyundai Motor's two conveyors and its speed are: I-960 metres, 4.8 metre/minute II-1,891.5 metres, 5.94 metre per minute.

While there was no speed change in the conveyor line pre and post lockdown the number of work stations has been increased in assembly line I at Hyundai Motor.

Similarly, Ford India has two conveyors - I-918 metres (assembling Ecosport), II-75 metres (assembling Endeavour model).

During the lockdown, the conveyor I speed was reduced to 2.9 metre/minute from 3.4 metre/minute while the second line was manually operated.

In both the lines, the number of workstations were reduced while the number of workers in line I went down, in line II it went up, post lockdown.

In the case of Renault Nissan Automotive the total manpower before and after lockdown was 8,534 (production 934 cars per day) and 8,432 (production 540 cars per day).

The company's plant has two conveyor lines - I-664.5 metre, II-732.5 metre.

There was no change in the conveyor speed before and after lockdown. The speed of line I was 2.49 metre/minute and 3.6 metre/minute.

There was no change in the number of workstations in both the lines.

According to the inspection report, the non-availability of sufficient time in some workstations leads to carryover of the unfinished job to the next and causes overlapping.

The report said a proper work study has to be made and depending on the time and motion studies, the relevant jobs may be relocated to other workstations or more time be given to avoid overlapping.

The length of the assembly line and the speed of the conveyor are important factors, the report added.

The court ordered workers of Renault Nissan Automotive to have discussions with the Directorate of Industrial Safety during their inspection.

A lawyer told IANS the guidelines of the state government are applicable for Renault Nissan Automotive, Hyundai Motor and Ford India whose plants were inspected by the officials of Directorate of Industrial Safety.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kolkata:Health workers are giving the free vaccine to the people of 29 no word, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) organised by former mayor of BMC Krishna Chakrabarty during coronavirus pandemik in Kolkata on July 16, 2021(Photo: Kuntal Chakrab Image Source: IANS News

Panaji, June 22 : Goa's high literacy rate may have helped in the fast rate of vaccination in the state, chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday, adding that nearly 20,000 persons are being vaccinated in the state every day.

"We are trying to achieve 100 per cent vaccination, (which is possible) because of the high literacy rate," Sawant told reporters. According to the 2011 census, Goa's literacy stands at 88.70 per cent.

The chief minister also thanked health department officials for stellar work during the ongoing Tika Utsav 3.0 which was launched by the Goa government in the state. Sawant also said that political party workers as well as religious leaders have helped in creating awareness about vaccination in Goa.

"Percentage wise we are carrying out the highest vaccination in a day. We are vaccinating 20,000 persons per day. We have already administered the first dose to 60 per cent of the population. Our target is to complete 100 per cent of first dose vaccination by July 30," Sawant also said.
Chennai, June 22 : Tamil superstar Vijay was flooded with birthday greetings from friends, fans and colleagues on Tuesday.

The actor, popularly known as Thalapathy, has also been in news this week ever since he revealed the first look of his upcoming film "Beast" on Monday.

Actor Dulquer Salmaan took to Twitter to wish him. He uploaded a poster of "Beast" and wrote: "Wishing Thalapathy Vijay sir a very happy birthday." Superstar Mohanlal wished Vijay with a tweet: "Happy birthday Dear Vijay." Actor Dhanush tweeted: "Happy birthday dear @actorvijay sir. Keep the BEAST mode on and keep rocking." Actress Hansika Motwane uploaded their picture and tweeted: "#Happybirthdaythalapathy. Have a blessed year." Actor Fahadh Faasil too wished Vijay on Instagram by uploading a picture of them together.

Renowned filmmaker AR Murgadoss tweeted: "Wishing you a very happy birthday @actorvijay sir. I wish you continue making so many blockbusters, touching so many lives as always." The Tamil film "Beast" is going to be Vijay's 65th release and is directed by Nelson Dilipkumar.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Tripoli, June 22 : At least 1,594 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to the country in the past one week, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

"In the period of June 13-19, 1,594 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday citing the IOM as saying.

In 2021, 14,388 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while 194 died and 492 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the Organization.

Libya has been plagued by insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making it a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward European shores.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centres across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close them.

The IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix has identified and located 348,372 internally displaced persons in Libya.
Amaravati, June 22 : Andhra Pradesh Industries and IT Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy on Tuesday said the government will create an international business hub in Visakhapatnam to attract best companies.

"Our government intends to create an international business hub in Visakhapatnam to attract the best IT and ITES and financial services MNCs to start operations in a business friendly environment in the port city," said Reddy.

He said the hub will include business towers, hotels and facilities for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions) and called for expression of interest at Apiic.in According to the minister, the state recently released the electronic policy while clarity on the new IT policy release will emerge after a meeting with chief minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Thursday.

Considering the new reality of work from home, the senior Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leader said special focus would be laid on work from home option.

He said the government will brainstorm on the kind of incentives to be extended to the companies through the new policy.

Meanwhile, the southern state is also doing a survey on IT employees at the village level. The survey will be carried out by volunteers.

Government aims to count the number of IT employees at the state level.
London, June 22 : Dating app Bumble has on Tuesday given its 700 staff worldwide a week's paid break to combat workplace stress, the media reported.

The staff have been told to switch off and focus on themselves, BBC reported.

Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd made the move "having correctly intuited our collective burnout", said a senior executive praising it as "a much-needed break".

"Whitney Wolfe Herd gave all 700ish of us a paid week off, having correctly intuited our collective burnout. In the US especially, where vacation days are notoriously scarce, it feels like a big deal," Clare O'Connor, Head of Editorial Content at Bumble shared in a tweet on Monday.

The pandemic has been extremely busy for the firm as it debuted on the stock market in February, and had rapid growth in user numbers.

According to the latest figures by the company, the number of paid users across Bumble and Badoo, which Bumble also owns, spiked by 30 per cent in the three months to March 31, compared with the same period last year, the report said.

Several other tech companies have also unveiled their plans for remote working as the economy reopens.

Twitter has said that it expects a majority of its staff to spend some time working remotely and some time in the office. CEO Jack Dorsey initially said that employees could work from home "forever".

Google also rejigged its timetable -- as of September 1, employees wishing to work from home for more than 14 days a year can apply, the BBC reported.

Conversely, Apple CEO Tim Cook has said workers should be in the office at least three days a week by September.

Employees have launched a campaign against the move, media reports stated early this month.

Other companies, such as accountancy firm KPMG, have introduced new measures to combat the fatigue some workers might feel after more than a year of working in a less-than-ideal home set-up.

Voice-only meetings, for example, are now required on Fridays to reduce the need for video calls. And it's discouraging early morning meetings to give staff more time to prepare for their working day, the report said.
Mumbai, June 22 : The Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami, who is one of the accused in the alleged TRP scam unearthed last year, has been named in a massive 1,800-page supplementary charge sheet filed by the Mumbai Police, here on Tuesday.

Goswami and the TV channel were added as accused in the TRP scam and a first information report (FIR) was lodged against them during the tenure of former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, creating a nationwide sensation.

Besides Goswami, the other accused include some staffers/employees of the ARG Outlier Media, the COO Priya Mukherjee, Shiva Sundaram, Shivendu Mulelkar, Ranjit Walter, Amit M. Dave and Sanjay S. Verma, in the supplementary charge sheet filed with the Esplanade Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

The police have chargesheeted at least 15 persons so far in the case who include the ex-CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council Partho Dasgupta and Republic TV CEO Vikash Khanchandani, invoking charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, destroying evidence and criminal breach of trust, etc.

In March this year, the Goswami had filed a plea in the Bombay High Court alleging serious malafides against the Mumbai Police, especially the former CoP Singh and was granted temporary reprieve from arrest.

The journalist also sought to quash the FIR of October 6, 2020 and the charge sheets in the case arguing that he was not named in the FIR or the charge sheet, but was kept in the suspect category as a harassment tactic and a vendetta.

Admitting his plea, Justice S.S. Shinde and Justice Manish Pitale had directed the police to give Goswami a 72 hours advance notice if they wanted to summon or take any coercive action against him, while the police said they would complete the probe within four months.

The case, filed in October 2020, pertained to a complaint on certain persons in whose homes the barometers were installed allegedly bribed by certain TV channels in a bid to increase their TRPs.

The Mumbai Police launched the probe after it emerged that certain employees of the Hansa Group were manipulating the TRP ratings in favour of certain TV channels.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 22 : In a relief for Navneet Kaur Rana, first-time MP from Maharashtra's Amaravati, the Supreme Court has stayed a High Court order cancelling her Scheduled Caste certificate.

A bench comprising Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari stayed the operation of the Bombay High Court order and issued notice on her petition against the HC order. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Rana, submitted that the terms Mochi and Chamar are synonymous, and the scrutiny committee had decided her caste status based on original records produced before it. He said the genuineness of the documents was not contested; however, the High Court reversed the scrutiny committee's decision in a writ petition.

Rana had successfully contested the Amaravati Lok Sabha seat, reserved for Scheduled Castes. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners who approached the High Court challenging Rana's caste certificate, submitted before the bench that the vigilance committee had found that the documents were fabricated. Sibal said the stay cannot be granted without hearing him and cited the findings of the vigilance cell relating to fabrication of documents. The bench asked Sibal to file a counter-affidavit in the matter.

The bench noted that if the High Court was dissatisfied with the findings of the scrutiny committee, it should have sent the matter back to the committee for fresh consideration. After a brief hearing in the matter, the top court stayed the High Court order.

Rana had moved the top court challenging the High Court order, which cancelled her caste certificate saying it was obtained using fabricated documents. The MP would have lost her Lok Sabha seat if the court order was not put on hold.

On June 8, the High Court had also imposed a cost of Rs 2 lakh, which she was to deposit with the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority within two weeks.

"In our view, it was systematic fraud committed by the respondent no.3 (Rana) with the assistance of her father to obtain the caste certificate Mochi by fabricating the records to enable her to contest the election for Member of Parliament in the Constituency reserved for reserved category candidate and other benefits available to such caste under Constitution of India," the High Court had said.
Chennai, June 22 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday urged his counterparts in eight coastal states and the Union Territory of Puducherry to object to the Draft Indian Ports Bill 2021 proposed by the central government.

In a letter to the Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Puducherry on Monday, Stalin also proposed joint action to check moves to dilute the powers of the states.

According to Stalin, the Draft Indian Ports Bill 2021 was framed by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to modify the current management model of minor ports.

A meeting of the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) has been called with the State Ministers on June 24, 2021 to discuss this bill.

Stalin said the in the existing Indian Ports Act, 1908, the powers to plan, develop, regulate and control the minor ports vest with the state governments.

"However, the new draft Indian Ports Bill 2021 proposes to change this and transfer many of these powers to MSDC, which has so far been only an advisory body. Further to this, many powers currently exercised by state governments would be taken over by the Union government," Stalin said.

According to him, the Central government's move to bring a new Bill will have long term adverse implications on the management of minor ports, since the state governments will not have any major role anymore if the Bill is passed.

"We have already taken up the issue with the Union Ministry for Ports and Shipping, strongly opposing such steps to reduce the autonomous role of states in the regulation and management of minor ports," Stalin said.

"I also request that all our state governments must communicate these comments on similar lines, opposing the above bill during the MSDC meeting on 24th June 2021," he added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Shillong/Agartala, June 22 : Eight oxygen generation plants are being installed in the three northeast states -- Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura -- with the help of the Japanese government and UNDP, officials said on Tuesday.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) officials on Tuesday said that the plants have the capacity to serve approximately 1,300 beds.

Three civil hospitals in Tura, Nongpoh and Jowai in Meghalaya now have emergency oxygen supply available to provide intensive care treatment to the critically ill Covid-19 patients.

The plants utilise pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology to produce up to 800 litres of oxygen per minute.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday tweeted: "Inauguration of the Oxygen Generation Plant funded by Indian Emb Tokyo and UNDP, India at Nongpoh Civil Hospital by Health Minister, Sh. Hek Laloo & MLA, Sh. M. Syiem today... Gratitude to UNDP & Embassy of Japan to India on behalf of the people of Ri Bhoi." Meghalaya government's Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare Department) Sampath Kumar said: "Ensuring uninterrupted supply of oxygen in the hospitals of the state for treatment of Covid-19 patients had been a challenge for the Health Department." He thanked the Government of Japan and UNDP for the support extended to strengthen the state District Hospitals at Tura, Nongpoh and Jowai by installing PSA Oxygen Plants which are critical during this time of the pandemic.

A UNDP statement said that to support the Government of India's ongoing Covid-19 response, UNDP together with the Government of Japan's support is strengthening the health and social protection systems, most importantly reviving the livelihoods, targeting the most vulnerable population.

"Japan is always happy to provide development assistance to the North East, where we feel a special historical and cultural closeness. I hope that these Oxygen Generating Plants will serve well and help as many people as possible for a long time to come," the statement said as stated by Suzuki Satoshi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in India.

The statement quoting Shoko Noda, UNDP Resident Representative in India, said: "UNDP stands committed to supporting the government of India to fight Covid-19, in partnership with development partners and UN sister agencies." "I am pleased that our several months of effort to provide end to end service, to install and set the oxygen generation plants up and running has come to fruition. Together, we can better prepare for future crises."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, June 22 : Actor Chandan Roy Sanyal took to social media on Tuesday to mourn the death of his pet cat TinTin, who succumbed to injuries after a fight. The actor expressed how deeply he is affected and urged netizens to love animals around them.

"I lost TinTin today or as i fondly called him Tintu - he succumbed to his injuries in a fight. He was a hardcore street fighter and a moody rascal. He adored me and always waited for me till I came back in the nights and took the lifts with me. First time I met him wounded, took him to a doctor, he didn't even flinch once, how tough he was. Today morning I found him dead," Chandan wrote in an Instagram post.

Talking about the bond he shared with the cat, the actor added: "I wish he came one more time to ask for his food, every-time I opened the door, he was there. Now he wont come, heart sinks thinking about him. This bond was so special. He didn't even live with me, still I am affected deeply and I thank him for arousing that side in me. He taught me unconditional love. How magical it is to feel like this for someone. We met by chance and he became a part of my life. Bye Bye my baby. You were very dear to me. Give a chance to animals around you . They will be yours forever. RIP. #tintin #myboy." On the work front, Chandan will next be seen in the upcoming Netflix anthology "Ray", which is slated to release this week.
Gurugram, June 22 : Gurugram police have arrested four persons for allegedly thrashing a 19-year-old college student to death over his relationship with a girl, the police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the victim has been identified as Narender alias Nitin, a resident of Naharpur Rupa village.

An altercation over Nitin's relationship with a girl is said to be the motive behind the killing, the police said.

The arrested persons have been identified as Kultaj, Pradeep, Maan Singh alias Monu, and Varun, all residents of Gurugram.

The victim's mother, Kamlesh, stated in her police complaint that his son was called to the Greenwood City in Sector 45 by the girl's cousin named Varun on Sunday. When Nitin reached there, Varun, along 8-9 other persons, brutally thrashed him with sticks before fleeing from the spot.

"We found him lying unconscious in the Sector 45 area with the help of his phone location, which Nitin had shared with his brother-in-law. He was taken to a hospital, but he died during treatment on Sunday evening," she told the police.

"The accused persons have been arrested by a team of Sector 40 police station following a tip-off. They will be produced before a local court for further legal proceeding," Preet Pal Sangwan, ACP (Crime), told IANS.
New Delhi, June 22 : The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that there cannot be any uniform assessment policy for all board examinations, which includes those of the CBSE, the ICSE and 32 state boards.

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, representing the Centre, told a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar that all boards are autonomous bodies, and empowered to formulate their schemes in connection with the assessment of Class 12 students.

He told the top court that the life of each student is protected by Article 21 of the Constitution, and it is not safe or prudent to have a written exam amid the ongoing pandemic. "Students cannot be compelled to take examination during the pandemic. For example, if something happens to a student, then his/her parents will sue the board," Venugopal said.

The AG said this situation has arisen for first time and the boards had to innovate and think of the students' best interest. He added that 13 experts have put their heads together and has been approved by the CBSE.

The Centre also informed the top court that students will be given an option, that is, if they are not satisfied with the assessment, then they can opt for the exam.

The CBSE on Monday informed the Supreme Court the optional examinations for Class 12 students, unsatisfied with its assessment criteria, would be held between August 15 to September 15. The exams would be conducted if the environment is conducive against the backdrop of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Jaipur, June 22 : Amid the ongoing tussle between the camps of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, a new poster war has been triggered by the latter in the desert state.

The Pilot camp has been pasting posters that seek to highlight his struggle and hard work as the state Congress chief before the 2018 Assembly election to help form the Congress government.

The poster war has come at a time when turncoats, who contested the Assembly elections 2018 as Independents and Bahujan Samaj Party candidates and then joined the Congress, have called a meeting on June 23 to chalk out strategies against the Pilot camp. The Pilot camp has been demanding rewards for the Congress workers in the form of political appointments which have been awaited since months.

These turncoat MLAs are 19 in total with 13 Independents and six former BSP MLAs.

Meanwhile, there has been a last minute change in the meeting as six former BSP MLAs decided against participating in it. One of these MLAs, Lakhan Singh Meena said, "We are now a part of the Congress and hence shall attend meetings called by Congress MLAs." A day before this meeting, posters came up in Jaipur put up by the Pilot followers showcasing his struggles before the Assembly elections 2018.

The pictures show an injured Pilot during a lathicharge among many others with a slogan "Rajasthan ne dekha hai hum sabne dekha hai (the whole of Rajasthan has seen, we have seen)".

A few days back, the former BSP MLAs accused Pilot of being a traitor and alleged that he with his MLAs tried to topple the state government a year ago. The Pilot camp in turn questioned their credibility for jumping their party loyalties and termed them outsiders.

Also, BSP state chief Bhagwan Singh termed these six BSP MLAs as traitors who betrayed their own party to join the ruling party.

Congress sources have said that the meeting scheduled on Wednesday is a part of the pressure politics started on behalf of the Gehlot camp. They will chalk out further strategy to send their message to the Congress high command to ensure that any decision regarding the pending political appointments goes in their favour.

The meeting call was taken a few days ago after Rajasthan in-charge Ajay Maken termed Pilot as a star asset for the party.

Worrying about the development, the Gehlot camp got active and made its G-19 team ready to lead from the front to pressurise the high command to take decisions in their favour, said Congress workers.

With the six former BSP MLAs missing the meeting, the G-19 now has been reduced to G-13.

Meanwhile, Sachin Pilot told IANS, "We are fighting for our workers.

"We want our workers, who took sticks on their heads, to be rewarded for working hard to form the government." A worker from the Pilot camp said, "It is totally unjustified to reward those leaders who contested against the Congress during elections and then joined the ruling party. They themselves claimed that they did not want anything in return when they joined the party. Why are they getting distressed now? Why do they want a position now," he questioned.

As this Gehlot Vs. Pilot tussle continues, a new tussle seems to have been started in the state which is of the 'real' Congress workers Vs 'outsiders' who joined the Congress ranks and are now termed as turncoats.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 22 : After the loss of territorial control in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State's global affiliates like al-Hind Province in India, Khorasan Province in Afghanistan and others will become increasingly important in upholding the terror outfit's image, claims Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, on Tuesday.

Europol, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, that assists 27 European Union member states in their fight against serious international crime and terrorism, in its report 'EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2021' stated: "Following the loss of territorial control in Iraq and Syria, IS's global affiliates will become increasingly important in upholding the image of the organisation's continued success." Outside Syria and Iraq, IS affiliates asserted themselves in 2020 with varying degrees of activity in Afghanistan (IS Khorasan Province), Algeria (IS Algeria Province), Bangladesh (IS Bengal Province), Central and East Africa (IS Central Africa Province), Egypt (IS Sinai Province), Kashmir/India (IS al-Hind Province), southern Libya (IS Fezzan Province), Pakistan (IS Pakistan Province), the Philippines (IS East Asia Province), the Sahel region (IS West Africa Province) and Yemen (IS Yemen Province).

The report stated that IS Khorasan Province in Afghanistan exploited the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban to discredit the latter.

The group carried out multiple attacks targeting civilians, journalists and diplomatic interests in 2020.

In particular, it continued to attack religious minorities.

"On March 6, for example, two IS members carried out an attack on a ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of a Shia leader in Kabul, killing at least 30 people," the report stated.

The report also stated that IS Khorasan carried out terror attack on March 25, 2020 on a Sikh temple in Kabul and took hostages, reportedly killed 25 people, in revenge for the oppression of Muslims in Kashmir.

The report, however, did not mention any terror activities of IS' al-Hind Province in India.

Last year in October, India's premier anti-terror investigating agency National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed that the Al-Hind module planned to establish ISIS Daishwilayah (province) inside the jungles of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala as recently as late 2019.

The revelation was made in a charge sheet filed by the agency in the court against 17 members of the module.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)
Mumbai, June 22 : Actors Karishma Tanna and Sherlyn Chopra took to social media on Tuesday to inform that they have taken the vaccine for Covid-19 prevention.

The actors also shared photographs of their vaccination and encouraged netizens to quickly register for their doses.

Taking to Instagram, Karishma Tanna posted: "One step at a time #vaccinated. I urge everyone to get themselves registered and get their shot. Together we will bounce back #covid_19 #fightcorona." "Got vaccinated today at H N Reliance Hospital. Huge thanks to the staff for the hospitality. P.S. It was super smooth. Felt no prick at all. #GetVaccinated #vaccinated #RespectForLife," tweeted Sherlyn Chopra.

Earlier in the day, actress Soha Ali Khan informed via social media that she has got herself vaccinated against Covid-19.

"Got the jab! #covid_19 #vaccine How about you? Video credit and vaccine partner @kunalkemmu !" Soha posted on Instagram.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Bengaluru, June 22 : A committee headed by cardiologist Devi Prasad Shetty, which submitted its interim report to Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurapa on Tuesday, has recommended reopening of schools and colleges in a staggered manner.

The 13-member experts committee was set up by the Karnataka government to strategise for prevention and management of the possible third wave of the pandemic.

The committee feared that any further delay in reopening of schools could make children vulnerable to malnutrition, child labour, child marriage, trafficking, begging.

In its 92-page report, the committee has recommended that the state government must focus on vaccinating the entire staff members of all colleges and schools in order to create ring immunisation of all adults around children on a war footing.

"Ring immunisation means vaccinate all adult members of a child/children's family, school staff, transport vehicle staff, boarding staff and others who directly come in contact with a child in schools and in the family. Besides announcing Rs 2 lakh insurance coverage to all students who are not eligible for vaccination yet, which will encourage parents to send their wards to schools," the committee said.

The committee observed that prior to opening schools ring immunisation must be created as physical attendance in schools will optimise learning, physical health, mental health and nutritional aspects of children.

After receiving the report and attending a detailed briefing by the committee members here, Yediyurappa said that the government is contemplating opening degree and professional colleges in the first phase after teachers and students are vaccinated.

"Experts have recommended that students studying in professional colleges need to attend the colleges physically. Therefore, the state government has decided to focus on vaccinating teachers and staff members of these institutions first," he said.

The CM added that the committee has recommended upgrading paediatric ICUs and wards.

The committee has also recommended recruiting additional manpower, including doctors, nurses and paramedic staff to tackle a possible third wave.

"Upgrading the existing SNCU/NICU, PICU, converting existing HDU to PICU, upgrading existing paediatric wards as HDU with piped central oxygen and suction facility so that they can be converted at short notice to PICU in case of a surge in paediatric cases," the report said.

"Set up exclusive children's hospital with 250 beds with provision for 20-bed PICU/HDU/NICU in facilities like Indira Gandhi Institute Of Child Health, and in the backward districts like Chamarajanagar, Yadgir, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Chitradurga, Koppal and Haveri in the campus of district hospital/medical colleges," stated the report.
Patna, June 22 : Amid political crisis in Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Chirag Paswan, on Tuesday, put out a four-page letter in public domain, alleging that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar killed Ram Vilas Paswan politically.

Chirag Paswan said Nitish Kumar has done the same with him as well by separating 5 MPs of the LJP.

Chirag Paswan wrote this letter a day after JDU national president R.C.P. Singh criticized him over the 'former lion's cub' and 'orphan' statements.

Chirag on Saturday had said that he is the son of a lion and will fight like a lion in the present LJP crisis. As he lost control over the party after 5 MPs separated from him, he said he has become an orphan.

Chirag Paswan said that Nitish Kumar worked against Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the latter was projected as PM's face of the NDA during the run-up to the parliamentary elections 2014.

"Nitish Kumar was the one who objected to Narendra Modi as PM face in 2014 parliamentary elections. He fought against BJP and other NDA alliance partners then and also in 2015 Bihar assembly elections. He ran a political movement against Narendra Modi. Nitish Kumar joined the NDA in 2017 again and became chief minister of Bihar with the help of BJP," Paswan said in the letter while pointing out that Nitish Kumar is not a trustworthy person.

"Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal United (JDU) is always involved in machination, bringing about splits in our party rank. In the 2005 assembly elections, we had 29 MLAs, but were split from the LJP. He did the same thing in 2020 when he took away the lone LJP MLA," Paswan said.

"Nitish Kumar tried every possible way to kill Ram Vilas Paswan politically. He created differences between Dalit and Mahadalit communities in Bihar to take political advantage. On the other hand, my father always advocated these two communities as one unit. Kumar did not want a Dalit leader to achieve political success. Despite all that, my father did not step back and never compromised with Nitish Kumar," Paswan said.

"We had a pre-poll alliance with BJP in the 2014 parliamentary elections and Nitish Kumar was in the opposite camp. When he joined the NDA in 2017, my father got distracted with the latest political development. He was not on good terms with Nitish Kumar. Then Narendra Modi gave him assurance and my father maintained the alliance pact. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, our 6 MPs lost due to the JDU's campaign against them," Paswan said.

"During first and second wave of Covid, many people lost their loved ones. When my father was in the ICU in a Delhi hospital, every leader in ruling as well as in opposition party called me and wanted to know the health condition of my father, but not Nitish Kumar. When my father was in a critical stage, Nitish Kumar said that Ram Vilas Paswan reached Rajya Sabha not because of his two MLAs, but with the support of the JDU. It was extremely shocking for me and my father when we heard that from Nitish Kumar," Chirag Paswan said in the letter.

"My uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras alleged that I removed him from the post of Bihar state president of LJP. I want to point out that Ram Vilas Paswan Ji was alive then and he was the president of the LJP. It was his decision to remove him from the post of state president. My father did not differentiate between me and my cousin MP Prince Raj. My father wanted him to flourish in Bihar as a young face and hence he had given him the responsibility of state president. Unfortunately, Prince Raj also acted against me and went with Paras," Paswan said.
New Delhi, June 22 : From Tuesday onward, Members of Parliament, State and Union Territory (UT) legislatures, officials and their families will be able to attend an online language learning course organised by Lok Sabha Secretariat at the Parliament House Complex.

This Indian and foreign language learning course will cover 22 Indian languages included in 8th Schedule of the Constitution as well as six foreign languages: French, German, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Virtually inaugurating the course, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that language connects people and cultures together and that democracies should share their experiences of best practices.

"Learning the languages of other democracies will help in such sharing. Knowledge of foreign languages helps to bring democracies closer to each other and strengthen parliamentary democracy around the world," Birla noted.

Besides, the Lok Sabha Speaker said, learning languages also boosts tourism and trade.

Birla further said that India's rich cultural diversity and plurality comes alive in the many languages spoken in the country.

Emphasizing on capacity building of people's representatives from panchayats to Parliament, the Speaker exhorted them to learn more and more languages; both Indian and foreign. He also appealed to the people to learn at least one Indian language and one foreign language, in addition to their mother language.

Ambassadors of France, Germany, Japan, Portugal, Russia and Spain virtually joined the inauguration session and appreciated the initiative of the Lok Sabha.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, June 22 : The Indian insurance regulator IRDAI has allowed non-life insurers to offer "homecare/domiciliary treatment" or treatment at home as an add on cover afresh or to their existing policies.

In a circular to all non-life insurers including standalone health insurers, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has said companies have to file their products with it, if home treatment is offered as an add-on cover.

According to IRDAI, homecare treatment is one taken at home for an ailment that normally needs hospitalisation provided that a medical practitioner advises the insured home treatment; there is a continuous active line of treatment with the health status of the insured monitored daily by a medical practitioner during the duration of home treatment; and that records of daily monitoring of the insured patient and the treatment given are recorded and signed by a medical practitioner Norms for settlement of claims should be mentioned in the policy document and prospectus, it said.

IRDAI said that insurers can offer the cover to their existing policyholders by charging an additional premium for the residual period of time.

Reacting to the development, Liberty General Insurance Ltd's CEO and Whole Time Director Roopam Asthana told IANS that the "add-on cover has to be priced right taking into account the data and possible scenarios".

Though the insurers will save on huge daily hospital room charges, the doctor and nurse fee may be on slightly on the higher side then what a hospital charges.

Industry officials told IANS the add-on cover would have been beneficial when Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak and hospital beds were not available, but now the situation is not that serious.

However, it is also true that how the pandemic will pan out in the future is not known.

A senior industry official, who preferred anonymity, told IANS that the coverage should be priced taking into account payments made towards renting hospital beds and other medical equipment that are normally used in a hospital room.
New Delhi, June 22 : A Mumbai-bound air passenger created a ruckus at Terminal-3 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport (IGI) after he was barred from boarding the flight as he was not having mandatory RT-PCR report required for travelling.

According to IGI Airport police, the incident occurred on Monday when the Vistara air passenger sat in protest against the airline's staff after he was not allowed to board the flight.

It was also informed that the passenger misbehaved with the airport and airline staff and following which airline immediately called Aviation Security (CISF) at the airport.

"Seeing the out of control situation despite repeated requests made by Air staff, we finally decided to hand him over to the CISF. A complaint was filed with the Delhi Police for further action against the passenger," Airport official told IANS.

Police told IANS that Vistara Airline gave a complaint against passenger Suraj Panday, a resident of Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, who came at IGI Airport's Vistara Airline counter for going to Mumbai by flight UK 933, but was not allowed as he had no RT-PCR test report.

Later he became violent and started shouting and also walked on the checking baggage belt and obstructed the working of Airline staff and other passengers. "Our staff also checked the CCTV footage which supported the version of the camplainant. Enquiry conducted so far and discussed with senior officer, accused Suraj Pandey committed offence U/s 92/93/97 DP act and again will not commit any congnizable offence," said Rajiv Ranjan (DCP) IGI Airport.

"Accused has his private business. Offence being bailable he was released on police bail and accused will be produce before the court through Kalandra for judicial verdict," Ranjan added.
London, June 22 : The European Commission on Tuesday opened a formal antitrust investigation against Google to assess whether the search giant has violated EU competition rules by favouring its own online display advertising technology services.

According to the EU watchdog, such a move would be detrimental to competing providers of advertising technology services, advertisers and online publishers.

The formal investigation will notably examine whether Google is distorting competition by restricting access by third parties to user data for advertising purposes on websites and apps, while reserving such data for its own use, the commission said in a statement.

Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetise their online services.

"Google collects data to be used for targeted advertising purposes, it sells advertising space and also acts as an online advertising intermediary. So Google is present at almost all levels of the supply chain for online display advertising," said Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy.

"We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack. A level playing field is of the essence for everyone in the supply chain," she added.

Google is facing a similar antitrust probe in the US as the Justice Department year filed antitrust charges against the company in October last year, alleging that the company illegally monopolises the search and ad markets.

In the last decade, the EU has fined Google over $9.5 billion over various antitrust violations.

According to the commission, many publishers rely on online display advertising to fund free online content for consumers. In 2019, display advertising spending in the EU was estimated to be approximately 20 billion euros.

Google provides several advertising technology services that intermediate between advertisers and publishers in order to display ads on web sites or mobile apps.

"Fair competition is important -- both for advertisers to reach consumers on publishers' sites and for publishers to sell their space to advertisers, to generate revenues and funding for content. We will also be looking at Google's policies on user tracking to make sure they are in line with fair competition," Vestager noted.

The Commission will take into account the need to protect user privacy, in accordance with EU laws in this respect, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Chennai, June 22 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in his address to the Assembly said his government would pass resolutions against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the new Union farm laws during the Budget Session.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has taken up the issue of the farmers and the negative impact of the Union farm laws ever since the bills were passed, Stalin added.

The DMK had been demanding the withdrawal of the farm-related legislations ever since they were enacted.

The Chief Minister said the CAA had created fear in the minds of the minorities and was against their interests, adding that the DMK has always been against such laws.

Stalin while speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday said the DMK has been demanding the withdrawal of the farm-related laws considering the plight of the farmers.

The DMK Chief replying to a question raised by party member A. Tamilarasi, said it was not appropriate to address the issue of farm laws and CAA during the motion of thanks to the Governor's address, adding that these contentious issues would be taken up during the Budget Session of the Assembly.
Mumbai, June 22 : Known for giving a sprinkle of quirk to humour in his captions, actor Kartik Aaryan struck again on Tuesday.

Kartik shared a picture from a photo-shoot on Instagram. In the image, the actor is seen wearing an overcoat paired with a black T-shirt and pants. He is sporting scruffy hair, beard and is holding a big umbrella.

"#TheUmbrellaMan," he wrote as caption.

It seems that Kartik drew inspiration from the author Roald Dahl's short story "The Umbrella Man" for his caption.

On the work front, Kartik has two films lined up. He will be seen in "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2", which also stars Tabu and Kiara Advani. The actor also has the film "Dhamaka" lined up, which is slated to release on an OTT platform.

Kartik was recently in the news for his controversial exit from the Karan Johar-produced "Dostana 2".
Kathmandu, June 22 : In a serious blow to Nepals embattled Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, the countrys Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the recent Cabinet reshuffle and relieved 20 ministers from their posts in Olis cabinet.

Oli, who slipped to caretaker status after the dissolution of the House and declaring the elections in November, had expanded the Cabinet and added 20 new faces on June 4 and June 10.

Oli had dissolved the House on May 21 and declared the elections after he lost the vote of confidence in the House.

The Supreme Court said in its interim order that a caretaker Prime Minister cannot reshuffle the Cabinet after declaring the elections.

That goes against the spirit of the Constitution, the interim order of the court stated, while issuing an order not to implement the decision to expand the Cabinet.

A division bench of Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana and Justice Prakash Kumar Dhungana issued the order in the name of the caretaker government to release the newly appointed ministers from their appointments.

The Supreme Court interim order has asked Oli to relieve 20 ministers appointed after the House dissolution from their duties. With this, the size of Oli's Cabinet has been reduced to five from 25.

The court's decisions came in response to several writ petitions that were filed earlier this month, challenging Oli's move to induct new ministers in the caretaker government.

The ruling Nepal Communist Party-UML has termed the Supreme Court's interim order to relive 20 ministers as an 'unexpected' move.

"This Supreme Court's decision is unexpected to us and this will take the country to a very complex mode," party spokesperson Pradeep Gyawali told the media after the court's verdict.

"We have concluded it as 'unexpected' but we'll make our position clear once we read the full verdict," he added.

The Supreme Court's decision has been welcomed by the opposition Nepali Congress.

"This is a very positive decision as Prime Minister Oli has been assaulting the Constitution time and again. The Supreme Court has corrected Oli's mistake," said senior Nepali Congress leader, Ram Chandra Poudel.

"No caretaker government in the world expands the Cabinet after the declaration of elections. The court has taken its decision in favour of democracy." Poudel added.

Oli had twice dissolved the Parliament. First in December last year, which was later reinstated in February. After his united party, the Nepal Communist Party, split in March during a verdict, Oli lost the majority in Parliament and lost the vote of confidence.

Again on May 21, he dissolved the House and declared the elections, which is being heard in the Supreme Court.
New Delhi, June 22 : First time after abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP will be observing the death anniversary of its ideologue Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee in the Valley on June 23. The BJP feels that abrogation of Article 370 is real integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.

Director of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF), Dr Anirban Ganguly will deliver the keynote address in Srinagar. In August 2019, BJP government at Centre abrogated Article 370, giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir. On June 23, 1953, Dr Mookerjee died in the custody of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

The BJP observes Dr Mookerjee's death anniversary as 'Balidaan Diwas' and holds programs across the country. But for the first time, the saffron party is doing it in Kashmir Valley after the abrogation of Article 370.

Jammu Kashmir BJP co-incharge Ashish Sood told IANS that Ganguly will talk about Dr Mookerjee's life, mission and vision for the country and sacrifice he made for Jammu and Kashmir's integration with the rest of the country.

"Abrogation of Article 370 is a real tribute to Dr Mookerjee and the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed for inclusive and equal development of Jammu and Kashmir," Sood said.

To observe the death anniversary of Dr Mookerjee, the BJP will be organizing a quiet and informal gathering following all Covid protocol.

Ganguly said that abrogation of Article 370 is in a sense a realization of Dr Mookerjee's dream to integrate the region so that people of the region get benefits of provision of constitution of India.

"Dr Mookerjee's demands for integration of Jammu and Kashmir are constitutional and democratic not sectarian and communal as it is recorded in his speeches," Ganguly said.

Ganguly pointed out that his demands were positive keeping in view the future of people in this region apart from India's unity and integrity.

Director of SPMRF said, observing 'Balidan Diwas' in Kashmir Valley holds significance ahead of all party meetings called by the Prime Minister on June 24.

"Message to people is clear that it is new way forward for the people of the region what Prime Minister has already talked about 'Naya Jammu and Kashmir'. Electoral process will start soon and preparation has already begun." Ganguly said.
Mumbai, June 22 : Taking serious cognizance of the Covid vaccination frauds that recently shocked Mumbai, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra government and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation to catch the kingpins and unearth the entire racket.

Hearing the PIL filed by a social activist, advocate Siddharth Chandrashekhar, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G.S. Kulkarni asked the Mumbai Police to submit the status report of its investigations into the scams by Thursday.

Suggesting that the government and the civic body could form a policy on priority to ensure no innocents suffer, the court wanted to know whether a system could be created to keep track of the doses which are released to the organisers of private inoculation camps in housing societies, corporate houses or educational institutions.

Stressing on the urgent need to form relevant guidelines, the court said that the frauds are taking place mostly in the western suburbs (of Mumbai) and said the racket must be unearthed to find out the kingpin defrauding people in such a 'novel' way.

"It is unimaginable that during this time of crisis when the entire humanity is suffering, people are committing such frauds," the judges noted.

The court further asked the state and the BMC to inform them about the procedures that can be adopted by the housing societies to prevent such fake inoculation camps and said they should invoke the provisions of the Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act against the culprits.

The BMC's counsel, senior advocate Anil Sakhare, informed the court that the Mumbai Police are already investigating the issue and the civic body has also initiated the necessary measures.

"Imagine the plight of the person vaccinated with water. His state of mind is unimaginable," the court said while hearing the petitioner's lawyer Anita Castellino on the fraudulent vaccination drive on 390 members and others in the posh Hiranandani Heritage Society in Kandivali west last month.

Later, other instances also came to light, including at the Aditya College in Borivali and the Tips Industries Ltd in Andheri, even as the police swooped and nabbed five persons in connection with the fraud last week.

In most of these #VToo scams that have emerged, there are several common points like the vaccination data not uploaded on the CoWIN portal, the Covid Vaccination Certificate (CVCs) not issued or delayed and coming from different hospitals with many errors, people not experiencing the possible side-effects post-dose, exorbitant charges for vaccines which the government has now started giving for free, the vaccine vials were not sealed or stamped 'Not For Sale' etc.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, June 22 : Television actor Shalin Bhanot is trying to help sex workers in Mumbai's red light area Kamathipura, who find it hard to make ends meet during the ongoing second wave of the pandemic. The actor on Tuesday revealed the shocking truth that there are women in the who solicit for as low as Rs 50.

The "Naagin 4" actor took to Instagram to talk about his social and said he is inspired by Bollywood actor Sonu Sood.

In a video Shalin shared, he can be seen handing out masks and other essentials to sex workers standings in a queue. In another video, the actor is seen having a conversation with Kamathipura residents who express gratitude.

"I suddenly fell desolate & bereft as my car made way into the tiny lanes of Mumbai's damned Kamathipura. During the second lockdown, I felt restless & wanted to put my able self to greater good. There is no dearth of generosity & humanity in this era we all call Kalyug. There are civilians moving moutains & helping the needy. Also emerged a massiah in @sonu_sood bhaiya who inspired us to walk the less traveled path," he wrote.

"I did my research & learnt how our red light area wasn't fortunate enough to get anyone's attention. I got through one social worker from the area. When he mentioned women solicit themselves for as low as Rs. 50. I was numb. I wanted to get people together, raise funds for them but they always say, lead by example. So I did whatever little I could. Learnt about their immediate needs & tried to help about a 100 families," the actor added.

"When I was just about to take leave, some women ran up to me, their eyes moist, they tied their dupatta for a mask, they joined hands & I haven't felt this hopeless in the longest time. I'll try my best but I also need you guys to come forward & help me. I'm genuinely looking for suggestions. Can we try to save our women?" the actor wrote urging netizens to come forward for the cause.

On the work front, Shalin is set to make his OTT debut with the web series "Inspector Avinash" starring Randeep Hooda and Urvashi Rautela.
London, June 22 : Many poorer countries lack Covid-19 vaccine doses to continue with their inoculation programmes, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

WHO senior adviser Dr Bruce Aylward said the Covax programme -- the international vaccine-sharing initiative -- had delivered 90 million doses to 131 countries, but it is nowhere near enough to protect populations from the deadly virus, the BBC reported on Monday.

Uganda, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Trinidad and Tobago have reportedly run out of vaccines in recent days.

Of the 80 low-income countries involved in Covax, "at least half of them do not have sufficient vaccines to be able to sustain their programmes right now", Aylward said, at a WHO briefing in Geneva on Monday.

"If we look at what we're hearing from countries on a day-to-day basis, well over half of countries have run out of stock and are calling for additional vaccines. But in reality, it's probably much higher," Aylward said.

He said some countries had tried to make alternative arrangements to end shortages, with harsh consequences, such as paying above market value for vaccines.

On Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for an end to vaccine hoarding by wealthier countries as his government scrambled to curb a steep rise in cases.

On a continental level, only 40 million doses have been administered so far in Africa -- less than 2 per cent of the population, Ramaphosa said.

To address this, he said his government was working with Covax to create a regional hub to produce more vaccines in South Africa.

Led by the WHO and other international organisations, Covax initially set a target of providing two billion doses worldwide by the end of 2021.

Most of those are being donated to poorer countries, where Covax hopes to distribute enough vaccines to protect at least 20 per cent of the populations.

However, the distribution of these vaccines has been hampered by manufacturing delays and supply disruptions, leading to shortages in countries wholly reliant on Covax, the BBC reported.

Early this month, the Group of Seven(G7) countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US -- also pledged to donate one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to poor countries to help vaccinate the world by the end of next year.

Of the 100 million Covid doses, 80 million will go to the Covax programme 20 million will be shared bilaterally with countries in need.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, June 22 : The Delhi Police on Tuesday said that it has arrested a 19-year-old youth for allegedly kidnapping a minor girl he met on Likee, a video sharing app similar to TikTok, from Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor.

Atul Kumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), south Delhi said that the police received a complaint from a man on Monday night around 11.30 p.m. about her 15-year-old sister missing since morning.

"During enquiry, the missing girl's elder sister told the police that she was in contact with one person through Likee app and the person had never met her sister physically in Delhi but she suspects his involvement in the missing of her sister," Thakur said.

A case was registered under several sections of the IPC and a team was constituted. The DCP said that a team of Police officials along with the mother and other family members was sent to Bijnor.

He said that the team reached at Anisha Nangli village in Bijnor in the early morning and recovered the girl. "The accused Tanzeel Ahmed was also arrested," Thakur said.

He said that the girl is a student of class eight and accused is carpenter in his village.
New Delhi, June 22: The Foreign Ministers of the 83-member Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS will meet next Monday to discuss efforts in the campaign to achieve the enduring defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and counter its expanding networks, especially in Africa.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio in co-hosting the meeting which will also assess priorities for the Coalition's lines of effort related to stabilization, foreign terrorist fighters, counter-ISIS financing, and counter-messaging efforts.

The ministers will discuss ways to sustain pressure?on ISIS remnants in Iraq and Syria, and to counter ISIS networks elsewhere, including Africa which has emerged as a matter of concern and also highlighted by India several times in the recent past.

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2020, which provides a comprehensive summary of key global trends and patterns in terrorism, has highlighted how Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) groups have become especially prominent in sub-Saharan Africa, leading to a surge in terrorism in many countries in the region. Seven of the 10 countries with the largest increase in terrorism were in sub-Saharan Africa: Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali, Niger, Cameron and Ethiopia.

India Narrative has highlighted how the Islamic State's profile may now be covering an arc starting from northeast Nigeria, weaving through strongholds in Chad, all the way to Libya in the north, covering thousands of miles. IS affiliates are also making their presence felt in East Africa, especially in the resource rich areas of northern Mozambique.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) announced the launch of the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in April 2019 to promote the presence of ISIS associated elements within Central, East, and Southern Africa. According to the US State Department, although ISIS-associated media portray ISCAP as a unified structure, ISIS-DRC and ISIS-Mozambique are distinct groups with distinct origins.

In March, the United States designated the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - Democratic Republic of the Congo (ISIS-DRC) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - Mozambique (ISIS-Mozambique) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. It also designated ISIS-DRC and ISIS-Mozambique as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), while also designating respective leaders of those organizations, Seka Musa Baluku and Abu Yasir Hassan, as SDGTs.

The security situation in the region directly affects India as there are several companies, including ONGC Videsh Rovuma Limited, which have high stakes in billion dollar liquefied natural gas projects, especially in Mozambique.

With the Islamist groups targeting Indian interests in Africa, India and Kenya had last week flagged their deep concern about the growing radicalisation and the surge in international terrorism in the region during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to Kenya.

Noting that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations are a common threat to humanity," Jaishankar had said that both, as a solidarity and as a strategy, India stands with Africa.

While continuing the fight against Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria, all major forces - including the Global Coalition, of which the United States is a leading member, and NATO - realise the urgent need to step up their efforts.

In March, after a Small Group of the Coalition met virtually, the members had noted with concern the serious and growing threat Daesh/ISIS affiliates pose across West Africa and the Sahel, as well as the emerging threat in other parts of the continent, particularly in East Africa.

ISIS Terror "The Coalition reaffirmed its willingness to further explore how it can contribute to collective efforts to cope with the threat posed by Daesh/ISIS in these regions, and that such efforts be upon the request and prior consent of countries concerned, and be in close coordination with African partners and existing initiatives such as the International Coalition for the Sahel, and in full respect of international law," Blinken had said in a joint communique after the meeting.

NATO too is aware of the threat of terrorism, saying it remains committed to look what more it can do in, not just in Iraq and Syria but the wider Middle East region.

"NATO remains committed to the lasting defeat of ISIS. For several years now, we have been supporting the Global Coalition directly with AWACS surveillance flights and with NATO's mission in Iraq," says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

It is going to be a long and hard battle as the coalition members and NATO deal with the growing threat of ISIS outside of Iraq and Syria, particularly in Africa.

Also, as analysts believe, withdrawing US and NATO troops from Afghanistan will definitely not ensure ISIS's enduring defeat globally.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
New Delhi, June 22 : Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday released the party's 'White Paper' on management of Covid-19, accusing the Central government of not taking adequate measures to prevent and contain the pandemic.

Releasing the document at a virtual press conference, he said: "This White Paper is a discussion that has taken place within the Congress structure and we have had a discussion with the experts and we have basically developed four pillars." The first, Gandhi said, "is the idea of understanding exactly what went wrong, which is the foundation of the White Paper". The second pillar is preparation for the third wave, which includes developing the critical infrastructure, including oxygen, and other elements.

"The third pillar... that we have been repeating again and again and again, is the idea of an economic assistance package. Covid is not just a biological phenomena, it is also an economic and social phenomena and that is why we have to make sure that the poorest people, the weakest people, small and medium businesses are provided support, that they need to get through and the fourth and final element is a Covid compensation fund, where we give money to people who have lost loved ones, where we commit to them support of the Indian nation and say 'look, we stand with you in this difficult time'," he said.

The White Paper termed the "mismanagement of the Covid pandemic as India's gravest governance failure" and charged the Narendra Modi government with not taking adequate measures to prevent and contain the pandemic.

It said that the Modi government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis began with its "early inaction" in January 2020, and how "ignored early warnings from experts and political leaders from the opposition".

"It failed to learn from the lessons and response models of other countries which had been hit by the pandemic," it said, adding that the government did not scale up nationwide lessons from Kerala's experience in successfully suppressing the Nipah virus outbreak.

"This inaction for a period of nearly two months was completely avoidable and cost us dearly," it held.

The White Paper suggested that the Modi government should have acted with seriousness and urgency after the outbreak of the pandemic in other countries, learnt from their lessons and followed the 3Ts -- Testing at scale, Tracing with diligence and Treating with precision.

It also said that the government should have screened all international passengers and quarantined them as necessary from January 2020, and also tested symptomatic persons with no travel history.

The Congress White Paper also criticised the government's initial response consisting of measures like the Janata Curfew, 'thali' clanging and 'diya' lighting, which did not adequately communicate the risks from Covid-19 to the public.

"It did not prepare them to undertake appropriate preventive measures. Instead, the Prime Minister announced a nationwide lockdown with only four hours' notice. It triggered a terrible humanitarian crisis impacting approximately four crore migrant workers and disrupted the livelihoods of poor families," it said.

The Congress also came down hard on the PMCARES fund saying that it turned out to be an opaque entity with no transparency on utilisation of funds.

"The government ignored the suggestion of epidemiologists to conduct door-to-door screening to detect and curb the spread of the virus at the nascent stage," it said, adding that advice of experts about the ineffectiveness of lockdowns was also ignored.

While the lockdown bought the government time to enhance testing and hospital facilities, its efforts on this front were "demonstrably inadequate", it said, and the "lockdown thus imposed severe social costs without the equivalent benefit of disease control".

The Congress also said that the government should have decentralised resources, and empowered and equipped local authorities to arrest the spread of the virus and prepared a response plan ahead of time, based on the experience of other countries, including the earmarking of resources and the ramping up of infrastructural requirements such as hospital beds and medical oxygen.

"Two characteristics that stand out from the Modi government's handling of the pandemic are hubris and political avarice. The government declared victory over Covid-19 prematurely in early 2021. It deceptively used the 'Vaccine Maitri' scheme as a tool to project the Prime Minister's image globally, when the bulk of exports were contracts placed directly with private sector vaccine manufacturers," it said.

Slamming the BJP, the Congress said: "At a time when large gatherings should not have been allowed, the ruling party demonstrated political avarice by conducting large election rallies during the eight phases of the assembly election in West Bengal, when the nation was already reeling from the second wave of the pandemic." It also cited the toppling of its government in Madhya Pradesh during the first wave of Covid, saying: "Earlier the Modi government denied that Covid-19 posed a major threat to public health until a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had been installed in Madhya Pradesh." It also said that the Modi government should have acted swiftly on warnings from scientists and the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG) about contagious new variants of the virus, avoided declaring victory over Covid-19, which instilled a false sense of safety among the public, who believed their leaders and lowered their guard, banned large gatherings, including election rallies, and postponed panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh.

The White Paper also highlighted that the Modi government's practice of ignoring the signs and the science proved "disastrous". It said that the government notified ICMR, a research organisation, as the nodal agency to manage the pandemic instead of the battle-ready National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and National Institute of Virology (NIV).

It also slammed the government for not rectifying "the under-reporting of the number of cases and deaths during both waves, crucial to frame policies based on accurate data", and BJP Ministers for not adequately assessing and preparing responses to the risks of community transmission.

"Further, its ministers publicly promoted unscientific remedies such as Coronil."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, June 22 : A day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the Punjab chief ministerial candidate from his party would be from Sikh community, union minister Hardeep Singh Puri accused him of doing politics instead of focusing on vaccination.

Union urban development minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday tweeted, "On a day India vaccinated more than 84 lakh people, Delhi administered only 76,259 out of more than 11 lakh doses available. Why?" In a further tweet, Puri said, "Instead of focusing on health and welfare of people of Delhi, Kejriwal Ji is busy in Punjab searching for a Sikh CM face for his party." After the union minister's remark came, senior AAP leader and Delhi deputy chief minister hit back on Twitter.

In reply to Puri's tweet, Sisodia asked the union minister to focus on providing enough vaccines for the youth rather than just abusing chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"Hardeep ji: pls focus on providing enough vaccines for the youth, rather than just abusing Arvind Kejriwal all the time. Central Govt's vaccination flip-flops have created a crisis situation all over the country," Sisodia said on Twitter.

Kejriwal, who was in Amritsar on Monday, had announced that the party's chief ministerial face for the 2022 Punjab assembly polls will be from the Sikh community.
New Delhi, June 22 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday warned the Andhra Pradesh government that the court would hold it responsible if there is even one fatality, due to its decision to go ahead with the physical examination for Class 12 students.

A bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari told Andhra Pradesh counsel: "You can't keep everything uncertain. Remember, if there is even one fatality, we will make the state responsible." Advocate Mahfooz Nazki, appearing for the AP government, submitted that the state wants to go ahead with physical examination for Class 12 students and added that final decision on it has been deferred till July 1. "We feel we will be able to conduct the examination," he said.

To this, the bench said: "What if you were unable to conduct the examination in July, and why it is not possible for the AP government to take decision now, like other state governments." It also sought to know how many students are expected to take the exams. The counsel replied 5 lakh and emphasised all safety protocols will be followed, and not more than 15 students will be allowed in the examination hall.

The bench then asked counsel to convey it the government's decision in the matter within two days.

The observation by the top court was made during the hearing of a PIL filed by advocate Anubha Sahai Shrivastava seeking cancellation of all state board exams. The top court said it will also pass order on the plea challenging the Kerala government decision to hold Class 11 exams. The top court will take up the matter on June 24.

The Assam, Tripura and Karnataka governments informed the Supreme Court on Monday that they have cancelled Class 12 state board exams in view of the ongoing Covid-19 situation.
New Delhi, June 22 : Among all the social groupings, Scheduled Tribes have got the highest number of both shots of the Covid vaccine so far, as per the IANS CVoter Covid Tracker.

As per the tracker, 19.4 per cent among STs have got both shots of the vaccine, followed by Christians at 12.9 per cent, upper caste Hindus at 11.6 per cent, Other Backward Classes at 11.3 per cent, Sikhs at 8.2 per cent, Scheduled Castes at 7.8 per cent, and Muslims at 4.4 per cent.

The numbers among the Christians are the highest for a single shot of the vaccine at 32.7 per cent, followed by 30.6 per cent Sikhs, 25.3 per cent upper caste Hindus, and 20.8 per cent Other Backward Classes.

The all-India sample size is 43,032, covering all states and UTs during the last six months in proportion to population. Margin of error is plus/minus 3 per cent at macro level, and plus/minus 5 per cent at the micro level.

On a Nett basis, when it comes to being pro-vaccine, upper caste Hindus lead the chart at 84.9 per cent, followed by Other Backward Classes at 76 per cent, Christians at 71.9 per cent and Scheduled Tribes at 50.8 per cent.

According to the IANS CVoter Covid Tracker, there is no vaccine hesitancy in India. Belying the narrative put forward by a section of the media, the tracker shows that overall, 80 per cent in India are pro-vaccine, which is almost 10 per cent more positive than the American public sentiment on vaccines.

Yashwant Deshmukh, Founder-Director of CVoter, said, "In fact, India happens to be among the most pro-vaccine countries in the world. I don't even know why exactly such subjective stories are done by some agencies, which only suits the weird narrative of India still being a country of snake charmers.

"In our Covid tracker, we have done the cross tabs even on the lines of caste and religion. Yes, the upper caste and OBC are more open to vaccination when compared to the tribal populations and Muslims in India, but even they are Nett positive on vaccination drive. Overall, more than 80 per cent in India are pro-vaccine. This is almost 10 per cent more positive than the American public sentiment on vaccines."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, June 22 : The now-grounded Jet Airways is likely to take the skies again within six months from now.

On Tuesday, the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the resolution plan of the Kalrock-Jalan Consortium and gave a 90-day time period to the DGCA and the Civil Aviation Ministry to allot the slots.

Talking to IANS, Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association (JAMEWA) President Ashish Mohanty, said that as per the order, within 90 days, the Ministry and the Directorate General Civil Aviation should consider the request for slots, so that it will help Jet Airways to be back in the skies sooner.

He added that Aircraft Operating Certificate (AOC) will have to be revived as soon as possible and clearance obtained from regulating authorities like DGCA and others. Training of pilots, engineers, crew and other licenced members are important requirements.

Further, the 12 aircraft of the airline which have been grounded for past two years need to be restored after maintenance and made operational.

"If everything goes well, we might fly by December or January," he said.

The tribunal, in its verdict on Tuesday, said that if the slot allotment is not completed within the stipulated timeline, then the tribunal may be approached for an extension in the resolution period.

Last November, the resolution professional of Jet Airways submitted the successful resolution plan of Kalrock Capital and Murari Lal Jalan for the bankrupt airline at the NCLT. The Committee of Creditors (CoC) of the airline had approved the bid in October 2020.

The admitted debt of Jet Airways was Rs 8,000 crore.

In a statement in December, the consortium had said that it plans to fly Jet Airways by the summer of 2021, subject to certain conditions.

"The Jet 2.0 programme is aimed at reviving the past glory of Jet Airways, with a fresh set of processes and systems to ensure greater efficiency and productivity across all routes," it had said.

As per the resolution plan, Jet Airways intends to operate all of its historic domestic slots in India and restart international operations.

Mohanty said that the employees of the bankrupt airline are grateful to Jalan-Kalrock consortium for having faith in Jet Airways and making the investment to revive the airline.

"We, the employees again thank Ashish Chhawchharia (resolution professional) and Rajesh Prasad (Chief Strategy Officer, Jet Airways). We will give more than 100 per cent to new owners, so that Jet Airways will back to sky and give the customer joy of flying," he said.
New Delhi, June 22 : India and Bangladesh on Tuesday discussed effective border management and real-time intelligence sharing to foil cross-border crime and illegal trade.

In the three-day Inspector General-level talks between India's Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the two countries will also take up issues to improve border domination.

The conference, which started via video telecommunication mode on Tuesday, will conclude on June 24.

Both sides will also focus on further strengthening the friendship between the two forces.

The talks include joint efforts against trans-border crime, concurrence in connection with pending developmental works, and measures to check illegal cross-border movement.

The coordinated border management plan includes simultaneous coordinated patrols both during day and night, sharing of intelligence, and identification of vulnerable areas.

The 17-member BGB delegation is led by Additional Director General, and Region Commander, North West Region, Rangpur, Brig Gen Rakibul Karim Chowdhury. Representatives of Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Joint River Commission also took part in the meeting.

The BSF delegation is led by Inspector General, South Bengal Frontier, Ashwini Kumar Singh, and comprises IG, North Bengal Frontier, Ravi Gandhi, IG, Guwahati Frontier, Sanjay Singh Gehlot, and DIG and Nodal Officer, Guwahati Frontier, Jitendra Kumar Rudola, DIG and Nodal Officer, South Bengal Frontier S. S. Guleria, DIG and Nodal Officer, North Bengal Frontier, Rajiva Ranjan Sharma, and staff officers K.K. Majumdar, and R. Ranjan.
Chennai, June 22 : The Tamil Nadu government has refused permission to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd to dig 15 wells, the state Assembly was told on Tuesday.

Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said ONGC had sought permission to dig wells in Ariyalur (10 places) and Cuddalore (5 places) districts from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), but it rejected all the 15 applications as they did not specify the socio-economic impact of the projects.

He also said the government will not give permission for exploration, drilling or extracting oil, hydrocarbon in the Cauvery delta districts.

Thennarasu said the government will also set up an expert committee to study the impact of oil and hydrocarbon exploration and extraction on ecology and the farmers' livelihood in non-delta districts.
New Delhi, June 22 : The Congress has decided to join the all-party meeting on J&K to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 24, the first such meeting after August 2019, when the erstwhile state had lost its special status following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A.

The decision to join the meet was taken at a meeting chaired by interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, involving party leaders from the states.

The meeting was attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Karan Singh, P. Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad, among others.

J&K Congress President Ghulam Ahmad Mir, former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and ex-Deputy CM Tara Chand will attend the meeting called by the Prime Minister, Mir told IANS after the meeting.

"Sonia-ji called the meeting after we gave our inputs on Monday. The party believes that dialogue is the only way to resolve any problem. No agenda for the meeting has been mentioned in the invitation, so it would not be correct to speculate on it," Mir said.

Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir had said on Sunday that restoring full statehood and holding elections are the way forward to restore democracy in J&K.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala had said, "Let me draw your attention towards the Congress Working Committee resolution on August 6, 2019 whereby it clearly demanded restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. We believe that undoing it is a direct attack on the democracy and the constitutional principles.

"Congress believes in granting full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as also holding elections so that people are able to elect their representatives instead of a rule by Delhi. It is the only way forward to guarantee full democratic rights," he added.
Hyderabad, June 22 : The Telangana government on Tuesday asked banks not to withhold any amount being credited in the accounts of farmers under Rythu Bandhu, the investment support scheme of the state government.

Finance Minister T. Harish Rao, along with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, held an emergency meeting with bankers, on the issue. Any amount which has been withheld/adjusted shall be credited back to the farmers' accounts, he said.

The meeting was called after instances came to the notice of the government that some banks are not allowing the farmers to withdraw their Rythu Bandhu amount given by the state government and also adjusting the same against old dues.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had issued directions to hold the emergency meeting with the bankers.

Bankers responded that no such instructions to withhold the Rythu Bandhu funds were issued. The minister issued clear instruction to the bankers not to withhold any of the Rythu Bandhu amount in future.

Harish Rao told the bankers to issue strict instructions to all the bank branches and District Collectors were also instructed to monitor the same at the district level. A state level team will monitor any issues faced by farmers.

The government also launched two toll free numbers to address any issues faced by farmers. They can contact 18002001001 or 04033671300 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The minister also instructed the bankers to expedite the disbursement/renewal of crop loans.

The government started crediting the amount under Rythu Bandhu on June 15 and the process will continue till June 25. Every farmer will get Rs 5,000 as investment support for every acre of the land for the current crop season.

A total of Rs 7,509 crore will be provided to over 63 lakh farmers under the scheme.
Guwahati/Agartala, June 22 : In a historic step, the worlds first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant was planted on Tuesday on the outskirts of Guwahati by the Chairman and Executive Director of the Rubber Board, K.N. Raghavan.

The GM rubber plant, which was planted at the Rubber Board's Sarutari research farm near Guwahati, was developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) through long years of research at its biotechnology laboratory.

Raghavan said that the GM rubber plant, the first of its kind developed exclusively for this region, is expected to grow well under the climatic conditions of the mountainous northeast region.

The Rubber Board Chairman said that the GM rubber plant would be a game-changer in natural rubber cultivation in India, with additional copies of the gene MnSOD (manganese-containing superoxide dismutase) inserted in it.

"The GM rubber plant is expected to tide over the severe cold conditions during winter, which is a major factor affecting the growth of young rubber plants. Natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon forests and it is not naturally suited for the cold conditions in this part of the country," he said.

Raghavan said that through breeding and selection, RRII, a Rubber Board research body, had earlier developed two high yielding hybrid clones of rubber that are adapted to the climatic conditions of the northeast region.

According to the physician-turned-Indian Revenue Service officer, the growth of young rubber remains suspended during the winter months, which are also characterised by progressive drying of the soil.

"This is the reason for the long immaturity period of this crop in the region. The MnSOD gene has the ability to protect the plants from the adverse effects of severe environmental stresses such as cold, drought etc.

"Laboratory studies conducted at the RRII in Kerala's Kottayam showed that GM rubber plants over-expressed the MnSOD gene as expected, offering protection to the cells. Therefore, it is expected that the GM rubber plants will grow fast here," Raghavan said.

He further explained that what is planted now is not on a commercial basis, but on an experimental level following all mandatory bio-safety measures applicable to field trials involving GM crops.

He also allayed unfounded fears about GM rubber.

The MnSOD gene used in the GM rubber was taken from the rubber plant itself, he said.

"Its copies were multiplied in the laboratory and reinserted into a cell of the rubber plant which was then regenerated into a full plant that is now planted in the field.

"There are no plant species in India that can breed with natural rubber. Therefore, there is no risk of the genes flowing from the GM rubber into any other native species, a concern often raised by environmental groups against GM plants in general," he pointed out.

Raghavan stated that the Rubber Board has attached great importance to its activities in the northeast region of India where rubber cultivation is a potential tool for rural development and empowerment of the peasants, including the indigenous communities of the region.

The Rubber Board is actively promoting rubber cultivation in the region with financial support from the Indian tyre industry.

Its choice of Assam to plant the first GM rubber also demonstrates the importance it attaches to the region.

A senior Rubber Board official said that seven northeastern states, specially Tripura and Assam, are cultivating rubber in 1,90,000 hectares of land annually, producing 1,11,700 tonne natural rubber.

Tripura, which is the second largest natural rubber producing state in the country after Kerala, is currently cultivating natural rubber in 85,500 hectares of land and producing 62,000 tonne rubber annually.

Over 1.50 lakh families are directly and indirectly associated with rubber cultivation in the northeastern state.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
Hyderabad/Amaravati, June 22 : At a time when his younger brother and Janasena founder, actor - politician Pawan Kalyan, considers Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as his bete noire, megastar Chiranjeevi on Tuesday heaped praises on the CM for vaccinating 13.7 lakh people in the state on a single day.

"So happy at the fabulous feat of vaccinating over 13.7 lakh people on a single day by health teams in Andhra Pradesh. Your efforts fill confidence in everyone about defeating the Covid monster," said Chiranjeevi.

He appreciated the southern state's health department by saying "way to go Team AP. More power to you".

The legendary actor also congratulated Reddy and termed his leadership as "inspiring".

"Congrats to Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for his inspiring leadership," he said.

Chiranjeevi has been openly endearing himself to Reddy since a couple years now. He himself was a chief ministerial hopeful back in 2009 through the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), which he merged into the Congress.

However, the megastar from Mogalturu village is not very active in politics nowadays and going by the past comments from Kalyan's aide Nadendla Manohar, he has promised to stand by his younger brother after he (Kalyan) spends some more years making movies.

On Sunday, Andhra Pradesh administered vaccine shots to 13.72 lakh people across the 13 districts of the state.

West Godavari district emerged on top by inoculating 1.67 lakh people.
New Delhi, June 22 : India and Fiji on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors between the two countries.

The MoU will remain valid for a period of five years from the date of its signing and any variation to its duration will have to be approved in writing by both parties.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Fiji's Minister of Agriculture Mahendra Reddy signed the MoU in a virtual meeting.

The MoU provides for cooperation in the fields of dairy industry development, rice industry development, root crop diversification, water resources management, coconut industry development, food processing industry development, agriculture mechanisation, horticulture industry development, agricultural research, animal husbandry, pest and disease, cultivation, value addition and marketing, post-harvest and milling, and breeding and agronomy.

The agriculture ministries of the two countries shall be the executing agencies from their respective sides.

Under the MoU, a joint working group will be established to set down procedures and plan and recommend programmes of cooperation towards achieving its aims. The working group will hold its meetings alternatively in India and Fiji once in every two years.

Tomar said that signing of this MoU will prove to be a milestone in further strengthening the multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

Noting that food and agriculture are closely related to climate change, Tomar said both countries are cooperating in dealing with global challenges in this regard.

"Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been able to distribute about 7 tonnes of seeds of 14 varieties of fruits and vegetables as requested by Fiji, as a grant from the Government of India, for the livelihood restoration of communities affected by Cyclone Yasa," he said.

Fiji's Minister Reddy expressed happiness over the MoU and said that both the countries will keep their mutual relations dynamic in the same spirit.
Hyderabad, June 22 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday hosted lunch for all residents in his adopted village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.

The Chief Minister, who reached Vasalamarri village in a helicopter, had lunch with the villagers. He went around the venue and personally interacted with the villagers.

Some villagers thanked him for hosting the lunch, while others briefed him about their problems.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, was seen serving food to women sitting next to him.

The lunch with about 20 food items was hosted for all 2,600 people of the village and about 300 officials and police personnel deployed as part of the Chief Minister's visit.

Later, addressing a public meeting, KCR described the village as his family.

He directed the District collector to gather details of all families in the village and the problems faced by them.

KCR vowed to work for the welfare of all families irrespective of their religion, caste, and political affiliation. He assured the people that the village will be transformed into a golden village in next one year.

He also announced Rs 25 lakh as special fund for each of 421 gram panchayats, Rs 1 crore for Bhuvanagiri municipality and Rs 50 lakh each for five other municipalities in the district.

The Chief Minister urged villagers to work for two hours every week for the development of the village. He advised them to constitute committees to oversee sanitation, agriculture, plantation and other programmes.

Last week, he had called up sarpanch Pogula Anjaneyulu that he would host lunch for the entire village.

It was in November last year that the Chief Minister had decided to adopt the village and promised all support for its development.

This was the fourth village adopted by KCR. He last week announced that he will adopt an entire district to show how rural and urban development can be achieved.
Chennai, June 22 : With Tamil Nadu maintaining a declining trend in daily Covid-19 cases and a steady increase in vaccination, most people of the state have started throwing caution to the winds and are flouting Covid protocols in public places.

Mariappan. M, a health worker from Teynampet area told IANS, "People were again seen without mask or not wearing their mask properly, some others not maintaining social distancing norms. If this trend continues, the pandemic will resurface with its full fury within a few days." Sujith Chandran, microbiologist with a leading government medical college in Chennai, said: "I think we will witness another wave of pandemic soon and it need not be the third wave and all. This will be out of sheer callousness and irresponsibility." "Vaccination is an important step, so is wearing a mask properly, abiding by the social distancing norms and also sanitising hands frequently. One cannot go and mingle freely as we used to before the pandemic, it's a big NO." Most people in Chennai, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Nagercoil and other major towns of Tamil Nadu are refusing to wear masks as they feel that they have fought off the disease.

Even though fines up to Rs 300 are being levied on people for not wearing masks or not maintaining social distancing, they don't seem to bother.

Rajesh Pirabahakaran, a pulmonary physician at Madurai, said, "Masks are important to prevent infected droplets from reaching the air and the uninfected from breathing in the air. If we don't wear masks, then we are inviting trouble. These microscopic particles can hang in the air for a long time and hence wearing of masks is compulsory and mandatory for a long time now." In almost all the markets in Chennai, people are seen violating Covid norms, which is keeping the police and health officials on their toes.

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New Delhi, June 22 : The US Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) will carry out joint drills in the Indian Ocean Region for two days starting Wednesday.

As a strategic outreach exercise with the defence forces of friendly foreign countries in the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Air Force will participate in operational engagements with the US Navy in an exercise to be carried out with the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) on June 23 and 24.

The Reagan Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed in the Indian Ocean Region.

The exercise in the area of responsibility of the Southern Air Command will see the IAF personnel operate from the bases under four operational commands and will include Jaguars and Su-30 MKI fighters, airborne warning and control system, airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system and air-to-air refueller aircraft.

"The US Carrier Strike Group is expected to field F-18 fighters and E-2C Hawkeye AEW&C aircraft," the IAF said.

The exercise will be carried out south of Thiruvananthapuram, on the western seaboard, over two days.

The IAF has extensive experience in maritime operations in the Indian Ocean Region. This has been consolidated over the years by the conduct of exercises from the country's island territories, including participation in international exercises.

The multi-spectral capability of the IAF in IOR also includes humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions and logistics support undertaken in support of the friendly nations in the region.

This engagement with the US CSG offers one more opportunity to undertake joint operations in the maritime domain with a friendly foreign power.

The exercise with the US CSG will focus on multiple areas, including enhancing aspects of interoperability, nuances of international integrated maritime search and rescue operations and exchange of best practices in the maritime airpower domain.
Bengaluru, June 22 : About 12 cancer survivors from Bengaluru on Tuesday made an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa to take steps to impose a ban on tobacco sales, smoking, and spitting in public places which would help mitigate the spread of Covid-19 in the anticipated third wave and future waves.

Besides appealing to Modi and Yediyurappa, these survivors have also sent copies of the letter to Union Health Minister Harsha Vardhan, Karnataka health minister, K. Sudhakar and Deputy chief minister, C. N. Ashwath Narayan, who is also the chairman of the Karnataka Covid Task Force.

Citing the findings of the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer survivors from the city in their letter dated June 22, said that smokers are at a high risk of developing severe complications when infected with the Covid-19 virus.

"Smokers are at a greater risk for hospital admission, need for ventilators, ICUs, and even death due to Covid-19. While chewing tobacco products increases saliva production and when the user spits it out, he/she spreads germs and viruses. Therefore, it is in the larger interest of the society that governments take stringent measures to ban sale of tobacco and its allied products," Nalini Satyanarayana,a cancer survivor and health activist, noted.

She added that people who are nearby could inhale it (smoke) or touch the contaminated surface, getting infected and leading to the spread of the virus.

The letter by these survivors asked both the state and Union governments to ban smoking at hotels, airports, pubs and hookah bars to prevent the spread of the virus.

"The governments must take steps to introduce vendor licensing to reduce accessibility of tobacco and its allied products. Besides this, the governments must also effectively implement a ban on public spitting, which will help in reducing the spread of deadly virus now and in future too," the survivors said in their letter.

Meanwhile, oncologist Dr Vishal Rao, who is also a member of Karnataka's High Power Committee on Tobacco Control, highlighted that Covid-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks and social distancing cannot be followed in designated smoking areas (DSAs).

"The current provisions of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) allows smoking in DSAs at restaurants, pubs, bars, and airports and these DSA are often very congested places where droplets can survive in such closed chambers with them having a possibility to become super-spreaders of Covid-19," he argued.

The Consortium for Tobacco Free Karnataka's honorary advisor, Vijayalakshmi Balekundri, said the state should enforce the ban on spitting in public places, which is already imposed, by slapping fines on the violators.

"As the state is gradually unlocking, it is the right time for the government to consider banning DSAs and to amend COTPA," she said.

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Thiruvananthapuram, June 22 : While Kerala cites its successes in tackling Covid, it is now recording close to 17 per cent of new Covid cases reported in the country.

On Monday, India reported 42,640 new Covid-19 cases, which is the lowest in 91 days, and 1,167 deaths, the lowest since April 14, in the last 24 hours as per the Union Health Ministry and Kerala had recorded 7,499 new Covid cases.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media that the state saw 12,617 new Covid cases from 1,17,720 samples sent for testing in the past 24 hours and the test positivity rate was 10.72 per cent.

He also pointed out that the number of active cases rose to 1,00,437 on Tuesday while 11,730 people turned negative taking the total cured to 27,16,284.

"We can relax only after we bring down the TPR below 5 per cent. We have to be very cautious as experts have predicted a third wave and all of us have to be very careful not to slacken our fight against Covid. Onam festival season is also approaching. We have decided to relax norms according to our earlier decided test positivity rate. In areas where the TPR is low, banks will work on all days, while in other places, they will work every other day," said Vijayan.

"It has also been decided to open places of worship at places where the TPR is below 20 per cent, but not more than 15 people can be there at a time. Classes in Medical Colleges in the state will open on July 1 as all the medical students have by now received both the doses of vaccination. We are now working toward vaccinating all the college students and as and when it takes place, we will consider opening of the colleges also," he added.

Vijayan said that there were 141 fresh Covid deaths, taking the death toll to 12,295.

Meanwhile, leading private sector bank Federal Bank on Tuesday donated 10,000 vaccine carriers, valued at Rs 92.04 lakh, to the state government.

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Srinagar, June 22 : A core group comprising top officials from the civil administration and the security agencies met at the army's Badami Bagh Cantonment here on Tuesday to review the security situation in Kashmir.

The meeting was co-chaired by the General Officer Commanding, Chinar Corps, Lt Gen D.P. Pandey, and Director General of Police, J&K, Dilbag Singh.

The core group also discussed the satisfactory handling of the Covid situation in Kashmir. The group appreciated how national and state civil departments along with the security forces worked as a joint team and kept the pandemic under control as compared to the other parts of India during the peak of the second wave.

A brief stock of the preparedness for a likely third wave was taken at the meeting.

The officials shared inputs about the security situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and the hinterlands.

They said the ceasefire has improved the security situation along the borders. However, intelligence inputs of terrorist launch pads and terrorist training activities in Pakistan indicate the need to be alert along the LoC.

"There are indications of heightened activity in the last two months. The cross-border smuggling of narcotics and weapons continues to be the focus of the intelligence agencies and security forces. This includes continued vigil and checks on all passes leading to the Kashmir Valley," the army said in a statement.

The army said that the review of the violence indicators for the first six months of the year shows an improvement in all security parameters.

"There is a joint security forces effort at targeting the over ground worker (OGW) network that sustains terrorism and focused efforts by the police have led to the apprehension of nearly 400 such persons. Local recruitment, though lower than previous years, continues to be the focus area of the security and intelligence agencies.

"The effort is to engage with the vulnerable youth and target the OGW network engaged in the recruitment process. The recruitment is higher in some pockets where synergised counter actions are being executed," the statement said.

The officials also shared continued focus on vehicles of dubious antecedents as they are used for transportation of arms and contraband, and also can be used for vehicle based IEDs.

"The efforts of some outfits to use variety of IEDs are being proactively countered. Reports of encroachments along the national highway are being checked as these can cause security threat to the convoy movement on the highways," the statement added.

The officials also discussed the issue of criminal acts being carried out under the garb of terrorist attack and the need to differentiate between a terror attack and a criminal attack.

The shift of terrorists' modus operandi in targeting soft targets and counter measures were also discussed.

The officials deliberated on the propaganda effort by Pakistan and their antagonistic information warfare tactics.

"These efforts include propaganda to legitimise the killings of Kashmiri civilians by the terrorists. The use of social media to spread disinformation is widespread and needs to be countered proactively by a joint effort," the statement said.

The DGP and the Corps Commander commended the officials present for the improved security indicators. A special mention was made on the measures taken to minimise the collateral damage in operations despite risks to the soldiers.

They called upon all to continue the efforts for better intelligence, better preventive security measures and effective intelligence-based counter terror operations.

They also called for continued efforts along with the civil society to counter the separatist propaganda and break the cycle of violence for long-term peace in Kashmir.
New Delhi, June 22 : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday asked the Directorate of Education (DoE) and Delhi Municipal Corporations (MCDs) for smooth integration of students joining Class 6 in state government schools from MCD-run schools.

As per the Delhi government's statement, every year nearly 1.7 lakh students join the state-run government schools in Class 6 after passing out Class 5 as Delhi civic authorities run primary schools only.

Chairing a joint meeting of the officials of DoE and three civic bodies, Sisodia emphasised on transition of students of MCD to DOE schools during present Covid situation.

"We need correct contact details of students joining Delhi government schools from MCD schools so that their Class 6 teachers can reach out to them quickly," Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister, said.

He further said that, last year, at the beginning of the session only about 30-35 per cent students' phone numbers were found correct, due to which a large number of students could not be engaged right from the beginning and therefore they could not get the worksheets or participate in semi-online classes.

To prevent the repetition, this year Sisodia has directed the DoE and civic bodies to devise a plan where the Class 5 teachers of MCD schools work in coordination with the Class 6 teachers of Delhi government schools.

"Students and teachers have faced a lot of mental and physical challenges due to the Covid crisis and closure of schools. We should ensure that the students transitioning from MCD to DoE schools should get the same emotional and learning support from their teachers as students in other classes of DoE schools.

Joint efforts between MCD school teachers and DoE school teachers will help tremendously in getting the correct contact details of such students and strengthening the bond between teachers and their students".

The Minister has also directed the officials in the meeting to organise a combined Parent Teachers Meeting (PTM) for students' joining grade 6 this year in July.

"Bridging the learning gaps of students caused due to the pandemic is of supreme importance. We need to handhold our students, once schools reopen, and put in place strategies to priorities student learning alongwith providing emotional support to them. Measures to reduce learning gaps would include a combined Mission Buniyad strategy for classes 3 to 6, especially for those students who were falling behind in classes," Sisodia added.

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Srinagar, June 22 : The rifle recovered from one of the three terrorists killed in an encounter at Sopore in North Kashmir's Baramulla district on Monday was snatched during a terrorist attack on a CRPF party at Lawaypora on the outskirts of Srinagar, the police said on Tuesday.

"The rifle recovered from LeT terrorist Khurshid Mir, who was killed in the Sopore encounter, is the same as the one snatched in the Lawaypora attack in which 3 CRPF personnel were martyred," the police said.

Three CRPF personnel were killed in action at Lawaypora on March 25 after terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on their vehicle.

On Monday, three LeT terrorists were killed in a fierce encounter with the police and the security forces at Sopore in North Kashmir's Baramulla district.

The slain terrorists were identified as Mudasir Ahmad Pandith alias Muda of Dangerpora Sopore, Khursheed Ahmad Mir of Brath Kalan, and a Pakistani terrorist named Abdullah alias Asrar.

"All the killed terrorists were linked to proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Mudasir Pandith was the commander of the LeT for North Kashmir," the police said.

The police said that as per records, all the slain terrorists were part of a group involved in various terror crimes and several cases were registered against them.
Chennai, June 22 : AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar said on Tuesday that the state should be guarded against a possible third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, citing AIIMS Delhi Director Randeep Gulerias warning on the same.

Responding to the thanksgiving motion of the Governor's address in the state Assembly, Vijayabaskar said, "Whether the third wave comes or not, let us be ready with strengthened infrastructure and recruitment of doctors and nurses.

"We have 1.71 crore non-vaccinated people below the age of 18 years and even if we consider 10 per cent will land in hospitals, we will have to encounter 2 lakh pediatric cases. We need a minimum of 1 lakh beds for children and an equal number for their parents." Tamil Nadu Health Minister and DMK leader Ma Subramanian intervened and said that the state government is prepared for any eventuality and that the health infrastructure has been ramped up by the government in the past month.

"We have added 79,618 beds in the past 45 days, a 250-bed pediatric ward has come up in the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children in Egmore, Chennai. Covid cases came down to 7,427 on Monday and the infection will be put to an end in a few days, not in weeks," Subramanian said.

He also said that the state has commenced receiving vaccine doses from the Centre starting Tuesday, after it reverted to the centralised procurement policy due to the pressure from Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

"The state government has received 1.29 crore vaccine doses so far, benefitting 1.24 crore people. We need 10 crore more vaccines. The awareness created by the government resulted in people waiting for more than four hours in queues across the state to get vaccinated," Subramanian said.

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Srinagar, June 22 : A Jammu and Kashmir Police Inspector was shot dead by suspected terrorists at Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday evening, officials said.

Sources said the police officer, identified as Parvez Ahmed Dar, was shot dead when he was returning home after performing prayers at a mosque.

The area has been cordoned off. Additional police forces have reached the spot and a search operation has been started to nab the attackers.

This is the second incident of terrorists attacking J&K policemen in Srinagar this month. On June 17, terrorists shot dead a J&K Police constable near his residence at Saidpora in Srinagar.
New Delhi, June 22 : The Union Finance Ministry has asked the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to constitute a seven-member task force to look into the technical issues facing the new Income Tax e-filing portal developed by Infosys.

In line with the directive, the ICAI has constituted a team to analyse the issues, it said in a statement.

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday organised a meeting to review the glitches and issues related to the new I-T e-filing portal. The new portal has been facing issues ever since its launch on June 7.

The meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and was attended by Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj, and CBDT Chairman Jagannath Mohapatra among others.

"We believe this process will be almost complete in a phased manner and the problems will be resolved on a daily basis. For tax audit report, which is awaited by CAs, utility shall be available by the first week of July," the ICAI statement said.

During the meeting, ICAI was asked to provide its continuous support and inputs to the CBDT and Infosys for resolving the issues as early as possible.

The Finance Minister exhorted Infosys, the service provider, to work on the tax portal to make it more humane and user-friendly and expressed her deep concern on the various problems being faced by the stakeholders in the new portal, which was expected to provide a seamless experience to the taxpayers, said a statement by the Finance Ministry.

Sitharaman also asked Infosys to address all the issues without further loss of time, improve its services, and redress the grievances on priority as they impact the taxpayers adversely.
Patna/New Delhi, June 22 : With the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) seeing a leadership tussle, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said that his Janata Dal-United has no role in its crisis.

"We have no role in whatever is going on in the LJP at present. I don't know why they are dragging the JD-U and its leaders into it. I believe they blame us to achieve publicity," he said while interacting with media persons in the national capital.

Nitish Kumar's statement came soon after LJP chief Chirag Paswan wrote a letter alleging that he was involved in the "political killing" of his father and LJP founder, late Ram Vilas Paswan and seeking to do the same with him.

Chirag Paswan also accused Nitish Kumar of directly involvement in separating 5 MPs of the LJP from him.

Asked whether the 5 MPs may join his JD-U, Nitish Kumar clarified that Pashupati Kumar Paras, who led the revolt against Chirag Paswan, had already said that he and the other MPs of his camp are part of the NDA.

"I don't know why people are angry with me even though we have no role in it.

"I came to Delhi for three days to undergo a health check-up. I have an appointment with doctors in a hospital in Delhi," he said.

Asked about JD-U participation in the Union Cabinet, Nitish Kumar said that it is an executive right of PM Narendra Modi to include JD-U or not during any cabinet expansion.

"I don't know why people are discussing cabinet expansion these days," he asked.

On jailing of Jan Adhikar Party chief Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Nitish Kumar said that the Bihar government has no role to play, and that he went to jail in an old case which was pending in court.
Bengaluru, June 22 : Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Tuesday said that no decision can be taken yet with regard to opening schools as those below 18 years cannot be vaccinated with clinical trials for this age group still on.

After receiving the 92-page interim report from by the 13 member high-level committee, headed by noted cardiologist Devi Prasad Shetty, set up to advise on on measures to control a possible third wave, he told reporters that though the committee has recommended reopening of schools, the state has not decided yet on this issue.

"We are facing some genuine concerns about carrying out the vaccination drive. In the present scenario, clinical trials are still on to validate the vaccine for the below 18 year age group... how can any state government take any decision at this point of time about schools and colleges where those below 18 years are studying," he said.

He, however, said that the state government was contemplating to reopen higher educational institutions in first phase of reopening of educational institutions in the state.

"Even to do this, we are thinking of first intensifying our vaccination drive for the 18 years and above age group besides vaccinating teachers and other staff members of colleges," the Chief Minister said.

Yediyurappa also said that the Shetty-headed expert committee has advised accelerating vaccinations as vaccines are the solution for Covid control.

"The committee has supported the relaxations in Covid induced curbs announced by the state government, and have suggested opening up educational institutions in the days to come, starting with higher education colleges, after vaccinating," he said.

After a meeting with the committee, Yediyurappa said with regard to opening schools and colleges, the committee has suggested giving priority to students and teachers in vaccination, to start classes in a phased manner by reopening colleges for students above 18 years to begin with, after vaccinating them.

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Amaravati, June 22 : Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan's timely intervention has helped rescue of 42 child labourers.

On receiving information from several social activists from his home state Odisha that 24 boys and 18 girls were employed as child labourers in Bhavanam Spinning Mills at Medikonduru village mandal in Guntur district, the Governor directed the district collector Vivek Yadav to take immediate action and rescue the children, said an official on Tuesday.

Harichandan also instructed Yadav to make arrangements to send back the children to their native state.

"The rescued children were handed over to their parents and the district administration made necessary arrangements to shift the children along with their parents to their native places in Odisha," the official added.
New Delhi, June 22 : As soon as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reached the national capital on Tuesday, speculation started doing rounds about possible expansion of the Narendra Modi cabinet and his Janata Dal-United joining the government.

There was also speculation that the Bihar Chief Minister is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others.

However, Nitish Kumar and his party termed the visit as a private one for medical issues and denied any political meetings were scheduled.

"Came here for personal work to get my eye tested and treated. There is no other work," Nitish Kumar said.

On possible cabinet expansion, he said: "Cabinet expansion is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. There is no talk about it.

It is learnt that Wednesday, Nitish Kumar will be visiting the AIIMS here for an eye check up and he has no other appointment for the day.

"Right now as per the schedule, Nitish Kumarji has only one appointment... that with doctors at AIIMS. He is not meeting anyone for right now. Till now, neither time has been fixed nor has been sought for meeting the Prime Minister, BJP President or Home Minister. It is his personal visit," a senior JD-U leader said.

Sources also said on medical advice, Nitish Kumar may go for minor eye procedure at AIIMS, so no meeting has been fixed.

Amid the buzz of a possible cabinet expansion at the month end, Nitish Kumar's visit fuelled the speculation of his JD-U joining the Modi government and number of ministerial berths it get.

Despite being part of the NDA, the JD-U did not join the Modi government in 2019.

A BJP leader said that in 2019, the JD-U had demanded two ministerial berths while the BJP was willing to give only one. "Amid speculation of expansion, the JD-U is mounting pressure for three cabinet berths while BJP is not willing to give more," the BJP leader said.
New Delhi, June 22 : The Delhi police have arrested two men for breaking into a bank in Shahdara area and fleeing with nearly Rs 55 lakh, officials said.

Police have also recovered hammer, chisel and helmets from their possession.

According to the police, the men entered the Union Bank of India's branch by breaking the wall of an adjacent under-construction building, and decamped with nearly Rs 55 lakh, on Monday.

The duo had allegedly drilled their way into the bank's server room from the adjacent under-construction building.

The break-in was later reported to the police by the Bank Manager, following which an investigation was launched.

A team led by the Additional DCP Nishant Gupta and ACP Rajesh Meena was constituted for collecting and analysing the CCTV footages of the last three months in and around the place of incident.

Meanwhile, one CCTV camera installed near an ATM located next to the under construction building was found suspicious.

During the investigation it was found that the CCTV camera was tampered. Working on this lead, it was established that the camera was tampered by someone from the first floor.

Soon after it was found that one Hari Ram, who lives nearby the bank, was a friend of one the caretakers of the building where the CCTV camera was installed, police said.

Hari Ram was later arrested and during sustained interrogation, he said that he was called in the bank for the renovation work at the strong room six months back.

During renovation, he conducted detailed recce of the place and gathered all the information about the cash and possible entry and exit routes.

He further disclosed that he had planned for this money heist for last three months but could not proceed. He took the access into the under construction building by removing the previous lock put by the owner and has replaced with similar lock.

As soon as he got an opportunity, he had managed in to enter inside the under construction building first and then drilled way into the bank. He included his friend Kali Charan in the heist.

Police officials said that they have recovered most of the stolen cash and further probe is on.
New Delhi, June 22 : A day after the University Grants Commission (UGC) asked the universities and colleges to put up banners thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for starting the free vaccination drive for the 18+ population, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Tuesday described it as a "shameless act" and demanded UGC to address the students issues first.

NSUI national president Neeraj Lundan condemned the UGC's order to put up posters thanking the Prime Minister for free vaccine doses, asking: "Thank the Prime Minister for what?" Calling it a "shameless act of the Modi government", Kundan said, "It has been more than a year since the pandemic broke out in the country, but the government is only focused on building the Prime Minister's image, leaving the people to suffer." He said that rather than prioritising vaccination for the students or focusing on the policies to compensate for their lost academic year, the government is busy hiding its failures behind such self-appreciating posters.

"The Prime Minister deserves to be asked questions. The people deserve an answer from him as to why the people of this country are dying under his watch," Lundan said.

The NSUI leader further made an appeal to all the students to counter the posters move by 'thanking' the Prime Minister on five issues.

He asked the students to thank the Prime Minister for i) not declaring any relief package for the students; ii) for not making any vaccination policy for the students; iii) for not giving any relaxation on fees and loans to the students; vi) for ignoring the voices of the unemployed; and v) for being the reason to ruin the academic year of the students.

He said the NSUI plans to respond to these posters on the university campuses by initiating a campaign titled 'Thank You for What?' NSUI national secretary Lokesh Chugh said that the student wing through this campaign plans to expose the Central government by putting up posters asking the government as to 'what does the Prime Minister want the people to thank him for'.
New Delhi, June 22 : After Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh met the party panel on the state in the national capital on Tuesday, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has stepped in to defuse the tension in the state unit.

Gandhi has given utmost importance to the state, meeting stake holders who have sought time from him, said sources.

Some MLAs who met Rahul Gandhi said that they have mentioned issues regarding the state. Pargat Singh, who is among those MLAs critical of the Chief Minister, said: "If CM is ready to address the issues raised by me, then the matter is resolved." Meanwhile, Amarinder Singh expressed his displeasure at being targetted and said that undue pressure is created because of a few individuals, sources said.

However, senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who heads the three-member panel, which has got a larger mandate for poll preparation apart from resolving factionalism in the state party unit, said: "Everybody has said that they will fight the polls together and the party is united under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi." Sources say the panel discussed the political situation in the state and also issues related to Navjot Singh Sidhu and a possible way out to resolve the issue.

While Sidhu is not relenting in his attack on the Chief Minister, he has insisted on an early resolution of issues. State in-charge Harish Rawat has said that the matter is with Sonia Gandhi and refused to comment on statements made by Sidhu.

Apart from Kharge, the central panel comprises Rawat and J.P. Aggarwal.
Bengaluru, June 22 : Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa on Tuesday transferred Rs 3,000 one-time cash relief to more than 20,000 artists across the state through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

This is part of the Yediyurappa's Covid relief package that was announced to provide one-time financial assistance to those who are under distress due to Covid-19 induced lockdown and severely affected by the second wave.

According to a CMO statement, Yediyurappa said that Rs 6.23 crore financial assistance to artists is part of the Rs 1,750 crore package for the people of different sectors affected by the pandemic's second wave.

On May 19, Yediyurappa had announced the first relief package of Rs 1,250 crore and subsequently announced another relief package of Rs 500 crore in June for the people of different sectors affected by the second Covid wave, since April 27.

"Flower, fruit and vegetable growers, construction workers, street vendors have already received financial assistance directly to their accounts through the DBT," the statement said.

The CM said that applications were invited through Sevasindhu App and documents were also verified in a transparent manner.

"Beneficiaries will get confirmation regarding the transfer of amount to their Aadhar linked bank accounts through DBT app," he added.

Yediyurappa further said that though the state government had relaxed Covid-induced restrictions in most of the districts, artists need to be extra cautious and appealed them to follow the Covid safety precautions without fail.

The CM also advised artists to get their jabs as the free vaccination drive had been rolled out since January 16.

Kannada and Culture Minister Aravind Limbavali said that more than 17,000 artists were given financial assistance during the first Covid wave and this time it is more than 20,000 artists.

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Patna, June 23 : A JD-U lawmaker on Tuesday said Nitish Kumar was "PM material", whose "real chair" is not that of the Bihar Chief Minister but in Delhi.

"We believe that the RJD and Congress in Bihar will split in near future. In this case, the rebel leaders will join the JD-U and not the BJP. It gives more strength to our party and we will challenge the BJP. Our leader Nitish Kumar will then claim the post of Prime Minister," MLA Gopal Mandal said.

The remarks of Mandal, who is known for his controversial statements, came as Nitish Kumar began a three day visit to national capital, which was described as "private" but stirred up speculation of the Union Cabinet's expansion with the JD-U joining the government.

Mandal also attacked Chirag Paswan amid the current LJP crisis, and demanded authorities initiate an inquiry into his wealth.

"We are completely sure about irregularities being found in his wealth once the financial inquiries start against him," he claimed.
Srinagar, June 23 : Two terrorists with pistols shot dead a police inspector on the outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday evening, officials said.

Police said at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening, two unidentified terrorists fired indiscriminately upon a police inspector, in front of local mosque, while he was going for prayer at 8 p.m. at Menganwaji Nowgam area of Srinagar district.

Senior police officers reached at the terror crime spot and inspected the scene of crime.

"Preliminary investigation revealed that two terrorists fired upon a Police Inspector, Parvez Ahmad Dar son of Ghulam Nabi Dar from pistols while he was going to offer Magrib Prayers," police said.

"In this terror incident, he had sustained grievous bullet injuries and was shifted to nearby hospital for the treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries and attained martyrdom. We pay our rich tributes to the martyr who left behind his wife and inconsolable two young children a 13 years old daughter and 10 years old son." Police said CCTV footage shows firing by two terrorists with pistols.

"Identification is being done. Suspects are being questioned," police said.

Police has registered a case in this regard under relevant sections of law. Investigation is in progress and officers continue to work to establish the circumstances which lead to this terror crime. Area has been cordoned off and search in the area is going on.
United Nations, June 23 : As Afghanistan prepares for the pullout of the US troops, peace there requires zero tolerance for terrorism and those supporting terrorists must be held accountable, according to India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

"A durable peace in Afghanistan requires a genuine 'double peace' -- that is, peace within Afghanistan and peace around Afghanistan. It requires harmonising the interests of all, both within and around that country," he said on Tuesday during a Security Council debate.

While ensuring that Afghanistan is not used by terrorists to threaten or attack other countries, "those providing material and financial support to terrorist entities must be held accountable", he said "For enduring peace in Afghanistan, terrorist safe havens and sanctuaries must be dismantled immediately and terrorist supply chains disrupted. There needs to be zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including its cross-border one," he said.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, acknowledged the broader impact that developments in that country have beyond it s border.

"What happens in Afghanistan remains of global consequence," she said while briefing the Council.

Jaikhankar said, "Any political settlement in Afghanistan must ensure that the gains of the last two decades are protected, and not reversed. It should, therefore, preserve the constitutional democratic framework and ensure the protection of rights of women, children and minorities." In a criticism of Pakistan for limiting Afghanistan's supply routes, he said, "The international community should work towards the removal of artificial transit barriers imposed on Afghanistan and ensure full transit rights guaranteed to Afghanistan under bilateral and multilateral transit agreements without any hindrance." "For Afghanistan's economic development, it is important to have unhindered access to the high seas," he added.

He said that to India has operationalised air freight corridors and the Chabahar Port to link Afghanistan regionally.

The Chabahar Port developed by India in Iran, close to Afghanistan's border, provides a sea outlet for the landlocked nation.

Using the port, Jaishankar said, India has sent it 75,000 metric tonnes of wheat to overcome food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lyon told the Council that the US and NATO troop withdrawal announcement has "sent a seismic tremor through the Afghan political system and society at large".

"The withdrawal decision was expected but its speed -- with the majority of troops now already withdrawn -- was not. All actors have had to adjust to this new, reality that is unfolding," she said.

She noted the advances made by the Taliban that threatens to put the country firmly in its grip and said, "There is still time, barely but still time, to prevent the worse-case scenario from materialising. Enough has been built in Afghanistan to allow further building... if only there can be peace." She said that "for the Taliban to continue this intensive military campaign would be a tragic course of action".

The Taliban has been taking advantage of the disunity in the non-Taliban leadership, but she said that she was "cautiously encouraged" by the efforts of President Ashraf Ghani and two other leaders to discuss security and show unity.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that despite the troop pullout, Washington's "commitment to Afghanistan's safety and security endures".

She said, "We will continue to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in securing their country." "We will use our full diplomatic, economic, and assistance toolkit to support the peaceful, stable future the Afghan people want and deserve," added.

But Thomas-Greenfield also acknowledged that "we have now seen months of unacceptable violence, often directed toward ethnic and religious minorities and innocent women and girls".

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Basile Sede Noujio is a Catholic priest and Cameroon native who earned a PhD in Philosophy at the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome and is now serving as pastor of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has completed his new book Comparing Cultures and Religions in a Postmodern World: Joseph Ki-Zerbo versus Jacques Maritain: a scholarly discussion of the ideas of the African historian, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, and the Thomistic Christian ideas of Jacques Maritain and beacon of hope for African thinkers in a world in which the culture, history, and value of African philosophical thought seems relegated to insignificance in the name of postmodernism.

Culture and religion are basic to every human society, and the history of a people always sustains her cultural and religious values. We decided to use the African culture and religion as our departing point for the mere fact that Africa is generally considered as the cradle of civilization, and it is a very historic and controversial continent. However, while examining some prominent world cultures and religions (in a comparative manner), our major focus is on the Christian-Thomistic culture/religion as illustrated by Jacques Maritain in comparison with the African culture/religion as expressed by Joseph Ki-Zerbo. Both thinkers consider that in the midst of multiculturalism and globalization, authentic humanism or personalism that is based on the sacredness of the human person should be endorsed as a new civilization or culture. Only such a culture can make the future of humankind essentially meaningful and interesting.

Shifting from all mediocre standards of culture which are based on relativism, supported by postmodern thinkers, there is a need to get back to the original culture that is based on authentic and objective standards. The major difference that we noticed between the Thomistic-Christian ideas and those of the Africans is that while Jacques Maritain appeals for Thomistic humanism to grow from the formal classrooms and the books into the streets and the fields, Ki-Zerbo explains that African humanism has always existed in the streets and in the fields; it might never even have existed in the books and in the classrooms. The global reaction toward the killing of George Floyd in USA, defying all fears of the COVID-19, intensifies the argument that a culture which qualifies one race as being superior over another has to be reexamined and radically eradicated and replaced by authentic humanism.

Published by Page Publishing, Basile Sede Noujios engrossing book is an illuminating discussion of philosophy, culture, and race in America and around the world.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Comparing Cultures and Religions in a Postmodern World: Joseph Ki-Zerbo versus Jacques Maritain at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing understands that authors should be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, September 20-22, 2021 We are excited to see you at our new venue in Boston and look forward to hearing the latest research, science, and solutions

Bio-IT World Conference & Expo has just released the final agenda for the 20th anniversary eventtaking place virtually and in-person on September 20-22, 2021 in Boston, Mass.featuring a comprehensive list of 180+ biopharma executives along with other industry experts.

Bio-IT World Conference & Expo will return this year to Boston, Mass., once again bringing a diverse lineup of speakers and an expo with leading solution providers to its new venue, the Sheraton Boston. The hybrid format also features a virtual platform that provides an option for biopharma leaders from around the world to engage with their peers and expert thought leaders safely and conveniently.

Bio-IT World continues taking a leadership role to keep our life science community connected. We are investing in technology to ensure you stay connected with others whether you attend in-person or virtually. We are grateful for the support of our community during the past year as we pivoted from an in-person meeting in 2019, to a 100% virtual meeting in 2020, and now to a hybrid format for 2021. We are excited to see you at our new venue in Boston and look forward to hearing the latest research, science, and solutions, said Bio-IT World Executive Event Director, Cindy Crowninshield.

Biopharma executives who will be sharing their thought leadership this September include:



Ahsan Huda, PhD, Senior Director, Data Science, Pfizer. Inc.

Alan Andryc, Associate Director, Observational Health Data Analytics, Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Inc.

Alan Rogerson, Principal Scientist, Research and Early Development Informatics, Roche Products Ltd.

Albert Wang, MS, Senior Director, IT for Translational Medicine & Informatics & Predictive Sciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Aleksandar Stojmirovic PhD, Associate Scientific Director, Data Science, Janssen Research & Development, LLC

Alex Weigel, PhD, Head of Scientific Solution Engineering & Architecture, Roche

Anastasia Christianson, Vice President, R&D Business Technology, Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Andreas Steinbacher, PhD, Lead Discovery Informatics Data Management, Roche pRED Informatics

Bethany F Hyde, Data Scientist, Data Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Bing-Yuan Chen, PhD, Lead Informatics Analyst, DevSci Informatics, Genentech, Inc.

Bryn Roberts, PhD, Senior Vice President & Global Head of Data Services, Roche

Celine Han, Senior Scientist & Computational Biologist, Bristol Myers Squibb

Christian Blumenroehr, PhD, Principal Scientist, Research Informatics, Roche pRED

Christophe Chabbert, PhD, Senior Scientist, Data Integration and ML Ops, Roche

Clair Blacketer, Associate Director, Janssen

Daniel Butnaru, PhD, Research Architect, Roche Diagnostics GmbH

David Herzig, Senior Scientist, Roche Pharma

Erik Koenig, Director, Insights and Analytics, Takeda Data Sciences Institute, Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Felipe Albrecht, PhD, Senior Scientist, Pharma Research and Early Development Informatics, Roche

Gerard Randolph, Project Leader, Pharma Research & Early Development Informatics, Roche

Govinda R Bhisetti, PhD, Principal Investigator & Head, Computational Chemistry, Biogen

Helen Li, Head, IT, Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly & Co.

Holly Soares, PhD, Vice President & Head, Precision Medicine, Pfizer Inc.

Jay Bergeron, Director, Translational Research Business Technologies, Pfizer

Jay Randazzo, Digital Service Owner, Large Molecule Research, Sanofi

Jenny Ghith, Global Scientific Publications and Innovations Director, Pfizer Oncology, Pfizer

Joerg Degen, PhD, Global Head, Early Development Informatics, Roche Pharma

John Boles, Business Technology Leader, Janssen Biotherapeutics

Jordan Brayanov, PhD, Lead, R&D Digital Strategy, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

Ketan Paranjape, Vice President, Commercial Business Operations, Roche Diagnostics

Krista McKee, Head, Insights & Analytics, Takeda R&D Data Sciences Institute, Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Lihua Yu, PhD, President and Chief Data Science Officer, H3 Biomedicine, Inc.

Lijuan Li, Senior Staff Engineer (CMC) in Process Modeling, Process Strategy and Development Support, Takeda

Magdalena Wienken, PhD, Strategy Manager, Digital Tissue Diagnostic, AstraZeneca GmbH

Meghan Raman, Director, IT - Biometrics & Data Sciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

Monica Wang, PhD, Principal Technology Lead, Scientific Informatics, Takeda

Pablo Cingolani, PhD, Principal Scientist, Next Generation Sequencing & AI, AstraZeneca

Pedro Ivo Guimaraes, PhD, Scientist and Product Manager, Roche

Philip Ross, PhD, Director, Clinical Data Utilization, Knowledge Science Research, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Prasanna Rao, Head, AI & Data Science, Data Monitoring and Management, Clinical Sciences and Operations, Global Product Development, Pfizer Inc.

Quan Yang, PhD, Executive Director Research & Pre-clinical Development IT, Information Systems & Technology, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Raj Nimmagadda, Global Head, R&D Data Office, R&D Digital and Data Sciences, Sanofi US

Ramesh V. Durvasula, PhD, Vice President & Information Officer, Research Labs, Eli Lilly & Co.

Richard Bishop, Executive Director, Research & Early Delivery (R&ED) Digital Delivery, Bristol Myers Squibb

Robert Hayden, Enterprise Architect, Amgen

Sabine Schefzick Jalaie, PhD, Director Advanced Analytics Platform, Science & Clinical Analytics & Analytic Innovation, Pfizer Inc.

Santha Ramakrishnan, PhD, Global Data Governance Lead, Sanofi

Sebastian Scharf, PhD, Data Scientist, Roche Pharma

Srikanth Ramakrishnan, Director, Intelligent Automation & Analytics, Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D IT

Srinivasan Sadanandhamurthy, Director IT Digital and Data Engineering, Information Systems & Technology, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Timothy J. Schultz, PhD, Principal Scientist, Data Science, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Tom Defay, Deputy Head, Diagnostic Strategy and Development, Alexion Pharmaceuticals

Tom Plasterer, PhD, Director, Bioinformatics, Data Science & AI, Biopharmaceutical R&D, AstraZeneca

Vikas Patel, Executive Director, IT Engineering, Research Labs, Merck & Co.

Weiwei Schultz, PhD, Senior Data Scientist, Immunology Biomarker, Janssen R&D LLC

Xiong Sean Liu, PhD, Director, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Novartis

Ye Jin Jenna Eun, PhD, Principal Data Scientist, Commercial Data Science, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical R&D

Attend Bio-IT World Conference & Expo this September 20-22, 2021, at the Sheraton Boston in Boston, Mass. In-person space is limited this year. Register today to secure your spot: bio-itworldexpo.com.

About Bio-IT World Conference & Expo

For 20 years, the Bio-IT World Conference & Expo has been the worlds premier event showcasing technologies and analytic approaches that solve problems, accelerate science, and drive the future of precision medicine. Bio-IT World unites a community of leading life sciences, pharmaceutical, clinical, healthcare, informatics and technology experts in the field of biomedical research, drug discovery & development, and healthcare from around the world.

For sponsorship opportunities contact Angela Parsons, VP, Business Development at aparsons@healthtech.com.

To register to attend Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, click here.

About Cambridge Healthtech Institute

Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI), a division of Cambridge Innovation Institute, is the preeminent life science network for leading researchers and business experts from top pharmaceutical, biotech, CROs, academia, and niche service providers. CHI is renowned for its vast conference portfolio held worldwide including PepTalk, Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, SCOPE Summit, Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, PEGS Summit, Drug Discovery Chemistry, World Pharma Week, The Bioprocessing Summit, Next Generation Dx Summit, Immuno-Oncology Summit, and Discovery on Target. CHI's portfolio of products includes Cambridge Healthtech Institute Conferences, Barnett International, Insight Pharma Reports, Bio-IT World, Clinical Research News and Diagnostics World. For more information visit healthtech.com.
Its a celebration of a community of people who have all the abilities and everything necessary to not only change their lives, but with the gifts that you have you can change the world - Darryl "DMC" McDaniels

City and school leaders, arts luminaries and a hip-hop legend came out to support Boston Arts Academys (BAA) commencement celebration for the Class of 2021 on Thursday, June 17 at Fenway Park. BAA is the citys only public high school for the visual and performing arts. The in-person commencement was held at the famed home of the Boston Red Sox, directly across the street from BAAs new school building, which is scheduled to open in 2022. During the ceremony, 88 students received their diplomas.

Rapper and founding member of legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC Darryl DMC McDaniels delivered the commencement address. Other speakers included: BAA Head of School Anne Clark; Class of 2021 Valedictorian Anya Edwards; Class of 2021 Salutatorians Keishona Weekes and Cady Malkemes; and BAA Foundation Board Member Michael L. Bivins, founding member of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe.

Im not lying when I say this is better than being at the Grammys, said McDaniels in an electrifying commencement address. This is better than being at the American Music Awards and this is better than being at the MTV Music Awards. And the reason why is its a celebration of a community of people who have all the abilities and everything necessary to not only change their lives, but with the gifts that you have you can change the world.

Ashley Webb Colleary, special assistant to the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, and philanthropist Gail Flatto, were honored with the BAA Foundations SuperSTAR Award, in recognition of their leadership, generous philanthropic support, and tireless commitment to BAAs students and to advancing the mission of BAA. Additional honorary award recipients included Glenn Williams, general manager of Boston Neighborhood Network, and Nubia Williams, apparel designer at PUMA and creative director at BrandNUbia.

You have faced challenges that no other class at BAA has ever experienced, but you have also demonstrated extraordinary strength, said BAA Head of School Anne Clark. I know what you will do because I have seen who you are. You are young people who persevere. You are young people who overcome. You are young people who not only find a way but lead the way.

Today we celebrate those who pushed through it, said class speaker Ezekiel Freeman-Fanfan. [Those] who didnt let the virus prevent them from getting their diploma.

The Class of 2021 Commencement Ceremony featured several student performances, including BAAs award-winning Spirituals Ensemble, as well as art presentations highlighting BAAs arts majors: dance, music, fashion, theatre, and visual arts. The ceremony concluded with a rendition of the BAA Class Song, performed by the Class of 2021.

Following Commencement, Boston Arts Academy Foundation hosted Homecoming 2021, which included a moving presentation recognizing M. Lee Pelton, President and CEO of The Boston Foundation as BAA Foundations Lifetime Chairman Emeritus; and a Presidents Award for Excellence for Alumni Board Chair Valerie Becker-Nogueira (BAA 03). Darryl DMC McDaniels electrified guests with his performance of Walk This Way. Maxwell DePaula a.k.a. DJ Maxx (BAA 02) entertained guests while the Maryknoll Terrace Band (BAA 02) performed with Latoria Boyd (BAA 06). Homecoming also celebrated all 1,700 BAA alumni and specifically the classes celebrating milestones  2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016.

There is no achievement gap, there is an opportunity gap, said Pelton. What Boston Arts Academy does is provide students an opportunity that they might not have, so that the invisible becomes visible, including for those who do not sit at the table of bountyThere is no substitute for moral courage and authenticity. These are twin virtues that change the world.

Its not an ending, said McDaniels, as he addressed students from the Fenway Park bleachers. This is a beginning. A beginning to change the world.

About Boston Arts Academy Foundation

Boston Arts Academy Foundation (BAA Foundation), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was established in 1999 to raise essential funds for Boston Arts Academy (BAA). Each year, BAA Foundation must bridge the gap between the schools allocation from Boston Public Schools and the true cost of a high-quality education that is both arts-intensive and college preparatory. Support from individual and institutional donors is critical to the schools ability to offer a comprehensive arts and academic education.

Through the six-year, comprehensive Building Our Future campaign, the BAA Foundation is raising $32 million to augment BAAs school budget and ensure long-term sustainability. The campaign includes raising $10 million to bring the BAA Foundation endowment to $13.5 million and securing $15.5 million in operating reserves. The endowment and reserves support what makes BAA unique, including expanded programming, the Health and Wellness Program, STEAM, and funding for the arts. The endowment will support college scholarships for graduating seniors. The campaign supports BAA Foundations Annual Fund, which raises $5,000 per student each year. Building Our Future ensures that as BAAs student body grows, students can become successful artists, scholars, and citizens.

About Boston Arts Academy

Founded in 1998 as the citys only public high school for the visual and performing arts, Boston Arts Academy (BAA) has distinguished itself among urban public high schools as a leader in innovative and effective student-centered education. Consistently recognized locally and nationally for its achievements, BAA exemplifies the power of an arts-rich education and many BAA graduates have found success in college through the arts. In fact, for six straight years, 97% of BAA graduates have been accepted to college, with many becoming first-generation college graduates.

BAAs dynamic program prepares graduates to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, collaborators, and creators. Students come from all 23 Boston neighborhoods to receive the formal arts training and academic instruction that will make them Bostons next generation of artists and cultural leaders.

In fall 2022, Boston Arts Academy will welcome students to its first purpose-built, state-of-the-art school building directly across from Fenway Park. Among many highlights, the building will include new and much-needed enhanced theatres, career center, academic classrooms, dance studios, music practice rooms and fashion technology studios and workspace. When Boston Arts Academy opens its new school building, the number of students enrolled will increase to 500, and eventually grow over the years.
Homeward bound to Linton Bay marinaa choice spot to relax for a yearor a decade. Jessica Ramesch If you are looking for an undiscovered spot, and youre willing to see beyond the challenges on the surface and get to know Portobelothe land, the peoplethe rewards of this little-known Caribbean escape will be sweet.

Much has been written about the Pacific side of Panama, and deservedly so. But it has been at the expense of Panamas vibrant, yet laidback Caribbean side, which sits below the hurricane zone.

According to the editors of International Living, the historic town of Portobelo is a prime example of an overlooked gem. Located in Colon province in the northern part of the isthmus that is Panama, Portobelo is lush with forests, rivers, beaches, and coral reefs side by side with ancient Spanish forts and ruins dating back to when the town was the greatest Spanish port in Central America.

Portobelo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a treasure trove for history buffs. It is the site of the relics of two stone fortresses in use during a period of thriving sea trade, from the 16th to 18th centuries. Then, seagoing vessels carried gold from Peru and treasures from Asia to this area, where mules carried the precious cargo to Panama City.

If youd asked me about Portobelo five years ago, I wouldve started with a list of caveats, says Jessica Ramesch, IL Panama Correspondent.

Now, a long list of positive, exciting developments come to mind first. Over the past year alone Ive met expats of all ages and walks of life here. Single women like me, and single guys, too. Ive talked to people who are straight, gay, white, black people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and just hitting 70, too.

And its a very international crowd. Yet they all have something in common. Theyre independent, easygoing types. Youd have to be. This region has its challenges.

We know some areas are lacking, says New Orleans expat Rosalind Baitel, who splits her time between Portobelo and Panama City. Internet can cost a bit more here than in the city, and speeds are up and down.

But we have a great, close-knit community. Everyone helps everyone.

Rozs husband Allan is from the province of Colon and a director of Linton Bay, a new marina thats already full of sailboats, yachts, and catamarans. They estimate as many as 150 vessels (around 350 people) were steered to shelter in this region during the pandemic, the majority at the Linton Bay marina.

Life here could get expensive, Ramesch says, especially if youre eating out a lot. And living on a boat is a whole other kettle of fish. Running your boat is a full-time job, says Alex, 55, who has spent many years on this coast. He and wife Carla Sazunic Dorsey, 45, live on a 42-foot Westsailan old-school sailing boat, as Alex likes to say. Its not all sitting under palm trees, sipping umbrella drinks. Yes, there are days like that but there are also days spent covered in grease, fixing things.

In his blog, Projectbluesphere.com, Alex explains how to be a minimalist sailor. We live 100% off-grid, on solar power, and we dont burn fossil fuels much, he says. We make as much as we can bread, pasta, tofu, cheese, wineand buy as little packaged food as possible. We pay $185 a year for a cruising permit, and were not overpoliced. In the States they were always coming onboard, it could be really hard sometimes. Here, its more relaxed.

Jason Ashcroft, another Portobelo resident, found a creative way to save on housing. A photographer and naturalist who offers jungle wildlife tours, Jason was offered free lodging at a little hotel if he would keep an eye on it at night. Later he and his girlfriendthey met in Portobelo moved to a large property with a house for sale. He takes care of maintenance in exchange for discounts on rent.

Its a bit of a hike, but I like to be in the jungle. My neighbors are monkeys, sloths, and toucans. The house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a loft, and a nice terrace. It looks out over the forest, and I can see the ocean and enjoy the sunset. We have local fruit planted all over the property, so whenever were bored we go see whats ripe. We compete with the monkeys for mango and avocado, he jokes. But the way I see it, its all theirs anyway.

Ive seen many places rent for about $500 a month here. You might find waterfront to be more expensive, Jason says. But if you have your own vehicle, you can access cheaper properties that arent right in town or along the main road. Id say anybody could survive out here with $1,000 a month.

The province gets a bad rap because of its capital city, also named Colon, says Ramesch. But outside of that one permanently down-on-its-luck city youll find one of the most underappreciated rainforest districts in the Caribbean.

Portobelos outlook is positive, Ramesch argues, thanks in large part to the expats and locals who are investing their time and money here, and who want to make it better.

Property and business owners like Rosalind, are actively working to improve things. In the past year, they have lobbied for better water and trash handling and created a chamber of commerce for the region.

If you are looking for an undiscovered spot, and youre willing to see beyond the challenges on the surface and get to know Portobelothe land, the peoplethe rewards of this little-known Caribbean escape will be sweet.

The full report can be found, here: Caribbean Living on Panamas Forgotten Coast

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Pictured from left to right working in CaroGen's UConn incubator lab are Marie Krady, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Lorraine Apuzzo, PhD Student at UConn and Bijan Almassian, Ph.D. CEO of CaroGen. CaroGens mission is to develop transformative immunotherapies that will recognize and fight infectious diseases of unmet need, like those generated by HBV, that result in chronic liver conditions and cancer.

CaroGen Corporation has selected BioCentriq as their partner for clinical manufacturing to support Phase 1 clinical trials of its lead immunotherapy candidate, CARG-201 which has been designed to generate multiple hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigens and to stimulate broad immune responses.

CaroGens mission is to develop transformative immunotherapies that will recognize and fight infectious diseases of unmet need, like those generated by HBV, that result in chronic liver conditions and cancer said Bijan Almassian, Ph.D. and CaroGens co-founder and CEO. We are thrilled to have received over $5 million funding from National Institute of Health (NIH) to support our HBV preclinical program and have the opportunity to engage an expert and innovative partner like BioCentriq to help validate our methods, further develop our manufacturing processes and ultimately produce high-quality clinical grade materials.

BioCentriq is a New Jersey based full-service concept-to-clinic contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) with a mission to support innovative companies reach clinical success. The company offers process development and clinical manufacturing services for the cell and gene therapy industry along with a workforce development arm designed to help the industry adopt best practices in cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

Our team is enthusiastic about the opportunity to help CaroGen scale up their technology and manufacture clinical grade materials that can be made available to the patients who need them the most said Haro Hartounian, Ph.D., SVP and general manager of BioCentriq. The work that CaroGen and the team at Yale University has done is truly impressive and we are honored to partner with them as they enter Phase 1 clinical trials.

CaroGen is a private biotechnology company with a patented and transformative novel immunotherapy and vaccine platform called AVIDIO, or Artificial Virus for Infectious Diseases and Immuno-Oncology. The AVIDIO platform technology was licensed from Yale University for worldwide use by CaroGen for both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine applications.

CARG-201 is built based on the Artificial Virus for Infectious Diseases and Immuno-Oncology (AVIDIO) platform. AVIDIO of Virus-Like-Vesicles (VLVs) used by CaroGen are an artificial hybrid virus based on an alphavirus RNA replicon and glycoprotein from vesicular stomatitis virus.

According to the Hepatitis B Foundation more than two billion people around the world have been infected with the hepatitis B virus and 30 million people become newly infected each year. The Foundation asserts that HBV is the leading cause of liver cancer and nearly 884,000 people die each year from hepatitis B and related diseases.

About CaroGen

CaroGen Corporation is an immunotherapy company employing a virus-like vesicle (VLV) platform technology that was pioneered by Professor John Rose at Yale University School of Medicine and is exclusively licensed by CaroGen for the development and commercialization of VLV immunotherapies worldwide. CaroGen has completed preclinical proof-of-concept in HBV animal models and selected a clinical candidate, CARG-201. CaroGen also is exploiting its AVIDIO platform technology to create novel immunotherapies prospectively for colorectal, ovarian, and liver cancers in collaborations with medical researchers at Yale University, University of Connecticut, Brown University, Albany Medical College and Wayne State University. http://www.carogencorp.com.

About BioCentriq

BioCentriq is a cell & gene therapy process development and clinical manufacturing center founded in 2019. The company produces autologous and allogeneic cell therapies and gene therapies, and immunotherapies, including monoclonal antibodies and proteins, and vaccines on behalf of therapy developers. BioCentriq also offers customized workforce development programs. Visit http://www.biocentriq.com.

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Over the years we have received great service and support from HighWire, and are very happy to continue with JCore as our hosting platform, said Peter Thomlison, Publisher at Canadian Family Physician.

HighWire, the scholarly publishing technology provider, and The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) are pleased to announce an agreement to continue their productive partnership.

HighWire has provided hosting for CFPCs flagship journal, Canadian Family Physician (CFP), for over a decade. CFP is a monthly peer-reviewed open-access medical journal, providing continuing medical education for family physicians and other primary care clinicians.

CFP is currently hosted on HighWires JCore platform: a modern, intuitive journal-hosting platform, which allows for creation of custom theming, as well as greater in-house control over display and functionality through self-configurable tools.

We value our continuing relationship with CFPC, one of our many long-standing customers of over a decade, said Rahul Arora, CEO of HighWire, We look forward to introducing them to the new platform enhancements that are successfully being realized following the acquisition of the company last year by MPS.

Over the years we have received great service and support from HighWire, and are very happy to continue with JCore as our hosting platform, said Peter Thomlison, Publisher at Canadian Family Physician.

About College of Family Physicians of Canada

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is the professional organization that represents more than 40,000 members across the country. The College establishes the standards for and accredits postgraduate family medicine training in Canada's 17 medical schools.

Founded in 1954, it is a national organization dedicated to improving the health of Canadians by setting standards for education and professional designations in family medicine, encouraging research and disseminating the latest medical information.

About HighWire

HighWire is an industry-leading global provider of digital publishing tools and platform solutions across all aspects of the publishing life cycle, including content management and hosting, e-commerce, analytics, access and identity management, manuscript submission and tracking.

HighWire was born out of Stanford University, shaped the early stages of digital scholarly publishing, and is now celebrating its 25th year since it was founded. This combination of deep domain publishing and academic expertise makes HighWire the technology partner of choice for the leading global commercial and academic publishers.

For more information, please visit highwirepress.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

HighWire is powered by MPS Limited, a leading global provider of content platforms and learning solutions.
Its an exciting time to join Good.Lab as more companies are going beyond basic ESG reporting and implementing data-backed solutions to set sustainability goals with tangible value for all stakeholders. - Ted Grozier, Principal & Chief Sustainability Officer, Good.Lab

Good.Lab, an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data company today announced it will merge operations with Vermont-based sustainability consultancy, Pine Table Partners and move forward as Good.Lab. Pine Table Partners Founder, Ted Grozier has been appointed as Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and Principal in the combined business. The newly created role will manage customer engagements and drive internal sustainability targets through the companys next phase of growth.

Grozier brings more than 20 years of extensive experience leading cross-functional teams that turn environmental innovation into business success. He has worked with General Electric, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, leading global chemical companies, CPG firms, logistics providers, and utilities  as well as a range of small- and mid-size companies getting started on their ESG journeys.

Founded in 2020, Good.Lab provides its clients with ESG strategy and data services that make sustainability a source of competitive advantage. With ESG maturing from a functional requirement to a commercial imperative, leading companies are embracing it in part to satisfy investor demand with accurate data measurement and reporting, and more so to realize the benefits of embedding sustainability into operations and strategy. With 90% of the S&P 500 having published ESG reports in 2019, up from 20% in 2011, according to the Governance & Accountability Institute, Good.Lab is positioned to help companies streamline data delivery and fill resource gaps with experienced leadership, strategic support, and concierge data services.

Good.Lab CEO underscores opportunity to deliver more client value

Ted has been a trusted advisor to me since the founding stage of Good.Lab and I quickly realized that we share a common vision of how ESG data will be evolving in the years ahead, making this a great partnership, stated Andries Verschelden, CEO and Co-founder of Good.Lab. Teds extensive experience gives our clients access to best-in-class sustainability talent, resources, and capabilities to create enterprise-wide ESG policies and frameworks.

Good.Lab expands management team with Chief Sustainability Officer

As CSO, Grozier will have an important hand in guiding direction within Good.Lab to ensure the technology startup meets its own commitments to purpose across ESG criteria. As Principal, Grozier will consult on client engagements as a Fractional CSO, implementing sustainability strategies and solutions to collect, deliver, and improve ESG data without the requirement of bringing on full-time headcount. Grozier shared, Its an exciting time to join Good.Lab as more companies are going beyond basic ESG reporting today. Now, theyre looking to implement data-backed solutions to set sustainability goals with tangible value for all stakeholders.

For more information, visit getgoodlab.com.

About Good.Lab

Good.Lab was started to create a more equitable and sustainable economy by unleashing the power of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) data. As companies are increasingly evaluated on a long-term commitment to delivering positive outcomes in their communities, on the environment, to their workers, customers and shareholders, sustainability has become a competitive advantage. We provide strategy, consulting and data solutions that help companies supercharge sustainable impact by making their ESG data actionable and smart. We transform our clients ESG data reporting engine to deliver actionable insights to management, reliable data to investors, and transparent data to customers. We are a 1% for the Planet member, as well as a pending B-Corporation.

About Ted Grozier

Ted Grozier is a strategy consultant and project manager with extensive experience, including at GreenOrder, the pioneering consulting firm Fortune called the go-to guys for green business. He has worked with General Electric, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, leading global chemical companies, CPG firms, logistics providers, and utilities  as well as a range of small- and mid-size companies. Ted also served as Flagship Manager for EIT Climate-KIC, the EUs largest climate innovation initiative, and most recently as founder of Pine Table Partners. Ted is a Harvard engineer with an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Private Patient Room We firmly believe that patients thrive exponentially when their environment and their level of care far exceed their expectations.

Today, Dallas Texas based Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals announced plans to construct another $24M physical rehabilitation hospital . . . this time in Pinellas Park, FL (St. Pete).

Determined to provide superior quality physical rehabilitation healthcare to the residents of Florida, Everest adds St. Pete to its growing portfolio which already includes S. Orlando (Kissimmee), E. Lakeland/Winter Haven, W. Palm Beach and W. Orlando (Ocoee).

Centrally located on St. Petes peninsula, Everests free standing physical rehabilitation hospital will be constructed on 6.18 acres of land conveniently located at Gateway Centre Pkwy and Grand Ave (Hwy 19 and Gandy) in Pinellas Park, FL (St. Petersburg). Everest Rehabilitation Hospital operates and develops identical, modern, 40,000 square foot, 36-bed, single story comprehensive physical rehabilitation hospitals. Staying at an Everest location feels much more like staying in a luxury hotel instead of staying in a hospital. Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals are predesigned with the option to add 17 additional private rooms should the community dictate the need for expansion.

Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals include spacious, technologically advanced equipped inpatient and outpatient physical therapy gyms, a large outdoor mobility courtyard for therapeutic use, aqua therapy, a fully furnished life skills training apartment with kitchen and bathroom, several family gathering areas, an extra-large dining hall with an outdoor patio, in-house dialysis, and an in-house pharmacy. The hospital will serve patients recovering from stroke, brain injury, neurological conditions, trauma, spinal cord injury, speech impediments, amputation, pulmonary disease, orthopedic injury, COVID-19, and other medically complex conditions. Everest specializes in physical, occupational and speech therapy to restore functionality and quality of life.

Everests physical rehabilitation hospital in the St. Petersburg, Florida region will create over 100 jobs in the community. We are thrilled to serve the communities over the entire St. Pete peninsula. Our goal is to become the most trusted provider of physical rehabilitation services. We firmly believe that patients thrive exponentially when their environment and their level of care far exceed their expectations. The level of care in our acute rehabilitation hospital setting cannot be provided at other levels of care such as skilled nursing facilities (SNF). The average length of stay at a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation hospital is one-third that of a typical stay at a skilled nursing facility, Jay Quintana, Everest Rehabilitations CEO said. We provide one to one physical therapy, five to seven days a week, daily medical visits by rehabilitation physicians and a strong 24 hour a day nurse to patient ratio that contributes to optimal outcomes and the highest quality of care.

Everest Rehabilitation Hospital St. Petersburg will feature a comprehensive and interdisciplinary physician-led experienced team of rehabilitation therapists focused on increasing patient strength and endurance and improving quality of life in a modern, state of the art setting.

About Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals, LLC

Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals LLC, based in Dallas, Texas, is a multispecialty acute care physical rehabilitation hospital company focused on providing high quality, physical rehabilitation care. Everest is passionate about patient care; striving to create healing and nurturing environments for all patients that not only meet their medical needs but address their emotional and social needs as well. Patients are guided through the necessary steps to reclaim daily life, recover function, and return to an optimal quality of life by combining the latest treatments, technologies, and research with a unique interdisciplinary team approach involving the patient and family from day one. Everest provides the highest level of care available to patients with disabilities caused by injuries or illnesses, or from traumatic accidents.

http://www.everestrehab.com

Jay Quintana, CEO/ Co-Founder

jquintana(at)everestrehab.com

469-713-1145
Finn AI Through the Finn integration with the Q2 digital banking platform, Finn AI offers a fast path to a conversational customer experience through our automated, 24/7 digital engagement.

Finn AI, a leading provider of AI powered customer service for banks and credit unions, today announced that its conversational AI chatbot is now available via Q2s Innovation Studio. Effective immediately, financial institutions on the Q2 digital banking platform can add Finn AIs conversational AI assistance to their mobile and online banking experiences.

Q2s Innovation Studio solution helps banks and credit unions quickly and efficiently deliver differentiated experiences to their end-users. Built on Q2s flexible, modern, and open digital banking platform, Q2 Innovation Studio enables financial institutions (FIs) to innovate faster to meet their account holders needs and expectations.

We are excited to expand our relationship with Q2 and to offer our innovative customer experience technology to Q2s banking customers, said Jake Tyler, CEO of Finn AI. Through the Finn integration with the Q2 digital banking platform, Finn AI offers a fast path to a conversational customer experience through our automated, 24/7 digital engagement.

The Finn AI banking chatbot is an AI-driven conversational assistant  built specifically for banks and credit unions  that enhances the customer experience by using easy to understand language to improve digital engagement. Each Finn AI virtual assistant is trained in banking out of the box and aggregates data from all customers for a dedicated library of banking-specific inquiries and pre-defined responses.

The Q2 Partner Accelerator Program allows financial services companies to leverage the Q2 SDK and create standard integrations of their technology with Finn AI. Financial institutions can work with Finn AI to purchase their solutions and rapidly deploy the standardized integrations to their account holders, shortening long sales cycles and customizing integrations by offering a standard integration that works across all 450+ Q2 customers.

The Q2 Partner Accelerator Program is a part of Q2s Innovation Studio, which is a portfolio of technologies and programs financial institutions and fintechs can leverage to design, develop, and distribute innovative products, services, and features through digital banking.

More information on the Q2 Innovation Studio and Q2 Partner Accelerator can be found here: http://q2.com/innovation-studio.

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About Finn AI

Founded in 2014, Finn AI is the leading AI-powered chatbot platform for banks and credit unions, working with top financial institutions including one of the largest US card networks, a top 10 US retail bank, ATB Financial, United Federal Credit Union, Banpro Grupo Promerica, TymeBank and more. Banks and credit unions use the award-winning Finn AI chatbot to transform and deepen customer engagement, while delivering the operational efficiencies and cost savings of conversational AI. For more information visit http://www.finn.ai.
Were thrilled to partner with Smart Corner Owners Association! Its a beautiful building in the heart of downtown San Diego with amazing views and a great community of residents, said Lee Newman, vice president at FirstService Residential.

FirstService Residential, North Americas leading association management company, was awarded the management contract for Smart Corner Owners Association in San Diego, California. FirstService Residential began managing the high-rise building on June 1, 2021.

Smart Corner Owners Association is a 20-story contemporary high-rise located in downtown San Diego. The 301-unit high-rise is located within walking distance to the Gaslamp Quarter and driving distance to the New Childrens Museum and Petco Park. Residents also have easy access to the on-site trolley station, I-5 freeway and Highway 94. In addition, residents can enjoy views of the city, ocean or Coronado Bay Bridge and Harbor from their windows.

Were thrilled to partner with Smart Corner Owners Association! Its a beautiful building in the heart of downtown San Diego with amazing views and a great community of residents, said Lee Newman, vice president at FirstService Residential. FirstService Residential looks forward to working closely with the board of directors at Smart Corner, and we are proud to add this impressive high-rise to our rapidly growing High-Rise Division.

Smart Corner features a number of amenities, including a rooftop sun deck with a spa, barbecue area, wet bar on the 20th floor and a newly constructed fitness center on the 2nd floor. Additionally, residents can park in the underground, electronically secured subterranean parking lot. The ground level is occupied by three quick-service establishments: 7-Eleven, Subway and Starbucks.

About FirstService Residential

FirstService Residential is North Americas property management leader, partnering with 8,500 communities across the U.S. and Canada, including low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives; single-family communities; master-planned, lifestyle and active adult communities; and mixed-use and rental properties. HOAs, community associations, condos and strata corporations rely on their extensive experience, resources and local expertise to maximize property values and enhance their residents lifestyles. Dedicated to making a difference, every day, FirstService Residential goes above and beyond to deliver exceptional service. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation (FSV), a North American leader in the property services sector.

For more information, visit http://www.fsresidential.com/california.
Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of Stacy Cline Amin as a partner in its Life Sciences + Healthcare practice. Ms. Amin will be based in Washington, D.C. and will co-lead the FDA Regulatory and Compliance practice. She joins Morrison & Foerster after a decade serving at the highest levels of government, where she most recently served in a dual role as Chief Counsel of the Food and Drug Administration and Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In this senior advisory role, Ms. Amin led the FDAs Office of the Chief Counsel and served as a trusted strategist and advisor to the FDA Commissioner, the Center Directors and other FDA leaders, and the Secretary of HHS. She played a critical role in nearly every aspect of the FDAs COVID-19 pandemic response effort, including record numbers of emergency use authorizations, guidances, and enforcement actions, and served as one of the key leaders of the teams that issued the first two COVID-19 vaccine authorizations. During her two-and-a-half year tenure at the FDA, Ms. Amin navigated difficult regulatory issues and litigation challenges across the agencys entire portfolio, including civil and criminal enforcement matters, human gene therapy and regenerative medicine, in vitro diagnostics, medical device safety and innovation, digital health, animal and plant biotech, and food safety modernization.

Prior to Ms. Amins role as FDA Chief Counsel, she served in the White House Counsels Office as a Senior Associate Counsel to the President, as the Chief Counsel of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, and as a Counsel on the House Energy & Commerce Committee. In these roles, she helped steer landmark legislation and regulatory change, with a focus on FDA, precision medicine, and digital health, and led high-stakes government investigations. Ms. Amins oversight efforts supported a number of legislative accomplishments, including passage of the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013, the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, and the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016.

Stacy brings exceptional healthcare and life sciences experience to the firm, having served in senior level positions in FDA, HHS, and the Executive and Legislative branches, said Morrison & Foerster Chair Larren M. Nashelsky. Her highly strategic regulatory and healthcare enforcement experience adds significant depth and breadth to our life sciences, healthcare, and FDA practices. Most recently, she played a key role in establishing the guidelines the FDA followed to ensure scientists could conduct independent, science-based reviews of the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, and in managing the exceptionally complex legal issues in the face of this unprecedented global pandemic. Stacy will be an invaluable addition to our COVID-19 Task Force.

Morrison & Foerster Global Litigation Department co-chair Bradley D. Wine added: We are excited to have Stacy join our FDA Regulatory and Compliance practice, enhancing our ability to offer unparalleled FDA regulatory, investigations, litigation, and enforcement counseling to our clients, making Morrison & Foerster a best-in-class destination for clients navigating complex and mission-critical issues before the FDA.

Michael Ward, Global Head of Morrison & Foersters Life Sciences + Healthcare practice, said: Now could not be a better time for Stacy to join our dynamic, global Life Sciences + Healthcare practice to co-lead our FDA practice with Bethany Hills. Stacy brings an impressive breadth of expertise in life sciences and healthcare legal and regulatory issues that will serve our clients in major life sciences hubs around the world, such as San Francisco, Boston, San Diego, Tokyo, and Berlin.

Ms. Amins arrival also highlights the continued expansion of the firms Washington, D.C. office and its litigation and regulatory capabilities. Since the start of 2021, the firm has added five former senior government officials as partners in Washington, D.C., including Ms. Amin, Brian Kidd, Brandon Van Grack, Alexander Okuliar, and David Shaw.

After having spent a career serving across all branches of the U.S. Government, Im excited to help clients in the life sciences and healthcare industries navigate their most difficult regulatory, compliance, and litigation challenges, said Ms. Amin. Morrison & Foersters unparalleled expertise at the intersection of health, life sciences, and technology and its commitment to exceptional client service is what attracted me to the firm. Together with my colleagues in the Life Sciences + Healthcare practice, I look forward to supporting our clients achieve their goals and improve the lives of people everywhere.

Ms. Amin earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from George Washington University, and her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School. Following law school, she clerked for the Hon. John R. Gibson in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Ms. Amin is admitted to the D.C. bar.

ABOUT MOFO

We are Morrison & Foerstera global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Highlighting the firms commitment to client service and leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, MoFo was recognized as one of the top 15 firms on The American Lawyers 2020 A-List. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across their various guides, including Global, USA, Asia-Pacific, Europe, UK, Latin America, and FinTech Legal. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education for poor children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, winning asylum for the persecuted, and safeguarding the environment.
"We want to do our part to make our planet better not only for our company but also the customers we serve." - Brad Wright, Chief Revenue Officer

FST Logistics, Inc. was named to the 2021 Top Green Providers List by Food Logistics magazine.

Food Logistics annual Top Green Providers recognizes companies whose products, services or exemplary leadership is enhancing sustainability within the cold food and beverage industry. The editorial staff evaluates a companys participation in such programs as the EPAs SmartWay and other recognized sustainability programs; facilities that are LEED-certified and/or feature solar panels, LED lighting and other energy saving installations and retrofits; and other means of producing measurable reductions in GHG emissions, to name a few.

For the last ten years, FST Logistics has reduced its overall environmental impact. As a temperature-controlled warehousing and transportation solutions provider, the company has integrated multiple initiatives into its operations to lessen the impact on the environment. FST Logistics is an EPA SmartWay provider, incorporates energy-efficient solutions in its warehouses, and operates a large fleet that runs on compressed natural gas.

We want to do our part to make our planet better not only for our company but also the customers we serve, said Brad Wright, Chief Revenue Officer for FST Logistics. Our commitment to sustainability can be measured in several ways, but were most proud of the work our employee-owners do to ensure that we leave our environment in a good position for the next generation.

FST Logistics remains steadfast in finding additional opportunities that will further the company's sustainability goals. The companys employee-led community service team, Compass, has committed to a corporate partnership to volunteer with sustainable causes, including a local parks and recreation department and leading a company-wide Earth Day celebration.

About FST Logistics, Inc.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, FST Logistics first opened its doors in 1991 with 11 committed employees and a business model solely focused on shipping and transportation efforts. FST Logistics now employs over 400 staff members at any given time and provides the best temperature-controlled transportation services and warehousing capabilities. We have over one million square feet of dry, refrigerated and frozen space and specialize in assisting emerging food brands. As an employee-owned company, we have a reputation of unsurpassed customer service and a clear knack for communication; our goal is to continue to grow by employing the best minds and talent the industry has to offer.

About Food Logistics

Food Logistics is the only publication exclusively dedicated to covering the movement of product through the global cold food supply chain, focusing on trucking, warehousing, packaging, risk management, food safety and more. Go to http://www.FoodLogistics.com.
100+ media and association supporters have already signed on as Supporting Partners for next years event, as Geo Week establishes itself as the powerhouse event serving professionals in the geospatial and built world industries said Lee Corkhill, Group Director.

Organizers of Geo Week, the single powerhouse event that champions the coming together of geospatial technologies and the built world, have announced an impressive list of supporters for the 2022 event, which will take place February 6-8, 2022 in Denver, CO. Geo Week is the joining of AEC Next Technology Expo & Conference, International Lidar Mapping Forum, and SPAR 3D Expo & Conference, along with partner events ASPRS Annual Conference and USIBD Annual Symposium.

More than a hundred associations and media companies have already signed on as supporters of Geo Week 2022. Industry leaders have clearly cast their votes for Geo Week in 2022, said Lee Corkhill, Group Director at Diversified Communications, organizer of the event. 100+ media and association supporters have already signed on as Supporting Partners for next years event, as Geo Week establishes itself as the powerhouse event serving professionals in the geospatial and built world industries. Geo Week will also soon be announcing early exhibitors who have already signed up and confirmed booths on the show floor.

Current supporters of the 2022 event, including trade media, portals, associations, user groups, government entities, and non-profits, are as follows:

PUBLICATIONS

AEC Magazine

Africa Surveyors

American Surveyor

BIGNieuws

Building Design and Construction

Civil Engineering Surveyor

CODE

Commercial Construction and Renovation

Coordinates Magazine

Develop 3D Magazine

Diversity In STEAM

Earth Imaging Journal

GEO Informatics

GeoConnexion

Geomatics World

GIM International

GPS World

Hydro International

Informed Infrastructure

LIDAR Magazine

POB

Surveying Group

TwinGeo

Urban Transport Infrastructure Journal

US Veterans Magazine

xyHt

PORTALS

AEC Bytes

AEC Cafe

AEC News

AP Planner

B1M Community

BigDataVendors

CanBim

Clocate

Commercial UAV News

ConstructionLinks

CrowdReviews

Datafloq

Devtownstation

Digital Construction Week Connect

Digitalconstructionnews

DroneIndustryWire

Electronics Valley

Energy Central

Geo Insight

Geo4Construction

Geofumadas

GeoJobs.biz

Geospatial1

Geospatialnews.net

Geowawesomeness

Geo Week News

GIS Cafe

GIS Resources

GISuser.com

GoGeomatics

Govevents

GPSDaily

Inertialnavigationsystems.net

IOTEvents

Lidar News

Manufacturing Tomorrow

Mining Engineering

MyDearDrone

NBN Media

Queue

Robotics Tomorrow

Sensorland

Spatial Times

Spatialsource

Startupedia

STEM Education Entrepreneurship

TechEvents.Online

Telco Professionals

WeGetAroundNetwork

World Construction Today

ANALYSTS

ABI Research

Flux Trends

Frost & Sullivan

Geospatial World

HAPTIC R & D Consulting

MAPPS

Mind Commerce

Parks Associates

ASSOCIATIONS & USER GROUPS

AI Coding Meetup

ASPRS

Canada 5G Council

Chartered ICES

CWTA

Deep Learning Meetup

FLAM 3D

Google Developers East Bay

GUTMA

IPv6 Forum

Open Geo Consortium

Silicon Valley Forum

STACouncil

UAVA

USIBD

VR and AR Association

WITI

Women Who Code

World Geospatial Industry Council

COOPERATING EVENTS

GeoIgnite Canada

Geospatial World Forum

Parks Connections

Silicon Valley Women Tech Festival

STAC

WITI Summit

The coming together of AEC Next Technology Expo & Conference, International Lidar Mapping Forum, and SPAR 3D Expo & Conference to form Geo Week reflects the increased integration between the built environment, advanced airborne/terrestrial technologies, and commercial 3D technologies. Geo Week is at the forefront of this integration, providing education, technology, and resources for professionals in industries including AEC, Asset & Facility Management, Disaster & Emergency Response, Earth Observation & Satellite Applications, Energy & Utilities, Infrastructure & Transportation, Land & Natural Resource Management, Mining & Aggregates, Surveying & Mapping, and Urban Planning/Smart Cities.

According to Corkhill, there will be content that addresses the built environment, advanced airborne/terrestrial technologies, and commercial 3D technologies independently of one another and attendees will have access across all conference sessions. The event represents a continuum, with individuals and organizations from all corners of industry at differing levels of adoption. Geo Week will support a future vision, in which professionals and organizations that understand the full spectrum of data needs, work processes, software integration, and standards in both geospatial and BIM will be tomorrows technology leaders, said Corkhill.

The event will feature multiple tracks with content clearly identified as relevant to one or more of the audience groups feeding into Geo Week. The International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF) audience has historically been comprised of precision measurement professionals in surveying and mapping who use airborne and terrestrial lidar and related remote sensing technologies. The AEC Next audience has historically been comprised of professionals in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) that use technologies such as reality capture, automation, AI and XR to bid and manage projects and improve workflows. The SPAR 3D audience has historically been comprised of professionals who use 3D capture, scanning, visualization and modeling technologies across a variety of verticals.

Geo Week takes place February 6-8, 2022, with conference programming and exhibits Sunday, February 6 through Tuesday, February 8. Additional features of the programming are vendor-delivered Product Previews, Exhibition Theaters, workshops, and conference programming hosted by ASPRS and USIBD. Visit http://www.geo-week.com for more information on attending or exhibiting.

About Geo Week

Geo Week is part of a network of events and media for the global geospatial and built markets organized by Diversified Communications, a leading organizer of conferences, trade shows, and online media with 15 years in the technology arena. Geo Week, taking place February 6-8, 2022, is the new brand name of previously stand-alone events AEC Next Technology Expo & Conference, International Lidar Mapping Forum, and SPAR 3D Expo & Conference, and reflects the increased integration between the built environment, advanced airborne/terrestrial technologies, and commercial 3D technologies. Powerful partnership events will also take place at Geo Week, including ASPRS (American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) and USIBD (US Institute of Building Documentation). Diversified Communications also produces Geo Week E-Newsletter, SPAR 3D E-Newsletter, AEC -ENewsletter, GeoBusiness Show (UK), Digital Construction Week (UK), Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Commercial UAV Europe and Commercial UAV News. For more information, visit http://www.geo-week.com.

Questions?

Carl Berndtson

Global Partnerships

CBerndtson@divcom.com

Lora Burns

Geo Week Marketing Manager

LBurns@divcom.com
Sales and Customer Service Awards by Globee Awards Customer Sales and Service World Awards is the worlds premier recognitions program created to honor industry-wide and peer achievements.

The Globee Awards organizer of worlds premier business awards programs and business ranking lists today announced the Grand, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in the 8th Annual 2021 Sales and Customer Service Excellence Awards.

Customer Sales and Service World Awards is the worlds premier recognitions program created to honor industry-wide and peer achievements of individuals, teams, departments, most valuable professionals, milestones, and champions in Sales & Customer Success, Customer Service & Contact Centers, Sales and Service Enablement which includes Training, Consulting, and Outsourcing.

All organizations operating anywhere in the world  large to small and startups, government, public and private, for-profit and non-profit are eligible to submit nominations.

Continuing to raise the bar higher for standards in sales and customer service are key to customer success, said San Madan, co-President at Globee Awards. Effective customer success strategy can lead to higher business growth.

The 2021 Grand winners include Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, IBM, Makers Nutrition, POWERHOME SOLAR, and PowerSchool.

See the complete list of 2021 winners here: https://globeeawards.com/sales-and-customer-service-awards/winners/

Nominees that are eligible to apply include executives and professional individuals at every job level, teams, departments, and organizational achievements including vendors with new products, services and solution providers for sales, customer service, support, and business development.

Stay posted and read success stories of organizations by subscribing to The Globee Newsletter: https://globeeawards.com/subscribe/

A worldwide judging panel of executives and professionals representing a wide-spectrum of industries will determined the winners.

Last chance to submit nominations for the 2021 Golden Bridge Awards



June 25, 2021 | Last Chance entry deadline

June 29, 2021 | Public announcement of 2021 winners

Learn more about the 2021 Golden Bridge Awards and how to nominate here: https://globeeawards.com/golden-bridge-awards/

Last chance to submit nominations for the 2021 American Best in Business Awards



July 2, 2021 | Last chance deadline

July 13, 2021 | Public announcement of 2021 winners

Learn more about the 2021 American Best in Business Awards and how to nominate here: https://globeeawards.com/american-business-awards/

About the Globee Awards

Globee Awards are conferred in eleven programs and competition: American Best in Business Awards, Business Excellence Awards (Best Employers), CEO World Awards, Communications Excellence Awards, Customer Sales & Service World Awards, Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards, Disruptor Awards, Golden Bridge Awards, International Best in Business Awards, IT World Awards for Information Technology and Cyber Security, and the Women World Awards. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind their success, the Globee Awards recognize outstanding achievements and performances in businesses worldwide. Learn more about the Globee Awards at https://globeeawards.com

All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A., is bolstering its international Litigation and Tax Practices with the addition of Seth J. Entin, a tax attorney who rejoins as a shareholder in the Miami office, and Adrian Nunez, a litigator who joins as of counsel.

Entin, who began his career more than two decades ago at Greenberg Traurig as a summer associate during law school, is recognized for his skill in international tax matters. He focuses his practice on representing non-U.S. and multi-jurisdictional high net-worth individuals and families, as well as domestic and international companies, in international tax matters. He also represents U.S. citizens and firms looking to establish operations abroad. He also handles Internal Revenue Service international tax audits and appeals.

His return to Greenberg Traurig is well-timed given proposed major changes in corporate taxation in the U.S. and globally. Both the Biden Administration, Congress, and the G7 are discussing potential new measures for corporate and capital gains tax revisions.

Nunezs focus on domestic and international arbitration and commercial disputes will enhance the firms already strong offerings to service companies doing business in Latin America, particularly those with a strong base of operations in Miami. Nunez has also represented major financial institutions and investors in civil litigation, including business and contractual disputes and fraudulent transfers. In addition, he represents creditors in bankruptcy proceedings.

Having Seth back with us adds tremendous strength and expertise to our already powerful international tax team, particularly with respect to Latin American matters, where clients have worked with Seth for decades, said Yosbel A. Ibarra, co-managing shareholder of the Miami office. Adrian, who is fluent in Spanish and has a strong background in international arbitration and dispute resolution, further expands our already renowned litigation capabilities, both domestically and internationally. He added, Both Seth and Adrian have impressive professional credentials, but equally as important is their commitment to our strong culture of collaboration and camaraderie.

Entins expertise in international tax issues is evident in some of the major deals he has guided during his career, including representing Teva Pharmaceuticals in its $2.3 billion acquisition of Mexican pharmaceutical giant Representaciones e Investigaciones Medicas S.A. de C.V (Rimsa) through a series of debt-free and cash-free deals; representing OPKO Health, Inc. in its $1.47 billion negotiation of a definitive merger agreement with Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc.; and representing International Exchange Inc. in its first major investment in Israel.

Greenberg Traurigs global network and resources allow me to connect with and service my clients, many of whom are located throughout Latin America, Canada, and Europe, Entin said. As they tend to be high net worth individuals who own companies, I am able to create synergistic tax strategies for them that work both for their individual wealth management and their corporate and business goals. The recent powerful hires in the GT Miami office has only enhanced the firms energy and commitment to collaboration. I am excited to return to the firm and once again be a part of such an amazing Miami story narrative.

Throughout his 23-year career, Entin has received numerous accolades. He is currently recognized by Chambers USA as Band 1 for Tax and noted for his practical approach and strong knowledge base that is always focused on achieving the best possible results. In 2016, he was recognized as Miami Lawyer of the Year in Tax Law by The Best Lawyers in America guide. Entin is a frequent author and speaker on international tax topics.

Entin graduated summa cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law; earned an MBA and MPA from Barry University, and a BTL from Talmudic University.

Nunez has represented Fortune 500 companies in arbitration before the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), and the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. He works closely with foreign or local counsel, experts, and key witnesses, preparing cases often occurring in multiple jurisdictions, including matters conducted in Spanish.

Greenberg Traurig, with its nationally recognized litigation practice, plays a critical role in Miamis reputation as an international hub for business and dispute resolution, said Nunez, who has more than 12 years of litigation experience. The firms renowned global platform and strong commitment to client service will no doubt be assets as I continue to build my practice.

Nunez earned his J.D. cum laude at Florida International University College of Law and graduated cum laude from the University of Miami. He is a member of the American Bar Association and Miami International Arbitration Society and serves as chair of the Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot Committee of the International Law Section of the Florida Bar

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP represented Bio Pappel, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: PAPPEL), the leading paper producer in Mexico (Company), as borrower, in a $400 million multi-tranche senior secured syndicated term loan facility.

The proceeds of the facility, which was arranged by Credit Suisse, Scotiabank, and BBVA Bancomer, will be used to refinance the Companys dollar and peso denominated debt for capital expenditures and working capital, and for other general corporate purposes. The transaction closed on June 16.

The Greenberg Traurig Corporate Practice attorney team was led by Emilio J. Alvarez-Farre, a shareholder in the firms Miami office, and Rodrigo Orozco Waters, a shareholder in the Mexico City office. Both are members of the firms Latin America Practice.

Other Corporate Practice team members included Miami office Associate Thomas R. Martin, Mexico City office Associate Victor Felipe Callarisa Rivera, and Miami office Foreign Law Clerk Pamela Garcia De Presno Graham.

Alvarez-Farre concentrates his practice on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions. Over more than three decades, he has represented top companies and global brands in multibillion-dollar transactions throughout Latin America.

Orozco Waters represents clients in public and private financing projects, as well as foreign investment transactions, in the infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, financial, and commercial sectors in Mexico.

About Greenberg Traurigs Latin America Practice: Greenberg Traurigs award-winning Latin America Practice draws on resources from our offices around the world, bringing together a multidisciplinary team of lawyers to help clients identify business opportunities in Latin America. The team, which includes lawyers who have been chief legal officers at major multinational companies, has wide-ranging experience representing U.S. and international clients who do business in Latin America, as well as advising Latin American clients on their business ventures in the United States. The firms experience throughout the region enables the team to offer clients local knowledge and resources in the legal aspects of market opportunities, investments, financing, access to capital markets, governmental strategies, or international dispute resolution.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT), has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com
Shari L. Heyen, co-chair of Greenberg Traurig, LLPs global Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice, will speak at the 13th Annual Restructuring and Distressed Investing Intelligence Forum on June 23, at 9:30 a.m. EST.

The 2021 annual forum, which is hosted by the Global M&A network and includes the Turnaround Atlas Awards Celebration, will be held virtually. Heyens session titled, Restructuring Re-View: Living With and Beyond Covid-19, will cover lessons learned this past year, as well as the effects of Covid-19 on restructuring organization in or out of court. Additional host participants include Evan M. Tomaskov, managing partner at Carl Marks Advisors; Sheon Karol, partner at Paladin Management Group; and Craig D. Warznak, vice president at SSG Capital Advisors.

I look forward to participating in the prestigious Global M&A Networks virtual forum and sharing my experiences and lessons learned during one of the most challenging years for business restructuring, Heyen said. The Restructuring Re-View session panel will provide meaningful guidance for attendees, given all that has occurred during the pandemic and beyond.

Heyen focuses on complex restructuring, bankruptcy, insolvency, and complex commercial litigation matters. She has represented numerous creditors' committees, debtors, bank groups, acquirers, and other significant constituencies in national Chapter 11 cases and workout proceedings, including complex oil, gas, and energy cases. Heyen also has broad experience in the prosecution and defense of fiduciary litigation, real estate, oil and gas, health care, receiverships, and alternative energy matters.

About Greenberg Traurigs Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice: Greenberg Traurigs internationally recognized Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice provides clients with deep insight and knowledge acquired over decades of advisory and litigation experience. The team has a broad and diverse range of experience developing creative and effective solutions to the highly complex issues that arise in connection with in- and out-of-court reorganizations, restructurings, workouts, liquidations, and distressed acquisitions and sales. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the firms vast resources and invaluable business network, the team helps companies navigate challenging times and address the full range of issues that can arise in the course of their own restructurings or dealings with other companies in distress.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP  Texas: Texas is important to Greenberg Traurig, LLP and part of its history. With approximately 130 Texas lawyers in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Greenberg Traurig has deep roots in the Texas business, legal, and governmental communities. Greenberg Traurig Texas works with clients to address their interdisciplinary legal needs across the state utilizing the firms global platform. The Texas attorneys are experienced in industries key to the states future, including: aviation, chemicals, construction, education, energy and natural resources, financial institutions, health care, hedge funds, hospitality, infrastructure, insurance, media, medical devices, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, real estate, retail, sports, technology and software, telecommunications, transportation, and video games and esports.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com
Good Night, Letter Town: a sweet phonetic adventure. Good Night, Letter Town is the creation of published author Jeanine Watson, a dedicated educator who works with individuals on the autism spectrum in the Philadelphia school district.

Watson shares, As the moon and the stars come out over Letter Town, the letters begin to prepare for bed. But first, they have to make sure their friends know it is time to go to sleep! In Good Night, Letter Town, help each letter wish each other sweet dreams from A to Z!

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Jeanine Watsons new book is an enjoyable and creative alphabet adventure.

Watson presents each letter in a delightfully upbeat manner that is certain to engage young readers. This title is an entertaining opportunity to assist little ones with early reading skills.

View a synopsis of Good Night, Letter Town on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Good Night, Letter Town at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Good Night, Letter Town, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Ben Hodson, co-founder and CEO of JobNimbus, hosts Building Business We really had no choice but to do another season. Were really excited about what we have to share this time around.

JobNimbus has announced the second season of its popular YouTube series, Building Business, set to premiere on June 28, 2021. The series, which first aired in January 2021, is geared towards educating small business owners on practices that can help them scale and grow. It features a variety of experts who are interviewed by JobNimbus co-founder and CEO Ben Hodson.

A lot of small business owners have contacted me to talk about what theyve learned and applied from the show, Hodson said. We also learned so much over the course of season one, we really had no choice but to do another season. Were really excited about what we have to share this time around.

Season one of Building Business featured topics ranging from marketing to hiring, and even included an episode on workplace communication. Experts from roofing businesses, marketing agencies, and JobNimbus itself participated in sharing expertise for their viewers.

Season two will include the following guests and topics:



Dennis Steele, co-founder of Podium, speaking on customer experience

Brock Blake, CEO of Lendio, speaking about when to get a business loan for growth

Jared Olson, VP of People Experience at JobNimbus, speaking on how HR can become people experience

And many more

New episodes will be released every Monday starting on June 28, 2021. Those wishing to view season one in its entirety can watch at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhFIpnghwSHksYk6AkIWsWzyimzI8bGzE or it is available as a podcast on Spotify and other major listening platforms.

To follow the JobNimbus YouTube channel, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/JobNimbusCRM.

About JobNimbus:

JobNimbus is a Lehi, Utah-based software company that serves contractors and business owners in the home services construction industry with its project management, CRM platform, and growth services. Since being founded in 2013, JobNimbus has expanded its offerings across 11 home service industries, specializing in roofing, solar install, and exterior renovations. For more information about JobNimbus, visit https://www.jobnimbus.com/.
Weve just witnessed a great relocation of Americans and the healthcare sector hasnt caught up yet, said Joe Simone. This mass movement of people represents tremendous opportunities for agile health providers that can pivot from urban cores to the suburbs.

Healthcare real estate developer Joe Simone foresees an increase in non-downtown medical projects as providers relocate from urban office cores to serve their remotely working patients.

Many commuters who formerly worked in urban cores patronized doctors and medical practices that were easily accessible from the office, said Joseph Simone, President of Simone Development Companies, a leading developer of healthcare facilities. However, the boom in remote working that started during the pandemic emptied urban office cores. Patients are now forced to find healthcare services close to home, which means the suburbs and other residential areas.

In recent weeks, news reports nationwide have asked when or if office workers will return to central business districts. While the post-pandemic recovery is still incomplete, there is a growing consensus that many office workers will stay home. Additionally, a national exodus of residents in urban cores for more suburban locations has created housing-price spikes in rings around almost every major U.S. metropolis.

Weve just witnessed a great relocation of Americans and the healthcare sector hasnt caught up yet, said Simone. This mass movement of people represents tremendous opportunities for agile health providers that can pivot from urban cores to the suburbs.

A good example is Simones 644 West Putnam Avenue property in Greenwich, Connecticut., a commuter community in New York Citys northern suburbs. The mixed-use building offers 19,000 square feet of ground floor retail space and 20,000 square feet of second floor office/medical/retail space.

People in the urban core are moving to communities like Greenwich, but they still want the specialty shopping and services of a dense urban environment, Joseph Simone said.

About Simone Development Companies.

Simone Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of office, retail, industrial and healthcare properties in the New York tristate area. Headquartered in the Bronx, the privately held company owns and manages more than 6 million square feet of property in the Bronx, Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. The companys portfolio includes more than 100 properties and ranges from multibuilding office parks to retail and industrial space.
JUDI.AI for Small Business Lending Analytics Vancity Community Foundation is excited to welcome JUDI.AI as a donor, said Allison Felker, Interim Executive Director of Vancity. We look forward to working with JUDI.AI to invest in innovative initiatives that are building inclusive, just and sustainable communities.

JUDI.AI, a fintech leader in small business lending and growth analytics, is immensely proud to announce they have pledged 1% of their equity to Vancity Community Foundation. This donation will be made through The Upside Foundation of Canada upon a successful liquidity event.

Vancity Community Foundation is excited to welcome JUDI.AI as a donor, said Allison Felker, Interim Executive Director of Vancity. We look forward to working with JUDI.AI to invest in innovative initiatives that are building inclusive, just and sustainable communities.

Choosing to support Vancity Community Foundation was an easy decision for JUDI.AI, given the Foundations work in housing affordability and social and economic inclusion through initiatives such as the BC Rent Bank, 312 Main, and the shared impact real estate strategy with Vancity credit union. The Foundation holds more than $88M in consolidated assets and distributed $13M to charities and community initiatives in 2019.

Social responsibility has always been a core part of the JUDI.AI company culture and values, said Gord Baizley, CEO of JUDI.AI. We want to play our part in developing an ecosystem where small businesses and entrepreneurs survive and thrive. Supporting community focused initiatives such as those backed by Vancity Community Foundation is a great step towards making this happen.

With the help of The Upside Foundation, JUDI.AIs equity gift could have significant financial value in the future. The Upside Foundation is the Canadian Partner of Pledge 1%, a global movement inspiring early-stage corporate philanthropy. The program has empowered hundreds of Canadian start-ups to build social responsibility into their business by pledging 1% of their equity to the charities of their choice. Upon a liquidity event, this equity is converted to a donation. To date, there have been over 300 company pledges made, 10 liquidity events and $1.6M donated to charities.

About JUDI.AI

JUDI.AI is at the forefront of the small business lending space, providing a software platform that makes it easy for credit unions and community banks to digitally transform lending processes, become smarter lenders and build deeper relationships with their small business customers. JUDI.AI pledges 1% of our equity, revenue, time and product to charities of our customers' choice.

About Vancity Community Foundation

Established by Vancity credit union in 1989, Vancity Community Foundation builds on the credit unions values and guiding principles to create social, economic and environmental well-being. We believe that if all our assets are invested in building healthy communities, where cooperative principles and practices flourish and social justice and environmental sustainability thrive, our communities will prosper.

For more information contact:

Stacy Gorkoff

VP, Marketing at JUDI.AI

stacy.gorkoff@judi.ai

604-828-5548

https://www.linkedin.com/company/judi-ai/

JUDI.AI and the JUDI.AI logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lendified Technologies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Limestone Networks' New Logo

Limestone Networks' new website design offers the ultimate user-friendly experience by improving navigation and functionality where visitors can quickly find the products and resources they need. Visitor experience has been greatly improved by quick and easy access to essential information and features that offer a comprehensive understanding of the Company's leading edge products and services. Preston Gosdin, COO of Limestone Networks explained that, Eighteen months ago we began our network expansion while simultaneously revamping our product offerings. We will continue to explore regional and global growth opportunities. With these growing changes we needed a new fresh website to complement all that we are doing here at Limestone Networks. I believe it does that well.

The new website is a clean uncluttered design that quickly identifies Limestone Networks four main product offerings, Bare Metal Cloud, Cloud Instances, Private Cloud, and Colocation. Today's application requirements range widely. Said Chris Hill, Operations manager. Our new website clearly represents what we are bringing to the market. From Cloud Instances in Dallas, to Private Cloud Deployments in New York, or maybe Bare Metal Cloud in Los Angeles we have a Cloud Solution for everyone. The viewer will be able to find what they are looking for with just a few clicks saving them time and money!

Limestone Networks is a premier provider of on-demand cloud, bare-metal, and colocation solutions with five Data Centers located in Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and Salt Lake City. Technical and customer support are American-based and available 24/7/365. All services include multi-layered physical security, triple redundancy, and premium bandwidth carriers. The combination of quality, state-of-the-art hardware, with fast and knowledgeable support sets Limestone Networks apart and the new website will allow for a faster, cleaner customer experience from the start.

For more information please contact Limestone Networks via live chat or email sales@limestonenetworks.com.
Carl-Evert Jonsson wants to describe his techniques for digitally printing photos on Japanese paper, which has qualities distinct from conventional photographic paper. After using Japanese papers for paintings and collages, he started to work with them for his photos. The technique allows for experimenting and trying new techniques without darkroom facilities.

Using Japanese Paper for Digital Printing of Photographs (published by AuthorHouse UK) shares Evert Jonssons experiences using techniques for digitally printing photographs on Japanese paper. After using Japanese papers (washi) for paintings and collages, he started to use the papers for his photos. This technique is not an alternative to classic film-based photography whereby pictures are produced from materials affected chemically and physically by light. Instead, ink is injected from a cartridge in a printer connected to a computer and printed on paper, in this case on washi. Darkroom facilities are not needed. The only requirements are computer, printer, washi and photos.

The liveliness of washi fibers gives a softer result, and washi is more absorbent than Western papers, with the ink appearing integrated rather than sitting on the printed surface. Comparing results from printing on matte photo paper and on washi inspired Evert Jonsson to explore washi in some detail and to find his own way.

Using Japanese Paper for Digital Printing of Photographs is aimed at the enquiring photographer who would like to experiment and try new ways. The common concept of how photographs should look may perhaps be challenged by this technique as it produces pictures that are not so much beautiful as interesting and worthy of attention. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en-gb/bookstore/bookdetails/825395-using-japanese-paper-for-digital-printing-of-photographs

Using Japanese Paper for Digital Printing of Photographs

By Carl-Evert Jonsson

Softcover | 8.5 x 11in | 54 pages | ISBN 9781665588812

E-Book | 54 pages | ISBN 9781665588829

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Carl-Evert Jonsson was born and raised in Umea, Sweden. In 1957, he began studying medicine at the University of Uppsala. He became a medical doctor in 1964, earned his doctorate degree and became an associate professor in experimental surgery at the University of Uppsala. From 1963 to 1999, he worked in the Departments of Surgery and Plastic Surgery at University Hospital, Uppsala, and Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm. In 1975, he became an associate professor of plastic surgery at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm. He has published several articles in medical journals and has had seven solo art exhibitions.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.co.uk or call 0-800-014-8641.
NoteWorthy USA provides a variety of opportunities for investors to set themselves up for success, and that is something I have always been happy to be a part of, says Shortle.

In anticipation of their upcoming Inner Circle Event, investor resource hub NoteWorthy USA announces an official partnership with Kevin Shortle, award-winning speaker, instructor, consultant, and author who specializes in real-estate-backed mortgages.

With over 35 years of hands-on experience in so many of the different facets of this niche industry, Kevins input is absolutely invaluable, says NoteWorthy USA co-owner Aaron Halderman.

Kevin has appeared on national television and radio and has authored numerous books and training manuals including his most recent book, Real Estate Without Renters--currently an Amazon best-seller in four categories. He is an advisor for education at Paperstac and the Money With Meaning Fund. Kevin also connects with this audience on a more frequent basis on the Real Estate Without Renters Podcast and on his Tip of the Day posted to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

NoteWorthy USA provides a variety of opportunities for investors to set themselves up for success, and that is something I have always been happy to be a part of, says Shortle.

NoteWorthy USA offers unparalleled support for investors looking to educate themselves in note-investing and other alternative cashflows. They host some of the industry's largest networking events, specialty workshops, and home study courses--both live and online. Their monthly special interest publication, the NoteWorthy Newsletter, was first published in 1986 and still continues to draw subscribers from all over the globe.

This isnt the first time Shortle has worked alongside NoteWorthy USA. He was named Note Educator of the Year in 2019 and 2020. Hes an Associate Editor for the NoteWorthy Newsletter, with regular columns such as Ask the Expert and New & NoteWorthy. Shortle hosted various workshops and intensives in recent years, along with being a regular speaker at their annual conferences for the past several years.

At NoteWorthy USAs upcoming Inner Circle Event 2021 in September, they plan to debut a new membership program aimed to be a one-stop-shop for investors. Members of The Inner Circle will gain access to NoteWorthy USAs recordings archives, which is a goldmine for investors looking to self-educate. In addition to event recordings on-demand, Inner Circle members receive discounts like 50% off all event tickets and 50% off an annual subscription to the NoteWorthy Newsletter for each year of membership. Members will also receive up to two hours of consultation hours with Shortle - a huge value add.

Unlike their larger networking events, the Inner Circle Event is exclusive with only 30 seats available. To purchase tickets to the 2-day live intensive hosted in Orlando, Florida, visit NoteWorthyUSA.com.

About NoteWorthy USA: NoteWorthy USA has been an industry leader in education, events, and resources for investors interested in note investing and other alternative cash flows for over 30 years. Their monthly publication, The NoteWorthy Newsletter, is one of the industrys longest-standing and most impressive communications. To learn more about NoteWorthy USAs hub of resources, visit http://www.NoteWorthyUSA.com. Subscribe to the NoteWorthy Newsletter here: http://www.NoteWorthyUSA.com/newsletter/
This is a very exciting day for the Okie family, said Andy Colmone, CWONs Chief Financial Officer. We couldnt be happier with the outstanding progress the Okie team has made in our short time together, and were excited to bring the Okie Express Auto Wash experience to even more members of the

Okie Express Auto Wash (Okie), a car wash operator under Car Wash Owners Network (CWON), has acquired four new locations, expanding its premier car wash quality, speed and customer service to the Oklahoma City community. These new locations include:



11800 South Western Ave., Oklahoma City, OK (opening in June 2021)

2015 E 2nd St., Edmond, OK (opening in early 2022)

966 E Main St., Yukon, OK (opening in early 2022)

11401 NW Expressway, Yukon, OK (opening in early 2022)

With these new locations, Okie will have 14 express car washes with state-of-the-art equipment and free vacuums to provide Oklahomans the highest quality car wash at a tremendous value. As the leading car wash operator in Oklahoma City, Okie is determined to add even more convenient locations for its customers, who have resoundingly embraced its signature unlimited membership program, allowing members to wash their vehicles every day for one low monthly price.

This is a very exciting day for the Okie family, said Andy Colmone, CWONs Chief Financial Officer. We couldnt be happier with the outstanding progress the Okie team has made in our short time together, and were excited to bring the Okie Express Auto Wash experience to even more members of the Oklahoma City community.

CWON is executing a purposeful growth strategy by partnering with leading express car wash operators in attractive markets. For inquiries about the business and new development opportunities, please contact Jason Cellura, CWONs Chief Development Officer, at growth@car-won.com.

ABOUT CAR WASH OWNERS NETWORK

Access Holdings formed Car Wash Owners Network in 2019 with a singular goal: to build market-leading car wash platforms in partnership with world-class operators. Through its partnerships with Cobblestone Auto Spa and Okie Express Auto Wash, CWONs affiliates currently operate 46 locations in Phoenix, Denver and Oklahoma City. With a robust pipeline of acquisitions and new development opportunities, CWON is on track to significantly expand in each of its markets in 2021 and beyond.

For more information, please visit http://www.car-won.com.

ABOUT OKIE EXPRESS AUTO WASH

Okie Express Auto Wash is the leading provider of express car wash services in the Oklahoma City market. Founded in 2008, Okie currently owns and operates ten premier express car wash locations and, with its active pipeline of acquisitions and new developments, is on pace to double its footprint over the next 24 months.

For more information, please visit http://www.okieautowash.com.
Envision Peripherals, Inc. (EPI), an affiliate of TPV Technology Limited (TPV) Philips monitor license partner, announces the release of the worlds first Designed for Xbox console gaming monitor. Philips Momentum Designed for Xbox console gaming monitors are built from the ground up to provide the ultimate experience for Xbox fans. These Designed for Xbox console gaming monitors set the standard for Xbox gaming. The inclusion of the new HDMI 2.1 spec now enables next-gen console gaming with 4K resolution and faster 120Hz refresh rates for ultra-clear and ultra-smooth gaming performance. Taking it the next level, TPV partnered with Xbox to tune these Designed for Xbox displays to deliver the optimal validated Xbox Series X performance from the moment you plug it in.

A New Frontier in Console Gaming

Unlike televisions, Philips Momentum gaming monitors are built for console gaming, with low latency and low lag as priorities to provide a much smoother, more realistic gaming experience. The series low input lag is a great advantage when playing twitch-sensitive video games, allowing the input to register on the screen faster. The flagship 55 Philips Momentum (559M1RYV) will include a specially designed speaker enclosure from the engineers at Bowers & Wilkins, the British loudspeaker company globally renowned for their innovative designs and sound engineering, that completes the experience.

Designed for Xbox

This series of Philips Momentum monitors delivers Designed for Xbox validated performance with ultra-clear 4K resolution at a minimum 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support with DisplayHDR 1000, Variable Refresh Rate for smooth gaming and Always Low Latency gaming. The team has worked together to create Xbox Game Mode, which creates an exciting mode with specially tuned picture quality for Xbox. The monitors have been extensively tested, and validated by engineers at Microsoft and TPV to ensure perfect compatibility, while also meeting the high expectations that dedicated Xbox fans expect.

At Xbox, we are always looking to give our fans choice in how, what and where they play their favorite games. Today, were excited to announce our partnership with Philips to deliver the first Designed for Xbox monitor, giving fans a unique display with technology and features that provide the ultimate console gaming experience for Xbox Series X|S.  Matt Kesselring, Director of Xbox Hardware Partnerships.

Philips Momentum broke new ground in console gaming as the first monitor to achieve VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification. We are thrilled that the Momentum console gaming monitors will deliver a new standard of audio-visual experience that will bring out the very best in your Xbox. Chris Brown, Philips Monitors Global Product Marketing Lead at TPV.

Availability

Philips Momentum 55 4K Designed for Xbox Console Gaming Monitor (559M1RYV) will be available on Amazon in the Summer 2021 for $1,599.99 USD/CA.

For further information:

Envision Peripherals, Inc.

490 N McCarthy Blvd. Suite 120

Milpitas, CA 95035 Jamy M. Reyes

Marketing Communications Manager Philips  North America

Jamy.Reyes@epius.com

About EPI

Envision Peripherals, Inc. (EPI) is a California corporation, headquartered in Milpitas, California. It is an affiliate of TPV Technology Limited (TPV), which is one of the worlds leading monitor and LCD TV manufacturers. EPI exclusively markets and sells Philips-branded monitors, computer peripherals, and digital signage in North America under trademark license by Koninklijke Philips N.V. By combining the Philips brand promise with TPVs manufacturing expertise in displays, EPI uses a fast and focused approach to bringing innovative products to market.

EPIs main office is in Milpitas, California. For more information on the complete range of Philips and AOC products, visit usa.philips.com/monitors, us.aoc.com, or call (510) 770-9988.
Elizabeth was a critical part of the PKF OConnor Davies team for nearly a decade, and were thrilled to now welcome her back to the Firm, said Jonathan Moore, Partner-in-Charge of Advisory Services at PKF OConnor Davies.

PKF OConnor Davies, LLP, one of the nations largest accounting, tax, and advisory firms, announced today that it has hired Elizabeth Gousse Ballotte to serve as Principal. Ballotte, a trusted advisor with over 15 years of operational and organizational consulting and management experience, will lend her expertise to both the Firms Advisory and Private Foundations practices. Ballottes hiring reflects an ongoing effort by the Firm to expand its Advisory and management consultancy offerings and deepen its ability to help clients strategically navigate periods of change and opportunity for their businesses.

Elizabeth was a critical part of the PKF OConnor Davies team for nearly a decade, and were thrilled to now welcome her back to the Firm, said Jonathan Moore, Partner-in-Charge of Advisory Services at PKF OConnor Davies. Her ability to develop smart solutions to unique problems facing businesses in a wide range of industries has distinguished her within the consulting field and earned the trust of countless clients over the years. As our clients continue to encounter a rapidly changing business landscape, Elizabeths invaluable guidance and insight will serve our clients well and allow them to adapt to any challenges they may face.

Over the course of an accomplished career, Ballotte has mastered several general management consultancy specialties, including developing and performing grant compliance reviews, due diligence reviews, internal control reviews, M&A implementations, and operational assessments. Her various consulting engagements have allowed her to amass a wealth of experience in federal grant compliance and management, benefits analysis, financial analysis, and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

To remain competitive, businesses and foundations alike must constantly adapt to a changing marketplace. These periods of transition can be daunting, but with the right planning and approach they present opportunities for organizations to streamline their operations and increase their productivity, said Ballotte. PKF OConnor Davies proven ability to help clients traverse the upside of change has led to the growth of numerous organizations, and I look forward to joining my colleagues in this effort  many of which Ive had the pleasure of knowing and working with for years.

Ballotte has been called upon to share her industry insights and expertise on a number of occasions. In addition to published articles in The NonProfit Times and NonProfit PRO, she has participated in leadership roles on executive forums, workshops, and symposiums. Ballotte has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Smith College, as well as a Master of Science in Organizational Development from the University of Rhode Island. A member of the Sigma Xi Honor Society, she also serves as Board Development Chair for Meals on Wheels.

PKF OConnor Davies has 14 offices in six states and continues to expand through organic growth and acquisitions on the East Coast. It has supported this growth with a strategic combination of promoting from within coupled with tactical external hires.

About PKF OConnor Davies, LLP

PKF OConnor Davies, LLP is a full-service certified public accounting and advisory firm with a long history of serving clients both domestically and internationally. With roots tracing to 1891, 14 offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Florida, and Rhode Island and more than 1,000 professionals led by over 100 partners, the Firm provides a complete range of accounting, auditing, tax, and management advisory services.

PKF OConnor Davies is a top-ranked firm, according to Accounting Todays 2021 Top 100 Firms list and was recently recognized as one of Americas Best Tax Firms by Forbes. In additional 2021 rankings, PKF O'Connor Davies was named one of Vault's Accounting 50, a ranking of the 50 best accounting employers to work for in North America and ranked among the top 50 most prestigious accounting firms in America in a complementary Vault survey. The Firm is the 12th largest accounting firm in the New York Metropolitan area, according to Crains New York Business, and the 10th top accounting firm in New Jersey according to NJBIZs 2019 rankings. PKF OConnor Davies is enrolled in the AICPA Peer Review Program and has central memberships in the Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS), the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center (EBPAQC), Government Audit Quality Center (GAQC), and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).

By consistently delivering proactive, thorough, and efficient service, PKF O'Connor Davies has built long-lasting, valuable relationships with its clients. Partners are closely involved in the day-to-day management of engagements, ensuring a high degree of client service and cost effectiveness. The Firms seasoned professional staff members employ a team approach to all engagements to provide clients with the utmost quality and timely services aimed at helping them succeed. Continuity of staffing and attention to detail in all client engagements make the Firm stand out among its competitors.

PKF OConnor Davies is the lead North American representative of the international association of PKF member firms. PKF International is a network of legally independent member firms providing accounting, tax, and business advisory services in over 400 locations in 150 countries around the world. With its tradition, experience, and focus on the future, PKF OConnor Davies is ready to help clients meet todays ever-changing economic conditions and manage the growing complexities of the regulatory environment. For more information, visit http://www.PKFOD.com.

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The Effect of Constitutional Provisions on Education Policy and Outcomes, a recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, examines the potential effects of amending education clauses contained in states constitutions.

Bruce D. Baker of Rutgers University reviewed the report and found its conclusions to be overly simplistic, despite using excessively complex analyses to make its case.

The apparent intent of the Federal Reserve Bank report is to provide an empirical justification for amending the education clause of Minnesotas constitution. Specifically, the report lays out four independent empirical analyses in an attempt to advance a theory of action for improving education quality. This theory of action asserts that amending these education clauses to include strong language regarding a legislative duty to fund schools leads to increased citizen leverage, potential judicial intervention, and adopted legislationall of which lead to better school quality and student outcomes.

Unfortunately, the four analyses presented in the report use methods and models that exceed the capacity and quality of the data. In addition, these methods and models are inadequately linked to one another or to the theory of action.

Professor Baker concludes that the report provides little evidentiary basis for the proposed theory of action or for the current campaign to amend the Minnesota constitution.

Find the review, by Bruce D. Baker, at:

https://nepc.colorado.edu/thinktank/constitutional-provisions

Find The Effect of Constitutional Provisions on Education Policy and Outcomes, written by Scott Dallman, Anusha Nath and Filip Premik and published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, at:

https://www.minneapolisfed.org/research/staff-reports/the-effect-of-constitutional-provisions-on-education-policy-and-outcomes

NEPC Reviews (http://thinktankreview.org) provide the public, policymakers, and the press with timely, academically sound reviews of selected publications. NEPC Reviews are made possible in part by support provided by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice: http://www.greatlakescenter.org

The National Education Policy Center (NEPC), a university research center housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, produces and disseminates high-quality, peer-reviewed research to inform education policy discussions. Visit us at: https://nepc.colorado.edu
"The patience shown by our customers and their loyalty is something Ill never forget, and I wanted to show them my appreciation. We are all so fortunate to have the lives we do, and the best thing we can do for each other is help those in need.

Sam Boak, president and founder of Boak & Sons, Inc. is well known for his charitable events and donations throughout the Mahoning Valley. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic shut down, Boak worked tirelessly to keep his employees working safely to put food on their tables. As the state of Ohio started to reopen, Boak wanted to do something special for the entire community that supported him and his business during the mandated shut-down. He contacted the Canfield Rotary Club for support, and together they hosted a free community garage sale on Saturday, May 22.

This free garage sale consisted of thousands of donated items from Boak & Sons employees, Canfield Rotary Club members and the local community. Sam Boak and the Boak employees spent days setting up the warehouse with tables and displays for the donated items. These items included furniture, gently used household appliances, clothing, childrens toys, tools, and many other quality items. The day of the event, over 1,000 people attended throughout the day. Attendees were given one box and 30 minutes to shop around the warehouse and items were refilled throughout the day.

This community has supported Boak & Sons for decades, said Boak. During the lockdown, we had to work twice as hard to keep our customers happy while prioritizing safety. The patience shown by our customers and their loyalty is something Ill never forget, and I wanted to show them my appreciation. We are all so fortunate to have the lives we do, and the best thing we can do for each other is help those in need.

All left over items were donated to local charitable organizations. Monetary donations were also collected by The Salvation Army and the BeAttitude House throughout the day. Social distancing guidelines were strictly enforced as well as the wearing of face coverings throughout the day. Sam Boak ensured the safety of all attendees by limiting the number of people allowed into the warehouse to shop at one time.

We are thrilled at how many people came to support this event, said Chris White, vice president, operations at Boak & Sons, Inc. This was our first attempt at an event like this and were blown away by how successful it was. We cant thank the Canfield Rotary Club enough for making this happen, and we especially want to thank all the people and local businesses that donated items for this event. We cant wait to do something like this again to continue supporting our Youngstown family.

For more information about the event or other charitable causes Boak & Sons has been involved in, visit http://www.boakandsons.com.
A Place Called Hope: a unique and inspiring devotional. A Place Called Hope is the creation of published author Sam Wilder, a loving husband and father who has served as a pastor, evangelist, missionary, and Christian school administrator for over thirty years. He was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 2017 but continues to find ways to fulfill a deep passion for sharing the word of God.

Wilder shares, We are on a journey with God, a journey that will not only grow us spiritually but will challenge us to develop other aspects of ourselves.

Author Sam Wilder can attest to this, having served in ministry for over thirty years. In every step of Sams journey, he has seen Gods grace at work in his own life.

In his latest book, A Place Called Hope, the reader will be encouraged, inspired, and challenged in their journey of faith. It is a book that will appeal to both the mature Christian and the individual who is searching for a more meaningful lifethe one who says there must be more. And finally, the book seeks to challenge the reader to be more understanding and compassionate in a world that can often be neither.

Through the use of stories of ordinary and not-so-ordinary experiences and the Scripture, the reader will see with fresh eyes the beauty and splendor of Gods grace. There will be questions asked where the readers will have the opportunity to go deeper as their minds and hearts imagine and rediscover the life-changing love of God in a place called hope.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Sam Wilders new book is an encouraging exploration of moments of Gods grace experienced over a lifetime.

Pairing personal stories with relevant scripture, Wilder welcomes readers to explore and embrace their faith.

View a synopsis of A Place Called Hope on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase A Place Called Hope at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about A Place Called Hope, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
As I was contemplating donating my eggs, friends and family reminded me to never underestimate the impact that I could have on someone elses life...By giving something so precious away to someone in need, I felt immeasurable, indescribable joy in return."

Shady Grove Fertility (SGF), home to one of the largest Donor Egg Programs in the country, is offering a limited time $500 summer bonus for first-time egg donors in addition to earning up to $7,000 for their first donation cycle. Under SGFs stringent screening requirements, any woman between the ages of 21-32 who is healthy and has knowledge of her family history may be considered for egg donation.

Egg donors are essential in helping thousands of individuals and couples become parents. In fact, more than 8,500 SGF patients have become parents thanks to the generosity of egg donors, who are compensated generously by SGF at various points throughout the prescreening and donation process for their time, effort, and commitment  not for their actual oocytes/eggs.

A former SGF egg donor reflects, As I was contemplating donating my eggs, friends and family reminded me to never underestimate the impact that I could have on someone elses life. Now, I feel like my life has also been forever changed. By giving something so precious away to someone in need, I felt immeasurable, indescribable joy in return."

SGF patients, Brittney and Rob, recall how their egg donor provided the couple strength and hope in the wake of infertility, Heres this egg donor, a woman who I know all about, yet she knows nothing about me in return, and she selflessly wants to help me fulfill my dreams of having a baby...I received a handwritten note from her [on transfer day]. She expressed how brave she believed we are, and how she was holding us close to her heart throughout these emotional times. Tears completely overtook my vision as I sat there reading the letter, further confirming that we picked the absolute perfect person for our family.

Egg Donor Eligibility Requirements at Shady Grove Fertility

Most recently expanding egg donation services to Manhattan this June and Brooklyn this August, SGF is one of only a few centers in the nation that selects and prescreens its own egg donors prior to making them available on their donor registry. A short online application with a prompt reply identifies if a candidate is pre-qualified to become an egg donor at SGF.

We take our egg donor screening process very seriously, says Michele Purcell, MHA, RN, Director of Specialty Programs at SGF. We want prospective egg donors to learn about their health, which includes genetic carrier screeningan opportunity to undergo education to review and discuss egg donationas well as providing recipients the best possible chance at having a baby. We encourage all prospective donors to take time to obtain a thorough medical and family health history, which will assist recipients in matching with a donor.

Much more commonly, fertility centers rely on an agency to select donors, which significantly adds to the cost passed on to the donor egg recipient, also known as the intended parent. Once donors have completed their eligibility screening, which includes medical, psychological, genetic carrier screening, and genetic counseling, they will be added to the SGF donor registry, and generally matched with a recipient(s) within 3 weeks.

We take great pride in our Donor Egg Program and strive to provide exceptional care and education to all women interested in becoming an egg donor, adds Purcell.

To learn more about becoming an egg donor at SGF  including eligibility requirements, the donation process, compensation, and egg donation FAQS  visit Become an Egg Donor, or complete your initial egg donor application.

About Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)

SGF is a leading fertility and IVF center of excellence with more than 85,000 babies born and 5,000+ 5-star patient reviews. With 40 locations, including new locations in Colorado and Norfolk, VA, as well as throughout FL, GA, MD, NY, PA, VA, D.C. and Santiago, Chile, SGF offers patients virtual physician consults, delivers individualized care, accepts most insurance plans, and makes treatment affordable through innovative financial options, including 100% refund guarantees. More physicians refer their patients to SGF than any other center. SGF is among the founding partner practices of US Fertility, the largest physician-owned, physician-led partnership of top-tier fertility practices in the U.S. Call 1-888-761-1967 or visit ShadyGroveFertility.com.
Showpad, a global revenue enablement technology leader, reports that B2B commerce has officially entered a new era of modern selling.

The pandemic has increased the need for savvy, digital sellers. McKinsey data shows enterprises doubling down on the technology needed to modernize and support working and collaborating remotely. Currently, only 28% of B2B businesses have hybrid sales roles, which is projected to grow to 64% in the next six months.

Modern selling requires creativity, business acumen, and the ability to translate complex ideas in a simple way. Having the right technologies and practices in place, is essential to executing an effective modern selling approach, said Dustin Deno, SVP of Global Sales at Showpad. The buying process is non-linear, and successful revenue teams guide the buyer from uncertainty to transformation. Showpad is the modern enablement technology that revenue teams need in an age where B2B sales is greatly shifting.

Growth at Showpad

As organizations evolve business models to meet the expectations of todays informed buyers, Showpad has seen immense growth on its Platform and across its organization. The company is celebrating its 10th anniversary, touting 58% year-over-year Platform growth in 2020 and 1,200 customers across more than 50 countries including Bridgestone, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever.

During the pandemic, Showpad brought buyers and sellers closer together, seeing a 350% year-of-year increase in buyers on the Platform, and a 600% increase in engagement between buying and selling teams. In 2020 alone, revenue teams used Showpad as their guide in the buying process, more than doubling the use of sophisticated virtual experiences for guided selling.

In response to this growth, the Showpad team aims to hire 250 employees by year end.

Weve been in business for a decade, and have learned a lot over these past 10 incredible years. The Showpad revenue enablement platform is specifically built for this new era, said Pieterjan Bouten, co-founder and CEO of Showpad. Were thrilled to be connecting buyers with sellers through modern selling solutions that empower people to be at their best. Thank you to everyone who has supported Showpad, and thank you to all of our dedicated and talented employees, customers, partners and investors who raise the bar each and every day.

As we continue to pivot to hybrid selling in order to meet the demands of the modern buyer, we see Showpad at the center of our selling strategy," said Eric Andrews, VP of Sales Enablement at Infor. "Showpad has helped our sellers re-engage with our content and increased collaboration across the revenue team. In less than 30 days of using the Platform, our user rate doubled in comparison to the previous Platform we used."

"Showpad has been a great resource for our global field representatives and distributors for nearly 10 years, said Jenna Farr, Director of Global Marketing at Acufocus. From onboarding new customers to having marketing materials and videos easily accessible, the Platform has elevated our customer interactions and made it easier to keep our technology at the forefront."

"Showpad has been an increasingly valuable tool across our businesses over the last decade. It allows our field sales team to access, personalize and share content virtually anywhere on any device. It gives our internal teams the ability to quickly disseminate information, make and communicate updates and track data, said Kim Dorman, Content Manager and Customer Strategy at BASF. Showpad is a great collaborative tool we use for our internal teams and for our customers. The ease of use, both for the system admins and the end users makes it ideal for our growing, changing business and its been particularly valuable as we move to an increasingly digital work environment."

Whats to Come: Expansion

Showpad is officially expanding its footprint further into the APAC region with the launch of our Australia division, extending our reach and continuing to build a world-class team to support our existing customers, including Fonterra and Culture Amp, and new customers locally.

To learn more about Showpad and how its best preparing revenue teams for this new era of modern selling, visit: https://www.showpad.com/modern-selling/

About Showpad

Showpad is a global leader in revenue enablement technology, providing teams with a modern selling solution for maximizing hybrid sales. In more than 50 countries, customers rely on the Showpad platform to empower their teams to be at their best.

Showpad has been named a Strong Performer by Forresters Wave for Sales Content Solutions, recognized as a top 10 software company by G2, and listed in Deloittes Fast 50 and Inc Magazines 2019 Best Workplaces. Learn more at Showpad.com.
Skyllful, a leading provider of a mobile digital adoption platform that helps workers on the front lines use mobile apps and devices more efficiently and effectively, today announced the launch of Frontline Innovators, an original business podcast series focused on how to help essential workers do their jobs more efficiently and effectively with technology.

Millions of frontline workers keep our economy running and are provided with the latest technology to do their jobs. But technology often gets in the way when its not done right. And digital adoption  especially by frontline workers  is really hard, said Justin Lake, CEO of Skyllful, who hosts the podcast with Eugene Signorini, Skyllfuls VP of product strategy and marketing. Our Frontline Innovators podcast explores how to overcome challenges and achieve success when we empower our essential workers to learn and use the technology needed to succeed in their jobs. Youll hear from business executives and industry experts who are leading the way and driving digital transformation to the frontlines of the workforce.

The first three Frontline Innovators podcast episodes cover issues related to:



The biggest challenges facing frontline workforces today and how companies are innovating with technology to solve them

The future of work and how that impacts deskless workers

The path to innovation for companies and business leaders

Episodes on average are 45 minutes in duration. New episodes will be posted weekly at https://www.frontlineinnovators.com/.

The new podcast series adds to a wealth of business resources offered by Skyllful, including its Monday Morning Mobile Minute video series, The Complete Checklist for Mobile Workforce App Deployments and its award-winning blog, which is the recipient of a Gold 2021 Communicator Award and a Gold 2021 AVA Digital Award, both for excellence in web writing.

Skyllfuls comprehensive, SaaS-based mobile digital adoption platform (MDAP) helps field operations leaders and professionals in change management and training & development drive faster adoption of mobile technology by its frontline workers. Proven to increase productivity and maximize investments in technology, Skyllfuls platform is the only digital adoption platform designed and built for training frontline mobile workers

Skyllfuls MDAP delivers ongoing education and real-time support to workers on the front lines. Providing scenario-based simulation training that helps workers retain knowledge better, it supports new digital deployments and onboarding of new hires. Skyllfuls MDAP supports all mobile applications, including custom-built solutions, runs natively on mobile devices including industrial-grade and ruggedized handhelds and tablets, and can access native device peripherals and sensors  such as barcode scanners and printers  that are part of a digital solution. For compliance purposes, it provides the ability to see and measure mobile technology training in real-time by tracking and documenting usage and adoption by frontline mobile workers.

About Skyllful

Skyllful is a leading provider of a mobile digital adoption platform that helps workers on the front lines use enterprise mobile apps more efficiently and effectively in their delivery of essential products and services. With deep expertise in leading mobile technology and best practice field deployments as well as a leadership team with decades of experience working with large mobile workforces and applications, Skyllful provides on-device, on-demand training through scenario-based simulations. Whether a company is deploying a new mission-critical workforce app or seeking to improve its workforce engagement with existing apps, the Skyllful platform is easy to use, intuitively designed and proven to increase productivity and deliver greater returns on investment in technology. Skyllful is based in the greater Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas. For more information, visit https://www.skyllful.com and follow on Twitter @Skyllfulco.


Classroom training combined with hands-on working sessions are key to Stertil-Konis approach for continuous learning Research shows that skilled people who participate in continuous learning enjoy more rewarding careers and simultaneously deliver greater value to their employers and customers. Talk about a return on investment!

In an era of heightened competition, tightening margins and growing customer requirements, a leading player in the heavy duty vehicle lift sector has determined that the key to success lies is one crucial area  more spending.

Contradictory? Perhaps, but consider the context.

The company is Stertil-Koni, already recognized as the leader in heavy duty vehicle lifts, and the spending is directed towards ongoing product training for its employees and distributor network across North America.

A quick visit to one of the companys warehouses in Stevensville, Maryland is revealing. Recently, dozens of attendees from across the country gathered in this picturesque town right over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for a powerful, two-day combination of classroom instruction and hands-on product training. The topics were expansive, yet practical. These included safety procedures, lift demonstrations and configurations, shop foundation requirements and an overview of new shop equipment to make servicing and maintaining heavy duty vehicles more efficient, ergonomic and safe.

Explained company president, Dr. Jean DellAmore, Research shows that skilled people who participate in continuous learning enjoy more rewarding careers and simultaneously deliver greater value to their employers and customers. Talk about a return on investment! In this economy, at all levels, learning is earning."

Historical context also comes into play. The overall demand for new technologies and systems is accelerating at a breathtaking pace. Therefore, industry leaders  and their teams  have to be ahead of the learning curve. In addition, environmental stewardship is also requiring advanced vehicle lifting systems that are quantifiably more green. That is why Stertil-Koni showcased its highly regarded EARTHLIFT Mobile Column Lifts in product demonstrations.

These lifts are made from components that are 98% recyclable, use bio-degradable oil, feature batteries that are 100% recyclable, and employ an Active Energy Retrieval System to deliver up to 50% more lifting cycles at maximum load. Equally important, green lifting does not detract from performance. Lifting capacities for EARTHLIFT range from 18,500 lbs. to 22,000 lbs. per column.

When pressed to quantify the scope of the Stertil-Koni investment in continuous learning and hands-on training each year, DellAmore smiled and said, Substantial.

He concluded, We strive to convey some element of learning across our network every single day. Whether its in the form of product updates, short instructional videos we call Tech Talk, or in-classroom sessions, our overriding objective is to raise the bar in terms of product knowledge and service that in turn inspires our customers to be more loyal and active.
The philosophy & long-term vision of Sundynes senior management, the sharp focus of the product teams and the loyalty & commitment of the channel partners makes this a great time to join the Sundyne team.

Sundyne, a global leader in the design and manufacture of mission critical pumps & compressors, today announced that David McMahon has joined the company as C&I Market Strategy Leader. In this new role, McMahon will help shape business strategy and expand the value creation for key customers in the chemical & industrial market segments.

Prior to joining Sundyne, McMahon spent more than 20 years at Baker Hughes in various product, engineering and sales roles, culminating with his tenure as area operations manager. McMahon worked as a vice president for oilfield technology company, Flotek, where he oversaw sales, engineering and manufacturing activities. David also garnered extensive consulting experience working with smaller manufacturers and providers of pumps, valves, rotating and hydraulic equipment. David earned his bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University, and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

David McMahon brings a wealth of experience to Sundyne when it comes to working with end-user customers, distribution partners and the OEMs that comprise the value chain, said Sundynes Chief Commercial Officer Colin Guppy. Were looking forward to leveraging Davids expertise to help many of our key customers get more out of their Sundyne investments.

Ive been watching Sundyne for years, and I believe now is the perfect time to join the team, said David McMahon. Im impressed with the philosophy & long-term vision of Sundynes senior management team, the sharp focus of the product teams, and the loyalty & commitment of the channel partners. I believe my skill-set fits perfectly with Sundynes current needs, and Im looking forward to working with Sundynes key customers to implement our strategic initiatives.

David McMahon is based out of Sundynes Arvada Headquarters. He can be reached at: david.mcmahon@sundyne.com.

About Sundyne:

Headquartered in Arvada, Colorado with operations and presence in Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, Japan and China, Sundyne is a leading manufacturer of precision-engineered highly reliable, safe, and efficient centrifugal pumps and compressors for use in hydrocarbon processing, chemical processing, power generation, industrial, and high-pressure water applications. Sundyne is the world leader in delivering low-flow, high-head integrally geared centrifugal pumps and compressors as well as a leader in the supply of safe and leakage-free sealless magnetic drive centrifugal pumps and diaphragm compressors. Sundyne pumps and compressors designs are compliant with the industrys most stringent API, ANSI/ASME, and ISO standards. To learn more about the Sundyne family of precision-engineered pumps and compressors, please visit http://www.sundyne.com.

Contact:

Mike Dean

303-521-5713

mike.dean@sundyne.com
Romano holds 5 U.S. Patents relating to environmental sustainability within the oil & gas and chemical industries Sundyne has all of the elements in place  including the backing of Warburg Pincus - to offer an extremely compelling value proposition to the worlds largest chemical companies.

Sundyne, a leader in the design and manufacture of mission critical pumps & compressors, today announced that Michael Romano has joined the company as Global Strategic Account Leader. In this newly created role, Romano will shape the business strategy and grow the account teams responsible for expanding Sundynes chemical business around the globe.

Prior to Sundyne, Romano worked at Flowserve for almost a decade, serving most recently as Director of Global Strategic Accounts. In that role, Romano worked extensively with many of the worlds largest chemical, petro-chemical, refining and general industrial companies. Prior to Flowserve, Michael was Group Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Circor Energy, a provider of valve & pipeline solutions to oil & gas markets worldwide. Romano has also worked as the strategic Oil & Gas Industry Leader for Tyco Flow Control, where he ran that companys marketing & business development efforts while supporting the establishment and success of several corporate strategic account teams.

A chemical engineering graduate of McMaster University in Canada, Romano holds 5 separate US Patents in chemical materials and processes used to enhance long-term environmental sustainability within the oil & gas and chemical industry.

For decades, Sundynes pumps & compressors have been widely used in chemical and petrochemical applications around the globe, and today, were focusing on expanding the strategic nature in which our technology is used by many of the worlds largest chemical companies, said Sundynes Chief Commercial Officer Colin Guppy. Michael Romano is the perfect person to lead our strategic account teams. Were looking forward to leveraging his expertise to better serve our customers around the globe.

Throughout my career, Ive worked closely with R&D, manufacturing and sales teams to drive innovation that helps oil & gas, chemical and petro-chemical producers solve problems, increase efficiency and enhance their bottom lines, said Michael Romano. Sundyne has all of the elements in place  including the backing of Warburg Pincus - to offer an extremely compelling value proposition to the worlds largest chemical companies.

Michael Romano is based out of Houston, TX.

About Sundyne:

Headquartered in Arvada, Colorado with operations and presence in Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, Japan and China, Sundyne is a leading manufacturer of precision-engineered highly reliable, safe, and efficient centrifugal pumps and compressors for use in hydrocarbon processing, chemical processing, power generation, industrial, and high-pressure water applications. Sundyne is the world leader in delivering low-flow, high-head integrally geared centrifugal pumps and compressors as well as a leader in the supply of safe and leakage-free sealless magnetic drive centrifugal pumps and diaphragm compressors. Sundyne pumps and compressors designs are compliant with the industrys most stringent API, ANSI/ASME, and ISO standards. To learn more about the Sundyne family of precision-engineered pumps and compressors, please visit http://www.sundyne.com.

Contact:

Mike Dean

303-521-5713

mike.dean@sundyne.com


"The multidisciplinary engineering and scientific expertise at Sydor and the LLE will help to bring ultrafast photodiode technology out of the lab and in to the hands of scientists as a robust, easily deployable commercial device." - Dr. Valerie Fleischauer, Technology Development Scientist

Sydor Technologies, a global provider of advanced x-ray detectors and diagnostic instrumentation for critical science missions and fundamental research, is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a $200,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant in collaboration with the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at the University of Rochester. This grant will be used to investigate the commercial viability of a tunable wavelength, ultra-fast photodiode with a response time less than 50 picoseconds and high quantum efficiency in ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. No currently supported commercial photodiode matches these features. By experimenting with variations in semiconductor materials and employing novel electrode structures, the output of this ambitious collaboration will address the needs of fusion, high energy density physics (HED), and x-ray free electron laser facilities performing ultrafast timing measurements.

Sydor has a rich history of collaborating with scientists at leading universities to commercialize important advances in scientific diagnostic research, including the recent success of the Mixed Mode Pixel Array Detector (MM-PAD). This history combined with Sydors strengths in chemistry, physics, electronics, and aptitude for translating state-of-the-art technology into the delivery of commercially viable complex instruments are exactly what drives the collaboration with LLE. Dr. Valerie Fleischauer, Technology Development Scientist at Sydor Technologies, remarked, The multidisciplinary engineering and scientific expertise at Sydor and the LLE will help to bring ultrafast photodiode technology out of the lab and in to the hands of scientists as a robust, easily deployable commercial device. I look forward to continuing the collaborative history with the LLE through this project that will provide unmatched ultrafast detection of ultraviolet and x-ray pulses to the HED community.

Professor William Donaldson and his graduate students working at the LLE developed the technology required for the realization of these new detectors. By using new high-quality materials, the University of Rochester team produced a metal-semiconductor-metal photodiode fabricated on AlGaN devices that can resolve 25-ps ultraviolet pulses. Typically, ultraviolet photodiodes have response times nearly 100 times greater, limiting their applicability to high-bandwidth measurements. Bringing together the research team at LLE and Sydor Technologies through this SBIR will form the team that can bring this technology to the marketplace enabling critical measurements. Mike Campbell, Director at LLE said, We are grateful to DOE for recognizing the promise of this technology and the quality of the team of Sydor, the University of Rochester, and LLE. LLE is committed to expanding our partnerships with local companies such as Sydor and helping to create high quality jobs with impactful technology to benefit our local economy."

About Sydor Technologies

Sydor Technologies is a global leader providing complex measurement solutions that generate critical results for the worlds most advanced applications in the defense, energy, ballistics, security, space, and research industries. Established in 2004 through technology originally transferred in collaboration with LLE, Sydor Technologies is headquartered in Rochester, NY and supplies systems and support in over 33 countries. For additional information, please visit http://www.SydorTechnologies.com.

About Laboratory for Laser Energetics

The LLE was established at the University in 1970 and is the largest US Department of Energy university-based research program in the nation primarily supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration as an integral part of its Stockpile Stewardship Program. Research at the LLE is also funded by the DOEs Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and New York State.

As a center for the investigation of the interaction of intense radiation with matter, the LLE is a unique national resource for research and education in science and technology. Current research includes exploring fusion as a future source of energy, developing new laser and materials technologies, and better understanding high-energy-density phenomena. In addition to its vital roles in various areas of scientific research and its support of the local high-tech economy, the LLE plays an important role in educating the next generation of scientists and engineers. For more information, please visit https://www.lle.rochester.edu.
Must Have Been a God Thing!: a thought-provoking narrative. Must Have Been a God Thing! is the creation of published author, Tee Jackson, a devoted husband, loving father, and retired educator.

Jackson shares, You will read of detailed occurrences that are both true and yet, seemingly unordinary. I encourage you to look carefully into your own life to determine if God might be sending special messages to you while yet you are unaware.

Must Have Been a God Thing makes an affordable study book for small groups and/or a special gift for a friend. I would have you to discover Gods perfect plan for your life. I encourage you to turn your attention to Jesus Christ for your direction in life. You could not have a better friend!

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Tee Jacksons new book is an inspiring series of tales that will encourage ones faith.

The author invites readers to consider the moments in life where they may have felt a guiding hand and encourages them to reflect on the power of faith.

View a synopsis of Must Have Been a God Thing! on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Must Have Been a God Thing! at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Must Have Been a God Thing!, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of Marchesi Frescobaldi, and Gabriele Gorelli, Montalcino native and the first Italian Master of Wine, hosted this year's newly appointed Masters of Wine, in a guided virtual tasting on the terroir and flavors of Tuscanys most important denominations, across the 7 iconic estates of the historic Frescobaldi winery. The annual event is intended to support the Masters of Wine as they continue their careers as Italian ambassadors of wine and provide ongoing education, insights and dialogue.

The virtual tasting and tour explored the hills of Castello Pomino, the maritime climate of Tenuta Ammiraglias Maremma, the island of Gorgona, quintessential Chianti Classico in Tenuta Perano, the familys history in Tenuta Castiglioni, the surprising international blend in the Chianti Rufina of Castello Nipozzano, and finally timeless elegance of Brunello di Montalcino from Tenuta CastelGiocondo.

We like to think of Frescobaldi as an authentic agricultural reality that has allowed us to truly represent Tuscany through the different estates, says Lamberto Frescobaldi, This fortune has always reminded us of the importance of sharing our experience and the beauty of the land we have lived in and cultivated for generations. This is why we decided to organize this virtual trip dedicated to people that we consider as important ambassadors of wine culture in the world. A moment of togetherness and an encounter that has been more special thanks to the presence of Gabriele Gorelli, the first Italian Master of Wine, who shares our origins and love for Tuscany.

It was an honor and pleasure for me to be able to share the story of my native land through an ideal motorcycle trip across the Frescobaldi estates, adds Gabriele Gorelli MW, Most importantly, it was my great joy to have accompanied my fellow Masters of Wine who have travelled a tough and challenging road. It is surprising how great ideas can arise from an intimate and relaxed atmosphere. I wish that welcoming the new MW can become a new tradition for Frescobaldi.

The event was well received by the attending Masters of Wine and is planned to take place annually for the new class of MWs to fully discover the richness of Tuscan territory and its wine production.


The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities and enriching lives, gathered over 500 attendees from seven countries at the IICF International Inclusion in Insurance Forum, June 15-17. The forum consisted of three days of discussions with 30 industry and thought leaders dedicated to advancing ideas into action on DEI, accessibility, innovation, the future of work and mobilizing the insurance industry as a force for positive societal and workplace change. Insurance industry professionals, C-suite executives, D&I leaders and wellness experts shared motivating insights and action plans designed to move the industry forward toward a fully inclusive future.

DEI discussions were led by several renowned speakers, including John Amaechi OBE, Founder of APS Intelligence, and Dr. Leroy Nunery, Founder of PlusUltre LLC. Amaechi delivered an inspiring session, sharing what executives and employees can do to build more inclusive cultures in their workplaces, including one important component that there is a responsibility for people who are rare in a space to lift up others who are rare or unique in a space. Together, Nunery and Amaechi discussed the importance of creating an environment that allows employees to feel empowered to speak out, as well as an environment that holds people accountable for implementing inclusion initiatives.

With the strategic importance of ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) in the industry, two international leaders from EY, Ed Majkowski, Americas Insurance Sector and Consulting Leader, and Isabelle Santenac, Global Insurance Leader, discussed How Insurers Can Address ESG-related Risks and Opportunities. Moderated by Theadora Valero, Corporate Social Responsibility Manger at Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Majkowski noted how ESG is moving from what are you doing to show me what youre doing, as evidenced by A.M. Best adding the role of race in insurance as a rating factor and the Departments of Insurance in many states are now tracking climate risk/action of insurance companies. EY has been the lead Diamond Presenting Sponsor of the two most recent IICF Inclusion in Insurance Forums.

As the insurance industry also prioritizes wellness and mental health in the workplace, another theme of the forum, foremost speakers shared their expertise on how to best integrate wellness programs, address emerging risks related to wellbeing, and introduced initiatives and tips to improve the quality of life and experiences both inside and outside the workplace, and for the successful return to the office setting.

A panel of DEI industry executives exploring The How Behind the Why in Diversity and Inclusion featuring Harriet Dominique, Chief Diversity Officer at USAA, Trevor Gandy, Managing Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Markel Corporation, and Kennedy Ihezie, Senior Director, AIG, and moderated by Heather Giordano, Vice President, Human Resources at CNA, yielded a numerous actionable steps including what these executives consider critical ones for all organizations to make meaningful strides towards DEI goals. Harriet Dominque stated that DEI programs must be run like a business strategy like all other business imperatives and has to be woven into everything an organization does. Trevor Gandy added that DEI must be prioritized by all, not only those directly responsible, and Kennedy Ihezie stressed the importance of inclusive leadership and that all leaders must prioritize inclusiveness.

Another critically important aspect of inclusion discussed at this years IICF forum was Accessibility Insights by Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft. Lay-Flurrie shared that most accommodations are very quick, very simple and they empower someone with a disability, and technology and innovation have a significant part to play in narrowing the disability divide. Disability is a strength. Its a talent pool, said Jenny Lay-Flurrie, and corporations can change the lens to view this way.

The IICF International Inclusion in Insurance Forum presented a wonderful opportunity to convene the industry once again to discuss challenges we face and explore the myriad of opportunities at this unique time, said Betsy Myatt, IICF Vice President, Chief Program Officer and Executive Director of the IICF Northeast Division. Were grateful for the ambitious vision and valuable insights shared by our speakers as we openly and honestly delved into some very important topics and initiatives that will help shape the future of the industry. It is our hope that all attendees will take what theyve learned at the forum and translate into practice and action within their own workplaces.

During this international leadership event, IICF announced the winners of its biennial 2021 IICF Inclusion Champion Awards, an honor given to insurance industry professionals who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication in advancing diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace, along with a personal commitment to community service. This year IICF named Dawnmarie Black, Head of US Broker Practice for the Lloyds Corporation, and Catherine Duffy, AIGs Country Leader of Bermuda, as the 2021 IICF Inclusion Champions.

IICFs Inclusion in Insurance leadership events are the only ones of their kind to benefit charitable causes. Proceeds from this forum benefit IICFs Community Grants Program, through which grants are awarded to nonprofit and charitable organizations focused on food insecurity, homelessness, children at risk, disaster relief and preparedness, veterans and more.

IICF will host its IICF Inclusion in Insurance Regional Forums in 2022, in Chicago, Dallas, London, Los Angeles and New York, with dates to be announced later this year.

About the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)

The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) is a unique nonprofit that unites the collective strengths of the insurance industry to help communities and enrich lives through grants, volunteer service and leadership. Established in 1994, IICF has served as the philanthropic foundation of the insurance industry for more than twenty-five years, contributing $42 million in community grants along with 300,000 volunteer hours by more than 110,000 industry professionals. IICF reinvests locally where funds are raised, serving hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations, for maximum community impact. IICF is a registered nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Learn more at http://www.iicf.org or follow us on social media: @doubleicf.
Senior citizens can still get advantageous deals. Compare prices online and track the best offers, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Age is a very influential factor when determining insurance costs. Seniors, like teen drivers alike, are considered high-risk drivers. But the reasons are different. However, elderly can still find ways to lower insurance premiums. Follow the next tips:



Take a driving class. Graduating from a defensive driving course will help to secure a discount. These classes are don't cost much and can be offered in person in a classroom, or you can stream them online. In these driving courses, senior citizens will find out how aging and medication affect their ability to drive and how to deal with certain age-related conditions.

Install anti-theft devices. On the market, there are multiple types of devices that will make your vehicle safer against thieves. Electronic alarms, ignition kill switches, GPS tracking systems, steering wheel locks, electronic immobilizers, and many other safety devices will help drivers acquire a discount.

Buy a cheaper car. The vehicle make, model and year of production are all important factors that determine the price of a policy. The cheapest vehicles to insure are slightly used SUV's, minivans, and crossovers. Also look for models that have safety features installed.

Join a UBI program. Allow the insurer to install a small telematics device inside the vehicle. This device will record mileage, the sudden changes in speed, hard braking, cornering, and the time of day when the vehicle is driven. The insurer will customize the price based on this data.

Shop online quotes. The best places to shop for online auto insurance quotes are the brokerage websites. In order to get accurate estimates, senior citizens should be careful when they complete the questionnaires and make sure they provide accurate data. It is recommended to complete at least three car quotes in order to make an idea of how their policy would look like.

For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
In the 2021 edition of The Mid-Year Magazine, analysts encapsulated the impact that the pandemic  and restrictions imposed in the name of halting its spread  had on commercial real estate and the commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) market.

Trepp, a leading provider of data, insights, and technology solutions to the structured finance, commercial real estate, and banking markets and Commercial Real Estate Direct released The Mid-Year Magazine 2021, a first-half recap of the commercial real estate finance and CMBS markets. Access the magazine here: http://www.trepp.com/trepp-cre-direct-mid-year-2021-pr

In this year's edition, analysts encapsulated the impact that the pandemic  and restrictions imposed in the name of halting its spread  had on commercial real estate and the commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) market.

Featuring thought leadership and data analysis from Trepp, CRE Direct, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the CRE Finance Council (CREFC), BH Properties, and RealInsight Marketplace, the magazine examines commercial real estate property type, CMBS, and regulatory news and trends.

"The CMBS industry developed strategies to minimize the long-term impacts of Covid-related shutdowns," said Orest Mandzy, Managing Editor of CRE Direct. "Borrowers often were able to negotiate debt-service deferral agreements, commonly referred to as forbearance, and in some cases, they were allowed to tap certain reserve accounts to pay for operating expenses or debt service. As you'll read, the volume of CMBS loans that are either in special servicing or classified as delinquent, while still at elevated levels, has declined from their peak," Mandzy said.

Readers can find stories in this edition on a variety of topics, including Covid-19: A Year in Review, CRE Post-Pandemic: The Knowns vs. the Unknowns, Continued Turmoil in the Hotel Sector, Shopping Mall Values Hammered by Covid-Related Lockdowns, and more...

Instantly access The Mid-Year Magazine here: http://www.trepp.com/trepp-cre-direct-mid-year-2021-pr

For more information on The Mid-Year Magazine or any of the analyses, email press@trepp.com or visit http://www.Trepp.com. Follow @TreppWire and @crenewstweets on Twitter for daily CRE and CMBS market updates.

About Trepp

Trepp, founded in 1979, is the leading provider of data, insights, and technology solutions to the structured finance, commercial real estate, and banking markets. Trepp provides primary and secondary market participants with the solutions and analytics they need to increase operational efficiencies, information transparency, and investment performance. From its offices in New York, San Francisco, and London, Trepp serves its clients with products and services to support trading, research, risk management, surveillance, and portfolio management. Trepp subsidiary, Commercial Real Estate Direct, is a daily news source covering the commercial real estate capital markets. Trepp is wholly owned by Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT).

About Commercial Real Estate Direct

Commercial Real Estate Direct, founded in 1999 and a subsidiary of Trepp, is a daily news source covering the commercial real estate capital markets. Each day, its seasoned staff of editors and real estate journalists delivers up-to-date market intelligence on the mortgage business, equity raising, investment sales, and CMBS. CRE Direct also provides its readers with actionable data through its Property Sales Database, which details more than 25,500 large property transactions, CMBS Pricing Matrix, the industrys only weekly pricing survey, and the CMBS Pipeline, a calendar of upcoming transactions with historical pricing information.
We stand ready to help American PPE manufacturers achieve full 'Made in USA' status with our U.S.-made polypropylene.

US Meltblown has now consistently achieved ASTM Level 3 filtration levels and is ready to become a primary source of American-made meltblown polypropylene for U.S. PPE manufacturers. There is no longer a need for PPE companies to import this crucial component of their product from Asia. US Meltblown is proud to do its part to help American PPE manufacturers meet the FTCs Made in USA requirements by providing quality U.S.-made meltblown polypropylene.

This comes at the right time, as the guidelines on what products can be labeled Made in USA, Made in America, and other expressed or implied origins of manufacture are being enforced more stringently. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Made in USA means that all or virtually all the product has been made in America, meaning all significant parts, processing, and labor that go into the product must be of U.S. (American) origin. This relates to not just an expressed claim, but also to any implied claim including U.S. symbols or geographic references.

We applaud American PPE manufacturers for the role they play in boosting our countrys economy at this critical time. We stand ready to help them achieve full Made in USA status, said US Meltblown Founder and CEO Robert Sires. Now that we offer a reliable supply of top quality American-made meltblown polypropylene, these companies no longer need to source it from Asia. They wont have to tie up their dollars in slow moving inventory since we are just as competitive and can ship what they need when they need it, and they wont have to be concerned about quality issues.

US Meltblown is Americas trusted manufacturing source for critical filter material, setting the standard for this vital material used in personal protective equipment such as medical grade masks. We continue to fulfill our vision to protect families, healthcare workers, first responders, and workers in industry with American-made melt blown nonwoven polypropylene. US Meltblown is proud to provide this top quality critical filtering medium made in Florida from raw materials produced in the United States and processed on equipment that is built in the U.S. and operated by American workers. USMB polypropylene meets criteria for use in masks rated N95 and higher and is static charged to provide additional protection. Quality is assured through rigorous in-house testing. We sell by the master roll or slitted (175mm or 260mm). For more information, contact Ty Whitacre at 1-260-438-4491 / TWhitacre@usmeltblown.com or visit http://www.usmeltblown.com.
Veyo, the first company to bring healthcare-credentialed rideshare to Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT), today announced that President and Founder Josh Komenda was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 Pacific Southwest  San Diego Award finalist by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). Now in its 35th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors unstoppable business leaders whose ambition, ingenuity and courage in the face of adversity help catapult us from the now to next and beyond.

Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

Since founding Veyo in 2015, Josh has helped disrupt the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) industry by integrating the benefits of consumer technology with healthcare-credentialed rideshare to provide reliable access to healthcare for millions of people every year. Veyos innovative business model combines the flexibility and scalability of a rideshare service with the health experience of a full service NEMT broker to deliver higher levels of reliability, quality, and transparency to customers, partners, and members.

After a year filled with challenges, Im humbled and honored to be recognized as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year, said Veyo President and CEO, Josh Komenda. This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our team members at Veyo and our commitment to meet the needs of the healthcare transportation industry. The pandemic has shown how our powerful transportation network can serve the healthcare industry in new capacities and were excited to carry this innovative momentum forward as we continue to lead the NEMT industry.

In addition to innovations within NEMT, Josh has been recognized for his ability to quickly innovate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, Josh led the first initiative in the country to increase access to drive-through COVID-19 vaccinations through covered transportation benefits  completing over 1,000 COVID-19 vaccine trips in the first month of operations. In 2020 Veyo launched specialized fleets that have allowed thousands of potentially COVID-positive patients to be safely transported to medical appointments while reducing strain on first responders. Veyo also developed emergency delivery programs utilizing its existing transportation network.

This prestigious honor comes after Veyos recent winning of the 2021 Arizona Business Innovation Awards and the Best of Scottsdale Award in the Software Development category by the Scottsdale Award Program.

Veyo provides reliable access to healthcare for millions of people every year and now operates in six states with over 32 million completed trips.

Award winners will be announced during a special virtual celebration on August 5, 2021 and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world.

About Veyo

Veyo, headquartered in San Diego, CA, is the fastest growing transportation brokerage in the country, having brought a new NEMT Model to the healthcare industry in 2016. Built on over 20 years of transportation experience, Veyo has reinvented the patient transportation model by integrating consumer technology with healthcare-credentialed rideshare fleets to decrease costs and increase efficiency. Veyos VirtualFleet, the most powerful transportation network in the industry, is delivering dramatically higher levels of reliability, quality, and transparency to customers, partners, and members. Operating in seven states with over 32 million completed trips and a 97.1% on-time rate, Veyo is changing NEMT  one trip at a time. For more information, please visit veyo.com.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the worlds most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National Overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year title. ey.com/us/eoy

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
54% of the businesses featured on TIME magazines inaugural list of most influential companies actively hire remote workers, according to a new report from Virtual Vocations. An analysis by Virtual Vocations found that more than half of the employers featured by TIME magazine on its 2021 list of the world's most influential companies actively seek out remote talent.

One of the webs leading remote job boards is putting the spotlight on remote enabled businesses featured on TIME magazines inaugural list of most influential companies around the world.

Founded in 2007 by CEO Laura Spawn and CTO Adam Stevenson, Virtual Vocations has helped connect jobseekers with legitimate remote jobs from expert-vetted employers for the last 14 years.

In April 2021, TIME unveiled its new TIME100 Most Influential Companies list to honor businesses that have made an extraordinary impact across the globe. Expanding on the TIME100 franchise that also includes TIME's buzzworthy "Most Influential People" list, the new rankings quickly caught the eye of the Virtual Vocations team, who took a deep dive to uncover which employers highlighted by the magazine may be worth a closer look for jobseekers seeking to work from home.

For its latest report, Virtual Vocations compared the new list of TIME100 Most Influential Companies to its own massive Remote Companies Database, which comprises more than 6,000 researched profiles of businesses that consistently offer remote work options.

Virtual Vocations analysis found that more than half of TIME's Most Influential Companies54 out of 100actively seek out remote talent.

Among them are organizations old and new that were recognized by TIME as pioneers, leaders, innovators, titans, or disruptors within the business space. Employers like Bumble, Oatly, Beyond Meat, and Strava all made both the TIME and Virtual Vocations lists as pioneers in business that also embrace working from home.

Meanwhile, organizations like Spotify, Stripe, and Zoom were labeled innovators who met TIMEs criteria in areas like innovation, success, relevance, ambition, and impact while also promoting flexible work arrangements for their employees.

Remote enabled companies like Pfizer, Mattel, and Johnson & Johnson were seen as leaders, while titans included remote-friendly employers like General Motors and Coinbasea strong indication that across all industries, remote work is here to stay.

To learn more about Virtual Vocations or view its full list of 54 Influential Remote Enabled Companies, visit: https://www.virtualvocations.com/blog/telecommuting-news/54-influential-remote-enabled-companies/

ABOUT VIRTUAL VOCATIONS

Founded in 2007 by CEO Laura Spawn and her brother, CTO Adam Stevenson, Virtual Vocations is a small company with a big mission: to connect jobseekers with legitimate remote job openings. To date, Virtual Vocations has helped more than four million jobseekers in their quests for flexible, remote work.

In addition to providing a database that houses more than 40,000 current, hand-screened remote job openings at any given time, Virtual Vocations offers jobseekers a number of tools to aid in their job searches, including exclusive e-courses and downloadable content, and resume writing services. Virtual Vocations also releases several data-driven reports each year on current trends in remote work.

Virtual Vocations, Inc. is a private, family-owned, and 100% virtual company incorporated in Tucson, Arizona.

PRESS INQUIRIES

Michelle Rawlings

michelle(at)virtualvocations(dot)com

1 (800) 379-5092 ext. 703

VirtualVocations.com
WilliamsMarston has grown substantially over the past 7 years and with Michael and Marks leadership, we are confident our growth will continue in 2022 and beyond.

WilliamsMarston LLC, a nationally recognized leading provider of accounting, tax and management consulting services to companies experiencing rapid growth and transformation, is pleased to announce the promotions of Michael R. Donoso and Mark C. LaMonte to Partner in their New York Advisory practice, effective July 1, 2021.

Its an honor and privilege to recognize these outstanding individuals on this important and well-deserved career milestone, said Jonathan Marston, Co-founder and Managing Partner at WilliamsMarston. Michael and Mark are invaluable members of our firm, consistently leading our client service teams on complex engagements and delivering exceptional value to our clients. We look forward to continuing to work with them as they take on these expanded leadership roles at the Firm.

Landen Williams, Co-founder and Managing Partner at WilliamsMarston, remarked Michael and Mark have demonstrated their commitment to our core values and a business-oriented approach to finding innovative solutions for our clients. They have proven their ability to adapt to rapidly changing business and economic conditions while providing the highest levels of service to our clients in very challenging situations. WilliamsMarston has grown substantially over the past 7 years and with Michael and Marks leadership, we are confident our growth will continue in 2022 and beyond.

Mr. Donoso joined WilliamsMarston in 2016 from Celgene, Inc., a large, publicly traded pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey. Since joining WilliamsMarston, Mr. Donoso has been instrumental in building the firms national life sciences practice, advising clients on complex collaboration agreements, debt and equity financings, and initial public offerings, amongst many other areas.

Prior to WilliamsMarston, Mr. Donoso was a Senior Manager in the Technical Accounting Group at Celgene where he worked closely with senior management on the accounting and reporting for a variety of complex transactions, including revenue recognition, business combinations, financial instruments, stock-based compensation and consolidations.

Prior to Celgene, Mr. Donoso was a Manager in KPMGs Accounting Advisory Services practice in New York where he advised Fortune 500 companies on the accounting and reporting for complex transactions.

Mr. Donoso is a Certified Public Accountant in New York and New Jersey and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a dual degree in accounting and finance, and a Master of Accountancy from West Virginia University.

Mr. LaMonte joined WilliamsMarston in June 2020 as a Managing Director in the firms New York Advisory practice. Since joining WilliamsMarston, Mr. LaMonte has been a tremendous resource to his clients on a variety of complex accounting matters.

Prior to WilliamsMarston, Mr. LaMonte was a Managing Director in the Credit Strategy and Standards Group and the Chief Credit Officer for the Global Financial Institutions Rating Group for Moodys Investors Service. During his time at Moodys, Mr. LaMonte was also the Chairman of the Credit Policy Committee where he led a team of experts in accounting and financial reporting, corporate governance, and complex financing structures. He was also the author of market leading research on numerous accounting and reporting developments. While at Moodys, Mr. LaMonte was a liaison with the FASB, IASB, SEC and PCAOB and wrote comment letters on international accounting convergence, the disclosure framework, financial instruments and fair value.

Mr. LaMonte began his career at KPMG where he rose to the level of Senior Manager. While at KPMG, Mr. LaMonte spent two years in the firms national office where he provided technical accounting advice to client service teams in the areas of business combinations, income taxes, derivatives, hedging and revenue recognition.

Mr. LaMonte was a member of the FASBs Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC) from 2016 to 2020. He was also a member of the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) from 2008 to 2019. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree with a concentration in Accounting from Siena College where he graduated with honors.

About WilliamsMarston LLC

WilliamsMarston LLC is a nationally recognized leading provider of accounting, tax and management consulting services to companies managing rapid growth and transformation. Founded in 2014, the firm has offices in Boston, New York and Dallas. With more than 300 clients and 65 professionals, WilliamsMarston advises public, private equity-backed and pre-IPO companies on mergers, acquisitions, carve-outs, spin-offs, initial public offerings, interim management, technical accounting and corporate taxation. WilliamsMarston is the CFOs most trusted advisor through transformation and growth. Additional information is available at: williamsmarston.com.
Woolpert Aviation Geospatial Project Manager Dejan Damjanovic Dejans expertise in helping drive, develop and apply geospatial technologies to meet real challenges in the aviation industry will be a great addition to our aviation geospatial team, specifically in the western U.S. and abroad.

Woolpert has hired aviation and geospatial visionary Dejan Damjanovic as an aviation geospatial project manager. Damjanovic has more than 25 years of industry experience and has elevated the fields of Aeronautical Information Management, Navigational Data Provision, Synthetic Vision Systems and remote sensing. He will work out of Woolperts new Denver office.

Damjanovic is as steeped in geospatial expertise as he is in aviation acumen. In addition to his knowledge of satellite-based photogrammetry for 3D terrain and obstacle extraction, GIS and mobile mapping, Damjanovic is a senior commercial pilot who is licensed to fly in the U.S. and Canada. He has more than 1,100 flight hours logged across North America in multi- and single-engine aircraft. During prior engagements, he led aviation geospatial practices that resulted in eight-figure contract awards from the U.S. government and commercial customers.

An established industry thought leader, Damjanovic has co-authored three globally recognized standards on aeronautical geospatial information, is a frequent industry conference panelist, and has authored numerous conference presentations and peer-reviewed papers. He is a past recipient of the Turning Goals into Reality Award for his work on NASAs Runway Incursion Prevention System.

Damjanovic said in his new role at Woolpert, he joins a team that is passionate about solving the greatest challenges in aviation using innovative geospatial applications. These include integrating Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) capabilities to support both conventional aircraft and Advanced Air Mobility, ensuring that they successfully coexist with NextGen, both within and outside the National Airspace System.

To deliver solutions in the aviation industry, you need all of the Woolpert AEG disciplines, Damjanovic said. Architecture, to enhance airports for NextGen capabilities, integrate mass transportation networks and construct UAS/UAV landing sites; engineering, to ensure airports and UAS/UAV landing sites operate safely, efficiently and reliably; and geospatial data, which is the glue that holds architecture and engineering together in the 4D space and is the cornerstone of the NextGen and Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) Concept of Operations.

Woolpert Senior Associate and Practice Leader Eric Risner said Damjanovic has proved to be an exceptional leader with a long history of successful projects and implementations in his previous roles in the aviation industry.

Emerging technologies are transforming airport operations and air travel around the world, and we are passionate about delivering these innovative solutions to our clients, Risner said. Dejans expertise in helping drive, develop and apply geospatial technologies to meet real challenges in the aviation industry will be a great addition to our aviation geospatial team, specifically in the western U.S. and abroad. Were proud to have him join our team.

About Woolpert

Woolpert is the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG) and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world. We innovate within and across markets to effectively serve public, private and government clients worldwide. Woolpert is an ENR Top 150 Global Design Firm, recently earned its fifth-straight Great Place to Work certification and actively nurtures a culture of growth, inclusion, diversity and respect. Founded in 1911 in Dayton, Ohio, Woolpert has been Americas fastest-growing AEG firm since 2015. The firm has over 1,100 employees and 42 offices in three countries. For more, visit woolpert.com.
As books have become critical source material for films, traditional television series, and streaming content, a presentation titled From Page to Screen was one of the most popular programs at last weeks virtual Bologna Childrens Book Fair, according to moderator Cristina Angelucci, editor-in-chief of Licensing magazine. Bologna is where producers go to find childrens properties to make audio-visual content, she said.

Four speakers, who represented each phase of the page-to-screen process, discussed what they look for when assessing books for development into television or film. In 2020 Annie Nybo evaluated 215 submissions, including 22 books, in her role as a script reader for Netflix in the U.S., recommending eight of them. For each one, she writes a three-page synopsis and a one-page analysis, focusing on five criteriapremise, structure, story beats, character, and dialogueas well as a one-sentence logline to describe the project.

I look for a great example of a genre, with the expected beats, but with surprising twists and turns, Nybo said. I want a blend of familiar and fresh. She noted that the size of the audience for the book does not matter and, in fact, less awareness about a book can be a benefit, since plot points that are changed to fit the needs of the screen do not face a backlash as they do for a story with a big following. Nybo added that great literary writing is not as important as story and character evolution.

Caterina Gonnelli, executive v-p of content at French production company Xilam Animation, said that, in addition to certain production parameters, like the number of locations, sets, or characters that are featured, she looks for the authenticity of the characters and the existence of clear motivations. For children, Xilam wants a character with positive traits, but also with some age-appropriate flaws, which drive the comedy and make the character relatable. Otherwise, there is no salt in the recipe, she said. It is also critical that characters not be static. We want them to change, and to change the world they live in.

Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer at U.S.-based Fred Rogers Productions, agreed, saying, If it makes you smile, if it makes you think, if it changes your perspective a little bit, thats what were all looking for. She added that diversity of experiences and viewpoints is very important, especially of groups that are historically underrepresented on childrens television.

French house Glenat publishes 700 books a year and is known for its comics. Etienne Bonnin, the companys head of foreign rights, explained that the process of pitching comic or book properties to producers is different than selling foreign publishing rights. The message for producers is focused closely on the characters and how they evolve, the environment, and the story, while the length of the book, the writing style or quality, or even the illustrations (with the exception of animation in some cases) is less of a concern.

 I look for a great example of a genre, with the expected beats, but with surprising twists and turns.

Annie Nybo, Netflix 

One thing that has changed in recent years is the proliferation of content on different platforms and the ability to find new content on social channels, including from independent authors, artists, and publishers. Doherty noted that she follows many writers and illustrators on social media and is open to working with them, adding that being able to get to know their voice and personality as well as their work is an advantage.

Another topic discussed was the role of the author, with panelists pointing out that authors and producers bring different strengths to the partnership. What is key is a relationship that is built on mutual trust, Gonnelli said. If you try to keep the author out of the loop, youre in trouble. They have to trust you to take care of their characters.

Doherty agreed that a strong relationship is important and stressed that time should be taken to make sure everyone is on the same page during the development phase, before production begins. But, she cautioned, The producer has to have the final say, because we know our medium. There are times when the author can have too much power, and the show doesnt work.

The panel touched on the global nature of television and what that means for purchases of book rights. For the most part, the sales process is the same from one region to another, with a few exceptions. The U.S. market is more likely to have agents representing the publishers and authors, for example, and there are tax differences from region to region. In most countries, producers look for companies from other regions to co-produce, bringing financing and local broadcasters to the party. U.S. and U.K. producers are more apt to go it alone, although they also work with co-producers in many cases.

Several countries have strong local animation industries and government support that encourages local productions, and France is one of those. France has a large number of producers and a production environment that is subsidized, Bonnin said. We benefit from that and are part of that environment. While Glenat works with producers all around the world, it is most apt to sell to French companies. The publisher has had dozens of books produced for TV and film over the past 10 to 15 years and currently has 20 in development, although only a percentage of those will make it to the screen. Not all the eggs make chicks, Bonnin said.

Animation is a global industry much more than live action, Gonnelli said. Animation tends to translate well across borders and the higher costs need to be amortized from international sales. Live action, on the other hand, can work regionally and tends to skew in that direction due to the involvement of locally known actors.

Nybo reported that the projects she reviews need to have a broad U.S. audience, but added that Netflix wants to have as global an appeal as possible.

Stories with very specific local content can still have themes that resonate globally. Doherty mentioned her studios new series, Almas Way, developed with longtime Sesame Street star Sonia Manzano for PBS Kids. It takes place in a Bronx neighborhood and is about the unique experiences of that environment. But its still relatable in all areas of the world, she said.

Bonnin was asked whether producers are looking mostly for franchises or whether there was a place for original content. Franchises are less of a risk for producers, but you need fresh meat, he responded. Consumers also want a balance of comforting familiarity and something new. I think the world needs both, he said.
LOS ANGELES  Concord Law School at Purdue University Global will present a live discussion titled Divisive Concepts, Targeted Speech, and Safe Spaces: The First Amendment in Schools for the next installment of its Distinguished Speaker Series at noon PT on Tuesday (June 29).

The live webinar will be hosted by Concord Dean Martin Pritikin and feature guest speaker Azhar Majeed, a civil liberties attorney who has spent his career defending the free speech rights of university students and professors.

Majeed previously served as vice president of policy reform at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, where he worked with college administrators and general counsels to improve their institutions policies on free speech and due process, and helped create a model freshman orientation program to teach incoming students about the rights and principles enshrined in the First Amendment.

Majeed is a contributor to New York Universitys First Amendment Watch, where his articles and commentary help document threats to freedom of expression nationwide. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2007.

Those interested in registering can do so here. The webinar can be viewed here.

About Purdue University Global

Purdue University Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers personalized paths for students to earn an associate, bachelors, masters or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations  no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global serves 34,000 students (as of April 2021), most of whom earn their degree online. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue Universitys flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana, as well as serving science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, visit purdueglobal.edu.

About Concord Law School

Concord Law School is part of Purdue University Global, a public, nonprofit school within the respected Purdue University system. Founded in 1998, Concord was the first U.S. law school to offer students a traditional law school program online, including interactive live classes, frequent testing with extensive feedback, and nationally respected faculty members. Offering rigorous, rewarding online degree programs, Concord provides students with a first-rate law school education that is affordable and reflects the needs of todays employers, delivered in a convenient, highly supportive environment. For more information, visit here.

Media Contact: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu

Source: Martin Pritikin
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A Bafta-winning executive producer, Griffin-Williams joined Wildflame in 2018 as executive producer, factual and international co-productions to spearhead the companys move into international content development and exec produce a slate of factual shows for both domestic and global broadcasters. Her appointment as creative director follows a raft of international commissions, UK network successes, as well as securing a substantial slate of content for Welsh broadcaster S4C. In her new role, Griffin-Williams will lead the companys push to expand Wildflames engagement with SVODs and broadcasters worldwide as well as building upon their existing success with UK networks.Griffin-Williams was also executive producer of Channel 5s new peak-time travelogue Wonderful Wales With Michael Ball, broadcast this summer. She has also developed and executive produced Wildflames slate of international co-productions, with their most recent being Yellowstone Supervolcano: American Doomsday, the companys first commission for Discovery+, which will be broadcast on 24 June.In a relatively short space of time, Llinos has helped us transform our relationships with SVODs and global platforms. Her work has already resulted in high-profile projects for Discovery+ Smithsonian Channel /ViacomCBS and Science Channel. She has not only forged new relationships with global broadcasters, but also expertly navigated the editorial and technical challenges which high-profile productions and co-productions inevitably bring, said Wildflame Productions CEO Paul Islwyn Thomas commenting on the appointment.Wildflame has the opportunity to really accelerate our growth in this area. We know that we have the right approach, the right can do attitude to make ambitious international commissions work and, just as importantly, have the right production management and business affairs infrastructure in place. That, coupled with Llinos determination and creative flair, puts us in an extremely strong - and very exciting - position.Griffin-Williams remarked that she was thrilled to have the new role. Overseeing the expansion of the companys work with British and international partners is an incredibly exciting proposition. She added: Stand-out factual programming is in huge demand on both sides of the Atlantic. Wildflames outstanding factual expertise, coupled with its position as one of the UKs leading nations indies, means its perfectly placed to make the most of all the global market offers. Closer to home our ambitions are to build on the success were having on Network, as we continue to develop our factual slate for UK broadcasters, offering an exciting variety of factual content. Im also hugely proud of my Welsh and Welsh language roots and see the immense value in the content we make for BBC Wales and S4C.
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FILE - In this July 19, 1985, file photo, Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected chief of the Cherokee Nation, poses in front of the tribal emblem at the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. The U.S. Mint says Mankiller will be among the first five women honored in the new American Women Quarters Program, which starts in 2022 and continues until 2025.
A U.S.-led coalition of Western democracies

versus a China-led circle of developing friends.

In first overseas trip as U.S. President, Joe Biden has flagged he intends to rally European allies in a critical battle between democracies and autocracies, and make it clear to Putin and to China that Europe and the United States are tight.

Biden is not the only one in the coalition-building business. Although China has no formal allies other than North Korea, for almost a decade the Chinese leadership has been busily building up a global network of supportive partnerships, mainly with countries situated along the Belt and Road and in the developing world. Beijing does not just see these partnerships as a way to deepen bilateral cooperation in a variety of domains such as trade and cultural exchanges. Partners are also considered as parts of a nascent bloc that could eventually help overcome what the Chinese leadership sees as an existential threat to both the survival of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime and the fulfillment of its global ambitions.

Thirty years of Western engagement following the end of the Cold War has not alleviated Beijings deep-seated belief that the West, composed of U.S.-led liberal democracies, has no other objective than to isolate, asphyxiate and eventually destroy a CCP-led China. In this sense, Xis China does not feel any more secure than Maos China.

Mao believed that imperialist superpowers were steadily scheming to deny China leadership over the socialist camp (the Soviets) and bring about the countrys overall demise (the Americans). Cornered by the double menace of Western blockade and Soviet repression, Mao envisioned the developing world, composed of Asia, Africa and Latin America, both as a protective buffer and as the centre of the unfolding struggle against imperialists of all stripes. Nations of the Third World were to be coaxed into joining an international united front against the First, imperialist, World and into fighting to transform the post-war international system. Meanwhile, the Second World in between  Europe, Japan, Canada and Australia  would be cajoled and neutralised.

Maos Three Worlds Theory was a classic balancing strategy against perceived threats of isolation and encirclement, which required China to assert its position as the leader of the developing world.

Maos legacy persists in Xi's global strategy on Africa, whose nations continued to support China after sanctions were imposed by Western countries post-Tiananmen Square ( Mal B/Flickr

Today, Chinas official rhetoric no longer calls for developing nations to gather under the banner of anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism and anti-hegemonism. Yet, Maos Three Worlds Theory eerily chimes with Beijings unfolding global strategy.

Instead of gathering international support via the promotion of outdated principles with unsavoury Cold War undertones, Beijings rallying cry is now focused on economic development and on presenting the developing world with the opportunity of becoming the real beneficiaries of Chinas rise. The objective remains the same  establishing China as the leader of the global South to eliminate the Wests stranglehold and help transform the international system in a way that fits the CCPs interests and values. Then, as now, the African continent is an essential piece in what Chinese elites see as a vital geostrategic contest for global influence. Beijings objectives have essentially remained the same and are both defensive and offensive: to prevent Chinas global isolation and to shape the world according to Beijings preferences.

In the past, African nations have helped China repeatedly break its diplomatic isolation. In the early 1960s, the newly independent African countries established diplomatic links with the young Peoples Republic of China. In 1971, those nations voted in support of Chinas permanent seat at the UN Security Council. And after 1989, they continued to welcome Chinese leaders with open arms despite post-Tiananmen sanctions imposed by Western countries. More recently, African nations have been part of a like-minded group of 50 countries that has supported Beijings Xinjiang policies within the United Nations. If the coalition of Western democracies that Biden wishes to create gets serious about constricting Chinas international room for manoeuvre, the nations of the global South may yet again play a helpful role for Beijing.

Previously, China had not been very successful with the other piece of its strategy, which aimed at consolidating its position as the leader of the emerging forces of the world as part of a global strategic competition against its archrivals. Despite generous economic assistance, liberal use of bribery, proactive propaganda campaigns and the provision of weapons and guerilla warfare advisers, the CCPs success in establishing regimes led by pro-Chinese communist parties in African countries was ultimately limited in the 1960s. Today, Beijing uses a more sophisticated version of several of these tactics to induce countries of the global South to join its circle of friends, albeit seemingly without any ideological intent or strings attached.

Things may already be changing, though.

As I explain in my latest report, Chinese planners have since at least 2015 been defining a new Africa strategy, which includes reflections on why the Chinese model of political and economic governance can and should be transferred to African countries. For the African continent to properly fit into Chinas vision for a new world order, and play an appropriate role within the subsystem that Beijing aspires to create and dominate, it will need to go through a series of transformations, both economic and political, that China aims to assist.

This emerging proactive effort grows out of Beijings need for its partners to be stable, i.e., ruled by amenable governments that will favour Chinas interests and will not be disrupted by elections or democratic transitions. Chinas strategists likely view the African continent as a testing ground for perfecting techniques that can be applied across the developing world, with the aim of building a bloc of populous and increasingly prosperous nations that will support Beijing, follow its lead and eventually help to upend the global balance of power.

Nadege Rolland is Senior Fellow, Political and Security Affairs, at the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), based in Seattle and Washington, DC. Her research focuses mainly on China's foreign and defense policy and the changes in global dynamics resulting from the rise of China. Drawing on her 20 years of experience as a French government official, she also examines the prospects for trans-Atlantic cooperation in research and policy related to Asia.

She is the author of China's Eurasian Century? Political and Strategic Implications of the Belt and Road Initiative (2017), Chinas Vision for a New World Order (2020) and editor of Securing the Belt and Road Initiative: Chinas Evolving Military Engagement Along the Silk Roads (2019).

This article appeared originally at Lowy Institute's the interpreter.
Climate change litigation pending before the European Court of Human Rights is designed to arouse extreme forms of judicial climate activism. These cases pose serious threats to the rule of law and democratic politics. If the European Court finds that there is a human right to a safe climate, its adverse ruling would place 33 European states under judicial guardianship, while destroying the European economy.

In this article, Lucas Bergkamp and Katinka Brouwer analyze the issues raised by these cases. In the final analysis, the key question is whether the European Court will jump on the activists climate emergency bandwagon or respect the rule of law and protect democratic politics. The answer to this question will determine the future of Europe.

From The Hague to Strasbourg

In 2014, on behalf of all Dutch citizens, a climate action group called Urgenda started a lawsuit against the Dutch government to force it to adopt stricter emission-reduction (mitigation) policy. This lawsuit finally came to an end in December 2019. The Supreme Court in The Hague ruled that the Dutch government must indeed comply with Urgendas demands. The state was ordered to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the end of 2020. According to the court, climate change threatens the right to life laid down in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court order has resulted in the government taking many of the additional mitigation measures required by Urgenda. These measures have imposed substantial additional expenses on Dutch citizens and produced a negligible effect on the global climate.

Inspired by the Urgenda judgment, another climate case has now found its way to the European Court of Human Rights. Six young Portuguese, aged eight to 21, have petitioned the European Court in Strasbourg to protect their human rights against the dangers of climate change. The Court has the authority to hear complaints about violations of the ECHR. This treaty grants European residents fundamental freedoms and human rights, such as freedom of speech and the prohibition of torture. It also grants the right to life invoked in the Dutch climate case.

The Portuguese plaintiffs are now demanding that no fewer than 33 countries, including the 27 member states of the European Union, Norway, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine, take all necessary steps to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 C. This would be necessary, they claim, to guarantee their right to life, which would require a safe climate. In particular, they complain about the heatwaves, drought, and forest fires in Portugal in recent years, and suggest that these phenomena are causally linked to the inadequate climate policies of the 33 states concerned.

Climate emergency

The young Portuguese plaintiffs are supported by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), an NGO that fights injustice through legal proceedings to improve the lives of the powerless. In their application to the Court, the youngsters assert that there is a climate emergency, referring to a statement by scientists. The 33 countries sued are accused of failing to implement sufficient reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The plaintiffs are therefore demanding that the Court order all 33 countries to take a series of measures to address this climate emergency.

Like Urgenda, the plaintiffs in this case rely heavily on invoking the right to life, suggesting that it effectively includes a right to safe climate. To support their demands for further mitigation measures, they cite the Paris Climate Agreement, which has been ratified by all 33 states in the case. They ignore the fact that the Paris Agreement does not grant any individual rights to emission reduction, and, thus, cannot be read into the human right to life. Moreover, the Paris Agreement does not even impose any specific mitigation obligation on the states that have ratified it.

Disregarding these limitations, the applicants, invoking the IPPCs special report, assume that achieving the collective aspirational target reduction of 1.5 C referenced in the Paris Agreement would guarantee a safe climate. On this basis, they assert that all state parties to the Paris Agreement have a duty to do their fair share to reduce emissions to meet the 1.5 C target by 2100. This fair share would have to be determined on the basis of the Climate Action Tracker, which shows that no country in the world has taken sufficient measures to meet the 1.5 C target, except Morocco. According to Climate Action Tracker, Morocco is a real climate front runner as it pursues the triple win  adaptation to climate change, mitigation of the impact of climate change, and creation of new opportunities.

Separation of powers

In the Urgenda case, the Dutch government argued that the court should refuse to grant the relief sought by the climate activists based on the trias politica, or separation of powers. When the Dutch government announced that it would appeal to the Dutch Supreme Court in the Urgenda case, Climate Minister Wiebes said: We dispute how the court has interfered with the workings of democracy. In fact, democracy has been sidelined. The Supreme Court disagreed with Wiebes and did not hesitate to sideline democratic policymaking. According to the court, the trias politica would not be a problem. Moreover, the climate crisis would have created an exceptional situation threatening human life. Because the Dutch government had not disputed any of Urgendas pseudoscientific, alarmist statements, the court could assume them to be accurate and truthful; no fact-checking was done, no expert witnesses were heard. In no small part based on these pseudoscientific facts, such as an alleged rapid sea level rise, which could render part of the Netherlands uninhabitable, the court considered it acceptable, as Urgendas lawyer put it, to place democracy under judicial guardianship.

Treating Urgenda like childs play, the Portuguese children are asking the European Court to place not just one democracy, but 33 democracies under judicial guardianship  and to impose not just one, short-term order on them, but four long-term orders that would cripple their economies. The state of climate emergency is so serious and so urgent, these children claim, that they should not even be asked to follow the normal procedure and turn to the national courts first. Furthermore, they suggest that national procedures and remedies would be uncertain, diverge, and not meet their needs adequately. The European Court should therefore waive the admissibility requirements and itself order the measures necessary to avert the climate crisis.

If the Court were to do so, however, the legislatures of the 33 states concerned could not overrule its verdict, because human rights override ordinary legislation. If the court were to impose the ends or means of climate policy, it would effectively usurp the powers of 33 European legislatures and disenfranchise their populations.

Devastating demands

The scope of the Portuguese case is enormous and could affect the entire European economy in multiple ways. Indeed, the measures the children are demanding would be devastating. They want the Court to order the state governments concerned to take measures in four areas:

They want a further and faster reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the territories of all states. They demand a ban on the export of fossil fuels from the countries concerned. They want the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and consumption of imported products to be offset. They demand that restrictions be imposed on multinational corporations established in their territory with regard to their global greenhouse gas emissions.

These climate policy measures would have strong direct and indirect effects  competitiveness, innovation, investment, industrialization, international trade, production, consumption, and wealth would all be at risk in Europe. With climate policies both taking up very substantial amounts of resources and reducing the ability to create them, resources would not be available for other policies and needs. In addition, as European climate policy has important ramifications for the economies of countries around the world, unbalanced, excessive climate policies would cause more damage than climate change could ever do.

Futile court-made climate policy

Thus, this lawsuits aim is to create a comprehensive system for the 33 states concerned to rapidly reduce and ultimately eliminate their total direct and indirect contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions. Ironically, the plaintiffs are asking the European Court to impose an expanded version of the failed Kyoto Protocol on Europe, while the Paris Agreement was intended to avoid the Kyoto Protocols erroneous approach. This system would be superimposed on the EU Emissions Trading System and all other EU climate policies. The question thus is whether the European Court of Human Rights could rule in this case without interfering with EU climate policymaking, requiring the EU member states to violate their obligations under the EU Treaties and secondary legislation.

If the European Court buys into the plaintiffs emergency narrative, the question is whether it will want to see the elephant in the room: the 33 countries emit only a small fraction of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, and their contribution will soon be less than 10%. The effect of the measures demanded by the applicants on total worldwide emissions will be marginal at best, since emissions from the rest of the world are expected to continue to increase as economies develop. Emissions from China have risen sharply and have not yet peaked. Indias emissions are on the rise, and many other developing nations will see their emissions grow once their economies start expanding. None of these countries have any obligations to limit their emissions under the Paris Agreement. European efforts are therefore likely to be a drop in the ocean. While the useful effect would likely be small at best, the adverse effects on Europes economies would be enormous.

Admissibility and partisanship

So far, the Court has given the Portuguese case undue respect. The plaintiffs application is clearly inadmissible because the Court may not hear a case until all national remedies have been exhausted; the Portuguese children did not bother to initiate even one national procedure. To justify their disregard for the requirement that all national proceedings be exhausted, the applicants have not only invoked the urgency of the climate emergency but also referred to the inadequacy of national judicial processes. The ECHR, however, does not set forth any exception for the urgency of a matter or the inadequacy of national remedies. Arguing the inadequacy of national procedures without having tried any of them, is merely another way of saying we cant get it our way before the national courts  therefore, the European Court should help us out.

The application also fails to meet several other mandatory admissibility requirements. None of the 33 states, except Portugal, have jurisdiction over the applicants, who reside in Portugal. This implies that the case could proceed, if at all, only against Portugal. None of the applicants can claim to be victims in the sense of the ECHR, and none of them suffered any significant disadvantage, which means that their application must be denied. The European Court should therefore have rejected their request without further examination. Alas, it did not. By entertaining this case, the Court treats a clear-cut case of inadmissibility as a legitimate question for debate, thereby discarding its responsibility for ensuring compliance with the ECHR and guarding against abuse of legal process under the ECHR.

Instead of rejecting the application, as required by the Convention, the Court gave it priority consideration based on its urgency and importance. Why this inadmissible application deserves priority consideration the Court did not explain. Adding insult to injury, the Court, on its own volition, also added torture and inhuman treatment to the charges against the 33 states. Implicitly, the Court thus suggests that national politicians who do not support adequate climate policies may be guilty of torture and can be prosecuted before the International Criminal Court. Through the selective admission of third-party intervenors, the Court also attempts to steer the record in this case. But the most egregious violation of impartiality was the comment made by two of the Courts judges that no one can legitimately deny that there is a climate emergency, thus effectively depriving the defendant states of an important argument and violating the right of defence.

The European Climate Change Court

Deploying its doctrine of progressive realization of human rights through dynamic interpretation of the ECHR, the European Court has already built up a reputation as an Environmental Protection Court. Although the ECHR and its protocols do not guarantee the right to a healthy environment, the Court has ruled in nearly 300 cases on various environmental risks, environmental damage, and the need for environmental protection. Through a step-by-step approach based on the living instrument creed, the Court has gradually extended the scope of various political and civil rights to create a right to protection of the environment. In this manner, the Court has given itself an important role in improving environmental protection by greening existing human rights.

As climate change plays an increasingly important role in government policy, the European Court apparently became concerned that it was missing out. Last year, the Court decided to jump on the climate bandwagon and organized a major conference entitled Human Rights for the Planet. During that conference, the president of the Court posed the question as to whether the European Court of Human Rights should become the European Climate Change Court. Yes, the European Climate Change Court. We will have to wait and see whether this was intended as a rhetorical question; it certainly looks like one.

The limits of the European Courts powers

The case of the Portuguese youth is the first case in which the European Court examines climate policy. Like the Dutch judges in the Urgenda case, the European judges are faced with the question as to whether they want to place democracy under guardianship to save the climate or whether they prefer to respect the limits of their powers, the rule of law, and political democracy.

Needless to say, under the separation of powers doctrine, making laws and policy decisions is a task of the legislature, not of the judiciary. The Dutch Supreme Court, however, showed the European judges a way out of this dilemma. It made a distinction between the ends and the means of policy, and then argued that courts should be allowed to determine the ends of legislation, but not the means. The fact that there was no basis in law for this distinction  to the contrary, the law suggested that the judiciary should not impose any generally applicable rules, ends, or means  did not matter.

It remains to be seen what the European Court will do. In our political system, the judiciary has much less democratic legitimacy than the legislative and executive branches. The European Court has even less democratic legitimacy, as it is part of a supranational governance structure with weak democratic legitimacy anyway. The powers of supranational organizations are much less embedded in a system of checks and balances. This power system operates far away from national democracies. For these reasons, the European Court should pay great attention to the limits of its powers. Countries that disagree with the verdict of a group of judges in Strasbourg have limited possibilities to correct their dictates. Their only options are to ignore the Courts ruling or withdraw from the ECHR, which is not politically feasible (and if it is politically possible, it constitutes a high hurdle and would produce undesirable results). Political majorities in all 33 countries would be forced to live with a European Court that dictates policy to them, and political minorities will feel like they have been thrown under the bus, as any concessions they have extracted from the majorities would be annulled at once.

Flood of climate cases?

The relentless media coverage of all sorts of issues related to the alleged climate crisis has led to an increase in the number of lawsuits over climate policy. In November 2020, a second climate case was filed at the European Court, this time by senior Swiss women. They argue that the Swiss government is not doing enough to combat climate change, which would have multiple negative consequences, especially for elderly people, who are more sensitive to heatwaves. The Swiss judge turned down their demands, ruling that the ladies should argue their case before the parliament, not before a court of law.

A ruling favorable to the Portuguese youngsters would open the floodgates and accommodate many more climate cases all over Europe. It would mean that the focal point of climate policymaking would move from politics to the courts. Political opponents of ambitious climate policy could be shoved aside and neutralized by the climate movement. National parliaments elected by the people would become responsible for carrying out climate dictates issued by unelected judges. Climate policymaking through democratic politics would be permanently subjected to judicial oversight  thus contradicting fundamental principles of constitutional democracy. It would annul the rule of law and separation of powers, disenfranchise opponents, and legitimize a climate dikastocracy  i.e., the rule of judges.

International politics

As the ECtHR operates in the European legal and political order, a risk always remains that it will overplay its hand. International courts, such as the ECtHR, have limited ability to enforce their judgments against unwilling governments and depend on domestic forces to get their decisions implemented. The strength of these domestic forces vary greatly.

A judgment favorable to the Portuguese youngsters might be as damaging to the ECtHR as to the countries covered by the Convention. It would adversely affect the Courts credibility and may result in a fracturing of the consensus that has underwritten the Convention up to now. Several of the defendant countries have a track record of not taking the ECtHRs judgments seriously, and they are even more likely to ignore expensive climate dictates. For instance, Russia and Turkey cannot realistically be expected to comply, and the domestic climate movement would not be able to change that outcome.

Whether EU climate policies would be affected by any such ECtHR judgment is hard to predict. The EU is in the process of acceding to the ECHR, but its current climate ambitions are already causing serious concerns in some member states. In any event, an activist ECtHR climate judgment would probably hurt the EUs accession.

Save democracy

There are a few bright spots in all of this, however. In contrast to the Dutch Supreme Court, the highest court of Switzerland honoured the rule of law and the separation of powers. Unlike the Dutch court, the Swiss court discarded the false idea that the claimed urgency or exceptional climate emergency should affect the application of clear law. It rejected the claim that human rights should be expanded to include a right to a safe climate. It did not buy into the misguided idea that the judiciary may dictate the ends of climate policy. It refused to place democracy under guardianship.

Further, a few politicians are aware of the threats to democracy and politics posed by the climate change cases before the European Court of Human Rights. In the European Parliament, Dutch members of the ECR Group (Rob Rooken and Michiel Hoogeveen) submitted written questions to the European Commission about the Portuguese case. In their questions, they note that the ECtHR is considering imposing a series of draconian climate measures on [33] states, which would overrule their democratic policy decisions and destroy their economies, and they ask how the Commission will seek to defend EU climate policymaking from interference or a possible takeover by the ECtHR?

Indeed, this is the key question. European democracies are generally ill-equipped to remedy judicial activism, particularly where it is based on the human right trump card. Once a court has ruled that a human right requires action by the state, the legislature cannot simply overrule such a ruling through legislation, because legislation may not infringe human rights.

Will the European Court follow the Dutch Supreme Courts lead and try to save the climate, thus securing the climate movements approval? Or will it respect the limits of its powers, the rule of law, and protect democracy, as the Swiss court did?

At its inception, the ECHR was intended to protect the people from totalitarian government by granting them human rights. It would be both ironic and sad if the ECtHR were to use human rights to impose totalitarian government in the name of a noble cause.

We will probably know later this year whether the European Court, at least in this case, can suppress the urge to impose its moral superiority on the people of Europe.

Lucas Bergkamp is a medical doctor and lawyer and senior policy advisor based in Brussels. Katinka Brouwer is a lawyer based in Brussels. At the initiative of Rob Roos (JA21, The Netherlands), they are currently working on a report on the legal and governance issues of climate change litigation before the European Court of Human Rights for the European Parliaments ECR Group. In due course, the report will be available at www.echrexposed.eu.
There have been a few constants over the past 40 or so years in Iowa: the butter cow at the state fair, the dominance of the University of Iowa's wrestling team and Chuck Grassley.
Good morning, its Tuesday, June 22, 2021. New York City holds its mayoral primary today, with eight Democrats and two Republicans competing for the chance to lead Americas largest city. This is the first time New York has used ranked-choice voting, a reform designed to produce more moderate officeholders and more temperate campaigns. Perhaps that will be the result after the votes are counted tonight, although as Bill Scher pointed out Monday, in previous mayoral races in California, RCV also begot complicated political machinations.

Other than the tactical attempts to manipulate the system by some of the candidates, notably Andrew Yang, the issues overshadowing the New York race are COVID and crime. When it comes to public safety, two of the top four Democratic candidates present a stark choice.

Running with the rhetoric that has dominated progressive thinking in 2020-21, civil rights lawyer Maya Wiley has vowed to cut $1 billion from the $6 billion New York Police Departments annual budget, while aiming to reduce the force by some 2,500 officers.

But the citys murder rate has risen more than 50% in the past two years -- shootings have doubled -- and polls show that public safety ranks as New Yorkers top concern. That issue suggests that Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will find traction among voters: a former NYPD captain, Adams has vowed to increase spending on policing. Todays election may provide an instructive insight into the priorities of citizens in Americas urban centers.

With that, Id point you to our front page, which aggregates, as it does each day, an array of columns and stories spanning the political spectrum. Todays lineup includes Shawn Zeller writing about congressional Democrats determination to enact their agenda (Roll Call); Abigail Shrier about modern-day book burning (Substack); and two school teachers -- Anne Lutz Fernandez and Carina Benton -- taking opposing viewpoints of teaching critical race theory (NBC News and The Federalist, respectively). We also offer a complement of original material from RCP reporters and contributors, including the following:

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Georgia Conducts Secret Ballot Review, With Plaintiffs in the Dark. Paul Sperry reports for RealClearInvestigation that the secretary of state has examined contested ballots from the 2020 election, and that a whistleblower says officials pressured her to recant her testimony.

Congress Must Reform This Key Immigration Program. At RealClearPolicy, Rep. Madison Cawthorn spotlights abuses of the Optional Practical Training Program, which allows foreign students to work in the U.S. after they have graduated from colleges here.

End Tariffs to Build Back Better. At RealClearMarkets, Dan Pearson urges the administration to halt Trump-era measures that will raise prices on materials needed for revitalizing our infrastructure.

Art History Major Math Errors and Other Irritations. Also as RCM, Rob Smith assails news reporting on economic issues that clouds understanding rather than clarifies it.

A Human Right to a Safe Climate? At RealClearEnergy, Lucas Bergkamp & Katinka M. Brouwer warn that an adverse ruling from the European Court of Human Rights would place 33 nations under judicial guardianship and harm the continents economy.

Five Brain Teasers That May Leave You Stumped. RealClearScience editor Ross Pomeroy compiled these examples.

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Carl M. Cannon

Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics

@CarlCannon (Twitter)

ccannon@realclearpolitics.com
Lincoln was right. We must make sure that, it shall not perish from the earth.

Our founders gave us a great vision that all men are created equal and are therefore endowed with equal rights. Our progress toward achieving that vision has been ongoing, but too slow. The push for progress is necessary and legitimate. The process, however, should not be tied to an agenda that forgets who we are. We are a country whose very founding ideals aim to uphold freedom and opportunity for all people to pursue their dreams.

That beginning is as relevant today as it was then. Lincoln said the Civil War tested whether our nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. After the Civil War, the nation eventually came together again as one. But, today, we are experiencing a great division. As divided as we are now, can we as a nation long endure, particularly in a world as challenging as ours is today? Lincolns closing remarks should guide us toward our salvation:  . . . this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom  and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Thank you for coming along with us on this Lincoln Series . Ive become very interested in Lincoln lately and how his wisdom can guide us today. One hundred fifty-eight years ago, Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address :  Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

The Jack Miller Center has allowed the republication of its recent historical series , which examines Abraham Lincoln's wisdom in the midst of national calamity. Please read the letter below from Jack Miller that captures the essence of the series:

Acouple weeks ago, we examined the infamous legacy of Lincolns predecessor, President James Buchanan. Often remembered for his weak attempts to pacify the nation and avoid war, his inaction only strengthened slaverys foothold and inflamed divisions further.

But what was Lincolns role? Did Lincoln push the nation to war, as some at the time suggested? Or was it an unavoidable consequence of persistent southern defiance and the deepening threat of the Union dissolving?

A House Sharply Divided

Decades of American disagreement erupted in the election of 1860. Four candidates squared off: Stephen Douglas, John Breckenridge, John Bell, and Abraham Lincoln.

Each candidate had very different opinions on how to preserve the Union. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was a significant point of contention.

Spearheaded by Stephen Douglas, the Kansas-Nebraska Act fueled national tensions by effectively nullifying the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited slavery north of the 36 30 parallel (with the exception of Missouri). Under the principle of popular sovereignty, the Act allowed the introduction of slavery on the other side of the line and set a dangerous precedent for future territories.

Lincolns Polarizing Arguments

Lincolns objections to slavery scared slaveholders. During his first debate with Stephen Douglas in 1858, Lincoln rose to national attention largely for arguing that the popular sovereignty claim politicians were using really only meant protecting slavery for people who wanted it. People against slavery had no legal avenue to prohibit it.

Lincoln also made known his moral opposition to slavery.

In his September 1859 speech at Cincinnati, he proclaimed, I think slavery is wrong, morally, and politically. I desire that it should be no further spread in these United States, and I should not object if it should gradually terminate in the whole Union.

In spite of his personal objections to slavery, his First Inaugural Address attempted to reassure slaveholding states that he did not wish to interfere. Lincolns primary concern was to preserve the Union and uphold his constitutional oath.

Secession and Civil War

The South already considered Lincoln to be an emboldened abolitionist. After he won the election, South Carolina seceded on December 20, 1860. Six additional states followed suit before Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861.

Tensions finally erupted when the Confederacy attacked the federal base at Ft. Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina as the federal government attempted to resupply the base. Lincoln, identifying no remaining options toward reconciliation. made the difficult decision to declare war on the South.

We know now that the long and arduous path through the Civil War would ultimately lead the nation to its first major step in realizing our founding principles of freedom and equality. For Lincoln, however, the struggle was just beginning.

Fighting to Realize Our Founding Principles: The Emancipation Proclamation and the Start of Slaverys End

We often associate the Civil War with the end of slavery  and for good reason.

But Lincolns primary goal in going to war was to save the Union, slavery or not. The Emancipation Proclamation changed the equation.

The Civil War began on April 12, 1861. Though Lincoln morally opposed slavery, he avoided any public comments connecting the war and the rights of slaves. He was concerned more with acting constitutionally and a swift victory to prevent the Union from dissolving.

Once the war began, northern armies refused the service of black men, in spite of a rush to enlist. The South, on the other hand, took full advantage of slave labor in factories, military hospitals, and other Confederate war efforts.

An Executive Decision

The war raged on with heavy loss of life. In the summer of 1862, Lincoln considered an emancipation proclamation as a consequence of the actions of rebel states. He had other strategic advantages in mind as well:

African-Americans (including former slaves) would be allowed to enlist and fight the Confederacy

The war would gain moral weight, making the stakes more meaningful.

Europe (in particular anti-slavery England and France) would be dissuaded from supporting the South in such a battle over slavery.

Lincoln first announced the proclamation in September 1862 as a warning to the South, should they not surrender and stop the expansion of slavery.

The South continued to rebel, and Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

The Critical Turning Point

While the proclamation freed some slaves, it did not free slaves in the South, and it did not apply to ALL slaves. Allied border states (crucially needed by the North to win the war) were not included as part of the order.

And yet, the Proclamation was a critical turning point for the meaning of the war. The North was no longer merely fighting to regain the South, but also for freedom itself. Frederick Douglass described the Proclamation as a moral bombshell.

A large number of southern slaves fled to the North when they heard of the proclamation, and many took up arms against their former masters. The South suffered as it lost its workforce and southerners scrambled to hide their slaves.

The Emancipation Proclamations Legacy

While the bloody Civil War was far from over, the Emancipation Proclamation was the first step toward the 13th Amendment (ratified in December 1865), which finally freed all slaves.

Lincoln himself knew that the Proclamation would have a lasting impact:

I know very well that the name which is connected with this act will never be forgottenIt is my greatest and most enduring contribution to the history of the war. It is, in fact, the central act of my administration, and the great event of the nineteenth century.

The Gettysburg Address, Lincolns Legacy, and the Pursuit of Liberty and Equality

In the small battle-torn town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863, Lincoln uttered 266 words that would be remembered as one of the greatest American speeches of all time. In a time of mourning for the many who died, his Gettysburg Address proclaimed our national purpose and served as a rallying cry to defend it  the carnage of the war should not be in vain.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us  that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion  that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain  that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom  and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Lincoln urged his audience to fulfill the mission that Union soldiers had fought and died for: the realization of liberty and equality for all  ideals in our Declaration of Independence. The short, impactful address connected the current struggle over slavery with those ideals. He reinvigorated the principles behind the American founding  that our form of government is maintained by the people.

The War and Lincolns Reelection in Question

As the 1864 presidential election loomed and the war raged on, Lincoln did not expect to win reelection. Anti-Lincoln sentiments had grown, not just in the South, but in the North as well.

He was so pessimistic about his chances, in fact, that he asked his cabinet to sign a letter pledging themselves to save the Union, no matter who became president. He prepared for this possibility too, by writing to Frederick Douglass with plans to help as many slaves escape the South as possible before the November election.

Despite Lincolns fears and political enemies, the Union gave him a landslide win. In the months leading up to Election Day, Union troops had gained several military victories over the Confederacy. The war (and the confidence of the American people) were looking up.

Hope for a New Tomorrow

Lincolns Second Inaugural Address, in which he laid out his vision of how to mend the country, was delivered a mere month before the Souths surrender. The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, when Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union Army at Appomattox Courthouse.

Less than a week later, Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth in Fords Theatre, and died the following morning, April 15. The nations leader through the war would not live to see his vision of healing come to fruition. His closing remarks continue to provide guidance today:

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nations wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan  to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.

Without Lincoln at the helm, the Reconstruction era proved especially difficult. The period was marked by hateful division, a shattered economy in the South, and the obstruction of legal rights to former slaves.

A Legacy of Liberty and Equality

We can only speculate about what Reconstruction would have looked like under Lincolns presidency, but his vision had a lasting impact on postwar America.

After signing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Lincoln moved to make the abolishment of slavery permanent and wide-ranging. His 1864 election platform included the Thirteenth Amendment, and, before his death, he signed off on it and took an active role in its passage through Congress.

On June 19, 1865, known as Juneteenth, Union soldiers arrived to Galveston, Texas to liberate the last remaining slaves that had been ordered free by the Emancipation Proclamation, 2 1/2 years earlier. And the Thirteenth Amendment was finally ratified December 6, 1865, eight months after Lincoln was assassinated, freeing all slaves in the U.S. and constitutionally banning slavery here forever.

At Gettysburg, Lincoln mused that, The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. On this count, he was only half right.

Today, we revisit the Civil War soldiers ultimate sacrifice as well as Lincolns words that stress why they gave their lives. We remember that the soldiers work  the defense and preservation of liberty and equality  remains unfinished, and is up to us. Lincolns guidance towards and dedication to true liberty and equality still inspire us today.

The Jack Miller Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reinvigorating education in Americas founding principles and history, an education vital to thoughtful and engaged citizenship.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/21/2021



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Natalie Mordovtseva has revealed she dumped and left Mike Youngquist "abruptly and permanently" because their marriage had apparently reached the point where he was annoying her.Mike's Uncle Beau Lawrence said in March that Mike and Natalie had recently separated , and he gushed in early May about how he and Mike were having fun together now that they're both single, In Touch Weekly reported.Instagrammer John Yates subsequently reported on June 2 that an eyewitness had spotted Mike on a nature hike with "a lean, thin girl with blonde hair" that wasn't Natalie.While : Happily Ever After?'s currently-airing sixth season has shown Mike and Natalie arguing pretty frequently, fans have had no insight into what caused Natalie and Mike's official breakup -- until now.Natalie, who married Mike in Clallam County, Washington on April 15, 2020, took to Instagram on Sunday and posted a lengthy message to her followers with the title, "Sunsets Are Not Promised For Two.""I am romantic and a dreamer. Alas, my castles in the air are not commensurate with reality. I believe that you need to be with a person exactly as long as you love -- as soon as you understand that he annoys you, it is better to part friends and end the relationship. Which I did," Natalie captioned a modeling photo of herself with a cat as well as a picture of a sunset."I ended my relationship abruptly and permanently."Natalie revealed she had left Mike's home and their relationship "for nowhere.""I didn't really think about what society and family would say. I just understood it was impossible for me to be there, and the love that lifted me yesterday is destroying me today," Natalie explained."I don't understand how you can kiss a man if you don't want him anymore; if everything within your soul has cooled to the point you feel nothing when he looks at you."Natalie wrote that "everything should be delightful" in a relationship, which should include "tasty conversations, and exchanges of energy and humor, and divine secrets, only for the two of you, through contact of inner worlds.""Relationships should be a beautiful game that you want to play, and not a burdensome errand to pull, simply for convenience' sake," Natalie continued in her Sunday Instagram post."If you have become for each other something like a family -- it's a pity to throw it away. Pushing problems behind you is not convenient. If you don't want to meet your golden years old age with a painful feeling of regret, you cannot become complacent."Natalie went on to compare a relationship to a "nine-course meal.""You certainly never want to say: 'I'm forced, used to it, comfortable.' We live as we choose. I can't stand everyday life, in all its manifestations; I just can't stand it. For me, every day is like a miracle, and my world is very emotional and creative, there is no place for routine in it," Natalie shared.The reality TV star concluded her post by offering her followers some advice."I sincerely believe if you feel bad today, you need to change something. Why meet a beautiful sunset with unfulfilled dreams, hopes or wishes? Every moment of life is a gift, and is no sunset is promised #sunset #story #ladyandacat," the Ukraine native wrote.There is no trace of Natalie on Mike's Instagram account and vice versa, and Beau told In Touch in March that Natalie had not been home at Mike's house "for a couple of months" already."She can stay away for all I care," Beau added. "I'm really hoping [their relationship] is over. I pray to God, yes."Natalie appeared to confirm her split from Mike on April 27, 2021 by sharing a link on Instagram Stories asking her followers to vote her onto the cover of Maxim magazine, In Touch reported.In the original biographical information she posted on her voting page, Natalie hinted at her breakup with Mike by listing herself as a cast member of 90 Day: The Single Life, the new spinoff which features single or divorced former stars searching for love and navigating post-relationship life.Although the 90 Day: The Single Life mention has been deleted, it appears Natalie may have signed on to an as-of-yet unannounced second season of the new spinoff.Beau and Mike have since been enjoying steak feasts and bonfires, and Mike has posted many Instagram photos with his beloved Husky dog. Meanwhile, Natalie underwent plastic surgery in Florida and some of her followers have speculated she is still living there.The latest episode of : Happily Ever After?'s sixth season showed Mike and Natalie shouting at each other over how Natalie had treated his mother, Trish, during a trip to Oklahoma for a family Thanksgiving.Natalie accused Trish of calling her "a hooker," but Mike insisted there must have been a misunderstanding or some miscommunication.Natalie told Mike that Trish basically didn't raise her son in the good and proper way, and Mike heard he's a bad child and Trish is a bad mom out of that, which really upset and frustrated him.Mike yelled at Natalie to stop putting Trish down and "saying stupid sh-t," but Natalie argued that she was going to continue to fight for what she wants out of life, including her career.Mike said that Natalie didn't listen to anyone and she stepped all over everyone, including himself. Natalie argued, however, she wasn't about to step over her "morals." Mike said Natalie disrespecting his mother was simply "uncalled for" and that's all there was to it.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Vin Diesel said that when he began 2001's The Fast and the Furious, he never imagined his character, Dominic Toretto, nor himself, would become a father.

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The 53-year-old actor now has a 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. The Fate of the Furious introduced his character's son, whom he's raising with Letty ( Michelle Rodriguez ) when F9 begins.

"Now we come full circle, and we see how deathly committed he is to being a father," Diesel said in a recent Zoom press conference ahead of Friday's premiere.

F9 also introduces Dom's long-lost brother, Jakob (John Cena). Expanding the Toretto family also was personal to Diesel, who said his multicultural background allowed for the casting of Cena.

"You could've cast anyone to be my brother," Diesel said. "The whole world was considered."

In the original film, Dom led a gang of street racers he called his family. Police officer Brian O'Conner ( Paul Walker ) infiltrated them to catch them hijacking trucks to finance their souped-up vehicles.

Sequels 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift introduced new characters like Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Han (Sung Kang) and Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), while Diesel declined to appear, except for a cameo in Tokyo Drift. The fourth film, Fast & Furious reunited the original cast, with Brian and Dom forced to work out their differences on an undercover mission.

Fast Five included characters from every previous movie, teaming up as an all-star racing team to battle international villains. Characters like agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) pursued them in Fast Five, then became part of the family.

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Sequels would find Letty recovering from amnesia and Hobbs pardoning the gang in exchange for help on increasingly dangerous missions. Hobbs eventually got his own spinoff.

The mission in F9 begins when Jakob kidnaps their government liaison, Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell). Dom and his team of auto racers reunite to rescue Mr. Nobody and keep dangerous technology out of Jakob's hands.

The Toretto family already included Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster). The character wasn't in The Fate of the Furious because she is married to Brian. While the series kept Brian alive after Walker's death, F9 allows Mia to return to help Dom deal with Jakob, leaving Brian at home to watch the kids.

"There's something very refreshing and very evolved about a woman leaving her husband and kids behind in order to take care of business," the 41-year-old Brewster said in a Zoom press conference. "That's something that a lot of women will recognize in the film and will go, 'OK, finally, we get to see that on the screen.'"

F9 also features more reunions. Han, presumed dead in Tokyo Drift and Furious 6, returns.

The 49-year-old Kang said the only reason he felt comfortable returning was that Justin Lin, director of the third through sixth films, also returned. F9 explains how Han survived.

"Justin and I, we gave birth to Han together," Kang said. "Han is so important to him, not only within the story but in his personal life as an Asian American man of what Han represents."

The explanation of Han's return also makes him a caretaker for the new character Elle (Anna Sawai). Kang said Han has grown up and matured since fans last saw him racing cars.

"When crisis affects you, how Han, or how one deals with it, creates his cadence and how he walks for the rest of his life," Kang said.

Returning characters also got to show growth in F9. Tyrese Gibson's character, Roman, has been comic relief in previous films. The 42-year-old Gibson said F9 allowed him to be more dramatic.

"I have a problem with authority," Gibson said of Roman. "Instead of me barking back at authority and always following it with a joke, this time I barked back at authority and just kept barking."

F9 is the third film in the series for Nathalie Emmanuel. Furious 7 introduced Ramsey, Emmanuel's hacker character.

Ramsey shares many scenes with Roman and Tej. The 32-year-old Emmanuel said Ramsey has become a foil to Roman and Tej.

"She enjoys putting them in their place," Emmanuel said. "They're a fun little trio where we get some of the comic relief."

In F9, Roman questions how the characters have survived all the missions they've been on. Citing outrageous moments like the tank chase from Furious 6 and submarine chase from Fate, Roman wonders if they are immortal.

"The audience watching these movies is probably going to be thinking this," Gibson said. "I'm just calling out the obvious that we're all still alive. No one's been shot and killed in the movie, in the franchise, and it doesn't matter how crazy, big and ridiculous the stunts are."

Ramsey and Tej mock Roman for his theory. Behind the scenes, Emmanuel said she enjoyed being part of scenes that addressed the fans' questions.

"It's obviously, in a way, almost laughing at this idea that these people are surviving these deathly circumstances over and over and over again," Emmanuel said. "I just thought that was such a great way to wink at it a bit and have fun with that because it's true."

Many of the additions to F9 were answers to fans requests, too. After the series presumably killed off Han for a second time in Furious 6, fans tweeted #Justice4Han, leading the filmmakers to write him back in.

"It's humbling, the fact that a character that I played that has died multiple times, there's a call to action to bring this character back," Kang said. "There's this feeling of injustice by the fan base, this itch that needs to be scratched."

Emmanuel said she also felt the pressure to live up to fans' expectations. She said she did not want the ninth film in the series to be the one that let them down.

"We want them to love it," Emmanuel said. "The fans, in a way, drive you to really commit to that character building and to the other characters within the story."

F9 opens Friday in theaters.
To furnish the mind, to furnish the library, and to furnish the pocketbook  these are three reasons why the co-owners of M & M Rare Books, Dan Maxey and Lynette Maxey, advise people to buy books.
There are hundreds of clubs and organizations at the University of Georgia. Ask yourself what matters to you, and you will find your niche on campus.
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Greenville, NC (27833)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Members of the Brattleboro Fire Department visit the St. Michaels Preschool and Youth Summer Camp during the Community Heroes week on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The members of the fire department went through fire safety with the children and then showed them the equipment that is stored on
BRATTLEBORO  All aboard!

The Vermont Agency of Transportation said Amtrak trains will return to the state beginning July 19, offering the same service it had pre-pandemic, with special discounts being offered until Oct. 28. All Vermont passenger rail service was suspended since Gov. Phil Scott issued his Stay Home, Stay Safe order in response to COVID-19 in March 2020.

We are very pleased to announce the restart of these vital transportation services for Vermonters and those who wish to travel to and from Vermont by train or bus, State Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said in a news release in April. With the governors announcement this week of the Vermont Forward Plan to re-open Vermont fully during the next few months, we now have a target date for when we will be able to safely resume Amtrak and transit services in July.

Vermont is served by two Amtrak lines. The Vermonter starts in Washington, D.C., travels through Connecticut and Massachusetts, and has stops in Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Windsor, White River Junction, Randolph, Montpelier, Waterbury, Essex Junction and St. Albans. The Ethan Allen Express begins in New York City and makes stops in Castleton and Rutland.

In Amtraks 2019 fiscal year, the Brattleboro station provided 16,765 customer trips to passengers.

I think its huge that theyre restarting it, said Greg Lesch, interim executive director of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce. Were very excited about it.

Lesch said he talks to a lot of tourists, and frequently a good number of them tell him they came by train from New York City. Because of where the station is situated, he said, the Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery and Brattleboro Museum & Art Center benefit.

I think were fortunate in Brattleboro to have train access, he said. Were a rural state and were a small town.

In the news release, VTrans said it is working to extend the service to Burlington beginning in 2022 and include stops in Middlebury and Vergennes.

Brattleboro Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland told the Reformer the town does not need to do anything in particular to prepare for Amtraks return but town staff will be working with VTrans to put together a small celebration on the green near the Archery Building in front of the station.

Next year, Brattleboro is getting a new Amtrak train station and platform. A major goal is to improve accessibility.

Amtrak site plan gets local approval BRATTLEBORO  The Development Review Board gave Amtrak its blessing for a new station and ot

Ahead of the approximately $4.5 million project, the town will be moving and expanding the Depot Street parking lot. The town was recently awarded a $81,548 Downtown Transportation Grant from the Vermont Agency of Transportation to help defray the cost of construction.

Moreland expects the project will go before the Brattleboro Development Review Board for local approval within the next few months.
Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.
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BURLINGTON  A Chittenden County judge approved the payment of nearly $8 million in outstanding claims made by three Koffee Kup Bakery creditors on Tuesday afternoon.

However, when the former employees of Koffee Kup might receive their paid-time-off balances has not yet been determined.

KeyBank, Koffee Kups primary lender, will receive $7.6 million, the Vermont Economic Development authority will receive $213,000 and Continental Indemnity, an insurance company, will get $84,000.

Judge Samuel Hoar approved the payments and also signaled he was open to expanding the role of Ronald Teplitsky, the receiver of Koffee Kups assets, to make recommendations on how other creditors, including the 500 employees who lost their jobs on April 26, will receive money owed to them.

Just 25 days after American Industrial Acquisition Corporation acquired a majority interest in Koffee Kup, its three bakeries, in Burlington, Brattleboro and North Grosvenor Dale, Conn., were closed.

Vermont Bread Company abruptly closes; 91 employees out of a job BRATTLEBORO  More than 90 employees at Vermont Bread Company on Cotton Mill Hill are withou

The closure was blamed on an inability to find investors to take on debt accumulated by Koffee Kup over the past four years, said Jeff Sands, a turnaround specialist at Dorset Partners and the senior advisor in North America for American Industrial Acquisition Corporation.

Four years of losses are the culprit, said Sands. Everyone wants a villain storyline, but theres just not one there. This one just wasnt salvageable.

'Four years of losses' led to Vermont Bread closure BRATTLEBORO  State and local officials are mobilizing efforts to stave off the negative imp

Employees received their final paychecks, but shortly after they were deposited in bank accounts, they were rescinded by the receiver, who said he was not responsible for paying paid-time-off balances, about $800,000, out of the funds he was overseeing.

Vacation pay given, taken away from Koffee Kup employees BRATTLEBORO  One day, former Koffee Kup Bakery employees had pay for unused vacation time. 

Employees filed a class action suit in federal court, which is pending, against Vermont Bread Company, which was located in Brattleboro, Koffee Kup and American Industrial Acquisition Corporation, alleging the abrupt termination was a violation of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988.

Since the closure, a number of companies showed interest in purchasing Koffee Kups assets, including Mrs. Dunsters, a Canadian firm, and East Baking Company, in Holyoke, Mass.

Koffee Kup says receiver 'lacks transparency and reliability' BURLINGTON  An attorney for the owner of Koffee Kup assets is taking the receiver of the as

However, during a court hearing on June 8, Justin Heller, attorney for the receiver, announced an offer from Georgia-based Flowers Foods had been accepted.

Vermont Bread employees to get owed money, but bakery not reopening BURLINGTON  Former employees of Vermont Bread Company in Brattleboro got some good news and

While we are contractually bound to keep the purchase price confidential, said Heller during the hearing, we are authorized to disclose that the price is sufficient to pay KeyBank and others secured, in full, and to pay the PTO claims ... in full.

That same day, Flowers Foods announced it had no immediate plans to reopen the three bakeries.

During Tuesdays hearing, Hoar learned that the deal has not yet been finalized, but also learned a substantial surplus was available to pay off the creditors, including the employees.

Turns out there is more than enough to satisfy the claims that underline this entire lawsuit, said Hoar.

He also learned that other creditors, including Bernardinos Bakery in Chicopee, Mass., and Lily Transportation, are asking for payment of monies owed.

The receivership as presently structured does not contemplate a continuing process beyond the payment of the KeyBank claim, noted Heller.

There needs to be a mechanism for a determination of the validity of the claims, said David Reier, representing Lily Transportation. An expanded role for the receiver should also include who has priority when it comes to being paid, he said.

Reier recommended the court expand Teplitskys role under court supervision.

Attorneys fees will also need to be paid out of the surplus, noted Jack Kennelly, counsel for KeyBank.

What Flowers Foods paid for the assets of Koffee Kup and what funds were accumulated by the receiver as accounts receivable were tallied is considered confidential.

Hoar asked the attorneys to come back before the court on July 6 to describe the expanded role for the receiver and how payments will be made to all the creditors.
ATHENS  The lead negotiator for the school boards in the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union has resigned in protest over a decision by the rest of the negotiating committee to offer teachers a 1.5 percent wage increase for the current fiscal year, rather than a one-time bonus.

Stephen Fine said Monday that on a 4-1 vote, the negotiating committee rejected the proposal to give all teachers a one-time bonus of 1.5 percent, that would have been a side agreement to the master union contract.

Fine called it the great giveaway. (Fine addressed the issue in an opinion column that appears on page A5 of Tuesdays Reformer).

The 'Great Giveaway' by the WNESU school boards negotiating committee Stephen Fine of Athens is a member of the Bellows Falls Union High School board, and, until recently, the head negotiator for the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union's negotiating committee. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Brattleboro Reformer.

The bonus would have been equal to a 1.5 percent increase, but it wouldnt be automatically included in all future base pay, Fine and others said.

Contract talks between the school boards and the teachers union in the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union have been dragging on for 15 months at least, and the teachers are working without a contract or pay increase.

Fine said he resigned from the negotiating committee because he felt the committee had capitulated to the Windham Northeast Education Association, and put the school boards at a serious disadvantage for all future negotiations. He remains Athens representative on the Bellows Falls Union High School Board.

In at-times scathing language in the opinion column, Fine said the other members of the negotiating committee committed a great giveaway to the union that would cost taxpayers thousands of dollars into the future.

Fine said talks started in 2020, but have been delayed by the school boards desire to have open negotiations, as a negotiating tactic to keep pressure on the teachers to keep their contract demands lower. He said the insistence on the open talks, and the opposition by the teachers union, had resulted in delays before the Vermont Labor Relations Board. In the meantime, the teachers have been working under their old contract, he said.

Lily Hart, a teacher at BFUHS and a member of the negotiating committee, declined to comment until she had a chance to consult with other members of the committee.

Deborah Wright of Bellows Falls, who took over the negotiating committee with Fines resignation last week, said the committee wanted to reach an agreement by June 30, when the fiscal year ends, because funds set aside for the new contract wouldnt be available on July 1. Wright is also a member of the BFUHS board.

Any unused fund balance goes into a special holding account for the next two years until voters decide what to do with it, Wright said. She said she considers it a financial victory that the agreement doesnt include an automatic step increase for teachers in 2020-21, as a result of the tentative agreement.

She said she doesnt know how much money the 1.5 percent increase represented.

She said the step increases, which recognize an employees experience, are not across-the-board and are not uniform. She said she recently helped negotiate a new contract for the Bellows Falls Police Department, and that all step increases were the same  one percent.

The decision by the negotiating committee sets up a series of school board meetings and re-votes on the proposed one-year agreement. Earlier, both Rockingham and the Windham Northeast Unified Elementary boards voted in favor of the bonus one-time concept, rather than a straight 1.5 percent increase. They are expected to vote on the different agreement this week and next before the June 30 fiscal year ends. The Bellows Falls Union High School Board meets next Monday.

David Clark of Westminster, chairman of the Windham Northeast Supervisory Board, said he would be voting against the tentative settlement as reached by the negotiating committee during that boards meeting on Wednesday.

They gave away the farm, he said, saying the decision has emboldened the union.

Clark said the agreement cedes too much power to the teachers union, and by extension, to the Vermont-NEA.

The open negotiations, Clark said, are an attempt to hold the teachers union demands in check, given the economics of Vermonts aging population. The issue of open negotiating sessions hasnt been completely settled, Wright said.

While negotiations will be conducted in a session open to the public, the public cannot speak since the negotiations are not technically a warned meeting, she said.

Both Clark and Wright praised Fine for all the work he has done on behalf of the negotiations, and they said his background (he is a retired attorney) has saved the schools thousands and thousands of dollars in legal fees. He said he has done a ton of paperwork for the negotiations.

Fine said he has been asked to reconsider his resignation, but decided against it.

Contact Susan Smallheer at ssmallheer@reformer.com.
The negotiating committee of the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union is blazing a new trail in labor negotiations: it has agreed to the teachers union request to institute wage increases, now, before any of the multitude of issues raised on both sides have even been discussed, not to mention, settled. Worse yet, however, is that the 2021-2022 wage increase, being implemented on July 1, is subject to continuing negotiation (so-called) for a further increase. And even worse-er still, in exchange for this Grand Giveaway, the boards committee got absolutely nothing from the union.

It is labor history in the making, and augurs ill for the rest of the negotiation issues on the table, untouched. If history teaches us anything, it is that the boards negotiating committee is more than likely to betray and surrender all of the demands it has made  most of these were generated by administrators and school principals as things important to them  and agree to all of the unions demands.

On the day following this Grand Giveaway, I resigned from the committee, and thereby from my exalted position of lead negotiator, so-called. I do not want to be associated with this ongoing enterprise of betrayal.

Teacher wage increase vs. one-time bonus? Decision prompts resignation of lead negotiator ATHENS  The lead negotiator for the school boards in the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union has resigned in protest over a decision by the r

Talks began in early 2020, and continued this long because of the inability to resolve the question of whether negotiation sessions will be public or private. The boards wanted public sessions as consistent with Vermonts strong public policy favoring governmental transparency. The union insisted on closed sessions, probably so the public will never learn of their outrageous demands. A Vermont Supreme Court decision said, the issue is to be determined by agreement of the parties. But the parties never could agree. The issue was resolved, but only temporarily, after the Vermont Labor Relations Board was brought into the picture. To this date, there has been no permanent agreement on that issue, but I suspect that, as a part of the Grand Giveaway, the unions position will prevail.

In the beginning, the union asked for a three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) starting July 1, 2020, with a 3 percent across-the-board increase in each year, plus steps. (Teachers may move up a step each year, so long as the CBA allows it, but steps result in an increase greater than reflected in the across-the-board percentage increase, sometimes as much as twice that figure.)

In June of 2020, the boards proposed a one-year agreement (2020-2021) with a total salary freeze, out of concern for the anticipated financial consequences of the pandemic. But by June of 2021, the actual impact of COVID on the economics of the school boards made clear that there was contingency money in the 2020-2021 budget available for some additional salary. But that money has to be paid before July 1, 2021 (according to the SU business office), since the SUs books must close on June 30. So the boards committee offered a stipend for the 2020-2021 school year of 1.5 percent or $889 for each teacher who was returning for the 2021-2022 school year. In slightly more detail, the boards position was this:

First, this is strictly a bonus or stipend and is in no way to be added to the 2019-2020 CBA salary schedule still in force. (CBAs continue in force beyond their expiration dates, until a replacement agreement is signed.) This was consistent with the committees original position to freeze salaries in the 2020-2021 school year, and its negotiating position, that raises should not be incorporated in a CBA until all other issues, including economic issues, have been settled.

Second, this is for only those teachers who had worked in the SU in the 2020-2021 school year and who signed contracts for the 2021-2022 school year. The committee felt it should not extend that stipend to include teachers who decided to leave the SU.

In an email of May 27, 2021 from Jack Bryar, a member and former chair of the boards committee, and current chair of the Windham Northeast Unified Elementary School District (WNEUSD) Board, and apparently principal architect of the current Grand Giveaway, he noted that any side letter agreement has to be restricted to returning staff.

Then, in an email of June 3, 2021, Architect Bryar noted that the board of which he was chair had just adopted the following resolution:

Resolved: That the WNUESD approves, in principle, a side agreement to provide additional compensation for teachers and paraprofessionals working in the 20/21 school year and continuing in the coming year, PROVIDED that such agreement take place before June 30, 2021.

Architect Bryar now is contradicting his own view, and ignoring the action of his board.

As so-called lead negotiator, I presented our position to the union: a side letter agreement giving a stipend of 1.5 percent or $869 to each teacher who had worked in the 2020-2021 school year and who signed a contract to return for the 2021-2022 school year.

Sean Murphy, the unions chief negotiator (and to become Bellows Falls Union High Schools assistant principle on July 1, 2021) rejected it. Since that was, supposedly, our final position, I wanted then to move on to the next matter, but a union team member interrupted and said she would like to caucus. They did and we did.

When we returned, Murphy said they will agree to the side letter and the 1.5 percent, but they want that 1.5 percent incorporated into the extended 2019-2020 agreement so that, (1) the increase will apply to all teachers who worked in the SU in 2020-2021, whether or not they are returning; and (2) it will be incorporated in each step of the 2019-2020 salary schedule, thus giving teachers at least that 1.5 percent raise for 2021-2022; and (3) the question of greater raises for 2021-2022, and whether or not teachers will get steps, will remain open for negotiation.

The boards committee then met again, and by a vote of four to one, they threw in the towel. And not only did they throw in the towel, totally, but they didnt even ask for a concession of any kind from the union in exchange, they were in such a rush to fold. It was like that line from T.S. Eliot: This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

I was not going to present this total capitulation to the union, and suggested that Architect Bryar carry the white flag. But Architect Bryar apparently was unwilling to do so, and left it to the committee chair.

By virtue of it being a bonus and excluded from the extended 2019-2020 CBA meant no salary increases in 2021-2022. That would have placed continuing pressure on the union to seriously consider the proposals we had made in order to settle a new CBA, a fundamentally desirable position for the boards to be in. But apparently not in the view of Architect Bryar.

In an email of June 14, 2021 to Lily Hart, a member of the unions negotiating team not present at this meeting, Architect Bryar wrote this:

Lily, we missed you.

It turned out that the Google platform didnt work as well as we thought in terms of supporting breakouts  or maybe we just are all tech illiterate. The good news is we have a proposed settlement for this past year, and made some important progress towards the upcoming year(s). Not bad for an evenings work. There will be lots to do for 21-22 but we wont all be under the fiscal gun, and that makes it easier for all concerned. Have a good evening.

Quite apart from the inappropriateness of Architect Bryar communicating anything about the negotiation session Hart missed unless approved by the committee, he is totally wrong in what he said. First of all, it wasnt a proposed settlement, but rather a settlement reached, needing only the OK from the SU boards.

Second, the union should be under the fiscal gun and we should not have been trying to make it easier for all concerned. If Architect Bryar wants easy, he should not be on the committee. But one thing is certain: the boards are not under any fiscal gun to agree to any of the unions proposals. It is the union that may be and, from the boards negotiating point of view, should be. Clearly, Architect Bryar seems to be wanting to make things pleasant again, to use Murphys term.

Here is an email of May 21, 2021 from Murphy to his committee members, a copy of which was misdirected (?) to me. It was his response to the receipt by him of the boards updated CBA proposals:

My first thought is we say no to everything and tell them we are just interested in negotiating salary and steps. We (you?) can wait on all the other stuff we asked for until Stephen Fine is no longer negotiating and it can be pleasant again 

Well, Murphy can stop laughing up his sleeve for the coup he pulled off, and which cost him absolutely nothing. Im sure his team will find the Gemutlichkeit that supposedly was lacking, now that they will be dealing with a committee solely of people clearly willing to give the union whatever it wants. Im sure Architect Bryar will feel the same.
HARTFORD  A sixth individual admitted her participation in a Victorias Secret theft scheme in Connecticut and Massachusetts on Tuesday as the seventh, and final, defendant in the case awaits trail, federal prosecutors said.

Sharnice Jackson, 20, of Hartford, pleaded guilty before Judge Janet C. Hall via video conference due to the ongoing pandemic and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The offense carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison. Hall scheduled Jackson to be sentenced on Sept. 17.

Hartford residents Shamonique Mackey, 22; Daijah Fagan, 21; Tamijah Hunter, 21; Leonna Jones, 22; and Imani Aitcheson, 21, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and await sentencing.

Dabran Moore, 21, was also charged in the conspiracy and awaits trial, prosecutors said.

The charges stemmed from allegations that Jackson and the sixth others were involved in a scheme through which they stole thousands of dollars from L Brands, the parent company of Victorias Secret stores, according to prosecutors.

As part of the scheme, they would allegedly shoplift merchandise from the stores and then return the item through a no original receipt return, allowing them to get gift cards in the value of the stolen merchandise, prosecutors said. They would then redeem the gift card for merchandise slightly more expensive, charging the additional funds to a debit card. They would then allegedly return that new item, getting the full refund credited back to the card.

Between October 2018 and October 2019, prosecutors said, L Brands lost more than $100,000 through the scheme.
POTTSVILLE  Alvernia University will purchase the former Giant grocery store in the citys downtown, a year after closing to shoppers

President John Loyack confirmed Monday the university signed an agreement to purchase the property, at 500 Progress Ave. A sale price was not disclosed. Information on when the sale will be completed was also not available.

We expect to close at the end of the year as we line up funding for the project, he said in an email.

A formal announcement will take place July 1.

Alvernia currently operates the Schuylkill Center at the Cressona Mall. With the purchase, the Reading-based university will move out of the space it has occupied for 12 of the 20 years of the campus existence.

The new building will expand on the existing bachelors degrees, masters degrees and certificate programs offered at the mall location in North Manheim Township, as well as offer new ones, such as logistics and college credit offerings for high school students.

The university would bring the CollegeTowne concept it already implemented in Reading to the city, where university officials work with those in the city and economic development.

It would also have a business incubator, where students partner with an entrepreneur on a business plan, and both work with mentors at the building, and a dual-enrollment program with the Joseph McCloskey School of Nursing.

The purchase comes nearly a year after Giant officials closed the store in July 2020, stating it was underperforming. It had operated at the location since 1983.

City officials contacted Monday afternoon said Alvernias move to Pottsville will be beneficial.

Its a great step in the right direction for Pottsville, City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said Monday afternoon.

He said having a college adds vibrancy to the downtown area and is a boost to businesses there.

A college presence creates economic development, Palamar said.

Mayor James T. Muldowney said filling buildings such as the Giant property is important for the citys growth.

With all the activity going on there, it will bring more businesses to downtown Pottsville, he said.

Both Palamar and the mayor said city officials are discussing implementing a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, with the university. The PILOT works by having an entity compensate a government for some or all of tax revenue lost due to being tax exempt. Nationwide, colleges and universities, which are usually tax exempt, use the payment to compensate governing bodies.

This year, Giant has paid the city $34,766.29 in property taxes on the building. Palamar said the university will still pay local service and business privilege taxes on it and the schools presence increases the property value and strengthens the tax base of nearby properties.

The building became controversial last summer when county officials disclosed they were looking to purchase it, with reports indicating they planned to turn it into either a prison pre-release center or a warehouse.

Their plans drew the ire of city officials and business leaders, who felt the plan devastated Pottsvilles revitalization and tax base. The commissioners ultimately voted 2-1 in the fall to allow County Administrator Gary R. Bender to make an offer to buy the property.

Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr. said the vote was to explore the possibility of purchasing the former grocery store, which he said would have been advantageous to the county. He pointed out its large parking lot, adding the county pays nearly $60,000 a year to the Pottsville Parking Authority for parking. It also had an opportunity to expand the juvenile probation program.

He said county officials would respect the agreement and look for other opportunities to benefit residents.

Both Halcovage and Commissioner Gary J. Hess said they were excited the university is coming to downtown Pottsville.

Hess said Alvernias move to downtown Pottsville will draw people to the area, potentially filling jobs in the county.

Halcovage said Alvernia has been a great partner to the county with its Schuylkill Campus and the county would work with the school.

He said the move expands its footprint in the county and gives residents more educational opportunities.

Commissioners Chairman Barron L. Hetherington and Bender could not be reached Monday for comment on the agreement.

The controversy over the property got the state Senate involved, when Sen. David G. Argall, R-29, Rush Township, sponsored Senate Bill 1296, which would have prohibited a fourth-class county from purchasing a property in a third-class city without approval from the affected city and school district, if the property is in an area of the city targeted for revitalization.

Contacted Monday, Argall said he wouldnt be asking for a vote on the bill, which was voted on by the Senate, but not by the House of Representatives.

With a new legislative session that started in January, the Senate would have had to vote again on it.

Argall said he thought Alvernias announcement was tremendous news not only for Pottsville but all of Schuylkill County.
State Sen. David G. Argall said he had a call from former President Donald Trump after the senator announced a few weeks ago that he would support an audit of Pennsylvanias November election results.

Trump told him the audit would help restore peoples faith in democracy, Argall, R-29, Rush Township, recalled in an interview on Monday.

Argall is using similar language as the notion of an audit makes national headlines.

An audit would help sort out the facts, he said.

The audit became a second focus of a rally hosted by Schuylkill Indivisible and Fair Districts PA on Monday in front of the downtown Pottsville office Argall shares with state Reps. Joe Kerwin, R-125, Lykens, and Tim Twardzik, R-123, Butler Township. Participants called on Argall to keep that sham audit out and instead bring a vote on Senate Bill 222 on redistricting (see separate story).

The longtime local lawmaker has been among those cited by Trump in his call for action. In a statement June 14, the former president called out Argall directly, asking why he and state Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-34, Bellefonte, had not acted and were playing the same game.

Are they stupid, corrupt or naive? Trump asked. What is going on?

Asked Monday if he felt pressured by Trump and other top Republicans to call for an audit, Argall answered instead that he has received support from Republicans on the national level for an audit.

Even though Trump carried 70% of the vote in Schuylkill County, Argall said he has gotten a lot of questions from constituents about how the election was conducted. Doing an audit, he said, would be helpful in restoring peoples faith in our election process.

County election and state officials, as well as William Barr, the attorney general under Trump, have said repeatedly there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the election, and that the results were accurate. There have already been two audits of Pennsylvanias results.

Argall, chair of the Senate State Government Committee, which, in addition to election bills, considers redistricting legislation, told Spotlight he hopes to wrap up the issue in the next few weeks. Rep. Seth Grove, chair of the House State Government Committee, said earlier this month the chamber would not authorize any further audits on any previous election and would instead focus on changing the states voting statute.

At Mondays rally, MaryBeth Matz, treasurer of the Schuylkill County Democratic executive committee and a member of the county Democratic Womens League, said Argall should stop looking in the rearview mirror with Trump on the audit and move forward on SB 222.

Claire Kempes, a member of both organizations, said both Republicans and Democrats have said Joe Biden won the election.

Schuylkill County Republican County Committee Chairman Howard Merrick said while he doesnt think an audit will change the results of the election, he would be in favor of one if it means the results are confirmed once and for all.

There should be a way that Republicans and Democrats can agree on the process, he said Monday, adding it needs to be transparent, honest and nonpartisan.

Merrick said public confidence in the election has to be rebuilt and, if it gives people confidence their vote was counted fairly, it is worth it.

Election Bureau Director Albert L. Gricoski said an election audit is a decision state officials are tasked with making, adding he would comply if they called for one. But he is otherwise satisfied with the process of the past two elections on his watch.

Im very confident in the November and May election results in Schuylkill County, Gricoski said Monday. I saw no problems with them.
The ESIC test is one of the national competitive exams held in India. Thousands of students apply for the ESIC exam every year. The ESIC exam opens up a lot of career and employment opportunities for candidates within the Employee State Insurance Commission. However, before attempting the ESIC exam, students should be aware of the ESIC eligibility criteria. Read on to know the ESIC eligibility criteria 2021.

ESIC eligibility criteria 2021

The Employee State Insurance Commission is an organisation that conducts the ESIC Recruitment exam every year. The ESIC is an insurance corporation that provides social security benefits and health insurance for Indian workers. Each year the ESIC recruits a number of candidates through their national level ESIC entrance exam. Candidates are selected on the basis of merit. The ESIC exam is conducted to hire candidates for the posts such as Clerk, Stenographer, Parademical etc. Here are the full ESIC 2021 eligibility criteria.

Academic Eligibility Criteria - The basic eligibility criteria for the ESIC exam is a 10 + 2 pass from a recognised board. Moreover, specific roles such as stenographer or pharmacist many have separate academic criteria, specific to the particular role.

Nationality Criteria - In order to be eligible for ESIC recruitment 2021, the candidate must be an Indian citizen or a subject of Nepal/Bhutan/Tibet. Candidates must hold an authorised document issued by the Government of India proving their nationality.

Age Criteria - In order to be eligible to apply for ESIC 2021, the candidates must have a minimum age of 18 and a maximum age of 35, at the time of filling the ESIC application form.

The details regarding the ESIC 2021 exam have not been released yet. However, before applying for the posts, candidates must ensure that they check the eligibility criteria for the ESIC exam. Any candidate who is not eligible for the ESIC exam can be disqualified from appearing for the exam. Even if they appear for the exam, they will not be selected for any posts. The subjects included in the syllabus for the ESIC exam include - Quantitative Aptitude, English Language & Comprehension, Reasoning, General Intelligence, General Awareness. Candidates can find out more information about the ESIC exam on the official ESIC website at - https://www.esic.nic.in/recruitments

IMAGE: UNSPLASH
A day after the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad arrested two individuals in the alleged conversion racket, the state government has now invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against the accused. The arrest persons have been identified as Mufti Qazi Jahangir Alam Qasmi and Mohammad Umar Gautam by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar. Both accused are residents of Jamia Nagar in New Delhi. According to reports, the properties of the accused will also be confiscated.

Conversion racket in Uttar Pradesh exposed

The alleged conversion racket was busted by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad following the registration of an FIR in the case at Lucknows ATS police station. As per reports, two men of Delhis Jamia Nagar, allegedly running an outfit involved in converting deaf and dumb students and other poor people to Islam in Uttar Pradesh with funding from Pakistans ISI. Moreover, children and women were also lured in with false promises of cash, job, and marriage, and later, converted.

It was further reported that Gautam lived in Batla House of Jamia Nagar, the well-known site of the September 2008 encounter between the Special Cell of Delhi police and Indian Mujahideen operatives. In addition, it is being said that Gautam, who is himself a convert to Islam from Hinduism, boasted to the police of having converted at least 1,000 people to Islam.

I converted at least 1,000 non-Muslims to Islam, marrying them all to Muslims, Kumar quoted Gautam as boasting.

The authorities have informed that the outfit they ran is named Islamic Dawah Center, having access of funds from Pakistans ISI and other foreign agencies. The ADGP also informed that the ATS had been working on the case on the intelligence that some people were getting funds from ISI and other foreign agencies for converting poor people to Islam and spreading communal enmity in the society. Apart from the NSA, the accused have also been booked on various charges including those under the Indian Penal Code and Uttar Pradeshs stringent anti-conversion law. Kumar said the arrested accused would be produced before the court and the police would seek their custody for further probe into the case.

With PTI Inputs
Ahead of PM Modi's Jammu & Kashmir meet, BJP president Ravinder Raina addressed the press on Tuesday, June 22, and said that BJP will put forward the citizens' requirements and needs in the meet.

Ravindra Raina said, "The meeting will be aimed at discussing the situation of the country and Union territory".

BJP president slams Pakistan

Ravindra informed that Pakistan terrorism has destroyed the peace and living of Jammu & Kashmir. Pakistan had alleged plans to transform Jammu into Kabirsthan.

He added, "The Indian Army, Jammu & Kashmir police, and paramilitary forces have strengthened the country and Union Territory.

Border dispute

BJP president said, "India has always maintained a good equation with neighbouring countries". But, when speaking of Pakistan, India's unity, our national interest, is important.

He further added, "India's territorial integrity and sovereignty was and will always be our priority".

He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for improving the living situation of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ravindra Raina calls for 'Urgent Meeting'

On June 21, Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina called senior party leaders for a meeting senior party leaders on Tuesday, June 22, in order to plan a counter-strategy against Gupkar Alliance.

Raina told PTI, We have convened an emergency meeting of all prominent party leaders at Trikuta Nagar party headquarters at 11 am tomorrow (Tuesday) to chalk out the counter-strategy against Gupkar Alliance (People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration PAGD which is meeting in Srinagar around the same time to discuss Centre's invitation).

PM Modi's All-Party meet

After 2 years of dissolving Jammu & Kashmir's special status, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold an all-party meeting in New Delhi on June 24. 14 leaders are invited to attend the meeting with a negative COVID report to avoid Coronavirus infection risks.

Threat call to Ravindra Raina

In April, BJP President alleged that he received a video call from a terrorist of Pakistan. The call said that Ravindra would be assassinated if he continues to speak ill of Pakistan and terrorists.

In 2019, Ravindra had claimed that he was on the hi list of Hizbul Mujahideen.

(Image credit: PTI)
Ahead of PM Modi's all-party meeting on J&K, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti once again urged for the need to include Pakistan in India's internal matters. With discussion on restoring statehood, the delimitation exercise, and assembly elections in J&K allegedly on the agenda with PM, the PDP leader stressed on inviting Pakistan to reach a 'resolution' in the UT.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mehbooba Mufti said, "They say there are engaging in dialogues with us, we say they are doing dialogues with Taliban in Doha. Then in Jammu and Kashmir, they should do dialogues with everyone including Pakistan to reach a resolution."

Her comments come in reference to the alleged 'quiet visit' that senior Indian officials made to Doha to speak to the Talibans political leadership.

PM calls for an all-party meeting with Gupkar leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for an all-party meeting with the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on June 24. Ahead of the meeting, leaders of the Gupkar Alliance met at National Conference (NC) Chairman Farooq Abdullah's residence on Tuesday where they announced that they will meet the PM and put forth certain demands before him. The meeting will be the first-ever all-party meeting between PM Narendra Modi and the political parties of the union territory since the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti has maintained that the PAGD alliance is not against dialogue between them and the Centre but 'confidence-building measures' from the Centre's side were necessary.

"All of us are going to attend the meeting. We don't know what their agenda is but we will put our agenda before them," Mufti said. "We will try to ensure confidence-building measures like releasing the political prisoners. People here are distressed in the last two years," she added.
Amid the political chaos in Punjab's Congress unit, the party's state in-charge, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday informed that Congress will fight 2022 elections under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The party official also added that everything is fine in the party however refused to talk about rebel MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu. The statement from Congress MP came on the day when Amarinder Singh expressed that he is upset with Sidhu and is expected to meet the three-member AICC Committee in Delhi which was formed to end the ongoing factionalism in Punjab Congress.

Kharge further claimed that everyone is united in Punjab Congress ahead of the elections.

Everything will be fine. We will fight the (Assembly) election under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi. Everyone in one voice said that they'll fight the election together: Congress MP & president of Congress panel over Punjab affairs, Mallikarjun Kharge pic.twitter.com/GN4clKCdNv  ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2021

According to Mallikarjun Kharge, Punaj Congress members also held discussions on how to prepare for the 2022 assembly elections. While speaking further on the state affairs the MP added that everything cannot be disclosed to the media but for now the party is 'united' with a focus on how to bring back Congress in Punjab.

Amarinder Singh to meet the three-member committee

The Punjab Chief Minister is likely to raise concerns about Navjot Singh Sidhu to the three-member committee and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, claim sources. A rift between Sidhu and Captain has been going on for the past several days with speculations of Sidhu being offered a significant post in the party however the Chief Minister has refused the claim asserting he will oppose if the action is executed. In another development, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Monday met some leaders from Punjab, including Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla and Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra with 13 legislators who have expressed discontent and are opposing CM Captain Amarinder Singh.

Punjab Congress crisis

The grand old party's Punjab unit has seen severe infighting recently. The crisis sparked off after party leader Navjot Singh Sidhu's spat with CM Captain Amarinder Singh during the Lok Sabha elections. In addition, Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu was denied a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections by Captain Amarinder Singh. Sidhu and his wife have publicly attacked the Punjab CM repeatedly during the election campaign. The rivalry escalated after Punjab CM openly slammed Sidhu for his 2018 visit to Pakistan where he hugged Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, losing key portfolios and denial of ticket to Navjot Kaur Sidhu in the 2019 General Election.
TMC Youth Wing President from Alipurduar District Prasenjit Kar lodged a complaint against BJP MPs John Barla and Saumitra Khan for their statements demanding separate states for North Bengal and Jangalmahal in West Bengal.

BJP MP John Barla during a party meeting in Cooch Bihar demanded separate state or union territory for North Bengal. He said, "I want to see North Bengal as a separate state. I will appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi in this regard. People want peace. Everyone is being attacked. Where will people go?"

BJP MP Saumitra Khan from Bishnupur also put forward the same kind of demands. He asked for a separate state for the Rarh region of West Bengal that comprises - Burdwan, Asansol, Bankura, Purulia, Bishnupur, Birbhum, Jhargram, Purba and Paschim Medinipur and parts of Hoogly.

Khan said, "West Bengal Chief calls Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah bohiragoto (outsider). Why will not people of Jangalamahal call her the same? Jangalmahal and Rarh region have barely witnessed any development over the years. That is why we have raised the demand (of separate statehood)."

West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, reacting to the development has claimed that statements of his party MPs have been misinterpreted. He said that the leaders of West Bengal BJP have raised the concern for the prevalent issues in North Bengal and Jangalmahal and no one has in the course asked for partition of the state. He further said that MP John Barla and Saumitra Khan are the representatives of the people in the concerned areas and they only spoke on behalf of the local people's misery.

North Bengal fighting against Gorkhaland transformation

People in North Bengal mainly consist of people who have their origin in Nepal. The people leaving in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong, and other hilly districts are also mainly Nepali-speaking residents who differ from the Bengali culture. The demand for creating a separate state for the North Bengal region has surfaced long back even before independence based on the difference in culture, ethnicity, and language.

The persistent Gorkhaland demand has also seen bloodshed and 'bandhs'. The incumbent leader of West Bengal for three terms also witnessed hatred after the Government mandatory Bengali language in educational institutions of Darjeeling. North Bengal has been a zone of conflict for Mamata Banerjee, as the main leader of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) opposed the leader in all terms. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) also supported the BJP for fifteen years, until the 2021 Assembly Election. In a major flip, Bimal Gurung supported West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that the primary reason for his support is to TMC was the 'betrayal by the BJP'. He said that Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supported the saffron party for 15 years but Amit Shah and PM Modi failed to fulfill their promises. He also mentioned that BJP does not have people's support in Bengal. The party has very little influence on ground zero.

Inputs with ANI, Image Source- @JohnBarlaBJP/Twitter/ANI
Hours after batting for talks with Pakistan, former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir and President of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti has now said that she will speak of J&K during the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not Pakistan, as it is not agenda there. Mehbooba Mufti, who was on a visit to her fathers final resting place in her hometown Bijbehara in Anantnag, while replying to questions on her statement for talks with Pakistan, said that is not agenda there, will speak of Jammu & Kashmir.

Mehbooba Mufti on PM Modi's Kashmir meet

Earlier in the day, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti while addressing media at the residence of Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) Chairman Farooq Abdullah, batted for talks with Pakistan and said, If they (India) can go to Doha and talk to the Taliban, they should have a dialogue with us and with Pakistan too in order to bring about a resolution

Mufti Mohd Syed always batted for dialogue. The Prime Minister called for a meeting on J&K, we do not know their agenda, but we know our agenda. What happened on August 5, 2019, and J&Ks special status was abrogated unconstitutionally, people have fallen apart, she added.

Mehbooba further added, People are in anger and sadness. There is pressure on people of J&K as legal action is being taken against those who speak. The loss we suffered in the past two years will also be there in discussion.

Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration has made it very clear that they will be taking up demand for restoration of Article 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir to restore August 4, 2019 status. The main issue is an unconstitutional abrogation of Article 370 and 35A. There was no confusion, I wanted to discuss; our people in jails in parts of the country should be released. Those who cant be set free should be shifted to J&K. They should have CBM, that didnt happen but we dont want to do anything that hampers these talks, the PDP chief added.

After initial flip-flops, Mehbooba Mufti to agreed to be part of the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, she was not of the view to attend the meeting and wanted that representatives from Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration should represent them before the Prime Minister.

(Image: PTI)
The operations of Chinese companies in Zimbabwe have come under scrutiny amid reports that these Chinese companies were ill-treating and exploiting local employees.

Chinese ceramic tiles manufacturing company Sunny Yi Feng has entered into a war of words with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) over claims of labour rights abuse, including unsafe working and living conditions.

As per the statements issued by ZCTU President, the Chinese company is using some chemicals in the manufacture of ceramic tiles due to which female workers end up collapsing. In addition, the company reportedly uses forklifts to carry workers who have collapsed out of the factory.

As of now, no legal action has been taken and ZCTU has only launched a social media campaign to raise awareness about the working and living conditions of the workers in the factories.

On the other hand, the Chinese company has described the ZCTUs actions as corporate bullying motivated by hidden agendas.

Such episodes are becoming all too common across the continent. This is just the latest incident in a string of allegations against Chinese companies operating in the country. As per a 2016 report by the Brookings Institution, there are at least 10,000 Chinese nationals in Zimbabwe, many of whom work in the mining, telecommunications, and construction sectors. Chinese-owned companies, however, have become notorious for their mistreatment of workers.

In April 2019, workers at a mining company went on strike over illegally low wages and their demand for the provision of PPE went unanswered. Workers complained that this has exposed them to hazardous fumes and enhanced the risk of losing limbs or being burnt.

Earlier, there was an incident in which two mining workers were shot in Gweru, which the Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe described as an isolated incident.

Image Source- @ZCTUZimababwe-Twitter/Representative Image
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday cast his vote in the country's delayed general election in his home town of Beshasha.

It is the greatest electoral test yet for Abiy, whose rise to power initially seemed to signal a break with decades of authoritarian rule but who has since waged war in the Tigray region and whose party has been accused of election abuses.

The parliamentary election, delayed from last year, is the centerpiece of the promised reform drive by Abiy, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and he has described the poll as "the nation's first attempt at free and fair elections."

But international concern has been growing about the vote, and opposition groups have accused Ethiopia's ruling party of harassment, manipulation and threats of violence that echo abuses of the past.

One opposition leader still said he hoped the election would come off with only minor problems, but some prominent opposition parties are boycotting the election, notably in the country's most populous region, Oromia.

Others say they were prevented from campaigning in several parts of the country.

In more than 100 of the country's 547 constituencies, polls are not even open  either because of the ongoing war in the northern Tigray region or logistical issues elsewhere.

No date has been set for voting in Tigray's 38 constituencies.

The rest will vote in September  and the next government likely won't be formed until that happens.

Abiy, whose party is widely expected to cement its hold on power, is also facing growing international criticism over the war in Tigray, sparked in part because the region's now-fugitive leaders objected to Ethiopia postponing the election last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

IMAGE: AP

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Voting continued well into the night in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Monday as people took to the polls in the country's parliamentary election.

Voting in Ethiopia's elections was supposed to finish at 6pm local time (15:00GMT) but was extended well past 9pm in many places to allow voters to continue to cast their ballots.

The vote is a major test for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose rise to power initially seemed to signal a break with decades of authoritarian rule but who has since waged war in the Tigray region and whose party has been accused of election abuses.

The parliamentary election, delayed from last year, is the centerpiece of the promised reform drive by Abiy, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and he has described the poll as the nations first attempt at free and fair elections.

The head of one of the leading opposition parties, the Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice, was seen casting his vote on Monday.

In a video statement released by the party after casting his ballot Berhanu Nega said observers from his party had been "kicked out" of many places.

He said he had reported the issue to the electoral commission.

International concern has been growing about the vote, and opposition groups have accused Ethiopias ruling party of harassment, manipulation and threats of violence that echo abuses of the past.

One opposition leader still said he hoped the election would come off with only minor problems, but some prominent opposition parties are boycotting the election, notably in the countrys most populous region, Oromia.

Others say they were prevented from campaigning in several parts of the country.

In more than 100 of the country's 547 constituencies, polls are not even open - either because of the ongoing war in the northern Tigray region or logistical issues elsewhere.

No date has been set for voting in Tigrays 38 constituencies.

The rest will vote in September - and the next government likely wont be formed until that happens.

Abiy, whose party is widely expected to cement its hold on power, is also facing growing international criticism over the war in Tigray, sparked in part because the regions now-fugitive leaders objected to Ethiopia postponing the election last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Counting in Addis Ababa began on Monday evening.

IMAGE: AP

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The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada joined forces on 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.

Among those targeted were close associates of President Alexander Lukashenko, 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.

"We will now aim to adopt them swiftly, after the guidance of the European Union Council," EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said at a new conference after chairing the meeting.

He added that the EU would "continue putting pressure on the Lukashenko regime."

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 neighbouring Lithuania, which has provided a safe-haven to Belarusian opposition figures and is one of Lukashenkos most vocal critics.

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Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Monday that the situation in her country was "devastating" because President Alexander "Lukashenko is escalating his violence towards people who are fighting against him."

Tsikhanouskaya praised countries who have business with Belarus but have chosen to "to lose a little (bit) of money" in order to stand up for human rights and law.

The United States, European Union, Britain and Canada joined forces on Monday to impose sanctions on several senior officials in Belarus over the forced diversion to Minsk of a passenger jet 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."

The EU hit seven people and one entity over the "forced and unlawful" landing of the Ryanair plane, which was travelling 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.

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.

Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger who fled Belarus after the vote, welcomed the new measures.

The EU has gradually ratcheted up sanctions since Lukashenko  dubbed the last dictator in Europe  won a sixth term last August in elections it says were fraudulent.

The measures have targeted people accused of electoral misconduct and responsibility for the police crackdown that followed.

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 neighbouring Lithuania, which has provided a safe-haven to Belarusian opposition figures and is one of Lukashenko's most vocal critics.

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The UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Monday highlighted the situation in China, Russia and Ethiopia among others and called for concerted action to recover from the worst global deterioration of rights she had seen. Michelle Bachelet said that UN is closely monitoring the impact that National Security Law had on the civic and democratic space of Hong Kong. She also hoped to agree on terms for a visit to China this year, including its Xinjiang region, to look into reports of violations against Muslim Uyghurs.

UN Rights Chief eyes visit to China

Addressing the 47th session of the Human Rights Council, Bachelet said, "The National security law has chilling impact on independent media and democratic space" in Hong Kong. She warned that since July 1, 2020, 107 people have been arrested under the National Security Law and 57 have been formally charged, with the first case coming to trial later this week.

"Since 1 July 2020, 107 people have been arrested under the National Security Law and 57 have been formally charged, with the first case coming to trial later this week," the rights chief said in the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's 47th session.

Michelle Bachelet said that UN is discussing with China modalities for a visit to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region, according to ANI. 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.

"Separately, I continue to discuss with China modalities for a visit, including meaningful access, to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and hope this can be achieved this year, particularly as reports of serious human rights violations continue to emerge," Michelle Bachelet told the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's 47th session.

Bachelet in her opening statement also highlighted UN's concerns in more than a dozen countries which include Afghanistan and Philippines. Bachelet reiterated her concerns over continuing violence against civilians in Ethiopias Tigray region by all parties to the conflict, more than six months since fighting began. The High Commissioner noted reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross human rights violations and abuses.

IMAGE: AP

Inpits from ANI
Iran's president-elect rejected the possibility of meeting with President Joe Biden or negotiating Tehrans ballistic missile program and support regional militias. In his first news conference since winning elections, Ebrahim Raisi said that he hoped his tenure would restore ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. He added that he would have "no problem" with a possible reopening of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and that the "restoration of relations faces no barrier."

Raisi on ties with Saudi Arabia

Raisi was asked about his role in the 1988 mass execution of political prisoners at the end of the Iran-Iraq war. He did not respond to the question but described himself as "defender of human rights". On talks over Iran's nuclear deal, Raisi promised to salvage the accord to secure relief from US sanctions.

Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi ruled out meeting with Biden. He called on the US to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Raisi said that US is "obliged to lift all oppressive sanctions against Iran". Raisi emphasized the deals importance and exhorting the US to return and implement your commitments. The President-elect hoped to restore Iran-Saudi Arabia ties. He said that "no barriers" on efforts to reopen embassies in both the countries."

Ebrahim Raisi wins Iran elections

The sole moderate in Iran's presidential election conceded defeat to Ebrahim Raisi, the country's hard-line judiciary chief. It signaled the protege of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had won a vote he dominated after the disqualification of his strongest competition. Raisi was also one of four judges who oversaw death sentences for about 5,000 prisoners, according to Amnesty International. Iran, on the other hand, has never acknowledged the mass executions and Raisi has never addressed the allegations about his role in them.

IMAGE: AP
Iran must be held "accountable for its activities" and held to its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud made the remarks during a joint press conference with the Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna.

The Saudi foreign minister said he was worried about IAEA reports regarding "issues that are not being resolved, questions that are not being answered."

The current agreement between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog is set to expire on June 24.

A new interim agreement under which the IAEA is allowed access to Iranian nuclear sites has yet to be announced.

Asked whether the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia could improve under the new Iranian president, Al-Saud said "foreign policy in Iran is in any case run by the supreme leader."

But he added that his country bases interactions on the reality on the ground "regardless of who is in charge".

Saudi Arabia has recently started secret talks with Iran in Baghdad over several points of contention.

New Iranian president-elect Ebrahim 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.

IMAGE: AP

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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the women wearing 'few clothes' will have an impact on men and lead to increased sexual violence cases. Imran Khan in an interview with Axios on HBO was quoted saying women wearing fewer clothes leaves a 'temptation' on men which ultimately increases the cases of rapes and sexual violence. His remarks in an interview have led to an outrage on social media, with people expressing disgust over his comment about women's safety.

Netizens criticise Imran Khan's comment

During the interview, Pakistan's Prime Minister was asked if women's attire has any 'temptation' effect on men that leads to sexual violence or rapes. On that Imran Khan said, "If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. Its just common sense. It depends upon which society you live in. If in a society people have not seen those types of things it will have an impact on them. This cultural imperialism must be acceptable to everyone else." After Imran Khan blamed woman's dressing for sexual violence cases, people started criticising him over social media.

A Twitter user Anaya Khan tweeted the video of the interview along with the caption, "Imran Khan is r*pe apologist and hates women." The video has got over 124K views and several reactions. Reema Omer, Legal Advisor, International Commission of Jurists expressed disgust over PM Imran Khan repeating his victim-blaming regarding reasons for sexual violence in Pakistan. She tweeted, "Earlier, PTI spokespersons argued the PM never attributed womens dress to sexual violence but was speaking generally about pardah for both men and women Here the PM leaves no room for any doubt (or spin) A pity the outcry earlier had no impact on him."

Imran Khan is r*pe apologist and hates women. pic.twitter.com/lx0SoHTeWU  Anaya Khan (@AnayaNKhan) June 21, 2021

Disappointing and frankly sickening to see PM Imran Khan repeat his victim blaming regarding reasons for sexual violence in Pakistan



Men are not robots, he says. If they see women in skimpy clothes, they will get tempted and some will resort to rape



Shameful!  Reema Omer (@reema_omer) June 20, 2021

Well thats nice. Glad a world leader thinks me wearing shorts is inviting boys to rape me. https://t.co/tXnFxTgyow  Nicki Patel (@nickipatel) June 21, 2021

Cultural Imperialism? Really?? What about Talibanisation? That is acceptable?

Saddened by Pak PM Imran Khan's views on women. https://t.co/LmLwDKwbP4  RinTinTin (@rinisimonkhanna) June 21, 2021

Imran Khan is a rape apologist. Imran Khan is a terror apologist. Imran Khan embodies everything that is wrong with our society.  Anaya Khan (@AnayaNKhan) June 20, 2021

unless theyre robots IK lost the plot long ago but this is beyond https://t.co/qsoWTJLCi0    saadi (@sa3deyya) June 21, 2021

This is the interview



Earlier, PTI spokespersons argued the PM never attributed womens dress to sexual violence but was speaking generally about pardah for both men and women



Here the PM leaves no room for any doubt (or spin)



A pity the outcry earlier had no impact on him pic.twitter.com/bHCBmFxvyv  Reema Omer (@reema_omer) June 21, 2021

This is not the first time Pakistan PM Imran Khan has been criticised over his comments about women's dressing being a reason for sexual violence. In another interview with Geo TV, Imran Khan had made similar comments stating that the cases of sexual violence or rapes are a product of obscenity. He had described it as a 'Western Import'. During the interview, the Pakistan Prime Minister was asked how his government plans to curb the rising cases of sexual violence, especially against children. On that, he had cited 'fahashi' (vulgarity) as the reason for the rise of rape and sexual violence in the country and went on to highlight the 'Purdah' system to remove the temptation because 'not everyone has willpower'.

IMAGE: AP
As many as 8,521 children were used as soldiers in 21 conflicts in 2020 while another 2,674 children were killed, a report by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) stated on Monday. The report presented to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) detailed that as many as 5,748 were injured in various conflicts including the most recent 10-day war between Israel and Hamas and the prolonged crisis in the Syrian Republic. In six countries- Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen, that most children were targeted. It is imperative to note that all the aforementioned states have been shadowed by prolonged insurgency and religion-based terrorism.

Additionally, the annual report titled Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) report pointed out 26,425 grave violations were committed against children below 18 years of age last year. Out of the total, 23,946 violations were committed in 2020 while another 2,479 were committed earlier but verified only in 2020. The violations included not only their recruitment, killing and maiming but also their abduction, denial of education and healthcare as well as sexual abuse.

Grave violations affect boys and girls differently. Whereas 85 per cent of children recruited and used were boys, 98 per cent of sexual violence was perpetrated against girls. Sexual violence remained vastly underreported, owing to stigmatization, cultural norms, absence of services and safety concerns. Abduction and killing and maiming also affected boys more severely (76 and 70 per cent respectively," the reprot further stated.

Blacklist to shame countries

The report also included a blacklist intended to shame countries that have been accused of harming children in conflicts and to persuade them to implement measures to protect the vulnerable. The list has long been controversial with diplomats saying Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of killing children in Yemen and Israel, accused of killing Palestinian children, both exerted pressure in recent years in a bid to stay off the list. It is imperative to note that while Israel has never been listed, a Saudi-led military coalition was removed from the list in 2020.

"Escalation of conflict, armed clashes and disregard for international humanitarian law and international human rights law had a severe impact on the protection of children. Cross-border spillover of conflicts and intercommunal violence-affected children, in particular in the Sahel and Lake Chad basin regions," the report stated.

Image: AP
Cubas government announced on Monday that its three-shot Abdala vaccine has proved to be 92% effective against the coronavirus. It provided no details of the clinical testing. The Abdala is one of the vaccines Cuba is testing.

"You have produced results in thirteen months. In a country that has become more blocked in the midst of the pandemic," said Miguel Diaz-Cane, President of Cuba, during a meeting with scientists.

It recently said its Soberana 2 vaccine has shown a 62% efficacy.

The announcement came as Cuba faces its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic with record new infections.

Dr. Francisco Duran, the islands director of epidemiology, on Monday reported 1,561 new coronavirus cases for a total of 169,365 confirmed cases and 1,170 deaths.

Image: AP

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Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is once again under the spotlight for his controversial comments. On the occasion of International Yoga Day on Monday, the Nepali PM addressed a program at his residence Baluwata where he said that 'there was no existence of India' when Yoga came into being. Accusing Indian experts of 'hiding the truth', the KP Sharma Oli said that Yoga had originated in Nepal since India at that time was 'like a continent, divided into several factions.'

Oli was quoted saying, Yoga originated in Nepal, not in India. At the time when Yoga came into existence, there was no existence of India it was divided into factions. India that exists now wasnt there in the past. India at that time was divided into different factions." As soon as Oli made this comment, Netizens were quick to react to his remarks with hilarious memes.

Netizens react to PM Oli's 'Yoga originated in Nepal' claim

Nepal's PM Oli



Earlier: Ram was born in Nepal

Now: Yoga Generated from Nepal



India- pic.twitter.com/TxPOqqXeTo  India Trending (@IndiaTrendingin) June 21, 2021

Nepal was part of Bharat once  Political  (@pp420_69) June 21, 2021

Yoga was originated in Kedar and Manas khand . Which is still in India. And Nepal khand is totally different. So it originated in india. No way not in Nepal. These were just the attcakers who looted kedarkhand area .  Khabib Nurmagomedov (@KNumagomedov) June 22, 2021

KP Sharma Oli :- Yoga originated in Nepal, adding that India wasn`t around when Yoga started in the world.



I'm like :- pic.twitter.com/qOZ8AfvVuO   Esh (@deveshpantdp) June 21, 2021

This is not the first time that Nepal's PM Oli has made a controversial remark. Last year, he claimed that the real" Ayodhya lies in Nepal, not in India and that Lord Ram was born in Thori in southern Nepal. He went on to say that India had 'encroached' upon the cultural heritage of Nepal by setting up a 'fake Ayodhya' in Uttar Pradesh.

Last month also, Oli said that misunderstandings with India have been resolved and that the two countries should move forward looking at the future, asserting that neighbours share both love and problems.



(Image: PTI, Twitter- @pjha2000)
South Korea has decided to withdraw the mandatory two-week quarantine for Indians vaccinated with both doses of the Covishield vaccine. Indians vaccinated with both doses of the Covishield will be able to enter the country freely from July 1. However, those vaccinated with Covaxin will have to remain in quarantine for two weeks.

No quarantine for Indians vaccinated with Covishield

South Korea's envoy to India Shin Bong-Kil told news agency ANI that the South Korean government has decided to withdraw the mandatory two-week quarantine if individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Indians vaccinated with Covishield will have to no longer remain in quarantine for two weeks from July 1, but those jabbed with Covaxin have to follow the quarantine rule, according to ANI. South Korea's ambassador to India further explained that the restrictions are only for the general public and not for heads of state and high dignitaries. Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken Covaxin, Shin Bong-Kil said that Prime Minister Modi can visit Korea at any point in time without quarantine.

"The South Korean government has decided to withdraw the mandatory two-week quarantine if individuals have fully vaccinated. There is no need to serve a mandatory quarantine if the person took Covishield, but those vaccinated for Covaxin are required to serve a two-week quarantine," news agency ANI quoted South Korea's envoy to India Shin Bong-Kil as saying. "We have seen that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken Covaxin and if PM Modi wants to visit Korea at any point of time he can visit Korea without quarantine. High ranking officials, for example, if Chief of Army Staff India visited Korea, he does not need to be in quarantine," ANI quoted him as saying.

Shin Bong-Kil lauded India for the decision of providing vaccines to the neighbouring countries free of cost and said that it was a great gesture. He noted that the ties between the two countries have never been better and it has strengthened with the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that India will overcome the devastation caused due to the second wave of the coronavirus.

"As a diplomat, I think it's a good gesture to provide vaccines to the surrounding countries of India... If India had not helped them, then who would have come forward to help the neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and others. I think this is a good gesture from India. We should help each other", ANI quoted Shin Bong-Kil as saying.

IMAGE: ANI/RepresentativeImage

(Inputs from ANI)
A Peruvian judge has rejected a prosecutor's request for right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori to return to prison over a money laundering case on Monday.

Prosecutors wanted Fujimori to be re imprisoned for allegedly violating bail conditions through contacting witnesses in her case, an allegation she branded "absurd and arbitrary."

The presidential candidate is accused of laundering millions of dollars from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and other powerful Peruvians who gave her cash in suitcases for her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns.

In court on Monday, Fujimori was however instructed by judge Victor Zuniga to not speak with witnesses related to the case.

He rejected imprisonment because the prosecutor did not warn Fujimori that she was breaking the rules of conduct by speaking with witnesses.

The public prosecutor's office has said it will appeal the decision.

The case comes amidst mounting political pressure for Fujimori, who appears to have lost the second round of the Peruvian presidential election.

She was up against left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo in the second round of the election on 6 June.

According to the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) official results, Pedro Castillo received 50.125% of the votes and Fujimori received 49.875%.

However no winner was declared.

The body in charge of announcing the winner has said it is still reviewing the votes amid allegations of voting irregularities.

Fujimori has made claims of large-scale election fraud.

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Claudette regained tropical storm status and headed out to sea from the North Carolina coast Monday, less than two days after the system killed 14 people in Alabama, including nine children who died in a highway crash.

Eight of the children who died Saturday were in a van for a home for abused or neglected children when it 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.

The van in Saturday's crash was carrying children ages 4 to 17 who were being cared for at the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a youth home operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association that takes in abused and neglected children, including foster children.

The van was heading back to the ranch near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, after a week at the beach in Gulf Shores. Ranch Director Candice Gulley was the van's only survivor  pulled from the flames by a bystander.

"We're in a state of grief right now, and there's a lot of healing that needs to be done," said Michael Smith, the youth ranch's CEO. "In the Bible it says that God won't put anything on us that we can't handle, and we've questioned that quite a bit these past few days. But God's got big shoulders and we know that our only way to get through the grief that we have right now is with prayer."

Smith 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. Two of the dead in the van were her children, ages 4 and 16.

Smith said four others were ranch residents and two were guests.

The annual trip to the beach is the highlight of the year at the ranch. It's a new experience for many of the girls, a worker said.

Writing on social media ahead of the trip, the employee said the organization wanted "our girls to be able to enjoy all of the things that regular families get to do on vacation" and later posted a photo of girls standing on the beach under a blue sky looking out at the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Students and community members gathered for a prayer service Sunday at Reeltown High School, the school the girls attended.

IMAGE: AP

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Migrants say they are left in quarantine, while Thai citizens are sent to hospitals for treatment.

In this file photo obtained by RFA, Cambodian migrant workers in Bangkok Thailand wait in a quarantine facility made of plastic tents.

A group of 50 coronavirus-infected Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand are calling on the governments of both their home and host countries to provide medical treatment and other support, the migrants told RFA.

Among the group stuck in a makeshift quarantine shelter in the Thai capital Bangkok are a nine-year-old child and two babies younger than nine months, all housed in plastic tents in the citys Vibhavadi Rangsit area. The workers told RFAs Khmer Service that they are running short on food and lack medicine for treatment.

The infants are sick, and we have begged to have them sent to a hospital, but our request was rejected. They said the hospital is full, Reab Sarin, a 37-year old construction worker from Cambodias northwestern Oddar Meanchey province, said Tuesday.

Sadly, I feel that they do not care about our Khmer situation. They are leaving us to take care of it on our own, whether we live or die. My biggest worry is that my nephew, who has a five-month-old baby, and his daughter who has a two-month-old baby too, he said.

I am scared. I live separately from my wife and kids. I have a serious sore throat and headache. I am completely exhausted and have no appetite, Reab Sarin told RFA on Monday.

He said he has been infected for about a week, so he is unable to work, but the Thai authorities have not visited or made arrangements to send him to a hospital.

I hope the government can intervene and send me to a hospital for COVID treatment. Dont abandon me like this. I dont have any money left, he said.

The five-month-old babys mother, Reab Sreypov, told RFA that she and her child both came down with COVID-19 over the last few days and they have not been receiving treatment. A lack of food has made breastfeeding impossible.

After learning that the mother and child had become infected, her Thai employer forced her to stay in quarantine with other infected migrant workers but without supplying them with enough food, she said.

The Thai authorities gave me a paracetamol pill, she said, using an alternative name for acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.

But they didnt dispatch any medical practitioners to take care of us. They quickly took photos and left without asking us anything. They basically are not paying any attention to Cambodian migrant workers, but Thai citizens are sent for medical treatment at hospitals, Reab Sreypov said.

I told them that my baby is experiencing breathing difficulties and I begged them to take the baby in for medical treatment, but they didnt listen, she said.

On Sunday, the migrant workers posted group photos and video clips of themselves on Facebook, calling on the Cambodian and Thai governments for urgent help.

We request that the government help us in Thailand as we suffer as infectees of COVID-19 and have not been sent for treatment at hospital We have been forced to quarantine and are not allowed to go out from this area. Infected Thai citizens are sent to hospitals for medical treatment, their online plea said.

Authorities distributed only canned fish or sardines, eggs and instant noodles for us to eat. We have been abandoned here for over a week. We call on Samdech [Prime Minister] Hun Sen to help his citizens in Thailand, they said, using an honorific title.

RFA attempted to contact the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok and Heng Suor, the spokesman for Cambodias Ministry of Labor, but neither could be reached for comment.

The migrant workers said that an official at the Cambodian embassy told them that the embassy had requested that the Thai authorities help intervene in the case, but the Thai authorities required them to undergo treatment at their workplaces.

The embassy then said that it could not help them and that it was the responsibility of their employers to provide them with adequate food and accommodations.

The Thailand-based office of BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, attempted to contact the Bangkok Metropolitan Administrations department of disease control and department of medical services, but no one answered.

Patima Tungpuchayakul, the founder of Labor Protection Network (LPN), a Thai NGO, told BenarNews that migrant workers should call the networks hotline for assistance.

The LPN has translators for migrant workers to contact and help them to access hospitals. We give consultancy and help contact related government agencies because some of them cant get the access, and we help negotiate the bill when it is too high, she said.

We call on the government to have assistance guidelines and give vaccine to the workers. By the way, we understand that vaccines are not sufficient for Thai citizens lately, said Patima Tungpuchayakul.

Dy Thehoya, a labor rights official for the Cambodia-based Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), told RFA that the Cambodian government has a responsibility to intervene in this case given the danger presented by the disease.

The Thai government should take serious measures against the Thai owners or employers who try to conceal information and allow those infected with COVID-19 to experience serious health conditions without proper treatment. This negligence and it is only allowing the infection to spread. The Cambodian embassy in Thailand should closely monitor the situations and respond promptly, Dy Thehoya said.

Tith Phalla, an official defending the rights of Cambodian workers in Thailand, said the Cambodian and Thai authorities should help the Cambodian workers immediately, especially the young children He said the workers lives are in jeopardy because most of them are malnourished and in poor health.

"There are a lot of cases like this that are contagious, and they do not receive timely treatment I think that if this is left unchecked, the epidemic could grow worse, Thith Phalla said.

Elsewhere in Bangkok, a 45-year-old Cambodian worker named Soeung Soth died in a bedroom on June 19. Thai authorities sent his body for an autopsy and confirmed that he had been infected with COVID-19.

His body was cremated, and his wife is currently undergoing COVID-19 treatment.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum and Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Private companies will be emboldened by the activists' arrest to continue destroying Cambodia's environment for profit, the founder of the Mother Nature environmental group says.

A Cambodian judge on Monday sent three young activists to Phnom Penhs notorious Prey Sar Prison on an order of pre-trial detention, in a move one rights group called an attack on young Cambodians trying to protect their countrys environment.

Two of the threeSun Ratha, 26, and Yim Leang Hy, 32have now been charged with conspiracy and with lese-majeste, or insulting the king. The third youth activistLy Chandaravuth, 22has been charged with plotting to topple Cambodias government.

Members of Cambodias Mother Nature environmental protection group, the group could face between five to 10 years in prison on conviction. Mother Nature founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, now living outside Cambodia, also faces charges of conspiracy.

Sun Ratha and Ly Chandaravuth were arrested with another activist, Sith Chhivmeng, by Phnom Penh police on June 16 while filming the drainage of sewage and other waste into the Tonle Sap River in front of the Royal Palace in the capitals Daun Penh district.

Separately, authorities in Kandal province arrested Mother Nature activist Yim Leang Hy at his hometown in the provinces Koh Thom district. Sith Chhivmeng was later released after 24 hours of questioning by policy in Phnom Penh.

Sam Sok Kong, a lawyer for the trio still held, condemned the move by investigating judge Im Vannak to send the young activists to Prey Sar, where cases of COVID-19 infection are now surging among inmates, he told RFA on June 21.

The charges against them are grave, but they were working to build a public movement to protect the environment, the lawyer said.

They want to see the government handle environmental issues transparently and with accountability. I feel that they were only trying to help society, which is the right of all [our countrys] citizens, he said, adding that he is now planning to file an appeal for the activists release on bail.

Duong Ry, mother of detained youth activist Sun Ratha, called the judges action against her daughter a grave injustice and urged to court to release her, describing Sun Ratha as a very good citizen who always reached out to help villagers in various districts and provinces.

I have never seen her do anything wrong, and instead have always heard her praised by other people. This is all so unfair to her, she said.

Sun Ratha is an accountant and recent graduate of the University of Cambodia who studied there on a scholarship, while Yim Leang Hy is a post-graduate scholarship student at the Royal University of Phnom Penhs Institute of Foreign Languages and Ly Chandaravuth is a senior majoring in law at the Royal University of Economics and Law.

Rights groups condemn arrests

Also speaking to RFA, representatives of Cambodia-based rights groups condemned the charges filed against the three young activists, with Am Sam Athdeputy director of the rights group Licadhocalling their arrests a violation of their freedom of expression and right to participate in activities protecting the environment.

These charges [against them] will only invite more criticism of the government itself, he said.

The charges against these young activists are an attempt to kill the patriotic and national conscience of the younger generation, said Ven. Buth Buntenh, founder of the Monk Network for Social Justice. It is like destroying young bamboo shoots so that those shoots will not grow and become bamboo trees in the future, he said.

This is an insult to our own people and will only lead neighboring countries to look down on us, he added.

Speaking to RFA on June 20the day before the three activists were sent to Prey SarMother Nature founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson said their arrests will now clear the way for private companies or businessmen to destroy Cambodias environment at will.

Whether it is cutting down trees in Prey Lang forest, illegal logging of rosewood in the Kravanh mountain range, dredging sand along the Mekong river or in Koh Kong, or mining for gold in Preah Vihear or Mondulkiri provinces, this will all now be more convenient for them, he said.

And there will be no obstacles for them now to persecute local people and evade taxes.

Companies and individuals involved in illegal business activities are going to profit from these arrests, he said.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Authorities in Shanghai have formally arrested an associate math professor at Fudan University on suspicion of murder following a stabbing attack that left his departmental ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secretary dead.



The No. 2 division of the Shanghai People's Procuratorate said in an announcement on its official Weibo account that it had approved the arrest of Jiang Wenhua on suspicion of the "intentional homicide" of Wang Yongzhen, party secretary of Fudan's School of Mathematics on .



"On the afternoon of , 2021, Comrade Wang Yongzhen, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Mathematical Sciences of our school, was sadly killed," Fudan University said in a statement.



It said the murder had prompted "false rumors" online, and denied that Wang and Jiang had ever co-authored a paper, or that they had ever plagiarized any academic work. It also denied claims that the university had edited a Baidupedia article on either man.



It said Jiang had been hired on a three-year contract that had expired in . The university then signed a one-year contract with him, which he applied to renew in .



"As of , 2021, the one-year employment contract signed between Jiang Wenhua and the school hadn't expired, and the school had not yet made a decision whether or not to terminate Jiang's employment," the statement said.



"There was no political testing involved in the assessment process," the university said, in response to online rumors that Jiang, who gained his PhD in the United States, had failed to pass the political element of his assessment.



Police video published at the time of the murder showing a bloodstained Jiang talking calmly to police, saying he had "received a lot of bad treatment" during his time at Fudan.



No explanation has been given for that claim.



Fudan University associate math professor Jiang Wenhua, who has been arrested on suspicion of the "intentional homicide" of Wang Yongzhen, ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secretary of Fudan's School of Mathematics on June 7, 2021. Credit: Jiang Wenhua Party loyalty counts

Fellow academics said it was highly unlikely that Jiang's review process hadn't included any political component, however.



"We are seeing a resurgence in political testing right now, with university entrance exams, research posts and [regular] jobs all requiring [passes in political tests]," Wang Gang, a former associate professor at Hebei Engineering University, told RFA. "That's an open secret."



Political tests, once a relic of the Mao era, have made a comeback under CCP general secretary Xi Jinping, and typically focus on Xi's personal brand of ideology called "Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era."



"The only standard that matters is whether or not you are aligned with the party," said Wang, whose former employers dismissed him at a similar stage in his career.



The Fudan murder has prompted a wave of public discussion about hiring practices at Chinese universities, which seek to recruit returning early-career academics with overseas PhDs at top universities, but then which place a string of conditions on the continuation of their employment, most notably, the ability to secure government funding for their research.



Wang said that while the system of employment review for early-career researchers may appear to boost competition and performance, in reality it just gives senior academics more opportunity to engage in corruption and favoritism.



"The trick is to pretend to have honorable intentions while really acting like a villain," Wang said of senior university officials and academics.



"This is a system that destroys good people ... Highly talented and specialized people are a bit quirky, and don't like to play politics," he said. "They can't be doing with all of the unspoken rules of [working life in] China."



Wang said the best outcome for Jiang would be if the authorities allow him to carry on his research in prison.



'Prejudices and hot air'

Xiao Gongqin, a professor of history at Shanghai Normal University, said Jiang's case will be closely watched by overseas Chinese academics who might be worried about taking jobs back in China.



Chinese courts regularly sentence people to death for homicide, but a suspended death sentence is typically commuted to life imprisonment after two years of good behavior.



Xiao said retention rates are still very high in Chinese universities compared with overseas, where tenured or tenure-track posts are few and far between.



Economist Zhang Wuchang called for further investigation of Jiang's case.



"The whole thing happened so fast, and there were no eyewitnesses," Zhang said. "The victim is dead and the suspect is in the hands of the police, so there is no way to go over the events and discover what actually happened."



"Now, the rumors and the slander are swirling, and prejudices and hot air are everywhere."



Beijing-based dissident Zha Jianguo said there should be some lessons to be learned from the homicide case, but that free public debate should be allowed.



"Regardless of the conclusions people reach on the matter, if we aren't talking about rumor or slander, then people should be allowed freedom of speech as set down in law," Zha said.



"It is wrong to suppress discussion that blames issues at the university, or that diverges from the official view," he said.



Reported by Xue Xiaoshan and Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Wives of men who lost their jobs to the pandemic must relocate to rural farms in North Koreas breadbasket.

Farmers replant rice seedlings at the Namsa Co-op Farm of Rangnang District in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.

North Korea is forcing nearly 14,000 housewives to move to rural areas to toil on farms as part of a project to boost food output after a bad harvest, South Korean media reported.

North Koreas state-run Korean Central Broadcasting reported that at last weeks Third Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, the countrys leader Kim Jong Un ordered the nations capabilities to focus on agriculture and food security.

[General Secretary Kim Jong Un] said it is imperative to concentrate the efforts of the party and the state on agriculture despite unfavorable conditions this year, along with the lessons of last years farming, the report said, referring to the country having missed production goals in 2020 due to a series of natural disasters last summer that destroyed crops.

Making the problem worse, the coronavirus pandemic caused North Korea and China to close their border and suspend all trade in January 2020, cutting off food imports that could help cover the deficit and making it hard for North Korean farmers to get fertilizer.

The UNs Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in a report that North Korea would be short about 860,000 tons of food this year, about two months of normal demand.

South Koreas Yonhap News Agency reported June 17, citing North Korean state media, that the government is addressing the problem by transferring 13,700 housewives from all regions of the country to the southwestern coastal South Hwanghae province, considered the Norths breadbasket.

According to the report, North Korean authorities said the women are voluntary participants as members of the Socialist Womens Union of Korea, one of the countrys four major labor organizations outside of the Workers Party. Membership in the union is mandatory for all full-time housewives over the age of 30.

So-called voluntary participation is nonsense, a North Korean refugee who now lives in South Korea told RFAs Korean Service.

The North Korean authorities are forcibly mobilizing manpower to increase rice production, said the refugee, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Rights activist Park Jihyun, who settled in the UK after escaping North Korea, told RFA that at one point in the 1990s, unmarried women over age 17 were forced to relocate to the northeastern province of North Hamgyong to work on farms there, then they had to marry men discharged from the military.

Nobody wants to go, said Park.

They say its agricultural support, but its forced labor. Its a system in which the authorities unconditionally relocate those people to one place for the sake of manpower, she said.

Troy Stangarone of the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute (KEI) said that sending women to the fields reflects North Koreas limited resources for modern farming techniques that forces it to double down on labor.

In order to increase output through additional planting, care, and harvesting it has to turn to additional manpower, but this is likely to have a limited impact on harvests" he told RFA by email.

Mark Barry of the International Journal on World Peace told RFA by email that North Korea was trying to compensate for last years poor rice harvest by mobilizing everyone it can.

On one hand, Kim is doing this to maximize domestic production so as not to rely on food imports from China, said Barry.

But another reason is that forced mobilization is its own rewardpeople cannot dwell on being dissatisfied if they are constantly being mobilized for national economic and political tasks. More mobilization means less idle time to complain about conditions," he said.

Ken Gause of the Virginia-based CNA think tank told RFA by telephone that the boost provided by mobilizing the housewives would not solve grain shortages in the long run.

At some point they're going to have to start bringing in stuff from the outside world. The regime cannot go on indefinitely without that, and I suppose that China at some point will start exporting stuff into North Korea to keep them afloat," Gause said.

Mobilization of housewives, however, is likely a violation of human rights, according to Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Washington-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK).

In North Korea, especially after the Arduous March, housewives have made great efforts and sacrifices for the survival of their families, Scarlatoiu told RFA, using a translation of the Korean term to refer to the 1994-1998 North Korean famine which killed millions.

Now that even these housewives are said to be forcibly mobilized so strictly like this, I think North Korean women are being subjected to human rights violations very seriously, said Scarlatoiu.

Forcing citizens to volunteer as labor for government projects is very common in North Korea.

The U.S. State Department in its 2020 Trafficking in persons report classified North Korea in Tier 3, the lowest tier, made up of countries not making an effort to meet the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.

During the reporting period, there was a government policy or pattern of forced labor in mass mobilizations of adults and children, in prison camps as part of an established system of political repression, in labor training centers, and through its imposition of forced labor conditions on DPRK overseas contract workers, the report said.

Reported by Albert Hong for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun and Jinha Shin. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Water levels and safety conditions will be monitored to prevent a repeat of past dam collapses and deadly floods, authorities say.

The Nam Houng 1 Dam in Xayabouri province, Laos, is shown in an undated photo.

Lao authorities have ordered owners of the countrys 78 dams to monitor water levels and safety conditions ahead of the start of this years rainy season, fearing a repeat of past structural collapses and deadly floods, sources in the Southeast Asian country say.

Dam operators must now report conditions directly to the government, an official of the Ministry of Energy and Mines told RFA in a recent interview. Then well determine which dam will have to release water in the event of heavy rain or a storm, he said.

Last year we also inspected all the dams and found that they were strong and stable. We found no faults or irregularities, the office said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Weve learned from the past and pay a lot more attention now to the safety of the dams.

Dam collapses in Laos have flooded villages in several provinces and displaced thousands of residents, sometimes permanently, with the collapse of a saddle dam at the Xi Pian-Xe Namnoi Dam in Attapeu on July 23, 2018 killing 71 people and destroying an estimated $100 million worth of property.

Also speaking to RFA, an official at the Energy and Mines Department of Xieng Khouang province in the countrys northeast said that dam operators must now regularly report to his department on the amounts of water rising or declining in the dams, or released by them.

To prevent mishaps, they have to closely follow the weather forecasts, and the dams must release their water a little at a time, the official said, also speaking on condition his name not be used.

They shouldnt release their water all at once, because a sudden release could cause a lot of problems, he said.

After an inspection last year, Xieng Khouang officials recommended that the developers of three dams still under constructionNam Ngiep 2, Nam Ngeum 4, and Keng Khouaneimprove the dams designs and structures to bring them up to government standards.

So were looking at all these projects more closely this year, he said.

An official in the Energy and Mines Department of Attapeu, where the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoi Dam collapsed in 2018, added that his department now has a routine plan to inspect all dams in the province.

Before the rainy season last year, we inspected the dams and found that all of them were strong and up to standard.

Weve learned our lesson from the dam collapse, and weve now made all the improvements required by international standards. Weve inspected and tested the newly rebuilt dam and can guarantee it will never collapse again, he said.

Continuing concerns

Villagers living in areas near the dams voiced continuing concerns over the structures safety, though, with a farmer living near the damaged Keng Khouane Dam in Xieng Khouangs Pek district saying that authorities had recently sent out a notice urging area residents to be vigilant and alert during heavy rains.

We were lucky last year. The rainfall wasnt that bad, he said.

Were not confident in the safety of this dam, said a villager living below the Nam Khan 2 Dam in Luang Prabangs Xieng Ngeun district. Were not sure that it was properly built. Its a good idea to regularly inspect all the dams, he added.

Also speaking to RFA, another Xieng Ngeun district living below the Nam Khan 3 Dam said, The authorities havent informed us of anything yet because the amounts of rain weve been getting are so small.

The heavy rains usually begin in September or October every year, he said.

Laos is home to scores of hydropower projects in various stages of completion on the Mekong River and its tributaries in a bid to become the Battery of Southeast Asia, by selling the generated power to neighboring countries.

Though the Lao government sees power generation as a way to boost the countrys economy, the projects are controversial because of their environmental impact, questionable financial and power demand arrangements, and displacement of villagers without adequate compensation.

Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
While some 36 suspects in the case were eventually arrested, at least six of them in Cambodia, Xu was never put on a plane back to China. This was, Jingzhou News reported, because of [his] Cambodian citizenship and relationship with Cambodian high-level officials.

It is unclear when Xu acquired Cambodian citizenship, but Ministry of Commerce records suggest it was sometime prior to 2012. Cambodias Law on Nationality stipulates that Cambodian citizens must not be extradited unless there is a mutual agreement. A 1999 extradition treaty signed by China and Cambodia would seem to constitute such a mutual agreement, although it does give both countries the right to refuse extradition of its own nationals. Phnom Penh appears to have exercised this right in the case of Xu.

The Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the case or its significance for Sino-Khmer relations. Spokespersons for the Cambodian government, General Directorate of Immigration, Sihanoukville municipality, National Police, and Ministry of Justice all declined to comment on questions put to them by RFA for this story.

Meas Soksensan, spokesman for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, also declined to address whether the government had conducted due diligence before granting a gambling and casino license to Xu Xus KB Hotel & Casino in Sihanoukville. But the spokesman told RFA that it was not until November 2020 that Cambodia had adopted the Law on the Management of Integrated Resorts and Commercial Gambling, which establishes regulatory oversight of the gaming industry. He said existing casinos will have to comply with its provisions including on conducting due diligence and following license application procedures.

That Xu has managed to remain in Cambodia unmolested is of no surprise to Clement Lai, a former Hong Kong police superintendent who has opened a security consultancy in Phnom Penh since retiring. Lai described Xu as a well-known tycoon with close ties to military and government officials which may ensure he receives "preferential treatment and convenience" for both his businesses and personal safety. He added that while China and Cambodia have an extradition treaty, the Cambodian authorities often give consideration to an individuals influence and investments when deciding how to implement it.

"He is not a highly dangerous person and he gives the country a lot of economic support," Lai said. "It's not surprising that he has been able to stay in Cambodia for a long time."
Gulmira Imin is now serving 19 years and eight months in jail for a statement of contrition that activists say was contrived.

Chinese authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have reduced to 19 years the life sentence of a Muslim Uyghur woman imprisoned for her alleged leadership role in deadly 2009 unrest, after she signed a written statement of remorse her supporters say was likely forced, a police officer said.

Gulmira Imin, former web administrator for the Uyghur-language website Salkin and government employee in the XUARs capital Urumqi (in Chinese, Wulumuqi), participated in a major peaceful demonstration protesting the deaths of Uyghur migrant workers attacked and killed by Chinese mobs at a toy factory under Chinese police watch in Guangdong province.

But the demonstration turned violent, evolving into unrest between Muslim Uyghurs and Han Chinese and leaving 200 people dead, 1,700 injured, according to China's official figures, though Uyghur rights groups say the numbers are much higher. More than 1,000 Uyghurs were jailed and several thousands of others were disappeared in what Uyghur exile groups said was the most deadly episode of ethnic unrest in Chinas recent history.

Authorities arrested Gulmira nine days late in Aksu (Akesu), accusing her of organizing the protest, posting an announcement about it on Salkin, and leaking state secrets by phone to her husband in Norway, according to according to a brief biography of her on the website of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Her family was not notified of her arrest and was unaware of her location until the airing of an October 2009 China Central Television documentary that depicted her in prison garb, the bio said.

On April 1, 2010, the Urumqi Intermediate Peoples Court sentenced Gulmira to life in prison on charges of splittism, leaking state secrets, and organizing an illegal demonstration, according to USCIRF. She is being detained in the Xinjiang Womens Prison (Xinjiang No. 2 Prison) in Urumqi.

Gulmiras sentence was reduced to 19 years and eight months after she issued a statement of contrition for her alleged involvement in the violent riots, said a policeman in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak with the media.

Chinese authorities videotaped the Gulmiras statement in 2017 and later showed the video in prisons and re-education camps, according to the policeman, who said he had worked in Kashgars Yanbulaq Prison as well as in an internment camp in Opal.

She said that even the death penalty would be too little a punishment for her and that the [Chinese Communist] Party [CCP] and government had spared her, the police officer said, referring to the video. She said shed been given a life sentence, but because shed demonstrated good behavior, they granted her amnesty.

In the video, Gulmira said that her sentenced had been reduced to 19 years and eight months on account of the care of the CCP and government, he said.

They showed it in re-education [camps] as well, he said about the video. They distributed propaganda papers about it. I also heard her speak live in prison

They showed it to people in every cell, the police officer said. They streamed it on TVs from the web. I cant say how many people it was who watched it.

They undoubtedly used threats

As one of several individuals punished severely for their connection to the 2009 unrest in Urumqi, Gulmira is widely known in the international community.

Though relevant U.N. agencies have made formal inquiries about her case, the Chinese government has never given sufficient responses. RFA also has regularly inquired about her condition during phone interviews with police officers in the XUAR.

Omerjan Jamal, a former Uyghur police officer now living in Sweden, told RFA last week that the reduction of Gulmiras sentence is essentially meaningless and suggested that she is aware of this.

There is no significant difference between long and short sentences for political prisoners, given that even after their release from prison they are re-arrested and imprisoned each time a new political storm takes place, he said.

The new information about Gulmira is not a sign of improvement or progress either for Gulmira herself or for the Uyghur issue more broadly, but instead a testament to the continued cruelty of Chinas prison management system, Omerjan said.

Theres nothing true about Gulmira Imins written statement of repentance, he said. Theres no way it is something she did of her own accord. Theres no way that they elicited this repentance by using sweet or soft methods to tell her they would shorten her sentence if she did so.

They undoubtedly used threats and fear to tell her she had to do it, and that if she didnt, she would just have to see what would happen, that her relatives, this person or that, would be accused and sentenced as well, Omerjan said.

Abduweli Ayup, a Norway-based Uyghur activist previously imprisoned in the XUAR, told RFA last week that in his experience, important prisoners such as Gulmira are often forced to express remorse in prison, sometimes under torture, and he surmised that she likely faced the same.

They are always forcing people to express repentance and forcing people to express regret in detention, in prison, he said, referring to Chinese authorities.

Drawing on his own experiences during the year-and-a-half he was imprisoned, Abduweli said that it was likely Gulmira has been severely tortured while in prison. He also said that Chinese authorities often force well-known prisoners to publicly repent as a way of both attacking the honor of those prisoners and breaking the will of other prisoners.

Theyre explaining to the people that they have recognized that they made mistakes. Abduweli said. This lowers the spirits of the prisoners. It also plays a role in making them think, Aha, these people have asked for repentance, and if I ask for it too, they will shorten my sentence, and in making them come to the decision that they should reveal their own mistakes, he said.

Abduweli stressed that it would be highly unlikely that Gulmira, a well-educated intellectual, to meaningfully change her political views in such a short period, particularly if she witnessed injustice while in prison.

Prior to her arrest, Gulmira Imin, who graduated from Xinjiang University in 2000, was a leading official in an Urumqi neighborhood committee in an area with about 10,000 residents. In 2009, she became a moderator of Salkin, a Uyghur-language culture and news website to which she had previously contributed poetry and short stories. Many of her online writings criticized government policies, according to USCIRF.

Sandra Jolley, former vice chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, adopted Gulmira as her prisoner of conscience and continued to follow her story and seek information on her condition.

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Vietnam is holding at least 288 prisoners of conscience in the countrys prisons and jails, with at least 79 arrested during the year through May, a report released this week by a California-based rights group says.

Those held include journalists, social media users, religious figures, and land rights and anti-corruption activists, according to the Report on Human Rights in Vietnam 2020-2021, released on June 20 by the Vietnam Human Rights Network.

Vietnam continues to violate fundamental human rights, from discrimination, arbitrary arrest and detention, and violation of trial fairness to restrict freedom of religion, freedom of opinion and expression, [and] freedom of association, the rights group said.

Vietnams crackdown on opposition voices intensified in 2020-2021, especially during the months before the 13th Congress of the [Vietnamese Communist Party] in January 2012 and before the 15th National Assembly election in May 2021.

Up to May 31, 2021, at least 46 people expressing their political opinions through social media have been detained and prosecuted for violating the 2015 Penal Code, often for what authorities called anti-state writings.

Others taken into custody during the year included political activists, independent journalists, and land-rights petitioners, the rights group said, adding, All those people were prosecuted for having exercised their fundamental rights stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of Vietnam

The treatment handed out during the year to political prisoners in Vietnams detention centers, known for harsh and inhumane conditions, included transfer to prison camps far away from family homes, denial of family visits and medical treatment, and beatings by prison guards or by prisoners convicted of ordinary criminal offenses under instructions from police, according to the report.

And at trial, the jury rarely pays attention to lawyers arguments in court, while the latter often do not dare to contradict the prosecutors. In most cases, the lawyers only duty is to ask for leniency, the Vietnam Human Rights Network said.

'Anti-state activities'

Organizations promoting democracy and human rights in Vietnam, including Bloc 8406 and the Independent Journalists Association, faced continuing bans and persecution during the reporting year, with seven members of Bloc 8406 of the 51 arrested and sentenced as of May 2021 still behind bars.

The Brotherhood for Democracy had nine members in detention, of which eight were sentenced to between 7 and 13 years in prison, and one was awaiting trial, according to the report.

Prominent among those arrested or sentenced in 2020 were Pham Doan Trang, a winner of Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Award who had worked as a journalist before she became a human rights activist and cofounder of the now-banned Liberal Publishing House.

Also sentenced were writer Than Duc Thach, who was handed a 12-year prison term, upheld on appeal on March 24, by the Peoples Court of Nghe An province on Dec. 15, 2020 for carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the peoples administration.

Independent Journalists Association (IJA) members Nguyen Tuong Thuy, vice president of the association, was arrested on May 24, 2020, and Le Huu Minh Tuan was arrested on June 12, 2020.

They followed IJA founder and president Pham Chi Dungarrested on Nov. 26, 2016into custody, with all three now sentenced to a total of 37 years in prison on charges of spreading information opposing the State.

Surveillance, harassment

Facebook users and bloggers were also subject during the year to heightened surveillance and harassment by police sometimes dressed in civilian clothes, and to travel bans, forced interrogations, and assaults, according to the report.

Vietnamese authorities were aided in their efforts to repress political opposition during the reporting year by U.S.-based social media platforms Facebook, Google, and YouTube, which complied with the Vietnamese governments escalating demand to censor dissidents, the Vietnamese Human Rights Network said in its report.

According to government sources, Facebook during the last four months of 2020 removed nearly 4,500 offending articles and 290 fake accounts posting false information propagating against the Party and State.

Google meanwhile removed more than 30,000 illegal videos and 24 reactionary channels on YouTube, government sources cited by the rights group said.

The Vietnam Human Rights Network noted that on Feb. 22, 2021, Vietnams deputy prime minister and foreign minister announced Vietnams candidacy for membership in the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, saying that Vietnam respects the rights and fundamental freedoms of its people.

This assertion does not surprise those who are familiar with the long-established propaganda policy of the Vietnamese government who always seeks to manipulate international forums to offset their poor record of human rights, the rights group said.
YEREVAN -- Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has cemented his position with a landslide election victory called to end a political crisis that erupted after ethnic Armenian forces lost a six-week war against Azerbaijan last year and ceded territory in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Preliminary results showed that Pashinian's Civil Contract party won 53.9 percent of the vote, while former President Robert Kocharian's Armenia Alliance -- which is alleging election fraud though it has not presented evidence to back up the claim -- got 21 percent.

The I Have The Honor bloc, headed by former President Serzh Sarkisian, won just over 5 percent and will also be represented in parliament.



The results, if they hold, mean Pashinian's party will control an even greater percentage of seats than the 50 percent needed to rule, since the votes of the 22 election contenders that didn't clear the threshold will be distributed among those that enter parliament.



Civil Contract is expected to have about 71 seats in the 107-member assembly, while the Armenia Alliance should have 29 and I Have The Honor, seven.

International observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the vote was "competitive and generally well-managed."

WATCH: International Observers: Armenia's Elections Were 'Competitive And Generally Well-Managed'

"The vote count was assessed positively in most polling stations where it was observed and was characterized by a high level of transparency," the OSCE said.

"Reconciliation and counting procedures were followed overall, and observers noted very few significant procedural errors or serious violations," it added, noting the election on the whole was characterized by intense polarization and marred by increasingly inflammatory rhetoric among key contestants.

Still, Kocharians alliance said it would not recognize the results until alleged voting irregularities were addressed.

The former president reiterated his claims on June 22 and said that his bloc will challenge the election results before the Constitutional Court.

At a press conference in Yerevan, Kocharian said his bloc will nonetheless accept its mandates and participate in the new legislature.



"Parliamentary levers will enable us to work much more actively in other directions," he said. Kocharian added that he does not expect to take a mandate himself, saying "I am a man of the executive branch."

The EU mission to Armenia said in a statement on June 22 that any complaints or appeals regarding the electoral process should be addressed thoroughly and expeditiously using the appropriate procedures as foreseen in the legal framework of Armenia.

It also called on all political forces to now work together in order to effectively tackle the challenges Armenia is confronted with, in the interest of the Armenian citizens.

Earlier, the U.S. State Department welcomed the overall positive assessment by the OSCEs election observation mission, and urged all parties to respect the rule of law and democratic principles.

Armenians of all political forces should respect the election results once certified, employ the legal election grievance process to address issues of concern, and avoid political retaliation, spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

The Central Election Commission said nearly half of eligible voters had cast their ballots. Its head, Tigran Mukuchian, said the election "on the whole" was conducted in line with local rules and regulations.

Addressing thousands of supporters in Yerevan late on June 21, Pashinian said the political crisis in the country was over and called for unity.

Acknowledging "some aggressive rhetoric" during the campaign, he urged "all participants in the political process in Armenia to...put an end to acrimony.

Kocharian, however, told journalists that if Pashinian continues in the same styleI have not doubts that Armenia will face yet another early election, and it will not take very long.

Opinion polls before the election showed the contest to be mainly a neck-and-neck race between Pashinian's party and Kocharian's newly created alliance, with each at around 24 percent support.

The election was held against the backdrop of already flaring tensions following a monthslong political crisis fueled by the defeat of Armenian forces against Azerbaijan in a six-week war last fall over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinian, who stepped down as required by law to allow the election to take place but remains the country's leader, called the early election in response to sustained opposition rallies and dissent within the state over his handling of the war that ended with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire in November 2020.

The fragile peace deal restored Baku's sovereignty over a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts that had been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since a war in the early 1990s. The defeat stunned Armenians and prompted months of recriminations.

During the election campaign, emotionally charged threats and insults raised concerns of postelection violence, especially in the event of allegations that the result is rigged or otherwise challenged. More than a dozen opposition candidates and activists were detained during the campaign, accused of bullying or bribing voters.

On the eve of the election, the largely ceremonial President Armen Sarkisian urged his compatriots to remain peaceful, saying it would be unacceptable that "political and moral boundaries are crossed, that the situation escalates and hatred and enmity are fomented."
The European Union says seven non-aligned European states have agreed to deny permission to any aircraft operated by Belarusian air carriers to land in, take off from, or overfly their territories following Minsk's forced diversion of a passenger flight last month that allowed for the arrest of a dissident journalist.



EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on June 21 that four EU candidate countries in the Western Balkans -- Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia -- along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway will "align themselves" with a June 4 decision by the 27-member states to strengthen the bloc's existing restrictive measures against Belarus by introducing a ban on Belarusian carriers from overflying EU airspaces and from accessing to EU airports.



"They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision. The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it," Borrell said.



On May 23, Belarusian authorities scrambled a military jet to direct a Ryanair flight over its airspace to land in Minsk in what many countries regard as a "state hijacking." After the plane landed, law enforcement immediately arrested opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend.



Borrells announcement came on the same day as the EU, the United States, Britain, and Canada slapped a fresh round of coordinated sanctions on Belarus in response to the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka's mounting repression against the political opposition and the free media.

The sanctions included asset freezes and visa bans imposed against dozens of officials, lawmakers, and ministers from Lukashenka's administration and his family members, as well as Belarusian entities.



EU foreign ministers agreed to sanction key sectors of the Belarusian economy and major revenue sources for the regime: potash fertilizer exports, the tobacco industry, petroleum, and petrochemical products.



Minsk said on June 22 that the sanctions would negatively impact the interests of Belarusian citizens and warned that it would be forced to take reciprocal measures.



The EU "continues purposeful destructive actions against the population in order, allegedly, to 'dry up the regime financially.' In fact, this borders on a declaration of economic war," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said.



Borrell has said that the economic sanctions should be confirmed after a summit of the bloc's leaders in Brussels later this week.



Previous rounds of Western sanctions also hit individual institutions and Lukashenka's inner circle over the brutal crackdown on the opposition by the Belarusian authorities in the wake of a disputed election last August.



The EU, the United States, and other countries refuse to recognize the official results of last summers election and do not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Belarusian Service
A father and son are holed up in the Swedish Embassy in Minsk, where they took refuge in September 2020 from Belarusian security forces after joining pro-democracy protests. The Swedish authorities say the two men cannot claim political asylum at the embassy, but have not taken any steps to remove them from the building. Both men face up to six years in prison in Belarus.
The girlfriend of a Chechen woman who was taken to her native Chechnya by force after police in neighboring Daghestan raided a shelter for victims of domestic violence earlier this month has asked Russian lawmaker Oksana Pushkina to investigate the situation.

Anna Manylova said in a video statement issued on Instagram late on June 21 that she is ready to provide Pushkina with all of the necessary evidence proving that her girlfriend, Khalima Taramova, is being held in Chechnya against her will.

The 22-year-old Taramova fled Chechnya and settled in neighboring Daghestan in early June. She said at the time in a video statement that she left home "to avoid constant beatings and humiliation."

Russia's LGBT network said Taramova sought refuge as she was subjected to intimidation because of her sexual orientation.

In turn, Chechen officials have accused human rights activists in Daghestan of attempting to kidnap Taramova, who is the daughter of Ayub Taramov -- a former top official in Chechnya and a close associate of the authoritarian Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov.

WATCH: Disturbing Video Shows Police Seizing Chechen Woman From Shelter

Chechen authorities have stated that Taramova's current situation is "good."

"I ask you not to trust Chechen media and local human rights officials and I ask you to conduct your own investigation, to meet Khalimat personally, so that she understands that after speaking to you she will be safe," Manylova said in her June 21 video statement addressed to Pushkina.

Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya since 2007, is frequently accused by Russian and international watchdogs of overseeing grave rights abuses that include abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

Chechnya was the site of a so-called "gay purge" in 2017 in which dozens of homosexual men say they were abducted and tortured by Chechen authorities.
The director of Chechnyas state television has issued death threats against the enemies of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.



Chingiz Akhmadov, head of the Grozny State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, said in an Instagram video on June 21 that he stands with Ramzan Kadyrov.



If someone needs to be killed, someone who deserves death, then we will kill. If it is necessary to say a word, then we will say the word, he said.



Akhmadov said any "enemy of Ramzan Kadyrov is the enemy of the Chechen people," and personally his enemy.



Under Kadyrov, Chechnya's security services are notorious for carrying out human rights abuses against political opponents, including torture, abduction, and extrajudicial killings.



Kadyrov, who on numerous occasions has threatened to kill or jail his critics, has previously declared that death threats and intimidation are a part of Chechen ethics.
Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi has said the rapid expansion of the COVID-19 vaccination program will be among his government's top priorities in order to get the country's economy moving again.



"The quickest general vaccinationwill be among our immediate programs from the first day of the government," Raisi said in nationally televised live remarks from the northeastern city of Mashhad on June 22.



Raisi said the program will use both domestically and foreign-produced vaccines "so that people will feel at ease and the economy will flourish."



Iran is producing three vaccines domestically, including Russias Sputnik V and a new vaccine being developed jointly with Cuba.

Additionally, this week Iranians began receiving shots of the COVIran Barakat vaccine, which was developed by an Iranian state corporation. Iranian state media said more than one million doses of Barakat have already been produced.



The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 82,000 people in Iran, with over 3 million infected, according to official figures widely seen as understating the toll.



The government of outgoing President Hassan Rohani has been criticized for being slow to roll out vaccines and has said its efforts were hampered by purchasing difficulties caused by U.S. sanctions.



Raisi, who was elected president on June 19, will take office in August.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Press TV
The Iranian leadership has a problem: a record number of voters -- more than half of them -- turned their back on the presidential election by not taking part in the vote.

Official turnout in the June 18 election was 48.8 percent, the lowest ever registered in the Islamic republic, which was established in 1979. In the capital, Tehran, only 26 percent of registered voters decided to participate.

By comparison, the turnout in the last two presidential elections -- in 2013 and 2017 -- was about 73 percent, while in 2009 nearly 85 percent of voters cast their ballots, according to official Interior Ministry statistics.

Low Turnout, Most Invalid Votes

The number of spoiled ballots in last week's presidential vote was 3.7 million -- or about 12 percent of the total. That suggests that many people cast protest votes despite a fatwa by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banning blank votes "if they result in the weakening of the Islamic establishment." In previous elections, an average of about 2 percent of the votes were invalid.

Analysts say the message is loud and clear: Iranians have signaled their discontent to their leaders through an unprecedented election boycott.

"The historically low voter turnout plus the over 3 million void votes has been first and foremost a resounding rejection of the entire establishment -- hard-line or moderate -- by a majority of Iranians," Ali Fathollah-Nejad, a scholar affiliated with the Free University of Berlin, told RFE/RL.

Many had said they would boycott the vote to protest the highly restricted choice of candidates. Others were unhappy with a deteriorating economy that has been crushed by U.S. sanctions and years of mismanagement, as well as state repression that includes the brutal 2019 crackdown on anti-establishment protests. Still others cite the unfulfilled promises by politicians to bring change.

Hard-line cleric and judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi received 62 percent of the vote in the June 18 election, in which only seven men, including two unknown moderates, were allowed to run. Three candidates dropped out of the race a day before the vote.

A Quasi-Referendum

"The real winner has been the boycott campaign that wanted to strip the Islamic republic of its ability to leverage voter turnout as proof of its legitimacy, especially to the outside world," Fathollah-Nejad added. "What it got instead is a quasi-referendum against it."

In Tehran, analyst Abbas Abdi said the spoiled ballots should not be counted as part of the vote, which he said would bring the turnout to around 43 percent. He suggested that a segment of those who cast invalid ballots were people who wanted to vote in the city-council elections held the same day as the presidential vote, but refused to vote for one of the four men running for president.

"Some [ in this group] voted correctly and wrote the name of one of the four [presidential candidates]. Some voted blank or wrote irrelevant names or phrases on the ballot...and threw it in the ballot box, and some put it in their pockets or tore it up," he said.

Writing in the daily Hamshahri, sociologist Taghi Azad Armaki suggested that among those who cast invalid votes were people who still believe in voting but felt none of the candidates could represent them. "These citizens actually want a new candidate. They have practically crossed the reformist-fundamentalist dichotomy with invalid votes," he wrote.

A Defeat For Reformists

The low turnout is widely seen as a defeat for those reformists who attempted to gather support for the only moderate candidate in the race, banker Abdolnaser Hemmati, who came in third with only 2.4 million votes. Those reformers called on Iranians to vote to preserve "the republican element" of Iran's political system.

But as Tehran-based professor Sadegh Zibakalam noted, people turned their back on the reformists, who are seen as having failed to bring meaningful change to the country. "It's not the government that took the message that the people are no longer with you, the reformists also took the message that people are no longer with you," Zibakalam said at an online discussion organized by the Atlantic Council on June 20.

Khamenei turned a blind eye to the dismal turnout, praising what he described as the "enthusiastic and epic" people's presence in the vote, while President-elect Raisi, whose path to the presidency was paved by the strict vetting of prominent moderates, said his win was "epic" and that Iranians had made an "extensive and meaningful" presence in the vote despite the deadly coronavirus pandemic and the "enemy's psychological warfare."

Cause For Alarm

Many warned that growing disillusionment and hopelessness was a cause for alarm and a potential recipe for future instability if the authorities fail to respond to the people's grievances.

Former reformist President Mohammad Khatami said the low turnout and the high percentage of invalid votes was "a sign of people's frustration and despair and their distance from the establishment that should alarm everyone."

Khatami, who voted in the presidential election, said he bowed to all those who boycotted the vote because of "the feeling of insult to their intelligence and their rights" or due to a lack of hope for any improvement in society.

The conservative daily Jomhuri Eslami called for action from the government. "The Islamic establishment must act in order not to lose the support of the people," it said, and that those who believe in the system cannot be indifferent to "the bitter reality."

The lowest turnout in a presidential election follows a record low turnout in the parliamentary elections held last year. There was also a high number of invalid ballots cast and another low turnout for the Tehran-city council elections, with the number of spoiled votes almost equaling the number garnered by the top candidate in the race.
On the night of June 21, Ukrainians gathered to celebrate Ivan Kupala Night in Khortytsya, an important historical site on the Dnieper River. The festival marks the summer solstice -- the longest day and shortest night of the year -- and draws on ancient pagan and Slavic traditions. Participants danced, decorated trees, placed wreaths on the water, and created effigies of Slavic gods. Throughout Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, the holiday is often celebrated on the night of July 6, in keeping with the old Julian calendar.
NUR-SULTAN -- A court in Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, has sentenced an activist to 18 months in a minimum security prison for having ties with the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement amid an ongoing crackdown on individuals supporting the opposition group and its associate, the Koshe (Street) party.

Before handing down the sentence to 44-year-old Asqar Qaiyrbek on June 21, the court said it had found him guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist group and for taking part in such activities.

Qaiyrbek's lawyer, Gulshat Duisenova, told RFE/RL on June 22 that her client rejected the charges and will appeal the court decision.

Several activists across the Central Asian nation have been handed lengthy prison terms or parole-like "freedom limitation" sentences in recent years for their involvement in the activities of DVK and the Koshe Party, as well as for taking part in the rallies organized by the two groups.

Meanwhile, seven activists in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, have been on hunger strike since June 20 to demand the cancellation of a court decision to ban Koshe.

DVK is led by Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstans BTA Bank and outspoken critic of the Kazakh government. Kazakh authorities labeled DVK extremist and banned the group in March 2018.

Human rights groups have said Kazakhstans law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies and envisions prosecution for organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies even though the nations constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
MINSK -- The prosecution has asked a Belarusian court to sentence Viktar Babaryka, a former Belarusian banker whose bid to challenge authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka in last years disputed election was halted by his arrest, to 15 years in prison on corruption charges he says are politically motivated.

Prosecutor Syarhey Hirhel on June 22 asked the court to convict Babaryka on charges of bribe taking and money laundering.

Hirhel also asked Judge Ihar Lyubavitski to sentence seven co-defendants in the case to prison terms between three years and six years.

Babaryka, a former senior manager at the Russian-owned Belgazprombank, was arrested in June 2020 after he announced his intention to run for president.

Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country's legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.

Three days before the arrest, Belarusian authorities took control of the bank and detained several top executives on charges of tax evasion and money laundering.

Babaryka has rejected the charges saying they were invented by authorities because of his political activities.

The trial is being held in the premises of the Moscow district court in Minsk by judges from the country's Supreme Court, a move that has been criticized by Babaryka and his defense team, who said that would deny them any chance of appeal in case of a guilty verdict.

Lukashenka was declared the victor of the August 2020 election, triggering protests by tens of thousands of Belarusians who say the vote was rigged. The demonstrations lasted for months as Belarusians demanded Lukashenka, in power since 1994, step down.

Security officials have cracked down hard on the demonstrators, arresting thousands and pushing most leading opposition figures out of the country.

Several protesters have been killed in the violence and rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used against some of those detained.

Lukashenka denies voter fraud and has refused to negotiate with the opposition led by Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who supporters say actually won the August election.

The European Union, United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka, 66, as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have slapped him and senior Belarusian officials with sanctions in response to the falsification of the vote and postelection crackdown.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Russia to pay almost two million euros ($2.4 million) to the relatives of 11 people who went missing in Chechnya in 2005 during a special operation by the Vostok (East) military unit.



The ECHR ruled on June 22 that Russia violated several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to life, when, according to witnesses, the military unit in question killed an elderly man in the town of Borozdinovskaya in Chechnya in October 2005 and abducted 11 local residents, mainly ethnic Avars, whose whereabouts have been unknown since then.



The majority of the Vostok unit's members were ethnic Chechens.



Commanders of the Vostok unit have rejected all the accusations, while Russia has investigated the situation separately.



In October 2005, a commander of the unit, Mukhadi Aziyev, was handed a suspended sentence after a court found him guilty of abuse of power.



Kremlin critics say Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned a blind eye to the alleged abuses and violations of the Russian Constitution by Chechnya's authoritarian ruler Ramzan Kadyrov because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya, the site of two devastating post-Soviet wars and an Islamist insurgency that spread to other mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus.



Rights groups say Kadyrov uses repressive measures and has created a climate of impunity for security forces in the region.



They allege he is ultimately responsible for the violence and intimidation of political opponents by Chechen authorities, including kidnappings, forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.



ECHR rulings are binding on members, including Russia, which ratified the European Convention on Human Rights in 1998, and is one of 47 member states in the Council of Europe, which monitors compliance with the convention.



But Russia has often taken issue with rulings against it, and in 2015 adopted a law allowing it to overrule judgements from the ECHR.
The government of Russia's Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk has lifted the state of emergency in the Arctic city of Norilsk that was imposed in late May last year following a massive diesel spill.



The regional government's press service said on June 22 that the decision was made after "three major phases on the localization and liquidation of the spill were completed."



"Work continues on processing the contaminated soil and sorbent agents and the restoration of lands and water bodies in the area," the statement said.



In May 2020, more than 21,000 tons of diesel leaked into the environment from a tank of a thermal power plant that belongs to a subsidiary of Russian metallurgical giant Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel), owned by Russia's richest man, Vladimir Potanin.

The spill sparked an outcry and led to Norilsk Mayor Rinat Akhmetchin being fired and sentenced to six months of correctional work for negligence in October.



In the wake of the disaster, President Vladimir Putin ordered a state of emergency after the extent of the spill became known.



In March this year, Nornickel said it had fully paid off more than 146 billion rubles (almost $2 billion) in damages for the spill.

Also in March, the chief of Russia's Federal Penitentiary System (FSIN), Aleksandr Kalashnikov, said convicts may be used to help clean the contaminated zone near Norilsk.



The use of inmate labor in major state projects used to be a regular practice in the former Soviet Union.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax
Russian President Vladimir Putin has marked the 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the U.S.S.R. by hailing the sacrifices made by the Soviets during the war while claiming that European security has been "dramatically degraded" amid "escalating tensions."



Russia's relations with the West have been at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War after Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014.



Russia, the successor state of the U.S.S.R., has also been anxious about NATO's expansion eastward after the collapse of the communist system in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s, considering it a threat to its security.



"The day of June 22 continues to raise indignation and sorrow in the hearts of all generations, causing pain for the destroyed fates of millions of people, because what they went through in those terrible years was literally imprinted in our memories," Putin said after laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin wall.



Despite having signed a nonaggression pact with Moscow, Nazi Germany launched a surprise attack against the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.

Over the next four years, the U.S.S.R., in alliance with the Western powers, managed to repel the Germans and eventually emerge victorious in World War II despite losing 27 million people during the whole conflict.



"Russia supports the idea of reviving a full-fledged partnership with Europe... The whole system of European security has dramatically degraded. Tension is being escalated, the risks of a new arms race are becoming real," Putin said.



Putin also reiterated his previous statements, saying that his country "will never allow the distortion of the truth" about the World War II.



In recent years, Putin frequently accused European countries of what he called the diminishing of the role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the stressing of atrocities committed by Soviet forces, like the mass murder of Polish officers in the Katyn Forest in 1940 or the mass rapes of German women.



In an article published on June 22 in the German weekly Die Zeit, Putin emphasized that "despite attempts to rewrite the pages of the past that are being made today, the truth is that Soviet soldiers came to Germany not to take revenge on the Germans, but with a noble and great mission of liberation."



Western historians say the 1939 nonaggression pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany facilitated the outbreak of World War II, which Russian officials vehemently disagree with.



In 2019, the world commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet nonaggression agreement known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact whose secret protocol allowed the division of Central and Eastern Europe between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.



After the Nazis triggered World War II by invading Poland on September 1, 1939, the Soviets occupied the eastern part of the country, eventually massacring more than 20,000 Polish officers that they had taken prisoner at Katyn.



The Nazis ultimately betrayed the pact with their surprise invasion of the Soviet Union 80 years ago.



German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Putin on June 22 to "express empathy with the unmeasurable woes and suffering brought by the war that was launched by the Nazi regime," the Kremlin said.



"Both parties underlined the importance of preserving the historic memory of those tragic events" and noted that "overcoming mutual enmity and reconciliation of the Russian and German peoples had key importance for the destinies of postwar Europe," the Kremlin added.



"It was emphasized that preserving security on the continent now is also possible only through joint efforts."

With reporting by AP, TASS, and Interfax
DUSHANBE -- An imam at a Dushanbe mosque, who was arrested in April on extremism charges after he called a late Islamic cleric "one of the great leaders of the country," has been released from custody.

A police official in the city of Vahdat near Dushanbe told RFE/RL on June 21 that Abdulhaq Obidov (aka Makhsumi Abdulhaq) had been released. Two men arrested along with the cleric, Aziz Turkov and Ahmadkhoja Tabarov, were also let go.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to journalists, Obidov was relieved of his imam duties. It was not clear whether the charges against Obidov were dropped.

Tajik authorities said in April that Obidov was arrested on suspicion of being a follower of the Salafi branch of Islam that is labeled as extremist and banned in the Central Asian nation.

Media reports at the time said that Obidov was detained several days after delivering a speech at the burial ceremony of a well-known Islamic cleric, Domullo Hikmatullo Tojikobodi. During the speech, he called Tojikobodi a great leader of Tajikistan, which some authorities considered to be a direct questioning of the official title of authoritarian President Emomali Rahmon, who, in accordance with a 2016 law, is officially known as the Leader of the Nation.

The State Committee on Religious Issues, Traditions, and Rites rejected the media reports at the time, saying that Obidov's arrest had nothing to do with his speech at the funeral and called on media "to stay away from distributing rumors."

Rahmon, who has ruled Tajikistan since 1992, also enjoys special powers following a May 2016 referendum, including the right to seek as many terms in office as he wants.

Rahmon has been criticized by international human rights groups for years over his disregard for religious freedoms, civil society, and political pluralism in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic.
The Coca-Cola Company was aware of potential legal challenges when Uzbekistan's government seized control of a successful bottling venture from U.S. citizens nearly 20 years ago, an RFE/RL investigation has found, raising renewed questions as the Central Asian state now moves to sell control of the venture. The findings, documented in e-mails, memos, and other materials, some of which have never been made public, add fresh uncertainty to what Uzbekistan has hoped would be one of its biggest, most lucrative, and highest-profile investment auctions in years. Expected to be valued at tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars, the Coca-Cola bottling venture controls almost half of the soft-drinks market in the country of 34 million people. Beyond bringing an infusion of cash into state coffers, the sale of the government's stake could bolster Uzbekistan's international campaign to trade the reputation of a corrupt investment backwater for the image of a lucrative emerging market. The sale of the Coke stake had already attracted some suspicion: Just a few weeks after the government publicly invited potential buyers to submit bids, in December 2020, the country's anti-corruption agency released -- and then quickly withdrew -- a statement claiming that the process was flawed and calling for its suspension. A short list of final bidders includes a company that is connected to a son-in-law of President Shavkat Mirziyoev. The RFE/RL investigation pulls back the curtain on the company's history in Uzbekistan, revealing details of a two-decade-old struggle that has involved the now-jailed elder daughter of Mirziyoev's autocratic predecessor, Islam Karimov; a powerful Washington lobbying firm; U.S. lawmakers; and a tenacious Uzbek-American family that has long argued the Uzbek government stole its stake, which it says was worth more than $300 million. E-mails and other memos obtained by RFE/RL show that Coke executives were aware that the transactions in the early 2000s, in which the Uzbek government acquired the stake once held by the New Jersey-based Maqsudi family, could be vulnerable to legal challenge. And later, when the government moved to resell that stake to a joint venture owned by a little-known U.S. company at what appeared to be a fire-sale price, Coke executives moved forward even as they were aware of significant red flags. That U.S. company, it later turned out, was closely linked to Karimov's elder daughter, Gulnara. "I would say that if there is no outright 'hands off' from the US government then we can proceed but we must always remember that to do so is risky and we may be faced at some time with a partner that runs into some trouble in one form or another," a regional Coca-Cola finance director warned in a May 2004 e-mail to regional executives. The addressees also included what appeared to be a top lawyer at Coca-Cola's U.S. headquarters in Atlanta. "We will have to accept that the price of operating in Uzbekistan will be continued uncertainty and considerable risk," the director wrote.

As it turned out, that risk included Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan (CCBU) being taken over and controlled -- "stolen," the Uzbek-American family that first set up the Coca-Cola joint venture alleges -- by Gulnara Karimova, whose father ran the country with an iron fist from 1991 until his death in 2016. Karimova is now sitting in a Tashkent prison and is charged, among other things, with illegally acquiring the Coca-Cola ownership at an improper discount. In the United States, Karimova has been indicted on bribery and corruption charges stemming from a separate but related effort involving telecommunications companies. She has also been hit with sanctions by the Treasury Department. The Maqsudis, the Uzbek-American family that first set up the Coca-Cola joint venture, said they planned to sue in U.S. courts or elsewhere. 'Keep Pepsi Out' In Uzbekistan, Coca-Cola's history dates back to just two years after the Soviet collapse. In 1993, the company's wholly owned subsidiary, the Coca-Cola Export Corporation, agreed to invest in a three-way joint venture to bottle and market the American soft drink and other beverages. The other two partners were the official Uzbek food-industry association Uzpischeprom and Roz Trading, a company incorporated in the tax-haven jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. Roz was owned by members of the Maqsudi family, ethnic Uzbeks with historical ties to Afghanistan. Much of the family moved to the United States in the 1970s; the father, Abdul Maqsudi, was a successful, influential businessman who stayed in Afghanistan for several years even after the 1979 Soviet invasion. Two years before the creation of the joint venture, one of the Maqsudi sons, Mansur, married Gulnara Karimova, the elder of Karimov's two daughters. Shares in the venture were initially split evenly three ways; later, Roz Trading increased its holdings to a majority 55 percent, while Coca-Cola raised its investment to 43 percent. The venture, called Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan Ltd., was successful. By 2000, it had over $100 million in annual sales and had the largest beverage bottling plant in Central Asia.

In 1996 and 1997, Mansur Maqsudi and his brother Farid were named "Bottlers of the Year," and they attended an awards dinner in their honor at Coca-Cola's U.S. headquarters in 1998. Over the course of 2001, relations between Mansur Maqsudi and Karimova spiraled downward, until July 29, when, after a series of fights between the couple, Karimova fled the United States with their two children, flying home to Tashkent. Days later, Maqsudi filed for divorce in New Jersey, where his family lived, alleging that Karimova had kidnapped their children. Uzbekistan's internal security agency began harassing Maqsudi relatives in Tashkent, as well as workers at the main Coca-Cola bottling plant, and staff at the Tashkent office of the family business. Three relatives, including Mansur's uncle, were arrested and detained. Another employee was detained later. Three top executives fled the country. Operations at CCBU's four facilities ground to a halt.

Back in the United States, the Coca-Cola Company was concerned. Janet Howard, then a senior vice president, and other company executives held a meeting with the Uzbek ambassador in Washington on August 17, 2001. The ambassador "said this commercial dispute must be separated from 'family matters,'" Howard wrote in an e-mail dated the same day, adding, "According to the ambassador, 'Farid [Maqsudi] has declared war on the Uzbek Government.'" Four months later, on December 24, 2001, Uzbek security forces detained more than two dozen Maqsudi relatives living in and around Tashkent, including women and children and an elderly grandmother. They were driven more than 15 hours to the border with Afghanistan, where they were left and told not to return. That same day, Coca-Cola's president for Eurasia and the Middle East, Ahmet Bozer, wrote an e-mail to senior Coke executives discussing "shareholder issues in Uzbekistan." "The final resolution will be a new partnership structure without the Maqsudis," Bozer wrote. "We will 're-set' government relations (this has already started)," he wrote. "This is an opportunity for us to establish strong relationships between [the Coca-Cola corporation] and the Uzbek government." Bozer also made clear one of Coke's paramount concerns: "A key priority for us is to keep Pepsi out," he wrote in the December 24 e-mail. Bozer, who years later rose to become Coca-Cola's worldwide executive vice president until his retirement in 2016, did not respond to messages from RFE/RL seeking comment.

For Coke executives, the overriding concern appeared to be not who controlled the Uzbek venture but ensuring that its operations would continue. "There's no debate the Maqsudis built a success story," Tim Lane, a retired beverage-industry executive who sat on the advisory board of CCBU, told RFE/RL. But, he said: "Coke was listening to whomever was in control. They undoubtedly needed to do what they needed to do to protect the brand, and whatever the story line was, they backed it." 'In Accordance With Applicable Law' The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, which took place about six weeks after Karimova fled for Uzbekistan, scrambled U.S. priorities for Central Asia -- and U.S. foreign policy more broadly. President George W. Bush's administration persuaded Karimov to let U.S. forces use a former military base, and the country's airspace, to support military operations in neighboring Afghanistan. Over the next nine months, Uzbek authorities continued to pressure the Coca-Cola venture, alleging fraud and theft. Uzbek courts issued a series of rulings liquidating Roz Trading's shares. The Uzbek government also forbade the venture from allowing any of its domestic revenues -- valued in Uzbek soms -- from being exported and converted into U.S. dollars. Among other things, Uzbek authorities accused Roz Trading of mismanagement and improper bookkeeping; later, the company was accused of mistreating employees. In June 2002, Coca-Cola hired the Washington lobbying firm Stonebridge International to help resolve the dispute. The lead intermediaries were Roald Sagdeev, a former scientific adviser to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and Sagdeev's then-wife, Susan Eisenhower. Payment terms included a $200,000 fee plus 2 percent for each U.S. dollar transferred out of Uzbekistan, according to the engagement letter sent to Stonebridge. "Of course, all of the efforts of Stonebridge and the Company shall be carried out fully in accordance with applicable law," the letter said. After traveling to Uzbekistan to work out a settlement with the authorities, Eisenhower forwarded a six-page internal memo dated August 6, 2002. The memo, which is a summation of the Uzbek government's allegations, shows Karimova was directly involved in the talks. "Given the international exposure and her past relationship with the New Jersey family this has become a high-level political issue, which, she recognizes, could have an impact on her father," the memo said. "Most importantly, the [Karimov] family is concerned that any help for Coca-Cola or CCBU is aiding the 'M' family," the memo said. "M" appears to refer to the Maqsudi family.

The Albright Stonebridge Group, the successor firm to Stonebridge, did not respond to multiple emails from RFE/RL. While the Stonebridge intermediaries were traveling, Coca-Cola's U.S. executives met with Uzbekistan's ambassador. On July 31, Howard, the vice president, wrote to several other U.S.- and Turkey-based company executives, saying that "there has been a breakthrough via a private channel to the family" -- a reference to the Karimov family. Howard also proposed a letter to the Karimov family indicating that Coca-Cola accepted that ''M would be replaced by a third party friendly to the Uzbek side." Deeper insight into Coca-Cola's strategy, however, came in an earlier memo from Bozer, e-mailed to several European and U.S. executives. In that memo, dated July 22, 2002, Bozer laid out various options for resolving the impasse. Bozer also wrote, however, about the government's liquidation of Roz Trading's shares: "Contrary to Uzbek law, the Uzbek Council of Ministers then awarded this 24 percent to the government agency that holds the State's 33 percent interest." An attachment that was also forwarded by Bozer explicitly states that Uzbek courts were being used as a cudgel against the Maqsudi holdings. "Uzbek courts are being used in a systematic way (often taking actions which are contrary to Uzbek law) to reduce the shareholding of the Roz Group from 55 percent in May 2001 to 0 percent in July 2002," the memo says. 'Eager To Please Ms. Karimova' Throughout 2001, 2002, and subsequent years, outside observers assumed that Gulnara Karimova was involved in the shuttering, and later the takeover, of the Coca-Cola venture. The extent of her involvement, however, only came into sharper focus years later, in court papers filed as part of lawsuits brought in U.S. federal court by the Maqsudi family.

In April 2003, the Uzbek government advised Coca-Cola that the state's share of CCBU would be privatized and turned over to another joint venture called Muzimpex. The venture's parent company, Zeromax, was a conglomerate that was originally founded in the U.S. state of Delaware in the late 1990s. Zeromax later reorganized and reincorporated itself in Switzerland, in part to avoid legal challenges by the Maqsudis. Court filings include copies of signed contracts and incorporation papers that show Karimova set up a company in the United Arab Emirates that received contracts valued at $1.75 million in 2002 and 2003 to supply raw materials to CCBU. The man principally involved in setting up that company, Revi Holdings, was Farhod Inogambaev. In an August 2007 affidavit filed as part of the Maqsudi lawsuit against Zeromax in U.S. court, Inogambaev said he was coerced into working for Karimova. He said Karimova threatened his relatives. Among other things, he said he was forced to compose false reports of tax fraud and corruption against the Maqsudis. She "knew that this takeover would advance her mission of destroying Mansur Maqsudi, his family, and his businesses. Second, she was well aware of the enormous financial value of the CCBU business and its facilities," Inogambaev said in the affidavit. "Ms. Karimova personally coordinated with top officials in the Uzbek government...to orchestrate the destruction of Roz in Uzbekistan," he stated. Inogambaev later fled Uzbekistan with the Maqsudis' help and received political asylum in the United States. Inogambaev declined to comment further when contacted by RFE/RL. Inogambaev said that in September 2002, acting on behalf of Karimova, he met with Bozer at the Intercontinental Hotel in Tashkent. "Mr. Bozer supported Ms. Karimova's effort to take over control of CCBU through one of her companies. Several times during the meeting Mr. Bozer said something like, 'we are on the same side of this dispute,'" Inogambaev said in the affidavit."Coca-Cola officials were particularly eager to please Ms. Karimova because they were concerned that she might allow Pepsi to do business in Uzbekistan," Inogambaev alleged. In an e-mail to other Coke executives, Bozer denied there were any discussions with Karimova despite multiple memos to the contrary, including one from an American who headed the Uzbek telecom company Uzdunrobita. In the May 2004 e-mail to regional executives, Rodney Stiles, the finance director for Coca-Cola's Eurasia and Middle East Group, suggested Coca-Cola faced potential future problems if it proceeded with the proposal that would end up giving Muzimpex and its parent, Zeromax, control over CCBU. "We will have to accept that the price of operating in Uzbekistan will be continued uncertainty and considerable risk," he wrote in the e-mail whose recipients included what appeared to be a top lawyer at Coca-Cola's U.S. headquarters.

Later that year, Muzimpex formally acquired the majority stake previously owned by Roz Trading from the government for $14.1 million. A 2005 audit commissioned by the Uzbek Prosecutor-General's Office asserted that theft and fraud at CCBU had cost the Uzbek government about $6 million. According to one person with direct knowledge of the audit and the investigation, the "whole process" was set up to justify the Uzbek government's seizure of Roz's shares. "There were violations at CCBU, but there wasn't any basis for seizing the assets," the person told RFE/RL, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the contents of the audit publicly. Telecoms Scandal By 2007, tensions between the Maqsudis and Karimova -- and the Uzbek government -- had devolved into trench warfare. The New Jersey court where Mansur Maqsudi's divorce from Karimova was granted had awarded Mansur custody of their two children four years earlier. An international arrest warrant had been issued for Karimova as a result of the New Jersey court ruling stemming from the divorce case and her flight to Uzbekistan with her children. That sharply limited her ability to travel internationally. The Uzbek government, meanwhile, issued a "red notice" request through the global police organization Interpol that called for the arrest of the Maqsudi brothers. In May 2008, Karimova and the Maqsudis agreed on a settlement that resulted in several Maqsudi relatives being released from Uzbek government custody, in exchange for court proceedings in the United States being dropped. Later that year, an arbitration panel in Vienna dismissed Roz Trading's legal claims against Zeromax. By 2010, the Uzbek government moved to close down Zeromax. The company was forced into bankruptcy. In 2012, meanwhile, a Swedish documentary detailed leaked documents that showed Karimova allegedly received nearly $320 million in bribes from a major international telecommunications company that sought access to the Uzbek market. Two top employees with CCBU were detained in Geneva as they were trying to withdraw money from a bank account linked to Karimova. A Russian telecommunications company, MTS, was later accused by U.S. authorities of paying bribes to Karimova; the company ultimately paid $850 million to settle the charges. In 2013, Uzbek authorities launched criminal investigations into, and then seized, Muzimpex's holdings in the Coca-Cola venture. The moves against the telecom venture and Coca-Cola holdings, meanwhile, culminated in 2014 with Karimova being charged by Uzbek prosecutors with theft, bribery, and "membership in an organized crime group" and taken into custody. In 2017, Uzbek authorities announced additional charges against Karimova, including embezzlement of state property. Among the allegedly stolen items was the 57.1 percent stake in CCBU that had been seized by the Uzbek government and then privatized in 2004. After a period under house arrest, Karimova was abruptly sent to a Tashkent women's prison, where she is believed to remain to this day. Her exact condition is unknown, a reflection of how opaque Uzbekistan's judicial system is. Her daughter has sought to publicize her plight, saying she suffers from health problems. A lawyer appointed by a Swiss court to represent her interests after Swiss authorities seized bank accounts containing hundreds of millions of dollars has been unable to visit her in prison since June 2019.

A 2016 report by the Swiss Federal Police, which investigated whether Gulnara had used Swiss banks to launder or hide illicitly obtained funds, also made the ownership of Zeromax clear. "According to Swiss legal proceedings, Zeromax is part of a company conglomerate owned by Karimova," it said. Gulnara's father, who had ruled the country since before independence in 1991, was hospitalized in late August 2016 and declared dead on September 2. Officials at Coca-Cola's corporate headquarters in Atlanta did not respond to a series of questions sent by RFE/RL in multiple e-mails. Instead, CCBU in Tashkent replied. "Coca-Cola has been refreshing Uzbek consumers for over 3 decades," spokeswoman Nazee Aripdjanova said in an e-mail. "We require the highest standards of ethics, transparency and compliance to all laws and regulations, from all our stakeholders, both in letter and spirit. We support the decision of the Uzbek Government to privatize the bottling business in the country and we are convinced that an experienced bottling partner will further bring value to the consumers, customers and communities in the country," she said. "We also recognize the key steps that the Government is taking to ensure an objective, fair and transparent privatization process, including putting together a global team of reputable institutions and confirmation of adherence to existing regulations and laws in Uzbekistan," Aripdjanova said. Lane, the former beverage executive, said that officials at Coca-Cola headquarters were likely very aware of the ongoing sale process and the fraught history. "If the history has all been cleaned up, and someone is trying to regularize the country and there's an appropriate transaction to be had and there are legitimate investors, I'm sure Coke would listen to that," Lane told RFE/RL. 'Many Reform Promises Remain Unfulfilled' Karimov's successor, Mirziyoev, has embarked on a series of reforms aimed at purging some of the vestiges of Karimov's decades in power. He has also sought to burnish the country's battered image and attract badly needed foreign investment to help modernize the economy. "The government has taken some concrete steps to improve the country's human rights record," Human Rights Watch said in a 2021 report. "Nevertheless, Uzbekistan's political system remains largely authoritarian. Many reform promises remain unfulfilled."
FREDERICKTOWN  Law enforcement officials say they have identified the individual suspected to be involved in last Thursday's police shooting in Fredericktown.

Now, they're asking for the public's assistance in locating him.

Darren L. Price, 38, of Howard, has been identified as the man who allegedly pointed a firearm out of his vehicle and toward a Fredericktown police officer, according to Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer.

This caused Patrolman Josh Jones to fire at Price, Chief Kyle Johnson said in a press release Friday, and initiate a vehicle pursuit that would ultimately be terminated near the Richland County line. The vehicle was found abandoned in Richland County approximately two hours later.

Jones has since been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy, while the Bureau of Criminal Investigation completes its investigation. Price has remained at-large, as local and state authorities have asked for the public's help in locating him.

On Tuesday, Shaffer issued a warrant for his arrest.

"Price should be considered armed and potentially dangerous. He may have altered his appearance after the incident," Shaffer said in a statement. "Anyone with information is asked to contact the dispatch center at 740-397-3333 ext. 1.

"The incident remains under investigation by the Knox County Sheriffs Office, Fredericktown Police Department, and Ohio B.C.I."

Local authorities were able to identify Price through citizen tips and private investigative tactics, Shaffer said.

"The public tips were huge," Shaffer said. "We combined that with some of the evidence we recovered, and some of the other information we got from our investigative resources  we just kind of combined that, put it all together, and it pointed us in the direction of Darren Price."

The public shared information with the sheriff's office in a variety of ways, Shaffer said.

"We had messages on the office Facebook page, we had gotten information from our crime tip line, and we had faxes sent in or relayed from dispatch that pretty much all said it looks like Darren Price, or it is Darren Price, or here's why it's Darren Price," Shaffer said.

"That kind of got us started in that direction, and the other evidence we discovered and received kind of meshed with that."

The sheriff's office issued the warrant for Price's arrest Tuesday "on probable cause that we have to back up the charges we're looking at," Shaffer said.

Those charges include fleeing and eluding and having weapons under disability.

"He's got a felony drug conviction out of another state and that is the basis for the weapons-under-disability charge," Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville said.

Price has a long criminal record locally, court documents indicate. He has accumulated four felony charges and 15 misdemeanor charges over the last 20 years.

Price pleaded guilty in 2001 to 13 counts of forgery, as well as breaking and entering, and was sentenced to 22 months in prison. He was convicted in 2004 of failure to comply with a police signal or order, a third-degree felony, and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Price has also served jail time on charges of domestic violence, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and criminal trespassing.

Price was convicted twice in May of driving under FRA suspension, the penalty issued in Ohio for drivers who demonstrate a lack of financial responsibility. He was scheduled to have a pay-plan hearing on July 14 in Mount Vernon Municipal Court.

Last Thursday's incident began as a traffic stop, Johnson said. Jones pulled Price over for a registration violation, as his license plate did not match the maroon Pontiac sedan he was driving.

When Jones approached the vehicle, Price allegedly pulled a gun on Jones, pointing it out of his driver's-side window.

It's still unclear if Price fired his weapon, although Johnson said Jones fired his duty-issued sidearm as a result. While Jones was not injured during the altercation, Price's medical status is unknown.

Knox Pages has requested from BCI copies of any footage of last Thursday's incident, including body-worn camera and dashboard camera recordings. The website has also filed a public-records request with the Fredericktown Police Department for Jones' personnel file. Those requests remained unfulfilled as of Tuesday.

Last Thursday's incident in Fredericktown marked Knox County's first officer-involved shooting since 2014, McConville said. Johnson thanked the public for its assistance in the case so far.

"We can't thank the public enough for the tips that they've provided in this case," Johnson said. "The tips we received from the public were extremely helpful."

Now, the search for Price continues. While Shaffer said his detectives checked Price's listed address Monday (on Stull Road) and "have been monitoring certain locations for him since the event actually happened," his location remains a mystery.

Detectives have not established a specific search radius at this time, Shaffer said.

"Once again, we are looking for the public to give assistance as to where he may be staying or hiding out at ..." Shaffer said. "I would say it's fairly wide open."
NORWALK -- A West Salem man was one of two individuals to suffer incapacitating injuries after a two-vehicle crash Monday morning in Townsend Township, according to the Norwalk Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Todd McConnell, 48, of West Salem, and William Atkinson, 45, of Goodwater, Alabama, were both transported from the scene to Fisher Titus Hospital with incapacitating injuries, the Patrol stated.

The incident took place at 7:57 a.m. on State Route 18 at State Route 601 in Huron County.

The Patrol report states Atkinson was driving a 2020 Kenworth Semi-Truck and Trailer northbound on Greenwich Milan Townline Road. McConnell was driving a 2003 International Semi-Truck and Trailer eastbound on State Route 18.

Atkinson failed to yield from a stop sign and was struck in the trailer by McConnell, the Patrol reported. Atkinsons truck and trailer turned over onto its right side in the intersection spilling its load of Lime. Mr. McConnell came to rest in the middle of the intersection.

Both drivers were wearing their seat belts. Wilcox Towing and Interstate Towing responded to remove the semi-trucks.

Alcohol and drug usage is not a factor in the crash. State Route 18 and State Route 601 were closed for several hours after the crash.

Assisting on scene were Huron County Sheriffs Office, Townsend Township Fire Department, Norwalk Fire Department, Citizens EMS, North Central EMS, Ohio Department of Transportation, Huron County EMA, Wilcox Towing and Interstate Towing.
Contributed photo

Kentucky River Foothills believes that communities must work together - in partnership - to enable all persons to live with dignity, responsibility and opportunity. To support this vision, the agency offers a myriad of services that promote stability and independence throughout the life cycle. The agency's core service area is Clark, Estill, Madison, and Powell Counties.
Written By

Joe Schulz served as the reporter of the Green Laker in 2019 and 2020, before being hired as a reporter for the Commonwealth in October 2020. He is from Oshkosh and graduated from UW-Oshkosh in December with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

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What Does the Future Hold for Convoy?

We delved deep into the infrastructure plans for the neighborhood (and found out when we'll start seeing changes)
SANFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT

Theft of and damage to a 2010 gray Honda Civic reported at 3:52 p.m. Sunday in the 2300 block of East Buchanan Street.

Charles Cameron Cole, 27, of the 1500 block of Columbine Road, Sanford, was arrested at 3:43 a.m. Sunday at his residence on misdemeanor charges of communicating threats and cyberstalking.

Joseph David Lesley, 19, of McColl, South Carolina, was arrested at 12:45 a.m. Sunday in the 3000 block of South Horner Boulevard on a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon.

Damage to vehicle reported at 11:35 a.m. Sunday in the 700 block of Harkey Road.

Counterfeit $20 bill reported at 5:20 p.m. Saturday at Taco Bell, 1910 S. Horner Blvd.

Cara Elizabeth Martin, 18, of the 200 block of Holly Hills Road, Cameron, was arrested at 4:36 p.m. Saturday in the 3000 block of South Horner Boulevard oon misdemeanor charges of hit and run involving property damage and a safe movement violation.

Roshaan Joseph Knight, 54, of the 300 block of North Horner Boulevard, was arrested at 2:19 p.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of South Horner Boulevard on misdemeanor charges of second-degree trespassing and making harassing phone calls.

Melissa Mae French, 40, of the 400 block of Price Street, was cited at 9:51 a.m. Sunday at her residence on misdemeanor charges of simple assault.

Aaron Rodney Cotten II, 45, of Alder Lane Sanford, was arrested at 8:22 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Cool Springs and Boone Trail, Sanford, on a misdemeanor charge of failing to appear in court.

Cash obtained by false pretense reported at 7:23 p.m. Friday in the 3000 block of South Horner Boulevard.

LEE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

Mathew James Thomas, 32, of the 4600 block of Edwards Road, Sanford, was booked into the Lee CountyJail at 9:06 a.m. Saturday on charges of failing to appear in court.

Jonathan Matthew Porter, 30, of West Side Drive, Cameron, was booked into the Lee County Jail at 4:52 p.m. Saturday on charges of failing to appear in court and resisting an officer.

Kenneth Roshaw Barrett, 30, of the 100 block of Chowning Drive, Sanford, was booked into the Lee County Jail at 2:49 p.m. Sunday on charges of larceny from the person, two misdemeanors to include larceny and assault on a female and failing to appear in court.

Fernando Luis Moreno, 27, of the 100 block of Thornwood Drive, was booked into the Lee County Jail at 2:10 p.m. Friday on a parole violation.

HARNETT COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

Dustin Lee Atkins, 35, of McDuffie Road, Cameron, was arrested Sunday on charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, simple assault, common law forcible trespass, injury to personal property, assault on a female, breaking and entering a motor vehicle, possessing stolen property.
Maureen VanBuren Memorial Scholarship Winners with the VanBuren Family, from left, John A. Rieger (President, Board of Cooperative Education), Bernice and Ronald VanBuren, Lucia Cucinella (awardee), Justin Garfolo (awardee), James Dexter (District Superintendent of Schools, WSWHE BOCES). Missing in the photo are student winners Grace Valla and Matthew Randles.
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The SpaceX drone ship, Of Course, I Still Love You (OCISLY), has arrived in the Panama Canal. It reached its destination ten days and one unforeseen detour after departing Port Canaveral, Florida, for what could be the last time ever.

In his Twitter account, Gavin Cornwell of SpaceXFleet said that the 5000-mile (8000-km) journey began almost precisely on June 10th. The drone ship OCISLY was towed to the Bahamas - an unexpected turn of events.

Unlike its twin, the drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI), which did the same journey in reverse roughly a year and a half ago, OCISLY was placed onto the deck of the Mighty Servant 1, a massive semi-submersible transport ship (MS1). A SpaceX drone ship, while still massive, is a featherweight load in comparison to the ships and oil and gas equipment that often weigh tens of thousands of tons.

MS1  carrying drone ship OCISLY  rushed to the Panama Canal's Atlantic harbor in just five days, practically averaging its top speed with a load, despite several days spent waiting in the Bahamas.

OCISLY West Coast voyage progress as of June 20th.



Waiting to transit the Panama Canal! pic.twitter.com/SD8jMocD8q  Gavin Cornwell  (@SpaceXFleet) June 20, 2021

ALSO READ: SpaceX Falcon 9 First Stage Successfully Lands on 'Just Read the Instruction' Drone Ship [LOOK]





When Exactly Did SpaceX Ship OCISLY?

MS1 and OCISLY have just been waiting their time, one in a queue of about 70 other huge ships, since their June 20th arrival just outside the canal's protected harbor. It is unclear how long the SpaceX drone ship will have to wait to pass through the canal and begin the final leg of its journey to the Port of Long Beach, California.

The Panama Canal Authority needs special approval to (slightly) exceed its standard size limitations due to the huge proportions of MS1's droneship cargo. The narrow margin of error for this specific transit  only a few feet (one meter) between OCISLY and the canal walls  may necessitate extra caution and a longer route than usual. In other words, SpaceX could have to wait days for a unique window, or its transit window could have already been arranged within a day or two of its arrival, thanks to its one-time wide-load transit authorization.

The second option is more feasible, and Mighty Servant 1 might arrive in the Pacific Ocean as soon as Wednesday or Thursday. As of Monday, last-minute transit slots were still available for Friday, June 25th, showing that the Panama Canal is not extremely congested. Spaceflight Photojournalist Pauline Acalin shared a photo on her Twitter account and claimed that Long Beach, CA, will soon be welcoming SpaceX's OCISLY.

Long Beach CA will soon be welcoming SpaceXs OCISLY, currently making her journey from Cape Canaveral FL. No activity here at Pier T as of yesterday, but ohhhhh there will be. pic.twitter.com/6srBjFIwpR  Pauline Acalin (@w00ki33) June 20, 2021

MS1 and OCISLY will have roughly 3300 miles (5300 km) to go to Port of Long Beach, the drone ship's new home, once they complete their passage and reach the Pacific. If Mighty Servant 1 maintains its outstanding average speed on the final part of its journey, the trek from Panama City to Los Angeles might be completed in under ten days, with an arrival in the first few days of July. After that, SpaceX would have several weeks to inspect the drone ship and prepare it for its maiden West Coast booster retrieval.

RELATED ARTICLE: SpaceX to Reuse Dragon Spacecraft Fleet After Rocket Booster from NASA Crew-1 'Leaned'

Check out more news and information on SpaceX on Science Times.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un solemnly swore to navigate his country out of deepening economic troubles as he concluded a major ruling party meeting, acknowledging food shortages and urging officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation with the U.S.

North Koreas state media released Kims comments shortly before President Joe Bidens special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, arrived in South Korea on Saturday for talks over stalled nuclear diplomacy with the North.

Kim Jong Un had presided over a four-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers Partys Central Committee, which he summoned to discuss efforts to salvage a dismal economy, hurt by years of mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions that were made worse by pandemic border closures.

As he closed the meetings on Friday, Kim solemnly swore on behalf of the Central Committee that the party will surely break through head-on the difficulties lying in the way of the revolution, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

Kim earlier ordered his government to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation with the United States, which has been urging the North to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions and return to talks.

Kim has threatened to bolster his nuclear deterrent and says the fate of diplomacy and bilateral relations depends on whether Washington abandons what he calls hostile policies.

Kim opened the Central Committee plenary on Tuesday by warning of potential food shortages, urging officials to find ways to boost agricultural production because the situation is now getting tense. He said the country should brace for extended COVID-19 restrictions, suggesting it would extend border closures and other steps despite the stress on its economy.

The economic setbacks have left Kim with nothing to show for his ambitious summitry with former President Donald Trump, which derailed over disagreements in exchanging the lifting of sanctions with the Norths denuclearization steps.

U.S. officials have suggested President Joe Biden would adopt a middle ground policy between his predecessors  Trumps direct dealings with Kim and Barack Obamas strategic patience. But some experts say Washington wont likely provide the North with meaningful sanctions relief unless it takes concrete denuclearization steps first.

During his stay in South Korea, Sung Kim will meet with South Korean senior diplomats and participate in a trilateral meeting that includes Japanese nuclear envoy Takehiro Funakoshi on Monday. His travel emphasizes the importance of three-way cooperation in working toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. State Department said.
Philip Morris International is moving its corporate headquarters from New York to Connecticut.

The company said Tuesday that the relocation will bring about 200 new jobs to Connecticut. The new office will include employees on the Americas teams and members of other corporate functions. Its operations center will stay in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Philip Morris split off from Altria years ago. The breakup gave it more leeway to pursue sales growth in emerging markets. Philip Morris has handled international sales for Marlboro cigarettes and has churned out new Marlboro-branded products catering to local tastes in Asia, Europe, Latin America and other regions.

But like many companies dealing with declining cigarette sales, it has been investing in alternatives. This includes a heat-not-burn cigarette option, iQOS.

Philip Morris' new headquarters are expected to be running by the summer of 2022.
LONDON (AP)  European Union regulators have launched a fresh antitrust investigation of Google, this time over whether the U.S. tech giant is stifling competition in digital advertising technology.

The European Commission said Tuesday that it has opened a formal investigation into whether Google violated the bloc's competition rules by favoring its own online display advertising technology services at the expense of rival publishers, advertisers and advertising technology services.

The investigation underscores European concerns about Google's dominance in the online advertising industry and whether it's exploiting its data advantage to cement its position in the display ad market, which the EU Commission estimates is worth 20 billion euros ($24 billion) annually. This month, France's antitrust authority fined Google more than 220 million euros for abusing its dominance in online ads while in the U.K. it gave the competition watchdog a role overseeing its retirement of ad tracking cookies from the Chrome browser to resolve an investigation.

Online display ads are the banners and text that show up on websites such as newspaper home pages and are personalized based on an internet user's browsing history. Search ads, in contrast, appear alongside search engine results and are based on keywords that users are looking for.

The commission, the EUs executive arm and the blocs top antitrust enforcer, signaled it's looking in particular at YouTube and whether Google is using the video sharing site's dominant position to favor its own ad-buying services by imposing restrictions on rivals.

Google said competition in online ads has made them more affordable and relevant, cut fees and and expanded options for publishers and advertisers.

Thousands of European businesses use our advertising products to reach new customers and fund their websites every single day," Google said in a prepared statement. They choose them because theyre competitive and effective. We will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission to answer their questions and demonstrate the benefits of our products to European businesses and consumers.

The investigation signals a renewed effort by Margrethe Vestager, the EU commissions competition chief and executive vice president for digital, to rein in Googles market power. She has already slapped Google with a total of 8.2 billion euros (now $9.7 billion) worth of fines in three separate antitrust cases. There was criticism, however, that the investigations took too long and the fines were not much of a deterrent because the company could easily afford them.

Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetize their online services, Vestager said. Google collects data to be used for targeted advertising while it also sells advertising space and acts as a middleman between online advertisers and publishers, she said.

We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack, Vestager said.

The EU Commission said it was investigating the ways Google uses technology to broker display ad sales between online advertisers and publishers.

For one, officials are examining requirements to use Google's in-house ad purchasing platforms to buy display ads on YouTube while rival services are potentially restricted in the way they can serve ads on the video sharing site. They're also scrutinizing whether Google's various ad platforms favor each other.

Another area the commission is looking at are restrictions Google puts on advertisers, publishers and competing ad brokers to access data about the identity and behavior of users that Google's own ad services have access to. Such data can be used to tailor online ads to individual web users.

Also under the microscope are Google's plans to phase out third-party browser cookies" on Chrome and ad identifier tags on Android devices for users opting out of personalized advertising, as part of the company's plan to beef up privacy measures. The commission is looking into how these plans will affect digital ad markets.

EU regulators have the power to impose penalties worth up to 10% of a companys annual revenue. But its a small price to pay for wealthy tech companies like Google, which posted a $17.9 billion profit in its latest quarter, and the commission is turning to other methods beyond headline-grabbing fines.

Vestager has started using interim measures as a speedy way to halt anticompetitive behavior while investigations are carried out. She also has a lead role in updating the EUs digital rulebook with measures aimed at reining in the tech giants and preventing them from cornering digital markets in the first place.

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For all of APs tech coverage, visit https://apnews.com/apf-technology

___

Follow Kelvin Chan at https://www.twitter.com/chanman
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Police in Oregon's largest city are being advised to no longer pursue low-level traffic infractions  including expired plates and broken headlights  unless related to an immediate safety threat, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced Tuesday.

In addition, if police do stop a driver they must receive recorded consent before searching the vehicle and clearly inform the person they have the right to refuse.

Wheeler said both changes are an attempt to refocus on immediate threats and are also occurring in response to data showing a a disproportionate impact on Black drivers for traffic stops and vehicle searches. While 6% of Portlanders are Black, he said they account for 18% of traffic stops in the city.

The goal of these two changes is to make our city both safer and more equitable, Wheeler said.

Portland is not the first large city to make such a move regarding traffic stops. Oakland, California, has had a similar police for the last several years.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said while officers are being directed to halt pulling drivers over for low-level traffic violations, they will still use their judgement if the violation is an immediate threat.

For example, a car driving at night without lights, although a minor infraction, would be considered an immediate safety issue and could be pulled over.

Wheeler noted these changes are also being done in part because of the police bureau's limited staffing and resources.

Our staffing on the streets is inadequate, Wheeler said.

Currently the police bureau, which is struggling to find its grounding in the liberal city, is at its lowest staffing in decades  the department is around 150 officers short of authorized strength".

In the past nine months, the department has experienced a rapid turnover with more than 120 officers having left, many citing low morale and burnout from racial justice protests that would end in confrontation and plumes of teargas.

The situation reached a breaking point last week when 50 police officers, who serve on a specialized crowd-control unit and respond to Portlands ongoing protests, resigned en masse from the squad, but not the department.

The unit was on the frontlines of nightly racial justice protests, following the murder of George Floyd and were tasked with dispersing groups after a riot was declared. Officers often times were met with fireworks, rocks and glass bottles being thrown at them.

The move by officers to disband their own team came a day after a team member was indicted and accused of fourth-degree assault stemming from a baton strike against a protester last summer.

Last summer, while officers priorities were shifted to protests, Portland was also experiencing its deadliest year in more than a quarter-century.

Gun violence has spilled over into this year, with at least 42 homicides so far. If nothing changes, Portland will surpass its all-time record for homicides of 70 set in 1987, when the city was in the midst of a gang siege.

Police estimate half of Portlands more than 500 shootings this year, which have injured more than 140 people, are gang-related. In May, Wheeler warned that perpetrators are being told by gangs to shoot someone within 30 days or be shot and that people are traveling from other states to engage in violence in the Rose City.

While long time residents say the gun violence in the city is they worst they have ever see, police are struggling to to find the resources, officers and funds to fully address it.

Last month, City Council voted to create a team of 12 officers and two sergeants to tackle gun violence, but with no additional funds.

Lovell said the department is so lean right now that officers would likely be pulled from patrol, domestic violence or human trafficking investigations to support the new team.

Despite police pleas for more personnel, city leaders slashed $27 million from the police budget last year  $11 million due to the pandemic-caused budget crisis and $15 million amid calls to defund the police  vowing to devote money to community groups working to curb gun violence.

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This story has been updated to correct the first quote from Wheeler.

-

Cline 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.
BANGKOK (AP)  The U.K. launched negotiations Tuesday to join a trans-Pacific trade bloc as it looks to explore new opportunities following its departure from the European Union and strengthen its strategic interests in Asia.

The start of talks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, made up of 11 counties with a combined half billion people, came as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met with his counterpart and other Vietnamese officials during his fifth visit to Southeast Asia in his current job.

Britain is also looking to attain dialogue partnership status with the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, as it pursues a tilt toward the Indo-Pacific region in response to Chinas growing influence on the world stage that was recommended by a recent British government review of defense and foreign policy.

The U.K. is committed to strengthening our friendship across the Indo-Pacific," Raab said ahead of the trip. "We are demonstrating this through our commitment to join CPTPP, partner with ASEAN and invest more energy, time and effort in our bilateral relations in the region.

The push comes as the region's countries are looking for options and alternatives to China as their main source of capital and trading opportunities, said Euan Graham, senior fellow for Asia-Pacific security with the International Institute for Strategic Studies office in Singapore.

For Britain to be taken seriously it needs to show that it's prepared to be engaged for the long-term, he said.

It's no good just saying you're engaged from the safety of London, even in a pandemic you have to commit to face time in the region," he said.

Beyond trade, 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. It is also expected to announce the forward deployment of smaller Royal Navy vessels to the Indo-Pacific, Graham said.

That would be noticed in the region, he said. It won't change the balance of power, but it does demonstrate to China and others that this is not only a U.S.-China bilateral dynamic,"

Whether the diplomatic, economic and military outreach will succeed, however, will take time.

I think they can maintain their ambitions over a four-year timeframe, and that might be enough to develop the momentum that they need, Graham said, adding that closer ties to the region are probably more important for the Britain than vice versa.

Following Vietnam, Raab was to visit Cambodia and then end his trip to the region in Singapore.

Britain said joining the CPTPP would open new access to fast-growing economies across Asia-Pacific and the Americas, including Mexico, Malaysia and Vietnam. Other countries in the pact include Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but Britain would be the first European country if it succeeds in joining.

Britain singled out digital, services and finance as sectors that stand to gain from a trade deal, which it said should mean tariff-free trade for 99.9% of exports.

Membership of the CPTTP free-trade partnership would open up unparalleled opportunities for British businesses and consumers in the fast-growing Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Its an exciting opportunity to build on this countrys entrepreneurial spirit and free-trading history to bring economic benefits across the whole of the U.K.

The CPTTP is a much looser arrangement than the European Union, which the U.K. formally left last year, as it does not include any political integration.

After the conclusion of a transition period that was intended to smooth the U.K.'s departure, the country is now able to negotiate its own trade deals. Last week, the British government negotiated the broad outlines of a trade deal with Australia that will see tariffs on a range of goods eliminated over coming years.

The United States, the worlds biggest economy, is not part of the CPTTP; former President Donald Trump withdrew the country from its predecessor, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. His successor, Joe Biden, has previously indicated that he would like to rejoin the grouping but has yet to set out any substantial plans since taking office in January.

China, the worlds No. 2 economy, also does not belong.

The British government said CPTPP countries accounted for around 110 billion pounds ($153 billion) worth of U.K. trade in 2019. Though substantial, the amount is around six times less than the business the U.K. conducts with the EU.

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Pylas reported from London.

Follow all AP stories about Brexit and British politics at https://apnews.com/Brexit
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Asylum-seekers whose claims were dismissed or denied under a Trump administration policy that forced them to wait in Mexico for court hearings will be allowed to return for another chance at humanitarian protection, the U.S. Homeland Security Department said Tuesday in a move that could benefit tens of thousands of hopefuls.

Registration will begin Wednesday for asylum-seekers who were subject to the Remain in Mexico policy and either had their cases dismissed or denied for failing to appear in court, The Associated Press has learned.

Under that criteria, it is unclear how many people will be eligible to be released into the United States pending a decision on their cases, according to a senior Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made public.

But Michele Klein Solomon, the International Organization for Migrations director for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, told the AP that she expected at least 10,000 people. Her organization is working closely with the Biden administration to bring people to the border and ensure they test negative for COVID-19 before being allowed into the country.

The estimate seems low. Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse said the move could benefit 34,528 migrants  27,842 who denied for failing to appear in court and 6,686 whose cases were dismissed.

Many are believed to have left the Mexican border region, thinking their cases were finished, raising the possibility that they will make the dangerous trek to return. The official said the administration is aware of those dangers and considering bringing people to the United States, like it is doing to reunite families that remain separated years after Trump's zero tolerance" policy on illegal border crossings.

The move is another significant effort at redress for Trump policies that Biden administration officials and their allies say were cruel and inhumane and defenders say were extremely effective at discouraging asylum-seekers from coming to the U.S.

President Joe Biden halted the Remain in Mexico policy his first day in office and soon allowed an estimated 26,000 asylum-seekers with active cases to return to the United States while their cases play out, a process that can take years in a court system backlogged with more than 1.3 million cases. More than 12,300 people with active cases have been admitted to the U.S. since February, while others who have registered but not yet entered the country bring the count to about 17,000.

That still leaves out tens of thousands of asylum-seekers whose claims were denied or dismissed under the policy, known officially as Migrant Protection Protocols. Advocates have been pressing for months for them to get another chance, but the administration has been silent, leaving them in legal limbo.

Many asylum-seekers whose claims were denied for failure to appear in court say they were kidnapped in Mexico. Others were too sick or afraid to travel to a border crossing in a dangerous city, sometimes with appointments as early as 4:30 a.m. Advocacy group Human Rights First tallied more than 1,500 publicly reported attacks against people subject to the policy.

Difficulty finding attorneys from Mexico meant few had legal representation, contributing to a measly 1.6% grant rate among cases that were decided. U.S. authorities gave asylum-seekers a list of low- or no-cost attorneys, but phones would ring unanswered and messages went unreturned.

The Biden administration has not decided whether to admit people who showed up for court and had their claims denied, the official said. The logic behind the expanded eligibility is to give people who didn't appear in court another opportunity.

About 6,700 asylum-seekers had cases dismissed, the vast majority in San Diego, often after judges found the government made a mistake in applying the policy or the migrants failed to appear.

In all, about 70,000 asylum-seekers were returned to Mexico under the policy introduced in San Diego in January 2019 and expanded across the border after then-President Donald Trump threatened Mexico with higher tariffs if it didnt do more to reverse a major spike in border crossings.

The policy was highly effective at deterring asylum claims but widely criticized for exposing asylum-seekers to dangerous conditions in Mexican border cities and violating their rights under domestic law and international agreements, advocates say.

Those who were denied under the policy can register on a website operated by the U.N. refugee agency in collaboration with the International Organization of Migration.

It is unclear where eligible asylum-seekers are but the migration group will work to bring them to the border, Klein Solomon said. The Mexican government has moved many people from the border to other parts of the country, arguing that it was safer to remove them from areas more in the grip of organized crime.

The news was cheered by pro-immigration groups that have denounced Trumps policies as cruel and inhumane while inviting criticism from more enforcement-minded advocates who say Bidens policies have encouraged more people to seek asylum.

Eleanor Acer, Human Rights First's senior director of refugee protection, called it a welcome step" that would provide access to asylum to people who missed hearings due to kidnappings and other dangers.

Chad Wolf, an acting Homeland Security secretary who oversaw the policy, said giving asylum-seekers another chance after they lost their cases was absurd.

This administration simply refuses to put the American people first when formulating their immigration policy. This is just more evidence," said Wolf, now a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 180,000 encounters on the Mexican border in May, the most since March 2000. But the numbers were boosted by a pandemic-related ban on seeking asylum that encouraged repeat attempts to cross because getting caught carried no legal consequences.

The Biden administration says it is working to build a humane asylum system but has released few details.

The United States was by far the most popular destination for asylum-seekers last year, with 250,800 new claims, more than twice as many as Germany, with 102,600 claims, the U.N. refugee agency reported last week. Spain, France and Peru rounded out the top five.
June 17, 2021

Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. (YES) Joins Silicon Saxony High-Tech Network

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) announced that it has become a member of the Silicon Saxony industry association. YES, which recently established a German ...

June 2, 2021

YES and SPEC Sign Strategic Alliance Agreement

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) announced a strategic alliance with SPEC (Semiconductor Process Equipment Corporation) of Valencia, California. Under the terms of the ...

May 20, 2021

Danish Nanotechnology Startup RadiSurf Receives100+ Million DKK Investment

Aarhus-based RadiSurf announced that it has been acquired by KCK Ltd, a family office private equity investment fund with a worldwide presence. The strategic growth-investments ...

April 22, 2021

YES Joins Forces with EV Group

Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. announced it is working with EV Group and will install a YES EcoCoat monolayer coating system at EVG's NILPhotonics Competence Center ...

April 8, 2021

Winstek Places Second Order for YES VertaCure XP

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) announced that it will deliver another VertaCure XP, the latest version of its flagship VertaCure vacuum curing system, to Winstek Semiconductor ...

March 31, 2021

YES Secures VertaCure XP Volume Purchase Order from Powertech Technology Inc.

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) announced that it has received a volume purchase order for the VertaCure XP from Taiwan-based OSAT Powertech Technology, Inc. ...

March 17, 2021

YES Receives VertaBond Purchase Order from a Tier 1 Memory Manufacturer

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) announced that a leading memory manufacturer has ordered the YES VertaBond system for wafer-to-wafer and die-to-wafer bonding. The new system ...

March 1, 2021

VIEWPOINT 2021: Ramakanth Alapati, CEO, YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.)

Worldwide, we are seeing good momentum for our clean, coat and cure equipment, as well as for our services offerings. The climate of business uncertainty triggered by the pandemic still exists, but at YES we have found ways to work effectively while still remaining vigilant with regard to COVID. With the long-anticipated ... Worldwide, we are seeing good momentum for our clean, coat and cure equipment, as well as for our services offerings. The climate of business uncertainty triggered by the pandemic still exists, but at YES we have found ways to work effectively while still remaining vigilant with regard to COVID. With the long-anticipated ...

January 26, 2021

YES Adds Deca's Rapid Cure Technology to its Product Line

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) announced that it has signed an agreement to license Deca Technologies' Rapid Cure technology. The Deca IP, a combination of UV and direct ...
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Pride is not about the pageantry. Its about taking pleasure in our accomplishment. Weve celebrated LGBTQ Pride as a collective event, but the experience is really about the individual. Each one of us decides at some point whether to lead an authentic life, and whether to honor the journey and the bravery that got us there.

Theres no parade this year, and even if there were, my uniform wouldnt be invited. Back in September, the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Committee announced that they were prohibiting uniformed San Francisco Police Department officers at the event. New York, Vancouver and Denver followed suit. You can be proud of yourself, but not your badge.

For 51 years, the queer community has struggled for the right to join the police, the fire department, the military, the teachers, Congress. For 27 of those years, I marched in uniform with my family of color. Stonewall got started because cops were hassling our community, and my fellow LGBTQ officers have been fighting to change the organization from within. Weve contributed to our community's history, rising in the ranks of an industry that tends to oppress us.

But history is boring. We are woke only to that which is convenient.

The son of a close friend never had to come out to his family. We have known who he was since he dressed as Batgirl for Halloween when he was 4 years old  even then he had the courage to live openly. So recently, while we sat at a picnic table together, his mother asked, What do you think we should do for Pride?

He replied, Im not into labels. Lets go buy a locker outfit instead. He's not looking for his own letter on the LGBTQ spectrum.

In San Francisco, its easy to think were in a post-gay world, but there are still things to fight for. Were still victims of hate crimes. We still face employment discrimination. And according to BBC News, there are still 69 countries that criminalize homosexuality.

But in our city, LGBTQ people are a fait accompli. I walked with two straight allies into the Target on Duboce Avenue. Over the barista station fluttered a flurry of Pride flags, starting with the classic rainbow (todays fun fact: it originally had eight colors, including pink and turquoise, but they couldnt find a flag manufacturer who stocked pink fabric). There was also the blue, pink and white transgender banner; and the Progress Pride flag, which has added black, brown, pink and white to the rainbow. The latter was designed by Daniel Quasar to increase our awareness of transgender and other LGBTQ people of color.

I was stumped by a black, white, gray and purple pennant, and I had to look it up: It represents demisexuals (people who are sexually attracted only after a strong emotional bond has been formed). Which I also had to look up.

Waiting for my chai, I smiled at all the flags and all the letters in our acronym (which now goes as far as LGBTQIA2+.) I am most grateful for that plus sign, because it represents anyone else we havent mentioned yet; that indeed all are welcome at the table. Except, of course, for uniformed cops.

After a year of canceled St. Patricks Day, Juneteeth and Veteran's Day marches, with the world lurching back to normal, we have to ask whether Pride is the last parade we will not have.

In fact, maybe its time for the downtown Market Street parade to be over altogether. Maybe its time to take our pride back to the neighborhood, away from corporate sponsors and political correctness. Maybe its just a day for this gay couple, their SA (straight ally) sons, and our non-lettered rescue hounds, to stroll through the outer, outer, outer, outer Excelsior, celebrating that our very different family is not all that different from yours.

Kevin Fisher-Paulsons column appears Wednesdays in Datebook. Email: datebook@sfchronicle.com
The Bay Area is in the throes of a vibrant underground Indonesian food movement, with cooks driving to homes all over the region with boxes of satay with peanut sauce, meatball noodle soup and thick pancakes stuffed with chocolate sprinkles and cheese. Now, theyre hoping this recent groundswell of support will translate into mainstream success.

Dozens of these Indonesian chefs and home cooks were inspired to bring their food to the masses when they found themselves with more free time during the pandemic  and by the fact that two of the Bay Areas last remaining Indonesian restaurants, Borobudur in San Francisco and Jayakarta in Berkeley, permanently closed in 2019. The only other Bay Area restaurant dedicated to the underrepresented cuisine is Indo Cafe in Saratoga, although there are a handful of others that serve a mix of Southeast Asian dishes.

The question is whether these cooks can get to the next level, open above-board businesses and see Indonesian food get the recognition they feel it deserves. Theyre more optimistic than theyve been in years. They no longer feel so alone, seeing so many fellow Indonesians start small businesses on Instagram. Perhaps more importantly, an exciting contemporary Indonesian restaurant, Warung Siska, is opening in Redwood City in July.

Other enticing developments include Rasa Rasa, a food truck that debuted in San Franciscos Mission Bay just before the pandemic hit. Two of the three owners are Indonesian and specialize in dishes like beef rendang, a richly spiced beef coconut stew, and gado gado, a vegan salad finished with crispy tofu, tempeh and peanut sauce.

Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

Indonesian desserts and snacks, even rarer to find than savory dishes, got a prominent audience at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market during the pandemic when San Franciscos 1000 Layer Bakery got monthlong stints at the booth of nonprofit La Cocina. After slowly growing her home catering operation for several years, Jennifer Huang joined La Cocinas incubator program in 2019 and started selling her treats  like the showstopping kue lapis legit, 25 layers of spiced, eggy cake broiled one level at a time  directly to customers for the first time. Her farmers market pop-ups consistently sold out.

While Huangs rise was a little more gradual, one of the quickest success stories is DGrobak, a contemporary Indonesian street food pop-up that went from selling out of a home kitchen to becoming a fully licensed operation in less than a year. Based in a commercial kitchen in Richmond, DGrobak is now selling 150 to 200 bowls weekly of bakso, a cloudy noodle soup topped with bouncy beef balls.

Crowds are starting to hit up DGrobaks pop-ups in San Francisco and Oakland, appreciating the extra touches that make Yohanes Ng and Christna Lims bakso special. Ng, who also works as a sushi caterer, enriches the broth with bone marrow, stuffs meatballs with creamy boiled quail eggs and even created a vegetarian version using Impossible Burger.

Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

It took Ng almost a year of tinkering with the recipe  playing around with the proportions of candlenut, spring onions, garlic and white pepper  to create a version that satisfied his memory of a particularly rich Surakarta-style (a city in Java, Indonesia) bakso he ate in Indonesia three years ago. It inspired me on the first slurp, he said.

Indonesian dishes that were previously inaccessible to most people in the Bay Area are now easier to try thanks to the efforts of these chefs. When 1000 Layer Bakerys Huang moved to the Bay Area about 20 years ago, she could find Indonesian food  but the meals were always from fellow Indonesian families as part of an informal economy.

You have to be Indonesian and in the Indonesian community to know who is selling  and everything is (written) in Indonesian, she said. That was the case for many years.

But that changed during the pandemic. When Huang created an Instagram page for 1000 Layer Bakery last year to start selling treats like kue lapis, a chewy and bright green mochi cake flavored with coconut and pandan, she was stunned to see several other small Indonesian pop-ups on the platform.

Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

One of those new pop-ups is Gurih Table, which husband-wife team Fik and Reka Saleh run out of their East Bay home. When Reka lost her part-time restaurant gig at the start of the pandemic and her other job became remote, she decided to pursue her dream of sharing Indonesian food.

In a nontraditional move, Gurih Table incorporates Fiks Texas-style barbecued meats into dishes like soto padang, a clear beef soup with rice noodles with potato croquettes. Gurihs version is topped with a slice of smoked brisket.

Reka is looking at commercial kitchens to expand production, but its tricky. It feels like theres a lack of resources and knowledge within the Indonesian community that might be holding her and others back, she said.

Im still learning myself. How do I start from home and go to the next step and get a brick-and-mortar? she said. Who can I turn to who has gone through it?

Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

Many are turning to Siska Silitonga, the San Francisco chef opening Warung Siska in Redwood City this summer. She got her start in 2015 serving groups of 10 people out of her home under the pop-up name ChiliCali. She grew to a commercial kitchen, her own line of jarred sambal and, now, a full-blown restaurant.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Silitonga is happy to share advice. She thinks this new wave of Indonesian cooks needs to learn to sell Indonesian dishes beyond their Southeast Asian community  though she acknowledges the challenge in explaining a cuisine thats so vast, with thousands of islands that each have their own distinct dishes.

She wants to see more Indonesian cooks have fun and bridge cultures, similar to Gurih Table or the current Filipino food movement, where cheeseburger lumpia have drawn fans as famous as rapper E-40. Perhaps most of all, she says Indonesian cooks need to fight the notion that Indonesian food should be cheap.

Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

Many Indonesian dishes require a lot of chopping and blending herbs by hand, braising meats for hours and pounding ingredients like galangal, lemongrass, shallots and candlenuts into pastes. DGrobaks bakso meatballs, for example, requires shaping each individual ball with a spoon and cooking them one at a time.

That said, these cooks feel encouraged by their rising visibility. Theyre developing relationships on Instagram that, just in the past few months, have translated into real-life friendships.

Were sending food to each other. When someone is doing something, were promoting them. Theres camaraderie, Silitonga said. Were growing but there arent a lot of us.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
It can sniff out the location of a buried landmine. Get a whiff of a human armpit and find its owner a quarter mile away. It can even direct conservation researchers toward fresh killer whale poop floating in the ocean.

Now the super nose of Canis lupus familiaris  your basic dog  is also detecting COVID-19 in people who may not know they have it.

Its remarkable, said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance (Los Angeles County), who introduced a bill in the House this month to create a pilot program at the Defense Department to see if using dogs to sniff out COVID can slow the spread of the disease.

If so, he said, dogs could be used to pinpoint COVID in airports and other travel hubs. A dog working the luggage carousel, for example, might flag a traveler as having the coronavirus, and that person might be given a rapid COVID test.

What the dog allows you to do is to pick out who should take that extra step, Lieu said.

As for what COVID smells like, Im a politician, not a scientist, he said. So I have no idea how it works.

Scientists say the coronavirus, like other diseases and pretty much everything else, has a volatile organic compound signature.

That means it smells.

Consider the asparagus. Its odor is not particularly pungent. But many people recognize the sour aroma that asparagus creates in urine. Its the vegetables volatile  meaning airborne  signature.

Few humans can detect the volatile signature of a disease. Yet a retired nurse from Scotland, Joy Milne, has wowed the worlds scientists in recent years with her ability to identify Parkinsons disease in people by its smell  a sort of woody, musky odor.

Now Playing: Video: Shuran Huang/Special to The Chronicle

With 5 million smell receptors, humans actually have an excellent sense of smell, said Lucia Jacobs, an expert in animal olfaction at UC Berkeley.

But dogs is better. They have more than 200 million smell receptors and a nasal skeleton far more complex than humans have, Jacobs said.

Humans have long turned to dogs for help in the olfactory department. Nowadays, people can use them to locate the scat of threatened species  giant armadillos in South America, for example, or killer whales off the deck of a boat  and to pick up on diseases in their earliest stages.

Dogs are being used to detect diabetes, epilepsy and melanoma, Jacobs said, as well as colon cancer through farts. So its an obvious thing that we should get dogs to detect COVID.

Jacobs said the detection work doesnt require a specific breed, although trainers say they prefer enthusiastic dogs that arent easily bored. Noting that shelters are filled with strays, and considering that the coronavirus is still surging in many countries, Jacobs mused, We could send millions of chihuahuas to Brazil to detect COVID.

Studies of dogs ability to sniff out the deadly disease look promising.

A Maryland facility, Tactical Directional Canine, is one of the few places in the country already teaching dogs to do that. Owner Pat Nolan began training retrievers for hunting in 1975, and in the past dozen years has worked with explosives-detecting military dogs for special operations groups.

During the pandemic, hes been studying dogs COVID-whiffing abilities with the University of Pennsylvanias Penn Vet Working Dog Center and the Armys Development Command Chemical Biological Center. The Army, an adviser in the work, envisions using such dogs to rapidly uncover COVID and other biological threats anywhere the military gathers in large groups.

Shuran Huang / Special to The Chronicle

In April, Nolan and other researchers published results from Phase 1 of the study in PLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed science journal free to the public. It showed that their dogs could identify the coronavirus in a milliliter of urine and in a swab of saliva 92.5% of the time.

Nolan is now training dogs for Phase 2: finding the virus on scraps of T-shirts worn by people with COVID-19. The Penn Vet Working Dog Center is soliciting volunteers to send in their tainted tees. And the Army is anxiously awaiting the results.

The biggest thing for (the Development Command Chemical Biological Center) is, how far away can we detect a threat? said Jenna Gadberry, a researcher there. So we have moved from these clinical samples to T-shirts. Potentially, much like the way the (Transportation Security Administration) uses dogs, we could see running a dog alongside people at the airport to find those with COVID.

Nolan and the team are working with eight dogs: seven Labrador retrievers and one Belgian Malinois, a medium-size herding dog with pointy ears.

The training uses up to four metal carousels, each with 12 arms sticking out like spokes on a wheel. At the tip of each arm, nose-high off the ground, is a small cup specially designed to let the dogs safely sniff hazardous substances such as explosives, narcotics  or COVID-19.

To train the dogs, some of the 4-ounce cups contain a T-shirt fragment from a coronavirus-positive person. Some are empty. But most have decoys, like the extras in a police lineup. Some decoys are T-shirt fragments last worn by people who tested negative. Some are the plastic bags the T-shirts came in. Others, a tempting tidbit of food that is meant to distract.

The training can take up to 12 weeks.

The other day, a black lab named Tikka faced four carousels. Her mission: find that coronavirus.

Shuran Huang/Special to The Chronicle

At the first carousel, Tikka sniffed each cup. She ignored the empties, the plastic bags and even those with treats until reaching one that made her freeze in place. Inside was an infinitesimal fragment of the disease that has killed more than 600,000 people in the U.S. and 3.8 million around the world.

Nolan blew a whistle, signaling to Tikka that she was correct and would be paid. After snarfing her wages, the dog moved on to the second carousel and  surprise! No virus in any cup.

Tikka moved on to the third. Finding no virus there either, she tried the fourth carousel. Halfway through her sniffs, she stopped at a cup and stood as if anchored to the spot, The whistle blew and payment, in kibbles, arrived.

They are amazing, Nolan said of the dogs. Even though were making great strides in our country with the vaccine, dogs are cheaper and faster than laboratory tests. There are parts of the world where they dont have access to funding or labs, so trained dogs would be a huge asset.

If Tikka had chosen the wrong cup, Nolan would have counted to three, allowing her time to think. If she had remained in place, Nolan would have said, No, no, the signal for her to move on.

Its not a punishment, he said. Its just that youre not gonna get paid.

What causes things to have a particular odor  a volatile organic compound  is the pattern in which those organic chemicals land upon receptors in the nose, said Dr. Andrew Goldberg, director of rhinology and sinus surgery at UCSF. If those invisible flying compounds land on human nasal receptors in one way, voila, you know its coffee. In another way, its blue cheese.

Think of the pattern like a chord on a piano, Goldberg said. If you had double the number of keys, the chords might be rich indeed  like dogs extraordinary nasal talents.

Yet, as masterful as the dogs are, Goldberg said, I believe in protocols and standardization and scientific rigor. We have to provide that framework before deploying canines and their noses to snuffle out the worlds COVID-carriers.

Rep. Lieus pilot program is a step in that direction, said Jacobs, the animal olfaction expert. It would be very good for basic science, and for world health.

Lieu said he expects a committee to vote on his bill by the end of the year.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
A group of San Jose flea market vendors have gone on an indefinite hunger strike to protest a development plan that could displace hundreds of family-operated businesses at the Berryessa Flea Market.

Following months of protests, the Berryessa Flea Market Vendors Association announced the hunger strike by four people Monday afternoon at a press conference outside San Joses City Hall as vendors and community organizers stood behind them holding signs that read I will not be displaced! and Justice for vendors.

The City Council was expected to approve the final plan for the Berryessa BART Urban Village Plan, which would shrink the Berryessa Flea Market  known to many locals as La Pulga, which means the flea in Spanish  from 15 to 5 acres at its Tuesday meeting. The space would instead be used for more than 3,400 units of housing and commercial office space.

Founded in 1960, the flea market sits near the Berryessa/North San Jose BART station. The markets 430 vendors are mostly immigrant-owned and family operated.

Now Playing: Roberto Gonzalez, 29, president of the Berryessa Flea Market Vendors Association, shares his thoughts about his associations hunger strike outside of San Jose's City Hall on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Video: Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

The plan to create the transit-oriented village has been in the works since city officials voted to make San Joses first BART station adjacent to the market in 2003, according to a city memo.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

Throughout the past 18 years there has been no clear direction given on how to address the displacement of the merchants at the Flea Market. A condition of approval to the original 2007 zoning was to keep the Flea Market open for the following 5 years, however, beyond keeping the market open, there were no additional plans to protect the vendors from displacement, the memo reads.

Earlier this month, Mayor Sam Liccardo and Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez and David Cohen proposed a voluntary agreement with the Bumb family, the flea markets owners, to offer vendors some protections.

But vendors say that is not enough.

Were asking for a 90-day deferral on the vote so that we can directly negotiate with the landowners for a beneficial agreement thats going to really, really save the flea market and our small businesses said Roberto Gonzalez, president of the Berryessa Flea Market Vendors Association, whose family has operated a stand at the flea market selling Mexican candy for more than 30 years.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Mariana Mejia, vice president of the association, was one of the six people joining in the hunger strike.

Im risking my health, my life, for whats right, Mejia said at the news conference Monday.

Gonzalez, Mejia and Kaled Escobedo  all part of the associations leadership  were joined by Salvador Bustamante, of the Silicon Valley-based organization Latinos United for a New America, public defender Sajid Khan other community members under a tent at the plaza outside City Hall on Tuesday. They are not eating any food and will only drink water, said Gonzalez.

Vendors and community members stopped by throughout Monday evening and into Tuesday morning in support of the hunger strike, said Gonzalez.

Thats our gente right there that were fighting for, Gonzalez said, referring to the people who have stopped by their tent. Its not just me and my dads business. Its all the people that are there at the market  all of our community as a larger whole.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Lam Nguyen, a spokesman for Cohen, whose district covers the flea market, said a deferment would actually put vendors at greater risk because the agreement with the Bumb family is voluntary and depends on the approval of the project.

Erik E. Schoennauer, a land use consultant and spokesperson for the flea market, told The Chronicle the Bumb family would follow the terms of the proposal if the City Council approved the project Tuesday.

Under the plan, the Bumb family have agreed to give one-year notices  no earlier than July 1, 2023  before the market shuts down.

The family would also provide current vendors the first chance to move into the new space and contribute $2.5 million to a fund for vendor relocation costs, among other considerations, with $500,000 dispersed in October and the additional $2 million when one-year notices are distributed.

The City Council was expected to vote on creating the Flea Market Advisory Group with vendor representation. The group would be in charge of creating a plan for how funds would be allocated to vendors and how vendors would be offered a new stall.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Liccardo and Jimenez did not immediately respond to requests from The Chronicle for comment.

The vendors association is asking for 3- to 5-year leases instead of month-to-month leases and a governance structure at the market that includes vendors with all decisions that will impact our businesses, said Gonzalez.

He added that city officials and the flea markets owners have had closed-door meetings without input from the vendors.

Were asking for a transparent process that we can trust, said Gonzalez.

Susana Lopez and her husband sell Mexican handcrafts, such as plates, papel picado and jarros de barro, or cups made of clay, among other items.

For the last six years, Lopezs work days have started at 5 a.m. to ensure her stall is clean and tidy for customers.

The flea market, she says, has also helped her pay for her daughters tuition at UC Berkeley.

Its our source of income, Lopez, who stopped by Tuesday morning to support those in a hunger strike, said in Spanish. She added that the possible displacement will not only impact her family financially, but also break up the family bond the vendors have created over the years.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Were sad that the community is being displaced, not just as vendors but as a Latino community, she said.

Gonzalez agreed.

The market is so much more than just a bunch of vendors and stalls, he said. Its culture, its historic, it comes from generations and generations from all of our paths. Its the last thing that really makes San Jose San Jose, with all this construction and pushing out the people that have been here for years and years.

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
Three development teams are vying to build the Bay Areas largest mixed-use development at the Concord Naval Weapons Station, a year after a previous effort to develop the property fell apart because of a dispute over whether the project would use all union labor.

This past Friday, Concords Local Reuse Authority received three statements of qualifications by the 3 p.m. deadline from groups hoping to tackle the 5,000-acre redevelopment. The three competing teams are: Brookfield Properties, City Ventures and a partnership that include Seeno/Discovery Companies, Lewis Group of Companies, and California Capital Investment Group.

We were happy to get several responses given everything that has happened with the project and the current state of the economy, said Guy Bjerke, Concords director of economic development and base reuse.

The new selection process comes 15 months after the previous developers, Lennar and FivePoint, walked away from the project after they were unable to come to terms with the Contra Costa County Building Trades Council. That plan had called for 13,000 new homes, 2,700 acres of parks and 6 million square feet of commercial and academic space.

The trades unions had insisted on a blanket project labor agreement that would have covered the entire project, which the developer said would increase costs by more than $500 million. Instead, Lennar and FivePoint had said they would negotiate labor agreements with some of the trade unions, but that much of the project would not be union. In the end the majority of the Concord City Council sided with the trades group and negotiations were cut off.

Bjerke said that the city would spend the next two months evaluating the qualifications of the three teams.

Brookfield is one of the largest developers in the world and is currently building several large mixed-use projects in San Francisco, including the redevelopment of Pier 70 and Stonestown Galleria. City Ventures, which focuses on solar-powered buildings, has projects in Santa Rosa, Oakland and Daly City and owns or controls 8,000 lots around the state. Seeno, based in Concord and a major Contra Costa homebuilder, recently won approvals to build 1,500 homes in the hills of Pittsburg.

Bjerke said the city would recommend a developer in the next six weeks and that the Concord City Council will likely vote on the selection in late August or early September.

Its too early to say whether any of the three teams will try to take elements of the Lennar/FivePoint plan that had already been studied or start from scratch with a new concept.

The work that Lennar did is available but that will be a decision left to the new developer, said Bjerke.

Whichever developer is selected, the city should be up front with them about expectations, according to Matt Regan, a vice president with the pro business group the Bay Area Council. In the case of Lennar and FivePoint, the city demanded such an extensive investment in open space, jobs training, affordable housing and other public benefits, that there was little room to maneuver on the labor question, he said.

I hope that lessons were learned from the last fiasco, said Regan. The city and its partners need to be honest and up front with all the prospective bidders. They need to put all the demands on the table at the outset. We had a great project that should be under construction by now, but is not because of 11th-hour surprises.

The weapons station was established in 1942 on the banks of the Sacramento River, where it widens into Suisun Bay. By 1999 most of the military base had been mothballed and in 2007 the U.S. government announced that the 5,000-acre inland portion of the base would be shut down altogether.

The former military base was designated a superfund site in 1994, and since 2011 the U.S. Navy has overseen the cleanup of the toxic materials left there by the military. About three-quarters of the site has been sufficiently cleaned and the Environmental Protection Agency has said its ready to be turned over to the city for redevelopment.

Bill Whitney, who heads the Contra Costa Building Trades Council, said that the Seeno/Discovery team has proactively negotiated a wall to wall project labor agreement and that Brookfield has also reached out to initiate talks. The request for qualifications includes a Concord first provision that would require the project developer to agree to mandates dealing with building trades apprenticeship programs, as well as veterans and local hire.

He said a project labor agreement will ensure that workers building the new neighborhoods at the base will earn enough to afford the homes they are constructing.

Im very hopeful that the whole process will work out and the working men and women of Contra Costa County and the surrounding region will be able to work on this project and be paid a living wage, he said.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter; @sfjkdineen
In a rare exercise of her veto power, Mayor London Breed shot down legislation that would have allowed all San Franciscans to ride Muni for free between July 1 and Sept. 30.

The Board of Supervisors approved the program last month, despite opposition from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs Muni. Breed warned that she intended to veto the program immediately after it passed.

But Supervisor Dean Preston, who introduced the proposal, said Monday that he isnt backing down: If we have to go to the ballot to win fare relief for riders, we will.

The fare-free Muni proposal passed the board 7-4, just shy of the eight votes needed to override a mayoral veto. Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Catherine Stefani, Myrna Melgar and Ahsha Safai voted against it.

Breed said in her June 18 veto letter that she appreciates the intent to encourage public transit ridership, but said eliminating fares would increase the transportation systems woes.

SFMTA must focus on restoring service lines and improving reliability, so that San Franciscans can count on Muni to be safe and reliable as our city reopens and our economy recovers from this global pandemic, she wrote.

Breeds veto comes as the citys transit agency struggles to recover from the pandemic. According to a recent Chronicle analysis, ridership and service levels have plummeted to some of the lowest in the country. Even though the city fully reopened last week, Muni still plans to run at about 70% of its pre-pandemic levels due to its long-term structural deficit.

It also comes as the mayor and progressive supervisors, including Preston, clash over a number of initiatives  including police funding, the use of millions of dollars in transfer-tax funds and relief for small businesses.

The three-month pilot program would have cost the city $12.5 million to back-fill the revenue lost from Muni and paratransit fares. Supporters of the pilot said it would offer relief to low-income riders most impacted by the pandemic, and also give the city an opportunity to collect data on how such a program could work long-term.

The agency  which already offers discounted passes for seniors and extremely low-income riders  still would have collected voluntary fares from people who wanted to pay.

But Breed said she does not support subsidizing those who could afford to pay.

In an April 30 letter to the board, she also warned that she would not support any further supplemental budget proposals until she unveiled her balanced budget in June.

Preston told The Chronicle in a text last month that Breeds office had not reached out about the pilot, nor provided any feedback whatsoever to our proposal.

Its disappointing the Mayor would veto a fully funded free Muni pilot when people need it most, Preston said in a text Monday. I look forward to continuing to fight for free public transit and improved service for all San Franciscans.

The mayors decision also comes as free public transit becomes increasingly popular around the country. Other large cities, such as Kansas City, Boston and Fresno, have either implemented or explored fare-free public transit in recent months.

But Breed said San Francisco should not eliminate fares at a time when ridership will naturally increase as more commuters head downtown. Instead, Breed and Supervisor Melgar introduced a $2 million proposal this month to make Muni free for those 18 and younger, between July 1 and June 30, 2022.

Coming out of this pandemic, I know many more people are struggling, Breed wrote. If we want to put money in the pockets of our most vulnerable residents, lets invest in programming that targets them, not temporarily subsidize those who could afford to pay.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
As California reopened from COVID-19 restrictions this month, the states two major coastal metropolitan areas found themselves in a remarkably similar place by all coronavirus measures.

Throughout most of the pandemic, San Francisco and the Bay Area managed to contain the spread of the virus to a far greater degree than Los Angeles County  especially during the winter surge, when Southern California became the nations hot spot.

But now, after the dramatic plunge in case rates, positive test rates and deaths that accompanied the rollout of vaccines, the paths of the two metropolitan areas have converged closely.

Experts say the similarly low rates both north and south bode well for a reopened California.

Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UCSF, said the two metro areas are united in the fact that both have reached effective herd immunity, but via slightly different means.

One of the most salient outcomes when thinking about herd immunity is the fact that you can have individual cases but they dont ripple out into the community with ongoing transmission, he said. Both of these areas show this convincingly at this time.

While San Francisco overall is still faring slightly better than Los Angeles on key coronavirus metrics, the two areas are closer than they have ever been. The seven-day average daily new cases per 100,000 people for the past week was 1.2 for San Francisco, 1.8 for Los Angeles and 2.5 for the Bay Area.

Compare that to the height of the winter surge, when San Franciscos case rate peaked at 40.7 per 100,000 on Jan. 13, while Los Angeles hit a high of 159.2 cases per 100,000 on Jan. 1 and the Bay Area peaked at 61.1 on Jan. 11.

Los Angeles County  with more than 10 million residents compared with the Bay Areas roughly 7.8 million and San Franciscos 875,000  comprises more diverse and vulnerable populations, including many residents working in essential jobs and living in crowded conditions.

The Bay Area, and San Francisco in particular, generally took a more cautious approach in their pandemic health restrictions. Experts have said Bay Area residents overall followed protocols closely, and many are tech workers who have been able to work from home.

San Francisco was cited as having the lowest mortality rate of any major U.S. metropolitan area during the pandemic, and currently has a rate of 0.1 deaths per 100,000 over the past seven days, versus 0.3 in Los Angeles County.

In a striking indicator of its recovery, Los Angeles Countys average new deaths per day last week even dipped below the averages for both the Bay Area and San Francisco.

According to Chin-Hong, while Los Angeles has a lower vaccination rate than the Bay Area, its high natural immunity rate  estimated by health officials at about 38%  is helping the Southern California metro area.

At the end of the day, the current COVID antibody force field is equally strong in both areas, but the equation of how each area got there is slightly different, he said.

In Los Angeles County, 66% of residents 16 and older have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 56% are fully vaccinated. In San Francisco, 81% of eligible residents 12 and older have received at least one dose, and 72% are fully vaccinated, making it one of the first major metro areas in the country to hit a milestone that many experts define as herd immunity.

Chin-Hong said a spike in cases is possible in both regions, but he is more worried about the Southern California region.

We are not sure how long natural immunity will last, and some unvaccinated individuals exposed naturally to COVID may have waning immunity in the coming months as vaccine induced immunity is likely more durable and definitely more predictable, he said. That will leave areas with low vaccination rates in the lurch, like San Bernardino and Kern counties.

He said the delta coronavirus variant, which is of increasing concern across the world, including in California, may be less forgiving of natural immunity.

With the state reopened, unvaccinated communities will be more vulnerable to outbreaks, particularly with emerging variants like the delta that are more transmissible and may cause more severe disease. While experts dont think the state will need to lock down again, clusters of cases may force periodic stepbacks.

Chin-Hong said San Francisco is doing extremely well, which is important as people become more mobile with pandemic restrictions lifted.

As people begin to move we will undoubtedly see a few more cases, but given a strong COVID immunity force field, this will not lead to ongoing transmission and a surge, he said. The virus simply gets stopped in its tracks.

He said that outlook is supported by the current R-effective, which is the average number of people each infected person will pass the virus on to and represents the rate at which the coronavirus is spreading. That number is currently 0.81 for San Francisco, which means the spread of the virus is likely decreasing. In Los Angeles, the R-effective is 0.92, which means the spread is likely stable.

Kellie Hwang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang
Doris Vargas grew up working with her family at Panchitas Pupuseria & Restaurant, her moms Salvadoran eatery in the Mission  founded in 1989, two years before she was born. She met her husband, Pedro Macchiavello, when he was playing timbales outside the restaurant with his band, Pasto Seco.

Now the couple are planning their own Panchitas spinoff in the Excelsior early next year. They previously launched a food truck, so they know how arduous and expensive it is to navigate San Franciscos notorious red tape.

A proposed new law called First Year Free, being introduced Tuesday by Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney, could ease their way. It would waive for one year the myriad fees that small, new storefront businesses must pay the city for permits, licenses, business registration, inspections and more.

All told, those fees can mount up to $15,000 to $30,000, according to the two supervisors.

Thats a lot of money out the door before businesses even open the door, Ronen said.

At a time when commercial corridors are pockmarked with shuttered storefronts, opening new shops, bars and restaurants would enhance the citys vibrancy and boost the overall economy, Haney said.

San Francisco should be the easiest place in the country to open a small business, Haney said. Right now its one of the hardest.

Case in point: The outrageous saga of a man who spent $200,000 and over two years trying to open an ice cream shop in the Mission, and finally gave up.

The fee-waiving proposal would work in tandem with Proposition H, which San Francisco voters passed last fall to streamline permitting for new small businesses in some districts. Mayor London Breed is now proposing legislation called the Small Business Recovery Act to expand Prop. H to more of the city.

It would be a huge relief to bypass the fees and the time that goes into scheduling appointments, said Vargas from Panchitas. It is pretty gnarly here in San Francisco.

First Year Free, which is a one-year pilot program, would cost about $20 million, money that could either be added to the city budget or specially allocated, Haney said. It would be limited to non-chain storefront businesses with less than $2 million in expected first-year gross receipts.

Nina Alexandria Riggio/The Chronicle

Ana Valle just opened Abanico Coffee Roasters in the Mission in mid-May after a two-year process. She would have appreciated the boosts from First Year Free and Prop H.

There are multiple city departments you have to deal with and it is costly, she said. There are fees for everything. Youre running back and forth between departments; its kind of chaotic and discouraging.

Ronen hopes that the measure might encourage businesses forced to shut by the pandemic to reopen, as well as helping disenfranchised populations  such as people of color, working-class people and women  who are less likely to have startup capital.

This is fantastic because its such a barrier to have to come up with that kind of money, said Sharon Miller, CEO of Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, a nonprofit that helps aspiring businesses come into being. Many small businesses burn through whatever savings they have because theyre waiting and there are so many hurdles.

Dorenda Haynes hopes to open a barbecue restaurant called Get the Fork Outta Here in Bayview/Hunters Point, where she grew up. She wants to adopt an elementary school, senior citizen center and homeless shelter, to help with food insecurity.

But first she has to find a location. She had a potential landlord who asked her to research what was needed to pass inspections. I had to shell out $800 just to get the health department to come out and give me a list of what needed to be fixed, she said. Ultimately that deal fell through.

Anything the city could do for us would be huge, she said. In San Francisco, I feel like a little fish, trying to make calls and emails to make it happen. But I have faith in San Francisco; I really do.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
As Jane Doe 4 began reading from the 10th draft of her victim impact statement, she stopped and choked up.

How am I going to get through this? she asked herself softly, one of four women who spent Monday afternoon in a Contra Costa County courtroom describing the molestation they endured at the hands of their ballet instructor, Viktor Kabaniaev. Jane Doe 5 walked from her chair in the audience and put her arm around the woman. Both dabbed the corners of their eyes with tissue.

She continued.

We started every private session with sex, she said. He is a dangerous person to society because he cannot control his sexual urges.

Kabaniaev was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison, ending a roller-coaster, three-year judicial process that included a 2019 mistrial.

Mondays sentencing hearing, following a plea deal reached last week, was the first time Jane Doe 4 had told her story publicly. She revealed to the emotionally charged courtroom, full of friends and family of victims, that the day Kabaniaev was arrested in January 2018, the fallen Soviet ballet star had molested her. Almost two decades after he first raped and molested his first student in a Walnut Creek studio, she said he assaulted her a final time as a 17-year-old hours before his arrest by Walnut Creek police.

It was Jane Doe 4 coming forward with her new allegations that led Kabaniaev, 58, of San Bruno, to accept the deal  though there were no new charges filed. Kabaniaev pleaded guilty Monday to three felony counts of molesting a minor under 14 and one felony count of molesting a 14- to 15-year-old  four of the original 14 counts he faced.

Kabaniaev had been charged with molestation, rape and oral copulation. All but one charge involved assaults on Jane Doe 1 between 2000 and 2002, and a single incident between 2011 and 2012 with Jane Doe 2. A third woman testified that she too had been molested by the dance instructor when she was 13 years old, but he was not charged in that allegation.

After the mistrial, prosecutor Kate Jewett said several additional victims came forward, all of whom were students of Kabaniaev. At this point, no new charges have been filed, she said.

The case broke open when Jane Doe 1 reported her abuse to police. On Monday, she stood at a podium and stared at Kabaniaev, who wore a lime green prison jumpsuit and a surgical mask due to coronavirus restrictions.

Dont roll your eyes at me, she said to him, before leaning down into the microphone. Youre pleading guilty.

She described life before meeting him, a happy childhood with her two loves  her family and ballet.

Ballet now only reminds me of rape, she said. You robbed me of an opportunity to know how my life wouldve turned out without thinking I was a terrible person.

She spoke about a broken justice system that placed her and her family on trial, re-traumatizing them. She spoke about struggling through life after her abuse. She spoke directly to Kabaniaev.

You may have stolen my voice, she said, but I grew up and got it back.

Jane Doe 2, who trained with Kabaniaev for five years, spoke about how he banned her mother from watching her private lessons.

You are a disgusting, manipulative monster, she said. She said she plans to become a foot and ankle surgeon and train ballet students herself.

Kabaniaev remained silent most of the hearing, answering the judges questions with yes, no, and guilty, and occasionally shaking his head.

Jane Doe 5 spoke first and described when Kabaniaev groped her chest  It felt like forever, she said.

I stayed silent about what had happened, but not anymore, she said. I sincerely hope you rot in hell.

Jane Doe 1s father spoke about the moment he took a phone call from his daughter and she broke the news that her ballet instructor had been assaulting her.

I felt the most intense incredible rage instantaneously, he said. He said he finds himself lying in bed or on the floor thinking about his daughter and what she endured.

How do you live with something you can't fix? he said. Im used to being able to work hard and fix it.

Judge Mary Ann OMalley addressed Jane Doe 1s father after he finished speaking.

You cannot continue thinking this in any way is your fault, she said. That just has to go.

Jewett said she hoped the deal would provide victims some closure and prevent Kabaniaev, who must register as a sex offender for life, from molesting again.

These victims have repeatedly demonstrated their compassion and their humanity in the face of unimaginable trauma, Jewett said. They ultimately each came forward not for themselves, but to protect the next generation of girls from falling victim to the defendants coercive sexual predation.

As court adjourned Monday, the group hugged, chatted and eventually formed a circle in the hallway. They all had one terrible experience in common, some only meeting for the first time in recent days. Amid the tears and small talk, the group stopped and gave Jane Doe 1 a round of applause.

Editors note: An earlier version of this story transposed Jane Doe 4 and Jane Doe 5. The story has been corrected.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni
Californias ban on the guns it defines as assault weapons will remain in effect while the state appeals a federal judges ruling that declared the law unconstitutional.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Monday granted Attorney General Rob Bontas request for a stay of the June 4 ruling by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego. The stay allows the state to continue enforcing its law, enacted in 1989, during the appeals process, likely to last at least the rest of this year.

Benitez put his ruling on hold for 30 days and left further stays up to the appeals court. Mondays order was issued by Judges Barry Silverman, Jacqueline Nguyen and Ryan Nelson.

The weapons include AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles and pistols with detachable magazines and specific features, such as forward pistol grips. Semiautomatic firearms do not require reloading after each squeeze of the trigger.

In a suit by gun groups, Benitez found the law in violation of the Second Amendment right to possess firearms for self-defense. He compared the guns to Swiss Army knives  a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment  and said they were rarely used for assaults.

He noted that Americans own millions of those firearms, including more than 185,000 that were purchased in California before the states ban on new sales took effect.

Such weapons, however, have been employed in half of the nations deadliest mass shootings in modern times. The appeal by Bontas office noted that appeals courts have uniformly upheld similar laws in other states.

We wont stop defending these life-saving laws, Bonta said in a Twitter post announcing the courts order.

But gun advocates could find a more sympathetic audience if the California law reaches the Supreme Court. As a federal appeals court judge in 2011, Justice Brett Kavanaugh cast a dissenting vote to overturn a similar law in the District of Columbia. Justice Amy Coney Barrett had a similar record as an appellate judge. And Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have accused colleagues of undermining the Second Amendment by upholding other firearms restrictions.

In opposing a stay of Benitezs ruling, lawyers for gun groups accused Bonta and state officials of fear-mongering about the alleged dangers posed by the banned weapons.

The risk faced by law-abiding citizens deprived of accurate and controllable firearms persists every day because, unlike criminals bent on mayhem, the available substitutes are less safe and effective, the lawyers told the appeals court.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Relatives of victims of mass killings in San Bernardino and Paris cannot sue Google and other social media platforms for posting terrorist videos and allegedly sharing advertising revenues with ISIS, a divided federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, while urging Congress to change a law that shields such platforms from liability.

In a third case, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco allowed relatives of victims of an ISIS massacre in Istanbul to proceed with their suit, at least for now. But in that case, unlike the others, Google, Twitter and Facebook, accused by the relatives of enabling the mass shooting, have not yet invoked the 1996 law known as the Communications Decency Act, which protects websites from most types of legal responsibility for carrying messages posted by others.

That law shelters more activity than Congress envisioned it would, Judge Morgan Christen said in the 2-1 ruling upholding dismissal of the Paris and San Bernardino suits. Whether social media companies should continue to enjoy immunity for the third-party content they publish, and whether their use of algorithms ought to be regulated, are pressing questions that Congress should address.

Judge Marsha Berzon endorsed Christens opinion, saying she was bound by past Ninth Circuit rulings on the issue, but suggested that the full court should order them reconsidered at a new hearing before an 11-judge panel. The third panel member, Judge Ronald Gould, dissented and said all three suits should be allowed to proceed under current law.

More for you news Appeals court allows California to enforce assault...

We think the court saw that in this day and age, social media plays an important role in the conduct of organizations that use them to communicate, said Kevin Altman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. He said they would ask the appeals court for the new hearing that Berzon recommended, and would take their case to the Supreme Court if necessary.

Another plaintiffs lawyer, Daniel Weininger, said the ruling shows that the 1996 liability shield is hanging by a thread in the nations largest appeals court.

Lawyers for the companies could not be reached for comment.

The San Bernardino suit was filed by relatives of three of the 14 people killed when a husband and wife entered a regional social services center during a holiday party in December 2015 and opened fire with semiautomatic rifles and a handgun. At around the same time, the womans Facebook page declared the couples loyalty to a former leader of the ISIS terrorist group, which later claimed responsibility for the attack. Twenty-two people were wounded, and the shooters were killed by police.

The Paris suit was filed by a California relative of a U.S. citizen killed by ISIS gunmen at a restaurant in November 2015, one of a series of fatal shootings and bombings in the French capital that day. The third suit was filed by U.S. relatives of a Jordanian man who was among 39 people killed by an ISIS terrorist at a nightclub in Istanbul in January 2017.

The suits accused the social media platforms, including Google-owned YouTube, of furthering the terrorist acts by allowing ISIS to post videos and other messages to their recruits  and then by using computer algorithms to suggest more content to users based on their viewing history. The plaintiffs also said Google sells ads connected with the videos it displays and shares the revenue with the content providers, including ISIS.

The suits were filed in the Bay Area, home of the social media companies, and were dismissed in separate rulings by three federal judges. In the San Bernardino case, the appeals court said Tuesday that the social media companies could not be held responsible for terrorism, despite their alleged financial assistance to ISIS, because the suit failed to allege that the terrorist group committed, planned or authorized the attack in advance.

The plaintiffs allegations suggest only that ISIS approved of the shooting after learning that it had occurred, Christen said in the majority opinion.

In the Paris attack, Christen said, the killers were identified with ISIS, and the suit alleged that the terrorist group had used videos on Googles YouTube to recruit followers and had received a share of Googles advertising revenue. But she said the plaintiffs had not claimed that Google had any intent to finance, promote, or carry out ISIS terrorist acts and thus could not sue the company for providing substantial assistance to terrorism.

By contrast, Christen said, in the Istanbul case the suit alleged that ISIS depends on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to recruit individuals to join ISIS, to promote its terrorist agenda, to solicit donations, to threaten and intimidate civilian populations, and to inspire violence and other terrorist activities. The plaintiffs said the companies had been aware for many years that ISIS was using their platforms but had refused to take meaningful steps to prevent that use, Christen said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
If you've recently emerged freshly vaccinated to reenter San Francisco bars, you may have encountered an unexpected problem: your local watering hole is out of your favorite beer.

According to KPIX, dozens of bars in San Francisco are experiencing issues with distributor Golden Brands, which sells popular brands including Corona, Modelo, Miller, PBR and even San Fransiscos very own Anchor. While many bars previously had beer delivered as frequently as once a week, Golden Brands is now only delivering beer once a month to some accounts.

For smaller bars with limited storage space, including Elixir in the Mission and St. Marys Pub in Bernal Heights, storing a months worth of beer is impossible  so they have no choice but to take Golden Brands beers off tap.

We dont have any Golden Brands products, St. Marys Pub owner Maria Davis told KPIX. I would love to. People ask for it. We have people that come in that work for Anchor.

To address the issue, San Francisco bars have banded together. In early June, more than 80 bars signed onto a letter from the SF Bar Owner Alliance obtained by SFGATE asking Golden Brands to make changes, including offering weekly deliveries and improving customer service.

"GB's ordering and sales process has been so poor that it became a burden to get their product in," read one quote from an SF Bar Owner Alliance member in the letter. "Miller and PBR used to be our biggest sellers, now we have switched to Budweiser and Tecate. In my 20 years in the bar industry I have never felt so insulted by a company.

If Golden Brands refuses to make the changes, the bars say they will organize a boycott of Golden Brands products.

"Needless to say, the last year has been a difficult and trying time for all businesses, but particularly bars and restaurants," the letter continued. "We have wasted an inordinate amount of our limited resources, time, and patience with Golden Brands. We ask that you treat all of your customers, not just your largest, with respect."
A man who police say attempted to kidnap a 16-year-old girl at a Redwood City coffee shop has been arrested.

Brandon Yamagata, 35, is in police custody after officers responded to reports of an adult male grabbing a teenage girl at Teaspoon Coffeebar on Friday at approximately 6:47 p.m.

Yamagata reportedly approached the victim while she was standing in front of the coffee shop, at 2361 Broadway. Police say the suspect grabbed the 16-year-old around her left arm with both hands and "attempted to pull her away."

A bystander then intervened and asked Yamagata to leave the girl alone, police said. To the contrary, Yamagata allegedly followed the girl into the coffee shop, grabbed her arm and placed his arm around the small of her back in an attempt to pull her away again.

When the bystander once again approached Yamagata, he fled, Redwood City PD said.

Police detained the suspect a short distance from the coffee shop and the victim positively identified him in the field.

Yamagata was placed under arrest and booked at the San Mateo County Maguire Correctional Facility for attempted kidnapping, annoying/molesting minor and on a parole warrant.

Police ask those with additional information regarding the incident to contact Redwood City Police Department Detective Sergeant Nick Perna at 650-780-7672 or to reach out to the department's Tip Line at 650-780-7110.
NEW YORK (AP)  Elin Hilderbrand, known as the queen of the beach read, plans to retire from writing novels in 2024.

The best-selling author's latest book Golden Girl" is her 27th book and is now available. Hilderbrand says she deliberately wants to quit while there's still an appetite for her writing.

A lot of people will follow a writer for a long time and then inevitably they will turn out a book that is not as good as the others, Hilderbrand told The Associated Press in an interview last month. "Ive always said to myself, I will not do that. I will make each book better and better or different in some way. I feel myself coming to my natural end of my material.

Hilderbrand, whose past books include 28 Summers," The Identicals and Here's to Us" have become a summertime staple, with cover art featuring an idyllic beach scene and stories set in and around the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, where she lives. She says those are the novels she will definitely stop writing in 2024, but someday she may return with a memoir or a cookbook.

Despite plans to step back from writing, Hilderbrand, 51, wants to stay in the book world. Hilderbrand wants to become a book influencer, where she recommends books to others.

To get started, Hilderbrand has created a book club on the subscription site Literati. Hilderbrand joins curators including Stephen Curry, Richard Branson, Malala and Cheryl Strayed who also offer their own book clubs on Literati.

Im doing a book club called The Beach and Beyond. What I would like it to be, is smart, fun, engrossing books, not too, too heavy, not too gritty or serious or dark, but not silly, fluffy either," she said. Im trying to find books that havent been picked by the big morning show book clubs, said Hilderbrand, who is also interested in spotlighting female writers.

Hilderbrand, who says she appreciates what actors and TV personalities Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Jenna Bush have done for the publishing industry with their own book clubs, believes authors are the best people to recommend books because they know good writing.

You will not find anybody who reads more critically than a writer. And I would be shocked if you found anybody who loves to read more than a writer, said Hilderbrand. "The biggest book influencer in the country should not be an actress, nor should it be even Oprah. I love Oprah. I love Reese Witherspoon," said Hilderbrand. I really feel like book influencing should be done by writers. And so I should be that person.

The author spoke to the AP before being criticized for a passage in Golden Girl in which a character referenced living in an attic like Holocaust victim Anne Frank. Hilderbrand apologized and her publisher agreed to remove the reference from digital versions and future printings.

___

Follow Alicia Rancilio at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar
A Distant Grave, by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Minotaur)

Homicide detective Maggie Darcy has been hoping to heat up a cross-Atlantic romance with her sweetheart, Conor Kearney, but after a body turns up on Long Island beach, her trip to Ireland appears to be off.

When the murder victim turns out to be Gabriel Treacy, a Dublin resident who had just arrived in America, however, she flies to the Emerald Isle to combine business with pleasure. As the investigation heats up, she finds scant time for the latter.

The indomitable Darcy, introduced by author Sarah Stewart Taylor last year in the critically acclaimed Mountains Wild, soon finds herself entangled in a case with threads that stretch from Long Island and Ireland to Italy and war-torn Afghanistan.

Treacy, it turns out, was an aid worker who once had been kidnapped, and subsequently rescued, in Afghanistan. And recently, he had been looking for a long-lost brother who had been torn from his family during Irelands stolen babies scandal. Could either, or perhaps both, explain why he had come to America? Could either involve motives for his murder?

Meanwhile, powerful Suffolk County DA John J. Cooney, insistent that the murder was just a gang-related robbery gone bad, pressures Darcy to return to Long Island.

As she persists in following her lines of investigation, however, several others involved in either the stolen babies scandal or the kidnapping die from a mysterious killers bullets. Eventually, she realizes her own life is in danger.

The result is a fast-paced, tension-filled yarn filled with twists the reader is unlikely to see coming. Taylor tells the story in a lyrical prose style that is a joy to read. She excels in vividly portraying both the rural Ireland and Long Island settings and in developing memorable characters including Darcys partner, Dave Milich, and her troubled daughter, Lilly.

The only off note is occasional references to events in The Mountain Wild that are difficult for readers to fathom unless they have read the first book in the series.

___

Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of Americas Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including The Dread Line.
I left San Francisco on a fittingly foggy morning  my objects acquired over my 25 years in the Bay Area jammed into a U-Haul  in the summer of 2019.

I was moving to Southern California, Long Beach, to be exact, to get a PhD in English at UC Irvine. But I was also going to get away from all that, as Joan Didion says, writing of her exodus from New York. It was my first time moving out of the Bay Area since I was born, besides a six-month stint in Europe during college.

Over my three years writing at SFGATE, before I left, exodus became my bread-and-butter, so to speak. I became the de facto exodus reporter for the website, chronicling peoples voyages from the Bay Area to Austin, to Portland, to the far reaches of those places that are anywhere but here.

Exodus became implanted in my mind after so many interviews, people continually recounting their familiar gripes with the place: Its too expensive, too techified, too trafficky. I couldnt stop thinking maybe there was something to this Bay Area exodus. Maybe I ought to give elsewhere a try, for a change.

Deciding whether or not to leave the Bay Area isn't the same as answering a yes/no question, I wrote at the time. I knew I couldn't survive as a grad student in the Bay Area without amassing bottomless debt ... and I eventually realized I wanted this degree badly enough to leave the place I've called home since birth. I had to fill the scales and see which way they leaned.

Having spent my entire life in the Bay Area, I am terrified to leave, I wrote. But I'm also emboldened by the many coming-and-going stories I've been privileged to tell over the past few years.

So I moved to Long Beach, with my two cats and my boyfriend. And thus began the adjustment period.

Im hardly the only person who left San Francisco in the period before and during the pandemic. Big tech started leaving  and so did people. According to U.S. Postal Service data obtained by the Chronicle, out-migration soared in March 2020, following Californias stay-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another). In March 2020 alone, the Chronicle reported, there were more than 4,300 change of address orders out of the city  more than double the previous March.

Though I didnt move during the pandemic, Im guessing my reasons for leaving were not dissimilar to those who left as COVID ripped across the U.S.  and like those who left after me, there was a major adjustment period to life beyond the bay.

Immediately after moving, everything in Los Angeles seemed to sparkle, like it had a shiny film  perhaps due to too many years being too close to Hollywood. I dug the kitsch and pomp. The 1950s bar with the 70-year-old lounge-singing duo. The dressed-up girls posting Instagrams of their boozy brunches. The roller skaters zooming down the beachside path in Long Beach. The friendliness of strangers on the sidewalk.

But there were things that felt too different for a longtime Bay Area resident, in a way that they sometimes made me feel as if I were suffocating. The driving, for one. One-and-a-half hours from Long Beach to Irvine, on a bad day. Two hours to Echo Park. Twenty minutes just to get to the highway entrance.

And then there was the flatness of it all. The city felt small without the hills. It sounds like a minor gripe, but lacking any elevation, the city felt like it slumped, like I couldnt see where I was going.

During the first year, I couldnt bring myself to go back to San Francisco. Even visits to see my parents in the East Bay felt too much to bear.

I told myself I was over the place, sick of it after so many years. Who needed San Francisco, a place Id never be able to buy a house or set down appropriate roots? The gripes my sources shared with me while writing "grass is greener" stories suddenly became my gripes. The traffic was bad. The tech culture was tiresome. And how about those rents?

At least thats what I told myself.

Then the pandemic hit, and things suddenly took on a different sheen. To see my parents in the East Bay, I had to drive six hours with no stops  careful to avoid the germ-infested bathrooms and restaurants  and then wed spend our visits outdoors, only crossing paths indoors with great care and attention.

I went back to San Francisco on this visit. Just to check things out, I told myself. Just to look around. But really, I knew I was scouting: "Could we possibly return here?" I wondered to myself. It felt too painful, the knowledge that Id be moving to a place thats so difficult, monetarily, to live in, to even ask.

But the seed was planted. I waved my parents tearfully goodbye, went back to Los Angeles, and noticed the SoCal shimmer had begun to stink.

There wasn't one moment that cemented my sudden distaste for Southern California. Rather, it was an accumulation. I began to loathe the little things in LA: the cheesy palm trees, the hot summer nights, the smell of sewage wafting off the trash-strewn ocean, the driving and the driving and the driving.

It wasnt so much what I didnt like as what I missed, though. I missed living close to my parents, for one. Missed my friends who had seen me grow up from childhood to adulthood. I missed the smells, briny ocean mixed with taqueria mixed with blooming box trees. And I missed the way I knew it, so deeply and closely, like a worn, hand-me-down sweater  holes and all.

It happened in December 2020. My now-fiance, cats, roommate and I moved back to San Francisco, I loaded down with a new masters degree and an extra U-Haul of stuff acquired along the way.

Leaving Los Angeles wasnt a hard decision. We barely discussed it at all, actually. Moving back to San Francisco simply felt like the right, natural thing to do, as if it didnt warrant any thought at all.

Despite the masked faces on Valencia Street and the shuttering of many local businesses amid the pandemic, San Francisco rewelcomed us with open arms. At least it felt that way. Rents were the lowest Id seen them in years. In July, for example, rents had plunged 11.8% across the board. Two-bedroom apartments in the Mission were no longer $4,000 a month, but much more manageable at $3,000 or so. We got one month free on our current apartment, which overlooks an alley where children ride their bicycles and, at almost every hour, youll find a dog sniffing the bottom of our steps.

Its not perfect. I wish we had as much space as we had in Southern California. Rents are steadily creeping back up. Sometimes people strew trash across our entranceway. Ive already gotten four street-sweeping tickets. But in the six months weve been back, though I miss the friends I made in LA, I havent once regretted returning.

Its a strange time to be in San Francisco. It feels like the citys changed, in ways big and small, even since I left. My favorite bar closed. I lost my rent-controlled apartment. My two best friends have moved to New York.

But, despite all that feels so new, it still has that cozy, old sweater feel. For now, Ill take it as it is.
Porsche C. / Yelp

For 20 Century Cafe fans, it's the end of an era: chef-owner Michelle Polzine recently confirmed that the popular Hayes Valley bakery's last day of service will be July 10. We've known this was coming for a while, but yes, it still stings.

"San Francisco is not hospitable to small business owners," Polzine told Eater SF back when she first announced the impending closure of her eight-year-old cafe. "I love this city as a citizen. I still want to live here. But I no longer have any interest in owning a business here."
(Ad) Search on the internet for marijuana seed banks, and you will surely find more than ten companies. However, finding the best ones is not so simple.

In this article, we examine online seed banks and list the 10 best marijuana seeds that ship to the USA.

Editors Choice

ILGM Seed Bank

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The 10 Best Marijuana Seeds for Sale 2021

Pros

Great germination guarantee Hundreds of articles and detailed marijuana grow guides ILGM forum Free stealth shipping

Cons

Limited product selection

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I Love Growing Marijuana (ILGM) was founded by Robert Bergman. ILGM started selling cannabis seeds in 2012 and maintains an impressive reputation. It is also one of the better cannabis seed banks that ship to the USA.

In fact, if you are looking for high-quality marijuana seeds, we would recommend ILGM as your first port of call, you can see more cannabis seed reviews on Heraldnet. Their germination guarantee means that if your seeds never sprout or germinate, they will send another set of seeds at no additional cost. Moreover, they offer stealth shipping for no additional payment.

I Love Growing Marijuana (ILGM) has posted over 700 articles and detailed marijuana grow guides on their website, which will inform you about your seeds growing process. You can also join the ILGM forum, where you can ask questions, read additional information from professional growers, and answer others questions as well.

A small downside is that they have only 100 marijuana strains available. Nevertheless, these products are high quality, so you will not have to look further. Also, ILGM cannot be reached through phone calls or live chat. Instead, you reach them through their contact form on their website. Alternatively, you can contact them via email.

Pros

Rewards program available Discreet guaranteed shipping Started in 1999

Cons

Only one contact method

Click here to buy this product

Based in the Netherlands, MSNL Seedbank opened its business in 1999. With over two decades of experience, they boast the most extensive catalog in the cannabis industry. On their comprehensive website, you can browse the large inventory with ease, sorting products by category, cannabis strains, and more.

As well as a useful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, customers can seek extra information via MSNLs contact form.

Through their discreet shipping service, American purchases generally arrive within 620 days. Also, with any order over $70, MSNL will gift you free seeds.

However, the thing we love about MSNL is a germination guarantee (9% [RH1] or more) and their free stealth shipping service.

Moreover, the company offers a rewards program where points never expire, so you can collect them and use them for your later purchases.

Pros

Top Seed Bank In Canada award Multiple contacts

Cons

No free shipping

Click here to buy this product

Crop King Seeds is a Canada-based seed bank that started operating in 2005. In 2018, the company was recognized as the top cannabis seed in Canada that ships to the United States as well.

Although they offer a choice of only 31 cannabis strains, Crop King Seeds guarantees that they are all high-quality seeds. Their also offer discreet packaging and an 80% germination guarantee. In case of failed germination, they will send another seed at no additional cost.

Crop King Seeds downside is that they do not offer any free shipping aside from what has been included in their germination guarantee. Shipping costs a minimum of $10. Nevertheless, their customer service is great and they have multiple payment methods. To purchase online from Crop King, you can pay via debit card, credit card, or bitcoin. They may be contacted via email, live chat, a physical mailing address, and a toll-free phone number.

Pros

Wide product selection Loyalty program Good web interface

Cons

Average customer service rating

Click here to buy this product

Seedsman began business in 2003. The company is based in the UK, but because of their high-quality seeds, many customers include them as one of the best American seed banks.

Seedsman offers over 3000 different types of cannabis, and they have their own cannabis brand.

Another great thing is their loyalty program, where you can earn points for making certain transactions including subscribing to their newsletter and writing reviews.

They also have an attractive web interface, which supports European languages including German, Spanish, French, and Italian.

Seedsman accepts debit cards, credit cards, bitcoin, and pot money. If you have any inquiries, you can contact them through their email or telephone number. However, users have rated their customer support service as only average.

Pros

Worldwide shipping Team of expert cannabis geneticists

Cons

Shipping is not free \ Inconsistent customer feedback

Click here to buy this product

When Quebec Cannabis Seeds started selling online in 2012, the company had already been operating for around 15 years. They are located in Canada but ship items worldwide.

Quebec Cannabis Seeds have the top 50 marijuana strains in the world including Quebec Gold 2.0, Jack Herer, QC Black Gold, and AK 47. Thanks to their team of expert cannabis geneticists, the quality of their marijuana seeds are top-notch. In any case, with their germination guarantee, if more than 20% of your weed seeds do not germinate, Quebec Cannabis Seeds will either send a new set of seeds or return your money. This makes them popular, with some customers believing they are the best Canadian marijuana seeds and one of the best marijuana seeds in the world.

A small downside of Quebec Cannabis Seeds is they do not offer free shipping and a minimum purchase of $10 is required.

Feedback on their customer service is variable. Some find the service unsatisfying, while some are grateful as they receive a professional response. However, you can send them an email or make a call if you have concerns.

Pros

Many bank partnerships 24/7 customer support

Cons

Few contact methods

Click here to buy this product

This Dutch-based company started selling marijuana seeds in 2011 but has 30 years [RH2] of experience in the industry and partnerships with 26 different seed banks. Thus, they are regarded as one of the more reputable seed banks online and have sold over a hundred thousand weed seeds.

Amsterdam Marijuana Seeds accepts credit cards, prepaid Visa and Mastercard, bank transfers, and bitcoin. Customers are generally satisfied with the AMS customer service. You can contact them via email or phone call. They are open 24/7, which differentiates them from the others on our list.

Pros

Free seeds and promos Friendly web interface

Cons

Shorter time in business

Click here to buy this product

Gorilla Seed Bank takes its name from Gorilla Glue, a famous marijuana seed product. Gorilla Seed Bank started just a few years ago, but it does not mean they do not have high-quality seeds to sell. Many online reviews already reveal a high level of customer satisfaction.

Rather than offer a huge catalog of cannabis seeds, Gorilla Seed Bank limits their offerings to ensure that they only sell seeds from excellent breeders.

Aside from their high-quality products, they also offer free seeds, discounts, occasional promotions, and free worldwide shipping (although there is a charge for their stealth shipping service).

However, many customers were satisfied with their customer service. Thanks to a user-friendly web interface, you can sort items by height, flowering time, price, rating, and other categories. Furthermore, Gorilla Seed Bank accepts a variety of payment methods including credit card, debit card, cash, bank transfer, and bitcoin. If you have questions or concerns, you can send an email, call, or submit an online ticket.

Pros

5,000 available products Close to perfect rating

Cons

Only new and rare products are available

Click here to buy this product

Seed City is known for its hard-to-find products, as they sell only new and rare cannabis seeds from over 200 partners.

What differentiates Seed City is its larger inventory of singles cannabis seeds[RH3] . Specifically, they have 5,000 available product selections.

As for customer ratings on Trustpilot, Seed City earned 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Seed City accepts credit and debit cards, bank transfers, and bitcoin. You can find their contact details on their website in case you have questions.

Pros

Located in California < Managed by horticulture and medicine experts

Cons

imited germination guarantee offer

Click here to buy this product

Growers Choice Seed is another seed bank that ships to the US[RH4] . The company has existed for almost 20 years and is probably the most reputable seed bank[RH5] .

The company is situated in California. Because of its near location[RH6] , Growers Choice becomes one of the best seed banks in the US[RH7] .

Growers Choice Seed Bank was founded and managed by horticultural and medical experts, which supports their offering of high-quality seeds that earn a great deal of enthusiastic customer feedback. They also have a variety of different marijuana seeds including Og Kush.

The company guarantees a 90% germination rate of their cannabis seeds. If your seeds do not growand as long as you have followed the instructions found in the germination guide they provideGrowers Choice Seed Bank will send a replacement set of seeds.

Growers Choice Seeds can be reached via their contact form, email, telephone number, and through various social media.

Pros

A Number of seed banks connection[RH8]

Cons

Caters for bulk orders only

Click here to buy this product

Located in the EU, Tiger-One Distribution is considered one of the best marijuana seed banks for customers wishing to place bulk orders. They started operating in 2003, and are still included in the top 10 seed banks of the world for their reliability and service.

Note that Tiger-One Distribution supplies bulk orders only.

In terms of product quality, they are connected with around 90% of seed banks all over the world. Such partnerships enable them to sell only high-quality cannabis seeds. As for customer service, you can contact them through their website and email.

Best Cannabis Seeds Banks to Buy Online: What Should You Look For?

Cannabis Seeds by Gender

Like humans, animals, and other plants, cannabis seeds come in male and female varieties. Males are the ones to produce more seeds, while the males [RH9] are the ones to fertilize their female counterparts.

Marijuana seeds sold online may be regular seeds or feminized seeds.

Regular seeds contain both males and females. This is the best choice for people who enjoy the hobby of breeding. This is also a great option if you want more reproduction of cannabis seeds.

Regular seeds might not be your best option if you just want your seeds to grow and bloom. However, you can still buy such a seed type if you want to be an expert grower, preserving the seeds natural evolution.

Feminized seeds are supposed to contain only female cannabis seeds. However, this is not always the casea few male seeds might remain in the mix. The vigilant grower will remove the male cannabis seeds from their counterparts. Nevertheless, this is the best option if you just want your seeds to grow and do not like seed reproduction.

These types of seeds are also easier to germinate, as the majority of the seeds are females. Thus, they will be able to give you beautiful buds.

Cannabis Seeds by Genetics

You might also consider seeds genetics when choosing what to buy. There are four categories: Sativa seeds, Indica seeds, hybrid seeds, and auto-flowering seeds.

Sativa seeds originated from places with a subtropical or tropical climate. They are expected to grow big and high. A Sativa plant will also contain high THC and THCV, a great stimulant for people wanting to boost their energy.

Indica seeds live well in temperate zones and are expected to have fat leaves, thick stems, and shorter height. They contain high THC and CBD levels and are great for people wanting to feel more relaxed.

Auto-flowering seeds are non-photoperiod plants. They were made with Ruderalis genetics, which resulted in seeds that flower regardless of the amount of light they receive.

Hybrid seeds are a blend of Indica and Sativa genetics. They produce different cannabis strains with different effects.

Seed Bank Payment Options

The most popular payment option for buying cannabis seeds is cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Other cryptocurrencies used include Litecoin, Ethereum, and XMR, but bitcoin is the most popular. Some seed banks even offer a discount if you pay in bitcoin.

Other payment options are also widely used. These include cash, but we do not recommend this if you do not want to be traced by legal authorities. Credit cards and different types of debit cards such as Visa and Mastercard are also payment options.

Can You Legally Ship Cannabis Seeds to the United States?

You can legally buy and ship cannabis seeds to the United States. However, you must be aware of the law in your state, as regulations vary.

In some US states, you can purchase cannabis for medical purposes only. Other states may allow you to grow cannabis seeds for recreational purposes, but with some limitations. Check what restrictions apply in your state. Many people also consider buying cannabis seeds online if their states will not allow them to purchase in person, but you have to make sure that your chosen seed bank offers stealth shipping.

Moreover, if you have bought cannabis seeds online, do not be afraid that someone will knock at your door. That will not happen. If the Customs Department sees your ordered cannabis seeds, they will just throw them away and will not deliver them to you. This is why stealth shipping is important. If your order is not delivered successfully, the seed bank will send a replacement set of seeds.

Conclusion

There are hundreds of cannabis seed banks online, yet not all of them give their best for their customers. In this review, we outlined the ten best marijuana seed banks online. However, experiences can vary, depending on your awareness of the growing process and what kind of cannabis seeds best meet your needs.

There are different strains, genetics, and gender to consider, as well as effects. Do you want a combination of male and female seeds? Do you want to have a plant containing high CBD? After answering these questions, you are unlikely to have any difficulty in growing or germinating your cannabis.

The best way to secure your money is to choose an online seed bank offering a germination guarantee and stealth shipping. You might also like to purchase from a company that offers free seeds and other discount promos. You can also look back in this article, and find the marijuana seed bank that best fits your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What seed bank has the best genetics?

A: There is no definitive answer to this question since seed banks offer cannabis with different genetics. However, understand what your goal is before purchasing in order to select the best marijuana seed for you.

Q: Are seed banks legit?

A: Seed banks are legit. However, you still have to be aware of scams. Nevertheless, rest assured that the online seedbanks listed in this article are legit, especially our most recommended seed bank, ILGM (I Love Growing Marijuana).

Q: Are there any seed banks in the United States?

A: Yes. Growers Choice Seed Bank is one of them. There are other seed banks not located in the USA but that still ship to the country.

Q: Is it legal to buy cannabis seeds?

A: It depends where you live. Before placing an order online, check what your states law allows.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  State health officials announced Tuesday that four people have each won $250,000 prizes as part of the New Mexico vaccine sweepstakes.

They were the first four winners of Vax 2 the Max Sweepstakes.
MILAN (AP)  The Vatican has formally opposed a proposed Italian law expanding anti-discrimination protections to the LGBT community, a leading Italian newspaper reported Tuesday. Activists immediately denounced the move as unprecedented Vatican meddling in Italy's legislative process.

The Vatican foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, sent a letter last week to the Italian ambassador to the Holy See saying the proposed law violates Italys diplomatic agreement with the Vatican and seeking changes, the Milan-based daily Corriere della Sera reported.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that a diplomatic communication had been sent on June 17 but did not elaborate.

According to Corriere, the Vatican's objections include parts of the law that would require schools as well as Catholic schools to organize activities on a day designated nationally to fight homophobia and transphobia.

Italian politicians and advocacy groups reacted strongly to what they saw as an attempt to derail the Zan Law, named for the Democratic Party lawmaker and gay rights activist Alessandro Zan. In the past, the Vatican has objected to Italian laws legalizing abortion and divorce and backed unsuccessful referendums after the fact to try to repeal them.

The proposed law adds women and people who are gay, transgender or have disabilities to the classes of those protected under a law banning discrimination and punishing hate crimes. It was approved by the lower house last November, but remains stalled in a Senate commission by objections from Italys right wing.

We support the Zan law, and naturally we are open to dialogue, on any legal issues, Democratic Party leader Enrico Letta told RAI state radio Tuesday. But he said his party wants to see the law enacted, calling it a law of civilization.

An atheist group in Italy protested the Vaticans actions, saying they violated the independence and the sovereignty of the Republic.

The government has the political and moral obligation to not only just resist pressure but to unilaterally denounce this unprecedented interference in state affairs, the secretary of the Union of Atheists and Agnostic Rationalists, Roberto Grendene, said in a statement.

A gay-rights group, Gay Party for LGBT+ Rights, called on Premier Mario Draghi's government to reject the Vaticans interference and improve the law so that it truly has, at its heart, the fight against homophobia and transphobia.

"We find worrying the Vatican meddling in the law against homophobia,'' said the groups spokesman, Fabrizio Marrazzo.

Marrazzo said Gay Pride Parades in Milan and Rome on Saturday would send a clear message from the streets on the topic and defend the laicity of the state.
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP)  An Air Force squadron from South Carolina will be training with F-16 fighter jets in Vermont over the next week.

A small contingent assigned to the 55th Fighter Squadron from Shaw Air Force Base will arrive on Wednesday with six F-16s and complete training missions by next Wednesday, June 30, the Vermont National Guard said.
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BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Spains government granted pardons on Tuesday to the nine imprisoned instigators of an illegal 2017 secession bid for Catalonia in a bold move to defuse the festering political crisis in the nation's affluent northeastern corner.

The decision by the left-wing government, however, has angered many in Spain, even some of Catalonias most fervent separatists who say the pardons don't go far enough.

WHY WERE THEY IMPRISONED?

Separatist sentiment skyrocketed in Catalonia over the past two decades, fueled by the global recession and an increasingly polarized political climate. Many Catalans, despite being comparatively wealthy and enjoying a large degree of self-rule, felt they paid too much in taxes and were ignored by central authorities.

In October 2017 the government of Catalonia pushed through with a referendum on independence despite repeated warnings from the countrys highest courts that a vote on national sovereignty by a region violated the Constitution.

Most unionist voters boycotted the vote, while 2 million of 5.3 million potential voters cast ballots for secession despite a violent police crackdown that injured hundreds.

The Catalan Parliament declared independence on Oct. 27, but it failed to garner any international support.

While the regional president at the time, Carles Puigdemont, and some associates fled the country, a dozen leaders of the secession bid were arrested. In 2019, Spain's Supreme Court found the 12 guilty of a varying mix of crimes, including sedition, misuse of public funds and disobedience.

Nine were given lengthy prison sentences, while three were fined and did not do jail time.

WHO IS PARDONED?

Former regional vice president Oriol Junqueras received the heaviest sentence of 13 years for sedition and misuse of public funds.

Eight more, including former members of the Catalan Cabinet, Carme Forcadell, ex-speaker of the Catalan parliament, and Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, two leaders of separatist grassroots groups, received sentences ranging from nine to 12 years.

They are now expected to go free after having spent three-and-a-half years behind bars, although they will likely remain banned from holding public office for years.

CONTROVERSIAL DECISION

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has weathered harsh criticism in recent weeks while his government prepared the pardons, both from Spains conservatives and far-right parties, as well as a large sector of the public.

But the decision is widely backed in Catalonia, where even many unionists hope it can help mend bridges. Important business leaders and Catholic bishops have also voiced their support.

In two regional elections since the failed secession bid the separatists have maintained their hold on power as the political battle lines have become entrenched. Roughly half support parties in favor of secession; the other half vote for parties that want to remain in Spain.

Spain's government hopes that the freeing of the separatists can convince those Catalans who only recently joined the separatist camp to consider coming back into the fold.

Sanchez will also likely need the votes of some Catalan separatists in the national Parliament in Madrid to keep his minority government afloat over the next two years.

NOT ENOUGH FOR SOME

While celebrating the liberty of their cohorts, the separatist movement is far from satisfied. Its politicians are pushing for not just being spared the punishment but a full amnesty for all of those in trouble for helping organize the 2017 breakaway attempt. That would clear up their criminal records and allow them to participate in politics.

They also don't renounce their dream of founding a new state.

But the protest held on Tuesday when Sanchez visited Barcelona to announce that he would sign the pardons was very subdued. Compared to the tens  or even hundreds  of thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets in recent years, a few hundred turned out to jeer Sanchez.

The pardons come after Junqueras recently acknowledged for the first time that the 2017 referendum was not considered legitimate by a part of Catalonia's society. That is in stark contrast to the position maintained by Puigdemont, who says that the referendum and independence declaration remain valid.

WHAT ABOUT PUIGDEMONT?

The act of grace by Spain does not include Puigdemont and the handful of other high-profile separatists who fled to Belgium, Scotland and Switzerland, where they have avoided Spains extradition requests.

The government has insisted that they must return home to face justice.

Puigdemont and two former Catalan Cabinet members won seats to the European Parliament in 2019. Their immunity as parliament members was stripped by the chamber, which would allow Spain to again pursue their extradition. But a European court temporarily restored their extraordinary legal coverage recently while it considers their appeal.

So Puigdemont's future, as ever, is uncertain.
KATHUA, India (AP)  For nearly three months, from dusk to dawn, Rita Devi has followed a similar drill.

Her day begins with physical training, followed by classes on border management and on collaborating with police and border guards in the event of skirmishes along the frontier between India and Pakistan. Toward evening, she receives training in weapon handling and law and order.

Devi, along with 73 other young men and women, is working hard to become a special police officer to assist law enforcement officers in dozens of mountain villages in the frontier district of Kathua in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan also controls part of Kashmir, which is claimed by both countries.

Devi said she always wanted to join the police. This position will allow me to help people, she said.

Special police officers are lower-ranked police officials who are mainly recruited for intelligence gathering and counterinsurgency operations. In recent years, the force has assisted in border areas as well because of local recruits' familiarity with the topography and ability to assist police and border guards during emergencies.

The armies of India and Pakistan guard a highly militarized de facto border, the Line of Control, that divides the two parts of Kashmir. A lower-altitude 200-kilometer (125-mile) boundary separates Indian-controlled Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab. India refers to this somewhat-defined portion as an international border and Pakistan calls it a working boundary. Kathua borders Pakistani Punjab.

The frontier is marked by coils of razor wire, watch towers and bunkers that snake across foothills with ancient villages, tangled bushes, forests and fields of rice and corn.

We have recruited this batch exclusively for border management, said Ramesh Kotwal, the police chief of Kathua. We are training them to be more specialized in dealing with issues like cross-border shelling.

The volatile frontier between India and Pakistan has been silent since February, when the two nuclear-armed nations reaffirmed a 2003 cease-fire accord. Before that, troops on the two sides regularly exchanged artillery, rockets and small arms fire, killing hundreds since the cease-fire was originally signed.

Civilians are caught in the crossfire whenever violence erupts, with dozens killed every year and thousands forced to flee their homes.

The recruits are in the final stage of their training and will be sent to remote police border posts in Kathua.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Legislation that would raise the minimum age to get married in North Carolina from 14 to 16 cleared a House committee on Tuesday.

The measure, which was approved unanimously by the Senate last month, also would prevent the young person's spouse from being no more than four years older. And 16- and 17-year-olds would need either written parental consent or a judges order to marry.

Current law requires parental consent for 16- and 17-year-olds, and 14- and 15-year-olds can only marry if a pregnancy is involved and a judge authorizes the marriage. There is no age limit gap between the couple.

Backers of the measure say North Carolina has become a destination for out-of-state couples involving an underage partner because of its rules, and that in turn can encourage child trafficking. They say the age-gap limit also would bring restrictions more in line with North Carolina's statutory rape law.

An estimated 8,800 minors were listed on North Carolina marriage license applications from 2000 to 2015, according to an analysis by the International Center for Research on Women. Bill supporters say too many of these young women end up living amid poverty and abuse.

Delaying marriage is the right thing to do because it only improves the health, safety and welfare of the women and men in this situation, and all of their families," Rep. Ashton Clemmons, a Guilford County Democrat, told a judiciary committee.

The idea received support in the committee from a woman originally from Kentucky who said she was married in another state at age 13 to an older teenager, then had a baby at 14. She recalled having to drop out of school and seek public assistance.

I'm speaking in favor of the bill because I feel nobody did it for me,  Judy Wiegand told House members.

The bill must pass two additional House committees before reaching the floor. The legislation represents a compromise to the original bill, which sought to raise the minimum age to marry to 18 with no exceptions.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  Brazil's federal prosecutors office is investigating possible irregularities in a Health Ministry contract to purchase 20 million doses of the Covaxin vaccine manufactured by Indian laboratory Bharat Biotech.

The agreement signed in February commits the ministry to pay $320 million - at a cost of $15 per vaccine dose - to Precisa Medicamentos, the representative of Bharat Biotech in Brazil, according to a document sent to The Associated Press by the prosecutor general's press office.

The price per dose, which was higher than for other COVID-19 vaccines, drew prosecutors' attention, as did the fact that ministry officials apparently ignored a history of alleged irregularities by Precisa associates in previous contracts with the federal government.

Precisa said in a statement the vaccine price agreed to with Brazil's Health Ministry was the same as the price negotiated with 13 other countries and that the deal followed all formal paths and was carried out transparently.

Federal prosecutor Luciana Loureiro Oliveira said in a document signed on June 16 that three years ago Precisa associates, through another company, entered a contract with the Health Ministry for the sale of medicines that were never delivered.

Oliveira wrote that the ministry signed a purchase contract for the Bharat Biotech vaccine even though it had not been approved by Brazil's health agency, Anvisa, and that other already-approved vaccines were on the market at lower prices.

The history of irregularities involving Precisa partners and the high price paid for the contracted doses require a thorough investigation in both civil and criminal matters, Oliveira wrote.

Francisco Maximiano, a Precisa shareholder, was to appear Tuesday before a Senate commission investigating federal government omissions in the handling of the pandemic, but presented a petition to postpone his testimony saying he was in quarantine after arriving from India, according to a statement from his lawyers.

Anvisa approved the import of the Covaxin vaccine with restrictions on June 4, allowing the entry of only 4 million doses. In March, the agency had rejected a request to import the vaccine, citing concerns over a lack of documentation and information on its safety.
LOS ANGELES  A convict described as Charles Mansons right-hand man wont be walking out of San Quentin State Prison after his recommendation for parole was again rejected by Californias 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 boards decisions.

Michael Beckman, an attorney for Davis, said Monday that he wasnt surprised by the reversal, calling it the latest example of California leaders playing politics with his clients life.

Beckman called Davis the most rehabilitated inmate Ive 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.

Associated Press

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 masters 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.

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 cults move to the desert, according to the parole release review. Davis dropped off three members of the Manson group at Hinmans 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 Hinmans 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 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 victims head off, according to the parole release review.

Grogan, who was also convicted in Sheas 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 hes 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.

Hes been held almost 50 years ago as an accomplice, Beckman said, adding that if the crimes hadnt been associated with Manson, hed have been out years ago.

Davis next parole suitability hearing is tentatively set for July 2022. Beckman is considering appealing Newsoms decision.

Most of the key players in the Manson murders  including Charles Tex 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.
Singer Chris Brown is accused of hitting a woman during an argument in Southern California last week, police told the Daily News.

The alleged incident occurred Friday at a home in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, with authorities responding to the scene at around 7:30 a.m. local time, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The victim advised that she and the suspect argued, and the suspect struck her, a police statement says.

Police havent made any arrests. A battery report was taken by cops at the home.

The suspect was not at the location when the police arrived, the police statement continued.

Police said the crime report will be given over to the city attorney for filing considerations.

A legal representative for Brown, 32, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Brown has not publicly spoken about the allegation.

Police did not release specific details about the claim against Brown, but TMZ reported that the alleged victim accused the Grammy winner of slapping her hard enough for part of her hair weave to come out.

She reportedly did not sustain any injuries.

In 2009, Brown was charged with committing felony assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna, and pleaded guilty in a settlement deal later that year. In 2017, actress Karrueche Tran received a five-year restraining order against Brown after accusing him of abuse.


VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP)  The adoptive parents of a 15-year-old Vancouver, Washington, boy who died from starvation in November had bail set at $1 million each during a court appearance in Clark County.

Felicia L. Adams and Jesse C. Franks appeared Monday in Superior Court on domestic violence charges of second-degree murder and homicide by abuse in Karreon Franks death, The Columbian reported.

In response to the charges being read, Franks said, I dont know why Im being charged with all of this.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor James Smith described the allegations as extremely concerning and said the evidence in the case is overwhelming. Smith said Adams and Franks are each facing a minimum 20-year prison sentence if convicted.

The couple was extradited from San Joaquin County, California, where they had been in custody since June 4 on fugitive from justice warrants issued by Clark County.

On Monday, Vancouver attorney Jeff Sowder, whos representing Adams, said she and her husband surrendered to police. Sowder said the couple left Vancouver after a reporter went at their door and neighbors learned of the criminal case, leading to their home being vandalized.

Judge John Fairgrieve appointed attorney David Kurtz, who was not present, to represent Franks.

Adams legally adopted Karreon Franks and his two brothers in 2012. She is their aunt, court records show.

Karreon reportedly had a rare genetic disorder that affected his development, had severe autism and was legally blind, according to court records.

On Nov. 27, Adams and Franks took Karreon Franks to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, where he was pronounced dead 14 minutes later.

The autopsy report found Karreon weighed 61 pounds and showed abnormal bone and hair growth, as well as lesions, likely caused by starvation, court records state.

A hospital nurse contacted Child Protective Services when the teen arrived. His brothers have been removed from the couple's custody.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A panel of federal appellate judges on Tuesday reinstated a Tennessee law requiring first-time voters in the state to appear in person to vote, reasoning in part that the COVID-19 pandemic is "unlikely to pose a serious threat during the next election cycle."

In a 2-1 decision, a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel overturned a lower court's ruling in September that blocked the restriction on absentee voting ahead of the 2020 general election. In October, a panel from the 6th Circuit decided to keep the preliminary injunction, with Judge Julia Smith Gibbons ruling that the court shouldn't disrupt the new rules at that late stage in the election.

In reinstating the requirement, the same judge wrote Tuesday that there is not a reasonable expectation that voters will again face the same kind of burdens they did during the fall 2020 election.

Fortunately, because of advancements in COVID-19 vaccinations and treatment since this case began, the COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to pose a serious threat during the next election cycle, the ruling states.

The judge also said the legal standing to bring the case, through a member of the Tennessee NAACP, disappeared once the state Supreme Court separately rolled back another judge's widespread expansion of a vote-by-mail option last year.

The absentee voting fights unfolded in state and federal courts in Republican-tilted Tennessee while legal challenges over mail voting grabbed the spotlight in battleground states during the last election. The absentee voting expansion in state court even prompted angry Republican lawmakers to make an unsuccessful try at removing the judge from office. Instead, they passed a reconfiguration of how constitutional challenges against the state will be heard.

In a concurring opinion on the first-time voter restriction, Judge Chad Readler stated that a court should have little trouble, in a future case, finding that Tennessees law operates safely within constitutional parameters.

In dissent, Judge Karen Nelson Moore accused the majority of haphazardly wielding the law and the facts, saying they are ignoring the evidence suggesting many Tennessee voters will again be qualified to vote absentee next election, but barred from doing so because of the in-person requirement.

She wrote that advancements in COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments are worthy of celebration, but she said it's hard to tell how the pandemic will evolve in the coming months and years.

Words cloaked in our robes carry real weight, and I am loath to minimize a disease that has killed about 600,000 Americans and over 3,800,000 persons worldwide, Moore wrote.

The law requires first-time voters to cast a ballot in person or show ID at the local election office before voting by mail, if they qualify.

After the law was blocked by a federal judge, officials instead required certain blocs of first-time voters to submit a copy of their ID, from a driver's license to a utility bill, during the absentee voting process.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  Cyprus president on Tuesday appointed an economics professor as the countrys new health minister, after his predecessor asked to leave the post.

Michael Hadjipantela replaces Constantinos Ioannou, who oversaw the countrys difficult transition from a private-based to a national health system and handled the coronavirus pandemic.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Extremists sought to use the global pandemic to spread hate propaganda and exacerbate mistrust in public institutions in 2020, the European Union's police agency said Tuesday in its annual report on terrorism in the 27-nation bloc.

COVID-19 and the economic crisis and social unrest it spawned have contributed to polarization in society, causing attitudes to harden and increasing acceptance of intimidation, including calls to commit violent acts, the report said.

It cited the arrest in the Netherlands of a man who allegedly called for citizen's arrests of lawmakers and public health workers. It said violence by opponents of the Dutch government's lockdown measures included hurling stones and fireworks at one city hall and vandalizing COVID-19 test locations.

Such violence has increased this year, with a mob torching a test location in a Dutch fishing village and a blast that damaged the glass facade of a testing center north of Amsterdam in March.

The latest report from Europol on the EU terrorism situation illustrates that in the year of the COVID pandemic, the risk of online radicalization has increased. This is particularly true for right-wing terrorism," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said.

She discussed the issue Tuesday at a meeting in Lisbon with U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

Europol counted a total of 57 completed, failed or foiled terrorist attacks in six EU nations and 62 terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 2020, similar to the previous year that saw 119 attacks, including 64 in the U.K. The number of terrorism-related arrests in the EU fell by one-third compared to 2019 to 449.

A total of 21 people were killed in extremist attacks last year  nine in a right-wing attack in Germany and 12 people in six jihadist-inspired attacks.

Europol noted that all the jihadist attacks were carried out by lone actors, although some were in contact with terrorist groups.

The report said the use of explosives in terror attacks declined, probably because of COVID-19 lockdowns closing down large gatherings of people. One bombing plot was foiled by authorities.

____

Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
PHOENIX (AP)  The former CEO of a Phoenix health care facility has pleaded guilty to two counts of felony fraud, according to state prosecutors.

William J. Timmons is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22.

The Arizona Attorney Generals Office said Monday that Timmons could be facing between three and 12  years in prison on each count.

Timmons was CEO of Hacienda Healthcare from July 1989 to January 2019.

A state grand jury indicted Timmons and his chief financial officer, Joseph OMalley, in August 2020.

The two were accused of being involved in what prosecutors said was an elaborate white-collar fraud scheme that bilked Arizona taxpayers out of millions of dollars.

According to the indictment, Timmons and OMalley misallocated money from the state from 2013 until June 30, 2018, by manipulating costs to avoid repayments of state funds in favor of inflated salaries and bonuses.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors said Timmons has agreed to pay $500,000 to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and $274,500 to the state attorney generals anti-racketeering revolving fund.

OMalley, who resigned in March 2019, is scheduled to stand trial in his case in March 2022.
HONOLULU (AP)  A legislative aide to a Honolulu city councilman is on paid administrative leave after receiving a letter from federal authorities informing him he's a target in an investigation.

Roy Amemiya was managing director under former Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. He's now a legislative aide working on special projects in the office of Councilman Calvin Say, who is chairman of the budget committee.
ALBANY, Ore. (AP)  A former South Albany High School principal is suing Greater Albany Public Schools, claiming the district racially discriminated against him and created a hostile work environment.

Nain Nate Munoz filed the suit last month in U.S. District Court in Eugene, The Albany Democrat-Herald reported Monday. Munoz was interim principal and then principal of South Albany from July 2018 to June 2020.

The case is linked to two separate complaints Munoz filed with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries last year accusing the district of employment discrimination and retaliation.

The state agency co-filed the complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. Both issued Munoz a right to sue letter earlier this year in connection with both complaints.

Munoz is identified in the lawsuit as being of Mexican American descent. He contends the district discriminated and retaliated against him based on his race and national origin and for engaging in whistleblowing.

Barrett Mersereau, who is representing Greater Albany Public Schools, told the newspaper last week he could not discuss the case.

Munoz's attorney, Dan Snyder, also declined to comment.

While the District cannot comment on pending litigation, GAPS is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students and employees, District Superintendent Melissa Goff said in an email.

In the lawsuit 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.
CHICAGO (AP)  A man who admitted to authorities that he was taking part in a $300,000 bribery scheme while he was mayor of a financially struggling Chicago suburb was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison.

'The sentencing of former Markham Mayor David Webb comes more than three years after he pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud and filing a false tax return. And it also follows Webb's decision to alert federal authorities that he was taking bribes from contractors doing business with the city  something he said was prompted by an out-of-control gambling problem.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  A former elementary school teacher in Sioux Falls has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for sexually assaulting two students.

Thomas Richard Strong, 72, of Sioux Falls, was earlier found guilty of four counts of rape and one count of sexual contact with a child under 16.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia courts can continue to hold proceedings using video and other remote technology adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic for at least another year, the state's top judge said Tuesday.

In late March 2020, the Georgia Supreme Court issued orders to temporarily clarify and change video conferencing rules for the state's courts. Those temporary rules would have ended when an order declaring a statewide judicial emergency expires, which is expected to happen at the end of this month.
MACON, Ga. (AP)  A Georgia doctor faces time in federal prison after admitting that he illegally dispensed prescription opioids.

Hours before his federal trial was set to begin, Dr. Thomas Sachy, of Gray, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of unlawful dispensation of controlled substances, the U.S. attorney's office in Macon said in a news release. Sachy, 57, faces up to eight years in prison followed by at least three years of supervised release.

Sachy admits having issued prescriptions for oxycodone and lisdexamfetamine without a legitimate medical purpose, according to court documents.

In addition to prison time, Sachy agreed as part of his plea agreement to forfeit about $833,000 in money and property, including his medical office building. He also agreed that while he's serving his sentence, including supervised release once he's out of prison, he will not practice medical pain management, treat anyone for pain or try to have his federal license to prescribe controlled substances reinstated.

Sachy was taken into custody after entering a guilty plea, prosecutors said. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 7.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's national rail operator on Tuesday announced plans to reopen 20 stretches of railway around the country that have been closed over the years, a move intended to help get more people and freight on trains as the country steps up efforts to fight climate change.

The stretches that state-owned Deutsche Bahn plans to revive have a total length of 245 kilometers (152 miles). They were chosen after a team of experts assessed shuttered routes totaling around 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) for potential viability.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  A Republican rewrite of Pennsylvania election law that would mandate voter IDs, alter registration and ballot counting deadlines and give conservatives auditing procedures they have clamored for passed the state House on Tuesday despite the Democratic governors veto threat.

The lengthy and complex bill, crafted after 10 committee hearings on the subject earlier this year, was sent to the state Senate on a vote of 110-91.

Rep. Margo Davidson, D-Delaware, dismissed its proposed security provisions by raising the specter of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by those who supported former President Donald Trumps baseless efforts to reverse his re-election defeat.

What a farce, Davidson said. We are advancing election security measures, so we say, by ignoring the facts and embracing actual fantasies.

Voters must have confidence that the system is fair, said Rep. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland.

We know that democracy dies in darkness, Rothman said. Democracy will die without trust in the process.

The bill would establish a new county-issued voter ID that Rep. Tim Bonner, R-Mercer, said was not a burden or a way to suppress votes.

These restrictions are so minimal that if anyone appears at the polling place on election day, they do not need to have any identification on them, Bonner said. They can simply sign a piece of paper saying they are who they say they are.

But Democratic Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of Philadelphia described the bill as voter suppression in bad drag. It pretends to protect voters while actually restricting voting.

The registration deadline would change from 15 days to 30 days before an election, and mail-in ballots would have to be requested 15 days before the vote. Drop boxes for mail-in ballots would be limited to seven days before an election and have to be monitored by people designated by the major political parties.

Counties would get five days before election day to begin canvassing absentee and mail-in ballots.

The bill would make new rules for fixing problems on mail-in ballots envelopes, such as lack of signatures or dates. Counties would have to issue registration cards that in-person voters would have to show, and the process of mailing them out would be used to clean voting lists of dead or otherwise ineligible names.

The proposal includes signature matching procedures to verify voter eligibility and, starting in 2025, early voting six days before election day. There would be new procedures to help voters with disabilities.

It aims to speed lines at polling places and restrict the secretary of state, who oversees elections, to duties specified in state law.

There would be enhanced training and higher pay for election workers and state funding to help pay for elections. It would be easier for observers to watch votes being counted, although the bill includes new penalties for trying to intimidate an election official.

Gov. Tom Wolf, in a tweet, repeated his vow to reject the proposal, saying lawmakers behind it asked Congress to throw out the states November votes and whose lies directly contributed to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
BRANSON, Mo. (AP)  The grandmother of an 11-year-old Tennessee boy who was injured on a roller coaster in Missouri says doctors are concerned his legs might have to be amputated.

Aalondo Perry, who is visually impaired, was injured Sunday when he fell while getting off of The Branson Coaster during a visit to the southwest Missouri tourist town of Branson, said his grandmother Shelandra Ford.

Ford told WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, that Aalondo tried to ride the coaster in one car with his 13-year-old brother but they were told he would be safe riding in a car alone.

Ford said she was told Aalondo fell when he tried to get off after the roller coaster stopped. When the ride restarted, he was trapped under the rails. It took the Branson fire department about 1 1/2 hours to rescue him, she said.

His legs and right arm were crushed, and doctors dont know if they will be able to save his legs, Ford said.

They are talking about amputation, said Ford. He has had two surgeries so far since (Monday) morning  skin grafts  and he is going have at least six or seven more before they can even see progress. Hes heavily sedated and in a lot of pain.

Ford, who is the Shelby County, Tennessee, register of deeds, said her grandson has Marfan syndrome  a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue. It can cause eye problems, among other things. Aalondo, who is from the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tenessee, has just 15% vision in one of his eyes, according to his grandmother. He recently learned Braille and how to be mobile with his cane.

Ford said she is grateful Aalondo survived but she believes that if the brothers couldn't ride together, they should not have been allowed to get on it.

The Missouri Division of Fire Safety is investigating. Two inspectors who were in Branson have seven days to finish their report and the agency cannot comment while the investigation is ongoing, Caty Luebbert, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday.

Ford said she has hired an attorney. She said she hopes to move her grandson to a childrens hospital in Memphis this week.
PHOENIX (AP)  Arizona House Democrats refused to show up at the Capitol on Tuesday, blocking debate on a budget and a major tax cut primarily benefiting the wealthy.

But the Senate plowed ahead, working until 2:30 Wednesday morning to pass the 11 bills including the tax cut. Lawmakers also unveiled and approved a raft of new policy changes that include a massive expansion of the state's private school voucher program.

Both chambers are controlled by Republicans, and Democrats could not block Senate action.

The Senate amendments to the budget also ban so-called critical race theory, ban K-12 schools and universities from requiring COVID-19 vaccines, prevent both from requiring face masks if the coronavirus pandemic surges again and bar any employer or business from requiring vaccine passports.

All were priorities of majority Republicans but had not passed as standalone bills or were new issues. That was the case with facemasks at universities, where Gov. Doug Ducey last week issued an order barring Arizona State University from implementing a new policy that said unvaccinated students must be regularly tested and wear face masks.

Democrats vehemently oppose a $1.9 billion-per-year tax cut in the budget negotiated by Ducey and top leaders of the House and Senate, all Republicans. The plan would lower tax rates for most taxpayers to 2.5%, down from a range of 2.59% to 4.5%. Wealthy taxpayers would, in effect, be spared from a 3.5% tax hike approved by voters last year to pay for schools.

Changes to get Republican votes slightly slow the phase-in of the tax cuts to ensure revenue projections are met.

Republicans say the tax cuts would boost the economy and keep Arizonas tax rates competitive. Democrats say it would starve public services, including education.

For many of us we see this for what it is  its just a tax cut for the wealthy, said Sen. Rebecca Rios, the minority leader. The top 1% of Arizona wage earners are going to reap 50% of the tax cut benefits. The bottom 80% of working families will get on 7 % of the benefits. This is welfare for the wealthy.

Senate Republicans mainly stayed silent during debate, knowing they had the votes to pass the budget. They rejected a series of Democratic amendments on 16-14 party-line votes.

The move by House Democrats, meanwhile, kept the lower chamber short of the number of lawmakers required to conduct business, forcing Republican House leaders to delay budget work until Thursday, when all GOP lawmakers are expected to be at the Capitol.

House Democratic Leader Reginald Bolding said Democrats and the public need more time to review proposed changes Republicans released shortly before the budget debate was scheduled to begin.

"You cant simultaneously ignore the wishes of half the state and then take us for granted to pass a partisan budget, Bolding said in a statement.

Denying a quorum is a tactic increasingly being weaponized by the minority parties of state legislatures in an era of intense partisanship. Republicans in the Democratic-controlled Oregon Senate have blocked legislation for years by refusing to show up, denying the two-thirds quorum required there. Democrats in the Republican-controlled Texas House blocked an elections bill this year by walking out.

That hasn't previously been an issue in Arizona, where a quorum requires the presence of only a simple majority of lawmakers. But on Tuesday, several Republicans planned to vote remotely under rules created during the pandemic, allowing Democrats to exploit the absences.

The move left Republicans fuming.

I would ask us all, it may really be tough, but could we contemplate growing up and shouldering the responsibility together and think of together more than individual and pass a budget?" Bowers said before the House adjourned. Were gonna try again on Thursday.

The budget plan stalled for weeks amid concerns among a handful of Republicans that it would cripple city governments, which get a big share of their revenue from the state income tax. Ducey and legislative leaders ameliorated the GOP concerns by agreeing to delay the implementation of the tax cut and give local governments a bigger share of income tax collections.

Democrats also oppose many other budget provisions, including plans to strip Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs of her power to defend election lawsuits and limits on vaccine and masking requirements for universities and local governments.

They also vehemently opposed the revival of the expanded school voucher program, which had stalled in the House for months. That measure would qualify another 600,000 of Arizona's 1.1 million K-12 students for the program, allowing students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch to get vouchers.

Republicans have called the measure a lifeline for low-income students, while Democrats argue it would siphon money from already-underfunded public schools and go against the will of voters who rejected a larger expansion in 2018.

I have always been against ... vouchers for education because they really, really hurt district schools, Democratic Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales said. They take money away from district schools.

The proposal was championed by Republican Sen. Paul Boyer, one of two Republicans who held up the budget for weeks, in part over concerns cities would be hurt by the tax cuts.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  When U.S. law enforcement officials need to cast a wide net for information, theyre increasingly turning to the vast digital ponds of personal data created by Big Tech companies via the devices and online services that have hooked billions of people around the world.

Data compiled by four of the biggest tech companies shows that law enforcement requests for user information  phone calls, emails, texts, photos, shopping histories, driving routes and more  have more than tripled in the U.S. since 2015. Police are also increasingly savvy about covering their tracks so as not to alert suspects of their interest.

Thats the backdrop for recent revelations that the Trump-era U.S. Justice Department sought data from Apple, Microsoft and Google about members of Congress, their aides and news reporters in leak investigations -- then pursued court orders that blocked those companies from informing their targets.

In just the first half of 2020 -- the most recent data available -- Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft together fielded more than 112,000 data requests from local, state and federal officials. The companies agreed to hand over some data in 85% of those cases. Facebook, including its Instagram service, accounted for the largest number of disclosures.

Consider Newport, Rhode Island, a coastal city of 24,000 residents that attracts a flood of summer tourists. Fewer than 100 officers patrol the city -- but they make multiple requests a week for online data from tech companies.

Thats because most crimes  from larceny and financial scams to a recent fatal house party stabbing at a vacation rental booked online  can be at least partly traced on the internet. Tech providers, especially social media platforms, offer a treasure trove of information that can help solve them, said Lt. Robert Salter, a supervising police detective in Newport.

Everything happens on Facebook, Salter said. The amount of information you can get from peoples conversations online -- its insane.

As ordinary people have become increasingly dependent on Big Tech services to help manage their lives, American law enforcement officials have grown far more savvy about technology than they were five or six years ago, said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group.

Thats created what Cohn calls the golden age of government surveillance. Not only has it become far easier for police to trace the online trails left by suspects, they can also frequently hide their requests by obtaining gag orders from judges and magistrates. Those orders block Big Tech companies from notifying the target of a subpoena or warrant of law enforcements interest in their information  contrary to the companies' stated policies.

Of course, theres often a reason for such secrecy, said Andrew Pak, a former federal prosecutor. It helps prevent investigations getting sidetracked because someone learns about it, he said the target, perhaps, or someone close to it.

Longstanding opposition to such gag orders has recently resurfaced in the wake of the Trump-era orders. Apple in 2018 shared phone and account data generated by two Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee, but the politicians didnt find out until May, once a series of gag orders expired.

Microsoft also shared data about a congressional aide and had to wait more than two years before telling that person. Brad Smith, Microsofts president, last week called for an end to the overuse of secret gag orders, arguing in a Washington Post opinion piece that prosecutors too often are exploiting technology to abuse our fundamental freedoms.

Critics like Cohn have called for revision of U.S. surveillance laws drawn up years ago when the police and prosecutors typically had to deliver warrants to the home of the person being targeted for searches. Now that most personal information is kept in the equivalent of vast digital storehouses controlled by Big Tech companies, such searches can proceed in secret.

Our surveillance laws are really based on the idea that if something is really important, we store it at home, and that doesnt pass the giggle test these days, Cohn said. Its just not true.

Many tech companies are quick to point out that the majority of the information they are forced to share is considered non-content data. But that can include useful details such as the basic personal details you supply when you register for an account, or the metadata that shows if and when you called or messaged someone, though not what you said to them.

Law enforcement can also ask tech companies to preserve any data generated by a particular user, which prevents the target from deleting it. Doing so doesnt require a search warrant or any judicial oversight, said Armin Tadayon, a cybersecurity associate at advisory firm the Brunswick Group.

If police later find reasonable grounds for conducting a search, they can return with a warrant and seize the preserved data. If not, the provider deletes the copies and the user likely never finds out, Tadayon said.

In Newport, getting a search warrant for richer online data isnt that difficult. Salter said it requires a quick trip to a nearby courthouse to seek a judges approval; some judges are also available after hours for emergency requests. And if a judge finds there is probable cause to search through online data, tech companies almost always comply.

Most of the companies do play ball, Salter said. We can speak with people, get questions answered. Theyre usually pretty helpful.

Nearly all big tech companies  from Amazon to rental sites like Airbnb, ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft and service providers like Verizon  now have teams to respond to such requests and regularly publish reports about how much they disclosed. Many say they work to narrow overly broad requests and reject those that aren't legally valid.

Some of the most dramatic increases in requests have been to tech companies that cater to younger people. As the messaging app Snapchat has grown in popularity, so have government requests for its data. Snap, the company behind the app, fielded nearly 17,000 data requests in the first six months of 2020, compared to 762 in the same period of 2015.

Salter said the fact that were all doing so much online means police detectives need to stay tech-savvy. But training courses for how to file such requests arent hard to find.

For those worried about the growing volume of online data sought by law enforcement, Salter said: Dont commit crimes and dont use your computer and phones to do it.

Judges are not going to sign off on something if we dont have probable cause to go forward, he said. Were not going to look at peoples information without having something to go on.

But Cohn said more tech companies should be using encryption technology to make all personal information, including metadata, virtually impossible to decipher without a user key to unlock it.

Until then, she said, police can short circuit constitutional protections against unreasonable searches "by just going to the company instead of coming directly to us."

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Liedtke reported from San Ramon, California.
An Iowa judge blocked a state law that would have imposed a 24-hour waiting period before women could get abortions, likely setting up a legal battle before the state Supreme Court.

Judge Mitchell Turner ruled Monday that because legislators passed the law last year as an amendment to an unrelated bill, it violated the Iowa Constitution's single-subject rule, which requires amendments and bills to naturally relate to one another. Furthermore, he found that the law also ran afoul of a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court decision that protects abortion rights.

Abortion rights advocates celebrated the ruling, saying it would preserve women's access to the procedure and remove a barrier for those who want to terminate their pregnancies.

The court righted a legislative overreach related to abortion care, said Jamie Burch Elliott, executive director for public policy for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, which was a party to the lawsuit challenging the law.

A spokesman for the Iowa attorney general's office said the state plans to appeal.

The law was championed by abortion opponents, including Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. In a statement on the day she signed it, Reynolds said she was proud to stand up for the sanctity of every human life.

The law would have required a woman to wait 24 hours after an initial appointment for an abortion before the procedure can begin. Planned Parenthood lawyers argued that it might force some women to wait months to get a second appointment and incur additional costs, which would be particularly burdensome for low-income women.

Turner previously issued a temporary order to prevent the law from taking effect while it was being challenged in court. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the law during a middle-of-the-night session last year, drawing criticism from abortion rights supporters that the measure wasnt subjected to adequate public input.

The court finds the amendment was clearly logrolled with other legislation, since the amendment was attached to a non-controversial measure regarding the withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures from a minor, Turner said in his Monday ruling.

Some legislators have said they hope the case would go to the Iowa Supreme Court, which has become decidedly more conservative since its 2018 decision striking down a 72-hour abortion waiting period.

The two dissenters in the 2018 case, Thomas Waterman and Edward Mansfield, are both Republican appointees and remain on the court. They have been joined by four new justices appointed by Reynolds. Only one justice was appointed by a Democratic governor who supported abortion rights, but that doesnt ensure the court will overturn the 2018 ruling.

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This story was corrected to delete an erroneous reference to the ruling being issued Tuesday. It was issued Monday.

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Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte
WASHINGTON (AP)  A federal judge dismissed most claims filed by activists and civil liberties groups who accused the Trump administration of violating the civil rights of protesters who were forcefully removed by police before then-President Donald Trump walked to a church near the White House for a photo op.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said Monday the claims in the suit, which alleged that Trump and then-Attorney General William Barr had conspired to violate the rights of protesters last June, were speculative and it was premature for the court to conclude whether the actions of law enforcement officers were justified.

Friedrich dismissed the claims against Barr and other federal officials, including the acting U.S. Park Police chief, Gregory Monahan, finding there wasnt sufficient evidence to prove there was any agreement or plan to violate the rights of the protesters. The judge also said the law gives them immunity in civil litigation.

In a 51-page decision, the judge did allow the claims against the Metropolitan Police Department and the Arlington Police Department  their officers were involved in clearing the park  to proceed.

The lawsuit stemmed from one of the most high-profile moments of the Trump presidency, when federal and local law enforcement officials aggressively forced a group of largely peaceful protesters back from Lafayette Square outside of the White House, firing smoke bombs and pepper balls into the crowd to disperse the group. Officers were seen shoving protesters and journalists as they pushed the crowd back.

Barr has said he met with other law enforcement officials earlier that day to review a plan to extend the security perimeter around the White House to protect federal agents after days of unrest in Washington following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis.

After the crowd was forcefully dispersed, Trump, followed by an entourage of his most senior aides  including Barr  along with Secret Service agents and reporters, walked over to St. Johns Church, a landmark building where every president has prayed, which had been damaged a day earlier in a protest fire.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the group Black Lives Matter D.C. and individual protesters who were present by the ACLU of DC, Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the law firm of Arnold & Porter.

In a statement, Arthur Ago, the director of the criminal justice project at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said the ruling set an extremely dangerous precedent and that former officials like Barr were getting off scot-free.

We will always stand up for the rights of those peacefully demonstrating for racial justice, and this ruling sends the wrong message for police accountability efforts at a time when it is needed the most, Ago said.
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP)  A lawsuit seeking to stop Kansas City from rerouting a portion of the police department's budget plants a false flag by suggesting the city council is trying to take control, city officials said in a court motion filed Tuesday.

The motion filed in Jackson County Court is the latest move in a legal battle that began when the city council approved an ordinance in May to move about $42 million of the police departments budget into a new fund. That money would be used to fund social services and intervention programs in response to Kansas City's high crime rate.

The state-controlled Board of Police Commissioners sued the city, the city council, Mayor Quinton Lucas and other city officials, contending the change violates state law that gives the board complete control over the police department. The board also filed a motion asking a Jackson County judge to order the city to return the $42 million to the board's control.

A second ordinance passed in May would require the city manager to negotiate with the board over how the new fund is spent. Generally, the board dictates how the police department operates and how its money is spent.

Kansas City is the only major city in Missouri that does not have control of its police department. The commission consists of four members appointed by the governor and the mayor.

The city is required by law to allocate 20% of its general revenue funds to the police department. In the motion, the city argues it meets that obligation even after moving the $42 million.

The Board has planted the false flag that, by passing (the ordinances) the City has somehow attempted to wrest control of the police force from the Board, the city's motion reads. "This is not true. The City has done nothing to tell the Board what to pay, who to pay, or when to pay it. It has not established another police force; it has not appropriated monies outside of (state law); it has not refused to pay expenditures up to the statutory limitations imposed by (the law.)

City officials contend nothing in the law prevents the city from adjusting previous allocations given above the 20% requirement, which it has done more than 60 times.

Opponents of the ordinances argue they are a way of defunding the police and would prevent the city from hiring more officers to respond to and investigate crimes.

Lucas said in a statement that the commissioners and other opponents of the ordinances, including some state lawmakers, have refused to work with city and police officials and community leaders to find solutions to the Kansas City's high crime rate.

The unelected Police Boards suit is not about protecting the brave women and men in the rank and file of our police department, nor is it about making the community safer," Lucas said. The suit is the Boards effort to preserve their power and the power of (the state) over our local affairs, while Kansas Citians continue to suffer unconscionably high rates of crime in too many of our neighborhoods.

Last week, Gwen Grant, CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, filed a motion as a private citizen to join the lawsuit on behalf of city taxpayers. She argued that the current structure for control of the police department is taxation without representation for Kansas City residents, particularly those in mostly minority neighborhoods that suffer the most crime.

In Tuesday's motion, the city asked the court to deny the board's petition to have the fund's returned. They also asked that the city council members be removed from the lawsuit as individuals and argue the city council cannot legally be sued, which would leave the city as the sole defendant.
PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP)  The Kitsap County prosecutor said he won't file charges against corrections officers involved in last year's death of a mentally ill murder suspect at the jail.

Prosecutor Chad Enright wrote in a memorandum that Sean Howells death could not be ruled justified, as that requires intent to kill, the Kitsap Sun reported.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A federal appeals court on Monday revived a lawsuit that challenged California's law requiring women to be placed in hundreds of corporate boardrooms.

In a unanimous ruling, three judges of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said a shareholder has the legal right to sue over the 2018 law, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The law required publicly owned corporations that are based in California to have at least one female director on their boards by 2019. The number increases to two or three women by the end of this year, depending on the size of the board.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of a shareholder in one business, OSI Systems, challenged the law on grounds that it forced him to unconstitutionally discriminate on the basis of sex.

A lower court threw out the suit, saying that the shareholder, Creighton Meland Jr., hadn't been injured by the law and therefore didn't have a legal right, or standing, to challenge it.

However, the appeals court said the law was coercive" and Meland could plausibly argue that he was injured by it. The ruling said shareholders typically elect corporate directors.

Anastasia Boden, a senior attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, said the ruling confirmed that the law was unconstitutional.

It's patronizing" as well, said Boden, who argued the case on behalf of Meland. It perpetuates the myth that women cannot make it to the boardroom without government help.

The law also is being challenged by another conservative legal group, Judicial Watch. That group also sued last year to block Californias first-in-the-nation law requiring corporations to have directors from racial or sexual minorities on their boards.

The new measure cited statistics showing few of more than 660 public corporations headquartered in California had Blacks or Latinos on their boards.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who signed the bill, said it was crucial to fighting racial injustice by giving minorities seats at the table of corporate power.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones has told the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a letter that she will not join the faculty at its journalism school without tenure, a report said Tuesday.

The letter says Hannah-Jones will not begin her position as Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism as scheduled July 1 at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, NC Policy Watch reported. The letter was sent to school officials by Hannah-Jones' legal team.

Since signing the fixed-term contract, Ms. Hannah-Jones has come to learn that political interference and influence from a powerful donor contributed to the Board of Trustees' failure to consider her tenure application, the letter said. In light of this information, Ms. Hannah-Jones cannot trust that the University would consider her tenure application in good faith during the period of the fixed-term contract.

UNC spokesman Joel Curran acknowledged that the school had been contacted by the attorneys for Hannah-Jones, but didn't respond specifically to the letter.

While this remains a confidential personnel matter, as Chancellor (Kevin) Guskiewicz has said publicly, we feel she will add great value to the Carolina campus," Curran said.

Hannah-Jones, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her work on The 1619 Project for the New York Times Magazine, had accepted a five-year contract to join the journalism schools faculty as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism.

The trustee who leads the subcommittee that considers tenure applications, Charles Duckett, chose in January to postpone the review of Hannah-Jones submission, said Richard Stevens, the chairman of the board of trustees for the Chapel Hill campus. It was never brought before the full board for approval, and instead the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist accepted a five-year appointment to the faculty of the journalism school.

School leaders said Hannah-Jones could be considered again for tenure before the end of her five-year contract.

In addition, Walter Hussman Jr., publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said in emails to university leaders that he was concerned about whether Hannah-Jones presence at the journalism school would distract from its core values, according to an article in The Assembly. In 2019, Hussman pledged $25 million to the UNC journalism school that bears his name.

The Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism urged the school to reconsider its decision, while members of the journalism school faculty sought an explanation as to why tenure was not offered to Hannan-Jones. A letter signed by various professional athletes, writers and academics last month assailed the university, saying the trustees failed to uphold the first order values of academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas.

A two-page ad in The News & Observer of Raleigh last month featuring 1,619 alumni and students at UNC-Chapel Hill offered support to Hannah-Jones and called on the school to grant the tenure request. The Baltimore Sun also published an editorial criticizing the school for refusing to gran tenure to Hannah-Jones.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Candidates for office in Louisiana will soon be able to take unlimited sums directly from political action committees, under a bill signed into law Tuesday by Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The removal of limits on donations that come largely from special interest groups will take effect Aug. 1. Edwards signed the legislation despite opposition from the state Board of Ethics.
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP)  A southern Illinois man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for firing an automatic rifle while attending a childs birthday party in 2020, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

Marco B. Orr, 32, of East St. Louis was sentenced Monday to 63 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in April to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Orr was also ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release.
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP)  A Kansas man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing his girlfriend in Iowa in 2018.

The Fort Dodge Messenger reports that 34-year-old Zackery Bassett, originally from Elwood, Kansas, must serve at least 35 years of the sentence that was handed down Monday.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  A man who pleaded guilty to leaving a menacing voicemail for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and have no contact with the governor for five years.

Harvey Hunter Jr., of Stuart, Iowa, also was fined and granted a one-year term of probation during a sentencing hearing Monday in Des Moines. District Associate Judge Brendan Greiner agreed to suspend a 365-day jail sentence.
BALTIMORE (AP)  Maryland officials have detected more than a half million potentially fraudulent new unemployment insurance claims in the last six weeks and theyre warning Marylanders to watch out for scams.

The Department of Labor announced Monday that it has detected more than 508,000 potentially fraudulent new claims since the beginning of May. The states investigations have confirmed that 1.3 million flagged claims were fraudulent since the beginning of the pandemic, officials said in a news release.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP)  A Massachusetts man convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Van Dorsey Jr., 33, of Springfield, faces a mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Prosecutors in the northern Mexico border state of Sonora said Monday tests have confirmed that a badly decayed corpse is that of an Indigenous rights leader who disappeared almost four weeks ago.

The office said DNA tests and fingerprints were used to identify Tomas Rojo Valencia, a leader of the Yaqui indigenous community. His body was found last week near the Yaqui town of Vicam, Sonora.

Rojo Valencia disappeared May 27 following tensions over Yaqui roadblocks protesting gas ducts, water pipelines and railway lines that have been run across their territory without consulting them or giving them much benefit. Rojo Valencia served as the Yaquis spokesman during past conflicts over land and water rights.

The confirmation came on the same day a 25-year-old Yaqui woman was reported missing after she left her home in Vicam to go to work, but never arrived. She was last seen June 17.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has made it his special project to bring justice to the Yaquis, who he has described as Mexicos most persecuted Indigenous group.

In February, the conflict over the highway blockades came to a head with the death of an Indigenous man killed when a trucker plowed through a Yaqui roadblock, hitting a member of the group.

Businessmen and truckers in Sonora state complain the roadblocks seriously affect the movement of raw materials and export goods, and said protesters are sometimes abusive or demand money to allow them to pass.

Perhaps best known abroad for the mystical and visionary powers ascribed to them by writer Carlos Castaneda, the Yaquis stubbornly fought the Mexican governments brutal campaign to eliminate the tribe in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

But they were largely defeated by 1900, and dictator Porfirio Diaz began moving them off their fertile farmland to less valuable territory or to virtual enslavement on haciendas as far away as the far eastern state of Yucatan.

In 2020, Lopez Obrador traveled to Yaqui territory for the establishment of the Justice Commission for the Yaqui People, and he has said he plans to offer an apology on behalf of the government for the genocidal war carried out against them.

The commission has promised housing, development projects and a greater voice for the impoverished Yaqui communities, but some Yaquis arent participating in the talks and the agreement has not quelled the protests, which sometimes demand large compensation payments.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer scaled back COVID-19 workplace safety rules on Tuesday, keeping mask and other requirements only in health care settings.

The change coincided with the lifting of broad indoor capacity restrictions and face covering mandates that had been in place for 15 months.

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration's new emergency rules align with federal regulations that aim to protect health workers who are most likely to have contact with infected people. The rules cover employees in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and outpatient settings such as doctor's offices. They also cover emergency responders and home health aides.

Workers must wear masks while on the job, with certain exceptions. Fully vaccinated employees, for instance, are exempt from masking, distancing and barrier requirements in areas where it is unlikely people with COVID-19 are present.

Michigan employers are no longer required to have written COVID-19 preparedness and response plans or to conduct daily self-screening protocols for all entering employees and contractors. They also do not have to require unvaccinated workers to wear face coverings when they cannot consistently keep 6 feet apart.

MIOSHA said dialing back the rules  now set to expire Dec. 22  lets employers use their best judgment on mask and other requirements. But it strongly encouraged non-health care workplaces to still follow federal safety guidance, which was recently updated to focus on protecting unvaccinated workers or those otherwise at risk.

"The restoration of the autonomy of small business owners to establish workplace practices of their choosing is an important step toward recovery, said Brian Calley, president of the Small Business Association of Michigan. "It moves Michigan more in line with the mainstream across the country.

The move came roughly a month after Whitmer loosened the regulations to rescind industry-specific rules, allow vaccinated employees to go without a mask and clear the way for a return to offices for those who previously could work from home.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
EUREKA, Mo. (AP)  The arrival of hot weather and the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic means bigger crowds at Missouri waterways, but too often this year the trend has taken a deadly turn.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that at least 10 people have drowned so far this month in Missouri, and six others died in boating accidents. None of the 16 victims wore a life jacket.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  The latest bankruptcy plan filed by the Boy Scouts of America increases the contributions from the BSA and its local councils to a proposed trust fund for child sex abuse victims while appearing to back away from a controversial settlement with one of the BSAs insurers.

Under a revised plan submitted late last week, the Boy Scouts are offering to issue an $80 million unsecured promissory note to a trust fund for abuse victims. The BSA also is proposing to use restricted assets to help cover post-bankruptcy operational expenses, which would make up to $50 million in unrestricted cash available for abuse survivors. With the changes, the BSAs proposed contribution to the trust fund would increase from about $120 million under a previous plan to as much as roughly $250 million.

The BSA also said its local councils would contribute $500 million into the fund for abuse victims, up from $425 million offered in the previous plan. The new proposal calls for the councils to contribute $300 million in cash and the remainder in property with a combined appraised value of $200 million.

The BSA, its 250 or so local councils and hundreds of sponsoring organizations such as churches and civic groups would be released from further liability in exchange for contributions to the trust fund and the transfer of insurance rights.

In a prepared statement, the Boy Scouts described the revised plan as a significant step toward a global resolution of abuse claims.

The BSA is hopeful that this plan, or one very similar to it, will have the support of a supermajority of survivors, the organization said.

A hearing regarding the latest proposal is scheduled for July 20.

Meanwhile, the Boy Scouts appear to be backing way from a previously announced settlement in which one of the groups insurers, The Hartford, agreed to pay $650 million into the victims trust in exchange for being released from any further obligations under policies dating to 1971. The agreement allows The Hartford to pay a lesser amount if the BSA or the settlement trust reaches an agreement with another major BSA insurer, Century Insurance Group, and Centurys settlement amount is less than two times The Hartfords, or $1.3 billion.

The Hartford settlement was roundly criticized by attorneys for abuse victims, who estimate the insurers liability exposure at several billion dollars.

We see dropping Hartford as a positive, Jim Stang, an attorney for the official committee representing abuse victims, said Monday.

The BSA acknowledged in last weeks court filing that it cant win support for a global resolution of the sex abuse claims that drove the organization into bankruptcy if the Hartford settlement is included in its plan. Attorneys representing the official committee, a plaintiffs group called the Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice, and potential future abuse claimants told BSA lawyers in a letter two weeks ago that abuse survivors would not, under any circumstances, support any plan that includes the Hartford settlement.

It appears the global resolution plan cannot be confirmed to the extent it includes the Hartford insurance settlement agreement unless modifications are made ... that are agreeable to the holders of direct abuse claims, BSA attorneys wrote.

Attorneys for the Boy Scouts indicated that they would ask the bankruptcy judge at next months hearing if they are obligated to further pursue the settlement with The Hartford, which requires court approval, given the universal opposition from abuse victims. If not, BSA lawyers intend to drop the settlement from the plan.

The Boy Scouts of America, based in Irving, Texas, sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020, moving to halt hundreds of lawsuits and create a compensation fund for men who were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters or other leaders.

Attorneys for abuse victims have said they would go after properties and assets owned by the BSAs local councils. The councils, which run day-to-day operations for local troops, are considered legally separate entities by the Boy Scouts, even though they share insurance policies and are considered related parties in the bankruptcy.

Attorneys for the Boy Scouts have said that between $2.4 billion and $7.1 billion, including insurance rights, might be available for abuse victims. The official victims committee, which is known as the tort claimants committee and is charged with acting as a fiduciary for all abuse victims, estimates the value of some 82,500 sexual abuse claims at about $103 billion.
ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. (AP)  Neal Brown dismantled, relocated and reassembled one of his marinas at Elephant Butte Lake State Park last week.

Dropping reservoir levels prompted the rare, labor-intensive move to deeper water.

On a sweltering afternoon, Brown maneuvers a boat near the 300-foot-tall dam structure at the south end of the reservoir.

He blasts the horn at a watercraft cruising near a bright buoy.

Its real shallow, and theyre not supposed to be there, says Brown, whose Lago Rico company operates the reservoirs marinas. That boat could have some damage coming in.

The reservoir is currently 8% to 10% full, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Texas Water Development Board.

Reclamation projections show the lake could dip to a mere 1% of capacity after the Elephant Butte Irrigation District season concludes later this month, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

Brown said he tries to avoid slipping into doomsday mode while watching the forecasts. But he thinks this year is an opportunity for agencies to re-evaluate water management practices and find a way to prevent the near-historic reservoir lows.

After Fourth of July, it will be dropping about a foot a day or so, Brown said.

Rock formations and sand surrounding the lake tell the feast and famine story of the Rio Grande.

Lines far above the water call back to the years New Mexico had good snowmelt, monsoon seasons and full reservoirs.

In recent years, the lower water lines are the ones exposed.

RVs take advantage of the real estate as the water recedes, careful to avoid muddy areas that were recently underwater.

There is a narrow window this summer for good lake recreation, said Edna Trager, City of Elephant Butte mayor and co-owner of Zia Kayak Outfitters.

My concern is that we will shrivel up and die down here, Trager said. Thats why were sounding the alarm.

The mayor joined Brown and a coalition of local lawmakers and business owners, led by Republican U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, and sent a letter to Camille Touton, acting commissioner for Reclamation. The group called for regulatory reform and infrastructure investments to tackle the lakes existential crisis this year.

Even if we find out that water levels might not be as bad as they were projecting, that doesnt mean the problem is going to go away, Trager said. You cant keep starting each year from the very bottom.

Elephant Butte Reservoir is considered part of Texas under the Rio Grande Compact, which governs water deliveries between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

A team of New Mexico state and federal agencies bears the burden of delivering river water from the Colorado-New Mexico state line to the southern reservoir.

Jennifer Faler, Reclamations Albuquerque area manager, pointed to prolonged drought, not water management, as a major factor in the lake levels.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly two-thirds of New Mexico is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought.

Outside of the irrigation season, were talking November to March when were not irrigating, the volume of water that flows past the Otowi gage is roughly the same as volume entering Elephant Butte, Faler said. The channel is clearly conveying water effectively.

The Cochiti Dam, constructed in the 1970s on the Rio Grandes main stem, may have also made Elephant Butte levels less consistent.

You look at pre-Cochiti flows, and it was routinely 10,000 cubic feet per second, and every one in four years youd see a low of 1,000 cfs, Faler said. The river could maintain itself. When Congress told the Corps (of Engineers) to build Cochiti, they told us to mechanically maintain the river.

Reclamation recently realigned three miles of the San Acacia river reach south of Albuquerque, Faler said, which is likely the reason why were not seeing significant drying yet below Bosque del Apache.

The federal agency also removes vegetation to improve flows and prevent sediment plugs.

An extensive permitting process for those projects stems from environmental laws designed to protect endangered species habitat.

More sediment removal and watershed restoration projects could improve water delivery efficiency in and out of Elephant Butte, said Earl Conway, New Mexico Bass Nations conservation director who helps restore or introduce fish habitat in several state reservoirs.

A dam starts dying the day its built, as it fills in with sediments, Conway said. Elephant Butte will probably be dead in 75 years. That sounds like a long time, but its just a few generations of farmers, and then theyll be in a world of hurt for water.

The Elephant Butte dam was built from 1912 to 1916.

For nearly a decade, Conway has installed more fish habitat, including plant life, at the southern reservoir.

Even though the lakes extremely low, a lot of our fish habitat is in just the right depth, he said. Without that the fish would just have sand and rocks. Well probably have one of the better spawns this year.

Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences, said western waterways and reservoirs like Elephant Butte should play a major role in the infrastructure funding packages working their way through Congress.

We need a minimum pool not only for downstream use for farmers, and to provide assurances that theyre going to have a season next year, but also for the ecosystem, for fish and for the local economy, Dow said.

Dow signed onto the letter with Herrell.

She also joined fellow state Sen. Crystal Diamond, R-Elephant Butte, and Rep. Luis M. Terrazas, R-Santa Clara, in a letter requesting specific projects from New Mexicos congressional delegation.

The lawmakers asked for support of $30 million for Reclamation to clear sediment in the Socorro and San Marcial reaches of the middle Rio Grande and $5 million for the Bureau of Land Management to manage the watershed and improve drainage surrounding the reservoir.

The dramatic water levels that can go to 10% or lower in a single season are not good for the structure of the dam thats past its life, Dow said.

Elephant Butte Irrigation District farmers growing chile and pecans south of the lake will receive a four-inch supply of surface water from the reservoir this year. Thats just enough for one irrigation cycle, said Gary Esslinger, the districts treasurer and manager.

The district started its season June 1.

If we get lucky and monsoons come in, we could extend our season past July 1, Esslinger said. But right now, we may be out of water by June 25.

In July 2020, state engineer and New Mexicos Rio Grande Compact Commissioner John DAntonio secured permission from Texas and Colorado to release about 12 billion gallons of water from El Vado Reservoir. The water had been stored in upstream reservoirs to be delivered to Elephant Butte in the fall after central New Mexicos irrigation season ended.

The fail-safe decision kept the river flowing through Albuquerque and extended the irrigation season until October.

It also racked up New Mexicos water debt to downstream users.

Esslinger said he believes that last summers decision was an olive branch to middle valley farmers.

But in hindsight, it hurt us down here, he said.

For Brown, summer on the lake will be a waiting game to see just how low the reservoir will drop.

I know theres a big argument that this is for irrigation, not for recreation, Brown said. What I say to that is that if theres no water in here, theres no irrigation. A drought plan with a requirement for a minimum pool here could benefit both.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  A man who died in a gun battle with officers after he shot a state transportation worker on a remote Nevada highway last week has been identified as a 34-year-old from Northern California who may have ties to a homicide there, authorities say.

Zachary Minissale of Nevada City, California, was shot last Wednesday after fleeing the scene of the shooting of the Nevada Department of Transportation worker on State Route 278 in Eureka County, Nevada Highway Patrol Lt. Eddie Bowers said Monday. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The transportation worker recovered from non-life-threatening injuries and has been released from the hospital, he said.

Bowers said Minissale would have faced multiple charges including attempted murder with a deadly weapon after he opened fire on a road paving crew member in a construction zone south of the mining town of Carlin at about 10 a.m.

He made it about 42 miles (67 kilometers) south before the white 2017 Dodge cargo van he was driving was disabled by a spike strip and left the highway. He exited the van and began firing at a trooper and Eureka County undersheriff chasing him.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Candee, 28, who was armed with an AR15, and Undersheriff Tyler Thomas, 30, who was armed with a 9 mm pistol, fired a total of 16 shots, Bowers said.

Minissale had a .45 caliber revolver. He died of a single gunshot wound, Bowers said. No officers were hurt.

Bowers said an investigation determined Minissale may have ties to an ongoing homicide investigation in Nevada City, in the Sierra about 70 miles (112 kilometers) west of the California-Nevada line.

The Nevada County sheriffs office said deputies found a 30-year-old British citizen, Jessic Clayton Robiere, dead in a home on Bodie Ridge Road in Nevada City on the same day the shoot-out occurred, June 16.

Minissale owned the home, and authorities believe he also had lived there, Sheriffs Lt. Sean Scales told The Union.

Scales declined to classify him as a suspect in Robiere's death but said Minissale had obvious ties to the case we are looking at.
HILTON, N.Y. (AP)  Fifteen new victims have come forward with allegations against a former New York elementary school principal.

According to an indictment that was unsealed Monday, Kirk Ashton is now facing five additional counts of first-degree sexual abuse, 13 counts of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, and 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The new charges stem from events that date back to 2012, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Two major Ohio business groups on Tuesday came out in opposition to pending GOP legislation in the Ohio House that would prohibit employers, either public or private, from requiring employees to receive vaccinations.

The bill also would prevent workers from being fired as a result of refusing to get vaccinated and allow them to sue their employers if they felt their rights had been violated under the law.

The measure before the Republican-controlled House Health Committee has attracted multiple opponents of COVID-19 vaccines but does not mention the coronavirus. Instead, it addresses mandatory requirements for all vaccines, such as for the flu.

Representatives of both the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Manufacturers' Association testified against the bill Tuesday.

The chamber strongly believes that employers should have the freedom to operate their businesses, to make decisions about protecting their workforce, and to develop the health and safety policies and practices that meet the needs of their individual workplaces, said Keith Lake, vice president of Government Affairs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

The bill is also inconsistent with other legislation approved over the years that allows businesses to manage their workplaces free of government interference, such as deciding whether to allow concealed weapons on their property, Lake said.

Business owner Ross McGregor, speaking for the manufacturing association, told the committee it's his prerogative to control what happens at his factory.

Bill sponsor Rep. Jennifer Gross, a Republican from West Chester in southwestern Ohio, asked McGregor if he believed that his freedom supersedes the individual freedoms of the people who enter into your facility?

McGregor told her, The short answer is yes.

"I offer employment. I do not mandate it. I offer it," added McGregor, owner of Springfield-based manufacturer Pentaflex and a former Republican House representative. It is up to an individual to decide whether they wish to accept my offer of employment.

The legislation also strengthens notices that schools must provide parents about exemptions they can seek against having their children vaccinated. In addition, the bill would repeal a state law requiring college students to disclose whether theyve been vaccinated against hepatitis B and meningococcal meningitis.

The Health Committee heard testimony Tuesday from multiple other opponents of the bill. The committee is expected to consider changes to the legislation in upcoming hearings, said Health Committee Chairman Scott Lipps, a Republican from Franklin in southwestern Ohio.

In addition to the business groups' opposition, the Ohio bill is opposed by numerous hospitals, state associations of doctors and nurses, and other health care groups.

Hundreds of people supporting the Ohio bill have provided written testimony or traveled to the Statehouse to testify in favor.

Similar bills have been introduced nationwide, though the Ohio legislation appears to go further in covering more vaccines than just the one for COVID-19.
ATLANTA (AP)  Atlanta city leaders have approved a plan to restore and redevelop one of the citys oldest school buildings.

The Atlanta City Council on Monday voted to grant a permit to revamp the English Avenue Elementary School building.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  With the state and federal eviction moratorium set to expire at the end of June, Oregon lawmakers passed an added safety net for struggling tenants on Tuesday that will pause some evictions.

Under the Safe Harbor amendment on Senate Bill 278 tenants who are unable to pay their July or August rent would not be evicted for 60 days if they provide proof to their landlord that theyve applied for rental assistance through Oregon Housing and Community Services.

The amended bill, which passed in the House 56-2 and in the Senate 26-3, will head to Gov. Kate Brown's desk next to be signed.

An eviction moratorium has been in place in Oregon since April 2020. In addition, last month Oregon lawmakers voted to extend the grace period for past due rent during the moratorium, allowing tenants to have until Feb. 28, 2022 to pay back rent.

While the governor announced earlier this month that she was extending the states mortgage foreclosure moratorium through September, she said that she did not have the authority to extend the eviction moratorium.

That means, by law, Oregons eviction moratorium will expire on June 30, Brown said.

Officials have warned that as the moratorium expires the state would likely see a mass wave of evictions.

In May, 53% of Oregon renters who responded to a survey  or more than 27,000 renters  said that it was very likely or somewhat likely that they would be evicted from their home, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus most recent Household Pulse Survey.

For weeks, state leaders have urged struggling tenants to apply to the state's rental assistance fund, which has $200 million in federal aid.

Based on data from Oregon Housing and Community Services, as of Tuesday 10,830 households have completed applications for rent assistance with the average request being $6,921.

While Oregon has hundreds of millions of dollars available to pay past due, and up to three months current rent for qualified tenants, high demand has created a backlog that will not be cleared before the eviction moratorium ends next week.

The Legislatures great work on the (eviction moratorium) was designed based on the reasonable assumption that federal rent assistance dollars would be in distribution in communities across the state by now, but that hasnt happened, Sybil Hebb, the director of legislative advocacy at the Oregon Law Center, said during a hearing on the amendment. We know now that rent assistance dollars cannot be processed quickly enough to prevent evictions after the expiration of the moratorium.

With the Safe Harbor amendment, lawmakers say not only will it give the state more time to distribute rental assistance, but that it would also keep tenants housed as they wait for the funds.

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Sara Cline 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 news.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Palestinians and Jewish settlers hurled stones, chairs and fireworks at each other overnight in a tense Jerusalem neighborhood where settler groups are trying to evict several Palestinian families, officials said Tuesday.

The threatened evictions fueled protests and clashes in the runup to last month's 11-day Gaza war and pose a test for Israel's new governing coalition, which includes three pro-settler parties but is hoping to sideline the Palestinian issue to avoid internal divisions.

Israeli police and border officials said they arrested four suspects in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. It was unclear who started the brawl. The officials said someone launched fireworks at police forces and residents houses and that several Molotov cocktails were thrown and stones were thrown. One woman was reportedly injured when she was hit in the back by a stone, police said.

The Red Crescent emergency service said its crews treated 20 Palestinians, including 16 suffering from pepper spray and tear gas and others wounded by rubber-coated bullets. Two other people were wounded, including an elderly man who was hit in the head, it said.

The Red Crescent said settlers threw stones at one of its ambulances and Israeli forces sprayed skunk water on a second ambulance belonging to the service.

The eruption of violence is the latest friction in Sheikh Jarrah, where weeks of unrest captured international attention ahead of the 11-day Israel-Hamas war last month. The cease-fire took effect on May 21, but the long-running campaign by Jewish settlers to evict dozens of Palestinian families continues.

And so the cycle of tension endures, in a stark early test for Israel's new coalition government, which is just over a week old.

At the helm under a rotation agreement is Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party. In two years, he'll be replaced by Yair Lapid, leader of centrist Yesh Atid. And leading the opposition is Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, ousted from the premiership after holding the post for 12 years.

An intervention by Israels attorney general at the height of the unrest has put the most imminent evictions on hold. But rights groups say evictions could still proceed in the coming months as international attention wanes, potentially igniting another round of bloodshed.

The settlers have been waging a decades-long campaign to evict the families from densely populated Palestinian neighborhoods in the so-called Holy Basin just outside the walls of the Old City, in one of the most sensitive parts of east Jerusalem.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Israel views the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The settlers say the homes are built on land that was owned by Jews prior to the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. Israeli law allows Jews to reclaim such property, a right denied to Palestinians who lost lands and homes in the same conflict.

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Kellman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.
SHARPTOWN, Md. (AP)  The body of a Delaware man who drowned while swimming in a Maryland river over the weekend has been found, police said. Maryland state troopers were called to Cherry Beach Park in Sharptown on Sunday for a report of a possible drowning, police said in a news release.

John Davis, 53, of Seaford, Delaware, was at the park for a family gathering when he decided to jump into the Nanticoke River from a dock to swim, police said. Boaters noticed Davis struggling to keep his head above water, but police said by the time they reached him, he had sunk below the surface.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP)  A man has been arrested and charged in a North Carolina citys fourth fatal shooting within a week, police said Tuesday.

Durham police said in a news release that its officers responded to a call of a shooting on Monday afternoon. When they arrived, they found Marquin Alonso Padilla, 46, with a gunshot wound. Padilla was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the news release said, adding that investigators determined that the shooting apparently occurred during a dispute.
RICHMOND, Calif. (AP)  Police are seeking the motive for a deadly shooting at a San Francisco Bay Area house party during the weekend.

More than one person walked up and fired into the gathering late Sunday night in Richmond, police Sgt. Aaron Pomeroy told reporters Monday.
CLEVELAND, O.H. (AP)  An Ohio county prosecutor has dropped an appeal opposing a judges ruling that a former death row man was wrongly imprisoned for two decades, but the prosecutor is urging state officials not to compensate the former prisoner.

Joseph DAmbrosio was released without conditions in 2010 after a judge who determined that prosecutors withheld evidence that could have exonerated DAmbrosio at his 1989 trial. He had been accused of kidnapping and killing 19-year-old Anthony Klann, who was found dead in a Cleveland park in 1988.

DAmbrosio is now entitled to receive compensation from the state's wrongful imprisonment fund, Cleveland.com reported. The fund is part of a 2019 change in the law that has allowed people freed from prison because of police or prosecutorial misconduct to be eligible for compensation for serving prison time.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael OMalley on Monday said he opposes the payout but agreed to drop the case at the request of Ohio's Attorney General's office, which records show is brokering DAmbrosio's settlement, the website said.

O'Malley said he does not want the state to compensate DAmbrosio because he believes witness testimony during the trial showed that DAmbrosio is guilty. A witness had testified that he saw DAmbrosio and two other men with Klann before the killing.

Should people who are not innocent get money? OMalley asked, saying that Klanns father is outraged by the notion that the man accused of killing his son could receive a payout.

County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Russo ruled in 2012 that DAmbrosio was wrongfully convicted but the Ohio Supreme Court reversed the judge's decision two years later based on precedent that said the prosecutorial misconduct had to have happened after the person was sentenced instead of during the trial stages.

But in 2019, the state legislature changed the statute so that anyone who was freed because of misconduct would be permitted to declare wrongful imprisonment. People denied this status are allowed to apply again under the new amendment.

Last year, DAmbrosio filed a new request and he was declared wrongfully imprisoned by Russo. The prosecutor's office appealed the ruling, the website reported.

O'Malley said that the new law is unconstitutional because it allows people to resubmit their cases again after it has been denied the first time.

D'Ambrosio's attorney, Terry Gilbert, said that OMalleys office agreed to dismiss the appeal in return for the case to be unsealed so O'Malley could voice his concerns.

Gilbert said his client is entitled to compensation.

Joe suffered for so many years because of that prosecutors office, starting in 1989, he said. He spent over 20 years on death row, because he had to go through an unfair trial as recognized by both federal and state courts. Now the rule of law is that my client is entitled to compensation.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  A Chicago man robbed two Iowa gas station employees at gunpoint and confined them in a cooler before he fired 10 shots at a sheriff's deputy who responded to the crime, seriously wounding him, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The shots fired by Stanley Donahue injured the left hip and leg of Linn County Deputy William Halverson, who was wearing a protective vest, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint. Donahue then allegedly stole Halverson's service weapon and fled the Casey's General Store in Coggon, a town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Cedar Rapids.

Halverson remained hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. The shooting of Halverson, who has worked for the county for seven years, was the first of an on-duty Linn County deputy since 1973.

Authorities captured Donahue, 36, on Monday afternoon near Coggon after a 14-hour manhunt that involved a drone, an airplane, search dogs and dozens of officers. He was arrested without incident after being spotted by a television news crew, who called police.

Linn County prosecutors allege in the criminal complaint that Donahue robbed two Casey's employees at gunpoint after 10 p.m. Sunday, stealing cash from the register and a safe, cigarettes and their personal belongings. He then confined them in a store cooler.

Halverson was the first to respond to a store alarm signifying a robbery in progress and was met by Donahue after he entered through the front door. Donahue repeatedly shot at Halverson and wounded him before he took the deputy's gun and fled in a minivan, the complaint states.

Another deputy tried to pull him over, but Donahue sped away before crashing into concrete barriers on a bridge that was under construction, the complaint says. He then fled on foot and managed to evade authorities for 14 hours.

In the minivan, investigators say they found the handgun Donahue used to shoot Halverson. They also recovered the deputy's service weapon and merchandise stolen during the robbery.

Donahue has been charged with 10 counts, including attempting to murder an officer, disarming an officer, first-degree robbery, false imprisonment, trafficking stolen weapons and possessing a gun as a felon. The most serious carry sentences of up to 50 years in prison. If convicted of attempting to murder an officer, he would be required to serve 100% of the prison sentence imposed and not be eligible for parole.

During a brief court appearance Tuesday, a judge set Donahues bond at $2.5 million and appointed the public defenders office to represent him. No attorney has made an appearance on his behalf.

Authorities say Donahue, who is in custody at the Linn County jail, was previously convicted of felonies in Illinois and Oklahoma.
BANGKOK (AP)  A deadly shootout between security forces and militants opposed to army rule erupted Tuesday in Myanmars second biggest city when a raid was carried out on a building that the government described as a hideout of terrorists.

At least eight people were killed in the gun battle in Mandalay, the military-run Myawaddy Television's news service reported.

The word terrorists is generally used by the government and state media to refer to members of the armed resistance that has arisen against the February military takeover that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

A video that circulated widely on social media showed a soldier just outside the besieged property firing a rocket-propelled grenade at the building, a boarding house. The authenticity of the video could not immediately be confirmed, though residents of the densely populated area said the fighting, involving about 50 troops, appeared to be fierce and they could hear explosions.

Initial opposition to the army's seizure of power took the form of nonviolent resistance, including peaceful marches and demonstrations, but the military used deadly force that killed hundreds of protesters, sparking a turn to active self-defense.

Violent opposition to army rule has escalated in recent weeks, and has mostly taken the form of bombings and killings of military-linked local officials, though responsibility is rarely claimed for such attacks.

Armed opponents of the ruling junta have organized themselves into what they call Peoples Defense Force units, with the ultimate goal of forming a federal army that can challenge the ruling junta. Some activists who have turned to armed resistance have been receiving military training from the militias of ethnic minority groups in border areas who have long battled the central government for greater autonomy, but the extent of their assistance is unclear.

Social media posts claiming to speak for a Mandalay Peoples Defense Force branch said during the shootout Tuesday morning that it was the start of an urban guerrilla uprising. There were no signs, however, of any other significant actions.

The day we have been waiting for has arrived. The Mandalay PDF has started today, said a post signed by Bo Tun Tauk Naing, described as the groups leader. The name is a pseudonym, combining the words for bright like the sun and victory after the abbreviation for the rank of major.

Other posts urged the citys residents to block military reinforcements, obstruct roads with burning tires and reveal the militarys movements online.

The military said that when security forces went to inspect a building where terrorists were reported to be hiding, they were attacked with guns and grenades, compelling them to shoot back, according to Myawaddy TV.

The military said some members of the security forces were seriously injured -- no exact number was announced -- and four terrorists in the building died and eight others were arrested. It said some homemade explosive devices, grenades and light firearms were captured.

It also said a white sedan attempted to attack the security forces and then escape, but crashed into a transformer as it was being chased, killing four terrorists inside the car, in which weapons were also found.

The confrontation in Mandalay drew concern from at least two Western embassies.

We are tracking reports of ongoing fighting in Mandalay, including early reports of possible civilian casualties. We are disturbed by the military escalation and urgently call for a cessation of violence, the U.S. Embassy said on social media.

The French Embassy said, The urban bloody confrontations in Mandalay heightened once again the death toll following the 1st February military coup.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Two Republican lawmakers got into a tense confrontation at an upscale Columbus restaurant two weeks ago over the now-historic vote to expel Larry Householder from the Ohio House.

Rep. Bill Seitz, of Cincinnati, confronted Rep. Jon Cross, of Kenton, at Lindeys  a restaurant often frequented by lawmakers and lobbyists  a week before the June 16 vote to oust Householder, The Toledo Blade reported Tuesday.

The two lawmakers were dining separately June 9. The Blade reported Seitz, who holds a leadership position in the House, approached Cross as they were both leaving and began to argue about Cross' plan to vote yes on the expulsion resolution.

Cross confirmed the altercation happened when The Blade contacted him Tuesday. It remains unclear if the encounter between the two men was physical or strictly verbal. A formal complaint was made to Speaker Bob Cupp's office regarding the incident.

Seitz told the paper he did not act in a threatening manner toward his fellow lawmaker.

We had a sharp exchange of words, and thats all Im going to say about it, he said. In a family, you sometimes have disagreements, and we had a disagreement. Mr. Cross and I ended the conversation in about one minute."

Seitz has been among the few GOP members to continue publicly supporting now-former Rep. Larry Householder since a federal affidavit released in July 2020 charged the then-Speaker of the House with federal racketeering. The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio at the time called it the largest bribery scandal in state history.

Householder has pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence  even defending himself in front of his colleagues on the House floor last Wednesday  moments before lawmakers cast a 75-21 vote to remove a sitting member from the chamber for the first time in nearly 150 years.

The June 9 altercation is the second time in weeks that Rep. Seitz has been accused of being combative with his colleagues. Rep. Emilia Sykes, the chamber's highest-ranking Democrat, said the veteran lawmaker verbally attacked her during a recent hearing on a controversial voting reform bill he is sponsoring.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  The Rhode Island Senate approved legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults on Tuesday, marking the first time either chamber of the state Legislature has voted on a bill to legalize cannabis.

The proposal was introduced by longtime proponent Sen. Joshua Miller, a Cranston Democrat who chairs the chamber's Health and Human Services Committee. It now heads to the state House of Representatives.
RACINE, Wis. (AP)  A second child pulled from Lake Michigan in Racine over the weekend has died, according to sheriff's officials.

Yaadwinder Singh, 17, was unresponsive when he was rescued from the lake at North Beach Saturday. Authorities say the Franklin teen died Monday after being hospitalized in critical condition.
HAMILTON, Mich. (AP)  A man fatally shot by a state trooper wasnt armed when he was confronted by the officer in southwestern Michigan, authorities said Tuesday.

A few more details emerged, a day after the shooting in Allegan Countys Heath Township near Hamilton.
BOSTON (AP)  With current no-excuse mail-in voting laws set to expire at the end of the month, state lawmakers need to hurry up and take action to extend those rights through the end of the year, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin said Tuesday.

Up to 21 cities and towns, including Boston, have preliminary municipal elections scheduled for Sept. 14, with another 13 cities scheduled to hold elections on Sept. 21.

Without an extension, the cities will be unable to let voters cast ballots by mail without having an excuse, or to hold in-person early voting for their city elections, Galvin said in a letter to Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano, both Democrats.

Several local elections scheduled for July will also be affected without a new law in place, Galvin said.

For budgetary and planning purposes these cities must have clarity, Galvin, also a Democrat, wrote to both legislative leaders. Urgent action is needed.

Without an extension of the voting options, residents in cities face the possibility of being unable to submit applications to vote by mail in their upcoming fall elections, he added.

Theres significant support on Beacon Hill for extending the voting options that were adopted during the pandemic and proved popular with voters.

Democratic Sen. Barry Finegold, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, said hes working with fellow state lawmakers to make vote-by-mail and other election changes permanent in Massachusetts.

Mail-in and early voting options helped empower voters and generate record-breaking turnout in 2020, Finegold said in a written statement Monday. Together, we can build on the progress weve already made and ensure that everyone can exercise their fundamental right to vote.

More than 3.6 million residents cast ballots in the 2020 general election  about 76% of all registered voters and the highest voter turnout in close to three decades.

Earlier this month, the state Senate approved a bill extending mail-in voting through Dec. 15. At the time, the Massachusetts House voted to make mail-in voting and early voting a permanent fixture in Massachusetts. The two chambers have yet to agree on a single bill.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has also expressed support for extending mail-in voting and early voting options in Massachusetts.

Both chambers sent a bill to Baker last week which extended some pandemic-era policies that had expired  such as allowing restaurants to offer take-out cocktails, letting government bodies continue to hold virtual public hearings and extending some protections for tenants facing eviction  but failed to include an extension of mail-in voting in the bill, which Baker signed.

Spilka and Mariano said in a joint statement that lawmakers from both chambers will continue working together to resolve items in the near-term that were not included in the bill, including the expanded voting measures.

In March, the Democratic-controlled House and Senate approved a bill, which Baker quickly signed that extended mail-in and early voting options through the end of June. The vote-by-mail provision had been set to expire at the end of March.

Extending the voting options was designed to help cities and towns holding municipal elections in the spring, supporters said at the time. The options were originally approved last year as part of the states effort to make voting easier and safer during the pandemic.

Some Republican lawmakers raised concerns in March about extending the voting options before first conducting an analysis of how the options worked last year to identify any strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats.

Galvin has said he supports making mail-in voting an option for all future elections.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Gov. Tim Walz has requested funding to outfit Minnesota State Patrol troopers and officers working at the state Capitol with body cameras.

The $7.5 million to buy and maintain the cameras for the officers and troopers is contained in a transportation funding package that could come up for a vote later this week.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  A wildfire in northern Arizona crept closer to the regions largest city Tuesday, threatening to force people from their homes.

The lightning-caused fire near Flagstaff was one of dozens that have scorched large swaths of the U.S. West and kept firefighters busy as they hold out hope that the monsoon season will deliver some significant rain.

It made a significant run Monday but slowed its growth overnight. Crews were busy Tuesday identifying features in the landscape that could help slow the blaze that has burned 38 square miles (99 square kilometers).

Theres a lot of vegetation out there thats very old, has not had fire in it in a very long time and now has either been stressed or killed because of the drought, fire information officer Noel Fletcher said. Its a lot of standing, dead fuel.

Firefighters have yet to corral the perimeter. Crews were dropping fire retardant to keep it from moving into a canyon where it would be more difficult to tackle, and escaping where it could make a run on flatter land. They also were working to protect private property in the forest and lookout towers.

Evacuations were in place because of several other wildfires across Arizona, affecting mostly rural residents and campers, and many local roads were closed. A portion of Interstate 10 in southern Arizona was shut down because of a wildfire there. Supervisors in Navajo County declared an emergency because of a wildfire that was threatening Heber and Overgaard.

More evacuations could go into effect if the large fire in northern Arizona continues toward Flagstaff, a mountain city with nearly 80,000 residents, a state university and an observatory where Pluto was discovered. The city is nestled among the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the U.S. with an Army depot and veterans cemetery to the west and smaller communities on the outskirts.

A top-tier national management team will take over Thursday, said Matthew McGrath, a district ranger for the Coconino National Forest.

Half of the national forests in Arizona will close entirely to the public because of wildfire danger and limited resources. The Coconino and Kaibab closures start Wednesday, and the Apache-Sitgreaves on Thursday.

The weather has been unrelenting lately, with hot and dry conditions combining with wind to fuel wildfires. The preparedness level for wildfire activity nationally was bumped up Tuesday to reflect more demand for firefighting resources.

More large wildfires were burning in Arizona than anywhere else in the country. Arizona had 14, followed by half as many in California. Utah and Colorado also had a handful of large wildfires.

Arizona already was at the highest preparedness level for wildfires. Nationally, the level rose to a 4 on a 1-5 scale Tuesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Its only the fourth time in the last 20 years to reach level 4 in June.

In California where several large wildfires were burning, hikers were turned away from trekking to the summit of Mount Whitney, and flames were scorching tinder dry vegetation in the rugged central coast mountains.

___

Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles and Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill Tuesday that would create a new $10 million grant program to help communities clean up contamination from forever chemicals known as PFAS but would ban them from suing those responsible for the pollution.

Democrats blasted the measure as irresponsible, while Republican supporters said the bill would help communities cope with PFAS pollution.

This was a broad approach to try and help our municipalities, said bill sponsor Republican Rep. Elijah Behnke, of Marinette. Is it perfect? No. But I dont think any legislation is.

Democratic Rep. Katrina Shankland, of Stevens Point, called the bill insidious" for not allowing grant recipients to file lawsuit.

This bill puts special interests above the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin, said Democratic Rep. Jill Billings, of La Crosse.

The Republican-backed measure has the support of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state's largest business lobbying group that represents manufacturers and other corporations. The group's lobbyist, Scott Manley, said in written testimony supporting the proposal at a hearing earlier this month that it would help address the harm caused by PFAS while protecting businesses and local governments from costly and frivolous lawsuits.

Under the bill, any local government that accepts a grant is barred from bringing any legal action against the person or party responsible for the contamination. Grants could also not be awarded to any entity that has already received an award from a lawsuit.

The proposed $10 million annual grant program would be funded with money from the federal coronavirus relief bill. Recipients would have to match 20% of the grant.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are known as forever chemicals" because they dont easily break down in the environment. They have been used for decades in a range of products, including stain-resistant sprays and firefighting foam and have been an issue in communities across Wisconsin, with some of the worst pollution in Marinette and La Crosse.

The grants could be used for a wide range of PFAS-related issues, including well sampling and pollution remediation.

The bill passed on a party line 60-38 vote, with all Republicans in support and Democrats against. It now heads to the Senate. If it passes there, it would then go to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for his consideration.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Vegetarian and vegan foods sold in Wisconsin could not be labeled as meat, milk or dairy if they dont contain those products, under bills the state Assembly passed unanimously Tuesday.

The truth in labeling measures are supported by the state's agriculture and dairy industries as a way to combat what they say are misleading products that are marketed as Impossible burgers" and use other words such as cheese and milk but don't actually contain meat, milk or dairy. Bill supporters say they will help protect Wisconsins agriculture economy, educate consumers about misleading food labels and put pressure on the federal government to take action.

No one spoke against the measures before they passed unanimously on voice votes.

Opposition came from a variety of groups that promote plant-based food, such as soy and nuts, as an alternative to meat and dairy products. They argue that the bills are unnecessary, bad for Wisconsin businesses and consumers, and an unconstitutional infringement on free speech rights.

A federal judge in 2019 blocked Arkansas from enforcing a ban on using such terms as burger or sausage to sell vegetarian and vegan products because it likely violated the First Amendment's free speech rights. There are similar lawsuits against food labeling laws in Missouri and Mississippi.

One of the Wisconsin bills passed Tuesday would ban labeling a beverage as milk unless it comes from cows, goats and other hooved mammals. Another would prohibit selling a product as cream, yogurt or cheese unless it includes dairy.

Those would only take effect if 10 states out of a group of 15 approve similar bans by 2031. The move is designed to make sure the bills don't violate the Constitution's commerce clause, which gives Congress  not states  the right to regulate interstate commerce.

Only two states in the group, Maryland and North Carolina, have passed milk labeling laws, but those laws haven't taken effect because of similar provisions requiring other states to follow suit.

A third bill passed by the Assembly would ban the labeling or selling of a product as meat, bacon or a similar term unless it includes animal flesh. It would apply to packaging on products in stores and restaurant menus.

Seventeen other states have enacted some type of meat labeling law in recent years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The bills now head to the Senate, which did not take them up last session after they also passed the Assembly.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The Wisconsin Assembly sent bills to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday that would make it more difficult for the elderly and disabled to cast absentee ballots and prohibit officials from filling in missing information on the envelopes of returned absentee ballots.

Evers is expected to veto all of the GOP backed measures, which passed with all Republicans in support and Democrats against.

Democrats derided the bills as attempts to suppress voter turnout.

There is no question this is all part of a national movement to undermine our elections so that Republicans can continue to cling to power with the support of only a minority of voters, said Democratic Rep. Mark Spreitzer.

Conservatives are pushing more than a dozen election bills following former President Donald Trump's narrow loss in battleground Wisconsin to President Joe Biden. Republican backers say the bills would address shortcomings in Wisconsin election law that were exposed during the November 2020 election.

Opponents say they're an attempt to perpetuate the lie that Trump actually won and are meant to disenfranchise voter groups that tend to back Democrats.

This is a pile of bills built on conspiracy theories and lies," said Democratic Rep. Lisa Subeck, of Madison.

Republicans defended the bills as taking steps to ensure that elections are fair.

Wisconsin Republicans have already approved a review of the 2020 election by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and hired retired police officers to investigate unfounded reports of widespread voter fraud. Trump's defeat was upheld following recounts in Milwaukee and Dane counties and in numerous state and federal lawsuits.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he expected results of the state audit and the other investigation by the retired police officers he hired by this fall. He said Republicans wanted to review what a Republican-ordered election audit in Arizona reveals, but he didn't anticipate doing a similar forensic exam of ballots in Wisconsin given the other probes already being done.

One of the bills that was passed would require most elderly and disabled people who are indefinitely confined to show photo ID to vote absentee; require all absentee voters to fill out more paperwork and show their ID every time they vote absentee, rather than just the first time; and require voters who are confined to apply to get an absentee ballot every year, rather than have them sent automatically.

Wisconsins disabled community has been outspoken against the proposed changes, saying they would create new barriers for people who cannot easily get to polling stations.

These bills make it harder for voters who already face significant challenges to have their voices heard and their votes count, said Beth Swedeen, executive director for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities.

Another passed bill would prohibit local elections officials from filling out missing voter information on the absentee ballot certificate, which also serves as the envelope that voters use to return ballots.

Trump sought to disqualify about 5,500 absentee ballots in Democratic-heavy Dane and Milwaukee counties, where election clerks filled in missing address information on certification envelopes.

Clerks had been filling in missing information on the certification envelopes for a dozen elections prior to Novembers, based in part on guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. After Trump lost, Republicans questioned the legality of the practice since state law doesnt specifically allow it.

Under the bill, any absentee ballot missing information would be returned to the voter to fix. Officials who fill in the missing information would be committing election fraud, which is punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and three years in prison.

A third bill the Assembly passed would disallow ballot collection events any earlier than two weeks before an election. There could only be one collection site for absentee ballots and it would have to be located near the local clerks office and staffed by workers from those offices.

Republican supporters said the goal was to prevent ballot harvesting by disallowing events or locations where ballots could be collected.

It's a more secure chain of custody than we have now on the ballots, said Republican Rep. Tyler August, the bill's sponsor.

That change is in response to the Democracy in the Park event held in Madison city parks last year, where poll workers collected absentee ballots before the early voting period started two weeks prior to the election.

Another passed bill would make it a felony for an employee of a nursing home or other care facility to coerce an occupant to apply for, or not apply for, an absentee ballot. It would also require the nursing home to provide notice to relatives when special voting deputies planned to be on hand to assist residents with casting their ballots.

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Associated Press writer Todd Richmond contributed to this report.
By Eli Walsh

Bay City News Foundation

Saturday's shooting near Lake Merritt that killed one and injured seven others was likely tied to gang violence in San Francisco, Oakland Police Chief LaRonne Armstrong said Monday.

Oakland police homicide investigators believe the shooting, which happened around 6:20 p.m. during a Juneteenth celebration that included some 5,000 people, involved multiple shooters, Armstrong said during a briefing.

Roughly 10,000 people were around the lake in total, and half of those were located on the 2200 block of Lakeshore Avenue, where the shooting occurred.

"We continue again in the city of Oakland to see far too many guns, particularly people willing to use guns in our city," Armstrong said.

The victims of the shooting range in age from 16 to the mid-60s, Armstrong said, and the seven who were hospitalized are in stable condition.

The man who was fatally shot, a 22-year-old resident of San Francisco, has yet to be identified.

Oakland police officials claimed that at least some of the victims, including the man who was killed, were intentionally targeted.

"This is not the first San Francisco-related group-and-gang shooting we've seen in the city of Oakland," Armstrong said. "This is a problem we've been trying to manage for the last several months."

Oakland police officials said they're working with the San Francisco Police Department and its Gang Task Force to determine a possible motive for the shooting.

Armstrong also addressed the groups of people who, in videos posted to social media, were shown dancing on the roof of an ambulance and blocking the path of first responders trying to reach the shooting victims, describing them as "unsympathetic."

"We also had some people that stood up, that actually helped out and helped open up traffic," he said. "We thank them for their efforts, we appreciate those that stepped up and helped us get the emergency services that were needed to the victims that were suffering."

Two men with guns were arrested in the aftermath of the shooting after they were seen running from the Lake Merritt area, Armstrong said. Neither man is believed to have been involved in the shooting, he added.

Oakland City Council members Carroll Fife and Nikki Fortunato Bas, who both represent Lake Merritt, said in a joint statement Saturday night that they hope to help local law enforcement end violent crime within the city.

"We recognize the critical work police officers do to respond to violence and understand that a holistic, effective safety infrastructure includes violence prevention, arts and culture, youth programs, jobs, housing and so much more, in addition to police investigations that solve homicides," the two council members said.

While local officials have sparred over the last year about how much funding to allocate to the Oakland Police Department, Armstrong said that the department's main job, regardless of its size, should be helping people stay safe.

Approximately 60 police officers were located in and around the crowd of roughly 5,000 who were in the vicinity of the shooting.

"I don't believe that you can police your way out of a problem like this," he said. "If you put 100 or 200 officers, it doesn't mean that somebody won't do something dumb, it doesn't mean that somebody won't pull out a firearm and use it."

People with information, video or photos from Saturday night are encouraged to contact the OPD homicide division at (510) 238-3821

Crime Stoppers of Oakland and the police department are also offering a reward of up to $40,000 for information that leads to one or multiple arrests in connection with the shooting.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A man accused of breaking into the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens last year and stealing a ring-tailed lemur -- an endangered species -- made his initial court appearance in federal court on Monday.

Cory McGilloway, 31, has been charged with violating the Endangered Species Act, and, if convicted, he could face up to a year in jail and as much as $50,000 in fines, federal prosecutors said.

Prosecutors allege that McGilloway, a Los Angeles resident, entered the zoo the night of Oct. 13, 2020, and took one of the zoo's four ring-tailed lemurs.

Two days later on Oct. 15, 2020, a woman told San Francisco police officers that she saw a man walking a lemur on a leash on Treasure Island the day before, believed to be McGilloway and Maki.

Maki was found later that day after a 5-year-old boy spotted Maki unattended at the playground of Hope Lutheran Day School in Daly City. With help from San Francisco Animal Care and Control, Maki was returned to the zoo.

The same day, officers in San Rafael arrested McGilloway in connection with a separate investigation in which he was suspected of shoplifting and taking a vehicle without the owner's consent.

At the time of his rescue, Maki was hungry and dehydrated. He's now back at the zoo's Lipman Family Lemur Forest -- the largest outdoor lemur habitat in North America -- and in good condition, according to zoo officials.

California residents are banned from having lemurs, native to Madagascar, as pets because of their endangered status.

The boy who found Maki, James Trinh, has been lauded by city officials as a hero.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. A podcast created for those who desire a new way of gaining information rather than reading a traditional newspaper. In our show we will discuss everything from sports, pop culture, politics, and local news. To stay up to date on our latest episodes every week be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast service. And dont worry, we keep it short.
Many technological advances in the world have stumped me over the past couple of decades. In each of the next few weeks, I will revisit some of the columns I wrote in the last 22 years where I shared my frustrations and will update you on how my techy skills have improved  or not.
Air travel can be difficult in the best of times, with cramped planes, screaming babies, flight delays and short tempers.

Throw in a pandemic, and the anxiety level can rise quickly.

That has led to confrontations with flight attendants and other unruly behavior, including occasional fights that get captured and replayed endlessly on social media.

Airlines have reported about 3,000 cases of disruptive passengers since Jan. 1, according to a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, which began tracking it this year. About 2,300 of those incidents involved passengers who refused to obey the federal requirement to wear a face mask.

Over the past decade, the FAA investigated about 140 cases a year for possible enforcement actions such as fines. This year, it was nearly 400 by late May.

Things have gotten so bad that the airlines and unions for flight attendants and pilots sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department on Monday urging that more be done to deter egregious behavior."

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, noting that the law calls for up to 20 years imprisonment for passengers who intimidate or interfere with crew members.

Trade group Airlines for America sent a separate letter to the Federal Aviation Administration acknowledging that the vast majority of passengers" comply with the rules but 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.

The FAA announced a zero-tolerance policy against disruptive behavior on flights back in January. The agency is attempting to levy fines that can top $30,000 against more than 50 passengers and has identified more than 400 other cases for possible enforcement.

U.S. airlines have banned at least 3,000 passengers since May of last year, and that doesn't include two of the largest, American and Southwest, which decline to provide figures.

Airlines have stripped some customers of frequent-flyer benefits, and in rare cases pilots have made unplanned landings to remove unruly passengers. Pilots and flight attendants now routinely make pre-flight announcements to remind passengers about federal regulations against interfering with crews.

All of that is helpful, and if we didn't have that I can only imagine how much worse it would be, said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, but this is clearly not taking care of the whole problem. We have to do a lot more. I have never, ever seen an environment like this."

Mike Oemichen has been a flight attendant for seven years and he, too, says he has never seen so much bad behavior on board. He recounted a recent incident in which he and other flight attendants had just completed the safety briefing for passengers and were preparing for takeoff when a fight broke out between two men and a woman accompanying one of them.

After 20 or 30 seconds we were able to get the two male passengers away from each other, and we tried to calm everyone down, Oemichen said. Then we went back to the gate and had the passengers removed.

Oemichen suffered a concussion when he hit his head against an overhead bin during the melee.

We never figured out what they were fighting over, said Oemichen, who spoke on condition that his airline not be named. He also handles grievances for union members at his airline.

The fear among flight attendants is that things will get worse this summer, as travel continues to increase and planes get more crowded. The airline industry passed a milestone earlier this month when the Transportation Security Administration announced that more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints for the first time since early March 2020.

Airline bookings have been picking up since around February, as more Americans were vaccinated against COVID-19. Falling infection rates could, however, make it much harder for flight attendants to enforce the federal mask-wearing rule, which isn't due to expire until mid-September.

Some security experts think lifting the mask requirement will remove a key source of tension  one with political overtones in a politically divided nation. But it could also raise the anxiety of people who worry about sharing space with strangers while were still in a pandemic.

People on both sides of the issue are acting badly, Nelson said.

Airline unions have asked for a variety of measures including more air marshals, limits on alcohol sales on planes and in airports, and more sharing of information among airlines about disruptive passengers. They are also floating the idea of a new government-maintained list of banned passengers  but one that would be less restrictive than the no-fly list for suspected terrorists.

It's not clear why there is so much air rage. Airline employees and outside experts offer explanations including cramped flights, political polarization over wearing face masks, and the way pandemic lockdowns affect people's mental health.

We are all more traumatized than we realize, and that puts people on edge," said Raymond Tafrate, a psychologist and criminology professor at Central Connecticut State University who has studied anger. The pandemic isolated people and caused all sorts of stress and problems in their lives. People are in worse shape than they were before.

Robert Bor, an aviation psychologist in London who advises airline crews, blames anxiety over COVID-19 and enclosed spaces.

It is a virus, and people are highly sensitized to the physical proximity of others around them, Bor said. He added that some people take measures like mask-wearing more seriously than others, creating conflict. How you negotiate that in such an environment is the issue.

There have been periods in the past where air rage seemed an intractable problem, but later subsided. Long-time flight attendants say there was an uptick in unruly passengers in the 1990s. That led Congress to make it a crime to interfere with a flight crew, and incidents gradually declined, these cabin crew members say.

Arjun Garg, who served as FAA chief counsel until earlier this year, said serious cases of misbehaving passengers were rarely discussed at the agency's top levels until the pandemic hit.

It would happen every once in a while, but it wasn't a major feature of anybody's thinking at FAA, Garg said of the pre-pandemic incidents. Airlines would often resolve them as a customer-service issue, and everyone would go on their way.

Tafrates advice to travelers: Accept that flights dont always go the way you want, and accept there are going to be some rules that you dont like.

___

David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
State Sen. Alex Kasser, D-Greenwich, announced Tuesday she was resigning a seat she won in a surprise victory in 2018.

It is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to resign from office, effective immediately, Kasser said in her resignation letter.

Kasser, who was in her second term as state senator representing all of Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan, said her decision to resign was due to personal circumstances and ongoing divorce litigation.

I cannot continue to dedicate myself to this job in the way it deserves, Kasser wrote in a statement she posted online.

For three years, Kasser has been engaged in a contentious divorce battle with Seth Bergstein, a senior Morgan Stanley executive. Kasser has said Bergstein engaged in coercive control, a type of non-physical violence that can involve manipulative conduct that traps victims in abusive relationships.

I can no longer live or work in Greenwich as it is loaded with memories of the 20 years I spent raising my children here. It is too painful to be in Greenwich now that Ive been erased from their lives, just as their father promised would happen if I ever left him, Kasser wrote, adding that Bergstein has tried to destroy her partner, Nichola Samponaro.

In a statement released Tuesday, Janet Battey, a partner in the firm of Ferro and Battey, which is representing Bergstein, told Hearst Connecticut Media:  Ms. Kassers outrageous allegations and narrative couldnt be further from the truth. Ms. Kasser sadly continues to wage a public battle in the press while simultaneously dragging out the court proceedings.

The statement called Kassers comments on her divorce blatantly false and ended, Mr. Bergstein trusts the legal system and family court and that the upcoming trial will reveal Ms. Kassers narrative for what it is.

Kasser did not return calls seeking further comment.

During the 2021 regular legislative session, which ended June 9, Kasser pushed for legislation to expand the criminal definition of domestic violence to include coercive control. That bill, known as Jennifers Law, for Jennifer Dulos, or for Dulos and a woman named Jennifer Magnano, was adopted overwhelmingly.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said he received a call from Kasser Tuesday morning to alert him she was resigning, which he said came as a surprise.

Its disappointing because she is a valued member of our caucus, Looney said Tuesday afternoon after an unrelated press event.

The Secretary of the States office, announcing Kassers resignation, said Gov. Ned Lamont has 10 days to call for a special election in a writ. The election must be held on the 46th day after that writ. That schedule means an election will be held in mid-August, when turnout is expected to be light.

Kasser, funding her own campaign, upset longtime Republican incumbent Scott Frantz in 2018, a year of backlash against the Trump-led GOP when women fared well at the ballot box.

We expect to vigorously contest for that seat, Looney said. I think it will be a very competitive race.

Kasser created some controversy early in her tenure by hiring an aide using her own personal money in addition to Senate Democrat staff, which led to some concerns about access to systems at the Capitol.

The Office of State Ethics issued an informal opinion that the aides employment by Kasser  who at the time used the name Bergstein - was not a violation of state ethics law. Kasser ended the arrangement, saying it was only intended to be temporary

Samponaro, Kassers romantic partner, was the aide and Kasser later revealed that the two were in a relationship together.

Kasser was a vociferous supporter of highway tolls, so strongly that she threatened to vote against Gov. Ned Lamonts third toll proposal because, she said at the time, she didnt believe it went far enough. That created friction with some Democrats at a time when support for tolls  which never came to a vote  was weak.

She said in her statement Tuesday that she will miss the camaraderie in the legislature and the collective sense of duty.

I am forever grateful for having had this opportunity and will always cherish the experience, she said.

Staff Writer Brianna Gurciullo contributed to this story.

julia.bergman@hearstediact.com
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Page Content

When the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic in March 2020, businesses scrambled to adapt as much of the country began to shut down. Workplace procedures were abruptly modified, and many companies shifted to remote work. Now, employers are deciding how to respond to new guidance as COVID-19 cases decline and economies reopen.

On June 15, California Gov. Gavin Newsom fully reopened the state's economy. "California is turning the page on this pandemic, thanks to swift action by the state and the work of Californians who followed public health guidelines and got vaccinated to protect themselves and their communities," he said. "We are lifting the orders that impact Californians on a day-to-day basis while remaining vigilant to protect public health and safety as the pandemic persists."

The Golden State lifted physical distancing requirements, capacity limits for businesses, and many COVID-19 testing and quarantining requirements. However, the state still asks that people test and quarantine if they feel sick, are not fully vaccinated or are traveling internationally.

The state also updated mask rules to align with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which allows fully vaccinated people to discontinue the use of masks in many situations. But the state still has COVID-19 safety requirements in place for schools, child care providers and "mega events"indoor events with 5,000 or more attendees and outdoor events with 10,000 or more attendees.

Employers also must comply with local ordinances and rules set by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), which regulates workplace safety.

Be aware that policies for customers could differ from policies for employees. For instance, retailers in California eventually might drop mask requirements for customers, while keeping these requirements for employees, said Ilana Morady, an attorney with Seyfarth Shaw in San Francisco.

Cal/OSHA and Local Regulations

Employers should carefully follow evolving Cal/OSHA rules that apply to the workplace. Notably, California's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board recently revised its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards and released new FAQs for employers. "The revised regulations reflect the state's latest COVID-19 public health guidance," according to Cal/OSHA. "The updates include changes to face coverings and physical distancing requirements."

In addition, local governments across California have been working to revise their regulations. Santa Clara County, for example, enacted a new local regulation following the CDC guidance. The order requires businesses to determine the vaccination status of all employees. For purposes of workplace policies, employees who decline to state whether they received the vaccine will be regarded as unvaccinated.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health noted that workplaces must follow Cal/OSHA standards. "[A]t a minimum, unvaccinated individuals are required to wear a face mask when indoors at workplaces," according to the county website. "Offer employees who are not vaccinated respirators which offer more protection for the wearer than cloth face masks or surgical masks."

Regardless of vaccination status, masks are required statewide on public transit, at schools and child care sites, in health care settings, and in certain other places.

Workplace Safety Policies

Businesses must comply with applicable federal, state and local requirements. Despite recent changes, employers should avoid hastily revising their workplace policies. Within certain parameters, however, employers have some flexibility when developing policies, according to Walter Stella, an attorney with Cozen O'Connor in San Francisco.

When crafting mask and distancing policies, employers should consider their type of business and their work environment, attorneys said. Some questions to consider: Do employees have their own offices? Do employees work in crowded factories? Do employees interact with customers?

Additionally, there are important procedures to follow for mandatory vaccination policies, noted Jennifer Rubin, an attorney with Mintz in San Diego. According to guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), businesses can require all employees in the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19. However, there are legal exemptions for those who are unvaccinated because of medical or religious reasons.

Additionally, the EEOC said employers are permitted to offer incentives for employees to be vaccinated, as long as there's no coercion.

If employers do require vaccination, there are legal issues to keep in mind. Vaccination status isn't a protected category under federal and most state laws. But Guillermo Tello, an attorney with Clark Hill in Los Angeles, noted that workplace vaccination policies could lead to discrimination claims based on the various protected categories.



A business also could be sued by an employee who claims the company isn't doing enough to protect workers from the virus, observed Jack Schaedel, an attorney with Ford Harrison in Los Angeles.

Key Takeaways for Employers



As federal, state and local rules and guidelines change, attorneys recommend that employers take certain actions. For example, employers should designate someone in the organization to monitor local regulations, according to Tello and Schaedel.

Bryan Hawkins, an attorney with Stoel Rives in Sacramento, Calif., recommended that employers check the minutes of local government meetings for updates on safety protocols. They also should clearly explain policies to employees and ask workers to discuss questions or concerns with a supervisor, he said.

Additionally, attorneys said employers should:

Stay up-to-date with Cal/OSHA's general and industry-specific mandates.

Stay up-to-date with state and local orders.

Develop workplace policies with help from legal counsel.

Follow legal requirements regarding employee medical information.

Treat all unvaccinated employees in a consistent manner.

Consider the option of continuing with remote work for some or all employees.

If local regulations vary and the company has offices in multiple locations in California, employers should carefully evaluate their options. Some attorneys recommend following the strictest set of rules that apply to the company, while others say it's fine to have varying workplace policies tailored to local rules.

If employees travel between locations with different requirements, Tello said, it's advisable to comply with the most restrictive local regulations.



Toni Vranjes is a freelance business writer in San Pedro, Calif.


Page Content

A Colorado law requires employers to disclose their targeted pay range in job postings. Rather than revealing such information, however, some employers are excluding workers in the state from their talent search.

Why would employers exclude remote workers in Colorado in a tight market for talent? "Employers in competitive industries may feel concerned that their competitors could use salary information to entice employees to leave the company with offers of higher pay and benefits," observed Emily Hobbs, an attorney with Michael Best in Denver. "Other employers may feel reluctant to limit salary ranges because they want to reserve discretion in setting a salary in order to attract top candidates."

Stephanie Rawitt, an attorney with Clark Hill in Philadelphia, noted that lawmakers in many states are trying to figure out how to best combat pay equity issues, and they're examining whether pay transparency at the start of employment will create more balance.

The specific information that employers must include in job postings could be different depending on which state or local law applies. "Be aware of those rules if you're going to open a job search nationwide for remote workers," Rawitt said.

Balancing Pay Equity

Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act took effect on Jan. 1. The law requires employers to take a number of steps to help achieve gender pay equity.



"Despite policies outlawing pay discrimination and creating avenues for women to bring a civil action for lost wages, women still earn significantly less than their male counterparts for the same work," according to the act.

Among other rules, the law requires employers to inform all current employees about opportunities for advancement, new positions and pay ranges for available jobs. The act applies to businesses with at least one employee in Colorado. Significantly, employers that are located anywhere in the country must disclose salary and benefits information in job postings for positions that will be or can be performed in Colorado. That includes remote jobs, but the requirement doesn't apply to jobs that will be performed entirely outside of Colorado.



"Employers may have varying reasons for preferring not to disclose a targeted salary range when posting a job opportunity," said J.T. Holt, an attorney with Reed Smith in Pittsburgh. For example, employers may be concerned about missing out on prospective candidates solely because of a posted salary range before they have an opportunity to meet with the candidate.

Job interviews can provide an opportunity for employers to promote the benefits and other non-salary compensation that might be available and to negotiate the compensation package, he said.

Employers that are required or simply prefer to advertise a targeted salary range in a job posting should include a clear statement letting potential applicants know that the advertised salary range is negotiable, Holt suggested.

Hobbs noted that the trend to enact pay equity laws may cause job applicants and employees to expect greater pay transparency overall. "As a result, employers should be prepared to address and explain wage differentials."

She said conducting regular internal wage audits is an effective way for an organization to spot and correct pay discrepancies that may not be justifiable under governing law.

Tips for Employers

Under federal law, covered employers are prohibited from excluding employees from hire based on specific protected categories, such as age, disability, gender, national origin, race and religion. State and local laws may provide workers with more protections.

So can employers legally exclude workers in a particular state if they don't want to disclose their salary range? The practice is a novel response to a new law, so the answer isn't clear.

Rawitt noted that Colorado's pay equity act includes a way for employees and job applicants to file a complaint if they feel a business has violated the law.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment is investigating at least one complaint about a job posting that excludes Colorado applicants, according to The Wall Street Journal. But the ultimate outcome of that investigation has yet to be determined.

Sara Jodka, an attorney with Dickinson Wright in Columbus, Ohio, said multistate employers should ensure they understand and are following differing state and local rules, rather than focusing on trying to avoid them. "That being said, complying with the state and local patchwork of employment laws has long been an issue for multistate employers that will only continue to grow."

An employer's best option for tracking and complying with state and local requirements is to work closely with legal counsel, which can provide recommendations that enable the employer to efficiently make any necessary updates to policies, Holt said.



[Want to learn more about pay equity? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Exp 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.]



Hobbs explained that salary bands should be broad enough to encompass wage rates that the employer believes, in good faith, it will be willing to pay top candidates. Employers may want to consider including in job postings the criteria that the company will evaluate when setting the successful candidate's wage rate, she said, such as:

Prior work or industry experience.

Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.

Unique skills.

"Pay transparency laws, such as Colorado's law, recognize that sex-based pay disparities tend to compound over time," Hobbs noted. As a result, she said, even if a particular jurisdiction had not adopted a pay transparency law, it is a good idea to avoid asking job candidates about their pay history during the application and interview process.

"Employees should be paid fairly for the work they perform," Jodka said. "Employee compensation should be based on the specific job to be performed and the skill and experience of the particular employee coming into that role."


Dhanush signing Sekhar Kammulas next came as a big surprise to everyone in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. Nearly two decades after his debut as an actor in Tamil, Dhanush is making his debut in Telugu. Until now, he has tried to win the Telugu audiences with dubbed movies.

Now, comes the question: What would be the films budget? The film is being projected as a Pan-Indian project. The budget is being considered for this film is in the range of Rs 120 Crore.

Dhanush will be getting Rs 50 Cr. This is the nearly double amount that he receives for a Tamil movie. But the producers had agreed to pay such hefty money as they will be releasing it in Tamil, and Hindi languages as well.

Dhanush will be gaining international market if his Hollywood debut also gets clicked. He is playing one of the key roles in the Russo Brothers new movie, The Gray Man.

Sekhar Kammula, who has been making films with Rs 20 to 25 crore budget, is making a big leap with this film and this is his first movie with Rs 100 Crore plus budget. He will be roping in big names for crew and cast.

Considering all these factors into account, producers Narayan Das Narang and Puskuru Rammohan Rao have agreed on such a big budget.

For more stories click here: Kollywood l Malayalam l Bollywood l Telugu
"In the period of June 13-19, 1,594 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday citing the IOM as saying.

Tripoli, June 22 (IANS) At least 1,594 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to the country in the past one week, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

In 2021, 14,388 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while 194 died and 492 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the Organization.

Libya has been plagued by insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making it a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward European shores.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centres across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close them.

The IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix has identified and located 348,372 internally displaced persons in Libya.

--IANS

ksk/
By Nina LARSON

GENEVA, June 22 (AFP) -- 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, is set to feature an eagerly anticipated report by Bachelet about systemic racism, and draft resolutions on Myanmar, Belarus and Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.

'Executions, sexual violence'

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 held 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.

'Chilling impact'

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 the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong following 2019's huge democracy protests.

It has criminalised much dissent, given China jurisdiction over some cases and awarded authorities 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 diplomatic pressure to speak out about China's policies in the northwestern region, where the United States has accused Beijing of genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs.

At least one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been held in camps, according to rights groups -- allegations Beijing vehemently denies.

Liu Yuyin, a spokesman at the Chinese mission in Geneva, said Bachelet had made "erroneous remarks" on Hong Kong and Xinjiang and should "stop making erroneous remarks which interfere in China's sovereignty and judicial independence".

Liu said Bachelet would be welcome to visit Xinjiang, but the trip "should be a friendly one... rather than making the so-called 'investigation' under the presumption of guilt".

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.

"Certain countries and forces, out of political motives, spread shameless lies about Xinjiang in an attempt to tarnish China's image," said Liu. "Their attempt will not go anywhere."

Kremlin undermining critics

Bachelet 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 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.
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The ASX rebounded strongly on Tuesday with its best session in four months, almost reclaiming the $40 billion worth of value that was wiped off on Monday.

The ASX 200 gained 1.5 per cent to close at 7342.2 points on Tuesday. It was the markets best session since March 1.

Banking stocks performed well with heavyweights like Commonwealth Bank and ANZ bank up more than 2 per cent, while Bank of Queensland gained 5.5 per cent.

The ASX 200 added $33 billion on Tuesday, almost rebuilding from Mondays losses. Credit:Tamara Voninski

The oil and coal names did well with Worley up 4.5 per cent and Santos and Beach Energy both gaining more than 3 per cent as crude prices continue to rise.

Growth names were less consistent, with fintech Zip Co declining by 1.6 per cent, while CSL dropped 1.5 per cent to $300.52.

The volte-face in sentiment came after US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell told a committee hearing on the Coronavirus crisis that recent inflation numbers were transitory and would drop again once supply constraints resolve.

This was taken as a sign that interest rates will remain low for some time.

Monday moodiness didnt last long in equities, senior analyst for Swissquote, Ipek Ozkardeskaya, wrote in a note to clients.

The bulls returned and reflation was on the menu for most traders.

She added the big question unanswered by Mr Powell was for how long supply constraints would push up prices. The chairman was due to testify before Congress on Tuesday US time, and would likely add more detail.

Regardless, the risks are tilted to the upside for risk investors at Powells congressional testimony today. Powells got the markets back and he wont let go, Ms Ozkardeskaya added.

On the local market there has been some jostling ahead of the end of the 2020-21 tax year.

We are seeing a bit of profit-taking as there are six days to the end of the financial year, market analyst at Bell Direct, Jessica Amir said.

So far this year the financial shares are still the show stopper. All in all the market is up by 11.5 per cent so far this year so its going pretty good.

She added the technology sector underperformed on Tuesday because some of the old school names closed in the red.

Appen was down 1.8 per cent, Xero fell 1.4 per cent, and WiseTech fell 1.2 per cent. This could be due to profit-taking, with Xero up 54 per cent in 12 months.
French Gates, whose name was added to BMGI in 2014, has been in focus after Cascade transferred equity stakes worth more than $US3 billion to her, leading some in the industry to speculate shes in the process of claiming an even larger control of her share of the riches. Their combined wealth stands at more than $US140 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Loading Larson, 61, has admitted that he sometimes used harsh language in response to the Times reporting, but denied that he mistreated staff. A Cascade representative has said the matters were examined and didnt warrant his dismissal. A representative for Gates didnt respond to a request for comment. Mohamed said its of little surprise that Larson has remained in his role after the allegations, given his decades-long tenure with Gates and the loyalty it has likely engendered. Had Larson not had the professional impact he had, it would be a simple yes, he should resign, said Mohamed, whose company helps family offices fill leadership positions.

Larson, often clad in a pink shirt, shies from the limelight and rarely attends conferences for family office professionals. A former bond-fund manager, he won Gatess loyalty by delivering consistent returns and instilling in employees the notion that their primary focus was to protect their benefactors good name, according to people familiar with Cascade, who asked not to be named speaking about the companys inner workings. Being the investment chief for one of the worlds biggest family fortunes might seem like an enviable job for an investor mulling creative bets. Theres hardly a worry about fundraising, client withdrawals or onerous regulations. But it often instead involves simply keeping wealth steady. The manager had broad leeway from Gates on investment decisions, they both have said. French Gates rarely attended meetings in Cascades early days aside from the annual in-person gathering, and when she did she tended to be a passive participant, according to one of the people familiar with the firm. She was unaware of most of the allegations involving Larson given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI, her spokeswoman, Courtney Wade, said in a statement. Its unclear where French Gates is keeping her money, including the more than $US3 billion that has been transferred from Cascade, and whether shes now setting up a family office of her own. She also runs Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation firm founded in 2015 that focuses on gender and racial equality and employs roughly 90 people.

Conservative mandate Being the investment chief for one of the worlds biggest family fortunes might seem like an enviable job for an investor mulling creative bets. Theres hardly a worry about fundraising, client withdrawals or onerous regulations. But it often instead involves simply keeping wealth steady. Cascades assets have periodically been boosted by proceeds from the sales of Gatess Microsoft stock. Credit:AP Aside from detracting attention from the Gateses, Larsons main mandate has been to invest conservatively  try to maximise returns but dont lose money, one of the people said.

That reflects the typical investment approaches of big family offices and foundations, said Raphael Amit, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School. The No. 1 objective is preservation of capital, he said, adding thats why family office portfolios are so diverse, including not just public equities, but also fixed income, commodities and assets such as art. In a Fortune story from two decades ago, Larson explained that much of his strategy boiled down to countering the swings of Microsoft stock. At the time, the portfolios both for the foundation and for the Gateses personal money mostly consisted of bonds, with some bets on private equity, commodities, Florida real estate and British hotels. That has shifted. Today Cascade holds about $US57 billion in public equities, ranging from farm-equipment maker Deere & Co. to track operator Canadian National Railway to waste management firm Republic Services - companies rooted in the physical world of making, moving and selling goods, and cleaning things up. Cascade also owns around 270,000 acres of land, enough to make it the single biggest owner of US farmland, according to the Land Report. The firm also has been involved in currency and commodities trading, venture capital and the development of a property complex in downtown Tampa.

The foundations most recent tax returns also shows $US804 million of corporate bonds and $US5.8 billion of other investments like mortgage-backed securities, bank loans and sovereign debt. Stable returns Cascade doesnt disclose its overall investment performance, but financial reports from the foundation offer clues. The foundations assets under management have returned an average of about 8.6 per cent per year since 2001, according to a person familiar with the matter, beating the S&P 500 Indexs average annual 7.5 per cent gain over the past two decades. That track record is broadly representative of Cascades overall returns, another person said. Credit: Cascades assets have periodically been boosted by proceeds from the sales of Gatess Microsoft stock. And Warren Buffett, the billionaire founder of Berkshire Hathaway, has periodically given shares in the conglomerate worth billions of dollars to the foundation. Buffett is one of the Gates Foundations three board members alongside Gates and French Gates, but has no involvement in investment decisions of the endowment, according to the foundation.

One remarkable feature of the portfolio is how little it changes. Of the 15 stocks listed in the foundation trusts most recent filing, which discloses positions traded on US exchanges, 10 of them were in the portfolio a decade ago. The holdings havent uniformly jived with the Gateses charitable endeavours or priorities, which include global health and, more recently, climate change. Cascade held investments in oil and gas companies until 2019. It was long the biggest owner of Signature Aviation, the worlds largest operator of private-jet bases, before joining a consortium that took the company private this year. And its the biggest shareholder of Republic Services, which for years has feuded with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, whose members are employees. Loading Gates has occasionally made it clear that Larson has broad discretion to make investment decisions. In a March Ask me anything event on Reddit, a user asked about his purchases of farmland. His response: My investment group chose to do this.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has admitted that some Victorians may have lost enthusiasm to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

I think therell be some people whove lost some enthusiasm for AstraZeneca but also, you know, we had a huge surge, because of the new availability for Pfizer, so a lot of people have come through the bookings for that, he told ABC 774.

We need to open up the bookings for the tens of thousands whove had their first dose in the last few weeks.

He said vaccination centres are fully booked over the next few weeks for people seeking to get their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and that he expected an influx of booking for people getting their second jab.

There are still some people who should probably book in online or call the number to book for their second dose, he said, noting that it was preferred people made bookings instead of walk-in appointments.

Today, Victoria became the first state where more than two million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, about 50,000 more than NSW.

A total of 41,061 people received a vaccine dose statewide yesterday, bringing the total number of doses administered in Victoria since the start of the rollout to 2,032,703. It took 92 days for Victoria to record its one millionth dose (on May 26), but just 27 days for the second million doses to be administered:

Nationwide there have been 6,719,384 doses administered since the start of the rollout. You can see the vaccine progress of your state or territory using the interactive table below:
A proposed offer of settlement made to the Coopers has outraged donors to her cause because it deducts the proceeds from a GoFundMe campaign from the amount to be paid by the Owners Corporation. Once again Horizon residents are doing what Sydney does best: arguing over money and heading for the courts. ALL IN THE NAME Its been a whirlwind week for reanimated deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who won a party room vote on Monday which elevated him to leader of The Nationals. Again. On Monday, the veteran MP attempted to appear surprised at being returned to the top job, remarking If I thought it was going to happen, I would have brought my hat.

However, on day two Joyce appeared to be adopting a war footing by getting his paperwork in order. Barnaby Joyce. Credit:John Shakespeare By Tuesday morning, Joyce had updated his parliamentary register of interests to indicate that a residential property he bought with former wife Natalie in 2014 just south of Tamworth was now an investment property. Records attached to the property in the semi-rural community of Loomberah, about 20 minutes south of the Golden Guitar, show the couple paid $700,000 in 2013 for the home and 2.3 hectare block. Joyce and partner Vikki Campion moved in April last year to a home in Woolbrook - the town where he grew up - about an hour east of Tamworth. But more notable changes to Joyces property records regarding his more controversial rural holdings have prompted some head-scratching among local residents - and among your columnists.

Joyce set tongues wagging as a newly minted senator in 2006 and 2008 snapping up two rural blocks in Gwabegar and Kenebri in north-western NSW. The adjoining properties attracted intense media interest as they were located within reaching distance of the Pilliga State Forest and the proposed route for a Victoria to Queensland Inland Railway, which sure would have increased local property values. Then in 2018, the Turnbull Government gave the green light to coal-seam gas exploration in the Pilliga. Joyce has repeatedly said he knew nothing of coal seam gas in the area at the time he bought both properties and denies categorically he had any knowledge of anything that could drive up the value of the land. And if Joyce is sick of answering questions about the properties located in what is described as unforgiving mongrel country, its now apparent on his register of interests. In his previous disclosures, Joyce listed the properties location as Gwabegar. But suddenly the most recent register lists the location as Baradine - about half an hour south and a whole lot less controversial. A touchy subject? Evidently it is, seeing as Joyces office didnt respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. DOWN THE DRAIN

The ABCs critics think the place is full of it anyway, so they will be bemused to learn that the national broadcaster is struggling with an excess of, er, shit. Comedian Shaun Micallef, busy filming his Mad As Hell program at the ABCs Melbourne Southbank headquarters, reported on Tuesday morning that the offices smelt strongly of rotten-egg gas. If you notice me looking more appalled than usual as I present Mad As Hell tomorrow night, thats why, he said on Twitter. Turns out there was a problem with a blocked sewer pit that services the basement toilets and showers beneath the public broadcasters studios. The pit was pumped and the air purged to get rid of any residual smell. But it turns out that the ABCs many critics were once again wrong. The problem was not an excess of effluent, but rather wet wipes clogging Aunties pipes. Staff were issued a stern talking to from the property services division to be mindful of what they flush down the loo.
A prisoner has been stabbed and two others injured in a violent brawl at a maximum security prison in NSWs central west.

Emergency services were called to Lithgow Correction Centre, on the Great Western Highway in Marrangaroo, about 1.10pm on Tuesday.

Two prisoners have been taken to hospital after being stabbed in a brawl at Lithgow Correctional Centre. Credit:Peter Rae

They were responding to reports two inmates had been injured during a brawl among a group of prisoners.

Two men with head injuries aged 40 and 34, and a 35-year-old man with stab wounds were treated at the scene.
NSW parents will be offered free swimming lessons for their preschool-aged children amid concerns a large chunk of the population has never formally learnt to swim.

Tuesdays state budget set aside $44 million funding over two years for $100 learn-to-swim vouchers for every child aged three to six.

Tony and Gena Been with their daughters Winona, 5, and Daisy, 2, at the childrens pool at Bondi Beach. Credit: Kate Geraghty

Importantly, every parent should enjoy the peace of mind their child will be safe in and around the water, with the new voucher program helping to achieve this, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said.

Ultimately, this is the type of support that will not only save people money, it could help save lives.
If Joyce really intends to acknowledge all his faults, Parliament is going to need a lot more sitting weeks. Tony Doyle, Fairy Meadow Bushfires, COVID, floods, mouse plagues and now Joyce re-elected as leader of the National Party. How much more pain can rural Australians endure? Mike Kenneally, Manly PMs trip shows some are more equal to others As with his Hawaii trip during the bushfires, the PM wanted this side trip to be hidden as he knew the optics  as they say  werent good (PMs secret G7 side trip in Cornwall kept from media, June 22). Like the trip to Hawaii, when found out he said it was planned at the last minute. I guess the researcher did his family history investigation on the off chance the PM would drop by and ask her about St Kevernes famous son over a pint. Upon his return the PM gets to stay in the Lodge with his staff, for free. Anyone arriving by Qantas gets to pay for hotel quarantine. If you have to go, you get to go. If you are the PM, of course. David Neilson, Braitling (NT)

To those petty-minded correspondents who begrudged the PM an opportunity to visit his forebears district in Cornwall: why would he not take such an opportunity while he was in the area (Letters, June 22)? He didnt choose the G7 venue, and he was invited to attend the group. All coincidental. Are they saying that they have never ducked out in their employers time to attend to a private matter? To those who criticised the PMs side visits because they are pandemic-stranded, a like rebuke from me: this sudden love of Australia makes me wonder whether had there not been a pandemic, would you still have been so anxious to call Australia home? A tad harsh, perhaps, but grit your teeth and get on with it. Les Sisley, Bathurst I think it was pretty innocent, Scott Morrison has said. I dont think a personal trip secretly planned weeks in advance is pretty innocent. I think it is a misuse of public resources. To indulge himself on this personal trip while the rest of the country abide by his governments strict travel restrictions shows his complete lack of empathy. This PM leads by example, hence his entire government is unapologetic, unaccountable and totally out of touch with the people they represent. He might as well have taken the family to Hawaii. Mark Nugent, Lugarno During the bushfires, our PM thought it a bonza idea to shoot off to Hawaii and now, when no one is allowed to travel, he tiptoes off to a Cornish graveyard. Talk about mixed messaging. Seems there is one rule for the political class, and one rule for the rest of us. Bill Young, Killcare Heights Morrisons side trip is not the only thing to be questioned. He is quarantining at The Lodge. Are Lodge staff provided with sufficient PPE and training to ensure their safety, or is he there alone?

Does he have any visitors  family, staff or friends? If so, do these people also have to quarantine themselves  and have they? Graeme Lindsay, Deloraine (Tas)

Leys comments are a sop to climate denialists The UNESCO announcement about the condition of the Great Barrier Reef is not surprising, but Environment Minister Sussan Ley misses the point in her extensive defence of what the government is spending and doing (Australia criticises United Nations warning that Great Barrier Reef is in danger, smh.com.au, June 22). Climate change is the problem. Its like carefully tuning your violin before playing on the Titanic, its not going to make a difference in the long run. Climate change must be battled now, not maybe by 2050. Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill (Vic) Ley denies that the Great Barrier Reef is endangered and argues that it is the best managed reef in the world. This is a new form of denial given that the reef has experienced three mass bleaching events in the past five years. The Ministers notion that the worlds largest single structure made by living organisms can be managed is symptomatic. The reef is clearly at risk from global warming and ocean acidification. If the Liberal Party allows the climate denialists in the National Party to block net-zero 2050, then Australians who love the reef will join the dots in voting booths at the next election. Ray Peck, Hawthorn (Vic) Glaring omission Federal Minister Sussan Leys refusal of the Pilbara renewable energy hub draws attention to a major gap in national environmental legislation: its focus on protection of species and other biodiversity deemed of national environmental importance, but not climate change (Pilbara energy hub rejected over toxic dead zone risk, June 22). It is not as if there is much rigorous appraisal and consideration of the emissions-intensity of mining and planning applications at state and local levels either. Leys proposal to devolve decision-making power to states and territories is no solution. When will Australias Parliament take climate change seriously enough to fix this deeply problematic omission? Jim Allen, Panorama (SA)

Power of vaccines Polio survivor Geoff OBrien is right (Stop squabbling and get vaccinated, says polio survivor, smh.com.au, June 22). A lot of people under 65 might not even be alive today if not for the amazing work of vaccine scientists, which helped protect a lot of the world from horrible diseases including polio. The success of vaccines is part of the reason the worlds population has more than doubled since 1970. Yet some peoples ignorance and outright selfishness startles me. This week throughout my Qantas flight from Sydney to New Zealand there was a young couple that just pulled their masks down and engaged in non-stop conversation. They didnt care even when asked repeatedly by the crew to put them on their faces. Would their attitude change if they were actually found to be carrying the virus and to have spread it to others in the confined cabin? Peter Neufeld, Mosman Those who are still recalcitrant in the matter of COVID vaccinations need to consider that Australia will have to reopen to international travel at some point, and it will probably be sooner rather than later (Hopes that growing Bondi cluster will inject vaccine urgency fade, June 22). Undiagnosed cases of COVID 19 will come into the country, there will be outbreaks and unvaccinated people will be at the greatest risk of severe disease. John Croker, Woonona

Quarantine costs As a recently returned Australian currently in quarantine, it is nice to see the tone of the information pack weve been given: Thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe. People in quarantine are paying a huge and often unacknowledged personal cost  psychologically, physically and financially  to contribute to the safety of the community. Given this broader community benefit, why has a user pays model been adopted? My family will have to pay $5000 for our stay, with no earnings in that time. Surely it would be fairer for these costs to be absorbed by the taxpayer in recognition of the fact that the quarantine system benefits us all. Wade Smith, Zetland Lack of charity Tim Costello should not worry (Now we are using the same tactic as Putins Russia, June 22). Even if the government used the proposed regulations to shut down charities, the Coalition would then have to use budget funds to replace private sector solutions, just as it has done with regard to energy generation and climate change. Although the fact that our foreign aid is at a 20-year low does not provide much confidence. Clay OBrien, Mosman

Cahill solution If anything needs to be done about the Cahill Expressway it should be to recycle it as an elevated walkway (Letters, June 22). How good would it be for us citizens to have an uninterrupted view of that part of our world? All the history, going back millennia. All the sun, wind, birds, clouds, water. Penelope Layton-Caisley, Marrickville Lost at DJs Kerri Sackville, I feel your frustration with the lack of staff at Myer or DJs (Ive tried and failed to find a sales assistant at DJs Bondi Junction, I doubt COVID will do better, June 22). Ive often wanted to stand in the middle of the floor and scream HELP! at the top of my lungs in the hope of attracting a sales assistant. Meanwhile, if you go over to Harvey Normans youll be swatting away eager sales assistants like flies. Nick Andrews, Bellevue Hill

Defective system Real estate agents say they have no way of knowing if a building whose apartments they are selling off the plan has a defect notice (Letters, June 22). The developer who has received such default notice should be required by law (with severe penalties) to inform all entities with whom they have signed an agency agreement. NSW legislators should impose heavy penalties on developers who do not inform their agents within 24 hours of receiving such notice. But the Real Estate Institute should not get off too lightly: have they bothered to set up a portal or means for government defect notices to be lodged with the institute so all members can have ready access to such notices? Polly Seidler, Darlinghurst Paths crossed Your correspondent from the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue has totally missed the point (Letters, June 22). There is no criticism of having a Powerhouse Museum in Western Sydney; it is a great idea. The problem is that it is in the wrong place, it will destroy Willow Grove, it wont make use of other fabulous unused heritage buildings in the area such as the Female Factory, it will reduce the Sydney Powerhouse to a shell of its former self and its costs have blown out enormously. A good idea appallingly executed. Geoff Wannan, Dawes Point It is stunning that the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue is in Rozelle, 20 kilometres from Parramatta and only 4 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. Maybe WestConnex at Rozelle is the connection? Suzanne Wicks, Potts Point

I would have thought leading the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue from Vaucluse would be much more salubrious. Richard Abram, Bexley Moving pictures You made the correct choice of a Betamax VCR, Col Burns (Letters, June 22). It delivered much better video quality than the dreadful VHS. Just because the video industry forced us to go with VHS didnt mean it was the right call. Matt Petersen, Randwick The digital view Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au

Australia criticises UN warning that Great Barrier Reef is in danger

From JonnyXX: I wonder when Ley last visited the reef? I did two months ago  the reef is in very poor shape. I first visited back in the 90s  the difference is confronting. It will be gone in a generation at the current rate of loss.
One, a woman in her 20s, worked at the Westfield and was in the centre during exposure times, although not at any specific store visited by a known case. NSW Health confirmed the woman contracted the virus through fleeting contact with one of the infectious people as they moved around Bondi Junction. The other, a year three student at Waverleys St Charles Primary School, had no known links to the cluster although investigations were ongoing. The child is the first true mystery case of the cluster, which began when a limousine driver who had transported international air crews to their police-managed hotel quarantine visited a number of locations including the Westfield and Vaucluse cafes while unknowingly infectious. The Herald understands the results of police investigations into circumstances of the limousine driver and the broader arrangements with airport drivers are expected to be announced by Monday. Flight, venue alerts as COVID testing surges The sharp growth in cases on Tuesday prompted a surge in testing numbers at sites in the citys east, with people reporting long queues of hundreds of cars.

Loading While drive-through testing sites at Bondi Beach and Bondi Junction were due to close at 10pm, NSW Health said no one would be turned away and testing may continue into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Some people near the end of the Bondi Beach testing queue on Tuesday night were being diverted to Bondi Junction. Other new COVID-19 exposure sites were announced in Sydneys CBD and east on Tuesday evening. Anyone who was at Wallabies Thai at Mascot on Saturday between 11.30am and 12pm, the Chanel fragrance and beauty store at Westfield Bondi Junction on Friday from 12pm to 12.25pm, Starbucks at Westfield Bondi Junction on Friday from 11am to 12pm or levels ground, 1 or 2 of the ANZ building at 20 Martin Place on Thursday from 11.45am to 3.15pm needs to immediately get tested and self-isolate.

Anyone who visited Tottis Bondi on Saturday between 5pm and 6.30pm is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result. Meanwhile, people who attended The Royal Bondi (other than Tottis) on Saturday between 5pm and 6.30pm, and Woolworths in Spring Farm on Sunday between 9.30am to 10am, are considered casual contacts of a case and must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received. People who shopped at Mascot Central Shopping Precinct between Friday and Tuesday should monitor for symptoms and get a test if they develop. In addition, anyone who was at Bondi Junction Westfield or its car park at any time during the week of June 12 to June 18 has now been asked to get a test, after previous advice only concerned people on the June 12-13 weekend. Only people who attended a specific exposure site in the centre or have symptoms need to isolate.

Mask mandate extended as QR code gap revealed The new cases prompted Ms Berejiklian to extend Sydneys mask rules, with face coverings now mandatory in public indoor settings across all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains and in Wollongong and Shellharbour councils, as well as on public transport. The Premier said contact tracing of the Westfield transmission had highlighted a gap in the QR code system, and it would now be mandatory for shoppers to check in at all retail premises and shopping centres. A number of categories of retail business already have to have the QR codes in place, but others where youd assume someone would go in for a very short period of time previously didnt, Ms Berejiklian said. Data from Service NSW showed a decline in QR use this month. There were 51.8 million check-ins in May but 30.2 million have occurred so far in June.

Parents collect their children from St Charles Primary School at Waverley after a year 3 student tested positive to COVID-19. Credit:Rhett Wyman Ive certainly detected, just in my wandering through the city, a degree of apathy, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said of QR code use. Mr Hazzard said authorities may be knocking on [the] door of businesses asking who had visited and retail stores needed to have accurate records. Fleur Brown, chief of industry affairs at the Australian Retailers Association, said retailers recognised QR codes were invaluable for public safety but their use was a shared responsibility between customers, shops and police or health authorities. The key challenges are around enforcement, which is a matter for the appropriate authorities and not something that can be taken on by retail staff themselves, she said.

A flurry of parents in masks arrived to collect their children from St Charles on Tuesday afternoon, some saying they had learnt of the case from the mornings press conference. Parent Isabel Batson said there was no point being panicked as it could have happened at any school. The school has been great, she said. I feel the situation could happen anywhere, at any school. Its life. She added the school had a nurse on site who was testing children if parents wanted, but Ms Batson said she wanted to be with her child when his test occurred. With school holidays a week away, she added their plans would hinge on doing the right thing. Isabel Batson collects her son from St Charles Primary School in Waverley after a child tested positive to COVID-19 on Tuesday. Credit:Rhett Wyman
NSW schools are struggling with a major teacher shortage as enrolment numbers for education degrees fall by a third and half of trainees fail to finish their degrees.

The shortage is biting statewide as some small schools battle to fill more than 10 vacancies each. In May, there were 1148 teaching positions vacant in the public system, NSW Department of Education figures show.

It comes as population growth and a multi-billion school building program increase demand for teachers across the system, particularly in the regions, disadvantaged areas and in subjects such as maths. One education economist estimated the state would need 11,000 new teachers by 2030.

The government allocated $124.8 million in Tuesdays state budget to a teacher supply strategy, which Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said would be detailed in coming months and include big reforms and ideas.
Sally-Anne Wills, known to her family as Sals, was killed on March 11, 2020. Credit: Supplied In an emotional statement read out to the inquest, Ms Gunstone thanked the first responders and neighbours who attended the scene and tried to save her partner Ms Wills. To the first responders who did everything they could for Sals ... to our heroic neighbours who came down to help us ... to the police officers who were there for us ... thank you, Ms Gunstone said. And to the paramedics who attended to me, and especially to Jake who courageously told me that Sals didnt make it, thank you for being so brave in the worst moment of my life. To all of you, you are truly remarkable. Your bravery and compassion Ill forever hold in my heart. The evil we faced that night is a horror I still cannot comprehend.

CCTV captured Ibrahim at Broadmeadows shopping centre from 4.45pm before he got on a train to Southern Cross station at 5.25pm. Footage shows him carrying a white package in his hand which investigators told the coroner they believe contained three knives Ibrahim would later use on his victims. At 6.25pm he walked through South Wharf and CBD streets for almost four hours before approaching PSOs Mr Davies and Jamie Radovanovich at Jolimont Station. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video There, at 10.38pm, he brandished a knife and stabbed Mr Davies to the face and arm. About 30 minutes later Ms Wills, 30, and Ms Gunstone were attacked as they sat in a car on Coppin Grove, Hawthorn.

Throwing herself over her injured partner in an attempt to protect her from the killers blade, Ms Gunstone was stabbed six times. Ms Wills died despite the best efforts of neighbours and emergency services who came to her aid. He was just standing there. He was just leering into the car and he said I want sex, Ms Gunstone said in a statement to investigators. He then pulled out a knife. He just started stabbing Sals in the chest and neck. She was trying to kick out at him, I was screaming and so was Sals. I put my body over her to try and protect her.

Less than an hour after his Hawthorn attack, Ibrahim was captured on CCTV buying a large bottle of water and a Red Bull can from a Kew 7-Eleven store. He left on foot, and strolled through the nearby area before approaching leading HIV advocate and government employee Christopher Polden, 59, near High Street, Kew, stabbing him to the abdomen before walking away. Mohammed Ibrahim at a 7-Eleven store in Kew in the minutes after he stabbed a PSO, a Hawthorn woman and killed Sally-Anne Wills on March 10, 2020. The inquest heard four minutes later, two heavily armed police units from the Critical Incident Response Unit stumbled across Ibrahim nearby where he was fatally shot three times after lunging at officers with a knife. During the one-day summary inquest, Ms Wills was remembered as a mix of clever and creative, a technically-minded music lover, whod gathered with her friends and family just five days earlier to celebrate her 30th birthday.

Chris Polden was killed in the attack in March 2020. Credit: Mr Polden, the coroner heard, grew up in Tasmania with his adoptive family of seven siblings before moving to Victoria where he became a highly respected HIV advocate, volunteering on numerous boards and helping to obtain homes for other HIV-positive people. His friends said Mr Polden was a proud gay man and was known to help organise large dance parties at Festival Hall while working part-time to help manage his health. He was always willing to help others in need, one friend said. The inquest heard Ibrahim came to Australia from Iraq as a refugee alongside his parents and six siblings. He never held down employment in Australia and his ex-wife revealed he was a violent man who wed her in an arranged marriage.
Venues without seated service can also have up to 300 people indoors and 1000 outdoors. Venues smaller than 600 square metres must abide by a density quota of one person per two square metres with up to 150 patrons, provided that a COVID-19 check-in marshall is present at the venue. Under the new rules, community sporting venues will also be allowed to have up to 300 people in indoor space and 1000 outdoors. And people in hospitals and care facilities can have two visitors at a time, or up to five per day, although some individual facilities may have their own rules.

We did want to provide as much certainty as we can today for the easing of restrictions, particularly as the next couple of weeks will be school holidays, Mr Merlino said on Wednesday. We are taking some big steps forward, so we can spend more time together with the people we love. Loading Later on Wednesday, federal health authorities announced Victorias weekly vaccine allocation to state hubs and primary care will be a maximum of 633,000 AstraZeneca doses and up to 177,000 Pfizer doses per week in July and August. That will increase to a limit of 315,000 AstraZeneca, 317,000 Pfizer and 30,000 Moderna doses in September, and then a maximum of 570,000 Pfizer and 148,000 Moderna shots each week from October.

The changes come as the state prepares for school holidays  which begin on June 26  and after Victoria recorded no new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. One case was recorded in hotel quarantine. More than 28,200 test results were processed in the past 24 hours and more than 17,200 people received their vaccine doses. Victoria had a total of 50 active coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, and the states Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said 24 of those were local cases. NSW records 16 new cases

Loading Meanwhile, in NSW, extra COVID-19 restrictions are being imposed for residents following an increase in local cases. On Wednesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said 16 new cases of COVID-19 had emerged. Ten cases of COVID-19 were detected in the NSW community in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday. A further 13 were discovered after 8pm. However, of the original 10 cases, just three were not previously reported in the media. Eight of the 13 new cases discovered after 8pm on Tuesday attended the same birthday party, Ms Berejikilan said.

Clearly this is an evolving situation, she said. Given what has occurred the NSW government will be taking action today to limit the spread of what is a very contagious [strain of] COVID. Victoria reaches 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses Victoria has become the first state where more than 2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, about 50,000 more than NSW.

Health Minister Martin Foley used the milestone to urge the federal government to urgently step up and provide more doses to Victoria so that more people can be vaccinated heading into the winter months. Two million vaccine doses across Victoria is a significant achievement, Mr Foley said in a statement. Victorians have shown they want to be vaccinated, but we just need the certainty of increased supply as soon as possible. We know theres a long way to go, and there are millions more Victorians who want to be vaccinated. Victorian border slammed shut to parts of Sydney

Victoria slammed its border shut to large parts of Sydney at 1am on Wednesday. The states authorities declared seven NSW local government areas as red zones: the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, the Inner West and Randwick. Non-Victorian residents who have been in a red zone are barred from entering Victoria unless they obtain an exemption. Victorias Health Department said anyone arriving into the state from those local government areas without a valid travel permit will be fined and have to stay in hotel quarantine.

Loading On Wednesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also announced that her state will shut its border to seven local government areas in NSW. Well be easing even more restrictions across Queensland, and we cannot afford to have this Delta variant out in our community, she said. New Zealand pauses travel bubble with NSW New Zealands quarantine-free travel bubble with NSW is being paused over concerns about the states growing outbreak.

An Australian travelled from Sydney to Wellington over the weekend before returning to Australia on Monday and testing positive to COVID-19, according to the NZ health officials. This is the first time an Australian traveller has brought COVID-19 to NZ and since gone home, NZs Ministry of Health said in a statement. Health authorities say an Australian man flew from Wellington to Sydney on Monday while infectious. Credit:iStock Based on the time of their symptom onset and CT [cycle threshold] score it is most likely they contracted the virus in Sydney prior to their visit to New Zealand. Genome sequencing is under way in Australia to see if the case is linked to the current outbreak in Sydney. As a result, travel between NSW and New Zealand has been paused for the next few days.
Melburnians looking to take advantage of reopened state borders for a holiday in the sun have been warned to move quickly, with northern Australias hotspots filling up fast and prices for hotels and short-term rentals already soaring.

The easing of Melbournes lockdown restrictions, the start of the winter school holidays on Friday and the continued closure of international borders means many Victorians are going north for a break from the damp and cold.

Hordes of holidaymakers are heading for Broome, where most short-stay rentals have been snapped up. Credit:iStock

Hire cars are completely booked for some periods in coming weeks at holiday hubs in Queensland and the Northern Territory, and airlines have begun putting on extra flights from Melbourne to popular tourist spots in response to a spike in demand from Victorians.

Queensland and South Australia both announced on Tuesday they would open their borders to travellers from Melbourne on Friday, joining Tasmania and the Northern Territory, which both opened on Monday. Western Australia is the only state still in effect off limits to Melbourne residents.
Loading Two days before he asked for extra help, Mr Crisp told a private briefing of opposition MPs that defence personnel were not required on the ground because they didnt have many people who are trained ... and they didnt have arborists [tree specialists]. We actually [have] to buy them chainsaws, he said, in comments verified by The Age. At this stage, we dont see a need. An Emergency Management Victoria spokeswoman said all ADF assistance requests required an impact assessment to determine how many troops were required and what their role could be. This work was completed once the scale and complexity of the storm damage was assessed  as is standard process for any ADF request, she said. Opposition emergency services spokesman Tim Smith said the government either disregarded the potential role of the ADF or did not understand its ability to complete tasks such as clearing trees.

It has been abundantly clear to everyone that more boots on the ground were required for everything from clearing trees, untangling power lines, he said. Mr Smith said the governments reluctance to deploy the ADF during last years hotel quarantine program and the delay in accepting military assistance after the recent storm demonstrated a potential ideological aversion to using troops for a civil emergency. The use of defence personnel was a major flashpoint last year during the states deadly second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. In late June 2020, Premier Daniel Andrews said the military would not be required to assist with the hotel quarantine program. The following day, the government said up to 1000 military personnel would be called in to assist, but by that evening the state changed its position again, and downsized its request for assistance.

Bill Robinson, captain of the Kalorama Country Fire Authority brigade, said authorities management of the storms in the first two days was too centralised and did not use local knowledge. They were telling us what they were going to do and when we questioned them, they didnt respond. It should be working the other way around, he said. It was only because of us getting up and screaming that it got sorted out. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video To illustrate the quandary, Mr Robinson said local CFA crews were being assigned jobs requiring them to move from one location to another, rather than sequencing the jobs to ensure the next one assigned was the closest and required the least traversing of blocked streets. On Tuesday the Insurance Council of Australia reported that estimated losses had hit $160 million with 17,800 claims lodged. The latest figures mark a significant increase from Friday when the damage was estimated at $144 million and 15,700 claims from the storm and flood event had been lodged.

Kalorama resident Lyn Osborne lodged her insurance claim on June 11 and said workers had already cleared some of the big trees felled on her house and property. She said insurance assessors had already visited her property and a structural engineer was coming to inspect her house. Lyn Osborne at her home in Kalorama after the storm. Credit:Joe Armao Tarpaulins are now covering the part of the roof that was smashed in by a massive tree and the floor beneath the carpet appears to be dry. Its actually looking quite hopeful, she said.

Meanwhile, EnergyAustralia reported that works were continuing to seal cracks at the Yallourn coal mine after heavy rain did serious damage to its walls. The companys energy executive Liz Westcott said it was finalising a proposal with the state government to manage water flows and help relieve pressure around affected parts of the mine. An emergency was declared for the Yallourn coal mine and power station last week. Credit:Jason South She said the Yallourn power plant was still operating just one of its four units to meet the demands of the evening peak. So far we have been able to secure modest amounts of coal by selectively mining parts of our fields where it was safe to do so and within areas away from the area of concern, she said.

Loading Andre Haermeyer, emergency services minister in the Bracks government, said consideration should be given to a specialist agency that worked to counter the impact of natural disasters on essential services, including power, gas, telecommunications and water. Mr Haermeyer, who was Victorias commissioner to Europe and based in Germany until 2012, said that countrys Technisches Hilfswerk agency  for technical relief  was an example of a highly skilled agency that mobilised swiftly to protect critical services. The agency may have been able to assess the storms impact on power in a more timely manner, Mr Haermeyer said, and could be attached to the SES or fire brigade. It could have a high cost and it would be a question of whether the community is willing to pay. It may seem like an extravagance, but its not so when you have an event like this.
Queensland senator Amanda Stoker, promoted to the federal government frontbench this year to help drive change in the treatment of women, is backing the only man in a five-candidate field for a critical preselection race.

The federal assistant minister for women has thrown her support behind Henry Pike in the race to replace outgoing Liberal-National MP Andrew Laming for the seat of Bowman.

Amanda Stoker is backing the only man in a five-candidate field for the critical preselection race. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Senator Stoker described Mr Pike, part of her religious right faction in the state, as one of her closest friends who was the real deal, in a letter of support sent to preselectors this month.

Five candidates have been confirmed for the July 3 preselection contest to replace Mr Laming, who is quitting politics after allegations that he harassed two women online.
Australia is one step closer to listing Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation after a bipartisan inquiry urged the federal government to move on the Lebanese militant group and political party.

The powerful intelligence and security committee has recommended all of Hezbollah be declared a terrorist entity, rather than just a wing of its security arm.

Lebanese soldiers patrol in southern Lebanon next to a Hezbollah flag. Credit:AP

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews last month re-listed Hezbollahs External Security Organisation, but maintained Australias longstanding position not to do the same for the other wings of the Iranian-backed group.

Tabling its report into the listing on Tuesday afternoon, the committees chair, Liberal Senator James Paterson, said it was concerned by the decision to at this stage only re-list Hezbollahs ESO.
Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge says cancel culture is to blame for former Nationals leader Mark Vailes decision to turn down the role of Newcastle University chancellor following a furore over his links to the coal industry.

Mr Tudge said he respected the former deputy prime ministers decision to quit as chancellor this week, days before he was due to take up the role, but labelled it very concerning.

Education Minister Alan Tudge has blamed cancel culture for Mark Vailes decision not proceed with his appointment as chancellor of Newcastle University. Credit:Meredith OShea

At a time when we are trying to promote and enforce free speech and academic freedom on campus, we should not have a very competent person forced out of an important job because of this cancel culture, Mr Tudge said on Tuesday.

But senior Newcastle University academics said there was widespread unhappiness among staff the appointment of Mr Vaile, who is the chairman of Whitehaven Coal, with the backlash that led to his resignation not limited to activist groups.
More than half of Australians blame China for the deterioration in relations between the two countries but they arent sold on the federal governments response either.

The Lowy Institutes annual poll, to be released on Wednesday, shows trust in China has fallen to record lows, with most Australians holding little to no confidence in President Xi Jinping.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (left) and Chinas President Xi Jinping. Only one in 10 Australians say they have a lot or some confidence in Mr Xi to do the right thing regarding world affairs. Credit: Joe Armao, AP

Diplomatic relations between Australia and China have fallen to their worst levels in decades over the past year after Being imposed more than $20 billion of trade strikes in response to Canberras call for an independent coronavirus inquiry as well as other national security decisions.

Labor has increasingly been critical of the governments handling of the relationship, with opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong last month accusing Prime Minister Scott Morrison of deliberately encouraging anxiety about a conflict with Beijing.
Australias outrage at the way UNESCO is raising alarm over the risk from climate change to the Great Barrier Reef misses the greater point - that the crowning glory of the worlds coral reefs is being torn apart by global warming.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) released a draft decision to downgrade the reefs World Heritage status to in danger on Tuesday, citing climate change as a crucial factor.

Examples of bleached coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Credit:Jason South

The warning is a big risk for the federal government in key marginal electorates in Queensland. If the listing is ratified by the World Heritage Committee at their next meeting in July, Australia risks losing even more face over its refusal to up its emissions reductions targets in line with other wealthy nations, and also lose a chunk of more than $6 billion in tourism that the reef pulls in each year, supporting an estimated 60,000 jobs.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley came out swinging on Tuesday morning. Although she agreed climate change is the leading threat to the reef, she also pointed out Chinas influence in leading the listing panel, and complained of an unscientific process where UNESCO failed to send inspectors to the reef or to conduct monitoring before dropping its bombshell danger warning.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet says the NSW governments determination to avoid lockdowns has helped propel the state out of a historic pandemic-induced recession, fuelled by stamp duty revenue from a booming property market and increased consumer spending throughout the past year.

Mr Perrottet continued the governments spending spree on COVID stimulus measures as he handed down his fifth budget on Tuesday, declaring the states economic recovery was no accident.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet delivers his budget in parliament. Credit:AAP

The government unveiled targeted measures for families including $100 vouchers for preschoolers to learn to swim and a continuation of free preschool for as many as 45,000 children.

NSW will embark on its largest school building program in the states history, with $2.1 billion over four years for 44 new and upgraded schools, while health infrastructure funding will top $10 billion.
Queenslands deputy premier has called on the federal government to suggest a defence base or other alternative that could be used as a dedicated quarantine hub, amid continued rejection of the state governments proposed facility near Toowoomba.

Queenslands military bases include the RAAF Base at Amberley, west of Brisbane, the Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane and the RAAF Base in Townsville.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles says hotel quarantine was not designed to be in place for 18 months. Credit:Matt Dennien

However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already ruled out using defence facilities as quarantine centres.

Theyve been ruled as inappropriate. Theyre not there sitting idle and otherwise used for that purpose, Mr Morrison said in May.
About two years ago, Nicole Vincent, a philosopher at the University of Technology Sydney, crossed paths with Melbourne University philosopher Holly Lawford-Smith.

Lawford-Smith is a gender critical feminist, meaning she disagrees with the notion that a persons gender identity should be given more weight than their biological sex. On campus she is pitched against supporters of transgender rights, who insist trans women are women and who call the likes of Lawford-Smith TERFs, an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical-feminists.

University of Melbourne associate professor Holly Lawford-Smith.

When Vincent and Lawford-Smith first met, the former had recently started writing about trans identity  adding to her eclectic interests in law, neuroscience and ethics of emerging technologies  so the two scholars struck up a conversation.

Vincent laments some of Lawford-Smiths language and tactics that are unnecessarily inflammatory and distressing to trans women, who are a uniquely vulnerable group. But she sympathises with aspects of the gender critical position. In Vincents view, denying access to womens changing rooms, prisons, and rape shelters to people who identify as female but have not undergone surgery is neither clearly transphobic nor unreasonable.
Geneva: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reacted angrily to Chinas calls for an investigation into the discovery of the remains of indigenous children at the site of a former boarding school in Canada.

The remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia that closed in 1978, the Tkemlups te Secwepemc Nation said on May 28.

Not happy: Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Credit:AP

We call for a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases where crimes were committed against the indigenous people, especially children, so as to bring those responsible to justice, and offer full remedy to victims, Jiang Duan, a senior official at Chinas mission to the United Nations in Geneva, told the Human Rights Council.

Canada, locked in a trade and diplomatic dispute with Beijing, later delivered a joint statement on behalf of more than 40 countries calling for access to Chinas Xinjiang region to look into allegations of the governments mass detention of Uighur Muslims.
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail those who refuse COVID-19 vaccines as part of a drive to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

If youre a person whos not vaccinated and a potential carrier, to protect the people, I have to sequester you in jail, Duterte said. Village leaders should keep a list of those who refused to be vaccinated, he said.

Ready to jail vaccine deniers: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Credit:AP

If implemented, Dutertes threat could be among the most severe measures to boost inoculations in a nation where the majority are unsure of or reject vaccines. Indonesia earlier this year moved to punish those who refuse shots with fines or delayed aid.

The Philippine leader halted plans to resume physical classes and retained mandatory wearing of face shields.
He has also said he would censor any content frowned upon by Beijing in his Chinese-language newspaper, the Australian Chinese Times, including criticism of the government, separatist language and references to the Falun Gong and the Taiwanese independence movement. Zhang is a founding member and honorary chairman of the WA branch of the Australian Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China, a group tied to United Front. The United Front operates overseas networks that mobilise support for the Chinese Communist Party. Its Sydney president, billionaire political donor Huang Xiangmo, was banned from re-entering Australia in 2019 on advice from intelligence officers. Chen, the second representative on the council, has been vice-president or president of WAs largest and oldest Chinese association, Chung Wah, since 2017.

The associations shift to a pro-Beijing organisation was ushered in by former president Richard Tan after years of internal hostilities sidelined second-generation Australian-Chinese members. Tan said he built the organisations intimate relationship with the Chinese consulate and aided a leadership takeover by a bloc of mainlanders in murky circumstances in 2015 when Chen was secretary. Loading Tan said there was no official affiliation with United Front but many individuals had ties with groups in the network, including himself. Chen founded WAs Fujian association - a United Front linked operation - with his colleague Ding Shaoping. Chen then succeeded Ding as the president of Chung Wah. The links with the United Front is something so obvious, or it has been so obvious in the past, said Tan. Its just that Australian politicians knowingly ignored it, or pretend they dont know.

In 2016 Chung Wah signed a statement defending Chinas actions in the South China Sea where it has made territorial claims disputed at the United Nations. The Chinese nation has been a nation that values peace since ancient times, but if anyone plots wrongdoing, we will fully support the motherland in a just struggle, the statement said. China wants to expand influence. That something so obvious that it is benign, said Tan. Its not like China is going to take over Australia or anything. A former senior figure within the Liberal party who has worked with the association has questioned whether its leadership is too close to the Chinese consulate and the Consul-General. With the tensions between China and Australia, I am concerned if things get worse these [may not be] good representatives of the Chinese community in Australia, said the Liberal figure, who asked to remain anonymous so he could speak freely. Loading

He said the association struggled to resist the pressures from the consulate, which often underwrote their functions, pressured them to host events and linked them to United Front groups. The consulate and Chung Wah co-hosted the Chinese New Year Ball last year with Liberal and Labor MPs and a gala event in 2019 commemorating the 190th anniversary of Chinese migrants arrival in Western Australia. Former Perth Chinese consul-general Dong Zhihua, Chen, Zhang and McGowan dined together last year, photos published by the consulate reveal. Chen denied any link between the consulate and Chung Wah. They dont have any influence at all, he said. He said the government committee work was focused on promoting multicultural harmony, not international affairs.

Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video My job is to protect the best interests of the Chinese to avoid any racism and discrimination in Australia, he said. Chen praised McGowan for his very good comments on the state of the China-Australia relationship. He said Australia will benefit from a stable China and that Prime Minister Scott Morrison needed to concentrate more on domestic issues than on international issues. A spokeswoman for the WA government said China accounted for 56 per cent of the states exports in 2020. The federal talk of conflict and trade retaliation can and must stop, she said. It is in our security and economic interest to do so. Federal Labor is also targeting the economic impact of $20 billion in trade strikes from Beijing after months of relative bipartisanship over national security and human rights disputes.

Labors trade spokeswoman Madeleine King said McGowan was clearly expressing his frustration at what he saw as a failure to manage a very important economic relationship. Chung Wah received a $5 million grant from the WA government at the end of last year  equivalent to its entire annual budget. McGowan personally awarded the grant in the key seat of Riverton ahead of the state election in March, which he won in a landslide. The association is audited by CPL, a company run by the Perth-based family of Tam Yiu-Chung, the only Hong Kong representative in the standing committee of Beijings National Peoples Congress. Tam was sanctioned by the US after he drafted the national security laws that have imprisoned more than 100-pro democracy leaders in Hong Kong and wiped out public opposition to Beijing. West Australian premier Mark McGowan announcing the grant to the Chung Wah Association with Ting Chen, left. Credit:Chung Wah Association A spokeswoman for the McGowan government said it supported Chung Wah because it represented all sections of the states Chinese communities, which includes migrants from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.
Scientists dont know for certain why some countries with relatively high inoculation rates are suffering new outbreaks. Variants, social controls that are eased too quickly and careless behaviour after only the first of a two-shot regimen are possibilities. But the breakthrough infections could have lasting consequences. Loading In the United States, about 45 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, mostly with doses made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Cases have dropped 94 per cent over six months. Israel provided shots from Pfizer and has the second-highest vaccination rate in the world, after the Seychelles. The number of new daily confirmed COVID-19 cases in Israel is now around 4.95 per million. In the Seychelles, which relied mostly on Sinopharm, that number is more than 716 cases per million.

Disparities such as these could create a world in which three types of countries emerge from the pandemic  the wealthy nations that used their resources to secure Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots, the poorer countries that are far away from immunising a majority of citizens, and then those that are fully inoculated but only partially protected. China, as well as the more than 90 nations that have received the Chinese shots, may end up in the third group, contending with rolling lockdowns, testing and limits on day-to-day life for months or years to come. Economies could remain held back. And as more citizens question the efficacy of Chinese doses, convincing unvaccinated people to line up for shots may also become more difficult. Seychelles has seen higher numbers of cases of coronavirus following the use of China-made vaccines. Credit:AP One month after receiving his second dose of Sinopharm, Otgonjargal Baatar fell ill and tested positive for COVID-19. The 31-year-old miner spent nine days in a hospital in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Otgonjargal said he was now questioning the usefulness of the shot. People were convinced that if we were vaccinated, the summer will be free of COVID, he said. Now it turns out that its not true.

Beijing saw its vaccine diplomacy as an opportunity to emerge from the pandemic as a more influential global power. President Xi Jinping, pledged to deliver a Chinese shot that could be easily stored and transported to millions of people around the world. He called it a global public good. Loading Mongolia was a beneficiary, jumping at the chance to score millions of Sinopharm shots. The small country quickly rolled out an inoculation program and eased restrictions. It has now vaccinated 52 per cent of its population. But on Sunday, it recorded 2400 new infections, a quadrupling from a month before. No vaccine fully prevents transmission and people can still fall ill after getting inoculated, but the relatively low efficacy rates of Chinese shots have been identified as a possible cause of the recent outbreaks. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have efficacy rates of more than 90 per cent. A variety of other vaccines  including AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson  have efficacy rates of around 70 per cent.

The Sinopharm vaccine developed with the Beijing Institute of Biological Products has an efficacy rate of 78.1 per cent; the Sinovac vaccine has an efficacy rate of 51 per cent. The Chinese companies have not released much clinical data to show how their vaccines work at preventing transmission. On Monday, Shao Yiming, a public health researcher with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said that China needed to fully vaccinate 80 per cent to 85 per cent of its population to achieve herd immunity, revising a previous official estimate of 70 per cent. Despite the spike in cases, officials in both the Seychelles and Mongolia have defended Sinopharm, saying it is effective in preventing severe cases of the disease. Batbayar Ochirbat, head researcher of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies at Mongolias Ministry of Health, said that Mongolia made the right decision to go with the Chinese-made shot, in part because it has helped keep low the mortality rate in the country. Data from Mongolia showed that the Sinopharm vaccine was actually more protective than the doses developed by AstraZeneca and Sputnik, a Russian vaccine, according to the health ministry. The reason for the surge in Mongolia, Batbayar said, is that the country reopened too quickly, and many people believed they were protected after only one dose.
The Hague: The alleged leader of an Asian drug syndicate who has been compared to Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman is fighting extradition to Australia, saying he would not get a fair trial.

Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-born Canadian national, was arrested in January at Amsterdams Schiphol Airport at the request of Australian police while in transit from Taiwan to Canada.

Alleged drug kingpin Tse Chi Lop.

He has denied wrongdoing and is contesting extradition with his lawyer, arguing that Australian authorities essentially engineered his expulsion from Taiwan to Canada on a flight with a stopover in the Netherlands so he could be nabbed there.

While Australia has extradition treaties with both the Netherlands and Canada, Tses lawyer argued in court on Tuesday, Hague time, that Dutch extradition policies were more advantageous for Australian law enforcement.
Quarantine-free travel from NSW to New Zealand will be paused for 72 hours while the source of infection of new COVID-19 cases announced in Sydney is investigated.

New Zealands COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced the move late on Tuesday night, amid a growing cluster of COVID cases. There were 10 new community cases in NSW on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in the Bondi cluster to 21.

Quarantine-free travel from NSW to New Zealand will be paused for 72 hours. Credit:Brendon OHagan/Bloomberg

The pause will come into force from 11.59pm on Tuesday, and be in place for 72 hours initially. As with previous pauses, it will be under constant review.

The decision followed an assessment on Tuesday which determined that while the overall risk to public health in New Zealand currently remained low, there were still several unknowns, including a case that was infectious while in the Sydney community and a primary school age child with no clear link at present.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Government of St. Maarten has learned via the media that the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) of the Netherlands will be paying the much-needed NAf 39 million of liquidity support to St. Maarten as soon as possible. Government has taken note of a letter sent on June 17, by caretaker State Secretary Knops to the Chairlady of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament of his intentions to pay out the 5th tranche of liquidity support.

Though government has not received this decision via official channels, the letter stated that Sint Maarten had worked diligently to restore good governance and acted decisively enough to ensure the successful progress of the reconstruction project within recent weeks. A positive opinion of the Royal Schiphol Group (RSG) in relation to the steps taken by St. Maarten was also taken into consideration according to the letter.

Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs stated, The government of St. Maarten looks forward to receiving the much-needed liquidity support which will be disbursed to St. Maarten. This will ensure the continuity of the St. Maarten Stimulus and Relief Plan (SSRP) payroll support in order for persons to still receive the subsidy to their salaries.

The government remains with its stance that the caretaker State Secretary with the support of the Kingdom Council of Ministers made improper use of the measure used to delay the much-needed funds as St. Maarten had met all the conditions for the 5th tranche. Nonetheless, this recent decision takes away the tension that would exist as persons were not able to receive their funds to meet their own obligations for the past two months.

In regard to the 2nd implementation agenda, the Monitoring Committee established to oversee the execution of the country reform package for St. Maarten has advised for the use of realistic deadlines as some ministries require additional support in the coordination and execution of the measures. It is important that the deadlines agreed to in the implementation agendas are realistic and feasible given the governments available resources. As such, the government of St. Maarten and the Temporary Working Organization (TWO) have agreed for the established deadlines to be adjusted and included in the 2nd implementation agenda which is scheduled to be executed from July until September 2021.
Why is it that every time the SXM Government finds itself in financial difficulties, that the first set of people to be affected are teachers and civil servants?

How many times has WITU given you alternatives to touching our members monies?

How can you touch the peoples pockets, yet not touch yours? Set the example! You want us to tighten our belts, then you tighten yours! Show your care for your essential workers by regulating their salaries, regulating food prices and doing whatever is necessary to make your Country people comfortable and happy to come to work.

How can you increase the workload of your most important people, people who kept the Country running during a pandemic, then  as a thank you - take food from their families mouths by reducing their vacation pay?

The implications of civil servants and teachers not receiving these monies is that additional financial strain, on top of the workload, is placed on them.

Do you think its right that we depend so much on a vacation allowance that is never used for actual vacation? Do you think it is correct to use that extra money to make sure our children are fed and clothed for the new school year? School fees and insurance are paid? Sadly, we depend so much on this extra income. But its a reality. And as a government, you are failing in showing your Country and its people that you really care about them.

Your actions thus far continue to show a lack of empathy and love for your most important Country people. You refuse to set the example by cutting costs from your level and refuse to make SXM a country we can be proud of.

Instead, you continue to work illegally and slyly, putting worker against worker, and caring for no one but yourself. STOP IT!

Listen to the unions when they tell you what youre doing is illegal. Read the letters sent continuously to you that you do not read. Read and respond and see what theyre saying. Consider what theyre saying. STOP touching teachers and civil servants money. STOP it! Start being creative by finding other ways to generate money.

SXM is a cash cow! Theres money there but youre too scared to implement measures to collect. Why? Could it be because you have a hand in certain pots? Why must you always touch our monies and expect us to smile and make do? How can we? Have you taken any cuts? Have you tightened your belts? NO!

The combined might of WICSU, NAPB, ABVO, and WITU unions sent a June 12 letter to Minister of General Affairs Silveria Jacobs stating 6 points. Most notable among these points was the reminder of the fact that Government has again failed to live up to its obligation to pay the remaining 3% to civil servants this year; that the Finance Minister, in a recent press conference, failed to confirm that Govt will comply, instead of talking about how Govt is operating on a month-by-month basis. Was this his way of telling us we should be grateful were getting our regular salaries?

The letter also prompts them to remember that they like reminding the Netherlands of their legal and financial obligations to Country St. Maarten, and now we must remind you of your legal and financial obligations to your workers. The long and the short is that there is no legal basis for any of this! The law does not permit the government to withhold or postpone payments of the vacation allowance.

Even school boards have noted the illegality of this act, and further stated that such a move can and will affect the quality and effectiveness of education here. Not to mention, this will also affect worker and teacher morale.

IS that what you want? Why havent you taken our suggestions for further cost-cutting measures that dont affect our members? Why isnt there a significant decrease in the Ministers and parliamentarians allowances? In fact, according to the so-called draft budget, it just looks like you guys are shuffling around your so-called expenses and not truly cutting or reducing at your level.

Take into account the type of precedent these actions are setting.

1. The constant disregard and disconnection of any advice stemming from the C.C.S.U.

2. The constant lack of respect for all civil servants.

3. The constant ostracizing of teachers in civil servants matters

4. The constant violation and overriding of laws

5. The underlying disregard of position that blatantly put stakeholders in a position to operate in a compromising manner that affects their members unjustly.

Take a page from New Zealand, whose Prime Minister announced 20% cuts to their Ministers and Parliaments salaries, and assuring essential workers (including teachers and civil servants) who kept the country running during lockdown that not a cent of their earnings will be touched.

You might learn something there.

Mrs. Claire Elshot  Aventurin

President of the WITU
Maple Gold reports multiple high-grade, visible-gold-bearing intercepts from the 531 zone at the Douay Gold Project

Posted by Publisher Internet

Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX-V: MGM) (OTCQB: MGMLF) (FSE: M3G)?(\Maple Gold\ or the \Company\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/maple-gold-mines-ltd/ ) is pleased to report results from four step-out drill holes at the 531 Zone from the recently completed 10,270-metre winter drill campaign at the Douay Gold Project (\Douay\ or the \Project\) in Quebec, Canada. Douay is held by a 50/50 joint venture (the \JV\) between the Company and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.

The results indicate the potential for additional gold resources to be added beyond the current 2019 RPA 531 Zone underground mineral resource. Highlights include:

Hole DO-21-298: 6.3 m of 4 g/t Au (from 462 m), including 3.0 m of 4.3 g/t Au;

Hole DO-21-299: 9.2 m of 2.4 g/t Au (from 492.8 m), including 5 m of 8.8 g/t Au; and 1.0 m of 43.0 g/t Au with visible gold (from 526 m; see Plate 1);

Hole DO-21-300: 3 m of 4.8 g/t Au (from 542.5 m); and

Hole DO-21-302: 5 m of 5.9 g/t Au (from 299.5 m) and 1.0 m of 21.7 g/t Au with visible gold (from 508.2 m; see Plate 2).

The four step-out holes (see Fig. 1 for hole locations) were drilled to test the east-southeast (ESE) continuity of the mineralized system and specifically targeted structurally controlled, high-grade extensions at depth within the 531 Zone. These latest results now support the continuity of the system, providing justification for additional step-out drilling to be undertaken with the aim of expanding the current RPA 2019 531 Zone underground resource towards the ESE and at depth. Opportunity also remains to expand mineralization closer to the surface (see upper red arrow in Fig. 2).

Fred Speidel, VP Exploration of Maple Gold, stated: ?We have consistently obtained impressive results at the 531 Zone and these new intercepts appear to form part of a southeastern extension that remains open for at least another 250 metres. The JV looks forward to interpreting these results further once we receive additional assays for three more holes drilled in this area and to expanding the zone with further step-out drilling.?

Background and Interpretation of Results

The 531 Zone was initially discovered at Douay in 1987 and mostly drilled in 1992 and 1993 by a previous operator. The controls on gold mineralization were not well understood at the time, with the interpretation of either sub-horizontal or sub-vertical zones.

The zone was not explored from 2008 until 2019, when Maple Gold drilled hole DO-19-262 to test down-dip continuity. The 2019 drill hole was planned using the Company?s updated 3D model and contributed to a pit-constrained Inferred resource estimate of 5.8Mt grading 1.51 g/t Au for contained metal content of 281,000 oz Au and an initial underground Inferred resource estimate of 1.3Mt grading 1.83 g/t Au for contained metal content of 78,000 oz Au at the 531 Zone (RPA 2019).

Since 2019, the Company has continued to test targets along strike and the results from these four new drill holes indicate that the zone extends over an area of at least 700 m by 160-290 m (see Fig. 1). Significant gold mineralization begins at approximately 150 m vertical depth (see Fig. 2) and is typically associated with sedimentary and exhalative interflow horizons as well as specific fault zones. These results also provide further support for the presence of two sub-orthogonal plunges for mineralization to the southeast and the southwest, with a sub-horizontal zone where the plunges intersect, and demonstrate the potential for underground mineral resource expansion in the area (see Fig. 2).

Additional assay results from the winter 2021 drill campaign, including from three additional holes in the 531 Zone, are expected to be released over the coming months once they are received and interpreted.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical data contained in this press release was reviewed and prepared under the supervision of Fred Speidel, M. Sc., P. Geo., Vice-President Exploration of Maple Gold. Mr. Speidel is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Speidel has verified the data related to the exploration information disclosed in this press release through his direct participation in the work.

Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC)

The JV implements strict Quality Assurance (\QA\) and Quality Control (\QC\) protocols at Douay covering the planning and placing of drill holes in the field; drilling and retrieving the NQ-sized drill core; drillhole surveying; core transport to the Douay Camp; core logging by qualified personnel; sampling and bagging of core for analysis; transport of core from site to the Val-d\-\-Or, QC, SGS laboratory; sample preparation for assaying; and analysis, recording and final statistical vetting of results. For a complete description of protocols, please visit the Company\-\-s QA/QC webpage at www.maplegoldmines.com.

Grant of Stock Options

The Company has granted an aggregate of 100,000 stock options to certain consultants pursuant to the Company\-\-s Equity Incentive Plan.? The stock options are exercisable at a price of $0.51 per share and will vest one-third immediately, one-third 12 months from the date of grant and one-third 24 months from the date of grant. The stock options expire within 5 years from the date of grant.

About Maple Gold

Maple Gold Mines Ltd. is a Canadian advanced exploration company in a 50/50 joint venture with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited to jointly advance the district-scale Douay and Joutel gold projects located in Quebec?s prolific Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt. The projects benefit from exceptional infrastructure access and boasts ~400 km2 of highly prospective ground including an established gold resource (RPA 2019) that holds significant expansion potential as well as the past-producing Telbel mine.

The property also hosts a significant number of regional exploration targets along a 55 km strike length of the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone that have yet to be tested through drilling, making the project ripe for new gold and polymetallic discoveries. The Company is well capitalized and is currently focused on carrying out exploration and drill programs to grow resources and make new discoveries to establish an exciting new gold district in the heart of the Abitibi. For more information, please visit www.maplegoldmines.com.

ON BEHALF OF MAPLE GOLD MINES LTD.

\Matthew Hornor\

B. Matthew Hornor, President & CEO

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Forward Looking Statements:

This press release contains \forward-looking information\ and \forward-looking statements\ (collectively referred to as \forward-looking statements\) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada, including statements about exploration work and results from current and future work programs. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management\-\-s best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company\-\-s expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Maple Gold Mines Ltd.\-\-s filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company\-\-s website at www.maplegoldmines.com. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Vizsla\-\-s Napeolon Vein Widens to the South, Hitting 898g/T Silver Equivalent Over 8.36 mTW at Panuco

Posted by Publisher Internet

Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSX-V: VZLA) (OTCQB: VIZSF) (Frankfurt: 0G3) (?Vizsla? or the ?Company?  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/vizsla-silver-corp/ ) is pleased to provide the results of an additional fourteen drill holes from the Napoleon prospect at the?Panuco?silver-gold project (\Panuco\ or the \Project\) in Mexico.

Highlights

 Three holes completed 50 metres to the south of previous drilling average 7.44 metres true width (mTW) with a weighted average grade of 673 grams per tonne (g/t) silver equivalent

 Hole NP-21-112 returns 898 g/t silver equivalent over 8.36 mTW from 142.55 m including;

5,197 g/t silver equivalent over 1.34 mTW from 142.55 m

 Napoleon extended to over 950 m of continuous mineralization. Open to the south and at depth

Vizsla President and CEO, Michael Konnert, commented: ?The southern end of Napoleon is proving to be consistently higher grade and wider than any part of the mineralized zone. Geological information suggests this may be the true core of the mineralization and it remains open to the south and at depth where the Company is actively drilling to further expand this large panel of mineralization.? Current dimensions are 950 metres of strike by 350 metres deep and the zone forms part of the larger three-kilometre-long Napoleon Corridor that the Company is drilling.? Vizsla is in the best shape since its inception and is continuing to deliver at the two areas of resource drilling, Napoleon and Tajitos, and other targets in the district including Cordon del Oro and the Animas Corridor. The Company is well-funded with over $89,000,000 in the bank and is moving to 10 drill rigs to continue to rapidly assess the growing potential of this high-grade silver-gold district.?

Napoleon Drilling Details

Drilling has almost infilled the two gap zones in the mineralized area at Napoleon and is defining an over 950m long panel of mineralization that appears to be shallowly plunging to the south.? Drilling at the southern end of mineralized zone has extended the vein over 100m south, to 950m of strike, and assays received to date show consistent very high grades in this area.

The mineralization in the southern half of the zone generally displays better developed epithermal textures including colloform and cockade banding and rare quartz after bladed calcite.? The presence of adularia, a consistently wide vein and a higher gold to silver ratio suggest this is the core of the mineralized zone.

An additional 15 holes have been completed in this mineralized panel and assays will continue to be reported as received.? The Company intends to complete the 50 metre spaced drilling down to approximately 350 metres of depth to define the plunge of mineralization and then will continue with deeper holes to define the full extent of mineralization.

Drilling remains ongoing with five rigs continuing resource drilling and three rigs undertaking exploration.? Assays are pending for five new targets across four vein corridors.

Stock Options

The Company would like to announce that it has granted a total 4,150,000 options to directors, officers, employees and consultants at a strike price of $2.31.? They are exercisable for a period of five years and they will vest over the next two years.? They are subject to the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About the Panuco project

Vizsla has an option to acquire 100% of the newly consolidated 9,386.5-hectare Panuco district in southern Sinaloa, Mexico, near the city of Mazatlan. The option allows for the acquisition of over 75 kilometres of total vein extent, a 500 ton per day mill, 35 kilometres of underground mines, tailings facilities, roads, power and permits.

The district contains intermediate to low sulfidation epithermal silver and gold deposits related to siliceous volcanism and crustal extension in the Oligocene and Miocene. Host rocks are mainly continental volcanic rocks correlated to the Tarahumara Formation.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

Drill core and rock samples were shipped to ALS Limited in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico and in North Vancouver, Canada for sample preparation and for analysis at the ALS laboratory in North Vancouver.? The ALS Zacatecas and North Vancouver facilities are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Silver and base metals were analyzed using a four-acid digestion with an ICP finish and gold was assayed by 30-gram fire assay with atomic absorption (?AA?) spectroscopy finish. Over limit analyses for silver, lead and zinc were re-assayed using an ore-grade four-acid digestion with AA finish.

Control samples comprising certified reference samples, duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company?s quality assurance / quality control protocol.

Qualified Person

The Company?s disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Martin Dupuis, P.Geo., Vice President of Technical Services for Vizsla Silver. Mr. Dupuis is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.

Contact Information: For more information and to sign-up to the mailing list, please contact:

Michael Konnert, President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (604) 838-4327

Email: michael@vizslasilver.ca

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain ?Forward?Looking Statements? within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and ?forward?looking information? under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words ?anticipate?, ?believe?, ?estimate?, ?expect?, ?target?, ?plan?, ?forecast?, ?may?, ?would?, ?could?, ?schedule? and similar words or expressions, identify forward?looking statements or information. These forward?looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the development of Panuco, including drilling programs and mobilization of drill rigs; future mineral exploration, development and production; and completion of a maiden drilling program.

Forward?looking statements and forward?looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Vizsla, future growth potential for Vizsla and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management?s reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management?s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of silver, gold and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Vizsla?s ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.

These statements reflect Vizsla?s respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward?looking statements or forward-looking information and Vizsla has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company\-\-s dependence on one mineral project; precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company\-\-s mining activities in Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company\-\-s management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company\-\-s inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company\-\-s interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company\-\-s ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption ?Risk Factors? in Vizsla\-\-s management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward?looking statements or forward-looking information. Although Vizsla has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Vizsla does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward?looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.
Lucille Morgan, 98, of Science Hill, passed away Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at the Hospice of Lake Cumberland. A Funeral Service will be held 2:00 PM Saturday, July 3, 2021 at the Chapel of Morris & Hislope Funeral Home. Burial will be in Science Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be after 12:
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Mother, bluebird house manager tackles subject of grief in new children's book

Kristy Boike of New Prague is pictured here with her late mom, Pat Rudolph, who died of cancer in 2018. (Photo courtesy of Kristy Boike)

The bluebird has become emblematic of hope for Kristy Boike, of New Prague, who lost her mom, Pat Rudolph, to cancer in 2018.

Commemorating her moms favorite bird, Boikes dad, Ron Rudolph, dealt with his grief by crafting bluebird houses in his workshop. Boike has since helped her dad sell over 5,000 bluebird houses, and the Rudolphs Bluebird Houses business continues offering hope to those going through a major loss.

Building bluebird houses was her dads way of coping with grief, but Boike needed a creative outlet of her own after losing her father-in-law, Larry Boike, a year after her moms death. Writing became that outlet.

Born of a need to deal with her own grief while helping her children steer their own difficult emotions, Boike wrote the childrens book Rise Up, Little Bluebirds to be released in July.

It turned out better than I ever could have imagined, Boike said. It feels like a Disney movie.

Published by Wise Ink, Rise Up, Little Bluebirds is Kristy Boikes first childrens book dealing with the subject of grief. The book will be released in July. (illustration by Kathryn Inkson)

Searching for resources to help her own children process the loss of their grandparents, Boike said the books she found used too many euphemisms rather than being honest about the grieving process.

I saw a lot of anger and sadness and fear in my kids, and those are the big emotions I focused on in the book, Boike said. It was important for me to identify the many effects of grief and put a finger on how that affects kids as well as adults.

Kristy Boikes late mom, Pat Boike, is pictured here with Boikes three oldest children. From left: Matthew, Grace and Ryan. (Photo courtesy of Kristy Boike)

Kristy Boikes youngest son, Noah, was only 3 weeks old when his grandma Pat Rudolphs cancer was found to be terminal. But its important to Boike that her son, now 5, knows about his grandmas legacy even if he doesnt remember meeting her. (Photo courtesy of Kristy Boike)

In rhyming stanzas, the story is told through the lens of a bluebird family finding ways to preserve the memory of their Grandma Bluebird. The birds find hope by visiting places their grandma enjoyed and discovering they arent alone with their feelings of grief.

Boike pulled inspiration from her own life in writing her book.

Each of the young bluebird characters resemble her kids  Matthew, 16; Grace, 14; Ryan, 13; and Noah, 5. The book features illustrations of the loon, wildflowers common to Minnesota, Stone Arch Bridge, and Boikes childhood home. Grandma Bluebird, of course, is representative of Boikes own mom.

Illustrations in Rise Up, Little Bluebirds are by Kathryn Inkson, who based the characters off of author Kristy Boikes family. (illustration by Kathryn Inkson)

In an early review of Rise Up, Little Bluebirds, Carolyn Kinzel, Brighter Days Family Grief Center president and founder said: This lovely childrens book is the embodiment of how one can heal by telling their story, by helping others and by continuing legacy.

Grief Specialist Lisa Athan, executive director of Grief Speaks, said in her review:  Boikes identification and normalization of the many aspects of grief is remarkable and important. In the face of grief and loss, this is a wonderful resource for children and parents alike!

Continuing connections

How Boike arrived at the point of being the manager of a bluebird house company and a childrens author started with her desire to help her newly widowed father, Ron Rudolph, back in 2018.

After constructing so many bluebird houses he didnt know what to do with them, Rudolph turned to Boike for advice. That was when Boike posted the bluebird houses on Facebook Marketplace, an avenue that gained so much traction that the father-daughter pair started their own business, Rudolphs Bluebird Houses.

What began as a hobby for Ron Rudolph after his wife, Pat, died in January 2018 turned into a family affair. Kristy Boike is pictured here with her dad outside her New Prague home in April 2018, before Rudolphs Bluebird Houses became a business. (News Review file photo)

In the past three years, Rudolphs Bluebird Houses has gained national coverage through outlets like The Today Show and People Magazine. Apart from the success of the business itself, Boike and Rudolph both developed more and more connections with others who, like them, craved support while navigating a difficult time. To Boike, those connections are the most rewarding part of all.

The support network for Boike and Rudolph grew, not only from selling bluebird houses, but from partnering with grief organizations and youth camps to offer workshops. Participants can build the bluebird houses themselves and decorate them while connecting with others dealing with loss. Boike is also the admin to the online Rise Up Bluebird Grief Support Group on Facebook, a space designated for those processing the loss of a loved one.

Boikes transparency with her own grief experience resonated with those who attended her workshops and followed her Facebook page. She received a number of recommendations that she should write a book.

Ill pepper in my own workshops for the book, Boike said. Its kind of close to my heart the way the birdhouses are, so I dont mind the grassroots approach. It keeps things personalized and heartfelt.

Updates about Rise Up, Little Bluebirds book signings and workshops will be posted on the Rise Up, Little Bluebirds Facebook page. In the meantime, pre-sale orders are available at riseuplittlebluebirds.com.

Ive seen the print proofs and I was bawling my eyes out, Boike said. I cant wait to hold this message in my hand and share it with other people who could use it for support and grief.
With Philip Morris Internationals planned headquarters move to Connecticut, the state regains a corporate toehold in Big Tobacco that it lost a decade ago when PMIs former parent Altria Group moved U.S. Smokeless Tobaccos operations to Virginia from Stamford.

PMI made the announcement the same day Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law a legalization of marijuana use in Connecticut, with the laws language including new restrictions on cigarette smoking in hotel rooms and building interiors where people work.

The headquarters decision was unveiled six weeks after PMI elevated Jacek Olczak to CEO, who did not say on Tuesday what office building the tobacco giant will lease in lower Fairfield County for some 200 headquarters staff who work in New York today.

Globally, PMI employs 71,000 people, a few thousand more than Otis Worldwide which according to Fortune is the fifth largest corporation based in Connecticut as ranked by total headcount behind XPO Logistics, Charter Communications, Amphenol and Cigna.

While cigarettes constitute a major piece of PMIs revenue today through brands like Marlboro, L&M and Chesterfield  cigarette shipments totaled more than 628 million last year, driving $8 billion in profits  the company has been diversifying the past half-decade into smoke-free products with the goal of being a majority smoke-free company in its words by 2025.

On Tuesday in Stamford, Olczak spoke openly of the problem of smoking and the companys initiatives to transition away from cigarette sales. Those efforts are centered on IQOS, a cylindrical device that heats tobacco without delivering smoke to the lungs during inhalation. PMI estimates that more than 19 million people use IQOS today, about 14 million of whom have quit smoking cigarettes.

PMI licenses its IQOS technology to Altria Group, which was formed in 2003 from the operations of Philip Morris. The company would spin off PMI as an independent company five years later, as states and regulators increased their scrutiny of cigarettes.

The Food & Drug Administration announced in 2011 it would regulate vaping under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, with Altria expressing general support for the decision but questioning any one size fits all form of regulation which it said would stifle innovation of new products that could help wean smokers off of cigarettes.

UST long touted its Skoal and Copenhagen tobacco dip as a smoke-free alternative to cigarettes, though the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention notes chewing tobacco tobacco and pouches are addictive and can cause cancer of the mouth, throat and pancreas.

Altria spent $10.4 billion in 2009 to acquire UST, three years after the smokeless tobacco company moved its headquarters to Stamford from Greenwich where it had been based since 1970. Altria promptly took USTs staff south to its corporate headquarters in Richmond, Va., at a cost of about 350 corporate jobs in Connecticut.

In 2020, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco shipped about 820 million tins and pouches, including sales of On nicotine pouches which Altria added two years ago years ago in acquiring Burger Sohne, located about a two-hour drive from PMIs operational headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

PMI has not made any equivalent move into chewing tobacco and snuff. According to researchers with the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, PMI was the last of the major tobacco companies to invest in chewing tobacco, acquiring a small Swedish maker of moist snuff in 2006 but discarding the venture within a decade.

Corrected from an earlier version to note PMI licenses its IQOS technology to Altria.

Includes prior reporting by Veronica Del Valle, Dan Haar and Paul Schott.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
Scarsdale, N.Y.-based gym Iron Vault is set to open its first Connecticut location on Day Street in South Norwalk this summer. The total access gym operates differently that most workout facilities.

According to Mike Orefice, owner of Iron Vault, the concept revolves around bringing in outside trainers to work with existing gym members based on their workout goals.

The way we do it is if youre a client and youre looking for a personal trainer, you sign up through us and we give you 24-hour access to the gym, he said. Now youre a member of our gym, and we point you to the direction of the trainers. Youre never committed to that trainer  so if you want to go to the gym and do cardio without your trainer breathing down your neck, you can.

The trainers that work with Iron Vault are all independent contractors, but they dont pay rent fees or commission to Iron Vault, Orefice said. Instead, they establish payment directly with the trainees that use their services. And even if a gym member wants to stop using a trainer altogether, Orefice said it doesnt mean they sever ties with Iron Vault too.

Youre not committed to them, he said. You can still come to the gym and enjoy the gym and working out.

The facility also has custom-built equipment made for them by Arsenal Strength  and clients can request specific equipment to add to the gym, as well.

"I tell everyone, 'Every member has their input on what they want,'" he said. "If someones like Hey, you dont have this. Can you get that? we call our connection from Arsenal right away and we get an order.

Each piece of equipment takes 10 to 12 weeks to build, Orefice said, and with a few pieces yet to be delivered to the new Norwalk location, Iron Vault is currently slated for a mid-July opening.

I dont want to open 100 percent until Im fully confident that its going to have that wow-factor, he said. First impressions are everything, so we dont want people to come in and say, Oh, youre missing this or thisWe want to make sure we have it perfect.

The wow-factor of South Norwalk is what Orefice said ultimately made him land on the area to open his first Connecticut location on 6 Day Street.

The first time I went there, it kind of sold me on it, he said. I think Washington Street and the whole [city] is super up and coming, very young, and kind of fits the same mold that we have at our brandI think it was a perfect fit. The first time I went and saw it, I was blown away.

Orefice said he is excited to bring his Iron Vault community in its new South Norwalk location.

"It's such a contagious culture," he said. "Everyone just wants to get better, and it's such a healthy environment...I think a lot of people are going to want to join and I think it's going to be very helpful to the city. I'm excited to see where it goes."
Its common sight in cities and towns across Connecticut and the world: People outside of restaurants, stores or government buildings, puffing on cigarettes, or smoking as they walk along a downtown sidewalk.

Common, but all of that will become illegal in Connecticut on Oct. 1. Gone will be guest rooms in hotels and motels where smoking is allowed; no designated smoking lounges in workplaces, period; and no smoking in prisons or psychiatric facilities.

We all know smoking isnt allowed in publicly owned or leased buildings, and food stores and restaurants. Starting Oct. 1, that ban extends outside, to 25 feet from any door, operable window or any air intake vent. And that outdoor buffer will also apply to all retail establishments, meaning you wont be able to walk down the sidewalk of any downtown Main Street while smoking.

The new prohibitions apply to vaping, too. Its all part of a new law Gov. Ned Lamont signed Tuesday at the state Capitol.

You dont recall the debate? Thats because it didnt happen. The stricter cigarette smoking rules were baked into the new marijuana legalization law, 295 pages long. And of course, they all apply to smoking or vaping marijuana.

Lawmakers and Lamont agreed on the sweeping restrictions from the start, with little if any dissent. They had two goals in mind: First, they wanted to restrict where people in Connecticut could smoke marijuana. Yes, possession and private consumption of pot becomes legal for anyone 21 or older on July 1, but that doesnt mean its a smart idea to let six friends to fire up joints right outside the door of a restaurant or a town hall.

Restricting marijuana, in practical reality, meant restricting all smoking. After all, the reasoning goes, it will be hard enough to police public marijuana smoking without having to sort out what it is thats being smoked.

And secondly, as Rep. Michael DAgostino, D-Hamden, told me, Those were updates that were going to be made regardless of whether we did cannabis.

Connecticuts Clean Air Act keeps a lid of second-hand smoke, so it made sense to write the reforms to that law into the cannabis legislation because the Clean Air Act had to include cannabis anyway.

Im good with that, Lamont said when I asked him about the strict new smoking rules that will take effect in the fall.

Most people agree. In fact, as common as cigarettes remain in Connecticut  they will raise nearly $350 million this year at $3.90 a pack in excise taxes  smoking in public isnt nearly as common as it was a few years ago. Most restaurants have really gone away from allowing smoking at all, said Scott Dolch, president of the Connecticut Restaurant Association.

He was talking about outside dining areas, where its still allowed, with restrictions. The new law tightens those up even more.

It was a festive night at the Old Post Tavern in Fairfield Center on Monday, as music filled the outdoor dining area, part of a townwide evening of live music. I told Carol Carbin, a local teacher, about the new rules as we arrived at the same time. She doesnt smoke but sometimes vapes.

I dont like it, but maybe it will make me quit, Carbin said, giving the answer public health officials had in mind when the state added the new restrictions.

Inside, owner Patrick Tennaro said hes just fine with the new rules. He already doesnt allow smoking at the outside tables; the town owns that part of the property. Some patrons step out to the sidewalk for a smoke  which will become illegal on Oct. 1.

Ill have less cigarette butts Ill have to clean up, said Tennaro, whos clearly a very hands-on owner, as I also saw him busing tables.

The ban on smoking along sidewalks outside of establishments raises a question. How am I as a restaurateur supposed to police this? Tennaro asked.

The answer is, hes not. That, said DAgostino, co-chairman of the legislatures General Law Committee, a strong supporter of cannabis legalization, will be up to the towns, which control the sidewalks.

Two smokers and their friend outside a small market on Bridgeports Main Street, north of downtown, recoiled at the rules in the new law. I dont think its right, said the non-smoker, who identified himself as Shea Bionic. You should be able to smoke a cigarette outside wherever, right?

We counted off 25 feet. Even on that very wide sidewalk, it put us in the road, where buses pull up for a stop.

They all agreed the Bridgeport police wouldnt likely enforce the rule but suburban towns might  selectively, against some people, in their view.

As for all those soon-to-be-banned nicotine breaks in office lounges, on sidewalks, in prisons and on the platforms leading to the doorways of government buildings  all part of cannabis legalization  we will eventually see a culture change, as we did inside restaurants and bars.

State Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, doesnt oppose the restrictions but said this week he couldnt help noticing an irony. I think theres a disconnect with the majority between looking at smoking as a public health issue and then saying recreational marijuana is okay, he said.

Ironically or not, marijuana legalization has become a venue for one of the furthest reaching smoking restrictions Connecticut has ever seen. Another change: Under current law, workplaces with 5 or fewer people are exempt from the no-smoking-in-workplaces rules, but that will end on Oct. 1.

Through the passage of this law we have taken the next step in restricting areas where the public will be subjected to second-hand smoke, said Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee. The bottom line is, anyplace that smoking tobacco is illegal, either smoking or vaping cannabis will also be illegal.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
Connecticut is poised to legalize recreational marijuana, with Gov. Ned Lamont signing the bill into law Tuesday.

The details of that law are complex, and readers have shared more than a few questions on how that transition will proceed, along with some of the finer points of weed buying, selling, growing, eating and smoking.

Here are answers to some of your questions:

Can you put marijuana in the freezer?

There are two answers to this question. From a chemical standpoint, the answer is yes, but you probably shouldnt. As marijuana-focused publication High Times reported, freezing temperatures and fluctuating humidity will degrade both the flavor and potency of your marijuana.

From a legal perspective, the answer is yes, though it depends on how much. The law, as it is written, allows residents to openly possess 1.5 ounces of marijuana , plus an additional 5 ounces in a locked box. If you have more than 1.5 ounces in your freezer, that will only be legal if your freezer is locked.

I had to pay $100 to the state to buy medical marijuana. Is that fee being removed under this new legislation?

No. Connecticuts system of regulating medical marijuana is parallel legislation that remains largely unchanged this year as a result of the legalization of recreational marijuana.

That $100 may come in handy though. According to a report issued by the states Office of Legislative Research, qualifying patients and caregivers under the medical marijuana program to purchase cannabis of higher potency, varied dosage form, and in a larger per transaction or per day amount than are generally available for retail purchase.

Will my employer still be able to test me for marijuana?

Yes. The bill specifically allows employers to set workplace policies prohibiting cannabis possession by an employee, except for possession of medical marijuana, according to the OLR report.

The law specifies that employers may require employees to submit to drug testing, the OLR report says, but it also allows employees who feel theyve been punished by their employers in violation of the law to file a civil suit.

How much in taxes is it projected that Connecticut will reap from marijuana sales?

According to a report from the states Office of Fiscal analysis, the taxes from recreational marijuana will result in a total revenue gain to the state and municipalities of $4.1 million in fiscal year 2022.

The number is expected to grow considerably as time goes on, to $26.3 million in 2023, and $44.6 million in 2024. By 2026, annual revenue is expected to hit $73.4 million.

Will the smell give police probable cause to search your car?

No. When possession of weed is officially legal in Connecticut, the smell of marijuana, either noticed by a K-9 officer or a human, will not constitute probable cause.

If police search a home or a vehicle because of the smell of marijuana, the Connecticut State Police believe that the search will not stand up in court should an illegal weapon or illegal drugs be discovered.

Is there a reliable, and legal, test to test drivers for driving while impaired by drugs?

No, there is no blood or breathalyzer test being used to test drivers for marijuana. However, the bill mandates that some police officers be trained as  drug recognition experts (DREs), and allows them to testify in court as to a drivers level of impairment.

According to the OLR report, The bill makes changes to the states DUI law, including allowing DREs to testify in court, allowing courts to take judicial notice of THCs effects.

Is it still illegal to smoke marijuana within 500 feet of a school or daycare?

There may be a few answers to this question. If you live in a school zone and are inside your own home, it appears to be perfectly legal to consume cannabis.

However, if you are outside your own home, it will likely remain illegal. Also, according to state Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, local municipalities may create their own laws to manage marijuana consumption.

Municipalities themselves can create rules around consumption of cannabis, Winfield said.

Can you smoke marijuana in a parked car?

There is some yet-to-be-decided law around this deceptively simple question. As with other substances, you cannot consume marijuana in your car if the keys are in the ignition.

However, many modern cars use keyless fobs, making that section of the law unclear. Driving under the influence, however, is illegal.
EAST BREWTON, Ala. (AP)  Thunderstorms associated with Tropical Storm Claudette produced at least seven confirmed tornadoes across the South over the weekend.

National Weather Service surveyors confirmed three tornadoes in Mississippi, two in Alabama, and one each in Georgia and North Carolina, all occurring Saturday or Sunday.

The most noteworthy twister struck East Brewton, Alabama, on Saturday. That storm had estimated top winds of 127 mph (204 kilometers per hour). The storm stayed on the ground for 22 miles (35 kilometers) across southwest Alabama, destroying many mobile homes and damaging businesses and a high school. Emergency management officials say 20 people were injured, two seriously. It was the only Claudette-associated twister that produced injuries. The damage path was as wide as 650 yards (600 meters) with the tornado finally lifting off near Castleberry.

Crews continued to clear debris in East Brewton and Brewton on Monday. The American Red Cross fed people and churches distributed cleanup supplies while officials said on social media that they were trying to match volunteers to people with damage.

Another much weaker storm hit near Florala, Alabama, on Saturday, with top winds of 80 mph (130 kilometers per hour) and a path that stretched 0.6 miles (1 kilometer).

Three small tornadoes were confirmed on the Mississippi Gulf Coast between midnight and dawn Saturday. A storm with top winds of 75 mph (120 kilometers per hour) hit Long Beach, damaging vehicles and numerous houses on its 1.15-mile track (1.85 kilometers) Another weak twister damaged an apartment complex in Pass Christian, blowing away an air conditioning unit and launching the remains of a shredded awning 1,000 yards away (0.9 kilometers). A third twister east of Hurley on the Alabama state line caused mostly tree damage, although there was minor damage to one home.

In southwest Georgia, a confirmed tornado stretched for 30 miles (48 kilometers) from north of Blakeley to north of Cuthbert. Its top winds of 100 mph (160 kilometers per hour) dropped trees across U.S. 82 and caused minor structure damage.

On Sunday, a weak tornado touched down near Somerset, North Carolina. The storm had estimated top winds of 75 mph (120 kilometers per hour. It caused mainly tree damage along its 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) path, including dropping a tree on a metal building.

Weather service officials say tree and structure damage caused by winds in areas around Pensacola, Florida, were not caused by tornadoes, but by strong wind gusts from Claudette, with estimated winds speeds of 60 to 80 mph (95 to 130 kilometers per hour). Pensacola International Airport recorded a wind gust of 81 mph.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  First lady Jill Biden visited one of the states least vaccinated against COVID-19 on Tuesday, encouraging residents of Mississippi to get their shots and telling them, "The White House, our administration  we care about you.

Im here today to ask all of the people who can hear my voice, who can see my face, to get their shot," Biden said after visiting a clinic at Jackson State University, one of the largest historically Black universities in the country. Biden later encouraged people who were getting vaccinated in Nashville, Tennessee, with the help of country singer Brad Paisley later Tuesday evening.

Mississippi and Tennessee have consistently ranked among the U.S. states with the fewest number of residents vaccinated against COVID-19, along with Alabama. Approximately 30% of Mississippis total population is fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health.

The first lady said she wanted to visit states like Mississippi and Tennessee because the current vaccination rates are "just not enough."

Thats why the White House said, 'Jill, please, can you go to Mississippi?' Because the president, the White House, our administration, we care about you, we care about the people of Mississippi. We want them to be safe. We want them to be healthy.

Mississippi's U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who was present at Tuesday's event in the state capital, said it's important for Biden to be in Mississippi "given the demographics of the population that is most vulnerable.

Mississippi is among the states in the U.S. with the highest number of chronic health conditions that can make people more vulnerable to COVID-19, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs has said the biggest issues he sees driving vaccine hesitancy are misinformation and a cultural refusal to prioritize preventative care measures.

President Joe Biden had set a vaccination goal of delivering at least one shot to 70% of adult Americans by July Fourth, a target the White House administration acknowledged Tuesday he will likely fall short of.

As of Tuesday, 54% of Americans had been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Increased participation in states like Mississippi and Tennessee will be essential to boosting the nations overall vaccine rate.

Inside the Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Co. in Nashville, bartenders were serving beers and shots over loud country music as people got vaccinated outside in a pop-up clinic. Biden said that only three in 10 Tennesseans had been vaccinated, which prompted boos from the crowd.

The vaccines are the only way to get back to the open mics and the music festivals and the concerts that make this town so very special, Biden said.

Paisley noted that the COVID-19 virus had hit the country music artist community very hard and that icons like Mississippi-native Charley Pride and John Prine had died before a vaccine could be created.

To lighten the mood, Paisley sang a few songs including ad-libbing the lines Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine to the tune of Dolly Partons famous song Jolene."

Many Mississippi residents remain hesitant, however.

Angel Devine of Jackson said Tuesday that she has chosen not to get the COVID-19 vaccine so far because she doesnt like needles, and shes worried that the shot wont be effective against variants.

She said she is now considering it, not because of the first lady's visit, but because she has been urged to by her 18-year-old daughter, who is heading off to the University of Southern Mississippi to study nursing.

She wants to get it, and she wants me to get it with her," she said. "Im still concerned, but it does want me to take it a little more. Well have to wait and see.

Dobbs has said family pressure is one of the most powerful motivating factors to get people to take the vaccine.

Glenda McHenry, 78, of Pearl, a city outside Jackson, said she has family members who are still waiting to get the shot, but she got hers months ago. She said she wanted to spend time with her three grandchildren without being concerned about them passing the virus to her, or vice versa.

I did have some worries at first  just really not knowing what it was going to do to you, she said, of the vaccine. But I just felt it was the thing to do. It was important to be able to spend time with those kids.

___

Leah Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

__ AP reporter Kristin M. Hall contributed to this report from Nashville, Tennessee.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 58F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 58F. Winds light and variable.
Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living. She is also chair of Cardinal Dolans pro-life commission in New York. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com.
Ogden jazz icon Joe McQueen may be gone, but his memory and legacy live on. One physical reminder of his life, McQueen's lifelong home at 3158 Grant Ave., has now become available for sale. The house received extensive remodeling, but as investor Richard Casperson has said, "Joe's energy is 
After a record-breaking year of sales, consumers could find a shortage of fireworks this year as the Fourth of July holiday approaches.

The shortage comes as fireworks remain in high demand and because of a backlog on orders shipped from factories in China, retailers said.

Kevin Shaub, who owns Keystone Fireworks on Carey Avenue in Hanover Twp. and seven other locations in Pennsylvania with his brother Brian, said the shortage of fireworks follows a perfect storm of events last year.

Demand for fireworks surged last year when people enjoyed displays in their backyards while cooped up in their homes, Shaub said. The high demand made it challenging for fireworks factories in China to keep up with all the orders, he said.

Theres a worldwide shipping crisis. Getting products from overseas is extremely difficult, Shaub said. There is unprecedented demand for exports and theres not enough shipping space for all the products.

Shaub said Keystone Fireworks is fortunate, however. Its stores are fully stocked since they ordered fireworks early and have strong relationships with exporters and producers, he said.

Some fireworks stores only received about 50 to 60% of the products they ordered but Keystone Fireworks received more, he said.

We have the benefit of being a bigger company with more outlets and our order is a meaningful size, he said.

Top sellers for the Fourth of July include mortar kits and the 500 gram cake which Shaub said is like a fireworks show in a box.

We have something for everyone from handheld sparklers all the way to the 220-shot finale, he said.

Chuck Karam, owner of Bulldog Fireworks in Dickson City, plans to email customers recommending they shop for fireworks early if they want to get the best selection.

We currently have stock but everything that we ordered did not arrive, just like every other importer in the country, Karam said. Some people are getting 60 to 70% of their order filled.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Karam operated stores in Wilkes-Barre, Gouldsboro, Moosic and Tunkhannock. Last summer, he only opened the Dickson City store because he said it provided the safest atmosphere for social distancing and that is the only location he is operating this year also.

Phantom Fireworks, which has 12 locations throughout Pennsylvania, also has been experiencing shipping obstacles with fireworks like other businesses, said advertising manager Amelia Hoffman.

She said all fireworks have been in high demand and the shortage is a result of the increased demand.

Hoffmans advice to consumers amid the fireworks shortage is to shop as early as you can to get the best selection and your favorites.
Ashtabula, OH (44004)

Today

Showers and a possible thunderstorm during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Showers and a possible thunderstorm during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Published: 22 June 2021

Municipal elections 2021, result of the control calculation

The National Coalition Party became the biggest party in the Municipal elections with 21.4 per cent of all votes cast, which is 3.6 percentage points higher than the Social Democratic Partys share of votes and 6.5 percentage points higher than the Centre Party's share. The Finns Party increased its support most, by 5.6 percentage points. The voting turnout was lowest since the 1945 elections, as 55.1 per cent of persons entitled to vote cast their vote. Detailed election results can be found in Statistics Finland's PX-Web database service.

Support for parties in Municipal elections 2012, 2017 and 2021, %

In addition to the Finns Party, support increased for the Coalition Party (0.7 percentage points) and the Swedish Peoples Party (0.1 percentage points) compared with the previous Municipal elections. The other parliamentary parties that participated in the previous Municipal elections lost their support. In relative terms, the Centre Party lost most votes, as its share of votes cast was 2.7 percentage points lower than in the previous elections. Support for the Green League fell by 1.9 percentage points, for the Social Democratic Party by 1.6 percentage points, for the Left Alliance by 0.9 percentage points and for the Christian Democrats by 0.5 percentage points from the previous Municipal elections. The Movement Now party participating in its first Municipal elections received 1.6 per cent of all votes cast.

Parties outside the parliament and constituency associations gained 2.9 per cent of all votes cast. Altogether 292 municipal councillors were elected from constituency associations lists in the whole country, of the parties outside the parliament only the Blue Reform gained a total of four councillors to new councils.

Support for parties in Municipal elections 19532021, %

Voting turnout fell from the previous Municipal elections

Current parties and their predecessors

The voting percentage in the Municipal elections was lowest since the 1945 elections, 55.1 per cent. The voting percentage went down by 3.8 percentage points from the previous Municipal elections. Examined by constituency, voting turnout was highest in the constituency of Helsinki (61.7 per cent) and lowest in Savo-Karelia (50.2 per cent). Examined by municipality, the voting turnout was highest in Utsjoki (81.6 per cent) and lowest in Pieksamaki (46.5 per cent).

Voting turnout in Municipal elections 19452021, %

Women voted in the elections more actively than men, womens voting percentage was 56.5, or 2.9 percentage points higher than mens voting percentage. Women have voted more actively than men in the Municipal elections since the 1984 elections. The popularity of advance voting grew significantly in the 2021 elections. As many as 60.0 per cent of all who voted cast their votes in advance.

Table 1. Turnout by sex in Municipal elections 1921-2021 (%)

Year Total Men Women Advance voters 2021 55,1 53,6 56,5 60,0 2017 58,9 56,9 60,7 45,2 2012 58,3 56,7 59,8 42,4 2008 61,2 59,3 63,0 39,9 2004 58,6 56,4 60,7 39,1 2000 55,9 53,9 57,7 37,7 1996 61,3 59,8 62,8 34,9 1992 70,9 69,6 72,1 38,1 1988 70,5 69,0 71,9 18,3 1984 74,0 73,7 74,3 9,2 1980 78,1 78,2 78,0 8,0 1976 78,5 78,6 78,5 6,8 1972 75,6 75,8 75,4 5,3 1968 76,7 78,4 75,3 - 1964 79,3 80,9 77,9 - 1960 74,8 77,4 72,7 - 1956 66,2 70,0 62,9 - 1953 71,3 75,3 68,0 - 1950 63,0 67,6 58,9 - 1947 66,3 69,9 63,2 - 1945 54,9 57,9 50,9 - 1936 48,0 52,3 44,4 - 1933 45,5 50,0 41,8 - 1930 42,2 47,2 37,9 - 1928 42,5 46,9 38,7 - 1925 38,3 42,5 34,6 - 1924 27,8 31,6 24,4 - 1923 29,7 33,4 26,5 - 1922 32,3 36,6 28,6 - 1921 36,1 40,4 32,2 -

Party analysis

The party analysis examines the parties results in the Municipal elections 2021 with the help of various background variables in classified areas. Changes in the parties support are examined relative to the result of the previous Municipal elections. The voting districts whose borders have changed as little as possible since the previous elections are used as the data. Small voting districts with fewer than 1,000 persons entitled to vote are combined so that the average size of a voting district is about 2,000 persons entitled to vote. The analysis is based on around 1,450 areas comparable to the previous elections. The analysis presents party-specific data on such parties whose results can be compared with the previous elections.

The background variables used in the analysis are the areas economic structure, degree of urbanisation, income level, unemployment rate and the number of pensioners. The background variables used are not mutually exclusive. For example, the areas industrial structure and degree of urbanisation also partially describe the areas income level. (See the methodological description.)

Support for the Coalition Party and the Green League was highest in areas where the share of pensioners in the population is low. By contrast, support for the Centre Party was clearly focused on areas with a large share of pensioners. Support for the Social Democratic Party and the Finns Party was more even in areas specified by the number of pensioners, however, focusing slightly on areas where the number of pensioners is average or above average. In relative terms, both the Centre Party and the Social Democratic Party lost most votes in areas with a large share of pensioners, while support for the Green League decreased most in areas where there were fewer pensioners than average. The Finns Party increased its support fairly evenly in areas specified by the number of pensioners, while no significant changes took place in support for the Coalition Party.

Support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by the number of pensioners in specific geographical regions, %

Change in the support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by the number of pensioners in specific geographical regions, %

Support for the Coalition Party, the Green League and the Left Alliance was highest in densely populated urban areas. Support for the Social Democratic Party was highest in population centres and for the Centre Party quite clearly in sparsely populated areas. Support for the Finns Party was also focused on sparsely populated areas and population centres, even though the partys differences in support were relatively small in areas specified by population density.

The Finns Party increased its support especially in sparsely populated areas and population centres, but to a lesser extent also in towns. Support for the Centre Party decreased most in sparsely populated areas, for the Social Democratic Party in semi-urban areas and in sparsely populated areas. The Green League lost its support especially in towns.

Support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by areas specified by population density, %

Change in the support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by areas specified by population density, %

The Coalition Party and the Swedish Peoples Party won the biggest support in areas where the average number of unemployed persons was lower than average. By contrast, the support profile of the Social Democratic Party and the Left Alliance was opposite in this respect, as the parties gained most support in areas with higher than average unemployment. The differences in support for the Finns Party and the Green League in areas specified by the employment rate were not large, while support for the Finns Party focused on areas with slightly higher unemployment and for the Green League on areas with lower unemployment. The parties that lost their support in the elections, the Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party and the Green League lost support quite evenly in all areas specified by the unemployment rate. Support for the Finns Party rose in all areas specified by the employment rate, focusing on the areas with slightly higher than average unemployment.

Support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by areas specified by the unemployment rate, %

Change in the support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by areas specified by the unemployment rate, %

The Coalition Party and the Green League gained the biggest support in areas where the income level of those living is higher than average. In contrast, support for the Centre Party was highest in areas with low income levels, which is explained by lower income levels than average in agriculture-dominated and sparsely-populated areas. Support for the Social Democratic Party was highest in areas with average income levels and for the Left Alliance in areas with low income levels, and for the Finns Party support was divided fairly evenly between areas with different income levels. Support for the Centre Partys fell particularly in areas with low income level, for the Green League in high income level areas and for the Social Democratic Party quite evenly in all areas specified by the income level. Support for the Finns Party increased in all areas, most in areas with average income level.

Support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by areas specified by the income level, %

Change in the support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by areas specified by the income level, %

The support profile of the Coalition Party, the Green League and the Left Alliance is similar in areas divided by the industrial structure, support for all was highest in those areas where service industries employed the most. This is particularly emphasised in the case of the Greens. As expected, support for the Centre Party was highest in agricultural-dominated areas, for the Finns Party in both agricultural and industrial areas. The Social Democratic Party received support especially from industrial areas. The Centre Party lost its support in relative terms most in agricultural areas, while the Green League lost most support in service areas. Both the Social Democratic Party and the Left Alliance lost support in agricultural and industrial areas, whereas the growth in support for the Finns Party focused to some extent on industrial and agricultural areas.

Support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by areas specified by economic structure, %

Change in the support for the parties in the Municipal elections 2021 by areas specified by economic structure, %

Statistics Finland's election result services

Before the elections, Statistics Finland released a review on 4 June 2021 on the background of municipal election candidates analysing the candidates' sex distribution, age, origin, education, employment, income level and family status in comparison to persons entitled to vote. The review will be updated on 24 June 2021 with background data on the elected councillors. The review on voting turnover will be published on 13 July 2021, which will examine voting turnout by means of unit-level background factors, such as age, sex, education and income.

Database tables

Source: Municipal Elections 2021, confirmed election result, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Sami Fredriksson 029 551 2696, Jaana Asikainen 029 551 3506, vaalit@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala

Publication in pdf-format (2.0 MB)

Updated 22.06.2021

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Municipal elections [e-publication].

ISSN=2323-1114. preliminary data 2021. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 3.7.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/kvaa/2021/03/kvaa_2021_03_2021-06-22_tie_001_en.html
Published: 22 June 2021

Second corona spring made Finnish residents travel in the home country in January to April 2021

According to Statistics Finlands preliminary data, Finnish residents travelled almost exclusively in the home country in the January to April period of 2021. The number of domestic leisure trips with overnight stay increased by good one third from the previous year. In addition, Finnish residents made 7.5 million same-day leisure trips in Finland. Leisure trips abroad decreased by more than 90 per cent from the corresponding period last year.

Leisure trips in January to April 2015 to 2021* (excl. domestic same-day trips and trips with free accommodation)

In January to April 2021, Finnish residents aged 15 to 84 made 6.4 million trips regardless of the difficult corona situation when all domestic leisure trips with overnight stay and all leisure trips abroad are included. In the corresponding period of the previous year, the number of trips was 6.0 million.

Altogether, 6.3 million domestic leisure trips with overnight stay were made in the January to April period. Of these, 4.9 million were trips with free accommodation. Trips with overnight stay in paid accommodation numbered 1.3 million. Thirty-eight per cent more domestic leisure trips with overnight stay were made than one year earlier.

Altogether 7.5 million same-day leisure trips were made in Finland, which is around double the number compared with 2018 when they were last recorded in the statistics. Same-day trips were made specifically outside the largest towns. The share of same-day trips in Greater Helsinki, Turku and Tampere was only 17 per cent, while in 2018 their share was 26 per cent.

Restrictions on travel due to the coronavirus situation and the absence of flights and boat departures reduced leisure trips abroad by more than 90 per cent from the previous year.

In January to April 2021 leisure trips abroad numbered 150,000 inclusive of trips with overnight stay in the destination country, cruises and same-day trips. In the corresponding period of the previous year, the number of leisure trips was 1.4 million. The number of trips in the previous year was raised both by the normal months for travelling, January and February, and by the extensive return to Finland in March to April 2020 by Finnish residents who had spent winter abroad.

In addition to leisure trips, 0.4 million domestic business or professional trips with overnight stay were made. Domestic business trips lasting for a day numbered 1.0 million. There were hardly any business and professional trips abroad.

These data derive from Statistics Finland's Finnish Travel survey for which data were collected from altogether 4,719 persons aged 15 to 84 on the web or alternatively as a telephone interview in February, March, April and May.

Source: Finnish Travel, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Taru Tamminen 029 551 2243, Ossi Nurmi 029 551 2984, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala

Publication in pdf-format (310.1 kB)

Updated 22.6.2021

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Finnish Travel [e-publication].

ISSN=1798-9027. Spring (1.1.-30.4) 2021. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 3.7.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/smat/2021/13/smat_2021_13_2021-06-22_tie_001_en.html
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Attendance at the Romanian Language and Literature test within the National Assessment exam, which took place on Tuesday, was 94.2 percent, Minister of Education Sorin Cimpeanu told a press conference.

"Until this hour, we registered the attendance of 123,563 students out of the total of the 131,177 enrolled for the National Assessment examination, the Romanian Language and Literature test. The percentage is 94.2, higher than that of the students who attended last year, 93.1 percent. Practically, 7,616 students enrolled in the National Assessment examination failed to turn up," said Cimpeanu.

According to him, a candidate was eliminated from the exam in Bucharest.

"In Bucharest, out of 12,006 students there were 190 absentees and unfortunately there was one [student] expelled from the exam. The only case of elimination from the exam was that of the student in Bucharest," the minister said.
Deputy Prime Minister and USR PLUS Co-Chairman Dan Barna said today at the end of the meeting of the formation's National Bureau that the planned National Agency for Health Infrastructure Investments "does not add to bureaucracy" because it will be created by reorganizing an existing structure of the Health Ministry.

"This proposal is very clearly stated in the governing agenda, which is not and cannot be subject of negotiation. Of course, we are willing to bring clarifications if necessary, but this agency is clearly necessary and very important. (...) It does not add to bureaucracy, it does not render the system more difficult or complicated, we are simply discussing the reorganization of a structure that currently exists within the Health Ministry and which has proven non-functional. We will detail the subject in the coalition meeting, it hasn't been discussed so far inside the coalition for this very simple reason: it is one of the goals pledged by this governing coalition," Barna said in a press statement at the Palace of the Parliament.

He mentioned that the agency's task is to make possible investments in health infrastructure, because in the current operating structure, the Health Ministry does not have the necessary capacity.

"The agency is aimed at making possible investments in health infrastructure, specifically its mission is to make possible the construction of hospitals in Romania. We are looking at those regional hospitals we have been talking about since 2014 and see that the usage of the European funds available for regional hospitals stands at just 5 percent, which shows very clearly that with the current operating structure, the Health Ministry doesn't have the necessary project management capacity for building hospitals," Barna said.

According to the USR PLUS leader, the creation of the National Agency for Health Infrastructure Investments is supported by the European Commission and, should it not be set up, there is a risk that the resources provided under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) or operational programs remain unspent.

"We have to accept this reality: the Health Ministry with its 250-strong team has proven that it lacks the capacity to act as a project manager for regional hospitals or important health infrastructures, therefore we have to adapt, because with the current structure we risk not being able to spend the resources under both PNRR and the operational programs," said Barna.

"If we want to lose another year and a half or two years, we can definitely make it in 2023. But the later we set it up, the farther our chance to absorb the resources for hospital construction fades. It's as simple as that, that is, the agency should be up and running next week, exactly for those tenders, those procurement procedures to kick off," he argued.
Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomes the decision to suspend the Republic of Mali from the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies (CoD) in a process initiated at the Extraordinary Meeting of the CoD Governing Council chaired by the Romanian top diplomat, in the context of Romania's holding the Presidency of the Community of Democracies.

This move comes amid worrisome democratic slippages in Mali, which run counter to the principles of the Warsaw Declaration and have led to the arrest by the military power of civilian leaders - interim President Ndaw and Prime Minister Ouane, who were later forced to resign, the Foreign Ministry said in a release.

Thus, on the occasion of the Extraordinary Meeting of June 11, Bogdan Aurescu firmly called for a proactive stance of the members of the CoD Governing Council against democratic backsliding in the Republic of Mali, emphasizing the CoD's responsibility to react promptly to such events, as well as for joining the efforts of the international community to support the return to constitutional order of the Republic of Mali and the restoration of legitimate civilian authorities.

Thus, following the vote on the proposal to suspend the Republic of Mali as a member of the CoD Governing Council, the member states of the respective decision-making body decided to suspend the Republic of Mali, a CoD founding state, from the CoD Governing Council starting on Tuesday, until the restoration of the rule of law and constitutional order in this state.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry reaffirms "Romania's strong support for human rights, democracy and the rule of law and reiterates its support for the Malian people in their efforts for a true democratic path."

In his turn, Secretary General of the Community of Democracies Thomas E. Garrett assured of CoD's commitment to support the Republic of Mali in the process of restoring democratic order, including for the organization of free and fair elections and under the prospect of providing assistance to a democratically elected government to meet the criteria for the Republic of Mali re-acquiring membership of the CoD Governing Council.

Romania is holding the Presidency of the Community of Democracies between September 2019 and September 2022, as its term was extended on May 18, 2021 from the initial period 2019 - 2021 due to the need to ensure the continuity and efficient management of CoD's activity, also as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic having affected the calendar and format of certain activities. Romania's main objectives as CoD Presidency are to facilitate the engagement of young people in democratic processes, to promote democracy globally as the only system that guarantees prosperity and sustainable development, and the relationship between democratic processes and information technology.

The Community of Democracies, established in 2000 at the initiative of the U.S. with the signing of the Warsaw Declaration by 106 states, is the largest platform for debate and exchange of experience on global democracy. The Governing Council, which consists of 31 states including Romania (since 2011), is the main decision-making body of the Community of Democracies.

The Republic of Mali is a founding member of the Community of Democracies and held the CoD Presidency over 2005 - 2007. In 2012 Mali was suspended for the first time from the CoD Governing Council in response to a military coup. Following the initial suspension, the CoD supported Mali's democratic reconstruction, so that the Republic of Mali was readmitted to the Governing Council in 2014.
The Baia Mare administration is interested in developing economic, educational and cultural relations with Poland, Baia Mare Mayor Catalin Chereches said on Tuesday following a meeting with Polish Ambassador to Romania Maciej Lang.

"We discussed about ways in which we can develop direct relations between Baia Mare Municipality and the Republic of Poland, with an emphasis on the economic area, but also aspects related to the development of cultural and educational projects between the two parties, because from my point of view a community must develop from all perspectives," Chereches wrote in a Facebook post.

During the talks with the Polish diplomat, the mayor appreciated that the relationship between the two countries should go through the municipality of Baia Mare.

"I believe that the relationship between Romania and Poland must go through Baia Mare, especially from an economic perspective, because we have quite a few things that are to our advantage. We are talking here, mainly, about the railway transfer from Biala, which is one of the most important commercial points in Europe, a context in which we could develop fast road transport between Poland and Romania, via Ukraine. We intend to develop, with European funding, a new road transport route of about 200 km, with a border crossing point on the border with Ukraine, which would solve freight transport from the northern to the southern part of Europe," mentioned Catalin Chereches.

The mayor of Baia Mare added that these possible investments will be discussed at an economic forum this autumn.

"This topic will be debated extensively during a meeting that the Municipality of Baia Mare will organize in the autumn of this year and which will be attended by representatives from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and the Arab countries in order to outline here an attractive region from the perspective of economic development, for investors from the Middle East, included," said Chereches.

Also attending the meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Maciej Lang, were the Director of the Polish Institute, Natalia Mosor, and the representative of the Polish business environment in Romania, Jaroslaw Turczynski.
Over 131,000 8th grade graduates, of whom 12,006 in Bucharest, will sit in the National Evaluation examination, in the session that will take place between June 22 and July 4, 2021, informs the Ministry of Education, agerpres report.

The exam starts on Tuesday, with the written test in Romanian Language and Literature. On Thursday, June 24, the Math test will take place. The test in the mother tongue and literature will take place on Friday, June 25.

The first results will be displayed on Tuesday, June 29, until 14.00 (in the examination centers). Contests can be submitted on June 29 (between 16.00 and 19.00) and June 30 (between 8.00 and 12.00), which can also be sent by electronic means.The final results will be displayed on Saturday, July 4.The general average score obtained within the National Evaluation has a share of 80% in the calculation of the admission average score for the ninth grade."8th grade graduates will be able to continue their studies in high school or vocational education, with places provided for all pupils who have completed middle school," says the Ministry of Education.The special stage of the National Evaluation for 8th grade graduates is scheduled for July 5-12, being preceded by the enrollment stage (June 28 - July 2).
Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Tuesday that, according to data obtained so far, as many as 98,134 minors aged between 12 and 17 have been immunized against COVID-19, specifying that parents and guardians are those who make the decision in this regard, agerpres report.

"I support vaccination for the population, we need as many vaccinated people as possible, but when we talk about young people under 18, here, the parents and guardians are the ones who make the decisions and they have to make the best decisions. From the data we have so far, there are 98,134 minors between the ages of 12 and 17 who have been vaccinated, and according to a report on the students' desire to get vaccinated, 45.5 percent of students consider it very important and important to get vaccinated. I say we have a good start as regards the youth, now I would dare to say better than in adults, in many ways, in terms of the desire to get vaccinated. We are glad that the information has reached young people," said Florin Citu, on Tuesday, at Victoria Palace of Government, during a meeting on the benefits of vaccinating children.

The prime minister pointed out that the effects of the vaccination campaign can be seen, both in the number of people infected daily, that has decreased, but also in the number of hospitalizations in the ICUs and the number of deaths, which are also declining.The meeting was attended by the Minister of Education, Sorin Cimpeanu, the coordinator of the vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghita, representatives of UNICEF, and representatives of the National Council of Pupils and National Federation of Parents' Associations.
Senate President Anca Dragu reiterated on Tuesday the dialogue she had in Brussels in the meetings with representatives of the European Parliament on topics such as the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), Schengen, the conference on the future of Europe or gender equality.

"We had three days in Brussels, where we met with representatives of [the European] Parliament, with the President of the European Parliament, Mr David Sassoli, with the Vice-President of the Commission, Mr Dombrovskis, with Commissioner Vera Jurova, with the Commissioner for Gender Equality. We discussed issues related to the CVM and we expect a positive report this year, we have made our position very clear that we must be part of Schengen, we talked about this conference on the future of Europe and we will organize in the Senate actions to encourage debates on how we want Europe to look like. We talked about gender equality and here we also discussed concrete programs, financial programs that support initiatives like this, to implement them," Dragu specified, in reply to a question on the subject.

Last week, the President of the Senate paid a three-day official visit to Brussels at the head of a parliamentary delegation, where she met, among others, with the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, and the Vice-President of the EC, Valdis Dombrovskis.
Head of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Coordination Committee (CNCAV) Valeriu Gheorghita declared on Tuesday that Romania is registering "a very good epidemiological evolution" and that this is also due to the fact that the immunization of persons from various age categories was allowed at a time of their own choice.

The clarifications were made during a meeting on the benefits of the vaccination of children, held at Victoria Palace of Government, attended by Prime Minister Florin Citu, Minister of Education Sorin Cimpeanu, representatives of UNICEF, representatives of the National Student Council and the National Federation of Parents' Associations.

"We believe that, in this way, with better and growing vaccine coverage among young people, we can greatly hinder the chain of transmission. And the fact that today Romania has a very good epidemiological evolution - perhaps among the best in Europe - is also due to the fact that we had a vaccination strategy that allowed all age groups to be vaccinated whenever they wanted, starting with March 15, which greatly reduced the transmission, because young people are active people, they interact a lot and spread the virus and bring the virus home to vulnerable people. It is important that we carry on the vaccination campaign. Even if at this time the number of those getting vaccinated with dose one is declining, I am convinced that in the next period, once the enthusiasm of holidays subsides, people will understand the importance, the benefits of vaccination," said Valeriu Gheorghita.

He mentioned that in the next period the campaign will focus on the rural environment and people's desire to be immunized will be met, so that vaccination be offered as close as possible to each household.

The president of CNCAV advocated for the immunization of children and young people aged between 12 and 19, adding that this saves lives.

"There are over 140,000 children, teenagers and young people between the ages of 12 and 19, included, who have been vaccinated with at least one dose so far. Basically, that is below 10% of what the target population means. There is a lot of talk about the appropriateness of vaccinating minors, the 12-15 age group, in the current vaccination campaign, not only in Romania, but globally. The first question is whether or not vaccinating minors saves lives and the answer is loud and clear: yes, it saves lives. Even though the risk of minors getting a serious form of the disease is significantly lower than in adults, we still have a global death rate of about two in one million children, which I do not know whether it means a lot or a little, but for that person that was a 100 percent mortality," he said.

The vaccination campaign coordinator said that immunization with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine reduces the risk of getting the infection by at least 50 percent. Vaccination also reduces the viral load by at least 50 percent, which in turn reduces the risk of transmission.

"Each country has its own vaccination strategy. In Romania, at the moment, the vaccination coverage rate for the age groups over 50 years - 60 and 70 years - is on average 35 percent. We practically do not have a very high vaccination coverage in the vulnerable age groups. That is precisely why it is important to promote this concept of immunization at the level of every family, to create this immune cluster, this immune barrier, because it is important that in the next period our children can physically go to school, in conditions of maximum safety, both for them and for their families," said Valeriu Gheorghita, reports agerpres.
ST. LOUIS  Developer Lux Living is seeking final approval for a property tax abatement on a 150-unit apartment building under construction on DeBaliviere Avenue, an incentive the citys economic development arm has blocked for a year because of Luxs dispute with a rival development across the street.

The final resolution granting the property tax break is on the Tuesday agenda of the citys Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority. Several months ago, Lux sued the agency that manages the LCRA, the St. Louis Development Corp., and its former director, Otis Williams, accusing them of blocking the tax break by not taking the final vote.

The lawsuit, filed in January by a company managed by Lux principal Victor Alston, has not been previously reported. In it, Alston asks a judge to force the SLDC to perform its ministerial duties and take the final action to grant the property tax break for the project, which is under construction. The suit also claims SLDC has a duty to issue it a sales tax break on construction materials after Alderman Shameem Clark-Hubbard, 26th Ward, sent a letter to SLDC in support of the incentive, worth about $750,000 according to the lawsuit. The tax break on construction materials is not on Tuesdays LCRA agenda.
ST. LOUIS  A federal appeals court panel on Tuesday struck down the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissions approval of a natural gas pipeline that runs through parts of Missouri and Illinois.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that FERC failed to adequately balance public benefits and adverse impacts in approving the 65-mile-long Spire STL Pipeline, and failed to prove that it was needed.

A statement from Spire, a St. Louis-based natural gas company with 1.7 million customers in Missouri, Alabama and Mississippi, called the ruling disappointing and said the company is considering its next move. The statement said the ruling jeopardizes reliable and critical energy access to 650,000 homes and businesses throughout the St. Louis region.

The appeals panel wrote that the evidence showed the pipeline is not being built to serve increasing load demand and that there is no indication the new pipeline will lead to cost savings. The ruling vacated approval of the already-operational pipeline and sent the matter back to the FERC.
The St. Louis Art Museum has announced its next director, the first woman and first person of color hired for the top job at one of the citys most admired cultural institutions.

Min Jung Kim, 51, will lead the 142-year-old museum after the retirement of Brent R. Benjamin, who exits June 30, the museum announced Tuesday morning. She leaves the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, where she was director for six years. Her total compensation in St. Louis will be $515,000, which comes from an endowment by Barbara B. Taylor.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kim is also the first immigrant to direct the St. Louis museum and brings an important international perspective and strong focus on diversity, said Charles Lowenhaupt, president of the institutions board of commissioners.

St. Louis arts organizations bring diversity and inclusion to the forefront Arts and cultural organizations embark on initiatives to make staff, programming and audiences more inclusive.

With more than 30 years experience in the U.S., including 12 at the Guggenheim Foundation, Kim was chosen as the ideal director, Lowenhaupt said. A search committee considered about 50 possible candidates to replace the well-respected Benjamin and interviewed 10, Lowenhaupt said at a museum news conference.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is finally going to win a lawsuit.

It wont be as an attorney, but as the star witness.

On Monday, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page joined forces on a lawsuit seeking to have a Cole County Circuit Court judge declare as unconstitutional a law passed by the Missouri Legislature that seeks to nullify all federal gun laws in the Show-Me State.

There is little doubt the lawsuit will prevail, and thats before you even get to the central question of whether the bill is unconstitutional because it ignores the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. That clause says federal law trumps state law in most matters. The law as passed by the Legislature is riddled with errors and violates the Missouri Constitutional prohibition against bills dealing with multiple subjects.
Marshaks office is leading the investigation into the death.

The three male officers who responded to the scene were not identified Tuesday. One is 33 years old and has been a De Soto officer for 3 years. Another is 37 and also has been on the De Soto force 3 years. The third is 34 and has been a De Soto officer for 2 years.

Its not clear which two fired on Sharp. All three were put on administrative leave, which is customary in a police shooting. At least two of the officers were wearing body cameras, but its not clear if they were able to record the confrontation.

Sharp died at the scene, Bissell said.

Sharp in 2015 pleaded guilty of stealing a car and driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to jail. He also pleaded guilty in 2015 of third-degree assault.

This is the fifth time this year that law enforcement officers across the St. Louis metro area have fatally shot someone.
JEFFERSON CITY  As Missouri tops the nation with the most COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, Gov. Mike Parsons office says his search for a new public health chief could last another month.

The delay in hiring a point person to manage the states response to the newest surge in cases comes after Parson said he hoped to have a new director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in place by mid-June.

Now, when the vaccination rate in Missouri is stuck at 38%, the hiring could be on hold until next month, said spokeswoman Kelli Jones.

The Governors Office is getting closer to announcing a new DHSS director, potentially in the next 30 days, Jones told the Post-Dispatch Monday.

The search for a new health czar began in April after Parson asked for the resignation of former Director Randall Williams, who had been in the post since 2017.
BARNHART  Randy Vaughn has worried over his fireworks stand so much recently that employees gave him a new nickname.

They call me Mr. T.I.B., Vaughn said. Because Im always saying, This is bad, this is bad.

Like many fireworks vendors, Randys Fireworks is coming off a big 2020 after the pandemic canceled large shows and residents rushed to put on their own.

Even with restrictions on municipal displays lifted this summer, he expects healthy demand this season.

But this year, he doesnt have a whole lot to sell.

Last years banner summer left firework vendors inventories badly depleted coming into 2021, and issues with shipping on both sides of the Pacific Ocean have hobbled efforts to restock the shelves. And now, as sellers like Vaughn open this week ahead of July 4, they are raising prices on what they do have by double-digit percentages.

Ive got some product, so Im going to sell what Ive got, Vaughn said. But when its gone, its gone. And just about everybodys in the same boat.
Bonsall and Duckworth came to Santee Cooper from a utility in Arizona after the South Carolina utility became a minority partner in a pair of nuclear reactors that never produced a watt of power. The utility ended up billions of dollars in debt and the governor and some lawmakers wanted to sell Santee Cooper.

But there was never enough support to sell the utility, and Santee Cooper executives worked with the Legislature to pass an overhaul bill that includes replacing all board members who served when the nuclear project failed and giving regulators more oversight.

Bonsall said he will spend his extra time leading Santee Cooper on several goals: protecting the utility against rising natural gas costs, refinancing debt, and figuring out where to build and how to fuel the company's next power plant and how the company can follow the new regulations in the reform bill.

Bonsall also thanked Santee Cooper employees and the board for helping him deal with the utility's problems.

A great opportunity and I most deeply appreciate your support, Bonsall said. Weve been partners in this progress.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Post and Courier.
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.
For Britain to be taken seriously it needs to show that it's prepared to be engaged for the long-term, he said.

It's no good just saying you're engaged from the safety of London, even in a pandemic you have to commit to face time in the region," he said.

Beyond trade, 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. It is also expected to announce the forward deployment of smaller Royal Navy vessels to the Indo-Pacific, Graham said.

That would be noticed in the region, he said. It won't change the balance of power, but it does demonstrate to China and others that this is not only a U.S.-China bilateral dynamic,"

Whether the diplomatic, economic and military outreach will succeed, however, will take time.

I think they can maintain their ambitions over a four-year timeframe, and that might be enough to develop the momentum that they need, Graham said, adding that closer ties to the region are probably more important for the Britain than vice versa.

Following Vietnam, Raab was to visit Cambodia and then end his trip to the region in Singapore.
WASHINGTON  A $500 million U.S. victim compensation fund for the relatives of 346 people killed in two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes opened Monday, claim administrators said.

The fund is part of a settlement with the Justice Department. Boeing Co. in January agreed to pay $500 million to compensate the heirs, relatives and beneficiaries of the passengers who died in Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2018 and 2019.

Each eligible family will receive nearly $1.45 million and money will be paid on a rolling basis as claim forms are submitted and completed, administrators Ken Feinberg and Camille Biros said in a joint statement. Families have until Oct. 15 to complete claim forms.

The Justice Department and Boeing did not immediately comment.

The fund is part of a $2.5 billion Justice Department settlement reached in January with Boeing after prosecutors charged the company with fraud over the certification of the 737 MAX following a Lion Air crash on Oct. 29, 2018, and an Ethiopian Airlines disaster on March 10, 2019.

The settlement allowed Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution but did not impact civil litigation by victims relatives that continues.
I was actually planning to live in Paris for a month, something that Ive always wanted to do as a sort of Eat Pray Love era for myself, before settling down with a family, said Megan Batoon, one of the three hosts of the new Netflix travel series, The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals. I saw a notification pop up on my phone as I was doing the dishes the other day and just laughed as I loaded the dishwasher and fell asleep in my bed, which was not in France. Based out of Los Angeles, the 30-year-old social media influencer shares her travels on Twitter (https://twitter.com/meganbatoon), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MeganBatoonFP/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/meganbatoon/).

Q: What have you learned about traveling from your experience shooting "The Worlds Most Amazing Vacation Rentals"?

A: Ive learned that there is always more to see. We traveled and shot so ambitiously that it was nice to be able to see so much of the world in such a short time. But some of the most memorable moments were walking around and discovering small gems and coffee shops that arent on any travel guide and you could only find if you strolled around town aimlessly.

Q: This pandemic has made everyone think differently about how we spend our vacation time. Besides this Netflix series, what have you been up to travel-wise?
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
In early 2021 Russia was observed improving its Syrian Hmeimim airbase and nearby naval base in the port city of Tartus. Russia has had access to Tartus since 1971, when the Soviet Union signed a deal with Bashar al Assad, the father of the current Assad running Syria, for its warships to use the port of Tartus. Russia never established a naval base at Tartus but because of the 1971 agreement, usually had a few dozen officers, sailors and civilian specialists working in Tartus to arrange resupply for visiting Russian warships, which sometimes headed for Tartus to make some minor repairs that needed parts or tech assistance that could only be obtained in a friendly port. This arrangement continued until 2013, when the Syrian civil war began and Russia pulled its personnel out of Tartus. Russia returned in 2015, with a major military intervention that played a major role in defeating the rebels. Most of the Russian support was logistical. That means military supplies and help repairing or refurbishing Russia tanks, artillery and other systems bought from Russia. The other major item was air support for Assad forces. Since 2013 over 45,000 sorties have been flown from Hmeimim, most of them combat airstrikes or reconnaissance and surveillance to find targets. Another 5,000 combat sorties were flown from Russia. The Russian airstrikes did major damage to Assad opponents, which often included pro-rebel civilians that Syrian and Russian warplanes attacked in an effort to get the civilians to leave their homes and even Syria. That was considered to be a war crime but no one has yet made a move to prosecute Russia or Syria for this and, as long as the Assads can stay in control of Syria, they will never be prosecuted for that or similar attacks made before 2013 to suppress local opposition.

To carry out that kind of air support Russia needed an airbase. By 2015 all the major Syrian military air bases were either in enemy hands or cut off from the coast, where most of the supplies for an air campaign were to be delivered by ship. The solution was a new military airbase, built by Russia next to the main airport outside Latakia City, the capital of Latakia province. Latakia City was also a port and could handle the cargo ships bringing in supplies for the new Russian base. The new Hmeimim airbase was built next to the airport, which was initially used for some of the Russian military sorties until the new Hmeimim facilities became operational. That happened by the end of 2015 and by the end of 2016 the Russian Air Force no longer has to use airport facilities any longer. Hmeimim airbase is 85 kilometers north of the port of Tartus and 50 kilometers from the Turkish border. Both are in Latakia province, which also contains the Syrian Mediterranean coastline and a very pro-Assad population.

In 2018 Syria and Russia signed a new treaty expanding and legalizing Russia control over their growing Tartus base and the Hmeimim air base. Thus included a 49-year lease deal. In 2020 Syria agreed to expand the 2018 agreement and provide Russia with additional land next to Hmeimim for an expansion. The latest round of Hmeimim improvements include extending an airstrip several hundred meters.

Initially Hmeimim had air-conditioned accommodations for about a thousand Russian personnel. That was more than doubled by 2018 as the air and ground defenses of Hmeimim were upgraded. While some Assad loyalists were employed for external security, Russians handled that inside the base, which did not include air defense systems and additional surveillance radars and electronic weapons.

The latest improvements in Tartus are even more extensive as they include construction of a floating dock for repairing warships or commercial ships that would otherwise have to use Russian ports in the Black or Baltic Seas. The floating drydock can be built more quickly than a conventional (in the ground) drydock. The floating drydock can be moved (via a tow) and can last a long time if kept in a sheltered port.

Tartus now has storage facilities for fuel, ship repair materials and tools as well naval munitions. Tartus is turning into the largest for foreign naval base Russia has ever had.
Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX:K; NYSE: KGC) (Kinross and the Company) today provided an update regarding the temporary suspension of milling operations at its Tasiast mine due to a fire that occurred on June 15, 2021.

Mining activities and project work have resumed

Kinross confirms there were no injuries as a result of the fire. Mining activities have resumed at Tasiast, including stripping to access higher grade ore. Construction work on the Tasiast 24k expansion project has also resumed and the Company is evaluating opportunities to optimize the project while milling operations are suspended.

Kinross is drawing on resources from across the Company to expedite actions to reduce the SAG mills downtime and to review all potential strategies to mitigate the expected production deferral. With mining activities continuing at Tasiast, Kinross expects to process stockpiles of higher grade ore when the mill restarts.

Tasiast has property damage and business interruption insurance in place and has commenced the claims process with its insurance carriers.

Government authorities have visited the site and Mauritanias Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Energy has expressed solidarity and support for the Company.

The Company does not anticipate the fire to affect Tasiasts life of mine production and mineral reserve estimates, or have a material impact on the mines overall value.

Initial findings and estimates

While Kinross is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, and is assessing the damage and expected impacts to production and costs, initial findings include the following:

The fire began at approximately 11:00 p.m. local time on June 15, 2021 at the trommel screen of the SAG mill.

At the time the fire began the SAG mill was shut down and undergoing scheduled maintenance, including welding.

Due to the quick actions of the Tasiast team, the fire was mainly limited to the discharge area of the SAG mill.

The ball mills, leaching areas, primary crusher, stockpile and the rest of the processing circuit and other infrastructure were not affected.

The Company is investigating the condition of the mill shell, discharge bearing and the mills gearless motor drive, all of which are important considerations in determining the time and cost required to restart the mill.

Preliminary estimates indicate a restart of the SAG mill by year-end, with expected restart costs of up to $50 million.

Appendix A  Photos of the Tasiast SAG mill area: https://www.kinross.com/KGC-Tasiast-June-21-Appendix-A

The Company has revised its 2021 production guidance to 2.1 million Au eq. oz. (+/- 5%), compared with 2.4 million Au eq. oz. (+/- 5%) disclosed on February 10, 2021.

In 2022 and 2023, Kinross continues to expect annual production to increase to approximately 2.7 million Au eq. oz. and 2.9 million Au eq. oz., respectively.

Based on the initial estimate of the mills downtime and with ongoing work on the 24k project, Tasiasts throughput capacity is now expected to reach 21,000 tonnes per day during Q1 2022, compared with the previous estimate of year-end 2021. Throughput capacity is expected to increase to 24,000 tonnes per day by mid-2023, which is unchanged from the original 24k project estimate.

Despite the mill incident at Tasiast, the Company remains in a strong financial position and is committed to evaluating options to further enhance shareholder returns, which is supported by Kinross Board of Directors.

CEO commentary:J. Paul Rollinson, President and CEO, made the following comments in relation to the fire at Tasiast:

All of our people are safe and accounted for at Tasiast, which is our most important priority. Our site team responded quickly to the fire, which limited the main impacts to the mill discharge area. While we are continuing to assess the impact and are investigating the cause of the incident, we are pleased to report that mining and project work have now resumed at site. We are now focused on restarting milling operations at Tasiast and are mobilizing technical resources from across the Company to expedite actions and achieve this goal.

Although this unfortunate incident is expected to impact our annual production guidance, our financial position and longer-term outlook remain very strong. We continue to expect production to increase to 2.7 and 2.9 million ounces in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and drive our robust free cash flow profile. The strength of our investment grade balance sheet, free cash flow position and growing production from our global portfolio underpin our commitment to further enhancing shareholder returns, including a potential share buyback program.

Conference call details

In connection with this news release, Kinross will hold a conference call and audio webcast on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss the update, followed by a question-and-answer session. The call-in numbers are as follows:

Canada & US toll-free  (833) 968-2237; Passcode: 5787347 Outside of Canada & US  (825) 312-2059; Passcode: 5787347 Replay (available up to 14 days after the call):

Canada & US toll-free  (800) 585-8367; Passcode: 5787347Outside of Canada & US  (416) 621-4642; Passcode: 5787347

You may also access the conference call on a listen-only basis via webcast at our website www.kinross.com. The audio webcast will be archived on www.kinross.com.
A representation of the virtual cryptocurrency Bitcoin is seen in this picture illustration taken June 14, 2021. REUTERS/Edgar Su/Illustration

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, Tom Wilson and Alun John

NEW YORK/LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Bitcoin recovered from a five-month low on Tuesday in volatile session in which it fell below $30,000, extending losses sparked a day earlier when China's central bank deepened a crackdown on cryptocurrencies.

But its outlook remained tilted to the downside, analysts said.

The world's largest cryptocurrency dropped to $28,600, its lowest since early January. It was last up 3.7% at $32,802, and remains about 13% higher so far this year.

Bitcoin's earlier fall also pressured smaller coins such as ether. It tumbled 11% on Monday, its largest one-day drop in over a month, with losses of roughly 56% since hitting an all-time high of just under $65,000 in mid-April.

The earlier sell-off was sparked by the People's Bank of China urging China's largest banks and payment firms to crack down harder on cryptocurrency trading, the latest tightening of restrictions on the sector by Beijing.

"The underlying fundamentals of the crypto-asset world have not changed and this correction was more of a when, not if," said Iqbal Gandham, vice president of transactions at Ledger, a digital asset management solution.

"Any asset class which sees a meteoric rise in the same way as we have seen in crypto is expected to correct. The situation in China has perhaps exacerbated this, along with the increased rate of adoption of altcoins by new users, following tweets of various crypto personalities."

Bitcoin's chart outlook has darkened after it broke below the neckline of a massive head-and-shoulders top formation at $30,393, bringing closer a test of key chart support that could potentially wipe roughly 40% off its current value.

After Monday's PBOC statement, banks including Agricultural Bank of China and Ant Group's payment platform Alipay said they would step up monitoring to root out crypto transactions.

Ether, the token used for the Ethereum blockchain and the second-largest cryptocurrency, last traded up 0.8% at $1,900. It earlier dropped to $1,700, its lowest in a month.

It broke through key structural support in a sign that longs could be capitulating as China's crackdown rippled through the cryptocurrency universe.

HASH RATE TUMBLES

Evidence of the impact of the mining curbs is emerging. The so-called hash rate of the bitcoin network - a measure of its processing power that shows how much mining is taking place, on Monday hit its lowest level since late 2020.

Authorities in major bitcoin mining hubs including Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia have issued their own curbs with greater details on the restrictions.

Iran in late May also banned the energy-intensive mining of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin for nearly four months, as the country faces major power blackouts in many cities. On Tuesday, state media reported that police have seized 7,000 computer miners at an illegal crypto farm, their largest haul to date of the energy-guzzling machines.

The crackdown on miners will likely hit prices in the short-term, market players said.

Mike Novogratz, founder and chief executive officer at Galaxy Digital, a crypto-focused financial services firm, and one of the largest crypto investors, told CNBC on Tuesday that China's actions has created "a retail deleveraging."

"A lot of crypto happens in Asia, a lot of it is Chinese focused. So were seeing big liquidations, so it's hard to call a bottom."

Three industry associations in China last month issued a similar ban on crypto-related financial services, though market players said it would be hard to enforce as banks and payment firms could struggle to identify crypto-related payments.

Beijing's targets are crypto miners, but China's State Council, or cabinet, said last month it would tighten restrictions on producers as well as traders of bitcoin.

(Reporting by Tom Wilson in London, Alun John in Hong Kong and Andrew Galbraith in Shanghai, and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York; Additional reporting by Kevin Buckland in Tokyo; Editing by Dan Grebler and Marguerita Choy)
Wilmington, DE and Ashdod, Israel, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Integrity Applications, Inc. (www.integrity-app.com) (OTCQB: IGAP), innovator of GlucoTrack, a non-invasive device for measuring glucose levels in people with Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, announced today that Luis J. Malave has been appointed to the Companys Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Luiss impressive track record of working with medical device companies from product development to market expansion and high growth is ideally suited to Integrity, said Paul V. Goode, PhD, member of the Board of Directors. His expertise in the consumer diabetes space reflects our focus on developing Integrity into a dominant player in the diabetes management industry.

Mr. Malave brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the MedTech industry, primarily in diabetes management, spanning all company stages, from private startups to large-cap publicly listed companies. He has extensive expertise in product development, operations, marketing, strategic partnerships, and US FDA regulatory strategy.

Mr. Malave currently serves as President of EOFLOW CO. Ltd., a company listed on the Korea Stock Exchange that has developed a wearable disposable insulin pump. Prior to that, Mr. Malave was the President and CEO of Palyon Medical, maker of an implantable drug-delivery system that spun out from German medical-technology giant Fresenius SE. Prior to Palyon, he spent nearly a decade at insulin pump maker Insulet Corp., including as its Senior Vice President of Research, Development and Engineering, and as Chief Operating Officer. He also held various senior positions at Medtronic and MiniMed, overseeing product development of various diabetes management devices.

Mr. Malave earned his Bachelors degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Minnesota, a Masters degree in Software Engineering from the University of St. Thomas, and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Ive spent most of my career focused on innovations in diabetes patient care and I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact medical technology can have on peoples lives, said Mr. Malave. I look forward to working alongside my fellow board members and company management to advance this truly innovative technology that has the potential to help millions of people suffering from diabetes and prediabetes around the world.

About GlucoTrack

GlucoTrack is a truly non-invasive monitoring device that rapidly measures and displays an individuals glucose level in about a minute without finger pricking or any pain. GlucoTrack features an ear clip with sensors that clips to the earlobe and measures the users glucose level using innovative and patented sensor technologies. The measured signals are analyzed using a proprietary algorithm and then a calculated glucose level is displayed on a small handheld device the size of a small mobile phone. The glucose results are stored in the device and used to estimate HbA1c level using a proprietary algorithm. The device can also display glucose values graphically, enabling the user to monitor glucose levels over time. GlucoTrack has received approvals for CE Mark in Europe and from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in South Korea for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes and is currently available in selected markets in Europe and Asia.

About Integrity Applications, Inc.

Integrity Applications, Inc. (OTCQB: IGAP) was founded in 2001 and is focused on the design, development, and commercialization of non-invasive glucose monitoring technologies for people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. The Company has developed GlucoTrack, a proprietary non-invasive glucose monitoring device designed to obtain glucose level measurements in about a minute without the pain, incremental cost, difficulty, or discomfort of conventional invasive finger stick devices. Integrity Applications Inc. is a Delaware corporation, with headquarters in the United States and an R&D site in Ashdod, Israel. For more information, please visit http://www.integrity-app.com/ and http://www.glucotrack.com.

Investor Contact:investors@integrity-app.comMedia Contact: media@integrity-app.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as expect, plan and will are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that certain important factors may affect Integrity Applications actual results and could cause such results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements that may be made in this news release. Factors that may affect Integrity Applications results include, but are not limited to, the ability of Integrity Applications to raise additional capital to finance its operations (whether through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, strategic collaborations or otherwise); risks relating to the receipt (and timing) of regulatory approvals (including FDA approval); risks relating to enrollment of patients in, and the conduct of, clinical trials; risks relating to its current and future distribution agreements; risks relating to its ability to hire and retain qualified personnel, including sales and distribution personnel; and the additional risk factors described in Integrity Applications filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on April 13, 2021.

Source: Integrity Applications, Inc.
XUZHOU, China, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- XCMG (000425.SZ) now ranks 6th  the highest-ranking Chinese brand  in the "Top 40 Global Aerial Work Platform Manufacturers 2021" list (Access M20) released by Access International, a magazine affiliated to KHL Group.

In 2020, the sales of aerial work machinery in Europe and the United States were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanks to the effective and strong control of the pandemic by the Chinese government, China's economy recovered quickly and aerial work machinery manufacturers delivered outstanding results in the global market.

"Aerial work equipment is a sunrise industry with vast potential for future development, so XCMG must grasp new opportunities from this development to build an industrial sector worth billions and become an absolute leader in the field," said Wang Min, chairman and CEO of XCMG.

Earlier this year, 6 units of XGS28 aerial work platforms completed the peripheral steel structure maintenance project in the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in 30 days, which will be hosting the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

The XGS28 aerial work platform is a star model with a maximum working height of 28.2m, maximum payload of 340kg and maximum gradeability of 45 percent. It's structured as three sections of telescopic arms and tower arm mechanism, with a small fly jib featuring a wide work range. The dual payload control system can adjust the work range depending on the payload, meeting different loading requirements. The model is an ideal choice for buildings, bridges, steel structures and stadium construction.

XCMG's top aerial work platform products also include XGS22, a model suitable for large-load constructions at high operation heights. The XGS34 has the widest operation reach among products of the same class, and XGS58, which covers a working height range of 22m to 58m, is suited for high-altitude projects.

With a new manufacturing base for fire safety equipment put into full operation by December 2019, a new generation of XG series aerial work platforms were released. XCMG now has a product portfolio of more than 40 models of aerial work platforms, including forklifts, crank arm and straight boom types.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xcmgs-aerial-work-machinery-sector-now-ranks-6th-globally-301317184.html

SOURCE XCMG
TICKERS: BME; BRSLF

Source: Streetwise Reports (6/22/21)

Sweden is one of the most mining-friendly jurisdictions in the world, and Barsele Minerals is developing a gold project there in Skelleftea, a region known for its gold mines. The junior now has a deal on the table to take full control of the Barsele Project, which management believes will be Sweden's next gold producer.



"Why don't you let us help you pay for it?"

That was the question Gary Cope, president, CEO and director of Vancouver-based Barsele Minerals Corp. (BME:TSX.V; BRSLF:OTCQB), casually posed to Sean Boyd, CEO and vice chairman of Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM:TSX; AEM:NYSE) after the major gold producer announced in early January that it would acquire TMAC Resources (TMR:TSX) for about C$287 million.

Both Agnico Eagle and Barsele Minerals are partners in the 2.4 million ounce (2.4 Moz) Barsele gold project in Vasterbottens Lan, northern Sweden, with the major holding a commanding 55% stake that the junior is now seeking to acquire.

With a market cap north of C$21 billion, it's not like Agnico Eagle needs the extra cash to further develop its healthy cluster of North American gold assets, but Boyd is an accountant by trade and Cope's overture for Agnico's 55% interest in Barsele was greeted not only as an opportunity to save some coin but perhaps make some, too.

After several meetings and dozens of emails, Barsele and Agnico Eagle jointly signed a non-binding letter of intent that outlines a plan that would see Barsele Minerals own 100% of the Barsele gold project.

Under the terms of the deal, Barsele will pay US$45 million, plus a 14.9% equity stake (to be issued when the deal closes), to acquire Agnico Eagle's indirect interest in Gunnarn Mining AB, the Swedish company holding the gold concessions.

Agnico gains further upside by securing warrants equal to 6 million Barsele shares. Each warrant will have a 5-year term and be $1.25/share or a 20% premium to the 20-day volume weighted average price prior to the date the warrant was issued, whichever is higher.

Agnico also gets a 2% net smelter return royalty (NSR) that Barsele can buy back at any time for US$15 million. Another 2% NSR on the Barsele project is jointly held between Orex Minerals (REX:TSX.V; ORMNF:OTC), Gunnarn Mining AB, Agnico Eagle Sweden AB and Agnico Eagle. The buy-back price on the second NSR is US$5 million.

Barsele will pay Agnico a "contingent value right" or CVR equal to US$2.5 million for each 1 million ounces in gold reserves and resources that Barsele outlines at its eponymous project beyond what was outlined before the deal. That amount is capped at US$20 million.

Barsele Minerals has the option to apply the first US$5 million of any CVR payments to buy back the NSR held by Orex and co. Agnico secured the right to participate in any future Barsele financings so that it can maintain its 14.9% stake. The complex negotiation went back and forth for months.

"We went from an all-cash deal, which we were quite happy doing, to where (Agnico) demanded a sizable piece of Barsele stock, an NSR and the bonus structure. All these things showed us that they really believe that with a proper budget we're going to really expand this deposit, and we've always known that, too," Cope explains.

For Agnico, the deal allows the major to focus on its exploration and development pipeline in North America, especially TMAC's Hope Bay gold mine, while retaining an interest in the Barsele Project as an equity investor and royalty holder.

"We wish Barsele success," Boyd says.

Now the junior needs to raise U$45 million, plus at least another C$5 million to fund a season of exploration and development.

Cope expects most of the money to come from a gold streaming partner, with the rest in convertible debentures that will convert at around $1.25/share. Cope says his company has already signed a non-disclosure agreement with a "very well known" streaming company regarding financing.

The Barsele project is located on the western end of the Skelleftea Trend (pronounced (shell-eff-tee-ah), a gold belt known primarily for its volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits but also intrusive orogenic gold deposits.

The initial drill program conducted by the Agnico-Barsele duo in 2016 yielded a 112-meter intercept on the Skirasen zone grading 2.01 g/t gold. The mineralization was 650 meters southeast of the Central Zone.

Two years later, a resource estimate was compiled by Quebec-based InnovExplo at Barsele using drill results along the AvanCentralSkirasen gold zones.

The Inferred resource measured 25,495,000 tonnes grading 2.54 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, for 2.086 Moz contained gold, whereas the Indicated resource tallied to 5,578,000 tonnes grading 1.81 g/t gold for 324,000 oz gold. The study used three different cut-off grades.

Further drilling in 2020 at Avan, after some structural reinterpretations, revealed new high-grade intercepts next to and beneath the known mineralized zones.

The Barsele technical team now believes there are cross structures running north-south that carry high gold grades along a trend outside the wireframes outlining the current resource.

For instance, drill hole AVA18003-extension cut 5 meters grading 84 g/t gold (true thickness to be determined) in a deeper, high-grade gold zone. The intercept occurred about 400 meters below surface.

Cope says all three mineralized zones in the Barsele resourceAvan, Central and Skirasenare really parts of one system along a mineralized belt. So far drilling has determined that the mineralization stretches 8 km, yet only drill results from the first three kilometers are in the resource.

"There's another five kilometers in the same belt that haven't been explored. And if you go right to the very end of that eight-kilometer trend there is a target called Risberget, which has about 20 drill holes [in it]," Cope says. "It's not in the resource. But it's the same grade, same rock One of the upsides of the project is that there's a lot of great drill holes that aren't in the resource because of drill spacing and other criteria."

Indeed. Hole RIS-17007 drilled at Risberget hit 32 meters running 2.92 g/t gold, including 1 meter running an eye-popping 248 g/t gold.

Four kilometers north, drills to continue to turn at Bastutrask, the most recent discovery at Barsele. The best intercept to date returned 0.7 meters grading 32 g/t gold, 0.12% nickel, 0.08% copper and 0.05% cobalt.

And then there's Norra, a promising VMS deposit. The main mineralized body measures 300 meters in strike length at widths that start at five meters and reach more than 50.

Drill hole NOR19008 at Norra hit 12 meters running 11.04 g/t gold, 74.22 g/t silver, 0.29% copper, 0.26% lead and 1.44% zinc. Not to be outdone, drill hole NOR19009 hit 10 meters along strike averaging 8.86 g/t gold, 78.63 g/t silver, 1.51% copper, 0.1% lead and 5.17% zinc. None of the drill holes at Norra were included in the resource.

Some past producing mines in the region such as Boliden and Storliden started out as VMS discoveries. The nearby Bjorkdal mine, a VMS gold deposit owned Mandalay Resources (MND:TSX), produces about 50,000 oz gold annually.

Cope is not shy about his plans for the Barsele gold projecthe's going to expand the resource and sell it to the highest bidder. Barsele has hired BMO Capital Markets as its advisor.

"There will be a huge exploration program designed to get the resource to that 3.5 to 5 Moz range. BMO thinks that at that point, there'll be 8 to 10 mining companies that will be all over ([Barsele] because of the jurisdiction," Cope says. "We've got three power lines going right through the middle of the projectthe cheapest power in the world, under two cents per kilowatt; a flat tax of 22%; and a highly productive labor force Now that we have 100%, we can sell it to anybody."

In 2013, Cope was president and CEO of Orko Silver when the junior orchestrated a bidding war for Orko's massive La Preciosa silver-gold deposit in Durango, Mexico. Despite bids from a few different suitors, La Preciosa was sold to Coeur Mining (CDE:NYSE) in a cash and shares deal valued at C$380 million.

Barsele Minerals trades in a 52-week range of $0.32 to $0.82 with 129.5 million shares outstanding. Management owns roughly 25% of the company.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

1) Brian Sylvester compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. He or members of his household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. He or members of his household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. His company has a financial relationship with the following companies referred to in this article: None.

2) The following companies mentioned in this interview are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with Barsele Minerals. Please click here for more information. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

3) The interview does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

4) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Barsele Minerals, a company mentioned in this article.


TICKERS: HSTR; RGCTF

Source: Matt Badiali for Streetwise Reports (6/22/21)

Independent financial analyst and geologist Matt Badiali delves into Heliostar Metals' exploration at its "lost mine" in Alaska.



On June 16, 2021, Heliostar Metals Ltd. (HSTR:TSX.V; RGCTF:OTC) announced that it hit 88.3 grams per tonne (g/t) gold over 3 meters and 19.3 g/t gold over 4.5 meters at the old Apollo Mine on its Unga Project in Alaska.

That's an exceptional discovery for a tiny gold explorer like Heliostar but in this case it means a whole lot more.

You see, Apollo is a "lost gold mine." Like the kind you read about in old Western novels. Discovered in 1891, the mine production peaked between 1891 and 1904. In total, the mine produced about 107,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 12.8 g/t.

The historical reports from the mine described thick veins rich with gold and base metals. The old miners found free gold, galena (lead), sphalerite (zinc), chalcopyrite (copper) and native copper in veins. The old miners left three main zones: Apollo Shaft 1, Apollo Shaft 2 and the Sitka Mine.

Initially, the miners found gold alone in the veins. However, as they mined deeper, the ore became richer in base metals like zinc and lead. That was a problem at the turn of the last century.

At that time, miners couldn't process ore with base metals. That didn't come along until later, but it's industry standard today.

The mine finally closed in the 1920s. The people left, the town died, and Apollo became a lost gold mine.

However, much of the old information remained in dusty old historical reports from the mine. As time passed, the mine old fell into ruin.

Apollo didn't see interest again until the 1980s, when an exploration company drilled 14 holes. However, the treasure map didn't work. Those holes didn't find the veins described in the historical reports.

The property went dormant again for another forty years, until Heliostar drilled seven holes in 2020.

The Heliostar team figured something out. They realized that the historical mine drawings weren't exact. So instead of jumping into drilling, they approached the problem systematically. They did some basic exploration work on Apollo.

As they mapped the geology, they saw that the team in the 1980s missed the entire vein corridor. The map's coordinates were off. If you went solely by the old data, you drilled in barren rock!

Using information gathered from the 2020 field season, they team carefully plotted the 2021 drill locations and found the lost gold mine.

What the Market Missed

I love a good "Lost Gold Mine" story. It's what attracted me to Heliostar over a year ago. I dug into the story and the old geologic reports. As I read through them, I got chills

The old miners found a lot of gold and just left it in the ground. They left hints and clues about the rocks and the quality of the ore.

If the company could prove that these veins still existed and that they held the metal claimed in the report then this could be a huge discovery.

That's why this recent news is so important.

The new drilling provides ample proof that the historical reports didn't lie. The miners did hit base-metal rich veins with gold.

For example, drill hole SKRC21-03 hit 4.5 meters of rock that ran 1.9 g/t gold, 21.6 g/t silver, 1.4% lead and 5.7% zinc.

I'll bet that rock makes beautiful core, with that much metal in it!

The market reacted to the results, as you can see in the chart below:

But the true impact of these holes hasn't hit the price yet.

These early results prove that the historical veins remain. That removes a lot of exploration risk for the Heliostar team. They proved that high grade gold and base metals exist at Apollo, just like the historical reports describe.

There are another 27+ drill holes in progress right now. The Apollo trend stretches for 2 kilometers. The current drilling tested less than half that length so far.

The company's goal, as stated by Heliostar CEO Charles Funk, is simple:

"The company is undertaking a 7,000 meter, fully funded program with a goal of demonstrating the current resource (384,000 inferred ounces at 13.8 g/t gold) can grow to greater than 1,000,000 ounces of gold."

Heliostar is a C$46 million company with 31.9 million shares outstanding. It's priced like a high-risk exploration company. But it has a detailed treasure map from a lost gold mine. And this summer's drilling program should remove all doubt that the lost gold mine is found again.

--Matt Badiali

Reach Matt Badiali at www.mattbadiali.net.

Matt Badiali is a geologist and independent financial analyst. He spent fifteen years researching and writing about great investments inside the natural resources sectors. He can be reached at www.mattbadiali.net.

[NLINSERT]

Streetwise Reports Disclosure:

1) Matt Badiali: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Heliostar. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: I am a paid consultant to Heliostar. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.

2) The following companies mentioned in the article are sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.

4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases.
Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division take part in the first home station training to counter small drones in April and May 2021, prior to a deployment to the Middle East. (U.S. Army)

Soldiers in Colorado have completed new predeployment training on countering small drones, as U.S. forces face a growing threat of attacks from the remotely piloted devices in the Middle East, the military said.

While U.S. forces deployed to Central Command have trained for years to disable small unmanned aerial systems, or sUAS, the Armys 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson last month became the first to undergo home station counter-sUAS training before a CENTCOM deployment, the service said in a statement last week.

In Iraq, facilities housing American and allied forces have come under at least five attacks since April in which explosive-laden drones were used. Last week, Iraqi security forces shot down two drones near Baghdad, one of them armed with a bomb, the government said.

The U.S. has blamed Iran-backed militias for the drone strikes, which come after years of sporadic rocket barrages meant to pressure American forces to withdraw from the country. Videos of a militia parade circulated online last week showing trucks hauling Iranian-made drones.

The use of the small drones by such militias will only grow in coming years, CENTCOM boss Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. told reporters on a trip to Iraq last month, but he said the military has more work to do to get where we want to be to combat the threat, The Associated Press reported.

The new predeployment training has been designed around a new Pentagon strategy drafted by the Army-led Joint Counter-sUAS Office. The office is responsible for overseeing the militarys efforts against the devices, which often fly too low to be detected by base defenses that protect against mortar and rocket fire.

The Army also said it was sending mobile counter-drone training teams to the Middle East.

The biggest thing is that were getting this threat awareness spread out there to the warfighter, said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Randy Jones, systems integrator for the 4th ID's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

Marine Corps 1st Lt. William Stark operates a drone during counter-unmanned aircraft systems training in Saudi Arabia, June 12, 2021. Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division also recently underwent training to counter small drones prior to a deployment to the Middle East. (Melissa Marnell/U.S. Marine Corps)

For the mostly infantry soldiers in the course, it was a really eye-opening experience for a lot of them" to learn about both the threat and the military's countermeasures, Jones said.

The Islamic State group and other militants in Iraq and Afghanistan began using small, cheap drones several years ago for reconnaissance. Militants have also loaded them with armaments to drop on ground forces.

They attach grenades to them, mortars, acid even, said Lance Cpl. Niklaus McMann in a Marine Corps video last week showcasing the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS. The low-altitude air defense system allows troops to scan the sky for small drones and then disrupt the link between the drone and its operator using a radio frequency blast.

The Fort Carson soldiers trained on a similar system, called the Mobile-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Integrated Defeat System, or M-LIDS. Its a set of sensors and weapons mounted on an Oshkosh M-ATV Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.

A version of the MADIS mounted on a Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle was used aboard the USS Boxer to down an Iranian drone that buzzed the amphibious assault ship in the Strait of Hormuz two years ago.

Meanwhile, militant groups are using teenagers as young as 13 to fly the unmanned systems, said McMann, who was in Saudi Arabia with the Marine Corps' regional crisis response task force.

Its very my generation, he said. Its very easy to learn, and theyre getting really good at it. Most of the time these pilots, they just pretend its a video game.

garland.chad@stripes.com

Twitter: @chadgarland
Adm. Karl L. Schultz, the commandant of the Coast Guard, as seen at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 2021. (Travis Magee/U.S. Coast Guard)

WASHINGTON  The commandant of the Coast Guard is set to testify Wednesday for the first time about how the service is addressing harassment, bullying and retaliation after a series of damning congressional and inspector general reports.

Adm. Karl Schultz is likely to face questions from lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee about the reports, dating back to 2019, as well as the findings of an independent study that year on female-retention challenges.

The hearing, titled Building the Coast Guard America Needs: Achieving Diversity, Equity and Accountability Within the Service, comes after Schultz faced scrutiny from some Democratic House lawmakers for declining to testify twice within eight months.

A brewing debate in Congress about military justice reform also stands as a backdrop for Schultzs first appearance on Capitol Hill. A growing number of lawmakers are rallying behind a movement to take the decision away from the chain of command on whether to prosecute sexual assault cases and other serious crimes.

While Department of Defense service chiefs have spoken out in public forums and at congressional hearings on the scourge of sexual assault and harassment in the military and the lack of recourse for survivors, the Coast Guards leadership has largely remained out of the spotlight.

But an 18-month congressional probe into the handling of harassment and retaliation complaints at the Coast Guard Academy drew attention to one of the militarys smallest branches, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security.

The results of the investigation found military leadership did not promptly and thoroughly investigate allegations of harassment and bullying and did not hold officials accountable for failing to complete investigations. The Coast Guard also did not take corrective action to address retaliation against individuals who report harassment and bullying, according to the report.

In December 2019, the chairman of a House Oversight subpanel Rep. Jamie Raskin said at a joint hearing with the Homeland Security Committee to discuss the report that despite repeated requests for Schultzs testimony, he refused to attend.

Vice Adm. Michael McAllister, deputy commandant for mission support, appeared at the high-profile hearing instead. McAllister told lawmakers then that the commandant asked him to testify on his behalf as the official who oversees the Connecticut-based Academy and leads diversity and inclusion initiatives and training programs.

At the time, McAllister said that he did not have data to suggest bullying and harassment were widespread issues within the Coast Guard.

Schultz also came under fire again when the heads of the House Oversight and Homeland Security Committee said the commandant declined to testify at a remote hearing set for July 16, 2020, claiming that a White House directive banned virtual testimony from administration witnesses.

A Homeland Security Inspector General report in early June was the focus of the planned July hearing, which found the Coast Guard Academy was aware of 16 racist harassment cases between 2013 and 2018, of which 11 were not investigated thoroughly. The IG also found racist harassment was underreported due to concerns over retribution for reporting allegations.

Lt. Cmdr. Kimberly Young-McLear, the whistleblower whose case was a key part of the 2019 congressional probe, said she has not seen a drastic change in the services culture since she testified that year on the bullying, harassment, discrimination and retaliation that she endured over five years.

A Black, lesbian officer who has climbed the ranks during nearly 20 years of service, Young-McLear made complaints that several of her superiors harassed her while teaching at the Academy based on her gender, race and sexual orientation.

The investigation found that these complaints were not investigated thoroughly and that she was retaliated against for speaking out about the years of abuse, in violation of the Military Whistleblower Protection Act.

My case has been very visible in public, and to this day, even 18 months after I testified, there still continues to be zero justice or accountability with my case.  We dont really have a strong culture where holding people accountable is a standard, Young-McLear said.

All the senior Coast Guard officials who were found to be complicit in Young-McLears case have all gotten promotions or competitive job assignments, she said.

Young-McLear  now a detailee at DHS cybersecurity agency -- said she believes the high-profile incidents that revealed the cruelty and pervasiveness of how allegations are systematically swept under the rug are not isolated. They continue to erode our preparedness and agility to address national security threats and mission readiness, she said.

More than two dozen active-duty and former members of the Coast Guard contacted Stars and Stripes within three days when asked on social media to share stories about harassment, bullying, retaliation and toxic command climates within the service.

Enlisted members and officers, male and female, spoke about regular experiences with sexism, gender bias, racism, discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault and retaliation for reporting incidents.

Many who reported incidents to their chain of command said they were told the abusive behavior was their fault, or that they were not telling the truth, which made some feel like they had to suffer in silence.

Women described unique challenges. A 2019 Rand Corp. study found that women leave the Coast Guard at a higher rate than men.

Poor leadership, gender bias, discrimination, unfair weight standards and sexual assault and harassment were among some of the top reasons why women left, according to the study, which included concerns from focus groups made up of active-duty women and men.

Some participants of the study said bad leaders are retained and sometimes promoted, and an old boys club culture made them feel excluded or that they had to tolerate inappropriate comments.

The service members also said that units with only one or two women assigned and units in remote, isolated environments also tended to experience sexual harassment or assault more often than other units, according to the study.

Estrella Marin, a Coast Guard veteran who served from 2005 to 2017, said the services handling of multiple Equal Employment Opportunity cases she filed made her decide to leave the military.

Marin, 39, left when she was an E-4, serving as a marine science technician in Guam. She said she had experienced reprisal after filing a complaint, as well as a sexual assault and harassment at some of her earlier units.

The Hawaii resident said that she wants Schultz at Wednesdays hearing to share his understanding of the weaknesses in the Coast Guard.

It may not be affecting him personally, because hes in this insular bubble, even within a very insular organization, Marin said.

Every time things get pushed under the rug, it doesnt go away. It just comes back worse. So then you have to allocate more money, more resources to get it taken care of, or if you would have just done it right the first time, it would not be where its at, she said.

Young-McLear believes the Coast Guard needs a culture that prioritizes accountability and justice to attract and retain a workforce that is diverse and equitable.

The lack of it sends a crystal clear message to the perpetrators that are already in the ranks  that they can continue their behaviors, because there wont be any consequences, she said.

This forces talented service members out of the Coast Guard, leaving them to deal with the lasting effects of psychological harm, including PTSD and other mental health diagnoses, she said.

Its a lifetime. People dont forget their experiences.

Cammarata.Sarah@stripes.com
Daniel Hollis was a sophomore at Emerson College, suffered a fatal brain injury in September 2019 following a confrontation with Lance Cpl. Samuel London on a Boston street. (Caring Bridge)

BOSTON (Tribune News Service)  A Marine has been convicted of killing Emerson College student Daniel Hollis nearly two years after the 19-year-old was struck in the head as he tried to stop a fight on an Allston street.

A military court late last week found that Lance Cpl. Samuel London was guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The Marine Corps reservist has been sentenced to more than five years behind bars, and he has been dishonorably discharged with a loss of pay, the Marine Corps confirmed.

Hollis suffered a fatal brain injury in September 2019 following a confrontation on Park Vale Avenue.

A Suffolk County grand jury declined to indict anyone in connection with the Hopedale High School alums death, but the military took over the investigation.

Following Londons conviction, the Daniel J. Hollis Foundation tweeted out, Justice.

Our loss remains  Daniel will not return to us in this life, the Foundation said in a statement. The conviction and sentencing of the person responsible for his death are of small consequence to the loss we feel every single day, however, Londons conviction and sentence relieves some of the anger and frustration associated with unanswered questions and lack of accountability for the aggressors.

Last February, a Suffolk County grand jury opted to not indict London.

Im grateful to the team of investigators and prosecutors who ensured that the individual responsible for Daniel Hollis death is held accountable through the militarys legal system, Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins said in a statement.

Im also grateful to my staff and members of the Boston Police Department who conducted a thorough and detailed investigation prior to the decision of a Suffolk County grand jury declining to return indictments last year, Rollins added. My office will continue to be available to Mr. Hollis loved ones to ensure that they have the resources and support they deserve as they begin this next chapter in their journey toward healing.

Over the last two weeks, the details of NCIS Special Agent Marcus Anders investigative work came to light during the general court-martial proceedings.

On Friday, June 18, 2021, 628 days from the time that Dan was struck in the head as he was trying to prevent an altercation, our family was able to speak about Dan and the impact his loss has had on us all, the Foundation said, later adding, We choose now to focus on Daniel and his light and his positivity. We will continue the work of this foundation to provide opportunities to young people to support their community, foster healthy competition, and explore the world around them.

___

(c)2021 the Boston Herald

Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Buy Photo U.S. service members and others hang out at the New York New York Bar and Grill near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  Bars, nightclubs and tattoo parlors are no longer off-limits for most sailors in Japan as more people receive COVID-19 vaccines and overall infection numbers decline.

The decision to relax many off-duty restrictions was announced Tuesday evening by Yokosuka's commander, Capt. Rich Jarrett, during a town hall streamed live on Facebook.

For normal risk liberty locations  our sailors and family members can now visit bars, clubs, izakayas, and additionally places like tattoo parlors, amusement parks and other recreational activities, he said. However, individual commanding officers may impose limitations on those activities in separate policies.

Restrictions remain in place for high-risk areas, such as certain parts of central Tokyo, said Jarrett, who advised sailors and their families to heed local restrictions. Masks will continue to be required off base, for example.

You may also find that some food and beverage establishments continue to close early in the evening and alcohol may not be available based upon request from the Kanagawa prefecture government, Jarrett told his town-hall audience. Still, this is a big step for our community, and we're eager to continue to return to normal.

It didnt take long for Yokosukas sailors to start taking advantage of their newfound freedom. Yuko Cairns, owner and operator of the New York New York Bar and Grill near the base, said people started showing up around 6:30 p.m., 20 minutes after Jarretts announcement.

I feel like were finally back to normal, said Cairns, who has closed and reopened her bar several times throughout the pandemic. It feels like the kids are coming back home.

Leave outside the local area is also authorized pending risk and itinerary assessments by leadership, U.S. Naval Forces Japan commander Rear Adm. Brian Fort wrote in a policy document released Tuesday. Red areas such as Hokkaido and Kyoto are still off-limits.

As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, the U.S. military in Japan had reported two new coronavirus infections, both at Yokosuka. The base has had two people test positive since Friday, it said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

One unimmunized base employee came up positive after developing COVID-19 symptoms and another tested positive during a medical evaluation, the statement said. The base has four active cases.

Yokosuka has had nine people test positive so far this month, compared with 10 infections in May.

Japan on Tuesday reported 1,376 new coronavirus infections, 300 more than the same day last week, according to public broadcaster NHK and the World Health Organization. There were 42 deaths nationwide.

The government has counted 785,000 COVID-19 cases during the pandemic and more than 14,000 deaths, the WHO said.

Tokyo on Tuesday reported another 435 coronavirus infections and five deaths, according to NHK, which cited metropolitan government data. Thats 98 more than the same day last week.

Osaka prefecture, the nations second-largest metro area, reported 107 new infections Tuesday and four deaths, NHK said.

Okinawa prefecture, home to most U.S. troops in Japan, reported another 98 new infections Tuesday and four deaths, nine fewer positive cases than the same day last week, according to NHK.

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A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee stands in the middle of a traffic circle on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va., on June 27, 2017. (Steve Helber/AP)

RICHMOND, Va.  If a court clears the way, the state of Virginia expects to remove not just a soaring statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond's historic Monument Avenue but also a little-known piece of history tucked inside the massive sculpture's base: a 134-year-old time capsule.

Historical records and recent imaging tests suggest the presence of the time capsule, which some have speculated might contain a rare, valuable and historically significant photo of deceased President Abraham Lincoln.

"Anyone who has an interest in Civil War history or Richmond history would be very intrigued by this item," said Dale Brumfield, a local historian and author who has conducted extensive research on the aged copper receptacle and rumored photo.

Gov. Ralph Northam's office shared details of the time capsule removal project and the state's plans to replace it with a new one with The Associated Press ahead of a formal announcement scheduled for later Tuesday.

The removal work is contingent on the resolution of two still-pending lawsuits seeking to keep the monument in place.

The bronze equestrian statue of Lee was one of five enormous Confederate tributes along Monument Avenue and the only one that belonged to the state. Like many other cities across the South, Richmond removed the figures on its monuments last summer amid nationwide protests against racial injustice and criticism that the statues are symbols of white supremacy that should not occupy public places.

A newspaper article from 1887 suggests that what is inside the Lee monument capsule is mostly memorabilia, including a U.S. silver dollar and a collection of Confederate buttons.

One line from that article has generated buzz, however: a "picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin." The newspaper identified the donor of that item as "Miss Pattie Leake," who was a school principal from a prominent local family, according to Brumfield.

Harold Holzer, a historian and Lincoln scholar, said he believes it's highly doubtful that the picture is an actual photograph of Lincoln in his coffin because the only known photo of Lincoln in death was taken by photographer Jeremiah Gurney in City Hall in New York on April 24, 1865.

More likely, Holzer said, it could be a popular Currier & Ives lithographic print of Lincoln lying in state in New York or a sketch done by an artist who may have witnessed Lincoln's body during a two-week tour the president's body was taken on before his burial in Springfield, Illinois.

Brumfield, who wrote about the time capsule and possible Lincoln photo in a 2017 article for Richmond magazine, said he believes the image was included as a reflection of Richmond's role as the capital of the Confederacy during most of the Civil War.

"I think it just gives a big middle finger to Lincoln, the Union and what it stood for," Brumfield said.

Brumfield said he found another newspaper article from the same time period that described a cornerstone-laying ceremony on Oct. 27, 1887, attended by about 25,000 people. The article said 60 donated artifacts, including the Lincoln picture, were sealed in the copper box and placed inside the cornerstone.

What kind of shape might the contents of the time capsule be in?

"We have no idea," said Julie Langan, director of the Department of Historic Resources.

Even if the capsule hasn't sustained water damage, Langan said paper products from the time would have had a high acid content and would be expected to be extremely fragile. Plans call for law enforcement to take immediate possession of the time capsule and bring it to the state's conservation lab, where it will be opened in the presence of expert staff ready to triage the objects as needed.

The state's plans also call for replacing the time capsule with a new one to reflect the Virginia of 2021. A website was set up to collect submissions.

The Lee statue, which weighs an estimated 12 tons (11 metric tons) and stands 21 feet tall (6.4 meters) on a pedestal nearly twice that height, became the epicenter of racial injustice protests last summer after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Northam announced then that he intended to remove the monument, but he has been fighting in court ever since.

For the time being, the governor plans to leave in place the statue's enormous pedestal, now covered with anti-police and anti-racism graffiti. Some racial justice advocates see it as a symbol of the protest movement that erupted after Floyd's killing and don't want it moved.

Richmond officials, meanwhile, are advancing plans to remove the pedestals and other remnants of the four other Monument Avenue tributes and at least temporarily pave over or relandscape the sites. Northam has tapped the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to lead a community-driven redesign process for the whole of Monument Avenue, but that process is expected to be a long one and is not yet underway.

The nation's current reckoning with racial injustice, sparked by the death of Floyd and other Black men at the hands of police, has remade the public history landscape in many Southern cities. Officials in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, recently voted unanimously to remove two statues of Confederate generals, including one that was the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017.

In Tennessee, officials have decided to relocate the remains of Confederate army general, former slave trader and early Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest from a downtown park in Memphis to a Confederate museum in the city of Columbia. Georgia and other states have relocated monuments as well.

Richmond's proposal to remove the pedestals of its former Confederate monuments has been welcomed by some who say every piece of the monuments represents a tribute to white supremacy that should be wiped away. But others, including many speakers in a contentious, lengthy public meeting Monday, have voiced concerns about dismantling heavy, valuable and, in some cases, artistically significant pieces.

"If we pretend that this didn't happen, that these statues weren't there by repaving over the scar, we are walking away and sweeping this under the rug," said Sarah Shields Driggs, a Richmond resident and architectural historian who co-authored a book about Monument Avenue. "If we leave the pedestals there, even if just for a few years, we have the opportunity to reimagine, to readdress and possibly to start to correct our mistakes."
The U.S. Senate has found bipartisan agreement on a bad habit neither party can resist: spending money and blaming China for it. Despite a $28 trillion national debt, the Senate approved close to a quarter-trillion funding program through the United States Innovation and Competition Act for American manufacturing and technology sectors increasingly challenged by China.

While addressing Chinas rise is necessary, its troubling to see U.S. policymakers embracing the idea that Chinese development models are so successful that they require the United States to rethink its traditional market-based approach.

In May 2015, Beijing launched Made in China 2025 to promote Chinese independence from external supply chains. The Senate legislation emphasizes many of the same investments as China. These areas of dominance as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer described them, include quantum computing and biomedical research.

Ironically, key leaders in the U.S. defense industry  supposedly working to protect Americans from external threats like China  have also marveled at the communist countrys business model.

In an earnings call this year, Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet credited vertical integration in Chinas industrial base for the countrys capabilities and velocity. He suggested that the American defense industry should follow suit with state investments in defense firms and said government officials should ask themselves, How does China operate its defense industrial base?

The curious thing about these arguments is that China stands as a case study on the follies of industrial policy. Beijings state-dominated approach poses challenges to the countrys competitiveness. In the absence of a boundary between the Chinese state and its economy, the military rules.

Since the 1920s, the Peoples Liberation Army has invested in more than 20,000 enterprises. Reforms notwithstanding, senior military leaders cultivate connections with commercial entities. That fosters a culture of corruption. Ostensible efforts to acquire better technology lead to equipment purchases that align more with personal gain for military decision-makers than improvements in combat units.

Cronyism accounts for the complications in Chinese endeavors to produce military equipment components in-house, such as the manufacturing of jet engines, as well as the weak maintenance systems seen across Chinese military platforms. Chinese leaders rationalize their approach in the name of self-reliance. Yet China's dependence on foreign technology, such as software from the United States, results from shortcomings in Chinese domestic industries. State subsidies encourage their industry leaders to copy weapons systems from other nations. Or some might say steal them through industrial espionage and computer hacking operations.

One can hope that U.S. industry figures invoke Chinas business model less out of ideological conviction and more as an excuse to enrich their own bottom lines.

Which brings us back to Lockheed Martin.

The worlds largest defense contractor with $65 billion in sales last year apparently hopes that playing the China card will overcome expected opposition on its planned $4.4 billion purchase of Aerojet Rocketdyne, a merger that would vertically integrate the U.S. missile defense industry and reduce domestic competition.

Since Aerojet is the last independent American producer of solid rocket motors, acquisition by Lockheed would push other major U.S. defense companies out of the missile business. Or they would have to buy from foreign suppliers. Critics warn that this would stifle American innovation and raise prices on taxpayers. Though announced in December 2020, the planned acquisition still must be approved by the Defense Department and Federal Trade Commission, given the high stakes involved.

Air Force Secretary nominee Frank Kendall has lamented the trend toward fewer and larger prime contractors and its potential to affect innovation. While serving as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics during the Obama administration, Kendall published a book titled Getting Defense Acquisition Right that expounded on those points.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raised similar concerns during his Senate confirmation hearing earlier this year. So did Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown during recent media interviews.

In the current political environment, Lockheed Martin should think twice before they press ahead on dubious mergers that create monopolies and arguably undermine U.S. national security. The deference the defense industry has received from both major parties is coming under renewed threat from activists who question the rationale for U.S. missile defense programs.

The Council for a Livable World just sent a letter to President Joe Biden co-signed by 65 national security leaders urging him to include missile defense as part of strategic stability talks with Chinese and Russian leaders. Their arguments rely on the dubious, Cold War-era notion that American missile defense, rather than the revisionary ambitions of the authoritarian regimes in China and Russia, are to blame for a potential arms race.

The point, however, is that making a credible case for defense programs requires Americas leading defense contractors to act responsibly and consistent with the competitive, capitalistic nature of the U.S. economy. So as the House deliberates the Senate bill, Congress should bear in mind that competing with China does not require Americans to trade free markets for Chinese-style statism.

Pratik Chougule, a Washington-based researcher, served at the State Department in the Office of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security.
The body of a man who a doctor said was shot and killed by Myanmar security forces during an anti-military takeover protest, lies on a stretcher in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 23, 2021. (AP)

BANGKOK  A deadly shootout between security forces and militants opposed to army rule erupted Tuesday in Myanmar's second biggest city when a raid was carried out on a building that the government described as a hideout of "terrorists."

At least eight people were killed in the gun battle in Mandalay, the military-run Myawaddy Television's news service reported.

The word "terrorists" is generally used by the government and state media to refer to members of the armed resistance that has arisen against the February military takeover that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

A video that circulated widely on social media showed a soldier just outside the besieged property firing a rocket-propelled grenade at the building, a boarding house. The authenticity of the video could not immediately be confirmed, though residents of the densely populated area said the fighting, involving about 50 troops, appeared to be fierce and they could hear explosions.

Initial opposition to the army's seizure of power took the form of nonviolent resistance, including peaceful marches and demonstrations, but the military used deadly force that killed hundreds of protesters, sparking a turn to active self-defense.

Violent opposition to army rule has escalated in recent weeks, and has mostly taken the form of bombings and killings of military-linked local officials, though responsibility is rarely claimed for such attacks.

Armed opponents of the ruling junta have organized themselves into what they call People's Defense Force units, with the ultimate goal of forming a federal army that can challenge the ruling junta. Some activists who have turned to armed resistance have been receiving military training from the militias of ethnic minority groups in border areas who have long battled the central government for greater autonomy, but the extent of their assistance is unclear.

Social media posts claiming to speak for a Mandalay People's Defense Force branch said during the shootout Tuesday morning that it was the start of an urban guerrilla uprising. There were no signs, however, of any other significant actions.

"The day we have been waiting for has arrived. The Mandalay PDF has started today," said a post signed by Bo Tun Tauk Naing, described as the group's leader. The name is a pseudonym, combining the words for "bright like the sun" and "victory" after the abbreviation for the rank of major.

Other posts urged the city's residents to block military reinforcements, obstruct roads with burning tires and reveal the military's movements online.

The military said that when security forces went to inspect a building where "terrorists" were reported to be hiding, they were attacked with guns and grenades, compelling them to shoot back, according to Myawaddy TV.

The military said some members of the security forces were seriously injured -- no exact number was announced -- and four "terrorists" in the building died and eight others were arrested. It said some homemade explosive devices, grenades and light firearms were captured.

It also said a white sedan attempted to attack the security forces and then escape, but crashed into a transformer as it was being chased, killing four "terrorists" inside the car, in which weapons were also found.

The confrontation in Mandalay drew concern from at least two Western embassies.

"We are tracking reports of ongoing fighting in Mandalay, including early reports of possible civilian casualties. We are disturbed by the military escalation and urgently call for a cessation of violence," the U.S. Embassy said on social media.

The French Embassy said, "The urban bloody confrontations in Mandalay heightened once again the death toll following the 1st February military coup."
Lt. Ridge Hannemann Alkonis, 33, is a weapons officer aboard the destroyer USS Benfold at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, according to his LinkedIn profile. (U.S. Navy)

NUMAZU, Japan  A U.S. naval officer has been formally charged with negligent driving resulting in death and injury following a May 29 accident that killed two people in Shizuoka prefecture.

Lt. Ridge Hanneman Alkonis, 33, a weapons officer aboard the destroyer USS Benfold, had fallen asleep at the wheel before crashing his car into parked vehicles and pedestrians at a soba restaurants parking lot, according to an indictment from the Shizuoka District Public Prosecutors office in Numazu.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. in the Yamamiya district of Fujinomiya, a city thats about two hours from Yokosuka Naval Base.

Alkonis, who police say was not hurt in the crash, continued to drive after he felt sleepy and could have gotten in a situation that could make it difficult to gaze ahead, according to the indictment.

The sailors car crashed into an empty vehicle at about 25 mph, causing a chain-reaction accident involving five cars, according to the indictment and police statements.

One of the vehicles struck and pinned an 85-year-old woman who died that afternoon at a nearby hospital, the document said. A 54-year-old man, who was pinned while getting behind the wheel of his car, was hospitalized and died on June 11.

A 53-year-old woman suffered bruises to her knees and left elbow that took about a week to heal, according to the indictment.

Buy Photo The Numazu branch of the Shizuoka District Court is seen on Monday, June 21, 2021. (Hana Kusumoto/Stars and Stripes)

A court date for Alkonis had not been scheduled as of Monday, said a spokesman for the Shizuoka District Court in Numazu. Japanese officials typically speak to the media on condition of anonymity.

Japanese police are leading the investigation into the crash, Naval Forces Japan spokeswoman Cmdr. Katie Cerezo said in an email Tuesday.

The Navy takes all incidents involving our personnel very seriously, she said.

In October, Alkonis won first prize in an essay contest about mine warfare that was sponsored by the Mine Warfare Association and published in Proceedings, the U.S. Naval Institutes monthly magazine.

Stars and Stripes reporter Seth Robson contributed to this report.

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Champi continues to weaken, remains forecast to pass well southeast of Tokyo-Kanto Plain. (Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

3 p.m. Sunday, June 27, Japan time: Tropical Storm Champi continues to weaken and remains forecast to pass well southeast of the Tokyo-Kanto Plain area Sunday evening, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

At 9 a.m., Champi was 396 miles south-southeast of Yokosuka Naval Base, rumbling north-northeast at 20 mph with 40-mph sustained winds and 52-mph gusts at center.

If Champi continues on present heading, JTWC forecasts it to pass 284 miles southeast of Yokosuka at about 7 p.m. Sunday. JTWCs latest track shows the heavier of the wind bands and rain in Champis southeast quadrant, even further away from Yokosuka.

Barring any unexpected developments, this should be Storm Trackers final report on Champi.

***

5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 26, Japan time: Champi had a brief life as a typhoon; its been downgraded back to a tropical storm by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Champi is forecast to weaken gradually as it curves northeast, remaining well southeast of the Tokyo-Kanto Plain area.

At 3 p.m., Champi was 116 miles northwest of Iwo Jima and 676 miles south of Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, traveling north-northeast at 14 mph, still packing 69-mph sustained winds and 86-mph gusts, just below Category 1-equivalent intensity.

If Champi remains on present heading, JTWC projects it to make a soft arc northeast, pick up forward speed and weaken as it goes, passing 276 miles southeast of Yokosuka at 6 p.m. Sunday, with 58-mph sustained winds and 75-mph gusts at storms center, well away from land.

Local weather forecasts for Sunday call for northeasterly winds gusting to 35 mph at times with showers and possible thunderstorms through Sunday into early Monday.

***

5:30 p.m. Friday, June 25, Japan time: Champi has been upgraded to a Category 1-equivalent typhoon by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center and Japan Meteorological Agency as of 3 p.m. Friday. Its forecast by JTWC to pass more than 250 miles southeast of Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, overnight Sunday.

At 3 p.m., Champi (Laotian for red jasmine flower) was 920 miles south of Yokosuka 232 miles southwest of Iwo Jima, moving almost due north at 11 mph, packing 75-mph sustained winds and 92-mph gusts at center.

If Champi remains on present heading, its due to peak as a Category 2-equivalent cyclone, packing 104-mph sustained winds and 127-mph gusts at center just after it reaches closest point of approach to Iwo Jima, forecast for 138 miles west at 1 p.m. Saturday.

From there, JTWC projects Champi to curve north-northeast, passing 252 miles southeast of Yokosuka at 10 p.m. Sunday.

For the moment, no advisories or warnings are in effect for Yokosuka; U.S. bases in the Kanto Plain remain in seasonal tropical cyclone conditions of readiness.

Yokosukas official weather forecast calls for winds and showers to pick up over the weekend, with north-northeasterly winds peaking at 23- to 29-mph sustained and 40-mph gusts late Sunday evening into early Monday morning, then gradually diminishing.

***

12:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, Guam time: All tropical storm watches and warnings have been canceled, closest points of approach to Guam has come and gone and now, Tropical Depression 06W is making its way northwest into the Philippine Sea, its ultimate fate yet to be determined.

At 10 a.m., 06W was 95 miles west of Guam and 135 miles west-southwest of Rota, moving northwest at 14 mph, holding steady at 35-mph sustained winds and 46-mph gusts.

If 06W keeps on its present heading, Joint Typhoon Warning Center projects it to keep moving northwest, peaking at 63-mph sustained winds and 81-mph gusts at mid-morning Friday, passing 119 miles west-northwest of Iwo Jima at 3 a.m. Saturday, then diminish as it arcs northeast.

Unless it intensifies drastically or other changes occur, this should be Storm Trackers final report on 06W.

***

UPDATED 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 22, Guam time: The tropical storm warning for Guam and the tropical storm watch for Rota have been canceled by the National Weather Service.

***

7 a.m. Tuesday, June 22, Guam time: Little change at this point for 06W, which remains on course to pass just southwest of Guam in the next few hours, holding steady as a tropical depression. Joint Typhoon Warning Center continues to forecast 06W to slowly intensify into a tropical storm once its made its way northwest of Guam.

At 4 a.m., 06W was 53 miles south-southwest of Guams capital of Hagatna and 115 miles south-southwest of Rota, moving northwest at 10 mph, still holding at 35-mph sustained winds and 46-mph, according to JTWC and the National Weather Service on Guam.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Guam and a tropical storm watch for Rota, NWS reported at 5 a.m. U.S. bases on island remain in seasonal Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 4, according to Joint Region Marianas. 06W is making its closest point of approach to the island, 71 miles southwest of Andersen Air Force Base and 48 miles southwest of Naval Base Big Navy as of this report.

***

Midnight Monday, June 21, Guam time: Although Joint Typhoon Warning Centers latest forecast keeps 06W as a tropical depression through mid-morning Tuesday, a tropical storm warning remains in effect for Guam and a tropical storm watch for Rota as issued by the National Weather Service.

At 10 p.m., Tropical Depression 06W was about 100 miles south-southeast of Guam and 140 miles south of Rota, moving west-northwest at 13 mph and holding steady at 35-mph sustained winds and 46-mph gusts, as reported by JTWC and NWS.

U.S. bases on Guam remained in seasonal Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 4, according to Joint Region Marianas; it advised military living both on and off base to keep an eye on any TCCOR changes and also keep their yards and areas around their dwellings free of debris.

JTWC projects 06W to maintain 35-mph sustained winds as it passes 75 miles southwest of Andersen Air Force Base and 55 miles southwest of the islands capital of Hagatna and Naval Base Big Navy between 3 and 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Once past Guam, JTWC forecasts 06W to reach tropical-storm strength, peaking at 58-mph sustained winds and 75-mph gusts at mid-evening Thursday, well northwest of Guam.

The latest forecast track takes 06W northwest, then north, passing 116 miles west-northwest of Iwo Jima at mid-evening Friday, then swerving northeast, passing 266 miles southeast of Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, packing 46-mph sustained winds and 58-mph gusts at center.

***

6 p.m. Monday, June 21, Guam time: A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Guam and a tropical storm watch for Rota in advance of Tropical Depression 06W, according to the National Weather Service. Damaging winds of 39 mph or greater are possible for both Tuesday morning.

At 4 p.m., 06W was 165 miles southeast of Guam and 180 south-southeast of Rota, NWS reported, and 1,576 miles southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, packing 35-mph sustained winds and 46-mph gusts, according to Joint Typhoon Warning Center. U.S. bases on Guam remain in seasonal Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 4.

JTWC projects 06W to pass 58 miles southwest of Andersen Air Force Base, 37 southwest of the island capital of Hagatna and 36 southwest of Naval Base Guam Big Navy between 4 and 6 a.m. Tuesday, packing 40-mph sustained winds and 52-mph gusts.

Long term, 06W is forecast to peak only at 52-mph sustained winds and 63-mph gusts at mid-afternoon Thursday, and well over open water, far from any significant land masses.

JTWC forecasts 06W track northwest in the short term, then arc north to northeast as the weekend approaches, passing 97 miles west of Iwo Jima at midnight Friday, still packing 46-mph sustained winds and 58-mph gusts. Forecast model ensembles agree generally with the JTWC forecast track, with some outliers.

If 06W becomes a named storm, it would be called Champi, which is Laotian for red jasmine flower.

***

3 p.m. Monday, June 21, Guam time: A tropical storm warning is in effect for Guam and a tropical storm watch for Rota as of 1 p.m. Monday, as issued by the National Weather Service in advance of Tropical Depression 06W.

At 1 p.m., 06W was about 200 miles southeast of Guam, moving west-northwest at 12 mph with 35-mph sustained winds at center.

Guam can expect sustained 15- to 25-mph winds and 35-mph gusts Monday evening, increasing to 20- to 30-mph sustained winds and 40-mph gusts Tuesday, according to Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense. Stronger winds are expected along the southern coast, just offshore of Merizo and southern Guam.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center projects closest points of approach for Guam to be 47 miles southwest of the island capital of Hagatna, 67 miles southwest of Andersen Air Force Base and 43 miles southwest of Naval Base Guam Big Navy between 5 and 7 a.m. Tuesday.

***

12:30 p.m. Monday, June 21, Guam time: Say hello to the sixth numbered tropical cyclone of the northwest Pacifics typhoon season.

Tropical Depression 06W spawned overnight Sunday. At 10 a.m., 06W was 232 miles southeast of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and 1,653 miles southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, moving west-northwest at 12 mph with 35-mph sustained winds and 46-mph gusts at center.

U.S. bases on Guam remain in seasonal Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 4. The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement regarding 06W, as has the Guam Homeland Security/Office of National Defense.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center for the moment forecasts 06W to pass 44 miles southwest of Naval Base Guam Big Navy and 67 miles southwest of Andersen between 6 and 7 a.m. Tuesday, packing 40-mph sustained winds and 52-mph gusts at center. JTWC projects Guam to be at the edge of 06Ws forecast 34-knot wind band.

From there, JTWC projects 06W to arc north-northwest, peaking at 52-mph sustained winds and 63-mph gusts at mid-morning Thursday, well away from land, passing 131 miles west of Iwo Jima early Saturday morning.

Okinawa and, for the moment, Japans main islands appear to be well out of harms way. More to come.

***

11 p.m. Sunday, June 20, Guam time: A tropical cyclone formation alert has been issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center for a disturbance labeled 94W Invest.

At 10 p.m., 94W was 351 miles southeast of Guam, moving west-northwest at 15 mph. JTWC reports that 94W is in a favorable environment for development and models agree that it will move west-northwest and consolidate over the next day to 1 days, remaining a tropical depression as it curves southwest of Guam before turning north.

No watches or warnings have been issued for Guam or the Northern Marianas as of late Sunday evening, according to the National Weather Service. U.S. bases on Guam remain in seasonal Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 4. More to come once a forecast track becomes available.
Coronavirus cases are rising in Cornwall  but Downing Street says the Group of Seven summit held in the British town earlier this month is not to blame.

The seven-day case rate in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has soared from 4.9 per 100,000 people in early June to 130.6 per 100,000 people on June 16, the Guardian reported. Rates of infections are particularly high in Carbis Bay, where the summit was held, and several nearby areas where delegates to the gathering of world leaders stayed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnsons spokesperson on Monday denied any direct causation between the G-7 summit  with its influx of journalists, police officers and support staff  and the rise in coronavirus infection rates.

We are confident that there were no cases of transmission to the local residents, the unidentified spokesperson told the Guardian. All attendees were tested, everyone involved in the G-7 work were also tested during their work on the summit.

We always said, following the move to Step Three, that we will see cases rising across the country, the spokesperson continued. That is what were seeing playing out.

Last month, Johnsons government began relaxing restrictions on many businesses and activities in what it classed as Step Three of a four-step reopening process.

But that plan hit a major snag last week when Johnson postponed the expected move to the final phase on June 21  colloquially called Freedom Day  due to continually rising cases driven by the delta variant first detected in India.

Some health experts have suggested that the surge in Cornwall cases has been driven by infections among students, as well as increased travel among young people during the summer break from school. Young people ages 15 to 24 have predominantly fallen sick this round.

Cornwall is one of Britains poorest regions and relies heavily on tourism.

But Andrew George, a former member of Parliament with the Liberal Democrats party and now a Cornwall councilor, told British media that the government needed to release its risk assessment for the summit.

The correlation between G-7 and the tsunami of COVID-19 caseload in St. Ives/Carbis Bay and Falmouth is undeniable, he said. It ought to drive public bodies to at the very least maintain an open mind about the connection between the two.

He continued, Those who were responsible for that decision and for the post-G-7 summit COVID-19 case management and assessment should be held to account for their decisions and actions.
Buy Photo People line up in the rain outside a pharmacy on Schillerplatz in Kaiserslautern, Germany, June 22, 2021, to get digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates. Anyone, including Americans, who has been fully vaccinated with EU-authorized COVID-19 vaccines can obtain the digital certificate, which may be requested when traveling within the European Union. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany  Vaccinated Defense Department personnel and other Americans living in Germany can obtain free digital coronavirus vaccination certificates and use them to travel in the European Union, where new cases are falling and many countries are reopening for visitors.

Getting one of the certificates is voluntary, including for U.S. military personnel, officials said.

It is an additional possibility to document corona vaccinations, but remains voluntary and complementary, the German Health Ministry said on its website.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cards issued to anyone vaccinated at U.S. military installations or health clinics are considered proof of vaccination by the U.S., and are widely accepted, including in many parts of Europe, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria said in a statement.

But its unclear if the CDC cards, which are said to be easy to falsify, will be accepted throughout the Continent.

The EU digital certificate is aimed at making it easier to travel and take part in activities that may require proof of vaccination. Some service members in Bavaria have expressed interest in voluntarily signing up for the digital certificate to ensure additional methods of proof while traveling in the European Union, USAG Bavaria said.

Pharmacies in Germany began issuing the certificates to fully vaccinated German citizens on June 14. The health ministry in Berlin told Stars and Stripes on Monday that U.S. Status of Forces Agreement personnel are also eligible for the free digital vaccination pass, with the German government picking up the tab. Other Americans and foreigners may also be eligible.

Certificates can be obtained by taking a valid photo ID and a vaccination card to any pharmacy that has been authorized to provide the document, Peter Schreiber, a spokesman for the Rheinland-Pfalz Pharmacies Association, told Stars and Stripes.

A list of pharmacies offering the certificates is available at https://www.mein-apothekenmanager.de, by entering the name or postal code of a town or city and selecting Digitales Impfzertifikat under Serviceleistung.

Buy Photo A print-out of the digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate obtained in Kaiserslautern, Germany, June 22, 2021, includes a QR code and personal data, obscured, and information about which vaccine was received and when. Two certificates, one for each vaccine dose, were issued to a U.S. citizen in Kaiserslautern within minutes on presentation of a photo ID and a CDC vaccine card. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo The print-out of a the EU digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate delivered to a U.S. citizen in Kaiserslautern, Germany, June 22, 2021, can be folded in four or uploaded to the Corona-Warn app or the CovPass app. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)

Dozens of pharmacies in Kaiserslautern, home to the largest U.S. military community overseas, are issuing the certificates, a search on the website showed.

Daniela Kimmel-Schulze, owner of the Schwanen Apotheke in Kaiserslautern's pedestrian zone, said an American got a certificate from her pharmacy last week. A former test center housed in a wooden hut outside the pharmacy was offering free digital certificates Tuesday to anyone with a valid ID and vaccination card showing at least 14 days since they received their final vaccine dose.

All three vaccines used in the U.S.  the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots, and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine  are authorized in the EU.

In Bavaria, U.S. military personnel must also show a copy of their sponsors orders to obtain a certificate, the garrison there said.

Certificates are issued for each dose of a vaccine a person has had. They have a unique identifying number and information including the persons name, date of birth, which vaccine they had and when, and a QR code that contains the same data.

Anyone who has access to the QR code can read the information it contains, the certificate warns in German and English. You should only show it if you wish to prove your vaccination status.

A digital form of the certificate can be created by scanning the QR code using Germany's Corona Warn App or the more recent CovPass app.

The apps are available for Android smartphones and iPhones, but only with a Google account or Apple ID that is set to the Germany region.

A paper copy of the certificate is also acceptable as proof of vaccination, staff at one of the pharmacies in Kaiserslautern and German officials said.

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Afghan men pray near the graves of their relatives killed in bombings near Syed Al-Shahada School last month at cemetery on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 2, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP)

UNITED NATIONS  The U.N.'s top envoy for Afghanistan urged the international community on Tuesday to do everything possible to push the Taliban and the government from the battlefield back to the negotiating table, warning that "inertia" and the lack of action might lead to more years of bloodshed and conflict.

Deborah Lyons told the U.N. Security Council that she cannot overstate her concern at the current situation, saying every major trend -- politics, security, the peace process, the economy, the humanitarian emergency and tackling COVID-19 -- is either "negative or stagnant."

She said the Taliban's increasing violence over the past year, even as now stalled peace talks began in Qatar in September, and its latest intensified military campaign have led to significant advances for the insurgents.

"More than 50 of Afghanistan's 370 districts have fallen since the beginning of May," the U.N. special representative said in a virtual briefing to a ministerial meeting of the council. "Most districts that have been taken surround provincial capitals, suggesting that the Taliban are positioning themselves to try and take these capitals once foreign forces are fully withdrawn."

She also pointed to a 29% increase in civilian casualties in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year, including major increases among women and children. She singled out the May 8 attack on girls leaving school in a majority-Hazara area of Kabul that killed nearly 100 young female students, and two attacks this month that killed 11 people clearing mines in Baghlan province and five people engaged in polio vaccinations in Nangarhar province.

While Afghans knew international forces would be leaving, Lyons said U.S. President Joe Biden's mid-April announcement that the remaining 2,500-3,500 troops would be gone by Sept. 11 sent "a seismic tremor through the Afghan political system and society at large" because of the speed of their departure.

A U.S.-led coalition launched an invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to hunt down and destroy the al-Qaida network and its leader, Osama bin Laden, blamed for the 9/11 attacks on America, and overthrew the Taliban, who during their rule imposed a harsh brand of Islam that stripped virtually all rights from women.

Under a February 2020 agreement with the United States, the U.S. agreed 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 America, to reduce violence, and to enter negotiations with the government aimed at reaching a permanent cease-fire and restoring peace to the war-battered country.

Lyons said, however, "the drivers of conflict seem for now to overwhelm" hoped-for negotiations.

"For the Taliban to continue this intensive military campaign would be a tragic course of action," she warned. "It would lead to increased and prolonged violence that would extend the suffering of the Afghan people and threatens to destroy much of what has been built and hard won in the past 20 years," including the rights of women which she stressed "are not negotiable."

Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar told the council the Afghan people have recently witnessed "the worst violence of the past two decades," accusing the Taliban of failing to honor any obligations in the February 2020 agreement and instead stepping up violence and leaving the country and region "dangerously unstable."

He pointed to the Taliban's failure to cut ties with international terrorist groups, saying it is hosting "not only al-Qaida but also regional terrorist groups ... in pursuit of their violence campaign against both Afghanistan and other countries." He didn't mention the Islamic State extremist group which has been blamed for recent attacks on minority Hazaras.

With the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops "to be completed in the coming weeks," Atmar urged the international community to try to persuade the Taliban to honor its agreement with the United States and the Security Council resolution supporting it. He said it should also establish a "mechanism" to monitor implementation of the agreement "and to take appropriate measures to ensure compliance."

Atmar said Afghanistan is at "an inflection point" in its history  of "hope for achieving a sustainable peace after four decades of imposed war and fear of falling back into protracted conflict."

He urged the Taliban to explain to the world community why they said they were fighting foreign troops in Afghanistan and are "killing their fellow Afghans, and especially civilians, where the foreign troops are leaving the country now."

As a key obstacle to peace, the U.N.'s Lyons pointed to the lack of unity among Afghanistan's quarrelsome leaders which is essential for peace talks with the Taliban. The foreign minister didn't mention this issue.

Lyons said the Afghan people and diplomatic community "have been alarmed at the lack of political unity." She expressed cautious optimism about recent moved by President Ashrad Ghani's government and other political leaders to come together to discuss pressing security issues, but said the real test will be whether this reinforces the peace process and strengthens state institutions.

Lyons urged the Security Council and regional countries to make every effort "to avoid the country going down the path of more bloodshed and suffering" and return to negotiations.

"The tragic history of conflict need not repeat itself -- but left to its own and our inertia it just might," she said.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield reiterated the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan's safety and security and continuing support for its security forces and economic and humanitarian needs.

She also urged countries with influence to press for negotiations between the Taliban and the government to move forward toward a peace settlement "with the full participation of women."

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Ghani and and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the country's High Council for National Reconciliation, which oversees the government's negotiation team with the Taliban, at the White House on Friday. In April, Biden said the U.S. was leaving Afghanistan having achieved its goals: Al-Qaida had been greatly diminished, bin Laden was dead, and America no longer needed boots on the ground to fight any terrorist threat from the country.

"To the Taliban, we reiterate that the military path will not lead to legitimacy," ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said, noting that council members from Europe, Russia and China have also stressed that there is no military solution to the conflict.

"The world will not recognize the establishment in Afghanistan of any government imposed by force, nor the restoration of the Islamic Emirate (under the Taliban)," Thomas-Greenfield warned. "There is only one way forward: a negotiated and inclusive political settlement through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process."
Iran's new President-elect Ebrahim Raisi speaks in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, June 21, 2021. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  American authorities seized a range of Iran's state-linked news website domains they accused of spreading disinformation, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday, a move that appeared to be a far-reaching crackdown on Iranian media amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

The Justice Department said 33 of the seized websites were used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union, which was singled out by the U.S. government last October for what officials described as efforts to spread disinformation and sow discord among American voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election. T

he U.S. says three other seized websites were operated by the Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group, Kata'ib Hizballah, which more than a decade ago was designated a foreign terrorist organization. The group is separate from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group whose news websites remained operational.

The website domains are owned by U.S. companies, but despite the sanctions, neither the IRTVU nor KH obtained the required licenses from the U.S. government before using the domain names, according to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department announcement came hours after the Iranian state-run news agency IRNA revealed the U.S. government seizures without providing further information.

The takedowns come as world powers scramble to resurrect Tehran's tattered 2015 nuclear deal and just days after the election victory of Iran's hard-line judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi. On Monday, Raisi, known for his hostility to the West, staked out a hard-line position in his first news conference. He ruled out the possibilities of meeting with President Joe Biden or negotiating over Tehran's ballistic missile program and support for regional militias  concerns the Biden administration wants addressed in future talks.

Relations between Iran and the U.S. have deteriorated for years following President Donald Trump's withdrawal from Tehran's nuclear deal and the return of devastating sanctions on the country. That decision has seen Iran, over time, gradually abandon every limit on uranium enrichment. The country is now enriching uranium to 60%, its highest level ever, though still short of weapons-grade levels.

Iran provides support to militant groups in the region, such as Lebanon's militant Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels, as it seeks to wield its influence far afield and counter its foes.

On Tuesday, visiting the addresses of a handful of sites, including Iran state television's English-language arm Press TV, Yemeni Houthi-run Al-Masirah satellite news channel and Iranian state TV's Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, produced a federal takedown notice. It said the websites were seized "as part of law enforcement action" by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The U.S. government also took over the domain name of the news website Palestine Today, which reflects the viewpoints of Gaza-based Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, redirecting the site to the same takedown notice.

Press TV, launched in June 2007, is the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting's English-language service. Its Iran-based website, PressTV.ir, was not affected.

Most of the domains seized appeared to be ".net," ".com" and ".tv" domains. The first two are generic top-level domains as opposed to country-specific domains, while ".tv" is owned by the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu but administered by the U.S. company Verisign. Seizing a domain on a major country-specific top-level domain such as Iran's ".ir" would be apt to produce widespread international condemnation as a violation of sovereignty.

It's not the first time that the U.S. has seized domain names of sites it accuses of spreading disinformation.

Last October, the Department of Justice announced the takedown of nearly 100 websites linked to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard. The U.S. said the sites, operating under the guise of genuine news outlets, were waging a "global disinformation campaign" to influence U.S. policy and push Iranian propaganda around the world.

Yemen's Houthi rebel group announced that its Al-Masirah satellite news channel went offline Tuesday without prior notice. It said the channel would continue in its mission of "confronting the American and Israeli acts of piracy against our nation, by any means."

Responsibility for providing name service for the domain name presstv.com was apparently switched to an Amazon name server on Tuesday at mid-afternoon European time, said internet infrastructure expert Ron Guilmette. Cybersecurity researchers at RiskIQ found a total of 24 seized sites sharing the same Amazon name server.

There are no private television or radio stations in Iran. Satellite dishes, while widespread, also are illegal. That leaves IRIB with a monopoly on domestic airwaves.

Marzieh Hashemi, a prominent Press TV anchor who, in 2019, was arrested as a material witness in an unspecified criminal case and has appeared before a grand jury in Washington, told The Associated Press that the channel was struggling to "figure out the reasons" for the seizure.

While airing in Iran, Press TV focuses predominantly on international affairs through the lens of how leaders in the Islamic Republic see the world. Fierce criticism of British and American foreign policy is common. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, IRIB has been in the hands of hard-liners who back Iran's government.

Press TV has previously run into trouble with Western authorities over its reporting. The Anti-Defamation League has criticized the channel as "one of the world's leading dispensers of conspiratorial anti-Semitism in English."

___

Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.
SEATTLE (Tribune News Service)  Tim Keating, Boeings executive vice president of government operations, the companys chief lobbyist and political strategist in Washington and a leading figure on the jet makers leadership council, is no longer with the company.

That was the curt wording in a Monday afternoon memo from Chief Executive Dave Calhoun to Boeings government operations team, telling them that effective immediately Marc Allen, the companys chief strategy officer, would abruptly take over Keatings role on an interim basis.

Calhouns memo provided no explanation for Keatings sudden departure, which happened without warning or transition. His message included not a word of praise or thanks for the departing executive, indicating that Keating has been ousted against his will.

Keatings bio immediately disappeared from the list of executive biographies on Boeings corporate website.

In a statement, Boeing said we do not intend to comment further.

Keating, who formerly worked in the Clinton administration, played a key role for years in managing Boeings relationship with Congress and the White House.

As a major U.S. defense contractor, Boeing has multibillion-dollar military contracts and its business depends on a tight relationship with the government, its single largest customer.

Keating was hired in 2008 to leverage his political clout after Boeing initially lost the Air Force aerial refueling tanker contract to Northrop Grumman, which had proposed a tanker based on an Airbus jet.

In 2011, Keatings aggressive lobbying of Congress was instrumental in Boeing reversing that decision and winning the KC-46 tanker contract.

After that victory, Keating opened a celebratory bottle of wine with Rich Michalski, his counterpart at the headquarters of the International Association of Machinists union. The two had collaborated to swing Republicans and Democrats behind Boeing.

Keatings closeness with Michalski also played a critical role in the bitterly contested Machinists vote in 2013 that secured the building of the 777X in Everett.

After local union leaders in the Puget Sound district rejected Boeings demand for major concessions  in particular, freezing the traditional pensions of their members  and their members voted it down, the national union leadership, encouraged by Keating, engineered a second vote and swung it in Boeings favor.

In 2014, Keating launched an unusual public attack on Boeings engineering union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, and particularly the unions executive director Ray Goforth, who was disliked by the leadership in Chicago.

More recently, Keating sat directly behind former CEO Dennis Muilenburg at the congressional hearings where the CEO was grilled about the fatal crashes of the 737 MAX.

And he accompanied Muilenburg on visits to former President Donald Trumps Trump Tower in New York and Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, that developed a friendly relationship between Boeing and Trump.

In addition to steering Boeings public policy direction, Keating also oversaw the companys extensive philanthropic contributions.

In 2019, company financial filings show Keating received $4.4 million in compensation. A filing in February shows that he then owned shares in Boeing valued at just less than $21 million at todays closing price of $245.28.

Before joining Boeing, Keating had been senior vice president of government relations for Honeywell and chairperson of the board at Timmons and Company  one of Washingtons most prestigious lobbying firms.

Earlier, Keating served as an adviser to President Bill Clinton and staff director for White House legislative affairs.

Before joining the Clinton administration, Keating held several positions with the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as assistant floor manager for the Democratic leadership.

Keatings departure was first reported Monday by trade magazine Defense One.

Calhouns internal memo announcing Keatings leaving said the company has already initiated a search for a new leader for this critical role at Boeing.

In the meantime, I have great confidence in Marcs ability to lead our world-class Government Operations team on the many important public policy matters and global engagement initiatives we are currently working on, Calhoun wrote.

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

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Delta Air Lines pilots arrive at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport on March 16, 2020, in Atlanta. With the pandemic restrictions lifting, Delta plans to hire 1,000 pilots by next summer. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)

ATLANTA (Tribune News Service)  Delta Air Lines plans to hire 1,000 pilots by next summer as it continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, Atlanta-based Delta cut more than 1,800 pilots from its payroll through early retirement packages and put about 1,700 junior pilots on inactive status. The cutbacks contributed to staffing issues that led Delta to cancel hundreds of flights around Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. The airline had more staffing challenges over Easter this year.

Delta now has about 12,000 pilots. Operations chief John Laughter told pilots in a memo that the plan for hiring is a positive indicator as the airlines recovery accelerates. Domestic leisure travel has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels this month, according to the airline.

Earlier this year, Delta said it planned to have all of the pilots placed on inactive status back at work by fall. And the company has restarted its training of pilots.

Delta said its newly hired pilots will have a chance to start out on larger planes with higher pay.

Meanwhile, American Airlines is struggling with staffing issues that are contributing to the cancellation of hundreds of July flights, about 1% of its daily schedule.

Laughters memo said that Delta must foster a strong pipeline of pilot candidates in order to support our future demand and manage pilot attrition.

The airline is working with schools to develop pilot career paths, and the company is also redesigning its hiring to create more inclusive pathways to a pilot career while maintaining the highest standards from our applicants, Laughter said.

2021 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Visit at ajc.com.

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Buy Photo The U.S. Capitol as seen on May 8, 2019. The Senate on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, was expected to vote on a nearly 900-page, elections and voting bill. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  The Democrats' sweeping attempt to rewrite U.S. election and voting law suffered a major setback in the Senate Tuesday, blocked by a filibuster wall of Republican opposition to what would be the largest overhaul of the electoral system in a generation.

The vote leaves the Democrats with no clear path forward, though President Joe Biden declared, "This fight is far from over."

The bill, known as the For the People Act, would touch on virtually every aspect of how elections are conducted, striking down hurdles to voting that advocates view as the Civil Rights fight of the era, while also curbing the influence of money in politics and limiting partisan influence over the drawing of congressional districts.

But many in the GOP say the measure represents instead a breathtaking federal infringement on states' authority to conduct their own elections without fraud  and is meant to ultimately benefit Democrats.

It failed on a 50-50 vote after Republicans, some of whom derided the bill as the "Screw the People Act," denied Democrats the 60 votes needed to begin debate under Senate rules. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold her office, presided over the chamber as the bill failed to break past that filibuster barrier.

Biden praised Senate Democrats for standing together "against the ongoing assault of voter suppression that represents a Jim Crow era in the 21st Century." In a statement from the White House, he said that in their actions, though unsuccessful on Tuesday, they "took the next step forward in this continuous struggle."

The rejection forces Democrats to reckon with what comes next for their top legislative priority in a narrowly divided Senate. They've touted the measure as a powerful counterweight to scores of proposals advancing in GOP-controlled statehouses making it more difficult to vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., flanked by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., left, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks before a key test vote on the For the People Act, a sweeping bill that would overhaul the election system and voting rights, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

"Once again, the Senate Republican minority has launched a partisan blockade of a pressing issue," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said from the chamber floor. He vowed that the vote was the "starting gun" and not the last time voting rights would be up for debate.

Whatever Democrats decide, they will likely be confronted with the same challenge they faced Tuesday when minority Republicans used the filibuster  the same tool that Democrats employed during Donald Trump's presidency  to block consideration of the bill.

Republicans showed no sign of yielding.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell called the bill a "a solution looking for a problem" and vowed to "put an end to it." Texas Sen. Ted Cruz dismissed it as "partisan legislation, written by elected Democrats, designed to keep elected Democrats in office."

And, more graphically, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito called the bill "a despicable, disingenuous attempt to strip states of their constitutional right to administer elections" that "should never come close to reaching the president's desk."

Pressure has been mounting on Democrats to change Senate rules or watch their priorities languish. A group of moderate Democratic senators, however, including Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, have ruled that out, denying the votes needed to make a filibuster change.

Biden has vowed what the White House calls the "fight of his presidency" over ensuring Americans' access to voting. But without changes to Senate rules, key planks of his agenda, including the voting bill, appear stalled.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat and senior pastor at the Atlanta church Martin Luther King Jr. once led, called minority Republicans' willingness to prevent debate on the voting bill a "dereliction" of duty.

"What could be more hypocritical and cynical than invoking minority rights in the Senate as a pretext for preventing debate about how to preserve minority rights in the society," Warnock said during a floor speech Tuesday.

The changes being enacted in many Republican states are decried by voting rights advocates who argue the restrictions will make it more difficult for people to cast ballots, particularly minority residents who tend to support Democrats. Republicans, cheered on by Trump, talk instead about fighting potential voting fraud and say the Democrats' concerns are wildly overblown.

As the Senate discussion churns, more changes could be coming to the bill.

Democrats want to protect against intimidation at the polls 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.

They also want to limit the ability of state officials to remove local election officials. Georgia Republicans passed a 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.

But Democrats have divisions of their own. Until Tuesday, it wasn't even clear that they would be united on the vote to bring the bill up for debate. Manchin, a moderate from West Virginia, announced earlier this month that he couldn't support the bill because it lacked Republican support.

Manchin flipped his vote to a "yes" after Democrats agreed to consider his revised version. His proposal was endorsed by former President Barack Obama and called a "step forward" by Biden's administration.

Manchin has proposed adding provisions for a national voter ID requirement, which is anathema to many Democrats, and dropping a proposed public financing of campaigns. The ID requirement would be less strict than ones pushed by Republicans in certain states and allow voters to provide non-photo ID such as a utility bill.

Those changes did little, however, to garner the bipartisan support Manchin was hoping for. Senate Republicans said they would likely reject any legislation that expands the federal government's role in elections. McConnell dismissed Manchin's version as "equally unacceptable."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Alaska Republican, said some aspects of the Democratic bill were laudable and she supports other voting rights legislation, like a reinstatement of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013.

But, ultimately, she said the "sprawling" bill amounted to "a one-size-fits-all mandate coming out of Washington D.C." that "in many cases doesn't work."

Months in the making, Tuesday's showdown had taken on fresh urgency as Trump continues to challenge the outcome of the 2020 election and new limits move ahead in Republican-led states.

State officials who certified the results of the 2020 election have dismissed Trump's claims of voter fraud, and judges across the country have thrown out multiple lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies. Trump's own attorney general said there was no evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome.
Soldiers with the Indiana National Guard provide security near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 21, 2021. (Tamara Dabney/U.S. Air National Guard)

WASHINGTON  The National Guards ability to train will take a hit if $450 million spent to provide security to the Capitol after the Jan. 6 riot is not recouped, the Armys top civilian leader told senators Tuesday.

If we are not able to cover that [bill] right now, the Army Guard is basically in a situation where they are concerned about their ability to pay for training for the rest of this year, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said during a budget hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committees subpanel for defense.

Aviation and ground vehicle readiness at Guard units across the country will be affected if the money is not returned, Wormuth said. Training exercises have already been pushed back due to National Guard deployments to the U.S.-Mexico border and the Capitol, as well as missions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, she added.

All of that regularly scheduled training has been postponed and now is at risk of not being able to be funded, and so it's definitely a concern and something that will impact our Guard all around the nation, Wormuth said.

Subcommittee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., said he is getting nervous over the odds of a supplemental appropriations bills approval that would provide $1.9 billion for the costs incurred to defend the Capitol.

The security funding measure passed the House in late May in a close vote, and it now heads for a vote in the Senate.

A mob of former President Donald Trumps supporters on Jan. 6 attempted to disrupt the certification of the results of Novembers presidential election and broke into the Capitol.

Immediately after the deadly riot, there were as many as 26,000 Guard troops in Washington to support federal law enforcement agencies with security, communications, medical evacuations, logistics and safety. The last of the Guard troops deployed to Washington  a force of about 2,300 personnel  returned home May 23.

The security funding bill includes $200 million for the District of Columbia Air National Guard to create a quick-reaction force of service members ready to respond to threats on Capitol Hill.

Tester asked Gen. James McConville, the Army chief of staff, at the Tuesday hearing if he supports the proposal and if he thinks it is appropriate for the Army.

Law enforcement should be conducted by law enforcement agencies and the military should be the last resort when it comes to law enforcement, McConville said.

Specifically, the provision would create a ground force equivalent of the 113th Wing within the District of Columbia Air National Guard at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, which protects Washingtons regional airspace.

Retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson and retired Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, the National Guard Associations president and chairman, said in a statement at the time that the proposal was announced that they did not support the move.

Such a unit would be another personnel-intensive requirement on our force as well as a detractor from the Guards main mission of serving as the primary reserve of the Army and Air Force, they said.

Cammarata.Sarah@stripes.com

Twitter: @sarahjcamm
Brian Rock, of Elevated Pie Co. in Merrillville, Ind., makes free pizzas for residents after driving his mobile pizza oven truck to Darien, Ill. June 21, as neighbors and utility workers cleaned up damage from a tornado. (Brian Cassella)

CHICAGO (Tribune News Service)  Brian Rock has a vision: He wants to make pizzas for people at natural disaster sites.

So when Rock, 29, of Merrillville, Ind., heard about the tornado that tore through the Naperville, Ill., area Sunday night, he packed up his dough, sauce and cheese and headed toward the wreckage.

Stopping at Woodridge, Ill.  the first hard-hit community he came upon  he sprang into action, delivering his own brand of comfort: hand-tossed, gourmet pizzas cooked in his wood-fired oven. Over the next five hours, he made 72 12-inch pizzas and distributed them, free of charge, to anyone who asked.

It sure was fun, a tired but undefeated Rock said in a phone interview Monday night.

Rock, a U.S. Army veteran and co-owner of Elevated Pie Co., a year-old pizza startup, said that people in Woodridge complimented his pizza skills and donated hundreds of dollars to his disaster relief cause. On his companys Facebook page, one of his new fans wrote that she and her father were working on a damaged property until 9 p.m., and the pizza kept us going.

Rock, who served in Afghanistan in 2013, said the benefits flow both ways.

Even when its physically demanding, he said he finds making free pizzas a stress reliever.

This is my medicine, he said. This is my relief for PTSD.

Ultimately, Rock would like to raise enough money for a 24-foot enclosed trailer with a full kitchen, a sink, and two refrigerators.

My goal is to head down to the hurricanes and the tornadoes to just travel with the storms, he said.

Rock said his PTSD, acquired in Afghanistan, has improved over the past five years. He hasnt had a nightmare in years, and hes excited about his pizza company, which he co-owns with his fiancee.

Im much happier now and Im trying to stay stress-free, he said. Ive got a dog, and that helps out a lot. Its been a work in progress.

Yesterdays visit was his second solo trip to a natural disaster site. He provided pizzas in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, last summer after tornado damage. He works farmers markets to raise money for his pizza giveaways.

Rock said he learned about Sundays tornado via a news report he saw at the gym Monday morning. He called police, firefighters and the Red Cross to try to figure out where to go, but they didnt have any guidance, so he turned to the Snapchat app, where people were uploading videos.

He drove in the direction of the worst damage and stopped where he saw work crews.

He arrived in Woodridge at 1:30 p.m., and started making pizzas at 2 p.m., working until 6:30 p.m. and averaging 18 pizzas an hour, he said. Rock works solo, tossing crusts for some pizzas while he cooks others.

Reached by phone a few hours after his pizza-making effort, he said it was great to hear praise from Woodridge residents and questions along the lines of, Who does this?

Im dehydrated and tired, but I basically feel really good, Rock said.

2021 Chicago Tribune.

Visit chicagotribune.com.

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Cpl. Burl Mullins was reported missing in action Nov. 30, 1950. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

VIRGIE, Ky.  A funeral will be held this week for a Kentucky soldier killed during the Korean War, Fort Knox said.

The remains of Army Cpl. Burl Mullins will be interred Saturday at Osborne Cemetery in the Dorton community in Pike County after a funeral service in Virgie.

Mullins was a Dorton native and was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, when he was reported missing in action Nov. 30, 1950. His unit had been attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea.

His remains could not be recovered after the battle, and it was later learned he had been taken prisoner of war. He was 23 years old.

North Korea turned over his remains in 2018, and the remains were identified through DNA and anthropological analysis as well as circumstantial evidence, the Army said.
Army Pvt. 1st Class Bill Freemont Hobbs (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (Tribune News Service)  The remains of an Oklahoma native killed during the Korean War will be interred Saturday at Restlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Coffeyville, Kansas.

Preceding the interment, a funeral for Army Pvt. 1st Class Bill Freemont Hobbs will be held at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Patio at Fairview Cemetery by Ford-Wulf-Bruns Funeral Home, Coffeyville.

Hobbs was born on Jan. 15, 1930, in Pitcher. He grew up in Commerce and South Coffeyville, Oklahoma, as well as Coffeyville, Kansas.

In 1948, he joined the Army with three friends. Hobbs was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, when he was reported missing in action Nov. 30, 1950, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. He was just 20 years old.

Almost 70 years later, Hobbs remains were turned over by North Korea on July 27, 2018. He was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on April 20, 2020, after his remains were identified using circumstantial evidence and anthropological and mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Hobbs name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are still missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

More than 7,500 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.

Hobbs family suggests memorials be made payable to Saint Jude Childrens Research Hospital; they may be sent in care of Ford-Wulf-Bruns Chapel, 2405 Woodland Ave., Coffeyville, KS 67337.

(c)2021 the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise (Bartlesville, Okla.)

Visit the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise (Bartlesville, Okla.) at www.examiner-enterprise.com

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Army Pfc. Philip T. Hoogacker was last seen after receiving first aid for a minor shrapnel wound. DPAA historians believe Hoogacker was captured by the Korean Peoples Army and forcibly marched to Seoul and then on to Pyongyang, where he died as a prisoner of war. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency)

DETROIT (Tribune News Service)  The body of a Michigan soldier killed during the Korean has been recovered.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Tuesday that Army Pfc. Philip T. Hoogacker, 23, of Detroit, was accounted for on April 16. He will be buried in Livonia, Mich., on July 23.

Scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis to identify Hoogacker, who was reported missing in action on July 27, 1950 after his unit was attacked near Anui, South Korea.

He was last seen after receiving first aid for a minor shrapnel wound. DPAA historians believe Hoogacker was captured by the Korean Peoples Army and forcibly marched to Seoul and then on to Pyongyang, where he died as a prisoner of war.

In the fall of 1954, the United Nations struck a deal with North Korea and China regarding the recovery and return of war dead to their rightful nations, however Hoogacker was included in an unidentified group burial that was sent to Hawaii.

Hoogackers name was recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, along with others who are still missing from the Korean War.

A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

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WASHINGTON  Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough promised Monday that he would renew the agencys focus on a major project to house homeless veterans in Los Angeles.

McDonough delivered the opening address Monday for the annual meeting of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, a nonprofit that coordinates efforts to end veteran homelessness with Congress, the White House and local, state and federal agencies that provide services to homeless veterans.

In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, file photo, Secretary of Veterans Affairs nominee Denis McDonough speaks during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on Capitol Hill, in Washington. (Sarah Silbiger/AP)

The group testified to Congress last week about their concerns that an unprecedented wave of homelessness could hit the United States as the unemployment assistance granted during the coronavirus pandemic comes to an end and the country lifts its moratorium on evictions.

Even before the pandemic began, veteran homelessness had risen slightly. In January 2020, 37,252 veterans were experiencing homelessness  an increase of 167 veterans, or 0.4%, from January 2019. At that time, nearly 10% of all homeless veterans lived in Los Angeles. Of the 3,681 homeless veterans in LA, 76% were living on the street.

For about five years, the VA has been working on a plan to build 1,200 subsidized apartments for homeless veterans on the campus of the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. McDonough acknowledged Monday that the effort had taken too long. Of the 1,200 apartments, only 54 have been finished, McDonough said.

We have to move faster, he said. There are a lot of reasons for the delays, and were going to solve them.

McDonough vowed to give his approval on a master plan for the project by the end of the year.

Last week, Congress approved a bill that some lawmakers believe will help the project move faster. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., led the legislation, which will allow the VA to spend revenue from land-use agreements on building projects. Under current law, the money can be spent only on maintenance.

The lawmakers said the simple change to law could help the VA gain the funding to build more apartments quickly. The legislation passed without objection and will be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The West LA VA campus has the potential to serve as a model for the nation on how to address veteran homelessness, McDonough said. Its not a model yet, but I am committed to making sure it is. It will have an outsized impact on veteran homelessness in LA and help us regain momentum across the country.

Before McDonough spoke Monday, Kathryn Monet, CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, said she believed that with the renewed commitment of Congress and the White House to address veterans homelessness, the next few years could be a chance to drive the numbers down.

This is our year, Monet said. Its a year to turn this once-in-a-lifetime [pandemic] into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a brighter future for our veterans.

wentling.nikki@stripes.com

Twitter: @nikkiwentling
Heavy wind and rain washed out most plans for the Indiana Military Museum to honor Vietnam War veterans, but many of the celebrations marched on regardless.

Early morning storms prevented the war-era Huey helicopters arrival to the museum, located at 715 S. Sixth St.; on it was meant to be Sgt. Sammy L. Davis, a Vietnam War veteran most call the real Forrest Gump.

Yet museum founder and curator Jim Osborne said that despite the undesirable weather  and other setbacks throughout the day  the museum still saw nearly 300 people fill the stands for demonstrations and battle reenactments.

Volunteers, he said, registered 56 Vietnam War veterans in attendance at the event and spotted several more in the crowd, ones who opted to not register and be recognized.

So we still consider the event a success, Osborne said.There are a lot of people that were wanting Huey rides, but we hope to schedule another time that those guys can be here.

Of course we want to do it when Sammy can be here, too.

Osborne said even after the helicopter had to cancel its arrival, Davis was still hoping to make it. Mother nature ruined those plans, too.

They were going to drive down when the Huey had to cancel, but he had to call me back, Osborne said. They had a tree down in their driveway.

The IMM is currently working with Davis and the Indiana Air Search and Rescue to reschedule; details on that event will be announced soon.

We may just do this whole thing over again, he quipped.

Osborne, too, said he was particularly proud of the young men and women of the Lincoln High School JROTC program.

Those boys and girls were out there in the rain and the mud, directing traffic, dealing with parking, and helping out., Osborne said. They always do a great job.

Were happy to have them.

First Sgt. Brian Deckard, who leads the JROTC program, considers this and events like it to be great opportunities for young people to learn about the history and be a part of something great.

This is a great chance for these students to show their appreciation and hear stories from people who served before them, he said.

Many of these veterans are (their) grandpas age so there is a lot of respect there.

On a personal level, Deckard, who is retired U.S. Army, said he is honored to be a part of any event that honor veterans.

Any chance that a veteran has to show respect and appreciation for other veterans is important, Deckard said. Were always happy to help out with the military museum or any other veterans organizations.
Indiana bridge closed for inspection after traffic increase

BATTLE GROUND, Ind.  A northwest Indiana bridge that spans the Wabash River has been closed to traffic indefinitely for a structural inspection after large trucks recently used it as a detour.

The State Road 225 bridge in the Tippecanoe County town of Battle Ground has been closed numerous times over the years due to flooding on the river.

But the Indiana Department of Transportation said the current closure is needed for a full structural inspection after the 12-ton limit bridge saw an increase in traffic on June 11.

INDOT said over-sized semi-trucks used the 12-ton limit bridge as a detour while Interstate 65s northbound traffic was diverted through Lafayette on June 11 due to a fatal accident in White County.

The state agency said that a comprehensive structural inspection will be conducted of the bridge for safety before it is reopened at a later date.

Amid pandemic, historic Indiana grain mill saw record year

BRISTOL, Ind.  A grain mill that opened more than 180 years ago in northern Indiana saw a sales boom during the pandemic after it opened a drive-through for customers eager to buy freshly milled grains.

The historic Bonneyville Mill was closed to visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, like many Indiana businesses. But staff at the 1830s mill converted its original horse and wagon bay that farmers once used to deliver freshly harvested grain into a drive-through for automobiles.

The drive-through helped the mill, located near the town of Bristol along the Little Elkhart River, rack up its most profitable year on record for grain sales, said Ronda DeCaire, director of the Elkhart County Parks system.

This was one of the few places in the Midwest where you could still buy flour and other freshly milled grains, she told The Elkhart Truth.

To prevent spreading the coronavirus, the mills staff used a pole with a bucket on its end to accept payments from drive-through customers. Packages of flour and other milled grains were then handed to those customers through their car windows.

Weather Service: Tornado in northeastern Indiana was an EF-2

BRYANT, Ind.  A tornado that damaged or destroyed several rural homes Friday in northeastern Indiana and toppled a communication tower packed winds in excess of 100 miles per hour, the National Weather Service said Saturday.

A weather service crew on Saturday surveyed the aftermath of Fridays storm and found that the tornado formed near the Jay County town of Bryant and rapidly strengthened to EF-2 strength, which describe storms with winds of between 111-135 mph.

The tornado damaged or destroyed several rural homes and farmsteads and felled a 100-foot communications tower, before briefly weakening and then re-intensifying into a multi-vortex, 500-yard wide EF-2 tornado.

The storm damaged several more farmsteads and destroyed farm buildings, killing several cattle, before it dissipated about eight miles southeast of Bryant, located about 30 miles south of Fort Wayne.

The tornado was spawned as severe thunderstorms swept across eastern and south-central Indiana on Friday into early Saturday, leading to flash flooding in some areas, including downtown Bloomington.

Indiana mans body found in debris after weekend flooding

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.  The body of a Bloomington man who was swept away Friday night after his vehicle got caught in a wave of flash flooding that followed heavy rainfall has been found in flood debris, officials said.

The body of Colten Booe, 31, was found Sunday morning in a pile of flood debris by a group of family and friends who had been searching for him, the Bloomington Police Department said.

Monroe County Coroner Joani Shields identified Booes body, and an autopsy was scheduled for Monday to determine his cause of death, The Herald-Times reported.

Booe was reported missing early Saturday after he vanished Friday night as his vehicle entered fast-moving floodwaters that rose quickly after severe thunderstorms swept the area and other parts of the state, producing one tornado in northeastern Indiana.
News

Bicknell splash pad delayed again

BICKNELL  Mayor Thomas Estabrook says the city continues to experience unforeseen delays in the opening of its first-ever splash pad.

City officials are still working toward the opening of the new splash pad inside South Side Park, but because of backordered parts, it will likely not be completed before the Fourth of July  with no specific opening date set at this time.

But were still going to open it this summer, Estabrook said.

The Board of Works in February awarded a contract for construction to Splash Zone LLC in Arizona, but in an effort to save money, city officials included a handful of items in the contract that they would do themselves. One of those was to pour the concrete footers for the water-spraying apparatus.

That, Estabrook explained, proved more difficult than originally thought. In addition, two of the water-spraying pieces were backordered, he said, by several weeks.

What happened there is that they have had production delays, and thats what really hung up this process, the mayor said, adding that some of the final pieces of the splash pad are scheduled to be delivered today.

But once all pieces arrive  all of the sewer and water lines have already been installed  the concrete pad will be poured, and theyll be ready to turn it on.

We hope to get wrapped up sometime in the next couple weeks, Estabrook said.

City officials last summer announced that they would likely move forward with the splash pad, and, later, the countys Redevelopment Commission voted to help pay for it.

The city had taken over the old privately-owned Swimland, which had been closed for a couple of years, and quickly announced that it would likely never reopen. This splash pad, Estabrook has said, offers something of a compromise to local residents who wish the city still had a place to cool off in the hot summer months.

In other news, Estabrook says the city officials are beyond excited to get underway with much needed road repairs after receiving its largest Community Crossings Matching Grant monies yet.

Nearly $2 million will flow into the entirety of Knox County from the states CCMG program, with Bicknell slated for $687,500.

Gov. Eric Holcomb in April announced that cities and counties across the state would receive a combined $100.2 million in state matching funds for local road projects.

Estabrook, who said he is over the moon with the result of the citys application, says preliminary work will get underway soon now that bids for the roadwork have been submitted and reviewed by city council members.

Bicknell received three bids for the work, with Bicknells own Kerns Excavating coming in lowest at $869,000.

We made a motion to accept the lowest and most responsible bid, Estabrook said.

Pending approval from city engineer John Sprague, it looks like we have our contractor, he added.

City officials say they hope to begin any necessary tree removal and sidewalk work within the next 30 days, with the actual roadwork beginning soon thereafter.

Bicknell was denied any CCMG funds during the last round, so Estabrook came back with his biggest application to date. When combined with a local match, it will mean roughly $900,000 in repairs  likely the biggest road project the city has undertaken since its city streets were first built more than a century ago.

Nearly every section of town will see some kind of road improvement, including areas around the public parks and many residential areas.

City officials, too, will soon vote on a measure to rename three of Bicknells streets after former residents who died in the Vietnam War.

A representative from the VFW in Odon went before members of the city council in May, asking that they consider renaming a street for Terry Michael Ward, a Bicknell resident who was killed in action at the age of 19.

The discussions that followed revealed two other local men who died in the Vietnam War  Lloyd Laverne Heath and David Arthur Cooper  so city officials are looking to the three streets around South Side Park as options.

Estabrook says though the official street names would remain the same, in part for purposes of 911 calls, they would become memorial roadways with designated signage honoring each man.

The council will vote on the ordinance next month, but Estabrook says he believes the measure will be a slam dunk.
Passionate foodies, hospitality leaders and producers are uniting today as part of a new collective celebrating the coastal bay of plentys evolving food story.

Flavours of Plenty is an initiative driven by Tourism Bay of Plenty that aims to increase awareness of the regions growing food scene among locals and visitors.

It is a partnership with Toi Ohomai Institute of technology, Restaurant Association of New Zealand and Priority One.

The collective will also provide the platform to identify new commercial opportunities in the food and hospitality space through the camaraderie that comes from people having a shared passion.

Acting chief executive Oscar Nathan says the collective will focus on showcasing the people places, produce and plates that reflect the regions passion, innovation and creativity behind food.

Our rich soils mean the region is already well-known for growing and nurturing some of the worlds healthiest and most nutritious food products, with Te Puke calling itself the kiwifruit capital of the world, and Katikati staking its claim to New Zealands avocado capital in 2018, says Oscar.

In recent years, our plentiful whenua and coastal landscape has attracted new arrivals and artisans, many of whom contribute to a growing and increasingly sophisticated hospitality scene.

Flavours of Plenty will bring many of these talented people together who share our vision to lift the profile of our food story and create new opportunities for growth, says Oscar.

The hospitality sector is already a significant contributor to the Coastal Bay of Plenty visitor economy.

In the year ending April 2021, visitor spend on food and beverage services was $118 million  up 19 per cent on the previous year.

Despite the disruption to tourism caused by Covid-19, domestic visitor spend in this category increased 29 per cent over the year.

January 2021 was the peak month for food and beverage services.

Horticultural provenance is a vital strand in the regional tourism strategy, Te Ha Tapoi (The Love of Tourism). Following the strategys launch in March 2020, a horticultural provenance steering group was established to develop an authentic regional food story.

Members include representatives from Zespri, NZ Avocado, Heilala Vanilla, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, NZ Food Writers Association, Restaurant Association, Cider Factorie and local chefs Kasey and Karena Bird.

Founder of pop-up restaurant Kitchen Takeover and group spokesperson Stacey Jones, says the Flavours of Plenty launch marks a milestone in their work to connect the foodie ecosystem and stimulate pride in the regions food and fresh flavours that are grown or produced locally.

All our Flavours of Plenty participants are invested in our regions food and hospitality scene and united in a desire to lay the foundations for events, tourism experiences, products and iconic food trails that will shape our regions food culture and reputation.

We have amazing stories to tell, with premium quality ingredients grown on our doorstep, and a region of talented artisans and chefs creating goods and dining experiences that, more than ever, have a big city vibe.

Stacey says as the Coastal Bay of Plenty has grown, welcomed new cultures and attracted experienced hospitality professionals, the region can proudly stand tall on the merits of its own achievements.

An exciting challenge for us now is sharing these stories with manuhiri and locals alike.

With 60 per cent of manuhiri staying with friends and whanau in the Coastal Bay of Plenty, residents are influential hosts so educating locals is critical to our strategy to connect the community with operators across the Coastal Bay of Plentys diverse foodscape, from Waihi Beach to Whakatane, says Stacey.

Oscar says collaborating with stakeholders and industry groups is at the heart of this management approach and the Flavours of Plenty initiative demonstrates this in action.

By connecting people, were enabling discussion and the potential for new authentic experiences to emerge that will support economic development and a thriving community for residents and manuhiri to enjoy.

For more information, head to www.flavoursofplenty.co.nz
A pause has been placed on the travel bubble between New Zealand and New South Wales.

Quarantine-free travel from New South Wales to New Zealand has been paused from midnight, and the hold will be in place for at least 72 hours.

The minister for Covid-19 response, Chris Hipkins says there were 10 new community cases of the virus in Sydney, and the source of those infections needed to be thoroughly investigated before travel resumed.

He says a public health assessment had determined the risk to the New Zealand public remains low, but there are still several unknowns.

The government is taking a precautionary approach and the decision would be reviewed on Thursday, says Hipkins.

Air New Zealand says the pause on quarantine free travel from Sydney meant 28 flights are cancelled over the next 72 hours.

It is contacting affected passengers and giving them the option to rebook, put their flight into credit, or get a refund if they purchased a refundable ticket.

Leading epidemiologist Michael Baker says the decision to pause the travel bubble is not a surprise after today's update from NSW authorities.

"I think a number of factors that have been identified by the government have really tipped the country in favour of the suspension, and that is the fact that there's two cases where the source is not known, they've been in the community and there could be other cases linked to them - and also of course, it's the more infectious Delta variant."

Professor Baker says the new strain is about twice as infectious as the original and was proving harder for countries to keep under control.

New arrivals from Sydney who may have been exposed asked to isolate

Anyone who had been in Sydney since 11 June should keep doing regular checks on updates being posted on the NSW Health website, as new locations of risk were still being added, a NZ government Unite Against Covid-19 alert says.

People who have been at the locations of interest during the times listed should call Healthline, and isolate themselves until they can be tested for Covid-19 and then return a negative result.

They would also not be allowed to travel to New Zealand within 14 days of being at any of the at risk locations of interest, even if the travel bubble is restored.

While the overall risk to health for New Zealand currently remains low, the assessment found several unknowns had arisen, including the rising number of locations of interest in the community visited by people who later tested positive, and people not linked to other cases.

The locations warnings had been issued for included Westfield Bondi Junction (including the car park)

NSW increases to 21

The NSW cluster now has 21 cases linked to it.

Yesterday, the state's health authorities announced extended restrictions to respond to the increase in cases, including wider rules for mask use, and continuing restrictions on indoor venues.

At least six of the new NSW cases are household contacts of previous cases who had been in isolation.

Among the new cases is a primary school-aged pupil who has not been linked to a known cluster. They are a student at St Charles Catholic Primary School in Waverley, in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

At least 16 people who have since travelled to New Zealand have reported that they were at some of the locations of interest in Sydney.

RNZ.
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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%..

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Lawton, OK (73501)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low near 70F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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A rich cache of data on some 533 million Facebook users was posted to a hacker forum over the weekend and is available to download for practically free. The information is from a data breach that occurred in 2019, but hasn't been widely available until now.

The data was posted to an English-speaking cybercriminal forum called RaidForums by a hacker going by the handle TomLiner.

"The Facebook data was first listed for sale on RaidForums on June 6, 2020, but the initial sale allegedly asked users for US$30,000 in exchange for the data," explained Ivan Righi, a cyber threat intelligence analyst with Digital Shadows, a San Francisco-based provider of digital risk protection solutions.

"TomLiner's post exposed the data for eight forum tokens -- approximately $2.52," he told TechNewsWorld. "The data has been unlocked by close to 3,800 users, generating TomLiner over $9,500."

Michael Isbitski, a technical evangelist with Salt Security, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based provider of API security, added that at the time of that incident in 2019, Facebook indicated the data of 220 million users was scraped prior to the company restricting access in the platform to preserve users' privacy.

"It's plausible that this is partially the old data set resurfaced and combined with other scraped data sets since the number has now ballooned to 533 million users," he told TechNewsWorld.

Phone Number Flaw

In a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by Facebook, the company said it is confident the posted information is old data that originated from a weakness in its contact importer feature that was discovered and fixed in August 2019.

At that time, it explained, the company removed people's ability to directly find others using their phone number across both Facebook and Instagram -- a function that could be exploited using sophisticated software code to imitate Facebook and provide a phone number to find which users it belonged to.

Using that software, it continued, it had been possible to input multiple phone numbers and, by running an algorithm, connect numbers to specific users.

Facebook never returned a phone number, it explained, the attacker provided the numbers by which to do the matching.

Through this process, it was possible at that time to query user profiles and obtain a limited amount of publicly available information, it added.

Playbook for ID Theft

Although the data may be old, it still has value to hackers, cybersecurity experts told TechNewsWorld.

Admittedly, the data's value has been diminished as a saleable asset, observed Andrew Barratt, managing principal for solutions and investigations at Coalfire, a Westminster, Colo.-based provider of cybersecurity advisory services.

"But the data is still a ready-made playbook for identity theft, impersonation, and potential Facebook account take over, which often has more far reaching consequences if Facebook accounts are used to access other sites, or services," he said.

"Look at the number of fitness tracking systems, which log relevant healthcare data that leverage a Facebook login to get in," he added.

Righi noted that it is likely that most phone numbers are still active and remain linked to legitimate Facebook users.

"Cybercriminals can use information such as phone numbers, emails and full names to launch targeted social engineering attacks, such as phishing, vishing, or spam," he said. "As most users are still working from home due to the pandemic, these attacks could be effective if personalized to target victims."

"Now more than ever it is important to seriously reconsider using phone numbers as logins or sharing phone numbers with apps," added Setu Kulkarni, vice president for strategy at WhiteHat Security, a San Jose, Calif.-based provider of application security.

"Switching phone numbers is inordinately more taxing than switching email IDs," he added.

Exploiting the Pandemic

Being in the middle of a pandemic may also add value to the recycled data from the Facebook breach.

"Having access to all the data may be a golden nugget for criminals orchestrating large spam or phishing campaigns, many of which have been tailored to pandemic-themes -- stimulus checks, mask politics, geographical restrictions or track and trace scenarios," observed Barratt.

"Whether it's more or less valuable is complex because of the general state of the global economy," he continued.

"It might be harder to scam an individual for a higher amount of money, however it might be possible to scam a larger volume of people for smaller amounts that are 'on trend' from a pandemic perspective," he explained.

Saryu Nayyar, CEO of Gurucul, a threat intelligence company in El Segundo, Calif. added that the global scope of the pandemic can be an asset to scammers armed with data from the Facebook breach.

"Every country is in different stages of grappling with their Covid-19 vaccine rollout, and cybercriminals can absolutely use this data to socially engineer vaccine misinformation," she told TechNewsWorld.

"I can already see the targeted phishing email headlines: Get your vaccine today -- new vaccination center near you! Find out which of your neighbors have Covid-19. Choose which vaccine you get with our new app," she described.

Daniel Markuson, digital privacy expert with NordVPN, a VPN service provider based in Nicosia, Cypress noted in a statement that his company found that vaccine-related Google searches in the United States grew by 1,900 percent since January.

"This shows that Americans are becoming increasingly anxious to get their Covid-19 vaccine and might be an easy target for hackers," he reasoned.

Markuson added that in December, Interpol issued an alert to law enforcement across 194 countries, warning them to prepare for crimes revolving around Covid-19 vaccines.

Investigators have also reported vaccine-related activities on the Dark Web, he added.

No Stranger to Breaches

Over the years, the social network has been the target of a number of headline-grabbing data breaches.

"Facebook has been hit with data incidents from every angle," observed Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate at Comparitech, a reviews, advice and information website for consumer security products.

"It has left user data sitting on exposed servers, allowed app developers to abuse access to user accounts, and left bugs in code that hackers could exploit to steal data," he told TechNewsWorld.

"On top of that, most Facebook profiles are public, which means third parties can scrape them using bots," he said.

Data security and privacy was never high in the minds of the Facebook developers when they built the platform, maintained Purandar Das, CEO and cofounder of Sotero, a data protection company in Burlington, Mass.

"On the other hand, the platform was all about monetizing the users' data," he told TechNewsWorld.

"When you design products or platforms that start with no attention to security and privacy," he said, "it becomes very hard to go back and retrofit those capabilities."

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.


In context: The difficulties facing the semiconductor industry have become so well-known recently that mainstream news stories about chip shortages, and the corresponding problems theyre causing, have become commonplace. Along the way, a much wider audience has begun to learn some of the idiosyncrasies and structural challenges that face the chip business.

Chip shortages are triggering important plans within big semiconductor firms. The most recent example is GlobalFoundries announcement of greatly expanded capacity at its existing chip fabrication plant in Singapore. The company announced a $4B investment in conjunction with Singapore government officials and committed customers to build a 250,000 square foot addition thats expected to open for production in 2023.

The investment will enable the company to increase its overall output by 33%, growing its 300 mm wafer capacity from about 720,000/year up to just under 1.2 million/year, in addition to the nearly 700,000 200 mm wafers they also manufacture there each year. (Worthy of note, the news was relayed to me by an all-female contingency of executives from GlobalFoundriesa first in more than 20 years of covering the semiconductor business.)

The need for additional chip production capacity has become painfully obvious during the pandemic, so its clearly great to see the GlobalFoundries (GF) investment being made. The news of this expansion is important both to the company and to the semiconductor industry overall for several different reasons.

First, it places some much deserved attention on the part of the industry that, frankly, has been overlooked for much of the last few decades. For those who do watch chip industry developments, most of the press and attention is directed towards what are referred to as leading process nodes. In English, that means smaller and smaller chip sizesfor example 7nm (nanometer), 5nm, 3nm, etc. While these cutting-edge chips do power smartphones and a lot of other sexy, important devices, they only represent about 30% of the chip industrys total revenues and about 10% of the units manufactured.

More importantly, theyre extremely difficult and expensive to develop. Thats why, several years back, GF made theat the time, rather controversialdecision to no longer play the nanometer game but instead focus on adding new capabilities and features to chips that were built at larger transistor sizes (12 nm and up). Not only do these types of chips make up the bulk of both shipments and revenues for the semiconductor industry, but it turns out there are quite a few applications for which they are the best technology to use. Applications like RF (radio frequency), analog power, and non-volatile memory, for example, which are critical for things like 5G, automotive, IoT, and many other industries, are best suited to the chip sizes that GlobalFoundries chose to focus on.

Unfortunately, much of the industry had bought into the notion that everything related to chips was only better if it was smaller. As a result, appropriate amounts of investments in these less sexy types of chips were not made, and that led the entire industry to the critical shortage phase that it finds itself in. The GlobalFoundries investment is clearly a step in the right direction in starting to address the issue around fewer cutting-edge nodes. The fact that the company also referred to similar types of investments it plans to make in both the US and Europe highlights the increased emphasis these types of components are receiving.

Unfortunately, the GF news also highlights how expensive and slow changes to the chip industry are. While many major manufacturers, particularly automobile makers, are clamoring for as many chips as they can get as soon as they can possibly get them, the sobering truth is that there is no easy answer to this problem and that it will be several years before it can be resolved.

As long-time chip industry observers know, the semiconductor business has always been highly cyclical with many different phases of shortages and surplus because of the time it takes to fill in the gap. With some forecasts expecting semiconductor shipments and revenues to more than double throughout this decade, this time things may be different, and potential oversupply issues seem to be a long way off.

Another factor is that the environment around the chip industry is very different now than it was pre-pandemic. For one thing, the concentration of chipmaking facilities in very few regions around the world has become an enormous geopolitical issue. In fact, large governments around the world are now clamoring to put policies into place that encourage local production of chips.

Here in the US, the Senate recently passed the CHIPs for America Act, which sets aside $52 billion in incentives for US-based manufacturing and R&D efforts, while the newly introduced bipartisan Facilitating American-Built Semiconductors (FABS) Act is expected to provide additional tax incentives for US chip manufacturing. Government leaders are recognizing the criticality of a geographically diverse set of semiconductor suppliers, and even chipmakers themselves are starting to make more efforts at expanding their global reachsomething that GlobalFoundries has been doing for more than 10 years.

The fact that the GF announcement was made in conjunction with the Singapore Economic Development Board is a clear manifestation of these principles, as many future chip manufacturing deals will also likely reflect these private-public partnerships. The roughly 1,000 highly skilled jobs expected to be created as part of the fab expansion is yet another reason government interest is so strong. The GF deal is also interesting because of the participation by what it termed committed customers. Clearly multi-billion-dollar manufacturing investments cannot be wisely made without firm, long-term financial commitments from key customersits no longer a build it and they will come kind of environment. As a result, I expect to see other new fab facility news, both from GlobalFoundries and other industry players, to incorporate a customer element to them.

The pandemic has made clear our societal dependence on digital, chip-driven devices and services. As a result, providing the right political environment and appropriate financial incentives to ensure a steady, secure, and diverse supply of the critical chips that power them will unquestionably be a key priority for both businesses and governments for some time to come. As a US-based company, its great to see GlobalFoundries help set the tone for how these types of global semiconductor issues and deals will start to get done.

Bob ODonnell is the founder and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a technology consulting firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech.

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Editor's take: If theres one thing you need to know about cryptocurrency, its that it is extremely volatile. It's a lot like riding a roller coaster, really, with plenty of peaks and valleys along the way for the thrill seekers willing to take the ride.

Case in point, Bitcoin, the worlds most popular cryptocurrency based on market cap, has lost more than half of its value since hitting a record high of more than $63,000 just over two months ago.

Bitcoin has had a tremendous run in 2021, but all of the gains have been wiped off the table. As of this writing, Bitcoin is trading at $29,827.24, just a few hundred bucks higher than the $29,333.61 it was at on January 1, 2021.

The latest dip is directly related to China. Earlier this week, the Peoples Bank of China (PBC) told the nations banks and payment institutions to stop facilitating cryptocurrency transactions.

According to the PBC, the speculative trading of virtual currencies will disrupt the normal functioning of the economy and the financial market. It will give rise to risks of illegal and criminal activities such as illegal cross-border transfer of assets and money laundering, and seriously infringe the property safety of the public.

Other countries arent as concerned with Bitcoin. Earlier this month, for example, the Central American nation of El Salvador adopted the Bitcoin Law, making the crypto legal tender alongside the US dollar. It hasn't been all smooth sailing, however, as the World Bank recently decided not to help El Salvador with its adoption due to environmental and transparency concerns.

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In a nutshell: Today, Boston Dynamics fell under new leadership as Hyundai closed a deal with SoftBank to take an 80-percent controlling stake in the robotics firm. The company will continue making and leasing robots, but Hyundai plans to expand its reach and leverage its expertise in other endeavors.

Korean car manufacturer Hyundai announced that it had closed a deal to purchase controlling stock in US robot maker Boston Dynamics. The company, well-known for its Spot quadruped robot, was wholly owned by SoftBank. Hyundai entered into negotiations with the holding company in November 2020.

By December, Hyundai had agreed to an 80-percent controlling stake in Boston Dynamics valued at $1.1 billionan $880 million deal. A SoftBank affiliate will retain the remaining 20 percent. On Monday, Hyundai completed the transaction and now has official control over the robot maker.

Today, we officially become part of the Hyundai Motor Group family. Together, we will build the future of mobile robotics. https://t.co/wSwpbKNJoW pic.twitter.com/AeJk5siwsq  Boston Dynamics (@BostonDynamics) June 21, 2021

This acquisition marks the third time Boston Dynamics has changed hands. Google's parent company Alphabet was the first to show interest in the MIT-create company, purchasing it for a reported $500 million in 2013. Japanese tech holding firm SoftBank then picked up the company in 2017 for an undisclosed sum.

Hyundai's acquisition of BD is one step in its goal to provide "smart-mobility solutions." These solutions include autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, urban air mobility, smart factories, and robotics. The carmaker plans to use BD to "create a robotics value chain, from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions."

Hyundai's vision does not mean that Boston Dynamics will stop making commercial robots. On the contrary, the new parent plans to expand BD's global sales and service footprint for its current product line. Its Spot robot is currently deployed across several industries, including construction, power, utilities, manufacturing, oil, gas, and mining. The robotic dog was even briefly used by law enforcement in New York, but the NYPD canceled its contract with Boston Dynamics after public backlash.
(Photo : GettlyImages/ Kevin Frayer) Apple antitrust

Apple is under scrutiny as Germany's Federal Cartel Office, the Bundeskartellamt, started the proceedings against the tech giant.

The Federal Cartel Office pointed out Apple's anti-competitive behavior related to the App Store, its products, and Apple's other services.

Apple's Antitrust Probe Proceedings

The proceeding against Apple was announced on June 21. It will determine whether the tech giant holds a massive advantage across all markets and whether Apple holds enough power to make it difficult for smaller companies to operate in the industry.

The president of Bundeskartellamt, Andreas Mundt, issued a statement on the initial Apple antitrust probe proceedings.

Also Read: iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency Guide: Here's How to Use it on New and Already-Installed Applications

Mundt said that they will now examine whether Apple has created a digital ecosystem around its iPhone products using its operating system iOS that extends across the markets, according to MacRumors.

Apple is known to produce computers, tablets, and wearables and provides a host of device-related services. Aside from manufacturing numerous hardware products, Apple also offers iCloud, App Store, Apple Music, AppleCare, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade.

Besides assessing Apple's position in these areas, the Bundeskartellamt will also examine its extensive integration across several market levels, the magnitude of its technological and financial resources, and its access to data.

The main focus of the antitrust investigation will be on the operation of the App Store as it enables Apple in numerous ways to influence the business activities of third parties, according to Reuters.

Apple's Ecosystem

The Bundeskartellamt did not release the specifics on what the outcome of the investigation may lead to. But the office stated that if it determines a company to be of importance across markets, it may prevent that company from engaging in anti-competitive practices.

The office stated that it had received numerous complaints relating to the anti-competitive practices of Apple, mainly related to the recent rollout of the App Tracking Transparency or ATT framework.

In April, nine industry associations representing companies like Facebook and Axel Springer filed an antitrust complaint to the federal office, claiming the Apple's ATT framework will hurt the publishers and their bottom lines, making it a threat to their business.

According to the press release, another complaint that the office received related to the pre-installation of Apple's own apps on its devices.

The office directly references section 19a of the German Competition Act, which states the abuse of a dominant position by one or several undertakings is prohibited, as a potential clause that Apple may be violating, according to Truth Daily.

Russia took the first step against Apple for the pre-installation of its own apps, requiring the tech giant to show its users a screen to download all government-approved apps during the device's initial setup.

Similar legislation proposed in the United States Congress would require Apple to give its users the chance to delete all pre-installed Apple apps instead of a select handful that users may currently delete.

The Bundeskartellamt also lists ongoing disputes regarding Apple's in-app purchasing system, which gives Apple a 30% commission of all purchases made and the restriction that apps may only be distributed on Apple devices through the App Store and not other third-party app marketplaces.

Related Article: Apple and Google Hit With Another Antitrust Case and this Time in Japan

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tesla Day 2021 is coming, and it was officially unveiled by Elon Musk, who said that the event would have the purpose of recruiting people and showcasing everything the company has to offer.

The question remains whether Tesla Day would be different from the other events of the company, including that of Battery Day which usually takes place in September, or the annual shareholders' meeting. The former is known to be inviting the public to get to know the latest innovations of the company, focusing more on well, power cell technology.

Recent news has talked about Tesla's ongoing disputes regarding its technology and features, particularly the windows suffocation issue that has gone public and is under investigation. Hopefully, this new event would address what the EV company needs to showcase, especially the features and AI of the company for a better drive experience.

Read Also: Anonymous: Elon Musk AI Conspiracy Theory Video 'Final Message,' Agrees With CEO-Not a Target Anymore?

Tesla Day 2021 from Elon Musk

In the statement that was posted by Elon Musk earlier today via Twitter (@elonmusk), the tech CEO has thought about featuring a new event that would possibly recruit more people in joining the company. Musk said that it would be all about Tesla, and nothing more, focusing more on its hardware and software innovations for people to better know.

Looking at holding Tesla AI Day in about a month or so. Will go over progress with Tesla AI software & hardware, both training & inference. Purpose is recruiting.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2021

This would focus on the hardware and software, as well as the massive AI of the tech company, which it uses mostly for monitoring the roads for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features. Hopefully, people would have the chance to get immersed in the technology that Tesla has to offer, and would not result in more accidents or incidents that go against the car company.

The event was not revealed to be days long, so most probably, it would only showcase one day or several hours of pure Tesla talk, for the public to learn more of it.

Would it be Different from Battery Day, Shareholders' Meeting?

A lot of people were shocked about the event, and even a known Tesla investor and content creator fan for the company, Dave Lee, asked whether it would be different from other events. These events include the popular Battery Day and annual shareholders' meeting which are the regular events that the company holds, and use to showcase their tech.

Doubt it...it's a recruiting event, slash bull trap for the markets...like the Neuralink event was. Limely less than 40min, so easy to tack onto end of earnings.  Adam Isaac (@ChrisAdamIsaac) June 21, 2021

The tweet was not answered, and people are confused about this event, but one thing is for sure, and it's that Tesla would not move an event this early, so it would most likely be a separate one for the company.

Related Article: Tesla Model S Plaid: Peak Acceleration is at 1.2 G's, Elon Musk Says Its 'Faster than Failing'

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amazon Warehouses has been leaked by a former employee, saying that the e-commerce company scraps and throws away random products if they do not get sold for a specific time, to free storage. This development is massive, especially for sellers and customers, in knowing why several products are unavailable on the platform anymore.

It is a known fact that Amazon is the largest e-commerce company in the world, providing its services to different countries and nationalities, and catering to local products they provide. This being said, it is normal that the company has massive warehouses distributed around the world, with some getting full storage leading to the need to dispose of some.

It is not established whether Amazon's Prime Day, Black Friday and other annual sales are also another way to free up its congested storage and have people buy thousands of products from them and the manufacturers.

Moreover, Amazon's move is no different from other industries like restaurants which throw unsold food daily, and other examples like the tech industry with obsolete technology already.

Read Also: Amazon Prime Day Issues Center on Supply Chain Disruption as Sellers Find it Difficult to Get Item

Amazon Scraps Millions of Unsold Warehouse Products Yearly

The case was brought up by a worker in Dunfermline, Scotland, by a Scottish Amazon employee (via ITV News), in which he caught different documentation proofs of what Amazon does. Here, it was revealed that old items were already out for scrapping or junk, while others are marked for donations and giving away to those in need.

However, there was one incident that the worker has shown where 7,000 items in April were only 7 days old or on their first week stay on the warehouse but already goes onto the junk list. In contrast, 28,000 items were marked for donations after its stay in the warehouse, with Amazon giving them to an unknown beneficiary.

Apart from scrapping and donating these products, a manager from Amazon's Dunfermline also admitted that the company orders them to "destroy" several products, instead of merely throwing them away. Several employees are reported to have "gone numb" for doing these things, and proceeds to destroy said items despite their value.

Not an Issue for Amazon?

Amazon is a massive company that has grown its business on a rather humongous scale, with Jeff Bezos becoming one of the most profitable CEOs in the industry. That being said, Amazon may have no problem in losing these goods, especially if the seller or product does not meet the expectations or terms that have been set when they agreed to sell their goods off the platform.

According to Deutsche Welle, European Laws do not require the need to disclose how many items were being scrapped in a certain business, and this includes Amazon that has hundreds of warehouses in the region.

Related Article: Nintendo Switch Lite Spotted Online with Free 128GB MicroSDXC Card | Console Sells at $199.99 on Amazon SRP

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Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China has caused a cryptocurrency market crash on the international stage, particularly because of its restrictions to mine and trades the coins from its country to outside. It has caused the decline on popular coins including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin, also affecting the entire cryptocurrency market and landscape which has recovered in the past weeks.

No, it is not Elon Musk that crashed the cryptocurrency market this time, rather, it is the entire nation of China or its government that has been against cryptocurrency and its forms. It was known that the Asian country has been blocking and fending off the thriving of the blockchain money on its nation, but its current effect on the massive scale is a big hindrance.

Earlier this June, Bitcoin miners from China have been forced to an exodus, and hiding out from the authorities, particularly because it wants them to stop their dealings and work. These people are now looking for options to continue their cryptocurrency mining in places that allow widescale trading, particularly in Texas, where they plan to migrate.

Read Also: TikTok, WeChat, Other China-Based Apps vs. Biden's Order: Here's Why the Apps May Face Bans

China Has Crashed the World's Crypto Market

The cryptocurrency market has been through ups and downs in the previous events that took place. But in the present, it takes a dive because of China's restrictions against it from the country, preventing miners from continuing their job and tasks of looking for new blockchain resources. According to CNet, China's central bank has prohibited the use and transactions of cryptocurrency among the public.

What this means is that all the transactions of all the cryptocurrencies present in the world are not supported by the Chinese government, particularly because of their nature. According to the People's Bank of China, virtual transactions particularly cryptocurrency, have been disruptive to the country's economy and financial system.

The Chinese people have composed a massive percentage of the world's cryptocurrency miners, which in Bitcoin alone consists 75 percent of its total population of miners. Losing the Chinese people will cause a massive dent in the cryptocurrency markets, with the current events already showing severely affected numbers amidst the crash.

How Much Are Cryptocurrencies Now?

Browsing CoinMarketCap's latest charts would be a devastating site for cryptocurrency fans, but would be an opportunity to buy for users and investors due to the low prices. For the last seven days graph of the website, all cryptocurrencies have red marks, signifying their fall in recent events.

Bitcoin alone has suffered a 19 percent crash, but remains on the $32,000 market price, while Ethereum suffered a 25.15 percent decline, now selling at around $1,954. Dogecoin, on the other hand, faced a significant crash that brought it down to $0.19, with a decline of almost 40 percent of its valuation going down.

Related Article: Paraguay to Legislate Cryptocurrency as a Legal Tender

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tesla reveals its new computer that will be responsible for running the Autopilot and self-driving AI in electric vehicles. The car manufacturer said that it will be the succeeding Dojo computer of the EV manufacturer.

Since we know that supercomputers are oftentimes used in large-scale computing, the California-based company will use its creation this time to provide support for automobiles in terms of their software capabilities.

Tesla SuperComputer to Run Self-Driving Software

According to Fox Business, Tesla will be testing the supercomputer to enable the FSD feature of the EVs. The automaker will be incorporating it through neural nets which would house a huge space for data for storage.

Earlier, the Dojo project of Tesla was hinted at by its CEO Elon Musk. The tycoon said that it would contain a supercomputer for a breakthrough. It has an exaFLOP or one quintillion (1018) floating-point operations per second (1,000 petaFLOPS). This makes it the fifth most extraordinary computer in the world.

Over the last few years, Musk has been finding ways to launch his plans in line with the Dojo project. Now, we are seeing that it is slowly coming to fruition this 2021.

As per Tesla's head of AI, Andrej Karpathy, there were previously made supercomputers intended for Dojo. During the 2021 Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, the company introduced one of them.

Moreover, Karparthy said that the team behind the supercomputer has worked so hard for the project. The supercomputer later became one of the world's top supercomputers--an amazing feat for the EV creator.

Read Also: Tesla Invests Another $3.1 Million for the Development of EV Batteries in Canada--Here Are its Goals

What Makes Tesla's Supercomputer Special?

Having one of the best supercomputers in the world, Tesla is dedicated that its specs are beyond everyone's expectations. In addition, the company has revealed the full list of the specifications for the new cluster. Here are they:

720 nodes of 8x A100 80GB. (5760 GPUs total)

1.8 EFLOPS (720 nodes * 312 TFLOPS-FP16-A100 * 8 GPU/nodes)

10 PB of "hot tier" NVME storage @ 1.6 TBps

640 Tbps of total switching capacity

"We have a neural net architecture network and we have a data set, a 1.5 petabytes data set that requires a huge amount of computing. So I wanted to give a plug to this insane supercomputer that we are building and using now. For us, computer vision is the bread and butter of what we do and what enables Autopilot," Karpathy commented in a report by Electrek on Monday, June 21.

Karpathy added that they have invested a lot for this supercomputer through coming up with the build of 720 nodes of 8x A100 from the 80GB version. He claimed that it was the number five best supercomputer worldwide.

Musk said that his company would soon allow its supercomputers available to other firms so that they could test the neural nets for a similar purpose in terms of Autopilot and Self-Driving.

Related Article: Tesla Day 2021: Elon Musk Reveals New Event to Arrive Next Month, All About EVs to Recruit People

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Written by Joseph Henry

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NASA has sent Hawaiian baby squids into space for research purposes. Earlier this June, the international space agency delivered the squids taken care of by the Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii. On their way to the International Space Station, dozens of squids have been carried along with SpaceX during the resupply mission.

Space Squids Are Coming to Space, But Why?

On Monday, June 21, Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that NASA has released the Hawaiian bobtail squids on-board the rocket to show the effect of the long space travels on them. The scientists later will use the findings to reinforce the health of humans like astronauts, according to the University of Hawaii doctorate graduate Jamie Foster.

In connection to the experiment, the squids have been related to the natural bacteria since they have a symbiotic relationship. If you could observe the bioluminescent characteristic of the squid, they are the bacteria responsible for that.

According to Margaret McFall-Ngai, a professor from the same university and is related to Foster, the relationship between humans and the microbes alters. This happens when a low gravity is experienced by space travelers.

McFall-Ngai added that there is a perturbation occurring in the microgravity that they have found out in the symbiotic relationship of humans to the microbes. Foster compared it to the symbiosis in squid with the microbes.

Read Also: Tardigrade Bullets? Scientists Fire Water Bears From a Gun to Test How Tough They Are

Understanding The Squids in Space Can Open Solutions to Astronauts' Health

This experiment might sound weird at first since an ordinary person wouldn't even think why NASA wants to send the Hawaiian squids into space for a reason. To better explain why the space agency needs to pursue this goal, NASA's principal investigator, Foster said that it would pave the way for information about the impact of microgravity on microbes and animals.

For example, Foster said that as astronauts drench themselves in the unusual space environment, their immune systems do not function like they normally do on Earth. This is when they get "dysregulated."

Foster continued that the bacteria are not easily identified by the immune systems. This explains why humans who go for space missions get sick sometimes. She added that this would help them think of a solution for the health problems experienced by the astronauts.

Since the immune systems could not cope up properly when the human bodies interact in space, scientists could devise some plans that will provide a safer trip for the astronauts.

The squids, which hail from the Hawaiian waters, have been abundant on the island. The young (baby squid) ones could grow for up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters). Their sizes compared to their adult counterparts are close.

The Kewalo Marine Laboratory has been cultivating the squids intended to be used for research. It is expected that by next month, the samples will return to Earth, Fox8 reported on Monday, June 21.

Related Article: 'Name the Artemis Moonikin Challenge': NASA is Preparing Test Dummy For Upcoming Moon Flight

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NFT craze has sparked a rift against co-founders of the label "Roc-A-Fella" Records (RAF) with the rapper Jay-Z pressing charges against Damon Dash for selling his first album, "Reasonable Doubt."

Allegedly, Dash had no rights to sell the album that was produced by RAF records, with writing and vocals coming from the co-founder, Jay-Z. But, Dash did so anyway but was stopped by Roc-A-Fella before the event selling has taken place. The selling of the album as a non-fungible token (NFT) is a new thing in the world of NFTs, but Jay-Z is not taking it.

The craze for NFT in the world of digital technology has grown into a massive success, particularly because anything digital can be sold as a token, with a lot selling for thousands of dollars. Recently, Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the Worldwide Web, has presented to sell the source code of the beginnings of the internet as an NFT, which is a significant move for him.

Read Also: NFT Buyer Decides 'Charlie Bit My Finger' Viral Video Will Stay on Youtube

Jay-Z Lawsuit against Damon Dash for Selling 'Reasonable Doubt' as NFT

CNN, on the other hand, is selling several of the world's historic events on tape as NFTs, which would begin its auctions this June, soon losing their rights to it. The two aforementioned events where NFTs are sold from the works of artists and other personalities is a good way to go in the industry. However, in terms of Jay-Z and Damon Dash, it is a conflict of interest.

Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z have prevented the sale of his debut album "Reasonable Doubt," from being sold as an NFT by his former partner and minor stakeholder, Damon Dash. In the lawsuit pressed by RAF, it said that Dash had no right to sell the album, and it is still protected by copyrights under Jay-Z, also with royalties.

Initially, Dash has partnered with SuperFarm to sell the album but was halted by the lawsuit and Roc-A-Fella, botching the auction and sale. However, reports from TMZ say that Dash tried to look for other parties to sell the NFT and continue the process of selling it, despite the pending criminal charges that he would face.

NFTs are Protected by Copyright Laws and MORE

It is a good thing that Non-Fungible Tokens are still protected by copyright laws and royalties despite being digital pieces of technology, and are distributed widely on the internet. Moreover. these copyright laws still protect certain products, music, art, or film from being reproduced, especially when being sold as an NFT in the modern age.

This law would ensure that NFTs would not be sold without the original owners or those who have stakes in it, being notified about the dealings behind it.

Most NFTs of the modern age are focusing more on music and film, particularly the classics or top-grossing ones, or those that have been previously viral on social media. A lot of them are subject to copyright, and lawsuits have now popped-up to protect those who are wrongfully robbed of their work.

Related Article: NFTs Booming Massive Craze-Here are the Most Expensive Ones Sold!

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(Photo : Activision Official Press Release Page)

A Twitch streamer and her family have been saved from a robbery incident in South Africa by a fellow gamer while playing "Call of Duty: Warzone".

According to Comic Book, Jaco Viljoen was in the middle of playing "Call of Duty Warzone" with friend Sterna Lewis, who goes by the name MissBandiit on Twitch, and her husband Mario Engelbrecht when he noticed that the two had gone silent.

A concerned Viljoen, who lives in the same estate as the couple in Centurion, asked for security to come with him to check on Lewis and Engelbrecht at their home.

Upon hearing unfamiliar voices inside the house, Viljoen instructed the security to call the police.

Related Article: Most-Watched Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Twitch Streamers of 2020 & Warzone Season 5 Update

Twitch Streamer Narrates Robbery Incident

Twitch Streamer Lewis was interviewed by South African outlet Pretoria Rekord regarding the ordeal.

Lewis narrated how she and her husband were in the middle of a Twitch stream when three men barged into the house. One of the men was armed. After begging for the lives of their children, the couple was told to lie on the ground before the children, who are only 12 and 9 years of age, were brought into the room.

"My eldest son, who is 12, was quite shocked when he saw us lying on the ground because he thought they had killed us," she said.

Her husband's face was then covered and his hands and feet were bound together. As for Lewis and the children, their hands were tied with shoelaces. The robbers went on to ransack the home and began loading her car with the stolen valuables while one kept guard over their captives.

Robbers Flee From Home

Upon hearing the arrival of the police, the three men hurriedly fled the home. They only managed to take two watches, two phones and car keys with them in their escape.

Engelbrecht was able to recover his phone and car keys after the incident.

Also Read: Twitch Streamer Ludwig Ahgren's Popularity on Sleep Streaming is on Massive Rise Right Now

Other Twitch Incidents That Involve Police

Sterna Lewis and her family being saved from a group of robbers thanks to a Twitch stream is not the only Twitch-related incident to ever happen that involves the police.

Just last month, Twitch streamer Alinity has filed a police report against fans who have been showing up at her home. Fans, whom she described as "creepy" suddenly appeared outside her door, leading the streamer to contact the police.

Alinity, whose real name is Natalia Mogollon, was also involved in another police-related incident last year. This time around, she found herself in the middle of a police investigation after people alleged she was neglecting her dogs because of her streaming. Alinity eventually admitted that she thought of commiting suicide due to all the online abuse she was receiving.

In March, Twitch released the company's 2020 Transparency Report, which listed 38 Twitch-related police cases that have been filed. These cases usually involve cases of violence on the platform, which audiences and users have reported to the police.

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Written by Isabella James

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Gustavo Fring from Pexels)

WHO has announced its plans to establish a vaccine tech transfer hub in South Africa.

According to the website of the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO) aims for a facility that will "allow manufacturers from developing countries to receive training on how to produce vaccines."

It comes after the organization made a call in April for contributions to be made in establishing COVID-19 mRNA vaccine technology transfer hubs that can benefit low to middle-income countries.

These countries have lagged behind as the whole world rushes to inoculate its citizens against the coronavirus.

"In a crisis, low-income countries cannot rely on vaccine-producing countries to supply their needs," WHO Chief Tedros Adhamon Ghebreyesus said in regards to the inequitable access to vaccines during a media briefing in eneva.

WHO Vaccine Tech Transfer Hub: What We Know So Far

WHO held a virtual press conference where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Africa now understood that COVID-19 vaccines will "never come" to the continent in time to save lives, according to France 24.

"They never arrive on time and people continue to die," he said.

Ramaphosa further emphasized the need for and the importance of having a vaccine tech transfer hub in the continent, saying it will help put Africa on a "path to self-determination."

Bio-pharmaceutical company Biovac will serve as the vaccine tech transfer hub's developer, while biotechnology firm Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines will be manufacturing the vaccines. Behind the scenes, a group of universities from Africa will provide the necessary scientific knowledge to produce mRNA vaccines.

mRNA Vaccines

Messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology has played a key role in the development of vaccines against COVID-19. Once in a human system, mRNA instructs the body to produce spike proteins that, in turn, leads to an immune response in the body. The immune response leads to the production of antibodies that provide the needed protection against the disease.

This technology is currently used by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in their coronavirus vaccines.

Results of studies done on these mRNA vaccines have shown that Moderna has 94.1% efficacy, while Pfizer has 94.6%.

WHO efficacy standard for COVID-19 vaccines is at 70%.

Also Read: Pfizer vs Moderna: Comparing Two COVID-19 Vaccines from Side Effects to Storage Requirements

A Welcomed Development

WHO's planned vaccine tech transfer hub is welcomed news as the world continues to grapple with coronavirus mutations. These mutations have been challenging for vaccine manufactures as studies have shown that mutations may be able to evade antibodies.

A new vaccine tech transfer hub can be used to address mutation concerns, especially in Africa, where the Beta strain of the virus originated.

Despite the challenges posed by coronavirus mutations, the UN has reported that the worldwide COVID-19 cases have declined for the eighth week in a row. COVID-19-related deaths have also dropped for the seventh consecutive week.

Related Article: COVID-19: the United Kingdom, South Africa to Start Coronavirus Vaccine Pilot

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Written by Isabella James

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Cleerly has recently developed an AI-powered imaging technology that would be the solution to the silent killers in the world: heart attacks. Through the help of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine, the health care company has come up with a new digital approach for health problem detection.

Cleerly Launches AI Platform For Those Who Are At Risk of Having Heart Attack

In a statement by Cleerly CEO James Min, advanced imaging has been previously used for cancer prevention over the past years. However, the common cause of mortality has not been addressed for a digital solution.

The investment which costs $43 million has tackled the use of AI intervention in combating heart attack. Through scanning the heart, the health experts could identify the persons who could be hit by the deadly disease. It is based on an analysis conducted in the coronary artery region.

The lab images which account for a huge database involves clinical trial data from over 50,000 patients. The algorithm of the platform has been responsible for the calculation of the heart attack's severity and risks. The team behind the development has supplied more information about the instances where oxygen pathways are blocked.

Min said that they are using 3D mammograms, lung CT scans, and colonoscopies when looking for problems present in the colon, lung, and breast. On the other hand, they do not have the same capabilities which could measure the number one disease in the world.

Compared to the traditional treatment, Cleerly would guarantee the patient with much more comprehensive tracking of cardiac problems. The company which is headquartered in New York will use blood cholesterol levels as indicators for the occurrence of heart attack.

Additionally, the company saw beforehand that the first symptom of heart attack is also heart attack. This prompted Cleerly to run a series of diagnostic tests for a well-suited AI technology.

Read Also: Ceiling Mounted COVID-19 Alarm Detects if Someone Infected is Near- How Does it Work?

A Better Understanding About a Person's Artery

The digital platform that Cleerly developed was a great help for both physicians and patients. For the latter, a better understanding of the state of their arteries would be ideal to know. Through the AI-powered imaging technology, they would only rely on medical images that won't require advanced training, Fierce Biotech reported on Monday, June 21.

The investors that set up the funding for Cleerly's AI digital platform have been involved since 2017. Some of them include LRVHealth, DigiTx Partners, Cigna Ventures, Vensana Capital, and the American College of Cardiology.

The partnerships that the company formed with other collaborators would be extended. The net proceeds in the creation of the digital system for a heart attack would be used to seek other new strategic partners in the future.

According to Justin Klein, a managing partner from Vensana Capital, Cleerly has been dedicated to contributing to the field of healthcare improvement aligned to its mission that will look after the welfare of the patients. Through the advanced diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and management, the company would give the individuals a "cost-effective and world-class" service to all.

Related Article: New Google AI Can Detect Cardiovascular Diseases Using Retinal Scans

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Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Toyota unveiled a robot that takes selfies while it completes cleaning tasks that most counterparts find complex. It coincidentally celebrated National Selfie Day, thus showcasing its new learned skill of taking a self-portrait while doing mundane chores.

The Toyota Research Institute flaunted the unnamed robot as the solution to common cyborg weakness of identifying shiny or reflective objects. As such, it makes simple cleaning tasks for humans complicated for robots, Engadget reported.

The difficulty in recognizing shiny objects has been a significant hurdle to their performance as most kitchenware at home is translucent and glossy. Just imagine if a cleaning robot stops and analyzes a simple glass of water for a long time. It might be better to clean yourself as it would be more efficient, which defeats the purpose.

Toyota's Robot Selfie Skill

Toyota attached a photo of the new cleaning robot in its press release. It wiped the table at a house using its left hand. With its other hand, it took a video of the chore it was completing.

It was not something out of this world. It is a skill that most humans have learned in the advent of social media. Now, people do their responsibilities while showing it to the folks on the internet.

Read Also: Tesla Website Crashed After Elon Musk Sold Red Hot Shorts; Plans to Open New Factory in Asia

Toyota Robot and Complex Cleaning Tasks

The main objective of Toyota Research Institute was to boast how it has taught a robot to overcome complicated instances for most counterparts.

In the past, robots are not ideally responsible for clearing out tables due to their surface recognition limits. Toyota devised a training method for robots to understand more objects. It particularly helped in identifying the "3D geometry of the scene."

The programmers also installed vast synthetic data to train the new skill into the robot. With that, it can now move a glass of water or a toaster to wipe a tabletop clean. It no longer gets fooled by a mere reflection from a shiny object.

Max Bajracharya, Vice President of Robotics of Toyota said that they arranged this endeavor not to replace humans completely. It is more of an attempt to complement the skills of humankind with "robotic capabilities."

It is not the first time that the Japanese carmaker got involved in producing robots. On May 26, 2016, Google sold its robotics division, Boston Dynamics, to Toyota.

Elsewhere, the Japanese giant debuted a robot that helped paralyzed people to walk again.

Related Article: Study Suggests That Self-Driving Car Manufacturers Should Look Into These Before Launching Next Vehicle

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Getty Image: Spencer Platt)

The start of July would have been a big deal for Tesla, especially its CEO Elon Musk. The company was supposed to have a grand celebration because of the launch of the company's German Gigafactory in the municipality of Gruenheide outside of Berlin.

However, with a combination of red tapes, fierce environmental resistance, and planning tweaks, Tesla German Gigafactory had to be postponed.

It is still unclear when the vehicles from the production line of the electric vehicle company's first European factory will be launched.

Tesla German Gigafactory - the Delay

According to Reuters, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed in 2019 that his company is planning to build the factory.

However, the company's site has its eyes set on partly overlaps with a drinking water protection area. It also borders a natural reserve, and the factory's construction has received heavy opposition from environmental groups and residents.

Environmental Factors

Tesla already postponed the expected opening date of its German Gigafactory to late 2021. However, Brandenburg's environmental agency, where it is $6.9 billion plants are undergoing construction, has still not confirmed its final approval.

This could lead to further delays in development down the road. The factory's launch could be delayed until 2022.

In 2019, Tesla had to stop its forest clearing operation because environmentalists from the Nabu local group insisted that it posed risks to a rare local snake. Its winter slumber might be disturbed by the EV company's plan to cut the trees.

Read Also: Tesla Model S Plaid Comes With New Hidden Features - What Did You Miss?

According to Reuters, the snake species were already rescued even before Tesla proceeded with their activity. However, other efforts to stop the company's tree-cutting activity were executed on environmental grounds.

The report mentioned a statement from Manuela Hoyer, saying that a considerable portion of the forest will be emptied to create the required infrastructure and housing area for the gigafactory.

Hoyer added that building the factory within a protected drinking water neighborhood is considered a crime against the environment.

Her statement is a clear reflection of the locals' fear of the impact Elon Musk's electric vehicle company's factory poses to their local habitat.

Bureaucracy Issue

Although environmental concerns are some of the primary issues about the Tesla Germany Gigafactory's delay, other reasons have also surfaced.

Bureaucracy is one of Tesla's biggest headaches. It has been pitting the EV company's hands-on approach that goes against Germany's red tape.

Reuters reported that Tesla is currently working off preliminary construction permits. However, the company has already built significant factory structures and halls on the 740-acre land.

The company's new plant could only start operating after Brandenburg's State Environmental Agency already provides the much-awaited final permit.

What's Next for Tesla German Gigafactory?

The report mentioned that until mid-July, the public can still skim through 11,000 pages of Tesla's documents. These include tables, calculations, and blueprints of the expected gigafactory. The process indicates that anyone can still file an objection until August 16, 2021.

Until then, the Brandenburg environmental agency will decide if a public discussion should happen on September 13.

Related Article: Elon Musk Impostor Lures Fan to Believe He Won a Free Tesla

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Google app, Podcasts, and Lens crashes repeatedly for some Android users with Samsung, Motorola, Google Pixel, LG, or Huawei phones. The bug remains unclear, but it only occurred after the latest update. Here are some remedies to fix the annoying issue.

According to 9to5Google, Android users experienced the app constantly crashing in a few minutes of interval. It occurs even as they stare blankly at it. Notably, the same app also powers other Google services such as Lens, Podcast, and Discover.

With that, some users also faced the same mess.

Additionally, Android Authority reported that specific handheld models, such as LG Wing and Huawei Mate 20 Pro saw the Google app closing repeatedly.

Read Also: Google Services Down: Gmail, and Google Docs Crash Simultaneously- YouTube Now Back Online [UPDATE}

Google App Crash Update Bug

The Android-focused outlet added that two Google app versions are currently experiencing the crashing issue. More precisely, both 12.23.16.23.arm64 and 12.22.8.23 updates are facing the problem.

Additionally, some users suggested that the 12.24.7.29 beta version also joins the list of the affected versions.

The errors coincidentally surfaced after the Google app 12.23 hit the mainstream on June 21. It comes after it took less than a week on beta mode. However, 9to5Google noted that the trial users did not face the same issue.

Google App Update Bug Fix

The search engine company has yet to issue an official concrete solution to the crashing issue. Although the Made by Google Twitter account wrote a fix that worked for some. Some users have also found temporary remedies, which helped several users.

Hi Maciej, sorry to know that you are experiencing an issue with your device. It's important that we get this sorted. Could you try a soft reboot by holding down the power button for 30 seconds and see if it works fine? Let us know if that helps. ^Adam  Made By Google (@madebygoogle) June 22, 2021

Soft Reboot

Google suggested a soft reboot to stop the constant crashing of the app. It could be done by pressing the power button for at least 30 seconds. Android Authority noted that some users still encountered the crashing problem even after following the advice.

Version Rollback

If the first one fails, another temporary fix is to uninstall the current version of the Google app, and go for the previous one. But again, it only worked for a select number of users. Some folks still faced the same issue despite installing a preceding update or the 12.22.

Install Google Beta

The latest Google app beta 12.24 launched a few hours after the flawed version was rolled out. And some users found it to be the quick fix to the issue. All you have to do is enroll in the Google app beta program through this link, or directly on the Play Store listing on your smartphone.

Thankfully, Google Play Store still works smoothly.

Upon signing up for the beta program, you may now update to its version of the Google app, sans the crashing issue.

On March 24, Android apps also faced a crashing issue. However, the culprit at that time was the WebView app of the operating system. The problem extended to Amazon, Discord, and Microsoft applications.

Later on, on April 21, Google blamed a bug on the WebView Configuration technology.

Related Article: Google Pixel 'Car Crash Detection' Saves Unconscious Man After Vehicular Accident

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Pixabay/TheOtherKev) London Underground mobile network

London Underground passengers will be able to get mobile receptions across all networks of stations and tunnels by the end of 2024, according to London's mayor Sadiq Khan.

Popular stations, including Bank, Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus, Camden Town, and Euston, will have mobile receptions by the end of 2022, with coverage expanding in numerous phases over the next couple of months.

London Underground Mobile Reception

The announcement comes over a year after 4G coverage was launched on the eastern half of the Jubilee line, between Westminster and Canning Town, in March 2020.

Transport for London or TfL, the city's transport authority, stated that the upcoming infrastructure will support 5G networks as well as 4G networks, according to The Verge.

Also Read: Is Your Phone 5G Ready? Here's How to Know

However, it will be up to mobile operators to offer support for the next-generation mobile network.

London's mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement that he promised Londoners that if he gets re-elected for a second term as mayor of the city, he will deliver 4G throughout the London Underground network.

Khan added that the network is already up and running on the eastern half of the Jubilee line. He vowed he will fulfill his commitment, and full internet access will be available across the Tube, with key central London stations like Euston and Oxford Circus set to benefit the end of 2022.

TfL is now working with BAI Communications to offer coverage across the network. The work will involve laying over 2,000km or 1,242 miles of cabling within stations and tunnels.

Aside from offering mobile coverage to tube passengers, the project should also give benefits for mobile coverage in the city generally, according to Intelligent Transport.

The fiber cabling installed in the London Underground's tunnels will also connect to buildings and other infrastructures like bus stops and street lighting, allowing small mobile transmitters to be installed and increase coverage.

The announcement also came as the number of people who go to the London Underground for transportation has decreased due to the coronavirus pandemic, with massive financial implications for the transport authority.

In June, the United Kingdom government agreed to give TfL the third bailout to keep the services going, bringing the total to over 4 billion or around $5.6 billion. In addition, TfL stated that giving mobile reception across the network will bring in more revenue over the 20-year contract term with BAI.

Reopening of London Underground

The BBC reported that a London Underground line that was shut down when the pandemic began has finally reopened ahead of its schedule.

In March 2020, both the Waterloo and London City line linking Waterloo Station to Bank was shut down as part of the city's efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The service was scheduled to begin on June 21, but it opened early because of a sudden increase in people using the Tube. However, the transport bosses stated that it was a welcome step back towards normality for the City.

The popular commuter service was shut on March 20, 2020, to train drivers to work on the Central line to keep that running.

Related Article: Twitter Blocks 5G Conspiracy Theorists From Sharing Fake News

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The U.K. Emergency Alert System will send loud sirens through your Android device, even if it is on silent mode. This may be kind of annoying, but the government said that these notifications will inform you if there are sudden major incidents around your area.

The country's new alert tool is specifically designed for authorities' usage. Police and other government agencies can use this innovation to send out an urgent alert about terrorist incidents, road accidents, fires, and other dangerous events.

The United Kingdom government announced that its new Emergency Alert System will be available this coming summer. But, before that happens, the government explained that it will still run some tests on the system so that it'll know if the new safety tool works properly on your Android device.

UK's Emergency Alert System

According to Independent UK's latest report, Android devices are not the only ones receiving these loud notifications. The U.K. announced that another test is expected to take place this coming July for iPhone smartphones.

Also Read: iPhone Security Vulnerability That KILLS WiFi Connectivity Identified

"This is a mobile network operator test of the Emergency Alerts service," said the U.K. government.

"Emergency alerts are broadcast from mobile phone masts. Every compatible mobile phone or tablet in range will receive an alert," added the government via its official website.

This is only one of the mobile technologies currently developed to help ensure people's safety. Previously, COVID-19 apps were also being released in various countries.

Other Countries Using the Same Approach

Aside from the U.K., 9To5Mac reported that other countries, such as the United States and Hawaii, had already used the same approach.

Back in 2018, iPhone users in Hawaii said that they received a terrifying emergency alert on their devices. However, this was just an error, as confirmed by the officials.

The emergency alert reads, "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL." This is just one of the main reasons why the United Kingdom really needs to make sure that its new Emergency Alert System has no flaws.

Government officials need to make the new tool as efficient as possible to avoid any sudden panic among the residents of the country, especially during the ongoing pandemic.

For more news updates about the U.K.'s new Emergency Alert System and other similar innovations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Smartphone Pickpockets in Brazil Increase Profits After Emptying Bank Account Apps of Victims

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tesla Energy division confirmed that it is opening a headquarter in China, one of the company's largest markets.

"BREAKING: The first Tesla's Solar and Powerwall deployment in China to be announced tomorrow," said the Twitter user @JayinShanghai.

"June 23rd Tesla China Energy Storage and Charging Integration Project at Lhasa, Tibet, China. Supercharger + Powerwall + Solar @elonmusk @tesla," he added.

His latest tweet was only able to generate more than 170 likes and 30 retweets.

BREAKING: The first Teslas Solar and Powerwall deployment in China to be announced tomorrow. June 23rd Tesla China Energy Storage and Charging Integration Project at Lhasa, Tibet, China. Supercharger + Powerwall + Solar @elonmusk @tesla pic.twitter.com/PIe13XPWy0  Jay in Shanghai  (@JayinShanghai) June 22, 2021

Although this is the case, various Tesla experts and analysts said that the new project is a major one since there are no Tesla Energy plants in China. The Asian country was only able to enjoy Elon Musk's popular EV units so far.

Tesla's Upcoming China Energy Division

According to Electrek's latest report, Tesla's upcoming Energy Divison in China is expected to offer its popular stationary energy storage and solar rooftop systems.

Also Read: Tesla: Fifth Most Powerful Supercomputer in the World to Run Autopilot, Self-Driving AI--How Special is It?

These specifically include Powerwall. Right now, Powerwall is only available for purchase in the United States, Australia, Germany, and other countries.

Since it will soon be offered in the Asian country, Elon Musk could expect a massive income increase from its energy products. The giant tech CEO is expected to announce its new plan at an event in Lhasa, Tibet.

On the other hand, Tesla also shared some images of the Powerwall, solar panels, and Supercharger ahead of the announcement. Meanwhile, the giant EV maker also listed energy jobs in China.

Some rumors claimed that this is a strong indication that the tech giant company could start solar and Powerwall residential installations in China.

Tesla's Other Innovations

Aside from the upcoming Tesla Energy division in China, the giant electric vehicle creator also partnered with a startup in New York. This collaboration will allow Revel to buy around 50 Tesla Model Y units.

The New York-based company announced that it will make these EVs into yellow taxis. However, TCL (The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission) stated that it had voted to stop issuing new for-hire licenses for electric vehicles.

Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk, the chairperson of New York TLC, explained that electric cars are not guaranteed to reduce the increasing road congestions.

Although this is the case, Jarmoszuk clarified that the aspiring Model Y Taxi could still launch its EV units, as reported by Teslarati.

For more news updates about Tesla and other related stories, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Tesla's $7 Billion German Gigafactory To Postpone Launch?

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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AMITE CITY  A grand jury found no evidence to support bringing criminal charges against a homeowner or a Tangipahoa Sheriffs deputy involved in a double shooting last November that left a suspected burglar dead and the homeowner injured.

Convened Friday in Amite, the grand jury returned a no true bill  a determination that a body of evidence does not form grounds for an indictment  after a review of the Nov. 20, 2020 incident Louisiana State Police was investigating, District Attorney Scott Perrilloux said Monday.

The jurys decision likely means neither the homeowner nor the sheriffs deputy will face criminal charges for their roles in the shooting.

At the time, police offered few details about the episode that led to 27-year-old Pumpkin Center resident Jordan Patterson being shot dead on Coleman Road near Robert. They only said that the deputy responded to a reported burglary and that Patterson was killed and the homeowner was wounded; police would not say who shot whom.

On Monday, Perrilloux said the evidence compiled by State Police and presented to the grand jury showed that the homeowner, who was carrying a rifle, discovered Patterson in the act of burgling his shed. The two got in a hand-to-hand-scuffle before the homeowner eventually cleared enough space between the two of them to fire the rifle at Patterson, killing him, according to Perrilloux.

The Tangipahoa deputy arrived at the scene while the two were scuffling and saw the homeowner shoot Patterson. Unsure of who the initial burglar was, the deputy fired at the homeowner, Perrilloux said.

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The grand jury could have brought charges against either the homeowner or the deputy if they had found the evidence sufficient, Perrilloux said.

We did not present any particular individuals as a specific target for criminal charges, he said. It could have been the deputy, or the homeowner. The grand jurys conclusion was that the evidence did not support criminal charges against either of those two individuals.

Pattersons mother, Stacy Norman, was beside herself to learn that no charges would be brought against the person who killed her son, she said in a phone interview Monday.

It makes me feel like theyre trying to cover something up, said Norman, 49, referencing what she felt was a lack of transparency by law enforcement surrounding the circumstances of her sons death.

She said she has not considered taking legal actions of her own yet because she finds it impossible to know what happened that night.

Theyre not going to charge anyone, and whoever shot my son is going to get away scot-free, she said.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul speaks at a press conference on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020, in which he and other law enforcement and city-parish officials addressed the recent violence that included five shooting fatalities last Friday in four separate shootings, all coming during robberies or home invasions.
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Crown Resorts knew it may have been underpaying gaming tax to the Victorian government as far back as 2012 but did not act, in what newly appointed director Nigel Morrison says is further evidence of cultural problems at the casino giant.

Mr Morrison, who joined Crowns board in March, told Victorias royal commission on Tuesday that a number of Crowns directors were shocked by revelations the company may have underpaid up to $272 million in gaming tax to Victoria.

Crown director Nigel Morrison said the board not acting on the tax issue in 2012 was evidence of cultural problems. Credit:Chris Hopkins

It tells you that they had an attitude that, if they didnt think it was overly important and they could get away with it, they did, said Mr Morrison, who was a senior Crown Melbourne executive from 1993 to 2000.

Mr Morrison and most of his fellow directors first learnt that Crown had avoided paying as much as $272 million through a controversial deduction policy after the information was aired in a royal commission hearing on June 7.
Iron ore magnate and cattle queen Gina Rinehart has added medicinal cannabis to her portfolio as she invests $15 million into the European expansion of a Perth-based company in the growing industry.

Ms Rineharts Hancock Prospecting was the cornerstone in a $27.2 million capital raising by WAs Little Green Pharma for the purchase of an existing cultivation and manufacturing site in regional Denmark which already has European licences for creating medical products.

Iron ore magnate Gina Rineharts company Hancock Prospecting is getting into pot stocks. Credit:WAtoday

Hancock Prospecting gets a 10 per cent stake in Little Green Pharma out of the deal, which was announced on Tuesday to the ASX.

The purchase of the facility brings forward Little Green Pharmas expansion plans into Europe by two years and will see its annual cultivation capacity go up immediately from three tonnes of biomass at its existing West Australian facility to a total of 23 tonnes of which 12 tonnes is dried cannabis flower.
Stockland plans to deliver more than 3000 lots in its burgeoning land lease division, which offers affordable manufactured homes for the retirement sector.

In his first few weeks as the new chief executive, Tarun Gupta has identified the sector that he has deemed horizontal residential for rent (as opposed to the build-to-rent sector) as the growth engine within its communities operations.

Under the scheme, a resident buys the house but rents the land on which it sits from Stockland, creating a more affordable entry to the booming market.

Counting on a thriving business: Stocklands planned Thrive land lease community.

The owners also pay a weekly site fee that covers access to and the maintenance of a clubhouse and other common facilities, looking after shared green areas and owners front verges.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says a child at an eastern suburbs school is the one mystery case among the 10 new local COVID-19 cases reported overnight which has increased the Bondi cluster to 21.

The cases have resulted in masks now being required to be worn on public transport and in indoor settings across all of Sydney for at least another week.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian during the COVID-19 briefing announcing 10 new positive cases on Tuesday. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Ms Berejiklian said all but one of the new cases are linked to existing cases and a year 3 student who attends St Charles Primary School in Waverley is the mystery one. Nine of the 10 cases are close contacts or linked to previous clusters.

The state recorded five locally acquired cases of COVID-19 to 8pm on Monday night, but two were announced yesterday. An additional seven were recorded overnight.
The ABCs critics think the place is full of it anyway, so they will be bemused to learn that the national broadcaster is struggling with an excess of, er, shit.

Comedian Shaun Micallef, busy filming his Mad As Hell program at the ABCs Melbourne Southbank headquarters, reported on Tuesday morning that the offices smelt strongly of rotten-egg gas. If you notice me looking more appalled than usual as I present Mad As Hell tomorrow night, thats why, he said on Twitter.

Turns out the problem was a blocked sewer pit that services the basement toilets and showers beneath the public broadcasters studios. The pit was pumped and the air purged to get rid of any residual smell.

But it turns out that the ABCs many critics were once again wrong. The problem was not an excess of effluent, but rather wet wipes clogging Auntys pipes.

Staff were issued a stern talking to from the property services division to be mindful of what they flush down the loo.
A Queensland mother charged with murdering her daughters by leaving them to die in a hot car outside their home will stand trial.

Kerri-Ann Conley, 29, was the first person to be charged under Queenslands expanded definition of murder, which includes reckless indifference to human life.

The Logan community left flowers and toys in honour of the two girls who died. Credit:Jocelyn Garcia

Toddlers Darcey-Helen, 2, and Chloe-Ann, 1, died inside a black station wagon in Beenleigh on November 23, 2019.

Emergency services were called to the Logan Reserve Road home but were unable to revive the sisters. Police believe they died from exposure to extreme heat.
Pierre Assaad was upset and seemed emotional when he met a person he believed was a contract killer in May last year.

His ex-daughter-in-law had ripped off his son, he claimed, and he wanted something to be done.

John Assaad, accused with his father Pierre Assaad of conspiracy to murder, arrives at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday. Credit:Simon Schluter

Unbeknown to him, the man he just met was an undercover police officer who recorded their conversation.

Snippets from a transcript of that conversation were read to Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where Pierre Assaad and his son John Assaad are facing a committal hearing on charges of conspiracy to murder.
Mounted police formed a wedge to force a path through the demonstrators for Sir Johns car.

Police arrest one of the protesters. Credit:The Age Archives

About 1000 demonstrators hurled smoke bombs at police and pounded the car carrying the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, in Hawthorn last night.

Smoke bombs hurled, knife grabbed as police hold back 1000 in Kerr melee

First published in The Age on June 24, 1976

Several people were trampled by the horses and two girls were injured during the wild scenes.

Twelve people were arrested and charged with street offences.

Police grabbed on man just before Sir John arrived and seized a long-bladed knife.

The Vice Regal car was damaged by a flying banner pole hurled by a young demonstrator.

Frenzied police horses fell against the side of the Rolls-Royce, kicking dents in the side panels.
A toddler has died after being struck by a car while riding his scooter along a footpath in south-west Melbourne.

The 19-month-old boy was scooting along the footpath on McAlpine Court, Altona, when he was hit by a car pulling out of a driveway on Tuesday morning.

Police said in a statement that the car was moving slowly when it pulled out of the driveway.

The boy was taken to hospital but later died.
Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has issued a stark warning to government MPs about the risk to Australia from the waning power of the United States, calling for unity as China emerges as a new superpower.

Mr Joyce urged Liberal and Nationals MPs to unite behind the mission of making Australia as strong as possible as quickly as possible when it could not rely on the US to guarantee regional security.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce during question time on Tuesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The message resonated with government MPs who are increasingly concerned about the Chinese governments construction of military bases in the South China Sea and provocations in the Taiwan Strait.

Liberals noted the remarks were made in Mr Joyces first speech to the Coalition party room after he regained the Nationals leadership on Monday and was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Victorias police union has joined forced with civil liberties lawyers and MPs from the Coalition and the Greens to demand the state government guarantee QR code check-in data will never be used by police, after it was revealed officers made three informal requests for access in December.

The four groups said confidence in the QR code system would be weakened unless access for police acting under a court warrant was removed so that no agency other than the Health Department could use the data. A similar change was introduced in Western Australia through urgent new laws last week.

Victorians checked in more than 29 million times at public venues last week alone. Credit:Wayne Taylor

The Andrews government responded on Tuesday by insisting the state had strong protections against Victorians names and phone numbers  provided to venues as a mandatory COVID-19 contact tracing tool  being accessed by any other group.

A spokeswoman said check-in data was encrypted, held only by government agency Service Victoria and deleted after 28 days.
Elsewhere in Ethiopia, ethnic violence has killed hundreds and forced 2 million people to flee their homes. A smouldering border dispute with Sudan has flared into a major military stand-off. Even this election, once billed as the countrys first free vote and a chance to turn the page on decades of autocratic rule, has only highlighted its divisions and fulled grim warnings its future is in doubt. Ethiopians queue in the early morning to cast their votes in the general election in Beshasha on Monday. Credit:AP Authorities were unable to hold elections in four of 10 regions because of opposition boycotts, war, civil unrest and logistical failures. In two of the regions that did vote, opposition observers were reportedly chased away from many polling stations, she said. This will jeopardise the credibility of the election process, warned election board chief Birtukan Midekssa.

Abiys newly formed national Prosperity Party is widely expected to win easily, as it faces a fragmented opposition of dozens of mostly ethnically-based parties. Currently the ruling coalition and its allies hold all 547 national parliamentary seats. I hope it will be the best election in history, Abiy said after voting. Ethiopian military celebrate near the border of the Tigray region after PM Abiy Ahmed ordered a final and crucial military operation against the regions leadership. Credit:AP A credible poll would burnish his international image, but observers have doubts. These elections are a distraction, said Abadir Ibrahim, an adjunct law professor at Addis Ababa University. The state is on a cliff edge, and its not clear if it can pull back. We just need to get past this vote so we can focus on averting a calamity.

The Prime Ministers office did not respond to questions and an interview request. Official results are not expected for days. Abiy has put a brave face on his nations problems, repeatedly downplaying the Tigray conflict as a law and order operation and pushing his vision for a modernised, economically vibrant Ethiopia. The United States, which gave Ethiopia $US1 billion ($1.3 billion) in aid last year, is pressuring him to shift focus immediately. People walk from a rural area to a charity food distribution point near the town of Agula, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, last month. Credit:AP After being chauffeured around Addis Ababa by Abiy in May, Feltman wrote a detailed analysis of his trip for President Joe Biden and other leaders in Washington, even mentioning a sudden jolt by the vehicle that sent coffee spilling on the envoys shirt. Weeks later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken imposed visa bans on unnamed Ethiopian officials.

Global condemnation of Abiy, 44, most recently at last weeks G7 summit, represents a dizzying fall for a young leader who until recently was globally celebrated. The whirl of reforms he instituted after being appointed prime minister in 2018 were a sharp rebuke to the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, a party of rebels turned rulers who had dominated Ethiopia since 1991 in an authoritarian system that achieved impressive economic growth at the cost of basic civil rights. Abiy promised a new way. He allowed once-banned opposition parties, appointed women to half the positions in his cabinet and struck the peace with Eritrea that earned him a Nobel Prize. But in moving swiftly, Abiy also unleashed pent-up frustrations among ethnic groups that had been marginalised from power for decades  most notably his own group, the Oromo, who account for one-third of Ethiopias 110 million people. When mass protests erupted, he reverted to the old playbook: arrests, repression and police brutality.

Loading At the same time, tensions escalated with the TPLF, which resented Abiys reforms. The party leadership retreated to Tigray where, last September, it defied Abiy by proceeding with regional elections that had been postponed across the country because of the pandemic. By early last November, word reached Washington that war was looming in Tigray. Senator Chris Coons, who has a long-standing interest in Africa, phoned Abiy to warn about the perils of resorting to military force. The Democrat said he reminded the Ethiopian leader that the American Civil War and World War I had started with promises of swift military victory, only to drag on for years and cost millions of lives. Abiy was undeterred. He was confident it would be over in six weeks, Coons said. Days later, on the evening of the US presidential election, fighting erupted in Tigray.

Loading Abiy has given few interviews. People who have dealt with him describe a man brimming with confidence, even messianic, a description encouraged by his own accounts that his ascent was preordained. When he was 7, Abiy told The New York Times in 2018, his mother whispered into his ear that he was unique and predicted that he would end up in the palace. A former adviser said that a strong Christian faith guides him. He is a Pentecostal Christian, a faith that has soared in popularity in Ethiopia, and is a staunch believer in the prosperity gospel  a theology that regards material success as Gods reward  said the former adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals. It is not a coincidence, the adviser added, that the party he founded is called the Prosperity Party. Abiys evangelical faith has attracted supporters in Washington, including Republican Senator James Inhofe, who told the US Senate in 2018 how he first met Abiy at a prayer meeting where he told the story of his journey and faith in Jesus. Last month, Inhofe travelled to Ethiopia to show his support for Abiy against US sanctions.

Another crucial relationship for Abiy is with the dictatorial leader of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki. Eritrean troops who flooded into Tigray to support Abiys campaign have been accused by the UN and rights groups of the worst atrocities of the conflict. Now they are a major factor in the regions famine. Eritrean soldiers using starvation as a weapon of war are blocking aid shipments headed for the most vulnerable parts of Tigray, Mark Lowcock, the top UN humanitarian official, told the Security Council last week. The Eritrean issue is Abiys largest international liability, and some analysts describe him as being manipulated by Isaias, a veteran fighter with a reputation for ruthless strategic manoeuvring. By other accounts, Abiy has little choice: were the Eritreans to leave suddenly, he could lose control of Tigray entirely. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The election is likely to highlight the mounting challenges in the rest of Ethiopia. In the past month alone, 400,000 people have been forced from their homes in the Amhara and Afar regions, Lowcock said. The military has taken control in several parts of Oromia, where an armed rebellion has erupted.

Coons, sent by Biden to reason with Abiy in February, warned the Ethiopian leader that the explosion of ethnic hatred could shatter the country, much as it did the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s. Abiy responded that Ethiopia is a great nation with a great history, Coons said. Abiys transformation from Nobel Peace laureate to wartime leader has spurred quiet soul-searching among some of his allies. The Nobels glitter, and a desire for a success story in Africa, blinded many Western countries to his evident faults, said Judd Devermont, a former US national intelligence officer for Africa, now at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. With limited interest in Africa, the West too readily categorises the continents leaders as good or bad with little room for nuance, he added. We have to acknowledge that we helped to contribute to Abiys view of himself, he said. We papered over these challenges very early. We gave him a blank cheque. When it went wrong, we initially turned a blind eye. And now it may be too late.
Dubai: Notices appeared on a number of Iran-affiliated websites saying they had been seized by the United States government as part of law enforcement action.

Iranian news agencies said on Wednesday AEST that the US government had seized several Iranian media websites and sites belonging to groups affiliated with Iran such as Yemens Houthi movement.

Website of Iranian outlet with its seizure notice.

Some sites later started to display as normal.

The website of the Arabic-language Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis, read:
Home viewers might recognize John Ross Bowie from long-running TV hits like The Big Bang Theory (playing Barry Kripke) and Speechless (Jimmy DiMeo), but what you probably don't know about this veteran improver and character actor is that he's a huge theater fan. He grew up in New York and has fond memories of seeing the original cast of Annie, Derek Jacobi in Cyrano, and Spalding Gray in Our Town, among other shows. His first trip back to the theater since the pandemic started  the Fountain Theatre's new outdoor production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's An Octoroon in Los Angeles  made him weep.

For his first foray into the world of playwriting, Bowie created Four Chords and a Gun, a dark comedy about the punk band The Ramones and their conflict with mega-producer Phil Spector as they recorded the album End of the Century in 1979. The play has been seen in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Chicago, and will now get a virtual premiere via Play-PerView on Saturday, June 26.

Jessica Hanna's virtual production features a "dreamy" cast: Justin Kirk (Weeds) as Johnny Ramone, Ben Feldman (Superstore) as Phil Spector, Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso) as Marky Ramone, Bobby Conte. Thornton (Company) as Joey Ramone, Michael Cassady (The O.C.) as Dee Dee Ramone, and Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Linda Daniele.

And Bowie can't wait to see them do it.

Get tickets here.

John Ross Bowie

( Robyn Von Swank)

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What made you say "I want to write a play about the Ramones"?

I've been a Ramones fan since I was 14, and as I delved into the stories behind them, I found them a group full of contradictions. They dress like tough guys but only Johnny was an authentic tough guy. There was something aggressive but also sweet about their music. And then, there was a really interesting dynamic about the band recording their fifth album, which is the one they did with Phil Spector. Here was a band that was used to working fast and cheap, keeping it really punk rock and banging it out in a week for a couple of grand, and suddenly, they were working with this guy who was famously meticulous and precise.

On the surface, there was a push-pull between people who just wanted to fire out inspired punk rock blasts and a guy who was trying to craft a perfect pop record. Then, you go deeper into it and you learn that the Ramones were going through a vicious love triangle at one point, their bassist was struggling with addiction, and Spector was, obviously, famously crazy and eventually died in jail serving time for a murder charge, and basically all of this was happening around the same time. The play compresses that time a little bit, but it struck me as an interesting way to look at how people approach art and work, and how those two things grind against each other.

Knowing that you're a copious consumer of theater, when you started writing this, were there tropes or things that you knew you wanted to use or avoid in the storytelling?

I was mindful of the fact that I was working in a medium that has a very long history, and I'm very specific about what I was influenced by and what I straight out stole. I'm comfortable saying that because what the Ramones did was take pastiche work like the '60s girl group sound and combined it with the guitar work of the Stooges.

Even though it's not a musical, I was mindful to give it some musical beats. The opening scene sets up the world, and the second scene has what you'd call the "I Want" number, which is a monologue Joey gives about his relationship to creation. The other thing I was mindful of was making sure that if the actors had an intense scene, they'd also get a break. And I didn't want to be the kind of playwright who is so in love with their writing that the dialogue just sounds like writing. I did a ton of readings to make sure the dialogue was speakable and grounded, and if it was ever not grounded, that there was a good emotional reason for it.

Tell me about what your cast brings to the piece.

I didn't have too much to do with the casting, but I'm thrilled that it panned out the way it has. Justin Kirk did an early reading as Johnny. There's such a relaxed quality to his acting that I've always envied, and then when it's time for his character to lose his shit, it's so involving as an audience member. Ben Feldman did an early reading as Phil Spector and the only reason he didn't do the premiere was because Superstore got picked up. Lena Hall is playing Joey's girlfriend Linda, and she's great for it. She's got a phenomenal Broadway voice, but she's got some real grit. I heard her work on the Hedwig cast recording and then after she got cast, I did a deep dive. She's got these cover Eps that she put out, one of which has a very credible cover of "Anarchy in the U.K." by the Sex Pistols. So even though it's not a singing role, she gets what we're trying to do.

Brendan Hunt, who plays Marky, is new to the project, but he's an L.A. theater stalwart. I don't think people realize how much stage work he does here in L.A., and he's also an old school improv guy like I am. He's doing it from London, where he's shooting the second season of Ted Lasso. Marky was their longest-serving drummer, the drummer who played on the most albums, and he had a massive drinking problem at the time. He's the only surviving member of the band from this session, and for the purposes of our play, he's a not-entirely-reliable narrator. Our director, Jessica Hanna, also thought it was a neat idea for him to read stage directions in character, so it's not this disembodied voice. It's almost like he's veering into Our Town Stage Manager territory.

Do you want to take this play to New York eventually?

The fact that this play has been to Los Angeles and Toronto and Chicago and not New York is outrageous, but I don't know that I see it in a Broadway house. It was done in Toronto and Chicago in very large houses, but in hindsight, I feel it works better as a smaller chamber piece. There are moments, particularly when you get into the actual nuts and bolts of the recording session, that are served by a certain amount of cramped intimacy that a larger house doesn't get you to. For the play to really land, you need to feel that you are stuck in the studio with a very volatile producer and people who are struggling with their mental health. If you're too far away from them, it loses something. I do think the Zoom reading is going to come out really well. Again, that cast is dreamy.

Get tickets here.
2022 Volkswagen Taos 1.5T SEL - Review by David Colman +VIDEO

It's Spiffy!

By David Colman

Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL

VW's ever expanding SUV family is starting to look like those generational rear window decals showing baby at one end and gramps at the other. For 2022, VW's new baby is the Taos, which slots into the leadoff spot formerly occupied by the Tiguan. In 2018, VW drastically upsized the Tiguan from subcompact to compact plus, a move which left room for introduction of an all new subcompact sibling called Taos. Actually, the Taos is just over an inch wider and longer than the original Tiguan, so it feels quite spacious inside. Adding to that airy impression of our test vehicle was a $1,200 power tilting and sliding panoramic sunroof. This was the only option tacked onto the $31,490 base price of our platinum gray metallic Taos SEL.

The Taos, like so many other VW products, is based on the company's MQB platform which serves as the foundation for everything from sedans to SUVs. VW builds two varieties of Taos. The front-wheel-drive version we tested connects an 8-speed automatic transmission to a 158hp turbocharged, 1.5 liter inline 4. An all-wheel-drive Taos is also available. This one connects the same engine to a DSG dual-clutch 7-speed gearbox. The FWD Taos utilizes a torsion beam rear axle while the AWD model is equipped with a fully independent multi-link rear suspension system. Various equipment levels of both models start cheap but get expensive fast. Our top echelon FWD Taos SEL trimmed the front seats with Vienna leather, added dual zone Climatronic air conditioning, rain sensing wipers, park distance control assist, and 18 inch black aluminum alloy rims shod with 215/50R18 Bridgestone Turanza LS100 radials with a treadwear rating of TW 560.

The optional panoramic roof consists of two enormous glass panels which cover both the front and rear seating areas. A semi-translucent interior screen covers both panels. the inside screen can be fully retracted to expose the entire interior to filtered light. However, only the front glass pane slides open to the elements. This roof bathes the already inviting interior in waves of natural light. VW has done a commendable job of fitting the SEL with supportive and handsome two-tone leather front seats. Both are heated, as is the steering wheel. Even the outboard rear seats are leather covered. The dash layout looks upscale, and works so well that I was able to program my XM Satellite favorite channels into the unit faster than any recent vehicle. The 10.25 inch Digital Cockpit Pro instrument panel connects the large faced tachometer (6000rpm redline) to the equally large speedometer with a plan view map showing the terrain you're currently traversing. This map is simplified, with no call outs for route numbers or street names. For more detailed information, utilize the adjacent 8 inch touchscreen dash-top navigation unit.

The driving dynamics of the Taos are not as scintillating as its crisp appearance would lead you to believe. The 158hp turbo needs to be micromanaged with the gearbox to extract maximum performance. Even so, acceleration will not leave you breathless. Unfortunately, VW does not equip the Taos with paddle shifts, so any gear swapping must be done by first placing the console mounted gear lever in the manual gate, then bumping the Tiptronic stick to and fro for upshifts and downshifts. The gearbox, however, is slow to respond to your commands, and sometimes chooses not to respond at all. Even if you are in manual mode, the transmission will automatically upshift to a higher gear as rpm nears redline. Likewise, the gearbox will not select the lower gear you have commanded if it senses an over-rev might occur. VW has eliminated the usual stick adjacent gear selection indicator in favor of an illuminated pattern atop the shift knob. This small type face call-out is impossible to read in daylight, so you're never really sure what gear you're in until you confirm your choice with a second glance at the dashboard enumeration.

VW fits the SEL grade Taos with its full suite of safety and semi-autopilot driving aids. At Wolfsburg, this belt-and suspender approach to driving is known as IQ.DRIVE. Included in the portfolio are Travel Assist (semi-automated driving assistance), adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane keeping assist, emergency assist medical notification, front assist emergency (and pedestrian) braking, blind spot monitor, and rear traffic alert. We did test the Travel Assist on the freeway while cruising at 65mph in a heavy crosswind. The system kept shuffling the steering from one direction to the other as it coped with each new blast of wind, leading us to wonder if a vehicle rather than a human can be charged with DUI.

2022 VOLKSWAGEN TAOS 1.5T SEL



ENGINE: 1.5 liter TSI 16-valve DOHC inline 4 turbocharged

HORSEPOWER: 158hp

TORQUE: 184lb.-ft.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 28MPG City/36MPG Highway

PRICE AS TESTED: $33,885

HYPES: Cute Looker, Nicely Tailored

GRIPES: Recalcitrant Gearbox

STAR RATING: 8.5 Stars out of 10
Free Lexus "Robo-Shuttle" Launches In Indianapolis







SEE ALSO: Autonomous Vehicle News and Opinion Archive

SEE ALSO: RoboTaxi's All Look Alike To Me

INDIANAPOLIS

(June 22, 2021) 

The

Toyota Mobility Foundation

(TMF),

Energy Systems Network

(ESN) and the

Indiana Economic Development Corporation

(IEDC), have joined with

May Mobility

, a leader in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and shuttle operations, to

launch a free autonomous shuttle service in Central Indiana.

The free service, a part of TMFs Together in Motion Indiana, began June 1, and serves the downtown Indianapolis and Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) communities. Together in Motion is an initiative bringing stakeholders together to test the interoperability of mobility innovations and facilitate the efficient movement of people and goods. The autonomous shuttle service supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Sustainable Cities and Communities goal (No. 11) and Toyotas commitment to providing Mobility for All.

At May Mobility, our mission is to bring safe, accessible and reliable mobility solutions to communities around the world, said Edwin Olson, co-founder and CEO of May Mobility. Were excited to bring AV technology to Central Indiana through our partnership with the Toyota Mobility Foundation, Energy Systems Network and IndyGo.

The Together in Motion AV shuttle service runs through Nov. 19, 2021 and operates Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The service is available to the public and features five Lexus RX 450h vehicles and one wheelchair-accessible Polaris GEM shuttle equipped with May Mobilitys autonomous technology.

There are nine designated stops in Indianapolis, each identifiable by a sign providing route information and a scannable QR code leading to the Together in Motion Indiana website. Through the QR code, riders can learn more about May Mobility technology and the shuttle route. Shuttles arrive in 10- to 15-minute intervals on a rotating loop. The route was designed to increase mobility options by providing a connection from the Vermont Station  along IndyGos Red Line  to areas west of downtown. Additionally, the route circles the IU Health University Hospital and the Riley Hospital for Children campuses. Riders can plan their trips on Google Maps and see live updates of a shuttles location.

IndyGo exists to connect our community to economic and cultural opportunities through safe, reliable and accessible mobility experiences, said Lesley Gordon, vice president of Communications and Marketing at IndyGo. We will continue to lend our knowledge and expertise with the team at May Mobility and to work alongside these industry leaders as they seek to improve Central Indianas mobility ecosystem.

To ensure riders health and safety, masks are currently required for all passengers and fleet attendants. Shuttles will carry only one household per ride, and all shuttles are equipped with partitions and UVC disinfectant lights that will clean the shuttle interior between rides.

The AV shuttle service is part of the Together in Motion Indiana initiative announced earlier this year by TMF and ESN. It aims to foster innovation through industry partnerships and propel research and development in advanced mobility technologies in Indiana. The initiative supports the deployments of various mobility solutions to better serve the transportation needs of the local communities, to understand the changing ecosystems surrounding these needs, to potentially expand such initiatives into other communities, and to establish networks for the sharing and leveraging of key learnings. As each mobility solution is developed with local community input, this human-centered approach facilitates the implementation of valued activities and the commercialization of an array of cooperative options.

Indiana is the ideal location to launch the first Together in Motion initiative because of the strong local partnerships with Energy Systems Network and the local communities, said Ryan Klem, Director of Programs, Toyota Mobility Foundation. They have facilitated May Mobilitys integration into the local transportation offerings, and we look forward to learning about local use and impact so we can transfer and scale this knowledge to other locations.

Prior to opening the shuttle service to the public, May Mobility provided Indianapolis residents and Indy 500 race week guests free 10-minute-long rides along a special demonstration route near the Indiana Statehouse. More than 60 attendees experienced the AV shuttle service in a Lexus RX 450h equipped with May Mobilitys autonomous technology.

Bringing innovative mobility solutions to Indiana with partners steeped in advancing autonomous technology positions the state as a leader in this in-demand and growing sector, said Dave Roberts, chief innovation officer, Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Engaging with ESN, Toyota Mobility Foundation and May Mobility to assist in this effort shows the commitment to finding the best technology partners to provide additional transportation resources to residents throughout the state.

In the next phase of the initiative, May Mobility will operate an AV shuttle route in Fishers, Indiana. This service is slated to begin in November 2021.
After more than a year of mandating, encouraging, requesting and incentivizing Arkansans behavior in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Asa Hutchinson at this point is mostly relying on the virus itself to inspire people to get vaccinated.
Up for debate:

Live legislation tracker

Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.
Staff Reporter

Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for five years. She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times. Daniel's work has also appeared in the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and The New York Times.
Virginia gubernatorial candidates seek to define themselves, one another as the general election begins
Staff Reporter

Tim Gruver is a politics and public policy reporter. He is a University of Washington alum and the recipient of the 2017 Pioneer News Award for Reporting. His work has appeared in Politico, the Kitsap Daily News, and the Northwest Asian Weekly.
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Towanda, PA (18848)

Today

Mostly cloudy this evening with showers developing after midnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy this evening with showers developing after midnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Oneonta, NY (13820)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
FRANKLIN - Justin Curtis Harper, 50, passed away peacefully at his beloved home, July 1, 2021, after a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Justin was born on March 13, 1971, to George and Mary Harper in Annapolis, MD. He was predeceased by his father in 2013. He is survived by his wif
Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom.

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Francisco A.J. Camacho of Friendsville coauthored this piece with Jenab Tutuniji, a political science professor at George Washington University. Camacho is an undergraduate student at George Washington University, writes for The GW Hatchet, and has contributed to The Tennessean in Nashville and The Daily Times. He welcomes responses, comments and questions relating to his pieces at P.O. Box 363, Friendsville, TN 37737.
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Trans athlete Laurel Hubbard has been selected to compete for NZ in weightlifting at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

This means she'll become the first openly transgender athlete to compete. About fricken time, don't ya think? Shell also be the oldest weightlifter ever at 43-years-old, proving that age is not a barrier to the sport.

I am grateful and humbled by the kindness and support that has been given to me by so many New Zealanders, Hubbard said in a statement about her selection.

When I broke my arm at the Commonwealth Games three years ago, I was advised that my sporting career had likely reached its end.

The last eighteen months have shown us all that there is strength in kinship, in community, and in working together towards a common purpose.

Hubbard meets all of the requirements under the International Olympic Committees regulations set out for trans athletes and competitive fairness, and has actually met these criteria since 2015, meaning it's been a long time coming.

The NZ government has also made it clear that they back Hubbards inclusion into the Olympics 100%.

Congrats to Laurel Hubbard. We can't wait to see you bring home some gold!
President Joe Biden inspects the ranks of a Guard of Honour formed of The Queen's Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards during a visit to Windsor castle to meet Queen Elizabeth II, in Windsor, England, on June 11, 2021. (Richard Pohle/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

A Hope and Prayer for the Biden Administration

Commentary

After five months of the Biden regime, and as one who foretold that it would be an unmitigated disaster, apart from a somewhat quieter ambience around the White House, I present the best argument I can in favor of this administration. I do not really believe much of what follows, but I believe that it is possible and I hope that it is true.

The president came into office at the head of a ramshackle coalition of contradictory elements, a little like the new government in Israel, united only in their dislike of the previous leader. Because the platform upon which he was elected was a so-called unity program agreed to by Senator Sanders and himself, Mr. Biden permitted the radical socialist agenda to be bandied about and it seemed to be the administrations preference for enactment.

The $6 trillion inundation of stimulation money, the radical constitutional agenda of House of Representatives Bill One and its Senate equivalent (the abolition of voter verification, the encouragement of ballot-harvesting, taxpayer-subsidization of political contributions, replacement of the judiciary by partisan electoral commissions, and the vast extension of election day to over a month) as well as the packing of the Supreme Court, the reduction of the required Senate majority to 51, and the appointment of four permanent Democratic senators through the statehood of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico: all this appears to be stalled.

Biden has made most of the necessary gestures and avoided the opprobrium of the far left of his party but hasnt actually done anything terribly radical up to this point apart from some executive orders.

It is conceivable that Biden is like French president Francois Mitterand, who was elected in 1981 as candidate of the Federation of the Left whose largest component was the French Communist Party, and put four communists into relatively innocuous portfolios and then, as the governments popularity slipped, sacked them all and purported to run from the center having blamed every unsatisfactory development on the communists.

French politics are even less scrupulous than those of the United States and Mitterand was a fox of the Talleyrand school and sometimes defined the French national interest as serving the interest of other countries. During the war he was an official of the Vichy collaborationist government but was in contact with both the Communist and Gaullist Resistances and the German occupiers.

At one point, as a leading opposition figure, he staged a fake assassination attempt on himself to try and generate popularity. The French are relatively tolerant of these things, and Joe Biden is not remotely as intelligent or as unscrupulous as Francois Mitterrand. But he has learned a few tricks along the way in his six terms in the Senate and two terms as vice president.

It is conceivable that he is preserving his credentials as a centrist-moderate-left Democrat while claiming to be doing his best for the far left. His extreme reluctance to engage in serious press questioning may be not just concern over his disposition to gaffes and bouts of severe inarticulation, but also a tactic to enable him to preserve a mysterious imprecision about what he really seeks to accomplish: 360 degree plausible deniability.

Secretary of State Blinken and National Security Advisor Sullivan have both stated that they will not agree to resurrecting the Iran nuclear agreement as it was, since that enables Iran, with the complete acquiescence of the other signatories to deploy nuclear warhead missiles in five years.

The agreement is practically impossible to enforce through inspection and really only governed the development of fissile material. Iran has proceeded apace with the development of missiles and warheads.

The Trump administration and both the Netanyahu and Bennett governments of Israel have all stated that they would not tolerate the deployment of nuclear-tipped missiles by the ayatollahs; there is reason to hope that if the Iranians proceed towards that capability on the present timetable, the administration would at least accept, as would most of the Arab powers, an Israeli attack upon the Iranian nuclear missile program.

China-policy has been more ambiguous, but there have been faintly purposeful noises about Taiwan and some discussion with Japan, India, Australia, and others about coordinating a pre-containment strategy, building upon what the Trump administration had put in place.

It is perhaps an advantage that after Chinas spectacular victory in imposing year-long shutdowns in the entire Western world over the virus that China permitted to be exported, the Peoples Republic is more pompous and supercilious to neighboring countries than ever, and also more brazen in its violation of the Hong Kong Treaty (including condoning an assault on the office of this newspaper), and in its suppression of freedom, religious practice, and targeted minorities.

Bidens elaborate pretense to being incomparably more reasonable than his predecessor may bear some fruit if the European allies are frightened out of their amiable and delusional torpor to the point of resuming some recognizable concept of collective security opposite this rising challenge. There was no sign of this in Cornwall last week.

Biden squeezed all the juice out of the Im not Trump lemon he could with the Europeans and even for those who welcome a more serene ambience around the presidency and especially in foreign affairs, it was very tiresome witnessing the first couples of the United States and the UK bumping elbows when all have been heavily vaccinated and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has recovered from the virus as well.

The most hopeful element of Bidens foreign policy is that he seems to be leading his party away from Russia-baiting. This may imply recognition that as Russia has a smaller GDP than Canada and is no threat to the United States but that it could be an immense nuisance if driven into the arms of China, and allowed China to exploit the untapped natural resources of Siberia and the vastness of Asiatic Russia.

The president should be commended if he is moving to head off that nightmare. Russias importance is on the balance between China and the West. We want that immense country and the civilization of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Tchaikovsky in the West.

Im not too excited about permitting the Nordstrom pipeline to proceed. It was 95 percent completed and was really a response to the German rather than the Russian government. The real worry is the degeneration of Germany, Europes strongest power since it was unified by Bismarck 150 years ago, into a semi-disarmed energy satellite of Russia. It is a self-immobilized ally now, awaiting new leadership.

The administrations response was acceptable in the recent exchanges between Israel and Hamas and Republican claims that Biden had thrown Israel to the wolves are very exaggerated.

The worst foreign policy-related failure of this administration is the horrible mess on the southern border. Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas solemnly announces The border is closed as television viewers are treated to the sight of masses of illegal immigrants pouring into the country overland and wading through the shallowest stretches of the Rio Grande.

Presumably the administration will act to end this tragic charade, amplified by the fiasco of the vice presidents visit to Central America highlighting her and Bidens aversion to going to the border. The best that can be said, and without much conviction, is that this absurdly credulous definition of asylum will soon give way to the resumption of Trumps very successful policies called by other names with the connivance of the docile Democratic political media.

The credibility of this regime is not helped by gushing in the media. The worst last week was courtier-chronicler Jon Meacham po-facedly asserting that Bidens prose at Cornwall was poetry. Serious historians do not utter such rubbish.

A mighty act of faith and hope is required to subscribe to much of this, but after five harrowing months of Biden and Harris it still isnt impossible. As after all these murders that are thrown up by the huge increases in violent crime, we are in constant need of hope and prayer.

Conrad Black has been one of Canadas most prominent financiers for 40 years, and was one of the leading newspaper publishers in the world. Hes the author of authoritative biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, and, most recently, Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other, which has been republished in updated form. You can hear more of Conrads thoughts on his podcast Scholars & Sense alongside his co-hosts Bill Bennett and Victor Davis Hanson at ScholarsAndSense.buzzsprout.com.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Royal Caribbean ship Legend of the Seas docked at Port of Darwin, Northern Territory, obtained Friday, July 31, 2015, Sydney. (AAP Image/ Gregg Tripp)

Above Party Loyalties: Aussie MPs Join Forces to Take Back Port of Darwin from China

Federal MP George Christensen has told Parliament that it is against Australias national interest for the Port of Darwin to be in the hands of a Chinese company which owns a 99-year lease.

Christensens comments come after it was previously reported that he would back a motion by MP Bob Katter that would call on the Australian government to force Chinese company Landbridge to sell the Port of Darwin to an Australian buyer.

Christensen told The Epoch Times that it was a matter of national sovereignty.

It is not in the national interest to have port infrastructure in the hands of a foreign companyparticularly a company from communist China, which has recently used trade as a tool for economic coercion against this nation, Christensen told the House of Representatives on June 21.

George Christensen speaks for an amendment to the marriage equality bill at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Dec. 7, 2017. (Michael Masters/Getty Images)

Christensen previous told 2Gb radio on June 9 that he wants to see the Port of Darwin and quite frankly every other bit of strategic asset, strategic infrastructure taken back from the Chinese Communist Party or their minions.

That is the aim of this motion were putting forward, he said, speaking about the Katters motion. I note we are doing a review into the ownership of the Port at the moment, so thats a very good move.

He believes there is support from both the government and opposition MPs, crossbenchers, and senators for the Port of Darwin to be taken back under Australian control.

Christensen said the motion was in the hands of the Parliamentary Selection Committee who would decide whether to include the motion for debate.

While it is unusual for a government MP to support a private members motion from Bob Katter, this one is above party loyalties as its all about our national sovereignty, he told The Epoch Times.

Katter gave Christensen strong kudos for seconding his motion, given they are from different political parties.

If youre prepared to cross the floor that makes you very powerful indeed, and particularly in a parliament where the numbers are finely owned, Katter told The Epoch Times.

Independent MP Bob Katter speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Aug. 31, 2020. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

Katter said his motion wasnt a political manoeuvre nor was he trying to embarrass the government by introducing it. Instead, he knows his concerns are shared by other MPs about the foreign ownership of the port.

I would be very doubtful if there was anyone in Parliament who sincerely believed that it was a good idea that  any foreign country would own the main port of entry into northern Australia, Katter said.

One of his concerns centred around the paramilitary capability of some Chinese merchant vessels and the risk posed by their access to the Port of Darwin.

Under Beijings 2010 National Defence Mobilisation Law, Chinas merchant vessel companies are expected to assist the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and militia in mobilisation activities for the purposes of defence.

According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, some state-owned shipping companies have their own paramilitary capabilities, including an in-house militia, that can be mobilised by the Chinese regime to defeat threats to the CCPs interests.

Katter likely sees the risks this may pose to northern Australia should the Port of Darwin leaseholders cooperate with the PLA during a conflict, in peacetime, or in the grey zone.

The grey zone refers to activities by a foreign government that is below the traditional threshold for an act of war.

In its Leaping across the ocean report, ASPI provided an example of a grey zone tactic used by Chinese fishing vesselspossibly belonging to the countrys maritime militiain early 2019, when they shone lasers into the eyes of Royal Australian Army helicopter pilots in the South China Sea (pdf).

Because of this incident, ASPI surmises that shipping vessels with militiassuch as those that utilise the Port of Darwincould be ordered by its commanders to undertake similar actions against Australian or U.S. targets.

Doing so would place the burden of escalation onto the ADF or the U.S. Armed Forces, as Beijing would be likely to see a kinetic response against a merchant vessel as a de facto declaration of war, the ASPI report stated.

Christensen has also launched a petition on his website to take back the Port of Darwin from China.
Alleged Steele Dossier Sources Deny Involvement, New Court Filing Shows

In new affidavits filed in a Washington, D.C., court late on June 21, sub-sources for Igor Danchenkothe primary sub-source in Christopher Steeles dossier on the 2016 Trump presidential campaigndeny having provided any information contained in the dossier.

Danchenko had previously told the FBI that he obtained the information that was published in the dossier by word of mouth and hearsay from a network of sub-sources in Russia.

The affidavits were filed as a part of a long-running defamation lawsuit by the owners of Russias Alfa Bank against Fusion GPS, the company that tasked Steele with compiling the dossier.

Steeles dossier contained allegations that the owners of Alfa Bank were on very good terms with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as allegations of other connections between them.

In response to these allegations, the owners of Alfa BankMikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, and German Khanfiled their defamation suit against Fusion GPS and its owner, Glenn Simpson, in October 2017.

The lawsuit has been mired in various technical battles over the years but recently, new life was breathed into the matter after it became public that Danchenko was Steeles main source, along with the identities of sub-sources whom he professed to have obtained his information from.

Based on this new information, lawyers for the owners of Alfa Bank began quietly working to obtain affidavits from Danchenkos now-identified alleged sources.

All of Danchenkos sub-sources have now denied under penalty of perjury that they provided Danchenko with any information that was attributed to them in Steeles dossier.

Alfa Banks attorneys are also attempting to directly depose Danchenko, Steeles source for most of the material in the dossier.

Request for Danchenko Deposition

In the June 21 filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Fridman, Aven, and Khan requested that the court compel Danchenko to appear for a deposition. Their attorneys argue that the declarations of Mr. Danchenkos sub-sources call into question the veracity and reliability of not only Mr. Danchenko, but of the Defendants entire dossier.

The lawsuit notes that Danchenko told the FBI that he obtained the information that Defendants published in the dossier by word of mouth and hearsay from a network of sub-sources in Russia.

Steele stated in testimony before a British court that Danchenkos sub-sources were Russians with personal knowledge of and/or direct access to the relevant information, and that they included top-level Russian government officials [a]t the peak of the vertical of power.

Steele has also claimed, according to a book authored by Fusion GPSs Simpson, that Danchenko was a remarkable person with a remarkable story who deserves a medal for his service to the West.

The court documents reference additional statements by Simpson who claimed that the sources for the dossier were deep and well placed and that the allegations in the dossier came from people with extraordinary access in Russia.

And Simpsons partner, Peter Fritsch, testified in Florida that the information in the dossier came from a source network that was extremely well placed and had been reliable in the past.

The lawsuit notes that all of Danchenkos claimed sub-sources have provided denials made under penalty of perjury that they provided Danchenko with any information related to the contents of the dossier.

And that these declarations call into question the veracity and reliability of not only Mr. Danchenko, but of the Defendants entire dossier. It also states that Danchenkos sub-sources have never held any kind of official government position at all, and none could remotely be characterized as a top-level Russian official.

Danchenkos Sub-Sources

Danchenkos claimed source for the infamous pee tape story, Ivan Vorontsov, denies in a deposition having ever told Danchenko anything in relation to the dossier, claiming, I was not a source for the Dossier. I never provided Mr. Danchenko (or anyone else) with any information associated with the contents of the Dossier.

Vorontsov also alleged that Danchenko admitted to that, stating that Mr. Danchenko later confirmed this to me as well when he expressed guilt for dragging me into this whole controversy concerning the Dossier.

Vorontsov said the dossier was fabricated to fit whatever the client who requested the information wanted to receive.

Lyudmila Podobedova, who also has denied providing any information used in the dossier, said that once Mr. Danchenko realized that the Dossier was coming under scrutiny, he decided to point at me to make it look as if I were involved in the Dossier and thus add credibility to his work.

Olga Galkina, who worked for a Russian-owned IT company, Webzilla, was the alleged source for the dossier story that Webzilla had hacked into the Democratic National Committees servers. As with the other sources, Galkina is now on record as denying that she told Danchenko any of those things, stating that Danchenko named her to create more authoritativeness for his work.

Alexey Dundich and Ivan Kurilla, both of whom are Russian academics, also deny having provided Danchenko with any information used in Steeles dossier. Although Dundich was previously identified as an alleged dossier source, Kurillas name hadnt been mentioned in the publicly released sections of the dossier.

Dundichs affidavit claims that Danchenko framed [Dundich] as Sub-Source 4 in order to add credibility to his low-quality work, which is not based on real information.

According to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitzs report on FISA surveillance applications, the verification of Danchenkos sources was ignored by the FBI as they pursued a FISA application and three subsequent renewals on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

In March 2020, Horowitz criticized the work of the FBI, noting that he does not have confidence that the FBI has executed its Woods Procedures in compliance with FBI policy. Woods Procedures refer to supporting factual documentation underlying any application for a FISA warrant.

Additionally, Horowitzs report identified at least 17 significant errors or omissions in the Page FISA applications, and many additional errors in the Woods Procedures.

It appears that many of these same issues were present in the FBIs underlying review of sources that allegedly contributed to the Steele Dossier.

Neither Steeles company, Orbis Business Intelligence, nor Simpsons company, Fusion GPS, immediately responded to a request for comment. An attorney for Danchenko returned an initial email asking for more information but didnt provide a subsequent comment and couldnt be reached by phone.

Jeff Carlson and Hans Mahncke are co-hosts of the program Truth Over News on EPOCH TV.
Archeologists Unearth Largest Roman Basilica Ever Found in IsraelDated 2,000 Years Old

A massive renovation at the Tel Ashkelon National Park has unveiled the largest Roman basilica in Israel, dating to about 2,000 years ago, which is set to be accessible to the general public once the project is completed.

The extensive development work at the park, funded by Nature and Parks Authority alongside Leon Levy Foundation, is being conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

Alongside erecting sculptures and marble columns discovered during the excavation at the site, the authority will also renew existing roads and construct a new network of existing paths.

(Courtesy of Yaniv Cohen/Nature and Parks Authority via Israel Antiquities Authority)

The new paths, about 2 kilometers long, are meant to showcase and provide good access to the parks unique nature and heritage to improve visitor experience.

It was during the excavations of the extensive project that the antiquities authority revealed the magnificent Roman basilica complexthe largest ever found in Israel.

(Courtesy of Tomer Ofri/Nature and Parks Authority via Israel Antiquities Authority)

The huge building is covered with a roof and divided into three partsa central hall and two side halls, explained IAA excavation director Dr. Rachel Bar-Natan in a statement.

The hall was surrounded with rows of marble columns and capitals, which one rose to an estimated height of 13 meters and supported the buildings roof. The floor and walls are made of marble.

According to the IAA, the marble composing the basilica was discovered some years back during archaeological excavations.

The marble had been imported from Asia Minor in merchant ships which reached the shores of Ashkelon, a busy trade city in the era.

Roughly 200 marble items weighing hundreds of tons have been found in all, testifying to the buildings great splendor, the IAA stated.

(Courtesy of Yaniv Cohen/Nature and Parks Authority via Israel Antiquities Authority)

The great basilica was damaged during an earthquake in 363 A.D., and it was later abandoned after its destruction.

During the Roman period, the public life of the city revolved around its basilica, where its citizens transacted business, met for social and legal matters and held performances and religious ceremonies, the IAA stated.

Years later, during the Abbasid era, the basilica site was transformed into an industrial area and other structures were built into it.

(Courtesy of Yaniv Cohen/Nature and Parks Authority via Israel Antiquities Authority)

Within the excavation, the authority also discovered an ancient theater which will be preserved, restored, and then go on public display for the first time, once the project is completed.

Also, the basilicas floor is set to be restored and filled in, with columns being placed around the perimeter.

In the pilot phase, the authority has already begun installing the impressive marble items and has hoisted one of the pillars into the basilica.

(Courtesy of Yaniv Cohen/Nature and Parks Authority via Israel Antiquities Authority)

In the coming months, park visitors will be allowed to sit in the theater, once it is completed, and observe the ongoing work in the basilica.

The massive renovation is meant to enhance the experience of visitors in the park.

The Ashkelon National Park is one of the most important ancient sites, both in Israel and in the world, and time and time again it emerges as one of the most visited sites in the country, said Ashkelon mayor Tomer Glam.

The city takes great pride in it, investing resources and funding. I am convinced that the restoration and conservation work in the park will contribute significantly to the parks natural beauty.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Arizona Republicans Advance Two Election Bills: Biggest Yellow Flag for Voter Fraud

Arizona House Republicans moved to advance two election-related bills, including when recounts can be initiated and about how mismatched signatures should be handled.

On Monday, the House approved an amendment to Senate Bill 1241 that would mandate county election authorities to refer mismatched signatures to the Attorney Generals office or county attorneys for a potential investigation. That bill passed 3129 along party lines.

The other bill that passed, Senate Bill 1083, would expand the circumstances in which a recount would be initiated after a close election. Arizonas current law stipulates that the margin of victory as to be within one-tenth of the 1 percent of the vote total between the top two candidates, or between 10 and 200 votes.

But Senate Bill 1083 would require a recount if the margin of victory is within 0.5 percent of the combined vote total, according to the text of the measure.

The bill was likely passed in response to President Joe Bidens reported margin of victory over former President Donald Trump during last years general election. Officials declared Biden the winner after finding that he won by about 10,000 votes, or about 0.3 percent of the two candidates vote total.

Republican Rep. John Kavanagh, who sponsored the signature-match bill, said the measure would combat possible voter fraud. He noted that because nobody follows up on ballots with mismatching signatures, it needs to be addressed.

That is almost the biggest yellow flag for voter fraud that I can think ofthe signatures dont match and you cant contact the voter. Theres a chance there that thats a fraudulent ballot. And that should be investigated, he told the Arizona Mirror. Its easy to claim theres no fraud in early ballots if you never look for fraud, even when it may be staring you right in the face.

Alternatively, the lawmaker said the bill is necessary because state officials dont know what the scope of the problem is because right now nobody investigates potentially fraudulent ballots.

State House Democrats, who voted against both measures, alleged that Republicans are perpetuating what they described as myths about rampant fraud during elections.

The assumption is going to be made that you were fraudulently casting that ballot and the attorney general is going to get involved, said Rep. Kelli Butler, a Democrat, as reported by The Associated Press. I believe thats going to intimidate voters. I cant imagine having a knock on my door from law enforcement related to my vote.

Both election bills require the approval of the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.

Its not clear if Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey will sign the measures into law. In late May, Ducey vetoed 22 bills that were passed by the GOP-controlled Legislatureincluding bills on election integrity and critical race theory.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison following following the G-7 summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on Jun. 15, 2021. (Photo by THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Aussie PM Pushes to Cut Million-Dollar Delays in Mining and Gas Projects

The resources industry has championed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison after calling for reform of the environmental conservation act that had previously left mining and gas projects waiting years for approval and cost companies up to a million dollars a day.

Despite a global landscape imbued with growing debt following the effects of the COVID-19, Australias rebounding economy and big budget bounce back has been underpinned by a booming resource export economy and a growing demand for minerals such as iron ore.

In a letter, Morrison requested Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese support the enactment of two bills (to be debated in Parliament this week) that seek to modify the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, drastically shortening project approval time, reported The West Australian.

Failure to pass legislation this week increases the risk these agreements will not be in place this year and stands in the way of jobs and investment to support a strong economy, Morrison said.

The bills include the Streamlining Environmental Approvals Bill 2020, which seeks to allow the Federal Government to delegate environmental approval powers to states, and a second, closely related Standards and Assurance Bill 2021.

The Dendrobium Coal Mine in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia on Feb. 01, 2021. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

The outcry to amend the outdated EPBC Act followed an independent report released in October 2020 that labelled the legislation as outdated and in need of fundamental reform.

The resounding message that I heard throughout the Review is that Australians do not trust that the EPBC Act is delivering for the environment, for business or for the community, the report stated.

The country is not on a trajectory to achieving the fundamental objective of the EPBC Act to protect the environment, conserve biodiversity and ensure that future development is ecologically sustainable. Nor is the Act set up to do so.

However, a gaping fissure has been left between industry and environmental groups over exactly how the current legislation should be adjusted.

In a joint statement by the Minerals Council of Australia, Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, and four other state executive resource bodies, the industry collectively urged for the passage of the bills to address concerns surrounding the EPBC Act.

Passage of these Bills would protect the environment while supporting resources jobs and regional communities, the statement said.

EPBC Act approvals for resources projects can take over 1,000 days, with every day of delay costing up to $1 million.

According to a review by the Productivity Commission released in December 2020, the average assessment time frame for seven NSW projects since 2016 was nearly 1,000 days.

The commission also said that millions of dollars went to preparing assessments as a result of the time it took to navigate the environmental approval process.

A view of Coal Seam Gas wells and a wastewater treatment plant in the Pilliga Forest in Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia, on Feb. 06, 2021. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

But a bills digest outlined that many environmental, legal and scientific organisations did not support the bill as a result of the government having adopted only a few of the 38 suggestions provided by the independent report.

In particular, the report itself outlined that governments should avoid the temptation to cherry-pick from a highly interconnected suite of recommendations, with the bills digest stating that this contradiction had led to undesirable piecemeal reform.

Climate change communications non-profit The Climate Council joined the ranks of those opposing the bills, with Professor of Biology at Macquarie University Lesley Hughes saying that the governments proposition did not adequately tackle issues relating to the initial function of the act.

The proposed amendments to the EPBC Act weaken an already inadequate piece of legislation that is ineffective at protecting Australian species and ecosystems, Hughes told The Epoch Times.

Many ecosystems and species across Australia are already suffering the impacts of climate change, and their survival is threatened by rising temperatures, declining rainfall, and worsening extreme weather such as bushfires and storms, she said.

Hughes said that the amendment bills only functioned to loosen the act in a way that would damage Australias flora and fauna.

By weakening the EPBC Act, the Federal Government is accelerating the demise of these species even more, Hughes said.
One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson in Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Dec. 2, 2019. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Australian Senate Votes to Keep Critical Race Theory Out of Classrooms

The Australian Upper House has voted to reject Critical Race Theory (CRT) from the national curriculum after the new proposed curriculum gave priority to teaching the culture, perspectives, and history of indigenous Australians across all subjects, including maths.

The motion, put forward by One Nations Pauline Hanson, passed narrowly with a 30-28 vote. The Liberal, National, and One Nation parties voted in favour, while Labor, the Greens, and independent senator Rex Patrick opposed the motion.

CRT, which has gained international prominence from its rising presence in America, is an ideology rooted in the Marxist theory of class struggle, but with a particular focus on race. It teaches that societies like Australia are built on systems that are inherently racist.

The draft curriculum came under harsh criticism after it was revealed that all references to Australias democratic and Judeo-Christian heritage were erased.

Senator Hanson said CRTs divisive teachings had no place in Australian classrooms and children deserve education, not indoctrination.

Thanks to One Nation, the Government has been sent a strong message and is now on the record rejecting critical race theory, Hanson wrote on Facebook.

Now the fight is on to make sure the Government keeps its word and keeps our childrens schools free of this type of divisive, radical left-wing indoctrination.

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi speaks at a Snap Protest at News Corps Major Advertisers Conference in Sydney, Australia on March 20, 2019. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

The Greens partys anti-racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who voted against the motion herself, labelled it a far-right hate.

Critical race theory is basically a study of systemic racism. But it has become a bogeyman for the far-rightfirst in the US, now herein their fear-mongering about anti-racism and racial justice, Faruqi said in a statement.

The government cannot viably claim to be taking far-right hatred seriously when they fall in line behind crap like this.

A national debate in the United States around the teaching of CRT has recently arisen, with even Former President Donald Trump chiming in to urge lawmakers and parents against the anti-American indoctrination.

The key fact about this twisted doctrine is that it is completely antithetical to everything that normal Americans of any color would wish to teach their children, Trump wrote in an op-ed.

An earlier poll by the Institute of Public Affairs found that a majority of Australians reject CRT and identity politics in the classroom.

Australias draft curriculum is open for public feedback until July 8.
A police officer keeps watch on the road that surrounds Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 4, 2021. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Blocks Radio Signals During Communist Party Centenary

Chinese authorities are to impose control over radio signals as the 100th anniversary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) approaches on July 1.

The new measures ban radio stations or remote control radio equipment from emitting or transmitting radio waves, and block specific frequencies from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. on July 1, except for those approved for broadcasting activities on the day, according to a document issued by Beijing authorities on June 20.

Authorities are to prohibit using intercoms, wireless microphones, and outdoor base stations for wireless networks within the Second Ring Road that circles central Beijing.

Other types of equipment using radio waves, like remote control car models and GPS jammers, are also on the ban list, which has been drawn up with the Chinese regimes Army Central Theater Command.

Flying objects such as doves, drones, kites, and balloons, have been banned from flying through nine city districts since June 13. The Beijing municipal authorities has designated the nine districts as restricted flying zones until July 3.

Additionally, on June 20, Beijing Capital International Airport reminded passengers coming into Beijing that inspections would be beefed up, suggesting reducing carry-on luggage and preparing an extra one to two hours for check-in.

The railway department has ordered a second inspection for people coming into the capital. Likewise, packages sent to Beijing are only allowed after double security checks.

Petitioners, who hope their grievances can be rectified by the central authorities, have reportedly had their travel to the capital restricted, or been stopped at security checkpoints in local railway stations.

People who reside in Beijing are also being monitored. A video provided to The Epoch Times in early June shows that six guards were assigned to a bus with devices that monitor passengers movements.

In the run-up to the centenary, outspoken dissidents and activists have been warned, forced to travel, or disappeared before June 4. Citizens holding spiritual beliefs, such as adherents of Falun Gong, have been harassed, arrested, or detained. Even staunch supporters of Mao Zedong, the first CCP leader, have also been been targeted.
The Great Barrier Reef, one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World is soon to be listed as World Heritage in Danger.

Best Managed Reef in the World: Australia Disputes UN In Danger Recommendation

Australian officials have disputed a recommendation by a China-chaired UN committee that the Great Barrier Reef should be added to a list of in danger World Heritage Sites, arguing that the shock decision was politically motivated.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation committee (UNESCO), who has said in a draft recommendation the worlds biggest coral reef system should be added to the list due to the impact of climate change.

The Great Barrier Reef supports thousands of Australian jobs and is a major tourist attraction that Australia has fought for years to keep off the in danger list. In 2015, UNESCO noted the outlook for the reef was poor but kept the sites status unchanged.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley believes that Australia has been singled out by the UN committee, whose member countries control World Heritage listings, in a way that completely distorts the normal process, while noting that UNESCO has about 82 other properties that it also deems to be at risk of climate change.

Theyve singled out Australia for this unprecedented approach without foreshadowing the decision against the advice that they were giving us only a week ago, and in a way that makes no sense, she told ABC on June 22.

Ley said the appropriate place to argue about climate change policy was the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, not UNESCO.

Ill stand up anywhere and say [the Great Barrier Reef is] the best-managed reef anywhere in the world, she said while noting that Australia had invested $3 billion under the Reef 2050 Plan.

The Age reported that Ley also noted that the decision was made without examining the reef first hand, and without the latest information.

She said that she and Foreign Minister Marise Payne spoke overnight with the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

We were clear that we will challenge this decision when it comes about later in July, she said.

Elsewhere, Ley said the UNESCO decision was flawed and politically motivated.

While Ley did not elaborate on why she said it was politically motivated, the World Heritage Committee is chaired by Chinas Vice-Minister for Education Tian Xuejun. Australia has faced a year of increasingly aggressive economic coercion by Beijing in retaliation after it called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

Beijing has since moved to limit imports of eight Australian exports, including barley, beef, cotton and seafood.

Chinese officials also hold sway on three UN committees that feed into the World Heritage Committee. Feng Jing is chief of the Asia and the Pacific Unit at the World Heritage Centre, Xing Qu is deputy director-general of UNESCO, and Xhang Xinsheng is president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Australian MP George Christensen pointed out Beijings influence on the World Heritage Committee, saying, A UN committee led by Communist China has decided to target Australia claiming the Great Barrier Reef is in danger when in fact the health of the reef is improving.

I wonder what environmental assessments Communist China undertook when it built its illegal military islands in the maritime territory of other nations? he wrote on Facebook.

Further, while the rest of the world sets global emissions reduction targets which have been tied to struggling marine ecosystems, China last year built three times as much coal power capacity as other countries in the entire world combinedthe equivalent of more than one large coal plant per week (pdf).

Figures from the Global Coal Plant Tracker update by Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Research on Energy and Clear Air show that China has initiated over 73 gigawatts of new coal power projects, which is fives times as much as in all other countries. At the same time, construction permits for new coal projects also accelerated.

Meanwhile, environmental groups have rejected Leys assertion that the recommendation was political.

The recommendation from UNESCO is clear and unequivocal that the Australian Government is not doing enough to protect our greatest natural asset, especially on climate change, Richard Leck, head of oceans for the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, said.

But Australian scientist Prof. Peter Ridd, who headed the Marine Geophysics Laboratory at James Cook University for about 15 years before he was dismissed after criticising research on coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef, said it was simply untrue that the reef had lost any significant amount of coral.

By continuously claiming that the Reef is in poor shape, which any diver on the reef can see untrue, our untrustworthy reef science institutions have made a cross for Australias back, he told The Epoch Times on June 22.

The UNESCO committee, dominated by China are merely using the ammunition that we have provided for them, he said. Australian Governments must start a thorough audit of the science claiming that the reef is damaged. It will show that the world has not been told the truth.

The UN recommendation will be considered at a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in China next month.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Illegally trafficked guns, including rifles, revolvers and semi-automatic pistols, displayed at the Kings County District Attorney's Office, Brooklyn, New York, on Oct. 16, 2013. (Christian Watjen/Epoch Times)

Biden Admin Launches Firearms Trafficking Strike Forces in Liberal Cities

The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced it will use strike forces to go after illegal firearms trafficking in major U.S. cities.

The strike forces will be launched within 30 days in Democrat-run New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and their respective metropolitan areas. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will coordinate with designated U.S. attorneys to target firearms trafficking corridors, according to a news release from the Justice Department.

Those strike force groups wont necessarily be limited to operating within those metropolitan areas, noted the Justice Department, and they will share information and otherwise collaborate across districts where firearms trafficking schemes cross state or jurisdictional boundaries to focus enforcement against entire trafficking networks, from the places where guns are unlawfully obtained to the areas where they are used to commit violent crimes.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the measure is designed to bolster cooperation between the federal government and local partners, while adding that the announcement Tuesday is another concrete step to address violent crime and illegal firearms trafficking.

Our firearms trafficking strike forces will investigate and disrupt the networks that channel crime guns into our communities with tragic consequences, he added. This effort reflects our shared commitment to keep communities safe.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said during a virtual forum on Tuesday that the focus is to support local communities to prevent, investigate, and prosecute violent crime.

The U.S. attorneys and ATF will focus on where the guns are originating, where theyre used in violent crime, where theyre transiting, and going after the entire network, Monaco added.

The initiative is part of the Justice Departments recently unveiled Violent Crime Reduction Initiative that is designed to make clear that firearms traffickers that provide weapons to violent offenders are an enforcement priority across the country, said the agency.

According to FBI data, a number of U.S. cities have seen significant increases in homicides in 2021 as compared with the same time last year.

During a news conference on Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that President Joe Biden is slated to soon deliver a speech addressing gun violence and gun safety in the country, adding that Biden feels a great deal of the crime we are seeing is a result of gun violence.

The announcement on Tuesday comes as Democrat members of Congress have introduced a series of gun-control bills, including bans on so-called assault weapons, bans on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, and would expand background checks.
President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16, 2021. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

Biden Admin Wont Meet COVID-19 Vaccine Goal: White House

Administration officials on Tuesday acknowledged that the White House wont meet President Joe Bidens stated goal to vaccine 70 percent of U.S. adults with at least one dose of a COVID-19 shot by July 4.

White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters that 70 percent of those 30 years old and older have been vaccinated with at least one dose. The administration is also on track to vaccinate 70 percent of people aged 27 and older by July 4, he said.

But, according to Zeints, administration officials believe itll take a few extra weeks to get to 70 percent of all adults with at least one shot with the 18- to 26-year-olds factored in.

Still, during the briefing, Zeints described the administrations vaccination efforts as a success, saying the campaign has already exceeded their expectations.

Earlier on Tuesday, NBC News and other outlets, citing unnamed White House sources, said that Biden officials were slated to announce that the 70-percent goal wouldnt be met and cast the scheduled announcement in a negative light.

That appeared to prompt pushback from Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff and a trusted Biden confidant, who defended the administrations efforts in a tweet. He wrote: 150 million Americans fully vaccinated, 70% of everyone over 30 with one shot  and more to come before July 4th.

During an announcement in May, Biden set the target of giving at least one shot to 70 percent of adults across the country and vaccinating 160 million adults by July 4.

But the reality is that many younger Americans have felt like Covid-19 is not something that impacts them, and theyve been less eager to get the shot, Zients also said Tuesday. However, with the delta variant now spreading across the country, and infecting younger people worldwide, its more important than ever that they get vaccinated.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have reached the 70-percent goal, said Zeints during the briefing. Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Vermont have seen more than 80 percent of adults receive at least one vaccine shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday also asserted that vaccine rates for younger Americans have not reached the same levels as those for older adults.

Despite recently expanded eligibility for vaccination to all adults, increases in weekly initiation among younger age groups have not reached peak weekly initiation rates that occurred in January and February among adults aged 65 years, said the CDC in a study.

The announcement comes as health officials in Massachusetts reported that 4,000 residents who got COVID-19 vaccines tested positive for the virus.

Were learning that many of the breakthrough infections are asymptomatic or theyre very mild and brief in duration, said Boston University infectious diseases specialist Davidson Hamer, according to local reports. The viral load is not very high.

Noting that breakthroughs are expected, Hamer suggested there will be more individuals who who have a breakthrough can transmit the virus to others after getting the vaccine.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
President Joe Biden speaks about reaching 300 million COVID-19 vaccination shots in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on June 18, 2021. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Biden Says Next Months Child Tax Credit Payments Just the First Step as He Seeks to Make Benefit Permanent

President Joe Biden said Monday that families will begin receiving part of the expanded child tax credit via advance payments starting July 15, while reiterating his intent to push for the benefit to become permanent, saying next months payments are just the first step.

Biden made the remarks in a statement on the day the White House officially designated as Child Tax Credit Awareness Day, with the president touting the tax relief measure as a way to give our nations hardworking families with children a little more breathing room when it comes to putting food on the table, paying the bills, and making ends meet.

The child tax credit, provided for in the American Rescue Plan, offers $3,000 for each child aged 6 to 17 and $3,600 per child under 6 to eligible families. The income threshold to receive the full credit is $75,000 for a single filer, $150,000 for joint filers, or $112,500 for a family with a single parent who qualifies as head of household.

Biden said organizations across the country and elected officials were holding events and training volunteers to spread awareness of how the child tax credit works, while building support for the benefit to become more than just a one-off form of pandemic relief.

This is just the first step. My American Families Plan will extend this benefit for years to come, Biden said in a statement on social media.

U.S. President Joe Biden holds a press conference after the U.S.Russia summit in Geneva on June 16, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The child tax credit will be paid out in two parts, with the first half disbursed in monthly installments of $250 or $300, depending on the age of the children, starting July 15 and running through December. The other half, $1,500 or $1,800 per child, again depending on age, is to be claimed on next years tax return as a lump sum.

The idea behind providing part of the tax credit in advance monthly payments was to provide the benefit sooner to families who currently may be struggling, in a labor market that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak and has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

Normally, tax relief for the year only comes the following year when you file your taxes, no matter how much you need it now. This year, youll start getting the money in July, the White House said in a fact sheet.

About 39 million households, covering 88 percent of children in the United States, are slated to begin receiving the monthly payments automatically, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement.

But some tax experts caution that some people may be better off forgoing the advance payments and instead choose a lump sum later. This is because some peoples changing circumstances with jobs and salariesgiven the fact that the IRS uses older income to calculate monthly paymentsmight mean that they can end up owing money to the government next tax season if they received too much in the way of advance payments.

People who filed tax returns for 2019 or 2020, or if they signed up to receive a stimulus check from the IRS, will get the tax relief in the form of advance payments starting automatically on July 15. For non-filers, the IRS has launched a special tool that lets eligible recipients apply for the advance payments.

Since the advance payments mean that eligible individuals will see a smaller tax refund when they file next year, the IRS has said that people will have the opportunity to decline to receive them and instead choose to receive a lump sum in 2022. The agency said it would soon publish details about the opt-out, with reports indicating that this will come in the form of an online tool that will be available before July 1.

While the expanded child tax credit is currently only available in 2021, Biden wants the benefit to become permanent.
Black Lives Matter Cant Sue Trump Over 2020 Lafayette Square Clearing: Judge

A federal judge on Monday ruled that Black Lives Matter protesters cannot sue former President Donald Trump, former Attorney General William Barr, and other Trump administration officials for dispersing a crowd of demonstrators and agitators at Washington D.C.s Lafayette Square last summer.

Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, an appointee of Trump, however, allowed Black Lives Matters case to proceed against D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department. As Friedrich dismissed the majority of the cases, she noted that access to Lafayette Square has been continually restricted for more than a year after the unrest.

To this day, over a year after the events of June 1, Lafayette Square remains subject to heightened restrictions that periodically limit protesters access to the Square, Friedrich wrote (pdf).

The lawsuit was brought against Trump administration officials by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in representing Black Lives Matter, which alleged that the federal government violated the protesters rights during the demonstrations. Following the death of George Floyd last year, protests and riots erupted across the United States, including the nations capital, leading to arson attempts, injuries to police officers, and other acts of vandalism.

In their suit, Black Lives Matter and the ACLU alleged that officers used tear gas and other crowd control measures to remove them from the area. Around that time, media outlets and Democrat officials claimed that Trump authorized the removal of the protesters so that he could get his photo taken while holding a Bible near St. Johns Church, but a report released earlier this month from the Department of the Interiors inspector general rebuffed those allegations and did not find Trump administration officials acted in such a manner.

Protesters attempt to pull down the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington on June 22, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

And Friedrich noted that officers acted out of national security considerations by removing the protesters, but she added that the D.C. and Arlington police departments could face a lawsuit for violating demonstrators First Amendment rights.

First, national securityspecifically, the countrys national-security interest in the safety and security of the President and the area surrounding the White Housestrongly weighs against creating a  remedy here, the judge wrote.

In this context, it matters not whether the national security risk actually justified the particular action taken, Friedrichs ruling stated, while adding that the question is about whether national-security concerns were present in the decision-making process the federal officials faced and thus whether the Judiciary should alter the framework established by the political branches for addressing [similar] cases.

Any decision about managing crowd activity close to the White House, located near Lafayette Square, would have to also consider public, presidential, and White House security interests, according to her ruling.

In response to the judges decision, ACLU regional legal director Scott Michelman criticized the ruling as one that would give too much power to the federal government.

Under todays decision, Lafayette Square is now a Constitution-free zone when it comes to the actions of federal officials, Michelman wrote in a statement on Monday. Not only is this decision a stunning rejection of our constitutional values and protestors First Amendment rights, but it effectively places federal officials above the law.

The Epoch Times has contacted the ACLU for comment.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference to discuss the state reopening at Universal Studios in Hollywood, Calif., on June 15, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

California Plans to Pay Off All Unpaid Rent Racked Up During Pandemic

California authorities announced Monday the state plans to pay off 100 percent of unpaid rent accumulated during the pandemic, with the money to come from some $5.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a tweet Monday that, California is planning rent forgiveness on a scale never seen before in the United States, attributing the post to a report by the New York Times, which noted that state lawmakers were putting the final touches on the program.

While eligibility criteria for the newly proposed program are still unclear, reports indicate that the measure would both give renters in arrears a clean slate and make landlords whole.

The state currently has about $5.2 billion on hand from multiple Congressional aid packages that is earmarked to pay off unpaid rent, Jason Elliott, senior counselor to Newsom on housing and homelessness, told the Associated Press. Elliott added that this amount should be sufficient to cover all unpaid rent in California.

Nationwide this is certainly the largest rent relief theres ever been, said Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, a state organization that is overseeing the rent relief program, in remarks to The New York Times.

The proposed measure is separate from Californias existing COVID-19 Rent Relief program, which is designed to help lower-income Californians who are behind on rent. Under the existing program, eligible renters can apply for landlords to be reimbursed for 80 percent of each eligible renters unpaid rent between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. The condition is that the landlord must agree to waive the remaining 20 percent of unpaid rent for that time period. If the landlord chooses not to participate in the program, eligible renters can apply to receive 25 percent of unpaid rent accumulated between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.

Eligible renters for the existing rent relief program must have a household income that does not exceed 80 percent of the Area Median Income, must show that they have experienced financial hardship during the pandemic, and must demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.

Still unsettled is whether California will continue to ban evictions for unpaid rent beyond June 30, a pandemic-related order that was meant to be temporary but is proving difficult to undo.

Newsom and legislative leaders are meeting privately to decide what to do with respect to extending the eviction ban, part of the negotiations over the states roughly $260 billion operating budget.

Keith Becker, a Sonoma County property manager, told The Associated Press that 14 tenants are more than $100,000 behind in rent payments. Becker said its put financial pressure on the owners, who he said have resigned themselves to renter 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, Becker said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Californians Should Demand Evidence-Based Practice in Policymaking

Commentary

Californians, isnt it about time that we started requiring evidence-based practice from our elected leaders before we dole out more money for programs that havent been effective?

In reality, to require evidence-based practice is common sense, as only a fool shells out money without knowing what he or she is getting in return.

Evidence-based practice is the objective, balanced, and responsible use of current research and the best available data to guide policy and practice decisions, such that outcomes for consumers are improved.

The growing frustration that residents, citizens, and voters of all stripes feel with the political process is based largely upon the fact that they no longer trust the judgment or competence of those whom we have elected to office. Decisions are being made in the public arena that the average layperson wouldnt make, because there is a lack of evidence to help in determining a particular direction.

In other words, we as taxpayers are being asked to accept having to pay large amounts of money for programs where there have not been any measurable results or even any evidence that the programs will work.

All we have to do is take a look at the money that we have shelled out over the past 10 to 20 years for a multitude of social programs, and then look at the results. Are the programs working? If so, wonderful; if not, lets change course.

If we are the type of individuals/citizens who actually care about other peoples welfare and society in general, and I believe that most of us like to think that we are, then it behooves us to ask the following questions regarding the administration of quality-of-life programs designed and administered by our elected representatives:

Is the program measurable in impact? Is the program solving the problem or continuing it? Is the administration of the program effective?

In other words, the philosophy behind the old saying Show me the beef should be an underlying litmus test for any and all programs that have been in existence for more than one fiscal cycle.

Now, more than ever, we have a duty to not only ask, but demand that answers be given to the above questions. This is so because too many people in our state and indeed our nation rely on the effectiveness of such programs for their very existence.

Before any program is funded for an additional year or term (if that is the nature of the program), an evidence-based analysis must be done that will tell us how well the program is performing. Is it meeting the goals of the program as sold to the voters?

For example, Californians especially and Americans in general are very generous and patient people, as evidenced by their willingness to spend more per capita than any other society in the world on a problem such as homelessness. However, repeated magnanimous funding of programs that sounded good at their inception but have proven to be utter failures is not a sign of generosity but perhaps naivety, especially when those programs have accomplished nothing but have made the situation worse.

For example, lets take a look at California and how its governor and elected leaders have approached the homelessness situation.

In the past three years, California has spent well over $13 billion on 41 different programs to address homelessness. At an estimated count of 161,000 homeless people, that amounts to approximately $75,000 per homeless person.

Is the situation getting worse? The homeless population is growing dramatically by the week and is in a state of total chaos throughout California. Consider this: California in 2019 and again in 2020 saw more of an increase in the number of homeless individuals than the total national increase of all other states combined!

Evidence-based analysis seems to indicate that instead of helping reduce homelessness, the prescribed broad-brush approach of throwing more and more money into the problem is not working, but, in reality, is attracting and enslaving more people into that way of life.

Evidence-based analysis is proving that unless the underlying and different root causes of homelessness are addressed in a specific and appropriate manner, the situation will continue to get worse. Show us the results; show us the evidence.

Are there fewer people living on the streets? No. Are the root causes of the various degrees of homelessness being addressed? No. Are our current policies working? Sure dont appear to be, yet our governor just asked for at least $12 billion more of your hard-earned tax dollars, claiming he will solve the homelessness problem!

As mentioned above, if the programs arent working, we must for our own sanity and survival change course. To not do so borders on stupidity and only allows for more and more exploitation of not only reliant homeless victims, but also the very generous taxpayers, by politicians whose only goal is to promote themselves.

One caveat to this concept: Evidence-based analysis relies on the integrity of the evidence being presented. I am not a babe in the woods, and I know well how politicians can twist the facts and figures to suit their own personal agendas. So an analysis of the integrity and accuracy of the evidence itself is primary.

If more people start to judge those in office by their actions and not their words, we can collectively navigate these confusing times by electing responsible and caring leaders who arent afraid to fulfill their oath of office, which is to represent the best interests of the people.

Tony Hall is a former supervisor in the city and county of San Francisco.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
China Spy Rumored to Defect to US With Virus Info

One of Chinas top spies has reportedly defected to the United States. Rumor has it he passed on important intel about the pandemics origin and names of Chinese spies working in the United States.

A White House official presents China with a stark choice: allow a real probe into the pandemics origin, or face isolation from the international community.

Hong Kongs pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily is facing a possible shutdown. This weekend will either make or break the publication, as it prepares to print what might be its last issue.

Floods strike Chinas longest river. In one area, the water rose a whopping 13 feet in just one days time.

A seven-story building in southern China crumbleswith residents still inside. Authorities are now looking into what caused the sudden collapse.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
The Chinese military displays its DF-5B missiles during a military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. The Chinese regime may put its nuclear forces on "hair-trigger" alert. (Rolex Dela Pena/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Disturbing Nuclear Buildup

Commentary

In recent summits of Western nations, two shots were fired over the bow of China. At the Group of Seven (G-7) forum held in Cornwall, England, in early June, the leading Western economic powers announced a new international infrastructure initiative, intended to draw lower-income nations away from Chinas burgeoning Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

This action was quickly followed up by the NATO summit held in Brussels a few days later, which in its official communique issued a dark warning about Chinas military modernization. For the first time, NATO singled out China for its assertive behavior, which it said presented systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security.

In particular, NATO noted Chinas nuclear arsenal, which it said was rapidly expanding, with more warheads and a larger number of sophisticated delivery systems, intended to establish a nuclear triad comprising land-, sea-, and air-based systems.

So what is behind Chinas current nuclear modernization efforts? In fact, it is more than just a quantitative and qualitative buildup; it has grave implications for how China is changing its fundamental attitude toward the role of nuclear weapons and under what circumstances it might go nuclear. More critically, it is likely that even the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not fully thought this out, which could be disastrous for all involved.

For China, going nuclear was major political, as well as technological and military, achievement. Beijing detonated its first atomic (fission-type) bomb in 1964, followed by the test of a thermonuclear (fusion-type) device three years later. Given the relatively backwards state of Chinas defense science and technology base at the time, these feats, along with the launching of Chinas first satellite in 1970, were a source of considerable national pride.

A security guard stands next to models of Chinese rockets on display Beijing on Sept. 24, 2013. The Chinese regime is testing weapons that could soon endanger satellites in all orbits. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Despite the success of its two bombs and one satellite, Beijing faced the problem of what to do with its new-found nuclear capacity. It could never hope to match the nuclear might of the United States or the USSR. Nevertheless, there had to be a strong strategic rationale for possessingand possibly usingnuclear weapons.

The answer was minimum deterrence. According to the doctrine of minimum deterrence, China need only possess a nuclear force capable of surviving and retaliating to an enemys first strike. This meant a limited but durable second-strike nuclear force that would deter nuclear blackmail and also be compatible with the defensive-oriented doctrine of Peoples War.

Consequently, for decades Chinas nuclear force was small, typically on low alert, and based on a no first use (NFU) strategy. From the 1980s to the early 2000s, various Western estimates put Chinas atomic arsenal at no more than 160 nuclear warheads, which placed it last among the declared nuclear club, which included the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, and France. Moreover, this was not really a strategic nuclear force: China still lacked long-range bombers or ballistic-missile-carrying submarines (save for one clunky Xia-class SSBN, which was so unusable it reportedly made only one deterrence patrol before being permanently docked). The bulk of Chinas strategic deterrence consisted of just 20 or so DF-5A intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)large, liquid-fueled behemoths that would take hours (if not days) to prep for launch, thus reducing chances for surprise attack or retaliation.

Starting in the 1990s, the CCP refined its nuclear policy, putting greater stress on sufficiency and effectiveness in order to ensure that China would still be able to inflict a damaging retaliatory second strike. Nuclear forces were still limited in size, but increased emphasis was on the survivability and reliability of these forces.

This new dynamic minimum deterrence initially meant an increase in the number of nuclear weapons, to perhaps 400 warheads. This strategy also entailed a significant expansion in the types of new delivery systems. In the first place, the number of ICBMs grew to around 55 to 65 missiles, most of them advanced, road-mobile and solid-fueled systems capable of hiding from enemy attacks as well as firing on short notice. The best of these are the DF-31A and DF-41, both of which are capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

To this arsenal must be included dozens, if not hundreds, of nuclear-armed short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, which could target Japan, Taiwan, and Guam.

In addition, China finally acquired a reliable sea-based nuclear deterrent, with the acquisition of the Type-094 SSBN. Each Type-094 is armed with a dozen 4,600-mile-range JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). At least six Type-094 SSBNs have been launched, and Western observers expect the PLA Navy (PLAN) to eventually acquire 12 SSBNs in all.

Finally, the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) operates several aging but upgraded H-6 bombers, capable of dropping nuclear bombs or firing air-launched nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. The PLAAF is currently developing a new long-range strategic bomber, which would almost certainly be stealthy and nuclear-capable.

As China continues to build more and better strategic weaponsincluding multiple independently targetable (MIRVed) warheads and even hypersonic weaponsBeijing is close to perfecting an air-sea-land nuclear triad like that of the United States or Russia.

China has demonstrated the ability to develop and build better and more nuclear weapons, along with an expanded array of delivery systems (SLBMs, road-mobile ICBMs, MIRVing, etc.). The question, therefore, is what does the CCP plan to do with this growing and increasingly sophisticated nuclear arsenal? In many respects, it goes far beyond minimum deterrence (and even dynamic minimum deterrence) and is instead beginning to look a lot like a first-strike capability.

A Russian Kilo-class conventional submarine belonging to the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) at the naval headquarters of the China North Sea Fleet in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao on Aug. 2, 2000. The Chinese military may have made significant progress on its new submarine fleet, given recent media reports. (Goh Chai Hin/AFP/Getty Images)

This is critical given potential changes in Chinas traditional NFU policy. Philip Saunders of the U.S. National Defense University has recently noted that China could shift to a launch-on-warning posture that would put Chinese nuclear forces on a more unstable first-strike setting. In addition, Chinas NFU policy has always been ill-defined. Paul Bracken of Yale University recently noted that even the CCP has not really thought through its nuclear strategy, arguing that Chinas declared nuclear doctrine doesnt cover a wide range of possibilities beyond what it was narrowly written for. This includes, he infers, the possibility of a war over Taiwan.

This uncertainty about what Beijing actually wants to do with its nuclear forces, combined with the general atmosphere of either opacity or outright hostility on the part of Beijing and the CCP, is not a good recipe for stability. It makes it even more difficult to trust China regarding its overall strategic goals.

Richard A. Bitzinger is an independent international security analyst. He was previously a senior fellow with the Military Transformations Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, and he has held jobs in the U.S. government and at various think tanks. His research focuses on security and defense issues relating to the Asia-Pacific region, including the rise of China as a military power, and military modernization and arms proliferation in the region.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Chinas High Rate of Assisted Reproduction and Surrogate Babies

With high infertility rates, China has the highest rate of assisted reproduction in the world, according to Chinese state media. Many Chinese couples who have difficulty conceiving are seeking out assisted reproductive technology, while the rich and famous opt for surrogacy.

Around the globe, more than 8 million babies have been born through IVF (in vitro fertilization) since the birth of the first test-tube baby in the UK on July 25, 1978. In China alone, more than 200,000 babies are born through IVF technology every year, the largest number in the world, according to Chinese state media.

Owing to Chinas decades of strictly enforced one-child policy, the countrys birth rate has dropped to 1.3 in 2020, according to the latest census data. Chinas National Health Commission attributes the high infertility rate to the declining number of women of child-bearing age and more people choosing to get married and have a baby at a later stage in life, compared to their parents generation. The latest official statistics show that between 2007 and 2020, Chinas infertility rate increased from 12 percent to 18 percent. This means that one in 5.6 couples experiences infertility problems today.

Of the estimated 50 million Chinese of childbearing-age suffering from infertility problems, about 20 percent are seeking assisted reproductive technology (ART). The huge demand has prompted a rapid growth of Chinas ART market, and the countrys global market share has also increased year by year, reaching approximately 18.12 percent in 2020, according to Chinese state-run media.

For instance, the Reproductive Center of Peking University Third Hospital, where Chinas first IVF baby was born in March 1988, has an annual outpatient rate of nearly 600,000 people, and conducts more than 10,000 infertility exams and treatment operations every year, according to Chinese digital newspaper The Paper.

Surrogacy for the Rich and Famous

Surrogacy is illegal in China, but there is a costly underground market for that industry. Therefore, only the wealthy Chinese can afford to use surrogacy services.

In recent years, three surrogacy stories involving Chinese celebrities have been in the headlines.

The family of tycoon Lee Shau-kee, one of the four most famous families in Hong Kong with a net worth rumored to be as high as 200 billion Hong Kong dollars (about $26 billion), was under the spotlight. In 2010, Lees eldest son, Peter Lee Ka-kit, had three sons through a U.S. surrogacy agency, so that he and his brother Martin Lee Ka-Shing, who has two daughters, would be able to inherit equal shares of the family assets.

Another story involved a wealthy businessman and his wife in Chinas Guangdong Province who had eight babies all at once after struggling with infertility for years. At the beginning of 2010, the couple finally had eight healthy embryos through IVF. They decided to have the wife carry three of the embryos, and the two surrogate mothers carry the other five. In October 2010, the three women gave birth to four boys and four girls.

Earlier this year, after breaking up with her boyfriend, renowned Chinese actress Zheng Shuang was accused of abandoning her two children who were born through surrogacy in the United States. The allegation ruined her career, as a huge number of fans and Chinese authorities condemned her actions.

International Surrogacy Market

In August 2001, Chinas Ministry of Public Health issued the policy called Administrative Measures for Assisted Human Reproductive Technology, which prohibits medical institutions and medical staff from performing any form of surrogacy procedure, including sales of embryos. Any medical institution that assists in a surrogacy arrangement may be subject to a fine of up to 30,000 yuan (about $4,639), according to the ministry. However, no punishment is specified for patients or customers seeking surrogacy service.

The majority of Chinese reject the use of surrogacy. In a 2017 poll by Chinese state media Peoples Daily, 81.5 percent of participants disapproved of surrogacy, while 13 percent supported it, and 5.5 percent took no stance.

However, many wealthy Chinese still make use of surrogacy through secret channels. Liu Changqiu, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Political Science and Law, disclosed to Chinese media Sixth Tone that it is not uncommon for Chinese people to seek surrogacy abroad, especially wealthy Chinese and celebrities.

Liu also said that there is actually a huge surrogacy market in China. Any couple may pay tens of thousands of U.S. dollars to a surrogacy agency, which in turn will provide surrogate mothers for them to choose from, arrange the surrogate mother to give birth in a designated hospital, and obtain a birth certificate and sometimes foreign citizenship for the newborn. Each step has a price tag.

According to an undercover investigation by Beijing News, in a surrogacy process, the husband and wife provide sperm and eggs to make embryos, which are then transplanted into the surrogate mothers womb. The basic cost is 450,000 yuan (about $69,585); if the couple wants a boy, a chromosome selection procedure is needed, bringing the total cost to 1.2 million yuan (about $185,560).

For couples who want their baby to be born with U.S. citizenship, they must fly to the United States to provide the sperm and eggs, and hire a surrogate mother who is a U.S. citizen. The service will cost them 1.8 million yuan (about $278,340), or 1.85 million yuan (about $286,072) if they want a boy, according to Beijing News.
Colleagues of a Firefighter Killed in Fire Station Shooting Attend His Daughters Graduation

Just two days after a Los Angeles County fire specialist lost his life, his teenage daughter had to graduate from high school without the presence of her father. However, hundreds of her late fathers colleagues came forward and took part in the emotional ceremony in honor of the fallen hero.

Joslyn Carlon from Saugus High wore the jacket that belonged to her father, Tory, over her graduation gown as she accepted her diploma at the June 3 ceremony. A sheriffs deputy, a friend of the family, took her arm as she left the stage.

Joslyn Carlon receiving her diploma in her late fathers firefighting jacket. (Courtesy of WSH Graduations/YouTube)

Were here to make sure that she knows were all thinking about her, said Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Captain Chris Reade, according to Santa Clarita Valleys The Signal. We found out last night, email goes fast, and we all dropped everything we were doing in our personal lives and came down here to show our support.

The Fire Department family is huge and strong, and [the Carlons] can come to us anytime for anything they need, he added.

Tory, a 20-year veteran of the fire service at the age of 44, was killed by gunshot on June 1 when off-duty co-worker Jonathan Patrick Tatone targeted L.A. Countys Fire Station 81 in Agua Dulce.

A 54-year-old LAFD fire captain was also critically injured, and the gunman later drove to his own house, set it on fire, and took his life, KABC reported.

Despite the short notice, almost 300 LAFD crew members, and personnel from other departments, showed up in black uniforms to form a procession as Joslyn and her family arrived at the college of the Canyons for the Saugus High School graduation ceremony.

Fire engines filled the parking lot, and helicopters were flown over the stadium.

The crews broke into thunderous applause as Joslyn accepted her diploma, no substitute for a fathers presence but a moving show of solidarity in his absence. L.A. County Firefighters later shared photos on Facebook, thanking their Fire Family for showing up in full force.

Carlon was a huge part of his daughters life, Battalion Chief Nick Berkuta said. And to lose, for me, a brother  this is the least that we could do to be there for her and her family.

Fire Chief Daryl Osby described Carlon as a brave, committed, loyal member of the department. Firefighter-paramedic Gary Reichman also shared his condolences, adding, To honor that beautiful girl tonight meant so much to me, to all my colleagues and my friends.

Carlon is survived by his wife, Heidi, and three children. A family friend set up a GoFundMe page, raising over $280,000 to help the family with ongoing expenses as they come to terms with their immense loss.

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Colorado Shooting Kills 3, Including Police Officer and Suspect

A shooting in Denver, Colorado, on Monday has resulted in three people dying, including a veteran police officer and the suspect, police said.

The incident occurred at a downtown shopping district in the Denver suburb of Arvada, also referred to as Olde Town Arvada.

Deputy Chief Ed Brady told a press conference on Monday afternoon that the officer responded to a call at 1:15 p.m. that reported a suspicious incident near the library. About 15 minutes later, a 911 call reported that shots were fired, and the officer was hit and killed.

Police said the suspect shooter was shot and killed but did not give additional details.

According to Detective David Snelling, the person who was believed to have been shot by the suspect was taken to hospital by ambulance but later died.

There is no threat to the public at this point, Brady said, reported the Denver Post. Were not searching for anybody else.

Both the officer and the suspect were confirmed as male. Police have yet to identify any of those who died publicly.

The circumstances of the shooting were not elaborated on further, but the police did say that no one else is believed to have been involved. It comes after the police had earlier said there were two suspects.

The Denver Police Department said in a statement on Twitter, Our deepest condolences to @ArvadaPolice and the family and friends of the officer who lost their life in the line of duty today. Our hearts are with you during this difficult time.

The department earlier in the day described the incident as a very large-scale scene.

The Arvada Police Department asked the public to not create any fundraising pages for the deceased officer, and pointed to the Colorado Hero Foundations website as the only official donation site for the fallen officer for those who wish to make donations.

The incident also caused a temporary closure of a light rail station in the downtown district.

Arvada Mayor Marc Williams said he was in his car in the area shortly before 2 p.m., when he saw almost a dozen police cars with flashing lights and sirens race past him. I knew something serious had happened. I didnt know how serious, he said, adding that he heard gunshots near the library about a block away about five minutes later.

This is a very sad, dark day, he told local station KUSA in initial comments after the shooting.

The Olde Town Arvadas Water Tower, a landmark in the city, will be lit blue in the coming week to honor the fallen officer, reported KMGH. Flags will also be lowered at half-staff.

The incident comes after a shooting incident in March in Boulderabout 20 miles northwest of Arvada. A shooter opened fire, hitting 10 people, including a police officer. The shooting suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, from Arvada, made his second court appearance in late May. A September hearing has been scheduled to review evidence in the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Update: This article was updated to reflect that police had yet to comment on who shot the suspect. The Epoch Times regrets any errors.
Attendees stand for the Pledge of Allegiance during a swearing-in ceremony for new U.S. citizens in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Colorado Town Mayor Cancels Pledge of Allegiance at Town Hall, Attendees Recite Anyway

The mayor of Silverton, Colorado, issued a statement during a trustee meeting saying that he will discontinue recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meetings.

His idea was met with resistance and some of the attendees stood up and recited it loudly during the comment section of the meeting. Even though he tried to interrupt them, more voices joined in.

Once their vociferous declamations ended and they sat down, the mayor said that they were out of order and that although there is a one-strike policy, he didnt ask people to leave.

But if something like that happens again we will, the mayor said.

There had been similarly worked-up instances in Silverton when a trustee didnt want to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

In this most recent case, the mayor declared that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance would create problems, including divisiveness.

Due to direct and indirect threats, inappropriate comments in and out of public meetings and general divisiveness and issues created in our community, we will not be reciting the Pledge of Allegiance during Town of Silverton trustee meetings, Silverton Mayor Shane Fuhrman stated in footage obtained by Fox 31.

Right after he said this, Silverton Trustee Molly Barela directed her words towards Fuhrman: We already discussed this as a board, and any other unilateral decisions we need to know about?

Silverton, COs Mayor unilaterally banned the Pledge of Allegiance at city meetings. Its hard to put into words what kind of anti-American disgrace this is. Mayor Fuhrman should resign and purchase a one-way ticket to China where he wont have worry about hearing the pledge! pic.twitter.com/tjzU1cnOv0  Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) June 18, 2021

If youd like to find somewhere in the code, something that doesnt permit me to do this, then I welcome that discussion at our next meetings, Fuhrman responded.

Barela then claimed more directly that the decision was made without consulting the board.

Its been done for a long time. We all took an oath, and we as a board we decided it would be done, she said.

Barela told Fox 31 in a comment: Back in April 2020 when the newest board members were seated the mayor brought it up that he didnt want to do the Pledge of Allegiance anymore because its not really a thing, it was a 4/3 vote that we continue to do it. By going back to in person meetings it changes the dynamic compared to what was happening on zoom.

While on zoom the three individuals who chose not to say the Pledge of Allegiance would just turn off their cameras now that weve gone back to in person meetings members of the general population especially those who are veterans have been questioning why would you run for office and take an oath to uphold the laws of the United States of America the state of Colorado and the town of Silverton if you wont stand for the pledge, she said in a statement in part.

The Epoch Times reached out to Fuhrman for comment.
COVID-19 Vaccine Linked to Another Rare Blood Disease: Israeli Study

Researchers stress that the study shouldn't deter people from getting the vaccine

Israeli researchers on Monday said that they discovered a link between Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine and a rare blood disease called thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).

Scientists with the Institute of Hematology at Shamir Medical Center said they began researching the possible link after reports of a sudden increase in TTP across Israel.

The team said they discovered a chronological connection between when the Pfizer shot was administered to the patient and the onset of symptoms of the blood disease. They said that four cases were detected.

Physicians and patients need to be alert to the clinical symptoms: weakness fatigue, neurological disorders, hemorrhage and chest pain, the Institute of Hematology at Shamir Medical Center told The Jerusalem Post.

A spokesperson from the facility told the paper that the study is very small and should not deter individuals from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and they added that Israelis who havent received the vaccine should still get inoculated.

The researchers also noted there were four cases of TTP detected in one month as opposed to two to three TPP cases normally reported per year.

The Israeli Ministry of Health is currently reviewing the teams findings, they said.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, TTP is a rare disorder that causes blood clots to form in small blood vessels in the body.

These clots can cause serious medical problems if they block vessels and restrict blood flow to organs such as the brain, kidneys, and heart, the federal agency says on its website. Complications resulting from these clots can include neurological problems (such as personality changes, headaches, confusion, and slurred speech), fever, abnormal kidney function, abdominal pain, and heart problems.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Israeli Ministry of Health and Pfizer for comment.

On June 1, Israels Health Ministry reported that it discovered a small number of heart inflammation cases, known as myocarditis, observed mainly in young men who received Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine, saying it was likely linked to their inoculation.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) committee on Wednesday is slated to discuss rare cases of myocarditis among young people who received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. The agency was supposed to hold the emergency discussion last week but it was postponed due to Juneteenth.

It came about a month after the CDC said it was investigating several dozen cases of the rare heart inflammation.

The reports of myocarditis have been mostly in adolescents and young adultsand are more likely to occur in males. The symptoms also show up after the second dose, about four days after vaccination, the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said in a statement dated May 17.
Dr. Carol Swain, a former professor of political science and law at Princeton and at Vanderbilt. (Crossroads / /Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Critical Race Theory May Violate Civil Rights Act, the Constitution: Dr. Carol Swain

Critical Race Theory training, which pressures people not to say certain things, take a certain stance, or forces them into some segregated settings, may infringe on peoples constitutional rights and even violate civil rights laws, said Dr. Carol Swain, a former professor of political science and law at Princeton and Vanderbilt universities.

The main tenet of Critical Race Theory (CRT) is that the people of the world are divided into oppressors and oppressed, and in the United States, all white people are considered oppressors who benefit from undeserved advantages, Swain told The Epoch Times in an interview on EpochTVs Crossroads program.

[Whites] are deemed guilty of having set up a system of systemic racism, she said of one main assumption being drawn from CRT. The demonization of one group of people because of the color of their skin is something that is discriminatory.

A lot of white people who are forced into CRT-based training, and forced to confess to being racist because of their race, do not realize that they are protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, and disability, explained the retired professor.

White people are protected in the same way that black people are by civil rights laws, she said. Were not a country where its acceptable to bully and shame people because of the color of their skin.

Such acts create a hostile environment at work or may cause psychological harm to children at school, the award-winning author explained, adding that parents have reported depression, trauma, or other problems in their children who had been told that, because of their whiteness or the fact that their ancestors inflicted harm, they are also guilty of oppression.

Moreover, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees certain protections to all people, even non-citizens.

If a public institution such as a school tries to restrict peoples speech or behavior, it may be also a First Amendment violation, Swain said.

Private schools have more freedom to discriminate than public ones, but students whose rights are infringed can use other bases, such as the student handbook that guarantees students certain rights, to fight discrimination, she added.

Swain suggested that students facing discrimination can also seek help from organizations defending students or individuals freedom of speech, association, and religious liberty, such as The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) or the Christian Legal Society.

Another way to counter discrimination at schools is publicity, the professor advised. Students can write articles about discrimination cases and publish them in student media like The College Fix or Campus Reform as there have been cases of universities backing down due to the public outcry over the reports of unfair treatment, according to Swain.

She also recommended that students always document things that are discriminatory and use that evidence when the time is right.

History of Race Relations

I think America has been so important to the world, that the true history of its founding, as well as the mistakes that were made and just how we address those mistakes, are things that enrich people. And it is something that should not be hidden, and certainly not something that would be a cause of shame, Swain told Crossroads.

The true story of America is a story of blacks and whites working together to overcome that tragic part of our history.

During the period following the end of slavery, it was white philanthropy that set up schools across the South, that set up those historically black colleges and universities, and trillions of dollars have been donated since the end of slavery to try to address the past and present effects of slavery, explained the co-chairwoman for former President Donald Trumps 1776 Commission.

The civil rights movement itself is a moment in history where whites, blacks, people of other races and ethnicities came together for a cause. That was powerful, she continued.

Swain was born during the time of systemic racism in the segregated South. She witnessed the collapse of institutional racism and benefited from the opportunities created for black Americans like herself.

My love of country came about because when I was in school, we were taught civics and patriotism. And I felt like I lived in the greatest nation in the world, Swain said.

Racism was dying in the United States before President Barack Obama was elected, she said. At that time, the country was portrayed by legacy media as being a post-racial society. I think that because we were making so much progress, the political left and those that benefit by racism and keeping us divided  they had to act.

This was the time when the racial tensions, which divided people, restarted and when standards in classes, especially in public schools, were lowered owing to CRT and the restorative justice agenda being pushed, she added.

Opportunities for black people have never been better than today and ultimately, success depends on a persons attitude, she said.

Swain shared that as one of 12 children, she had dropped out of high school, married at 16, and had three small children by the time she was 21. Despite that, she went back to school, got a high school equivalency, and went to a community college where she got the first of her degrees.

She pointed out that she was able to achieve success and overcome the circumstances of her birth because she believed that hard work mattered and applied herself as such.

I did not see myself as handicapped because I was black, poor, a woman, the professor said. I took advantage of what America offered.

Among todays youth, minorities are being crippled in their minds because theyve been told by the political left what they cant do and they are being handicapped, she warned.

Theyre not even being held to the same standards that people of my generation were held to at colleges and universities. And as a consequence, they do feel inferior. A lot of what is crippling them is what they have been indoctrinated with.

In her view, the racism coming from the political left is a forced re-segregation, and the lowered standards being pushed out for racial, ethnic minorities are impeding the development of their fullest potential.

Racism Serves Political, Financial Interests

Inciting racism serves the political interests of the Democrats who use the CRT to sow divisions between races in order to secure the black votes that they need to maintain their power, Swain said.

Any time some progress is made with race relations, an incident is found to play up in the media to get Americans all worked up and divided by race. And its very easy to do because theres always something happening somewhere, she added.

She pointed to the many incidents like police shootings that have been played up by the media, acting to inflame peoples emotions and distract the public during a time when theres something in the news that is not favorable to the progressive agenda.

It makes black people keep feeling like there is so much racism and blames Republicans or white people for being guilty of this racism, Swain continued.

They are creating a very dangerous situation in this country because theyre demonizing all white people, including themselves and their own children, she said, adding that hatred, once unleashed, cannot be easily put back in the box.

Black Lives Matter (BLM), an openly Marxist organization, was able to capitalize on the publics reaction to George Floyds death and raise millions of dollars for progressive black causes, Swain said. People around the world who care about black people were shocked by the video of Floyds death, which was played over and over again in the news and many then donated money to the organization because they believed in the slogan Black Lives Matter.

Black lives do matter, all lives matter, she said. But that money did not go into black communities. It didnt change black lives.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Black Lives Matter for comment.

Swain went on to encourage Americans to counter the negative impact of CRT by becoming informed about CRT and where it comes from, and how it operates, and how its contrary to the Constitution, and the Equal Protection Clause and civil rights laws.

If people become equipped by knowledge and have the courage to stand up on principle, to fight for principles they believe in, theres no way that this radical agenda can take down our nation, she said.

You should know the truth and the truth shall make you free, Swain said, citing the Bible.

If people, however, allow CRT to advance through the nations institutions of power and reshape the way the society functions, then state-sanctioned discrimination will soon be instituted by the U.S. governmentby the highest echelons of powerweakening and destroying the nation from within, she warned.

The remedy is the American people standing on principles, standing on values, standing on their history, and being courageous enough to fight back, said Swain.
Double Amputee Dog Rescued From Abusive Home Adopted by Police Officer Who Lost Leg in Crash

A San Diego police officer who became an amputee in 2013 gained a kindred spirit when he adopted a 9-year-old Shih Tzu who is an amputee, too.

Detective Chappie Hunter of the San Diego Police Department lost his left leg in a motorcycle crash, and when he returned to work, he had a prosthetic leg.

On March 6, the San Diego Humane Society rescued two severely abused dogs from a home in Mira. The former owner had bound both dogs legs to stop them from scratching and lickingbut had bound them so tightly that it had cut off blood circulation.

After the animals were removed from the home, Humane Society veterinarian Dr. Seth Mathus Ganz performed surgery on the animals. Sadly, the Shih Tzu, named Chloe, had to have both of her hind feet partially amputated.

Her counterpart, a 13-year-old Chihuahua named Roxy, had one of her hind legs removed, while the other was saved after a successful skin flap surgery.

After a recovery period, both dogs were outfitted with prosthetics, with Chloe getting a pair of orthopedic slippers for her hind feet, and Roxy getting a new hind leg.

The Shih Tzu was a perfect match for her new owner and his family, who adopted Chloe and recently welcomed her into their home in Alpine.

One of the Humane Society officers that Im friends with actually called and knew about Chloe and said that wed be a great match and wondered if we could at least foster her in the time being, Detective Hunter told ABC last week. And I would say that almost instantly that both my wife and my son and I just fell in love with her and decided we wanted to keep her.

Now, Chloe is already getting used to scooting around in her new slippers, which according to Human Society staff, shows progress.

Fitting a dog with prosthetics is quite an involved process and this was a first for San Diego Humane Society, said veterinarian Susan Garity in a press release. It included sedation to create a mold of the feet, getting the prosthetics to fit perfectly and monitoring for pressure sores. It takes time for the dogs to learn to use them, but our staff is so dedicated and I am so grateful we had our whole organizations support in giving these sweet dogs a second chance at some normalcy.

As the family and their new best friend get acquainted with each other, theyre already off to a good start; both Chloe and Hunter have plenty in common to begin with.

I really enjoy the fact that obviously shes really been through some trauma like I was. She has her prosthetics, I have mine, and its just kind of neat to be able to work with her on that fact, and also know that, in actuality, I might actually kind of know what shes feeling, and be a little bit more sensitive towards that, Detective Hunter told the station.

Other than that, shes actually the one taking care of me, I think.

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Taiwanese sailors salute the island's flag on the deck of the Panshih supply ship after taking part in annual drills at the Tsoying naval base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 31, 2018. (Mandy Cheng/AFP via Getty Images)

Expert: Taiwan in Urgent Need of Army National Guard to Counteract Beijings Invasion

An American expert on military and international affairs re-emphasized in an interview with The Epoch Times that Taiwan must create its own army national guard to survive Chinas military attack, following his proposition of this idea on the site of The Federalist on June 1.

This theory comes as the Chinese communist regime has intensified its effort to change the status quo of the Taiwan Strait by sending increased warplanes to swarm around Taiwan and repeatedly intrude Taiwans air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

Chuck DeVore, a retired military intelligence officer, was the former special assistant for foreign affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense during the Reagan era. He co-authored the book China Attacks (in English and Chinese), a technothriller novel about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. He served as a member of the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2010. Currently, he is the vice president of national initiatives at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

On June 20, DeVore described in an interview with The Epoch Times the necessity and urgency of establishing a national guard system in Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy that sits some 90 miles away from the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). The PRC is a military power with an active-duty force of 2,035,000, according to a 20192021 study by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Military Invasion: a Sure Choice for Beijing

When asked if the Chinese communist regime would launch a comprehensive military attack on Taiwan, DeVores answer was clear: yes.

Taiwans democracy and rule of law is the greatest existential threat to the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] as its very existence shows that democratic self-governance is not an alien concept to the Chinese people (assuming the CCPs claim that Taiwan belongs to China), he explained.

Further, Xis heavy hand might be engendering opposition because China has a long history of violent upheaval and the CCPs grip on China is brittle, even though the Chinese nation is powerful, the expert noted.

As to how soon the island-occupying military attack would be, he warned it could come any year, but especially in the months of April and October as they are the best months for cross straits operations.

U.S. Adm. John Aquilino also expressed during a hearing over his nomination to become commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on March 23 that Taiwan is facing a more imminent threat from a possible Chinese invasion than most people realize.

When it comes to whether Chinese leader Xi Jinping would succeed in taking over Taiwan by force, DeVore replied that he might, depending on how effectively the Taiwanese fight for the first 5 days and whether they are able to broadcast their determined resistance to the Taiwanese people, Japan, the United States, Australia, and other nations, and even to the Chinese people themselves.

DeVore believed that every day that Taiwan holds out is a day that additional nations may decide to assist in some fashion, including the United States and Japan. Since it will be difficult for China to expand and maintain its forces on Taiwan, it must deter Japan and the United States by threatening massive nuclear retaliation targeting their major cities, say, Tokyo, he assessed. And, if such deterrence fails, Beijing may destroy significant portions of the U.S. and Japanese fleet sent to intervene, he continued.

At the same time, the expert was worried about Taiwans reservists, who receive about only 8 percent of the annual training their U.S. Army counterparts today. He said that by 2024, even if Taiwans program to increase training is implemented, they will only train about 36 percent as much as do American reservists.

As such, DeVores primary concern is How Taiwan can continue effective resistance beyond the opening five days. To this, his recommendation is: establishing a Taiwanese Army National Guard (TANG) of about 200,000 soldiers with specific local defense tasks close to their homes.

Taiwanese Army National Guard (TANG): a Linchpin for the Crisis

According to DeVores theory, the TANG soldiers would self-report without orders in the event of a surprise attack.

Units would be equipped as infantry taskforces with rifles, mortars, antitank missiles, antiaircraft missiles, UAVs, communications gear (including the ability to upload live feeds via satellite), and older armored vehicles, he detailed the force.

The expert expressed optimism about the future of the plan in the Federalist article.

Even if half these units were to successfully mobilize and take up defensive positions, it would greatly complicate the goal of the Peoples Liberation Army to rapidly defeat Taiwans active army after a successful amphibious and airborne assault, he predicted. As a conflict progressed, these local units could be aggregated into larger maneuver units, either as part of the Taiwan Guard or active-duty elements.

In the interview, DeVore pointed out that the TANG does not have to be exactly the scaled-down version of the U.S. National Guard. With an emphasis on local defense, they will not have to fight overseas. Nor will they have to train as extensively on maneuver warfare as their U.S. counterparts.

To set up such a force in Taiwan, DeVore cited three major steps.

Step 1: Get serious about training the National Guard, not only as individual soldiers, but as cohesive units from the platoon (about 40 personnel) to the brigade level (about 3,000 personnel).

Step 2: Integrate the TANG into warfighting plans with a particular emphasis on holding key terrain and vital infrastructure. And,

Step 3: Fund to allow the TANG to train at least one weekend per month and 15 days during an annual training period.

Additionally, DeVore mentioned the TANG plan is financially feasible with costs considerably lower than the active force. It is generally calculated that the Army Reserve components (National Guard and Reserve) cost about 1/8th of the cost of the active force, when on reserve status, said the expert.
Facts Matter (June 21): University Lab Finds 11 Dangerous Pathogens on Childrens Face Masks

Over in Florida, a group of parents has been concerned about their kids being forced to wear masks all day long at school. And so, they sent their kids used masks to a laboratory to be testedand it was found that that the masks had trapped 11 different dangerous pathogens.

Over in Colorado, a new bill was just signed into law, which allows local municipalities to enact their own gun laws. However, there is a catch. Those gun laws can only be stricter than what the state already imposes.

As the situation at the southern border deteriorates, the Governor of Texas has allocated $250 million to build a new border wall, Florida is sending over re-enforcements, and President Trump will be making a trip to the border himself.

Stay tuned for our newsletter so you wont miss out on our exclusive videos and private events.

Facts Matter is an Epoch Times show available on YouTube.

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A Rock River Arms AR-15 rifle is seen with ammunition in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 18, 2012. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Repeal of Californias Assault Weapons Ban Blocked by 9th Circuit Court

A federal appeals court this week put on hold a judges ruling overturning Californias 32-year-old ban on so-called assault weapons.

On Monday, a three-judge panel in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay (pdf) of U.S. District Judge Roger Benitezs June 4 order. It followed appeals from state officials on the decision, saying that the law is needed to prevent gun deaths.

Benitez, a George W. Bush appointee, had ruled earlier this month that the states decades-old ban on assault weapons violates the Second Amendment.

The state government, through the law, bans an entire class of very popular hardwarefirearms that are lawful under federal law and under the laws of most states and that are commonly held by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, Benitez wrote in his 94-page ruling in Miller et al. v. Bonta et al.

Under no level of heightened scrutiny can the law survive.

California laws prohibit the manufacture, use, or sale of an assault weapon, defined as a semiautomatic rifle with certain characteristics such as a fixed magazine that has the capacity to hold more than 10 rounds. People who violate the laws can be charged with a felony or a misdemeanor and face prison sentences of up to eight years.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who appealed Benitezs decision, said on Twitter that Californias laws on assault weapons would remain in effect while appellate proceedings continue.

We wont stop defending these life-saving laws, Bonta, a Democrat, said in a Twitter post.

He had described Benitezs June 4 ruling as disturbing and troubling and of great concern.

This case is not about extraordinary weapons lying at the outer limits of Second Amendment protection. The banned assault weapons are not bazookas, howitzers, or machineguns. Those arms are dangerous and solely useful for military purposes, Benitez wrote in his 94-page ruling earlier this month.

Instead, the firearms deemed assault weapons are fairly ordinary, popular, modern rifles. This is an average case about average guns used in average ways for average purposes, he said.

California became the first state to ban assault weapons in 1989 in the wake of a school shooting that killed five children. Six other states and the District of Columbia also enforce similar bans, according to the gun safety group Giffords.

The 9th Circuit judges on the panel issuing the stay were Barry Silverman, an appointee of former president Bill Clinton; Jacqueline Nguyen, a Barack Obama appointee; and Ryan Nelson, an appointee of Donald Trump.

Zachary Stieber and Reuters contributed to this report.
From a Reader: Follow-Up to Flag Day Article

In the June 9-15 edition of Epoch Times, Jeff Minick wrote an article about Flag Day but I believe that he did not tell the whole story. Like my mentor Paul Harvey used to say, This is the rest of the story.

Yes, June 14 was officially declared by President Woodrow Wilson as Flag Day. This was after a grassroots movement was started by a teacher by the name of Bernard Cigrand, a teacher in the hamlet of Waubeka, Wisconsin. He taught in a one-room school called Stony Hill School which is preserved in its original condition by the Ozaukee County Historical Society.

Seventy-five years ago, the Janik family of Waubeka organized the National Flag Day Foundation and has been celebrating Flag Day ever since with a large parade with many bands from across the State of Wisconsin and a host of many other organizations in the parade. The Foundation purchased an empty schoolhouse with many classrooms in Waubeka and now is the site of the Americanism Center where all the events take place. The Center contains the Flag Day Museum with rooms full of patriotic, military, and community memorabilia. It also features the Avenue of Flags where a walking tour depicts the 27 different star configurations of our United States flag. The Americanism Center serves as a meeting place for the local 4-H, Boy Scouts, and other local organizations.

It should be noted that Waubeka is a small unincorporated hamlet in the northwestern part of Ozaukee County. Its population in 364 days of the year might total several hundred, but on Flag Day, this little hamlet could be the scene of several thousand citizens who honor Old Glory. The entire program begins at 11:30 a.m. and lasts until the evening hours with a giant fireworks display. This day-long event put on by the National Flag Day Foundation is free of charge to all citizens.

My wife and I have the privilege of attending and supporting the events at the National Flag Day celebration for many years. At the end of the day, you get your patriotic batteries recharged and leave the event with greater love of this God blessed great country, the United States of America.

Roy Wetzel, Wisconsin
People's Liberation Army (PLA) storm ashore from landing crafts in an exercise on the mainland coast close to Taiwan on Sept. 10, 1999. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

General Milleys Head-Scratching Performance on China and Taiwan Leaves Opportunity to Excel

Commentary

Last week the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, testified in the U.S. Senate that China has a ways to go before it can take Taiwan by military force. In other words, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) isnt capable of it yet.

The Secretary of Defense, retired-General Lloyd Austin testifying at the same hearing, seconded Milleys assessment.

The two Generals appear less worried than two top Navy admirals who testified before Congress several months ago. Outgoing USINDOPACOM commander, Admiral Philip Davidson warned of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan by 2027. His successor, Admiral John Aquilino said it could happen much sooner.

Analysts differ on whether the PLA is now capable of launching a successful assault on Taiwan. Some say it can and some say it cant.

Skeptics point to a lack of lift (ships needed to get across the Taiwan Strait); inadequate joint capability (the ability to combine PLA air, sea, and ground forcesessential for this kind of operation); and inadequate logistics capabilities.

This writers assessment?

While Xi Jinping prefers to bully Taiwan into submission, I think the PLA has the capability to conduct an assault on Taiwanand think it will succeed.

It has 50+ purpose-built amphibious ships. Some are older models but these work fine. The Chinese also have hundreds of commercial vessels, container and RORO (roll-on/roll-off) ships, and thousands of ferries and barges. If the objective is to get troops and hardware across the strait, then these will suffice. There is enough lift to land three Army divisions and a Marine brigade in an initial assault, according to some analysts. And there is no shortage of military and civilian aircraft to drop airborne troops.

As for joint capabilities? Thats a challenge for all militaries, but the PLA has identified this requirement and it trains to improve joint capabilities. And, Taiwan has been the PLAs main objective for decades, so its gotten plenty of funding, attention, planning, procurement, and practiceto include amphibious assaults and necessary air, naval, and fire support coordination.

Logistics? Maybe not up to U.S. military standards, but maybe good enough.

Keep in mind that an assault will take place in the context of missile barrages, cyber attacks, electronic warfare, and naval and air forces swarming the island and its environs. Also, there is a 5th column of saboteurs and agents in Taiwan that China has had 60 years to put in place.

Also possible are coordinated attacks by Chinas proxies in other theaters to distract and divert the focus and forces of Taiwans allies.

But if nothing else, remember that a military sometimes just has to be good enough to do a certain thing at a certain time at a certain place.

Underestimate the Chinese and youll learn a hard lessonas the U.S. military and intelligence and business communities should know by now.

Moreover, the PLA has regularly introduced capabilitiessuch as carrier operationsyears earlier than expert consensus said was possible.

Thus, I would err on the side of caution.

But there are other aspects of General Milleys testimony that raise issues besides whether or not the PLA is ready to attack Taiwan.

Condescension Showing Through?

The General didnt seem all that concerned about Chinese capabilities, only that someday they might get a no kidding capability to attack Taiwan.

Follow Chinese military matters for a number of years and one often detects a certain condescension from the U.S. sidesort of a sense that the Chinese will never be our equals. The U.S. Marine Corps has been guilty of this. The argument being that amphibious operations are the most complex military operations known to man (and therefore the Chinese will never do them as well as usor become our equals).

A Great Wall 236 submarine of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), billed by Chinese state media as a new type of conventional submarine, participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Chinas PLA Navy in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern Chinas Shandong Province on April 23, 2019. (Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP)

We heard the same thing about PLA aircraft carrier and submarine operations.

Indeed, in 2017 then-PACOM commander, Admiral Harry Harris likened comparing Chinese submarines and U.S. Navy submarines to comparing a Model T with a Corvette. A glib line, no doubt, but dangerously dismissive. When the Chinese put their mind to do something, just give them time and they probably will figure it out.

Chinas Core Interest? What About Americas C-O-R-E Interest?

General Milley stated that it is a core, C-O-R-E national interest of China to unite Taiwan.

This is frustrating. He should have said annexed or seized rather than unitethat has a nuance of fairly arrived at mutual agreement. But even more, the General ought to have stated that the United States has its own core interest in not letting 24 million free peoplewho meet all the legal requirements of a country and have been independent for over 70 yearsbe annexed and enslaved by an expansionist, fascist, totalitarian dictatorship.

Let this happen and America is finished in Asiaand will feel the harmful effects worldwide. Talk about a core interest.

Is there some reason General Milley couldnt have said this?

If the United States always walks on eggshells and cringes whenever Beijing declares something a core interest, then Beijing will always have the advantage. And it will reckon that if it pushes hard enough at the right time the Americans will back down. After all, its Chinas core interestso let them have it and they will be satisfiedas too many American China hands will advise.

Its a Family Affair

General Milley made another verbal faux pas with regards to China uniting with Taiwan:  the internal politics of China are up to China, as long as whatevers done is done peacefully and doesnt destabilize the region or the world.

So what China is doing to Taiwan is just internal politics?

Hopefully Milley didnt mean thisand was just poorly served by his staff. This muddled language appears to take Beijings sideand theyve been telling the Americans to stay out of Chinas domestic affairs for decades.

The Chinese Communist Party leaders just might have heard Americas senior military officer say: Its your business. Its for you Chinese to work out. And if you want to intimidate, isolate, threaten, blockade, salami slice, strangle, and subvert Taiwanwell thats okay. Just muffle the screams if you will and dont let us see the blood.

What on earth is Milleys staff telling him?

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley participates in a news briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on May 6, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

All in all, this was a depressing performance by Americas two top military leaders. And given the difference of views in Washington and Honolulu, one wonders if they even talk to each other.

Some advice for the Pentagon:

First, dont underestimate the Chinese. Have you ever heard a Korean War veteran who was near the Yalu River or the Chosin Reservoir in 1950 say hed like to do it again? Second, remember that the United States has its own core interestsand preserving Taiwans freedom (and Americas reputation) is one of them. Third, watch your language. The Chinese are listening carefully. Dean Acheson could tell you that.

Grant Newsham is a retired U.S. Marine officer and a former U.S. diplomat and business executive who lived and worked for many years in the Asia/Pacific region. He served as a reserve head of intelligence for Marine Forces Pacific, and was the U.S. Marine attache, U.S. Embassy Tokyo on two occasions. He is a senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Filing boxes sit off to the side at an absentee ballot processing room at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 2, 2020. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Georgia Conducting Secret 2020 Ballot ReviewKeeping Plaintiffs in the Dark

After several Fulton County, Georgia, poll monitors testified last year that boxes of mail-in ballots for Joe Biden looked liked theyd been run through a photocopy machine, state investigators quietly broke the seal on one suspicious box and inspected the hundreds of votes it contained for signs of fraud, RealClearInvestigations (RCI) has learned exclusively.

At the same time, a key whistleblower told RCI that state investigators pressured her to recant her story about what she and other poll monitors had observedwhat they called unusually pristine mail-in ballots while sorting through them during last Novembers hand recount.

I felt I was under investigation, said Suzi Voyles, a longtime Fulton County poll manager whose sworn affidavits have been used by election watchdogs to sue the county for access to the ballots in question.

In this still image from video, Fulton County polling manager Susan Voyles testifies to state lawmakers in Atlanta on Dec. 3, 2020. (NTD Television)

Although the ballots are at the center of disputes about the Georgia presidential race, which Joe Biden won by just 12,000 votes, the state never disclosed its probe to the public or to election watchdogs suing to inspect the ballots.

State officials also neglected to inform the judge hearing the lawsuit that they were conducting such an inspection, even though the judge had issued a protective order over the ballots in January. In a nine-page amicus brief recently filed in the case, attorneys for the office of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger urged Superior Court Judge Brian Amero to deny petitioners requests to inspect the ballots, calling them a fishing expedition.

Frances Watson, chief investigator for the secretary of states office, confirmed in a statement to RCI that she sent investigators to Fulton County earlier this year to inspect the batches of sealed ballots. Poll monitors involved in last Novembers hand recount had described the mail-in ballots in sworn affidavits as devoid of creases and folds and featuring identically bubbled-in marks for Biden. The state said it couldnt find any ballots matching that description.

Our investigators looked into it and didnt find anything, she said, while adding that the investigation is still ongoing.

The watchdogs question why state officials didnt disclose their activities to the court and fear they may have tampered with the sealed ballots, which are at the center of the lawsuit seeking access to all 147,000 absentee ballots cast during the 2020 election in Fulton County, which includes much of Atlanta.

Led by longtime Georgia poll watcher Garland Favorito, founder of VoterGA.org, the court petitioners say the state has failed to inform the judge overseeing their case that they broke the chain of custody over the pallets of shrink-wrapped absentee ballots warehoused in a locked county facility in Atlanta.

If the secretary of states office did that, they tampered with the ballots and violated Georgia state law, which restricts the handling of ballots to authorized elections officials involved in the tabulation and care of the ballots, Favorito said. He also noted that Judge Amero had placed the ballots under a protective order in January. They would have had to ask for a court order to unseal and inspect those ballots, and they never did that.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gives an update on the state of the election and ballot count during a news conference at the State Capitol in Atlanta on Nov. 6, 2020. (Dustin Chambers/Reuters)

Raffenspergers office seemed to acknowledge that the ballots were still under seal when it urged Amero to prevent the watchdogs from inspecting the ballots.

The security and confidentiality of ballots is to be strictly maintained, attorneys for Raffensperger argued in the brief they filed with Amero in April, and the court should be cautious in granting petitioners access to ballots that Georgia law requires to remain under seal, which makes it a felony as soon as petitioners were to lay hands on them.

Raffenspergers office didnt respond to questions about why it didnt inform the court about its probe, although it acknowledged that this is the first time its inspection of the ballotswhich began in early Januaryhas been publicly disclosed. Judge Amero didnt respond to requests for comment.

Biden narrowly won Georgia thanks to a late-night tally of absentee ballots in Fulton and other Democratic strongholds. The revelation that state authorities have already unsealed and investigated the ballots in question is a new twist in a case that has seen the firing of poll managers who blew the whistle on the suspicious ballots; a recent breach of security at the warehouse that Fulton County officials were supposed to be guarding around the clock; and an 11th-hour attempt by county officials to dismiss the court-ordered inspection of those ballotsmany of which came from Atlanta area drop boxes whose chain of custody documentation has mysteriously gone missing.

Last month, Amero ordered Fulton County to unseal its 147,000 absentee ballots and allow the petitioners to inspect them under certain restrictions, but the county filed a motion to dismiss the case. Amero is expected to rule on the motion later this month.

The issue is further muddied by Suzi Voyles allegation, never previously reported, that she was pressured to recant her testimony about the pristine ballots. In sworn affidavits last November, Voyles said she observed that a large batch of mail-in ballots for Biden didnt appear to have been folded or handled like she would have expected from her two decades of working elections in the county. She also said that the marks for Biden were identical, as though they had been filled in by a copy machine rather than a pen or pencil.

Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero during a hearing on June 21, 2021, in a screenshot from video. (Henry County via NTD)

In a Jan. 7 interview, which took place at a secretary of states office in Atlanta, Voyles told RCI that an investigator identifying himself as Paul Braun grilled me for over two hours about her testimony. She said he was joined by another official whom she said was from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. She said the investigators didnt have a copy of her affidavit and didnt know the box number or batch numbers of the ballots in question.

I smelled a rat when they didnt know the batch numbers when they were clearly denoted in my affidavit, Voyles said.

She said the investigators gave no indication they had gone to the warehouse to find the suspicious ballots or were conducting any kind of forensic investigation. She said they kept trying to convince her she might have been mistaken about her observations.

I did not recant, she said. The ballots that I saw had been preprinted. Its a very serious thing, in my opinion. Thats what I swore to under penalty of perjury. Recanting would be perjuring myself.

Watson told RCI that Voyles stated that she may have been mistaken about the batch number and provided a different batch number.

I never said that, Voyles insisted.

The second batch number provided by Ms. Voyles did not exist, Watson said.

Voyles said she never provided any other batch numbers. Watson also revealed that investigators went to Fulton County and reviewed the batches identified by Ms. Voyles, but found no ballots that looked as Ms. Voyles described. Favorito said his groups attorney plans to file a motion to depose Watson and Braun to understand exactly what investigators have done regarding the boxes of absentee ballots in question.

Favorito said he doesnt doubt Voyles testimony and said the ballot images his group has reviewed support her account of anomalies.

At no time has Susan Voyles claimed she was mistaken, Favorito said. She has consistently stood by her affidavit since she submitted it almost seven months ago.

Asked if Voyles is under criminal investigation, Georgia Secretary of State Communications Director Ari Schaffer said, I have no reason to believe shes under investigation for perjury.

Last December, Raffensperger condemned the unexplained firing of Voyles by Fulton County elections officials and called on them to rehire her.

Protesters gather outside State Farm Arena as ballots continue to be counted inside in Atlanta on Nov. 5, 2020. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

As RCI reported previously, Voyles is one of four Fulton County poll monitors who signed affidavits swearing they observed the same pattern of irregularities in stacks of mail-in ballots for Biden. All of them suggested the ballots had been photocopied.

Favorito, who didnt vote for Trump, said the state has also tried to interview another witnesspoll monitor Robin Halland said he himself is under investigation. He suggested state investigators are trying to intimidate witnesses into backing off their testimony, and are more interested in investigating whistleblowers than finding evidence of ballot fraud.

Schaffer said hes unsure whether other affiants have been interviewed. Ill have to check on the other three witnesses, he said.

Favorito said the discovery of hard evidence of fraud in Georgias largest county would be embarrassing for Raffensperger, who is running for reelection with little support from the Georgia GOP, which recently censured him for creating opportunities for fraud by agreeing to the relaxation of voting rules during the 2020 election.

He is worried that we will uncover serious wrongdoing on the part of the secretary of state, not just Fulton County, Favorito said.

Fulton County, Ga., includes most of Atlanta. (Google Map)

Voyles pointed out that Raffensperger has been too quick to declare the 2020 Georgia election free of fraud. Most recently, he was blindsided by revelations that Fulton County election officials had misplaced the required chain-of-custody forms documenting the collection of almost 20,000 mail-in ballots from 36 largely unsupervised drop boxes Raffensperger agreed to let Democrat-controlled Fulton County distribute across the Atlanta area ahead of the election.

New revelations that Fulton County is unable to produce all ballot drop-box transfer documents will be investigated thoroughly, Raffensperger tweeted on June 14, adding that Fulton officials failed to follow state rules regarding the boxes. This cannot continue.

Voyles said Raffenspergers office is increasingly concerned about its preelection decision to mollify demands by a Democratic voter-rights group to make it easier to vote by absentee ballot.

They are investigating us to divert attention from their consent agreement with [Democratic activist] Stacey Abrams, Voyles said.

We never should have had any drop boxes. We wouldnt have had chain-of-custody problems and the other problems with absentee ballots if they hadnt put in those drop boxes, she said. It was negligence.

This article was written by Paul Sperry for RealClearInvestigations
Grand Jury Finds Security Flaws in Orange County Jails

The Orange County Grand Jury (OCGJ) has released a 34-page report highlighting various security flaws in the California countys jails, including escape risks for inmates and trafficking of contraband.

The Theo Lacy Facility, in the city of Orange, was identified in the report for needing a security wall between the jail facility and a nearby vacant animal shelter.

The lack of a block wall at this site presents a major security risk, the report, released June 14, said.

In a statement sent to The Epoch Times, Orange County Sheriffs Department (OCSD) spokeswoman Carrie Braun responded to the findings.

The fence separating the Theo Lacy Facility from the vacant animal shelter is a double fence (essentially two layers of fencing) with razor wire atop both fences, Braun said. The area adjacent to the fence is a restricted area, utilized only by lower-security inmates who are monitored and do not pose a significant escape risk. We are constantly in a state of assessment regarding security and making improvements to provide the most secure facilities possible.

The grand jury also said that during an October 2020 visit to the Theo Lacy Facility, it observed a potential security risk at the front desk entrance whereby the Plexiglas separating the public from the facility and sheriffs department personnel was too short.

The main entrance is a hub for the public to enter the facility. OCSD personnel are behind a desk with a two-foot-tall Plexiglas wall atop the desk that could be easily breached, the report said, recommending the installation of an eight-foot-tall piece of Plexiglas.

Drug Concerns

The grand jury report also identified two ways that contraband could be easily taken into both the Central Mens Jail (CMJ) and the Intake and Release Center.

An OCGJ tour of the CMJ in September 2020 revealed the Attorney Bonds Entrance area had significant security issues, the report said. There were no video surveillance cameras in the area, and no separation between attorney and inmate, creating an opportunity for contraband to enter the facility.

At the Intake and Release Center, a lack of trained OCSD personnel means the buildings scanning device isnt being used consistently to properly prevent contraband from entering the facility, the grand jury said.

To fix these issues, the jury recommended installing security booths and video surveillance cameras at the CMJs Attorney Bonds Entrance and require a full body scan of incoming inmates to enhance the security and reduce contraband.

Aside from security issues, the jury also reportedly found a lack of mandatory COVID-19 testing for jail personnel. It recommended mandatory testing for all jail personnel.

Areas of Praise

Despite the issues outlined in the report, the grand jury said it found that all of the county jails were acceptable and in overall compliance with state and federal standards.

The report also commended the OCSD for its full cooperation with the grand jury during every visit, and allowing it access to every requested area.

It also recognized the department for creating the Housing Unit for Military Veterans (HUMV), an area for veterans to receive special services and programs that assist in regaining special skills for an eventual reintegration into the community.

Additionally, the report highlighted the positive work done by the department for establishing the Behavioral Health Bureau to address mental health issues in the jail system, as well as Module K for women inmates with mental health issues.

In a response to the grand jurys findings and recommendations, Braun said that the construction projects outlined are delayed due to lack of funding, but are in line with Sheriff Don Barness plans.

The grand jurys report provides a factual account of the complex work and tremendous dedication of the custody and health care personnel working in the Orange County Jail system, she said. We are pleased that the grand jury recognized Sheriff Barness proactive efforts to manage COVID-19. Additionally the grand jury commended the efforts to meet the behavioral health needs of the inmates in custody.
Police officers patrol in their car in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2020. (Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images)

Homicides, Violent Crime, Gun Violence Rise in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Calif.Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore told the Police Commission June 22 that the city has experienced a 50 percent increase in shooting victims this year compared to the same period last year.

A total of 651 people have been shot in Los Angeles year-to-date, compared to 434 last year, and the city is averaging about 27 shooting victims per week, Moore said. Last week, 25 people were shot in the city per week.

Overall violent crime has increased by 4.3 percent, Moore said, but reported sexual assaults and robberies have decreased.

The city has had 162 homicides year-to-date, compared to 129 homicides during the same period in 2020.

The two challenging areas are homicides and aggravated assaults, as has been this entire year, Moore said. Aggravated assaults in the city increased by 9.5 percent, and the largest increases have been in the Pacific area, Southwest area and Hollenbeck area. Moore added that there is significant involvement of homeless people in aggravated assaults, both as victims and as offenders.

Homicide arrests have increased by 51 percent this year compared to the same period last year, and weapons arrests have increased by 83 percent, Moore said.
Hong Kong Leader Defends Apple Daily Raid Amid Rising Global Condemnation

Pro-Beijing Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam hit back at the United States on June 22, accusing U.S. officials of trying to beautify actions that endangered national security.

Lam was responding to U.S. criticism of the Hong Kong governments actions against local pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily in her weekly press conference. On June 17, some 500 Hong Kong police raided Apple Dailys headquarters and arrested five directors of the newspaper.

Three of the directors were released on bail on June 18. Two others, Ryan Law, the papers editor-in-chief, and Cheung Kim-hung, chief executive officer of the papers publishing arm Next Digital, appeared in court on June 19 but were denied bail. Law and Cheung are charged with collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security, a crime under the citys draconian national security law.

Hong Kong authorities also froze about HK$18 million ($2.32 million) from three companies linked to Apple Daily. The move has left the paper in a financial crunch and Apple Daily has requested the Hong Kong governments security bureau unfreeze its bank accounts and assets.

The Hong Kong government and Beijing have since drawn international criticism over the raid and arrests. On June 17, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the collusion charges were politically motivated. He added that it was deplorable that Hong Kong police would use some Apple Daily articles as evidence, since exchanging views with foreigners in journalism should never be a crime.

Lam rebuffed Prices statement and accused the United States of having double standards. She also said the Hong Kong authorities actions could not be described as suppressing press freedom.

Dont try to underplay the significance of breaching the national security law, and dont try to beautify these acts of endangering national security, Lam said.

When asked about unfreezing Apple Dailys assets, Lam said the decision was up to John Lee, Hong Kongs security secretary.

Lams remark immediately drew condemnation from Taiwans New Power Party (NPP).

What we see from Taiwan, and also from the global democracy front, is Carrie Lam is doing whatever she can to beautify the #CCP [Chinese Communist Party] atrocity and crackdown in #HongKong, NPP stated on Twitter.

Lams remark echoed those made by Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian. At a daily briefing on June 18, Zhao said the U.S. State Department should not interfere in Chinas internal fairs over Apple Daily.

A woman buys multiple copies of the latest Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong on June 18, 2021. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Apple Daily has announced that it will hold a board of directors meeting on June 25 to determine the papers future. Additionally, the paper said that it could stop updating news on its website in the early hours of June 26 and print its last copies of the newspaper on the same day.

At midnight on June 22, Apple Daily announced that it stopped updating its online finance section. Before noon on Tuesday, the paper announced that it ceased updating its online English-language website.

The State Department continued its criticism of the Hong Kong government on June 21, when Price responded to a question at a briefing about how Apple Daily could be forced to shut down this week.

We continue to be deeply concerned by the Hong Kong authorities selective use of the national security law. Weve seen it used in appalling ways, including to arbitrarily target independent media organizations, Price said.

He added, It not only undermines Hong Kongs democratic institutions, but it really does set back Hong Kongs viability as an international business hub.

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, called for additional U.S. sanctions against Hong Kong government officials over what has happened to Apple Daily.

The ongoing effort to silence @AppleDaily is another egregious abuse of the rights guaranteed to the #HongKong people, CECC wrote on Twitter on Monday.

It added: It is time for the [Biden] Administration to support an urgent @UNHumanRights discussion on #HK & consider addl sanctions for those officials stifling HKs freedoms.

Also on Monday, the London-based International Bar Associations Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) issued a statement condemning the raid and arrests.

If the authorities manage to shut down the Apple Daily, as is clearly their intention, the future of Hong Kong appears bleak, stated IBAHRI Co-chair Anne Ramberg.

She added: IBAHRI calls on the United Kingdom to commit to upholding the SinoBritish Joint Declaration, under which citizens of Hong Kong remain entitled to greater legal protection. Additionally, we urge the international community to take more effective action in response to such blatant disregard for human rights.
Pro-democracy prostesters march during a rally against a new national security law in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (Dale de la Rey/AFP via Getty Images)

Hong Kongs Rights Group Not to Apply for July 1 March

The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) in Hong Kong said it would not apply for a march on July 1, the founding day of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) this year, and that Hong Kongers would take to the streets on their own. The organization has been holding July 1 marches annually for 18 years since 2003.

On June 20, Chung Chung-fai, the temporary convener of the CHRF, told reporters that he would not apply to hold the July 1 parade this year.

Due to the ban on people gathering during the pandemic and the CHRF being designated as an Unregistered Society by police, I believe that the CHRF will not be approved to apply for any public assembly or demonstration, Chung said.

It was the second year in a row that the organization failed to hold a July 1 march, and the second time the Hong Kong pro-democracy camp failed to hold a large-scale event after the candlelight vigil in commemoration of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in June.

Chung said Hong Kongers know very well why the CHRF would no longer hold the July 1 march. Even if the platform ceases to exist, it will have completed its historic mission since everyone knows what it has accomplished. Even without the CHRF, other groups or individuals will use different channels to make their voices heard.

As far as I know, many groups will take to the streets of Hong Kong on July 1, he said.

On 28 May 2021, CHRF convenor Figo Chan Ho-wun was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on charges of organizing an unauthorized assembly in 2019. After he was jailed, the CHRF secretariat stopped operating and Chung Chung-fai took up the post of temporary convenor.

As to whether there would be another march in the future, Chung said it would depend on the political environment and the election of a new CHRF convenor in September. He said the CHRF had not been disbanded, but has suspended its operations and would not hold any more activities.

CHRF History

Founded in 2002, after the Hong Kong sovereignty handover in 1997, the CHRF has served as a joint platform on political and livelihood issues, encompassing almost all pro-democracy organizations in Hong Kong. By June 2019, the number of civil and political organizations participating in the CHRF had reached 48.

On 24 Sept., 2002, the Hong Kong government published a consultation paper on enacting legislation under Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23, which would relate to seven offences, including treason, subversion, and disclosure of state secrets.

2003 saw the SARS outbreak. An economic downturn, combined with the Article 23 legislation, raised Hong Kongers fears about the future and dissatisfaction with then chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, to an unprecedented level.

Under the call of the CHRF, more than 500,000 people took to the streets of Hong Kong, opposing Article 23 legislation and asking Tung to step down. A July 1 effect ensued, leading to the Hong Kong governments decision to recall the legislation to dispel the social misgivings regarding the legislation. Over a year later, Tung chee-hwa stepped down.

Since then, the annual July 1 march, which has been held every year for 18 years, has become an important platform for Hong Kongers to express their views and fight against the CCP tyranny.

For the first time last year, the CHRFs bid to host the July 1 march in Hong Kong was opposed by the police. Figo Chan Ho-wun then, in his own name, launched a demonstration against the Hong Kong National Security Law, during which police and civilians clashed. Chan also faces other charges relating to unlawful assembly.

Unprecedented Anti-ELAB Protest joined by 2 Million People

In 2019, when Carrie Lam, Hong Kongs chief executive, pushed through an amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, public opposition erupted and only culminated in May 2020. Since then, Hong Kongers have launched a year-long Anti-ELAB (Extradition Law Amendment Bill) Movement.

In the following months, the CHRF staged several demonstrations, the most notable of which are the 1-million-peoples march on June 9 and the 2-million-peoples march on June 16, 2019.

On June 16, 2019, Hong Kong residents responded to the call of the CHRF to take to the streets in black, and for the first time put forward five demands, including withdrawing the amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, abolishing the charge of riot, holding the police responsible for shooting demonstrators, and Carrie Lam stepping down.

Current affairs commentator Ji Da said that after the Hong Kong National Security Law was implemented, a Red Terror enveloped Hong Kong and the CHRF was forced to stop operating, which symbolized the end of an era and the death of one country, two systems.
India Can No Longer Have Peaceful Co-existence With China

Commentary

In highlighting concerns over Indias ties with China, Indias Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar stated: The [India-China] relationship is going through a very difficult phase  I cant have friction, coercion, intimidation and bloodshed on the border and then say lets have a good relationship in other domains. This very statement brings into perspective the fact that all is not normalthe border and the ties remain tense.

With June 15 marking the first anniversary of the Galwan Valley clash in Eastern Ladakh, the tensions at the border between India and China remain far from being settled. Galwan changed the status quo at the Line of Actual Controlwith the first combat fatalities since the 1975 Tulung La incident, and one of the biggest military confrontations since the 198687 Sumdorong Chu stand-off. This has resurfaced the fears of a conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since the 1962 War. While the border boasted of no firing, the casualties at Galwan threw a spanner in the works. While eleven rounds of military-level talks did pave the way for disengagement, de-escalation is yet to happen.

Under these circumstances, India remains on high alert at the LAC, as China creates new differences along the old border. In contextualizing Chinas stints amidst the pandemic, one can rightly state that while Beijings diplomats acted as Wolf Warriors in defending the China story of the Wuhan epidemic, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) projected Chinas expansionist designs along the LAC. The big question is: how sustainable is the temporary peace at the India-China border? While the border boasted of peace under the rubric of the Panchsheel Treatythe five principles of peaceful co-existencethe Eastern Ladakh Crisis acted as the litmus test to the so-called peace.

Undeniably, the LAC has become the new test bed of Chinas salami slicing strategy. While Chinas strategy did achieve success to claim the nine-dash lines in the South China Sea, Beijings testing of New Delhis resolve on land has met with failure. For Chinas stint in Doklam in 2017 to that of recurrent incidents of transgressions along the LAC have met with a strong resistance from India. This proves that China is not the only tiger on the Himalayan mountain.

In reviewing the one year to Galwan clash, four perspectives can be drawn. First, Chinas assertive behavior has plunged the India-China ties to the lowest. Second, Chinas actions have transformed the border into being volatilemaking it a regional flashpoint. Third, Chinas intentions are not benign as its actions exhibit an expansionist design. Fourth, China seeks no resolution of the border with India. With China changing the status quo at the LAC, the very dimension of peaceful co-existence has changed into confrontational co-existence for India.

An Indian army convoy moves on the Srinagar- Ladakh highway at Gagangeer, northeast of Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, on Sept. 9, 2020. (Dar Yasin/AP Photo)

Two factors contribute to the dispute: the divergence over the McMahon Line between India and China; and second, the dilemma over the LAC, which remains neither delineated on the map or demarcated on the ground. But what complicates the resolution is Chinas dichotomous border policy with respect to India. On the issue of the McMahon Line with India, China rejects both the 1914 Simla Convention as well as the Watershed Principle. However, Beijing has accepted the same parameters in resolving its border with Myanmar and Nepal respectively. What explains Chinas selective approach is its sensitivity to the strategic significance of the border. Wherein, the border with India serves Chinas strategic interests: the eastern sector is significant due to the Tibet factor and the western sector is strategically important as it connects Xinjiang to Tibetthe two restive regions that weigh heavy on Chinas security calculus. Under this dichotomy, the Chinese attitude on the resolution of the border lies in seeking concessions from India and not otherwise. If not by Indias will, then by force under Chinas expansionist posture.

What also testifies the severity of the border are three critical aspects. First, 22 rounds of special representative talks have failed to reach a resolutionhighlighting the fragility involved. Second, increasing incidents of friction in areas along the LACsuch as Trig Heights, Pangong Tso Lake (north and south banks), Chumar, Demchok, Depsang Valley, Samarlungpa in the western sector, and in Arunachal Pradesh at Asaphila, Longju, Sumdorong Chu, Namka Chu, and Yangstseexemplify the increased intensity. This has been added with areas such as Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh that remain comparatively less disputed and are exhibiting signs of military muscle flexing. And third, the heavy deployment of forces added with infrastructure activities have spiraled the security dilemma. Therefore, with peace and tranquility remain disturbed, these factors have further heightened the unwarranted risks of a conflict at the border between India and China.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping (L) speaks at joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Sept. 18, 2014. Indias prime minister expressed concern about incidents on the two countries disputed border, as a standoff between troops at the frontier overshadowed key talks. (Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images)

Therefore, as China walks by design at the LAC, stability at the border is becoming distinctly worse off as exposed by the Eastern Ladakh stand-off. Wherein, even the COVID-19 pandemic has failed to tone down Chinas behavior at the border. With high stakes involved and no resolution reached, the crisis met with cold peace is far from being over. Hence, with Eastern Ladakh being a reality check for India, it is only a wishful thinking to suggest that India will have a peaceful co-existence with China.

Dr. Amrita Jash is research fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi. She has been a Pavate Fellow at the Department of POLIS, University of Cambridge. She holds a Ph.D. in Chinese studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University and authored the book The Concept of Active Defence in Chinas Military Strategy (Pentagon Press, 2021). She can be reached on Twitter @amritajash

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
People wearing protective face masks walk on a bridge, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 17, 2021. (Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)

Indonesia to Tighten COVID-19 Restrictions for 2 Weeks After Virus Surge

JAKARTAIndonesia will tighten social restrictions for two weeks starting Tuesday, a government minister said, after a surge in coronavirus cases in the worlds 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 percent 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 percent capacity with stricter health protocols, while office capacity in non-red zone areas will be 50 percent.

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.

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 percent last week.
A picture taken March 9, 2014 shows Giant Sequoia trees at the Giant Forest at Sequoia National Park in California. Five of the ten most massive trees on the planet are located within the Giant Forest. (Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images)

Into The Wild: Californias National Parks Brace for Record Year

Crowds of post-pandemic travelers are flocking to Californias national parks in record numbers.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, sitting on 865,964 acres of Giant Sequoia forest, is reportedly on track to break records in both visitation and search and rescues.

Were definitely seeing an increase in visitation compared to [2019]. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks spokesperson Sintia Kawasaki-Yee told The Epoch Times:

Along with the visitation, its probably our highest [search and rescue] year yet.

The highest visitation year for the two national parks was in 2017, with more than two million visitors, and these numbers this year are rivaling those numbers, Kawasaki-Yee said.

At this point, she said, the parks are experiencing probably 10 and 20 percent higher visitation numbers than the busiest year on record.

The parks recorded their highest weekend visitation on record during the weekend of the New Years 2021 holiday.

After the New Years holiday, we saw the highest visitation, even compared to middle of summer years prior, which was amazing to see, Kawasaki-Yee said.

Thats when we really like started to see that people were getting outdoors. They were tired of being home during the pandemic and they were definitely finding their parks. Ever since then, weve definitely seen high, high numbers of visitors here in the parks, compared to even our busiest year.

An increase in search and rescue missions resulted from people pushing themselves to go on wilderness trips or backpacking trips, even when unprepared.

We want you to have those new experiences, but we want you to be as prepared as you can, and really know your limits, Kawasaki-Yee.

Weve really tried to focus our messaging on really being prepared and being willing to turn back just because we do have limited resources, as far as search and rescue personnel and law enforcement.

A rush to experience the great outdoors has created congestion in the more popular national parks. A high number of travelers has resulted in longer lines to enter parks or use restrooms; some hikers have complained about crowded trails and a shortage of parking.

To ensure a better visitor experience, Kawasaki-Yee recommended visitors come earlier or later in the day, pay the entrance fee online, and plan ahead by navigating the website to plan routes rather than stopping at the visitor center.
Mohamed Afif, the lawyer of former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, speaks during an interview with Reuters in his office in Amman, Jordan on June 21, 2021. (Muath Freij/Reuters)

Jordan Ex-royal Court Chief Pleads Not Guilty to Destabilizing Monarchy

AMMANA former Jordanian royal court chief and a low-ranking member of the royal family pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of agitating to destabilize 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 liberalize Jordans 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, Awadallahs 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 destabilize Jordan, a close U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Security members stand guard outside a military court where the trial of former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah and a minor royal, Sherif Hassan Zaid, is set to take place in Amman, Jordan, on June 21, 2021. (Muath Freij/Reuters)

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 defense 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 defense team that its in our interests to ask for Prince Hamza or anyone else to testify as defense 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 kingdoms political system and acts that threaten public security and sowing sedition. Both carry sentences up to 30 years in prison.

Mondays 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 Arabias de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a matter that complicated the judicial investigations, according to officials familiar with the affair.

By Suleiman al-Khalidi
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, waits for the start of the preliminary round of the women's hockey game between Switzerland and the combined Koreas at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea on Feb. 10, 2018. (Felipe Dana/AP Photo)

Kim Jong Uns Sister Publicly Derides National Security Advisers Comment

Kim Jong Uns sister, Kim Yo Jong, decried National Security Adviser Jake Sullivans recent comments, saying his expectation of resuming talks between the two countries would plunge them into a greater disappointment.

In response to Kim Jong Uns command last week ordering officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation, Sullivan told ABC News on Sunday that 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.

Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea, issued a statement on Tuesday, scorning Sullivans rhetoric.

I heard the news that the U.S. National Security Adviser had mentioned that he regards the position towards the U.S. as an interesting signal, which the Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea clarified this time, Kim Yo Jong said.

Kim Yo Jong and Kim Jong Un are seen on Sept. 19, 2018. (Pyongyang Press Corps Pool via AP)

A Korean proverb says that In a dream, what counts most is to read it, not to have it. Kim Yo Jong continued. It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself.

The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment, she added.

This is not the first time Kim Yo Jong showed contempt toward the Biden administration.

Early this year, Kim Yo Jong warned the Biden administration that If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.

Kim Yo Jongs blunt statement came at a time when a top U.S. envoy visited South Korea.

Sung Kim, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea affairs, said on Monday during a visit to Seoul that Washington is willing to meet North Korea anywhere, anytime without preconditions.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, and U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, pose for photos prior to their meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 22, 2021.(Choe Jae-koo/Yonhap via AP)

But Sung Kim stressed that the Biden administration would continue to sanction North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.

Shin Beomchul, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said North Korea has been communicating the same message for monthsthat it has no intention to return to talks unless the United States offers meaningful concessions, likely in the form of eased economic sanctions.

The deadlock could be prolonged unless theres a change in the conditions facing the North [Korea], such as greater economic or pandemic-related difficulties, Shin told the Associated Press.

Ned Price, a spokesperson from the Department of States, responded on Tuesday that Kim Yo Jongs words have not changed our view on diplomacy.

We remain prepared to engage in principal negotiations with [North Korea] to deal with the challenge of its nuclear program, Price said. Our policy is not aimed at hostility. Its aimed at solutions. And its ultimately about achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. And to do that, it takes a calibrated, practical approachits open thats open to and will explore diplomacy with [North Korea] to make progress that above all increases the security of the United States, of our allies, of our deployed forces as well.

Former President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to exert great pressure on Xi Jinping and the Chinese regimeknowing sanctions without Chinas cooperation could only have limited impact.

China has been North Koreas biggest trading partner for decades and is still making up 90 percent of its trade volume.

In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Joe Biden said his administration would address North Koreas threat through diplomacy and stern deterrence.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City, on June 21, 2021. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Man Volunteering for NYC Mayoral Candidate Eric Adams Stabbed

A volunteer working for the campaign of New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams was stabbed multiple times in broad daylight over the weekend, authorities said.

The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday and involved a 42-year-old male victim who was stabbed four times on Morris Avenue in the South Bronx area while talking with a potential voter, police sources told the New York Post.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has since released video footage that shows two potential suspects in the stabbing incident.

The suspect portrayed first in the footage allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times. He is described as a black male wearing a white tank top, camouflage pants, red shoes, and a red bandanna tied around his head.

His alleged accomplice is pictured later in the video wearing a sweatshirt with the word privileged printed in multiple colors across the front.

????WANTED for ASSAULT: Do you know these guys? On 6/20/21 at approx 2:30 PM, in front of 594 Morris Ave in the Bronx, the suspects stabbed a 42-year-old male victim multiple times with a knife before fleeing. Any info? DM @NYPDTips, or anonymously call them at 800-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/m7dKxTUIt2  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 21, 2021

Adams, a retired police officer who is running in the 2021 NYC mayoral election for the Democratic primary, described the victim during an unrelated event as one of our most committed volunteers.

A member of Team Adamswho has been working hard & volunteering every daywas stabbed in the Bronx, the mayoral frontrunner wrote on social media along with a picture of the stabbing scene, adding that the victim required surgery and is reported to be in stable condition.

Adams announced during the event it is unclear what the stabbing is connected to and he is not sure if it was politically related. He also said that the weapon used was an ice pick, describing it as one of the most dangerous weapons that can be used in a stabbing.

Police sources also told the New York Post an ice pick and a knife were recovered from the scene, but it remains unclear who the weapons belonged to.

Maya Wiley, a lawyer and civil rights activist who is also running in the 2021 NYC mayoral election, said her heart hurts after learning about the stabbing incident.

My thoughts are with he [sic] and his family and my heart hurts for Team Adams today, Wiley said on Twitter. New Yorkers shouldnt have to fear walking down the street.

Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley appears at a rally the evening before the Democratic primary in New York on June 21, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Several other mayoral candidates and government officials, including Andrew Yang and Kathryn Garcia, also expressed condolences to the victim and his family.

The incident comes as crimes in New York City have spiraled and shootings skyrocketed in recent months, as the NYPD saw a nearly 90 percent rise in retirements in 2020.

According to a June 3 NYPD press release that shows the citywide crime statistics, crime in New York City rose by 22 percent last month compared with May 2020.

The NYPD has increased the presence of its unarmed volunteer force at subway stations in May to combat this rise.

NYPD cops have shown us time and again they are willing to go in harms way on behalf of all New Yorkers, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said. It is this commitment to our collective public safetyin tandem with the communities we servethat will allow our great city to prevail in the challenges we face together.

Sundays attack also came just days after a horrifying shooting in the Bronx on June 17 that narrowly missed killing two young children.

From NTD News
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) talks to reporters as he departs the U.S. Capitol after a vote in the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 10, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Manchin to Vote Yes on Motion to Debate Sweeping Election Bill

Senate Democrats have succeeded in convincing Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to vote to advance a broad election reform bill to a debate on the Senate floor.

Manchin said in a statement that he has been working for weeks to eliminate the far reaching provisions of S.1, also known as the For the People Act.

Ive found common ground with my Democratic colleagues on a new version of the bill that ensures our elections are fair, accessible, and secure, he said. Today I will vote YES to move to debate this updated voting legislation as a substitute amendment to ensure every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot and participate in our great democracy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters in Washington that he and Manchin reached an agreement during a meeting on Capitol Hill.

Senate Democrats want to pass S.1, a companion to a bill the House of Representatives approved in March. One Democrat sided with all Republicans against the bill at the time.

In the upper chamber, no Republicans have voiced support for the bill, which would federalize large parts of elections and weaken election security.

To advance the bill to a debate, Democrats would need 10 Republicans to join them in the 50-50 Senate.

Schumer said he made Manchin an offer in return for his support.

I have committed to him if our Republican colleagues dont obstruct and allow us to move forward on the debate, well take up his proposed substitute amendment as the first amendment well consider, he said.

Manchin said the version he and other Democrats agreed on would expand voter access and includes voter identification requirements. It would also require the disclosure of any donors making contributions of $10,000 or more.

These reasonable changes have moved the bill forward and to a place worthy of debate on the Senate floor, Manchin said. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues refused to allow debate of this legislation despite the reasonable changes made to focus the bill on the core issues facing our democracy.

Schumer planned to bring the motion up at 5:30 p.m.

Earlier Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on the floor that S. 1 is a plan to rewrite the ground rules of American politics.

Today the senates going to fulfill our founding purpose, stop the partisan power grab and reject S. 1, he added.
Commentary

Germanys most likely future chancellor is already saying what Beijing wants to hear. In an interview with the Financial Times published June 21, the leader of Germanys Christian Democratic Union, the party of current Chancellor Angela Merkel, used phrases that could have been concocted by propagandists in Beijing.

CDU leader Armin Laschet, according to the Times, called China a partner, and sought to straddle a low fence between Germany allying with other democracies, and ceding at least some power to Beijing. The two approaches are not actually contradictory if an alliance of democracies fails to hold the line, which is exactly what NATO has been doing.

Laschet, according to the Times, said the west should resist slipping into a cold war mentality when it came to its geopolitical contest with China, telling the paper, The 21st century is very different and the prism of how the world looked before 1989 offers limited advice. He said, We have a multipolar world [now] with different actors.

Criticism of cold war thinking and indiscriminate promotion of a multipolar world that takes no account of the differences between democracies and autocracies, or the higher propensity for autocracies to go to war in order to acquire territory and become regional hegemons, are propaganda cards played frequently by Beijing.

Chinas ambassador to Germany must be popping the cork off a bottle of sparkling wine from multiple countries of the European Union right about now, as Laschet is leading the pack to become Germanys next chancellor in upcoming September elections. Polls indicate a win for Merkel and Laschets political party, the CDU, which is supposedly center-right. But Germanys Greens, which are now center-left, are just slightly more likely to raise human rights issues with China. Given the strength of the Greens in Germany, a likely government would be a CDU-Green coalition, with Laschet as chancellor.

Laschet told the Times that many Europeans are skeptical of Bidens (supposedly) tough stance on China. Like President Duterte of the Philippines, Laschet used scare words to deflect the conversation from Beijings human rights abuse, territorial aggression, and technology theft.

The question isif were talking about restraining China, will that lead to a new conflict? Do we need a new adversary? Of course Laschet knows the answer to his latter question. No sane country ever wants a new adversary. But the increasingly adversarial relationship with China is of its own making, and not new.

Laschet continued, And there the European response was cautious, because, yes, China is a competitor and a systemic rival, it has a different model of society, but its also a partner, particularly in things like fighting climate change.

Really? Beijing negotiated the world into the Paris Agreement of 2015, to immediately decrease U.S. and European emissions, while China continued to increase emissions until 2030. That doesnt sound like a partner. It sounds like a slick abuser of Mother Nature.

Like Merkel, Laschet provides a rationalization for Germanys failure to speak up about Beijings transgressions, which now include genocide, to maximize the profits of German industrial giants. China is Germanys biggest trading partner. More than half of European Union exports to China in 2019 originated in Germany. German exports to China grew from less than $5 billion in 1991, to over $100 billion annually starting in 2018.

Volkswagen is a major beneficiary of trade with China, having gotten in early with its first factory there in 1984. Germanys Siemens engineering, and BASF chemical, have also long prospered in China. In May 2020, BASF made its biggest ever single investment, a $10 billion high-technology plastic factory in Guangdong. BASF CEO Martin Brudermuller said last year that for BASF, China isnt just the biggest market, its the fastest growing.

While German exports to China increased in early 2021, they decreased to the United States and Britain. That gives yet more political leverage to China relative to Germanys old allies.

Chinese auto workers on the assembly line at the FAW-Volkswagen plant in Chengdu, in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, on July 6, 2014. (Got Chai/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Matthew Karnitschnig writing in Politico.eu, That reliance is the main reason Chancellor Angela Merkel has preferred to ignore calls for decisive action on China in response to its actions in Hong Kong and elsewhere, opting instead for a wait-and-see approach in the hope the tensions would dissipate. Karnitschnig continued, while Germany pretended to be upset over Chinas human rights abuses, Beijing feigned offense at Berlins intrusion into its domestic affairs. Karnitschnig alleges that Merkels ostensibly provocative support for human rights in China, like meeting the Dalai Lama, are nothing-burgers and promptly forgotten by both countries.

But Laschet cant even eat a nothing-burger properly. He recently told the Times that Germany should speak out about critical issues, and make clear Germanys expectations on human rights and reciprocity (the latter is an issue close to the corporate heart). But the German leader undermined his human rights message with, Im not sure that always speaking out, loudly and aggressively, in public about a countrys human rights situation really leads to improvements on the ground. He said, Often you can reach more in the area of human rights by addressing issues in private conversations with leaders of other countries than by talking about it in press conferences.

Private, pro-forma discussions about Chinas transgressions are exactly what Beijing, and other serial abusers, want.

Apparently, Germany is headed for more appeasement of Beijing. That never turns out well, and shows why the United States must consider not only an approach to China that rallies our allies, which is the strategy that President Biden is supposedly following, but also a unilateral strategy where necessary. If America restricts itself to following European public opinion, it could get stuck in Beijings wake. Sometimes America must lead.

Anders Corr has a bachelors/masters in political science from Yale University (2001) and a doctorate in government from Harvard University (2008). He is a principal at Corr Analytics Inc., publisher of the Journal of Political Risk, and has conducted extensive research in North America, Europe, and Asia. He authored The Concentration of Power (forthcoming in 2021) and No Trespassing, and edited Great Powers, Grand Strategies.
I Was Stunned: Minnesota Girl Speaks out Against BLM Poster in Classroom

A 9-year-old girl from Minnesota has gone viral online after confronting her local school board, which she said had contradicted its own no politics policy by displaying a Black Lives Matter (BLM) poster in a classroom.

The girl, who only identified herself as Novalee, is a student at an elementary school in Lakeview Area Schools, which serves the Dakota and Scott Counties in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis. She gained popularity on social media because of a video in which she called on the school district to remove the BLM posters.

Speaking at a June 8 board meeting, the student said she saw posters of BLM and Amanda Gorman on her teachers wall at the school. I was so mad. I was told two weeks ago at this very meeting spot: no politics in school, she told the board members. I believed what you said at this meeting.

The student said she asked her principal to take down the posters, citing a school board policy prohibiting displays of political messages including Black Lives Matter. The principal allegedly refused to remove the posters, and told her that the school board members were the ones who made them.

I was stunned. When I was here two weeks ago you told us to report any BLM in our schools, she recalled. Apparently you know they are in our schools because you made the signs.

Doesnt matter what color you make the posters and the fonts you use, we all understand the meaning. It is a political message about getting rid of police officers, rioting, burning buildings down while king Governor [Tim] Waltz just sits on his throne and watches, the girl added. Changing the colors or the fonts of posters does not change the meaning. I am nine years old and I know that. You expect me to believe that you did not know what you were doing by making these posters? Come on people!

She then clarified that she judges people by the way they treat her rather than their race, but the school board appeared to be encouraging people to focus on the color of their skin.

You have lied to me and I am very disappointed in all of you. You cannot even follow your own rules, the girl concluded. Get the posters out of our schools. Courage is contagious so be courageous.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the school district for comment on the matter and will update this report accordingly.

The BLM movement initially emerged in 2013 in response to alleged excessive use of deadly force by law enforcement, which many argue disproportionately affects the black community. The non-profit organization that bears the same name, however, goes much further, advocating for radical left ideas such as the abolition of police and prisons, and the dissolution of the nuclear family. BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors has described herself and fellow co-founder Alicia Garza as trained Marxists.

The BLM movement, as well as the BLM organization, gained global attention during the summer of 2020, which was marked by widespread protests in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. Many of those protests turned violent, resulting in rioting, looting, arson, and destruction of private and public property.
Missouri Police Chief Resigns Over New 2nd Amendment Bill

A police chief in a Missouri city has resigned over a new bill in the state that bars officers from enforcing or attempting to enforce federal laws that infringe on Second Amendment rights.

Philip Dupuis, police chief of OFallon, said in a statement to news outlets that he understood the motivation behind the bill and described himself as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment.

The problem with this statute is the poorly worded language that removes sovereign immunity and appears to allow law enforcement agencies and individual police officers to be sued for even good faith justified seizures of firearms in emergency circumstances, Dupuis said.

Every police department in the country seizes weapons during arrests for criminal activity or when they feel it is immediately necessary to protect someone who may be suicidal or threatening to harm others. This statute allows that officer to be sued if the individual believes that seizure infringed upon their second amendment rights. This vague language will create a flood of weaponized litigation that will chill the legitimate peace keeping duties of police. This will decrease public safety and increase frivolous lawsuits designed to harass and penalize good hard working law enforcement agencies.

The longtime law enforcement member said he wasnt willing to risk my familys financial future on a poorly written piece of legislation that opens me and my fellow officers up to being sued even when they act lawfully and appropriately.

OFallon declined to comment while the citys police department said it was saddened to hear of the resignation.

He has helped our department in many ways! it said in a social media post.

The law in question, House Bill 85, or the Second Amendment Preservation Act, was passed by the state legislature before being signed by Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, this month.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by OFallon Police (MO) (@ofallon_police_department)

The law declares, in part, that it must be the duty of the courts and law enforcement agencies to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms and that no person, including a public officer or state employee of this state or any political subdivision of this state, can have authority to enforce or attempt to enforce any federal laws, orders, or rules infringing on the right to keep and bear arms.

Any person who knowingly acts under the color of any federal or state law to deprive a Missouri citizen of the rights or privileges ensured by the federal and state constitutions to keep and bear arms is liable for monetary damages of $50,000 per occurrence, as well as injunctive relief and attorney fees.

Parson in a statement after signing the bill said it draws a line in the sand and demonstrates our commitment to reject any attempt by the federal government to circumvent the fundamental right Missourians have to keep and bear arms to protect themselves and their property.

The Department of Justice told state officials in a letter that the law was outweighed by the U.S. Constitutions Supremacy Clause. Parson and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt responded by saying Missouri was not attempting to nullify federal law but was defending its people from federal government overreach by prohibiting state and local law enforcement agencies from being used by the federal government to infringe Missourians right to keep and bear arms.
A view from the courtyard facing The Royal Academy of Arts at The Royal Academy in London on Sept. 28, 2020. (Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

Monomaniacal Pressure Groups Slice Away at Our Freedom

Commentary

George Orwell in his book 1984 grasped an essential point about totalitarian propaganda: The more outrageously false it was, the better it served its purpose, which wasnt to inform or persuade, but to humiliate and subdue.

In totalitarian states, it isnt enough to lie low and keep silent: You have to join in as if you enthusiastically believe the lies that you are obliged to repeat on pain of social ostracism at best and of severe punishment at worst.

If you can make people assent in public to what everyone knows to be false, you destroy their probity and, consequently, their moral authority to resist.

You also make them hostages to fortune, for when the orthodox doctrine changes, everyone is afraid to be held to account for having publicly asserted things in the past which are now in contradiction to the new orthodoxy.

Therefore, no one is innocent and everyone is potentially punishable. Every minute of every day becomes a kind of reprieve, like Caryl Chessmans time on death row.

It would be a gross exaggeration to say that we live in a totalitarian state. Indeed, it would almost be an insult to those who had actually experienced life in such states. Nevertheless, totalitarian ways of thinking and of taking control of organizations have advanced in our societies to the point at which many people live in what might be called totalitarian microclimates.

We dont yet fear the midnight knock on the door, but most of us have to earn a living, and the prospect of dismissal is sufficiently daunting that, if we work for organizations whose owners or managers subscribe to doctrines that we believe to be patently false, we feel obliged to conceal our disagreement or even to mouth the orthodox pieties du jour in order to retain our positions, despising ourselves for having done so. How many people now attend courses on their own supposed racism which revolt them, but are a condition of their continued employment?

The attack on freedom is not frontal or directed mainly by government fiat, as it has been in the past or still is in some countries.

Rather, its led by pressure groups of monomaniacal determination who seek to impose their views and their rules on institutions and to countenance no others.

They choose vulnerable targets and copy the communists of Central Europe, who employed what were called salami tactics: The communists sliced off potential centers of opposition one by one until none remained, at which point they had gained total control over society. And the closer to this goal they approach, the greater the fear theyre able to instill. Its an accelerating process.

Institutions are fast losing sight of their ostensible purposes, replacing them with the pursuit of so-called social justice as defined by the monomaniacal pressure groups.

A good example of this tendency is the recent imbroglio at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, founded in 1768 by, among others, the painters Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough to promote the creation and appreciation of the visual arts. It has never received any government subvention.

The academy has recently decided to withdraw from sale the work of a German artist, Jess de Wahls, who published an article on her blog two years ago stating an evident truth, namely that transgender women arent straightforwardly women.

The Royal Academy stopped supporting de Wahlss work after receiving complaints from transgender activists, and it issued the following statement:

 The RA is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and does not knowingly support artists who are in conflict with these values. We would like to reiterate that we stand with the LGBTQ+ community.

Quite apart from the patent lie that it was committed to true diversity and inclusion when its action was in direct contradiction to those endsand its implicit support for the patent lie that a transgender woman is straightforwardly a womanits surely noteworthy that there wasnt the slightest reference in the statement to the artistic value of Ms. de Wahls work, which one might have supposed would be of some interest or relevance to an academy devoted to the creation and appreciation of the visual arts.

Not that de Wahls was in any way derogatory about transgender persons. What she wrote in 2019 was, inter alia:

I have no problem with somebody who feels more comfortable expressing themselves as if they are the other sex (or in whatever way they please for that matter).

These are hardly the words of a ferocious enemy of transgender persons, even if the continuation of her statement, to the effect that she had no problem with whatever way people were comfortable expressing themselves, speaks to a limited awareness of the variety of such expression.

De Wahls isnt taking the decision of the RA lying down: Shes considering filing suit against it for discrimination on grounds of opinion.

Here, however, the matter isnt quite straightforward, for surely an independent organization has the right to sell whatever it wants, for any reason it sees fit.

No one has the right to demand that such an organization should sell his or her work. The RAs decision, no doubt, was cowardly, despicable, stupid, and morally and intellectually dishonestbut it was within its rights to be so.

Indeed, we all have the right to be cowardly, despicable, stupid, and morally and intellectually dishonest: Its called freedom. Of course, this isnt to say that thats how we should be.

Whatever the outcome of the case, the monomaniacs who complained so vociferously to the cowards of the RA will have achieved their end.

Theyll have made it clear that people have a price to pay if they voice opinions on the subject that differ from their own. And since most people dont care so very much about the subject one way or the othertransgenderism being still a marginal phenomenontheyll let the lie go by default rather than oppose it, and itll thereby have insinuated itself into the body politic.

If we allow this to happen, the future of our society will belong to an alliance of monomaniacal power-hungry liars.

Theodore Dalrymple is a retired doctor. He is contributing editor of the City Journal of New York and the author of 30 books, including Life at the Bottom. His latest book is Embargo and Other Stories.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
People loot a store during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in New York on June 1, 2020. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

New York City Prosecutors Drop Hundreds of Cases Against Rioters: Report

New York City prosecutors have dropped hundreds of cases brought against people who were charged for participating in riots that exploded in the wake of George Floyds death last year, according to a new report.

Despite strong evidence in many cases, such as videos posted to social media, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has dropped 222 of the 485 cases, WNBC reported, citing court records.

Seventy-three others involved convictions of lesser crimes, with the defendants avoiding jail time, while 40 cases were dealt with in juvenile court and 128 remain open.

Vances office did not respond to a request for comment.

Major cities across the United States saw skyrocketing crime last year, including a jump in murders. After Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis on Memorial Day, protests and riots became a near-nightly occurrence in New York City and other metropolitan areas.

Rioters started fires, brazenly looted from a variety of stores, and assaulted law enforcement officers. But prosecutors have largely failed to secure convictions or guilty pleas. In Portland, Oregona city that saw high levels of violencelocal prosecutors have declined to bring charges in many cases, while federal prosecutors dropped most of the cases they brought.

Vance wasnt the only prosecutor in New York whose office has dropped cases.

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark has dropped 73 cases out of 118 arrests that were made during the worst of the looting, in early June 2020, WNBC reported. Eighteen cases remain open and in the others, lesser convictions saw defendants avoid time in prison.

Those numbers, to be honest with you, is disgusting, Jessica Betancourt, who owns an eyeglass shop that was looted and ultimately destroyed, told the outlet.

Merchandise lies in a looted souvenir and electronics shop near Times Square after a night of riots in New York City on June 2, 2020. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Patrice OShaughnessy, director of communications for Clarks office, told The Epoch Times in an email that for the night of looting and theft in the Fordham Road area on June 1 and June 2, there were 90 arrests. Twenty-eight were outright dismissed. Fourteen were adjourned contemplating dismissal, meaning the defendants would see their charge or charges dismissed if they did not get arrested within six months and completed certain requirements, such as community service.

The rest of the cases are pending, ended with guilty pleas, or were conditionally discharged.

We went forward with cases for which we had evidence and a complaining witness. Some cases were dismissed but we held people accountable because we do not tolerate violence against Bronx business owners, OShaughnessy said.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) did not respond to a request for comment.

Wilbur Chapman, former NYPD chief of patrol, told WNBC that prosecutors should not drop so many cases.

If they are so overworked that they cant handle the mission that theyre hired for, then maybe they should find another line of work, Chapman said.
NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (June 22)

A United States Senator tells NTD that a democrat-backed election bill does not hold up to its namesake For the People, hundreds of parents, students, and community members flood a school board meeting in Loudoun County, Virginia, and a transgender weightlifter is headed to the Olympics amid criticism from athletes and woman.
The siren of a Santa Ana Police Department vehicle in Santa Ana, Calif., on March 11, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Authorities Battle Rise in Impaired Driving

Authorities in Orange County, Calif. say theyre seeking an uptick in impaired driving.

Speaking during a June 21 Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) event, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said driving under the influence cases are up 40 percent year-over-year. Felony driving under the influence charges have increased by 25 percent during the past year, he said.

Suffering the loss of a loved one is tragic, but that tragedy is exacerbated by the pure randomness of losing a loved one to drink or drugged driving, Spitzer said.

With almost 1,000 driving under the influence (DUI) deaths in California per year, the June 21 gathering was meant to recognize law enforcement officers working to make Orange Countys roads safer.

The Orange County Prosecutor of the Year award was presented to three traffic safety resource prosecutors. Hoon Chang, Charles Henninger, and Jessica Schug accepted the award along with Orange County District Attorneys vertical driving under the influence of drugs prosecutors.

You are saving lives. Youre making birthday celebrations [and] Christmas mornings possible for people who may never know their lives were in danger, Spitzer told the awardees. If you hadnt stepped in and pulled that drunk driver off of the road, they may have hit a young mother on her way to home from work, or that grandfather on his way to see his grandchildren, or child on the way to school, but you were there and you stepped in. Every drunk and drugged driver you take off the road represents another life or lives that get to be lived.

Police officers who participated in numerous DUI arrests were also honored with awards.

Victim advocates who lost loved ones or faced injuries due to impaired driving were also present during the event, and shared their experiences.

Betty and Michael Johnston lost their son in 2018 when an impaired driver crashed into his car on the 55 and 5 freeways.

Michael was only 33-years-old and was killed instantly, Betty said.

The young man had future plans to propose to his longtime girlfriend, she said.

MADD is seeking donations to continue its prevention programs and victim services.
Eloina Galvez receives a one shot dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic geared toward agriculture workers in Riverside, Calif., on April 5, 2021. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Orange County COVID-19 Numbers Remain Stable

SANTA ANACoronavirus hospitalization rates remained stable June 21 in Orange County, Calif., which reported 112 new COVID-19 infections over the past weekend.

According to data released by the Orange County Health Care Agency, which has ceased reporting statistics on the weekends, hospitalizations remained at 54 on June 21, the same level as June 18, while the number of patients in intensive care decreased from 17 to 14.

The county logged four more fatalities.

The death toll for June is four; 21 in May; 41 in April; 198 in March; 608 in February; 1554 in January, the deadliest month of the pandemic; and 966 in December, the next deadliest.

The latest confirmed infections brought the countys cumulative caseload to 255,922.

Its kind of oddwe worked so hard to get to the yellow tier and it goes away, Supervisor Doug Chaffee said June 18. But our numbers are good.

Chaffee noted it will be interesting to see the impact on the countys infection rates as large venues such as Disneyland and the Los Angeles Angels allow full-capacity crowds.

Weve got a good half of the county vaccinated or at least with one shot, Chaffee said.

As of June 16, there were 1,676,071 fully vaccinated Orange County residents, which is roughly half of the population. Chaffee said about 85 percent of the countys senior citizens have been vaccinated.

The case rate in the county as of the middle of last week was 0.9 per 100,000 residents, and the overall positivity rate was 0.6 percent, according to Orange County chief executive Frank Kim.

Since the middle of May, the case rate has been 1.3 to 0.7, so it goes up or down one-tenth of a point day-to-daythats pretty consistent, Kim told City News Service. Hopefully, we dont see a spike with the reopenings.

County officials have been keeping an eye on Cal-OSHA and its workplace rules governing mask requirements among employees, Kim said. The state agency on June 17 adopted a plan that generally allows vaccinated workers to skip wearing a mask but require that a face covering be worn by the unvaccinated.

Kim met for about an hour June 16 with department heads to go over the workplace rules and how to head off any harassment based on face coverings.

Its important to note that if any employees, because of their own situation, may continue wearing a mask we need to protect those employees from harassment, he said. Some people will want to be more cautious.

Andrew Noymer, a University of CaliforniaIrvine professor of population health and disease prevention, said Cal-OSHA could do a better job of explaining what it intends to do. But from an epidemiological perspective, he said, it doesnt matter what people do [about masking] over the summer because the transmission is so low. What will matter is when the fall comes or when the Delta variant really takes off, whichever comes first and then all of a sudden it really matters

again.

Orange County Superior Court Presiding Judge Erick L. Larsh issued an order on June 18 relaxing some restrictions at the countys courthouses, which have been closed to the public except for employees and residents with civil or criminal matters pending.

According to the order, which went into effect June 21, vaccinated visitors or employees do not have to wear a mask, but unvaccinated people will have to continue wearing a face covering. Court officials will not do anything to check anyones vaccination status, instead relying on the honor system.

Court officials are also going to phase in more services available as they let the general public return to the courthouses. The YouTube channels that provide a virtual peek into the courtrooms will be phased out over time, but not right away.

While most of the states COVID-19 restrictions were lifted June 15, Gov. Gavin Newsom nonetheless warned the virus is still activeand that mask-wearing will continue to be a reality for non- vaccinated residents, at businesses that opt to require them and for people who simply feel safer wearing them.
Outgoing North Carolina Senator Backs McRory After Trump Endorsed Budd

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) is backing former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory in the race to succeed him, after former President Donald Trump threw his support behind Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.).

Burrs upcoming retirement has triggered over a dozen people to launch bids, many of them Republican. But Burr told Politico that McCrory is the only Republican that can win the general election.

Pat McCrory has a commanding advantage, Burr said.

Trump endorsed Budd during the North Carolina Republican Convention in early June.

This gentleman is going to be your next senator. Hes going to be somebody youre going to be so proud of. He will fight like hell. He will fight like nobody will fight, Trump told the crowd.

He also mentioned McCrory.

You cant pick people who have already lost two races and do not stand for our values, Trump said.

Burr told Politico: I cant tell you what motivates him. Ive never seen individuals endorse a candidate a year before the primary. Thats unusual.

In a statement sent to The Epoch Times on Facebook, McCrory said: I welcome an open dialog on the matter important to North Carolina and our country.

Jonathan Felts, a senior adviser to Budds campaign, told The Epoch Times in an email: McCrory is the candidate who is now paying off Burrs long-time political consultant, so an insider endorsement deal is no surprise. Their electability logic doesnt quite add up given McCrorys losing record in statewide battles, failing twice with his lone victory coming only when he faced an underfunded Democrat candidate gifted with all of the charisma and excitement of a piece of cardboard.

Burr announced in 2016 that he would not seek a fourth term, and has recently confirmed hes not running for re-election. The race to replace him also includes Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.).

Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) speaks at a Make America Great Again rally in Greensboro International Airport, in Greensboro, N.C., on Oct. 27, 2020. (Grant Baldwin/AFP via Getty Images)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (L) listens to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory during a campaign rally in Wilmington, N.C., on Nov. 5, 2016. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) speaks at a Make America Great Again rally in Greensboro International Airport, in Greensboro, N.C., on Oct. 27, 2020. (Grant Baldwin/AFP via Getty Images)

Budd has touted his strong support of Trump and has said he is running to help bolster the Senate, which he described as the last line of defense against becoming a woke socialist wasteland. McRory sounded a similar theme, noting that Democrats currently control the upper chamber only by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harriss tiebreaking vote ability.

Budds campaign website describes him as a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and member of the Home School Legal Defense Association.

His priorities include supporting policies he says protect the 2nd Amendment, strengthen families, and encourage innovation.

McCrory, who was mayor of Charlotte for over a decade before becoming governor for one term, has said he supports policies that prevent so-called sanctuary cities, promote the sanctity of life, and create jobs.

McCrory has referenced his executive experience, calling himself the only candidate who has balanced budgets while cutting taxes.

Walker, a former pastor, has championed his outsider status. He supports securing the border, the child tax credit, and standing up to China, among other efforts, according to his campaign website.

Editors Note: This article has been updated with a statement from Budds campaign.
The American flag flies above the Capitol building in Washington on June 16, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Overt IRS Hostility to Prayer, Bible Study Draws GOP Anger; Pelosi, Hoyer, Other Dems Silent

Top House Republican leaders are blasting an IRS denial of a tax exemption to a Texas prayer group as an overt attack on religious liberty and a continuation of the targeting scandal that plagued the federal tax agency during the Obama era. Democratic leaders have remained silent.

The language of the IRS ruling suggests the return of a disturbing trend of politicized targeting at the IRS, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told The Epoch Times on June 22. This politicization treats Americans unfairly, not only by disrupting equal application of the law, but also by undermining public trust in government.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the top GOP member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, told The Epoch Times that the IRS under the BidenHarris administration is up to no good and appears to be abusing its vast powers for political gain.

IRS Decision

McCarthy and Comer were referring to an IRS decision first reported June 16 by The Epoch Times in which a Texas group was denied tax-exempt status because its emphasis on prayer and Bible study allegedly mainly benefits Republicans.

You do not qualify as an organization described in IRS Section 501(c)(3). You engage in prohibited political campaign intervention, wrote Stephen A. Martin, director of the IRS Office of Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements, in a May 18 letter to Christians Engaged, the Garland, Texas-based prayer group recognized by Texas officials as tax-exempt.

You are also not operated exclusively for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c)(3), because you operate for a substantial non-exempt private purpose and for the private interests of the [Republican] party.

Comer isnt buying Martins explanation for his decision.

Following a massive leak of sensitive taxpayer information that targeted wealthy individuals, now the IRS is denying tax-exempt status to a religious organization because their beliefs may possibly inform their political opinions, Comer said, referring to the recent leak of tax information on hundreds of Americas richest citizens to ProPublica, a website focusing on investigative journalism.

This attack on religious liberty must be stopped and investigated. No federal bureaucrat should be able to wield such massive power and ignore government regulations to target an organization based on their religious beliefs.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the ranking GOP member of the House Judiciary Committee, agreed, saying the tax agencys actions in the Texas case continue a pattern of abusive targeting of Tea Party, conservative, and evangelical nonprofit applicants that led to the scandal involving former IRS director of exempt organizations Lois Lerner that dominated headlines in 2013.

The Obama/Biden IRS targeted conservatives for their political beliefs. It looks like the Biden/Harris IRS is already up to no good as well. Every American should be concerned, but sadly, not surprised, Jordan told The Epoch Times on June 22.

The Oversight committee investigated the Lerner scandal, as did the Judiciary panel. Both committees would be at the center of any new congressional investigation of the IRS decision to deny a nonprofit tax-exemption application on grounds such as those cited by Martin to Christians Engaged.

Leading House Democrats declined to respond to The Epoch Times request for comment, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York, and Judicial Chairman Jerrod Nadler, also of New York.

McCarthy said the new IRS scandal comes as President Joe Biden plans to add 87,000 new employees at the agency and significantly boost its power.

Unfortunately, the Biden Administrations plan to double the size of the IRS, grant it an unprecedented expansion of power to access every Americans bank accounts, and exempt it from congressional oversight will only subject Americans to more harassment and abuse at the hand of political operatives masquerading as public servants, McCarthy said.

The IRS should get no more power than it already has.

Call for Investigation

Heritage Action for America Executive Director Jessica Anderson told The Epoch Times on June 22 that its time for another investigation of the tax agency.

The IRS is wrong to inject politics into their decision to deny tax-exempt status to a Christian organization. This is absolutely unacceptable, Anderson said.

It is sad to see Bidens IRS following in the footsteps of the Obama Administration, discriminating against religious organizations, and denying tax-exempt status for political reasons. The decision to deny Christians Engaged tax-exempt status must be investigated immediately.

Other conservative activists displayed no hesitation about the IRS.

Like Comer, Americans for Tax Reform Chairman Grover Norquist noted the leak of tax records to ProPublica.

The recent illegal leak of tax returns out of the IRS to a left-wing organization, ProPublica, will make it less likely America will tolerate Bidens plan to shower $80 billion and 87,000 new staffers on an unrepentant and unreformed IRS, Norquist said.

Why give more power to a unionized IRS bureaucracy whose union gives 97 percent of their contributions to one party: Democrats?

Similarly, Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams told The Epoch Times: What the IRS has done to this group is outrageous and unacceptable. From the illegal release of private tax information to this new revelation, the IRS has once again become an activist agency that cannot be trusted. Congress needs to put an end to the politicization of the IRS immediately.

It is mind-boggling to think that it has taken the Biden administration less than six months to weaponize the IRS against conservatives, just like they did with Lois Lerner in the Obama administration.

Richard Manning, president of Americans for Limited Government, told The Epoch Times that he wondered if the silence among political and religious progressives about the IRS decision indicates approval.

The IRS has ruled that the inerrant Word of God is partisan and benefits Republicans. I am anxiously awaiting the outcry from the new left-wing evangelicals in defense of the Bible, Manning said.

Their silence would be agreement with the IRS that Republican ideology better approximates how Jesus would vote than their own. Time for the Left to either claim the Bible or agree with the IRS that they have abandoned it.

Less Government President Seton Motley quipped that Democrats have a standing invitation to worship God, too; it isnt this groups fault that so few accept it.

Motley also asked, If worshiping God means Republican, who are Democrats worshiping?
(LR) Doug and Donna French, parents of murder victim Kristen French, with their lawyer Tim Danson after Paul Bernardo's parole hearing at Millhaven Institution in Bath, Ont., on Oct. 17, 2018. Bernardo was again denied parole on June 22, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Lars Hagberg)

Paul Bernardo Case: Lawsuit by Victims Families Seeks More Parole Board Transparency

Child killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo was denied parole on June 22, marking the second time since 2018 that the dangerous offender has appealed for his release.

In a related case, the families of Bernardos victims, Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, are suing the Parole Board of Canada in federal court for the release of evidence or reports pertaining to Bernardos possible release that their Access to Information requests failed to produce.

Tim Danson, the families lawyer, told The Epoch Times that given the extraordinary nature of the case, this information should be made public.

Whether or not the offender represents a threat to public safetywe dont get access to any documentation that informs that issue until the board members are questioning Bernardo, Danson said.

That needs to be changed because the way its set up now is just not acceptable. Thats what the lawsuit is about. That would never happen in the regular court system.

Bernardo is serving two concurrent life sentences for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Mahaffy and French, crimes he committed with accomplice and now ex-wife Karla Homolka in the early 1990s.

Homolka cut a plea deal, testified against Bernardo, and served 12 years for manslaughter, though videotapes that later surfaced fully implicate her.

While regular federal inmates are typically released after completing two-thirds of their sentence (unless the Correctional Service of Canada deems otherwise), first-degree murder convictions mean 25 years in prison before even being eligible for release.

February 2018 marked 25 years since Bernardo was put behind bars for the French and Mahaffy slayings. He is also considered the perpetrator of more than a dozen violent rapes10 hes confessed toas well as the death of Homolkas 15-year-old sister Tammy, who was drugged and raped by the pair in December 1990.

When Bernardo was convicted in 1995, his sentence also came with the courts dangerous offender designation that Danson believes should be addressed as a separate matter before such inmates get a chance at a parole hearing.

My view is that the parole board has to have just overwhelming, compelling expert evidence that repudiates the evidence that existed at the time of the dangerous offender designation, and that process should go first, he said.

But the parole board says no, were going to do it together because ultimately, our determination is based on whether the offender represents an undue risk to public safety. I disagree with that. I think theres a principled analytical distinction to be made between the two, but the board wont bifurcate it.

In addition to these changes to Canadas parole system, Danson and his clients are advocating for extending the waiting period between parole applications from one to five years after an unsuccessful attempt.

He said the board hearings are traumatizing to the families victims and procedurally unfair.

Bernardo was entitled to a parole hearing after 25 years, but as [Kristens mother] Donna French says in her victim impact statement, no sooner has the ink dried on her last victim impact statement than shes now called upon to do the second, he said.

Its really a gut-wrenching experience for them. It brings all the horrific memories back and the time between [Bernardos request] and the actual hearingabout two yearsgoes by very, very fast when youre in their shoes.

A Parole Board of Canada (PBC) spokesperson said the board cant comment on the lawsuit as its before the courts, but noted that all offenders in federal custody are eligible for parole consideration at some point in their sentence.

Parole is not automatic, and the paramount consideration in all PBC decisions is the protection of society, Jesula Drouillard said in an email

The PBC recognizes the important role that victims play in the conditional release process, and strives to be sensitive and accommodating to their needs within the scope of its mandate and governing laws.

Notorious serial killer and rapist Clifford Olson, who confessed to killing 11 children and teenagers, died in prison of terminal cancer at age 71, but not before making two appearances at the parole board under a now-defunct faint hope clause.

Changes to the parole system that Olson helped precipitate, like phasing out the faint hope clause and ending early parole for first-degree murder, have kept Bernardo from a parole board a decade longer than Olson, Danson noted.

If were successful in federal court, and the parole system will need to be as transparent as the rest of our justice system, then we think that will enhance public appreciation of the issues that the parole boards considering, which is whether or not these offenders represent an unmanageable threat to public safety, he said.

Someone like Bernardo should never be paroled because theres no cure for psychopathy.
Professor Says Blacks Commit Hate Crime Against Asian Americans Because of White Supremacy | Larry Elder

If you are not familiar with what Larry Elder calls the axis of indoctrination, its the idea that academia is brainwashing the minds of young people. Take for example the professor from Cypress College in California that berated her student for expressing the opinion that cops are heroes. Another example is Jennifer Ho from the University of Colorado, who said white supremacy is the same source for anti-Asian racism as anti-black racism. Dr. Aruna Khilanani, a psychoanalyst, has said she fantasizes about unloading a revolver into the head of any white person that got in my way. This episode reveals how the academic leg of the axis of indoctrination has trained an entire generation of young people to believe that America is a racist and bad place, black people are eternal victims, and white people are eternal oppressorsand you shouldnt fall for it!

The Larry Elder News Show is available on YouTube, Youmaker, and EpochTV. It also airs on cable on NTD America. Find out where you can watch us on TV.
The Casey's gas station is seen at 5110 Highway 13, in Coggon, Iowa, on June 21, 2021. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette via AP)

Prosecutors: Robber Fired 10 Shots at Wounded Iowa Deputy

IOWA CITY, IowaA Chicago man robbed two Iowa gas station employees at gunpoint and confined them in a cooler before he fired ten shots at a sheriffs deputy who responded to the crime, seriously wounding him, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The shots fired by Stanley Donahue injured the left hip and leg of Linn County Deputy William Halverson, who was wearing a protective vest, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint. Donahue then allegedly stole Halversons service weapon and fled the Caseys General Store in Coggon, a town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Cedar Rapids.

Iowas deputy William Halverson is seen in this file photo. (Linn County, Iowa Sheriffs Office via AP)

Halverson remained hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. The shooting of Halverson, who has worked for the county for seven years, was the first of an on-duty Linn County deputy since 1973.

Authorities captured Donahue, 36, on Monday afternoon near Coggon after a 14-hour manhunt that involved a drone, an airplane, search dogs, and dozens of officers. He was arrested without incident after being spotted by a television news crew, who called the police.

Linn County prosecutors allege in the criminal complaint that Donahue robbed two Caseys employees at gunpoint after 10 p.m. Sunday, stealing cash from the register and a safe, cigarettes, and their personal belongings. He then confined them in a store cooler.

A tactical vehicle from the Cedar Rapids Police Department is seen as law enforcement stage as they search for a robbery and shooting suspect in Coggon, Iowa, on June 21, 2021. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette via AP)

Halverson was the first to respond to a store alarm signifying a robbery in progress and was met by Donahue after he entered through the front door. Donahue repeatedly shot at Halverson and wounded him before he took the deputys gun and fled in a minivan, the complaint states.

Another deputy tried to pull him over, but Donahue sped away before crashing into concrete barriers on a bridge that was under construction, the complaint says. He then fled on foot and managed to evade authorities for 14 hours.

In the minivan, investigators say they found the handgun Donahue used to shoot Halverson. They also recovered the deputys service weapon and merchandise stolen during the robbery.

Donahue has been charged with ten counts, including attempting to murder an officer, disarming an officer, first-degree robbery, false imprisonment, trafficking stolen weapons, and possessing a gun as a felon. The most serious carry sentences of up to 50 years in prison. If convicted of attempting to murder an officer, he would be required to serve 100 percent of the prison sentence imposed and not be eligible for parole.

During a brief court appearance Tuesday, a judge set Donahues bond at $2.5 million and appointed the public defenders office to represent him. No attorney has made an appearance on his behalf.

Authorities say Donahue, who is in custody at the Linn County jail, was previously convicted of felonies in Illinois and Oklahoma.
Rules for Life: The Key Is Personal Responsibility

In dreams begin responsibilities was an epigraph for Irish poet W.B. Yeatss collection of poems, Responsibilities, and was later the title of Delmore Schwartzs most famous short story.

Those same words might also serve as the central theme of Jordan Petersons two best-selling books, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos and Beyond Order: 12 More Rules For Life.

Both of Petersons books, self-help guides that blend philosophy, literature, and personal anecdotes, have won him an enormous readership. Before falling ill and almost dying from his use of prescribed pharmaceutical drugs, Peterson became an enormously popular speaker, filling lecture halls and auditoriums in the United States and around the world. His YouTube videos attracted millions of followers.

So what, we might ask, was behind this Peterson phenomenon? What was the draw? What attracted so many fans, particularly young males, to this man and his ideas?

In a word, responsibility.

In the foreword to 12 Rules, Dr. Norman Doidge nails it when he writes, So why not call this a book of guidelines, a far more relaxed, user-friendly, and less rigid sounding term than rules?

Because these really are rules. And the foremost rule is that you must take responsibility for your own life. Period.

Precisely.

Old Days, Old Ways

Following the defeat of Picketts Charge at Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee rode into the field to greet his retreating Confederates, telling them, This is all my fault.

Though that statement isnt necessarily truemany have criticized the failures of Gen. Longstreet, Lees subordinate, on this day of battleLee nonetheless accepted responsibility for the failure of this attack. To take on and bear that sort of burden is the mark of a great leader.

Half a century ago, maybe a little longer, the vast majority of Americans still practiced personal responsibility. They held themselves accountable for the care of their family and for their performance in the workplace. Most of them had their children doing chores around the home, encouraged the older ones to find work during the summer, and made them responsible for their performance in school. When adults failed in some task or duty, the good ones shouldered the blame for that failure.

New Days, New Ways

Since then, this concept of personal responsibility seems diminished. We see this transformation daily in our headlines and in some cases, in the people around us. We have created a victim culture, in which, for example, the man who flunks out of school or who cant hold down a job blames not himself for these failures, but instead points a finger at others: ignorant teachers, for example, or demanding supervisors. Sometimes he may also fault his upbringing, his lack of resources, or even his ethnicity.

Several recent developments have helped bring about this elevation of victimhood. Primary among these is our ongoing and increasingly bizarre focus on race. The critical race theory currently dominating our corporations, universities, schools, and government encourages women and minorities to think of themselves as victims of an oppressive system. If we pause to consider what the CRT crowd is teaching these young people, we should be appalled. What good can come of telling a 15-year-old girl she is a victim? Do we really want to create citizens who will spend the rest of their lives believing some irreversible force is holding them back from achievement?

Our government has also weakened our sense of responsibility. Over the past half-century, our politicians and bureaucrats have created the nanny state, programs designed to assist people such as the poor, the homeless, and single mothers. All too often, however, those good intentions have created dependency rather than helping people get back on their feet and striking out on their own.

Our therapeutic culture has as well released some of our citizens from the weight of accountability. Though therapy offers many benefits to those in need of it, there is a real danger that the patient will emerge from this counseling blaming her parents for her flaws rather than taking ownership of them and seeking self-improvement.

Finally, our age of moral relativism diminishes accountability. When we as individuals proclaim ourselves moral arbiters, when we take relativism too farMy truth is not your truth, Different strokes for different folks, I can do whatever I want as long as I dont hurt anybody, which is a near impossibilityour culture is certain to shatter, unable to bear the weight of so many different principles and standards.

As Peterson writes in 12 Rules, Perhaps, if we lived properly, we could withstand the knowledge of our own fragility and mortality, without the sense of aggrieved victimhood that produces, first, resentment, then envy, and then the desire for vengeance and destruction.

Guides

If we lived properly: by this Peterson means exercising responsibility and following some basic universal rules to steer us through the trials normal to the human condition.

Throughout the whole of history, men and women have sought pathways that increase their happiness and their well-being. The Bible offers the Ten Commandments; Marcus Aurelius found the answer in stoicism; a young Benjamin Franklin devised a list of 13 virtues for living a good life. Like Jordan Peterson, hundreds of writers in the past century alone have written self-help books laying out philosophical and practical ways for readers to improve their lives.

And nearly all of these mentors stress the importance of taking control of ourselves, of overcoming our vices, whatever they are, and embracing the good. Many of them offer the same basic advice and rules: Know and practice the virtues, help your neighbor when you can, work to provide for your family, get your own life in order before you try to change the world, and dont blame others when you fail to live up to these standards.

Teaching Our Children

One of the great gifts we can hand on to our young people is the ability to take charge of their lives. We can teach them this lesson from an early age, reading stories to them like The Little Red Hen, Mercer Mayers I Just Forgot, or Aesops The Ant and the Grasshopper. As they grow older, we can introduce them to the heroes of history who took on various tasks, made tough decisions, and held themselves liable for the results. The acceptance of responsibility by great figures from our past, and there are many of them, might be summed up by the sign that used to sit on President Harry Trumans desk in the White House: The buck stops here.

Chores are another ideal tool for teaching maturity. As in the lessons learned from literature and history, we can introduce children at an early age to the idea of helping around the house, keeping their bedrooms tidy, and performing a myriad of other small tasks.

The 4-year-old girl who lives across the street from me helps her mom by setting the supper table every evening and enjoys the sensation of being a mothers helper, so much so that she asks for extra chores. Older children I know routinely shovel snow from the sidewalk and driveway, mow the lawn, and babysit their younger siblings. Such work helps prepare them for the responsibilities of a job outside their home in their teenage years, and from there for living on their own and taking care of themselves.

School also plays an enormous part in this training. A well-written essay delivered on time to the teacher is a sign of maturity. The 10th-grader who forgets that same essay at home will be docked a letter grade for its late arrival. Should the parent deliver it to the school, or let her son suffer the consequences and learn a lesson in personal accountability?

Practice Responsibility

Every day, practically every hour of every day, offers us opportunities to build up and strengthen our sense of duty and obligation. If married, we have a responsibility to love and care for our spouse, even on those awful days when everything at work went wrong or when the toddlers drove us crazy at home with their bickering. If we have children, we have a responsibility to raise them as best we can to be thoughtful and kind, strong in the face of adversity, to be unafraid to speak the truth when the occasion demands, and much more.

In the world outside the home, our greatest responsibility derives from the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This old adage covers every situation, from giving your boss a full days work to treating the clerk in the convenience store with politeness. Its really that simple.

Through early training and much practice, we can make responsibility less weight on our shoulders and more a part of our nature. We can never rid ourselves entirely of that yoke of personal commitment to duty, but we can grow stronger and carry it more easily.

And heres another piece of good news: The more we teach and exercise responsibility, the better we make the world around us.

Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C. He is the author of two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust on Their Wings, and two works of non-fiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make the Man. Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va. See JeffMinick.com to follow his blog.
Peter Daszak speaks to media upon arriving at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei Province on Feb. 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Scientist Who Denounced Lab Leak Theory Recused From Lancets COVID-19 Commission

Peter Daszak, head of New York-based EcoHealth Alliance which has sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funds to a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has been recused from The Lancets COVID-19 Commission.

News of the scientists dismissal was quietly announced on the official website of The Lancet COVID-19 Commission, which describes itself as focusing on analyzing data on all of the theories put forward on the origins of COVID.

Daszak, who had been appointed as a chairman of the task force, is now recused from Commission work on the origins of the pandemic, the website states. The commission is organized by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

The Epoch Times has reached out to The Lancet for clarification on the circumstances of Daszaks recusal.

It comes as the medical journal on Monday declared that Daszak, one of the leading virologists who signed a letter published last year essentially debunking the COVID-19 lab leak hypothesis, failed to disclose competing interests, as required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

Peter Daszak leaves his hotel in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei Province on Feb. 10, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Daszak was one of 27 scientists to sign the letter titled Statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China combatting COVID-19.

It stated, We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin, and became one of the most influential documents early in the virus outbreak that shaped the discussion on the origin of the virus.

The Lancet on Monday said that after it invited all 27 scientists to reevaluate their competing interests, Daszak submitted an updated disclosure statement noting that his remuneration is paid solely in the form of a salary from EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based nonprofit research foundation.

Daszaks group, EcoHealth Alliance, has worked directly with Chinas Wuhan laboratories to research coronaviruses. The group has sent federal funds to support gain-of-function research at Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a top-level laboratory where the first COVID-19 cases were detected in late 2019.

EcoHealth Alliance in the past had received $3.7 million in funding from Dr. Anthony Faucis National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Of this figure, at least $600,000 was sent to the Wuhan Institute.

Gain-of-function research includes techniques used to alter the DNA of a virus to give it additional characteristics, including greater resistance to vaccines, more rapid spread among victims, and specific symptoms they would suffer.

Calls for a probe into the origins of the CCP virus have intensified in recent weeks, and the hypothesis that the virus could have been manipulated at WIV is gaining traction.

The Wall Street Journal reported on May 23 that three researchers at the WIV were hospitalized in November 2019 with symptoms consistent with seasonal flu and COVID-19. The newspaper cited unnamed U.S. government sources familiar with a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report.

President Joe Biden on May 26 ordered the U.S. intelligence community to conduct an assessment with a 90-day deadline, asking them to redouble their investigative efforts.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) talks to reporters following the weekly Senate Republican caucus luncheon in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 16, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Senate Republicans Use Filibuster to Block Democrat-Backed Voting Bill

Senate Republicans blocked a Democrat-backed election-related measure via the filibuster on June 22, potentially setting up a battle over the 60-vote legislative procedure.

Senators voted 50-50 in the equally divided upper chamber on advancing the For the People Act, a sweeping bill that would change U.S. voting laws. The bill was co-sponsored by every Democrat except Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who called it too partisan and proposed his own election-related measure, although Manchin ultimately voted to allow debate on the bill.

Manchin said earlier on June 22 that he would vote to approve the measure because he wanted the Senate to debate talks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and found common ground with my Democratic colleagues on a new version of the bill that ensures our elections are fair, accessible, and secure.

During the Senate session, Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the vote. However, she wasnt able to cast the tie-breaking vote, as Republicans invoked the filibuster, which needs 60 votes to be overcome.

The Republican move to allow the Senate to debate the bill will likely trigger a more intense pressure campaign against Manchin and fellow moderate Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) to eliminating the filibustera move that Manchin and Sinema both staunchly oppose.

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats have said that passing the For the People Act is needed, after GOP-led state legislatures passed election integrity measures of their own in recent months.

Prior to the vote, Biden wrote on Twitter that the bill warrants being passed because democracy is in peril.

We need to protect the sacred right to vote and ensure We the People choose our [leaders], he said.

Republicans have described the bill as a partisan power grab that would fundamentally change how federal elections are conducted.

Republican senators continued with that line of reasoning on June 22, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) leading the way on the floor.

McConnell said that Republicans would invoke the filibuster because the Senate is only an obstacle when the policy is flawed and the process is rotten, while noting that the upper chamber is no obstacle to voting laws done the right way.

Speaking from the Senate floor on June 22, Schumer criticized Republicans and asserted that former President Donald Trumps claims about the 2020 election threatens to envelop one of Americas major political parties. Thats why, according to the Senate leader, there are so many Republican-led states passing more voter laws.

However, even if the bill had advanced, Democrats have their own divisions. Until June 22, it wasnt clear that they would be united on the vote until Manchin, considered to be a moderate, announced he would support debate on the measure. The senator had previously said that he wouldnt back the bill because it would lack GOP support.

Manchin has proposed adding provisions for a national voter identification requirement, which many Democrats opposed.

Another moderate, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), said she supported some aspects of the legislation, but said the measure would add too many bureaucratic hurdles.

It will make elections more difficult, expensive, subject to federal micromanagement, Murkowski told The Associated Press.
A health worker administers the CoronaVac vaccine, developed by China's Sinovac firm, to a woman from an at-risk group at Saeng Thip sports ground in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 7, 2021. (Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images)

Singapore Becomes Latest Country to Cast Doubt on Chinas COVID-19 Vaccines

Singaporean health officials have publicly expressed concerns about significant risk reported with vaccines from China following hundreds of Indonesian health workers testing positive for COVID-19 last week despite being fully vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine. Singapore is the latest country to cast doubt on the vaccine.

Dozens of the more than 350 doctors and health workers in Indonesia infected with COVID-19 despite having received the Sinovac vaccine have been hospitalized, it was reported last week, causing further doubt over the vaccines efficacy, especially against more infectious variants of the virus. Indonesia has bought and administered Chinas vaccine to a large number of its citizens.

Singapores Ministry of Healths (MOH) director of medical services Kenneth Mak said at a virtual press conference on June 18 in response to the news from Indonesia that it was evidence of significant risk of vaccine breakthrough regarding the Sinovac vaccine CoronaVac.

Currently, Singapore has only approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for its national vaccination program, while allowing private clinics to offer Sinovac.

Mak said that Singapore has great confidence in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. So far, more than 4.7 million doses of them have been administered to its citizens. However, he pointed out that the efficacy of different vaccines will vary quite significantly. He mentioned that some countries who had been relying on Chinas vaccines to protect their population are already offering booster shots.

In early June, Bahrain and The United Arab Emirates started to offer Pfizer shots as booster to those inoculated with Chinas Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. The countries have seen a huge surge of COVID-19 infections recently, despite having administered millions of doses of Chinas vaccines to its citizen since the end of last year.

Meanwhile, in Serbia, a clinical study has reported that 30 percent of its elderly aged 65 or above have no antibodies after receiving the Sinopharm vaccine. Serbia is the first European country to use Chinas vaccines.

A young woman receives a COVID-19 vaccine at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Center in the capital Manama. Bahrain has approved both the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and another developed by Chinese firm Sinopharm. Dec. 24, 2020. (Mazen Mahdi/AFP via Getty Images)

The World Health Organization (WHO) approved emergency use of the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. Phase 3 clinic trials of Chinas vaccines around the world have reported the efficacy rates between 50 and 84 percent. However, Chinese companies still havent publicly published the data for their Phase 3 trial. The lack of transparency on the vaccine trials has also been a cause of concern.

According to Hong Kong public broadcasting service RTHK , the Hong kong government recently issued a safety evaluation report on COVID-19 vaccines. Besides dozens of death, the report stated that by the end of May, there were 87 facial paralysis cases linked to vaccinations in Hong Kong. Half of the patients received Sinovac, while the other half received the Chinese BioNTech vaccine. German company BioNTech, which is the co-developer of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, signed an agreement with Chinese state-owned Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Co. to authorize it to exclusively produce and sell COVID-19 vaccines using BioNTechs mRNA technology for mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

In the report, the Hong Kong expert committee warned of a potential connection between Chinas vaccines and the facial paralysis. It has required The University of Hong Kong to further analyze the cases.

The European Union has excluded Chinas vaccines for its digital vaccination pass program that will start on July 1. Due to the reports of quality issues, low efficacy, and the lack of transparency in trial data and side effects, the European Medicines Agency says it has yet to approve the use of Chinas vaccines in the EU. A few European countries have individually approved them.
St. Louis Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 4 Wounded

A shooting in the Greater Ville neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, on Monday night left three people dead and four wounded.

The three men that were shot to death were identified by police as Kevin Page, 40, Charlie Anderson, 31, and OJ Pernell, 44, according to USA Today.

St. Louis police spokesperson Evita Caldwell told the outlet that before 8 p.m, two of the corpses were found outside a convenience store with multiple gunshot wounds. In a nearby schoolyard, a third corpse was located with gunshot wounds on the torso area.

The St. Louis department didnt find a motive for the shooting as of Monday morning, but Missouri State Representative Kimberly Ann Collins who represents the neighborhood said that the shooting was related to a domestic quarrel, KMOV4 reported.

We wake up with heavy hearts after the shooting in the Greater Ville last night. We pray for the victims and their families, Mayor Tishaura Jones wrote on Twitter the morning after the shooting.

After decades of neglect, Im committed to reinvesting in North City to address root causes of crime. More resources make our communities safer, she added.

Four other male victims, aged 28 to 47, were injured. Three of them were hospitalized and one was treated for a graze wound on his back and let go.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said that he thinks gun laws are part of the problem, according to KMOX.

I think certainly our gun laws are part of the challenge, he said.

The Homicide Unit is requesting any information that might help them in the investigation.

If you know anything, contact them at 314-444-5371 or call CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
Director and producer Steven Spielberg attends the European Premiere of Ready Player One in London, Britain, on March 19, 2018. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Steven Spielbergs Studio to Make Films for Netflix

LOS ANGELESNetflix added acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg to its roster with a joint announcement on Monday of a deal for his Amblin Partners production company to supply multiple movies a year for several years.

The Academy Award-winning director of big-screen classics such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindlers List and Saving Private Ryan will continue to direct and produce movies for Comcast Corps Universal Pictures under a separate agreement.

The new arrangement brings a high-profile name to the list of talent working with Netflix at a time when a host of competitors including Walt Disney and Amazon.com are competing for streaming audiences.

Spielberg had been at odds with Netflix in recent years when he argued that movies seen primarily on television should be eligible for Emmys and not Oscars. He has spoken out about wanting to preserve the experience of seeing movies in theaters.

My entire life has been spent trying to give audiences something in a large, large forum, Spielberg told Reuters in 2018. I love the whole feeling of social interaction outside  Those are the kinds of audiences I like to talk to.

Netflix, which plans to release more than 70 movies this year, sends some of its films to theaters for limited runs. The company operates the worlds largest streaming service with nearly 209 million subscribers worldwide.

In a statement, Spielberg said discussions with Netflix Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos showed it was abundantly clear that we had an amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways.

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. It is possible Spielberg could direct some of Amblins movies provided to Netflix.

Financial terms of Amblins deal with Netflix were not disclosed.

By Lisa Richwine
Students for Life Hosts Rallies Calling on Catholic Bishops to Stand Firm on Churchs Teachings

Students for Life hosted seven rallies across the country on June 16 urging leaders of the Catholic Church to stand firm and fight for faith as they consider the impact of Catholics who claim to be faithful but reject church teaching with their policies and rhetoric.

These rallies took place on the first day of the virtual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, during which leaders discussed whether those who go against Church teaching regarding abortion should be eligible to receive Holy Communion during Mass. This meeting comes as President Joe Biden, who identifies as Catholic, continues to face scrutiny for receiving Holy Communion during Mass as he pushes and supports his pro-choice agenda.

One of the Fight for Life and Faith rallies took place in Washington D.C. in front of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on the Catholic University of Americas campus. The rally drew dozens of supporters and speakers who gathered on the corner of Fourth Street and Michigan Avenue, located just steps away from the headquarters of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Anna Lulis, a data strategist for Students for Life, was one of the main organizers of the event. According to Lulis, the rallys mission in Washington D.C. was to encourage Cardinal Wilton Gregory to hold pro-abortion politicians accountable, specifically in regards to receiving Holy Communion.

Anna Lulis, one of the main organizers of the Students for Life event, held in Washington D.C., on June 16, 2021 (Ophelie Jacobson/The Epoch Times)

Lulis said that because the Eucharist (Holy Communion) is the focal point of the Catholic Church, as it is literally the body and blood of Jesus Christ, Catholics are called to practice extra reverence when receiving it during Mass.

We understand the significance every time we go to church, and what were receiving when we receive the Eucharist. We understand that we are receiving the Lord Himself, Lulis said. We dont want to degrade that in any way, shape, or form. And we hope that the U.S. bishops not only recognize that, but start standing up to these pro-abortion politicians who claim to be Catholic, yet still would like to receive the Eucharist.

Lulis, who grew up Catholic, said her stance against abortion is rooted in both faith and science.

I was taught that when a woman is pregnant, she is bearing a separate, unique, and distinct human being that has a separate strand of DNA, separate heartbeat, Lulis said. But I would be pro-life even if I wasnt Catholic, just because of the scientific reasons behind that.

It wasnt just Catholics who attended the rally.

Makayla Obasun, a 16-year-old student from Maryland, attended the rally with her younger brother. Although she isnt Catholic, Obasun attends a Catholic high school, which means Catholic doctrine affects how her school operates on a day-to-day basis.

My school, a couple of weeks ago, was showing a video about Planned Parenthood, Obasun said. If the Catholic Church took a stance that was pro-life, and had nothing against that, then my school wouldnt be able to do that. But since the Catholic Church has Catholics who are pro-choice, my school is able to show videos from Planned Parenthood.

Like Lulis, Obasun recognizes the scientific aspect that comes with being pro-life.

I was doing research when life begins, and all scientists agree that life begins at conception, Obasun said. So you cant really deny the science on that. If we think life begins at conception, we have to be pro-life.

Six other rallies took place at noon local time in New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Kansas City, Kansas; Tyler, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and San Francisco, California.

After the rally took place, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted in favor of drafting a document on the Eucharist. According to Vatican News, this means the episcopal Committee on Doctrine can begin work on the document and present a draft to discuss at their next meeting in November.
Suspected Congressional Leakers Were Secretly Being Investigated by the DOJ All Along

Commentary

Two prominent Democrat politicians who sit on the House Intelligence Committee have alerted the news media that they were informed by the Apple corporation back on May 5 that their phone records had been targeted by a subpoena issued by a grand jury as part of a federal investigation into criminal leaking of classified material.

Apple said in a released statement that a non-disclosure order from a federal judge prevented them for more than three years from alerting any of the affected phone and email accounts that their records had been accessed by the federal grand jury.

Both Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) stated in media interviews how shocked they were to discover that that federal prosecutors would even think of allowing a grand jury to subpoena their private phone data. Both men professed outrage at the invasion of their privacy, and congressional Democrats are now angrily calling for former Attorney Generals Jeff Sessions and William Barr to be brought in to answer questions, along with former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

The validity of both the subpoenas and the evidence upon which they were based are loudly being called into question, something that has already led to Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz to review the matter, to ensure that all proper steps and regulations were followed while these congressmen, their staff, several family members, and media reporters were spied on by this federal grand jury.

Remember Who Told You This Was Happening

Ponder this for a minute, if you will. The entire time much of the conservative media was in high outrage loudly wondering why Schiff and Swalwell and other members of Congress werent being investigated in relation to the obvious politically motivated leaking of classified material that was going on, there was already an investigation underway that involved a federal grand jury that was issuing surveillance subpoenas.

And the DOJ never announced any of this. In the face of overwhelmingly hostile media coverage, Jeff Sessions never said one word about members of Congress being targets of federal leak probes. William Barr didnt either. Neither did Rod Rosenstein.

To seriously ask the question, Why wouldnt Sessions, Barr or Rosenstein tip off members of Congress and media reporters that they were subjects of federal criminal leak investigations? is to answer it.

And yet Ive spent three years watching people babble on my TV and in live interviews about how outrageous it was that nobody was investigating Schiff and Swalwell and the reporters they were allegedly leaking to because obviously if there was any investigation of them, the DOJ would have told usand the targets of the investigation.

I was writing here at The Epoch Times back in July and August 2018 that members of Congress were highly likely being investigated by federal agents for criminal leaking of classified material. Only the people doing those investigations just werent publicly talking about it.

My very first column for The Epoch Times was entitled The Great Leak Hunt, in which I detailed then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein revealing that a special counterintelligence unit had been created to hunt down Spygate leakers.

My second column was called Rod Rosenstein: The Man With the Most Thankless Job in America, and I wrote about the biggest reason the DOJ could not share Russiagate-related evidence with Congress. It was because key members of the Senate and House intelligence committees were under investigation for possibly participating in the criminal leaking that promoted the Trump/Russia collusion hoax.

Why the DOJ Doesnt Announce the Launching of Federal Criminal Leak Investigations

The DOJ rarely announces the beginning of any kind of criminal probe. There are many good reasons for that, not least of which is to keep the targets from destroying evidence before the investigators can find it.

Another is that if they dont find enough evidence to sustain any charges, the targets of the investigation dont suffer any consequences. Many times, people are investigated quietly, no evidence of any crimes are found, and the matter is dropped. No one gets embarrassed or has their reputation harmed.

When then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions said back in August 2017 that the special counterintelligence unit had been created to find these leakers and followed that up in November 2017 by saying there were currently 27 active leak cases underway at the DOJ, Ill point out that the DOJ hadnt announced the initiation of any of these investigations. Not even one of the 27. No public alert was issued; they had done exactly nothing to tip off the targets of these leak probes.

Again: this is standard procedure. You do not alert the target of a criminal investigation by having the DOJ tell the public or the news media that an investigation into them is being initiated. I continue to be somewhat amazed how this needs to be repeatedly explained.

Only in the most general sense were Sessions and Rosenstein talking about the leak hunts back in 2017 and 2018. They were extremely careful in their language to never explicitly state who any of the targets were of those investigations.

Members of Congress Are Not Immune to Criminal Investigations

And yet, to hear some people tell it, youre supposed to be amazed that the DOJ dared to open leak investigations targeting members of Congress without alerting the public or those members of Congress that they were doing that.

I have a friend named Thomas Wictor who loves to say, Nobody knows how anything works! and this certainly appears to be a prime example of that.

We would in fact have a dysfunctional DOJ if it was in the habit of tipping off criminal suspects that grand juries were issuing subpoenas targeting their activity.

The justice system worked exactly as it was supposed to.

Classified material was being leaked out of Congress to the news media for politically partisan purposes, to drive a false narrative created to damage the Donald Trump presidency. An investigation into that criminal activity was initiated, and a newly created counterintelligence unit went to work. A grand jury was seated, and subpoenas were issued.

And absolutely nothing leaked about any of this investigative activity for more than three years, since the first subpoena was issued to Apple on Feb. 6, 2018.

Of course, the DOJ isnt going to tell us the current status of the investigation into Schiff or Swalwell or any of the others who were targets of the grand jury probe. They especially would not do this if the grand jury is still investigating.

Thus far, we only know that a decision was made not to renew the Apple-related non-disclosure order, allowing the company to finally alert those affected by the subpoenas this past May 5.

My question at this point is: If Apple alerted both Schiff and Swalwell back on May 5 that theyd been targets of a federal grand jury probe looking at their phone and email records, whyd they wait more than a month to go public with this development?

Did that federal grand jury uncover any real evidence of criminal leaking of classified material during its investigation, and was it enough to sustain any criminal charges?

Well have to wait and see.

Brian Cates is a writer based in South Texas and author of Nobody Asked For My Opinion  But Here It Is Anyway! He can be reached on Telegram at t.me/drawandstrikechannel.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Health staff register residents at a COVID-19 drive through testing site on Bondi Beach in Sydney after the reports of the four fresh positive cases on June 17, 2021. (SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Sydney Mask Mandate Extended as Delta Variant Cluster Increases

The New South Wales (NSW) state government has extended its mandate to wear masks while on public transport and in most indoor settings for another week after 10 new locally-acquired cases of the Delta strain of the CCP virus were reported.

The new public health mandate will be in effect until midnight on June 30.

The news cases are linked to the Bondi cluster, which has now reached 21.

It is only when you are eating or drinking indoors at a venue that you cant or shouldnt wear a mask, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. In every other circumstance, if you live or are in Sydney, you must wear a mask for another week beyond Wednesday midnight.

The ABC reported that Berejiklian was also concerned that the virus had been transmitted through only fleeting contact.

Unfortunately given how contagious the virus is, we need to assume that if you are with a number of people, a small number of people, or if you are having a meal with someone; if any at one in that group has the virus, everyone in our group will have the virus, she said.

That is how contagious it is.

This comes after five new cases were detected on Monday, with an additional seven cases being confirmed after the 8 p.m. cutoff for the data records.

Among the new case are a woman in her 60s from the Illawarra region and a woman in her 40s from Sydneys northern suburbs. Both were close contacts of previously reported cases.

A woman in her 20s from Sydneys eastern suburbs who works at Bondi Junction also tested positive. Bondi Junction was visited by an airport limousine drive last week who authorities believe contracted the virus from flight crew.

All of the new cases except for two were already in isolation when tested, and all of the cases except for one, a student at St Charles Catholic Primary School in Waverley, have been linked back to known cases.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the child had tested positive a few hours ago and called for parents to remain calm. She thanked the school for working with health officials to develop a plan for the 365 children in the eastern suburbs school to be sent home to get tested.

At present, there will be no lockdowns in the outbreak regions, but the premier explained the health advice could change at any moment.

At this stage because all but one case is linked to an existing case and that case was only discovered a few hours ago  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.

If we suddenly have a number of unlinked cases and if we suddenly have them outside the geographic region they are concentrated in, that will obviously adjust the health advice, and we will respond to that.

The ABC reported that NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that the Delta variant of the CCP virus was a gold medallist in transmitting from one person to another.

He also urged people to use QR codes.

What I want to emphasise is people need to use those QR codes, Hazzard said. I have detected in my wandering to the city a degree of apathy. Some of the restaurants and cafes arent asking people to use the QR codes; individuals are not using them. We really need to take this particular virus and the variant extremely seriously.

AAP contributed to this article.
(L R) New Zealand's Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Emile De Becque, with Jamal Sydney Bednarz as Jerome, Ayanda Dladla as Ngana, and Australia's Lisa McCune as Nellie Forbush for the Lincoln Center Theater production of South Pacific at the Sydney Opera House in 2012. (TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

The West Versus Prejudice: Rodgers and Hammersteins South Pacific

Youve got to be taught to be afraid/ Of people whose eyes are oddly made/ And people whose skin is a different shade/ Youve got to be carefully taught, sings Lt. Cable in South Pacific, objecting bitterly to the prejudice that has kept him from committing to the Tonkinese woman he loves.

In 1950, a year after South Pacific opened on Broadway, the censors in South Africa demanded that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II remove those lyrics from a Johannesburg staging of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical. The famed songwriting team refused, shutting down the production entirely. Lt. Cables sentiment was central to the shows premise that the Western, middle-class values of individual worth and responsibility applied to everyone, not just to white people. It was a profoundly antiracist statement and remains one today.

But South Pacific then and South Pacific now must be two different shows, because a high school in New Jersey recently nixed a production following complaints that the show contained ethnic stereotypes. To understand this shift in perspective, the difference between South Pacific 1949 and South Pacific 2021 is worth examining.

Overcoming Prejudice

The musical takes place in the early months of World War II in the Pacific theater, on an unnamed island where Seabees and nurses wait for the war to start. The Japanese are only an island away, but engagement is limited and the real shooting hasnt begun.

One of the nurses, a self-described little hick from Arkansas named Nellie Forbush, is in love with French-born island plantation owner Emile De Becque, while her friend, Marine Lt. Cable, finds himself falling in love with a beautiful young Tonkinese girl, Liat.

Cable, a Princeton graduate from a wealthy Philadelphia family, balks at marrying Liat because he realizes that she would never be accepted by his family. And when Nellie finds out that De Becque has children from a previous liaison with a Tonkinese woman, she too runs from the relationship. As the story progresses, both Nellie and Cable face their prejudices and overcome them.

And yet, cancel culture and its precursor, political correctness, find this unacceptable. The pointing out of so-called stereotypes in South Pacific began with the 2001 TV film, a remake of the original 1958 movie version. It cut the second-act song Happy Talk, apparently for the political incorrectness of putting pidgin English in the mouth of a Tonkinese woman nicknamed Bloody Mary.

Bloody Mary is a large, loud, rambunctious Tonkinese woman who is always thinking about how to get what she wants, saying things such as You like? and selling things Fo dollah. The thing about stereotypes is that they are simply abstractions from general observation. In some sense they pervade all art, perhaps especially theater. Falstaff is the stereotype of a jolly-but-dull Elizabethan fat man. Willie Loman is a sort of archetypal failed businessman. Even the Seabees in South Pacific are stereotypes. Certainly, not every Seabee in World War II wolf-whistled nurses.

Love Over Politics

Produced at the height of Americas climb to the status of major world power, South Pacific reveals what it means to encounter a new culture and people, and how middle-class Western values can serve to undo the inborn animus that comes with being born into a given race or culture. It does not preach politics but makes its point through stories about love, and along the way gives us bursts of unforgettable lyricism such as Some Enchanted Evening, A Wonderful Guy, Younger Than Springtime, and This Nearly Was Mine.

Cancel culture tries to shape human experience from politics, while Western culture shapes its politics from human experience. A politically correct South Pacific would hammer at the idea of the West imposing its values on the occupied Tonkinese. Fortunately, the authors of the show knew something deeper: The bloody and horrifying adventure of international war thrusts the expanding power into the unwanted position of encountering a foreign culture. It can hardly be expected to drop its own cultural beliefs and habits for those of the people it encounters.

The point missed by cancel culture is simply this: These two young Americans, one a simple cock-eyed optimist and the other an Ivy League military officer, both have the intellectual ammo necessary for that overcoming; namely, both are armed with the classical liberal principle of individual worth and responsibility. It takes them a while to bring that principle up from the subconscious and into full view, and in one case the delay is tragic, but they both make a leap away from the prejudices theyve been taught.

At one point in the shows dialogue, De Becque asks a U.S. Naval officer, I know you are against the Japanese, but what are you for? Cables and Nellies moral progress is the answer to his question.

Former music critic for the Arizona Republic and The Kansas City Star, Kenneth LaFave recently earned a doctorate in philosophy, art, and critical thought from the European Graduate School. He is the author of three books, including Experiencing Film Music (2017, Rowman & Littlefield).
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai speaks during a hearing with the House Ways and Means committee at Capitol Hill in Washington on May 13, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

US Trade Boss Tai: We Will Not Incentivize Firms to Move Jobs Overseas

WASHINGTONThe Biden administration said on Monday it was working closely with the United Autoworkers union in pressing Mexico to probe alleged labor rights violations at a General Motors plant in that country, and vowed to fight for a worker-focused trade policy.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told members of the UAW union during a visit to Flint, Michigan, that the Biden administration would work to implement trade policies that lifted wages and expanded opportunity for workers everywhere.

At USTR we want to encourage a race to the top with higher standards and real, rapid enforcement of our trade agreements, she said. We dont want to create incentives for companies to move jobs overseas to maximize profits.

Tai told the autoworkers the governments decision to initiate a case against the GM facility reflected the Biden administrations determination to fully enforce labor standards negotiated under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement.

The new GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Mich., on March 16, 2021. (Rebecca Cook/Reuters)

We know that protection unions in Mexico dont actually represent the workers. When workers are denied independent union representation, it is easier to suppress wages, she said.

The case, the first brought under the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism in USMCA, could lead to tariffs on some of GMs most profitable vehicles under the North American trade deal.

Tai, the former top trade lawyer on the House Ways and Means Committee, helped negotiate the labor enforcement mechanism on behalf of Democrats in the U.S. Congress.

By Andrea Shalal
Trump Has Zero Desire to Be House Speaker: Spokesman

Former President Donald Trump doesnt want to be nominated as House speaker, said a spokesperson in dispelling speculation about the possibility.

The former president has zero desire to be Speaker, Jason Miller, the former presidents outgoing spokesman, told Punchbowl News. The Epoch Times has contacted Miller for comment.

The Constitution doesnt bar someone who is not a member of Congress from being elected as speaker of the House. However, in U.S. history, House speakers have always first been elected to the House.

The speculation about Trump becoming House speaker gained momentum when the former president was asked about the possibility during an interview with commentator Wayne Allyn Root.

You know, its very interesting, Trump said when asked about a congressional bid in early June.

And on Monday, Trump was asked about the possibility of being nominated if Republicans retake the House during the 2022 midterms.

Well, Ive heard the talk and its getting more and more, the former commander-in-chief said in the interview. But its not something that I wouldve considered but it is certainlytheres a lot of talk about it. I have a good relationship with Kevin and hopefully we will do everything traditionally, he said, referring to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Separately, McCarthy told Fox News that in conversations with Trump, the former president said that he believes McCarthy should be the House speaker.

He tells me he wants me speaker, and I think he should be president, he said.

Several days ago, a statement sent out by Trumps office confirmed he will be holding his first post-presidential rally on June 26 in Ohio.

President Trumps first of many appearances in support of candidates and causes that further the MAGA agenda and accomplishments of President Trumps administration, the former presidents Save America PAC stated. During the event, Trump will endorse former adviser Max Miller, who is running for Congress against Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach Trump earlier this year.
President Donald Trump speaks to media before departing on Marine One en route to Ohio and Texas, from the White House South Lawn in Washington, on Aug. 7, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Trump Very Disappointed With Justices Barrett, Kavanaugh on Obamacare Ruling

Former President Donald Trump is not pleased with some of the votes that his Supreme Court nominees have made, including siding with Democrat nominees in a recent ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act.

The nations top court ruled last week that a collection of states asserting that the act, also known as Obamacare, is unconstitutional lacked standing.

Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, two of Trumps nominees, joined with the bulk of the court in tossing the lawsuit.

Disappointed and thats the way it goes, very disappointed, Trump said in an interview on Real Americas Voice.

I fought very hard for them. But I was very disappointed with a number of their rulings.

Asked if he second-guessed some of the choices, he added, Second guessing does no good, but I was disappointed with a number of rulings that they made.

Trump made three Supreme Court nominations, as many in one term as former President Barack Obama did in two terms. One of Obamas was never confirmed.

Trump did praise the court for ruling that Christian charities can refuse to place children with same-sex couples.

It was a great ruling, he said.

On the Obamacare issue, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trumps other pick, dissented from the majority decision along with Justice Samuel Alito. They said that Obamacare is clearly unconstitutional.

Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett pose during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Some of the Republican-led states that had challenged the Affordable Care Act said justices avoided a key question by dismissing the suit for alleged lack of standing.

The Supreme Court on Monday followed its recent ruling by declining to hear a case brought by health insurance companies.

The private insurers asked for full reimbursement from the federal government under a part of Obamacare. The provision encouraged health insurers to provide coverage to those who were previously uninsured.

The companies said they were collectively owed millions of dollars for each year they did not receive payments the government had pledged to make under the 2010 law. Litigation will now continue in lower courts over how much the insurers can claim.

The Supreme Court left in place an August 2020 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that the insurers reimbursement for money owed could be offset by other income they received from the government in the form of premium tax credits.

The Supreme Court in an 81 ruling in April 2020 in a related case decided that the federal government must honor its obligations and pay various private insurers up to $12 billion owed to them.

That ruling concerned payments to the insurers via the laws so-called risk corridor program designed to mitigate insurers risks from 2014 to 2016, when they sold coverage to previously uninsured people through exchanges established under Obamacare.

The latest case was related to a separate Obamacare provision that requires the government to reimburse insurers for cost-sharing payments such as deductibles and co-payments. The Trump administration announced in 2017 that it would cease making the payments.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Twitter Locks News Sites Account for Report on Teen Boy Dying After Getting Vaccine

Twitter locked the account of the National File, a conservative-leaning news website, after it reported on a tweet from a woman who claimed her 13-year-old nephew died after receiving a second dose of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine.

A spokesperson for Twitter confirmed to news outlets it locked the National Files account for 12 hours in error. The account has since been reinstated, but the outlet has now said the social media giant has now suspended reporter Jack Hadfield for celebrating Twitters decision to reverse the suspension of the publication.

The Epoch Times has contacted Twitter for comment.

According to the National File, the report that triggered the action from Twitter included claims from a woman, Tami Burages, who said her nephew died after getting the vaccine.

Our family is devastated. I struggled with putting this out on twitter. I am pro-vaccine. We vaccinated my own 14-year-old son as soon as it was available. I know it is *mostly safe*. But Jacob is dead now, she wrote in a now-deleted tweet.

The World Health Organizations (WHO) website guidance for vaccines stipulates that most COVID-19 vaccines should not be given to children, although an advisory panel in May advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that Pfizers vaccine could be administered to children aged 12 years and older.

Children should not be vaccinated for the moment, the WHOs page on COVID-19 vaccines says in bold.

A spokesperson for WHO told The Epoch Times on Tuesday that more evidence is needed on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in children to be able to make general recommendations on vaccinating children against COVID-19.

Vaccine trials for children are ongoing and WHO will update its recommendations when the evidence or epidemiological situation warrants a change in policy, the spokesperson said.

In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine safe for children as young as 12, although, during an FDA advisory panel meeting in mid-June, experts disagreed on whether COVID-19 vaccines should be given to children.

Some committee members who were wary of giving the vaccines to children said they were concerned about findings from Israeli researchers that cited elevated numbers of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, in males between the ages 16 to 30 after they had received the Pfizer shot.

We certainly need a pediatric vaccine, that is not the issue of what we are discussing today, the question is at what point will we have sufficient data  There are four hospitalizations per one million children, that is not an emergency and is a very low hospitalization rate, said Cody Meissner, professor of pediatrics at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

While citing concerns about the possible link between mRNA vaccines, such the ones made by Pfizer or Moderna, and myocardia in children, Meissner said that the FDA should hold off.

Before we start vaccinating millions of adolescents and children it is so important to find out what the consequences are, he stressed at the panel meeting, adding: I do not feel we can justify [an emergency use authorization] including children.

Several weeks ago, the Twitter account of former campaign aide to President Bill Clinton Naomi Wolf was permanently suspended. Twitter explained its reasoning to media outlets that Wolf, according to the company, shared misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

Twitter and its CEO, Jack Dorsey, in recent months have drawn significant criticism over its policies and decisions to ban prominent users, including former President Donald Trump.
A Pakistani doctor examines the blood sample from a woman for a HIV test at a state-run hospital in Rato Dero in the district of Larkana of the southern Sindh province, Pakistan, on May 8, 2019. (Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Infected Blood Probe Focuses on School Where Dozens Died

LONDONA public inquiry into Britains contaminated blood scandal, which led to the deaths of more than 2,000 people in the 1970s and 80s, began hearing evidence Monday from former students at a disabled childrens school where dozens died after being given blood products tainted with HIV and hepatitis.

Former students and parents from Treloars College, an English boarding school, were testifying to the Infected Blood Inquiry because the schools health center gave children infected blood products such as plasma to treat their haemophilia, a condition that impairs the bodys ability to make blood clots.

Some 89 former students were infected with HIV or hepatitis as a result and less than a quarter of them are still alive.

Gary Webster, one of several former students giving evidence this week, recalled the day the school informed him that he was infected. He was told the outlooks not good, we cant guarantee you will be alive in a couple of years, he said. That was it, really.

I am angry because of whats happened, because I think it was avoidable. When they told us afterwards, Oh it was just an accident, I just think what could have been, he added.

The inquiry into what happened at the school is part of a larger investigation into whats been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of Britains revered public health care system.

The contaminated blood was linked to supplies of a clotting agent called Factor VIII, which British health services imported from the United States. Some of the products turned out to be infected. Some of the plasma used to make the blood products was traced to high-risk donors, including U.S. prison inmates, who were paid to give blood samples.

In all, at least 2,400 people died as a result of the scandal.

Britains government ordered a new inquiry in 2017 after previous investigations were branded a whitewash by activists. A final report is expected to be published next year or in 2023.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, left, and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son greet with an elbow bump in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Jun. 22, 2021. (Bui Lam Khanh/VNA via AP)

UK Pushes Pacific Trade Talks Amid Broader New Focus on Asia

BANGKOKThe UK launched negotiations Tuesday to join a trans-Pacific trade bloc as it looks to explore new opportunities following its departure from the European Union and strengthen its strategic interests in Asia.

The start of talks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), made up of 11 counties with a combined half billion people, came as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met with his counterpart and other Vietnamese officials during his fifth visit to Southeast Asia in his current job.

Britain is also looking to attain dialogue partnership status with the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, as it pursues a tilt toward the Indo-Pacific region in response to Chinas growing influence on the world stage that was recommended by a recent British government review of defense and foreign policy.

From left, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Britains Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong stand for photos ahead of a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, on June 22, 2021. (Hau Dinh/AP Photo)

The UK is committed to strengthening our friendship across the Indo-Pacific, Raab said ahead of the trip. We are demonstrating this through our commitment to join CPTPP, partner with ASEAN, and invest more energy, time, and effort in our bilateral relations in the region.

The push comes as the regions countries are looking for options and alternatives to China as their main source of capital and trading opportunities, said Euan Graham, senior fellow for Asia-Pacific security with the International Institute for Strategic Studies office in Singapore.

For Britain to be taken seriously it needs to show that its prepared to be engaged for the long-term, he said.

Its no good just saying youre engaged from the safety of London, even in a pandemic you have to commit to face time in the region, he said.

Beyond trade, 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. It is also expected to announce the forward deployment of smaller Royal Navy vessels to the Indo-Pacific, Graham said.

That would be noticed in the region, he said. It wont change the balance of power, but it does demonstrate to China and others that this is not only a U.S.-China bilateral dynamic.

Whether the diplomatic, economic, and military outreach will succeed, however, will take time.

I think they can maintain their ambitions over a four-year timeframe, and that might be enough to develop the momentum that they need, Graham said, adding that closer ties to the region are probably more important for Britain than vice versa.

Following Vietnam, Raab was to visit Cambodia and then end his trip to the region in Singapore.

Britain said joining the CPTPP would open new access to fast-growing economies across Asia-Pacific and the Americas, including Mexico, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Other countries in the pact include Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, but Britain would be the first European country if it succeeds in joining.

Britain singled out digital, services, and finance as sectors that stand to gain from a trade deal, which it said should mean tariff-free trade for 99.9 percent of exports.

Membership of the CPTTP free-trade partnership would open up unparalleled opportunities for British businesses and consumers in the fast-growing Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Its an exciting opportunity to build on this countrys entrepreneurial spirit and free-trading history to bring economic benefits across the whole of the UK.

The CPTTP is a much looser arrangement than the European Union, which the UK formally left last year, as it does not include any political integration.

After the conclusion of a transition period that was intended to smooth the UKs departure, the country is now able to negotiate its own trade deals. Last week, the British government negotiated the broad outlines of a trade deal with Australia that will see tariffs on a range of goods eliminated over coming years.

The United States, the worlds biggest economy, is not part of the CPTTP; former President Donald Trump withdrew the country from its predecessor, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. His successor, Joe Biden, has previously indicated that he would like to rejoin the grouping but has yet to set out any substantial plans since taking office in January.

China, the worlds No. 2 economy, also does not belong.

The British government said CPTPP countries accounted for around 110 billion ($153 billion) worth of UK trade in 2019. Though substantial, the amount is around six times less than the business the UK conducts with the EU.
A crew member makes a signal to F-35 aircraft for take off on the UK's aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday, June 20, 2021. (Petros Karadjias/AP Photo)

UKs Newest Carrier Joins ISIS Fight, Stirs Russian Interest

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEABritains newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is helping to take on the lions share of operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq, UK naval commanders said. It has also piqued the interest of Russian warplanes, who try to keep tabs on its cutting-edge F-35 jet in a cat-and-mouse game with British and U.S. pilots.

Speaking aboard the 65,000-ton carrier on its first-ever deployment, Commodore Steve Moorhouse said the UK is carrying out most of the missions to wipe out the remnants of the ISIS terrorist group in Iraq as the United States focuses on its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

F-35 aircraft prepared for landing on the UKs aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday, June 20, 2021. (Petros Karadjias/AP)

At the moment, were taking on the lions share of that operation over Iraq, which is a fantastic, say, feather in our cap. But an achievement that A, were trusted and B, that were able to do that, Moorhouse told reporters Sunday.

Its the first time that a UK aircraft carrier is supporting live military operations on the ground in over two decades, projecting British military power on a global scale. Moorhouse said the carrier offers the UK flexibility in how to conduct military operations abroad and keeps those that wish to cause us harm  on their toes.

He said the eastern Mediterranean has become more congested and contested over the last decade in light of the heavier Russian military presence in Syria, which is resulting in regular encounters with Russian ships and warplanes.

Crew members carry a pipe to refuel a helicopter as an F-35 aircraft prepares for take off on the UKs aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday, June 20, 2021. (Petros Karadjias/AP)

Were rubbing up against Russian activity, not in a you know, in a dangerous or aggressive manner, but youve just got other people out here playing in what is a fixed piece of water and airspace, said Moorhouse, adding that a Russian warship has come within 10 kilometers (16 miles) of the carrier.

The commodore insisted that Russian, British, and U.S. pilots have a healthy respect for one another and their conduct has been absolutely professional since the aircraft carrier started anti-ISIS operations on June 18.

But there is a reality when you buy yourself a fifth-generation aircraft carrier and you take it around the world  people are interested in it, he added.

Captain James Blackmore, who commands the eight British F-35 jets and the 10 helicopters aboard the carrier, said the UK and Russian pilots have come within visual distance of each other.

Its that cat-and-mouse posturing, its what we expect in this region of world. And as you can imagine, its the first time for F-35s into the eastern Mediterranean, said Blackmore. So, of course Russia wants to look at what theyre like, they want to look at what our carriers are like.

The state-of-the art F-35, armed with air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs, is being used over Iraq to look for other aircraft or unmanned drones, support troops on the ground as well as to carry out surveillance with its sophisticated sensor and radar systems.

Its a fifth-generation aircraft with a hugely, hugely capable radar and sensor suite, and thats what it brings. So its the eyes and ears that its offering out there, said Moorhouse.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth and its support ships, which include the U.S. destroyer The Sullivans, will remain in the eastern Mediterranean for two to three weeks before moving through the Suez Canal to continue with a 7 1/2 -month deployment to India, South Korea, and Japan.

The carrier also has 10 U.S. F-35 jets from the Marine Corps Fighter Attack Squadron 211 aboard that carry out operations under British command.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gives a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 12, 2020. (Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)

US Rejects Maduros Plea for Biden to Lift Sanctions on Venezuela: Report

The administration of President Joe Biden rejected a plea from Venezuelas illegitimate dictator, Nicolas Maduro, to lift sanctions imposed on his socialist regime by former President Donald Trump, a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

In an interview with Bloomberg last week, Maduro called on Biden to lift U.S. sanctions and end the demonization of Venezuela. The State Department spokesperson rejected the request, saying that Maduro needs to do more to restore democracy before any changes in policy by the United States.

Venezuelans deserve a government that promotes and defends democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law. Mr. Maduro and his supporters deny them those rights, the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Former President Donald Trump imposed crippling sanctions on Venezuela during his term in response to an election the United States deemed rigged. Trump had recognized Juan Guaido as Venezuelas interim president after the electiona move followed by a large number of the leaders of the free world.

The State Department spokesperson said Maduro can lay the groundwork for easing sanctions by restoring economic and political freedoms for the Venezuelan people and allowing them to participate free and fair elections.

Mr. Maduro can create a path to easing sanctions by allowing Venezuelans to participate in long-overdue free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections, ones that meet minimum electoral conditions, the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

The spokesperson said the United States would work with its partners to maintain pressure on Venezuela as long as repression and corrupt practices by Maduro and his henchmen continue.

During the Bloomberg interview, Maduro said that his government has no dialogue with the United States. He blamed the silence on permanent extortion by Venezuelan voters in Florida.

Under Trump, the United States banned Maduros Venezuela from U.S. financial markets and forbid trading in Venezuelan debt. Washington also prohibited business transactions with Petroleos de Venezuela, the state-owned oil company.

Maduro claimed in the interview that the sanctions are preventing Venezuela from paying its foreign debt, adding that he had a plan to pay back bondholders.

Allowing the Venezuelan people to express themselves politically, economically, and socially would do more to ease Venezuelas economic hardships than any economic plan a discredited Mr. Maduro might propose, the State Department spokesperson said.

Venezuela was a thriving, oil-rich nation before Maduro and his predecessor imposed their crippling socialist policies. The ensuing economic crisis has left the nation desolate, with millions struggling to secure basic living needs.
The Vancouver School Board will be phasing out the remaining math and science honours courses still available at two of its high schools starting in the 202122 school year. (Alexander Raths/Shutterstock)

Vancouver School Boards Phase-Out of High School Honours Courses Axes Whats Best for Students

Commentary

Sergio Valdez is the son of Mexican immigrants who attended public school in East Los Angeles in the 1980s. He took Advanced Placement Calculus taught by the exceptional math teacher Jaime Escalante and was an integral part of NASAs Mars missions. Had Valdez attended high school in Vancouver today, however, none of this would have been possible, due to equity and inclusion policies that have now led to the cancellation of all accelerated math programs in their district.

Think about that.

Trustees at the second-largest school district in British Columbiathe Vancouver School Board (VSB)hired an educational consultant who recommended that accelerated math programs be cancelled because, according to her, gifted programs were racist, elitist, and had to go, reported the Globe and Mail in an article on June 16.

This stands in stark contrast to the over 500 comments that bombarded the Globes news site hours after the article was posted, with many readers offering strong arguments that such programs for students with advanced learning needs are, in fact, whats best for both our students and teachers in our schools.

For those of us whove been advocating for better math instruction for close to a decade, its hardly surprising. Weve been on a long downward trajectory of dumbing down our kids in this province for over 20 years. Weve seen tutoring rates explode while our ED leaders fully support implementation of the weakest math standards in Canada, a cancellation of ALL provincial exams, and no letter grades until Grade 10.

Assessment data has overwhelmingly suggested that B.C. students were further ahead with less funding and fewer equity and inclusion policies 20 years ago than they are today. In fact, since the BCEd plan was implemented in 201516, our kids academic performance has dipped even below the Canadian average in all three subject areas: reading, science, but most significantly, mathematics. Its at the lowest level ever recorded in the province.

When examining the data even further, we also see that the equity gap between the high- and low-performing students has also grown significantly, which means even fewer kids will be able to compete in our expanding global economy than they did at the turn of the last century.

What was equally troubling was the silence when the Globe reporter contacted the BC Teachers Federation (BCTF) for comment. It should be noted that the original suggestion to cancel all advanced math programs as part of the BCEd plan was made by BCTF committees, as the BCTF co-wrote the new curriculum in partnership with the B.C. Education Ministry. This was despite the unions own math teachers being adamantly opposed to such a nonsensical idea.

With teachers concerns being ignored through the silence of their own BCTF executive, its hard not to be cynical about the organization. It consistently uses children and teachers in advertising campaigns, and yet, when push comes to shove, it conveniently loses its voice.

The British Columbia Confederation Parent Advisory Council (BCCPAC), who represent parents, would have been part of this consultation, but once again, deafening silence. The group has approved two math resolutions in 20 years, but both have gone nowhere. Its nothing more than a rubber-stamp organization that receives government funding while ignoring its own mandate to advance parents concerns through its resolution process.

Parents have always been and will always be the only ones who can and should advocate for childrennot teachers, politicians, union executives, and certainly not the BCCPAC. And it doesnt have to take very much to enact change or reverse outrageous decisions like the VSBs. Similar measures to cancel advanced math classes were attempted in New York City, and it only took a few days to have the whole decision overturned by concerned parents who demanded better for their kids. Why cant the same thing happen here?

Weparents, taxpayers, and citizensmust be the ones who run the schools, not the other way around. I cannot think of a better battle to pick than one around the education of our children. If this is what representational democracy and effective public policy-making look like in the current public school system, maybe its time to rethink what public education should look like. We deserve more publicly funded choices if those running the current system ignore facts, research, data, and parents and resort to labelling us as racist for wanting whats best for our kids.

In response to the VSBs decision, a reader wrote in the Globe articles comments section: To take these opportunities to learn and grow faster from students is abhorrent. If anything, these programs *help* diversity initiatives by creating additional opportunities for kids from underprivileged backgrounds who are moving at an advanced pace. This is a tragic, stupid, ham-fisted move.

I urge VSB parents to end this monstrosity by contacting your school trustees. Do it today.

Tara Houle is a parent advocate, the founder of WISE Math B.C., and publisher of a provincial math petition.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Veteran, 101, Recounts World War II Experiences

When 101-year-old Wayne Perry, a World War II veteran, told me his first war story, it wasnt about his own experience, nor was it about his war.

A man would get wounded, they would saw his leg off and throw it out the window. Every so many days, he would gather up the arms and legs and take them off and bury them, Perry said.

The he in his story was his grandfather, Andrew J. Perry of West Virginia, who fought in the Civil War from beginning to end.

He told me about one soldier who had four horses shot out from under him, and when a horse would fall, he would jump behind it, and lie down flat, and use it as breastwork, and fire over the top of that horses body, he continued. He told me about when they were traveling in winter time and theyd throw down a bunch of fence rails in the mud, lay down and throw a canvas up over them, and have snow on top of them next morning when they woke up.

Perry remembered his grandfathers war stories very well, but he also recalled the omission of details.

That was about all he told me about the Civil War, he said. He didnt tell me very much. He didnt want to talk too much about it.

While Perry enjoys discussing the war he fought in, the details appeared reserved for unrecorded conversations, or perhaps simply for those hes known a while. Or maybe he has simply taken a page out of his grandfathers book.

Enlisting

Before entering the war, in 1942, Perry drove a gasoline truck. He had a daughter, Jan Perry, the following year, with his wife, Mary Evelyn Rapp Perry. He worked several months at a defense plant on 105 mm howitzer shells. He then worked a farm and was given a deferment from the war. But he soon began to tire of the farm life and the deferments.

Wayne Perry and his wife, Mary Evelyn Rapp Perry. (Courtesy of Dustin Bass)

I got two deferments to stay out of the war, and finally, I just gave up and went in and enlisted, he said.

He was inducted into the Army on Oct. 20, 1944.

Perry became a squad leader in the 106th Divisions Company L 3rd Battalion 423rd Infantry Regiment. The 106th was known as the Golden Lion division and was nearly replete with green recruits. It was a division that would bear the brunt of the German offensive in the Battle of the Bulge.

As he sat at the dining room table, he talked about his time at Camp Atterbury in Indiana and Camp McClellan in Alabama; about collecting kindling and wood, and a massive fire that ensued; about learning how to use different weapons such as the .30 caliber machine gun, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), mortars, and the bazooka, known to him as the stovepipe; about marching 35 miles in full gear and camping for two to three weeks at a time; and about working detail.

A young feller told me, Dont think Im getting smart with you, but when you get in the Army and they give you a job, they call it detail. Dont hurry. Theres another n waiting for you. First day in the Army I found that out, he said with a smile.

He soon noted his two favorite things about the Army: the sanitation and the food. From a modern perspective, it didnt seem worth mentioning. But as he continued, it became very clear why those two things stood out.

I come up through the Depression, he said. Youd be lucky if you could keep a job making 50 cents a day for 10 hours. Fifty cents. If anybody had any work for you to do, they didnt have any money to pay you. I have dug out bushes in a field for a dollar a day, taking potatoes, and walking home carrying it in a sack. If anybody needed some work, you were thinking corn or potatoes. No money.

I was born and raised 50 miles from electricity. That might sound funny. The first 20 years I spent there [in Dunlow, West Virginia], we didnt have electricity.

Perrys personal action in the war overseas was a reflection of who he had become at home. The slight reticence from his grandfather concerning the harshness of battle, the struggle to make ends meet during the Depression, or to merely survive when ends didnt. He understood that war was cruel and hunger unforgiving. Yet he walked into World War II with the intention to bring some semblance of relief, even compassion, from the brutality.

His intention began before deployment.

We were taught in basic training now if you come upon a wounded Germanhis arm off, leg offand hes laying there bleeding to death, stick him with your bayonet. Stick him right down through the chest, he said. Nuh-uh. Not this boy. I had a brother who was wounded over there, almost bled to death. Somebody stuck him, my brother wouldnt have gotten home. I said I wont stick no German when his rifle is 20 feet from him and his arm is laying next to his rifle. God created us as humans. He looks down on all of us. He knows where youre at, and he knows where Im at. So why kill a man when you know hes not gonna give you no harm?

He said there was another reason why he felt this way and added that he hoped to paint a clear enough picture for people to understand.

Way over here in Germany, he said, sliding his hand slightly across the table, theres a woman sitting in a chair doing some needlework. Theres a little girl sitting on the floor looking up to say, Mommy, whens Daddy coming home? Her daddy is a German soldier. Hes been gone a long time. Write a letter and ask him to come home. Well, that guy you stuck back there with your bayonet might have been that little girls daddy. You done that, she doesnt have no daddy. If hes knocked out and you know hes knocked out, why should you finish him?

He didnt say if he had run into such a situation. Regarding the battles he engaged in, he skirted the details in a way that perhaps was reminiscent of his grandfather.

When he did get into the war, his regiment landed near Le Havre, France, on April 4, 1945. He said it was cold when he left New York 14 days prior, but warm when he arrived in France. He added that soldiers had already hit the area before they had arrived.

When it was time for us to go in, two tugs come out, one on each side of our ship, he said. The bank was completely covered with scrap armsguns, trucks, jeeps, everything.

Bills that Perry collected during his service in Europe. (Courtesy of Dustin Bass)

When his regiment landed, they were taken by boxcar toward the front. It was an eight-day journey. He added that his life jacket would have come in handy as a pillow, if only he could have brought it with him.

All I had was an Army blanket.

From the train, they loaded up on trucks that would take them as far as was safe for the trucks. The rest of the journey was on foot.

We had no action in Luxembourg. We had no action in Holland. France, Belgium, and Germany was where we acted, he said, going only slightly further in detail. When we got to where we could hear the artillery, it sounded like a storm in the west. It sounded like thunder.

Our bazooka team had a rule not to fire on churches, cemeteries, or ambulances. One day, our bazooka team spotted a rifle barrel sticking through the ventilation in a church steeple; seen smoke coming out of that rifle barrel. The bazooka team did away with the church tower. Didnt stop to see how many were in it. Sometimes, there would be around three or four snipers, maybe sometimes just one, but no one went in to turn things over. We went on.

He noted that not adhering to his foxhole training saved his life. He said that during basic training, he was taught to create a foxhole that was 6 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 2 feet deep.

Our foxholes in combat were smaller and deeper because they were only made for one man at a time. If you made it 6-foot-long, the track of a tank could run right in on youyou get the picture, he said. I never rode in an airplane while I was in the Army, but I know what its like to be in a foxhole and a tank run over you.

He joked that the only time he ever slept in a foxhole was when he was in training in the United States.

When asked if the war itself was something he preferred not to go into detail about, he responded: Well, we dont say too much about frontlines. Really, I was only up at the front four days, but I seen all I wanted to see.

Its a common theme among veterans to not offer too much detail about their time in combat, especially to a person they have only just met. Its more than understandable.

After the Surrender

His daughter, Jan, listening from the other room, acknowledged that there were a lot of stories and details he had left out of the conversation, things that he had told her. She managed, however, to pull one story from him before my interview came to an end, one from after the Germans had surrendered.

When we were delivering Germans to the prison, there were hundreds of Germans, all ages, men and women and children along the railroad station starving to death, he said. Germany had run out of food, and all the men who farmed were in the war. We had French bread in our boxcar for our trip, stacked in there, not wrapped. I told one soldier to stay in the boxcar and watch our food. I told another boy to grab some bread and lets give it away. Give it to children. Dont give to no grown people.

I handed a little girl a loaf of bread. I never will forget her. Blond hair hanging down. She was starved till her eyes were sunk way back in her head. She [tore] into that bread and stuck it in her mouth like that. A woman reached up and patted me on the shoulder and said, The American soldiers sure have big hearts.

Perry would stay nearly a year after the German surrender, stationed as a sergeant over one of the prison camps in the French zone of Allied-occupied Germany. During his time in the war, he learned French and German, and during the interview would occasionally break out into a phrase and then interpret himself.

After coming home in March 1946, Perry returned to working on a farm, eventually going from more than 100 acres to a 20-acre farm. He recently sold his land in Ohio, a place he pronounces Ohi. After selling, he called Jan to ask her to put him into an assisted living home. Jan said that when he asked her to do that, she thought back on all he had done for her and their family. So she declined his suggestion and informed him that he would be coming to Texas to live with her and her family.

Perry will turn 102 in November.

Dustin Bass is co-host of the podcast The Sons of History and the creator of the channel Thinking It Through on YouTube. He is also an author.
Voters stand in booths at a voting station at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the mayoral election process in New York on June 12, 2021. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

What Is to Be Done? A Blueprint for Taking the Country Back

Commentary

What is to be done? Thats been the cry of revolutionaries from time immemorial: the malcontents, the aggrieved, the misfits, the morally wretched.

From the beginning of the modern progressive movementwhich occurred around the time that Jean-Jacques Rousseau published The Social Contract in 1762, adumbrating the French Revolutionto the uprisings of 1848 across Europe, through the advent of scientific Marxism and the horrors of those deformed twins, Soviet Communism and German National Socialism, the same desire to inflict punitive misery has marked nearly every revolutionary movement.

For all their talk of the people, however, leftist revolutionaries hardly ever spring from the people or have them on their side. The people prize stability and order; the left welcomes chaos and anarchy, leading to totalitarianism. Leftists are, by definition, minorities in their own countries, generally drawn from the intellectual vanguard, and very oftenbecause their ideas are so ridiculousnot taken seriously until its too late. They think of themselves as elites, and they mean to continue in that status long after their revolution is effected.

Adept in operating the levers of power once they attain them, however, they quickly bring the people into line with a program of terror and brute forcethe American Revolution was a notable exceptionand henceforth do all of the peoples thinking for them. Only then do the people understand that the question, What is to be done? refers not to their former overlords, but to themselves. If and when leftist movements are overthrown, its not by other elites, but by the very citizenry for which they presumed to speak: the proletariat, the working man, the average Joe. Or, as they view them, the schmucks and suckers.

As we sit here, six months into the disastrous Biden administration, the question is finally becoming evident to even the most politically disinterested American. The quality of life in the big blue cities has deteriorated markedly. The cost of gasoline has seemingly doubled overnight. The petty restrictions imposed unconstitutionally on the electorate are still insisted upon in many placesproof once more that tyranny isnt primarily about rounding up folks and shipping them off to camps, but about insisting that they conform to the most picayune and counter-factual ukases, just to illustrate their powerlessness.

The very fact that you still must wear a slave muzzle to enter a federal building is a visible sign of your continuing humiliation and subjugation. And the manic insistence that everyone in the United States be forced to undergo the largest unsupervised medical experiment in history ought to tell you all you need to know about the vaccines.

My body, my choice? Forget about it, comrade.

Controlling the GOP

So, what is to be done? The first order of business, as I wrote last week, is to get a grip on the Republican Party and make it conform to the will of the people by expelling via primary every Republican who voted to impeach or convict Donald Trump during the two impeachment farces. Now thats what you call a litmus test.

Trump ran and won the presidency in 2016 on a promise to drain the swamp, but his administration was sabotaged from the start not simply by the Democrats and their lackeys in the corporate media, but also by revanchist members of the GOP, as well as members of his own family, whose disastrous advice he unwisely heeded right to the bitter and ugly end of his term.

With his MAGA allies mostly gone by the end of 2017, the president had no one to effectively manage his reelection campaign; no one to tell him his supererogatory rallies accomplished nothing and that the real issue was stopping the wholesale and illegal rewriting of election laws under the cover of the needless COVID-19 panicwhich was where the election would be won or, as it turned out, lost.

Reforming Elections

For theres still a struggle for control of the GOP, and with Trump sidelined by the monopolistic social mediasomething the current incarnation of the Grand Old Party shows absolutely zero interest in investigating or remediatingthe burden now falls upon the voters to take matters into their own hands at the ballot box. This can only be done by pressuring state legislatures to do their constitutional duty and reformonce and for allstate election laws regarding voting.

To that end, the only principles conservatives should accept are one man, one vote, in person, on Election Day, in public, with ironclad voter identification. Absentee ballots should be limited to overseas military personnel onlyif youre out of town or even the country, thats your choice. There should be no ballot curing, drop-off votes, early votes, or judge-mandated late votes.

In fact, judges should have absolutely nothing to do with voting. After all, if that hands-off principle is good enough for the Supreme Court, which turned down the state of Texass last-ditch attempt to force the court to live up to its enumerated Constitutional powers on the grounds that the state lacked standing, it ought to be good enough for your local corrupt Democrat machine-elected or appointed black-robed hack.

Meanwhile, the ongoing audits of the 2020 vote in Arizona and other swing states will almost certainly not overturn Bidens electionthat way leads to civil warbut they might provide a helpful road map for Republican legislatures to re-assert control over their states elections so that it both shames the Democrats and ensures that they cant pull such a brazen, Tammany Hall stunt again.

To summarize: Step one is to imitate Lenin and take total control of the party. One is tempted to say by any means necessary, but thats a communist slogan whose time hasnt yet come. But with the nation-as-founded under attack via the Frankfurt School philosophy of critical theory, neither is this a time for sentimentality about your grandfathers Democrat or Republican parties, or the imputation of any goodwill toward the other side. The Democrats of FDR and Harry Truman died with George McGovern and the revolt of the Baby Boomers in 196872, and they arent coming back.

Right Candidates

The next step, of course, lies in electing the right candidates at the state level in order to send a rebuke to the Robinettes and their Twitter chirpers on social media and to take back Congress in 2022. Unless we allow the Wuhan-rigged voting system to stay in placeare there no Republican lawyers?both the House and, especially, the Senate are ripe for takeover. The expulsion of Nancy Pelosi would then follow, and surely Raphael Warnock, whos up for reelection in 2022, has little to no chance at keeping his Senate seat, should there be an honest election in Georgia.

But what about the big prize? Will there be a Trump restoration in 2024? Can a 79-year-old former president defeat a nearly 82-year-old incumbent? Will a doddering, drooling octogenarian step down in favor of his wildly unpopular vice president, a woman by happenstance born in the United States, but the child of two foreign nationals and raised in Canada to boot? Kamala Harris is the very definition of a non-natural-born citizen and it would be interesting to hear her claim otherwise.

Or is it time to jettison all the Baby Boomers and start with a fresh slate? Who in the GOP could take command? More about that next week.

Michael Walsh is the editor of The-Pipeline.org and the author of The Devils Pleasure Palace and The Fiery Angel, both published by Encounter Books. His latest book, Last Stands, a cultural study of military history from the Greeks to the Korean War, was recently published.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping applauds during the closing session of the National Peoples Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2021. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Xi Jinping Demands Loyalty From Top Chinese Officials as Rumors Spread About Alleged High-Ranking Defector

Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently led all high-ranking officials in Beijing to retake the loyalty oath and pledge their allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The move comes amid rumors circulating on overseas Chinese media and some U.S. outlets about top Chinese security official Dong Jingwei who allegedly defected earlier this year and fled to the United States with his daughter.

All 25 members of the Politburothe top decision-making body of the CCPand other top officials such as chairs of the secretariat, state councilors, the president of the supreme court, the chief prosecutor, and senior members of the rubber-stamp legislature (the National Peoples Congress) and the Central Military Commission, retook the Communist Party oath at the Historys Exhibition Hall in Beijing on June 18.

The pledge included the statement: Be ready at all times to sacrifice my all for the Party  never betray the Party.

Before taking the oath, Xi asked all CCP leaders to maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party, in terms of ideology, politics, and action.

On June 19, Chinas top watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), asked all CCP members to fight against traitors and to never betray the Party.

Tang Jingyuan, a U.S.-based China affairs commentator believed that these actions were a response to some CCP senior officials who have betrayed the Party recently.

Beijing recently released information that Dong, a vice minister of state security at the center of the rumors, was still in China. The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), the regimes top spy agency, published on its official website that Dong hosted a counterintelligence seminar in the ministry on the morning of June 18. But the announcement didnt mention whether the seminar was held in person or online, or who participated in it.

(L-R) Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Qishan, National Peoples Congress chairman Zhang Dejiang, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, Politburo Standing Committee member Liu Yunshan and Politburo member Zhang Gaoli at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 3, 2017. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)

Rumored Defection

Overseas Chinese media and several American media reported this month that Dong fled China via Hong Kong and arrived in the United States in mid-February with his daughter. He then contacted the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which is harboring Dong now, according to various reports.

There are different versions of the story about Dongs defection from various U.S. media outlets. According to one rumor, Dong visited California because his daughter Dong Yang is studying there. Another said Dong used his Chinese private passport and traveled with his daughter who holds a Hong Kong passport. Chinese officials have two passportsan official passport and a private one.

But all the rumors point to the same story that Dong handed over to the DIA a large number of documents, which include evidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was performing biological warfare research and the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a virus that leaked from the lab, according to The Daily Beast.

The Epoch Times was unable to verify the rumors.

Dong, 57, has worked at MSS since April 2017. Prior to taking up that post, he served as director of the department of national security of Hebei Province in northern China.

In his first year in Beijing, Dong was director of the political department of MSS. Then he was promoted to deputy minister and became the head of counterintelligence for MSS.

As a senior official, Chinese government and state-run media websites used to have Dongs photos and resumes. But after the rumors of Dongs defection began to circulate, his photos, resumes, and related news were removed from almost all websites, but they can be found on archived web pages.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A Brooklyn Center man accused of shooting and killing his ex-wife who had remarried four days earlier was charged Tuesday in Hennepin County.

Robert McCloud, 64, is charged with intentional second-degree murder in last week's death of 48-year-old Lauri Deatherage inside her Robbinsdale home. McCloud is expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.
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.
NORWALK  The Norwalk Police Department plans to overhaul its hiring process following community outcry over the controversial hiring and resignation of two former Bridgeport officers.

Future applicants must undergo more rigorous background checks and will be required to answer questions about allegations of misconduct before being offered a job, according to Chief Thomas Kulhawik, who announced the planned changes at a Police Commission meeting on Monday.

While our process is pretty standard with whats down across the state, there are things that we thought we could do to improve that, Kulhawik said.

The changes are aimed at preventing future hiring mishaps that led to the resignations of Mario Pecirep and Chealsey Ortiz in early June. The quick departure of the two officers came after community activists raised concerns about their tenure at the Bridgeport Police Department.

Pecirep was partnered with James Boulay on May 9, 2017, when Boulay fatally shot 15-year-old Jayson Negron after a brief vehicle pursuit. Pecirep, who was driving the police cruiser during the incident, did not fire his weapon, according to an investigative report.

Meanwhile, Ortiz  under the name Chealsey Lancia  was among four Bridgeport officers who were sued by Lisa Moragne, a former board member of Bridgeports Success Village co-op, who claimed the officers used excessive force and falsely arrested her during a board meeting nearly three years ago. Chealsey Lancia and Chealsey Ortiz are the same individual, city spokesperson Josh Morgan has said.

Kulhawik has claimed the department was not aware of the lawsuit against Ortiz, which was recently filed in federal district court.

Mayor Harry Rilling, a member of the citys Police Commission, said in early June that the allegations were not shared with department officials or the commission by Bridgeport police. Rilling, who voted to approve the officers hiring at a May 17 commission meeting, recommended that the chief rescind their offers of employment a day after they were sworn in.

In response to concerns raised by the community and Rilling, Kulhawik said future applicants will face a more thorough background check process. If a candidate was previously employed as an officer at a different agency, department officials will ask to review any files from an internal affairs investigation.

Even if they are exonerated or cleared, we want them to get copies if possible of all that information so we can review it ourselves, Kulhawik said.

Similarly, department officials will search federal court records to learn if an applicant was named in a lawsuit. They will also check for maiden names, which Kulhawik said has not been done in the past.

Kulhawik said potential candidates will also be required to answer a questionnaire as part of the vetting process. The questionnaire will ask applicants to disclose if they have ever discharged a firearm, faced an accusation of police brutality or been declined job offers from a separate police department, among other questions.

In an effort to attract a larger pool of applicants, Kulhawik said the department will rely on a written test offered regularly by Connecticut Police Chiefs Association to screen applicants. The department currently offers its own test just once every two years, which has posed some recruitment challenges.

We have lost a few local candidates that went to other departments because we werent testing at the time, Kulhawik This will allow anyone interested in our agency to take the test in a month or so.

Police Commission members appeared to be satisfied with the changes outlined by Kulhawik. Kelly Straniti, who was appointed to the commission in 2019, said she expects the new tests will help streamline the process while increasing the number of qualified applicants.

Personally, my son is applying to different departments and he wants to be in Norwalk. But the testing isnt open now, so hes going for where testing is open, she said. Were losing a lot of local talent.

Commissioner Fran Collier-Clemmons called the planned changes excellent additions to the departments hiring practices.

I think that we are on the right road to fill in some gaps that we may not have been aware that we needed to look at, Collier-Clemmons said.

Still, activists and community members who attended the meeting called on the commission to make more far-reaching changes, including increasing the number of people who sit on the three-person commission.

I hope we can expand the commission and also have more oversight, Sharon Baanante told commissioners, noting the controversy comes in the wake of nationwide protests calling for greater police accountability. Our country needs unity and unity begins with actions by each of you.

Farrah Marin suggested the city revise the bodys charter to ensure more residents of different backgrounds are represented on the commission. She asked the commission to lean in to the moment and to explore different ways to prevent future hiring issues.

I would urge all of you to re-examine the hiring processes that we have, Marin said.

richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com
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.
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.
John Badman | Hearst Newspapers

GRANITE CITY  The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced lane restrictions on the Chain of Rocks Bridge carrying Interstate 270 over the Mississippi River. Traffic will be reduced to one lane westbound on Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and eastbound on Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

These lane closures are necessary to allow IDOT crews to complete routine inspections scheduled for this structure.
Earlier this summer, some of the commercial tenants in buildings soon to be demolished for the Essex Crossing redevelopment project closed their doors. In the fall, the remaining families living on the former urban renewal site will also be required to vacate the site, as well Groundbreaking for the first phase of the nearly 2-million square foot residential and retail project is expected next March.

Earlier this month those five families, all longtime occupants of a tenement at 400 Grand St., received 90-day eviction notices. The letters from the property owner, the citys Department of Housing Preservation and Development, specified an October 27 vacate date. Court action would follow if the residents arent out by that time.

As we have reported on many occasions in the past, the residents have been fighting for relocation rights for the past four years. Community Board 3 has advocated on their behalf. In recent months, city housing officials have been working to find the tenants new apartments but the process has been contentious.

This week, we spoke with Rosalind Black and Samuel Lui from Manhattan Legal Services, a non-profit organization representing the tenants. They described the efforts to place their clients as very weak. In one instance, they said, residents had been offered an apartment far from the Lower East Side, in the Far Rockaways. Other residents had been offered apartments in public housing developments. In two cases, Section 8 rent vouchers were offered. One family accepted a new apartment in the community. Residents have complained that some apartments they have seen are much smaller than their current homes.

A spokesperson for the citys housing department told us yesterday:

We are working with the families as well as our local sponsors to help identify permanent housing options that meet the specific needs and requests of each household. We are also helping families that are eligible apply for rental assistance programs. While it has been challenging we are committed to doing everything we can to help these families find permanent housing.

We understand that finding apartments on the LES that meet the residents requirements has been challenging. The living situation at 400 Grand St. is unique because the apartments tend to be spacious (some consume an entire floor) and the rents are lower than your average affordable apartment in the neighborhood. The residents say the city, at one time, offered to sell them the building as part of the largely dormant Tenant Interim Lease Program. That offer was rescinded when it became apparent the former urban renewal site was going to finally be redeveloped.

The city has agreed to give the tenants priority for the new affordable apartments at Essex Crossing, but theres the question of where they would live during the three year construction period. Black and Lui noted that some of the tenants dont make enough money to qualify for the low income housing in the new project.
PROTECT, CONNECT, AND STRENGTHEN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

Learn more about the LMCR Project HERE and join us on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at the Rutgers Community Center at 200 Madison St. from 6:30  8:30 p.m. This meeting will focus on the waterfront from Montgomery Street to the Brooklyn Bridge.

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Nai Yang Beach cleanup collects 240kg of oil spill tar ball debris

PHUKET: A cleanup at Nai Yang Beach on Sunday collected more than 240kg of tar balls and oil-smothered debris, Sirinath National Park Chief Pramote Kaewnam has confirmed.

pollutionenvironmentmarineanimals

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 22 June 2021, 07:25PM

Local residents, including volunteers from the environmental conservation group Sustainable Mai Khao, along with national park officers and volunteers from Sakhu Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) together cleaned about two kilometers of the beach Chief Pramote explained.

On Sunday, we collected about 240kg of oil spills and tar balls on the beach, he told the thai press yesterday (June 21).

Today, we collected all of the tar balls in the morning, but some more tar balls kept coming ashore, so we need to collect them again, he added.

Officers boarded a helicopter to assess the extent of the oil in the water up to two kilometres off Phukets west coast, Chief Pramote noted.

We found no oil spill in the areas we inspected, but we cannot tell for the areas where we have not checked, he said.

The oil in the sea will certainly affect the natural resources, as before this we found a whale coming ashore with oil covering its body, Chief Pramote said.

The sperm whale, measuring 4.5 metres long with scratches along its tail and body, was rescued from Bang Tao Beach last Thursday (June 17).

We need to follow up the situation day by day until we collect all the oil, Chief Pramote noted.

Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) explained yesterday that marine debris washing ashore is usual every year during the southwest monsoon.

Phuket is likely to have some tar balls coming ashore, he said.

Some people link this phenomenon to Sri Lanka. However, we have checked the model for the tides and found that any oil spill [from the X-Press Pearl] should not affect the west coast of Thailand, he added.
Third COVID shot may be required

THAILAND: The Public Health Ministry is speeding up a study looking into the need for a third COVID-19 vaccine shot for people who are fully vaccinated as certain coronavirus variants are more infectious than others.

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthVaccine

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 22 June 2021, 08:56AM

Pedestrians walk past the entrance to Bang Kapi market yesterday (June 21) which has been closed following an outbreak. The market operator has been working to implementing more thorough virus controls standards during the closure and City Hall will perform an inspection to determine if it can reopen yet. Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya.

Along with this study, a ministry committee is tasked with assessing whether it is safe for people to be jabbed using different vaccine brands after the initial first shot is given, said Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC) yesterday (June 21).

Dr Opas, however, insisted it was still too soon to say whether a booster shot is actually needed and if the shot can come from a different manufacturer.

Knowledge [about the virus and the vaccines is updated] constantly so we need to wait until we have sufficient information to support any new decisions to make, he said. We have a team that is following up on this and will decide what will be the most suitable [for Thailands situation].

Dr Opas was responding to questions over the need for a booster shot for vaccine recipients in Thailand and whether it could come from a different brand.

He said the ministrys study is similar to one being conducted by a team led by Dr Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University.

The number of people in Thailand infected with the Delta coronavirus variant, which first emerged in India, is increasing and likely to replace the Alpha variant, first identified in Britain, as the dominant strain causing infections, Dr Yong said.

Citing findings from a new study published by the British medical journal The Lancet on June 14, he said a considerably higher level of immune response to a COVID-19 vaccine is needed as an efficient defence against the Delta variant.

Both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines were cited in this study, he said, adding a study carried out in Scotland showed they were less effective in preventing infections caused by the Delta variant.

Fourteen days after a second shot, the Pfizer vaccine was found to be 79% effective in preventing Delta variant infections, while the AstraZeneca vaccine was 60% effective against the strain, Dr Yong said.

In a similar situation, those vaccines were found to be up to 92% and 73% effective against the Alpha variant, he said.

While most cases here are now found to be of the Alpha variant, the Delta variant will in the next few months dominate in Thailand, given the [mutation] of this particular virus variant, Dr Yong said.

Thailand may have to shorten the period between first and second AstraZeneca shots to mitigate the severity expected to be caused by the Delta variant, he said.

As for other COVID-19 vaccines that induce lower rates of immune responses, he said, third shots may need to be used as boosters while the kingdom waits for new vaccines to be developed to specifically deal with the Delta variant.

In the meantime, Thailand needs to closely monitor how each existing coronavirus variant is spreading to keep track of them all, especially the fast-spreading Delta variant, Dr Yong said.

In response to growing public concern over lower immune responses induced by COVID-19 vaccines, Dr Opas said the ministry is also monitoring information taken from the ongoing mass vaccination drive.

The government is in talks with vaccine suppliers but some of these companies do not want to disclose too much information about vaccine deals, he said.

However, everyone in the country will be vaccinated as promised, Dr Yong said.

Japan has agreed to donate AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses to Thailand, which are expected to arrive next month, said Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday.

The exact amount remains unconfirmed, he said.

When asked how confident he was in the governments plan to reopen the country in 120 days, Mr Anutin said the decision is up to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) and the ministry will work to support the CCSA.

He said Thailand has so far secured 8.5 million more doses from AstraZeneca and Sinovac this month alone, up from the initial target of 6 million.
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Column: Its All in Your Head, But What Does That Mean?
RIDGEFIELD  Main Street was home to dozens of musical musings as local artists took part in Make Music Ridgefield on Monday.

The town joined more than 1,000 communities worldwide for the global celebration of music by offering a variety of performances throughout the day.

From Ballard Park to Keeler Tavern, residents were able to listen and interact with nearly 30 participating musical groups and instructors all over town. Attendants enjoyed live music at Ballard Park, with performances by The Ridgefield Jazz Giants, Bach to Rock, School of Rock and The Five OClocks.

During the event, Lounsbury House and The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum hosted programs celebrating the language of music and the role it can play in enhancing creative expression, according to a release.

Lounsbury hosted violist Suzanne Corey-Sahlin and cellist Gunnar Sahlin of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra as Guild of Artists members Clarice Shirvell, Tina Phillips and Katushka Millones painted alongside them. The Aldrich similarly hosted members of the Western Connecticut State Youth Orchestra as they played a selection of classical music for children to listen to as they painted. Participants were guided by local photographer and Aldrich volunteer, Susie Buckley.

The event was produced by the Ridgefield Arts Council. And while this is the third time the town celebrated Make Music Day, this year it served as the kick off to a new promotional initiative: Summer of Song.

A joint effort by the council, the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce and the Economic & Community Development Commission, Summer of Song celebrates more than two months worth of programming that residents  and visitors  can expect this season.

The brochure boasts more than 80 event listings from CHIRP, the Playhouse, the Theater Barn and other venues taking place throughout the summer, providing a comprehensive look into the towns cultural arts community. For the full listing, visit www.destinationridgefield.com/summer-of-song.
INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND EVENTS: Something for everyone as we celebrate
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Police officers are agents of state violence.

There is nothing particularly radical about that notion. After all, they strap on Tasers, nightsticks, pepper spray, handcuffs and guns every day.

Society has bestowed these men and women with an enormous responsibility.

Their job is to keep order. And they have special sanction from the state to use violence to do just that.

Rock Island Alderman Dylan Parker caught heat recently because he referred to cops as Agents of state violence.

It was not a diplomatic statement. But it is an accurate one.

In response, 50 Rock Island police officers showed up at a city council meeting in uniform, stood at the back of the chambers and stared down the citys elected representatives.

It was an intimidation tactic plain and simple.

Sure, the officers have the right  like any citizen  to petition their government for a redress of grievances. Free speech is the foundation of democracy.

But they didnt show up in t-shirts and jeans, shirts and ties or their other off-duty clothes. They came under the color of law. They were using their state-sanctioned authority to send a message to those who are charged with holding them accountable.

Ive seen this play out before. In 1991, the police department in Davenport, Iowa, fired Officer Anthony Chelf after authorities found he used excessive force when he beat a man with his department-issued flashlight. Records show the man ran a red light on a motorcycle, and Chelf gave high-speed chase. Chelf beat the man with his flashlight after other officers had subdued him, facedown, on the ground, according to court records.

I was standing in the room when the Davenport Civil Service Commission affirmed his firing. The commissioners were visibly frightened. Hands were shaking and eye contact was avoided. In fact, they voted behind closed doors, not in public as the law required.

Why the fear? Why the refusal to disclose how individual commissioners voted? Well, it might have had something to do with the departments entire SWAT team standing in uniform in the room glaring at them.

Police unions are too quick to defend the worst in their ranks. Take for instance the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Americans were horrified to see him beg for his life as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck and slowly asphyxiated him.

But Robert Kroll, the head of the citys police union, didnt see it that way at all. In a letter to members, he referred to Floyd as a criminal and bemoaned that Chauvin and officers with him had been denied their due process rights.

He seemed oblivious that Floyds rights were violated.

Labor contracts negotiated by these unions make it difficult to fire even the worst officers.

We employ police officers to make tough, sometimes violent, decisions on the street. Its an important job that can determine whether someone lives or dies. We know from the deaths of George Floyd and others that sometimes officers use lethal force inappropriately.

And sometimes deadly force is unavoidable.

But what rarely gets discussed is whether deadly force, even that which may be legally justified, could have been avoided. Could a situation have been deescalated that ultimately resulted in police officer shooting someone?

Instead, after every police shooting Ive covered during the past 33 years, public discourse devolves into jingoes: Back the badge; Blue Lives Matter; The Thin Blue Line.

Theyre catchy sayings. But they fail to answer the basic questions: How can we ensure public safety and reduce the number of people police officers kill?

Over the past fifty years, capital punishment has been debated in just about every statehouse in the country. At election time, politicians are routinely asked their position on the death penalty. Theologians, philosophers and ordinary pundits weigh in on the issue.

Last year, 17 inmates were executed in American death chambers. But during the same period 970 people were killed by police officers.

My point?

Almost all state-sanctioned killings happen at the hands of police, not judges and juries.

We need to ask how to increase public safety and minimize police shootings.

The ire of Rock Island officers was raised when a member of the city council dared to raise such questions after a police shooting.

On April 1, four Rock Island police officers engaged in a foot pursuit of DeShawn Tatum who was carrying a gun and attempted to hijack a car. Officers responded by shooting the 25-year-old man four times. He died of his wounds.

The Rock Island County states attorney ruled that the shooting was justified. Having watched the videos of the pursuit and slaying, its difficult to see it as anything but appropriate. In fact, I believe the officers showed restraint in not shooting him earlier in the encounter.

But Alderman Parker was critical of the department for not having a policy on foot pursuits before this happened. Could the outcome of the encounter have been different if the officers had handled it differently? Were bystanders needlessly endangered when bullets starting flying?

These are questions that need to be asked. And its appropriate for a policymaker such as Alderman Parker to be asking them.

After a deadly encounter such as this one, we need to ask not only were the officers actions legally justified but if anything could have been done to avoid such an outcome.

Take for instance a March 5 incident in Chatham. Jonathan Smalls mother called police and told dispatchers her son had a knife and was harming himself and threatening others in the family home, according to the Chatham Police Department and Sangamon County States Attorneys Office.

Upon arriving at the residence, a police officer reported that he found Small, 30, holding a knife and attempting to harm himself. According to police, Small did not listen when the cop told him repeatedly to drop the knife and instead advanced toward the officer. The officer shot Small four times. He is recovering from his wounds.

An investigation by Illinois State Police and review by Sangamon County States Attorney Dan Wright concluded the officer was justified in his use of force.

While the officer was justified in using violence, we now need to ask ourselves deeper policy questions. Should police departments offer additional training on how to deal with mentally ill individuals? What, if any, steps could officers take to deescalate these situations? Could non-lethal alternatives have been pursued?

And while police officers are sanctioned to, at times, employ violence, its an alternative that needs to be turned to far less than it is today.

Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist who can be contacted at Scottreeder1965@gmail.com.
ALTON  The citys newest water attraction is rapidly taking shape.

On Tuesday a fresh pour of concrete was placed in front of the new restroom facility nearing completion at the Alton Splash Pad in Riverfront Park. A large frog, which will be part of the splash pad, sat still crated up awaiting installation.

According to officials, the splash pad design also calls for an eagle and a paddlewheeler steamboat, reflecting some of Altons history. The splash pad is expected to be ready for use yet this summer.

In September 2019, the city learned it would receive a $250,000 Building Better Communities grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, delayed work on the project until earlier this year.

On March 22, former Alton Mayor Brant Walker welcomed guests  including representatives of the American Water Charitable Foundation, the National Recreation and Park Association and Illinois American Water  to a groundbreaking for the splash pad, the first of its kind in Alton.

At the event, Walker said the recirculating splash pad located along the riverfront near the Liberty Bank Amphitheater will be an attraction to both residents and visitors. The splash pad is designed to provide water play amid nature-themed elements that tie to Altons connection to the Mississippi River.

Along with the grant, Alton received additional financial support through the tax increment financing (TIF) program to help construct concession and restroom facilities at the site.

In March AWCF President Carrie Williams said the organization has found splash pads to be an excellent way to support public water access while engaging people in environmental education.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP)  Nicaragua police announced late Monday they had placed former first lady Maria Fernanda Flores Lanzas, wife of ex-President Arnoldo Aleman, under house arrest for alleged crimes against the state.

There was no mention of Aleman or his whereabouts. The police statement said she would remain under guard while the allegations against her were investigated.

Even before her arrest, writer and former Nicaraguan Vice President Sergio Ramirez said Monday there was zero possibility" of holding free elections in Nicaragua Nov. 7 and that opposition forces who participate would only be legitimizing" President Daniel Ortega's re-election.

In an interview with The Associated Press from the United States where he was receiving medical treatment, the author of Divine Punishment said the 75-year-old Ortega had imposed a system of terror that prevents people from freely taking to the streets and that he will not tolerate any opposition electoral campaign.

There is zero possibility (of free elections) and the political force that goes to the end will do a lot of damage to Nicaragua, it will be giving democratic credibility to a process that is corrupted beforehand, said Ramirez, winner of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 2017.

Elections where the majority of candidates who can oppose Ortega are in jail cannot be elections, he said, referring to the arrests of five pre-candidates, among the nearly 20 arrests of leading opposition figures in recent weeks.

The government has also excluded an opposition party that was going to be the vehicle for the National Coalition, a broad opposition to run against Ortega in the elections.

The parties that go to the end, that accept electoral defeat and the seats they're assigned in the National Assembly, are those that are going to give strength to Daniel Ortega to claim legitimacy in the elections, Ramirez said. It is a very serious step.

The repression has raised the fear level throughout the country.

A lot of people are leaving the country in a massive way, like hasn't happened since 2018 and there is a lot of fear among people, Ramirez said. Nobody knows if they're going to be the next one (detained by police), nobody knows whose house is going to be raided.

After his defeat to Violeta Chamorro in 1990, Ortega would never consider handing over power again, he said. That means not allowing a candidate like her daughter, Cristiana Chamorro, who could potentially unite the opposition and has been under house arrest for the past three weeks.

Late Monday, journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Cristiana Chamorro's brother, said via Twitter that police had raided his home. He demanded they respect the well-being of his sister-in-law and others with her.

They will not be able to silence journalism, he wrote. In May, police raided the offices of his online news outlet Confidencial. The government seized the outlet's old offices in December 2018.

There was no immediate comment from authorities.

The idea of always (holding) power is what guides this repressive process, power under any circumstances, Ramirez said. Like others, Ramirez sees the government's political prisoners as leverage to bring to bear in any negotiation that could emerge, though he doesn't expect Ortega to entertain that possibility until after his re-election .

The 78-year-old writer was Nicaragua's vice president during Ortega's first government from 1985 to 1990. But in the mid-1990s he distanced himself from Ortega, founding along with other intellectuals and former guerrillas, the Sandinista Renovation Movement, or MRS by its Spanish initials. It has since become the political movement, Unamos, or Unite. Ramirez retired from politics in 1996, but continues to be an important voice in the country.

His comments came the same day that Mexico and Argentina recalled their ambassadors to Nicaragua for consultations, a day after Ortega's government arrested yet another presidential contender.

Mexico and Argentina had broken with others in the region last week in not voting in favor of an Organization of American States resolution condemning more than a dozen recent arrests in Nicaragua of key opposition figures.

Both countries want to consult with their ambassadors about the worrisome political-legal actions taken by the Nicaraguan government in recent days that have put at risk the well-being and freedom of various opposition figures (including presidential pre-candidates), activists and Nicaraguan businessmen," their foreign ministries said in a joint statement. They want to promote a dialogue with Ortega's government.

Late Sunday, Nicaraguan police arrested journalist Miguel Mora for alleged crimes against the state, similar to the announced charges against others arrested during the past month. Mora was previously arrested in December 2018 and held for nearly six months before being released.

Mora led the news outlet 100% Noticias until 2020. Police searched the home he shares with his wife, fellow journalist Veronica Chavez.

Mora is the fifth potential presidential candidate arrested since late May. Ortega is running for a fourth consecutive presidential term. Other arrests have included opposition leaders, prominent businessmen and former government officials.

Mora had registered as a pre-candidate for Democratic Renewal Party.

The government has accused most of those arrested with accepting foreign funding and working for the overthrow of the government. Ortega has characterized a popular uprising in April 2018 that led to months of street protests as an attempted coup with foreign backing.

Ramirez said the leader with revolutionary ideals that might still attract some loyalty from leftists overseas is gone. That doesn't exist anymore, what exists in Nicaragua is a dictatorship like any other dictatorship, beyond any ideological color, he said.
CARLINVILLE  The Summer Reading Program at the Carlinville Public Library is off to a good start, while older patrons are enjoying their own reading programs.

The librarys youth program for 2021, Reading Colors Your World, will be held at the Loveless Park Pavilion each Thursday morning until July 22, except for July 1.
SPRINGFIELD  More than 200 concealed carry certificates issued through a Shipman instructor have been deemed invalid, and she has been charged with forgery and providing a false certification.

Macoupin County States Attorney Jordan Garrison and the Illinois State Police Firearms Services Bureau (FSB) Investigative Support Unit on Monday announced they had charged Concealed Carry License (CCL) Instructor Terry Lumma, 60, with the Class 3 felony of forgery and the Class A misdemeanor of providing false conceal carry weapon (CCW) certification.

The Illinois State Police takes these types of allegations seriously and will investigate those who attempt to defraud the system and bring them to justice, stated ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. He added his office strives to protect and maintain the integrity of the FOID (firearms owners identification) and CCL.

According to officials, in December 2020 the state police FSB received a complaint against Lumma alleging she was not teaching the CCL classes according to Illinois law. After a five-month investigation FSB investigators allegedly found evidence to support the allegation.

The FSB presented the case to Garrison, who filed criminal charges against Lumma. She is scheduled to appear in the Macoupin County courthouse on June 23.

The FSB said it had determined all concealed carry certification courses hosted by Lumma failed to satisfy the mandatory requirements for concealed carry firearm training set forth in state law.

As a result, training certificates issued to more than 200 students by Lumma and submitted to the state police as part of their CCL applications have been deemed invalid.

All of the students were sent letters notifying them of their CCL status; they are receiving a 60-day grace period to complete the requirements for a new, valid CCL. During the 60-day period, state police will deem the CCL holder as valid, if the CCL is otherwise in good standing.

State law required qualified instructors to teach applicants not eligible for prior training credit at least 16 hours of training to receive the CCL certification.
ALTON  The Alton Municipal Band kicks off Week 3 of its Concerts in the Park series with a jazz ensemble at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at Riverview Park under the direction of jazz master Tim Jarden.

Known to many as Third Coast, the group is comprised of local music educators who play a variety of styles including jazz, standards, Latin, blues, fusion, ballads and rock. Originally known as the Alton Landing Jazz Quintet, the group has seen several personnel changes.

The latest iteration includes two of the original members, Lewis & Clark Community College Jazz Director Tim Jarden and Alton School District Band Director Kenny King. Additional musicians include Alton School District Band Director Chris Jarden on trumpet/piano, Illini Middle School Band/Chorus Director Waylon Schroeder on saxophone and special guest recent Alton High School graduate Fletcher Leonard, a percussionist. Jarden said the group rotates saxophone players and drummers who play in more than one band and often perform in a variety of combinations.

The full Alton Municipal Band will be back at Haskell Park at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 27 performing outside near the Lucy Playhouse under the direction of Jennifer Shenberger. The theme for Week 3 is Threes Company and will feature Sophie Browning on clarinet.

Browning is a music educator from St. Louis who has performed frequently with the Nabla Trio, Gateway to the West Wind Quintet and the Skware clarinet quartet. She has premiered several works accepted to festivals.

She has taught in the Southern Illinois and Metro East area for several years and will be joining the School District of Clayton as a band director and woodwind specialist next year. She has presented research at the National Association for Music Education annual conference.

She received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Clarinet Performance from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville where she studied with Dr. James Mac Hinson. She just completed her Master of Music in Clarinet Performance at Bowling Green State University.

Last week saw the debut of the Alton Municipal Bands Woodwind Ensemble at Riverview Park on Thursday and the full band performance under the direction of David Drillinger at Haskell Park on Sunday. The Sunday performance featured guest artist Marc Schapman who currently is Professor of Voice and Director of SIUE Opera and Musical Theater. Schapman entertained the park audience with I Feel a Song Coming On, and opera favorites Funiculi Funicula and Nessun Dorma.

Members of the newly formed AMB Woodwind Ensemble include Martha Roberts and Gail Drillinger on flute, Adam Rodgers on French horn, Deborah Kelley on clarinet, Ilene Morgan on oboe and Gregory Van Asch on bassoon. In addition to the concert at Riverview this ensemble performed last Saturday at the Alton Farmers and Artisans Market. The ensemble is again scheduled to perform at the Alton Farmers and Artisans Market in July.

This was the most fun Ive had making music in a long time, said Rodgers.

Rodgers is in his 14th season with the Alton Municipal Band. His primary instruments are piano and French horn. He has spent the last seven years as a music educator in the Parkway School District in Chesterfield, Missouri, where he regularly accompanies students for contests and auditions. He completed his bachelors degree in Music Education at Illinois State University in 2012 and in 2020 graduated from Eastern Illinois University with his Masters degree in Music Education. He serves on the board of directors as vice president and is the Kiddie March Coordinator this year.

Roberts has been a big part of the band since 1978, playing flute and piccolo, serving as the band manager for many years and on the board of directors. She has performed with the St. Louis Philharmonic and freelanced as a musician in the area for years. She also has operated a homeschool band program, taught band at Mississippi Valley Christian School and provided private lessons from her. She met her husband Lloyd (who plays trumpet) while in the band. They continue to be active supporters of all band activities.

Drillinger is the bands announcer for performances and plays the flute and piccolo. She also is active with Alton Little Theater and sings at the Evangelical UCC. She and her husband David live in Godfrey.

Kelley has been a member of the Alton Municipal Band for 32 years performing clarinet. She has served as the bands assistant manager and on the board for many years. She teaches private music lessons and has been an instructor at Lewis and Clark Community College. She often performs with the Alton Symphony Orchestra and in productions for the Looking Glass Playhouse in Lebanon, Illinois.

Van Asch has been playing bassoon with the band for four years and works for Stifel Financial in St. Louis as a bond processor. He often performs with the Alton Symphony Orchestra.

Morgan on oboe retired as a math professor from Missouri S&T in Rolla in 2017 and moved to the St. Louis area in 2019. She has participated in a variety of musical ensembles and particularly enjoys musicals and chamber music. This is her first summer with the Alton Municipal Band.

This 131st consecutive season of Summer Concerts in the Parks looks a bit different than in the past but remains a nine-week season with performances on Thursdays at Riverview Park at 8 p.m. and Sundays at Haskell Park at 7 p.m.

Ensembles will be featured June 24, July 1 and July 8 at Riverview Park as the Alton Municipal Band eases back into its season. The full band will continue to perform at Haskell Park where players and audience can spread out and social distance through Aug. 8. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own seating and follow the state and city health and safety guidelines for social distancing and mask wearing particularly for those that are non-vaccinated.

The full band will return to Riverview Park starting July 15 for Week 6 themed Lets Go, under the direction of David Drillinger with guest vocalist Sue Parton Stanard. For more details visit access the Alton Municipal Band season concert program flyer from the city website.

The free outdoor concerts in Alton date back to 1891. People wishing to donate to the band may send a check to city hall payable to the Alton Municipal Band Special Fund or make donations online through the city website. For more details email info@altonmunyband.org.
GLEN CARBON  Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois has wrapped up the annual Girl Scout Cookie Program for 2021.

Girls in Southern Illinois sold 512,568 packages of Girl Scout Cookies this year. The following area girls were named All-Star Cookie Entrepreneurs:

 Claire Meininger from the Jersey/Calhoun County Service Unit sold 1,805 packages.

 Kaitlyn Gillson from the Alton/Godfrey/Wood River/Roxana Service Unit sold 1,251 packages.

 Katelynn Norman from the Bethalto Service Unit sold 834 packages.

 Elise Thomlinson from the Collinsville Service Unit sold 648 packages.

 Katelyn Long from the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Service Unit sold 600 packages.

 Lilly Oliver from the Granite City/Madison/Venice Service Unit sold 1,756 packages.

 Bradyn Kremers from the Granite City/Madison/Venice Service Unit sold 1,038 packages.

 Searrah Tyler from the Granite City/Madison/Venice Service Unit sold 1,000 packages.

 Layla Basso from the Highland Service Unit sold 811 packages.

 Rylee Barnett from the Troy/St. Jacob Service Unit sold 750 packages.

Our girls continue to impress us with their commitment to Girl Scouting and the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Id like to thank them, as well as their parents and wonderful volunteers, for their hard work and dedication during such a challenging year, said Loretta Graham, GSofSI Chief Executive Officer.

She said the Girl Scout Cookie Program helps girls gain five valuable skills  goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics  that will benefit them throughout their lives. Proceeds from the cookie program stay local to provide numerous opportunities for girls to explore their interests and become tomorrows leaders.

The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. Many successful businesswomen today say that got their start selling Girl Scout Cookies. During cookie activities, girls are members of a team working toward a common goal, with each girl striving to do her best.

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois serves more than 7,800 girls and engages 3,357 adult volunteers in 40 counties in Southern Illinois. For details call 800-345-6858 or email customercare@gsofsi.org.
JERSEYVILLE  A Jersey County board member is asking the county to consider becoming part of Missouri.

Eric Ivers asked the board to discuss the issue and consider putting a referendum on the ballot to ask residents if the county should promote moving the Illinois-Missouri border to make Jersey County a county of Missouri.

Ivers said his proposal came after he learned about the movement to split Illinois into two states  one for the Chicago-area counties and the other for the downstate counties.

The idea of breaking away from Chicago remains popular with people, he said.

But he believes the only feasible way to do that is to change the borders so downstate counties become part of their neighboring states and leave the upper portion of Illinois on its own, he said.

Ivers wants to find out how Jersey County residents feel about the idea. A vote would determine if the residents want the county board to follow through on the possibility of seceding from Illinois and joining Missouri.

If such a vote were to make it to a ballot, it would be in November 2022, Ivers said, noting the idea remains in its early stages.

There are two options of putting it on the ballot, he said. The first is to have the board decide as a group to put it on the ballot. The other option  if the board chooses not to do it is a petition drive to put it on the ballot, which is also a strong possibility.

Before the referendum makes it to the ballot, it would need to overcome some obstacles, including many board members opposition to the idea. If a petition gained enough signatures  between 850 and 900  those board members might change their mind, Ivers said.

A political realignment makes sense after much of the state voted for former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, Ivers said. Only 13 Illinois counties voted Democrat eight of them in the Chicago area  but the Chicago regions voter turnout was enough to give the states electoral votes to Biden.

Ivers proposal has been tabled by the Jersey County board.

Donald Little, the boards chairman, said he has found no legal process by which a county can disassociate itself from one state and associate itself with another.

I dont think its a practical idea nor do I think there is a practical process of doing it, Little said.

Little is waiting for further details on the proposal, he said. The board then will consider those details in deciding how to move forward, he said.
JERSEYVILLE  A Jerseyville man faces felony charges after police allegedly found a switchblade knife and drugs on him.

Dale A. Smith Jr., 33, of Jerseyville, was charged June 14 with unlawful possession of weapon by a felon, a Super Class 3 felony; unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony; and unlawful possession of controlled substance, a Class 4 felony.

According to court documents, on June 13 Smith, who has a felony conviction in Illinois, allegedly was found to be in possession of a switchblade knife.

He allegedly was also found to be in possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine and less than 15 grams of acetaminophen & hydrocodone bitartrate.

Bail was set at $25,000.

Other felony charges filed recently by the Jersey County States Attorneys Office include:

 Chad R. Cordes, 34, of Jerseyville, allegedly was charged June 18 with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. On June 17 Cordes allegedly was found to be in possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $10,000.

 Nathaniel E. Higuera, 36, of Jerseyville, was charged with unlawful possession of controlled substance, a Class 4 felony. On June 16 Higuera allegedly was found to be in possession of less than 15 grams of acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Bail was set at $10,000.

 Lance A. McClintock, 32, of Fieldon, was charged June 14 with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, a Class 4 felony, and domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor. On June 14 McClintock allegedly attempted to elude a police officer on Illinois 16, reaching speeds in excess of 21 miles above the posted speed limit. He also allegedly hit a household or family member several times on the back. Bail is set at $25,000.
EDWARDSVILLE  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has announced the creation of the Jim and Julie McPike Scholarship Endowment with an initial gift of $432,000 to support students in STEM.

The scholarship will cover one year of tuition and fees for junior or senior students, with preference given to qualifying women, majoring in math, science or engineering within the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) or the School of Engineering (SOE).

The McPikes live in Alton. Jim McPike  who earned a masters in economics at SIUE in 1974 and served as the Majority Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives 1983-95  donated his remaining political account funds to support the endowment.

The funds remaining in my political account could be used in three ways, he said. I could accept them as personal income subject to state and federal taxes, transfer them to another political account, or donate them to a 501(c)(3) charity.

I decided the best use for the funds would be to support scholarships at SIUE, he said.

I am thrilled that Mr. and Mrs. McPike have decided to support scholarships that will allow students to pursue degrees in biological sciences, chemistry, physics, math and engineering, said CAS Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD.

Their generosity will advance CAS strategic goal of improving the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff and students to enhance an inclusive environment, said Leonard. CAS faculty and staff have been working hard to increase the number of women in STEM majors, and the McPikes support will make it easier for individuals with financial need to pursue degrees in these fields.

SOE Dean Cem Karacal, PhD., said the SOE appreciated the McPikes gift.

Despite recent advancements, women are still significantly underrepresented in engineering and computer science-related disciplines, Karacal said. The McPike scholarships will definitely help to attract more women to pursue rewarding careers in STEM professions. Their perspective and participation in solving the many challenging technical problems facing civilization add great value when advancing engineering and computer science solutions.

Julie McPike earned her bachelors degree in science from Iowa State University in 1978 and an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1981. She has worked in the science and technology field for more than 30 years.

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, with a bachelors in naval science in 1965, Jim McPike went on to earn a bachelors in business from Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1970. He served in the U.S. Navy as a jet pilot for five years before being elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1976, serving a total of 18 years.

In 1985, SIUE honored McPike with the SIUE Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes individuals based on personal success and professional achievements, involvement with the University, and how they positively reflect on their alma mater.
EDWARDSVILLE  Entrepreneurs and new business startups are invited to compete in the 2021 Metro East Start-Up Challenge (MESC), Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles 8th annual regional business plan competition.

The MESC is organized by the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at SIUE. The Challenge identifies, encourages and supports entrepreneurs and business startups across the SBDCs service area including Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe, Fayette, Montgomery and Randolph counties.

The Metro East Start-Up Challenge elevates the discussion of, and support for, entrepreneurship across our region, said SBDC Director Jo Ann Di Maggio May. Interest in the annual Challenge continues to grow with each passing year.

The first-place winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize. Second, third and fourth place winners will receive $6,000, $4,000 and $2,000, respectively.

Prize winners will also receive an array of in-kind professional services such as legal assistance from Carol Sparks, Attorney at Law; accounting services from Kerber Eck & Braeckel, LLP (KEB); web design services by Codd Interactive; and co-working space at The Lodge.

The Illinois SBDC for the Metro East at SIUE plans to secure other in-kind services to offer the four winners.

This year, the SBDC and its partners are introducing two additional prize categories: Rural Business of the Year and Woman, Minority, or Veteran Business of the Year. Each category will have the opportunity to take home $1,500 in prize money.

The MESC is made possible through support by the SIUE School of Business, the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, Anders CPA & Advisors, Madison County Economic Development, the City of Edwardsville, National Development Council, Town and Country Bank (Edwardsville and Fairview Heights locations), City of Highland, Carrollton Bank, St. Clair County Economic Development, Growth Corp, the City of Alton, Regions Bank, Riverbend Growth Association, FCB Banks, Monroe County Economic Development Corporation, Commerce Bank, Barber Murphy Group and University Park at SIUE.

Scott Credit Union and Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Programs are this years sponsors of the Mentor-Semifinalist Networking Event to be held at the newly renovated Gateway Center in Collinsville.

SIUEs School of Business, the SBDCs host organization, will assist with facilitating the competition.

The 2021 MESC encourages for-profit entrepreneurs and startup businesses in (but not limited to) four target industries: information technology, manufacturing, healthcare and sustainable food. For a startup business enterprise to be eligible, it must have been established after April 30, 2018.

The MESC includes three rounds beginning with a brief questionnaire and executive summary submittal open to all applications that meet the eligibility guidelines. Participants selected for the second round are invited to expand on their entrepreneurial concept by submitting a full business plan. Semifinalists are paired with business professionals who will mentor them through the competition and potentially beyond. The last round is the final pitch in front of a panel of business experts.

For more information or to initiate the application process, visit siue.edu/metroeaststartup. The initial entry deadline is Sunday, Aug. 8. Semi-finalists will be announced Friday, Aug. 20. Finalists will be notified on Friday, Oct. 22.

The Challenge will announce its cash prize winners on Friday, Nov. 5 during the monthly Leadership Council SW IL meeting.

To learn how the SBDC can help your small business, contact the Metro East SBDC at 618-650-2929 or sbdcedw@gmail.com.
EDWARDSVILLE  Felony DUI charges were filed against three people in unrelated incidents Monday by the Madison County States Attorneys Office.

Matthew A. Stover, 41, of East Alton, was charged June 21 with aggravated driving while under the influence, a Class 2 felony.

The case was presented by the Illinois State Police.

According to court documents, on Feb. 18 Stover allegedly was found to be driving a vehicle while under the influence. It was noted he had been convicted of or received court supervision for related crimes in another state, in Madison County in 2001 and Jersey County in 2019.

Bail was set at $30,000.

Michael P. Quirk, 62, of St. Louis, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence while license revoked/suspended, a Class 4 felony.

The case was presented by the SIUE Police Department.

On June 20 Quirk allegedly was found to be driving 2013 Chevrolet Impala while under the influence of alcohol, and while his license was revoked for a related crime.

Bail was set at $30,000.

Anthony M. Loggins, 45, of Florissant, was charged with aggravated driving under the influence while license revoked/suspended, a Class 4 felony.

The case was presented by the Illinois State Police.

On June 20 Loggins allegedlywas found to be driving a 2008 Saturn Outlook while under the influence of alcohol, while his licenses was revoked for a related crime.

Bail was set at $45,000.

Other felony charges filed June 21 include:

 Sara A. Stiles, 31, of Dow, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. Stiles had been charged June 18 with unlawful possession of weapons by a felon and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, in a separate incident from June 17. The latest case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Feb. 16 Stiles allegedly was found to be in possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine. Bail on the latest charge was set at $15,000.

 Dale A. Halbrook, 53, of Godfrey, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On June 18 Halbrook allegedly was found to be in possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Miranda K. Oseguera, 31, of Collinsville, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department. On June 18 Oseguera allegedly was found to be in possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $20,000.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday highlighted a revised budget proposal that would expand a tuition-free scholarship program to attend community college to 22,000 additional frontline workers.

The initiative, which the Democratic governor unveiled in Detroit while marking the end of major COVID-19 restrictions, would be funded with $100 million from the state's $6.5 billion in discretionary coronavirus aid approved by Congress and President Joe Biden in March. Frontline employees who worked between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31 and do not have an associate's or bachelor's degree would become eligible for the Futures for Frontliners program, joining 85,000 eligible applicants who worked on the front lines from April through June 2020, including more than 15,000 who are enrolled.

The plan would need approval from the Republican-controlled Legislature. GOP lawmakers have not embraced Whitmer's previous call to expand eligibility to an estimated 22,000 workers who became unemployed between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31, when infections surged again and government restrictions were tightened.

Whitmer said the $100 million would fully fund two years of college for those already enrolled and allow for the expansion.

They saved and contributed to the saving of countless lives in our state, she said. It's not just gratitude, but it's opportunity that we want to create for them.

Frontline workers include employees in health care, grocery stores, sanitation, public transportation and other critical sectors in which remote work is not possible.

It is uncertain how quickly legislators and the governor could begin to allocate federal funding over which they have discretion. Legislators most recently finalized the release of $2.2 billion in non-discretionary funds for food, rental and disaster assistance, along with payments to local governments.

About $4.4 billion in federal relief designated for K-12 schools remains on hold after the Senate removed $362 million that would ensure there is at least $1,093 more per pupil for districts that stand to receive less because they have fewer low-income students.

Talks continue on the next state budget. The fiscal year does not start until Oct. 1, but a 2019 law requires lawmakers to send Whitmer 2021-22 spending bills no later than July 1. That law might be delayed if negotiations continue into the summer.

The governor has been revising her budget proposal to reflect the influx of federal funds and a large surplus of state revenues. She has called for eliminating a funding gap among K-12 districts, giving grants to businesses to temporarily pay at least $15 an hour, providing hero pay bonuses to frontline workers and upgrading state parks.

___

Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
WASHINGTON

Biden urges shots for young adults

The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to get younger Americans vaccinated for COVID-19 as the White House acknowledges it will miss two key vaccination benchmarks and as concern grows about the spread of a new variant that threatens to set the country back.

The delta variant, first identified in India, in the last two weeks has come to represent more than 20% of coronavirus infections in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.

The White House also acknowledged President Joe Biden will fall short of reaching his goal of vaccinating 70% of all American adults with at least one shot by Independence Day. Biden also expects to miss a second goal  fully vaccinating 165 million adult Americans by July 4. On Monday, the U.S. crossed 150 million fully vaccinated.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki rejected the idea that the missed July 4 benchmarks would represent a failure for the administration, telling reporters, We dont see it exactly like something went wrong.

Still, administration officials said they were redoubling their focus on vaccinating younger Americans age 18-26, who have proved to be least likely to get a vaccine when its available for them.

The nationwide rate of new vaccinations has dropped off precipitously over the past month even as shots have become more available, with fewer than 300,000 Americans now getting their first dose per day on average  a pace that, if sustained, will have the U.S. not reaching Bidens 70% goal until late July at the earliest.

Officials are also increasingly. concerned about regional variations in the vaccination program.

More than 16 states and the District of Columbia have vaccinated 70% of their adult population. But others  particularly in the South and Midwest  are lagging substantially behind, with four not having yet reached 50% vaccination rates.

The White House said meeting Bidens vaccination goals is less important than the pace of the nations reopening, which is exceeding even its own internal projections as the overwhelming majority of the nations most vulnerable people are fully vaccinated and cases and deaths are at their lowest rates since the earliest days of the pandemic, averaging about 11,000 new infections and fewer than 300 deaths per day. More states are opening back up, with Michigan on Tuesday becoming the latest to do away with a mask mandate and virus restrictions. The state had the nations worst outbreak this spring.

We have succeeded beyond our highest expectations, Zeints said.

Americans at highest risk for complications from COVID-19 are overwhelmingly vaccinated, according to CDC data, but only 53% aged 25-39 have received one dose. Among those 18-24, its 47%.

Where the country has more work to do is particularly with 18 to 26 year olds, Zients said.

Zients and government experts said the rise of the delta variant should motivate younger Americans to get vaccinated.

The reality is many younger Americans have felt like COVID-19 is not something that impacts them, and theyve been less eager to get the shot, Zients said. However, with the delta variant now spreading across the country, and infecting younger people worldwide, its more important than ever that they get vaccinated.

The variant is taking root as there are warning signs about a possible surge in cases in unvaccinated corners of America. Rural sections of Missouri, including Springfield and Branson, have seen a dramatic spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks that health officials attribute in part to the delta variant spreading among younger, unvaccinated residents.

There is a danger, a real danger that if there is a persistence of a recalcitrance to getting vaccinated that you could see localized surges, said Fauci.

Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, Alabama and Idaho are all below 40% of their population with at least one dose of vaccine.

The White House planned to focus on increasingly local vaccination pushes, with first lady Jill Biden traveling Tuesday to Mississippi and Tennessee to promote vaccinations and Biden himself set to visit North Carolina on Thursday.

The variant is accounting for half of new infections in the regions that include Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.



AP writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.
SCRANTON  A South Abington Twp. doctor will serve as the citys first public health coordinator  a privately funded position proposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Rachna Saxena holds a postgraduate degree in pediatrics and worked as a pediatrician and general physician in India for nearly two decades before moving to the United States in 2010. She earned her masters degree in public health from East Stroudsburg University last year before working for several months as a contract epidemiologist at a COVID-19 emergency operation center in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to her resume.

A member of Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognettis COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, Saxena also served as a volunteer epidemiology consultant for the city and assisted with city COVID-19 data tracking efforts, among other experience.

Cognetti recently appointed Saxena public health coordinator effective June 15. A letter notifying Scrantons human resources director of the appointment was attached to Tuesdays city council meeting agenda, but Cognetti said the letter is outdated and details of Saxenas compensation are still being finalized.

The Moses Taylor Foundation agreed to provide $120,000 annually for three years to fund the position and a marketing budget that Saxena will use for education initiatives and programming, Cognetti said, noting shell work as a contractor without benefits.

A city budget overview included last year in Cognettis proposed 2021 spending plan described the public health coordinator position as the central point for city health initiatives, public education, coordination and reporting. Council ultimately amended the proposed budget to remove the position, arguing it didnt need to be included since its not financed with city funds.

Among other goals, Saxena said shell work to mitigate the ongoing effects of the pandemic, address vaccine hesitancy and boost local vaccination rates. Generally speaking, she plans to work with local partners to improve the health of city residents, including vulnerable populations, and bolster access to health and community support services.

Saxena also hopes to address and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction issues in the city and promote and coordinate preventive health measures, including cancer screening, diabetes testing and smoking cessation efforts, she said.

The coordinator means that as of June 15 we have somebody at the city whos spending her time all day every day at City Hall thinking about public health, Cognetti said. Theres so many elements of public health that we already do, but ... she can be thinking through ways that, through public works, through code enforcement, through the mayors office, through community development, police, fire, we can be augmenting our services  we can be getting that information out in a more robust way.

In addition to working with the state Department of Health, Saxena will be available to liaise with Lackawanna County officials as they pursue the potential creation of a local health department at the county level.

Saxena comes from a medical family. Her father, four siblings and husband, Sanjay Saxena, are also doctors. Sanjay Saxena works locally at Commonwealth Healths Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton.
SCRANTON  From finding their way around campus and the city to meeting professors and other staff, the Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., will always have a common bond with the class of 2025.

The new president of the University of Scranton, in his second week, met incoming freshmen and their parents Monday morning  the first in a series of sessions and the first in-person orientation in two years.

I too find everything brand new. The learning curve is quite steep for me right now, but the university feels like home, Marina told the students. Were all freshmen. Were all first-year students.

Marina, most recently the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, succeeds the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS, in March.

If ever the phrase standing on the shoulders of giants applies, its in this case, Marina said.

The university announced Marinas appointment in February, amid higher educations unprecedented challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the university announced it will require students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus for the in-person fall semester.

For now, Marina lives in the Jesuit residence but will move into an on-campus apartment by the end of summer. He walks the city streets daily, admiring the buildings and making a note of each coffee shop. Each person he meets, including employees and students, makes him feel welcome. In coming days, he plans to meet with Scrantons mayor, the bishop of the Diocese of Scranton and other elected leaders.

We have a wonderful community, he said. With each passing moment, I fall more in love with it.

As a novice Jesuit in 2005, Marina first met Pilarz during a trip to the university to speak to students about vocations. Marina often recalls Pilarzs words to him that day: With any luck and with Gods grace, you may join us here in Scranton someday.

Those words were on Marinas mind again Monday, as he spoke to students again, this time as incoming freshmen.

He read a quote from St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Society of Jesus: Strive after the goal to which you are called to with all your might, and know that God has already supplied you with the means to achieve it. Remember that love must always manifest itself in deeds rather than words.

Those words, nearly 500 years old, are as relevant today as the day they were written, Marina told the families.

Students, both eager and nervous, met future classmates and began icebreaker activities and learning what to expect when arriving to campus in August.

Junior Julia Mancuso, an orientation volunteer from Dunmore, watched as Marina mingled with students and parents before delivering his remarks. It seemed as if he had been president for years, not just a week.

Hes very inspiring, she said. Its almost like we still have a small part of Father Pilarz here with Father Marina.

Senior Mary Bunone, an orientation leader from Ramsey, New Jersey, said she and other students are excited to experience Marinas leadership.

He brings a lot of energy to campus, Bunone said. We are lucky to have him.
June 22, 1951

Apartment building destroyed by fire

A soon-to-be opened two-story apartment building in a housing development along the Scranton-Pocono Highway was destroyed by fire.

The fire at Oakmont Park, a housing development, was called in at 6:01 a.m. By the time the first unit of Scranton firefighters arrived on scene, the roof had already fallen into the structure.

The firefighters extinguished the fire by 7:30. A few firefighters and trucks stayed on scene to wet down the ruins.

Scranton Assistant Fire Superintendent Martin Lahey reported the fire was believed to have started in the basement of the building.

Families were scheduled to start moving into one of the developments apartment buildings on July 1.

109th making buns, rolls and cakes

Scrantons Own 109th Infantry had another accomplishment to be proud of  making baked goods.

Col. Fred R. Evans, the 109th Infantry commander, told his kitchen personnel that he didnt consider a meal complete without some good dessert like cake or pie. This desire led to the creation of a regimental bakery within the 109th.

The 109th mess supervisors reviewed their teams and found there were few bakers spread across the 20 units.

They informed Evans of this situation, to which Evans ordered, Center your top bakers in one location, put the best man in charge and do the baking and distributing to all the companies.

Sgt. Walter Hanstien of Prescott Avenue, an experienced baker, was put in charge of the bakery. He selected Sgt. Edward Preambo and Cpl. Peter Bohn as his assistants.

The bakery operated on a 24-hour schedule in three shifts with two experienced bakers and three apprentices working.

The baking took place at Camp Atterbury in Indiana, where the 109th was training with the 28th Division.

Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribunes expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.
Every June, Pennsylvanias educators and parents find themselves in familiar territory  pleading with lawmakers to increase funding that their public schools desperately need.

So, it is shocking that some lawmakers in Harrisburg want to hand billions of taxpayer dollars to private and religious schools over the next decade  money that inevitably will come at the expense of the states public schools, which educate nine out of every 10 students.

Its all laid out in Senate Bill 1, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Martin, a Republican from Lancaster County.

Martins bill would give the states two tax credit programs benefiting private and religious schools a whopping 68% funding increase next year and provide 25% increases each year after. Public schools are lucky to get funding increases on the order of 2% to 3% in any year.

What exactly does that mean in real dollars? Tax breaks for corporations that contribute to private and religious schools would grow to nearly $1 billion within five years. In 10 years, the costs would top $3 billion.

Never in all the Junes of past years have public education advocates even asked for a 68% funding increase  let alone gotten one. Never have they had the luxury of automatic 25% funding increases to count on year after year after year.

Yet that is what Sen. Martin wants for private and religious schools that educate only a small segment of the states population.

Just as troubling, Senate Bill 1 does nothing to help school districts address rapidly increasing charter tuition costs. In fact, it would make the problem significantly worse.

Right now, charter school operators must meet certain legal thresholds to open their doors to students. Local school districts are tasked with reviewing their plans and determining if they have checked all the legal boxes.

Senate Bill 1 would bypass school boards, creating a state-level board of political appointees to make decisions on future charter school proposals.

Keep in mind that public school districts are responsible for funding charter schools. In 2019-20, districts paid out $2.2 billion to existing charter school operators statewide. Certainly, property-tax payers shoulder some of this burden.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association supports high-quality charter and cyber charter schools. We represent more than 1,000 educators and support professionals who teach and serve students in charter schools statewide.

Thats why we feel so strongly that there needs to be accountability for charter schools and the boards, administrators, and for-profit management companies that operate some of them.

And with charter school tuition costs rapidly becoming one of the largest expenses for public schools, these decisions must be made by local school boards, not another unelected board of political appointees.

Tax credit expansion and charter changes in Martins bill could amount to the largest transfer of taxpayer dollars out of public schools in Pennsylvanias history  and just about the worst attack on public education weve ever seen. Ultimately, its our students who will suffer.

Lets do better. Lets focus on the needs of our students as we recover from this pandemic. We must be attentive to their academic, mental, social, and emotional needs, and we must do everything we can to bridge learning gaps. Lets make that the focus of this June, rather than taking away funding desperately needed by our public schools.
Brenda Darlene (Burnett, Witt, Bollmer) Curtin, 52, of Cincinnati, Ohio passed away June 21, 2021. She was born November 13, 1968, in Cincinnati, Ohio to the late Gladys (Jones) Napier and the late Wilburn Burnett. Brenda was preceded in death by a daughter, Jennifer Witt and sisters Alta Ru
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Steady light rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 57F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Steady light rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 57F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Consumer champion Martin Lewis says there is not enough sympathy for fraud victims, and is calling for a police crackdown on the almost unpunished crime.

The Money Saving Expert founder warns that those who fall prey to scammers are seen as lesser victims because people wrongly assume that they have the money to spare. He adds that fraud should be seen as an epidemic which is accelerating at an alarming pace.

His comments come after the Mail revealed fraudsters have stolen 2.6 billion from unwitting victims since May last year  up some 350 million on the previous year.

Epidemic: Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis warns those who fall prey to scammers are seen as 'lesser victims' because people wrongly assume they have the money to spare

Investigators warn there has been an explosion in mass impersonation scams during the pandemic, with fraudsters posing as officials from the NHS, HMRC or Royal Mail.

And while nearly 150,000 victims have authorised payments totalling 479 million through their banks to fake officials, only 206.9 million has been reimbursed.

Mr Lewis told Money Mail: The problem is that fraud is almost an unpunished crime and people can get away with it with impunity.

The number of prosecutions for fraud is negligible compared to the number of occurrences out there.

Even in high-profile cases, there is nothing that can be done. We do not prosecute or take any resources back from fraudsters.

There will be enormous numbers of people out there who have reported cases of fraud to the police and have just been told theyre not worth investigating.

He adds that the true number of scams could be even bigger because most people are too embarrassed to report fraud.

Mr Lewis says scam victims should be treated much better: People somehow think of victims of fraud as lesser victims because, well, its only money, isnt it?

If you have the money to give away, then you have the money to spare. Thats balderdash. Fraud can destroy peoples financial lives, but its also devastating for peoples mental health, their self-esteem, and their levels of anxiety and depression.

It should never be considered as a simple victimless crime.

Last week, Money Mail revealed how elderly victims are being targeted disproportionately by scammers.

Victims over the age of 70 have lost a total of 425.3 million to scammers since May last year, according to figures from Action Fraud.

Experts warn that vulnerable adults, such as those with dementia, are most at risk because they are unlikely to realise they have been scammed, let alone report it.

National Trading Standards (NTS) says the over-70s are also more likely to be preyed on by nuisance callers.

Targetted: Victims over the age of 70 have lost 425.3m to scammers since May last year, according to figures from Action Fraud

Those who respond to scam calls and mail are then typically put onto sucker lists which are traded between fraudsters. This leads to the same person being repeatedly targeted.

According to NTS, the average age of somebody on this type of list is 73.

The National Crime Agency believes a controlling mind kingpin based in the UK is steering an international gang responsible for much of the fraud.

The Government is under increasing pressure to pour more resources into the police to tackle the scammer epidemic.

Until now the pressure has been placed on cybercrime reporting body Action Fraud  which Mr Lewis labels a flaccid organisation that does nothing.

He is calling for a joined-up approach, with an anti-fraud taskforce which regulates and governs telecoms providers as well as banks.

He says: We all now understand the R number. Well, I think the scam R number is about three or four at the moment  it just continues to explode.

It does not take [deputy chief medical officer] Jonathan Van-Tam to realise that people are being mass-defrauded across the United Kingdom.

Police action is flaccid because its so under-resourced. Fraud needs to be stamped out. Clearly were going to see more, not less, in the future.

First, we need to deny scammers access to the public, which you could do more effectively through the draft Online Safety Bill. This aims to deliver on the Governments manifesto commitment to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

And we need to increase the resources available to the police so there is a zero-tolerance attitude to fraudsters, Mr Lewis adds. They have to know they are going to be investigated and the money that they stole will be taken back off them.

Last week, Home Office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford told the Mail that the Government is recruiting specialist fraud officers to investigate scammers.

A spokesman for Action Fraud says: We recognise the threat from fraud is increasing and are actively working with police forces to improve the policing response.

moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
Liberty Steel's chief financial officer was unable to answer questions from MPs about the company's balance sheet

A finance boss at Sanjeev Gupta's struggling steel empire said he did not fully understand its complicated balance sheet.

Anton Krull, chief financial officer of Liberty Steel UK, was unable to answer questions from MPs about the matter during a business committee hearing.

When asked for details on the viability of certain operations, he said his remit did not 'extend to the balance sheet in terms of the capital structure'.

The fiasco underlined the complicated structure of Gupta's GFG, which is teetering on the brink after its main lender collapsed.

Greensill Capital crumpled this year with an estimated 3.6billion of exposure to GFG.

Gupta is racing to secure fresh financing, a move complicated by a Serious Fraud Office probe into the firm over suspected fraudulent trading and money laundering.

Richard Fuller, a Tory MP on the committee, said: 'It is totally unacceptable when so many issues around the viability of the business relate to financial matters at GFG that they sent people who were patently incapable, for good reasons, of answering even the most basic questions.'
The buyout barons circling Morrisons have been told to raise their bid by at least 1.2billion if they want a chance at buying the supermarket.

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CDR) swooped on the grocer with a 5.5billion bid worth 230p per share last week  but the offer has been spurned for being too low.

And City brokers yesterday said the private equity firm would have to dramatically raise the stakes if it is serious about buying Morrisons.

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice swooped on the Morrisons with a 5.5bn bid worth 230p per share last week - but the offer has been spurned for being too low

They said the supermarkets board, led by chairman Andy Higginson, was unlikely to negotiate unless the bid was upped to at least 280p a share.

That would take the overall value of the offer to more than 6.7billion, an increase of 1.2billion. Morrisons shares leapt more than 30 per cent higher on Monday after news of CDRs advances emerged, indicating that investors believe a bidding war could erupt.

Yesterday, they fell 1 per cent to 237.8p, valuing the business at 5.7billion.

Amid speculation about who could come forward, number one shareholder Silchester, which is led by star fund manager Stephen Butt and owns 15.2 per cent, is expected to be the kingmaker.

Butt, 70, will probably cast the deciding vote on whether a takeover goes ahead. He set up the fund in 1994 with former colleagues from investment bank Morgan Stanley and is one of Britains wealthiest fund managers.

He is previously estimated to have amassed a fortune of more than 700million and paid himself at least 27million in 2019.

A big fan to the arts, he has donated to the Royal Ballet School, the Natural History Museum and the Royal Academy of Music.

His firm describes itself as a long-term investor. It was previously a top investor in defence giant Cobham and urged the firms board to reject a 4billion takeover by private equity firm Advent International and hold out for a higher offer.

Kingmaker: Morrisons's number one shareholder Silchester is led by star fund manager Stephen Butt (pictured)

Legal & General, the 11th-biggest shareholder in Morrisons with 2.8 per cent, opposes the CDR bid on the grounds that it undervalues the company.

CDR counts former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy  a retail industry giant  as a top adviser and its European boss, David Novak, is thought to be leading deal talks.

But the pair and other potential rivals have to offer more if they want to engage, one broker close to the supermarket said.

Private equity has deep pockets and investors know this, the broker said. Silchester wont even begin discussions until there is a premium offer made.

Leahy and CDR need to get Silchester interested if they are to progress. It will be very interesting to see what they come back with.

Yesterday, politicians waded in, saying a takeover should be subject to tough scrutiny to protect food supplies and jobs.

Seema Malhotra MP, shadow minister for business and consumers, said supermarkets must not be scrapped for parts.

She added: It is far too often the employees, pensioners and the taxpayer who are left to pick up the pieces and pay.

The Government cannot just stand by and let that happen to Britains supermarkets.

Turning down the bid on Saturday, Morrisons board said it concluded that the proposal significantly undervalued Morrisons and its future prospects.

Other potential bidders include the internet shopping behemoth Amazon, which already partners with Morrisons to sell food online, as well as fellow buyout firms, KKR, Lone Star and Apollo.
Thousands of savers have been waiting up to three months for Nationwide to move their money to a top-paying account.

Britain's biggest building society was deluged with applications after launching a market-leading cash Isa on March 17.

Some 250,000 savers rushed to open the fixed-rate deal within the four weeks it was on sale.

Backlog: Nationwide was deluged with applications after launching a market-leading cash Isa offering a top 0.75% plus cashback on March 17

But a backlog means more than 2,300 have been left in limbo, waiting for their accounts to be opened.

The Isa, only open to existing customers, offered a top 0.75 per cent rate for 18 months.

Savers could also pocket an extra 50 cashback if they transferred at least 10,000 from another organisation  effectively raising the rate to nearer 1.1 per cent.

But demand from savers battling record-low rates took Nationwide by surprise.

One such person is Money Mail reader Carol Waldron, 71, who visited her local branch in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire with husband Ray soon after the Isa launch, so they could both open an account.

They were told they could not submit applications in branch as lockdown rules meant only essential services were possible. Instead, they were sent away with forms to open the accounts by post.

They filled these in on March 24 and posted them to Nationwide along with two cheques for 10,000.

Yet when Carol called the building society to ask about their applications two weeks later, Nationwide said it had no record of receiving them.

She was told to cancel the cheques and reapply. But a week later, on April 14, it tried to use the original forms and cheques to open the accounts.

This would not go through as the cheques had already been cancelled. And despite receiving the new paperwork, the couple were still waiting two months later.

It was only after Money Mail intervened that Nationwide resolved the problem and backdated the interest to when they originally made the application on March 24.

It has also offered 100 compensation to both Carol and Ray, along with an apology.

Carol, who has been a Nationwide member for nearly 20 years, says: 'We spent time and effort cancelling cheques, visiting the branch and endless phone calls trying to open this account. I expect better service.'

Other members have taken to Twitter to complain, asking: 'Why has it taken two months to process my Isa?'

A Nationwide spokesman says: 'Our Member Exclusive Fixed Rate Isa offered a market-leading rate which led to very high volumes of applications.'

Under Isa rules, banks and building societies should transfer a cash Isa within 15 days. But an industry-wide voluntary agreement aims to complete 85 per cent of transfers within seven working days.

If your transfer is delayed, the interest on your new account must be backdated to the date on the cheque or from day 16 after the transfer request, whichever is earlier.

Nationwide says the 50 cashback will be paid by June 30. If the switch is not completed by then, the payment will be made in July.
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MALTA  GlobalFoundries is moving forward with a new computer chip factory  only it's not being built in Saratoga County as some might expect.

Instead, the company said they would spend $4 billion on a new factory, or "fab" in Singapore, where they have a large manufacturing campus.

But that doesn't mean the Malta location won't someday house a second facility.

That's because the U.S. House of Representatives is poised to debate the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, a bill that if passed would provide the U.S. computer chip industry $52 billion to counter China's rising semiconductor industry  including money to induce GlobalFoundries to build a second chip factory in Malta.

GlobalFoundries CEO Tom Caulfield, who recently moved the company's headquarters from Silicon Valley to Malta, said the Singapore expansion is part of a companywide initiative that will include expansions in New York and Germany where the company also has chip factories known as "fabs." The addition of new factories comes on the heels of a global shortage of chips used in everyday electronics caused by the pandemic and the impact it has had on the way people work, live and interact.

GlobalFoundries is meeting the challenge of the global semiconductor shortage by accelerating our investments around the world," Caulfield said Tuesday. "Working in close collaboration with our customers and the government of Singapore is a recipe for success that we are pioneering here and looking forward to replicating in the U.S and Europe."

The expansion  of GlobalFoundries most sophisticated fab in Singapore  will significantly increase the company's capacity on the island nation by more than 50 percent.

Meanwhile, the Capital Region's business community is waiting with excitement for the House to take up passage of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which was introduced in the Senate by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and passed by the Senate earlier this month. The bill has the support of President Joe Biden, who originally proposed the funding as part of his $2 billion infrastructure bill.

"By strengthening our innovation infrastructure, we can lay the foundation for the next generation of American jobs and American leadership in manufacturing and technology," Biden said on June 8.

GlobalFoundries said the Singapore expansion would be supported financially in part by the government of Singapore and some customers. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act would likely provide companies that build new chip factories in the U.S. about $2 billion per fab. Because of that, GlobalFoundries, as well as Intel and Samsung, have said they are looking at upstate New York to build new chip fabs, which cost about $10 billion to build in the U.S.

The chip manufacturing bill would not only counter mainland China's rising power in chip manufacturing but also its military aggression toward Taiwan, the island nation that China claims as its own. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, makes many of the chips used in U.S. electronics, including the most advanced iPhones, and an invasion by China would essentially choke the global chip supply and cause havoc in the U.S. China has also denounced Schumer's U.S. Innovation and Competition Act as well.
ALBANY  After 12 years as one of the most popular bars downtown, including the past five in the enormous former Jillian's building at 59 N. Pearl St., the Pearl Street Pub will close after business on Saturday night as the owners prepare to revive the historic Lark Tavern on Madison Avenue, closed since early last year.

Pearl Street Pub owners Chris Pratt and Alessio Depoli, who bought the nearly 40,000-square-foot former Jillian's building in 2016 for $800,000, are selling it for $1.9 million to Redburn Development, Pratt said. For the past several years Redburn has been involved in an $80 million-plus, 10-property revitalization of the North Pearl Street corridor into apartments and retail and commercial spaces.

More: Capital Region restaurants opened, closed or coming soon

Pratt said he and Depoli are paying $1.1 million for the Lark Tavern property package; it includes the 453 Madison Ave. building that has been a bar since 1933, a rear parking lot with space for about three dozen vehicles and a next-door building that is home to a laundromat. The sale was confirmed by Mike DiNapoli, a local optician whose family has owned the Lark Tavern building for more than 50 years. The business has always been run by others who lease the space.

Pearl Street Pub, serving in recent months only on weekends, will be open from 3 to about 10 p.m. Friday in its street-level main bar. The upstairs dance club will have its final night from 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Pratt said. The building also includes three apartments on the third floor and a basement level with four retail spaces, three currently occupied by a fashion designer, spa and beauty salon.

Jeff Buell, a principal of Redburn, confirmed his company's purchase of 59 N. Pearl. He said the commercial spaces will remain, with the restaurant level being taken over by a local operator that he declined to name. Redburn will add 15 apartments to the upper floors, bringing the company's total apartments in the corridor to 307. Their vacancy rate is less than 1 percent, Buell said.

Pratt said he considered relocating PSP to Albany's warehouse district. But, after 12 years as a proprietor, at one point running five restaurants and bars simultaneously, and with his 55th birthday approaching later this year, the lifestyle and its hours no longer appeal to him.

"I know if we moved the pub, we could be successful in bringing our crowd down there, but I just don't want to do the late nights anymore," Pratt said. He said he is looking forward the calmer atmosphere of a local watering hole with no throngs of dancing collegians, no DJs and a neighborhood-mandated closing time no later than 2 a.m. PSP opened in 2009 across the street from its current location, in a former YMCA building that has been renovated by Redburn. In the fall the space will become the eighth outlet of a Vermont-based creperie called The Skinny Pancake.

Pratt and Depoli still own Public House 42, opposite the Albany Capital Center and closed since the pandemic halted activity at the convention facility and nearby Times Union Center last year. Public House 42 will reopen as events at the venues resume, Pratt said. With another business partner, George Mahoney, Pratt bought and rehabbed 52 and 54 N. Pearl, across from PSP; one is home to Steuben Market, due to reopen in September, and the other will become a wine bar and brick-oven pizzeria, Pratt said. Both have apartments upstairs.

The Lark Tavern property, originally for sale for $1.3 million, drew four serious offers, DiNapoli said. Referring to Pratt and Depoli, he said, "I had higher bids than theirs, but they're proven operators, and they were willing to keep them name as the Lark Tavern. That was important to me."
ATLANTA  Despite a recent White House victory lap over 300 million vaccine shots administered in President Joe Bidens first 150 days, the highly contagious Delta variant continues threatening the U.S., especially in states with the lowest vaccination numbers.

On Sunday, Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, told CBS Face the Nation the Biden administration needs a new vaccine strategy.

Connecticut, for example where I am, shows no upsurge of infection, but Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, show very substantial upsurges of infection. Thats based entirely on how much population-wide immunity you have based on vaccination, he said.

The Delta variant could cause an upsurge in infections, but the levels will vary depending on the rates of vaccination in each area.

When we look across the United States, we see wide variance in terms of vaccination rates, said Gottlieb.

Last week, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elevated the Delta COVID-19 variant as a variant of concern. On Friday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said she expects the Delta variant of the coronavirus will become the dominant strain in the U.S.

During an appearance on ABCs Good Morning America, she told Americans who get their shots that youll be protected against this Delta variant. That strain has become dominant in Britain after it was first detected in India.

On Friday, Biden credited scientists, companies, the American people and his whole-of-government effort. The president noted the widespread vaccination campaign had set the stage for most Americans to have a relatively normal summer as businesses reopen and employers hire.

Were heading into a very different summer compared to last year, the president said. A bright summer. Prayerfully, a summer of joy.

But as Biden marks one milestone, he is in danger of failing to meet another: his target to have 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, in a little over two weeks.

Overall, about 168 million American adults, or 65.1% of the U.S. population 18 years and older, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Friday, according to the CDC.

The pace of new vaccinations in the U.S. has dropped significantly from a high of nearly 2 million per day about two months ago, jeopardizing Bidens ability to hit the 70% mark.

The White House said its whole-of-government approach to the vaccination effort has put the virus in retreat, which in turn has brought COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths to their lowest levels in more than a year. But Biden noted in his remarks that some communities in states with lower vaccination rates are seeing cases and hospitalizations increase.

The administration is in the middle of a monthlong blitz to combat vaccine hesitancy and the lack of urgency some people feel to get the shots, particularly in the South and Midwest.

The Biden administration insists that even if the 70% vaccination goal is unmet, it will have little effect on the overall U.S. recovery, which is already ahead of where Biden said it would be months ago.

While two of the states slammed hardest by the disaster, California and New York, celebrated their reopenings last week with fireworks and a multimillion-dollar drawing, hospitalizations in parts of Missouri are surging and cases are rising sharply in Texas, illustrating the challenges the country faces this summer.

Its a race between the vaccines going into people and the current or future variants, said Kansas Health Secretary Dr. Lee Norman.

Average deaths and cases per day have plummeted 90% or more across the U.S. since the winter. But the picture is uneven.

In Texas, the rolling average of newly confirmed infections has climbed from about 1,000 per day on May 31 to nearly 2,000 this week.

A swath of Missouri is seeing a big rise in cases and hospitalizations as tourists eager to get out after being cooped up for a year make their way to popular destinations including Branson and Lake of the Ozarks. Health officials said more than 200 people were hospitalized with the virus in southwestern Missouri, nearly double the number at the start of May. The number of patients in intensive care units in the region has tripled.

Health experts cite two factors driving the surge there: the faster-spreading Delta variant and a reluctance among residents to get vaccinated.

Among the states that dont expect to hit the goal are Kansas and Idaho. In Idaho, some counties have adult vaccination rates under 30%, said Elke Shaw-Tulloch, public health administrator for the state Department of Health and Welfare.

To increase vaccinations, several states are working to break up large shipments of vaccine into smaller lots, which can then be distributed to doctors offices. Health officials see primary care physicians as key to easing peoples concerns.

Big, splashy giveaways such as lotteries have gotten a lot of headlines and dispensed millions of dollars. In Maine, home of the outdoor wear company L.L. Bean, Bean gift cards were a big hit. But elsewhere, there has been skepticism about such programs.


SCHENECTADY  The city's relatively tranquil by day, but by nightfall speed demons navigate garbage-strewn streets as illegal fireworks explode overhead.

That's the grim portrait painted by Schenectady lawmakers on Monday as they debated how to tackle chronic quality-of-life issues.

The City Council is now weighing the use of speed cameras, anti-littering campaigns and fireworks crackdowns amid sustained complaints from residents

Need for speed

Lawmakers have long fielded complaints from residents about speeding.

The council approved $20,000 for speed humps in last years budget, as well as $113,000 for speed cameras in school zones.

Neither device has been deployed. Police are continuing to research and are obtaining quotes for the humps and the speed zone radar units, Chief Eric Clifford said Tuesday. The process is being coordinated with Signal Superintendent John Coluccio's office, which has oversight on all traffic control signals.

The speed humps are also requiring city police to consult with the city Bureau of Service to plan installation and moving of the humps, Clifford said.

But lawmakers admit more needs to be done to combat lead-footed drivers, and are now examining the use of speed enforcement cameras that issue tickets for violations.

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This has been implemented in New York City and Baltimore and they've seen some significant improvements in speeding," Majority Leader John Polimeni said. "I think thats something worth looking into."

Installing speed cameras requires approval from the stage Legislature (and the devices approved last year for school zones do not issue tickets, but simply warn drivers).

All five incumbent lawmakers, as well as their challengers in Tuesday's primary contest, have agreed the speed limit in the city should be reduced to 25 mph, a measure which also requires state approval.

Mayor Gary McCarthy said he wasnt opposed to speed cameras, but said the city has already deployed optical sensors as part of its Smart Cities initiative that tracks metrics like speed, traffic counts, lane usage and other metrics.

Ideally, that data can be used to combat speeding, he said.

Our potential to use these is far more advanced than what they put in place in New York City and Baltimore, McCarthy said, who urged lawmakers to pursue a plan that is more well thought out and robust in nature so it can utilize all features were deploying here.

Locally, the city of Albany has deployed speed cameras to mixed results.

Lawmakers also want to launch a pilot program that would outfit stop signs at problematic intersections with LED lights, an effort Coluccio said could cost up to $1,700 per unit.

Im certainly not against a pilot project to get one or two intersections to see how they're used, Coluccio said.

Lawmakers will discuss the issue of speed cameras and LED-outfitted signs again in two weeks.

Despite the chronic complaints, traffic crashes in which excessive speed was determined to be a contributing or leading factor have not increased during the five years, according to statistics provided to the Times Union by the city Police Department as part of a Freedom of Information Law request.

There were 69 speed-related crashes in 2016, a number that peaked in 2017 with 91. But theyve been on a downward trend since, dropping to 72 in 2018, 50 in 2019 and 77 in 2020.

As of May 30, there were 33 speed-related crashes in the city.

Trashed

Complaints abound about littering in the city despite ongoing initiatives to educate residents on keeping the streets clean.

Polimeni said he fills up an entire bag of trash every time he mows the lawn at his parents home in the city's Bellevue neighborhood.

Theyre tired of it, Im tired of it and there needs to be action, Polimeni said.

Polimeni floated the idea of launching anti-littering campaigns similar to those in other cities  including a BINGO-type card in Lake Tahoe, for instance  and pairing the efforts with youth education initiatives, community activities and increased signage in key gathering spots.

Councilwoman Marion Porterfield said neighborhood groups need to be pulled in, citing a 2019 campaign that installed trash cans in four neighborhoods paired with student participation.

Hamilton Hills Show Love Where You Live campaign, for instance, placed cans at bus stops.

You do see the difference because the trash cans get full, Porterfield said.

City Hall acknowledged the complaints about litter, which officials attributed to, in part, manpower shortages.

The city employs what are called Motor Equipment Operator (MEO) positions that float between departments as needed, including streets, parks, waste and SNAP, or crew members tasked with cleaning up problem and nuisance properties.

Collectively, the city's Bureau of Service currently has 16 MEO vacancies, which means that on a short-staffed day, workers can be reallocated from one department to another, causing shortfalls.

Even Bureau of Services Commissioner Paul LaFond found himself on the back of a garbage truck recently.

"It's a little bit of a struggle," LaFond said on Tuesday. "We're going to do a little better with recruiting," he said, expressing optimism that upcoming negotiations with unions will hopefully spur some improvements.

Fired up

With just two weeks until July 4, lawmakers continue to struggle to combat illegal fireworks.

While they debated distributing educational signs for neighbors to put in their yards two weeks ago, those have failed to materialize, and lawmakers are now working with the city police and fire department on public service announcement videos that will be ideally rolled out on social media ahead of the holiday.

City Council previously approved a symbolic resolution requesting state Attorney General Letitia James' office send cease and desist letters to fireworks companies that target New York state residents.
ALBANY A decorated combat Marine later convicted of gun trafficking pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to unlawfully possessing firearms in several states, including ghost guns and ammunition he hoarded in an East Greenbush storage facility.

Jonathan M. Cuney, 38, a Purple Heart recipient lauded for his heroic actions during the Battle of Fallujah, was prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm after his 2015 conviction in U.S. District Court in White Plains for selling guns to an undercover federal agent.

On Tuesday, Cuney admitted he illegally possessed a rifle, parts for AR-15s and three unregistered silencers between Sept. 9, 2019, and Nov. 14, 2019.

In his appearance before Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Cuney also resolved charges in Arizona and Missouri. And federal prosecutors said the former legal gun dealer had also kept guns and ammunition in a storage facility in California.

Cuney, a New Paltz native who later moved to East Greenbush, admitted that from August 2018 to Nov. 12, 2019, he purchased gun parts from several online retailers. He had the items shipped to East Greenbush, Willits, Calif., where he had a home, and Providence, R.I., where he had previously operated a legal gun business. Cuney used parts of the guns to make non-serialized handguns, rifles and silencers known as ghost guns because their lack of serial numbers makes it difficult for law enforcement to trace them, prosecutors said.

On Nov. 14, 2019, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched a storage unit Cuney kept in East Greenbush. They found two rifles, a revolver, four AR-15-style rifle receiver/frames, two completed ghost guns, five pistol part kits, two completed silencers, parts to build more than 10 silencers, enough gun parts and accessories to be classified as machine guns under federal law and 3,250 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said.

Six days later, ATF agents searched Cuneys storage unit in Redway, Calif., finding two Glock pistols, seven additional handguns, three rifles, a shotgun, five machine gun conversion kits, more than 10 silencers and more than a 1,000 rounds of assorted rifle and handgun ammunition, prosecutors said.

The prosecutors said a search of the California storage facility also turned up a pair of handcuffs with a key; 56 Monadnock disposable single cuffs; clothing items, patches and badges with law enforcement acronyms and insignia, including an FBI ball cap, FBI badges, FBI patches, Drug Enforcement Administration patches and DEA badges.

On Tuesday, Cuney also admitted that on Sept. 17, 2019, he unlawfully possessed several thousand rounds of ammunition he bought at a gun store in Columbia, Mo., through a straw purchaser, and that on Nov. 12, 2019, he unlawfully possessed a pistol and rifle found on him at a traffic stop in Tucson, Ariz.

In a statement, acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette Bacon said "Todays guilty plea is the result of a cross-country investigation that took a dangerous person off the streets. Jonathan Cuney has a prior conviction for selling untraceable firearms. After his release from prison, he built ghost guns and acquired other firearms, and maintained large caches of firearms and ammunition in New York and California."

The Albany case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett. Cuney's sentencing is set for Oct. 19.

The plea brings another sad outcome for a once-lauded war hero. Before his sentencing in the 2015 case, Cuney's attorney, John Calcagni, said his client had been awarded the Purple Heart for injuries in combat. According to the lawyer's memo to the judge, Cuney and fellow Marines had been occupying and defending a building while engaged in combat when an insurgent tossed a hand grenade through an open window.

"Mr. Cuney spotted the grenade, warned his fellow Marines and attempted to clear the area," the attorney stated.

"An insurgent fired a machine gun in Mr. Cuneys direction, thwarting his efforts to escape the grenades blast zone. The grenade detonated propelling Mr. Cuney down a flight of stairs and causing him to sustain a shrapnel, flesh wound and a variety of soft tissue injuries."
OLIVER, British Columbia (AP)  Two Roman Catholic churches on First Nations reserves in British Columbia have burned to the ground in overnight fires, Canadas national police force said Monday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said a patrol officer saw fire come from the Sacred Heart Church on the Penticton Indian Band reserve early Monday morning.

By the time the officer arrived on scene, police say the church was fully engulfed.

Less than two hours later, the RCMP in Oliver, British Columbia were called to St. Gregorys Church, located on the Osoyoos Indian Band reserve.

They say police are liaising with both the Penticton and Osoyoos Indian Bands as part of the investigation.

The RCMP say both churches were destroyed and investigators are treating the fires as suspicious.

Should our investigations deem these fires as arson, the RCMP will be looking at all possible motives and allow the facts and evidence to direct our investigative action, Sgt. Jason Bayda says in the statement.

We are sensitive to the recent events, but wont speculate on a motive.

The Tkemlups te Secwepemc Nation recently announced the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. It operated between 1890 and 1969, when the federal government took over operations from the Catholic Church and operated it as a day school until it closed in 1978.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he is deeply disappointed the Roman Catholic Church has not offered a formal apology and made amends for its role in Canadas former system of church-run Indigenous boarding schools.

From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 First Nations children in Canada were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools as an effort to assimilate them into Canadian society. The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse was rampant in the schools, with students beaten for speaking their native languages.
ALBANY  The annual Independence Day fireworks show at the Empire State Plaza will return this year as the region and state continue to see dwindling cases of the coronavirus.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office announce Monday that the display at the plaza as well as one at Jones Beach State Park on Long Island will both be held on July 4. The Albany display with be the culmination of a celebration at the plaza that will begin at 6 p.m. and end at 10 p.m. The event also will feature live performances and food.
ALBANY  It's judge versus judge.

Chief Judge Janet DiFiore said Monday she is "pleased and delighted" that 19 state Supreme Court justices over the age of 70 are back at work.

But an association that represents the justices has a far a less rosy view of the subject: Too little, too late.

State Supreme Court Justice Carmen Velasquez of Queens, president of the Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York, said court officials worsened pandemic-related case backlogs when they denied 46 judges from working past the age of 70 last year.

"OCA is an agency that needs to start working for the betterment of the judicial system," Velasquez said, referring to the Office of Court Administration. She said OCA's decision "hurt the people of New York because we now have fewer senior judges who can handle the thousands of cases backlogged by the pandemic."

State judges must retire at the end of the year they turn 70. They can apply to remain for up to six years (two years at a time) until 76, if approved by the court system's Administrative Board for certification. The board's denial of the 46 judges last year - which locally included Appellate Justice Eugene "Gus" Devine and Justice Raymond Elliott III in Rensselaer County - was intended to save $55 million over two years to help cut $300 million from its budget amid COVID-19 related budget woes. The court system restored money in April to allow eligible judges to work past 70.

But only 19 have returned.

"OCA acted improperly in denying certification," Velasquez stated. "Once the Legislature provided the funds, OCA wasted an additional two months to restore the judges to service. Now, fewer than half of the judges are expected to return due to OCAs lack of willingness to assist the judges in providing courtrooms, inappropriate case assignments, potential loss of income and credit in their pensions. "

In her weekly address Monday, DiFiore praised the return of the justices.

"We are pleased and delighted to have these seasoned jurists back in their courthouses ....," the chief judge said. "While the certification process was long and tortuous for all involved, we are greatly relieved that the judiciarys fiscal circumstances have not only changed, but have improved to the point where we can welcome back these experienced and dedicated justices to help our court system resume the great progress we were making ... before the pandemic struck."

Judiciary law now states that the administrative board may extend retiring justices who apply to remain on the bench beyond 70. But a bill that passed both houses would change it to state that the board shall extend the justices who apply.

The Times Union reported Sunday that Lawrence K. Marks, the states chief administrative judge, said the court system would urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto it. Marks said it takes the board's discretion away and "would have the effect of forcing certification of judges who meet bare minimal qualifications."

Velasquez said the Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York fully supports the bill to prevent what happened in 2020.

OCA spokesman Lucian Chalfen fired back: " The president of the Association of Supreme Court Justices would do better, for once, to elevate the interests of the public over the parochial interests of her members."

A spokesman for the governor said the bill was under review.
Anonymous

The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation in Saranac Lake is one of six grant recipients in a natural resource damages settlement from an oil tanker spill that occurred in Buzzards Bay, Mass, in April, 2003. More than 500 common loons wintering in Buzzards Bay were killed by the spill. The settlement provides funding, at no cost to taxpayers, to replace, restore, rehabilitate, or acquire the equivalent of injured natural resources and resource services lost due to the release of hazardous substances into the environment.
MALTA  A 59-year-old man from Pittsfield., Mass., died early Sunday in a single-vehicle crash on the Northway, State Police said.

Troopers said Paul N. Houston was traveling south in a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee when the vehicle drifted over the shoulder and hit a tree in the median. The crash happened at 5:53 a.m.

Houston, who was traveling alone, was taken to Albany Medical Center where he later died from injuries from the crash, troopers said.

Investigators are continuing the investigate the cause of the crash.
NEW YORK  Prosecutors are asking a judge to grant leniency to former NXIVM insider Allison Mack for her cooperation against reputed cult leader Keith Raniere that included providing them with an incriminating audio recording of her one-time grand master.

Mack, 38, who lived in the Knox Woods townhouse complex in Halfmoon, gave prosecutors a recording of Raniere instructing her how their female slaves should be physically branded without it looking coerced, according to the sentencing memo that Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar sent Senior U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis late Monday.

Mack is scheduled to be sentenced June 30, which could extend into July 1.

Mack, who played Chloe Sullivan on the Superman-themed show Smallville, became one of eight first-line masters in Ranieres secret club, Dominus Obsequious Sororium (DOS), which was also known as "The Vow." She and the other seven first-line members  including Nicki Clyne, her spouse in an allegedly sham marriage  answered directly to Raniere and enforced his demands.

Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges in April 2019. Sentencing guidelines would call for Mack to receive at least 14 years in prison for her crimes, but prosecutors asked the judge to dip below the guidelines due to Mack's cooperation against Raniere and Clare Bronfman, NXIVM's former director of operations. The Seagrams' heiress received more than six years in prison last fall under her guilty plea to conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification.

Although Mack could have provided even more substantial assistance had she made the decision to cooperate earlier, Mack provided significant, detailed and highly corroborated information which assisted the government in its prosecution, Hajjar stated.

Raniere, 60, formerly of Halfmoon, was convicted on all counts on June 19, 2019 following a nearly two-month trial. Jurors convicted Raniere, known as "Vanguard" within his self-help organization, of sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy and racketeering charges that included underlying acts of possessing child pornography, exploitation of a child, extortion and identity theft.

Mack, born in Germany and raised in southern California, relocated to the Knox Woods complex off Route 236, where more than two dozen NXIVM members resided.

Hajjar told the judge while Mack did not testify at Raniere's trial, she met with prosecutors numerous times to prepare for potentially testifying and was available to testify if asked to do so. Hajjar said while Mack's cooperation was not publicly announced, "it is highly likely that the fact of her public guilty plea was a factor in other defendants decisions to plead guilty. "

She said Mack could have given "racketeering proof " at a trial against any of her co-defendants whose guilty pleas followed hers.

The Times Union has previously reported that Mack, former NXIVM president Nancy Salzman, her daughter Lauren Salzman and bookkeeper Kathy Russell provided varying degrees of cooperation against Raniere. Only the younger Salzman testified in court.

Listen to excerpts from the audio Mack provided to prosecutors in this 2019 episode of the "NXIVM on Trial" podcast:

The audiotape provided by Mack, played at the trial and during the prosecution's closing argument, exposed secret orders given by Raniere in DOS, a group that was all female except for Raniere. Women were invited to join DOS -- what was billed as a women's empowerment group -- if they provided "collateral" in the form of naked photos or humiliating information about themselves or family members that was often untrue. In DOS, women took lifetime vows of obedience as "slaves" to "masters" who, in turn answered to "grand masters" in a pyramid led by the supreme master, Raniere.

DOS slaves were ordered to live on only a few hundred calories a day, respond to round-the-clock "readiness" test messages and, at times, to seduce Raniere  an assignment Mack ordered for at least four women in DOS. One of the women was blindfolded by Raniere, stripped naked, driven to a townhouse and sexually violated by another woman. Another fled DOS after being assigned to seduce the "Vanguard."

In DOS, some women were branded on their pelvic regions with a symbol they later learned was Raniere's initials. In the audiotape Mack later provided the government, Raniere told her during a walk in Knox Woods that before DOS members were to be branded by a person using a cauterizing pen, they should be held down fully naked with their hands held above their heads like a ritual sacrifice.

"So, it probably should be a more vulnerable position type of a thing," Raniere told Mack.

"OK," she responded.

"Laying on the back, legs slightly, or legs spread straight like, like feet, feet being held to the side of the table, hands probably above the head being held, almost like being tied down, like sacrificial, whatever," Raniere told Mack.

"OK," Mack replied.

"And the person should ask to be branded, something like, 'Please brand me  it would be an honor.' Something like that  'An honor I want to wear for the rest of my life,' " Raniere told Mack.

"OK," Mack answered.

"And the person should probably say that before they're held down so it doesn't sound like they're being coerced," Raniere told Mack. "I don't know  those are just thoughts."

Raniere later told Mack, "I'm not just speaking to you, although I am speaking to you; I'm also speaking to others through you."

Mack gave details on crimes committed by other first-line DOS masters, including assignments to seduce' Raniere and "efforts to find Raniere a virgin 'successor,'" Hajjar stated. She said Mack told prosecutors about Ranieres "encouragement of the use of demeaning and derogatory language, including racial slurs," to humiliate DOS slaves.

And Hajjar said Mack provided information on Bronfmans "attempts to harass and threaten DOS victims, as well as Bronfmans efforts to initiate a criminal cybercrime investigation against an individual Bronfman believed to be critical of Raniere and NXIVM."

Raniere and Mack were later the first of six NXIVM members to be charged in the case. Mack, who was with Raniere when he was arrested in Mexico in March 2018, was charged a month later.
Ng Han Guan/AP

MADRID (AP)  Detained antivirus software entrepreneur John McAfee testified in a Spanish court Tuesday as part of his fight against extradition to the United States, where he is wanted on tax-related criminal charges that carry a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

McAfee, 75, appeared from prison via videolink at a hearing in Spains National Court. He argued that the charges against him are politically motivated and said he would spend the rest of his life in prison if he was returned to the United States, according to a report by private Spanish news agency Europa Press.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  A huge oil refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands that contaminated the environment in a series of events that sickened dozens of people and forced schools to close announced Monday that it would remain shuttered indefinitely.

Limetree Bay Energy said it would lay off more than 270 workers by September because it faced extreme financial constraints after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suspended its petroleum refining and processing operations last month.

This was an extremely difficult decision for us, CEO Jeff Rinker said in a statement. Unfortunately, this is our only option.

The EPA paused the companys operations last month as part of a 60-day emergency order after noting that Limetree had significant air pollutant and oil releases since February. The incidents, which the agency called totally unacceptable, include exceeding the emissions limit of sulfur dioxide, which can harm a persons respiratory system.

Each had an immediate and significant health impact on people and their property, the EPA said.

The announcement of the indefinite closure comes a month after a group of people filed a class action suit accusing Limetree of routinely emitting dangerous airborne chemicals. Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator, said in a phone interview that the contamination led to the hospitalization of dozens of people, the temporary closure of schools and even forced a COVID-19 vaccine site to shut down for a day.

Limetree caused tremendous damage on St. Croix, she said, adding that while people can breathe easier for now, much work remains. There is a legacy of toxic contamination at the property that needs to be cleaned up.

Enck added that it would take decades to do so: This is probably going to be a long, drawn-out fight over hundreds of millions of dollars. This cleanup is not going to be cheap.

Hours after Limetree made its announcement, David Bond, a professor at Bennington College in Vermont, stood outside a grocery store in the U.S. territory as he continued to survey people about how the refinery has affected their health.

Hundreds of residents have responded in recent days, recalling how they have found droplets of oil on their car windshields or an oily film in their cisterns, which they depend on for drinking water. Many also reported breathing problems, he said in a phone interview.

There's been a huge impact here, Bond said, adding that it should be the government's and company's duty to collect that information. We should not be doing this survey. This should not be the responsibility of citizens.

The oil refinery is based on the island of St. Croix, home to more than 50,000 people. Its previous owner was Hovensa LLC, a joint venture of New York-based Hess Corp. and Petroleos de Venezuela SA. At the time, the refinery was among the 10 largest in the world and also struggled with polluting events, paying a $5.4 million penalty one year for violating the Clean Air Act.

In 2012, Hovensa LLC announced it was closing the refinery in a hit to the tiny island given that some 2,000 people worked there. It was the U.S. territorys largest private employer and generated some $60 million a year in revenue for the government.

The complex kept operating solely as an oil storage terminal for nearly a decade until Limetree restarted the refinery in February of this year following permission from the Trump administration, announcing it was capable of processing some 200,000 barrels a day. Limetree, which is now run by EIG Global Energy Partners, had bought the terminal and refinery in 2016 for $190 million.
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They were brought to this country to work, and coerced into staying under an agreement that required them, essentially, to pay onerous sums to buy back their freedom. It had all the feel of what, euphemistically, one might call indentured servitude. The state attorney general calls it human trafficking.

This scheme didnt take place in the shadows. It was right out in the open here in Albany. It wasnt run by some criminal organization, but by one of the most respected institutions in the region: Albany Medical Center.

The only thing perhaps more astounding is that Albany Med shows no sign of contrition or even a bit of self-reflection. Rather, it admits nothing and says it just settled to make the whole thing go away.

Thats not what one would expect from a place devoted to improving the human condition.

The case concerned a long-standing practice by Albany Med to recruit nurses from abroad, mainly from the Philippines, to deal with a shortage of nurses in New York and much of the rest of the United States. Their employment agreements stipulated that they pay up to $20,000 if they resigned or were fired within three years. If they failed to comply, they could face legal action and the involvement of immigration authorities.

The practice came to light several years ago amid negotiations for the newly unionized nursing staffs first contract. Their union, the New York State Nurses Association, argued that the threats of stiff financial penalty, legal action, and possible deportation violated the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Albany Med argued that it was a legitimate way of protecting its investment in bringing the nurses here. The union referred the matter to the state attorney generals office.

Over the past decade, according to Attorney General Letitia James, Albany Med enforced the provision against seven nurses, collecting $82,000 from them. The settlement represents that money, plus interest. Albany Med also agreed, among other things, to remove the repayment provision from current and future employment contracts.

Whats missing here, though, is an apology, or at least an acknowledgment that this amounted to exploitation. Albany Med admitted no guilt, and in a statement dripping with disdain, said that it was not worth our time, effort or expense to fight these politically motivated allegations.

This is not Albany Meds finest moment. It is beneath an institution that has educated generations of healers, treated countless patients, helped the region through a frightening pandemic and had no small part in revitalizing the area of Albany it occupies to take refuge in one of the easiest of dodges, claiming its a victim of some political agenda. This was, in a word, wrong. That it got off so easy, with nothing more than restitution and reform, makes it no less so.
Authorities say a gunman is believed to have shot and killed an officer and another person in a shopping district in a Denver suburb before being fatally shot by police
A Duluth man has been charged in the killing of a St. Cloud professor who was fatally shot after answering the door at his home in what police have called a random attack
June 22, 2021

When you start a business, there is a lot of paperwork that you will have to handle  along with a lot of other formalities that are not only confusing but also very time-consuming. This is where services such as ZenBusiness come into the mix, as they allow you to start on your business without too much of a headache.







But how zen is this ZenBusiness actually? What exactly are they going to do for you? Can you trust them to handle the technicalities of your business? Is the price worth it for what they have to offer? Read this ZenBusiness review and find out whether it is something you could use or not.

What Is ZenBusiness?

Founded in 2015 in Texas, ZenBusiness is the new kid in the block when it comes to LLC services. It may not have been around for that long as compared to other LLC services, but it is certainly a great choice for those looking to form an LLC.

Every LLC has its own technicalities to handle, from daily to yearly reports, along with many other paperwork types that need to be addressed. Not many businesses have time to handle that kind of paperwork themselves, so ZenBusiness will take on that task and allow you to run your business without the extra stress.

Who Is ZenBusiness For?

ZenBusiness is a great choice for those who want an efficient and quick LLC formation service at a good price. Its not the kind of service that will have you paying through the nose, making it a great choice for those that are on quite a tight budget.

This service will register your business and then apply for any additions that you might need (for example, your EIN). It will even establish your digital presence, with much better rates as compared to the competition.

ZenBusiness is pretty much for those that are in a hurry and do not like the additional hassle brought by starting up a business. At that point, people just want to focus on their product and create something that will sell. And dealing with the paperwork would only waste a lot of their precious time.

This is time that ZenBusiness should save you  at a reasonable cost. You just need to decide which formation package you want, and they will take care of the business for you.

Click Here To Start Your Dream Business Today

Who Shouldnt Go for ZenBusiness?

There are very few people who WOULDNT benefit from the services provided. That being said, those who desperately want to have a seal of the company included in the package might feel disinclined to go for their services. However, a company seal may easily be bought by yourself separately, and it should only cost you somewhere around $12.

Services Provided By ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness provides several services, depending on the package that you are going for. Here are some of the most popular features provided by the company:

1. Preparation and Filing of Paperwork

Perhaps the most convenient option of ZenBusiness lies in the fact that it handles all of your registration paperwork for you. After all, when starting an LLC, you cant get anything done without preparing and filing the registration forms first.

As a new entrepreneur, you might not necessarily know what you should do and where you should go with your paperwork. ZenBusiness has dealt with these types of issues before, and they know exactly where they need to file each form. Also, there will be no issues or errors, as the company will know how to handle this kind of paperwork.

2. Name Availability Research

When you are starting your own business, you must have a unique, catchy name for it. If the name of the company is similar to another company from the state, not only will your application be rejected, but you also risk mistakenly sending your prospective customers their way.

This is where ZenBusiness comes in handy. They have the means necessary to conduct a name availability search, ensuring not only that your name in the business is unique, but also that your request is not rejected for a mistake that could have been easily avoided.

3. Email and Phone (News - Alert) Support

There may be numerous things that ZenBusiness will help you with, but starting and running a business will also require you to handle some of that bureaucracy yourself. For this reason, ZenBusiness is there to offer you support and get you through the confusing sea of acronyms, insider jargon, and red tape areas that businesses are often surrounded with.

4. Registered Agent

Every business requires its own contact person that handles all the paperwork. That person must be available during business hours and must also be able to provide a physical address.

Under most circumstances, the person starting the business would also be the one to act as a registered agent. However, not only is that a difficult spot to fill, but it can also be downright impossible sometimes. This is why ZenBusiness will designate a registered agent to take on the responsibilities of that position.

5. Various Filing Speeds

Depending on the package that you are going for, you may receive standard filing speed, expedite filing speed, and rush filling speed. All of them are chosen based on your urgency level. If you can afford to wait a couple of days, the standard filing speed might be exactly what you need. However, if you need everything done as fast as possible, then obviously the rush filing speed might be more convenient  although it will also be slightly pricier in comparison.

6. Worry-Free Compliance

The most boring but at the same time most important part of running a business is keeping up with the red tape of the government. Indeed, it might sound very boring and troublesome  but at the same time, forgetting about it can get you into numerous problems. You may get a fine, increase your personal liability risk, and risk losing the protection of your LLC. ZenBusiness can help you handle matters in that regard.

7. Business Website and Domain Name

For LLCs, their online presence is an extremely important factor if they wish to survive on the market nowadays. The Virtual Business Guide of ZenBusiness can walk you step-by-step through this process  but at the same time, they may do it for you instead. They can build your website in a manner that is easy to edit, even if you are a novice.

Plus, they will help you come up with a domain name. After all, theres no point in creating a fabulous-looking website if you dont have a catchy domain for it as well. ZenBusiness can help you secure the proper domain that is relevant for your company so that your business may be successful.

ZenBusiness Formation (News - Alert) Packages and Costs

With ZenBusiness, you have the option of getting three LLC formation packages: starter pack, pro pack, and premium pack. All the features for each package are listed on their website, where you can check them in detail yourself. As expected, the more expensive the package, the more features you will get.

1. The Starter Package

The starter package is the perfect choice for entrepreneurs on a budget who just want a registered agent service free of charge alongside their business formation. The starter pack comes with the incorporation basics, and then creates a well-rounded service with the registered agent.

Every corporation will need a registered agent so that they remain in compliance with the state government. That agent will receive important paperwork deliveries on behalf of your business, which they will eventually have to handle. Very often, this registered agent is the business owner  but with ZenBusiness, you can pass that task on to the service.

Moreover, the starter package will offer you corporate bylaw templates (operating agreements) that will help you make a description of the companys ownership structure. You will also get a risk-free accounting assessment that can help get you started more smoothly.

The first year of using this package will cost you $39. That being said, the price point for each following year becomes $119, as at that point you will also have to pay for the registered agent.

2. The Pro Package

If you are an advanced entrepreneur that needs slightly more features than what the starter package has to offer you, then you might want to add ZenBusiness Pro to your order. With this Pro package, you will receive a banking resolution template, as well as an EIN (federal tax ID number) from the IRS on your companys behalf. This is something that most businesses need.

The EIN is pretty much the social security number of your business. This allows you to open bank accounts for your business, hire employees, pay taxes, and many more. At $149, you will get many benefits with this LLC service.

With the Pro package, you will also get a Worry-Free Guarantee, which is what they call their service for compliance management and managed annual reports. Year after year, they will file an annual report and this package includes the prepping and filing of two amendments per year. This is something that you may or may not have heard of being provided before.

3. Premium Package

Now, if you are an entrepreneur that only wants the best of the best and is looking for the fastest, most efficient services possible, then you might want to go for the premium package. At $249, you will get more documents, faster incorporation time, but also a business website.

With the $100 increase, you will get a rush filing speed, business email, domain registration and privacy, and a well-set website. This package is a great option for those who wish to set an online presence at a reasonable price. It takes care of both the bureaucracy and the online setting of your business, which means that the only thing you will ever have to worry about is creating the products that you wish to sell.



Visit ZenBusiness Today To Start Your Own Business

ZenBusiness Pros and Cons

Before hiring the services of any company, you first need to consider all of the pros and cons. Every product or service will have its drawbacks, which is why you need to determine whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for you or not. Here is what you may expect from ZenBusiness:

Pros

One of the most affordable LLC services, as it is 30%-90% more accessible in terms of price than other similar companies

A very comprehensive list of services and products, without the extra fluff

The registered agent service is free of charge in the first year for every client, and not just for the high-end ones

Communication is upfront and clear, without any upsells

Compliance deadlines are continuously monitored, which means you wont have to deal with annual report filings

The service comes with a worry-free CPA assessment even with the basic package, something that will help you even more with the business taxes

Customer feedback is positive almost everywhere. There were very few people that had complaints about the platform, and that was mostly because they were looking for different types of features.

Turnaround time is very quick, sometimes taking less than a week for it to happen

You may build your own custom plan if theirs is not a very good fit for you.

Cons

ZenBusiness is still relatively new, which means that it doesnt enjoy as much brand recognition as compared to other similar companies

Does not have any company seal options

The Bottom Line

In the end, ZenBusiness is a great LLC service if you are looking for something efficient that wont cost you a lot. It is a good option to start your business hassle-free, taking care of boring paperwork and annual reports that youd normally have to deal with. We hope this ZenBusiness review helps you decide whether or not its the right company for you. Overall, it is a great option to become an entrepreneur without the extra stress.

Click Here To Get Started With ZenBusiness Today

This article contains affiliate links.
[June 22, 2021] Abbott Earns First-of-its-Kind Recommendation for High School STEM Interns to Receive College Credit

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- High school students who complete Abbott's award-winning summer internship program are now eligible to receive college credit for the experience in a first-of-its-kind effort that can serve as a model for other companies to support STEM education. Abbott's program, which has provided diverse teenagers across the U.S. with opportunities in the STEM fields for nearly a decade, is the first high school STEM internship that the American Council on Education (ACE) has recommended for college credit. Students who complete the program the summer after their senior year in high school are eligible to apply for up to two hours of credit from their educational institutions. This important step is a continuation of Abbott's commitment to providing experience in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields that leads to successful careers for young women and students from underrepresented groups. More than 60% of the students who have participated in the internship since it started in 2012 have come from diverse backgrounds. Abbott's efforts include an updated edition of our "Shaping the Future of STEM" blueprint, which now has a chapter on how other companies can pursue college credit for their programs in addition to starting their own high school STEM internships. Abbott's high school interns complete meaningful, quality STEM-related work during their summers, including in areas like research and development, manufacturing, quality and regulatory, and operations. "This innovative effort supports students as they earn their degrees and pursue STEM careers," said Mary Moreland, executive vice president, Human Resources, Abbott. "It will truly be a positive change in students' lives. Our goal is to help more students  particularly women and people from underrepresented groups  become STEM professionals." The recommendation from the American Council on Education, the major coordinating body for U.S. higher education institutions, validates the quality of Abbott's program and enables attainment of educational and career goals for participants. "ACE's Learning Evaluations program seeks to empower learners and improve economic mobility by validating learning experiences in post-traditional settings. Abbott's program can serve as a model, showcasing a commitment to quality training and preparation of learners for real-world applications. This supports our philosophy that what a person learns is more important than when and where the learning occurs," said Michele Spires, executive director for Learning Evaluations at ACE. Real Experience, Real Lives

Abbott recruits interns starting as sophomores from specific high schools located near its facilities that meet certain criteria, including student populations with racial, ethnic and/or income diversity. One of thos partners is Roseville Area High School in Roseville, Minn., where Principal Christina Hester has seen the benefits of Abbott's STEM internship firsthand. The opportunity for students to earn credit while obtaining career experience only makes them higher-quality candidates when they apply to colleges, she said.



"You can't buy this kind of experience anywhere," Hester said. "Without a doubt this program and the college credit will make a difference for our students, and the skills they gain will make them marketable and valuable as future employees." Graduating senior Anushka Agashe, 18, who will be attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this fall to major in bioengineering, said she will gain a head start toward earning her degree by completing her internship this August, her third summer with Abbott.

"Abbott's high school internship is giving me a double advantage," Agashe said. "First, the possibility of receiving college credit relieves financial burden. It's tuition I won't have to pay. That's on top of the real-life, hands-on experience I'm getting while working with professional engineers. My career path is much clearer now." Shaping the Future of STEM

The U.S. alone will need another nearly 800,000 STEM workers by 2029. As part of Abbott's 2030 Sustainability Plan, the company intends to build on its efforts to decrease the STEM skills gap by creating opportunities for more than 100,000 young people, including 50% from underrepresented groups, to participate in Abbott's STEM programs and internships by 2030. The high school internship has become a proven STEM talent pipeline for Abbott, guiding students through high school to Abbott's college internship program to full-time Abbott employee. Abbott has started hiring its first former high school interns as full-time engineers: 73% are women. "If we want to live in a world where everyone benefits from the next great breakthroughs, we have to solve the STEM gender gap," said Sabina Ewing, vice president, Business and Technology Services, and chief information officer, Abbott. "Offering high school girls STEM internships helps them see a world they couldn't before: BIPOC, women engineers, scientists and IT professionals solving tangible problems  like creating an app for COVID testing. When they work alongside people who look like them at such a critical age, they are inspired to pursue STEM in college and beyond." This success inspired Abbott to ask other companies to join in offering STEM experience to younger generations. To help, in 2019 Abbott released a blueprint containing detailed, scalable plans to recreate its high school internship program with the hope that other companies will use it to create similar programs and reach more students. Download the second edition of our "Shaping the Future of STEM" blueprint at www.stem.abbott. About the American Council on Education:

ACE is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice. As the major coordinating body for the nation's colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of more than 1,700 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation. About Abbott:

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 109,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abbott-earns-first-of-its-kind-recommendation-for-high-school-stem-interns-to-receive-college-credit-301316735.html SOURCE Abbott

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[June 22, 2021] ABBYY's NeoML Open-Source Library Adds Python Support, 10x Speed Improvements

Today, ABBYY, a Digital Intelligence company, announced a major update for NeoML, its cross-platform open-source machine learning library that allows developers to build, train and deploy machine learning models. The update adds support of the Python programming language, the most popular language for machine learning and AI. The framework also offers 5-10x speed improvements as well as 20+ new ML methods including 10 network layers and optimization methods. Additionally, NeoML now supports Apple M1 chips, GPU on Linux-based machines, and Intel (News - Alert) GPU. This significantly expands addressable use cases and scenarios for the library while enabling more developers to use it to build AI-powered applications and solutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005434/en/ ABBYY's NeoML 2.0 adds support of the Python programming language and offers 50% faster performance than other popular open-source machine learning libraries. The considerable speed improvements makes NeoML one of the fastest machine learning frameworks on the market. More developers and organizations will be able to utilize NeoML to build, train and deploy models for object identification, classification, semantic segmentation, verification and predictive modeling to achieve various business goals. Visit www.abbyy.com/neoml for more information. (Graphic: Business Wire) A 2020 survey from CodinGame showed that Python tied with Java in RedMonk's quarterly rankings and revealed that it is the "most loved programming language." Python is widely used in al industries for tasks like automation, web development, scripting, web scraping, data analysis by companies like Google, Pinterest, Spotify (News - Alert) , Dropbox and more. Python is also commonly used in academia with students to learn programming, data science and machine learning. Its versatility is just one of the reasons for its popularity. Now, with the added Python support, more developers and organizations will be able to utilize NeoML to build, train and deploy models for object identification, classification, semantic segmentation, verification and predictive modeling to achieve various business goals. For example, healthcare organizations can streamline administrative processes, map infectious diseases and personalize medical treatments; insurers - predict premiums and losses for their policies.



The considerable speed improvements have made NeoML one of the fastest machine learning frameworks on the market. Now it offers up to 10 times faster performance for classical algorithms and up to 30% faster neural network training and inference than the previous version. Compared to the two most popular open-source machine learning libraries, NeoML offers 50% faster performance on average.1 This makes the framework uniquely suited for developing customer-facing cross-platform applications that require both seamless user experience and on-device data processing. One of the key advantages of NeoML is its high cloud efficiency, which allows businesses to make the best possible use of available cloud resources. "Open source is a powerful driver of technological innovation. We aim to support advancements in artificial intelligence by working together with the developer community to further grow and improve our open-source library," commented Bruce Orcutt, Senior Vice President of Product Marketing at ABBYY. "NeoML opens new opportunities for developers allowing them to experiment, build and launch ground-breaking initiatives while taking advantage of the framework's high inference speed, platform independence and support for mobile devices. We invite all developers, data scientists and academia to use and contribute to NeoML on GitHub."

NeoML is designed as a universal tool to process and analyze data in a variety of formats including text, image, video and others. Users can deploy models anywhere: in the cloud, on-premises, in the browser or on-device. The library supports ??C++, Java and Objective C programming languages and offers 20+ traditional ML algorithms such as classification, regression and clustering frameworks. Its neural network models support over 100 layer types. The library is fully cross-platform - a single code base that can be run on all popular operating systems including Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android (News - Alert) - and optimized for both CPU and GPU processors. NeoML is available now on GitHub. Developers from the USA, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, China, India and South Korea are already using it in their projects. The framework's algorithms are also being utilized throughout ABBYY's product portfolio. The company offers personalized developer support, ongoing review of reports, regular updates and performance enhancements. Going forward, ABBYY plans to add new algorithms and architectures. To learn more about NeoML, please visit: https://github.com/neoml-lib/neoml To learn more about ABBYY's Digital Intelligence solutions, please visit: https://www.abbyy.com/ About ABBYY ABBYY empowers organizations to gain a complete understanding of their business processes and the content that fuels them with its Digital Intelligence platform. ABBYY technologies are used by more than 5,000 companies, including many of the Fortune 500, and are recognized for their leadership in Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) and Process Discovery & Mining for driving significant impact where it matters most: customer experience, effectiveness, profitability and competitive advantage. ABBYY is a global company with offices in 14 countries. For more information, visit www.abbyy.com and follow us on LinkedIn (News - Alert) , Twitter and Facebook. ABBYY and the ABBYY Logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of ABBYY Software Ltd. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby recognized. 1 According to internal tests. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005434/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Adlumin Announces Membership with the Community Bankers Association of Illinois (CBAI)

Last month, Adlumin became an associate member of the Community Bankers Association of Illinois (CBAI), allowing the company to expand its reach and provide community bankers in the state of Illinois with security and compliance solutions. The Community Bankers Association of Illinois' mission is to provide its members a competitive edge by effectively aggregating political, economic and marketing power. CBAI is dedicated to helping community banks stay competitive to benefit their customers and the communities they serve. This is accomplished by delivering quality education, effective political representation, and essential products and services. Its mission will continue to be pursued with integrity, equal representation, professionalism, vision and responsiveness. "We are excited that Adlumin Inc. has joined CBAI associate membership and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship," said Valerie Johnston, SVP of Communications at CBAI. "Adlumin is an ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator 1.0 graduate that provides an excellent fintech solution for communitybanks that we feel our members will find very valuable."



Adlumin's patented platform will provide CBAI members with cybersecurity solutions, including world-class analytics and machine learning, one-touch compliance reporting and automation tools and integrated threat intelligence. It will also offer a 24/7 search for compromised accounts on the deep and dark web, a managed compliance, detection, and response (MCDR) service, 90-minute deployment and more. "The decision to join CBAI came easily, and we are honored to be a part of such an impactful community of bankers," says Robert Johnston, Adlumin CEO. "Our company will leave a lasting impression on the CBAI community by providing the security tools and expertise they need to comply, detect, prioritize and respond in real-time."

The Adlumin team has years of experience working with community banks around the country. The company is excited to support CBAI's advocacy and education efforts, which are dedicated to keeping community banks informed on industry-related issues, events and more. About Adlumin Adlumin Inc. is a patented, advanced security and compliance automation platform built for corporate organizations that demand innovative cybersecurity solutions and easy-to-use, comprehensive reporting tools. The Adlumin team has a passion for technology and solving the most challenging problems through the targeted application of data science and compliance integration. Our mission is to "add luminosity" or visibility to every customer's network processes through real-time threat detection, analysis, and response to ensure sensitive data remains secure. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005967/en/

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[June 22, 2021] AI and software solutions provider, Beslogic, poised to double its workforce and play an active role in Canada's economic recovery

MONTREAL, June 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - As Quebec and provinces across Canada introduce plans to move out of lockdown and enter measured phases to bring the country back to business as usual, Beslogic, a Quebec-based company specializing in the development of artificial intelligence technologies and custom software, is proud to announce plans to double its highly skilled workforce over the next three years thanks to sustained growth. The company anticipates that head count will reach over a hundred employees by 2024. Immediate growth plans are directly linked to the recent announcement by Quebec's ministry of economy and innovation (ministere de l'Economie et de l'Innovation), that Beslogic has been selected to take part in its $48.65-million-program focused on supporting the recovery and growth of the province's aerospace industry  Les projets collaboratifs de l'aeronef de demain. "Our government is contributing to the implementation of initiatives that promote the resumption of aerospace activities, particularly in the field of electric and hybrid electric propulsion. By combining aerospace and artificial intelligence, the Beslogic project consolidates Quebec'sleadership position in these two industries," said Eric Girard, Minister of Finance and Minister of the Economy and Innovation.



Collaboration with Pratt & Whitney Canada Beslogic will work closely with Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), one of the 12 participating companies on the Aeronef pour la mobilite numerique et verte de demain project. This will support efforts to transform business processes and improve operational efficiency. It will also drive customer, supplier and employee experience improvement using applied artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including its unique technology and expertise in the domain of natural language processing and predictive analytics.

"The advanced language understanding systems we have developed for various sectors, including aerospace, have direct applications that accelerate aspects of P&WC's digital transformation," says Yannick Bessette, CEO and founder of Beslogic. The company has worked with P&WC since 2018, implementing agile methodology concepts and best practices in various digital transformation projects across the company. Leading edge AI expertise Already active in the Quebec innovation ecosystem and strategically registered under Canada's Controlled Goods Program, Beslogic established a team that specializes in conceptualizing artificial intelligence solutions a few years ago. "Our participation in this great project will also position us to move into emerging technology markets, such as autonomous vehicles, precision agriculture, smart grid/oceans, super clusters, 5G, cybersecurity and healthcare," adds Yannick Bessette. Job creation and research In addition, this project will help create a fertile ground for AI research and development in Quebec, which will have a positive impact on the recruitment of highly qualified and innovative workers from universities in Quebec and across Canada. Beslogic plans to create at least three full-time positions and recruit two interns as part of the project and anticipates adding up to 50 more positions over the next three years. "We welcome this initiative by the Quebec government to accelerate the pace toward a greener economy and the digital transformation of the aerospace industry, and we are very proud to be able to contribute to it," concluded Yannick Bessette. About Beslogic Founded in 2008 in Montreal, Beslogic is a Quebec-based SME specializing in the creation of custom web, mobile and native IT systems and solutions, as well as artificial intelligence solutions. They accompany businesses in their digital transformation and help them streamline their business processes to maximize performance and autonomy. Innovation, creativity, forward thinking and dedication are at the heart of Beslogic's business model. They collaborate with their clients at a level rarely seen in the industry and provide a fertile ground for idea exploration and unique product development opportunities. SOURCE Beslogic Inc.

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[June 22, 2021] ALYI Confirms Revolt Token Update Scheduled For Tomorrow

Dallas, Texas, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC Pink: ALYI) today confirmed a scheduled update form ALYIs funding partner, RevoltTOKEN, to be published tomorrow, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. RevoltTOKEN has opened the sale of Revolt Tokens to contribute to financing ALYIs overall electric vehicle ecosystem strategy. In the course of the initial Revolt Token sales, ALYIs funding partner, RevoltTOKEN has learned from the initial process and is making updates to the Revolt Token program it expects to rollout soon. The update on Wednesday will include more details. The RevoltTOKEN update follows an ALYI management update published on Friday. ALYI released a management update after conducting a scheduled review of its electric motorcycle development program with the dedicated design team from MODUS Applied Innovations . The management update published Friday includes details on iQSTELs (OTCQB: IQST) contributions to ALYIs electric motorcycle development program and EV Rideshare and Self-Drive Rental pilot program in Africa. The management update also includes details on a parallel electric motorcycle pilot recently initiated in Kenya by the United Nations . See the Friday management update: ALYI Publishes EV Rideshare Update With IQST, UN and Revolt Token Highlights



ALYI's primary business focus is on its overall electric vehicle ecosystem strategy out of which electric vehicles will be just one component. ALYI is building its electric vehicle ecosystem in a region with one of the lowest per capita transportation ratios in the world, Sub Saharan Africa.

To both attract industry leading talent to collaborate in ALYI's electric vehicle ecosystem, and to provide an opportunity to prove innovations coming out of the electric vehicle ecosystem, ALYI is launching an annual electric vehicle race in partnership with a brand name racing organization. The annual race event will be hosted simultaneously with an electric mobility symposium and expo. ALYI is setting itself apart from the rest of the electric vehicle industry not only through its electric vehicle ecosystem strategy, but also through its commitment to democratize the electric vehicle ecosystem. ALYI's financing partner and electric vehicle ecosystem collaborator, RevoltTOKEN, has already provided key funding to advance ALYI's business plan to its current stage. To learn more about RevoltTOKEN and how to participate in ALYIs electric vehicle ecosystem through the purchase of Revolt Tokens, vist www.revolttoken.com . For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI's overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com .



Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.



For more information, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com

Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:

Randell Torno

info@lithiumip.com

+1-800-713-0297



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[June 22, 2021] Anlon Financial Strategies Selects Commonwealth as First Firm Partner After Departing Wirehouse

Commonwealth Financial Network, a national firm dedicated to providing advisor-focused business solutions, announced the addition of Anlon Financial Strategies of Melville, New York, to its network of independent financial advisors. Formerly with UBS, financial advisor Keith Ryan, CIMA (News - Alert), CPWA, brings nearly 40 years of experience in financial services and wealth management, with approximately $140 million in assets under management. With Anlon Financial Strategies, Keith's focus will remain on wealth management and financial planning for mid-career clients looking to retire without worrying about their finances. He will continue to place an emphasis on risk management and helping clients prioritize short-term and long-term goals. When founding his new independent firm, Keith looked for a firm partner that would allow him to devote more quality time to his clients-as well as sit on the same side of the table to ensure that his ideas are heard. To learn more about the Long Island firm, visit www.anlonfinancial.com. "I wanted to work within a strong community and with a team where we're all pulling together in the same direction," said Keith. "A big reason for choosing Commonwealth was the attention the firm paid during its due diligence process. Speaking and meeting with the Commonwealth team reassured me of the ind of support I'll get as an advisor."



Keith is the first to join under Commonwealth's new Access Advisor Program, which includes a simplified pricing model for incoming wirehouse advisors. The new payout model wraps additional charges-such as trading costs and administrative fees-into an advisor's payout and is based on total production, which includes advisory, brokerage, and consulting business. Having previously formed businesses of his own, Keith appreciated Commonwealth's straightforward pricing options and the additional transparency they provided around payouts and costs.

Keith will also rely on Commonwealth's advisor- and client-centric technology solutions, especially those that give him the freedom and flexibility to communicate with today's savvy investors-plus access to virtual meeting platforms and an enhanced web presence. "I've been exploring independence for some time," said Keith. "Now that the technology is here to allow us to connect with people more freely, it's a more efficient business model, and I'll have more time to interact with clients than ever before." Andrew Daniels, Commonwealth's managing principal, business development, said he is excited to help the firm enter the world of independence. "We are grateful for the opportunity of being Anlon Financial Strategies' partner," Andrew said. "Launching a new business and pursuing your own dreams and legacy while helping your clients pursue theirs inspires us and pushes Commonwealth to do whatever it takes to empower our community of advisors." Andrew added, "We are confident that our nimble, turnkey technology stack, high-touch advisor support, and advanced marketing capabilities will enable the firm to get more time back in their day so they can continue their growth." About Commonwealth Financial Network

Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser, provides a suite of business solutions that empowers more than 2,000 independent financial advisors nationwide. J.D. Power ranks Commonwealth "#1 in Independent Advisor Satisfaction Among Financial Investment Firms, Seven Times in a Row." Privately held since 1979, the firm has headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, and San Diego, California. Learn more about Commonwealth by visiting www.commonwealth.com. Commonwealth received the highest score in the independent advisor segment of the J.D. Power 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Financial Advisor Satisfaction Studies of customers' satisfaction among financial advisors. Visit jdpower.com/awards. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005180/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Anthem Funds Initiative to Address Nevada's Physician Shortage, Support Nevada's Diverse Pre-Med Students and Promote Health Equity

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Nevada's Medicaid health plan has committed $75,000 to fund a new University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) initiative called See It To Be It. This initiative will connect aspiring physicians from populations that are underrepresented in medicine and from medically underserved communities with medical students and physicians from similar backgrounds. By supporting pre-med students as they navigate the medical school admissions process, the program will support UNR Med and Anthem's shared commitment to preparing a diverse workforce of physicians. In turn, a more diverse medical workforce will be positioned to deliver more equitable healthcare services to multicultural, multiracial and socioeconomically diverse populations as well as to medically underserved communities. "Physician shortages are at an all-time high across the United States and have reached unprecedented levels in Nevada, especially in communities of underserved areas," said UNR Med Dean Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D. "The See It To Be It initiative is intended to have a direct impact on developing a pipeline of physicians who have the cultural competency to build strong doctor-patient relationships and influence positive change in diverse communities. We believe this initiative will build a solid foundation for the future of our state, and we cannot thank Anthem enough for making the program possible." According to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States could see an estimated physician shortage of up to 139,000 physicians by 2033. Nevada's physician shortage is one of the most severe in the nation, with the state ranking 48th for physician-to-patient ratios. Nevada is also the fourth fastest growing state in the U.S., with Black and Latinx populations leading that growth. However, the number of practicing physicians in Nevada is not occurring at the same pace as the population growth, which will likely cause more access to care challenges, especially in fast-growing communities of color, in rural Nevada and among Nevada's tribal communities. "Several studies have demonstrated that patients from diverse backgrounds are more likely to form trusting bonds with and benefit from having doctors who come from their own communities and can identify with their stories and exeriences," said Lisa Thompson, M.D., Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Nevada Medicaid medical director and Health Equity Task Force leader. "Anthem has made a commitment to identifying Nevada-specific health disparities, so we can introduce solutions that create more equitable healthcare experiences, enhance healthcare accessibility and improve health outcomes. Anthem's collaboration with UNR Med on the See It To Be It initiative is just one example of how we are delivering on our commitment and living our mission to improve lives."



The See It To Be It initiative includes four elements: A community initiative that recruits physicians, medical students, leaders and healthcare advocates from across the state to join a group that shares a passion for supporting pre-med students from medically underrepresented communities and from populations underrepresented in medicine. This group will meet regularly to discuss needs and develop solutions. Monthly podcasts with physicians, medical students, educators, public health officials and other key stakeholders/influencers. These podcasts will help amplify messages and sustain continued conversations. A mentorship program that connects pre-med students who are participating in the program with a group of three mentors, which includes a practicing physician, a medical student and a community member. This program will ensure the students have access to resources and support during their studies. A one-day summit that brings together pre-med students, physicians, healthcare advocates and others committed to broadening diversity, inclusion and equity within the medical workforce and to serving Nevada's diverse populations. "Anthem recognizes the complexity of health and is committed to developing unique solutions that address the needs of the communities we serve," said Lisa Bogard, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Nevada, Medicaid. "By offering innovative solutions and addressing barriers, we can make healthcare simpler, more accessible, more equitable and help improve the health of our state."

The See It To Be It initiative is expected to launch at the start of the 2021/2022 academic year. UNR Med has already hosted its first statewide meeting and invites physicians, community members and anyone interested in developing a diverse medical workforce, to become members of the See It To Be It community. UNR Med Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator, Andre Lawson and UNR Med Director of Admissions, Tamara Martinez-Anderson, will manage the initiative with support from a second-year medical student intern, Abel Edossa, and involvement by UNR Med Student Interest Groups. For more information, contact UNR Med at officeofadmissions@med.unr.edu. About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Nevada Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Nevada helps improve healthcare access and quality for more than 600,000 Nevadans by developing innovative care management programs and services. Anthem's top priority is the health and well-being of its members and enabling access to comprehensive healthcare. Through health education and community outreach programs, members are empowered to choose and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Community Care health Plan of Nevada, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Anthem is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. To learn more, visit www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at www.twitter.com/anthemBCBS_news or on Facebook (News - Alert) at https://www.facebook.com/AnthemMedicaid/. About University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Nevada's first public medical school, is a community-based, research-intensive medical school with a statewide vision for a healthy Nevada. Since 1969, UNR Med has trained more than 3,900 students, residents and fellows. UNR Med continues to improve the health and well-being of all Nevadans and their communities through excellence in student education, postgraduate training and clinical care, research with local, national and global impact and a culture of diversity and inclusion. For more information, visit med.unr.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005752/en/

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[June 22, 2021] AvalonBay Communities, Inc. Partners With Bilt Rewards to Introduce First Program for Residents to Earn Points on Rent

AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, INC. (NYSE: AVB) today announces a partnership with Bilt Rewards to offer the first and only rewards program for residents to earn points on rent. Bilt Rewards will roll out at AvalonBay communities later this year. Residents at all AvalonBay communities will be invited to join the free program where they can start earning points when paying rent through the Bilt Rewards app. Additionally, AvalonBay residents will receive an invitation for the Bilt Mastercard, an extension of Bilt Rewards and the first credit card that allows users to pay their rent with no annual fee and without burdening the building owner with ongoing fees. With the card, AvalonBay residents can also earn points on non-rent purchases, enabling them to maximize rewards potential. "Rent is the single largest expense for many Americans, so we are always looking for opportunities to enhance the value our customers derive from living at an AvalonBay community," says AvalonBay COO Sean Breslin. "With the Bilt Rewards program, our residents will not only earn points for travel and retail purchases, but also accre financial benefits to support their purchase of a home just by paying their rent. We are proud to serve as a launch partner and look forward to providing new value to our residents in the future."



Points earned through the Bilt Rewards and Bilt Mastercard will be redeemable for a variety of rewards, including towards a down payment on a home, supporting the desire of many Americans to purchase a home at some point in their lives. In addition, points can transfer one-to-one for travel with over 100 major airline and hotel partners as well as be redeemed for fitness classes at leading boutique studios, home decor and other products. About AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

As of March 31, 2021, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 290 apartment communities containing 85,787 apartment homes in 11 states and the District of Columbia, of which 15 communities were under development and one community was under redevelopment. The Company is an equity REIT in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast Florida, Denver, Colorado, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California. More information may be found on the Company's website at http://www.avalonbay.com. Copyright  2021 AvalonBay Communities, Inc. All Rights Reserved View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005110/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Bell MTS launching innovative Wireless Home Internet service in rural and remote communities across Manitoba

Wireless Home Internet now rolling out to 12 communities, available in 40,000 locations by end of year

Fast Internet experience with 50/10 data access speeds and no overage fees

Part of Bell's accelerated capital investment program driving the rollout of Canada's next-generation broadband network infrastructure WINNIPEG, MB, June 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell MTS today announced the official launch of Wireless Home Internet (WHI) service in Manitoba, bringing enhanced broadband access to eligible homes in 12 communities, with approximately 40,000 rural and remote locations planned by the end of 2021. WHI is 5G-capable technology delivered over Bell's wireless network using 3500 MHz spectrum, enabling access speeds of up to 50/10 (50 Megabits per second download/10 Mbps upload) with no overage fees. Fully funded by Bell and designed to connect more rural and remote locations with next-generation broadband Internet connectivity, the Wireless Home Internet program is part of Bell's accelerated network investment plan to support Canada's recovery from the COVID crisis and ongoing leadership in broadband communications. With a positive investment climate reflecting federal support for the development and expansion of key infrastructure, Bell is investing up to an additional $1.7 billion in capital over the next 2 years to accelerate the rollouts of its next-generation WHI, fibre and 5G networks. This is in addition to the approximately $4 billion in capital that Bell has typically invested in broadband networks over the last decade. "Wireless Home Internet has proven extremely popular in rural locations in other parts of Canada, and Bell MTS is proud to take our network investment to the next level by bringing this innovative service to Manitoba," said Ryan Klassen, Vice Chair of Bell MTS & Western Canada. "By leveraging the scale and quality of Bell's high-performance, fibre-connected wireless networks, we're delivering fast, reliable broadband access to residents in smaller communities and rural regions throughout the province." Faster Internet for rural Manitobans

Wireless Home Internet is beginning to roll out to eligible homes in the following Manitoba communities: Dauphin, Gimli, Grand Beach, Lac du Bonnet, Libau, Peguis First Nation, Shilo, Sidney, Victoria Beach, Whitemouth, Winkler and Woodlands. Bell MTS has WHI coverage planned for approximately 40,000 locations in rural Manitoba by the end of 2021, part of Bell's broader plan to eventually offer WHI service to 1 million rural households across Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. "The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for better broadband access so all Manitobans have access to high-quality internet," said Denys Volkov, Executive Director of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM). "The AMM welcomes this expanded service offering as reliable broadband, particularly in rural Manitoba, is key to future economic development and growth." "In the 21st century, high-speed Internet is critical infrastructure for our entrepreneurs, farmers and families," said Chuck Davidson, President and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. "The current halth crisis has highlighted the importance of equipping Manitoba with this type of connectivity. Access to high-speed broadband networks will be a driver of Canada's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and of future economic and social prosperity. The expansion of Bell's Wireless Home Internet service to Manitoba is welcomed and will help bridge the connectivity gap."



Added to the significant investments in wireless broadband technology, Bell MTS has been expanding its all-fibre network to meet the connectivity challenges of today and the future technology needs of tomorrow. Bell MTS is now bringing pure fibre Internet service to Churchill, Flin Flon, Morden and La Salle, which join more than 30 smaller communities in Manitoba that are connected to the world's fastest Internet technology. To learn more about Bell MTS Wireless Home Internet service and to see if your home is now eligible, please visit BellMTS.ca/FastInternet.

About Bell MTS

Bell MTS is part of BCE, Canada's largest communications company, and provides advanced broadband wireless, Internet, TV, multimedia and business communication services throughout Manitoba. To learn more, please visit BellMTS.ca or BCE.ca . The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk . Media inquiries: Bell MTS

Morgan Shipley

204-391-2849

morgan.shipley@bellmts.ca

@BellMTS_News Investor inquiries:

Thane Fotopoulos

514-870-4619

thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this news release are forward-looking statements, including statements relating to our network deployment and capital investment plans and other statements that are not historical facts. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws and of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events, and we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Our network deployment and capital investment plans are subject to risks and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that such plans will be completed. For additional information on assumptions and risks underlying certain of our forward-looking statements made in this news release, please consult BCE Inc.'s (BCE) 2020 Annual MD&A dated March 4, 2021, BCE's 2021 First Quarter MD&A dated April 28, 2021 and BCE's news release dated April 29, 2021 announcing its financial results for the first quarter of 2021, filed by BCE with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities (available at Sedar.com) and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available at SEC.gov). These documents are also available at BCE.ca. SOURCE Bell Canada

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[June 22, 2021] BTG Pactual Strategic Capital, Morning Calm Management and Grupo Patio Launch Aurora Industrial

BTG Pactual Strategic Capital, Grupo Patio and Morning Calm Management are pleased to announce the launch of Aurora Industrial, LLC ("Aurora"), a platform company targeting acquisitions of US$ 1+ billion of U.S. Midwest industrial real estate over the next 3 years. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005973/en/ Aurora has closed on its first transaction, a 10-asset portfolio, comprising 1.7 million square feet in Detroit, Michigan. Aurora is targeting further investments in a focus region that spans most major Midwest MSAs. James Frank, of BTG Pactual Strategic Capital, said: "We are extremely pleased with the progress of Aurora. The team, led by Mukang Cho, brings substantial expertise and we believe is positioned for great success." Mukang Cho, CEO of Aurora, commented, "I am excited to launch this new effort after having worked closely with the principals at BTG Pactual on prior transactions. We believe that our collective reputation for creative/flexible structuring, deep resources, and execution certainty will help position Aurora as a buyer of choice for sellers in this market." Chris Blundin, Managing Partner, and Grupo Patio Director in the United States, adds: "We are very optimistic about the great opportunities that this region offers us and we are sure that, ith our experience in investments and asset management, we will be able to have a solid position in the United States."



About BTG Pactual Strategic Capital

BTG Pactual Strategic Capital ("Strat Cap") is an opportunistic investment strategy focused on asset-oriented businesses. Strat Cap partners with sponsors, management teams and business owners to create value. Strat Cap is led by a seasoned investment team with relevant experience in private equity, credit and tangible assets. Strat Cap is a part of the BTG Pactual Tangible Assets Group, which has nearly US$ 4 billion in assets and commitments. About BTG Pactual

BTG Pactual (BPAC11) is the largest investment bank in Latin America and operates in the Investment Banking, Corporate Lending, Sales & Trading, Wealth Management and Asset Management markets. BTG Pactual Asset Management has an international presence with over US$ 70 billion in assets under management and administration as of December 2020. Since its inception in 1983, BTG Pactual has been managed based on the meritocratic culture of partnership, with focus on customer, excellence and long-term vision. The institution has consolidated itself as one of the most innovative in the sector, having won several national and international awards. Currently, it has almost 3,000 employees in offices throughout Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, the United States, Portugal and England. For more information, please visit http://www.btgpactual.com.

About Morning Calm Management

Morning Calm Management is a vertically integrated real estate management firm with a focus on special situation investing. Through its affiliates, the firm owns and manages more than 5 million square feet of commercial real estate throughout the United States on behalf of private and institutional capital. About Grupo Patio

Grupo Patio is a pan-regional multi-asset-class manager with over US$ 3 billion in AUM. Headquartered in Santiago, Chile, Grupo Patio manages real estate assets in Chile, Peru, Mexico and the US. Grupo Patio was founded in 2004 as a real estate developer and has been evolving into an integral active manager with over 11.8 million square feet in its portfolio (as of March 2021). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005973/en/

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[June 22, 2021] EDMO Distributors Signs Distribution Agreement with Flight Data Systems

SPOKANE, Wash., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EDMO Distributors, a global leader in the distribution of avionics and installation supplies, has signed a distribution agreement with Flight Data Systems. Flight Data Systems (FDS) designs and manufactures products for ground support equipment, airborne components, flight data monitoring (FDM)/Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) services, Flight Recorder Readouts and Servicing, and more. Their newest addition is the Handheld Multipurpose Interface Unit (HHMPI). The HHMPI is a rugged handheld device that streamlines vital data from flight data recorders for quick aircraft monitoring and analysis. For small to large scale operations, the HHMPI delivers a variety of powerful and advanced data transfer capabilities to enable swift analysis of data to assist ground support in proactive fleet management. "Managing aircraft flight data from a variety of different recorders can be a daunting task. The HHMPI simplifies all of this by seamlessly connecting to the industry's most popular cockpit voice and flight data recorders," mentions Kerry Farrish, Vice President of Sales, Flight Data Systems. "As a trusted leader, EDMO requires rugged, reliable, and industry-proven Ground Support Equipment for their wide network of customers, and we are proud to establish a relationship with EDMO." Jeffery Geraci, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for EDMO, said: "EDMO parners with companies we can trust to bring high quality, value driven products to market. FDS is highly qualified manufacturer with innovative products. The HHMPI delivers the security and functionality our customers require for their FDR download equipment."



For more information about the Handheld Multipurpose Interface Unit (HHMPI) or other Flight Data Systems products, visit edmo.com. About Flight Data Systems (FDS)

Flight Data Systems (FDS), founded in 1990 in Melbourne, Australia, seeks to drive operational efficiencies in aviation using an end-to-end portfolio of data acquisition, data recording, data storage, and data analysis tools. Over the past 30+ years, FDS has provided leading products and services to the business aviation, commercial airline, military and government, and most recently, unmanned aerial systems segments. Their portfolio of solutions is a true flight data ecosystem designed to drive business impact through the acquisition, storage and security, transmission, and analysis of raw flight data to prove safety and operational ROI. Visit flightdata.aero for more information.

About EDMO Distributors

EDMO Distributors, Inc is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Based in Spokane, Washington, they've secured a reputation as one of the most reliable sources for aircraft electronics, test equipment, installation supplies, wire and cable, tooling, and pilot supplies. EDMO's commitment to providing the best service and the largest selection possible has made it a company that customers count on and trust. EDMO maintains a stringent quality control system and is an ISO 9001:2008/AS9120 registered company. Visit edmo.com for more information. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/edmo-distributors-signs-distribution-agreement-with-flight-data-systems-301315708.html SOURCE EDMO Distributors Inc.

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[June 22, 2021] Emprise Bank Launches AI-Powered Affiliate Program with Fintel Connect

VANCOUVER, BC, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emprise Bank, a customer-focused and innovative financial institution with total assets exceeding $2.1 billion, has launched its affiliate program in partnership with Fintel Connect, an end-to-end influencer marketing technology solution that drives scalable growth for financial brands. Based in Wichita, Kansas, Emprise Bank is focused on delivering a personalized and relevant customer experience and offers a broad range of leading products and services including personal, business, and investment banking. This includes free checking accounts that come with perkswhether it's 2% cash back on everyday debit card purchases or higher interest on balances. Emprise Bank's competitive financial products are designed to maximize speed of account opening, convenience and ease of use, and earnings potential to help customers reach their financial aspirations. "Emprise is focused on forward-looking solutions to empower our customers to thrive. We know people need a partner, not just another bank," said Emprise Bank Vice President and Marketing Manager Aggie Tuxhorn. "Fintel Connect's fast-growing network and strategic partnerships in the US market represent a tremendous opportunity for Emprise to build new and successful customer relationships. We'll have the ability to scale at our own pace, with the tools in place to tell our story and increase our brand reach." Nicky Senyard, CEO of Fintel Connect said, "Emprise Bank is a leader in their community and committed to advancing their digital services and experiences to better serve their customers. We are thrilled to partner with the Emprise team and support them with their strategic initiative to expand their digital footprint and reach new customers through highly valuable partnerships an channels."



Emprise Bank's affiliate program is currently available through Fintel Connect. Publishers and influencers with US-facing audiences are invited to join its affiliate program here. About Fintel Connect

Fintel Connect is an award-winning technology company on a mission to drive value for brands and consumers in financial services. As the only performance marketing technology solution built specifically for the financial industry, Fintel Connect serves 50+ North American fintechs, banks, credit unions, and insurtech companies through its fully scalable tracking and reporting platform, curated database of targeted publishers and influencers, and built-in AI-driven marketing compliance tools. Fintel Connect is also a proud partner of the Visa Fintech Partner Connect program, committed to helping clients build the next generation of digital banking. To discover how Fintel Connect can achieve scalable growth for your brand, visit www.fintelconnect.com.



About Emprise Bank

Emprise Bank is a customer-focused, innovative financial institution whose mission is to empower people to thrive through personalized solutions and services. Based in Wichita, Kansas, Emprise Bank is FDIC insured with total assets exceeding $2.1 billion. Learn more at http://www.emprisebank.com. If you're:

Press and would like to connect, please contact Gilian Ortiallan at 604-783-1724 or 312653@email4pr.com

A merchant and would like to know more, visit https://www.fintelconnect.com/brands/

A publisher that would like to join our network, visit https://www.fintelconnect.com/publishers/ View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emprise-bank-launches-ai-powered-affiliate-program-with-fintel-connect-301316707.html SOURCE Fintel Connect

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[June 22, 2021] Enviva Selected As a "Best Sustainability Reporting" Finalist for the 2021 ESG Reporting Awards

Enviva, a leading global renewable energy company specializing in sustainable wood bioenergy, today announced it was selected as a finalist for the 2021 ESG Reporting Awards, a global awards program devoted to assessing and evaluating the best public companies in the areas of sustainability and climate-related reporting. Upon evaluating a large number of high-quality nominations across 11 categories - from small, mid-sized, and large cap listed companies across the globe - ESG Investing shortlisted Enviva as a finalist under the "Energy and Utilities" category. "We are thrilled to be recognized for our relentless commitment to sustainability and transparency among our peers in the energy and utility sector," said Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Enviva. "For years to come, Enviva's policies, pledges and reports will continue to guide our work to ensure that 100% of our sourcing meets our strict sustainability requirements. We hope our forward-thinking approach to sustainability and transparent publicly available reporting will inspire and motivate others across the industry to do the same." On a mission to displace coal, grow more trees, and fight climate change, Enviva strictly adheres to its Responsible Sourcing Policy (RSP), which outlines a stringent set of sourcing guidelines that hold Enviva to the highest standards of sustainability, integrity, forest stewardship, and continuous improvement. Every year, Enviva lays out commitments to its RSP in the form of annual Implementation Plans (see 2021 plans here). Once the annual plans are published at the start of the year, Enviva provides a mid-year update, and then, at the end of the year, Enviva reports on its accomplishments via an annual Impact Report. Additionally, in 2020, Enviva published its first Corporate Sustainability Report, featuring a GHG Inventory and a discussion on its sustainability journey from inception (2004) to the present.



Providing transparent information about its wood supply is fundamental to the company's mission to displace fossil fuels reliably and sustainably. Enviva's Track & Trace (T&T) technology has proven mission critical in monitoring, tracking, and reporting exactly where all Enviva's wood is sourced. Over the last year, Enviva developed and deployed a T&T standard, enabling the company to engage a third-party auditor to verify and ensure the company has and will continue to follow T&T procedures and reporting accurately. Looking ahead, Enviva announced its commitment to become net zero in its operations by 2030 and has agreed to publicly report on its progress annually. Throughout the next year, Enviva is working to include blockchain in its reporting to enhance end-to-end assurance in its traceability.

To view the full list of 2021 ESG Reporting finalists, click here. The 2021 ESG Reporting award winners and runners-up will be announced on August 2. About Enviva Holdings, LP Enviva Holdings, LP is the world's largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source used to generate electricity and heat. Through its subsidiaries, Enviva Holdings, LP owns and operates wood pellet processing plants and deep-water export terminals in the U.S. Southeast. We export our pellets to power plants in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan that previously were fueled by coal, enabling them to reduce their lifecycle carbon footprint by more than 85 percent. We make our pellets using sustainable practices that protect Southern forests and employ about 1,200 people and support many other businesses in the U.S. Southeast. Enviva Holdings, LP conducts its activities primarily through two entities: Enviva Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership (NYSE: EVA), and Enviva Development Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned private company. To learn more about Enviva Holdings, LP, please visit our website at www.envivabiomass.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005855/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Europlacer Expands Existing Reseller Relationship with Aegis Software

Aegis Software, a global provider of Manufacturing Operations Software (MOM/MES), announces that Europlacer has expanded its 20+ year reseller relationship, for Aegis' FactoryLogix Digital Manufacturing Engineering software module, to now include China. Additionally, Europlacer is the first placement systems provider to achieve IPC (News - Alert) Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) qualification, thereby enabling "plug & play" IIoT connectivity with Aegis' FactoryLogix Platform, as well as any CFX-qualified factory information systems. With Europlacer and Aegis Software, manufacturers can effortlessly leverage IIoT data to monitor, control, and improve factory automation without requiring IIoT middleware or custom coding. "Expanding the relationship to China was the next logical step in helping electronics manufacturers seamlessly implement Industry 4.0 best practices to drive a smarter factory," John Perrotta, Group Sales and Services Officer, Europlacer stated. "Additionally, Eroplacer and Aegis were among the founding members of the IPC select committee formed to define and develop the CFX standard. It is great to see the standard come to life and witness first-hand the tangible benefits our joint customers can achieve. We are very proud to be the first placement systems provider to achieve IPC CFX qualification and provide "plug & play" data exchange capabilities with other CFX-compliant machines and systems, like Aegis' FactoryLogix platform."



"Now more than ever, manufacturers are seeking ways to become more agile and resilient. Foundational to achieving that desired agility and resiliency is a factory that can support seamless connectivity of machines, systems, and devices to provide the necessary levels of control, visibility, and efficiency without complexity, endless customization, or high costs. Europlacer and Aegis share a common goal of enabling factories of any size worldwide to achieve Industry 4.0 benefits. We are very proud of the long-standing synergistic and collaborative relationship that we have with Europlacer and look forward to continued success," stated Jason Spera, CEO, and Co-Founder, Aegis Software. About Europlacer

Founded 50 years ago, the Europlacer Group (formerly known as Blakell Europlacer) is active and pre-eminent in the electronic circuit board assembly sector with advanced product and service solutions for electronics manufacturers in the USA, UK, France, China and globally. Europlacer manufactures component placement as well as screen printing equipment used worldwide in surface mount assembly processes. The company also delivers full line solutions incorporating a range of associated equipment, including AOI, reflow and PCB handling. Visit www.europlacer.com to learn more. About Aegis Software Founded in 1997, Aegis Software uniquely delivers a comprehensive and flexible end-to-end manufacturing execution system (MES) platform giving manufacturers the speed, control, and visibility they require. Aegis has international sales and support offices in Germany, UK, and China, and partners with more than 37 manufacturing equipment suppliers. Since its inception, Aegis has been helping more than 2,200 factories across the military, aerospace, electronics, medical, and automotive industries, drive rapid and continuous innovation with the highest quality while reducing operational costs. Learn more by visiting: www.aiscorp.com. Speed, Control and Visibility for Manufacturing. Note: FactoryLogix is a registered trademark of Aegis Industrial Software. All other company and product names contained herein are trademarks of the respective holders. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005095/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Eutelsat and Vox Sign Distribution Agreement for EUTELSAT KONNECT Capacity Over South Africa

Regulatory News: Eutelsat (News - Alert) Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Vox, a market leading end-to-end integrated ICT and infrastructure provider and telecommunications company, have reached a multi-year distribution agreement to extend high-speed network connectivity to South Africa. As of June, Vox will leverage the unmatched operational flexibility and power of EUTELSAT KONNECT, the new-generation high throughput satellite, and Eutelsat's market-leading service to further grow its satellite customer base. Commenting on the agreement, Jacques Visser, Head of Wireless at Vox said: "We are delighted to be partnering with Eutelsat to provide solutions that connect South Africans by supporting customers, entrepreneurs, and commerce, whilst guaranteeing service excellence. We are confident that Eutelsat's unparalleled in-orbit assets, together with its unrivalled customer support will be a great benefit to a growing number of customers".>



Philippe Oliva, Chief Commercial Officer of Eutelsat added: "We are pleased to be selected by Vox to enhance and extend its offer of high quality, reliable internet connectivity in South Africa's digital divide. This agreement cements our position as the leading satellite broadband operator in the country and reflects the attractivity of our EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite in the region". 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/20210622005578/en/

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Finstro Signals Intent to Launch U.S.-Based Technology-Driven Trade Credit and Payment Solution in $26 Trillion1 B2B Market

Finstro, a technology-powered provider of trade credit and payment solutions for B2B commerce, is expanding to the U.S. market. The Australian firm, which has operational centers in Asia and Europe, is leveraging its proprietary, data-driven credit engine to create a card solution and an integrated ERP solution to uniquely solve risk, cashflow and client onboarding challenges that exist in supplier/buyer relationships.

Founder and CEO, Brad Prout, has relocated to the US to oversee the expansion and the company has recently increased its global team by 25% and is still actively hiring across all areas of the business to support the planned rollout in the US before the end of the summer.

"Over half of all suppliers in the US have to provide goods and services to their business customers with trade credit to effectively compete. Finstro has more efficient tools to extend and manage this credit. Suppliers remove risk and get paid instantly and buyers gain access to more flexible payment options and terms. Ultimately, this removes friction from the B2B commerce relationship and allows suppliers to focus on their core business," said Prout.

Finstro's solution is industry agnostic and well-suited to situations where buyers have seasonal or longer inventory and revenue cycles than the payment terms required by their suppliers. Strong industry use case examples include agriculture, printing, packaging, industrial supplies, professional services, wholesale grocery, chemical and electrical equipment.

Data-driven dynamic credit decisioning engine

At the heart of Finstro's technology platform is a proprietary, data-driven and automated credit decisioning engine that utilizes internal and external data around credit, identity, payments, fraud, financial accounts and bank statements to dynamically inform risk decisions.

The platform itself is API enabled and able to integrate directly into existing supplier ERP systems, to provide a configurable, 100% digital process for suppliers and their buyers.

"Suppliers can adopt the Finstro solution to generate a sales advantage over their competitors while at the same time focusing on their core business," continued Prout. "The value proposition to both the supplier and the business customer is very compelling. As we emerge from COVID-19, both buyers and suppliers need accessible, flexible and relevant trade credit solutions that can strengthen and grow their businesses."

The Finstro platform has received numerous industry awards in Australia, including being named 2018 Fintech Australia and 2019 Optus (News - Alert) Fintech Award finalists.

Bringing digital best practices from the Australian B2B market

Finstro started in Sydney in 204 and since then has supported more than 7,000 small and medium-sized business (SMBs) and provided over AUD $1 billion in capital.







The firm continues to grow rapidly as the Australian economy emerges from COVID-19. Notably, during the pandemic, Finstro was approved by the Australian government to distribute government guaranteed loans. The company is on track to grow its Australian customer base by 200% in 2021 as it continues to support businesses operating in all industries across Australia.

About Finstro

Finstro brings together innovative thinking, experience, and technology to deliver trade credit and payment solutions to suppliers and their business trading partners large and small.

Led by an experienced leadership team, and with more than 80 fulltime staff of which around 50% are IT professionals, the company has received many awards in Australia for innovation, technology, firm culture, and business acumen including the Australian Business Awards (ABA) 100 for Business Innovation in 2020, the ABA 100 award in Business Technology in 2020, the Sydney City Business Awards for Outstanding Employer of Choice in 2019, and the New South Wales (NSW) Business Chamber Awards for Outstanding Employer of Choice in 2019. Finstro was also a finalist in two categories for FinTech Australia's Finnie Awards 2018 - Emerging FinTech Leader of the Year (under 35) and Excellence in Business Lending - as well as a finalist in the 2019 MyBusiness Awards for FinTech Business of the Year.

Finstro's headquarters are in Sydney and the company has a presence in Australia, Manila, Vietnam, New York, Atlanta, Turkey and Brazil.

For ongoing updates on the company and its plans for the US market, follow Finstro USA on LinkedIn (News - Alert) at https://www.linkedin.com/company/finstrous/

1 Goldman Sachs Global Technology Equity Research report, September 16, 2018

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005831/en/
[June 22, 2021] The Hartford Study: Majority Of Employers Recognize Employee Mental Health As A Significant Workplace Issue, Report Stigma Prevents Treatment

New research from The Hartford, a leading provider of workers' compensation and disability insurance, found 70% of employers now recognize employee mental health is a significant workplace issue, and 72% said stigma associated with mental illness prevents U.S. workers from seeking help. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005719/en/ Also, 52% of employers said they are experiencing significant or severe workplace issues due to substance misuse or addiction among their employees, according to The Hartford's 2021 Future of Benefits Study, which polled U.S. workers and human resource benefit decision-makers this spring. "A majority of employers said they feel prepared to support their employees' mental health, and we applaud their efforts to support employees' overall well-being during these times of intense change," said The Hartford's Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift (News - Alert) . "Our new data on stigma is a wake-up call. As the U.S. economy is re-built, we urge business leaders to continue to prioritize employee mental health - fostering stigma-free company cultures, increasing access to resources, and encouraging early treatment." Today, Swift will speak at The Hill's virtual event, "Mental Health, Addiction, and the COVID-19 Pandemic." Other scheduled speakers include Dr. Rachel Levine, assistant secretary of health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Member of the Youth Suicide and Mental Health Task Force and Congressional Black Caucus; U.S. Rep. David Joyce (R-OH), co-chair of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus; U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY), co-chair of the Mental Health Caucus; Daniel H. Gillison Jr., CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI); Courtney Hunter, vice president for state policy for Shatterproof; Dr. David Fiellin, director of the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine; and Jim Carroll (News - Alert) , co-founder of DC Consulting LLC and former director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Mental Health Divide While the national study showed employers have strived to support workforce well-being and foster a more compassionate workplace, employers and workers are divided in key areas about mental health in the workplace: 80% of employers said their company culture has been more accepting of mental health challenges in the past year, but only 59% of workers agree;

79% of employers said they have an open and inclusive environment that encourages a dialogue about mental health, compared to 52% of workers who agree;

77% of employers said leadership at their company encourages conversations about mental health, compared to 56% of workers who agree; and

78% of employers said workers have flexibility in their schedule to get the mental health help they need, but just 58% of employees agree about this flexibility. These divergent perceptions indicate the pervasiveness and power of stigma, as well as the continued need for education and communication about mental illness and addiction. Stigma's Economic Cost The research also showed the economic impact of untreated conditions due t stigma. One-third of U.S. employers (31%) said the strain on employee mental health is having a severe or significant financial impact on their company, a 10-point increase from the March 2020 survey. The Hartford's claims data demonstrates that untreated mental health and substance use disorders can prevent lead to unplanned absences and prolonged disability. Mental health conditions are among the top five reasons for U.S. workers to file a short-term disability claim, according to The Hartford's disability claims data (excluding pregnancy).1 A person diagnosed with a primary injury or illness, along with the presence of mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, takes two to three times longer to recover than someone with similar injuries or illness without those conditions.2



"The recent research from The Hartford is encouraging and shows U.S. employers are concerned for their employees' mental health," said NAMI's CEO Gillison. "We are acutely aware that the need for mental health services is only increasing and reducing stigma in the workplace is paramount to improving the lives of employees. Mental health support in the workplace is a win-win for both workers and businesses." How To Be Stigma-Free

To help foster an open and inclusive work culture, The Hartford and NAMI recommend employers and workers: Learn more about mental health conditions and substance use disorder. Nearly half of adults with a substance use disorder also have a mental illness;

Use respectful and first-person language to talk about mental illness and addiction, avoiding harmful words that perpetuate stigma; and

Offer support if you think someone is having trouble. The NAMI Helpline at 800-950-NAMI provides information regarding available resources. If someone is in a crisis, text "NAMI" to 741741 crisis support via text message available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Employers can also: Provide mental health training to managers and senior leaders that includes information about mental illnesses, potential warning signs, and stigmatizing language guidelines;

Offer an Employee Assistance Program, as well as sleep management, mindfulness, or other programs that help improve mental and physical health; and

Communicate often, year-round about benefits and programs that support overall well-being. With additional communication, employees can more easily access the benefits and resources when the need arises. "We are encouraged our survey showed a majority of employers and employees think mental health will become less stigmatized in the workplace as a result of the pandemic," Swift said. "Mental health matters now more than ever. Together with NAMI, we remain committed to eradicating stigma that threatens human achievement so that more people can prevail." Methodology The Hartford's 2021 Future of Benefits Study was fielded from Jan. 11 - Feb. 19, 2021 and included 617 employers and 1005 employees. The previous two waves of the research were fielded in 2020. The first wave was fielded from Feb. 27 - March 13, 2020, just before the pandemic escalated in the United States, and included 761 employers and 1,503 employees. The second wave was fielded from June 15 - June 30, 2020 and included 567 employers and 1,038 employees. The employers surveyed were HR professionals who manage/decide employee benefits and employees surveyed were actively employed. The margin of error is employer +/- 4% and employee +/-3% at a 95% confidence level. About NAMI The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. About The Hartford The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at https://www.thehartford.com. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @TheHartford_PR. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG) operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. For additional details, please read The Hartford's legal notice. HIG-E Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, and the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued. From time to time, The Hartford may use its website and/or social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook (News - Alert) , to disseminate material company information. Financial and other important information regarding The Hartford is routinely accessible through and posted on our website at https://ir.thehartford.com, Twitter account at www.twitter.com/TheHartford_PR and Facebook at https://facebook.com/thehartford. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about The Hartford when you enroll your email address by visiting the "Email Alerts" section at https://ir.thehartford.com. ___________________________

1 Top five reasons for short-term claims for the last four years (2016-2020), excluding pregnancy, were musculoskeletal injury, cancers and other neoplasms, digestive conditions, and mental health conditions

2 Analysis of four years (2014-2018) of The Hartford's workers' compensation and disability claims data View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005719/en/

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[June 22, 2021] A Hit in China, GWM's TANK About to Debut the Global Market

BAODING, China, June 22, 2021 /CNW/ -- TANK, the fifth largest brand of GWM, has drawn wide attention since its independence. The smart luxury off-road SUV TANK 300 has become a hot seller since its launch, creating a record of more than 10,000 orders during the pre-sale soon, while 300 Monet Limited Edition off-roaders that GWM rolled out among the regular TANK 300 off-roaders were snapped up within five minutes. As TANK 300 is popular in the Chinese market, the situation of finding it hard to buy one can be called a "TANK Phenomenon". As a hit in the Chinese auto market with fabulous market performance, TANK 300's "TANK Phenomenon" continues to ferment. GWM has improved its production capacity of TANK 300 to shorten the car's delivery cycle. When re-starting the pre-sale of TANK 300 on April 19, GWM received 5,000 orders within only 3 hours. Particularly, due to the huge number of orders for the prime version of TANK 300, customers need to book one half a year in advance for the actual purchase of the car. In the Chinese off-road SUV segment, TANK 300 has a combined market share of over 50%.



As GWM's global high-end off-roader brand, TANK features ultimate off-road capability and integration of luxury and comfort. It creates a new category of "cool-fun off-road SUV" in the market. Built on GWM's professional intelligent off-roader platform TANK, this brand's best-selling product TANK 300 has a strong performance as that of TANKs. Equipped with a 2.0T turbocharged direct-injection engine powertrain system and a ZF 8AT gearbox and featuring functions such as the all-terrain control system, TANK turning and creep modes, which are all unique among the same level of products, TANK 300 can both meet customers' needs of commuting in cities and traveling in the open country. Meanwhile, its premium-material luxury cabin and intelligent driving system with access to the Internet render drivers a smart and comfortable driving experience. Moreover, GWM's luxury commercial flagship TANK 800 also offers drivers a top-tier driving experience with its delicate design, high-grade materials, high-precision techniques, full-sized commercial-style cabin and advanced smart systems. It has more excellent fuel efficiency after adopting a 3.0T V6 engine as its core powertrain and a GWM-developed 9AT gearbox as its transmission system. TANK 700, as a representative of GWM's mecha technology series, is designed with a ladder-frame chassis and even added a four-wheel independent suspension and an air suspension to make driving more comfortable. This product integrates unique and wild mecha-style exterior and luxurious and comfortable interior to form a striking contrast.

In the future, GWM will continue to enrich the product portfolio of TANK's luxury off-roaders and try to cover high-end off-road SUVs from compact to full-sized ones. With a firm foothold in the Chinese market, the TANK series is expected to quickly extend to the global market, to provide global users with high-quality products. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-hit-in-china-gwms-tank-about-to-debut-the-global-market-301317559.html SOURCE GWM

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[June 22, 2021] Imanis Life Sciences Announces Peer-Reviewed Publication of Data on Quantitative Virus Neutralization Assay IMMUNO-COV

ROCHESTER, Minn., June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imanis Life Sciences (Imanis or The Company) today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed scientific paper detailing its latest improved IMMUNO-COV TM neutralization assay in mSphere , an open access journal published by the American Society for Microbiology . The paper, entitled IMMUNO-COV v2.0: Development and Validation of a High-Throughput Clinical Assay for Measuring SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Titers, can be downloaded here .

The publication details the validation of IMMUNO-COV for accurately and reliably measuring the blood levels (titers) of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated individuals and those recovering from natural infections. IMMUNO-COV differs from other clinical antibody assays because (i) it detects only protective antibodies, i.e. those that can destroy the infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and (ii) it is fully quantitative, giving an antibody titer rather than a yes/no readout, and can therefore be used to estimate a persons level of protection against COVID19. Repeat IMMUNO-COV testing was used in the paper to show that there is a two to fivefold drop in neutralizing antibody titers within the first 6 months after recovery from COVID-19, suggesting that the assay will be useful to better understand the rate at which protection declines over time in vaccinated individuals. In validation studies, besides its ability to give an accuratelyquantitative readout, the test had 100% specificity and 98.3% sensitivity for detection of positive and negative samples in a reference antibody panel. Neutralizing antibody titers determined using the IMMUNO-COV assay were also shown to correlate closely with gold standard plaque reduction neutralization titers (PRNT) which can only be determined using a wild type SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in a high containment facility.



IMMUNO-COV is available nationally, orderable by a physician. Individuals, particularly those with underlying conditions who suspect that their COVID-19 immunity might be suboptimal after vaccination, can request this test from their physicians. For information on ordering the test visit www.imanis-immunocov.com . "The publication of data on IMMUNO-COV in a journal as highly respected as mSphere is another important step forward in bringing this breakthrough neutralization assay to the market, said Stephen Russell, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Imanis. The article provides evidence and validation of how IMMUNO-COV can help us better understand what levels of antibodies are required for protection from COVID-19. We are hopeful that this will lead to much needed specific recommendations for vulnerable individuals with low neutralizing antibody titers regarding the need for continued social distancing, the advisability of travel associated with risk of exposure to variant strains, the need for urgent diagnostic testing and monoclonal antibody therapy if symptoms develop, and the appropriate timing of booster vaccine shots."

Since preparation of this publication, Imanis has worked with Frederick National Laboratories to standardize IMMUNO-COV titers to the World Health Organization (WHO) international reference standard (NIBSC code: 20/136). As a result, IMMUNO-COV titers can now be easily compared to titers obtained using other standardized neutralization assays in international units per milliliter (IU/mL). Imanis is committed to supporting global efforts to standardize SARS-CoV-2 antibody neutralization tests, said Rianna Vandergaast, Ph.D., Principal Scientist at Imanis. Being able to compare results from multiple tests provides a distinct advantage when interpreting test data. Not only for individuals who want to know what their result means, but also for researchers who are using data from many different tests to answer important questions about SARS-CoV-2 immunity. About Imanis Life Sciences

Imanis Life Sciences is a biotechnology company with an unwavering commitment to the advancement of science. For many companies, profitability rules decision making. But at Imanis, leading scientific breakthroughs is the primary focus. Imanis is about making a difference in the world by putting people in a better position than they were yesterday. The company strives to do this by being a leader in laboratory assays and research services to accelerate the development of a broad range of next-generation therapies. Imanis Life Sciences is located in Rochester, Minnesota. For more information, visit https://imanis-immunocov.com/ . Media Contact

Will Johnson

Antenna Group

imanis@antennagroup.com

(201) 465-8019 IMMUNO-COV Institutional/Group Orders

Kah-Whye Peng, Ph.D.

Imanis Life Sciences

info@imanis-immunocov.com

(507) 218-2559



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[June 22, 2021] Kairos Partners with Nation's Leading Real Estate Owners and Operators to Launch Bilt Rewards: The First Program to Earn Points on Rent

NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kairos, a portfolio of brands that builds and invests in solutions across healthcare, housing and financial services, today announced a partnership with the nation's leading real estate owners to launch Bilt Rewards, the first rewards program that allows renters to earn points on rent, in addition to the Bilt Mastercard  the first-ever credit card that allows cardholders to pay rent and earn points with no fees. Residents across an alliance of properties, accounting for more than 2 million rental units throughout the country including AMLI Residential, AvalonBay Communities, Blackstone, Camden Property Trust, Cushman & Wakefield, Equity Residential, GID-Windsor Communities, Lennar Corporation, The Moinian Group, Morgan Properties, Related Companies, SL Green Realty Corp., Starwood Capital Group, Trammell Crow Residential, Veritas Investments and more, will now be able to earn rewards through monthly rent payments and renting-related events, such as signing a lease or referring a tenant. Through its high-value, unparalleled program, Bilt Rewards points can be redeemed for travel across over 100 major airlines and hotels via 1:1 transfer partnerships with American Airlines AAdvantage, Emirates Skywards, KLM-Air France FlyingBlue, World of Hyatt loyalty program and more; fitness classes at the country's top boutique studios including SoulCycle, Rumble and Y7; limited-edition and exclusive collections of art and home decor through the Bilt Collection, and can even be used for rent credits or towards a future down payment on a home. Opening up a path towards homeownership for this generation of renters, Bilt is the first company to win regulatory approval to redeem points towards down payments on home mortgages through Fannie Mae and the Federal Housing Administration. Bilt Rewards marks the first-ever rewards program for the housing sector and the $500 billion/year rental market at-large. "Housing is the single largest expense for the vast majority of Americans," says Bilt CEO and Fouder Ankur Jain, "And until today, rent has been the only major expense you couldn't earn points on without fees. Over a renter's lifetime, that's thousands upon thousands of dollars that they've never been able to earn something back on. With the launch of the new Bilt Rewards program, renters will now be able to travel, shop, or even start thinking about purchasing a future home just by paying their rent."



Of the program, Bilt Senior Loyalty Advisor and Founder and CEO of The Points Guy, Brian Kelly, says, "Bilt Rewards is the most innovative loyalty program to launch in a generation. Just by paying rent, you can now earn points to travel the world, or even buy a home." Barry Sternlicht, Chairman, CEO and founder of Starwood Capital Group, who also advised on the program says, "In the same way SPG transformed hotel loyalty, we have an opportunity with Bilt to rethink the housing experience for the next generation of renters - and give every young person a path to homeownership."

In tandem with the launch of Bilt Rewards, Bilt has also partnered with Mastercard to develop a first-of-its-kind co-brand credit card that not only enables renters to pay rent and earn points with no fees, but also meets the digital needs and expectations of today's consumers. Renters who enroll in Bilt Rewards and pay with their Bilt Mastercard can pay rent at any apartment or rental unit in the U.S with no fee, and can earn up to 2x points on rent and 1x points for every non-rent purchase. The Bilt Mastercard will be issued by Evolve Bank & Trust. To ensure renters aren't using up their credit line or risking debt to finance rent, Bilt and Mastercard developed BiltProtect. When enabled, Bilt Mastercard will function similar to a debit card for rent transactions, directly pulling funds from a linked bank account with each rent charge. This keeps credit lines open for other purchases, while still enabling cardholders to earn points on every rent payment. For buildings that do not accept credit card payments, cardholders can still pay their rent with their Bilt Mastercard through the Bilt App, and a check will be sent to landlords on the cardholder's behalf. Further, rent payments made through Bilt Mastercard will automatically be reported to credit bureaus, enabling residents to build their credit score with each on-time rent payment. The Bilt Mastercard offers World Elite Mastercard benefits, which gives cardholders access to exclusive offers with select merchants, in addition to advanced security features including Mastercard ID Theft Protection, Zero Liability and Price Protection. Cardholders will also have access to Priceless Experiences, offering activities both digitally and in the cities where they are. Upon approval, cardholders can instantly access the Bilt Mastercard and begin making purchases online, in-app and at the point of sale by directly adding it to their mobile wallet from the Bilt App. The metal card can be managed digitally  including access to transaction history and balance information, alerts, and access to benefits. With no annual fees, cardholders can receive all ancillary benefits typically reserved for premium cards at no extra cost. Tenants within Bilt's network of real estate partner properties will be the first to receive invitations for the Bilt Mastercard, as Bilt Rewards roll out across their 2 million+ units starting today. To find out more about Bilt Rewards and the Bilt Mastercard, visit BiltRewards.com. About Kairos

Kairos is a portfolio of brands across healthcare and financial services that focuses on making life simpler and more affordable for our generation. We start by identifying the toughest problems and build products to solve them. We have built five Kairos solutions to date: Rhino replaces the security deposit, Cera provides affordable care from the comfort of the home, and Little Spoon is a modern parenthood brand to help keep your kid healthy. Bilt is the first rewards program that lets you earn points on rent. Alloy is a healthcare platform for women over 40. Kairos' five brands have a collective market cap of nearly $1 billion. Contact:

Lauren@KairosHQ.com

Head of Communications, Kairos View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kairos-partners-with-nations-leading-real-estate-owners-and-operators-to-launch-bilt-rewards-the-first-program-to-earn-points-on-rent-301316876.html SOURCE Kairos

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[June 22, 2021] Kantara Initiative Names New Executive Director

Kay Chopard has been named Executive Director of the Kantara Initiative. She takes over the position from long-time Kantara Executive Director, Colin Wallis, who is semi-retiring. Kantara is the international ethics-based, mission-led non-profit industry 'commons' whose mission is to grow and fulfil the market for trustworthy use of identity and personal data. "Our sincere thanks go out to Colin for his leadership, management and contributions. He has been responsible for and central to much of Kantara's technical progress, market awareness and membership growth over the last decade," said Matt Thompson, president, Kantara Board of Directors. "At the same time, we welcome Kay as Executive Director and look forward to working with her to advance the organization's vision of equitable and transparent exchange of identity and personal data for mutual value, which is more important now than ever." Chopard is an attorney and sought-after industry speaker who has served as Executive Director for the Identity Ecosystem Steering Group and the National District Attorneys Association. Her Washington, DC-based consulting company, Chopard Consulting, provides expertise for technology and government agencies in strategic planning, improving business operations and meanigful engagement with stakeholders and partners. Her clients include: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Institute for Standards and Technology and Trusted Identities Group, among others.



Founder of the Women's Leadership Institute, she is a graduate of Simpson College and earned her Doctor of Law (J.D.) degree at the University of Iowa College of Law "Kantara has a strong foundation. There is solid leadership from the Board of Directors, a very engaged membership base with active working groups, and a one-of-a-kind assurance program," said Kay Chopard, executive director, Kantara Initiative. "I will focus on enhancing awareness of Kantara's impressive work and expanding its footprint by leveraging its invaluable content and technical programs."

About Kantara Initiative Kantara Initiative, Inc is an international ethics-based, mission-led nonprofit industry 'commons' whose mission is to grow and fulfill the market for trustworthy use of identity and personal data in pursuit of its vision to see equitable and transparent exchange of identity and personal data for mutual value. Kantara is unique in offering service providers 3rd party conformity assessment and assurance approval against its NIST 800-63-3 Class of Approval under its Identity Assurance Trust Framework, extendable other schemes and their respective standards and specifications, bringing greater confidence to procurers of digital services and in turn their customers that digital identity credential service providers' solutions are standards compliant. More information is available at https://kantarainitiative.org/. Follow Kantara Initiative on Twitter -- @KantaraNews View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005839/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Leidos awarded CDC bioinformatics and high-performance computing support services contract

RESTON, Va., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a Fortune 500 science and technology leader, was recently awarded a new prime contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide bioinformatics and scientific computing support services. The firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by CDC's Office of Acquisition Services and holds a maximum value of over $13 million for a period of performance of approximately five years if all options are exercised. Work will primarily be performed in Atlanta, Georgia. "We are thrilled to expand our work with CDC into bioinformatics and high-performance scientific computing," said Liz Porter, Leidos Health Group president. "Our world-class scientific and technical team will help CDC investigate infectious pathogens and generate new discoveries to help prevent future pandemics. These discoveries could lead to transformative advances in public health and Leidos is proud to assist them in this pursuit." Through this contract, Leidos will assist CDC's Office of Advanced Molecular Detection to expand the agency's capacity for scientific computing and bioinformatics. This includes supporting CDC personnel through information technology and high-performance analytical activities, including genomics, proteomics, high-performance computing and managing extremely large datasets. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that combines biology, computer science and other specialties to analyze and understand biological data. Bioinformatics data sets, like those associated with DNA and amino acid sequences, can be a terabyte in size or greater. Analyzing this data requires specialized programming and advanced high-performance computing. About Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 40,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $12.30 billion for the fiscal year ended January 1, 2021. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 1, 2021, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.







Contact: Melissa Duenas

(571) 526-6850

Duenasml@leidos.com





Thomas Doheny

(571) 474-4735

Dohenyt@leidos.com





Brandon VerVelde

(571) 526-6257

Brandon.p.vervelde@leidos.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leidos-awarded-cdc-bioinformatics-and-high-performance-computing-support-services-contract-301317056.html SOURCE Leidos

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[June 22, 2021] Nomura-SRI Innovation Center Will Begin Operations in July to Accelerate Adoption of Emerging Technologies Among Japanese Corporations

SRI (News - Alert) International (SRI) and Nomura announced today that the Nomura-SRI Innovation Center (NSIC), located on SRI's main campus in Menlo Park, Calif., will begin operations in July 2021. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005337/en/ NSIC is designed to help Japanese companies stay abreast of the latest technology breakthroughs that could disrupt the global corporate landscape by connecting member corporations with R&D labs, university research, incubators and startups in the U.S. (Graphic: Business Wire) For industry leading businesses, keeping ahead of emerging technologies is vital to continued global success and growth. As NSIC members, Japanese enterprises will be connected with pioneering R&D labs, university research teams, as well as Silicon Valley incubators and startups that are relevant to their industries and specific investments. NSIC will help members acquire and cultivate best practices for identifying and evaluating emerging technologies. It will enhance their adoption of next-generation innovation, allowing members to optimize the value of their technology investments. SRI and Nomura welcome Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (News - Alert) , Nomura Research Institute, Ltd., Obayashi Corporation and Shizuoka Bank Ltd. as charter members scheduled to participate in July. "Here at NSIC, we're excited to work with these market-leading companies to support their internal technology, research and innovation teams," said Chris Cowart, managing director of NSIC. "Our charter members bring a spectrum of industry insights to NSIC's Silicon Valley immersion program. We will be working closely with each member to share best practices, exclusive partner connections and tailored expertise relevant to their business goals for emerging technologies." "At Nomura, we know that technology investments are vital to the future growth of our clients and partners in Japan," commented Neeraj Hora, head of innovaion and investment at Nomura Holding America Inc. "Through NSIC and working together with SRI, we can support Japanese businesses - from major corporations to small start-ups - in gaining key strategic knowledge and experience that will encourage disruptive thinking and innovation."



In addition to driving collaboration between Japanese enterprises and Silicon Valley innovators, NSIC will also encourage disruptive thinking for a range of business practices - delivered through hands-on workshops, guest lectures, and bespoke content and experiences for members. These programs are focused on helping Japanese companies stay abreast of the latest technology breakthroughs that could shape the global corporate landscape. The program will consist of four tracks designed to expose members to the full gamut of SRI's innovation process, and Nomura's strategic business expertise:

Deep technology - exploring emerging technologies, analyzing emerging trends, evaluating market readiness, and discussing applications for novel drone and robotics solutions, engineering design approaches, next-gen AI analytics, AR/VR, financial tech platforms and more.

- exploring emerging technologies, analyzing emerging trends, evaluating market readiness, and discussing applications for novel drone and robotics solutions, engineering design approaches, next-gen AI analytics, AR/VR, financial tech platforms and more. Innovation process - activities focused on adopting innovative practices, case studies and tools, as well as engaging C-suite executives on the latest commercialization strategies and global market opportunities.

- activities focused on adopting innovative practices, case studies and tools, as well as engaging C-suite executives on the latest commercialization strategies and global market opportunities. Startup community - networking events to introduce a curated list of startups and investors, spanning the engineering, manufacturing, construction, financial industries and more, to help members maximize the ecosystem's value.

- networking events to introduce a curated list of startups and investors, spanning the engineering, manufacturing, construction, financial industries and more, to help members maximize the ecosystem's value. Silicon Valley immersion - leveraging the best assets of Silicon Valley to provide inspiration, mindset, tools and Capstone (News - Alert) projects tailored to help each NSIC member learn to implement new innovation-focused capabilities and processes. "In Silicon Valley, where SRI has practiced innovation for 75 years, it is extremely valuable to have an environment where we can directly benefit from the framework, technology and collaboration NSIC offers for innovation creation," commented Dr. Tamaki Horii, general manager at Obayashi Corporation. "In addition to ongoing joint research efforts with SRI, this NSIC program appears not only to enhance our relationship with SRI, but also opens up new venues for HDSI's ultimate goal of Total Motion Control," said Akira Nagai, president of Harmonic (News - Alert) Drive Systems Inc. For those interested in working with SRI and joining the membership waitlist, please visit www.sri.com/nsic. About SRI International: SRI International creates world-changing solutions making people safer, healthier and more productive. SRI, a research center headquartered in Menlo Park, California, brings its innovations to the marketplace through technology licensing, spin-off ventures and new product solutions. SRI International has a successful track record of commercializing deep technologies, working with Global2000 corporations and launching over 50 ventures with a combined market cap of over $50B. In addition, SRI has built a core team specifically focused on strategic partnerships with Japanese corporate customers. More information is available at www.sri.com. About Nomura: Nomura is a global financial services group with an integrated network spanning over 30 countries. By connecting markets East & West, Nomura services the needs of individuals, institutions, corporates and governments through its three business divisions: Retail, Wholesale (Global Markets and Investment Banking), and Investment Management. Founded in 1925, the firm is built on a tradition of disciplined entrepreneurship, serving clients with creative solutions and considered thought leadership. For further information about Nomura, visit www.nomura.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005337/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Novome Biotechnologies Appoints Dr. Lachy McLean as Chief Medical Officer

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novome Biotechnologies, Inc., a biotechnology company engineering first-in-class, living medicines for chronic diseases, today announced the appointment of Lachy McLean, MBChB, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer. An experienced biopharmaceutical executive, Dr. McLean brings to Novome significant clinical drug development and translational medicine experience.

Dr. McLean, a board-certified Rheumatologist, has been involved in developing innovative medicines from nonclinical research through to late-stage drug development, most recently as Head of Research at Travere Therapeutics (formerly Retrophin). Prior to Travere, for more than a decade, Dr. McLean held positions of increasing responsibility at Takeda Pharmaceuticals including Vice President and Global Head of Translational Clinical Science Immunology where he oversaw research and development programs for many early- to mid-stage molecules. Prior to Takeda, Dr. McLean was a Medical Director at Genentech where he was the clinical team leader for several immunology programs. He also held Director-level clinical research positions at Merck and AstraZeneca. Prior to industry, Dr. McLean was a Rheumatologist and Investigator at the University of Auckland. Lachy brings a wealth of experience to the Novome team, particularly in his breadth of experience across early- to late-stage clinical research and drug development in therapeutic areas highly-relevant to Novomes GEMMs platform and pipeline, said Blake Wise, Chief Executive Officer of Novome Biotechnologies. Lachy is uniquely suited to join Novome as we transition to a clinical-stage companI have no doubt that he will play a critical role in guiding and executing our lead clinical development candidate for the treatment of enteric hyperoxaluria and advancing other preclinical programs across our pipeline of GEMMs candidates, including in ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.



Dr. McLean earned a BMedSci and a MBChB (equivalent to an MD) from the University of Otago in New Zealand. He earned a PhD in Immunology from the University of London. His education also includes a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Dr. McLean is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FFPM) in the United Kingdom and of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP). Dr. McLean has contributed to the medical literature as the lead or co-author on over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. I believe that Novomes platform for colonizing the gut with therapeutically engineered bacteria has broad potential for human health, and I am very impressed with the progress the team has made in advancing towards first-in-human trials, said Dr. McLean. I look forward to applying my experience to build on the success of Novomes progress with the lead program in enteric hyperoxaluria, a disease with no FDA-approved therapies, and to advance a pipeline addressing additional high unmet need indications.

About Novome

Novome Biotechnologies, Inc. is a biotechnology company developing engineered cellular therapies for the gut to treat chronic diseases. The Company has developed the first platform for the controlled colonization of the gut with engineered bacteria to deliver targeted therapeutic cargos and functions, enabling first-in-class living therapeutics: Genetically Engineered Microbial Medicines (GEMMs). Novome is utilizing its proprietary GEMMs platform in its lead program in enteric hyperoxaluria, which is focused on the development of a therapeutic strain of bacteria that degrades oxalate to decrease the risk of kidney stone formation. Efforts are also directed toward advancing pipeline indications in ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and immuno-oncology. For more information, please visit the Novome Biotechnologies website at https://novomebio.com/ Source: Novome Biotechnologies, Inc. Follow us on Linkedin: Novome Biotechnologies

Follow us on Twitter: @NovomeBio

Media Contact: Denise Powell denise@redhousecomms.com

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[June 22, 2021] Offerpad Reveals 2021 Expansion Plans in Midwest and Southeast

Offerpad has announced its plan to bring its digital platform and exclusive Real Estate Solutions Center to four additional markets: Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; and Columbia, South Carolina. Opening in over 450 additional cities and towns across these four new markets, Offerpad is expected to grow the number of locations where it operates to nearly 1,500. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005503/en/



?Offerpad has announced its plan to bring its digital platform and exclusive Real Estate Solutions Center to four additional markets: Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; and Columbia, South Carolina. Opening in over 450 additional cities and towns across these four new markets, Offerpad is expected to grow the number of locations where it operates to nearly 1,500. (Graphic: Business Wire)

After launching in Denver, Colorado, Nashville, Tennessee earlier this year, and set to launch in Indianapolis, Indiana in July, Offerpad continues its momentum in the Midwest and Carolinas. "This is one of Offerpad's largest new market launches to date, and we're happy to make our digital home buying and selling solutions available to so many new customers in these four markets," said CEO and Founder Brian Bair. "We have our eyes on many moving parts in several markets across the country, but Columbus, Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia are where Offerpad needs to be next. We're always excited to expand in each new market where we can meet the increasing demand for a digital real estate solution that makes buying and selling a home easier and faster." Offerpad plans to launch home selling and buying solutions in its new markets in Q3 and Q4 2021. About Offerpad Offerpad is using technology-enabled solutions across its digital platform to remake the home selling and buying experience. With firsthand real estate experience and utilizing powerful proprietary technology, the company provides several consumer-focused options including instant cash offers and superior home listing services. Offerpad is a privately held company headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, operating across the country in nearly 1,000 cities and towns. Visit Offerpad.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005503/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Olive's Flexible Work Model, The Grid, Supports Explosive Growth with Team Quadrupling Since its Spring 2020 Launch

U.S.A., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As companies across the country announce their return to office plans, Olive , the company delivering innovation to healthcare through artificial intelligence (AI), is reinforcing its commitment to employees to never have to "return" through its novel flexible workforce model -- The Grid . Not only has the model empowered employees to work from anywhere, it has also supported unprecedented company growth through broader access to top talent. "I believe the term 'remote work' is dead and companies need to adopt more flexible work models. We've seen an enormous positive impact of our Grid model in the year since we launched it. There is no way we could have accessed all the talent we've needed to grow without this model," said Brian Rutkowski, Chief People Officer at Olive. "Not only does this model more successfully support our hiring needs, it's the right commitment for us to have made to our team members, who are all working hard to transform healthcare." First-of-its-kind workforce model attracts employees from across the country, giving them ultimate flexibility

Since The Grid was launched in May 2020, Olive's workforce has grown from 230 in less than 20 states to 777 employees across 43 states -- with 82% of all hires since launch non-local to Olive's Hub (headquarters) in Columbus, Ohio. The balance of local versus non-local changed dramatically since before The Grid, when about 75% of employees worked in the Hub full-time. Today, 30% of Olive's employees are local to the Hub and 70% work either at substations (workplaces where 10 or more employees reside), AlphaSites (onsite AI command centers built within customer health systems), or elsewhere across the country. Rather than being "in an office" or "out of office" employees are "on The Grid" or "off The Grid." Being on The Grid means that an employee is actively working from wherever they have chosen and are most effective, be that at home, in a cabin, on the beach, at Olive's Hub, an Olive workplace, or elsewhere across the country. Being off The Grid means they are not actively working, be it off-hours or vacation time. /p>



Expanding benefits to support employee productivity and happiness

Olive continues to evolve its benefits to support its distributed team. By offering Marriott Bonvoy points to employees, Olive encourages team members to get away from work to relax, explore or try something new  while the company foots the bill. Through the Olive Getaways program, every employee can receive 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy reward points that can be redeemed for free nights at any Marriott property, airfare, travel experiences, gift cards, events and more. The company also has a wellness program designed to actively incorporate mental and physical wellness into daily interactions amongst employees. And while many companies now offer unlimited PTO, Olive also has a mandatory PTO policy where employees are required to take at least three days off each quarter. In addition, Olive recently launched "No Meeting Wednesday," dedicating one day a week for employees to focus and not hold internal meetings as well as get some relief from Zoom fatigue.

Grid model provides access to top talent, including seasoned leadership

With a distributed workforce and recruiters placed across the country, Olive's Grid model has not only empowered team members, it has opened access to top talent including product, data and engineering talent, among other roles. This year, Olive anticipates it will more than double its number of employees to approximately 1,200. In addition, the Grid model bolstered Olive's leadership, with eight non-Columbus-based senior executives joining since fall 2020. Most recently, Olive added three new executives: Carly Eckert as a new GM and Executive Vice President to build out future product capabilities. Carly is a preventive medicine physician, clinical informaticist, and epidemiologist. She has worked in health innovation for six years, including closely with data scientists developing and implementing machine learning solutions in healthcare. Carly has deep experience in Responsible AI and an interest in leveraging data and technology to promote health equity and access to care for underserved populations. Carly will be working on The Grid from North Carolina .

as a new GM and Executive Vice President to build out future product capabilities. Carly is a preventive medicine physician, clinical informaticist, and epidemiologist. She has worked in health innovation for six years, including closely with data scientists developing and implementing machine learning solutions in healthcare. Carly has deep experience in Responsible AI and an interest in leveraging data and technology to promote health equity and access to care for underserved populations. Carly will be working on The Grid from . Geoffrey Martin as Chief Customer Officer. Geoffrey was previously at GE Healthcare where he served in executive positions working across the $18B GE Healthcare technology portfolio including Global CEO of GE Healthcare Partners. His work included driving strategic partnerships, large-scale consulting efforts and helping to bring Command Centers to Healthcare. At Olive, Geoffrey will support the scaling of Olive solutions to customers across the country, pushing hospitals, health systems and payers to the forefront of healthcare innovation. Geoffrey will be working on The Grid from Illinois .

as Chief Customer Officer. Geoffrey was previously at GE Healthcare where he served in executive positions working across the GE Healthcare technology portfolio including Global CEO of GE Healthcare Partners. His work included driving strategic partnerships, large-scale consulting efforts and helping to bring Command Centers to Healthcare. At Olive, Geoffrey will support the scaling of Olive solutions to customers across the country, pushing hospitals, health systems and payers to the forefront of healthcare innovation. Geoffrey will be working on The Grid from . Rebecca LaFond as Executive Vice President of Customer Experience, to build out the scaling of Olive's solutions to customers along with Geoffrey. Rebecca joins as part of Olive's acquisition of Empiric Health, where she was Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that, she held leadership positions in the Clinical Operations practices at Accenture and Huron Healthcare. Rebecca will be working on The Grid from Montana . To learn more about Olive or join its growing team, visit www.oliveai.com . About Olive

Olive's AI workforce is built to fix our broken healthcare system by addressing healthcare's most burdensome issues  delivering hospitals and health systems and payers increased revenue, reduced costs and increased capacity. People feel lost in the system today and healthcare employees are essentially working in the dark due to outdated technology that creates a lack of shared knowledge and siloed data. Olive is designed to drive connections, shining a new light on the broken healthcare processes that stand between providers delivering patient care and payers. She uses AI to reveal life-changing insights that make healthcare more efficient, affordable and effective. Olive's mission is to unleash a trillion dollars of hidden potential within healthcare by connecting its disconnected systems. Olive is improving healthcare operations today, so everyone can benefit from a healthier industry tomorrow. To learn more about Olive, visit oliveai.com . Olive Media Contact:

Rachel Forsyth

media@oliveai.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/olives-flexible-work-model-the-grid-supports-explosive-growth-with-team-quadrupling-since-its-spring-2020-launch-301316747.html SOURCE Olive

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[June 22, 2021] Olivier Gouedard, PharmD, MBA joins Cytovia Therapeutics as Chief Operating Officer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and AVENTURA, Fla., June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytovia Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing allogeneic off-the-shelf gene-edited Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-NK cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and NK cell engager multifunctional antibodies, announced today that Olivier Gouedard, PharmD, MBA has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Gouedard will lead cross-functional integration of external and internal R&D, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, and clinical development.

Having followed Cytovias impressive growth, I am thrilled to be joining at such an exciting time. Cytovia is uniquely positioned among NK cell companies with its broad technology capabilities across cell therapy, gene editing, and antibody therapeutics, as well as an exciting pipeline addressing unmet medical needs, said Dr. Gouedard. I believe that NK cells provide unique versatility for both solid tumors and hematological malignancies and broad patient access with easily engineered, highly scalable, and cost-effective off-the-shelf cell therapy. Were delighted to welcome Olivier to Cytovias leadership team, added Dr. Daniel Teper, CEO of Cytovia Therapeutics. He has extensive experience with biologics and cell therapy. He most recently led the successful development and approval of the first BCMA CAR T cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory muliple myeloma. Olivier will play a critical role in accelerating the development of Cytovias pipeline to clinical development and beyond.



Prior to joining Cytovia, Dr. Gouedard was Vice President, Global Cell Therapy Franchise at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he led the cross-functional development of CAR T cell therapies for multiple myeloma. Prior to Bristol Myers Squibb, he spent 8 years at Celgene as Executive Director, Global Project Leadership, leading global development teams for multiple early and late-stage assets in Hematology/Oncology and Inflammation/Immunology. Prior to his role at Celgene, Dr. Gouedard worked at Amgen where he advanced through positions in Finance, Project Management, Sales and Marketing.

Dr. Gouedard holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Rennes I, France, an advanced degree in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology from the Paris-Sud University, Paris, France, and an MBA in Finance/Accounting from the Stern School of Business, New York University.

About Cytovia Therapeutics

Cytovia Therapeutics aims to accelerate patient access to transformational cell therapies and immunotherapies, addressing several of the most challenging unmet medical needs in cancer. Cytovia focuses on Natural Killer (NK) cell biology and applies precision engineering to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to develop the safest, most effective, most broadly-available off-the-shelf Natural Killer cell therapy as a first line of defense against cancer. Cytovias proprietary multi-specific antibody platform has been customized to engage and activate NK Cells at the tumor site. Both platforms offer optionality to clinicians and can also be used synergistically. Cytovias R&D laboratories and GMP manufacturing facility are augmented by scientific partnerships with Cellectis, CytoImmune, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, INSERM, the New York Stem Cell Foundation, STC Biologics, and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). For further information, please contact: Cytovia Investor Relations contact:

Anna Baran-Djokovic

VP, Corporate Finance

+1 646-355-1787

anna@cytoviatx.com



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[June 22, 2021] Payer Compass Appoints Doug Williams to Its Board of Directors

PLANO, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Payer Compass, a leading provider of healthcare reimbursement technology and price transparency solutions, together with Spectrum Equity, a growth equity firm focused on the information economy, and Health Enterprise Partners (HEP), a healthcare-focused investment firm, today announced the appointment of Doug Williams as an independent member of its Board of Directors. Williams, who has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare IT, joins Jeff Haywood, Steve LeSieur and Michael Radonich from Spectrum Equity, as well as David Tamburri from HEP, on Payer Compass' Board of Directors. He is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of HMS, a Gainwell Technologies Company providing cost containment solutions to healthcare payers, where he is responsible for leading the company's business development and product strategy. Prior to HMS, Williams served as Chief Information Officer of Aveta, now part of Optum, Inc. "We're delighted to welcome Doug to our board of directors," said Greg Everett, President and CEO of Payer Compass. "His experience leading healthcare technology companies that are focused on regaining control of the spiraling costs of healthcare aligns with our core mission." Payer Compass solves one of the most difficult problems in healthcare: rising costs and a lack of price transparency. Its purpose-built healthcare pricing engine and contract management system addresses the complexities of Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial claims pricing, enabling employer groups and health plans to make smarter decisions about the way they pay for care. "I amire Payer Compass' mission to drive transparency in healthcare pricing," said Williams. "I'm looking forward to helping the team execute on their ambitious growth plans and deliver innovative products to the market."



"Doug's experience in driving innovation and growth will be a terrific asset to Payer Compass as we accelerate our efforts as the leading provider of reimbursement and price transparency solutions," said board member David Tamburri, Managing Partner of Health Enterprise Partners. Payer Compass has been growth equity-backed by Spectrum Equity and Health Enterprise Partners since December 2018.

About Payer Compass Payer Compass is dedicated to restoring rationality to the cost of care. We focus squarely on tackling the most complex problems in today's healthcare landscape: spiraling costs and associated lack of price transparency. For health plans, we are minimizing overall spend on claims pricing, administration, and processing. And, for self-funded organizations, our innovations and services are driving down the costs of healthcare claims reimbursement. By combining our next-gen technology  Visium, a multi-faceted pricing platform  with an emphasis on client success, Payer Compass is helping organizations control the cost of care. For more information, visit www.payercompass.com. About Spectrum Equity Spectrum Equity is a leading growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support to innovative companies in the information economy. For over 25 years, the firm has partnered with exceptional entrepreneurs and management teams to build long-term value in market-leading internet-enabled software and information services companies. Representative investments include Ancestry, Definitive Healthcare, Everlywell, GoodRx, Grubhub, Headspace, Kajabi, Lucid, Lynda.com, Net Health, The Knot Worldwide, SurveyMonkey and Verafin. For more information, including a complete list of portfolio investments, visit www.spectrumequity.com. About Health Enterprise Partners Health Enterprise Partners provides expansion capital to the most innovative healthcare services and healthcare information technology companies. Central to HEP's strategy is its unique and extensive hospital system and health plan network, 36 members of which are investors in HEP's funds. HEP seeks to invest in companies that improve the quality of the patient experience, expand access, and reduce the cost of healthcare. For more information, please visit www.hepfund.com. Press Contacts For inquiries related to this announcement, please contact Ginger Barrientez, Director of Marketing, at 469.215.2654, or email at gbarrientez@payercompass.com. Related Images doug-williams.png

Doug Williams

Doug Williams View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/payer-compass-appoints-doug-williams-to-its-board-of-directors-301316848.html SOURCE Payer Compass

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[June 22, 2021] PPG Furthers LGBTQ Inclusion Commitments with Pennsylvania Values Business Pledge

PPG (NYSE:PPG) today announced it has signed the Pennsylvania Values Business Pledge, an effort to bring businesses together to promote a thriving, welcoming, and economically-strong commonwealth for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Created by The Pennsylvania Youth Congress, Pennsylvania Values is a coordinated effort to urge the General Assembly to enact comprehensive LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination protections. This legislation will update the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act of 1955 to add sexual orientation and gender identify or expression to be included along with the 11 existing protected classes. "The Pennsylvania Values Business pledge will help create a more diverse and inclusive environment not only in Pennsylvania, but across our society," said Marvin Mendoza, PPG global head of diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I). "Non-discrimination protections are not only the right thing to do, but they will strengthen businesses and help to keep talent in our cities. At PPG, we strive to recruit and retain the best talent, because we know that a diverse and inclusive workforce equips the company to drive superior innovations and generate greater value for our global customers, partners and shareholders." "We are delighted to have PPG's support during this crucial moment in time," said Preston Heldibridle, executive director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress. "LGBTQ communities work tirelessly to ensure that basic dignity and equality are guaranteed for all. We knw with PPG's public commitment we will continue to change hearts and minds across the country, and hopefully the world."



PPG recently received a score of 90% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2021 CORPORATE EQUALITY INDEX, which is a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. The company's Workplace Gender Identity and Transition Guidelines, for example, address the needs of transgender employees to ensure their safety and fair treatment, maximize their workplace integration and minimize stigmatization. To learn more about PPG's ongoing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, visit sustainability.ppg.com/People/Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion. For additional information regarding the Pennsylvania Values Business Pledge, visit www.pavalues.org/business.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and materials that our customers have trusted for more than 135 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers' biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $13.8 billion in 2020. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com. We protect and beautify the world is a trademark and the PPG Logo are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. CATEGORY Corporate View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005746/en/

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[June 22, 2021] The Sanborn Map Company, Inc. Wins Indiana Contract to Collect Statewide Digital Orthoimagery

The Sanborn Map Company, Inc. (Sanborn) is excited to announce it has been awarded a four-year contract, with the Indiana Geographic Information Office (GIO), to provide updated digital orthoimagery for the entire State of Indiana. Sanborn will acquire and process 15 cm spatial resolution, leaf-off, four-band imagery on a tiered, cyclical basis for the 36,418 square mile project area. At the writing of this press release, imagery for the first year of the program has been successfully captured. In order to meet the State's requirements, which include the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing's (ASPRS) accuracy standards, the orthoimagery is processed on Sanborn's cloud infrastructure, utilizing specialized AI algorithms to develop a seamless, spatially accurate raster map product. The State will also have access to the Sanborn Image QC web-based quality control application. This cloud-based software allows for efficient, collaborative viewing and assessment of the orthoimagery. The acquisition projects are funded by the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT), and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). INDOT Aerial Surveys will also contribute to the orthoimagerys QC assessments.



The State's orthoimagery program supports over $1.7 billion in projects related to transportation, economic development, public safety, environmental management, and other areas of interest. Once completed, this high-quality imagery will be available to the public for viewing and download on the Geographic Information Office website. About the Indiana Geographic Information Office

The Indiana GIO facilitates, integrates, and develops GIS data which provide the State's GIS community access to accurate, relevant geographic information and technology. In partnership with the Indiana Orthoimagery Committee and the Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, the Indiana GIO aids ongoing efforts towards developing plans, standards, and technical needs within the GIS community. Both partners were also involved in the RFP and award process for this statewide orthoimagery contract which will result in wide range of projects and activities that contribute to the well-being of Hoosiers. About The Sanborn Map Company, Inc. Sanborn (www.sanborn.com) is an innovator in the modern geospatial industry, delivering state-of-the-art mapping, visualization and 3D solutions for customers worldwide. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005151/en/

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[June 22, 2021]

SecurityGate.io Reports Accelerated Company Growth as Industrial Cybersecurity Takes Top Priority for Critical Infrastructure Market Sectors

HOUSTON, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SecurityGate.io , the #1 risk management SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platform for industrial cybersecurity, today announced accelerating company growth in response to rapidly increasing industrial sector demand for digital transformation in cyber risk management. Cybersecurity Ventures projects ransomware damages will exceed $265 billion (USD) by 2031thats 57X higher than the 2021 projection of $20 billion. SecurityGate.io is experiencing the acceleration of the market working to protect itself:



Employee Growth:

The company increased the number of sales and marketing employees by 200%. Additionally, they added a new Chief Information Security Officer, Bill Lawrence, who recently served as Vice President and Chief Security Officer at Northern American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Their board of directors picked up key leaders Phil Gilbert, General Manager of Design at IBM, and Dave Levitt, Vice President of Worldwide Sales at LiquidFrameworks.

Accelerated Sales:

SecurityGate.io has experienced a 329% increase in new sales requests this year. While demand has risen quickly in North America, the acceleration is global. Modec, a South American offshore oil and gas company, and one of the worlds largest shipping companies from Japan are among the companys newest customers.

New Partner Program:

The company launched a new partner program providing reseller support for MSPs, MSSPs, and VARs. The program puts special focus on helping security consultant firms increase revenue faster by delivering outcome results to clients with less effort.

New technical and strategic alliance partnerships have been made with companies such as Nozomi Networks, Darktrace, Security Scorecard, and Industrial Defender with more on the way. SecurityGate.io integrates their Industrial Control System (ICS) asset & detection CVE scores, CVSS scores, breach scores, and 3rd party risk ratings together with a clients latest risk management data.







These partnerships bring an industry-first capability: A new birds-eye view of the clients company helps their security leaders identify troublesome cybersecurity trends immediately, without needing a data analyst to make calculations or run reports. SecurityGate.io is the only SAAS GRC-type platform to provide this capability ready to go, out of the box.

Recognition From Market Research Analysts:

SecurityGate.ios growth and product innovation has not gone unnoticed. Gartner included SecurityGate.io in their 2021 Marketing Guide for Operational Technology Security. Takepoint Research included them as well in their 2021 Buyers Guide for Industrial Cybersecurity Technology and Solutions.

Major Product Announcements:

SecurityGate.io continues to expand its library of OT-focused frameworks for industrial cybersecurity assessments. They provide more ready-to-use cybersecurity frameworks than any other option in the OT security solutions market.

Industrial organizations with their own internally-developed assessment frameworks can use SecurityGate.ios advanced assessment framework module builder. They can also create new frameworks by pulling individual control-related questions and entire control family questionnaires from industry standard frameworks into a custom assessment module. Intelligent, automated reports and dashboard metrics are available whether standard frameworks or custom frameworks are used.

Immediately after the SolarWinds cyber attack SecurityGate.io released an update to their data intelligence system that shows how potential cyber risks are balanced across a companys people, processes, and technology. Spanning third party vendors and suppliers as well, this helps leaders prevent operational disruptions made possible by weak admin passwords and third party supplier missteps.

SecurityGate.io released a portfolio analysis tool which helps leaders see trends in missing cyber controls across their facilities, as well as benchmark cybersecurity improvement progress with all of them. The tool uses a smart scoring system that factors in business-use context to provide standardized risk ratings for controls covering all assets, facilities, people, processes, and technology from IT to OT.

For more information about the SecurityGate.io platform, please visit www.securitygate.io, or watch a quick three minute video demo here.

About SecurityGate.io

SecurityGate.io is a Houston-based cybersecurity software company. Their risk management platform helps industrial companies discover cyber risks sooner and make cybersecurity improvements faster. This is done by replacing slow, manual risk management processes with digital SaaS automation, agile workflows, and data intelligence.

The company was recently included in Gartners 2021 Market Guide for Operational Technology Security and Takepoint Researchs 2021 Buyers Guide for Industrial Cybersecurity Technology and Solutions. SecurityGate.io serves customers such as Chevron, Modec, Westlake Chemical, Diamond Offshore, and Patterson UTI.

Contact: Matt Wilbanks Company: SecurityGate.io Email: matt@securitygate.io
[June 22, 2021] SES Successfully Prices EUR 150 Million Tap of 2026 Eurobond

SES (News - Alert) S.A. announced today the successful launch and pricing of a tap of its 1.625% Notes due 22 March 2026 in which it has agreed to sell incremental senior unsecured fixed rate notes for a total amount of EUR 150 million. The new notes were priced at 106.665% of their nominal value representing a credit spread of 47bps and a yield-to-maturity of 0.207%. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005953/en/ SES Successfully Prices EUR 150 Million Tap of 2026 Eurobond (Photo: Business Wire) SES is rated Baa2 by Moody's (with negative outlook) and BBB- by Standard & Poor's (with stable outlook). Proceeds of the issuance will be used for general corporate purposes. BBVA, Deutsche Bank and IMI Intesa Sanpaolo acted as Joint Bookrunners. The settlement is scheduled for 29 June 2021 and application has been made for the notes to be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The securities were placed with a broad range of institutional investors across Europe. Sandeep Jalan, Chief Financial Officer of SES, commented, "We are pleased to have secured this financing which allows us to further strengthen our liquidity position at the lowest yield ever achieved by SES. The successful conclusion of this bond offering reflects the market's view of SES as a strong investment grade credit and underlines the ability of SES to secure funding at attractive terms." The securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or unless pursuant to an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws. No public offering of securities will be made in the United States of America or in any other jurisdiction where such an offering is restricted or prohibited. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This announcement does not constitute and shall not, in any circumstances, constitute a public offering nor an invitation to the public in connection with any offer within the meaning of the Directive 2003/71/EC of the Parliament and Council of November 4, 2003 as implemented by the Member States of the European Economic Area (the "Prospectus Directive"). Wih respect to the member States of the European Economic Area which have implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a "relevant member State"), no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of the securities requiring a publication of a prospectus in any relevant member State. As a result, the securities may only be offered in relevant member States: (a) to qualified investors (as defined in the Prospectus Directive, including as amended by directive 2010/73/EU, to the extent that this amendment has been implemented by the relevant member State); or (b) in any other circumstances, not requiring the issuer to publish a prospectus as provided under article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive.



In addition to (and without prejudice to) the foregoing, in the European Economic Area this press release is directed only at persons who are not retail investors. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU ("MiFID II"); (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive 2002/92/EC, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (iii) a "qualified investor" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive (Directive 2003/71/EC as amended by Directive 2010/73/EU). With respect to the United Kingdom, this press release is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom, (ii) to investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any securities will only be available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

Follow us on: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram Read our Blogs > Visit the Media Gallery > About SES SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world's only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world's leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES's video network carries over 8,400 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 361 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005953/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Silvaco Names Greg Swyt as Chief Financial Officer

Silvaco Group, Inc., a leading provider of TCAD, EDA software and design IP, today announced the appointment of Greg Swyt as Chief Financial Officer responsible for the company's finance and accounting. As a senior member of the executive team Greg reports directly to CEO Babak Taheri. "We are excited to have Greg join Silvaco. He complements our strong performance-oriented culture, and we believe his results-oriented reputation makes him the right choice to lead our finance team," said Mr. Taheri. Prior to joining Silvaco, Greg served as the Vice President, finance of Onto Innovation from October 2019 to June 2021 where he overaw Onto Innovation's Financial Planning, Revenue, and Treasury activities. From December 2017 until its merger with Rudolph Technologies, he served as the Interim CFO at Nanometrics. Prior to his role as Interim CFO, he held the role of Vice President, Corporate Controller. He has also held senior finance roles at Intevac (News - Alert) , 2WIRE, Hewlett Packard, Mercury Interactive and Applied Materials.



Mr. Swyt holds a BS in Finance and an MBA from San Jose State University. Prior to starting his career in Finance, Mr. Swyt was enlisted in the US Navy. Mr. Swyt stated, "I am extremely excited to join the Silvaco team. I believe the potential for growth and value creation is tremendous, given Silvaco's strong technology and worldwide footprint. I look forward to leading Silvaco's finance organization to contribute to its future success."

About Silvaco Group, Inc. Silvaco is a leading provider TCAD, EDA software and semiconductor design IP, used for process and device development for advanced semiconductors, power IC, display, memory, and SoC design. For over 35 years, Silvaco has enabled its customers to develop next generation semiconductor products in the shortest time with reduced cost. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and has a global presence with offices located in North America, Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005028/en/

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[June 22, 2021] South Africa Cards and Payments Market Opportunities and Risks Report 2021-2024 - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "South Africa Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. 'South Africa Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2024' report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the South African cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including cash, cards, credit transfers, cheques, and direct debits during the review-period (2016-20e). The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry, and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review-period and over the forecast-period (2020e-24f). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including the market shares of issuers and schemes. The report brings together the publisher's research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers details of regulatory policy and recent changes in the regulatory structure. This report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the South African cards and payments industry, including - Current and forecast values for each market in the South African cards and payments industry, including debit and credit cards.

Detailed insights into payment instruments including cash, cards, credit transfers, and direct debits. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.

E-commerce market analysis.

Analysis of various market drivers and egulations governing the South African cards and payments industry.

Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit and credit cards.



Scope In March 2021, the National Payment System Department of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) released a consultation paper on the feasibility of establishing a domestic card scheme in South Africa. SARB is seeking input from stakeholders - including card issuers, acquirers, retailers, regulators, government agencies, fintech companies, and other interested parties - as to the possibility of setting up a domestic scheme equivalent to Visa and Mastercard, and how it should be structured. The broader objective of the paper is to help achieve the goals of the National Payment System Framework and Strategy - Vision 2025 relating to financial stability and safety, competition, interoperability, and cost-effectiveness.

South Africa is officially phasing out the issuance, acceptance, and collection of paper cheques from December 31, 2020. The decision was jointly taken by SARB, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), Payments Association of South Africa (PASA), and Banking Association South Africa (BASA). In its consultation paper, SARB noted that the decision to phase out cheques was taken for several reasons, including security concerns. Meanwhile, the impact of COVID-19 led to a decline in both cheque usage and acceptance.

To benefit from the growing preference for convenient and secure payment solutions, international companies are launching their payment solutions in the country. In March 2021, Apple (News - Alert) launched its mobile payment solution Apple Pay in South Africa. It can be used to make in-store, in-app, and online payments. Card issuers and schemes that support Apple Pay in South Africa include Absa Bank, Discovery Bank, Nedbank, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express (News - Alert) . Previously, Huawei Pay was launched in partnership with Zapper in December 2020.

Huawei Pay allows users to make contactless payments by tapping an NFC-compatible phone against a contactless payment device or card reader. The solution also allows payments to be made via a barcode or QR code. Meanwhile, Visa launched Click to Pay - an interoperable one-click online checkout service - in South Africa in July 2020. Payment Instruments

Card-based Payments

Merchant Acquiring

Ecommerce Payments

Buy Now Pay Later

Mobile Payments

P2P Payments

Bill Payments

Alternative Payments

Job Analysis

Payment Innovations

Payment Infrastructure & Regulation

Appendix Companies Mentioned Standard Bank

Absa

Capitec

Nedbank

First National Bank

Visa

Mastercard

American Express

Diners Club

PayPal (News - Alert)

VodaPay

SnapScan

Zapper

Samsung Pay

Apple Pay

FlickPay

Paysafecard

Huawei (News - Alert) Pay

Click to Pay For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hrncxi View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005584/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Springboard and University of South Florida Partner to Provide In-Demand Technical Skills

Springboard, an online learning platform preparing students for in-demand careers through comprehensive, mentor-led programs, announces today a multi-course partnership with the University of South Florida (USF) to empower three new digital skills bootcamps through USF's Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education, a division of USF Innovative Education. The collaborative effort brings a shared mission to action, aiming to have an impact on economic mobility and foster accessible education and lifelong learning. USF will offer some of Springboard's in-demand courses, including UI/UX Design, Cybersecurity and Software Engineering. USF, recently ranked as America's fastest-rising university according to U.S. News & World Report, and Springboard will enable technical advancement amidst the booming job market in Florida, and provide invaluable skills for students to take with them as they seek to elevate their careers. Demand for technology positions has surged 190% in the past five years, this report shows, and is expected to continue to grow in 2021. Particularly, the Tampa metro area is a growing tech hub and home to some of the largest healthcare, finance and service companies in the southeast, making it a prime market for opportunity. "We're committed to offering a one-size-fits-one learning model with personalized programs to fit the needs of individual students including both online and live sessions, experiential learning and mentorship by professionals in the space," noted Mark Koulianos, Executive Director at the office of Corporate Training and Professional Education at University of South Florida. "Springboard's course offerings provide both the flexibility that today's modern student requires and the expertise and mentorship needed to prepare them for their next pursuit." While this marks the fourth university partnership that Springboard has engaged in, this outcomes-focused program is the first of ts kind that will offer multiple course tracks, helping USF deliver a full portfolio of offerings across UI/UX Design, Cybersecurity and Software Engineering. Students in corresponding courses will receive hands-on experience and develop unique portfolios of work in the following areas:



Explore all the stages of the UI/UX design process, from design thinking to ideating, sketching and more, and collaborate with a real company to complete a 4-week industry design project

Participate in a 360-hour cybersecurity bootcamp that covers industry fundamentals, systems and network security, vulnerability assessment, and security operations, followed by a capstone project intended to showcase specialized skills to potential employers

Covers key aspects of front-end web development, back-end web development, databases, and data structures and algorithms throughout the software engineering curriculum, inclusive of two full-stack capstone projects "USF's Corporate Training and Professional Education group is leading the charge at the university level with a very necessary shift toward personalized learning and an innovative approach to career and professional education," said Parul Gupta, Co-Founder of Springboard. "We're confident in the curriculum and its ability to help individuals achieve that next step or chapter in their career, and we know these programs will truly transform lives." Students who have completed these programs to-date have received job offers from highly coveted companies including Accenture, Dell, Deloitte, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft (News - Alert) and more.

The courses will be open to the public, and prospective students do not need to be enrolled currently at USF or have previous experience to qualify. Upon completion of the programs, students will earn a certificate of completion, and a digital badge from the USF office of Corporate Training and Professional Education, and access to the program's career support and job placement services. Enrollments for all courses are open as of today. The first class for the UI/UX Design and Cybersecurity courses will begin on August 2, 2021, and classes for the Software Engineering course will begin in early 2022. Students can enroll, or sign up to be notified about enrollment updates, at usfbootcamps.com. About Springboard Founded by Parul Gupta and Gautam Tambay in 2013, Springboard is on a mission to transform one million lives through education by 2030. Springboard believes that each student is unique, and needs a learning experience designed to fit their life's pace, supported by advisors and mentors. More than 20,000 students across 100+ countries have used Springboard to advance their careers through the platform's comprehensive, mentor-led online learning programs. Graduates have landed jobs with employers like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Reddit, Facebook, and Boeing (News - Alert) . Springboard has also trained corporate teams at Visa, Gusto, and The North Face. Springboard is a 2020 Inc. 5000 company based in San Francisco, recently named a Top Workplace for Women by Elpha, and is backed by leading venture capital firms including Telstra (News - Alert) Ventures, Vulcan Capital, SJF Ventures, Reach Capital, Pearson Ventures, International Finance Corp., Costanoa Ventures, Learn Capital, and Blue Fog Capital. About University of South Florida Corporate Training and Professional Education The University of South Florida's Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education works to extend the reach of USF's academic programs, promotes advanced professional development and contributes to building a world-class workforce in the Tampa Bay area. Students learn from unsurpassed faculty and industry practitioners in courses that are accessible, affordable and professionally relevant. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005263/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Star Tribune Names Code42 a 2021 Top Workplace

Code42, the Insider Risk Management leader, has been named one of the Top 175 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune. Among the top 60 midsize companies, Code42 was ranked #10 on the list. A complete list of those selected is available at StarTribune.com/topworkplaces2021 and was recently published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section. Produced by the same team that compiles the 30-year-old Star Tribune 100 report of the best-performing public companies in Minnesota, Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction. The analysis included responses from over 76,000 employees at Minnesota public, private and nonprofit organizations. The rankings in the Star Tribune Top 175 Workplaces are based on survey information collected by Energage, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention. "We are thrilled that our employees once again spoke loudly and named Code42 as a great place to work," said Joe Payne, Code42 president and CEO. "Our team's focus on building a supportive and innovation-oriented culture makes this a fun place to work. We often talk about 'the relentless pursuit of better' and we apply that approach to not only ourselves, but the mark we are making in our community. The Code42 Foundation has been working towards equity and inclusion since its inception four years ago and it is one of the employee-driven parts of Code42 that sets us apart." Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith said, "The companies in the Star Tribune Top 175 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companes."



Code42 is a cybersecurity company based in Minneapolis. It's award-winning Code42 Incydr data risk detection and response product allows security teams to effectively mitigate data exposure and exfiltration risks without disrupting legitimate employee collaboration and daily work. In addition to its market-leading product, Code42 has initiatives that enrich employee communities through volunteerism and philanthropy efforts, invest in employee mind and body wellness, enable technical collaboration and business operations, advance progressive thinking and innovation and promote transparent communications across all levels of the organization. To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Nearly 3,000 companies were invited to participate. Rankings were composite scores calculated purely on the basis of employee responses.

About Code42 Code42 is the Insider Risk Management leader. Native to the cloud, the Code42 Incydr solution rapidly detects data loss, leak and theft as well as speeds incident response - all without lengthy deployments, complex policy management or blocking employee productivity. With Code42, security professionals can protect corporate data and reduce insider threats while fostering an open and collaborative culture for employees. Backed by security best practices and control requirements, the Code42 Incydr solution is FedRAMP authorized and can be configured for GDPR, HIPAA, PCI (News - Alert) and other regulatory frameworks. More than 50,000 organizations worldwide, including the most recognized brands in business and education, rely on Code42 to safeguard their ideas. Founded in 2001, the company is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is backed by Accel Partners (News - Alert) , JMI Equity, NewView Capital and Split Rock Partners. Code42 was recognized by Inc. magazine as one of America's best workplaces in 2020 and 2021. For more information, visit code42.com or join the conversation on our blog, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.  2021 Code42 Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Code42, the Code42 logo and Incydr are registered trademarks or trademarks of Code42 Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other marks are properties of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006006/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Top Italian Bank, Credem Goes Live with Temenos Infinity in the Cloud to Deliver Frictionless Digital Experiences

Temenos Infinity powers rapid time-to-market for new digital banking experiences, starting from a brand new mobile app for Retail and SME customers

New app enables Credem to greatly improve its customer experience and achieve a first-class omnichannel experience GENEVA, Switzerland, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Temenos (SIX: TEMN), the banking software company, today announced that Credito Emiliano S.p.A. (Credem), one of the top 10 banks in Italy, has gone live with a new mobile app, based on cloud-native Temenos Infinity, to accelerate its digital banking strategy. Temenos Infinity, running on the public cloud, will make it quicker and easier for Credem to develop frictionless, personalized, and secure digital banking services that will help it attract new customers and drive long-term customer loyalty. Credem has already launched a fully renewed new mobile app developed in just nine months using Temenos Infinity. The new app offers a basic set of features for personal customers and, thanks to the speed granted by Temenos Infinity, will be enriched with new features in a continuous improvement approach. A small business version will follow in a few months. It includes features that make it easy and convenient to move money, view transactions, check and manage cards, including the re-charge of pre-paid cards and phone tops ups, and initiate instant chat with customer support agents or view the locations of nearest ATMs. In a highly competitive Italy market, Credem's new app with its advanced customer interface and user experience will help to enhance the bank's digital reputation and give it an edge to compete with larger banks and ultimately grow market share. Temenos Infinity allows Credem to create intuitive and highly engaging digital experiences using a low-code development platform. This simplifies the process, saving time and cost. It also means Credem can reimagine how to engage with its customers in a whole new way through digital and physical channels, creating a consistent and seamless experience. Temenos Infinity provides a portal for bank staff to manage and assist account holders in their banking journeys. It collects everything the banker needs to know about their account holder in a convenient web-based interface, with data matching tht the account holder sees from their own mobile or online interface. Banks using Temenos Infinity saw customer engagement increase by up to 300 percent on their apps in 2020, with the fastest-growing segment being among baby boomers and Gen Xers.



Fabio Caliceti, Head of Digital Channels, Credito Emiliano, commented: "With Temenos, we have been able to quickly develop a mobile banking experience to compete with the very best in Italy. Temenos Infinity gives us the platform we need to efficiently build and manage exceptional digital banking experiences that keep pace with changing customer needs. It is strategic to our digital growth plans and enables us to future-proof our customer relationships." David Macdonald, President of Europe, Temenos, said: "Digital innovation in banking is thriving in Italy, and it's an important market for Temenos where we have a strong and growing presence. So we are delighted Credem has selected our digital banking platform to accelerate its digital strategy. Credem has shown how Temenos Infinity can deliver outstanding digital mobile experiences in a very short timeframe. Customer expectations are constantly evolving, but with the continuous innovation and deployment capabilities of the platform, Credem will always be one step ahead of the competition."

Credem is running Temenos Infinity on the public cloud with Amazon Web Services to achieve hyperscaler efficiency, security, and resilience for its digital banking services. Temenos Infinity is cloud-native and cloud-agnostic and also available as a SaaS offering on The Temenos Banking Cloud. Temenos Infinity drives customer acquisition and digital banking engagement with its advanced analytics, enabling financial institutions to increase digital revenues 5x and cut customer onboarding time by 75%. Financial institutions that use Temenos Infinity report a 20% higher Net Promoter Score. Temenos Infinity is used by over 650 banks worldwide and recognized as a Market Leader in Omdia's Digital Banking Platform Report and a Leader in Digital Banking Engagement by Forrester. Following the successful launch of its mobile app, Credem plans to further leverage Temenos Infinity to enhance the customer experience for internet banking later in 2021. About Credito Emiliano S.p.A. Credito Emiliano S.p.A. (Credem) is an Italian bank based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. The bank is listed in the Italian Stock Exchange. Credem has more than 6000 employees and presence in different markets: Banca Credem (retail banking), Credem Banca d'Impresa (corporate banking), Credem Private Banking. About Temenos Temenos AG (SIX: TEMN) is the world's leader in banking software. Over 3,000 banks across the globe, including 41 of the top 50 banks, rely on Temenos to process both the daily transactions and client interactions of more than 1.2 billion banking customers. Temenos offers cloud-native, cloud-agnostic and AI-driven front office, core banking, payments and fund administration software enabling banks to deliver frictionless, omnichannel customer experiences and gain operational excellence. Temenos software is proven to enable its top-performing clients to achieve cost-income ratios of 26.8% half the industry average and returns on equity of 29%, three times the industry average. These clients also invest 51% of their IT budget on growth and innovation versus maintenance, which is double the industry average, proving the banks' IT investment is adding tangible value to their business. For more information, please visit www.temenos.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/top-italian-bank-credem-goes-live-with-temenos-infinity-in-the-cloud-to-deliver-frictionless-digital-experiences-301316691.html SOURCE Temenos

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[June 22, 2021] Trux Achieves Compliance Standards as Qualified eTicketing Software in Six States

Trux, the leader in dump truck logistics technology, today announced it received verbal confirmation that it meets the eTicketing compliance standards by the Departments of Transportation (DOT) in six states. With this confirmation, Trux is able to provide compliant eTicketing functionality in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Trux was previously approved for eTicketing in Tennessee. To achieve this qualification, Trux's eTicketing solution has met the established requirements for digital ticketing from each individual states' DOTs, ensuring full conformance with modern regulations. The Trux system allows users to easily access its e-Ticketing services directly in the main Trux latform without requiring additional software or apps.



Trux is continuously building on the eTicketing momentum in the heavy construction and asphalt industry, reaching out to every state DOT and prioritizing areas of greatest demand from their material producer customers. In doing so, Trux remains committed to meeting the needs of construction professionals by providing the services and technology that propel the industry forward. "We are committed to providing unparalleled solutions that meet the needs of construction professionals today and into the future," said Bart Ronan, CEO of Trux. "By increasing efficiency and streamlining day-to-day processes, our system is paving the way for the modern era of trucking operations. We are pleased to achieve this latest milestone and look forward to ultimately receiving confirmation we meet eTicketing compliance standards in every state."

This announcement comes on the heels of Trux's latest approval from Tennessee's Department of Transportation last month. With the recent confirmation that the platform meets the standards of these six new states, Trux is well poised to achieve its goal of making eTicketing a standard within the trucking industry To learn more about Trux's software, visit truxnow.com. About Trux

Trux is the leading dump truck logistics platform designed for material producers, fleet owners and contractors. The cloud-based software connects contractors and material producers with the nation's largest network of technology-enabled haulers. Trux users realize significant gains in the profitability of their logistics services through more efficient operations, better customer experience, and improved visibility into operations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005137/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Urbanimmersive Announces Accelerated Growth Plan and Provides Business Update

SAINT-HUBERT, QC, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Urbanimmersive Inc. ("Urbanimmersive", the "Company" or "UI") (TSXV: UI) (OTCQB: UBMRF) today announced accelerated growth plan and provides business updates. Growth Acceleration Plan On June 16, 2021, the Company's Board of Directors held a work session during which they reviewed and approved a growth plan which aims at accelerating Urbanimmersive's revenues and profitability. While the new plan will still be focusing on increasing organic SaaS business revenues for 3D tours, property websites, floor plans and UiMeet3D subscriptions, the plan will now allow Urbanimmersive's management to acquire well-established and profitable real estate photography agencies in selected territories, both in North America and globally, with the goal of integrating in all of their photography services a UI SaaS product. Urbanimmersive is uniquely positioned, due to its extensive technology portfolio and solutions, to become a first mover in this vertically-integrated plan which proposes convincing synergy potentials while being immediately accretive. The Company will launch this new plan with the acquisition of a select group of four photography agencies for which two of them have already signed a binding LOI. Those first contemplated acquisitions have generated cumulative pre-synergies revenues of $2.4M based on their last fiscal year figures, including $1.7M for the two with a signed LOI, and during very low inventory of homes for sale. The acquisitions would be paid with a mix of cash and shares. The founders and/or owners of those targets and the Company will be closely aligned and will both benefit from continuing to grow their business. The Company will not need to raise funds to proceed with those acquisitions and will still have sufficient liquidities post-transaction to further extend the plan and continue to grow the business organically. The closing of those acquisitions is expected over the next few weeks. Based on the results of the post-acquisition synergies achieved, the Company's management could decide to accelerate the number of acquisitions with a growing funnel of targets. The real estate residential and commercial photography industry is a highly fragmented industry shared by part-time, full-time and multiple-photographer businesses and represents $2B in total revenues based on UI's management estimates. Well-established photography businesses generally operate high-volume transactions and generate between 40% to 60% gross margins serving multiple and loyal clients. It takes many years to build a real estate high volume photography business and many owners who succeed to do it have very limited exit options. Urbanimmersive's strong technology portfolio along with the corporation publicly traded shares puts the Company in a unique advantage to real estate photography owners looking for an exit. The Company's brand reputation and continued recognition by some of the largest North American real estate and technology organizations also provide a perfect blueprint for photographers to know that they are selling to a growing and highly reputable brand in the market. "This new growth plan allows us to become a fully vertically-integrated business, blending the best of the two worlds of being a SaaS business and a tech-powered real estate photography agency. Beginning to execute this plan now will continue paving the path for us to be a first-mover in this vertical capacity, and thus allow us to continue driving growth to solutions that makeup the core of who we are  a technology Company. This direction is perfectly aligned with our management values of generating profitable growth while demonstrating the forward, innovative thinking of our Board of directors for accelerating the growth", stated Ghislain Lemire, CEO of Urbanimmersive. General Business Update

The Company's overall business continues to progress healthy as we onboard new clients, extend our reach with new partnerships and increase 3D tours revenues by 30% year-over-year. As the Company's sales still perform during a period of historical low inventories of proerties for sale, management believes the Company would reap the benefits of back to normal economic conditions.



Some of those recent highlights are included below: Second Patent Application for UiMeet3D

The Company, through its patent agent Norton Rose Fulbright, has filed a second patent in the U.S. for its UiMeet3D application for upcoming features to be released which enable a filter application on live audio stream in image-based 3D environment, controlling automatically audio output of several streaming live video sessions based on the location of each of the video feeds within a digitalized 3D environment. This second patents adds up to the first U.S. patent application filed on March 8, 2021 with regards to an innovative way of displaying multiple avatars in a digitalized 3D environment.

"We are very pleased to have filed a second patent application in the U.S. with regards to UiMeet3D. When considering the uniqueness of our interactive 3D meetings (UiMeet3D) using avatars, its strong demand so far and great potential, we want to make sure to protect further our investments in technologies, product developments and intellectual properties. We will also continue to evaluate whether additional patents applications filings are relevant in the near future as we progress with our innovations and improvement of our 3D solutions", stated Ghislain Lemire, President and Chief Executive Officer of Urbanimmersive. 3D Dollhouse Feature

One of the most requested feature of a 3D virtual tour technology is the capability to showcase a home for sale as a dollhouse toy. The Company is pleased to announce that it has completed the development of such feature and will start rolling out dollhouse view soon for all 3D tours ordered with a floor plan. This improvement will enable Urbanimmersive 3D tours to compete head-to-head on basic features with the largest 3D tour brands in the market. Bright MLS 

The Company has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bright MLS's real estate service to integrate and offer its 3D solutions (3D tours, UiMeet3D) within their platform. Bright MLS is a leading multiple listing service (MLS) that supports over 95,000 real estate professionals who in turn serve the more than 20 million homeowners. In 2020, Bright MLS's customers facilitated $116.3B in real estate transactions through their system. The integration of the Company's 3D tours into Bright MLS systems is progressing and could lead to new business opportunities for reaching more MLSs organizations. For more information, please visit www.brightmls.com. First 3D Tour of a Large Retail Chain

Brault&Martineau (TSX: GBT), one of the largest furniture and electronic appliance retail chain in Quebec is now using Urbanimmersive's 3D tour to showcase one of their new retail stores. The 3D tours produced for this store has required more than 1,000 scans which made of it the largest 3D tour ever produced by Urbanimmersive. 3D Apartment Portal

3D Apartment real estate portal, recently announcing a full integration with a competitive 3D tour brand, just started providing Urbanimmersive's 3D tours with the goal of promoting the use of UiMeet3D. This confirmed Urbanimmersive's 3D tours capacity to compete head-to-head with the leading brands and gain market shares. Industrial Sector Progression

The Company has also progressed into the industrial 3D tours markets. The Crime Scene Investigation department of the Province of Quebec has recently notified Urbanimmersive that they will move ahead with the acquisition of the Company offline 3D tour technology for the remote investigation of selected crime scenes. Fredericton Fire Department has selected Urbanimmersive's 3D tours for their remote investigation of fire incidents having already purchased the hardware from our Immersolution division and successfully completed their first projects. The Company 3D tour technology has been selected by large industrial manufacturers in Mexico with one of them already having successfully completed a first 3D tour of their plant further confirming the technological edge of Urbanimmersive's offline 3D tours. Regarding Mexico business developments, the Company's is pleased to announce having successfully shipped and sold its first 360 camera gears. Term Loan Renewal

The Company has renewed for an additional two years both its cash flow and building term loans with current outstanding balance of $1,070k and $894k, under the same terms and conditions, and which would now mature in December 2023. Investor Video Conference Call UI will be hosting a video conference to discuss those business updates and answer questions at 4p.m. (ET) on June 22, 2021. To participate to the video conference, please use the following link: https://urbanimmersive.zoom.us/j/93887834495 TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed this press release and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Urbanimmersive Urbanimmersive is a SaaS business management solution that provides mission-critical solutions to visual content providers serving the real estate residential, commercial, construction, and local business markets. Urbanimmersive' platform helps customers to increase operational productivity and delivering the full potential of visual content creations through leading-edge websites builder tool, AI-backed image indexing, robust file transfer systems, and interactive visual technology solutions. The firm's core technology is a 3D emulator powered by a visual content recognition post-production algorithm that delivers online and offline alternatives to traditional 3D engines for the creation of immersive digital environments. Learn more at urbanimmersive.com . Caution of Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties. Such statements relating to, among other things, the prospects for the company to enhance operating results, are necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which are significant in scope and nature. These uncertainties may cause actual results to differ from information contained herein. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements are based on the estimates and opinions of the management on the dates they are made and expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management estimates or opinions change. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/urbanimmersive-announces-accelerated-growth-plan-and-provides-business-update-301317291.html SOURCE Urbanimmersive Inc.

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[June 22, 2021]

U.S. Pest Protection President, Erica Brister, Appointed to Tennessee Pest Control Advisory Board

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Pest Protection President and CEO, Erica Brister, has been appointed by Tennessee State Governor, Bill Lee, to the Tennessee Pest Control Advisory Board on June 1st, 2021.

The Tennessee Pest Control Advisory Board influences laws and regulations in the state of Tennessee, "advise the commissioner as to the promulgation of rules and regulations."

Erica Brister's extensive industry knowledge is built over two decades in the pest control industry, as well as unique perspective on growth.

"Erica's professional achievements speak volumes about her dedication to te pest control industry," stated Workwave CEO, David Giannetto, the world's largest field service and pest control software company. "Tennessee Honey Festival is U.S. Pest Protection's efforts to protect honeybee populations through the BEE-Aware initiative."







"I am focused on continuing to develop safe practices for the pest control industry and protecting what matters most for all Tennesseans," said Erica Brister.

Brister's list of achievements will certainly add to the value of the Tennessee Pest Control Advisory Board. She has personally been recognized as a young professional winner for local chambers, was an instrumental panelist on 'The Voice of Women in Field Service' and has continued National Pest Management Association and local associations while winning "Top Women Owned Business" in Nashville by NBJ 2020.

To find out about the Tennessee Honey Festival, visit: https://tennesseehoneyfestival.com/

To learn more about U.S. Pest Protection, visit: https://uspest.com/

CONTACT: Parker Minor, parker@uspest.com

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SOURCE U.S. Pest Protection
[June 22, 2021] US$1 Million Prize by Towngas for Smart Energy Technology Proposals

HONG KONG, June 22, 2021 /CNW/ -- The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) (0003.HK) and State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC) are co-hosting the first global innovation competition, TERA-Award, with US$1 million as top prize and potential application scenarios for winning projects. The two parties held a cloud launch ceremony in Beijing and Hong Kong under the theme of "Exploring zero-carbon innovations for the future". TERA-Award aims to recruit projects from start-ups around the world to help address global environmental issues, and attain China's dual carbon goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Dr Lee Ka-kit, Member of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and Chairman of Henderson Land Group and Towngas remarked, "The dual carbon goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality are among the country's key strategies. The advancement and innovation of enery technology drive the energy revolution and transformation and advance the dual carbon goals. It is the duty of energy corporations to aid in the complex, enormous systematic work behind carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This competition offers a significant monetary prize and, more importantly, an open platform for start-ups to connect supply with demand by providing application scenarios that power the rapid realisation of smart energy and innovative technology."



Focused on energy supply, energy demand, green transportation and the energy internet, TERA-Award encourages global start-ups and project teams to submit original technology and patents for judging by a panel comprising experts from Towngas, SPIC Central Research Institute, Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments Limited, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University and The University of Hong Kong. Mr Qian Zhimin, Chairman of SPIC, stated, "China's fossil energy makes up about 84% of its energy consumption. The challenging goal of carbon neutrality is a visionary cause that requires the synergy of technology, the system and the institution. SPIC and Towngas are sharing platforms, application scenarios, resources and funding with winning teams to advance the dual carbon goals, promote innovative growth and drive the R&D of new technology to propel the development and application of advanced smart energy technology."

Applications are accepted until 31 August 2021 at www.tera-award.life, with an online briefing session on 29 June 2021. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us1-million-prize-by-towngas-for-smart-energy-technology-proposals-301317208.html SOURCE The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited

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[June 22, 2021] WindSim Americas Announces Name Change to WindSim Power

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WindSim Power Inc., a provider of high-performance Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) software and independent engineering services for power utility operators aiming to increase the transmission capacity of existing power lines with no extra CAPEX, is pleased to announce the changing of its corporate name to WindSim Power Inc. and the new appointment of Donne Rennemo as CEO. In line with the new name and a new future, Donna Rennemo has been named CEO of WindSim Power Inc. The board of directors of parent WindSim AS aims to tap her extensive, proven experience to initiate and drive the market deployment of the recently launched WindSim Power Line, Dynamic Line Rating (DLR), software solution and the new daughter affiliate's brand. As the dynamic energy market continues to evolve rapidly, WindSim Americas is embarking on a journey to grow its brand and scope. Thus, we are pleased to announce the renaming of WindSim Americas Inc to WindSim Power Inc with focus on serving the utility industry to continue to de-risk the path to commercialization of the WindSim Power Line (WPL) technology. Our truly unique WPL offering was co-developed with Idaho National Laboratory with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). The joint benchmark solution brings together the best of government investment and pivate sector innovation to deliver a cutting-edge DLR system, poised for a real and lasting impact in this dynamic sector.



Under the new name, WindSim Power Inc. will continue its role as a reseller of WindSim AS' solutions in the Americas servicing our existing wind and solar customers. NYPA Installs Sensors to Better Predict Weather Patterns to Improve Transmission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GTzg_BV03Q

Legal details

WindSim Americas Inc. (renamed WindSim Power Inc.) a corporation organized and existing under the laws of Delaware, USA in 2009, acts as a reseller of WindSim AS' solutions and services. It is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of WindSim AS. Contact us: info@windsimpower.com WindSim Power Media contact:

Torund Bryhn

Torund.Bryhn@windsimpower.com About WindSim Power Inc.

Headquartered in Westlake Village, California USA, WindSim Power is a provider of high-performance Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) software and independent engineering services for power utility operators aiming to increase transmission capacity of existing power lines with no extra CAPEX. The WindSim Power Line (WPL) solution measures environmental conditions, providing full visibility of transmission line conditions for a real-time overview of true capacity. The benchmark WPL solution was created in a unique collaboration including ground-breaking software from Idaho National Labs and Computational Fluid Dynamics technology developed by WindSim Power's Norwegian parent company, WindSim AS. Committed to a clean future, our focus is on providing highly efficient solutions that contribute to preserving the environment. Learn more about us at www.windsimpower.com and follow us on LinkedIn. About WindSim AS

WindSim AS develops and delivers advanced software solutions and consulting services that help worldwide wind energy industry leaders design more profitable wind farms. WindSim, the company's flagship product, is a world-class software solution based on CFD that combines advanced numeric processing with compelling 3D visualization in a user-friendly interface. Founded in 1993, WindSim AS is privately-held and venture-backed. Copyright  2021 | WindSim | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/windsim-americas-announces-name-change-to-windsim-power-301316815.html SOURCE WindSim Power

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[June 22, 2021] Worldwide Clinical Trials Partners with TRI for Centralized and Risk-based Quality Management Technology Solutions

Worldwide Clinical Trials, Inc., (Worldwide) the industry's leading global, midsized, full-service contract research organization (CRO), and Triumph Research Intelligence (TRI), a global leader in risk-based quality management (RBQM) technology, announced they are teaming up to optimize quality for clinical trials globally. A market need further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, regulators continue to emphasize the need for the pharmaceutical industry to adopt RBQM strategies to improve quality and provide a better way of identifying, visualizing, managing and documenting risks that may impact the outcome of clinical trials. Worldwide took a holistic approach to developing its strategy - thoroughly evaluating processes, roles, and tools - and selected TRI's innovative OPRA platform to support or enhance traditional on-site monitoring and ultimately achieve ICH E6 (R2) compliance. Pharma and biotech sponsors rate Worldwide highly for data quality and operational efficiency.



"Our methodical, holistic approach to RBQM is part of Worldwide's vision to be the best midsize CRO," said Peter Benton, president and co-CEO of Worldwide. "Worldwide's RBQM team is one of the most experienced CRO teams in the industry. This, coupled with TRI's best-in-class technology, ensures we can proactively identify and manage risks, meaning improved quality and patient safety, and, in turn, provide a better experience for sponsors and patients." "Worldwide have taken an intelligent and thorough approach to building a world-class RBQM practice. Combining this practice with their global trial infrastructure, therapeutic expertise, and our innovative OPRA platform will not only deliver improved data quality and trial efficiency but also, most importantly, improved patient safety," said Duncan Hall, CEO and founder of TRI. "More and more sponsors are realizing the benefits of RBQM and expecting their CRO partners to be able to support them in defining an optimized monitoring approach, and then executing that approach in a collaborative, transparent manner. We are thrilled to partner with Worldwide and be a key component to their enhanced RBQM capabilities and look forward to continuing to grow together."

About Worldwide Clinical Trials Worldwide Clinical Trials employs 2,000+ professionals around the world, with offices in North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, Russia, and Asia-Pacific. Founded by physicians committed to advancing medical science, Worldwide is out to change how the world experiences CROs - in the best possible way. From early phase and bioanalytical sciences through late phase, post-approval, and real-world evidence, we provide world-class, full-service drug development services. With infrastructure and talent spanning 60 countries, we execute predictable, successful studies with operational excellence across a range of therapeutic areas, including central nervous system, cardiovascular, metabolic, general medicine, oncology, and rare diseases. We never compromise on science or safety. We're never satisfied with the status quo. We're the Cure for the Common CRO. For more information, visit www.worldwide.com. About TRI Triumph Research Intelligence (TRI) is a leading provider of risk-based quality monitoring (RBQM) solutions for clinical trials, based in Cambridge, UK, and Raleigh, North Carolina, in the United States. TRI was founded in 2011 by CEO Duncan Hall to address the need for a technology solution that could be used by operations teams to manage data quality from the start to the end of a clinical trial. TRI's products, solutions, and services are designed to optimize clinical trial quality by improving data reliability and increasing patient safety and operational efficiency. To find out more, visit www.tritrials.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005723/en/

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[June 21, 2021] Transposit's DevOps Process Orchestration Platform Now Empowers Non-Developers to Automate Processes for Digital Operations

Transposit, the DevOps process orchestration company, today introduced new platform capabilities which are developer-friendly, but built for all. They empower non-developers with customization, flexible orchestration, and intelligent operational visibility. Transposit's expanded functionality bridges the gap between engineering and ITOps teams so they can work better together to deliver business value more quickly. By enabling teams to work with agility while simultaneously maintaining the governance and process controls, Transposit brings calm to the chaos of managing the complex modern stack. "Engineering and IT Ops teams require insights to do their jobs efficiently whether they code or not, to reduce manual processes and eliminate the toil of software development with today's modern stack," said Stephen Elliot, Program Vice President at IDC (News - Alert) . "There's a growing need for process automation in ITOps as a result of organizations' digital transformation initiatives and new work policies brought on by the pandemic. These modern demands have led to significantly more strain and downtime in the form of longer incident resolution and inefficient processes lacking in automation." Key new features of the Transposit platform: No-code runbook builder empowers technical operations engineers to build sophisticated workflows across the DevOps toolchain without needing to write code or learn a specialized workflow tool. New triggers for runbooks and actions within runbooks enable highly flexible, event-driven automation. These triggers afford teams the freedom to build and automate pieces of their workflows in a more ad-hoc, incremental manner so that processes are adaptable to change. Activity feed provides stakeholders with expanded visibility into all operational events, to ensure governance and process controls.



No-code Runbook Builder Empowers Non-Developer Customization and Advanced Scenarios Transposit believes that everyone across development and operations teams - regardless of development experience - should be able to create sophisticated human-in-the-loop automated workflows. Transposit bridges the operator experience gap with its new no-code runbook builder that allows any user to participate and add value. Transposit was built from the ground up for developers to customize in common languages including Python, Javascript, and SQL. The runbook builder now enables non-developers on operations teams to customize as well, allowing them to move quickly without the need for a developer's help. The runbook builder's easy-to-use interface makes it simple to design runbooks by plugging in a series of steps and actions. Transposit provides hundreds of pre-built actions that teams can use out of the box and connect to their runbooks, reducing manual toil and streamlining operations. New Triggers for Runbooks and Actions Help Teams Mature and Expand Their Automation Usage Transposit's flexible process orchestration platform guides teams on their journey to maturing their automation practices. Whether it's runbook documentation or end-to-end automation, Transposit's workflows can be shaped to fit the unique needs of ever team. Rather than taking a traditional approach of mapping out entire flow diagrams, Transposit makes it possible for teams to build and automate pieces of their workflows in a more ad-hoc manner so that processes remain malleable and can be easily adapted whenever needed.



The Transposit platform gives teams the opportunity to use incremental automation to strengthen their trust in automation beginning with codifying documentation into human-in-the-loop runbooks that combine human guidance with automated actions. Teams can then easily identify additional steps that can be automated over time. The platform's new triggers help teams mature and expand their automation usage by connecting runbooks to external events. Users can enable triggers within runbooks for both internal and external events, resulting in accelerated, highly flexible, and event-driven response automation that blends both human and machine triggers.

New Activity Feed Expands Operational Visibility The modern tech stack is more complex than ever before, leaving Ops teams overwhelmed and wading through a flood of events coming from an array of tools and services as they keep a watchful eye on dynamic cloud infrastructure. By using Transposit's new activity feed, teams are given visibility into what's happening across their services. Transposit gives teams the ability to bring together and understand all the various moving parts throughout an operations pipeline within one knowledge stream. The activity feed allows teams to quickly determine the services that need their attention by pulling together important events across every tool such as alerts, requests, and CI/CD systems as well as high-level activity within the platform. Not only can teams see the activities taking place, but they can also access granular information about what is happening, who is taking certain actions, and what resulted from those actions. This full audit trail of both human and machine data provides the governance that operations teams need to ensure security and reliability across services. After recovering from an incident, teams scramble to remember what exactly happened, which team members had participated, and the entire timeline of events. Transposit makes it easy to capture critical events throughout the course of an incident. The new customizable post-mortem export makes it easy to use that data for root cause analysis and ultimately drive continuous improvement. "The new functionality we've added to our orchestration platform transforms the landscape for DevOps and IT Ops teams. Keeping applications up and running when the demand for digital is at an all time high is a monumental task. By easing the challenges that come with continuous change, we give engineers control back over their days while helping them succeed at their jobs. This is both healthy for individuals and great for business," said Divanny Lamas, the CEO of Transposit. "We empower all team members - regardless of tooling expertise - to better collaborate and drive more value together." To learn more about Transposit's new features, request a demo. About Transposit Transposit delivers DevOps process orchestration. Its fully integrated, human-in-the-loop approach to automation empowers engineering operations teams to streamline DevOps practices, enhance service reliability, and resolve incidents faster. As the glue between tools, data, and people, Transposit codifies institutional knowledge to make processes data-driven and repeatable with runbooks that help teams incrementally automate tasks. Transposit's automatic timelines capture the complete history of all actions taken through the system and surface actionable insights that drive operational improvement. Powered by the Transposit Integration Engine that combines hundreds of pre-built integrations with code-level customization, the cloud-based platform is able to connect to any service with an API. Organizations rely on Transposit to improve workflow agility and keep services healthy so they can deliver more value to their business. Learn more about Transposit Sign up for the live product demo on June 22

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Additional Resources View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005814/en/

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[June 21, 2021] Perx launches the world's first lifestyle marketing platform to transform mobile-first customer engagement

As a first of its kind, the platform creates a new category within the global marketing technology ecosystem

Regional and global brands have driven over USD 400M in top line contribution in the last three years using the platform SINGAPORE, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Perx Technologies, the SaaS leader in dynamic, mobile-first customer engagement and loyalty, today announced the launch of its category creating product  The Perx Lifestyle Marketing Platform (Perx LMP). Traditional static loyalty and rewards programs are no longer working in a rapidly evolving digital economy. They are expensive to maintain and have become a liability affecting the bottom line of brands globally. Today's customers come in many forms. As consumer and ecosystem partners' behavior rapidly evolves, Perx believes that the manner in which brands engage them needs a rethink. Perx's LMP is purpose-built to enable brands to shift from being transient and transactional to delivering meaningful relationships with their ecosystem across millions of customers and partners globally. Powered by hyper-personalization, advanced gamification and sophisticated rules engine capabilities Perx LMP re-energizes a brand's customer experience and loyalty engagement strategy by syncing it with the daily lifestyle choices of its customers. The platform enables marketers and digital teams to drive and monetize customer actions and increase customer-brand touchpoints by reimagining the digital consumer journey. There are three key market trends that necessitate the introduction of a new category called Lifestyle Marketing in the Martech space. First, the pandemic has dramatically accelerated the need for businesses to become digital and mobile-first. In 2020 with the average consumer spending close to four hours each day on a smartphone, 332 million people came online for the first time globally to bank, shop, play and order food.



Second, the rise of the mobile-first instant gratification economy has made brands realise the limitation of present day marketing technology stacks to support building unique 'aha moments' into traditional digital customer journeys; from acquisition to last mile redemption and more importantly, every user action in-between. With 73% of the world's mobile phone users owning a smartphone, brands globally are exploring how to innovate beyond their core business models to establish a 'super-app like' services ecosystem tailored around their closed loop customers. Lastly, today almost all marketing technology platforms are designed mainly to drive vanity metrics such as eyeballs, clicks, and open rates, rather than contributing to top-line growth. The outcomes are static, unengaging, and transient customer engagements that abruptly end in an SMS, email or social media post.

But, critical to any engagement strategy is the customers' last-mile journey. The Perx Lifestyle Marketing Platform extends this last-mile beyond usual stopovers through interactive, gamified, and incentive-led engagements that nudge customers to complete the actions and transactions that the marketer and the brand actually intended to drive. Perx has also launched the Rewards Marketplace that offers an elaborate curated list of merchant rewards aligned to the lifestyles of the digital consumer. In just 3 simple clicks, brands can stand up to the instant gratification trend by rewarding customers for their actions through personalized lifestyle rewards. Moreover, brands that want to stand up their own in-app, mobile commerce store and build a new revenue stream can now do so without heavy investments or resource allocation. Here's what Stephanie Kubota, CEO of RUSH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, the largest telecom operator in the Philippines, said, "The Perx Lifestyle Marketing Platform is one of the sharpest tools in our marketing toolkit. Everything is just a few clicks away, from slicing and dicing target personas to identifying and launching dynamic experiences that nudge and trigger customer actions. In our recent execution with Perx, we drove over a million customer actions, targeting a specific test segment, in just 100 days from the point of onboarding, and, over 70% of them were actions that contributed to the top-line growth of the brands." Commenting on why Starhub chose to implement the Perx Lifestyle Marketing Platform, Maneesh Verma, VP, Customer Lifecycle Management, said, "Even though there are many martech platforms out there for us to choose from, we didn't want to settle with any of the traditional or status-quo ones. Unlike other solutions, Perx's Lifestyle Marketing Platform actually drives meaningful customer engagements and is built to digitally engage better. An outcome of that is more customer stickiness and real customer actions that contribute to the top-line." Commenting on why hoolah chose the Perx Lifestyle Marketing Platform, Stuart Thornton, CEO & Co-Founder, said, "As a digital native in the Buy Now Pay Later space, our goal is to provide flexibility to consumers in a world filled with constraints and do so responsibly. We chose the Perx Lifestyle Marketing Platform to build meaningful engagements in our hoolah ecosystem between consumers, partners and merchants. Perx LMP will help us augment the natural value of the hoolah platform by further driving customer acquisition and retention through personalisation and dynamic in-app engagements that reward customers for their every action." Regarding the launch of the Perx Lifestyle Marketing Platform and the Rewards Marketplace, Anna Gong, CEO & Founder of Perx Technologies, said, "The Perx Lifestyle Marketing Platform enables brands to lead with engagement and not loyalty, innovate beyond their core business models and create a monetizable lifestyle ecosystems around their closed-loop network of consumers, partners, and merchants. This approach not only allows brands globally to better address and solve customer lifestyle wants and needs but also builds a moat around those customers by drastically increasing brand touchpoints. With advanced gamification and campaign automation capabilities, hyper-personalised and instantly gratifying incentives, the platform has proven to be an effective enabler of the digital lifestyle ecosystems for enterprises and digital natives." About Perx Technologies Perx Technologies is a category-creating Lifestyle Marketing SaaS Platform helping brands transform from transient, transactional businesses to delivering continuous and meaningful engagements and experiences in the digital economy. Powering enterprises and digital natives, the platform enables mobile-first organisations to monetise on their closed-loop ecosystem of consumers, partners and merchants, by creating personalised, last-mile interactive digital experiences that generate instant ROI. For more information, please visit: https://www.perxtech.com SOURCE Perx Technologies

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[June 21, 2021] Infinite Launches Wales' First Multi Technology Energy Centre to Supply Power Directly to the Community

LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The innovative renewable energy company Infinite is launching its first Energy Centre at the Rassau industrial estate in south Wales. The combination of wind turbines, solar photovoltaics and battery storage will provide reliable, cost efficient and greener power directly to the customer. Work at the site is moving on apace with the first phase of Infinite's unique integrated energy centre - the installation of a 1MWh rooftop solar system at GS Yuasa's factory, already completed. Approval has also been granted for the building of a wind turbine which will supply electricity directly to the site. The Energy Centre will be linked to an energy storage scheme with its ADEPT battery container bringing together the use of GS Yuasa's lead acid and lithium batteries, thus offering optimum efficiency and flexibility when managing power across a micro-grid. Andrew Crossman, Director, Infinite says: "The GSCS Energy Centre represents a step-change in the de-centralised distribution of low carbon and renewable energy. The Rassau scheme aims to share the benefits of multi technology generation within the immediate community, providing discounted renewable power and reducing the CO2 emissions in the area." Shaun Gardner, Managing Director, GS Yuasa Manufacturing UK Ltd added: "The project brings a number of benefits to our Ebbw Vale factory nd the wider Rassau industrial estate. The unique combination of our lithium and lead-acid batteries, the latter of which are produced on site in South Wales, allows for the storage of greener energy, generated by either solar or wind, to be used at a later date."



The centre is part of the Generation Storage Consumption Supply project (GSCS) and is one of up to seven local energy centre schemes in South and West Wales to be grant funded by The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Match funding of 5.5m has been provided by Infinite's funding partner, Albion Community Power. The total CAPEX for the schemes is 14.4m with 8.9m provided by the ERDF. Welsh Government Minister for Climate Change, Julie James said: "Climate Change is at the heart of our decision making and we are committed to accelerating the transition to a low carbon energy system in Wales. The GSCS Energy Centre, alongside the other EU funded local energy schemes, will play an important role in driving action towards our ambition for a more sustainable future for Wales, by providing the benefits of cost-effective, more reliable green energy to local businesses and communities across South and West Wales."

Marco Yu, Investment Director, Albion Community Power, says: "Albion has over 20 years' experience funding sustainable energy projects across the UK. We backed the Infinite team in the early stages of its growth and are thrilled to be part of its latest pioneering, multi-technology projects that are leading the way in helping local businesses to decarbonise and reduce energy cost while alleviating the electricity load of the electricity grid network." About Infinite: Infinite was formed in 2010 as a renewable energy developer to create merchant wind power schemes for commercial clients. These include wind schemes such as the 'giant Daffodil' at The Royal Mint at Llantrisant in South Wales - an 850kW wind turbine supplying up to 10% of the Royal Mint demand. Infinite has grown from developing a portfolio of wind turbines to delivering multiple residential and commercial Solar PV schemes and now is pioneering multi-technology renewable energy centres for industry across the UK. www.infiniterenewables.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1538048/Solar.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1538047/Infinite_Logo.jpg

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[June 21, 2021] ABLIC Launches the S-19682/3 Series, the Industry's Smallest (*1) High-side Switch With Camera/Antenna Connection Diagnosis for Automotive Use

ABLIC Inc. (President: Nobumasa Ishiai, head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter "ABLIC") today launched the S-19682/3 Series of high-side switches for automotive use. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005245/en/ The S-19682/3 Series, the Industry's Smallest (*1) High-side Switch with Camera/Antenna Connection Diagnosis for Automotive Use (Graphic: Business Wire) A high-side switch is a semiconductor that uses external signals to turn circuits ON (News - Alert) and OFF thereby controlling the power supply by turning the switch ON and OFF. Since the S-19682/3 Series high-side switch for connection diagnosis launched today comes with a current monitor function, the ECU can easily monitor current flowing through cameras and antennas. Also equipped with a current limit function, it prevents the flow of overcurrent to provide safer deign.



As a one-channel per package product, the S-19682/3 Series uses the industry's smallest (*1) HSNT8(2.0x3.0xt0.5mm) package and therefore has a footprint per channel that is the industry's smallest when compared to multi-channel products. Small size contributes to design freedom and equipped with the earlier mentioned connection diagnosis function, this Series is fully equipped to meet the automotive requirements of the latest ADAS/AD systems. Moreover, the S-19682/3 Series is PPAP (Production Part Approval Process)-capable and also meets the AEC(*)-Q100 Grade1 (* Automotive Electronics Council) quality standard for automotive ICs.

Major Features Industry's smallest class! Housed in an ultra-small HSNT-8(2030) (2.0 x 3.0 x t0.5mm) package High-accuracy current limit Connection diagnosis of a wide variety of applications A variety of protection functions ensure customer safety Implements flexible connection diagnosis 36V input/45V rating Application Examples Connection diagnosis of automotive camera modules

ECUs for automotive surround cameras

Remote LNA phantom power supplies for GPS antennas and other devices

ADAS locators

eCall

Car navigation/audio systems S-19682/3 Series Product Details

https://hub.ablic.com/en/products/s-19682-19683 Website

https://www.ablic.com/ (*1) An automotive high-side switch with 36V operation and 600mA output. Based on our research, as of June 2021 ABLIC Inc. became a wholly owned company by MinebeaMitsumi Inc. as of April 30th, 2020. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005245/en/

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[June 21, 2021] Ablo lets users explore the world through the eyes of locals

Travel the world virtually with the new Live Show streaming feature GHENT, Belgium, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The chat and video app Ablo has introduced its newest feature. Through a "Live Guide Show", people can go live and become a guide for their country. Since the whole world is longing to be able to travel again, this feature comes at the perfect time. Having a casual conversation with someone in a country that is not your own, is something the world hasn't been able to do in a while. However, talking to locals is the best way to get to know a country. That's exactly what Ablo had in mind when creating their new live streaming feature. Through a "Live Guide Show", users can share their country and culture in real time. The streamer, or "Live Guide" as Ablo calls them, becomes a virtual guide to the viewers. During a Live Show, people can share their country's best hot spots, show their food, fashion and culture or just chat and connect with people from all over the world. Explore the world by hanging out with locals Users get to virtually travel the world on Ablo and discover what's out there, right from the source. Streaming on Ablo is not a one-way conversation. During a Live Guide Show, viewers can join the live stream and ask questions to the person streaming. This reates a super realistic atmosphere, as if the viewer is at the Live Guide's location at that moment. Ablo also takes away any language barrier, because - just like anywhere else in the app - Ablo translates the conversation live.



"People are experiencing a strong urge to explore the world, to see what's out there, more than ever, and there is no better way to discover the world than by talking to local people. With our new Live Guide Show feature, we want people to express themselves, to share their cultures with each other and to share real stories.", Joost Roelandts - CEO Endless connections

The winner of Google Play's "Best App of 2019" has been downloaded by over 29 million people worldwide, who can travel to 233 countries without ever leaving their homes. It is safe to say there is always someone to talk to on Ablo. The app has been doing particularly well among people aged between 18 and 24, or Gen Z adults. It's clear that Ablo brings people together who wouldn't just run into each other on the street, helping to create an open world. About Ablo Ablo is a chat and video app that takes you around the world. The app connects you with people from all nationalities and lets you talk in your own language, the app translates your conversations live. Ablo opens your world. To download the app, please visit https://ablo.live/. SOURCE Ablo

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[June 21, 2021] QA InfoTech, A Qualitest Group Company, Donates INR 1 crore to Sharda Hospital

The donation is one of several social initiatives supported by QA InfoTech and Qualitest in Indian communities that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic NOIDA, India, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QA InfoTech, a Qualitest Group Company ( https://qualitestgroup.com ), is announcing that it has donated ? 1 crore to Sharda Hospital, Greater NOIDA, in a bid to help people suffering from COVID-19 get proper medical attention and facilities. The money will help the hospital in ramping up the healthcare facilities by offering more hospital beds and other essential supplies. In the last year, millions of people around the world have lost their loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic and have faced financial hardships due to loss of income or serious illnesses. Amid all this, the availability of quality healthcare, medicines, and equipment has been one of the biggest challenges. Due to the scarcity of hospital beds and medical supplies, people are struggling to avail themselves of quality healthcare facilities. The contribution towards Sharda Hospital will strengthen NOIDA's healthcare infrastructure and enable it to offer better healthcare facilities and help more people efficiently get back on their feet again to lead a healthy life. The effort is one of several Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives led by QA InfoTech and Qualitest in India. In addition to the financial support of Sharda Hospital, Qualitest Bangalore had provided COVID-19 protection and hygiene kits to support the 650+ Pourakarmikas working the front lines to keep the city of Bangaloe clean and free from infection. This effort was led by employees who actively regularly participate in Qualitest's CSR initiatives. In addition, Qualitest has contributed over INR 20 Lakhs (US$28,000) for a variety of local causes, including building smart classrooms, helping transgender support groups for inclusivity, construction of animal shelters, providing educational materials for street children, building rainwater recharge wells, supporting artisans and weavers, and for Go Green initiatives like planting saplings to build a Miyawaki forest.



Norm Merritt, Qualitest CEO said, "We are striving to think globally while acting locally to support communities in India, where our partner QA InfoTech is located. Our CSR outreach will help in enabling healthcare organizations to reach more people in need amid COVID-19." Minesh Upadhyaya, Head of QA InfoTech, Noida further added, "The CSR donation of ? 1 crore will help Sharda Hospital prepare better to fight COVID-19 pandemic and also strengthen the healthcare facilities in the NOIDA region. We pledge to stand together to fight this pandemic by maximizing healthcare coverage in all areas."

Pradeep Kumar Gupta, Sharda Group Chairman said, "The donation of ? 1 crore from QA InfoTech, a Qualitest Company, will strengthen our war chest to fight COVID-19 pandemic more efficiently. Such contributions from civil society are highly appreciated in trying times like these." QA InfoTech, now a Qualitest Company was founded by Mr. Mukesh Sharma in 2003, who currently serves the organization in an advisory role. The independent QA and software testing service provider has been actively involved in CSR activities ever since its inception. Its founder has always been a compassionate and generous donor to support several past and ongoing social causes. In 2020, QA InfoTech donated 1.21 crore to the Prime Minister relief fund towards COVID-19 support. For more information about Qualitest, visit: https://qualitestgroup.com/ About Qualitest

Founded in 1997, Qualitest offers a wide range of AI-powered quality engineering and testing solutions, designed to mitigate the business risk associated with software releases. Qualitest achieves this by deploying engagement models tailored to the precise testing needs of technology platforms in the technology, financial services, retail, telecom, healthcare, insurance, aerospace, media and utilities industries. It has operations in Israel (where it was founded), the US, UK, and Romania, and serves over 250 blue-chip customers worldwide. Qualitest is majority-owned by international private equity group Bridgepoint, which acquired the company in October 2019 via its 5.7 billion flagship fund BE VI. About QA InfoTech

QA InfoTech is a leading outsourced QA testing vendor with years of expertise helping clients across the globe. The Great Place to Work Institute ranked the company as among the Top 50 Best IT & IT-BMP organizations to work for in India in 2014, one of the Best Companies to Work for in IT & ITeS 2016, and certified it as a Great Place to Work in 2017-18. Qualitest Media Contact

Lauren Perry

SlicedBrand for Qualitest

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[June 21, 2021] Hyundai Motor Group Deepens Partnership with Grab to Accelerate EV Adoption in Southeast Asia

Hyundai Motor Group and Grab have expanded their partnership to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Southeast Asia

Both parties to explore launching new EV business models including battery-as-a-service and EV financing to drive EV adoption

Lowering total cost of ownership and reducing range anxiety key to greater EV adoption

Enhanced partnership to also explore collaboration in new business opportunities and technologies such as smart city solutions SINGAPORE and SEOUL, South Korea, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Group and Grab Holdings Inc. (Grab) today announced an enhancement of their ongoing strategic partnership in mobility services. The next phase of the partnership will focus on accelerating EV adoption in Southeast Asia. The Group, including Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation which are the Group's affiliates, and Grab will further develop new pilots and initiatives that lower the barriers of entry for Grab driver and delivery-partners to adopt EVs, such as lowering the total cost of ownership and reducing range anxiety. Survey results from initial EV pilot in Singapore found that high costs, lack of charging locations and long waiting times for charging are top barriers hindering Grab driver-partners from adopting EVs[1]. Hence, the enhanced partnership will focus on addressing some of these barriers by piloting new EV business models such as leasing EVs with a battery-as-a-service model or car-as-a-service model, and EV financing. Both parties will also develop a joint EV roadmap to accelerate adoption in Southeast Asia. The pilot programs will start in 2021, beginning in Singapore, and expand to Indonesia and Vietnam. As part of the roadmap development, the two parties will also conduct an EV feasibility study. The intent is to gain a deeper understanding into the gaps and barriers to wider EV ownership and adoption, then translating the findings from the study into practical ways to further develop the EV ecosystem. These insights will provide governments and ecosystem partners with ideas and best practices on how EV policies can be shaped to better address the day-to-day operational routines of ride-hailing drivers and delivery-partners. This comes at a critical time as last-mile logistics and deliveries continue to experience unprecedented growth, and EVs can play a huge role in reducing carbon emissions from vehicles. In addition, in line with Hyundai Motor Group's latest future strategy, both parties will explore collaboration in new business opportunities and technologies such as smart city solutions. Since the initial partnership was announced in 2018, both parties have launched a series of EV pilots in Southeast Asia, starting with Singapore in 2019 and Indonesia in 2020. The pilots saw the deployment of 200 Hyundai Kona EVs in Grab's GrabRentals fleet in Singapore, which has consistently recorded a high utilisation rate. Customized maintenance packages and incentives were also rolled out to support Grab driver-partners who are renting the Hyundai EVs. In Indonesia, Grab launched its GrabCar Elektrik fleet of Hyundai IONIQ vehicles at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport. "Hyundai Motor Group and Grab were able to discover the possibility of EV businesses in Southeast Asia through our cooperation from 2018," said Minsung Kim, Vice President of the Innovation Division at Hyundai Motor Group. "With Grab having the largest driver network in the region and Hyundai's comprehensive mobility solutions, we are confident that together we can help to increase the adoption of EVs and ultimately reduce carbon emissions throughout the region. Beyond its on-going projects, the Group expects additional cooperation with Grab to be a key driver to lead the mobility market of the future in Southeast Asia." Russell Cohen, Group Managing Director of Operations, Grab, said: "While EVs are relatively nascent in Southeast Asia, Grab plans to play a vital role in working with partners and governments to accelerate EV adoption. As government EV policies and incentives are implemented and essential infrastructure like charging stations continue to be built, this partnership will provide insights and best practices on the usage of EVs as part of the day-to-day operations of driver and delivery-partners. For example, we've piloted ways to reduce driver-partners' downtime by enabling them to swap their e-moped batteries at GrabKitchen while they wait to collect food orders. Successful EV adoption is a multi-stakeholder effort, particularly in Southeast Asia, and we'll continue to leverage our technology and operational leadership to build a fleet for the future." Hyundai Motor Group has expanded its presence in Southeast Asia to foster new mobility innovation. The Group held a virtual groundbreaking ceremony for HMGICS (Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore) in October last year and construction is ongoing. The center will act as a testbed for a human-centered intelligent manufacturing platform with a small-scale EV production facility on site. The center also will explore new business concepts, including BaaS (battery-as-a-service) to enhance customers' experiences of EV ownership. The Hyundai partnership is part of a range of ongoing EV-related initiatives from Grab to support the EV goals of governments in Southeast Asia. In Singapore, Grab has a partnership with SP Group, the largest government-owned electricity and gas distributor in the country. Grab has leveraged driving data from this partnership to advise on ideal charging locations, based on driver locations and demand heatmaps. In Indonesia, Grab launched the Electric Vehicle Ecosystem Roadmap in 2019 with the Indonesia government to support EV policies, and help achieve the government's target of 20% of Indonesian transportation being EVs by 2025. About Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group is a global enterprise that has created a value chain based on mobility, steel, and construction, as well as logistics, finance, IT, and service.

With about 250,000 employees worldwide, the Group's mobility brands include Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.

Armed with creative thinking, cooperative communication and the will to take on any challenges, we strive to create a better future for all. More information about Hyundai Motor Group, please see: www.hyundaimotorgroup.com More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: worldwide.hyundai.com or globalpr.hyundai.com Visit the Kia Global Media Center for more information: www.kianewscenter.com For more information on Genesis and its new definition of luxury, please visit https://www.genesis.com About Grab

Grab is the leading superapp platform in Southeast Asia, providing everyday services that matter to consumers. Today, the Grab app has been downloaded onto millions of mobile devices, giving users access to over nine million drivers, merchants, and agents. Grab offers a wide range of on-demand services in the region, including mobility, food, package and grocery delivery services, mobile payments, and financial services across 428 cities in eight countries.

( www.grab.com ) Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor Group believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader.







[1] Based on a survey done with driver-partners who rent vehicles from GrabRentals in 2020

SOURCE Hyundai Motor Group

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[June 21, 2021] U.S. Patent Awarded to KRNC Blockchain, for Technology to Upgrade U.S. Dollar

KRNC, a blockchain initiative funded by the U.S. government, announced today that it has obtained the first U.S. patent on its proprietary technology for integrating blockchains with the legacy banking system. The technology, called Proof-of-Balance, allows anyone with online banking to unlock cryptographic tokens in proportion to their fiat savings. These tokens have the same verifiable scarcity as Bitcoin, and they can be used to interact with smart contracts and decentralized applications. "Proof-of-Balance brings blockchain technology to the billions of people who already have online banking," said Clint Ehrlich, the founder of KRNC, who is credited as the inventor. "It lets them start using DApps without having to buy any cryptocurrency." On blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum, users must mine or purchase cryptocurrency to cover the cost of executing transactions. Proof-of-Balance eliminates that requrement by issuing tokens directly to the owners of fiat money.



The decision to award a patent was announced by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in a Notice of Allowance. The notice means that the application "Cryptographic and Fiat Currency Mechanics" is approved and a patent will be issued. The patent office cited several advantages of Proof-of-Balance over the existing state of the art, including its superior security. By spreading ownership of tokens among the entire public, the technology provides far stronger guarantees of decentralization than protocols whose native assets are sold to the highest bidder in ICOs.

Funding for the development of Proof-of-Balance has come from the National Science Foundation, an independent agency of the U.S. government. Last year, the agency awarded KRNC a $225,000 grant to commercialize the technology. About KRNC KRNC is an NSF-funded blockchain for upgrading fiat money using Proof-of-Balance technology. The blockchain is being developed by a private company, Krnc Inc., for release as a fully decentralized protocol. To learn more, visit krnc.io. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005853/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Pace of Tech Hiring in Europe Accelerates, New CompTIA Report Reveals

Report examines hiring trends in 10 EU countries and their metro areas LONDON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Employer demand for technology workers across 10 European countries experienced a significant increase in the first quarter of 2021 with employers posting nearly 900 000 advertisements for open positions, according to a new report released today by CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce. CompTIA's "European Tech Hiring Trends" reveals that employer job postings for technology positions totaled 877 106 in Q1 2021, an increase of 9% over Q4 2020 and 40% higher than Q3 2020. The report provides an in-depth look at tech hiring trends in Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. "This is an encouraging indicator that business is getting back on track, but it also reinforces what we have known for some time  that there is a wide chasm between the job opportunities available in the technology field and the number of individuals with the right skills to fill them," said Graham Hunter, CompTIA's vice president for business development in EMEA, APAC and Canada. "We need to encourage more people from varied backgrounds and work experiences, and from all age ranges and education levels to join the tech workforce," Hunter added. "CompTIA as the training and skills-building resources that will ready them for employment."



Employer hiring efforts spanned the continuum of job levels, from entry level (39% of job postings), to mid and advanced (25%), with the remaining unspecified. Openings for technology positions represented approximately 13% of total hiring advertisements in Q1 2021. Poland recorded the highest proportion of job advertisements for technology roles at 36%. Germany, Portugal and Romania also had above average concentrations of tech hiring job advertisements.

Germany (421 109), France (121 863) and Poland (105 921) had the highest numbers of job postings for technology positions in Q1, while Italy (+ 50%), Netherlands (+ 43%) and Poland (+ 37%) recorded the highest percentage increases in tech job postings compared to Q4 2020. As expected, the highest levels of activity occur in the largest metro areas, such as Berlin (30 960), Madrid (14 002), Paris (11 240), Warsaw (12 952) and Amsterdam (8 337). But the demand for tech talent extends well beyond major metro centers. The Q1 data shows hiring in cities such as Gent (3 150), Porto (4 695), Bologna (1 642), Brno (1 138), and Bra?ov (1 116). With the ongoing trend of digital transformation across the European economy, the demand for tech workers now spans just about every industry sector. In the aggregate, the top hiring sectors are: 1). Information and Communication, 2). Manufacturing, 3). Administrative and Support Services, 4). Professional, Scientific and Technical Services and 5). Financial and Insurance. Technical, business skills on equal footing Job postings for software developers, systems analysts and cybersecurity professionals accounted for the majority of job postings in Q1. But a deeper analysis shows that employers tend to seek well-rounded candidates with skills that extend into multiple aspects of technology, including infrastructure, data and business applications. Business skills have risen to the same level of importance as technical capabilities for many employers, a reminder that a combination of technologies and personnel with varied skills is required for organisations to meet their innovation goals. Team work, problem solving, creative thinking, adaptability, project management and customer service are among the soft skills frequently cited in job postings for technology positions. CompTIA's "European Tech Hiring Trends" report was developed from an analysis of employer job posting data aggregated by Burning Glass Technologies Labour Insights. Complete methodology is included in the report, available at https://www.comptia.org/content/research/european-tech-hiring-trends. About CompTIA

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. Visit https://www.comptia.org/ . Media Contact

Steven Ostrowski

sostrowski@comptia.org

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[June 22, 2021] GLOBALFOUNDRIES Breaks Ground On New Fab In Singapore

MALTA, N.Y. and SINGAPORE, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF), the global leader in feature-rich semiconductor manufacturing, today announced it is expanding its global manufacturing footprint with the construction of a new fab on its Singapore campus. In partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board and with co-investments from committed customers, GF's more than US $4B (S$5B) investment will play an integral role in meeting the growing demand for the company's industry-leading manufacturing technologies and services to enable companies worldwide to develop and scale their business. In a virtual groundbreaking ceremony, Singapore Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations S. Iswaran and Mubadala Investment Company Managing Director and Group CEO H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, were joined by: UAE Ambassador to Singapore H.E. Jamal Abdulla Al Suwaidi; Singapore Ambassador to the UAE H.E. Kamal R Vaswani; Singapore Economic Development Board Managing Director Chng Kai Fong; GF Board Chairman Ahmed Yahia Al Idrissi; along with GF executives including CEO Tom Caulfield; CFO David Reeder; SVP and Head of Global Operations KC Ang; SVP of Global Sales Juan Cordovez; VP of Human Resource for APAC and International Fabs Janice Lee; and VP of Technology Development in Singapore Dr. Soh Yun Siah. The global demand for semiconductor chips is growing at an unprecedented rate, with worlwide semiconductor revenue projected to increase 2.1 times in the next eight years1. To meet that demand, GF has planned capacity expansions at all its manufacturing sites in the U.S., Germany and, starting with the construction of phase one of its 300mm fab expansion, Singapore. When complete, GF will add capacity for 450,000 wafers per year, bringing GF's Singapore campus up to approximately 1.5 million (300mm) wafers per year.



The new fab will be the most advanced semi manufacturing facility in Singapore and will further enhance GF's ability to provide its feature-rich RF, analog power, non-volatile memory solutions. GF is adding 250,000 square feet (23,000 square meters) of cleanroom space and new administrative offices. The new fab will create 1,000 new high-value jobs such as technicians, engineers and more. With construction already underway, the Fab is planned to ramp in 2023. "GF is meeting the challenge of the global semiconductor shortage by accelerating our investments around the world. Working in close collaboration with our customers and the Government of Singapore is a recipe for success that we are pioneering here and looking forward to replicating in the U.S and Europe," said GF CEO Tom Caulfield. "Our new facility in Singapore will support fast-growing end-markets in the automotive, 5G mobility and secure device segments with long-term customer agreements already in place."

"We are committed to partnering industry leaders such as GlobalFoundries to address the global demand for semiconductors, especially in growth areas such as artificial intelligence and 5G. The semiconductor industry is a key pillar of Singapore's manufacturing sector, and GlobalFoundries' new fab investment is testament to Singapore's attractiveness as a global node for advanced manufacturing and innovation. It will help GlobalFoundries' customers to strengthen the resilience of their supply chains, and also add to the vibrancy of our economy through the creation of good jobs for Singaporeans and business opportunities for our local enterprises," said Dr. Beh Swan Gin, Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board. Semiconductor chips are more pervasive than ever, becoming one of humankind's most vital resources. From smartphones and automobiles to technology in schools and hospitals, modern society can no longer survive without them. GF is a trusted provider to more than 250 customers worldwide and is investing, in partnership with these customers and regional governments, to expand the capacity of its global manufacturing footprint to help right the demand-supply imbalance. 1 IBS, March 2021 About GLOBALFOUNDRIES

GF is one of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers and the only one with a truly global footprint. GF delivers feature-rich solutions that enable its customers to develop pervasive chips for high-growth market segments. GF provides a broad range of platforms and features with a unique mix of design, development and fabrication services. With an at-scale manufacturing footprint spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia, GF has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of customers across the globe. GF is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit globalfoundries.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/globalfoundries-breaks-ground-on-new-fab-in-singapore-301316900.html SOURCE GLOBALFOUNDRIES

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[June 22, 2021] Quadric Reimagines General-Purpose Parallel Processing with an All-New Architecture Optimized for On-Device AI

Quadric (quadric.io), an innovator in high-performance edge processing, has introduced a unified silicon and software platform that unlocks the power of on-device AI. Built to accelerate computation speeds while reducing power consumption, Quadric's new general-purpose processor platform meets the computing needs of today's increasingly autonomous world of smart sensors, IoT devices, factory automation, robots, 5G infrastructure and medical imaging. The platform is designed to handle any AI algorithm, as well as classic algorithms used for tasks such as digital signal processing, high-performance computing and image processing. The Quadric processor architecture is based on a hybrid data-flow and Von Neumann machine that enables high-performance on-device computing for demanding workloads including neural networks, machine learning, computer vision and basic linear algebra subprograms (BLAS). The instruction-driven architecture enables software manageability of hardware to keep pace with the ever-changing demands of on-device computing. The open software programming model enhances ease of use by enabling developers to express graph-based and non-graph-based algorithms in unison. "With intelligence rapidly migrating from the cloud to the network edge, the full stack, from silicon to software, must be completely re-architected to meet the unique requirements of on-device AI," said Veerbhan Kheterpal, co-founder and CEO of Quadric. "We've reimagined a general-purpose processor architecture and built it from scratch with the developer in mind. Developers want a versatile, high-performance processing platform that can support any type of AI and machine learning algorithm with an open ecosystem that gives them peace of mind and unleashes their design creativity." Developers often struggle with deploying AI-based algorithms at scale. Existing solutions force the design of heterogenous systems composed of CPUs, GPGPUs, FPGAs, and AI chips. This leads to higher power, larger latency, and complex software integration. Quadric's unified platform delivers accelerator-like performance with processor-like flexibility. This integrated approach enables developers to create on-dvice AI applications that support near instantaneous decision making at the network edge.



Sampling Now: Multicore Processor (News - Alert) Tuned for On-Device AI The Quadric platform is built around the q16 processor architecture, which combines the software flexibility and programmability of a Turing complete parallel processor with the efficiency of a dataflow-based accelerator. The q16 processor is the first silicon-proven instance of Quadric's novel architecture optimized for on-device AI and low-power processing of large data streams.

Quadric's first-generation q16 processor integrates a 16 x 16 array of general-purpose Vortex Cores working in parallel to process computationally demanding algorithms. The highly scalable quadric architecture is portable to advanced nodes down to 7 nm and 5 nm, with power consumption ranging from hundreds of mW (at 16 nm) up to 20 Watts. Quadric Developer Kit: Simplifying Custom Code and No-Code Development To accelerate evaluation and development, Quadric offers an easy-to-use developer kit that hosts the first-generation q16 processor in a M.2 2280 (22 mm wide x 80 mm long) form factor. The developer kit supports transfer speeds up to PCIe Gen 4 x 2. The system contains 4 GB of external memory directly mapped to the q16 processor's universal memory space. The entire M.2 system consumes a maximum of 5.5W TDP. Included with the M.2 System, the Quadric SDK enables developers to combine deep learning backbones with source-level control to build advanced AI algorithms and model algorithm performance. The processor's powerful data-parallel processing capabilities are exposed to the developer to provide full design flexibility using Clang/LLVM. The Quadric architecture supports all types of data-parallel algorithms through Source (News - Alert) Mode within the SDK. Source Mode gives developers source-level C++ control of the processor's architectural features, such as control flow, random access and optimized data-parallel execution. Examples of Source Mode kernels include GEMM, 1D and 2D N-point FFT, and image filtering. As deep neural networks (DNNs) become more complex, Source Mode also allows developers to express custom operations. Quadric will release an SDK update later this summer that supports no-code Graph Mode complete with optimized support for common open-source neural networks. Graph Mode will enable developers to ingest and schedule neural networks in TensorFlow or ONNX formats. Supported neural networks will include MobileNetV2, ResNet-50 and VGG16. In addition, the new SDK release will include a TVM-based scheduler for automatically compiling and deploying AI models. The flexibility of Quadric's software gives developers the freedom to develop and deploy every algorithm on one architecture, with the peace of mind that they can easily update AI and DNN functionality through over-the-air software updates for years to come. Availability Samples of Quadric's first-generation q16 processor are available now in the M.2 2280 form factor. To request q16 processor samples and learn more about the Quadric platform, architecture and developer kit, visit quadric.io. About Quadric Founded in 2016 and based in Burlingame, California, Quadric is building a unified, end-to-end hardware and software architecture optimized for on-device computing at the network edge. Quadric's full-stack platform is designed to meet the computationally intensive needs of next-generation autonomous products, the industrial IoT, robots and more. By enabling the fastest computation imaginable at lower power, Quadric is ushering in a new world of possibilities for developers. Quadric's open software ecosystem makes it easier for developers to work with parallel code, reduces duplication and streamlines development edge computing applications. Learn more at quadric.io. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005481/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Ivory Coast transport start-up Moja Ride partners with O-CITY by BPC for its next phase of growth in mobility innovation

LONDON and ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Moja Ride, an Ivorian startup providing a reservation and cashless payment system for transport services in Abidjan, today announced it has partnered with O-CITY for its next phase of digital innovation and future expansion. Founded in 2020, Moja Ride is an application that allows commuters to book and pay for their rides digitally, while also enabling transport operators to manage their fleet, routes and payment methods. The app is available in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, which has over 35,000 share-taxis ("Woro-Woro") and 8,000 minibuses ("Gbaka") - all managed independently by vehicle owners. Since its launch, Moja Ride has gained a growing market share across multiple transport services in the city, supporting over 1,200 taxis and buses. The company plans to continue its growth by driving innovation in mobility services in Abidjan and elsewhere in West Africa with help from O-CITY - a leading automated fare collection solution that operates in 130 cities around the world. Through its open loop platform, O-CITY will enable public transport drivers to accept different payment methods from passengers, including QR code, NFC, and prepaid cards such as the 'Moja Carte' which can be topped up to pay for public transport. The recharge is done either through mobile money or a network of agents. Transport operators, owners and drivers can also track their revenue in real time and manage their fleet for the first time. According to Jean-Claude Gouesse, founder of Moja Ride, the public transportation industry worldwide is becoming less dependent on proprietary closed loop payment solutions. Africa, with little legacy infrastructure to slow down progress, has the potential to leapfrog th rest of the world by harnessing the benefits of mobile technology and payments processing solutions to deliver a better and safer customer experience for commuters and transportation providers.



"O-CITY's technology is the key to accelerating the delivery of a frictionless payment experience that benefits everyone," explained Gouesse. "At the moment, the siloed nature of the mobility market with thousands of owners makes it difficult to ensure transparency in terms of pricing and operational management. The dependance on cash as primary fare payment method creates an unsafe and dangerous experience for both riders and drivers. Through our partnership with O-CITY, Moja Ride can quickly answer the needs of drivers, riders, the vehicle owners, and the financial institutions that are seeking further transparency to facilitate lending processes. Drivers gain improved efficiency to foster business growth while commuters can use the app to plan their journey and hop on and off public transport faster through digital payments - all while helping to reduce the spread of virus transmission through the handling of cash." Tokhir Abdukadyrov, Director of O-CITY, said, "We are thrilled that Moja Ride has selected us as its preferred partner. With our support, the company can achieve its mission to ease travel journeys for both commuters and transport operators through digital transformation. O-CITY enables tap-to-pay for travellers using their card or any other means of payment and addresses the response to social distancing requirements and contact-free precautions. This will not only improve the quality of the country's public transport but also put Moja on a path towards greater domination of the contactless payments space in the Ivory Coast and beyond."

Moja's partnership with O-CITY comes hot on the heels of a series of funding rounds from leading global investors, including Orange Ventures and most recently Toyota Tsusho Corporation ("Toyota Tsusho") and its group company CFAO SAS ("CFAO"). The company was also the winner of the prestigious Mobility54 Special Prize at the Startups in AFRICA, hosted by Nikkei Inc. ("Nikkei") and the Japan International Cooperation Agency ("JICA"). About O-CITY Adopted by more than 130 cities worldwide, O-CITY is an innovative automated fare collection solution designed by BPC, a leading banking and payment firm with in excess of 350 clients across more than 90 countries. O-CITY was born from the vision of digitalising micro-payments as a key driver of a cashless economy while improving the well-being of citizens. With O-CITY, government, public transport operators and merchants can deliver a frictionless payment experience at every touch point leveraging smart, digital and open technologies. (tollgate, bus, train, subway, parking facility, bike rental or city tourist attraction). Citizens can move freely and make quick payments using their mobile or existing bank card, removing the need for cash or queuing at a ticket counter. www.O-CITY.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ivory-coast-transport-start-up-moja-ride-partners-with-o-city-by-bpc-for-its-next-phase-of-growth-in-mobility-innovation-301317015.html SOURCE O-CITY by BPC

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[June 22, 2021] Bright Data to Help UK Students Develop Data Skills Through Partnership With Leading Charity upReach

Leading data collection platform Bright Data (formerly Luminati Networks) is progressing its support for the UK's National Data Strategy ( NDS (News - Alert) ) by helping to build data skills among students at multiple universities through its Bright Initiative, which works to ensure that online data helps drive positive change around the world. The company is working with upReach, an award-winning UK social mobility charity that helps undergraduates from less-advantaged backgrounds access and maintain top graduate jobs. The collaboration will see Bright Data host a series of workshops to build students' understanding of the global data industry and develop the skills needed to thrive in a real-time data-driven economy. The collaboration follows Bright Data's recommendation that the UK Government put data skills among the top priorities in implementing the NDS. This recommendation was made in the company's submission to the consultation that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) carried out last year. The Government's recent response to the consultation pointed to a data skills gap that is holding businesses back from fully realising the economic potential of data and outlined a need to provide foundational data skills training for university students. Bright Data's collaboration with upReach is intended as a step toward meeting this goal. The collaboration will initially see Bright Data host two online workshops: ? A session introducing students to the principles of online data collection that will explore the ways in which a wide range of industries are increasingly relying on online data as well as practical and ethical considerations that need to be accounted for; ? A session for students with an interest in careers in the technology sector that will explore the growing use of 'bots' as part of efforts to fast-track the economy as well as the comprehensive safeguards that need to be in place to avoid misuse and irresponsible behaviours. It is expected that these sessions will involve over 150 students from a range of UK universities. Or Lenchner, CEO of Bright Data, said: "We have a responsibility to invest in the future of the online data industry, particularly when it comes to ensuring a highly skilled workforce. By working with upReach, we are helping to develop data skills among students from the widest possible range of backgrounds. This talent pool is essential to the UK achieving the ambitions of the forward-thinking National Data Stategy."



John Craven, Chief Executive of upReach, said: "We're excited to partner with Bright Data as part of our new programme of support for 500 undergraduates from disadvantaged backgrounds (the "upReach Tech500") looking to secure graduate roles in the sector. At a time when digital skills have never been more important, I'm delighted that Associates will access training from a leading employer in the data industry."

Bright Data's collaboration with upReach builds on work that the company is already doing with over 80 academic institutions around the world, including: ? Extensive partnerships with institutions, including King's College London and Royal Holloway, that allow students to explore present and future data-led opportunities and take up internship opportunities; ? Providing pro bono online data collection services for research programmes at universities including Princeton, Oxford, and ETH Zurich. ENDS Notes to editors: About Bright Data Bright Data's mission is to shine a bright light on the Internet, making it transparent again. The company's SaaS (News - Alert) platform allows its thousands of customers to tap into the Internet, the world's largest database, and collect large amounts of public unstructured data and transform it into quality-driven structured data. Bright Data's customer base includes large e-commerce, finance, travel, and security firms that benefit from near-live data insights, allowing them to act on the latest decision-making factors with speed and simplicity. About the Bright Initiative The Bright Initiative was established as a place to give back and make a real impact on people's lives. We offer our robust data-driven technology and products, know-how, expertise, and finely attuned support, aimed at quite literally improving the world as we know it. We focus on three areas: ? Community and Social Wellbeing: Supporting various social justice initiatives and crisis response projects, improving community wellbeing and saving lives ? Academia: Driving critical research forward and developing next generation of data professionals ? Promotion of Internet Transparency: Championing programmes and initiatives that promote responsible digital conduct To read more about the Bright Initiative, click here About upReach upReach is an award-winning social mobility charity that supports over 2,000 students from less-advantaged backgrounds to secure top graduate jobs, in partnership with leading organisations including Bank of America, Civil Service Fast Stream, Deloitte (News - Alert) , Goldman Sachs, McKinsey and Slaughter and May. A team of 53 employees provide personalised support helping to broaden horizons, raise aspirations and enable students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to develop the skills, networks and experiences to succeed on merit. upReach won Charity of the Year in 2019 at the Charity Times Awards and won the 2020 Embracing Digital Award in the Charity Governance Awards. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005086/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Denmark Cards and Payments Market Opportunities and Risks Report 2021-2024 - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Denmark Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. 'Denmark Cards and Payments - Opportunities and Risks to 2024' report provides detailed analysis of market trends in Denmark's cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including cards, credit transfers, cash, and direct debits during the review-period (2016-20e). The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review-period and over the forecast-period (2020e-24f). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including market shares of issuers and schemes. The report brings together the publisher's research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers detailed regulatory policies and recent changes in regulatory structure. This report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into Denmark's cards and payments industry, including - Current and forecast values for each market in Denmark's cards and payments industry, including debit and credit cards.

Detailed insights into payment instruments including cards, credit transfers, cash, and direct debits. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.

li> E-commerce market analysis. Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing Denmark's cards and payments industry.

Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit and credit cards.



Scope Danes are increasingly opting for electronic payment solutions instead of cash. According to a payment behavior survey conducted by Danmarks Nationalbank in the second half of 2019, the share of Danes not carrying cash for payments increased from 16% in 2017 to 34% in 2019. Most of this shift is being driven by individuals aged 15-29. Yet electronic payments are also being embraced by senior citizens aged 70-79. As per the same survey, senior citizens have displayed a change in in-store payment behavior, with the share of cash among total payments decreasing from 40% in 2017 to 22% in 2019 for these individuals. Electronic payments in Denmark are supported by increasing use of mobile wallets including MobilePay, Apple (News - Alert) Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal as well as the Dankort app.

The growing e-commerce market is encouraging companies to launch online shops in Denmark. In March 2020, online marketplace Hverdag.dk launched in the country. The marketplace enables grocery, cosmetics, book, and toy retailers to sell their products online to customers. Similarly, in March 2020 grocery chain Salling Group established an online food and grocery delivery platform. The platform - which is expected to commence operations in early 2021 - will enable home delivery of food from its supermarket chain fotex.

Contactless cards were introduced in Denmark in August 2015. Today major banks including Danske Bank, Jyske Bank, Arbejdernes Landsbank, SEB, Sydbank, and Nykredit all offer contactless cards. The onset of COVID-19 has further accelerated the use of contactless cards. According to leading merchant acquirer Nets, contactless payment usage is high in Denmark in comparison to other Nordic countries. As per Nets data, 86% of all card payments made in-store in the country were contactless during the last week of October 2020, in comparison to 77% for Norway and 70% for Finland. Key Topics Covered:

Payment Instruments

Card-based Payments

Merchant Acquiring

Ecommerce Payments

Buy Now Pay Later

Mobile Proximity Payments

P2P Payments

Bill Payments

Alternative Payments

Job Analysis

Payment Innovations

Payment Infrastructure & Regulation

Appendix Companies Mentioned Arbejdernes Landsbank

Danmarks Nationalbank

Danske Bank

Jyske Bank

Nordea

Sydbank

Mastercard

Visa

MobilePay

PayPal (News - Alert)

Apple Pay

Google Pay For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/87l1kc View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005547/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Holland Casino Selects IDEMIA'S SAFE Online Gaming Vault to Support the Certification and Launch of Its New Online Gaming Website

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, has been selected by Holland Casino, a Dutch state-owned company with fourteen casinos located throughout the country, to deliver its Online Gaming Vault to help with the launch their new online gaming site. IDEMIA's turnkey solution will enable Holland Casino to comply with the recently-published CDB specifications by the Kansspelautoriteit (the Netherlands Gambling Authority) and will ensure constant compliance with evolving regulatory changes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005549/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) IDEMIA's innovative platform improves data traceability and secure data storage across its operations in compliance with the country's specific regulations. The system ensures data integrity, timestamping and proof of origin, thereby ensuring data remains legallyvalid over time. The Vault also enables regulators to view data in their country at all times pursuant to specific country regulations. This state-of-the-art system gives lottery operators considerable flexibility can be rapidly installed and costs little to run.



IDEMIA's Online Gaming Vault continuously ensures ongoing monitoring of regulatory changes to easily and immediately address new requirements over time. "We are very excited to team up with Holland Casino and support them with our online platform," says Armand Lecorche, European Sales Director for IDEMIA's Digital Business Unit. "Our solution will ensure that Holland Casino remains in full compliance of evolving regulations, and protect their long-standing reputation as a responsible gaming company."

"Holland Casino offers its guests the enjoyment of safe and responsible gaming and an exceptional experience," says Pieter Boers, Director Gaming and Services, at Holland Casino. "Thanks to IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, we are able to do this together, without making concessions of being compliant with evolving regulatory changes. This combination defines who we are: committed, reliable, surprising and friendly." About IDEMIA IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets - our identity - whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries. About IDEMIA's Online Gaming Vault IDEMIA's Online Gaming Vault is compliant with the requirements in France, Denmark, Spain, Germany (Schleswig-Holstein), Bulgaria, Romania, Portugal, Colombia, Switzerland, Greece, Netherlands, and Argentina (LOTBA regulation). The solution is trusted by 90+ online gaming operators. For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IDEMIAGroup on Twitter (News - Alert) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005549/en/

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[June 22, 2021] SCAN Health Plan Recognized by Great Place to Work on Certification Nation Day, a National Celebration of Outstanding Workplaces

SCAN Health Plan, one of the nation's largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, is proud to announce that it has been certified a Great Place to Work, the most definitive "employer-of-choice" recognition that companies aspire to achieve. SCAN was recognized after a survey of its employees revealed it to be a high-trust workplace where employees say they feel good about contributing to the organization's mission to keep seniors healthy and independent. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005350/en/ "At SCAN, we're proud to be a mission-driven organization that is defined by a culture of excellence," said Dr. Sachin Jain, president and CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan. "Our Great Place to Work Certification reflects our team members' commitment to their work and the passion they bring every day to improving the lives of seniors in the communities we serve." Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying outstanding employee experiences. SCAN's Great Place to Work Certification comes after a recent survey of the organization's more than 1,300 employees revealed: 89% of employees say it is a great place to work, compared to 59% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company.

94% of employees say, "I feel good about the ways we contribute to the community."

93% of employees say, "I'm proud to tell others I work here."

92% of employees say, "Our facilities contribute to a good working environment."

92% of employees say, "When you join the company, you are made to feel welcome."

91% of employees say, "Our customers would rate the service we deliver as 'excellent.'" In addition, when employees were asked what makes SCAN Health Plan a great workplace, they frequently used words like "home," "community" and "culture" in their responses. "Great Place to Work Certification validates what we've long known about SCAN, and that's that our team members succeed because they work in a supportive environment where they can make a difference in the lives of the seniors we serve," said Lindsay Crawley-Herbert, chief people officer at SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan. According to Great Place to Work research, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at Certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and are twice as likely to be paid fairly and have a fair chance at promotion.



"As SCAN diversifies and expands its services into new territories, we're certain the qualities that make us a Great Place to Work will be the basis of our success," said Crawley-Herbert. She noted that people interested in contributing to SCAN's mission should visit and bookmark the organization's Careers Page.

About SCAN Group SCAN Group is a mission-driven organization that is tackling some of the biggest issues in healthcare for older adults. The core of SCAN Group is SCAN Health Plan, one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, serving more than 220,000 members in California. Independence at Home, a SCAN community service, provides vitally needed services and support to seniors and their caregivers regardless of plan membership. SCAN Group also invests in new companies to support healthier aging, offers education programs, community funding, volunteer opportunities, and other community services in support of its mission-keeping seniors healthy and independent. To learn more, visit scanhealthplan.com or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @scanhealthplan and LinkedIn. About Great Place to Work Certification Great Place to Work Certification is the most definitive "employer-of-choice" recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience - specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified. About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005350/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Robocorp Closes $21M Series A Investment Round and Launches Robocorp Control Room, a Self-Managed Bot Automation Platform

Robocorp, the open-source process automation platform, has closed a $21M Series A investment round led by Canvas Ventures with participation from Benchmark, Uncorrelated Ventures, Slow Ventures, Firstminute Capital, Harpoon Ventures, Artisanal Ventures, Haystack Ventures and a host of angels in the intelligent automation and open source space. Additionally, Robocorp is releasing Robocorp Control Room, a self-managed automation orchestration platform for solutions integrators, robots-as-service providers, and enterprises that want to power automations at scale with governance and control. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005317/en/ Robocorp Control Room Dashboard (Photo: Business Wire) Businesses are looking to automate manual tasks and tedious processes for business functions that include HR, IT, finance, data management, customer communications, and IT operations. In fact, 50% of CIOs will be accelerating robotization and automation by 2024 according to IDC (News - Alert) . Robocorp is transforming the future of work by enabling businesses to automate processes at scale with a suite of free and open-source tools for building robots and a cloud-native orchestration platform for deploying, orchestrating, and managing them. Robocorp's modern technology stack has been adopted by over 5,000 developers and is built on Robot Framework and Python, of which there are millions of developers around the world. It supports robotic process automation (RPA), digital process automation (DPA) and intelligent automation in a single platform that is developer friendly, flexible to use, and free from vendor lock-in. It is the only automation solution to offer a cost-effective, consumption-based pricing model for businesses of any size. Robocorp Control Room: Self-Managed Automation Orchestration & Deployment In October 2020 Robocorp launched Robocorp Cloud, its multi-tenant, cloud-hosted orchestration platform for managing RPA, DPA, and process automation in a single pane of glass. In its first 6 months Robocorp Cloud has been adopted by 1,000+ organizations, with hundreds of thousands of bot processes deployed. Today, Robocorp is renaming its orchestration platform to Robocorp Control Room, which now offers two deployment options-Robocorp Cloud, and the new Self-Managed (private cloud or on-premises) Control Room for ISVs, Robot-as-a-Service partners, and enterprises in need of enhanced data residency, governance and compliance. The self-managed Robocorp Control Room features: Advanced access control & SSO, custom data residency & compliance

User management system integrations such as Active Directory, OKTA, and Auth0

Supports cloud-native and Kubernetes environments

Unlimited data storage

Option to use your own database or robot container clusters

Ability to host Control Room on-premises or in your private cloud

Customized Infrastructure options for Robot container clusters; logging, analytics & BI tool integrations; and the ability to integrate your own analytics systems

Annual licensing agreement

Premium support & SLA Expanding Global Reach and New Markets with the Robcorp Partner Program



Robocorp has a fast-growing global ecosystem of more than 60 technology partners, solutions integrators, and resellers across 15 countries on four continents. With the self-managed Control Room deployment option now available, Robocorp partners can now offer their customers the option for a custom deployment to address specific security and data privacy requirements for the automation of mission critical, data-sensitive use cases in healthcare, finance, government, and more. Robocorp gives its partners access to a sustainable, cloud-native innovation stack with an extensive community behind it, including over 7M Python developers, and hundreds of thousands of Robot Framework users. Robocorp Partners gain access to resources that include co-branded marketing materials and events, training materials, lead distribution, ongoing product improvements for partners, and ongoing onboarding support. If you're interested in joining Robocorp's growing partner program, please sign up here.

Quotes Grace Isford, Canvas Ventures Partner and Robocorp Board member "Robocorp offers the most cost-effective, most flexible automation platform whose technological prowess rivals that of massive RPA incumbents. I'm very excited to partner with Antti and team and continue to bolster Robocorp's robust partner ecosystem and open-source community to democratize complex automation technologies and accelerate a fast-growing automation landscape." Antti Karjalainen, Robocorp CEO "We have seen incredible growth in our developer community and partner ecosystem over the past year, and today we're excited to bring Robocorp to even more markets and mission critical use-cases. It's been our goal to make Robocorp the most widely available, flexible, and powerful way to build and deploy bots. We're grateful for the vote of confidence by our investors that will help us lead this fast growing industry." Alex Zekoff, Thoughtful Automation CEO "We found Robocorp while looking for a low-maintenance RPA cloud alternative to the typical closed-source RPA software vendors that would allow us to control development at the code level. We can now scale horizontally from 1 to hundreds of bots without additional overhead and technical debt. Robocorp has helped reduce our operational overhead by 90% and improve robot run times by 60%. With a self-hosted deployment option, we are also able to serve even more customers and develop critical automation use cases." Additional Resources Robocorp Control Room [website]

Robocorp Closes $21 Million Series A [blog]

Robocorp [github]

Robocorp Careers [website] About Robocorp Robocorp empowers businesses and teams to work smarter by shattering previous boundaries of RPA and intelligent automation. It makes it easy, affordable and fast for developers to build software robots and automate manual tasks with first-class, open-source process automation tools. It also provides a robust, secure orchestration and execution platform to allow customers to run both cloud-based and self-managed robotic automations. Robocorp is backed by Artisanal Ventures, Benchmark, Canvas Ventures, FirstMinute Capital, Harpoon Ventures, Slow Ventures, Uncorrelated Ventures, and angels. It is based in the U.S. with primary offices in Finland. Learn more at https://robocorp.com/. About Canvas Ventures Canvas Ventures is a boutique firm for visionary builders. Leading Series A investments in transformative companies, Canvas follows a thesis-driven approach to investing, scouting, and securing fields ripe for disruption, including: fintech, digital health, marketplaces, and logistics. Canvas Ventures' investing partners are Rebecca Lynn, Paul Hsiao, Mike Ghaffary, and Gary Little. Founded in 2013 and based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Canvas Ventures and its partners have been named to Forbes Magazine's Midas List several times over. Visit www.canvas.vc to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005317/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Guidehouse Insights Forecasts Significant Light Duty Plug-In EVs and Charging Infrastructure Growth by 2030 with Revenue Expected to Exceed $1 Trillion Annually

A new report from Guidehouse Insights examines sales of light duty (LD) EV technologies, including battery EVs (BEVs), plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs), and supporting charging infrastructure, with global market forecasts that extend through 2030. Since 2008, LD plug-in EVs (PEVs) have continually become more affordable while offering higher performance. Much of this has been driven by battery technology innovations with much cheaper and more reliable batteries than when the first modern PEVs were introduced. According to a new report from Guidehouse Insights, the PEV and charging infrastructure market is likely to grow significantly by 2030, with revenue expected to exceed $1 trillion annually. "PEVs have improved in cost and performance, and this has catapulted the technology from an adaptation of existing automaker model lines and ventures of daring startups to the future standard," says Scott Shepard, principal research analyst with Guidehouse Insights. "More automakers are likely to join as governments worldwide ramp up regulations to encourage the industry's continued progress toward zero emissions." While the primary market driver is supportive government policies tied to environmental concerns, the PEV market is still not a mature one. Universal market challenges include costs, range, and charging speed. Significant potential still exists for major disruption, for example, in the reemergence of battery swapping. The approach has been gaining traction in micromobility markets in India and Southeast Asia and in light and heavy duty vehicle markets in China. The report, Market Data: Light Duty EVs, provides an outlook on sales of light duty EV technologies, including BEVs, PHEVs, and supporting charging infrastructure. It includes segmentations of the vehicle market by passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles, and by charging infrastructure for private charging, destination charging, and fast charging services. Forecasts extend to 2030 and historic data on sales of all technologies is provided back to 2015 for all major regional markets including North America, Europe, China, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Asia Pacific, India, Rest of Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. An executive summary of the report is available for free download on the Guidehouse Insights website.



About Guidehouse Insights Guidehouse Insights, the dedicated market intelligence arm of Guidehouse, provides research, data, and benchmarking services for today's rapidly changing and highly regulated industries. Our insights are built on in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The team's research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research, and demand assessment, paired with a deep examination of technology trends, to provide a comprehensive view of emerging resilient infrastructure systems. Additional information about Guidehouse Insights can be found at www.guidehouseinsights.com.

About Guidehouse Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public and commercial markets with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. We help clients address their toughest challenges and navigate significant regulatory pressures with a focus on transformational change, business resiliency, and technology-driven innovation. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and digital services, we create scalable, innovative solutions that prepare our clients for future growth and success. The company has more than 10,000 professionals in over 50 locations globally. Guidehouse is a Veritas Capital portfolio company, led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets, and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit: www.guidehouse.com. * The information contained in this press release concerning the report, Market Data: Light Duty EVs, is a summary and reflects the current expectations of Guidehouse Insights based on market data and trend analysis. Market predictions and expectations are inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release or the report. Please refer to the full report for a complete understanding of the assumptions underlying the report's conclusions and the methodologies used to create the report. Neither Guidehouse Insights nor Guidehouse undertakes any obligation to update any of the information contained in this press release or the report. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005037/en/

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[June 22, 2021] BlueVoyant Report Reveals Cybersecurity Weaknesses within Defense Industrial Base Supply Chain

NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueVoyant, a cybersecurity services company, today released the findings from its Defense Industry Supply Chain & Security 2021 report, which highlights critical vulnerabilities within the defense supply chain ecosystem. The report includes evidence of the exploitable cyber weaknesses of small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and demonstrates how cybercriminals are becoming increasingly adept at locating and exploiting the weakest link within the supply chain. As part of its assessment of the scale of the problem for SMB defense companies, BlueVoyant examined the security of 300 subcontractor firms within the DIB using its third-party datasets and proprietary research. BlueVoyant identified the cybersecurity gaps in the subcontractors' security practices to garner a better understanding of the security posture of less visible members of the complex defense supply chain. Key report findings include: Over half of the 300 SMB defense contractors had critical vulnerabilities to ransomware[2].

More than a quarter (28%) of companies analyzed showed evidence indicating they would fail to meet the most basic, tier-1 CMMC requirement.

Manufacturing and R&D companies had the highest risk profiles when assessing email security, IT hygiene, malicious activity and vulnerabilities. Industry type was a stronger predictor of risk than company size alone.

48% of the companies showed severe vulnerabilities such as unsecured ports vulnerable to breach or exploitation, unsecured data storage and ports, and unsupported software.

Almost one-tenth of the companies analyzed showed critical vulnerabilities, evidence of targeted threat activity, and evidence of compromise.

100% of the large R&D companies assessed displayed network vulnerabilities, with 66% of these companies also showing evidence of targeting.

More than six months after the F5 and Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities were announced, nine companies still had the vulnerabilities on their networks. In the U.S., securing the DIB is one of the most critical national security objectives and policymakers are acutely aware of the high stakes with cyberattacks. Businesses within this sector form the backbone of the U.S. defense industry and are high-value targets for nation state adversaries and other cybercriminals. Although defense contractors face the same opportunistic threats as any business, the DIB's biggest problem is the complexity of securing such an enormous ecosystem, spanning thousands of companies. The introduction of new U.S. government regulations and compliance standards, such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), ar set to improve the baseline of cybersecurity requirements. Yet, despite the discipline reflected in the new regulations, many challenges remain for smaller firms, which do not have the resources and budgets to deal with increasing, targeted cyberattacks.



Through its analysis, BlueVoyant identified addressable concerns for DIB companies with low organizational cybersecurity capabilities and provided key recommendations for improving the defense industry's overall security efforts. Key insights can help Department of Defense (DoD) and defense prime contractors focus their attention and can be used to support and extend recommendations that are present in the 2017 DSB Task Force report and in the 2020 Cyberspace Solarium Commission Report and include: Continuous cybersecurity monitoring is a key component of a secure supply chain.

Prime contractors can reduce their risk exposure by focusing on the most high-risk segments of their supply chain. Findings align with prior reports that R&D companies are particularly vulnerable targets for malicious insertion in the supply chain and focusing on them can reduce risk to all segments.

Predictive analysis is possible based on quantitative measures and can provide the DoD and prime contractors with findings to help them identify and more effectively manage risk. However, more research with a larger sample size and wider variables is needed to truly measure the risk of an industry with this scale. Commenting on the research, Austin Berglas, Global Head of Professional Services, BlueVoyant, said: "As prime contractors and other larger DIB members develop more robust and sophisticated security defenses, it's no surprise threat actors have pivoted towards targeting SMBs within the same supply chain. In particular, manufacturers and R&D companies are lagging in terms of their own cyber posture, leaving the entire defense industry wide open to the threat of ransomware and other third-party attacks.

"For an industry with such an expansive, interconnected digital ecosystem, supply chain security should be a fundamental consideration. Prime contractors are under enormous pressure to reduce the attack surface of the entire supply chain but are partly blind to the vulnerabilities that exist. For smaller companies, identifying ongoing risks and understanding overall supply chain health is a daunting but vital process, and more attention and resources should be dedicated to combating the growing threat." Jim Rosenthal, founder and CEO, BlueVoyant, concluded: "The U.S. defense supply chain is a vital national security asset, but the DIB is currently in an inefficiently secure state. In the face of relentless and successful cyber espionage, the nation's primary focus should be on creating a secure and resilient supply chain. The two Executive Orders: one on American Supply Chains, and the other on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity, direct much-needed attention and funding to cybersecurity in the defense supply chain, but they are only the start. Closer co-operation between the DoD and the private sector is required to support a more vibrant, diverse and secure defense sector." For more insights from BlueVoyant's Defense Industry Supply Chain & Security 2021 report, click here. About BlueVoyant At BlueVoyant, we recognize that effective cybersecurity requires active prevention and defense across both your organization and supply chain. Our proprietary data, analytics and technology, coupled with deep expertise, works as a force multiplier to secure your full ecosystem. Accuracy. Actionability. Timeliness. Scalability. Founded in 2017 by former Fortune 500 and former government cyber officials, BlueVoyant is headquartered in New York City and has offices in Maryland, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Manila, Toronto, London, Latin America and Budapest. Visit www.bluevoyant.com. BlueVoyant Press Contacts: Danielle Ostrovsky

C8 Consulting (Americas)

T: +1-410-302-9459

E: danielle@c8consulting.co.uk Jim Pople

C8 Consulting (EMEA)

T: +44(0)7955-030191

E: jim@c8consulting.co.uk [1] https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/current-activity/2021/05/19/update-cisa-fbi-joint-cybersecurity-advisory-darkside-ransomware [2] https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/current-activity/2021/05/19/update-cisa-fbi-joint-cybersecurity-advisory-darkside-ransomware View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bluevoyant-report-reveals-cybersecurity-weaknesses-within-defense-industrial-base-supply-chain-301316453.html SOURCE BlueVoyant

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[June 22, 2021] NightDragon Launches New Program to Scale Portfolio Company Growth in Government Markets

SAN FRANCISCO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NightDragon, a dedicated cybersecurity, safety, security and privacy investment firm, today announced the launch of ND Government Services, a new business unit to support the expansion of its portfolio companies into critical government markets. As part of this initiative, NightDragon has named experienced government affairs executive Katherine Gronberg as Head of Government Services. "Our portfolio companies offer many innovative solutions that can deliver next-generation security capabilities for federal, state, local and international governments. NightDragon is proud to drive increased collaboration between our companies and government decision-makers to jointly achieve the mission of protecting critical networks from today's most serious cybersecurity threats," said Dave DeWalt, Founder and Managing Director, NightDragon. ND Government Services brings together decades of leadership and executive experience to help NightDragon's portfolio companies successfully grow their government businesses. The team has a unique familiarity with and experience navigating federal, state, local and international markets and will provide advisory support on navigating government procurement cycles, building government sales and channel strategies, meeting regulation and compliance standards, obtaining certifications such as FedRAMP and building strategic relationships with key government decision-makers. Gronberg will drive the formalization and expansion of these offerings under ND Government Services alongside exsting NightDragon advisors and partners, which include former National Security Agency Director Admiral Michael Rogers; government IT solutions provider Carahsoft; law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, former Commander of the U.K. Joint Forces Command Chris Deverell and former Commander of the Israel Defense Force's Technology & Intelligence Unit 8200 Nadav Zafrir.



Gronberg joins NightDragon after serving as Vice President of Government Affairs for leading cybersecurity companies CrowdStrike and Forescout Technologies. She has a proven track record of fostering stronger collaboration between company and government stakeholders, driving increased company sales and enabling program success. She has also run her own government relations consulting firm, taught as a professor at Georgetown University's prestigious Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and served as Subcommittee Staff Director on the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. "Ensuring that government agencies have access to cutting-edge security technologies is a mission that has resonated with me throughout my career. I am thrilled to continue to serve this mission at NightDragon as part of the best security-focused investment team in the world," said Katherine Gronberg, Head of Government Services, NightDragon.

"Katherine has a proven track record of working with government officials to evolve thinking on cybersecurity and help them design and implement effective programs. I can think of no better person to lead these efforts at NightDragon and help us bridge the gap between innovators in the startup community and government decision-makers," DeWalt said. To read more about NightDragon's perspective on why government affairs is a critical investment, read our blog. About NightDragon

NightDragon is an investment and advisory firm focused on growth and late-stage investments within the cybersecurity, safety, security and privacy industries. Its platform and vast industry network provide unparalleled threat insights, deal flow, market leverage and operating expertise to drive portfolio company growth and increase shareholder value. The NightDragon team has more than 25 years of operational and market expertise and was founded by Dave DeWalt and Ken Gonzalez, who served as senior executives leading technology companies such as Documentum, EMC, Siebel Systems (Oracle), McAfee, Mandiant, Avast and FireEye. CONTACT: Sarah Kuranda, sarah@nightdragon.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nightdragon-launches-new-program-to-scale-portfolio-company-growth-in-government-markets-301316954.html SOURCE NightDragon

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[June 22, 2021] Transmit Security Raises $543 Million in Series A Funding to Rid the World of Passwords

Transmit Security, the Identity Experience company, today announced it has raised $543 million in Series A funding, bringing the company's pre-money valuation to $2.2 billion, and marking the largest Series A funding round in cybersecurity history and one of the highest valuations for a bootstrapped company. The funding round was led by Insight Partners and General Atlantic, with additional investment from Cyberstarts, Geodesic (News - Alert) , SYN Ventures, Vintage, and Artisanal Ventures. Transmit Security will use the funding to increase the company's reach and expand its primary business functions, investing in key global areas in order to grow the organization, ultimately enabling the company to accelerate its mission to help the world go passwordless. Organizations lose millions of dollars annually and place themselves and their customers at high risk due to password-based authentication that is inherently unsafe, delivers poor user experience, leaves customers unsatisfied and places brands at risk of jeopardizing their reputations. Research shows 55% of consumers stop using a website because the login process is too complex, while 87.5% find themselves locked out of an online account after too many failed login attempts. Even worse, 92% of consumers will completely abandon a website without completing a purchase instead of going through the steps to recover or reset login credentials. Outdated and ineffective password-based systems are costing businesses revenue, and Forrester (News - Alert) reports the average help desk labor cost to reset a single password is more than $70. In addition to delivering poor user experiences and costing brands millions of dollars in revenue, password breaches pose a major threat to data security. Weak passwords account for more than 80% of all data breaches and are the result of the majority of all account takeovers. Using biometric authentication, Transmit Security provides the first natively passwordless identity and risk management solution to the largest brands in the world. Transmit Security's mission is to enable organizations to deliver advanced identity use cases that improve the user experience, enhance security, and satisfy compliance requirements at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional identity solutions. "Passwordless authentication is so much more than ensuring customers can easily and seamlessly access their information, their accounts and make purchases - it's about revolutionizing the way companies interact with their customers. By eliminating passwords, businesses can immediately reduce churn and cart abandonment and provide superior security for personal data," said Transmit Security CEO and Co-Founder Mickey Boodaei. "Our customers, whether they are in the retail, banking, financial, telecommunications or automotive sectors, understand that providing an optimized identity experience is a multimillion dollar challenge. With this latest round of funding from premier partners, we can significantly expand ou reach to help rid the world of passwords."



"Every time I see a login button on a website, I get anxious. Whenever an app texts me a code that I have to enter, I become frustrated with the process. We've all learned to suffer and accept the terrible user experience and poor security that comes with passwords just because that's the way it has always worked in the past," said Rakesh Loonkar, President and Co-Founder, Transmit Security. "Transmit Security is offering application owners a new reality: The ability to go passwordless no matter the size of their organization or number of users. The fact that we have raised a record amount of funding is a clear indication that the world is ready to eliminate passwords and embrace biometric authentication technology so that they can deliver enhanced user experiences combined with significantly heightened levels of security." "We have been watching the growth of Transmit Security for some time, and are deeply impressed by the leadership and passion Mickey and Rakesh have demonstrated as they take identity management to a new level. Their groundbreaking technology, entrepreneurial spirit and deep expertise is precisely what this industry needs at this moment," said Matt Gatto, Managing Director at Insight Partners. "We are thrilled to welcome the Transmit Security team to the Insight family as we focus our investments on creating a passwordless world."

Paul Stamas, Global Co-Head of Financial Services and Managing Director at General Atlantic, continued, "Mickey and Rakesh's clear vision for transforming the identity experience and their focus on product innovation have made Transmit an emerging leader in identity management. Transmit has successfully delivered elegant and effective solutions, with differentiated identity orchestration and passwordless authentication, to some of the largest companies in the world. We are thrilled to be partnering with the talented Transmit team and look forward to assisting them in unlocking the further potential of the business." Mr. Boodaei and Mr. Loonkar have an in-depth understanding of the complexities and challenges surrounding the identity management space, and they are focused on simplifying authentication journeys for enterprise organizations across industries. In 2002, Mr. Boodaei helped build and was the co-founder of Imperva, a cybersecurity platform which went public in 2011. In 2006, Mr. Boodaei joined forces with Mr. Loonkar to found Trusteer, a fraud protection software platform. Seven years after its inception, Trusteer was sold to IBM (News - Alert) in one of the largest security acquisitions the company has completed. The Series A funding round caps off a year of phenomenal growth and key milestones for Transmit Security. In the last 12 months the company: Introduced BindID, the industry's first customer authentication service that is completely password-free. BindID requires no customer software or dedicated hardware and can be used across any channel or device. Customers can authenticate and access their accounts using the embedded fingerprint or face scanner in their devices, or use their mobile device to securely and easily authenticate to other devices and channels that don't have an embedded biometric reader.

Joined the board of the FIDO Alliance.

Added to its executive suite with the addition of a new Chief Information Security Officer, a new Chief Marketing Officer and a VP of Product.

Was named to Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 (ranked #5), Boston Business Journal Fast 50 (ranked #4), and named one of the most promising technology companies in Israel by CTech/CALCALIST (ranked #2). About Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight Partners has invested in more than 400 companies worldwide and has raised through a series of funds more than $30 billion in capital commitments. Insight's mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Across its people and its portfolio, Insight encourages a culture around a belief that ScaleUp companies and growth create opportunities for all. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @insightpartners. About General Atlantic General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. Established in 1980, General Atlantic combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to build market-leading businesses worldwide. General Atlantic has more than 175 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Greenwich, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto (News - Alert) , Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com. About Transmit Security Transmit Security is on a mission to transform the identity experience market by ushering in a new era of passwordless authentication. From onboarding to authentication to smart authorization for both customers and workforce across every channel, our technology reduces all forms of identity attrition and saves enterprises substantial costs. Around the world, large enterprises are standardizing on Transmit Security to introduce innovative digital identity journeys. Customers include six of the seven largest financial institutions in the U.S, two of the largest merchants in the U.S., and many financial organizations, merchants and online service providers in Europe, Asia and Latin America. For more information, please visit www.transmitsecurity.com. Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/transmit-security and Twitter @TransmitSec. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005404/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Avalara Enables Global Sellers to Manage Treaty and Trade Restrictions for Cross-Border Commerce

Avalara, Inc. (NYSE: AVLR), a leading provider of cloud-based tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, today announced new capabilities being added to its cross-border solution: Trade Treaty Support and Trade Restrictions Management. These new features enable businesses to take advantage of preferred treaty rates in their landed cost calculations and to avoid selling items to countries where there are restrictions with customs regulations. "As more commerce takes place online, ecommerce is enabling sellers of any size to reach customers internationally," said Kevin Permenter, research manager, IDC (News - Alert) . "When it comes to cross-border commerce, tools that enable retailers to easily account for applicable treaties and trade restrictions can save money and minimize shipping disruptions." Cross-Border Trade Treaty Support Trade treaties are formal agreements between two or more countries that make it easier to trade between each other by reducing tariffs, quotas, and other trade restrictions. For businesses, assembling and maintaining content related to treaties spanning multiple international jurisdictions is time-consuming and resource-intensive. Avalara has extended its tax content coverage to include trade treaty tariff rates from around the world, which provides businesses selling across borders access to lower duty rates negotiated between nations as preferred rates. This enables cross-border retailers to: Improve efficiency of maintaining preferential and punitive treaties . Reduce time and resources spent assembling and maintaining preferential and punitive treaties across multiple internatinal jurisdictions.

. Reduce time and resources spent assembling and maintaining preferential and punitive treaties across multiple internatinal jurisdictions. Reduce costs and improve customer experience. Apply existing treaties to transactions to provide lower duty and/or tax rates for customers and help reduce customer churn with improved pricing.

Apply existing treaties to transactions to provide lower duty and/or tax rates for customers and help reduce customer churn with improved pricing. Access treaty information across regions. Cross-Border Trade Treaty Support is currently available for Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as well as for countries in the European Union and United Kingdom.

Cross-Border Trade Treaty Support is currently available for Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as well as for countries in the European Union and United Kingdom. Apply treaties to AvaTax Cross-Border transactions. Cross-Border Trade Treaty Support is available as a feature of Avalara AvaTax Cross-Border.



Trade Restrictions Management Trade Restrictions Management helps international sellers know what government restrictions are in place when selling goods across borders. This enables cross-border retailers to:

Drive efficiencies. Focus their efforts in countries where products don't have trade complexity concerns allowing them to streamline Harmonized System (HS) code classification, language translation, and calculation of duties and taxes.

Focus their efforts in countries where products don't have trade complexity concerns allowing them to streamline Harmonized System (HS) code classification, language translation, and calculation of duties and taxes. Avoid additional costs. Advanced knowledge of soft restrictions can help avoid added costs related to orders restricted at the border such as clearing complex products, securing licenses, and reversing shipping charges for uncleared goods.

Advanced knowledge of soft restrictions can help avoid added costs related to orders restricted at the border such as clearing complex products, securing licenses, and reversing shipping charges for uncleared goods. Enhance customer experience. Prevent shipments from being delayed at customs by understanding hard and soft restrictions prior to the transaction to deliver a seamless purchasing experience.

Prevent shipments from being delayed at customs by understanding hard and soft restrictions prior to the transaction to deliver a seamless purchasing experience. Access trade restriction information across regions. Trade Restrictions Management currently supports Canada, China, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Additional trade corridors are actively being added.

Trade Restrictions Management currently supports Canada, China, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Additional trade corridors are actively being added. Incorporate trade restrictions into your cross-border portfolio. Businesses can use Trade Restrictions Management as a standalone solution with or without HS codes. "Cross-border commerce will continue to be a critical growth area for businesses to reach new customers and to stay competitive, but it comes with its own share of compliance complexity," said Sanjay Parthasarathy, chief product officer at Avalara. "Our cross-border trade treaty and restrictions capabilities provide global businesses with a competitive edge by equipping them with the insights needed to deliver a superior customer experience, improve efficiencies, and avoid shipment delays." For additional information on Avalara's cross-border solution, please click here. About Avalara Avalara helps businesses of all sizes get tax compliance right. In partnership with leading ERP, accounting, ecommerce, and other financial management system providers, Avalara delivers cloud-based compliance solutions for various transaction taxes, including sales and use, VAT, GST (News - Alert) , excise, communications, lodging, and other indirect tax types. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the U.S. and around the world in Brazil, Europe, and India. More information at avalara.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005165/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Finnair Executive and Alation Customer Named to Prestigious 2022 Constellation Research Business Transformation 150

Alation, the leader in enterprise data intelligence, today announced Nina Marila, Head of Data Science at Finnair, was recognized by Constellation Research on its 2022 Business Transformation 150, an elite list of executives leading business transformation efforts around the globe. Digital leaders have been greatly challenged this year by a perfect storm of disruptions due to COVID-19, generational shifts in the workforce, a hypercompetitive new customer experience landscape, and the relentless march of exponential digital change, among other factors. The BT150 nomination process took these influences to heart this year to ensure the list genuinely reflects today's world and leading trends. A believer that data science and AI are at the forefront of the most meaningful changes happening in the world, Nina combines her expertise in data science, design thinking, and business to create business value for the airline through data science methodologies. Nina is being recognized for spearheading Finnair's AI program, which was established to support operations to run efficiently, drive the best customer experience in different, changing situations, and help operations adjust in the ever-changing COVID-19 era. Over the past year, by using Alation, cross-functional teams have been able to share information about their data and models to support the airline's Operations Control Center. With Alation, Finnair has full access and visibility into data - from flight, financial, and customer, to third-party weather, and runway capacity data - and teams build models that provide recommendations in different situations while taking network effects into consideration. For example, if a flight is delayed, it means the aircraft can be late for the next flight, and crew could be delayed for their next flight, gate availability shifts, and of course, passenger experience is impacted. "This is a collective honor for myself and the entire team at Finnair, validating the importance of having high-level visibility into our data," Marila said. "By utiizing data in a new way to create intelligent recommendations, we are supporting data-driven decision making in a variety of situations. By partnering with Alation and existing platforms, Finnair is able to document and share the logic of models, which creates trust in the accuracy of recommendations. Now we can build models that provide recommendations and consider all network effects to ensure our customers have the best experience possible."



"We are proud to work with Nina and help Finnair build a data culture that empowers their teams to make data-driven business decisions," said Satyen Sangani, CEO and co-founder, Alation. "Hundreds of leading organizations such as Exelon, Fifth Third Bank, and Vattenfall rely on Alation to unleash the potential of their data, improve operations, and drive positive customer experiences." Recognition as a BT150 winner has emerged as a differentiator in recruiting as forward-thinking organizations recognize that BT150 winners are some of the most sought after and battle-tested executives in the market," proclaimed R "Ray" Wang, founder and CEO at Constellation Research. "The pandemic created tremendous opportunities for technology and business leaders to kick off and turbocharge their transformation projects. Many of this year's BT150 winners have created new business models, launched new offerings, and found their way into the C-suite."

"In curating the next generation of Business Transformation 150 executives from our network, we emphasized those who are successfully navigating the historic challenges of the last year, while still effectively guiding their organizations to transform and evolve," said Constellation. Research's VP and Principal Analyst, Dion Hinchcliffe. "I am excited to help them tell their stories to the world over the next year as we share from these leading lights in the digital world the many innovative ways they lifted their organizations up and propelled them into the future. I'm very proud of this year's highly diverse group of BT150 inductees." Nominations from peers, industry influencers, technology vendors, and analysts powered the six-month selection process. Each executive on the list demonstrates an understanding of how the business environment is transforming in response to digital and exponential technologies, and these leaders are actively preparing their companies to excel during and after the transformation. The full listing can be found here: https://www.constellationr.com/business-transformation-150-2021-2022 About Alation Alation is the leader in enterprise data intelligence solutions including data search & discovery, data governance, data stewardship, analytics, and digital transformation. Alation's initial offering dominates the data catalog market. Thanks to its powerful Behavioral Analysis Engine, inbuilt collaboration capabilities, and open interfaces, Alation combines machine learning with human insight to successfully tackle even the most demanding challenges in data and metadata management. More than 250 enterprises drive data culture, improve decision making, and realize business outcomes with Alation, including AbbVie, American Family Insurance, Cisco (News - Alert) , Exelon, Finnair, Munich Re, New Balance, Pfizer, Scandinavian Airlines, and US Foods. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Alation was named to Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces list, and is backed by leading venture capitalists including Costanoa, Data Collective, Icon, Sapphire Ventures and Salesforce Ventures. For more information, visit alation.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005197/en/

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[June 22, 2021] The MolinaCares Accord Increases COVID-19 Vaccine Access in Mississippi

The MolinaCares Accord ("MolinaCares"), in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Mississippi ("Molina"), is partnering with local universities' nursing programs, faith-based organizations, and providers to increase the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations. MolinaCares and its partners will host drive-thru immunization events throughout the summer, which will be open to Molina members and other members of the community. "We are pleased to join forces with our partners in this effort to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine, particularly among underserved populations," said Bridget Galatas, plan president of Molina Healthcare of Mississippi. "MolinaCares is committed to serving all Mississippians, not just mmbers. Reducing health disparities and safeguarding our communities' well-being are top priorities."



This collaborative initiative will kick off with two vaccine events on Saturday, June 26. Mt. Beulah Baptist Church 310 Church Ave., Indianola, MS 38751 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Triumph Church of Gulfport 12100 Hwy 49 N. Ste. 320, Gulfport, MS 39503 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

"Partnerships with organizations like MolinaCares and Molina Healthcare are essential to addressing the health and safety needs of our community," said Senator Lydia Chassaniol. "Getting vaccinated is the best way for us to get back to normal and this initiative will help make sure no one is left behind. MolinaCares is making it easy to get a vaccine by meeting people where they are - at local churches and other accessible locations."

Vaccinations at MolinaCares' community events will be administered on a first-come first-served basis. About The MolinaCares Accord Established by Molina Healthcare, Inc., The MolinaCares Accord oversees a community investment platform created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities. About Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Molina Healthcare of Mississippi has been providing government-funded, quality health care since 2018. The Company serves members through Medicaid (Mississippi Coordinated Access Network/MississippiCAN and Children's Health Insurance Plan/CHIP) and Marketplace. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, served approximately 4.6 million members as of March 31, 2021. For more information about Molina Healthcare of Mississippi, visit MolinaHealthcare.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005468/en/

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[June 22, 2021] APOLLO Insurance and LowestRates.ca Partner to Offer Access to Embedded Digital Insurance via an API

APOLLO Insurance, Canada's leading online insurance provider, has partnered with LowestRates.ca, Canada's leading financial rate comparison site, to offer immediate access to digital insurance products that are specifically tailored to the millions of consumers who visit their website through an API integration. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005260/en/ APOLLO Insurance has partnered with Lowestrates.ca to provide their users with access to digital insurance products via an API integration. Launched in 2019, APOLLO Insurance now offers the largest selection of online insurance in Canada, through brokers and embedded partnerships like this one. Through APOLLO, consumers can get a quote and purchase insurance in five minutes, from any device, 24/7. LowestRates.ca is Canada's leading marketplace for consumers to compare insurance and other financial products. Last year alone the site saved Canadians close to $500 million. "LowestRates.ca does a fantastic job of matching Canadian consumers with the financial products that are the best fit for them," said APOLLO VP Partnerships Josh Pillsbury. "Combined with POLLO's ability to offer quotes as well as an online purchasing experience, this API integration will result in significant savings for the end consumer, both in time and money."



Consumers looking for the best price on renters insurance through LowestRates.ca are now served with APOLLO's coverage and pricing through an API integration. They are then able to purchase that policy online, using their credit or debit card. "Adding APOLLO Insurance to our list of vendors aligns with our mission to save Canadians money on financial services like insurance," said Sean Widdess, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for LowestRates.ca. "We are excited for this integration."

APOLLO's proprietary technology platform, the APOLLO Exchange, transacts insurance business in real time, and leverages extensive data and sophisticated algorithms to quote, collect payment, create and deliver policies. Through APOLLO, thousands of small businesses and individuals are able to buy online without human intervention. About APOLLO Insurance

Apollo Insurance Solutions Ltd. ("APOLLO Insurance") is Canada's leading online insurance provider. Our proprietary platform, the APOLLO Exchange, allows insurance agents and their customers to purchase their policy immediately, from anywhere, on any device, 24/7. Unlike traditional paper-based processes, APOLLO leverages extensive data and sophisticated algorithms to quote, collect payment, and issue policies for thousands of types of small business and individuals without human intervention. Through traditional agents and embedded finance partnerships APOLLO is redefining the distribution of insurance.

For more information, visit: https://apollocover.com/ About LowestRates.ca

LowestRates.ca is an online rate comparison site for insurance, mortgages, loans and credit card rates in Canada. The free, independent service connects consumers directly with financial institutions and providers from all over North America to offer Canadians a comprehensive list of rates. LowestRates.ca's mission is to help people become more financially literate, and has so far saved Canadians more than $1 billion in interest and fees. For more information, visit: http://www.lowestrates.ca View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005260/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Heliogen Hires Team of Exceptional Industry Leaders to Accelerate Its Mission to Decarbonize the Global Economy

Renewable energy technology company Heliogen today announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of seven exceptional leaders with backgrounds spanning Fortune 500 corporations, industry-leading energy companies, pioneering technology companies, and multinational investment banks. The appointments underscore Heliogen's commitment to building a world-class leadership team that will speed the company's progress toward helping to solve pressing global challenges brought on by climate change by providing decarbonization technology that aims - for the first time in history - to be more cost-effective than fossil fuels. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005517/en/ Heliogen's Leadership Team (Photo: Business Wire) "The sheer scale of the challenges and opportunities around the climate crisis calls for an assembly of the brightest and boldest minds from a variety of disciplines, backgrounds, and identities to rise to the urgent challenge of the current moment," said Bill Gross, CEO and founder of Heliogen. "As we assembled Heliogen's leadership team, we pursued leaders who have demonstrated professional excellence in energy, technology, and finance while being deliberate about casting a wide net to include diverse and forward-thinking candidates. With the cleantech market attracting more investor and mainstream attention than ever before, I'm proud to introduce such an accomplished group of leaders, all of whom are making pivotal contributions to further Heliogen's mission of replacing fossil fuels with sunlight." Tom Doyle, co-head of the development group, has more than 25 years of senior-level experience growing and managing a significant P&L and a deep understanding of concentrated solar power, photovoltaics, and other renewable energy technologies. At Heliogen, working with Rashaun Williams, Doyle will oversee Business Development, Project Development, Proposal Development, Project Management, Project Finance, Strategy, Business Intelligence, and Asset Management. Prior to Heliogen, Doyle was an executive vice president at NRG Energy and president and CEO of NRG Energy's renewable energy business, NRG Renew, one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world. Doyle also served as president and CEO of NRG Solar, a company he established and expanded to become an industry leader in the high growth commercial and industrial sectors of the solar industry. Under Doyle's leadership, NRG successfully placed more than $7.5 billion of capital that generated a significant return on equity and an annual EBITDA contribution of more than $550 million. He holds an MBA and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona. Andy Lambert, senior vice president of production and supply chain, brings pioneering engineering leadership and product manufacturing experience to Heliogen, where he will lead development of the company's production system and supply chain operations. Previously, Lambert spent more than nine years with SpaceX (News - Alert) , where he developed the manuacturing and supply chain for the company's rockets and spacecraft, before leading the company's build reliability and quality assurance functions ahead of the first manned space flight. Prior to SpaceX, Lambert spent 13 years at BMW, most recently serving as vice president for MINI logistics and assembly production. During his time with MINI, he contributed to the rapid development of a production system that nearly tripled the output of its original installed capacity. Lambert spent nine years in the British Royal Air Force as an aircraft engineer and is a graduate of the School of Technical Training at RAF Halton military academy.



Christie Obiaya, chief financial officer, will draw on her experience from large-scale, complex energy projects to lead Heliogen's finance team and to provide strategic support for the company's growth. Most recently, Obiaya served as CFO and head of strategy for the energy business unit at Bechtel, the global engineering, construction and project management company. In her 11 years at Bechtel, she held leadership roles spanning finance, strategy, project development and investment, and project execution. Prior to Bechtel, Obiaya worked on renewable energy projects in Kenya and India. She began her career as an engineer, designing products and scaling up manufacturing processes at a multinational consumer goods company. Obiaya holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from MIT (News - Alert) and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Rashaun Williams, co-head of the development group, brings his background as an investment banker and venture capitalist to his role at Heliogen, where he will focus on applying his 20 years of experience in finance, investments and sales to help the company realize its mission. Working with Tom Doyle, Williams will oversee Business Development, Project Development, Proposal Development, Project Management, Project Finance, Strategy, Business Intelligence, and Asset Management. With more than 150 investments in high-growth companies and more than 40 exits, Williams is currently a general partner in the MVP All-Star Fund. At his previous firm, Queensbridge Venture Partners, he became an early investor in Robinhood, Coinbase, Casper, Ring, PillPack, Lyft, and Dropbox (News - Alert) . Prior to that, he worked at Wall Street firms including Goldman Sachs, Wachovia Securities and Deutsche Bank, bringing capital to emerging, diverse and alternative markets. In 2007, he founded Dixsville Partners, a private equity fund investing in infrastructure development and mineral companies in West Africa. Williams is a summa cum laude graduate of Morehouse College.

Thomas Patrick, chief of staff, will serve as strategic advisor and counsel to the CEO and collaborate with the leadership team on business strategies. Patrick has built his leadership career at multiple global financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank, where he served as CEO of the USA Corporation and the Americas region and co-head of the Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB) in the Americas. Patrick was a member of the Deutsche Bank USA Board, the CIB Executive Committee and a permanent guest on the Management Board. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Patrick was at Bank of America Merrill Lynch for 18 years, holding various senior positions including head of global banking and markets strategy and portfolio management, and co-head of global equities. Patrick holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Columbia University. Debbie Chen, general counsel, an experienced legal advisor to technology and startup companies, will focus on implementing an effective compliance program at Heliogen to ensure adherence to legal requirements and broader company values. Previously, Chen served as general counsel at Idealab, a role in which she worked with Heliogen applying knowledge of general corporate law since the company's inception. Prior to Idealab, she was with the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP. Chen holds a B.S. degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Tanya Peterson, vice president of human resources, brings to her role at Heliogen a well-rounded background in multiple areas of human resources (HR) from working with high-performance teams in the finance and technology industries. At Heliogen, Peterson will lead the HR and talent teams in building and scaling an engaged, inclusive, and high-performing culture. Previously, Peterson served as head of human resources at global equity firm Los Angeles Capital Management where she was responsible for a variety of functions, including recruiting, talent management, diversity and inclusion, and internal communications. Prior to Los Angeles Capital Management, Peterson was at Yellowpages.com where she led HR initiatives for Engineering and other teams. Before Yellowpages.com, Peterson was the Head of HR for Idealab where she managed all HR operations and talent acquisition for Idealab and more than 150 of its portfolio companies. Peterson holds a B.A. in business management from Hartwick College. The new executives join Steve Schell, chief technology officer, and Vikas Tuteja, head of strategy and analytics, on Heliogen's leadership team. About Heliogen Heliogen is a renewable energy technology company focused on eliminating the need for fossil fuels in all sectors of the economy and empowering a sustainable future. The company's Sunlight (News - Alert) Refinery aims to cost-effectively deliver near 24/7 carbon-free energy in the form of heat, power, and green hydrogen fuel at scale for the first time in history. Heliogen was created at Idealab, the leading technology incubator founded by Bill Gross in 1996. In November 2020, TIME included Heliogen's HelioHeat technology on its Best Inventions of 2020 list. In April 2020, Fast Company selected Heliogen as a recipient of a 2020 World Changing Ideas Award for its technology. The company won the Energy category. For more information about Heliogen, please visit Heliogen.com or @heliogeninc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005517/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Neurona Therapeutics Raises $41.5M to Advance Neural Network-Rebalancing Cell Therapies for the Treatment of Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders

Syndicate includes premier healthcare investors steeped in neurology

Erica Whittaker, Ph.D., head of UCB Ventures, joins

Neuronas board of directors Latest financing brings total proceeds raised to date to $135 million SAN FRANCISCO, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., a biotherapeutics company developing neural cell therapies for the treatment of chronic neurological disorders, today announced the successful completion of a $41.5 million financing. Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance the companys pipeline of wholly-owned, off-the-shelf cell therapies for multiple indications, including a Phase 1/2a clinical study planned to launch later this year for its lead product, NRTX-1001, an inhibitory neuronal cell therapeutic, for the treatment of chronic focal epilepsy. The financing was co-led by new investor UCB Ventures and current investor The Column Group. Other new investors included, Sphera Fund Management, Alexandria Venture Investments, and Ironfire Ventures. Neurona also announced that Erica Whittaker, Ph.D., head of UCB Ventures, has joined Neuronas board of directors. Dr. Whittaker began her career at UCB in 2010 and has led UCB Ventures since its inception. Previously at UCB, she held roles as vice president, research strategy & partnering and head of market access & pricing for the European commercial operations. Prior to joining UCB, Erica spent 10 years as a top-ranked biotechnology equity analyst for Merrill Lynch in London. She has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an MBA. It is with great pleasure that we welcome Dr. Whittaker to our Board of Directors. Her deep industry experience in and out of the epilepsy arena will be invaluable to Neurona as we further develop our unique neural cell therapy platform, said Cory Nicholas, Ph.D., Neuronas president and cief executive officer. We are proud of the continued commitment of our current investors and the confidence placed in us by new investors. This funding will support the advancement of our lead candidate, NRTX-1001, into a first-in-human clinical trial we hope to initiate this year for chronic focal-onset epilepsy, an important step toward our ultimate goal of providing safe and effective cell therapies for the treatment of devastating, drug-resistant neurological disorders.



Dr. Whittaker added, We see cell therapy as a promising approach for chronic disorders of the nervous system for which current treatment options are not optimal. Neurona has pioneered a novel inhibitory neuron cell therapy candidate and generated compelling preclinical efficacy data. We are excited to support Neuronas management team in the continued development of NRTX-1001 into the clinic and the progression of the companys other cell therapy programs for indications of high unmet need. About NRTX-1001

NRTX-1001 is a neuronal cell therapeutic derived from human pluripotent stem cells using Neuronas proprietary manufacturing process. NRTX-1001 comprises interneurons that secrete the inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Delivered as a one-time administration, the interneurons integrate and innervate on-target, providing local long-term GABAergic inhibition to rebalance and repair hyperexcitable neural networks that underlie epilepsy as well as other disorders of the nervous system. Neurona is initially advancing NRTX-1001 for temporal lobe epilepsy, which is the most common type of focal epilepsy.

About Neurona

Neuronas neural cell therapies have single-dose curative potential. Based on a novel neural cell lineage pioneered by the companys scientific founders, Neurona has built a robust regenerative platform and is developing neuronal, glial, and gene-edited cell therapy candidates that provide long-term repair of dysfunctional neural networks for multiple neurological disorders. For more information about Neurona, visit www.neuronatherapeutics.com About UCB Ventures

UCB Ventures is a 150 million strategic corporate venture fund established in 2017 to further strengthen UCBs ability to create value from novel insights and technologies that can transform the lives of patients suffering from severe diseases. UCB Ventures invests in innovative therapeutics and technology platforms that are early stage and higher risk, in areas adjacent to or even beyond UCBs therapeutic focus on neurology/neurodegenerative diseases, immunology and muscular skeletal/bone health. UCB Ventures takes an active role in its portfolio companies, contributing expertise in drug discovery, development and operations. Visit www.UCBVentures.com Neurona Therapeutics

Investor and Media Contacts: Elizabeth Wolffe, Ph.D.

Wheelhouse LSA

lwolffe@wheelhouselsa.com Sylvia Wheeler

Wheelhouse LSA

swheeler@wheelhouselsa.com



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[June 22, 2021] vFairs Named Virtual Events Industry Leader by G2 for the Third Consecutive Quarter

CARROLLTON, Texas, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- vFairs , the leading virtual & hybrid events platform, today announced it has been named a Mid-Market Leader in the Virtual Event Platforms Category by G2, a peer-to-peer business software review website, leveraging customer feedback to rank the best business software and services. For the third consecutive quarter, vFairs holds the top score in the Virtual Event Platforms category on G2's Grid Reports; which represents the democratic voice of real software users rather than the subjective opinion of one analyst or a pay-to-play-based review system. "We are thrilled to receive continued recognition on the G2 Grids, reinforcing our place as a leader in Virtual Events. Our customers have once again voiced their support for vFairs as a trusted solution for high-value virtual events across industries and throughout the world," said Muhammad Younas, CEO of vFairs. "As we continue to grow, customer satisfaction remains our top priority and our success in delivering world-class customer service is demonstrated by receiving the top score in the Virtual Platforms Relationship Index. I am very proud of the growth we have experienced and our team's commitment to make vFairs the go-to source for all virtual events." vFairs is consistently recognized as a leader in the virtual events category leader; having previously been named a High Performer on G2's Winter Grid 2020, a Mid-Market Leader in the Virtual Events Platforms Ctegory on their Spring 2021 Grid, and the Enterprise Leader in the Virtual Event Platforms Category Spring 2021 Grid. vFairs has also been ranked as the market leader for virtual events on Capterra and listed on the Latka Top 100 List for SaaS companies across the world.



vFairs helps organizations of all sizes bring their physical events online and deliver a visually rich experience through a digital environment that mimics an in-person event. The company provides a one-stop solution for powering organizations to host various virtual events ranging from university graduations, job fairs, conferences, summits, trade shows, exhibitions, stage performances, team-building exercises, and much more. About vFairs

vFairs strives to deliver top-class virtual events for all audiences, with an intuitive platform that recreates physical events through an immersive online experience. With a range of powerful features and dedicated support for users around the world, vFairs removes the hassle from organizing, exhibiting at, and attending events such as conferences, trade shows, and career fairs.

Contact the vFairs team to learn more or request a demo to see a virtual event in action or visit www.vfairs.com. About G2

Headquartered in Chicago, G2.com is revolutionizing the way businesses discover, buy and manage software and services. More than three million users per month rely on G2 to help them find and buy the best software for their businesses. Utilizing 15 different metrics, G2 is considered the leading market position measurement system for products and vendors due to their use of a unique algorithm that analyzes data from a wide range of sources, including customer reviews, product range, organization size, review volume, web and social presence, and more. For more information, please visit www.g2.com Media Contact:

Jennifer Rodriguez

Firecracker PR

(888) 317-4687 ext. 703

312718@email4pr.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vfairs-named-virtual-events-industry-leader-by-g2-for-the-third-consecutive-quarter-301316810.html SOURCE vFairs

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[June 22, 2021] Introducing ThreatConnect 6.2 - The Next Level of Collaboration Between Cyber Threat Intelligence & Operations

ThreatConnect Inc., the leader in reducing complexity and enabling better decision making in cybersecurity, today released ThreatConnect 6.2 which introduces two new capabilities that further unify the actions of the security team around the most critical risks and support their response with streamlined and automated workflows. ThreatConnect 6.2 introduces two new key capabilities: Browser Extension

Playbooks 2.0 These improvements enhance collaboration between security team members, reduce redundancies and improve efficiency across the entire security program. The new Browser Extension and the enhanced Playbooks 2.0 provide security team personnel with rich, contextualized threat intelligence from any online resource and gives them more power and flexibility to collaborate their tools via automation. "The release of ThreatConnect 6.2 gives our customers access to our new Browser Extension, allowing anyone on the security team to benefit from rich, contextualized threat intelligence from any web page or SaaS (News - Alert) tool. This is about next-level collaboration between intel and ops," said Andy Pendergast, co-founder and EVP of Product at ThreatConnect. "With Playbooks 2.0, we've revamped our playbooks capability to help users feel more comfortable and confident during Playbook development. This is designed to empower more individuals across the team to take advantage of the automation and orchestration available in Playbooks." Browser Extension When conducting research and investigation into a particular threat, analysts now have the ability to ue multiple sources of threat intelligence to identify relevant pieces of information from any web-based resource. This is a critical capability when it comes to quickly understanding the severity level of the threat and allows one to add it to their threat library for future analysis and investigation efforts.



ThreatConnect 6.2 provides users the capability to scan an online resource for potential Indicators, query ThreatConnect for information about scan results, and import Indicators and Group Indicators directly into ThreatConnect from a supported web browser. Playbooks 2.0

Introducing automation and orchestration of security processes greatly benefits organizations of different types and sizes and creates easier workflows to follow. Adding Playbooks 2.0 into the mix helps to handle the different workflows across teams and technologies and empowers analysts to incorporate automation in a newer, less daunting, user-friendly way. This release introduces nearly 50 improvement and updates to the Playbook Building and Management process, all presenting the following benefits: Revamped look and feel increases usability and decreases frustrations

Improved management capabilities for better collaboration, visibility, and control

Increased confidence in the Playbook Build with more granular resting and improved troubleshooting

Easy-to-use mechanism for documentation and collaboration with interactive note-taking capabilities ThreatConnect reduces complexity, integrates processes and technologies to continually strengthen defenses, drive down risk, and revolutionize the way our customers protect their organizations by turning intelligence into action. About ThreatConnect ThreatConnect, Inc. provides cybersecurity software that reduces complexity for everyone, makes decision-making easy by turning intelligence into action, and integrates processes and technologies to continually strengthen defenses and drive down risk. Designed by analysts but built for the entire team (security leadership, risk, security operations, threat intelligence, and incident response), ThreatConnect's decision and operational support platform is the only solution available today with cyber risk quantification, intelligence, automation, analytics, and workflows in one. To learn more about our Cyber Risk Quantification, Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) or Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) solutions visit www.ThreatConnect.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005753/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Metrics Global Announces Payment Technology Expert Michael Cottrell as New President

Metrics Global Inc. announces that Michael Cottrell is joining the fast-growing global fintech company as President effective June 7, 2021. He is responsible for the company's technology development, day-to-day operations, and the delivery of our market-leading business solutions. Mike has more than 25 years of experience in the payments industry with a special talent and passion for fintech processing systems and platforms. Mike's extensive knowledge and singular perspective have made him a respected leader and sought-after speaker within the payments industry. Metrics Global Founder and CEO Wendy Yurgo-Kinney says, "Mike is someone we have respected and admired and have had opportunities to collaborate with in the past. Having him lead the development and delivery of our payment technology solutions together with daily operations is an incredible honor." Metrics Global has a long track record of aggressively developing technology and payment solutions to anticipate the needs of their clients and the ever-evolving payments space. "Wendy and I have talked for years about finding the right time to work together. This is the right time. I'm excited to focus on scaling Metrics Global's exceptional operations, technology, and business services," says Mike Cottrell.



News - Alert) (a TSYS company). Mike previously served as Senior VP Global Sales at ProPay where along with supporting the Direct Sales Industry, he led efforts to bring ProPay's payment facilitator offering to market. Prior to ProPay, he was Chief Business Development Officer for TriSource Solutions, an ISO and clearing processor. He also served as Senior Vice President of Market Strategies for Vital Processing Services where he led strategic relationships with the card brands, technology partners, and the product organization. Cottrell adds, "The Metrics Global technology platform, coupled with the relentless focus on consultative customer service were key factors in my decision to join Metrics Global. I am honored to join the team and look forward to engaging with our clients and further growing a world-class organization."

Metrics Global has continued to make significant development in its technology and client solutions architecture, launching a best-in-breed unified global commerce and payments platform. Yurgo-Kinney concludes, "Mike is uniquely talented having vast tech and product knowledge and he is an admired leader in the payments industry while known as a mentor to many. Mike is brilliant yet humble, I am ecstatic we can finally create together." About Metrics Global: Metrics Global is a leading fintech and payments company with a long-established record of solving problems for merchants worldwide. Our unified commerce & payments platform connects merchants and strategic partners to a global marketplace, enabling their international expansion strategy and fueling their exponential growth. To learn more about Metrics Global, visit metricsglobal.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005405/en/

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[June 22, 2021] D2L ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2021 EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Kitchener, Waterloo, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global learning technology leader, D2L, today announced the recipients of D2Ls Excellence Awards, which celebrate inspiration and innovation in digital education, learning, and development. The award is open to any organization using D2L Brightspace, an award-winning learning management system. Nominations could be submitted for an individual, team, program, or organization. At the heart of learning excellence are inspiring educators and leaders, and we created these awards to recognize innovation and outstanding achievement by them and their organizations, said John Baker, President and CEO of D2L. The efforts of educators and leaders in education have never been more important than in the past 16 months, as COVID-19 moved many of them to fully online or hybrid learning at a pace we couldnt have imagined at the start of 2020. They have shown us that nothing should ever stand in the way of learning, including a global pandemic, and were thrilled to celebrate their accomplishments so that the entire D2L Brightspace community can benefit. The 2021 D2L Excellence Awards winners are: Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence

The Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence, hosted by Metropolitan State University, works closely with industry and educators to attract students and prepare them for work in high-demand industries in Minnesota. Through its Curriculum Project, the Center of Excellence sought to develop or enhance programs in high-demand IT disciplines, including cybersecurity, data science, agile, DevOps, and career readiness, all to meet increased market needs. Brightspace was essential in delivering on-demand IT modules that align with industry standards and incorporate innovative learning technologies and best practices to all 37 campuses within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, including sharing resources with workforce centers, economic development agencies, and other agencies serving the states dislocated and underserved populations. Southern New Hampshire University

As a leader in online education, Southern New Hampshire University knows firsthand that online students face a unique barrier to internships, which are essential to a full educational experience. To address this challenge, it created the Higher Education and Real-World Training initiative, delivered through Brightspace. HEaRT connects learners with employers and allows them to build and demonstrate key skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, team building, and project management. As of March 2021, over 500 students had completed one or more HEaRT callenges.



National Education Partners

NEP partnered with National Universitys Workforce Education Solutions and Peace Officers Standards and Training in late 2020 to create courses that provide effective virtual training in critical areas, including community policing. The design includes seamless integrations of documentary-style videos, scenario- and story-based learning activities, and real-world applicable content provided by law enforcement professionals and community leaders. Brightspaces versatility, personalization options, and ease of use were essential in delivering the program. The course has received positive results since it began in January, with participants indicating it has greatly increased their understanding and ability to better serve their communities. Gwinnett County Online Campus

Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC) is a two-time D2L Excellence Award winner with a reputation for innovation and high student achievement. Most recently, GOC has partnered with D2L to develop personalized learning courses that empower students in grades 6-12 to exceed their potential through individualized learning paths designed to support and enrich every learning outcome. With the teacher as the analytical engine, all students receive purposeful and targeted instruction based upon their individual strengths and areas for growth. This powerful instructional design maximizes learner-focused flexibility and positively contributes to the graduation rate of Gwinnett Online Campus as well as supplemental students throughout Gwinnett County. As GOC looks to the future, personalized learning will change the face of education in all 6-12 courses and all programs served by the school.

Durham District School Board

The Durham District School Boards Professional Learning Hub, powered by D2Ls Brightspace, was created as an anytime/anywhere, personalized, on-demand professional development portal for 12,000 Durham District School Board staff. The Hub intelligently speaks to the school boards HR systems so that all employees are greeted with a landing page that highlights online learning modules and resources geared toward their employee role and grouping. Course content is created by a cadre of departmental staff and instructors. Currently, more than 200 active courses and workshops have been made available to staff in the district using this platform. ABOUT D2L BRIGHTSPACE D2L Brightspace is a? cloud-based ?learning platform built for people who care deeply about learner success.



It makes it easy to support exceptional learner experiences in the classroom or fully online, build meaningful connections, and give teachers and instructors the tools theyre going to love. D2L Brightspace is worry-free, with 99.99% reliability. Its highly accessible and looks beautiful on any device, making it easier for teachers and instructors to reach every learner and for every learner to reach their full potential. D2L Brightspace has won multiple industry awards . To learn more, visit D2L for K-12 , h igher e ducation , and c orporate trai ning . ABOUT D2L D2L is transforming the way the world learnshelping learners of all ages achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. Working closely with clients all over the world, D2L is supporting millions of people learning online and in person. Our more than 950 global employees are dedicated to making the best learning products to leave the world better than how they found it. Learn more about D2L for K-12, higher education, and businesses at? www.D2L.com . D2L MEDIA CONTACT Christine DAngela

Director, External Strategic Communications, D2L Corporation

pr@D2L.com Twitter: @D2L  2021 D2L Corporation. The D2L family of companies includes D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L Asia Pte Ltd, and D2L Brasil Solucoes de Tecnologia para Educacao Ltda. All D2L marks are trademarks of D2L Corporation. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks.



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[June 22, 2021] Walton Family Foundation Grant to Support WorkingNation Study of Green Jobs Economy in 6 States

LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WorkingNation, a nonprofit news organization that reports on the future of work, today announced that it has received a grant from the Walton Family Foundation to support WorkingNation's ongoing study of "green jobs" - where they are, what job seekers can do to get them, and how to expand the economic opportunities they offer. The grant will help fund research in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana, adding to studies underway in Colorado and Pennsylvania. A wide range of direct and indirect green jobs are already powering local economies, which WorkingNation will illuminate through articles, video and podcast journalism on the big picture as well as with state-by-state, sector-by-sector analysis. "Environmental jobs are a significantly larger economic driver than a lot of people realize," WorkingNation founder and CEO Art Bilger said. "That is partly because 'green jobs' have often been narrowly defined. Our reporting will point out the broad scope of the green economy and offer intelligence to help governments, employers and job seekers power their post-COVID recoveries. We thank the Walton Family Foundation for helping us paint this picture so local green economies can reach their full potential." Added Moira Mcdonald, director of the Environment Program at the Walton Family Foundation: "The future is about finding solutions for nature and people to thrive together. That means we need to be smart about good jobs that are sustainable both environmentally and economically. Insights from WorkingNation's research should help boost the economy in the Mississippi River basin by shining a valuable spotlight on in-demand green jobs." WorkingNation's work is pwered by research from Management Information Services, Inc. (MISI), a Washington, D.C., econometrics firm with several decades experience in the environmental industry, and analysis by Paula DiPerna, an author and strategic environmental policy advisor. DiPerna is a special advisor to CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project; a former president of the Chicago Climate Exchange; and a former vice president for international affairs for The Cousteau Society.



WorkingNation seeks partners for studies in additional states. Interested parties may contact Joan Lynch, WorkingNation's chief content and programming officer, at joanlynch@workingnation.com). Media should use the contact below.

About WorkingNation WorkingNation is a nonprofit journalism organization telling stories about solutions to the jobs skills gap threatening to disrupt our economy. Follow us on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. About Walton Family Foundation The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Media Contact:

Steve Delsohn

steve@delsohn.com

805-358-3318 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/walton-family-foundation-grant-to-support-workingnation-study-of-green-jobs-economy-in-6-states-301317373.html SOURCE WorkingNation

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Groove Ranks #1 in Customer Satisfaction Across 5 Sales Tech Categories in G2 Summer 2021 Grid Reports

Groove, the leading sales engagement platform for enterprises using Salesforce, today announced that it ranked #1 in customer satisfaction in G2's (News - Alert) Summer 2021 Grid Reports across five sales tech categories: Sales Engagement, Email Tracking, Outbound Call Tracking, Account Data Management, and Sales Intelligence. Groove was also named an Enterprise Leader in all of these categories, as well as Sales Performance Management.

Groove has held its #1 ranking in customer satisfaction for the Sales Engagement software category for 11 consecutive quarters.

G2's Summer 2021 Grid Report for Sales Engagement Software ranks the performance of 60 different sales engagement platforms. Groove outranked its competition across all six customer satisfaction rating categories.

Top scores based on verified users include:

94% would recommend Groove

97% find it easy to do business with Groove

95% affirm the quality of Groove's customer support

93% say Groove is easy to use

93% say Groove is easy to set up

93% believe Groove meets all of their requirements

93% say Groove is headed in the right direction

HIGHEST ENTERPRISE RLATIONSHIP INDEX SCORES IN FIVE CATEGORIES







Groove has also earned the highest Enterprise Relationship Index score across Sales Engagement and four other sales tech categories. G2's Enterprise Relationship Index score evaluates companies based on ease of doing business with, quality of support, likelihood to recommend, and other relationship-based factors.

"Groove has once again maintained its reign as the highest-rated Sales Engagement Software vendor for customer satisfaction in G2's Summer 2021 Grid Reports," said Tom Pringle, Vice President of Market Research for G2. "This is a huge accomplishment as it marks 11 straight quarters that Groove has led the category in product satisfaction, which is a feat that's all the more impressive in the highly competitive sales engagement space."

"Being the top-rated sales engagement platform for nearly three years is both humbling and a huge honor," said Chris Rothstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Groove. "Groove isn't just about meeting the complex sales engagement needs of large enterprises; it's also about delivering exceptional service to our customers, which is why the customer recognition we receive in the G2 reports is so satisfying."

PRODUCT FEEDBACK AND REVIEWS FROM VERIFIED USERS

The following are just some of the things Groove's customers are saying about its platform in verified reviews on G2:

"Groove's ability to sync all data with Salesforce has exponentially streamlined our workflows."

- Tess M., Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Kiva

"Groove has helped my business grow substantially. The key benefits of using Groove are strong relationships that turn into more revenue and less time focused on cold calls."

- Jeff H., Inside Sales Executive, Homes.com

"Groove is a business must! What I like best about Groove are its capabilities for tracking my people and engaging contacts who are part of my hotlist."

- Brook A., National Account Director, Kaplan

You can learn how Groove stacks up against its top competitors in the Summer 2021 G2 Sales Engagement Software Report.

Learn more about Groove's ranking in the G2 Summer 2021 Grid Reports on its website.

ABOUT G2

G2, the world's leading business solution review platform, leverages 1M+ user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. Business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts use the site to compare and select the best software and services based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. Every month, millions of people visit G2's site to gain unique insights.

About Groove

Groove is the leading sales engagement platform for enterprises using Salesforce, specializing in ease-of-use, ease-of-administration, and cross-team collaboration. Built for the needs of full-cycle sellers, Groove automates non-sales activities so that pre- and post-sales reps can spend more time building relationships and generating revenue. On average, Groove gives revenue teams 20% of their time back to focus on higher-value activities. Groove's Salesforce-native architecture can be customized to align with industry-specific workflows while ensuring more accurate reporting and forecasting, lower compliance risk, and streamlined administration.

Over 70,000 sales representatives use Groove at some of the world's largest and fastest-growing companies, including Google (News - Alert) , Uber, and Capital One. Groove has earned the highest customer satisfaction rating on G2 in the sales engagement category for over two years in a row.

Groove was named one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces 2021 and is one of the 2020 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. Groove also ranks #16 on the San Francisco Business Times' "fastest-growing private companies in the Bay Area in 2020" and #191 on the Deloitte (News - Alert) 2020 Technology Fast 500 list. Founded in 2014, Groove is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in San Diego and Seattle. To learn more, visit groove.co.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005054/en/
[June 22, 2021] UltiSat Provides Communications Services to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Support of Humanitarian Relief Efforts in DR Congo

GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UltiSat, a global provider of critical communications solutions, announced that it has partnered with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to provide satellite communications services in support of the emergency operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The DRC struggles with one of the largest internally displaced populations in Africa and is a generous host to half a million refugees fleeing conflict elsewhere in the region. According to local authorities, more than 92,000 individuals have arrived in the DRCs northern region bordering the Central African Republic (CAR) over the past months, following post-election violence in CAR. UNHCR and its partners are providing protection and humanitarian assistance to the refugees from CAR in the region who are in urgent need of shelter, food, and access to medical services. Reliable communications are key to the efficient coordination of the humanitarian response in this complex environment. As we scaled up our operations in the DRC, the demand for additional resources to support the refuee and local populations in the region increased considerably, said Madeleine Tchabi Moumouni, the Head of UNHCRs Sub-Office based in North Ubangi Province. UNHCR is pleased to have UltiSat as a partner in providing adaptable satellite services with the bandwidth necessary to meet the demands of our dynamic missions.



UltiSat has a long history of supporting humanitarian and disaster relief organizations working on-site with satellite network services, equipment, life-cycle operation, installation, maintenance, and logistics support. The company leverages its global network capabilities, including in-house engineering and operations for satellite, wireless, and terrestrial services, to develop custom-tailored networking solutions for each particular mission. We consider the UNHCR mission as though it is our own, said Brum Cerzosimo, Sr. Director Humanitarian Programs at UltiSat. We are proud that our communications services can play a role in such an important relief effort to render aid and provide protection for displaced people in need.

About UltiSat

UltiSat is a global provider of end-to-end solutions for managed networks, airborne ISR support, specialized global wireless, and advanced engineering and technical services. For more information, visit www.ultisat.com. About UNHCR

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. For more information, visit www.unhcr.org. For more information contact: lori.hawk@ultisat.com



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[June 22, 2021] Platform9 Appoints Diane Bryant, Former Intel and Google Cloud Executive, as Independent Board of Director

Platform9, the leader in open-source private, edge, and hybrid cloud-native technologies and the first to offer enterprises a complete SaaS (News - Alert) management plane for Kubernetes, today announced the appointment of Diane Bryant to its Board of Directors. Bryant, a global technology executive who has held top industry positions including as the COO of Google Cloud and Group President of Intel's (News - Alert) Data Center Group, brings more than 30 years of experience spanning cloud technology, data center infrastructure, and artificial intelligence, to Platform9. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005791/en/ Diane Bryant, Independent Board of Director, Platform9 (Photo: Business Wire) "We are honored to have Diane join Platform9's stellar board of directors," said Sirish Raghuram, Co-founder and CEO of Platform9. "Diane's track record in the industry speaks for itself, as a top executive at Intel and Google (News - Alert) Cloud with deep empathy for the challenges enterprises overcome while adopting cloud-native architectures. In addition, Diane is a passionate advocate for inclusivity at the workplace. We are delighted to have her counsel as an independent member of our board. Platform9's board now includes three women out of our eight board members."



"I am pleased to join the board of Platform9 and contribute my experience in cloud computing and enterprise IT," said Bryant. "I've seen firsthand the challenges enterprises face in managing diverse workloads, legacy technology, rising IT costs, and talent scarcity. All large-scale businesses recognize the benefit of a hybrid cloud strategy. And, as their workloads expand and evolve, the value of a hybrid cloud architecture running on an open-source solution is clear. Platform9's SaaS architecture uniquely delivers the flexibility and cost management needed. The market opportunity for Platform9 is immense." Twice named to Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list, Bryant is currently the Chairman and CEO of the healthcare AI company NovaSignal, which is seeking to improve the outcome of stroke victims along with other brain illnesses. At NovaSignal, Bryant is leading the way by leveraging robotics and artificial intelligence to save lives through cerebral blood flow assessment.

Previously, Bryant was the Chief Operating Officer for Google Cloud, where she scaled the cloud platform with machine learning and artificial intelligence technology. Prior to Google Cloud, Bryant spent more than thirty years at Intel, where she was most recently the Group President of Intel's $17B Data Center Group. During her tenure at Intel, Bryant led Intel's market entry into cloud computing and artificial intelligence. A tireless advocate for women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of engineering and technology, Bryant established the Diane Bryant Endowed Scholarship Fund for Diversity in Engineering at the University of California-Davis. In 2020, Becker's Healthcare named Diane one of seven "shaker and mover" leaders affecting health IT. Business Insider ranked Ms. Bryant number six among the Most Powerful Female Engineers in 2018 and in 2016. World Affairs and its Global Philanthropy Forum honored Ms. Bryant with its Global Citizen Award. Bryant received her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from UC Davis and attended the Executive Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bryant holds four U.S. patents in mobile computing. In addition to Bryant's new role as a Platform9 board member, Bryant is a Board Director of Broadcom (News - Alert) and former Board Director of United Technologies Corp. About Platform9 Platform9 enables freedom in cloud computing by empowering enterprises to consume infrastructure of their choice using open-source, cloud-native technologies. Platform9 makes it easy for enterprises to operate and scale private, edge or hybrid clouds with its industry-first SaaS management plane for Kubernetes. Customers including Cloudera, Juniper, Kingfisher PLC, Mavenir, and Redfin rely on our operational SLA for their mission-critical workloads everyday. Platform9 is headquartered in Mountain View, CA (News - Alert) and is backed by leading venture firms including Redpoint Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Canvas Ventures, NGP Capital, Mubadala Capital, and Celesta Capital. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005791/en/

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[June 22, 2021] pSemi DOCSIS-Compliant Switch Delivers Unparalleled Linearity Enhancements to Maximize Data Rates

SAN DIEGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- pSemi Corporation, a Murata company focused on semiconductor integration, today introduces a DOCSIS 3.1-compliant switch that meets increased demands for faster download speeds, higher bandwidth and data throughput required for today's home internet connections. The UltraCMOS PE42726 is a single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) radio frequency switch designed for use in cable broadband applications including DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems, set-top boxes and residential gateways. PE42726 delivers high linearity, excellent low-frequency harmonics performance and high surge immunity in the 51794 MHz band. "As remote work has become mainstream, global cable operators are deploying higher data rates to meet increased usage and bandwidth demands over existing cable connections. pSemi offers a family of RF solutions for cable broadband, including patented linearity technology enhancements to maximize data rates," says Vikas Choudhary, vice president of sales and marketing at pSemi Corporation. "PE42726 is the industry's highest linearity, lowest spurious noise RF switch delivering best-in-class harmonics for industry standard DOCSIS 3.1 and beyond." Product Features and Capability The PE42726 delivers best-in-class linearity across 51794 MHz with exceptional second and third harmonic performance of -121 dBc and -150 dBc, respectively, at the fudamental frequency of 17 MHz. These levels ensure the upstream transmit (Tx) signal keeps the downstream receive (Rx) frequency range free of any unwanted self-interference across the shared coax cable. This switch features low insertion loss of 0.3 dB at 1218 MHz and high isolation performance of 39 dB at 204 MHz to keep Tx signal loss very low and to help with overall isolation of two independent diplexer filter paths.



Additionally, the PE42726 can support the performance requirements of DOCSIS 4.0. The PE42726 is manufactured on pSemi's patented UltraCMOS process and offered in a 12-lead, 3  3 mm QFN package. Availability

Contact your regional sales representative for samples, evaluation kits and volume pricing. Download the datasheet for complete specifications, performance data and images. About pSemi pSemi Corporation is a Murata company driving semiconductor integration. pSemi builds on Peregrine Semiconductor's 30-year legacy of technology advancements and strong IP portfolio but with a new mission: to enhance Murata's world-class capabilities with high-performance RF, analog and mixed-signal solutions. With a strong foundation in RF integration, pSemi's product portfolio now spans power management, connected sensors, antenna tuning and RF frontends. These intelligent and efficient semiconductors enable advanced modules for smartphones, base stations, personal computers, electric vehicles, data centers, IoT devices and healthcare. From headquarters in San Diego and offices around the world, pSemi's team explores new ways to make electronics for the connected world smaller, thinner, faster and better. To view pSemi's semiconductor advancements or to join the pSemi team, visit www.psemi.com. The pSemi name, pSemi logo, Peregrine Semiconductor name, Peregrine Semiconductor logo and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks and HaRP and DuNE are trademarks of pSemi Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The pSemi website is copyrighted by pSemi Corporation. All rights reserved. Editorial Contact:

Kailani Coleman

pSemi Corporation

+1 760.695.7389

pr@psemi.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/psemi-docsis-compliant-switch-delivers-unparalleled-linearity-enhancements-to-maximize-data-rates-301316893.html SOURCE pSemi Corporation

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[June 22, 2021] Vivienne Westwood Selects Mapp To Deliver Customer Personalization

SAN DIEGO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mapp, the international provider of insight-led customer experiences, has announced it has been appointed by global fashion brand Vivienne Westwood to provide the company's Customer Data Platform (CDP). This platform will drive its digital communication strategy forward while delivering personalized and targeted customer communications. Vivienne Westwood, one of the last independent global fashion brands, is about more than producing clothes and accessories. With a forty year heritage, the company is as renowned for raising awareness of environmental and human rights issues as it is for its imaginative designs. The company now has stores in 63 locations around the world including a strong presence in the UK, 19 stores in South Korea and a further 12 in both China and Hong Kong. Constantly engaged customers Vivienne Westwood is a forward thinking, customer first business and as a result has gone to great lengths to ensure it has a progressive CDP to help serve its customers. The company selected Mapp Cloud as its Customer Data Platform not only because of the technology offered but the high level of support and expertise on hand to drive the digital communication strategy forward. Vivienne Westwood understands the value of its customers and the importance of effectively engaging with customers online as well as offline in its stores. As a result, it has implemented Mapp partner Eyos (formerly yReceipts) to handle its instore digital receipts. As a by-product of all transactions taking a digital receipt, Mapp Cloud receives valuable store transactional data and has a direct channel for obtaining customer opt-ins. This helps build the personalization story and tailor marketing communications. True personalization based on nsights



Vivienne Westwood has a strong business focus on personalized and targeted communications, and as a result, is now using all aspects of Mapp Cloud including its onsite behavioral tool to deliver personalized product recommendations, as well as key revenue driving campaigns such as abandonment. Vivienne Westwood is also taking an insight led approach to its strategic decisions and as a result has implemented the Mapp Intelligence solution to drive actionable retail insights and tailor cross-channel marketing communications accordingly. This aligns the business against KPIs as well as providing a detailed analysis of channel performance and building tailored RFM models against its customer set. Ilaria Morelli, Digital Marketing Manager, at Vivienne Westwood said: "Since working with Mapp Cloud we have seen excellent results. We can now unify all our customer data from previously disparate sources and with Mapp Intelligence we are getting insight-led customer data at our fingertips which is driving business change. We look forward to developing our activity with Mapp over the coming months and years."

Hyper-personalized communications at scale Vivienne Westwood has dramatically reduced the cost of its inhouse design team and has reduced the time needed to create emails. It now also has more data against its customer base than ever before. This includes real time web browsing, offline store purchase data as well as all eCommerce transactions. Key campaign mechanics such as Open Rates are now upwards of 38% and drive large customer engagement with a clickthrough rate of over 5.8%. These figures are testament to its segmentation strategy and relevance to its customers. The Vivienne Westwood team is able to identify nearly 1 in 3 of all visitors to the website and as a result can successfully target customers who are in market and serve hyper-personalized communications at scale. With a high average order value (AOV) of over 140 per transaction, it is vital that customers have the best customer experience, not only to initially convert but also to return and become repeat advocates of the brand. This is testament to why actionable insights are crucial to its long-term strategy. Victoria Stephens, Customer Success Manager, at Mapp said: "As a business, we love working with iconic brands and it has been hugely exciting to leverage the full Mapp Cloud technology for Vivienne Westwood which has accelerated revenues coming through its digital channels. We are continuing to innovate and implement programs that are tailored to Vivienne Westwood's customers based on intelligent insights and have many exciting plans upcoming. Watch this space!" About Mapp Marketers and data specialists should always be able to focus on their core business instead of spending their time taming the technology behind it. With the insight-led customer experience platform Mapp Cloud, marketing decision-makers have more time for the essentials and can place their brand messages in the best possible way. Through customer intelligence and marketing analytics, companies easily and effectively gain cross-channel customer insights from data, which in turn enable highly personalized marketing activities. Mapp's customers benefit from customized and self-optimizing cross-channel campaigns based on AI-powered predictive models. Automated messages can thus be sent in the ideal marketing channel, at the optimal time and with the right contact frequency. Thanks to powerful one-to-one personalization, maximum engagement as well as long-term customer retention are achieved. Mapp operates offices in seven countries. Mapp's digital marketing platform helps over 3,000 businesses stand out from the crowd. Mapp's clients include Argos, Ella's Kitchen, Expert, Freesat, Lloyds Banking Group, MyToys, Pepsico, Quint, Vivienne Westwood, and The Entertainer. Press contacts:

PR Agency: The PR Network

Jonathan Lenz

+44 (0)77953 74423

jonathan.lenz@thepr.network Mapp Digital

Harald Oberhofer

+49 30 755 415 120

harald.oberhofer@mapp.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vivienne-westwood-selects-mapp-to-deliver-customer-personalization-301317446.html SOURCE Mapp

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[June 22, 2021] TESTD Announces Agreement With Paradise Healthcare To Manage COVID Testing In The Bahamas

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TESTD Inc., a blockchain-based company that produces electronic medical records software, has announced that TESTD is now providing management software to Paradise Healthcare, an on-premises healthcare provider in the Bahamas. The new software allows guests at the resort Paradise serves to comply with Bahamian government health and safety regulations without missing a beat of their vacations. TESTD speeds up COVID testing so resort in the Bahamas can comply with regulations and not impact guests' holidays. With TESTD software, guests can self-schedule COVID tests and appear for tests at one of the many testing stations Paradise Healthcare staffs at the resort. The quick test satisfies the government's mandate without impacting a guest's enjoymentof the resort's amenities. Plus, they can travel home knowing they are safe when vacation's over.



"We are delighted to work with TESTD, because our patients are," said Dr Theodore Turnquest, Medical Director, Paradise Healthcare. "TESTD has greatly improved our check-in and wait times for COVID testing and has improved customer satisfaction." "Paradise Healthcare has made testing seamless for guests, and we're thrilled they've trusted us with this important assignment," said Nicholus Andrews, CEO of TESTD. "No one wants to spend their vacations standing in line at the clinic, especially not in a place as beautiful as the Bahamas where there's so much to do -- even if all you are doing is relaxing in the sand."

Staying safe To ensure tourists have a safe holiday, the Bahamian government requires proof of a negative PCR test prior to arrival for all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated guests over the age of 11, and a rapid antigen test on Day 5 of a longer stay. In order to help resort guests with their required Day 5 tests, Paradise Healthcare has five stations around the resort for testing. Guests can use a smartphone to schedule a test and check-in quickly when they arrive for an appointment. They can also schedule dependents at the same time. A quick scan of an individual's appointment record allows the technician to pair that individual to a test kit for processing. Paperwork and hand-entry of data are eliminated, removing bottlenecks and opportunities for errors. Thanks to the TESTD system, the resort's healthcare provider is performing as many as one thousand tests a day. The TESTD flexible, secure platform TESTD's platform has been deployed at nursing homes, hotels, and high-volume drive up testing sites where speed, accuracy, security, and confidentiality are required TESTD encrypts all data using blockchain technology and is compliant with HIPAA guidelines in the U.S. as well as international standards for data security and privacy. Blockchain sets TESTD's process in sharp contrast to systems deployed elsewhere in the world where information is delivered to a central authority and security has been debated. "Testing and vaccination verification are both important tools to get our society re-opened," said Andrews. "TESTD is happy to be there for Paradise Healthcare, its dedicated employees, and guests at the resort." More information is available at www.TESTD.com .

Media inquiries: Alan Goodman, alan@testd.com, 646-543-ALAN (2526) TESTD Inc. provides electronic medical record (EMR) technology, based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It was founded in March 2020. TESTD's initial product is its platform TESTD, which automates medical test scheduling, manages testing data, and organizes the data for easy reporting. For sales, contact Eric Forst at 310-403-4589. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/testd-announces-agreement-with-paradise-healthcare-to-manage-covid-testing-in-the-bahamas-301317450.html SOURCE Testd

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[June 22, 2021] Nokia and Ligado partner to develop 5G base station radios for L-Band

Collaboration will jumpstart the L-Band commercial ecosystem



22 June 2021 Dallas, Texas  Nokia and Ligado Networks today announced an agreement for Nokia to develop 5G base station radios compatible with Ligados L-Band spectrum. This partnership will be the first in North America to develop a commercial L-Band offering to enable operators, service providers and enterprises to expand their 5G services. As the new L-Band spectrum becomes available, Nokia is adding support for L-Band to its 5G portfolio which already includes C-Band and Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) solutions. 5G Standalone (SA) services are now poised for commercial build out in the U.S. with the increased availability of mid-band spectrum, which provides the right balance of coverage and capacity to support a robust 5G user experience. Todays announcement builds on the prior 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Ligado band standardization support and collaboration between Nokia and Ligado which demonstrated the benefits of making new spectrum available to support next-generation 5G networks for a variety of industries including, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation. Within 3GPP, Ligado has successfully advanced band combinations for L-Band with C-Band, CBRS, and EBS/BRS to support increased access to the valuable spectrum. Nokias commercial development of L-Band network equipment for Ligado will allow L-Band to support cost-efficient, broad-based and rapidly deployed 5G standalone solutions. M/strong>aqbool Aliani, Chief Technology Officer at Ligado Networks, said: Our partnership with an industry leader like Nokia is a significant milestone for our company and brings the deployment of L-Band spectrum in 5G mobile networks one step closer to reality. Nokia is a key partner in Ligados commercial efforts to develop the vendor ecosystem around this lower mid-band spectrum, and we look forward to advancing our collaboration activities to ready the L-Band for 5G network deployments.



Mika Kahkola, Head of RF Platforms Management at Nokia, said: The time is right for Nokia to join forces with Ligado to commercialize the L-Band. Together, we will help mobile operators and enterprises across the U.S. capitalize on the low-mid-band spectrum that hits the sweet spot for capacity and coverage and can accelerate 5G service. Resources:

Webpage: AirScale RAN



About Nokia We create technology that helps the world act together. As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world. About Ligado Networks Building on 25 years of experience providing crucial satellite connectivity, our mission is to modernize American businesses by deliving secure and reliable 5G connectivity solutions to transform their operations and realize the efficiencies of a digital world. Our plans to deploy licensed mid-band spectrum in public and private 5G networks will help pave the way for future innovations and economic growth across America. Media Inquiries:

Nokia

Communications

Phone: +358 10 448 4900

Email: press.services@nokia.com Ligado Networks

Ashley Durmer, Chief Communications Officer and Head of Congressional Affairs

Phone: +1 703-390-2008

Email: ashley@ligado.com



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[June 22, 2021] Amentum Awarded $97 Million Federal Aviation Administration Environmental Remediation Support Services Contract

Amentum, a leading contractor of U.S. federal and allied governments, has been awarded a $97 million-dollar Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Environmental Remediation Support Services contract in support of the William J. Hughes (News - Alert) Technical Center (WJHTC) in Atlantic County, New Jersey. The contract value is $97.2 million and has a period of performance of 10 years beginning July 1, 2021. John Vollmer, Amentum's Chief Executive Officer, stated "We are delighted to have the opportunity to continue our support of the FAA's environmental remediation work at one of the nation's premier aviation facilities. We are proud of our work to support this world class laboratory and the mission of the FAA." "This award reflects the tremendous record we have established to safely execute the remediation work at WJHTC, and we are excited to continue our partnership wth the FAA," said Mark Whitney, Amentum's President of Nuclear & Environment business Unit. "As a leader in the environmental remediation business, we are well positioned to support the FAA in this increasingly important market for our company."



Under this contract, Amentum will perform operation and maintenance, remedial action construction, Geographic Information System (GIS), and National Environmental Data Repository Management Support related tasks for the FAA at the nation's premier air transportation laboratory. The WJHTC is listed on the Superfund National Priority List and the majority of the work will be related to Areas of Concern undergoing active remediation. About Amentum

Amentum is a premier global technical and engineering services partner supporting critical programs of national significance across defense, security, intelligence, energy, and environment. We draw from a century-old heritage of operational excellence, mission focus, and successful execution underpinned by a strong culture of safety and ethics. Headquartered in Germantown, Md., we employ more than 34,000 people in all 50 states and perform work in 105 foreign countries and territories. Visit us at amentum.com to explore how we deliver excellence for our customers' most vital missions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005119/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Merlyn Mind Launches the First Digital Assistant for Education to Support Teachers, Improve K-12 Learning

Today, AI startup, Merlyn Mind, launches out of stealth to unveil the first digital assistant built specifically for education that empowers teachers to more naturally use the technology in their classrooms and simplify their work. The company also announces it has closed $29 million in funding to date, led by Learn Capital. "Taming the explosion of technology is especially critical now, as educators and students have experienced some of the most trying times in our education system's history," said Satya Nitta, co-founder and CEO of Merlyn Mind. "We believe digital assistants will radically transform how people work across every industry. Our mission today is to bring the latest advances in AI to education to improve the lives of teachers and ultimately the learning outcomes of their students." The Merlyn Mind team spent the last three and a half years working in tandem with educators to create Merlyn, the first digital assistant built specifically for education. In 2021 alone, Merlyn Mind has piloted Merlyn in over 50 classrooms across more than 20 different schools as the company accelerates the release of Merlyn to help educators take back their classrooms from the complexities of technology. Merlyn gives teachers more natural command of the devices and digital services in their classrooms and untethers them from the front of the room. Responding to both voice and remote control, Merlyn empowers teachers with choices that simplify how they use classroom technology. "We've been investing in education technology companies for more than a decade at Learn Capital, and Merlyn Mind has brought together what is quite simply the dream team," said Rob Hutter, Founder & Managing Partner at Learn Capital and board member of Merlyn Mind. "Incredible professionals from IBM Watson Labs, HP Education, Amazon Alexa, Google (News - Alert) , Facebook, Broadcom, and Roku have come together to work on a unified product experience for an extremely urgent mission--that of reclaiming the classroom for teaching from the complexity of technology itself." "I've worked closely with the Merlyn Mind team to understand what educators really need from their technology, and what e know is teachers don't just need more technology, they need the right technology," said Emily Schindler, Associate Director at Creativity Labs, University of California-Irvine. "Merlyn Mind wants to give teachers what they need most, more time and freedom to think about student learning and the ability to better leverage their greatest asset, themselves."



Before COVID-19, teachers already spent half of their time focused on administrative tasks (McKinsey & Co., 2020), managing more than 900 different applications in the classroom according to LearnPlatform. After COVID-19, teachers' jobs have become even more difficult, with more than 97% of K-12 educators reporting learning loss in students over the past year when compared with children in previous years, according to Horace Mann Educators Corporation. Merlyn helps teachers manage the complexity of teaching with technology in the classroom and frees teachers to focus more of their time on the individual needs of their students. The Merlyn assistant is accessed through Symphony Classroom, an AI hub custom-built for the unique needs of education. With Symphony Classroom, teachers can control classroom devices like the front-of-room displays, teacher laptops, the internet browser, and the applications teachers use daily. Merlyn integrates with the apps and devices teachers already use and love, including Google Slides, Google Drive, Classcraft, Nearpod, Newsela, and more to meet teachers where they already are.

To learn more about Merlyn Mind, visit https://merlyn.org/. About Merlyn Mind Merlyn Mind is the technology company behind Merlyn, the first digital assistant for education. Merlyn seamlessly integrates into classrooms and existing edtech tools to give teachers natural command of their favorite education technology. Merlyn is accessed through Symphony Classroom, an AI hub custom-built for the unique needs of education. Merlyn Mind is backed by Learn Capital. The company has attracted top talent from IBM (News - Alert) Watson, Amazon Alexa, HP, Facebook, Google, Broadcom, Roku, the Allen Institute for AI and other innovative organizations. Merlyn Mind is headquartered in New York City. For more information visit www.merlyn.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005874/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Lil Baby Named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year; Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and D-Nice Presented with ASCAP Voice of the Culture Award at ASCAP 2021 Rhythm and Soul Music Awards

NEW YORK, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ASCAP reveals the winners of its prestigious 2021 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards today through Thursday, June 24 on @ASCAP & @ASCAPUrban social media. The 34th annual event returns in ASCAP's innovative virtual format for a second year, to recognize the distinguished songwriters, producers and publishers behind hip-hop, R&B and gospel music's biggest hits. Fans and friends everywhere can participate in the celebration by tuning in for exclusive photos and videos from the winners with the hashtag #ASCAPAwards via @ASCAPUrban on Instagram and @ASCAP on Instagram & Twitter . Rapper Lil Baby is named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, an honor most recently held by Cardi B, Quavo and Gucci Mane, for his songs including "Baby," "The Bigger Picture," "Emotionally Scarred," "For the Night" and more. The Grammy-nominated songwriter and artist has been one of the most dominant and critically-acclaimed names in rap since his first release in 2017. His 2020 solo album My Turn debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Lil Baby was also named to Time Magazine's 2021 "100 Next" List and earlier this month released a collaborative album The Voice of the Heroes with Lil Durk. Tomorrow, @ASCAP will premiere an exclusive Lil Baby performance of "The Bigger Picture" at 4:00 PM ET/ 1:00 PM PT on @ASCAP YouTube ; a link to the premiere will be posted on @ASCAP social media.



Grammy-winning songwriter-producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz; and rapper and DJ D-Nice will receive ASCAP's Voice of the Culture Award, presented to ASCAP members who have had a major influence on music and culture. The award celebrates the music legends for their success as creators of Verzuz and Club Quarantine, respectively, two virtual events that became touchstones of empowerment for the community during the pandemic. Immediately following the award presentation today at 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT on @ASCAP YouTube , the trio will participate in a special 2021 ASCAP Experience conversation, Voices of the Culture: How Swizz Beatz, Timbaland & D-Nice United the World Through Music. The Top Hip-Hop/R&B & Rap Song award is presented to writers Anderson "Vinylz" Hernandez, Che Ecru, Joshua "J-Louis" Huizar, Matthew "Boi-1da" Samuels and Noah "40" Shebib for their work on Chris Brown's "No Guidance" (feat. Drake). "No Guidance" spent 27 weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and was a Grammy nominee for Best R&B Song.

The Top Gospel Song goes to Kanye West's "Follow God," co-written by Bryant "XCELENCE" Bell and Jahmal "BoogzDaBeast" Gwin. The song, from West's ninth album Jesus Is King, debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. Universal Music Publishing Group receives Publisher of the Year for their writers' continued success with songs including "Blinding Lights" (The Weeknd), "Rockstar" (DaBaby, Roddy Rich) and "Laugh Now Cry Later" (Drake, Lil Durk). The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards wrap up on Thursday June 24 with an in memoriam segment celebrating the life and legacy of rapper DMX; an @ASCAPUrban Real Sounds Deconstructed session with jetsonmade; and a tour of the SoSo Def studio led by megaproducer Jermaine Dupri. Both jetsonmade and Dupri are 2021 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award winners. D-Nice will close out the festivities with an afterparty, a special edition of Club Quarantine on Instagram Live, on @dnice beginning at 4:00 PM ET/ 1:00 PM PT. A complete list of winners can be found at: www.ascap.com/rsawards21 . About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With more than 800,000 members representing more than 16 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com , on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook . View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lil-baby-named-ascap-songwriter-of-the-year-swizz-beatz-timbaland-and-d-nice-presented-with-ascap-voice-of-the-culture-award-at-ascap-2021-rhythm-and-soul-music-awards-301317532.html SOURCE ASCAP

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[June 22, 2021] FinancialForce Named Top Professional Services Automation Software by G2 for the Enterprise for Tenth Consecutive Quarter

FinancialForce, the leading provider of customer-centric business applications across finance, services, and customer success teams, has been named the #1 vendor in G2's Spring 2021 Overall, Enterprise, and Mid-Market PSA Grid Reports, marking the tenth consecutive quarter as the top PSA for the enterprise. FinancialForce was also named a leader in the Mid-Market Grid Report for Accounting. The rankings are based on hundreds of customer ratings across products and services, and they draw frm reviews by verified users on G2 (News - Alert) , the world's leading business solutions review website.



"With FinancialForce, customers gain visibility into the full customer lifecycle, driving and protecting revenue and increasing customer lifetime value," said Scott Bajtos, Chief Customer Officer, FinancialForce. "Our customers get the value of connecting the front and back office for a 360-degree view of the business -- all on the Salesforce platform. G2 reviews are a great way for customers to share their experiences with their peers." Unlike other ERP and PSA applications, FinancialForce extends the value of Salesforce applications like CRM, CPQ, and Einstein by seamlessly unifying sales, professional services teams, and back-office teams. Running businesses with customers at the center will empower actionable and holistic insights at every step of the customer lifecycle, ultimately driving business growth.

"Rankings on G2 reports are based on data provided to us by real users," said Michael Fauscette, chief research officer, G2. "We are excited to share the achievements of the products ranked on our site because they represent the voice of the user and offer terrific insights to potential buyers around the world." You can view the G2 rankings at this link, as well as learn more about Professional Services Automation in the most recent SPI Benchmark report. About FinancialForce FinancialForce accelerates business growth with customer-centric ERP, Professional Services Automation (PSA), and Customer Success Operations solutions. Run on the leading cloud platform, Salesforce, FinancialForce enables organizations to see their customers in full color to unlock customer insights, deliver innovative experiences, run a digital business, and achieve agility and resilience. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, FinancialForce is backed by Advent International, Salesforce Ventures, and Technology Crossover Ventures. For more information, visit www.financialforce.com. Most adopted PSA solution in SPI Research's 2021 PS Maturity Benchmark; most adopted PSA solution by Technology Services Industry Association in 2020; leader in IDC MarketScape for Worldwide SaaS (News - Alert) and Cloud-Enabled Midmarket Finance and Accounting Applications, 2020; #1 PSA by G2. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005495/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Nu-Tek BioSciences Breaks Ground in Austin, Minnesota

Nu-Tek BioSciences, an innovative manufacturer of industrial ingredients used in the development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, broke ground today on its 60,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Austin, Minnesota. The building will be home to the first dedicated animal-free peptone manufacturing facility in the U.S. and a long-term solution for raw materials needed for certain biologics manufacturing. Located in the Creekside Business Park, the Nu-Tek project will sit on nearly nine acres with additional land available for future growth and expansion. Upon completion, Nu-Tek is expected to create approximately 35 to 40 jobs at this facility. "For more than 10 years, Nu-Tek has manufactured and supplied raw materials in the form of peptones to the pharmaceutical industry and this expansion gives us the ability to introduce big pharma to Austin and strengthen this position in the Midwest," said Thomas Yezzi, CEO, Nu-Tek BioSciences. "Austin's rich manufacturing background and proximity to world class health care systems and major research universities made it the ideal location to build a world-class facility needed to manufacture next generation biologics." The $40 million project went through a competitive and extensive site selection process conducted in consultation with local officials from the City of Austin, the Austin Port Authority, Austin Utilities, Mower County, Development Corporation of Austin and the Community Venture Network. Minnesota's Department of Empoyment and Economic Development is assisting the project with a loan of up to $325,000 from the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF) and a $175,000 award from the Job Creation Fund (JCF).



"We're very proud of all the companies that call Austin home," shared City of Austin Mayor Steve King. "Adding Nu-Tek BioSciences to that list will grow our food and agriculture presence and expand our economic footprint to include bioscience technology. This will be transformational for our community." WDS Construction, a Beaver Dam, Wisconsin-based general contractor providing 48 states with construction management and development services, will serve as general contractor for the project.

Joining Nu-Tek at the groundbreaking ceremony were officials from Austin Port Authority, Austin Utilities, City of Austin, Development Corporation of Austin, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Mower County, PACE Equity, Horicon Bank, ISG Design & Engineering, Dahmes Stainless Equipment, JCW Development, WDS Construction, the Hormel Institute and guests of the company. For additional information, please visit www.nu-tekbioscience.com. About Nu-Tek BioSciences Nu-Tek BioSciences develops and manufactures peptones and protein hydrolysates for the biotech and wellness foods industry. Nu-Tek's portfolio of products are used in a variety of applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to industrial fermentations. Nu-Tek's peptones are most commonly used in microbiological media, fermentation nutrient systems, as well as cell and tissue culture media. They can also be found in the wellness foods sector, used in the manufacture of allergen-free probiotics and serve as nutritional protein hydrolysates. Extensive experience with proteins and associated manufacturing practices have enabled the development of proprietary processes used at the firm today. The unique processing techniques produce peptones, which have been proven to increase growth rates and yields. Coupled with superior customer service, Nu-Tek creates additional value in manufacturing as a solutions-based manufacturer. Flexibility and openness to innovation allows for customization of products to meet firm-specific needs. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005336/en/

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[June 22, 2021] SPIE and Vanderbilt University Announce $1 Million Optical Engineering Faculty Fellowship

Today, SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and Vanderbilt University announced the establishment of the SPIE Faculty Fellowship in Optics and Photonics. The $500,000 gift from the SPIE Endowment Matching Program will be matched 100% by Vanderbilt. This is the eighth major SPIE gift to universities and institutes as part of the Society's ongoing program to support the expansion of optical engineering teaching and research. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005228/en/ Image of Vanderbilt University Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Yuankai "Kenny" Tao, the first recipient of the SPIE Faculty Fellowship in Optics and Photonics. (Photo credit: Vanderbilt University) The SPIE Faculty Fellowship will support a Vanderbilt University faculty member who is working in optics and photonics. Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Yuankai "Kenny" Tao has been selected as the recipient of the first gift.



Tao received his bachelor's degrees in electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering, as well as a master's degree and a PhD in biomedical engineering, from Duke University. Prior to joining the faculty at Vanderbilt, Tao was an assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmic Research at Cleveland Clinic and director of the Diagnostic Imaging and Biophotonics Laboratory at Cole Eye Institute. "I'm incredibly honored to receive this fellowship," said Tao. "My graduate and postdoctoral training in optics were the most formative experiences of my life, and SPIE conferences and publications have always been, and continue to be, the way in which I interact with the broader optics and photonics community. I'm very lucky to have a tremendous amount of support and mentorship at Vanderbilt. We have one of the few biophotonics centers in the country, and a critical mass of faculty spanning imaging, sensing, laser-tissue interactions, materials, and nanophotonics. This fellowship will be a vital resource as we continue to recruit best and brightest trainees and researchers in optics and photonics to Vanderbilt."

"I am thrilled SPIE has chosen Vanderbilt Engineering as a recipient of an endowed faculty fellowship," said Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering Philippe Fauchet. "These investments provide critical support to our most promising young faculty to continue to develop their research programs and increase the school's competitive advantage to recruit the best graduate students." "The SPIE Faculty Fellowship will be instrumental in expanding opportunities for Vanderbilt University faculty working in optics and photonics," said SPIE President David Andrews. "Their faculty will benefit directly from the gift, and it will positively impact the learning experience of their students. This partnership between SPIE and Vanderbilt will have a long-standing effect on generations of optics teachers, researchers, and students to come." The SPIE Endowment Matching Program was established in 2019 to increase international capacity in the teaching and research of optics and photonics. With this latest endowment, the program crosses the $3-million threshold for funds provided. The SPIE Endowment Matching Program supports optics and photonics education and the future of the industry by contributing a match of up to $500,000 per award to college and university programs with optics and photonics degrees, or with other disciplines allied to the SPIE mission. About SPIE SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering, and technology. The Society serves more than 258,000 constituents from 184 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library. In 2020, SPIE provided over $5 million in community support including scholarships and awards, outreach and advocacy programs, travel grants, public policy, and educational resources. www.spie.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005228/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Anyscale Hosts Second Annual Ray Summit Featuring 50+ User Talks on Building Scalable Machine Learning Applications

Anyscale, the company behind the open source project Ray, kicked off its second annual Ray Summit today. The three-day virtual event features an impressive speaker lineup of leading machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and distributed system experts from Uber, Robinhood, Google, Amazon, Shopify, Visa, Dendra Systems, Wildlife Studios, and more. In its second year, Ray Summit will welcome nearly 12,000 Ray users and enthusiasts - developers, ML engineers, and researchers - from over 140 countries, doubling the signups from the 2020 event. More than 50 talks will showcase real-world examples of large-scale, distributed ML and data applications powered by Ray, as well as the latest innovations in the Ray ecosystem. "We are thrilled by the momentum in the Ray community, not only in user growth and adoption, but also in the ecosystem and the diversity of use cases being powered by Ray," said Robert Nishihara, co-founder and CEO, Anyscale, and one of the co-creators of Ray. "Many of the most popular ML libraries such as XGBoost, Horovod, Dask, Airflow, and more now integrate with Ray, enabling it to become the unified distributed framework for end-to-end ML workflows. It is very exciting to see this evolution reflected in many of the talks at this year's Ray Summit." Session highlights include: McKinsey / QuantumBlack describes how they used AI and Ray to design a world-class sailor to speed up hydrofoil designs, and partered with Emirates Team New Zealand to win the 36th America's cup.

describes how they used AI and Ray to design a world-class sailor to speed up hydrofoil designs, and partered with Emirates Team New Zealand to win the 36th America's cup. Uber, Shopify, Robinhood discuss how they are building centralized ML platforms, and why they are using Ray as the underlying compute substrate.

discuss how they are building centralized ML platforms, and why they are using Ray as the underlying compute substrate. Ant Group describes how using Ray as the distributed computing foundation for their Fusion Engine is helping them efficiently scale a variety of business applications from risk management to growth marketing.

describes how using Ray as the distributed computing foundation for their Fusion Engine is helping them efficiently scale a variety of business applications from risk management to growth marketing. Dendra Systems presents how they are using ML and large-scale aerial imagery to accelerate ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation at scale.

presents how they are using ML and large-scale aerial imagery to accelerate ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation at scale. Wildlife Studios shares how they improved their offer recommendation engine using reinforcement learning, and increased player lifetime value.



Anyscale will unveil several new capabilities on the Anyscale platform that will enable developers to go from prototyping on their laptop to experimenting at scale in the cloud to deploying in production, all with minimal code changes. These new capabilities further Anyscale's goal of being the best platform to create, run, and manage Ray applications. Feature highlights include:

New client and dependency syncing enables developers to scale from their laptop to the cloud with no code changes

App packaging automatically bundles all code and library dependencies, enabling seamless migration to production

SDK and REST APIs give programmatic access to clusters, enabling integration with existing automation workflows like CI/CD pipelines "Ray has enabled us to develop, test, and deploy a new offer recommendation engine based on reinforcement learning in under five months, and it's already shown increased player lifetime value," said Emiliano Castro, principal data scientist at Wildlife Studios. "We are data scientists, not distributed systems experts. Without Ray, it would have taken us significantly longer to bring this new idea to market. The scale, functionality, and support that Anyscale provides accelerates our time to market, enabling us to launch new experiences sooner." To register and watch the live event, please visit: https://raysummit.anyscale.com/ About Anyscale Anyscale is the future of distributed computing. Founded by the creators of Ray, an open source project from the UC Berkeley RISELab, Anyscale enables developers of all skill levels to easily build applications that run at any scale, from a laptop to a data center. Anyscale empowers organizations to bring AI applications to production faster, reduce development costs, and eliminate the need for in-house expertise to build, deploy and manage these applications. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz and NEA, Anyscale is based in San Francisco, CA (News - Alert) . www.anyscale.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005925/en/

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[June 22, 2021] U.S. Bancorp Announces Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call Details

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) will release its second quarter 2021 earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, July 15. At 8 a.m. CT, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Cecere and Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer Terry Dolan will host a conference call to review the financial results. The conference call will be available online or by telephone. Via internet: To access the webcast and presentation, visit U.S. Bancorp's website at usbank.com and click on "About Us," "Investor Relations" and "Webcasts & Presentations."



Via telephone: To access the conference call from locations within the United States and Canada, please dial 866.316.1409. Participants calling from outside the United States and Canada, please dial 706.634.9086. The conference ID number for all participants is 8286744.

Replay info: For those unable to participate during the live call, a recording will be available at approximately 11 a.m. CT on Thursday, July 15 and will be accessible until Thursday, July 22 at 10:59 p.m. CT. To access the recorded message within the United States and Canada, please dial 855.859.2056. If calling from outside the United States and Canada, please dial 404.537.3406 to access the recording. The conference ID is 8286744. About U.S. Bank

U.S. Bancorp, with nearly 70,000 employees and $553 billion in assets as of March 31, 2021, is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association. The Minneapolis-based company serves millions of customers locally, nationally and globally through a diversified mix of businesses: Consumer and Business Banking; Payment Services; Corporate & Commercial Banking; and Wealth Management and Investment Services. The company has been recognized for its approach to digital innovation, social responsibility, and customer service, including being named one of the 2021 World's Most Ethical Companies and Fortune's most admired superregional bank. Learn more at usbank.com/about. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005951/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Carahsoft Hosting GovForward: MultiCloud Series

Keynote Speakers for July 20th FedRAMP Policy Headliner Summit Include:

U.S. Congressman Gerald Connolly (D-Va) and

Brian Conrad, Acting FedRAMP Director & Program Manager for Cybersecurity, GSA RESTON, Va., June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, and Government Executive Media Group (GEMG) are proud to host the third annual GovForward: MultiCloud Series featuring Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) solutions and successes. This virtual event brings together government and industry leaders to discuss marketplace priorities, FedRAMPs outlook for the future, the evolution of cloud policy, the rise of cloud computing in the COVID-19 era, and success stories and best practices. The series begins with GovForward: FedRAMP Innovations for Agency Missions, a 30-minute lead-up show on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. ET. With more cloud-based services and solutions built to support agencies with their missions, FedRAMP assures that these offerings match the governments rigorous security and compliance requirements. Industry experts from Boomi, SecurID and Virtustream will convene to discuss topics including IT Modernization, Customer Experience and Engagement, Cloud, Zero Trust, and more. Register for the show to learn more. The FedRAMP Policy Headliner Summit is being held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, encompassing government keynotes and panel discussions. Keynote speakers include U.S. Congressman Gerald Connolly (D-Va), sponsor of the FedRAMP Authorization Act; and Brian Conrad, Acting FedRAMP Director & Program Manager for Cybersecurity, GSA. Register for the FedRAMP Policy Headliner Summit to: Understand the current legislation impacting the Federal Cloud

Check out the latest on FedRAMP best practices, metrics and the road ahead

Learn how recent advances in automation are speeding the authorization process

Hear agency success stories

Explore StateRAMP, the FedRAMP-style option for state and local governments

Event attendees are eligible to receive continuing professional education (CPE) credits. A complete agenda for the FedRAMP Policy Headliner Summit is available here. Government speakers and panelists include: U.S. Congressman Gerald Connolly (D-Va), sponsor of the FedRAMP Authorization Act/li>

Brian Conrad, Acting FedRAMP Director & Program Manager for Cybersecurity, GSA

Les Benito, Director of Operations, Cloud Computing Program Office, Defense Information System Agency

Jeff Shilling, Chief Information Officer, National Cancer Institute, NIH

Leah McGrath, Executive Director, StateRAMP

J.R. Sloan, Chief Information Officer, State of Arizona



 Acquia  Microsoft  Adobe  New Relic  Akamai  Okta  AvePoint  Red Hat  AWS  SailPoint  Boomi  Salesforce  Centrify  SAP NS2  Collibra  SecurID  Dell Technologies  ServiceNow  Exterro  Snowflake  Google Cloud  Splunk  Granicus  Sword GRC  Hootsuite  Virtustream  IronNet  VMware  Lookout  Zscaler  McAfee To register for the GovForward: FedRAMP Innovations for Agency Missions lead-up show, click here. To register for the FedRAMP Policy Headliner Summit, visit GovForward.com.



About Carahsoft Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Customer Experience and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Visit us at www.carahsoft.com. Contact Mary Lange

(703) 230-7434

PR@carahsoft.com



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[June 22, 2021] Mastercard Announces Annual Meeting Results

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) announced the results of its annual meeting of stockholders held today. At the meeting: The full slate of 14 directors was elected for a one-year term to expire at the next annual meeting of stockholders

The compensation for the company's executive officers was approved on an advisory basis

The appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers (News - Alert) , LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for 2021 was ratified

Stockholders approved the amended and restated Long-Term Incentive Plan and Non-Employee Director Equity Compensation Plan

Stockholders approved changes to the corporate charter to remove supermajority voting requirements When final voting results are available, they will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC (News - Alert) ) on a Form 8-K and posted on the Investor Relations section of Mastercard.com.



Forward Looking Statements Statements in this press release which are not historical facts are forward-looking and subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "believe," "expect," "could," "may," "would," "will," "trend" and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Mastercard's future prospects, developments and business strategies. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in the company's expectations.

About Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005971/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Follett Makes Impressive Jump to #57 on Digital Commerce 360's 2021 Top 1000 Report

Follett Higher Education Group today announced a nearly 30 percent improvement in its ranking on Digital Commerce 360's 2021 Top 1000 report, which analyzes and ranks the leading online retailers in North America. Follett moved from #81 in 2020 to #57 in 2021. "This past year has challenged our ecommerce teams in countless ways, but our focus never wavered from what it's always been - delivering a seamless and innovative online experience for students, fans and campus members everywhere," says Roe McFarlane, president of Follett Higher Education. "Our new ranking is a true reflection of the incredible work behind Follett's omnichannel strategy and ecommerce platform." According to the report, the jump in Follett's ranking was fueled by several key performance indicators (KPI) where the company demonstrated significant improvement during calendar year 2020. Follett saw a remarkable 88% increase in online sales. While this was due in part to the 2020 shift to online shopping, the real catalyst was Follett's substantial increase in conversion rates (the percentage of website visits that result in a purchase). Follett's sales increase greatly outpaced the overall growth average from the U.S. online retail market, which landed at 32.4%. Follett's online conversion rate was at a notable 8.5%, compared to the average 2.9% from Digital Commerce 360's Top 1000. This rate was driven by Follett's new ecommerce platform and a series of enhancements that focused on improving the online customer experience. With more online shoppers following through with their purchases, Follett's online conversion rate grew by 40%, compared to the average growth of 29.6% from Digital Commerce 360's Top 1000. Follett's online shoppers checked out with an average order size of $130, compared to $127 from Digital Commerce 360's Top 1000. Follett recently completed phase one of a $50 million, multiple-year ecommerce investment, which launched in June 2019. Supported by today's leading technology, the platform excelled by providing a stable and seamless environment for the surge in online shoppers during 2020's back-to-school season. Notable enhancements include a new HCL Commerce v9 platform, a shift to a cloud-based environment, and a new content management system (CMS) with Adobe (News - Alert) Experience Manager. Gary Schoch, vice president, global CX, commerce, digital experience and Unica leader at HCL Software, partnered with Follett through te upgrade to the new HCL Commerce v9 platform. "From day one of Follett's ecommerce transformation, it's been evident that this team's priority is the customer's online experience," says Schoch. "The new HCL Commerce v9 platform is designed to help merchants sell more and allows Follett to quickly respond to the changing needs and shopping habits of today's students while maintaining the ability to scale to sudden changes in online traffic."



Follett's use of Adobe Experience Manager as the CMS that connects with HCL to support a headless commerce model is another crucial pillar behind the company's online experience. Loni Stark, vice president, strategy and product at Adobe, explains, "Follett's choice to implement Adobe Experience Manager to support a digital-first shopping experience demonstrates their commitment to driving personalization and convenience for shoppers. We're proud to offer an industry-leading experience management and delivery solution that allows Follett to easily adapt and improve its more than 1,100 unique campus websites." To pull these enhancements together into one cohesive system, Follett relied on Capgemini (News - Alert) . "For the past 16 years, Capgemini has been proud to support Follett in their digital innovation efforts in online retailing. Their recent ecommerce transformation enhanced the overall experience for millions of shoppers and established an agile platform that can quickly adapt to evolving customer needs. As Follett's technology partner, Capgemini was responsible for multiple aspects of the new site, including development, testing, and managing integrations to create one cohesive system. Our shared success is reflected in Follett's impressive 2020 ecommerce performance," says Rajnish Nath, CEO of Sogeti US, part of the Capgemini Group.

Follett campus partners, as well as students, faculty, alumni and fans, will continue to benefit from the company's ongoing ecommerce investment. Personalized recommendations, integrated student information, more purchase and shipping options, real-time communication, and expanded inventory are just a few of the features that the new platform brings. Lori Krzyzewski, senior vice president of ecommerce at Follett, looks forward to the future as Follett's ecommerce transformation continues to unfold. "Our team has accomplished a lot over the past two years, but we've only just begun. With Follett's continued investment into its ecommerce platform, we'll be able to support our campus websites with even more innovative solutions that drive sales, school pride and academic success." About Follett Higher Education Group | www.highered.follett.com FHEG is a prominent and historic omnichannel retailer and educational service provider that operates over 1,100 campus store locations and 1,250 ecommerce campus store websites. Currently ranked #57 on Digital Commerce 360's 2021 Top 1000 list, Follett provides emblematic and non-emblematic general merchandise and course materials within the higher education marketplace. FHEG serves both two-year and four-year colleges through long-term contracts with approximately 800 campus partners. FHEG manages the institution's online and in-store channels to assort and sell a wide array of merchandise and services that support students, faculty, campus administration, alumni, and the surrounding community. We enable faculty to teach, students to learn, institutions to run and fans to celebrate. About Follett Corporation | www.follett.com Follett Corporation is the world's largest single source of educational materials, digital content, ecommerce, and multi-media for libraries, schools and institutions. Headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, Follett provides education technology, services and physical and digital content to millions of students at 70,000 schools, and more than 2,700 physical locations and campus eCommerce platforms in North America. Through Baker & Taylor, Follett's reach also extends to the public library markets. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005989/en/

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[June 22, 2021] The Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) Program Announces Fourth Wireless Research Platform in Central Iowa to Drive Innovation in Rural Broadband Connectivity

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and an industry consortium of 35 leading wireless companies, today announced ARA as the fourth testbed in a diverse portfolio of large-scale wireless research platforms located throughout the United States. Designated as ARA: Wireless Living Lab for Smart and Connected Rural Communities, the new platform in Central Iowa complements the technical specialties of earlier PAWR platforms, adding a focus on technologies for low-cost, high-speed rural broadband connectivity. ARA, the newest wireless testbed, adds a focus on technologies for low-cost, high-speed rural broadband connectivity. In addition to $7 million from NSF, the ARA platform has received another $1 million in financial support from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding will be augmented by in-kind contributions from the PAWR industry consortium to match the federal investment. "The PAWR public-private partnership showcases NSF's unique ability to foster a national innovation ecosystem," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "By bringing together academia, industry, government and local communities, the ARA platform will support breakthrough solutions to connect the unconnected. As a result, we will be able to strengthen our efforts to address our Nation's digital divide, finally allowing millions of Americans to gain access to basic information and resources." "This is a powerful partnership between NIFA, USDA's extramural funding agency, and NSF to foster an important step for improving the quality of life in rural America. Transferring high-speed broadband solutions to rural communities that so badly need them will positively impact businesses, agriculture, healthcare, education, and all aspects of rural life, helping build the local economy," said NIFA Director Carrie Castille. "I am thrilled to hear Iowa State has received this grant to help bolster broadband connectivity in rural areas," said Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04). "This program reflects the importance of developing and utilizing public-private partnerships to spark innovation and expand broadband and precision agriculture capabilities, which will empower our producers to improve efficiency by taking a more targeted approach to farming practices. As the first and only PAWR testbed in the Midwest, I am excited to watch this project unfold  and I am hopeful it will lead to innovative solutions that will close the digital divide and improve the quality of life for rural Iowans and Americans." ARA will establish its wireless living lab across Iowa State University, the city of Ames, and surrounding farms and rural communities in Central Iowa. Creating a deeply programmable infrastructure, ARA will feature a wide range of wireless technologies as well as an application focus on precision agriculture in both crop and livestock farms. "ARA enables research in end-to-end broadband infrastructures for rural and remote areas, and it features high-performance, programmable platforms in wireless access, wireless backhaul, and edge and cloud," said Professor Hongwei Zhang, Principal Investigator for ARA. "By supporting fundamental communication services such as ultra-reliable, low-latency communications, ARA enables field research studies (e.g., tele-operations of vehicles or drones) that are of generic interest to rural and urban regions but are difficult to conduct in urban settings in early stages of the exploration." "Ericsson is excited to contribute our equipment and expertise to this groundbreaking rural innovation platform," said Paul Challoner, Vice President of Network Solutions for Ericsson North America, a PAWR industry consortium partner. "ARA will help to redefine the research capabilities in rural America, in conjunction with PAWR and NSF, to develop technology to address the digital and mobility divides that currently exist in the U.S. The ARA patform will provide insights and technology advances needed to stimulate and support the economy of rural America."



With the launch of the rural broadband platform, ARA joins three other PAWR testbeds: POWDER-RENEW in Salt Lake City, Utah; COSMOS in the West Harlem neighborhood of New York City; and AERPAW in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. The PAWR program also features other resources and facilities including Colosseum, the world's largest radiofrequency emulator, and OpenAirX-Labs (OAX), a neutral lab environment for the development and testing of a benchmark, open source 5G software stack. The PAWR program is designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of promising technologies and applications, ensuring continued U.S. leadership in wireless communications while also preparing the emerging workforce for new job opportunities in the digital economy.

ARA Platform Details

ARA is based out of Iowa State University where a team of researchers including students will work in close collaboration with state, community, and industry partners. Select partners include the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT), Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS), Iowa Regional Utilities Association (IRUA), Iowa Communications Alliance, city of Ames, Story County, local school districts, Meskwaki Tribal Nation, Woodland Farms, U.S. Cellular, Collins Aerospace, and John Deere. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, Ohio State University, and International Computer Science Institute are also key members of the project team. The ARA testbed will produce a heterogeneous network environment featuring a wide range of wireless technologies. For backhaul connectivity, ARA will create a multi-modal, high-capacity wireless mesh network including low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite links, a free-space optical (FSOC) platform, and long-distance millimeter wave (mmWave) and microwave point-to-point communications. In the radio access network (RAN), ARA will employ low-UHF massive MIMO (mMIMO) and other platforms to enable research across multiple frequencies including the TV white space (TVWS) band, CBRS band, and several others. The ARA platform will feature software defined radios (SDRs) and programmable off-the-shelf equipment. This virtualized and programmable network will support research in areas such as bandwidth aggregation, channel bonding, and dynamic spectrum sharing, as well as resilient, high-throughput, and long-distance wireless backhaul and access, which are expected to lay the foundation for more affordable rural broadband service. To learn more about ARA, visit www.arawireless.org. For more information on the PAWR program, visit the PAWR website at www.advancedwireless.org. About the PAWR Project Office (PPO)

The Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research Project Office (PPO) manages the $100 million public-private partnership and oversees the research platforms. The PPO is co-led by US Ignite and Northeastern University, and funded by the National Science Foundation and PAWR industry consortium. The PPO collaborates closely with the wireless research community, local communities, and industry, in part through the industry consortium, in the design, development, deployment, and initial operations of the research platforms. About US Ignite

US Ignite is a hightech nonprofit with a mission to accelerate the smart community movement. Our public-private partnership programs leverage advanced networking and data science to drive key outcomes for communities. Our work also enables new opportunities for wireless and IoT research designed to help narrow the gap between cuttingedge experimentation and scalable, realworld technology deployments. About Northeastern University

Northeastern University is a global, experiential, and toptier research university, with the world's most innovative cooperative education program. Research in the College of Engineering looks at critical issues in materials, processes, systems, and infrastructure at every scalenano to macro to globalgrounded in a translational approach that integrates the values of fundamental and applied research to meet societal needs. About the National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments, and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2021 budget of $8.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities, and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts. About the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture

USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2020, NIFA's total investment was $1.95 billion. CONTACT: PAWR Project Office, info@advancedwireless.org View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-platforms-for-advanced-wireless-research-pawr-program-announces-fourth-wireless-research-platform-in-central-iowa-to-drive-innovation-in-rural-broadband-connectivity-301316623.html SOURCE Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR)

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[June 22, 2021] Veeam and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Expand Partnership, as Customers Embrace XaaS and Kubernetes Data Protection

HPE Discover 2021 -- Veeam Software, the leader in backup solutions that deliver Modern Data Protection, today announced it has won the Hewlett-Packard (News - Alert) Enterprise (HPE) Ezmeral Software Momentum Marketplace Partner of the Year 2021 for Modern Data Protection solutions growth and leadership. The award recognizes Veeam within the HPE partner ecosystem and underscores the continued momentum of Veeam Availability Suite v11 and Kasten K10 solutions being integrated with HPE Storage offerings and HPE GreenLake cloud services. "This award is testament to our partnership with HPE, and another proof point of how organizations are turning to Veeam for the most advanced Modern Data Protection solutions for cloud, virtual, SaaS (News - Alert) , Kubernetes and physical workloads," said Jim Kruger, Chief Marketing Officer at Veeam. "More and more customers across the globe, including Havmor, Datev, Alpha Bank, Invado and Agnitio (News - Alert) , are realizing the true value of the combined benefits of industry-leading technologies from both Veeam and HPE." "The partnership between Veeam and HPE helps our end users reduce downtime, increase agility and help achieve digital transformation," said Jim Jackson, Chief Marketing Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. "Together, we deliver better data availability, streamlined IT operations, reduced risk of data loss, and significant financial and competitive benefits for customers." Announced during HPE Discover 2021, the award represents one of several significant milestones in the expansion and success of the Veeam and HPE relationship. To continue exceeding customer outcomes and expectations, several new partnership capabilities have been added: The joint HPE GreenLake and Veeam offering has continued to evolve and provides customers with a robust "as-a-service" experience. This enables HPE GreenLake and Veeam deliver an end to end "as-a-service" experience with a platform for Modern Data Protection that reflects customers' evolving desire for the cloud experience. This also empowers organizations to streamline their data transformation agenda, with the safeguards of backup and replication. Through HPE GreenLake, Veeam's Universal License (VUL) brings the portable license and pricing into total harmony.

With the recent announcement of Veeam Backup & Replication v11, Veeam introduced faster backup and restores with asynchronous snapshot eplication support for HPE Primera (News - Alert) mission-critical storage, driving Catalyst Copy improvements for HPE StoreOnce and HPE Cloud Volumes Backup, and enabling the fastest ever Veeam all-in-one backup platform performance when using the HPE Apollo 4510 Gen10 System. HPE Engineering has seen doubling of performance through testing of this optimized V11 code with HPE Apollo.

Kasten K10 by Veeam, now available from HPE, enables enterprises to confidently run and protect cloud-native applications on Kubernetes, across private, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. HPE Ezmeral Container Platform applications can also be seamlessly recovered and redeployed across clusters and sites to facilitate effective disaster recovery strategies.

The new Veeam Universal Storage API plug-ins for both the HPE XP Platform and HPE SimpliVity will provide storage snapshot integration, enabling customers to realize faster and more frequent backup and replication of VMware vSphere VMs without any performance impact on production workloads, driving efficiencies and lowering costs in data safeguarding strategies.

HPE North America is now a Veeam Accredited Services Partner (VASP), which strengthens HPE's capabilities to sell, deploy and support Veeam solutions, and ensures enterprises realize satisfaction through HPE PointNext Advisory and Professional Services.



booth at HPE Discover and at https://www.veeam.com. Supporting Quotes

"Whether in the data center, cloud or combination of both, you must build the right type of infrastructure to protect your data, and downtime can't be tolerated in the modern economy the consequences are too grave. ESG research shows that loss of employee productivity is the number one impact of downtime as reported by 46% of organizations among many other business and operational impacts. Veeam is well positioned with HPE to safeguard data to ensure it's always on, and always protected. Over the last 10 years, Veeam has developed HPE specific portfolio integrations creating ease of use, reliability and scalability of data protection, and we believe Veeam will continue to invest in future integrations for years to come." - Christophe Bertrand, Senior Analyst at ESG. "A key element of data protection as-a-service is ensuring a seamless experience for the customer. With Veeam Data Protection via HPE GreenLake, we offer customers a broad portfolio solutions to match specific use cases or workloads. Veeam's commitment to as-a-service with HPE will help customers address their most immediate challenges and unexpected demands." - Arwa Kaddoura, HPE GreenLake Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Go To Market "The HPE Ezmeral Container Platform and Kasten by Veeam partnership ensures customers can build solutions in repeatable patterns across a wide array of Kubernetes ecosystems, and be confident that deployed workloads are perfectly protected and recoverable due to unforeseen events. Kasten K10 is designed from the ground up to run natively in Kubernetes and yields much better returns in scale, security, and manageability than other traditional data management tools." - Gaurav Rishi, VP of Product at Kasten by Veeam "HPE North America is honored to have become a Veeam Accredited Service Provider. Data protection has never been more important than now, with security threats on the rise and remote workforces needing flexibility with how they access data. This accreditation allows HPE to better serve our joint customers and ensure your data is always on, always protected and your enterprise is always able to rapidly recover should a situation arise - from human error to malicious attack." - Jas Sood, VP & GM, NA Infrastructure & Services Sales About Veeam Software Veeam is the leader in backup, recovery and data management solutions that deliver Modern Data Protection. We provide a single platform for cloud, virtual, SaaS, Kubernetes and physical environments. Our customers are confident their apps and data are protected and always available with the most simple, flexible and reliable platform in the industry. Veeam protects over 400,000 customers worldwide, including more than 82% of the Fortune 500 and over 60% of the Global 2,000. Veeam's global ecosystem includes 35,000+ technology partners, resellers and service providers, and alliance partners, and Veeam has offices in more than 30 countries. To learn more, visit https://www.veeam.com or follow Veeam on LinkedIn (News - Alert) @veeam-software and Twitter @veeam. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622005969/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Nodeseeds reveals investment in margin trading DEX 5x.Finance

PARIS, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blockchain venture capitalist firm Nodeseeds has announced its investment in decentralized finance protocol 5x.finance. This development was revealed on June 21 and continues the current spate of investment by the Nodeseeds in recent months.

Significant investment for Nodeseeds Nodeseeds investment in 5x.finance is a significant one as it looks to leverage the potentials of the margin trading platform. 5x.finance is a decentralized protocol that allows users to access comprehensive trading tools like leveraging and margin trading. Users receive rewards in the form of its native token for providing liquidity, and they can also stake on supported farming pools for additional rewards. In addition, 5x.finance also allows stakers to receive a share of revenue generated during liquidations and integrates buyback and burn programs as deflationary mechanisms. Nodeseeds believes that the margin trading platform has the potential to offer DeFi enthusiasts a unique trading experience. Since its launch in 2021, 5x.finance has experienced fast developments and has achieved several milestones within its roadmap. Nodeseeds investment will be used to foster growth and strategies that will place the platform as a major hub for crypto enthusiasts. Blockchain-based Venture Capitalist



Unlike other blockchain-based venture capitalists, Nodeseeds is designed to enable anyone to take part in investing in startups and projects at the earliest stage. It seeks to break the current barriers associated with the common investor accessing some of the top projects private sales. By holding its native token NDS, users can access tokenized private sales and seed rounds at the earliest phase of a blockchain startup or project. This difference means that users that hold NDS can invest in a project that could become the next best thing within a short period.

Additionally, Nodeseeds also uses 40% of its profits to buy back NDS tokens and burn them periodically, with just 15% going directly to the company. The VC also has a form on its website page for new crypto projects that desire funds to fill a form on its website profile. The native NDS token is the utility token of the decentralized VC, and users have to hold 350 NDS tokens to become eligible to participate in the private Nodeseeds investment channels and get specially made analyses of upcoming partnerships. More developments in the pipeline Nodeseeds is one of the fastest blockchain-based venture capitalists in the crypto industry. Since its launch in early 2021, the company has amassed a track record of investing in outstanding projects such as Occam, Polystarter, Trustpad, and Bitspawn Nodeseeds recently invested in DeFi protocol, Volatility protocol, and partnership are huge for the project. Volatility protocol is a DeFi protocol that allows users to capitalize on the volatile nature of the crypto market. Although primarily built on Ethereum, Nodeseeds invests in projects from other blockchain protocols. Occam is a DeFi suite on Cardano and Trustpad is a secured decentralized multi-chain fundraising platform. Nodeseeds intends to continue its current pace of investing and will fund more projects as its community grows in the coming months. Official li2nks  Nodeseeds

Website

Twitter

Telegram

Telegram  Announcements Media Contacts - CEO - Florian Hermet

Email - admin@nodeseeds.com

Website - https://nodeseeds.com/

Company - Nodeseeds



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[June 22, 2021] Travel + Leisure Charitable Foundation Announces Scholarship Program Benefiting High School Graduates in Eatonville, Florida

Travel + Leisure Charitable Foundation, established by Travel + Leisure Co. (NYSE:TNL), the world's leading membership and leisure travel company, has partnered with the School Board of Orange (News - Alert) County, Florida to launch the Travel + Leisure Eatonville Scholarship Program, which will kick-off during the 2021-2022 school year. Inspired by the work of philanthropist Harris Rosen and building upon his advocacy for local diverse communities, the partnership provides a stop-gap for Eatonville students seeking a college education. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006029/en/ Travel + Leisure Co. CEO Michael Brown (News - Alert) , Eatonville Mayor Eddie Cole, Harris Rosen and Superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins announce the launch of the Travel + Leisure Eatonville Scholarship Program. (Photo: Business Wire) The Travel + Leisure Eatonville Scholarship Program aims to promote educational excellence within the Eatonville community -- the oldest African-American-incorporated municipality in the United States - by funding up to 200 scholarships for former Hungerford Elementary School students who will graduate from Edgewater High School, Evans High School and Wekiva High School and have been accepted to a Florida state public college or university, a Florida community college or a Florida technical school. "Travel + Leisure Charitable Foundation is centered on making a difference in the communities where we vacation, and where we live," said Michael Brown, president and CEO of Travel + Leisure Co. "As the work of Harris Rosen has demonstrated, real change is possible when corporations work hand-in-hand with local communities to engage citizens in programs driven by a shared purpose. We look forward to working with the Town of Eatonville and Orange County Public Schools to deliver on our shared commitment to enable the next generation of Eatonville citizens to accomplish their academic and professional goals." "After 28 years of educating others regarding the transformative effects of our Tangelo (News - Alert) Park Program, I am beyond thrilled that we have identified a like-minded company here in Orlando to implement its success in another diverse community," said Harris Rosen, president & COO, Rosen Hotels & Resorts, and of The Harris Rosen Foundation. "My hope is to change America one community at a time by inspiring businesses to provide an educational advantage to communities in-need throughout the country. I thank Travel + Leisure Charitable Foundation for its incredible commitment. I am heartened that a partner in hospitality is doing the right thing by supporting this life-changing program on behalf of the citizens of historic Eatonville." Students and parnts of the Eatonville community will be invited to apply for the scholarship program via a closed application process that is based on residential and school enrollment requirements. At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, eligible high school students who reside in Eatonville will be assigned a guidance counselor by the School Board of Orange County to inform him or her about the scholarship. The counselor will remain with each student throughout his or her high school career and will monitor their educational progress.



Applicants will receive scholarships in the amount of remaining tuition and/or remaining cost of books and housing after a student has applied to all available grants and scholarships to ensure that students are not indebted by their educational endeavors. "We are extremely grateful to Travel + Leisure for making this a reality and to Harris Rosen for his long term vision as a community philanthropists," said Superintendent Barbara Jenkins. "OCPS believes that with the support of families and the community, we can create enriching and diverse pathways that lead our students to success. The Travel + Leisure Scholarship Program will offer students from the town of Eatonville who attend Hungerford Elementary a bright pathway to a post-secondary education. We are fortunate to have incredible community partners that invest in the success of our students."

"The Travel + Leisure Eatonville Scholarship Program will allow well-deserving children in our community the opportunity to attend public college or vocational school in Florida, without financial barriers," said Eatonville Mayor Eddie Cole. "This will add educational resources to the Town of Eatonville, and children who participate in this program will be able to fulfill their dreams without facing financial challenges. We are so honored to be a recipient of this program." Travel + Leisure Charitable Foundation embraces a diverse and inclusive community through a variety of programs, including: leadership training, mentoring opportunities, and educational support. About Travel + Leisure Co. Travel + Leisure Co. is the world's leading membership and leisure travel company, with nearly 20 travel brands across its resort, travel club, and lifestyle portfolio. The company provides outstanding vacation experiences and travel inspiration to millions of owners, members, and subscribers every year through its products and services: Wyndham Destinations, the largest vacation ownership company with more than 245 vacation club resort locations across the globe; Panorama, the world's foremost membership travel business that includes the largest vacation exchange company, industry-leading travel technology, and subscription travel brands; and Travel + Leisure Group, featuring top online and print travel content, online booking platforms and travel clubs, and branded consumer products. At Travel + Leisure Co., our global team of associates brings hospitality to millions, turning vacation inspiration into exceptional travel experiences. We put the world on vacation. Learn more at travelandleisureco.com. About Orange County Public Schools Orange County Public Schools is the 9th-largest school district in the nation and the fourth-largest in Florida serving more than 206,000 enrolled students. They come from 165 countries and speak 157 languages or dialects. There are 202 Pre-K through grade 12 schools operated by the district including more than 50 new schools since 2003, in addition the district operates Orange Technical College which consists of five post-secondary technical college campuses. Forty-two magnet programs offer specialized curriculum, catering to unique student interests. Every student in OCPS has a digital device completing the district's innovative one-to-one digital learning initiative. OCPS is the one of the largest employers in Orange County, Florida with more than 25,000 full- and part-time employees. The district is a three-time recipient of the Governor's Sterling Award, the highest award an organization can receive for business performance excellence in Florida. More information can be found at www.ocps.net. About The Harris Rosen Foundation The Harris Rosen Foundation mirrors the staunch entrepreneurship of the Southeast's largest independent hotelier Harris Rosen, with a keen eye to ensure each expenditure results in a concrete benefit and positive outcome. Since the foundation's inception in 1987, it has improved the quality of life in underserved communities and countries mainly by providing educational opportunities, as well as other improvements. As this outreach grows to include newer communities and groups in need, Rosen pushes forth toward new ways to influence positive change. Groups holding conventions at Rosen Hotels & Resorts, as well as Rosen Hotels' associates, also look to The Harris Rosen Foundation as a substantial way to contribute their time and talents to help those in need. For more information, please visit RosenGivesBack.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006029/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Thoma Bravo Advantage Shareholders Approve Proposed Business Combination with ironSource

SAN FRANCISCO, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoma Bravo Advantage (NYSE:TBA) ("TBA"), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, today announced that shareholders of TBA voted to approve the proposed business combination with ironSource, a leading business platform for the App Economy, at its Extraordinary General Meeting held on June 22, 2021. More than 96% of the votes cast at the meeting voted to approve the business combination. Holders of approximately 86% of TBA's issued and outstanding shares cast votes at the Extraordinary General Meeting. As previously announced, the combined company will retain the ironSource Ltd. name and is expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the new symbol "IS" on June 29, 2021, following the close of the business combination, which is expected to take place on June 28, 2021. "Through their overwhelming support, our shareholders recognize the unique combination of scale, business growth and profitability that ironSource offers and the value Thoma Bravo Advantage provides through its deep operational and investment expertise in the software sector," said Orlando Bravo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thoma Bravo Advantage, as well as a founder and managing partner at Thoma Bravo. "We look forward to supporting ironSource as it enters the public markets and furthers its leadership position as one of the fastest growing and most innovative platforms for building and scaling businesses in the App Economy." A Form 8-K disclosing the full voting results will be filed by Thoma Bravo Advantage with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Thoma Bravo Advantage Thoma Bravo Advantage is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purposes of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Its Class A ordinary shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TBA." Thoma Bravo Advantage is sponsored by Thoma Bravo Advantage Sponsor LLC, which was formed by individuals affiliated with Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity firm focused on the software and technology-enabled software services sector. Thoma Bravo Advantage was formed for the purpose of executing a business combination in the software industry. About ironSource ironSource is a leading business platform that enables mobile content creators to prosper within the App Economy. App developers use ironSource's platform to turn their apps into successful, scalable businesses, leveraging a comprehensive set of software solutions which help them grow and engage users, monetize content, and analyze and optimize business performance to drive more overall growth. The ironSource platform also empowers telecom operators to create a richer device experience, incorporating relevant app and service recommendations to engage users throughout the lifecycle of the device. By providing a comprehensive business platform for the core constituents of the app economy, ironSource allows customers to focus on what they do best, creating great apps and user experiences, while we enable their business expansion in the App Economy. For more information, please visit



Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws with respect to the proposed transaction between Thoma Bravo Advantage ("TBA") and ironSource Ltd. ("ironSource"). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this communication, including statements regarding ironSource's, TBA's or the combined company's future financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "intends," "targets," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, ironSource's or TBA's expectations concerning the outlook for their or the combined company's business, productivity, plans and goals for future operational improvements and capital investments, operational performance, future market conditions or economic performance and developments in the capital and credit markets and expected future financial performance, as well as any information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of the combined company. Forward-looking statements also include statements regarding the expected benefits of the proposed transaction between ironSource and TBA.

Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results or events may differ materially from those projected or implied in those statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of TBA's securities; (ii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction,; (iii) the lack of a third-party valuation in determining whether to pursue the proposed transaction; (iv) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; (v) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on ironSource's business relationships, performance, and business generally; (vi) risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans of ironSource and potential difficulties in ironSource employee retention as a result of the proposed transaction; (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against ironSource or against TBA related to the merger agreement or the proposed transaction; (vii) the ability of ironSource to list its ordinary shares on the New York Stock Exchange; (ix) volatility in the price of the combined company's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive industry in which ironSource operates, variations in performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting ironSource's business and changes in the combined capital structure; (x) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations after the completion of the proposed transaction, and to identify and realize additional opportunities; (xi) ironSource's markets are rapidly evolving and may decline or experience limited growth; (xii) ironSource's reliance on operating system providers and app stores to support its platform; (xiii) ironSource's ability to compete effectively in the markets in which it operates; (xiv) ironSource's quarterly results of operations may fluctuate for a variety of reasons; (xv) failure to maintain and enhance the ironSource brand; (xvi) ironSource's dependence on its ability to retain and expand its existing customer relationships and attract new customers; (xvii) ironSource's reliance on its customers that contribute more than $100,000 of annual revenue; (xviii) ironSource's ability to successfully and efficiently manage its current and potential future growth; (xix) ironSource's dependence upon the continued growth of the app economy and the increased usage of smartphones, tablets and other connected devices; (xx) ironSource's dependence upon the success of the gaming and mobile app ecosystem and the risks generally associated with the gaming industry; (xxi) ironSource's, and ironSource's competitors', ability to detect or prevent fraud on its platforms; (xxii) failure to prevent security breaches or unauthorized access to ironSource's or its third-party service providers' data; (xxiii) the global scope of ironSource's operations, which are subject to laws and regulations worldwide, many of which are unsettled and still developing; (xxiv) the rapidly changing and increasingly stringent laws, contractual obligations and industry standards relating to privacy, data protection, data security and the protection of children; and (xxv) the effects of health epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic. ironSource and TBA caution you against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect current beliefs and are based on information currently available as of the date a forward-looking statement is made. Forward-looking statements set forth herein speak only as of the date of this communication. Neither ironSource nor TBA undertakes any obligation to revise forward-looking statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or changes in beliefs. In the event that any forward-looking statement is updated, no inference should be made that ironSource or TBA will make additional updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any other forward-looking statements. Any corrections or revisions and other important assumptions and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements, including discussions of significant risk factors, may appear, up to the consummation of the proposed transaction, in TBA's public filings with the SEC or, upon and following the consummation of the proposed transaction, in ironSource's public filings with the SEC, which are or will be (as appropriate) accessible at www.sec.gov, and which you are advised to consult. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1470389/Thoma_Bravo__Logo.jpg

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[June 22, 2021] W. R. Berkley Corporation to Announce Second Quarter 2021 Earnings on July 22, 2021

W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) will release its second quarter 2021 earnings after the market closes on Thursday, July 22, 2021. A copy of the earnings release will be available on the Company's website at www.berkley.com. The Company has scheduled its quarterly conference call with analysts and investors to discuss its earnings and other information on Thursday, July 22, 2021 at :00 p.m. eastern time. A live audio webcast of the conference call may be accessed via the Company's website at www.berkley.com. Please log on at least ten minutes early to register and download and install any necessary software. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company's website approximately two hours after the end of the call.



Founded in 1967, W. R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that is among the largest commercial lines writers in the United States and operates worldwide in two segments of the property casualty insurance business: Insurance and Reinsurance & Monoline Excess.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006009/en/

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[June 22, 2021] HP Inc. Names Bruce Broussard to Board of Directors

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) today announced the appointment of Bruce Broussard to its Board of Directors. Broussard currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Humana, one of the worlds leading healthcare companies. Bruces diverse leadership experience spanning public companies and private organizations, combined with his extensive expertise in the healthcare and health technology arenas, will be an excellent addition to our Board as we continue to transform HP and drive long-term value creation, said Chip Bergh, Chair of HPs Board of Directors. Prior to joining Humana in 2011, Broussard was CEO of McKesson Specialty/US Oncology, Inc. US Oncology was purchased by McKesson in December 2010. At US Oncology, he served in a number of senior executive roles, including Chief Financial Officer, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Broussard is a member of the Business Roundtable, the Business Cuncil, and the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of KeyCorp and Humana, and member and chair of Americas Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).



He holds a bachelors degree in Finance and Accounting from Texas A&M University, as well as a masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Houston. The HP Board of Directors is one of the most diverse of any technology company in the US. The full HP Board is listed at HP.com.

About HP Inc.

HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at hp.com.  Copyright 2021 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Editorial contacts HP Inc. Media Relations

MediaRelations@hp.com HP Inc. Investor Relations

InvestorRelations@hp.com



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[June 22, 2021] iGamingGroup Explores Adding SameUSD to Its List of Cryptocurrency Payment Options

Singapore, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (via Blockchain Wire) When cryptocurrencies proved to be a viable payment option, everyone was thrilled because of this blockchain technology. Talk about the speed of transactions, privacy, global reach, and the promise of hack-proof payment solutions. However, as most of us have come to realize, it has been a bumpy ride for cryptocurrency payment providers with several reports of hacks, fluctuating prices, and regulatory restrictions. What could settle our fears and restore the confidence we once had in cryptocurrency payments? Online gaming platforms such as casinos are on the lookout for a solution that guarantees players gaming satisfaction for a secure and faster experience while also optimizing the casinos operations. Samecoin, a new entrant into the cryptocurrency space, seems to have all the solutions that online gaming platforms have been gunning for. The Samecoin ecosystem  which consists of a utility coin (Samecoin), stablecoins (SameUSD, SameEUR, etc) as well as the SameID and SamePay  has been endorsed by iGamingGroup as it explores integrating Samecoin ecosystem and its SameUSD as a cryptocurrency payment service provider of choice. Photo: iGaming Group Endorses Samecoin and SameUSD What is iGaming Group, and what does their endorsement say about Samecoin? iGamingGroup Endorses Samecoin Touted as the ultimate iGaming technology stack provider, iGamingGroup is the one-stop-shop for all online gaming systems. The group boasts of high-end clients such as Evolution Gaming, Netent, BetSoft, Rela Gaming, Play n Go, and ORYX Gaming. To date, the iGaming giant has helped develop 7000 games through advanced ready-to-deploy industry solutions while focusing on modern human-centeredinterfaces that are innovated and scaled to clients demands.



iGG has been offering cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ripple, Dogecoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin as part of its vast payment options plans. The need to provide a faster and less costly transaction is what drove it towards Samecoin. According to the companys website, iGamingGroup is always looking to make deposits and withdrawals safer, easier and faster to satisfy casino players and owners. This makes perfect sense as to why the company would opt to endorse the Samecoin ecosystem.

The iGaming technology provider supports over 30 payment systems accepted globally, representing more than 150 payment options. Samecoin promises to be a worthy addition to iGGs goal and mission. Payment Solutions Designed For Online Gambling Samecoins payment solution, SamePay, provides cryptocurrency payment solutions with stablecoins and secure SameID logins. The easy-to-integrate innovative payment solution makes for a smooth operating experience for both the owner and players. The Samecoin system will integrate well with iGamings SSL encryption used for online banking, thus providing online gambling with the highest security. The ecosystem, which includes SameID and SamePay, fits well with iGGs Know-Your-Customer and Anti-Money-Laundering procedures. Samecoins stablecoins, the SameUSD and SameEuro, aim to eliminate cryptos fluctuating prices, which has discouraged many online casino players. These coins ability to mimic fiat currencies stability and simplicity while retaining the advantages of cryptos makes them perfect for online casinos. Features that Make Samecoin Perfect for Online Casinos Besides the stability and security of value provided by Samecoins family of stablecoins, the ecosystem also features the SameID and SamePay tools that are invaluable to online casinos. SameID in Online Casinos SameID is an easily integrated user identification feature that eliminates the need for online casino players to use their personal information. Although users of SameID have to undergo the KYC procedure, the process is faster than before, thus saving time and costs spent on costlier KYC procedures. While using the SameID, the users verification process can be done through:  Facial recognition selfie identification.  Passport or ID card.  Utility bill. SamePay for Online Casinos Cryptocurrency Payments SamePay integration simplifies the way players receive and send cryptocurrencies in online casinos. Whether it is SameUSD, Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Ethereum, SamePay will serve you well. SamePay works with wallets for each crypto that casino players will be using. Even better, SameID also applies here; this ensures one account gives a user complete control of their cryptos while sealing any security loopholes. Casino operators integrating SamePay can also enable SameID logins to solve any KYC problems that players might encounter when onboarding. It will only take 5 seconds for casino players using the SamePay payment option to get verified. Whats more, SamePay secures the players data by only sending the necessary data to casinos when SamePay users register through SameID. No personal data is ever given out. Since SamePay users will have complied with the KYC procedure when registering through SameID, operators will receive verified players. This will save time and provide much-needed operational efficiencies  something iGamingGroup wants to take full advantage of. The SamePays simple operational framework to both casino owners and the adoption-friendly interface with low crypto transaction costs will help grow a casinos customer base and improve brand growth.

Contact:

Karnika Yashwant CEO KEY Difference Media key@keydifferencemedia.com









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[June 22, 2021] KKR to Invest in Leading ANZ Edtech Company Education Perfect

Leading Australian and New Zealand education technology ("edtech") company Education Perfect ("EP" or the "Company"), global investment firm KKR, and Australia-based private equity firm Five V Capital today announced the signing of definitive agreements pursuant to which KKR will acquire a majority stake in the Company. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006028/en/ EP, a certified B Corporation, empowers students, teachers, parents, and school leaders by providing them with rich data insights and tools for automated marking, feedback, secure assessment, differentiation, and more. EP also offers tens of thousands of high-quality pre-built lessons. Founded in 2007, EP's work is grounded in the belief that the provision of accessible edtech solutions fosters a more diverse and inclusive education ecosystem. EP is currently being used by more than 3,000 schools, 50,000 teachers and 1 million students in more than 50 countries worldwide. KKR makes its investment from its Global Impact Fund. KKR's Global Impact strategy is focused on investing in market-leading companies whose business contributes toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ("SDG"). EP's business directly contributes towards SDG 4 (Quality Education) by providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality education to students around the world. Alex Burke, CEO of Education Perfect, said, "An investment by KKR's Global Impact Fund validates EP's stand-out position and exceptional track record in the fragmented education technology industry. COVID-19 has put education technology in the spotlight, and our amazing team and world-class data, technology and content have been the foundation of our success. I welcome KKR's investment, which marks a key moment in the Company's journey and sets EP up for its next phase of global growth. I'm excited by what the investment represents, and how it validates the quality of the product that we are offering to teachers, students, parents and school leaders, and the exceptional work the entire EP team is doing." KKR will leverage the firm's experience investing in technology and education companies to support EP and the management team's vision to grow into a major edtech business globally, with a mission to improve education efficacy and outcomes. Five V Capital, which invested in EP in 2017, will remain a shareholder alongside EP's management team and Co-Founders Craig and Shane Smith. Chee-Wei Wong, Head of KKR Global Impact for Asia, said, "Education Perfect aligns with our focus on lifelong learning by democratizing access to quality digital tools for teachers and students thereby driving inclusiveness in education. Its best-in-class platform combines quality content, formative assessments, student analytics and personalized learning, which suport teachers day-to-day and help improve students' learning efficacy. We look forward to supporting the team as it accelerates its winning strategy to become a global leader in edtech while delivering strong outcomes in quality education."



"Digital transformation in K-12 education is at an early stage compared to other industries, and EP is well-positioned to drive this on a larger, global scale," said George Aitken, a Director at KKR. "We are excited to work with Education Perfect's talented team to strengthen its market-leading position in Australia and New Zealand, accelerate its growth, and expand its international presence. This investment also highlights KKR's commitment to supporting impactful, home-grown champions that are looking for opportunities in new markets, verticals, and sectors." Srdjan Dangubic, Founding Partner of Five V Capital's said, "From our first meeting with Craig and Shane Smith and the management team, we knew Education Perfect was a terrific company with very exciting global prospects. We are proud to have backed the EP team and world leading product to create the largest Ed-tech business in ANZ. Since our investment, EP's leading team has more than doubled to over 200 employees delivering revenue growth of over by 400% and earnings growth of 600%. We believe that the future remains very bright, and we are delighted to continue with our investment alongside Alex, the EP team and KKR. We look forward to much future success."

Macquarie Capital, PWC, Clifford Chance and Gilbert + Tobin acted as advisors on the transaction. About Education Perfect

The team at EP are united through a common passion for making a global impact in education. Founded in New Zealand and developed by and with teachers over a 10-year period, Education Perfect (EP) is a complete digital teaching and learning toolkit for schools. The EP platform offers a world-class set of tools for learning, revision, and assessment, enabling 21st century practices for school years 5 to 12, across all subject areas. Data is at the heart of EP. Its rich user data report and insight capabilities enables the use of machine learning & AI, while also providing insights to teachers, parents, principals, administrators and students. Personalisation, inclusivity of every learner, actionable data & insights and interoperability are the defining requirements of the digital teaching & learning platforms of the future. EP meets all these requirements, sitting well ahead of its largely subject-specific competitors. With offices in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Dubai, and being already used by 1 million+ students, 50,000+ teachers, in 3,000+ schools across 50+ countries, EP is uniquely positioned to be the complete digital teaching and learning toolkit for teachers and parents globally. About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @KKR_Co. About Five V Capital

Five V Capital, a certified B Corporation, is a private equity fund manager based in Sydney with over $900 million of funds under management. Five V's unique investment approach is underpinned by a philosophy of alignment and is reflected in the Five V Capital team being the largest investors across its funds. This alignment between team, investors, partners and management teams is a key component of Five V's success. Five V Capital's current portfolio contains several leading businesses including APP Corporation, Zenith Investment Partners, Totara Learning, Monson Agencies, The Probe Group, Universal Store and Plenti. For more information about Five V Capital, please visit Five V's website at https://www.fivevcapital.com/ and on LinkedIn (News - Alert) at https://www.linkedin.com/company/fivevcapital. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210622006028/en/

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[June 22, 2021] Frozen Food Express builds new transportation and logistics facility in Butler

BUTLER, Mo., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Frozen Food Express (FFE) Transportation Services, Inc., a leading nationwide temperature-controlled transportation and warehousing provider, is expanding its business with a new transportation facility in Butler, Missouri. The company is investing nearly $6 million and creating nearly 100 new jobs in the region. FFE Transportation Services builds new transportation and warehouse facility in Butler, MO "Missouri's central location and business-friendly environment is a leading destination for transportation and logistics companies like this one, and we are excited to welcome FFE Transportation to Missouri," said Governor Mike Parson. "FFE is bringing good-paying jobs and economic opportunities to Missourians in this rural community. We look forward to working together as FFE finds success and grows within our state." FFE Transportation utilizes industry-leading equipment and technology to provide a variety of service offerings to its customers. The company selected Butler for their newest transportation and logistics facility due to its robust workforce and friendly business climate. The good paying jobs created by this new facility will have a significant impact in the area and, on average, will pay well above the county's average wage.



Butler region," said Jim Richards , President and CEO of FFE Transportation. "We look forward to working closely with the community and being a great partner." For their expansion, FFE Transportation Services used the Missouri Works program, an incentive tool to help companies expand and retain workers by providing access to capital through withholdings or tax credits for job creation. The company is also partnering with Missouri One Start to provide tailored recruitment assistance to meet the company's specific workforce needs. Missouri One Start's professional training network ensures companies have the right workforce with the right skillset when they need it.

Learn more about Missouri Works and Missouri One Start. What state and local leaders are saying "We are thrilled that FFE Transportation is investing in Missouri," said Missouri Partnership CEO Subash Alias. "Our state is a leading location for companies in distribution and logistics thanks to our strategic location in the center of the country. FFE Transportation's investment in Missouri further solidifies our state's crucial role in the food supply chain." "FFE Transportation's expansion in Butler demonstrates Missouri's strategic advantages for logistics operations," Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon said. "Companies like FFE continue to choose the Show Me State for our world-class workforce and top-rated business climate, and we are proud to welcome them to Missouri." "Butler, being the electric city we are, is electrified that FFE Transportation has selected our community for their new transportation and logistics facility," said Mayor Jim Henry. "FFE Transportation and the City of Butler are a wonderful fit together. We are thrilled about the 60 new jobs it will bring to the area. We plan to build a long-lasting partnership with FFE Transportation and welcome them to our community." Learn more about FFE Transportation Services at www.ffeinc.com CONTACT:

ffesales@ffex.net View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/frozen-food-express-builds-new-transportation-and-logistics-facility-in-butler-301317848.html SOURCE FFE Transportation Services, Inc

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[June 22, 2021] NuvoAir Raises $12M in Series A Funding to Improve the Care of Millions Suffering From Lung Conditions

BOSTON, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NuvoAir - the digital health company on a mission to improve the lives of millions of people suffering from respiratory conditions - has raised $12 million to bring its chronic disease management and clinical trial platforms to even more patients and providers. The Series A funding round was led by AlbionVC, a VC with more than 20 years' experience investing in technology and healthcare, and comes off the back of a record 500% growth for NuvoAir in the first quarter of 2021. KAYA (formerly Enern), Amino Collective and existing shareholders Spiltan, Industrifonden and Novartis Pharma AG (dRx Capital) also took part. Respiratory conditions create a massive burden for healthcare systems. Over 500 million people globally suffer from chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and over $300 billion is spent every year on managing these conditions. NuvoAir helps improve the patient experience and level of care - the company has a Net Promoter Score score of 75 compared to the healthcare average of 38 - while relieving the time and cost burden by providing clinically validated technology for use in people's homes. Studies have found that NuvoAir reduces urgent hospital visits by more than 39% and the company has a 95% retention rate on its platform. NuvoAir combines a patient app with connected devices, self-management content, care coordination services, and a provider portal to support members. The platform's technologies include a Bluetooth-enabled spirometer to remotely monitor lung function; a sensor that attaches to asthma and COPD inhalers; and Fitbit integration - all which feed data into the firm's advanced chronic disease management platform. The latest addition to this platform is NuvoAir Cough, released last month, which assesses changes in nighttime coughing. Real-time, high-touch monitoring and care From this platform, healthcare providers and patients can monitor clinically relevant data, identify important changes in health and behavior in real time, get data-driven insights into the effectiveness of medication, and help patients better manage their condition themselves. NuvoAir Care Coordinators, serving all 50 U.S. states, provide high-touch services to further support patients with complex needs in coordination with their healthcare teams. In addition to the patient and provider benefits afforded by the NuvoAir platform, its technology has played a vital role in more than 30 clinical trials, allowing patients suffering from COPD, asthma, cysic fibrosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to gather and share data remotely with researchers.



To date, NuvoAir has partnered with providers across the U.S., U.K. and Europe, including Harvard Boston Children's Hospital, New Hampshire's Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Royal Brompton Hospital, King's College Hospital in London, as well as pharmaceutical giants Roche, Regeneron and Novartis. NuvoAir has carried out clinical trials in over 20 countries and is trusted by thousands of physicians. Covid fuels a seismic shift towards digital health

The recent, record-breaking growth seen on the NuvoAir platform is, in part, down to the demand for remote treatment and trials in the wake of Covid-19. With many health systems and pharmaceutical companies forced to move away from face-to-face interactions, providers have relied on NuvoAir to remotely care for and study patients. This is a trend that is set to continue as more hospitals and patients further embrace technology that supports data-driven decisions for improved management of respiratory conditions and the reduction of hospital admissions and emergency care. Demand for remote clinical trials, in particular, had already grown ten-fold over the past three years and was accelerated when Covid-19 halted the use of traditional, in-person models. Enabling patients to collect data from home allows frequent data collection and reduces the burden for patients and study sites to participate. Expansion, development and clinical trials The funding will be used to accelerate the expansion of the NuvoAir digital care platform in the U.S. and Europe; advance the development of new products and services; and support NuvoAir's partner and customer base for decentralized clinical trials around the world. Concurrent with the financing, Gary Kurtzman, MD, has been appointed as NuvoAir's Chairman of the Board to support this strategic direction and U.S. expansion. Dr. Kurtzman has served on the boards of several healthcare companies including Propeller Health, a medicine adherence tech company working in respiratory health that was acquired by ResMed. "We are very pleased to receive the support and deep insight of AlbionVC," said Lorenzo Consoli, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NuvoAir. "The growing demand for our solution and the possibility to serve more patients in need, drives and motivates our entire team. Thanks to this financing round, we will be able to further expand our technology, data science, and clinical service capabilities to empower more people with chronic conditions to live a better life." "We're proud to be able to support NuvoAir, one of the few digital health companies active in both Europe and the U.S.," said Dr. Christoph Ruedig, Partner at AlbionVC. "The company has built an impressive respiratory disease management ecosystem with strong clinical evidence and a scalable care model that benefits patients, payers and providers." "The next stage in the evolution of digital health is creating effective and scalable solutions to improve the lives of patients with complex medical conditions," said Dr. Kurtzman. "I am excited to be a part of this mission." Published clinical evidence and peer-reviewed studies demonstrating NuvoAir's clinical impact, technological validity, and high patient satisfaction can be found on NuvoAir's website. About NuvoAir With offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Stockholm, Sweden, NuvoAir is a leading digital health company for chronic disease management and decentralized clinical trials. The NuvoAir Home platform blends connected devices with high-touch care coordination services to enable patients and their providers to proactively manage chronic conditions, resulting in better outcomes and lower costs. NuvoAir Home currently supports thousands of patients worldwide with COPD, cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, IPF, ALS, and muscular dystrophy. NuvoAir's decentralized clinical trial solution has been used in over 30 studies globally across all phases of drug development. About AlbionVC AlbionVC helps build the future of enterprise and healthcare. With 20+ years of experience in technology investments, the team focuses on B2B software and healthcare at Series A. AlbionVC manages c. $700m of venture funds currently invested in over 50 companies. AlbionVC is the technology investment arm of Albion Capital Group LLP, which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Contact Meera Montan

Community Engagement Lead

meera.montan@nuvoair.com Related Images nuvoair-ecosystem.png

NuvoAir Ecosystem View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nuvoair-raises-12m-in-series-a-funding-to-improve-the-care-of-millions-suffering-from-lung-conditions-301317802.html SOURCE NuvoAir

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[June 22, 2021]

Nixa Named for Best Web Development Firm in Canada for 2021

MONTREAL, June 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Nixa has won the award for Canada's Best Web Development Firm 2021 from the online magazine Corporate Vision.

The Technology Innovators Awards recognize companies that stand out in their industry for their performance and innovation. After winning the award for the best web development firm in Quebec in 2020, Nixa now shines in the national market thanks to its versatility and its constant will to evolve.

"The complexity of the international projects delivered this year once again demonstrates Nixa's expertise and places us as a leader in web development in North America. Congratulations to the entire team!" said Marc Adam, President of Nixa.

With nearly ten years of experience on complex and diverse projects, ixa has developed significant expertise in the most widely used technologies on the market. Accompanying each of its clients in the development of digital projects, Nixa uses its creativity and know-how to propose the best possible solutions.







About Nixa: Founded in February 2013, Nixa is a digital strategy, web development, application development, software development and content architecture firm. Headquartered in Montreal with locations in New York and Philadelphia, Nixa's teams are composed of a core group surrounded by experienced acolytes from different fields, different disciplines, with a common goal: to make brands shine through a flexible, transparent, innovative, honest and above all, human model.

To see our latest public creations, visit our website: nixa.ca/portfolio

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nixa-named-for-best-web-development-firm-in-canada-for-2021-301317891.html

SOURCE Nixa
It's my hope that some of the more thoughtful comments will share REASONABLE AND VALID ARGUMENTS against reparations on the municipal level that readers can use and evaluate on their own.



Fact is . . . From what we've seen and heard . . . Slavery reparations are widely unpopular civic policy.

Sadly, this fact of life isn't being reflected in local reporting.

Of course, more than anything else media personalities fear being called racist.

But there can't be any real "dialogue" or "conversation" about this issue if residents aren't allowed to express their feelings and reasonable objections without being cancelled or facing irreparable harm to their reputation and public standing.



Of course . . . This won't stop trolls from ranting and confusing the issue by sharing their own self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy by way of indulging in racist chatter.

But that kind of blathering isn't helpful.

Instead . . .

Confident, calm and informed objections to Kansas City undertaking slavery reparations would further the local discourse.

For instance . . .

TKC is so assured of the city's ability to screw up EVERYTHING that we know there's a real chance that slavery reparations would represent nothing more than YET ANOTHER TAX on urban core residents and home owners accompanied by one more 12th & Oak social media worker hire in order to smooth things over on Twitter and keep that enemies list updated.

Accordingly . . . Here's more MSM talking points that refuse to mention widespread push back to this doomed effort.



Mayor Lucas Signs On To Test A Reparations Program For Black Kansas Citians The group, which calls itself Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), was announced Friday, the first iteration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Aside from Lucas, it includes Mayor Tishaura Jones of St. Louis and the mayors of cities such as Denver and Los Angeles.

Mayor Lucas joins coalition to bring reparations to Black Kansas Citians Mayor Quinton Lucas. // Courtesy KC Government Mayor Quinton Lucas is pledging reparations for Black residents of Kansas City as part of a committee including 10 other mayors across the US. Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), is a coalition of 11 mayors committed to paying reparations to Black residents in their community and modeling how future federal programs...

Advocate of reparations for slavery talks about forms it could take in Kansas City Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is joining 10 mayors across the country in a pledge to pay reparations for slavery in their communities.

Developing . . .
KCPD is working a homicide scene in the 1900 block of E 24th Terrace after a shooting turned deadly.



Here's the first report . . .

This morning right at 4 oclock officers were called to 24th Terrace and Michigan initially on a nature unknown call.



When they arrived they contacted the caller who said that someone had fired multiple shots from outside the residence, into the residence on the corner there.



The caller advised a male victim inside the residence had been struck by the gunfire and was driven to the hospital by someone at the scene prior to police arrival.



At the hospital the victim, a male in his 20s, was treated for his injuries but was declared deceased by medical personnel.



Detectives and crime scene personnel are processing the scene for evidence and canvassing for witnesses right now.



There is no information at this point on suspect(s) or suspect vehicle(s)



If anyone heard or saw anything this morning or has any info they are asked to call detectives at 234-5043, or the TIPS hotline anonymously at 474-TIPS, there is a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to arrest in this case.

Local news links . . .



Kansas City police investigate Tuesday morning homicide Hide Transcript Show Transcript LIKELY DIFFER THUNDERSTORMS. -- DAY FOR THUNDERSTORMS. DOA:NN POLICE ARE INVESTING IN A DEADLY SHOOTING. WE ARE LIVE AT THAT SCENE. WE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS SINCE 4:30 TSHI MORNING. POLICE TELL US THE PERSON WHO WAS OTSH HAS NOW DIED AT THE HOSPITAL.

Tuesday morning shooting turns fatal KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri, police are investigating a Tuesday morning shooting death as a homicide. The shooting occurred around 4 a.m. in the 1900 block of East 24th Terrace. KCPD said a man was shot and taken to the hospital in serious condition.

KCPD investigate fatal shooting on E 24th Terrace KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting near East 24th Terrace and Michigan Avenue. According to police, a person shot into a house in the area at about 4 a.m. A man in his 20's was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police: 1 dead after shooting near 24th, Michigan KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A man is dead after a shooting Tuesday morning on the city's east side. Police were called about 5:45 a.m. to the 1900 block of East 24th Terrace. A woman told police she heard shots coming from inside a house in the neighborhood, and that someone inside had been shot.

Developing . . .
Here's a quick tidbit that's circulating amongst Kansas City insiders and deserves to see the light of day outside of the 12th & Oak vicious circle . . .



THE KANSAS CITY BIZ COMMUNITY NOW SUPPORTS COUNCIL LADY KATHERYN SHIELDS AS NEXT MAYOR OVER CURRENT CITY HALL HONCHO QUINTON LUCAS!!!



The fallout . . .



Of course Council Lady Katy is denying it all and downplaying her political future.

But our millennial friends dispute the humble boomer pose and realize that the 4th District At-large politico is actually quite spry and has a healthy appetite for power at the outset of her 70s.

Even better . . .

Supporters of Mayor Q are salty after the council lady encouraged some of Mayor Q's more radical positions like defunding police and a great deal of homeless help only to pull back and take a moderate stance when push came to shove.

Here's the word . . .

"She played Q. And he fell for it. He has taken every bit of her bad advice and now finds himself without any real constituency and at the mercy of some of the most radical leaders in KC. Meanwhile, Katheryn is doing what she always does . . . Upholding her EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG connections to local biz and doing their bidding when it matters. The homeless crisis was probably the final betrayal . . . (Council member) Shields double crossed Mayor Q and her opposition to the tiny homeless village might as well have been her campaign announcement for Mayor. What's scary is that THIS TIME AROUND she actually has a decent shot."



Let's expand on that last point . . .

Mayor Q has only won elections by calling his opponent racist.

That's not going to work against Council Lady Shields because her connections to labor and union bosses are actually much stronger that Mayor Q. She's best buddies with the rep from the Heavies and she has been front and center for African-American biz leaders for the last quarter century.

Also, she's not as nice as former Council Lady Jolie Justus and isn't afraid to argue in public or enjoy the benefit of nasty campaigning that makes other "progressive" candidates demur.



Will she be called racist if she campaigns against Mayor Q? Of course . . . Will it stick amongst anybody but sponsored content Twitter bots??? Not likely.

More than anything . . .

As Mayor Q struggles to craft a vision for his administration . . . Kansas City already knows what Katheryn Shields is all about for the past quarter century . . .



She's a power player who has EVERY SINGLE KANSAS CITY local biz leader, union boss and big money donor in her Rolodex. And yes, I imagine that she still uses a Rolodex.



Brief update . . .

Mayor Q might be reading this one and telling himself and attempting to reassure himself by dismissing this post as basement blogger content . . . But deep down he might realize that any lady bold enough beat a federal case and then dance outside of the courthouse wouldn't have any problem double crossing a rookie mayor.



And so . . .

In the coming weeks and months look for Mayor Q to distance himself from the 4th District leader who OBVIOUSLY wants his job . . . Meanwhile, this little bit of city hall gossip reveals that KC biz leaders are quite aware that the current city hall administration is now operating far out of its depth.

Developing . . .


@IsaacAvilucea on Twitter

Isaac Avilucea is The Trentonians main municipal scribe. A two-time prior restraint winner and testicular cancer survivor, he relishes his reputation as the "Mean Girls" reporter that followed his 18-day stay at the now-defunct North Adams Transcript.
Johnstown, PA (15901)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Hi there, I need your assistance as we are a couple of guys from Canada. It looks like the border and self-quarantining at a Government run hotel will be ending, time to venture back to Palm Springs. We are both fully vaccinated. We are spending four days in Las Vegas and four in Palm Springs before flying out of Las Vegas back to Toronto.

My question concerns the negative COVID PCR Test that we have to obtain. As we are driving from Palm Spring to Vegas to catch the WestJet flight back, we shall need the results approximately within 24 hours. Flight leaves 10:00 pm at night from Vegas. I am looking to get our COVID PCR test the previous day before we head back to Toronto in Palm Springs as Las Vegas will be cutting it to close to flight departure time.

Ideally, I am looking for a reliable place for CoVid PCR testing at a reasonable rate as this will be out of my pocket. I have seen prices up to 475US for a test for Palm Springs. Any assistance is appreciated.
Assistant Senior Editor

Nick is the assistant senior editor for The Record, The Saratogian, Community News and the Oneida Daily Dispatch.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Nearly 100 days after Dutch national election, talks to form a new ruling coalition remain deadlocked, the official who has led weeks of negotiations said Tuesday.

The conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy led by three-term Prime Minister Mark Rutte won the most seats in the three-day election that ended March 17, but the splintered result has so far prevented the formation of a new govering coalition.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Myroniuk and Minister for Defence Procurement of the United Kingdom Jeremy Quin signed a Memorandum of Implementation for naval partnership projects between a consortium of UK industry and the Ukrainian Navy.

The memorandum was signed on Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Defender in Odesa on June 21, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informed.

The memorandum provides for the joint design and construction of warships in Ukraine and the United Kingdom, the reconstruction of Ukrainian shipbuilding enterprises, and the construction of two bases of the Ukrainian Navy.

This is the next step in the development of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom to strengthen the Ukrainian Navy, which faces constant danger in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, the Ministry underscored.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov, UKs First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Ukraine Melinda Simmons.

The ceremony participants also oversaw the boarding training at HMS Defender in which Ukrainian, UK, and US forces took part.

Photo credit: mil.gov.ua

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The U.S. Sixth Fleet has announced its participation in the Sea Breeze 2021 multinational exercise in Ukraine. This years iteration has the largest number of participating nations in the exercises history.

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine posted this on Twitter.

"U.S. Sixth Fleet formally announces participation in the co-hosted Ukrainian-US annually held exercise Sea Breeze 2021 starting next week in the Black Sea region," the report reads.

The embassy noted that the Sea Breeze exercise was designed to enhance interoperability and strengthen maritime security and peace within the region.

This years iteration involves the largest number of participating nations in the exercises history, including 32 countries from six continents, 5,000 troops, 32 ships, 40 aircraft, and 18 special operation and dive teams.

The exercise is taking place from June 28 to July 10 in the Black Sea region and will focus on multiple warfare areas including amphibious warfare, land maneuver warfare, diving operations, maritime interdiction operations, air defense, special operations integration, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue operations.

Ukraine and U.S. are cohosting the exercise in the Black Sea with participation and support coming from 32 countries in total: Albania, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Black Sea nations, in concert with NATO Allies and partners, improve their ability to conduct the full range of naval and land operations by participating in exercises like Sea Breeze 2021.

Sea Breeze 2021 is an annual multinational maritime exercise, involving sea, land, and air components, and is co-hosted by the United States and Ukraine to enhance interoperability and capability among participating forces in the Black Sea region.

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Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Poland Dmytro Kuleba and Zbigniew Rau have discussed the issue of Russias Nord Stream 2 project and coordinated positions to counteract its implementation.

"Dmytro Kuleba and Zbigniew Rau confirmed that Russias Nord Stream 2 project is a threat to the security of both countries and Europe in general, and coordinated positions to counteract its implementation," reads the report posted on the Ukrainian ministrys website following the meeting of the foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, Ukrinform reports.

Dmytro Kuleba thanked his colleague for Polands continued support for Ukraines course towards EU and NATO membership. The foreign ministers also discussed further steps that the Alliance could take to accelerate the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine and strengthening the defense capability of the Ukrainian state.

In addition, the foreign ministers discussed preparations for a meeting of the Lublin Triangle, which will be held in Vilnius soon.

As earlier reported, Polands Minister for Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau stated that Washington's decision to withdraw from imposing sanctions on companies involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2 could not be understood or supported by Poland.

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Ukraine prepares to launch green hydrogen exports to the European Union.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba made a corresponding statement at a panel discussion "Energy: What Future Awaits Us?" within the framework of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on June 19.

The minister is convinced that the green transition of economies is a historical fact, and although oil and gas producers will try to maintain the status quo, history cannot be stopped, the press service of the Foreign Ministry reported.

"For Ukraine, the development of alternative energy sources, especially renewable ones, brings great relief and opens up new opportunities. Ten years ago, the share of solar and wind generation in our economy was almost imperceptible. Today it is an important element of Ukraine's energy balance," he added.

Kuleba reminded that the European Union identified Ukraine in its energy strategy as a priority partner in the supply of green hydrogen to the EU market and assured that Ukraine was working purposefully to prepare for the exports.

The Ukrainian minister paid special attention to the threats posed by Nord Stream 2, which undermines Europe's energy security and violates European principles of energy market diversification. He noted that the only goal of the Russian project was to bypass Ukraine for political reasons as gas should be supplied from Russia to the European Union through Ukraine from an economic and strategic point of view: "Ukraine has always been and remains to be a reliable gas transit country."

Kuleba also pointed out the role of Ukraine and Turkey in the Black Sea region: "The Black Sea is now threatened by the temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia. However, Ukraine and Turkey are the two geographically largest stabilizing forces in the Black Sea region. We have excellent cooperation in almost all areas. Energy is one of them."

According to the minister, one of the important elements of strategic energy stability and diversification in our part of the world is the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP): "We also expect Turkey to complete a new string connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. This will create new opportunities for LNG gas supplies to the countries of the Black Sea region."

Kuleba praised the importance of good relations between Ukraine and Turkey as well as the important contribution of Ankara to the diversification of energy supply in the region.

Photo credit: Olha Budnyk, Ukrinform

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The Crimean Platform is a political weapon of Ukraine to protect the territorial integrity and its restoration within the borders, which Russia is trying to discredit in all possible ways, making efforts to dissuade countries from participating in it.

"The Crimean Platform is a political weapon of Ukraine to protect our territorial integrity and restore borders. Russia discredits the Crimean Platform in all possible ways and makes efforts to prevent countries from participating in it," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba told journalists following the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

According to him, Russia views the Crimean Platform in the same way as the arms sale to Ukraine: they dissuade everyone they can. Nevertheless, there are already many confirmations of participation in the Crimean Platform summit at the level of presidents, heads of government, and foreign ministers. And even more confirmations are expected.

The minister stressed that Turkey was among the first countries to express support for the Crimean Platform.

"I don't think there are closer friends on Crimea than Ukraine and Turkey. We are the nations that care about this territory, the people who historically inhabit it  the Crimean Tatars, their culture and the revival of the nation. Therefore, cooperation between Kyiv and Ankara on these issues is a very natural process. It is not only about politics, it is also about taking care for those Crimean Tatars who were forced to leave the peninsula after the Russian aggression," Kuleba said.

He reminded of the implementation of a joint UkraineTurkey project on the construction of housing for Crimean Tatars.

As reported, the Crimean Platform summit will take place in Kyiv on August 23.

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Ukrainian delegation to the PACE managed to make fundamental amendments to the draft resolution on the protection of the rights of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea despite opposition from the Russian lobby.

"The vote at the summer session has not begun yet, but we can already announce a huge victory. The very fact that the file, which is called "the situation of the Crimean Tatars" and we also call it "the violation of the rights of the Crimean Tatars", is considered at the summer session is a huge victory," Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the PACE Maria Mezentseva said in a comment to Ukrinform.

In April-May, the Ukrainian delegation made efforts to prevent the inclusion of amendments made by representatives of the Russian lobby in the PACE, which would undermine the content of the document and its focus on protecting Crimean Tatars.

"That is, we managed to overcome the Russian lobby," Mezentseva stressed.

She expressed confidence that the amendments submitted by Ukraine would be supported during the vote on the resolution as they had already been approved by the PACE committee.

"We highly appreciate and respect the text of the resolution," the Ukrainian MP added.

Among other priorities of the Ukrainian delegation at the PACE summer session, she mentioned the debate on the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention).

"Ukraine took an active part in drafting this international document and is a signatory. However, 10 years have passed and the Parliament of Ukraine still cannot succeed in ratifying the Convention," Mezentseva said.

She expressed her conviction that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine should ratify the Istanbul Convention this year.

Speaking about Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto's speech to PACE delegates on June 21 as a representative of the country chairing the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Mezentseva said the Hungarian official planned to visit Ukraine, in particular the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, in the near future.

She also noted that Ukrainian MPs would take an active part in the debate on the rights of diasporas in Europe and on the threat posed by the situation in Belarus to the whole of Europe.

As reported, the PACE summer session is being held in Strasbourg on June 21-24. Delegates work in a hybrid format.

The debate and vote on the draft resolution on the violation of the rights of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea (The situation of Crimean Tatars) is scheduled for Wednesday, June 23.

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President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili will visit Kyiv on Wednesday, June 23, the Georgia Online portal reports with reference to the Presidential Administration.

During the visit, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Salome Zourabichvili.

The talks will be held behind closed doors and in an expanded format.

High-level meetings will be held in Kyiv, including with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov. The President of Georgia will visit Ukraine together with a government delegation, which consists of representatives of the Administration of the President of Georgia, legislative and executive authorities, the report reads.

As Ukrinform reported, in May, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani, who was in Kyiv on an official visit, ways to enhance bilateral political dialogue and the activities of the Ukrainian-Georgian High-Level Strategic Council.

During the conversation, special attention was paid to the practical cooperation between Ukraine and Georgia in the context of deepening relations with the EU and NATO.

Zelensky reiterated personal invitation to President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili to take part in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform and the events on the occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine in August 2021.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Kyiv on the Day of Mourning and Commemoration of War Victims in Ukraine.

The ceremony took place at the Memorial of Eternal Glory, where soldiers who defended Ukraine during World War II are buried, Ukrinform reports citing the Presidents Office.

"Today, June 22, is the Day of Mourning and Commemoration of War Victims in Ukraine. [We mark] the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the bloodiest period of World War II. This tragedy affected almost every Ukrainian family. Millions of Ukrainians went to war to protect the world from the Nazi invasion. Today, we remember their feat and thank each of them for the life and the opportunity to build a new Ukraine in which there will be no place for wars," Zelensky said.

The ceremony was also attended by Head of the Presidents Office Andriy Yermak.

Those present observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims.

The Day of Mourning and Commemoration of War Victims in Ukraine is marked on June 22.

On June 22, 1941, despite a secret non-aggression pact (the MolotovRibbentrop Pact of 1939) and close military-economic cooperation between Germany and the USSR, Nazi Germany attacked Soviet troops along the entire border from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The German-Soviet war of 1941-1945 began as an integral and major part of World War II.

The German-Soviet war lasted from June 22, 1941, to May 8, 1945. Its battles became one of the largest in the military history of the 20th century.

Among all the worlds countries, Ukraine suffered the greatest losses during the war. According to various estimates, between 8 and 10 million people were killed in Ukraine, including about 5 million civilians; 2.2 million were deported to Nazi Germany for forced labor, and 10 million people lost their homes. More than 700 towns and urban-type settlements, almost 30,000 villages were ruined completely.

This day commemorates all people whose lives were crippled and destroyed by World War II.

Photo credit: Presidents Office

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The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine should coordinate efforts with the heads of regional state administrations to speed up the process of opening vaccination centers in communities where such centers do not yet operate.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this during a conference call at the Presidents Office on June 22, Ukrinform reports with reference to the presidents press service.

"Vaccination centers must operate throughout Ukraine. Therefore, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development has to contact the heads of those regional state administrations where such centers have not yet opened, and help speed up this process," Shmyhal said.

According to him, an active coronavirus vaccination campaign is underway in Ukraine, within the framework of which more than two million jabs have been made.

The prime minister also announced a decrease in the incidence of COVID-19.

Ukraine recorded 296 new coronavirus cases over the past day, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 2,230,142.

As of June 22, 2,095,458 shots were given to people in Ukraine since the beginning of the vaccination campaign. In particular, 1,732,611 people received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 362,847 people completed the vaccination (received two doses).

According to Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, 2.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are currently available in Ukraine.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health should prepare proposals for the establishment of additional control and restrictions on migration between Ukraine and countries where the Delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly.

This was discussed during a conference call at the Presidents Office on June 22, Ukrinform reports with reference to the presidents press service.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health must prepare proposals on the feasibility of establishing additional control and restrictions on migration between Ukraine and countries where the Delta strain is spreading rapidly, the report reads.

The participants of the meeting heard information from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine on the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. According to the NAS, this strain is 1.6 times more contagious than the Alpha strain, 2.26 times more likely to lead to hospitalization, and the risk of getting to the resuscitation department after the infection increases 1.45 times.

As Ukrinform reported, Ukraine recorded 296 new coronavirus cases over the past day, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 2,230,142.

As of June 22, 2,095,458 shots were given to people in Ukraine since the beginning of the vaccination campaign. In particular, 1,732,611 people received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 362,847 people completed the vaccination (received two doses).

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Growing up in Cameroon, Abdoulaye Amadou was a mover and shaker, studying business management at university, earning a bachelors degree and then opening a rice import business. As his business prospered, he moved to the western part of the country, but then, he says, he and his family landed in the sights of a militant group.

Abdoulaye fled to Nigeria in 2018 and after being on the move for more than a year he reached Lesvos in November 2019. He lived in a tent at the crowded Moria camp for many months, feeling lost and depressed after what he had experienced.

Most of the time he kept to himself inside the tent, but as he reached out to the NGOs in the camp, a psychologist with the International Rescue Committee helped Abdoulaye overcome his trauma. As Abdoulaye came around to feeling like he could re-engage in society, he felt the need to do something to improve the services in the camp.

In Africa we say that you have to give back the kindness that you receive, so I decided to put my skills to work to help improve the dire conditions in Moria, Abdoulaye says.

Growing up in a country that is bilingual, with French and English being officially spoken, as well as many other dialects, Abdoulaye was adept at languages and started volunteering as an interpreter for medical groups. But with his business acumen, Abdoulayes organisational skills stood out.

If you want to solve a problem you have to start from the ground and work your way up, Abdoulaye declares. I saw many gaps in the management of medical services and began making proposals that could immediately improve the situation and the collaboration among volunteers, medical experts and interpreters.

He briefly worked as an interpreter at Mytilene hospital as well, where, within a few months he was appointed coordinator of interpreters and had the opportunity to make friends and get in touch with Greeces culture and everyday life in a way that most asylum seekers in the island camps cannot.

Many of the interpreters were complaining about the lack of coordination and poor collaboration with Greek doctors and I said to them, you have to stop complaining and see how you can improve your work, the rest will follow, Abdoulaye says matter-of-factly.

Abdoulaye with his colleagues from the CMA clinic team providing services to asylum-seekers at the medical reception area of the temporary camp on Lesvos island.  UNHCR/Marios Andriotis - Konstantios Abdoulaye with his CMA colleagues at the pharmacy of the medical hub in the temporary reception center of Lesvos island.  UNHCR/Marios Andriotis - Konstantios Abdoulaye Amadou and Dr. Radwan Fashtol, CMAs Director, at the medical reception area of Lesvos camp.  UNHCR/Marios Andriotis - Konstantios If you want to solve a problem you have to start from the ground and work your way up, Abdoulaye says.  UNHCR/Marios Andriotis - Konstantios

Crisis Management Association (CMA), one of the medical NGOs supporting Greeces health service (EODY) found Abdoulaye a shared apartment in nearby Mytilene town, enabling him to move from a tent to living a normal life living amongst the locals.

Now Abdoulaye works as a local coordinator for CMA at the temporary camp that was hastily erected after the fires that destroyed Moria reception centre in September 2020.

But despite his success in managing others and finding employment, Abdoulayes future remains uncertain, pending the determination of his asylum claim.

Amidst the uncertainly, Abdoulaye perseveres, continuing to coordinate CMAs clinic team and the medical hubs pharmacy which is housed in a UNHCR-donated container. He is also busy sensitizing refugees about COVID-19 vaccinations and prevention measures, encouraging camp residents to follow COVID-prevention protocols and offering advice to community representatives on subjects related to health and other issues.

Dr. Radwan Fashtol, CMAs Director and founder of its EODY support programme, is impressed with the way Abdoulaye has managed the groups services.

Abdoulaye is one of the most professional people I met on Lesvos, with his business studies and strong motivation, he made his way up from translator to clinic team leader and is now the coordinator of the medical reception area and the pharmacy in the camps medical area, Radwan Fashtol declares.

Seeing how much effort he put into bringing people together and how he maintains a high level of diplomacy and professionalism in such a stressful and multicultural operation is impressive, says Fashtol. Im proud that I have had the chance to work next to Abdullah and Im looking forward to see him joining CMAs management.

So, once again, Abdoulaye has some good news on the horizon, even if his long-term future in Greece remains uncertain. Nevertheless, he works to foster opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees and promotes togetherness.

The message that I want to send to policy makers is that they need to empower refugees and make them part of the solution. And of his fellow asylum seekers and refugees, Abdoulaye says, If we work together with the authorities, the aid workers and the local population, we can achieve anything.

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At a hospital in Bogota, Colombia, Yonielys Villegas, 25, holds her newborn son Enmanuel, who will benefit from a measure granting citizenship to babies of Venezuelan parents.  UNHCR/Daniel Dreifuss

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning today that many of the worlds stateless people may miss out on vaccinations as a result of their lack of citizenship or proof of identity.

There are millions known to be stateless around the world, without the nationality of any state. This has hugely damaging impacts on their fundamental human rights, and now they may also be excluded from accessing life-saving vaccinations, said UNHCRs International Protection chief, Gillian Triggs.

In its latest report on The Impact of Covid-19 on Stateless Populations, the agency notes that the majority of national immunization plans do not provide clarity on their coverage of stateless people.

UNHCR warns that many who do not have nationality or identity documents will be excluded unless states make particular efforts to reach them and address the specific challenges they are likely to face. The new report provides recommendations and examples of good state practice in this regard, including acceptance of alternate forms of proof of a persons identity.

In the interest of protecting peoples lives and securing public health, national vaccination plans must be implemented in as inclusive a manner as possible. Given that many stateless people already face widespread exclusion and marginalization, barriers to access must be addressed and special consideration given to their situation, said Triggs.

Since the onset of the pandemic, many stateless people continue to face difficulties in accessing health care and social services. Many may fear coming forward for testing or treatment owing to their lack of legal status, which could place them at risk of detention or deportation. The cost of medical attention, including vaccinations, can also be prohibitive for stateless people, as they are usually not covered by national, public healthcare schemes.

UNHCR, which has a formal UN mandate to prevent and reduce statelessness, and protect stateless people, is aware of a global population of at least 4.2 million stateless people in some 94 countries.

Owing to the invisible nature of this issue, the actual figure is believed to be substantially higher.

More than a year into the pandemic, UNHCR is also warning that disruptions to birth registration services are creating new risks of statelessness.

With a number of countries having suspended civil registration services as a result of the pandemic, birth registration  which is key in establishing eligibility for nationality  has been affected.

Countries where birth registration services were partially or fully suspended are now reporting lower birth registration rates as well as substantial backlogs. Targeted campaigns to register births for hard-to-reach populations at risk of statelessness have also been suspended in many contexts.

The risks of statelessness are likely to be highest for minority groups  which make up the majority of known stateless populations.

More information on the impact of COVID-19 and statelessness and UNHCRs recommendations on vaccines access and civil registration is available here.

For more information please contact:
Lucknow, Jun 22 (UNI) A day after the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh police arrested two people in the alleged religious conversion racket, the cops now invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against the accused on directions of the chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

The arrested persons have been identified as Mufti Qazi Jahangir Alam Qasmi and Mohammad Umar Gautam by Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar.

Both accused are residents of Jamia Nagar in New Delhi. According to reports, the properties of the accused will also be confiscated. On Tuesday, the ATS also got their police custody remand for further interrogation.

It may be mentioned that the alleged conversion racket was busted by the ATS following the registration of an FIR in the case at ATS police station in Lucknow.

As per reports, two men of Delhi's Jamia Nagar, allegedly running an outfit involved in converting deaf and dumb students and other poor people to Islam in Uttar Pradesh with funding from Pakistan's ISI. Moreover, children and women were also lured in with false promises of cash, job, and marriage, and later, converted. It is being said that Gautam, who is himself a convert to Islam from Hinduism, disclosed of having converted at least 1,000 people to Islam. "I converted at least 1,000 non-Muslims to Islam, marrying them all to Muslims," Gautam, who himself hot converted to Muslim from Hindu in the 70s , reportedly disclosed during interrogation.

UNI MB SHK2015
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OVER THE past couple of weeks, New Hampshire Democrats have made wildly histrionic claims about the state budget recently passed by both chambers of the General Court, which Gov. Chris Sununu has said he will sign. We need only to look to the recent past to see how far off the mark the Democ
Catherine H. Lewis, 93, peacefully went to be with her Lord June 28, 2021, at Southern Pines in Thomasville, GA. She was born August 22, 1927, in Milledgeville, GA as an only child to the late Oscar P. Hodges and Annabelle Leveritte Hodges. She was married 75 years to the late James M. Lewis


(Photo : Christian Green )

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Christian Green uses its e-commerce strategies to help businesses build their brand presence and achieve their goals. Christian Green wants to start his own personal brand to help people start their own ecommerce business. All types of businesses and brands can be linked with easy-to-use e-commerce, businesses by adopting Christian Green's process to make any business a success. Christian Green had a keen interest in the world of digital technology. Over time he gained enough knowledge about the working of online medium associated with the digital world, in digital marketing and e-commerce. His expertise has made him matchless, as e-commerce has positive results for all customers, which is his fasting for exceptional services. Christian Green has emerged as an e-commerce expert who has helped many businesses to grow through his impeccable result-oriented strategies and methods.
True to its mission as a metropolitan institution, the University of Nebraska at Omaha is proud to call Nebraska home while also transforming and improving the quality of life locally, nationally, and globally.

For more than a century, UNO has collaborated with hundreds of organizations state and nationwide in partnerships focused on economic impact, international service, social justice, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and arts, culture, and humanities.

An online tool developed by students, coined the UNO Community Engagement Partnership Initiative (CEPI), puts UNOs community partnerships on the map  literally. Behind every point on the various CEPI maps are Mavericks: Students, faculty and staff at UNO working alongside community organizations, businesses, K-12 schools, institutional partners, and government and nonprofit agencies. For example, one dot on the map describes how the Juvenile Justice Institute at UNO partners with the Sarpy County Juvenile Justice Center to measure the effectiveness of youth diversion programs. UNOs Juvenile Justice Institute holds similar partnerships with other nonprofit agencies, county attorneys, and government agencies statewide.

Mavericks make an impact out in the community, but some partnerships bring community partners to campus through UNOs Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center. The building houses about 30 partner organizations who use the space to connect with university resources, collaborate with others, and host and participate in events.

One such partner, the UNO Service Learning Academy, creates university-community partnerships by integrating academic scholarship and civic engagement with community-identified opportunities. The P-16 Initiative is a prime example, pairing undergraduate students at UNO and K-12 students in area school districts with organizations in the community. Since 2010, students have worked on more than 600 projects ranging from meal preparation at area senior centers to working alongside nonprofits to efficiently and sustainably increase crop production through a regional aquaponics program.

Taking part in the initiative has helped students boost their civic engagement and civic literacy, connect academic lessons to real-world applications, and develop life and career skills.

Every student is provided an opportunity to learn the way that they learn best, said LaTrina Hall, P-16 Initiative coordinator at UNO. Its very experiential. It takes them outside of the classroom. It gives them an opportunity to apply what theyve been learning in the classroom to their experience within the community.

Another such partnership focuses on racial disparities in the medical field. A broad and diverse population of patients requires a broad and diverse population of physicians  yet over 56 percent of active physicians are white, 17 percent are Asian, less than six percent are Hispanic, and five percent are Black.

The Urban Health Opportunities Program exemplifies how UNO leverages community and institutional partnerships. Through close partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, UNO Biology Professor Paul Davis, Ph.D., has spearheaded the program which seeks to help first-generation students from underrepresented groups get accepted into medical school.

The program has seen exceptional success since its inception in 2016. 83 percent of UHOP participants have gone on to medical school  nearly double the national average for medical school acceptance.

These partnerships are only a few examples of the collaborations providing educational opportunities while also improving the quality of life in communities in Omaha and across Nebraska. More than just dots on the Community Engagement Partner Initiative map, Mavericks continue to explore new opportunities for partnerships and making an impact.

Learn more about how UNO partners with the community and the state by visiting impact.unomaha.edu.

Sara Woods, Director of UNO's Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, spoke with KIOS host Mike Hogan on "Live & Local." The interview focuses on how partnerships between the university and community organizations provide students with learning experiences that also benefit the community.

Listen to the interview on the KIOS website.
Brunei reported one new COVID-19 case on Tuesday, bringing the national tally to 256

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :Brunei reported one new COVID-19 case on Tuesday, bringing the national tally to 256.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, Case 256 is a 44-year-old man who arrived in the country from Manila, the Philippines on June 9, 2021. He does not have any symptom of infection.

Investigation and contact tracing have found that there is no close contact as he was quarantined upon arrival.

The new case is being treated and monitored at the National Isolation Center with seven other active cases, who are all in a stable condition.

With the detection of the new case, a total of 115 imported cases have been confirmed since the last local infection case on May 6, 2020. Brunei has recorded 412 days without local COVID-19 infection cases.

There have been three deaths and 245 recovered patients from COVID-19 so far in Brunei.
Sydney, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :Sydney was battling a fresh Covid-19 cluster on Tuesday just as Melbourne's latest outbreak receded, highlighting Australia's difficulty in quashing persistent small virus flare-ups.

Ten people were diagnosed with Covid-19 in Sydney overnight, taking the cluster that first emerged in the city's Bondi Beach area last week to 21 cases.

New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said health officials expected the outbreak in Australia's most populous city to continue growing in the coming days, after several people were infected in just "fleeting" non-physical contact with a case in a cafe and a large shopping centre.

In response, the government has reimposed mandatory mask-wearing in public transport and retail outlets across much of greater Sydney, but it has stopped short of ordering a lockdown.

The outbreak is thought to have started when a man who works as a driver for international flight crews contracted the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, which was first identified in India.

"We also need to recognise that this Delta variant.

.. is actually a gold medallist when it comes to jumping from one person to another," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

It comes as restrictions on Melbourne's five million residents continued easing, with new cases slowing to a trickle in recent days.

New Zealand and several Australian states have announced the removal of travel restrictions imposed last month as dozens of cases were detected in Melbourne and the city endured a two-week lockdown.

Canberra has maintained strict international border closures since March 2020 -- even limiting its own citizens' travel to and from the country -- in an effort to shut out Covid-19.

But the virus has repeatedly escaped hotels used to quarantine returning travellers, and health experts say the outbreaks will continue until large numbers of Australians are vaccinated.

Australia has administered 6.7 million doses to date in a population of 25 million, with only a small fraction having received both jabs.

The country has recorded about 30,000 cases of Covid-19 and 910 deaths during the pandemic.
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Cali, Colombia, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :In a rich neighborhood in the Colombian city of Cali, residents standing next to police fire their weapons at protesters.

They believe they are protecting their possessions from the mob.

After 50 days of social protests against the government of right-wing President Ivan Duque, Cali's class divide seems to be getting wider.

The southeastern city, well-known for its social inequality and racism, has been the epicenter of violent unrest during the protests.

On May 28, a mob from some of the nearby slums turned up in the affluent Ciudad Jardin neighborhood and tried to burn down the police station.

Residents responded with gunfire.

"It was like a civil war with civilians worried for their homes and property, and the police on one side, and on the other side protesters.

.. wanting to impose this anarchy and this chaos in our neighborhood," publicist Andres Escobar, 30, told AFP.

Escobar admits he fired his automatic pistol a few times "in the air" that day. It turned out to be the deadliest day of protests in the city, with 13 people killed.

That day was the most blatant example of "a conflict... marked by differences in class, differences in race and differences in ethnicity" that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, said Luis Castillo, a sociologist at the University of Valle in Cali.

With its luxury boutiques, mansions with swimming pools and palm tree-lined avenues, Ciudad Jardin resembles a mini Beverly Hills.

Almost none of the residents took to the streets to protest against Duque.

They also haven't protested against the widely condemned police brutality unleashed on demonstrators.
Niamey, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jun, 2021 ) :Doctors Without Borders warned Monday of a major food crisis among children in the Maradi region of Niger, and in northwest Nigeria, just over the border.

"A major nutritional and food crisis seems to be developing, so the priority today is to prepare as best we can," said a statement from Issiaka Abdou, the agency's West Africa operations chief.

Maradi has one of Niger's highest birth rates -- more than seven children per woman -- and child marriage is common.

Children there regularly face nutritional problems due not just to the shortage of food but to a customary ban on giving fish and eggs to children, say experts.

This year, said MSF, there has been a sharp increase in the number of severely malnourished children at its facilities in the region -- up 34 percent on the same period in 2020.

The numbers of those admitted in a critical condition over the same period has surged by 46 percent, notably at Madarounfa hospital.

Families in northwest Nigeria have been bringing their children over the border for treatment, said the agency: their numbers are up 90 percent on the previous year at Madarounfa.

"In Nigeria, growing insecurity, notably due to crimina groups in Katsina state, has contributed to the deterioration of living conditions for the population living there," MSF said.

The charity said it was working to improve its work in Maradi and in Katsina State, where the malaria season threatens to be particularly devastating.

In February, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that 457,200 children aged between six months and five years were exposed to severe, acute malnutrition in Niger.
UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows plunged globally by 35 percent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but expected to rebound in 2021 mainly due to the recovery in Asia, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Foreign investment inflows are shifting away from large non-renewable energy and finance projects towards fintech, the pharmaceutical industry, liquefied natural gas plants and agribusiness, which the government is actively promoting, the Geneva-based UN agency on trade and development said in its "World Investment Report 2021".

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FDI fell in South Asian economies that rely on export-oriented garment manufacturing, with inflows in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka contracting by 11 per cent and 43 per cent respectively, the report said.

In Pakistan, it said, FDI was down by 6 per cent to 2.1 billion Dollars, cushioned by continued investments in power generation and telecommunication industries.

Foreign direct investment also dropped by more than a third globally, to $1 trillion (from $1.5 trillion in 2019), threatening progress on sustainable development, UNCTAD said.

This level was last seen in 2005 and it is an urgent problem because foreign direct investment is vital to promoting sustainable development in the worlds poorest regions, Isabelle Durant, Acting Secretary-General of UNCTAD, said.

The (COVID-19) crisis has had an immense negative impact on the most productive types of investment, namely, greenfield investment in industrial and infrastructure projects, she said. This means that international production, an engine of global economic growth and development, has been seriously affected. Regionally, Europe saw foreign direct investment fall 80 per cent last year, while flows to North America fell by 42 per cent, which was attributed to a fall in reinvested earnings.

Other developed economies saw an average drop of 20 per cent, UNCTAD said, while the African continent saw a 16 per cent fall in foreign direct investment - to $40 billion  a level last seen 15 yearss ago.

Significantly, greenfield project announcements in Africa also tumbled 62 per cent, hurting industrialization prospects, and commodity-exporters were the worst-hit.

By contrast, foreign direct investment to developing Asia resisted the worst impacts of the pandemic, driven by China, where capital inflows increased by six per cent, to $149 billion.

Southeast Asia saw a 25 per cent decline but investment to India increased, driven in part by mergers and acquisitions.

This contrasts with Latin America and the Caribbean, where foreign direct investment plummeted last year, falling by 45 per cent to $88 billion.

Many economies on the continent, among the worst affected by the pandemic, are dependent on investment in natural resources and tourism, both of which collapsed, UNCTAD said.

Although foreign investment between wealthier nations fell most in 2020  by 58 per cent  developing nations have borne the br brunt of last years overall investment downturn, UNCTAD said.

To highlight this, the UN agency pointed to the 42 per cent fall in the number of new greenfield projects among fragile economies and a 14 per cent fall in international project finance deals; the latter are significant because they drive infrastructure growth.

By comparison, developed economies saw a 19 per cent decline in greenfield investment and an eight per cent increase in international project finance, UNCTAD said.

Looking ahead, Ms. Durant insisted that although governments were rightly focusing on shaking off the impacts of the pandemic, the real challenge is not only about reigniting the economy, it is about making the recovery more sustainable and more resilient to future shocks.

UNCTAD director of investment and enterprise, James Zhan, echoed that message, noting that the coronavirus pandemic had amplified the fragilities of structurally weak economies.

Investment in various sectors relevant for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in food, agriculture, health and education, has been falling, he said. SDG-related investment needs to be scaled up in the post-pandemic period. According to UNCTADs latest report, investment to least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing states, accounted for only 3.5 per cent of total foreign direct investment in 2020.

It noted that the impact of the pandemic on global foreign direct investment was strongest in the first half of 2020, and that in the second half of the year, cross-border mergers and acquisitions and international project finance deals largely recovered.

However, greenfield investment  which UNCTAD insisted is mmore important for developing countries  continued its neggative trend throughout 2020 and into the first quarter of 2021.

Looking ahead, UNCTAD said that global foreign direct investment flows were expected to bottom out in 2021 and recover some lost ground, with an increase of about 10 to 15 per cent. But this would still leave levels some 25 per cent below the 2019 level.
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Chief of Defence Forces, Kenya, General Robert Kariuki Kibochi Tuesday lauded the professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in fight against terrorism

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :Chief of Defence Forces, Kenya, General Robert Kariuki Kibochi Tuesday lauded the professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in fight against terrorism.

Chief of Defence Forces, Kenya, General Robert Kariuki Kibochi who was on official visit to Pakistan, called on Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Nadeem Raza at Joint Staff Headquarters, here said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) media release received.

Both the sides deliberated upon prevailing international and regional security environment.

Matters of bilateral professional interest and further strengthening of security and defence cooperation between the two countries were discussed during the meeting.

Earlier, on arrival at Joint Staff Headquarters, a smartly turned out tri-services contingent presented 'Guard of Honour' to the visiting dignitary.
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West African country Niger's Minister for Commerce, Industries and Entrepreneurship of Young Gado Sabo Moctar on Tuesday observed that Pakistan's favorable environment for business and trade activities had attracted a lot of businessmen of his country to do business with Pakista

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :West African country Niger's Minister for Commerce, Industries and Entrepreneurship of Young Gado Sabo Moctar on Tuesday observed that Pakistan's favorable environment for business and trade activities had attracted a lot of businessmen of his country to do business with Pakistan .

He said this in his meeting with President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo and other prominent businessmen during a visit to the Federation House here.

Niger's delegation headed by Gado Sabo Moctar met the President FPCCI and also held detailed deliberations on the matters pertaining to boost trade ties between Pakistan and Niger as well as discover potential areas of mutual cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador of Pakistan in Niger, Ahmed Ali Sirohey, Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Investment Niger Zakari Wargo Boubacar, Director General Development Industries Niger, Abdoulaye Boubacar, 2nd Vice President National Chamber of Commerce & Industries Niger, Bana Boureima, Businessman of Niger, Salim Sabo Moctar and other notables were also present on the occasion.

Talking to the President FPCCI, Gado Sabo Moctar sought cooperation from business community of Pakistan in different sectors including food and Agriculture.

He said that this is high time to further integrate the ideas to improve cooperation between the two countries, especially in commerce and trade.

Gado Sabo Moctar also said that the Head of the State of Niger would soon pay an official visit to Pakistan along with an important delegation.

Talking to the Niger's delegation, Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo assured them full cooperation on behalf of the business community to further enhance trade relations.

He highly appreciated the efforts of Ambassador of Pakistan in Niger, Ahmed Ali Sirohey for developing interaction between the business communities and authorities of Pakistan and Niger to facilitate the traders and officials of both sides.

The FPCCI President also expressed gratitude to the members of Niger's delegation for paying visit to the Federation House.

Speaking on the occasion, former chairman Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), Rafiq Suleman briefed them that Pakistan produces good quality of rice and exports it to over 100 countries across the globe.

He said that many countries in the West African region import rice from Pakistan. The Rice exporters of Pakistan got the potential to fulfill the demand of the African region, he added.

The members of the delegation were also informed that the IT sector of Pakistan is also growing rapidly and it also got potential for doing business with the Niger.

Later, the office bearers of FPCCI presented shields to Niger's Commerce Minister and Pakistan's Ambassador in Niger Ahmed Ali Sirohey.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2021) The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of the Air Force have concluded a commercial space agreement to protect public safety during commercial space activities carried out by or under the supervision of the US Space Force, the FAA said on Monday.

"The FAA and the Department of the Air Force signed an agreement aimed at eliminating red tape while protecting public safety during commercial space activities at ranges operated by the US Space Force," the statement said.

The agreement recognizes common safety standards for FAA-licensed launch and reentry activities that occur on, originate from, or return to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the statement explained.

"The two ranges each have four FAA-licensed commercial space transportation companies authorized to conduct launch operations. In 2020, the FAA licensed 39 commercial space launches, the most in the agency's history. Of those, 24 occurred at, and were supported by, these two US Space Force ranges," the statement said.

The new agreement also removes duplicative processes and approvals for the US commercial space sector, the statement added.
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Around 10 police officers have been killed in an ambush by suspected militants in northern Burkina Faso and several others are missing, security sources told AFP on Tuesday

Ouagadougou, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :Around 10 police officers have been killed in an ambush by suspected militants in northern Burkina Faso and several others are missing, security sources told AFP on Tuesday.

"On Monday evening, a group of police officers were targeted in an ambush by armed individuals near Barsalogho," a town in the Centre-Nord region, one source said.

"The provisional toll is around 10 police officers killed, and others missing," the source added. A second source within the Burkinabe security forces confirmed the attack.
The Indian air force and the US Ronald Reagan carrier strike group will begin a joint military exercise off the southern tip of the Indian state of Kerala state on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) The Indian air force and the US Ronald Reagan carrier strike group will begin a joint military exercise off the southern tip of the Indian state of Kerala state on Wednesday.

"The exercise will be carried out south of Thiruvananthapuram, on the western seaboard, over two days," the Indian defense ministry said in a statement.

India will field Jaguar attack jets, Su-30 MKI fighters, AWACS and AEW&C spy planes and a refueller aircraft. The US air fleet will be made up of field F-18 fighters and E-2C Hawkeye AEW&C aircraft.

The drills aim to improve interoperability, hone maritime search and rescue skills and allow the exchange of best practices in the maritime airpower domain, the Indian military said.
The Ministry of Health in India has alerted Maharashtra, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh states to take more focused and effective public health response measures as the Delta plus variant of COVID surfaces in some districts in these states, the ministry said in a release

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) The Ministry of Health in India has alerted Maharashtra, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh states to take more focused and effective public health response measures as the Delta plus variant of COVID surfaces in some districts in these states, the ministry said in a release.

The alert came after recent findings of INSACOG, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium, revealed that the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19, currently a Variant of Concern (VOC), has been found in some districts in these states.

The ministry advised the chief secretaries of these states to "take up immediate containment measures in the districts and clusters (as identified by INSACOG), including preventing crowds & intermingling of people, widespread testing, prompt tracing, and vaccine coverage on a priority basis.

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The ministry also stressed that "states should ensure that sufficient samples of positive individuals are promptly sent to the designated laboratories of INSACOG so that clinical, epidemiological correlations can be made for further guidance to be provided to States."

India still occupies second place globally in the number of people infected with COVID-19, having registered approximately 29.9 million cases and over 389,302 deaths. The Delta COVID-19 variant, first identified in India and more contagious and resistant to human immunity than others, is becoming the dominant one globally and provoking new waves of infection in different countries.
Jeffrey Donaldson was on Tuesday named the head of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party -- its third leader in under a month as a Brexit-soaked saga of political backstabbing rolls on

Dublin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :Jeffrey Donaldson was on Tuesday named the head of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party -- its third leader in under a month as a Brexit-soaked saga of political backstabbing rolls on.

Donaldson, 58, who sits in the UK parliament in London, was the only member to register candidacy in a leadership contest of the hardline pro-UK party, which has been riven by infighting over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland. In a statement, DUP chairman Maurice Morrow said Donaldson "will be the next leader".
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Malawi has used up 99% of all the COVID-19 vaccine doses available in the country after health authorities destroyed almost 20,000 expired AstraZeneca doses, Queen Dube, the chief of health services, told Sputnik on Tuesday

JOHANNESBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) Malawi has used up 99% of all the COVID-19 vaccine doses available in the country after health authorities destroyed almost 20,000 expired AstraZeneca doses, Queen Dube, the chief of health services, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"We have a few doses remaining at the [vaccination] centers. By the close of business today we should be at 99%, so by the end of the week we should have had used up all the doses," Dube said.

The vaccine shortage currently being experienced by the African nation is a result of destroyed shots which had expired, partly due to the low uptake of the vaccines in the country. Malawi received 102,000 AstraZeneca doses from the African Union on March 26 and burned 19,610 of them in mid-May.

"We have received a notification that more AstraZeneca vaccines will be arriving soon. Numbers have increased slightly over the past week but I can confirm that we are officially not in the third wave, but we are expecting the numbers to increase due to the winter season," Dube added.

Asked whether the country was in talks with other vaccine producers such as Russia and other countries, the health official said that at this stage, she could only disclose the fact that they were working with an advisory body on that.

"We are also engaging with our multilateral and bilateral partners," Dube said.

Malawi has so far registered 34,914 COVID-19 cases, coupled with 1,171 deaths and 32,891 recoveries.
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NOVOSIBIRSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) Russian tourists detained in Chad told Sputnik on Tuesday that they were still being held in a hotel and deprived of documents, a car and all electronic devices, despite the fact that the African country's foreign ministry offered an apology to the Russian embassy in N'Djamena.

On Monday, a group of 10 travelers from Russia, who arrived in Chad as part of a road-trip, said that it was detained in the republic's north and transported to the capital. There is one Lithuanian citizen in the group; the rest are Russians.

"We are still in the hotel. The [Russian] Embassy received an apology from Chad, but nothing else has changed," Alexei Kamerzanov, one of the travelers and Russian filmmaker and video blogger, told Sputnik.

The travelers noted that the hotel is excellent and they are being treated very well.

"Charge d'Affaires of Russia in Chad Sergei Kramarenko said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chad offered an official apology for what happened to the group," another member of the group, Vitaly Polischuk, wrote on VK social network.

The group is now waiting for actions from the African country's authorities that has pledged to return their documents and other belongings seized during the detention soon, he added.

The group arrived in Chad for a trip which was expected to last three weeks, along a route previously agreed upon with the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs, which included the north, considered a rather dangerous region. The travelers were detained by people in military and police uniform after they had covered some 80% of their route.
Rwanda on Monday announced fresh restrictions including a ban on weddings as it struggles to contain a surge in coronavirus infections

Kigali, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :Rwanda on Monday announced fresh restrictions including a ban on weddings as it struggles to contain a surge in coronavirus infections.

"All social gatherings including celebrations of all kinds are prohibited," a government statement said Monday evening. "Traditional, civil and religious weddings are suspended." Other measures due to come into force on Wednesday include the extension of a nationwide curfew, from 7 pm (1700 GMT) until 4 am, restrictions on movement between districts, and the suspension of air travel to neighbouring Uganda where coronavirus cases are spiralling.

"The public is reminded of the critical importance of complying with health measures including physical distancing, wearing face masks, and ensure hand hygiene.

Penalties will be applied for non-compliance," the statement said.

Rwanda has, up to now, avoided the worst of the pandemic by enforcing some of the strictest containment measures on the continent and implementing a rigorous regime of testing and contact tracing.

But over the last few weeks, cases have shot up with authorities counting 662 cases and seven deaths on Monday.

The country of 13 million people has registered a total of 31,435 positive cases and 388 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

A nationwide campaign aimed at vaccinating 60 percent of the population by next year has so far reached just three percent of the population.
Canadians and permanent residents fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to quarantine upon their return from abroad starting July 5, officials announced Monday

Ottawa, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jun, 2021 ) :Canadians and permanent residents fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to quarantine upon their return from abroad starting July 5, officials announced Monday.

From 11:59 pm (0359 GMT) on that day, they will also face reduced testing requirements in this first phase of lifting public health restrictions for travelers.

"We'll come back to Canadians on next steps," Health Minister Patty Hajdu told a news conference, acknowledging growing pressure to fully reopen the border.

"We can see the finish line," she said. "Let's finish strong and let's make sure that we protect our gains." Ottawa said in a statement it "continues to strongly advise Canadians to avoid non-essential travel worldwide," citing the risk of importing the novel coronavirus and its variants.

Fully vaccinated or not, foreign nationals including Americans are still prohibited from entering the country for discretionary travel.

And Canadians who can show proof of having received two doses of an approved vaccine -- Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson -- at least 14 days prior to arrival must still get pre- and on-arrival tests, be asymptomatic, and have a suitable quarantine plan.

They will, however, not be required to stay for up to three days at a government authorized hotel at their own expense while they await their on-arrival test result, nor have to test again after eight days.

Canada closed its land border with the United States and international airports to all non-essential travel at the onset of the pandemic last year, and has renewed those measures monthly. The latest order is scheduled to lapse on July 21.

A suspension of all flights from India, introduced in April after increased Covid-19 cases were detected in travelers arriving from the country, has also been extended another month. But Pakistan has been removed from that ban.

Pressure has been mounting from airlines and tourism operators, as well as lawmakers in Washington, to ease border restrictions.

Public health officials, Hajdu said, are monitoring the spread of pandemic. She warned that "as Covid rages out of control in other countries, it (still) presents a clear and present danger to all countries." Public Safety Minister Bill Blair added: "We recognize that people are anxiously awaiting to reopen the border and, as Canada reaches high levels of vaccination coverage and the Covid-19 severity trends continue to decline, the risks associated with international travel will decrease."As of Monday, 25 million Canadians or 66 percent of the population has received at least one vaccine dose, while seven million are now fully vaccinated.

New infections are also trending downward from an April peak.
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) Turkey's Constitutional Court unanimously accepted an indictment seeking to shut down the pro-Kurdish and opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), national media reported on Monday.

The court returned the indictment of the chief prosecutor's office to ban the HDP on March 31 due to procedural omissions. After making amendments, the prosecutor again delivered the indictment to the court. The prosecutor accuses the HDP of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is considered by Turkey a terrorist organization.

According to Turkish Anadolu Agency, the indictment will be sent to the HDP for pre-defense and answering the accusations.

Subsequently, the court will set date in order to make a decision on the indictment. In order to make a decision to ban or impose financial restrictions on the party, a majority vote of 10 out of 15 members of the court is required.

In Turkey, numerous pro-Kurdish and Islamist political parties have been banned. In the last parliamentary elections held in 2018, the HDP won 11.7% of the vote and 67 seats in the 600-seat parliament. However, the HDP currently has 55 seats in the parliament, as some HDP lawmakers were unseated and others resigned from the party. Selahattin Demirtas, who was the former co-leader of the HDP, has been in prison since November 2016.
TAMPA  From autonomous vehicles to drug development to cybersecurity, USF researchers exploring new frontiers in these rapidly expanding fields are part of a larger mosaic of innovation that extends across the state through the Florida High Tech Corridor.

While younger than many of the nations most famous technology regions, the corridors focus on developing public and private sector collaborations through the Matching Grants Research Program also serves a second, but equally important, purpose: Fueling the regions talent pipeline so that progress made in past 25 years continues to gain momentum and becomes self-perpetuating.

Since 1996, the program has delivered an estimated $1 billion in value and an incalculable impact on the lives of students whose hands-on participation in these real-world research programs has given them an unparalleled opportunity to be a part of innovation as it happens. In the last academic year, nearly 60 USF undergraduate, graduate students, and postdoc researchers joined in projects in the labs of dozens of USF faculty members working in partnership with companies.

Meet some of the USF students and postdocs of the matching grants research program

David Young

Research: Analysis and Performance Testing of Molekule Technologies Faculty Advisor: Distinguished Professor Yogi Goswami Industry Partner: Molekule

David Young is a doctoral researcher in the USF College of Engineerings Clean Energy Research Center. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy who went on to serve in multiple international assignments and deployments in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Dr. Young began a new career in clean energy research after leaving the military.

I am fortunate to have the ability to do research for Molekule under the guidance of Dr. Yogi Goswami - this is an experience another university simply cannot provide. The importance of conducting experimental research to increase the effectiveness of a Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PECO) nanotechnology which can kill airborne COVID viruses is a real motivator. As a researcher your life experience, knowledge, ability to understand other state-of-the-art technology research, and learn from your experiments factor into steps toward progress. Even experimental results which did not improve existing technology are discoveries. Happy to say some methods to advance PECO technology were discovered with our research and experimentation!

Avtar Singh

Research: Analysis and Performance Testing of Molekule Technologies

Faculty Advisor: Distinguished Professor Yogi Goswami

Industry Partner: Molekule

Dr. Singh received his PhD degree in Chemistry in 2015 from the Punjabi University in India. In April 2018, he joined the Clean Energy Research Center as postdoc research scholar under the guidance of led by Dr. Goswami. His work is focused on indoor air purification.

Clean air is essential for being healthy. Countless studies have shown that air pollution affects everyone from an unborn child to the elderly. As a researcher, I am devoted to changing the world for better air.

Manisha Antony

Research: Developing a novel therapeutic for treating tinnitus

Faculty Advisor: Professor Joseph Walton

Industry Partner: Cognosetta

Manisha Anthony recently graduated from USF with a degree in biomedical science and plans on attending medical school. She has been doing research at USF Professor Joseph Waltons auditory neuroscience lab in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders for nearly two years. The lab focuses on studying tinnitus, a hearing disorder caused by age-related hearing loss or noise-induced trauma, and for which there are few effective treatments to lessen symptoms and no cure. She joined a project in Dr. Waltons startup, Cognosetta, in 2020 that is working to develop a new drug to address tinnitus.

Through my experience at Cognosetta, I was able to gain substantial knowledge that will help me with my future endeavors. I was able to be involved in various aspects of the research and the challenges I faced in this research has helped me be more independent and develop critical thinking skills. The most rewarding part for this experience was the wonderful opportunities for our team to present our accomplishments at the Undergraduate Research Conference and Association for Research in Otolaryngology. I am grateful to be a part of this research lab as it has opened an interest in neuroscience for me, which I hope to continue to study in the future. Most importantly I would like to thank my mentors Dr. Joseph Walton, Dr. Luisa Scott and Dr. Collin Park for guiding me and helping me achieve this honor.

Kristie Labib

Research: Developing a novel therapeutic for treating tinnitus

Faculty Advisor: Professor Joseph Walton

Industry Partner: Cognosetta

Kristie Labib recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences and will be starting at the USF Morsani College of Medicine in the fall of 2021. She also worked as an undergraduate in Dr. Waltons lab on research projects on pharmaceutical and therapeutic methods at alleviating symptoms of tinnitus.

My most valued experience in this research was my involvement in a project that examined the effectiveness of a new drug at suppressing symptoms of tinnitus. I was fortunate to work diligently on it with the support of my mentors Dr. Joseph Walton, Dr. Luisa Scott, and Dr. Collin Park. We observed successful results, which then drove me to write a USF Honors thesis on the neurological benefits of the drug on tinnitus symptoms. Additionally, we had the data presented on posters at both the Undergraduate Research Conference and the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. As part of the Cognosetta, Inc., team our work allowed us to be selected as one of the 21 Fibonacci Finalists in the Cade Prize research competition for Floridas most innovative startups. Being able to share these achievements with my colleagues allowed us to grasp the impact we have on medicine through this project.

I will forever be indebted to USF and my mentors, as this journey in tinnitus research fueled my desire to pursue a career in medicine. Although my experiences were unforgettable, I wish that this would only be the beginning of my journey, as I would like to pursue a career as an otolaryngologist after medical school.

Malak Ibrahim

Research: Developing a novel therapeutic for treating tinnitus

Faculty Advisor: Professor Joseph Walton

Industry Partner: Cognosetta

Malak Ibrahim recently graduated from USF with a major in biomedical sciences and a minor in psychology. She will start at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in the fall. She conducted her undergraduate research on a potential pharmaceutical to treat tinnitus at USF's Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research under Dr. Walton with the additional mentorship of Dr. Collin Park and Dr. Luisa Scott.

Malak conducted her USF Honors thesis work on the neurological testing used to evaluate a novel therapeutic theorized to alleviate the symptoms of tinnitus, as well as presented this research at USF's 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium. She hopes to continue conducting promising research as a future medical student and physician in order to advance medicine and healthcare.

"My years conducting research under Dr. Walton have proved to be an invaluable experience. I learned how to innovate and adapt in a professional, collaborative manner, skills that I am sure will aid me in my next step as a medical student. I also gained an appreciation for the medical applications of scientific exploration and how transformative they can be in healthcare."

Fatemeh Khorramshahi

Research: Fast Charging Flexible Supercapacitors

Faculty Advisor: Associate Professor Arash Takshi

Industry Partner: PolyMaterials App

Fatemeh Khorramshahi earned her PhD in Electrical Engineering from USF in August 2020 under the supervision of Associate Professor Arash Takshi. Her PhD works included research into the use of perovskite  a mineral scientists can design to have a wide variety of physical, optical, and electrical characteristics  in optoelectronic devices, enhancing the Perovskite flexible solar cells performance, as well as studying the piezo-phototronic effect in semiconductors. Upon earning her doctorate, she joined VTT Technical Research Center of Finland as a research scientist where she is working on the several parts of the ongoing European Union Graphene Flagship research project. Dr. Khorramshashi holds a masters degree from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) in Photonics Engineering. She has also served as a researcher at University of Tehran and Columbia University.

Behnam Zeinail Rizi

Research: Data-Driven Intelligence for Active Identification and Characterization

Faculty Advisor: Professor Morris Chang

Industry Partner: SOFWERX

Behnam Zeinali Rizi is a PhD student and a member of Professor Morris Chang's lab in the Department of Electrical Engineering. Rizi describes himself as "passionate about the field of artificial intelliegence" and his research focuses are on machine and deep learning, computer vision, and mobile application programming. He is interested in deploying machine learning applications on IoT devices with optimum energy consumption. For example, recently he has been working on skin lesion classification on IoT devices and using a machine learning model to intelligently identify weak classified samples and send them to the server to obtain better classification results.

Before starting my journey as a (College of Engineering) PhD student, I thought that I had enough experience in my major. However, USF opened new horizons in the development of my education and my skills. USF has brought me this excellent opportunity to work on state-of-the-art research projects and expand my knowledge and experience in my field. Moreover, in the field of machine learning, I have now this chance to work with and learn from a knowledgeable supervisor, well-educated lab mates, as well as many compassionate and dutiful professors in a friendly environment."

Di Zhuang

Research: Data-Driven Intelligence for Active Identification and Characterization

Faculty Advisor: Professor Morris Chang

Industry Partner: SOFWERX

Di Zhuang graduated with his PhD in electrical engineering at USF in May. He has been conducting research in cybersecurity, social network science, privacy enhancing technologies, machine learning and deep learning as part of Professor Changs lab . His research is focus on enabling privacy protection while conducting machine learning or deep learning. For instance, one of his research works aims to design an effective and efficient privacy-preserving distributed deep learning approach, that enables multi-party collaboratively training an accurate deep learning model while protects the training data coming from each party. Part of his research work has also been published in one recent book: Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning.

I am glad that I have participated in this research project, where I have conducted the cutting-edge research topics related to decentralized data pre-processing, robust deep learning, big data techniques, and multimodal feature fusion techniques. The project experience not only inspired me to develop my own research ideas towards accomplishing my PhD dissertation, but also provided me with the hands-on industry career preparation.

Xiaowei (Tom) Shi

Research: On-Board Smart Vision System to Support Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) Communication

Faculty Advisor: Professor Xiaopeng Li

Industry Partner: Connected Wise

Xiaowei (Tom) Shi is a PhD candidate whose research aims to establish a set of methodologies to understand, predict and eventually improve future transportation systems via sensors, controllers, and design variables rendered by emerging technologies, such as connected, automated, modular, and electric vehicles. He is responsible for the development and deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles owned by the connected and autonomous systems lab of USF, including vehicle retrofit, control, planning, and sensor fusion. Connected Wise is an automated vehicle technology company based in Orlando, whose technologies are being incorporated into Dr. Li's projects.

Dr. Li provided tremendous help to me on the project that we collaborated with Connected Wise. From this project, I learned the best way to transfer a technical concept to a real-world application. Once I graduate from USF, I hope to keep working in academia, focusing on emerging technologies, and closely collaborate with industrial partners.

Kimberly Witke

Research: Formation Control for Autonomous Vehicles Using Visual Odometry Techniques

Faculty Advisor: Professor Sriram Chellappan

Industry Partner: SOFWERX

Kimberly Witke is completing her PhD in mechanical engineering, and currently holds both a bachelors and masters of science in mechanical engineering and a bachelor of arts in in anthropology. Her work focuses on developing experimentally proven theoretical models in multiagent controls systems. Upon joining the LACIS group, she worked in visual odometry with Dr. Chellappan & SOFWERX in January 2020 developing a computer-vision driven control system for an unmanned ground vehicle with the ability to identify targets and track their movements over rough terrain while maintaining uninterrupted spatial awareness.

Located in Ybor City, SOFWERX is described as "a factory of ideas and innovation" that is a public-private innovation partnership that works on the United States Special Operations Command's most challenging problems.

This project has been an excellent way to learn more about computer vision technologies and how they can support robotic agents in their decision-making as they navigate a novel environment. This project has a wide variety of potential applications, which I look forward to exploring further over the next few years.

Neha Arora

Research: Automated Modular Algae Cultivation System for Aquaculture

Faculty Advisor: Professor George Philippidis

Industry Partner: Culture Biosystems

Dr. Neha Arora is a postdoc researcher in the Patel College of Global Sustainability. She works on a project to convert microalgae as a promising renewable source for the 5Fs of the sustainable development goals: food, fiber, fuel, feed, and fertilizer. With financial support from the Florida High Tech Corridor, this joint project between Professor George Philippidis and Culture Biosystems - a technology provider of cultivation platforms for growing low cost algae for fuels, feeds and chemicals with operations in Lakeland and Coral Gables - developed an automated modular cultivation system that can cost-effectively produce live algae to feed aquaculture operations. It is well established that live algae, instead of frozen algae paste, improve larvae survival and fish productivity in aquaculture operations. By developing sensors for algae and nutrient field measurements, operators are able to obtain real-time data information to allow automated monitoring and control of the cultivation system, hence reducing operating costs and making this Florida technology cost effective for subsequent commercialization.

Working on this FHTC-supported project in Dr. Philippidis group has provided me with a great opportunity to expand my intellectual horizons on large scale algae cultivation for aquaculture, biofuels, and biomaterials. The project is highly interdisciplinary as it combines biology, biochemistry, and chemical engineering with an aim to take algae-based sustainability solutions to the commercial level by reducing the cost of cultivation via automation that minimizes labor. This way, live algae can become cost-competitive for the aquaculture industry and boost productivity and profitability. Being a part of this effort has been instrumental for fostering new scientific relationships with the algae scientific community especially in the private sector, in addition to interacting with USF colleagues from diverse fields. The experience I have gained working on this project in Dr. Philippidis Biofuels & Bioproducts Lab to prepare for a future career in either academia or industry to serve the bioeconomy of the future.

Priyanka Bhatt

Research: Formulation Development and Characterization of Ayurvedic Herb Based Neutraceuticals

Faculty Advisor: Professor Vijaykumar Sutariya

Industry Partner: Param Bhakti Healthcare and Research Services

Dr. Priyanka Bhatt is currently pursuing my postdoc in Dr. Vijaykumar Sutariyas lab in the Taneja College of Pharmacys Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is working in the field of ocular drug delivery on novel nanocarrier strategies to combat for age-related macular degeneration. Param Bhakti Healthcare & Research Services, LLC, is an early-stage company focusing on the development of nutraceuticals with locations at the USF Research Park in Tampa and New Jersey.

I am extremely thankful to Corridors Matching Grant Research Program for the research support and for the great experience that I had. It gave me an opportunity to learn and contribute towards developing efficient ocular therapy. The most rewarding part of my research is the advancement and promise which upcoming ocular formulations will bring for patients suffering from aging ocular illnesses."
Valdosta, GA (31601)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
24 migrants are expected to arrive in Rome on Wednesday thanks to a humanitarian corridor organised by Caritas Italiana along with the Italian Bishops.

By Vatican News staff writer

45 refugees from Niger, who have lived the hell of Libya, will arrive at Rome's Fiumicino Airport on 23 June. Their arrival, along with that of many refugees pin prievious years, is thanks to a new humanitarian corridor organised by Caritas Italiana, the Italian Bishops' Conference, and UNHCR. These refugees will try to rebuild their lives in the various dioceses of the country.

Humanitarian corridors

In a press release, Caritas Italiana explains that humanitarian corridors allow a safe and legal transfer of people in need of international protection from a third country to Italy. Thanks, in fact, to the protocols established with the Italian Government and the funds of the 81000 donated to the Catholic Church, as well as through Caritas Italiana and the support of families, parishes, associations and schools, the Italian bishops in recent years have been able to organise humanitarian corridors, resettlements and humanitarian evacuations from the Middle East and Africa. The refugees travel in small groups and so far more than a thousand people have been helped. They are taken care of by Christian communities throughout the country, to avoid a large concentration and to make "the reception more sustainable and successful."

Pope Francis' support

Pope Francis has often expressed his concern for all the refugees and migrants who are trapped in detention centers in Libya.

The Pope has asked the international community to help evacuate those trapped, especially the women, the children and the sick, as soon as possible through the safety of humanitarian corridors".

Italy started taking in refugees from Libya via humanitarian corridors in February 2016.

The need for real change

However, Fr Francesco Soddu, director of Caritas Italiana, spoke on this occasion of the need for "an authentic change of strategy and culture", stressing how "the theme of migratory flows can no longer be addressed from an emergency perspective or limited to Europe and the Mediterranean, but must be included in a broader framework".

Caritas, in the press release, recalls how in 2021 more than 800 people have already disappeared in the Mediterranean and more than 13,000 are those intercepted and reported back to Libya alone.
The Zimbabwe Catholic Commission for the Laity (ZCCL) through the Catholic Professionals Network of Zimbabwe has launched a campaign to conserve the environment in the spirit of Laudato Si.

By Br. Alfonce Kugwa*

As the rate of environmental degradation continues to escalate in Zimbabwe and elsewhere with serious implications on flora, fauna and marine life, humanity must take immediate action to avoid further damage to our common habitat. Pope Francis in his Encyclical Laudato Si says: We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all. Pope Francis message has inspired the Catholic Professionals Network of Zimbabwe who decided to do their bit for the environment.

Catholic laity and environmental management

The Popes reflection reveals that humanity is responsible for the destruction of the environment and that it is through human effort that the same environment can be conserved.

As part of its contribution towards environmental management, the Zimbabwe Catholic Commission for the Laity (ZCCL) through the Catholic Professionals Network of Zimbabwe (CPNZ) have embarked on a Laudato Si campaign that seeks to encourage society to protect the environment. The project that is supported by the Apostolic Nunciature encourages people to practice environmentally friendly ways in every business venture.

Thus, in the spirit of Laudato Si Zimbabwes Catholic laity put together a project that focuses on commemorating and publicizing Laudato Si while at the same time encourage environmental management. The project involves encouraging Zimbabweans but especially young children and the youth to spearhead and take part in activities that involve caring for the environment in their communities, wherever they are in Zimbabwe. There are several practices that degrade the environment such as cutting trees, illegal mining, burning bushes, littering surroundings with paper and plastics and so on. The campaign seeks to discourage these. Young people are encouraged through the campaign to do their bit in keeping clean their environment even when other people litter.

This girl shows litter in the street

Connecting the Gospel with environmental wellbeing

The Zimbabwe Catholic Commission for the Laity (ZCCL) Coordinator, Fr. Johane Maseko said the campaign was meant to bring awareness about Laudato Si and encouraged living the connection between environmental wellbeing and the gospel. Further still, by linking the project constantly to Laudato si the hope is that interest in the document will be cultivated and people might be curious enough to read the document for themselves.

This project is meant to empower people to till and keep the paradise of our environment. The thrust is to help people to understand the nexus between taking care of the environment and prayer as alluded to by Pope Francis who said, to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God. said Fr. Maseko.

Losing forests to illegal mining

With poverty and unemployment leading young people into illegal mining and other illicit ways of income generation, there is great environmental damage due to unorganized mining activities and deforestation. Forests are haphazardly cleared as makorokoza (illegal miners) scramble for the precious metal, Gold. They dig everywhere and anyhow, where they think they can get Gold. A visit to places like Kwekwe, Gokwe, Kadoma, Bindura, Mazowe, Mberengwa and others is an eye-opener on how the environment is being endangered. One would wonder if there is a future at all.

We are forced into this situation because of poverty. We are unemployed. In actual fact, there is no employment. We have families that need food and the only means of survival is to come kumakomba (illegal mines) to look for gold. We have concern for the environment but there is nothing we can do, said one artisanal miner in the outskirts of Kadoma.

A lady complains about the amount of litter pilling up in the strees in Budiriro.

Overpopulated cities have consequences

The love for money has also contributed to the destruction of the environment. The haphazard or slapdash apportionment of land by land barons for business and residential stands in urban areas has seen structures mushrooming in wetlands and other undesignated places.

Urban migration has resulted in the overpopulation of cities. This in turn has compromised and complicated hygiene standards for most urban areas in Zimbabwe. There is very little being done to upgrade the water and sanitation facilities. The upsurge in outbursts of sewer pipes, erratic supply of water and the sprawling of litter everywhere is cause for concern for the urbanites. It is from this background that the church through its laity seeks to curb the menace of environmental pollution in the country.

The laudato si campaign

With this campaign, the Church seeks to conscientize communities on the need to prioritize conservation of the environment by protecting the forests, wetlands, water bodies, wildlife and the ozone layer. The call also encourages the planting of trees, proper treatment and recycling of litter and to stop the throw-away culture that contaminates the environment and leads to climate change.

* Director of the ZCBC Social Communications Commission
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After reporting its first COVID-19 death in March, Cambodia has a recent spike in deaths from the disease, registering 111 deaths in the last eight days.

Cambodia has seen a sharp increase in cases  more than 40,000 in the last three months  since early April resulting in the lockdown of Phnom Penh and other parts of the country. And, while the number of deaths have hovered around 8 to 10 deaths a day, in the last three weeks there have been 238 reported deaths  more than half all deaths reported in the country during the pandemic.

The country also has a higher number of deaths per million citizens, as compared to its immediate neighbors. Cambodia has almost 28 deaths per million people, whereas Thailand and Vietnam  which are also seeing recent surges in COVID-19 cases  23 and less than one death per million, respectively, according to data from John Hopkins Universitys COVID-19 dashboard.

The rise in deaths is concerning, say health experts and officials, attributing it to more virulent mutations of the virus, comorbidities among the population and a weak healthcare system.

Dr. Nouth Sambath, who heads the Institute of Biology, Medicine, and Agriculture at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the increase in deaths reveal that Cambodians have pre-existing health conditions that are making them vulnerable to the virus.

The doctor said the countrys elderly lived through the Khmer Rouge regime, during which they faced malnutrition and testing physical conditions making their immune systems weaker.

Most of the deaths are among people who are obese, with chronic diseases and over 65 [years], he said.

They dont have enough antibodies against the virus. So, they are easily infected and die.

Another related issue is Cambodias healthcare system and its capacity to deal with cases related to a raging pandemic.

This is another factor which leads to more infections, and they are vulnerable to deaths, Nouth Sambath said.

The World Health Organization states that people with high-risk factors, such as the elderly, people who smoke, are obese, have non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease or diabetes, might need further evaluation before being recommended for home treatment.

On June 19, the Ministry of Health also reported that they had detected the presence of the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus in seven people entering from Thailand.

We must dare to face hardships in the short term rather than hardships in the long term when implementing measures that enable us to avoid the long run that we may find it difficult to recover later on, said Or Vandine, a Health Ministry secretary of state in a message released the same day.

Most of the time, we have often heard about people [are] afraid of COVID-19, but our fear doesnt seem to respond to the disease transmission condition, which still infects hundreds of people every day, she added.

While the number of deaths has increased, there is little understanding about where they are occurring or other details about these cases. The Health Ministry in May stopped issuing details of where cases were occurring and instead only provided total new daily cases, deaths and recoveries, preventing analysis of progression of the outbreak.

Or Vandine and Hok Kim Cheng, the Health Ministrys technical director-general did not respond to requests for comment.

Yong Kim Eng, president of the People Center for Development and Peace, said the rising number of deaths was concerning. He said the government needed to make sure its treatment procedures are effective, and that hospitals and health centers are well equipped to deal with the outbreak.

We are also worried whether there are enough ventilators or not for helping patients who are seriously ill and need oxygen, he said.

The use of makeshift COVID-19 treatment centers has been controversial and their capacity to handle COVID-19 patients.

Phin Sodalin, 17, died of COVID-19 while at the Sen Sok makeshift health center. But, her family claims that they werent made aware of where she was being treated, her death or where her body was being stored.

Phin Tith, 46 and Sodalins father, said his daughter was being treated for kidney disease at the Preah Ket Mealea Hospital but tested positive for COVID-19 and was transferred to the Sen Sok treatment center. The family was unaware of this and had to put a call on Facebook asking for her whereabouts before authorities informed the family of her death.

She had no symptoms of COVID like a cough, breathlessness; she only had a fever, he said. I dont know whether she had COVID-19 because the doctor said she is positive.
Myanmars ruling junta says fighting between coup protesters and security forces in Mandalay Tuesday left four demonstrators dead.

A statement says security forces were met with small arms fire and grenades during a raid on a house in the countrys second-biggest city. In addition to the four dead protesters, whom the junta described as terrorists, 20 members of the raiding party were injured, while eight others were arrested for possession of homemade mines, hand grenades and small arms.

The junta has struggled to put down daily mass demonstrations across Myanmar since overthrowing the civilian government on February 1 and detaining de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other officials. Many protesters have fled to the jungles to form self-defense forces with ethnic rebel militias, which have launched regular attacks on better equipped security forces.

An independent monitoring group says more than 870 civilians have been killed and 6,000 arrested since the coup.

The military cited widespread fraud in last Novembers general election  which Suu Kyis National League for Democracy won in a landslide  as its reason for overthrowing the government. The civilian electoral commission denies the allegation.
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In northern Cameroon, councils of traditional rulers were customarily all men but in the last two years have opened to women. These pioneer female deputy chiefs are battling early marriage in a region with Cameroons highest rate of child marriage.
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Europes surging far-right has suffered election setbacks recently  in Germanys eastern state of Saxony, where Chancellor Angela Merckels ruling conservatives prevailedand in France, where the National Rally party did less well than expected in the first round of regional polls Sunday.
U.N. human rights chief Michele Bachelet has issued a stark warning that rising poverty, inequality, injustice and the erosion of democratic values were gravely setting back the cause of human rights around the world. Bachelet addressed delegates at the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Councils three-week session.

In her opening remarks, Bachelet called for action to stop what she called the most wide-reaching and severe cascade of human rights setbacks in our lifetime.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights backed up her assertion by zipping through the human rights records of dozens of countries around the world.

No region escaped her withering gaze. She noted the Council would hold special interactive dialogues on several places of specific concern, including Iran, Myanmar, Venezuela and the occupied Palestinian territories.

She expressed alarm at the sharp increase in violence and civilian harm in Afghanistan and warned the imminent withdrawal of international forces was creating fear for the future. She deplored the deterioration of freedoms of expression in Belarus and said reports of continued arbitrary arrests and torture of human rights activists was of great concern.

In the Tigray region of Ethiopia, I am deeply disturbed by continued reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross human rights violations and abuses against civilians by all parties to the conflict, including extrajudicial executions; arbitrary arrests and detentions; sexual violence against children as well as adults; and forced displacement, said Bachelet.

In many other parts of Ethiopia, Bachelet warned alarming incidents of deadly ethnic and inter-communal violence and displacement were increasing polarization to a more dangerous level. She urged dialogue throughout the country to address these grievances.

Even powerful, permanent members of the U.N. Security Council did not escape condemnation. The high commissioner criticized the application of Chinas National Security Law in Hong Kong. She noted this was having a chilling impact on the territorys civic and democratic space.

She reiterated her request for access to Chinas Xinjiang region where an estimated one million Uyghur Muslims allegedly are being held in abusive internment camps.

In the Russian Federation, I am dismayed by recent measures that further undermine people's right to express critical views, and their ability to take part in the parliamentary elections scheduled in September. Earlier this month, following closed hearings, a court in Moscow ruled that the Anti-Corruption Foundation led by the imprisoned opposition figure Aleksei Navalny was an "extremist organization. she said.

She urged Russia to uphold civil and political rights and to refrain from branding ordinary individuals, journalists, and non-governmental organizations as extremist or foreign agents.

Bachelet called for concerted action to recover from these grave human rights setbacks. She said societies must restore systems of justice, reduce inequalities and lift people out of poverty through human rights-based development to create better, more resilient societies for future generations.
Siphosami Malunga, son of the late national hero Sydney Malunga, whose farm is being seized by the government, claims that documents of the propertys ownership have been stolen from the Zimbabwe Deeds Office.

In a series of tweets and Facebook posts, Malunga claimed that someone linked to the government stole the documents.

The levels of sordidness & underhandeness related to our farm issue are shocking. We gather someone removed the documents proving ownership from the files at the deeds & companies office. We have copies which we shared with authorities. We will reveal who we believe cld have & why.

Malunga co-owns the Kershelmar Farm in Nyamandlovu with Zephaniah Dhlamini, who works at the National University of Science and Technology, and businessesman Charles Moyo.

In another tweet, Malunga said he got a message from Dhlamini indicating that those people who stole the documents left behind some receipts showing that the three bought the farm.

"I am from the registrar of companies.... Our CR14 document was stolen from the file... Foolishly they left the receipt, CR 6 and our returns for 2017... A clumsily executed plan to mislead the minister of lands.

He said people who want to take over the farm have disrupted operations.

It's impossible for people to understand the level of disruption a farm takeover does to productivity. We were in the middle of planting 150000 tomato plants! It's the largest tomato plant planted in that area during the winter ever. Then we have people coming prancing around our crops claiming to own everything! What message does this send to any potential investor in Zimbabwe? And we are #Open4Business??

The government claims that it repossessed the farm from a white commercial farmer in 2004 but Malunga and partners say they bought it in 2017.

The government has not yet reacted to Malungas posts on social media.

Meanwhile, the Matabeleland Forum, a convergence of civic society groups and community-based organisations, has condemned the governments actions.

It said Malunga is being victimized because he is a consistent critic of the governments repression and the abuse of human rights.

In a statement, the Forum said, We are extremely disturbed by news received on Monday 14 June 2021 that the Government of Zimbabwe has compulsorily gazetted the farm and home belonging to the family of the late National Hero, Sydney Malunga. We are concerned that after forty-one years of independence and liberation from racial discrimination, state-sanctioned wanton harassment and arbitrary victimisation citizens; The State continues to perpetuate the same injustices.

It is the gallant sons and veteran nationalists like the freedom fighter, Sydney Malunga who contributed to the attainment of independence by Zimbabwe and to ensure all citizens have equal access to land. We are appalled that the Sate that came about following the sacrifices of liberation heroes like Sydney Malunga, has the audacity to evict the late National Heros family from their property, their home, their farm!

The Matabeleland Forum says it speaks on behalf of many vulnerable populations when we witness horrifying actions during the Second Republic where the policies are characterised by unprecedented violation of human rights coupled with impunity, high-handed malice and the relentless harassment of real and perceived opponents of the Government of Zimbabwe.

The Forum said, The vengeful, unabashed and deliberate assault on the private property of a National Hero and indeed of any Zimbabwean citizen by the primary institution that must defend and protect it, is a threat to our dignity as a people and to the moral conscience of our nationhood. The Matabeleland Forum condemns in the strongest possible terms the gazetting of a farm belonging to Sipho Malunga (a human rights defender, farmer and son of late national hero Sydney Malunga) and others.

The Forum noted that this action and move by the government is totally and completely preposterous because the said piece of land is utilised at optimum level as well as contributing immensely to the local economy, the farm is wholly owned by black indigenous Zimbabwean professionals, the land was legally procured in accordance with the Deeds Registries Act and clearly mitigates against the governments thrust of black economic empowerment.

The Forum views this as an appalling action and calculated assault on property rights which are enshrined in the constitution of Zimbabwe. The Forum sees this as an assault on the legacy of late National hero Sidney Malunga. The action by the State violates the founding values and principles of the constitution, which recognises the gains of the liberation struggle, and the move by the State authorities is baseless, senseless and smacks of unmeasured avarice, capricious and malevolent intentions.

The Forum said it unreservedly opposes the action by the state to acquire land from indigenous persons who are using the land for agricultural purposes and says the government should uphold the rule of law and respect the right to property as enshrined in the countrys constitution.

In a several tweets recently, Information Secretary, Nick Mangwana, clashed with Malunga on the social media platform over the repossession of the farm.

Mangwana said, In 2004 Govt acquired a farm that belonged to a Mr Swindells who left for New Zealand then. The title deeds remain in his name. One Eddie Warambwa leased the farm from Swindells until 2010 when he died. In 2017 Sipho Malunga bought a Swindells company for US$33k. Clearly the 500ha farm had already been acquired by Govt in 2004 was not part of this transaction. A stand, and not a farm is bought for US33k. To say Govt is taking a Malunga farm is incorrect.

In 2010 @RModiByoSouth bought the farm at an auction for US$250k as part of the Warambwa Estate debt but discovered it was already State land and abandoned the purchase. A purported purchase in 2017 does not dislodge Govt acquisition in 2004.

Mangwana further claimed that, In fact they are using only 30ha of this land and this land is being subdivided and being given to a number of people. They were offered 70 hectares of this and they declined maintaining it was theirs. In any case they already have 1600ha in Bubi in Mat North.

But Malunga shot back on Twitter saying, Nick you are shamelessly lying. We own the farm and hold the title deeds. It's really that simple. We know why the government has taken the farm. I came here to just say this. The rest we will say in the appropriate spaces.

Lands and Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka in a state gazette published in December last year noted that the farm is being acquired for under section 72(2) of the countrys constitution for purposes of agriculture resettlement.

Zimbabwe has since 2000, acquired over 4,500 farms and handed them over to blacks. Indications are that some top government officials own multiple farms.

A farm audit that was conducted two years ago has not been made public.
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Kefalos, Kos, Greece (42 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : It was strong enough to wake everyone up in Kefalos, I met other people coming out of their apartments. But nothing fell down and since it woke me up I'm unsure of the kind of vibrations etc. | 7 users found this interesting.

Kefalos, kos / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 10-15 s : I was lieing on my bed. My bed was shaking. I felt afraid. | 6 users found this interesting.

Pigadia / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Was awake and lying in bed when it began to shake. Pretty intense for maybe 10 seconds. Waiting for second wawe | 5 users found this interesting.

Nisyros / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s : Woken up by very loud noise and house shaking violently. Luckily no damage noticeable. Will see in morning. I am still shaking and feel nauseous | 5 users found this interesting.

Kos, Mastichari, Hotel, im Bett / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging : Bett hat leicht geschaukelt. Hat sich leicht vor und zuruck bewegt. Bin davon aufgewacht. Wenig intensiv. | 4 users found this interesting.

Heraklion / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Heraklion Crete 3rd floor. I was sitting down, some car alarms went off and since we had our fair share of earthquakes these past few weeks I immediately felt it. Barely noticeable but lasted a good 10 seconds. Hanging lights were swinging. | 4 users found this interesting.

Perissa / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 15-20 s : Le lit a tremble quelques secondes | 4 users found this interesting.

Rhodos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : The bed was shaking up and down and After that it cames a vibration | 3 users found this interesting.

Tilos, Livadia (28.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : II was sleeping when I felt it, the bed moved very hard during 7-8 seconds. | 3 users found this interesting.

Kefalos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes : The building and floor shaking | 3 users found this interesting.

Kos,Kefalos in the bed (43.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Shaking bed Made us Waking up | 3 users found this interesting.

Kefalos / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Shaking Alot very scary | 3 users found this interesting.

Kos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Shaking like a very strong wind | 3 users found this interesting.

Tigaki , Kos (59 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : We awaked | 3 users found this interesting.

Tigaki Kos (57.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : I was lying in bed reading, when suddenly everything started to shake and swing | 3 users found this interesting.

Rhodes / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : The bed was vibrating | 3 users found this interesting.

Chora, Astypalaia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short : I was waking up from sleeping by strange lateral moves of the bed and 3 or 4 grounding sounds. The dog started to bark. | 2 users found this interesting.

Kos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Woke up at night | 2 users found this interesting.

Rhodes kolimbia / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : I woke up by feeling the Vibration | 2 users found this interesting.

Kolymbia Rhodes / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : My bed was moving around in the room. | 2 users found this interesting.

Afandou / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Yes, light vibration in the bed | 2 users found this interesting.

Turunc Turkey / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Felt mild, but thought it could be big somewhere else. | 2 users found this interesting.

Near Kos Town / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Woke me up | 2 users found this interesting.

Kos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Holy moly scared | 2 users found this interesting.

Karpathos, Pigadia (97.4 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Hotel room was shaking for approx 5 seconds | One user found this interesting.

Fethiye / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating : I was sleeping and woke up with vibrating my bed. | One user found this interesting.

Kos / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : Ich befand mich im Bett und wurde wach weil ich dachte es wird mir schwindelig bis ich merkte wir kippen wie auf einem Schiff ! Und dann realisierte ich es ! | One user found this interesting.

Sitia (157 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Das Haus hat gewackelt, Regal immer wieder gegen Wand geknallt | One user found this interesting.

77.9 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single vertical bump / very short : Strong, Sunt in vacanta in zonele afectate de seism si spun ca sa simtit foarte puternic | One user found this interesting.

Kardamena / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s : it woke me up. it was like a wave. as if the whole room tilted. my wife felt a vibration | One user found this interesting.

Lalysos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : I felt my bed shake and this woke me up. I was in an hotel room, so I didn't have so many object and nothing fallen down. I was a little bit scared because the shaking lasted for a while,but in the hotel nobody went out and no alarm rang so I came back to sleep. No structural damage has been reported | One user found this interesting.

Agios Fokas, Kos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : We were lying in bed when it suddenly started to sway. | One user found this interesting.

Tigaki, Kos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : My boyfriends woke up from the shaking | One user found this interesting.

Faliraki / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 10-15 s : Bed moving like a ghost but very slow | One user found this interesting.

Lindos Rhodes / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Woken up by the glass doors in the hotel bathroom rattling and then it felt like the bed moved up slightly | One user found this interesting.

Ixia / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump : We were sleeping in our hotel and I thought my boyfriend is moving all time - but it was the quake | One user found this interesting.

Karpathos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Woke me up | One user found this interesting.

56.1 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt : Wir sind aktuell auf Kos in Mastichari und haben nichts gespurt oder mitbekommen. | One user found this interesting.

103.8 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Dachte, Partner im Bett "zappelt" | One user found this interesting.

Kefalos, ikos aria (42.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s : Strong shaking | One user found this interesting.

Near Kos Town / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Woke me up | One user found this interesting.

Ixia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s : Werd wakker van schudden | One user found this interesting.

Faliraki (102.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Did not wake up | One user found this interesting.

Didim / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Light shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Jerusalem / not felt : Not felt | One user found this interesting.

91.3 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Felt sitting on a chair. | One user found this interesting.

Kos / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : Ok | One user found this interesting.

Turgutreis / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Strach | One user found this interesting.

Lardos / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Felt it when I was on the toilet | One user found this interesting.

Rhodes / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s : Mild shaking | One user found this interesting.

Turgutreis (72.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : - | One user found this interesting.

White Rock of Kos Hotel (45.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I got a Little Bit scared | One user found this interesting.

kos town / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Yes i felt light shaking, all our hotel team feelt that we are already outside of the building | One user found this interesting.

Izmir karsiyaka / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Anxious:( | One user found this interesting.

Marmaris (118.2 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Wery scary | One user found this interesting.

118.7 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Not strong, but like 2 point | One user found this interesting.

Datca (67.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Bed was shaking | One user found this interesting.

Datca Turkey (56.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Some weak shaking | One user found this interesting.

Gundogan (84.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : Terrefiying

Marmaris (119.1 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Bodrum (88.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Marmaris (120.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Mastichari Kos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : Wir saen noch auf der Terrasse an der Hotelbar, die Stuhle wackelte auf denen wir saen und die Glaser auf dem Tisch rutschten leicht hin und her.

Vasiliki / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s

Tigaki / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / very short

100.4 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Bonjour , je suis francais en vacances a rodhes Grece . Il etait 1h15 du matin et je cherchez mon sommeil je n arrivais pas dormir quand tout a coup mon lit s est mis a trembler j ai penser en premier que la chambre etait hante lol et ca a continuer au moin 15 secondes et j ai alors compris que c etait un seisme et j ai regarder sur internet ou j ai compris sur votre site internet qu il s agissait bien d un seisme . Je suis content d avoir vecu le seisme sans degat et c est un tr

Pythagorio, Samos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kos,Kefalos in the bed (43.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Shaking bed Made us Waking up

Mugla (146.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short

87.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

Faliraki / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santorin, Fira Town (147.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 20-30 s : Few seconds before the earthquake started all the dogs in the neighborhood started barking. I felt the light shaking while I was sitting on the terrace of my Hotel and it was clear to me that it was a earthquake.

Lefkos Karpathos / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

87.7 km ESE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

Tirane (836.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Karpathos, Pigadia / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

Mastichari (52.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

539.2 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Kos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Koskinou (101.6 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Kardamena / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Kos (62.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Blue Lagoon Village / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Ich lag im Bett und wurde von einem Gerausch wach. Es fuhlte sich an als ob das Bett vor und zuruck geschoben wurde. Ganz weich wie Wellen, aber sehr schnell.

Kalymnos, Massouri / not felt : Didnt feel it

547.6 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Kos psalidi / not felt : Nicht mitbekommen das die Erde gebebt hat

Pigadia / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Was awake and lying in bed when it began to shake. Pretty intense for maybe 10 seconds. Waiting for second wawe

Agios Fokas, Dimitra Beach Hotel (58.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : It felt more like a swing, less like vibrations. The vibrations were quite slow. I did not mean to press the 'vote down' key. Very poor eyesight. I could not change my 'vote' to upvote which is what I meant to do. Can you fix this? Thank you. / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Kiotari (85.8 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

71.9 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Was sitting at the beach & felt it very clearly. It was a gentle but strong horizontal circular motion that lasted at least 10 secs, with aftershakes that lasted 15 secs more. Also there was a since shake about 5 minutes earlier of the actual quake.

Karpathos (109.1 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Rhodos, Kiotari / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : Das Bett hat geruckelt so als wenn man sich ruckartig umgedreht hatte.

Kos / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : Ich befand mich im Bett und wurde wach weil ich dachte es wird mir schwindelig bis ich merkte wir kippen wie auf einem Schiff ! Und dann realisierte ich es !

Mandraki, Nisyros / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Awoke in night due to rumbling and shaking. Fairly short lived

Mugla, Datca, Palamutbuku / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Kos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Rhodos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : The bed was shaking up and down and After that it cames a vibration

Rhodes Greece / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Tigaki / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

Marmaris / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Kos town / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down)

Bucuresti (903.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

kefalos kos / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kardamena (49.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Mastichari, Kos. Dodecanese. Greece (52.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

53.7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

Kos / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

Kefalos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Kos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s

Kalavarda / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Marmari (54.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Kalymnos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Lindos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s

Lambi, kos (62.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes

Kos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 30-60 s

Ialyssos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Kos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s

faliraki / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Izmir, Narldere / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Karpathos (106 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

paradisi, rhodes / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Santorini / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

kalimnos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Didim aydn turkey (112.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Mavisehir (9.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Kos, Greece (43.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Kos (48.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

62.8 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Rhodes / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Karpathos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Kefalos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

Mastichari / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kalithea rodos (102.2 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Rhodos Town / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Nikia (23.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Turgutreis / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Kefalos / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Rhodes (102.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 15-20 s

Patmos / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

86.5 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

Rhodes / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

rhodes / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

62.4 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Lardos beach Rodi / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

Kathalos, Rhodos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Afantou, Rhodes / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Pigadia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Kardamena / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Tilos / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Pigadia Karpathos / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Ideal prime beach / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Kos Town (62.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

Bodrum / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Icmeler, Marmaris, Mugla (114.6 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Rhodes (9.9 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 20-30 s

Mastihari / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Marmaris (31.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Datca (66.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Bodrum / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Kardamena / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

41.6 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 15-20 s

Mugla, marmaris, karaca (116.8 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Lardos / Light shaking (MMI IV)

100.9 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

29.1 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

98.1 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

Izmir (218.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

95.8 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Antalya (320.2 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Rhodos, Faliraki / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Naxos (168.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Tiberias (869.7 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

marmaris / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Samos (149.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Kiotari / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Izmir (230.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Faliraki / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kos / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

1469.9 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

Kardamena (46.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

121.7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s
While the true scope of the impact of police brutality is difficult to quantify, a new report indicates that more than 2,600 Latinos were killed by police or died while in custody in recent years.

The report released Thursday by UnidosUS in partnership with a group of researchers, scholars, activists and family members of Latinos killed by police, indicates that deaths of people of color are severely undercounted and much more needs to be done to produce an accurate database that collects ethnicity information.

As part of its initial effort and awareness of the limitations of its method, the newly formed group, the Raza Database Project, analyzed eight national databases that track police killings and use a combination of news reports and public records. Researchers took a closer look at entries that were identified as "White," "Other," or "Unknown" and compared the names to the surname datasets from the 2010 US Census to spot any individuals who may have been misidentified.

Between 2014 and May 9 of this year, there were a total of 15,085 people who died in police custody or were killed in encounters with officers, according to the report.

After the group's analysis, the number of Latinos increased about 24% from 2,139 to 2,653, the report states.

The number of deaths of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans also increased significantly.

But these findings should not be considered final as its method may lead to both overcounting and undercounting, the report said.

Roberto Rodriguez, the project's director, said that the group's estimates are not comprehensive but they offer a more accurate look, especially because of the gaps in government-level data collection.

The group noted the numbers likely still undercount Latinos and other people of color because they may not have surnames of Hispanic origin.

In recent years, a number of activists and media outlets have taken it upon themselves to collect data of police violence because there is no federal database of information.

But they have found that law enforcement agencies often lump individuals into broader racial categories and not ethnicities.

"There's no standardization of how people are labeled and there's no centralization," said Rodriguez, who is also an author and former associate professor at the University of Arizona. "All of these groups are doing the government's work."

Janet Murguia, president and CEO of UnidosUS, said the group's findings are a "disturbing" indication that over-policing in communities of color might be more widespread than previously thought.

"The numbers we already knew about are unacceptable; these new numbers are unconscionable," Murguia said in a statement. "This data demands immediate consideration by those in Congress who are working on much-needed law enforcement reform legislation to ensure that their solutions truly reflect the scope of the problem."

Rodriguez said the group plans to expand the findings released Thursday and launch more efforts to delve into the issue of Latinos killed by or while in custody of law enforcement.

The report was released as calls for police accountability among the Hispanic community have increased in recent months following the deaths of Latino boys and men in police encounters.

In Chicago, 13-year-old Adam Toledo and Anthony Alvarez, 22, were killed by officers at the end of separate foot chases in March.

The two deadly shootings sparked outrage and protests in Chicago, with community members demanding changes to the Chicago Police Department's practices and policies, and prompted Mayor Lori Lightfoot to announce last month the city's police department must implement a foot pursuit policy by the summer.

Meanwhile in California, the family of Mario Gonzalez Arenales seeks justice for the 26-year-old who died on April 19. He died in police custody in Alameda, California, after being restrained for about five minutes at a local park. Officers were answering separate calls about a man who appeared to be intoxicated and a possible theft.

Next week, the family of Sean Monterrosa will host a series of events to honor his life and raise awareness to the issue of police brutality among Black and brown people. Monterrosa, 22, was shot and killed by an officer in Vallejo, California, last year, just a week after George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently announced the state will review Monterrosa's case.
The search is on for the best chicken tenders in Alabama, and two North Alabama restaurants have made the Final Four.

Bobbys Restaurant in Eva and Js Hole in the Wall in Bryant are part of the Alabama Farmers Federations search for Bamas Best Chicken Tenders.

The Chicken Shack in Luverne and Crowes Chicken in Brundidge also are in the running.

Judges will visit the four restaurants in July to taste their tenders and pick a winner. That winner will receive a plaque, a cash prize, and more.

These four finalists were narrowed down from an Edible Eight, which included Tenders in Huntsville and Wildcat Cafe in Guntersville. The four restaurants that got the most votes moved on to the Final Four.

Want to taste them yourself?

Morgan Countys Bobbys Restaurant is located at 4082 Eva Road in Eva. Visit their Facebook page HERE.

Jackson Countys Js Hole in the Wall is located at 5080 AL Highway 73 in Bryant. Visit their Facebook page HERE
A car crashed into a light pole off Homer Nance Rd. Monday night.

Officers at the scene say the driver was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.

The crash knocked out power to several businesses along Winchester Rd. It also knocked down live power lines onto the road. Huntsville Police closed off a portion of the road while Huntsville Utility crews worked on repairs.
Madison County is struggling to get a majority of the population vaccinated for COVID-19.

The newest numbers show about 48% of the population has received at least one dose.

Only around 20% of 12 to 17-year-olds have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.

Dr. Kelli Stringer said pediatricians, including herself, overwhelmingly support the vaccine for kids aged 12 to 17 because kids do get sick from COVID-19.

Stringer said the vaccine has been 100% effective in children.

She said that if you want your child to get vaccinated there are some options in Huntsville, including at pediatrician offices.

If your child's pediatrician does not have the vaccine though they can get it at other locations including through Huntsville Hospital at their John Hunt Park vaccine clinic.

"There is potential to go to other sites like Tracy mentioned or even other pediatrician offices. Talk to your pediatrician about getting you into another pediatrician who does have it just for the vaccine if you are interested for your children because we want to vaccinate your children," said Stringer.

A local school district is helping vaccination efforts for those kids.

Huntsville City Schools is not requiring their students to get vaccinated to attend school or any school-related event, but they are helping them get access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Huntsville City Schools is partnering with Huntsville Hospital to administer vaccines to students on Thursday.

Students will then return three weeks later on July 15 to get their second dose.

The vaccine clinic will be at the Huntsville High School gym and it will start at 1 p.m. and end at 3:30 p.m.

Tracy Doughty with Huntsville Hospital said they think it's important for students to get vaccinated so, they're doing their part to help out.

"We at Huntsville Hospital are trying to do our best to make sure it's as convenient for the school-aged children in north Alabama and definitely in Madison County so, we partner with the school systems here," said Tracy Doughty, Senior Vice-President of Operations at Huntsville Hospital.

Huntsville Hospital is also making changes to who can visit their patients .

In just a couple of days Huntsville Hospital is going to allow one person to visit a COVID-positive patient in the hospital.

That person will be provided all the personal protective equipment that they need while they are visiting their loved one.

That includes gloves and a gown, something that is no longer in short supply because the supply chain has caught up with the demand.

"So, we think it's important to have visitors especially close family to your loved ones so we're going to allow one visitor two hours a day for a COVID positive patient," said Doughty.

Now to help keep people out of the hospital Doughty recommends, especially for the upcoming July 4th holiday, that if you are not fully vaccinated and in a large crowd you should wear a mask.
A judge has ruled that the civil trial against Huntsville Police Officer William Darby and the city of Huntsville will move forward.

The decision came during a hearing Monday.

Darby was not present at that hearing.

The civil trial is expected to begin in the next year or 18 months.

Earlier this year, Darby was convicted of murder in the April 2018 death of Jeffrey Parker.

Darby and the city of Huntsville are now facing a wrongful death lawsuit.

"It's been over 3 years. We are just going to start the process," the family's attorney Martin Weingberg said. "The family is ready for this to move forward."

The civil trial had been on hold for years because Darbys criminal trial took precedence.

"The bulk of that is over. What's left is sentencing and the appeals," the family's attorney Rip Andrews said.

Darby and the city wanted to postpone the civil case until after he is sentenced in August. Their attorneys said they had concerns about the public statements that would be made in the trial because a gag order is still in effect for the criminal trial.

"We understand the defendant has his rights. We don't want to interfere with any of the criminal proceedings. We're not going to do that," Weinberg said.

Federal judge Liles Burke took a moment to call Madison County Judge Donna Pate who issued the order. She said her gag order has no effect on the civil case. So, Liles decided the civil case would go through, but there would be no depositions until sentencing in the criminal case. Something attorneys on both sides said they had no problems with.

"By the time we take testimonies in the case, the sentencing should be complete," Andrews said.

Meanwhile, the Parker family told attorneys they're just glad things are starting to move forward.

"These things will take a while, but they feel like the wheels of justice are moving," Weinberg said.

Darby's attorneys and the city's attorneys both refused to give a comment.

Darby remains an employee of the city. He is on paid accrued leave.

Stay with WAAY 31 for updates.
Employees at the Mueller Water Products plant in Albertville returned to work on Monday, nearly one week after the workplace shooting inside the fire hydrant factory.

Two people killed, two others wounded and still recovering in the hospital. The suspected shooter is dead, after killing himself hours after the incident.

Monday was an emotional day for employees returning to the Mueller plant, but not just for the employees who work at the factory. Some nearby businesses have already seen Mueller employees stop in for breakfast or lunch, and are thankful to see their faces again after Tuesday's tragic shooting.

The general manager of Bee Gee's restaurant is grateful he can provide support to the Mueller employees as they return to work.

"I know it's hard for each one to go through that, but it was just good like I said to see them again and be able to interact with them as a community and a family," says Aaron Richards.

The cashier at a nearby gas station said last Tuesday's shooting was a scary incident, but is happy to see the employees return to work.

Many employees already stopping by early Monday for a Gatorade and a slice of pizza.

"They seem OK, they just, they said it definitely affected them, they're sad about it but they're just still working," says Brandy, the cashier.

Along with the strong relationship she's built with many employees over the years, she's grateful for the business they provide.

"I'm very grateful that they come in, they keep us going like all costumers, and um, we're thankful to have them," says Brandy.

Mueller has hundreds of employees and is one of the largest employers in the city, so their support can go a long way for local businesses.

Brandy is happy to see that as Mueller employees return to work, they're also returning to her store.

Bee Gee's restaurant has also seen a return of Mueller employees, many stopping in Monday for breakfast and lunch.

This shows how Mueller employees, along with nearby businesses, are all working to get back to their normal routines.

No one expects a mass shooting to happen in their town, especially in a small, tightknit community like Albertville. But now that the unthinkable has happened, the city is working on picking up the pieces and moving forward.

For employees at Mueller, moving forward began with returning to work nearly one week after the shooting.

And businesses down the road from the factory are grateful the Mueller plant reopened its doors.

"It's good to hear that they are coming in and back, trying to get back to normal it seems like we've been trying to get back to some type of normal for a while and it's even hard with this to get back but it's good to see them come back in and have their business," says Richards.

He is thankful to see their faces again, bringing back a sense of normalcy to his business.

Richards said even as the city gets back to business as usual, the memories of Tuesday's shooting and the lives lost will not be forgotten.
Italy sets next Monday as date for dropping mask-wearing outside.

Mask-wearing outdoors in Italy will no longer be required in almost all of the country from 28 June, the health minister Roberto Speranza announced last night.

Speranza tweeted that the mask requirement for outdoors will be scrapped in the lowest-risk 'white zones' under Italy's colour-coded system of coronavirus restrictions.

Currently the entire country, with the exception of the small northwest Valle D'Aosta region, is classified as a white zone.

To be designated a white zone, a region must have recorded fewer than 50 covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for three consecutive weeks. All of Italy is expected to become a white zone by 28 June.

Speranzas announcement, based on advice from the government's technical scientific committee (CTS), said people should still follow the "precautionary directions" established by the CTS.

The wearing of masks will still be required in crowded gatherings and on public transport, and is "strongly recommended" in the company of frail, "at risk" people.

The CTS said that it reached yesterday's decision based on an improving covid-19 situation in Italy and the number of vaccines being administered (more than 53 per cent of the population has already had at least one dose and about 27 per cent are fully vaccinated).

Italy's current rules state that masks are mandatory "in indoor places other than private homes" and "in all outdoor places, except in cases where, due to the characteristics of the place or the circumstances, a distance between non-cohabiting people is guaranteed."

The news came the same day that Italy waved goodbye to the curfew which had been in effect from midnight until 05.00 every night in non-white zones.

Italy recorded 21 coronavirus-related deaths and 495 new cases nationwide on Monday, according to the latest covid-19 data released by the Italian health ministry.

For official information relating to the covid-19 situation in Italy - in English - see the health ministry website. Photo credit: Gennaro Leonardi / Shutterstock.com.
For 38 years the Orlandi family has sought answers to one of Italy's greatest mysteries.

A sit-in will take place in Rome this evening near St Peter's Square, 38 years after the 15-year-old schoolgirl Emanuela Orlandi disappeared without a trace while returning to her family home in Vatican City.

The protest has been organised by Emanuela's brother Pietro Orlandi, who has been seeking answers about his sister's whereabouts ever since she went missing on 22 June 1983.

The daughter of an employee at the Vatican Bank, Orlandi vanished as she was on her way home to the Vatican after a flute lesson at her music school in Rome.

Over the decades there have been numerous false leads relating to Orlandi's mysterious disappearance but they have always come to a dead end.

Missing posters for Emanuela Orlandi in Rome, 1983

In 2019 the Vatican opened two tombs in the Teutonic Cemetery, adjacent to St Peter's, following an anonymous tip-off received by the family of the missing girl.

However the tombs, which were supposed to house the remains of two 19th-century princesses, were found to be empty, adding further mystery to a case that has enthralled Italian for decades.

In 2018 human remains found underneath the Vatican nunciature to Italy, in Rome's Parioli district, sparked speculation that Orlandi might have finally been found. But DNA testing revealed that the bones belonged to a man who died sometime between the years 90 and 230 AD.

The unsolved case has sparked conspiracy theories ranging from kidnap by a terrorist group demanding the release of Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II in St Peter's Square in 1981, to the involvement of the Banda della Magliana, Romes notorious criminal gang founded in the 1970s.

One of the theories was that Orlandi was buried alongside Roman mobster Enrico De Pedis in the Basilica di S. Apollinare near Piazza Navona. However when his tomb was opened in 2012 there were no clues found.

Over the years there have also been numerous alleged sightings of the missing girl but all have been unreliable. The mystery continues.

This evening's sit-in, led by Pietro Orlandi, will take place in Largo Giovanni XXIII from 18.00 to 20.00.
China dominates the world in crypto mining in a couple of ways: Companies like Bitmain, MicroBT, and U.S.-listed Canaan Inc. are the biggest manufacturers of crypto-mining machines; others like F2Pool and Poolin run online services where users combine their computing power and split rewards for a better chance of unearthing new coins. China is also home to most of the planets miners -- humming from warehouses and data centers that tap cheap coal or hydro power in regions like Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan and Yunnan. As of April 2020, China provided 65% of the worlds computing power for Bitcoin mining, versus 7% for the runner-up, the U.S., according to an estimate by the University of Cambridge. As for trading, Bitcoin and its peers can still be traded, but only directly between two parties in over-the-counter markets run by the likes of Binance and Huobi, a slower process.
Chinas diplomats used to joke about receiving calcium tablets from compatriots wanting them to show more backbone. Not so much these days. A new group of wolf warriors has been taking on foreign leaders and journalists in verbal skirmishes. While Chinese officials disavow the term, they say the country has a right to defend itself when others make a show of their strength at our doorstep, meddle in our affairs and constantly insult and discredit us, as one top diplomat put it. The assertiveness fits with President Xi Jinpings mantra about restoring China to its historical greatness, though recent comments from him have some wondering if he thinks his diplomats may have gone too far. The rhetoric also highlights the increasingly combative nature of the relationship between China and the U.S.
Theres considerable uncertainty about that. Authors of a scientific paper published in November in the Lancet calculated that if a vaccine could provide a lifelong, fail-safe shield against infection with SARS-CoV-2, it would need to reach 60% to 72% of people to establish herd immunity. While the Covid vaccines in use around the world are good, they arent perfect, which means immunization rates will need to be higher. The shots have been shown to offer 50% to 97% protection against becoming sick, but its mostly unknown how well they prevent people from getting an asymptomatic infection that could be passed on. If a vaccine is 80% effective at preventing any infection, 75% to 90% of people would need to be immunized, according to the Lancet paper. That would be a high bar given that large numbers of people are hesitant to get the vaccines and most of the shots are authorized only for adults and older children. Another unknown is the duration of protection. The shorter it is, the higher the rates of immunization required to establish herd immunity. Vaccines might not have to do all the work to get there: Some people whove already had the virus will be protected against it, although not as well asthose whove been inoculated.
Some of them have been housed in airline cargo warehouses for prolonged periods of time leading to illness and in some instances death of the dogs, Pieracci said. We want people to be able to import dogs  but want them to do it safely.
You should arrange all of your child-care needs to the best of your ability in advance, assuming that the pandemic might interrupt your mothers best-laid plans to be with you. In the meantime, if she is distressed or grouchy, you should understand her very real worries about herself, about you, and about other relatives and friends she has at home.
Being friendless hasnt bothered Jenae, who prefers to seem invisible at school. Her attitude is tested when at the beginning of junior high school she meets a boy named Aubrey. Hes outgoing and doesnt seem to care what others think of him. Aubrey wants to be Jenaes friend, even though she isnt interested. The two become partners for a class debate assignment, something that terrifies Jenae but thrills Aubrey. Jenae knows the assignment is important to him, but shes not sure shes courageous enough to speak in front of others.
It would be easy to say that these are stories from the distant past, that Stolley and Ostrow exemplify qualities that no longer exist. But thats simply not the case. I wont embarrass any of my current or past colleagues by making a list here, but I can think of many of their names. And I could point to several young journalists  or even student journalists  who share these admirable attributes: persistence, decency, the ability to be both tough and fair.
I can well remember the day when it was just a dream to get to this point, said D.C. Council member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7), who represents the area and pushed hard for the project when he was mayor from 2011 to 2015. There are so many days where we thought this would never, never happen. Look at where we are now.
One unusual aspect of the motion is the defense claim that they learned from an outside source that prosecutors had evidence they had not disclosed. The defense did not reveal the source in its filing, or say if that person was a county employee, and the attorney, Brandon Shapiro, did not respond to requests for comment.
We are gratified that the Court has recognized so much of this case can now proceed and that it should have been clear to every reasonable officer at the time it occurred that the violent clearing of Lafayette Park without any basis would have been unconstitutional, Mastro said in a statement. But we will continue to seek justice against those federal officials who succeeded in getting certain claims dismissed against them, and intend to appeal those rulings, because we aim to see to it that something this horrific never happens again in our country.
A different biannual report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which was released earlier this year, showed a slight decline in the bays overall health. That rating was 32  down one point from 2018 because of ineffective management of the bays striped bass population, which is unrelated to the water, according to the report. It maintained a D-plus rating for the bay, similar to the 2018 report.
For example, in its September report, found that some 40 percent of misconduct investigations in 2018 were of fair or poor overall quality. Documentation was so poor that even the facts of the cases and the list of investigative steps taken were not clear. Further, the monitors found that people filing complaints were interviewed only 41 percent of the time. Often, the report said, investigators did not flag repetitive problematic behavior, and potential policy shortcomings.
The day already felt like a steam bath, but they had slathered on sunblock and put on hats to participate in what for many was their first Pride parade. Goodwin House, their retirement community, organized the march for residents at its Alexandria location, after doing one earlier this month at its Baileys Crossroads location, both for the first time.
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Rising crime rates in New York have emerged as a key issue in the citys mayoral race, which is expected to be decided by Tuesdays Democratic primary. Law and order has become a dominant theme in the final stretch of the campaign. Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), the head of the DCCC who oversaw the release of that study, on Monday endorsed New York mayoral candidate Eric Adams, a former police officer who has rebuffed calls to weaken the police department.
But once they started looking into her past, Hawley and other Republicans on the Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee focused on two matters critical to the party as it prepares a midterm campaign on culture issues. Hawley, the first-term senator at the center of the movement to discredit Bidens election, was at the forefront, joining a party that has targeted critical race theory as divisive and false, and moved to ban its teaching in schools through measures in GOP-led state legislatures.
Shin Beomchul, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said North Korea has been communicating the same message for months -- that it has no intention to return to talks unless the United States offers meaningful concessions, likely in the form of eased economic sanctions. The Biden administration, for its part, doesnt want to budge either, he said.
Adamss rivals argue that he evaded the sort of vetting that weakened candidates such as Stringer and Yang. In the final days of the race, Adams took reporters on a tour of a New York apartment, claiming it was his main residence, although he admitted that he had done some virtual campaigning from a home he owns in New Jersey. After former mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said that Adams gave him hope, in a year when Republicans had not recruited a credible candidate, Adams accused him of sabotage and rejected his support.
The Gen Z respondents in the Nationscape study were 18 to 22 at the time of the survey. According to our own research in "The Next Mormons, the median age for leaving the church is around 19. In other words, there is still some settling and sorting yet to happen here. We are by no means saying all of these queer-identifying young adult Mormons are going to exit the church, of course  only that statistically, more will likely do so than their heterosexual peers.
We must compel this nation to recognize that since the United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, indeed in all of history, that it is a moral abomination that there are more than 140 million people in this country who are poor or one emergency away from economic ruin, he said.
On its face, Philadelphias anti-discrimination law would seem to be neutral and generally applicable: The ban on discrimination states a rule that applies to everyone without fear or favor. But because it gives the citys commissioner of human services the discretion to make exceptions (albeit no exception had ever been made), the court found that the law failed to satisfy the general applicability standard.
It is an opportune moment for change. As Quakers on Capitol Hill, our advocacy flows from the belief in the inherent dignity and worth of each person. Our economy, as currently structured, does not reflect that belief. Even before the pandemic, the income gap between Black households and white households was more than $23,000, and the net worth of a typical white family was almost ten times that of a Black family. As a result there is more inequality in the U.S. than in any of our G7 peer nations.
In Kunduz province, a strategic area near the northern border with Tajikistan, several officials there said Tuesday that insurgents were fighting against local forces inside the provincial capital city and were either attacking or in control of most rural districts. They also seized a dry port on the border. The Taliban has tried several times in the past to take over Kunduz city and held it briefly in 2015. If the group were to take over the city, it would be a major turning point in the 20-year conflict.
Since the pandemic, Duterte, a tough-talking populist who is most known for a bloody war on drugs that has left thousands dead, has largely responded to the health crisis with an iron first  ordering the arrest of quarantine violators and people who arent wearing masks properly. His pandemic task force is mostly composed of former army generals. Critics have slammed both the human rights abuses and the lack of scientific evidence behind his pandemic policies.
Bickett, who no longer has his job as a compliance director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, also shows how Western corporations in Hong Kong are not immune to the political changes that have shaken the financial center since anti-government protests in 2019. A police force emboldened by impunity and armed with new legal firepower  such as pandemic rules on group sizes, official edicts against chanting slogans and a draconian security law  has put residents in more situations where they can become embroiled in the crackdown.
If the pandemic had started in the D.C. area, you can count on the fact that the U.S. government would not allow an unfettered independent investigation to occur for the exact same reasons: It is a major longer-term security risk that cant be fully mitigated, she said. It does not indicate the need to cover anything up beyond not letting potential adversarial powers have carte blanche access to secure government facilities.
But supporters of the Italian bill say the Vatican, even if concerned about the changing cultural perception of sexuality and gender, should not feel threatened by the proposed law. They note that any viewpoint is protected, as long as it does not incite a concrete danger of discriminatory or violent actions. They also note that the law will not force any school  including private Catholic ones  to participate in events teaching about transphobia and homophobia.
Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, a Greek pilot and flight instructor, testified for more than five hours before being led to prison, wearing a bulletproof vest and under heavy police guard. He is accused of killing Caroline Crouch, 20, who died of suffocation on May 11 at the couples home on the outskirts of Athens.
The takedowns come as world powers scramble to resurrect Tehrans tattered 2015 nuclear deal and just days after the election victory of Irans hard-line judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi. On Monday, Raisi, known for his hostility to the West, staked out a hard-line position in his first news conference. He ruled out the possibilities of meeting with President Joe Biden or negotiating over Tehrans ballistic missile program and support for regional militias  concerns the Biden administration wants addressed in future talks.
Charles L. Riney, 86, of Washington, went home to be with our Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 27, 2021, at 7:25 a.m. He was born in Washington on Nov. 3, 1934, to Thomas and Ann Marie (Smith) Riney. He loved gardening and spending time with his beloved dog. He is survived by one sister, Paul
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The son of sacked former Sony Music Australia chief executive Denis Handlin and the local director of human resources have been placed on indefinite leave as the music company continues its investigation into workplace culture.

Handlins son Pat Handlin, who is Sony Music Australias vice president of artists and repertoire (A&R), and Mark Stebnicki, the senior vice president of strategy, corporate affairs and human resources, have been stood down, staff were told during a meeting on Tuesday.

Sony Musics Pat Handlin has been placed on indefinite leave. Credit:Instagram

A Sony Music spokeswoman declined to comment.

The news comes a day after Denis Handlin was fired, 51 years after he started at the Australian Record Company before it became Sony Music and 37 years after he was appointed chief executive.
The Victorian government avoided scrutiny on its wide-reaching state of emergency powers last year through a technicality, an independent group of lawyers has found.

As the Andrews government privately negotiates specific pandemic laws to permanently replace the state of emergency when it expires in December, the Centre for Public Integrity has urged it to guarantee Parliaments ability to review executive decisions and reverse them if they are seen to be excessive.

Police and Defence Force troops have enforced rules under Victorias state of emergency. Credit:Penny Stephens

State of emergency laws have been active in Victoria since last March as the legal instrument that allows authorities to enforce a range of public health commands, including lockdowns, mandatory mask wearing and 14-day quarantine. The controversial snap lockdown of nine public housing towers last year was only possible under state of emergency powers.

New research by the Centre for Public Integrity found the powers granted to Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton enabled the creation of directions that should have been subject to parliamentary oversight, like new laws, because of their significant impact on Victorians daily lives.
Its just guys constantly lining up to have a crack. Were here to work and if we did want something more, then thats fine, but its the unwanted harassment that makes you feel like youre a goldfish in a bowl. Following the assault the woman lodged a complaint with her employer but did not report it to police as she had let the man into her donga and felt she wouldnt be believed. I had a drink and then I cant remember another thing and then I woke up and realised what had happened, she said.

For all the reasons, you dont want to say anything ... youd never have another job. The woman said she reported the assault to her line manager, a married man who had also been sexually harassing her via text message. Her company referred the matter to a third party for investigation. She went on to lodge a more complete complaint regarding all the behaviour she had faced. Her formal complaint, which WAtoday has seen, included claims men would leave money in the fridge for cleaners to have sex with them, grooming of younger women by older men, prostitutes working out of store rooms and excessive alcohol use.

Workers involved in a drinking game at a Pilbara mining camp where a woman claimed sexual harassment was rife. She said the manager quit shortly after this process began. The alleged perpetrator of the assault was moved to another site. The woman  who has worked at a number of WA mining camps  wants men and women to get more education about sexual harassment when they first arrive on site and for women to feel more supported to speak up. Every site is different, so you can go to a really great one, but then you can have others that are out-of-control and just a free-for-all. There needs to be more regulation, she said.

Curtin University Centre for Transformative Work Design spokeswoman Dr Jess Gilbert said a hyper-masculine work culture can easily manifest at remote mining camps where women usually represent just one in five workers. A hyper-masculine work culture is essentially one that is characterised by an exaggeration of stereotypical masculine behaviour and attitudes, such as physical strength, power contests and domination, aggression and emotional detachment, she said. Workers within such cultures are encouraged to demonstrate masculinity through these means ... this also usually includes devaluing and dismissing women. Women need to not only manage the challenges of FIFO work and their job itself, but also the challenges of navigating a culture on mine sites that inherently discriminates against them. Dr Gilbert said fixing a hyper-masculine culture takes a consistent and considerable effort.

Transforming a hyper-masculine culture doesnt necessarily need to be done by highlighting gender issues, but rather creating an alternative way for the workplace socially to be organised and function, which needs to be upheld by all levels of management, promotion and hiring decisions, she said. Another BHP employee charged with rape A BHP spokesman described the alleged July 2020 sexual assault of one of its employees by another as a disturbing and distressing incident. We have supported the individual in reporting to police, who have subsequently laid charges, he said. We are providing ongoing support to the person involved who is still employed with us.

BHPs Mulla Mulla camp is the scene of one of the alleged rapes. Credit:Trevor Collens BHP is also fighting an unfair dismissal claim the alleged rapist has lodged with the Fair Work Commission. BHP conducts mandatory training on respectful behaviours on site, including the consequences of not meeting those expectations, and how to report an incident and seek help. Over the next five years BHP will also invest $300 million in strengthening security measures at its offices and camps. A national inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace, commissioned in 2020 by the Australia Human Rights Commission, found 74 per cent of women in the mining industry had reported being sexually harassed in the past five years.
Union bosses are sounding the alarm over chronic understaffing and the potential for a riot at Banksia Hill Detention Centre after two serious assaults in the past month left four guards hospitalised.

According to the Community and Public Sector Union, the youth detention centre has been operating with 25 fewer people than recommended under safe operating standards. It also revealed there were 22 assaults at Banksia Hill in May, earning it the unwanted title of one of the most violent correctional facilities in Western Australia.

The Banksia Hill Detention Centre in Western Australia. Credit:CPSU

Department of Justice stats put this number at 19 assaults, with 17 of those resulting in no injury or requirement of medical treatment. The departments figures suggest April was also a violent month with 20 assaults in total including two serious assaults and four that required medical treatment.

The unions warning came the same day the state government tabled a report in Parliament from the Inspector of Custodial Services, which found that progress he recorded during his Banksia Hill inspection last September was now being eroded.
This is standard practice. The party always conflates the nation of China and the people of China with the party. The purpose, of course, is to make the party inseparable from patriotic pride. The police raid on the headquarters of the Apple Daily news group also broke new ground. The Basic Law, Hong Kongs de facto constitution enacted by Beijing in 1990, guarantees free speech and a free press as well as other liberties. Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai is escorted to a prison van before appearing in a court, in December. Credit:AP Any such freedoms were extinguished when Beijing imposed its National Security Law on Hong Kong last year, banning political parties and arresting politicians with whom it disagrees. The Apple Dailys editorial position is pro-democracy. And while its proprietor, the mogul Jimmy Lai, is already in jail for supporting street protests, last weeks raid was a new encroachment on media freedom  it was the first time that published content was the basis for the arrests, and the seizure of $HK18 million (about $3 million) was the first confiscation from a media company rather than an individual.

In other words, putting the newspapers owner in jail wasnt enough. Chinese President Xi Jinping is going after the company, too, arresting its top officers and editors. The theatrical flourish of sending 500 police officers to arrest five people was designed to be as intimidating as possible. Leading the raid, Superintendent Steve Li said that Apple Daily had been calling on foreign nations to impose sanctions on the Beijing government for violating Hong Kongs freedoms. This represented collusion with foreign powers. If you have no real reason to share these types of articles, I would advise everyone not to, Li told a press conference. It was Deng Xiaoping who opened Chinas era of pro-market growth in 1978. He overturned Maos collectivism with his bold declaration that to get rich is glorious. The economic growth that followed was, in some ways, a mere validation of the East Asian economic miracle pioneered by Japan after World War II and imitated by South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Like China, all these places put Confucian emphasis on education, thrift and hard work. Like China, their rapid growth formula policy was state-led but pro-market, export driven but highly globalised, mercantilist yet entrepreneurial.

Chinas unique contribution was to achieve the same deliberate, high-speed development on a scale without precedent  in a country with a billion people. It had been thought impossible. This means that no country any longer has an excuse to leave its people mired in persistent poverty. We now know the formula for deliberate, rapid growth for countries of any size. But where the other East Asian miracles allowed their citizens increasing freedoms along with growing prosperity, China is ruthlessly determined to repress its. Among its repressive successes is its rigorous control and censorship of the internet. It had been thought impossible, Bill Clinton said it would be like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. Beijing nailed it anyway. Loading Why? Because the Chinese Communist Party ultimately exists not to empower its people but to serve its own power. Australian sinologist Geremie Barme describes the partys achievement as magnificent but poses: At what social cost? We have some idea of the cost in Tibet, in Xinjiang, and we have a clear idea of the cost in Hong Kong unfolding right in front of us  the thorough dismantling of civil society. People are not allowed to be equal participants in their own society, not allowed to mature as citizens.

This paradox  material liberalisation with civil shackling  was described during Maos reign by the philosopher Isaiah Berlin as the artificial dialectic. He said in 1951 that it was as mechanically powerful and comprehensive an instrument for the management of human beings  for simultaneously breaking their wills and developing their maximum capacities for organised material production  as any dreamt of by the most ruthless and megalomaniac capitalist exploiter. According to Berlin, it was the most important, most inhuman and still the most imperfectly understood phenomenon of our times. He might have been writing today. Few thought the party could survive so long, yet here we are at its centenary. We need to understand it. If only because, as the Soviet dissident and Nobel peace prize winner Andrei Sakharov said: A country that does not respect the rights of its own citizens will not respect the rights of its neighbours. Happy birthday. Peter Hartcher is international editor.
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In this April 23, 2021, file photo, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks during a news briefing at the White House in Washington. On Tuesday, June 22, 2021, Haaland and other federal officials are expected to announce steps that the federal government plans to take to reconcile the legacy of boarding school policies on Indigenous families and communities across the U.S.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)


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The 77-year-old driver who accidentally slammed his truck into fellow members of a gay chorus group says he was devastated by the crash at the start of a Pride parade in South Florida
How one nurse anesthetist is working to fight racial disparities in healthcare
Ivy Ceballo/AP

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  Jurors will determine if a Florida man should get the death penalty or life in prison after he was convicted of killing his girlfriend and disabled daughter.

The penalty phase of the trial of 32-year-old Ronnie Oneal III is set to begin Wednesday. Oneal represented himself during the guilt portion of the trial, but news outlets reported Tuesday that he has agreed to have public defenders handle the death penalty portion.


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OLIVER, B.C. - A First Nations chief in southern British Columbia says there are mixed feelings in his community after a Catholic church burned to the ground in an overnight fire, one of two Catholic churches in the area that were destroyed in blazes that police consider suspicious.

Firefighters' jackets hang on the fence of the burned-out remnants of Sacred Heart Church on the Penticton Indian Reserve, near Penticton, B.C., in a Monday, June 21, 2021, handout photo. Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band said the Sacred Heart Church was a community fixture that hosted weddings and funerals but many people also feel pain due to the Roman Catholic Church's role operating abusive residential schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Penticton Herald, James Miller, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

OLIVER, B.C. - A First Nations chief in southern British Columbia says there are mixed feelings in his community after a Catholic church burned to the ground in an overnight fire, one of two Catholic churches in the area that were destroyed in blazes that police consider suspicious.

Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band said the Sacred Heart Church was a community fixture that hosted weddings and funerals but many people also feel pain due to the Roman Catholic Church's role operating abusive residential schools.

"There's a lot of anger, a lot of hurt in every First Nations, Indigenous community throughout Canada," he said, adding that he was not speculating on the cause of the fire.

Sacred Heart is one of two churches in the area that were destroyed by fires early Monday morning.

Less than two hours after a patrol officer found it engulfed in flames, RCMP said a second fire was reported at St. Gregory's Church on the Osoyoos Indian Band reserve lands near Oliver, B.C.

RCMP said in a statement they are investigating both fires as suspicious.

"Should our investigations deem these fires as arson, the RCMP will be looking at all possible motives and allow the facts and evidence to direct our investigative action," Sgt. Jason Bayda said in the statement.

"We are sensitive to the recent events, but wont speculate on a motive."

The fires come less than one month after the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Nation in B.C. announced the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. It operated between 1890 and 1969, when the federal government took over operations from the Catholic Church and operated it as a day school until it closed in 1978.

Gabriel said the news of the unmarked graves rippled through the community and he wants to see those responsible held criminally accountable.

Police said they are liaising with both the Penticton and Osoyoos Indian Bands as part of the investigation into the church fires.

Gabriel said he was awoken by a staff member calling at 2 a.m. to report the church was on fire.

"I quickly rushed down to the church site and by the time I got there it was already gone. It was a very old church and didn't take very much time for it to completely burn down," he said.

The church was built around 1912, he said. It was adjacent to a day school for Indigenous children that also burned down years ago after it was shut down, although Gabriel did not believe that fire was suspicious.

"I attended that school myself, the Indian day school. Even though it wasn't as traumatic as the residential school, we still suffered the abuse to some extent from the priests and the nuns," he said.

Children at the day school also attended religious services at the church, he said.

"Having said all that, there was a lot of community members today, especially the elderly ones (who were) saddened by the loss of this church because there were so many memories that were generated over the years  their children's baptism, their grandchildren's baptism," Gabriel said.

"There's mixed feelings throughout the community on the loss of this church."

Rev. Obi Ibekwa said he's the pastor for three parishes in the area including Sacred Heart Mission. He also arrived at the church grounds Monday morning to see what happened to the church, which he said had an average of seven attendees for weekly services.

"I would like to have an open mind and allow the investigation to play out."

 By Amy Smart in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.
VANCOUVER - A study of school staff in Vancouver says their risk of developing COVID-19 through contact at school is identical to their risk of catching the virus in the community.

Children walk with their parents to Sherwood Park Elementary in North Vancouver for the first day back to school on Sept. 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VANCOUVER - A study of school staff in Vancouver says their risk of developing COVID-19 through contact at school is identical to their risk of catching the virus in the community.

The study by researchers from BC Childrens Hospital, the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health examined COVID-19 infections among teachers and staff throughout the Vancouver district.

Blood samples taken from 1,556 school staff showed 2.3 per cent tested positive for antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19, mirroring the number of positive tests from a matching group of donors who did not work in schools.

Researchers say the findings show the limited chance of developing COVID-19 through contact in a school setting.

The study has not yet been peer reviewed but was published in preprint form in order to share the details quickly.

Dr. Louise Masse, the article's co-lead researcher and a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC, says it's hoped the findings will guide future decisions about school openings and closures.

Vancouver School District superintendent Suzanne Hoffman says it's important schools stay open, not just for learning but for the social, mental and physical well-being of students.

"These results reaffirm that with the protocols we have in place, schools are safe places to teach and learn," she said in a statement.

The study was funded by the federal government through its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Roughly 900 U.S. Secret Service employees tested positive for the coronavirus, according to government records obtained by a government watchdog group.

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., on Marine One helicopter after he tested positive for COVID-19. Records obtained by a government watchdog show that roughly 900 U.S. Secret Service employees tested positive for the coronavirus. The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says that 881 people on the Secret Service payroll were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and March 9, 2021. That's based on Secret Service records received through a Freedom of Information Act request. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Roughly 900 U.S. Secret Service employees tested positive for the coronavirus, according to government records obtained by a government watchdog group.

Secret Service records show that 881 people on the agency payroll were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and March 9, 2021, according to documents obtained by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. More than 11% of Secret Service employees were infected.

Secret Service spokesperson Justine Whelan said COVID testing of employees was pro-active with more than 25,000 tests being administered.

"The Secret Services essential law enforcement mission required agency employees to remain in continuous contact with the public during the pandemic," Whelan said. Now and throughout the pandemic, the Secret Service was fully prepared and staffed to successfully meet these challenges.

The records received through a Freedom of Information Act request did not include the names or assignments of those who tested positive. But more than half  477  worked in the special agent division, which is responsible for protecting the president and vice president, as well as the families of these leaders and other government officials.

CREW noted that the Trump administration took actions that risked exposure to Secret Service workers, but it could not verify a direct connection to possible infections because the identities of those infected remains private.

After President Donald Trump contracted COVID-19, he took a drive in his presidential vehicle as Secret Service personnel drove and protected him. The former president also held multiple large rallies and events, including the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court, despite restrictions on public gatherings.

The Secret Service employs approximately 3,200 special agents, 1,300 Uniformed Division officers, and more than 2,000 other technical, professional and administrative support personnel.
Air travel can be difficult in the best of times, with cramped planes, screaming babies, flight delays and short tempers.

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2021 file photo, a passenger wears a face mask to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus as he waits for a Delta Airlines flight at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Airlines have reported about 3,000 cases of disruptive passengers since Jan. 1, according to a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. It has gotten so bad that the airlines, flight attendants and pilots sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department on Monday, June 21, urging that more be done to deter egregious behavior. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Air travel can be difficult in the best of times, with cramped planes, screaming babies, flight delays and short tempers.

Throw in a pandemic, and the anxiety level can rise quickly.

That has led to confrontations with flight attendants and other unruly behavior, including occasional fights that get captured and replayed endlessly on social media.

Airlines have reported about 3,000 cases of disruptive passengers since Jan. 1, according to a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, which began tracking it this year. About 2,300 of those incidents involved passengers who refused to obey the federal requirement to wear a face mask.

Over the past decade, the FAA investigated about 140 cases a year for possible enforcement actions such as fines. This year, it was nearly 400 by late May.

Things have gotten so bad that the airlines and unions for flight attendants and pilots sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department on Monday urging that more be done to deter egregious behavior."

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, noting that the law calls for up to 20 years imprisonment for passengers who intimidate or interfere with crew members.

Trade group Airlines for America sent a separate letter to the Federal Aviation Administration acknowledging that the vast majority of passengers" comply with the rules but 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.

The FAA announced a zero-tolerance policy against disruptive behavior on flights back in January. The agency is attempting to levy fines that can top $30,000 against more than 50 passengers and has identified more than 400 other cases for possible enforcement.

FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2021, file photo, a passenger wears a face mask she travels on a Delta Air Lines flight after taking off from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Airlines have reported about 3,000 cases of disruptive passengers since Jan. 1, according to a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. It has gotten so bad that the airlines, flight attendants and pilots sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department on Monday, June 21, urging that more be done to deter egregious behavior. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

U.S. airlines have banned at least 3,000 passengers since May of last year, and that doesn't include two of the largest, American and Southwest, which decline to provide figures.

Airlines have stripped some customers of frequent-flyer benefits, and in rare cases pilots have made unplanned landings to remove unruly passengers. Pilots and flight attendants now routinely make pre-flight announcements to remind passengers about federal regulations against interfering with crews.

All of that is helpful, and if we didn't have that I can only imagine how much worse it would be, said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, but this is clearly not taking care of the whole problem. We have to do a lot more. I have never, ever seen an environment like this."

Mike Oemichen has been a flight attendant for seven years and he, too, says he has never seen so much bad behavior on board. He recounted a recent incident in which he and other flight attendants had just completed the safety briefing for passengers and were preparing for takeoff when a fight broke out between two men and a woman accompanying one of them.

After 20 or 30 seconds we were able to get the two male passengers away from each other, and we tried to calm everyone down, Oemichen said. Then we went back to the gate and had the passengers removed.

Oemichen suffered a concussion when he hit his head against an overhead bin during the melee.

We never figured out what they were fighting over, said Oemichen, who spoke on condition that his airline not be named. He also handles grievances for union members at his airline.

The fear among flight attendants is that things will get worse this summer, as travel continues to increase and planes get more crowded. The airline industry passed a milestone earlier this month when the Transportation Security Administration announced that more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints for the first time since early March 2020.

Airline bookings have been picking up since around February, as more Americans were vaccinated against COVID-19. Falling infection rates could, however, make it much harder for flight attendants to enforce the federal mask-wearing rule, which isn't due to expire until mid-September.

Some security experts think lifting the mask requirement will remove a key source of tension  one with political overtones in a politically divided nation. But it could also raise the anxiety of people who worry about sharing space with strangers while were still in a pandemic.

People on both sides of the issue are acting badly, Nelson said.

Airline unions have asked for a variety of measures including more air marshals, limits on alcohol sales on planes and in airports, and more sharing of information among airlines about disruptive passengers. They are also floating the idea of a new government-maintained list of banned passengers  but one that would be less restrictive than the no-fly list for suspected terrorists.

It's not clear why there is so much air rage. Airline employees and outside experts offer explanations including cramped flights, political polarization over wearing face masks, and the way pandemic lockdowns affect people's mental health.

We are all more traumatized than we realize, and that puts people on edge," said Raymond Tafrate, a psychologist and criminology professor at Central Connecticut State University who has studied anger. The pandemic isolated people and caused all sorts of stress and problems in their lives. People are in worse shape than they were before.

Robert Bor, an aviation psychologist in London who advises airline crews, blames anxiety over COVID-19 and enclosed spaces.

It is a virus, and people are highly sensitized to the physical proximity of others around them, Bor said. He added that some people take measures like mask-wearing more seriously than others, creating conflict. How you negotiate that in such an environment is the issue.

There have been periods in the past where air rage seemed an intractable problem, but later subsided. Long-time flight attendants say there was an uptick in unruly passengers in the 1990s. That led Congress to make it a crime to interfere with a flight crew, and incidents gradually declined, these cabin crew members say.

Arjun Garg, who served as FAA chief counsel until earlier this year, said serious cases of misbehaving passengers were rarely discussed at the agency's top levels until the pandemic hit.

It would happen every once in a while, but it wasn't a major feature of anybody's thinking at FAA, Garg said of the pre-pandemic incidents. Airlines would often resolve them as a customer-service issue, and everyone would go on their way.

Tafrates advice to travelers: Accept that flights dont always go the way you want, and accept there are going to be some rules that you dont like.

David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
LONDON (AP)  European Union regulators have launched a fresh antitrust investigation of Google, this time over whether the U.S. tech giant is stifling competition in digital advertising technology.

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo a sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif. The European Court of Auditors, which has examined the EU's enforcement of competition rules over the past decade, says antitrust investigations have taken too long, dulling their effectiveness. European Union regulators have launched a fresh antitrust investigation of Google, this time over whether the U.S. tech giant is stifling competition in digital advertising technology. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

LONDON (AP)  European Union regulators have launched a fresh antitrust investigation of Google, this time over whether the U.S. tech giant is stifling competition in digital advertising technology.

The European Commission said Tuesday that it has opened a formal investigation into whether Google violated the bloc's competition rules by favoring its own online display advertising technology services at the expense of rival publishers, advertisers and advertising technology services.

The investigation underscores European concerns about Google's dominance in the online advertising industry and whether it's exploiting its data advantage to cement its position in the display ad market, which the EU Commission estimates is worth 20 billion euros ($24 billion) annually. This month, France's antitrust authority fined Google more than 220 million euros for abusing its dominance in online ads while in the U.K. it gave the competition watchdog a role overseeing its retirement of ad tracking cookies from the Chrome browser to resolve an investigation.

Online display ads are the banners and text that show up on websites such as newspaper home pages and are personalized based on an internet user's browsing history. Search ads, in contrast, appear alongside search engine results and are based on keywords that users are looking for.

The commission, the EUs executive arm and the blocs top antitrust enforcer, signaled it's looking in particular at YouTube and whether Google is using the video sharing site's dominant position to favor its own ad-buying services by imposing restrictions on rivals.

Google said competition in online ads has made them more affordable and relevant, cut fees and and expanded options for publishers and advertisers.

Thousands of European businesses use our advertising products to reach new customers and fund their websites every single day," Google said in a prepared statement. They choose them because theyre competitive and effective. We will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission to answer their questions and demonstrate the benefits of our products to European businesses and consumers.

The investigation signals a renewed effort by Margrethe Vestager, the EU commissions competition chief and executive vice president for digital, to rein in Googles market power. She has already slapped Google with a total of 8.2 billion euros (now $9.7 billion) worth of fines in three separate antitrust cases. There was criticism, however, that the investigations took too long and the fines were not much of a deterrent because the company could easily afford them.

Online advertising services are at the heart of how Google and publishers monetize their online services, Vestager said. Google collects data to be used for targeted advertising while it also sells advertising space and acts as a middleman between online advertisers and publishers, she said.

We are concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack, Vestager said.

The EU Commission said it was investigating the ways Google uses technology to broker display ad sales between online advertisers and publishers.

For one, officials are examining requirements to use Google's in-house ad purchasing platforms to buy display ads on YouTube while rival services are potentially restricted in the way they can serve ads on the video sharing site. They're also scrutinizing whether Google's various ad platforms favor each other.

Another area the commission is looking at are restrictions Google puts on advertisers, publishers and competing ad brokers to access data about the identity and behavior of users that Google's own ad services have access to. Such data can be used to tailor online ads to individual web users.

Also under the microscope are Google's plans to phase out third-party browser cookies" on Chrome and ad identifier tags on Android devices for users opting out of personalized advertising, as part of the company's plan to beef up privacy measures. The commission is looking into how these plans will affect digital ad markets.

EU regulators have the power to impose penalties worth up to 10% of a companys annual revenue. But its a small price to pay for wealthy tech companies like Google, which posted a $17.9 billion profit in its latest quarter, and the commission is turning to other methods beyond headline-grabbing fines.

Vestager has started using interim measures as a speedy way to halt anticompetitive behavior while investigations are carried out. She also has a lead role in updating the EUs digital rulebook with measures aimed at reining in the tech giants and preventing them from cornering digital markets in the first place.

For all of APs tech coverage, visit https://apnews.com/apf-technology

Follow Kelvin Chan at https://www.twitter.com/chanman
WASHINGTON (AP)  Airports around the country will share $8 billion in federal grants to help them recover from the pandemic, which caused a steep drop in air travel and a loss of revenue that airports expect from airlines and passengers.

FILE - In this May 18, 2020, file photo, a lone traveler goes through a security check point at Seattle Tacoma International Airport, in SeaTac, Wash. Airports around the country will share $8 billion in federal relief to help them recover from the pandemic. The Federal Aviation Administration announced the grants on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Airports around the country will share $8 billion in federal grants to help them recover from the pandemic, which caused a steep drop in air travel and a loss of revenue that airports expect from airlines and passengers.

Most of the money will go to big airports with commercial airline service. They will share $6.5 billion based on the number of passenger boardings, plus another $800 million to offer rent relief to companies that operate concessions such as food and retail outlets in terminals.

Airports must keep at least 90% of the workers they had before the pandemic to receive one of the grants, which will handled by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Congress approved the money as part of a pandemic-relief measure that President Joe Biden signed in March. The Biden administration said the grants would protect airport jobs and construction projects as travel recovers.

The FAA said several hundred airports will get grant money, including $175.7 million for Seattle-Tacoma International, $115 million for Philadelphia International, $74.3 million for Daniel K. Inouye International in Honolulu, $56.2 million for St. Louis Lambert International, and $50.6 million for Raleigh-Durham International in North Carolina.

There are nearly 500 commercial airports in the U.S., according to an industry group, Airports Council International-North America, and the group projects that they will lose more than $40 billion from the pandemic by next March.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed prospects for an early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying Tuesday that U.S. expectations of talks would plunge them into a greater disappointment.

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, left, and South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young discuss issues concerning North Korea, at the unification ministry, Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Seoul, South Korea. Kim said he looks forward to Pyongyang giving a "positive response soon" to Washington's dialogue offer, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent remarks that Pyongyang should be ready for both dialogue and confrontation. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed prospects for an early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying Tuesday that U.S. expectations of talks would plunge them into a greater disappointment.

Kim Yo Jongs blunt statement indicates that the diplomatic impasse over North Koreas nuclear program is likely to continue unless the North suffers greater pandemic-related economic difficulties and needs urgent outside assistance, some experts said.

Hope for a restart of nuclear talks flared briefly after Kim Jong Un said last week that his country must be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, though more for confrontation. U.S. National Security adviser Jake Sullivan called Kims comments an interesting signal.

On Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong derided Sullivans response.

It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself, the official Korean Central News Agency quoted her as saying. The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment.

A protester stands to denounce the U.S. policies on North Korea near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed prospects for early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying Tuesday the U.S. expectations for talks would "plunge them into a greater disappointment." The sign reads "Suspension of war practice against North Korea and withdrawal of the U.S. troops." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Shin Beomchul, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said North Korea has been communicating the same message for months -- that it has no intention to return to talks unless the United States offers meaningful concessions, likely in the form of eased economic sanctions. The Biden administration, for its part, doesnt want to budge either, he said.

Both parties are locked in a waiting game -- North Korea wants the United States to make concessions first, and the United States has no intentions to match a level of action the North is demanding, Shin said.

On Monday, during a visit to Seoul, Sung Kim, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea affairs, said Washington is willing to meet the North anywhere, anytime without preconditions. But he stressed that the Biden administration would continue to pressure North Korea with sanctions over its nuclear and missile ambitions.

Just before Kim Yo Jongs statement was released on Tuesday, Sung Kim met South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young and said Washington and Seoul remain committed to seeking the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy. Lee said he hoped North Korea would return to the negotiating table at an early date and called the current situation a very good chance to resume talks.

Sung Kim later met South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and the two said they would strive to resume U.S.-North Korea talks, Moons office said. The South Korean government didnt immediately comment on Kim Yo Jongs statement.

As a precondition for the talks resumption, North Korea has repeatedly called on the United States to lift its hostile policy toward it, an apparent reference to the U.S.-led sanctions and regular military drills with South Korea. But experts say the Biden administration won't ease sanctions or make other major concessions before North Korea takes concrete steps toward denuclearization.

North Korea may only ease its stance if it can no longer endure its ongoing economic hardship, some experts said. Kim Jong Un has admitted North Korea faces what he described as its worst-ever crises, due to drastically reduced international trade caused by pandemic-related border closings, mismanagement, the economic sanctions and crop-killing storms last year.

The deadlock could be prolonged unless theres a change in the conditions facing the North, such as greater economic or pandemic-related difficulties, Shin said.

Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said Kim Yo Jongs statement suggested North Korea isnt ready to rejoin talks anytime soon.

A mutual distrust and antagonism run so deep that the resumption of the North Korea-U.S. talks is difficult. Even if the U.S. and North Korea meet, itll never be easy to find common ground, Cheong said.

Last Thursday, Kim Jong Un ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation, especially to get fully prepared for confrontation, in order to protect national security and dignity.

In an interview with ABC News, Sullivan said Sunday that 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.

U.S. officials have suggested Biden will take the middle ground between former President Donald Trumps direct dealings with Kim and ex-President Barack Obamas policy of strategic patience. Details of Bidens North Korea policy havent been publicly released.

U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at striping North Korea of its nuclear program has stalled since February 2019, when the Americans rejected a North Korean demand for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities during a summit between Kim and Trump.
TOKYO (AP)  Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida pleaded for patience from disgruntled shareholders Tuesday and promised a turnaround at the Japanese automaker, which is projecting a third year of losses as it struggles to distance itself from a scandal over its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

People walk past Nissan Motor Co.'s global headquarters in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida pleaded for patience from disgruntled shareholders Tuesday, promising a turnaround at the Japanese automaker, which is projecting a third year of losses as it struggles to distance itself from a scandal over its former Chairman Carlos Ghosn. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

TOKYO (AP)  Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida pleaded for patience from disgruntled shareholders Tuesday and promised a turnaround at the Japanese automaker, which is projecting a third year of losses as it struggles to distance itself from a scandal over its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

What we have worked on during years of hardship will bear fruit, Uchida said at the annual regular shareholders meeting.

Attendance was limited at the meeting, which was also relayed online due to pandemic precautions.

One shareholder got up and demanded a detailed disclosure of Ghosns alleged wrongdoing, saying questions about governance remained unanswered.

Another shareholder also addressed the Ghosn scandal, saying the problem should have been solved internally instead being handed over to prosecutors.

Nissan Motor Co., based in the port city of Yokohama, has been struggling in recent years. Its brand image was battered by the 2018 arrest of Ghosn over various financial misconduct allegations.

Ghosn jumped bail and fled to Lebanon in late 2019. But his arrest shocked Japan and raised serious questions about leadership at the maker of the Leaf electric car, Z sportscar and Infiniti luxury brand.

We are sorry to have caused such worries. We are doing our best to recover your trust. I have not forgotten this for a moment, said Uchida.

All shareholders remained anonymous and were identified with numbers.

Separately, another shareholder got up to express his outrage that there have been no dividends for two years, while some executives still are paid huge salaries.

Uchida assured investors the automaker was doing its best to avert a third straight year of losses.

Slammed by weak sales during the pandemic, Nissan is projecting a 60 billion yen ($540 million) loss for the fiscal year ending in March 2022. Thats smaller than the losses racked up in the previous two years.

Uchida said profitability was improving, and asked shareholders to give Nissan a bit more time to prove itself. Nissan boasts fine technology in automated driving and electric vehicles, he said.

Please be assured we will continue with improvements, said Uchida.

At the end of the two-hour meeting, shareholders approved the reappointment of the 12 directors. They include Uchida; Jean-Dominique Senard, an executive from French alliance partner Renault, and seven outside directors.

The approval was shown by applause. Votes were also submitted by proxy and online in advance.

Another proposal, which demanded the disclosure of the alliance agreement between Renault and Nissan, known as RAMA, for Restated Alliance Master Agreement, was rejected. Nissan management had opposed that, saying confidentiality was necessary.

The relationship between Renault and Nissan has been a recurring sticking point. Ghosn was sent in by Renault to salvage Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy in 1999.

Nissan officials have testified they turned to Japans criminal authorities to get Ghosn arrested because they feared the alliance was excessively dominated by Renault.

One shareholder at Tuesday's meeting urged Nissan to apologize to Greg Kelly, a former top executive at the company who is being tried in Tokyo, charged with under-reporting Ghosns compensation. Kelly, an American, says he is innocent.

Uchida declined comment on Kelly's case.

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP)  Tobacco company Philip Morris will relocate its corporate headquarters from New York City to southwest Connecticut, bringing 200 jobs, officials said Tuesday.

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP)  Tobacco company Philip Morris will relocate its corporate headquarters from New York City to southwest Connecticut, bringing 200 jobs, officials said Tuesday.

The company said in a news release that the move was facilitated by the office of Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, and the new headquarters is expected to open by next summer.

Connecticut offers a valuable mix of technological know-how, future-forward thinking, and an open-minded approach to problem-solving, said Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International. We consider it an ideal location for our new U.S. head office, where we will be working to more quickly achieve our vision of a smoke-free future."

The company also has offices in Switzerland and employs more than 71,000 people around the world.

Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, has been shifting to non-combustible products that it says are not free of health risks but offer an alternative to continued smoking. It aims to be a majority smoke-free company in terms of net revenues by the end of 2025.

I think theyre heading in the right direction, where it would be a better state, better country for their efforts, Lamont said on Tuesday, referring to the company's heat-not-burn cigarette option, iQOS. He said he was proud the company is going to take the lead in getting people who are addicted to cigarette smoking off of cigarettes.

Amber Herting, a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Connecticut, said now that the tobacco industry is taking up residence in Connecticut," state lawmakers need to fully fund tobacco prevention and control programs and end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes.

While they may put up a smokescreen about the dangers of what they sell, there is no denying that tobacco companies like Phillip Morris create products that addict and kill thousands in Connecticut and hundreds of thousands across the country each year," Herting said in a statement.

Lamont, a former businessman, said he met informally with Phillip Morris executives and some Connecticut business owners at his home about 18 months ago, before the coronavirus pandemic. They discussed the possibility of the company known as PMI moving its corporate headquarters to the state.

I was proud that PMI looked all over the country and all over the world and decided Connecticut is a place they want to make their corporate home, Lamont said. We can all be here as advocates and say Connecticuts a good place to do business. But having folks who do business, talking to other business people, I think made a big difference.
NEW YORK (AP)  Matt Negrin's campaign to ban election deniers from television news failed to achieve his original goal, which was to prevent a significant number of Americans from believing the lie that Donald Trump didn't lose the presidential election to Joe Biden.

NEW YORK (AP)  Matt Negrin's campaign to ban election deniers from television news failed to achieve his original goal, which was to prevent a significant number of Americans from believing the lie that Donald Trump didn't lose the presidential election to Joe Biden.

Instead, it has provoked a persistent debate over the role of political journalists, along with illustrating how television news and the politicians who depend upon its cameras have changed.

Negrin, a former journalist and now producer at Comedy Central's The Daily Show, wrote a December column for The Washington Post saying that TV journalists who invite Republicans on the air should begin by asking if they believed Biden won the election. If they don't say yes, the interview should end.

He's aggressively continued the effort on his personal Twitter account, saying mainstream news programs that book officeholders who voted against accepting election results are helping to spread misinformation.

Many in the news business believe that stance goes too far, that a journalist's role is to question ideas and point out inaccuracies or outright fictions, not to pretend they don't exist. Two Sunday morning hosts, Jake Tapper and Chris Wallace, recently revealed themselves as polar opposites on the point.

While it's not a formal policy, Tapper said he hasn't booked election deniers on CNN's State of the Union and on his weekday show, The Lead.

It's a discussion I think everyone in the news media should be having, Tapper told Politico. Should those who shared the election lie that incited the deadly attack on the Capitol and that continues to erode confidence in our democracy be invited onto our airwaves to continue to spread the Big Lie? Can our viewers count on these politicians to tell the truth about other topics?

Wallace, of Fox News Sunday, has said he's willing to talk to all sides and has no rules about the order of questions. I dont think moral posturing goes well with newsgathering, Wallace said in a statement last month.

When Florida Sen. Rick Scott appeared on his show Feb. 28, Wallace asked whether Biden won the election fair and square. Absolutely, Scott replied.

Led by Trump, suspicion about the 2020 results has remained, despite elections officials calling it secure and the dismissal of court challenges. A Quinnipiac University poll taken six months after the election found 29% of Americans, and 66% of Republicans surveyed said Biden was not legitimately elected.

Confronting deniers is not a subject many in the business are eager to address publicly. No one on NBC's Meet the Press, ABC's This Week or CBS' Face the Nation, for example, would speak to The Associated Press about it.

What would Tim Russert do? The former Meet the Press host was the acknowledged king of Sunday morning political talk shows before his death in 2008, and his former producer said Russert believed in exposing ideas that many found repugnant. Russert memorably interviewed former KKK leader David Duke in 1991.

But Betsy Fischer Martin, executive producer of Meet the Press from 2002 to 2013, wonders how many such opportunities exist now. In today's climate, many politicians prefer friendly TV venues, like Fox News for conservatives or MSNBC for liberals.

It's human nature in many ways that you want to pick a program that is going to give you more of a platform than a tough interview, said Fischer Martin, executive director of the Women in Politics Institute at American University.

Booking deniers is less of an issue when many don't want to be booked in the first place.

The current Meet the Press moderator, Chuck Todd, alluded to this while writing for Politico in January. A handful of GOP senators make themselves available for interviews, he wrote, but they're few and far between.

Unless they need to reach a broader electorate, many Republican officeholders don't see the point of such faceoffs, said Alex Conant, a GOP consultant and founding partner of Firehouse Strategies in Washington.

If you're a conservative, the truth is, you don't care too much about liberal voters, Conant said. They're never going to support you, and there's not much benefit to subjecting yourself to a tough interview.

Frank Sesno, a former CNN Washington bureau chief, lands on the side of interviewing deniers. Yet he wonders whether that would be worthwhile if questions are ignored, talking points spouted or empty fights instigated.

It's not a question of banning them, said Sesno, professor at George Washington University. You just don't want them on the air because they're not going to be a good guest.

Some recent interviews prove his point.

ABC News' Terry Moran grew exasperated last month in repeatedly and fruitlessly asking GOP spokesman Paris Dennard whether he accepted the results of the 2020 election as legitimate. It's a yes or no question, Moran said.

Biden was president, Dennard said. He wouldn't go further. Moran kept trying, asking whether he was scared to answer or didn't believe democracy worked last November.

You can be an American citizen who can accept the fact that Joe Biden is president as well as being concerned about election integrity, Dennard said.

Todd's May 11 interview with Rep. Dan Crenshaw devolved into a fight when the Texas Republican was asked about his support for an effort to overturn the election. Crenshaw said it was time to move on and attacked the liberal and pro-Democratic media for continuing to bring up the subject.

Don't start that, Todd said. There's nothing lazier than that.

The interview soon ended.

I understand where the invite and confront people are coming from, said Jay Rosen, a New York University professor and author of the PressThink blog. But in practice, the confrontation with a determined fabulist or denialist rarely works out to the viewer's advantage.

Few interviewers have the ability to effectively expose hypocrisy on live television, Negrin said. Even when a journalist can, politicians will take from the invitation to come on the air a message that they can say whatever they want and will still have a platform.

The online provocateur said that he's been pleased that television producers and hosts are at least thinking about these issues.

It's been (nearly) six months since the insurrection, eight months since the election, and I think a lot of hosts just want to get back to normal  interviewing Republicans, interviewing Democrats, Negrin said. That's what they do.

"But, to me, it's important to remember what happened.
HAGATNA, Guam  Guam is launching a vaccine tourism program to encourage citizens of neighboring countries and Americans living in East Asia to come get inoculated against COVID-19.

A woman, wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, walks past in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

HAGATNA, Guam  Guam is launching a vaccine tourism program to encourage citizens of neighboring countries and Americans living in East Asia to come get inoculated against COVID-19.

The Pacific Daily News reports the first group of three travelers was arriving on a charter flight from Taiwan. The Guam Visitors Bureau says this is a prelude to bigger groups to come.

The program is aimed at jump-starting Guams tourism industry which has suffered from a decline in travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccination rates in places like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been low compared to the U.S. territory, where vaccines are easily available.

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 US finds deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% last year

 WHO plans technology transfer hub for coronavirus vaccines in South Africa

 Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

A woman, wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, walks past in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ATLANTA  Georgias governor says he will end the states public health state of emergency on July 1, more than 15 months after he initially declared it because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican Brian Kemp made the announcement Tuesday, signing a fresh extension of the extraordinary powers granted to him by lawmakers that will expire at 12:00 a.m. on July 1.

Thanks to those efforts, more Georgians are getting vaccinated, our economic momentum is strong, and people are getting back to normal, Kemp said in a statement. We have emerged resilient, and I thank all Georgians for doing their part.

Kemp becomes the latest in a series of governors nationwide to wind down emergency powers.

This was the first use of Georgias public health emergency law. It grants Kemp sweeping powers to suspend laws and state regulations. The governor says he will hold on to some extraordinary powers, saying he will issue a different kind of emergency order.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Arkansas on Tuesday reported 485 new coronavirus cases, its biggest one-day jump in more than three months.

The Department of Health said it was the biggest one-day increase since the state reported 570 new cases on March 5. The state has had 346,180 cases since the pandemic began last year.

The states active cases, meaning ones that dont include people who have died or recovered, rose by 251 to 2,570. The states COVID-19 deaths rose by eight to 5,884. Hospitalizations rose by four to 285.

A woman, wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, walks past in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Arkansas in late March opened its vaccinations to everyone at least 16 years old and lifted its statewide mask mandate, but the state has had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson cited the latest increase as he urged more people to get vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus. About 41% of the states population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and about 33% completed their vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Until we increase the number of shots, we will continue to have increased numbers of hospitalizations and new cases like we did today, Hutchinson tweeted.

___

HONOLULU  Hawaii health officials say there is community spread of the COVID-19 delta variant, which was first detected in India.

Two cases on Oahu and one on the Big Island involve travel from the U.S. mainland. One case involves an Oahu resident with no travel history. The state Department of Health said it is investigating to determine the extent of household and community transmission.

Acting State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said of the four cases, only one person was vaccinated. Health experts say vaccines remain effective against the variant. Hawaiis vaccination rate is 57%. Kemble says Hawaiis pace of vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks.

LOS ANGELES  The Los Angeles Philharmonic will return to the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Oct. 9 after a 19-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021/22 season was announced Tuesday by Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and executives of the LA Phil.

A woman, wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, walks past in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Over this past year, the pandemic has isolated us from one another, and so as we celebrate our return to Walt Disney Concert Hall, we want to remember all that unites us, and all that is best in us, Dudamel said in a statement. This season, we will blend different musical traditions, bridge geographical borders and build new connections among cultures, communities, audiences and artists.

More than 10 million doses of vaccine have been administered in Los Angeles County, where rates of new cases, hospitalizations and death have plunged in what was once an epicenter of the pandemic. The daily test positivity rate Monday was just 0.7%.

WASHINGTON  The so-called COVID-19 delta variant which was first detected in India now represents more than 20% of coronavirus infections in the U.S. in the last two weeks, or double what it was when the Centers for Disease Control last reported on the variants prevalence.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, warned that the U.S. could be following the United Kingdoms course, where the variant has become the dominant strain due to rapid spread among youth.

Fauci says indications are that the COVID-19 vaccines remain effective against the variant.

The variant is accounting for half of new infections in the regions that include Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

HONOLULU  Uncertainty remains about when Hawaii will drop its requirement for vaccinated arriving travelers to have a negative coronavirus test to avoid quarantine.

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green wants the state to drop the testing requirement for fully vaccinated travelers ahead of the July 4th holiday, but Gov. David Ige is reluctant.

Ige would not commit to dropping the travel test during a Monday news conference. The governor said earlier this month that testing requirements for vaccinated domestic travelers would end once 60% of Hawaii residents are fully vaccinated.

A woman, wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, walks past in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Lt. Gov. Josh Green said there could be confusion and conflict if the state doesnt drop the requirements soon.

BERLIN  The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel has received her second dose of vaccine against COVID-19.

The government said Tuesday that Merkel was vaccinated a few days ago. The 66-year-old received a first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine on April 16. For the second shot, she received the Moderna vaccine.

Germany recommended in April that younger people who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca should switch to a different vaccine for the second shot.

JERUSALEM  Israels prime minister says the country is in the grip of a new outbreak of the coronavirus after a spike in cases in the past week, most of them minors with the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.

Naftali Bennett said Tuesday after touring Israels main international airport that masks would be mandatory in Ben Gurion Airport and there would be more stringent testing of incoming travelers.

We made an initial decision to treat this like a new outbreak, and our aim is to sever it, he said. Bennett called on Israelis to avoid all non-essential summer travel abroad.

Israels Health Ministry reported 125 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, the highest daily number since late April. Over 55% of the countrys 9.3 million citizens have received two vaccine doses, but Bennett said several of the new cases reported were in vaccinated individuals.

MOSCOW  The mayor of Moscow announced new coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, saying that the situation with the coronavirus remains very difficult in the Russian capital.

A woman, wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, walks past in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

The countrys state coronavirus task force reported 6,555 new COVID-19 cases in Moscow on Tuesday and 16,715 new infections across Russia, both tallies twice as high as a month ago.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin banned all entertainment and sports events at which more than 500 people are present.

Starting next Monday, all restaurants, cafes and bars in Moscow will only allow in customers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from the virus within the past six months or can provide a negative coronavirus test carried out within 72 hours prior to the visit. To prove their eligibility, customers will need to obtain a QR code at one of several government websites.

Coronavirus infections surged in the Russian capital two weeks ago, prompting the city authorities to order mandatory vaccinations for workers in retail, education and some other service sectors. Russians have been widely resistant to vaccinations and only less than 13% of the population has received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.  Western Michigan University said it will hold a series of drawings, from August to December, to give away more than $100,000 to students who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

There will be 60 winners. The biggest prizes are five worth $10,000 each. The money can be used for tuition, fees, campus housing and campus dining.

Students need help with the cost of college, and so we felt like those would really be incentives that would speak to students, said Diane Anderson, vice president of student affairs.

Students, of course, need to show proof of vaccination..

LONDON  Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she is aiming to lift most remaining coronavirus restrictions in Scotland on Aug. 9.

A woman, wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, walks past in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

She also told Scottish lawmakers that changes to current restrictions will be postponed by three weeks to July 19 as a result of a sharp spike in new infections that are largely due to the delta variant first identified in India.

She said 2,167 cases have been recorded in Scotland in the past 24 hours, the highest level since Jan. 8 when the U.K. as a whole was in the midst of a catastrophic second wave of the pandemic.

The U.K. as a whole recorded 11,625 new cases on Tuesday, the highest daily figure since Feb. 19.

She said her government will make a final assessment nearer the time to see whether this could include the lifting of social distancing rules both indoors and out. l as outdoors.

The other nations of the U.K.  England, Wales and Northern Ireland  are moving out of lockdown at different speeds.

ISTANBUL  Turkeys president has announced the countrys first local vaccine in development against COVID-19 would be called TURKOVAC.

The first dose of the vaccines third phase trial was administered to a male volunteer Tuesday in a videoconference by the health minister, professors and Turkeys president. The health minister said Phase 1 and 2 trials showed the vaccines safety and immune response.

TURKOVAC is using an inactivated virus technology and was developed at Erciyes University. Other vaccine developments continue in Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said it is imperative to have a local vaccine that Turkey would use in the country and export to others.

Turkey is currently using vaccines from Chinas Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech. Russias Sputnik V will also be used. More than 43,5 doses have been administered with the age category lowered to 25 on Tuesday.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the vaccine is the pride of the nation.

PORTLAND, Maine  A program to help the U.S.s bus companies survive the coronavirus pandemic that was championed by a Maine senator is now accepting applications.

Republic Sen. Susan Collins co-wrote the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services grant program and said this week that the program is now open. The program is slated to provide $2 billion in coronavirus relief to bus, motorcoach and other passenger vessel companies.

The pandemic has hit the nations approximately 3,000 private bus lines hard. Nearly all of them were shut down in the early stages of the pandemic and many have struggled to recover since.

Bus and motorcoach companies, ferries, and tour boats sustain good-paying jobs and provide critical transportation services. The COVID-19 pandemic took an enormous toll on these businesses, many of which are small and family owned, Collins said.

Collins co-authored the proposal with Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island. The senators said that every bus and vessel company that meets eligibility criteria and submits a completed application will receive a grant.

AMSTERDAM  The European Unions medicines regulator has approved two new manufacturing sites for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer.

The move announced Tuesday by the European Medicines Agency will help increase production of the vaccine that has formed the backbone of many European nations vaccination programs.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control says that 242.6 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been distributed to European nations and nearly 223 million shots have been administered.

The EMA says its human medicines committee approved a site in Reinbek, Germany, that is operated by Allergopharma and another in the Swiss town of Stein that is operated by Novartis Pharma.

Last month, the EMA recommended expanding the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to children aged 12-15.

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, Mich.  Michigan is fully open again. After facing 15 months of capacity restrictions and being hit by the countrys worst surge of coronavirus infections this spring, restaurants, entertainment businesses and other venues can operate at 100% occupancy starting Tuesday.

Limits on indoor gatherings like weddings and funerals are gone. So is a broad requirement that the unvaccinated be masked indoors. Michigan is among the last states to lift capacity caps, which has frustrated the business community.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and public health officials say the restrictions were needed until enough residents could be vaccinated.
CALGARY - A federal regulator has lifted a stop-work order on tree cutting and grass mowing along the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project route.

Pipes for the Trans Mountain pipeline project are seen at a storage facility near Hope, B.C., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. A federal regulator says it has lifted a stop work order on tree cutting and grass mowing work along the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project route. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

CALGARY - A federal regulator has lifted a stop-work order on tree cutting and grass mowing along the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project route.

Trans Mountain has now submitted a satisfactory plan to correct deficiencies in the oversight of its contractors that could pose threats to nesting birds, the Canada Energy Regulator said Tuesday in a statement.

The regulator, which enforces safety and environmental guidelines for pipeline projects, issued a stop-work order on June 3 following investigations of tree-clearing work in the suburban Vancouver area that could have impacted nesting birds.

The regulator's website outlines four incidents along the pipeline route in the Burnaby and Coquitlam areas and near Agassiz in the Fraser Valley that date back to early April when a member of the public complained about bird nest destruction and improper buffer zones.

It also investigated tree-felling work near Agassiz that destroyed a robin's nest despite the area being marked by flags as a no-cutting zone.

The regulator says the stop-work order was issued after Trans Mountain reported to it on June 2 that one of its contractor crews cleared trees and shrubs in Burnaby without company authority.

No damaged or destroyed bird nests were reported in the June 2 incident, says the regulator.

"The order requires Trans Mountain to investigate and find the root cause for why there were two incidents related to contractor oversight issues in May," the regulator said in its order.

"Trans Mountain must also be able to prove that work is being done in a way that protects the environment, and more specifically, that workers are following Trans Mountain's own procedures and mitigation practices to protect the environment and migratory birds."

The regulator says Trans Mountain's plans now include improving field procedures to protect nesting birds and increasing direct supervision of its contractors.

Trans Mountain said in a statement on Tuesday the plan it filed to the regulator includes implementing enhanced communication, supervision and training measures before restarting pipeline clearing work.

The $12.6-billion expansion project between Burnaby, B.C., and north of Edmonton will triple existing pipeline capacity to about 890,000 barrels per day of oil products, including diluted bitumen, lighter crude and refined fuel.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The capital of the United Arab Emirates has apparently started offering free coronavirus vaccines to tourists flying into the emirate, a move that could entice travelers and help revive the country's struggling tourism industry.

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2021 file photo, a man receives his Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from a medical staffer at Guru Nanak Darbar temple in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, has apparently started offering free coronavirus vaccines to tourists flying into the emirate, a move that could entice travelers and help revive the country's struggling tourism industry. While no official announcement was made on the matter, the health authority's phone application showed updated criteria for vaccine access on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, saying visitors to the capital could now get the COVID-19 shot by presenting their passports. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The capital of the United Arab Emirates has apparently started offering free coronavirus vaccines to tourists flying into the emirate, a move that could entice travelers and help revive the country's struggling tourism industry.

While Abu Dhabi has made no official announcement on the matter, the health authority's phone application showed updated criteria for vaccine access on Tuesday, saying visitors to the capital could now get the COVID-19 shot by presenting their passports.

Passport holders must be eligible for entry visas on arrival, the guidelines said, without offering further information. Previously, vaccine recipients in the emirate had to show proof of Emirati residency. The UAE's government-run media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Abu Dhabi will lift mandatory quarantine measures on travelers from an approved list of countries starting July 1.

The federation of seven sheikhdoms boasts among the fastest vaccination campaigns in the world, with 14.6 million doses administered to its population of over 9 million. The country has relied heavily on China's state-backed Sinopharm shot and even started manufacturing Sinopharm earlier this year. Abu Dhabi and the nearby emirate of Dubai also offer the Pfizer-BioNtech shot. Since March, everyone over age 16 in the country has been eligible to get the vaccine.

With its small population and ample vaccine supply, the UAE has sent free vaccine shipments to places that need them, such as Egypt, the Gaza Strip and the Indian Ocean island nation of the Seychelles.

As vaccination inequality grows increasingly stark worldwide, Abu Dhabi's expanded vaccine access could prove a major draw for those frustrated by the sluggish pace of inoculation campaigns in their surge-stricken home countries. But medical tourism for vaccines has also raised ethical concerns over access being limited to those with the means to travel far afield while others remain vulnerable and exposed.

Throughout the year, Abu Dhabi has kept strict anti-COVID measures in place, even shuttering its border with Dubai. In its reopening, the capital announced a new green pass system this month that limits access to public places to those who can show proof of vaccination or a recent negative virus test.

Dubai, the regional financial hub home to long-haul carrier Emirates, has not unveiled plans to vaccinate tourists.
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP)  A civil rights group warned Uber Eats that its app profiles place transgender drivers at risk of harassment and violence, prompting the company to apologize Tuesday to a Kansas man and to resolve issues within the app that outed him.

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2019, file photo, a restaurant advertises Uber Eats in Miami. A civil rights group in Kansas said Tuesday, June 22, 2021 it has warned the food delivery service in a letter of a problem with profiles its app that it contends puts transgender drivers at risk. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP)  A civil rights group warned Uber Eats that its app profiles place transgender drivers at risk of harassment and violence, prompting the company to apologize Tuesday to a Kansas man and to resolve issues within the app that outed him.

The move came after American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas released on Tuesday morning a letter it had sent the day earlier to the food delivery service on behalf of Laine Repic, a 41-year-old transgender man in Topeka, Kansas, who has been driving for the company since April.

The ACLU of Kansas contended that Uber Eats has forced Repic to have his app profile display his legal name, which he no longer uses and which does not match his male gender presentation  effectively outing him as transgender. It noted that Repic has experienced harassment and ridicule as a result when he drops off food to customers and has made him fearful for his safety.

Having to, like, drive around with that name following you everywhere from customers it was nerve racking and it was scary and we shouldn't have to be put in that position  especially when it was such a simple fix, Repic said Tuesday in a phone interview.

Repic said he reached out to the ACLU because he needed someone who would have his back and Uber didnt seem to support him.

While nobody was physically, violently attacking me, these microaggressions they eat at you over and over and over again... I shouldn't have to tell my life story and I shouldn't have to be forced back into the closet because of that. It wears on you, it's draining, it's tiring, it's demeaning because it's like you are not being taken seriously. Having to fight for your own identity, it absolutely takes a mental toll on you. And this was my breaking point," Repic said,

In an emailed statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday afternoon, Uber apologized to Repic for the difficulties he faced as he tried to make changes to his profile within the app  which it said have now been resolved.

We recognize that for transgender and non-binary drivers and delivery people, the name on their ID does not always reflect their true identity, the company said. Thats why we recently announced they can choose to display their self-identified first name, without requiring the display of their legal name.

The company added it was working to further improve its systems, and has set up a fund to help drivers and delivery people cover the cost of updating their name and gender on state and federal IDs.

Repic and the ACLU learned of the company's statement after the AP read it them during an interview. It was not immediately known if the San Francisco-based company later reached out to Repic personally.

I'm glad they did this and hopefully they will get those systems in place, Repic said. It shouldn't have taken all this to get there.

Repic said he had previously tried unsuccessfully to update his driver profile so it shows his correct first name and pronouns. Repeatedly he contacted the company through messaging on the driver app as well as emails and phone calls. He has been given the run-around or no response at all, said Sharon Brett, legal director for the ACLU of Kansas.

In addition to possibly violating state and federal law, forcing transgender UberEats drivers to deliver under their dead names is bad policy, the ACLU wrote. It needlessly places transgender drivers at risk of harassment, degradation, and violence.

The ACLU said that for many people obtaining a legal name change can be a long, difficult and expensive process.

Gabriel Arkles, senior counsel for the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, said some employers have been moving in the right direction but still have a long way to go since the U.S. Supreme court in a landmark 2020 ruling held that the Civil Rights Act protects employees against discrimination because they are gay or transgender.

This issue brings out some of the differences between saying a company treats people equally and actually creating conditions for people to have equal access to employment... To really achieve the promise of the Supreme Court victory, we need to make sure that the actual practices of companies like Uber Eats are changing, Arkles said.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there is a fundamental difference between Canada's troubled relationship with Indigenous Peoples, and China's systemic abuse and human rights violations against ethnic Muslim Uyghurs.

A person stands in a tower on the perimeter of the Number 3 Detention Center in Dabancheng in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on April 23, 2021. Human rights groups and Western nations led by the United States, Britain and Germany accused China of massive crimes against the Uyghur minority and demanded unimpeded access for U.N. experts at a virtual meeting on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 denounced by China as "politically motivated" and based on "lies." THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mark Schiefelbein

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there is a fundamental difference between Canada's troubled relationship with Indigenous Peoples, and China's systemic abuse and human rights violations against ethnic Muslim Uyghurs.

Trudeau says Canada knows its relationship with Indigenous Peoples is broken but it had a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is working to try and address the issues.

China, he says, isn't even willing to admit there is a problem.

"Where is China's Truth and Reconciliation Commission?" Trudeau asked at a news conference outside his Ottawa home Tuesday.

"Where is their truth? Where is the openness that Canada has always shown, and the responsibility that Canada has taken for the terrible mistakes of the past, and indeed, many of which continue into the present?"

His comments came shortly after a diplomatic showdown between Canada and China at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Switzerland Tuesday.

Canada's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Leslie Norton, read a statement on behalf of 44 countries urging China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access so independent observers can visit its western Xinjiang region.

At the same meeting Chinese envoy Jiang Duan demanded Canada stop its violations of human rights in its own backyard.

We urge Canada to immediately stop violations of human rights, he said, adding that UN bodies should keep following the human rights issues in Canada.

Canada has also repeatedly used human rights as an instrument to promote its political agenda, Jiang said.

He criticized Canada's past mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples and the recent discovery of the remains of more than 200 children at an Indigenous residential school in Canada. He called for a thorough and impartial investigation into cases of crimes against Indigenous Peoples and faulted racism and xenophobia in Canada.

China's statement about Canada came with the support of Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Iran and Syria, mainly countries with whom Canada's relationship is strained, if there is one at all.

Canada's statement had the backing of 44 countries on five continents, though the list is dominated by North American and European allies.

"We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region," Norton said, in a statement backed by 43 other countries.

She cited credible reports of arbitrary detention and widespread surveillance, as well as "torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilization, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children from their parents by authorities."

"We urge China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the High Commissioner, and to urgently implement the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discriminations 8 recommendations related to Xinjiang, including by ending the arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities."

Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said his party is encouraged the Liberal government is working with Canada's allies on this issue, but he said it still refuses to call the atrocities against the Uyghurs a genocide.

"Recognizing that a genocide is taking place is essential to taking action under international law," Chong said in a statement.

"We reiterate our call for the Trudeau government to follow Parliament's lead by recognizing the Uyghur genocide, work with other allies to do the same, and introduce new effective measures to ban imports produced with forced Uyghur labour."

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has been trying since the start of her tenure in 2018 to arrange a visit to Xinjiang and she said Monday she hoped to carry one out by year's end.

Norton acknowledged to the meeting Canada has "historically denied the rights of Indigenous peoples through assimilationist policies and practices."

We know that the world expects Canada to adhere to international human rights standards," she said. "We, too, expect no less of ourselves.

Trudeau said Canada has been making attempts to do so through a long journey towards reconciliation.

"China is not recognizing even that there is a problem," he said. "That is a pretty fundamental difference. And that is why Canadians and people from around the world are speaking up for people like the Uyghurs who find themselves voiceless, faced with a government that will not recognize what's happening to them."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.

 with files from The Associated Press
MASCOUCHE, Que. - Residents of a town north of Montreal on Tuesday began clearing out the tree branches and twisted debris scattered by a deadly tornado, as they expressed sadness at the loss of a 59-year-old neighbour killed in the twister.

MASCOUCHE, Que. - Residents of a town north of Montreal on Tuesday began clearing out the tree branches and twisted debris scattered by a deadly tornado, as they expressed sadness at the loss of a 59-year-old neighbour killed in the twister.

The tornado Monday afternoon carved a destructive path through a residential neighbourhood of Mascouche, Que., snapping mature trees in half, tearing chunks out of roofs and ripping one home under construction off its foundation.

A man died after taking shelter in his shed, while two other people were injured when the tornado touched down. The Quebec coroner's office identified the victim as 59-year-old Jacques Lefebvre.

Michel Vachon said he and Lefebvre, a grandfather, had been outside behind their homes building a small bridge when they saw the tornado approach.

CP A man clears debris from his backyard after a tornado touched down in Mascouche, Que., northeast of Montreal, on Monday. (Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

"When it came, it came too fast. We didn't have time to do nothing," he said in an interview. "I lost my friend. He went this way, and I (went) in my home and had just the time to close the door."

Vachon said he'd been friends with Lefebvre for 30 years, and would remember him as someone who was always ready to help others. "Everybody liked him," he said. "He's a very good neighbour."

The field behind their homes was littered with debris that included pieces of wood, vinyl siding, bicycles and lawn mowers. Vachon said his neighbour's body was found in the field, dozens of metres from where he was last seen. In the middle of the field, a pot of red flowers sat on a torn piece of plywood, with a note attached from the neighbours that began: "Hey Jacques, thank you for everything. Rest in peace."

Quebec Premier Francois Legault travelled to the neighbourhood Tuesday afternoon, where he met with residents including Lefebvre's wife. Standing outside their heavily damaged home, she cried as she described the loss of her husband of 39 years. Flanked by her two grown children, she said she and Lefebvre had been planning their retirement.

"He was my other half," she told the premier.

CP A man surveys the damage after a tornado touched down in Mascouche, Que., northeast of Montreal, on Monday. (Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

At a news conference moments earlier, Legault described the scene as "like something from a horror film." He said most of the cost of damage would likely be covered by insurance, but the province was willing to step in with extra compensation if needed.

Environment Canada says a thunderstorm cell at around 3:45 p.m. generated the tornado. Meteorologists who surveyed the damage Monday evening say their preliminary findings suggest the tornado's maximum wind speeds measured between 180 and 200 km/h, consistent with an EF2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The scale rates wind damage between zero and five, with five being the strongest.

Residents interviewed Tuesday described a sudden, roaring wind and a fast-moving black funnel cloud that picked up anything loose in its path and threw it blocks away. Sophie Michaud was out in her backyard, taking stock of a topsy-turvy scene that included a trampoline on her shed. She said her partner had been firing up the barbecue when the wind picked up, and he had just enough time to get inside.

"He closed the door and we just saw the barbecue fly in the air, the trampoline flew onto the house," said Michaud. "It happened in a fraction of a second."

Despite some roof damage and a tree that smashed through the windshield of her SUV, she's relieved that she, her partner and her three children are all safe after a scary experience. She says her neighbour, who was hospitalized, wasn't so lucky.

A man surveys the damage after a tornado touched down in Mascouche, Que., northeast of Montreal, Monday, June 21, 2021. Dozens of homes were damaged and one death has been confirmed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Across the street, half a full-sized tree sat in the swimming pool of Johny Pierre's home, which was missing most of the shingles on the roof. "It was terrible," Pierre said. "It was like everything was flying."

Pierre said that while his home and backyard are heavily damaged, it could have been worse. He says his young son goes for a swim every day after school, and could easily have been in the pool had the tornado come just a bit later. "When I learned my wife and my son were safe I said, 'We can repair the home, we can repair the car,' " he said.

Mascouche Mayor Guillaume Tremblay said late Monday the city was caught off guard by the twister, but its emergency response plan was quickly put into action and worked well. A spokesperson for the town said nearly 100 buildings were damaged.

A spokesman for Hydro-Quebec said 40 of its crews were on scene and they hoped to restore power later Tuesday or Wednesday. He said some 20 poles had to be replaced, and countless tree branches and mangled power lines needed to be hauled away.

Environment Canada had issued severe thunderstorm watches for many areas of southern and central Quebec on Monday because of high humidity and high temperatures. The agency says damage reports from other parts of the province are being analyzed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.
OTTAWA - Data from the Canada Revenue Agency shows its recent efforts to combat tax evasion by the super-rich have resulted in zero prosecutions or convictions.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) headquarters Connaught Building is pictured in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Data from the Canada Revenue Agency shows its program to combat tax evasion by the super-rich has resulted in zero prosecutions or convictions in recent years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Data from the Canada Revenue Agency shows its recent efforts to combat tax evasion by the super-rich have resulted in zero prosecutions or convictions.

In response to a question tabled in Parliament by NDP MP Matthew Green, the CRA said it referred 44 cases on individuals whose net worth topped $50 million to its criminal investigations program since 2015.

Only two of those cases proceeded to federal prosecutors, with no charges laid afterward.

The lack of prosecutions follows more than 6,770 audits of ultra-wealthy Canadians over the past six years.

It also comes amid a roughly 3,000 per cent increase in spending on the agency's high-net-worth compliance program between 2015 and 2019 due to a beefed-up workforce, according to an October report from the parliamentary budget officer.

Green said federal authorities avoid pursuing Canada's biggest tax cheats but go after small business owners who don't pay their taxes under a "two-tiered system" pocked with "loopholes."

The CRA is not pursuing Canadas largest and most egregious tax cheats. And yet for a small mom-and-pop shop, if you dont pay your taxes long enough  two or three years  then they will absolutely go in and garnish your wages  because they know you don't have the ability to take it to court," he said.

There's a tax code for the ultra-wealthy  and then there's a tax code for the rest of us," Green said. "The rich are taking advantage of the holes in our tax system. And this Liberal government continues to allow them to do so.

The issue is top of mind for federal lawmakers this week as a parliamentary committee convened Tuesday to discuss the CRA's attempts to combat tax evasion and avoidance.

"The ultra-rich will not be treated with kid gloves. I have no respect for those who cheat the tax system. But I can tell you that if you think that we're going to resolve everything, I think you're naive," National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier told the panel in French, citing the need for international co-operation.

"The super-wealthy are able to pay for super lawyers, super tax specialists. They can do everything to get out of paying their fair share."

Increasingly, those individuals are going to court when audited in order to withhold documents, with about 3,000 "complex" cases now ongoing, the minister said.

"The fact that the cumulative 44 investigations ... have not resulted in convictions within five years is a result of the complexity of the cases and the high legal threshold for securing a criminal conviction in Canada," CRA spokeswoman Pamela Tourigny said in an email.

Members of the House finance committee also passed a motion Tuesday from NDP finance critic Peter Julian calling on the government to launch a public inquiry into tax planning by KPMG in connection with shell companies  named after ancient swords  and allegations of investment fraud on the Isle of Man.

The requested investigation follows reports that the British Crown dependency, renowned as a tax haven, may have been linked to alleged fraud that saw millions siphoned offshore and embezzled from Canadian investors.

"KPMG Canada has been very clear that we have no connection whatsoever to the Isle of Man sword companies or the CINAR fraud," spokeswoman Tenille Kennedy said in an email, adding that the company will continue co-operating with the CRA.

Conservative national revenue critic Philip Lawrence said in a statement that "well-connected elites" enjoy exemptions "while everyday Canadians are left further behind," and that Tories stand for tax fairness.

Denis Meunier, former director general of the CRA's criminal investigations directorate, said the dearth of criminal charges is striking. But authorities often lack resources to carry out pricey, painstaking prosecutions across international borders and can opt instead for hefty non-criminal penalties.

"They may have some of the best lawyers fighting, so you may see that more in Tax Court, rather than convictions," Meunier said of proceedings against the ultra-wealthy.

Settlements are much more common than criminal prosecutions, saving investigators time and money, said Kevin Comeau, author of a 2019 C.D. Howe report on money laundering.

"The problem with that is that you don't have on the public record that these persons did not comply with the tax law. And therefore you don't have that public shaming and you don't have that warning to other tax cheats out there," he said.

Tax evasion often boils down to unreported incomes or exaggerated expenses, which can then be deducted from income declared on tax filings.

"Its not atypical to see individuals pay out invoices from foreign consulting companies. You pay a million bucks for a specialized report, and the company is a consulting firm based in a tax haven (where the real, or 'beneficial,' owner is hidden from view) and basically the company is owned by the same guy in Canada whose business it is," Meunier said.

It can be extraordinarily tough to trace money through the warren of shell companies and tax havens used by those seeking to stash their loot.

"They hear you coming. They know CRA is after them," said Comeau.

"They can just put in a couple more trusts and companies in other jurisdictions to make the trail longer at any time. It's a never-ending rabbit hole."

The Liberal budget in April allotted $2.1 million over two years for the Industry Department to launch a new beneficial ownership registry by 2025. The government has also pledged $606 million over five years starting this year to "improve the criminal investigations program" and crack down on illicit tax schemes, including by super-rich Canadians, Lebouthillier said.

Comeau, a retired lawyer and member of Transparency International Canadas working group on beneficial ownership transparency, said the registry could be a "game changer for tax avoidance in a country with some of the weakest financial transparency laws among liberal democracies.

Even if it is legal, they're not paying their fair share. So there's going to be huge social pressure on those persons to unwind those dealings and actually start bringing their money back to Canada, he said.

Many of these people are very highly respected people in the Canadian establishment.

Tax evasion  a predicate offence, meaning it forms a component of a more serious crime, such as money laundering  differs categorically from tax avoidance, a legal means of keeping cash out of tax collectors' hands through clever accounting.

But critics say the vast troves of wealth that remain untouchable to government authorities reveal the need to tighten tax rules as well as hunt down cheats.

In former times we didnt see tax avoidance as a crime," said Brigitte Unger, professor of economics at Utrecht University whose book, "Combating Fiscal Fraud and Empowering Regulators," was published in March.

"But now we see the public sector needs money, and this is effectively stealing money from public coffers, and should be treated as such."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.
OTTAWA - Three new senators have been named to the upper chamber on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, including a high-profile labour leader and a political trailblazer who is also a former Liberal candidate.

Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff poses for a photo, Thursday, February 14, 2019 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Three new senators have been named to the upper chamber on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, including a high-profile labour leader and a political trailblazer who is also a former Liberal candidate.

Hassan Yussuff, who just stepped down from a seven-year term at the helm of the Canadian Labour Congress, will fill a seat in Ontario after a year in which he was in the spotlight advocating for emergency aid to workers.

Also being appointed is Jim Quinn, chief executive of the Saint John Port Authority, having steered the organization through the pandemic as ship traffic and revenues dropped. Quinn will fill a seat in New Brunswick.

On Twitter, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc called Quinn a "respected business leader and former (senior) public servant," while another longtime New Brunswick politician, Conservative Sen. Percy Mockler, wrote that Quinn's experience will be beneficial for the province and country.

Bernadette Clement, the current mayor of Cornwall, Ont., and the first Black woman to hold a mayoralty in the province, will fill a second seat in Ontario. She is also a former federal Liberal candidate, having run unsuccessfully in the 2011 and 2015 elections in the riding of StormontDundasSouth Glengarry.

In a Facebook post penned to the residents of her city, she announced the appointment and her immediate resignation from the position of mayor that she has held since being elected in 2018.

"I had hoped to remain mayor for the remainder of my term, or maybe more, if you were willing to have me," she wrote.

"But we dont control timing, only the readiness and openness to new opportunities. So while this magnificent story is unfinished, I have been asked to take on a different role which will continue to involve me in helping to add further chapters to our shared history."

The Prime Minister's Office said all will sit as Independents. In a statement, Trudeau said he looks forward to working with the three new senators who have dedicated their careers to public service.

Instead of political appointments made directly through the prime minister  a process scorned for filling the chamber with partisan hacks, flacks and bagmen  the Liberals have used an arms length advisory board that vets applicants and recommends short lists of potential Senate nominees from which Trudeau fills vacancies in the upper house.

The Liberals say it creates an independent, merit-based selection process, which to date has led to Trudeau making 55 appointments since becoming prime minister, including the three on Tuesday.

Yussuff said in an interview that it was the non-partisan aspect that made him interested in applying for the job, as well as the chance to influence public policy for Canadian workers.

"I think I could make a contribution to that. I certainly made a contribution in my other life pushing governments to make good public policy that could impact workers and improve their livelihood," said Yussuff, who immigrated from Guyana at age 16.

"And I'm hoping in the Senate, I could bring that perspective and more importantly, collaborate with others who are committed to how we can move those issues forward."

Tom Reid, international vice-president for Canada of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said in a statement that Yussuff's appointment showed "labour is a top priority in building back better" from COVID-19 as Trudeau has repeatedly spoken about.

But others in the movement decried the appointment as reflecting a too-cozy relationship Yussuff had with the Liberals, including his support to former finance minister Bill Morneau's bid, later abandoned, to head the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

"The guy used his position as leader of the labour movement to be a cheerleader for Bill Morneau  Canada's privatized pension king," tweeted New Democrat Charlie Angus. "Kinda says it all. He will be very comfortable in the Senate."

Two senators are set to hit the mandatory retirement age of 75 this summer  Ontario's Jim Munson and New Brunswick's Carolyn Stewart Olsen  with four more seats to come open by this time next year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.
TORONTO - Teen killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo failed in his second parole bid on Tuesday after the parents of two of his victims recounted the enduring pain of his twisted crimes and warned he should never be released from his life sentence.

Paul Bernardo is shown in this courtroom sketch during Ontario court proceedings via video link in Napanee, Ont., on October 5, 2018. Teen killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo is set for a parole hearing today. The designated dangerous offender, has been eligible for full parole for more than three years. Bernardo's horrific crimes in the 1980s and early 1990s include for kidnapping, torturing and killing Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy near St. Catharines, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Banning

TORONTO - Teen killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo failed in his second parole bid on Tuesday after the parents of two of his victims recounted the enduring pain of his twisted crimes and warned he should never be released from his life sentence.

The hearing officers of the Parole Board of Canada took about an hour before denying Bernardo release, saying they were not persuaded that he no longer posed a substantive risk of reoffending.

"Your understanding and insight remains limited," Maureen Gauci, one of the hearing officers, said in delivering the decision.

"It was evident today that you continue to exhibit behaviours that are counter-productive to the development of insight. You have not shown the risk of offending can be managed in the community."

Gauci promised full reasons for the decision within 15 days.

In impassioned victim-impact statements to the board, the parents of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy branded Bernardo as an incurable, sadistic psychopath who, despite decades behind bars, still poses a formidable threat. A persistent and "evil dark cloud" continues to haunt their family, Donna and Doug French told the hearing.

"For those who say time heals, they don't know the excruciating pain that comes from such a horrific loss," they said. "Time doesn't heal the pain; the pain is a life sentence."

Similarly, Debbie Mahaffy talked of the pain of having to face another hearing in which Bernardo was making a bid for freedom less than three years after his previous failed attempt.

"Once again, Bernardo's desires are inflicted on us as he inserts himself into our lives again, forcing his horrors and terrifying memories upon us," Mahaffy said in a statement read by lawyer Tim Danson. "What does resting in peace mean when you have to relive these horrors every two or so years for the rest of our lives?"

Bernardo has been serving a life sentence for kidnapping, torturing and killing Kristen French, 15, and Leslie Mahaffy, 14, in the early 1990s near St. Catharines, Ont. Now 56, he became eligible for parole more than three years ago but was denied release in October 2018 after the hearing officers deliberated for about 30 minutes.

His parole officer said Bernardo had made no progress or completed any programming since that first hearing. The prisoner offered no release plan, the official said in recommending he be denied both day or full parole.

In response, a fast-talking Bernardo spoke of his "stress and anxiety" at having spent more than 10,000 days without meaningful human contact, saying he had been subject to cruel and unusual punishment. He insisted he was a different person now from who he was in his 20s, saying he now knows who he is.

"I have a lot of empathy for my victims and others," he said. "I am no longer preoccupied with fantasies. Without a doubt, I'm low-risk. I have fought all deviant sexual behaviour for two years."

Bernardo, who said he realized he could not be like a "normal person," denied being a psychopath or sadist. He tortured his victims only to "punish" them for defying him or not fulfilling the sexual demands to which he said he felt entitled.

"I expected to be catered to," he said. "I was a male chauvinist pig."

Bernardo's deviant sex crimes over several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, some of which he videotaped, sparked widespread terror and revulsion.

Among his acts, he and his then-wife Karla Homolka kidnapped, tortured and killed Mahaffy, of Burlington, Ont., in June 1991 at their home in Port Dalhousie, Ont., before dumping her cement-encased remains in a nearby lake.

They similarly kidnapped and, after ignoring her agonized entreaties over three days, killed Kristen French in April 1992.

Dubbed the "Scarborough Rapist," Bernardo was convicted in 1995 of first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault among other offences. Most of his going-on three decades in prison have been in solitary.

"I hate him for what he did to me," one woman whom Bernardo attacked in 1988 told the board on Tuesday. "I want him to get the help he needs and then I want him to rot in jail."

Both the French and Mahaffy families argued the designated dangerous offender should never be released. He would surely commit new egregious crimes against children if ever allowed out, they said.

"There is no known cure for sadistic psychopathy," Debbie Mahaffy said.

The families also argued his right to a parole hearing every two years is unconscionable. They said it should be every five years at least.

Bernardo ultimately admitted raping 14 other women. He was also convicted of manslaughter in the December 1990 death of Homolkas younger sister, Tammy. The 15-year-old girl died after the pair drugged and sexually assaulted her.

Homolka pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served a 12-year prison sentence before release in 2005. She went on to remarry and become a mother.

"I believe I ruined her life," Bernardo told his parole hearing, adding she was nevertheless as guilty as he was.

The French and Mahaffy families have also challenged in court their lack of access to reports or other evidence Bernardo relied on to make his case for release  even those referred to during his hearing. The parole board maintains inmate privacy trumps disclosure. A Federal Court decision on the case has been under reserve since February.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2021.
BRANDON  Themes of truth, love and healing dominated an event to honour residential school survivors at the site of the former Brandon Indian Residential School.

BRANDON  Themes of truth, love and healing dominated an event to honour residential school survivors at the site of the former Brandon Indian Residential School.

The Monday event, called Prayer for the Children, was held at the property in conjunction with National Indigenous Peoples Day, to mourn the children who died at the residential school and similar sites across the country.

The event was hosted by Sioux Valley Dakota Nation and the Southern Chiefs Organization.

The day is typically about celebration, said SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, but this year it takes on a different meaning.

"Its a recognition of the tragedy. Weve been talking about reconciliation for a very long time, but we still have to acknowledge the truth of what happened we have to give space to acknowledge that," Daniels said.

"We know where weve been, so we know where were going. And the place were going is the place, hopefully, with more opportunity and more understanding about what happened and what we need to do to change that narrative for our young people."

Dozens of people, many wearing orange shirts and masks to commemorate the unmarked graves of 215 children recently discovered at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C., gathered around a large tent on the property, which is owned by Sioux Valley.

Katherine Nichols, a University of Manitoba researcher who helped uncover details of unmarked graves at the former Brandon residential school, told the crowd there is still research ongoing.

A total of 104 graves are believed to be spread around three burial sites, according to a news release. Only 78 graves are accounted for in historical records.

Ken Whitecloud, former chief of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, said National Indigenous Peoples Day was hard this year, and he tries not to be angry.

"Im not angry at white people. Im angry at the government and the church, but I try not to be angry Today is a hard day. Both my parents went to residential school," he said.

"Imagine how many kids, children are not here because of what happened. Theres families that have been wiped out... People dont even know who some of these children are," Whitecloud said.

"Its a difficult day, but its a good day  a healing day... Were still here and were stronger, were better, were good people with good hearts."

Sioux Valley Chief Jennifer Bone stated in a news release the recent announcement of the discovery at the former Kamloops residential school was not new for the nation.

"Our community empathizes and understands the collective pain and sorrow that the forced residential schools afflicted upon our nations," Bone stated. "The news of the Kamloops discovery has triggered raw emotions of sadness and grief in all of us."

 Brandon Sun
Justice officials are seeking a nine-year prison term for a man responsible for a high-speed, two-vehicle collision that killed a Winnipeg mother and her infant son.

Justice officials are seeking a nine-year prison term for a man responsible for a high-speed, two-vehicle collision that killed a Winnipeg mother and her infant son.

Armand Chartrand, 43, pleaded guilty in provincial court Monday to two counts of criminal negligence causing death and three counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Jennifer Dethmers, 30, died Sept. 26, 2020, the day of the crash; her nine-month-old son died a month later in hospital. Two other occupants of the vehicle, Dethmers stepdaughter and the infant boys father, were seriously injured.

Court heard Chartrand, who has been suspended from driving since he was 17, was driving a pickup truck in the area of Main Street and Redwood Avenue around 1:30 p.m. when city police attempted to pull him over.

Chartrand continued driving to Boyd Avenue, where he picked up speed and police pulled back due to safety concerns, Crown attorney Manoja Moorthy told provincial court Judge Cindy Sholdice.

According to a police collision reconstructionist, Chartrand was driving an estimated 112 km/h when he blew through a stop sign at the intersection of Boyd Avenue and Andrews Street and collided with Dethmers van.

There was no evidence Chartrand attempted to brake prior to the collision, court heard.

Chartrand climbed out of his drivers side window and was quickly taken to the ground by police, Moorthy said.

"He was crying, saying: God, I f----- up, I should have stopped," she said.

The Crown is recommending Chartrand be sentenced to nine years in prison, the defence is asking for seven years.

In January, a review by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba found no evidence any actions by police contributed to the collision.

Chartrand has a prior record for driving offences. Most recently, he pleaded guilty in 2012 to driving without a licence and insurance and was fined $850.

In 2002, Chartrand was sentenced to a prison term after pleading guilty to robbery and several driving-related offences, including theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen automobile, and joyriding.

He remains in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
OTTAWA  The Pallister government has earmarked $2.5 million to help Indigenous groups detect residential school burial sites in Manitoba, saying its up to those communities to decide how to proceed.

OTTAWA  The Pallister government has earmarked $2.5 million to help Indigenous groups detect residential school burial sites in Manitoba, saying its up to those communities to decide how to proceed.

"We want them to know that we are committed to working with them, not on their behalf but with them, following their direction (on) what their priorities are," Indigenous and Northern Relations Minister Eileen Clarke told reporters Monday.

For weeks, the Pallister government insisted it would help with searches and commemoration alongside Ottawa and Indigenous leaders, but refused to answer multiple times when journalists and opposition parties asked whether Manitoba would follow other provinces in pledging funding.

Clarke said Indigenous people need to figure out how to proceed.

Some First Nations bands have said theyre ready to immediately hire firms to conduct ground-penetrating radar searches of spots where elders suspect unmarked graves are located.

But others havent made any public statements, and Indigenous leaders are consulting with communities.

There are 14 federal Indian Residential Schools in Manitoba that qualified under a 2006 settlement for survivors. Another three federal schools were left out that settlement, and there were another 114 day schools in Manitoba for Indigenous children, who also suffered abuse.

Clarke said the provincial funding might apply to more than the 14 sites that qualified under the settlement.

"There is no agenda at this point; it will be up to the Indigenous leadership, the elders (and) the knowledge keepers," she said.

Clarke added Manitobas justice department and vital statistics agency can help Indigenous communities with research.

Yet, she could not say how her government came up with its $2.5-million figure, nor for how many fiscal years its been earmarked.

"Its initial startup money; its not designated per site," she said.

"I asked the premier and my colleagues if we could please have some announceable information for Indigenous Peoples Day today (Monday) that would be encouraging."

First Nations leaders welcomed the news, especially for leaving the major decisions to Indigenous people.

"We thank the Pallister government for this small but important step towards reconciliation," wrote Long Plain Chief Dennis Meeches, on behalf of the Treaty 1 bands, which all sit near Winnipeg.

Meeches own community houses a former residential school, which was deemed a national heritage site last year.

"We know there are many more unmarked graves, and it is time for these children to be brought home, with the hope that this is will help bring some healing to our families and communities."

The Manitoba Inuit Association was particularly happy about being included in consultations.

There is only a small Inuit community in Manitoba, yet Inuit children had been relocated from whats now called Nunavut to a residential school in Churchill.

Some Metis children attended residential schools, but federal officials generally tried to exclude Metis families from the system.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
A complaint about Canadas flagpole etiquette has prompted Seven Oaks School Division to ask staff members to take down rainbow banners from poles on which the national flag is also hoisted in the middle of Pride Month.

A complaint about Canadas flagpole etiquette has prompted Seven Oaks School Division to ask staff members to take down rainbow banners from poles on which the national flag is also hoisted in the middle of Pride Month.

Superintendent Brian OLeary sent a memo Monday, telling employees he had been informed the Winnipeg division was breaching protocols by flying Pride flags underneath Canadian flags  a decade-old practice in Seven Oaks  and advising them to find another way to display the banners.

OLeary told the Free Press he researched flag protocols earlier this month, after a "patriotic parent" got in touch with concerns.

"Our hope had been that we would continue to fly the flags through June and then look, site by site, at what we could do to respect the protocol going forward," he said, adding those plans were upended earlier this week.

An official from Manitoba Education emailed OLeary on Monday morning to say the education minister was recently notified about a concern regarding flag etiquette at multiple schools.

A bureaucrat with Manitoba Education asked Seven Oaks to ensure its schools are aware of national practices and remove any secondary banners.

Per national rules, Canadas flag is supposed to be flown on its own mast and "it is improper to fly two or more flags on the same mast or flag pole (for example, one beneath the other.)"

A Pride flag was moved to the wall of Maples Collegiate in Winnipeg on Tuesday after receiving a note from the Seven Oaks School Division stating that it is against provincial and federal protocols to have the Canadian and Pride flags on one pole. (Alex Lupul / Winnipeg Free Press)

In response to a query about the department's request, a spokesperson for Cliff Cullen said the minister was not, in fact, aware of this issue and his department is looking into how the communication occurred.

"The ministry fully supports the LGBTTQ+ visibility community, the celebration of Pride Month and the flying of the flag. The manner in which flags may be displayed in Canada is not governed by any legislation, but by established practice," the spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday.

"The province of Manitoba recommends that schools follow the flag etiquette rules and guidelines set by the federal government whenever possible."

OLeary has suggested schools display flags on separate flagpoles if possible, or in windows or on buildings.

The notice, however  which comes during a month promoting LGBTTQ+ visibility  has left community members both disappointed and frustrated.

The Queering Seven Oaks Network released a statement late Tuesday, saying the Pride flag, while symbolic, is a "beacon of hope" for students who identify with it at the end of a school year that has challenged their mental health like no other.

"When 2STLGB+ students see the flag raised, it validates who they are and it validates the staff who live their truth in these schools. Removing the flag sends a message to these students that is loud and clear  and harmful. They don't matter as much as one person's vision of Canada and it calls back to 2STLGB+ rights being vulnerable and reversible," it states. "That message is not something we can stand by."

In the statement, the collective added the situation has its members wondering what guarantees the province can make to ensure all students are able to belong in Manitoba schools.

Brian OLeary, superintendent of the Seven Oaks School Division (Joe Bryksa / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Mia Guenther, principal of Edmund Partridge Community School, called the flagpole rules "antiquated" Tuesday.

Guenther said staff members, and students on the school's gay-straight alliance feel deflated about moving their new inclusive flag  which, in addition to the rainbow, includes baby blue, pink and white as a nod to the trans flag, and black and brown stripes to represent people of colour who identify as LGBTTQ+.

Pride flags have since been installed on either side of the school's sign on Main Street and staff have been invited to wear different colours on the emblem Wednesday. The middle schools principal has already picked out a pink shirt.

"Our school motto is EP pride  that stands for Practising Reconciliation, Inclusion and Dignity for Everyone. This is one way, I think, we can show that and put some action behind it," Guenther said.

OLeary acknowledged the real concerns staff have about the directive Tuesday.

"Weve worked very hard in Seven Oaks to see that everyone feels safe and feels a part of the community. This is something that is a symbolic act to fly the flag in June and celebrate Pride," he said.

"When something isnt doing anyone any harm is stopped, I think people do feel kind of threatened and dont feel as safe."

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
As the people flowed down Broadway, smudged with wafting tendrils of sweetgrass smoke and led by silver-haired elders, Joelyne Bighetty looked at the residential school survivors and jingle-dress dancers and families pushing strollers, and saw something bigger than a single march.

Opinion

As the people flowed down Broadway, smudged with wafting tendrils of sweetgrass smoke and led by silver-haired elders, Joelyne Bighetty looked at the residential school survivors and jingle-dress dancers and families pushing strollers, and saw something bigger than a single march.

In that crowd, 150 strong as it began its walk from the Manitoba legislature, she saw Indigenous people rising.

"Its very overwhelming in my heart to see our people come together," Bighetty said, chatting after the march reached Oodena Circle at The Forks. "It shows that we're waking up as a community, and we're not being put down anymore."

Organized by Bighetty and other members of the First Nation Indigenous Warriors, a four-year-old movement founded in Winnipeg, the Monday afternoon march was the latest in a series of events across Canada, calling for more to be done to secure justice for those who survived residential schools  and those who did not.

This latest wave of rallies and protests was sparked by last month's grim discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation. The B.C. discovery has spurred renewed calls to uncover the truth of those lost to residential schools.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has estimated about 6,000 children died in the residential school system, about one death for every 25 children who were taken. Many bodies were never returned to their family, and in about one-third of those deaths, even the name of the child was not recorded.

There is hope for the truth to be uncovered. In chants and speeches, attendees at Monday's march called on the Catholic Church to release all records pertaining to residential schools. They held aloft signs that read "Every Child Matters," and called for federal support in locating more such unmarked graves.

People gather at the Oodena Celebration Circle at The Forks on National Indigenous Day. (Alex Lupul / Winnipeg Free Press)

"If they want to move forward from this travesty, they have to provide those records," said Musinaw Mistatim, a Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation member who helped lead the chants.

"Its all empty words if they dont provide those records. Its empty words from the government, the church, the RCMP, all those entities that took part in operating those schools."

To most at the Winnipeg march, the legacy of residential schools is fresh in memory. Leading were about a dozen survivors, including Geraldine (Gramma) Shingoose, a well-known elder who made headlines when Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price visited her vigil outside a downtown church early this month.

Their stories highlight just how long a journey it has been, to bring the full story of the schools to light. Mistatim's father, who died in 2000, was a survivor who fasted outside the Parliament buildings in Ottawa to call attention to the truth of residential schools, took his kids to powwows, and fought for Indigenous language education.

"That's the part they tried to snuff out of us, but that's what makes us survivors," Mistatim said. "We have lost a lot, but they've held onto so much, and it's because of those survivors upfront that are leading us in this march. They held onto those things for us."

Now, march organizers believe, that work has paved the way for a resurgence.

Bighetty, who is Cree from Mathias Colomb First Nation, is part of the first generation of her family not to attend residential school: her grandmother, Theresa Bighetty, is a survivor, as well as a respected elder and knowledge-keeper who, along with other members of their family, has long advocated for justice.

Sometimes, Bighetty looks at her own children, and feels her heart break to know, in a different time, they would have been taken away to schools. However, the same issues are still at play, she says, in how many children are taken into CFS care: the goal of marches like these, she said, is to make all of Canada aware.

"Were not going to be shoved under the carpet anymore," she said. "People are being woken, and this is just the tip of the iceberg," she said. "I think theres going to be a lot more protesting and marches in the future."

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
New parking guides are attracting backlash on social media and mixed views on the streets, with some claiming they add confusion instead of clarity.

New parking guides are attracting backlash on social media and mixed views on the streets, with some claiming they add confusion instead of clarity.

The new colour-coded guides are now being tested out on the backs of some Exchange District sign poles, with a timetable grid that highlights times parking is available in green and when its not allowed in red. A legend provides additional written instructions and defines symbols on paid parking hours, no-stopping times and snow-zone rules, among other restrictions.

A few folks who spotted the new information on King Street Monday had opposing views of the pilot project guides, which add to (but arent set to replace) existing street-facing parking signs.

Hassan Hawash said he found they lacked some key info, such as current parking rates.

"Overall, I think there is a lack of clarity," he said.

However, Devang Patel said he thinks the guides are straightforward and easy to read.

"Its bigger, its clear, thats good for people," he said.

Hassan Hawash looks at one of the updated parking guide sign in Winnipeg's Exchange District. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

On social media, the guides attracted ample criticism, with some deeming it a "fail" or needlessly complex. Some commenters claimed drivers would need a magnifying glass to read some of the font, while others debated different interpretations of the paid parking hour information.

That confusion appeared heightened by a widespread belief the guides would eventually replace the current street-facing parking signs. However, the city notes theyre actually meant to add to street signs instead.

Matthew TenBruggencate posted a picture on social media of a parking guide that attracted more than 200 comments.

TenBruggencate said hes personally still assessing the guide but believes the city must make it as easy as possible for drivers to visit the Exchange District.

"This really just shows how complicated the parking rules are and thats what needs to be addressed," he said.

TenBruggencate said a concern that the mostly green and red chart could pose new challenges for those who are colour-blind must be addressed. However, he suspects some complaints may reflect pandemic exhaustion among many Winnipeggers.

"I think its a bit of a stress release for people to use this as a punching bag," he said.

The Exchange District isnt the citys only source of parking confusion in recent years. In 2016, for example, many Winnipeggers complained that while small pay-station stickers noted two hours of free parking are offered on Saturdays, hundreds of drivers didnt notice that deal and paid anyway.

The City of Winnipeg is testing new colour-coded parking guides on the backs of some Exchange District sign poles. The new signs feature a timetable grid that highlights times when parking is available in green and when its not allowed in red. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

Exchange District parking improvements were sought following years of complaints from some drivers, who noted some of those spots are governed by at least four parking signs.

David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District BIZ, previously told the Free Press hes heard of drivers feeling so bewildered about parking in the area that they sometimes decided not to stop at all.

On Monday, Pensato urged drivers who view the new guides up close after actually parking to share their input, to ensure the city gets the best feedback possible.

"Seeing the context of it really makes a big difference," he said.

Ajaleigh Williams, a program manager at the Winnipeg Parking Authority, noted the guides posted on the backs of parking poles would complement, not replace, existing street-facing signs that display parking regulations. The city is exploring options to update the street-facing signs as well, but does not currently have the required provincial approval to make changes, she said.

Williams stressed feedback on the pilot project, which will be collected until July 31, will help determine if this particular parking guide becomes a permanent fixture. If the guides arent found to improve the parking experience, the city could alter them or test out a new option, she said.

"If they dont meet that objective, well certainly take that under consideration," said Williams.

The colour-coded design was meant to prove eye-catching after drivers exit their vehicles, making it easy to scan quickly, she said. However, Williams said feedback from those who struggle to see certain colours will be carefully considered.

Coun. Vivian Santos, whose Point Douglas ward includes the Exchange District, said she believes the graphics and bilingual writing on the signs offer improvement, while feedback can enhance the final design.

"Change is hard and thats why were trying to do the pilot project to get that feedback," said Santos.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
On July 1, Canadas longest serving member of the Supreme Court steps down, having reached the age of 75, when justices are required to retire.

Opinion

On July 1, Canadas longest serving member of the Supreme Court steps down, having reached the age of 75, when justices are required to retire.

Madam Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella is a remarkable Canadian. Her many years of judicial service have seen her shape Canadian law in the Charter era. She was the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court.

She was also the first female appointed as chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board. Her ground-breaking Royal Commission Report on Equality in Employment "changed the nature of Canadian workplaces," according to Lorna Marsden, former president of York University. Abella introduced the term "employment equity" and proposed its adoption by the federal government "to describe programs of positive remedy for discrimination in the Canadian workplace."

I met Abella twice. On both occasions, she inspired and left a lasting impression.

In 1992, she was asked by the Mulroney government to chair the constitutional conferences set up to deal with the crisis over the role of Quebec in Canada, the only province to not sign on to the 1982 Canadian Constitution.

I was selected as a labour delegate to the Halifax conference held to consider the "division of powers" in our country. Between Jan. 17 to 19, 1992, some 300 of us gathered, in a mass constituent assembly, to consider the issues that had challenged federal and provincial politicians for decades.

Abella had the unenviable task of serving as "conference rapporteur," and there appeared to be little prospect of consensus. Lo and behold, the conference achieved common ground in recommending "asymmetrical federalism" in which one size need not fit all, when it comes to the division of powers in Canada.

The subsequent national referendum of the Charlottetown Accord went down to defeat, and the report of the Halifax Conference is but a footnote in history.

What remains for me from that period was the indelible impression left by Abella  her command of language, her sheer intellect and her powerful leadership, which captured both the diversity and the alignment of the views of 300 citizens.

It was with pride that I watched her swearing-in ceremony in 2004 to the Supreme Court. She spoke that day on what adopting the charter meant for Canada, saying, "We strengthened our democracy by enhancing and guaranteeing its constituent rights and freedoms, and we enhanced our country by strengthening and guaranteeing its democratic values."

I last met Abella on a cool November evening in 2017, when she was spoke at the Adas Yeshurun Herzila Synagogue in River Heights. The title of her lecture that evening was "The Role of the Judiciary in a Democracy."

She spoke of Canadian justice having evolved in a "revolutionary way," calling the years since the adoption of the charter as a "justice juggernaut." She spoke of Canadas judicial institutions as key components of our countrys democratic framework, and how Canadian democracy had been enhanced by the judiciarys constitutional role.

Abella held little back in confronting what she termed "the right playing with words to deny rights." She spoke of Canadian pluralism and diversity as strengths that unify the country, offering that our country, as a "justice exporter," has much to offer the world.

Rosalie Silberman Abella, born in 1946 in a displaced-persons camp Germany, rose to the highest level of the Canadian judiciary. Her written decisions have shaped our country. Her spoken words have impacted well beyond our borders.

Her contributions to enhanced labour rights, to justice for all equity-seeking groups, and to expanded rights for women and people with disabilities are a tribute to her many skills being used to "speak truth to power" on behalf of those with little power.

She spoke on that cool November evening about "the real judge being time," about Canada today embracing "justice at its aspirational best."

She made Canada better. For this, we are all indebted to her.

Paul Moist is a retired labour leader
The police turned up at the federal governments Winnipeg virology laboratory on Arlington Street in July 2019 and marched two leading scientists out of the building. The Chinese husband-and-wife team of Xiangguo Chiu and Keding Cheng were dismissed in January this year.

The police turned up at the federal governments Winnipeg virology laboratory on Arlington Street in July 2019 and marched two leading scientists out of the building. The Chinese husband-and-wife team of Xiangguo Chiu and Keding Cheng were dismissed in January this year.

It is high time for the government to tell the country what happened. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers have ducked and bobbed and weaved around the matter but have never disclosed what was going on and why two top scientists were abruptly kicked out of Canadas leading centre for the study of the most dangerous pathogens.

Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The opposition parties in the House of Commons have been turning up the heat in their quest for explanations. Most recently, the opposition parties, which among them hold a majority of seats in the Commons, voted to reprimand Iain Stewart, president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, for his refusal to deliver documents that might cast light on the case. Mr. Stewart has been president of PHAC since September 2020 and was previously president of the National Research Council.

Mr. Trudeau and his ministers, courageously throwing Mr. Stewart under the bus, have been steering clear of the case. From the little information made public so far, it seems that the government may have failed to protect the Winnipeg laboratory from Chinese espionage.

The government officials story is that their delicate concern for privacy prevents them from telling the country how badly they mismanaged Canadas top Level 4 laboratory. Since the facility is a key link in Canadas defences against viral diseases such as the current COVID-19 epidemic, that answer is not good enough.

Scientific inquiry depends on international collaboration. Drug-makers were able to design vaccines for COVID-19 because virologists in many countries had already pooled their information about the way coronaviruses attack their victims and because Chinese scientists quickly found and published genetic information about the virus that appeared in Wuhan in 2019.

Management of an outfit such as the Winnipeg virology lab requires a sharp eye to distinguish between fruitful pooling of scientific discoveries and simple theft of proprietary information. Scientific progress can be strengthened when top scientists from around the world come here to collaborate with their Canadian colleagues.

The government is going to great lengths to maintain a cloak of secrecy over its management of the Winnipeg laboratory. The harder it strives to prevent disclosure, the more the public will suspect that something disgraceful is being concealed.

The Canadian public deserves assurance that the government knows how to join in international scientific collaboration without simply letting the Chinese government and Chinese armed forces scoop up western science and use it to build national scientific machinery that will aggrandize China and weaken Canada and its allies.

The government is going to great lengths to maintain a cloak of secrecy over its management of the Winnipeg laboratory. The harder it strives to prevent disclosure, the more the public will suspect that something disgraceful is being concealed.

The government should stop looking for ways to conceal and start looking for ways to own up to what happened at the Winnipeg laboratory in 2019. It should satisfy the country that it does know how to play in the big leagues of 21st-century science.

Eventually, if the concealment continues, there may have to be a criminal trial or a formal inquiry to discover the facts. By then, the Winnipeg laboratorys reputation may have been fatally wounded and Canadas role in virology research may have been diminished. A better solution is prompt voluntary disclosure.
As Manitoba approached peak ICU admissions, critical care nurses working in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were seeing more patients who were younger, sicker, and more afraid.

As Manitoba approached peak ICU admissions, critical care nurses working in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were seeing more patients who were younger, sicker, and more afraid.

"I think, at first, we didn't appreciate how scared patients are, coming in. And in the beginning, I don't think people were scared because they didn't know how bad this was going to get. But the younger kids coming in that we get, they're just so frightened and you can't comfort them because you're just a stranger and you're doing scary things to them," said one critical care nurse at St. Boniface Hospital.

"I had an elderly gentleman that we had to intubate right away, and the last thing he said to me is, Please let me call my wife, and I said no, because he needed that tube in fast. And he died," she said.

"That's what I get from that, is that I did not let that man speak to his wife. It's horrible. It takes a long time to set those things aside and be effective for the next poor scared person that comes in."

Five Winnipeg nurses whove been treating COVID-19 patients in intensive care and emergency departments shared with the Free Press their experiences leading up to and during the height of third-wave hospitalizations.

On condition of anonymity, they spoke about patients waiting in emergency rooms and on wards much longer than they should because theres no ICU space for them in a system stretched thin long before the pandemic started.

"That's what I get from that, is that I did not let that man speak to his wife. It's horrible. It takes a long time to set those things aside and be effective for the next poor scared person that comes in."  Critical care nurse

They talked of working consecutive 16-hour shifts, agreeing to extra overtime, and coming in on their days off because they know co-workers are already short-handed.

Of seeing more death and fewer success stories; of crying in their personal protective equipment after updating patients families; of not being informed of operational plans until the last minute.

They spoke about feeling numb and never having time to decompress, and carrying the additional weight of uncertainty during ongoing contract negotiations between employer and union. About the strange camaraderie of a strike vote, and their hopes and fears for the future of the profession in Manitoba.

In an unprecedented move, brought on by the highest COVID-19 infection rate in North America and a severe lack of hospital staff to handle the surge, Manitoba began sending ICU patients out of province during the Victoria Day long weekend. Since then, 57 Manitobans have been treated for COVID-19 in hospitals in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

"I don't know where we would have absorbed those patients in the system even now we're running out of equipment, we're running out of supplies," a Health Sciences Centre ICU nurse said in an interview earlier this month.

"We cannot provide safe care for them here, so sending them away was the lesser of two evils, and that's a hard pitch to sell, but we just couldn't do it," she said. "People are tired, they're getting cynical. There's no time to treat your own mental health, every day is just go, go, go."

On top of the surge in COVID patients, the third wave revealed some so-called "invisible" patients  people who had been putting off non-COVID medical visits during the pandemic were increasingly showing up in ERs.

"We cannot provide safe care for them here, so sending them away was the lesser of two evils, and that's a hard pitch to sell, but we just couldn't do it. People are tired, they're getting cynical. There's no time to treat your own mental health, every day is just go, go, go."  Critical care nurse

One St. B ER nurse who took a break from the department because of the immense pressure of working during the pandemic said shes seen an increase in people coming to hospital because of mental health concerns, alcohol and drug use, as well as other conditions that had worsened.

She described an ER shift spent looking after three critically ill patients, each sick enough to require one-on-one care in an ICU.

"You literally never know what's going to come in, but we like that and that's why we want to work there. And it's different now. It's dysfunctional now. The expectations of an emergency room nurse are completely unsafe, in terms of what they can provide for their patient care," she said.

"My constant adrenaline level, I could feel it every day as soon as I'd walk in that department, and it got me to the point where I wasn't really healthy and so I had to leave and take a break."

Several of the nurses interviewed said they had colleagues whove recently quit or been reassigned because the toll of working in critical care became too much. Even those who want to stay are already worried about the residual effects of the pandemic  on patients, the health system, and their own well-being.

"I often think about, it would be nice to work in a place where life is happening, because it feels like death is always happening," said one HSC ICU nurse.

"I think I will have to move on to something that is more positive, eventually."

"It's dysfunctional now. The expectations of an emergency room nurse are completely unsafe, in terms of what they can provide for their patient care."  Critical care nurse

All of the nurses emphasized the personal and professional responsibility they feel for their patients and team. However, they also expressed feeling as though personal commitment to provide the best possible care has been exploited by health-care leadership not adequately involving them in pandemic planning.

Theyre doing the best they can, the nurses said, but it didnt have to get this bad.

"I have a moral obligation; I have an interest in people getting better and being healthy," one St. Boniface ICU nurse said, adding she understands its "an unknown frontier" in this pandemic.

"But it can also be done with respect and understanding."

Manitoba nurses have been without a contract for four years; bargaining is ongoing. On June 10, 11,954 Manitoba nurses voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike.

The Manitoba Nurses Union is considering rotating stop-work action that would have nurses maintain essential duties but stop non-essential work (such as answering phones).

The union is expected to make a decision by July, on whether to call a strike.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Sometimes, if you want to be first, you actually have to be last.

Sometimes, if you want to be first, you actually have to be last.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an excellent case in point. Right now, premiers across the country are racing against each other to see which one can claim the title as "the first province to completely remove restrictions."

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, who is expected to reveal revised public health orders as early as Wednesday, needs to resist the temptation to compete with our neighbours to the west. Given what's about to happen in those other provinces, that is going to be a tough ask.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney was not first out of the gate with a reopening plan, but he's threatening to be among the first to completely eliminate restrictions as of July 1. Last Friday, Kenney announced a plan to remove all restrictions after 70 per cent of Albertans had received at least one dose of vaccine.

Not far behind, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is looking at removing most restrictions by July 11, also based on rising vaccination levels. Many restrictions have already been removed and if all goes well, Saskatchewan will eliminate most restrictions sometime later this summer.

CP Alberta Premier Jason Kenney wants to completely eliminate restrictions as of July 1. (Jason Franson / The Canadian Press files)

Back in Manitoba, we're not really ready to seriously contemplate the same approach.

Although daily case counts have gone down in the past few weeks, we still have the highest infection rate in the country, high hospitalizations related to COVID-19 and an increase in the number of variant cases.

We're not out of the woods, yet.

As chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin so eloquently outlined on Monday, Manitoba was among the last provinces to suffer a third wave of COVID-19. As a result, Roussin said we should expect to be among the last to reach the conditions necessary for a widespread removal of social and economic restrictions.

"We're weeks behind (Alberta and Saskatchewan) on coming out of the third wave," Roussin said. "So we're going to have to do things based on what we're seeing here."

Listening to Roussin, you would think that Manitoba will proceed with caution and resist temptation to reopen things too much, too quickly. But Manitobans have been fooled numerous times before by Roussin's calm, steady words.

CP Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is looking at removing most restrictions by July 11. (Michael Bell / The Canadian Press files)

If history repeats itself, Pallister will come out this week with changes to public health orders that are in complete conflict with what Roussin said Monday. Everyone deserves a chance to do the right thing, even after doing the wrong thing over and over again with tragic results.

But it's just so hard to believe Pallister has the patience to allow caution and science to guide his actions, rather than political ambition.

It wasn't a good sign that in announcing his Canada Day reopening plan, Kenney unveiled a flashy billboard: "Alberta: Open for Summer". We know how much Pallister loves billboards and catchy "we've-put-the-pandemic-behind-us" slogans.

It's going to be hard for Pallister to resist the urge to keep pace with other provinces, particularly since he's already hitched Manitoba's wagon to the very same methodology  vaccination rates  that Kenney and Moe (and others like Ontario Premier Doug Ford) are using to set their reopening timetables.

The total number of people who get vaccinated will be an important factor in determining a lot of what happens in the near future. However, the magic number that many provinces are using to trigger reopening  70 per cent  doesn't have any particular epidemiological significance.

It is not a threshold for herd immunity; based on the threat from COVID-19 variants, experts are now suggesting 80 per cent or more may be necessary to eradicate this virus.

Pallister should aspire to be the first province in the country with no active cases, which could require him to resist removing restrictions. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

And the 70 per cent that Kenney and Moe (and Ford and Pallister) are talking about is only measuring people with one dose; waiting until more people are fully vaccinated would have much greater value in controlling a future, fourth wave.

Anticipating that Pallister would likely push the edge of the reopening envelope, a group of 11 physicians from Winnipeg released a letter last week begging the province to put more emphasis on epidemiological markers and less on vaccination levels.

Although the physicians didn't identify specific epidemiological markers, other provinces and countries that have been more successful at controlling COVID-19 have ensured that daily case counts were at very low levels, and stayed there for a sustained period of time, before any move was made to ease social and economic restrictions.

In contrast, Kenney and Moe are triggering their reopening plans two weeks after reaching vaccination milestones. Again, that is a strategy that has absolutely nothing to do with the science of pandemics and everything to do with meeting a political timetable.

Although rising vaccinations levels are welcome, only a prolonged decline in new cases can be interpreted as the epidemiological equivalent of a green light to reopening.

Pallister loves being first or best in almost everything he does. So much so, he often exaggerates his accomplishments to the point of dishonesty.

This time around, Pallister should aspire to be the first province in the country with no active cases. And that may require him to have the fortitude to be among the last to remove restrictions.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
The COVID-19 pandemic that kept businesses closed and Manitobans home fuelled big sales for alcohol, pot and online gambling.

The COVID-19 pandemic that kept businesses closed and Manitobans home fuelled big sales for alcohol, pot and online gambling.

At a legislative committee meeting Monday, the head of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. said liquor sales were up 10 per cent year over year, and home delivery of booze increased tenfold to $5 million in sales from $500,000 pre-pandemic.

The province's PlayNow.com internet gaming platform has grown 200 per cent. Cannabis revenue has doubled in its first full year of sales, with 80 cannabis vendors and more to come in Manitoba.

MLL chief executive officer Manny Atwal warned not to conflate increased sales with increased booze, cannabis or gambling consumption.

"That doesn't necessarily mean Manitobans are drinking more," Atwal said at the meeting.

The Opposition NDP asked the Crown Services committee about the contents of MLL's 2019-20 annual report, which reported liquor revenue of $807 million, an increase of $13 million over the previous year.

Liquor sales were up 10 per cent year over year and home delivery of booze increased to $5 million in sales from $500,000 pre-pandemic. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"Part of that increase in sales was related to 'premiumization,'" Atwal said, when asked by NDP Leader Wab Kinew to describe how the pandemic affected Manitobans' consumptions patterns.

"So instead of someone purchasing something under $25, they're spending $30," Atwal said. "The quantity is the same but the actual dollar revenue is a little bit higher because they're purchasing something a little bit more premium."

However, customers who regularly consume alcohol on a weekly basis in amounts above the recommended Canada Health guidelines did consume more alcohol during the pandemic, Atwal said.

That group  a minority of customers  drank one extra drink per week, the Crown corporation's data indicates.

The big jump in alcohol sales was also fuelled by panic buying at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when rumours spread Liquor Marts were being shut down, Atwal said.

Without taking into consideration that early rush to stock up on booze, liquor sales are probably close to two per cent higher for the rest of the pandemic, he estimated.

With restaurants and bars closed, more Manitobans were buying alcohol to consume at home and, with COVID-19 travel restrictions, there were fewer opportunities for them to buy booze out of province, Atwal offered.

JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRE Cannabis revenue has doubled in its first full year of sales, with 80 cannabis vendors and more to come in Manitoba. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press files)

As the pandemic hit and casinos closed, Manitobans registered in droves to the Crown corporation's PlayNow.com online gaming platform, Atwal said.

"We saw over 200 per cent growth in a short period of time," he said of the only legal and approved gaming website in the province. "In 2020-21, we've seen over 53,000 Manitobans sign up as new customers."

Casinos prep for potential reopening Although theres no date set to reopen casinos, a lot of planning is being done to prepare for it, said Manny Atwal, chief executive officer of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. When they do, it will be different experience from the pre-pandemic days of gamblers sitting shoulder-to-shoulder at tables and VLTs, he said at a legislative committee meeting Monday. Equipment is being moved to spread customers out, in anticipation of casino capacity being limited once public health orders are relaxed. click to read more Although theres no date set to reopen casinos, a lot of planning is being done to prepare for it, said Manny Atwal, chief executive officer of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. When they do, it will be different experience from the pre-pandemic days of gamblers sitting shoulder-to-shoulder at tables and VLTs, he said at a legislative committee meeting Monday. Equipment is being moved to spread customers out, in anticipation of casino capacity being limited once public health orders are relaxed. The Crown corporation is reviewing data in other jurisdictions to get an idea of what casino customers want coming out of COVID-19 lockdowns, Atwal said. He said to expect more space between VLTs, no table games at first, and fewer food services for as long as pandemic restrictions are in place and customers remain skittish about being in close contact with others in public places. Of the 1,300 employees laid off after the casinos closed March 18, 2020, 970 remain in limbo, some have been redeployed to government departments at various times, 130 are "voluntary separations," and 20 per cent of executive positions have been cut. Close

Manitobans also spent more on legal cannabis, which in its first full year of operations generated $51 million in revenue  a $24.5-million increase in revenue over the previous, partial year when Manitoba logged $26.9 million in cannabis revenue.

Canada legalized the sale and consumption of non-medical cannabis in October 2018.

The number of Manitoba cannabis vendors has grown from 40 private-sector retailers to more than 80 vendors at present, Atwal said. Looking ahead, he expects cannabis sales will slowly, gradually increase in step with population growth and more retailers setting up shop.

He couldn't comment on whether the increase in sales means more Manitobans are consuming cannabis.

"There's definitely consumers that have shifted from the black and grey market to the legal market," he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Appointments for a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine continue to be in short supply as the province awaits confirmation on future deliveries from the federal government.

The provinces supply of Pfizer has been reduced in the first two weeks of July and has not been confirmed for the rest of the next month. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only COVID-19 shot currently approved by Health Canada for people age 12 to 17, leaving youth who recently became eligible for their second shot with few options to book an appointment. (John Woods / Canadian Press files)

Appointments for a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine continue to be in short supply as the province awaits confirmation on future deliveries from the federal government.

The provinces supply of Pfizer has been reduced in the first two weeks of July and has not been confirmed for the rest of the next month, leaving youth age 12 to 17 who recently became eligible for their second shot with few options to book an appointment.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only COVID-19 shot currently approved by Health Canada for people age 12 to 17.

Without confirmed deliveries of Pfizer through mid to late July, the provincial government will not add Pfizer appointments to its booking system.

The vaccine task force has said once deliveries are confirmed, appointments will become available. There are currently about 6,000 Pfizer doses with medical clinics and pharmacists in Manitoba, which have been allocated to patients, the province said.

The task force said it is confirmed to receive 87,750 Pfizer doses this week and next. For the week of July 5, just 32,760 doses are confirmed to arrive in Manitoba, down from 83,000.

However, the majority of those doses were already booked by eligible Manitobans weeks ago.

The federal government says during the week of July 12, another 52,000 doses will arrive, also down from 83,000.

With the supply disruption reducing deliveries during the first week of July by more than 50,000 Pfizer shots, its expected that people who were booked in for Pfizer will be offered Moderna instead.

In a statement to the Free Press, the office of federal Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand said the total number of Pfizer doses set to arrive in Canada in July has not changed because of the supply disruption.

Deliveries of Pfizer in the last two weeks of July will be higher to make up for the reductions earlier in the month, the minister's office said.

As a result, Johanu Botha, co-lead of the Manitoba COVID-19 vaccine task force, said last week that people aged 12 to 17 will likely wait longer to book an appointment for their second shot, which would have been in the final two weeks of July, but will still be immunized within the same time period.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
MINNEAPOLIS  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.
Three Mauston residents and a New Lisbon resident are facing multiple drug charges after one of the individuals was allegedly mailed methamphetamine leading to a search of a house servicing as a drug trafficking place.

Scott Walker, 33, of Mauston is charged with felony maintaining a drug trafficking place, repeater; felony possession of methamphetamine, repeater; and felony possession of narcotic drugs, repeater. If convicted he faces up to three years and six months in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each of the charges. As Walker has a previous conviction for felony burglary of a building or dwelling within a five year period prior to this arrest he faces up to an additional four years in prison due to the repeater modification.

Brenda Walker, 58, of Mauston is charged with felony maintaining a drug trafficking place, felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted she faces up to three years and six months in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for each of the felony charges.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to get younger Americans vaccinated for COVID-19 as the White House acknowledges it will miss two key vaccination benchmarks and as concern grows about the spread of a new variant that threatens to set the country back in the months ahead.

The delta variant, first identified in India, in the last two weeks has come to represent more than 20% of coronavirus infections in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. That's double what it was when the CDC last reported on the variants prevalence.

The delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said at a White House briefing on the virus. Good news: Our vaccines are effective against the delta variant.

He added: We have the tools. So lets use them, and crush the outbreak.
Small towns are collapsing and affecting farming

The collapse of local government in small towns is beginning to affect investment in farming, and the ability of agribusinesses to operate.

Farming and agribusiness play a crucial role in sustaining the economies of small towns and rural areas. There is a lot of evidence of this in the economic literature and in the popular media. This dependency has its inherent risks.

International literature tends to focus on the devastation of small towns in times of drought or when farming lobby groups argue for particular policies. In South Africa, a different pattern has emerged. This is when municipalities fail to provide basic services to their communities and businesses. These services include water and sanitation, electricity, roads and technological infrastructure.

South Africa has a three-tier system of governance. National government sets national economic development policy and drives the search for investment by both domestic and international investors. Provincial government plays a big role too in searching for investment and executing governments policies and programmes. The most successful province has been the Western Cape, which has achieved the status of the countrys technology hub. But where the investors are located within a province depends on municipalities, specifically how well run they are.

South African municipalities are in deep trouble. For many years households and residents have felt the impact. They have resorted increasingly to mounting protests across the country. But lately, there is growing evidence that governance and service delivery failures are also directly affecting the functioning and efficiencies of farming and agribusinesses in small towns.

A case in point is the recent decision by the food and beverages group Clover to move its cheese production from Lichtenburg, a town in the North West province of South Africa, to an existing plant outside Durban in KwaZulu-Natal due to ongoing poor service delivery.

Lichtenburg is part of the countrys maize producing triangle. Three provinces  Free State, Mpumalanga, North West  account for 84% of the countrys maize production, according to latest estimates of the 2020/21 season.

State of collapse

South Africas finance minister, Tito Mboweni, recently painted a gloomy picture of the state of municipalities in the country. There are about 278 municipalities in South Africa. Mboweni said that 163 municipalities were in financial distress, 40 were battling to deliver basic services, and 102 had adopted budgets for 2021/22 that they cannot fund.

A growing number are also failing to collect revenue from residents and businesses for electricity, water and property taxes.

Mboweni added:

And, for the first time in our democracy, the national executive has been ordered by a high court to constitutionally intervene in the affairs of a municipality owing to a financial and service delivery failure.

Municipalities in rural areas and small towns are worst off. A recent study by the Tshwane University of Technology researchers stated that

the level of service delivery in rural communities is less compared to urban areas, and there is no sign of improvement.

Consequences

The multiplier effects of Clovers decision to relocate are likely to be large. The closure of the firm in such a small town is likely to have a number of negative spillover effects across the local economy.

The company, according to official statements from the government, provided 380 permanent jobs and 40 temporary jobs. It also employs 20 general workers and 20 truck drivers and cleaners.

In addition, the plant gave farmers market access for their produce, and a range of businesses bought and sold products from the company. The income from these activities would have supported many other businesses in the community.

Clover is not the first major company to decry poor municipal services. Theres the long running case of Astral Foods, a poultry producer that also supplies animal feed, and the Lekwa Municipality. Astral has lost millions of rands in production because of failures by the municipality in the Mpumalanga province to provide its poultry plant with water and electricity.

These two cases illustrate how efficiency and economic sustainability of agribusinesses depend on delivery of basic services. Without them, levels of investment in the businesses will shrink in such towns. Importantly, this may affect the sustainability of agribusinesses as some might incur more costs as they try themselves to provide the services that were supposed to be provided by local governments.

The farmers face a similar challenge, directly and indirectly. The agribusiness provides a range of solutions and market access to local farmers. If agribusinesses sustainability is threatened, farmers suffer too. More directly, poor roads, unreliable electricity supply and water supply directly affect the profitability and sustainability of farming operations.

Importantly, these are all entities that provide job opportunities to the least skilled South Africans and indirectly sustain the communities around small towns.

The way forward

President Cyril Ramaphosa set out an economic reform and recovery agenda for the country in October 2020. In it he identified agriculture and agro-processing (food security) as one of the drivers of economic growth and job creation, especially in small towns.

But a vibrant agriculture and agribusiness wont develop if poor service delivery by municipalities continues.

There are some basic practical interventions the government could make. These include ensuring that a municipality has competent management, financial officers, civil and electrical engineers, as well as competent political leadership.

The Financial and Fiscal Commission, an independent constitutional advisory body on financial fiscal matters in the country, recently argued municipalities should look closely at their wage bills. This would ensure that salaries didnt crowd out money for critical service delivery functions. These include waste removal, waste management, sewerage systems, roads and water provision.

These improvements need to happen simultaneously and not before or after agriculture revitalisation, which is supported by the governments Agricultural and Agro-processing Master Plans. These seek to expand and grow South Africas agriculture and agro-processing.

But a healthy farming sector rests on towns that are functional and that have the basics in place.

This is a challenge that the South African government should face head-on.

Wandile Sihlobo, Visiting Research Fellow, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
UTICA, N.Y.  The Utica National Group Foundation has awarded $250,000 to more than 30 local food pantries and soup kitchens to help them better serve communities in Herkimer and Oneida counties.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the Utica National foundation has worked with The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties to distribute $325,000 to several organizations through the Food Security Project. As recovery from the pandemic continues, the Foundation's Screening Committee decided to continue to focus its efforts on providing food to local residents in need.

Our foundation is focused on the continuing need for food security in our local community as people and families try to recover from a devastating pandemic. Were honored to be able to provide meals for those who need them and to continue to help these local businesses succeed as they reopen and recover, said Bernard Turi, chair of the Foundations Screening Committee and Utica Nationals executive vice president. Helping our nonprofits make meals available is our heartfelt way to say, thank you, for all that they do every day to help others.

Community Foundation CEO Alicia Dicks says in addition to the community, this funding helps support nonprofits as well as local restaurants.

This award from the Utica National Group Foundation Fund means so much to so many. Its unique because its impact is three-prongedbenefitting residents who need food, while also supporting the nonprofits that distribute the food, as well as local restaurants that are preparing the meals, said Dicks.

Below are the groups receiving funding:
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and other Senate Democrats have introduced legislation that would keep guns away from people who were previously convicted of hate crimes.

The Disarm Hate Act would prevent anyone found guilty of violent misdemeanor hate crime from purchasing or possessing firearms.

Under federal law, anyone convicted of a felony is prohibited from buying or possessing guns, but violent hate crime offenders can still purchase firearms.

Gillibrand says this bill will close the loophole, so anyone convicted of threatening or assaulting someone with a deadly weapon because of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation will not have access to guns in the future.

The coronavirus lockdowns amplified the gun violence epidemic in our country, especially in New York, where gun violence has soared. We must act to prevent proven offenders from accessing firearms, said Gillibrand. There have already been more than 250 mass shootings in the United States this year alone. We can help honor the victims and families who have lost loved ones to gun violence by passing the commonsense Disarm Hate Act and by closing the Violent Hate Crimes Loophole. Its far past time to act on senseless gun violence, and this bill will make a true difference preventing future tragedies.

The bill is endorsed by several organizations against gun violence, including Everytown for Gun Safety; Brady: United Against Gun Violence; Sandy Hook Promise and the Anti-Defamation League.
SAUQUOIT, N.Y. -- A Sauquoit Valley High School student has been selected to be featured in a new book featuring the stories of inspirational people from across the world.

Junior Jadyn Land will contribute a passage in a book called "Dear Freedom Writers" on her battle with depression. The book will be released in the spring of 2022, and Land was one of just 50 students selected for the book.

The Freedom Writers Foundation will produce the book. The Freedom Writers were a group of students in Long Beach, California in 1994 who were considered "unteachable." Teacher Erin Gruwell helped turn their life around through literature and writing. The story inspired a 2007 movie starring Hillary Swank as Gruwell.

Land credits 6th grade English teacher Tammy Purrington in helping turn her own life around and assisting her with the book entry.
It was a cool morning with lows 44-53. I will have an observed low temperature map up later today.

It is a beautiful afternoon with cumulus clouds & temperatures as of 1:30 p.m. at 68-76 over the viewing area, headed for 74-81.

Mid-level altocumulus castellanus & mackeral clouds with some wispy cirrus should begin to move in from the northwest from Iowa & Illinois this evening.

The leftovers of some scattered large hail-producing rather elevated supercells in Iowa (on nose of strong low-level jet north of the warm front) will pass tomorrow morning & even a bit tomorrow afternoon. These will be in the form of a few showers & possibly a couple storms. Coverage will run 30%.

They will occur with elevated altocumulus castellanus north of the warm front where the surface is not very unstable with low dew points, but a nosing of a layer of more unstable air will come in at 7,000' from the west. That is where the showers/storms will root.

After mid 50s to lower 60s tonight with skies turning mostly cloudy, highs tomorrow will vary from 79 far northeast to 87 in the southwest, south of the warm front.

Winds will turn to the south & southwest from the southeast during the day at 10-15 mph.

Old MCV from severe storms in Iowa to Missouri Wednesday night-Thursday AM is now projected to move in late Thursday afternoon-evening.

Question is if any storms will fire with it. We are very capped & there will be a large, expansive mass of mid level cloudiness associated with it & perhaps even a few lingering showers.

We will monitor to see if anything changes regarding storm development with the MCV pivoting through our area.

It does make for a trickier temperature forecast. With the ridge not moving as far to the north & us being right on the edge, 91-97 (94 Greater Lafayette) seems less likely Thursday (& in combo with the MCV clouds, etc.).

Let's go with 87-94 (93 Greater Lafayette) for now with heat indices 93-101.

IF the MCV is delayed & the ridge still expands a bit more, then we will see that 91-97 day with heat indices 96-107.

Regardless, winds will be south to south-southwest at 10-25 mph during the day.

Current analysis continues to suggest a line of storms moving through Friday afternoon &/or evening.

With strong south to southwest winds 15-25 mph, highs of 88-95 are expected with heat indices 95-104.

Current parameters suggest SLIGHT to ENHANCED RISK for severe with greatest potential in Iowa, Missouri & Illinois to southern Wisconsin.

Main mid & upper level wind fields will be well north of the area Saturday-Tuesday, but surface front will be stalled over the area, so scattered showers & storms & clusters of showers & storms will occur daily.

Pockets of instability will fuel MARGINAL RISK (isolated severe) for the area likely on all three days, but it does not look to exceed that at this point.

MCVs may support localized SLIGHT RISK pockets. We will monitor.

80s to 90 should dominate for highs with high humidity & lows in the 60s to 70.

We will be right on the edge of the hot upper ridge. Only thing not being multiple days of higher risk is the dact that those strong wind fields aloft are well north of the area.

Front may sag enough south for briefly cooler bout, but it appears the front will eventually push back north. We will be bathed in heat & humidity again with southwest winds & the "Ring of Fire" of storms will move northward out of the area.

80s to 90 back down to 80s will then be replaced by 92-98 with heat indices 99-110 by July 7.

Very hot horseshoe upper ridge will dominate California to the Plains to Canada & the Midwest & Northeast.

Cooler pocket will occur in the Deep SOuth & Oklahoma to Texas.

100 is possible again in our area July 8-15 period.

July 8-15 period looks drier than normal.
Show Low, AZ (85901)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
The COVID-19 pandemic strained our health care system nearly to a breaking point and mounted additional challenges for many to see a doctor in person. Fortunately, over the course of this past year, telehealth has allowed many Arizonans to use technology to conduct virtual visits with their 
Woodward, OK (73801)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 66F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. A few clouds. Low 66F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Nicknamed as The Last Frontier, the US State of Alaska is geographically positioned in the far northwestern corner of the continent of North America. Covering an area of 1,717,856 sq. km, Alaska is also the largest and the 3rd least populous state in the USA. The states extensive area features many geographical landforms ranging from active volcanoes, majestic mountains, and huge tracks of forests. It is reported that over 65% of the states total land area is managed as public lands by the Government. These public lands also include the states national parks, national forests, and national wildlife refuges including the Kenai Fjords National Park.

Contents:

Location

Situated in southcentral Alaskas Kenai Peninsula to the west and southwest of the town of Seward is the Kenai Fjords National Park. The Park covers an area of 2,711.3 sq. km and is Alaskas smallest national park. The Kenai Fjords National Park is located about 210km to the south of Anchorage  the largest and the most populous city in Alaska. The Park is bounded by the Kachemak Bay State Park on the south and by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on the west.

Geography

Hiker in Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska.

The most prominent feature of the Kenai Fjords National Park is the Harding Icefield, which is one of the biggest icefields in the country. The Icefield contains more than 1813 sq. km of ice that is estimated to be 1,000m thick and feeds about 38 glaciers that originate from this icefield. Some of the significant glaciers that originate from the Harding Icefield include the Bear Glacier, Exit Glacier, McCarty Glacier, etc. The Bear Glacier is the largest among all these glaciers. The Exit Glacier is Alaskas most accessible valley glaciers that can be easily reached by a spur road of the Seward Highway. The highly indented glaciated coastline of the park is formed by the numerous fjords that are carved out by these glaciers. Some of the notable fjords of the park include the McCarty Fjord, the Harris Bay, the Nuka Bay, and the Aialik Bay. Located in the Kenai Mountains, an unnamed peak that rises to an elevation of 1,970m is the highest point in the Kenai Fjords National Park.

Bear Glacier and Strohne Lake in the Kenai Fjords National Park.

Geologists believe that the landscape of the park was shaped by the movement of tectonic plates when the Pacific Plate subducted beneath the North American Plate. The process resulted in the lowering of the elevation of the Kenai Mountains and gradually pulling all the glacial features down into the sea. This meeting of the freshwater from the glaciers and the seawater has led to the creation of a fjord estuary ecosystem. It is estimated that the floor of the fjords reaches a depth of 180 to 300m below sea level. The entire coastal region is made up of a mixture of terranes (which are rock segments that have been moved from their original home) and local igneous rocks. Some of the predominant rocks that are found in the park include chert, greenstone, shale, graywacke, and tuff.

The Kenai Fjords National Park is Alaskas 5th most visited park and had received about 321,596 visitors in 2018. The Park is open throughout the year but the best time to visit the park is during the summer months of June, July, and August. The adjacent town of Seward serves as the departure point for the large cruise ships that provide access to the park. Exit Glacier is the most popular and accessible area in the park. The remaining area of the park is accessible by plane, boat, and by hiking.

Climate

According to the Koppen climate classification, the Kenai Fjords National Park experiences a subarctic climate. The Park faces frequent overcast and cool days and abundant rainfall during the summer months. It is estimated that the parks Harding Icefield receives about 18m of annual snowfall.

Flora And Fauna

A humpback whale breaching in the Kenai Fjords National Park.

The glaciated landscape of the Kenai Fjords National Park is home to a diverse array of plants and animals. The harsh conditions limit the growth of trees at higher altitudes and the tree line varies from 230 to 300m above sea level. The alpine regions support plants like alders, lady fern, elderberry, cow parsnip, etc. In the higher alpine regions dwarf plants like black crowberry, partridge foot, etc. are found. The forested parts of the Kenai Fjords National Park are covered by conifers, while deciduous forests are found in those areas that are left by the retreating glaciers.

A cow moose waiting her calf to cross the road in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Some of the notable terrestrial animals that are found here include American black bears, Canadian lynx, mountain goats, timber wolf, river otter, beaver, coyote, snowshoe hares, porcupine, etc. Some marine animals that are found here include Steller sea lion, sea otter, harbor seals, humpback whale, fin whale, minke whale, orca, Pacific white-sided dolphin, Dalls porpoise, etc. Several avian species like the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, Stellers jay, marbled murrelets, horned puffin, black-billed magpie, thick-billed murre, etc.

Brief History

Entrance sign near Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park.

Archaeological studies have revealed the presence of many village sites in the area dating as far as 1200 AD to the 1920s. The survey also revealed that an earthquake in 1170 AD, resulted in the lowering of the shoreline by 1.8m and subsequently inundating all the early sites. Numerous historic gold mines have also been found in the park. On March 15, 1972, four areas of the Kenai Peninsula were set aside as federally protected areas by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Cecil Dale Andrus who served as the Secretary of the US Department of Interior proposed the establishment of the Kenai Fjords National Park. Under the Antiquities Act, on December 1, 1978, US President Jimmy Carter established the Kenai Fjords National Monument. On December 2, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act that led to the establishment of the Kenai Fjords National Park.
Eco-friendly firm ready to grow with plans to expand its Wrexham operation

A company which received Welsh Government support to safeguard local jobs is looking to the future  with plans to expand its Wrexham operation.

Eco-readymix supplies mortars, screeds and concrete to builders, construction companies and civil engineers throughout North Wales, Shropshire, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Now it wants to break new ground while building on its excellent environmental credentials.

The company welcomed local Member of the Senedd Ken Skates last week to show him what it does and discuss its ambitious plans.

Mr Skates, MS for Clwyd South, said: Eco-readymix are already industry leaders and have a proud record of employing local people.

Theyre also extremely innovative. It was great to meet some of the team and hear about the companys plans for investing in our area and creating more local jobs.

Sales Manager Ady Williams said: We are looking to invest in a dry silo production unit here at our Ruabon depot.

This involves bringing in sand, drying it using biomass systems, blending this with dried cement and supplying it to construction sites as an alternative product to what we currently supply.

If we can get this facility operational we would be the only Welsh company capable of doing this and also the only company in the UK drying the products in an eco-friendly way.

Eco-readymix, which employs 52 people, was given a grant of 42,500 by the Welsh Government last year to help safeguard jobs during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Managing Director Gary Billington, who founded the company in 2008, said: At Eco-readymix, we employ a wide range of industry professionals.

From our sales and administrative teams to our batchers, delivery drivers and concrete specialists, everyone is based in the local area. By employing a local workforce, we are helping to support the local economy by giving back to the community.

Mr Skates added: It was fascinating to hear about the emphasis the business puts on using sustainably sourced materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.

The raw materials they used are sustainably sourced from ethically managed quarries, where possible they use recycled materials and they are always looking for ways to evolve and develop.

Their offices are run on biomass heating, their electricity is generated on-site and all deliveries are made with handheld technology which reduces the need for paperwork.

The company also does a lot for charity and with local schools. Its a really impressive operation and they are a fantastic example of a local company giving back to the community.
New appointment slots for Wrexham expected this week as people encouraged to keep checking new vaccine booking system

Additional coronavirus vaccine appointment slots for the Wrexham area are set to be added to a new booking system in the coming days.

Anyone over the age of 18 across North Wales who has yet to receive a first or second dose of either the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines can now book appointments online as part of a new service being rolled out by the health board.

Clinics are available at vaccination centres across the region. Locally these are being held at the Catrin Finch Centre on the university campus, the Llay Royal British Legion and Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

Short notice vaccination drop in sessions are also being held in order to increase flexibility to avoid any vaccine wastage.

Anyone who has to yet to have their first dose is being asked not to wait for an appointment letter to arrive in the post and to book your appointment online as soon as possible.

Due to the threat posed by the delta variant, the second dose interval for the Pfizer vaccine has been brought forward to eight weeks.

This means that anyone who has had a first dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine can now book their second dose appointment for the same brand vaccine, once eight weeks have passed since their first dose.

Since its launch at the start of the month the online booking system has had 225,000 total page views.

However there has been some confusion over the system, with limited or no appointments available to prebook in some parts of the region  including in Wrexham. This is despite the opportunity to pre book your second dose at an eight week interval.

A spokesperson for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board encouraged people to keep checking for new appointments and that new slots for the Wrexham and Flintshire areas will be added this week.

Karen Evans, Assistant Director of Community Services in the East Area of BCUHB, said: Our online booking service aims to make it quick and easy for people to book a first or second dose appointment at a convenient date, time and location.

Clinics are being held in locations across North Wales and new appointment slots are being added on a regular basis, so we encourage people to keep checking our website if they havent been able to find an appointment the first time round.

Based on our expected supply, we will add new appointment slots for clinics in the Wrexham and Flintshire area this week.

If you cannot access the internet to book online, please phone the Covid-19 Vaccination Contact Centre on 03000 840004. The lines can be very busy, so you are asked to please be patient.

You can book an appointment to be vaccinated on the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board website, here.
Wrexham councillor gutted after community loses fight to save field from development

A Wrexham councillor has been left feeling gutted after the area he represents lost its fight to save a field from development.

Rhosnesni community leader Mike Davies has been campaigning alongside residents for the last three years against controversial plans by Glyndwr University to put 74 houses on land off Dean Rod.

Permission for the scheme was rejected by Wrexham Councils planning committee in July 2019 because of concerns over traffic and the loss of a site used by children to play sports.

The university caused anger when it installed a fence and padlocked a gate in the immediate wake of the decision to prevent members of the public from accessing the field.

It later appealed to the Planning Inspectorate as it said selling the land to a developer would help to fund improvements worth 60 million to its main campus on Mold Road in the town.

The appeal has now been upheld by an inspector appointed by the Welsh Government as he said part of the site which is owned by the local authority could still be used as a playing field.

Responding to the decision, which was announced yesterday (Monday, 21 June), he said: This sadly ends three years of campaigning by myself, residents and other parties to maintain this land for public use.

We were initially successful in persuading the Wrexham planning committee to reject the application.

Unfortunately, that decision was overturned at appeal by the Welsh Government Planning Inspectorate.

I dont really have much to say at this point, other than I am gutted and saddened by the decision.

I would like to thank members of the Save Dean Road Field Group, residents and everybody else who joined in the campaign to fight for this important green open space.

A number of organisations voiced their objections to the loss of recreation space, including Sports Wales and Fields in Trust, as well as Wrexhams MP Sarah Atherton.

A total of 75 objections were also submitted by residents ahead of the original planning meeting, with a large protest held over the move to fence off part of the land.

However, although the site was previously gifted to the university by the council for education purposes, the inspector appointed to oversee the case said there were no legal restrictions to prevent it from closing off access.

After a hearing was held to consider the appeal, Hywel Wyn Jones said in his decision notice: At the hearing the university explained that it was bound to secure the best value for its assets in the disposal of the land and that its actions are driven by its charitable objectives which is the furtherance of education for the benefit of its students and the wider community.

Mr Elcock (director of finance) for the university confirmed that, if it were unable to gain a financially beneficial use to assist in its Campus 2025 project, to which I return below, it would not dispose of the land.

Rather, it would retain it in its vacant state until such time as a permission could be secured for a financially beneficial alternative use.

He added: There is compelling evidence that the eastern part of the site does not presently function as public open space and there is no realistic prospect of that historical use resuming.

Thus, based on a literal interpretation of the protective provisions of national and local planning policies, the land is not an existing provision and thus falls outside their scope.

Mr Wyn Jones said the use of the section of land owned by the council as a playing field would be secured via a planning condition.

He also concluded the proposals would not jeopardise road safety or cause major disruption to traffic.

The decision has been welcomed by the university following the previous success of another appeal over plans for more than 100 houses on Gatewen Road in New Broughton.

On confirmation of the successful appeal, a Wrexham Glyndwr University spokesperson said: This is great news for our students, staff and visitors and will help to transform our campuses in Wrexham. All Campus 2025 investments underpin the quality of the student experience we offer and ensure we put our students at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to investing in our students and have already delivered a number of new facilities, such as two new social learning spaces  The Study and The Gallery, the acquisition of Wrexham Student Village and brand new state-of-the-art teaching spaces as part of our Campus 2025 strategy. We work closely with the community in and around Wrexham and the land sale at Dean Road is key to the delivery of our Campus 2025 masterplan.

The funds to be generated from this sale and the sale of our land on Gatewen Road, which was also successful on appeal, will help enable the development of excellent facilities for our students, boosting investment and benefiting our region as a whole.

By Liam Randall  BBC Local Democracy Reporter
During a shift change campaign by World Socialist Web Site supporters yesterday, numerous workers at the Volvo truck plant in Wacol, Brisbane voiced their support for the strike by the 3,000 Volvo workers in the United States.

Volvo plant in Brisbane (WSWS Media)

About 600 workers are employed by the Volvo Group at the Wacol facility, in the western suburbs of the capital of the Australian state of Queensland, assembling Volvo and Mack cabs and trucks.

The Wacol factory is integrated into a worldwide production process. Headquartered in Sweden, Volvo employs almost 100,000 workers, at interconnected manufacturing facilities, in 18 countries.

Many of the workers at Wacol also come from all over the world, with immigrant backgrounds spanning from Asia to Africa, the Middle East and the South Pacific.

Members of the campaign team handed out more than 100 copies of WSWS reports and statements on the overwhelming rejection by the workers at the New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia of the wage- and conditions-cutting contract proposed by the United Auto Workers union and Volvo management. The leaflets included the June 7 Perspective:  Volvo Truck workers in Virginia return to the picket lines: A turning point in the US and global class struggle .

Workers expressed appreciation for being informed by the WSWS about the struggle in North America, saying they had heard nothing about it from the trade union covering the Wacol plant, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU).

Workers pulled over in their cars or stopped as they walked out to find out about the strike and make brief statements of support. Their comments were made anonymously, or they used modified names, due to concerns about victimisation by the company.

Samuel, who has worked at the plant for almost 30 years, held up a copy of the WSWS statement,  Break the isolation of the strike of the Volvo Trucks workers in Dublin, Virginia!  He said: We should support the Virginia workers. Ive heard they are on McDonalds wages.

Condemning the AMWUs silence on the strike, Samuel commented: The Australian unions are just for Australia. But its a domino effect. What happens in other plants will happen here.

He added: We never hear anything until its too late. I have been through strikes, redundancies and negotiations, and its always the same. Now we have rumours here that the company wants to force us to take a production holiday, because of slowing production, but we have been told nothing about it We get kept in the dark.

Volvo workers reading WSWS leaflets (WSWS Media)

Susan, a young female worker, gave the most enthusiastic response to being told of the strike in Virginia. Yee ha! she exclaimed. Definitely, yes, we should support them! We are facing the same kinds of things they are. There are problems here, like lack of parts and lack of organisation.

Clayton, who has worked at the Wacol plant for 10 years, said: We should support the Virginia strikers. We definitely need to be together. Asked about the formation of the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee by the Virginia workers to fight the sellouts by the UAW, he said: That sounds good.

Other workers made statements of support for the Virginia strikers. A Maori worker, originally from New Zealand, said: Definitely, we have to support them. Whats happening there is going to affect us, sooner or later. Production is slow here now because of a lack of parts. If it comes to it, we should have action by all the Volvo workers worldwide.

One worker commented: Were all part of the same company arent we? This was a common sentiment. Yes, we have to stand together, another said. We cant fight the company in one plant.

Likewise, a worker from a Pacific Islander background said: Were all part of the same company, so we have to stand as one. The union is trying to keep it quiet.

Numbers of the workers were recently hired casuals, including one young assembler, who said he has to serve three months probation.

Like the UAW, the AMWU has done nothing to inform other Volvo workers internationally about the strike, let alone organise support action. As of last night, there is no mention of the Volvo dispute on the AMWU web site or Facebook page.

The AMWU has a history of striking mutually profitable deals with Volvo and two other truck manufacturers: Kenworth and Scania. In a September 2015 media release, the union stated: The AMWU has continued to power along in the heavy vehicle industry, with new union-negotiated agreements at Kenworth and Volvo an encouraging sign of a smooth road ahead. The union said the enterprise agreements, plus ones at Scania, contributed to the bright future of truck manufacture, sales and maintenance in Australia.

While suppressing news about the strike in Virginia, the AMWU recently publicised on Facebook a visit last month by its officials to the Wacol plant, as part of the unions nationalist campaign to Support Aussie Made! The post declared: Australian made means Australian jobs, and buying local supports the hundreds of AMWU Members working at Volvo!

This nationalism, a hallmark of the trade unions for decades, subordinates the interests of workers to the profit-making requirements of companies with Australian-based operations, and splits them from their fellow workers internationally. In reality, the interests of workers, including for decent-paying and secure jobs, can be realised only through a unified global struggle against transnational corporations like Volvo.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is holding an online forum this Saturday June 26 at 4 p.m. to discuss the way forward for Volvo workers and the striking workers at the General Mills food manufacturing plant in western Sydney. To register for the event, please contact the SEP at sepbris@gmail.com
Officials of the World Health Organization issued a stark warning Monday that the Delta variant of coronavirus posed a major danger to the worlds population and that rates of serious disease and death could rise significantly unless vaccination efforts were stepped up, particularly in the poorer countries.

At a press briefing, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that Africa, the Americas and Asia are facing steep epidemics. These cases and deaths are largely avoidable.  The inequitable access to vaccines has demonstrated that in a crisis, low-income countries cannot rely on vaccine-producing countries to supply their needs.

Cemetery workers transport the remains of a COVID-19 victim for burial in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

Ghebreyesus harked back to the denial of anti-retroviral drugs to countries affected by HIV, and the price-gouging of insulin supplies for countries affected by diabetes, although the drug has been known for a century. Criticizing the pharmaceutical industry, he argued for sharing technical knowledge and waiving intellectual property rights: The COVID-19 crisis has shown that relying on a few companies to supply global public needs is limiting and dangerous.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkove, the WHO technical lead on COVID-19, explained that the Delta variant was spreading rapidly around the world, because it has an opportunity to spread given that we have increased social mixing, relaxation of public health and social measures, or the inappropriate use of public health and social measures.  And given that we dont have full vaccination, it will spread.

The Delta variant has been detected in 92 countries, she said, but so far the two-dose vaccinations remain effective against severe disease and death, but we need two doses to be administered.

Public health measures are effective but need to be administered longer, she said, adding, Some countries have public health measures and the vaccine. Some have public health measures without the vaccine. That is not a fair fight against this variant.

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, also emphasized the dangers of the new variant for people of the poorer countries who have largely been deprived of access to the vaccines by the policies of the main vaccine-producing countries.

This particular Delta variant is faster, it is fitter, it will pick off the more vulnerable more efficiently than previous variants, he said, and therefore if there are vulnerable people left without vaccination, they remain even at further risk.

All of the viruses have been lethal in their own regard. This virus has the potential to be more lethal, because it is more efficient in the way that it transmits between humans, and it will eventually find those most vulnerable individuals who will become severely ill, have to be hospitalized, and potentially die.

He concluded, We can protect those people now with relatively small transfers of vaccine from the global supply. We can protect those vulnerable people, those front-line workers. And the fact that hasnt happened, as the director-general has said again and again, is a catastrophic moral failure at the global level.

What all three officials of the global health agency were remarking onwhile avoiding naming any nameswas the policy of vaccine nationalism, hoarding vaccines, and refusing to waive intellectual property rights, engaged in by the major imperialist powers, particularly the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

The Biden administration in the United States has flatly refused appeals that Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson be required to transfer technology to India, South Africa and other developing countries that have existing pharmaceutical production capacity, and to stop price-gouging for shipments of the life-saving vaccines.

Britain and the European Union have adopted a similar policy for their own drug manufacturers.

All the imperialist powers treat vaccine supplies as a weapon in the global struggle for influence, power and strategic advantage against China and Russia, as well as against each other.

As for the warnings by WHO doctors and scientists that the Delta virus will pick off the vulnerable, there are many in the ruling classes of the imperialist powers who regard that as a positive feature. They regard the lives of the elderly and infirm in their own countries as a drain on resources that could go to profits and the amassing of personal wealth. They care even less for the lives of hundreds of millions facing disease and death in the poor countries.

Dr. Ryan noted, quite correctly, that convergent evolution is a growing threat to humanity as a whole. The mutation of the coronavirus is facilitated and fueled by the existence of a large pool of unvaccinated people. No variant has yet found the deadliest combination of transmissibility and lethality, he said, but the Delta variant is a major step in that direction. There will be many more potential new variants if the pandemic is not shut down.

Hundreds of millions of people are in danger in the imperialist countries as well, despite the efforts by governments and the corporate media to spread complacency and declare the pandemic over. In Britain, the Delta variant has now become the dominant strain. It now accounts for 19 percent of all US cases, up from 7 percent two weeks ago.

Eight US states have had sharp increases in the number of cases over the past week because of the Delta variant. All of them are states with low vaccination rates and state governments which have halted virtually all public health measures against COVID-19.

The Biden administration issued Monday an international distribution list for a pathetic 80 million doses of US-owned vaccines. Given that there are nearly 6 billion people unvaccinated in the world, this barely qualifies as a drop in the bucket. Much of it is intended for the use of the ruling elite and military forces in client countries, like the 2.5 million doses for Taiwan, which has rejected the offer of the Chinese-made Sinovax, to the detriment of its own people.

As for the 2 billion doses in aid, pledged by the US and other G7 powers at their recent summit, given that effective vaccination with most vaccines requires two doses, this amounts to a declaration that only 1 billion of the 6 billion unvaccinated people in the world can expect any help from the wealthy imperialist countries. The remaining 5 billion people will face the terrors of a lethal virus with only masks and limited social distancing, if that.
In recent months, Republicans in nine statesIdaho, Oklahoma, Iowa, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Montana, Utah and Georgiahave passed fascistic laws or other measures that ban the teaching of what they term divisive concepts related to racism and sexism in public school curricula and employee training programs, with some including social class among the topics that are banned.

Texas and Florida have explicitly banned the use of the New York Times 1619 Project in curricula, while Idaho, Montana and Florida have banned the use of critical race theory (CRT) in K-12 public schools and higher education.

Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who encouraged the state's school board to ban the 1619 Project and critical race theory (Image Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky)

Additionally, nine states have similar bills that have either been introduced or are already moving through legislatures, with bills in Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina also explicitly banning the use of CRT and the 1619 Project. Another seven states withdrew or deferred legislation on the topic earlier this year, with most set to be reintroduced later this year.

The World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) unequivocally condemn these antidemocratic laws. As Marxists, we have fundamental disagreements with the theoretical foundations and historical claims of both CRT and the 1619 Project, but we oppose all efforts to censor them. Only under conditions in which all literature is made available for open debate and discussion can the historical and theoretical issues confronting students and workers be clarified.

The various state bills all use the same model legislation, entitled The Partisanship Out of Civics Act (POCA), written by Stanley Kurtz, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and education writer for the right-wing publication National Review. Each of the state bills includes specific language from Section B.6-7 of POCA, prohibiting the use of concepts related to systemic racism or other like ideas.

Kurtzs explanation and defense of POCA, published in the National Review, notes that the act also adapted language from an executive order issued last year by Donald Trump, which banned CRT training for federal government employees and contractors.

Most of the bills and laws do not explicitly refer to or ban CRT but rather ban the teaching of concepts associated with CRT. They can be interpreted by local and state officials as prohibiting a wide range of left-wing and progressive viewpoints. Teachers have already begun to be victimized for supposedly violating these laws, including in Tennessee and Oklahoma.

While large sections of the media have falsely presented these bills as centered solely on the banning of CRT, they, in fact, represent a sweeping attack on First Amendment rights, historical truth and public education.

The bill passed in Tennessee last month, arguably the most far-reaching, specifically targets the teaching of all social antagonisms, class conflict and revolution by prohibiting promoting or advocating the violent overthrow of the United States government and promoting division between, or resentment of, a race, sex, religion, creed, nonviolent political affiliation, social class, or class of people. Similar language has been included in the Kentucky, Maine, and now withdrawn Arkansas and South Dakota bills.

Wisconsin and South Carolina have proposed legislation that would require educators to publish their curriculum materials on school websites to allow for policing the content of educators lessons. The Tennessee and Arkansas laws, as well as proposed bills in Maine and Wisconsin, withhold state funding for schools that knowingly violate the prohibitions, and the Kentucky, Maine and Pennsylvania bills subject teachers who violate the law to disciplinary action and termination.

The use of Kurtzs model legislation underscores the top-down character of this campaign, which involves the leadership of the Republican Party and its backers among the corporate and financial elite. Following the traditions of McCarthyism in the 1940s and 1950s, which sought to ban Marxist literature in the US as part of a broader assault on free speech, the Republicans aim to falsify history to promote a fascistic nationalist mythology at public educational institutions and state government agencies. These right-wing lawmakers are part of the same party that attempted to carry out a coup on January 6 to install Trump as a presidential dictator.

In May, fascist strategist Steve Bannon stated on his podcast, The path to save the nation is very simpleits going to go through the school boards. A recent article in NBC News notes the role of dark money conservative forces pushing to overturn elected school boards, which is also being waged as a campaign against CRT to provide cover for a broader effort to install right-wing and far-right school board members in cities across the US.

There are now at least 165 local and national groups throughout the country that have carried out campaigns to recall school board members deemed too left-wing in at least 50 districts, with more recalls documented in the first six months of this year than the total for any other year on record. Many of these groups evolved out of the right-wing parents groups that pushed for schools to reopen at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Republicans fascistic attacks on public education have provoked enormous opposition among educators and parents, becoming the most frequent topic of discussion in the various Facebook groups where teachers are active. Teachers correctly see the recent legislation as a gag on what to teach as well as an erasure of history.

In response to a meme posted on CRT, one teacher noted: While I would not debate this meme understand that we are being censored and thats not a good thing. Another commented that the Republicans aim to limit academic freedom in order to appease a fascistic base and conform to a nativist, whitewashed curriculum reminiscent of the Hitler Youth.

Additionally, over 70 scholarly and educational groups have signed a statement opposing the raft of right-wing legislation, noting that the bills risk infringing on the right of faculty to teach and of students to learn and that a free and open society depends on the unrestricted pursuit and dissemination of knowledge.

While most educators are not aware of the tenets or scope of critical race theory, officials in the Democratic Party, the teachers unions and the corporate media have responded to the right-wing attacks by defending and promoting CRT and the 1619 Project. In recent weeks, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, who sits on the Democratic National Committee (DNC), has endorsed CRT and the 1619 Project in multiple interviews.

In a recent interview with Joy Reid on MSNBC, Nikole Hannah-Jones, lead author of the 1619 Project, framed the Republicans laws entirely in racial terms, saying, [t]hey are clearly designed to stoke white resentment, to really feed into this narrative that white Americans are under attack, that they are the primary victims of racism. She downplayed the severity of the measures, stating, Even though the laws seem silly, I dont think the emotions and the kind of real hysteria theyre intended to evoke is silly at all.

Both Weingarten and Hannah-Jones, who speak for the Democratic Party, provide cover for the far-reaching attacks on democratic rights being carried out by the Republicans. Both remain silent on the threat of fascism and say nothing about the clear efforts to create a national patriotic mythology through historical falsification.

Weingarten and National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle, who collectively represent roughly 4.7 million educators, have done nothing to mobilize the enormous opposition among teachers, parents and students to the antidemocratic measures being enacted or proposed in half of all US states.

In this, they are merely continuing their years-long policy of isolating teachers opposed to the broader assault on public education. This was expressed throughout the wave of teachers strikes in 2018-19, when the national teachers unions conspired with state officials to end each strike as quickly as possible, and even more sharply over the past year as they isolated every wildcat strike that broke out in opposition to the premature reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The national teachers unions, as well as their state and local affiliates, are corporatist bureaucracies embedded in the state apparatus. They fear above all any mobilization of educators and the working class fighting to defend public education and democratic rights.

Educators and all workers must organize independently of the unions, expanding the network of rank-and-file committees that have been established over the past year, to carry out the broadest possible struggle against the far-right attacks on free speech. Above all, it is necessary to break with both right-wing capitalist parties and fight to unite workers worldwide to overthrow capitalism and rebuild society on socialist foundations, in which democratic rights, decent living standards and high-quality public education are guaranteed to all.
On 9 June, about one hundred workers employed by the Berlin food delivery service known as Gorillas took spontaneous strike action to defend a fellow worker who had been summarily sacked. The affected worker is one of the companys so-called riders.

Gorillas evidently operates on the principle of hire and fire. On Twitter, the Gorilla employee concerned, Santiago, described what had taken place. On Wednesday morning, at the end of his shift, he was approached by a woman on the pavement in front of the delivery services warehouse at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. The woman did not identify herself, but merely declared he was fired with immediate effect. The employee was stunned and outraged and sought to inform fellow workers of what had taken place.

The news spread like wildfire. A few hours later, almost 70 Gorillas workers from different shifts and locations gathered in front of the delivery services warehouse and demanded an explanation from management. When no explanation was forthcoming, the workers spontaneously decided to go on strike. The riders piled up their bicycles to form a barricade in front of the entrance to the warehouse and access was blocked.

In order to defuse the situation, a manager from the company decided to halt operations at the Charlie location and discuss with the workers. In the event, this discussion turned out to be very unsatisfactory. The workers decided to extend their struggle and formed a bicycle convoy of about 100. The strikers went to the companys main depot in Berlin-Mitte to blockade the food warehouse there but were prevented from doing so by a large police presence.

In addition to demanding the reinstatement of Santiago, the strikers called for the abolition of the companys six-month probationary period and an end to all arbitrary dismissals. In future, there should be no more dismissals without three prior warnings.

"Solidarity with Santiago"

The pretext for the dismissal was Santiagos failure to attend work that day at the arranged time. In fact, the young man had informed his shift supervisor (Rider-Op) that he would be late. Contrary to managements statements that there had been negative feedback about him, colleagues stated that Santiago was one of the best-ranked riders. At a protest rally against his dismissal, it was stressed that his sacking should be understood as a threat against all workers.

The management uses the six-month probationary period, which is very long for such a job, to fire employees without reason. Gorillas founder and CEO Kagan Sumer brazenly told the media that if someone is fired, it is in the interest of our community.

The strikes and blockades continued at the Prenzlauer Berg location on June 10. Workers had earlier carried out a spontaneous strike, last February, after management failed to guarantee secure conditions for riders following the harsh onset of winter.

Gorillas promises to deliver food to customers within 10 minutes. The company hired thousands of workers within a short period of time. The riders are mostly young people and students, often from abroad, who urgently need a job to make ends meet. Gorillas pays just 10.50 euros per hour for the strenuous work involved. Consequently, work and cost pressures are considerable. Based on a delivery fee of 1.80 euros, the ordered goods have to be packed within minutes and delivered quickly in all weather and traffic conditions.

Under this enormous pressure, working conditions are almost unbearable. Riders are currently racing through Berlin in the middle of a heat wave. The German television station ZDF describes some of the consequences as follows: Back pain due to heavy, bulky deliveries; assignments at short notice that make any sort of private life extremely difficult; and uncertain wage payments and permanent pressure.

Der Spiegel also describes the working conditions as in part hellish. Several other delivery services have also been reported to maintain dangerous working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Distance regulations are difficult to observe in the narrow warehouses, and disinfectants and FFP2 masks are also not available everywhere.

A female driver described the hard work to Zeit-Online. She complained about the sometimes very heavy loads, such as bottles in backpacks, which have to be transported over cobblestones on bikes without suspension. Although no more than ten kilograms should be carried per order, this figure is not checked. The heavy transports have caused bruises on her back. Several employees wrote an open letter to complain: We are drivers, not racehorses.

In order to survive the pressure of competition, delivery services are resorting to increasingly drastic means to monitor workers. The food delivery service Lieferando was recently severely criticized after reports that its couriers were being monitored by a tracking app. To work for the company, employees have to download the app onto their mobile phones, but it remains unclear what data is being retrieved by the management.

In fact, the business model of the start-up is built on the principle of the extreme exploitation of its workers. Gorillas was founded in the spring of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Investors poured more than 280 million euros into the food delivery service in just four months, enabling it to achieve a market valuation of one billion dollars in record time. This ranks the company as a so-called unicorn in business circles.

The delivery services market has grown rapidly in recent years, with no end in sight. Several competitors vying with Gorilla for market share are waiting in the wings. The Turkish company Getir, for example, has now expanded its operations to Germany.

Getir is described as a pioneer in express food delivery. In 2015, the company was founded in Istanbul and experienced enormous growth during the pandemic last year. Orders can currently be placed via the app in thirty Turkish cities. Since the end of January, the firm has expanded to London and Amsterdam. In addition to the American market, the focus is now also on Germany and France. To this end, the company raised a total of $550 million from investors. Getir currently has a market valuation of $7.5 billion.

Other delivery services with allegedly even shorter delivery times and lower costs are about to enter the market. The delivery service Flink is also in direct competition with Gorillas. The start-up, built in cooperation with the German retail giant Rewe, also raised 245 million euros in start-up capital in a very short time and is now active in 18 cities across Germany.

Levels of fierce competition were already evident in the past with other delivery services. For example, the delivery service Lieferando achieved monopoly status through its takeover of Foodora and the demise of Deliveroo. The Dutch parent company of the food delivery service, Just Eat Takeway, is increasing its turnover by more than half, to around 2.4 billion euros in 2020.

The Gorillas workers industrial action has received wide support, with dozens of statements of solidarity from many countries appearing on social media such as Twitter. It is becoming increasingly clear that similar forms of extreme exploitation are affecting more and more people. A new, important layer of the working class has emerged: young, militant and very well connected internationally.

Miserable working conditions, where maximum performance is demanded and often less than the minimum wage is paid, together with no social security, no sickness benefit or pension contributions, etc.these conditions are no longer an exception, but increasingly the rule.

Many companies in Germanys leading industrial sectors, such as the auto and auto supply industry, electrical industry, steel processing and others, have used the pandemic as an opportunity to implement mass dismissals, wage cuts and a deterioration of working conditions. Parts of companies are being outsourced and workers forced to work under far worse conditions.

Ruling circles and the German government are very concerned about the growing willingness to fight, as shown in the spontaneous Gorilla strike. They are afraid that the militancy of the precariously employed workers will combine with growing resistance against mass dismissals and wage cuts in industrial enterprises, transport companies and public administration.

To counter this, trade union-led works councils are to be formed in delivery services and other areas of precarious employment. The aim is to mobilize the unions to prevent spontaneous strikes and any broader mobilization of workers. To this end a so-called Works Council Modernization Act was passed in the Bundestag last month to facilitate the formation of works councils. At Gorillas, the formation of a works council was initiated earlier this year in close cooperation with Germanys Food and Hostelry union (NGG).

The Socialist Equality Party (SGP) rejects this initiative. A works council led by the NGG will not improve working conditions. Wherever the NGG or other unions have influence, wages and working conditions have invariably deteriorated in recent years.

Germanys long-standing Works Constitution Act obliges works councils to cooperate in a spirit of trust and to comply with all agreements, and the works council is prohibited from calling strikes and other industrial action. Instead, it is obliged to work for the welfare of the company.

The formation of a works council will not abolish slave labour at Gorillas, but rather regulate and cement it. At the same time, the organizing of spontaneous strikes is made much more difficult because during the term of contract agreements workers are legally obliged to keep the peace, i.e., a ban on strikes.

We urge workers at Gorillas to form an action committee based on the tradition of independent workers councils, free from the influence of the union bureaucracies, which function as a company police force. Such an action committee is able to link up with workers in other production and administrative sectors and other countries, to develop a common strategy, not to humanize slave labour and make it bearable, but rather abolish it.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will not investigate the death of independent contractor Bob Baenziger Jr., 54, of East Moline, Illinois after he died June 8 while performing a dive to repair a broken cable at the bottom of a million-gallon anaerobic digester tank at Sievers Family Farm in Stockton, Iowa.

Bob Baenziger, Jr. [Credit: Legacy.com]

Anaerobic digesters, or biodigesters, are enclosed structures used on farms worldwide to break down manure and other organic matter with bacteria in the absence of oxygen. The digester captures methane gas released by the bacteria in the process, which can then be burned for heating and electrical power.

OSHAs rejection of an investigation was first reported in the press on Thursday. Iowa OSHA, the state-level regulator, will not investigate either, as it falls under the same limitations as the federal agency. As an independent contractor, Baenziger was exempt from OSHA inspections. Because the farm where he worked at the time of his death officially had fewer than 10 employees, it was not subject to Iowa OSHA regulations, according to administrator Russell Perry, who spoke to The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa .

Baenziger was an experienced diver who had been trained in the US Army, according to his mother, who was interviewed by The Gazette. He worked for many years diving to repair offshore oil wells. He spent his entire adult life working, according to his son Quinton, who spoke to the Dispatch - Argus. Baenziger owned a small construction business where he worked installing insulation and later in life became a handyman. Some of those memories of working with him instilled a work ethic in me of being an extremely hard worker and enjoying life, he said of his father.

The refusal of OSHA to investigate Baenzigers death came as potentially serious safety violations on the part of Sievers Family Farm came to light. Before he died in the tank, Baenzigers fiancee, Eliza Bisbee, who accompanied him, attempted to pull him up after he relayed to her through radio communications that he was removing his helmet, according to Scott County Sheriffs Captain Joe Caffery. According to Caffery, only Baenzigers helmet surfaced after Bisbee tried to pull him up through the waste with a rope.

New Liberty Fire Chief Chad Peterson raised concerns about the temperature of the tank. He stated to The Gazette that the surface temperature of the water was 120 degrees Fahrenheit when emergency responders arrived. This was too hot for the Northern Divers USA commercial diving team to safely enter, who had been called in from Chicago to rescue Baenziger. This temperature was also far above the 99 to 105 degrees that farm owner Bryan Sievers claimed the tank maintained to support the breakdown of waste into gas.

Peterson called in outside crews to haul in 100,000 gallons of water from a quarry in the area in order to cool the tank so rescuers could safely enter. It took rescuers 22 hours in total to retrieve Baenzigers body from the tank.

Baenziger did not appear to have the right equipment to dive into a highly contaminated environment safely, based on the observations of Northern Divers USA owner Frank Frosolone. He told the Gazette that a contaminated dive required his team to use specialized suits with double seals and triple backup air supply and communications along with other protective equipment, such as a harness or a backup air source, and [Baenziger] didnt have any of that stuff. As an independent contractor, Baenziger likely would have had to shoulder the costs of the expensive gear himself.

Baenzigers death highlights the dangerous situations that many freelance, contract, and gig economy workers face in the United States. They are largely unprotected by any government safety and health regulating agencies like OSHA, which themselves have been starved of funding over decades of both Democratic and Republican administrations in order to give businesses a free hand to strip safety protocols in order to protect their profit interests.

Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, OSHA itself has been exposed as an agency that works first and foremost in the interests of US big businesses and not in the interests of workers that it was supposedly created to protect. Along with the trade unions, corporations and state governments, the agency has worked consciously to cover up the true spread of COVID-19 throughout workplaces in the US. The World Socialist Web Site revealed in March that OSHA turned a blind eye toward the blatant falsification by Stellantis of COVID-19-related deaths at its Warren Truck Assembly Plant north of Detroit throughout 2020.

Baenzigers tragic, and likely preventable, death came on the same day that Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill that encourages the use of digesters at large-scale animal feeding operations, rather than only open-air manure pits. Anaerobic digesters are attractive to large farms because they reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the environment. This can help farms earn carbon credits, which they can sell to generate extra revenue in some cases, and can offset the costs of a business or farm that is required to pay a carbon levy for carbon dioxide emissions.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies 20 safety risks associated with operating anaerobic digesters, including those specifically associated with confined space entry and hazards associated with biogas.

The EPAs Common Safety Practices for On-Farm Anaerobic Digestion Systems states that Constituents of biogas, including carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen sulfide, present the potential for both asphyxiation and fire or explosion in confined spaces. It is important to remember that even a few gallons of manure or other organic material in a tank or confined space can pose a serious health risk under the right conditions. A recent example of confined space entry fatality occurred in July of 2010 when two farm employees died while cleaning a storage tank.

Responsibility for Baenzigers death lies primarily in the hands of the American ruling class and its politicians in both big business parties, which have systematically passed laws to ensure the greater expansion of unprotected work in the US and stripped away safety regulations in order to satisfy their relentless drive for profits.

OSHAs regulations on commercial diving safety for general industry do not list any specific regulations for farming and agriculture, anaerobic digesters, or exposure to contaminants such as biogas and hazardous gases like methane.

Responding to the Gazette, University of Iowa professor of Occupational and Environmental Health T. Renee Anthony said that, any time farmers make repairs in a confined space, such as a digester or a grain bin, they should test the air to determine potential contaminants, check to see if the repair person has the proper gear and figure out how they will get the person out if theres an emergency.  Every farmer that has a digester or manure storage needs to know there are life-and-death consequences of going into those spaces.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries for workers in the US. In 2017, 416 farmers and farm workers died from work-related injuries, a fatality rate of 20.4 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Yesterdays sudden, apparently largely unanticipated, deposing of the deputy prime minister and National Party leader Michael McCormack has pointed to an accelerating fracturing of Australias parliamentary establishment.

No figures were released but reportedly by just 12 votes to 9, National Party members of parliament opted to return Barnaby Joyce to those posts from which he had been ousted in February 2018.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, right, and deposed Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack brief the media in Canberra, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk)

The narrow margin is a sign of unresolved rifts in the rural-based party, and the Liberal-National Coalition government as a whole. In the short-term, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud will stay as the Nationals deputy leader. He voted for McCormack but then chose not to run after a spill motion was called and may seek to displace Joyce in the months ahead.

Joyces resurrection has the potential to further destabilise the Coalition government, which has been shaken by one crisis after another in recent months, not least the worsening debacle of the COVID-19 vaccine operation, which has opened the door to a resurgence of the pandemic.

Even as the National MPs were meeting behind closed doors in the parliament building, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was convening an emergency meeting of the bipartisan National Cabinet with state and territory government leaders over the vaccine crisis.

Joyces revival is a clear blow to Morrison and his authority within the government. Having just returned from the G7 summit in Britain, Morrison was still in quarantine in the official prime ministerial residence as the Nationals spilled McCormack, with whom Morrison has worked closely.

The corporate media has largely depicted Joyces return in terms of opposition by coal mining industry-related factions of the National Party to Morrisons efforts to push the Coalition toward accepting the goal of zero net carbon emissions by 2050, as now demanded by the Biden administration in the US as well as the European capitalist powers.

Driving the Coalition infighting, however, are wider and deeper conflicts, bound up with growing popular political disaffection, soaring social inequality and the escalating US offensive against China.

Joyce is a right-wing populist, backed by the most far-right elements within the National Party. Decades of corporate economic restructuring, accompanied by the dismantling of former national-based protectionist measures such as collective marketing schemes, have shattered the National Partys former base among family farmers. Tens of thousands have been driven from the land to make way for agribusiness conglomerates.

Joyce has a record of railing demagogically against globalisation and big banks, falsely claiming to represent the interests of small farmers and workers in regional areas, and of trying to whip up nationalist and anti-Chinese sentiment. He fully backs Washingtons strident stance against Beijing, having previously branded China our security threat and agitated against Chinese investments in Australian-based agribusinesses. In 2019, Joyce succeeded in securing a Morrison government ban on a takeover by a Chinese company of the countrys largest milk processor, Lion Dairy and Drinks.

In the most immediate sense, Joyces comeback means the Coalition agreement with the Liberal Party, led by Morrison, must be renegotiated, with Joyce likely to demand stronger representation in the cabinet and more explicit backing for the coal mining industry.

Just over two years ago, in March 2019, during a previous bid to retake the leadership, Joyce raised the prospect of terminating the Coalition if he succeeded. There was no law saying the Nationals and Liberals must be together, he declared. Putting the interests of inner-city Liberals ahead of regional Nationals was just like political serfdom, we will look after ourselves, he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

For now, it seems that Morrison and Joyce will seek to patch up the Coalition, although it may be days before a new partnership agreement and ministerial line-up is adopted.

There is dismay in the government and the big business media. Todays Australian Financial Review editorial voiced alarm over the running body count of party leaders. The Australian, a Murdoch flag-bearer, said McCormicks removal was an unwelcome reminder of the revolving-door syndrome in which deposed leaders destabilise a party as they plot their return.

The Morrison-Joyce combination would be the eighth change of leadership since the Coalition took office in 2013. The departure of previous National Party leaders and the deposing of prime ministers Tony Abbott in 2015 and Malcolm Turnbull in 2018 came on top of the ousting of four prime ministers from 2007 to 2013John Howard, Kevin Rudd (twice) and Julia Gillard.

In 2018, figures within the National Partys most big business-aligned factions, such as former party leader John Anderson, teamed up with Turnbull to force Joyce to resign from the leadership, supposedly because of an extra-marital affair and sexual assault allegations. But that was a mask for the underlying fissures wracking the Coalition.

Joyces resurrection marks a revival of attempts by the most right-wing elements within the Coalition to turn it into a more Trump-style movement to divert growing social unrest in nationalist, anti-Chinese directions, amid more signs from recent state elections of collapsing support for both the major ruling parties: Labor and the Coalition.

Joyce has been a strong backer of the coal industry, including a potential government-financed coal-fired power station in central Queensland, advocated by one of his supporters, Senator Matt Canavan.

Many corporate interests, however, including in agribusiness, are now investing in carbon farming and trading schemes as profitable means of exploiting the schemes being introduced by the major powers internationally in the name of addressing climate change.

Key business groups, among them the National Farmers Federation and Business Council of Australia, support the Australian government signing on to the net zero 2050 emissions target at Novembers United Nations Climate Change Conference in Scotland. They fear the imposition of carbon tariffs by US and European governments on the pretext of upholding the target.

From that standpoint, the Australian Financial Review denounced the Nationals decision to rehabilitate a destructive climate populist as its leader. It would undercut the confidence of capital markets and investors in funding gas projects and other supposed decarbonisation ventures.

Asked yesterday about his threat as a backbencher to cross the floor of parliament to vote against a net zero 2050 target, Joyce defiantly said he would seek the best deal for regional local jobs and industry, as opposed to a Danish one or a German one.

On China, Joyce said the Nationals had been right to call for tougher foreign investment laws, when everyone was calling us bigots and rednecks. He added: Now they just call us correct.

Driving this political crisis are two related factors, both intensified by the global pandemic. One is the anxiety in the ruling class to divert the mounting discontent in the working classover ever-more glaring social inequality and declining living conditionsinto anti-immigrant, jingoistic and militarist directions. These fears are compounded by signs of a global upsurge in working-class struggle.

The other factor is the stepped-up demands from the Biden administration for Australias unconditional alignment with the US in its economic and military confrontation with China, Australian capitalisms largest export market, despite widespread popular opposition to war and US militarism.

In response to the convulsion in the government, the Labor Party has stepped up its pitch to the financial elite, outlined at Labors recent national conference, that it is the party best able to govern in periods of social unrest and war.

Party leader Anthony Albanese said the Nationals leadership shift showed the government was being self-indulgent at a time of national crisis, whereas he was focused on the needs of the Australian people. Albanese said he would welcome an early election to end this circus.

Working closely with the trade unions, the Labor leaders are talking up the prospect of an early election in order to try to corral working-class discontent back behind the election of yet another big business Labor government, like those of Hawke and Keating, and Rudd and Gillard.
As the strike of nearly 3,000 Virginia Volvo Truck workers at the New River Valley plant enters its third week, the work stoppage has begun to affect other operations within the giant truck manufacturers supply chain.

On Monday, a spokesperson with the Volvo Group admitted to the industry publication Freightwaves that shift reductions were occurring at the Volvo-Mack Truck engine and transmission plant located outside of Hagerstown, Maryland. The strike has affected Hagerstown, which has reduced the number of shifts for some operations, last week and this week, stated John Mies, a spokesperson for the company.

Mack-Volvo workers in Hagerstown during the 2019 strike (WSWS Media)

While the official was not specific as to how many workers have been impacted by the reductions, Volvo-Mack workers who have reached out to the World Socialist Web Site have stated that shifts related to the engine line have been laid off.

Workers told the WSWS that a notice of a temporary layoff offering was issued for the Mack Track Hagerstown plant, which would last through much of July. The notice said, Temporary Layoff is being offered to employees per their Election Forms on file. The TLO duration is expected to be July 5-July 23.

Evading the question of whether the production slowdown was being initiated by the strike, the company notice referred obliquely to the speedup that will be demanded of workers to fulfill truck order later this year. This step is being taken because were faced with production interruptions caused by a number of variables and will be onboarding 50+ transitional workers on June 28 to prepare us for our planned increase in rates to meet the strong industry demand.

According to Volvos website, the 1.5-million-square-foot location is involved in the manufacturing of Volvo D11 and D13 engines as well as I-Shift automated manual transmissions. It employs more than 1,700 workers. The location has been in operation since 1961. Engines and transmissions are shipped to the NRV plant, where all of the companys North American Volvo-branded trucks US are built, and also to the Macungie, Pennsylvania, plant, near Allentown, where Mack-branded trucks are assembled. Workers at the NRV plant paint cabs for both the Volvo- and Mack-branded trucks.

Layoffs have also hit the Allentown assembly plant. This week second shift production is off and next week first is off, a worker there told the WSWS. Although there is widespread support for joint action, the United Auto Workers (UAW) is forcing workers to remain on the job. We all need to stick together and should be under one contract, he said, adding that workers at his plant hope the striking NRV workers wont give in.

The Freightwaves statement is the first public admission that the strike is having an impact on the companys operations. The article also notes that the antipathy that local members have for their bargainers may be more intense than for the company.  Indeed, over the last five weeks, Volvo workers have rejected two pro-company contracts pushed by the UAW by votes of 9091 percent.

In opposition to the UAW, the 2,900 Volvo workers at the NRV Virginia facility have held fast to their demands for higher pay and better benefits and opposition to the two-tier wage system and the introduction of a 10-hour work schedule.

Striking Volvo Truck workers in Virginia (Source: UAW Local 2069)

As the strike continues, the UAWs strategy to keep the strike as isolated as possible grows ever more apparent. The UAW used the same method to divide Volvo workers during the strike by 3,500 Volvo-Mack workers in Maryland, Pennsylvania and other states in 2019.

Since the contracts ratification, which was done before workers could see the full language of the agreement, the number of temporary part-time workers, called transitional workers, has expanded immensely at the Hagerstown plant and elsewhere in the Volvo-Mack supply chain.

Significantly, the 2019 strike at Volvo-Mack created a similar parts shortage at NRV, though the UAW did nothing then to unify the workers on strike with those affected. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, the UAW is performing the same routine in reverse.

The UAW used threats and intimidation to push through the last contract, including threats that the plant would close unless workers accept more givebacks, a Hagerstown worker told the WSWS. Its not hard to see the agenda, the company is slowly phasing out the union wage for temporary workers and advancing the least senior people who will not stand against anything the company does! We have taken so many concessions in the years to make sure Volvo is profitable that it has become a non-stop waterfall of losses to the workforce!

UAW Secretary-Treasurer Ray Curry, who sold out the 2019 strike and is leading negotiations at Volvo Trucks, and the rest of the UAW International leadership have undermined the rights and abilities of the union worker for their ill-gotten gain, the Hagerstown worker told the WSWS.

With negotiations set to resume between the UAW and Volvo on Wednesday, the UAW is continuing to isolate the strikers in Virginia and is imposing a news blackout to conceal any information about the strike among hundreds of thousands of auto and auto parts workers. At the same time, the UAW, which sits on a $790 million strike fund, is trying to starve workers into submission with poverty-level strike benefits of $275 a week.

On June 14, the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee has issued an open letter challenging the UAW to say what its negotiating demands are, why workers are only being paid $275 a week, and what the UAWs strategy to win the strike is. You claim to be our representatives, yet we see that on every front your actions are undermining our strikepointing to the lack of any information on the UAWs web site or social media outlets and the fact that most workers in the auto plants are not even aware of the strike.

While the UAW plans to keep workers isolated and starved on the picket lines until we accept what we have already rejected, the committee declares, We are not going to sit by and let this happen! We are not going to let Volvo, with your collaboration, try to teach us a lesson and punish us for voting down your contracts twice.

The committee demands the full mobilization of UAW members to support the strike, beginning with the shutdown of the Volvo-Mack plants, and appeals for international solidarity. In addition, it calls for full income support from the UAW strike fund and open negotiations overseen by rank-and-file workers. The letter concludes: If you are not prepared to carry out such a fight, then get out. The rank-and-file will elect a bargaining and strike committee of its own that is prepared to carry out the struggle that is required.

The stand taken by the Volvo workers has generated widespread support from workers all over the world who have learned about the strike and the rank-and-file committees open letter through the WSWS. I admire their courage and their stand, said a Kansas City Ford worker. I talked to one co-worker about the strike and sent the article to him, and he called me back and asked me questions because he said he never heard about it. When we get the UAW newspapers they dont report on the strike.

The negotiations should not be secret. It shouldnt take the UAW too long to answer the questions if theyre actually working for the workers, but well see what happens. Im pulling for the workers. I think this needs to be worldwide, with all the Volvo workers in all the plants in different countries called out, like the letter said.
Eighty years ago, on June 22, 1941, the German military invaded the Soviet Union. A war began the likes of which humanity had never before experienced. The barbarism of the Middle Ages was combined with the most modern technology of the 20th century.

There had previously been horrific wars with millions of victims. The cannons of the First World War had been silenced just 23 years earlier. The blood-soaked fields of Verdun and the Marne, on which the flower of German, French and British youth were mown down by machine guns, were considered a monument of human barbarism.

But the attack on the Soviet Union went much further. From the outset, it was planned as a war of annihilation. It was not only a war for territory, raw materials and markets, but also a war driven by racism and ideology. The destruction of Bolshevism, the extermination of the Jews and the creation of living space in the east, which Hitler had been proclaiming for 20 years, was now put into practice.

Contrary to the belief of many in the West, Hitler did not blunder into the war in the east, wrote the historian Stephen Fritz in his landmark work Ostkrieg: Hitlers War of Extermination in the East. For him, the right war was always that against the Soviet Union, for to him Germanys destiny depended on attaining Lebensraum and solving the Jewish question. Both of these, in turn, hinged on destroying the Soviet Union. Which of these aims was most important? Given Hitlers views, it would be artificial to attempt to prioritize or separate them. For him, the war against Jewish-Bolshevism and for Lebensraum was comprehensive and of whole cloth.

Execution of captured partisans (Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-031-2436-05A / CC BY-SA 3.0)

When 3 million German soldiers, 600,000 vehicles, 3,500 tanks, 7,000 pieces of artillery and 3,900 aircraft invaded the Soviet Union at 3 a.m., they brought with them detailed orders and plans to physically exterminate millions of people. The invasion was accompanied by four einsatzgruppen (operational units) whose members had been carefully selected and trained by Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Reich Security Agency. The task of these 3,000-member units of stormtroopers of genocide (Ian Kershaw) was to immediately kill any communists, partisans, Jews and Sinti who came into their possession.

The four Einsatzgruppen and their helpers killed well over 500,000 Soviet Jews in the first six months of Barbarossa in addition to tens of thousands of partisans and Soviet prisoners of war, none of which would have been possible without the willing and active cooperation of the Wehrmacht, wrote Fritz.

The active complicity of the Wehrmacht in mass murder, which was denied in Germany for decades and even as late as 1999 led to the censorship of the exhibition War of annihilation. Crimes of the Wehrmacht, has been incontrovertibly documented. Already in January 1941, Hitler issued a target to a selected group of SS leaders that the Slavic population in the east should be reduced by 30 percent. Entire military staffs and racist theorists subsequently translated the will of the Fuhrer into precise orders on who should be shot and exterminated.

The generals signed off on these plans and ensured they were carried out. During the war army officials even inaugurated an exchange of ideas and experiences between army and SS officers, according to Fritz. As events on the ground demonstrated, criminal orders from above and vengeful impulses from below created a climate of violence that would remove any inhibitions about murder.

German professors embellished the murderous plans with pseudo-scientific arguments. In June 1942, the Generalplan Ost (General Plan East) was published based on the work of numerous academics. It planned for the murder of millions of Slavs to create room for German settlers. The German Society of Research (DFG), a coalition of renowned scholars, was already financing studies during the Weimar Republic that asserted a general superiority of the German population over the Slavic and others that understood race research as an applied science.

The operational plans for Operation Barbarossa, which was the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union, were worked out in the course of several round table discussions in early 1941 between the Chancellors Office, the SS, Reich Security Agency and the Wehrmacht [German military] High Command. The goal that was repeatedly formulated was to destroy the Bolshevik heads and commissars, Jewish-Bolshevik intellectuals and the socialist idea.

On May 2, several state secretaries and leading Wehrmacht commanders discussed the consequences of Operation Barbarossa for the war economy. According to a briefing note, they came to the conclusion that undoubtedly tens of millions of people will starve if we take from the country what is necessary for us.

On May 13, Wilhelm Keitel, head of the Wehrmacht High Command, issued the Military Judiciary Authorisation Order. It ordered that crimes committed by civilians against the Wehrmacht would no longer be handled by the courts, but that the accused could be immediately shot on the orders of an officer. Violent acts of collective punishment against entire areas were also permitted. This often resulted in women and children (men were at the front) being herded together in large buildings and shot with machine guns, before the buildings were torched so the remaining survivors were burned alive.

On June 6, two weeks prior to the invasion, the High Command, under the direction of Lieutenant General Alfred Jodl, issued the Commissar Order. It called for the civilian and military political commissars to be identified and that invading forces in principle immediately dispose of them with a weapon. On the basis of this order alone, there is evidence of at least 140,000 executions, with estimates ranging as high as 600,000.

This shows that on June 22, a well-prepared murder machine was set into motion. The last moral inhibitions had already been overcome in Poland, where the Wehrmacht had invaded and unleashed an orgy of violence two years earlier. Polish territory would also later serve as the location for the notorious death camps. But before millions of Jews from across Europe were sent to the gas chambers in Auschwitz and Majdanek, the German troops had already massacred hundreds of thousands of them in the Soviet Union.

One of the most well known massacres occurred on September 29 and 30, 1941, in the Babi Yar ravine near Kiev, where a special operations unit shot 33,771 Jews, including men, women and children, from the Ukrainian capital in the space of two days. Over subsequent months, a further 70,000 civilians were executed in the same ravine.

The balance sheet of the war of annihilation was horrendous. A total of 27 million Soviet citizens fell victim to the war. A commission organised by the Soviet Defence Ministry and Russian Academy of Sciences, which reviewed the figures between 1987 and 1991, placed the figure as high as 37 million. Of these, only 8.6 million were soldiers and 27 million to 28 million were civilians, many of whom lost their lives due to hunger and unbearable living conditions. The 28-month blockade of the city of Leningrad, which the Wehrmacht intentionally starved, claimed the lives of 470,000 people alone.

Among the Wehrmachts numerous war crimes was the murder of 3 million Soviet prisoners of war. On September 8, the High Command issued an order that placed the Red Army soldiers beyond the protection of international law: The Bolshevik soldier has lost any right to treatment as an honourable soldier under the Geneva Convention The use of weapons against Soviet prisoners of war is in general legitimate.

Roughly 60 percent of prisoners of war lost their lives. If they were not murdered or died of hunger, they were brought to the concentration camps, where they performed forced labour under inhumane conditions for the German war effort.

The course of the war

During the first weeks of the war, the Wehrmacht advanced rapidly into the Soviet Union. Its initial successes were above all thanks to the criminal policies of Stalin and the privileged bureaucracy, whose rule he personified. They had bled the Soviet Union dry and left it totally unprepared.

In the course of the Great Terror, which claimed the lives of almost the entire leadership of the October Revolution and hundreds of thousands of loyal communists and intellectuals, Stalin also beheaded the Red Army. Of the 178,000 leadership forces in the Red Army, 35,000 were arrested and some executed. Twice as many generals were killed than during the Second World War, including outstanding military commanders like Tukhachevsky, Yakir, Gamarnik and Uborivitch, who rose to leadership within the Red Army under Trotsky during the Civil War.

This was the generation who had received a baptism of fire during the Civil War, who rose suddenly above the mass, disclosing talent for organization and capacity for military leadership, tempered their will in a large-scale struggle and subsequently enjoyed further military training, as Trotsky noted in 1934. Military theory enabled them to discipline their minds, but did not kill the audacity that was steeled in the impetuous maneuvers of the civil war. They were replaced by less experienced officers who were characterised above all by their subservience to Stalin.

For his part, Stalin was totally surprised by the German invasion, even though he had been warned by his own and Western intelligence agencies. The communist spy Richard Sorge even supplied the entire plan of attack from Japan, including the timetable. But Stalin ignored all warnings and trusted in the non-aggression pact, which he had agreed with Hitler in August 1939. He was convinced that Germany, which was already at war with Britain, would not risk a war on two fronts. After the invasion, Stalin disappeared from the scene for days, leaving the Soviet Union practically leaderless.

But the October Revolution remained alive in the Soviet working class. Stalin may have murdered its leaders, but he had not destroyed its achievements: the state ownership of the means of production and the planned economy, which now proved to be tremendous advantages. The Wehrmacht soon realised that they were not fighting this time against the Tsars army of forcibly recruited semi-serf peasants, but against the motivated army of a workers state, which despite the terror did not capitulate, and instead developed a remarkable energy and readiness to sacrifice.

Trotsky, who had built the Red Army, also predicted this in 1934. The Red warrior differs sharply from the czarist soldier, he wrote: The cult of passivity and of submissive capitulation before obstacles has been supplanted by the cult of political and social audacity and technological Americanism.  Should the Russian Revolution, which has continued ebbing and flowing for almost thirty yearssince 1905be forced to direct its stream into the channel of war, it will unleash a terrific and overwhelming force.

Although the war continued for over three-and-a-half years and over 6 million soldiers were either killed or severely wounded on the German side, it was already clear after the first several weeks that the Wehrmacht had no chance of victory. Long before the first snows of winter began to fall, however, and even before the first autumn rains brought most movement to a halt, in fact as early as the summer of 1941, it was evident that Barbarossa was a spent exercise, unavoidably doomed to failure, wrote the military historian David Stahel.

Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 aircraft (RIA Novosti / archive Fyodor Levshin / CC-BY-SA 3.0)

In the arms production sector, which was so decisive for the war, the Soviet planned economy proved to be far superior to the German economy based on private property. In 1941, German industry produced 5,200 tanks, 11,776 planes and 7,000 artillery guns measuring more than 7 millimetres. In the first half of 1941, the Soviet economy managed only 1,800 tanks, 3,900 aircraft and 15,600 artillery pieces. But during the second half of the year, it increased arms production, in spite of the shifting of entire factories to the East and the destruction caused by the war, to 4,740 tanks, 8,000 aircraft and 55,500 pieces of artillery. In 1942, Germany manufactured 15,409 aircraft, while the Soviet Union managed 25,436. While Germany produced 9,200 tanks, the Soviet Union manufactured 24,446.

Despite its Stalinist degeneration, the Soviet Union, which emerged from the October Revolution, served as a decisive barrier against the plunging of humanity into barbarism. Serious historians leave no doubt about what a victory by Hitler would have meant.

Stahel remarked, The importance of Hitlers new war in the east was understood by all sides at the time as the definitive moment in the future fortunes of the expanding world war. Either Hitler would soon stand almost untouchable at the head of an enormous empire, or his greatest campaign would falter (something no government at the time believed to be likely) resulting in the dangerous Allied encirclement Hitler was aiming to eliminate forever. It is therefore not an overstatement to say that the German invasion of the Soviet Union represents an extraordinary turning point in world affairs, central not only in our understanding of World War II, but indeed as one of the most profound events in modern history.

The origins of the war

After Germanys defeat, nobody wanted to be responsible in Germany for the war of annihilation. There were only victims and people following ordersno perpetrators. Hitler was to blame for everything. The Second World War was Hitlers war.

Adolf Hitler, who shot himself shortly before the Wehrmachts unconditional capitulation, possessed extraordinary powers and was personally involved in all major political and military decisions. Despite that, he was merely supplying a product demanded by capitalist society. The answer to the question of how this failed Austrian artist and embittered war veteran could rise to the position of Germanys Fuhrer inevitably leads to the conclusion that he had powerful backers in the elites of business, politics, the military, aristocracy, culture and the universities.

One of his most well known promoters in early years was the general Erich Ludendorff, the second-in-command of the army during the First World War who co-led the 1923 coup attempt in Munich with Hitler. Others included the industrialists Fritz Thyssen and Erich Kirndorf, Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and the composers widow Cosima Wagner. The media empire of the German nationalist industrialist Alfred Hugenberg, who was economy minister in Hitlers first cabinet, played a major role in his rise. In January 1932, an appearance by Hitler at the Dusseldorf industrialists club secured him the political and financial backing of the most important circles of big business.

Hitler did not have to violently seize power; it was offered to him on a silver platter. At the time of Hitlers accession to power, the Nazis were in a deep political and financial crisis. In the Reichstag election of November 1932, the party received just 33 percent of the vote4 percent less than in July and 4 percent less than the two large workers parties combinedthe Social Democrats and Communist Party. Hitler even toyed with the idea of suicide.

The decision to appoint Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933 was ultimately taken by a small circle of conspirators representing the interests of the state and big business around the elder statesman President Paul von Hindenburg. Two months later, with the Communist Party banned and the concentration camps filling up, all bourgeois parties voted for the Enabling Act, making Hitler a dictator.

During the war, Hitler then found thousands of willing assistants in the officer corps who carried out his murderous orders, among state officials, who terrorised the population and selected the Jews for extermination, in industry, which increased its profits through war production and forced labour, among professors, who gave race theory and arbitrary justice the appearance of science, and many more.

The war of annihilation did not emerge from the will of the Fuhrer, who unquestionably desired the war. The ruling elites promoted Hitler and placed him at the head of the state because they wanted and needed the war. It had deep objective causes in the irresolvable contradictions of the capitalist system.

Trotsky speaks to soldiers of the Red Army

Leon Trotsky, who understood the danger of fascism and war more than anyone else and mobilised the working class in opposition to them, wrote one year prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union, The sole feature of fascism which is not counterfeit is its will to power, subjugation and plunder. Fascism is a chemically pure distillation of the culture of imperialism This German epileptic with a calculating machine in his skull and unlimited power in his hands did not fall from the sky or come up out of hell: he is nothing but the personification of all the destructive forces of imperialism. Just as Genghis Khan and Tamerlane appeared to the weaker pastoral peoples as destroying scourges of God, whereas in reality they did nothing but express the need of all the pastoral tribes for more pasture land and the plunder of settled areas, so Hitler, rocking the old colonial powers to their foundations, does nothing but give a more finished expression to the imperialist will to power. Through Hitler, world capitalism, driven to desperation by its own impasse, has begun to press a razor sharp dagger into its own bowels.

Already during the First World War, German imperialism sought to subordinate Europe to its interests, and failed. It now attempted this for a second time.

The First World War was an imperialist war in which all of the major powers fought for the redivision of the world and the subordination of the world economy to their hegemony. German imperialism played an especially aggressive role, because capitalism developed belatedly due to the delayed bourgeois revolution, but thanks to modern technology enjoyed a tremendous dynamism. Confined to Central Europe, confronted with the British and French colonial powers, and an even more potent American rival, it could only rise to become Europes dominant power and secure access to raw materials and markets by violent means.

Germany lost the war. Weakened and heavily indebted due to the Treaty of Versailles and shaken by class struggles, all of the problems that drove German imperialism into the First World War were posed with renewed sharpness. In addition, in the east, the main area of German imperialist expansion, a workers state now existed which served as a revolutionary inspiration to workers in Germany.

The only way out of this blind alley open to German imperialism was the use of methods that were more brutal and barbaric than anything ever before experienced. The destruction of Bolshevism, the securing of living space in the east and the establishment of German hegemony over Europe required the concentration of state power in the hands of one individual, the subordination of all the countrys resources to war production, the destruction of the organised workers movement, and a war aimed not at the capitulation, but the extermination of the enemy.

The Nazis had the most to offer to meet this demand from society. The leaders of the state, business and the military did not support Hitler because they were ideologically dazzled, but because they needed him to achieve their goals.

They only succeeded due to the abysmal betrayal and failure of the workers leaders. The SPD firmly refused to mobilise its members against the Nazis. They trusted the state and supported all dictatorial stepsfrom Brunings emergency decrees and Hindenburgs election as Presidentthat paved the way for Hitler to take power. The KPD leadership, which was under the influence of Stalin, concealed its passivity and cowardice behind radical left-wing phrases. They firmly refused to fight for an anti-fascist united front with the SPD, as Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition demanded, and denounced the SPD workers as social fascists who were no different to the Nazis.

The United States, Britain and Germanys other capitalist opponents in the Second World War also fought for their imperialist interests, and not against fascism and for democracy. Only the Soviet Union fought for its very survival. A German victory would have meant the destruction of the workers state and its transformation into a slave colony.

As long as Hitlers regime was directed mainly against the German working class and the Soviet Union, it enjoyed considerable international support. Among the admirers of Hitler was the American industrialist Henry Ford, Britains King Edward VIII, and his American spouse Wallis Simpson. After Edwards abdication, the pair visited Hitler at his Berghof. During the Peoples Front government of 1936, the French bourgeoisie even advanced the slogan, Better Hitler than Blum (Leon Blum was Prime Minister in the Peoples Front). Germanys rapid victory over France was more a product of the defeatism of the French generals than of the technical superiority of the Wehrmachts weapons. The Vichy regime under Marshal Petain immediately reached an understanding with Hitler.

But American and British imperialism could not merely look on as Germany rose to become the ruler from the Atlantic to the Urals. In alliance with Japan, it would have become a deadly opponent of American imperialism. This led to the United States intervention into the war against Hitler, which only occurred after Germany was already on the defensive at the battle of Stalingrad.

The threat of a third world war

The lessons of the war of annihilation against the Soviet Union are of contemporary relevance. The same contradictions of world capitalismthe irreconcilability of the capitalist nation state and the private ownership of the means of production with the social and international character of modern productionthreaten to plunge the world into the inferno of a third world war.

The centre of the preparations for war is the United States, which will spend $753 billion on its military in the coming budgetary year, more than the next 10 states. Some $25 billion is earmarked for nuclear weapons, and $112 billion for the research and development of new weapons systems.

The US emerged as the real winner from the Second World War, and its economic powertogether with the suppression of revolutionary struggles by the Stalinist bureaucracy and Social Democratic partiesenabled it to temporarily stabilise European capitalism.

But the weight of the US in the world economy has declined consistently since then, and Washington is attempting to compensate for this decline with military force. The US has been waging war almost uninterruptedly for 30 years. In Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, they, with their allies, have destroyed entire societies.

The US war machine is now targeting China, which is officially defined as a systemic rival. The US wants to prevent at all costs that China overtakes it economically and rises to become a world power. US strategists now consider a war with China to be unavoidable.

German imperialism has not accepted its defeats in the two world wars. The German government is pursuing the official goal of expanding Europe into a political and military world power capable of confronting China as well as the United States. This is intensifying conflicts within Europe, especially with France, which is Germanys rival for hegemony within the European Union.

Germany has increased its military spending from 32 billion in 2014 to 53 billion, and this is only the beginning. A strategy paper from the Defence Ministry dated February 9 states that Germany has a special obligation for Europes security due to its geographic position at the centre of Europe and its economic power, and must make an appropriate contribution in military affairs as well. Essential to this are credible military deterrence and defence capabilities in all dimensionson land, at sea, in the air, space, and cyberspace, and the readiness and the ability of our soldiers to succeed, including in combat.

A central component of the revival of German militarism is the trivialisation and historical revision of the war of annihilation.

The Alternative For Germany (AfD) sits in parliament, describes the Nazi regime as mere bird sh*t in over 1,000 years of successful German history, and is embraced by all other established parties.

The Berlin-based historian Jorg Baberowski stated publicly as early as 2014 that Hitler was not a psychopath and not vicious. One year later, he claimed the war of annihilation was imposed on the Wehrmacht. The Wehrmacht soldiers on the eastern front were involved in a murderous war of partisans. They had no other option but to adapt to the partisans combat style. He continued, The war became independent, it freed itself from the original goals that were the pretext for the conflict. Numerous similar citations can be found in the works of the right-wing extremist professor.

When the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei and its youth organisation IYSSE criticised these and similar statements, giving expression to the widespread opposition in the population to the return of fascism and militarism, the media and political establishment defended the right-wing extremist professor.

A third world war would mean the end of human civilisation. But not a single established party is opposing the drive to war. Like the situation prior to the First and Second world wars, they are lining up all the more closely behind the warmongers as the inter-imperialist divisions deepen. The so-called peace movement has totally collapsed. The German Greens, which emerged from this movement long ago, have become the most disgusting warmongers. Eighty years after the invasion of the Soviet Union, they are leading the agitation for war against Russia.

A renewed relapse of barbarism can only be prevented by the international working class, which must link the struggle against militarism and war with its source in the capitalist system, and take up the struggle for a socialist programme. This is the perspective of the International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections, the Socialist Equality parties.
Gilbert Lee Poole Jr., convicted at the age of 22 for a murder he never committed, was released from a Michigan prison on May 26 after being incarcerated for nearly 32 years.

At 56 years old, Poole left the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan, after his conviction was vacated based on new DNA evidence and the rejection of key testimony from a bite mark expert that was a contributing factor in the guilty verdict that sent him to prison for life without the possibility of parole on June 22, 1989.

Gilbert Poole Jr was freed after 32 years in prison on May 26. (Credit: WMU-Cooley Law School)

With years of legal assistance of the Western Michigan University-Cooley Law School Innocence Project (WMU-Cooley Innocence Project), the evidence proving Poole was not guilty was so compelling that Michigan Assistant Attorney General Robyn Frankel requested that Oakland County Circuit Judge Rae Lee Chabot dismiss all charges and overturn his conviction for the fatal stabbing of Robert Mejia in Pontiac, Michigan, in 1988.

During the hearing before Judge Chabot, Poole said, I have to say that I didnt understand what was happening back in 1988 when I came to court to be tried for a murder that I didnt commit. At 22 years old, and a thousand miles away from anyone I knew, I kicked and screamed and stomped my feet and said this is not right.

Witnesses provided a description of the person Mejia was said to have been last seen leaving a Pontiac bar with on the night of June 5, 1988, two days before his body was found in a field in the area. Law enforcement developed composite drawings based on witness descriptions and these drawings were published in The Oakland Press. However, months went by without any solid leads in the case.

Five months later, Pooles former girlfriendwho traveled back to North Carolina in June 1988 with the accused and then returned to Pontiacgave police an inconsistent story about how he had confessed to committing the murder. However, Poole consistently maintained he was never at the Pontiac bar and did not kill Mejia.

The unfolding of the subsequent murder trial demonstrated the reality of life for working class people who are railroaded with undue haste and by means of false or insufficient evidence. When a poor person with limited resources or no means of gaining adequate legal representation is charged with a crime they did not commit, they are easily made a scapegoat by providing the state with an easy way of solving a case.

A critical element in Pooles conviction was the testimony of Dr. Allan Warnick, a clinical professor at the University of Detroit School of Dentistry and a 20-year practicing dentist in restorative and cosmetic work who was considered an expert in bite mark analysis. Warnick testified that Pooles teeth matched a bite mark found on Mejias right arm above the elbow. Warnick also claimed that the odds of anyone other than Poole having made a bite mark appearing on the murder victim were 2.1 billion to one.

This was the critical testimony that the prosecutors used to convince the jury that Poole was guilty of murdering Mejia.

However, bite mark analysis and the expert witness work of Dr. Warnick have since been discredited, with several convictions based on his testimony having been overturned. In reviewing the evidence that overturned the case, Innocence Project attorney Marla Mitchell-Cichon said, Mr. Pooles conviction was based on unreliable evidence, including bite mark comparison which is not based in science.

The Innocence Project became interested in Pooles case 18 years ago. After learning that most items of evidence had been destroyed, the Innocence Project located the remaining evidence at the Pontiac Police Department and was able to win further DNA analysis of it. This post-conviction testing was conducted on bloodstains on and around Mejias body. Several bloodstains from the crime scene were Type O which matched Mejias blood type. Other crime scene blood was Type A which did not match either the victim or Pooles blood type. Pooles blood type is AB and shared by only three percent of the population. None of this evidence was presented at trial by his legal counsel.

Mitchell-Cichons request for further DNA testing was originally denied by the Oakland Circuit Court in 2012 and only subsequently approved by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

The WMU-Cooley Innocence Project is part of the Innocence Network, which has been credited with the release of over 375 wrongfully accused prisoners using DNA testing. The project is staffed by WMU-Cooley Law School students who work under the supervision of Innocence Project attorneys.

The WMU-Cooley Innocence Project has screened over 5,800 cases and is also responsible for the exoneration of Kenneth Wyniemko (2003), Nathaniel Hatchett (2008), and Wayne County residents Donya Davis (2014), LeDura Watkins (2017) and Kenneth Nixon (2021).

In addition to the release of Poole, the project also helped to exonerate Lacino Hamilton on September 30, 2020, after spending 26 years in prison, and helped to exonerate Ramon Ward in February 2020, who spent 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit by contributing its DNA expertise and grant resources to obtain testing.

While Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels Conviction Integrity Unit in the end moved to help vacate Pooles conviction, his release is primarily the result of his own legal efforts and those of the Innocence Project.

After being in there for 32 years, I was shoved out into the free world, Poole said, My biggest piece of advice to others like me is to read your law books and pay attention to the changing lawsif you dont pay attention  an opportunity will pass for somebody to take a second look.

The fact that there are so many serving prison sentences who are innocent and with the facts of their cases long being overlooked is an indictment of both the Democratic and Republican parties.

The incarceration of working class and poor people has been steadily on the rise since the Johnson Administrations War on Crime, with congressional approval of the Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1965 and Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 directing federal funding to local police.

The number of prisoners tripled from 500,000 in 1980 to 1.5 million in 1994. As of 2019 there were 2.3 million people in American prisons and jails, making up the largest prison population in the world. One in every five prisoners globally is in the United States. While racial minorities are disproportionately imprisoned, the rise of mass incarceration has impacted every section of the working class.

The push by the Democrats and Republicans for tough on crime policies such as stringent drug policies, stop-and-frisk, mandatory sentencing and harsher treatment of parole violations have driven the US incarceration rate to the highest on the planet (724 per 100,000 people).

People who enter the criminal justice system are overwhelmingly poor. Two-thirds detained in jails report annual incomes under $12,000 prior to arrest. Incarceration contributes to poverty for those who are released by creating employment barriers, reducing earnings and decreasing economic security through criminal debt, fees and fines and making access to public benefits difficult or impossible. This reality shows that mass incarceration is not driven by racial divisions but by the immense socioeconomic inequality which defines life in the United States.
Last week, all 50 members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) resigned in protest after a grand jury charged a fellow police officer for assault during the mass protests last year. The officers also cited a lack of support as a reason for disbanding the special unit.

The RRT is a specialized, entirely volunteer force of the PPB which is responsible for crowd control at protests and other events. Despite the resignations from the team, all 50 of the police officers are still working for the PPB.

Portland police confront May Day protesters at the ICE facility on Saturday May 1, 2021 in Portland, Ore. From Portland to Salem, May Day demonstrators were seen hitting the streets to make their voices heard. (AP Photo/Paula Bronstein)

The officers action was preceded by the resignations of 57 members from the Buffalo Police Departments special emergency response team in June 2020. The resignations came as a response to two Buffalo, New York, police officers being suspended without pay for shoving a 75-year-old man to the ground, causing him to hit his head on the pavement and suffer serious injuries. The two officers were returned to payroll after 30 days.

On June 15, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that a grand jury indicted PPB officer and RRT member Corey Budworth with one misdemeanor count of Assault in the Fourth Degree, which carries up to a one-year jail sentence, for beating photojournalist Teri Jacobs with a baton while she was covering a protest against police violence on August 18, 2020.

Video of the attack shows Budworth repeatedly striking Jacobs with a baton, shoving her to the ground, then, while she was in a sitting position, ramming his baton against her head, whiplashing her backwards.

Budworth is the first PPB officer to ever be indicted for excessive use of force during a protest, despite the use of excessive force by multiple police officers at the protests against police violence last year sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In all, only three police officers were disciplined last year due to their conduct during the protests.

From May through November 25, Portland, Oregon, police used excessive force more than 6,000 times, including firing less-than-lethal munitions, launching tear gas, and giving beatings with batons, according to a US Department of Justice report.

The Department of Justice also found that the PPB failed to meet four reforms, which were mandated after a 2014 settlement agreement over excessive police force against people with mental illness. The PPB has been under federal supervision since 2012.

The Portland police oversight office has also received more than 3,000 communications about police policies or actions. Of those, 222 of the communications involved use of force, and the office initiated 125 cases of complaints against police officers from May 29, 2020, through April 2021.

The sheer number of complaints hindered the police oversight office from meeting the federally mandated 180-day timeline for completing police misconduct investigations, according to a report by the Independent Police Review office. Additionally, the office was unable to determine which other police agencies were helping the Portland police during the 2020 protests, showing the PPB has little to no real oversight.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said on Thursday that he ordered the PPB to prepare mobile field forces in response to the RRT disbanding, while Oregon Governor Kate Brown ordered the Oregon State Police to be on standby.

The Portland Police Association union has denounced the indictment, claiming officer Budworth has been caught in the crossfire of agenda-driven city leaders and a politicized criminal justice system. The police union, along with other police officers, has claimed that the PPB has had no support from the city government.

The claim that the police have had no support from the city or state government is a lie.

Mayor Wheeler and Governor Brown, both Democrats, have openly denounced the protests and have called for the expansion of the police apparatus.

Wheeler, during a press conference held in January of this year, called the protesters violent antifa and anarchists, while giving the police a green light to videotape protesters and gather intelligence on these small groups of organized criminals.

Wheeler denounced the protesters as violent anarchists who just want to watch the world burn, while indicating he wanted the PPB to use any means necessary to suppress the protests and ensure that the protesters were legally persecuted.

In July 2020, ex-President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies, including paramilitary agents from Customs and Border Protection, to intervene in the Portland protests. Federal agents shot tear gas and rubber bullets, and used sonic weapons on crowds, all the while illegally grabbing protesters and kidnapping them in unmarked cars.

On September 3, 2020, Michael Reinoehl, a 48-year-old protester, was executed by a federal task force. Reinoehls killing came only hours after he was charged with killing far-right Patriot Prayer member Aaron Jay Danielson at a Portland protest on August 29. As the WSWS reported at the time, the death of Reinoehl was a state murder, which was fully endorsed by then-Attorney General William Barr and President Donald Trump.
This is part two of a three-part series. Part one can be viewed here.

Glossary

In the interests of clarity, since much of the following discussion includes scientific terminology, further obscured by the shorthand of Twitter threads and other online exchanges, a glossary of key terms and abbreviations may be helpful to the reader.

ACE2: Angiotensin-converting enzyme II, an enzyme on the surface of many human cells, targeted by the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2

CTCCTCGGCGGG: Letters signifying a particular string of the four nucleotides that make up all basic genetic material, such as amino acids

FCS: Furin cleavage site, a point on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 where the protein is easily cut by a protease called furin, helping it invade cells in the host human

MERS-CoV: The virus that caused the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome pandemic in 2012

Protease: An enzyme that helps proteins break down into smaller components; furin is one

nCoV2019: An early acronym referring to the virus now called SARS-CoV-2

RaTG-13: A bat virus found in caves in Yunnan province in China, genetically similar to SARS-CoV-2, but not a precursor, despite the claims of the conspiracy theorists

RRAR: A sequence of amino acids found in some viruses

S1/S2 boundary: The point on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 where the furin cleavage site is located in order to split the protein most efficiently

SARS-CoV-1: The virus that caused the SARS pandemic in 2002, which was largely contained

SARS-CoV-2: The virus that causes COVID-19

WIV: Wuhan Institute of Virology, the lab where Dr. Shi Zhengli conducted research on bat coronaviruses

Dr. Kristian Andersen

Regarding Dr. Kristian Andersen and his explanations on the work he conducted on SARS-CoV-2 and the scientific conclusions he reached, the information below is reconstructed from Twitter threads he posted in discussions with other scientists and the public in general. The material he presented, which was never reported by the mainstream press, provides extensive replies to essential scientific questions and concerns being raised.

Kristian Andersen

On June 6, Dr. Andersens Twitter account was inexplicably turned off. According to a Newsweek report on June 7, Dr. Andersen removed his page on the social media platform after the release of email exchanges between himself and Dr. Fauci.

This refers to the blizzard of right-wing distortions in which the initial discussions among scientists about the origins of the virus, which included consideration, as one hypothesis, of a laboratory leak, are portrayed as proof that the lab leak hypothesis was deliberately suppressed for political reasons, rather than discarded because it simply did not fit the facts.

Andersen has been steadfast on the natural origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus since his work on the issue early in the pandemic, which led to the critical  Proximal Origins  report in Nature Medicine in March 2020.

In the context of his previous frank and open responses, one can surmise that this act of self-censorship was done under the influence of extreme pressures he must have faced from the media and political establishment. There is a striking contrast between the media promotion of Wade, an overt supporter of pseudo-scientific racism, and the gagging of Andersen, a foremost authority in the science of virology.

The threads cited below were copied and saved by this writer in anticipation of such an occurrence.

In one of these exchanges on Twitter, replying to Roger Pielke Jr., professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who was commenting on Andersens initial speculations about a lab origin, Dr. Andersen explained that when he had initially found the genome of SARS-CoV-2 inconsistent from the standpoint of evolutionary theory, this meant we thought, on a preliminary look, that the virus could have been engineered and/or manipulated. It turns out the data suggest otherwisewhich is the conclusion of our paper.

One saved document deserves a fuller quotation. Dr. Andersen wrote, Following up on my emails to Dr. Fauci from early 2020 about SARS-CoV-2 (nCoV), a couple of important questions came up: 1) What looked engineered to you? 2. What made you change your mind?

His answer to question 1:

For our preliminary studies, there was very limited data with only about ten genomes from Wuhan and the genome of RaTG13 not yet available, nor were the CoV genes from the pangolins [It has been speculated that these animals may be the intermediate host of the SARS-CoV-2 ]. We were very well aware of the CoV research ongoing at the WIV. There were features of the Sars-CoV-2 that, to us, appeared unique and at the time did not have an immediate obvious evolutionary precursor. The features that stood out to us then were, 1) The furin cleavage site (unique in the sarbecovirus subgenus to which SARS-CoV-2 belongs, although it is present in several betacoronaviruses, the genus of SARS-CoV-2), 2) The SAR-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain (unique at the time and our modeling suggested it could be a strong if not perfect human ACE2), 3) A unique restriction enzyme BAMHI followed by a higher level of conservation towards the end of the spike protein, and 4) A few other residues found to be important from research from SARS-CoV-1.

Some explanatory points about the above discussion.

First, though the furin cleavage site is unique for a virus like SARS-CoV-2, such a site is necessary for many viral diseases, including HIV, Ebola, and even influenza. It was discovered that MERS-CoV possessed such a site and may explain the highly lethal nature of an infection with this virus. A recent phylogenetic analysis, done by Suwen Zhao and Yiran Wu in the journal Stem Cell Research, found that furin cleavage sites at the spike portion of the genome have occurred independently several times in their evolution, supporting the natural origin conception. It has been surmised that these sites can make the virus more transmissible. At the time of their first glimpse, this unique finding raised their worries.

Second, Andersen noted that though the virus did not efficiently bind to the human ACE2 receptor, the binding was sufficiently strong that it pricked their interests as to possible bioengineering. Subsequently, Dr. Edward Holmes of the University of Sydney has found viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 that can weakly bind human ACE2 receptors without the need for a furin cleavage site at all.

Graphical representation of the furin cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2 comparing the same location n the coronaviruses of the bat and the pangolin

Nicholas Wade and several other pro-lab-leak proponents have raised the furin cleavage site to suggest that these are the hallmarks of calculated manipulations. Furin is a particular enzyme/protein in humans that cuts special sections in other proteins to activate them. The SARS-CoV-2 virus contains such a site on its spike protein. When this cut occurs, it allows the virus to change into its active form and bind the ACE2 receptor and enter the hosts cells. The suggestion by the conspiracy theorists is that the furin cleavage site was seamlessly inserted into a precursor, the bat virus RaTG13, to create SARS-CoV-2.

Let us hear what Dr. Andersen stated in another Twitter thread on this subject:

The SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site is yet again in the news - this time because of a quote by Nobel laureate David Baltimore. The site is not a smoking gun, nor does it make a powerful challenge to the idea of a natural origin. The furin cleavage site (FCS)/polybasic cleavage site is present in SARS-CoV-2 at the S1/S2 junction of the spike protein, where it mediates the cutting (by the host protease furin, among others) of the spike, which is required for infections of cells. The FCS was created by an out-of-frame insertion of CTCCTCGGCGGG creating the (P)RRAR amino acid sequence, which constitutes a suboptimal polybasic cleavage site that is important for expanding SARS-CoV-2 host range, its transmission and pathogenesis, etc. FCSs are abundant, including being highly prevalent in coronaviruses. While SARS-CoV-2 is the first example of a SARSr virus with an FCS, other beta coronaviruses (the genus for SARS-CoV-2) have FCSs, including MERS and HKU1. There is nothing mysterious about having a first example of a virus with an FCS. Viruses sampled to date only give us a teeny-tiny fraction of all the viruses circulating in the wild. Fragments - such as the CTCCTCGGCGGG - come and go all the time.

Nucleotides, codons, and amino acids

Briefly, by way of explaining the above Tweet, all living cells or viruses using the machinery of living cells must translate the genetic material of their DNA or RNA into proteins. The four basic nucleotides represent the building blocks of the genetic material, or letters, for spelling out the protein that will be constructed. C stands for Cytosine, A for Adenine, G for Guanine, and T for Thymine. A fifth nucleotide is Uracil, used in RNA.

A triplet of nucleotides makes a codon that designates an amino acid. The triplet nucleotides can be sequenced in various forms. For example, the amino acid Alanine, designated by the symbol A, can be made by a combination of GCT, or GCC, or GCA, or GCG. In all, 20 amino acids are used as the building blocks of all proteins. These are essentially the components used by cells to create the proteins and enzymes they need to conduct their biological functions.

The sequence of nucleotides mentioned by Dr. Andersen leads to amino acid sequences designated by the letters RRAR (here R is Arginine and A is Alanine). Early in the COVID-19 global outbreak, questions were focused on this sequence, raising suspicions of a lab-generated virus.

Dr. William Gallaher from LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, professor emeritus in the microbiology department, provided the following explanation back in February 2020, which aligns with the answers provided by Dr. Andersen.

I see no evidence at all to support such a claim. In sharp contrast, I have studied the question in detail, using the RaTG13 and Wuhan sequence at the S1/S2 boundary. I find convincing proof of exactly opposite conclusionthat RaTG13 could NOT be a proximal source of the Wuhan virus.

He goes on to explain:

One has to consider that the PRRA is an unusual sequence to introduce to generate a furin siteothers even among coronaviruses like MHV A59 are so much better. Also, that the underlying code CCTCGGCGGGCA introduces an unnecessarily G and C rich region where none otherwise exists. Not likely scenarios for something a gene jockey would do. Then one looks at the actual RNA alignment. The insert is actually not in frame, but CTCCTCGGCGGG, or -2 out of frame [see Dr. Andersens comments above.] Again, who does that?

This implies that the furin cleavage site present in the SARS-CoV-2, despite Wades claim, is sufficiently clumsy and inefficient in its construct that a gene jockey wouldnt employ such a construct to make a furin cleavage site from scratch.

An exchange between Benjamin Mateus and Kristian Andersen

He also noted at the time that the RaTG13 and the SARS-CoV-2 were sufficiently divergent that RaTG13 couldnt be the proximal source of the nCoV2019.

Dr. Gallaher concludes:

Given that furin cleavage signals are present in other coronaviruses at exactly that point in the S1/S2 boundary region, it only LOOKS unusual, especially against the backdrop of SARS. The preponderance of evidence, coupled with Occams razor (that the simplest explanation is preferred) dictates that the PRRA sequence has been conserved in nCoV2019 from a long-ago ancestor virus. It is not of suspicious origin. The closest bat virus sequence is really not close at all.

The scientific method vs. conspiracy theories

Moving on Dr. Andersens response to question 2:

All the features in SARS2 that to us suggested possible engineering were identified in related CoVs in the first half of 2020, which largely invalidated our previous hypothesis of engineering and instead bolstered the argument for a natural origin. In the days immediately following my email to Dr Fauci, additional data was released (Or we became aware of it) including the full genome of RaTG13. Following up on our preliminary analysis, we did much more extensive investigations both on RaTG13 and other CoV genomes to compare genomic diversity more broadly across CoVs. We looked at all the literature from the WIV, investigated common virus backbones and molecular and cellular cloning techniques used at WIV and UNC, investigated sequence data sets produced from WIV and ECOHEALTH, and performed KMER-based (phylogenic studies) and recombination analyses on SARS-CoV-2. We also had a lot of considerations about likelihoods related to virus emergence, virus discovery-capture, virus manipulation, lab escape, etc. Many of the analyses were completed in a matter of days and allowed us to relatively quickly reject our preliminary hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 might have been engineered. This is a textbook example of the scientific method where a preliminary hypothesis is rejected in favor of a competing hypothesis as more data became available and analyses were complete. Yet, more extensive analyses and significant additional data led to scientifically supported conclusions in our Proximal Origin paper which was a peer-reviewed study published in Nature-Medicine in March 2020. Due to limitations on length and number of citations for the article format, not all analysis performed could be described and all relevant articles referenced.

The response by Andersen in his Tweets is in a considerable measure his attempt to fight for scientific truth and its methods in addressing the repeated attempts by politically motivated scientists using their access to the bourgeois press to put forward their unreviewed and biased conclusions, which have dangerous geopolitical consequences.

In a case in point, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by Stephen Quay and Richard Muller on June 6, who wrote, The Chinese Communist Party has been reluctant to release relevant information. Reports based on US intelligence have suggested the lab collaborated on projects with the Chinese military. Actually, US intelligence has put forth only hypothesis based on low-level evidence, meaning these remain in the realm of speculation.

The pair go on to write:

In gain-of-function research, [ which Dr. Shi has emphatically denied conducting ] a microbiologist can increase the lethality of a coronavirus enormously by splicing a special sequence into its genome at a prime location. Doing this leaves no trace of manipulation. But it alters the virus spike protein, rendering it easier for the virus to inject genetic material into the victim cell. Since 1992 there have been at least 11 separate experiments adding a special sequence to the same location. The end result has always been supercharged viruses. In the case of the gain-of-function supercharge, other sequences could have been spliced into this same site. Instead of a CGG-CGG (known as double CGG) that tells the protein factory to make two arginine amino acids in a row, youll obtain equal lethality by splicing any one of 35 of the other two-word combinations for double arginine. If the insertion takes place naturally, say through recombination, then one of those 35 other sequences is far more likely to appear; CGG is rarely used in the class of coronaviruses that can recombine with CoV-2.

Once more, the issue of the furin cleavage site (FCS) reappears.

In response to Quay and Muller, Dr. Andersen replied, The FCS itself is not an optimal site (for cleavage) and has never previously been used in CoV experiments to the best of my knowledge - unlike more optimal sites, which have been inserted into SARSr CoVs for basic research.

Is the FCS a smoking gun?

Dr. Andersen also takes up the comments of Dr. David Baltimore, a Nobel laureate and biologist who was widely cited by lab leak advocates when he called these genetic findings the smoking gun showing laboratory manipulation. He supplemented this assertion stating, these features make a powerful challenge to the idea of a natural origin for SARS-CoV-2.

But more recently, according to the Guardian, Dr. Baltimore has walked back his statement attempting to strike a more balanced position to protect his reputation. In an email exchange with the Los Angeles Times, he wrote, I should have softened the phrase smoking gun because I dont believe that it proves the origin of the furin cleavage site, but it does sound that way. I believe that the question of whether the sequence was put in naturally or by molecular manipulation is very hard to determine, but I wouldnt rule out either origin. With the journal Nature, he refined his position, There are other possibilities, and they need to [have] careful consideration, which is all I meant to be saying.

Placing these retractions in context, the Guardian wrote, Given his considerable reputation, Baltimores dramatic smoking gun quote in early may had driven a lot of the resurgence of interest in the Wuhan lab leak theory in tandem with renewed reporting of unverified intelligence claims that three staff at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized in November 2019 with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or seasonal flu.

Continuing with Dr. Andersens comments, which rebut Dr. Baltimores initial comment and elaborate, albeit in highly technical shorthand, why the hubbub over the furin cleavage sites is entirely misguided:

[However], the exact same FCS found in SARS-CoV-2 can be found in different viruses, including Feline coronavirus (FCoV), which is an alphacoronavirus. FCS isnt optimal and while its sufficient for SARS-CoV-2s success as a pandemic virus, its not an ideal site as defined by the canonical RXK/RR FCS seen in many proteins (viral and otherwise). Importantly, however, in recent month we have started seeing the CoVs [FCS] mutating towards residues creating more optimal furin sites - P681H and, especially, P681R, which can be found in B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.x, suggesting the virus may evolve towards more efficient usage of the site. So, Baltimores first pointthat the FCS found in SARS-CoV-2 is somehow unusualis simply incorrect. FCSs are found in a multitude of different coronaviruses, indels [ a molecular biology term for an insertion or deletion of these nucleotides in the genome ] come and go frequently, and the exact (P)RRAR can be found in other coronaviruses. Now, the codons. Here, Baltimore (and Quay/ Muller) is talking about the two codons coding for the first two arginines (R) following the P - CGG. The CGG codon is rare in viruses because its an example of an unmethylated CpG site that can be bound by TLR9, leading to immune cell activation. Despite being rare, however, CGG codons *are* found in all coronaviruses, albeit at low frequency. Specifically, of all arginine codons, CGG is used at these frequencies in these viruses: SARS: 5% SARS2: 3% SARSr: 2% ccCoVs: 4% HKU9: 7% FCoV: 2% Nothing unusual here. One final point about the CGG codons in the FCS - if they were somehow unnatural, wed see SARS-CoV-2 evolve away from CGG during the ongoing pandemic. We have more than a million genomes to analyze, so what do we find if we look at synonymous mutations at the CGG_CGG site? Remarkably stable. Specifically, CGG is 99.87% conserved in the first codon and 99.84% conserved in the second. This is *very* strong evidence that SARS-CoV-2 prefers CGG in these positions. So, Baltimores second point is also false, invalidating his hypothesis that the FCS ... with its arginine codons ... was the smoking gun for the origin of the virus. Baltimore does not provide any evidence to support his hypothesis and the data support a natural origin. Does this disprove a lab leak? No. However, it disproves there being a smoking gun in the FCS and lends further evidence to natural emergence - but it also does not *prove* that scenario. To this day, we have yet to see any scientific evidence supporting a lab leak. [Emphasis added]

In response to the WSWSs question regarding assertions made by scientists on the SARS-CoV-2s genetic stability in humans, Dr. Andersen explained, When it [SARS-CoV-2] spilled over, it is incorrect to say it was well adapted to humans. We know this because 1) The emergence of variants of concern and human adaptation that is ongoing, 2) the virus can jump between species with no evolutione.g., mink, and 3) Pangolin CoVs bind even stronger to human ACE2 receptors.

To be continued
The UK Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee surveyed subscribers to its newsletter on the impact of the Covid pandemic on schools. The committee gathered independent and first-hand accounts of the spread of the new Delta variant.

Every respondent explained that the pandemic is already rife in schools and that the removal of face masks has escalated the risks confronting staff. Many expressed anger and disgust at the lack of opposition by the unions throughout the pandemic and the risks staff and children face as a result.

The Delta variant which was first detected in the UK at the beginning of April is known to spread more rapidly and is more deadly than previous variants. Yet schools were told that from May 17 mask wearing would be dropped. Many other restrictions were lifted on the same day, including the opening of pubs and restaurants.

Schools have become a key vector for the virus once again.

Over 65,000 people have been infected over the past seven days, up by 31 percent on the previous week. Patient admissions have risen 39.6 percent over the past week. Just two weeks ago, Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted that a huge proportion of the latest cases are in children.

The latest Office for National Statistics data show the highest infection rates are in secondary schools. Pupils in years 7 to 11 had the highest rate of any age group, with one case in every 210 on June 2. Last Thursdays REACT-1 study from Imperial College London indicated that the prevalence of COVID-19 is highest among those aged five to 12, as well as younger adults aged 18 to 24.

Respondents to the Educators rank-and-file committee survey were from many parts of the UK.

Deborah from Tyneside explained the horrendous conditions that teachers have been forced to work in over the past year: I work in a small school, 130 students 11-16 year old moderate learning difficulties. Our first case was a positive parent [at the] end of October-child self-isolated as per regulations. In November our first staff member tested positive. Within 2 days we had 3 staff confirmed by end of the week 12 positive staff... the school closed to all for 2 weeks. In January I was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with Long Covid. I am still taking daily meds and not back to work full time and dont expect to be this academic year.

Since April this year there have been 9 families of students self-isolating and we have had 3 student lateral flow tests show positive. I can't use a mask full time now and my students are all exempt so very scary for me. I use a mask as much as possible and visor when not able.

Shelley from Northants said that since April there have been, Several outbreaks, bubbles closed, or not closed. There is a lack of safety and protection for educators: Staff are moved around which spreads Covid from bubble to bubble. I contracted Covid pneumonia from a HLTA [higher level teaching assistant].

Shelley opposed the removal of masks, saying, I think that they (the government) are disregarding danger to staff. The unions were Useless. They have no power and the government knows it.

Heather, a secondary teacher from Bolton, said of the recent outbreaks, All year groups are affected, all except Year 7 have been sent home as whole year group. Year 10 and 11 sent home most often, rarely been in school for more than a few weeks. Most staff have been infected at some point, including myself and I now have long Covid.

Government measures were wholly inadequate and the removal of masks are ridiculousespecially in areas of concern especially with Indian variant. The unions took up no defence of staff: They were ineffective and not willing to fight. I had to fight to keep my job with no practical support from union. I got a formal warning for having Long Covid.

Year seven pupils in class during their first day at Kingsdale Foundation School in London last September. Schools were told that from May 17 this year that mask wearing would be dropped. Thursday, September. 3, 2020 (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

A teacher from Newcastle wrote that Covid has had A massive impact on staff workload and wellbeing. My school is in a deprived area with large numbers of EAL [English as an additional language] families. Many had no access to devices or internet. We have had strict health and safety procedures to minimise the risk of outbreaks spreading in school but children and members of staff have still contracted Covid.

The school is in A large Victorian building which does not lend itself to social distancing and does not have enough toilet and hand washing facilities to avoid bubbles overlapping.

I contracted the virus and am now suffering Long Covid. I have been absent from work for a long period and this has increased my colleagues workload and meant the children in my class have not had consistency as different adults have been covering my absence.

Now, there is huge pressure on teachers to catch children up. This unhelpful rhetoric of lost learning and catch up should be stopped. Expectations need to be adjusted and the curriculum should have more flexibility to enable the children to move on from their current levels. They have suffered enough through lockdown and for the sake of their mental health should not be pressured to catch up.

The government has let schools and staff down. They have not provided guidance in a timely manner and ignored, or blatantly lied about the risk to teachers. There is not enough funding to ensure safety measures could be implemented properly. Not enough funding to allow small class sizes to enable teachers to tailor learning to individual needs.

Melissa, a science teacher from Wokingham, said in her school, There was a large outbreak amongst pupils and staff from November to December. Approximately 30 staff and at least 50 pupils that we know of. One staff member sadly passed away from Covid. There were no school closures in this time. Since April, [there were] literally hundreds [of pupils were] out at a time. Many pupils had to isolate multiple times. Some pupils were physically in school for less than half of the autumn term. Many staff had to isolate due to their own symptoms but were rarely ever advised to isolate due to cases in pupils.

I was identified as a vulnerable member of staff and I had to chase up my risk assessment. Then I was told 'the guidance has changed and we don't have to give you anything extra'.

We barely had enough hand sanitizer or wipes to clean things. Staff taught across all year groups. When a student was positive they only isolated the minimum amount of close contacts, not entire bubbles.

On the removal of masks, Melissa said, I think it was short sighted. Pupils were already coping well with masks just as the rest of society who wear them all day cope. Cases are beginning to rise and we are seeing pupils isolating again in rising numbers. This will only continue as school pupils aren't able to have vaccinations yet. I don't think the unions have been strong enough.

Phillip from High Wycombe commented, There have been 24 confirmed cases in my school in May 2021. I do not know what was been done about this, apart from sending those children home. I notified my union, the NASUWT [National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers], and they ignored me. They are pathetic!

Lindsay, a teaching assistant (TA) from Wigan said there Is constant stress and fear. TAs were taking the brunt as teachers taught from home while we supervised in person. Bubbles were ignored for convenience. There have been 6 confirmed positive cases in May this year and there are multiple children isolating.

She was scathing of the role of the unions: Disgusted and let down. They rolled over, played along with the government and took our fees anyway. When staff were begging for help, the NEU [National Education Union] was busy campaigning for nurses and hungry children instead, even asking members for money and ignoring their requests for action.

Elspeth, a teacher from Somerset said, All of Year 10 have had to isolate twice, as have 2 classes from Year 8 since May. Why children are not wearing masks at most schools currently, is beyond me. The unions, she said, were Non-existent, lots of hot air.

The education unions have been fully compliant with the herd immunity agenda of the Conservative government throughout the Covid pandemic. Refusing to mobilise their members in opposition to unsafe schools and to demand they are closed, under conditions of the massive surge of the Delta variant they have left staff and children totally unprotected.

The Educators Rank-and-file Safety Committee was set up in September 2020 to take forward the fight for a rational response to the pandemic based on science, including the closure of all educational settings and non-essential workplaces until the virus is properly suppressed, with tens of billions of pounds given over to resourcing remote learning.

We will be holding an online forum on Saturday July 10 to discuss the dangers confronting educators and the working class as a whole, fighting to build independent action committees in all schools and colleges. Please register here to participate.
A coronavirus outbreak in Sydney, Australias most populous city, is expanding rapidly with infections almost doubling today from eleven to twenty-one. The first cases were detected less than a week ago, last Wednesday.

The outbreak is the second time in less than a month that one of the countrys largest cities has registered cases of the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus that originated in India. Delta, which is up to twice as contagious as the original iteration of COVID, has laid waste to India, creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and is responsible for a surge of the pandemic internationally, including in Britain.

Late in May the Victorian state Labor government imposed a lockdown amid an outbreak of Kappa, another variant from India, and then Delta, centred in the city of Melbourne. Health authorities there warned that the virus was circulating at a faster rate than at any previous stage in Australia, with hundreds of exposure sites being identified and infections occurring through fleeting public contact.

As was the case in Melbourne, infection numbers remain low in Sydney, compared with the massive daily tolls still being recorded in many parts of the world. The outbreak, however, has the potential to grow exponentially, both as a result of the infectiousness of the strain involved, and the fact that virtually all safety restrictions, including on mass gatherings, were lifted long ago.

The Sydney cluster, moreover, has once again highlighted the inability of state and federal governments to devise controls to prevent the virus from leaking into the community. It occurs amid the continuing shambles of the countrys vaccine rollout, one of the slowest among advanced capitalist countries, and warnings of a significant shortage of inoculation supplies.

Technicians prepare Pfizer vaccines at the newly opened COVID-19 Vaccination Centre in Sydney, Australia, Monday, May 10, 2021. (James Gourley/Pool Photo via AP)

The first infections have been traced to a limousine driver, employed to drive international flight crews from Sydney airport to hotels where they must self-isolate. The worker was reportedly not vaccinated and may not have been provided with adequate personal protective equipment.

New South Wales (NSW) health authorities have publicly claimed that the only salivary test result they have for him, is the one in which he returned a positive sample. Under health guidelines, employees in the quarantine system are supposed to undergo the examination each day.

As has been the case in previous outbreaks, there has immediately been an attempt to scapegoat the driver. If he was not getting tested, however, it indicates systemic failings. Sydneys last major outbreak, in December, was also linked to a driver who transported people from the airport.

The pandemic has again highlighted the irrationality of Sydneys airport being located in a densely populated and central area of the city. This has been compounded by the decision of state and federal governments to continue quarantining international arrivals at inner-city private hotels, despite their lack of controls to prevent airborne transmission, and the fact that if there is a leak, chances are that it will spread rapidly.

The quarantine system, including transport to and from the airport, also continues to involve an opaque network of companies, provided with lucrative contracts from the state governments.

The Sydney cluster, like the Melbourne outbreak, has already seen instances of fleeting transmission. One woman apparently contracted the virus after walking past an infected individual in a shopping centre, another tested positive after being in a cafe for a short period of time when the infected person was also present.

While the outbreak was initially centred in the citys eastern suburbs, dozens of exposure sites have since been listed in suburbs across Sydney. They include busy public transport routes, large shopping centres, cafes and retail outlets in the city centre, the western suburbs and the inner west.

Despite the doubling of case numbers today, and the infectious nature of the variant involved, the NSW state Liberal government has rejected calls for the reintroduction of stringent safety measures. Instead, it has imposed a mask-mandate, requiring public transport commuters and retail shoppers to wear a face covering indoors. Premier Gladys Berejiklian today announced an extension of those policies by a week but downplayed the substantial growth of infections by claiming that only one case was not linked to known positives.

Throughout the pandemic, Berejiklian, together with the federal Liberal-National government, has led the charge against lockdown measures. In January, for instance, she declared that any attempts to eliminate community transmission of the virus were not realistic, for a trading nation, and insisted that it was necessary for ordinary people to live with the virus.

Because of her leading role in the subordination of public health to the profit interests of big business, the corporate press has been muted over the quarantine failures that have led to the current outbreak.

During the recent Melbourne outbreak and previous surges in Victoria, the same outlets have clamoured against that states Labor government. The disparity demonstrates that the corporate hacks are indifferent to public health. Instead they are hostile to the willingness of some state governments, under substantial public pressure, to adopt limited lockdown measures which could have an impact on business activities.

Health experts, however, have warned of the dangers. NSW Australian Medical Association President Danielle McMullen told Channel Nines Today show this morning: I dont think the vibe has changed in Sydney enough to reflect the serious outbreak situation that were in. I do think that people need to be more concerned than they seem to be at the moment.

The threat is heightened by the glacial pace of the vaccine rollout. Across the country, just 6.6 million of the 45 million doses required to inoculate the adult population have so far been administered. Only around three percent of the population has received their two required doses.

The rollout has encountered new problems, with health authorities last week recommending that AstraZeneca only be provided to those over the age of 60, up from 50, due to the possible dangers of a rare blood clotting complication.

This means that most of the population must be inoculated with an alternative vaccine. But state governments and health experts have warned over recent days of a major shortage of the Pfizer vaccine. Australian Medical Association Vice-President Chris Moy told the New Daily, There isnt any Pfizer. Those who are eligible and havent had their shots yet are going to have some delays obtaining them.

Federal authorities have simultaneously sought to downplay the shortages, while admitting that they may result in a further slowing of the vaccination campaign between now and August. As in the past, they have made hazy assertions that millions more doses of Pfizer will be forthcoming from abroad.

The crisis is a direct result of the federal governments procurement program. In December, when other countries had already initiated their vaccination campaigns, Australia was still finalising its negotiations with pharmaceutical companies. The government rejected expert calls for a diversified strategy, instead settling on a rollout based around AstraZeneca, the cheapest option.

The federal government called a meeting of the national cabinet, composed of its top ministers and the state and federal governments, yesterday. The transparent purpose was to dampen down conflicts between the state and federal authorities over supply, and to engage in public relations defence of the failed rollout.

Army Lieutenant General John Frewen, who has been placed in charge of the rollout, announced that there would be a review of its progress. He admitted that the government had not yet launched an advertising campaign aimed at ensuring maximum vaccination, because there was not enough supply to meet the demand that this would generate.

The elevation of Frewen is one expression of an ongoing promotion of the military in civilian affairs that has deepened during the pandemic. Frewen has no public health expertise or record. Instead, he has played a prominent role in Australias neo-colonial interventions in the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and elsewhere. He is currently principal deputy director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate, the countrys main electronic spying organisation.

No serious attempt has been made to explain why such an individual is playing a central role in the governments public health policymaking.
Storm Claudette regained its tropical storm status Monday morning as it neared the coast of the states of North and South Carolina after making its way through Alabama over the weekend. The storm left behind a trail of death and destruction leaving at least 13 dead, including numerous children. Claudette produced multiple tornadoes, flooding on the Gulf Coast, and is linked to a multi-vehicle wreck in Alabama which killed nine children and one adult.

Damage to a mobile home near East Brewton, Alabama, from a tornado produce by Tropical Storm Claudette on June 19, 2021 (Wikimedia Commons)

The 18-vehicle crash occurred on Interstate 65 around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in Butler County, located 57 miles south of Montgomery. Butler County coroner Wayne Garlock mentioned the location of the wreck is notorious for hydroplaningoccurring when the tires of a road vehicle, or any wheeled vehicle, experience a build-up of water between the wheels of the vehicle and the surface of the pavement, leading to a loss of traction that prevents the vehicle from responding appropriately to control inputs, most notably, brakes.

Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranches CEO Michael Smith told reporters one of their vans from the Girls Ranch was returning to the ranch near Camp Hill, located 63 miles northeast of Montgomery, after a week spent at the beach in Gulf Shores, southeast of Mobile. The ranch serves as a home for abused and neglected children across Alabama.

The van quickly caught fire after the wreck. A bystander immediately ran to the van, rescuing the ranch director and driver Candice Gulley, but the eight girls on board all died in the crash.

This is the worst tragedy Ive been a part of in my life, said Smith, adding that two of the children who perished in the accident were Gulleys own children. The crash also claimed the lives of two others 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.

Moreover, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were also killed Saturday when a tree, compromised by the storms high winds and heavy rain, fell on their house just outside of Tuscaloosa County.

Makayla Ross, a 23-year-old from Fort Payne, died Saturday after her car ran off the road into a rain-swollen creek containing more water than usual, flowing faster than normal. There were also search efforts in Pebble Creek for a man who is believed to have fallen into water during a flash flood in Birmingham.

The deaths occurred as heavy rain from the storm showered northern Alabama and Georgia late Saturday. According to local news reports, as much as 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain was reported earlier from Claudette along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Claudette battered many southeastern states: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle felt the storms fury when high winds tore roofs off houses, flipping an 18-wheeler and a mobile home. Flooding in Northport, Alabama, led to the rescue of more than 20 people. According to a National Hurricane Center (NHC) Sunday afternoon report, southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the western Florida panhandle experienced rainfall between five and 10 inches (12.7cm to 25.4cm), while isolated areas potentially saw 15 inches (38.1cm).

Myriad flash flood watches were posted Sunday for eastern Georgia, the North Carolina coast and southern South Carolina and its coast. According to forecasters, a tropical storm warning was in effect from Little River Inlet, South Carolina to the town of Duck, North Carolina, while a tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina to Little River Inlet.

Claudette was expected to move into the Atlantic Ocean later in the morning, then travel near or south of Nova Scotia. On Tuesday, however, upon reclamation of its status as a tropical storm, Claudette reached maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kmh), according to the NHC. According to forecasters, the storm was located 65 miles east-southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina (located 165.9 miles east of Charlotte) and moving east-northeast at 25 mph (15.5 kmh).

However, Claudette may be strengthened over the western Atlantic Ocean as early as Tuesday morning.
The rise of Stalinism in the USSR left the Soviet and international working class woefully ill prepared for the war. The disastrous policies of the Stalinized Communist International were critical in disarming the German working class in the face of the fascist threat, and enabled Hitler to come to power in 1933. In Spain, the Stalinists strangled the struggle of the proletariat, aiding the victory of Franco in the civil war.

Then, in the Great Terror of 19361938, Stalin murdered thousands of revolutionary socialists, including the entire leadership of the Red Army, which had been trained in the Russian Civil War by Leon Trotsky. In August 1939, Stalin, in the vain hope that he could thus guarantee peace with Nazi Germany, struck a pact with Hitler. The result was the Nazi invasion of Poland and beginning of World War II in September 1939.

Despite these crimes, the Soviet people rose up to defend the conquests of the October Revolution against the Nazi invaders. As Leon Trotsky had predicted in 1934, should the Russian Revolution  be forced to direct its stream into the channel of war, it will unleash a terrific and overwhelming force. In his last major work before his assassination by a Stalinist agent in 1940, In Defense of Marxism, Trotsky stressed that the Soviet Union remained a workers state, albeit a degenerated one, and had to be defended by the international proletariat against imperialism. However, the only way to truly defend the conquests of the October Revolution was through the overthrow of the bureaucracy in a political revolution by the Soviet working class, and the extension of the socialist revolution to the advanced imperialist countries.

The heroic struggle of the Red Army and the Soviet people was the decisive force in the defeat of Nazi Germany and helped inspire a wave of revolutionary struggles across Nazi-occupied Europe from 1943 onwards. It was only their betrayal at the hands of Stalinism that made possible the restabilization of capitalism after the fall of fascism and the end of the war.
(CNN) -- A massive storm and at least one tornado ripped through Chicago suburbs late Sunday, injuring 11 people and damaging hundreds of homes.

The line of severe storms will continue to track east Monday, with the strongest storms expected in late afternoon and evening from southern Ohio and West Virginia to Maine. The slight risk of severe storms in this area extends east to Washington, DC, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

In Naperville, some 30 miles west of Chicago, eight people were taken to hospitals with injuries -- five by ambulance and three in private vehicles, Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis said at an afternoon news conference.

As of Monday afternoon, the most seriously injured person had been upgraded from critical to fair condition, he said.

"It looks like everybody that was involved, who was injured in this accident, is going to survive," he said.

The storm damaged about 130 homes and left 22 of them uninhabitable, Puknaitis said.

Fire crews found one home leveled and a couple of other houses with severe damage, the chief said earlier in the day.

"There were people that were trapped in the house that was really leveled by the wind damage," Puknaitis said.

Eric Lenning, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Chicago, said he's "absolutely" certain a tornado struck Naperville, but he and others will have to survey all the damage before deciding how to designate the tornado's strength on the 1-through-5 EF scale.

"There's a lot of EF1 damage," he said at the afternoon briefing. "The damage to homes gets into the EF2 range."

City authorities said many citizens apparently reacted to tornado sirens and cell phone notifications and found shelter before the worst of the storm struck.

Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger said about 1,000 customers lost power. Power has been restored to all but about 300 customers and he hoped they'd have power before the end of the day.

"It all happened so fast, I can't even tell you," Naperville resident Dennis Wenzel said. "I just heard the loudest roar of wind come in and the house, the pressure, just kind of like moved the windows and everything."

In Woodridge, about six miles to the west, about 100 home were severely damaged after a tornado touched down, city police said in a news release posted on Twitter.

Lisle-Woodridge Fire Chief Keith Krestan said three people were taken to hospitals, but their injuries were unknown.

Woodridge Police Chief Brian Cunningham said the city received more than 200 calls for help, as the tornado, about three blocks wide, touched down around 11:10 p.m. and traveled approximately 3 miles from west to east.

"During that path, there was a lot of destruction, mostly of homes and some multifamily dwellings," Cunningham said.

Cunningham said around 6,500 people were impacted by power outages and around 2,500 remained without power.

More than 150,000 customers are without power after storms swept across the Midwest, according to PowerOutage.US. Michigan alone had more than 90,000 customers without power on Monday afternoon.

At least one tornado hit, weather service says

The Sunday night storm could end up being "the first strong tornado (EF-2+) in the metro counties since 2015," the National Weather Service in Chicago tweeted.

"We have enough evidence on radar, damage reports, and storm spotter reports to say we've had a tornado in at least part of that area if not all those communities," NWS Chicago said.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning around 11:43 p.m. ET, shortly before the storms passed through the Naperville area.

Correction: This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Chief Krestan's last name.

The-CNN-Wire

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VERMILLION COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - A man was sent to the hospital for a medical and mental evaluation following a chase and standoff that ended in Vermillion County.

Police said it all started when a man they identified as James Couch, from Arkansas, threatened employees at a gas station in Ridge Farm, Illinois. That's in Vermilion County (Illinois), just north of Chrisman.

He reportedly crossed the state line and went north on State Road 63.

Police said they used stop sticks near County Road 900 south. Couch came to an eventual stop on State Road 63 just south of Highway 36.

He allegedly refused to come out of his car and ignored several verbal commands.

Because his windows were blacked out, the Vermillion County Sheriff's Office called the Terre Haute Police Department Special Response Team to assist.

According to police, following a short standoff and a physical altercation, officers were able to take Couch into custody.

He was taken to the hospital for a medical and mental evaluation.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Area officials are monitoring population migration from West Central Indiana.

The Indiana Chamber held its Terre Haute Regional Forum on Tuesday. The metrics they are tracking include population and the workforce.

The Terre Haute Chamber says plans are already underway to make the area a good place to live and work.

State Senator Jon Ford spoke at the event. He pointed out a need to keep talent that local universities attract.

"People are our number one commodity. We need to continue to work on the attraction and retention of our talent," Ford said.

State Representative Tonya Pfaff echoed the importance of education.

"The kids just don't know what's available. So, if we could boost up our internship program," Pfaff said. "To me, the key to economic development is all about education."
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Amazon is in the middle of its big Prime Day sale. Meanwhile, scammers are posing as Amazon workers to steal your information.

News 10 spoke with the leader of the Better Business Bureau in Central Indiana, Tim Maniscalo. The president and CEO says a lot of people are reporting this scam. A News 10 producer says he got 21 phony amazon calls in the span of six hours.

Here's how the scam works. You'll get a call from someone claiming to be from Amazon. It may be a recorded message. In the News 10 producer's case, the scam artist told him there was a fraudulent purchase on his account: a $700 television. The scammer then asks for your login details or credit card information.

Maniscalo says, "They're just trying to get your information on Amazon so they can go in and make purchases themselves so just be wary of something like this. If Amazon does call you and there's actually a problem with your account, you know, they're not going to need your login information. They're not going to need to know other information about that. They're going to be there to try to actually fix whatever problem there is.

If you get a call like this, don't answer. If you do answer, hang up and do not give out any personal information. The BBB also warns against calling numbers these scammers give you or pressing any button they claim will remove your number from their list.

Call the company using the number on its website if there is a legitimate issue with you account.

Click here to report scams to the Better Business Bureau.
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - The executive director of Access Family Health Services, Marilyn Sumerford, said shes seen a major decline in vaccine interest and contributed that to a new lack of concern about the coronavirus and its effects.

Mississippi's vaccination rate is only around 28%. Data from the Mississippi State Department of Health shows that most people in the state got their vaccines in February, and numbers have declined since then.

A dose of the Moderna vaccine at the Access Family Health Services clinic in Tupelo. A dose of the Moderna vaccine at the Access Family Health Services clinic in Tupelo.

Sumerford said she saw how vaccination rates declined firsthand. She said very few people have attended the clinics recent vaccination events.

We were seeing upwards toward 200 people and then now, it seems like most of the events, if you can get 50 people thats a fairly large event," said Sumerford. "I think the largest one lately has been around 90 people and then as low as five people.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will visit vaccine sites in Jackson tomorrow to encourage more Mississippians to get the vaccine.

Sumerford said she has an idea as to why vaccine interest is low right now.

I think a lot of it is the initial fear around COVID is gone, and they dont see the need to be vaccinated," said Sumerford.

Sumerford said clinic staff will continue to host vaccine events and hopes participation will pick back up. The next one will be in West Point on Thursday at the Northside Christian Church. That clinic will be from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - Case files for the 1964 murders of civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner are open to researchers at the state archives.

According to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the case files, photographs and other records document the infamous murders.

(L-R): Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, Michael Schwerner | Credit: FBI File Photo | (L-R): Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, Michael Schwerner | Credit: FBI File Photo | Image Source

The three civil rights activists were abducted and killed on June 21, 1964, and buried in an earthen dam.

The 1988 film Mississippi Burning is loosely based on the murders and subsequent investigation.

Open this link to learn more about the archive.
WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) - West Point police continue to investigate a shooting that happened Sunday evening at the Timberlane Apartments.

According to the West Point Police Department, someone shot a Black male who was later discharged from the hospital in Tupelo.

Investigators did identify persons of interest. As of Monday evening, investigators charged no one.

Anyone with information is asked to call the West Point Police Department at 662-494-1244 or the Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted using the P3 Tips app.
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Morgantown, WV (26505)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 57F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
The Samsung Galaxy series has long offered some of the best phones out there. Samsung has really pulled out all the stops recently too  the Galaxy S21 offers a premium, smooth experience, for a lower entry-level price than the Galaxy S20, and with much better performance.

For Prime Day 2021, Samsung is offering the Galaxy S21, and some of its other phones, at an even lower price than normal. These phones are among the best in their price range  and if youre looking for a solid phone for the price, then its well worth considering them.

Youll find a quick rundown below of the Samsung phone deals available for Prime Day, or you can shop the entire sale right here on Amazons site.

Samsung Galaxy S21

Samsung revamped the Galaxy S series for the Galaxy S21. The device offers an all-new design with a camera module that kind of melts into the frame of the phone, and it looks awesome.

Of course, the phone offers much more than just a great design. Under the hood, the device offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, coupled with 8GB of RAM. In other words, the phone will be able to handle pretty much anything you can throw at it. On the back, theres a triple camera system, while the battery sits in at 4,000mAh.

Perhaps one of the best things about the Galaxy S21 is its display. The phone may only have a 1,080p resolution, but with the 120Hz refresh rate, youll get a silky smooth display experience.

Interested in getting a serious step up from the standard Galaxy S21? The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the phone to buy. The device keeps the same performance as the standard Galaxy S21, but increases the display resolution and size, has a quad-camera system, and has a glass back instead of a plastic one.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

If you want to save your cash a little, then the Galaxy S20 FE is an excellent option. The device offers 2020 flagship specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor coupled with 8GB of RAM and at least 128GB of storage. Youll still get the 120Hz refresh rate, and the triple camera system, and while it doesnt quite perform as well as the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S20 FE worth considering.

Story continues

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

Next up is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, which is the best way to get the big-screen Samsung experience. The device offers flagship performance, with its Snapdragon 865 processor, 128GB of storage, and a hefty 6.7-inch display. The device also comes with Samsungs much-loved S-Pen, which can seriously come in handy for productivity.

Samsung Galaxy A71 5G

If you really want to save your cash, then the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G is probably worth considering. The device isnt quite the flagship experience as some of the other phones on this list, but it can still handle most things you can throw at it. The Galaxy A71 5G has a nice, big 6.7-inch display, with a quad-camera system, and a 4,500mAh battery. The device also supports 5G connectivity, so you can take advantage of next-gen wireless networks.

Today's Top Deals

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Former President Barack Obama has expressed support for a compromise plan proposed by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., as an alternative to the landmark election reform bill set for a key vote in the Senate Tuesday, including some changes other Democrats on Capitol Hill have opposed.

"The bill itself, which is called the For the People Act, is a product of compromise, an effort by maybe the most conservative Democrat in the Senate or maybe the most conservative Democrat in Congress, Joe Manchin of West Virginia to come up with some common-sense reforms that the majority of Americans agree with, that Democrats and Republicans can agree with," Obama said on a phone call with National Democratic Redistricting Committee volunteers Monday, giving a seal of approval to Manchin's efforts to find a middle ground.

"The bill thats going to be debated, including Senator Manchins changes, would address ... many of the concerns and issues that Ive just discussed," Obama said.

PHOTO: Michael Strahan interviews Former President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, June 3, 2021. (Jeff Neira/ABC)

Ticking off the provisions in the For the People Act he approves of, Obama said, "It would mandate at least 15 days of early voting before elections. It would ban partisan gerrymandering so state legislatures controlled by one party cant redraw the electoral map in a way that gives them an advantage. It would restore some of the protections in the Voting Rights Act to prevent states from making it harder for some people to vote. And it would also require powerful special interest groups to disclose their election-related spending.

"All these provisions are supported by the overwhelming majority of the American people. None of them should be particularly controversial," Obama added.

MORE: Senate set to take showdown vote in bitter battle over voting rights

But Obama also took a moment to acknowledge the bill is not perfect.

Some Democrats have spoken out against Manchin's changes, including a voter ID requirement and allowing modified voter roll purges.

Story continues

"Ill be honest, the bill doesnt have everything Id like to see in a voting rights bill. It doesnt address every problem, and I want to also be clear, Republicans in Congress, in the Senate have every right to offer their own proposals for making sure that our voting system is fair and secure and inclusive, and for making sure that on a bipartisan basis, we can give all Americans confidence that the election process is run the way its supposed to run," Obama continued on the call.

PHOTO: Sen. Joe Manchin walks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 27, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Stacey Abrams also announced her support for Manchin's plan, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is using as another reason Republicans should oppose the bill.

MORE: Biden faces down McConnell in clash on voting rights: The Note

Obama noted he has tried to stay out of the everyday machinations on Capitol Hill, but this time around, he felt it important to speak up.

"And since I left office, Ive tried to make it a policy not to weigh in on the day-to-day scrum in Washington, but whats happening this week is more than just a particular bill coming up or not coming up to a vote," he said.

Later Tuesday, Senate Democrats are expected try to pass a voting-rights overhaul that President Joe Biden has identified as critical to his agenda. With only 49 Democrats and not a single Republican expected to support the For the People Act, a version of which has already passed the House, the bill is all but dead.

Former President Obama expresses support for Manchin's voting rights compromise originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Good morning and welcome to 10 Things in Politics. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

I'm the Insider politics reporter Oma Seddiq, filling in for Brent Griffiths. Send me tips at oseddiq@insider.com or @omaseddiq.

Here's what we're talking about today:

One thing to look out for today: It's New York's primary election - and that includes the race to replace Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City.

With Jordan Erb.

Fox News

1. IT'S OVER BETWEEN MATT GAETZ AND FOX NEWS: A breakup is never easy - especially when it's between a congressman and a cable-news network.

Rep. Matt Gaetz hasn't appeared on Fox News in nearly three months. The Florida Republican had been a regular until then, but one of his former staffers told Insider he'd since been "excommunicated within the Fox News circles."

Gaetz last hit Fox's airwaves on March 30, the same day The New York Times broke the news that he was under investigation over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and violated federal sex-trafficking laws.

The interview turned disastrous when Gaetz flipped the script and brought up a decades-old sexual-misconduct allegation made against the host Tucker Carlson, which Carlson said was "not true." Watch Carlson's reaction here.

A "pissed" Carlson later described the interview as "one of the weirdest" he'd ever conducted. One Republican close to Fox News' operations said the host would probably never book Gaetz on his show again: "What Matt did to Tucker, he might as well have hooked up with his wife. That was horrible."

Before the fallout, Gaetz appeared on Fox News over a dozen times in March.

Read more about the end of Gaetz's love affair with Fox News.

2. NYT outs Carlson as popular anonymous source: Speaking of Fox News and Tucker Carlson, The New York Times' media columnist, Ben Smith, wrote over the weekend that Carlson was a frequent anonymous source for news outlets.

Story continues

Carlson recently described journalists as "cringing animals who are not worthy of respect." Yet Smith wrote the Fox News host was well-connected with reporters and provided them with information and gossip for their stories.

Several journalists who don't work at The Times said Carlson had relayed unflattering information about Donald Trump, as well as details about the internal politics at Fox News. More on that here.

3. That time Jared Kushner was said to lash out over masks: A forthcoming book by two Washington Post reporters provides an inside look at the Trump administration's bungled pandemic response. One explosive episode: In late March 2020, Trump's senior advisor and son-in-law, Kushner, reportedly lashed out at a health official once he learned about the long wait for mask shipments:

"You f---ing moron," Kushner reportedly told Robert Kadlec, then an assistant secretary of health and human services, who had purchased 600 million masks as coronavirus infections rose across the country. "We'll all be dead by June."

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

4. A major win for college athletes: The Supreme Court on Monday unanimously ruled that the NCAA could not limit education-related compensation for student athletes, potentially opening the door for more antitrust lawsuits.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh ripped the organization in a concurring opinion, saying the organization was "not above the law." He also wrote: "Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate."

5. Despite an ethics investigation, Rep. Tom Malinowski keeps trading stocks: Malinowski, a Democrat from New Jersey, is under investigation for failing to properly disclose dozens of stock trades during 2019 and 2020. This hasn't stopped him from trading - in April, he purchased up to $50,000 worth of shares in Peloton.

Malinowski isn't the only one making big purchases (or sales): Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has bought some stocks that contradict her political positions; she told Insider a financial advisor chose the companies. Here's what other lawmakers are buying and selling.



6. Iran's next president could cause problems for Biden: Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi won't be inaugurated until August, but he's already rejected the notion of meeting with President Joe Biden. He also said he wouldn't negotiate over the country's ballistic-missile program or relinquish support for regional militias that have fomented attacks against US and Israeli troops, per the Associated Press.

The candidates for Manhattan district attorney posing for portraits in New York City. Top row, from left, Tahanie Aboushi, Diana Florence, and Dan Quart. Middle row, from left, Alvin Bragg, Lucy Lang, and Tali Farhadian Weinstein. Bottom row, from left, Liz Crotty, Eliza Orlins, and Thomas Kenniff. Pictures taken April 13 to April 15. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

7. The candidates vying to take over the Trump investigation: Manhattanites will vote today in the primary for the next Manhattan district attorney - and the winner will almost certainly oversee the criminal investigation into the Trump Organization.

All candidates told Insider how they'd handle the investigation into the Trump Organization's and Donald Trump's finances.

Some criticized opponents over perceived conflicts of interest, but all vowed to protect New Yorkers, keeping in mind the violence at the US Capitol on January 6.

Here's how they say they'd handle the case.

8. Rep. Liz Cheney is surrounded by a security detail after death threats: The threats, which followed Cheney's vote to impeach Trump, led her campaign to spend $58,000 on security, according to a report by The New York Times.

Her father, Dick Cheney, had warned her: The Times also reports that the former VP called her on January 6, after Trump directly targeted her in a speech and vowed to get rid of "the Liz Cheneys of the world." Moments after the call, rioters breached the Capitol.

9. Behold, the seven most affordable US cities to live in now: Americans embarked on a major migration over the past year. And so, the ranking and reviews website Niche ranked the most affordable places to live in America, based on access to affordable housing, government data, median tax rates, and more. The findings:

Secretary Pete's hometown of South Bend, Indiana, made the cut.

So did Brownsville, Texas - close to where SpaceX plans to set up launch facilities.

Check out the full list of affordable cities here.

@writetravel/TikTok; @kjandsarah/TikTok

10. National parks are seeing Disneyland-like crowds: Places like Arches National Park in Utah are on track to have their busiest year yet - and might have to close their gates if crowds don't subside.

Memorial Day weekend signaled an influx of tourists: Yellowstone National Park saw a 50% increase in cars compared with 2019, and Zion National Park had a four-hour wait time for hikes.

See the massive crowds for yourself.

Today's trivia question: Judy Garland died on this day in 1969. During her life, which president did she sing to over the phone? Email your answer and suggested question to oseddiq@insider.com.

Thursday's answer: The first roller coaster opened on June 16, 1884, at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.

Read the original article on Business Insider
VILNIUS (Reuters) -Lithuania will donate 20,000 doses of AstraZeneca Plc COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan, its government said on Tuesday, after angering China in March by saying it would open a trade representative office on the island this year.

China considers Taiwan its own territory.

The vaccines were donated after a June 15 request for help from Taipei's mission in neighbouring Latvia, the Lithuanian health ministry said in a submission to the government. They will be transferred by the end of September.

"We'd like to do more, but we do what we can," Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said during a government meeting that was broadcast in Lithuania.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's spokesman Xavier Chang office hailed the donation, adding: "This friendship from the Baltic Sea is precious."

Taiwan had given Lithuania 100,000 medical-grade face masks last year when the coronavirus pandemic was spreading around the world, he said.

Taiwan is trying to speed up a vaccination programme that has been hobbled by supply delays.

It got a major boost this month when Japan donated 1.24 million AstraZeneca shots, followed on Sunday by 2.5 million Moderna Inc doses from the United States.

Infection numbers are now falling on the island after a rise since last month.

Lithuania's government said last month it would also donate 100,000 vaccine doses to Ukraine, 15,000 to Georgia and 11,000 to Moldova.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Alex Richardson and Catherine Evans)
Jun. 22COLUMBUS  Ohio businesses on Tuesday condemned a House bill that would prohibit them from mandating that their workers get vaccinated as a condition of employment or even to ask about a worker's status.

Ross McGregor, a Republican former state representative and owner of Springfield-based Pentaflex, opposed House Bill 248 on behalf of the Ohio Manufacturers Association. He argued that Ohio's lagging coronavirus vaccination rate is slowing the state's economic recovery.

In reaction, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Gross (R., West Chester) asked, "Do you believe, sir, that your freedom to determine (a vaccination mandate) in your company is greater than the freedom for the citizens who are working inside your factory?

"This isn't a helmet," she said. "This isn't steel-toed shoes. This isn't (personal protection equipment). This is a medical treatment, which would then make you a physician making a determination."

Mr. McGregor presented it as a matter of choice.

"I am employer," he said. "I offer employment. I do not mandate employment...It's up to an individual to decide whether to accept my offer of employment. If as a condition of employment, I require them to be vaccinated, they can make the choice whether they wish to work for me or not."

Rep. Beth Liston, a physician from Dublin and an opponent of the bill, noted, "This bill prohibits you from even asking."

The bill has drawn criticism from the medical community and made Ohio a laughing stock among late-night comics after a doctor and nurse from the Cleveland suburbs testified in committee that the vaccine can magnetize patients, allowing metal objects like keys to stick to the body

The suggestion that the coronavirus vaccine contains metals, leading to magnetization, has been debunked, but the myth has gained traction on social media, fueling the backlash against this and other vaccines.

Story continues

The would-be "Vaccine Choice and Anti-Discrimination Act" would ban government, businesses, schools, and other entities from requiring proof of vaccination for employment, denying service based on vaccination, or otherwise treating the unvaccinated differently, such as requiring face masks.

It would treat an individual's vaccination status as confidential medical information, prohibit the creation of vaccination tracking systems or "passports," and empower individuals to sue over alleged violations.

The bill would also require schools and child-care centers to inform parents in writing of existing exemptions in state law for opting out of vaccinationsmedical and religious concerns. The bill would add "reasons of conscience" to that.

"Children may have mandated vaccination (in) K-12," Ms. Gross said. "It does not change that law...A school shall honor the exemptions under this division, which is not happening...That is informed consent."

She said the media and opponents have mischaracterized the bill's effects.

While Ohio does not mandate vaccinations, it has offered incentives, including five weekly, federally funded drawings of $1 million and college scholarships. Such incentives for the vaccinated only would be prohibited under the bill.

Despite this, only about 47 percent of all Ohioans have gotten at least one shot of the vaccine.

"Not every employer  in fact, a very small minority of employers  have or likely ever would require employees to receive a vaccine, a vaccine of any sort, as a condition of employment," said Keith Lake, of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

"However, I can assure you that when they do, it is not done arbitrarily," he said. "It is not a decision an employer enters entered into lightly, as there are a variety of legal factors employers must consider in the context of making workplace vaccinations mandatory "

Gov. Mike DeWine opposes the measure. It was not brought to a vote Tuesday.

Rep. Scott Lipps (R., Franklin), House Health Committee chairman, said more changes are coming with time drawing short before lawmakers are expected to recess for the summer.

"This has been a challenging bill, and it's put us all in a stressful situation," he said.
Jun. 21FORT PIERRE  Colome's Linkyn Petersek captured all-around cowboy honors at the South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals on June 15-19.

Petersek finished first in steer wrestling, tie-down roping and took third in reined cow horse. As a result of finishing top-four in each event, he will compete in the National High School Finals Rodeo on July 18-24 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Colome's Saydee Heath qualified for nationals in the breakaway roping with a first-place finish at state. In the bull riding, Letcher's Mason Moody and Colome's Riley Shippy placed first and second, respectively. Salem's Michaela McCormick secured a spot in the goat tying with a fourth-place finish. Winner's Garret Phillips was named the rookie cowboy recipient. Sturgis' Landry Haugen was the all-around cowgirl and Wall's Piper Cordes was the rookie cowgirl recipient. Sturgis earned the team trophy, while Rosebud's Tashina Red Hawk was the rodeo queen.

The complete list of national qualifiers in each event includes: bareback riding: Kashton Ford (Sturgis), Cooper Filipek (Rapid City), Devon Moore (Brandt) and Reece Reder (Fruitdale); barrel racing: Landry Haugen (Sturgis), Piper Cordes (Wall), Layni Stevens (St. Lawrence) and Jaycie West (New Underwood); breakaway roping: Saydee Heath (Colome), Chloe Herren (Crooks), Sierra Hilgenkamp (Wall) and T. Merrill (Wall); bull riding: Mason Moody (Letcher), Riley Shippy (Colome), Thayne Elshere (Hereford) and Jestyn Woodward (Custer); boys cutting: Carter Fortune (Quinn), Trey Fuller (Faith), Caden Stoddard (Norris) and Jace Ullerich (Humboldt); goat tying: Layni Stevens (St. Lawrence), Acelyn Brink (Newell), Patricia Lammers (Orient) and Michaela McCormick (Salem); girls cutting: Elizabeth Haiar (Rapid City), Landry Haugen (Sturgis), Kimberly Johnson (Mud Butte) and Sophia Meyer (Rapid City); pole bending: Landry Haugen (Sturgis), Kellyn Shearer (Wall), Patricia Lammers (Orient) and Layni Stevens (St. Lawrence); reined cow horse: Cadell Brunsch (Pine Ridge), Jackson Grimes (Kadoka), Linkyn Petersek (Colome) and Landry Haugen (Sturgis); saddle bronc: Talon Elshere (Hereford), Ridge Ward (Martin), Traylin Martin (Faith) and Tayson Jones (Howes); steer wrestling: Linkyn Petersek (Colome), Grey Gilbert (Buffalo), Denton Good (Long Valley) and Dawson Kautzman (Capitol, Montana); team roping: Tegan Fite (Hermosa)/Rio Nutter (Rapid City); Bodey Waln (Martin)/Tracer Olson (White River), T. Merrill (Wall)/Cade Hammerstrom (New Underwood), Lan Fuhrer (Belle Fourche)/Rance Bowden (Belle Fourche); tiedown: Linkyn Petersek (Colome), Denton Good (Long Valley), Dawson Kautzman (Capitol, Montana) and Tegan Fite (Hermosa)
Photo credit: Tade ME

Even before Covid hit, houseplants had become treasured items in millennial homes for sure, but also everyone else'shave you seen the houseplants-are-the-new-kids memes lately? But nothing illustrates that point better than this odd bit of news out of New Zealand: An unidentified flora lover shelled out almost $20,0000 USD for a rare version of a Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma plant. According to a report by CNN, the nine-leafed plant went up for sale on a New Zealand online auction platform known as Trade Me. After more than a week and 248 people bids, the white-variegated greenery went on to be sold for $19,200 USD.

"After a heated bidding war in the auction's final minutes, the rare plant had over 102,000 views and more than 1,600 watch lists, which just goes to show how much Kiwis adore houseplants," Trade Me spokesperson Millie Silvester told CNN. She added that it was the site's "most expensive houseplant ever sold."

While most of the auction page's commenters expressed a mix of disappointment that they couldn't afford the outrageous price tag and happiness to see the plant go to a loving home, others were skeptical about the seller's intentions to make a worthy donation to charity. But that outcome seems likely, as they have donated profits from the sale of a rare variegated monstera plant in the past.

While we're all still scratching our heads as to the significance of this particular plant, no one can deny that the record-breaking bid showcases the rising status of houseplants in the hierarchy of coveted possessions. We won't be surprised if more stories like this pop up in the very near future.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram .

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Timothy A Clary/Getty

New York has not seen a Democratic primary for mayor this volatile and wide open in decades and, if the polls hold, the citys next mayor could well be a former cop and Republican whos poised to push back against the rising left and whos dabbled in racial demagoguery in the races closing days.

Eight years ago, Bill de Blasio emerged from a crowded field to lock down the race with weeks to go, dominating his opponents in the polls during the campaigns final days. Once a long-shot, he had become a front-runner and did not disappoint his supporters on election night.

This time around, no Democrat has approached de Blasios level of support as four candidates jostle for first place on Tuesday. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the ex-cop, has been the front-runner for the last month, but he has never opened up the kind of enormous lead that puts a race to rest. Kathryn Garcia, de Blasios former Sanitation commissioner, and Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate, are never too far off. Maya Wiley, formerly de Blasios former counsel and a well-known MSNBC pundit, is hoping Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs late-arriving endorsement can put her over the top.

Eric Adams Wears a Gun, Brandishes Dead Rats, and Maybe Lives in Jersey. He Could be NYCs Next Mayor.

Though the city is still emerging from a once-in-a-century pandemic, the issues of crime and quality-of-life have dominated headlines, as candidates promise to return the city to the levels of shootings and murders seen before the radical spike in 2020. Adams, Yang, and Garcia have all explicitly rejected the defund the police movement, while Wiley, the most progressive of the four, has danced around the issue, promising a $1 billion cut to the NYPD while otherwise avoiding it when possible.

The primary was not always down to these four: at one time, Scott Stringer, the city comptroller, was one of the front-runners, and had won a wide array of endorsements from left-leaning politicians and organizations. An unsubstantiated sexual assault allegation damaged his campaign and caused most of his endorsers to leave him. Many flocked to Wiley, but a few went to Adams and Garcia. On Tuesday, Stringers campaign will probably end with a whimper.

Story continues

The great unpredictable variable is ranked-choice voting. This is the first time the system, which allows voters to choose up to five candidates, will be used for a New York City mayoral race. Adams, who has a history of making incendiary statements and engaging in questionable conduct, has attacked Yang and Garcia for campaigning togethera common form of alliance-building under RCVand claimed they both are engaging in voter suppression and trying to stop a person of color from winning. Yang is Asian American and Adams would be New Yorks second Black mayor. No votes are being suppressed.

For months, it was Yang who loomed over the race as the celebrity outsider, but he has not been a poll-leader in many weeks now. It is Adams, a former state senator and police captain, who is ahead, and hoping to build a winning coalition of working-class Black and Latino voters, as well as more conservative whites beyond Manhattan. Adams, backed by many labor unions, wealthy real estate developers, and Democratic machines that are weakened from their 20th century heyday, promises a return to an older order: pro-real estate, pro-police, and fundamentally moderate in political orientation.

For a city that, until recently, had become known for its ascendant leftthe rise of DSA, the big wins of AOC and Jamaal BowmanMayor Adams would be a remarkable counterforce. Adams has railed against the kind of newer residents who are powering these movements, once telling a crowd that so-called gentrifiers should go back to Iowa. Though Adams has invoked David Dinkins, the citys first Black mayor, he is not as courtly or as accommodating to progressives. In his willingness to dig deep in political fights and lambaste rivalsjust yesterday, he called Yang a fraud and a liarAdams calls to mind the bulldog mayoralty of Rudy Giuliani. During Giulianis reign, Adams himself was a registered Republican, and even tried to pull Black voters toward the GOP.

If Adams holds a large enough lead on election night, he will be the next mayor of New York City. But if any of his rivals are only a few points behind, the RCV tabulation could produce another winner. Second, third, fourth, and even fifth place votes matter, and Garcia is hoping that her less polarizing technocratic brand can vault her ahead of both Adams and Yang, who have endured far more media scrutiny. Wiley too is looking for that kind of comeback, knitting together a version of the coalition that sent her old boss, de Blasio, to City Hall in 2013.

Much will be at stake on Tuesday. The citys economic recovery is fragile, murders and shootings remain high, and inequality persists. The next mayor will lead a post-pandemic city unlike the glittering vessel that came before it. Leadership, both symbolic and literal, is desperately needed. New York cannot afford to tell anyone to go back to Iowa.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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UEFAs decision to decline a request to illuminate Munichs Allianz Arena in rainbow colours for the Euro 2020 match between Germany and Hungary has been described as shameful by the citys mayor.

Dieter Reiter had made the request in response to laws passed in Hungary, which ban the display and promotion of homosexuality to under-18s in the country.

UEFA declined it, and instead proposed alternative dates when the stadium could be illuminated.

Reiter criticised that decision, and also Germanys football federation the DFB, and said city officials would now decide whether to illuminate other landmarks instead, including a wind turbine adjacent to the arena.

I find it shameful that UEFA forbids us to send a message here in Munich for openness, tolerance, respect and solidarity with the LGBTQI + community, he said in a statement.

I am also very disappointed that the DFB (the German football federation), despite the unbelievably clear positioning here in Munich, in Bavaria and also in Germany, has not achieved or wanted to achieve anything.

The alternative suggestion of illuminating the Allianz Arena on another day contradicts any message that is supposed to emanate from rainbow lighting.

Tomorrow, as the city of Munich, we will still send a clear sign of our solidarity and our respect for sexual equality to Hungary and the world.

Germany take on Hungary in the final Group F match on Wednesday evening (Matthias Hangst/AP)

We will not only fly rainbow flags at Munich town hall  I assume that the city council will decide this tomorrow with a large majority  but also make the wind turbine adjacent to the arena shine brightly and also the Munich Olympic Tower.

Because we are concerned with a signal for a non-negotiable basic right for all people: equality and tolerance.

Germany boss Joachim Low and defender Mats Hummels both said they would have been keen to see the stadium lit up.

For me personally I would have enjoyed it, without causing any trouble, Im a friend, Im a supporter of messages like this to the world, full stop, said Hummels.

Story continues

Low added at the pre-match press conference: I would have been happy if the stadium would have been illuminated in the rainbow colours.

Earlier, UEFA had released a statement which read: Racism, homophobia, sexism, and all forms of discrimination are a stain on our societies  and represent one of the biggest problems faced by the game today.

Discriminatory behaviour has marred both matches themselves and, outside the stadiums, the online discourse around the sport we love.

However UEFA, through its statutes, is a politically and religiously neutral organisation. Given the political context of this specific request  a message aiming at a decision taken by the Hungarian national parliament  UEFA must decline this request.

Germanys goalkeeper Manuel Neuer wore a rainbow armband in Saturdays match against Portugal (Philipp Guelland/AP)

UEFA proposed the Allianz Arena be lit up in rainbow colours on either June 28  the Christopher Street Liberation Day  or between July 3 and 9 which is the Christopher Street Day week in Munich.

The decision on stadium illumination follows an announcement from UEFA on Sunday that Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer would not face action over a rainbow armband he wore during the games against France and Portugal.

Neuer wore the armband to show his support for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, prompting UEFA to investigate whether it could be viewed as a political statement.

But UEFA concluded there was no case to answer, given the 35-year-old was promoting a good cause.
Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images

After the funeral of Prince Philip in March, there were acres of speculation about whether Harry had a long and healing chat after the ceremony with his father and brother.

Now, it appears that there were no such deep and meaningful conversations, despite a deliberate effort to put on a good show for the media by the brothers. William and Harry talked together as they walked past the BBCs fixed point camera, which was providing pooled coverage of the event. The moment was hailed at the time as a symbol of reconciliation after a fraught few weeks defined by the Sussexs interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Archie Harrison and Lilibet Will Still Be Prince and PrincessThanks to Camilla Parker Bowles, Expert Says

However, in the third and final installment of a serialization of historian Robert Laceys updated edition of his book, Battle of Brothers, in U.K. paper The Times, Lacey writes that William and Charles kept silent because they were worried that any conversations would be leaked to the media by the Sussexes.

If you love The Daily Beasts royal coverage, then we hope youll enjoy The Royalist, a members-only series for Beast Inside. Become a member to get it in your inbox on Sunday.

Lacey writes: 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 out via Oprah or some other tentacle of the Sussex network that had not stopped spreading stories in the weeks since the interview that the couples friends had promised would be their final word.

Lacey says that William and Kate, went back to Kensington Palace together to put the children to bed.

The revelation does not bode well for reconciliation talks when Harry returns to the U.K. to unveil a statue in memory to his mother with William. It was reported Tuesday in The Sun that Harry could return to the U.K. as soon as this week but his office has not specified his plans.

Watch: What you need to know about Meghan's book

Story continues

Lacey says the family was put on their guard by one incident in particular in which private conversations were leaked to the media, even after the Oprah interview which had been assumed by the royals to be the Sussexes final public word.

The Windsors were aghast at comments by Meghans friend Gayle King, who said on live TV that conversations that had taken place in the wake of the bombshell interview were not productive. After seeing private conversations leaked once, it seems the Windsors were determined not to make the same mistake twice.

Lacey also explores a controversial moment in one of Meghans earliest royal tours when the Duchess, who was pregnant at the time, was hustled from an indoor market in Fiji in 2018.

Meghan had been due to spend 20 minutes at the market but left after just 8 minutes. The alleged controversy surrounding the incident has been previously reported on: a Daily Mail reporter who was covering the tour has previously claimed they saw Meghan hiss at a member of her entourage, clearly incandescent with rage about something, and demand to leave.

The experience royal reporter, Rebecca English, who detailed the incident after bullying allegations were leveled at Meghan earlier this year, added: I later saw that samefemalehighly distressed member of staff sitting in an official car, with tears running down her face. Our eyes met and she lowered hers, humiliation etched on her features. At the time I was unable to document anything as I couldnt conclusively link the two incidents together, despite my suspicions. I have subsequently found out from other sources that my instincts were right.

The Times reports that Lacey says Meghan left the engagement not because she was uncomfortable due to the heat and humidity, as her spokespeople have always claimed, but because she resented the fact that UN Women, which was hosting the event, had not made her a goodwill ambassador when she worked with them in 2015 but only an advocate.

Lacey quotes a screenwriter who was in Meghans circle at the time of her first marriage as saying: Meghan does not cope well with what she perceives as rejection.

The Daily Beast reported this week on claims that the publication of an investigation into claims that Meghan bullied her staff has been delayed, and today, a source described as being close to the inquiry told the Mirror: The feeling is this is heading for a brutal showdown between the Duchess of Sussex who is understood to be disputing all allegations labeled against her.

The Palace is taking each and every allegation very seriously and wants to get to the truth of the matter and ensure those speaking up deserve to be heard.

But Meghan is adamant the staff were not up to their job and could not deal with the pressure of working for her and understanding how she wanted things to run.

Separately, a spokesperson for the couple has confirmed to The Daily Beast that Harry and Meghan purchased the domain name lilibetdiana.com, ahead of any conversation with the queen about their babys name, saying: As is often customary with public figures, a significant number of domains of any potential names that were considered were purchased by their team to protect against the exploitation of the name once it was later chosen and publicly shared.

Watch: The Queen's Biography

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Passengers walk through the new West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport Monday, May 24, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) ORG XMIT: CAAL106

WASHINGTON  Diane Zorri was about to get her passport stamped at Miami International Airport when a customs agent approached with an ominous declaration.

"He said, 'hey, we've been waiting for you,'" Zorri recalled of the 2017 incident, in which she was led into a small room for questioning after returning to the United States from a vacation in Italy. "The first thing that rushes through my mind is 'was my family murdered while I was on the plane and they're here to tell me about it?' I was horrified."

Zorris family was fine, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents demanded that the Florida professor and former Air Force captain unlock and hand over her iPhone and MacBook laptop. The officers kept the devices for nearly an hour as others questioned Zorri. They then returned them  and let her go  without explanation.

"The initial emotion is just sort of shock," Zorri said. "I'm also thinking, you know, this isn't right because while I want to trust the government, there are a lot of things on your phone you don't necessarily want the whole government to know."

Zorri is now one of eight plaintiffs in a lawsuit at the Supreme Court challenging warrantless searches of phones and other devices at the U.S. border. The justices are set to consider whether to take the case, and another one raising similar questions, when they meet Thursday for their final conference of the current term.

Search it up: U.S. customs can seize phones without a warrant at U.S. border

Bathroom battles: Case of trans teen is back at Supreme Court

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports it performed 40,913 so-called basic searches of electronic devices in 2019, a 22% increase from the prior fiscal year. Those searches involve an officer looking through a phone  reading emails, texts and calendar items  without the help of third-party software. The agency doesnt track more advanced searches that involve connecting a phone to a computer for analysis.

Story continues

Appeals courts have offered varying views on how much authority border officials have to search electronic devices, meaning that an international passenger entering the United States at Boston Logan International Airport faces a different set of rules than if that same passenger touches down in Los Angeles.

The Justice Department didn't respond to a request for comment, but the government told the high court in May that federal agencies "enforce a wide range of federal laws at the border" and said that the court's precedents permit the device searches. The Biden administration also said that the plaintiffs have not established what happened when agents seized their phones.

"Petitioners have instead provided only cursory descriptions of the manner in which their devices allegedly were searched," the government told the justices. "Indeed, some have simply asserted, without elaboration, that that CBP officers 'searched' their cell phones."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment on the specific cases at the Supreme Court, noting it does not comment on pending litigation. In a statement, the agency said searches have helped to detect terrorist activity and thwart international crimes.

Passengers leave the secure area in the arrivals area of the international terminal at Logan Airport on March 13, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts.

'Breathtaking' vs. 'unworkable'

Law enforcement generally must obtain a warrant to conduct a search under the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on "unreasonable searches," but there are exceptions. And one of those exceptions is found along the nation's borders.

For decades, federal courts have recognized the government has an interest in protecting its "territorial integrity" and has held Americans have less robust privacy rights when they step off an international flight than when, minutes later, they drive off from the airport.

"The Fourth Amendment balance between the interests of the government and the privacy right of the individual is also struck much more favorably to the government at the border," the high court wrote in a 1985 decision.

But the American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups involved in the Zorri case, argues that phones, computers and other devices chock full of personal information should be subject to a higher standard than a passengers luggage.

The Supreme Court has limited the power of police to search electronic devices before. While police officers may search a suspect without a warrant during or immediately after an arrest, the Supreme Court held in 2014 that those searches do not allow a police officer to poke around in the phone a suspect was carrying when they were handcuffed.

Civil rights groups want the Supreme Court to set a similar clear, national standard for when border officials may initiate a search of a device. That could include probable cause that a crime was committed, the standard police use to make arrests and obtain search warrants, or reasonable suspicion, a lesser standard that police use to pull over drivers or pat suspects down.

Another question pending at the Supreme Court in a related case: What sort of evidence may border officials obtain from a phone or computer once a search begins? Some lower courts have held agents may only collect and use evidence of contraband on the phone itself  such as child pornography. That would put an email that describes where a smuggler has hidden physical drugs off limits, for instance.

The Biden administration told the court in January that such a standard would produce "illogical and unworkable results." But Nate Wessler, an ACLU attorney, said the governments position gives border officials "breathtaking power" to review financial data, medical information, emails and photos of passengers returning from abroad.

"The government's position is that old cases that allow searches of physical luggage at the border can also provide carte blanche to search our phones and laptops anytime the government wants," Wessler said. "That just can't be."

A passenger walks past empty American Airlines check-in terminals at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on May 12, 2020.

Varying rules

If Zorri had landed in Los Angeles, customs agents could have conducted a basic search of her phone for any reason but would have needed reasonable suspicion of a crime to connect her phone to a computer for a deeper analysis. The San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit also ruled in 2019 that any search  basic or forensic  must be limited to looking for digital contraband on the phone itself.

But if she had landed at Dulles International in Virginia, agents could conduct a forensic search if the justification had something to do with smuggling, national security or transnational crimes. That standard was set by the appeals court in Richmond, Virginia.

In Miami, which falls under the purview of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta, customs officials may perform basic or forensic searches on electronic devices at will  and they need not limit that search to digital contraband.

A Southwest aircraft moves along a new taxiway at LaGuardia Airport, Thursday, May 20, 2021, in New York.

The varying standards are partly why civil liberties groups hope the Supreme Court will take up the issue. If they do, a decision would not be likely until sometime next year.

Zorri is a professor of security studies and international affairs at a university in Daytona Beach. She speculated that customs agents may have been interested in research interviews she conducted in the Middle East. But if that is the case, she said, her research is available online and could have been obtained with a far less invasive type of search  on Google.

Zorri said she wasnt uncomfortable with the search because she was hiding some secret related to national security. Instead, her phone contained conservations with her husband about adopting children  something she hadnt yet discussed with the rest of her family.

"I feel like, OK, I don't have anything to hide, Zorri said, "but Im not Kim Kardashian, either."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court asked to consider limits on phone searches at border
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP)  A bison has injured a hiker in Yellowstone National Park.

How the bison hurt the woman Sunday near a trail at the northern end of Yellowstone Lake was not known, but she had significant injuries, park spokeswoman Linda Veress said.

Were not clear how the encounter with the bison occurred, Veress told the Billings Gazette.

Park officials didn't identify the woman. She was flown to a hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Bison injure one or two people in Yellowstone a year on average, usually when people approach the animals, according to a 2018 study.

Park officials urge people to stay at least 25 yards (23 meters) away from large animals and at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from wolves and bears.
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Now on until 22 August 2021. The first comprehensive exhibition entitled Desired Beauty, displaying the works of the Pre-Raphaelites, in on view in the Hungarian National Gallery in collaboration with the Tate.

The exhibition, which presents the unrivalled Pre-Raphaelite collection of Tate Britain  including the masterpieces of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and John William Waterhouse  is accompanied by The Beauty of Utopia  Pre-Raphaelite influences in the Art of Turn-of-the-century Hungary, showcasing the impact of the movement in Hungary.



In revolt against the conservative educational principles of the Royal Academy in London, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and William Holman Hunt founded the seven-member Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (P. R. B.) in 1848.



As the choice of the groups name also suggests, its members regarded medieval and early Renaissance art, predating Raphael, as their model.



Embracing the theories of John Ruskin  a prominent art critic and social philosopher of the period, and later their patron  the young Pre-Raphaelites made an attempt at a thematic and stylistic renewal of painting in their depictions of nature as well as their works inspired by the Bible, historical events, literature, and addressing social issues.



Following the break-up of the group in 1853, Rossetti became the leading figure of the second phase of Pre-Raphaelite art, and his aesthetic movement exerted great influence across Europe. Joined by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, he looked for connections between the fine arts, poetry, and music and under the spell of the cult of beauty, sought to demolish the borderlines between genres.



Opposed to the soul-destroying, mechanised world and mass production of the industrial revolution, Morris advocated the importance of building aesthetic environments and reviving handicraft traditions. He initiated the total art movement of Arts and Crafts, extending to the various branches of fine and applied arts.



Art in nineteenth-century Hungary was primarily shaped by Austrian, German, and French influences. However, the British-Hungarian relations that developed at the turn of the century facilitated the productive effect of Pre-Raphaelite art, the Arts and Crafts movement and numerous English artists on Hungarian literature, fine and applied arts as well as in architecture.



The most notable influence of the Pre-Raphaelites was manifest in the ars poetica of the Godollo artists colony and the early period of Lajos Gulacsys oeuvre, but other Hungarian artists also drew inspiration from their English contemporaries.

The exhibition documents the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites in Hungary in four thematic groups: the works made by the Godollo artists colony, the paintings of Lajos Gulacsys Pre-Raphaelite period, the English influences in Hungarian art at the turn of the century, and also Pre-Raphaelite prints and drawings that are of major significance in the history of our museums collection, including pieces by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and Walter Crane.



The Godollo artists colony

Aladar Korosfoi-Kriesch founded the Tolstoyan, Symbolist  Art Nouveau artist colony in 1901, after settling in Godollo. The art theoretical writings of the art critic John Ruskin, who was of great importance for the Pre-Raphaelites, also fundamentally shaped the ars poetica of Korosfoi, and his book on Ruskin and the English Pre-Raphaelites was published in Budapest in 1905.



Laura Kriesch (Mrs Sandor Nagy), Leo Belmonte, Rezso Mihaly, Arpad Juhasz, Istvan Zichy, Odon Moiret, Jeno Remsey, Tom von Dreger, Ede Wigand Toroczkai, Ferenc Sidlo and Mariska Undi were among the members.



The oeuvre of the Godollo artists colony is also presented with its antecedents harking back to the romantic historicism of the English Pre-Raphaelites, as well as to the work of William Morris, who revived handicraft traditions and initiated the Arts and Crafts movement, and also in the art and activity of Walter Crane.



In the spirit of all the artistic aspirations of the period, works were made in many branches of fine and applied arts in Godollo: paintings, murals, graphics, sculptures, furniture, embroidery, textiles, tapestries, glass windows, costume designs, book illustrations and art books.



The Pre-Raphaelite period of Lajos Gulacsy

Gulacsy spent most of his narrow creative years, almost a decade and a half, in Italy. During this time, he lived and worked in numerous Italian cities. Moving away from space and time, he created a unique literary and pictorial atmosphere.



The subject of his admiration between 1903 and 1908 was primarily early Renaissance painters; Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi and Botticelli, and Dantes writings, artists who previously had a great influence on the English Pre-Raphaelites.



In Italy, at the turn of the century, the Pre-Raphaelite artists had been worshipped, so Gulacsy could have been influenced simultaneously by the paintings of Rossetti and Burne-Jones, as well as the original Italian works that inspired the British artists.



English influences in Hungarian art at the turn of the century

The inspiring knowledge, as well as a kinship in style, subjects, and motifs with English art, can be presumed in the case of a great many Hungarian artists. These connections are demonstrated at the exhibition through works by Jozsef Rippl-Ronai, Karoly Ferenczy, Ferenc Helbing, Ferenc Paczka, Aladar Kacziany, Lajos Kozma and Attila Sassy.



Pre-Raphaelite prints and drawings in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts

The prints of Rossetti and his pupil, Burne-Jones, were donated to the Museum of Fine Arts in 1934 as outstanding pieces of Pal Majovszkys large-scale collection of drawings.



By the turn of the century, like in other European countries, the art of the island country had become popular in Hungary.



The English connection of the Hungarian art scene is reflected in Walter Cranes exhibition in 1900 at the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest. In Hungary, a real cult developed around the artist at that time, for the reason that Crane, like the group of artists organised around Aladar Korosfoi-Kriesch, encouraged the discovery of folk art motifs.



Numerous works by Crane from this exhibition got into the collection of museums; many of his graphic works have enriched the British material of the Museum of Fine Arts. And of particular interest, our exhibition also includes the masterpiece by the English artist, entitled Abduction of Europa (1881), which entered the collection of the Hungarian National Bank in 2020 from a private collection in Hungary.



The public can view 79 artworks (17 paintings, 59 graphic sheets, 1 sculpture and 2 tapestries) from the collections of the Hungarian National Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Applied Arts and the Ernst Gallery in Budapest, as well as from those of the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pecs, the Municipal Museum of Godollo and the Ignac Tragor Museum in Vac; this is supplemented by numerous documents, books and photographs.



Click here to virtually visit Hungarian National Gallery

Address: 1014 Budapest, Szent Gyorgy ter 2.

Phone number: +36 1 201 9082



Opening hours:

MondayTuesday closed,

Wednesday  Tursday only temporary exhibitons are open  10 am -6pm

FridaySunday open 10 am  6 pm



Closing of exhibitions starts at 5.30 pm at the top floor;

Ticket office: until 5.00 pm

Entry is allowed until 5.00 pm  also with pre-purchased or free tickets.
New Delhi: As COVID hit the world last year, many companies were forced to shut down their offices and work remotely. Now, after a year, people have slowly started adapting to the Work From Home culture.

Sharing his experience, Mohit Gupta, who works at an IT firm, said there are both pros and cons of working from home. "While this has ruined work-life balance, I'm thankful since it has kept me and my family safe."

Agreeing with Microsoft's 2021 Work Trend Index which says that high productivity is masking an exhausted workforce, he said, "I had so much work today that I couldn't even take a bath. Office hours have stretched so much that I'm occupied from 9 am till around 11 pm due to which I'm unable to give time to my family."

Gupta (35), who manages a team of around 15 people, pointed out that a lot of employees lack office essentials. "Being in the IT sector, we faced several technical challenges. Some people are not tech savvy, some don't have a laptop, while some don't have Internet, so there are several roadblocks in working outside the office space."

"Now people have become aware of technologies like Zoom calls, VPN, Anydesk and this has equipped us to work remotely if and when the need arises in the future too," he added.

For Payal, a teacher at a government school, managing household chores and handling her two-year-old daughter alongside taking online classes gets extremely tedious.

Saying that working from home is very difficult for a married woman, she shared, "There is a lot of household work in the mornings and that is when I have to take online classes as well. Sometimes I take e-webinar sessions while working in the kitchen."

Tuhina Pal, who works in the corporate sector, shared details of her workation (work+vacation), "Last year, I went to Satpura National Park for a week and worked from the resort. I carried my laptop and made sure of a good WiFi connection."

"While WFH gave me opportunities which couldn't have been possible when working from the office, it has its negatives," she said. "Earlier, we used to get a one-hour break but now there is no concept of a break. Sometimes I've to work on weekends and holidays too."

Giving an employer's perspective, Shikhar Chadha, CEO of travel firm The Tarzan Way, said, "Initially, WFH was very difficult because we were not familiar with it. Coordinating on phone was challenging but eventually we adapted to working remotely."

On the way ahead, he said, "As the lockdown has lifted, we will adopt a hybrid model wherein we'll go to the office two days a week and the other days we'll work from home. This will also save the cost of renting a big office space."

Notably, now that Covid has subsided and people are getting vaccinated, several companies are allowing employees to decide where they want to work -- in the office, remotely or a combination of the two.

As per Microsoft's report, 73 per cent of the 30,000 workers surveyed want flexible remote work options to continue. Also, remote job postings on LinkedIn have increased over five times since the pandemic.

Chadha outlined the benefits of working remotely and said now they can hire people from across the world. "Now we have overcome the typical barriers to work like being at the same location."

Advising on how to adapt to the new WFH culture, Mimansa Singh Tanwar, a clinical psychologist at Fortis Healthcare said, "Taking care of the basics is important like maintaining healthy routines, taking short breaks, ensuring a sleep-wake pattern, engaging in self-care activities, investing time in hobbies and spending time with family."

She emphasised that organisations need to extend support to individuals by focusing on positive mental health outcomes, valuing employees, taking care of the workload and building team morale.
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Tuesday announced results for classes 9 and 11, nearly two months after the exams were cancelled in view of the aggressive second wave of COVID-19.

According to the Directorate of Education (DoE), 2.58 lakh students were enrolled in class 9 in 2020-21, out of which 2.45 lakh appeared for mid-term exams. The final results of students were collated based on mid-term and internal assessments. Based on this evaluation criteria, 1.97 lakh students in class 9 cleared the exam in Delhi.

"The pass percentage in class 9 is 80.3 per cent. Last year, the pass percentage of students was 65 per cent which increased to 85 per cent based on project-based assessments," a DoE official said.

Similarly, out of 1.70 students in class 11, 1.69 lakh students appeared for exams and 1.65 lakh of them passed. According to the official, 96.9 per cent of class 11 students have cleared the examinations.

"In 2019-20, 99.25 per cent students in class 11 passed the compartment exams. Project-based assessment formed the evaluation criteria of class 11 examinations, identical to class 9 evaluation criteria," the official added.

The official said examinations of Social Studies, Sanskrit and Third Language for class 9 and Geography and Business Studies for class 11 could not be conducted for the year 2020-21.

DoE had earlier informed that it will announce the Class 9. 11 results on June 22.

The day you all have been waiting for is here. Results of class IX and XI shall be available from today, June 22. Students can check their results on our website https://t.co/H2jjm6SqkA We wish you the very best.#DoE_Notification  DIRECTORATE OF EDUCATION Delhi (@Dir_Education) June 22, 2021

Further, the average marks of the best two subjects out of the main five subjects have been given in the subjects where the exams could not be conducted or the student was absent for whatever reason.

"A total of 12,500 students in grade 9 and 3,500 students in grade 11 did not appear for mid-term examinations this year. All those students who have not appeared for any exams will be eligible for reassessment. The reassessment will be based on class-based assignments, project work and other assessments. Guidelines regarding reassessment will be released soon by the DoE," the official said.

The results to students have been sent via WhatsApp and SMS.

"Considering new guidelines published by DoE keeping in mind the security and safety of students, schools have sent the results to students via SMS and WhatsApp instead of calling them to school," the official said.

Live TV
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Partys senior leader and MLA Atishi said that the vaccination drive is a joke for the Central government; how can we launch a universal campaign without sufficient vaccines? Delhi has received not even a single extra dose despite the universal campaign being launched from Monday.

In a Vaccination Bulletin through a video address on Monday, she said the Centre failed even when they decentralised and asked the states to procure vaccines but refused to deliver, and now too when they have centralised the campaign.

Atishi said, "Centres vaccination campaign is only for advertisements and announcements, the reality is that Delhi has not been supplied even a single dose today (Monday, June 21), when a universal campaign was supposed to be launched. Centre will be making merely 15,19,000 doses available in July. At this speed, Delhi will take more than 13 months to vaccinate its population."

"Sheer misplanning and mismanagement by the Central government in vaccination campaign; we keep on getting new policies but no vaccines; the shortage continues to persist. The centre has still not allowed WHO approved vaccines like Pfizer, Moderna & Johnson & Johnson; but keep talking about mass vaccination. Is this a joke made by them? Delhi has 8,27,000 lakh vaccines for 45+; 5 days stock of Covaxin and 57 days stock of Covishieldz For 18-44, we have 1 days stock of Covaxin and 13 days stock of Covishield," she added.

Aam Aadmi Partys MLA Atishi said, Today is 21st June, and it was announced by the Central Government that from 21st June, for the entire country and for everyone above the age of 18, vaccination would be provided by the Central Government and every person eligible for the vaccination would be vaccinated. The Delhi Government had a hope that on 21st June, Delhi and the entire country for that matter, would be provided many extra doses of vaccine by the Central Government. We had this hope that the scarcity of vaccines that Delhi has been facing for the youth between 18-44 would reduce and everyones vaccination would be carried out as soon as possible."

According to Atishi, "This makes us sad as well as surprised that today is June 21st yet not even one single dose of vaccine has been provided to the Delhi Government. What kind of a vaccination campaign is this which is just an announcement, just an advertisement while vaccination is taking place nowhere? Delhi government has received just a mere email from the Central Government suggesting that walk-in vaccination must be carried out for 18-44 as well. Delhi Government would definitely do this vaccination. But until we arent provided more doses of vaccines, what is the point of this Vaccination Campaign or Vaccination Abhiyaan?

AAP senior leader Atishi said, Weve received this information from the Central Government that next month, that is from 1st of July, Delhi would get a total of 15,19,000 doses of vaccine. 15,19,000 doses are the same number of doses that have been received in many previous months or only less than that. In June, we received approximately 14 lakh doses of vaccine, if we combine both the categories of 18 to 44 and 45+. If we look at May, Delhi received nearly 13.25 lakh doses of vaccine. In April, we received 23 lakh doses of vaccine. So, when the Central government was not running a universal campaign, when the vaccination campaign was only going on for 45+ in April, at that time Delhi was given 23 lakh doses of vaccine. And now when a full-fledged universal campaign is being executed throughout the country, only 15 Lakh doses are being made available.

She said, If you go ahead and see the statistics, and we release these numbers every day in Delhis Vaccination Bulletin, youll see that till now in Delhi, 65,26,770 doses have been administered. Out of which 15,78,382 people are those who have received both doses. If we subtract this number from the total eligible population, it comes out that, in Delhi, there are 83.73 lakh such people who have not received even a single dose of vaccine yet. So, if these 83.73 Lakh people need to be administered two doses of vaccine, so for them, 1.67 crore doses of vaccine are required. 33 lakh are such people who have been administered the first dose of the vaccine and they are yet to receive their second dose. So, if both these numbers are combined, it comes out that to vaccinate Delhi entirely, we need 2 crore doses of vaccine. But in July, wherein the universal vaccination campaign has already started, how many doses of vaccines are we getting? Were getting 15,19,000 doses only. If we keep on getting vaccine doses at this speed, it will take us more than 13 months to vaccinate Delhi entirely. So, now you can think, if for thirteen months Delhis people are not vaccinated, how many waves of COVID-19 could come. This is a very crucial matter for Delhi!

She said, We were sitting with this hope and expectation that after 21st June, when a universal vaccination campaign starts, more doses of vaccines will be made available. We were sitting with this hope that Delhis people will now get a greater number of vaccines. But now, 21st of June has arrived and now 21st June will also go. But even after this campaign has started on the 21st of June, Delhi has not received even a single extra dose of vaccine. The information that weve received says that Delhi will get 15,19,000 doses of vaccine in July, if Delhi continues to receive the vaccine at this speed, it will take Delhi more than 13 months to vaccinate itself entirely.

She said, It is our appeal to the Central government to not run programs just for name-sake. You said, a few months back, that were decentralizing the system and that the states can buy vaccines for themselves. But when the states went to buy these vaccines, you tied the companies hands from behind and said that you can sell only those numbers of vaccines that are allowed by us. So, there was no benefit of decentralizing. Today, you said that from 21st June well run a centralized vaccination campaign where the Central Government will provide vaccination to everyone. Now the centralized vaccination campaign has started also yet Delhi has not received even a single dose of vaccine. What kind of misplanning and mismanagement is this from the side of the Central Government? Sometimes we come up with one policy and then another time we come up with another policy. The policies keep on changing. India and Delhi do receive these new policies; however, vaccines are never received.

AAP MLA Atishi said, It is our request to the Central Government to provide vaccines to Delhis people as soon as possible. Not just this, till now, there are various vaccines in the world that the Government of India has not approved such as Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, which have been approved in many other countries. Out of these three vaccines- Pfizer has been approved in over 60 countries, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson have been approved in more than 40 countries. The three of these vaccines have been approved by WHO. However, the Government of India has not approved them. Because they have not been approved, so theyve not been imported. Because they have not been approved, their manufacturing is not taking place in India. And were vaccinating at such a speed wherein we need 13 months just to vaccinate Delhi. So, this is not a vaccination program! It is a joke made by the Central Government.

She said, If we go ahead and see Delhis stock position, it stands where it stood yesterday. Today also, Delhi has 8,27,000 lakh vaccines for 45+ and for 18-44, Delhi has 2,68,000 vaccines. For 45+, we have a 5 days stock of Covaxin and 57 days stock of Covishield available. For 18-44, we have one day stock of Covaxin and 13 days stock of Covishield available. So, from today, from 21st June, when the nationwide universal vaccination campaign has started, it has had no effect on Delhis stock position. Delhi has not received even a single extra dose of vaccine. Delhi has been extremely vulnerable in COVIDs waves as we have tourists from the country and abroad and Delhis population density is very high. So, it is our appeal to the Central Government to not leave Delhi at the speed of 13 months and provide vaccines to Delhis people at a faster rate.

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday met with Infosys officials and reviewed the technical glitches that continue to hamper the new income tax e-filing portal.

Sitharaman, along with Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj, CBDT Chairman Jagannath Mohapatra and other senior ministry officials discussed the issues facing the new portal with officials of Infosys - the vendor which developed the site.

The meeting was also attended by 10 tax professionals from across the country, including representatives of ICAI and All India Federation of Tax Practitioners (AIFTP).

The portal launched on June 7 continued to face glitches, including longer logging in time, inability to generate OTP for Aadhaar validation, non-availability of ITRs for past years.

Several stakeholders have submitted written inputs highlighting the issues facing the portal as well as areas that need to be fixed. More than 700 emails detailing over 2000 issues including 90 unique issues or problems in the portal were received in response to the same.

During the meeting, Sitharaman emphasized that enhanced taxpayer service is an important priority for the present Government and every effort should be made to amplify the same. While appreciating the role of ICAI and its President, Jambusaria and the ICAIs positive contribution in giving shape to todays meeting, she complimented them for providing specific nuanced inputs lying between the intersection of technology and taxation.

She further expressed her gratitude to the people who sent inputs through email and assured them that their suggestions would be taken up in all earnestness and would be addressed on priority.

The Finance Minister exhorted Infosys to work on the tax portal to make it more humane and user-friendly, further expressing her deep concern on the various problems being faced by the stakeholders in the new portal which was expected to provide a seamless experience to taxpayers. She also asked Infosys to address all issues without further loss of time, improve their services, redress grievances on priority as it was impacting taxpayers adversely.

Addressing shareholders' questions on the matter, Infosys said it is deeply concerned with the inconvenience caused by the technical glitches in the new income tax e-filing portal, and that it is working to resolve all the issues at the earliest.

"Infosys is working to resolve the concerns in the new income tax e-filing portal. For the last week, several of the technology glitches, which impacted the performance and stability, have been addressed. And as a result, we have observed lakhs of unique daily users in the portal," said Infosys Chief Operating Officer Pravin Rao while responding to queries during the AGM.

Answering a shareholder's question, Rao informed that close to one lakh income tax returns have been filed so far on the portal.

Ahead of Tuesday's meeting with Infosys, the Finance Ministry had on June 16 invited written representations from stakeholders regarding glitches or issues faced on the new income tax e-filing portal.

Tax consultants have submitted their representations pertaining to technical and performance issues, issues of missing data, modules which are not working.

Some consultants have also suggested that the old e-filing portal should remain active till the time the new portal stabilises and in the meantime beta testing be carried out to resolve the issues faced by users.

Infosys was in 2019 awarded a contract to develop the next-generation income tax filing system to reduce processing time for returns from 63 days to one day and expedite refunds.

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#mute
New Delhi: Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who is basking high after the success of her latest release 'Sherni' on the OTT platform Amazon Prime has now got a shoutout from none other than Amul. The makers of Amul India has released a cute animated graphic featuring Vidya Balan and the actress is amazed by their efforts.

She took to her Instagram handle and shared the same post in her Instagram story and wrote, Thank you. What an honour" with a couple of emojis.

On Monday, the Amul India took to their official Instagram handle and shared a post lauding the fierce actress.

They wrote, #Amul Topical: Vidya Balan stars in human-animal film...

In the picture, Vidyas animated character can be seen holding a slice of bread and two tigers can also be seen peeping from the woods. It also had Share Na Please! written on the top of the sketch and Protected Ferociously on the bottom.

The film Sherni, which was released on June 18, took the internet by storm with the intriguing storyline and her impressionable on-screen presence. Viewers and critics also lauded Director Amit Masurkar for his finesse and understanding of the script.

In the film, we see Vidya Balan play the role of a forest officer battling social norms set by patriarchy and red-tapeism within her department.

It is directed by Amit Masurkar who is known for his films such as 'Newton' and 'Sulemani Keeda'. Along with Balan in the lead, the film also stars Neeraj Kabi, Vijay Raaz, Sharat Saxena, Mukul Chadda, Brijendra Kala and Ila Arun.
London: The British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) on Monday announced March 13 as the date for its 2022 film awards ceremony, which will be broadcast in the UK on BBC One.

Bafta announced the news on their Twitter handle by tweeting "The date is announced for the 2022 EE British Academy Film Awards. Join us on 13 March 2022, on @BBCOne where we will be celebrating the best in film!"

The awards are the UK's highest film honours and traditionally act as a bellwether to the Oscars, which take place shortly after. According to Variety, next year's Academy Awards are set for March 27.

In 2020, BAFTA undertook a wide-ranging review and introduced changes for the 2021 film awards as part of an ongoing process of levelling the playing field for all entered films.

The review came in response to the lack of diversity in the 2020 film awards, which included a much-criticized roster of all-white acting nominations.

Key aspects of the review that will have an ongoing effect on the film awards include membership expanding to target 1,000 new members from under-represented groups over the next several months.

This process is being overseen by a future membership group of current BAFTA members from a variety of backgrounds.

In addition, a new longlisting round of voting in all categories was introduced in order to achieve greater diversity in nominations, and it became compulsory for all voters, chapters and juries to watch all longlisted films before Round 2 voting. As per Variety, the full timeline and eligibility details for the 2022 film awards will be announced in due course.
Kanpur: A man has filed a case against his in-laws, accusing them of luring him into a marriage with a transgender, police said. The man, in his complaint, has accused his in-laws of deceiving him by keeping him and his family in dark at the time of the marriage.

According to the complaint, the man, who got married on April 28, had discovered the truth when he tried to consummate the marriage. He claimed the genitals of his wife were not fully developed due to which she was unable to establish physical relations with him.

He said when he took his wife for a medical examination, he learnt that she was a transgender.

"A resident of Shastri Nagar married a woman from the Panki area of the district. After their marriage, the bride was found uncomfortable in making relationships with the groom, and told him that she had health issues. As the days passed, the man began to suspect that something was amiss. He finally took his wife to a gynaecologist for a check-up who confirmed that she was a transgender," said Police Inspector Kunj Bihari Mishra.

The man lodged an FIR along with the medical reports of his wife on Sunday. The FIR was filed under Section 420 (cheating) of IPC against the bride, her parents and the mediator.

The Inspector further said, "An FIR against eight persons, including man`s in-laws has been lodged under relevant sections of the IPC, and investigations are underway. Action will be taken based on the investigations."

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court told the Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday (June 22) that if there is any fatality, they will hold the state responsible.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari was informed that Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are the only two states which have till now decided to hold the Class 12 board examination.

You will have to give very good reasons to hold Class 12 board examinations. If there is any fatality, we will hold the state responsible, the bench told counsel for Andhra Pradesh.

At the outset, advocate Mahfooz Nazki, appearing for the state, said the government has till now decided to hold the examination but the final decision will be taken in the first week of July.

The bench sought to know as to why the state was creating uncertainty in the minds of students by delaying the final decision for the first week of July.

You take a decision by Wednesday and we will take up the matter on Thursday, the bench told Nazki.

The top court is hearing a plea seeking directions to state governments to not hold board examinations in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It asked Nazki as to what makes the Andhra Pradesh government think that it can manage to hold the examination and whether the state has all necessary logistics keeping in mind pandemic.

Nazki said it has nearly five lakh students and as per his instructions 15 students will be made to sit in one class room during the examination.

The bench further questioned the counsel whether the state has that many schools to accommodate the students during the examinations.

Why don't you have schemes like CBSE and CISCE to assess the students, the bench said.

Nazki said that they have a kind of problem because grace marks are given in class 10 in the state boards plus the internal assessment mechanism of students is not that strong.

The bench said, You must come up with a very good reason, if you want us to allow you to hold the Class 12 board exams. You must take the decision by tomorrow and file an affidavit.

Advocate G Prakash, appearing for the Kerala government, said that they have filed an affidavit indicating the decision of the state government to hold the examination.

The bench said that it will consider the affidavit of Kerala government on Thursday and asked a students' body of the state to file a counter affidavit to the state government's response.

On Monday, the top court was informed by the Assam and Tripura governments that they have cancelled their state boards of Class 12 board exam due to the pandemic.

The Counsel for the Karnataka government had 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.

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.

(With inputs from news agencies)

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New Delhi: Unidentified terrorists on Tuesday (June 22) opened fired and shot down a police officer of CID wing at Kanipora in the outskirts of Srinagar city in Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports, the CID Inspector has been identified as Pervaiz Ahmad Dar and was posted at Parimpora police station.

Dar was returning home after performing the evening prayers at a mosque in Nowgam area when he was shot down by terrorists. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead by doctors.

On June 21, at least three Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists were neutralised including top Commander Mudasir Pandit, who was involved in the killing of three policemen and four others, in an encounter by security forces in Sopore of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.

"Top LeT terrorist Mudasir Pandit who was involved in the killing of three policemen, two councillors and two civilians recently and accused of several other terror crimes was killed in Sopore encounter," IGP Kashmir told ANI.

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New Delhi: The border security forces of India and Bangladesh participated in a three-day Border Co-ordination Conference which started on Tuesday (June 22) and will conclude on Thursday.

Indias Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladeshs Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) held the meet through a video conference.

The matters of mutual interest and border management will be discussed over the course of three days.

During the conference, various issues of mutual interest will be discussed for effective Border Management which includes Joint efforts against trans-border crime, concurrence in connection with pending developmental works, measures to check illegal cross border movement. Both sides will also discuss about Coordinated Border Management Plan which includes Simultaneous Coordinated Patrols both during day and night, sharing of Intelligence, identification of vulnerable areas, an official statement said.

The aim of the conference is to improve the border domination and to resolve various border-related issues in the interest of both the countries. The conference is also aimed to further strengthen the friendship between the two Border Guarding Forces, it added.

This is the second such meet between the forces of the two countries. Earlier this month, they participated in a four-day Border Co-ordination Conference which started on June 7.

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New Delhi: In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on Monday (June 21, 2021) announced an 'opt-out option' for CA exams scheduled next month. The option is for students taking up the Chartered Accountant (Final, Intermediate/ IPC and PQC Courses) Examinations and Chartered Accountant (Foundation) Examination.

The option is available for examinees if they or their family members are infected with COVID-19.

"In case examinee himself/herself or his/her grandparents, parents, spouse, children & siblings (residing in the same premises) are infected with COVID  19, such examinees will be provided 'opt-out option' (with a carryover of the fee paid and exemptions granted) to the November 2021 examination cycle," the ICAI said in an official statement.

ALSO READ | ICAI releases admit card for CA July exam 2021 on icai.org, here's how to download hall ticket

However, examinees availing this facility need to adhere to the following guidelines:

(a) The opt-out can be exercised by login into the examination portal and submitting the COVID-19 positive RTPCR Report, Aadhar Card and self-declaration form (as prescribed by ICAI).

(b) The examinee has to submit the COVID-19 positive RTPCR report issued by the Government recognized laboratory. The professional accounting body warned that all such reports will be verified by ICAI from the said laboratory and in case the same is found to be false or fabricated, strict actions as decided by the Committee will be taken.

(c) The examinee has to submit his/her Aadhar Card or the Aadhar Card of the infected relative.

(d) The COVID-19 positive RTPCR report shall be of a date which is on and after the date of issue of this announcement to any date up to the conclusion of the examination of the course for which the examinee has applied to appear.

(e) Students who opt-out from May/July 2021 Examination cycle will be allowed to write their examinations in November 2021 Examination Cycle. The last attempt of the Old Course for Final and Intermediate (IPC) examinations shall be extended to November examinations only for those students who are allowed to opt-out from May/July 2021 examinations.

(f) If an examinee has opted out of any paper during the entire cycle of the examination, then he/she will not be permitted to appear in any of the remaining paper.

(g) If a student has appeared for the first group and then opts out before the conclusion of the examination of the last paper of the second group, the result of the first group will be declared and opt out option will apply only to the second group.

The students have been advised to stay in touch with the website of the Institute at www.icai.org for future updates.


New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday (June 21, 2021) said that it will form a Committee to check complaints regarding the Class 12 board exam marks.

CBSE in an additional affidavit before the Supreme Court informed that it has incorporated a clause which said that the dispute with regard to computation of results will be referred to a Committee constituted by the board.

It also said that the scheme has been further amended to say that after the declaration of the result, if the candidates are not satisfied with their result, CBSE will provide them with an online facility for registration for the examination.

However, the examination will be conducted by the board only in the main subjects as and when conditions are conducive for holding the examinations and the marks obtained by a candidate in this exam will be treated as final.

The affidavit also said that the optional examination for the candidates who are not satisfied with their assessment with the policy can be conducted any time between August 15 and September 15, subject to the COVID-19 situation.

For private or second chance compartment candidates, the CBSE said that their examinations shall be conducted in such a manner so that they will fall within the assessment policy for the academic year 2019-2020 as approved by the top court in 2020 and, their results shall be declared in accordance with the said assessment policy.

"Their examinations shall also be conducted anytime between August 15 and September 15, subject to the conducive situation," the affidavit read further.

This is to be noted that the CBSE Class 12th board exams were cancelled on June 1 due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. Subsequently, the Board formed a panel that decided to evaluate students based on their results in class 10, 11 and 12. While 40% of the marks will be based on the Class 12 unit test/mid-term/pre-board, 30% marks will be based on the Class 11 final exam and 30% marks will be based on best-of-three Class 10 marks.

While the above is for theory, for practicals, students will be marked out of 100 and the marks will be submitted by schools.


New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday (June 22) met the three-member Congress panel in Delhi amid escalating tension in the state unit with Navjot Singh Sidhu who has stepped up his attack against the chief minister.

Mallikarjun Kharge, who heads the panel, said after the meeting, "The party will fight the 2022 state assembly elections under the leadership of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. The Congress high command will try to resolve all the issues in the party's Punjab unit. Committee members met before also and discussed with all. We are preparing for the upcoming elections. High command will try to resolve all the issues and grievances of our leaders. Everything will be fine. We will all together fight the election."

Asked why Navjot Singh Sidhu did not come to attend the meeting called by the panel, Kharge said: "It is not like that at all, we have called Captain Amarinder for some clarification. Everyone in the party said in one voice that they will fight the election together and will again form the government in Punjab. If anyone has any kind of issues, the High command will try to find the solution," he added.

The three-member panel, set up by Congress President Sonia Gandhi to end factionalism in the party's Punjab unit, was scheduled to meet today to discuss certain pointers with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh raised in the report. According to senior party leader Harish Rawat, interim president Sonia Gandhi has expressed interest in discussing certain pointers and the committee will discuss them with Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. This was Singh's first meeting with the panel members after they had submitted a report to party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Sources said the panel has not recommended the removal of the chief minister and Amarinder Singh is likely to lead the party in the next elections. Instead, a slew of reforms have been suggested in the party state unit. While the fate of Navjot Singh Sidhu is still not clear, sources said the panel wants his rehabilitation in the Punjab cabinet. Amarinder Singh is averse to Sidhu being elevated to the post of deputy CM but is ready to accommodate him in the cabinet, sources said.

The panel had met all the stakeholders in the party including chief minister Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu.

The AICC panel, which includes Mallikarjun Kharge, JP Aggarwal, and Harish Rawat, has met Rahul Gandhi twice after submitting their report. Sources close to the Chief Minister said on Sunday that the meeting is aimed at finding a solution acceptable to him concerning various issues.

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New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said that students will not be called to schools anytime soon citing their safety and security in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Sisodia told reporters on Monday, "Keeping in mind the security and safety of children, we are not calling students back to school anytime soon."

Manish Sisodia, who has charge of the education portfolio, said, "We are, however, ensuring that the construction work for the new and improved classrooms is done at a fast pace so that when the children do end up returning back to school, they are welcomed with new and colourful classrooms with the best facilities."

Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister visited four Delhi government schools -- SKV Kondli, GGSS Kalyanpuri, government co-ed schools at IP Extension, and Preet Vihar -- and inspected the construction work of 172 new classrooms.

According to an official statement from the deputy CM's office, 97 per cent of the construction work at SKV Kondli and GGSS Kalyanpuri has been completed and will be fully finished by June. Both the schools are getting 20 new classrooms each, it said.

About 90 per cent of the construction work to build 84 new classrooms at government Co-ed, IP Extension has also been completed and the construction will be fully finished by July, the statement said, adding that 48 classrooms at the government co-ed senior secondary school at Preet Vihar will be completed by August.

Notably, the national capital on Monday reported 89 COVID-19 cases at a positivity rate of 0.16 per cent, both lowest this year so far, while 11 more people succumbed to the disease, according to data shared by the health department.

According to covid19India.Org, a crowdsourced initiative that collects data on COVID-19 and vaccination in India, Delhi had recorded 76 cases on April 30 last year.

Manish Sisodia, however, accused the Centre of pressuring officials in Delhi to publish advertisements in newspapers, thanking it for providing free Covid vaccines for all from June 21, while the city has got only 57 lakh doses so far against the 2.94 crore needed.

The Deputy CM said that the Centre will supply only 15 lakh Covid vaccine doses to Delhi in July and at this rate, it will take around 16 more months to inoculate the entire population of the city.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Chennai: The main opposition AIADMK on Tuesday (June 22) urged the Tamil Nadu government in the state Assembly to create provisions of one lakh beds for children to tackle the third wave of COVID-19, if it was to emerge.

Medical Minister Ma Subramanian said all steps were being taken and an excellent infrastructure has been created to tackle any such eventuality.

"There will not be a third wave and such a thing should not happen and even in case of a third wave, Tamil Nadu is ready to handle it," the Minister said replying to opposition MLA, C Vijayabaskar, who was the Health Minister in the previous AIADMK government.

Chief Minister M K Stalin was interacting on a daily basis on the matter and besides giving instructions, he was also making field visits to review the situation and he has inspected a ward in a children's hospital here as part of the overall efforts, the Minister said.

In the past one and a half months, after the DMK government assumed office, 79,618 new beds have been created and be it oxygen plants, concentrators, generators and cylinders, in every way, an excellent infrastructure has been created, he said.

DMK president M K Stalin assumed office as Chief Minister on May 7.

Tracing the efforts of the government ever since it took office, Subramanian said on the day when DMK came to power, 26,465 was the number of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu and on May 21, it went up to 36,184.

Stalin, however, began taking action even before he formally took over as Chief Minister by holding consultations with officials and right from the day he was sworn-in, he took a slew of measures to effectively handle the pandemic and such initiatives has led to a fall in virus cases, the Minister said.

While 7,427 was the fresh cases reported on Monday, it would further reduce soon and fade away, he said.

The Minister listed Stalin's pandemic related efforts like dedicating additional medical infrastructure in the state including beds and launch of car-ambulance services.

On the vaccination front, he said from January 16 when the exercise began and till May 7, the daily average for vaccine doses was 61,441 and it has now increased to 1,34,926 per day due to government initiatives, he said.

Vijayabaskar, speaking on the motion of thanks to Governor's Address, said if a third wave of COVID-19 was to emerge, medical infrastructure should be in place to tackle it.

In Tamil Nadu, there are about two crore persons below the age of 18 and they are not vaccinated.

Even if ten per cent of them (20 lakh), were going to be affected in the eventuality of a third wave, ten per cent out of them (two lakh) may need hospitalisation and hence the government should create at least, one lakh beds for children, the AIADMK legislator said.

If children are admitted, their mothers may also have to be present in hospital and arrangements to handle such a scenario also should be made, he said. Vaccination is allowed, presently, only for those aged 18 and above.

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New Delhi: A shocking incident has come to light in which a 22-year-old man, who could not hear or speak, underwent religious conversion from Hinduism to Islam. Mannu Yadav, whom his family had sent to study in a special school in Noida, became Abdul Mannan through an affidavit.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Tuesday (June 22) discussed the religious conversion racket which targeted the differently abled persons and explained how the conversion certificates were issued on the basis of notarised affidavits.

The conversion certificate of Mannu Yadav says that he has renounced Hinduism and accepted Islam and that and from now on his name would be Abdul Mannan. The certificate has the signature of the cleric and the stamp of the Islamic Dawah Center. It says that the certificate has been issued on the basis of a notary affidavit.

However, the date of issuance of the certificate has been mentioned as November 11, 2021 which cannot possibly be correct. But the same mistake was done at two places. This raises questions on the authenticity of the document.

Moreover, it is written that Abdul Mannan's father Rajiv Yadav a resident of Gurugram, while his father says that he had no knowledge about it.

It is written in the certificate that Mannu Yadav accepts Islam voluntarily. But how can a person, who cannot hear or speak and understands only sign language, take such a big decision on his own?

The way Mannu Yadav was made Abdul Mannan, many more differently abled persons were converted to Islam. It all happened in the Deaf Society of Noida, where there is a residential school for differently abled persons.

In this Deaf Society, many students have been converted in the past and this fact was admitted by the director of the society, Ruma Roha, in the inquiry conducted by ATS in Lucknow today.

This is a grave matter and the Uttar Pradesh police have arrested two people in the case.

In many countries around the world, there are laws to prevent religious conversions. In India, the first bill regarding religious conversion was introduced in the Parliament in 1954, but it could not be passed.

Today, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi clarified the stand of the government and said that strict action will be taken in such cases.

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New Delhi: As India recorded the highest ever single-day COVID-19 inoculation in the world on Monday (June 21, 2021), NITI Aayog's Dr VK Paul said that the fast COVID-19 vaccination is the 'key to go back to normal'.

Dr Paul said that the country can open its economy and resume normal work if it vaccinates quickly.

"We need to do our daily work, maintain our social life, open schools, businesses, take care of our economy; we will be able to do all this only when we are able to vaccinate at a fast pace," Dr Paul was quoted as saying by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a press release.

Best time to take COVID-19 vaccine

The NITI Aayog Member said that the second wave of coronavirus has now receded and it is the 'best time to take the COVID-19 vaccine'. He said that it is a big mistake to think that the Indian vaccines are unsafe. "All vaccines of the world have been approved under Emergency Use Authorization, just like our vaccines. People from various sections of society have taken these," Dr Paul stated.

ALSO READ | Does COVID-19 vaccine affect fertility in men and women? Check what Health Ministry has to say

Dr Paul pointed out how India's decision to vaccinate its health workers on priority has protected them during the second wave. He said, "Very few health care workers got infected, otherwise, our hospitals themselves would have collapsed during the second wave, so please be assured that people are being saved from infection due to the vaccine."

Third wave of COVID-19 is in our hands

Dr VK Paul commented on the possible COVID-19 third wave and said that it can be stopped if COVID Appropriate Behaviour is followed and the majority of people get vaccinated. He said, "Why will there be a third wave if we follow COVID Appropriate Behaviour and get ourselves vaccinated? There are many countries where even second wave has not arrived; if we follow COVID appropriate behaviour, this period will pass."

ALSO READ | COVID-19 third wave definitely underway in UK, says vaccine expert

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also quoted National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI) Chairperson Dr NK Arora who said that India has the capacity to administer 1.25 crore doses in 24 hours. He said that this target is especially achievable in the wake of good support from the private sector.

No issue regarding vaccine supply in future

Dr Arora stated that there won't be any issue regarding the availability of coronavirus vaccines in the future. The NTAGI Chairperson said that India will have over 20 crore doses in July and assured that the health infrastructure is well spread out to ensure that the vaccination drive reaches every corner of the country including hilly, tribal and very sparsely populated areas.

No need for changing the current dosage interval of COVISHIELD

Dr NK Arora said that there is no need at the moment to change the dosage interval of COVISHIELD vaccines. He informed, "We are collecting data under the National Vaccine Tracking System - and doing real-time evaluation regarding effectiveness of vaccines, dose interval, region-wise impact, variants; at present, no need is felt for changing dose interval of COVISHIELD."

Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage is nearing 29 crores after 86.16 lakh vaccine doses were administered across the country on Monday.

(With PIB inputs)

ALSO READ | COVID-19 vaccines 'highly effective' against hospitalisation from Delta variant, claims study



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New Delhi: In a landmark achievement, nearly 81 lakh (80,95,314) doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered on Monday (May 21), the first day of the new phase of the vaccination drive.

Out of the total, the BJP-ruled states accounted for the maximum number of vaccine doses administered across the country.

Madhya Pradesh topped the numbers with a total of 1542632 doses administered. It was followed by Karnataka which vaccinated 1067734 people in a day.

Uttar Pradesh (674546), Gujarat (502173) and Haryana (472659) stood at the third, fourth and fifth position in terms of vaccination coverage on the given day.

During the month of May 2021, more than 7.9 crore vaccines were available for the nationwide COVID19 Vaccination exercise. These were ramped up to 11.78 crore in June 2021. These include the free supply of vaccines to States and UTs from Government of India, those directly procured by the States/UTs and those directly procured by the private hospitals, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement on Tuesday.

States were provided advance visibility of the vaccine doses available to them in the month of June 2021. This advance information enabled the States to prepare vaccine distribution plans district-wise and COVID Vaccination Centre (CVC) wise in an effective manner. This facilitated a massive ramping up of the vaccine administration across the country, it added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the feat as "gladdening" and asserted that the vaccine remains our strongest weapon to fight the disease.

"Todays record-breaking vaccination numbers are gladdening. The vaccine remains our strongest weapon to fight COVID-19. Congratulations to those who got vaccinated and kudos to all the front-line warriors working hard to ensure so many citizens got the vaccine. Well done India!" he tweeted.

Todays record-breaking vaccination numbers are gladdening. The vaccine remains our strongest weapon to fight COVID-19. Congratulations to those who got vaccinated and kudos to all the front-line warriors working hard to ensure so many citizens got the vaccine. Well done India!  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2021

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Bengaluru: A committee headed by cardiologist Devi Prasad Shetty, which submitted its interim report to Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurapa on Tuesday, has recommended reopening of schools and colleges in a staggered manner.

The 13-member expert committee was set up by the Karnataka government to strategise for the prevention and management of the possible third wave of the pandemic. The committee feared that any further delay in the reopening of schools could make children vulnerable to malnutrition, child labour, child marriage, trafficking, begging.

In its 92-page report, the committee has recommended that the state government must focus on vaccinating the entire staff members of all colleges and schools in order to create ring immunisation of all adults around children on a war footing.

"Ring immunisation means vaccinate all adult members of a child/children`s family, school staff, transport vehicle staff, boarding staff and others who directly come in contact with a child in schools and in the family. Besides announcing Rs 2 lakh insurance coverage to all students who are not eligible for vaccination yet, which will encourage parents to send their wards to schools," the committee said.

The committee observed that prior to opening schools ring immunisation must be created as physical attendance in schools will optimise learning, physical health, mental health and nutritional aspects of children.

After receiving the report and attending a detailed briefing by the committee members here, Yediyurappa said that the government is contemplating opening degree and professional colleges in the first phase after teachers and students are vaccinated.

"Experts have recommended that students studying in professional colleges need to attend the colleges physically. Therefore, the state government has decided to focus on vaccinating teachers and staff members of these institutions first," he said.

The CM added that the committee has recommended upgrading paediatric ICUs and wards. The committee has also recommended recruiting additional manpower, including doctors, nurses and paramedic staff to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19.

"Upgrading the existing SNCU/NICU, PICU, converting existing HDU to PICU, upgrading existing paediatric wards as HDU with piped central oxygen and suction facility so that they can be converted at short notice to PICU in case of a surge in paediatric cases," the report said.

"Set up exclusive children`s hospital with 250 beds with provision for 20-bed PICU/HDU/NICU in facilities like Indira Gandhi Institute Of Child Health, and in the backward districts like Chamarajanagar, Yadgir, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Chitradurga, Koppal and Haveri in the campus of district hospital/medical colleges," stated the report.

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Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Tuesday (June 22) announced further relaxations in the lockdown regulations, while cautioning the public against a possible third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new relaxations would come into effect from Thursday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told a press conference here after a review meeting.

The Chief Minister said the spread of the disease in the state is on the decline.

As per the new guidelines, banks will function on Tuesdays and Thursdays also, but the public will not have access to the branches on these days.

"All government institutions and banks in Category A and B areas will be allowed to operate with up to 50 per cent employees and all government institutions in category C, with up to 25 per cent staff.Places of worship can open, subject to a maximum of 15 persons at a time.However, liquor shops in local bodies bordering Tamil Nadu will remain closed because of the lockdown in that state", Vijayan said, according to news agency PTI.

At present, there are 277 local bodies in Kerala with an average Test Positivity Rate of less than eight per cent in the last seven days (A Category), 575 between 8 and 16 per cent TPR (B Category), 171 in the 16 to 24 per cent TPR range (C Category) and 11 LSG bodies with over 24 per cent TPR (D Category).

"The relaxations in lockdown restrictions are being allowed in the A & B Category local bodies.Full lockdown will continue to be enforced on weekends across the state", Vijayan said.

He said classes for medical students will start on July 1 as they have been vaccinated.

"The 18 to 23-year-olds will be treated as a special category for vaccination. This will enable the opening up of regular colleges for them", the Chief Minister said.

He said efforts are on to detect and study genetic variation of the coronavirus through continuous genetic sequencing.

The study is led by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Biotechnology and Kozhikode Medical College.

In addition, the Institute of Genomics and Integrated Biology is conducting studies into this, Vijayan said.

He also announced that the Kerala State Pravasi Welfare Development Co-operative Society, in collaboration with HLL LifeCare Limited, is all set to launch COVIDP-19 Molecular Testing Laboratory at all four airports in the state to facilitate the travel of expatriates.
Mumbai: A 53-year-old man, upset over his child not getting admission in a school, sent an e-mail to the Maharashtra government claiming a bomb was placed in the state secretariat, which later turned out to be a hoax, police said on Tuesday (June 22).

The incident took place on Monday (June 21) following which the accused, identified as Shailesh Shinde, was arrested from his residence in the Ghorpadi area of Pune.

Shinde was upset over his child not getting admission in a school and had sent a few e-mails complaining about the school to the Chief Minister's Office at the 'Mantralaya' (state secretariat), he said.

As he did not get any response to his mails, he sent a message on the state Home department's e-mail ID wherein he mentioned that a bomb was placed in the Mantralaya, the official said.

The authorities alerted the police following which a Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) squad reached the secretariat and conducted a search, but did not find anything suspicious, he said.

While investigating the matter, the police found the e-mail was sent from Pune, the official said, adding that Shinde was subsequently apprehended by Mundhwa police in Pune.

He was brought to Mumbai on Monday evening and placed under arrest after being questioned, the official said.

An offence was registered at the Marine Drive police station, he said.

(Inputs from ANI)

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New Delhi: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday (June 21) met political strategist Prashant Kishor here and will host a meeting of leaders from several parties and eminent personalities on Tuesday (June 22) to discuss the current scenario in the country, his party said and asserted that the Maratha strongman is working to unite the Opposition.

The meeting held at Pawar's residence, which was their second this month, lasted for more than two hours and has further fuelled speculation that a Third Front could be in the works to take on the BJP.

Kishor, who was instrumental in the Trinamool Congress' victory in the recent West Bengal assembly election, had a meeting with Pawar over lunch in Mumbai on June 11.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson and minister in the Maharashtra government Nawab Malik in a series of tweets said Pawar will host a meeting of prominent political leaders as well as eminent persons at his residence in Delhi on Tuesday (June 22).

The meeting has been called to discuss the current scenario in the country and it will be attended by the National Conference leader and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, TMC leader Yashwant Sinha, Sanjay Singh from AAP and D Raja from CPI, Malik said.

Sanjay Jha, Pawan Verma and Sudheendra Kulkarni will also be present in the meeting, Malik said.

"Pawar is working to unite all opposition leaders. Maybe, the meeting was to discuss it. The party's national executive meeting is also taking place in the national capital tomorrow," Malik said in Mumbai when asked about the NCP chief's meeting with Kishor.

Yashwant Sinha later tweeted that Pawar is hosting a meeting of the 'Rashtra Manch', a political action group floated by the former BJP leader in 2018 that targeted the Modi government's policies.

"We shall have a meeting of the Rashtra Manch tomorrow at 4 PM. Sri Sharad Pawar has kindly agreed to host the meeting at his place," he said.

Besides politicians, eminent people from various fields such as senior advocate KTS Tulsi, former chief election commissioner SY Qureshi, former ambassador KC Singh, lyricist Javed Akhtar, film-maker Pritish Nandy, advocate Colin Gonsalves, filmmaker Pritish Nandi and media personalities Karan Thapar and Ashutosh will attend Tuesday's meeting, Malik said.

Kishor, who was part of the BJP's 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, later handled the campaign of several opposition parties like the TMC, AAP and the DMK.

(Inputs from agency)

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NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday released a white paper on the COVID-19 management in which he stressed that 100 per cent vaccination of Indian citizens will be an 'important pillar' in the fight against the deadly coronavirus.

The Congress MP from Kerala's Wayanad said that its purpose is to help the country prepare for a possible third wave of coronavirus and not to criticise the Narendra Modi government.

"The aim of this white paper on COVID-19 is not finger-pointing at the government but to help the nation prepare for the third wave of infection. The whole country knows that a third wave will strike,'' the Congress leader said.

The aim of this white paper on COVID-19 is not finger-pointing at the government but to help the nation prepare for the third wave of infection. The whole country knows that a third wave will strike: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/5wgsBpj3jk  ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2021

The whole country knows the third wave of COVID-19 is coming. We urge the government to prepare for it, Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a press conference on Tuesday.

Slamming the Centre over its handling of the COVID pandemic, Rahul said, ''90% of people who have died could have been saved. The biggest reason for this was the lack of oxygen at the time. While there is no shortage of oxygen in the country. PM's tears did not save the lives of people but oxygen could have."

Calling the Centre's COVID management in the first and second wave 'disastrous', Rahul Gandhi added, "We've tried to point out the reasons behind it. I would even go so far as to say that there might be waves even after the third wave of COVID-19 as the virus is mutating."

The Congress Wayanad MP further stated that the government must treat all states equally for COVID-19 vaccinations while cautioning that they should not be viewed as BJP or opposition states.

This comes a day after Rahul Gandhi termed the Centre`s decision of not paying an ex gratia to kin of those who died of COVID-19 as "cruelty" and said that the compensation is just a small help for the people and the Modi government is unwilling to do that.

However, he appreciated the Central government over a record number of vaccinations on Monday. "Yes, good work has happened yesterday (highest number of vaccines administered) but this is not a series of events. But the government has to make this process work not just for one day but every day until we`ve vaccinated our whole population," Gandhi said.

On Monday, India administered 86,16,373 COVID-19 vaccine doses, the highest-ever single-day vaccination in the world so far, the Union Health Ministry informed today.

Thus India has vaccinated more than the population of New Zealand in a single day.

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New Delhi: The President of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on Tuesday (June 22) said that the reliability of China as a trade partner is in question even as visa issuance from the country remains an issue.

Travelling to China has not been possible for Indian nationals since last November as the Chinese side has suspended existing visas.

Sanjay Aggarwal, speaking to Zee Media, said, I think, the Chinese governments approach is not in their own interest. I think they are just proving the point why we talk of a nation not trying to be dependent on China. The businessmen suffer trade-related issues, payment issues, materials stuck due to non-issue of visas.

Earlier this year in March, the Chinese Embassy issued a notification that visas will be given to only those who have taken China-made vaccines, thereby putting a barrier for Indians. No Chinese vaccines are approved by the Indian government for use so far.

Aggarwal explained, "The reliability of China as a trade partner itself gets in question.

It (trade barrier) is not to their advantage. Indian businessmen may suffer in the short term but they will learn for future to not be dependent on the Chinese, he added.

This is the first such comment by any national chamber over trade with China and comes amid China's continued presence at the line of actual control in Ladakh.

China is India's one of the largest trading partners. But the trade deficit has been a cause of worry for India. In fact, it is the single biggest trade deficit India is running with any country.

India's dependence on China has been a cause of concern for which PHDCCI called for incentives from the government for Indian businesses.

The president of PHDCCI further said, China is not exactly a friendly country. We have to look at it from a national security perspective, in addition to just commercial. We need to find innovative ways to drastically and progressively reduce our dependence on China.

Aggarwal called for easy availability of credit amid the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and fast release of payments by the government to MSMEs.

The 100-year-old national business chamber represents companies from northern India and has a special focus on the MSME sector.

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Chennai: A series of ATM thefts using a unique method, without physically tampering the machine has come to the fore in Chennai.

The modus operandi of the criminals has been to target the withdrawal-cum deposit machines that are installed in some State Bank of India branches. It is notable that theft via this method does not raise an alarm in an ATM, unlike the cases where the machine is physically damaged or tampered with.

While performing a withdrawal transaction, the criminals block a sensor on the machine. This is a sensor meant to detect whether the cash has been collected or not. In about 20 seconds, when the cash is not collected the machine would take the cash back in.

In this case, when the sensor is blocked, the machine assumes that the cash has not been withdrawn and takes the cash back in. Hence, the money goes into the hands of the criminals, but the same does not reflect in the banks system or the concerned account.

Over Rs 10 lakhs have reportedly been fraudulently withdrawn from such machines. The authorities suspect that the culprits are from other states and operated in Chennai for a few days before moving out.

Two special teams have been formed to nab the culprits. Meanwhile, SBI is understood to have temporarily suspended the withdrawal of cash from the involved ATM cum deposit machines. Senior SBI officials have also met the Chennai Police Commissioner to discuss the further course of action.

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Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday (June 22) told the Bombay High Court it would not arrest senior IPS officer Param Bir Singh till July 3 in a case registered against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Senior counsel Darius Khambata, appearing for the state government, said his earlier statement, that the police would not arrest the former Mumbai police commissioner, shall continue till July 3, according to news agency PTI.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar posted a petition filed by Singh, seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him on a complaint of police inspector Bhimrao Ghadge, for hearing on July 2.

On that day, the court would also hear another petition filed by the senior IPS officer challenging two enquiries set up against him by the state government.

The first enquiry order of April 1 was passed by the then state home minister Anil Deshmukh for alleged violation of some All India Services (Conduct) Rules by the senior bureaucrat.

The second order of April 20 was issued by the current home minister (Dilip Walse Patil) over allegations of corruption levelled against Singh.

The FIR registered under the Atrocities Act against Singh is based on the complaint filed by police inspector Ghadge, currently posted at Akola in eastern Maharashtra. Ghadge made a series of allegations of corruption against Singh and other officers when the top cop was posted in Thane as police commissioner.

In the FIR, now transferred to the Thane, Ghadge alleged that Singh pressured him to drop the names of some persons from a case and when he refused, the IPS officer framed him in false cases.

The FIR was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (the complainant belongs to an SC community).

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London/New York/Tokyo: Bitcoin tumbled on Monday to a two-week low on China`s expanding crackdown on bitcoin mining, as investors grew more uncertain about the future of the leading cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin fell as low as $31,333, a two-week trough, dragging down other cryptocurrencies. It was last down 10.7%, its largest daily percentage loss in a month.

The world`s biggest cryptocurrency has lost more than 20% in the last six days alone and was at half its April peak of almost $65,000. Year to date, it remained up about 11%.

Some bitcoin investors were concerned further losses could be in store due to a chart formation known as a death cross which occurs when a short-term average trendline crosses below a long-term average trendline.

China has been tightening its crackdown on cryptocurrencies. On Friday, authorities in the southwest province of Sichuan ordered bitcoin mining projects to close.

Last month the State Council, China`s cabinet, vowed to clamp down on mining and trading as part of a campaign to control financial risks.

On Monday, China`s central bank said it recently summoned some banks and payment firms, including China Construction Bank and Alipay, urging them to crack down harder on cryptocurrency trading.

"People still react strongly to actions from China that create uncertainty so this is likely to reflect negatively on the bitcoin price," said Ruud Feltkamp, chief executive officer at at crypto trading bot Cryptohopper.

"China is rolling its own cryptocurrency and has every incentive to have as little competition as possible...I think we will see miners leaving China and relocate where there is spare or cheap energy."

Data on mining is scarce. Yet bitcoin in China accounted last year for about 65% of global production, according to data from the University of Cambridge, with Sichuan its second-biggest producer.

Agricultural Bank of China (AgBank), China`s third-largest lender by assets, said separately it was following the People`s Bank of China`s guidance and would conduct due diligence on clients to root out illegal activities involving crypto mining and transactions.

Alipay, the ubiquitous payment platform owned by fintech giant Ant Group, said in a separate statement it would set up a regulator monitoring system targeting key websites and accounts to detect illegal crypto-related transactions.

In other cryptocurrencies, ether, the token used for the Ethereum blockchain, dropped to a five-week low of $1,890. It was last down 14.3% at $1,922.05.

Also on Monday, auction house Sotheby`s announced that a rare pear-shaped diamond that is expected to fetch up to $15 million can be bought at an auction next month using cryptocurrencies. It would be the first time a diamond of such size has been offered for public purchase with cryptocurrency.

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JAMMU: The Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), also known as the Gupkar Alliance, has said that its leaders will participate in the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday (June 24).

Mehbooba Ji, Md Tarigami Sahib and I will attend the all-party meeting called by PM. We hope to keep our agenda before the Prime Minister and Home Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah said after a meeting of the PAGD at his residence in Srinagar.

Jammu and Kashmir: Meeting of People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration at Dr. Farooq Abdullah's residence in Srinagar "Mehbooba Ji, Md Tarigami sahib and I will attend the all-party meeting called by PM. We hope to keep our agenda before PM & HM," says Dr. Abdullah pic.twitter.com/f2yBLZqbAT  ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2021

The announcement came after the PAGD leaders met at Abdullahs Gupkar Road residence to discuss the Centres invitation. However, the alliance leaders said that there can be no compromise on Articles 370 and 35A.

Ahead of the meeting, Gupkar Alliance member Muzaffar Shah said, We will decide on PMs meeting and our agenda for it today. We will also talk about 35A and Art 370.

"However, there can be no compromise on Article 370 and 35A," Muzaffar Shah said in Srinagar

The leaders of the constituent parties, including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami, had arrived at the residence of Abdullah, who is also the National Conference president, at 11 AM to discuss all issues.

The PM has called an all-party meet on June 24 in Delhi regarding J&K statehood.

"A meeting of all senior leaders of J&K BJP has been called at its party office here today. The discussion will be held over various issues that'll be taken up in the meeting on 24th,'' Ravinder Raina, J&K BJP chief, also informed.

The PMs meeting with the political parties from Jammu and Kashmir is part of the Centres initiatives to bolster political processes, including holding assembly elections, in the Union Territory.

The National Conference (NC) had on Monday said that it was good that the Centre had realised that things will not work in the Union Territory without involving the local J&K leaders.

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New Delhi: Amid the declining number of COVID-19 cases in the Gautam Budh Nagar district (Uttar Pradesh), the Noida authority has decided to close nine oxygen counters.

From Monday (June 21, 2021), it has now started supplying oxygen cylinders from only one cylinder refilling facility located in Sector 93B.

"As the demand for oxygen has come down to a large extent for the past many days at all centres, the authority has decided to provide medical oxygen service only from the Sector 93B community centre from Monday. Those who need oxygen can avail the service from there," Hindustan Times quoted Mukesh Vaish, project engineer of the authority, as saying.

This is to be noted that the Noida Authority had commenced the service of supplying oxygen to COVID-19 positive residents in home isolation in early May due to the second wave of coronavirus. The community centre in Sector 93B was selected as the main collection and distribution centre for these cylinders.

The facility for distribution was available at the community centres at Jhandupura, Morna, Sector 62, Kakrala Khwaspur and at Baraat Ghars of Hoshiyarpur in Sector 51, Parthala Khanjarpur, Shahdara and Jhatta. It was also available at the Sector 24 store near Manas Hospital.

As per a report, the authority provided 1,859 oxygen cylinders and 93 oxygen concentrators from its 10 facilities between May 3 and June 19.

The Noida residents took benefit of the service by depositing security fees of Rs 2,500 along with refilling fees of Rs 200.

It had later started providing cylinders and concentrators of life-saving gas through mobile booking.

Meanwhile, Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded 17 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and the number of active infections in the district now stands at 121. The infection tally has increased to 63,002, of which, 62,415 have recovered.



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Noida: In an effort to reunite missing children with their families, Noida police launched Mission Muskan.

Under this mission, which is being organised at the district level, the police will compile records of children who went missing till July this year and try to trace their families.

A meeting was held in this regard by the Additional Commissioner of Police Pushpanjali and DCP Women.

The Commissionerate Police will work on the cases of 58 missing children.

The Noida police will try to get as much information as possible from the children living in shelter homes of Gautam Buddh Nagar district by counselling them.

Through this information, the police will try to trace their families.

A special team has been constituted to carry out the task. A workshop was also organised in which District Probation Officer, Child Line representatives and NGO representatives were present.

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New Delhi: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's name has now become synonymous with controversies -- all thanks to her social media posts.

Recently, the actress expressed her desire for the change in Indias name back to Bharat. Clarifying his views over it, the Tanu Weds Manu star claimed that the name India has been given to Bharat by Britishers and also tagged it as a slave name.

She shared two posts in her Instagram story where she talked about the meaning of Bharat and compared it with India, the name given by Britishers which means east of Indus River.

While describing the meaning of Bharat, she elaborated that its made from three Sanskrit words, which stands for BH (bhav), Ra (rag), ta (tal).

She also believed that India can only rise if its rooted in its ancient spirituality and wisdom that is the soul of the great civilisation. She also urged everyone to get deeply rooted to Vedas, Geeta and Yoga.

The bold and beautiful actress, who is currently in Mumbai is all set to make her digital debut as a producer with the upcoming film Tiku Weds Sheru. Kangana dives into webspace with her production house Manikarnika Films and also launched its logo.

The Gangster actress will be seen in the film "Thalaivi". The film's release was postponed due to the COVID outbreak. She is also part of the films "Tejas" and "Dhaakad", and recently announced a film under her banner Manikarnika Films titled "Tiku Weds Sheru".
New Delhi: Actor Harish Patel has been grabbing the limelight since the day his fans spotted him in the first look of The Eternals from a video that was released by Marvel in May, this year.

The actor shared that he was amazed by peoples reaction after he made a 2-second entry in a three-minute-long trailer and still people could recognize him.

While talking to Pinkvilla, he shared that he hasnt worked in Hindi Cinema since 2004 as he finds some of the casting directors as extremely 'ill-mannered' and 'nobodies'.

He talked about how he bagged the role in The Eternals and his first meeting with Salma Hayek, whom he couldnt recognise in the first place.

Recalling his meet with Hollywood hottie Salma Hayek, Patel said,When I reached there (for the audition) in the morning, they directly took me to Pinewood Studios where they were about to start the shoot from the 12th. I did my audition there, we all hugged and then I left for my hotel. When I had just reached the lobby and was going towards my car, an Assistant Director came up to me and asked me if I could join them for a table read. I told her I was hungry, so she said all the arrangements are made upstairs. Toh jab mai waha apne plate leke khana khana kha raha tha, peche se mereko ek hath aaya. Usne mujhe tap kia aur tap karke hello bola. Mujhe bade pyaari awaaz lage, toh maine jab palat ke dekha toh Salma Hayek thi. She told me, Congratulations, youre doing Karuns role."

He quipped apart from Angelina Jolie, he wasnt even aware of anyone else.I knew Angelina Jolie, but I knew nothing of the others who were working with me. At the table read, on one side was Kumail Nanjiani, and on the other, there was Richard Madden. I had no idea he was so popular, on Game of Thrones."

About bagging the role in a Hollywood venture, Harish Patel explained the whole system.As a first step, the casting directors of that production house do their entire homework on the role, after which they select the actors for that part. Once that is done, they contact the agency and the manager of that actor. Casting directors of India please listen to what I am saying. They give all the details of the project, of the role and sometimes even share the script. Now Marvel is very secretive about their script, so that is a completely different matter, but other details like who is the director, the producer, where will the shooting take place - all these details are given that an actor should know about."

"So at the time when they had given me this role, the name of my character was not Karun, it was something else which I dont remember now. So three months after I gave the audition and they were to start shooting in September, on 28th or 29th of August my manager sent me a message stating that Ill have to go to London for the final audition, and the mail that I had received inquired if I could fly the next day. I said it doesnt happen like that, as Ill have to apply for the entertainer visa only after which I can enter the country and give the audition", he said.

The team even asks the actor whether he/she wants to play the part or not, he clarified.

Harish Patel, played the famous character of Ibu Hatela from the 1998 film Gunda and since then became a household name. Ibu Hatela character was famous for the dialogue, "Ma meri chudail ki beti, baap mera shaitan ka chela."

But it garnered more popularity when Kanan Gill and Biswa Kalyan Rath used it in their popular YouTube show called Prententious Movie Reviews.

Harish Patel has worked in Hollywood movies like Run, Fat Boy, Run and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

'The Eternals is directed by Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao. It also has Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Kit Harington, Don Lee in pivotal roles and is slated to release this November.
New Delhi: Bollywood actress and former beauty queen Urvashi Rautela shared her new traditional look on Instagram. Looking jaw-dropping in a red Gujarati Patola saree and jewellery. Her love for desi outfits is not hidden from anyone and her IG posts are solid proof of it.

The actress is active on social media and has 38+ Million followers on Instagram alone. Urvashi Rautela recently attended legendary actor Manoj Kumars granddaughter's mehndi ceremony. Urvashi donned a gorgeous traditional outfit and turned heads with her fashion statement. This red Gujarati Patola saree shows the sign of uniqueness that gold jewellery makes a style statement.

On the work front, Urvashi Rautela will be making her Tamil debut with a Sci-fi Tamil film in which she will be playing the role of Microbiologist and an IITian, and later she is going to appear in Black Rose along with the Hindi remake of Thirutu Payale 2.

She recently got a great response for her song Doob Gaye. Urvashi is starring in a lead role in web series titled Inspector Avinash which is a biopic based on the true story of Avinash Mishra and Poonam Mishra.
New Delhi: Will factionalism and infighting within the Punjab unit of Congress end soon? Will there be a patch-up between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu? or can Congress afford to lose Sidhu and find a suitable replacement for him? These are the questions which the three-member panel, set up by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to end factionalism in the party`s Punjab unit, is grappling with at the moment.

As the Congress leadership is trying hard to put its state unit in order, a recent announcement by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that his partys chief ministerial face in the poll-bound state will be a Sikh has further triggered intense speculations about Navjot Singh Sidhu quitting Congress and joining the Aam Admi Party.

The Aam Aadmi Party national convener had said on Monday that discussions were on within the party for choosing the right candidate as the CM face and assured that entire Punjab would be proud of their choice. Kejriwal, while addressing a press conference, said that Punjab is fed up with its current political leadership and is looking for a new brand of politics. Punjab is the only state which gets a Sikh CM. I feel that this is a right of the Sikhs which should be upheld.

The Delhi Chief Minister made this announcement while inducting former inspector general of police (IGP) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh into AAP at Circuit House in Amritsar. Importantly, the AAP chief also categorically ruled out that he was in the race for Punjab CM and called it a baseless rumour.

This has set the rumour mill talking that the AAP may be considering Navjot Singh Sidhu as a game-changer in Punjab politics. It may be noted that Kejriwals party had been trying hard to expand its presence in Punjab, and the party has received good results too. However, the party has failed to find a credible face in Punjab and has blamed infighting as one of the main factors behind its dismal performance in assembly polls in Punjab in the past.

For years, Punjab has had a tradition of voting for personalities like Prakash Singh Badal and Captain Amarinder Singh, but Kejriwals party has preferred not to project any one of its state leaders as the AAPs CM candidate. At one point in time, there were several top contenders in AAP for the CMs post  Sangrur MP Bhagwant Singh Mann, HS Phoolka and Sukhpail Singh Khaira.

While Khaira quit the party and joined the Congress, Phoolka also deserted AAP in 2019. Bhagwant Mann, who is currently the party chief in Punjab and the only AAP MP from the state. But he is not considered as the right candidate for the top post despite his popularity. Besides Mann, AAP MLA Harpal Cheema and former MP Professor Sadhu Singh are other top contenders in the party for the CMs chair.

If political analysts are to be believed, the AAP central leadership is looking for someone who can be a ''game-changer'' for the party and can challenge a Congress heavyweight like Amarinder Singh with equal ease.

The Aam Aadmi Partys desperate search for a credible Sikh CM candidate for Punjab can end if it opens its door for Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has openly expressed his differences with Amarinder Singh and is seen as a senior leader with a huge mass appeal among the voters across in the state.

Though it's too early to say anything since no formal announcement has been made in this regard, if Kejriwals party manages to woo Sidhu in the days to come, it can play a big role in its revival in Punjab. For the unversed, Kejriwals party had made an unsuccessful attempt to take Sidhu onboard during the 2017 assembly polls.

However, Sidhu then joined Congress, but he soon felt side-lined due to his growing differences with the Chief Minister. Sidhu, who has never shied away from attacking the SAD leaders and criticising his own party's government over sensitive issues, is not a political novice in Punjab politics and enjoys a firm backing of several top Congress MLAs.

For AAP, which is seeing the upcoming assembly polls in Punjab as its only chance of forming its full-fledged government outside Delhi, Sidhu can surely be the man the party has been looking for.

Amid all this, the three-member panel, set up by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to end factionalism in the party`s Punjab unit, will meet today to iron out the differences between the two top leaders.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has been apprised of the situation and she has called for an early resolution of all issues plaguing the party. The committee will discuss all those issues with Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. This will be his first meeting with the panel members after they had submitted a report to party chief Sonia Gandhi. The AICC panel, which includes Mallikarjun Kharge, JP Aggarwal and Harish Rawat, has met Rahul Gandhi twice after submitting their report.

Sources close to the Chief Minister have said that the meeting is aimed at finding a solution acceptable to him concerning various issues. Another important sticking point is finding a suitable accommodation for Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is not on good terms with Captain Amarinder Singh.

Earlier in the first week of June, the Chief Minister had presented his side to the committee for three hours. Sources said that Rahul Gandhi is monitoring the developments but the party high command not yet opened its cards. They added that Sonia Gandhi wanted the committee to come up with a formula that is acceptable to all leaders.

The most important decision concerns that of the state Congress chief. There is also a possibility of the appointment of a Deputy Chief Minister and various election-related committees have to be finalised. At the moment, the Congress top brass is making all efforts to bring greater cohesion in the state unit ahead of assembly elections next year and resolve factional issues and "infighting".

The Congress leadership knows that Punjab is crucial for the party as it is one of the few states where the party is in power and the outcome will have an impact on the party`s prospects outside the state also.

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In what could be termed as the most shocking incident, Battlegrounds Mobile India, which is facing a ban in India has been allegedly accused of sharing data to servers in China.

Battlegrounds Mobile India is sending data of Android users to servers in China, including servers owned by Tencent and the Chinese government, IGN India reported.

The repackaged version of PUBG Mobile India is said to be using many servers to communicate and China Mobile Communications is seen to be the most-used one. It is also allegedly found relaying data between servers located in Hong Kong, Moscow, the US, and Mumbai.

Many users claimed that their data is being sent to servers in China and after that IGN investigated the matter by installing a data packet sniffer app on an Android phone.

The report further stated that Battlegrounds Mobile India is not following what Krafton asked them to do in 2020. It is said to be using a data packet sniffer app before playing a match on Battlegrounds Mobile India and after some probe it was found that Battlegrounds Mobile India was further exchanging data with servers in China among some other ones that are not local. The report further revealed that Battlegrounds Mobile India also established connections with Tencent servers.

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#mute
New Delhi: Actress Rubina Dilaik and husband Abhinav Shukla may be in different continents because of work commitments but this does not stop the love birds from celebrating their third wedding anniversary.

Abhinav, who is currently in South Africas Cape Town shooting for the upcoming adventure reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi 11, posted an adorable anniversary message for his lady love. Calling Rubina his safety harness the actor wrote, Hey Poser..Would love to photograph you! Can i ? Happy Anniv my love! To many more journeys, trips, treks, photographs, videos and adventures ! You are like a safety harness, always comforting, securing and hugging tight when i am hanging from the cliffs!

The Bigg Boss 14 winner responded with loved up emojis. She herself took to her Instagram account to give us a sneak-peek of her special day.

Rubina posted a photo of herself video calling Abhinav and captioned it, Main yahaaan, tu wahaaan (I am here and you are there).

The actress was busy shooting for a music video on her anniversary. The crew however celebrated the day with the actress by arranging a cake. The 33 years old shared the video of the sweet gesture on her Instagram.

The Shakti Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki actress ended her special day by cutting another cake that her sister has surprised her with.

Rubina and Abhinav have been married for three years. The couple participated in Bigg Boss 14 together where Rubina opened up about trouble in their marriage and revealed they were on the brink of getting a divorce.

The two however have reconciled since then and are much in love with each other.
Kolkata: West Bengals ruling Trinamool Congress party on Tuesday slammed the Centre for initiating a major ''penalty proceedings'' against Alapan Bandopadhyay, the former Chief Secretary of West Bengal who`s presently serving as the advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, under All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules.

The Department of Personnel and Training had on Monday confirmed that the Centre has proposed to hold major penalty proceedings against Alapan Bandopadhyay, who is at loggerheads with the Centre for skipping an important meeting called by PM Modi and violating the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules.

Commenting on the issue, TMC MP Saugata Roy said, "It's a vindictive act against the rules. Alapan Bandhopadhyay is a retired official and is not bound by the rules & regulations of Govt of India. They are trying to pressurise him by pointing out that he tends to lose his pension & gratuity. It's a very mean step to take.''

It's a vindictive act against the rules. Alapan Bandhopadhyay is a retired official & is not bound by rules & regulations of Govt of India. They are trying to pressurise him by pointing out that he tends to lose his pension & gratuity. It's a mean step to take: TMC MP Saugata Roy pic.twitter.com/HLryQ7qiBd  ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2021

DoPT has also asked the former West Bengal chief secretary to submit a written statement in his defence and state if he desires to be heard in person within 30 days. Ministry has also said that in case of no reply from him, inquiry authority may hold inquiry against him ex parte.

The Centre had on Monday initiated penalty proceedings against him for his alleged `misconduct` and `misbehaviour`.

In a memorandum sent by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Centre has proposed to hold major penalty proceedings against him and sought his response within 30 days.

The former Chief Secretary has been warned of major penalty proceedings that allow the Central government to withhold pension or gratuity, or both, either in full or in part, DoPT officials said.

Rule 8 of the All India Services (discipline and appeals) deals with the procedure for imposing major penalties. "Whenever the disciplinary authority is of the opinion that there are grounds for inquiring into the truth of any imputation of misconduct or misbehaviour against a member of the Service, it may appoint under this rule or under the provisions of the Public Servants (Inquiries) Act 1850, as the case may be, an authority to inquire into the truth thereof," Rule 8 sub-section 2 states.

On the other hand, Rule 6 of the All India Services (death cum retirement benefits) deals with the recovery of pension. "The Central government reserves the right of withholding pension or gratuity, permanently or for a specified time, if the pensioner has been found guilty of misconduct," Rule 6(1) states.

Earlier, the Centre had issued a show-cause notice to Alapan Bandopadhyay under the Disaster Management Act, which entails imprisonment for up to two years, to explain his absence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s meeting at Kalaikunda in the state on May 28.

Bandopadhyay in his four-page reply had said that he had to leave for a review of the cyclone-hit areas of Digha on the orders of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, was set to retire as the Chief Secretary on May 31, but the state had sought and received permission for an extension of his tenure for three months as he played a crucial role in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was, however, sent a directive to report to the North Block in Delhi by the Centre, shortly after a row broke out over the Prime Minister`s post-cyclone review meeting with Mamata Banerjee.

The bureaucrat, instead of reporting to Delhi, chose to retire and was subsequently appointed as the CM`s chief advisor.

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